As me and James walked westward, we both took in the atmosphere of the gray desert that surrounded us. It was a quiet and dead place in which only the wind was heard and felt. Just the silence of it all made me quite uncomfortable. The chilly wind hitting my face was no better at soothing as the thought of a raider attack crowded my mind. Yes, we had defeated quite a few raiders just a few minutes ago, but that was in an closed space, where one can only go forward. Here, out in the open, we could be ambushed by an army of raiders, caliphate soldiers, or the like and have no chance to fight back. I quickly began to fasten my pace until I sighed a group of buildings ahead. It seemed that it wasn't far from the new Enclave Republic base but it was a good enough distance that we couldn't turn around. As we began to approach the town, James was the first to speak. " What building do you want to go into First?" He asked me. I looked at him and he forwarded his hood. "There could be a mountain of loot throughout these ruins. Which do you want to go in first?" He asked again.
"How about the most intact one. It's getting dark and what better place to rest than with a roof over our heads " with that, we started looking for a building that was mostly intact. Throughout the ruins, there were houses with gigantic holes, beams and pillars all lying in other places, sand filling each one. It took a while but we found a building in the town center that only had a hole in the top of the roof. It wasn't completely intact but instead of it being a collapsed house, it still had it's walls up and it's door hinges. I trotted up to it and was about to put my hoof on the door to open it before James grabbed it.
"We need to be careful. This house could have a few raiders in it, After all." In understanding, I nodded and pulled out my RB - 276 revolver while he got out his rifle before we slowly opened the door, the hundred year old hinges creaking in mighty protest from the slow movement. We both split up with James taking the upper part of the house and I checking the lower part. Slowly, I checked room after room only to be faced with nothing, only empty cans and empty bottles. Finding a cabinet in the fifth room I searched, I put my weapon on top of it and opened it's drawers. There weren't nothing much, just a few caps in each drawer and a few grenades. Placing the loot in my saddlebags, I began to grab my gun to check more rooms only to hear a can rolling towards my side. I grabbed my weapon and quickly had it pointed at the perpetrator. James looked back at me, his helmet giving me a freezing glance. "Clear." He said calmly and I put the revolver back in my saddlebags before we both walked right into the Center of the house.
There were only a few holes above us but that was to be expected of a building that was this old. As I looked for a place to rest, I picked up a gray rectangular object and then I picked up another two, sitting down with James who had taken his armor off and was laying on a large cushion. "Here." He said handing me a cushion for myself. Laying down on it, I felt a large sense of relaxation flooded throughout my body. I took out one of the square boxes and looked at it closely. "That's a recording. Place it in your Pipbuck and let's hear what is on it." James told me. I looked at him for a few seconds before I placed the first recording in my Pipbuck and pressed play, a click-like beep telling me that it was starting.
Goddess, those bombs fell didn't they? I thought that it was just propaganda. Something to keep us loyal to the ministries and Luna. I-i heard an explosion that must've been a four minutes from here. If we just got hit by one...oh Celestia, how much is Canterlot being hit with? I'm in the town hall with my friend Amethyst and this town's mayor. If there is a rescue group, please looks for in the underground bunker under here. it clicked as the recording ended. I instantly took it out and popped in the next recording, pressing play quickly.
We've been down here for what feels like a month. Our food reserves are getting smaller and smaller by the day. It turns out the mayor didn't have that much food for 3 ponies. Only enough for one. Still, she's getting tired. She's so weak now. The closer she is to death. I normally wouldn't eat another pony but in a desperate times like these, can I really afford to be picky?
I placed the last recording in my Pipbuck and played it. What happened to Moondancer? Why were these recordings up here when she was Below us.
"We found help! Or help found us actually.
Hehe. It's been a few months since the mayor died and just before me and Amethyst could turn on one another, these strange earth ponies and pegasi came to us, giving us food and water. I've never felt so Happy in my life. They said that they wanted to bring someplace. They call themselves the followers of-" "AHHHHHHH" "Amethyst?! Wait, what are you doing with that? Please don't. You were supposed to help u-AHHHHHHHH!"
the recording clicked, telling me that it was over. It seemed Moondancer was in trouble. This was 200 years ago, However. She and those who hurt her must be dead by now for decades at least. I sighed and looked at James. "Do you have any interesting stories to tell?" I asked.
"Well," he looked up thoughtfully. "There was that time that I accidentally hit on Sergeant Major Posey when I was 27 years old and she 22." And he began perhaps one of the funniest stories I've ever heard. Turns out, him and Posey did kiss but only on a dare and afterwards they agreed to never speak of it again. "I'm pretty sure I got your day in a great mood. Now, how about you access that Memory orb and see if it has something to do with those two projects on the notes you found." He offered and I took out the greenish-bluish orb, looking carefully at it.
"I don't know how to access it. It just kinda placed me in a trance when I first looked at it." I stated, shrugging at how to access it.
"Well maybe you can-" James was slowly beginning to blur out, his voice not even reaching my ears as I continued to fiercely look at the small orb. All of a sudden, I began to feel woozy and then I collapsed, James' frantic voice quickly fading away as everything went black.
Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock I opened my eyes After hearing a clock tick near me. There wasn't a clock in the town hall though. I looked at my hooves and saw they were a teal color. I tried to let out a scream but nothing happened. 'I must be inside the memory orb." I realized. This memory may hold the key to whatever I needed to learn for the projects so I began to accommodate myself with my host and paid very close attention to detail. I looked at the Paper my left. The biggest words stated in bold writing: MULTI-BILLIONAIRE MR. VENTURE, HEAD AND FOUNDER OF VENTURE INDUSTRIES, IS TO MEET WITH PRINCESS CELESTIA ABOUT ANDROID IDEA I guess I know who wrote the second letter. This pony named Mr. Venture was a multi-billionaire and seemed like an important pony though I had do not know who Celestia is. My host looked at their hoof and slowly, they picked up a pencil and began to write on several papers. I was immensely bored though the documents said they need a governor's signature, meaning I was in the body of a governor. Of where, I did not know but still, it was interesting to be in the mind of a pony in power. A knock at the door took the attention of my host and they looked up to see a pink mare with cute dimples perking her head in the room. "Governor Breeze, Mr. Venture is here. He says he needs to speak with you." She said, her rather beautiful purple eyes staring at me, waiting for a response.
"Let him in." My host said and the mare nodded before closing the door. A few minutes later, a White unicorn with a blood red mane and tail as well as menacing Amber eyes entered the room. "Hello, Sky Bristle." My host greeted, his voice cold to the ears.
"I've left that name behind. Please, call me Mr. Venture." The Unicorn said, giving a suave smile. "How is the governor of Turklac doing?"
"You're here for something, Bristle, I know it. Otherwise, you wouldn't of come here." My host stated matter of factly. It seemed these two had known each other for a while.
"Well, Zephyr, I can't just visit old friends?" I felt my host lower an eyebrow at this as if to say 'Don't try to avoid it' and I couldn't blame him. This pony was just...strange. "To be completely honest, I am here to offer you a preposition."
"A preposition? Of what?"
"Oh trust me, this one you will be most interested in. We all know war with the Zebras is coming. Relations are far too heated for peace to be a solution. I predict that the war will happen 1 year from now and it will take around 30 years." The unicorn smiled.
"War isn't the best way." My host said.
"But it will happen. Zephyr, which would you rather be? Helping you nation prepare for a war a year early or wait until it's too late to help?" The unicorn brought up the question and my host stuttered, fumbling on his words.
"War can't be the only solution, Bristle! I-i mean, ponies and zebras have been friends for centuries before this. Yes, we are having rather heated relations right now, but in due times, these were cool and-" He was cut off as Mr. Venture threw down a piece of paper on his desk. My host and I looked at it. "Littlehoof...why would Zebras have arrows pointed at-" He trailed off, realizing what it meant. Looking back at the unicorn, he demanded "How did you get this?" the unicorn simply smiled a cold smile.
"I have friends in high places." He chuckled grimly and I felt very sick from it. It just seemed off how mysterious this unicorn was. "So, do we have an agreement? We won't be able to stop them without revealing my informants to Zebra and if they're caught, they will be killed. Which is more important to you? Ponies who have risked their lives to get information that most zebras don't even know and possibly more plans or stupid pathetic foals whom are wasting their time? You choose." That damn smile he had plastered on his face as soon as he said that. I don't care if it's for information, no foals deserve to die.
"I-i...If I agree with you, nobody else can know what we're doing. Alright?" My host seriously couldn't be considering this.
"So you agree. Splendid, come to my hotel and we'll discuss several plans I have. No one else will know, that you can be sure of. That is, on my side, of course. But your relationship with your sister and the princess can be compromising. Do you swear to not tell them anything?" The unicorn once again smirked, his teeth slightly bearing. I really wanted to smash his face into a hammer.
"Yes, I agree. I'll come to your hotel as soon as I can. Now, leave so I can work." Sky Bristle walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Once he was alone, my host sighed and looked at a picture of a blue unicorn with wings. "I'm sorry Luna, but I think this will be for the best. After all, when has Mr. Venture ever been wrong?"
I was quickly pulled out of the Memory after my host had said that. "Shadow, are you alright?" James asked frantically as I slowly woke up and began to stand.
"I'm fine, I just-" I stumbled as I felt vomit come up before I swallowed it back up, shuddering at the taste. "-I saw the memory that was in the orb." I woozily said. I guess I'll have to prepare better for the next Memory orb that I come across.
"Can you tell me what it was about?" He requested and I nodded before I began to tell him, his eyes widening when I mentioned Mr. Venture, Zephyr, and Littlehoof. "By the Goddesses, Shadow, Mr. Venture was one of the most important figures before the Last Day. If he was planning something, then it must've been big. He's the major reason why there are weapon designs that can't be found anywheres else. His company made weapons and Androids. Zephyr was the governor of this region before and during the war. If he and Mr. Venture are responsible for the projects that your notes mentioned, then there is no telling what they could do." He warned.
"And Littlehoof?" I asked and he visibly stiffened. "What is Littlehoof about." I got that the zebras had a plan to attack but surely that was a front right? Right?
"I, uh, I'll tell you in the morning Shadow Flower. Just rest now. We've both had quite an eventful day." He said, curling up on his cushion. I looked at him sorrowfully. So the Zebras would do such a thing as attack innocent foals. Monsters. If they planned to do such a thing, then I guess I'll have to return the favor. For every foal that had died in this war, I will kill any Zebra I come across. I hope many zebras come my way. I'll gladly rip them apart. I began to wonder to sleep , thoughts of what the projects were about and how many zebras I can kill filling my mind as I gave a smirk. Tomorrow, I will explore the rest of this place and we will continue to go west. After all, this can't be the only ruins in this region.