Fallout Equestria: 221 [Group Alpha]

“Rise and shine, 221” an energetic and very clearly male voice sounded over the stable’s internal P.A. system. Those of you awake enough at this point were well aware that this was the voice of the ironically named Soft Chime, and, the reason said pony was currently attempting to wake you up at six in the morning, was, because it was routine.

Morning announcements, one of the many programs issued by 221’s first overmare in an attempt to return the population to a state of normalcy within the early days of its operation. The relative success of the program insured its continued existence.

The enthusiastic voice of Soft Chime proceeded with his announcements; birthdays, the day’s menus, various upcoming events… and a warning about how the lowest section of the stable, normally reserved for miscellaneous storage, had once again flooded and was to be avoided by the general population.

Such occurrences,  system failures, were becoming increasingly commonplace, so too, were Soft’s reassurances that the maintenance ponies had the situation under control. Most of 221’s population ignored these failures as harmless. The stable had provided them with everything they needed for generations now, and, the idea that it would stop seemed ridiculous---- after all, Stable-tec built these things to last, right?

“Engineering tells me lower storage should be dry again by the end of today, and, the overmare assures me that this flood had nothing to do with last month’s blackout. Don’t panic, kids, 221 is still kicking! If you see any of the engineering ponies, give them a pat on the back, will you? Those grease-heads don’t get enough credit for what they do around here.” Chime continued, laughing softly. “Anyways, B shift is over in about two hours, enjoy your free-time, A ponies. Chime, out.”

Work details in stable 221 were split into two shifts, A and B, to ensure that crucial systems were always attended to. The stable was essentially divided into two populations; the A and B shifts. The two rarely interact, seeing as they operate on essentially switched day-night cycles.


{OOC: You’re all part of A shift for your various professions. Two hours to do whatever it is you ponies want. Explore the stable, go get breakfast, go to the library. Your time is yours. One post per GM post, folks.}

Purse Cutter kept up her tradition of picking up her pillow and shoving it over her head when she heard Soft Chime's voice incessantly trying to get her up at the proper time. The mare had once again slept in her utility jumpsuit instead of her designated sleeping jumpsuit, and she expected somepony to chew her out for how disheveled it would look.

"As if anyone expects a janitor to dress like they're going to a wedding." She grumbled to herself as she fell out of bed about ten minutes after the announcements were actually over, wasting part of her free time. Like it really mattered considering the lack of anything to do.

After she had fixed her mane into it's usual long braid and donned her bright pink top hat (some called it clashing with her suit, she called it adding a little colour to her life), the mare popped one of her other scarse possessions into the slot on the side of her pipbuck designed for recordings.

As the upbeat piano recording played, Purse skipped and danced along to it with small motions as she walked down the dismal grey corridors, her keys rattling on her belt with each little skip to the music which echoed so much louder in the grey corridors with how deathly quiet the place could get.

Purse longed for anything different. She had been tempted more than once since the floods started to go for a swim, just to alleviate the boredom even radioactive water sounded better.

In another room, Sonata let out her own groan as the speakers came on the all too routine sounds of Chime's voice echoed out into the various rooms and hallways of the vault. With a sigh, she climbed out of her own bed about halfway through the announcements, knowing full well that it'd be near impossible to fall asleep after such an awakening. She shrugged out of her sleepwear, letting it fall to the floor in a heap before a deft kick sent the spent garment towards a laundry hamper so that it could be cleaned.

Sonata then retrieved one of her jumpsuits from the drawers and donned the clothing with well practiced motions. Not a moment after it was on though, Sonata moved towards the the open corner closest to the head of her bed, where he violin rested. With a few flaps of her wings to free up her forehooves, Sonata clasped the instrument and flew back to the edge of the bed where she could sit and fiddle with the tuning of the strings.

It was a little after Sonata began fiddling with the string tuning that she caught the sounds of music drifting down the hall and coming closer. A familiar piece, but played in a slightly different manner than she was quite used to. Still, an opportunity should never be wasted and with a flourish, Sonata brandished the violin into playing position after retrieving the bow for it. When she was ready, and found a good spot to jump in on, Sonata began to play her own instrument alongside the upbeat piano music. It'd been some time since she'd played the particular piece, and it was something a touch different than the normal practice routine while still fairly fun to play in it's own right.

