Dealing with Slavers [CLOSED]

Starry looked around the tavern at all the ponies who had suddenly converged around her, half of them with orders from the mayor to assist her. Clearly, the mayor thought this was an important task to assign so many ponies to it!

"Shutter, right? Nice to meet you! And all of you too!" Starry gestured to Lucky and Athanix. "And there's only one dragon I know who's in Stableton, and that's Sparky! It's nice to see you're with us!" Starry turned toward Sparkfire, with a delighted smile on her face, before turning to face Athanix. "Do you want to come to? There's plenty of room!"

"Well, I wouldn't mind running into somepony else, the more the merrier, but it looks like we have an awesome little group forming already! Let's get this show on the road!" Starry hopped off the barstool, and made her way toward the exit. "C'mon everypony!"

Starry couldn't help but think to herself that she had probably just formed a group of the stable's biggest misfits(herself included), the ponies who hadn't had the opportunity or the talent to help their community survive in the wastes. But now, she thought, they were going to make one of the biggest contributions in Stableton's short history. The mayor will be so proud.

Athanix just smiled at the blue mares personality. How refreshing considering most are stone cold killers or extremely depressed ponies. This was quite the welcomed change.
''Why I'd love to accompany you and your merry band of mis-fits, but what would I be use to you? I'm not a very good fighter, nor to sharp with guns, or sneaking around for that matter.''

He just laughed as he stood up off the barstool.
''Heck, the only reason I'm still alive and trotting is because I've been able to talk my way through life. And even that is a surprise considering I'm as blind as a bat.''

Athanix then turned to the pony who was talking to him earlier, the one who offered him some glasses.
''Sorry but I actually don't have any caps on me... I thought I would be able to find myself a job and some caps before some shades but I guess I was dead wrong. All I have to trade on me is a rusty knife, the leathers on my back and a homemade zebra health potion. Don't worry, I didn't spike this one, I solemly swear on my parents grave.''

Techno got up off the stool, and expressed his concerns to Starry. "Hey, we can't just leave now. I think you forgot food, water, and other items usually associated with survival. We should get supplies first." he stated, a bit concerned about leaving without the proper rations and ammo.

"Besides, I don't think many of the ponies here took it upon themselves to bring the food and water needed to make about a three-day walk to New Appleoosa. Or at least I'm hoping we walk to New Appleoosa and take the train to the original, because I am NOT adding another day to that hike. I'd say all we need is a bunch of packs of Radgator. We can fill canteens during the trip." he said, rambling about the necessities of a long trip.

He realized this and shortened it before Starry could give him a confused look. "We need food before we go."

Lucky paused for a moment in thought. He made a couple faces, figuring deals in his head. "Well, I'll tell you what. I'll give you 3 caps for the potion, and I'll throw in the glasses free. Goddesses know the things are beaten to hell, and I'd probably be hard pressed selling them to anyone else. Sound fair?" He looked at the blue buck behind the zebra and said, "You're right. But before we do ANYTHING, we need to see the mayor for more details on the trip. All I got was some damn note while I was drunk, and I'd prefer to have more info on exactly what KIND of trade we're talking about here. It's not like we make any goods in this shithole, you know?"

Athanix just smiled knowing that health potions weren't worth 3 caps, but what did he care he was getting a free pair of shades! Albeit they were shattered but at least he would be able to see the world clearly and not in some haze. Gently setting the potion on the table he carefully took the glasses and rested them on his muzzel. Oh man if Amber could only see him now! He turned to the brown pony who had givien these glasses to him practically free.
''Why thank you! You know that health potions don't run cheap and throwing in the glasses was very, very nice of you. I guess I owe you one partner and I'd like to know who to thank. What's your name? Mines Athanix.'' Athanix said while he adjusted the glasses on his muzzle. He then offered his hoof to the bcuk in question, awaiting a hoof-shake.

''You best hurry. Looks like the parties already leaving to get ready.''

"Well, we'd be trading stable tech, of course!" Starry exclaimed, "and don't worry about the details, I have them all in this pipbuck here! It's got all the details, like who we want running the caravans, who's gonna pay for the security, what they want from Appleoosa, all the nice details in here. She told me to study the list before we arrived, see if we can't make a better deal than what she's suggesting in this list."
Starry pressed a button on her pipbuck, and held up her foreleg so that Lucky could get a look at it.

"And Techno, you're right! I need to go home and grab a few cans of food. So, how about we all meet by the city gate as soon as we get our things together? Then we can be off!"'

"Oh, before I forget, this mission is about making a trade deal. I'm not expecting any action, unless we run into danger along the road, so you don't exactly need to be skilled with a weapon, my dear zebra friend. If you happen to be good with words, though, like... better than I was just there pitching the idea of this whole adventure, then you're more than welcome to do the negotiating for us!"

