>>27818033
Let's turn our light off and sneakily look around the corner.

>>27818033
Man it'll be pretty funny if the person tending the fire ends up being the stallion we ran across twice. I hope it's him.

>>27818065
Deciding that stealth is probably the right decision considering the circumstances, you turn your head light off and tread as softly as you can. Misty gets the idea and does the same, trailing as close to you as she can. You get to wall just beside the path the fire is coming from and take a peak. Around the corner is a barrel fire that lights up the path quite well. Well enough for you to be able to see what's next to it.
Laying on a sleeping bag on the floor is a mare decked out in full body leather armor. Most of her body is completely covered besides her bright green mane. Her face is covered by some kind of white mask that covers everything but her eyes, which are currently closed. Thank the heavens.
Misty whispers to you as quietly as possible.
>What is it?
“Mare. Sleeping, fully armored in leather.”
>Any weapons?
You didn't check for that. You look back over to her. She has a small dagger lying beside her, as well as a metal pistol from an unknown brand in a holster on her foreleg.
“Pistol and a dagger.”
>What should we do?

>>27818207
We should wake her up. Speak from a distance so we don't startle her by being up in her face.

Tell Misty to get a vantage point in the shadows in case she just gets up and charges us.

>>27818207
Check for any traps or alarms before sneaking up to her. Priority being to take the weapons. The mask is a huge red flag that she's not going to be nice. Keep a lookout for any friends that might show up. Also have a weapon ready.

>>27818254
>>27818286
“Look for any traps or alarms, then get rid of her weapons just in case she tries to jump us. She doesn't have a horn, or wings, so hopefully she'll be easier to disarm. Just look out for any friends of hers. You should get a vantage point in the shadows, too. Sound good?”
>Yeah, let's get this over with.
You slowly tread up to her, checking the area for tripwires or mines. Finding none of the sort, you creep up beside her, taking her dagger and throwing it away from her reach. The sounds it makes somehow doesn't wake her.
Now for the tricky part.
You slowly take your hoof and place it over her gun. She doesn't move. Holding your breath, you slowly withdraw the pistol from her holster. It's quite a heavy gun with about the same design as the one you have, only it looks much larger and sturdier. It also boasts a large “RUPTRE” logo engraved onto the barrel.
Taking the gun and holding it in your hoof, you put it into your saddlebag, it taking up the rest of the space left inside it. You go to the other side of the path and take out your sword. Here goes nothing.
“Hey, wake up.”
Her eyelids slowly open, revealing her blue eyes. She looks up towards you, slowly.
>Oh. Hello.
She takes her hoof and places it where her gun used to be. Noticing it's absence, she then shifts her eyes to where the dagger used to be. She sighs, slightly annoyed.
>Hm. And I suppose you have my weapons, don't you.
“Yup. Had to make sure, you know.”
>Right, right... so I have a question.
“Which is?”
>Why haven't you killed me yet? In every respect, I should be dead right now.

>>27818414
We're not looking to kill, just survive. You have any friends we should know about, sleeping beauty?

>>27818495
“I'm less for the killing and more for the surviving, honestly. Got any friends of yours hiding in the shadows, sleeping beauty?”
>If there's anypony hiding in the shadows, they aren't my friends.
“Huh. Wish I could say the same.”
>Ah. So I'm outnumbered then?
“Only slightly.”
>Great. Perfect, even. So what are you doing here, exactly?
“Exploring, looking for loot, the usual. You?”
>Well, I was sleeping before I got a rude awakening from you. Just got back from the middle of the city. It's getting worse there, as it is everywhere, so if you're planning on heading in that direction I would suggest otherwi-
She's interrupted by the sound of bells ringing in the far distance. Even from deep below the surface, you can still hear them ring above. The sound echoes for a few seconds before it goes silent again.
>Ah. The night bells have come to lull us all to sleep. Beautiful. Anyway, would you kindly give me back my weapons if I promise I won't put a hole through your head? You seem like the kind of pony who's into fair deals.

>>27818605
Oh definitely, I am. Call me paranoid though but I'm not sure I can trust you. I'm kinda new around here, what can you tell me about these tunnels?

>>27818605
Let's ask misty if she'd be OK with the mare coming with us. She seems to be able to defend herself, maybe she appreciates a proper housing in exchange for partnering with us

>>27818850
Let's not get hasty. I wanna have her take the mask of before even considering taking her back.

