Prologue: Radiation, Deathclaws, and strange occurences
Let's start with a brief explanation before I set things off. This is a Fallout New Vegas crossover with MLP: FiM, a good bit of the content that will be from the Fallout side of things is from the Project Nevada mod, all of which is being considered canon for this story; there will also be material from a few other mods as well that I will list as they appear. I don't have any of the New Vegas DLCs so I won't touch on them for the time being. Hope you enjoy the story.
~Hawkshadow/Sterling Blade
I swear to everything that's holy in the wasteland (which isn't much to be honest...) and the Old World, there is no rhyme or reason for any of the things that have occurred in the last few weeks. Okay, maybe I should backtrack before we get into the thick of things, my name is Sterling Blade..
All this bullshit started with me waking with the dawn a few weeks ago in the Brotherhood of Steel safehouse, laying low after a little misunderstanding with the local Deathclaw population. That confrontation resulted in the demise of eleven of their numbers and not surprisingly a few punctures in my slightly modified T-51B Power Armor. Anyway, the first thing I did that morning was get out of my armor, (Don't look at me like I'm crazy, an operational T-51B is very comfortable to sleep in..) and seal the punctures with a special combination of liquified metals and wonderglue that I had concocted after it started getting tedious having to replace the entire abdominal casing whenever it fractured. Contrary to popular belief and my eternal frustration, the T-series of armor isn't indestructible. I learned that the hard way when I decided it was a good idea to dolphin dive off a cliff when I ran out of ammunition for my 12.7mm SMG, my minigun, and the Gobi Campaign Scout Rifle... I wound up not only shattering my rib cage, left arm, and right leg, but also cracking the abdominal plating. Damn it I'm getting off track again, anyway I sealed up the punctures and breaches with my 'WonderMetal' and once it solidified I got back into my armor, I won't bore you with the details.
By this point I was getting cabin fever in the tiny as fuck bunker and I was ready to get back on the road, maybe kill more of the Deathclaws if any were still hanging around the safe house entrance, and that's where things started going screwy....
When I exited the door into the wastelands I wasn't all that surprised to see two deathclaws lingering nearby. What did surprise me was the sudden energetic clicking of the geiger counter in my PipBoy and a notification flashing along the interior of my helmet displaying brightly in red that the local radiation had spiked to an alarming 30 Rads.... Now for the most part I'd be fine due to my armor having environmental seals and a good rad resistance... But the fact the there was something giving off that much radiation so close was more than a little bit alarming. After making a mental note to find and deal with whatever the source of the radiation was, I pulled my 12.7 smg from it’s holster next to one of my Rippers and clicked off the safety. Taking aim at the nearest deathclaw as it finally noticed my presence.
"Sweet dreams you ugly mutated fuck." I muttered, squeezing the trigger, sending a controlled burst of 12.7mm rounds across the five meters that separated us.
The short salvo struck the first deathclaw center mass, punching through the thick leathery hide of it’s back with ease, but it remained standing. I sent another burst into it, nearly emptying the magazine. The twelve rounds screamed across the distance almost in slow motion, three missing but the rest striking home, and one tearing through the forehead of the deathclaw and out the back of it’s skull in a bloody spray, killing the big bastard.
By this point the second deathclaw was charging at me with its machete sized claws raised. I pulled the trigger once and the last three rounds tore into it’s gut but it kept coming, forcing me to toss aside the submachine gun and drawing a pair of Ripper Blades from the sheaths strapped to the thighs of my armor and I tightened my grip on the handles to get them revved up.
I sprinted forward to meet its charge, glad once more for the Kinetic Accelerator* implants in my legs and arms that, in conjunction with the Wired Synapses* and Reflex Booster* implants, increased how quickly I was able to process information and made time seem to slow to a crawl while I sped up. I ducked under the first swipe and met the second with my Rippers, the pair motorized blades already spinning at full power, tearing and grinding through the hardened bone of its claws with little resistance.
As the claws clattered against the dust and rocks the deathclaw stumbled backward, staring at the now clipped nails of it right hand in a close approximation of shock. Deathclaws aren't mindless unintelligent beasts as many people assume; they're smart bastards and they generally know when they are outclassed. It turned its milky white eyes from its hand and toward me once more and hissed loudly before turning tail and sprinting away into the wastelands.
