Two Hundred Days

Day 21

Keen Eyes's Log

Another transmission from Manehattan:

Good morning Equestria, DJ-Pon3 back from one crazy night, am I right? C'mon guys, I think we all know those were some crazy care packages Luna sent out. Now, for the first time in months, the moment you've all been waiting for; it's an actual weather report from Cloudsdale! Looks like you party animals know how to get the Changelings' attention huh? Well, over here in Manehattan we got Commander Spitfire herself saying the Wonderbolts got a second wind in the aerial siege thanks to you and drove the main Changeling army down to the ground. You know what that means? BEACH WEATHER BITCHES! So you better be getting that tan ready cause last night wasn't the last you'll hear from Manehattan. I'd tell you all, but, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise.

It looked like survivors across Equestria had the same idea as we did, thankfully. I don't know how, but our commotion helped Cloudsdale out of its siege, so I think I'll take today off and enjoy the sun for a while.

Day 23

I am Nurse Toxin, and I just saved Hay Bale's life. I never had any doubt he would pull through, of course, I had so much confidence in him, but I suppose the antiseptics and surgical equipment helped out, I guess. Seriously though, I was able to clean out Hay Bale's infection and remove most of the infected flesh. He'll definitely have a scar across his leg, but at least he's not dying. Some general antibiotics are also working in his system now; I just gave him his third dose this morning. I'm still going to make sure he stays in bed for another week with the IV drip we acquired, but at least he's not in a critical condition. And for the first night in what seems like forever, I can finally sleep well.

Or, I would if Hay Day hadn't gone and catch influenza after I told him he shouldn't push himself. I just don't understand what it is about stallions that makes them push themselves to get the job done, they can't possibly help around if they're sick or injured. What a day, at least the flu's not to hard to deal with, he just needs some rest, some pills, and a good talk on proper hoof washing. Too bad he has to get sick right before the weekend, the group was planning a party to celebrate our progress since we first hid here when the Changelings arrived. Hay Day said he even had a song rehearsed and ready, but I don't think we're up for blues music. Me, I'd like to kick it up with some of the tracks Dj-Pon3 played over the radio today.

Day 24

Gala Hat's Log

Together we learned,

Together we earned

the right to see

what we could be.

Together we fought,

Together we sought

the need to heed our victory.

Never to stop,

Never to rot

Never to balk

or be forgot.

I know it's not much, but I thought we needed some poetry for the celebration, but I don't know if any pony will like it. Maybe I can ask Keen Eyes for help.

Never mind, Keen Eyes doesn't like poetry, but he did say he was working on a rap or something. I never knew he was into rap, he seemed for like a classical person to me. Oh well, I'll just work with what I have.

Day 24 part 2

Keen Eyes's Log

I kinda wish I had better lyrical skills, because one look at what Gala came up in just a few minutes was astounding. But, I said I wanted a rap for the party so I guess I'm committed now. I don't have anything else to really do so I'll just sit here in the sun scribbling out lyrics.

Now, I've got a message to the Changelings, and anything else that thinks they can stomp on Equestria. Keen Eyes Battle Rap, lets go:

Hey Changelings, can you feel the pain? I'm taking down anything a mite insane, best keep still or you just might feel an itty bitty spike inside your brain.

Daylight, it's surviving time, I don't want to die so I'll use all my might, to avoid anything that bumps in in the night, or anything else that gives me some fright.

'Cuz when the blight falls, we require medical halls, just to survive, 'Cuz when our might fell, no pony else to cast a spell, just to survive, we got the skills and learned to fight well.

So be mindful and just know you're right fool - any moment there's no slowing our rule, we're going with no control!

I swear by the magic in me, I wouldn't want to be you, silly, we're the meanest, I feel it strongly, I could be as rude as the Diamond Doggies.

You think we're the rejects, wrong see, this city's an crumbling canvas for an artist of the art of survival and the cruelty of life's my masterpiece.

I'll ram all the thankless bandits, madness, cuz I know you're all reckless, I'll grab an ax and I'll have you headless, or maybe put my mic to your hippocampus.

