Hollowed Ruins (Dunder, Andifferous, Winter, Sturmmann, and Phil the Time Wizard)

[Dunder]

Dunder could tell that Midnight definitely had something that she wanted to hide from her past. Just by the way she spoke in response to Muggo'. Maybe something went wrong one day and something horrible happened.... he hoped not. He wanted to assure there to be no prying, but Muggo' already beat him, "Yeah.... no prying." Dunder said. He wanted to get off the topic. Remembering bad memories could be unhealthy and now deafeningly wasn't the time to be unhealthy. He turned back to Muggo' when he spoke.

"Thanks, Muggo'." Dunder said and chuckled a little bit, "Although, I'm pretty sure I could woo Running Meadow with my stallion charm to get a few free drinks." He said with a laugh. "Seriously, thank you. I'd love to go to the pub and just hang out. Except it smells like sweaty stallions and grease in there." Dunder said with a playful smile.

"Keep the map, you have more pockets than I do anyway." Dunder said to Dusty. "Anyway, I already know where we need to go. I scouted for a little bit before I got dark, and made sure that I knew where we were going..." He said before he stopped walking. He pulled his gaze up to the mountains. A small, narrow path crawled around the side of the foremost mountain into the mountain range. "The researcher said they checked the area around here. All the flatlands he searched, the only way he refused to go was up the mountain." He said as he pointed a hoof at the narrow path. "But that is where we come in, as well as our money." Dunder said, he didn't look back at the group.

He stopped walking. He turned to face the rest of his group, his tone became stern, but not harsh. "Alright, we're going to need some sort of organization if anything goes wrong. When it gets too narrow for two ponies to be walking side by side, I want the Order to be me at the head, then Dusty, then Midnight, then Winter, then Muggo'. That way, if anything happens, fight or rockslide, we'll be ready with strong fighters next to weaker fighters. No offence Dusty or Winter." Dunder said to them, back in his non-formal tone. He quickly got back on topic, "I also want plenty of space between each pony. You don't need your face up in their rear, that way a rockslide will be easy to clear away from, especially for the earth ponies." Dunder took in a deep breath. "Of course, these are just precautions. We should be okay. The researcher said they found no traces of anything evil living in the mountains, and I'm taking his word for it." He said.

Far off, on one of the more distant mountains, a small flash of reflected light could be seen by the ponies facing Dunder. As quick as it came, it was gone...

[Andifferous]

Dusty nodded, patting his vest as Dunder told him to hold onto the maps. It seemed fair enough given his talents, and being new to all of this he was receptive to any instructions. For the moment he was simply happy to be involved in such a venture to begin with. As he walked he stretched his wings a bit, part of him eager to just start flying and rush on ahead. That probably wouldn't go over too well though.

When Dunder paused and turned to address the group he listened closely, shrugging a bit at the mention of fighting. What the other pegasus figured on was true. Fighting was definitely not his forte, but he'd run into trouble while wandering enough times that he wasn't completely helpless. Still he lacked any sort of formal training or combat experience, so sticking close to somepony who knew what they were doing was definitely for the best.

Raising a hoof to scratch at an itch within the tangled mess that made up his mane, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye; just a brief little flicker of red way off in the distance. Still it only lasted a moment, maybe just a trick of the light, or something in his eye, so he shrugged it off as nothing.

[RarityDash]

Midnight gave a nod, respecting the decision of Muggo and Dunder to not pry further into her departure from the REA. It was a sign of courtesy and spoke toward the character of them both. She rather appreciated it.

She listened attentively to what Dunder said. His plan seemed fairly sound. Moving with the weaker links between the stronger, made for good distribution of power and would help in the case of a crisis. Had she ordered them, she might have put Muggo' in the center and herself in the rear, but this order was sound enough as well.

"That sounds like a solid plan," Midnight commented with a nod, pleased.

There was some small matter of semantics in Dunder's words that she did however have to question. "However, keep in mind that not everything that poses a threat to us can be called evil. The most ferocious of beasts are merely hungry... and you'll only find them when they want to be found..."

Midnight took beasts and monsters more seriously than anything. For most of her years in the REA it was the point of focus for every unit she had ever been a part of, fighting off beasts who would escape from Everfree and the other danger zones of Equestria to terrorize the land. It was a hungry beast, a hydra, which challenged her platoon on that day that changed everything for her. As they proceeded into these lands on the very edges of the Equestrian map, she at least would be on her highest alert.