I sighed in relief and deactivated the Rippers before sheathing them once more, the geiger counter was still clicking away madly and the Radiation alert was still active along the inside of my helmet. In fact it had jumped from 30 Rads to 45 Rads in the maybe three minutes that it took for me to deal with the deathclaws. That was more than a little worrisome.
I quickly made my way back to where I discarded my 12.7 and returned it to it’s holster. It was at that point that an actinic green glow covered the area and my PipBoy went nuts as Radiation spiked to an alarming 97 Rads.
"Oh for fuck's sake what the hell?!" I exclaimed as the glow coalesced into an inferno before everything went black.
I let out a groan as consciousness returned to my aching body, I waited five seconds before opening my eyes and immediately regretted it as harsh sunlight burned into my retinas, forcing me to shut my eyes once more. With a grunt of effort I rolled myself onto my hands and knees before attempting to stand and immediately regretted the decision as a wave of dizziness washed through me, threatening to force me to my knees again.
After about a minute the dizziness passed and I was able to find my balance at which point I risked opening my eyes again to try and take stock of my surroundings, I almost wish I had kept them shut... I was in the center of a small clearing surrounded on all sides by tall trees with vibrant green leaves that reminded me vaguely of the plant life around and inside Vault 22, but different at the same time. One thing I was certain of was that I wasn't in the Mojave anymore.
I took a moment to check the PipBoy and wasn't that surprised to find that I was suffering from advanced stage radiation sickness considering the radiation spike that occurred before I blacked out, the spike had boosted a good 31 rads above the max radiation tolerance of my armor and judging by the amount of radiation registering in my system, it had lasted fifteen seconds.. However, I had no idea of knowing how long I had been unconscious, even worse was the fact that I only had one pack of RadAway in my supply crate... I slipped the crate from its position on my back and dug through it to retrieve the pack of orange goop, it wouldn't clean out all the radiation but it would be enough to prevent any real nastiness later on.
Now, I will say here and now that RadAway feels like nuclear fire when its in your veins cleaning out radiation and that feeling can do a number on your other senses until it fades. After pumping the stuff into me I slid the supply crate back into position and using my PipBoy to find magnetic north, I began heading east using my Ripper Blades to cut through the dense foliage. Every few minutes I heard bird calls, but not the piercing cry of hawks or the cawing of crows, reinforcing in my mind that I was DEFINITELY not in the Mojave.
It took me thirty minutes to find another clearing, this one much larger than the one which I woke up in. I decided it would be a good place to take a rest after cutting my way through the underbrush, there was just one problem with it really... The sounds that I had become accustomed to while slogging through the forest had ceased, no bird calls, no rustling of creatures in the undergrowth. Now, I wasn't sure how similar the reactions of the animals here were to that of the animals in the Mojave, but generally when it turns dead silent something big was nearby. Radscorpions and Deathclaws were the first possibilities that came to mind, but I put them low on the possibilities because I wasn't sure if this place even had them, you could never be too careful, but something kept nagging at me in the back of my mind.
On a hunch I activated the ElectroMagnetic filter of my T-51b helmet and slowly looked around the area, seeing the sparks of nearby small creatures cowering in the greenery... And one massive clump of sparks behind one of the thick trees on the far side of the clearing, shifting back and forth, almost like it was pacing. "Ambush predator maybe..?" I muttered and replaced my Ripper Blades in their sheaths before pulling my rifle from its magnetic clamp, disengaging the safety as I did so, the soft click sounded almost deafening in the now silent forest. Bringing the scope up to the eye slit of my helmet I waited for the mass of sparks to move out into the clearing.
I don't know how long I waited just inside the tree line watching but I was starting to get sore... Just as I was starting to move into the clearing to hopefully provoke whatever it was there was a rustling off to the side and what almost sounded like laughter...
Fifteen Minutes earlier, Zecora's Hut, Everfree Forest
"Thanks for the help Miss Zecora, we really appreciate it." A high pitch voice rang through the thick forest air as the door of a hollowed out tree swung open. From the doorway trotted three distinct young fillies, commonly known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"Your thanks I do not need, for it was truly a pleasure indeed," said Zecora as she cantered after them, "now quickly you must go, before sunset casts its fading glow!"
"We'll be alright Miss Zecora." The yellow filly assured as the trio galloped off into the trees, headed for home. Now, these three fillies had a particular knack for getting into trouble, even when they would try to avoid it.
As the three trotted through the Everfree on a path they knew very well, they would never suspect what would find them.
