"Dear Celestia, finally!" Break lumbered into Calluna. It was almost dark when she entered it. Since Stable 10 opened a year ago, ponies flocked towards the budding town, trying to provide a new life for themselves and their family. What made Calluna unique were its buildings and its inhabitants.
"Greetings, flesh creature." A pony said in a monotone voice. "Welcome to Calluna. Shall I guide you to the nearest establishment so you may recharge with food and rest? Your pony body appears frail and tired."
Yeah, ponies from Stable 10 were strange. It remained unclear why they believed themselves to be robots. Multiple accounts had confirmed that these ponies weren’t robots or cyborgs, but the inhabitants insisted they were cybernetic ponies. At least they were friendly. Rumors told of a super AI ran their stable and village. Was this another of Vice President Scootaloo's mad psychological experiments? Thankfully, the Stable her family came from hadn’t endured such insanity. They only had a ban on adult girly magazines. Something about them causing the moral degeneration of society?
"I would be grateful." Her meeting with Breezy had slowed her arrival considerably, but other factors had wasted more time. Every wannabe raider had attacked her, only Celestia knew why. In the distance, she saw smoke rising from a raider’s camp. Things got a little out of hoof, but she'd finally arrived at her destination.
“Follow me.” The pony's body jerked around, moving not unlike a robot. “My name is 01000100 01100101 01100001 01101110. My associates call me 010001zze for short. I take pleasure in making your acquaintance.”
"Ace." She awkwardly shook the other pony's hoof. She’d taken a fake name to avoid drawing attention. Break’s cloak kept her face hidden and bandages hid her bizarre and noticeable white leg.
More ponies greeted her in the same strange manner. Instead of old buildings, these ponies used uniform domes constructed from scavenged metal. Their construction was impressive, both functional and well built. They weren't anything fancy, but they kept a pony warm. They approached a large two-story building near the town's square. Unlike most other establishments Break had seen in her travels across the wasteland, it didn’t have a name. Instead, its sign labeled it simply as ‘Inn’. Break searched but found no other name besides the simple title. Thankfully, the Inn had plenty of rooms available and booked one from a Mr. Handy stationed at the counter.
“Greetings, new acquaintance. Call me 01010011 01110100 01100001 01110010 01110011, or 010 for short. My optical nerves take pleasure observing an unfamiliar face.” Like 010001zze, not a hint of emotion appeared in the mare’s voice. “I will sell you an alcoholic beverage for intoxication.”
"Sure." Break gave an awkward smile and allowed the bartender to pour her a beer. While sipping her drink, she examined the other patrons. Many were like 010001zze, noticeable by their stiff posture and lack of emotions, but others were more normal looking. These ponies weren't afraid to show their emotions and some broke into drinking songs, which the Stable 10 ponies noticeably ignored. Both Ray and Scavenger weren’t anywhere in the tavern. Break wondered how long it would take before her allies contacted her. Thankfully, hooded strangers weren’t uncommon along the wasteland and nopony seemed too keen to ask questions. Ponies would leave her alone if she didn't cause trouble.
The beer wasn't bad but tasted flat. She drank half of it before retiring to bed. While pulling out bits for her bar tab, a stallion slammed their hoof, blocking her way.
“Never seen you around these parts, missy. Where are you from?” The magenta colored pony was a handsome unicorn with sleek features. His gray mane was long, almost touching the floor.
"Around." Break looked away, hoping the stallion would take a hint she wasn't interested in him.
This only enticed the stallion more, and Break's eyes widened when he cupped her chin, forcing her to glance into his eyes.
“What a face. My heart stopped when I first glimpsed you.” The stallion pulled her close to the point they were almost kissing. “Would you like to be my model? My art will capture your beauty perfectly. We’d make breathtaking and wonderful music together.”
While flattered by his words, she tore her face away not liking how he'd touched her. She was planning to tell him off, but a mare approached, interrupting their conversation. She too shared the same coloring as the stallion, only in reverse, with her coat gray and magenta mane. This mare was almost as tall as Break, but her body was wide and bulky with some serious muscles.
"Cursed Heart, are you bothering mares again?" The mare said.
"Dear sis, can't you see I'm busy with my new friend?" Cursed said.
"Sure." The mare rolled her eyes. "Ignore him. He figures if he flirts enough, the law of averages will work in his favor. One mare gotta be gullible enough eventually, right?”
"Ouch, aren’t you being cruel to your dear brother?" Cursed turned towards Break. "Tell her, isn't she being unfair?"
"No, I think you're a slimeball." Break replied wanting to end her conversation with this irritating stallion.
