10-07-2017, 07:20 PM
The sun was out, shining through the gaps of the forest canopy, to the tune of chirps and buzzes from the local wildlife. The slightest of breezes swept through the trees, swaying leaves and branches with the tiny sigh of the wind. An old wooded trunk, topped and mangled, had submitted to the lichen and fungi of the ecosystem, already breaking down the bark in rotting chunks. In due time, the working plant matter would eventually be recycled into the new plants and trees that would grow in this space.
Mega Man X stood stark against this scene, his damaged upper body shrouded under his cloak. There remained no sign of Nebula in the area- not in the tree itself, the creatures around it, or the nook that the Liberators had shoved the soldiers into. Not even old pieces of rope or cloth were left to indicate a struggle- Steven and the others had disappeared, leaving not a single breadcrumb behind.
Probably for the better, too.
The android moved on after a minute of observing the scene, confirming that nothing remained left to be found. Those missing Nebula soldiers might still be out there as rogue agents, but the collapse of the stronghold in the Green would leave them lacking in any sort of power to use. The chances of them mounting any sort of counter-attack sat at some terribly low number. Perhaps those agents would have to be hunted down at some point, but for now, X did not concern himself with such a task.
The liberator retraced his old steps, back through the brushes and onto the trail. He reached that fork in the road again, with that same sign pointing towards the township of Ambrosia. Yes, now that the Mega Man could recall the scene properly, the assistant of Regal that he had met did come from down this path. All information available pointed to this town being the android's closest and finest option of shelter and recovery.
With that in mind, the Liberator started walking. A series of tiny footsteps, crunching over stray twigs and leaves, resounded somewhere behind the machine. He paid it no mind- probably just some animals.
---
"Hold it!"
If the adverts gave any indication of what to expect, X should've been prepared to see some strange things, from the mythological to the downright bizarre. Despite this, no experience in the android's history could prepare him for being stopped in his tracks by a small squadron of tiny horses, all boasting wild manes and feathered wings. Not a single one of the creates came up to his chest in height, but they didn't need to when they could all flap their wings to be at eye level with the Liberator.
"What the deal with that cape, huh?" The apparent leader spoke up, brown-furred nose snorting between sentences as if he were some world champion as scoffing, "It's a little rude to hide yourself under that, you know. Why not show us what you're hiding, huh?"
X narrowed his cameras, attempting to scrutinize the flying pony with better focus. Lacking any sort of scanning feature yet, the blue bomber was forced to rely on interpretation and hypothesis. Thankfully, he didn't need any complicated equipment to see that not a single one of the creatures wore visible equipment or tool that would indicate them to being some sort of town guard.
The conclusion of that observation was met for him when a strict female voice called out, "Oi! Get away from there, you lot!" A sandy pegasus with a trimmed shock of hair and piercing blue eyes flew into sight, the harsh beats of her wings indicating her current temperance. "Reports're callin' for light showers, and not one of ya is off-duty yet! Back to work-!" She commanded, making the brown pony flinch back with shock and scattering the group of fliers into the skies.
A sweep of the Mega Man's head tracked a couple of the winged horses as they soared off over the expanse of farmlands surrounding the city ahead, from orchards to ranches all raising some exotic variants of traditional animals. X turned his attention to the newcomer as the sound of her flapping drew closer, her expression and demeanor now changed to something softer. "Sorry 'bout that-" The pegasus apologized, sparing a grumpy glance at the retreating forms, "That weather team's got a reputation for butting into whatever business they see. You don't usually get greetings like that in Ambrosia, I swear."
X shook his head and raised his left arm as if offering it, the fine shawl being pushed aside to reveal half of his bare battered torso. "No, I understand," the android explained, "They might've thought I was smuggling weapons under this cloak. Considering the incidents with Nebula that have been occurring, it would be a justified thought."
The desert-colored pony widened her eyes a bit, tilting her head as if to get the blood flowing to the left side. After a moment, she replied, "Oh, you mean that stuff with the Darklings in the other verses, right?" X nodded, and she mimicked the gesture in recognition, "Yeah, that's some brutal stuff out there. We've been trying not to think about just we can keep our routine here going." The pegasus clapped a hoof onto the robot's outstretched hand, accepting a belated handshake. "Name's Gusty Noon, by the by. What brings someone like you to Ambrosia?"
In response, X rescinded his hand and lifted it to display the glove fitted over it- the Liberator Aide. "I've been working for Dr. Regal to dispatch Nebula's forces across the Omniverse. I just came from a rough battle to eradicate their stronghold, hidden deep in the forest." As he showed off the hand, the scars over his chest were more properly exposed, including a hint of the deep wound that Plant Man inflicted in an attempt to rip out his core.
Gusty Noon looked between these signs and quickly pieced together the picture on display. "Ah, so you're lookin' for someplace to hunker down for a bit?" She concluded, and practically bounced in mid-air with her newfound gusto, "Well, ya won't find a better place around these parts than Ambrosia, I can promise ya that. Look again, treat yourself, settle down a while- nobody judges as long as you don't!"
X offered a weak smile as his hand fell to the side again. "Thank you," he said, unable to find better words. With an opportunity to rest within sight, the exhausting was starting to seriously set in, the machine of his form unconsciously preparing to rest a spell. Or maybe that was due to be being dangerously close to running out of power. Not sparing the energy to question anything, the Liberator plodded forward towards the gates again, leaving the weather-pony to flutter off again in pursuit of her team.
