A Tea Party For The Post-Apocalpyse (IC)

[Tiki Snakes]

"I still say we should have just flown up," grumbled the griffon from Trees' right. The wiry pair of seats swayed as Gabriel perched on the edge of the chair. "We've got the fliers for the job." He flashed a grin at the pony next to him. "Just think, if we did that, then you wouldn't even need a safety belt; I could carry you, no harness needed!"

"Gabe honey, this is a two seater. Bad birdy." Trees hissed distractedly.



"A fair point" replied Rosemary, who did a marvelous job of not reacting to the accidental contact. "Although one might think that metal fatigue would have set in by now, simply due to the harshness of the temperatures."

She shifted her weight in a way that unintentionally-most-deliberately set the seat swaying slightly.

"They must have picked some very good quality material." She observed. "Either that, or strengthened it with magic."



"Be that as it may, it would probably tire everypony out" replied Rosemary, maintaining her balance as Gabe set the seat to swaying even more. "I suspect it's better to keep you all at hoof just in case anything goes wrong. Like a mechanical fault with the engine, or the cable giving way, or a gust of wind knocking us loose or ..."

She could go on for a bit.

As Rosemary shifted her weight to set the chair rocking, Trees eyes flicked towards her. Then almost like someone flipped a switch in the earth pony's head, all the tension drained out of her limbs. She let go, leaned back and her tail casually unwound. The sun glinted off her shades.

"Nah, it's not special materials or anything. The world ended, Rose. Almost everypony died, so the hundreds and thousands of Ponies who were supposed to get to sit on these seats never got the chance and there simply hasn't been any wear and tear. Left to it's own devices how long something like this lasts is almost entirely down to the ambient moisture levels. Barring freak incidents, I'd expect this will still be mostly intact long after you're dead and buried."

She breathed out, her voice almost unnaturally calm now and just as cold as the fresh mountain air.

"You're right though, in as much as it'll probably be the cable that gives first. It's a surface area thing, plus I'll bet that under regular use there'd be regular maintenance that would keep it oiled and free from tarnishing. Irregular use means that with it's higher surface area the cable will rust first and eventually tension on it will simply be too much. It'll snap like a whip, and anyone nearby has more than just falling to worry about as all that energy being released means it'll cut through a pony or concrete wall just as easily as wet tissue paper."

She rode quietly as the Casino slowly came into view and entered with a brief nod to the guards.

"I'd have liked to meet him." She said to no-one in particular, looking quietly at the now familiar portrait. "He has kind eyes. Kind, but a little sad."

[Thanqol]

So the smarmy bastard showed up again. "Nah, I don't want to buck him. I've always been more of a shooty type."

Gabriel glared at the lines of raiders, examining their defenses. Why here? Why build a casino at the top of a mountain? "What did this Rich guy do, then? Just build stuff and never visit it?"

"Oh, this casino was exceedingly popular in it's day, pulling in several million bits per year with it's combination of spa, resort, and gambling services. And why, it was so well stocked that those ponies lucky enough to have been testing their luck managed to ride out that spot of bother with the zebras inside!"


"I'd have liked to meet him." She said to no-one in particular, looking quietly at the now familiar portrait. "He has kind eyes. Kind, but a little sad."

"Oh yes. Me too," said the Lyrabot, and then it drifted away, going about it's endless cleaning duties.

[BlasTech]

As Rosemary shifted her weight to set the chair rocking, Trees eyes flicked towards her. Then almost like someone flipped a switch in the earth pony's head, all the tension drained out of her limbs. She let go, leaned back and her tail casually unwound. The sun glinted off her shades.

Rosemary didn't glance at the Earth Pony again as they made their ascent, instead returning her attention to the vista surrounding them. The sudden change in demeanour from the earth pony was interesting, and amusing enough that Rose found it difficult to suppress a smile as they continued on their journey in silence.

Ah well, if Trees was going to continue being like that, at least Rosemary could now enjoy the view without any screaming.


"Oh, this casino was exceedingly popular in it's day, pulling in several million bits per year with it's combination of spa, resort, and gambling services. And why, it was so well stocked that those ponies lucky enough to have been testing their luck managed to ride out that spot of bother with the zebras inside!"

It wasn't until they'd reached the summit that Rosemary found something to distract her again.

"There were survivors of the war here?" She asked, her ears pricking up at the topic. "What things have happened since then? Were there any descendants, or archives?"

[Thanqol]

It wasn't until they'd reached the summit that Rosemary found something to distract her again.

"There were survivors of the war here?" She asked, her ears pricking up at the topic. "What things have happened since then? Were there any descendants, or archives?"

"I'm given to understand that there's some sort of town formed from the survivors, though I wouldn't know much about that," said the robot. "And there wasn't exactly an archive other than what the guests brought with them. Regardless, please don't let me keep you."

[Balmas]

As places to bed down, it wasn't bad. Well stocked, easily defensible if they found a way to control the lift. The company left something to be desired, but he'd an easy way to deal with that.

Of course, this all meant that they were being let inside the enemies' stronghold. That meant that whoever this Clarity was, she was either confident, insane, stupid, or some combination of the lot.

"Soooo... Does anyone know which way to go?"

[Thanqol]

As places to bed down, it wasn't bad. Well stocked, easily defensible if they found a way to control the lift. The company left something to be desired, but he'd an easy way to deal with that.

Of course, this all meant that they were being let inside the enemies' stronghold. That meant that whoever this Clarity was, she was either confident, insane, stupid, or some combination of the lot.

"Soooo... Does anyone know which way to go?"

"Along here, ma'am," said one of the crystal pony guards. Her expression was so absolutely deadpan it wasn't clear if she was screwing with Gabe or she legitimately could not discern griffon genders.

But further along the corridor they came into what could only be described as the throne room.

It was a spectacularly luxurious room, a dome of reinforced glass that gave an incredible view in all directions. The floor had been cleared of the slot machines and gaming tables, leaving a vast empty space large enough to muster an army or play a soccer game.

In the centre, though, was an oasis. A beautiful tropical jungle, more greenery than perhaps seen anywhere in the wastes outside a HREC bioweapons lab, emerging from beautifully blue-tiled fountains filled with crystal-clear running water. It rose up in the centre of the room like a pyramid, benches and chairs providing a place where gamblers could have sat and relaxed in the faux-tropics while watching the splendour all about them. Now it stood empty, except for the guards, and the huge marble rectangle at the very top of the pillar.

In chains on the ground at the base of the altar were the survivors of the 88 gang. In glory at the top was Clarity, aurora-green wings unfurled like a queen's, blue mane cascading. She was impressive, striking - perhaps not as tall the lighting made her look.

She was also blind.

Her eyes looked normal, but they didn't focus on anything. It was an unsettling effect, especially with how fluid the rest of her actions were.

And she wore on her side a Spear. Long and gold, with a magnificent multicoloured crystal-blade that throbbed with pink-green-white light. It was built into a golden battle-saddle, marked with an ominously distinctive symbol: Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark, in orange, on a black field.

That was a HREC symbol. For what it was worth, that mark in black on an orange field tended to mean things like 'Corruption site, keep out', 'I am a powerful wizard', 'Theoretical magic testing range', etc. Orange on black meant things like, 'Resurrected alicorn princess', 'tamed cyber-Manifestation' and 'Do not fire in any cities you like'.

[BlasTech]

Rosemary took in the sights as they walked, her eyes and head snapping to each new item or symbol with the sudden precision of a hawk. The walls, the floors, the lights ... for a scientist who specialised in cataloguing the leavings of their ancient and once-proud civilisation, this was her prey.

And then they found the throne room, and though Rosemary's eyes widened slightly at all the greenery, that only made it easier for her to drink in every last detail about that strange mountaintop oasis. It was a magnificent, and almost alien sight. Who had even heard of a concentration of plants like that, or flowers, outside of textbooks or labs.

It was a sight that almost managed to overpower the sour taste that threatned to rise when she saw the shackled remnants of the 88 gang.

It didn't quite help stop her eyes widening in shock when she saw the logo on the spear though.

"Oh ... dear." she whispered, before she could help herself.

[the_druid_droid]

It wasn't a temple they arrived at, although it's arches were high and it's pillars swept. It wasn't a palace even though it seemed to emanate power and luxury from the mountain-top to the entire world around. It wasn't a lighthouse, even though it seemed to emanate like a siren-beacon for miles.

It was a casino.

A glorious casino at the top of the world.

Guards opened the doors as they approach, and they entered a place curiously warm. Several green-painted Mr. Handies drifted about in the grand entrance hall, endlessly seeking dirt and grime. A red velvet carpet lead deeper into the building, towards the game floor itself. Disciplined raiders, armed with spears and unflinching gazes, stood in lines like the Royal Guard of old. This was a place of luxury, freely offered, inherently tempting and seductive and whispering of what might be possible.

On the wall hung a picture.



"Along here, ma'am," said one of the crystal pony guards. Her expression was so absolutely deadpan it wasn't clear if she was screwing with Gabe or she legitimately could not discern griffon genders.

But further along the corridor they came into what could only be described as the throne room.

It was a spectacularly luxurious room, a dome of reinforced glass that gave an incredible view in all directions. The floor had been cleared of the slot machines and gaming tables, leaving a vast empty space large enough to muster an army or play a soccer game.

In the centre, though, was an oasis. A beautiful tropical jungle, more greenery than perhaps seen anywhere in the wastes outside a HREC bioweapons lab, emerging from beautifully blue-tiled fountains filled with crystal-clear running water. It rose up in the centre of the room like a pyramid, benches and chairs providing a place where gamblers could have sat and relaxed in the faux-tropics while watching the splendour all about them. Now it stood empty, except for the guards, and the huge marble rectangle at the very top of the pillar.


Lavender had grown up in a Stable for most of her life before being taken to the HREC research facility. As a result her memories were mostly shades of off-gray with the occasional touch of beige to liven things up. The Wasteland hadn't offered much to improve that palette, and so her reaction to the vivid colors and luxurious textures of the casino was understandable.

It manifested as a pulsating thrum at the base of her skull first, gradually growing down along her spine and up around her ears until it tingled at the base of her horn and the very last vertebra of her tail. It was the pure, undimmed, white-hot desire of a filly to touch everything.

Lavender wanted to roll around on her back on those plush carpets, and spin herself dizzy on the rotating bar stools! She wanted to march down the aisles of slots with one of those raider spears on her back, and gallop along the impossibly high marble hallways at top speed!

Of course, she knew she probably couldn't get away with all that, and technically she wasn't a filly anymore, so with a tremendous effort the alicorn contained her desires, and vibrated as she walked with poorly-hidden energy. When they reached the throne room, her wings started to flutter and rearrange themselves nervously, and she glanced around the room for anything to look at to take her mind off of just how much she wanted to dive headlong into the artificial paradise of water and foliage.

[Balmas]

"I'm not that tiny..." Gabriel's glare melted holes in the back of the offending raider's head as they walked. "Just... small-framed."

All objections and sulking fell away as they entered the giant room. "Whoa..." It gave extravagant new meaning. Was that gold paint on the railing, or actual gold? The tiles squeaked under him--spotless. Not a single hoofprint marred anything. Well, except for the blood under the gang members, but still!

His eyes wandered, tracing the windows and their almost invisible frames. It had to be magic; nothing this big and this fragile could possibly survive the apocalypse.

Finally, his gaze settled on the pegasus, and on the spear on her side. "Hooboy."

[Tiki Snakes]

Trees walked quietly as prompted. As the dome soared above her, she gasped audibly however.

The earth pony immediately wandered off, as if in a dream. She walked slowly, unbelievingly amongst the plants, letting them brush against her face as she went. Her eyes misted slightly.

[Thanqol]

Perhaps it was politeness that made Clarity give the wastelanders a chance to look around before she spoke. But spoke she did, in a voice soft/resigned/confident - and with the slightest bit of an alcoholic slur.

"You," she said, addressing one of the 88 gangers, an elderly crystal unicorn. "Bow or die,"

"Filly, I'm an old pony," said the ganger, "and I -"

The spear lit up like the sun.

Radiant golden light poured out, burning away fur, skin, flesh - leaving only a perfect sun-blasted skeleton to collapse to the ground.

"You," said Clarity, pointing her hoof slightly to the left of one of the gangers. After a second, she made an adjustment from some hidden prompt.

She didn't have to offer twice. The pony dropped to all fours and kissed the ground.

The spear lit up again.

This time the light didn't burn the pony away. It seemed to fill her. With an enraptured gasp she raised her head, illuminated glow seeming to burn on the inside of her eyes. She snapped a perfect drill-grounds salute and waited for further instructions.

Soon, in the place of the 88's were ranks of perfect soldiers.

"Dismissed," said Clarity, voice bored/sad/exasperated and dismissed they were, marching off to the back of the hall in formation.

"Come forwards," said Clarity to the party, head turned too far to the right to be 'looking' directly at them.

[Deadly]

A light flickered deep in Blue's eyes at the display. She had looked pretty tense as they were led deeper into the place, having some idea of what to expect, and now she was practically rigid. Which helped to cement her to the spot as she glared up at the spear. "No!" She spat and pointed a hoof at the ground in front of them. "You will come down here!" Why had she said that? What for? What would she do if Clarity did come down here? Perhaps more importantly, what would she do if she didn't? Blue had no idea, because her mind had yet to catch up with her mouth.

[Thanqol]

A light flickered deep in Blue's eyes at the display. She had looked pretty tense as they were led deeper into the place, having some idea of what to expect, and now she was practically rigid. Which helped to cement her to the spot as she glared up at the spear. "No!" She spat and pointed a hoof at the ground in front of them. "You will come down here!" Why had she said that? What for? What would she do if Clarity did come down here? Perhaps more importantly, what would she do if she didn't? Blue had no idea, because her mind had yet to catch up with her mouth.

"Fine, whatever," said Clarity, spreading her wings and gliding down to the base of the pyramid. She was a surprisingly confident flier, though her landing was a little clumsy, but she pulled up in time. From down here she was really quite regularly pony-sized, aside from the golden battle saddle.

The spear glowed.

"We have long awaited this meeting," it said, in a low, female, foreign voice, golden energy circulating around it.

[Deadly]

Not a very satisfying reaction, if Blue had to be honest. She had expected something ... well, other than bored resignation, or whatever this was precisely. It didn't do much to calm her sense of righteous anger. "Long enough to start murdering at random out of boredom, apparently," she said half as a question. It was amazing that she managed to speak at all, rather than lash out in blind fury. She was clearly trying to be diplomatic, perhaps because deep down she hoped that there was a pony here worth saving from the influence of that damnable spear. A lot of ponies, obviously, but one in particular.

[Tiki Snakes]

Trees let the foliage continue brushing against her face and neck, crying silent tears. She breathed in the scent of the plants, then breathed out slowly and allowed that cold, calm feeling to settle back in.

I have a bad feeling about this. She thought to herself, eyes glancing surreptitiously over the large, breakable looking windows and the many rigidly disciplined mindslaves.

No, not yet. Quiet, slow, small. She nuzzled a leaf, eyes on her surroundings. The Earth Pony tried her best to slip out from under the Guardponies gaze amongst the cover provided by the little indoor Jungle. She moved slowly, casually, quietly amongst the leafy mass. If it took her closer to the windows, that was certainly a bonus.

[So, it's an opposed Stealth vs Perception of the most perceptive observer, who will probably be sporting at least +5 from the sheer number of guardsponies. I figure the jungle should provide some enviromental bonus, maybe a little extra on top of that if the Blue/Clarity/Spear conversation is particularly distracting? I don't expect to succeed, but I'm going to roll anyway because it seems the thing to do right now.

Roll before bonuses or penalties; 52 over 35, Fail. (Basic Success if +20, though, so better than I was expecting.)]

Oh god, someone stop the Pegasus talking. She thought to herself with a wince. Anger Issues McKissyface must have some kind of death wish going on.

[BlasTech]

Not a very satisfying reaction, if Blue had to be honest. She had expected something ... well, other than bored resignation, or whatever this was precisely. It didn't do much to calm her sense of righteous anger. "Long enough to start murdering at random out of boredom, apparently," she said half as a question. It was amazing that she managed to speak at all, rather than lash out in blind fury. She was clearly trying to be diplomatic, perhaps because deep down she hoped that there was a pony here worth saving from the influence of that damnable spear. A lot of ponies, obviously, but one in particular.

Rosemary quickly jammed a hoof in Blue's mouth before the pegasus could say anything else.

"Ah, what my colleague is trying to say. Is that ... it's nice to meet you." replied Rosemary, grinning widely to mask the awkwardness of her sentence and the thought of what Blue was going to do to her afterwards.

"What is it about this meeting in particular that you've been looking forward to?"

[Deadly]

Rosemary quickly jammed a hoof in Blue's mouth before the pegasus could say anything else.

"Ah, what my colleague is trying to say. Is that ... it's nice to meet you." replied Rosemary, grinning widely to mask the awkwardness of her sentence and the thought of what Blue was going to do to her afterwards.

"What is it about this meeting in particular that you've been looking forward to?"

Blue was certainly glaring at Rosemary. If looks could kill ...

[Balmas]

Well, this was... This was problematic, wasn't it? Gabe sat next to the pegasus, willing her to be silent and let him think how best to handle this.

The spear was, of course, the largest immediate problem. Two settings, perhaps more. Fiery, agonizing death, or the beam-o-Mindrape. Clarity herself might be a victim as much as the people on whom she used the spear. After the spear, there were the guards, all ready and willing to turn them into pony-shaped sieves.

If he shot, he'd have to stay to finish off the rest. He couldn't leave if the job wasn't done. Two, maybe three or four shots. If everypony else helped out...

"Don't antagonize her," he muttered. Maybe if he destroyed the spear, the rest of the raiders would un-mindrape themselves.

[Thanqol]

It wasn't clear if Trees had been marked by the guards or not.


Rosemary quickly jammed a hoof in Blue's mouth before the pegasus could say anything else.

"Ah, what my colleague is trying to say. Is that ... it's nice to meet you." replied Rosemary, grinning widely to mask the awkwardness of her sentence and the thought of what Blue was going to do to her afterwards.

"What is it about this meeting in particular that you've been looking forward to?"

"Vengeance," said the spear. "Vengeance against the Princess Luna who has brought me so much suffering. The rest of you are less relevant."

This close, they could actually see the faint flicker of gold light that passed between the Dayspear and Clarity, and the pegasus turned to face Lavender.

"But we remember our debts, and we remember the one kindness you showed to us - so we shall repay it in kind," said the spear. "You may choose the time and date of your death, any time in the next month. Following that, I shall have your heart."

[BlasTech]

"... what?" began Rosemary, blindsided enough by the comment that she didn't even notice Blue's glare-o-doom.

"... why?" she added, as her mental cogs shifted one incriment forward again.

[the_druid_droid]

Perhaps it was politeness that made Clarity give the wastelanders a chance to look around before she spoke. But spoke she did, in a voice soft/resigned/confident - and with the slightest bit of an alcoholic slur.

