[FO:E] The Northern Wasteland of Equestria 1

[Lycan 01]

Tenpony Tower - DJ Library

Homage chuckles. "Yes, I saw that. The surveillance systems actually allow me to survey almost every part of the Wasteland, even down to the individual level, and review the recordings. A collapsing building is certainly something to investigate. Did Mister Break tell you why he was in that building to begin with?" she curiously inquires.

"And no," she shrugs. "Nopony ever found out my identity without my intention. Other than the occasional raider who witnessed me feasting on their friend, but they didn't survive very long beyond that point, so that doesn't really count."

---
Tenpony Tower - Diner

"Alright!" Flim and Flam agree in unison.

The trio are soon in an elevator, on their way down to see the doctor.

"I wonder how Mister Lucky is doing right now..." Flim mutters.

"Do you think he's still outside?" Flam asks.

"Probably. Do you think he's flirting with the Enclave pony?"

"Probably. Do you think he's having any luck?"

"Probably. Do you think it's going to blow up in his face?"

The two brothers pause to look at each other, before both stating: "Probably."

---
Tenpony Tower - Spa

Lucky staggers to his feet. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I've been through a lot worse..." he mutters, adjusting his hat. "What about you though? Are you alright? And I am so sorry for whatever happened, and-"

Lucky pauses, and looks around in confusion. "Wait. Where are we? The last thing I remember is a very angry guard and something about jail."

[Chaotic Bob]

[Tenpony Tower - Spa]

"Good. It wasn't your fault. I'm fine."
Down closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, resisting the urge to raise a hoof to the phantom sensation around her neck.

"I'm fine...
We went the wrong way after I pulled you from the prison."
Before you even knew you were there! Ain't that nice?

"We need to be four floors down from here, if you wish to get your face helped. It needs it."
It's...kind of getting worse as time goes on.

[Rebonack]

Funny thing about Lucky's face. Left it itself it seems to attract all sorts of trouble.

[Tenpony Tower - Homage's Pad]

"I always wondered how DJ Pon3 knew so much about what was going on. Even things that nopony should have seen. I wonder why they put a bunch of cameras all over Equestria like that back in the day? Maybe to watch for spies or something?" Swiss muses aloud before giving a shrug. "Dunno what Break was up to. I had assumed he was just scavenging in the building and ran into some mines a few sadistic Raiders had left behind."

Raiders are real jerks. And at the mention of eating them Swiss makes a sour face.

"Ugh... I hate eating Raiders. They taste like crazy."

[Lycan 01]

Tenpony Tower - DJ Library

"Those spires you see scattered around the landscape? They were part of a special program near the end of the war. By tapping into them, I can see nearly anywhere and everywhere. Though a few of the spires are offline," Homage sighs. She deigns not to comment on Lucky, and why he was really in the building.

Then she pulls a face. "Yes, raiders are quite unpalatable. Probably the top of my 'horrible meals' list, just above slavers and canned vegetables," she complains, sticking out her tongue for emphasis.


---
Tenpony Tower - Spa

Lucky blinks. "You bailed me out of jail?" he asks, slightly taken aback.

And then she makes a jab about his face. He smirks. "And apparently we're back to you relentlessly insulting me. Yay," he remarks with a playful smile.

His smile fades slightly after a moment, and he lowers his gaze. "Thanks, by the way..." he quietly tells her. "I appreciate your help..."

[TheAmishPirate]

Originally Posted by PurityIcekiller

"So only say just as much as they need to know, and no more? I suppose I can do that. Yeesh, this place is complicated. I still don't quite understand myself, much less anything else."

Violetta then brightened up. "Of course, I doubt Bucky could really have pulled that sort of thing off. He was outnumbered four to one and we had Gleam with us, so he would most likely die as well. Plus, it would have cost him his reputation with Fizz. I think he's got enough sense to know that."

Again with the face-hoofing. "The point ain't whether or not he would've pulled it off, the point is not to get shot at in the first place. Ponies can be mighty unpredictable when they get riled. Sometimes they shoot, even though they know they ain't got a prayer of winning. That's why you gotta be careful, else you'll end up without a leg or worse."

Still, Fleetwing found his anger cooling down to a simmering grump. Violetta was just...too dang receptive to stay steamed at. Almost made him wish she was a little more stubborn, that'd give him an excuse to really let her have it. The pegasus kicked a rock with a sullen sigh. He'd have to content himself with sulking in the shed later. "Look; just let me handle the talking when things get rough, okay? It's better if you just watch how it's done, instead of saying the wrong thing and screwing us over."