[Snowshoe]

"Ya'd have to get her name right first, b'y. Other way 'round: Meadow Runner. She gets it all the time, no worries." Muggo' Ale teased with a chuckle. " 'Sides, I thought ya were into stallions." he joked, but then toned it down as Dunder laid out the plans. He chuckled. "Ya shoulda been a soldier, b'y, not a chef." he said. He was planning this out right, and even Midnight said it was a solid plan. When the soldier said a civvie's plan was good, things were going good.

"Ya got a point, and personally I'd rather keep outta the way of anythin' that wants to eat me starn." he said, still remembering the look on the angry manticorn's face after Muggo' had crashed into its side and knocked it away from the pegasus mare in the reservoir at Winter-Wrap Up. He'd never been that terrified in his life, even if he didn't show it at the time. He did NOT want to have any of the creatures of the Badlands in such a position. Who knows what was out here? Dragons? Hydras? Some not-so-pleasant griffons? The latter would scare him the most, because griffons were totally conscious of their actions, being much more sentient than say, a charging manticore.

[Winter]

"Yessir, Mr. Dunder. I like how we squishies are getting protected by the... tougher ponies. It's a good thing to know I got my flank covered." Winter decided to take an analysis of the lines and how he could enjoy them. He wouldn't be able to talk to the mare in front of him, she was less sociable than a stick in the mud. Winter decided that if he was going to have a nice talk with anyone in the line, it would be Muggo' Ale. Winter could still get to know the ponies around him when they weren't busy being careful in a dangerous place, though... Come to think of it, what part of this place isn't dangerous? The weight of exploring this dangerous place with such few ponies suddenly hit Winter. Feeling guilty for his previous goofy behavior, he took on a more sullen attitude. He decided he had best be ready for anything, so decided to ask Dunder. "Er, sir... If there isn't anything evil, what type of thing should we be watching out for? What should we expect? I don't want to be caught off guard..."

[Dunder]

Dusty didn't say anything with his voice. His eyes told a story themselves. Dunder noticed Dusty's eyes shoot to see something, though Dusty didn't take much notice to it so Dunder pushed it off as unimportant.

That Midnight commented on his plan as a sound one made Dunder smile. "Thank you. It means a lot to me, really." He said to Midnight with a smile. He didn't add that he made up the plan on the top of his head to avoid looking like a bad leader and to avoid tooting his own horn. "Also, sorry... I know that they're not evil. It's just what me and my friends had called them since we were colts." Dunder said with a mild apologetic tone. Remembering the mock scary stories he and his friends would share when they were out camping. "Although, I won't call them 'evil' anymore." Dunder said to Midnight.

Dunder laughed, "Sorry. Too much drinking that night. As well as it being a long time ago. Anywho I was close enough." Dunder said. "Thank you too, Muggo'. This is why I try to get out here often... reminds me that I can still be a soldier and not be in the REA." He was glad that Muggo' had complementd him in such a way. He always had fantasies about being the most legendary soldier in all of Equestria.... sure a pony can dream!

Dunder looked at Winter, "Yes. It wouldn't be fair if I stuck you and Dusty in the back to be an open target for a manticore. Muggo' would just buck the manticore off the cliff and that's why he's in the back." He said. "Also, nothing evi--... Nothing harmful should come our way. The Researcher said they had seen no traces of anything that could hurt us. That was one of the main things that got me." He admitted. "And if anything harmful should come our way..... You can help if you want. Though Muggo, Midnight, and I will probably do most of the work." He said.

He turned back to Muggo and trotted over to him. "As for you and you sly remarks about stallions." Dunder kissed Muggo's cheek. "You know it." He said and laughed loudly and trotted off even further away from the group. "Let's set off. We still have a few hours of sunlight... but I don't know how long it will take for us to find anything useful."

[Andifferous]

Dusty bit his lip a little bit, feeling a tad embarrassed. If there was one thing he hated, it was being useless, and knowing he wouldn't be too much good in a fight was rather frustrating. Still he set his resolve; should any sort of fight go down he'd do what he could to help rather than hinder. For the moment it didn't seem like they would run into very much trouble, so hopefully it would stay that way.

Dunder giving Muggo a kiss like that definitely caught the pegasus off guard, but more just surprise than anything else. Judging by the conversation, these two were already close friends, and Dusty decided to just leave it at that. With a shrug he took up his place in the line, trotting behind Dunder as they made their way along the path. As he trotted along he took in the scenery, although he kept on shooting glances back at the mountain in the distance, where that red glint had come from.

