Celestia's Finest: The Wasteland Wailers

[DigoDragon]

Powder Keg's smile droops a little. "Before I got captured and locked up, it was a nice place, far as the Wasteland goes. But that was...six years ago now? But I escaped from there before running to Equestria. Got locked in stocks in the main square. Town's still made of scrap, but nice scrap. Market's gone. Everything and everypony are busy working for the Dark Lord in his vault up the mountain. Only bright spot is that mare from the Old World Blues station."

"Townsfolk mentioned some group called the Initiative or some such that have been going around kidnapping," Rose says.

[D.KnightSpider]

That was a very, er, unique reaction from Angel Wings. From the looks of things, it didn't take much to make her happy.

"Sorry, Corby. Sometimes a name sticks whether you want it to or not. On the bright side, 'Ninja' is far from the worst nickname to have attached to you."

He paused to check in on the interrogation. It was worth a chuckle.

"Heh. A mare who doesn't immediately swoon at the Brazen Chin. That's worth bonus points right there."

[userpay]

"We took you in because we be on guard from bandits. As ah said we couldn't be sure what yer affiliation were and we've had to many close calls to not take precautions." When the clothing comes Brazen politely turns away while the mare redresses and will turn about once more when she finishes. "Feelin better? Mayhaps we should see if Happy be done with the next round of food afore we continue."

[Miltonian]

"Co-Prosperity Initiative? Yeah, they're the one who run the place. Most of the Wasteland now too. They're the ones I want you all to shoot until they all stop moving." Powder Keg's eyes burn.

-------

Corby merely sighs.

"So what can you tell us about yourself, Lt?" Angel Wings asks.

-------

Though it's hard to dress with her hooves cuffed, she mare does so. When Brazen turns back, she is much more relaxed. "Food?" she says, suspicious, "What sort of food?"

[DigoDragon]

"Co-Prosperity Initiative? Yeah, they're the one who run the place. Most of the Wasteland now too. They're the ones I want you all to shoot until they all stop moving." Powder Keg's eyes burn.

Rose nods slowly. "Well that plan is certainly still on the table. I suspect they have ties to the ponies of interest we initially came here for and if that connection proves to be true, we may very well be using gunboat diplomacy."

[userpay]

"Pancakes ah think. Ah was out on the perimeter so ah haven't got none myself either yet." Brazen tilts his head. "You still thinkin we're bandits or somethin? Perhaps we did get off on the wrong hoof so leme start again... Ah'm LT. Brazen Hoof of the EDF stationed in Equestria. We're out here in part to establish better relations with those that inhabit the Wasteland though as you might have seen we've run into ah bit of an issue with hostile elements in the area so you have to understand we're ah bit jumpy at the moment. The sooner you establish who you be and who you represent the sooner we can git ye ah bit more comfortable and possibly released entirely though that's up to the commander."

Spoiler

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Apologies if I miss details. Trying to post from work.

body language (3d6)[7] vs 14
Detect lies (3d6)[11] vs 13
Diplomacy (3d6)[13] vs 10

[D.KnightSpider]

"So what can you tell us about yourself, Lt?" Angel Wings asks.

"It's a basic story. Third generation military brat. Between that and my skills, there was never much career choice for me."

Come to think of it, if he had the choice of career, then he very well might not be military. The domino effect from that would have been interesting. Sniper set the thought aside for further pondering.

"I'm the best there is at stealth, infiltration, assassination. Spent the bulk of my time on the frontier although I've done some foreign and domestic work. I was recruited into the EDF based on the strength of my success rate."

There was a momentary pause as he considered revealing another fact about himself. Eh, he might as well.

"This one's for you, Corby. My childhood nickname was 'Mouthwash'."

[Miltonian]

Powder Keg tilts her head. "Um. Right. Boats. Those exist. There aren't many boats around here." She turns. "I mean, look! Sand, sand, sand, and over there! Rocks. Not exactly boating material."

--------

At the name of Equestria, her eyes go very wide. "Oh." It quickly passes and she resumes her annoyed, brusque manner, but Brazen knows that caught her off-guard.