All together we're one and we have all the fun when we hand you your bum, the damage is done, and although this is serious business, still gotta admit we're having some fun.

Tonight you're dying and grim, our might's filled to the brim, you'll be hiding, lying, crying quiet, whining with your blatant sins.

Tonight we're rising as kings, our might's sung in our hymns, I'll be climbing, fighting, grinding, swiping, slicing, going to win!

Day 25

Nurse Toxin's Log

Fine, I'll put a damn title on my entries. Saying "Nurse Toxin here" was too cliche anyways. The celebration's tonight but I'm stepping out to keep an eye on Hay Bale and Hay Day. Hay Bale's awake most of the time now that his leg's getting better, but Hay Day's influenza's gotten worse and now he can't stop complaining about his headache. It's probably still better than Keen's rapping though.

But it's just influenza (I hope), nothing like what I had to do for Hay Bale's leg. Not sure what I'm going to do with a jar of inflamed and infected black flesh, but I think I'll just store it out of sight for now, just in case.

I got some ice packs for the Hay brothers from the kitchen, and it sure looks relaxing, Gala's poem's a little boring though, but every pony else seems to like repetition. But I have my own repetition in the basement; Hay Bale's still going in and out of fevers as the antibiotics do their work, and Hay Day still won't shut up because now he's hungry. Nothing I can really do, of all the pills we acquired, antacids were not among them and if he eats he's going to have a stomach ache. I'm not putting up with him and his stomach aches.

Day 25 part 2

Gala Hat's log

It's really nice of Toxin to look after the Hays during the celebration. She left the journal after she came up again to grab some water, so I though I'd just make a quick entry.

I think Keen is too unsure of himself. Yesterday he told me he was bad at poetry, that he was never good with rhymes or words, but he's wrong. He's actually good at rap, which kind of weird. I can't believe I spent two years with him in Fillydelphia University without knowing what kind of music he liked. Some friend I was, I kept buying him Sapphire Shores's albums.

On another note, Sweet Tooth took a break from testing pesticides on parasprites to enjoy the celebration and found my spool of thread under the couch after passing out from Copper Tail's "special cider." The things he suggested with that drink should never be mentioned, written or said. Still, I wonder how my thread got under the couch.

Day 25 part 3

Keen Eyes's log

It's been a long day of relaxing. Food's fresh, Minty's got herbal tea, Copper Tail's cuisine's actually welcomed with bountiful food, and the entertainment was relaxing. I guess I was wrong about my lyrics. I sure wish I had helped Gala, but, I just can't do a slow pace like that. Her poetry was relaxing, no doubt, but it just wasn't my kind of leisure.

We're getting back to work tomorrow though, so I guess I should be looking into some modes of travel, maybe repair a cart or put together something from the scraps in the garage. We could use some power tools or flashlights, so I'll work on that. Of course, I would need to borrow parts from the garage, and Sweet Tooth is very protective of her scrap. I might reconsider using our parts, instead I could take a trip across the road to the cart wash and see what's left. Or trek over to the Apple Farm Barn to pick up some scrap metal. Or... anything else that keeps me from getting in the way of Sweet Tooth's research. She's crazy.

Day 29

Toxin's Log of Awesomeness

It's been business as usual the past few days, but nothing we can't handle with the supplies we got. Keen's been taking scraps of metal from the buildings around the house to fix up some tools. He made Mint a water screw to irrigate her herbs and constructed makeshift flashlights for non unicorns.

Nothing for me, of course. It's not like I'm helping the Hay Bale fight back the infection in him day to day, while treating Hay Day's strange chronic headaches; he's spending too much time in the heat but he won't listen, so I told him his brain matter will denature if he doesn't take it easy while flying.

I can't just keep giving him pills, or else we'll be out in a couple of weeks. I've asked to limit our use of the pills so we can make them last. We're halfway through our supply of pills, yet Keen's not on board and neither is Copper Tail. At least Keen will admit we need to conserve our food though, Copper refuses to listen to Jade's plan to begin rationing food, and insists good cooking and hearty meals is what brings up morale. He's not wrong, but I'm sure that actually having food is better.