[Chaotic Bob]

[Tenpony Tower - Spa]

Shame for those curious tower-dwellers looking on the scene.
Doesn't seem to be getting any funnier.


Down begins moving away, giving her head a slow shake.
"The guard just made a mistake. I didn't do anything."
Technically she didn't! Stetson and Cuffs figured it out pretty much on their own.

All she did was run into a wall, sort of crush Lucky, and generally put him in another inconvenient position.
"Helpinghoof Medical Clinic. Do you need help getting there?"

[Benson]

Originally Posted by Lycan 01

Tenpony Tower - Diner

"Alright!" Flim and Flam agree in unison.

The trio are soon in an elevator, on their way down to see the doctor.

"I wonder how Mister Lucky is doing right now..." Flim mutters.

"Do you think he's still outside?" Flam asks.

"Probably. Do you think he's flirting with the Enclave pony?"

"Probably. Do you think he's having any luck?"

"Probably. Do you think it's going to blow up in his face?"

The two brothers pause to look at each other, before both stating: "Probably."

Gwendolyn ignored the two and their topic and their suspicious incessant on bringing it up for whatever reason.

"So what is this Dr Helpinghoof like?"

[Rebonack]

[Tenpony Tower - Homage's Pad]

Swiss taps her chin in thought. "Hmm... Yeah. The was one on top of Clovenhoof Mountain that you could see from Strawberry Tart's village. Hard to miss. Seen a couple others in my travels. So they all have cameras in them?"

How nifty!

"So what about the ones that aren't working? Do you know why? I'm quite the wiz with electronics if I do say so myself! If I had an idea of what I was looking for I'll bet I could repair the feed."

Ooooh!

She's offering to restore the music to parts of the Wasteland! This sounds suspiciously like a quest.

[Luka]

Originally Posted by BladeofObliviom

[Girdershade]

Swift merely watches for a moment smiling as Fleetwing flies off. It's admittedly partially curiosity; It's not like she's never seen a pegasus before, but they're not exactly common in the Wasteland.

However, after that short moment, Gleamy's the only one left to talk to.

"Crazy kids."

...

"...Gleamy?"

The alicorn stands like that for a bit, then blinks once and shakes awake again
"Wh-What?... Oh, sorry, I was....Distracted, you called me?"

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

Originally Posted by MCerberus

Manehatten - Bucklyn Cross

"Pack light without much in the way of identifying gear other than the holo-tags. We managed to find some rad-x but it doesn't stop everything." The mare shudders a bit thinking about radiation treatment when you have a low endurance score. "I know sometimes that stuff is necessary but it makes he sick. Haven't heard of anypony allergic to it though. That would be weird... and bad."

Then in a moment the two would run into the mare in charge of recon. While waiting Staccata was looking through a folder. Something about a potential initiate for placement in a few years constantly misbehaving. She looks up and sees the two approaching. "At ease, knight. Star Paladin Onion Dip will not be joining us, as much as it pains me to say."

[tag: Luka, Rebonack?]

"I don't know if that even weights that much...Is it liquid lead or something?"
He thinks for a bit before they run into Staccata.
He would remain silent for a bit there, somewhat similar to an escort, or to somepony waiting in a line/queue/something, possibly mostly the former.

[tag: MCerberus]

Meanwhile inside

"...You're stuck? again?"
"It's like glued to hair or somethi-...OW!"
He's pulled off by the stallion, possibly ripping part of his coat
"Noww just stay here, I got to make that request, you heard me...."
He walks off, the little brown colt would just sit down, slightly teary.
The scribe would notice, sigh a bit and try to distract him away from wanting to cry
"...Why don't you just get your stuff and go train something else? ...Maybe Nit-pic's still doing that pistol training"
The colt would just stand up and say a low "ok", then grab his stuff and try to find an instructor or something, if anypony asks why is he wandering around, he's not been assigned to anything at the moment.

[tag: MCerberus? Rebonack?]

[Lycan 01]

Tenpony Tower - Spa

Ignoring the spectators, Lucky gives Down a shrug. "Well, you tried to give me a lift, rather than leaving me to rot. Better than most ponies would have done, so that's something to be thankful for," he remarks after her.

