Fallout: Equestria (IC)

[The Moon States]

No Name looked up and stared at Katai's hoof with an impassive glance. He smiled apologetically and stood stoic, "Forgive me if I don't shake hooves. My name is Jury, I would hope you have a clean conscience Miss Katai." 'Jury' nodded and returned his eyes to the snow below.

Eris shook the Zebra's hoof, with much more vigor this time, and shot a quizzical look at No Name. She decided that she would let it slide until they were in a more private setting. Turning to Ruby and addressing the entire group, "Come on everypon-" She caught herself, "Everyone, lets walk away from this place." She shuttered at the sight of the hanging stallion and the reek that was coming from the scattering of shacks. She started off down the street, and hoped everyone would follow. As it were, she had never had such an assortment of acquaintances before. "So, Katai, what is it that you have come so far north for?" She attempted to strike up idle conversation.

Coughing and clearing her throat Katai spoke in a normal manner. "Sorry about the farce I put up, I prefer to speak in rhyme for first introductions, it allows me to see character of people I meet. Now, to answer your question, the reason I'm so far north, is that my tribe has been moving for a while. We were supposed to only be in this city for a few weeks at most. The plan like many others was ruined when they just vanished without a trace, I have stayed in the area to scavenge and have just gotten by. " Smiling now and having spoken In a Light tone Katai looked to the group to see their expressions at her mastery of normal speech. "Now I will turn the table on you Eris, what is your reason for you being here?"

[Fantrum]

Eris shook the Zebra's hoof, with much more vigor this time, and shot a quizzical look at No Name. She decided that she would let it slide until they were in a more private setting. Turning to Ruby and addressing the entire group, "Come on everypon-" She caught herself, "Everyone, lets walk away from this place." She shuttered at the sight of the hanging stallion and the reek that was coming from the scattering of shacks. She started off down the street, and hoped everyone would follow. As it were, she had never had such an assortment of acquaintances before. "So, Katai, what is it that you have come so far north for?" She attempted to strike up idle conversation.

Coughing and clearing her throat Katai spoke in a normal manner. "Sorry about the farce I put up, I prefer to speak in rhyme for first introductions, it allows me to see character of people I meet. Now, to answer your question, the reason I'm so far north, is that my tribe has been moving for a while. We were supposed to only be in this city for a few weeks at most. The plan like many others was ruined when they just vanished without a trace, I have stayed in the area to scavenge and have just gotten by. " Smiling now and having spoken In a Light tone Katai looked to the group to see their expressions at her mastery of normal speech. "Now I will turn the table on you Eris, what is your reason for you being here?"

Eris shied away from the question at first, but after a few seconds, she spoke up, "I've been here for two years. But I was running, running from my past." She kept her face even for a second before breaking out into a smile. 'Ive never had this meany ponies not call me crazy before!' She unconsciously began jumping for joy and prancing down the street, completely unaware of the others. This was a happy day, I mean, sure No Name was starting to scare her with his sudden attitude change, and sure just the day before, Ruby had tried to kill her. But she now had friends! Or, rather, as close to friends as she had ever come.

[Das Metro]

Coughing and clearing her throat Katai spoke in a normal manner. "Sorry about the farce I put up, I prefer to speak in rhyme for first introductions, it allows me to see character of people I meet. Now, to answer your question, the reason I'm so far north, is that my tribe has been moving for a while. We were supposed to only be in this city for a few weeks at most. The plan like many others was ruined when they just vanished without a trace, I have stayed in the area to scavenge and have just gotten by. " Smiling now and having spoken In a Light tone Katai looked to the group to see their expressions at her mastery of normal speech. "Now I will turn the table on you Eris, what is your reason for you being here?"

Eris shied away from the question at first, but after a few seconds, she spoke up, "I've been here for two years. But I was running, running from my past." She kept her face even for a second before breaking out into a smile. 'Ive never had this meany ponies not call me crazy before!' She unconsciously began jumping for joy and prancing down the street, completely unaware of the others. This was a happy day, I mean, sure No Name was starting to scare her with his sudden attitude change, and sure just the day before, Ruby had tried to kill her. But she now had friends! Or, rather, as close to friends as she had ever come.

No Name followed along, trailing at the rear, levitating his Zebra Rifle at his side as he listened in on the conversation before him. His ears perked up as Katai began using a normal speech pattern and No Name continued to listen as she spoke of her Tribe. It was certainly interesting... a whole Tribe just disappearing. No Name thought back to the settlement, the scene of a massacre and he shook his head. He hoped it wasn't so, but feared it was that way. No Name kept quiet however and kept listening too. For a moment he stopped and glared at his Ministry of Peace first aid kit. His eyes smouldered for a moment until he stripped the box from his saddlebag, tossing it to the ground. With a decidedly brutish stomp, No Name crushed the little box and ran to catch up with the group. Hellborn scoffed, "What was that about bud?"

No Name sighed, slowly getting used to silently conversating with the little voice in his head, "I don't need it. Peace is just another one of life's big illusions. Like innocence."

Hellborn snickered, "Woah! When did you become a philosopher?"

No Name's face remained stony, "It's not philosophy, its the truth."

Hellborn chuckled before disappearing again. No Name looked up and looked from Ruby, to Katai, to Eris. "Your tribe went missing Miss Katai? Peculiar, very peculiar. Well, the only reason I'm here is because I have no where else to go, and Eris was kind enough to allow me to stay, had she not saved my life, I would probably be dead had it not been for Eris." No Name returned to looking at the ground.

[Socialist Shadow Republic]

Marciline listened to Thunder's tale about his life, asking only a few questions. She particularly enjoyed the bit about the manticore. While the alicorn knew that they were heading into a random direction that was carrying them into the heart of the blasted out city, she didnt care. Honestly, she loved the chance to just slow down and talk, as it seemed there never were enough of those moments in the past. "Well, Im glad it was me, anyone else might have been a bad influence!" She joked, "I bet I could spin a few tales of my adventures." She stopped, looking sheepish, "If you want to hear them..." She trailed off shyly.

