WASTELAND! With Horses - Chapter 8

"Well, let's get going."
>your companions begin to move
>you allow the three old guards to pass you, but you covertly stick your hoof out in front of your team
>Aryanne gives you a look
>you give her a look
>Red sees your look and broadcasts a look of her own
>Sketchy looks around, seemingly in wonder about all the looks
>you look at the old guards, and look back at your team
>Aryanne looks at you with squinted eyes and nods
>Red looks at you and rolls her eyes
>Sketchy looks at you with wide eyes
>"Is, uh, something the matter?"
>the three older ponies have stopped a short ways in front you
"Oh, nothing, nothing. I just thought it might be best if you three took the lead. You look a mite bit tired, and we wouldn't want you falling behind."
>you look at them with a sweet and innocent smile
>the pegasus looks at you with a cocked eyebrow
>"Appreciate it."
>you all get a move on
>Aryanne pulls up beside you and looks at you with her eyebrow cocked and her pupils shrunken
>you look at her with partially-lidded eyes and give a dismissive hoof gesture
>Red pulls up on your other side, looks at you with a stupid face, and twirls her hoof around while pointing it at the side of her head
>you look at her with a glare
>and you nearly crash into the old guards before scrambling to a stop
>"This is it, ladies. The Royal Palace of Princess Celestia."
>your gaze goes up
>there indeed is the massive melted-wax castle you've seen in the distance
>amazing how time flies when you're having a compelling conversation
>you glance around, and see that any path that would circumvent the palace is blocked off by high piles of rubble
>just as you'd imagined, you'll have to pass through it
>you take hold of great doors in your magic and push them in
"Well, let's get going through it then. We are on a bit of a time table here."
>you allow everyone to enter the palace, and go inside yourself last
>the doors slam shut behind you, leaving you in a passageway flatly lit by what you assume to be daylight filtering in from the ruined roof so many stories above you
>you notice a map hanging on the wall in a garish, golden frame, protected from the elements by a thick pane of crystal
>an arrow points to the end of a rectangular section near the bottom with the caption "YOU ARE HERE"
>you look at the map and try to figure out what to do next

~"Why don't we just take the maintenance p-way?"
_"But that's restricted!"
~"Restricted by who? The Princess is dead!"
_"R-Red!"
/"Ze maintenance passagevay is guarded by an impressive lock. I'd probably have to vaste an explosive on it."
~"Are you saying I can't pick that lock?"
"Girls. Let's just go around. We can stick to the edge of the castle to minimize any unwanted encounters. That will take us through the gardens, the museum, and the restroom, and then we'll go through the view room and the art hall and exit through the gift shop. Aryanne has a point. There's no reason to waste an explosive on a door that we can just as easily circumvent."
~"Are you saying I can't pick that lock?"
>ignoring Red, you head up to the end of the lobby and make your way into the main corridor
>a whisper of warning comes from the old pegasus
>"Ssshhhhhhh. Don't look now, but there is a horde of spineless ghouls milling about in the throne room."
>you whisper back at him
"Spineless… ghouls…?"
>you look up the corridor and see dozens of sillhouettes of wobbling equine figures with bowed heads pacing in and out of the throne room
>"They're a real bothersome bunch. First they'll lecture you, then they'll rip your legs off. Looks like they're too busy waiting for the Princess to show up to notice a couple of trespassers though. Let's get into that garden there before they see us."
>you suppose it was better to not blow up the maintenance door after all then
>a horde of moralizing mutants hearing the blast and chasing you down to scold you for damaging the castle doesn't sound very appealing
>the seven of you tiptoe swiftly into the cover of the indoor gardens of Canterlot Castle
>the gardens are remarkably overgrown
>assuming nobody's been watering or fertilizing them for the past half-year or so, you have to wonder how the plants are thriving rather than dying
"Well, are there any mutant plants in here that we should know about?"
_"Mutant plants are no joke, Ruby. Remember the cactus?"
"Ah, *butt* Sketchy, I'm sure you remember that *plot* detail much more vividly than I can."
>you smile sweetly and innocently at Sketchy
>she scrunches up her face in a scowl
_"Rude."
>the pegasus sighs
>"Mutant plants. Lemme see."
>he takes an apple out of his saddlebag and tosses it into the thickest-grown part of the garden you can see
>you're startled when a vine reaches out of the brush and drags down the apple to certain doom
>so that's how the garden has been doing well
"This vegetation is so thick. I doubt there's a path we could take that would keep us clear of those vines."
/"Ve all have knives here. Ve could cross through and cut any vines zat tried to attack us."
_"Oh, oh! I have my axe! Doesn't this gold stuff burn things? I could clear a path!"
~"Or we could just mow it all down with assault rifles right now. No need to let the damn plants touch us to begin with."
>it's either fight through this carniverous garden somehow or pass right by the horde of spineless ghouls if you want to make it into the museum

