"I like puzzles."
Twilight and Luna were anxiously waiting for whatever was making the laughter to arrive through the stadium door. The laughter was loud and insane, coming from something that was clearly bloodthirsty and seeking violence.
Which was interrupted by the puring and cute roaring from the previously terrifying bear-beast. It was adorable and out of place. It was now cuddling on Luna's leg. Both princesses couldn't help but aww at the sight, as hard as they tried not to. They noticed that the laughter had stopped.
"This place has a tendency of subverting ex..." Luna started to say before being interrupted by something whizzed by leaving a trail of smoke behind and some flames on the ponies manes. Siad object then exploded as it hit a pile of debris. After quickly putting the fire out of their manes they stared back at the door where it had come from.
"A rocket propulsed explosive." Twilight muttered quietly under her breath. This got her a deadpan look from Luna. "What I'm a scientist, alchemist and engineer. I recognize modern and experimental weaponry when I see it." She responded. Luna simply rolled her eyes before focusing again on the approaching individuals.
A few dozen creatures were approaching carrying multiple dangerous contraptions. And each creature looked as if a dozen different animals and beings had been cut into pieces before randomly being sewn, nailed and duct taped together. One actually looked like if you had cut the head of two different animals in half and then sewn two different halves together.
The same could be said for their clothes, equipment and weaponry. They let their loud laughter out and fired upon the two ponies, and tiny bear, with great accuracy before charging in with whatever rusted knives they had on them.
The one in front blew into pieces as Luna fired a magic powered bolt into it. This proved ineffective as it simply put itself back together with help from the other ones present. Both alicorns took cover behind some rubble as the stitched creatures fired at them, which proved more effective than whatever spells the ponies casted.
A rocket landed a few meters away from Twilight. She couldn't help but think about how ponies and more likely the more industrialized griffins might soon poses such weaponry. Luna, while casting a shield spell around herself, flew in the air before smashing in the middle of all the creatures, sending them flying into pieces.
The creatures started putting themselves together, but with how far away the pieces had been sent from each other it would take longer. This was rendered moot as a dozen- or two more appeared out of nowhere and fired upon Luna. The bullets bounced off her shield hitting some of them back. Though all wounds quickly healed.
Twilight joined the fight, however her method of fighting was much less violent and more thought out. She would grab the weapons and dismantle them before throwing the pieces far away, she would also do the same for the leg and limbs of any of the mismatched creatures that tried to use their claws.
The sight of the weaponry made her feel physical pain. She tried her best to ignore that mechanical and scientific butchery for now.
The tiny bear jumped onto one of the taller creatures that carried a multi barreled rocket launcher, using its jetpack and then started biting at the chimera's face.
The three of them fought their way out of the stadium using said methods. It wasn't hard but it was tedious. Once they exited all the offending creatures disappeared.
The ponies sighed in relief. Obviously their relief was instantly ruined as a metal wagon, with half-a-dozen mismatched wheels, covered in scrap and with a dozen big metal cylinders. The wagon, which looked like it was about to fall apart at any moment, fired from all of its barrels, sending a very inaccurate barrage of scrap all around.
It then fell apart into a pile of metal, duct tape and some chewing gum. Twilight stood there holding a few centimeters of duct tape in her magic. "I did not expect this to be this easy." She said sheepishly.
The second she finished that sentence more wagons and chimeras appeared attacking both ponies.
After an hour of tedious fighting, it suddenly stopped as they reached a crossroad. They stood there for a few minutes waiting to see if more would appear. When none appeared both ponies relaxed and the tiny bear who had been following through all that fighting started playing with some random rubble.
Luna noticed that Twilight looked... sad? "Are you alright were thee hurt in any way?" Luna worriedly asked some of her older speech patterns reappearing. Twilight answered. "Their weapons and vehicles are utterly abominable. They shouldn't work. External combustion engines held together by glue." She started crying.
"Self loading ballistic weaponry, a technology that nopony has ever managed to create, made out of plastic and paper which should not be scientifically possible." The scientist inside of her died a little every time she saw one of those ramshackle multi barreled, duct taped guns and the rusty blunt knives that somehow cut through thick wood with ease.
After lamenting at the technological butchery, Twilight was ready to continue again. Trying to find their way they noticed a billboard. 'Temple of misery.' '173 kilometers that way.' There were a dozen arrows pointing into different positions. Luna took a bottle spinned it and then pointed at the direction in which it had stopped. A massive structure had suddenly become visible. "Ho..." "Randomness is the only constant here." Luna answered before Twilight could finish her question.
As they started traveling towards the temple a chimera jumped out of a corner. It was instantly sent flying into the air after being slammed into by two blasts of magic.
Both ponies knew this was going to be a very long trek. The bear moved along ignorant of everything.