As the two continued their stroll through the gutted, yet somehow beautiful, city, Thunder Flare finished his story, Marciline threw out a joke, and a white cloud of frozen breath formed as Thunder Flare giggled at it. Then, Marciline offered to tell memories of her own. Stopping in the snow, the tracks behind them slowly being eroded away by the falling flakes of white, he looked at her with an encouraging smile. "A' 'course I wanna hear 'em, Marci. I like hearin' stories; I like hearin' ya." He didn't particularly mean to say the last part as it came out. Or did he? He had only known this mare for a day. Yet, he still felt attached to her. At this thought, a slight blush began to display itself on his face. Thunder hoped his companion mistook it as a response to the chilly air.

[Socialist Shadow Republic]

Shademane didn't want to leave the entrance of the sewers. He wanted to be at least somewhere near for when Aurora recovered. But, looking at the flaming radiation-resistant pony, he conceded. "Fine, I'll go check up on Sterling." He ignored Phoenix's dejectedness. Everypony had experienced something along those lines in the Wastes. And the dead were just that—dead. He found that while he couldn't forget their names and faces, he couldn't cry over the loss of them. The living was another thing, and he could feel sorrow for them. But, he still found it hard to cry. Stretching his dark wings, he gave a couple thrusts and landed on the floor of the bleak room that had led them into the dark tunnels, now acting as the exit.

Quickly trotting through the basement, passing by rooms of old equipment that had fallen apart from rust and disuse. Sprinting up the staircase, Shademane was hoping to find Sterling in time to help the purple unicorn in the battle against the robot. Upon reaching the top stair, and arriving on the main floor, Shademane retrieved his hunting knife from its scabbard. He turned the corner, hauled tail down the hallway, and entered the room to see Sterling in a violent death battle of… trying to remove a damaged wheel from the now deactivated robot.

"What the bloody fuck happened here?" Shademane asked of him, incredulously. Perhaps Sterling was as dangerous as he had made himself out to be. He had believed the story of Sterling massacring the clan of raiders. But, many either had terrible aim or were strung out on drugs and had lost a few too many brain cells. So, that wasn't a particularly brilliant accomplishment. But, from the condition the robot was in, Sterling made it look as though it was child's play; the machine had been shut down with minimal structural damage.

[The Grumpy Cat]

Crossfire cleared the Rubble out of an old houses doorway; ponies clearing the larger, central manor which served as their former base of operations; now condemned in the wake of the attack. She sighed; feeling so powerless, incapable of protecting a subordinate... No, more than that; a companion. None of these ponies were bound to her by anything other than their will, and she knew this. They might have found themselves moved in some way by her charisma, but in the end it was their choice and their choice alone whether or not to follow... Much like it was her choice whether to dwell or ensure the hardship and sacrifice they'd all endured for so long would not be in vain.

"Everypony..." She answered, turning to the crowd gathered around the corpse, and newcomer from distant lands. "Find yourself a project and get to work. There are plenty of buildings that need rubble cleared, buildings that need to be made livable; do not waste the materiel either, as we can use it later. I'll take care of our guest." She said, approaching the Buffalo and bowing her head respectfully. "Welcome, traveler. What brings you to this corner of Tartarus we are trying to tame?"

"Aw, nothing." Tiger said, bowing her head in the same manner, "Just travelling; Seeing the world and all that; I guess that I came up here at the wrong time... of year."
Tiger Lilly chuckled cooly, trying to prove, albeit vainly, that the cold really didn't bother her much. She eyed a rather unusual looking mare with bat-wings; she looked just cold as she is.
"Say," the buffalo continued, "ya think you need some help? I can help pull away unwanted rubble, if you want me to. I could really use an activity..."
Lilly's stomach growled even louder than before. It really has been awhile since she has last eaten anything, hasn't it?
"...and food, if ya don't mind? It's... sort of been a long trip for me... Well, anyway, I'm Tiger Lilly, it's a pleasure to meet you."

[Fantrum]

Marciline listened to Thunder's tale about his life, asking only a few questions. She particularly enjoyed the bit about the manticore. While the alicorn knew that they were heading into a random direction that was carrying them into the heart of the blasted out city, she didnt care. Honestly, she loved the chance to just slow down and talk, as it seemed there never were enough of those moments in the past. "Well, Im glad it was me, anyone else might have been a bad influence!" She joked, "I bet I could spin a few tales of my adventures." She stopped, looking sheepish, "If you want to hear them..." She trailed off shyly.

As the two continued their stroll through the gutted, yet somehow beautiful, city, Thunder Flare finished his story, Marciline threw out a joke, and a white cloud of frozen breath formed as Thunder Flare giggled at it. Then, Marciline offered to tell memories of her own. Stopping in the snow, the tracks behind them slowly being eroded away by the falling flakes of white, he looked at her with an encouraging smile. "A' 'course I wanna hear 'em, Marci. I like hearin' stories; I like hearin' ya." He didn't particularly mean to say the last part as it came out. Or did he? He had only known this mare for a day. Yet, he still felt attached to her. At this thought, a slight blush began to display itself on his face. Thunder hoped his companion mistook it as a response to the chilly air.

Reassured, Marciline stopped with Thunder, "Well, I-I dont even know where to start! There's just so much!" She looked around, as if trying to find the right memory to tell, "I know!" She exclaimed, "How about the time I met Caesar? Or, the time I had to negotiate with the Enclave?" She rubbed her chin ponderously for a moment, "Oh there are so many." She repeated, rushing though her speech, "There was this one time me and my friends fought an Ursa major, or the time I spent in Roam..."

[Socialist Shadow Republic]

Reassured, Marciline stopped with Thunder, "Well, I-I dont even know where to start! There's just so much!" She looked around, as if trying to find the right memory to tell, "I know!" She exclaimed, "How about the time I met Caesar? Or, the time I had to negotiate with the Enclave?" She rubbed her chin ponderously for a moment, "Oh there are so many." She repeated, rushing though her speech, "There was this one time me and my friends fought an Ursa major, or the time I spent in Roam..."

Laughing at the great expanse of memories and experiences the alicorn was fostering, he joshed her. "Whoa there, Marci. Don't overload muh brain, now." He decided to allow the idea of each pass through his mind, mulling each over. Then, centering on one, he asked, "how 'bout the Enclave thing? I think ya mentioned that before. But, ya never told me 'bout it. Yeah," he confirmed, "I'd like t' hear that one. I mean, if ya want t' tell me it."

