Post by Al on Jul 2, 2015 8:13:23 GMT
(16:28:01) Talulah wasn't the best of flyers, but by gosh she was trying! The 'vicious predator' soared, wings shaking from the effort to stay steady, feathers adjusting every other second to keep her on course. She could do this, she had this. Those overgrown, feathery bullies wouldn't know what hit them when Talulah would finally be the one to catch THEM off guard. Probably. She hit an updraft unexpectedly, yelping as she tumbled backwards and fell. Oh shit oh shit oh shit nononononono fuck. Wings beat furiously, clumsy and uncoordinated as she sought to right herself, half-cat body twisting in the air till upright though it didn't seem she was slowing down by any means. Eyes hit the ground as wings beat to at least keep her at an even angle of entry, but what she saw made her blood run cold. Oh god, was that a settlement? Shit, she didn't want to be on anyones dinner plate today. Too late, it was already closing in.>>
(16:29:59) Talulah, for lack of a better plan, Talulah found herself tangling, wings and all, into the branches of a bright red tree. The branches and trunk creaked under her weight, barely audible under her frightened squawks as she kicked and thrashed, trying to claw herself free from the clutches of the inanimate foliage before someone had a chance to make her into a delicacy.
(16:35:08) Copter had some interesting luck, apparently. The frenzied wingbeats would have been heard by anypony with ears, to be frank, and the stallion was blessed - dubious though that adjective was, for what he saw - with the sight of a griffin! It crashed right into the tree and started making a terrible din. Copter stomped his hooves and then kicked them forward to draw the blades from his new boots- what else was a pony a do when confronted with one of their major predators? But he calmed, if only vaguely, at the notice that it seemed to be stuck there. "Uhm... do griffins speak pony?" he wondered aloud, before moving slowly toward the tree. His blades were still drawn, just in case. "Hello there..?"
(16:58:48) Bits n' Pieces didn't even have the chance to speak out and ask if anyone saw his stuff, instead, only heard the sound of wing beats and his first reaction was to lay low and listen. It wasn't until the sound of crashing occurred did Bits actually follow from where the noise was to spot, oh Discord, a Griffin! Now Bits felt out of place, recognizing the stallion from before approaching the now stuck predator. Bits felt a little safer, seeing he seemed to have it under control, and decided to make his way over, his lion like tail sweeping from side to side lowly, nervous. ''Fancy oddities love finding you, don't they Metal Bee?'' Light nick name, as truthfully Bits couldn't pull a name up for the older stallion. ''First alicorns now griffins. You're a magnet.''
(17:12:31) Talulah froze when ears picked up sound, specifically a sharp one. Oh geez. Dad save me. Head twisted freely in the way that birds could do, righting itself upright even as the rest of her body was a tangled mess, feathers caught on branches and leaves. She loosed a frightened squawk, eyes sharply fixated on those blades. She contemplated her chances of pulling free and breaking out of here, which sounded reasonable were she any other gryphon. Alas, she was Talulah, and flying wasn't exactly her forte'. Better play nice and hope she survived? Her father would kill her if he found out. "Um...y-yes?" she managed out, eyes switching between ponies with wide-eyed terror. Oh god they were gonna kill her. They were gonna kill her and pluck out all her feathers and eat her!! The thought sent her into another thrashing panic, kicking and screeching at the tree in obvious distress. Dadddddddddddd halp.
(17:31:42) Copter. By that point half of the Shoe had probably noticed the griffin's presence, but they knew the rules. Nearby members of the family seemed to be watching the griffin, but so far it seemed harmless so they weren't particularly interested in attacking it. That left just Copter and Bits to interact with the lost little featherball. Thank fuck. As she - that was a she, right? Copter wasn't sure how to tell when it came to griffins, to be honest - spoke, the soldier shifted his hooves in the boots again so as to withdraw the weapons back into their metallic sheathes. "Well, if you can talk, then you're not an enemy unless you make yourself one." He was ignorant, even a little racist, but he had some pretty solid morals at least. "What brings you here? ... Other than crashing, that is."
(17:32:51) Copter also gave some kind of nod to acknowledge the unicorn before he started talking to the griffin because whoops.
(17:41:57) Bits n' Pieces. Oh.. Poor thing. Bits frowned as he straightened up. Who was really afraid of who here? This griffin, had it been any other, should have been able to break out easily.. Instead this one was frightened, it could be heard in her voice! Bits also felt a bit blown off by the stallion. Wow. Rude. He couldn't resist rolling his eyes when he spoke, telling the griffin she was safe unless she made herself a threat. Oooh what a big bad old fart. He was not going to let him get away with just a simple nod. Bits took it upon himself to step between the stallions line of sight of the griffin, looking a little sassy. ''First of all, rude.'' Bits began, his tail twitching a little, ''A simple hello is far better than a little nod Metal bee. Besides, shouldn't we try calming the poor creature down before they go and get themselves hurt?'' He refrained from using the term sky devil. After all, last time he met a thought to be deadly creature, she made him a new kazoo.
(17:53:21) Talulah's claws and talons scraped and clawed the tree, but she was too frightened to coordinate her movements enough to break free in a conventional way. Feathers everywhere. Out of sheer luck, a wing tore free from the clutch of branches, beating the air frantically now that it wasn't heald down, likely requiring the ponies to put more distance between themselves and the panicking tree. One limb down, five to go. Darnit all why did she have so many of these damn things? She loosed a hellish cry into the atmosphere, likely a summons. They needed to calm her down soon or she'd bring the whole pride down on Rusty Shoe.
(17:57:19) Copter's ears tilted back and he snorted. "You're quick to trust something that could kill us without blinking," he pointed out, ignoring the bit about not saying hello. Technicality, honestly- he'd been kinda distracted by the giant killer bird-lion y'know? As his speech was ignored entirely - apparently he'd overestimated how long her calm would last - he stepped back somewhat to avoid the senseless flailing. "Well, you wanted to help- how do we help?" he snarked at the unicorn, obvious even without his face to reveal the side-eye Bits had earned by that point. Fucking griffin was gonna bring every nasty in the Wasteland to the Shoe if she didn't stop with the noise!
