Fallout Equestria: Pie and Predation

[Inspector Valin]

"Erm... right."

Choro blushes: even after everything in the last few days, she still doesn't always think practically. She smiles gratefully at River before looking around the group. "Are we planning on staying here? I want to investigate the status of the railway line, perhaps talk to any scavengers who've gone north. I don't really know what everypony else is going to be doing. I know you're covering for Abbas, but I don't know how long that's going to take you."

[DigoDragon]

"I didn't think you were the type to want to go to a nightclub in the middle of the day, Wagon." Andante said, her voice slightly hoarse, with any attempt at sarcasm being lost accordingly."But as someone who once lived here, being hasty will be the death of you. We have baggage and luggage we must secure."

"You make too many assumptions. I want to arrive a few minutes before tonight's event to study the area and know all the exits and number of guards. Like surgery, details are good to know when someone puts their life in your hooves," Doc explains.

"Otherwise, act like you are back in Manehattan and do not view this as civilized territory."

"So assume this is the Bronx. Can do," Doc idly says as he looks out and around the town. He shrugs and grabs stuff together, then goes to the treasure. "Is there a... bank or money exchange place around to make caps out of some of this? Also, to my comanions, if you're in for protecting Abbas, let's divvy this up now so we're not just dragging this big box around."

"Are we planning on staying here? I want to investigate the status of the railway line, perhaps talk to any scavengers who've gone north. I don't really know what everypony else is going to be doing. I know you're covering for Abbas, but I don't know how long that's going to take you."

"Besides Abbas' job, there's a local doctor I need to look up for an acquaintance and then there's that pony JW asked us to track down out in Hog's Hollow. So I'd say we'd be here at least a couple nights."

[Dalinale]

I bet the Dashies are up there. So I'll pass for now. I would rather someone else scout them out first and give me a heads up on if they are more like me, or if they are full out traitors. Moonshadow said. In the meantime, I'll stick with the zebras. I also want to try finding a broadcaster attachment for my Pipbuck so we can actually call each other. Maybe I'll even be able to call Cabbagetown with one.

Strawberry cocked her head towards Moonshadow, but after a few seconds of intense staring she shook her head and went back to looking at the problematic buildings below.

"Erm... right."

Choro blushes: even after everything in the last few days, she still doesn't always think practically. She smiles gratefully at River before looking around the group. "Are we planning on staying here? I want to investigate the status of the railway line, perhaps talk to any scavengers who've gone north. I don't really know what everypony else is going to be doing. I know you're covering for Abbas, but I don't know how long that's going to take you."

"Well, I'v lived in this city my whole life, and I never thought I'd ever come up here because I didn't have the caps. This place wouldn't exist if ponies didn't want to come here." River said, sounding like she was talking to both Choro and herself and being rather giddy about it, "And I heard that there's all sorts of weird stuff here. Good weird stuff, not bad weird stuff."

"You make too many assumptions. I want to arrive a few minutes before tonight's event to study the area and know all the exits and number of guards. Like surgery, details are good to know when someone puts their life in your hooves," Doc explains.

Andante gave a look of dubious appreciation over towards River before she glanced back at Doc.

"So assume this is the Bronx. Can do," Doc idly says as he looks out and around the town.

"Indeed. As you can see, some baggage might need more safeguarding than others. There are four colts and five pegasi here, and the latter will cause a commotion no matter what. I have been here long enough to know that while the subway might be more outwardly dangerous, it is more manageable and mundane in it's dangers than what could erupt near Abbas." Andante said coolly, although not necessarily terse, "No offense to your plans for long-term employment by Abbas Al-Hazard."

He shrugs and grabs stuff together, then goes to the treasure. "Is there a... bank or money exchange place around to make caps out of some of this? Also, to my comanions, if you're in for protecting Abbas, let's divvy this up now so we're not just dragging this big box around."

Andante took a few moments to consider the question, and she rested her chin in a hoof as she looked back at the nicer set of ruins in the area, although now she seemed to be glancing at the transit hub with more dubious appreciation.

"...Yes." she eventually said, "I know that there should be one in the administration ward, although if the one I am thinking of is not open, than something similar has likely taken it's place. Debt is easy to acquire here, you must understand. I don't think it would be rude to ask it's location once you are inside, but as you cannot avoid attention at all, make yourselves look hard to rob without appearing dangerous."

