/vx/ - Videogames and Paranormal

>>162502
Oops. Hopefully she won't be mad about being woken up. Silver smiles at her, and decides to play along with the story he saw set up in the photographs.

"Good morning, honey."

>>162503
"Mmmmmm" She moans, or groans, and raises her head, still looking somewhat tired

>>162504
"I did not mean to wake you up. Just happy to see your face."

>>162502
[1d20+5 = (14+5) = 19]<Awoop

>>162505
She makes a small smile, looking at Silver. Her ear twitches.

>>162506
With a strange sucking and plopping sound, the cart moves up, and largely out of the mud. Some portions break off, but it is substantially intact.

>>162497
He leans back and closes his eyes, enjoying how soft the bed is.

>>162507
Iron softly exhaled through his nostrils once more, peering from his position to see if removing the cart from the area revealed new objects worth taking back.

>>162508
It's reasonably soft. Pretty good for a hotel bed. It could be softer if he were spooning a pony, though.

>>162509
First, the cart is still there, though it is mostly above the mud.

>>162510
Iron decided to instead pull the cart further out in the offchance it still hid something else aside from the flasks underneath.

>>162507
With a forehoof he gives his tasty Pear an ear scritch.

"Would you like me to let you sleep some more?"

>>162512
>tasty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMa6ot8g3JM

ear is scritched
Her ear flops down, then back up.

"Sigh. No." She looks away. "No. What time is it? Almost seven? We've got to get Brown Birch to school. I have a meeting at the University at about 10, I think." She looks over to the window, towards the sunrise.

>>162511
The cart is moved. It's a bit heavy, but so be it. Much of the sides, and certainly most of the fore, have rotten and broken off, leaving bits of wood and iron straps. There doesn't appear to be any other cargo, although it appears that there is another.... no, another two flasks.

>>162514
Breathing softly, Iron quickly trots over to the cart's part that's tied to the rope to undo it before going back into the mud to properly snatch all four flasks away from their clingy surroundings.

>>162513
"Alright then. How about I make breakfast for all of us instead?"

>>162515
Each flask is about 35 kilograms, and equally importantly, is buried in mud that has a suction like power to keep it in place.

>>162516
She smiles
"That would be great."

>>162517
...ok, maybe Iron ties two flasks as a tug test first.

>>162510
He spoons the blue pone

>>162517
Silver goes in for a proper, mouth-to-mouth kiss with what appears to be his wife.

>>162518
They are pretty snug in the mud

>>162519
Just move yourself over a bit... move the pony a little this way, a little that way... okay, lay her over on her side, and... blue pony is spooned

>>162520
If she didn't want to be kissed, she should get her own bed

pony is kissed

He feels her soft lips, and the warmth of the inside of her mouth. She smiles, and her ears lower halfway.

>>162521
Iron figured he can make it if he can drag out parts of the cart.
With that thought crossing by, he soon came back to shore and promptly tried pulling it towards the far more solid soil next to the mud.

>>162522
Because much of the cart is intact, it can indeed be moved.

This is dragged along the mud, and to the riverbank

>>162523
Iron didn't stop pulling on the flasks until they reached about Cauldron's position, just to be sure he's safe to go back and fetch the rest. Carrying about 140KG on him shouldn't pose a problem unless they needed to flee quickly.

>>162521
Huh...so that is what she tastes like...

He maintains the kiss for some time if only to enjoy this new and unique sensation, before breaking it and nuzzling her on the tip of her nose.

"Meet you downstairs, my tasty Pear."

The unicorn gets up, and finally leaves the bedroom to go to the kitchen for breakfast.

>>162521
He closes his eyes, perhaps drifting off to sleep

>>162525
snoot is nuzzled
The end of her snout is soft. She closes her eyes, and her ears flop down.

"I'll be down..." She says

Going into the hall, the carpet is different, and the walls are a different color, with more paintings handing on the walls (again, of the impressionistic school of art). There is set of lights that could be called a chandelier hanging in the foyer, but otherwise the layout is more or less the same.

>>162526
coo

Presumably, Dark Star cuddles the blue pony

Presumably

>>162524
Roll Die. Both strength, and a second, unmodified d20 die

>>162527
Yes he does

>>162527
Fancy. It is almost hard to believe this is my house.

Silver goes through the foyer/living room to the kitchen, where he looks to see what ingredients he has on hoof to cook a breakfast for whoever is living in the household.

>>162528
Blue pony is cuddled

Dark Star has fallen asleep in worse, surely, than he has tonight. The room is a bit colder than he might prefer, but the bed is comfortable, the room is reasonable quiet, he has a full set of covers, he isn't ill or wounded, and unlike the night before he may fall asleep with the pony he (presumably) loves under his foreleg, pressed up against her.

But in this quiet, dark room, thoughts intrude. A frightened diamond dog running over to avenge her fallen loved one, shot in the back of the head. He can see blood, bits of brain and skull fragments flying through the air, and hitting the wall. A zebra getting shot right through the head above the eye, blood staining the wall. He can see his eyes lose focus. Or a young, tan coated colt sitting in the front seat of a truck, looking over towards Dark Star with surprise, and then falling over onto the steering wheel, limp.

>>162529
The living room is different as well. The shelves are still there, though many of the items are different. The television has been replaced with one more like the one upstairs. The taxidermied jaguar is gone, and the same is true of the Starcross wolf upstairs. The most obvious difference is that there is now a stairway going down beneath the main stairway, and a railing to prevent falling down on the side.

Inside the kitchen, the tile and counters are the same, but the wood of the cabinets is different. Silver sees a waffle maker and a coffee machine. Inside a cabinet are a number of dry cereals and oatmeal options.

>>162527
Okey
[1d20+5 = (20+5) = 25]<Strength
[1d20 = 9]<Spook

>>162530
Hmm...Silver wonders if they have the other ingredients to make waffles. He's curious about oatmeal waffles.

>>162530
He whimpers slightly in his sleep as he sees the diamond dog, then laughs as he sees the zigger get shot, and then is slightly confused as he sees the colt. he walks towards him if he can.

>>162531
The rope twists and seems as if it is about to break... but does not.

