Going Forth at About Six-ish [Close]

[Sten Softclaw]

October Tenth, Year Four

Sten strolled down main street, strolling being his main mode of locomotion. His talons clicked on the cobbles and he smiled to himself, despite it all. He was having to say that a lot lately. Despite it all. Despite the grim weather, despite the ornery locals, despite the fact every building was falling down.
At least it was quiet. Everyone was either gone or trying to go. With curfew in about half an hour it didn't pay to stick around, and Sten felt it his duty to remind them of that with a last-minute patrol. No one deserved to die for being late, after all.
And main street was easy to patrol, too. Big, broad street (littered with debris) with lovely tall buildings either side (crumbling) and a sense of (faded) grandeur. It wasn't home, but if you squinted...
So Sten wasn't quite paying attention, so he almost didn't hear the steps behind him.

[bluestar]

Blue Star walked up the main street, the sun slowly going down on the horizon. Up ahead is Griffon soldier, his intimidating figure dominating the wide road. Having just arrived in town, Blue Star had wandered until reaching the main street. Faint from the sweltering heat of the journey and parched from nothing to drink in a day, he approached the soldier from behind. Collapsing in a heap, all he sees is darkness.

[Sten Softclaw]

A 'thump' behind him just about got Sten's attention. He swivelled around, ready for just about anything. Of course, a freshly collapsed unicorn wasn't just anything. He sighed and padded over to him. He looked pretty well-travelled, although to be fair to him, a white coat wasn't easily cleaned. A newcomer, by the looks of him. Sten put a talon on his shoulder, rocking him briskly.
"Come on, no loitering," he said, sounding as jovial as he could. "Get up."

[bluestar]

Blue Star moaned, feeling a mildly sharp pain on his shoulder. Survival instincts kicking in he forced his lead heavy eyes open. The bright rays of the almost set sun cast the figure before him in silhouette, his eyes straining to make out the figure before him. The figure before him retracted the limb that had apparently been poking and shaking him. The brilliant sun glints off the well maintained talon and one thought passes through his mind: Griffon!
Blue Star tried to get up and run away for fear of making a Griffon soldier going out of his way for a pony. But his journey weary and malnourished body failed him in his desperate attempt to run away. Back on the ground, he turns back to the soldier, fear coursing through his veins.

"Please don't kill me! I'm sorry for causing trouble, just please don't kill me!" Blue Star pleaded with the feathered warrior before him.

[Sten Softclaw]

Sten sighed and glanced about. In theory, terrorising the locals was a good idea, but then this happened and he suddenly had to get a semi-living unicorn too scared to move off the street.
"I en't going to kill you, I just need you out of here," he said, maybe a little strained.
And of course, that was strictly speaking true. He didn't want to kill him, but orders were orders. As the sun went down, curfew was ticking away, and although Sten was all for leniency, there were limits.

[bluestar]

The Griffon's words took a few minutes to sink into the fear driven fog that was Blue Star's brain. Did he just say that he wouldn't kill me? He found that hard to believe, he had yet to meet a Griffon that wouldn't happily torture and maim a pony for looking at them funny. He thought about the soldier's words again.

"I en't going to kill you, I just need you out of here," the words echoed in his mind.

Could it be that he's just trying to do his duty? Blue Star tried to stand again, his legs wobbling a bit before righting themselves. He began to take a step away from the odd Griffon, but as he did so he felt a blinding sense of pain flash up is left leg. Momentarily blinded, he lost his precarious balance and pitched towards the soldier. An arm outstretched to try and stop his fall he accidentally hits the soldier in the head.

[Sten Softclaw]

Sten yelped and rubbed his head. It wasn't a crushing blow, and he'd had worse, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. He grabbed the unicorn by the hoof and held him up eye to eye.
"...Of course there's always the caveat 'unless you do something really stupid'," he hissed.
(He didn't exactly mean it, but in his defense, he could tell that thwack was going to leave a bruise)
"Now you need to clear off before curfew, and before I remember what's just happened," he said, setting the unicorn back on all four legs. "They don't have cells at the station, but they do have large stockpots."

[bluestar]

Horrified at his actions, Blue Star began apologizing profusely as he made his unsteady way to the edge of the street. The sun now barely peeping over the horizon, a breeze starts to blow down the promenade. Caught in the breeze, the sand and fine debris assaults both pony and Griffon a like. The sand stinging the face and blinding the eyes. Blue Star continued to hobble towards the nearest decrepit and run down shell of a building. The harsh wind picking up intensity, battering the body of the unicorn. His leg gives out again as the pain flashes once more, fortunately he collapses into the door way. Half in, half out. With sand in his eyes, pain in his leg and physical fatigue finally catching up with the adrenaline pumping through his body, calling him to sleep with it's siren song. With one last feeble exertion he tries to pull himself fully into the house. At which point he lays down in the dirt and blacks out, tears slowly trickling out of bloodshot eyes.

[Sten Softclaw]

Sten watched the pony stumble over into the doorway, stop halfway in and collapse. He sighed. Well... that would never do. He hauled the pony on to his shoulder and hauled him inside.
"You got off easy today," he muttered, laying him out on the floor. "I know if you died I'd be the one to cart your corpse off."
Probably something stupid about saving one pony when hundreds were dying every day, but Sten chose not to think about that.

[bluestar]

Blue Star awoke to find himself in an abandoned building, the sun shining it's early morning rays through the windows and broken brickwork alike. He remembered falling into the room, but nothing after that. Wiping sand and grit out of his eyes he looks around the room, seeing a door leading further into the house. He wondered if anyone else was taking shelter here. Shifting himself into a sitting position, he thinks back to that strange Griffon. At least I'm alive he thinks. But what now? I know no one and have no destination. His stomach rumbles again, reminding him of his situation. Guess foods on the list, which means I need to find people.

With that he gets to his hooves, gently massaging his aching leg, the shadow of half remembered pain teasing a return. Stepping outside he walks into a hive of activity he hadn't seen in a long time. Sure it was nothing like Canterlot back in the day and presumably Manehatten pre year 0, but there was life here. A half dozen ram shackle shop fronts had appeared overnight, ponies were milling about seeing if they could find what ever food they could afford or any other necessity that they could acquire.

With no money and no direction to go, Blue Star took his first step into the Manehatten CBD.

"If in doubt, find answers." he recites an old university mantra from his undergraduate years. First things first, let's talk to the locals. With that he headed towards the nearest stall.

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