And the zombie-ponies in the Stable, turn out to be zombie-zebras. Fully confirming that the ponies in charge of Four Star (who ran all the major transportation hubs in Manehatten) were traitors, and were the ones responsible for smuggling a megaspell bomb into the city. She tells Steelhooves to give them everything he has, and given the close confines, it doesn't take long to wipe them out.
Walking along the raised tracks, they avoid the worst of the issues with the ruins, able to see spots where balefire still burned, even hundreds of years after the explosion, as well as hear the occasional distant report of gunfire. Avoiding encountering anything till a large green/gold bird like thing flew over them, which Steelhooves identifies as a Balefire Phoenix. When the bomb went off, it incinerated every animal in the Manehatten wildlife preserve, however phoenixes being phoenixes it didn't take, instead infusing them with balefire upon their rebirth.
From their elevated position they see a group of raiders chasing a mare, already having raped her, now simply being sadistic and chasing her for sport. Li'lpip and Calamity start sniping the raiders, Li'lpip using the new assault rifle she got from the office, stopping in shock as her first shots actually set the raider they hit on fire, the weapon was enchanted to turn ordinary ammo into incendiary rounds. She aims for the last raider, but isn't able to pull the trigger when she sees it's just a blank flank colt, even tough he's racing for the helpless mare with a knife in his teeth, and some of her blood already on him. Calamity takes him out, not even flinching or hesitating, thinking the look Li'lpip gave him was simply because he took her kill.
Okay, first the rifle, that thing, is just vicious, and if that was the normal type of weapon the Zebra's used, damn, just damn. No wonder the war was as hard and long as it was. But, yes it's vicious, but it is also effective. Li'lpip is very, very practical. While there are some lines she simply cannot cross, like shooting a foal, she is willing to do what she has to to survive. And that is a VERY effective weapon for that, plus it's pretty much her only reliable mid-range, or rapid-fire weapon. Sniper Rifles aren't good at anything but long range, and slow to use, and Li'l Macintosh and her shotgun are both close range weapons, and fairly slow to fire or reload. Plus, well, Kill It with Fire is just plain effective on nearly anything. So no, no issues with her using the weapon, and she doesn't really seem to have any either, after the first shock of finding out what it can do.
Secondly, Calamity shooting the foal. In this case, he did the right thing. Was it tragic, yes, was it right that a foal died, no. But the colt had already helped rape a mare, and was about to stab her, there wasn't time to do anything else. There is no rehabilitation programs in the Wastes, and damn little hope the colt would ever be able to be anything but a murderous plague upon the Wastes. And the tragedy is in the world being a place where that is true, not in Calamity doing what had to be done to save an innocent pony. Though his total lack of seeing why his companions thought it shocking does show he still has a "raider=need a killin, no exceptions" mindset, which, isn't ENTIRELY wrong, but isn't wholly right either.
While walking on Li'lpip's mind drifts to PTM, now craving one simply for the high, not for any need of the enhanced intellect, simply wanting to enjoy the feeling for it's own sake. Though she does resist, instead thinking about Pinkie, noticing how all the evidence seen so far seemed to show that the Ministry of Morale was able to discern stuff nopony should have been able to, know who to interrogate, where to investigate, know to send the heaviest guns in Equestria into the Four Star office building the day of the megaspell. And she wonders if somehow, using PTM's had given Pinkie some kind of boost, some kind of precognitive ability. (And of course the readers immediately think Pinkie Sense.) Concluding that whatever negative effects her addiction had, they very well could have been worth it for what they gave her in return.
As they continue on Li'lpip picks up a signal from DJ, letting everypony know that a distress signal was being received from a group of Talons, then coming just shy of gloating that if that same group hadn't slaughtered the ghouls, they would have been close enough to help them. We also meet another mutated hazard of the wastes, Bloodwings, giant mutant bats. Though the group manages to pass them without waking them up.
And they finally gets their first look at Tenpony Tower, and find out a hint as to how it might have survived while all the other building around it were destroyed by the bomb. It was the Manehatten hub of the Ministry of Magic. Wandering off to look at a large, still intact picture of Twilight on one of the walls, Watcher comes up behind her, letting her know that picture was of Twi during the Running of the Leaves. Mentioning that she ran it every year, never winning, but eventually the Ministry simply took to much of her time to let her keep trying.
This, this is a really short, easy to miss or forget scene, and yet, thinking more on it, it's really quite powerful in it's own right. So far we've seen tales, stories, recording, hints, and what not of the Mane 6's lives running the Ministries, but all official stuff, or stuff that is important to the story, this, is just a small little tidbit, showing that they were still them, still the ponies we love, and they still had lives outside being Ministry Mares, and yet, also showing the tragedy that being one, slowly eclipsed everything else. An important fact to keep in mind when looking at what they ended up doing later, their mistakes, misjudgements, their errors and even their triumphs.