>>27818785
>>27818850
>>27818908
“Oh, of course I am. But I'm also a little paranoid. I'm not sure I can trust you.”
>Well, I haven't killed you yet.
“Yeah, but still. I am a little new around here, so is there anything you can tell me about these sewers?”
>They're abandoned for the most part. Well, by ponies, anyway. Most of the sewers are destroyed and caved in due to the Great Collapse, and they mostly serve as alternate routes to get around the city. This is one of the only safe ones, though. Some of them have some bad seeds in them, and lately, who knows what else.
“Hmm.”
It's probably safe enough, now. She seems like she can handle herself.
“Misty, you can come out now.”
>Comin'.
She trots out of the darkness, and stands next to you, speaking once she does.
>So? What do you think?
“Well, I think we might consider letting her partner with us... if she takes her mask off.”
You look over to the mystery mare.
>No. This mask is not coming off. Besides, even if I wanted to partner with you, I wouldn't. I have a home, and a mare at said home waiting for me to get back. Thanks, but I've got more important things to attend to.

>>27819005
You know, I'd love to work together to survive. Power in numbers and all.

>>27819005
Why you so worried about taking the mask off? If she's not dangerous we'd consider letting her join as well.

>>27819045
>>27819055
“We could all work together, though. Power in numbers, you know? And if that mare you're talking about isn't dangerous, we could let her join too.”
>She's with me, and me only. She has my back, I have hers. And I'm guessing you two are the same way, so you should understand. Plus, how do I know you won't just kill us the moment we fall asleep at your place? You could be cannibals for all I know. I'm not going with you.
“Well maybe we'd trust you more if you'd take the mask off. Why are you so worried about it?”
>Because-
She pauses, thinking her next words through.
>Personal reasons. Is that not enough for you?
“It just makes it harder for us to trust somepony who hides their face.”
>Well maybe some faces are better left hidden.

>>27819128
You should tell that to half of the guys I've seen here, heh heh. Anywho, so it's trust you want? Here.

Give her gun back.

>>27819128
But you were asleep and defenseless.

>>27819163
>>27819178
“Half the ponies I've seen here should be given that little tidbit of info.”
>Masks are quite the popular thing around here, yes.
“Also, if I wanted to kill you I could've done it while you were defenseless and asleep.”
>Some ponies like to toy with their prey. You can never be too careful in this city, you know.
“Trust me, I know. Anyway, you want trust? Consider it had.”
You take her gun and pass it to her. She catches it in her hoof and holsters it.
>Thanks. And the dagger?
You walk over to where you threw the knife, take it, and pass it over to her, letting it hit the ground beside her.
>Good enough. Now why don't we head our seperate ways and-
She's interrupted once again. Not by bells this time, however, but a loud, low pitched gurgling noise coming from the dark sewer path. It's so loud it even shakes the ground slightly. The mysterious pony's eyes shrink. She gets up and looks down the path you just came from, and looks back at you.
>Well, this is bad. If you're wondering, going any further down this path just leads to a cave in, and whatever the hell that noise was was came from the path that goes to the city middle.
...For a pony that's supposed to have good luck on his side, you seem to get caught up in things like this quite a bit.

>>27819295
I hate to ask buuuut... can we crash at your place for tonight? Pretty please with a cherry on top?

>>27819320
“So. Considering the current circumstances, would we be able to crash at your place tonight? Pretty please?”
>Ugh, maybe, but we have to deal with whatever's in that path over there.
“Uhh, what?”
>Didn't you hear that thing? It must be huge!
On queue, the gurgling echoes through the sewers once more, even louder this time. It was getting closer.
>I hope you guys have more than just that sword ready! This thing sounds big!
You run out from behind the corner, looking into the darkness in front of you. You turn your head light on. You almost wish that you hadn't, because now you can see what's making all that noise. Just at the threshold of where your light reaches, you can see a pulsing mass of black flesh that almost takes up the entire path. The front of it's gigantic body is nothing but a large mouth with rows upon rows of brown, rusted metal teeth. Black, bubbling liquid is seeping from it slowly. You almost get no time to react as a black claw rockets out of it's mouth, just missing you and hitting a wall behind you. The claw latches onto the wall somehow as the abomination slowly starts to pull itself towards you using the it. The mare speaks up.
>Told you!
The monster hasn't made it to the door you came in yet, but if you don't react fast, it might get in front of it before you get a chance to get out.