"You," she said, addressing one of the 88 gangers, an elderly crystal unicorn. "Bow or die,"

"Filly, I'm an old pony," said the ganger, "and I -"

The spear lit up like the sun.

Radiant golden light poured out, burning away fur, skin, flesh - leaving only a perfect sun-blasted skeleton to collapse to the ground.


When the pony was vaporized, the little filly in Lavender's head finally cantered away in fright, her mother's voice echoing something about "reasons we keep our hooves to ourselves" in accompaniment to her hoofbeats.


"Vengeance," said the spear. "Vengeance against the Princess Luna who has brought me so much suffering. The rest of you are less relevant."

This close, they could actually see the faint flicker of gold light that passed between the Dayspear and Clarity, and the pegasus turned to face Lavender.

"But we remember our debts, and we remember the one kindness you showed to us - so we shall repay it in kind," said the spear. "You may choose the time and date of your death, any time in the next month. Following that, I shall have your heart."

Lavender giggled nervously, then cocked her head and looked at the blind pegasus. "Um, actually, I'm Lavender. I'm not Luna, or even a Princess; I was born..." the alicorn attempted to count on her hooves, failed, and gave up, "not very long ago and I grew up in the Wasteland. I think the pony you want to talk to died a really long time ago..."

[BlasTech]

"... and yeah ... that." added Rosemary, as the gears clunked forward another pace.

[Balmas]

Oh, hell no. Or at least, not until his contract was complete. Gabe stepped in front of the princess. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait a while."

Then the princess' words shot home, and he turned to look at the blue alicorn. "Wait, what?"

[Thanqol]

"... what?" began Rosemary, blindsided enough by the comment that she didn't even notice Blue's glare-o-doom.

"... why?" she added, as her mental cogs shifted one incriment forward again.

"Because she once cast me down, and these things must move in cycles," said the Dayspear.


Lavender giggled nervously, then cocked her head and looked at the blind pegasus. "Um, actually, I'm Lavender. I'm not Luna, or even a Princess; I was born..." the alicorn attempted to count on her hooves, failed, and gave up, "not very long ago and I grew up in the Wasteland. I think the pony you want to talk to died a really long time ago..."

"Nevertheless, thy form is a mockery unto me, and I sense her taint about her form," said the Dayspear. "The decision is made. You have one month. Glory in it, or not."

[Tiki Snakes]

Trees grimaced over her shoulder at the group, stood as they were right in front of Clarity and her spear.

She slowly, casually inched her way around the foliage-covered parts of the room so as to have as much cover as possible from Clarity, whilst still hopefully being able to keep a vague eye on the gang.

The windows called to her, their siren song of freedom and their tantalising unbrokenness hard to ignore, if it wasn't for her three travelling companions apparently doing their damnedest to get themselves dusted.

She suppressed a whimper and hunkered down, awaiting the inevitable turn for the worse...

[Balmas]

"For someone who was cast down, you seem to be remarkably not dead," observed the griffon. "Overreaction, much?"

[the_druid_droid]

"Because she once cast me down, and these things must move in cycles," said the Dayspear.

"Uh, sorry but my history is a little fuzzy. Could you at least tell me a little more about the thing you want to kill me for? Is it why you're in a spear now?"


Then the princesses words shot home, and he turned to look at the blue alicorn. "Wait, what?"

The midnight-blue alicorn shot him a look that seemed to say "How could you possibly mistake me for a princess?" To all appearances, that look was perfectly sincere.

[Thanqol]

"For someone who was cast down, you seem to be remarkably not dead," observed the griffon. "Overreaction, much?"

"Thou might notice that thou addresses not a fine and full bodied mare," said the Dayspear, voice filled with amusement, "but one has heard several slanderous rumours of thy kind and must now reflect upon their truth."


"Uh, sorry but my history is a little fuzzy. Could you at least tell me a little more about the thing you want to kill me for? Is it why you're in a spear now?"

"Very well. In the eldest days of the world, control of the sun was contested, and I was the chief of the contestants. In my glory, I stood astride the world and many pretty mares and stallions would come to offer me thy hearts in noble sacrifice. Long I reigned, and fairly, until such a day as the two sisters came and cast me down. They sealed me in crystal and buried me under the forever-snow of this blasted land, and here I kept.

"Then, as these things go, I was discovered. But, for reasons beyond my ken, I was not released but instead was carved into the blade thy see before you. Through conviction and dutiful sacrifices I shall arise again in full, but for now I must trust in my bearer and proceed with caution. The Crystal Empire is fearsome, even in my time."

[the_druid_droid]

"Very well. In the eldest days of the world, control of the sun was contested, and I was the chief of the contestants. In my glory, I stood astride the world in glory, and many pretty mares and stallions would come to offer me thy hearts in noble sacrifice. Long I reigned, and fairly, until such a day as the two sisters came and cast me down. They sealed me in crystal and buried me under the forever-snow of this blasted land, and here I kept.

"Then, as these things go, I was discovered. But, for reasons beyond my ken, I was not released but instead was carved into the blade thy see before you. Through conviction and dutiful sacrifices I shall arise again in full, but for now I must trust in my bearer and proceed with caution. The Crystal Empire is fearsome, even in my time."

Lavender nodded, "Ok, I think I sort of understand... But what did I- I mean, Luna do for you that was kind? You mentioned that earlier."

[Thanqol]

Lavender nodded, "Ok, I think I sort of understand... But what did I- I mean, Luna do for you that was kind? You mentioned that earlier."

"She allowed me to choose the date of my own execution," said the Dayspear, each word individually enunciated.

[Balmas]

"Now wait a minute," growled the Griffon. "You say that you ruled the day, but that you were shut down by the pony sisters? I'll admit that ancient history isn't my strongest suit, but that doesn't fly. Who the hay are you supposed to be, anyway?"

[Thanqol]

"Now wait a minute," growled the Griffon. "You say that you ruled the day, but that you were shut down by the pony sisters? I'll admit that ancient history isn't my strongest suit, but that doesn't fly. Who the hay are you supposed to be, anyway?"

"I am Chalchiuhtlicue, The Lady of Jade Skirts, Goddess of Water, the Honoured Sun - although most Equestrians prefer to just call me the Dayspear for some reason," said Chalchiuhtlicue, that edge of amusement tinging her voice. "It is natural that you have not heard of me. My empire was once vast, in the time-Before, one of the great bastions against Discord - but the sisters went to great lengths to stamp out any trace of it. Their reign was a temporary disturbance and shall soon pass into the same obscurity they destined for me."

[Deadly]

Blue pulled herself a step away from Rosemary so she could speak again. So they had some answers, and somehow she liked them better than the ones she had imagine, which wasn't perhaps all that hard. "What are the rules of this fight, other than the time?" she asked, still about as tense as a wooden board, but her mind seemed to have caught up and gone into overdrive as she studied the spear and the pony carrying it.

[Thanqol]

Blue pulled herself a step away from Rosemary so she could speak again. So they had some answers, and somehow she liked them better than the ones she had imagine, which wasn't perhaps all that hard. "What are the rules of this fight, other than the time?" she asked, still about as tense as a wooden board, but her mind seemed to have caught up and gone into overdrive as she studied the spear and the pony carrying it.

"Ah," the spear sounded like it was grinning. "Good! Thou intends to fight! The conditions shall be the same as were offered to me. Thou has one month to chose the time and date, otherwise I shall strike. Thou may not pass more than a mile from the mountain, or I shall strike. Thou may do whatever thy wish to gather and muster thy forces, including attempting to persuade any of the townsfolk who can be persuaded to stand with thee - with the condition that any who choose to stand with thee shall have their hearts taken in sacrifice should thou fail. Let none say I am not fair and just."

Blue's study of the spear taught her little; the gold was tinged too deeply with orange and had not even the faintest scratch upon it's gleaming surface. The pony was a different matter; Clarity was a little on the short side, but she had impressively large and powerful wings. She was a little unsteady on her feet, perhaps due to drinking. Her cutie mark was of a security camera.

There was something about the emotion on her face... she'd seen it somewhere before, she couldn't quite place it. Not resigned, something different.

[Balmas]

"Sooo... What you're saying is that we have thirty days to figure out how to take down a goddess, when before it took two to shut you up? With only the resources within a mile of the Casino?" Gabriel snorted. "Yeah, that's fair. And under what terms will we accept your surrender?"

[Thanqol]

"Sooo... What you're saying is that we have thirty days to figure out how to take down a goddess, when before it took two to shut you up? With only the resources within a mile of the Casino?" Gabriel snorted. "Yeah, that's fair. And under what terms will we accept your surrender?"

"No, I am saying that she has thirty days to figure out how to take down a goddess," said the Dayspear. "Thou art free to go. Thy decision to offer thy heart to me in sacrifice shall be appreciated but is not mandatory. I only accept willing offerings."

The sun had touched the horizon, turning the skyline red.

"Speak swiftly if you would know anything further, for I tire as my aspect fades," said the Dayspear.

[Balmas]

"Day and time, or just the date?" If she got weaker as her 'aspect' faded, there might be hope yet.

[Thanqol]

"Day and time, or just the date?" If she got weaker as her 'aspect' faded, there might be hope yet.

"Any day, any time," said the Dayspear, amusement filling her voice again.

[Tiki Snakes]

"Well, it sure was swell meeting you." Trees said in reasonably convincing mock-cheerfulness.

"We'll be going now, so, uh, catch you later I guess?" She added, heading for the door at a brisk walk.

[Deadly]

"You better believe I intend to fight," Blue responded coldly before turning around.

[BlasTech]

"Yes. Right." replied Rosemary, recovering as the others started to move.

"Well, I suppose we should be going. It was nice meeting you, I especially liked the part where you didn't kill us. Maybe we can do tea sometime."

With that, she began edging towards the door, dragging Blue and Gabe with her before they could say anything else antagonistic.

[Thanqol]

"Farewell," said the Dayspear.

The sun passed beyond the horizon.

There was a flash.

The spear disassembled itself into fragments, and in a second all of those fragments withdrew inside the golden battle-saddle. The saddle sealed, perfectly and seamlessly, glowing a faint orange from within.

Clarity let out a sigh of relief/exasperation and stumbled - a lot more blindly than before - back over to the bar, where she groped around for a drink.

[Balmas]

"Well," Gabriel sighed, as they made their way to the front of the casino. "On a scale of one to megaspell, just how bucked are we?"

[Tiki Snakes]

"Pretty low on the scale, I'd say." Trees ventured. "I mean, there's potential for us to get ourselves and a lot of other ponies killed depending on how badly we screw up whatever comes next, but there's an option on the table that involves a guaranteed single casualty."

She paused, shrugging uncomfortably.

"I mean, I'm assuming we're not going to roll over and take the option, even if it might be the best chance for the rest of us making it to the next town alive, but when we're talking about a scale that ends with megaspell I think it's important to keep this in context, you know? And we've got a lot of time to do something about it."

She tilted her head in reflection.

"Plus, if it's not just a crazy AI core strapped to an overpowered mad-science-gun, the chump already lost this dance once already."

[Balmas]

"Yeah, pony sacrifice is not on the table," muttered Gabriel. "I said I'd keep them alive, and I'm pretty sure that Chalky over there won't settle for a first blood duel."

He sighed, picking at a small plant edging the walkway. "So where's that leave us? Attack the spear, snipe the pony, blow the place up?"

[BlasTech]

"As comforting as the thought is that this Dayspear was defeated in the past, unless we have a spare two princesses worth of magic sitting around, we'll need to find out another method of dealing with it." Said Rosemary, eyes ahead as they marched out of the building.

"And that means finding out alot more about what it is and what it wants. I mean, it practically invited us to try to destroy it." she shook her head. "It's either supremely arrogant, or trying to goad us."

"At least we have time to figure out which, as well as a few potential avenues of inquiry on both the what and the how."

"I don't suppose anyone else noticed the logo on the saddle?"

[Tiki Snakes]

"Yeah, I saw the logo. Can't say it means anything to me though." Trees replied casually. "And the thing has, quite literally, a God Complex. Megalomaniacal feelings of invincibility are to be expected when dealing with anything that hides out in a literal mountaintop lair, complete with shiny monologotorium."

Trees didn't mention the plants. She didn't have the strength to broach the subject right now.

"I say our course of action is pretty clear and straight forward actually." She ventured. "I mean, far as I see it there's only one reasonable way forward. We've not got enough explosives to level the whole place while they sleep and we've not got a giant lazerproof death machine to fight her with, so we need help or we're just going to get ourselves ashed."

She moved away a few steps, looking back down the corridor.

"Me and Rosemary need to head back the way we came and see if we can't attract Commander White Noise's attention. We give our report and do whatever it takes to get her to deal with the situation, or at least pitch in to give us the advantage. You two will have to guard...uh, Lavender was it?" She interrupted herself awkwardly. "You two will have to stay put, hunker down and keep Lavender safe in the meantime because we've no way of telling how far we'll need to go before we can get White Noise to make contact, nor how long that could take."

"I'd take ...Lavender with me, but that defeats the whole purpose of the venture if we stray too far." She smiled over her shoulder at Gabriel and Blue. "And much as I'd love to have you two at my back in a fight, it's all you guys can do not to shoot Noise everytime you see her."

"I'd do it alone, but it's just too dangerous to travel solo out there and Lavender doesn't have time to waste on waiting for word from a pony who isn't coming back."

She turned around, the light glinting from her shades.

"So, what do you say, Rosemary Unicorn." Her voice calm and level, her expression inscrutable. "You up for a walk in the snow?"

[Balmas]

"That logo means that it might just be what it claims to be," explained Gabriel. "Only the HREC would find an angry, sleeping goddess, and think, 'How can we weaponize this?'"

He turned, looking back at the open door, still shining with the light of dusk's glory through the glass windows. "Maybe we could get the pegasus drunk enough to steal it. That way we would have a giant lazer death ray, in case of baddies."

[the_druid_droid]

"Farewell," said the Dayspear.

The sun passed beyond the horizon.

There was a flash.

The spear disassembled itself into fragments, and in a second all of those fragments withdrew inside the golden battle-saddle. The saddle sealed, perfectly and seamlessly, glowing a faint orange from within.

Clarity let out a sigh of relief/exasperation and stumbled - a lot more blindly than before - back over to the bar, where she groped around for a drink.

Lavender looked around her once, warily, seeming for all the world like a foal with a hoof in the cookie jar, before trotting gingerly over toward the bar and Clarity.

"Is it ok if I sit here?" The alicorn began to settle onto a seat near the blind pegasus and looked her over as though seeing her for the first time.


"I don't suppose anyone else noticed the logo on the saddle?"

[Timeskip I'm assuming, but didn't want to not say something here at least]

"I recognize the colors... it was them." Lavender kicked a hoof idly, "It's always them. All they ever do is hurt ponies..."

She trailed off, but didn't quite make those last words inaudible. When Trees spoke, she finally glanced up.

"Ok, you can look for help, but remember that I get a say in this too."

[BlasTech]

"So, what do you say, Rosemary Unicorn." Her voice calm and level, her expression inscrutable. "You up for a walk in the snow?"

"Hmm ... yes." replied an equally inscrutable Rosemary.


"That logo means that it might just be what it claims to be," explained Gabriel. "Only the HREC would find an angry, sleeping goddess, and think, 'How can we weaponize this?'"

He turned, looking back at the open door, still shining with the light of dusk's glory through the glass windows. "Maybe we could get the pegasus drunk enough to steal it. That way we would have a giant lazer death ray, in case of baddies."

"I doubt we'd find it a very agreeable weapon. Particularly with its power and agenda" Replied Rosemary. "Still, while we head to speak to White Noise, I think there are some avenues you could pursue while you wait for us to get back."

"The symbol on the saddle was a HREC symbol, from the division that usually deals with magical weaponry. While it doesn't answer the question of whether or not this is a goddess or a facimile, it does indicate how to find out - Look for any signs of a HREC installation nearby, or any stories of how the spear made its way here. Chances are, backtracking that will let us find out more about its origins. Gabriel, you're probably best placed of those remaining to know what to look for."

"Also, there's also that astronomer pony we saw on our arrival here. I'd suggest trying to find out why she's so taken with astronomy now. In addition to any questions about upcoming events."

"The last avenues are around finding out more about this place and Hope. The ponies, this Clarity, the settlment here. There may be something you can find out."

"Other than that, keep each other safe ..."

[Thanqol]

Lavender looked around her once, warily, seeming for all the world like a foal with a hoof in the cookie jar, before trotting gingerly over toward the bar and Clarity.

"Is it ok if I sit here?" The alicorn began to settle onto a seat near the blind pegasus and looked her over as though seeing her for the first time.

"Knock yourself out," said Clarity, working her hooves around a bottle, popping the lid with a distinctly practiced gesture, and taking a drink.

[the_druid_droid]

"Knock yourself out," said Clarity, working her hooves around a bottle, popping the lid with a distinctly practiced gesture, and taking a drink.

"Thanks," said Lavender as she produced a bottle of Sparkle Cola from her bag and cracked it open. "My name is Lavender. You seem tired."

[Thanqol]

"Thanks," said Lavender as she produced a bottle of Sparkle Cola from her bag and cracked it open. "My name is Lavender. You seem tired."

"I," announced Clarity, "am not. I mean, I'm Clarity - not tired - you know what I mean, shut up," she waved a hoof dismissively. "I'm not going to waste my time sleeping, I've got better things to do," she seemed to settle on.

[the_druid_droid]

"I," announced Clarity, "am not. I mean, I'm Clarity - not tired - you know what I mean, shut up," she waved a hoof dismissively. "I'm not going to waste my time sleeping, I've got better things to do," she seemed to settle on.

"Oh." Luna sipped at her drink. "When was the last time you slept?"

[Thanqol]

"Oh." Luna sipped at her drink. "When was the last time you slept?"

"Time," said Clarity, not living up to her name, "becomes strange while drunk." She took another drink. "So... congratulations on the execution thing?"

[Balmas]

"The symbol on the saddle was a HREC symbol, from the division that usually deals with magical weaponry. While it doesn't answer the question of whether or not this is a goddess or a facimile, it does indicate how to find out - Look for any signs of a HREC installation nearby, or any stories of how the spear made its way here. Chances are, backtracking that will let us find out more about its origins. Gabriel, you're probably best placed of those remaining to know what to look for."

"Also, there's also that astronomer pony we saw on our arrival here. I'd suggest trying to find out why she's so taken with astronomy now. In addition to any questions about upcoming events."

"The last avenues are around finding out more about this place and Hope. The ponies, this Clarity, the settlment here. There may be something you can find out."

"Other than that, keep each other safe ..."

"I don't like splitting up," Gabriel stated. "I can't fulfill the terms of my contract if everyone goes different ways. But, since you're the ranking officer..." He sighed, and nodded. "Understood. And how are we going to meet up again? Trees, d'you have this location in your Pipbuck already?"

