>>27623314
You take Misty's rather wise advice and put your muffs on, her doing the same with hers. You walk to the window on the side of the laser to get a better view, but before you get a chance to say anything, she pushes the button on the back of the machine. The pole the crystal inside is stuck on starts to rotate at increasingly high speeds as you notice little sparks flying off of it. You get a little closer to the glass, looking upon it with childlike curiosity. That is, until the crystal suddenly and loudly shoots a torrential blast of fire out of it, sending it straight towards the end of the ice tunnel. You yelp and stagger back in surprise, falling on your flank painfully as misty giggles at you from the back of the machine. You watch in amazement at how easily the ice is dissolved by the machine.
The laser eventually stops after about 30 seconds, the tunnel now about a 4 meters longer than before. Misty walks over to you, trying and failing to hide her smile.
>Heh, you get a little surprised there?

>>27623322
That's crazy! You must pretty well learned so make such stuff. You had to have had help with some things. A mare as nice as you surely has friends.

Check her buttmark. Ours too.

>>27623375
“Just, I mean, wow! How in the world did you learn to make this? I refuse to believe such a nice and resourceful mare has no friends.”
>Aww, geez. Thanks. Well, I've been fiddling with machines and whatnot since I was a filly, so I guess I just have a knack for things. I mean, it is my special talent, after all.
You look over to her cutiemark, something you've obliviously turned a blind eye to since now. One pink bolt and one blue nut beside each other.
>Just like how you might be the luckiest stallion alive, considering yours!
You take a look to your flank, something you haven't much needed to do at all until now. A golden horseshoe with a four-leaf clover inside of it. Can't hit it any closer to the truth than that.
“Huh. Never really noticed that.”
>Maybe you're just that oblivious.
“Rude.”
>Oh, and I never really make an effort to go out and make friends. I don't work well with most ponies... I suppose you're an exception to that, though. Congrats!

>>27623322
Nice. Any other cool toys you can show me?

>>27623557
How in the world can luck be a talent anyways? Do you have any dice? I wanna test it later.

>>27623690
We should try a hand at gambling for money later. Also, what currency do they use?

>>27623706
>>27623690
>>27623568
“That's awesome. What else have you made, besides this? Any other cool weapons of mass destruction to show me?”
>Pfff, I don't need to massively destroy anything. Yet. I just wanna do my own thing, you know?
“So that's a no?”
>Yes, that is a no.
“Aww. Anyway, do you have any dice? If I'm really as lucky as I think, I want to test this later. See how luck can be a talent in the first place.”
>It is quite an odd cutiemark to have, I must admit. Maybe even something you can exploit, say... gambling for bits?
“That's a really good idea, actually. Not exactly the most morally good thing to do, but hey, none of us are angels.
>Far from it. Anyway, get off your butt and come with me, gotta see what we found!
You lift yourself off the ground, walking further into the tunnel with Misty. She stops and examines the ground before picking a blue crystal up and shaking it, making it shine and shimmer a soft blue colour.
>Another common one, nothing to get excited about.
She puts it in her coat pocket and keeps walking to the end of the tunnel before both of you reach it. Misty stops in her tracks.
>Shhhh! can you hear that?
You listen in as close. You can hear the sound of something akin to wind chimes on the other side of the wall. A strange, shimmering sound.
>...What in the world? I've never heard that before.
Oh. Great. The pony that knows everything about this glacier found something she's never heard before. This can either be really good or really bad.

>>27623924
I think we should stray away from it for now. Maybe it will go away? In anycase, we should bring some gear if we want to prepare for anything.

>>27623924
Should we be worried? Some kind of magic maybe?

>>27624013
>>27624029
“Should we be worried? I mean, it might be some powerful kind of magic that we aren't prepared to handle.”
>You think it might be dangerous?
“I think anything can be behind this wall of ice. So we should probably get some proper gear or something, just so we're a little more prepared for anything we find.”
>Yeah, you're right. I'm just not used to new things happening. Ever. You have no idea how much of a strange day this has been for me.
“I can only imagine. Having a nearly dead stallion getting dumped on your doorstep and now this? Must be odd. And you say you don't get out much, so that probably doesn't help either.”
>Definitely not! Anyway, we should leave this for now. It's most likely getting dark out, so maybe we should try to sleep? The junkyard is pretty dangerous at night, Icebowl even more so.

>>27624180
Yeah. Let's settle in. Hang out in her living room area for a little while. Ask for a drink and take turns rolling dice and just talk some more.

It's really noble of you to do that, yaknow? Bury them. You don't have to and it can't be easy for you to do. I mean, it must be the norm by now but still... Oh yeah, when you saved me I heard another voice. Who was that?

>>27624180
Ya, let's hit the hay.

>>27624271
>>27624269
“Yeah, we can go ahead and hit the hay. I know I need it. And tomorrow we can hang out and test the whole dice theory, because I'm actually pretty interested to see how that works out. ”
>Sounds like a plan! You're not the only one who needs some sleep around here.
That was one thing that was definitely true. She must get tired a lot, with all of the work she does around here. Walking away from the mysterious wall, it's secrets to be discovered another day, the two of you begin to walk back to the house. Something's been burning inside you to say for a while, though. You hate to bring it up, but you feel like you just need to get it out of the way.
“Hey Misty?”
>Hmm?
“It was really noble of you to do what you did. It couldn't have been easy to do. I know it's probably something you're used to by now, but I-”
>Chance, don't worry about it. It's not something I wish to dwell over anymore. These things happen, and ponies live through it. I mean, I appreciate that you feel that way. I really do. But... I would just rather not bring it up again. I really hope you understand.
“Uhh, yeah, of course. Sorry.”
>It's okay, it's okay.
A thick layer of silence comes between you for a moment before you ask her another question.
“I think I heard another voice when you saved me. do you know anything about that?”
>Of course no one was with me. Maybe you really did hit your head hard. I talk to myself a lot, maybe somehow that translated to a whole different voice for you.

>>27624500
I think she's lying about that part., but let's not mention that for now.