[Inspector Valin]

"Well, I'v lived in this city my whole life, and I never thought I'd ever come up here because I didn't have the caps. This place wouldn't exist if ponies didn't want to come here." River said, sounding like she was talking to both Choro and herself and being rather giddy about it, "And I heard that there's all sorts of weird stuff here. Good weird stuff, not bad weird stuff."

"Like what?" It's almost a rhetorical question, given that spark in Choro's eyes. The little wizard is starting to look as swept away in the moment as River. C knew this place was a hub of traffic and civilization, but there were also strange things to investigate? There's the Guild presence, traders, and the old station offices, but the prospect of yet more more strangeness to be found has gotten Choro excited again.

[Dalinale]

"Like what?" It's almost a rhetorical question, given that spark in Choro's eyes. The little wizard is starting to look as swept away in the moment as River. C knew this place was a hub of traffic and civilization, but there were also strange things to investigate? There's the Guild presence, traders, and the old station offices, but the prospect of yet more more strangeness to be found has gotten Choro excited again.

River seemed happy at Choro's interest, but she quickly became slightly puzzled herself, as if she hadn't thought the concept through. However, she quickly shook her head and answered.

"Well, I was always told that you could find anything here if you looked hard enough, and anything that you can't find in the rest of Tauronto probably ended up here. If you cant find it here, then you just have to go underground, and then you'd probably find something." River said, her cheeks reddening slightly, as if she was now concerned about how vague she sounded.

[DigoDragon]

"Indeed. As you can see, some baggage might need more safeguarding than others. There are four colts and five pegasi here, and the latter will cause a commotion no matter what. I have been here long enough to know that while the subway might be more outwardly dangerous, it is more manageable and mundane in it's dangers than what could erupt near Abbas." Andante said coolly, although not necessarily terse, "No offense to your plans for long-term employment by Abbas Al-Hazard."

"Relax, we're well aware there's youngins to protect," Doc responds in a casual tone that contrasts Andante's seriousness. "You get the flophouse like you said and we'll secure everyone into it before we go do our dangerous horse job."

Doc loads up stuff onto his back and stands ready to move.

"I don't think it would be rude to ask it's location once you are inside, but as you cannot avoid attention at all, make yourselves look hard to rob without appearing dangerous."

"Don't flash money around and don't travel alone," Doc says, reciting general advice he learned traveling to places.

[Inspector Valin]

Choro hums at River's synopsis, nodding once she's done. "Interesting."

A concise comment, but honestly meant. A market hub like this definitely bears further examination, especially given the apparent wealth of the area aside from pure trade, and the history of the building it inhabits. Choro nods to River, "Well, let's go see if there are rooms to be had first. After that, we can go and take a closer look around the area. It is tempting to explore; if I were still travelling by myself, I'd probably stop here quite a while."

Because there's no clear way further north. Choro chuckles a little inwardly. She had to remember to thank Northern Light for his thoughts on this place. Before heading out, the little mare empties out most of her saddlebags, stuffing them into her bedroll, and leaving only caps and her most trustly rifle at her side. Once ready to head out, she grins at River. "Let's go see how rich ponies spend their days."

[Dalinale]

"Relax, we're well aware there's youngins to protect," Doc responds in a casual tone that contrasts Andante's seriousness. "You get the flophouse like you said and we'll secure everyone into it before we go do our dangerous horse job."

Doc loads up stuff onto his back and stands ready to move.

Everyone was off the bus by the time Doc was finished getting his stuff together and looked somewhat like they wanted to be where they currently were with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

"Don't flash money around and don't travel alone," Doc says, reciting general advice he learned traveling to places.

Andante didn't opt to respond, and instead approached Shade and Northern Light, who looked concerned and unimpressed by the city accordingly. Shade in particular seemed slightly worried for some reason and didn't look better after Andante began talking to her quietly. The Moss brothers didn't approach their sister and instead was looking in the opposite direction of the towers, apparently more interested in looking at old signs and billboards near the ruins of the main highway that led up to the area.

The zebra group seemed more prepared in comparison, although Halva seemed to be haggling with Ceasennia about possibly selling Laupula to her, or something with that rough amount of dignity. The okapi was clinging to the horse's long legs while being somewhat slumping on the ground and was shaking slightly, while the horse seemed to be ignoring him. Ceasennia seemed to be struggling to not openly stare at the okapi with concern. Cassidy was talking to the two ponies in the group, while the zebra colts were playing with the dog.

Mirror, meanwhile, seemed to be interested in Abbas's gold and had taken it upon herself to carry the lighter of the two chests with her magic, although she looked like she was struggling slightly.

Choro hums at River's synopsis, nodding once she's done. "Interesting."

