((continued))
After rebuffing Velvet's, admittedly rather insensitive attempts at flirting, they encounter a small army or spritebots, all out to kill them.
After getting through, they find why this area was so heavily defended. They wander into a large office, several safes, and a still working computer, who's screen glowed pink instead of the normal green. In the corner was the skeleton of a pony. And amongst the remains, another statuette, this one of Twilight. Taking it, Li'lpip instantly feels smarter, more alert, like taking a PTM but 'cleaner'
Velvet tries to apologize, but Li'lpip snaps at her, asking her to just give her some time alone. Though the real reason she wanted Velvet to leave was so she could down another PTM without worrying about hearing about it from Velvet. After finding the mother load of PTM's on one safe and a few Stealthbucks in another Velvet wanders back in, apologizing. Li'lpip accepts it, mostly, forgiving but not forgetting, and gives her a little PTM hyped speech about things not living up to expectations, and not letting that effect her the way Li'lpip lets the way Stables are not identical to her own effect her. Only after doe she hack through the terminal, finding a single message.....
It's a message from Pinkie to Twilight. Pinkie was admitting Twi was right, she does have a problem, she knew for a long time and simply didn't want to admit it. but he had, she finally realized Twi was right, and was asking her for help. Already having set up an appointment at a detox center. Simply needing to apologize to Twi. Mentioning how she brought "that" to a small get together, like Twi asked, even if Twi was to busy to be there, though Pinkie worried she was just avoiding her.
We then learn, this is the day of the Four Star raid, the day the bombs and missiles fell, the day Equestria as we knew it ended. Pinkie admits to Twi she knows PTM's are bad, that they mess ponies up, but she needed them, being on them, super charged her Pinkie Sense, letting her sense danger before it hit, saving ponies. She had to do it to stop the ponies trying to hurt Equestria, her enhanced Pinkie Sense telling her something very big and very bad was going to happen today, but after this, after today she would stop, nearly begging Twi to go with her, to help her try and become Twilight's Pinkie again.
She ends the message saying she kind of has Twilight with her now, but it's not the same she wants the real Twi with her again. Letting us know that pile of bones in the corner, then one with the Twilight Statuette clutched in them, was all the remained of Pinkie Pie, unable to stop the bomb...........
this, this scene, it, next to Silver Bell, is one of the most heartbreaking in the story. Maybe even a little more so since this is Pinkie, not a character we just met, but one we know and love already. Admitting her problems, knowing her and her ministry had gone to far. Being willing to change, taking the first steps.....but to late. Even knowing logically the Mane 6 are dead, actually seeing it, seeing one's remains, hearing their last message, knowing the details of their fate, it, it just makes it sink in.
And then another Oh, Crap! moment for readers, earlier in the message she mentioned she knew Twi was at Splendid Valley the place Homage talked about, the second place to get hit by the nukes. And if that wasn't enough. The very end of the message is an automatic blurb saying the message was not delivered. not only did Twi not here Pinkie's last words, but it says t wasn't delivered due to loss of contact to Maripony. once again anyone that's played or knows anything about Fallout. Oh, Crap! doesn't cover it.
And Li'lpip, is in shock. though she quickly rationalizes her PTM issues, even Pinkie admitted that while they hurt her, they helped her save many other ponies, still not able to see the truth of her issues. She walks over to Pinkie's remains, saying a small prayer for her before rejoining Velvet.
They meet up with the other two at the beam, working out a crossing order, Velvet first, but just as she makes it, Li'lpip spies a large nest of bloodwings above them, unable to warn anypony before Steelhooves steps on the bridge, making to groan and waking the monsters up, causing them to swarm. The group manages to get across, waiting on Li'lpip, but before she can make it the beam gives way, though she was close enough to the other building she was able to telekineticly throw herself through a window a few floors down, blacking out as she crashes, and waking up to find a manticore sniffing her.
Though instead of eating her, it picks her up like a kitten and caries her to a large room filled with ponies in cages, many dead and mutate horribly, the rest being guarded by manticores. Once in a cage she downs a healing potion, and notices the mare they had saved from raiders earlier, feeling ashamed and guilty for not having made sure she got home safely, though being told she did, all these ponies were from her "home" of Guttertown, a place DJ had mentioned going dark. And that they were captured by "him" there. A Doctor that seems to be using them for some experiment, that nopony has yet survived. the sight of the ponies in cages, waiting the same fate...