Are there any books in the guest room we can read before we sleep?

>>27624500
Just reread first post. Whoops. Definitely her talking to herself. Nevermind that.

Let's... let's just go to sleep.

>>27624536
“Alright, alright.”
You trust this mare a lot, but she was very defensive about that answer. But maybe she really was talking to herself. Who knows what you'd been through that you can't remember.
The pair eventually reach the vault door. Misty closes the loudest door on the planet once more and you're filled with relief. Not only because you don't have to suffer through that anymore for now, but it was much warmer in here, and you liked that. You've come to appreciate heat's warm embrace ever since you nearly died from a lack of said heat. Misty heads into her room, and you're about to head into yours before you remember something.
“Hey Misty, you wouldn't have any books in the guest room that I can read before I go to bed, do you?”
>Books? I might, actually. I mean, most of mine are boring mechanic manuals and whatnot, but I might have some fiction in there. Check the closet!
“Alright, thanks for everything. See you in the morning.”
>Yup!
You trot into the rather small guest room, closing the door behind you. It's the first time you've been somewhat alone since this whole thing started. You step over to the closet, opening it and looking to the bottom. There's nothing but an old broken toothpick and a small, unmarked leather-bound book. Strange.

>>27624750
Welp, better than nothing.

>>27624838
Indeed. Indulge in the knowledge that is in written form.

>>27624838
>>27624866

Strange indeed, but better than nothing. You pick up the book, close the closet and lay on the bed. Looking the book over, you see that there was in fact a mark on the book, it was just laying face-down in the closet. Scribbled on the front were the words “Relics of Delestra”. With nothing but time to spare, you go ahead and open the book.
“Relics are strange and unusual objects that seem to be not of this world, and give anomalous and supernatural abilities to those around them. Most effects usually have to do with travelling through time and space itself, and some give unusual powers to those who wear or use it. Most relics in or around Delestra have been discovered, destroyed, or otherwise. However, there are, as of the time of this books' publishing, only three that have been observed but not captured. Information is extremely limited.
The Stone: An item that is said to transport the user to the past.
The Ring: An item that is said to transport the user to the future.
The Snow Globe: An item that has been reported to send whoever uses it to another plane of existence entirely.
Note on The Snow Globe: This item has been used before, however containment of it was unsuccessful. When it was touched, the stallion who touched it was teleported to a place in which he did not return from for three minutes. Once the stallion came back, the object disappeared. He was acting completely hysterical, the only thing he was able to say was to claim that a being in the world he went to “forced him to think of a new colour”. The concept alone completely destroyed his sanity, which left him in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.”

...You close the book.

>>27625073
Ooookay... that's odd. The first two seem cool though.

>>27625073
Oooh. Well I guess we'll need these to learn about or past and stuff.

>>27625214
>>27625279
Hoping that you'll be lucky enough to not come across that globe in your travels, you decide you'll keep the book in the back of your mind and try to go to sleep. You nestle under the warm & comfy fur blanket and try not to think about the stuff you just read.
Morning comes, and you feel terrible. Turns out reading a book like that before bed is not the best for sleep. At all. You feel like a garbage bag that was just recently set on fire and then stomped on. You get up on your hooves sluggishly and open the door to see Misty happily making some soup, humming a tune you don't recognise. She turns around, sees you standing there, and smiles widely.
>Good mornin', Chance! I made soup!

>>27625374
Good Mornin' to you too. Got a set of cards? I wanna talk over a few games of Blackjack. And see just how much my luck is tilted in my favor.

>>27625374
I feel horrible.

>>27625417
Don't worry anon, she has her amazing soup to save us.

It's funny how we're the only two players. Both with opposite viewpoints on how to solve a problem.

>>27625437
It is funny. But I'm sure that we can overcome our difference in opinion and work together to create a memorable and enjoyable character and experience.

Or something like that.

>>27625392
>>27625417
“Not a very good morning, actually. I feel like death.”
>Oh? Why is that?
“Some weird book I found about relics.”
>Oooh, that's a good one. Very interesting, but it does keep you up at night.
“No way. I would've never guessed.”
>Oh, don't be such a wuss.
“I was nearly frozen yesterday.”
>Suuure.
“Ugh. so-”
>Have some soup, it'll make you feel better, I promise. There's some on the counter.
Sure enough, a steaming bowl of that amber-coloured goodness was sitting patiently on the counter, beckoning for you. You walk over to it and slowly start drinking it before it's completely finished. It tasted as good as it did the first time, revitalizing you fully once again. What a wonderful soup this mare has made.
You felt quite a lot less like dying now.
“Mmmm...”
>Better?
“Better.”
>Perfect.
“So, I was going to ask you something rudely interrupted by your delicious soup.”
>Well, I'm sorry you like it so much. Shoot, though.
“Do you have a deck of cards? I want to try to play a game to test just how well the odds are in my favor.”
>Well, I don't have any cards, but I have two dice I scavenged from the casino once. Will that work?

>>27625556
Ya. First, let's test our abilities on getting doubles. Then after that, specific doubles. Then we should do random combinations of specific number pairs. So we can see our % chance vs the mahematical % chance.

>>27625556
That'll do. Wait a sec, you've scavenged a casio before? Where?

>>27625582
>>27625586
“Yeah, that sounds like a- wait, what do you mean by “scavenged a casino”? Where was that?”
>Here in Icebowl. Trust me, It'll make a lot more sense once we're out there. Anyway, did you have anything in mind?
“Well, I thought It'd be simple enough to try to get doubles first. Then we can work our way up to more specific odds.”
>Sounds like a plan. Just let me grab some water first.
You go out to the living room and wait for a while on the couch. It was an oldie, looked like it hadn't been sat on in years. Misty eventually comes out with a glass of water and a pair of dice and sits on the other end of the table with a drink in hoof.
>So, ready?
“Yup. Let's see just how lucky I am.”
You take the dice in a small cup and shake them around in it before letting them spill out onto the table. A 5 and a 3. Not a good start.
>Huh. Try again?
You do just that, trying once again for double numbers, only to get a 2 and a 5.
“This doesn't seem promising.”
>Be patient, maybe it only works after a while.
A “while” passes, only to come up with negative results. Out of the 15 times you tried, only 3 times did you get doubles. You just sit on the couch, looking intently at the pair of dice in your hoof.
>Well... That's not too bad?
“Yeah, but these aren't odds worth gambling with. I'm kinda losing my patience here.”
You take your cup and accidentally shake it too much, causing both die to fly out. You're about to curse yourself before you notice that both of them landed
The two of you look at the sight in front of you. Both die bounced off of the table and somehow landed in Misty's glass of water.
>Uhhh-erm-well, that's pretty lucky, I guess...