A concise comment, but honestly meant. A market hub like this definitely bears further examination, especially given the apparent wealth of the area aside from pure trade, and the history of the building it inhabits. Choro nods to River, "Well, let's go see if there are rooms to be had first. After that, we can go and take a closer look around the area. It is tempting to explore; if I were still travelling by myself, I'd probably stop here quite a while."

Because there's no clear way further north. Choro chuckles a little inwardly. She had to remember to thank Northern Light for his thoughts on this place. Before heading out, the little mare empties out most of her saddlebags, stuffing them into her bedroll, and leaving only caps and her most trustly rifle at her side. Once ready to head out, she grins at River. "Let's go see how rich ponies spend their days."

River, while still smiling, glanced at what Choro brought with her and in her Pipbuck in particular. She didn't frown, but she sounded concerned when she spoke next.

"I know this is going to sound a little bad, but how many caps do you have?" she asked, "Stuff there is going to be a little expensive, because almost everything that wouldn't be scavenged gets imported, but I'd guess that there's ponies here who could live off marking up stuff to ponies who don't live here. I'm only going to keep two hundred in my bags in case of thieves, too."

[DigoDragon]

Mirror, meanwhile, seemed to be interested in Abbas's gold and had taken it upon herself to carry the lighter of the two chests with her magic, although she looked like she was struggling slightly.

Doc ensures bags and chests are securely shut. He whistles to Choro. "Hey, could you lend a magic hoof carrying some of the stuff?" he asks, pointing to the other chest he's only able to drag along on a sled since he has no levitation powers. "Andante's gonna get us rooms to settle in and we can figure out where to go from there."

[Inspector Valin]

River, while still smiling, glanced at what Choro brought with her and in her Pipbuck in particular. She didn't frown, but she sounded concerned when she spoke next.

"I know this is going to sound a little bad, but how many caps do you have?" she asked, "Stuff there is going to be a little expensive, because almost everything that wouldn't be scavenged gets imported, but I'd guess that there's ponies here who could live off marking up stuff to ponies who don't live here. I'm only going to keep two hundred in my bags in case of thieves, too."

"I have... more than that."

Choro can't help but look a little dispirited as she goes back to her pack and stows roughly enough caps to leave her at about two hundred as well. Still, she manages a grateful smile as she returns to River. "Thanks for the thought, Ms. River."

Doc ensures bags and chests are securely shut. He whistles to Choro. "Hey, could you lend a magic hoof carrying some of the stuff?" he asks, pointing to the other chest he's only able to drag along on a sled since he has no levitation powers. "Andante's gonna get us rooms to settle in and we can figure out where to go from there."

"I thought we were..." Choro shakes her head in confusion. There's no sense arguing. Instead she simply nods and hoists the chest high. Should we really be carrying these things if there's a risk of thieves around here?

[DigoDragon]

"I thought we were..." Choro shakes her head in confusion.

"We were... what? I rather not leave valuables in the bus, if that's what you're asking," Doc explains in response.

[Hazuki]

"I know this is going to sound a little bad, but how many caps do you have?" she asked, "Stuff there is going to be a little expensive, because almost everything that wouldn't be scavenged gets imported, but I'd guess that there's ponies here who could live off marking up stuff to ponies who don't live here. I'm only going to keep two hundred in my bags in case of thieves, too."

"Want some help finding a place to buy to set up or whatever?" Viridia asked. "I'm kind of exhausted right now, but, uh, I'm still pretty so I can probably help once you figure out what the best location is."

"I thought we were..." Choro shakes her head in confusion. There's no sense arguing. Instead she simply nods and hoists the chest high. Should we really be carrying these things if there's a risk of thieves around here?

"Oh, by the way, Choro, I have a cool magic thing that you'll want to take a look at when you're not busy." Viridia informed the smaller mare.

[Dalinale]

"I have... more than that."

Choro can't help but look a little dispirited as she goes back to her pack and stows roughly enough caps to leave her at about two hundred as well. Still, she manages a grateful smile as she returns to River. "Thanks for the thought, Ms. River."

River smiled and nodded, and turned towards Viridia, apparently fine with letting Choro talk finances out with Doc.

"Want some help finding a place to buy to set up or whatever?" Viridia asked. "I'm kind of exhausted right now, but, uh, I'm still pretty so I can probably help once you figure out what the best location is."

River blinked. Viridia could see the slightest hint of a blush, but that could've been the... wait, nope, wasn't cold enough, she was blushing.