With an odd squish and plop sound, the two flasks move up and out of their mud tombs, on top of the mud. They are very much old and covered in rust.

>>162532
Would you look at that? There is indeed oatmeal waffle mix

>>162533
Moving towards the colt, he is an earth pony, probably about 17 or 18, and is wearing a simple jacket and hat. Dark Star knows this scene. He was driving one of the two trucks at the Blackbriar Pier. Dark Star shot him in the lower head with his Colt, and then set the vehicle in drive, turned the steering wheel, and sent it off the wharf into the bay.

>>162534
This disturbs him even more. possibly causing more whimpering. he trys to pull him out of the truck.

>>162534
Time to make waffles then!

>>162535
But this is not how the scene plays out. The limp corpse of the earth pony colt is causally knocked off of the steering wheel, then moved again to make way for the gear shift. His body is in the truck as it crashes into the shallow, muddy and gasoline film-layer water, and sinks.

>>162536
It is so. He gets the mix, and the other essential ingredients
https://youtu.be/a8jzvh5Wb00

>>162537
Silver whistles himself a cheerful morning tune as he cooks a breakfast feast of waffles for his family.

>>162536
>>162534
>Waffles
>>162537
He rushes towards the water trying to help his fellow pony

>>162538
"No no no!"

There is the sound of giggling and hooves clopping on the floor.

All of a sudden, a small creature runs up in front of Silver

It's a small colt, maybe four or five years old, with a very messy and tangled strawberry mane, a bright yellow coat, piercing blue eyes, and a dark grey stripe running down his back. He looks upwards directly at Silver with the widest smile his face will hold, and a wagging tail.

In from the front entry to the kitchen, walks in Pear. Her mane is up, and her long, bushy strawberry tail is held together by two ties. She has a short pink woolen robe, and on her back rides a small, cream colored yearling filly with a short but bright mane and green eyes who clings with all of her legs.

Pear rushes in towards the colt and Silver

>>162539
The seawall places the wharf over a dozen feet above the level if the water. The truck actually moves far before crashing into the water, breaking the windshield, and throwing some of its cargo out the back. There is no way for Dark Star to get to it. To get to him…

>>162540
Silver smiles down at the excited colt, and ruffles his mane.

"Hey there, мой маленький пони. How did you sleep? Ready for some oatmeal waffles?"

>>162541
he dives into the water

>>162542
The little pony's mane is ruffled, and his long mane falls down over his eyes, blocking Silver's view of them

"Waffles! I want waffles!" He says in a high pitched voice ever so slightly accented Fillydelphian, like his mother.

Pear walks over, the yearling filly still clinging to her back
"Powder Flash! No running in the kitchen."

He looks over to her, and presses his lips together in a pout

>>162543
Dark Star dives into the water, and is soon moved to another scene of an exasperated police mare firing her revolver one, two, three times, before Dark Star gets her once, and then again, and she transforms into a wretched, pony-shaped insect.

>>162544
"Ah, he just wanted to see his father. But your mother is right, Flash, you should not run in kitchen, you could get hurt."

He looks at the yearling filly on her mother's back and gives her a warm smile.

"And hello to you, sweetie!"

>>162544
He recoils as he sees her face yet again, before firing the rest of the rounds into her.

>>162545
The colt lowers his head, sad

Pear looks back to the cream colored filly. She blinks her big, green eyes.

"Daffodil, can you say good morning to your father? Huh? Can you say 'good morning'? Good morning."

The filly speaks
"Hi"

Pear scrunches.

Another filly walks in, wearing several shoes and a blue skirt. She is a large earth pony filly, maybe seven or eight years old, though certainly large for this age. Her coat is bay colored, and her mane is dark brown. She has blue eyes, and her mane flows down straight, although a tie with a flower is in her mane, though not used properly. All four of her shoes are untied, with shoelaces strewn across the floor.

Pear looks over, and then walks to her
"Oh Birch, you need to tie your shoes, and fix your mane."
She immediately goes to her shoes.

>>162546
Bang bang bang bang
It bleeds blue-green as it lies on its back, with its mouth open.

>>162547
Silver chuckles at the cute antics of Daffodil, and looks at the filly who must be Brown Birch. That one has absolutely taken after her father, looking at the size of her.

"And when you are ready we can eat. I have made enough waffles for everypony."

>>162547
he walks over slowly and pokes it with his revolver

>>162548
Power Flash:
“Waffles!” He jumps up.

Pear is still trying to fix the tie on Brown Birch’s mane.

>>162549
It is poked, and limp. But the scene changes..

It's late afternoon, deep jungle. High canopied trees, and dense underbrush. Ponies in uniform move back, towards a clearing. There are flashes of yellow light in the darkness under the canopy, both single flashes and repeated flashes, and the sounds of rifle cracks and automatic gun fire. Off further in the distance is the whistle and wail of artillery, then the crash of explosions and the cracking of trees falling down. There is much yelling, and a pony in the foreground falls after a flash of red.

But then, one partly pink, partly pinto white pegasus stallion flies in carrying a submachine gun, firing into the under brush, charging into the darkness, as artillery explodes to the left, to the right, and behind him, until only the black smoke of the exploding shells can be seen.

>>162550
Silver gathers up the waffles he made, a bottle of syrup, plates, and utensils, and brings them all out to the dining room table.

>>162551
he is filled with awe and...excitement? for being on a battlefield.
He runs after his brother through the smoke yelling
"White Star! Wait! It's me darkie!"

>>162552
Like ducks at the pond when you have bread, Silver is followed by a procession of small foals over towards the dining table. Brown Birch, dressed in her blue skirt and with her ponytail mane, pulls a seat aside, and sits at the table. Powder flash moves a chair, jumps up, gets his hooves on the edge, holds on... and falls off, onto his back. Pear removes Daffodil from her back, and places her in a special booster chair that she has to take some time to get ready.

>>162553
The sound of the shells flying through air, and then hitting the ground overpowers most everything else. It seems his brother is gone.

>>162554
Silver sets up the table quickly, then goes over to help his fallen colt.

"Here we go, Flash, up we go."

He helps the colt into the dining room chair.

>>162556
Silver picks the little colt up. He’s surprisingly light . And he goes right onto the chair.