As for the Clinic. "Well... If you have nothing better to do and want to accompany me, I wouldn't complain. Even if you insult me the whole way there. I probably deserve it anyway," he offhandedly observes with a small bemused smile and a roll of his eyes. "But no, I should be able to make it there on my own in one piece." A pause. "Probably."

Sadly, he's not trying to be funny, though it may seem like it. Lucky is genuinely starting to doubt his ability to go anywhere safely...



---
Tenpony Tower - DJ Library

"They're an interconnected surveillance system, yes," Homage nods with a smile. "And there are currently two that aren't working. One..." he face darkens, "Is in Fillydelphia. I doubt I will be getting it back up and running anytime soon, and sending somepony to do the work would be much too risky. The other is in the Deadlands." Her lips form a small smirk. "One reason why I would like to speak with Mister Break at some point."



---
Tenpony Tower - Elevator

Flim and Flam shrug. "He's a doctor," Flim states the obvious.

"A stallion."

"Nice fella."

"Specializes in drug addiction and rehabilitation."

"Has an assistant named Life Bloom, if I recall correctly."

"Our uncle is fond of either of them."

"He's not fond of anypony in the medical field."

"Or in general."

[Chaotic Bob]

[Tenpony Tower - Spa]

"Didn't trust the guard not to take out his humiliation on your belongings."
That definitely wasn't the reason, but it sounds good enough.

And Lucky makes a somewhat valid point.
Which is bothersome in that fact.
"Probably be arrested for looking at a mare sidelong on the way. Very well, away we go, Mister Break."
Yep, insults are still a thing!

Quickly! To the downwards direction!

Also under-her-breath grumblings.
"Need to see Swiss soon."

[MCerberus]

Manehatten - Bucklyn Cross

"Without boring you with the details," Staccata replies in a stern manner with hints of vague annoyance (it's not for the asker here). Apparently she overheard part of the conversation. "The idea that power-armor makes you a better soldier carries into the requisition process." Conveniently left out is the fact Scoops isn't a medic, and medics have what they need.

"23a, Whadda," she states and Scoops heads off. "And you look like you're looking for something."

Bucklyn Cross Firing Range

Crusader Nit-Pick would be in the firing range with a pair of earmuffs on. He's a mid-20's unicorn stallion with an olive coat and dark-brown mane. As a matter of fleshing out a certain part of the Ranger's structure, he's one of the squad leaders for the recon group.

That was really more of a personal choice. Some unicorns want to avoid power-barding helmets... because... you know... the horn. He's currently firing off a 9mm as fast as he can and seeing how much accuracy he can maintain.

[Lycan 01]

Tenpony Tower - Spa ---> Onward!

Lucky frowns. "Ah. Well that would have been unfortunate. I like my meager belongings..." he muses. "Still, nice of you to be concerned enough to care."

Lucky canters over and joins Down, trotting alongside her at a safe distance. "Heeeey, you make me sound like a mare-nizing jerk. Which I'm not, mind you. Besides, I highly doubt that's illegal here." Down may notice that he makes a point of not looking at an attractive mare who happens to trot by right then. "Nah, I'd probably just end up falling down an elevator shaft or something."

If he hears the Swiss remark, Lucky doesn't remark on it. Though he does spare a sidelong glance of the curious sort, rather than the "illegal" lustful sort.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Tenpony Tower - Towards the Elevator? Wait.]

"Spent too much time with my face in law books to allow such a thing."
Hah! Who needs concern when you have topic-saturation in your brain.
Which probably definitely wasn't the reason again.

"And I suspect I would know better than you what is and isn't illegal here, Mister Break. Mind your gaze."
And how could he make a point of ignoring an attractive mare, if he didn't look at her first to identify she was attractive?

And then she veers slightly, her voice rather simply displaying the rolling her eyes are doing.
"Stairs it is then."

[Benson]

Originally Posted by Lycan 01

Tenpony Tower - Elevator

Flim and Flam shrug. "He's a doctor," Flim states the obvious.

"A stallion."

"Nice fella."

"Specializes in drug addiction and rehabilitation."

"Has an assistant named Life Bloom, if I recall correctly."

"Our uncle is fond of either of them."

"He's not fond of anypony in the medical field."

"Or in general."

"Your uncle sounds like a wonderful fellow," She said in subtle sarcasm. "Anyways, let us go to this Helpinghoof."