"That'd be great." River said, after a quick flash of nervousness that led to her patting her coinpurse and glancing back at the towers behind her, as if to check and make sure she was still there, River turned back towards Viridia with a cheerful grin on her face. "Are you hungry, though? I'll buy lunch, this place is supposed to have actual restaurants and stuff. Doing some people-watching before we do anything big here would be nice, too."

[DigoDragon]

River smiled and nodded, and turned towards Viridia, apparently fine with letting Choro talk finances out with Doc.

"Oh, River! Before I forget; if you are setting up shop, I have a brush gun that needs repair work. You'd be my first choice for the business if you're up for it later."

[Inspector Valin]

"We were... what? I rather not leave valuables in the bus, if that's what you're asking," Doc explains in response.

The little mare looks like she's been given a bit of a case of whiplash. She takes a second, looking down at the pile of personal valuables she'd just got done packing away in her sleeping roll. Doc's entitled to his point of view but... thieves out and about are a threat too, right? And the van isn't going to be left completely undefended. She briefly pats a certian Very Good Dog, whispering in its ear. "Gonna get you some food. You've earned it."

One last round of petting done, she returns to Doc, nodding and lifting the chest with a smile. "Right. Ready when you are."

Spoiler

Show

This is assuming the dog is supposed to be staying here? Not sure on plans but don't want to ask about them and risk delay.

"Want some help finding a place to buy to set up or whatever?" Viridia asked. "I'm kind of exhausted right now, but, uh, I'm still pretty so I can probably help once you figure out what the best location is."

"Oh, by the way, Choro, I have a cool magic thing that you'll want to take a look at when you're not busy." Viridia informed the smaller mare.

Choro once again looks taken aback. She blinks, not sure what to make of this, but after a second nods, smiling. "Err... okay. Thank you! I'll... come find you later I guess."

[Hazuki]

"That'd be great." River said, after a quick flash of nervousness that led to her patting her coinpurse and glancing back at the towers behind her, as if to check and make sure she was still there, River turned back towards Viridia with a cheerful grin on her face. "Are you hungry, though? I'll buy lunch, this place is supposed to have actual restaurants and stuff. Doing some people-watching before we do anything big here would be nice, too."

"Yeah, okay. Will your brothers be okay, or...?"

Choro once again looks taken aback. She blinks, not sure what to make of this, but after a second nods, smiling. "Err... okay. Thank you! I'll... come find you later I guess."

Viridia nodded.

[Dalinale]

"Oh, River! Before I forget; if you are setting up shop, I have a brush gun that needs repair work. You'd be my first choice for the business if you're up for it later."

River, after considering the request, nodded.

"Yeah, no problem." she replied.

"Yeah, okay. Will your brothers be okay, or...?"

"They're going to go with Andante for right now." River said, motioning a hoof over to the duo, who were sufficiently far away from the rest of the group that it wasn't clear if they could've heard her, "Normally I'd be fine, but I'd like them to get in a safe place first and get some sleep, and Andante's lived here before and she said she knows a few places."

River, after a few moments of thought, glanced over towards the destination she had in mind to be her new home, and then apparently tried to trace a path from the crumbling parking garage through the ruined neighborhoods and streets to the towers that were her destination. After a quick glance at Choro's horn, she shook her head and took out a set of heavy plastic boots.

"Alright, I guess we should take the stairs." River muttered, apparently realizing that the main barrier separating her from a life of wealth and comfort was a stretch of mud and slush that went on as far as she could see.

[DigoDragon]

Doc will lead his procession (Mirror, Choro, and whoever else wishes to help with the party gear) over to Andante. "Alright, we got all the luggage together. Since you know this place best, lead the way."

[Dalinale]

Doc will lead his procession (Mirror, Choro, and whoever else wishes to help with the party gear) over to Andante. "Alright, we got all the luggage together. Since you know this place best, lead the way."

Andante glanced at Doc and Choro with clear caution on her face, and then shook her head slowly and turned back towards the destination before them, which sort of looked like a big cracked glass egg if one wished to squint a little bit and ignore the smoke. She then gave a disparaging look over towards the zebra group, who were mostly idling at this point, and then at the Moss brothers, who were currently standing around Northern Light and looking sort of ready to leave. Shade had detached herself from Andante at some point and had raised the hood on her purple jacket, obscuring most of her face. Strata, meanwhile, was wearing the black robes she had found earlier and also had what looked like a t-shirt with some holes poked into them over her face, acting like a crude mask. Complete with some socks she had possibly stolen at some point, she looked less like a ghoul and more like... well, someone who was probably better off dead, even by wasteland standards.

