private Everfree no more (RP)

[Agent505 661]

OoC

 

The weather in ponyville was fair, and the skies where clear. The sun beat down warmly, but it wasn't overbearing. Really, it was just another day in ponyville...or at least it would have been, if days where still a thing. 

 

After the infection set in, there was next to no change in the time of day. Rarely, Celestia would remember to lower the sun to make way for the moon, but days could last what would be weeks otherwise. Then there where the nights, with the two princess frantically trying to contain the chaos, it was easy to forget simple duties. Night time seemed to last forever when it came, sometimes the bitter iciness of the air would cut deep for hours on end. 

_____

 

"How long do you think it'll be?" 

"'For they find a cure? Who knows. We'll be long dead by then anyway." 

"Don't talk like that, Storm. We'll be alright as long as we're clever, and don't give in."

"How do you do it? You're always so...confident. Always so sure, and no matter what happens, you're always so...beautiful." 

Suddenly, a throated snarl chipped in on the conversation from just outside the walls of sugarcube corner, where the two ponies where hiding. 

"Keep it down, i'll go and investigate, see how many there are this time"

"No! You'll get yourself killed, just stay here, we'll wait it out like normal" 

But it was too late, Storm had walked off already and made his way to the stable doors. There was nothing but silence that followed, and then an abrupt racket, the sound of metal hitting wood, and then something big and heavy hitting the ground. "Frostbite, RUN!"

 

Without hesitation, she closed her eyes and shook her head as she ran out of the back doors, leaving him behind to fight off whatever had wandered too close. 

"Bloody foal. Told him he'd get himself killed..." she flicked her hair casually and let out a quiet giggle, before looking around and making a swift exit across the open streets to one of the many other buildings in hopes to find somepony else she could use to keep herself alive for a while longer. 

 

@@Alex Kennedy, @@Ano170, @@00Pony @

I have no preference for your first post. If you wish to find each other or stay solo, that's completely up to you.

Edited July 17, 2013 by Agent505

[Ano170 162]

(OOC: First post, woohoo!)

 

@@Agent505, 

 

The dark interior of the abandoned furniture shop was silent.  A breeze crept in from one of the many broken windows, stirring up dust motes only for them to fall slowly back down to the ground. Upstairs, a candle flickered weakly in defiance of the inky blackness, threatening to go out at any moment.

 

The sound of a gunshot ripped through the silence, followed by the clatter of something metal falling to the floor. 

 

"Boom! Headshot." The Captain crowed in triumph, swooping out from behind an overturned chair to hover with pride over her struck target. Reaching down, she plucked the fallen empty tin can delicately between two talons, and placed it back on the workbench. Then she flew back to the chair, landing on the grimy wooden floor, and took two paces back from where she had taken the previous shot.

 

"Let's see if the results can be replicated, shall we?" she murmured, beak upturned in a slight smirk. The candle flickered again, and the griffon paused to cup a talon around it and blow gently on the flame. "Stay with me now, buddy."

 

The flame struggled a moment before rising up a centimeter or two - really, its light only made the rest of the room seem darker. The Captain clutched the pistol a little tighter in her talons.

 

"Kinda miss dad's rifle." she admitted to the darkness, giving the pistol a disdainful look. The rifle in question was lying in a ditch somewhere outside the borders of Ponyville, bent out of shape after a particularly nasty run-in with a group of infected. The Captain had taken the pistol off of the body of a stallion near the Ponyville Library - he hadn't seemed to mind.

 

The Captain was lining up to take another shot at the empty can when she heard the sound of fast hoofsteps. 

 

At once The Captain lunged over, snuffing the candle between two talons and then wincing when she realised that it was more painful than it looked whenever her father used to do it.

 

Taking to the air, the griffon flew to the nearest window. Cautiously, she raised the pistol to the window, peeking out behind the broken shards of glass. She could see the silhouette of a pony - probably a mare, going by size and figure.

 

She lined the pony in her sights, ready to take a shot, then hesitated. Did infected ponies normally run? Or inspect buildings from the outside rather than just shambling in blindly?

 

The Captain swallowed. Another survivor? Too good to be true.

 

Still, there was always that possibility that it really was another survivor this time. Surely that was worth the risk?

 

"Ah, what the hey?" she chuckled. "Hey!" She called out as loud as she dared, trying to catch the pony's attention without alerting any infected that may be lurking nearby.

Edited July 17, 2013 by Ano170

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

Scurry rubbed his sore knuckles. Even if they were made of semi-rotted wood, smashing through locked doors was hard on his fists after a while. Given that this was about the twelfth door in a few hours, it was starting to get to him. Hopefully he would find something useful in this building. The last few were all busts, and he couldn't do this forever.