>drat
>stopped by a garden full of mutant rape vines
>wait, would these vines actually rape you if you tried to step in them?
>well, there's really only one way to find out…
>no
>stop that
>bad Ruby
"No. No, no, no. I don't want to make too much noise here. I believe we can circumvent the gardens entirely. All we have to do is sneak past the ghouls in the throne room. From there we take cover in the museum, enter the restroom, and cut across the north wall until we reach the exit, hopefully without attracting any unwanted attention."
~"Stealth is my middle name!"
_"Wait. What's your last name then?"
"Come on, out the door. Out the door, and be quiet."
>Red pretends to zip her mouth shut with her hoof
>you sigh internally
>if only
>you lead the team out into the main corridor and begin creeping north as quietly as you can
>stallions' voices can be heard as you near the throne room
>and, well, as much as you hate to be rude, you can't honestly think of a nicer word to describe these voices than…
>… faggy
>"Where in Equestria is that Princess Celestia?"
>"I know! I am here every Tuesday and every Thursday from 7 to 12 and she just never shows!"
>"And that's not acceptable! I understand there's a war going on, but if she needs to cancel open court then she needs to let us know!"
>"And now it's almost over! Again!" My home has been in the most awful state of disrepair for the past six months, and I still don't have an answer as to why exactly the good Princess thought it necessary to burn it with the Sun!"
>"Did you hear something?"
>SHIT
>your body freezes up and crouches down as low as it can
>"Oh, would you re-lax? It's probably just some icky rat!"
>"Ugh, I know! The Princess has really let this place go!"
>a slight, shuddering breath escapes your lips, and you resume creeping
>"Speaking of the Princess! If she's not here in the next ten minutes, I'm out of here!"
>"Me too!"
>"Mm-hmm!"
>you make it to the museum and slip inside along with your team
>you step behind the wall as quickly as you can to escape the possibility of detection
>in spite of the situation, you can't help but take the opportunity to admire the mostly untouched artifacts and artwork
>everyone else seems perfectly content to take the opportunity to relax after the nerve-wracking walk
>the exhibits are arranged in as near a grid pattern as possible, forming rows and columns that patrons have to navigate through in their visits
>you notice some of the more physically imposing exhibits first
>a gigantic pony skeleton, with large spikes jutting out from its spinal column, takes up most of the eastern wall
>a reconstruction of a pony-drawn covered wagon, complete with life-sized wax statues of the ponies pulling and riding it sits on a raised platform not far from you
>a large, golden chariot, emblazoned with a highly intricate pattern of the Sun, stands proudly near the entrance to the garden room
>"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I am leaving right now! I have had it with this nonsense! Come and meet me in the museum when you're done in here."

