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Fallout: Equestria - Just Like Clockwork cover by Nox-Caelum
Fallout: Equestria - Just Like Clockwork is a Fallout: Equestria side-story written by Starlight_Tinker
The story is currently hosted on FIMFiction
Plot[]
Setting[]
Just Like Clockwork takes place in the main Fallout: Equestria universe, beginning at approximately the same time as the main story. The bulk of the story occurs in or around the Trottingham region.
Synopsis[]
Compass, a happy maintenance technician and resident of Stable 52 uncovers an unbelievable secret hidden deep within the massive shelter that he calls home, and is forced to confront a mystery that has gone unsolved for over two-hundred years:
On that fateful day, when Equestria needed him the most, where was Doctor Whooves?
Structure[]
The narrative of Just Like Clockwork is constructed of three separate arcs of events, which are separated temporally. The main arc, from which the story begins, takes place at approximately the same time as the main Fallout: Equestria story arc. The other two takes place approximately two hundred prior to the main arc, in a time shortly before the Last Day.
Both the main arc and the later of the two 'past' arcs have Compass as their protagonist, while the earliest of the three is led by the Doctor .
Main characters (past)[]
The Doctor[]
Main article: "Doctor Whooves"
The Doctor, otherwise known as 'Doctor Whooves' (among several other aliases) is a thousand year old equinoid alien known as a Time Lord. Using a sentient spacecraft called the TARDIS, which he stole from his homeworld of Gallopfrey, he travels through time and space, putting right the evil misdeeds of creatures from across the universe.
He usually travels with at least one companion, and has found that Equestrians generally make the most interesting candidates for such positions.
Ditzy Doo[]
The Doctor's current companion. Ditzy Doo is a grey skinned, blonde maned pegasus pony with a cutie mark in the shape of a trio of bubbles. She is originally from Ponyville.
Applebloom[]
An engineering genius, Applebloom became one of Equestria's top scientists when her inventions catapulted her country into the atomic age. She quickly established herself as an authority on all things technological upon developing the Stable concept for StableTec and used her influence to begin gathering alien technology in order to aid Equestria's war effort. She soon became the head of the secretive 'Oakflare' facility hidden away beneath a StableTec office building in Edinbuck.
Red Heart []
The distant ancestor of Caring Heart, Red Heart meets Compass when he first travels back in time to wartime Equestria, wherein he shoots her with a recently discharge Gauss rifle. Upon treating the resulting wound and nursing her back to health, Red Heart agrees to help Compass reach the Edinbuck StableTec facility. Unfortunately, due to an incident at the local train station, both she and Compass are arrested as spies and are subsequently interrogated by the Ministry of Morale.
She is Compass' only continuous companion in the 'past' arc of the story.
Main Characters (present)[]
Compass[]
A maintenance technician and resident of Stable 52. Compass had always dreamt of flight and adventure, despite his Earth pony heritage (and his underground confinement in the Stable).
Just Like Clockwork by Massella42 on DeviantArt. From left to right: Buckshot, Compass, Moon Shadow (above, The Doctor)
While attempting to examine a curious piece of machinery (later revealed to be the TARDIS), Compass is struck by a large blast of an unknown magical radiation (later revealed to be 'artron' energy) that, among other things, causes his cutie mark to begin to mutate. He also starts to experience a series of vivid dreams, all of which involve a mysterious figure who is identified only as 'the Doctor'.
Compass escapes from Stable 52 shortly after discovering that his friend Valve, another maintenance technician, was murdered. He ventures out into the Wasteland to enlist the help of others following an attempt on his life (perpetrated by the same murderer, who is later revealed to be Stable 52's Maneframe).
Upon leaving the Stable, he becomes close friends with Moon 'Mo' Shadow, Sage and Caring Heart. He also embarks upon a romantic relationship with Buckshot, stating at least once (much to Buckshot's irritation) that he would like to lose his virginity to him.
Compass before and after regeneration by Massella42 on DeviantArt
Following his encounter with the Controller, Compass undergoes regeneration in conjunction with a fall from several hundred feet up into a large vat of Taint . Amazingly, the resulting mutation leaves him almost entirely unchanged physically, due to the interaction of Time Lord physiology and the Taint. The only lasting effect involves with the sonic screwdriver, an arcane tool that once belonged to the Doctor, which is embedded into his skull during the fall. The presence of the screwdriver during his transformation causes Compass' brain to form a third lobe (a variation that is usually only seen in unicorns) and it becomes clear during his recovery that this has caused him to be magically endowed.
