Fallout Equestria: Third Time's the Charm (IC)

[Ozzy]

AVI

AVI nodded and followed Sapphire's orders, the red bars didn't show up on her EFS as they trotted around the edge of the eerily healthy green meadow. The bot gawked at the middle of it and spotted a rusty chunk of metal jutting above the tall grass, probably some pre war lawn trimmer. However, what caught her attention was the grass shifting next to it, separating in five different parts of the tall grass as something invisible slithered through it.

Vivi panicked and tapped Sapphire repeatedly on the shoulder to point in the direction of the grass, what appeared to be shimmering in the air against the sunlight suddenly revealed themselves as tall slender pony pegacorns of rather scary proportions, what Vivi assumed were Alicorns. From what the robot pony has heard, they had insane magical prowess beyond the common capabilities of the typical unicorn. Her beliefs were confirmed when the monstrous pony used their telekinesis to punt the robot clear across a treeline while they encircled Sapphire.

Vivi twisted midair and crushed a few small trees in her path as she skids to a halt withing a bush a considerable distance away with a leg joint popped badly out of place. Her left front leg was an ugly L-shaped, the dents and dings she obtained were things her repair talismans would handle. It didn't phase her though, the bot regained her balance the best she could on three legs and limped in the direction the five bars where on her EFS. "Sapphire! SAPPHIRE!!"

The five Alicorns encircled the blue unicorn like a flock of buzzards, their eyes shining a bright white with their manes sparkling in several different tones of color, cold emotionless expressions speaking volumes of insanely murderous intentions. The bot galloped as fast as she can, though, even with her ballistic hooves she couldn't harm the invaders seriously. They wouldn't let her get close for serious damage, especially with a foreleg that can't give her proper balance. It didn't make sense to her, Unity didn't spread far beyond the infamous military base they came from in the Equestrian Heartland, and even those came in three shades of colors. These particular Alicorns were all pink, white, and navy blue with two straight horizontal lines on their flanks. Different than the heartland...

The invaders would fire magic bullets at the unsuspecting Sapphire, targeting her Pip-Buck, shots that hit elsewhere easily tore through armor and knocked her back a few feet. They wouldn't be done though, their encircling consisted of strategic hit and run attacks on the unicorn's sensitive joints, including her horn; demonstrating such hoof-to-hoof combat most pre-war Equestrian commandos or AVI had. They were aiming for a brutal subduing and once the pink robot pony pounced from the bushes, the Alicorns and Sapphire were immediately gone in a flash. Vivi gasped and broke down in a fit of sobs, checking her own Pip-Buck only to see that the unicorn's tag didn't show...

[Fantrum]

We had almost made it to safety when AVI attacked my shoulder to get my attention, I had enough time to see her pointing at something behind me when she was flung goddess knew where. Startled, I staggered backward before recovering, drawing my weapons. Ok, panic mode. I managed to keep myself calm on the outside as I desperately looked around for a target, only to see... nothing.

Something, a bullet, tore my pipbuck off and threw me to the ground. My weapons clattered next to me as I struggled to figure out where the shot had come from, no flash, no bang... then as I picked myself up they uncloaked themselves. Fucking goddesses. Well this story was gonna make for a great one, this one time I had to fight the goddess herself! Wait, no. These alicorns werent right, they werent like the two regal sisters Id learned about from books along my travels. They were... wrong...

Not one to miss a beat, I nervously smiled, "I thought there were only supposed to be two of you?" I was surrounded, if I made a move they'd plaster me along the forest floor, but I couldnt just sit there and wait for one of them to blink. So I started to levitate my guns to bear as fast as possible, big mistake. The hail of magical bullets that met me ensured that I wasnt going to try that again any time soon.

Before I had even so much as lifted the weapons an inch off the ground one of the alicorns was on top of me. With a flash of pink fur across my face she smashed my horn hard enough to shatter it, in the ensuring torrent of pain I didnt even feel my legs get shot out from under me. For a few moments I fought against the surging darkness, tears of pain mixing with the blood flowing from where my horn used to be. Then sweet relief as I lost consciousness, a bleeding heap of once proud Merc completely at the mercy of several clearly murderous alicorns.

[North German Confederation]

Freaky Smiles silently cursed as she slightly stumbled over a vine on her way to walking up the top of a rather large hill, peering down at the Rosebloom with a mixed look of exhaust and awe. The mare whistled in amazement as her eyes surveyed the really green landscape. "Whoa... it is like, a jungle! Everything ponies said seem to be true about the place. Very eccentric indeed."

What caught her attention was the giant metal monolith jutting from the treelines and into the clear sky, a very large city that actually doesn't look decimated some form or another. It had an almost futuristic appeal to it, as if she assumed all it needed was fancy oblong towers and hovercraft floating around to be complete... oh, and the chrome, futuristic settings were not complete without the excessive chrome. Freaky assumed it was Baltimare, and she wanted to pursue it, finally a ticket to a comfortable life. More importantly, a second chance...

"I am definitely going to check that out, but for now... resting time!" The mare leaned against a tree with rifle in her forelegs, she had no idea what the hell was lurking about this part of the Equestrian Wasteland and it barely concerned her. She took her luck for granted and ignorance fueled her apathy, and she was really a lucky pony to not encounter anything that could have counteracted her rare ability to fly. Freaky Smiles closes her eyes and stretches her wings, kissing the tip of them as she mutters under her breath how amazing wings are.

Her location in the Rosebloom was unknown, but she really hoped she was far away from Rangers though....

[Das Metro]

Outskirts of the Rosebloom

On the fringes of the Rosebloom Wasteland, things were stirring. The little pocket of civilization seemed to know when a newcomer stepped into the unforgiving crucible of the Rosebloom. A soft wind picked up, rattling the sparse branches of the tree's and kicking up dust. Something seemed to have the local wildlife spooked. Normally the various creatures, hostile or passive, were far more aggressive or curious of ponykind. There was a heavy thudding some ways away, and the faint sound of music.

Coming up from the side of the hill that Freaky had climbed was a pony shaped figure. Rather had a hide of fur, the creature had a metal hide. Well, it wasn't so much of a creature as it was simply a robot. The robotic unicorn was quite obviously a mare, the matte shell of her body painted a snow white. Her mane was made of a gleaming, dark red synthetic material that naturally curled just as the mane of a real pony would. Instead of a pair of eyes, the robot possessed a pair of solid, gleaming emerald colored circles with a small black iris. her cutiemark was simple a big '01'.

The music seemed to be coming from no where in particular, though it was a rather manic piano number. "Oh my," the bot chirped in a melodic voice, "Sensors show heat signatures?" She stopped in her tracks and took a moment to look about. The unicorn robot called out, "If you're a raider, kindly do not open fire. I just had my carapace shined and my mane restrung."

[Fantrum]

A gasp, and I rejoined the waking land. Goddesses how I wish I hadnt. I was in pain all over, from my tail to my... Freezing in place, not moving even to breathe, I reached a hoof up to my forehead. My heart thumped out of my chest and a roar filled my ears as my hoof felt the jagged stump that now occupied where my horn had been. I couldnt breathe, I couldnt do anything except clench my eyes shut as hard as I could and demand the goddesses take me from the nightmare I was now living.

But it didnt work. So I did the next best thing, something I was sure any self respecting Unicorn would do. I curled into a ball and cried. I cried my eyes out. Nothing I'd ever done could have prepared me for the loss of something so pivotal to who I was. Something Id always taken for granted. I felt like a rubber band had snapped inside me, like my connection with the worlds magic was gone, leaving me with nothing but a cut string. It was the worst feeling of emptiness Id ever experienced.

