Fallout: Out of the stable (Open to all, ask to join.)

[Dabom444]

The questions came In, Livewire barely had any time to register them just before she felt a burning sensation on her injured leg. Giving a small gasp she moved all weight off of it and held the bloody appendage out for easier access. Wincing every time the magic flowed through her.

Looking to the bot her horn began to glow and sure enough a small wall of crackling mana infused letters appeared in thin air. The Lightning blue color lighting up like a star.

" I come from the arctic Region known as stalliongrad, i lived with others at a camp within a makeshift fort just on the outskirts of the civilization. We were unable to get to new Stalliongrad due to the danger of the old city. We lived there peacefully till ravenous beasts came and tore apart my home. I ran and left everything behind, coming south to here and now I have been roaming ever since. In all honesty I am just trying to find a place to hunker down and live alone. Though I haven't got the chance."

The letters fizzled. Hopefully they read them fast enough because she was burned out of mana for the time being now. She faulteres and falls onto her side, supporting herself barely with one leg to prop herself up as she huffs and puffs.

[CloudRunner]

"I see, you're a long a way from home. Here let me take you home." Cloud says.

[DerpRavener]

DRIFTER glared at the back of Cloud's head as he turned away.  Why was it that he was allowed to ask as many rapid fire questions as he wants, but the moment she gets a little excited she gets chastised?  It wasn't fair.  She couldn't be too mad, because he was right in some ways.  It was also somewhat hypocritical of him.

 

The unicorn was fortunately able to answer all of their questions.  The mare was from Stalliongrad – DRIFTER's quick check of her memory revealed information even she knew was outdated – which had at some point been overrun by beasts.  Either the populace as a whole, or the mare's subset in particular tried to make their way to a safer location, but got cut off.  At that point, the mare decided to pack up and run off on her own.  A mare after DRIFTER's own heart.

That was the end of her strength though.  Between the injury, the strain of magical recovery and the effort needed to make the glowing letters, the mare was spent.  She almost fell over in fact.  DRIFTER, after thinking for just a moment, knelt down beside the exhausted unicorn and motioned for her to get on DRIFTER's back.

 

DRIFTER shot Cloud Runner a look.  “I'm not sure she wants to go back.”  Actually she was pretty confident the mare didn't  want to go back home based on what she said, at least not yet, but she didn't feel like having the argument right now.  “Let's just get out of the open, give her a chance to rest, and figure out where to go from there.”

She started to look around as she waiting, trying to figure out the safest direction to go.  Not that she was the expert on safe, but it was what they needed right now.

[CloudRunner]

"I think I know that we should take her out of the open, so we can figure out as to where we should move to next." Cloud says.

[Dabom444]

Livewire was sort of in a faded concuousness to be honest. Her body's natural reaction to her bloodloss and fatigue. She didn't have the energy to really awnser any questions before the small nods that she could muster, and even that was dull.

She gave a few soft breaths, the questions turning into muffled noises in her mind as her vision fogged and soon she was nearly toppling. The only thing that stopped her was when DRIFTER picked her up and placed her on her back. Giving a small wheeze and a weak twitch of her legs as she finnaly passed out. Her covered muzzle contorting to that of a sleepy filly.

Her breathing went soft and soon she was fully asleep.

[DerpRavener]

DRIFTER stared at Cloud Runner for a moment.  She wasn't entirely sure how to interpret what he said.  Was he agreeing, or was he chastising DRIFTER for thinking she had to point out the obvious to him?  If it was the latter, well he seemed like the sort of pony who could use the reminder.  And hey, everypony could use a reminder every now and then, that was nothing to be ashamed of.

Other than taking it as acknowledgement though, DRIFTER largely brushed it aside.  They could argue later if they wanted, but right now a mare was counting on them.

 

With a bit of careful shuffling and balancing, so as to avoid dropping the wounded, sleeping mare or jostling her too much, DRIFTER exposed a small hatch which promptly slid open.  A small screen emerged, connected to a spindly arm.  The screen switched on with a faint click, and displayed DRIFTER's own internal map of the area, complete with sketched lines and text where DRIFTER had made mental notes.  “There are a few places which might be good for cover around here, but one come to mind.  “There was an abandoned hospital a little ways out.  It wasn't...completely intact but it was mostly holding up.  It would probably be our best chance finding any medical supplies, and it and the other buildings in the area would provide enough cover.”  A small, rough circle appeared at a point in the south of the map.  She retracted the map, and started turning in that direction, though she refrained from actually starting to walk until she heard Cloud Runner's response.  “We should head there, unless you have any better ideas.”