[RarityDash]

Midnight listened to the group. Dunder and Muggo' obviously had quite the close friendship, as the light, teasing banter and accompanying kiss seemed to make clear. In Dunder's laughter and playfulness, Midnight could see shades of Wind Chaser. This was quite similar to how he had acted with the other soldiers in the platoon. It took her back and for just a moment, she smiled. That smile ended with a silent pledge that she would not make the same mistakes again and let anyone in this group come to harm.

The actions of the other two were a little less meaningful to Midnight. Winter seemed to suddenly realize the gravity of the job he had agreed to; something about him seemed kind of anxious. Again, Midnight could link this to his youth. There had been privates in her unit, fresh from the academy and they had acted similarly. Dusty remained the hardest to place. He was even more quiet than Midnight herself at times, a feat that surprised her.

Midnight gave a quiet nod to the leader, getting into position. "Right. We should hasten our pace toward the destination."

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' had been walking along, mulling over the possible moral ramifications of fighting and injuring something like a griffon, when his mind clued into the fact that Dunder was falling back a bit to catch up to him and he brought his brain back to the present. If he had to buck some griffon's beak in, then he would come to grips with it later. And chances are if he had to, it would be to protect his...well, technically now they were a squad, he figured.

Then Dunder kissed his cheek teasingly, and he laughed. Surprised but laughed, his brain working rapid-fire on the humour to come up with a joke. "Sorry to burst yer bubble b'y, but while ya got a nice starn, there's a very short list o' stallions that would make me consider hoppin' the fence for an' yer not on it, b'y." he chuckled. He liked Dunder though, it was nice to have a friend he could joke around with like this.

He looked back at the others with a chuckle and noticed the last few moments of a smile on Midnight's lips. Ha! So she DID have emotions besides stone. He grinned back at her and looked forward again, noticing the one pegasus, Dusty, was looking off in the distance.

"Whatcha starin' at, b'y?" he asked, trotting up to him. "Catch ya glancin' out there like yer tryin' to glance at a ducky 'cross the bar." he said. Not a literally duck, in this case slang for a mare.

[Winter]

Winter smiled at Dunder's display of friendliness towards Muggo' Ale. It is always nice to know that you are with two good friends that know their way around, especially while exploring a place like this. Having two good fighters that knew each other well and a former REA platoon leader travelling in the exploration was probably the safest he could get. A good leader like Dunder only made this trip that much cooler. Dunder had proven in the past to be able to make good plans in a split second, so Winter knew he could count on him to lead strong. After Muggo' Ale's remark to Dunder, Winter barely managed to stifle a laugh. After his comment to Dusty, Winter couldn't hold it in any more and his face exploded in laughter. He felt relieved that the pony guarding his back had such a great sense of humor. This trip would be fun after all! After his laughter settled down, he decided he should do something productive. "So, Dunder... How far are we mapping out here and what are we looking for? Landmarks for the map? How can I help us out?" He questioned their leader, trying to get a good gauge on his role in the group.

[Dunder]

Dunder noticed a smile creep across Midnight's face. He decided to take this chance to possibly make her smile a bit more. "Don't worry Midnight. Don't be jelly, you'll get your turn." He said with a grin and a wink. "Also, yes. We should pick up the pace." He said to Midnight. "Everypony, match my speed." Dunder said as he started to get into a jogging speed.

Dunder looked back at Winter, "Unfortunately, this is one of the reasons why we have such a large squad. I don't actually know where we will find the ruins... making this a dangerous option to be alone. the map of the areas are... okay. This place doesn't get scouted often, though. Also, earthquakes have changed the geography recently." Dunder said. He thought about if the ruins were covered.

His concentration broke. Dunder nodded and watched Muggo' as he spoke with a wide grin. "Ohhhh, my heart bleeds! You broke my heart, Muggo'" Dunder cried while faking a short cry. "Anyway, what is this about seeing a duck?" He suddenly became serious and looked out to where Dusty was gazing. "What did you see?" He asked Dusty. He hoped it wasn't a dragon or an ursa. A manticore or some griffons, he knew they could handle easily.

Just then, some small rocks, nothing serious, began to roll down the cliff face to them. Dunder looked up, hoping to see whatever had caused to drop it. He was too concentrated and didn't notice he was about to run off the cliff at a sharp turn.