[Deadly]

Bue watched the room carefully over her shoulder as they left. She tried hard to remember where she remembered that look on Clarity's face, but it wasn't very clear. Maybe it would come to her in time, though.


She smiled over her shoulder at Gabriel and Blue. "And much as I'd love to have you two at my back in a fight, it's all you guys can do not to shoot Noise everytime you see her."

"I am not incapable of diplomacy," Blue said very diplomatically. Even when angry, she usually wasn't incapable of using words or not being in-your-face if she chose to. It was in fact sort of her talent to use words, even if Trees hadn't had much chance to see that side of her.

"In any case," she added and turned to the others, "I worry that Clarity is an innocent victim of the spear's influence. I would hate for her to be a casualty if she doesn't have to be. It may be difficult to ... separate them, but it's worth considering if we can do that. It may even be a help. I said I'd like to see Noise blow up the mountain, but maybe we should keep that as the last step of the plan, or even Plan B. There's also a potentially innocent village to spare destruction."

[Thanqol]

Bue watched the room carefully over her shoulder as they left. She tried hard to remember where she remembered that look on Clarity's face, but it wasn't very clear. Maybe it would come to her in time, though.

Finally, it clicked, where she'd seen it before. She'd once seen a draftee who'd been told he was about to be posted to the front lines. He'd gone so deeply into despair he'd emerged the other side into a hyperactive, drug fuelled bender where he'd briefly seemed almost normal. That story ended with the kid grenade-charging a line of bears. Killed two. Not too bad.

[the_druid_droid]

"Time," said Clarity, not living up to her name, "becomes strange while drunk." She took another drink. "So... congratulations on the execution thing?"

"Thanks," Lavender's voice was small, but sincere, "If it ends up that way, I guess it's better than a lot of other things that could happen to me out here."

She swirled the Sparkle Cola with a hoof, watching bubbles dance up the side and then dissolve back into nothing. "Clarity? Do you want to kill me?"

[Thanqol]

"Thanks," Lavender's voice was small, but sincere, "If it ends up that way, I guess it's better than a lot of other things that could happen to me out here."

She swirled the Sparkle Cola with a hoof, watching bubbles dance up the side and then dissolve back into nothing. "Clarity? Do you want to kill me?"

"Lady, I just carry the superweapon," said Clarity flatly.

[BlasTech]

"In any case," she added and turned to the others, "I worry that Clarity is an innocent victim of the spear's influence. I would hate for her to be a casualty if she doesn't have to be. It may be difficult to ... separate them, but it's worth considering if we can do that. It may even be a help. I said I'd like to see Noise blow up the mountain, but maybe we should keep that as the last step of the plan, or even Plan B. There's also a potentially innocent village to spare destruction."

"All true. Which also makes it imperitive to find out more about whether the settlement up here is even still inhabited, of if it's just become the barracks for the 'converted'. Even if it's empty, it might have some useful items in there." Rose commented.

[Balmas]

"Right," Gabriel said. "Find out about the village, visit the astronomer, keep each other safe, and see what we can do about making sure we get everything of value."

He raised a claw, trying to flag down any passing Lyrabots. "Any good place to bed down for the night? Preferably one with a lock?"

[Thanqol]

"Right," Gabriel said. "Find out about the village, visit the astronomer, keep each other safe, and see what we can do about making sure we get everything of value."

He raised a claw, trying to flag down any passing Lyrabots. "Any good place to bed down for the night? Preferably one with a lock?"

"Oh yes, sir, there are all manner of spare rooms upstairs. We're currently having a manager's special which gives one room, three days, to anypony who buys 10 bits worth of gambling chips!"

"'Free' wasn't an option, this was as low as the robots would go," grunted one of the guards.

[the_druid_droid]

"Lady, I just carry the superweapon," said Clarity flatly.

"Where did you find that thing, anyway? It looks like it should be in a test bunker somewhere..." Lavender eyed the battle-saddle, remembering the HREC colors she'd seen on the spear before.

[Thanqol]

"Where did you find that thing, anyway? It looks like it should be in a test bunker somewhere..." Lavender eyed the battle-saddle, remembering the HREC colors she'd seen on the spear before.

"Volunteered," grunted Clarity.

[the_druid_droid]

"Volunteered," grunted Clarity.

"Volunteered? Like for HREC?" Lavender was giving the pegasus a strange look, her cola slowly being forgotten.

[Thanqol]

"Volunteered? Like for HREC?" Lavender was giving the pegasus a strange look, her cola slowly being forgotten.

"Yeah. Figured I'd come out of it either dead or able to see, either of which would be a step up," she said, taking another long drink. "Look, kid, enough about me. I'm not in the mood."

[Balmas]

Ten bits... one hundred caps. If they did that ten times... No, that wasn't an option. "But as we're guests of Miss Clarity, I'm sure she wouldn't mind hoofing the bill."

[Thanqol]

Ten bits... one hundred caps. If they did that ten times... No, that wasn't an option. "But as we're guests of Miss Clarity, I'm sure she wouldn't mind hoofing the bill."

"There's a room for the sacrifice. Didn't hear nothing about no guests," said the guard.

"If it helps you come to a decision, the gaming chips can be used for not only the fully stocked gambling tables, but exchanged for food, drinks, medicine and, after two weeks stay, you can exchange them for your bits back!" said the Lyrabot chirpily.

[the_druid_droid]

"Yeah. Figured I'd come out of it either dead or able to see, either of which would be a step up," she said, taking another long drink. "Look, kid, enough about me. I'm not in the mood."

"Sorry." Lavender returned to staring into the greenish glass of her soda bottle. "It's just that HREC is kind of the reason I'm... the way I am, so I was just a little surprised."

[Thanqol]

"Sorry." Lavender returned to staring into the greenish glass of her soda bottle. "It's just that HREC is kind of the reason I'm... the way I am, so I was just a little surprised."

"You sound normal to me," said Clarity sarcastically.

[the_druid_droid]

"You sound normal to me," said Clarity sarcastically.

"I'm glad..." Lavender's voice was small and sincere again, and she seemingly didn't mind the sarcasm.

"..I mean, I'm sorry. I know you can't see, but I didn't think I should act like you couldn't figure out what was going on with that spear. To be honest, I do feel a lot more like myself than usual, but if you wait long enough I'm sure I'll even start to sound like her again. That's what bothers me."

[Thanqol]

"I'm glad..." Lavender's voice was small and sincere again, and she seemingly didn't mind the sarcasm.

"..I mean, I'm sorry. I know you can't see, but I didn't think I should act like you couldn't figure out what was going on with that spear. To be honest, I do feel a lot more like myself than usual, but if you wait long enough I'm sure I'll even start to sound like her again. That's what bothers me."

"You lost me, lady. What I get are verbal instructions like, 'Fly forwards 200m', so you could be a diamond dog for all I know." It was quite possible she was just being obstinate.

[the_druid_droid]

"You lost me, lady. What I get are verbal instructions like, 'Fly forwards 200m', so you could be a diamond dog for all I know." It was quite possible she was just being obstinate.

Lavender sighed and took another drink. "Your spear thinks I'm Princess Luna. Almost every pony I've ever met would agree, because I look just like her. Wings, horn, everything. I wasn't born that way, though..."

[Thanqol]

Lavender sighed and took another drink. "Your spear thinks I'm Princess Luna. Almost every pony I've ever met would agree, because I look just like her. Wings, horn, everything. I wasn't born that way, though..."

"Hey, congrats kid. You sound like you won the HREC lotto - princesshood and partial sanity," said Clarity. "What I got was being a set of legs for Cthth... something, destroyer of worlds. I'd swap places, even with the condemned-to-death thing."

[Balmas]

So, they had the option of being absolutely raped for caps, or staying in the village of may-or-may-not-be raiders. Gabe scowled at the Lyrabot, then turned to the guard. "Do they accept caps, or do we need actual bits?"

[Thanqol]

So, they had the option of being absolutely raped for caps, or staying in the village of may-or-may-not-be raiders. Gabe scowled at the Lyrabot, then turned to the guard. "Do they accept caps, or do we need actual bits?"

"Only take bits, and the *yay*ers will dump any caps you give them in the garbage disposal. We can hook you up, though," said the guard.

[Balmas]

"What's your exchange rate, then?" There had to be something wrong with this picture. A town full of apparently normal ponies, who were friendly and helpful? Alarm bells were flashing there.

Oh. Right. Evil mind-rape spear of fiery, agonizing death. That was already a pretty big minus.

"And are there other inns in town?"

[Thanqol]

"What's your exchange rate, then?" There had to be something wrong with this picture. A town full of apparently normal ponies, who were friendly and helpful? Alarm bells were flashing there.

Oh. Right. Evil mind-rape spear of fiery, agonizing death. That was already a pretty big minus.

"And are there other inns in town?"

"One bit, ten caps, either direction," said the crystal pony guard, defying convention by offering a fair deal straight off the bat. "And yeah, they're cheaper but come with less guarantees, you know?"

[BlasTech]

"Well, if there's nothing else, then Trees and I shall depart?" asked Rosemary, quirking an eyebrow at the earth pony.

"See to your charge Gabriel, and good luck."

[Balmas]

"Would have been nice to know that before Highball gypped us out of most of our caps back in town." Gabriel groaned, and flopped back onto his haunches. "Don't be surprised if she comes in later on. No, wait. She'd make a better profit if she traded with chumps like us."

Idly, he popped the clip out of his rifle, examined the tips, and then slammed it home again. "Name's Gabriel, by the way."

[Thanqol]

"Would have been nice to know that before Highball gypped us out of most of our caps back in town." Gabriel groaned, and flopped back onto his haunches. "Don't be surprised if she comes in later on. No, wait. She'd make a better profit if she traded with chumps like us."

Idly, he popped the clip out of his rifle, examined the tips, and then slammed it home again. "Name's Gabriel, by the way."

"Rabbit Chaser," said the crystal guard. Then, with as little irony as he could muster, "Stay out of trouble."

[Tiki Snakes]

"Well, if there's nothing else, then Trees and I shall depart?" asked Rosemary, quirking an eyebrow at the earth pony.

"See to your charge Gabriel, and good luck."

"Uh. Actually...Gimme a second." Trees ventured. "Be right back."

She trotted back the way she came with a slight sense of urgency. Trees sighed in partial relief as she spotted where Lavender was.

"Hey kid." she called out.
"look, I don't know what your story is or what kind of crazy sci-fi nonsense you've been through..." she continued quietly and confidentially. "but you're a good pony and I like you. Don't let the bastards take you away from yourself. I'll see you later, Lavender. You be carefull."

She ran back the way she came without waiting for a reaction.

[Thanqol]

She ran back the way she came without waiting for a reaction.

The way down the mountain and back to Hopeville would be entirely unobstructed. It was their call if they wanted to take the ski lift or not, though there didn't seem to be any ready-made skis lying around.

[Deadly]

"I vote that we take our chances in the village instead," Blue said to Gabe as she came out of a brief moment of apparent contemplation. She didn't seem to like staying in the casino, eying it like it might decide to come to life and swallow them. "Anyway, if they're leaving, what's our plan of action here?"

[the_druid_droid]

"Hey, congrats kid. You sound like you won the HREC lotto - princesshood and partial sanity," said Clarity. "What I got was being a set of legs for Cthth... something, destroyer of worlds. I'd swap places, even with the condemned-to-death thing."

Lavender snorted. "Except I'm not a real Princess. The only ponies that would bow to me are the ones HREC orders to, and even they think I'm a freak."

She tapped a metal-shod hoof on the bar top and stared at the wood grain. "Besides, I lost the only thing that mattered so long ago I can barely remember it..."


"Uh. Actually...Gimme a second." Trees ventured. "Be right back."

She trotted back the way she came with a slight sense of urgency. Trees sighed in partial relief as she spotted where Lavender was.

"Hey kid." she called out.
"look, I don't know what your story is or what kind of crazy sci-fi nonsense you've been through..." she continued quietly and confidentially. "but you're a good pony and I like you. Don't let the bastards take you away from yourself. I'll see you later, Lavender. You be carefull."

She ran back the way she came without waiting for a reaction.

Lavender started at Trees' voice, and when she swiveled around on her stool her face was somewhere between a blush and tears, although there was no longer any pony there to see it.

[Tiki Snakes]

"So, Rosemary." Trees said breathlessly. "Ski-lifts and metal fatigue again or shall we take the fun way down? Can't see any Ski-things around, but I could probably use some of this stuff to whip up a two seater Toboggan or something."

"I don't have nearly enough kit to put together a proper screerunner, but given we're dealing with snow rather than the razor-sharp shards of rock in the long-down cavern, that'd probably be overkill anyway.""

[BlasTech]

"Ah, the lifts will be fine I think." replied Rosemary, rather uncertain if leaping off a mountain was the most rational course of action at this point.

[Tiki Snakes]

"Aw, come on. How often do you get the chance to go skiing?" Trees pointed out, helpfully. "I'm guessing not very."

[BlasTech]

"Cross country, perhaps a little more often than you'd think." she answered, truthfully. "Down country ... not so much."

"I don't suppose I can convince you to start on a smaller hillside?"

[Thanqol]

Lavender snorted. "Except I'm not a real Princess. The only ponies that would bow to me are the ones HREC orders to, and even they think I'm a freak."

She tapped a metal-shod hoof on the bar top and stared at the wood grain. "Besides, I lost the only thing that mattered so long ago I can barely remember it..."

"Ain't that the truth," muttered Clarity darkly, taking another drink.


"So, Rosemary." Trees said breathlessly. "Ski-lifts and metal fatigue again or shall we take the fun way down? Can't see any Ski-things around, but I could probably use some of this stuff to whip up a two seater Toboggan or something."

"I don't have nearly enough kit to put together a proper screerunner, but given we're dealing with snow rather than the razor-sharp shards of rock in the long-down cavern, that'd probably be overkill anyway.""

There was certainly enough material lying around to create something like that.

[Balmas]

"I vote that we take our chances in the village instead," Blue said to Gabe as she came out of a brief moment of apparent contemplation. She didn't seem to like staying in the casino, eying it like it might decide to come to life and swallow them. "Anyway, if they're leaving, what's our plan of action here?"

"Simple," said the griffon. "We wait for the princess to do whatever she's doing, and then glide down to the town, see what kind of information we can drum up."

[Tiki Snakes]

"Cross country, perhaps a little more often than you'd think." she answered, truthfully. "Down country ... not so much."

"I don't suppose I can convince you to start on a smaller hillside?"

"I'm not going to push the idea, it doesn't really matter." Trees shrugged "If you aren't interested we can risk the slow ride on the lifts again."

"I was just thinking two things..." she explained. "Firstly, that next time we leave here we could be running from heavily armed guard ponies while the casino explodes, so it might be an idea to try it now when we don't have the extra pressure and no real risks."

"But mostly, I wondered if you'd like to do something fun before things... Get serious."

She sighed, looking up at the Ski-lifts.
"Its your choice, Rosemary."

[BlasTech]

Rosemary rolled her eyes. It was like being guilt tripped by a younger sibling.

"Just go build your sled."

[Tiki Snakes]

"Hey, no rolling your eyes. This is your choice, Rosemary Unicorn." Trees responded a little indignantly. "But if you really are interested, I'd better hop to it."

She paused, a little unsure of how to read Rose's response.
Then she set to, building a simple, light weight sledge for two.
No time to get fancy or add propulsion. Just keep it smooth and light, Trees. It's not a scree-runner, so it probably doesn't need an armoured keel and or a flexi-glass capsule for the pilot... Just a light weight, low friction carcass and enough room to fit two ponies.

She would settle for a flat-bottomed design if materials were limited, or a couple of simple runners if there was enough around to make that easy and quickly, but she didn't really enjoy working through Rosemary's impatient stare, so she wasn't going to complicate the design if she could help it.

[Deadly]

"Simple," said the griffon. "We wait for the princess to do whatever she's doing, and then glide down to the town, see what kind of information we can drum up."

Blue glanced back in the direction of the princess. "To be honest? I don't expect her to leave tonight, and possibly not until very late tomorrow with a headache. We might as well spend that time on something productive. The other two are already off to work, and frankly I want to be prepared for whatever madness the earth pony is going to bring back with her."

[BlasTech]

She would settle for a flat-bottomed design if materials were limited, or a couple of simple runners if there was enough around to make that easy and quickly, but she didn't really enjoy working through Rosemary's impatient stare, so she wasn't going to complicate the design if she could help it.

Rose found herself a perch near a window, dividing her time between looking out at the white expanse beyond the mountainside, and watching curiously as Trees went about creating her contraption.

[Balmas]

Gabe considered the two ponies at the bar, and the rapidly growing pile of bottles. "That's true," he muttered. "And this place is likely safer than the village, for all that it's run by a murderous Goddess from beyond the dawn of time."

What's more, he'd already let one of his charges get away from him. What was one more? "Just so you know," he said pleasantly, addressing the guard, "if the princess is hurt while we're gone, I'll make sure that not a stone of this place is left standing."

Without waiting for a response, he turned to the throne room. "Hoi! Princess!" he called. "We're going to town; don't die, 'kay?"

[Thanqol]

Gabe considered the two ponies at the bar, and the rapidly growing pile of bottles. "That's true," he muttered. "And this place is likely safer than the village, for all that it's run by a murderous Goddess from beyond the dawn of time."

What's more, he'd already let one of his charges get away from him. What was one more? "Just so you know," he said pleasantly, addressing the guard, "if the princess is hurt while we're gone, I'll make sure that not a stone of this place is left standing."

Rabbit Chaser opted not to respond, giving him the immovable crystal guard stare.

[the_druid_droid]

"Ain't that the truth," muttered Clarity darkly, taking another drink.

"Wanna know something funny?" Lavender had set her head down on the bar but suddenly straightened up and laughed harshly, "I'm not even a real pony, yet. I mean, I'm not a foal anymore - though I guess I don't know how old I really am - but I don't even have my own cutie mark! The thing on my butt is basically a tattoo! Which I guess means my special talent is looking like somepony who died a hundred years ago... Isn't that great?"

Bitterness had started to creep into Lavender's voice, and she glared out the window toward what she imagined was the Crystal City.

[Thanqol]

"Wanna know something funny?" Lavender had set her head down on the bar but suddenly straightened up and laughed harshly, "I'm not even a real pony, yet. I mean, I'm not a foal anymore - though I guess I don't know how old I really am - but I don't even have my own cutie mark! The thing on my butt is basically a tattoo! Which I guess means my special talent is looking like somepony who died a hundred years ago... Isn't that great?"

Bitterness had started to creep into Lavender's voice, and she glared out the window toward what she imagined was the Crystal City.

"Cool. My special talent is looking at things," said Clarity, relentlessly persistent that she had the worse end of this particular deal.

[the_druid_droid]

"Cool. My special talent is looking at things," said Clarity, relentlessly persistent that she had the worse end of this particular deal.

Lavender stopped her glaring long enough to look over at Clarity's milky eyes. "Does that mean you weren't always blind? Or am I missing something?"