They manage to wheedle, and bribe their way in, Li'lpip passing herself off as a toaster repairpony, much to the unbelief of the unicorn that comes by to make sure they don't take any ammo or explosives into the tower, once they see the rather large arsenal the group was carrying.
While discussing plans, Velvet and Calamity end up getting into an argument about his shooting the colt, Velvet simply horrified that he did, while he counters with this all to true fact when she brings up that it's highly unlikely the colt choose to be a raider at that age.
“Well, maybe not. Damn tragedy. But that don’t mean Ah’m gonna give ‘im a free pass t’ rape and murder till he gets his cutie mark. His would-be future victims don’t deserve that.”
And as i said, that is the sad truth. You let somepony like that live, even a colt, and the lives of all their victims are on your head. While yes, in a perfect world it would be nice to be able to safely detain them, teach them, help guide them away from that path. The Wastes are not a world where that is feasible. Granted, Calamity does come off a bit cold blooded here, but not to much so.
The next day Velvet goes out to sell their stuff, and look around for good places to buy things. We also get a very nice little bit where Li'lpip debates adding the books she's collected and read through to the pile of vendor loot. But decides she'd rather keep them. Start a library back at their base. I really like this, it shows that Li'lpip doesn't just see the books as stat bonuses. That she simply likes reading for it's own sake.
At breakfast she gets a bit depressed upon learning that all Tenpony has is the same leftover pre-war preserved food she's been eating for weeks. Simply cooked better, and served in smaller, more expensive portions. After stocking up their own food supplies as best they could with the exorbitant prices, Velvet force Li'lpip to join her in the spa, getting them both a nice relaxing day. And, well as much as I kind of dislike the whole way Tenpony works. (from an in story perspective not a writing one) I have to admit, nice to see Li'lpip relaxing and actually just letting go, feeling good for a change. Even if she can't stop being herself long enough to not fantasize about the pony giving her a massage, her instantly try to borrow every new book she can find in the place. (From one of them we also get the name of the last, and by process of elimination, Rarity's, Ministry, the Ministry of Image.)
As they head back to their room, Li'lpip bumps into (literally) the pony that she had saved from the slavers and raiders her first night out. The one that rewarded her help by trying to rob her. She tries to get a nearby guard to arrest him, learning that since it was her word against his, and she wasn't a resident they wouldn't do anything. until Monterrey confesses, admitting to it, though trying to justify it, saying he was sure she wouldn't last a week in the Wastes and he had foals to get back to and support. Though Li'lpip changes her mind and tries to take it back when she learns the punishment for what he did would be execution. Though it's to late.
She fumes about this. upset at herself for getting the mess going, upset at the ponies running the tower for having such laws, upset at Monterrey for not simply keeping his mouth shut, just generally upset at the whole situation while she takes the lift up to try and meet DJ-PON-3.
She gets of at the top floor of the tower, the large lettering on the wall declaring it the M.A.S. Emergency Broadcast Station. And runs into (not-literally his time) the same mare that was talking to Monterrey earlier. Noting that she was the first full grown pony she'd seen as small as her. She follows her into what she assumes is DJ's broadcasting area, seeing a large bank of monitors displaying nearly all of the Wastelands, save one section that is blacked out. While looking around the other pony hits a few buttons, bringing a microphone out of the floor and walking over to it. Her horn glows and she begins to speak, in DJ-Pon-3's voice. Telling the Wastes about what just transpired with Monterrey, and also mentioning it was breakfast time for him, since somepony finally arrived to fix his toaster. ('him' was not a typo or mistake, just a way to differentiate between Homage being herself, and Homage being DJ-PON-3)
She walks out to the roof top balcony, talking to Homage/DJ. And we learn how she's able to tell what's going on in the Wastes. She shows Li'lpip a few tall, thin white towers on the horizons, each one has a broadcaster for relaying the signal from her station up here, as well as a full set of observation cameras positioned high up. And that the first DJ-PON-3 (assuming the one that took over after the bombs fell.) hacked into the system. Saying that she's just doing what she can to help make ponies lives a bit better. Giving them news and warnings, broadcasting what music she has to help lift their spirits. And then saying that from what she's seen, Li'lpip is doing far more then that, and asking for her help.
Perk-more powerful crits. not bad
Thoughts-Already gave it on the rifle of fiery death, and the foal shooting. but Tenpony Tower. I hate it. Not the story, not the writing, I'm talking I hate it in 'verse. Such a massive, overdone waste, false luxury, the few "privileged" ponies living in it having no clue about the suffering the rest of the wastes are going through, simply turning a blind eye. The almost rabid ghoul hatred, the overpriced, useless crap. it's just, so fucking wasteful, so overdone, and also, something that very much would and does really happen. The only pony that seems worth anything in it is Homage.
Speaking of her. Li'lpip;s reaction to finding out she was DJ-PON-3 was priceless, and she really comes across as a kind, caring pony, who does what little she can to aid everypony in the Wastes. As we've already seen with DJ's broadcasts.
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