[Andifferous]

"Duck? What?" The young pegasus asked, his train of thought entirely derailed by the unusual colloquialism. "No, no, I just thought that I thought I saw something in the distance over there, not sure what it was though. Just a glint of red." he said to Dunder, pointing toward the far mountain. "Maybe just an exposed chunk of ruby or something..." he trailed off at the clattering sound of a few rocks tumbling down the hill.

"Anybody else hear- Ow!"Ears perked he had looked up just in time to catch a smaller one between the eyes. It hadn't fallen very far, but it still hurt a bit.

Hastily he took to the air, wings kicking up a bit of dust as he lifted off and away from the rocks. Shaking his head to clear his vision his gaze followed up the hill, looking to see where the slide had come from.

[RarityDash]

Midnight all but missed a step entirely, as her green coat turned slightly red at the cheeks. Dunder's words caught her off guard. She couldn't help but hear them in Wind Chaser's voice. That was exactly how he'd act. He'd playfully goad or tease one of the others with all his roguish charm, then turn around and flirt with her in the most flippant way, saying things like "Don't worry, Lieutenant. You're still my favorite," or "Unless of course, you had other plans you want to make for tonight, Night." Midnight would then invariably scold him harshly for his conduct, but never would he learn. He just kept it up until eventually he got his way...

As her blush deepened and the distance between her and Winter, the pony behind her in the formation, lessened, Midnight shook her head fiercely, trying to regain herself. She couldn't let herself become lost in the past. Not here. These were different ponies. This was a different set of circumstances. She had to keep moving forward. This group needed her.

There was nothing she could articulate in response to Dunder. Even if she could think of a response, it would have been beyond her to verbalize it. Luckily, the talk of beasts lurking, and the rocks falling down gave her an excuse to move on easily.

"Everypony be on guard." she shouted out, looking ahead. She noticed their leader was moving uncomfortably close to the cliff's end, looking up rather than forward. Her worried instincts kicked in immediately. "Cha-... Dunder! Watch your step!" she shouted, quickly correcting a near flub of name as she did.

Sure, a pegasus would likely be able to recover if they stepped off a cliff, but with the rocks falling overhead there was still danger. If a big enough rock hit Dunder after he lost his step, he'd be as helpless as an earth pony.

[Snowshoe]

"S'not a real duck, ya chuckleheads." Muggo' Ale teased, grinning. "I meant like a mare." he added. Then he listened to what Dusty had to say. A glint of red? It might be a ruby, but at this distance? That'd have to be a BIG ruby...maybe they should take a detour and find out.

Might be worth a bit.

Muggo' looked around when he heard the soft rattling of stones down the cliff face. A few tumbled up against his hoof and he looked up at the mountain side. The change in body language was immediate. He was concentrated now, and tense, ready to spring into action to get anypony out of the way or get out of the way himself of a giant falling rock. He looked back at his companions.

"I think we best get goin' from here. Might be that there's more where these little stones came from, an' I don't particularly want to be sittin' on me starn here when that happens." he said.

[Winter]

Winter watched the other ponies speaking about a blaze of red. He thought over what it could be. A dragon? A HUGE ruby? Yeah, he liked that idea! There would be a lot of bits in it for them if it was! Winter decided then to speak up. "I think we should get a little... detour, to check it out. I bet the researcher would want to know if there was anything special out here." He reasoned before being interrupted by the pitter patter of small stones. He tracked one of them with his eyes as it rolled and bounced down to his hoof. "What in Equestria?..."

[Dunder]

Dunder heard his name called from behind him. He turned around, but kept on walking, "Huh?" His brain rewinded what Midnight said as he fell off the cliff. He instinctively started to flap his wings, "WOAH! Thanks for the warning!" He said. He turned around while a large rock flew in... It didn't roll it flew. He prepared to land as the rock struck him on a downward flap. The rock going one way, his wing going the other caused a quick snap. He fell onto the ledge of the pathway, kicking his legs furiously and flapping the one good wing. "Can I get a hoof over here?" He asked, worried as he looked down the cliff.

[Andifferous]

That snapping sound. That was not a healthy sound at all. Dusty's gaze shot back down to his companions, eyes wide and pulse speeding up; this was not good at all. Dunder was in the most trouble, hanging off the edge of the cliff like that. As quickly as his wings would carry him he swooped in getting up as close behind the other pegasus as he could.

Gritting his teeth for a moment, he tried to figure out the best way to grab him, before deciding to throw caution to the wind and wrapping his forelegs around the other pegasus' middle, getting a couple smacks in the face from that flapping wing in the process. WIth a grunt he lifted, his own wings beating furiously as he tried to support both their weight. Still Dusty was never a particularly strong flyer, and it took all of his effort to get the other pony's center of balance back over the cliff edge.

