Re: Fallout Equestria: The Kingdom

[Katarn]

"Chemicals...?" She rubs her chin. "No, I don't think so, though there was some liquid..."
Can you get it even more embarrassing...please?
"So yeah, I've made many things while you were gone. And about a book, I've read something similar not long ago, so I've just read through interesting part of it."

[Ketchup]

"Okay... what were you experimenting with, then? I'm out of ideas."

[Katarn]

"Oh, this part is secret." Novae showed tongue with wink to Quiver.
Well, at least it's working.
"Maybe I'll show you later."
Or not...
"When we both will be ready for this."
I want to kick you..myself and facehoof in same time...

[Ketchup]

"...When we're both ready? You really know how to make me wonder..."
Quiver shakes his head.
"Tell me when you deem it... appropriate, I suppose."
He says with a smile before looking back at the graves.
"It's crazy... you can make me smile even when we're surrounded by the dead."

[Katarn]

Thanks for reminding...
"I'm glad I can make someone happy at times like this." Novae flapped her ears. "At least they got their final service."

[Ketchup]

"Yeah... it is. But I still don't know if it's right to bury them, even if we mean it with respect."
He looks back at Novae.
"You always make me happy. Even if things have gotten a little... awkward."
He says with a weak smile.

[Katarn]

"Awkward...heh. At least you're in good mood. And as for them." Novae waved at graves. "What else could we do? Leave them to rot?"

[Ketchup]

"I guess."
He scrapes at the ground with his hoof.
"I also spoke to Clock... I asked her if we could have foals... theoretically, we could... but they couldn't have children of their own. I just thought I'd tell you."
He said in almost a whisper.

[Katarn]

"Well...I have no words." Novae lowered her head and went silent for a while.
"She sure about it?"

[Ketchup]

"I don't know if she was totally sure. She just said that they would be infertile... and probably pretty cute, too."
He said with a wan smile.
"But, we'll cross that bridge when... if... we come to it."

[Katarn]

"Yeah...when...if...maybe she's wrong! Or even if she isn't, maybe we'll be exception!" Sniff.

[Ketchup]

Quiver puts a hoof on her shoulder.
"Maybe... but there aren't many ways to find out... there are fewer zonies out here than zebras."

[Katarn]

Sniff. "And zebras are pretty rare here too."

[Ketchup]

"They are, but I'm glad I met this one."
Quiver pulls her into a hug.
"I'm sorry that I made you upset. Maybe we can talk about it another time, alright?"
He says in a whisper.

[Katarn]

Novae nods few times.

[Tytan]

After her conversation with Mince, Clock was emotionally exhausted. She didn't go back into the clinic, and instead chose to stay in the hall. She pulled out the book she'd gotten for her birthday and started reading.

[Tytan]

After the graves had been filled Viktor slouched against the twisted remains of the gate. He pulled a gem out of his pack and crunched it into shards between his teeth. One of his fingers, a pinkie, had been bent ever so slightly on a rock while he was digging. The bend was interfereing with natural movements. He pulled a piece off the broken fence and swallowed it as well. Very slowly it bent back into shape. He flexed his hand, satisfied that the time weakened repair talisman had done it's job.

[XT Vengeance]

Charcoal wandered the corridors of Tenpony, his head held low to the ground.

[Tytan]

Clock looked up from her book to see Charcoal wandering aimlessly. She greeted him as evenly as she could, "Charcoal."

[XT Vengeance]

"Oh, hey Clock," Charcoal replied quietly, not looking up as he continued to wander slowly.

[Tytan]

"Something up? You don't usually wander aimlessly."

[XT Vengeance]

"Ye-I mean no. Nothing," Charcoal lied, his ears twitching as he still refused to look up.

[Tytan]

Clock doesn't believe him, "Can't blame you for not wanting to talk about it."

[XT Vengeance]

"It isn't easy having nightmares almost every night," Charcoal said with a sigh.

[Tytan]

Clock tries to remain noncommittal, "Nope. Can't say it's easy."

[XT Vengeance]

"Nevermind. Forget I said anything," Charcoal said, turning away.

[Tytan]

"Do you want to talk about it?" Clock closed her book, took off her glasses and looked him dead in the eye, "You wouldn't be the first today."

[Tytan]

"It isn't your problem, Clock. Besides, I'm pretty sure you'd rather not be talking to me of all ponies right now," Charcoal said quitely.

"You aren't on the top of my list, but then again I really didn't want to talk about her but Mince still pulled it out of me." She nods to the wall across from her, "Sit."

Charcoal sat down where the mare had indicated, still staring at the ground.

She folds her hooves and rests her chin on them, "So? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Charcoal lied.

(Per 10+3)"Really? Color me unconvinced. If nothing were wrong then you wouldn't be moping, and don't say you weren't."

"Why the fuck does it matter to you?" Charcoal snapped at the mare. He then looked away quickly.

Clock snaps right back, "Because your mood affects this entire group. Like it or not the others look to you for guidance, and when you're in a shitty mood that shit just spreads around."

Charcoal scoffed. "Guidence? Me? That's like asking a hellhound for dating advice. I think you're wrong about that."

Clock snorted, "You haven't been acting like it. You've been making decisions that have affected everyone since the word 'go'. And before you say otherwise, you have been. Just look at the whole slave camp situation. Everything that went down there was your plan. The others might have given some input, but it was your word that decided what was gonna happen."