>>162554
He keeps running the way he saw him flying to, Trying not to cry

>>162557
Finally, Silver can sit down an enjoy the non-fruit fruits of his labor, and eat his oatmeal waffles with his family.

>>162558
Dark Star runs forward into the grey smoke, the whistling of the shells, the sounds of gunfire, and tall trees knocked to the ground.

Dark Star himself is soon lost in the grey smoke, and fades away from the scene, and back into the hotel room bed.

>>162559
They taste... waffley

The syrup is unfortunately not quite as good as Silver remembers, but it is otherwise rather satisfactory.

Pear speaks
"Hurry along Birch and Powder. You don't want to be late for school."

>>162560
he whispers
"White star...."
before looking around as he wipes his eyes

>>162561
But unfortunately, White Star is not in the room. White Star hasn't been seen by Dark Star for a year now at least.

>>162560
Silver swallows his bite of waffle.

"Your mother is right, kids. Take your waffles with you if you need to finish on right to school."

>>162562
he sits up in bed and looks over at the window

>>162564
The curtains are over the window. Still, Dark Star can see outside, and sees a light on.

>>162563
The colt simply looks up at Silver. Birch, however, says,
"Aww... but I want to add more syrup..."

>>162565
"Hmmm...do we have any small cups? You could take some syrup in that."

>>162566
Pear:
“I don’t think we have any cups they can take with them. School doesn’t start for many more minutes anyways. Birch, just finish eating your waffles.”

From the living room, there is the electronic sound of the television coming on, and the sound of music playing. It’s a trumpet, playing a version of a patriotic Eqiestrian song he is familiar with.

>>162567
Silver nods in agreement with his wife, then, in curiosity, goes over to the living room upon hearing the patriotic music.

>>162565
He looks around the room

>>162569
Dark. Mostly dark, anyways. There’s light from a street lamp outside and a small light by the bathroom near the entryway. Blue Skies may or may not be asleep, hard to tell. She has a mess of papers on the table (as always), a bottle of some kind of alcohol, her jacket, Dark Star’s jacket, and then a sash hanging from the wall next to a spear (of all things).

>>162570
Is it daylight outside?

>>162571
No.

>>162572
He takes one look across the room and then lays his head back down on the pillow.
and thinks to Himself
"Did luna do that to me?"
Then trys to get back to sleep

>>162573
No Princesses in the room. But for Blue Skies, he’d be alone right now.

After some time, he finally falls asleep.

>>162574
He relaxes as he falls off to sleep

>>162568
Silver goes into the living room to see that the television has turned itself on. Music plays; it's a common song used as a sort of 'national' song of Equestria since the days of Silver's youth, but while the song is familiar, the specific version is not. An orchestra plays, though a single trumpet stands out the most.

The screen has a grey background, with a symbol that takes up much of the screen. The image shows a a pair of horseshoes back to back with the curved portions together and the open end opposing each other, between a set of bars that are underneath four stars above with another bar above, and below the pairs of horseshoes is a heart with a horn above, a feathered wing to the left, and a webbed wing to the right, with another bar beneath. To the left side of this symbol is a manticore facing the symbol. He holds a fasces low in the right claw and holds a shield high. To the right and facing the symbol is a greyish colored mare standing who has the white outline of a horn, the white outline of a left, feathered wing in the fore, and the outline of a right, webbed wing in the back. She too, is holding a fasces low with the left hoof, and holds up a shield.

Above these symbols and in the top half in white lettering are the words

"From the Consulate"

The music softens as the words "An Important Message from the Office of the First Consul" are spoken

>>162577
Silver instantly recognizes the symbols, and their meaning: the Black Hooves. But the specific combination of them is alien to him. If this is the future, is this then the flag of a Black Hoof, Fascist Equestria? Silver listens in carefully.

>>162578
"What is it?" Pear asks

The music dies down and moves to footage, possibly live footage, of a mare at a big wooden desk, with flags behind her. The mare is a pegasus with a bright coat and curls in her mane. She looks young. Very young. Too young for a position of such obvious importance. Not any older than Pear was... well, since he knew her before.

"Good Morning, ponies. And what a morning it is. Today I come to you with the most important message of my time as your First Consul."
She sits up and moves closer to the camera.

"For a decade now, millions of our brothers and sisters have been the slaves of and hosts to a race of monstrous parasites - a race whose very essence is deceit, and whose sustenance comes directly and only at the expense of the joy and will to live of our fellow ponies. For a decade, these parasites have occupied the lands settled and tilled by our ancestors for fifty generations, lands that even now our brothers and sisters till and harvest in the hopes that someday they may experience the joy they felt before these vampires came to squat on our lands.

The lands and ponies of Western Equestria and the Crystal Empire were lost to the incompetence and treachery of the alicorns after the loss of a million ponies. One million of our older brothers, fathers, uncles, sons, husbands, fiancés, and friends." She breathes in. "They did not die in vain, as by their sacrifice, they bought us time. Time that my predecessors used to, by force and by diplomacy, keep us in the West and the Diaspora free from the love-sucking changelings and griffin claw by overthrowing the corrupt, rotting carcass of the old regime and empowering the common pony in our new Republic. And for a decade, my predecessors have tolerated the oppression, the brutalities and the cruelties inflicted on our fellow ponies every day by these monsters." She breathes in and out

"Well, my little ponies, we tolerate no longer. For in that decade, we have not sat idly by. No. We have secured the unity of our nation, and have diligently but secretly prepared the instruments, spells, and machines that will liberate our fellow ponies and reclaim the lands that are our birthright."

Her eyes become serious, and a malign smile forms across her face

"My little ponies, I am pleased to announce to all of you that as of this minute, 6:13 AM Canterlot Time, 11:13 Sunset time, this morning, Monday, April 7th 1022 in the Common Era, our emissaries have delivered a formal declaration of war to the Changeling Hegemony. This day will forever after be remembered as the start of a glorious crusade. A glorious crusade that not only liberated our brethren and forever ended the threat of one of ponykind's oldest enemies but marked the transition of Ponykind to a firm embrace the power of friendship. Today, everypony shall come together in common cause, and each embrace the pillars and elements of harmony for ourselves. We shall not simply follow the example of a half dozen heroes, no, but as a nation, become the paragons who will serve as examples to generations not yet born, generations whose prosperity will be secured by our actions in the coming minutes, days, and months. Our forces have organized near the border with West Equestria and will advance after bombardment. All ponies now in national service will be extended for a term of service required by the State, and all ponies in reserve within ten years will be called back into service.”