[CloudRunner]

Cloud puts Livewire on his back with ease. "Lead the way DRIFTER." Cloud says with Livewire on his back, it's like he may be a cyborg, but he's not, he just can pick up and carry very heavy things.

[DerpRavener]

DRIFTER made a sudden, mechanical whirring sound as Cloud Runner reached for the wounded mare on the automaton's back.  She couldn't tell if the mutant pony would understand it as a sound of alarm, but DRIFTER blocking his hooves with one of her artificial ones probably sent a much clearer message.  The amount of force behind Cloud Runner's motion caught her a little by surprise, especially for trying to move a wounded mare, but DRIFTER was a robot.  She could deal with it easily.

What was he thinking!?  The mare was wounded!  Putting her on DRIFTER's back was risk enough.  She didn't want to fight though, at least not while there was something more important to consider.  After they found a safe spot for the mare they could fight all they wanted.  But they would have to decide that when the came to it.  For now, she settled for more of a measured response.  "If you'd wanted to be the one to carry her so much, I'd have let you.  But we shouldn't move her like that."

 

With that done, Cloud Runner was ready to move on, and for that matter so was DRIFTER.  And the mare still seemed to be asleep.  DRIFTER had a thought.  Cloud Runner had really seemed to want to help, or maybe show of his strength.  Probably both, though she was no expert.  Whatever it was, she didn't want to exclude him if his intentions were honest, and it just so happened there was something they would in fact need a capable pony to do.  "Actually, it's a fairly big building.  Er, former building."  DRIFTER pointed at a spot a short distance away.  "Once you get past those rocks, it should be easy to spot."  She indicated to the mare on her back next. "And I shouldn't really be fighting right now, so, would you mind scouting it for us and making sure it's clear?"  Hopefully this was a solution that kept everypony involved satisfied and safe, and either way it would be a better use of what their group had at its disposal..

[Dabom444]

Livewire gave a whimper as she was jostled. Her teeth Clenching just w bit as the bot moved. She did however fall back into slumber once the movement ceased.

[CloudRunner]

"I'm one of Stable 202's most greatest healer's of all time. I just need some Posion Joke, rose petals, honey, tea & mint leaves." Cloud says listing off all the things he will need to help heal Livewire's wound.

[DerpRavener]

DRIFTER stared at Cloud Runner yet again.  It almost seemed like he was avoiding the question.  She might have found that suspicious, if there was even a reason for him to do so in the first place.  But hadn't he wanted to show off his strength?  It was possible she'd misread him in that regard, but then wouldn't he just correct her, rather than suddenly shifting the subject.  As much as Cloud Runner seemed to hate the term, mental instability was a common trait among mutants.  It occurred to DRIFTER that the Cloud might not have been quite as stable as he first appeared.

Still, he at least was trying to help regardless of his mental state.  DRIFTER might be smart to keep an eye on him, but overall he didn't seem like a harmful pony to have around.

 

That didn't give much sense of how to reply to his comment though.  “Uh, alright I will keep an eye out.  Though, don't hold out too much hope, several of those aren't very common around here.”  DRIFTER likely wouldn't want to tell if she did, given his previous interaction with the wounded mare.  He seemed pretty good at healing magic, but a doctor he was not.  Fortunately, she probably wouldn't have to decide: as far as she knew this was the wrong climate for poison joke, and a few of the things Cloud mentioned were ones she wouldn't even know how to begin looking for.

 

DRIFTER stared at Cloud Runner for a few more moments, before her patience finally gave out.  She had to do something for the mare on her back first, to limit what else could go wrong.  And Cloud had said for them to get moving.  Without another word, she turned and started walking in the direction of the hospital ruins.

[CloudRunner]

(I'm the one who has Livewire on my back, not you.)

 

"Those ingrediants aren't going to get themselvs, now come on and hurry up!!!!!!!" Cloud demanding DRIFTER.

[DerpRavener]

[i beg to differ.  You tried to have Cloud pick up Livewire without even acknowledging that she was already being carried by DRIFTER, let alone providing any reasons why Cloud would want to carry her or what reason there would be to try shifting her around like that.  There also would have been no opportunity to react to it.  So I treated it as an attempt.]