Mint began to convert her herb garden into a vegetable garden, but there's hardly enough land for a plentiful amount of food. Hammer Hoof thinks we should expand our defenses and claim the houses next to us. It's a good plan, but we don't have enough metal and stone for that. Gala Hat's just giving some general help around the place - helping Sweet Tooth organize, preserving food for Copper, gardening with Mint- but she doesn't know how to solve the food problem. It seems that every time we conquer a challenge even more pop up.

Day 29 part 2

Keen Eyes's Log

It's amazing how much salvage a place like the Carousel Boutique can hold. The sewing machines are in relatively good condition. A couple screws, a few gears, maybe readjust the engine, and boom, perfect birthday present for Gala Hat. Now I just need to remember her birthday.

The fabric in this place is amazing too. Some of the materials are really unconventional, like gold and silver, even sapphires. One of the outfits left in the closet looked like something Sapphire Shores would wear for a concert. Her music's good enough I guess, but those outfits are really just too much.

I tried to take as much fabric as possible, as well as some extra thread, yarn, and a couple emeralds lying around, but my pack was mostly filled with mechanical parts and two sewing machines. Those things are so much heavier than they look, and they already looked pretty heavy. It was a good workout though, carrying it all back to the house.

I spent the rest of the day up in my room putting together pieces from the Boutique into something useful. I still remember when I was a colt I wanted to build weapons for the royal guard. I imagined soldiers with spears shooting fire and helmets with fireworks. I tried the firework thing, and then got kicked out of Magic Kindergarten for setting fire to the teacher's desk. That was way back when I lived in Manehattan, so my parents were able to get me into one Fillydelphia's inter-district Magic Academies. Defintely not as good as Manehattan's branch of the Magic Kindergarten program, but I really didn't have a choice.

Needless to say I quit making crazy constructs and stuck to arcane engineering. I was okay with performing spells and such, but my real talents were in melding machinery with magic. Even got my cutie mark for it - three sparkling gears - when I completed my first science project that didn't result in disaster. It was a steam engine.

And here I am now, still sitting at a cluttered desk in my room piecing together an emerald to a sewing machine engine to make an Arcane Work Beam. It's weird that I couldn't get it to work in Fillydelphia U, yet I managed to get a beam going in the attic of a post-apocalyptic house.

Oh yeah, I also showed Gala Hat the fabrics I got from the Boutique and she hugged me so hard I think I still have a wing mark on my back. Ow...

Night 32

Nurse Toxin's Log of Radio Revelations

I heard something on the radio just now when I got up to take Hay Bale's temperature. He's finally out of the basement now, but I'm still keeping an eye on him.

The message on the radio wasn't on Manehattan's radio network, we just picked it up from a random frequency we thought was empty. I found them rather strange, they called themselves the Last Survivors, a nomadic herd of ponies from Los Pegasus looking to expand to any survivors left outside of Manehattan. I'd say more, but the message keeps repeating so I can just write it down.

Greetings comrades. We send this message out to you on fifty different frequencies to all cities so that you may hear us. We may sound strange to you at first, but our way is true. It is the way of kinship and friendship. We, the Last Survivors, are a nomadic group. Some would even call us a "faction." But that is not true. A faction would suggest we are not with you all, yet we are. There are those who will proclaim the injustices and cruelties we have committed as we travel across Equestria. How can you trust these claims, when Changelings have filled our cities and streets like rats riddled with plague? You can't. WE are Equestria's salvation. The ponies who lock themselves behind the blockade of Manehattan, the PRINCESSES who shun us from safety, they are all lies! How do they stand while all of Equestria lies in ruins? How do they send aid to those who need it when no more resources exist? Changelings are EVERYWHERE! They are in your city, in your neighborhood, in your house, in your very room. DECEPTION and LIES surround us, the Last Survivors of Equestria, the LAST who stand against the corruption the Changeling queen has bestowed upon our great nation. So join us, comrades, for we shall gather the TRUE remains of Equestria and forge a new colony, FREE AT LAST FROM THE EVILS OF THIS LAND!