(18:06:23) Bits n' Pieces gave a light shrug after letting out a laugh, ''Well, I trusted you, I'd say my timer ran up after meeting you.'' Which considering all the shit he ran into, it was still amazing to wake up to the wasteland rather than not waking up at all. ''Don't get bratty with me you old metal brat. Unlike you I can charm.'' After that snarky comment he was tempted to grab his stuff and go, but knew in the future would most definitely lead to his death... Besides the gal was panicking. She needed to hear something that was unusual, something to bring her out of her panicked state. What better way than the kazoo the alicorn Ocarina had crafted him in mere seconds? Using his magic, he withdrew the beautifully crafted item, putting it between his lips as he faced the griffin. He began to blow into the tiny silly instrument as a quirky, little jingle came from him, his tail swishing back and forth, hoof tapping on the ground as he made his own music. Something he had always done as a colt, his
(18:06:36) Bits n' Pieces: true escape from the hell that was also his home.
(18:15:17) Talulah could have kept going for hours, in fact she intended to, because nobody was responding to her calls. How far had she flown from the pridelands? Her father was going to kill her and feed her to the pride if these ponies didn't do the job first. Yet over the din of her cries, an odd little sound started to play, and she could have ignored it considering more important matters at claw, but curiosity killed the cat! Slowly, her thrashings came to a stop and her head twisted around, confused. The fuck? Attention zeroed in on the brighter and admittedly less intimidating of the two, squinting and extending her neck out to get a better look. What in the world was this thing doing? Head tilted this way and that, one side to the other as if different angles were going to decipher the noise. Uh? So now she was there to behold, a vibrant gryphon tangled in a tree, one wing stilled in mid-air and the other twisted at what was honestly a really uncomfortable angle.
(18:47:21) Copter grunted as the thrashing stopped. "Hey, I'm gonna help you out, but you gotta promise not to flip the fuck out again- deal?" he called up at the stricken bird. He'd then move toward the base of the tree and spin his ass around at it. Time to make use of one of his kin's innate powers- kicking the fuck out of things. He drew up one back hoof and tapped it thoughtfully against the trunk, also serving as a fair warning of his intentions to the griffin, before he'd place it back down and draw both hooves up. After a brief weight shift toward the maximum amount of force he could get, he struck back at the trunk with his hind legs. Maybe if he shook the tree enough it would help the griffin disentangle herself? Or even just knock her out of the tree outright. Them legs were pretty strong.
(18:51:35) Bits n' Pieces. Ah. Yes. His job was finished. Bits stopped the kazoo and placed it back in the safety of his pocket. Surely the kick to the tree would free the confused griffin from her trap, right? Regardless, he held his head high and got himself comfortable laying on the ground, his tail curling around him much like a cat. Yessss.
(18:58:59) Talulah's attention snapped to the scarrier pony, feathers bristling as he got closer, even as he promised help. She had her eyes on him, that was for sure. In her stillness, she managed to pull a foreleg free, talons curling immediately around the nearest branch for stability as she watched this strangely armored creature turn his rump to the tree. What in the world? She watched him load, cock, and fire, blinking curiously all the while before suddenly, the world spun. The flimsy, radiated tree recoiled from the impact like a wrist that had been slapped, and with it, branches finally snapped and gave way under the gryphon's weight.... unfortunately... Something was wrong, as she support beneath her gave out, her still-caught wing remained entangled in the branches that clung and clawed to her feathers, and gravity was unforgiving. Most of her hit the ground before a horrible snap rang out followed by an blood-curdling cry of agony, the branch clinging to her caught wing snapped and>>
(18:59:24) Talulah>>fell upon the rest of her, the end result being a pile of stunned gryphon on the floor, a single wing twisted at an unnatural angle atop her.
(19:10:23) Copter. The cry caused him to cringe, mostly because of its volume and not so much because he actually cared about the accursed beast's welfare. He'd kept his word, and she was out of the tree. "Great," he huffed toward Bits. Now they had an idiot griffin with a broken wing on their hooves. As if he needed any more clueless children to look after. "You stay here," he stated coldly toward Bits, almost as if blaming him for not being more helpful. "I'll go find a medic." And off he'd go to do that very thing.
(19:20:23) Bits n' Pieces jumped at the sound of the snap, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the stallion as he left. ''No good four hoofed dic-'' Huff. Oh that man got on his every nerves. He had to remain calm though. Slowly, Bits approached the sky dev- Griffin. His eyes sympathetic, laying on the ground not far from her. She didn't deserve this, from what he could see. Being in the wastelands for the first time without his merchant supplies gave him a new light on how things worked. He wanted to change that, starting with himself. ''Hey.. Shhh.. Don't freak out, it'll make it worse. I'm not here to harm you.'' Bits shifted a little, feeling a bit awkward, his eyes shifting away. ''Listen, that other pony- He seems like an ass but... Well. He could fool me. I think he means well in his own selfish way.'' He sighed, ''He went to get someone to fix your wing, alright?'' Three days ago he'd be trying to make profit off of this. Ugh. ''They call me Bits n' Pieces, feel free to call me Bits.. Whats your name?''
(19:43:44) Spring Serenade had allowed herself her own chance to rest within the caboose- it would only be a nap to replenish her strength, and so she could awaken should Oca need her. If she was there when she woke. What eventually did end up waking her was the commotion from outside, what sounded like a wooden thumping and crackling. Huh. Spring stood up from her mat just in time to run into Copter at the door.. A medic? Welp. "I can assist." Spring agreed quickly, exiting the car and making her way over to where the injured griffin was said to be. She made a concerned clucking noise with her tongue as she knelt down cautiously to look. "Be not afraid, I can help you, but it may hurt a little." Spring murmured soothingly as she began to levitate the branch up and disentangle it from the griffin's broken wing- hopefully she wouldn't get a lashing for it. What a griffin was doing so close to a place of ponies was beyond her.
(19:51:04) Copter followed out behind Spring once she'd taken the lead, but turned away from the scene. It was handled now. Let the magic users do their freaky bullshit without him there. He was going to wander off beyond the boundaries of the Shoe to attend to some business. They wouldn't miss him for a few hours, right?