[Lycan 01]

Tenpony Tower - Doctor Helpinghoof

Gwendolyn is soon escorted by the twin merchants into a medical clinic. A bright pink mare in nurse's uniform was seated behind a desk in the waiting room. "Yes, may I help you?" she cheerfully asked Gwendolyn. "In need of medical attention, or here to visit a patient?"


---
Tenpony Tower - Stairs!

"Uh huh," Lucky deadpans. "Law books. Right."

He'd been unconscious for that bit, after all. Also, it's called being better safe than sorry!

"Mind my gaze, huh?" he asks, flashing a crooked grin at Down. "Funny you say that right after I look at you. Nice to know you're absolutely brimming with self-confidence beneath all that armor. Most soldier types don't tend to care for or even acknowledge their looks."

He doesn't protest to the use of the stairs. At least if he trips, he can hover and save himself an uncomfortable landing. Hopefully.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Tenpony Tower - Stairs, The Safer Option]

Rather than walk down the stairs, Down is opting for the further safer option of hovering down them.
No room to trip and fall somehow.

Because it'd happen.
Somehow.

"As soon as my confidence slips, I just have to look to my left. And then I feel much better."
What's to her left?
Hmm...just Lucky. Odd.

[Lycan 01]

Tenpony Tower - Stairs

Lucky sighs, his expression neutral as he hovers alongside Down. "Well then. So nice to know I brighten your day and improve your self-image so efficiently. Glad know I'm actually accomplishing something in my life. Besides driving up the price of medical supplies."

He gives a shirk of his shoulders. "Perhaps we should move on to a different topic, before you exhaust all your best insults. I'm curious about something, anyway. Do they have Sparkle Cola up there?" he idly asks. "There" no doubt meaning Enclave-ville.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Tenpony Tower - Stairs]

Was that the faintest ghost of a smile, as Lucky surrendered what definitely wasn't a verbal duel?
Maybe.

She did feel slightly better for some reason.

Obligingly leaving behind the prior discussion in favor of the new one, Down shakes her head.
"If we had the drink, it was finished off a long time ago. No means of making it on our own, with resources as they are."
But she does know of them! Surely that's something.

[Lycan 01]

Tenpony Tower - Stairs

"Oh," Lucky frowns. "Well that sucks. It's pretty good stuff. Funny thing, most folks actually think all of it is purely pre-war, but some ponies actually know how to homebrew the stuff. Usually easier to just find a full bottle, though."

He gives Down a curious glance. "You want to try some? I can get ya a bottle."

[Chaotic Bob]

[Tenpony Tower - Stairs]

Stairs don't take long to descend at the best of times, let alone when you're flying.
Four floors isn't much distance, and thus they have already arrived.

"Thank you, Mister Break, but it's fine. Always a bit of a juice girl.
Though if I need someone to raid a mutant infested house in search of a bubbly beverage, I'll know who to ask."
Hey, Down sounded almost nice and appreciative there at the end.
Less flat out snarky than before, at least.

[Benson]

Originally Posted by Lycan 01

Tenpony Tower - Doctor Helpinghoof

Gwendolyn is soon escorted by the twin merchants into a medical clinic. A bright pink mare in nurse's uniform was seated behind a desk in the waiting room. "Yes, may I help you?" she cheerfully asked Gwendolyn. "In need of medical attention, or here to visit a patient?"

"I'm not in particular need of medical attention...well, maybe a check up...anyways, not me, but a friend of mine. Do you do facial reconstruction by the way? Do I have to set up an appointment? Do you do walk ins?"

[Lycan 01]

Tenpony Tower - Doctor Helpinghoof

The nurses' cheerful demeanor disappears. "You're here about the idiot pegasus, aren't you?" she deadpans.

[Benson]

Originally Posted by Lycan 01

Tenpony Tower - Doctor Helpinghoof

The nurses' cheerful demeanor disappears. "You're here about the idiot pegasus, aren't you?" she deadpans.

"Yes," She said.

[Lycan 01]

Tenpony Tower - Doc's Office

"Well that's ominous..." Flim and Flam both mutter in unison.

The nurse sighs. "Yeah, one of the guards came in a moment ago and told us to give him a free surgery. Seems there was a big misunderstanding, and your friend got his face smashed up by security. Since it wasn't his fault, they're hoofing the bill for his procedure in order to save face. No pun intended," she grunts with a roll of her eyes. Gee, she seems pretty pissy about the whole thing, even though they're supposedly still being paid. "Do you need anything else?"