Not while I was still breathing!
She takes out all the manticores, getting a few nasty scratches from them in return, but most being unable to get to her while she was in the cage. Picking the lock after, and freeing every remaining living pony, telling them to wait there while she went to deal with the Doctor, activating a stealthbuck as she walked off. Eventually finding the "Doctor" who turns out to not be some sadistic raider torturing ponies for fun, but a full on Mad Scientist Evilutionary Biologist ghoul who is sure that manticores have some natural immunity to radiation and taint, and is trying to find some way to impart that on ponies. No matter how many he has to kill or how little success he has.
And then, Li'lpip does something so monumentally STUPID! I'm not sure whether it would be better she was ON the supposedly intellect enhancing drugs, and just to high to care, or if she was on a crash from them and to dumb to know better, either way, probably the single biggest just plain STUPID! no good reason at all thing she's ever done. With a psychotic ghoul with a penchant for experimenting ponies to death RIGHT THERE monologging to himself and the corpses in the room. She decides, rather then waiting till she finishes him off. NOW would be a good time to go looking into a memory orb he has on his desk. What An Idiot does not come close to it.
only once she's actually IN the memory, and unable to get out till it's over does she realize, that might have been a mistake. And this one is, different. She's not inside another pony, rather the orb was actually a recording of a bug (the spy kind not the insect kind) hidden in a bottle of Sparkle Cola, overhearing a meeting between the three heads of Stable-Tec.
Though first watching a pony sweep the room for bugs, and treating the bottle in such a way it seems clear she planted this one, while removing the others, though we never really find out who she worked for. MOM, one of the other ministries, or some other faction.
The room clears out and just the CMC are left, starting off letting out just how wrong they all feel it is that they have to be so secretive, how they can't trust the mane 6, have to hide what they are doing from everypony. Just plain unhappy with the way Equestria was at that point. Having a small squabble about the Stable experiments, AB not happy that they altered her Stable design, though Scoots make clear it was necessary for some of the experiments, and reinforcing that this wasn't just about keeping ponies alive, but making sure something like this never happens again, finding a better way.
The other two also get upset that she has started filling the Manehatten Stables early, Scoots saying she had to do it, they needed to start testing the experiments, make sure they DIDN'T actually endanger the ponies in the vault. The other two horrified, knowing that soon as the ponies get out their secret will be out, everypony will know about the experiments, ruining all their work. but Scoots says she knew this. the Manehaten Stables would remain sealed until either the worst does come to pass and they serve their function, or the threat is fully and truly ended.
With her assuring Sweetie and AB that she set it up to make sure all evidence made it look this was her and her alone doing it, the other two had no part in it. Nearly in tears as she tries to convince them this is necessary, that as much as they still love the Mane 6 what they are doing is wrong, out of control, and will doom them all. That things are to bad to let go, that somepony has to do SOMETHING to fix it. no matter what the rest of Equestria thinks they have to do what they know is right, do everything they can to save Equestria.
“And if I have to become the villain of the piece to do that, then I will.”
now I've seen a lot of debate over that line, and, most of it missing the point. Scoots was NOT saying she would turn evil, or do evil villainous stuff if she had to. Wasn't saying she would do whatever it takes, she was still held back by her morals. She was saying she would do whatever she truly believed was right, no matter what. But only what she really thought would be the right thing, even if she knew others would think differently. She wasn't saying she'd go over to the Dark Side (though given how desperate she was, if she was the only person hurt, I think she would. But she draws the line at actually HURTING other ponies she is trying to SAVE them.) but that she would do what she felt was right, and if doing that would have others label her as a villain or wrong, she would gladly paint herself as such, as long as SHE knew what she did was right and the best hope for Equestria to survive.
And the memory ends and, well guess what, turns out it WAS a dumb idea since she wakes up bound to a table with the psycho ghoul about to jab her with a needle full of Celestia knows what. Though she's saved by the mare she had no twice rescued, shooting the Doc with Li'lpip's poison needle gun, paralyzing him, then tipping him over and beating his head with her bare-hooves, just mindless bashing long past the point thee was anything solid left, simply venting the fear, rage, anger, hatred, pain, all the emotions built up over days of captivity. Til Li'lpip can unlock herself and give her a Cooldown Hug.
