[FO:E] The Northern Wasteland of Equestria 1

[Lycan 01]

Manehatten - Outside Tenpony Tower

Lucky looks at Down with a neutral expression and flatly deadpans: "The sniper shot me in the head, Miss Gwendolyn grabbed my body and tried to fly off with me, apparently I said some questionable things in my half-dead state and slapped her on the rump, so she hurled me out of frustration, right at the sniper, who was holding a young colt hostage. End result was me and the sniper out cold, the colt perfectly fine, and Gwendolyn feeling kinda bad for using me as a weapon, even thought I totally deserved it.."

He gives Down a moment to process all that.


---
Manehatten - Tenpony Tower Lobby

Homage smiles, and taps a button on the console for the elevator on the wall behind her. The doors slide open, and the small mare canters into the elevator. "Come along then!" she cheerfully chimes. "We mustn't leave your mane filled with Cazador ichor for longer than we should..."

Once everypony is in the elevator, she pings a button for one of the floors near the very top of the tower. Thankfully, the elevator isn't too cramped. "Sorry about the wait," Homage apologizes with a sheepish smile as the elevator slowly ascends. "Any questions or concerns before I introduce you?"


---
Manehatten - Flim-Flam Penthouse

Flim and Flam both grin. "Don't mention it!"

"You saved us, remember?" Flim says with a shrug. "The least we can do is give you a place to stay, on top of your payment."

"Yeah, you and Lucky totally deserve it," Flam smiles, before muttering: "Though I still doubt he'll stay here tonight."

"Shut up, Flam," Flim hisses.

"Whaaaat?" Flam shrugs. "I'm just sayin'..."

[Chaotic Bob]

[Manehatten - Outside Tenpony Tower]

She tries. She does.
Down's brain does its very best to try to make that scene seem sane.
But, either one too many insane things today, or for other reasons...

She ends up giving a somewhat nervous laugh and flicks her wings.
"Aheh...so. What actually happened?"

[Rebonack]

[Tenpony Tower - Flim-Flam Penthouse]

And when they arrive?

The cub will wriggle out of his hiding spot and head straight for the nearest large soft object! Probably a bed or sofa. Out come the claws as he kneads at it for a bit before turning in a circle and laying down.

Well... at least he's sleeping, right? He should get into less trouble that way.

[Tenpony Tower - To Homage's Pad!]

"Is the DJ really a ghoul?" Swiss pipes up before anypony else gets a chance to ask anything. "Seems like most everypony thinks that he's a ghoul. But is he really? That would totally explain why he's so against mistreating the ghouls that haven't lost their minds."

The rest of the team seem content to wait for the time being.

[Benson]

Manehatten - Flim-Flam Penthouse

Flim and Flam both grin. "Don't mention it!"

"You saved us, remember?" Flim says with a shrug. "The least we can do is give you a place to stay, on top of your payment."

"Yeah, you and Lucky totally deserve it," Flam smiles, before muttering: "Though I still doubt he'll stay here tonight."

"Shut up, Flam," Flim hisses.

"Whaaaat?" Flam shrugs. "I'm just sayin'..."

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't he stay here tonight?" Gwendolyn questioned Flam with a tight lined beak and furrowed brows.

[BladeofObliviom]

[Girdershade]

Swift nearly moved to slip out of the house just as Fizz started running for the door, but Fleetwing's interception piqued her interest enough to stay. Throughout the rest of the conversation, a wry grin stretched across her face as she heard Fleetwing's words.

The pegasus was not the most eloquent speaker ever, the most educated, or even the most creative. However, he was honest, and didn't attempt to manipulate Fizz to his own ends. He gave a more or less unbiased account of the situation (if not one accounting for alternative lifestyles ) and armed Fizz with a less naive worldview.