She huffs. "I am a simple runaway slave." And that's probably a lie. Or at least, not the whole truth.

--------

Corby remains silent for a moment. "You have my deepest sympathies," she says, "That is truly a horrible nickname."

"Yeah, Super Scope is better," Angel Wings says.

[DigoDragon]

Powder Keg tilts her head. "Um. Right. Boats. Those exist. There aren't many boats around here." She turns. "I mean, look! Sand, sand, sand, and over there! Rocks. Not exactly boating material."

Rose chuckles a little. "Ah, no, I meant our flying ships. Sorry, in the Airforce we call our airships 'boats' because of their old design that a lot of them still carry. Just with a gasbag instead of sails."

She kicks a little at the ground. "Though maybe if you put a boat on skis it could glide over the sand."

[userpay]

At the name of Equestria, her eyes go very wide. "Oh." It quickly passes and she resumes her annoyed, brusque manner, but Brazen knows that caught her off-guard.

She huffs. "I am a simple runaway slave." And that's probably a lie. Or at least, not the whole truth.

Interesting... The reaction to where they come from is to be expected from many Wastelanders but her manner about where she comes from gives him an in to work on. "A slave you say. Perhaps... Experimented on? Our doctor has already ran some basic tests to make sure you were healthy, again part of procedure to ensure we don't get harmed by somethin you might be carryin, and she's already noticed you ain't like most ponies. If you need help that's what we're here for but we need the full story so we know how to proceed." He pauses then radios out. "Don't suppose we could get two plates of food in here?"

[Miltonian]

"Pfft," Happy laughs, "Oh come on. That only happens in movies." She finishes up the batch. "Gotta run! Two plates. Keep making pancakes Rose."

She dashes, trips, recovers, and runs off to meet Brazen with the pancakes.

The mare shakes her head. "There aren't any doctors out here, mate. No experiments to be found." She glares at him. "You sayin' I'm not normal? Buckin' news to me. You're the strange ones around here. I'm just..." She pauses as an idea occurs to her. "...The chief mare in the Grand Sultan of the Wastes harem. Yeah."

[DigoDragon]

Rose picks up where Happy left off on cooking. "Forget the sandboat idea, then," she says to no one in particular. Probably herself.

[D.KnightSpider]

Corby remains silent for a moment. "You have my deepest sympathies," she says, "That is truly a horrible nickname."

"Yeah, Super Scope is better," Angel Wings says.

Shrug.

"I'm not sure where 'Super Scope' came from; but, like as I said, sometimes a name chooses you." Sniper decided to change the subject slightly. It was time to get the focus off of him. "So in the interest of fairness, it seems proper to let Corby propose a nickname for you, Angel Wings."

[userpay]

"Pfft," Happy laughs, "Oh come on. That only happens in movies." She finishes up the batch. "Gotta run! Two plates. Keep making pancakes Rose."

She dashes, trips, recovers, and runs off to meet Brazen with the pancakes.

The mare shakes her head. "There aren't any doctors out here, mate. No experiments to be found." She glares at him. "You sayin' I'm not normal? Buckin' news to me. You're the strange ones around here. I'm just..." She pauses as an idea occurs to her. "...The chief mare in the Grand Sultan of the Wastes harem. Yeah."

"Well for all we know yer normal for what's out here, no offense mind you, but from what our docs sayin so far you could stand to help a lot of ponies back home if yer willin." When Happy comes Brazen thanks her for the food, and helps her up if she crashed on arrival. He passes a plate to the mare and let her eat for a few minutes while tucking into his own food. When his plate is empty Brazen sets it aside with a sigh.