(19:55:51) Talulah was simply a young and foolish gryphon, and somewhere in the back of her mind it clicked that she wasn't going to make it back to the pride. She had no idea where she was, her wings were useless, and she was out of hearing range of any of her pridemates. She could blame her siblings, the clutchmates that had picked on her for her size and disadvantage in comparison to them, but she was the one that had decided to go off on her own. The ringing in her ears drowned out all else, the pain that beat like her heart in her wing, mind-numbing. She stared blankly ahead, torso heaving in pained, shaky breaths as limbs slowly twitched back to life, registering she was injured and surrounded by strangers...ponies with weapons, killers of gryphon chicks like herself. Talons dug into the dirt, doing nothing for her as she tried to heave herself forward, heedless of the ponies trying to help her. She was in pain, she was scared, and she was lost. At least she wasn't thrashing about anymore though.
(20:03:21) Autumn Aubade appeared rather suddenly. Literally- she'd just teleported. With a bright flash of gold magic she apparated right beside Spring. It was irresponsible of her to flaunt such magic ability, maybe- but Spring had been gone for nearly three days, and it was a wide dangerous wasteland out there. What else was she meant to do? "There you are!" she spoke as soon as she'd recovered her sense of balance. Why was teleporting always so dizzying? Ugh. It was then that she noted the griffin's presence. She tensed up for a moment, but then noted Spring seemed to be ... helping the griffin? "What have I missed these few days past?" She got the feeling the answer was 'a lot'.
(20:18:21) Spring Serenade managed to separate the snagging tips of the branches from the griffin's wing and tossed it aside, into the scraggly bushes next to the tree from whence it came. The griffin herself seemed to be trying to get away, no doubt in shock and a lot of pain, scared in enemy territory. She was about to move toward her, to whisper more reassuring things, but the sound and flash of someone teleporting right next to her startled the mare from her concentration. Spring jumped, but she was reassured by the voice before she saw the face of her sister. "Autumn!" Joy and excitement spread across her face briefly at the prospect of telling her sister of her find, before she realised that this was probably not the place. Too open. "I have much to tell you! It is news of both good and bad.. but, I must help this griffin first. Her wing, it is broken." Spring said, a plea almost in her voice as she turned back to the injured one in question. Maybe a pain-numbing spell would help, first of all..
(20:33:16) Talulah barely even registered the freedom of her wing from the tangles of the trees dismembered claws, though she had already run out of energy and given up on her attempt to crawl to safety, which was only taking her deeper into the settlement anyway. The flash caught her attention, that was a bit hard to miss, and attention shot to what was now two ponies, though her vision blurred with her agony, and sound came only came in short bursts. The rest was static. She didn't recognize either of these ponies, these weren't the ponies that had kicked her out of the tree. Oh god, they'd left her to die. Attention shifted dizzily to the sky, cloudy and miserable as ever, and she loosed a slow, gutteral warble, head swaying to and fro.
(20:46:12) Autumn Aubade's tail flicked and her ears swerved in thought as she beheld the injured figure. She stepped toward the small - comparitively, for griffins in the wasteland at least - beast cautiously and with the kindest expression she could muster. She glanced around briefly and then focused on her magic. She'd burned up quite a bit of energy just getting here, but there might have been enough left in the tank for one more spell? Her horn adopted the same glow as she had arrived in, brightest at the very tip, before she'd gently take hold of the stricken limb with it- the wing also gaining the same glow. The griffin would feel a strange yet potentially pleasant vibration rippling gently, soothingly, across the wing. It wasn't healing magic of itself, but it would promote natural healing- and boost any magical healing she might receive from other sources. Alas, it was the best Autumn could offer after burning up so much magic on the teleport. [c]
(20:47:54) Autumn Aubade. She looked to Spring for a moment, still casting her soothing spell. "Do you have enough magic to heal it at all? All I can do right now is offer support. Teleporting takes a lot more out of me than I remember..." It had been a substantial amount of time since she'd last tried it. Like... before she'd lost most of her magic. But that was a story for another place and another time~
(20:58:29) Spring Serenade straightened up to approach the griffin cautiously from the side while her sister began to work her magic. "I do. I will have to straighten her wing first so that it will heal properly." The mare replied as her horn adopted its own, faded blue glow. She encompassed the broken wing with her own magic, making sure to first cast a pain-numbing spell. It would have no doubt hurt a lot, straightening a broken wing, but with her and Autumn's combined efforts, the griffin might not feel much more than discomfort. Maybe. Spring slowly began to unfold the wing from its awkward position, feeling at the bones only with her magic. Once she was sure they were aligned back up, she began to cast her healing spell. She'd have to fetch something in which to bind it afterward, to ensure the griffin didn't try to fly- as the rest of it would be up to the griffin on whether it would heal completely.
(21:13:44) Talulah was still staring dazedly at the sky when a strange sensation washed through the chaos of her body, but she barely registered it. It was only when she felt a full tugging that her attention was torn from the grays above. Beady black eyes went from one to the other, and then back again. Wh- her wing moved on its own, straightening with little more than a nauseating tingle. She stared in horror at the limb, more concerned that it was moving against her will than the fact that her pain was gone, replaced with soothing magics. Gryphons didn't use magic, this was beyond unnatural to her. It didn't help that she could barely feel the limb through all the numbness and nerve barriers they were placing. UH? Beak clicked shut and she fixed the two with a frightened stare, not fully comprehending what was going on. Were they seeing this?
(21:22:52) Autumn Aubade felt Spring's magic wash over the top of her own, and supported it from beneath. A feat that took a true bond between unicorns to achieve, certainly- most shared magic use was reduced to sharing a hold on a single object, rather than melding both magics into one force to achieve the ends of both casters. The look of abject horror was noted, however, and she frowned in concern. "We're trying to fix your wing," she explained. "Sorry, I know this must be pretty weird... We should be done soon." She too was pondering some kind of sling, but she wasn't carrying anything- not even a weapon. What could be used?
(21:45:08) Spring Serenade poured her magic into the spell aiding the griffin's wing in healing. Her eyes had slipped shut in her concentration, but she cracked them open when she heard Autumn's voice. The griffin was starting to look more awake and alert; that was a good sign. "Yes, all will be well soon, but you must not move nor stress it if it is to heal completely." Spring said in a soothing, if slightly distracted, tone. She turned her attention back onto the griffin's healing bones, feeling gently with her magic. It was close, and she gave it a little more before cutting off her flow of magic into the spell. "That should do it. I will be back quickly, I am sure I have some bandages or.. perhaps strips of cloth in my bags." Spring said as she released her hold and trotted quickly to the caboose to retrieve them and back.