She pauses

“And I am pleased to announce to all of you, friends, Project ‘Heavens Fall’. For the past several years, our magicians have been working on a top-secret wonder weapons program. And with this wonder weapon as the foremost weapon in our arsenal of Harmony, I have ordered a first strike against military, economic, and administrative targets all across the Hegemony in West Equestria, the Hives, Olenia, and the Polar lands. West Equestria was consecrated a decade ago by the blood of our martyrs. And now it will run with the blood of its oppressors and be liberated by the fires reigned down by our magicians.

I’m proud, by golly, to be your First Consul in this hour. To lead ponykind into its glorious future. By the power of friendship we will gain the inevitable triumph. Equestria will be unified, or it will die. justice be done, may the heavens fall.

Thank you all, and Long Live the Republic.”

The screen cuts away to a black screen with the voice over, and the words in white letters
“Stay Tuned for Further Information”

The music starts playing again, and much more intensely than before.

>>162580
Silver feels a chill run down his spine upon the declaration. A swirl of mixed emotions comes flooding in, only increasing in intensity as the true depth and realization of what has happened and what is about to happen begins to hit him. With a dread look on his face, all he can manage to say is:

"Oh no..."

>>162482
This is not a good situation at all. Amber cannot simply walk down a platform, even amongst a crowd, and not be noticed with an increasingly bloodstained shirt. The only option now is to try to get between the trains and walk down sneakily.

>>162585
Roll Die

Dexterity modifier

>>162581
Pear walks into the living room. Now as then, she moves with a cautious, almost silent slink turning her head towards Silver, and towards the television. Her fur is visibly standing up, her ears are high, and her eyes are wide. She looks as if she is overcome with an electrical energy. A smile comes across her face. "Did you hear that? We are going to war."

Birch moves her chair, and carefully gets off, coming into the living room. Powder Flash just jumps off, landing on his front hooves and immediately runs in. Daffodil attempts to jump off the same as Powder Flash, though her landing is less elegant, landing on all four hooves which slide on the floor, and she almost falls. But soon enough, all three foals run into the living room. They fear nothing, moving into the living room with the speed and agility of a pack of wild dogs, and as they lope across the floor their hooves make clear clopping sounds.

"War?!" Powder Flash asks.

"Daddy, what does that mean?" Birch asks, though she moves closer to her mother. Daffodil simply moves along with the herd.

The television continues playing. An animation plays on the screen of a set of unicorns who fire beams into a ball at the base of a tower, which then is seen shooting a beam up a pole in the tower, which moves up and goes outward in waves kind of like a radio tower. The beams come to and focus on a moving rock high in the sky, and move the rock. There is a voice over, but it can be hard to hear as the other ponies in the house are moving.

When the animation is done, it moves to what a card, again with that same symbol seen earlier, claims is a message from the foreign minister. This cuts to a grey unicorn with glasses in front of a set of flags behind a podium. He speaks as follows

"The Equestrian Pony's Republic has called its Sister Republics of Aserion, Wingbardy, Falcor, Sicameon, Mareegypt, Dragonia, and Chripotera, to aid in the liberation of Equus from Changeling tyranny.

And to anyone who would consider interfering from the outside: if you do, you will face consequences greater than any you have faced in history. All relevant decisions have been taken. I hope you hear me."

>>162593
"Well, foals...it means lots of things, but most of all there will be big, long fight between us ponies in east, and changelings in west, like there was before you were born."

Silver seems to not share his wife's enthusiasm wholeheartedly. He knows this has to be done and that Western Equestria needs to be liberated, but he knows what this truly means perhaps more than even Pear does. Especially now that he has a family.

>>162594
>>162596
Exactly who, what, or why there is a popping sound in the train car Amber cannot tell, but Amber seems to have been very lucky, for as unstealthy as she is right now, the officers are distracted for the moment.

There is no respite in the messages displayed

As if a commentary by a producer, the phrase “36 minutes” is spoken. Then the speech begins in earnest:

"A message from the office of Governor Star."

The screen shows a flag in the center with alternating almost checkered patterns of black and some light color, with a shield shape that is black with a white image of a pony standing on her hind legs on a pedestal playing a trumpet with musical notes. It seems to be the flag of Baltimare as things were in the olden days, but Silver can't really say for certain.

"Per the advise of the Department of War, the Governor has issued a mandatory evacuation order for the City of Baltimare."

The screen displays a map of the city of Baltimare. Baltimare is sectioned into neighborhoods with arrows pointing away from them.

"This evacuation order is a purely precautionary measure to mitigate potential retaliatory action by the changeling Hegemony, and is based upon the theoretical rather than the anticipated capabilities of the enemy. Dangers are threefold. The first is the potential detonation of area of effect weapons smuggled into Equestrian cities by Changeling infiltrators. These devices will likely be of a thermal nature, and may affect a significant area. Potential targets include the Meadow Brook naval base and the power station on the south side of the bay, the harbor, regional administrative government buildings in the city center, and the Flash Prance National Airport.

Those living on the south side of Horseshoe bay should move further south or to the coast line, and regroup at Kereskai Point or Blackwater. As this area is flat, and trees may pose a danger of falling or burning, residents should evacuate to as far away as possible. Residents of Cherry Hill and the Peninsula should evacuate to the north side of hill and regroup at Maretime Bay. The hill should provide natural cover. Residents of the Cowtown and northern districts should evacuate northward as reasonable, and regroup in North Point or Maretime Bay. Residents of the Redheart and Locust Promintory Districts should move south of the Delemare if travel permits and should shelter in place in a secure underground location if movement south of the Delemare is not feasible. Regrouping should occur at Maregate. Residents of the city center, and of the neighborhoods north and south of the city center should move north or south to North Point or Maregate as is reasonable. Those who cannot move out of the city center in a reasonable timeframe should shelter in a secure underground location. Those in Colton Hill and the westside should move south towards Maregate, or northwest towards Mane Chapel. Please evacuate the danger zones immediately and bring with you only the most essential items, including a gas mask. Emergency and military services will be there to help with transportation.”