>>27819496
Cut it's tongue claw thingy. That should slow the mass of flesh and teeth down. Tell them to shoot at it.

>>27819598
As if you'd go without at least making it harder on the thing. You take out your sword, jump so that you're only standing on your hind legs, and bring the sword down on the claw as hard as you can. The tongue snaps in half, eliciting a loud roar to come from it's gaping mouth. The severed tongue starts to flail around at rapid speeds, acting almost like a whip.
“Shoot it's mouth!” You yell to the pony. Misty brings out her pistol as well, firing shards of blue crystals towards it as you try to fend off the tongue. The mare fires her gun, shooting an entire black crystal at it. It disappears into it's mouth for a second only for a small explosion to erupt from inside it's maw. The mixture of that explosion and being pelted by blue shards makes the abomination stop moving, but it also makes the tongue flail around the room even more. You try to deflect it, but it knocks the sword from you and whips across your front leg, bringing you to a kneel. You scream in pain, as it starts to bleed instantly, but you're barely aware of it as you bring your attention to Misty's yelp. You look over in her direction to see her laying on the ground.
“Misty!”
You crawl over to her as the mare fires another round, followed by another explosion. The tongue stops it's movements, but you can still hear it breathe heavily. You crawl over to Misty, inspecting her to see what happened. A long, red and bleeding gash spreads across her cheek.
“M-Misty-”
She starts to get up, her entire body shaking.
>Just go! Don't worry about me, just go!
The mare looks back towards you.
>It stopped moving, but we need to get out of here before it starts to move again. Come on!
Misty gets up, refusing your efforts to help her, and starts to run to the door along with everypony else. You reach the stairwell and ascend it, leaving the abomination behind. Soon enough, you're back to the caved in tunnel, sitting a fair distance away from each other and breathing heavily.

>>27819751
Check our injuries.

>>27819751
What was that thing?

Inspect wounds and ask the mare if her place is far. We're probably not going anywhere too fast with our injury.

>>27819821
>>27819837
You think this mystery mare owes you some answers.
“What in the hell was that thing?”
>That, my dear friend, was... well, I have no idea what they are. No one does. They've been popping up more and more recently. More and more ponies are starting to turn into those things, and not a single pony around here knows why or how. All we know is that they seem to favor darker areas.
This just keeps getting worse.
You look at your still-bleeding wound. Getting anywhere far was going to be tough. You look ever at Misty. Her face is hurt pretty badly. As with your own, her wound is bleeding as well, though not nearly as much. You gotta get somewhere safe, so you turn your head to the masked mare.
“How far away is this place of yours?”
>It's, uhh, not too far. It's right next to this bar that's run by a guy named Will, luckily he stays out of our business, so we stay out of theirs.

>>27819909
Exchange a nervous look with Misty. Ask the mare what her friend looks like.

>>27819909
We ran into a mare that was starting to transform. We cut something where the heart should be and it died. She said that we shouldn't drink the tap water before she stopped being a pony.

>>27819953
Dude. I think that pony was her friend. Let's hold off on that explanation for just an itty bit.

>>27819974
oh

>>27819937
>>27819953
You suddenly feel extremely nervous. You look towards Misty. She looks like she feels the same way.
“And, uhh, what does this mare look like?”
>Light pink mane, light blue coat. Shouldn't matter, though, I told her to stay in the basement and not bother the upstairs neighbour.
You breath a sigh of relief. Thank the heavens once more that it wasn't her friend.
“Well, I have some bad news about the pony upstairs from you. She turned into one of those monsters, and I had to, well-”
>Spare me the details, please.
“Gladly. Although it might be worth mentioning that she said not to drink the tap water before she turned.”
>Huh. That actually sounds rather useful. Good thing we only drink bottled water, then. Anyway, we need to get you ponies somewhere safe. So let's go.
She gets up and looks at Misty.
>Nice shooting, by the way.
She smiles. Even despite the pain that gouge in her cheek must be giving her, she still manages to smile.
>Heh, thanks! But yeah, we should get going. And, we never got your name.
>My name's Poppy. And you are Misty.
She turns to you expectantly.
“Chance. Second Chance.”
>Huh. Nice to meet you guys. Now, let's get back before something else wants to kill us.
You attempt to get on your hooves, but fall to a kneel instead, grunting in pain. You feel a head go underneath your bad hoof, lifting your leg up, bringing you to your hooves and giving you extra support. You look over to see the pony supporting you is, unsurprisingly, Misty.
“Thanks, Misty. You're a life saver.”
>I try.
And with that, guided by your head light, you walk out of the tunnel and into the darkness. You know, with a wonderful pony like Misty at your side...
Maybe this world won't be so bad after all.

