POV Rio
Finding the Prancing Pony didn't take that long. It was decently popular, as I saw members of almost every tribe here. There were some Griffons, Unicorns, Thestrals, Pegasi, and even 3 Earth Ponies. That last one was the biggest surprise. But it made more sense when you realise that some Earth Ponies could and would be banished from the tribe for marrying outside or leaving the tribe. When I entered, several ponies stopped what they were doing and looked at me, but quickly lost interest.
"What can I do for you Mr?" asks the bartender.
"I am just looking for a place to rest my hooves for a moment, and I heard that this establishment has some great music," I reply.
"That we do. In fact, a new song should be starting any second now," the bartender says with a smile and points towards an unoccupied table.
I get the message and take a seat at the table. Right as I sit down, the music starts to play, and I decide to wait until it is over so as not to be rude.
(AN: Play Set Me Free (Fallout Day 2015) - The Balefire Symphony by EAST Corp Productions on YouTube. )
The song starts with a somber tone.
"There's a place far from this cage
With no more tears and no more rage
But these chains just pull me down
There's no hope for miles around."
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The Pianist starts a small solo, and I had to admit the song had drawn me in.
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"Heaven can you hear me
Can you hear the cries of war
I give you my deepest humble plea
Save your children from this agony."
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The singer puts her hooves together in a pretend prayer and then looks down dejected.
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"Where do I fit in this plan?
Please someone help me understand
What am I in this world for?
Does it matter anymore?"
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The audience seems to stop everything they are doing and seems to be lost in memories or something similar.
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"I know there's a beacon
It will free my broken soul
I give you my deepest humble plea
Save my heart from this agony
Set me free…
Set me free…"
As the song ends, the applause starts. I applauded as it was a well-done song. A bit sad, but I didn't mind. I was more surprised as I had felt I had seen this Pony before, but I couldn't place where. Either way, I approached the singer to speak with them.
"Well, hello there, I haven't seen you around here before. What brings you to my neck of the woods?" the singer asks.
"I was told to speak with you. Grover sent me," I reply.
Her eyes change for a split second, and then she looks around me for a moment before shouting at the bartender.
"Mugs! I'm takin' a breather!" the singer yells.
"Yeah, yeah, just don't break the bed again," Mugs replies with a sh*t-eating grin, and a short amount of silencepasses before the entire tavern bursts into laughter.
"Buck off!" the singer yells back with a roll of her eyes. She then looks at me and speaks more quietly.
"Don't listen to them, they're just being idiots. Follow me somewhere more private, and we can continue this conversation," she says before walking towards a back room.
As soon as enter she turns to look at me and her eyes narrow.
"Okay, so who are you? I am quite familiar with almost everyone in this city in some capacity, and I wouldn't forget such a strange-looking pony, especially one that could get Grover actually to send you here with his blessing," the singer says while slowly drawing a dagger from a hidden compartment, trying to keep it hidden.
"Why do you say I look strange?" I reply with a question.
"Answer the question. I know Grover, and while he is many things, trusting is not one of them. So either you are lying to me, or he actually sent you here to use the promise I owe him. Which he would never do," the singer replies.
I looked confused and was thinking about just coming out and revealing myself, but my look of confusion must have made her realise this might be a misunderstanding.
"He didn't tell you, did he?" the singer replies with what I could only describe as an annoyed tone.
I shake my head, and she sighs and shakes her head.
"Sigh. Of course, he didn't think that old beak for brains must have forgotten to tell you. Sorry for the interrogation, but things are really tense in the city, and I didn't know if you were legitimate or not. My name is Velvet Remedy, and to answer your question, you look strange because you both look like a Mare and a Stallion. Of course, that isn't the only issue. You also look way too clean and well... attractive? It's kind of hard to describe it. And such a... unique appearance wouldn't be forgotten. I pride myself on my memory and the fact that I have explored almost every nook and cranny of this city. And I don't remember you. So what's up with the disguise?" Velvet asks.
"Hmm, interesting. I will keep that in mind for future disguises. As for my name, I am Rio. And yes, Grover failed to mention anything beyond, go to the Prancing Pony and speak to the singer there. I was told you are the leader of the Explorers League," I reply.
"Rio? That's an odd name, uh, no offense. Griffon maybe? No, that doesn't really fit. Well, you got me curious. Why would Grover actually send anyone to me? That old penny-pinching Griffon must really like you, or he owes you something fierce to send you to me. So what do you want?" Velvet asks.
"I was told the Explorers League has a decent number of members and that you are well-versed in fighting," I reply.
"Yeah, but we learn a lot more than just fighting. Survival skills, DIY crafting, Scavanging methods, how to avoid predators, etc. But what does that have to do with.... Wait, no, there's no way. Are the Griffons joining the rebellion, too?" Velvet says with a surprised and befuddled tone.
"Yes, but they are fighting for the Crown. Grover sent me here as he said that for the right price, you could be convinced to help as well," I reply.
"Sigh. Look, I will tell you the same thing I told the rebels. We want nothing to do with this war. We only want to reclaim the surface, and while the rebels can claim they will let us do that, we know it isn't that simple. If it was, we would have reclaimed it by now," Velvet says, and she seems like she is getting ready to end the conversation, but I caught something in that response.
"So, if I could bring you to a place like the surface that was unexplored by your group and isn't a death sentence, you would join the defenders?" I ask.
"Of course, but while you're at it, might as well say you'll take us to space or to see the stars..." Velvet starts to say sarcastically, but I remove my fake face and take off my robes to reveal my true form, and her eyes go wide.
