Six hours later, Crimson woke back up to discover what remained of a lush forest now being black and lifeless. Crimson's body regenerated to repair any damages that it had undertaken in the balefire explosion, the process taking roughly four hours. Crimson stood back and looked around, being the only one around for miles. Nothing was alive around him, other then the dark red pastel colored pony in his black armor. He held his hooves to his ear. "This is Crimson reporting to High Command, respond?" No response came up. He then kept switching channels. "This is Crimson reporting to Big Mountain, respond?" "This is Crimson reporting to Freedom Hills, respond?" There was no answer, even from the Eternal's back "home". It was strange, considering the bond that they all have been through. It was then that the pipbuck that he had to wear with his armor received a message from Jackpot. 'Vulcan has gone rogue and completely mad. He's killed Dawn and Violet, he's just about to kill Ocean. We've been on the run from Vulcan for hours, he just keeps coming like the juggernaut he is after us. We're not far outside of Ponyville, near High Hoof Cliffs. Please, you are the only one who can stand up against him. Hurry, before he kills us as well.' - Jackpot "Jack" Fortune Crimson then looked at the message as the magic aura that came from his horn enveloped his body before he threw himself upwards into the sky activated a button on his wrist, converting the back of it into something resembling a jetpack, installed for his escape from Roam if his mission to capture Caesar failed. Flying across the sky, he had no time to waste. He watched downwards to see the devastation across Equestria, towns and cities still burning brightly. Countless millions had perished in the attack. He was not going to allow his Eternal friends to die...
Kleft stumbled through Ponyville, his PIN virtually yelling at him with its clicking. First Cloudsdale, then Manehatten, then all of Equestria...Only Canterlot remained as a vast pink bubble, the Pink Cloud trapped inside the Princesses' shield. Taking another RadAway, he arrived home, the White Hopes somehow still alive in the radiation, albeit it somehow was increasing their growth and spread. Taking a breath, the White Hopes rejuvenated him, propelling him to the house. Once the effect of the White Hopes ended, his legs simply gave out, collapsing on the couch, coughing and wheezing before he decided to make a final recording for the one he loved until the end, that beautiful, powerful white mare that was Snow Mark.
At High Hoof Cliffs, only four Eternal's remained. The heavily injured Jack, Cinnamon and Ocean against Vulcan. Vulcan was an earth pony where his sheer size alone was enough to terrify his opponents. Standing at roughly two heads taller than Big.Mackintosh, he was almost all muscle, the scientists spending more time on his strength during the augmentation process. Vulcan wore a bright white suit of power armor underneath a black coat, holding an enormous axe and also carried a 25mm cannon on his back like it was made of plastic. He was holding the injured Ocean Wave, a light blue pegasi who had her wings broken when she was trying to fight back. Now, she was on the brink of death as Vulcan held her over a cliff. Just before he dropped her, Crimson came into view on his jetpack as he landed nearby Vulcan, landing onto the ground with enough force to move the snow-like ash to form a miniature crater. Vulcan stopped what he was doing and dropped Ocean off the cliff, causing the other Eternal's to scream in agony. With Ocean's wings broken, alongside most of her body, she was a good as dead. Now, four remained. Ocean had something of a special bond to her fellow Eternal's, especially Crimson, who seemed to love him deeply. He was aware of this, but he never said anything about confessing his love to her. Now, she was dead. Crimson's rage turned from anger to pure hate. Vulcan was going to die. Yet, nothing was said between Crimson and Vulcan. The two of them looking at each other before charging with their blades, gun-fire being little to useless to an Eternal, blades were the most effective weapons against them. Crimson charged with his own blade, a katana with a black blade, towards his enemy. It was going to be a fight to the death. Whoever won would decide the fate of Equestria...
Dark, Cogwheel, and Bubble sat down in their assigned Stable apartment, sitting in a circle on chairs, staring remorsefully at the ground, they couldn't believe what was happening, "We were so close...so close to victory...I should have focused on taking out their silos first..." Dark muttered, the others too absorbed with the likely death of their father to respond.