>everyone is staring at you
>oh dear
>you wave your hoof in a circle, gesturing for the others to follow you
>sticking your hoof to your lips, you turn around and begin sneaking north
>you crouch as low as you can to try to take cover behind the exhibits
>he's gonna see you he's gonna see you he's gonna see you
>a heavy, slow, clip, clop makes its way into the museum room
>its reflection in a glass exhibit case
>if anything, it reminds you of a smaller version of the screamer from yesterday
>it's a hairless, green-skinned stallion with his head bowed on a bloated neck
>nothing for it but to sneak faster
>all seven of you
>you're getting close to the entrance of the restrooms
>there's a tink from behind you
>"Hey, who's there?"
>oh, no, no, no, no
>someone must have bumped into something
_"N-n-no one! Go away!"
>…
>if Princess Celestia is somehow still out there in some way, shape, or form…
>… you've definitely just committed some type of blasphemy or treason or whatever in your thoughts just now
>"What? You silly-head, you have to be somebody."
>you crane your neck around to glare daggers at Sketchy, who appears to be turning blue
>"Hey, guys! I think there's someone sneaking around in the museum! Come check it out!"

"Oh damnit."
>the slow, plodding hoofsteps grow closer
>you smirk as you realize something about your opponent
"Sketchy, you're with me. Everyone else, get to the mare's restroom. You'll be safe in there; we'll catch up in a bit."
>Red cocks an eyebrow
~"What makes you so sure we'll be safe in there?"
>your smirk grows into a grin
"Call it a hunch, darling."
>Aryanne gets up, salutes, and leads the way to the mare's restroom
>the others follow, leaving you and Sketchy alone with the flamboyant ghoul
>"Hey! I see you! Hang on!"
>the slow plodding takes on a slightly more urgent rhythm
>you look at Sketchy and nod
>and you get up to face your foes
_"O-oh!"
>Sketchy flinches and gets up a moment after
>you sigh
_"I-I, uh, didn't realize that the nod meant 'get up'."
>you sigh again
>you had one of those "one-liners" planned for this, but Sketchy just killed the mood
>"Hey, you! What are you doing back there? Don't you know it's rude to be sneaking around like that?"
>you magically unholster your pistol and fire a round into the face of the mutant
>his head whips back from the impact, and whips back around to face you, a thick, yellow liquid oozing out from the entry point of the round
>"Woooooooooooooow! I can't believe you just did that! I am sooo gonna get you!"
>other voices are heard echoing in the passageway
>"Was that a gun?"
>"Oooh! How scary!"
>you'd better hurry here
"Sketchy shoot him."
_"What, like with my assault rifle?"
"Yes, exactly with your assault rifle!"
>Sketchy hurriedly removes the weapon from her back and gets up on her hind legs to aim as the spineless ghoul slowly moves in
>it's about ten feet away now
>brrrrat
>the green mutant's skin cracks open in multiple locations as miniature explosions of yellow goop erupt across its body
>the spineless ghoul falls, never to whine again
"Remind me to learn how to use an assault rifle next time we find a library."
>the pair of you make your way to the mare's restroom as more swollen green heads become visible in the museum's entryway
>Red is the first to greet you in the restroom
~"Well, you were right, we're pretty much safe in here."
_"Why's that?"
>voices can be heard from the other entrance
>"Oh, come on, we can't get you in there!"
>"Won't you just come out so we can kill you like civilized ponies?"
>of course, there are more on the other side
"This is the mare's restroom, dear. Those mutants are all stallions."
>Red's eyes glaze over in disappointment
~"Yep."
>surrounded by faggy, super-strong mutants on both sides
>what to do, what to do…