I stopped moving as soon as I heard the laughing, shifting my gaze from the hidden creature in the direction of the laughter... There were three shapes moving out into the clearing, their electromagnetic signatures shining clear once they were out of the foliage, and they were headed directly toward the large signature on the other side of the clearing...
I debated for a moment whether to try and warn them off but soon my decision was made for me as a bone rattling roar ripped across the clearing, followed by high pitched screams of fright from the three quadrupedal figures, the large ElectroMagnetic signature charged from the tree, giving me a good look at its outline. The most distinct feature of it was the tail which looked like that of a Radscorpion....
"Fuck it..." I growled under my breath and deactivated the EM filter before charging forward into the clearing, normally I wouldn't do something like this, but the screaming of the three creatures sounded far too much like the screaming of children. As I charged, my Wired Synapses and Kinetic Accelerator implants made time seem to slow around me. I fired four shots with the Scout Rifle; the first three striking it in the side and sending blood jetting into the air but otherwise didn't seem to faze it. The fourth shot grazed the top of its head and forced it to a skidding halt as it pawed at its head in pain.
"Over here you big bastard!" I yelled and fired the last two .308 rounds, the fifth striking it in one of its forelegs at the joint, and the sixth drilling its way through the massive paw, crippling the limb. I ejected the magazine and slid in a fresh one filled with Hollow Point rounds so that if push really did come to shove I'd be able to do a number on its insides. The large creature let out another roar, this time one of pain before turning to face me. It was taller than I was and its head looked like the lions I had seen in some of the pre-war books I used to read in my spare time... Now that I could get a good look at it, there was something from an old mythology book that was nearly a perfect match to the damn thing, a Manticore.
I stood stock still, with the rifle raised and ready to fire the moment the manticore made a move to attack either myself or the three smaller creatures.
"RUN!” I yelled, addressing the trio without looking at them. Hell I didn't even know if they could understand me, but the squeaks of surprise and the sound of rapid galloping in the other direction was enough for me to know I got my point across. Now I could take this big fucker down without having to worry too much about collateral damage.
"Just you and me now big fella!" I smiled under my helmet as the manticore let out an angry roar and charged at me. I started firing shot after shot as it closed the distance with surprising speed despite one of its primary limbs being crippled. With its uninjured paw it swung at me and sent me flying like I weighed nothing despite the heavy as hell power armor I was wearing. In the process the supply crate was dislodged from my back and I dropped the Gobi Campaign Scout Rifle before I did a sliding face plant into the forest floor, which made me thankful for the helmet.
"Fuck you're strong." I growled as I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees, the sound of loud rhythmic thumping gave me the warning I needed to roll to the side and out of the path of the manticore as it charged again. I pushed myself to my feet once more, quickly wiping the faceplate of my helmet clear before unsheathing my Ripper Blades which had thankfully not been dislodged.
"You're really going to regret that!" In truth I was scared shitless about going up against something that big in close combat, especially considering it tossed me halfway across the clearing like I weighed nothing, but if I was going to go down then I'd be taking this fucker with me. "Bring it on!" I yelled, revving the Rippers to full speed and prepared to charge.
From the 'safety' of tree line, the three fillies watched the tall metal figure get thrown across the clearing by the manticore and held their breath in fright, thinking that it would be the end for the figure as the larger creature charge at it once more, a breath that they let out as it rolled out of the way and the manticore slid past.
They watched in awe as the figure pulled two brutal looking daggers from sheaths on the leg plates while growling what sounded like obscenities in the same language it had used to get them to run. They yelped in surprise as the twin blades made a loud buzzing sound and the 'teeth' of the blades spun rapidly.
"What the buck is it doing?! Nopony aside from Fluttershy can take on a manticore on their own!" Whisper Scootaloo, trying to hide the chattering of her teeth.
"I don't know Scoot, those daggers look pretty mean." Sweetie Belle replied with more than a slight hint of fear and fascination with the scene unfolding before them.
"Ah have ta say... It does look mighty angry with them blades..."
The three fillies watched the battle progress, against their better judgement to just high tail it out of the Everfree and back to Ponyville.
"Fuck me..." I charged toward the manticore before it could finish its next roar, and slid under it with the Rippers raised, cutting into its soft underbelly and splattering my armor with viscous reddish yellow blood. Sliding out behind it I activated the Stealth Nano-Bots* and faded into the background, now Stealth Fields don't make you invisible, they diffuse your outline by bending light around your form. To do this it superimposes the image of what's behind you onto your front and what's in front of you behind and so on and so forth to make it harder to be seen.
