[MLP] Roleplaying is Magic IC: The Broken Road.

[BlasTech]

Soot looked over the gathered materials the others had found with an approving nod "I can definately work with this." she began to float and tie pieces together with her telekinesis.

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Mind 4+ Thief 2+ Scavenging 1+ Tools 1+ Harmony 3= 11
[roll0]

With a bit of effort, Soot was able to construct a stretcher that could bear the wounded visage of the Ambassador across the desert wastes. It had a couple of harnesses at each end, meaning that it would require two to carry ... likely Rinda would take one of those positions for herself.

[OOC: no check required to move the ambassador onto the stretcher. Too easy]

[One Tin Soldier]

Grease nodded as she finished her approach. "Sure, I can do that." She looked over Soot's work. "This looks good, Soot. Should last for quite a while." Once again, she positioned herself to pick up the ambassador.

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Body 4 + Extra Talent 1 + Harmony 3
6+8=14
16+8=24
Honestly, given that lifting him out of the carriage was only 10, this might not have been even worth rolling. But I did anyway, just to be on the safe side.

The three of them moved the ambassador onto the stretcher with only minimum effort. "We should probably move him into the shade while we finish our preparations."

[If I wind up being unable to post for longer than I expect, then assume that Grease will help move the ambassador, and keep an eye on him while the others get things together.]

[TheAmishPirate]

With their precious cargo in place, Crown allowed himself a sigh of relief. He wiped the sweat from his brow, wincing noticeably as his foreleg grazed his discolored snout. "Dere. All thet for de joureny. Now all we hab to do ith gather up our thupplieth, and den we'll be off!" Despite the weariness, despite the heat, despite the grave injuries to his face, a Cork's spirit could not be broken.

[Balmas]

Dive Bomb nodded in satisfaction as he nudged the griffon a bit on the stretcher. It would have been nice to have some of his mother's muscle cream; it always seemed to work wonders for-- Okay, not going there. The time was now, and he needed to help other ponies

He shook himself, and turned to the griffon, looking again eager to learn. His expression fell as he beheld her own stunned look. Was that bad? Did he come on too strongly? He groaned internally, and resolved to try to be better at this. Why can't I just understand ponies? His thought paused, and then tacked on, And griffons.

"Um. Rinda, right?" he said, ponderously walking back to where his notebook lay discarded in the sand. "Where are you from?"

[Ravian]

Grease nodded as she finished her approach. "Sure, I can do that." She looked over Soot's work. "This looks good, Soot. Should last for quite a while." Once again, she positioned herself to pick up the ambassador.

She smirked "This? This is nothing, you should some of the things I've put together." Or the twins, I swear our hideaway would win all those 'best in the neighborhood' competitions if we could enter.

With their precious cargo in place, Crown allowed himself a sigh of relief. He wiped the sweat from his brow, wincing noticeably as his foreleg grazed his discolored snout. "Dere. All thet for de joureny. Now all we hab to do ith gather up our thupplieth, and den we'll be off!" Despite the weariness, despite the heat, despite the grave injuries to his face, a Cork's spirit could not be broken.

Soot winced as she looked back at Cork's face "You're not going anywhere before somepony puts something on that snout." despite having almost no skill with medicine, everypony in her family knew how much she fussed over the smallest injuries, except of course her own. "Your dramatics are bad enough without sounding like you have soda up your nose."

[BlasTech]

"Um. Rinda, right?" he said, ponderously walking back to where his notebook lay discarded in the sand. "Where are you from?"

Recovering, the gryphon bent to check on the stretcher harness, answering Dive Bomb as she worked.

"Place called Talos." she replied, somewhat warily, as if expecting another verbal tsunami. "Doubt you've heard of it."

[TheAmishPirate]

Now that their griffon friend was (relatively) safe and sound, Crown saw no harm some medical attention. "Very well, I do nod enjoy sounding like dis any more den you all musd enjoy listening to id." He obediently sat himself down in the shade of the caboose, waiting for either Soot or Dive Bomb to take a look at the damage.

[Balmas]

Dive Bomb silently shook his head as he noted down Talos. He spat the pen at the notepad, and asked, "Where is it?" The saddlebags produced a small jar of cottonballs, and he moved over to where the earth pony sat disconsolately in the sand.