>>27625772
Maybe our ability doesn't work with greed or things related to that. Maybe it's more of a thing that kicks in when we NEED it.

But hey, a 20% chance is and improvement to what should have been a 16% chance. Maybe the more we use it, the stronger it can get too.

>>27625812
I wouldn't expect a passive ability to increase like that but one can hope. I think it's just fickle in how it comes into play.

>>27625812
“I guess. Maybe it's situational luck? Maybe it just doesn't work with things that are related to greed. I guess we haven't really been anywhere to test that though.”
>Maybe if we left the house? There's lots of opportunities for luck to benefit us out in town than in a house in a glacier. Besides, we still need to get some stuff to prepare for whatever's behind that wall of ice. Which, by the way, has been bugging me all night long.
“Curious?”
>More than ever. I've never heard anything like it! Who knows what treasures there are to find!
“I guess.”
>And I already offered to show you around town, so why not? Unless you've got things you wanna do first, of course.
She looks really anxious. Maybe she's been stuck in a routine for too long, because she looks pretty excited.

>>27625937
I don't have any other plans. Let's go.

>>27625937
You look nervous. How about we go check out the junkyard of yours first? I can help you find some lucky good finds... hopefully.

>>27625978
>>27625992
“I don't have any plans, but you look really nervous. You alright?”
>Yeah! I just wanna show you around! There's lots of cool things to be seen around here. I mean, there's lots of strange things too, but I love to explore around for stuff. There's always something new, and I've been here for years.
“Well, lets go then. Hopefully, with my luck on our side, we can find something good.”
>Finally! Lets go!
She almost jumps out of her seat and rushes towards the door. You can barely keep up with her, as she can barely withhold her enthusiasm. You get out to the main hallway and turn right.
>I really, really think you'll like this place. You gotta be quick on your hooves, though. It isn't too dangerous, but keep a lookout for bad ponies n' such. Ponies shouldn't give us too much trouble, just stay out of their business and they'll stay out of ours. You know, lets just try to get to a store as quickly as possible. Oh, we're here!
The end of the tunnel is completely void of light until you hear the sound of metal scraping against something. Dim light shines into the hallway as you walk out into what looks like an abandoned, wooden shack, with nothing but a dirty window and the front door to it's name. The entire place was slightly tilted, making walking around sort of awkward. You turn around and see Misty covering up the hole you came through with a huge metal fridge that covered it completely. Even though she didn't look too strong, she could certainly lift a lot. She sighs and looks at you.
>Not quite the most well-hidden secret, but most of the ponies around here don't have enough up in here-
She motions a hoof to her head.
>-to figure it out.

>>27626163
Woah, woah! I'll keep it a secret. Mouth shut.

Also. At the mention of bad ponies... does that mean we can fancy ourselves into a rogue now? It fits with the whole luck theme.

>>27626205
Possibly.

>>27626205
>>27626230
[1/2]

“I'll keep it a secret, don't worry.”
>No, you don't worry. I trust you enough.
“Alright, good... you wouldn't happen to know where we can find some light armor, shortswords or the like? Maybe it's about my past life, but something about that way of living is just oddly appealing to me.”
>We might find something. But I wouldn't get my hopes too far up. Remember that we're practically unarmed right now. I mean, besides our hooves.
“Yeah, yeah, of course.”
She walks over to the door and puts her hoof on the handle. She sighs, and looks back at you with a smile.
>Ready to head out? It's a brave new world out there.
“Yeah, I think so.”
>Good. Welcome to my world.

>>27626489
She opens the door, and you walk out into the light.
You now stand on a gigantic pile of garbage. Looking out, an entire city's worth of garbage, destroyed buildings, toppled skyscrapers and wrecked vehicles, all piled on top of each other. It was as if you stepped out onto the site of a megacity a few years after a nuclear war, only the entire place was surrounded by a towering wall of ice on 3 sides, the fourth being nothing but ocean as far as the eye can see. In front of you, far away, three chasms can be seen. 2 of the side ones full of houses crammed into it, the one in the middle leading forth for an unknown amount of time. Was that the exit? Surely the garbage and debris would make trying to land via ocean impossible. Regardless, it was a truly apocalyptic sight. Buildings and support beams towering above you everywhere you look. Even though ponies had obviously tried to make the place habitable with burning barrels and whatnot, you felt... small. Out of place.
>This is the junkyard that is Icebowl. They used to have it built on the top of the chasm with only supports below. Then the great collapse happened. I don't think I need to tell you what that was. It was all before my time, though...
Before you a destroyed city street lay dormant, with no vehicles to be seen, giving you an option to go right, further to the ocean, or left, further and deeper into the city.

>>27626498
Honestly never expected a wasteland theme. Caught me off guard. I like it though.

Ya, we need our gear asap. I'm pretty sure raiders and bandits are a thing.

>>27626498
I'm not sure about that rouge thing anymore.

Show me the sights of your lovely city, Misty.

>>27626698
I think we'll need it. If it's a collapsed society that's rebuilding, there will be a degree of anarchy. That means gangs, bandits, and thieves.

>>27626762
I get you but the setting is making me think guns.

>>27626796
Ah. Why not be a rogue dual-wielding some cystal powered laser guns then?

>>27626805
Now you have me.

Unrelated, but I keep imagining Chance's mane as long and, at the moment, unkept. Similar to Fruity Flanks.

