Stray Strut
"Why did she leave us with those slavers?" Asked the small alabaster unicorn for the umpteenth time this week. "I don't know." Came my response in a tone that pleaded for her sister to stop talking. "Why did she fly away?" My pleas fell on deaf ears when Merry was involved, "I don't know." Came my standard reply to all of my sister's questions this week, "Do you think she hates us?" Okay that was my breaking point, "I SAID I DON'T BUCKING KNOW. I DIDN'T BUCKING KNOW THE LAST HUNDRED TIMES YOU ASKED ME AND FIVE HOURS FROM NOW WHEN YOU ASK ME AGAIN I STILL WON'T BUCKING KNOW AND I'LL STILL BUCKING SAY I DON'T KNOW!" Merry just started crying, "You're mean Rosy!" Of course I felt guilty for snapping at Merry, I knew she was probably just in shock from having to fight off slavers with a knife and a frying pan, it really was lucky that the rocket was defective and curved off course though. "Hey... please don't cry I'm sorry it's just been really tense. I don't know what Centurion was thinking because I'm not her so please understand I have my limitations." That wasn't enough to stop Merry, "You yelled at me!" She whined, in a very obnoxious tone, "Ugh if I give you my Candied apples will you stop whining? Please?" I was already resorting to bribery, this was not a good sign for the power balance in this group but at least the crying stopped for now. "Okay... but I get rights to all the sweets we find!" Now it was my turn to be a little depressed Merry knew I had a sweet tooth. "Fine... promise to share some?" I pleaded, "Nuh uh! It's mine you agreed to it." My thoughts turned to how much it sucked to have a sister sometimes, sure the good typically outweighed the bad but situations like these made me realize just how annoying she could be when given the inclination. Merry was happy at least so no more whining for the moment. "We have to find some kind of shelter do you have that radio we found on the slavers still? We might be able to jerry rig it as a homing device." I always was a quick thinker under pressure. Merry brought the radio out like it was a treasure, it might have been because it let her keep track of Centurion.
"This just in my little ponies, DJ-P0n3 signing in with recent news, if you're a slaver you better watch out because the Centurion's going on a war path for your heads. Now I'm not sure why she would be so vengeful on these ponies but I know what they're doing is wrong. So here's a heads up, if you're thinking of being a slaver it might be best if you don't if you like to keep your head, after all listen to this testimony from a few freed slaves!"
"That psychopath opened fire on a slaver that was in bed with a mare! She nearly blew the poor mare's brains in killing the bucking slaver! This freaking pegasi is out for blood!" Came a shrill voice probably a pony that'd need years of therapy to cope with the amount of gore the recent freedom she got came with.
"What's more this isn't even the Centurion they're talking about, this is her company, we've got a pony able to tame psychopaths and utilize them in the field. Now how many of you can say that? Because we aren't talking Raider crazy here we're talking crazy crazy a few of the mares there said she looked like she wanted to kill them too! Now I know what you're thinking, isn't this turn of events a bad thing since we now have an android pegasi toting around a kill crazy pegasi who wants to kill every single pony she encounters? The short answer is no, the long answer is she seems satisfied with killing bad ponies so Celestia help you if you're a raider, slaver, or harming another pony!"
"..." I was quiet for a moment, "What's a psychopath?" Merry asked, "It's a kind of pony I'd never picture Centurion travelling with... something has to be up." Merry seemed disappointed, "Does that mean she doesn't want us around?" She asked. I thought for a moment about what I knew about Centurion, she was loyal to a fault and had a child when she was younger... maybe she thought she failed again and was wreaking an unholy revenge, why else would she be on a war path with slavers? "I think she might not know we're alive... do you still have that doll she gave you? There might be a bit of her coat on it."
* * *
"Okay, so we're out of healing potions now." I stated plainly after Star tired herself out from killing a group of Manticores. Alone. Without any supervision. I really feel like she's a child at heart, a twisted, twisted little child. Maybe she didn't have parents or maybe they died. "We're going to head back to New Appleloosa to stock u-... what in Celestia's name are you doing?"
"What does it bucking look like I'm doing?" Star grunted, "It looks like your desecrating a Manticore corpse for no reason." I replied, "No I'm desecrating a manticore corpse for the bones so I can use them to make a decent weapon for an idiot like you who insists on hooves alone." She said in a snide tone, "That's because hooves are all I need!" I shouted, "Blah blah blah, all I hear is I'm a pin cushion for bullets because I don't have the common sense to acquire a weapon when it could save me costly repairs to my body." Okay child at heart or not that really really pissed me off.