Nosebleeds were usually a nuisance; you got them occasionally when earth ponies and unicorns got up in balloons to watch the pegasus races, but forgot about atmospheric differences. However, nosebleeds after face injuries, especially falls, could be dangerous, and indicative of a broken muzzle or internal bleeding. The green pegasus didn't think it was a broken muzzle; if that brat's muzzle had snapped, he'd be in pain and you could bet he'd hear about it.

"Bend your face forward," he instructed, pressing a cottonball into the other set of mocha hooves. "Let me see your muzzle." Even if the likeliness of a broken muzzle was low, it would be better to check. No need to worry the colt by expressing his thoughts; after all, if it was just a false alarm, then he'd probably fret about having his beautiful face permanently disfigured, or some such talk. Course, that didn't really help if he was bleeding internally.

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No idea whether I need to roll or not. Amish, Blastech, what d'you think?

"What's Talos like?" he tossed over his shoulder as he worked. "Mountainous? Monarchic?"

[TheAmishPirate]

Crown Cork shut his eyes tight and obligingly leaned forward. "Do be careful; thatth by betht nothe, and my thweetie would be motht croth with me if id were thcarred..." he moaned, steeling himself against the inevitable pain.

[BlasTech]

Dive Bomb silently shook his head as he noted down Talos. He spat the pen at the notepad, and asked, "Where is it?" The saddlebags produced a small jar of cottonballs, and he moved over to where the earth pony sat disconsolately in the sand.

Nosebleeds were usually a nuisance; you got them occasionally when earth ponies and unicorns got up in balloons to watch the pegasus races, but forgot about atmospheric differences. However, nosebleeds after face injuries, especially falls, could be dangerous, and indicative of a broken muzzle or internal bleeding. The green pegasus didn't think it was a broken muzzle; if that brat's muzzle had snapped, he'd be in pain and you could bet he'd hear about it.

"Bend your face forward," he instructed, pressing a cottonball into the other set of mocha hooves. "Let me see your muzzle." Even if the likeliness of a broken muzzle was low, it would be better to check. No need to worry the colt by expressing his thoughts; after all, if it was just a false alarm, then he'd probably fret about having his beautiful face permanently disfigured, or some such talk. Course, that didn't really help if he was bleeding internally.

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No idea whether I need to roll or not. Amish, Blastech, what d'you think?

"What's Talos like?" he tossed over his shoulder as he worked. "Mountainous? Monarchic?"

The gryphon's expression went stony. "Look kid, I appreciate the help, but talking about a home I might never get to see again is the almost the last thing I want to do right now."

[OOC: No roll to treat a broken nose, at least in a way to get him speaking normally again (the point of fortitude damage would remain though. Even bruises take a little bit of time to heal.)

DC 20 to do unlicensed cosmetic surgery though, 30 if you don't want him to notice (kidding, kidding!)]

[Balmas]

Dive Bomb bent over Cork's nose, gently parting the fur to get a look at the skin beneath. Bruises blackened the skin, but when he ran his hooves over the area, he couldn't feel any abnormalities. He released the breath he'd been holding, and smiled with satisfaction. That was good; he didn't have the ice to properly chill the nose, and he'd not had much experience in setting noses. Theoretically, he could do it, but it was awkward, and much easier with a unicorn technician. He made a face at the thought, but drew back.

"Let it drain," he ordered, guiding Cork's cottonball-loaded hoof to his face. "Keep that face forward so it goes down and out, instead of back and into your stomach or your trachea." He frowned a bit. "And be more careful; at the rate you were bleeding, I worried that you had broken your nose or started to bleed internally." Let that be a lesson to him.

He turned to the griffoness, and nodded sadly. I can understand that, he mused, even if it is a somewhat gloomy evaluation of our current status. Sometimes, you can't go home. Still, it irked him to have a source of knowledge there clam up. Maybe when the ambassador woke up, he'd be more talkative. I wonder what the last thing she wants to talk about is, if not this?

Fussing over the larger griffon proved sufficient to take his mind off the issue. Interesting. It seems they actually have bones running along their primaries, he thought, examining the wing with a critical eye. The sooner the ambassador woke up, the better; however, it seemed that rest was the only method of recuperation left to them.

[TheAmishPirate]

Crown kept his jaw locked tight throughout the examination; only slight whimpers escaped his lips as the pegasus' skilled hooves brushed the tender skin. "Well, I hardly doubt id would be tho thevere. Cork blood knowth whad it ith doing, after all." Though he chuckled, a twinge of fear needled its way into his heart. It was properly crushed, of course. Couldn't do to show fear in adversity, he was better than that. Wincing at his own touch, he held the gauze in place and kept his head tilted forward. "Now all dat ith lefd ith to ready our thupplieth for de journey."