>>27626534
>>27626698
>So, what do ya think?
“Not what I was expecting. At all.”
>Is that a bad thing?
“Nope! But we gotta get some gear soon.”
>Yeah, yeah, I know, follow me.
“Lead the way through this lovely city, Misty.”
>Heh, “lovely”. Sure, Chance.
She leads you off to the right side, closest to the ocean. Walking through the decrepit streets gave you quite a strange feeling. A strange, new feeling. A feeling of utter insignificance. You weren't sure if you liked this feeling or not. As the two of you walked, You heard some sounds of a fight round a corner, so you stayed hidden. Peaking out from around a traffic barrier you see a malnourished and skinny looking stallion with grey fur and a long unkept mane sloppily painted in different colours that all kind of blend into a brownish mess. It also looked like he had an... eye patch? The building itself looked like a sort of bar or restaurant. There was a large pink neon “Will's!” sign above the door. The stallion is laying on the ground, getting yelled at by somepony inside the building.
>Are you takin' the fucking piss, little Philip?
>What?!
>Are you fucking joking, you wouldn't open the fucking door, ya cunt! If the boys were here I'd paint the fucking ground with your head!
A stallion inside confronts the one yelling at him.
>Will, just please stop swearing and get inside.
>Gladly!
The door slams, leaving the stallion outside. He just lays there, motionless.
You turn to Misty and whisper at her.
“Is this the bar you were talking about?”
>No, I thought this one was abandoned... What should we do about him though?
She gestures a hoof towards the stallion on the road.

>>27626851
I imagine him like Han Solo now. Leather armor, dual blaster, good sense of humor, has luck on his side.

>>27626864
We should probably help him get in a better state. Maybe just tuck him somewhere safe to wake up with some food and water by his side since Misty's home has to be kept a secret.

>>27626864
I think we should try and help him. See if he's ok.

>>27626899
>>27626978
“Let's help him. We need somewhere to take him, though...”
>You sure?
“Yeah. He might need medical attention. In which case, I can't help with. Can you?”
>I-I mean, nothing severe, but I can try...
“Let's go then.”
The pair walk over to the stallion, with a little caution kept in mind. You weren't sure what to expect, though. You didn't know what to expect out of any of this. You get about a meter away from him.
“Hey, you alright?”
The stallion sluggishly gets up and you both step back on instinct. He turns toward you with an unimpressed look on his face.
>Oh, just cut the shit and kill me alre-
He pauses.
>Oh. You're new. Whatever.
“Uhh, we were just going to ask if you were okay.”
He gets really close to you and looks you straight in the eyes. You look back into his red & bloodshot eye.
>Do I look like I'm okay?
“Sorry, I really can't tell. Wanna get closer?”
Misty steps in and pushes him away.
>Back off from him.
>What're you? His marefriend?
>No, but I'm certainly not comfortable with you being so close to him.
>...Ugh. I apologize, but if you can't tell I feel a whole lot like rubbish right now.
>That's no excuse. Now what in the world was going on just now?
He shifts uneasily.
>Will kicked me out. I am- well, was, one of the three leaders of this part of the city. But I made one too many mistakes, I guess. And I know Pete's gonna be pissed at Will. But I also know Will doesn't care. As for me, I'm not one for the damn beheadings and the ear-bleedingly loud music. Guess those are key qualifications. Why do you lot care, anyway?

>>27627110
Let's help carry him to some bed or something. We can't really help him out with his situation unless we wanna get beat up.

>>27627110
Just trying to show some compassion. Guessing that's a rare commodity here.

>>27627132
>>27627140
“I guess we're just trying to be compassionate towards your situation. Guess that doesn't happen much, huh?”
>Of course not. We're in the deepest hellhole in the world.
“Can you walk fine?”
>I'm fine, I jus-
His nose starts to bleed, he takes his hoof and wipes it away nonchalantly.
>I'm fine. I just need to get back home.
“We can walk you there, if you like. We- well I may be new to this, but you figure out pretty quick that this is no place to travel alone.”
>You know what?
He pauses, and starts to think for a second before sighing.
>Fuck it. There's nothin' worse that can happen today.
“Not if luck's on your side.”
>Yeah, sure bud.
The trio of you begin to walk down the street once more, through the shadows of the skyscrapers looming above. You go through many twists and turns before making it to a small staircase that leads underground to what must have been the subways. You reach a gated off area with a torn up sleeping bag and a barrel fire. Some discarded candy bar wrappers lay beside the sleeping bag. Beyond the gate is nothing but darkness.
>Welcome to my mansion. It's a bag on the floor. Thank you and goodnight.
He plops down on the sleeping bag and turns away from you and Misty. Not saying a single word after.

>>27627259
Give Misty an unsure glance.

>>27627259
The deed has been done. Let's continue onward with Misty's tour. Hopefully she chose a safe route for us to keep following.

Keep an eye out for anything that can be used for gear, or some lucky find for Misty.

>>27627301
>>27627316
You glance at misty, unsure of what to do. She looks towards him with a hint of sadness in her eyes before shaking her head and walking away. You look once more at Philip before following her. You emerge out of the subway and back into the debris-infested streets.
>Hey Chance?
“Yeah, Misty?”
>Did we do the right thing?
“...I don't know, Misty. Part of me wishes he wanted to be helped more, but we did all we could.”
>I know, it just leaves this pit in my stomach.
“I get that. But we need to keep moving.”
She sighs, and straightens her face.
>Yeah. Let's go.
And go you did. Through the streets you go again until you find another subway entrance, this time with some words on the wall next to it that's written with spray paint in big, red lettering.
“THEY COME FROM BELOW”
An arrow points down into the subway. Lovely. Not creepy at all.
The two of you continue walking borderline uninterrupted for about 30 minutes before you reach a dead-end in the road. Blocked off by a toppled building.
>Oh no... where do we go now?
You look around for a while before seeing a staircase made out of slapped together wood, leading onto an overpass above. There's also a dark alleyway off to the side, but you have nothing to use as a light source. You get the feeling that you came here unprepared. However, you could probably search one of the many destroyed shops around your area.
>Chance? What do you think?