[Thanqol]

Lavender stopped her glaring long enough to look over at Clarity's milky eyes. "Does that mean you weren't always blind? Or am I missing something?"

"I caught a bullet," said Clarity, "with my face. HREC healed my eyes but they couldn't do anything about the brain damage. So here we are," she said, taking another drink. "Who-the-*yay*-knows where, doing who-the-*yay*-knows what."

[Deadly]

Gabe considered the two ponies at the bar, and the rapidly growing pile of bottles. "That's true," he muttered. "And this place is likely safer than the village, for all that it's run by a murderous Goddess from beyond the dawn of time."

What's more, he'd already let one of his charges get away from him. What was one more? "Just so you know," he said pleasantly, addressing the guard, "if the princess is hurt while we're gone, I'll make sure that not a stone of this place is left standing."

Without waiting for a response, he turned to the throne room. "Hoi! Princess!" he called. "We're going to town; don't die, 'kay?"

Blue waved briefly at the princess before turning to leave. "Alright, so what should be our first stop?" she said quietly, as if expecting to be overheard. "Perhaps we should have a talk with Mr. Weird," she added as a suggestion after a pause for thought.

[Balmas]

Gabe paused in the middle of pushing open one ornate glass door. "Not sure what you'd expect from him. Remember, this is the pony who thinks we're figments of his imagination."

He sighed, and considered the town below them, sitting like a pristine model in a brushed-snow diorama. "Still, if there's one thing we're lacking, it's guns and the ponies to wield them. If we can convince the--eugh--raiders to work with us, then we'll have both more bullets aimed their way, and more targets for the destructo-beam to shoot before working its way to us. Let's talk to Mr. Weird, then Mr. Big, and then the merchants in town."

As he made to lift off, he couldn't help looking behind him, half expecting the odd unicorn to be right there.

[Thanqol]

As he made to lift off, he couldn't help looking behind him, half expecting the odd unicorn to be right there.

There was somepony else there. Somepony in a clown costume with a hang-glider, jumping off the mountain just as they started to fly down.


Blue waved briefly at the princess before turning to leave. "Alright, so what should be our first stop?" she said quietly, as if expecting to be overheard. "Perhaps we should have a talk with Mr. Weird," she added as a suggestion after a pause for thought.

"Evening," said the clown in the hang-glider, drifting down alongside them.

It wasn't a clown costume. It was clown battle-armour. Painted in bright and garish colours. The face was a mask, but there were living eyes underneath.

An orange circle marked his flank, with black balloons.

"Shall we fly and talk?" said the clown reasonably, unable to arrest his forwards momentum.

[BlasTech]

At what point. Rosemary wondered. Did this become a good idea?

The two of them were sitting on the edge of a long, white, path down the mountainside - teetering on the precipice of movement while strapped into ... into ... something. Despite a rather prodigeous vocabulary, Rosemary was struggling to find a word to describe the mish-mash of iron and steel that Trees had put together.

A monstrosity?

No, that wasn't quite right. It was certainly lacking in some aesthetics, but it had its own artistic flair - despite, or perhaps because of, its simplicity of design. A cushion would have been a nice addition though.

A kludge?

Definition; noun. A system or workaround that was made from poorly-fitting parts. Difficult to maintain, yet an effective solution.

That didn't fit either. Yes, the sled had been made from poorly fitting parts, and she was pretty sure that she could feel the remains of a road-sign poking her in the flank, but the idea that it would be difficult to maintain didn't quite fit either. Not to mention that it was still an open question as to whether it would be an 'effective solution' to their current problem.

What is our problem anyway? A thrill deficiency? Unlikely, given the firefight yesterday. Tired of life? Possibly. A distinct lack of self-presevation?

... Definitely, most definitely.

She finished, as the two of them tipped forward and began to slide.

[Tiki Snakes]

It was beautiful, Trees decided. Well, it was pretty rough around the edges admittedly, but it was light weight, it was stable and it's smooth underbelly was held off the ground by a pair of long, sleek runners which curved up to meet the sled's own curved front. The sled might not have a pretty paint-job or top of the line upholstery, but the lines were just so crisp and sharp and pure.

She sat on it and took her end of the simple rope reigns in her mouth, motioning to Rose that she should probably do the same. There was every chance they'd have to turn at some point, after all.

The mountain slope curved away beneath them. Trees focused momentarily on the warmth coming from Rosemary's body sat right next to her, a vivid living contrast to the frosty white snow all around them. The air was crisp with suspense.

This thing is going to go go like a damn bullet. She thought, thrilling at the impending speed.

Trees leaned forward ever so slightly, toppling the perfectly balanced little metal sledge's center of gravity past the point of no return. Almost gently, it began to slide...

[BlasTech]

"ROCK!!"

"CLIFF!!"

"TREES!!"

"YES??"

"NOT TREES, TREES!!!"

The sound of the two ponies and their screams echoed down the mountainside, propagating only slightly faster than the sled itself.

"BRAKES!!"

"BRAKES??"

"YES!! ... You did put brakes on this didn't you?"

"NOPE!"

"Oh GreaAAaaAAAA---"

[the_druid_droid]

"I caught a bullet," said Clarity, "with my face. HREC healed my eyes but they couldn't do anything about the brain damage. So here we are," she said, taking another drink. "Who-the-*yay*-knows where, doing who-the-*yay*-knows what."

"How long ago was that?" Luna asked quietly.

[Thanqol]

"How long ago was that?" Luna asked quietly.

"Dunno. Too long. Don't exactly have a calendar," muttered Clarity.

[Tiki Snakes]

"ROCK!!"

"CLIFF!!"

"TREES!!"

"YES??"

"NOT TREES, TREES!!!"

The sound of the two ponies and their screams echoed down the mountainside, propagating only slightly faster than the sled itself.

"BRAKES!!"

"BRAKES??"

"YES!! ... You did put brakes on this didn't you?"

"NOPE!"

"Oh GreaAAaaAAAA---"

"NO WHEELS MEANS NO BRAKES." Trees shouted.
"YOU'D NEED SOME KIND OF LAND-ANCHOR!"

The sled hit a ridge, concealed in the snow. It left the ground trailing a cloud of powdery white snow, hanging in the air for seconds before the ground slunk back up to catch it. It barely jolted as it landed, no momentum lost as it breezed across the surface of the sand with a whisper. Trees grinned around a mouth full of rope.

The town slowly pulled into view.

[Deadly]

There was somepony else there. Somepony in a clown costume with a hang-glider, jumping off the mountain just as they started to fly down.



"Evening," said the clown in the hang-glider, drifting down alongside them.

It wasn't a clown costume. It was clown battle-armour. Painted in bright and garish colours. The face was a mask, but there were living eyes underneath.

An orange circle marked his flank, with black balloons.

"Shall we fly and talk?" said the clown reasonably, unable to arrest his forwards momentum.

Blue looked around at the ... clown, and adjusted her speed to glide comfortably along with him. "Sure," she said and looked back ahead at the landscape before them, resigning herself to the conversation. And just because she couldn't help herself she added, "Are we talking to the same Mr. Weird that we met back in the village, and if not, are you the good or the evil twin?"

[Thanqol]

Blue looked around at the ... clown, and adjusted her speed to glide comfortably along with him. "Sure," she said and looked back ahead at the landscape before them, resigning herself to the conversation. And just because she couldn't help herself she added, "Are we talking to the same Mr. Weird that we met back in the village, and if not, are you the good or the evil twin?"

"No, actually. I'm from HREC's Editing and Pacing Department. My role in the story is to establish that HREC is vaguely malicious and will ask immoral things of it's employees," said the clown. "I myself am actually a threatening, antagonistic force who needs to be set up early to have the requisite dramatic impact later, but I am powerful enough that you will not actually fight me until levels fourteen to sixteen, whereupon we shall have one of the most epic, reality-bending conflicts of all time. In the meantime I shall act as a potential patron and ally, testing the limits of your morality in exchange for valuable assistance with intractable problems while providing metatextual references and occasional comic relief."

He honked a goofy-sounding horn attached to the front of his body.

"All that aside, what I want is for you to kill Mister Weird. If you do that then I'll help you with the Dayspear. My name is Railroading, nice to meet you."

[BlasTech]

"Woah! Watch it!"

"Sorry!"

*CLANG*

"OY!"

"Look out for that car- *CRUNCH* -- nevermind!!"

After a few minutes of deliberation, mostly involving Rosemary screaming at Trees, the two ponies had reached the agreement that neither of them would be volunteering for the role of the land-anchor and that, besides, they didn't have any rope to make one with.

Consequently, the two of them had barrled into the town of Hope at full speed, ricocheting off the buildings and skidding across the pathways like a monster-sized, demonic hockey puck from Tartarus.

The two of them blazed a trail of discombobulated ponies, tipped storefronts and irate shopkeepers, who were more than willing to send epithets and, occasionally, bullets in their wake.

Their momentum barely spent, the two of them bounced their way across the town square and towards the other side of the settlement.

[Tiki Snakes]

"Think fast, Rose!" Trees prompted. "If we stay put, we should just make it to the slopes on the other edge of Hopeville. That means more speed and less walking."

"Or we can dig our hooves in and stop it in town, hoof it the rest of the way."

[BlasTech]

Rose gripped more tightly to Trees, her eyes narrowing at the pony's ultimatum. The sled was slowing, and could come to a halt any moment now.

Unacceptable.

*Thwoom!*

Rosemary's horn glowed with its pale green light, the burst of telekinesis enough to send the sled rocketing back out the plaza and onto the next stretch downhill.

[the_druid_droid]

"Dunno. Too long. Don't exactly have a calendar," muttered Clarity.

"Yeah, I guess I know how that goes. The last time I was... awake, for lack of a better word, I was still in my room at HREC. Then *wham* in some cave full of strangers." Lavender gave a forced little chuckle.

[Balmas]

"No, actually. I'm from HREC's Editing and Pacing Department. My role in the story is to establish that HREC is vaguely malicious and will ask immoral things of it's employees," said the clown. "I myself am actually a threatening, antagonistic force who needs to be set up early to have the requisite dramatic impact later, but I am powerful enough that you will not actually fight me until levels fourteen to sixteen, whereupon we shall have one of the most epic, reality-bending conflicts of all time. In the meantime I shall act as a potential patron and ally, testing the limits of your morality in exchange for valuable assistance with intractable problems while providing metatextual references and occasional comic relief."

He honked a goofy-sounding horn attached to the front of his body.

"All that aside, what I want is for you to kill Mister Weird. If you do that then I'll help you with the Dayspear. My name is Railroading, nice to meet you."

If there was a market for masks of confusion, Gabe's face would have sold millions. "Who the... What are you... Levels?!" Who the *yay* was this?

"Let's ignore that you're more full of it than a latrine on Chili day; why exactly do you want Weird dead? And what could you do?"

[Thanqol]

"Yeah, I guess I know how that goes. The last time I was... awake, for lack of a better word, I was still in my room at HREC. Then *wham* in some cave full of strangers." Lavender gave a forced little chuckle.

"Huh, weird. What happened then?" slurred Clarity.


If there was a market for masks of confusion, Gabe's face would have sold millions. "Who the... What are you... Levels?!" Who the *yay* was this?

"Let's ignore that you're more full of it than a latrine on Chili day; why exactly do you want Weird dead? And what could you do?"

"Copyright infringement," said Railroading. "He's too random. The ability loses it's potency the more ponies have it. As to what I could do - how does an Anti-Materiel rifle sound, with the full design notes on the Dayspear's construction as a sweetener?"

[the_druid_droid]

"Huh, weird. What happened then?" slurred Clarity.

"Well, I was scared at first, since strange ponies are dangerous. And then I was really scared because some of them had HREC symbols on, and... well, HREC doesn't like me very much. Officially, I'm a side-effect." Lavender got quiet for a second, but then shook herself and pressed on. "Then things got kinda weird - one of those ponies dashed over and kissed another one all of a sudden, and then ran outside, which really wasn't what I was expecting. It was just so different from something the doctors would do... It struck me as really funny, and after that I decided to introduce myself so we wouldn't be strangers anymore because they all seemed nice. Then we ran into Mr. Weird and wound up here."

Lavender thought for a minute, before adding in a stage-whisper. "You know, I didn't realize it back then, but now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure both of those ponies were girls..."

The alicorn's eyes - and perhaps more importantly, her tone - were currently those of a filly standing awestruck before a completely new paradigm.

[Thanqol]

"Ponies will make out with whomever and whatever the damn hell they want, and nothing is going to stop them," said Clarity. "I understand there's not an insignificant population of part-dragon, part-griffon and part-bear ponies out there,"

[the_druid_droid]

"I understand there's not an insignificant population of part-dragon, part-griffon and part-bear ponies out there,"

That took a moment to sink in, but when it did, Lavender's eyes got big as dinner plates. After another moment, a deep blush spread over her face and burned so hot that she felt that even Clarity must be able to see it. Then Lavender let out a little squeak, before devoting a tremendous amount of attention to finishing her soda.

[Thanqol]

"Heh," that got an almost-smile from Clarity. "You're all right, kid."

[Deadly]

"No, actually. I'm from HREC's Editing and Pacing Department. My role in the story is to establish that HREC is vaguely malicious and will ask immoral things of it's employees," said the clown. "I myself am actually a threatening, antagonistic force who needs to be set up early to have the requisite dramatic impact later, but I am powerful enough that you will not actually fight me until levels fourteen to sixteen, whereupon we shall have one of the most epic, reality-bending conflicts of all time. In the meantime I shall act as a potential patron and ally, testing the limits of your morality in exchange for valuable assistance with intractable problems while providing metatextual references and occasional comic relief."

He honked a goofy-sounding horn attached to the front of his body.

"All that aside, what I want is for you to kill Mister Weird. If you do that then I'll help you with the Dayspear. My name is Railroading, nice to meet you."

"Right, right. Evil twin it is, then." Blue sighed deeply and heavily.


"Copyright infringement," said Railroading. "He's too random. The ability loses it's potency the more ponies have it. As to what I could do - how does an Anti-Materiel rifle sound, with the full design notes on the Dayspear's construction as a sweetener?"

"You want us to kill him because he's competition. Right. You've got your shtick, you like being the weird kid, but he's doing it too and you can't imagine playing nice and being the weird duo. So you offer us help and some material good, in exchange for murdering someone who, for all we know, hasn't done anything wrong and might offer us the same deal. Wouldn't be surprising."

I'm dealing with little kids here, Blue thought and stared ahead. She wondered what Railroading would say to suddenly riding a one-winged glider. She pushed the anger aside for now. She felt like trying something else, it was probably crazy, but so was this whole conversation. "Why not just help us? And we'll convince Mister Weird to help us too, and then you could be a dynamic and heroic duo. Double the fun. What say you?" she looked at the clown and smiled.

[Thanqol]

"Right, right. Evil twin it is, then." Blue sighed deeply and heavily.

"You want us to kill him because he's competition. Right. You've got your shtick, you like being the weird kid, but he's doing it too and you can't imagine playing nice and being the weird duo. So you offer us help and some material good, in exchange for murdering someone who, for all we know, hasn't done anything wrong and might offer us the same deal. Wouldn't be surprising."

"More or less, yes," said Railroading.


I'm dealing with little kids here, Blue thought and stared ahead. She wondered what Railroading would say to suddenly riding a one-winged glider. She pushed the anger aside for now. She felt like trying something else, it was probably crazy, but so was this whole conversation. "Why not just help us? And we'll convince Mister Weird to help us too, and then you could be a dynamic and heroic duo. Double the fun. What say you?" she looked at the clown and smiled.

"I didn't go through the bother of setting up this elaborately contrived scenario to help you out of it without creating the requisite narrative tension and character development," said Railroading, giving Blue a disgusted look.

[Deadly]

"I didn't go through the bother of setting up this elaborately contrived scenario to help you out of it without creating the requisite narrative tension and character development," said Railroading, giving Blue a disgusted look.

Blue's smile turned to a look of sympathy. "It must have been a lot of work, but what is it all for? I can see that under that happy mask and all the paint, you must feel like a very lonely pony, desperate for somepony to notice you and take you seriously. But you don't have to do it this way. You don't have to be our enemy."

[Thanqol]

Blue's smile turned to a look of sympathy. "It must have been a lot of work, but what is it all for? I can see that under that happy mask and all the paint, you must feel like a very lonely pony, desperate for somepony to notice you and take you seriously. But you don't have to do it this way. You don't have to be our enemy."

"I'm not your enemy. I'm King Sombra's enemy, and you are the tools through which I shall slay him," said Railroading. "Steps must be taken to ensure you are appropriately developed for the role, which will most likely culminate with my death as a display of your newfound independence and control. But in the meantime I have given you an offer and a job, and all that is left is to see if you take it."

He honked his horn twice more.

[Balmas]

"An anti-material rifle and a doom ray won't do much good without bullets and an ancient sun-goddess to fit in them," Gabriel stalled. It was a good offer, more than he usually charged for what ought to be a simple job. Something was wrong with this. "But it's a good thing to know; I'm sure that Mr. Weird would love to make a counteroffer."

[Thanqol]

"An anti-material rifle and a doom ray won't do much good without bullets and an ancient sun-goddess to fit in them," Gabriel stalled. It was a good offer, more than he usually charged for what ought to be a simple job. Something was wrong with this. "But it's a good thing to know; I'm sure that Mr. Weird would love to make a counteroffer."

[Barter 8] "Maybe he won't, and will become alert to the chance that you might kill him," said Railroading. "One thing, though - you don't have to kill him yourself, so long as he dies I'll be content. Good day."

The glider fired a jetpack, and Railroading flew directly up into the sky. Then he exploded, like a frag grenade had gone off. Confetti and streamers rained down everywhere, and there was no trace of the clown pony.

[the_druid_droid]

"Heh," that got an almost-smile from Clarity. "You're all right, kid."

"Mmmm." Lavender managed a high-pitched noise of acknowledgement, but continued to blush.

Once she'd finished the last drop of Sparkle-Cola and had a chance to collect her thoughts while verifying that it was indeed the only remaining straggler, she appended, "You're alright too, Miss Clarity."

[Deadly]

"I'm not your enemy. I'm King Sombra's enemy, and you are the tools through which I shall slay him," said Railroading. "Steps must be taken to ensure you are appropriately developed for the role, which will most likely culminate with my death as a display of your newfound independence and control. But in the meantime I have given you an offer and a job, and all that is left is to see if you take it."

He honked his horn twice more.

"All that just so you can die and be of no further use to the world, or against Sombra, or anyone like him ever again?" Blue was struggling to maintain her sympathetic face. "Think of how much more you could do by staying alive and working together!"


[Barter 8] "Maybe he won't, and will become alert to the chance that you might kill him," said Railroading. "One thing, though - you don't have to kill him yourself, so long as he dies I'll be content. Good day."

The glider fired a jetpack, and Railroading flew directly up into the sky. Then he exploded, like a frag grenade had gone off. Confetti and streamers rained down everywhere, and there was no trace of the clown pony.