Compass' coat is dark blue and his mane is a bright orange. His cutie mark was originally a caret, but has transmuted into an hourglass (reminiscent of the Doctor's cutie mark) since his exposure to the artron radiation from the TARDIS.
Buckshot[]
A Trotfell guard who displays an instant distrust of anypony he meets. Buckshot's initial reaction to Compass' arrival was one of suspicion, but he was quickly silenced when Compass lost his temper and attacked him using psychology to dig up a traumatic past event, causing him to retreat in tears. Buckshot grew up in a walled community in northern Coltland, and was the son of the head guard and a medic. During a raider attack in the early years of his life, Buckshot picked up his mother's shotgun and single-hoofedly dispatched every remaining raider. Tragically though, everypony from the settlement had been killed, leaving Buckshot to find his way in the Wasteland on his own.
Buckshot becomes Compass' main love interest when, following his outburst, he attempts to comfort Buckshot without any expectation of reward, or hint of an ulterior motive. The couple shares a love science fiction, although Buckshot does not often broadcast his fondness of the genre. He also secretly enjoys BDSM practices and, through a number of separate events, has revealed that he would very much like to be sexually dominated by Compass.
Buckshot's coat and mane are both brown. His cutie mark is a shotgun shell.
Moon 'Mo' Shadow[]
A pale blue pegasus who is the adopted daughter of Sage. She was orphaned when her parents (formerly of the Volunteer Corps.) were killed by raiders during a equinitarian goodwill mission.
Moon Shadow (or 'Mo' as she prefers to be called) is well known in the Trottingham region as the foremost authority on the TBC (Trottingham Broadcasting Corporation), a once popular pre-war radio station. She is the custodian of the only known copies of the 'Doctor Whooves' tapes, a series of dramatized radio plays which chronicle the adventures of a time-travelling alien as he battles various threats to pre-war Equestria.
Strangely, Moon Shadow has been known to speak of 'the Doctor' (the protagonist of the 'Doctor Whooves' radio series) as if he were once a real pony.
Her cutie mark is that of white crescent moon with an unidentified blue box in its center, most likely the TARDIS.
Sage[]
The elderly founder of Trotfell, Sage is an orphaned Earth pony with a dark brown coat and a silver mane. His various adventures through the Wasteland are known throughout the Trottingham region.
Sage was once the companion of a Dashite pegasus buck named Stone Tower, but the two are now enemies and have been at odds for many years (Stone Tower has even, on occasion, attempted to have Sage killed).
His cutie mark is a pocket watch.
Atom Spark[]
A caramel colored unicorn of extremely small stature, Atom Spark is known throughout Stable 52 as having an dangerously explosive temper. Her previous outbursts have resulted in her being banned from anger management treatments (following an attempt on her part to bite her therapist) and the grievous injury of Compass during a sparring match.
Atom Spark is the reactor technician of Stable 52, meaning that she is responsible for the Stable's primary power source. Curiously, she has been known to treat the reactor as a loved one at times, and was once even caught singing gently into one of its access ports.
She is revealed by the Maneframe to be the subject of a psycotherapeutic anger management experiment, which has resulted in her unbalanced temper. Her anger at being used as a test subject causes her to attempt to destroy the Maneframe (even after she begins to show remorse for her actions).
Her cutie mark is in the shape of an atomic nucleus undergoing a fission reaction.
Bulkhead[]
A Stable 52 technician and lifelong friend of Compass'. Bulkhead is a structural integrity expert, whose job is to ensure the stability of the Stable's internal structures. Compass accidentally stole his Spectro-goggles while escaping from the Stable.
Bulkhead is revealed by the Maneframe to be the subject of an insulin production experiment, which has left him with lifelong diabetes. His anger at being used as a test subject causes him to assist Atom Spark in destroying the Maneframe.
Bulkhead's coat and mane are light grey and dark blue respectively. His cutie mark is a pristine white cinder block with a crack down the middle.
Petri Dish[]
The head medic of Stable 52 and Compass' best friend. Currently, her condition is unknown, as her body is being used as a receptacle for a sentient AI known as 'the Maneframe'.