>>27627465
The staircase sounds like the better route. We should get a weapon before going into a dark alley.

Acquire a large piece of metal as a club for the meantime.

>>27627550
“I think we should probably head up to the overpass. But first...”
You walk over to the toppled building, looking around for something to use as a makeshift weapon. You come across a bent piece of rebar sticking out of the ground. You call misty over, and both of you buck at it with your hind legs, snapping it. You got a piece of rebar roughly half the length of your body, Holding it in your teeth.
>That will have to work for now, until we get some real weapons. Are you sure you're ready for this, Chance? I don't want to make you think you have to kill ponies, and I know it's hard the first time you have to do it.
The thought never really occurred to you until just then. You're gonna have to use this at some point, and it's not gonna be pretty. Depending on your past that you can't even remember, you might have killed nopony up to this point at all...

>>27627465
You're the expert. I'm the possibly insane stallion.

>>27627683
I try not to let death get to me. After all, I escaped it once. If anyone attacks us, we'll just knock 'em out and loot them for valuables.

I'd rather avoid conflict though. Since I'm with you, my impact on the people here will impact your safety. I want you to be safe.

>>27627683
That... that sounds like it implies you've...

I only want to defend myself. I won't kill unless I must.

>>27627705
>>27627728
Wait. She knows it's hard?
“The first time you've... I mean, I-”
You can't get the words out. It just doesn't happen.
She sighs heavily, looking at the ground.
>None of us are angels, Chance. It's a wicked life. But I had to. And depending on how things work out, I may have to do it again.
“I won't do it unless I have to. I just want to defend myself and you. I want to avoid conflict-”
>I know, and I want to as well, but things just don't work out that way sometimes.
“I just want us to be safe. I want you to be safe.”
Her voice starts to shake.
>You... are a very nice stallion, Chance. Too nice for this. You honestly deserve better.
Misty clears her throat, eliminating all alterations of her voice.
>I can handle myself, you worry about you. And don't do it if you don't have to.
Things remain silent for a while.
“Yeah. Lets go.”
The two of you ascend the staircase, up to the overpass. From here, you can see the edge of where the city stops and the ocean begins. There's a lighthouse in the distance.
“So where do we go from here? Where to?”
>We follow this overpass until we find something, I guess.
You look up at the sky. It's getting sort of far into the evening.
The pair continue to walk, keeping an eye out for any potential danger until you reach a point where two buildings collided, but not collapsed over the road, creating a sort of arch over it. It looks like there's a way you can climb up to it, but you can also easily jump onto one of the buildings below you.

>>27627925
Jumping down is safer than climbing. Unless the ground below is unstable.

That pone deserves a hug sooner or later. Though, now won't be the best moment for it.

>>27628000
Deciding that down is probably safer than up, you decide that jumping down might be better.
“Hey, it might be better to jump on one of the rooftops from here. It's a less travelled route, and it may be safer.”
>You sure?
“Yeah, let's go.”
You get over to the edge of the road, looking down onto the rooftops below.
“We can make that, easy.”
Just to be safe, you throw the rebar stick down first. It lands safely on the roof.
Your turn.
“Alright, here I go.”
Taking a deep breath, you're about to jump when an unfamiliar and shrill male voice echoes from the buildings above the overpass.
>Where do you think you're going?!
You freeze, swinging your head to where the noise came from.
>Yeah, you! You two!
>Ch-Chance...
>Where the fuck do you think you're going?! Don't you know how to properly treat a guest?
Before you have a chance to open your mouth, something emerges from the shadows.
It's a stallion wearing a cracked porcelain doll mask. It's also a unicorn by the looks of it. The only way you were able to see that is because of the rather large chainsaw it's carrying with it's magic. A chainsaw that he just turned on.
>Looks like we got a couple of earthers here! How fucking terrifying. The new reeks off of you like garbage.
Why haven't you jumped yet.
>Chance, we need to go. Now.
Snapping out of whatever trance you were in, you quickly jump, Misty following. You hit the ground hard, but that doesn't stop you. You need to go. Now.
>Aww, leaving so soon are ya?! You'll see me again, real soon! That's a promise!
Misty lands beside you, grunting a little bit out of pain. You pick up the rebar and get misty back on her hooves. Before long you're both jumping across the rooftops. It didn't matter where, just away.
The two of you reach a roof entrance to some shop somewhere, and enter it instantly, the both of you sitting quietly in a dark stairwell.

>>27628226
We should set up an ambush for the unicorn. He relies on his magic and his horn to survive.

The rebar club will be used to block the chainsaw, and it will wreck its chains the the process most likely. Misty can then bop him in the horn while his chainsaw is pointed at us.

Ignore the poster count. It's just me on another PC.

>>27628226
Catch breath. He seemed nice. Are there more like that guy here?

Enough wandering. I want to go back to Echo Base or an established shop or someplace with a semblance of order and ponies who aren't psychos.

>>27628226
WTF WAS THAT!

>>27628404
Oooh, did we get a 3rd player?

>>27628274
>>27628309
>>27628404
“What the hell was that?”
>Crazy ponies. Duh.
You catch your breath as much as you can. This is crazy. This is absolutely insane.
“Well wasn't he just a bucket full of sunshine. I'm guessing there's more like him?”
>Probably. The rest of the world just dumps it's waste into here, so who knows what they could have.
“I'm not sure if I want to be here anymore. Your house, a place without psycho ponies, any kind of order. Anywhere but here.”
>I know, Chance, but. This is all we've got. This is it. Unless you want to try to get past the security fence at the exit, then you can try. But that thing's kept us here for forever. Kept everything here. The entire world has it's own little apocalypse, and they do nothing but fill it with waste.
Her voice starts to crack.
>Don't you realize I wanna get out of here too? I'm tired of living in constant fear! I want out of this hellhole!
She... she's crying. For the first time since you've met her.
You didn't mean to upset her. And you hope she knows that. You realize now that she's had to live with this for longer than you probably ever could handle.
>I-I'm sorry, I just can't...do this anymore. I tried to stay strong f-for you, but I can't.