Pleasing, indeed. Naive innocence lost may sound like a bad thing, but if it saves her from much worse it might be a good thing after all. Fleetwing has definitely earned Swift's respect, at this point. Perhaps she would not yet volunteer her (literally) undying loyalty, but there's a foothold now. Fleetwing is kind without being coddling, a virtue rarely seen in the Equestrian Wasteland.


In any case, as the group exits, Swift continues smiling until Bucky makes things awkward.

[Sneak] It is a subtle move that might not be easily noticed, but the Ghoul places herself near enough to Bucky that she could strike his weapon with a hoof, should the need arise...

[Lycan 01]

Manehatten - Outside Tenpony Tower

Lucky chuckles, and gives a bemused shake of his head. "I swear, that's the truth. At least, judging from the bits and pieces I remember, and what they told me afterwards. Like I said, though, I got shot in the head and was unconscious and half-dead. For the second time in three weeks, mind you. So my perspective on the whole thing is... skewed," he smirks.

Lucky gives an idle wave of his hoof. "If you want to talk about something less mind-boggling, that's fine. Perhaps yourself? I don't think I know, well, anything about you, Miss Down. Though, if you'd prefer to keep it that way, I won't press the subject..." he says with an aloof shrug.


---
Manehatten - Tenpony Tower Elevator

Homage chuckles. "No no, the DJ is not a ghoul, I can tell you that much," the petite mare explains with an amused smile. "They're simply a champion for all good causes and the downtrodden. Ghouls, slaves, other misunderstood groups..." A look of sadness flickers across her eyes. "Though, it is a bit unfortunate that ponies assume that simply because the DJ defends ghouls, they must be a ghoul themselves. Oh well. Misinformation has its benefits, I suppose..."



---
Manehatten - Flim-Flam's Penthouse

Flam shrugs. "Well, the way I see it, there are three and a half possibilities."

"Three and a half?" Flim raises an eyebrow.

"The first two kinda overlap," Flam shrugs.

"Oh, well, yeah, I guess that makes sense..." Flim muses.

"Anyway," Flam turns back to Gwendolyn, "Basically, we think that one way or another, Mister Lucky will be staying somewhere else tonight."

"We? What is this we you speak of?" Flim indignantly asks.

Flam rolls his eyes. "Oh come on, you totally know it's possible."

"Which 'it,' him and the Enclaver, him and the surgery, or him and one of the many female residents?" Flim deadpans.

[Chaotic Bob]

[ Manehatten - Outside Tenpony Tower]

Down turns her head a bit, the bug-eyes on her visor shifting color slightly as she proceeds to begin investigating his head a bit more thoroughly.
Well, assuming he doesn't hide away from that or something...

"I...see. I am genuinely confused at how you are still alive, if you are always so 'lucky'."
Perplexed.
That remains a good word for her right now.

And then questions about herself...
Garner surprisingly little negative reaction.
"Can't really talk about anything military, sadly. But I don't know, I guess I could answer something else. Not doing much else right now..."
Kind of a narrow field to ask her about, though.

[Lycan 01]

Manehatten - Outside Tenpony Tower

Lucky removes his hat, and tilts his head to the side so Down can get a better look at him. "The sniper grazed the left side of my head, back to front. Gave me a bit of a concussion, but nothing a few potions couldn't fix," he shrugs. "The bandages are for my injuries from about three weeks ago. Shot in the face, lit on fire, and left for dead. Eeyup, I'm one lucky bastard," he grumbles with a roll of his eyes. "It's my special talent, after all. Dumb luck. Can't complain, since it's saved my life on dozens of occasions, like earlier with the demo charges. Granted, I'm also banned from all the casinos in New Neighgas..." he sighs.


When Down doesn't shoot him down, metaphorically or literally, Lucky smiles. "Nah, I'm fine not knowing the military stuff. I more-so just meant you as a pony. Miss Down the pegasus, not Miss Down the soldier. Interests, hobbies, associates, noteworthy quirks or traits, special talent. Anything in particular you feel like sharing or discussing..." he muses.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Manehatten - Outside Tenpony Tower]

Lucky is helping Down establish new benchmarks for how horrible life can be and still leave behind a happy-go-lucky pony.
Kudos to him?