 

Just as he was about to begin searching, he thought he heard someone shouting maybe a block over ((I'm assuming diamond dogs have above average hearing, since they have dog ears)). He looked over for a minute and then shrugged. He had his own problems to worry about.

 

Heading into the building, he looked around for a while, sifting through rubble for anything useful without much luck. All the while his thoughts- what little there were in his tiny brain- kept wandering back to the voice. Maybe he could do better if he found allies to work with. If nothing else, maybe they could switch off breaking down doors. His knuckles could use the break.

 

He began to wander toward where he thought the voice had come from, hoping he wasn't making a mistake.

[Agent505 661]

"Hey"

Came a voice that sounded not too far off. Immediately, Frostbite froze, dropping into a combat position and looking around at the surrounding structures with her horn at the ready, in case of an immediate threat. 

"Where are you?" she called out "I don't have time for games."

[Ano170 162]

The Captain's beak widened in a grin - it was another survivor. True, she didn't seem all that friendly, but it was something at least.

 

Unless it was some sort of new type of infected that could communicate coherently? At once, The Captain began to have doubts, her smile fading. After all, she didn't really know much about the freaky little zombies: just that, so far, they didn't like bullets, and would break your gun if you weren't careful. Still, this pony didn't seem like one of them - she was too nervous. The Captain supposed that was partly her fault.

 

She was about to apologise, but stopped. Start off intimidating - show 'em you're not to be messed with. Make sure she's not going to turn into one of them anytime soon, either - no point inviting someone in if they're gonna rip your beak off, after all.

 

"You infected?" she called out to the mare, cocking the pistol with an audible clicks. "Any of the zombies bite you or anything like that?"

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

Scurry heard more voices. He was sure this time. And infected didn't talk, right? Well, he hadn't ever heard them talk anyway. He moved faster in the direction of the voices. It's not like someone as big and strong really had much to worry about from them if they were hostile, anyway.

 

@@Agent505, 

 

He soon saw a mare in the street, looking ready to fight. He cocked his head to the side curiously as he approached her. "Is something wrong?"

[Agent505 661]

@@Ano170, @@Alex Kennedy,  

 

"You ask that like you think they would have had a chance!" Frostbite called back to the stranger, still looking around cautiously for anymore infected. "No, i'm not. My...special somepony has done a good job of keeping me safe until now, thank you." 

'A mare. Fantastic...unless she's a fillyfooler, there's not much chance using that one...' she cursed under her breath, before another figure suddenly appeared nearby. 

 

Frostbite jumped, darting to one side like a cat dodging a falling object as she twisted herself to face the stranger, before she quickly thought of an idea...

 

Running towards the strange figure, she slid up to him and at his feet. Putting on her best damsel in distress voice, she pleaded "Please help me! My coltfriend has just been killed, and now this mare is threatening me too!" 

Edited July 18, 2013 by Agent505

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@Agent505,

 

Scurry scratched his head, a confused look on his face. "I'll admit, I may not be that smart, but I'm pretty sure that's a griffon, not a mare. At least, I think so. Or is there someone else with a gun that I haven't noticed yet?" He looked around, more concerned with clarification than with his own safety- or hers, for that matter. 

[Agent505 661]

@@Alex Kennedy, 

 

"A mare?" She asked confused and in her normal voice as she lifted her head, momentarily forgetting the ruse. She turned around and peered into the building, and she could only just make out of the faint fuzzy outline of the female. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned around with puppy eyes and looked back at the Diamond Dog. As if she was about to cry, she pleaded again with "B-b-but she tried to k-kill me!"

 

(She's fairly short sighted, in case you didn't know, so that's why she thought Ano was a pony)

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@Agent505,

 

Scurry cocked his head again. "She did? Why? You're not infected, are you? And I don't think she's infected either. Why kill? Maybe I can talk to her, make her change her mind. If not, I'll crush her head like... like something you crush. Come one, I'll carry you so you don't get shot. I'm big, bullets don't hurt me too much."

 

Without waiting for a response, he scooped her up in his arms and cradled her, heading for the building. "You're pretty, you know that?"

[Agent505 661]

@@Alex Kennedy,

 

"Whaa! Hey!" Frostbite screamed, yet somehow managed to scream quietly as she was picked up, before giggling to herself.

'This is going to be so much easier than I hoped, after all...' she thought. 

"You...think i'm pretty?" she giggled again, this time in a way she hoped would add to her charm. 

 

(Ok, this would be a time I would roll a dice as there is an actual chance to fail. I'd probably assign a value myself depending on the situation and then roll. 