Moon Tinker rolled off of her bed, bringing her blanket with her, when the speakers came on. She just laid there till the announcements were over before picking herself up. She took off her sleepwear with a yawn before picking it up and throwing it into a laundry basket for later. She trotted over to her drawers and opened it to take out one of her jumpsuits. She jumped into it, fussing around with it a bit and almost falling down face first. Luckily she didn't and fixed her mane and jumpsuit. She looked into a mirror and shrugged as she saw her midnight blue mane with a streak of solid light puple down the middle was somewhat straight and just shrugged. She trotted over to her bed again and looked under it, looking for her tool belt. Once she saw it she grabbed it and strapped it around her waist before looking around.

"How to kill time..." She muttered quietly to herself, never finding a good way to kill time. She trotted around her room a bit, thinking to herself. She then stopped as her ears twitched at the sound of music playing. She raised an eyebrow and trotted over to her door, opening it and poking her head out. She looked around the hallway from the source of the music. She spotted a white thestral dancing down the hall. She smiled and gave a wave to the thestral as she hummed and bobbed her head to the song.

And with that mystery solved as to where the music came from, Moon stepped out into the hall and closed her door behind her. She then leaned against her door thinking of what to do for the next two hours. Then her stomach growled and reminded her she should probably go get some food. With that goal in mind, she started off down the hallway towards the cafeteria.

Purse continued her hopping and skipping until she reached the cafeteria, doing a little waltz to the newly accompanying violin notes into the room and sitting herself down on the nearest bench, laying her rubber band ball on the table from her pockets and beginning to bounce it between her forehooves, trying to get a tempo to go with the music; with the cafeteria being closer to the Overseer's office Purse Cutter couldn't help but wonder if he could hear her music.

She hoped he could. This song wasn't on the Stable Radio and she took great pleasure in flaunting anything that didn't belong in the Stable in the Overseer's face.

"Hey can I get something to eat?" Purse called to the backroom of the cafeteria without even looking if anyone was there. "Some real food instead of that synthetic or tinned gruel would be nice too."

Attrition groans as the PA sparks to life. Time to rise. Always too early. Attrition gives another annoyed growl as she rolls out of the bed. As a security guard, she had to make sure people didn't do something incredibly foolish or go where they shouldn't. Not like she got to do that very often. The only time she had any fun was working with the energy weapons. 'Could of been a technician, but noooooooo we needed more security guards.'
Attrition rolls out of bed, pulling on her jumpsuit. Fortunately, she had taken the time to keep it for. Getting too badly ruffled before she passed out in the bed. No getting yelled at today! Once she's finished, Attrition walks out the door and heads to the armor, ignoring the sanitation pony and her music. Well, not the music, but given that the sanitation pony would mostly likely get yelled at for not being in regulation, Attrition saw no reason to acknowledge them.

As the music began to drift away, Sonata opted to follow the sounds rather than let them fade away. Plus if anything, this would be a nicer wake up call for the other residence who also weathered Chime's grating announcements. Taking to her wings, Sonata rose from the bed without missing a beat, flew somewhat awkwardly through the doorway and out into the hall, still succeeding in keeping the stream of notes going. The moment though that she started down the hall though, Sonata nearly ran into Attrition and that did manage to throw her off the rhythm.

Quickly exclaiming a rushed and brief apology, Sonata eagerly reset the instrument and began to play again while heading towards the cafeteria. As she entered, her eyes found the source of the music and she let out a small grin before flying towards Purse. "Interesting choice this morning, and with any luck it'll be a prelude to an abnormal day. Even minor changes would be a welcome break from the monotony of this place," Sonata said simply while still playing.

Moon looked at Sonata and Purse playing out music, one actually playing music with a physical instrument and the other playing a recording. She continued humming to herself as she trotted behind them towards the cafeteria. She thought about something for a moment and immediately flew past Attrition towards Sonata and Purse. She tapped both ponies on the shoulder a little and smiled at them. She pointed a hoof at Purse for a moment before dropping her hoof. "I'm pretty sure the Overseer is going to chew you out for playing music, but hey, it might be something exciting from the boring old norm, right? And you my dear musician, only a pony with great patience to practice over and over on playing music has such great honer to play such glorious music. So you must have practice that for a very long time." She then started giggling out at random, shaking her head. "Sorry, just me being silly. What I meant was that you are an excellent musician."