Silver can see that the arrows and circles on the map match up to the voiced directions. The northside of the bay is one of the safer locations, certainly more so than the southside, but it is still within one of the wider rings coming off of the dot in the harbor.

“The second danger to residents is from poison gas attacks from infiltrators. These attacks may target major transportation choke points, densely trafficked areas, and major industrial centers. Please keep a gas mask with you at all times. If you do not have one, one may be provided by military or emergency services.

The third danger is from poisoning to food and water. Please use test kits on newly obtained food and water and be wary of the following symptoms: Fever and chills. Swelling of neck. Sore throat. Painful swallowing. Hoarseness. Nausea and vomiting. Bloody diarrhea. Headache. Red eyes. Stomach pain. Fainting. Symptoms develop after one or more days. If someone in your group develops one or more of these symptoms after consuming food from a food stockpile, the food stockpile should be circumspect or even discarded.

Besides the above threats, infiltrators may sabotage rail lines or cause damage to oil and chemical processing plants, especially in the eastside. Beware of poisonous gas leaks, fires, and explosions there. Be wary of damage to bridges and rail lines, especially across the Delemare. Changelings may pose as authority figures such as police officers and military personnel, and as civilians. Real military and police personnel will provide identifying information and respond to reasonable questions as circumstances permit. Use your best judgement in determining who to trust."

Also on screen are examples of military identification cards. A few locations are highlighted, like rail lines in the west, the bridges that cross the Delemare, and a few chemical plants in Cowtown and Red Heart.

“Please remain in the regrouping points until the all clear is sounded. Food, water, and medical supplies have been stockpiled, hospitals deemed at risk have been evacuated, and public items of historical or monetary value have been evacuated or secured. This is a purely precautionary measure for your safety.

Hail victory, and long live the republic.”

>>162601
That's...not good. He knows changelings have been in the city before this. It's entirely possible they could have smuggled weapons into the city. But would they really detonate such weapons in populated civilian areas? And the earlier announcement from the First Consul about their "wonder weapon"...is that what his daughter White Light was working on? Could the Hegemony have a weapon like that, too?

He breathes out. Without even knowing it he has started to become worked up. He needs to be strong and resolute, for his family. He turns to face his foals, and kneels down.

"Okay foals, we are going to be taking trip away from city for little while. I want you to go to your rooms and pack your things. Your mother or I will help you if you need it, okay?"

>>162602
Silver's eyes are almost immediately bombarded by the piercing blue eyes of Powder Flash looking up at him. His tail moves back and forth at the eye contact. Birch walks over to Powder Flash's side.

Brown Birch:
"Where are we going?" She asks

Pear looks concerned, and her smile moves away

"I'll... I'll get a bag" She says, and starts to move away, towards the stairs.

>>162603
"Not too far away from here, just until we get all-clear signal. We will be back before you know it. Just think of it like one of adventures I've told you about."

He smiles at his foals before noticing where his wife is going. He quickly rushes over to intercept her.

"Pear, are you okay?"

>>162604
She looks back to him
"Yes..." She says. "Just getting some things." She says, and starts to move away

>>162605
Silver looks back to his foals and bids them, "Everything will be alright, just pack your things." He smiles at them before he joins his wife as she goes upstairs.

>>162606
They look up to Silver, and then scurry about in their own ways

Birch:
"But what about school?"

Pear goes upstairs directly and to the closet, grabbing a bag.

>>162607
Before he gets out of sight of his daughter, he turns around and smiles at her, if a bit sadly.

"I think school is cancelled today, sweetie..."

Once upstairs, he looks around for his own bags and supplies. He also talks with his wife.

"Are you going to okay, Pear? I noticed how your mood changed after I told foals to pack up."

>>162608
She takes a couple items - a totem, a dog statue, an amulet - off of the shelf. When silver speaks she stops, looks down, and then looks directly back to him, pausing for a second before answering.

“Strength comes from adversity… I’d rather that adversity not come to my foals, though.”

>>162609
"I know, but adversity affects all of us in wartime. Besides, this is for them. You heard TV. We need to make sure they are safe, more than anything."

He goes over to his wife. Taking an opportunity when her hooves aren't occupied to hold them instead.

"I love you, Pear Faucet, and I love these foals we made together. I cannot put you in harm's way like this."

>>162610
Her ears go straight up when silver moves for her hooves. With Silver's words she says

"I know..." She sits down, and wraps her long tail to her right. She folds her ears halfway down. Then she looks up to Silver, and smiles widely, showing teeth.

>>162611
He bends his head down, pressing his forehead against hers. He looks deeply into her eyes.

"As long as you and I are together, we will get through this. All of this. Our family will remain resolute."

>>162612
She closes her mouth, and looks up to him
"... Alright... I trust you." She says

>>162613
The smile on his face absolutely beams with joy as she says that.

"Thank you, Pear. I needed to hear that."

He goes in for a kiss with his dream wife.

>>162614
She makes a weak smile, but moves her lips and muzzle up to kiss him

The feel and taste is real enough, moist and warm as it is.

>>162615
He doesn't hold it for too long, just enough to enjoy the sensation. It's been a while since Silver last felt what it was like to kiss his wife like that. When they break, he continues to smile at his wife.

"We will need to be strong for our foals, my love. Can I count on you to help me?"

>>162616
Perhaps some day he'll kiss his wife again, if only in a dream.

She makes a weak smile
"Okay..."
Then she nods
"Okay. Let's go get the foals."

>>162617
"Let me quickly grab everypony's toothbrushes from bathrooms, then I will meet you downstairs with foals."

>>162618
She nods
"Okay"
And she continues grabbing her own things, which evidently includes some items in the room.

>>162619
Silver grabs his own bag and things, and goes to the bathroom to gather his family's toothbrushes and toiletries.

>>162597
That is exceptionally lucky and it easily could have ended in disaster right there. Amber hurries along between the train cars, keeping low as she heads to the luggage car.