I lay there, not even attentive enough to survey my surroundings, for what must have been hours. Just brokenly sobbing. It was only when I had run out of tears to shed that I even bothered to look around, starting first with my own cutie mark, just to make sure it was still there. The reassurance I felt upon resting my puffy, bloodshot eyes on that simple sunset and road helped bring me back from the brink of insanity. That despite everything, I was still me, just a little less whole.

Wait, I could see my cutie mark. Sniffing, I gathered my wits together, if nothing else to keep my mind off the devastatingly empty feeling that settled inside me. I wasnt wearing anything, even my wrecked pipbuck was gone. The cell I was in had a bare lightbulb hanging from the center of the ceiling and not much of anything else. A heavy steel door was the only other notable feature in the room, otherwise it was a completely bare concrete room.

I reexamined myself, last I knew, I was getting the crap beaten out of me, not to mention shot repeatedly with magic bullets! MAGIC BULLETS! Goddesses damned cheaty alicorn magic! I needed to learn that spell! Oh right. My hoof tapped my stump absently again. Aside from my very much destroyed horn, I was in, as far as I knew, perfect health. Wherever I was, they obviously had amazing medical staff.

With all of my strength, I pushed myself up into a sitting position and crawled over to lean against the cold concrete. My mind wondered back to AVI. Again we were separated. And after only a day to boot! Maybe I should have just given up and taken the money instead... No! I couldnt think like that right now. Despite my normal optimism, I felt myself sliding into a deep depression. Normally this sort of thing wouldnt have phased me, but now... I felt cold, alone, and vulnerable. I had been stripped of just about everything I had always had. Only my cutie mark bore this challenge with me.

Considering everything, a maniacal, almost insane laugh escaped my lips. No doubt Id find a way to weasel out of this too, I just needed to figure out what this was. I forced a smirk, not fooling even myself, "Oh you know, just another day in the life of Sapphire Sands..."

[Ozzy]

AVI in some unknown location

AVI limps down an old worn path in a thick forest, stumbling and tripping over various logs and ditches in a sobbing fit, her left front leg was dismantled on the bottom end and stored in a bag as it was something she intended to fix later. Vivi's mind quickly goes back to Sapphire, where she is and what might have happened to her was something she thought of almost nonstop, Vivi only whimpers and treks onward, the sounds of rumbling filled the air as a nasty dark gray cloud cover rolled in to pelt the world below with winds and a torrential downpour.

Even though nothing bothered the lonely robot, life within the freakish vegetation definitely kept an eye on her. As the bot crawled up a steep hill, she takes shelter in an abandoned church with a dilapidated steeple containing a rusty machine gun, water trickling down the walls and forming puddles on the floor as a result of no maintenance. Vivi hides under the benches and begins working on her front leg to attach the lower piece, while dwelling on what-if scenarios like if she hadn't busted it during the recent scuffle.

Not even twenty minutes later, another rumbling sound disturbs her, not thunder, but a deeper rattly noise that gradually got louder and louder with each passing moment. Vivi doesn't move, feeling the ground vibrate beneath her as a bright light shines through the busted murals of Princess Luna and Celestia, warranting a big exhausted sigh from the robot as the rumble grinds to a halt right outside the building, turning into a low steady growl. Vivi silently observes as boot-clad hooves stomped past her, three ponies as hostile tick marks on her EFS, surveying the church and knocking things over as if looking for something. The marebot covers her mouth, in the small time window of her arrival in the church and these strange ponies' intrusion, she managed to attach her leg albeit with half functioning capabilities since she needed to tweak with the wiring a bit more. This would bite her in the flank, her leg uncontrollably jerked and knocked a screwdriver into the open, everything falling silent for a long moment...

Then the strangers returned to tearing apart the church and shoving aside seats that crumbled...

Vivi suddenly yelped, something grabbed her by the rear legs and yanked her from under the benches, realizing it was two ponies on each leg she wrenched and easily tosses one of them into another row of the bench seats and punching the other square in the jaw with her freed rear leg, causing them to stumble back into a pile of rusty pillar candle holders. By the time the bot stood up, she came face to face with a yellow unicorn buck in black combat armor boasting a shit-eating grin, holding some form of pistol in his magical grasp, it shoots two sharp prongs that penetrate the rubber area of Vivi's neck, sending a quick and strong electrical burst that immediately caused her vision to shut to black... suddenly deactivated, Vivi freezes in place and falls on her side through the rotten wood floor like a stone statue.

[Ozzy]

2 years later...

Plenty of questions were left unanswered, many notable figures came and go with no clues where they came from and where they went afterwards, that was not only life in the Rosebloom, but for the entire world as it is. Two years since the day Vivi and Sapphire disappeared, the Rosebloom Wastes continued to change for the worse, and would do so with or without them unless someone made a difference for the greater good.

Coloratura was killed by Tumble, who proceeded to terrorize the Crusaders until the Baltimare branch no longer existed, and Cane's Carnies were destroyed by Steel Rangers. The leaderless Razzle Dazzles joined forces with the remnants of CC to become desperate downtrodden survivors in tacky disco apparel led by Boogie, most of whom are killed by the recent outbreak of disorganized deadly robots (frequently referred to as Warders) that roam the badlands killing nearly everything within sight except for each other. The banshees also made more of an appearance, along with Alicorns and other Taint-produced aberrations that frequently raid independent settlements, anyone who attempted to look into the source of these monsters have never returned. The Honeysuckle Inn was one among a few settlements to fall into total annihilation in light of the devastating chaos, it was the beginning of a very dark era for any independent faction that wasn't New Baltimare or the Steel Rangers.

Inclement rain battered the region and created big divisive rivers that permanently scarred the landscape and washed away many reliable routes for caravans coming into the Rosebloom, making trade outside the region virtually nonexistent. The aggressive winters from climate changes brought on by world-ending bombs even hindered most forms of travel, and even, the cold could barely claim the monstrous plants' seemingly healthy summer complexions. Right now, it was smack dab in the middle of the spring season, the 112th year since the Last Day.

The Cake Caper still made herself well known, bringing a tiny gleam of hope for the Rosebloom and its surrounding regions, the cake-tossing filly was heralded as a legend to destroy a few Warders by herself, a truly incredible feat. More robots scour the wastes as well, but instead of killer rogue behemoths, they are mismatched machines made to counter them and the abominations, supposedly led by a Mister Handy.

Onyx moved on to become the leader of a prosperous walled and heavily defended town known as Wolfland Heights, opening up trade with its closest neighbor, Stable 70. The jet black unicorn making Tumble her close lieutenant, who proved himself to be a very diabolical and brutal enforcer.

What happened to Vivi would be a mystery for now, but for Sapphire, the unicorn was taken to Stable 78 to undergo the same transformation procedure as the Alicorns who kidnapped her. The end result of being dipped into the IMP at the stable's flooded atrium would be a big navy blue Alicorn lucky enough to keep her mindset intact unlike those who can barely count, although Sapphire will initially remember nothing after the transformation, some random memories might resurface later for no reason. The Alicorns at Stable 78 have a centralized leadership, but with no knowledge or drive to do anything other than kidnap and kill non-Alicorns, this would give the smarter and more aware drones leeway to act independently, sometimes even more ferociously. There was no initiations, no other goals, just kidnap and kill- sometimes, to scout. Their head honcho went by the name of Cherry Blossom, and was just a schmuck who did all the thinking for her lesser sisters, only driven to kidnap and kill. Sapphire was proof of breaking that loop, that your local winged unicorn might be more than just a brainless worker for the factory of abominations mass produced for the Rosebloom. Whoever she is now or what her purpose is remains a mystery....