(21:50:46) Talulah had to admit that having an instant patch-up job for your massive fuck up was a pretty amazing godsend. These two ponies were not chick eaters, she decided. Being told not to move made her want to move, feathers quivering and talons every nerve itching to go, to feel her body move without pain and confirm this a reality, but she understood what they said and would not move. Perhaps it was a bit...foolish, to readily trust ponies. They could be unraveling her from the inside out, they could be laying a bomb inside of her to detonate once she was back at the pride. But Talulah was just a child, not even grown fully into her wings yet, and so she readily heeded the words of her saviors. Ear flicked, picking up something in the distance, skybound and distant but close enough to hear over the miles thanks to the honed senses of the great predators. She paid it no mind the first time, but a second sound came in clearer, just a breath closer, and she identified it at once. Daddy was coming.
(22:09:01) Spring Serenade managed to retrieve her bags from the caboose and trotted back with them levitating just ahead of her. She undid the clasps and looked inside while she walked, managing to find a small roll of bandages. They would have to do, but after this she'd have to go scavenging for more, or buy them if any merchants were carrying. Oh well, they were going towards a good cause. Spring took the time to pause by one of the junk heaps on the way to look through them for any splints. After a bit of rustling and moving things about, she managed to find a moderately straight strip of metal, as well as a thin board. The unicorn wrinkled her nose, but.. they'd probably do. She trotted back to where Autumn waited, still holding up the griffin's wing, and set to work.
(22:23:05) Talulah had gone still at this point, head raised, and ears swiveling like little antennae. She hardly even reacted to the manipulation and handling of her wing, the numbing sensation making it easy to ignore while she focused elsewhere. Limbs were drawing quietly beneath her, like a sphinx, as she made herself comfy, content in the knowledge that she would be safe soon. Perhaps in trouble, a scolding was probably due for her, but safe. This nightmare would be over and she'd cuddle into the nest for the night where they would share warmth away from the unforgiving wastes. She wasn't sure how she could ever doubt her fate, her father was the kindest, strongest pridelord around. He'd never leave another to such a dreadful fate, especially not his own family.
(22:42:01) Autumn Aubade assisted until everything was sorted out. The griffin would likely be totally fine. Some distant part of her mind wondered how many ponies would fall to this beast when she grew, and whether those deaths would be on their hooves for ensuring her survival now... But it wasn't like she could feel any worse about the state of the world. Helping ponies, griffins, zebras, whatever- that was the important part. Right? As soon as things were all good, she'd let go of the griffin's wing and turn to her sister. "So what was it that you wanted to speak to me about? You said you had news?" Nothing personal, little griffin, but the news had sounded rather ugent.
(23:00:30) Spring Serenade approached the griffin with the same caution as she set the two splints on her wing, one on the top of where the break had been, and one right beneath. She'd used a short weave of bandages to bind them tightly there, giving a small experimental tug to make sure they wouldn't shift around. Once the wing was folded, she used a little more to bind it tightly to her body. "There, all done." Spring said reassuringly to the griffin with what she hoped was a comforting smile. "You must give your wing a week and a half, or more, to heal fully before you try flying again." She advised before her attention went to Autumn. Spring left the griffin's side to stand by her sister's with her voice lowered. "You remember Quartz Ocarina, the heir of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor? She lives! She is here, and she has ascended to alicornhood! I know not how it happened, but it did."
(23:17:30) Talulah tore her attention away from that beautiful black dot on the horizon long enough to inspect what weird things they'd done to her wing. Well, she couldn't really...move it... and she had no idea what this stuff was, but whatever the fancy ponies said. The sooner she got out of here the better. Somethin akin to a hawks baleful cry sounded from above and immediately her attention shot upward, and so did she. She bounced onto her feet, off balance as one wing flapped excitedly and the other remained contently in its wrappings. What was she soooo excited about? Probably the GIANT BLACK GRYPHON ABOUT TO DESTROY WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE TREE. True to my panicked capslocking, Black Smokes grandiose landing unsettling and, ultimately, unrooted the already flimsy and breaking tree from his sheer size alone. In comparison to his adolescent daughter, the full-grown male was massive, a true specimen of the predators the ponies had come to really fear. Upon his arrival, he kicked up dust, much>>
(23:22:48) Talulah>>like an enraged bull, head lowered and wings raised in warning with a low hiss at the two present ponies. Back away from my daughter his furious posture said, a merciful bid from the pridelord who merely wanted his offspring safe and sound back with the pride. If and when they heeded his warnings, he'd curl his wings around the much smaller gryphon, nosing gently at her bound wing with an understanding of what pony medicine looked like. He'd been around long enough, if the many scars littered across his body and face had anything to say about the matter. Gently, the two passed coos and chirrups before the great beast finally stepped forward, carefully moving to clutch the adolescent in his talons and, with one last appraising look to the two unicorns, beat his wings once and launched a good many feet off the ground from the strength of that one action alone and a second directed him towards home, where his child could recover from her apparent injuries in peace.
(23:30:15) Autumn Aubade had barely had time to process the ludicrously unlikely news that anypony else had survived the war before a gigantic black griffin crashed down - albeit with more purpose than the smaller's apparent gaffe - and loomed over them threateningly. Out of wasteland-developed reflex the paler sister reached out a hoof to touch Spring and teleported both of them the fuck out of dodge... Well, not really. Just far enough back to not be in immediate danger. She probably didn't have the magic back to move any further than that, even if she'd wanted to. Let alone to take another pony with her. She seemed surprised at herself when she realised the split-second decision she'd made, though it was probably unclear as to why. She watched the grown griffin in a tense silence, and only relaxed when he flew off. By the time any of the Shoe had drawn their weapons to fight the predator, he would be well out of reach of even their best projectile weaponry. Thank goodness.