And then he blew off into the sky before she could finish or continue. The last remnants of Blue's smile and sympathy withered away, and she looked several years older ... and several lemons more sour. "What the bloody *yay* is it with this mountain and ponies happily giving up their life and potential for nothing?! Well *yay* that, and *yay* him. Let's go talk to Mister Weird and never mention that guy. Maybe he'll come to his senses if we ignore him."

[Balmas]

"Agreed," murmured the griffon. "I don't suppose we're lucky enough that he actually did blow himself up?"

[BlasTech]

Hmm ... I'm sure that somewhere along the line, this seemed like a good idea.

Rosemary's thoughts swirled around her head in a vortex of mathamatical and scientific formulae. She clung to them, to those bits and pieces of theoretical knowledge, mostly because it helped distract her from the actual reality of just how badly her body hurt right now.

It was also kind of cold.

Wriggling her rear legs, Rose braced them against the snowbank and pushed. It took her a few moments of effort, and some rather unladylike grunting, before she managed to pull her head free from the place where it had become wedged after her all too brief attempt at flying.

She would have felt worse about her failure at that if it had been a voluntary attempt.

Shaking the remainder of the snow from her mane and ears, Rose looked around, trying to spot where Trees had ended up.

[Tiki Snakes]

It wasn't immediately obvious where Trees had ended up. No flash of blue, no visible corner of stripey yellow cloak.

There was a soft, muffled noise coming from the sled however. It was half buried, upside down and back to front, and a faint, snow muffled squeek was coming from somewhere beneath it.

[Deadly]

"Agreed," murmured the griffon. "I don't suppose we're lucky enough that he actually did blow himself up?"

"As a probability between zero and one?" Blue shook her head. "Negative."

She turned a bit and soared gently down towards the village.

[BlasTech]

It wasn't immediately obvious where Trees had ended up. No flash of blue, no visible corner of stripey yellow cloak.

There was a soft, muffled noise coming from the sled however. It was half buried, upside down and back to front, and a faint, snow muffled squeek was coming from somewhere beneath it.

Still shaking bits of snow out of her mane, Rosemary trotted through the drifts towards where the sled had landed.

Hearing the noise, the green of her magic soon enveloped the sled, lifting it up and away from the drift.

[Tiki Snakes]

Trees came up with the sled, jaws locked on the reigns in a death-grip. She dangled from it for a moment, blinking, then fell back into the compacted pony and sled shaped hole in the ground.

She shook her head groggily.

"What?" She ventured. "Did something..."

Trees thought hard for a moment, the fog slowly clearing.
"Hit us from behind?" The Earth Pony paused, and blinked again. "Like, boom?"

[Balmas]

Gabriel touched down lightly in the town market, and pulled aside a passing pony. "Do you know where we can find Mr. Weird this time of day?"

[the_druid_droid]

After thinking for a moment, Lavender ventured again. "Since I guess I'm stuck here for a while, what is there for a pony to do around here when she's too young to drink or gamble? At least, I think I'm still too young."

[Thanqol]

Team Calvin and Hobbes had arrived in the middle of nowhere, in the snow-covered mountains. It's possible the Commander was around but she wasn't visible right now.


"As a probability between zero and one?" Blue shook her head. "Negative."

She turned a bit and soared gently down towards the village.


Gabriel touched down lightly in the town market, and pulled aside a passing pony. "Do you know where we can find Mr. Weird this time of day?"

The pony turned around, and - of course - it was Mister Weird. "Closer than you'd expect," said the unicorn pony.


After thinking for a moment, Lavender ventured again. "Since I guess I'm stuck here for a while, what is there for a pony to do around here when she's too young to drink or gamble? At least, I think I'm still too young."

"Too young? I don't know where you're from but out here we don't have age minimums. Here," Clarity tossed Lavender 20 bits worth of casino chips, "knock yourself out, kid."

[BlasTech]

Trees came up with the sled, jaws locked on the reigns in a death-grip. She dangled from it for a moment, blinking, then fell back into the compacted pony and sled shaped hole in the ground.

She shook her head groggily.

"What?" She ventured. "Did something..."

Trees thought hard for a moment, the fog slowly clearing.
"Hit us from behind?" The Earth Pony paused, and blinked again. "Like, boom?"

"Hmm? Not that I noticed." replied Rosemary. "I think it was the last snowdrift that did us in the end ..."

"Unless you're referring to the speed boost back in town." she replied, sheilding her eyes as she stared back up at the township way above them. "If so, then yes, I suppose that might qualify as something hitting us from behind."

"Regardless, it seems we're on our own for a bit." she continued, casting a glance around for any signs of White Noise. "A good thing, I was hoping to talk to you a bit before we met them anyway."

[Tiki Snakes]

"Hold that thought." Trees interrupted. "I want to push on to last night's cave first. We're still close enough to town that I don't expect to see White Noise drop out of the sky just yet."

She got up, climbed out of the indentation and took a quick glance at her pipbuck to confirm directions, before heading off in the direction of the waypoint.

Not long now. The cave should be pretty close. Trees thought to herself. She didn't look back to see what Rosemary would do with the Sled.

[BlasTech]

Bowing her head in acquiescance, Rose levitated the sled onto her back as the two of them went off hunting for the cave. It probably could have been left behind, but it just seemed like a bit of a waste, not to mention littering.

[the_druid_droid]

"Too young? I don't know where you're from but out here we don't have age minimums. Here," Clarity tossed Lavender 20 bits worth of casino chips, "knock yourself out, kid."

Lavender flushed a little at that, though not nearly so much as earlier, and mumbled something about "a conservative Stable". Then she examined the chips, scooping them into a pile with a hoof.

They were pretty, she decided, with pastel spokes of color radiating out from an elegant looking logo stamped into the center of each chip. To tell the truth, she was only vaguely aware of how they were used, but she did appreciate the sentiment. "Thanks. I was meaning to take a look around anyway; this apocalypse-proof casino is really surprisingly pretty, even if it's a little crazy that it exists at all."

Once again, Lavender surveyed the throne room, marveling again at the luxury around her. She wondered briefly what pre-war ponies would have had to pay to get inside a place like this.

[Balmas]

The pony turned around, and - of course - it was Mister Weird. "Closer than you'd expect," said the unicorn pony.

Did... Gabe gawked at the unicorn. He could have sworn that two seconds ago, the pony had been a different color, ten years older, and female. "I... screw it. We need to talk to you about Clarity."

[Thanqol]

Rosemary and Trees found the cave with no drama. This close to Hopeville the waste was pretty quiet.


Lavender flushed a little at that, though not nearly so much as earlier, and mumbled something about "a conservative Stable". Then she examined the chips, scooping them into a pile with a hoof.

They were pretty, she decided, with pastel spokes of color radiating out from an elegant looking logo stamped into the center of each chip. To tell the truth, she was only vaguely aware of how they were used, but she did appreciate the sentiment. "Thanks. I was meaning to take a look around anyway; this apocalypse-proof casino is really surprisingly pretty, even if it's a little crazy that it exists at all."

"Mmh. Wouldn't know," grumbled Clarity. "Beer is good," she added vaguely.


Did... Gabe gawked at the unicorn. He could have sworn that two seconds ago, the pony had been a different color, ten years older, and female. "I... screw it. We need to talk to you about Clarity."

"And what have I found out?" said Mister Weird keenly.

[Balmas]

"Let's see," Gabriel smirked, "where to start? First, I guess that spear-you wants Luna-you dead. I-you wants to keep that from happening. Meanwhile, a completely different you is offering to pay you to kill you. You want to know what you'll do to stop you."

[Thanqol]

"Let's see," Gabriel smirked, "where to start? First, I guess that spear-you wants Luna-you dead. I-you wants to keep that from happening. Meanwhile, a completely different you is offering to pay you to kill you. You want to know what you'll do to stop you."

"It's remarkably how organised my thoughts are getting these days," said Mister Weird. "But I see no reason to intervene in the Dayspear verses Luna conflict. That'll sort itself out without my help. What I don't understand is why I'd want to kill me. I'm a great guy!"

[Tiki Snakes]

The cave loomed in front of them, a dark shelter in the white. Trees trotted in ahead of Rosemary and the Sled. She stopped just inside the entrance and unhooked her bundle of crafting-salvage which fell to the floor with a slightly muffled clatter.

"Alright, Rosemary." Trees didn't turn round. "What would you like to talk about?"

Trees asked evenly, watching the partially silhouetted Unicorn via her reflection on the inside of her shades.

[Deadly]

Blue gave Gabe a look that said, "I thought we agreed not to mention that part."


"It's remarkably how organised my thoughts are getting these days," said Mister Weird. "But I see no reason to intervene in the Dayspear verses Luna conflict. That'll sort itself out without my help. What I don't understand is why I'd want to kill me. I'm a great guy!"

"For your heart, maybe? You are already killing yourself up there, are you not?" This is absurd, Blue thought. But it just might strike a crazy chord.

[BlasTech]

"Alright, Rosemary." Trees didn't turn round. "What would you like to talk about?"

Trees asked evenly, watching the partially silhouetted Unicorn via her reflection on the inside of her shades.

"Well, obviously, the impending discussion with Miss White Noise." Replied Rosemary, electing not to beat around the bush.

"Put simply, I'm hoping to either convince, coerce or manipulate your interactions with her so that the outcome aligns with my goals." she finished, giving the earth pony a smile.

"But, that said, I'm happy to let you go first. I must confess, I'm at a bit of a loss as to why you insisted on coming back to this specific cave."

[Tiki Snakes]

"The cave doesn't matter." Trees shrugged. "I've just got a waypoint set here from this morning."

"My business can wait another minute or two. You have something you'd like to discuss about White Noise or you want to clue me in on your goals here or something, let's hear it."

[BlasTech]

"Right, well part of the issue I think is going to involve a history lesson. But I'll start at the end first and the explain the reasoning later; I believe that would be the more acceptable approach to you?" She finished, pausing to see if Trees would add anything.

"Anyway, put simply; I don't trust Miss White Noise, or the organisation she represents. I think it would be a terrible idea to inform them of the nature of the Dayspear, and that, if we aren't careful in how we approach this request for aid, this coming meeting could have disasterous implications for everypony out here. Yourself and myself included, although I admit I may be the one who has more to lose here."

"Essentially, that's the thrust of my concerns. I'd like to discuss some way of requesting aid from White Noise, while telling her the least amount of specifics about what we've found."

"I think, to tell you any more, requires that I start at the beginning; discussing history of the Crystal Empire and the Grand Pegasus Enclave." she finished, before tapping her hooves together awkwardly. It was a rare occasion that she actually got to lecture someone on her favourite topics.

[Tiki Snakes]

Trees didn't butt in or even turn around. She simply waited, letting the silence stretch until Rosemary continued on what was clearly likely to be an extended discourse.

[BlasTech]

"Right." Rose continued, when it was obvious that nothing was forthcoming from the other mare.

"Well, I'll start with the Crystal Empire. The Empire, my home, is all that's left of a pre-war city which managed to survive the bombardment nearly intact. That survival was thanks to the actions of its leader; the then-Prince Shining Armour." she began, her posture and pose suggesting she was going to go on for a while.

"His magic specialty was shield spells, of which he was a true master, and was able to use this ability of his to protect the entire city during the wrath of the Last Days. But the bombs that fell contained more than your garden variety of magic. The stuff the Zebras put in them ... well, it took many years before the shield could be lowered, and the magic in them was potent enough to affect the Prince's mind, despite his shields supposedly being impenetrable. Still, he didn't lower the shield until it was safe for the city's inhabitants, no matter the personal cost."

"Many things have happened in the Empire since then; the shield was lowered, the war with the Republic of Bear began (when they attacked us), Sombra (that unicorn from the dream) has started polluting the wastes with his monoliths, causing all sorts of unspeakable difficulties for those living here. HREC was founded to fight him, and even I'll be happy to admit it hasn't done a great, or even good job at that. But it tries. And despite all its problems, the Empire remains the single biggest concentration of pre-war technology and history in the North, possibly even the world."

"Next is the Enclave."

"Unlike the Empire, the Enclave didn't exist before the war. It was created during that conflict, when the missiles first hit Equestria."

"The documents I've read are not specific on the details; especially since most contact between here and Equestria proper was lost when the shield cut the Empire off from the rest of the world."

"From what I've heard though, what the Empire did with its shield, the pegasi of Equestria did the same using their control of the weather. They cut off their cloud cities from the rest of the world, preserving their citizens at the cost of their Earth Pony and Unicorn cousins."

"While this might all sound like the lead up to a 'we're more alike than you realise' discussion, the big difference between the two nations is that, while the Empire eventually lowered its shield and reconnected with the world, the Enclave hasn't."

"Nopony really knows what goes on above the cloud cover in Equestria. But anyone flying high enough up here tends to get run back down by the Enclave's Raptor cloudships and Pegasi patrols, if not blown out of the sky entirely. The Enclave's chief mandate seems to be protecting their borders, and ensuring that whatever goes on above the clouds is not threatened by anything going on below. They don't want to reconnect with those of us on the ground."

"Like the Empire, the Enclave has alot of pre-war technology at their disposal, but because they are confined to the clouds, their only access to new technology comes from raiding places like vaults when they open. In that regard, fighting between them, us and the Republic is not unheard of. For its part, the Republic blames all ponies for the war, especially those of us who use magic, and would like nothing more than to wipe us off the map."

"In fact, you might say that the northern wastes are more or less in a three way war. Although no side has yet committed strongly enough to push it into an all out conflict, you can expect each group to take shots at the others or try to manoeuvre into a position where a win can be guaranteed. If anyone does gain the upper hoof, you can bet they won't hesitate to use it."

"The Republic hate the empire, but only compete with the Enclave. The Enclave suppresses or destroys anyone who threatens their way of life, while the Empire mostly defends against the two, attacks the Republic on occasion, but otherwise focuses on trying to defeat Sombra."

"In that context, you can probably see why I'd think it a bad idea for either the Enclave or the Republic to obtain an item like the spear. Especially if any mention of its affects on the raiders are made known."

"I'm not demanding that it has to go back to HREC." continued Rosemary, looking away awkwardly. "But I'm very worried about doing anything that will tip the balance in this standoff, and risk turning this cold war hot. The only thing that really stops it right now is that the Empire is probably the most powerful, but also the most defensively placed of the three."

"So, in short, dangling the potential of something like the Dayspear in front of the Enclave could have wide repercussions." Rosemary finished, her tone not patronising, just concerned. "Particularly if anypony up there is stupid enough to think they can control it, or bend it to their will."

"And yes, I'm aware of the irony that HREC did just that when they made it. My only consolation there is that the ponies who did it must have been so colossally stupid that they weren't able to cause any more damage than they did. I strongly suspect the Enclave has more dangerously competent ponies in that regard."

"I'm actually happy to destroy the thing. HREC mistakes are not something I'm particularly fond of either. But despite all this, HREC and the Empire are still my home. They're still our home. And you'll have to understand that I have a certain inclination to seeing it continue to exist."

[Tiki Snakes]

"Alright, that was actually quite interesting for a while there." Trees conceded. "I'm not sure nice is the word I'd use, but it was sure useful learning more about what's left of the world."

"But for all your research, I'm not sure I agree with your take on the Enclave or even the risks of this Spear situation." Trees lowered her head a little in thought. "You've got to learn to read between the lines, Rose."

"What did White Noise's crew claim when we met us? That all wastelanders are basically raiders. Dangerous, insane, murderous and above all deeply and irredeemably Bad Ponies. And to be quite honest, I can see what would give them that impression."

"Do you see what that says about the Enclave? They see themselves as Good Ponies, Rosemary. And objectively? They've got a better claim to that than the ponies down here. Least, far as I've seen so far. And from what you tell me, they very much understand what it means to look after your own. I can respect that."

"Do you know what the Spear means to the Enclave? I don't care if it's a ghost or an AI, whatever that thing is, it's capital letter crazy. Full blown megalomania. It's a death ray with a sideline in mind-rape, and it's worn by a pony with wings. The Spear is a threat to their continued existence. To the continued existence of civilisation itself, pretty much."

"It won't stop until all of Equestria is bowing before it, until the gutters overflow with the blood of sacrifices and a thousand blank eyed meat-slaves sing it's praises every hour of the day. It has no reason not to extend that wonderful vision of how things should be to the Pegasi. It's just a matter of time."

Trees shrugged distractedly, her voice was steady and even.
"You're also missing another thing. White Noise is military. Not Gang, not mad corporation. Military. That means discipline and threat recognition. Here and now is the best opportunity the Enclave gets at taking the Dawnspear out of the equation for good and with their isolationistic military mindset? That's a pretty easy sell. And if they can claim they're doing it on request from the ranking HREC officer in the region in order to safeguard both nations from a dangerous threat, you could have the start of normalised relations."

"But if you still genuinely believe they'll revert to cackling artifact-hunters if we let slip exactly why it's so dangerous, I'll keep it to myself. I'll keep your secrets. Maybe the Commander will be reasonable and simply do it as a favour to her favourite Wastelander? I'd rather make sure the thing is destroyed, but it's really no skin off my back. You heard the Dayspear, if it comes down to it and there's no hope of stopping the thing, then I can walk. It's not going to stop me skipping town and I'm not responsible for your Princess's safety either."

"I'd rather not do that, because frankly that thing is exactly crazy enough that sooner or later there won't be anywhere left to run. Plus I'd feel terrible leaving a sweet, messed up filly like that to die. But I want you to remember that I could, if your worries about the Enclave end up costing us a powerful ally because White Noise is straight up our best shot right now at destroying the spear."

Trees sighed, wrapping silence around herself for a moment like a second cloak.


"But frankly? Screw all that noise." She said suddenly. "Right now I don't give a toot if White Noise never leaves her sky-palace again, much less helps us fight some crazy pop-gun with delusions of grandeur!"
Trees whirled about, suddenly much more animated.

"That's not why we're out here, Rosemary Unicorn. This isn't about the damn Pegasus and it isn't about some poor broken Princess!" She advanced on the unicorn, her even, dispassionate facade shattered, discarded.

"This is about you and me, alone in a cave in the middle of no-where with no interference and no excuses." The Earth Pony strode up to Rosemary with purpose, till the Unicorn could feel the heat coming off of her and clearly make out Trees eyes through the shades.

"And I've got just one question for you." she said quietly.
"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!"

[Thanqol]

Blue gave Gabe a look that said, "I thought we agreed not to mention that part."

"For your heart, maybe? You are already killing yourself up there, are you not?" This is absurd, Blue thought. But it just might strike a crazy chord.

"Yeah, but that's just thoughts," said Mister Weird. "A thought that wants to kill me... that means I'm suicidal!"

Mister Weird looked quite distressed at this.

[BlasTech]

For the most part, Rosemary simply nodded along as Trees laid out her position. It hadn't contained anything unexpected, or at least nothing that Rose felt like correcting. There had been one or two times where the unicorn had almost opened her mouth to add something, but she mostly lapsed back into silence when it was clear that Trees was on a roll.