[Fantrum]

Nothing. I was nothing. But I was everything. How could this have happened? Had I always been this way? Floating in a darkness so absolute as to make the night sky look blinding? I must have. There was no other explanation for it. This must have been death. But if it were death, who had I been? Perhaps it was the purgatory before life? The deafening silence gave me no answers. Time, I had no concept of it, not here in this prison. Vaguely I could tell that it was indeed passing, but it had no bearing on my reality. I didnt have a body, a mind, anything. I just was.

Then, a light, so bright I couldnt bear to look shone upon me. Unfortunately I couldnt look away either, and a goddess took shape from the ball. It defied imagination with its beauty, and I felt unworthy of its company, even as I became aware of a crushing loneliness. She approached me, gazing upon me with large, understanding and even sympathetic eyes. If I could, I would have thrown myself before her, declared how awful and vile a creature I was to sully her view with my mere presence. Instead I could only watch. And as I did so she smiled, reached a hoof to where my forehead would have been, and lightly touched it.

"There there, it isnt your time yet. You have much to do yet." Her voice flowed like the finest silk, not condescending but almost motherly, "What has happened to you is terrible," What did she mean? "But you must look past that, to the future, and also to the past." So I was dead. All this and I still didnt know who I was, or had been rather. "I cannot brave the horrible truths of life with you physically, but I can give you something to take with you." Something inside my being felt... off. Everything went out of focus for a terrible minute and I thought the goddess before me had cursed me, but soon that feeling was replaced with one of pure bliss. Once whatever she had done was finished, I felt whole. Like something I had lost was returned to me, but I couldnt for the life of me place a hoof on it. "I leave you now, but always remember that I am with you, if not within you, than those around you..." She trailed off as if growing distant, and in a blink, everything changed.

***

I coughed and sputtered uncontrollably, struggling to clear my throat of something. What came from my depths was a steady stream of blueish rainbow tinted sludge, and I reviled from the growing pile even as it dripped from my still gasping mouth. In absolutely no way could that be healthy for somepony! I wiped the rest of it away with the back of my hoof, and looked around. I was in a clinic, how I knew it was a clinic was beyond me, but thats what it appeared to be. How did I know what a clinic was? How did I know what a healthy pony was supposed to cough up? I tried to dredge up some memory from before this precise moment but couldnt bring anything to fore.

Something was very wrong here, very very wrong. I fought down a rising panic as my eyes came to rest on several other bodies in the room, maybe one of them was alive and could give me answers? Gingerly I put my legs under me and stood, promptly eating shit as they buckled. Ok, walking was gonna take some doing. But none of the other people stirred at my embarrassing spill, and as my eyes adjusted I could see why. They all looked dead. Crawling up to the closest one, I inspected it from down low, it was a pony all right, a unicorn of massive dimensions. Her eyes were a soulless white and her mouth stood agape as if frozen while screaming. The sight was truly terrifying, and caused me to launch backward into another examination table, knocking over a different corpse.

A striking pain lanced up my back from my wing as I landed on it. Wait. Hadnt I been... no, Id always had them. The surge of panic that shot through me demanded I accept that, and I was happy to. Feeling disturbed, I again tried my legs, finding that they supported me well enough this time around. Everything seemed so small, or was I just this tall? Yes that was it, I was just a freakishly tall pony. I always had been. Carefully I examined the rest of the bodies, they were all in various stages of something, changing? Some of the bodies looked like regular ponies while the one next to me was nearly a complete alicorn.

Alicorn. Where had I heard that word before? Frustratingly, yet more answers eluded me while I was assailed by questions. I was just about done inspecting the freakshow when my eyes flashed past something. A mirror. I licked my lips in apprehension, and suddenly I felt nervous. Stepping forward, the creature that appeared on the other side of that tempered glass scared me. Its eyes were emerald, its mane and tail were blue streaked through with black and its coat a deep midnight blue. No cutie mark adored its side, and the terrified expression on its face was an exact replica of my own.

But why would I be terrified? Hadn't I always been this way? I turned my head to inspect myself with my own eyes. This was who I should be, I was sure of it. From hoofs to gently flowing mane, everything was in order. So why did I feel wrong? I couldnt shake the instinctual, almost plaintive belief that there was something in fact wrong about me.

Well, standing around lost in thought solved no mysteries, I finally decided. Some part of me rejoiced at the prospect. It just felt right to be exploring, discovering things and turning over rocks. I clung to that feeling, it was normal, and I desperately needed normal right now. Gulping, I made for the single exit, a sliding door that had been crudely jammed in the open position with a long piece of rebar that still had concrete stuck to it. Carefully poking my head through the door, I was greeted by another alicorn, this one very much alive and staring intently at me.

I jumped, clanged my freakishly long horn against the door frame painfully, and drew back into the clinic with watering eyes and muttered curses I didnt even know I knew. By now I was growing more comfortable with the fact that I just knew things, since I couldnt otherwise figure it out, Id just have to live with it.

The alicorn stuck its head through the door and looked at me, its green head and red mane splashing the corridor with color. As I picked myself up, a massive crumpled mess on the floor, it just kept staring at me. "Goddesses! You should give a mare some warning next time." I said before I realized what was coming from my mouth. My voice was almost regal, and made me very uneasy for some reason. Of course the green alicorn said nothing to me, no reaction at all. Not even an eye twitch.

"Oookay, Im gonna leave you to it then." I said as I awkwardly shuffled past her. She didnt follow me, instead returning to looking down the corridor once I had moved far enough away. Creepy. Creepy but not hostile. That was a great sign, and did much to put my mind at ease. Only slightly however. My ears perked as the sound of activity reached them, somewhere ahead a lot of people were moving around and doing things.

Easing in for a closer look I beheld the stable atrium. I was standing on the second floor overlooking the damaged and dilapidated first floor. It was a cavernous space with even more walkways above me. Said walkways criss crossed the expanse, haphazardly lit with torches and electrical lights alike. On the wall, about halfway up and easily thirty feet above me, a platform had been assembled where the overmare's office should have been. A thrown adorned with skulls and other raiderlike trash sat there, but that wasnt what grasped my attention. No, what had that was the ocean of blue rainbow sheened gloop covering the stables bottom floor. There was so much of it it nearly came up to the floor I stood on.

The sight of it instantly conjured up memories from not twenty minutes ago when I was coughing the very same crap up. Somehow, I had gone for a swim in that... stuff. A shrill voice that sounded eerily similer to mine, only a few decibels higher, rang out, "You are being given the gift, why are you so sad!? You will become stronger than any pony!"

A weaker, more desperate voice responded, "You killed them all! You heartless monsters, how could I ever be happy with anything from you!"

I looked up at the dais, and beheld a small orange unicorn being held magically in place by two alicorns while a third sat in the throne, evidently the leader. The unicorn must have been old enough to just get her cutie mark, and yet she was covered in scars that I was sure she hadnt gotten recently. Her cutie mark was glowing sun with the stars and moon arrayed around it, and I could see how disdainfully the leader regarded her.

"Ungrateful Pony! We give you the chance to become better and you show nothing but selfishness! I, Cherry Blossom, in my benevolent wisdom, have decided that even though this pony is an ungrateful whelp! She shall be given the gift anyway." At the word gift, the two alicorns roughly pitched the screaming unicorn over the side, sending her plunging past me and into the goop. I was so stunned by what I had just witnessed that I didnt even try to get out of the way as several globs splatted on and around me.