Still sounds perplexed. But maybe a teensy bit more respectful.
"That is...quite the life."
In only a short time, too!
For most ponies, that would be enough for...the entirety of their lives!
Well, heck, that would end their lives.

"You've probably earned a few sick days, I think."


A little head shake to veer away from that line of thinking, and Down pulls away from vaguely-not-really Lucky's personal space.
Never really that close, but her inspection could provide the illusion of such.
"Me...me, me, me. If I picked something at random, let's go with 'I like sculpting'. Working clouds for homes, or decorations."

Completely random trivia get.

[Lycan 01]

Manehatten - Outside Tenpony Tower

Lucky laughs heartily and puts his hat back on. "Hah! Yeah, sick days. Those would be nice," he grins. "Eeyup, I've got dozens of stories. Close calls, near-death experiences, crazy misadventures... Some are funny, some... aren't," he mutters, averting his gaze for a moment. "Mind you, the whole 'shot and lit on fire' thing a few weeks ago was the worst thing I've been through. Before then, I'd always managed to emerge mostly unscathed. Guess my luck finally ran out, eh?" he observes with a crooked grin. "But hey, on the plus side, there might be a doc who in the Tower who can help me get my handsome looks back." A pause, and a shrug. "Hopefully."

And then... random info!

Very random info.

"So you're an artist?" Lucky's eyes light up with genuine interest. "What sort of sculptures? Ponies, animals, little fake plants that are white and poofy instead of green?" he asks curiously.

[Benson]

Manehatten - Flim-Flam's Penthouse

Flam shrugs. "Well, the way I see it, there are three and a half possibilities."

"Three and a half?" Flim raises an eyebrow.

"The first two kinda overlap," Flam shrugs.

"Oh, well, yeah, I guess that makes sense..." Flim muses.

"Anyway," Flam turns back to Gwendolyn, "Basically, we think that one way or another, Mister Lucky will be staying somewhere else tonight."

"We? What is this we you speak of?" Flim indignantly asks.

Flam rolls his eyes. "Oh come on, you totally know it's possible."

"Which 'it,' him and the Enclaver, him and the surgery, or him and one of the many female residents?" Flim deadpans.

Manehatten - Flim-Flam's Penthouse

Gwendolyn blinked and stared for a moment at them. She clicked her tongue against the inside of her beak. "Well, that is his freedom to do as he wishes for sleeping arrangements, though I must agree with the chance of surgery, even Mister Lucky has his physical limits."

[Chaotic Bob]

[Manehatten - Outside Tenpony Tower]

Grim to light...Down's choice seems fairly simple here.

Careful Lucky, this is getting dangerously close to mockery-territory again.
"I wouldn't get to hopeful. With what little of your luck I've heard, I'm sure something will go wrong. Maybe you should be more hesitant to let others cut your face in the future."
A little shifting around (suit is not comfortable for laying down...), and some slight amusement graces her voice again.
"Although I guess that would explain how you acquire so many stories in the first place."

Have to be pretty insane or reckless to get yourself into so many situations of that nature.

"Mm...sometimes...I spend more time maintaining public buildings. Clouds lose their shape quicker in high traffic areas, need extra attention."
But Lucky would know all about that, obviously, being a pegasus. Right?

[PurityIcekiller]

[Girdershade]

Violetta nodded. "What he said. Also, we discussed your feelings for her a bit. She is indeed fond of you, but she's concerned you're a little too... violent for her tastes."

[Rebonack]

[Elevator to Homage's Pad]

"Nothing wrong with ghouls. I mean... So-mmmph!" Swiss begins, only to have a hoof stuffed in her mouth. Don't spill the beans, Swiss.