But all that changed. When the fire nation attacked.


"But frankly? Screw all that noise." She said suddenly. "Right now I don't give a toot if White Noise never leaves her sky-palace again, much less helps us fight some crazy pop-gun with delusions of grandeur!"
Trees whirled about, suddenly much more animated.

"That's not why we're out here, Rosemary Unicorn. This isn't about the damn Pegasus and it isn't about some poor broken Princess!" She advanced on the unicorn, her even, dispassionate facade shattered, discarded.

"This is about you and me, alone in a cave in the middle of no-where with no interference and no excuses." The Earth Pony strode up to Rosemary with purpose, till the Unicorn could feel the heat coming off of her and clearly make out Trees eyes through the shades.

"And I've got just one question for you." she said quietly.
"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!"

At first, Rosemary was worried, then confused and a little bit frightened. She was acutely aware that she was being advanced upon by an apparently upset pony who, for all the travelling they had done in the last couple of days, was still an unaligned and unknown entity to her. For a moment, she considered reaching for her weapon again, but that thought was gone almost as soon as it entered her mind.

Instead ... she laughed.

Not mocking, not taunting. Just a soft, gentle chuckle that spoke of tension released and the absurdity of the question.

"Oh, it's good to see something of the pony underneath at last." She replied, meeting Trees' eyes with a sad smile. "I've got plenty of problems, which one specifically are you referring to?"

[Tiki Snakes]

"Every single time!" Trees seethed. "Every single time I let my guard down, you stick a knife in me."

"I'm not stupid, Rosemary. I've noticed you doing it and I'm not going to just ignore it, hope it blows over." She pressed forward till her face was mere inches from the Unicorn's own. "I've had enough and it ends tonight, one way or another."

"So let's try that again." Her eyes beyond intent, boring into Rose's own. "Just what is your major malfunction?"

"You got a problem with me Rosemary Unicorn? Say the word and we'll settle it. Right here, right now."

[BlasTech]

"I stuck a knife in you?" echoed Rosemary, confusion evident on her face. "Unless you're referring to the teasing on the ski-lift, I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

She thought back for a bit.

"Yes, there was the incident in the cave when we first met, but I think you already know what that was about. Still don't fully trust you by the way, but we'll see ..." she continued, tapping a hoof on her chin, apparently unconcerned with the earth pony's rage.

[Tiki Snakes]

"I'm not buying it, Rose. I saw the look on your face back in the cave, on the ski-lift and whenever you think I'm not paying attention. We both know this has nothing to do with trust."

"The way I see it, there's two explanations here. Either you're some kind of sick sociopathic *yay* who can't see an emotionally vulnerable pony without giving it a kick, and given that you answer directly to the same ponies who made the spear and I'm guessing the same ponies who did whatever the hell got done to, what did she say her name was again? Lavender? Well, that wouldn't surprise me at all."

"Either that, or it must be something about me in particular that makes me such an appealing target. Perhaps you think it's funny to take a pony who just barely escaped massacre that might have claimed the lives of every pony she ever knew and start waving your gun around to establish dominance. Perhaps you think it's a riot to take a pony who never so much as saw the sky till a couple of nights ago, get her on some rickety old lift and see if you can inflict some real brain damage by making her think she's going to fall further down than she's so much as seen before? Yack it up, laughing at the Stable Dweller openly showing fear for something new and terrifying?"

"Or maybe, just maybe you're dead inside, huh Rose?" Trees slapped her hoof away from her chin with a tight little swat of her own. "Maybe you're just naturally cruel?"

"Enlighten me, why don't you Rosemary?" Trees voice was barely above a whisper, clipped and precise. "You going to open up and talk about this or do I have to beat some honesty out of you?"

[the_druid_droid]

"Mmh. Wouldn't know," grumbled Clarity. "Beer is good," she added vaguely.

"I might have to try that too," murmured Lavender. "But for now, I guess I'm going to go live it up. It's not every day you find yourself on the end of a situation like this, is it? I mean, if I have to die, I might as well live some first."

[BlasTech]

"Am I dead inside? Maybe a bit. The wasteland does that to a pony." Rose said, cocking her head coolly as Trees vented at her. "Mercy and compassion are valuable concepts, but the harsh reality is that, out here, they don't always hold up as well as they should."

"As for the cave, I ... well, normally I wouldn't apologise for what I did. I didn't know who you were, only that you were wearing the same barding as the ponies who had stormed out of that vault and shot a mare that I'm obliged to protect."

"I jumped to a conclusion. A justifiable one, perhaps, but one that seems to have been in error. For that, I'll apologise." she continued. "Until now, I wasn't under the impression that there was any real love lost between you and those you left behind. But, for what it's worth, I am sorry for the loss. Even if there's nobody left there that you actually cared for, I can understand about not wanting to see a home destroyed."

She paused, wondering if Trees would note the parallel of that last statement.

"As for the ski lift. Well, I find it curious that you reacted so strongly to my teasing, despite the fact that it was Gabriel who began it." she observed. "Also, neither myself nor the griffon would have actually let you fall ... so maybe it is an issue of trust?"

"And as for Lavender ... I think that bears a full discussion. But while her situation is important, it seems tangential to the issues you seem to have with me."

[Balmas]

"Yeah, but that's just thoughts," said Mister Weird. "A thought that wants to kill me... that means I'm suicidal!"

Mister Weird looked quite distressed at this.

"Think of it this way," wheedled Gabriel. "The fact that you're worried about this means that it's possible to change. You don't have to be suicidal, right?" He tossed an arm across the unicorn's shoulders. "Just think of us as your little thought guardian angels."

There was no way in hell this was going to work. It was too insane, too twisted. Hopefully it would loop around into sane again before he went too far after it.

[Thanqol]

"Think of it this way," wheedled Gabriel. "The fact that you're worried about this means that it's possible to change. You don't have to be suicidal, right?" He tossed an arm across the unicorn's shoulders. "Just think of us as your little thought guardian angels."

There was no way in hell this was going to work. It was too insane, too twisted. Hopefully it would loop around into sane again before he went too far after it.

"Well, yes. How these things normally resolve themselves is that the stronger thoughts kill the weaker thoughts," said Mister Weird. "But it's still strange that I had the thought in the first place. Most distressing."

[Balmas]

"Out of curiosity, is it possible that you're not the strongest thought in here?" Gabe paused, seeming to think a bit. "Which thought do you think is strongest: you, Mr. Big, or the spear?"

[Thanqol]

"Out of curiosity, is it possible that you're not the strongest thought in here?" Gabe paused, seeming to think a bit. "Which thought do you think is strongest: you, Mr. Big, or the spear?"

"I'm the thinker, not the thoughts," said Mister Weird. "I just do whatever the strongest or most numerous thoughts tell me because they wouldn't have told me to do those things if I didn't think of them. Currently the Dayspear seems like the strongest thought."

[Thanqol]

"I might have to try that too," murmured Lavender. "But for now, I guess I'm going to go live it up. It's not every day you find yourself on the end of a situation like this, is it? I mean, if I have to die, I might as well live some first."

"Ary oue hitting on me?" slurred Clarity at about the same time that she slumped into a barely-conscious drunken heap on the bar counter.

[Balmas]

"So, you won't help us because the Spear seems like the strongest thought around." Brilliant. The only way he'd help was if they were stronger than the spear. If they were stronger than the spear, then they wouldn't need help. Just wonderful.

So, the thing they had to do was to look more powerful than the spear. Actually, that was an idea... "Imagine, for a minute, a fight between every thought in town versus the spear. Which is the more powerful thought?"

[Thanqol]

"So, you won't help us because the Spear seems like the strongest thought around." Brilliant. The only way he'd help was if they were stronger than the spear. If they were stronger than the spear, then they wouldn't need help. Just wonderful.

So, the thing they had to do was to look more powerful than the spear. Actually, that was an idea... "Imagine, for a minute, a fight between every thought in town versus the spear. Which is the more powerful thought?"

"Oh, the town," said Mister Weird breezily. "Quantity has a quality all of it's own. And, well, some thoughts I just like, even if they're small."

[Balmas]

"Then," Gabe said innocently, "if you're the thinker, that means that you have some sort of control over your thoughts, if only indirectly, right? Like, if you tell someone to go somewhere, or to prepare to fight, they'll usually do it, right?"

[Thanqol]

"Then," Gabe said innocently, "if you're the thinker, that means that you have some sort of control over your thoughts, if only indirectly, right? Like, if you tell someone to go somewhere, or to prepare to fight, they'll usually do it, right?"

"Well, yes. I suppose the analogy appropriate here would be the application of self-discipline," said Mister Weird.

[Tiki Snakes]

"Am I dead inside? Maybe a bit. The wasteland does that to a pony." Rose said, cocking her head coolly as Trees vented at her. "Mercy and compassion are valuable concepts, but the harsh reality is that, out here, they don't always hold up as well as they should."

"As for the cave, I ... well, normally I wouldn't apologise for what I did. I didn't know who you were, only that you were wearing the same barding as the ponies who had stormed out of that vault and shot a mare that I'm obliged to protect."

"I jumped to a conclusion. A justifiable one, perhaps, but one that seems to have been in error. For that, I'll apologise." she continued. "Until now, I wasn't under the impression that there was any real love lost between you and those you left behind. But, for what it's worth, I am sorry for the loss. Even if there's nobody left there that you actually cared for, I can understand about not wanting to see a home destroyed."

She paused, wondering if Trees would note the parallel of that last statement.

"As for the ski lift. Well, I find it curious that you reacted so strongly to my teasing, despite the fact that it was Gabriel who began it." she observed. "Also, neither myself nor the griffon would have actually let you fall ... so maybe it is an issue of trust?"

"And as for Lavender ... I think that bears a full discussion. But while her situation is important, it seems tangential to the issues you seem to have with me."

"Gabriel is full of hot air. He's so busy trying to show the world how tough and badflank he is that he hasn't noticed it just shouts how scared he is deep down. I had him pegged about fifteen seconds after meeting him and I ain't seen a thing to shake my take since then. He was never a threat." Trees talked levelly, cold and controlled.
"One of these days he'll stop trying to out grizzle the wasteland and come to terms with his inner sweetheart."

"I'd hoped that you were self aware enough to take this opportunity to clear the air. But if you are so wrapped up in your own lies that you still think this is about my problem with you then I guess not. My problem with you is simple. You're a jerk, Rosemary."

"But if you want to play it as if your only problem with me is a trust issue? Fine. We'll play pretend, but that has consequences too, Unicorn. I give you my word that I will do nothing to work against the direct good of the group and will take such steps as are within my means to aid the group until one of two situations arise. Firstly, we make it to our destination, your Crystal Empire. I know squat about the Crystal Empire, so I can't promise my goals won't change when I get there. Secondly, such a time as the direct good of the group is directly at odds with my own survival. I will not die for you guys."

"But there is a catch, Rosemary. I will not, you hear me? I will not let you make a victim out of me. That is done. It's over. I catch you pulling that horse-crap again and I will shoot you. You have my word on that, too."

[BlasTech]

"In the name of the Princesses and skies above, what is wrong with you?" hissed Rosemary, ears flat against the back of her head.

"I honestly have no idea what you want from me, Trees, or what it is you think you're seeing. If you see what was intended as some good natured ribbing as, what, victimisation? Then you really need to take a perspective check."

"I have done nothing to you." she spat. "Nothing except what comes naturally to me; namely to lead those under my command - which, as you've made so abundantly clear, does not include you. And heal you. I've even gone out of my way to be polite."

"I don't know what it is you think about me makes me such a jerk!" she continued, finally getting animate as she cast her hooves to the ceiling. "I'm not here to guilt you, or manipulate you into joining our group. You want to stay, then stay. I don't need your word for that, but I do demand your actions meet that intent. You want to go? Also fine, but if you're going to travel with us, then you work with us, not against. I don't have time to worry that some pony is going to pull a gun on me simply because they don't like the way I turn a phrase."

[Balmas]

"Well, yes. I suppose the analogy appropriate here would be the application of self-discipline," said Mister Weird.

And now to tie it all back together... "Well then... If the town is a more powerful thought than the spear, shouldn't the town be in control? That's fair, right?"

[Deadly]

Blue just nodded along with Gabe, for the moment quite happy with how things were progressing.

[Tiki Snakes]

"In the name of the Princesses and skies above, what is wrong with you?" hissed Rosemary, ears flat against the back of her head.

"I honestly have no idea what you want from me, Trees, or what it is you think you're seeing. If you see what was intended as some good natured ribbing as, what, victimisation? Then you really need to take a perspective check."

"I have done nothing to you." she spat. "Nothing except what comes naturally to me; namely to lead those under my command - which, as you've made so abundantly clear, does not include you. And heal you. I've even gone out of my way to be polite."

"I don't know what it is you think about me makes me such a jerk!" she continued, finally getting animate as she cast her hooves to the ceiling. "I'm not here to guilt you, or manipulate you into joining our group. You want to stay, then stay. I don't need your word for that, but I do demand your actions meet that intent. You want to go? Also fine, but if you're going to travel with us, then you work with us, not against. I don't have time to worry that some pony is going to pull a gun on me simply because they don't like the way I turn a phrase."

"Do you know what they used to say, back in Stable 73?" Trees said. "That violence was the only way to get a Unicorn's attention. To get them to take you seriously."

She couldn't quite bring herself to add that it was what her mother used to say.

"I never had the luxury of choosing to join the group or not, Rosemary. Except in that my choices were and remain to stick with the rest of you at least as far as the Empire... or die. I don't believe for a minute that Hopeville really changes that equation."

"I don't want your healing magic, Rosemary." Trees sighed. "I don't need it, I never asked for it and I refuse to be obligated because you chose to use it. I don't need you to be polite, either."

"No, rather I demand your honesty, because I have no intention of walking around with my emotional guard up for the rest of this journey just to avoid you attacking me whenever I show the slightest bit of vulnerability or weakness."

Trees stepped away from the Unicorn, looking vaguely out across the wasteland.

"But if you can't admit to yourself that there's something going on in that bitter little mind of yours so we can deal with it? Then the only alternative is to force you to think twice next time, which means if you can't talk about this honestly, then I can't go back on my word and my ultimatum stands."

"Or if you prefer, I could do it your way and get you off my back by asserting my dominance. I haven't got any fancy tricks to leverage you with though, nor a bunch of heavily armed troops to back me up should I pull a gun on you, so I guess that means I'd have to just buck the snot out of you here in this cave with my bare hooves. If what it takes to get you to think twice next time the opportunity to be a great big jerk comes up is to work that stick out of your butt and beat you about the head with it? Then so be it."

[BlasTech]

"... you're kidding ... you're kidding, right?" Rosemary deadpanned, as Trees began pacing. "You can't articulate your problem well enough for me to understand it, so the next step is fighting?"

"Well, fine. Whatever. I'm not playing this game. Go ahead and give me your best shot because I'm not going to fight back." she replied, walking deeper into the cave. "I don't heal you because I want you in my debt. I'm not polite to you because I want anything from you. It's how I was raised, it's what I do. In case you can't tell what these symbols on my saddlebags are for; they mean I'm a medic."

"They mean that, no matter how many times you throw yourself on a mine, no matter how much you spit back in my face about it. I'm still going to heal you out of the stupid, misguided hope that one day it might mean something. I don't know what, and I don't care. I can only hope it's better than the alternative."

"I have been honest with you. I just went through a five minute history lecture because I want you to know where I'm coming from and what I want. I don't need to lie to do that. Everything else you're attributing to me is just ... just insane. I don't know why you're doing it. It's some crazy fantasy me that you're cooking up just so you can justify hating me."

[Tiki Snakes]

"If I hated you, Rose, this would be the easiest thing in the world." Trees shrugged the idea off. "I'd take my chances with Raidertown, or I'd have stayed quiet and put a shotgun in your mouth while you slept or something. Or I'd just ignore you altogether, treat what you say and do as so much white noise."

"There was a saying I heard once in the bad parts of the Stable. Down in the...it doesn't matter where, just down underneath the Stable somewhere. The ponies down there were dangerous, you know? But this one old pony told me that Polite Ponies were often more discourteous than the bad ones, because polite ponies feel they can be mean to each other without getting a bullet between the eyes, as a general rule."

"I think I get it. I see your problem, here. You haven't figured yourself out yet, you don't know yourself and maybe you even honestly believe that you've done nothing but be an exemplar of moral pony behaviour. Let's say I'm willing to believe you really are that screwed up and delusional."

"Well then I'll cut you a deal. We'll put our little talk on hold and the next time I catch you pulling that crap I'll take the bullet out of the magazine and pass it to you and you can explain just what it is exactly you think you're doing."

"And if you do it again? Then I'll shoot you."

She trotted back into the cave unhappily.
"If you find in yourself enough wisdom to confront your feelings before it comes to that, then you just let me know and we'll find a quiet place away from the chuckleheads and sort this thing out, one way or another."

She tipped her pith helmet up off her head then placed the shades delicately inside it. They glistened in the dim light. Trees settled down uneasily beside it. Her stripey cloak pooling around her so that only her Head poked out.

"Look, why don't we change the subject in the meantime. How about you tell me just what in the hay is going on with your princess?"

[Thanqol]

And now to tie it all back together... "Well then... If the town is a more powerful thought than the spear, shouldn't the town be in control? That's fair, right?"

"They're not incompatible. That's why I went ahead and made Clarity chief," said Mister Weird. "Playing power games with my thoughts rather than integrating them seems relatively self defeating."

[BlasTech]

"Oh yes, because death threats are just what all good friends do to each other to pass the time." she replied, not bothering to hide the sarcasm. "I don't claim to be any kind of exemplar of pony behaviour; anypony who had a claim to that died over two hundred years ago. I'm just me. And if that's going to get me shot, you may as well just skip to the end and go tell the others I got eaten by a radscorpion or something."

She sighed, settling back against a rock. Her voice and expression were weary, tired. She seemed like she was on the cusp of collapsing from exhaustion, despite every intention of trying to stay awake.

"I don't want to leave this, not when it means having it hanging over my head for the rest of the trip. But unless you can give me something more concrete than 'you have a problem', I'm not going to be able to do anything differently. And unless you treat my people, and me, with a bit more politeness, I'm not going to be inclined to do anything differently."

"We can try starting with a fresh slate, or maybe some kind of arrangement. Maybe we can meet halfway somehow, or maybe we really do need to part ways. But as it stands now, all I can see is that it's going to end with one of the two of us dead."

"And I take back what I said earlier." She said quietly, her head now resting on her forehooves. "I will fight you for it. Not for my sake, but for the others. Lavender most of all."

[Tiki Snakes]

"I haven't threatened to kill you yet, Rose. What, you never been shot before? If I meant I'd kill you, then that's what I'd say." Trees snorts. "We've got our compromise. I give you the benefit of the doubt for the moment and a warning on top of that."

"You telling me that if the choice is between not being abusive and getting shot, you'd rather take the bullets up front? Damn, you wastelanders really are crazy."