>there's nothing for it
"There's nothing for it."
/"Nothing für vhat?"
"It's a saying, darling."
/"Vhat does it say?"
"It… don't worry about it."
>you're pretty sure there should be a book on Equestrian as a second language at the next library you encounter
>you advance to the far door when you're arrested by a concerned team member
~"Uh, do we have a, you know, a plan?"
"Oh, yes, dear, of course. It's something I believe you'll approve of."
>you allow that to sink into your three teammates and three followers, taking the time to look all six of them in the eye, one at a time
"We'll shoot everything that moves out there, and then we'll run like hell."
~"I gotta admit, that lacks your usual, gentle touch."
"Well, given the circumstances…"
>you magically unholster your gun and hold the door open with your hoof
>an exhasperated ghoul is greeted with a bullet in the face and the butt of a pistol on top of it
>there must be about two dozen or so more out there
>given the lack of space, you don't feel that you really have time to coordinate or organize
>instead, you trust in your squad to handle the situation, and cut your own way forward through the crowd
>after dealing a number of blows, and receiving them, you finally stumble and fall into a clear area past the slow-moving mutants
~"Took ya long enough."
>you look up to see Red trigger a burst at a ghoul who unwisely attempted to lay hooves on you while you were down
>standing beside her are Aryanne and Sketchy, similarly holding the line
/"Now ve are just vaiting on ze old ones."
"What?"
>you get up and turn around
>three slightly mutated, somewhat battle-scarred stallions a good way into their middle ages stand in the center of a horde of ghouls, fending them off with old guns and older spears
"Oh, no."
>you start firing into the horde, trying to make your way forward, when the three-eyed pegasus shouts out to you
>"Hey! Don't bother with us. We'll meet up with you at Bard's hideout!"
"What?! We can't just leave you here!"
>the pegasus looks up from a mutant skewered on the end of his spear and looks you dead in the eye
>there's something about that look
>and it's not the extra eye
>"Trust me. We'll be there. We wouldn't miss it for anything."
>the strange look compels you to shudder and look away
>you look to your teammates
>and you look at the horde of ghouls, which does seem occupied enough with the stallions that it would probably allow you to escape unmolested
>and you look at the trio of veterans, who seem more than content to allow you this chance to escape
>but is it right?

>you turn away from the scene
>and you begin the walk toward the west exit
>shortly, the sound of hoofsteps notifies you that your squad has realized your intention to leave
>really, there's nothing you can say here
>it just feels too wrong
>it's not like these are the first old ponies you've left to the wasteland
>too close to home
>before long you enter the view room, so named for the massive window which makes up its north wall
>with the sound of the battle that's granting you the chance to escape still sounding behind you, you can't just stop to enjoy the view
>but
>as you cautiously step your way through, you spend as many glances on that window as you do potential sources of danger
>the view it affords is the lands to the north of the cliff ledge upon which the ruined castle is precariously perched
>far below and beyond is a shifting sea of pale red sand, blowing and glowing at random upon the whims of wind and radiation
>the only break in the scenery is what appears to be a large patch of fog in the distance
>a patch of fog with… buildings on it?
>this merits a few more glances
>no, not a patch of fog
>a city of cloud
>the sunken city of Cloudsdale rests on the ground, mere hundreds of feet above sea level
>before the Sun fell down, you were wondering about the possibility of opening a shop there
>looks like you won't need to pay for any advanced magic now
>before long, your legs carry the window out of view, and replace it with rows and columns of fine art
>the map called this room the art hall
>the Princess' personal collection, spanning centuries of history, is all right here
>it's all in perfect condition, which you suppose is an advantage to the infestation of effeminate mutants
>you'd love to stop and examine, or maybe even take, some of the exhibits
>but again, the only reason for you to stop or slow down in this situation should be for caution's sake
>you'd probably be outside by now if you weren't worried about galloping into the talons of some new and horrible enemy
>but a piece of art does catch your eye
>and you return to your routine of repeated glances
>it's an incredible image of an incredibly intricate ball of fire, suspended in a blue-black void above what appears to be a grassy plain
>the golden inferno takes up what must be at least 80% of the painting by itself, shimmering gently like the embers of a dying fire
>shooting out of it are long, deformed tendrils, most of which are either broken or in the process of breaking
>if you let your imagination run wild, you can almost imagine that it's a painting of the day the Sun fell down
>but of course, the odds of such a thing being the case are astronomically low, and in all reality it's probably just a coincidence
>in any case, your view is obstructed by the wall which divides the art hall from the gift shop as your legs continue their endless trudge
>there's nothing of much interest in here, and your sense of urgency is heightened to where it probably should have been this whole time
>you briskly canter over to the exit, step out, and hold the door open for your companions
>and you face the road ahead of you