(23:50:43) Spring Serenade had been prepared to tell Autumn more, but she was as drawn to the gigantic griffin's arrival as the others. By Equestria, look at the size of him! She knew the griffins ran big in this day and age, but she had never known how big. He was terrifying, too, but she kept still, staying rooted to the spot in a prey-like manner in hopes of not drawing too much attention to herself while he broke what was left of the scrawny tree. Spring flinched when the tree fell with a crash and was taken by further surprise as her sister teleported them a short distance away. She could force herself to relax then, and merely watch as the griffin took off with the little lady she'd just helped. Once he was but a speck in the sky, she finally turned back to look at Autumn with shock, barely registering the rest of the Shoe's activities. "Well.. that is one thing out of the way.."
(16:29:59) Talulah, for lack of a better plan, Talulah found herself tangling, wings and all, into the branches of a bright red tree. The branches and trunk creaked under her weight, barely audible under her frightened squawks as she kicked and thrashed, trying to claw herself free from the clutches of the inanimate foliage before someone had a chance to make her into a delicacy.
(16:35:08) Copter had some interesting luck, apparently. The frenzied wingbeats would have been heard by anypony with ears, to be frank, and the stallion was blessed - dubious though that adjective was, for what he saw - with the sight of a griffin! It crashed right into the tree and started making a terrible din. Copter stomped his hooves and then kicked them forward to draw the blades from his new boots- what else was a pony a do when confronted with one of their major predators? But he calmed, if only vaguely, at the notice that it seemed to be stuck there. "Uhm... do griffins speak pony?" he wondered aloud, before moving slowly toward the tree. His blades were still drawn, just in case. "Hello there..?"
(16:58:48) Bits n' Pieces didn't even have the chance to speak out and ask if anyone saw his stuff, instead, only heard the sound of wing beats and his first reaction was to lay low and listen. It wasn't until the sound of crashing occurred did Bits actually follow from where the noise was to spot, oh Discord, a Griffin! Now Bits felt out of place, recognizing the stallion from before approaching the now stuck predator. Bits felt a little safer, seeing he seemed to have it under control, and decided to make his way over, his lion like tail sweeping from side to side lowly, nervous. ''Fancy oddities love finding you, don't they Metal Bee?'' Light nick name, as truthfully Bits couldn't pull a name up for the older stallion. ''First alicorns now griffins. You're a magnet.''
(17:12:31) Talulah froze when ears picked up sound, specifically a sharp one. Oh geez. Dad save me. Head twisted freely in the way that birds could do, righting itself upright even as the rest of her body was a tangled mess, feathers caught on branches and leaves. She loosed a frightened squawk, eyes sharply fixated on those blades. She contemplated her chances of pulling free and breaking out of here, which sounded reasonable were she any other gryphon. Alas, she was Talulah, and flying wasn't exactly her forte'. Better play nice and hope she survived? Her father would kill her if he found out. "Um...y-yes?" she managed out, eyes switching between ponies with wide-eyed terror. Oh god they were gonna kill her. They were gonna kill her and pluck out all her feathers and eat her!! The thought sent her into another thrashing panic, kicking and screeching at the tree in obvious distress. Dadddddddddddd halp.
(17:31:42) Copter. By that point half of the Shoe had probably noticed the griffin's presence, but they knew the rules. Nearby members of the family seemed to be watching the griffin, but so far it seemed harmless so they weren't particularly interested in attacking it. That left just Copter and Bits to interact with the lost little featherball. Thank fuck. As she - that was a she, right? Copter wasn't sure how to tell when it came to griffins, to be honest - spoke, the soldier shifted his hooves in the boots again so as to withdraw the weapons back into their metallic sheathes. "Well, if you can talk, then you're not an enemy unless you make yourself one." He was ignorant, even a little racist, but he had some pretty solid morals at least. "What brings you here? ... Other than crashing, that is."
(17:32:51) Copter also gave some kind of nod to acknowledge the unicorn before he started talking to the griffin because whoops.
(17:41:57) Bits n' Pieces. Oh.. Poor thing. Bits frowned as he straightened up. Who was really afraid of who here? This griffin, had it been any other, should have been able to break out easily.. Instead this one was frightened, it could be heard in her voice! Bits also felt a bit blown off by the stallion. Wow. Rude. He couldn't resist rolling his eyes when he spoke, telling the griffin she was safe unless she made herself a threat. Oooh what a big bad old fart. He was not going to let him get away with just a simple nod. Bits took it upon himself to step between the stallions line of sight of the griffin, looking a little sassy. ''First of all, rude.'' Bits began, his tail twitching a little, ''A simple hello is far better than a little nod Metal bee. Besides, shouldn't we try calming the poor creature down before they go and get themselves hurt?'' He refrained from using the term sky devil. After all, last time he met a thought to be deadly creature, she made him a new kazoo.
(17:53:21) Talulah's claws and talons scraped and clawed the tree, but she was too frightened to coordinate her movements enough to break free in a conventional way. Feathers everywhere. Out of sheer luck, a wing tore free from the clutch of branches, beating the air frantically now that it wasn't heald down, likely requiring the ponies to put more distance between themselves and the panicking tree. One limb down, five to go. Darnit all why did she have so many of these damn things? She loosed a hellish cry into the atmosphere, likely a summons. They needed to calm her down soon or she'd bring the whole pride down on Rusty Shoe.
(17:57:19) Copter's ears tilted back and he snorted. "You're quick to trust something that could kill us without blinking," he pointed out, ignoring the bit about not saying hello. Technicality, honestly- he'd been kinda distracted by the giant killer bird-lion y'know? As his speech was ignored entirely - apparently he'd overestimated how long her calm would last - he stepped back somewhat to avoid the senseless flailing. "Well, you wanted to help- how do we help?" he snarked at the unicorn, obvious even without his face to reveal the side-eye Bits had earned by that point. Fucking griffin was gonna bring every nasty in the Wasteland to the Shoe if she didn't stop with the noise!
(18:06:23) Bits n' Pieces gave a light shrug after letting out a laugh, ''Well, I trusted you, I'd say my timer ran up after meeting you.'' Which considering all the shit he ran into, it was still amazing to wake up to the wasteland rather than not waking up at all. ''Don't get bratty with me you old metal brat. Unlike you I can charm.'' After that snarky comment he was tempted to grab his stuff and go, but knew in the future would most definitely lead to his death... Besides the gal was panicking. She needed to hear something that was unusual, something to bring her out of her panicked state. What better way than the kazoo the alicorn Ocarina had crafted him in mere seconds? Using his magic, he withdrew the beautifully crafted item, putting it between his lips as he faced the griffin. He began to blow into the tiny silly instrument as a quirky, little jingle came from him, his tail swishing back and forth, hoof tapping on the ground as he made his own music. Something he had always done as a colt, his
(18:06:36) Bits n' Pieces: true escape from the hell that was also his home.