"Okay do whatever we're leaving in three minutes do I make myself clear?" I said sternly, "Yes mother," she replied in a snide tone and rolled her eyes, "Do you want me to go to the bathroom too so we don't have to stop on the way?" Okay scratch the idea of her pissing me off, she was infuriating me, there was a distinct difference in that the latter made me want to beat her to within an inch of her life and the former just made me want to yell at her.
* * *
"Are you done yet?" I sighed, "No." "How about now?", a grunt, "Still not done." "Oh... okay... are you done now?" I really wanted to scream but she wasn't sure exactly what i'd bribe Merry with this time so i didn't think it was worth it, "No, I'll tell you when I'm done please go play or something." Merry ran off towards the woods. i thought i could finally have some free time to work on the tracking device and the homing device from the radio parts, she even had enough to make an ear piece that let her tune in to the radio, Merry would enjoy that. Then Merry ran out chased by a group of raiders. At least they had guns, now all I had to do was take them out and take the guns, with just a knife a frying pan, and my ingenuity on my side, I liked those odds. The first ran into the knife that floated pointed at his chest in front of the tree he was running by and that was the end of his heart. The second was a bit smarter and tried to take a pot shot, then there was a clang as his shot gun flew out of his teeth and he clutched his mouth in pain. I comandeered the shot gun and cracked the raiders skull with it's butt. The last Raider was a little tricky and manged to mount Merry about to bite her before a vine clutching one of the trees started to strangle her. "Okay Merry search the bodies for anything I can use for tools." I said calmly as I went back to my work, not a hint of adrenaline in my system. "I found a bobby pin and some caps!" She said joyfully, "anything else?" I said hopefully, "I found this in the woods!" She produced... a rock, this will be a big help I thought spitefully before noticing the flattened sharp edge. "Okay hand it over," I held a hoof out and took the rock and used it to unscrew the last bolts on the radio, it was trying to work on technology with my magic so the reprieve was helpful. "Well now we're getting somewhere, I can finish the Homing device with this, the tracking device is going to take a few materials that are better than this... do we have anything we can trade with AJ's rangers?" I asked, "I found a zappy gun on a body!" She said. I began to think, okay so a laser pistol,, was there anything we could use that for or trade that for that'd work out? "Can you fire it?" I asked, "No it says something stupid about me not matching the DNA sequence of the owner." I smiled, "You know I think we can work with this." Now it was just a simple matter of overriding the DNA scanner and making it scan objects instead of a specific pony and finding a power source. "Any spark batteries?" I asked hoping my luck would turn out well. "Nope!" Merry still seems happy. Well that's just great, so where can we find some quickly? I began to think and listed off the places mom had told us she'd visited and their surroundings and looked around.
"There!" I yelled happily and charged off towards a tower, it was an old radio station, it wasn't functioning, but they certainly had to have some way of charging their equipment when it was still active didn't they?
* * *
"Of course it has to be locked when we're out of equipment to get past it..." I looked around and saw a computer, "Maybe it's controlled here..." I started the hacking process and had to back out four times before I got it, the password had been, Lilac I saw a gate override and a few files on the computer, I opened the gate and told Merry to gather what would be useful then turned my attention to the files.
"I can't believe this idiocy! I don't care who Applejack thinks she is or how powerful she is right now she's working poor Lily to death with all the overtime on this stupid project! Her brother is already dead, this armor wouldn't have saved his life because the only reason it's going to exist is because he died! I can't believe how she thinks making a suit of armor in memory of her brother will help her at all! It's just going to make her constantly feel guilty over not having done something or said something that kept him from going to Shattered Hoof reviewing each and every possibility in her head until it drives her mad!"
Okay that was a personal file, well I suppose the next one could be important and not just some long dead pony's opinion. I thought as I began to go to the next file.
"The project at this station is going well, the spark batteries were a problem at first but we've managed to find a way to recharge spark batteries made of aluminum carbonate using a solution of water and few metalloids mixed in with a mild shock from an underpowered lightning spell, it gives about 99% of the full charge and the new charge acts as the full charge so it'll dwindle over time but we aren't going to lose power and work any time soon. Pretty soon we'll be able to weaponize white noise and force the zebras to do what we want while they're in a trance."