[Benson]

Originally Posted by Lycan 01

Tenpony Tower - Doc's Office

"Well that's ominous..." Flim and Flam both mutter in unison.

The nurse sighs. "Yeah, one of the guards came in a moment ago and told us to give him a free surgery. Seems there was a big misunderstanding, and your friend got his face smashed up by security. Since it wasn't his fault, they're hoofing the bill for his procedure in order to save face. No pun intended," she grunts with a roll of her eyes. Gee, she seems pretty pissy about the whole thing, even though they're supposedly still being paid. "Do you need anything else?"

Gwendolyn cocked a brow as she listened. Seemed someone was throwing a fib to get a free surgery. "Mmm, has he already been by here to get his procedure?"

[Lycan 01]

Tenpony Tower - Stairs----->Clinic

Lucky chuckles. "Well, I can buy you some juice then, perhaps. I'm sure this place serves it. Or maybe some coffee. Oh please tell me you have coffee up there..." he mutters.

"Anyhoo, raiding ruins full of monsters works, but sometimes it's really just as easy as bucking the locks off an old soda machine on a street corner. But hey, I'm still up for any scav work you need done. That's the sort of stuff I actually enjoy," he says, flashing a cheerful grin.

And then they arrive! "Looks like the place," he mutters. "Guess we just go on in..."

If Down doesn't wish to accompany him inside, he tips his hat to her, and tells her goodnight.

---
Tenpony Tower - Clinic

The nurse sighs. "No, he hasn't shown up yet. Security said that a representative from the Grand Pegasus Enclave just what we need around here took him into custody, with the intention of bringing him here for medical treatment." Flim and Flam both exchange glances and grin mischievously. "He was unconscious when she dragged him off, and apparently they accidentally gave her directions to the spa of all places. So there's really no telling when they're actually-"

Lucky walks in through the front door, his face-bandages bloody but otherwise looking like he's in a pretty good mood. Down may or may not be with him. "Oh hey, look who it is!" he exclaims cheerfully. "You wouldn't believe the night I've had!"

"...show up."

If Down is still with Lucky, Flim and Flam will yet again exchange knowing looks and crooked smirks with each other.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Tenpony Tower - Clinic]

"We'll see, Mister Break."
Well, she's already led the dummy this far.
What's a few more steps?

Besides, she supposes that investigating what is likely the height of medical technology around here could be prudent.
Possibly.

...oh hey, Gwen and those other two.
Down stares at the two for a moment, frowning at their glance. That glance seemed familiar. Always precluded trouble of a dumb sort.
"Hello."

[Rebonack]

[Tenpony Tower - Homage's pad]

"Fillydelphia, huh?" Swiss echoes, wrinkling her nose a bit. "Red Eye's goons are probably all over the place there. Getting at the tower would be really fiddly. Did you have access to it before? Is the loss of signal a recent thing?"

Because if so that means Red Eye probably had his ponies disable it. And that means it may very well be guarded to prevent exactly what Homage needs done.

"I can tell Break that you wanted to speak with him. Or I could even relay a message for you! He'll probably be at the tower for a while if only to get his face fixed. And since he was escorting Flim and Flam he'll probably be looking for a new source of work."

Woohoo, work!

[Luka]

Originally Posted by MCerberus

Manehatten - Bucklyn Cross

"Without boring you with the details," Staccata replies in a stern manner with hints of vague annoyance (it's not for the asker here). Apparently she overheard part of the conversation. "The idea that power-armor makes you a better soldier carries into the requisition process." Conveniently left out is the fact Scoops isn't a medic, and medics have what they need.

"23a, Whadda," she states and Scoops heads off. "And you look like you're looking for something."

"Yes, Ma'am"
He salutes once, then brings out one of the talismans they found in the Hippocampus power plant
"A recovery team found new tech in a Hippocampus power plant, unsure if it's already registered" He gives her the Talisman
"According to terminals there, experimental, capable of turning radiation into energy"

------------------------------------------------
[Firing range]

The little tiny brown colt would approach the crusader, when he's right there he would just give a military salute.
"Req-..*bleugh* R-Requesting permission to- form part of weapons' training"
It's.... Very unfitting for the colt, but he would be getting military training, isn't he?

[Tag: MCerberus]