Petri Dish's coat is pale green while her mane is pink with white stripes. Her cutie mark is a syringe.
Adversaries[]
The Controller[]
A heavily modified cyborg and resident of the Oakflare facility in Edinbuck. The Controller was once a pony, although s/he no longer remembers his/her name.
The Controller came about as a result of an experiment known as the 'Sentinel project', a soldier augmentation program inspired by captured alien technology that vied for funding alongside Project Steelpony from Project Horizons. Ultimately, due to moral disputes and time constraints, the Sentinel project was passed over for funding, but was still considered for other purposes.
During the Last Day, a massive amount of harmful radiation was released into the Trottingham region (much like the rest of Equestria), forcing the researchers and soldiers involved in the Sentinel project to turn to their creations for help. Obliging their creators, the Sentinel prototypes converted them all into Sentinels, inadvertently creating the beginnings of a new Cyber Legion, for the original technology that the Sentinels were based upon was in fact that of the Cyberponies (a race mentioned in the Doctor Whooves series that was thought up until that point to be purely fictional).
The Controller is defeated when Compass disable's its control of the other Sentinels and uses a prototype guass rifle called Prometheus to irrevocably damage it. The ensuing explosion mortally wounds Compass, causing his first Time Lord regeneration, and plunging him into a vat of Taint.
Maneframe[]
The original operating system of Stable 52 featured an advanced AI program which was copied, compiled and massively expanded by the TARDIS upon its landing. The result was 'the Maneframe', the self-styled 'Daughter of the TARDIS'.
Maneframe originally attempts to kill Compass and his companions when they re-enter Stable 52, but is quickly subdues when they realize that, although malicious and intelligent, she is still a computer program, and is therefore vulnerable to deletion. Upon attempting to destroy her, it is revealed through her pleading that the Maneframe has gained sentience, and that the deletion process is akin to a slow and painful death.
In a last ditch effort to live, Maneframe transfers herself into the body of Petri Dish, seemingly overwriting her personality with her own and apparently gaining an element of compassion. In the ensuing confrontation, it becomes clear that the Maneframe is still vulnerable to verbal commands from authorized stable residents, at which point she and the TARDIS flee, threatening to embed Compass and his companions in the hill under which Stable 52 was built.
As a final act of compassion (an indication that the Maneframe truly does have the capacity for goodness within her), Maneframe uses Petri's magic to teleport Compass and co. outside the stable, saving their lives.
Maneframe's outward appearance is identical to Petri DIsh's, except that her eyes are capable begin to exude artron energy and produce a dazzling golden glow when her emotions run high.
Stone Tower[]
The owner of the 'Indentured Servitude Emporium', Stone Tower was once a friend of Sage's, and had many adventures with him across the Wasteland following his being denounced as a Dashite rebel by the Grand Pegasus Enclave . An unknown event caused the pair to develop a mutual hatred for one another which has continued to become more and more pronounced as time went on (even going so far as to threaten Sage's life at points).
Stone Tower's motives are a mystery, but it is known that he is a keen and unforgiving business mogul, and a mass supplier of slaves to the notorious Red Eye.
The Master[]
The Master is a renegade Time Lord and nemesis of the the Doctor. He is known to have escaped the great Time War following an attack on his TARDIS by a planet-sized creature called the 'Nightmare Foal'.
Having arrived in Equastria following this encounter, he worked for Applebloom at the Oakflare facility for many years, posing as a researcher named Dr. Maestro. During his time there, he developed the concept of 'Police Barns', miniature civil defense structures which are in fact empty TARDIS shells awaiting a connection to a suitable power source.
He fled using a vortex manipulator following the Doctor's arrival at the facility, saying that it was 'his turn to be the hero' as he dematerialised. His current whereabouts in time and space are unknown, as are his ultimate intentions.
Galinda Broadfeather[]
The captain of a group of gryphon mercenaries known as the 'Razors', Galinda and her squad ambush Compass and company while they are on their way to Edinbuck, but are quickly incapacitated when Compass makes use of the sonic screwdriver he found in the TARDIS to dismantle all of their weapons at once.
Fooled into thinking that Compass is a near-uncontrollable savage, she reveals that she is under contract from Stone Tower, and that she was offered a huge number of caps to bring Sage to him.