"Lets get down to brass tacks miss cuz ah'm gettin tired of you dancin around when we're tryin to help, you ain't foolin anyone claimin what you just did. The whole reason you been talkin to me is cuz ah know how ah pony handles themself when they ain't tellin the truth or at least the whole of it. First off last ah checked there ain't no Grand Sultan hereabouts and we've got several ponies from the Wastes on our team. Even if there were it seems unlikely you'd run away in such an... Esteemed position with that tone of voice. Fact of the matter is there are experiments bein done by forces that ain't to keen on treatin the Wastelanders nor Equestira all to well and from what we've heard they've been hard at work enslavin or otherwise brainwashin ponies for their work. Ah 'Polaris' and ah Dr Hyper Thought if them names ring yer bell." He leans back. "Now if you'd rather talk to another Wastelander or another mare instead of me that can be arranged but as ah said we be gettin tired of this dancin game. Ah've already given you several concessions and we ain't gonna torture you but we ain't gonna make yer stay anymore comfortable if yer still refusin to help us help the Wasteland. If it helps yer thoughts at all we've already established good relations with the nearby village and we seek to do more as we track down Polaris and Dr Hyper Thought but that's all on you to decide if you wana keep bein ah normal prisoner or possibly even be another guide for us."

Spoiler

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Not to sure whether further diplomacy or intimidation works best for this so I'll roll both.
Body Lang (3d6)[9] vs 14
Detect Lies (3d6)[8] vs 13
Diplo (3d6)[12] vs 10 (uncertain if I'm getting any benefits from attractive or having given her stuff)
Intimidation (3d6)[9] vs 14

[Miltonian]

Powder Keg nods and lets the conversation lapse until Happy comes back. "Alright! Now Lt. Red Tape! Chocolate chips or blueberries?"

Red Tape looks up. "Neither. They aren't listed in our supplies, so--" He looks and sees Happy holding a bag of each. "This is...how the...where the...?" He clears his throat. "Chocolate chip, please."

"What's a blueberry taste like?" Powder Keg asks.

----------------

"Oh no," Angel Wings says.

"Decoy," Corby says with only a moment's hesitation, "She's loud and fast and blindingly white. Perfect decoy."

"I object strongly to this!"

----------------

The mare grins. "So what you're sayin' is that your gonna use your food and your water to feed me an' all I gotta do is sit around and stay outta the way? Mate, I don't know what you were goin' for, but that sounds pretty nice." She lays down and puts her head on her hooves. "Consider me your prisoner."

[DigoDragon]

"What's a blueberry taste like?" Powder Keg asks.

Happy's antics are adorable. She needs more friends like her in her life. To Powder's question, Rose gets curious. "Ooh, you haven't had one. Well you're one of today's lucky 10,000!" Rose chirps up. She goes to happy to request a blueberry to give to Powder.

"It tastes a little sweet and tart at the same time. Try it."

[D.KnightSpider]

"Oh no," Angel Wings says.

"Decoy," Corby says with only a moment's hesitation, "She's loud and fast and blindingly white. Perfect decoy."

"I object strongly to this!"

"Much like how Corby constantly objected to being called a ninja?" Sniper's question was an observation, not a condemnation. "And since you're good at evading pursuit, Angel Wings, I can see the logic the nickname."

'Decoy' was better than what he would have done. 'Halo'. Would have been his first choice. Original naming schemes didn't run in his family.

"Turnabout is fair play. I could tell you stories about that one."

[userpay]

Brazen rolls his eyes. "Guess ah shouldn't expect nothin less. Selfish bunch ain't ya? Care for nothin but yerself? Well mayhaps you'll get turned loose anyway, that's all the commander's decision, so those food and water privleges might not hold out after all."

[Miltonian]

Powder Keg takes the blueberry and scrutinizes it. After a moment, she pops it in her mouth and bites down. Her eyes go wide and she coughs. "Wow. That's...a strong flavor. Can I have another?"

------

Angel Wings sighs. "But 'Decoy' doesn't carry the same weight as 'ninja'. And decoys get shot at. I like not getting shot at. That's why I'm the medic." But she seems to be relenting.

------

The mare shrugs. "Tanstaafl," she replies, "It's how we operate. Now if you'll excuse me, mate, I've got a long day of laying around to get to."

"If you don't know what that means, ask the 'other wastelanders' you go on about. Oh, and tell them I'm a News while you're at it. See how well they react to that."

[DigoDragon]

Powder Keg takes the blueberry and scrutinizes it. After a moment, she pops it in her mouth and bites down. Her eyes go wide and she coughs. "Wow. That's...a strong flavor. Can I have another?"