>>162621
Amber moves along besides the cars (presumably along the track side), and eventually gets to the luggage car.

>>162622
Is there any easy way to get in? And can she tell if it's devoid of creatures before she gets in?

>>162623
The points of entry on the luggage car are:

A large sliding door on the rear portion of the car.
A large sliding door on the forward portion of the car.
A standard passenger door near the front of the car.
All of the above mirrored on the other side of the car.
The vestibules at the beginning and end of the car. The vestibules are not enclosed on the luggage car, unlike the passenger coaches.
A hatch on the top of the car.

The car has no windows, and Amber cannot see into it to determine who is and is not there.

>>162620
As Silver packs his bags, he hears a sound from outside of the house, loud but somewhat distant. A loud wailing or howling sound, like an electronic banshee. Silver has heard it before, and knows what it is. It is the sound of blaring air raid sirens with its "Arroooooooooooooo" that is sustained for a solid 30 seconds before repeating again.

>>162625
Silver's fur stands on end. That familiar sound is not good, not good at all. How did the Changelings get planes over here already? He quickly grabs what he can from the bathroom before rushing back downstairs to his family.

>>162626
The foals are evidently still taking their time, and Pear is now trying to move them along.

>>162627
Alright, time to be a father. Silver sets his bags down and goes to help his foals pack.

>>162628
Birch wants a doll, and Powder Flash wants a coloring book. Pear is just trying to rush them along.

>>162629
Alright, Silver helps Birch and Powder find what they want, and in doing so should be able to help Pear get everypony out quickly.

>>162630
They eventually get a change of clothes, some medicine, and some items the ponies consider important to them.

>>162631
Through the sound of air raid sirens, Silver kneels down to eye level with his foals once they have their things gathered. He speaks to them in a calm tone despite the worry in his heart.

"Okay foals, I want all of you to put your bags in car trunk and then get yourselves strapped in."

>>162632
The foals look up at Silver, definitely worried. Daffodil doesn't seem to quite know what is going on, but Birch knows something is wrong and seems about to cry, while Powder Flash is becoming scared.

>>162633
Silver steps forward and uses his great size to hug the three of them.

"Hey, hey, it will be okay, there is no need to cry. Your mother and I are here, we will keep you safe."

>>162634
squeeky
Careful not to crush them. The three ponies are hugged

Birch
"Okay"
Birch and Powder nod, and eventually so does Daffodil.

>>162635
"Alright, come with me foals."

He smiles at them, grabs his bags, and leads the three and their bags outside to the car. Presumabley Birch, Powder, and Daffodil will need help with the trunk and getting buckled up in the car.

>>162624
A sliding door would be too noticeable, and the hatch is too visible. What are the vestibules like?

>>162637
A door at the end of the car. There is a small gap in between the cars of maybe a foot and a half or so. The car is raised a couple feet above the rails, and the door handles rotate

>>162638
As long as Amber doesn't see any griffon directly opposite the gap, it should be safe to go in through the vestibule.

>>162636
Going outside, Silver can see that the sun is mostly up, and the sky has turned largely a light blue, with tints of orange still lingering on the horizon. There are only a few clouds in the sky, and a light breeze coming in from the sea. The temperature is ever so slightly above 70 degrees. As before, Cherry Hill has a number of single family homes, mostly with stucco siding, may having odd colorations like permutations of pink, yellow, or blue siding. There is also a row of houses one level further up the hill. Silver can see flags flying in the breeze from flag poles, the flags having a pattern of stripes, horseshoes, and horns and wings.

There are already many cars on the road with traffic moving slow. The cars are moving to the right, towards the entrance of the bay. Several ponies are simply walking alongside the road or walking along a path up the hill, or flying through the air.

Cars look different from what Silver remembers. Certainly there are many more of them, and they have greater numbers of curves, and many more colors - red, yellow, blue, green, and all of the colors of the rainbow, rather than black dominating.

Silver can see that the area beneath the house has been walled in, with a portion (only a portion) serving as a garage.
Silver may go there either directly from the living room, or by going outside.

>>162639
Roll die

>>162641
It's clear

>>162640
Wow, and here he thought cars were amazing already. It looks like also that the neighborhood has advanced quite a lot in the years since. Having realized now that there is a garage, he goes for it from the outside.

>>162643
There are actually two vehicles, believe it or not. One smaller vehicle with two doors, in a green color and greater curves, and a larger four door vehicle that is taller, yellow, and seems to be a luxury model.

>>162642
Breathing a sigh of relief, Amber gets into the carriage and shuts the door behind her. Surely she knows where she, Erich and Helder had put their luggage earlier?

>>162644
Now that is fancy. It's clear they made it. The luxury car is probably a better call, with more room for everypony. He goes and helps his foals with getting their bags in the trunk and getting them strapped into the back seats.

>>162646
Pear quickly tosses her bag in the back, and then Daffodil.

>>162647
Once everypony's ready, their bags are in the car, and they're all strapped in, Silver sets off and gets the car joining the traffic out of the city.

>>162648
But Silver does not get this far before a sporty green convertible pulls up at the end of the driveway, with several pegasi riding in it. And Silver knows who it is. For in the passenger seat, with a foreleg on the edge of door, is a pony Silver knows from long ago:

Spectral Streak

>>162645
Sort of?

Roll Die

>>162649
Silver looks at the car for just a second before he recognizes the pony in the passenger seat. His eyes go wide and his mouth opens in stunned silence. He gets out of the car, never taking his eyes off the light grey pegasus.

"...s...s-son?"

>>162651
It's.... well, it's in the luggage car.

>>162652
He looks over to Silver and the car pulls over into the front yard of the beach house, off the roadway. A green Pegasus in the passenger seat jumps out, and goes to something in the back. Spectral Streak looks back towards Silver, not saying anything for at least a few seconds.

>>162653
Silver slowly trots closer to the car, and the son in the passenger seat.

"Spec...I thought I lost you..."

>>162653
Why do these bags have to look so similar? Amber keeps looking, intent on not giving up this precious cargo again.

>>162654
He squints his right eye and pulls back his right lip, and then turns to the green pegasus and a foal she carries, as well as one next to her.