The brown buck extended his hoof to meet the zebra's. "I'm Lucky, Lucky draw. And don't worry about the specs, my friend, it's the least I can do to help." He turned to the mare, and let out a sigh. "Fine, I'll meet you by the gate. But I'm stopping to get something on the way there, just in case." Lucky turned to the door, and headed outside, then began his way towards the market.

Shutter gave a nod, listening in on the exchange of words.
"Meeting at the gates sounds like a good idea. I've got a couple cans packed already, and a potion I was keeping for an emergency, but my canteen could probably use a refill before we set off...better safe then dehydrated in the wastes, right?"

He said, as he gave a quick look back at his saddlebags, adjusting the surprisingly light bags with his mouth before turning back.

"So! About...ten minutes to get all our things in top order and wait at the gate, and then we head off? That sound good?"

Sparks had only became away that he was standing on two legs when some of the ponies talking to Starry and Doc kept giving him cursory glances and mention'd "that dragon over there..."

Still for as much attention, thought he suffered outside, it did not seem too big of a deal with those adventurous types... it was almost enough to really make him go back to being a nomad, almost. There was just something about Starry's smile, Doc's willingness to help others that kept drawing him back to towns.

He was glad to be apart of their group once more, glad to be with friends. Now his friends were going to wait by the gate, he thought it would be best to meet them there.

He quietly got back on all fours and quietly slinked out.

"Alrighty! Meet you all at the town gate!" Starry quickly took off out the door.

In less than ten minutes, she found herself standing by the front gate. She had packed several cans of pre-war peaches, carrots, and beans, among other foods. Also in her saddlebags were several books for those long nights out in the waste. Her favorite was a pre-war book on constellations, which although she'd never seen the stars in the sky through the cloud layer, she had seen pictures, and they were amazing.

Athanix found himself at the front gate only minutes after leaving the tavern. He had gone to the market and convinced one of the shopkeeps there to actually trade with him and actually give him a saddlebags worth of food for the trip. He also stopped by the water treatment plant that kept coming up in conversation and managed to fill up his two canteens while nopony was looking. It seems like everypony was still sour about zebras. Had he done something to make these ponies not trust him? Okay maybe the bar trick could of been a little to extreme for this crowd, but Athanix had done it many times before and never got this sort of reaction from ponies.

Athanix just laughed to himself as he adjusted his glasses and walked up to the unicorn mare standing by the gate. He didn't want things to start of on the wrong hoof on this job, so maybe Athanix should try and be as honest as possible with these ponies. They haven't done anything to make him distrust them. So with that thought on his mind he trotted up to the gate right next to the blue mare.

''Looks like I'm a little early. Names Athanix, herbalist at heart. I didn't quite catch your name earlier in the tavern my unicorn friend. Now who do I own the pleasure of having this conversation too?'' Athanix said pushing his new glasses up to his face and putting on a friendly smile before extending a hoof.

"Hi there Athanix!" Starry greeted him warmly, extending her own hoof to meet him in a hoof shake.

"My name's Sta- uh," Starry had read about zebra folklore, about their incredible fear of the stars. "You can just call me Nigh-" The night brought out the stars, zebras were afraid of the night too, at least those zebras that clung to the folklore.

"You know what? You can just call me uh..." she glanced over at one of her saddlebags, which was brimming with books. "I uh... you know, uhm... uh, Bookworm! Yep! Bookworm! Because I uh, love books!" she levitated one of the books out of her saddlebag to show Athanix. By sheer dumb luck, she had pulled out the book on constellations.

"Oops! Where did that come from?!" she hid the book quickly, before pulling out another, less conspicuous book about robots. She gave Athanix her best poker face, which consisted of a very wide and very suspicious grin. A bead of sweat trailed down her forehead as she gulped nervously.

With a second thought, Starry quickly adjusted her saddlebags, letting them slip down her back so that they rested on her flank, covering her cutie marks.

Techno walked up to the front gate wearing his stuffed saddlebags, all full of meds and food. He noticed Athanix standing near Starry, who was failing at telling her name lightly to the zebra. A smart move on her part, he thought, I've heard that Zebras don't take too kindly to the stars... for whatever reason. He overheard her telling Arthanix to call her 'Bookworm', which was something he was going to have a lot of fun with in the future.

He walked up to the two and made his presence known. "Alright, I'm here. I've got the meds and the food. Are you guys packed and ready to go?" he asked, mentally going over the contents of his saddlebags once again to make sure he didn't forget anything.

"Hey doc! Er, doc-tor Techno." Starry was so used to calling him doc. "I've got everything I need for the trip! Got my fire-bombs for defense, got plenty of food and water, and most importantly, books!"

Starry showed the cover of the robot-themed book to Techno. "You never know when you might run into robots!"