Quickly reanimated by the warm tingling sensation the touch brought, I wiped the stuff off and shuddered. Was it just me, or did it feel... good? I shook my head and looked up in time for the sky blue alicorn to land heavily before me. She wore junk armor made from carriage parts and toted a bumper that had been fashioned like an enormous sword.

Unlike the last one I had seen, this Cherry Blossom had the ilk of intelligence flickering in her imposing eyes. Even though I knew, for some reason, that she wouldn't hurt me, I felt deeply afraid of her. She smiled an evil, almost maniacal smile at me and circled around, looking at me, her armor clinking with each step. "Ah, our newest sister is up and about!" What did she mean by that? I cast a fugitive glance at the still pool not five feet away from me and a cold pit of dread welled up inside me. "After all the trouble we went through with her, and now here you are. The gift has treated you well." She completed her circle and came about to face me again, "But are you smart, or a dumb dumb like the rest?"

It was a loaded question, I knew it as soon as the words hit me. She wasnt very bright, i could tell, but she stared at me expectantly, so I swallowed my fear and grinned back at her, "Im no Dumb dumb." I felt retarded saying it, but I couldnt let on that I might have been a little more intelligent than I wanted to appear. More than that, I didnt want her to feel threatened by it. "I, uh, I smart. Give the gift to many ponies." I felt it was a good median between herself and the nigh retarded ones Id already seen throw a pony to her death, and Cherry seemed to accept it.

"Good. We dont need more dumb dumbs." She turned and started walking, not knowing what else to do, I followed her, "I, Cherry Blossom, have a mission for you. We give the gift to all those we find wandering around, but less ponies have been found than normal." She spoke as though I should already know everything about this problem, even though I obviously knew absolutely nothing. I nodded my head. "You are smart enough to not get killed. You will go, find out why no ponies come around anymore, and tell me everything you learn." She lead me through a confusing maze of rooms littered with more aptly named 'dumb dumbs' until we came to an armory of sorts.

"Here, you take what you need and go. Dont keep me waiting for long." Her voice promised extreme retribution should I fail her. But I had no misconceptions over what had happened now. I had been just like that unicorn, captured, and thrown into the pit, to become... this thing. There was no way in tartarus I was coming back once I was out. Alone now, I stepped into the vault. It was a venerable Cornucopia of weaponry and armor, sadly most of the armor was too small for me to wear, so I simply passed it by.

Until, I came to a pair of saddlebags at the very back, resting against the armory's rear wall. The grey bags drew me to them, and I couldnt understand why, but I needed to have them. I threw them on my back and started to rifle through them. Inside was a whole lot of miscellaneous crap, but there was also a few treasures as well. An energy rifle, with a scope and other choice enhancements, a beautiful green dress, some light armor and complimenting duster, and the last item made me pause. It was a plasma rifle. Engraved on the stock, by where the receiver would be on a normal gun, was "Courage." I couldnt explain why, but tears filled my eyes and I had to wipe them away.

Just as inexplicably, flashes of something came to my head. Buildings, skeletons, devastation. Manehattan. Something about manehattan! Damnit! I clawed to see more, but whatever goddess dictated my thoughts had decided Id gleaned enough and warranted no more. Id just have to go there, and find out for myself why it was important.

The armor was for the most part, useless, but I was able to don the chest piece and even though the duster didnt even touch the ground when I wore it, I still put it on, it made me feel a lot better. Even if I had to cut holes in it for my wings.

I was just coming out to the atrium again when Cherry landed heavily in front of me again, idly fishing for something in the ooze while she spoke, "I almost forgot, youre not a dumb dumb, so you get a name." That was... interesting. Id been so caught up in what was going on I hadnt even thought about it. I didnt even try to remember a name from before, it was hopeless, luckily my benevolent overlord supplied one to me. "From now on you are Marciline." She found what she was looking for and yanked a vaguely pony shaped mass from the lake, "Just like my best friend..." She trailed off and flung the thing she'd pulled out at a waiting alicorn, yelling about taking it to the 'place' and then she was gone again.

Now I was faced with a delima. How did I use these things on my back? I spread my wings experimentally and gave them a flap, not much to it... A few flaps later and I was airborne. The whole flying thing came to me a lot faster than I thought it would! This was actually fun! In no time at all I was making my way though the stable entrance, like a good little drone, on my way to complete my 'mission'. The deep seated hatred Id felt growing within me threatened to overpower me as I stepped foot outside. Id been robbed of who I was, forced into this new and unknown body, and while I had no idea who that mare might have been before me, I knew where to start looking for the answers I needed. With a final look over my shoulder, I promised to return, to stop what was happening here, when I was stronger. Then I took flight, and left it behind, heading in no particular direction.

My flight took me over a devastated church, its recently pillaged walls didnt draw any of my attention, and I flew on, caught in my brooding stupor.

[Ozzy]

Present Day

Nothing worth noting was at the church, but one physical characteristic one could easily see from above was that the rain made ditches out of a pair of tracks that disappeared into the forest, a trail immediately gone cold in the insane plant growth.

If Marceline was heading to the The Honeysuckle Inn, she would find it would be reduced to nothing more than a giant pile of splintering wood atop its concrete foundation, the utterly barren rubble was divided into several sections by the rushing flood waters. One of these sectional breaks featured an actually standing wall, a glowing terminal sat toppled beside a smashed wooden desk. If she opted to read it, she would encounter a bunch of messages left by Onyx regarding the Inn's final days.

---

-October of 111 PLD (Who's counting any more?)

<Log #1-D1> There have been a disturbing number of reported deaths by mutated monsters a few miles up the road, anyone I sent to investigate never returned and now traders are concerned. Can't see anything through the damn rain anyways, and when it lets up, it's simply too foggy! Thank goodness we have a sizable treasury in store that bounced back from the Syndicate being thieving dicks last year, because we are gonna need to hire the big guns from outside.

<Log #2-D4> Found a heavily armed group of mercenary veterans that saw much action in the arctic wastelands far up north, they'll be looking into our problem for us! For a hefty price anyways, but I have complete faith these griffons will get to the bottom of this mess because traders are too afraid to even venture into the Rosebloom now.

<Log #3-D9> Lost contact with those mercenaries on the fourth day since they embarked, suddenly stopped communicating on the radio and now the two-way is picking up some distress beacon, a friend of theirs got scared and went after them, not a single word from him too after three more days. Now I am worried, I am hoping they just encountered a slight inconvenience and been re-routed to another settlement due to the rain but lets be real here, that beacon was on a frequency only they knew.

-November of 111 PLD

<Log #4-D10> It's been silent for a long time, still no word from anyone who went out there a month ago. It's not even halfway through November and we're getting a horrible winter too, no traders for a week. Just random survivors scared out of their damn mind. We got one crazy stallion who survived an attack on his caravan long before he even entered the Rosebloom, came in the Inn covered with gashes and frostbite screaming something about demons. I know it's terrible out there, and these incidents are not exclusive to the Rosebloom... but what in Tartarus is going on so nearby that nobody has never seen at the Inn here? It's as if we're under siege.

-December of 111 PLD

<Log #5-D8> It's been two months now since Apocalypse Round 2 began, I didn't type much since the attacks begin last month. I was right, I was fucking right, it was a siege, I have no idea what these things are, words cannot even DESCRIBE what they are in detail. They were just randomized messes of mutations I haven't even seen before, doing things I never thought a barely sentient mass of stolen flesh could do. They are poisonous as hell, they slashed at Lana's face, which swelled like a big blueberry until she went absolutely psychotic and passed away two hours later, only to reanimate as what I am guessing is a ghoul.