Upon entering the drab-grey sterile rectangle that was 221’s cafeteria, Purse Cutter’s music would immediately clash with what had been playing inside.

The cafeteria always had something or another on repeat for enhanced eating experience… another one of the first overmare’s normalcy projects.

Various heads turned towards the mare as leitmotif clashed with jizzy standardization, but, they quickly returned to their various meals and conversations. Purse cutter’s rebellious nature was commonplace to the population of 221, and, much like the various systematic failures of the stable, was more or less ignored, or tolerated by the majority.  

Her request for food was met by the tiniest of voices, one that could barely be heard over the clashing of rebellious leitmotif and standardization--- and very nearly blended in with the rest of the conversation going on around the mare.  Said voice belonged to Slightly Salty, a member of B shift’s Kitchen staff.  Should anyone look to the backroom of the cafeteria, they would be met with the sight of a neon coloured mess of a pony barely old enough to have a cutie mark--- His was an overturned saltshaker---- levitating Purse a tray of food. Synthetic tinned gruel with a side of organic apple slices floated towards the mare.  

Slightly Salty himself had a neon-green coat, with a neon-pink mane.

Purse Cutter continued bobbing her head to her music as she shoveled the unappealing slop down her mouth as fast as she could, utterly ignoring the apples for now; get rid of the crap then savor the good stuff, it was the only way to walk away from a dinner in the Stable and not feel like you just ate raw sludge to Purse.

"Oh Celestia I think that actually made me pine for rotten eggs." Purse groaned loudly after she had finished the synthetic slop before starting on her apples, slipping the first slice into her mouth. Immediately the thestrals ears perked up and she closed her mismatched eyes as she nibbled happily on it, very much like an actual bat would by holding it in her hooves and slowly nibbling at it.

"Anyone told the Overseer yet that this food is worse than her attitude?" She called to Slightly Salty behind the counter while she pointed at the tin, continuing to enjoy her apples while the music recording looped.

Grinning lightly at Moon's compliment, Sonata finished the peace but didn't pick back up when the loops second iteration started. Instead she carefully set the instrument down on the table. "You don't have to be so formal Moon," Sonata said before signalling to Slightly Salty for her own meal. "But the compliments are still nice to hear every once in a while," she went on while waiting for her own food to arrive.

Sonata then stifled a grin at Purse's comment. "I don't know about that, I think I still see a bit of color left in some of that mush," Sonata joked eyeing the contents of first Purse's tray and possibly hers if it arrived soon enough.

Moon waved off Sonata. "Pfffttt. I can be formal if I want to, Sonata. But fine, I won't be so formal to you next time if you really say so." She rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smile "And yes. Compliments are nice to hear. It means you're doing something right and not messing anything up." She looked over at Salty and smiled at the colt. "Hey Salty? Get me something to eat to please." She said sweetly before turning back to Purse and Sonata.

Moon couldn't help but snicker just a little bit. "I feel like you're just asking to get yelled at by the Overseer." She commented, grinning at the white thestral. "But you are right in the sense that this food is...kinda bad. But it's all we know and I doubt the outside has anything to offer in the way of food. It's probably just as broken as ponies say it is. But I wouldn't mind tasting something different for once." She shook her head just a little but still smiled just a bit.

Salty nodded in response to  both Moon Tinker and Sonata’s requests for food, returning into the backroom. In the interim between his leaving and his return, the jizzy ambient music had been turned off, making Purse’s pipbuck the sole broadcaster of tunes in the room.  Salty returned, two trays of synthetic canned goodness with sides of apple-slices floated in front of him. “Anything else, you guys?” the quiet voice of Slightly Salty asked, his eyes locked on the boring floor-paneling of 221’s cafeteria.

Before either of the mares in front of him could answer, another voice sounded behind them. The voice was immediately recognisable as Ardent Vehemence, assistant to the overmare.

Because of 221’s split work schedule, the overmare had to essentially maintain two separate populations. To make such a thing manageable, 221 had two of them. Vehemence managed A shift’s ponies, and the overmare herself managed those in B shift. Ardent herself donned the title of assistant to avoid further division in the stable. Two overmares. Two communities. One collective.