"Ah reckon we've met plenty ah nice enough ghouls in our travels, Miss Homage. Plenty ah nasty ones, too. And Ah've always though of the DJ as a real stand-up stallion. He could be usin' his radio to spread lies like that snake Red Eye but he uses it fer spreadin' hope. And that's good 'n proper in mah book," Corn drawls before taking his hoof out of Swiss' mouth.

The mock-pegasus sticks her tongue out at him. Then gives a bit of a sigh. "It would be GREAT if so many ponies didn't have a shoot first and ask questions never attitude when it comes to... most everything. We've been trying our best to make the Wasteland a little brighter but... I dunno... It seems like it doesn't stick," then a slowly growing grin. "But Down Feather! An Enclaver here on the surface helping surface ponies to make things safer? If she's some kinda vanguard for the rest of the pegasi things might finally be looking up!"

[Lycan 01]

Girdershade

Bucky's expression becomes one of mild annoyance. "You did what?" he hisses. "So not only did you go and give her the sodas - nice piece of paper, by the way - but you went and blabbed to her about something that isn't even your business? Do you even know how I feel about her? What did you even say?" he growls, irritation clearly rising in his voice. "Why would she even think I'm violent? I've been nothing but nice to her!"

Violetta just made everything a lot more difficult...



---
Tenpony Tower - Flim-Flam's Penthouse

Flim and Flam both chuckle. "Oh well we didn't mean all the female residents," Flim grins.

"We just figured that at least one of them will take an interest in him," Flam shrugs.

"There are a lot of bored mares around here," Flim rolls his eyes.

"And even with his face all dinged up, Mister Lucky is a 'rugged adventurer type,'" Flam smirks.

"And a pegasus!" Flim interjects.

"Oh yes, wild and exotic," Flam nods. "Some mares would want him just for that..."

Awkwaaaard.



---
Tenpony Tower - Outside

Lucky grins lopsidedly at her jabs about the surgery and his stories. "Well aren't you a little feathery ball of sheer optimism?" he quips. "And a lot of my stories stem from my previous line of work. I didn't just go sticking my nose into Cazador nests for the fun of it. I was a Courier - a glorified delivery pony. Usually a fun and easy job. Most folks leave Couriers alone, too, but sometimes..." he shrugs. "Eh." Best not to go into detail on that, for various reasons.

And then comments about clouds.

Wut?

Lucky gives Down a quizzical look. "You shaped buildings, too? Like an architect? Fancy. I'm guessing they lose their shape because of all the pegasi flying around? Wind currents or something?"

He has no idea. It won't be hard for her to tell, either.



---
Tenpony Tower - Elevator Ride

Homage grins happily at Corn's opinions about the DJ. "I am very glad you feel that way, and I'm sure the DJ will be quite happy to hear it, too."

She then turns to Swiss and smiles. "And I am glad you and your friends are trying to fight the Good Fight, and make the Wasteland a better place. We need more ponies like that."

On the topic of Down, though, Homage's smile saddens. "Ah yes, the DJ has told me about your friend. While she does indeed seem to have good intentions, or has at least done some good deeds... I am afraid she is more the exception, than the rule..." the petite unicorn sighs. "The DJ can explain more on the subject, if you want, though it may not be his place."

~ding~

~ding~

~ding~

Homage's expression lights up. "Ah! Just about there! Any final questions or concerns before we meet the DJ?" she cheerfully asks.

[TheAmishPirate]

[Girdershade]

Violetta nodded. "What he said. Also, we discussed your feelings for her a bit. She is indeed fond of you, but she's concerned you're a little too... violent for her tastes."

Fleetwing gaped at her in sheer, complete, utter disbelief. "A...da...why?!" Now, whether it was disbelief that she would spill the beans to Bucky, or disbelief that she would think such a thing, that'd be up for Bucky to tell.