[Fantrum]

Reassured, Marciline stopped with Thunder, "Well, I-I dont even know where to start! There's just so much!" She looked around, as if trying to find the right memory to tell, "I know!" She exclaimed, "How about the time I met Caesar? Or, the time I had to negotiate with the Enclave?" She rubbed her chin ponderously for a moment, "Oh there are so many." She repeated, rushing though her speech, "There was this one time me and my friends fought an Ursa major, or the time I spent in Roam..."

Laughing at the great expanse of memories and experiences the alicorn was fostering, he joshed her. "Whoa there, Marci. Don't overload muh brain, now." He decided to allow the idea of each pass through his mind, mulling each over. Then, centering on one, he asked "How 'bout the Enclave thing? I think ya mentioned that before. But, ya never told me 'bout it. Yeah," he confirmed, "I'd like t' hear that one. I mean, if ya want t' tell me it."

Marciline smiled and continued walking, "Well, that was near the very beginning of me being Marciline." She steered away from that as quickly as possible, "It was maybe a hundred years ago, just after the Destroyer had opened up the skies." She stopped for a second, thinking of what to say next, "The Grand Pegasus Enclave, they were a massive society of ponies living in the clouds since the first great war. They launched an attack on the ground with their huge warships made of cloud and metal, Raptors and Thunderheads they were called. Well, the Destroyer infiltrated their military headquarters and more or less destroyed their only food supply. This forced them to collaborate with the ground ponies to get food. Only thing was, the two sides had just been killing huge numbers of each other, so neither side was really ready for talking. This is where I come in. I got swept up in some kind of diplomatic thing that the Enclave sent to the surface and was picked to be the representative for the wasteland ponies." She laughs at herself, "I mean, really, who thought that was a good idea? An alicorn fresh from being a drone just trying to make a life and they thrust her into the middle of massively important negotiations?" She waves a hoof in the air for emphasis, "I had never had to talk with anypony before that, so naturally I kinda spoke with this one importantly dressed stallion for a while about important sounding things. It came down to this= They wanted food, the Earth Ponies and unicorns wanted compensation. I answered this with just a little bit of a frustrated temper tantrum, not like I killed anyone, just a few thrown carts. Anyway, it ended up, the Pegasus Enclave would provide protection from raiders and ya da ya da ya da and the surface would give food and whatnot." She looks up into the sky, "Hard to think it was nearly a hundred years ago..."

[Socialist Shadow Republic]

Marciline smiled and continued walking, "Well, that was near the very beginning of me being Marciline." She steered away from that as quickly as possible, "It was maybe a hundred years ago, just after the Destroyer had opened up the skies." She stopped for a second, thinking of what to say next, "The Grand Pegasus Enclave, they were a massive society of ponies living in the clouds since the first great war. They launched an attack on the ground with their huge warships made of cloud and metal, Raptors and Thunderheads they were called. Well, the Destroyer infiltrated their military headquarters and more or less destroyed their only food supply. This forced them to collaborate with the ground ponies to get food. Only thing was, the two sides had just been killing huge numbers of each other, so neither side was really ready for talking. This is where I come in. I got swept up in some kind of diplomatic thing that the Enclave sent to the surface and was picked to be the representative for the wasteland ponies." She laughs at herself, "I mean, really, who thought that was a good idea? An alicorn fresh from being a drone just trying to make a life and they thrust her into the middle of massively important negotiations?" She waves a hoof in the air for emphasis, "I had never had to talk with anypony before that, so naturally I kinda spoke with this one importantly dressed stallion for a while about important sounding things. It came down to this= They wanted food, the Earth Ponies and unicorns wanted compensation. I answered this with just a little bit of a frustrated temper tantrum, not like I killed anyone, just a few thrown carts. Anyway, it ended up, the Pegasus Enclave would provide protection from raiders and ya da ya da ya da and the surface would give food and whatnot." She looks up into the sky, "Hard to think it was nearly a hundred years ago..."

Thunder Flare stopped as he tried to register all that Marci had just told him. He had known of the Enclave; that was one of the few things his siblings told him of. But, he had never heard of this 'Destoryer.' Nor, much of anything else, to be honest. In response to Marci's long story, a simple "dang" escaped his lips. Looking at her, he conjured up a proper reply. "Haha, you must've had quite a few adventures. I almost envy ya. All I've really done in muh life is work, fly, an' sleep." Walking forward again, Thunder did so in a slightly dejected fashion. "I've never done anythin' special. Heck, I never even left much past muh farm 'til two days ago." But, when an idea struck his mind, his eyes came alight and he asked with much enthusiasm of Marciline. "Would ya take me on an adventure? I don't mean right now. But, one day, would ya? I've always wanted t' see the world. An', I was jus' thinkin' that, well, if I were t' do it, I'd want t' be accompanied by ya."

[The Moon States]

Eris shied away from the question at first, but after a few seconds, she spoke up, "I've been here for two years. But I was running, running from my past." She kept her face even for a second before breaking out into a smile. 'Ive never had this meany ponies not call me crazy before!' She unconsciously began jumping for joy and prancing down the street, completely unaware of the others. This was a happy day, I mean, sure No Name was starting to scare her with his sudden attitude change, and sure just the day before, Ruby had tried to kill her. But she now had friends! Or, rather, as close to friends as she had ever come.

No Name followed along, trailing at the rear, levitating his Zebra Rifle at his side as he listened in on the conversation before him. His ears perked up as Katai began using a normal speech pattern and No Name continued to listen as she spoke of her Tribe. It was certainly interesting... a whole Tribe just disappearing. No Name thought back to the settlement, the scene of a massacre and he shook his head. He hoped it wasn't so, but feared it was that way. No Name kept quiet however and kept listening too. For a moment he stopped and glared at his Ministry of Peace first aid kit. His eyes smouldered for a moment until he stripped the box from his saddlebag, tossing it to the ground. With a decidedly brutish stomp, No Name crushed the little box and ran to catch up with the group. Hellborn scoffed, "What was that about bud?"

No Name sighed, slowly getting used to silently conversating with the little voice in his head, "I don't need it. Peace is just another one of life's big illusions. Like innocence."