"What... Bu... But... Al... Al... Alicorn. But... That's i-impossible... Ascension is loud and noticeable. If you just ascended, everyone would know about it... But... Then that means... Y-You c-came from the outside..." Velvet asks, and when I nod, she literally faints.
Thud
The thud was louder than expected as an entire group of tavern goers grabbed random weapons and started rushing towards this room. I had very little time to react, so an illusion spell would have to do. When they burst into the room, I said the first thing that came to mind.
"P-PERVERT!~" I screamed in my best anime voice while kicking the first intruder.
I might have accidentally put too much force into the attack as the mare crashed through the wall and into the other armed ponies.
"Oops. Sorry!" I say, while grimacing a bit as the damage to the wall was pretty bad, but thankfully, the mare seemed fine.
I might have also started a bar brawl, but they were only using their hooves, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I was keen on not joining in so I stayed in the room while waiting for Velvet to wake up.
Several Minutes Later...
I was eating a bag of popcorn as the bar brawl turned into quite the spectacle. So much so, I didn't even notice when Velvet woke up and started taking some of my popcorn while she watched the brawl with me.
"Let me guess, they heard me faint, and one thing led to another, and it led to this," Velvet says.
"Eeyup," I reply simply.
To end the fight, Velvet walked over to the stage, grabbed an instrument, and played the most off-key and horrendous sound I had ever heard. Everyone covered their ears and grimaced. When they saw who made the sound, everyone avoided eye contact and quietly started cleaning up the mess they made. I kept eating my popcorn until she gave me a look. I slowly put the popcorn down and moved to start fixing the wall I damaged. Of course, I was disguised, so no one paid much attention to me. Once the mess was cleaned up, Velvet invited the other major leaders of the Explorers League to the basement to discuss the situation and determine if they would join the loyalists.
"So there you have it, Rio offers to take us to space and to his world if we help save the Crown. Who will join me?" Velvet asks.
"You will have my bow!" says a Griffon.
"And my spear!" comments a Pegasus.
"And my crossbow!" comments a Unicorn.
The various leaders pledged themselves one by one to the cause until none were left to pledge. After that, we decided where to move the troops. But as I was doing this, I received a call from Preston.
"General! Our scanners are picking up a massive superstorm coming down from the North. All travel will be impossible while it rages. Once the gunships touch down, you will have at most 30 minutes before the storm hits your area. You'll be on your own, and communications will also likely be disabled as preliminary reports suggest the storm is filled with that magical interference we've seen before," Preston reports grimly.
"Understood. Make sure our camp near the mirror is temporarily shut down. I don't want to risk something slipping through the mirror during the chaos," I reply.
"Are you sure, Rio? That's a big risk," Preston asks with a worried tone.
"Yes, don't worry if things get bad, I will be able to survive long enough to outlast the storm," I reassure Preston.
"Ok, just be careful," Preston replies.
"I will," I reply before ending the call and answering the questions everyone had about why I was talking to my PipBoy.
We discussed for nearly an hour before deciding on what to do. The Explorers would quietly go to the Thestrals Tribe and prepare fortifications there, as it was seen as the most likely target for the rebellion, as it was no secret that the Thestrals supported Cadenza vehemently. The Royal Guard was basically a lost cause at this point, as there was no easy and quick way to determine which guard was loyal or a traitor. So instead, I would be in charge of sealing off the palace from the city and evacuating the Princess; however, it was at this time that I was told that it was likely impossible.
"Whenever a storm happens, the palace is locked down anyway, as Her Highness has to focus on the shield to defend against the storm; the stronger the storm, the more focus she needs. From what we know, she will likely be forced to stay on the throne to keep the shield working properly, especially if it is as bad as your friend reports," Velvet says with some worry.
"Then we know for certain when the attack will happen. If I were in their shoes, I would use the storm as the time to capture Her Highness and keep the disruptions to the day-to-day life of everyone to a minimum," I reply, but don't mention how suspicious the timing was for this storm.
"Then what do we do?" Velvet asks.
"I can still lock off the palace. While I stall them, you and our allies will strike at the rebel forces besieging the Thestrals. With our technological advantage, we should be able to defeat them easily enough. I will say sorry in advance, as my weapons can only feasibly be used by Unicorns and Griffons, as they need a greater manipulation than hooves can provide," I reply.
"It's fine, we have bows and spears, which the rebels should have as well, so we should be fine enough," Velvet replies.
We discuss several more things, such as contingencies and retreat paths. Guto would be in charge of the overall command while I was absent. I was confident that I could hold the palace if it came down to it. I had the stored food to easily supply a multi-year siege. And with my abilities, I could whittle down the enemy forces if it came down to it. Though I doubted it.
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Author's Note:
I will include the rough numbers of each group in the war. Note the 0 doesn't always mean 0; it just means there are so few that it's basically non-existent. <1k, on the other hand, means several hundred but not quite 1k. None means none at all. Until next time, Ciao.
Rebel Forces:
Earth Pony: 85k
Unicorn: 10k
Pegasi: 25k
Thestral: None
Griffon: None
Kirins: 0
Total: 120k~
Loyalists:
Earth Pony: <1k
Unicorn: 5k
Pegasi: 10k
Thestral: 30k
Griffon: 25k
Kirins: 0
Total: 70k~
Neutral:
Earth Pony: 0
Unicorn: 25k
Pegasi: 5k
Thestral: None
Griffon: None
Kirins: 25k
Total: 55k~