Girdershade

Bucky's expression becomes one of mild annoyance. "You did what?" he hisses. "So not only did you go and give her the sodas - nice piece of paper, by the way - but you went and blabbed to her about something that isn't even your business? Do you even know how I feel about her? What did you even say?" he growls, irritation clearly rising in his voice. "Why would she even think I'm violent? I've been nothing but nice to her!"

Violetta just made everything a lot more difficult...

"Woah! Nonononono, y'got it all wrong! Fleetwing wildly shook his head (as he not-so-gracefully muffled Violetta's mouth with a hind hoof). "We just...we figured...y'know, if sh-she was p-playing so hard t-t-t-to get, we'd try an' talk you up some t'her, let her know you was interested. I-I-I mean, we thought y'were, what with the gun pointing and threating and wanting them sodas, a-and it were the least we could do if we weren't giving the drinks t-t-t-to you, but s-she...she definitely never said anything like that!" He alternated between pleading with Bucky, shooting Violetta dirty looks, and glancing at the Kneecapper. From his examinations, he knew precisely how much it would hurt when that buckshot shredded his legs to the bone. If it meant promising the sky, he'd do anything to see that gun stay in its holster just a little longer. "W-w-w-we didn't...didn't mean no harm, honest! Swear on my wings, we didn't!"

(If Fleetwing's panicked run-on sentences are getting annoying, let me know and I'll tone it down a bit.)

[PurityIcekiller]

[Girdershade]

"Let's not get hasty here." Violetta felt a strange temptation to do something magically showy back at Bucky, but kept herself in control. [COLOR="#C000FF"]"You want to prove- Mmmph!"

She gave Fleetwing a glare right back. Now that was a rude interruption! Such nerve!

[Rebonack]

[Tenpony Tower - Homage's Pad]

Anymore questions?

Or concerns?

The present members of TRSG! glance at each other. Corn gives a small shrug. Swiss is cantering in place again. They're finally going to meet the DJ! Eeeeee! So exciting!

"Alright! Let's see him! And I wanna see this DJ battle thing too! It sounds great and I don't have any idea what turn-tables are!" Swiss enthuses.

It sounds like she could probably explode from sheer enthusiasm at any moment. Hopefully she doesn't though. That would be really messy.

[Lycan 01]

Girdershade

Buckshot sighs, and brings a hoof to his forehead. "You've got to be kidding..." he mutters.

"Of course I'm going to be threatening and stuff! I'm her bodyguard! I'm supposed to have an attitude and scare people so they know not to mess with her or her museum, whether or not I've got feelings for Fizz! The only ponies I've ever hurt are bandits! Why would she think I would ever want to hurt her? I'm just doing my job! Urrrgh," he growls, kicking the dirt in annoyance. "And you don't even know how I feel about her! Why would you go and tell her about something you don't even understand?" he groans, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "It's none of your-" Then he looks up at Fleetwing in confusion. "Wait, she didn't say that?" he asks warily, narrowing her eyes. "Then why's the little mare saying she did? What'd you actually tell Fizz, and what'd she say?"

[Chaotic Bob]

[Tenpony Tower - Outside]

"Courier?"
Look at that, Lucky has attracted Down's curiosity again.
"What possible deliveries could need such dangerous routes?"
Clearly couriers are slightly more complicated than "glorified delivery ponies".

Last fly by, mutant demon wasps weren't on common trade routes.
...last fly by, there just weren't mutant demon wasps, to be fair.

That thought leaves a somewhat sour taste in her mouth, but she sets it aside for now.
Time to deal with an ignorant pegasus instead!

With a simple question:
"How much experience do you actually have with clouds, Mister Break?"

[PurityIcekiller]

[Girdershade]

Violetta's eyes widened.

So he's not as unreasonable a fellow as I thought he was. We just had a misunderstanding.

She gently attempted to brush away Fleetwing's hoof. She had to explain.