Andante put a hoof under her chin and clicked her tongue after a few moments of thought.

"Normally I would be cautious that you three don't look like you didn't walk here, but I suppose that we could avoid any negative attention if we do this quickly." Andante said, looking as if she was now suffering from a mild headache; meanwhile, Mirror gave Doc a little frown and looked at the ground, apparently considering if she should wipe mud on her cheeks or something to blend in, "It does get rather crowded and cramped where we are going, but luckily, due to our numbers, we don't look as if we are particularly together in any way, so we could avoid antagonistic locals if we behave accordingly."

She then gave a disparaging glance over towards Halva and Madeleine, who were currently having a rather odd conversation to themselves that seemed to consist of the horse looking awkward and the cyborg cheerfully asking questions. Andante sighed.

"Those two are conspicuous." Andante said flatly, "They can go with River and the rest of the pegasi."

Andante, after taking a moment to adjust her light blue jacket, walked over to the stairs and descended quickly, although not to where no one could catch up. The zebras began to follow her immediately, and Luapula even seemed to be behaving, somewhat. Northern Light led the Moss brothers, with Shade following close behind, and soon Doc and Choro and Mirror had to play catchup.

[DigoDragon]

Doc dips a little mud on a hoof and gives Mirror a little streak on each cheek to help with blending in. "There you go. I'll get you something to wear and no one is going to question you walking by."

Once Andante starts leading the procession, Doc begins walking to keep up.

[Dalinale]

Doc dips a little mud on a hoof and gives Mirror a little streak on each cheek to help with blending in. "There you go. I'll get you something to wear and no one is going to question you walking by."

Once Andante starts leading the procession, Doc begins walking to keep up.

The interior of the parking garage was nearly impossible to navigate, due to much of the upper floors having partially collapsed at a earlier point in history. However, a rough ramp led from the remains of the staircase to the bottom floor, and exiting the place was feasible without incident. At worst, there was the issue of avoiding slipping on the slimy stone and falling, but the stiff procession downwards into the dark was led partially by Northern Light and the Moss brothers carrying dim flashlights, and any possible accident was mostly avoided. The bottom floor had signs of recent habitation, but no one was around.

The surrounding area was one of pale red brick and wood and palsied concrete with little in the way of architectural rules. There were pre-war carts and wagons on the streets, most barely recognizable as anything but piles of ruined metal, as well as ruins of ancient, tottering buildings that leaned far too closely in different directions to be considered safe in any degree. The wreckage of some of those wooden and brick edifices that had grown too proud and collapsed into a neighbor or onto the streets were everywhere, although that didn't prevent transit too much. The ground was quite muddy and piles of lingering slush hung close to the larger buildings, but there was actually not so much mud on the ground as one might have expected, due to the large amount of gravel and uneven, hilly terrain congregating much of the muck in large, mostly avoidable puddles. The sound of water draining into sewer grates was ever-present. Signs of recent travel, ranging from old cans to graffiti on the walls to old camp sites, were everywhere, although there wasn't a soul on the streets. The area overwhelmingly smelled lightly of burning plastic and wet cardboard. The destination of the group was in sight above the disjointed rooftops of nearby smaller buildings, looking like some kind of half-shattered nautilus shell with wisps of smoke emerging from it's bulk.

[Requesting Survival roles from Choro and Doc, along with any other PC's with them.]

[DigoDragon]

Requested Survival roll: (1d100)[84]

[Inspector Valin]

Choro looks around at the assorted vehicle wrecks. Unlike the ones outside Crunchymunch these have likely already been picked over for parts, but all the same she's tempted to disassemble them. The little mare hums to herself: if she's going to consider trying to reach the empire by vehicle, some disassembly might help ground her in engine work before she started getting too far ahead on such a plan.

She grimaces a little at the conditions below them. It's a petty gesture on her part, but Choro can't help looking down and suspending her robe above the muck as the party start walking forward. No sense in dirtying it needlessly..

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Did we cover the wagon up as suggested in the OOC? If not, Choro will do that before continuing

(1d100)[90](90) Survival: 3

[Dalinale]

The streets closer to the towers were the remains of rows of tightly-packed shotgun shacks, the remains of old gardens and dead trees. Some appeared to have been used as recently as a few weeks ago, but a cursory glance at the buildings indicated that if there was much to steal from them in the first place, they had long since been picked clean. River seemed content in traversing the terrain, while Halva seemed disgusted and viewed the occasional bobbing can bobbing past them with utter revulsion. Madeleine just seemed thrilled at being herself and seemed to enjoy walking in the sunlight, to the extent that she looked like she'd probably be skipping if there wasn't a chance she'd just immediately skip and crack her head on a discarded toy.