>>27628431
Hugs.

>>27628431
Give her a hug while staying on guard. We have to set up that ambush I planned soon. I imagine he's going to chase after us like prey and slowly wear us down.

If we run to our hideout now, we'll be giving it away to the raider.

>>27628431
No, no, no. I'm not giving up on you. We'll make it, together. You're all I have right now and I'm not letting you go that easily.

>>27628463
>>27628466
>>27628517
You set the rebar down and embrace her in a strong hug. She seems a tiny bit shocked at first, but gladly accepts it, hugging you even more than you are to her.
“Misty. I will not give up on you. We'll make it through this together. You're the only pony in my life that matters right now, and I will not let you go.”
You feel the dampness of teardrops falling onto your shoulders. She's breathing very irregularly right now.
“Shhh... it's alright misty. I'm here. I always will be.”
You lay on the stairwell, leaning against the door for who knows how long. She eventually calms down. She doesn't dare let go just yet, though.
>Ch-Chance?
“Yeah?”
>Thank you so much.
“You are so welcome...”
She sniffles a little bit, rubbing her eyes.
>I-I think he's gone. We could probably go through this shop down back onto the ground.

>>27628590
Let's leave then and get back home. But check our surroundings at random times just to make sure we aren't being stalked. The last thing we need is someone finding out where Misty lives and having her home/life ruined.

We REALLY need some gear though.

>>27628627
Weren't we looking for supplies for whatever is in the mine? Kinda a wasted trip if we turn back now.

>>27628707
True, but Misty isn't really in a good state at the moment. If we stay too long, she might end up slowing us down and we'll both get hurt.

But that's true. Let's still try to scavenge while going back.

>>27628739
We haven't been scavenging the entire way here. I thought we were going to a store or something.

>>27628627
“Alright. Try to be careful though. We're gonna go back home and scavenge what we can when while we do, alright?”
>Sounds good. It's getting dark anyway. And you don't wanna be out here when it gets dark. I'm fine now, though. Just needed a moment.
“I understand completely.”
The pair begin to make it down the stairwell and into the second floor of the shop. Walking down a hallway, you notice two doors on your left. You open the first one, which opens up into a bedroom. Inspecting the bedroom, you see a safe installed in the corner of the room. And, as luck would have it, it's unlocked.
You look inside and manage to find some light, leathery armor, along with a strange pistol type of weapon. The barrel is broken and cracked, but you're sure it can be fixed somehow. You have no idea how it actually works, and it has no ammunition, but that's no problem that can't be fixed.
“Hey Misty, look at this!”
You show her the armor and the pistol, smiling.
“Finally, something that will actually protect me a little.”
>Nice find! I'm sure it'll come in handy in the future.
You slip the armor on, it fitting nicely and covering just enough of your body. You still only have a piece of rebar as a weapon, but maybe there's some kind of ammo back at Misty's place.
The armor even has a holster for the pistol, and many straps and pockets for whatever things you're not using at the moment. Even though that isn't very useful right now, you're sure it will in the future.
“Looks good?”
>Beautiful.

Gotta pause for a while here because of personal reasons.
I'll be back in a half an hour to an hour.
Feedback will always be appreciated.

>>27628877
Well cya mates. i gotta sleep.

>>27628877
Check the other doors

>>27629090
“Awesome. Now for the other doors.”
You walk outside, with you leading the way for once. It felt nice to feel like you know what you were doing for once. Even if that feeling is false, it's still nice to have.
Making it to the other end of the hallway before the stairs, you see that the light underneath the door is on. You weren't aware electricity even worked in any of these houses. An attempt to open the door is made, but is unsuccessful. Realizing that it's gonna take some serious force to open it, you use your hind legs and buck the door as hard as you can, bursting it wide open.
Your sense of smell is instantly attacked as you walk into the dirty, unkempt bathroom. It's full of grime and mold. The floor is actually squishy from all the mold on it, and water is slowly dripping from the ceiling. There are spatters of blood on the bathtub, but the strangest thing in the room was the bloody kitchen knife stabbed through the shattered mirror, along with the words “TEAR IT OUT” scratched into the wall beside it.
>Chance... everything about this is telling me to get as far away from this room as possible.

>>27629184
Get the fuck out of there and proceed home

>>27629184
Agreed

>>27629252
>>27629289
“Yeah, I'm getting the hell out of here.”
And you proceed to get the hell out, then down the stairs to the front of the shop. The front window is completely broken, and most of the shop has been completely combed over. With nothing valuable left to scavenge, you exit the shop via front window, on your way to get back home.
With the night getting closer and closer, you knew you had to work as fast as you could. With about an hour worth of running, you finally made it back to Will's bar before the bells start to ring. Low toned, droning bells start to ring through the air. Discerning a source is impossible, it seems to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.
>Chance, go! Now, now!
You didn't know what would happen if you didn't run, but you sure as hell didn't want to find out. You run as fast as you can back to the shack you entered the city from. Misty enters first, you second. You both started to hear the sound of hoofsteps rushing towards your direction. Getting in the door and slamming it, you notice Misty's already moving the fridge. It's all the way moved when the door starts to get banged on multiple times, looking as if it's going to break at any time.
“We were followed!”
>Don't worry about them! Just get the Hell in!
You obey her orders, rushing inside as she shoves the fridge back into its' place, following you down the icy tunnel once more. You didn't stick around to see if they broke through or not.
Finally back at her home, you stumble in the door and plop down on floor from pure exhaustion.
You made sure Misty got the couch.
Both of you lay in silence for a while, wheezing and huffing.

>>27629358
Sleep

>>27629358
Are we sure the won't get in here?