[Lycan 01]

Tenpony Tower - The DJ's Lair

~ding~

The elevator doors slide open. "Right this way, then," Homage says with an almost coy smirk.

The elevator opens into into a rich marble foyer, the center of which was dominated by a water fountain. A huge alicorn made of age-darkened brass rears up before the group, its wings spread out over the foyer. The necklace around the alicorn’s neck bears a water talisman with a large sapphire set into the center. Thanks to the talisman, the fountain still flowed with fresh, clean water even two-hundred years after the apocalypse.

Stairs wrap around the foyer to a mezzanine level. Inset in the balcony are matching bronze letters: Ministry of Arcane Science -- Manehattan. Beyond the fountain is a large set of double doors bearing the title: Twilight Sparkle Athenaeum. Above on the mezzanine is a second, nearly identical set of double doors.

M.A.S. Emergency Broadcast Station
Authorized Unicorns Only

Homage leads the group up to the landing, where the double doors to M.A.S.E.B.S. swing open quietly. Inside, the group finds multiple maneframes and walls of computer screens giving a bird’s eye view of… the vast majority of the Equestrian Wasteland, as far as they can tell. While most screens had clear, sharp images, several flickered and suffered odd distortions, and one large set of screens was dead black.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Homage asks with something of a proud smile, before walking over to a bank of buttons and lights, raising a hoof to press one. She then turned and trotted back towards the center of the room, where a microphone was raising from the floor. "Quiet on the set," Homage tells the group with a sly wink, before her horn glows with an ethereal green hue.

"GOOD EVENING, WASTELAND!!" the masculine voice of DJ Pon3 suddenly belts forth from the petite little mare. "We interrupt this program to bring you a special announcement! My lovely little assistant has just informed me that I have some visitors, none other than the illustrious Team Ruben Sandwich GO!, who were nice enough to handle that nasty little Cazador issue in downtown Manehatten. Hurray! Also, somepony wants to challenge me to a DJ Battle! And should I fall in the coming battle of sound and skill... I just want you to all know... I love you," the DJ declares with playful melodrama, before a wicked smirk flickers across Homage's face. "Also, Red Eye sucks. And now, back to the music! Have a nice night, chiiiiiiildren!"

The microphone descends, the green glow around Homage's horn disappears, and DJ Pon3 turns to grin at TRSG! and Vinyl. "Now, what'd ya wanna see me about?" she cheerfully asks.



---
Tenpony Tower - Outside

Lucky shrugs. "Couriers deliver whatever needs to be delivered. Letters, weapons, information, knick-knacks, food, medical supplies... If a pony needs a specific item delivered to a specific location or individual, and it needs to be done reliably, they contact a Courier service," he explains.

And then she asks how much experience he has with clouds.

Lucky briefly recalls flying through the clouds to escape a wing of Talons, punching through the fluffy white softness, before emerging into a world of blinding light. And then what came afterwards.

He knows clouds are comfortable to lay on, at least, having been pinned down on one...

The stallion looks off to the side, and gives a small shrug. "Limited."

[Rebonack]

[Tenpony Tower - Homage's Pad]

Suffice to say that TRSG! is suitibly impressed by the opulence of the place! That fountain is... wow! And the stairs! And the... the stuff! This is almost too much!

"Well Ah'll be..." Corn mutters at the sight. "Even fancier up here than 'twas in the rest of the tower..."

Then up into the recording studio! Swiss starts doing that giddy little dance of hers again and-

The Dj Speakith!

As soon as the On The Air sign goes dark Vinyl points a hoof at Homage! "Ha! HA! I knew it! Didn't I tell you? Voice-changing spell just like mine!" the foalbot declares triumphantly.

And Swiss? Swiss is grinning like an idiot, her eyes fixed on Homage's horn. "Hehehe... Sorry Vinyl. Not a spell just like yours."

The mock-pegasus clears her throat and begins to chant in a sing-songy voice!