<Log #6-D10> Just killed a fucked up 'thing' of excrescences, it looked like a log with many legs, trying to breach the Inn west gates by acting like a battering ram. It continued to move even when blasted quite literally in half and twitched when in pieces from taking a direct hit with a 40mm grenade, a closer look at the carcass revealed to me some parts eerily resemble the griffons I hired two months ago.

<Log #7-D15> We are leaving this hellhole, there are not many of us left, and there is certainly not much food left. Nobody is coming through and the outer walls have collapsed, I can hear those abominations outside right now clawing against the building walls, their howls sounding like a mare's scream, not ear splitting like banshees. We have more ammo than food, and death will catch us at any corner regardless of what we do now, so we have nothing to lose trying to brave the trek to Stable 94. I am not even sure if they are still alive, the place has been so quiet, but we have a young colt among us, I have to at least try for his sake.

---

When the snow melted after the arrival of spring, it brought about a tremendous flood, doing a damn good job of washing away much of the Honeysuckle Inn when it was abandoned by Onyx and damaged by invaders. There were dams made of random debris carried from upstream, from places miles away from the Honeysuckle Inn, even entire carriages worked with refrigerators and random pieces of housing to redirect flood water around them as they persistently clung to trees. One thing Marceline might find that distinguished itself from the gloomy scene was something bright pink, a framed picture that hung on the lonely wall of the inn that showed AVI smiling as she hugged a dark blue stallion with aviator goggles and a very big rifle.

If the Alicorn wanted to find people, her best bet now would be going to Stable 94, which hopefully she still remembers where it is at...

[Fantrum]

PRESENT DAY

It had been a long two years. Long, but enlightening. The things I had learned on my road to relive the past had been too many to count, and many were hard fought and harder learned. I had grown used to the body I now called my own, at times when I... remembered... what it used to be like that would change. It would feel as though I were wearing a second skin fitted too tightly against me, crushing the life from me, making it impossible to breathe or even think. Those times passed thankfully quickly, and only lasted long enough for me to get the next tasty morsel on my mental bread crumb trail.

For the last couple years, Id been of one mind. Doggedly pursuing the mare who came before with little actual hope of finding an end. What was worse than that, was the prospect of actually finding what I so determinedly sought out. What would I do with the knowledge? It wasnt like anything I did could change what had happened... could it? I didnt think so, but this gave me drive, and more so, it kept me sane. I was haunted by waking nightmares at random intervals, like my reality and what my brain wanted to believe were merging into one, with horrible results. More than once I had awoken from a terrible nightmare with no recollection of ever even having slept, and more than once, I had done something very violent.

That was just as well, as I had learned many things about myself and the new life I lead, first and foremost that I never needed to sleep. Or for that matter, did I need to eat or drink. It had taken a week of doing none of these before my rational mind remembered that normal ponies needed to drink, and one thing led to another. Thirdly, radiation actually healed me, which flew in the face of everything I thought I had known. I also had access to a full arsenal of spells, ranging from combat and medial spells down to other more utilitarian spells such as clothing mending.

My material possessions had changed as well, I still carried most of the junk that had inhabited the bags when I found them, but I had changed out the laser rifle for an anti material rifle. I had found out early on that my magic was more than capable of handling large weapons and that I would desperately need them against the many creatures of the wasteland. My own magical arrows were sufficient for close in work, and when used in conjunction with the plasma rifle, I could hold my own, but I much preferred keeping my enemies in a rifle scope, right where they coudlnt hurt me back.

And a great many of those things could in fact hurt me. Through trial and error, Id figured out that while I was near the top of the wasteland food chain, I was not invincible. Particularly against the iron clad steel rangers and even my own sisters living out of Maripony, both of whom Id grown to avoid as much as psychically possible. My adventure had almost ended when the latter first met me, outside of Fillydalphia. I had also been subject to much prejudice from the normal ponies, as many had been hounded by my sisters and had very intelligently gained a suspicion of tall winged alicorns. It was just something else Id had to live with, even if I hated it.

My duster flared as I touched down on the savaged highway, Id been following it out of Filly for some time now but there was rarely anything of interest along its lonely and seemingly endless miles. Id seen evidence of caravan traffic from the sky, but mostly in the form of looted carcasses and smashed carriages. Things that didnt set me at ease. Not for the first time, I thanked the goddesses for at least leaving me with wings to avoid most of the mired dangers confined to the ground. Excluding the Enclave... My wings fluttered absently. Assholes had come very close to killing me after they shot me down leaving the Rosebloom the first time. I had a lot of close brushes with death, dont judge.

The only reason I halted my progress now, was the curious ruin stood just off the road, unlike the majority of ruins, this one appeared much more recent. Signs of battle were everywhere, but there were no bones or bodies, just spent shell casings, scorch marks, and blast craters. Whoever had fought here had done so tooth and nail, but evidently they hadnt held in the end. Oddly, there were no indications that the attackers were using guns or even explosives. No brass outside the ruined compound, no blast marks outside going in. Strange.

Very carefully, I started to sift through the wreckage when it happened again. A vice closed around my heart, my head started to pound, and my legs buckled out from under me. My... visions... had grown more complex since they first started two years ago, and while I still felt my physically body closing in on me, I was a blue unicorn again. I was walking, tired, hungry. A building, the Honey-something. Guards, ponies everywhere, a lively inn. A pink pony, a gunfight. And that was it, I was rudely thrown back into reality and whatever hoof pressed down on me mercifully relented.

As I picked myself up, I weighed what had just happened. It wasnt the first time the flashes had been moving pictures, but it was the first time since Id found her brother's grave that Id been shown a particular pony. The effect was not lost on me, unfortunately I was left wondering why the pink one was important to the unicorn, and by extension, me.

Moving to a glowing terminal, I righted it with my magic and started to browse through it. All it really did was confirm my suspicions that the place had been razed. It unsettled me however, to learn that just down the road I had come from, something sinister was scheming. It certainly explained all the trashed caravans Id seen. It made mention of a stable, that the former owners had made for it after they had lost hope, maybe there I could find the next lead? This vision hadnt shown me more than what this place had been and that the unicorn had shot the place up before running in a random direction.

So I yanked out another trinket Id collected in my adventure. A pipbuck. It was bulky, dinged up, and had clearly been neglected for a good long time, but it still miraculously worked. It had an adjustable cuff to fit around a pony's leg, but I had never found the tools or the knowledge to actually put it on me, which undoubtedly closed off most of its features. So I just used it as a map and radio, which it did very well. Already it had the stable marked, something that still puzzled me to this very day, and it wasnt even that far away. Not for someone with wings at least.

Stuffing it back in my bags, I cast out one last parting glance and froze. Something... I had almost missed it. Something that added a faded and garish splash of pink to the dilapidated walls around me. Slowly, like I was made of glass, I picked my way over to it. It was nailed to a section of wall lodged in a small rivulet. Telekinetic ripping it from its bounds, I floated it up to my face. The pink pony and a blue pony. The blue stallion didnt mean anything to me alone, but I felt he was tied to the unicorn and this pink pony much the same way. "A Pink bat pony... Interesting." I smiled, this place was getting stranger by the minute.

As I stared, something started to come to me, A... Aaaa... A... I almost had it damnit! But it was gone. Placing the picture into my bags, I spread my wings and launched into the air.

The flight itself wasn't all that interesting, but I could see where recent fighting at marred the land. My progress was made slower by my constant paranoid need to be on the look out. As it stood I knew this land, if only vaguely, and I was drawing near to the place I had come from. A pit settled in my stomach every time I thought I recognized a group of trees, or a destroyed building. Even when I knew for a fact I was nowhere near that place.