---

The walk to the towers was quiet and not particularly unpleasant. The towers themselves appeared to be the opposite of that as the group approached, not on the 'main' road but rather on a well worn path that partially traversed through the remains of a gas station that had had it's roof ripped off at some point.

The area surrounding the towers, a area that likely once covered the span of three city blocks, was now nothing less than a great vast slum of epic proportions. Perhaps four stories high at it's highest point, what at first appeared to have been a crude, irregularly bulging wall of wood and corrugated iron and red brick was in fact just the exterior section of a vast series of temporary structures made permanent by sheer weight and mass. It was striking in it's sheer size and bulk and the layers of shantytowns covered around and up the four towers clung to them like barnacles would to piers, sharp and organic-looking, as if they had just grown up around it instead of being the work of generations of ponies.

There was a entrance-way in view, one with a very large sign hanging above it declaring something that was illegible at the distance they were at, but given the steady procession of travelers and traders coming and going the place, some with covered makeshift carts pulled by brahmin and some entering on their own four hooves and everything in between, at least a hundred ponies were entering the place and about half that were leaving, and the entrance was flanked by figures who were probably guards. It was about a ten minutes walk from the small hill they were coming down from. River had paused at some point and was very quiet, while Halva seemed to be admiring the sight. Madeleine, meanwhile, seemed to be frowning at a nearby sign on the road, while seemed to promise '2 Bit Hayburgers Next Exit', with a the faded image of a cheerful filly in a blue blouse with long red hair, stylized to look like yarn, pointing at the proclamation with her hooves and giving all who would look at it a gap-toothed grin.

Madeleine, after a few moments of concerned study, took a small ball of mud in her magic and tossed it at the sign, permanently ruining the filly's face with the wet slap of foul grey mud. Madeleine looked pleased at her handywork and turned back to the sight of the group's destination as if she didn't do anything of import or interest.

Requested Survival roll: [roll0]

Choro looks around at the assorted vehicle wrecks. Unlike the ones outside Crunchymunch these have likely already been picked over for parts, but all the same she's tempted to disassemble them. The little mare hums to herself: if she's going to consider trying to reach the empire by vehicle, some disassembly might help ground her in engine work before she started getting too far ahead on such a plan.

She grimaces a little at the conditions below them. It's a petty gesture on her part, but Choro can't help looking down and suspending her robe above the muck as the party start walking forward. No sense in dirtying it needlessly..

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Did we cover the wagon up as suggested in the OOC? If not, Choro will do that before continuing

[roll0] Survival: 3

The sight of the great transit station was messier up close; shacks and tents clung to the side of it's bulk and the entrance consisted of a set of double doors on a ramp-like set of stairs that could probably allow four ponies to pass inside it without anyone brushing up against each other. The area around the place consisted of hard-packed dirt and there was likely two dozen figures in the group's line of sight currently lingering around the area in front of the doors, most still heavily covered despite the warmer weather. Four guards stood near the entrance; a earth flanked each side of the crumbling concrete stairs, each suited in combat armor and looking suitably mean, while a another earth pony and a unicorn were standing to the right of the entrance, the earth pony wearing a refurbished suit and the unicorn clad in a jacket and clinging to what appeared to be a ledger and a large sack at her side. The entrance appeared to be, for a few moments, quite like a dark void. Two zebras were talking to them, their genders not quite distinguishable from the heavy jackets they were wearing; after a quick exchange, a small stack of caps was handed to the earth pony by one of the zebras, who then passed under the heavy sheet that hung from the roof, a great stained black and grey thing that served as a barrier from the ice and snow and prying eyes.

The blue earth pony who took the zebra caps glanced at the sack on the ground and, without much in the way of discretion, took off his hat and gently placed them inside it. His comrade, the light purple unicorn mare, seemed to be either uncaring or unconcerned, mostly because he was now staring directly at the approach of the next group who would logically be in line to enter the station; the party.

[DigoDragon]

Doc stands with Mirror and Choro, waiting for Andante's instruction here. Looks like the toll to get into the city proper.

[Dalinale]

Doc stands with Mirror and Choro, waiting for Andante's instruction here. Looks like the toll to get into the city proper.