"AND IT'S THOSE DECISIONS THAT GOT PONIES KILLED!" Charcoal yelled. "Tumbleweed. Crusher. Dr. Octo. All dead because of me."

"Tumbleweed is dead because of his own stubbornness! Because he couldn't just give up Cherry and Shadow have had to adopt his daughter. And Crusher and Dr. Octo sacrificed themselves trying to save Eve! He knew he was putting himself in danger! They were dead before we could even do anything to save them!"

"It was my decision to leave for Tenpony without them. It's my fault they were captured. Not to mention that I should have fucking seen the trap here. Now everyone that lived here is dead because of me. If any of you are looking up to me, then you are mistaken."

"Besides the fact of how you were supposed to figure out it was a trap, what could we have done? We were deceived, all of us. We weren't supposed to know it was a trap, that's why it's called a trap. And we didn't leave the others without guidance, we left them a giant note saying we were going to Tenpony. They decided to go without us."

"I've been ambushed and attacked so many times that I should have seen the signs. I almost lost my daughter. I almost lost Mirabelle."

"Last I checked they were still alive. In fact I got a good look at her heart while she was in the autodoc. It looked like it was still beating. You saved them. I'm sure you wish you could have saved everyone else, but I'm not sure how that would have even possible. They just walked over the security. We barely got the upperhoof. What else could we have done?"

"Not let them slaughter the inhabitans of the tower floor by floor," Charcoal growled.

"Great plan, I'm sure Pinnacle didn't take that into account at all," she said with a heavy note of sarcasm.

Charcoal stood. "When you see the faces of hundreds of ponies in your dreams. Ponies that died because of your own actions, then you can talk to me," Charcoal said quietly. "When you relive you family and friends being torn apart by raiders almost every night for eight years, then you can talk to me about blame."

Clock stood up and raised her voice, "Fuck you Charcoal! You think you're the only one who feels responsible?! You think you're the only one who has nightmares every night?! You think you're the only one who feels guilty!? Well I've got news for you, the world is a whole lot bigger than Charcoal, the miserable lonely sniper. And just because I'm a doctor doesn't mean I'm not responsible for other peoples deaths. Maybe I didn't kill them on purpose, but I'm just as responsible for their deaths as you are, maybe more so. So don't you think for a second you're the only one who suffers."

Charcoal looked up at Clock, a blank expression on his face. "That settles it then," he said as he stood. The Stallion began to walk away, having made his decision.

Clock sounded peeved, "That settles what?"

"I'm leaving. It's better for everyone," Charcoal said succinctly.

For a moment Clock felt she had to argue for him staying, but that was quashed by her experience on the subject, "You know what? Fine. GO! QUIT! I've had it! Congratulations! You are the first patient Dr. Clockwork Apparatus has given up on."

"I'm not your patient," Charcoal growled. "I have to take care of Dinner Bell." The stallion started walking down the hallway once more.

"Of course you were! When we were still together all I seemed to do was take care of you. For a while I enjoyed it, but people can only take so much. I almost feel bad for Mirabelle, because now she has to put up with you."

Charcoal stopped. "Do you want to know why I left you?" Charcoal said evenly. "I left you, Clockwork, because you forced me to."

"Really?! I thought it was your new girlfriend."

"I never wanted to be in a relationship in the first place. All it ever leads to is pain."

"You know what?! I admit it! I admit my reasons might have been a bit selfish in the start, but I thought what we had was working. I was happy, you seemed happy. If you weren't happy I thought you'd tell me. Then we could have tried working it out. Instead, apparently, you pretended to be happy. Then, apparently, you pretended to propose. But then you actually fell in love with a girl you hadn't seen in so long, you thought she was dead."

"I'm sorry that I made a mistake. I panicked. I never meant for you to have taken that the way you did. As far as Mirabelle is concerned, do you even know what happened? You don't. I loved her, but I was too much of a coward to ask her out, and when I finally got the courage to do so, our caravan was attacked. I thought she died because of my failures, only to find out that I failed her even worse. She was kept as a raider play-thing for eight years Clock. Eight. Years. I love that mare, and it kills me inside to know that I could have done something to stop that, but I can't. All I can do is do everything in my power to make sure that she is happy, because that is all that matters to me anymore." Charcoal turned away. "Take out your hate on me. But leave her and our daughter out of it."

"I don't hate her, or your daughter. As far I'm concerned she isn't to blame for this. It's not her fault she survived. You are. You are because can't figure out how to handle a goddess damned situation! A little goddess damned decorum and we could have done this with a little less pain. I would have understood if you gave me a little time. Instead you had to show up to my door with your new daughter and break off our engagement the same day you made it."

"Then why the fuck would any of you want to listen to me about anything?"

"I honestly don't know anymore. Maybe it's the tone of your voice. Maybe the way you comb your hair. For some reason the others seem to think you belong in charge."

[Guest]

At some point during their stroll around the tower Flea had fallen asleep. The dream she had was simple she walking in the same hallway she had drifted to sleep in only now her late father had joined them.

She couldn't tell what they were talking about but she did know she joined them in the conversation every now and then. The whole thing seemed in the dream she couldn't tell what was wrong with the situation, but now that her eyes had begun to open and they fell on the claw that her dad had given her she knew exactly what was wrong.

The filly reached for the object and held it close to her chest, sniffing loudly.

[Guest]

Cherry stops and looks at Flea"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

Shadow looks at Flea seeing her hold the necklace, he sighs.

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