She meets up with her friends, who had found the office and the recording DJ had wanted, though without her to open the safe, they proved just how far they will go to not leave any loot behind. Blowing up the entire wall around the safe and dragging it behind them till they found Li'lpip to open it. Calamity looted everything else
They escort the freed ponies back to their home, giving some advice for defenses. while Li'lpip meets with Watcher again, asking him, what I've already gone over, about knowing your virtue not being enough and Watcher agrees, it also needs a spark. At which Li'lpip starts to droop, not only not having a virtue she knew of (she has one just doesn't know what it is yet) but now a spark? her mood instantly reverting when she hears what the spark is. Friendship, looking around, realizing, that she really DOES have friends. The shear joy of that cutting through her PTM laced brain, the jealousy, paranoia, fear, and simply filling her with joy.
They return to Homage, her thanking them in DJ-PON-3's name, but the rest not learning who she is. Li'lpip convinces the rest to head back to their room, staying to talk to Homage, telling her about Velvet's talent, and her desire to record some new songs. As well as getting a slight worry off her chest, asking if she knew about the ponies that were trapped, having tricked Li'lpip into going there to save them, thinking about how Watcher tricked her into saving the ponies in the raider nest in Ponyville, but she says no. And if she had know she would have told her. knowing Li'lpip would have gone anyway, and in fact would even MORE insistent on going just to help them.
And finally, asking her one big question, barely able to force it out, but knowing that she has to ask, not thinking she'd get an answer. She asks if, in all he surveillance of the Wastelands, if she knows of even a single mare that might like her, a mare who likes mares that might "like" her.
Homages response "I do" which Li'lpip thinks is her telling her she knows of a pony, both relieved and scared , but Homage stops her, repeating "I do" finally breaking through what she meant, and filling Li'lpip with joy at having finally found a pony for her.
Perk Time, just more SATS boosting Note: Science skill maxed. Kind of odd she maxed that out before Lockpicking.
Toughts- WHOOOOO boy this was a big one. And so much to talk about, most I already did. this really shows the importance of Virtues, and also how virtue alone is not enough. how vital having friends is as well. More Addiction plot, getting really bad now, though almost over. Some great world building and information, and, Pinkie, oh sweet Celestia Pinkie....while it can be argued some of the mane 6 suffered worse fates, I really don't believe any of them were this tragic. We get more hints at furture really bad things thanks to Fallout refrences. Li'lpip slowly coming to terms with her feelings for Velvet and her (in Li'lpip's mind) feelings for Calamity. More saving ponies no matter what. The single just plain bonehead, no reason, no justification, DUMB thing she's ever done. yeah she's done other dumb things but at least their was a reason for them, this was just, again not sure if her being ON the drugs, or in withdrawl would make more sense.
And then Li'lpip gets a mare-friends. now I've seen some people complain about how fast this goes, how quick they fall in love, and. okay looking at it JUST from the actions and with a stop watch, i can see, but IN story, it makes full sense, this is Li'lpip telling the tale of her life, not some English lit student writing something while following "the Big book of how You Must Write Everything." Screw how others do it, screw what you would expect or what would be "Normal" who cares. As long as the actions make sense from an IN STORY perspective, that's really all that matters. And here they do. Li'lpip, well she's desperate, she never had a pony lover her, a date, a mare-friend, or any pony she's ever connected with emotionally. And I do like it's not ever made out to be because she likes mares, nopony thinks twice about that. She NEEDS this and this isn't about sex, she's not even thinking about that right now (though pretty sure Homage is) no it's the emotional closeness she needs. So of course the first pony to show an actual attraction to her, after so long alone, she's going to go all in, latch on as quick and hard as she can. And we'll soon see Homage's reasons. She hasn't JUST met Li'lpip a few days ago, she's watched her for weeks, seen what she does, heard the stories, watched her and saw the type of pony she is. She's had time to grew attached, to want to get closer to this hero. Plus another reason we'll find out later.
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