Ponyshock: "Pony Party Platoon"

Twisted Vision winced "I... Am fine. Deal with Starry I will see if I can find anything of any use to us. We need people skilled in fighting up first. I can wait." She said, her voice sounding pained as she continued to look for items that could be of use.

Scrap stayed quiet after Sky finished talking, it was a sound plan and he didn't have any objections. Seeing that the others had taken care of most what Sky said to do; Scrap took this opportunity to examine one of the less mutilated corpses of their attackers. Maybe he could find something usefull.

Scrap trotted over to theast destroyed body and looked it over. It was every bit as ugly as the one he had helped off of Ark. Where a normal pony would have hooves it had hand-things and its face and other portions of its body were warped, obvious that while this thing had once been a pony it sure wasn't any more. He mumbled very quietly to himself "What in Tartarus could have caused this..."

"I'm-I'm alright...I-I-I'm just panicking a l-little." Atriark reached a shaky hoof towards the syringe in his flank but stopped short. "I d-don't think anyone w-would know w-what it is. We need to find s-somepony who-who is sane," he rubed his brow. "Let's get organized and, and let's just t-try to find somepony or thing that can help us." Atriark pulled out the syringe and handed it to Techno. "Keep t-this safe. May n-need it to...to help identify whatever was put in me."

Atriark trotted over to where his saddle bags fell and set it on his back. "Don't... give me anything until we know what it was. I don't w-want any ad-adverse reactions." He shakily ran a hoof through his unkempt mane. "Sk-Sky, take point. It'd be best to have your shot-shotgun great any once-ponies we come across." the zebra rubed his brow again. "S-Starry, you seem great with your sword, stay behind Sky, whatch her back." Atriark began trotting forward. "Now, let's go. Staying here won't do us any good."

---Radio Call: Stock Option---

"....*static*....Hey ponies, its me again, I heard something go wrong, what kind of fuck-up starts screaming in Harmony? the walls have ears, almost literally....anyway I left some supplies for you in a footlocker for you...you know...so we can trusting each other....now all you need to know is the buck who built this city is an old friend of mine...but he went a little nuts if you know what I mean....anyway, pick up this radio and take it with you....just keep going and I'll tell what you'll need to do to survive, all I ask is you do something for me while youre there...Oh and my name is Stock Option by the way..., anyways just continue on ahead but be careful, that Arcana shit is poison and I need you in tip-top shape.....Stock out..*static*......"
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In the corner where the debris with the steel rods poked out was a footlocker, but it seemed to be stuck.... getting the contents of the case would mean being forced to move whatever the steel rods were connected to...

Despite being injected with a mysterious fluid, Ark was beginning to feel fine aside from the anxiousness of being injected with a mysterious fluid, ...still he shouldn't feel too bad...it was all for a good cause....Science

Still...the glaring, ever-watching painting of Colt Johnson wouldn't do much to ease his tension...however.

Sky listened to Stock option, and his advice to take the radio and look for the supplies in the locker. So why not, he knew what was happening in this Luna forsaken city. So she walked to where the radio was, peering at its odd design. thorwing it in her saddlebags she walked to where the locker was, apparently blocked by some steel rods. Sky sighed, "gonna need somepony to help get to the locker, any takers?" Sky said to the group of ponies.

"I'll take rear, I don't want those things sneaking up on us. " Sparks volunteered.

"I can also keep a better eye on the Zebra and Dark unicorn. " he thought to himself. As he searched the room and bodies for anything more deadly then his hooves.

"hey, not to be foalish, but a spare gun would be nice. " as he offered his empty hooves.

Sky dug through her saddle bags and decided to part her caravan shotgun, since she already her lever action. She trotted to Sparks to hand him the weapon, "here take my caravan shotgun, thing already saved my life more than once." She told to sparks, her pistol was something she wasnt willing to part with. she dug through her saddlebags to give sparks some shells, which was more than plenty enough to give to him. "and here," She gave him two boxs of shells, twenty shells worth each. "Bought alot of shells after a quest i did. With that being said, lets first get the suppies in the locker. I take point and you get read, sound good. Now can someone please help me take a look in the locker? we need to check whats inside it." Sky looked at the group.