I ran past it when it turned to where I had been moments before with one of the Rippers revved and tore into its side before running behind it, I had forgotten one important detail however. Its scorpion tail, which it swung in an arc on the side I had cut and directly into me, knocking me airborne once more. My stealth field crackled as it tried to maintain cohesion before ultimately failing as I impacted hard against a thick tree, forcing me to drop one of the Rippers.
It took me a moment to clear the fog from my head and once I did, I winced. The stinger had managed to pierce the chest plating and the barb had broken off and was now painfully lodged in between my ribs, injecting its payload of venom. I've been stung by Radscorpions and Bark Scorpions before, the venom burns like a bitch. It causes swelling of the injection site, and begins numbing the surrounding area and if left untreated will cause paralysis and finally death.
I looked toward the manticore, ready for it to come and clamp its jaws over my helmet, but it stood there, swaying side to side as blood and other bodily fluids dripped from the rips and tears in its flesh. The beast tried to charge once more, but its injuries were taking their toll. It struggled to remain on its feet for a few seconds before finally collapsing to the ground.
I managed to pull myself up after staring at the corpse for a few seconds, using the tree for balance before limping and stumbling my way toward where my supply crate had fallen. I really hoped that the syringes of anti-venom in the medical section of the crate would neutralize the neurotoxins in my veins. I would also need to remove the barb before I could do any real medical work.
I rolled the crate over, fumbling with the Maglocks, taking longer than I'd have liked to disengage them. I slowly sifted through my medical supplies, finding one of the syringes and after checking for air bubbles, I carefully inserted it into one of the injection ports on my PipBoy, depressing the plunger and sending the anti-venom into my bloodstream.
It was getting hard to breathe. It was likely an effect of the anti-venom counteracting the neurotoxins, but despite this knowledge it was unbearable. In a near panic I unsealed the T-51b helmet and cast it aside, gasping for breath as everything started going grey. The last thing I saw before I passed out were three sets of large eyes blinking at me in what seemed to be worry and fright.
Chapter 1: Zebras and Windigos
Chapter 1: Zebras and Windigos
Alright, I’m glad for the relatively good reception of the Prologue and would like to thank those that have liked and favorited. I know it has been a really long time since I last updated, and in that time I received a few questions via PM asking exactly what weapons that he is carrying, including what may or may not be in the supply crate which is actually a repurposed Minigun ammunition box with internal dividers. To answer that question, his current arsenal includes the Gobi Campaign Scout Rifle, dual-wielded Ripper Blades, a modified 12 Gauge Riot Shotgun, 10mm Alloy Steel Pistol*, six(6) Microfusion Grenades, Hyper-Frequency Emitter implants* in his arms, and a Ballistic Fist in ‘Hydra’ Configuration built into the right forearm plating of his armor. To those who aren’t that familiar with Fallout: New Vegas, I’ll explain things more in depth as they come up as topics of discussion in the story. Now you don’t want a wall of text for a top author note so I’ll move ahead into the story.
The spell had been a success, they knew that much. Now it was only a matter of waiting for the summoned entity to make itself known, as they had infiltrators and watchers posted in every town of Equestria. It had been a long time since their great failure, and now their leader was going to attempt to make amends for her transgressions through the entity. The pieces would soon be set, and the Web of Lies and Deceit continued to be spun to further protect themselves should this plan fail as well.
With the helmet gone the three fillies stared into the creature's eyes in a mixture of awe and fear. After several seconds that felt like a small eternity, its eyes slid shut and it collapsed on its back to the forest floor.
For a few moments the Crusaders looked between the unconscious form before them and the mutilated corpse of the manticore not to far away. It was a sickening sight to the trio, punctures and tears in its hide leaked viscous crimson and yellow fluids, staining its fur like macabre paint. Shredded portions of the manticore's viscera and entrails were visibly spilled from the two brutal slices in its underbelly. While the Crusaders were shaken by the brutality that the creature had displayed against the manticore, they knew that they needed to get help for it.
"Scootaloo, get to back to Ponyville and head tah Sweet Apple Acres." Applebloom said shakily, "I think we're gonna need my sister and her friends to deal with this."
"You got it Applebloom," came Scootaloo's reply as she galloped off down the path back to Ponyville, "you two go get Zecora!"
The sun had just fallen below the horizon by the time Scootaloo made it to Sweet Apple Acres. The image of the unconscious creature occupied the forefront of her mind as she galloped as fast as her young hooves could carry her toward the farmhouse, hoping that her two friends had made it back to Zecora’s safely.