[BlasTech]

"Oh good, sounds like you guys have already got a plan together. I was about to ask if there was anything nearby that looked like civ- YOU!!"

Rinda was looking towards the carriages, where Igneous had just come back out into the sunshine.

"Oh hi miss Rinda!" he replied jovially. "I'm glad to see you're saf-urk"

His words were cut off as he was lifted bodily off the ground by the gryphon, who then proceeded to shake the poor guard pony like he was a simple rag-doll.

"I don't know whether to throttle you or not, so help me decide!!" she yelled. "What happened to the simple train ride your boss promised us??! Was it your magic that did this? What was that spell you cast on our carriage door? I couldn't budge the blasted thing!!"

"I-I-I-I d-d-d-on't-t know-ow-ow" the unicorn tried to reply, his voice distorted by the rapid movements of his head.

[Balmas]

Dive Bomb looked up at the sudden noise. Oh, that was not good--that meant more work for him. Yet, he really didn't want to interfere with the amber griffon's mistreatment, lest she turn her anger on himself.

What was the right answer; stand by and allow it to continue, or risk personal injury to get it to stop? He turned the idea over in his mind, attempting to tune out the oscillating sound of the unicorn's voice. It was possible that he should be injured if he interfered, and he didn't really trust the griffoness' emotional stability. On the other hoof, the unicorn stood to take much larger injuries, having earned--at least to some extent--the griffoness' wrath.

Eventually, the sense of the greater good won out: he might get hurt, but the unicorn would almost certainly be hurt worse. He stared at the griffoness, wings half-flared in preparation for either flight or fight, and stammered out, "Er... I-it wasn't h-his fault..."

[Ravian]

Soot watched in alarm as the griffon shook Iggy. "Whoa! Hold on a moment."
Celestia now I'm breaking up fights between guards. What's next turning myself in? still the unicorn guard didn't mean any harm to them, and was too incompetent to be blamed for anything.

She tried to calm down the angry griffon. "Listen, we're all in the same spot here. And strangling each other isn't going to fix anything!"

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Heart check to try and call Rinda down so we can settle things between the two.
Heart 3 + Willpower 7 = 10
(1d20+10)[28]
does the sensitive trait apply here? It seems like the type of thing that would.
(1d20+10)[29]

[BlasTech]

"Yeah, but it would feel pretty good." replied Rinda, before breaking her glare to look at the other ponies.

Her gaze lingered for a moment on Soot. There was a flicker of something behind her eyes; not quite recognition, but it gave the gryphon pause. For just a heartbeat, emotions played across her face for Soot to see - frustration, fear and something that looked like pain.

"O-oh yeah?" she said, recovering. The burst of emotion replaced by a glare once more. "How do you know this sack of rocks isn't the reason we're all stranded out here?"

"She has a point y'know" added Igneous, still held aloft in her claw.

OOC

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No danger of strangulation, thanks to the check, but having her just calm down is a bit too hard a shift in temperment. Have some info so you can calm her down the rest of the way, also helped by Soot's sensitivity.

Frustration - Soot can recognise it as the frustration of somepony kept on the sideline by force. Maybe a foal at a game? Similar situation here, Rinda feels like she was left out, but also that she'd rather have gone down fighting than being locked in a car.

Fear - may be driving irrational behaviour. Needs an emotional/sympathetic response.

Recognition? - Don't know the cause, but Soot gets a feeling Rinda will listen to her as a result.

[Balmas]

Dive Bomb paused, and attempted to compose himself. Deep breath, Dive Bomb. Deeeeep. Breeaaath. He cleared his throat before continuing. "He couldn't have done. Unless he's Discord in disguise, or a very cleverly concealed alicorn, he would lack the power to teleport a train this far." It still begged the question of how, exactly, they were here. He shook his head in wonderment, and then looked at the filly beside him. "Right, Soot?"

[TheAmishPirate]

"And led uth nod forged da he wath with uth when de creature addacked de train." Crown Cork chimed in from the shade of the caboose. He would have certainly taken the forefront in such a tense situation, were he not under doctor's orders to let his fragile nose drain out. Besides, his...temporary speech impediment would likely only confuse matters further. No, his little errand-filly would carry the day here.

(Woo, Harmony bonus!)