Much sooner than I expected, I arrived at stable 94. I couldn't see any pony on the serface and it looked clear, so I descended. Deciding against drawing any weaponry or even bringing up a shield, hopefully they didn't shoot alicorns on sight... line some people did. I had no reason to belive they would be hostile, and felt confident in my ability to react should they prove me wrong.

So, head held a litttle low to avoid hitting the ceiling, I entered the dark dank tunnel leading down to the Stable.

[Ozzy]

Outside the stable's filthy cave entryway was a warzone, pockmarked with craters and robot pieces, inside it was also ravaged by explosives and littered with bones that intertwined with the rotting carcasses of unidentifiable creatures, even the destroyed chassis of a Warder was among them. It was the perfect opportunity to see one of the deadly robots up close, one of the weaker ones that puts one in the mind of a smaller poorly armored brown colored sentinel.

The cog shaped entrance was within sight, except without a door and beyond it was a flickering light with three ponies in stable security armor on guard with a stallion on a 12.7mm wheel mounted machine gun, the other two were behind a makeshift pillbox, two laser turrets accompanying them from the ceiling. The stable definitely seen much action, the arm that pulls the cog shaped door from its position was destroyed, the door itself was nowhere in sight, and the maintenance room that held the guards was riddled with all sorts of devastation, as if somepony went wild tossing dynamite around the place.

One of the ponies jumped at the sight of Marceline, a mare who slowly walked to a door jamb from the pillbox with hoof hovering over a red button, which could be an alarm or to activate automated security (depends on how the Alicorn approaches the situation). The one manning the machine gun grasps the handles with a look of shock while a big rifle pokes out of the pillbox, waiting for Marceline to get closer while both have her lined up. They all didn't speak, unaware if Marceline could even say anything in return, but if she spotted them, right now would be the time to speak up before they made an assault.

[Fantrum]

Cautiously, so as not to walk into any traps, I made my way into the horrible tunnel. The whole place looked very much like something, or someone had tried to storm it. Unsuccessfully it seemed, given the heavily armed guard post I walked right into. For a very tense moment, they jumped to and brought a truly fearsome amount of firepower to bear on me. I knew my shield could stand against whatever they had, at least long enough for me to get away. The only hitch was that I didnt think I could manifest it with the better part of a half dozen gun barrels pointed at me.

The second I made a move they didnt like I was going to get shot up, or dusted, or both. In a flash, I weighed my options. I gave myself about 50/50 chances to survive their initial barrage and escape whatever deactivated surprises I might have stepped over in the tunnel. On the other hoof, there was a pretty good chance they wouldnt just shoot me right off. They didnt look like raiders, or any of the various factions Id managed to piss off over my adventure. In fact, they looked haggard, almost desperate, and scared.

More than that, they were surprised. Maybe it was because somepony had finally shown up at the stable after a long time? Probably not. More likely, what had beset the old inn had come here as well. That meant they didnt see much of my kind, which also meant they might not shoot me since I wasnt a robot or a hideous monster from a foal's nightmares.

Cracking a smile, I tentatively raised my forelegs as over my head as I could manage in the confined space. Time to place the bets, all or nothing, here went nothing, "I, uh, come in peace?"

[Ozzy]

It was a long moment of silence before somepony spoke, but the stallion manning the machine gun was the first to speak with hoof raised. "Sweet Celestia, she speaks? With a smidgen of fucking sense.... Everyone, stand down! You!" He points at Marceline with a very weary tone, as if he was just tired of sitting on a machine gun staring down a dark cave- and shooting robots and abominations.

"What brings you here? What do you want with us? It's not everyday we get an Alicorn who can speak better than a freshly born foal, let alone come in peace. Gah, this has to be some fucking ploy..." The stallion rubbed the sides of his head, the other two ponies just nervously eyed each other, probably thinking their leader went mad as he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. The stallion sighs and fiddles with a nearby terminal to presumably change the turrets' status to standby so Marceline wouldn't get shot, then shakily sits with hooves crossed as he probably wanted to hear what else she had to say.

Guns are reluctantly lowered as confused glances are exchanged, but the mare guard quietly slips behind one of the sliding doors without notice... or maybe without care, more than likely still fearful of the Alicorn anyways.

[Fantrum]

I clopped back down onto all fours when it became apparent I wasnt going to die horribly and advanced to the gaping gear shaped maw, but stopped short of actually entering the stable. I had been wrong, from the way the stallion was talking, they had indeed seen more of my sisters. More than that, they had come from the same place I had, I was sure of it. A substantial part of me desperately wanted to ask about them, to see if I could track down their location an do what I had promised to do so long ago.

That part of me was overruled by the real reason I was here. I couldnt dally on the quest I was already on by meandering around with that. So instead I cleared my throat and pressed on, "My name is Marceline, Im looking for a pony." I magically yanks out the picture from the inn and floats it over to the stallion. "A pink bat robot mare... I think... Im not really sure past that." Realizing i was starting to get off track, i shook her head again, "Shes important to me." Then suddenly remembering what had pointed me in this direction, i continued, "I found the remains of an Inn a few miles down the road, a terminal said the last inhabitants had fled here, I was hoping I could talk to them about the mare."

[Ozzy]

The stallion just froze for a second, as if about to say something until the mare that slipped away came back with a small crowd. One of the ponies stood out with a bright orange coat color and fiery red mane, she looked a little older than the rest accompanying her. They all gasped at the sight of Marceline, weapons immediately drawn on the Alicorn.

"WAIT! She said she comes in peace! Hear her out, she is just looking for the ponies from the inn down the road..." The stallion desperately interjected in the way a prison inmate would when he did not want to get the death penalty.

Several long seconds passed before the orange mare stood in front of the group before Marceline and replied. "Um, okay, Miss Alicorn, I am Fire Sale and I am the Overmare of this stable and all that jazz..." She replied in an exhausted tone quite contrarily to when she greeted Vivi to the place in the midst of a battle two years ago, there was no freakish grin nor charismatic charm, she looked more haggard and replaced her pinstripe suit for a stable security barding with extra pieces of combat armor strapped onto it, a big combat shotgun was also strapped to her side. She gestured the others to lower their weapons and her eyes widened at the sight of AVI's picture. "Ahhhh, yes, I remember her, AVI was her name. Miss Onyx was her friend and successor as leader at that Honeysuckle Inn, I am afraid I can't tell you more about her, I only known her for a couple days and that was a long time ago."

"As for the ponies from the inn, we incorporated a group of griffons and a handful of ponies that came from there a year ago, but Onyx would be your best bet if you want to know more about AVI and she left the stable to settle Wolfland Heights north of here. It's a big settlement atop a hill, made to be a fortress... I'll mark it on your map if you got a Pip-Buck." Fire Sale paused and just now realized how uncanny it was that she is explaining the whereabouts of a unicorn to an Alicorn, innocent as it may seem, Alicorns had this affinity for unicorns and it was no secret. "So, is that all?" Fire Sale quietly inquired.

[Fantrum]

The crowd of ponies that stormed into the already cramped entrance startled me, but this time I had absolutely no qualms against raising my shield. The blue bubble was well and truly in place by the time any of the new arrivals even had a gun on me. And good thing too, since I was then facing down even more firepower than I had before. The Blue tinted ponies before me shifted as an orange one stepped out of the mob. She was clearly their leader, since she had the fanciest armor and gun.

As her cohorts lowered their weapons, I let out a breath Id been holding and lowered my own shield as a sign of faith. My ears caught on something she said though. AVI... Oh no. I could feel it coming even as the mare continued to speak. My heart clenched and I gritted my teeth together. The flashes came again, and I viciously fought to stay standing, only vaguely hearing the mare as she spoke.