"And if I wanted to kill you, or honestly thought it would come to that? I wouldn't be stupid enough to tip you off. That's great for stories, all dramatic buildup and facing off in the rain, but in real life that's a sure way to get yourself dead. Screw that. If I'd wanted to get rid of you, I'd have just spent the last half an hour sucking up and playing nice or something."

"Now mare up and clue me in on Lavender and what your ponies have done. This topic is getting changed."

[BlasTech]

"... you mean to tell me that you shoot ponies just to make a point?" replied Rosemary, incredulously. "And you call me crazy?"

She shook her head, Stable 73 must have been a terrible place if that's what passed for debate in their halls.

"Very well. You want to know what's wrong with Lavender?" she said, accepting the change in subject. "The short answer is; I don't know."

[Tiki Snakes]

"No I don't shoot ponies just to make a point." Trees tried to keep the long-suffering tone out of her voice. She flipped a corner of her cloak up to reveal her shoulder. The security-barding had a big yellow 73 on it, scuffed a little from the mine-blast the previous day.

"I worked security for a while though and I saw plenty of bad stuff. Plenty of action. And I certainly didn't come out unscathed. I've taken a few rounds over the years." Trees dropped the cloak back down, covering the barding once more.

"And I know how things work. You cross the wrong pony down there, away from the secure zones and they make you a message to any other pony who might think they can get away with taking liberties. If you're lucky, they just put a bullet in you and all is forgiven. If you manage not to bleed to death like a sissy, then they get you stitched back up."

"They usually put it somewhere the scar will show." She explains, helpfully. "But if you're not lucky, they save the ammo. Maybe they bring a couple of sturdy metal bars round and take away your legs. If you've really put your hoof in it you don't see them or their ponies at all."

"They just pay a bribe to the Sandmares and you go away." Trees shuddered and was quiet for a minute.
"Ugh. It's like with humour. If you have to explain the threat, you're just not doing it right. The idea is, push me too far and I'll make it hurt, make it leave a mark so you remember what happens." She actually sounded a little sheepish, but she was burying it in bluster. She might have been blushing faintly.

"Which is to say, let's just cut to the long answer if you've got one."

[BlasTech]

"Well, for the long answer, let me first tell you a bit about Hazardous Resources Excavation and Control." started Rosemary, settling down for another history lecture.

"To begin with, while HREC has a clear goal, it's got no clear organisational structure. It's basically what you get when you set up a team of ponies with a singular vision and drive, give them wide powers, and then neglect them for a couple of dozen years. It's basically the biggest, most convoluted bureaucracy in the world, and it's got stuff going on that ranges from the altruistic, to the totally *yay*'d up."

"I like to think that the department I work, worked for I should say, was one of the more benign. Our job was to study Sombra's monoliths and to try to remove them safely; reclaiming land for ponies to build homes in so that they wouldn't find themselves eaten by shadow-infused monsters before dawn."

"Other divisions ... maybe not so much. The different divisions tend not to talk to each other, and some even compete or fight."

"Now, I don't know, officially, what is wrong with Lavender. Until this morning, I didn't even know there was a Lavender. All they told me when we shipped out was that there was a special pony who had been added to the party by one of HREC's many other departments. My orders were simply; don't interfere, and heal any HREC personnel or equipment that require it."

"They only told us that we were safeguarding Luna, when they finally had to let us see her."

"Naturally, knowing that HREC was involved, made me skeptical about 'Luna's' authenciticy. I didn't think that, after 200 years of being 'dead', Luna would really just saunter up to a HREC dispatch team and volunteer for work, after all."

"That made me suspect that Luna was just a HREC creation. Maybe there is a way to clone an Alicorn, or grow one ... never really found out anything about that except for cryptic references in some of the old pre-war texts. Up till today, I was operating under the assumption we had a clone on our hooves, or maybe I was hoping that we might have had the real pony after all. Who knows? Either way, the best course of action was just to go along with things until I could find out something to point one way or the other."

"But now that Lavender has surfaced ... I think they may have done something worse. Maybe something involving that memory orb she keeps carrying around. What do you know about those things?"

[Tiki Snakes]

"Memory Orbs? Don't know the first thing about them." Trees shrugged. "Which tells me it's either new since the war, which seems unlikely, or it's a Unicorn thing."

"The Unicorns didn't...tend to share." She added, by way of explanation.

"Guess the question is, which is the real pony?" Trees mused. "Princess Luna, she's supposed to be some kind of big, important pre-war pony, right?"

[BlasTech]

"Yes, memory orbs have been around since before the war. While mostly unicorns used them, there were varients that other races could use as well. They're pretty much what they sound like; small spheres that contain specific memories from an individual. Most ponies in the Crystal Empire use them because they can help shield a pony from nightmares. Their problem is that chronic overuse of them can have impacts on a pony's psyche."

"As for Luna herself? In the history books, at least, she was one of the two rulers of Equestria before the war, and the sole Ruler during the Last Days. As an Alicorn, she had the power and talent to move the moon, raising it at night and lowering it during the day."

"There's ... not much that's concrete about what she was like. Most of the texts give rather conflicting accounts, and even more of them only focus on her older sister, Celestia. Presumably, both of them perished during the war."

[the_druid_droid]

"Ary oue hitting on me?" slurred Clarity at about the same time that she slumped into a barely-conscious drunken heap on the bar counter.

Lavender giggled quietly; today she had really been reminded how cuddly ponies could be. Seeing Clarity slumped over, she smiled, realizing how strange it was that ponies who were technically trying to kill her could seem so much warmer than the HREC staff who were supposed to be caring for her.

Then another thought struck her, and Lavender made quick work of some low-hanging curtains, draping them like a makeshift sheet over the nearly-sleeping body of the pegasus. "I'm not hitting on you. But maybe that's something I should try one day too."

[Thanqol]

Lavender giggled quietly; today she had really been reminded how cuddly ponies could be. Seeing Clarity slumped over, she smiled, realizing how strange it was that ponies who were technically trying to kill her could seem so much warmer than the HREC staff who were supposed to be caring for her.

Then another thought struck her, and Lavender made quick work of some low-hanging curtains, draping them like a makeshift sheet over the nearly-sleeping body of the pegasus. "I'm not hitting on you. But maybe that's something I should try one day too."

Clarity threw up a little bit, and then fell off the barstool and landed on her side in an ungainly heap, tangled in the curtains. She then started to snore loudly.

[Tiki Snakes]

"Yes, memory orbs have been around since before the war. While mostly unicorns used them, there were varients that other races could use as well. They're pretty much what they sound like; small spheres that contain specific memories from an individual. Most ponies in the Crystal Empire use them because they can help shield a pony from nightmares. Their problem is that chronic overuse of them can have impacts on a pony's psyche."

"As for Luna herself? In the history books, at least, she was one of the two rulers of Equestria before the war, and the sole Ruler during the Last Days. As an Alicorn, she had the power and talent to move the moon, raising it at night and lowering it during the day."

"There's ... not much that's concrete about what she was like. Most of the texts give rather conflicting accounts, and even more of them only focus on her older sister, Celestia. Presumably, both of them perished during the war."

"Wait, winged Unicorn sisters? You mean the ones that destroy the world in that fairy tale?" Trees asks, sceptically.

[BlasTech]

"Huh? Destroy? Which fairy tale is that?" replied Rosemary. "I'm familiar with a large bulk of the folk lore and historical accounts regarding the two Royal sisters, but not that one."

"Also, the correct terminology is Alicorn; Winged-unicorn is a slight misnomer."

[Balmas]

"They're not incompatible. That's why I went ahead and made Clarity chief," said Mister Weird. "Playing power games with my thoughts rather than integrating them seems relatively self defeating."

"But what if the spear does something that's not good for the town?" argued the griffon. "The weaker party--the spear-- is still in control of the stronger party: the town."

He shot a look at the pegasus that said, "any help you can offer..."

[Tiki Snakes]

"Uh, well. I say fairy tale on account of no-pony I know puts any faith in the official historical curriculum back at the stable." She explains. "The way the Unicorns tell it, the uh, Alicorns? They grew mad on power and got Equestria place blown up on account of their poor command skills. Which of course means it's not really the Unicorns fault we all have to live in a little metal box. Blah blah blah. Fairy tales." She waggled a hoof dismissively.

"Earth Ponies back at Stable 73 pretty much handle our own education and we pass on our own version of events, though it's gotten pretty distorted, especially in recent years. Some of it because of politics, some of it in order to fit the Rhythm better."

[BlasTech]

"A rather uncharitable interpretation at best." Replied Rosemary. "And a little bit factually incorrect. From everything I've read, the elder sister actually abdicated on the onset of the war. That wouldn't mesh with the view of them having gone 'mad with power'."

"Most of the readings I've seen speak of Celestia with almost uniform praise, but are mixed regarding Luna. Some attribute her actions in the leadup to the Last Days with contributing to armageddon. Others paint a picture more of a beleagured ruler, fighting an impossible task."

"Personally, I think attributing blame to any one pony, no matter how powerful, reeks of lazy thinking. The closest parallel to that interpretation I've encountered would be records from the Republic of Bear." her head. "And those are so viruliently anti-pony and anti-magic that they blame everypony, not just the Royal Sisters, for the destruction of the world."

"And all of those accounts seem to conveniently forget that Equestria had stood for well over a thousand years prior to the final conflict. All of that under the rule of Celestia."

[Deadly]

"But what if the spear does something that's not good for the town?" argued the griffon. "The weaker party--the spear-- is still in control of the stronger party: the town."

He shot a look at the pegasus that said, "any help you can offer..."

Blue was admittedly having a hard time thinking of anything genuinely clever or helpful. She wasn't sure how much hope there was of swaying this pony's mind. It was frustrating how so many ponies resigned themselves to a defeatist existence instead of trying to change things. Didn't they have any hope?

Well, perhaps that was a thought. "This is Hopeville, is it not?" she said thoughtfully. "What do you hope for most of all, if you could hope for anything at all, Mister Weird?"

[the_druid_droid]

Clarity threw up a little bit, and then fell off the barstool and landed on her side in an ungainly heap, tangled in the curtains. She then started to snore loudly.

"I knew you were tired..." Lavender straightened the sheet-curtains around Clarity as best she could, and then picked up her little pile of chips and began trotting toward the casino to see if she could find a way to put them to use.

[Thanqol]

"But what if the spear does something that's not good for the town?" argued the griffon. "The weaker party--the spear-- is still in control of the stronger party: the town."

He shot a look at the pegasus that said, "any help you can offer..."

"Control, schmontol. I have to unify and order my thoughts and this seems the most effective way of doing things,"


Blue was admittedly having a hard time thinking of anything genuinely clever or helpful. She wasn't sure how much hope there was of swaying this pony's mind. It was frustrating how so many ponies resigned themselves to a defeatist existence instead of trying to change things. Didn't they have any hope?

Well, perhaps that was a thought. "This is Hopeville, is it not?" she said thoughtfully. "What do you hope for most of all, if you could hope for anything at all, Mister Weird?"

"I don't know, you tell me," said Mister Weird. "That's what you ponies are for."


"I knew you were tired..." Lavender straightened the sheet-curtains around Clarity as best she could, and then picked up her little pile of chips and began trotting toward the casino to see if she could find a way to put them to use.

When she approached any of the gambling tables, a Lyrabot floated up and began shuffling cards. "Good evening, mistress! Interested in testing your luck?"

[the_druid_droid]

When she approached any of the gambling tables, a Lyrabot floated up and began shuffling cards. "Good evening, mistress! Interested in testing your luck?"

"Uh, ok, sure! How exactly do I play, and how much does it cost?" Lavender was still getting used to talking with all these cheerily identical robots, and her tone was a little uncertain.

[Thanqol]

"Uh, ok, sure! How exactly do I play, and how much does it cost?" Lavender was still getting used to talking with all these cheerily identical robots, and her tone was a little uncertain.

"You can bet however much you want! There are many different games here; card games tend to be a little bit more strategic than roulette or the slots, but I can explain how they work if you'd like..." said the Handy, and would launch into a full explanation of the rules of blackjack if encouraged.

[Deadly]

"I don't know, you tell me," said Mister Weird. "That's what you ponies are for."

Blue paused for a moment to look up at the sky before saying, in a voice of conviction, "Yes. We are here to give you - to give each other hope. Those who have none need it the most. You should hope for hope itself, Mister Weird! You should hope to have it, so that you may give it!" She gestured around at the town, talking with animation. "How many of these ponies have hope? They live in Hopeville, yet many of these ponies, good ponies, can only keep their heads low and pray for one more day, instead of hoping for better, hoping for bigger. You should hope for big hope, Mister Weird! Daring hope! Not for one, not for a few, but for all!"

[Tiki Snakes]

"Uh..." Trees blinked, taking stock of the flow of new things to remember. "So, either the pony we left back there really is a clone of some long-dead princess or she's not. If she's not, then either she's the real thing and she now thinks she's a pony called Lavender, or she's a pony called Lavender who sometimes thinks she's a long dead princess."

She listed the options tentatively.

"So, unless she's the real thing, like with memory loss or something, then it's probably down to these HREC ponies you work for?"

"Which leaves me with two questions. Assuming it is HREC that's the cause of whatever it is going on with her and whoever she is, what do you intend to do about it?"

"...And do you have any idea how I could get rid of the mental image of thousand year old pony princesses wrapping themselves in cocoons and pupating into their younger selves, to shed the years and the bad memories that build up over the course of their unnatural lives?" Trees shuddered. "I can't stop thinking about it!"

[BlasTech]

"Well, I can't think of any good reason why a clone, or a reincarnation, would have the memories of a pony like Lavender in her head." replied Rosemary. "I can, however, think of one good reason why a pony called Lavender might have memories of Luna in hers."

"As for what I intend to do ... well, I'm sure you can tell, psychology is not my strong suit." she admitted. "I think it best to try to find out more about Lavender, anything which might give a clue as to what was done to her and how it might be fixed, assuming my inference is the correct one at this point."

"Also, given how she reacted to me, I think it may be best to try to minimise her exposure to reminders of HREC, or anything that might trigger a relapse into her 'Luna' persona. Which, unfortunately, includes talking directly to me."

"So, to sum up. I'm recruiting other ponies into getting to know her better. I asked Miss Blue to keep an eye on her till I return for that precise purpose."

"As for how to remove ideas like that from your head? Is there any other topic, preferably a more welcome one, that you might wish to focus on for a bit?"

[the_druid_droid]

"You can bet however much you want! There are many different games here; card games tend to be a little bit more strategic than roulette or the slots, but I can explain how they work if you'd like..." said the Handy, and would launch into a full explanation of the rules of blackjack if encouraged.

"Well, I don't know if my luck is all that great... maybe I'll stick with games that have strategy." Lavender was quite willing to encourage the robot for the moment.

[Tiki Snakes]

"So you're potentially willing to go against HREC on this and help Lavender? Given that means not helping Luna." Trees asked, neutrally.


"As for how to remove ideas like that from your head? Is there any other topic, preferably a more welcome one, that you might wish to focus on for a bit?"

"I don't know." The earth pony shrugs uncomfortably.

"Tell me about your youth?"

[BlasTech]

"So you're potentially willing to go against HREC on this and help Lavender? Given that means not helping Luna." Trees asked, neutrally.

"It's like I said; I'm not fond of HREC mistakes. The more I learn about the situation regarding 'Luna', the more it seems like this is just another case of one of them."


"Tell me about your youth?"

"Erg." Rosemary replied, her face scrunching up with distaste at the concept.

"I don't suppose we can discuss something more cheerful? Like balefire war again?"

[Thanqol]

Blue paused for a moment to look up at the sky before saying, in a voice of conviction, "Yes. We are here to give you - to give each other hope. Those who have none need it the most. You should hope for hope itself, Mister Weird! You should hope to have it, so that you may give it!" She gestured around at the town, talking with animation. "How many of these ponies have hope? They live in Hopeville, yet many of these ponies, good ponies, can only keep their heads low and pray for one more day, instead of hoping for better, hoping for bigger. You should hope for big hope, Mister Weird! Daring hope! Not for one, not for a few, but for all!"

"You're a really good thought! I hope you win," said Mister Weird brightly.


"Well, I don't know if my luck is all that great... maybe I'll stick with games that have strategy." Lavender was quite willing to encourage the robot for the moment.

"Certainly. Deploying ~#Rules of Blackjack Token#~" said the Lyrabot, spitting out a card with some basic rules printed on it.

[the_druid_droid]

"Certainly. Deploying ~#Rules of Blackjack Token#~" said the Lyrabot, spitting out a card with some basic rules printed on it.

Lavender skimmed over the rule sheet and then nosed a single chip forward. "Uh, hit me? That's what I say, right?"

[Thanqol]

Lavender skimmed over the rule sheet and then nosed a single chip forward. "Uh, hit me? That's what I say, right?"

[Luck 9/3]

Lavender soon found she had lost almost all of her money.

"Awww, just not your day," said the Lyrabot, collecting the cards from the desk. "Tell you what! As a consolation prize I'll give you this complimentary all-access key to the casino's drinks machines! You've also been presented with a guest suite by management, so feel free to take advantage of the spa, pool, and gym for the duration of your stay!"

[Tiki Snakes]

"Bad memories?" Trees asked, not sure whether to push or to back off on the subject.

[BlasTech]

"Of foalhood? No, the opposite; good memories." Rosemary continued, her gaze somewhere in the middle distance. "I just ... don't like talking about them. Reminds me too much of things I've lost."

[Tiki Snakes]

Trees fixed Rosemary with a flat stare for a moment or so.

"Where you come from and what you were are important elements of who you are. You should always be mindful of them, so the saying goes." She broke the brief silence. "You really that unhappy with your life that you would rather bury your past?"

[BlasTech]

"I find certain events not worth dwelling on." She replied. "And that's all I'm willing to say about that. Can you please pick another topic?"

[Balmas]

"You're a really good thought! I hope you win," said Mister Weird brightly.

"Wait..." Something was off. "You say that it's ponies' job to have hope? Do you consider yourself a pony?"

[Thanqol]

"Wait..." Something was off. "You say that it's ponies' job to have hope? Do you consider yourself a pony?"

"Not in the same sense as you. It's a dream! I could be a brain in a jar for all I know!" said Mister Weird. "But it's a pretty nice dream so I don't mind dreaming it."

[Balmas]

"Sooo... If your job isn't to have hope, and you aren't getting involved with your thoughts... What is it that you actually do?"

[Thanqol]

"Sooo... If your job isn't to have hope, and you aren't getting involved with your thoughts... What is it that you actually do?"

"I operate according to the consensus! I delete bad thoughts and organise good ones! I actually keep Mister Big around because a good election is the most useful way for me to determine what my consensus is, and then I act in accordance with that," said Mister Weird.

[Balmas]

"So, if most of the town didn't want the Spear in town, you'd take action to get it out?" Progress at last. Agonizing, slow, and likely to be frustrating in the future, but progress.