[One Tin Soldier]

Grease spoke up to aid Soot's efforts. "Besides which, when we found Igneous here he was stuck in a cloud of excess magic. If we hadn't triggered it, he might have never gotten out in one piece. Does that sound like something that he would do if he was the one who brought us here?"

[BlasTech]

Rinda looked between the assembled ponies ... and felt her resolve begin to crack. Those eyes could've tamed a manticore.

No, really, they were like weaponised adorable or something.

She looked back to Igneous, to only see that he had his puppy dog eyes on too.

"Augh!" She said, dropping him in the dirt with disgust. "Fine! You win! He can live for now."

"Woot!" said Iggy, as he happily bounced to a stop.

[Balmas]

Dive Bomb breathed a deep, shaky sigh as his wings fluttered to a standstill. Sudden trembles shook his frame as he realized what might have happened. Still, it hadn't, and that was the important thing. Once he had control of his own emotions, and more importantly his mouth, he sighed, and said, "Where to?"

[TheAmishPirate]

Crown Cork chuckled airly, well pleased with how the situation resolved. "Now? I believe our nexd courth of action ith obviouth." With a little leap and scramble, he ascended to the door of the nearest train car. "Thompony will have to thtand firtht watch while de otherth pack thupplieth and ged thome retht. We have a long drek ahead of uth dith evening."

[Balmas]

Dive Bomb nodded. Traveling at night made sense; they'd have the benefit of stellar navigation, and less heat exhaustion. Luna's moon would give them light by which to travel.

He examined he comotose griffon one more time before trotting off to another train ladder. If he could just-- get it-- loose-- There it was. A sleigh would allow them to carry more food, and if he could get the runners to separate, they could use the poles to set up a tent in which to take cover during the day.

He tucked the ladder under a train car, and headed in. Best to be ready to move when the time came. Still, that cramped cabin... Eventually, he fell asleep in the passenger car, curled into a ball around his saddlebags and the precious contents therein.

((Ready to move out whenever everyone else is ready.))

[One Tin Soldier]

Grease Spot nodded in agreement as well. Now that she thought about it, she could feel bands of sweat around her barrel, where the straps of her saddlebags rested. Waiting until evening before moving out would be a good idea. A good enough idea, in fact, that she was a little mad at herself for not thinking of it before a colt half her age.

"I can watch him," she said, as Dive Bomb walked into the car, clearly un-volunteering himself. "Shouldn't be too hard to figure out if something goes wrong."

[Ravian]

Soot wiped her brow "Evening does sound best, we could conserve our strength and avoid dying of heat stroke." in the back of her head she thought she had heard that deserts were cold at night, but she didn't figure it would be that bad, can't be as bad as a manhattan winter, that's for sure.

[BlasTech]

The afternoon passed in a haze of heat and dry winds.

As the group made their final preparations, they took the time to share one last meal together in the dining car, using up some more of train's precious supply of water and perishables while they could.

The Ambassador remained largely insensate, although by Rinda's estimation, following her turn at watch, his condition was improving. He had yet to wake up still, but had been observed muttering beneath his breath, and had accepted a sip of water when the bottle had been put to his beak.

Dive Bomb spent the afternoon tinkering, eventually presenting the others with a wooden sled he'd cobbled together from salvage which could be used to hold the group's communal supplies.

Igneous had finished his stocktake, reporting that they could carry enough preserved food on each pony to last four days. He also noted that the sled could comfortably carry an extra two days of rations for the group on top of the other things they'd loaded in there, or could be overloaded to carry an extra two more.

That would give them the better part of a week or two before they needed to scavenge for food again, at the expense of making it harder on whoever had to drag the sled along. Water was the real sticking point though, even with all the bottles Soot had found, he estimated they had only one to two days ration of water per pony.

The others passed the afternoon through various methods of killing time; whether it be talking, checking their supplies one more time, or just attempting to catch a bit of rest. Unfortunately, the bright sun and heat made even the briefest naps difficult.

It wasn't until Celestia's sun began to set that the group got some respite from the oppressive conditions. Soon, the blueness of the sky had been replaced with a wide band of purple and orange as the first stars began to come out overhead. It was an eerie throwback to the condition of the sky as their train descended Canterlot Mountain. It seemed far longer ago than just yesterday.

The setting of the sun provided new wonders, the stars filled the night sky, providing references for navigation on top of a spectacular panoramic view. Here, in the middle of nowhere, they shone brightest - a blue and black firmament, a real ocean of light above their heads.