>>27629432
“Soooo... you're sure they won't get in here?”
>Yes, of course. I've been here for a while now.
“Yeah, sorry.”
>Pfffft, it's fine.
A long silence passes before you break it. You're tired as all hell, and it's been one crazy day.
“Hey Misty...?”
>Yeah, Chance?
“I, uhh, I think I'm gonna go to bed.”
>Y-Yeah, same here.
You get up, and almost make it to your room before
>Hey Chance?
“Yeah?”
>Give me a hug, please.
You trot over to her and embrace her in yet another warm, soft hug.
>Ahhh... thank you...
“Heh, you're very welcome, Misty.”
After the hug is over, you retreat to your quarters, with no creepy dreams of snow globes to haunt your dreams.
And that's where I'm dropping off.
Keep it alive if you want, let it die if you don't. I'll be back some time this week.
Thanks a lot for the fun, and have a nice evening.

>>27629533
I dig it so far senpai, keep going

>>27629533
I can tell we won't be going out there any time soon. The raiders are probably going to stay outside and starve us out. Even if it is safe, they'll still be watching us and waiting to strike.

The only way to go is back down the tunnel. We have a gun and armor now anyways.

Totally not a bump

~

>>27632376
...Ugh...
You sit up in your bed, a slight headache invading your brain. What a wild day. Everything seems a whole lot more darker now. Being trapped between a sea and a gigantic, psycho-ridden city. It's good that you have luck on your side at least, because it's almost as if it's the only thing on your side. The first day out in that place and already you're getting attacked by crazy ponies. You can't believe Misty has had to live like this for so long.
Speaking of Misty, you open your door to find that she's not up yet. Not waking up to her happily humming and making soup is odd to you. Maybe she's still sleeping? You go to her door and knock quietly. No response.
“Hey? Misty?”
Still no response. You're probably right about the sleeping part.

>>27634468
Slowly open the door. I want to make sure she is feeling alright.

>>27634468
With what happened yesterday we should peek into to make sure she's ok.

>>27634523
>>27634527
Still, with all that happened yesterday, you should probably check on her to make sure she's feeling alright. Misty's definitely been through a lot. Between having to bury the bodies from Pitchurst on one side, and trapped in a city full of psychotic killer ponies on another side, It couldn't be easy. Let's just say you wouldn't last very long if you were in that position alone.
You open the door slowly, peeking into her room. Inside, you can see her laying on the bed with her eyes closed. She seems to be breathing, which is always a good sign. You can see a bruise or two on her body, though. Maybe that was from when you jumped off the overpass? In any case, you hope it doesn't put her in too much pain. She said you deserved better than this, but she doesn't either. Nopony should have to live through this.
You struggle with the decision to either let her sleep or wake her up. You weren't sure which she would be more upset about, the fact that you didn't let her rest, or the fact that you let her waste time sleeping when you two could be out scavenging instead. Though it isn't “wasted” if it's used for her health...

>>27634638
Let's let her wake up when she wants to. Right now, let's gear up and get ready for the day. Hopefully she won't mind us borrowing some ammo.

>>27634677
If she has any.

>>27634638
Let her sleep. Go inspect the gun and armor we found. Maybe see if we can do anything to control our long mane.

>>27634677
>>27634722
It's probably better if you just let her sleep. You know she needs it. Going back to your room and gathering your armor and gun you found yesterday, you bring them both out to the living room and lay them out on the table.
The armor, as you know from experience, is quite light. As for protection, it offers as much as reinforced leather can without it being too heavy. It looks quite old, but that fact shouldn't affect much. Even though it offers less cold protection than a coat, it's better than nothing.
The gun is another story. It's made primarily out of wood, and it seems to be a small alcove in the top, in which you assume a crystal probably goes? It also has some lettering stencilled into the barrel that reads out “Etcher”. It looks like it's completely functional besides the cracked barrel, which may be a problem. Or maybe It won't?
You're not used to the concept of guns in general, so you may have to ask misty about it when she gets up. You suit up, the armor fitting rather well, luckily enough. You could probably keep that rebar handy if need be, too. Slipping the pistol into the pocket provided, you felt like you were ready to face the day.

>>27634869
So it's a crystal powered blaster. Nice. We can ask Misty about the barrel later.

For right now, let's venture out into the wasteland. Hopefully the raiders left over night, but they may still be stalking us though.

>>27634907
Let's be super cautious and stay nearby.

>>27634869
let's make breakfast. For a proper start in the day

>>27634869
Lets see if a jacket fits over it comfortably.

>>27634907
>>27634922
>>27634938
You decide that before you head out, it'd probably be best to have some breakfast first, seeing as you haven't eaten for a while. You walk over to the pot, and look inside. As luck would have it, there's still half a pot of leftover soup inside. You look around the shelves for your bowl, and once it's found, dump it inside, making sure that there's still enough left for Misty to have when she wakes up. You look over to a jacket, and debate trying to put it on, but even if it did fit, having it over top of the protective leather would just ruin the coat if you got hit, and the armor itself seems to be made to fit snugly against the pony using it.
Finding it sort of odd to be going out on your own by yourself for once, you open the front door, looking back at Misty's door, trying to remember if there's anything you've forgotten before leaving.

>>27635057
Let's leave a note so she doesn't think we ran off on her.

Other than that, let's go. Check through the exit for noises, then open it just a crack just to make sure there is no front door ambush.

>>27635087
You think about what might happen if she wakes up and finds that you're gone. That could end really badly. Maybe she's think you ran off.
You cannot allow that to happen.
You scrounge around the house looking for a piece of something to write on, eventually finding a ripped piece of paper and a marker. You quickly scribble down:
“Misty:
I went out into the city. I thought I would let you sleep since yesterday was awful. Do not worry about me, I'll be fine. Seriously, don't stress out. I left some soup for you in the kitchen. I'll be back by sundown, I promise with all my heart.
~Chance”
Laying the paper on the table in the living room, you go ahead and make your way out of the house. After another long walk down the icy corridor, you reach the back of the broken fridge. Slowly sliding it out of the way just a crack, you see that the house is completely empty, however, the door has been completely busted off it's hinges and is now laying in the floor.

>>27635213
Peek out the windows then out the shack. Again, stay nearby and stay cautious.