Given Scurry's intelligence, I would say I had to roll an 8/9 to fool him, then roll and add the value of what I was most relevant. In this case - intelligence - i've not done that this time, because i'm not sure if you want to put that in or not, so let me know) 

Edited July 19, 2013 by Agent505

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

 

 

(Ok, this would be a time I would roll a dice as there is an actual chance to fail. I'd probably assign a value myself depending on the situation and then roll.  Given Scurry's intelligence, I would say I had to roll an 8/9 to fool him, then roll and add the value of what I was most relevant. In this case - intelligence - i've not done that this time, because i'm not sure if you want to put that in or not, so let me know) 

 

((In this instance, I'd say Scurry is too oblivious to notice she's trying to fool him, no matter how bad an actor she is. Besides, I don't think the thought would occur to him. He has a very simple mind, and he tends to take things like this at face value. The idea of her trying to decieve him would just be so alien to him that he wouldn't ever think of it. Even if someone specifically explained the she was, he'd probably just be confused. So a roll is unnecessary. Besides, I want him to be fooled. It makes things more interesting.))

 

Scurry nodded as he continued running, kicking down the door of the building. "Yes. Very pretty pony. Nice soft mane, beautiful coat, eyes that sparkle like... jewels." In addition to being on a very short list of things Scurry could think of to compare something to, jewels were essentially the center of the diamond dog society and culture, meaning that being compared to them was about as high a compliment as one could receive. At least, from one diamond dog to another it was. Scurry just assumed that ponies liked jewels too. After all, who wouldn't?

Edited July 20, 2013 by Alex Kennedy

[Ano170 162]

@@Alex Kennedy,@@Agent505,

 

The Captain had been surprised to say the least when the diamond dog appeared, shrinking back from the window. The mare and dog had appeared to be conversing, but the only clear words The Captain had been able to make out sounded far too much like "she tried to kill me" to sit comfortably with The Captain.

 

Wha? H-hey!

 

"That buzzard," she growled, moving back to the window. Before she could call out, however, the door downstairs slammed open, making her jump. Panic gripped The Captain and she cast darting eyes desperately around the dark room: the only door was the one down the stairs, and the windows were too small for her to fly through, even the broken ones. There was nowhere to go.

 

So much for making friends... gripped a voice in her head. Should've just kept quiet.

 

"No!" The Captain shook her head,  flapping her wings frantically as she grabbed a small kitchen knife from the table in one talon, keeping the pistol in the other. "No no no, I can fix this." The sound of the diamond dog's voice getting closer made her laugh, slightly hysterically. "This. Is. Fixable!"

 

Taking a breath, the griffon flew over to the top of the stairs, her beak dropping open at the sight of the hulking diamond dog carrying the tiny mare in his hulking arms. 

 

"Ah, hello," the Captain began, at barely more than a mumble. Then she shook her head, muttering low to herself. "No no no, you're no aristocratic sparrow. Go on, Cap - confidence."

 

Right.

 

"Wotcha!" she called out, hovering a few feet in the air in an easy, relaxed manner, letting The Captain's casual confidence take over but still not taking her eyes off the looming figure of the dog. Being sure to hold her weapons up in the air in plain view, she flicked her tail round and tipped her cap to the two strangers. "You know," she chuckled good naturedly. "I think there's been a wee bit of a mix up here..."

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@Ano170,

 

((I don't know why, but for some reason I think I'm going to have Scurry go in and out of talking like a caveman. Mostly because I get annoyed trying to do it constantly. I guess just assume when he's speaking correctly that's when he's more focused and paying attention to how he's talking.))

 

Scurry looked up at the griffon, still confused about the whole situation. "You kill pretty pony's husband? Why kill? Husband infected? You want kill pretty pony? Pretty pony not infected. Makes no sense. Why kill if not infected? Not infected means friend, ally. Why shoot friend? Not nice, and waste of bullets. Also, if you try to kill, I will crush head. I don't want to crush head. Hands already sore from crushing things. So it would be nice if I didn't have to."

[Agent505 661]

@@Alex Kennedy, @@Ano170,

 

 

'Where did he get that idea from?' Frostbite thought to herself before wriggling her way out of the diamond dog's arms and onto the floor. "Why, i'm flattered, truly I am" she grinned the creature's compliment about her eyes, before looking up at the griffon atop the stairs. "Oh! So you ARE a griffon then? How wonderful to know!" she called sarcastically, making out like she was trying to hide behind Scurry all the while to keep up her frightened look. 