"Wise choice." The sister nodded sagely.
"Lucky! Stop getting in the way. Fine, whatever!" Cursed turned his chair around, looking away and breaking into a childish pout.
"Lucky Spade." The sister extended a hoof. "Sorry about him. He can be a real pain."
"Ace." Break took the hoof and shook it.
"Are you staying in our town long?" Lucky asked.
"Dunno." Break replied, making her voice sound indecisive. "I'm floating around here and there, not really interested in staying in one place." She presented herself as a not very interesting person.
"A drifter, huh?" Cursed said. "Poor thing. Don't worry, you can lay root in me anytime."
The sister laughed as Break ignored the irritating stallion, refusing to even acknowledge the joke. He opened his mouth to say something else to draw her attention when somepony entered the bar. Break’s eyes widened and sweat gathered on her brow. The newcomer was a Steel Ranger. Worse, because of their armor, Break couldn't tell if she'd met this Ranger before. Her reaction didn't go unnoticed and the sister gave Break a curious glance.
"Greetings, Steel Ranger. What drink do you require?" The bartender remained emotionless, but Break detected a hint of tension and hostility.
"Nothing. I'm here on business." The Ranger turned towards a nearby bulletin board, using a tack to hang a piece of paper.
"Here this." The Ranger raised their voice, catching everypony’s attention. "The Rangers are offering a reward for any information on the Black Cat. 600 caps if she's captured, dead or alive." Everypony in the room gasped and muttered amongst themselves.
"600 caps! Lucky said, marveled. "What has Black Cat done to earn such hatred with the Rangers?”
Break reacted with the crowd to avoid attracting attention, but her mind raced in fear. Dear Celestia, were her powers that interesting to them? She noticed the female sibling took an interest in this proclamation.
"Are you finished?" 010 said. "If you have no business here, my optical nerves would desire you to be seen elsewhere." Break gave a silent thanks to the mare. While the Ranger’s helmet hid their face, Break was certain they wore a sneer, leaving without saying another word.
Lucky gave Break a strange look and she tensed. "Well, uh, I've had a busy trip." She downed her drink in a single gulp, then made an exaggerated yawn. "Best I get some sleep. Night. Maybe I see you around." After paying her tab and giving a generous tip, she headed towards her room.
"Thank you." The bartender said. "May your refresh cycle prove a restful one." Break waved and pretended not to notice the looks Lucky was giving her.
---
"What a babe." Cursed sighed. "Yet, she didn't fall for my rugged looks."
Lucky snorted. "You think she's attractive?" Ace’s face almost resembled a ghoul. Her brother only showed attraction towards her because she didn't show any interest back.
"You don't understand romance, dear sis." Cursed replied. "Never did."
She ignored that comment and looked for Ace’s room.
“What’s wrong? Why don’t you like her?” Cursed gave her a curious look.
"She's hiding something."
"So? Everyone in the wasteland has their secrets." To make his point, he summoned Pretty Vacant and the seemingly emotionless bartender cried out in surprise as the glass they were cleaning exploded into tiny shards.
"I'm serious." Her gut told her something was suspicious about that mare. Why had Lucky detected fear when the Rangers announced the crazy high bounty? An idea struck her. Yes, it made perfect sense. Didn't she have bandages around her right leg, the same limb where the Black Cat had her mysterious while leg? Did the foal believe she could hide?
"Actually, I believe we've found our target." Lucky made a nasty smile. She sighed when Cursed gave her a vacant response.
"Come on." Lucky grabbed her brother by his coat collar. "If we're lucky, she should be sound asleep." Besides, if she was wrong, oh well. One less suspect.
---
Despite her exhaustion, Break wanted to bathe first before getting to bed. Nothing was worse than slipping into bed while being grimy. Dust still covered her mane, and her wounds required cleaning. Breezy had provided several healing potions, but her injuries hadn't closed completely. Besides, a nice bath would do her good.
"Impressive they already have running water." Break knew getting old piping working was tricky. The megaspells and age had caused considerable damage to most piping systems. Her own home town, Zinnia, had to install their own piping. An undertaking which had taken years, having to salvage for usable piping. The ponies of Stable 10 sure were an enterprising bunch.
After splashing her face with water enjoying the cool clean water against her face, she let the ancient tub fill with water, and soon became steaming. Break liked having the water as hot as possible without burning her. If the water didn't sting her, it wasn’t a real bath.
Over the next several minutes, Break checked the water with a hoof until it was hot enough to her liking. When the tube had filled, she readily entered it enjoying the water as it washed away her tensions and the grim that accumulated over her travels.