Andante glanced over at Choro and Doc, and shook her head a few times as she slowly approached the steps and scaled them, the guards flanking them paying no notice to her. She spoke with them for little less than a minute only to trot back down and say a few quiet words to Shade before turning back to Doc.

"The current standing toll is two caps per individual." Andante replied, "It would appear that the guards are lax, but I believe they are about to switch shifts and as such they are lenient."

Andante stopped speaking as the entire zebra-led group immediately broke away from the rest of the group and marched over towards the entrance, caps ready, and soon enough the legionaries were already inside the building. Andante looked like she had swallowed something slightly sour, and shook her head and sighed, and promptly began to walk back towards the entrance, Andante and Northern Light following close behind, along with Cassidy. Pointedly, no one else moved from behind him, and Strawberry and River Stone looked like they were both trying to give their best impressions of a puppy face, while Strata looked like she was trying to bum Mirror out of some pocket change.

[DigoDragon]

Doc pulls out about a dozen caps from a pocket. He counts them off, adding to fourteen, and then steps up to the guards. "Fourteen caps for my group here." Doc points out himself, Mirror, Choro, the Moss brothers, Strata, and Strawberry.

He then whistles for his group to continue on and follow Andante.

[Dalinale]

Doc pulls out about a dozen caps from a pocket. He counts them off, adding to fourteen, and then steps up to the guards. "Fourteen caps for my group here." Doc points out himself, Mirror, Choro, the Moss brothers, Strata, and Strawberry.

The earth pony guard wordlessly took the bits he was handed and counted them out after glancing at the group behind Doc and Choro, apparently more interested in counting heads than looking at them. Meanwhile, his partner, a purple unicorn with a light blue mane with black stripes, seemed intent on staring down everyone in the group except for Doc and Choro; she nodded at Doc, gave Choro a small but distinctively approving nod, but her eyes immediately hardened when she looked towards the Moss siblings, she looked distinctly annoyed at Strata's fully cloaked form, hidden under five layers of clothes and rags, and when she looked at Strawberry she shook her head but otherwise seemed to brush off the presence of the pink pegasus after a few moments.

Then she glanced at Mirror Armor, and the guard simply stared. The unicorn tilted her head, as if taken off guard, and glanced at the Moss siblings and back at Mirror. Mirror seemed very slightly nervous from the attention from the guard, but eventually the guard shook her head shrugged over towards the entrance, a clear sign that her interest had waned.

He then whistles for his group to continue on and follow Andante.

Passing through the cloth 'door' led Doc to a strange, crumbling, decaying place, cheerfully overburdened with life. The inner walls of the building had long been destroyed, along with much of the floor, but that did not seem to deteer the several hundred people within his line of sight occupying the place, moving about busily. Indeed, with much of the floor having long since collapsed, the interior somewhat like a great crumbling bowl made of cracked marble and stone, and he was able to see what was going on three floors below from where he was standing. The narrow avenue's around the chasm were densely packed and there were dozens of makeshift bridges spanning the great pit, some wide enough to pull a cart across (as one pony was) or just wide enough for a filly to cross unhindered. The area surrounding the rim of the ruined core, nestled in the most obviously secure spots, formed a great unbroken bazaar that appeared to have quite nearly everything Doc could conceive for being on sale; the various tents, lean-tos, and market stalls appeared to have been shaped from the closest available materials and some seemed to be fantastical exercises in the creation of the most ramshackle constructions in the Equestrian Wasteland. To his left was what appeared to be a small stall with paper hanging from it's roof that only obscured what was occurring inside it very slightly; each of it's three seats was currently occupied, and while two ponies were drinking what appeared to be black tea the other was also partaking but was also talking with the owner of the establishment about the large caliber rounds that were enclosed in glass behind the counter, while to Doc's right there was a rather small stall that appeared to specialize in small fried snacks that wouldn't have been so shocking if the thing making the snacks wasn't a zebra with a horn sticking straight out of her head. The area smelled overwhelmingly of smoke, food, and dust.

Overall, it was quite crowded. The inhabitants of the area seemed to consist of emigrants, migrants, nomads, musicians, madmen, wise-looking stallions with long beards and lacking much in the way of teeth or personal hygiene, mad-looking wise stallions who were improbably clean-shaven, drunks of about every single sentient species Doc knew of, creatures on their way to be drunks, mercenaries of various stripes and color combinations, priests or ponies dressed like priests, proselytizers of various creeds or identities, wealthy merchants, poor merchants, wannabe merchants, monstrous looking ponies, pony looking monsters, things that looked like they were equines but they probably were not, thugs, whoremongers, streetwalkers, panhandlers, mysterious strangers in leather jackets hanging around in dark corners, ponies who looked like they were dead, ponies who looked like they wished they were dead, possible local minor nobility of some kind, local mares of the night, the destitute, and the desperate. Some were in typical wasteland garb; some wore outfits mostly consisting of leather and cloth scraps, some had one heavy furs that could have only have come from the far north, while others wore scaly leathers that could have only have come from a place from the far south.