The tone of this one sounded different from the first, maybe this computer was used by more than one pony and they respected the privacy of each other? Okay one more file let's go I thought as she I the final file.
"The experiment failed today, it seems that the white noise makes the subject a lot more prone to violence, we'll send a full report to Twilight Sparkle... She's certain to be saddened by the loss of Roseluck but we had no choice, she volunteered to test so that if it worked Apple Jack's project would be scrapped, after she attacked Professor Barley Day we had no choice but to put her down, we're preparing her funeral and eulogy and Apple Jack is going to allow Lily to attend without an absense pay cut. This failure has meant we've wasted two years of our lives in a failure, Barley seems depressed by this fact, it may be wise to take him to the MoM before he does something drastic."
Okay well that was a load of worthless information, I thought. I looked to see Merry with a cart filled with spark batteries, normally this would seem absurd but I noticed that these batteries had a slight green tinge at the top. Were these the rechargeable ones that the file talked about? If so it's fair to say we just hit the jackpot, I thought to myself and smiled, things are coming out Rosy!
* * *
"Ah I see you're awake Delta." A voice fluttered in my consciousness. "We've got a special assignment for you, one that will show the Enclave just how worthwhile their investments were, it's time for their cash cow to produce." Cash cow? Is that what they made me? I was certain I signed up to have my illness treated for free not to become some kind of cow. "What did you do to me?" My voice came out as a gurgle a dry throaty cough would have sounded more eloquent. "Why we just made you better like you asked." The mare said innocently a knowing smile playing on her lips. Then I coughed up blood. "Oh don't worry that's clearly user error, we really should have gotten a smarter test subject." Test subject? But what were they testing... where were my wife and kids? They were here last time. Wait where was here? This wasn't the hospital I was kept at. I began struggling against cold bands against my waist. Was I so dangerous I had to be locked down? What had I done? Or maybe the question was what had they done to me? "Where is my family? What have you done to them!" The mare I asked smiled a twisted little smile, "Done? What have we done? Don't you mean what you did? After all it's hard for a family to cope with the loss of their father." I blinked, "Cope with the loss... what in the hay are you talking about I'm right here!" I yelled and she smirked again, "Really now? All I see is an Eldritch Abomination!" I was about to reply when she held up a mirror, burning red eyes, fangs, bat wings, a stinger, what the hay was I looking a-... oh Celestia I was looking at myself wasn't I? "What did you do?!" I yelled struggling against the bonds keeping me in place again, she just smiled, "Like I said, we made you better." I lost my temper then, "BETTER MY HOOF I CAN'T SEE MY FAMILY I CAN'T SEE MY FRIENDS YOU MADE ME A MONSTER!" She just smiled, "No you made yourself a monster when you didn't read the fine print." Fine print... the stuff they told me I didn't have time to look through? It gave them permission to do this?! "Now we have a job for you to do, maybe you remember Falling Star." I grimaced and she laughed, "I guess it is hard to forget your first isn't it? How did that go for you again? Oh right you woke up in a tub missing one of your livers." How did she know all of that? I looked at her more closely then noticed a boiling beaker on her flank, that explained it, my aunt, the one who had always hated me just because of my gender.
"Oh what's the matter Delta?" She said sinisterly. "My name isn't Delta and you know it!" I yelled in response, "Oh but I think you'll find it is now that you're just an experiment Delta." She said smirking, "My name is Cumulus Bolt!" I yelled in response and got a punch in the right side of my face. "I think you'll find that your name is Delta especially since your dead right now Cumulus." She said smiling. She faked my death? Why would she... was the Enclave betraying me for the time I took off from the fields without permission? My second daughter was being born for Celestia's sake! "Now you just have to find Falling Star." I looked at her, "That's it?" I said wondering why it would just be to find her, "Oh not quite it, you also have to kill her company and her." I knew I had every reason to hate Star but for some reason taking her life seemed to cross a line. "I AM NOT A MONSTER REGARDLESS OF WHAT I LOOK LIKE! I AM THE SAME PONY I ALWAYS WAS AND I WILL BE THE SAME PONY UNTIL I DIE!" I roared hearing the bonds creaking as my rage pumped adrenaline into my body. She simply smiled probably too content with how much pain she caused me to hear the creaking, "Well I guess that means you aren't since as I've mentioned several times you're dead." I had had enough and finally the bonds snapped and my wings spread my new... tail I didn't want to call it a stinger, wrapped around her neck and began to choke her. "YOU WERE NEVER FIT TO BE A MOTHER YOU AND I BOTH KNOW THAT!" I began to growl and snarl, "THAT'S WHY YOU NEVER FOUND A COLT ISN'T IT? YOU KNEW THAT ANY EVIL THE OFFSPRING HAD WOULD BE FROM YOUR BLOOD!" I continued to choke her, she was struggling, I was turning into a monster, I didn't even care, after eight years of living through her hell while mom and dad were hunting a Dashite and having to put up with her she didn't deserve my sympathy. "NOW ALLOW ME TO CLEANSE EQUESTRIA OF YOUR DEMONIC BLOOD YOU BUCKING DEGENERATE ABOMONATION TO CELESTIA AND LUNA'S IDEALS!" I said as my tail grew taut and the point rammed through her skull dripping blood from the tip as I stared at it and smiled. "I won't be ruled by my past and I won't forgive you even now." I said as I walked off, Star deserved a warning of what was going to come after her next, if I was Delta and I was being assigned that meant Alpha Beta and Gamma failed, so I shuddered to think what kinds of abomonations they'd come up with next.