Atriark found where his 10mm had fallen and stuffed it in its holster. He wasn't sure if he could trust the pony who was talking to them through their pipbucks, but he at least seemed sane, and he may be able to help him with whatever was injected into him.

He wondered what exactly was flowing through his veins as he trotted over and picked up the .357 magnum that one of the once-ponies had. He searched the thing for any ammo it had and found a few rounds.

Putting the revolver and the bullets in his saddle bag, he trotted over to the white-ish pegasus mare. "I'll help....Maybe we'll find some sort of book telling us something useful," he flashed an uneasy smile towards the pegasus.

Nova only then realised that her nose was broken. Nothing too serious, it wouldheal with time.

Still, it could have been a lot worse. She thought to herself.

"Thank you." She said to Atriark. "I'm sorry that saving me may have harmed you."

She then overheard Sky asking for some help with a footlocker. She glanced over and noticed some steel rods would have to be moved.

"Hold on there Sky. Somepony just contacts us on a radio in an underwater city, and we're just going to trust him?" Nova reasoned. "And that painting is really starting to creep me out."

"What else do you want to do, talk to those things of ponies that we just killed and wait for more. Or do you want to follow what seems to be the only voice of sanity in this place hope he may actually help us, yeah i guess we are going to trust him for the time being." Sky told the pegasus hardly, "and does it matter, its a painting, they are all creepy. so yo going to help me out, or what?" Sky told the pegasus.

"I... I..." Nova stammered.

Nova looked around the room for any other possible options, only then noticing how badly Twisted was hurt. She really did need help, else she might collapse at any point.

"Twisted, you really need to take care of that injury. I may not know much about medicine, but I know a bad wound when I see one." Nova reasoned. "And if you still don't accept the treatment, I swear I will hold you down whilst the others take care of you."

Atriark sighed. "Twisted, please don't argue and let Techno look at your wound. You are more injured and he seems competent. Nova, come here. That crowbar broke your nose." He said gently, stepping closer to the black pegasus with bright green war paint stripes. "Let me reset it. It'll hurt, but it's better than walking around with a broken nose."

Twisted Vision turned and looked at Nova. "I appreciate your compassion but until the others are healed I will not expend our resources. As you saw I am not the combat type, as all my skills are know what the combat types should do to succeed. I do not fight, I lead and if I cannot Lead as Starry so aggressively pointed out despite her lack of time in the wasteland, I am not useful enough to rationalize expending resources someone else can put to better use." She said, limping over to the bars

"As for this crate, we should find a way to get it free. These rods are connected to something that is probably in the next room, so until otherwise we should make this locker our top priority. It may contain items that can save our lives, or at the very least deflect the wake that will kill us all enough that we have a higher chance of surviving." She said examining the rods.

"Now is not the time to prioritise, we don't even know if there will be more fighting. Things may suddenly require a more delicate approach. And besides, I'm not letting a paltry broken nose get treated before that wound of yours." Nova told Twisted. "And if those bars do lead to some sort of trap, we need every advantage we can get."

And with that, Nova left Atriark and flew towards Twisted in an attempt to grab her and hold her still whilst Techno would treat her. Nova did her best to avoid touching the wounded area, but was preoccupied in trying to subdue the unruly mare.

"Yes it is compassion, I want to help you, but if you have trouble accepting that, then think of it as a tactical deciision."

Twisted vision was not expecting Nova to actually tackle her "What! Get off.." She started before she planted her injured leg and yelped, causing her to fall to the ground. The pain that shot through her made her woozy, but she still lashed out at Nova trying to get her off. This however was the downside of her long legs, for she could not get them under the smaller pony. "I can still function! I do not require assistance!" She snapped as she weakly tried to get the Pegasus off of her.

However despite her angry appearance at the situation she was more so surprised! Generally ponies did not strive to help those with resources that could help other more useful aspects to the teams survival. Giving up she just looked at Nova. "Instead of using my own words against me, why are you actually helping me" She asked, the anger in her voice going down slightly, as she only spoke so Nova could hear.

Nova was surprised by the question to say the least. She just thought that would be the normal thing to do in this situation. Although, she wasn't usually the one to start getting physical, and it must have seemed obvious.

"Well... I didn't see anyone else here rushing to aid you, even though you clearly need it." Nova carefully stalled. "I'm not going to be selfish and get treated before you!"