Hellborn snickered, "Woah! When did you become a philosopher?"

No Name's face remained stony, "It's not philosophy, its the truth."

Hellborn chuckled before disappearing again. No Name looked up and looked from Ruby, to Katai, to Eris. "Your tribe went missing Miss Katai? Peculiar, very peculiar. Well, the only reason I'm here is because I have no where else to go, and Eris was kind enough to allow me to stay, had she not saved my life, I would probably be dead had it not been for Eris." No Name returned to looking at the ground.

Looking at No Name for his antics and his remark Katai said with a calculated tone. "Yes it is strange that my tribe had disappeared completely. If any of you would like to see what I have not found in clues and traces you are welcome to venture out. I for one am just glad to have company after so many years." Looking towards the group Katai once again drifted off into thought and managed to trip within five seconds of doing that. On an absolutely flat stretch of wasteland. Snorting and lifting herself up she exclaimed. For Caesar's sake this is why thinking should be done by the smart ones!"

[Fantrum]

Marciline smiled and continued walking, "Well, that was near the very beginning of me being Marciline." She steered away from that as quickly as possible, "It was maybe a hundred years ago, just after the Destroyer had opened up the skies." She stopped for a second, thinking of what to say next, "The Grand Pegasus Enclave, they were a massive society of ponies living in the clouds since the first great war. They launched an attack on the ground with their huge warships made of cloud and metal, Raptors and Thunderheads they were called. Well, the Destroyer infiltrated their military headquarters and more or less destroyed their only food supply. This forced them to collaborate with the ground ponies to get food. Only thing was, the two sides had just been killing huge numbers of each other, so neither side was really ready for talking. This is where I come in. I got swept up in some kind of diplomatic thing that the Enclave sent to the surface and was picked to be the representative for the wasteland ponies." She laughs at herself, "I mean, really, who thought that was a good idea? An alicorn fresh from being a drone just trying to make a life and they thrust her into the middle of massively important negotiations?" She waves a hoof in the air for emphasis, "I had never had to talk with anypony before that, so naturally I kinda spoke with this one importantly dressed stallion for a while about important sounding things. It came down to this= They wanted food, the Earth Ponies and unicorns wanted compensation. I answered this with just a little bit of a frustrated temper tantrum, not like I killed anyone, just a few thrown carts. Anyway, it ended up, the Pegasus Enclave would provide protection from raiders and ya da ya da ya da and the surface would give food and whatnot." She looks up into the sky, "Hard to think it was nearly a hundred years ago..."

Thunder Flare stopped as he tried to register all that Marci had just told him. He had known of the Enclave; that was one of the few things his siblings told him of. But, he had never heard of this 'Destoryer.' Nor, much of anything else, to be honest. In response to Marci's long story, a simple "dang" escaped his lips. Looking at her, he conjured up a proper reply. "Haha, you must've had quite a few adventures. I almost envy ya. All I've really done in muh life is work, fly, an' sleep." Walking forward again, Thunder did so in a slightly dejected fashion. "I've never done anythin' special. Heck, I never even left much past muh farm 'til two days ago." But, when an idea struck his mind, his eyes came alight and he asked with much enthusiasm of Marciline. "Would ya take me on an adventure? I don't mean right now. But, one day, would ya? I've always wanted t' see the world. An', I was jus' thinkin' that, well, if I were t' do it, I'd want t' be accompanied by ya."

Marciline looked all around as she blushed hotly, "Uh-er-I, I would love to!" She hadn't been this excited in decades, and certainly didnt have a plan for the new future as she did now. She looked around, more out of realization that they had walked a long way than anything else. The tall monoliths of the dead city crowded around them, "Tell me, have you ever been to a city before?" She looked over the eerie buildings, soft creeks and groans escaping them as the over engineered towers fought gravity and wind in a fierce battle of attrition. A lone tear fell from her left eye as she stared into the heavens.

[Socialist Shadow Republic]

Marciline looked all around as she blushed hotly, "Uh-er-I, I would love to!" She hadn't been this excited in decades, and certainly didnt have a plan for the new future as she did now. She looked around, more out of realization that they had walked a long way than anything else. The tall monoliths of the dead city crowded around them, "Tell me, have you ever been to a city before?" She looked over the eerie buildings, soft creeks and groans escaping them as the over engineered towers fought gravity and wind in a fierce battle of attrition. A lone tear fell from her left eye as she stared into the heavens.

The heart of Thunder Flare leapt with joy when Marci told him "yes." So much so that the amber pegasus pony felt the sudden urge to spin 'round and 'round and express his joy. But, instead, he focused on Marci's question. Staring around at the surrounding skyscrapers as Marci did so, Thunder Flare realized how hard it must have been to construct all of the towers and buildings around him, especially for them to be apocalypse-resistant. Listening, he could hear the echoes of the wind as it blew between the husks of each tower. "No, I, uh, I can't say I have." Directing his gaze back at Marci, he noticed the single tear as it formed, ran shortly down her face, and dropped to the snow below where it was lost. Taking a step close to his compassion, he asked apprehensively, "are ya okay, Marci? Do… do ya wanna talk 'bout whatever's botherin' ya?"

[American Anarchist Republic]

Tide mindlessly stumbled around, feeling a deep pity and yet embaressment for himself. Back in the Stalliongrad Crater, there was no such thing known as cola. So, he probably should've realized that with all his knowledge, that a old, mutated soda is something you shouldn't drink. He still was coughing up blood, as he crossed by the ponies from earlier. He didn't even glance at strange markings on the walk as he coughed up alot of more blood, as he stumbled into another alleyway/

[The Flutterlands]

The trio got to work immediately. They found an old house that seemed to have suffered a cave-in. Red Dawn used her Alicorn magic to clear the rubble from the condemned house, while Butch and Dustbowl gathered them into a pile for later use; each of them eager to have this house, shine once more.

[Mooseolini]

Bounty, himself, got to work, following the same routine as everypony else. He aided a small group of ponies repair an old shabby house, while keeping an eye out for his mortal enemy.

---

Pitch was trotting back and forth in his house, suffering from the dilemma of ether killing Crossfire, or taking her as his mate. He hated the wretched Pegasus mare for humiliating him in front of the crowds, and yet he loved her for her beauty. He never seen such beauty in a mare before, especially if the said mare was his arch-enemy. His arousal returned.

