>>144724"If it meant you not getting stabbed," Iron suggested, tenderly stroking her mane. "Besides, we were going to go back after overexerting myself anyways. Y'know, cut our losses and come back for round two against that bull."
He soon flashed a sporting smile at Sands. "I am certainly itching to brawl with him again," he added "just to pay him back for all the cuts he did to you. No matter what."
>>144705Interesting, I've never seen a truck quite like that. Well, courthouses are where magistrates live and I'd reason that the really imposing building has got to be the courthouse! So, the police station must be there!She directly approaches the tan, multi-storied building and looks for an entrance. It's not quite so cold as to shiver but Amber is thankful for her cloak keeping her somewhat dry as she huddles by a blue car.
>>144725Oh noes
"Well, I was going to say I don't think any such thing as 'Elysium' or anything like it exists, but... that would be horribly inappropriate under the circumstances, so I... tried to say nothing."
>>144726She leans in, closing her eyes, and smiling as she lets him stroke her rather long, and still reasonably soft, mane.
But then she sits up, and looks back at Iron with concern
"No. You don't understand. You surprised them before. Tricked them into fighting with less than their all. They know you are a threat now, and they will not make the same mistake again."
>>144727The street, especially near the entrance, is brightly lit by street lamps and lights on the buildings. Amber can see another pair of ponies standing outside the building. The Entrance is right there, well illuminated, behind the doric columns, and guarded by the ponies.
>>144728"...okay, I can see why you would not try to say anything. But really, you do not believe that Elysium exists? What do you think happens to souls after death, then?"
>>144728"They might," Iron admitted, obviously agreeing with Sands before steeling his gaze, determined "but I am also going to change up my tactics to throw them off. Steal that case of his so we can have a clean fight like before or threaten to break it."
With that hopefully consoling explanation in order, he continued to stroke her mane to lighten her mental load even further.
>>144728Amber approaches the guards by the entrance and asks them gently,
"Excuse me, may I come in? I have...um...something important to give."
>>144729Sheepishly, he answers
"No. It dies with the body."
>>144730"That might not be enough. They may come in number, and well armed."
She does, however, lay her head down, and lets him pet her.
>>144731Amber can see they are stallions, who wear green and have long guns across their backs.
"If ya lookin' for an offica', you'll find one in there" a grey stallion tells Amber, pointing through the door. But just shortly inside, is a blue unformed zebra standing upright and out of the rain.
>>144732"Huh. Wow. That is honestly depressing way to look at death."
>>144732"Okay! Thank you!" She steps inside, making sure to wipe off her hooves. She goes over to the zebra.
"Hello, I would like to turn in some evidence, where can I go do that?"
>>144732"I can run very fast if we have to retreat all of a sudden," Iron boasted as he tenderly kept it up in the hopes of comforting the unicorn in distress. "Perfect to then lure them into a chokepoint and make their numbers insignificant."
>>144733"Well... Think of it as that much more of a reason to value life. If you only have the one to live."
>>144734"Go further, ma'am."
He says to her
"To turn in evidence? In what case?"
He asks
>>144735"You can only take so much. And they are - they will be so much more powerful than before. I think you need help." She says
>>144736"Hoebuck," she says, not looking back as she continues on. Is there a stairwell in view or should I roll for that?
>>144736Iron creaked his mouth open to object, only to be reminded of him biting the dust and getting Sands stabbed for it, which caused him to relent with a scrunch. "Well..." he trailed off, unsure "...we could recruit some more ponies for this... but I do not know who."
He took a second to consider it as he lightly curled one of White's mane strands before an idea popped up. "How about some Waterfront goons?" he offered.
>>144736"I suppose...still, I will let you have your opinion. I know in my heart Elysium exists, even if I am not yet ready to make that trip.
"Any other questions for me?"
>>144737Features like stairways and hallways should be plainly visible.
But let’s roll anyways and see what happens. Spot, wisdom modifier.
>>144738“I think the Waterfront only wants to own this if it’s a success. You heard what the Zebra said. Something about ‘authority to start a war.’”
>>144739“Uh... so, we’re you a fighter always, or a... tractor repair stallion?”
>>144740"Oh," Iron muttered, at a loss for words, looking deeper into the confines of his mind. "I... do know a pegasus that likes to beat griffons up... but she is working for one of those government agencies... Blackhooves, if I recall correctly."
>>144740"Bit of both. My cutie mark lends itself both to fighting and to forging. But besides those two, I have not done much else."
>>144741Over to the right, in something of an atrium, is a rather large staircase, going up. In the center, is a hallway leading away. To the left, Amber's field of view cuts off, but it seems logical that there would be a hallway. The floors are tile, mostly holding a beige color not much lighter than the tan colored wooden walls.
>>144742"Blackhooves." She pulls her upper body away as her hooves remain in place.