That's it for today. Will probably run tomorrow.
As always, thanks for playing.

>>27820137
Super fun as always Numb.

>>27820137
Thanks for the session senpai

>>27823300

>>27823892

Bump of hype

here, take this bump

Running soon.

>>27820137

[1/2]

You're not actually sure how long it takes to get to Poppy's home. You're sure it didn't take as long as you thought, but you probably only thought it was longer because of the pain in your leg. Even with Misty's help, it still hurt like hell. You just hope that Poppy has some first aid kits or something, because you're not sure how long you can last with this. You just hope that Misty isn't going through the same pain you are.
It's still dark by the time you get back to the house. You're dead tired, and you're sure the others feel the same. You walk inside the destroyed store and head to the locked door. Poppy knocks on the door three times.
>I'm home, Ally! I brought over some guests!
A short while passes before the door unlocks and opens a crack, exposing a violet eye to your vision. She speaks in a soft, hushed voice.
>Who are these “guests”?
>Just some ponies I met on the way back here that need a place to stay tonight. They need some medical help, too. That alright with you?
>Uhh, yeah, come in.
The mare opens the door all the way. She was exactly how Poppy described her. Light pink mane, light blue coat. Oddly enough, however, she had no cutie mark. You couldn't see if Poppy had one, seeing as she was completely covered in armor.
Poppy walks in, and motions at you with her hoof to follow.
>C'mon, don't be shy.
You and Misty slowly walk down the stairs, Ally closing and locking the door behind you. You emerge into a rather well-lit basement, complete with carpeting, a living room with a couch, and a kitchen. All of which were part of the same room. There were only two doors in this place, one that was open, but was too dark inside to see what's inside, and another one with a lock on it labelled “Storage”. You got some pretty nice vibes from this place, almost like it could exist before the collapse and you couldn't tell the difference. Poppy sits the two of you down at the wooden kitchen table.

>>27826900
>Ally, sweetie, could you go and get me the first aid kit, please?
>Yeah, be right back.
She trots into the dark, unlocked room. Poppy walks over and sits at the table with you, looking at the two of you.
>So? Pretty nice, huh?

>>27826912
I could live here. I'm curious, what was your relation to the mare that was upstairs?

>>27826912
Warmer than our place.

>>27826963
>>27827039
“Well, it's warmer than our place.”
This elicits a resounding “Pffft” from Misty.
“I wouldn't mind living here. Seems pretty comfy, actually.”
>You can thank Ally for that. That pre-collapse aesthetic that gives you the feeling that the world is a little less fucked than it is.
“Yeah, that's kinda what I was thinking, too. Anyway, my curiosity is getting the better of me here, so may I ask what your relation to the mare upstairs was?”
>She moved in after we did. We came out of the basement one day to find that a random mare named Rhine. What made that mare think it was a good idea to move into a place with a locked basement door is beyond me, but we came to a compromise that if she stayed out of our business, and didn't play her music too loudly, we'd stay out of hers. She was very quiet, and never seemed to leave that room of hers. A strange pony, but one I never really made the effort to talk to.

>>27827146
Well uh... she gave us a.. late warning about the tap water.

>>27827146
That's too bad. But hey, tell me about yourselves.

>>27827236
>>27827269

[1/2]