"Sunshine sunshine ladybugs awake~!"

The rest of TRSG! gives Swiss a rather odd look.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Tenpony Tower - Outside]

"Hm, sounds like a job best suited for mercenaries and ex-soldiers..."
Likely the only ones with sufficient training to guarantee such results like they seem to be.

Does that imply something about Lucky?

And then he fails to give a decent answer about the clouds.
So she has to assume the correct answer is probably closer to "none".
"I see...it's generally better at holding its shape than you'd think. Cloud structures don't fall apart just because somepony flies by, thankfully. But over time, air currents will distort them.

Surprisingly few ponies like to live in buildings that look like misshapen smoothies."

[Lycan 01]

Tenpony Tower - Lair of the DJ

Homage leaps across the room, landing right in front of Swiss and raising her hooves to join in the little song and dance. "Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" she playfully proclaims with a fang-revealing grin, giving a small shake of her rump for emphasis.

Yup.

DJ Pon3 is a Changeling.



---
Tenpony Tower - Outside

"Or pegasi, what with the whole 'flying' thing," Lucky states with a small smile.

As for the stuff about the clouds, Lucky has only one thing to say.

"What's a smoothie?" he asks with total obliviousness.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Tenpony Tower - Outside]

"Ah, but what's flying without skill to go with it?"
That's one of the core lessons they have to learn, when trained as soldiers, up in the Enclave.
Just because they have the advantage of wings, over most of the mud-borne threats...doesn't mean jack diddly squat if they can't do anything with it.

Oh, the days of basic training...


And that line of thought is destroyed pretty much immediately by a blatantly ignorant question.
One that she really shouldn't be surprised by.
"What's a smoothie? It's this...cold, liquidy...fruit...stuff."
Oh goodness, explaining what a smooth was is actually kind of a hard.
Cold...liquidy...fruity.
What better words are there?
"Icy?"
A lame addition.

[TheAmishPirate]

Girdershade

Buckshot sighs, and brings a hoof to his forehead. "You've got to be kidding..." he mutters.

"Of course I'm going to be threatening and stuff! I'm her bodyguard! I'm supposed to have an attitude and scare people so they know not to mess with her or her museum, whether or not I've got feelings for Fizz! The only ponies I've ever hurt are bandits! Why would she think I would ever want to hurt her? I'm just doing my job! Urrrgh," he growls, kicking the dirt in annoyance. "And you don't even know how I feel about her! Why would you go and tell her about something you don't even understand?" he groans, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "It's none of your-" Then he looks up at Fleetwing in confusion. "Wait, she didn't say that?" he asks warily, narrowing her eyes. "Then why's the little mare saying she did? What'd you actually tell Fizz, and what'd she say?"

Were he not fearing for his life, Fleetwing might've realized just how much this all explained. As it were, all he could think about was that buckshot ripping the flesh from his legs. The pegasus gulped audibly, taking a moment to get his thoughts in order...

[Girdershade]

Violetta's eyes widened.

So he's not as unreasonable a fellow as I thought he was. We just had a misunderstanding.

She gently attempted to brush away Fleetwing's hoof. She had to explain.

...only to have his concentration thrown off by a sneaky escape attempt. Fleetwing stubbornly kept her muffled. "Just sit tight, y'hear? I'm trying t'fix up this mess y'caused!" he frantically hissed back at her.

To Bucky, he gave a nervous little chuckle. "Heh, uh, sorry 'bout that. Uh....r-right, Fizz." Buy some time, buy some time, think of how not to get blasted. "W-we tried getting a peg on how sh-she felt about you, y'know, more than just friends and all that. And...uh...t-turns out she didn't have much of a grasp of things beyond friends and...well, love. C-c-come t'think of it, I r-r-really just spent most of the conversation e-explaining what a relationship was." Cue another bout of nervous laughter. "S-s-s-so, when y'really get down to it, most of what she was saying w-was her being confused. It t-t-took a while, but w-we got her straight on th-the concepts, n-nothing t'worry about."