[Ano170 162]

@@Alex Kennedy,@@Agent505,

 

(Last post for tonight unfortunately, I'm too tired to write something decent. XD).

 

"Kill her husband?" The Captain frowned, leaning on the balcony of the rotting stairs with an expression somewhere between confusion and annoyance. 

 

Just stay calm - can't do much with a crushed head. He's probably only bluffing anyway...Right?

 

"I didn't kill anyone." She stated firmly. "Unless you count the infected," a wry smirk. "Not that I think anyone does..." 

 

The mare's comment made her chuckle. "What's wrong, my little pony? Were you expecting another rabbit-food eater? You know, I'm beginning to think you got me mixed up with whoever did off your husband - especially since you apparently thought I was a different species. But," the Captain held up a claw. "I'm willing to put this whole sorry affair behind us."

 

The Captain shifted to all fours, and began scratching an itch on the side of her head with the butt of her gun, head cocked to one side in confusion. "Hay, I really don't see what all the fuss was about." She smiled at the mare. "I was never gonna shoot you - unless you really were infected of course. I was just making sure it was safe, then I was gonna invite you inside - all neighbourly like, you know? I hear ponies are big on that."

 

She spread her arms in a peacemaking gesture. "Now if we can all agree to no shooting each other or crushing anyone's head, I think I might still have a candle and half a can of beans hiding somewhere upstairs..."

 

See, dear old Will? Easily fixed. The Captain smiled to herself.

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@Ano170,

 

Scurry scratched his head. "You not kill pretty pony's coltfriend? She says you did. Are you sure? Maybe he looked like infected. And if you want to talk, put down weapons."

 

He leaned down and whispered to the pretty pony.

 

@@Agent505,

 

"Pretty pony, are you sure she killed him?"

[00Pony 286]

Across town...

 

"Well, isn't this just fantastic? 'Oh, sorry Connery, but we've got to ditch you now. You're bat shit insane!' Of course I'm bat shit insane!! How could I not be?!"

 

Stomping the dusty ground, the old Pegasus continued his rant in a growling tone, "Sons of bitches, the lot of them. Heh.. Maybe they weren't to far off? After all, I am talking to a skull!"

 

With these words, he took a hammer that had been laying beside him in both hooves and brought it smashing down on the lump of bone with shattering force. He chuckled as he slipped the hammer back into the loop on his old uniform, and began to hover, groaning in slight pain, "Can't go anywhere without worrying about getting my face munched off by some plant faced git, or simply getting it shot off by some jumpy survivor. Quite a life y'lead, eh Connery?"

 

He flies forward, still grumbling to himself. Despite his actions, the old Pegasus was on the alert, his wings beating the air silently, "Went off to war for half of these sorry buggers. And what thanks do I get? They try t'kill me! I liked this world a whole helluva lot better when I thought it was a dream! At least that way I can wake up from it."

 

He coughs quietly, and sets himself down, sighing heavily and taking a few short breaths for a couple seconds. Once this was finished, Connery sighed, wiping a hoof across his face, "Just hush up and keep moving you old sod. No use letting it all get to you. This is just like back in the war, eh? Just fighting to protect life. And this time, it's just yours."

 

He walks silently through the overgrown streets of Ponyville. Connery didn't really have a full idea of where he was headed, but it was better than just waiting around.

 

 

He'd been living like this for a long while now. He'd awoken one morning to his hospice nurse hunched over the body of his daughter. Next thing he knew, the nurse was looking at him, blood coating her mouth. Her face looked to be overgrown by plant life. She'd lunged at Connery, and it hadn't taken long for the old stallion to spring into action. He'd grabbed the pistol he kept under his pillow and shot the airborne... Thing, in the time it took her to leve the ground.

 

The nurses's body thumped lifelessly to the floor, slamming into the footboard of the bed. Connery climbed out of bed, making for his closet and pulling on his old military uniform. It's been years since the stallion had worn it, but it still fit perfectly. From there, he'd taken the rifle that went through the wars with him off the wall, the pistol stowed in a holster on his thigh. He had spared a moment to lay his sheets over the near Unrecognizeable body of his daughter before heading out.

 

It was all routine for the veteran. Kill or be killed. This was just a new form of warfare for him. He barely noticed that the world was inhabited by infecte ponies at first. His PTSD fueled mind had flashed him back to his younger days, fighting off normal enemies.. That lasted for the first day. It wasn't until his assault rifle was snapped in two that he noticed. It still hasn't clicked that he wasn't dreaming however. That revelation came when one of his old war fellows had found him, and examined everything. It wasn't an easy time for Connery, but he adapted in short order.