She skidded to a halt on the porch, just barely managing to avoid running headlong into the door. After a moment to catch her breath she rapped her hoof repeatedly against the doorframe. It took less than a minute before the door was opened by a very cross looking Applejack.
"What in tarnation is goi-" Applejack stopped mid-sentence at the sight of the little orange filly shaking like a leaf, "Scootaloo? What happened?!"
"M-manticore a-attack," Scootaloo chattered out, "b-but something s-saved us. It's hurt and needs help."
"Now wait just a darn tootin' minute! Where's Applebloom and Sweetie Belle?"
"They r-ran back to Z-Zecora's.”
"Miss Zecora!" Sweetie Belle cried out as she and Applebloom galloped their way back through the forest toward the zebra’s home as the dusk faded into the darkness of night. Each snap of a twig or rustling of a branch spurring the pair faster and faster along the path, “Miss Zecora!”
“Two young Crusaders I do hear, but the third I fear is not here,” Zecora replied worriedly, trotting from her tree hut, “where is young scootaloo?"
"Scoots is on her way back tah Sweet Apple Acres," Applebloom shouted, slowing her pace as she and Sweetie Belle drew closer to the zebra, "we g-got attacked by a m-manticore on our way home..."
"Yeah, w-we were," Sweetie Belle confirmed, "But some kind of creature saved us and kil-" she couldn't finish the sentence as what the creature had done to the manticore finally sank in. The creature had saved them she had no doubt, but the way it had fought against the manticore was nothing short of monstrous and vicious in its own right. Leaving the larger beast a brutal and macabre example of what it was capable of. Sweetie swallowed the lump in her throat and continued, "It's hurt now and needs our help..."
Zecora pondered what had been said for a moment before responding, "If this creature is injured as you say, then we must hurry and not delay. Follow me quickly, we must gather my materials swiftly!" She turned and trotted to her hut with the two fillies in tow to gather the proper herbs and ingredients.
All I could see was darkness, but I was vaguely aware of a faint murmuring that seemed to echo from every direction yet at the same time seemed to come from nowhere, am I dead? I thought, but I immediately disregarded the notion. I didn't believe that there was anything waiting for you after you died, and honestly I still don't. I just thought that you cease to exist upon death, your body and the actions that people remember you did being the only evidence you were ever there, so I concluded that I couldn't be dead. I also felt a dull throbbing pain in the back of my skull, providing further evidence that I wasn't dead.
The murmuring raised in volume a few decibels, allowing me to distinguish bits and pieces of what was being said.
"A being of flesh and steel- .... -Metal and bone..."
"Technology and biology as one- … -Zeranthūl Praetorian- … -possible outcomes unknowable-"
"-emotions conflicted- ... -much confusion in his mind-"
"Brilliant mind- ... -mental stability questionable at best-"
"...Scythiant-...-Deruthiant té Rūne- ... -No other option left. Murtharn. We have already committed to this path, he will either save us or finish what was started three years prior-... -Great Mother preserve us should we fail."
Now, at the time I brushed it off as an auditory hallucination brought on by sensory deprivation as I couldn't really feel anything aside from the throbbing in my head, but had I known what I do now I wouldn't have done so; either way I knew I was only catching snippets of the conversation.
"Your will be done my Queen... We have managed to integrate several Praetorian and Drones into the population centers near the Everfree and Badlands. we await your orders."
The voices lowered back to a dull murmur and I wasn't able to discern anything more of what was said.
The Golden Oaks Library for all appearances seemed calm and quiet in the dusk, the windows emitting a faint yellow glow outward. The only indication of something being amiss was how the glass of the windows were frosted over on the interior in spite of the warm night blanketing Ponyville.
In stark contrast to the calmness of the public main floor of the library, the basement was a whirlwind of activity as clipboards, sheets of data, and various scientific instruments tore through the air at velocities that could almost effortlessly break bone, all held aloft in the telekinetic grip of one Twilight Sparkle as she worked tirelessly to pinpoint the origin of a recent Thaumatic Cascade Discharge that had rippled outward from within the Everfree Forest.
In another time and place she might have become an alicorn in the event that had transformed her a year prior, but the gate to that path was now forever sealed as she now tread a different path, "Spike, Please go and retrieve the book on Thaumatic Triangulation from the Theoretical Thaumatic Science section please!"