Day 33

Toxin's Log of Skeptics

It's still going. That awful radio transmission's playing across almost every radio frequency in the area. Every pony had to listen to it at breakfast because Keen Eyes and Mint Leaf can't help but "analyze" the message to find out what these ponies are like. I already know what these fuckers are like: self justified raiders. It sounds like they're trying to recruit as well. I wish Celestia could just banish these fools to Tartarus, or the frozen north. Or anywhere but here.

Keen think's their getting closer as their message gets less choppy and static filled. He can't tell how far, but he's sure they're coming for Ponyville or Canterlot. Mint agrees, she thinks these nomads are really confident in their conclusion about Equestria. She says they must be moving from one city to another because they call themselves a "nomadic group." If so, I hope they go for Canterlot.

Day 33 part 3

Keen Eyes's Log

Okay, I spilled orange juice on part 2, so I'm just skipping that part. It was just some nonsense anyways, not really important at all. Nope, totally didn't rip it out of the book due to embarrassment. So... yeah....

I think these Last Survivor ponies are just angry at the princesses for walling off Manehattan when the Changelings took over the rest of Equestria. I don't blame them, we're still at war after all, and DJ Pon3 says there are weekly attacks on the defenses, so there's no time to let in any more survivors. She's been answering questions ponies have been sending to Luna through their dreams, but they're too short to put here. And they're not any of my questions so I'm sure they're not important.

But, back to the nomads, I can't help thinking about what kind of protection they have that keeps them safe on the road from Changelings and bandits. During the first 60 days of the invasion our group tried to leave Ponyville, and the roads and rails were already dangerous. Now, every pony's more desperate and Changelings walk around freely looking for a meal. They're still disgusting.

At least I have some good news: my arcane work beam's helped Hay Day salvage raw materials from buildings themselves. It blasts a small spurt of energy from the engine through the emerald, cracking apart wood and bricks and metal panels, materials we could use to expand our defensive wall to other houses. I hope one day we could reach out to the Carousel Boutique, it was in really good shape for an abandoned building, but that's quite a few blocks away.

Day 34

Toxin's Log of Triple Epicness

Some pony new entered Ponyville today, a trader by the name of Money Bags. That name gets on my list of stupid names, right next to "Filthy Rich."

Mr. Bags sure had some good salvage though. He had an entire cart with him stacked with random bits he had dug up from Rainbow Falls. He said a fair was set up to celebrate Princess Twilight's tenth year as Princess of Friendship. He got whatever he could before Changelings swarmed in.

Every pony came out of the house to barter with him, even with the two jackbooted thugs he kept near him as guards. Even Sweet Tooth came out from the garage to trade some springs and a carriage wheel for a tool box and a bottle of cider. Keen Eyes traded away one of the emeralds he found for some pistons and knife blades.

Of course, Copper Tail filtered through the contents of the cart looking for food or cooking utensils. We got a frying pan but he traded away a soup pot. I like soup. Dangit.

Gala Hat sold a couple of old saddle bags for buckles and needles. I think she's making new bags with the golden fabric Keen found. Not a bad idea, gold saddle bags do sound pretty awesome.

Mint Leaf let Money Bags sample some of her Cinnamon-Mint Tea, and it was an instant hit. He sold us a bundle of carrots for a steaming hot mug of that tea. Maybe I should try some myself if it's that good.

No pony else found anything they thought was worth trading, and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't sell me any medicine for the antique infected flesh I cut from Hay Bale. That thing gives me the creeps.

Money Bags said he'd be back in a few days with new goods to sell. He's on a trade route from here to Appleloosa, then to Fillydelphia, and back here again. Before he left, I told him I'd pay for some news about my aunt Rosemary Tonic in Appleloosa, along with anything else he might overhear. Hopefully I can get some information about the Last Survivors too.