"Take car. See you there."

He turns to SIlver

"And you'll lose the whole city if you don't get in the car."

>>162655
Roll again. Wisdom modifier

>>162656
Silver looks confused at him.

"Wha...what? What do you mean?"

>>162657
He looks older than Silver recalls, but still very fit in middle age. He is wearing something like a uniform in part, and something over the uniform.

"You must not have heard the warning. Changeling infiltrators. Some of them were identified before hoof and an effort was to stamp them out. But for every cockroach you do see.... We have to find the rest, and kill them before they can do real damage. They'll be spooked now and on the attack. That makes them dangerous, but more importantly it makes them possible to find. Get in the car. We're going exterminating."

>>162658
Amber stumps her paw on what seems to be the viol casing.

>>162659
Eagerly, almost feverishly Amber picks up the viol case and clutches it to herself. Now for the rest of the luggage, which should be next to it.

>>162659
This is the first time he's seen his son in so long...and he's inviting him to go changeling hunting. Silver is a little confused, to say the least.

"Spec...I would love to, but I got remarried, I had more foals. I cannot just leave them alone in this crisis."

>>162660
It takes a moment to identify what is what, but Amber sees it - all of the relevant luggage

>>162662
If Amber had trouble carrying all her luggage earlier, it would be impossible now with her companions' luggage as well. What did Erich and Helder prize most?

>>162663
Helder and Erich both had books with them.There is a concern now about clothes.

>>162664
There is no way Amber is going to carry three suitcases of clothing out. She grabs one suitcase to share amongst them, plus the books and musical instruments.

>>162665
Not everything can fit in it.

>>162666
Amber will have to make a difficult decision. She empties out one of the suitcases, puts on a change of clothing–hopefully a simple outfit, leaves a change of clothing of clothing each for her friends and fills it the rest of the way with the books.

>>162667
It is so.

It has to be the biggest bag, and it's pretty heavy with all of the books

>>162654
Okay, I am not pleased with the dialogue, so I am redoing these last few posts

Streak looks back at Silver, tilting his head
"No, I'm right here."

>>162668
Silver stares at his son as he continues to trot closer slowly. The way he said that...this must not be the first time Spec has seen him since the War. If this is the future...does this mean he'll see his son again? Tears appear in his eyes from the prospect, which he wipes away with a foreleg.

"W-what are you doing here, my son?"

>>162669
He looks at Silver with a blank look for a moment. But only a moment.

"Can Stratus Freeze use your wife's car? Look - Listen - I've been volunteering with the Home Guard and they've issued a call to clamp down on cells. Last night there were mass arrests to try and gather up as many known infiltrators as possible. According to what I heard on the radio, one of the changelings they went after sent an alert which activated a cell in the new housing projects, where the ghetto was over in the eastside. And of course that's just what they know about. There's a fear these cells have smuggled in weapons. Bombs and other things. They'll come out in the open now that the war is declared, and try to return the punch as best they can. So the Homeguard is being mobilized-"

>>162670
Silver's eyes widen.

"Oh...that it not good. I already knew there were changelings in city, but if they are activating..."

>>162671
He moves a little closer to Silver

"Exactly what they have isn't known... but what they can do... Observation planes in the north have detected weapons tests on fringe islands and in the polar lands. Mass area of effect weapons that can incinerate vast areas. And the tales of Changelings using Tabun and Sarin gas against pony resistance is well known, as are the rumors of lacing food with anthrax. The Pony Populist Party would not spook the population unless they thought there was a real threat."

>>162672
"But my family...my new family...I cannot just leave them alone and unprotected like this, not if there are Infiltrators with weapons of mass destruction."

>>162673
He scrunches for a moment, but then recovers

"Yeah, I know. So do I. Not a new family, but a- a family. And that's exactly why I need to - why we need to go out, find these infiltrators, and kill them. These infiltrators might possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised. And we need to get to them first if our families are ever going to be safe."

He lingers
"All of Baltimare is counting on us. You've fought so many battles before. So have I. Don't let everything you've fought so hard for end here, today. Fight this one last battle. One last enemy to be conquered."

>>162674
Silver looks sadly at his son, who has faced him with this tough decision. He goes back to his car, to the seat where his wife is sitting, and opens the door to take her hooves in his.

"Pear...what do I choose? What decision should I make?"

>>162675
She turns to him as he takes her hooves, and looks at him with big eyes. Her ears are up, and she is clearly surprised.

>>162676
"Please, love...I need your advice, your guidance."

>>162677
She blinks
“About what?”

>>162678
Oh...right. Silver should probably fill her in on the situation. Which, he does so now.

>>162679
She looks horrified

"What decision is there to make? Go out there and stop them. Stop them now."

>>162680
He gives his wife a brief kiss goodbye.

"Keep them safe. I will come back for you."

The unicorn then turns to his foals.

"I need to go stop bad changelings. Be good for your mother, I will be back soon."

>>162681
She gives a weak, toothy smile

"I'll see you..."

The foals ask
"Where are we going?"

Pear tells them
"We're going up to the north for the week."

"Will daddy be coming with us?"

"No, it'll be just us for now."

The foals look at Silver:
Birch:
"Will you still make Stroganov for us tonight?"

>>162682
If he can reach her, Silver gives Birch many pets.

"When I come back, I will make biggest batch of stroganoff you have ever seen, my little pony."

>>162683
Birch is pet many times
She closes her eyes, and smiles contentedly.

Pear clearly looks concerned, with her ears half down.

>>162684
"I love you all. Stay safe, I will be back with you before you know it."

If there's any of Silver's weapons and equipment he needs to gather from the car, he does so now, and goes to join Spec.

>>162685
Pear laughs nervously, then closes her mouth, and waves to Silver

"See you"

There are no weapons in Silver's car, which is left for Pear.

Spec is waiting for him.

>>162686
Silver nods to him, a stern determination on his face.

"I need weapon."

>>162687
"Get it all out of the trunk, and get in the passenger seat" He says to Silver, equally stern.

>>162688
Silver nods again, and goes to the truck to grab his equipment.