(18:15:17) Talulah could have kept going for hours, in fact she intended to, because nobody was responding to her calls. How far had she flown from the pridelands? Her father was going to kill her and feed her to the pride if these ponies didn't do the job first. Yet over the din of her cries, an odd little sound started to play, and she could have ignored it considering more important matters at claw, but curiosity killed the cat! Slowly, her thrashings came to a stop and her head twisted around, confused. The fuck? Attention zeroed in on the brighter and admittedly less intimidating of the two, squinting and extending her neck out to get a better look. What in the world was this thing doing? Head tilted this way and that, one side to the other as if different angles were going to decipher the noise. Uh? So now she was there to behold, a vibrant gryphon tangled in a tree, one wing stilled in mid-air and the other twisted at what was honestly a really uncomfortable angle.
(18:47:21) Copter grunted as the thrashing stopped. "Hey, I'm gonna help you out, but you gotta promise not to flip the fuck out again- deal?" he called up at the stricken bird. He'd then move toward the base of the tree and spin his ass around at it. Time to make use of one of his kin's innate powers- kicking the fuck out of things. He drew up one back hoof and tapped it thoughtfully against the trunk, also serving as a fair warning of his intentions to the griffin, before he'd place it back down and draw both hooves up. After a brief weight shift toward the maximum amount of force he could get, he struck back at the trunk with his hind legs. Maybe if he shook the tree enough it would help the griffin disentangle herself? Or even just knock her out of the tree outright. Them legs were pretty strong.
(18:51:35) Bits n' Pieces. Ah. Yes. His job was finished. Bits stopped the kazoo and placed it back in the safety of his pocket. Surely the kick to the tree would free the confused griffin from her trap, right? Regardless, he held his head high and got himself comfortable laying on the ground, his tail curling around him much like a cat. Yessss.
(18:58:59) Talulah's attention snapped to the scarrier pony, feathers bristling as he got closer, even as he promised help. She had her eyes on him, that was for sure. In her stillness, she managed to pull a foreleg free, talons curling immediately around the nearest branch for stability as she watched this strangely armored creature turn his rump to the tree. What in the world? She watched him load, cock, and fire, blinking curiously all the while before suddenly, the world spun. The flimsy, radiated tree recoiled from the impact like a wrist that had been slapped, and with it, branches finally snapped and gave way under the gryphon's weight.... unfortunately... Something was wrong, as she support beneath her gave out, her still-caught wing remained entangled in the branches that clung and clawed to her feathers, and gravity was unforgiving. Most of her hit the ground before a horrible snap rang out followed by an blood-curdling cry of agony, the branch clinging to her caught wing snapped and>>
(18:59:24) Talulah>>fell upon the rest of her, the end result being a pile of stunned gryphon on the floor, a single wing twisted at an unnatural angle atop her.
(19:10:23) Copter. The cry caused him to cringe, mostly because of its volume and not so much because he actually cared about the accursed beast's welfare. He'd kept his word, and she was out of the tree. "Great," he huffed toward Bits. Now they had an idiot griffin with a broken wing on their hooves. As if he needed any more clueless children to look after. "You stay here," he stated coldly toward Bits, almost as if blaming him for not being more helpful. "I'll go find a medic." And off he'd go to do that very thing.
(19:20:23) Bits n' Pieces jumped at the sound of the snap, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the stallion as he left. ''No good four hoofed dic-'' Huff. Oh that man got on his every nerves. He had to remain calm though. Slowly, Bits approached the sky dev- Griffin. His eyes sympathetic, laying on the ground not far from her. She didn't deserve this, from what he could see. Being in the wastelands for the first time without his merchant supplies gave him a new light on how things worked. He wanted to change that, starting with himself. ''Hey.. Shhh.. Don't freak out, it'll make it worse. I'm not here to harm you.'' Bits shifted a little, feeling a bit awkward, his eyes shifting away. ''Listen, that other pony- He seems like an ass but... Well. He could fool me. I think he means well in his own selfish way.'' He sighed, ''He went to get someone to fix your wing, alright?'' Three days ago he'd be trying to make profit off of this. Ugh. ''They call me Bits n' Pieces, feel free to call me Bits.. Whats your name?''
(19:43:44) Spring Serenade had allowed herself her own chance to rest within the caboose- it would only be a nap to replenish her strength, and so she could awaken should Oca need her. If she was there when she woke. What eventually did end up waking her was the commotion from outside, what sounded like a wooden thumping and crackling. Huh. Spring stood up from her mat just in time to run into Copter at the door.. A medic? Welp. "I can assist." Spring agreed quickly, exiting the car and making her way over to where the injured griffin was said to be. She made a concerned clucking noise with her tongue as she knelt down cautiously to look. "Be not afraid, I can help you, but it may hurt a little." Spring murmured soothingly as she began to levitate the branch up and disentangle it from the griffin's broken wing- hopefully she wouldn't get a lashing for it. What a griffin was doing so close to a place of ponies was beyond her.
(19:51:04) Copter followed out behind Spring once she'd taken the lead, but turned away from the scene. It was handled now. Let the magic users do their freaky bullshit without him there. He was going to wander off beyond the boundaries of the Shoe to attend to some business. They wouldn't miss him for a few hours, right?
(19:55:51) Talulah was simply a young and foolish gryphon, and somewhere in the back of her mind it clicked that she wasn't going to make it back to the pride. She had no idea where she was, her wings were useless, and she was out of hearing range of any of her pridemates. She could blame her siblings, the clutchmates that had picked on her for her size and disadvantage in comparison to them, but she was the one that had decided to go off on her own. The ringing in her ears drowned out all else, the pain that beat like her heart in her wing, mind-numbing. She stared blankly ahead, torso heaving in pained, shaky breaths as limbs slowly twitched back to life, registering she was injured and surrounded by strangers...ponies with weapons, killers of gryphon chicks like herself. Talons dug into the dirt, doing nothing for her as she tried to heave herself forward, heedless of the ponies trying to help her. She was in pain, she was scared, and she was lost. At least she wasn't thrashing about anymore though.