* * *
Is it my fault Rosy's so upset? I began to wonder, "Rosy are you okay?" I said as she was contemplating her work a grim look on her face. "Huh oh yeah I'll be fine Merry anyways I think we can start tracking Centurion now." I knew that tone that was her, 'I deal with my own problems tone' I hated that tone more than radroaches! "Now give me that stuffed toy so I can find a sample." She held out her hooves and I put Ms Fluffy in them. "Be careful she's sensitive..." I began to plea, "She's not even ali-" She looked at me, "Uh that is to say she isn't aligned with Celestia right now which is why she's feeling so bad." That made less sense than when she told me that babies came from wishing really hard to Celestia and Luna. "Okay..." I'm sure I sounded skeptical but Rosy just searched Ms. Fluffy and yelled in frustration. "THERE'S NOTHING THERE I GET SHE'S AN ANDROID BUT SHE SHOULD HAVE SOME KIND OF GENETIC CODE LEFT OR SHE'D BE A ROBOT!" I whimpered and hid under a table waiting for her to calm down.
Rosy saw me after a few minutes of tearing up the old station and sighed, "It's okay it's not your fault sorry I got so upset." I crawled out slowly and she hugged me, "You know I love you and I'd never intentionally hurt your feelings or you. I'm so sorry you had to see that." I cried a bit into her coat and a few drops fell on my back. Was Rosy crying? No that couldn't be it Rosy was the toughest big sister ever! It had to be raining and we were under a crack in the roof or something because Rosy never cried. I knew she'd always be there and be my strength even if the world fell apart around me because she was the best big sister any pony could ever have.
"Hey pack up those spark batteries we're heading to the nearest town to stay the night..." Rosy said her voice sounding a bit distant with a tinge of sadness I managed to pick up. "Okay Rosy..." I said back a little sadly and began packing everything we might need. If Rosy was already sad I wanted to do what she said and make her happy again. Just like mom would have done for us... I... no I can't think of that I have to be strong like Rosy if she can keep going I can too!
* * *
I failed her, it's my own fault really I should have known it wouldn't work... but I just wanted to be hopeful about something in this crummy world we lived in. I should have known there wouldn't be a sample of Centurion's genetics on her stuffed toy and I should have let her keep the radio. I was a terrible older sister, I'd have to make it up to her somehow, maybe if I found a way to contact some of the ponies Centurion knew I'd be able to get Merry back to her and leave her, she deserved a better sister than me, I knew it, and it was only a mater of time until she knew it to. She's all I have left mom's gone now... but that's exactly why she deserves better than me, I can't be her mother, I've already failed at being her older sister by letting her get nicked during the fight with the slavers.
I'll give her to Centurion and that... other pony to take care of her... and then I'll leave them behind and walk down the path towards Celestia and Luna up above where mother will be waiting for me, at least I hoped I'd be able to ascend to her after I'd proven to be such a failure. Maybe my future lied below with Discord where a failure like me would be welcome. Wait Merry seemed to be talking.
"So what do you think?" She said smiling, "I'm sorry could you repeat that..." I said glumly. She sighed, "I said, maybe I'll give you half of the sweets we find." I thought for a moment, was Merry making a geniune act of genorisity to cheer me up? Was I really getting that bad? I smiled a little, "That sounds... nice." I knew I had to cheer up for her if she was willing to do this. She seemed happy with herself and we headed towards New Appleloosa.