>>162668
Not an ideal situation, at all, and Amber hopes the trio can take turns carrying the bag as they skedaddle. Not tarrying any longer, she seeks to return back to the middle of the tracks and go to the other train's platform, hopefully appearing as an arriving passenger.

>>162689
Err, it should say "trunk", not "truck".

>>162689
Silver opens the trunk to see many items of importance

The first Silver can recognize as a radio. This item is curious in its own right, as it is smaller than he recalls these being. The second is a steel helmet. It's full sized, designed for maximum protection from shrapnel. Next is a pair of green vests that Silver can identify as flak vests, using nylon fiber to protect from shrapnel. Silver also sees a pair of gas masks with goggles.

But it's the item in the center that deviates perhaps the most from what Silver is familiar with. Silver can see that the black, long object, is clearly a rifle. And yet it looks a bit more like the ray guns used by space mares in the science fiction pulp comics of recent years, than it does the elegant walnut clad tools that Silver last carried.

The most obvious feature of the rifle is that the action is located behind the trigger, with the handle and the trigger near the center of the rifle, and a curved magazine extending out behind it that is mid-length between the magazine of the old bolt action rifles, and the long thin boxes of submachine guns. The stock of the rifle is straight behind the action. It is thin, short, and made of steel with a simple butt. There are no iron sights. Instead, there is a handle just behind the center of the rifle with a cone-shaped optical sight. The forearm of the rifle is still wood, with a grooved cylinder for grip. The steel of the gun is coated back, and Silver can see a fire selector switch.

>>162694
Amber exits through the rear door, out the side (it’s inelegant, carrying some much luggage but needing to jump down to the rail tracks, and then back up onto the platform).

A griffin seems to have taken notice.

>>162695
That is not good, but what can be done except carrying on as usual, except with some added haste?

>>162696
Well, Amber is on the other platform....

>>162697
Does Amber know where the others are? She also realizes she forgot clothes for Federkleid, but there's no time to worry about that now.

>>162692
Silver is damn near mesmerized by this mystery gun. If he was shocked at how the city has developed, and how the cars look sleeker and more colorful, then it's nothing compared to this tool of war. He's not even sure if it fires bullets anymore. With the practiced movements of an experienced soldier he puts on the flak vest and helmet and takes the small radio ("Does it even work if it is that small?") and gas mask. The last item he takes is the rifle, and as he gets in the car he can't help but inspect it closer, feel its weight in his magic, and inspect the intermediate-sized magazine and fire selector.

>>162698
Outside, or rather, across the street.

>>162699
The fire selector is a button that can be pressed in on either side of the rifle. These are "R" and "A".

The magazine is curved, can fit... 20 rounds? And the top of the action is fitted with a charger guide to allow it to be reloaded with stripper clips. The charging handle of the gun is above the forearm, and before the optic.

>>162700
"R" and "A"? What do these mean? Silver lets out, addressed to no one in particular, "What kind of strange rifle is this...?"

>>162700
At least they're not far, and Amber won't be alone. She hurries to them.

>>162701
Spec is driving now, opposite to the main flow of traffic. While the lane leading out of the city and down the penisula is thick with cars, the other lane is clear. To be sure, cars sometimes drive in the other lane, and Spec drives off the road more than once, though the sides of the road are often filled with pedestrians walking away from the city. The sirens continue blaring.

Spec, however, hears Silver
"Oh, you haven't seen the new battle rifle? That's a Lavender Machine 2, Caliber .277, Model Year 1020. Or an M20. The 'Jenny'. 'R' is repetition, or single shot. 'A' is full auto."

Looking down at the rifle, Silver can almost hear the trumpets dancing around as he holds it

>>162702
Amber is being followed.

>>162703
Not good, and the whole group wouldn't be able to evade effectively. Amber steers away from the party and, after a short while, ducks into an alley.

>>162703
1020. Silver has a bit of an idea of the future time period he's in. He hopes Spec is paying attention and isn't running over anypony trying to flee the city.

"'Jenny'. Full auto, intermediate cartridge, twenty round magazine...it is amazing how far firearms have advanced from Lavender Rifles we used in War just few years ago."

>>162704
Another roll, dexterity modifier

>>162705
Spec is doing well enough, maneuvering past pedestrians and automobiles. Silver can see there are a few more schools here, and many more single family houses. The amusement park on the pier is still very much there, and with a new rollercoaster. Bird move in the sky.

"If, anything the Lavender was out of date decades ago. They just delayed replacing them for cost reasons. I would recommend keeping it on single fire. It's got quite a kick."

>>162707
Amber delicately moves into a flock of griffins leaving the station, moves off the to side as a train horn provides a distraction, and slips away into the alley.

>>162706
Silver nods, and sets it to R. If it wasn't for the threat of WMDs smuggled in by changelings, he would like to see this future come about.

"Not as if that stopped you from becoming most lethal sniper in all of Equestria's armed forces, Spectral Streak. 'White Death'. I remember how number of soldiers I trained in boot camp asked about you."

>>162708
What is this roller coaster of luck? Amber has managed to escape her pursuer. Now, to get back to her friends….

She'll go to the other side of the alley and see what's there, hopeful making a wide circle is possible.

>>162709
Spec's right eye turns towards Silver, and he smiles
"Heh"

It's the first time Silver has seen him smile in... a very long time. He does not say anything.

>>162710
It's Felderklied who comes out first, followed by Erich, and then finally Helder.

Felderklied:
"Did you get it?"

>>162711
Nodding, Amber says, "Yes, all the books are here, and a few clothes. And I have my instruments."

>>162711
That smile...it brings him back to a time when both he and Spec were much younger, and less scared by what they have lived through. He can't help but share in this smile, even if its for only for the moment.

>>162711
>>162713
"So, this 'Project Heaven's Fall' or what have you...it is what White Light was working on, yes? Before Equestria fell?"

>>162714
"Huh?" He turns his head to Silver, confused.

"Oh, before the West was lost? No. I don't think so at least."

>>162720
"I hope it is not...ability to wipe out entire cities, just like that...no one should have that power. Especially not Changelings..."

>>162721
"No, not the Changelings, Just the First Council and the Pony Populist Party. What the Changelings have is something else."

>>162723
"I have heard, or at least know basics. Some kind of mass-incindiary weapon."