(20:03:21) Autumn Aubade appeared rather suddenly. Literally- she'd just teleported. With a bright flash of gold magic she apparated right beside Spring. It was irresponsible of her to flaunt such magic ability, maybe- but Spring had been gone for nearly three days, and it was a wide dangerous wasteland out there. What else was she meant to do? "There you are!" she spoke as soon as she'd recovered her sense of balance. Why was teleporting always so dizzying? Ugh. It was then that she noted the griffin's presence. She tensed up for a moment, but then noted Spring seemed to be ... helping the griffin? "What have I missed these few days past?" She got the feeling the answer was 'a lot'.
(20:18:21) Spring Serenade managed to separate the snagging tips of the branches from the griffin's wing and tossed it aside, into the scraggly bushes next to the tree from whence it came. The griffin herself seemed to be trying to get away, no doubt in shock and a lot of pain, scared in enemy territory. She was about to move toward her, to whisper more reassuring things, but the sound and flash of someone teleporting right next to her startled the mare from her concentration. Spring jumped, but she was reassured by the voice before she saw the face of her sister. "Autumn!" Joy and excitement spread across her face briefly at the prospect of telling her sister of her find, before she realised that this was probably not the place. Too open. "I have much to tell you! It is news of both good and bad.. but, I must help this griffin first. Her wing, it is broken." Spring said, a plea almost in her voice as she turned back to the injured one in question. Maybe a pain-numbing spell would help, first of all..
(20:33:16) Talulah barely even registered the freedom of her wing from the tangles of the trees dismembered claws, though she had already run out of energy and given up on her attempt to crawl to safety, which was only taking her deeper into the settlement anyway. The flash caught her attention, that was a bit hard to miss, and attention shot to what was now two ponies, though her vision blurred with her agony, and sound came only came in short bursts. The rest was static. She didn't recognize either of these ponies, these weren't the ponies that had kicked her out of the tree. Oh god, they'd left her to die. Attention shifted dizzily to the sky, cloudy and miserable as ever, and she loosed a slow, gutteral warble, head swaying to and fro.
(20:46:12) Autumn Aubade's tail flicked and her ears swerved in thought as she beheld the injured figure. She stepped toward the small - comparitively, for griffins in the wasteland at least - beast cautiously and with the kindest expression she could muster. She glanced around briefly and then focused on her magic. She'd burned up quite a bit of energy just getting here, but there might have been enough left in the tank for one more spell? Her horn adopted the same glow as she had arrived in, brightest at the very tip, before she'd gently take hold of the stricken limb with it- the wing also gaining the same glow. The griffin would feel a strange yet potentially pleasant vibration rippling gently, soothingly, across the wing. It wasn't healing magic of itself, but it would promote natural healing- and boost any magical healing she might receive from other sources. Alas, it was the best Autumn could offer after burning up so much magic on the teleport. [c]
(20:47:54) Autumn Aubade. She looked to Spring for a moment, still casting her soothing spell. "Do you have enough magic to heal it at all? All I can do right now is offer support. Teleporting takes a lot more out of me than I remember..." It had been a substantial amount of time since she'd last tried it. Like... before she'd lost most of her magic. But that was a story for another place and another time~
(20:58:29) Spring Serenade straightened up to approach the griffin cautiously from the side while her sister began to work her magic. "I do. I will have to straighten her wing first so that it will heal properly." The mare replied as her horn adopted its own, faded blue glow. She encompassed the broken wing with her own magic, making sure to first cast a pain-numbing spell. It would have no doubt hurt a lot, straightening a broken wing, but with her and Autumn's combined efforts, the griffin might not feel much more than discomfort. Maybe. Spring slowly began to unfold the wing from its awkward position, feeling at the bones only with her magic. Once she was sure they were aligned back up, she began to cast her healing spell. She'd have to fetch something in which to bind it afterward, to ensure the griffin didn't try to fly- as the rest of it would be up to the griffin on whether it would heal completely.
(21:13:44) Talulah was still staring dazedly at the sky when a strange sensation washed through the chaos of her body, but she barely registered it. It was only when she felt a full tugging that her attention was torn from the grays above. Beady black eyes went from one to the other, and then back again. Wh- her wing moved on its own, straightening with little more than a nauseating tingle. She stared in horror at the limb, more concerned that it was moving against her will than the fact that her pain was gone, replaced with soothing magics. Gryphons didn't use magic, this was beyond unnatural to her. It didn't help that she could barely feel the limb through all the numbness and nerve barriers they were placing. UH? Beak clicked shut and she fixed the two with a frightened stare, not fully comprehending what was going on. Were they seeing this?
(21:22:52) Autumn Aubade felt Spring's magic wash over the top of her own, and supported it from beneath. A feat that took a true bond between unicorns to achieve, certainly- most shared magic use was reduced to sharing a hold on a single object, rather than melding both magics into one force to achieve the ends of both casters. The look of abject horror was noted, however, and she frowned in concern. "We're trying to fix your wing," she explained. "Sorry, I know this must be pretty weird... We should be done soon." She too was pondering some kind of sling, but she wasn't carrying anything- not even a weapon. What could be used?
(21:45:08) Spring Serenade poured her magic into the spell aiding the griffin's wing in healing. Her eyes had slipped shut in her concentration, but she cracked them open when she heard Autumn's voice. The griffin was starting to look more awake and alert; that was a good sign. "Yes, all will be well soon, but you must not move nor stress it if it is to heal completely." Spring said in a soothing, if slightly distracted, tone. She turned her attention back onto the griffin's healing bones, feeling gently with her magic. It was close, and she gave it a little more before cutting off her flow of magic into the spell. "That should do it. I will be back quickly, I am sure I have some bandages or.. perhaps strips of cloth in my bags." Spring said as she released her hold and trotted quickly to the caboose to retrieve them and back.