* * *
Wow could Storm be a real grumpy pony, I'd called her an idiot a fifth time and she bucked me in the teeth. After all I'd done for that bucking ingrate! Like not killing her for starters, and not killing ponies that were good by her definition, and... there are probably other things I'm just forgetting right now. Oh I knew why she did it, she was still upset about the whipping wasn't she? Not my fault that's how my parents let me know I was doing something wrong. I mean how else would it get through a stubborn ponies head? Wasn't every family like that? Well maybe not two hundred and five years ago... oh she's giving me the silent treatment, "HEY BUCKET BRAIN!" I yelled.
"Ugh what now Star?" She said clearly irritated. Well I was irritated too, "When we get home I'm going to give you a bucking spanking!" I growled, "Oh shut the buck up I am sick and bucking tired of hearing you today." I growled more menacingly, "Oh yes act like a rabid animal, that raises my opinion of you!" She said sarcastically. Then I bit her tail, "OW WHAT THE HAY STAR ARE YOU BUCKING CRAZY I COULD LOSE MY FOCUS AND DROP OUT OF THE SKY!" I smirked, "Sounds like a personal problem to me bucket brained steel flanked bucker." She looked really angry and a little embarassed now, I hate to say it but I liked that look... wait was I... no I couldn't fall in love with such a loser could I? I was Falling Star the ender of lives and... oh the way she was looking at me right now was making me feel a little frisky.... No stop it body! You are my tool and I will not have you disobeying me! Wait... how was I keeping my flying going when I was focussing on this mental argument? I looked down... "I don't think I was this close to the ground before..." Then I felt a thud as I landed on something hard and stopped with a few bruises. "Okay that cinches it, you almost made yourself a Star pancake, you are not allowed to call me an idiot anymore." I really disliked that smirk she had on her face and I bit her nose. "OW WHAT THE HAY I SAVED YOUR LIFE AND YOU BIT MY NOSE!" I growled, "Well maybe if you were humble about it I wouldn't have to put you in your place bolts for brains." She glared at me, okay this angry look wasn't quite as good as the last one what exactly was different there? Wait was she blushing then? Oh ho... this metal mare did have a weakness then didn't she? I smirked thinking of all the ways I could tease her about it, this was going to be the start of a really great day, maybe even eternity I kinda liked it down here, better than those stuffy ordered clouds with all the boring pegasi.
* * *
Crimson again, dang it whatever they did to me didn't cure me if anything it looks like they sped up the disease. I wheezed into my hoof again and more blood splattered out. "Why the buck would they do this if they didn't cure the disease?" I asked then thought back to my aunt, oh right it's because auntie always loved to see me suffer. Any remorse I had about taking her life left when I realized she probably didn't want me to be cured. "Ugh... I still need to find Star and warn her... sure I hate her but even she deserves a decent chance if they're going to make more monsters like me." I coughed again and a few drops of blood coated my hoof, I was racing the clock and the clock was starting to speed up. "How can I find her..." That's when I looked down and saw quite a few bodies riddled with bullets. "Follow the carnage then..." I flew following the carnage and came upon an odd sight, a pony looting one of the bodies. I snapped and dropped in front of him "WHAT IN EQUESTRIA DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! YOU DO NOT DISHONOR THE DEAD!" I yelled and he shivered a bit then yelled back, "THIS BUCKER KILLED MY MOM!" He said with tears in his eyes. That changed everything, "You kill him yourself?" I asked, he shook his head, "You want to get even?" He nodded, sure my body was being ravaged but I couldn't stop myself from taking sympathy on him, after all I was the same way when my mother died, I got into fights in school all the time looking for something to keep my mind off the cold hard fact, my mom died and no matter what I did, nothing could ever change that. I cut the head off the corpse with the point of my new tail and gave it to him. "Keep this close to you and let him know every day he can't escape his guilt in the afterlife." I knew it wouldn't do anything, but I also knew the colt needed something to keep him going or he might just lay down and give up living like dad did. "Show him what it means to be a pony and show him what a failure like him hates the most, show him that you're better than him." He nodded tears in his eyes. I knew it'd be hard for him, it was for me, I knew I needed to get going but I couldn't yet, I went closer to him and hugged him, "and remember this your mother loves you no matter where she is, and she wouldn't want you to be sad." I hated when other ponies told me that when I was still in school, the teachers told me, the principal told me... it didn't matter she left me alone and dad followed her. Yet here I was just twenty years later saying the same thing to another pony and I realized they didn't say it because they wanted to say it so much as they knew I needed to hear it even if I didn't like it.