Vulcan and Crimson engaged in a battle to the death, their blades engaged in the serious fight. Vulcan’s huge double sided axe clashed against the single blade of Crimson’s katana. The two of them were attacking each other with techniques and finesse that was beyond pony-like. Vulcan, having the strength advantage over Crimson, over powered the more experienced fighter quickly. After about ten minutes, both of their weapons broke at the same time after a powerful blow. The fight then went into a brutal hoof to hoof in the blanket of ash-covered snow. Crimson found himself at a disadvantage against Vulcan, whom he had distracted by kicking his knees, damaging his kneecaps to some extent and then lifting himself upwards to deliver a killing skull-smashing blow to the head, only to find himself countered as Vulcan punched him directly in the stomach with all his strength, sending the red unicorn spinning like a pinwheel hundreds of meters away from him before crashing into a cliff-face, causing a large crater upon impact before falling to the ground. He did not understand why Vulcan was doing this, why he had killed half of the Eternals. The others were unable to assist due to their injuries. Crimson remained flat on the ground, his vision blurry as he struggled to get back up. Upon recovering, shaking violently doing so, he looked at Vulcan simply standing there. It was then that it was all or nothing. Crimson stood back up, looking at his opponent. His armour was heavily damaged, the shields only protecting him for so long. He looked at Vulcan’s sadistic smile from hundreds of meters away and that’s when he was serious about killing him. Crimson undone his black duster and threw it away from him as it landed in the snow alongside his damaged chestpiece, revealing underneath the armour a sleeveless black shirt. From now on, nothing was going to get in his way. Everything around the world was blocked away from him, his concentration only going on Vulcan. Taking his first step before walking slowly, it was not long before Crimson was in full gallop, traveling at triple the speed of the finest athlete as he ran across the snow. Vulcan then looked at his opponent, smiling slightly as he then began to run towards each other. Both of them jumped into the air moments before hitting each other, the sound of their attack echoing for miles. (Had to go to a doctor's appointment in the city, about an hour and a half away. Was there for about an hour or so, and I've just come back. Sorry for lack of post.)
(Es fine, I was at work anyways ^^) The final worker in the Mark Co Arms Division facility looked back at the manufacturing floor, the facility being so far away from civilization, they hardly felt a rumble from the massive amount of megaspell detonation. The employees were heading into a privately made Stable built by Mark Co, where they were to be kept safe until 20 years from then, when the door to outside opened. Somewhere in that facility behind the employee, was the mare that had given them the best, most secure jobs any of them had ever had, and now she was saving their lives, even while frozen. The respect all the employees had for that mare was massive, sure she had her dark moment, but in the end, her heart was in the right place. Solemnly, the ployee flicked off the floor lights, the only source of light coming from the Stable. The employees turned tail and the door slid shut. Permentally.
The colossal blow caused a shock wave that knocked back an entire house amount of snow in all directions, which also sending the two of them flying backwards. Crimson recovered the quickest as he landed back and ran at Vulcan again. The gigantic Vulcan recovered slowly, his hoof going numb from the attack. The next time he seen Crimson, he was literally right next to him and grabbed his arm, shortly before tossing him like a ragdoll into a nearby cliff-face. Vulcan was taken back by Crimson, never experiencing this side of him before. When the two of them practiced, he was usually his calm, polite self. Now, Crimson had a deathly emotionless stare at his face. Vulcan was ranked #3rd on the leaderboard in Training back in their youth, while Crimson had remained #1 since he was 11. Vulcan tried to punch back at Crimson, having little effect against him. Whatever blows that he did manage to land of Crimson did nothing to stop him, even at point blank range. He punched downwards at him to stop Crimson, only to see him dodge the attack like it was nothing and is thrown into the air after a devastating uppercut. While in the air, Crimson's hoof was enveloped in his magic as he delivered a blow powerful enough to shatter a 8 story building like glass at Vulcan's chest, shattering the high majority of the bones in his chest as he was catapulted to the ground. Vulcan cursed himself as he punched the ground, frustrated beyond relief. Just as he looked upwards to see Crimson, he only seen his right hoof planted into Vulcans face, sending him a hundred meters across the battlefield nearby the cliff. Vulcan was on the brink of death, he refused to acknowledge it. "Look at you..." Vulcan spoke, coughing up blood. "We all used to believe in things. Honor. Respect. That does not mean a damn thing anymore. I did what was right. Our kind should never exist on this earth again..." Crimson then took out his combat knife and twirled it around his hooves as he walked to Vulcan's. "I'm done speaking to you. You kill our own kin for your own personal crusade, while betraying everything and everypony that ever loved you. You were a brother to me, Vulcan! You were a brother to us all! I have nothing to say to you, other than goodbye." Vulcan then rose back up suddenly as he entered a fit of rage, taking what remained of his axe. "You cold blooded reptilian mother fu-" Vulcan was stopped mid sentence as Crimson took his combat knife and pierced his heart. Vulcan's expression was of absolute shock as he dropped his axe. He looked at the knife that had managed to kill him. The colour of his coat then faded away as Crimson let go of the knife, allowing Vulcan to drop to his knees before rolling onto his back and gave in to the pain. A moment later, Vulcan was dead. It was done. Crimson took the knife out of Vulcan and placed it back in it's holster. He then went back to collect his coat and chest piece, the two other surviving Eternal's watching silence as Crimson came back to them. Once they made it back, there was a moment silence as they hugged each other in sadness. It was over... (The next post will be how the Eternal's travel to Los Pegasus.)