"They will do such much more than 'beat them up.'"
>>144743"Well, I suppose that's a useful range of activities."
>>144744Silver nods in agreement, and then waits for the next question.
>>144744Iron, in response, stopped caressing and hugging her for the time being, feeling it inappropriate for the situation.
"I feel it would be adding wood to the fire and give them more power to nose into other stuff," he presumed with a frown "but if they are tipped towards them, they will be wiped out for sure."
He thought about the option for a second before shaking his head. "... not sure if it would be a good idea..."
>>144744Amber hurries over to the right, trying not to make too much noise, and looks to make sure she can get up the stairs unobstructed.
Okay, I have to sleep now
>>144745"So... what will happen to me?" He asks, pulling his lips up in an awkward smile.
>>144750He smiles down at the smaller stallion.
"If you are worried about any of us turning you in, you can discard those fears. You are free to stay as long as you like."
>>144751He tilts his head, and an ear flops
"But why?"
>>144752"Because it is nice thing to do, and because you are not bad pony. I actually think you are nice stallion."
He lifts a forehoof, and pats the top of Clip's head.
>>144753As the hoof comes down, his eyes close and his ears move aside.
"Well thanks. So, you've got a little group of 'rescues going here, don't you?"
>>144754"Sort of, though I am not sure that is term I would use. They are just good people who all looked for better life and got tricked by traffickers, and now they are free but do not have anywhere else to go. And it is not like I had much else use for three bedrooms. If I had any more room here, I would let even more stay if they wanted."
>>144755“And you say you took this from one of the traffickers?”
>>144756He nods.
"From leader of traffickers, Stormfeather Maakie."
>>144757"Heh, a great use of that property, I might say. I am fond of the idea, giving it back to the victims."
>>144758"I could not agree more. There
is one more member of household you have yet to meet if you want to."
>>144759"Sure. You say you rescued a
gnoll?"
>>144760He nods and gets up from the couch.
"They are like big hyenas. His name is Mala, and he is honestly one of nicest people I have ever met."
>>144761"Where did you find him, exactly?"
Paper Clipping gets up from the couch, and seems willing to follow Silver.
>>144762Silver leads Clip upstairs to the door to Mala's room, talking along the way.
"We found him tied to leash in Hoebuck's lower levels. He was forced to do Maakie's bidding after his parents died, otherwise he would have died homeless and hungry out on street. After we found him and gave him promise of better life, he took up his family's sword to help us bring Maakie and Maarists down, and has since proven himself to be exceptionally nice person, and great friend."
>>144763"Well that's pretty neat. I've always thought creatures are good at heart. It's the circumstances that make them bad."
He follows Silver up to the room. The door is already open. Silver can see Mala, who appears to have gotten up to great them at the door. He has a small smile and ruffled fur, which goes every which way.
>>144764Silver smiles at the lovable gnoll, and greets him with a big hug.
"It is great to see you up, Mala!"
>>144765"Hello." Mala says to Silver. His head quickly turns to the newcomer, ears at full attention, before he moves his forelegs back to halfway turn his body towards the new pony.
Paper Clipping's reaction is more dramatic, his smile fading, and immediately taking a step back, then another, and then another, almost tripping because of his bad leg.
"You didn't tell me it was
this one."
>>144766Silver looks back to him.
"What is wrong?"
>>144767Paper Clipping retreats out of the room.
"That's one of the jailers!"
When he is able, Paper Clipping pulls up his right hind leg and shows Silver the wound - not that there is anything to see with the bandage over it.
>>144768Silver pets Mala, and looks back to Paper Clipping.
"Mala is fine. As I said, he was forced to do Maakie's bidding for food and shelter. He is good person and great friend at heart, if you give him chance to show you."
>>144769Mala, still in his own room, is pet. He seems a little disturbed by the response, though much less so than Paper Clipping, who says,
"He sure looked enthusiastic about it to me, barking and yipping at us at the tables and cages. He got his teeth into me when I didn't move from a work bench."
>>144770He looks back at Mala.
"I am sure he is sorry for what he did."
>>144771Mala is frowning, and his ears are down. Note that Paper Clipping is in the hallway, Mala is in the room, and the two don't really have line of sight to each other.
"My leg is still not right." Paper Clipping responds, looking afraid
>>144772Silver stands up, and goes out to look at Clip.
"Please, just come back and meet him, properly this time. I promise you, Mala is good person when you get to know him. Khoi and Jubilosa both get along with him despite having been in much same situation you yourself were in, and you said it yourself that you think
all creatures are good at heart."
>>144774"O... kay..." Paper clipping cautiously limps forward towards the door, and comes within view of Mala. paper Clipping stares for a moment.
>>144775"Alright. Paper Clipping, meet Mala. Mala, meet Paper Clipping."