The night time also provided new challenges. True, journeying through the dunes would not be as taxing as it would be during the day. However, the difficulty of noticing some hazards had increased. Even though the moon provided sufficient light to see by, a giant rock and a giant rock lizard might be harder to distinguish until one got close.

Some hazards, however, became downright obvious in the dark. The large pile of rocks, untouched throughout the course of the day, save from that odd, purple cloud of magic, began to glow.

[Balmas]

The sky was so clear, it was almost spooky. Not that Dive Bomb believed in spooky, or other words traditionally associated with superstition.

Still, the way the stars danced and Luna's moon smiled on his face made him happy. The clarity of the desert air made it so that he could almost imagine that he was in Cloudsdale, slouching on a cloud and listening to an astro-navigational lesson from-- He smirked; Dad would be gloating unbearably if he knew that Dive Bomb ever actually had a use for his teachings.

He sighted down his notepad at the twinkling stars above him, confirming his directions and smiling with familiarity. There was the little bear, the flying pegasus, the rolling die, the Wonderbolt... Dive Bomb always suspected that this last one was an addition by his father, since he'd never found it in any astronomy text.

He stared at the abomination on the ground before him; had he really had a hand in its construction? It was hideous, and looked like it could fall apart in too stiff a breeze. Still, the ladder felt firm enough, and the cloth spread over the wooden boards taken from the train held strong under the weight of the food already on it. It even drew easily enough through the sand.

He slipped out of the cloth pull-strap, easing it off with a wing before heading over to the glowing rocks. Now, these were interesting; he eased one out of the ground, and began to examine it in closer detail. Maybe they could use them as lamps on the journey to the west. Gently, he set it on the group of rocks and began to make notes on its properties.

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Not sure if check is necessary to observe it and note any unusual properties, but you'll get one. I think that Researcher actually applies here, as does Wary.

(1d20+6)[12]
(1d20+6)[26]

Still carrying a rock as a makeshift lantern, he made his way to the assembled ponies, and sat down. "What's left to do?"

[BlasTech]

The rock trembled for a moment, before shooting out of Dive Bomb's grip. It flew through the air before coming to rest back on the rock pile, pretty much exactly in the position it had been taken from.

[TheAmishPirate]

It had been a busy day for Crown Cork. Between watching over Ambassador Highwind, trying to nap, checking up on the supplies every few minutes (and fussing over the knots tied on the bags), and simply taking in the scenery, he had hardly had any time to rest. Good enough for him; when they stopped next morning, he wanted nothing more than to drop his supplies, find shade, and simply pass from consciousness until needed. His mind simply had to be active. Show the group there was nothing to fear, and they in turn would be fearless.

Just before night fell, the Sisters themselves saw fit to grace him with a fine gift; a sunset, unlike any he'd ever seen before. Breathtakingly beautiful; the deep red sun, redder than even his sweetie's mane, sending tendrils of orange streaking through the sky, setting alight the few clouds who had not fled the desert. And as it fell, an otherworldly dark settled over the land. Stars as bright as streetlights lit the sky ablaze in a sea of crystal glory, flanking the spotlight moon. His hooves would not stop trembling until they gripped paper and brush.

[I know it'll have no consequence whatsoever, but I kinda want to roll for sketching/starting to paint the night sky.]

The simple act of creating brought new strength to the pony's heart. No matter where he was, at least this could not be stolen from him. As the call to move came down the train, he carefully placed his tools back in his suitcase and trotted off to the sands, a spring in his step that mocked the weariness in his eyes.

*****************************

By the time he arrived, the others had already gathered. By pure chance, he narrowly missed seeing Dive Bomb's rock go flying away, only hearing the pegasus' question. "All that is left is for us to gather up our bags and be off, away from this wreckage and upon the first steps of our journey." Crown couldn't help but grin; his beautiful voice had at last returned to him. He donned a suncloak, food and water rations, and of course, his suitcase, balanced upon his back.

[BlasTech]

Rinda nodded in approval as Cork got himself ready to head off.

"All right the rest of you sluggards! Hurry up and harness up! If this takes much longer, I'm gonna start molting here." She called, putting actions to words and starting to lock herself in to the front end of the stretcher.

"I don't care who does it, but one of you needs to hook into the back of this thing, and don't forget the sled either." She ordered.

[Heck, if you want to roll on a sketch go ahead. Mind/Painter. Lets say 10 for a passable sketch, and if you exceed it you get a better quality one.]