 

How he came to find himself in Ponyville, he didn't know. But it was long after that first day. His fellow veteran had passed, a mercy killing on Connery's part, and the few groups he'd teamed up with had abandoned him, unwilling to deal with Connery's mental condition.

 

It was few short hours after the last group abandoned him, taking most of his weapons, and ammunition, along with them.

 

(Ambiguouslongpostyay)

[Agent505 661]

@@Alex Kennedy, @@Ano170,

 

 

"I...um...well!" she chuckled somewhat nervously "I never actually said that she did kill him, did I?" she chuckled again, looking up at the griffon and then back at the diamond dog, and then down at his...impressively large forearms. "But...she did act like she was going to hurt me when I left my hiding place, you don't think I would come and...take advantage of a big strong creature like yourself now, do you?" she shot a glaring look back at the griffon, coupled with a slight smirk. "I don't even know your name! I wouldn't have asked for a strangers help if I didn't need it, would I?" 

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@Agent505,

 

Scurry just stared at her without saying anything for a long time. "So should I crush head or not? This is confusing. Being friends would be easier, yes?" That she might have been tricking him in some way still hadn't even occurred to him. He was just worried about whether or not he'd have to crush the griffon's head. Crushing heads was no fun.

[Agent505 661]

@@Alex Kennedy,@@Ano170,

 

Frostbite looked back and forth between the two for a few moments, pondering her choices. 

'If the griffon wasn't smart, she'd have killed us by now. She's probably planning something...

Then again, if I try and get her killed...she has a gun.'

After thinking for a while about her options, she smiled at the diamond dog and nodded towards the griffon. "No, not yet at least. Maybe she's telling the truth...she might actually want to be...friends."

'That, and she's another one to sacrifice when things go wrong...' 

 

With this, Frostbite trotted up the stairs past the diamond dog and approached the griffon, giving her a sharp look. "I wouldn't trust her though, not just yet." she called back to the dog. 

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@Agent505,

 

Scurry nodded and followed her up the stairs. "Okay, pretty pony. Don't worry, if she tries to hurt you, I will crush head. Wouldn't want mean griffon to mess up pretty face. Would be such a shame."

 

@@Ano170,

 

"You hear that, griffon? Don't hurt pretty pony. I can still crush head later if you do."

[Ano170 162]

@@Agent505, @@Alex Kennedy, 

 

There's that phrase again, The Captain thought to herself as she lowered her weapons, still not taking her eyes off the diamond dog as he conversed with the decidedly impolite mare. "Crush head". I really don't like that phrase.

 

Her eyes continued to dart nervously between the looming dog and the unicorn, her grin wavering. If she could fire off a shot quick enough, she might have a chance against the diamond dog if he was alone, but if the unicorn joined in using magic...

 

The Captain had been so fixated on coming up with a way to escape a fight from the odd pair alive that she almost didn't hear the mare's verdict - she was actually a little taken aback to find  that the unicorn had climbed the stairs. Nevertheless, her beak spread in a wide smile in spite of the diamond dog's warning.

 

"Really?!" The Captain beamed, even choosing to overlook the dog's "mean griffon" comment. Her wings flapped in excitement, lifting her a few feet off the ground for a few seconds before she suddenly stopped, embarrassed. She cleared her throat, giving a slight bow to the diamond dog and - with slightly more reluctance - the unicorn mare, tipping her hat once again with her tail whilst subtly picking her pistol and knife back up off the ground.

 

"I haven't properly introduced myself," she apologised, keeping her tone smooth. "I'm The Captain." She gestured round the dingy shop. "I'd say make yourself at home, but this place doesn't belong to me. Obviously." She flashed another smile to the diamond dog. "And don't worry - I'm not gonna hurt the "pretty pony"."

[Agent505 661]

@@Ano170,@@Alex Kennedy,

 

"Uh huh, i'm flattered, truly." Frostbite called sarcastically to the griffon, rolling her eyes. "Nice place you have here, anypony still alive?" She asked, lifting a fallen bookshelf with her magic and propping it back against the wall before moving a chair against it, and taking a seat. "So...captain? Really? That's your name?" she sighed, glancing over at the diamond dog in disbelief "Well, you can call me Frostbite, I suppose. Take that how you will. What about you?" 

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@Ano170,

 

Scurry shrugged. "Okay. If you not hurt pretty pony, I not crush head. This is good. I don't like crushing heads, except maybe infected. But wait... you're the captain? Captain of what? Do you have a ship somewhere? I don't see it anywhere."

 

@@Agent505,

 

Scurry followed the pretty pony, remaining close to her in case anything happened. "I'm Scurry, by the way."