"Now I have to go remember what I told yo-" I was cut off by a fit of coughing and blood dripped from my muzzle slowly, "I have to go... keep yourself safe kid, I won't forgive you if I see you up above any time soon." I flew off before he could ask if I'd be okay, I knew I was going to die, but I also knew that if I didn't act I'd have two ponies joining me. I could die happily if I was able to say that I had saved others, that I had defied my aunt when she told me I was worthless and that I only ever thought of myself.
* * *
"Okay we're getting repairs and some canvas to make a crude shelter for when we need sleep, nothing more." I said glaring at Star. "I get it I get it now let go of my ear!" I had pinned her right ear between some teeth to keep her from protesting. I let her go and she ran off, "I'LL HAVE MY REVENGE BUCKING BOLT HEAD!" At least she was running towards the store and even though I knew she would probably get revenge what was she going to do? Kill me? Fat chance I was already dead and she knew it. It's not like she could get that whip again anyways the colt who gave it to her got chastised by the mayor. I trotted to Ditzy's store and gave her some caps, "My right wing got a little shot up because somepony rammed me!" I yelled loud enough for Star to hear, "WELL IF YOU HADN'T SMASHED THAT SNACK CAKE WITH YOUR CLUMSY BUCKING HOOVES I WOULDNN'T HAVE HAD TO WOULD I?!" She yelled back and I sighed, she really was a kid. "Anyways Ditzy I brought a few more muffins and I got some ammo to trade that covers it right?" Ditzy nodded and I got on the table while she worked.
* * *
Okay I was sure the clock was cheating. Another reason to stop presented itself, a young filly with an odd emblem on her barding was rushing into a group of ponies with guns... alone. I slammed down into the group and began to choke and stab my way through the crowd until one remained, I looked at him as menacingly as I could, "Run... now!" I growled and he dropped his gun and ran, the filly looked at me, "Thanks but why would a monster help?" Ow... that's gratitude, "I'm not a monster whatever I look like, I'm a pony... and if you need to know why it's because life is sacred and the way you were rushing to your death is insulting to ponies like me." She looked at me confused then I coughed up some more blood and she grimaced, "Are you going to be okay?" I looked at her, "I'm fine... just keep yourself safe... got it?" She nodded and I flew off I had lost Star's trail a while ago so I had to rely on dumb luck to pick a direction to fly in.
* * *
"Okay we got what we needed let's go!" I yelled at Star who was staring at a paddle. I dragged her off by her tail and out the door, "We're leaving now move" I yelled in her ear and she shot up quickly and I shot after her as we flew towards Vault 13 Astaroth said it'd give me a clue about who he was and that there was no time limit. That gave me time to think of how to beat him, I began to play scenario after scenario in my head most ending in failure some ending in a few broken bones. The most optimistic outlook had me working for him for eternity... ugh the easy path sucks, okay now to factor Star in and... I got team killed in most of them. In fact the best case scenario I still got shot but it went through me and killed Astaroth and then Star came down and beat me senseless... wow this was really depressing, I guess that's why I try not to think too much. "To answer that, no you don't think to much beause you're unique, you see most ponies use 10% of their brain, you use .01% which is why you don't think much. I'll fix that a little if you promise to play more... maybe make it 1%" Of course Astaroth taunted me, "Buck that I'll make myself more intelligent on my own!" Astaroth chuckled, "With what a bunch of intensive study to train your mind?" I thought for a second, "Yes!" Astaroth sighed, "How does that even... if you can't... ugh forget it I don't even care do whatever you want I know you have some media files that are documents to study go ahead and study I'll let your autopilot work if it means not talking to you anymore right now..." I couldn't believe it... I beat Astaroth! Okay more accurately I got him so confused he stopped caring but a win's a win. Now I could kick back relax and study to make myself smarter while autopilot worked.
----
footnote: Level up!
New perk: Oblivious seductress: You aren't sure why but for some reason a lot of mares have been giving you funny looks, oh well nice to be noticed, +10% to speech when talking with ponies of the same gender
Quest perk: what is this I don't even...: You've become quite adept at confusing people when you talk, whenever you have a persuasion check +10% to the base.