Twisted Vision narrowed her eyes "There is a reason for that!" She hissed quietly "It is because I do not share you beliefs! That makes me a liability which is ridiculous when we have to rely on each other to get out of this situation! Only a fool would take in there own personal gain in consideration in a situation like this! Starry does not seem to recognize that. Because I may not have a completely stable mind I am caste out and my past means nothing. The first sign of a real leader is to take peoples strengths and weaknesses into consideration. But enough, if you are going to demand I get healed then heal me using as little as possible." She finished. Her voice had never rose above a hiss that only Nova could hear.

"Firstly, you're wrong to presume that I have any beliefs. And secondly, you haven't been cast out. Just because your views aren't well known doesn't mean that they're less likely to be true, and they do not provide a reason to shun you." Nova whispered in return. "And you're wrong, the first sign of a real leader is that they take into consideration the well-being of those they are leading. If those they need to rely on are in disarray, or are mistrustful, then they have doomed themselves to failure.

Twisted Vision sighed "You have obviously never had to lead a battalion then" She said quietly, looking away from Nova "Believe me when I say this, but everything I have learned I have learned from experience. If I had my way we would all be fully equipped and ready to survive down here for days but we are not. If one of us does not manage supplies we do not know what is down here. There may be nothing down here and there may be enough supplies for us to live here the rest of our lives. Until I know I do not take priority" She said, still unable to look Nova in the eye.

Starry finished pulling the bullet out of her flank, and dressing the wound and wrapping it in gauze. She wouldn't drink a healing potion yet, because it wasn't too serious, and she wanted to use them sparingly.

Starry was annoyed by the fact that Nova and Twisted were whispering nonstop with eachother. She didn't know what they were saying, but with what she thought of Twisted, she felt she could safely assume it was nothing of significance. Starry felt like a different mare, and the flatness of her mane may have signified the transformation. She felt like a mare less interested in spreading smiles and more interested in spreading pain.

"Alright!" Starry barked, trying to keep her shouting voice down. "I've finished here. Basket Case, lie down, It's your turn," Starry told twisted, as she pocketed the painkillers that Techno had given her. She would get straight to work on Twisted the moment she complied with the order.

"Nobody here is disputing that you have experience, or that it will be useful. But it's not as if whilst you're getting patched up somepony else can't open the footlocker. Some of us weren't injured, so whilst those with the worst injuries are treated, the others can see to the footlocker." Nova argued. "And it's not as if you could've prepared for an event like this, so stop looking away from me, and let us help you." She whispered back, pleading Twisted to accept.

Starry finished extracting the bits of lead from Twisted, and treating the wound. She had intentionally foregone the use of painkillers, both because she wanted to save supplies and because she didn't like Twisted.

"There ya go, all fixed up," Starry said, passing her a healing potion. "Drink this, or save it for later. Just don't whine too much, okay?"

Starry trotted away and picked up the radio, placing it inside her saddlebag.

After Twisted was taken care of, Nova released her, in order to apologise for her brash decision and to plead Atriark to take care of her nose. But before she did, she had one last thing to say.

"You're welcome." She told Twisted, before whispering so only she could hear: "You aren't alone."

And with that, she set off after Atriark.

Twisted Vision kept her composure through the entire process, despite Starry's lack of pain killers, and decided to try and ignore her Basket Case comment. She knew she would not get the pain killers in the first place so why give this mare the joy of having her ask. She remained quiet as Starry walked away but turned to Nova before she left.

"Thank you... You haven't a clue how hard it is to believe in what I do and still make friends. You alone will make this trip that much easier for me" She said, be for falling in second to last of the line they formed. She knew she was an expense to the team, and that put her in danger, but she had to trust that they would at least kill her outside and on the shores, so for now she continued.

As per the usual for Scrap; he stayed quiet while the exchange was going on and the wounded were being fixed back up. Thankfully fixing Twisted's wound didn't cause any trouble and though Starry made a couple cracks at Twisted things appeared to go smoothly and it didn't devolve into more yelling.

He fell into line somewhere near the middle of the group when they started to move again. He was glad they had started to move again-the sooner he got out of this place the sooner he could find the rest of his friends and more importantly, Bakewell.

Hopefully.