private FoE: Aftermath; After the Fact (1x1 with Meson Bolt)

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

Foray chuckled and shook her head. "Not quite... ah... yeah, I'd really better start from the beginning."

 

"So, as I mentioned, the Silvers are a faction who overtook the military stronghold called the Horseshoe. The battle against the mechanized defenses was hard-fought and took a huge toll on their numbers, so they resorted to slavery in order to get their crops grown and their work done. They weren't that mean to their slaves, but they were slavers nonetheless. They used their Leviathan power armor to wage war against raiders, and eventually the other factions... and since they could only be piloted by stallion Earth ponies, there aren't many stallion Earth ponies in the Domain..."

 

"A group of slaves broke away a few years in and became the Free Hooves, setting up their settlement in a place called Fort Terracotta, on the other side of the Domain. Since their founding, hundreds of slaves broke free from the Horseshoe and joined them, swelling their numbers to a massive amount. Unlike the Horseshoe, their workers were allowed freedom to build, grow, and pursue the trade of their desires. Even though they outnumbered the Silvers four to one, they didn't have enough weaponry to take 'em down."

 

"And the third and final faction was known as Troop 92, primarily made of zebra refugees. Since both the Free Hooves' and the Silvers' laws prohibit anything but hostile action towards zebra, Troop 92 was made up mostly of sympathizers and captured Free Hooves." Foray gulped. "They... were so small in numbers that they had to create... some sort of 'breeding rack' for high-speed reproduction... grotesque, I know... but they really had no other choice."

 

Taking a moment to pause and catch her breath, she looked up at her companion and added, "So ah... you still with me? Sorry if I'm boring you..."

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

Kronos took some time to process the information Foray just gave him. After thinking, Kronos replied, "So, ah, let me get this straight, there's three factions: Slavers, escaped slaves and zebras basically, that's just what I'm hearing. The slavers aren't abusive like other slavers, but are slavers nonetheless. The escaped slaves are known as the Free Hooves and are just escaped slaves looking for a fresh start. The Zebras are all inbred refugees. Is that right? That seems a little complicated for such a place. Also, I'm not sure if you would care, but, I sort of have a thing for zebras, so, you wouldn't happen to know where they are, would you?"

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

Foray cleared her throat awkwardly. "Ahh... yeah, I know where the zebras are, but... depending on what this 'thing' you have for them is, I might not want to share that information with you..."

 

"Anyway, you're pretty much correct. Long story short, the Silvers and Free Hooves have a shaky cease-fire right now, since both factions are working on rebuilding Des Manes proper..."

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

Kronos gave a slight sigh of relief when he heard Froay say that and then proceeded to ask, "So, uh, what exactly is there to do in the Domain. You know, activity wise? Just wondering so that I don't get bored when I'm there. Also, is there anything I should and shouldn't do other than the obvious? I mean The Domain is your domain after all. Hehe, see what I did there?"

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"Well, there's always Stingwings," she retorted with a wink and a playful nudge. "You shouldn't get that bored... I'm generally a magnet for trouble -- one of the reasons I left -- and we'll only be there a couple days at most. Just want to say hi to old companions and restock my supplies... I took a pretty darn good beating in that fight."

 

Swishing her tail gently, she added, "Other than the obvious? Well... I'd advise not talking about the Silvers in front of the Free Hooves executives, they still don't like 'em. And don't ever say anything about zebras to either faction... they're still massively racist."

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

"Hmm," Kronos replied in a ponderous tone, "Okay, so, we're just gonna be in and out and nothing else? Alright. That and no talking whatsoever. You know damn well how much trouble I tend to get myself into whenever I open my mouth." Kronos recalled Foray's mentioning of Stingwings, "You're gonna torment me forever on the Stingwing thing, aren't you?"

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"Eh, not really? I don't recall you getting into that much trouble talking... though I do have a pretty bad memory, if that means anything. Just be yourself and you'll be fine, I'm sure," Foray assured him with a quick smile.

 

"And... well, ah... maybe, but probably not. No promises though."

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

"Well, just like you can't promise on your teasing, I can't exactly promise that my mouth won't accidentally run itself off the wrong way, so, there's that." Kronos replied, "And you know me damn well enough that being myself in a place like Domain is gonna get me into trouble. But then again, I can get myself out of trouble almost as quickly as I get myself into trouble."

Edited September 28, 2016 by Kronos the Revenant

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"Really, it's nothing to worry about," Foray responded with a light grin. "You're with me, that basically grants you a right of safe passage anywhere in the Domain. Even raiders know me -- well, they know my mane -- and they know to stay away. Some even become friendly when approached, and even more friendly when threatened." She snorted a chuckle.

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

Kronos chuckled and replied, "Ah, okay, I see how things are around the Domain. Well, concerning you at least."

 

Wow, Kronos thought, she is absolutely amazing. I knew she was tough, but I never expected her to be like this. I'm just liking her more and more. He then shook his head lightly and continued thinking, Dammit, dude, stop thinking that way. It's never gonna happen. Just walk alongside her and try to protect her. That's it.

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

Foray smiled back as the pair trudged uphill. It wasn't often that she'd found a companion like this -- somepony who stuck with her to protect her. Sure, she'd helped plenty of ponies find new homes or get back on their hooves and start leading normal lives, but Kronos seemed like he just wanted to make sure she was okay.

 

He's definitely unique, I'll give him that much...

 

Staring up at her partner, she studied his expression for a moment, before asking, "Something on your mind?"