She moaned and dipped her head under the water. Simple pleasures like bathing in clean water made life worth living. She summoned Good Times, Bad Times, using it to lather her hair with soap while she relaxed. Over a half an hour passed before she left the tube, feeling clean and refreshed. A yawn escaped her lips as she rubbed her mane with a towel. Her wounds had healed enough that she didn’t require bandages anymore.
The room she'd gotten wasn't much containing simple furnishing of a bed, a table stand, and a desk. The discolored wallpaper drooped but otherwise seemed a suitable hotel room. The bed creaked as she flopped onto it and her eyes drooped.
That's strange. Break thought as sleep overtook her. Were the walls always yellow? Wait, why did the owners give this room such lousy wallpaper? Why not leave the wall bare? An odd anxiety filled her, making her bolt upright in her bed. Instead of returning to bed, she paced around the room. She realized this might be paranoia talking, but she spent several moments gazing into the wallpaper looking for anything suspicious.
Break searched through her mind, trying to recall if she’d seen the wallpaper when she’d entered the room. The wallpaper contained scratchy lines in some pattern she couldn't discern. A glance around the room confirmed her suspicion. The wallpaper didn't have any pattern. The strangeness set off alarm bells and Break rushed towards the door worried about a possible stand user.
Her steps stopped as the wallpaper moved, bubbling and swirling. A sharp headache hit her skull, almost topping over from the pain. A face appeared amongst the swirls in the exact approximation of a pony.
"Interesting, somehow you detected my stand power, So What." A feminine voice said around her. "You won't escape me so easily."
A gasp of surprise escaped Break's lips as the wallpaper grew in volume in several places. The room distorted, becoming bizarre and indistinct. More figures appeared in the wallpaper, which smiled and invited her. The entire world expanded out into infinity and Break felt herself slipping away, the yellow transfixed her. She extended a hoof towards the yellow wallpaper, unable to look away. An entire world existed amongst the wallpaper, and she belonged here. Break stroked the paper lovingly, caressing it.
The entire room appeared as nothing but yellow and Break danced, seeing actual flowers and trees among the patterns of the yellow wallpaper. Only this room mattered. Here the world wasn't a desolate place, but full of yellow and wonder. Why abandon this sanctuary for the painful, harsh reality of the wasteland? A handsome stallion appeared before her and she grabbed his hoof and they danced together in the world of yellow.
"What do you think of my sister's world?" The stallion pulled her into a waltz and an orchestral score played around them. Something about this stallion seemed familiar, but she cast the irrelevant thought aside. The stallion wore a yellow tuxedo with a yellow tophat.
"It's wonderful! Like a dreamland" A yellow dress appeared around her which followed with her steps.
You're in a dreamland, this can't be real! A stray thought told her, but she ignored it
"Good, good. You're a very beautiful mare." The stallion pulled her close and blush appeared on her cheeks, which burned red amongst the yellow. Dear Celestia, she'd never seen a stallion this handsome in her life. Robin was hideous in comparison.
Robin! The mission! There's a stand user here! But the worrying thought floated away, vanishing forever.
The world swirled and spiraled as they danced like nothing existed but them. Break laughed and laughed, charmed by pretty yellow patterns around her.
"Tell me, lovely lady, what is your name?" The stallion asked after they stopped and Break blushed as his muscular legs held her tight.
"Break Point." Break replied. She dragged her hoof across the floor, embarrassed. She was never good with romance. While her cousin Green Mile had several dates a year, Break never managed more than once or twice, much to her embarrassment.
Green Mile. Stand. There's an enemy stand user! Somepony is using a stand on you! Break's mind hazed again, but she fought against it this time. Fear drove her forward. I'm in danger! I'm in danger!
The stallion gasped in surprise as she pushed him away from her and clutched her head. She repeated to herself the terrible danger she was in, using her terror to fight the illusion. The yellow melted like candle wax. When it faded, Break found herself back in her hotel room with the strange stallion, Cursed standing above her.
"Impossible!" The other sibling, Lucky, said in astonishment. "Nopony has ever defeated So What's illusions before. Never! You idiot, why didn't you kill her when you had the chance! Why must you always play with your prey first?"
"It doesn't matter." Cursed extended a hoof and a figure appeared behind him. It was pure white with a single purple dot as a face. "That's why I'm here. Together, we're unstoppable!"
"What do you want? Why are you attacking me?" Break took a step back, searching for an escape path.