Not technically what he was asking for, but who knows? Maybe it'd satisfy his curiosity long enough for them to make a quick exit.

[Rebonack]

[Tenpony Tower Homage's Pad]

Swiss responds with a snaggle-toothed grin all her own as her phantom horn flares with livid green magic causing her pony-disguise to burn away.

"Wait... Homage is the DJ... And she's also a..."

"YEP!" Swiss laughs. "Did you see those cameras she had? Pictures from all over the wasteland! If she's been watching us then she's probably seen me transform. And that means she knows you guys don't have any problem with changelings!"

"Well Ah'll be..." Corn laughs. "Misunderstood groups fer sure. Most ponies think folks like you 'n Swiss are monsters er mare's tales."

"This is an amazing gig you have, Homage!" Swiss practically squees. "All the love and admiration of your listeners? That's got to be great! And I'll just repeat in case it wasn't obvious from the last twelve times. I love your show!"

The changeling is still fangirling. How cute.

"You don't need to worry about a thing, Homage. Your secret is safe with us. Both of them. I'm sure there's a reason why you don't want the ponies in the tower to know that you're the DJ," Rye assures the cheese-legged beasty.

"Fer her opinion on the ghouls, Ah reckon," Corn comments with a nod. "Ain't a popular thing to say 'round here."

Vinyl stomps her hooves impatiently. "Okay, it's really cool that she's another creepy bug-pony-"

"Not a bug!"

"-but we still have a DJ battle to decide!"

Swiss blechs rather distastefully and groans, "Why does everypony think we're bugs!?"

[Lycan 01]

Tenpony Tower - Outside

Lucky holds up a hoof. "Hang on. First of all, pegasi make great Couriers because they can make a delivery in a fraction of the time a non-flier would take, and because they can just fly over most obstacles and dangers. And if they do get in trouble, they can fly circles around most enemies, or just zoom away. Second," he fixes Down with a slightly indignant look, "I am an excellent flier, thank you very much."

"Now, as for the icy-fruity-smoothie thing," Lucky says with a grin, "Sounds like a milkshake. You coulda just said they were similar, and saved yourself the trouble," he snickers.


---
Tenpony Tower - Lair of the DJ

Homage giggles. "Swiss is absolutely correct. I've seen you all on several occasions, and I knew not only that one of your team was a Changeling, but that the rest of you were understanding and capable of keeping such secrets. While I could have probably masqueraded as the 'real' DJ Pon3, I felt such deception was unneeded, and... well... rude," she shrugs.

"No, I felt it would be better to just be honest. I know you're trustworthy," the petite 'mare' says with a sincere smile. "And yes, my opinions on ghouls would get me kicked out of the tower if anypony knew my true identity. My opinions on a lot of things would get me kicked out, actually," he observes with a crooked grin. "So, I masquerade as Homage, the DJ's innocent little assistant and errand girl."

And then Vinyl pipes up.

Homage kneels slightly, and smiles at the little foalbot. "Oh, I have not forgotten. We can get to that shortly. Though I suppose I should apologize for using your name. I'm sorry if you're upset, but you know what they say. 'Imitation is the highest form of flattery.' There's been a DJ Pon3 running this station for many decades; I'm just the newest one, who happens to be a Changeling. And your stage name wasn't used to steal your fame, and hog the glory. From what the previous DJ told me, it was picked to carry on your legacy..." Homage says kindly. "I hear the 'first' DJ Pon3 was a big fan of yours..."

[BladeofObliviom]

[Girdershade]

Swift's reaction to this entire conversation is a facehoof. Or two. Don't ask how she's standing on her rear legs alone for the sake of covering her face with two hooves, but she's doing it.

...Okay, geez. That looks hard to balance. A drawn-out, slightly gurgling sigh emanates from the ghoul.