Oooh! Why must this cursed bitch of a mare continue to torment me?! he wept in his thoughts, Why must she cause me so much stress that's tearing me apart?! What is it about her beauty that attracts me so? I must... I must...

"I must speak to her..." the ghoul said finally, "I must speak to her alone; When she's alone! I'll wait till nightfall if I have to! But, she must not recognized me, so, I'll go cloaked... yeah... maybe... she may accept me..."

NO! She will NEVER love you! cried an evil voice in his head, After what YOU did? Fat chance! But, go ahead, confess your love to her; It'll only lead to your heart getting smashed to pieces, or getting yourself killed!

"I... will..." he told himself, "I WILL speak to her... tonight... I just hope that's she would be where I think she is..."

What about Bounty? Of course he'll sense your presence and will try to kill you!

"I'll try to hide my scent... yeah! He'll never sense me that way."

Suit yourself. But, no promises... What about the others? If they discover you, they'll show no mercy!

"Then... nether will I!" Pitch Black assured the voice, "I'll strike down, all who try to stand in the way between me... and my prize!!"

Then what? You're losing yourself all because of one mare; your enemy of all mares! Are you going to give up everything you worked for, just for a mare?! Face it pal, you're getting yourself nowhere! She'll NEVER accept you for a mate! Let alone accepting you for a friend! And even if she does, she's mortal, she'll die eventually, and you'll live on for eternity!

"Then... I must turn her into a ghoul, like me!"

With what? That balefire egg you're hiding in your cupboard? What a waste!

"NO! It'll be the perfect use for it! That way... I'll have her... forever!"

And what if she refuses to be your mate forever?

"I will... kill her!!" Pitch replied, levitating a sharp knife.

Heh! Heh! This is going to be fun!. The voice said with a crackle.

[New Willow]

Sulphur found herself standing alone; she wasn't exactly sure how she could help. She was reluctant to fly, so she wouldn't necessarily be the best at making roof repairs, she wasn't strong either, so it would probably just look pathetic if she tried removing large pieces of debris. She could repair things... though so could Bright. She let out a small sigh before looking towards the ground, '...There can be multiple ponies repairing things I guess, but what would I work on exactly?' She thought, raising her head to look for Crossfire, she decided that Crossfire would probably be the best pony to ask for direction on what needs to be done.

[New Aksarben]

Quickly trotting through the basement, passing by rooms of old equipment that had fallen apart from rust and disuse. Sprinting up the staircase, Shademane was hoping to find Sterling in time to help the purple unicorn in the battle against the robot. Upon reaching the top stair, and arriving on the main floor, Shademane retrieved his hunting knife from its scabbard. He turned the corner, hauled tail down the hallway, and entered the room to see Sterling in a violent death battle of… trying to remove a damaged wheel from the now deactivated robot.

"What the bloody fuck happened here?" Shademane asked of him, incredulously. Perhaps Sterling was as dangerous as he had made himself out to be. He had believed the story of Sterling massacring the clan of raiders. But, many either had terrible aim or were strung out on drugs and had lost a few too many brain cells. So, that wasn't a particularly brilliant accomplishment. But, from the condition the robot was in, Sterling made it look as though it was child's play; the machine had been shut down with minimal structural damage.

Sterling looked over at Shademane, tilting his head slightly back and to the side to do so. "Oh? It is quite easy to disable robots when you know them as well as I do. Its held up by a wheel for Luna's sake. Shooting it out from under them makes them fall over. For all their power, Securitrons' biggest design flaw is that their designers gave them a single wheel. I would have given them several. But those wheels are still quite thick. It took me like.... hmm.... five minutes to destroy it and then buck the Securitron onto its face so I could access its back panel. Then I spent a while waiting for my own securitron to get a wheel from my supply back at my base while reprogramming this robot to be loyal only to me."

As always, Sterling's face was quite impassive, as if what he had done was one of the most normal things in all of Equestria for a pony to do. To take down a securitron all by one's lonesome with a shotgun and their hooves. And not even just destroy it, but disable it, reprogram it, and sit on top of it for an hour or two while waiting for-

"Ah, there he is. About time he returned with a wheel for his new brother." Sterling said as a securitron he had brought earlier trundled into the room, smashing through the pony-sized door frame, a wheel in its hooves. It quickly rolled through the dust and rubble of the ruined office towards its master, the always impassive purple unicorn. Instead of the normal image in the screen that served as a securitron's face, there was a symbol. It was the one that Sterling had taken to using as one to represent himself and his robots, and as such he had emblazoned it onto every robot in some way or another. Most onto their chassis, but the securitrons had their face replaced with it.

Sterling levitated the wheel over to himself from the securitron's grip, and set it against the side of the one he was sitting on top of. While doing this and talking to Shademane, The purple unicorn had been working tools, trying to remove the destroyed wheel from the base below him. And it just so happened that timing was with him, and the wheel basically popped off. So now the unicorn got to work reattaching said wheel, while looking over at Shademane.

"Where did you three run off to, anyway? Aurora, Opium, and you. Don't particularly care about that other pony. You three are my guests for now, thus I must make sure you at least don't die in my territory." The unicorn said as he worked on fitting the new wheel on without actually looking at his work. HE had done this many times before, after all.

[Neo Byzantine Empire]

Crossfire cleared the Rubble out of an old houses doorway; ponies clearing the larger, central manor which served as their former base of operations; now condemned in the wake of the attack. She sighed; feeling so powerless, incapable of protecting a subordinate... No, more than that; a companion. None of these ponies were bound to her by anything other than their will, and she knew this. They might have found themselves moved in some way by her charisma, but in the end it was their choice and their choice alone whether or not to follow... Much like it was her choice whether to dwell or ensure the hardship and sacrifice they'd all endured for so long would not be in vain.

"Everypony..." She answered, turning to the crowd gathered around the corpse, and newcomer from distant lands. "Find yourself a project and get to work. There are plenty of buildings that need rubble cleared, buildings that need to be made livable; do not waste the materiel either, as we can use it later. I'll take care of our guest." She said, approaching the Buffalo and bowing her head respectfully. "Welcome, traveler. What brings you to this corner of Tartarus we are trying to tame?"