>>27635213
Slip out the crack and quickly shut it as silently as possible. Sneak around and check for anything that seems out of place or unnatural to the environment.

>>27635232
>>27635236
You stay in the crack for a bit. You're about to look out one of the windows, but you see that they're far too grimy to see out of. Instead, you look out of the door. Nothing seems to be unnatural here. Taking a slight risk, you slip out of the crack as silently as you can, closing the fridge behind you. You take one step and you feel a sticky wet substance on the floor. You raise your hoof up, long strands of it staying on your hoof.
“Eugh.”
On closer inspection, almost the entire floor is completely coated with whatever it is.
No ambushes here, but you wonder what the strange stuff on the floor could be.

>>27635296
I already want to not be here. Still, let's not be a pussy and look outside.

>>27635296
Oh goodness. Don't tell me there's horrible abominations of monsters here too. Though we should push onward and scavenge more lucky finds.

That room with the wall saying "TEAR IT OUT" makes me nervous on what kind of creatures OP has planned for us.

>>27635296
Maybe we should wait until she's awake before we do something today. There is that thing behind the wall after all.

>>27635319
>>27635336
>>27635344
You already have multiple bad feelings about this, but you press on anyway. You know you can handle yourself, and you're not a complete wuss, so you begin to walk across the sticky floors while trying your best not to slip and fall. You think about possibly going back to Misty, but you might as well make this trip worth something.
You make it to the door and look outside. Oddly enough, it's raining outside, the sky completely obscured by black clouds. There's a trail of that liquid leading to the left across a road that leads deeper into the city, more into an area where there's more skyscrapers. You can hear random yelps in the far distance. You're unsure of the exact location of them, though.
Great way to be greeted.

>>27635471
travel in the opposite direction of the creature's trail. It probably chased the raiders away from us.

>>27635471
Lets stick to scavenging close for now.

>>27635471
Yeah no, let's go away from the yelps.

>>27635502
>>27635507
>>27635522
Trying not to go in the direction of the hysterical screaming and yelping, nor the trail of mysterious liquid, you head to the right. The gloomy feel of the city was only amplified by the pouring rain pounding down on you. It also made it sort of difficult to listen in on sounds in the distance.
You make it to Will's again, but something was amiss. This time the neon sign is unlit, and the front door that leads into it is slightly ajar. Not a single noise was coming from it. You look around, seeing not a single soul within the area. Did Will just up and leave?
It was odd, regardless. Perhaps there is some valuable stuff they left behind, if they did. But you wanted to remain cautious anyway. You jump as thunder roars across the sky. This weather isn't helping with the nervousness you're feeling.

>>27635656
Just search the local buildings. Nothing risky until we're with Misty. I still want to get back with enough time to check out whatever is behind the ice wall.

>>27635767
It would probably be best to just search a couple buildings and not get into anything too serious. You felt like Misty should probably be with you if you do anything with any amount of risk, and you probably should head back soon anyway.
You decide to check a building across from Will's, which seemed to be a shop of some kind named “Bits and Bobs”. Of course the front windows are completely destroyed, however the shop seems to be relatively intact. Structurally, anyway.
Another wave of thunder booms as you head inside, looking for anything useful. The wooden counter is rotting away, complimenting the peeling wallpaper. The light fixtures have all been robbed of their light bulbs, unfortunately. The first floor of the shop reveals nothing, it being completely stripped of everything useful. Even the cash register is missing. Heading to the back of the shop, you find stairs leading upwards, and a door labelled “Basement”.
The basement door is locked from the outside.

Considering all that Misty has done I think that we could make our own gear. She must have the tools, power, and know-how to fashion any melee weapon we might need. If we get the stuff we might could even put together a vehicle and mount her mining lazer on it.

I refuse to believe things are as bad as they seem. Misty said that she makes a living off those gems and that she bought that vault door. There must be ponies who are sane and civil enough to sell and trade in this shithole.

>>27635890
About a million scenarios are running though my mind about what bad will happen if we even interact with that door. Knock...?

Where did everyone go?

>>27635949
Maybe it isn't as bad as it seems. Maybe you just have to knock? I mean, why not? Not like some terrifying creature is going to burst out of that door and eat you alive or anything. You raise a hoof to the door hesitantly, and knock thrice.
Nothing. You're not sure whether to be disappointed or relieved.
You decide to head up now, realizing that the shop's upstairs is the same layout as the last, a hallway with two doors. Heading into the first one, the bathroom, reveals nothing but a sink with a teddy bear. It's head, of course, has been cut off. Finding nothing of use in the medicine cabinet, you're about to walk to the next closed door when you hear shuffling from inside of it. You stop in your tracks.
Whoever, or whatever is inside the room says nothing.

>>27636361
RUN

>>27636429
That would alert whatever.

>>27636361
Sounds like the perfect opportunity to head back home.

>>27636429
>>27636439
>>27636445
For a split second in your head, every single instinct in your body tells you to run away. But you know that would alert whatever is in that room to your presence. Deciding to go the safe route, you slowly back up, trying to make the least amount of noise as possible. You hear it start to move closer to the door. You try your best to stay calm, considering you very well could be attacked at any moment. You back up a little faster and take out your piece of rebar. The door slowly starts to creak open.
Nope, nope, and nope.
You turn the other direction and run, making it down the stairs and out of the shop in record time, doing anything you can to get as far away from that house as possible. You don't know if it's following you because you're too scared to look back. If Misty were here, you'd have more confidence. But she's not.
You make it to the shack, running into the door and across the slick liquid once more. Using all of your strength to move the fridge, you push it out of the way, looking back to see nothing. That doesn't help you at all, and you run into the icy corridor, moving the fridge back behind you. You sit at the end of the tunnel behind the fridge, catching your breath. You internally berate yourself for being so scared of nothing. But with everything you've seen, and everything you have yet to see, who knows what was behind that door.
You only hope Misty will be up by the time you make it back.
It would be nice to feel less alone right now.

That's it for today.
I'll be running tomorrow, maybe.
As always, thank you for playing. Hope you enjoyed it.

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pg 10