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

Kronos looked at Foray and replied, "Hmm? Oh, nothing, just, nothing. Well, I've just been thinking about how tough you actually make yourself out to be. I mean, you're able to scare the crap out of whole gangs so much that your very presence intimidates them. That's something that my Ragnarokian culture can actually respect."

 

I know that that's a lie, Kronos thought while trying to keep a positive outlook, Well, partially a lie because it's mostly true, I do respect her reputation around the Domain. However, that's not all that's on my mind, but I don't think she'll appreciate the other thoughts I"m having. Just try not to think too much about it. You'll hurt yourself.

Edited September 28, 2016 by Kronos the Revenant

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"Well ah... heh..." she chuckled awkwardly. "I appreciate it, I guess. It's not all me though; most raider gangs know that if they somehow manage to kill me, they're gonna be hunted down by the Silvers, and nopony wants to mess with their power armor. We do have outsider gangs -- most Domain ponies call them 'chaffers' -- and they don't know any better or who to leave alone. They usually don't last very long..."

 

Coming to the top of the hill, Foray slowed to a halt as she neared the edge of a sharp cliff. Taking a moment to survey the wooded terrain ahead, she added, "Think we'll find anything interesting in these woods?"

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

"Well," Kronos replied, "From my experience, most of what we'll find is radiated animals and bugs and a lot of plants to harvest. Rarely would there be anything worth salvaging unless there's something like a crashed airship which is highly unlikely, but I've seen a couple of crash sites in my time. They would usually hold tons of weapons, ammo, gear and other cool stuff. Still, that's just a very rare occurrence, but there's still an even higher chance of finding random containers with other liable loot inside of them. Other than that, there's also the chance of being ambushed by raiders and other mercenaries, so there's a possibility to loot them. So basically, maybe woods might produce something of value, maybe not."

Edited September 28, 2016 by Kronos the Revenant

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"That's a very comforting and decisive answer," Foray retorted sarcastically, squinting her eyes and spying out the land. "I haven't come across any crash sites in my travels, so I wouldn't know about that, but it's not like I'm hunting for gear at this point."

 

Going silent for a moment, she stared hard in one direction. "I think I can make out a shack out there... kind of out of our way, but worth checking out."

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

"Fair enough," Kronos replied, "Even if it doesn't contain anything of material value to either of us, it can provide some cover in case if we get ambushed out here, whether by wildlife or mercenaries." Kronos finished by instinct with, "Lead the way, Mistress."

 

Crap, Kronos thought, why the hell did I say that. Idiot, now she'll think you're trying to hit on her, dammit.

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

Foray glared at Kronos, taken aback momentarily. "Yeah, ah... don't ever call me that again, alright?"

 

Not waiting for an answer, Foray stepped off the edge of the cliff, taking the 20-foot drop and landing roughly on the ground beneath. It only took her a moment to get back up, seemingly unharmed, and stare back up at Kronos to see if he'd follow.

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

Kronos looked down shamefully and replied, "Yes mi--I mean, Foray. I'm terribly sorry, it's a force of habit of mine."

 

He saw that Foray jumped off the cliff and landed with amazingly minimal compromise to her physical being despite her rough landing. He proceeded to follow her by jumping off as well and landed with a loud smash on the ground, but he seemed unscathed from the impact of the landing.

 

"Hmm," Kronos said to himself, "I'm a lot more physically dense than I remember. I guess it's been a while since I've thrown myself off a cliff."

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"Well, it's a terrible habit, and one that I'd like you to kill with extreme prejudice," Foray retorted. "You know how I feel about that kind of stuff."

 

Watching him land with a loud crash, she snickered and added, "You really didn't have to do that, y'know. I just wanted to see your reaction."

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

"I know, Foray." Kronos replied, "I'm still trying to work on that habit of mine."

 

He then replied to Foray's other comment, "Exactly what kind of reaction were you expecting off of your jumping off the cliff? If you were trying to amaze me, you actually did considering that you fell of a 20-foot cliff and made it down mostly in one piece, and considering your, um, stature, that's pretty astounding."

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"Nah, mostly I'm looking for a 'the hell did you do that for?' or 'are you alright?'," Foray responded light-heartedly. "Or sometimes they just stare at me with their mouths agape... it's kind of just a thing I do for fun, honestly."

 

Nudging him playfully, she added, "Your reaction was kind of underwhelming."

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

"Well," Kronos replied, "I'm not exactly known for my reactions. I'm more known for following orders loyally."

 

Hehehe, he thought to himself, she's getting a little more playful with me, nudging me around like this. Nah, it's probably a friendly thing, like what Lupus used to do to me when we worked together. Yeah, it's probably that.

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"Oh really? I honestly had no idea, and I wouldn't have known unless you mercilessly hammered that information into my brain," Foray retorted sarcastically.

 

Glancing around and noting the two were surrounded by woods, she picked a direction that she remembered the cabin in and began walking, pushing plants and small saplings out of the way. "Keep an eye out for edible plants... anything we eat for free out here is something we don't have to trade for later on."

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

"What exactly would you consider as 'edible' out here in this environment, anyways?" Kronos asked in regards to edible plants, "I mean, I guess we can find some Mutfuit plants around, but that will be about it in terms of edible plant life out here, unless you know more than that."

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"What's wrong with Mutfruit?" Foray retorted with a slight smile. "Nah, pretty much anything that looks edible. Berries, mushrooms, fruits... anything that doesn't look poisonous is fair game."

 

After a moment of thought, she added, "For me, at least. I dunno about you, but I can stomach most anything... you're more carnivorous though, huh?"