(Sure. I’m super sick at the moment, so my post amount will be reduced enormously) After a long travel back to Freedom Hills, the surviving Eternals looked around at the damages that the megaspells had caused Equestria, the results being far worse than what was originally thought. The effects of the weapons made many areas, including entire cities, an extremely dangerous and uninhabitable place. Thanks to the missile defence systems that were activated, Equestria was lucky enough to have never suffered the full force of the Megaspells. There was now the long path to rebuilding what was lost. The only question that the Eternals had was “Where to start?” “Crimson! Jackpot!” Cinnamon called out from his terminal. “I’ve found a place!” The Two Eternals quickly entered the room that Cinnamon had called home, an enormous section of laboratory and scientific terminals that brought a comfort to the earth pony. “Where?” Jackpot replied. “Los Pegasus. About 2 weeks by hoof from here.” Cinnamon replied as he went through pictures of the city through a satellite. “The city was not hit by megaspells directly, but an area about 22km southeast from the town center received a 200kt detonation of a balefire bomb. The City previously held a population of about 630,000. Now, it’s not even 4%. The city itself was a low priority target for the Zebra, nowhere near the level of Fillydelphia and Canterlot in terms of importance. Structural integrity of the town center is poor, but is not dangerous. Residential areas are surprisingly in excellent condition.” Cinnamon said as he turned around in his chair to face the group “If you want a place to set up shop, it’s there” Jackpot smiled as she looked at pictures of the city. “Commander Dark Light gave us the order to protect the Princesses. But...I don’t think any of them are alive anymore. Princess Twilight was last seen at Maripony, Luna was reportedly killed in Canterlot and Celestia was inside of the SPP. I also don’t think that she survived the war...” “I’m sure she’s alive.” Crimson said before looking at the picture of the city, studying it. “How long would it take to rebuild the entire city?” “At least 60 years to rebuild the city and 30 years for the radiation to vanish.” Cinnamon replied. Crimson then looked at the two, a grin that could not be wiped from his face. "I think we're going to like it there...” (Los Pegasus is based on Seattle)
Dark suddenly turned on the radio in their apartment, tuning in to the Stable PA system, the only one they could possibly pick up, "well...no use moping around forever, we got 20 years in this place then we can all go back to Snow. I doubt they'll keep us longer considering the large amount of Apple family members I noticed, that would get...creepy fast." Cogwheel and Bubble nodded, getting up to say something when the voice of Sweetie Bell came on over the radio. "Hey there residents of Stable 2; I know this is very quick, and many of you are likely still very shaken from the recent events, but I will have to request that everypony attend an important meeting tomorrow in the Stable Atrium! There, if you have your Cutie Mark, you shall receive your work assignment and Pipbuck-3000 if you don't already have one. All ponies are to receive assignments according to their Cutie Mark. I know this will be hard on you, but we must get to work as soon as possible to ensure this Stable remains, well, stable and functional, or we're as good as dead as those trapped outside. Thank you!"
The Next Day Upon gathering all of their belongings and using a Vertibuck stored inside of a hangar, the Eternal's took off into the air and headed to the north-west towards Los Pegasus. By hoof, it would take roughly two weeks travel across the hospitable environment below. By in the air, it only took several hours. It was fortunate enough that Cinnamon knew how to fly such a machine, otherwise the process of moving to the city would have taken months. When the three of them arrived, they found themselves in a quiet city. The survivors, most of them law abiding citizens, had gathered in the residential areas. The others, being reduced as nothing more than raiders who prey on the week taking the industrial area of the city. The Vertibuck landed on a long stretch of road a kilometre from the survivors north of the city centre. The survivors curiosity got the better of them as they moved towards the ship, several of them holding whatever form of weaponry they had available to them if they believed it was a threat. The Eternal's dressed up in their armour, walked from a ramp from the back. Crimson stood in the middle of the group, next to Jackpot and Cinnamon. They explained who they were before cutting to the chase. Crimson and the Eternal's had an idea, establishing a new nation out of the ashes of Equestria. A nation that would not only keep ponies safe, but thrive under the seemingly impossible situations. The survivors, who were mostly depressed, had huge smiles on their faces as they were being explained what was going to happen. Talks of Sanitation, medicine, education, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system and public health. It appealed to the broken spirits of the survivors in such a way that it repaired some of the holes left behind by the bombs. Crimson addressed the crowd as they soon erupted into applause, some parents hugging their children while the elderly cheered loudly. On that day, the foundations of what would later become the “Federation of Los Pegasus” were set in stone. With the people on their side, kind ponies who want to see a prosperous future, rebuilding upon the structures almost began immediately. Some were tasked in rebuilding homes and schools, while others went outside of the city limits and began to settle the farmland nearby. On the same day they arrived, the Eternals were rebuilding an entire city. However, since their newest community currently had no military or training, they were the only form of defence these ponies had. While the ponies were busy in the north, all three of them moved downwards to the south to oversee any other forms of survivors and ask them to assist in the process of rebuilding Los Pegasus to its former glory. But if they were hostile, they would be put down.