The Stable, a door, a pipbuck, the orange mare, AVI, and a word... the first time Id ever seen an actual word of any kind in one of my episodes. Lumi... What did it mean? She was obviously important too, but something inside me said she wasnt as important as the pink one. There had to be a connection. The Unicorn had done something with both mares, or for the mares, or for one of them with the other one. Gah! This was getting confusing. I shook my head slightly and realized Fire Sale was staring at me expectantly.

I had somehow also remained standing, small victories, right? "Um... Yes sorry, I uh, would really appropriate anything you might be able to do for me." I suspected they didnt want me to hang around, and disappointingly pulled out my pipbuck for her to mark. "You wouldnt happen to know anything about a Lumi would you?" I asked, going out on a limb, and wishing not for the first time, that there wasnt a massive audience of ponies staring me down.

[Ozzy]

Fire Sale's eyes widened, then rubbed her chin for a moment- and suddenly it made sense, Fiery Luminescence was literally the only pony called 'Lumi' since she was cursed with that extremely long name. "M-My daughter? What in the world do you possibly want with her!?" The older mare asked defensively, and what mother wouldn't be worried if a random big ass Alicorn asked for their offspring?

Fiery Luminescence trotted her way through the small crowd of security ponies who immediately cleared a path for her, still looking as young and vibrant as she did two years ago. "Mom, it's okay, I am a grown mare." The young unicorn gave an assertive utterance that left her mother biting her lip in anxiety, the young unicorn examines Marceline by holding her hoof with her own, not even bothered by the Alicorn's presence in contrast to the other ponies behind her. "Interesting, and you are sure she asked for me? I mean, I don't know any other Lumi's..."

Fire Sale nodded, "She also asked about AVI..." she was about to mark the location on the Alicorn's Pip-Buck until she was cut short by a series of sharp howls outside the tunnel entrance, followed by a long shrill that eerily sounded like a pipe organ. "The abominations... Oh Goddesses, I wish we had more mines..." Fire Sale muttered and clenched her chest, the security guards scattering to arm the various small guard posts in front of the stable entrance with various pistols and rifles drawn, the same old routine for them.

Fiery Luminescence stands still for a moment and lets go of Marceline to eye her with saddening countenance, her very own laser rifle in her magical grasp. "Come on... you need to seek cover, these things are ferocious."

[Fantrum]

I hadn't been expecting the outburst, and while it added many questions to those already in my head, it also gave me some pretty valuable information. First and foremost, Lumi was a pony, that was a good first step. Second, she was related to Fire Sale and obviously held some pretty substantial clout here in the stable. Thirdly, they knew Avi in a deeper way than they had let on! Or at least thats what it seemed. Lastly, Lumi wasnt bad looking. Not that it mattered whatsoever. But still.

Hesitantly, I allowed the much smaller unicorn take my hoof in hers. Though it was a little awkward, my hoof easily dwarfed her own, it felt almost... familiar. It was in that moment I knew, without a doubt, Sapphire Sands had been here, and done something with this Lumi filly. When she started talking about me like I wasnt even there, my eyes narrowed, but I held my tongue. They were used to my kind being retarded after all. The thought struck me to ask directly about Sapphire instead just as our lovely conversation was interrupted by the coming of something horrible.

Id never seen what they called abominations, but Id been to Hoofington, and judging by the fast approaching sounds of death, whatever they were would surely be terrible. Standing there, Lumi and I just stared at one another, her sad eyes and my own cautious optimism. Then the moment passed and she suggested we get cover.

As she drew her rifle, I brought out my own. The AMR was way too big for this underground combat and broken down in any case, even if I was sure I could assmble it perfectly in a minute, it was time we simply didnt have. Instead, several magical arrows manifested in the air next to me, ready to be cast against whatever came down the tunnel at us.

"Of course, please lead the way." I belatedly responded, in all honesty I felt like I was getting in the way. All these ponies seemed to know exactly where to go in the event of an attack and gave off the air of practiced veterans. While I was no slouch in combat, quite the opposite if I did say so myself, I would only gum up and disrupt their order of battle. So I followed where Lumi went, as she was the only pony to not show outward distrust and hostility towards me, hoping I might get a word in while the battle was fought by others, "So, this might seem like a shot in the dark, Goddess knows my entire life is a shot in the dark, but do you know of a blue Unicorn named Sapphire Sands? Or even AVI?" I had to start shouting over the din, but I figured now was as good a time as any for this conversation.

[Ozzy]

"You're asking that now?" Fiery Luminescence asked with a slightly bewildered look as she lured the Alicorn behind a stack of lockers, resting her laser rifle on them. A deformed shadow loomed over the tunnel entrance from the light outside, not even a moment before a hideous mutant entered the frontal guards' line of sight, was it greeted with heavy amounts of lead and the occasional laser fire. If she is paying attention, Marceline could spot the creature for a brief moment, vaguely resembling a crawling deer that took too many runs under an 18-wheel motor carriage before the firepower reduced it to small twitching gibs.

The second one was faster and smaller for something that moved like a snail, it's pale tin flesh surrounding one giant robotic arm of something you'd see slapping lids on jars in a factory assembly line. Before it was halfway met with the same fate of its brethren that entered the tunnel first, it screeched and slithered away with a trail of blood behind it. It was an opportune time for Marceline to shoot the thing for a nastily explosive result if she wants to, especially while the heavy machine gun was being fed another belt of 12.7mm rounds- which the little pink mare in oversized armor grimaced while doing so because those bullets are just 'fuck off' expensive.

The third abomination retreated and didn't even bother stepping into the fatal funnel yet lingered on the EFS of everyone's PipBuck anyways, Lumina cringed at the mere thought of what it could possibly be capable of. The first two horrors were just anticlimactic, nothing compared to the raging hordes of freakish amalgams that destroyed the Honeysuckle Inn, their specialty was always leaving their prey guessing after all. Fiery Luminescence sighed in relief and looked to Marceline, "Well, I known Sapphire briefly, she was a boisterous mercenary hottie. Otherwise, I don't know much about her. Little Vivi, on the other hand, was..." She paused while placing a hoof on her chin, muttering and struggling to find the proper wording. "... she was a mystery. One day she is very quiet, the next she ditches all sorts of responsibility and takes on this alter-ego of helping ponies by hunting shitheads. I am afraid I don't have an idea where she is now..."

Ponies ran around to hastily grab more ammunition for others, the stable dwellers probably had some ammunition factory in their stable or something.

[Fantrum]

Just as quickly as it started, it was all over. Or so my first thoughts were. I hadnt even fired a shot as the first two monsters were gunned down as they stormed the entrance. Frankly, I was impressed with the rugged professionalism the stable ponies displayed as they beat back the intruders. Without a doubt this wasnt even a minor skirmish to them. On the other hoof, one of the monsters had clearly hung back, briefly silhouetted by flashes of something further down the tunnel. The implications of that werent lost on me, and I sure as tartarus wasnt going to be getting back out the way I had come in.

My attention then turned back to the unicorn, answering my question at last. I wasnt surprised by it either, it was a common description of the Unicorn, but the insight into AVI was much more important. Not for the first time, I wondered, who even was I? Sure I was Marceline, I had that identity and Id forged something of a name for myself through my admittedly short travels following a bread crumb trail over the wastes. But why was I doing it? By all intents and purposes, Sapphire was not who I was anymore. It was impossible for me to tell if she had influenced who I had become, but I felt no possession to who she had been. Still, I did feel a certain... anxiety and even, urgent need to know everything I could about her. And depressingly, it was looking like my bread crumbs were coming to an end.

No need to think about the end just yet though, not while I could still track down AVI and find out from her how I had come into being.

