Two Hundred Days

Day 113

Red Diamond's Log

I'm nothing more than a regular mare looking for a regular life, but now I can't have a life at all with so many duties and threats flying around us. For instance, fifteen stallions rode into town this morning. Dressed in dirty armor and bearing sharp spears around. They looked like part of the Royal Guard or E.U.P. Very soldier like.

The best part, they called themselves the "True Survivors," some kind of splinter group from the Last Survivors. Acted all noble and stuff, asking to help out with chores and the like. Yeah, I remember those guys, they're the ones Ponyville freaked out over. Maybe if it weren't for them, we'd still be in Ponyville, not that that's a good thing.

Nurse seems pretty chill about them though, and so do the others, for the most part. Triple B got up real early to harvest the western orchards, probably to show off to the rest of the town that he's still tougher than the new guys. I'd be happy to have some helping hooves do all the work around here, but their weapons just put me off. They're the same as the ones we saw in Ponyville -advanced and bristling with power- and I keep wondering why they would need those in a peaceful place like this.

Lavender's not doing well around those guys either, much more than I am. They can't help but remind her of Ponyville, and the day the Last Survivors came was when everything went to shit. She lost her friends because of everything that got stirred up. Even if they were bandits, it can't be easy for her.

Day 113 part 2

Nurse Toxin's Log

Gala Hat dropped off the journal before heading off to work, so I decided to say some quick things on Keen's progress. The rest of the doctors have begun switching roles, applying their own talents to fixing Keen's legs. Two orthopedists, Dr. Labile and Dr. Calcaneus, are currently looking at bone damage around the area of the dismemberment. Once they finish realigning the fractures to be healed by Dr.Healal, Dr. Cotard, a neurologist, will do another check on Keen's brain activity.

I'm needed after that to help remove the pieces of metal scrap lodged in Keen's legs. Even if we remove the false hooves easily, which will prove difficult because of the intertwined nails and screws, there's still a lot of fragments the Changelings left in him, and some of the rustier pieces will leave considerable damage on the adjacent flesh, so I'll especially need to detoxify those areas.

Day 113 part 3

Mint Leaf's Log

Nurse came over after lunch to hand me the notes Dr.Healal took when he examined the toxin in Keen, and said he wanted to talk to me about what I saw. There were some diagrams and drawings that didn't look anything like what we collected when we were in Canterlot, so I should go over to the hospital after my evening shift in the upper cherry fields.

Some of the True Survivor guys came around after lunch as well to lend a hand with orchard work too. It's hard to judge them, considering I don't know much about their old herd, but they don't seem even remotely close to the fanatic leader from the old radio transmissions. When I asked one of them why they split from their group, all I got a dark look. I guess it's a touchy subject, so I better not delve any deeper. Those spears are really sharp.

Day 114

Gala Hat's Log

I stopped by the general store on my way to the orchard this morning for some breakfast but got a surprise instead when I saw a whole caravan packing up food and tents and clothing. I was even more surprised to see Gum Drop, White Hoof, and the pegasi twins packing up with them. After all we've been through, when I asked why they were leaving they told me Manehattan was the best place to be, not a overcrowded backwater junction.

Red Diamond doesn't try to show it, but I know she's bummed about them leaving, a lot more than I am. I did kind of leave her with them in Ghastly Gorge, and even though she acts all carefree, I know she's feeling lonely too. Lavender tries to comfort her, but I don't think she understands everything about it. Still, it's good to have her off my hooves for a while. I've been doing everything I can to keep her from seeing Keen. She just couldn't handle seeing how he is.

Day 115

Nurse Toxin's Log

I heard a huge herd of ponies packed up and made their way to Manehattan. I don't blame them for having hope, but it's a long way north and I don't think they'll find anything good enough to make the trip worthwhile. Dodge Junction's growing faster every day, but every pony still seems to think Manehattan's the place to be.

Well, truth be told, it doesn't much better than this. We have doctors, we have food, we have safety, and we have land. Manehattan's guarded, but that's where all the fighting is. And the thick city life can't compare to open land from horizon to horizon. We still lost one of our nurses to the caravan though. She told me to come along, that we'd have our old lives back in the big city, maybe even better. With the war going on, she said it was the perfect opportunity to strike it rich in Manehattan, and get a life of luxury once the war was over.

Hell, if that's what every pony in that caravan thinks, then good riddance to them. The world's not a place to dream about the future or reminisce about the past. We have to focus on what's happening right now, and right now, prosthetic specialist Dr.Facade, from Manehattan of all places, is about to give Keen proper hooves. It's sad to say it, but we're lucky he was on vacation when the invasion struck. If it hadn't been for his delayed train he might be back in Manehattan, holed up in a dusty office giving crutches to soldiers.

Speaking of soldiers, one of the True Survivors got in a fight with a couple other stallions at the Jubilee Tavern. The manager Cherry Jubilee herself had to drag both the T.S. and the two drunks over to the hospital to wrap up their faces and relocate a joint. This is why I don't like to drink.

Day 115 part 2

Lavender's Note

Gala always makes me go play with the other fillies in the orchard, but I want to go see Keen. I try to tell Gala it's ~~inpotent~~ important to see him ~~becuse~~ he's like my daddy now, but she thinks I'm playing. Red helps me read and write now. Her friends left her, just like my ~~frends~~ friends left me in Ponyville, so we are the same.

The other fillies here aren't like me. I call them babies when they can't hear. I think they're too happy, so bad things haven't ~~hapend~~ happened to them.

Day 115 part 3

Mint Leaf's Log

I got off from work at the orchard early when Gala told me Nurse told her that Dr.Healal said Keen was done with all his operations. They're going to lift the anesthesia spell tomorrow and wait to see if he wakes up. If he doesn't, Dr.Cotard will have to try a waking spell, but they say they'd rather not force it.

Gala still hasn't brought in the little one to see Keen. She says she doesn't want to explain why Keen is sleeping. I don't think it's the best idea to leave her in the dark, but what do I know, I'm only good with babies when they sprout from a seed.

The radio's a nice thing to have while we wait by Keen's side, though writing is a bit hard without wings or magic to hold the quill. I should ask Gala or Nurse to do this.

Welcome back every pony, if you're just joining us here at the brand new "I Heart Vinyl Radio Station," I'm here in an interview with the Minister of Public Relations, Miss Pinkie Pie. Before the break, we were just discussing how the Princesses, especially Princess Twilight, are working to keep the public maintained in our current crisis. Pinkie, you told us that certain measures were being taken both in Manehattan and internationally to keep things stable in Equestria. Could you elaborate on that?

Well.... I can't go into too much detail since some of these are super super top secret, but I can say that due to recent weather patterns improving and the successful defense of Cloudsdale my good friend Rainbow Dash has been working non-stop, and I mean really non-stop, to deliver rain across all of Equestria's big cities to fill up the reservoirs AND wash away all that icky Changeling slime scattered all over Equestria. That's TWO problems solved with one BIG weather factory! Isn't rain amazing.

P.S. Really hard to keep up with this one. Too much writing in too little time.