(And then the radioactive rain that is going to follow kills nearly all those survivors, as is canon and realistic ) Dark and her family looked up at Sweetie Bell, who was standing on a tall podium looking at the crowd of survivors before her, "Hello, I'ld to start by thanking you all for coming, for the next 20 years, we'll all be stuck down in this Stable, so we might want to try to get that time over with as seemingly quickly as possible! And a good way to do that is working to maintain the health of the Stable that keeps us safe. I will call each of you up here in alphabetical order to receive your Pipbuck if you don't have one, and also your work assignment! Now...let us begin..."
(And dont get me started on the Nuclear Winter that occurs several decades later...) Crimson sat at a wooden desk, holding the back of his head as he looked down in frustration. Cinnamon had warned Crimson about the chance of radioactive rain striking the city with an enormous casualty count. While his terminals could determine that the toxic rain would pour down onto the city, it was impossible to determine exactly when. It turned out that it was on the same day he arrived at Los Pegasus. After the torrent of rain, thousands had died, including children as their corpses were littered on the streets. All he wanted was to protect them, and something occurred out of his control. Only a couple of hundred remained alive in the end.
(Good point. My events would take decades anyway) After the devastation of the Great War, Los Pegasus was completely rebuilt 60 years after it was destroyed by a Balefire Bomb. The city by then was currently home to roughly 12,000 citizens and wastelanders after surviving the worst environmental conditions Equestria could throw at it, led by Crimson and an established council that would allow the people a say in the city. 75 years after the events of the Last Day, the Federation was established, creating the strongest independent nation in the Equestrian Wasteland and possibly the most technologically advanced in the post-apocalyptic world. With Los Pegasus as an oasis in the north-west, it also controlled many smaller towns and farming settlements. By the time Littlepip left Stable 2, the Federation was home to 75,000 wastelanders and citizens. Cinnamon retired from a life of fighting to become the head scientist of the Federation, while Jackpot became head of the military. Crimson remained head of state (I like to think that Equestria was the size of America for scale and so forth. The Federation, by Littlepip's time, would have controlled the entirety of Washington state with small areas in Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia. What should we do next? I had another idea, but I think you should decide the next one )
(Hmmm...I dunno, haven't really thought of any...other than my redone Commandos...How about we do some Commando backstory? Not much is truly developed about them other than Julion founded them after escaping from Stable 2 in honor of his ancestor Dark Light...)
(That sounds like fun. My idea was a love story between a member of the Commandos and another of the federations Guardians, essentially a story of two killing machines falling into romance and so forth. Another one was a "Events of FO:E" or "Ten Years later" RP we could follow up on, but if we were to do that, the commando back story would need to be done first. )
(Hm...All three sound like good ideas, but yea, let's do Commando backstory first, you could play as Julion's first Bloody 2, or if you don't wanna get killed by Calamity, you can be Julion's 3rd in Command, the Major, the longest serving member besides Julion and the original Bloody 2? Or you can be some random Commando ^^. I'll go ahead and start) Julion studied the door in front of him, it was some kinda secret door to Goddesses knows where, he figured outside, hidden in his Stable apartment. Using his special talent, he had discovered how to turn off the tagging and tracking system in his Pipbuck. Taking a breath, he closed the hidden entrance to the exit and opened the door out, revealing a cave with flickering lights somehow still on after 200 years or more, he never belonged in the Stable, his fate was outside and he knew it. He was barely a full grown adult, but he had to, he had no ties to this Stable, no friends, no family, nothing. Checking his saddlebags and the knife named Head Hunter, the family heirloom that was once the symbol of the Head of the Loyalty Inspectors, but after the fall from grace a couple generations ago, it has been simply that, a deadly family heirloom. He had heard Dark Light's, his many times great grandmother, holotape about this passage, and he was determined to go through it. He was going to remake her Commandos and make her proud. He stepped forward and for the first time felt something that wasn't metal under his hooves.