The stallion stood between her and the door. Despite breaking the control of the yellow wallpaper's influence, already its influence tried regaining control. Even a glance at the garish paper made her head spin, forcing her to concentrate on the ceiling or floor instead. Focusing on her two enemies was impossible, unable to gain a solid look at them without falling back into the wallpaper's power.
Cursed looked at his sister before shrugging. "Beats me, I just do as I'm told. You're a threat to our organization. What more do I need?"
Lucky sneered. "Don't bother with words, just kill her."
Organization? Does this mean the Knights of Heaven don't believe her dead? How was that possible? If she survived this, she'd forced them to give her some answers. Still, she didn’t like the odds, or not knowing Cursed's stand's power.
The white figure extended a hoof and blinding pain filled her as her ears bled and she crashed into a wall behind her. A wave of nausea struck her, threatening to make her lose her lunch. The impact had left a deep crack in the plaster. Lucky said something, but her ears couldn't hear anything. What speed, she hadn't even time to react to his attack. An accidental glance to the yellow wallpaper made the evil power gain another hoofhold in her mind and the paper became mesmerizing again. A quick jab against the floor sent a surge of pain through her hoof, bringing her back to her senses. She cried out in pain as she stuck the wall behind her, struck by an invisible force.
A sound-based power? No wonder she couldn't dodge it. She summoned her stand to strike Cursed but pulled her stand back when she saw Lucky pull out a pistol, deflecting a bullet before it killed her. The stallion used this opportunity to throw her against the wall again. Lucky shot several more shots towards her, which made dodging difficult because the mare stood right before the yellow wallpaper, always trying to entice her. If she stood still any longer, she'd be dead. Despite the painful headaches and constant nausea, she pressed on. The sound of loud buzzing was her constant companion.
Break reversed gravity and flew towards the ceiling. This surprised her opponents momentarily, but Lucky raised her gun to fire while Cursed shot a sound blast towards her. Right before Lucky pulled the trigger, Break stopped her powers, falling back down. While Cursed sound wave threw Break painfully into the wall, she fought through her pain and changed gravity throwing her towards the door, right towards Lucky. Just as Break planned, Lucky's gun wasn't near her when she flew towards the mare. Lucky's eyes widened in alarm and cried out in pain when Break crashed head first into her. Lucky's yellow wallpaper made it impossible to determine the mare’s location, but the gunshot had given Break Lucky’s exact location from the trajectory of the bullet.
A chuckle escaped her lips as she slammed into the wall near the door. It hurt but escape was near, Cursed realized his mistake and turned his stand around firing at her. But Break had used touch to locate the door’s handle. She didn't dare open her eyes, knowing the accursed yellow wallpaper stood right before her. Break threw open the door and flew outside it, the drywall exploded behind her just missing her.
She took a gamble opening her eyes, but just as Break guessed, the dull gray metal walls were normal in the hallway. Lucky couldn't extend her powers this far, likely restricted to a single room. After finding a nearby fire escape, Break flew towards it. She didn't want to confront the siblings in such a weakened state, fatigued, injured, and dizzy from Cursed’s attacks. She'd set the confrontation to a more favorable location. Besides, the gunshots had summoned ponies to investigate with two burly stallions rushing up the stairs, guns drawn and ready.
Curious ponies also peeked out doors, wondering what the commotion was. No doubt some feared a raider attack. Their eyes boggled when they saw Break flying. Break sighed, knowing this would intensify the myth surrounding her. She used her stand to push open the fire escape door and flew outside. Before she left the building, she glimpsed Ray and her heart bubbled with hope. He recognized her, giving Break a curious tilt of his head.
Her steps were wobbly as she walked through town, the dizziness still hadn’t rescinded yet. Ponies kept their distance when they saw her injuries and didn't bother her. Break marched forward, searching for a suitable location to hide. A curse escaped her lips as she saw the two burly ponies get thrown out of the hotel and knew the siblings wouldn't be far behind and slipped into an alley. Strength left her and fell to the ground, overcome with tiredness and the world swirling around her. Break cursed, realizing she'd entered a dead-end and wondered if she should fly towards the roof. Another option presented itself when she saw an entrance to a sewer. With her stand power, the pony-hole cover wouldn't be an obstacle.
The disgusting sewers might provide the protection she needed. Thankfully, her injuries were only bruises, and hopefully, an infection shouldn't be a problem. Despite her best judgment, she opened the ponyhole cover. Lucky rushed forward with a furious expression on her face and pointed at Break yelling something to her brother. She pointed her gun towards Break, but she'd already entered the sewers, disappearing to the darkness below.