After returning with all of our goodies (my new sword especially) we decided to take the rest of the day off, and while we were all stretched out on various pieces of furniture, we heard a siren not unlike an ice cream truck outside. We all went outside to see what the commotion was, when we realized that it came from a pony driven cart down the road. There were 2 tall unicorns pulling it, with steeled eyes and determination. We sent Swift and Cipher to go check it out while the rest of us covered them with rifles from the roof of our "fortress". As it turns out, the ponies weren't bandits or buzzards (the type of scavengers that wait until survivors fight and kill each other and come to grave rob them), they were traders, of various items and trinkets. Hyde decided that it was safe, but told BS to stay here to cover us, just in case; you can never be too paranoid, especially around other ponies.
As we got closer to the pony-driven cart, I started to notice all of the intricate details. It was rather large, with all sorts of flashy imagery on the side, with big wheels, good for getting traction in areas with mud and snow. Although the cart seemed to be packed with stuff, the two unicorns seemed to pull it with ease, likely because they used a come to life spell on it, albeit at a smaller strength. The trader ponies were tan, with a two toned red and white mane, one had a moustache and they both looked like they hadn't bathed in weeks. The ponies introduced themselves as the Flim Flam brothers, traders by day, scavengers by night. They offered us a peek into their cart, which was filled to the brim with weapons, ammo food, medical supplies and much more. There was also a storage compartment for bits, although it was strangely light, and there was also the very strong aroma of meat, which our feathery friend Swift just loved to eat. We traded some of our supplies that we had in surplus for some ammo, beef, and soap, of all things, but the most important trade worth mentioning was enacted when they saw my new sword.
"Excuse me sir, but may I examine that sword of yours, it looks familiar, and if it is the sword I think it is, we will pay for it handsomely. He gave me his best con mare smile and with a hesitant hoof, I gave it to the moustached one to examine.
"Yes, brother I think it is the one we've been looking for, just look at the engraving!"
"Of course brother but that begs the question of how they got it, these types of artifacts aren't just lying around everywhere."
As they observed every bit of my new weapon I thought about anything else we had in our base that might be worth trading, nothing came to mind.
"Hey young stallion" The moustacheless one cut off my train of thought,"Where did you find this antique, if you don't mind me asking?" They seemed polite, but the brothers also had an unhealthy obsession with with cerulean blade. I replied that I had found it in a cabinet in town hall in Ponyville. That got their attention, as they discussed something in particular, and offered a large bounty of food and ammunition for it, although I had grown attached to Soverenghty, The offer was too good to pass up, and the last thing I saw was a crooked smile on their faces as we took the supplies and they trotted on by.
"What a boon!" BS shouted, she had a habit of doing that, seeing as how she was deaf in one ear, but all it took was a quick hoof signal to remedy it.
"Yeah, I can't believe our luck, all of this stuff for one measely sword?" Hide replied. As we set about packing up our new supplies I couldn't shake the feeling that I had made some kind of mistake, but I wasn't sure what. So I went to the only pony in our group that I could talk to about instincts and feelings like these: Cipher.