"Aw, nothing." Tiger said, bowing her head in the same manner, "Just travelling; Seeing the world and all that; I guess that I came up here at the wrong time... of year."
Tiger Lilly chuckled cooly, trying to prove, albeit vainly, that the cold really didn't bother her much. She eyed a rather unusual looking mare with bat-wings; she looked just cold as she is.
"Say," the buffalo continued, "ya think you need some help? I can help pull away unwanted rubble, if you want me to. I could really use an activity..."
Lilly's stomach growled even louder than before. It really has been awhile since she has last eaten anything, hasn't it?
"...and food, if ya don't mind? It's... sort of been a long trip for me... Well, anyway, I'm Tiger Lilly, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Well; you are most certainly welcome to seek shelter here so long as you abide by ethics, and our laws, once they've been written." Crossfire replied, admittedly amused by the sight of a buffalo this far North. She'd read of such seemingly alien beings living to the South. Then again; there were also Camels which she'd read about and had seen in pictures... They terrified her, but this was beside the point. "I'm sure somepony has something worthwhile..." Crossfire said, her own hunger, which she'd previously ignored, becoming bothersome.

"Before the attack, we found a few heads of Wild Romaine and Nightshades growing in the garden. Hope you like Lettuce and Potatoes." Sure Shot said as he passed by with a bundle of dead branches on his back, a couple other ponies going around to the different gardens, digging up whatever they could find that was edible for use in a stew.

"Well, there you have it. While we wait; would you mind helping them move some debris?" Crossfire asked, doing her best to remain polite, though adherent to her policy that all had to carry their own weight in some way, shape, or form. That's when she noticed Sulphur... "Do you need something to do, too?" She asked, the question rather rhetorical, but still. "What's your specialty, Sulphur? What skill-set do you devote the most time and energy to?"

[The Grumpy Cat]

"Aw, nothing." Tiger said, bowing her head in the same manner, "Just travelling; Seeing the world and all that; I guess that I came up here at the wrong time... of year."
Tiger Lilly chuckled cooly, trying to prove, albeit vainly, that the cold really didn't bother her much. She eyed a rather unusual looking mare with bat-wings; she looked just cold as she is.
"Say," the buffalo continued, "ya think you need some help? I can help pull away unwanted rubble, if you want me to. I could really use an activity..."
Lilly's stomach growled even louder than before. It really has been awhile since she has last eaten anything, hasn't it?
"...and food, if ya don't mind? It's... sort of been a long trip for me... Well, anyway, I'm Tiger Lilly, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Well; you are most certainly welcome to seek shelter here so long as you abide by ethics, and our laws, once they've been written." Crossfire replied, admittedly amused by the sight of a buffalo this far North. She'd read of such seemingly alien beings living to the South. Then again; there were also Camels which she'd read about and had seen in pictures... They terrified her, but this was beside the point. "I'm sure somepony has something worthwhile..." Crossfire said, her own hunger, which she'd previously ignored, becoming bothersome.

"Before the attack, we found a few heads of Wild Romaine and Nightshades growing in the garden. Hope you like Lettuce and Potatoes." Sure Shot said as he passed by with a bundle of dead branches on his back, a couple other ponies going around to the different gardens, digging up whatever they could find that was edible for use in a stew.

"Well, there you have it. While we wait; would you mind helping them move some debris?" Crossfire asked, doing her best to remain polite, though adherent to her policy that all had to carry their own weight in some way, shape, or form. That's when she noticed Sulphur... "Do you need something to do, too?" She asked, the question rather rhetorical, but still. "What's your specialty, Sulphur? What skill-set do you devote the most time and energy to?"

"It would be a pleasure, madam." said Tiger Lilly. charmingly, "Also, I'm quite well accustomed to pony ethics and laws; Having worked for your Steel Rangers in the past; I sort of had a debt to pay..." Tiger Lilly pulled up her cloak, revealing her cybernetic right hind leg. "And if there's any changes, to said laws and ethics, I'll be happy to accept."

The Buffalo nodded and moved on to aid some ponies who seemed to be having trouble with debris. She hooked herself to a cart and started collecting and transporting debris to their specified area.

[New Willow]

"Well; you are most certainly welcome to seek shelter here so long as you abide by ethics, and our laws, once they've been written." Crossfire replied, admittedly amused by the sight of a buffalo this far North. She'd read of such seemingly alien beings living to the South. Then again; there were also Camels which she'd read about and had seen in pictures... They terrified her, but this was beside the point. "I'm sure somepony has something worthwhile..." Crossfire said, her own hunger, which she'd previously ignored, becoming bothersome.

"Before the attack, we found a few heads of Wild Romaine and Nightshades growing in the garden. Hope you like Lettuce and Potatoes." Sure Shot said as he passed by with a bundle of dead branches on his back, a couple other ponies going around to the different gardens, digging up whatever they could find that was edible for use in a stew.

"Well, there you have it. While we wait; would you mind helping them move some debris?" Crossfire asked, doing her best to remain polite, though adherent to her policy that all had to carry their own weight in some way, shape, or form. That's when she noticed Sulphur... "Do you need something to do, too?" She asked, the question rather rhetorical, but still. "What's your specialty, Sulphur? What skill-set do you devote the most time and energy to?"

Sulphur looked around before answering; an embarrassed look spread on her face.

"Well you see... I normally do weapon repairs; though I suppose I could also do other repairs, just not as well as repairing firearms and other weapons of the like though." She said, a tad self-conscious at her lack of skill. "I could also forge... kind of."

She felt of little use to Crossfires grand scheme; not necessarily the most efficient pony to have around, nor the most athletic, she was for the most part meh in most categories. But if there was something she was good at that would go to general weapon maintenance and repair... even though she was a terrible shot, and quite pathetic when it came to fights.

[Neo Byzantine Empire]

"Well; you are most certainly welcome to seek shelter here so long as you abide by ethics, and our laws, once they've been written." Crossfire replied, admittedly amused by the sight of a buffalo this far North. She'd read of such seemingly alien beings living to the South. Then again; there were also Camels which she'd read about and had seen in pictures... They terrified her, but this was beside the point. "I'm sure somepony has something worthwhile..." Crossfire said, her own hunger, which she'd previously ignored, becoming bothersome.