"Just a second!" Spike yelped as he made his way, bobbing and weaving, through the maelstrom of flying material toward the stairway.
As he scrambled up the steps he was keenly aware of several objects whizzing past him and would duck as necessary. After what felt like a small eternity for him, Spike managed to reach the top landing and sprinted for the door and flung it open.
Back in the basement Twilight flitted between the different displays and recording devices, rechecking the information on her datasheets for the ninth time in the past two hours,
"No, no, no... A Cascade Discharge of that magnitude should have coincided with a detonation that almost certainly would have been seen across Equestria, followed by a concussion wave that should have leveled a good portion of the Everfree and shattered windows in towns hundreds of miles beyond Ponyville!" she mumbled to herself as the temperature in the basement dropped further with her increasing frustration.
"Hm, possible that detonation and concussive blast were contained, but that would imply that it was planned and facilitated," Twilight was seething now, her mane and eyes aglow with swirls of ghostly blue and crimson, "but if it was facilitated, then it would have likely been by the Institute of Arcane Science, and I would have been informed before hoof! IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!!"
With her outburst the tornado of clipboards and scientific instruments slammed to a halt in an almost comical fashion.
Up on the main floor of the library, Spike was busy trying to find the book Twilight had specified and was having very little luck despite the Thaumatic Science section taking up little more than a single shelf in the library, "Oh come on, where is it?" He mumbled under his breath as he searched through the different titles. It took another two minutes for him to find the correct book.
At the same moment that his claws closed around the spine of the book, the library door swung open to reveal a rather frantic looking Applejack, "Spike?! Where's Twi, it's mighty darn important!"
"Applejack? Er, Twilight's down in the basemen-" Before spike had even finished his sentence, Applejack bolted for the basement door, "HEY WAIT!!"
She flung open the door, but was halted in her tracks before she could descend the stairs by the sound of an agitated yell from further in the basement and the sudden blast of near arctic air that shortly followed and nearly chilled her to the core. She shivered from the icy air and began her descent cautiously, knowing quite well how Twilight’s ‘Scientific Episodes’ could become. The mare soon reached the bottom of the steps and saw her friend in the center of the basement, floating several feet above the floor, near a number of large monitors, "Twilight!"
An icy mist billowed away from Twilight's unkempt mane and tail, her fur taking on an ever darkening shade of indigo as her agitation continued to climb. She felt, more than heard, her friend Applejack calling out to her, an emotional surge that was tinged with uncertainty and a mild touch of fear. It was this surge that pulled Twilight from the data on the screens, and she turned, soundlessly landing in front of Applejack.
"Is there something you need Applejack? I'm currently busy," The glow of her eyes and mane softened and her coat slowly began to fade back to its natural mulberry tone. She was still agitated, but she reigned in the feeling and focused more on her friend and her emotional aura.
"Twi.. Scootaloo arrived at the farm earlier b-by herself," the cowpony managed to explain, "she said that she an' the other Crusaders were attacked by one of them m-manticores on their way back from Ze-"
"Did she say what happened to Sweetie Belle and Applebloom?"
"They're back at Zecora's.. Scootaloo said somethin' 'bout a creature savin' 'em, but it was hurt last time she saw it," Applejack explained quickly.
Twilight thought for a moment, her mind processing the information. She looked at Applejack, "Go and get Rainbow Dash and Pinkie, I'll send Spike to get Rarity while I get Fluttershy. We'll meet back at Sweet Apple Acres to collect your brother as we might need him as well."
Sweetie Belle and Applebloom led Zecora to where they had encountered the creature that had saved them. The three of them each carried saddlebags laden with potions and herbal preparations.
"This is it Ms. Zecora.." Sweetie Belle shuddered as she walked slowly into the clearing, the sickening scent of gore permeated the entire area. The armored form of the creature was collapsed next to the metal box it had opened earlier. Its face was a pale, pasty white and just barely visible, protruding from the chestplate, was the snapped off barb of the manticore's stinger.
The zebra remained silent, keenly aware of the scent of blood and torn flesh, but there was also an undercurrent of sickness. She looked toward the manticore's bloodied form while trotting quickly to the other creature, the yellow pus-like fluid intermingling with crimson told her the tale of a virulent blight that had slowly been consuming it.
Her gaze returned to the other creature's pale face, it was still breathing, but its breaths were labored and uneven, "Crusaders we must work swiftly, lest our newfound friend pass into the grasp of their ancestors.”