[RarityDash]

Midnight gave a gasp. Just as she had feared, Dunder had stepped off the cliff and then had the misfortune to be hit by a falling rock. Luckily, Dusty, who was behind him in the formation, was quick to react and flew off the cliff to Dunder's back and tried to help the pony from behind. Dusty seemed to be rather lacking in strength though, and struggled to steady the combined weight of the other pony and himself as he pushed it upward.

Almost immediately, Midnight ran ahead to help. She wasn't going to let anypony get hurt. Not again. As Dusty pushed Dunder up from behind, she stood in front of him on the ledge and started to pull him upward with her hooves, her strength lessening the burden on Dusty. Soon after, the group leader was back with his hooves on solid ground.

"Please... always be aware of your surroundings!" she demanded between short breaths as her obvious panic started to subside and return to calm.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' Ale saw Dunder get hit and instantly was off, but Dusty and Midnight were closer. Muggo' skidded to a stop just short of the group, shaking his head. "Celestia t'undein' b'y. Ya give me another start like that an' I douse ya on the snout meself." he said, looking at the rock. The way it had come in...

"Somethin's not right here at all. That didn't just fall." he reasoned, tapping it with his hoof for a moment. "I vote we move as fast as possible. An' we watch our steps, too." he added, looking up at the mountain. What the heck could have thrown a rock, if it was thrown?

What was up there?

[Winter]

Winter watched in horror as Dunder fell off of the edge. His heart leaped for joy when he saw Dunder flapping his way back up! As he noticed the rock moving in a collision course with Dunder, however, Winter could only stare in shock. Time seemed to move underwater for Winter as the rock crashed into Dunder. He regained his senses when he heard the sickening snap and dashed forwards to help. As Dusty and Midnight beat him to the aid of Dunder, helping him back up onto the ledge, Winter breathed a sigh of relief and rushed forwards to see if he could be of any help. The pegasus was relieved the others had helped Dunder... He wasn't sure if he could have made it there in time... "Thank Celestia...." Winter murmured, relieved that their fearless leader was alright... Well, mostly alright. That snap hadn't sounded exactly healthy... What could have caused this? Rocks don't fly on their own... Do they? "I vote with Muggo' on this one... We need to medicate Dunder and get him fixed up as fast as possible, then get out of here. Something isn't right..."

[Dunder]

Dunder felt somepony come up behind him and wrap his legs around his waist. He couldn't concentrate on controlling his wings, only on getting back up on the ledge. He was glad to see the green mare help him up.

When he regained balance on solid ground, he was panting and his heart was racing. He looked at the faces around him, feeling helpless in their stares. "Thanks.... everypony. And yes.. I will watch myself next time..." He said. He knew he needed to do something to calm everyone's nerves in this tense moment. He grinned when the idea hit him. He grabbed Midnight's head and pulled her close when he kissed her cheek. "I told you your turn was coming...." He said before winking and laughing. Half because of what he just did and half of being scared about what had happened before that.

He sat down as he laughed. As his laughing slowed down, he looked over at his busted wing as he flapped it out and brought it around. to get a better look. It looked perfectly fine, just broken in the middle, the top-most part dangling in the wind. "GAH!" He exclaimed, genuinely startled by the condition of his wing. As his adrenaline thinned and his blood rate lowered, it started to hurt more. "Somepony should do me a solid and patch me up, real quick." Dunder said as he stood.

Dunder looked at Muggo' as the pony spoke. "How about I just buy you a drink or twenty and then we'll call it even?" Dunder asked. He stuck out his tongue at Muggo' and grinned. "Anyway." He said as he looked around at the other faces. "I'm guessing we all agree with Muggo' on this one. After this wing gets tied down, we'll get moving." He looked at Winter and Dusty. "Go scout out... wait no." He said, he looked at the ground, "We need to stick together...." What should he do? If they move, his wing could get hurt more and possibly not have the chance of getting treated. If they stay, they risk getting another rock...or worse. "Everypony, let's move out now." Dunder said.

[Andifferous]

Dusty grunted as he pulled himself up onto the ledge after Dunder was safe. Panting for a bit he took stock of the situation, mostly checking to see if anypony else had been injured. However it seemed like Dunder was the only real casualty of this encounter. And he seemed to be doing well enough, even giving Midnight a surprise kiss, so at least he was still in decent spirits. Further examination made the pegasus felt himself get a little nauseous at the sight of Dunder's wing bending in a way that it clearly shouldn't. Shuddering a bit he looked away.