“The outside world is quite ‘broken’, yes, Moon Tinker. Radiometrics reported that the levels of magical radiation just outside the stable doors were enough to kill you within forty five minutes of exposure.” Vehemence said, her as voice cold and articulate as it has always been. “I shall see about asking the ponies in aeroponics about variety in your side-dishes, more than that, I cannot promise any of you.” the Iris-blue mare continued. “The usual please, Slightly Salty.” Vehemence said to the colt, who nodded quickly and scampered off to the back room once more as soon as the two thestrals grabbed their meals.

Ardent Vehemence’s attention turned towards Purse Cutter. “You have been told, time and time again, that listening to your recordings outside of your room without usage of your earbloom is prohibited. This is your final warning, Purse Cutter. Once more and I will be forced to remove said recording from your possessions. Are we clear?”
With Vehemence’s scolding of Purse, the entire cafeteria was dead-silent, conversations put on hold and eating stopped as all of the ponies watched on for her reaction.

Sonata would break the silence easily enough a moment after it became established. "Sorry Vehemence," Sonata started as she took her seat and set the tray in front of her. "It was upon my request to help with my morning practice," she said with a gesture to the violin that was still sitting on the table. "After all, one can't be too prepared and a few extra selections in the music for various occasions should be widely appreciated," Sonata went on before having her first bite of the day's gruel.

"The repeats were even part of the request so I could compare my attempts without their direct presence," Sonata went on after she'd finished that bite and gave the assistant a warm smile. "Perhaps I could even grace you with a private performance to showcase some of my newest material later on?" Sonata offered to hopefully soothe the overmare's wrath.

"You mean recording. As in singular." Purse corrected the Overseer's assistant, trying to restrain herself but the venom in her voice was unmistakable. "I have only the one, and it's one of the only things I'm allowed to have because you lot are too paranoid to open the vault and try living instead of just surviving." Purse growled, switching off her pipbuck but continuing to glare at Ardent Vehemence with her odd colored, slitted eyes. "Besides, you don't need my recording; is a little opera soundtrack really going to cause an apocalypse? News flash, apocalypse already happened, so even if it was you're a bit late."

"If anyone has anything to say you have my permission to speak freely." Purse snarked to the room obviously watching. "Not so sure about her's." She nodded at Ardent while taking another bite of her apple slices, using her wings to hold them to her mouth and nibble on them.

Moon smiled at Salty as she took her tray of food. She set it down on the table and sat down next to Sonata. She was about to say something to Salty but she was cut off by Ardent Vehemence. She stopped dead before she put on a calm look and turned to Ardent. "Oh...Well it's a good thing we're inside this stable then, I suppose." She said, going quiet after that was said. She went to munching on her food quietly as Sonata and Purse talked with Ardent. Despite what it might have looked like, she was quite interested as to how this would all turn out.

Moon however stopped eating when Purse said to open the stable. She looked up at the three ponies and thought for a moment or two. "Opening the stable...?" She looked down at her forehooves as she thought about the stable. "The radiation would kill us if we opened the stable and if it didn't why would we..." She paused as a thought hit her like a ton of bricks. "If the radiation didn't kill us then...Maybe we could find some materials for the stable outside. The systems have been acting up as of late after all. I mean, it's been running perfectly fine for generations, why would it act up now?"

The overmare’s assistant raised an eyebrow at Sonata’s attempt to come to her friend’s aid, “I admire your comradery, Sonata.” she said, moving to sit near the thestrals. Purse’s venomous retort seemed to do very little to the assistant, she simply sighed and hovered over her own food from Slightly Salty’s hooves, who had returned with her request--- a meal identical to what the thestrals were eating, minus the side of fruit.

“Please, do continue eating, residents. You need not my permission.” Ardent said, turning her attention to her own tray.  Slowly, conversation once again picked up around the cafeteria, and Moon Tinker’s musing about leaving the stable brought with it a peculiar response from the frigid mare.

“If I gave you all the option to leave, would you take it? Even knowing what I’ve told you?” the mare spoke in a quiet tone only heard by the thestrals. Her expression betrayed very little of what she was thinking, but, if the particularly perceptive type was to look hard enough they’d find a hint of amusement in both her voice and expression.