 

Now he was on the verge of shouting at her.  Previously when ponies had acted like this she was waist deep in debris and soot, and was feeling very embarrassed.  This was the first time when it had happened where she had no idea what the cause was.  She couldn't rule out the fact that she had done something wrong without realizing it, and it was something she would keep an eye out for, but another possibility seemed more likely.  She'd already begun to doubt Cloud Runner's mental state...

She recoiled a little at his demand.  "Look, I honestly have no idea where to start searching for those ingredients.  Alright?  What even is a 'rose' anyways?"  She asked that last question, less really wanting or expecting an answer so much as wanting to illustrate her point.  "If we really need them, well, she's incapacitated," DRIFTER motioned toward the sleeping mare with a hoof, "and I have no idea how or where to start that search.  So, only one of the three of us has any hope of finding them."  She moved her hoof to point right at Cloud again.

 

DRIFTER put her hoof down, and lingered just a moment longer before making up her mind.  She didn't think it would be a good idea to keep an injured mare around here, with an aggressive Cloud Runner, so she simply decided to move on.  Without another word, she turned and trotted away, vaguely in the direction she had indicated earlier.  "I'll even do the reconnaissance myself," she muttered to nopony in particular as she left, carrying the wounded mare with her.

[CloudRunner]

(How did she pick her up before me?)

 

Cloud facehoofs when he hears that DRIFTER doesn't know what a rose is. He groans in disbelief. "I guess I'll have to get the stuff myself then I guess!!!!!!" Cloud says as he then trots away, angry.

[DerpRavener]

Cloud couldn't believe DRIFTER's response to his demand.  It wasn't like there was an apocalypse or anything, that would render information and material destroyed or inaccessible..

Oh wait.

 

DRIFTER resisted the urge to give him a dirty look.  Cloud finally decided on which task he wanted to pursue, and DRIFTER didn't want to derail that.  Tempers were starting to flare a bit, and that could be a death sentence in the wasteland.  Spending some time away from each other might work out best for everypony.

DRIFTER continued walking away.  Cloud Runner knew where they were headed, it would be fairly simple to meet up later if they so desired.

 

---

 

It only took a few minutes for DRIFTER to reach her destination.  The hospital was...well it should serve their purposes.  It had three-and-a-half walls, and 70 to 80 percent of a roof, so it should work as temporary shelter.  DRIFTER didn't think it would be a good idea to try and settle there, so where to go next was a conversation she would have to have with her new companions at some point.  That would have to wait though.

 

DRIFTER trotted through the empty door frame at the front of the building.  The inside looked very similar to the outside, ransacked, crumbling and with large holes in several walls.  She heard a few faint noises echoing through the empty halls, though which were critters and which were just the building slowly falling apart she couldn't tell.

It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for: a mattress.  Finding a few relatively intact, in a particular large room, she pushed a few together to make a more comfortable bed.  Or at least she hoped it was, she wasn't really an expert on that sort of thing.  But there would only be one way to find out, and it would help nopony for her to stand here guessing.

 

Finally, at long last, she deposited the unconscious mare on her back on the makeshift bed.  DRIFTER took a moment to check the mare's injuries.  It looked like the healing magic had done it's job, DRIFTER couldn't spot any visible wounds.  DRIFTER guessed that it was the strain of magical healing, plus whatever she had gone through to get to that point that was effecting her now, and what she needed most now was rest.

 

DRIFTER would do her best to make sure she got it.  The automaton planted herself beside the bed, and settled in to keep guard for an indeterminate amount of time.

 

 

[it was the following, which are excerpts from about 10-12 posts back,  Now that I look I see that It's a little roundabout, as I wanted to give Dabom a chance to respond before just having my character carry his.]

 

That was the end of her strength though.  Between the injury, the strain of magical recovery and the effort needed to make the glowing letters, the mare was spent.  She almost fell over in fact.  DRIFTER, after thinking for just a moment, knelt down beside the exhausted unicorn and motioned for her to get on DRIFTER's back.

 

She gave a few soft breaths, the questions turning into muffled noises in her mind as her vision fogged and soon she was nearly toppling. The only thing that stopped her was when DRIFTER picked her up and placed her on her back. Giving a small wheeze and a weak twitch of her legs as she finnaly passed out. Her covered muzzle contorting to that of a sleepy filly.

[Dabom444]

Sky wires heard muffled voices through the void that was her sleeping mind. It was like faint echoes residing off of the walls. She tried to hear the words clear enough to piece them together. Nothing came to her though and sure enough she felt herself fall deeper into sleep.