A strange place with strange people, but only in appearance. After facing a cosmic level of terror, this felt like a welcoming paradise in comparison. Rightfully so.
Mega Man X stood stark against this scene, his damaged upper body shrouded under his cloak. There remained no sign of Nebula in the area- not in the tree itself, the creatures around it, or the nook that the Liberators had shoved the soldiers into. Not even old pieces of rope or cloth were left to indicate a struggle- Steven and the others had disappeared, leaving not a single breadcrumb behind.
Probably for the better, too.
The android moved on after a minute of observing the scene, confirming that nothing remained left to be found. Those missing Nebula soldiers might still be out there as rogue agents, but the collapse of the stronghold in the Green would leave them lacking in any sort of power to use. The chances of them mounting any sort of counter-attack sat at some terribly low number. Perhaps those agents would have to be hunted down at some point, but for now, X did not concern himself with such a task.
The liberator retraced his old steps, back through the brushes and onto the trail. He reached that fork in the road again, with that same sign pointing towards the township of Ambrosia. Yes, now that the Mega Man could recall the scene properly, the assistant of Regal that he had met did come from down this path. All information available pointed to this town being the android's closest and finest option of shelter and recovery.
With that in mind, the Liberator started walking. A series of tiny footsteps, crunching over stray twigs and leaves, resounded somewhere behind the machine. He paid it no mind- probably just some animals.
---
"Hold it!"
If the adverts gave any indication of what to expect, X should've been prepared to see some strange things, from the mythological to the downright bizarre. Despite this, no experience in the android's history could prepare him for being stopped in his tracks by a small squadron of tiny horses, all boasting wild manes and feathered wings. Not a single one of the creates came up to his chest in height, but they didn't need to when they could all flap their wings to be at eye level with the Liberator.
"What the deal with that cape, huh?" The apparent leader spoke up, brown-furred nose snorting between sentences as if he were some world champion as scoffing, "It's a little rude to hide yourself under that, you know. Why not show us what you're hiding, huh?"
X narrowed his cameras, attempting to scrutinize the flying pony with better focus. Lacking any sort of scanning feature yet, the blue bomber was forced to rely on interpretation and hypothesis. Thankfully, he didn't need any complicated equipment to see that not a single one of the creatures wore visible equipment or tool that would indicate them to being some sort of town guard.
The conclusion of that observation was met for him when a strict female voice called out, "Oi! Get away from there, you lot!" A sandy pegasus with a trimmed shock of hair and piercing blue eyes flew into sight, the harsh beats of her wings indicating her current temperance. "Reports're callin' for light showers, and not one of ya is off-duty yet! Back to work-!" She commanded, making the brown pony flinch back with shock and scattering the group of fliers into the skies.
A sweep of the Mega Man's head tracked a couple of the winged horses as they soared off over the expanse of farmlands surrounding the city ahead, from orchards to ranches all raising some exotic variants of traditional animals. X turned his attention to the newcomer as the sound of her flapping drew closer, her expression and demeanor now changed to something softer. "Sorry 'bout that-" The pegasus apologized, sparing a grumpy glance at the retreating forms, "That weather team's got a reputation for butting into whatever business they see. You don't usually get greetings like that in Ambrosia, I swear."
X shook his head and raised his left arm as if offering it, the fine shawl being pushed aside to reveal half of his bare battered torso. "No, I understand," the android explained, "They might've thought I was smuggling weapons under this cloak. Considering the incidents with Nebula that have been occurring, it would be a justified thought."
The desert-colored pony widened her eyes a bit, tilting her head as if to get the blood flowing to the left side. After a moment, she replied, "Oh, you mean that stuff with the Darklings in the other verses, right?" X nodded, and she mimicked the gesture in recognition, "Yeah, that's some brutal stuff out there. We've been trying not to think about just we can keep our routine here going." The pegasus clapped a hoof onto the robot's outstretched hand, accepting a belated handshake. "Name's Gusty Noon, by the by. What brings someone like you to Ambrosia?"
In response, X rescinded his hand and lifted it to display the glove fitted over it- the Liberator Aide. "I've been working for Dr. Regal to dispatch Nebula's forces across the Omniverse. I just came from a rough battle to eradicate their stronghold, hidden deep in the forest." As he showed off the hand, the scars over his chest were more properly exposed, including a hint of the deep wound that Plant Man inflicted in an attempt to rip out his core.
Gusty Noon looked between these signs and quickly pieced together the picture on display. "Ah, so you're lookin' for someplace to hunker down for a bit?" She concluded, and practically bounced in mid-air with her newfound gusto, "Well, ya won't find a better place around these parts than Ambrosia, I can promise ya that. Look again, treat yourself, settle down a while- nobody judges as long as you don't!"
X offered a weak smile as his hand fell to the side again. "Thank you," he said, unable to find better words. With an opportunity to rest within sight, the exhausting was starting to seriously set in, the machine of his form unconsciously preparing to rest a spell. Or maybe that was due to be being dangerously close to running out of power. Not sparing the energy to question anything, the Liberator plodded forward towards the gates again, leaving the weather-pony to flutter off again in pursuit of her team.
A strange place with strange people, but only in appearance. After facing a cosmic level of terror, this felt like a welcoming paradise in comparison. Rightfully so.