"Before the attack, we found a few heads of Wild Romaine and Nightshades growing in the garden. Hope you like Lettuce and Potatoes." Sure Shot said as he passed by with a bundle of dead branches on his back, a couple other ponies going around to the different gardens, digging up whatever they could find that was edible for use in a stew.

"Well, there you have it. While we wait; would you mind helping them move some debris?" Crossfire asked, doing her best to remain polite, though adherent to her policy that all had to carry their own weight in some way, shape, or form. That's when she noticed Sulphur... "Do you need something to do, too?" She asked, the question rather rhetorical, but still. "What's your specialty, Sulphur? What skill-set do you devote the most time and energy to?"

Sulphur looked around before answering; an embarrassed look spread on her face.

"Well you see... I normally do weapon repairs; though I suppose I could also do other repairs, just not as well as repairing firearms and other weapons of the like though." She said, a tad self-conscious at her lack of skill. "I could also forge... kind of."

She felt of little use to Crossfires grand scheme; not necessarily the most efficient pony to have around, nor the most athletic, she was for the most part meh in most categories. But if there was something she was good at that would go to general weapon maintenance and repair... even though she was a terrible shot, and quite pathetic when it came to fights.

"I see..." Crossfire replied, removing a pistol from its holster and flipping it over, handing it stock-first to Sulphur. "Weapons repair and maintenance is a very important skill in this day and age, demand for such will likely be very high in the days to come. While we find ourselves gifted with this moment of respite; would you mind taking a look at our weaponry and ensure it's in decent condition? If there are any parts you need, then just say so and I'll purchase some at Moon Tower." The Pegasus Mare said, valuing Sulphur more than she gave herself credit for. She was right to; as it stood, it could be very profitable and beneficial to be handy in the construction and maintenance of firearms.

[New Willow]

"I see..." Crossfire replied, removing a pistol from its holster and flipping it over, handing it stock-first to Sulphur. "Weapons repair and maintenance is a very important skill in this day and age, demand for such will likely be very high in the days to come. While we find ourselves gifted with this moment of respite; would you mind taking a look at our weaponry and ensure it's in decent condition? If there are any parts you need, then just say so and I'll purchase some at Moon Tower." The Pegasus Mare said, valuing Sulphur more than she gave herself credit for. She was right to; as it stood, it could be very profitable and beneficial to be handy in the construction and maintenance of firearms.

Sulphur looked at the weapon before taking it. This isn't what she expected at the very slightest.

"Uh, will do." Her voice had a surprised tone to it.

'valuable skill huh? Well that's news.' She thought, taking Crossfires instructions. Weapon repair was seen as a useless skill for a tribe mostly based off of a herbivore type of living, and held an isolation stance towards any outside life. The most use she could offer was forging metals into general items; which wasn't much. It felt... odd being told she was 'important' but... it could be something she could get use to though. She trotted over to a small splinted box; wiping the snow off of it, she set down the handgun and begun dissembling it...

She was going to need a better workstation if she had to check every-ponies weapon.

[Socialist Shadow Republic]

Sterling looked over at Shademane, tilting his head slightly back and to the side to do so. "Oh? It is quite easy to disable robots when you know them as well as I do. Its held up by a wheel for Luna's sake. Shooting it out from under them makes them fall over. For all their power, Securitrons' biggest design flaw is that their designers gave them a single wheel. I would have given them several. But those wheels are still quite thick. It took me like.... hmm.... five minutes to destroy it and then buck the Securitron onto its face so I could access its back panel. Then I spent a while waiting for my own securitron to get a wheel from my supply back at my base while reprogramming this robot to be loyal only to me."

As always, Sterling's face was quite impassive, as if what he had done was one of the most normal things in all of Equestria for a pony to do. To take down a securitron all by one's lonesome with a shotgun and their hooves. And not even just destroy it, but disable it, reprogram it, and sit on top of it for an hour or two while waiting for-

"Ah, there he is. About time he returned with a wheel for his new brother." Sterling said as a securitron he had brought earlier trundled into the room, smashing through the pony-sized door frame, a wheel in its hooves. It quickly rolled through the dust and rubble of the ruined office towards its master, the always impassive purple unicorn. Instead of the normal image in the screen that served as a securitron's face, there was a symbol. It was the one that Sterling had taken to using as one to represent himself and his robots, and as such he had emblazoned it onto every robot in some way or another. Most onto their chassis, but the securitrons had their face replaced with it.

Sterling levitated the wheel over to himself from the securitron's grip, and set it against the side of the one he was sitting on top of. While doing this and talking to Shademane, The purple unicorn had been working tools, trying to remove the destroyed wheel from the base below him. And it just so happened that timing was with him, and the wheel basically popped off. So now the unicorn got to work reattaching said wheel, while looking over at Shademane.

"Where did you three run off to, anyway? Aurora, Opium, and you. Don't particularly care about that other pony. You three are my guests for now, thus I must make sure you at least don't die in my territory." The unicorn said as he worked on fitting the new wheel on without actually looking at his work. HE had done this many times before, after all.

The jet pegasus watched as Sterling removed the dented and broken wheel from the frame and began attaching the replacement. Then, looking up towards the purple unicorn, Shademane sighed and answered Sterlings question. "Well, Aurora is down in the sewer with that newbie looking over her. She was injured pretty badly by the fires. We rushed her to a pit of radiation. So, hopefully she'll be just fine." Realization dawning on him, Shademane looked around quickly and said with a puzzled expression, "You know, I have no idea where Opium is. I'll go check upstairs."

Leaving Sterling to do his work, Shademane hurried up the stairs, climbing two steps at a time. When he reached the second floor, he shouted out. "Opium, you up here, bud?" When no response came, Shademane cautiously crept ever closer to the room the group had been in before the attack by the robots, the old floorboards creaking and groaning with each step. He stopped moving directly in front of the door frame, wielding knife in mouth in preparation of a second ambush. Peeking around the corner into the room, he found it was devoid of anything. Anything, save a note, left waiting on the overturned desk. Approaching the letter, eyes at the ready should unknown aggressors be laying in wait, Shademane lowered his head to read the barely legible script.