After a while she stirred gently. Her facial expression changing to one of pain and strain at the same time. Her eyes slowly opening, the sapphire windows to her soul opened slowly. Her head aches like she had drank for a few days over without sleep.

She moved a bit and grabbed her head just before trying to sit up.

[DerpRavener]

It was only a few minutes later that the mare woke up.  DRIFTER hadn't been expecting that, given what the mare's condition seemed to be DRIFTER wasn't expecting her to get up for at least a couple hours.  The automaton had to wonder if she really was rested enough to continue, or if she was just forcing herself awake by some means and for some reason.

 

DRIFTER looked over at her, at first not moving anything except her head, and she pondered for a moment.  Eventually she settled for putting what she intended to be a friendly pat on the shoulder.  She didn't want to hold the mare down if she didn't have to, but she also knew the mare really probably shouldn't be moving around too much right now.  She'd wait to see how the mare dealt with waking up before she'd take any firm action.

 

DRIFTER still didn't know the mare's name.  But while she desperately wanted to ask, it was not the priority at the moment.  The mare's condition came first.  “Don't push yourself too hard,” she said.  “How do you feel?”

[Dabom444]

Livewire got herself up slowly. Listening to DRIFTER to be careful. She gave a wince and closed her eyes to bite down the urge to puke. She swallowed a few times as her eyes opened and looked to the bot.

Her horn glew faintly and small letters floated from her horn like balloons to the ceiling. "S-I-C-K"

She swallowed down her nausea and tried to find her canteen. Reaching around her battle saddle as she fumbled to get it un latched.

[DerpRavener]

DRIFTER watched the letters come into being and then disappear.  “I see,” she said.  There wasn't really a whole lot she could do about that, except what she was already doing, which was keeping the mare safe and giving her a chance to rest.  “Well, Cloud went to go get some ingredients which will hopefully help.”  DRIFTER wasn't sure if Cloud knew what he was doing, but she thought he knew enough to not make things worse.  Probably.

 

DRIFTER waited a moment as the mare struggled with her canteen for a moment.  Some ponies got mad when you tried to help them with these sort of things, she had learned from experience, and so she was a little hesitant to help.  After a moment she decided to ask.  “...Do you want some help with that?”  If so, DRIFTER did have an artificial telekinesis she would.

Either way, she wanted to stop thinking of her charge as just 'the wounded mare'.  “Do you feel up to telling me your name?”

[CloudRunner]

I'm good. I don't need help.

[CloudRunner]

Cloud comes back a bit later with all of the things he needs to heal Livewire.

[DerpRavener]

DRIFTER blinked in surprise at Cloud Runner's sudden appearance.  Not that blinking was something she needed to do, lacking actual eyes, but it was a way she had adopted from organics, for expressing surprise.  She had picked up the habit from the scavengers she 'grew up' with.

She hadn't expected Cloud back so soon.  It had been close to an hour, and the distance covered wasn't necessarily that long, so in some ways it wasn't that surprising.  She wasn't expecting him to have found the necessary materials that quickly however.  Maybe he had a cache somewhere nearby?  He was a local as far as she could tell.  Even if that were the case though, that he had these specific ingredients on-hoof.

 

Of the two of them DRIFTER guess Cloud would be the expert on obscure remedies.  All the same, she saw how he approached the problem of a wounded pony earlier.  She had no intention of getting in his way, but she wasn't going to leave him alone with the wounded mare either.  And if she was determined to stay in the room either way...

DRIFTER glanced at the wounded mare before turning her attention back to Cloud.  “Will you need any help with this?”

[CloudRunner]

"A little help, just try and keep the sand out of the way as I'm try and make this remedy." Cloud says.

[DerpRavener]

Keep the sand out?  DRIFTER looked around.  They were far enough inside the building, and the building was sufficiently intact that she didn't think it would be too much of an issue.  Any debris or air particles they had to deal with would already be in the room.  And DRIFTER wasn't really equipped to sanitize anything.

 

DRIFTER didn't have much else to do, so she nodded acknowledgement all the same.  It never hurt to be prepared.  She readied a shield bubble, though she held of casting it for the moment.  She moved herself to a corner near the injured mare, so that DRIFTER could simultaneously keep an eye on what was happening to the wounded mare and on the openings which lead out into the dilapidated halls.  She then stood perfectly still, watching and waiting.

[CloudRunner]

Cloud started to make the remedy, & after a few moments, Cloud finishes the remedy.