"Without a moments hesitation," Sonata spoke simply as if it was common fact, but while matching Vehemence's volume. She had another bite from her meal before continuing with any explanation, "this drab and dreary place drains creativity and practically the very life of it's residents to the point where they're more going through the motions than actually living." At that point, Sonata went back to eating, splitting up the bites of gruel between the much more appetizing apple slices.

Moon just shook her head a little at her silly little thoughts as she continued to eat her food, occasionally nibbling on the apple slices. She paused in the middle of nibbling her apple and looked at Ardent with a raised eyebrow. She bit a piece of the apple off and swallowed. "Give us the option of leaving? As in...leaving leaving?" She said, matching the other mare's voice level. She looked at Sonata with wide eyes a little. She then looked down at her food while thinking.

If Ardent gave her the option to leave, it would finally be a change of scenery from the gray walls of the stable. It would be...exciting from this boring old place. But if she left what would she lose? Her parents for one thing. If she left, would she be able come back and see them again? And it's a possibility that she could die out there. She looked at Ardent and gave the mare a serious look. "If you gave me the option to leave, I would most likely take it. However, if I were to leave...Would I be able to come back in?"

"You give me a pickaxe and I'll tunnel out." Purse Cutter deadpanned though she looked completely serious. "Whatever's out there can't be as bad as what's in here, at least whatever's out there might kill you quickly, in here I feel like I'm just waiting until my body finally gets so bored that it just turns my brain off entirely."

The thestral growled in frustration slightly at Moon. "No, the Overseer will just let us waltz out, take a little five minute walk for fresh air then let us back in for tea time, what do you think?" She sarcastically drawled.

Seeing as Purse Cutter essentially answered Moon Tinker’s question for her, Ardent left it at that.  “Just like that? Really, no questions asked? That’s honestly a little disappointing, you know.” the mare spoke in a much louder tone of voice, the amusement clear in her voice. “I spent so much time coming up with a convincing argument… Huh.” she mused, smiling to herself.

“Well, as you may or may not know, the ponies of engineering are on their last straws.” The assistant began again, pausing only to consume some of her own food. “I tell you this,” she continued “Because in less than an hour, the management of A-shift’s population will no longer be my responsibility.”  The blue mare took another bite of her gruel, pausing once more. “The next time 221’s power supplies fail, there is a chance, a very small, but nonetheless real chance, that they will fail to reactivate them.” she spoke calmly, each word precise and articulate. “Were that to be the case, stable two-hundred and twenty-one becomes your tomb. Not even the combined spell-power of all of the stable’s unicorns could hope to pry that door open. Your overmare refuses to acknowledge this, but I, do not.”

Ardent gave the thestrals time to digest the information she had just given them--- either that, or she wanted to finish her less-than-fruity meal. Then again… this was Ardent Vehemence. “Are you going to sit here, waiting to die in the dark like the rest of the drones who believe every bit of incompetence Blissful Ignorance forces down their throats, or, are you going to take matters into your own hooves and choose to live, with me? I suppose the answer is fairly clear, for all three of you--- and I trust you three can keep this a secret. News travels fast in 221.” she told the trio, her meal finished.

Ardent then got up, encompassing her empty tray in her blue magical aura and teleporting it away, presumably into the cafeteria’s recycling chute. “With or without you, that door closes in an hour” She told them, her voice returning to normal speaking levels as she began leisurely trotting towards the exit only to stop and and turned right.

Turning right, Ardent Vehemence could only be going to three places. The Armory, Medical wing, or, the Stable Gym.

Moon looked at Purse with a calm expression. She just smiled a little and shook her head. "That's funny. You're funny." She used one of her wings to grab a fork and stab an apple with it. She then lifted the apple to her mouth and ate it. And then in one swift motion, she stabbed the fork down at the table near Purse's tray. "What do I think? I think that I'm the only one of you all that actually thinks about the risks and what would happen if we leave. What would happen to family or friends. That is what I think." She said before going back to munching on her food and listening to Ardent.

She only paused for a moment when Ardent had said she made up the argument. Oh the thoughts she was thinking in her mind, but still she continued eating. When Ardent teleported her tray away the thestral finally said something. "I always thought the Overmare's name was ironic sometimes..." She shook her head a little bit and stared down at her tray. "The door closes within an hour...That's gonna feel like an eternity." She muttered quietly, as she glanced up and watched Ardent leave. She raised an eyebrow at the mare as she turned right. Where's she going...