All together, Doc spotted zebras with colorful stripes, griffons with large thick parrot beaks and assortments of rainbow feathers squawking at prospective customers, a bored-looking young horse mare being carried on a couch by two burly mules over one of the larger bridges in the area, a group of stern-looking earth ponies in large white powdered wigs and well-kept suits that were all sitting at the same bar and giving very nasty looks to anything that so much as breathed in their direction, and a juggler on a unicycle that was only noticeable because said juggler was a large brown bear. There was a earth pony stallion with a little wispy beard wearing a absurdly tall golden crown on the top of his head, easily six feet at the points, who was wearing a pristine white robe and struggling to walk around with a small golden rod clenched under one of his legs who was being flanked by two very burly griffons with battle saddles and mean looks. He was standing in front of a strange creature that resembled a female deer that bore a impressive set of horns, although this one had vines weaved through the rack of horns she bore and, on a closer look, it was rather clear that her shiny coat was not a coat at all, but rather some sort of hard brown carapace, and it was not truly shiny but rather gave off a soft white glow. Meanwhile, a group of ponies with horned helmets and fur-lined leather armor hogging a nearby bar might have made his blood freeze for a few seconds, especially after he heard the phrase 'Waitress, bringeth me a horn o'ale.' but a few more seconds of calm allowed him to make out the words 'Whinnyapolis's Finest' was present one of the near-raider's jackets and their clear leader was wearing the remains of a hoofball uniform, and indeed the vast majority of them were earth ponies.

Meanwhile, Choro saw a camel was hawking it's own merchandise from it's own back, appearing to have a small, neat stall in miniature set up on it's broad back. A green unicorn in wasteland leathers with a strangely robust, curved horn and a great shaggy brown mane that stretched past her shoulders was talking to a taller, slender pale unicorn with a similarly curved, although differently shaped horn, who had both a absurdly long tail tipped with a tuff of fluff, shaggy fetlocks, and cloven hooves. Nearby were the two zebras who entered the building before the party did, and they seemed to be in a conversation with a stallion almost entirely clad in almost ritually-decorated armor that looked as if it had been cobbled together from scrap metal that bore dozens upon dozens of pre-war advertisements, ranging from simple wartime slogans to Robronco stickers to ancient knicknacks and collectibles attached to the breastplate and shoulders to the point where it looked like a walking reliquary of the past. A earth pony stallion, one with extensive facial and shoulder tattoos that seemed to depict a mix of vines and serpents intertwined was giving a extremely passionate speech about something in the simple tent available to him, but there was a small crowd formed outside it clearly looking in. Out of perhaps the three hundred entities in the room, most were equine although it was dubious if half were ponies.

There were no guards stationed nearby, or at least within view. There didn't seem to be much to do except to go down the single visible set of stairs, which were set just off to the side of the hole in the floor. Andante seemed to be waiting for Doc; Northern Light and Cassidy seemed to take pause of the sight of the place, while Shade lowered her hoodie and seemed intent on appearing unnoticeable. Mirror was staring at the odd unicorns nearby but otherwise seemed more concerned about the cacophony she had walked into. The Moss siblings seemed more or less in awe at the sight of a town inside a building that was bigger than Oakville. The legion-bound members of the party were somewhat stunned by sight, although they weren't getting weird looks. Strawberry was, although not too many and mostly from the griffons.

[DigoDragon]

Doc keeps his group together and moving through the odd sights of the city. It's a bit of an overload if you're not used to it and he knows how to move through a busy zone. There would be plenty of opportunities to check some of those stalls a bit later. It's at least encouraging that there are plenty of places to look to find gear you want, so Mirror and he shouldn't have trouble getting through their checklist. Maybe he can find a mechanic to do a little work on the bus too.

In short order he gets his group to the stairs with the others.

[Hazuki]

Viridi glanced at her immediate surroundings, after having taken some time to contemplate the weird stacked town they found themselves in.

"I think I've got to be the most stylish pony around, right?" Viridia asked, to whoever could hear. "That's got to get me some rep here. Or some muggings. Whichever."