She leaves the scene with her comrades and a number of broken bones, and is not heard from again until she meets Compass in Stone Tower's fortress, the Indentured Servitude Emporium.
Minor Characters[]
Valve[]
Another Stable 52 technician and lifelong friend of Compass'. Murdered by parties unknown (via remote control of a medical spider bot) following a failed attempt to improve performance of the Stable reactor.
Ulna[]
A nurse in the Medical bay of Stable 52. Her cutie mark is a bone.
Brandy Spritz[]
The proprietor and owner of Trotfell's pub. A caring and attentive host who always offers a shoulder to cry on to her patrons.
Caring Heart[]
The chief medic of Trotfell. Both brave and highly skilled, Caring Heart is a distant descendant of nurse Red Heart, formerly of the Ponyville Hospital.
Saltira[]
A female Coltish slave currently 'employed' by the Emporium. Upon initially meeting Compass, she falsely assumes that he intends to sexually abuse her, but is pleasantly surprised when he reveals that he simply wanted her to keep an eye at Atom Spark who at the time had just had her first encounter with alcohol. She is then provided with her first moment of genuine happiness in years when Compass asks for her name - a personal detail that had been eclipsed by the ID number printed on her bomb collar.
She has a dark auburn coat and bright red mane. Her cutie mark is a fluttering Saltire, the national flag of Coltland.
She is most likely Buckshot's sister, since Buckshot refers to her as 'sis', although he is barely conscious at the time
Chase []
The banker and financial manager of the Emporium. Also, the personal assistant of Stone Tower.
Chase has a pale grey hide and a pale blonde mane. Her cutie mark is a bright red bottle cap.
Xeanna[]
A zebra with powers of telepathy and a resident of Edinbuck, Xeanna allowed Compass to venture into his own mind and observe first-hoof the psychological remnants of the Doctor that had been deposited therein by his exposure to the TARDIS (and the subsequent transformations that he slowly endured).
Xeanna was visibly disturbed by the nature of the Doctor, demanding in terror that Compass leave her shack. She was later captured by a Sentinel to be used as a component in a piece of machinery - a control device that would have allowed the cyberponies to overrun Equestria. She was killed when Moon Shadow shot her in the chest, shortly after begging Compass to end her life.
Major locations[]
Stable 52[]
The stable in which Compass, Petri Dish, Bulkhead, Valve and Atom Spark were raised. The stable was originally meant to encourage its residents to 'be better', improving themselves day after day in an effort to produce a more intelligent, more resilient Equestrian. The main AI which controlled the day-to-day operation of Stable 52 was found to have murderous leanings when it killed Valve following the damage he accidentally caused to the main reactor.
The facility was revealed to in fact be the TARDIS, which had assumed the form of a StableTec fallout shelter using its Chameleon circuit. Following a confrontation with Compass and company, the TARDIS fled the hillside it had been parked in for the previous two hundred years, revealing the remnants of the original Stable 52 (whose construction was halted due to a catastrophic cave-in). It's current whereabouts in time and space are unknown.
Trotfell[]
A moderately sized town in the Trottingham region of the Equstrian Wasteland. Known to be a prosperous and fair settlement, free of slavery and well protected.
Home to Caring Heart, Buckshot, Moon Shadow and Sage (who is also the town's mayor).
Edinbuck[]
Once the capital city of Coltland and home to a large and ancient royal castle, Edinbuck suffered a direct hit during the war and is now a shanty town protected by the the castle's ruined walls.
Oakflare[]
An institute specializing in the research and development of advanced weapons technologies based upon captured alien devices. Secreted underneath a StableTec office building in Edinbuck. It is most likely based off of Torchwood, the company in both Doctor Who and Torchwood, also specializing in alien technology.
The Emporium[]
Known formally as the 'Indentured Servitude Emporium' and informally as 'Stone Tower's Fortress', the Emporium is a disused stable in the Trottigham region of Equestria. It was converted for use as a slaver facility and has become the de facto headquarters of all slaving in the region.
The upper levels house the slave quarters, while the original atrium and personnel sectors have been converted into luxury accommodation and dining facilities for any attending slavers and slave owners. Stone Tower's office is housed in the lowest part of the stable - the reactor level.