(21:50:46) Talulah had to admit that having an instant patch-up job for your massive fuck up was a pretty amazing godsend. These two ponies were not chick eaters, she decided. Being told not to move made her want to move, feathers quivering and talons every nerve itching to go, to feel her body move without pain and confirm this a reality, but she understood what they said and would not move. Perhaps it was a bit...foolish, to readily trust ponies. They could be unraveling her from the inside out, they could be laying a bomb inside of her to detonate once she was back at the pride. But Talulah was just a child, not even grown fully into her wings yet, and so she readily heeded the words of her saviors. Ear flicked, picking up something in the distance, skybound and distant but close enough to hear over the miles thanks to the honed senses of the great predators. She paid it no mind the first time, but a second sound came in clearer, just a breath closer, and she identified it at once. Daddy was coming.
(22:09:01) Spring Serenade managed to retrieve her bags from the caboose and trotted back with them levitating just ahead of her. She undid the clasps and looked inside while she walked, managing to find a small roll of bandages. They would have to do, but after this she'd have to go scavenging for more, or buy them if any merchants were carrying. Oh well, they were going towards a good cause. Spring took the time to pause by one of the junk heaps on the way to look through them for any splints. After a bit of rustling and moving things about, she managed to find a moderately straight strip of metal, as well as a thin board. The unicorn wrinkled her nose, but.. they'd probably do. She trotted back to where Autumn waited, still holding up the griffin's wing, and set to work.
(22:23:05) Talulah had gone still at this point, head raised, and ears swiveling like little antennae. She hardly even reacted to the manipulation and handling of her wing, the numbing sensation making it easy to ignore while she focused elsewhere. Limbs were drawing quietly beneath her, like a sphinx, as she made herself comfy, content in the knowledge that she would be safe soon. Perhaps in trouble, a scolding was probably due for her, but safe. This nightmare would be over and she'd cuddle into the nest for the night where they would share warmth away from the unforgiving wastes. She wasn't sure how she could ever doubt her fate, her father was the kindest, strongest pridelord around. He'd never leave another to such a dreadful fate, especially not his own family.
(22:42:01) Autumn Aubade assisted until everything was sorted out. The griffin would likely be totally fine. Some distant part of her mind wondered how many ponies would fall to this beast when she grew, and whether those deaths would be on their hooves for ensuring her survival now... But it wasn't like she could feel any worse about the state of the world. Helping ponies, griffins, zebras, whatever- that was the important part. Right? As soon as things were all good, she'd let go of the griffin's wing and turn to her sister. "So what was it that you wanted to speak to me about? You said you had news?" Nothing personal, little griffin, but the news had sounded rather ugent.
(23:00:30) Spring Serenade approached the griffin with the same caution as she set the two splints on her wing, one on the top of where the break had been, and one right beneath. She'd used a short weave of bandages to bind them tightly there, giving a small experimental tug to make sure they wouldn't shift around. Once the wing was folded, she used a little more to bind it tightly to her body. "There, all done." Spring said reassuringly to the griffin with what she hoped was a comforting smile. "You must give your wing a week and a half, or more, to heal fully before you try flying again." She advised before her attention went to Autumn. Spring left the griffin's side to stand by her sister's with her voice lowered. "You remember Quartz Ocarina, the heir of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor? She lives! She is here, and she has ascended to alicornhood! I know not how it happened, but it did."
(23:17:30) Talulah tore her attention away from that beautiful black dot on the horizon long enough to inspect what weird things they'd done to her wing. Well, she couldn't really...move it... and she had no idea what this stuff was, but whatever the fancy ponies said. The sooner she got out of here the better. Somethin akin to a hawks baleful cry sounded from above and immediately her attention shot upward, and so did she. She bounced onto her feet, off balance as one wing flapped excitedly and the other remained contently in its wrappings. What was she soooo excited about? Probably the GIANT BLACK GRYPHON ABOUT TO DESTROY WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE TREE. True to my panicked capslocking, Black Smokes grandiose landing unsettling and, ultimately, unrooted the already flimsy and breaking tree from his sheer size alone. In comparison to his adolescent daughter, the full-grown male was massive, a true specimen of the predators the ponies had come to really fear. Upon his arrival, he kicked up dust, much>>
(23:22:48) Talulah>>like an enraged bull, head lowered and wings raised in warning with a low hiss at the two present ponies. Back away from my daughter his furious posture said, a merciful bid from the pridelord who merely wanted his offspring safe and sound back with the pride. If and when they heeded his warnings, he'd curl his wings around the much smaller gryphon, nosing gently at her bound wing with an understanding of what pony medicine looked like. He'd been around long enough, if the many scars littered across his body and face had anything to say about the matter. Gently, the two passed coos and chirrups before the great beast finally stepped forward, carefully moving to clutch the adolescent in his talons and, with one last appraising look to the two unicorns, beat his wings once and launched a good many feet off the ground from the strength of that one action alone and a second directed him towards home, where his child could recover from her apparent injuries in peace.
(23:30:15) Autumn Aubade had barely had time to process the ludicrously unlikely news that anypony else had survived the war before a gigantic black griffin crashed down - albeit with more purpose than the smaller's apparent gaffe - and loomed over them threateningly. Out of wasteland-developed reflex the paler sister reached out a hoof to touch Spring and teleported both of them the fuck out of dodge... Well, not really. Just far enough back to not be in immediate danger. She probably didn't have the magic back to move any further than that, even if she'd wanted to. Let alone to take another pony with her. She seemed surprised at herself when she realised the split-second decision she'd made, though it was probably unclear as to why. She watched the grown griffin in a tense silence, and only relaxed when he flew off. By the time any of the Shoe had drawn their weapons to fight the predator, he would be well out of reach of even their best projectile weaponry. Thank goodness.
(23:50:43) Spring Serenade had been prepared to tell Autumn more, but she was as drawn to the gigantic griffin's arrival as the others. By Equestria, look at the size of him! She knew the griffins ran big in this day and age, but she had never known how big. He was terrifying, too, but she kept still, staying rooted to the spot in a prey-like manner in hopes of not drawing too much attention to herself while he broke what was left of the scrawny tree. Spring flinched when the tree fell with a crash and was taken by further surprise as her sister teleported them a short distance away. She could force herself to relax then, and merely watch as the griffin took off with the little lady she'd just helped. Once he was but a speck in the sky, she finally turned back to look at Autumn with shock, barely registering the rest of the Shoe's activities. "Well.. that is one thing out of the way.."