Uncharacteristically, I probed a little nervously, "You, ah, wouldnt happen to know what happened to the two of them?" I already knew where I had to go next, but any amount of information I could gather would help, no matter how on edge the answer would set me. For some reason, the prospect of finally untangling the web and knowing what had happened to Sapphire actually scared me. Regardless, I needed the answer, I needed it as much as I needed my armor, or my weapons, and I would get it too. Just give me enough damn time.

;;If Lumi was feeling especially perceptive just then, she might notice and recognize the unique plasma rifle painted a peculiar Orange with red trim and an ornate 'Courage' engraved on the stock; or even the duster I wore, from a time long ago, from the fight with Legato.;;

[Ozzy]

Fiery Luminescence raised a brow, she was in one of her thinking phases again. She would definitely bat an eye at the familiar equipment Marceline wore, but the uncertainty stopped her from vocally making any assumptions.

"I don't know, the Syndicate took them and I never saw them again. I heard AVI became part of a super robot army or something, but those are just rumors." The light orange mare raised a brow, maybe she was still following the red blip on her very own EFS, which the Alicorn would have no way of knowing anyways.

"Look, you will not find any more answers here. Most people who took shelter here from Honeysuckle Inn packed up and left to Wolfland Heights with Onyx, including the Ranger rejects from two years ago. I can accompany you there though! I never traveled anywhere with a non-murderous Alicorn before." Lumina added an oddly cheery and melodic intonation at the end of her statement before exchanging glares with her mother, who obviously appeared to be very unhappy with the idea.

"Oh for fucks sake, Mom, I'm going! I hate this hole!" Fiery Luminescence angrily exclaimed at Fire Sale before she could say anything, who relented with a sad sigh before walking away; it was probably far from the first time Lumina expressed unhappiness with staying in the Stable. The young orange mare redirected her gaze back at Marceline with a wide grin, "Allow me, Fiery Luminescence, find purpose in my life by risking it to aid you in your journeys to do whatever the fuck you're doing." She stated with an overly dramatic heroic tone with one foreleg raised.

[Fantrum]

It had been a little too much to hope for an easy explanation, hadnt it? Well no matter, Id press on regardless of what Lumi could tell me. Then she surprised me again, pretty much inviting herself along. I couldnt help but smile at her antics though, "It seems you and I are more alike than I realized." I happened to be short one reason to live myself, that much I could relate with the unicorn.

While it hadnt been the first time Id run with another pony, far from really, I never did get used to having company. Understandably, most ponies bolted as soon as whatever we were doing was concluded, not wanting to trust the large blue alicorn. Goddesses, why did I have to be saddled with such a prolific stereotype? Not that it didnt have its merits, of course. The nearly limitless supply of magic and spells was a pretty large plus. Oh and the flying, I really enjoyed flying.

"Are you sure you wish to accompany me?" I swallowed the rest of my sentence, realizing that telling her how much danger and unknown we were running into would only insult her. She had just been shooting at abominations with a laser rifle after all, so it was a safe bet she knew how to handle herself in a fight. At least to the extent that I shouldnt have to worry about catching a laser in the back. I cast a fugitive glance down the tunnel, "My quest is quite complicated, if I am honest with you, first among my objectives is to find AVI. After that... We'll see."

Unspoken was my desire to kill the winged tormentors that doubtlessly still plagued the wastes, hunting down unicorns. That was a close number two on the list. But this wolfland heights was my new destination. I turned back to Lumi, "Make sure youve got everything you need before we leave, I doubt we'll be able to come back anytime soon," I said, gesturing down at the pulped abominations and jumpy ponies still intently staring down the tunnel, waiting. When she was ready, Id simply Teleport us outside and above whatever awaited us. If I'd had a little time and rads, I could teleport us much farther out. A few hundred meters would just have to do.

[Ozzy]

Fiery Luminescence grinned and politely reassured, "I want to know how my friends are doing in Wolfland Heights, so yeah, I want to go." The light orange unicorn disappeared into one of the sliding doors, it was unclear what she was doing but the silhouette of her figure adjacent to the wall beside the thick glass window suggested she was digging through some containers. A few minutes later, she came out dressed entirely in stable security barding, except the supposed 94 was inexplicably a 90. She certainly got dressed fast...

Lumina adjusted her helmet over her fiery red orange and yellow mane, which was now fixed into a long ponytail visible from the back of her helmet. The unicorn said her farewells to the guard ponies and her mom, who softly scolded her and muttered something about not getting killed in the most anticlimactic way possible as soon as she steps outside. There were indeed those abominations waiting beyond the entrance, and it would be a kind gesture to clear the mutants for the stable rather than have the stable dwellers expend more ammunition than they already have to. Nobody knows when the next caravan will come, after all.

Fiery Luminescence flipped her helmet visor down with a serious look on her face as she levitated her laser rifle beside her, looking to Marceline, "I am ready to roll. Oh, and I'll put your Pip-Buck on after we find someplace safe for a quick rest." She strolls down the tunnel, four red blips appear on her EFS, prompting her to use a little Etch-A-Sketch-looking toys to sketch the words '4 bogeys' on it with her magic while she levitates it to Marceline- most ponies would consider it odd how Lumina really knew how to use one of those things.

[Fantrum]

I was about to flash us out of there when Lumi just kind of walked off, down the tunnel... Goddess damnit. With a quick facehoof I trotted up after her, easily closeing the distance with my longer legs, and settled next to the unicorn as we walked. I thought about what she said about my pipbuck, that sure would come in handy, but why did I feel a tinge of hesitancy thinking about it? I shook it off as we left sight of the guard post and all the supporting firepower it offered. Out came Courage and a shimmering shield encased me, tinting the whole world blue.

Lumi suddenly slowed and fished around in her bags, bringing forth her weird toy. Id never seen one before, or rather, not a working one. The battered device said it was an 'etch-a-sketch' or something. It had obviously seen better days, but then, hadnt we all? She wrote out that there were four enemies ahead and I nodded back, marveling at the little toy's utility.

Although, I honestly thought the gesture was wasted. For all my abilities and talent, I wasnt very stealthy. Or was I? In my travels and, ahem, 'run ins' with the goddess from Maripony, Id seen blue alicorns who could turn invisible. Heh. Id toyed around with the idea for a while, trying to see if I could cast it myself, but only met with limited success. Spells just came to me whenever they felt like it, I couldnt really explain it well, but I just somehow knew certain spells.

Humoring myself, I sheathed Courage and tapped Lumi on the shoulder, signaling for her to hold on a second while I steeled myself. With a few breaths, I closed my eyes to focus, it should be easy enough. Just like teleportation, but instead of squeezing through a hole, just imagine a blanket falling over me. Sweating, I tried casting the spell. Opening my eyes, I looked around. Was it just me, or was everything mute? Weird. My armor's collar chafed and I looked down to see that I could still, in fact, see my armor and gear. Disappointed, I huffed and looked back at Lumi, gesturing for her to continue down the hall.

But when my hoof didnt appear, I stared, perplexed. Then a smile appeared on my face as triumph filled my heart. Of course, Lumi couldnt see that, all she could see was floating gear where I had been standing a second before. So I dropped the spell. Or rather, I tried to. When the mute didnt go away I tried several more times, each to no avail. Ah well, that sure didnt work out the way I planned it. Maybe I could use the etch a sketch to talk to her? It would take too long, so instead I merely scraped in the dirt, "Cant uncloak oopsies". We'd just have to press on the way I was and figure it out later. There were enemies to kill, and I could still use my magic, which looked like a frickin ghostly light emanating from thin air! Sweet!