His own head was starting to hurt a bit, so he glanced over himself quickly, to see if he had any other injuries he didn't know about. Luckily it seemed like the only problems were a bit of a bump where that rock had hit him, and a bruise from getting smacked across the face by Dunder's flailing wing. He could feel it swelling already, probably going to leave a black eye. Still if everypony was safe for the moment then it was good enough for him.

[RarityDash]

Midnight recoiled in shock at the sudden kiss on her cheek. She had just met this pony. Even Chaser hadn't been so bold, keeping it to light flirting until they had known each other for many months. She supposed there might not be as many barriers here, after all, she was not this pony's direct superior officer. She was also a little different now. She had been colder then, with all pride and fury; that had only smoldered out of her to be replaced by somber serenity after his end. She was left amiss as to how to react. She'd typically scold Wind Chaser, but she wasn't sure that was appropriate here; Dunder was the leader after all.. She decided to just blush profusely and pretend like it never happened, acting like the shy, awkward filly she never had been. Then, shaking herself from that momentary stupor, she stepped forward to address the party. She couldn't lose herself in such weird, uncomfortable places.

Speaking of weird, uncomfortable places, Dunder's wing looked thoroughly damaged and broken. Midnight had seen worse wounds of course, but it still looked pretty terrible. She knew how to set some wounds, especially when inflicted to herself, but it wasn't a specialty of hers and certainly wasn't something to be done quickly. If done hastily, it could damage the wing even further. That was to say nothing about the danger they face from the cliffside, or the fact that the rock that hit Dunder had not simply fallen, but was most likely thrown, indicating they were not alone out here. Moving ahead and waiting until they reached a safer position to treat the wing.

That said, Midnight had learned never to expect things would be easy. They could press onward expecting a safe spot just ahead, only to find themselves faced with a new and even greater danger. In that case, with his wing unprotected and exposed, Dunder faced serious or even permanent injury. There was no easy solution here, and it would be a real dilemma. Back then, Midnight would have chosen to press ahead. Now, she would have chosen to do some preliminary treatment on the wound. It however, wasn't her decision on this mission, it was Dunder's. Unsurprisingly, he chose the option that put the group ahead of himself, saying they should press onward immediately.

"Are you sure?" Midnight asked, not meaning to question the decision, but only to express concern. "Things could get worse before they get better."

She was ready to continue onward regardless.

[Snowshoe]

"Oh sweet Celestia." Muggo' mumbled, seeing the state of Dunder's wing. He didn't even have wings and that made him wince heavily, almost causing a phantom ache off to his side where Muggo' Ale would have wings, if he was a pegasus.

He found himself truly wishing they had brought a unicorn, or a medical pony of some kind, with them. Because he had no idea how to treat something like that, beyond maybe lashing the wing to a split and hoping to keep it straight.

"I agree. We need to get goin' at least to find some shelter." he said. "Dunder, keep the wing tight an' shut. Try not to move it much. Let's get somewhere a little less exposed, an' we can figure out how to fix the b'y's wing." he said, waiting for the group to get going. It reminded Muggo' Ale of a story he'd heard very long ago when he was just a colt. An old REA soldier had been sharing stories with a group of interested young mares and stallions at the bar.

"Enraged phoenixes are quite a sight. We tried to patch up Wildfire's leg, but they wouldn't stop coming...we had to drag her to a nearby fallen tree to keep the birds off us for long enough for the medic to work his magic...

Trying to patch up Dunder's wing here would keep them a bit too exposed, in his opinion.

[Winter]

Winter stared uncomfortably as Dunder kissed Midnight. He was NOT expecting that at all! He could only sit there silently until addressed, since he didn't really have any idea how to proceed. Winter nodded as Dunder told him to go scout, but had to stop midway through launch when Dunder changed his mind. "Er... yessir." he mumbled. He could only watch as the other ponies gave their take on the situation and decided to speak up. "Good idea, Muggo'... Next time, if there is one... somepony better remember a medic!" Winter racked his brain looking for a place to take shelter in. "Maybe if we can get to a little outcrop or something..." He trailed off, looking around hurriedly. What was a pony supposed to do with something like this? Winter took a step closer to Dusty. Best stick to Dusty and stay out of trouble, in his opinion.