She shook her head and looked at the other two thestrals. She sighed quietly and rested her head down on the table. "You two are clearly going to leave without a thought. Soo....What are you two going to do for the hour that's left in the stable?" She reached up to her tray with a wing and brought an apple slice to her mouth that she nibbled on quietly.

Sonata chose not to respond to Moon's retort towards Purse's comment in hopes that it would end that argument there, and continued eating her meal. Though she paused mid bite when Vehemence made her first statement, and she all but failed to retain her calm visage as the mare went on. She was talking about a way out of the stables and the likely chance that it would be the tomb of those left behind.

Sonata was about to question the reasoning behind not trying to get everyone out, but then thought of those that probably wouldn't fare well outside the relative ease and comfort of the stable and the help they'd need. If some stayed, they'd likely need others to stay behind to assist them, but a few could leave without disrupting the delicate balance, probably. While she pondered and listened to Vehemence finish and Moon voice her open question, Sonata finished eating.

"Well, I plan to pack a few things for what's to come, and I'd advise you two do the same as I can only guess our other apparent companion is doing as much too," Sonata said as she stood up from the table. She spread her wings once more so she could clasp the violin in one hoof and scooped up the tray with the other. Briefly flying over long enough to drop off the trey and pass Salty a warm smile, Sonata gave the other two one final nod before flying back to her room, taking just a bit of care to not fly fast at the risk of raising suspicion.

Sonata was quick to pack. A couple extra jumpsuits and some sundry items were packed in a small pack while the violin was carefully deposited in it's case with all her extra strings, wax, and bows. Scooping up the items, Sonata then flew towards the armory, deposited the items on the floor beside the door before stepping into the doorway like she was entering the room. Sure it was a little early for her usual shooting practice, but nothing substantial.

"Well I can tell you one thing I sure ain't about to stick around here to die of starvation because of that paranoid bitch." Purse Cutter whispered, nodding her head in the vague direction of the Overseer's office. "Ardent is apparently our key out of here, so for now at least she's useful; you want my advice though, I still say you don't trust her as far as you can throw her." The white thestral advised the other two in a hushed tone as she stopped bouncing her rubber band ball between her hooves.

Purse looked at her small tub of apple slices. The thestral promptly picked up the bowl and hid it inside her jumpsuit. "I feel saving food will pay off a lot for where I'm going." She explained to the two of them with a downright excited smile as the tiny mare ran off to her room to pack.

She didn't need much time, they honestly didn't have much; her rubber band ball and recording she stuffed into her pockets quickly. She debated for a while over her toy foam dart gun before eventually stuffing it into her saddlebag anyway, along with her master keys; she had a distinct idea what to do before she was truly ready to leave.

"My turn to take something from you Overseer." She muttered to herself as she approached the nearest guards room. She quickly unlocked the door with her master key and made a beeline for their personal locker; sure enough she found exactly what she after, stuffing the guards outfit with much more protection than her jumpsuit into her saddlebag, making sure to re-lock the room before she left and trotted down the halls as fast as she could manage without looking too suspicious towards the door, already fantasizing about what she would do first after finally escaping this dull grey cage.

Sonata:
As Sonata entered the Armory, she was immediately greeted by four MEWs, pistols to be exact, aimed in the general direction of the door, and by proxy, her. The pistols were encompassed by a familiar blue aura. Sonata’s suspicions as to the voice’s owner was confirmed when Ardent Vehemence stepped out from behind the corner she had been hiding behind. The mare herself sported 221’s standard security outfit, sans riot helmet.

“Oh… It’s you. I never really understood why the E.F.S was so… incomplete.” Sonata wouldn’t really know exactly what the mare was talking about, as, that particular feature had never been enabled on her own pipbuck.  “Anyways, I’m glad at least one of you thought about arming yourself. Who knows what the ponies outside have devolved into after decades of exposure to magical radiation and Celestia-knows what else the zebras dumped on Equestria.” the mare spoke, her pistols vanishing in a flash of blue magic.


Purse Cutter:
Purse Cutter’s trip towards the stable door would be impeded by only one thing, guarding the door itself was a member of B shift’s security force--- said pony had yet to notice her.