[Thanqol]

"So, if most of the town didn't want the Spear in town, you'd take action to get it out?" Progress at last. Agonizing, slow, and likely to be frustrating in the future, but progress.

"Well... yes!" said Mister Weird. "I suppose I would."

[the_druid_droid]

[Luck 9/3]

Lavender soon found she had lost almost all of her money.

"Awww, just not your day," said the Lyrabot, collecting the cards from the desk. "Tell you what! As a consolation prize I'll give you this complimentary all-access key to the casino's drinks machines! You've also been presented with a guest suite by management, so feel free to take advantage of the spa, pool, and gym for the duration of your stay!"

Lavender brightened a little at that, and then glanced around. "Actually, there's something I'd like to do first..."

Without waiting for a reply, she flopped down onto a particularly plush-looking patch of carpet and began to squirm and roll on it, feeling the delightful pull of luxurious threads against her coat. For just a moment she looked like a pony of old, before baelfire and Windigoes stole away the green places, joying in damp grass.

The ground was synthetic of course, and the moment passed, but it was nice while it lasted.

[Deadly]

"Well... yes!" said Mister Weird. "I suppose I would."

"Then we know what to do," Blue said, relieved to have that sorted out. It was proving to be a frustrating day, full of frustrating ponies. "Thank you for your time," she said and looked at Gabe to confirm that they had nothing further to discuss with Weird for now.

[Thanqol]

Piano music (http://youtu.be/lPhN7VlyjT4). Jovial and upbeat. Music you could tap your hooves to.

The carpet under their tapping hooves squelched and squished. The carpet was soaked through.

Blood poured off the stage.

Princess Luna was still there. Throat cut. Blood pouring from her neck. During the day when everypony had been up and about, walking and fighting and playing and laughing she'd still been there, bleeding out. The blood was pouring off the stage and soaking into the carpet, unpleasantly warm against the hooves of millions.

And King Sombra was there, playing the piano happily. His eyes were closed as the music twisted and turned around his hooves and horn. He turned and smiled at the audience from time to time, sweet and boyish. At one point he pounded out a few bars of the song on the wood of the grand piano itself. The desperate rasping of the alicorn was audible during the gaps in the music.

"Fillies and gentlecolts!" said the King, finishing and flourishing. "Hail to the King! And I must say, it's been a wonderful day outside!"

He hopped off his stool and landed on all fours with a splash of blood. Fragments of it flicked his face and neck. "And it's been marvellous seeing the reactions! I could have sworn I heard the alarms blaring at HREC HQ from here! Ha ha!"

King Sombra started walking across the stage, absently wiping the blood off his face. "You should have seen those guys, though! From what I hear they've totally lost the plot. I mean, two hundred years failing to kill me and now they hear they've only got a few months? I'm sure looking forwards to what I see when I finally show up. Anyway, that's not why I'm here tonight. Do you know why I'm here? I'm here for you. And since some of you have taken the time to write, beg, or plead I decided the least I could do was answer some of your questions!"

Sombra's horn glowed, and there was a squeak as a light blue crystal unicorn was lifted up out of the audience and floated up onto the stage. "Give a big round of applause to miss Misty Eyes here! She's a peach, isn't she? Pretty girl, too! Ha ha! Misty Eyes asked me a very good question, and I'd like to take the time to answer her in person! So go ahead, miss! Tell the nice ponies what you wanted to know from the King!"

"..." non-sounded the unicorn, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Ha ha! She's shy! But I'll go ahead and amplify that up from 'Doormouse'. Let's hear it, everypony!"


"Why are you doing this?"

"That's a very good question!" said Sombra with a completely innocent smile on his face. "The short answer is because frack you! Frack you happy, cheerful sons-of-bitches who've spent the last one and a half thousand years dancing on my grave! But that's a bit of a gimmick answer, and I'll go ahead and give you something a bit more detailed."

He set Misty Eyes down on the stage next to him and ruffled her hair. She tried to shy away out of terror. "No, the real answer is that it isn't even about you. I don't really care about you ponies! Do you know why? Of course you don't! Because you've never been dead.

"Do you know what it's like to be dead?"

King Sombra stared out over the crowd.

"I do."

He blinked, and smiled. "And dead I am! Celly and Luna didn't go and exile me away back in the day. They straight up killed me. Spear through the chest! Knives in my throat! Burned and frozen! I coughed out my last in that time, and I died. King Sombra died. He's gone."

Sombra looked away for a moment, then looked up smiling again. "But his magic lives on! But to understand this I'll need to make a little demonstration."

The horn glowed a horrible black.

There was a sickening sound as the teeth were ripped out of Misty Eyes' mouth.

"See these teeth! Imagine that these are all itty-bitty parts of you!" said King Sombra over the screaming. "This one is your courage! This one is your anger! This one is your love of jaunty piano music! All these little teeth, little fragments of you, weak and powerless on their own."

The horn twisted and warped.

The teeth deformed. Growing mouths, filled with fangs.

With a flick they were cast over Misty Eyes.

They started eating.

"Now imagine that you are one of those teeth!" said King Sombra, raising his voice yet further to be heard. "Imagine eating your own corpse! Imagine GORGING YOURSELF ON EVERYTHING YOU USED TO BE! IMAGINE BLIND, EMPTY GLUTTONY OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS AS YOU TRIED TO STUFF AS MUCH MAGICAL POWER IN YOUR MOUTH AS POSSIBLE! IMAGINE TRYING TO HOLD ONTO THAT SPARK OF IDENTITY WHEN ALL YOU CAN POSSIBLY DO IS EAT, EAT, EAT, EAT!"

The screaming quieted down. Sombra's voice became softer.

"They say I've spent the past thousand-odd years gathering my power. Nopony knows what that means. Nopony knows what it means to eat for that long. To digest parts of yourself you never wanted to give up. And when they're done eating the bodies, the worms eat each other too..."

"I'm not even the biggest of the worms. The biggest got killed by Cadence, rot her soul. I'm number two. The second most important thing in King Sombra's life, whoever the frack that was."

Sombra stared off into emptiness. There was only the sound of Luna's ragged gasping and the pathetic sobbing of Misty.

"So that's why I'm doing this," he said vaguely. "That's why... all of this. Because you don't matter. Nothing I say or do to any of you can be worse than what I did to myself in order to be here today. You get all screamy and panicky over the idea of death, you have no idea what a sweet thing a clean death would be for those who couldn't have it..."

He trailed off into nothing.

The horn sparked.

Misty's neck snapped instantly. She hit the stage like a sack of wet meat. The teeth stopped eating.

"Nopony deserves that," he mumbled, almost too soft to hear.

And then he was all smiles again.

"So that's why I'm doing this! Because frankly, I cannot bring myself to care about your suffering. It's minute. Mare up and take it! I've got better, bigger goals in mind! I'm going to live again, after all! You better believe I've thought about some things I can do when I finally come back to life! You'd better believe I've thought this through! I've got my whole life ahead of me, after all!"

"So I'm going to send you off to sleep with another song that I thought of during my stay in the dark! I hope you enjoy hearing it as much as I enjoy playing it!"

King Sombra started to play. The curtains fell on the corpse-strewn stage.

And then it was morning.

[Tiki Snakes]

Trees jolted awake blearily, her mane looking like something had made a nest in it. She lurched to her hooves and trotted straight out of the cave. She paused in the opening, looking out silently at the early morning light.

"DEAR SOMBRA!" she shouted at the Wasteland.

"NO-PONY CARES!" The groggy orange and blue earth pony hurled the sentiment loud and clear, straight from the diaphragm. "WORLD ALREADY OVER!"

She paused, catching her breath, eyes still half closed.

"SINCERELY, TREES."

And with that, she trotted irritably back into the cave, huddled back down where she was and made to resume sleeping.

[BlasTech]

Nearby, the pile of HREC coloured blankets that was Rosemary quivered and extended a single blue hoof, primed for a hoof-bump.

[Tiki Snakes]

Trees took a brief, puzzled look at the extended hoof and then lazily bumped it, snuggling back into a comfortable position.

[the_druid_droid]

Lavender woke up in the most comfortable bed of her life, an old-fashioned four poster that was soft and warm. The covers were scattered everywhere, but she didn't notice. Instead Lavender was staring at the canopy while a line of fire burned inside her chest; an agony distilled from years of hatred and sorrow and woken by her dream.

Sombra was a fool if he thought his suffering was unique, but he was right that no one should have to experience that kind of pain ever again. She would do something about that, make it certain no one would.

[Balmas]

"Ugh..." Gabriel groaned, thrusting his head into the cloud. "I wonder what parts one and three are, if part two is gleeful, cannibalistic murder." He shook, sending bits of wet cloud spewing off. "Morning, Blue."

[BlasTech]

Trees took a brief, puzzled look at the extended hoof and then lazily bumped it, snuggling back into a comfortable position.

The hoof retreated back into the pile of blankets and all was still.

After a little while longer, once everypony had gotten a a chance for a bit more shut eye, Rosemary stirred awake. Pushing the blankets off her and stretching like a cat, she took a deep breath of the cold mountain air before moving to unpack her breakfast.

Potato chips and Sparkle Cola. Classy.

Finding a seat near the cave mouth, she began munching away until Trees awoke.

[Deadly]

"Ugh..." Gabriel groaned, thrusting his head into the cloud. "I wonder what parts one and three are, if part two is gleeful, cannibalistic murder." He shook, sending bits of wet cloud spewing off. "Morning, Blue."

Blue opened her eyes and stared gloomily at the sky. "Mornin'," she said after a while and stretched herself, "Maybe he was never a very complex pony. I only caught him mentioning two."

She stood up and inspected her armor, which she had carefully polished to the best of her ability the night before. She was silent a little longer before looking towards the town. "I'm thinking of getting myself a book," she said, a seemingly perfect non sequitur, and looked thoughtful.

[the_druid_droid]

Still angry, Lavender trotted downstairs, trying to decide what she was going to do for breakfast in this place and wondering briefly if Clarity saw visions of Sombra during her drunken stupor. It would seem like a good way to kick the habit, if nothing else...

[Balmas]

Blue opened her eyes and stared gloomily at the sky. "Mornin'," she said after a while and stretched herself, "Maybe he was never a very complex pony. I only caught him mentioning two."

She stood up and inspected her armor, which she had carefully polished to the best of her ability the night before. She was silent a little longer before looking towards the town. "I'm thinking of getting myself a book," she said, a seemingly perfect non sequitur, and looked thoughtful.

Gabriel nodded, his concentration consumed with the little daily checklist. Armor, snugly buckled on. Spare clips of .308s tucked into the little strap pockets. He lovingly eased the bolt back, and slid it into place again. "We'll look for a store, then, while we're in town."

[Tiki Snakes]

Trees groaned, consciousness stirring unwillingly.
"Five more minutes." She mumbled to no-one in particular.

[BlasTech]

Trees groaned, consciousness stirring unwillingly.
"Five more minutes." She mumbled to no-one in particular.

Rosemary gave a short mental shrug before silently turning back to watching the sunrise and eating her breakfast. It wasn't like they were in any hurry, and she was happy to wait until Trees returned fully to the world of the living.

[Tiki Snakes]

"Why am I sleeping in a cave? A cold hard cave?" The stripey bundle moaned.
"I could have slept in a casino or something."

"I think I'm terminally stupid. I'm so dumb Rose, I'm not long for this world. Ugh."

The bundle shuffled around a bit, sounding quite like a pony munching on a cold breakfast.

"And I had the weirdest dream where I mouthed off at Sombra, too. Like, shouting at the sky style."

[BlasTech]

Rosemary, sipping on a bottle of Sparkle Cola, barely stopped herself from spitting the whole thing out. Of course, she managed to do so in the most refined and demure fashion possible under those circumstances, which is to say, she spent a good few seconds coughing and spluttering before she could possibly reply.

"Right *cough*, just a *ack* just a dream ?"

[Deadly]

Gabriel nodded, his concentration consumed with the little daily checklist. Armor, snugly buckled on. Spare clips of .308s tucked into the little strap pockets. He lovingly eased the bolt back, and slid it into place again. "We'll look for a store, then, while we're in town."

Blue nodded and checked her blades absently. "So, who would be the obvious choice to talk to?" she asked, as much to herself. "Or perhaps we should look around first and get a better picture of who's who in town."

[Balmas]

"Well, we've already talked to the Weirdo, and figured out his win condition," commented Gabriel. "I'd think that Mr. Big is the next logical step." He slung his rifle across his back and dug for a cola. 'Then again, we could probably find a store somewhere as we look for him."

[Tiki Snakes]

Rosemary, sipping on a bottle of Sparkle Cola, barely stopped herself from spitting the whole thing out. Of course, she managed to do so in the most refined and demure fashion possible under those circumstances, which is to say, she spent a good few seconds coughing and spluttering before she could possibly reply.

"Right *cough*, just a *ack* just a dream ?"

"Haha, yeah. I mean, it felt real good just to let it out, say what I thought even if it was just a dream." Trees chirped woozily, her mane looking like it had been styled by explosive charge or by dragging the pony it was attached to backwards through a hedge.

"Seriously though? If I have to sit through another night of that guy plinky-plonking away on that weedy little...plinky plonky thing of his..."

[BlasTech]

"Ah ... piano, I think." Replied Rosemary, giving her chest a thump to quiet the last effects of the cola. She breathed in and out twice, just to make sure everything down there had settled, before continuing.

"And if that was you dreaming, you were certainly doing it quite loudly." she finished. "Woke me up early, in fact."

[the_druid_droid]

"Clarity? Magic Death Spear? Somepony, hello?" Lavender continued around the casino, looking for someone she recognized or a friendly guard to point her to breakfast, or at least tell her what it would cost in this place.

[Tiki Snakes]

"A Piano?" Trees laughs giddily. "That piddly little wooden thing?"

"Just because I'm from a Stable doesn't mean I'll believe any old wheeze you know."

"It looks nothing like a Piano! I mean, it's absolutely minute, it has so few controls and no gears or valves at all! I'm not even sure it had a power source!" She giggles at the absurdity of the claim. "I guess it has some keys, so if you wanted your foal to grow up to be a Licensed Pianist, it might help them understand the most rudimentary principles? But it'd never be able to prepare them for the real thing, they'd only end up hurting themselves when they tried."

"Mare, it's been absolutely ages since I heard them fire up the Grand Piano. I was going to sit the test to learn to operate it myself you know? Till the filly ahead of me botched her scales..." Trees said wistfully. "I'd never seen third degree scalds before. Didn't have the nerve after that."

"...What do you mean, I woke you up?" Trees shook herself out of her reverie. Her face turned a paler shade of orange as she locked eyes with Rosemary.

[BlasTech]

Rosemary had to give herself her own little shake to bring her attention back to Trees' question. Till then, her expression had been that of slight disbelief as the earth pony described the steam powered, mad science piano of doom, death and possibly too-loud music.

"... oh! Just that I wasn't able to sleep through the yelling?"

[Thanqol]

"Well, we've already talked to the Weirdo, and figured out his win condition," commented Gabriel. "I'd think that Mr. Big is the next logical step." He slung his rifle across his back and dug for a cola. 'Then again, we could probably find a store somewhere as we look for him."

The town started to come into motion around daybreak. If they were looking for Mister Big, he had a hurriedly constructed house near the base of the statue of himself.


"Clarity? Magic Death Spear? Somepony, hello?" Lavender continued around the casino, looking for someone she recognized or a friendly guard to point her to breakfast, or at least tell her what it would cost in this place.

"Hello, mistress!" said a Lyrabot, approaching. The guards were also around everywhere. "Good morning! Your breakfast is ready; a little make do, I'm afraid, but we're running a little low on some of our stocks."

She was lead to a room that had pancakes - though not ice cream, unfortunately.

[Deadly]

"Well, we've already talked to the Weirdo, and figured out his win condition," commented Gabriel. "I'd think that Mr. Big is the next logical step." He slung his rifle across his back and dug for a cola. 'Then again, we could probably find a store somewhere as we look for him."

"I'm sure we'll come by a store or two along the way. It's not that important." Blue shrugged and jumped off her cloud. "Mister Big it is. Might as well talk to him as anypony else. Should we go get the princess first, though? I'm not sure I like leaving her up there all on her own, and she might want to get out and help too."

[Balmas]

Gabriel nodded, angling down towards the casino.

Breezing past the guards, he pulled aside a Lyrabot and asked, "Could you tell us where the Princess is, please?"

[Tiki Snakes]

Rosemary had to give herself her own little shake to bring her attention back to Trees' question. Till then, her expression had been that of slight disbelief as the earth pony described the steam powered, mad science piano of doom, death and possibly too-loud music.

"... oh! Just that I wasn't able to sleep through the yelling?"

"...Oh. I wasn't dreaming, was I?" Trees asked flatly, thoughtfully.

She was quiet for a moment.
"Yeah, I'm stupid. I'm also right though, screw that guy."

Trees unfurled herself and set about securing her piles of scrapyard junk about her person.
"You still going to hold me to not telling White Noise anything about the Spear and why it's such a problem?" she asked evenly.

[BlasTech]

"...Oh. I wasn't dreaming, was I?" Trees asked flatly, thoughtfully.

She was quiet for a moment.
"Yeah, I'm stupid. I'm also right though, screw that guy."

Trees unfurled herself and set about securing her piles of scrapyard junk about her person.
"You still going to hold me to not telling White Noise anything about the Spear and why it's such a problem?" she asked evenly.

"You were quite loud. I think I woke up somewhere around the words 'Nopony Cares'" added Rosemary. "If it's any consolation, there was nothing you said that I didn't agree with."

"And as for Commander White Noise ..." Rosemary paused, her face telgraphing an internal struggle. "... I don't know."

"I've told you what I think, and I've told you what I know about the politics involved. I just don't trust her but, admittedly, I don't think I'd trust anypony from the Enclave."

"Maybe it'll work out fine. Maybe it won't. I'd prefer if we can get the supplies out of her without talking about the specifics. But I won't bind you to it."

[Tiki Snakes]

"Supplies?" Trees blinked.

"Rosemary, what do you think we're asking White Noise for?"

[BlasTech]

"An un-pony amount of explosives?" replied Rosemary. "Those are supplies, are they not?"

[Tiki Snakes]

"If that's what we can get, then that's what we'll work with." Trees shrugged a little uncomfortably.

"But that's not our best case scenario. Well, not mine at least." She paced away from Rosemary to look towards the mountaintop lair in question. "I wanna make sure we're on the same page on this."

"Plan A is to have Commander White Noise and her squad hit the Casino personally, strike that sucka like the hoof of an angry god. Take the whole rotten apple out with extreme prejudice. It's the only way to be sure."

She looked over her shoulder, a twinkle in her eye.

"All on request from the ranking HREC officer in the area and on behalf of the Crystal Empire, of course." She sighed, then continued a little more downbeat. "That last bit is a real tough sell if I've got to present the whole thing as a personal favour though. I've not got a great way with words."