Matterhorn carried Lucky on his back, and she was mumbling quietly to herself as she was still in shock. Snowy carried Star on his own back, occasionally checking to see how she was faring while Access and Sheet Rock were given the boundless joy of being carried by their supposed saviors on some stretchers they had brought with them.
He spared a look over his shoulder at the column of black smoke that had come from the crash site, more than a little bit grateful to these ponies for bringing them to their senses so quickly, but he had his own doubts about their motivations.
“Euro for your thoughts, mage?” Golden Dawn quipped. “You look paranoid.”
“In my line of work, paranoia keeps you alive. You slip up even once and you’re toast, which I suppose is ironic considering we’re having this conversation right now.”
“Well, I wouldn’t worry about that. You might end up not being well liked by the ponies you’re about to meet, but they wouldn’t sell you out to whatever corp you’re running from.”
“Technically…” Matterhorn began before he felt a hoof on his cheek, it was Lucky, more than likely warning him in her semi-conscious state not to blab on why exactly they were there. “Actually, I can’t really deny that.”
“So, how about you tell me your names since we’ll be under the same roof for a little while” Golden Dawn said, looking over her shoulder at them.
“I’m Matterhorn, this here mare over my shoulders is Lucky. Snowy’s the Synthetic and the mare he’s carrying is his owner, Starry Night.“
“And these two?” Golden Dawn said, gesturing to the two unconscious Netrunners. “Who’re they? This stallion has some crazy expensive Cyberware, almost too expensive for ponies like you.”
“Access Granted and Sheet Rock, two big shot Netrunners so I’m told. I’ve not known them for long, so if you’re fishing for details you’re out of luck.”
Flywheel chuckled to herself. “Stallion’s gonna need a mechanic, not a doctor at this rate.”
They finally cleared the forest’s boundaries, and found themselves on the dusty plains outside of Rift City, formally Ponyville. They could see the city skyline in the distance, lit up by the cool white glow of the citywide lighting, unmarred by the smog and pollution that plagued Canterlot.
It still had its share of problems however. For the most part it was a nice enough city, but it had a large underground movement dedicated to, among other things, making sure that anyone with Cyberware were to be treated like they were below even the lowest in the social stratum.
It wasn’t always this way, but as the divide between those that could afford the latest performance enhancing Cyberware, and those that could not afford such a luxury grew ever larger, it gave rise to a number of gangs, at first it was centered mostly within Rift City and the Everfree Arcology who believed that a pony should not have an inherent advantage over another due to the amount of money they had.
This wasn’t an uncommon viewpoint for many ponies within the city, but as the gap grew wider and the gangs grew with new members and gained more influence, they soon started to commit more and more violent acts aimed at their perceived foes. Eventually it grew out of control, spreading to other districts, and the local police were eventually overwhelmed and were forced to take a backseat as they could not effectively curb the ongoing violence without many of their own officers involved being killed in the process.
Matterhorn spared a look at their escort. None of them had a trace of chrome in them at all, at least none that was visible. That in of itself was a bad sign, but not necessarily a huge red flag.
“Right, I have to warn you of something before we’re within the city limits. Police around these parts don’t like chromed ponies in the slightest, but we have a hideout outside of the city center with a place you lot can rest up in.”
“Well that’s comforting.” Matterhorn said. “Let’s just hurry.”
At regular intervals throughout the dusty and barren plains that surrounded Rift City, were a number of tall antenna like structures, topped with a gently pulsing red light that could be seen for miles around. They marked the boundaries of the city and served as a means to transmit and receive signals from nearby settlements, and was in general the only way Rift City could get a net connection being this far away from a major routing hub.
Golden Dawn pointed out a small building next to a dirt bypass road, flanked by a set of fuel pumps and surrounded by more than a few ponies with some vicious looking weaponry atop a makeshift brick and metal wire wall.
The city was still a decent ways away down a paved asphalt road. The structure looked like some kind of disused fuel depot, and the smell of CHOOH2 fuel was very heavy in the air.
“You own a CHOOH2 depot?” Snowy remarked. “That’s hardly a smart choice for a hideout.”
“Technically, the clan does. You must’ve noticed by now we’re nomads?” Cogwheel chuckled. “Don’t worry, you’ll be safe here. Nomad’s honor.”
“Obviously. You reek of CHOOH2, only two kinds ponies smell like that. Nomads and Mechanics.” Matterhorn added, nervously sweating as the ponies atop the wall noticed their approach, watching them through the scopes of their rifles.
The gate closest to them opened rapidly and ponies in dusty brown scrubs galloped out and took the stretchers from the twins, whisking Access and Sheet Rock off inside the depot, hopefully to be treated.
Meanwhile, Matterhorn and Snowy were shown inside the depot to an open space where a few of their new friends vehicles were stored, and at the back of the large building was a set of dorms where they could wait out Arcology Security.
Matterhorn gently put Lucky down on one of the free beds and went about helping Snowy with Star and gave them the once over, checking for any injuries. Apart from some scrapes here and there, they were lucky not to have been seriously hurt.
Star awoke with a shrill scream, clinging to Matterhorn for dear life. He tried his best to calm her down, but it was as if she couldn’t hear a word that was said to her, no matter how loud or firm he was. Snowy pried her off Matterhorn as best as he could and restrained her.
“Calm down, Miss, we’re fine! You’re fine!” he pleaded. “Just take a breath!”
“I… we… but…” she panted, eyes full of blind panic. “Okay? We’re okay?”
“Me, you, Snowy, and Lucky are for the most part, but Access and Sheet Rock were covered in blood when we pulled them out the wreckage. It’s hard to tell whose it was, hers or his, but the ponies that came to investigate led us here.”
“We’re really lucky aren’t we?” Star asked shakily. “I don’t remember what happened, all I can remember is the engine giving out, and then… nothing.”
“Miss, if I may? It may be better for you to just relax for the moment, we aren’t going anywhere soon with Arcology Security breathing down our necks.”
“Snowy’s right. Right now, our best option is to get some rest, get some food in us, and figure out a way inside the Arcology once things have calmed down.”
A burly earth pony wearing a burnt umber colored biker jacket walked into the room surprisingly quietly for a stallion his size. He set down a small tray on a rickety desk with some slices of Synth-Bread on it.
“Food for you. All we got to spare right now. The boss says to get some rest, she’ll send someone for you later.” he said gruffly, leaving rather abruptly after he finished his sentence.
They all figured it was about time to get some rest before they were called upon, and they couldn’t go anywhere without the rest of the crew anyway. They had some time to kill, and it was anyone's guess just how long it’d take before they’d be back on track.