“Well, at least we could get the warning about the tap water out of her, even if it was a little late. Too bad you never got to talk to her, though.”
>I'm sure she would've been an interesting pony.
Ally comes back out of the room with a first aid kit, then grabs a chair and sits beside Misty, on the side the wound is on.
>Put your head on the table, please. Wound-side-up.
Misty looks a tad shocked by the straightforwardness of her, but complies, laying her head on the table. She takes out a needle and thread, along with a bottle of what you assume to be disinfectant.
>This won't hurt if you keep still.
>G-Got it.
You're a little concerned about this situation. Poppy notices this.
>Oh, don't worry. She knows what she's doing, I promise.
“Alright. Anyway, why don't you tell me about yourselves? You two seem like interesting ponies.”
>Not much to tell, really. I got kidnapped from my home about a year ago and woke up here. About halfway through said year I met Ally, and we've been together ever since. Ally, wanna tell them your story?
>It's not that interesting, but alright. Ally is short for Alvilda, a name given by my parents back when we lived in a small continent far to the north. Had to move to Delestra at a young age because of volcanic activity. Lived here for a few years, got a degree in medical stuff, got kidnapped just like Pop, met her, and here we are.
Misty lets out a small yelp.
>You moved.
>S-Sorry!
A few minutes goes by before she finishes up.
>There. It'll be fully healed in about a week or so.
>Thanks a ton!
>Yeah.
She moves over to you, bringing her chair with her.
>Put your leg on the table, please.
You do as she asks, setting it on the table painfully. It's still bleeding a little. She gets out the gauze.
>So what's your story?

>>27827550
She asks this before getting to work on your hoof.
“I'm really not sure, actually. Woke up on a beach almost dead before Misty came to my rescue.”
Misty giggles a little.
>You make it sound so heroic.
“Wasn't it? I mean, you saved my life, showed me how things worked around here, everything. That's pretty awesome if yo ask me.”
She blushes a tiny bit.
>Geez... thank you.
“No, thank you.”
You notice everyone's more or less staring at you two.
“Ahem, anyway, I have amnesia, of course, so there's really not much to tell other than tha-”
Ally interrupts you.
>There. Done.
“Really? Already?”
>Yup.
She takes her chair and goes over to sit beside Poppy, who then speaks to you.
>So, what are your plans now?

>>27827559
Surviving and finding a way out of this little paradise. You?

Did we pick our sword back up or did we leave it? Because we're going back after it in the morning.

>>27827559
Get back to home base hopefully, want to come check it out with us?

>>27827836
We should ask Misty if that's ok first. It is her home after all.

>>27827711
>>27827836
[1/2]
“Well, surviving and trying to escape this wonderful slice of heaven. And you?”
>Pretty much the same thing, actually. But if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that there's not a chance in hell we can get out alone. Not even if we team up together. I know there's a way out of this place, but we just need to find out how. Then we can all be free.
She sighs.
>I have no idea how to do that, of course. But I have a feeling I know someone who does. All we need to do is find somepony in a position of power. A gang leader, or something. We sweet talk them into helping us, everyone gets set free. You look like you could handle yourself. That armor is quite the eye catcher, even if it doesn't protect well against otherworldly abominations.
“Yeah, and my sword is-”
You look down at the empty scabbard on your leg.
“Gone. I left it in the damn sewers.”
Misty speaks up.
>Hey, we can always go back tomorrow, right? And I still have my gun! So things aren't completely hopeless.
“I guess you're right. Looks like you're my offensive side for now.”
>As if I wouldn't be fine with that.
“Anyway, we should probably head back home. Wanna come with us and check it out, if it's alright with Misty?”
>Yeah, it's fine with me if you wanna come over.
>Nah, I'm tired as all hell, so I'm heading to bed. Thanks, but no thanks.
“I understand. Thanks for everything, guys.”
>Yeah, yeah, of course. Stay alive out there, eh?
“We'll try our best.”
And with that, the two of you head back to Misty's house, a place you had missed dearly ever since you left. With stitches on her cheek and gauze on your leg, you both say your goodnights and head off to get some much needed sleep.
You hope tomorrow will yield better results than today, and you hope your sleep is filled with dreams, and not nightmares.
Though with what you've seen today, you doubt this sleep will be as peaceful as normal.

>>27827956
Damn character limit.
Anyway, that's it for today.
Thanks for playing, and have a nice day. Don't bump the thread, I'll be back the day after tomorrow, probably.

>>27827967
>Don't bump the thread
You sure? If it's only a couple days, we can handle it.

>>27827967
Where's the second post?

>>27827976
Well, if you think you can handle it. I just don't want you guys to bump the thread for a long time and have shit not work out for me. Then all those bumps were for nothing.
>>27828026
>>27827967 was the second post. Character limit was maxed so I had to separate it.

>>27828056
It works completely separately.

>>27828073
Yeah, and I didn't think of that when I did it.
Whoops.

>>27818033
That looks a lot like the isis flag.