Athanix just laughed to himself as he admired Starry's attempt to lie. It was quite a welcomed change, he was around pony's that didn't genuinely hate him or just didn't want to talk for some obscure reason. He was sure that the reason that she lied must of Ben for a good reason, so he wouldn't push any further. That is unil his curiosity got the better for him. Athanix just smiled warmly to the two unicorns as he smiled and pushed his glasses closer to his face. He shifted the bags on his flanks to get comfortable as he took out his small herbs pouch. He had used the last of the herbs in the tavern, looks like it's time to fine something new to place in there.

''Do any of you ponies happen to have a writing instrument of any sort?'' Athanix said pulling out a small ledger from within his cloak. It was in surprisingly good condition, but then again, Athanix did not want anything happening to it so he took very, very good care of it.

''I wanted to write something down.''

Techno looked over the cover of the book, recognizing it as one of the ones he grew up with. "Ohh, is that a copy of Dean's Electronics?" he asked, perking up as he saw what it was. "That's a good read you've got there. I grew up with that book." he informed, nodding his approval. "Oh, and I'm fine with Doc, by the way." he added, addressing her title for him.

He turned to Arthanix after he asked his question. "Well, I can't really say I've ever carried a quill... Starry might have something. She's the one that grabs stuff. I just carry the medicine." he said, "And what would you want to write down, anyways?" he added, curious as to why he wanted a writing implement.

"I do have a quill, but the closest thing I have to ink is lighter fluid mixed with a 10% solution of Sparkle-Cola. It'll stick to the page just fine, but it'll take a minute to dry. It'll also make your journal extra-flammable, so I wouldn't recommend reading it under candlelight."

Starry lifted a quill out of her saddlebag with her levitation, and sent floated it over to Athanix before pulling out the rag which was corking the firebomb, and setting the quill in it.

Athanix's pupils shrunk down to pinpoints as he tried to visualize his ledger up in flames. Quickly snapping his ledger shut and placing it back into his coat, he pushed his glasses up again as he looked at Starry and smiled awkwardly.

''Oh no, no, no ,no, no..! I thank you for offering up your belongings for my personal use. But this ledger is a little to important to me to just willingly apply lighter fluid to it.''

Athanix then turned to Techno.
''As for what I wanted to write down, nothing much just some notes to replenish herb bag for my alchemical potions and health potions seeing as I just sold my last one.'' Athanix just sighed as he pushed his glasses up for the hundreth time in the last five minutes. If he needed to write down a very important not in his ledger, he would write it in his own blood rather than lighter fluid.

Starry frowned sadly as she took the quill and fire-bomb back with her magic. "Sorry I couldn't help," she apologized, as she recorked the bomb and placed the quill back in her satchel.

"Say, where is everypony else? I hope they don't take too long."

Just then, Lucky appeared further down the road, heading for the gate. He seemed to be less hunkered down, except for a bag on his back that seemed to be full of something. He trundled up to the others and sat down with a huff; he seemed to be rather winded.

"Al...right... I'm here... let's go..." he panted, breathing heavily.

Techno directed his attention to the latest addition to the group waiting at the gate. "Ah, here's another. Sorry, ehh... Lucky, was it?" he recalled from the tavern, "We're still waiting for a couple of the others. I never knew it took that long to pack some stuff into some saddlebags. Ah, yes, are you packed and ready to go? It's about a two day walk to New Appleoosa, and we'll be taking the train from there, so we're all carrying our own food."

Lucky was still panting when he made his reply.

"Yeah...got food...but...we need to... hurry..."

He kept puffing, and started looking around with a glint of fear in his eyes.

"She's...Coming...need to...go soon..."

Sky walked in to the tavern, but to her surprise there was only one pony there. Except the barkeep, cleaning some of the glasses with a cloth. "where is everypony?" She asked the bar keep.

"huh."He grunted as her looked up. "you didn't hear? a unicorn came on in over recruiting a bunch of ponies, a zebra, and apparently a dragon for some big mission to old apploosa. So i take it so you didn't hear about."

"yeah i didn't, but since im here why not set me up with shot and ill be on my way to see what these bunch are up to."

The bar keep slid a shot glass, Sky drank it in one swoop. She tossed a couple caps on the counter, and headed out the door.

Starry eyed Lucky skeptically. "We've still gotta wait for Sparkfire." Starry hadn't known this pony for long, but she had a feeling he wouldn't go and get on somepony's bad side in under ten minutes, under these circumstances. Maybe that was just her being naiive.

Starry had a whole host of ideas as to who this special somepony might be, but she wasn't going to jump to conclusions. "Who is she?"

Shutter would quickly rush up to the group with his saddlebags in tow, having made his stop to refill his canteen.

"Hi! Sorry I took a bit, apparantly a few other ponies needed to refill the very second I did..."
He mumbled, before quickly switching expressions to one of joy.
"So, where are we going, anyway? All the Mayor told me was that this mission was important..."