"Happy, make some pancakes with blueberries. I think we have a winner!" Rose will get Powder a couple more blueberries to taste.

[D.KnightSpider]

Angel had obviously never heard of 'Shoot the Medic First'.

"True." Sniper admitted. "And that's why it's more heroic. It takes a special bravery to draw attention and fire so that others can work on the shadows. Without a decoy, a lot more infiltrations would fail.

"It's a bit like how armies only succeed because their medics keep patching them up."

He kept his eyes roving the horizon as he spoke.

[Miltonian]

Happy salutes. "Blueberry pancakes! Coming right up!" She makes another batch and then takes a plate up to Love and Star.

-------

The conversation dies down for a bit. As does the action. It's just a long patrol, watching for enemies. But none come. Yet.

[DigoDragon]

Happy salutes. "Blueberry pancakes! Coming right up!" She makes another batch and then takes a plate up to Love and Star.

Rose will serve Powder some pancakes then, and continue making more. "Let's see, we got air patrol and Red Tape there and... oh, me."

[Elbeyon]

On the approach, Happy hears music coming from the Thunderbird. Upon entering, Love pops out of an opened panel in the floor with a wrench and some wires. "Happy!" she says rather happily.

She puts the wrench to her mouth and sings, "Wish I could shut my playpony mouth." She steps up and out of the crawlspace. "How'd I turn my shirt inside out (inside out right)." She drops the tools and grabs Happy. "Control your poison babe." Happy gets a spin. "Roses have thorns they say." Love pulls her close into a firm embrace. "And were all gettin' hosed tonight!"

The music keeps playing, but Love stops singing. "Hey, Happy. You bringing us our meal? How kind." Love keeps dancing with her. "We're making progress on the Thunderbird. Music helps me (us) focus."

[Miltonian]

Powder Keg, with complete disregard for manners or any other polite conventions, buries her face in the pancakes. "These are delicious!" she says through a mouthful. "Yeah, don't forget to give yourself some!"

Happy...is not a good dancer, but she gives it her best. Despite being caught very offguard. "Yep!" she says, pulling a cart onto the Thunderbird, "Blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes! Some of both."

"Seriously?" Star pokes her head in, a grin on her face. "You just made my day."

[userpay]

"Would explain how the Wastes never recovered ah suppose." Brazen says dryly. "Regardless if you're content with crumbs when you could be gettin the whole cookie that be yer decision. Unless you got anythin else to add in ah suppose ah'll leave ya to countin sand?" The commander was presumably listening in as is but before Brazen officially reported into him he wanted to check in the Powder Keg. Didn't hurt to try and get the full perspective before making the report.

[Miltonian]

"When the cookie comes with fine print longer than my tail, I'll pass mate," she says. And Brazen is free to look for Powder Keg. He'll find her crying tears of joy over a plate of blueberry pancakes.

[Elbeyon]

Love absolutely doesn't care if Happy is the worst dancer in the world. Love tries to sweep her off her hooves into the mood. "I'll take some chocolate chip. The blueberry are edible, I suppose, but I can't say I care for them. I prefer things sweet, like you." Love stops dancing with her and grabs two plates, one for Star. She passes it over to her.

Love focus hovers on Star, waiting for her to pick a spot to eat before sitting down next to her.

[DigoDragon]

Powder Keg, with complete disregard for manners or any other polite conventions, buries her face in the pancakes. "These are delicious!" she says through a mouthful. "Yeah, don't forget to give yourself some!""

"A good cook ensures the troops are all fed first before she takes a share. Well, at least that's how I work," Rose says. Indeed it is hard to resist halting for her share.

Rose continues to stack food. "I guess as long as we feed you well, Powder, this arrangement with you isn't so bad, huh?"

[userpay]

"Now if only our 'guest' would see things the same way." Brazen says as he approaches Powder and Rose. "Seems content to do nothing but sit on her flank since she's getting food and water irregardless. Mayhaps some proper MRE's might change that tune. Anyway reason ah came over here is ah wanted to confirm a few odds and ends for what little ah was able to get. To start with can you tell me what the heck a News is Powder Keg?"