Rushing down the staircase in a furious manner, Shademane explained to Sterling. "That deserter left us; decided to travel to the Applejack's Ranger's Institute on his lonesome. Gah! How could he just leave us like that?" Sitting on his haunches, the young pony felt betrayed. Not only had Opium left them, without a care if whether or not they would die, but Aurora had— Aurora! Hastily explaining that he had to return to Aurora to check up on how she was doing, Shademane bolted out of the smoldering room and dashed down into the basement. Finding himself, once again, in the room with the pit leading into the sewers, Shademane hopped off the ledge, came into contact with the sewer floor, and hurtled towards the only pony he truly cared about.

Soon after entering the dark, dank sewers, Shademane saw the slight glow of the pyropony, Phoenix. Coming to a sloshing halt, a light spray of old, stale water inhabiting the air for a couple of seconds, the onyx-maned pony looked down at Aurora. The white alicorn's wounds still bled, and the charred skin was not healing. Turning towards Phoenix, he furiously asked at the pony. "Why the hell isn't she healing, god damnit?!" He collapsed in a saddened and depressed mood. Crawling as closely towards the pit of radiation as safety would allow, his voice now weak with worry and fear, he asked. "Wh-why? Aurora… you're not supposed to leave me… not like this."

[The Flutterlands]

Sterling looked over at Shademane, tilting his head slightly back and to the side to do so. "Oh? It is quite easy to disable robots when you know them as well as I do. Its held up by a wheel for Luna's sake. Shooting it out from under them makes them fall over. For all their power, Securitrons' biggest design flaw is that their designers gave them a single wheel. I would have given them several. But those wheels are still quite thick. It took me like.... hmm.... five minutes to destroy it and then buck the Securitron onto its face so I could access its back panel. Then I spent a while waiting for my own securitron to get a wheel from my supply back at my base while reprogramming this robot to be loyal only to me."

As always, Sterling's face was quite impassive, as if what he had done was one of the most normal things in all of Equestria for a pony to do. To take down a securitron all by one's lonesome with a shotgun and their hooves. And not even just destroy it, but disable it, reprogram it, and sit on top of it for an hour or two while waiting for-

"Ah, there he is. About time he returned with a wheel for his new brother." Sterling said as a securitron he had brought earlier trundled into the room, smashing through the pony-sized door frame, a wheel in its hooves. It quickly rolled through the dust and rubble of the ruined office towards its master, the always impassive purple unicorn. Instead of the normal image in the screen that served as a securitron's face, there was a symbol. It was the one that Sterling had taken to using as one to represent himself and his robots, and as such he had emblazoned it onto every robot in some way or another. Most onto their chassis, but the securitrons had their face replaced with it.

Sterling levitated the wheel over to himself from the securitron's grip, and set it against the side of the one he was sitting on top of. While doing this and talking to Shademane, The purple unicorn had been working tools, trying to remove the destroyed wheel from the base below him. And it just so happened that timing was with him, and the wheel basically popped off. So now the unicorn got to work reattaching said wheel, while looking over at Shademane.

"Where did you three run off to, anyway? Aurora, Opium, and you. Don't particularly care about that other pony. You three are my guests for now, thus I must make sure you at least don't die in my territory." The unicorn said as he worked on fitting the new wheel on without actually looking at his work. HE had done this many times before, after all.

The jet pegasus watched as Sterling removed the dented and broken wheel from the frame and began attaching the replacement. Then, looking up towards the purple unicorn, Shademane sighed and answered Sterlings question. "Well, Aurora is down in the sewer with that newbie looking over her. She was injured pretty badly by the fires. We rushed her to a pit of radiation. So, hopefully she'll be just fine." Realization dawning on him, Shademane looked around quickly and said with a puzzled expression, "You know, I have no idea where Opium is. I'll go check upstairs."

Leaving Sterling to do his work, Shademane hurried up the stairs, climbing two steps at a time. When he reached the second floor, he shouted out. "Opium, you up here, bud?" When no response came, Shademane cautiously crept ever closer to the room the group had been in before the attack by the robots, the old floorboards creaking and groaning with each step. He stopped moving directly in front of the door frame, wielding knife in mouth in preparation of a second ambush. Peeking around the corner into the room, he found it was devoid of anything. Anything, save a note, left waiting on the overturned desk. Approaching the letter, eyes at the ready should unknown aggressors be laying in wait, Shademane lowered his head to read the barely legible script.

Rushing down the staircase in a furious manner, Shademane explained to Sterling. "That deserter left us; decided to travel to the Applejack's Ranger's Institute on his lonesome. Gah! How could he just leave us like that?" Sitting on his haunches, the young pony felt betrayed. Not only had Opium left them, without a care if whether or not they would die, but Aurora had— Aurora! Hastily explaining that he had to return to Aurora to check up on how she was doing, Shademane bolted out of the smoldering room and dashed down into the basement. Finding himself, once again, in the room with the pit leading into the sewers, Shademane hopped off the ledge, came into contact with the sewer floor, and hurtled towards the only pony he truly cared about.

Soon after entering the dark, dank sewers, Shademane saw the slight glow of the pyropony, Phoenix. Coming to a sloshing halt, a light spray of old, stale water inhabiting the air for a couple of seconds, the onyx-maned pony looked down at Aurora. The white alicorn's wounds still bled, and the charred skin was not healing. Turning towards Phoenix, he furiously asked at the pony. "Why the hell isn't she healing, god damnit?!" He collapsed in a saddened and depressed mood. Crawling as closely towards the pit of radiation as safety would allow, his voice now weak with worry and fear, he asked. "Wh-why? Aurora… you're not supposed to leave me… not like this."

Phoenix was entering a panic as well. He tried everything he could to save this mare. Now, another pony shall die because of his recklessness.
"I'm... sorry... I don't know why! This is good radiation, perfect for any Alicorn... unless..."
His eyes widened in fear; Aurora's wounds might have been... fatal.
"I'm sorry, but the radiation could only do so much. Her wounds must have been too fatal for the radiation to heal...I'm... sorry." Phoenix began to flare up again, lighting up the dark sewers, "DAMNIT! THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!! I SHOULD HAVE NEVER INTEREVENDE!!"