Ponies bleed red, like people [Action/Open] [Event]

[elementofloyalty]

[A rat-a-tat of gunfire down by the quad precedes a bright blue pony running into the lobby. Or rather, half-running, half-flapping, because she pumps her wings furiously, enough to lift her raggedly off the ground every few steps or so, like a short leap. Why so weak? Perhaps the long streak of bright red matting her fur beneath her right wing is a clue.]

[She'd cast a Cure spell and mended the damage -- wisely, given where she'd been struck. But paramagic can't actually expel the bullet that's lodged in her joint, making every wingbeat agony and yanking a small yelp of pain out of her.]

[For once, Rainbow Dash isn't bragging, or putting on a strong front, or taking on impossible odds. She's hurt and terrified and wants to get somewhere safe. But right now, those seem in very short supply.]

[She stares mournfully at the upper walkway, then grits her teeth, shuts her eyes, and leaps into the air. Her wings thrust her raggedly forward, just enough to wrap her hooves around the railing. With a herculean effort, she pulls herself up and over, flopping bonelessly to the floor with a shriek of pain. Then she just lies there, gasping.]

[Somehow this adventure had suddenly stopped being cool.]

Comments

[mirage_diver]

[Locke had dealt with worse than what this attack was, and despite himself, he actually felt more at home here with machinegun fire and enemy troops and keeping a low cover, sneaking around. It felt... somewhat reminiscent of the occupation of South Figaro, oddly enough.

But then he sees a fellow cadet pull herself up over the railing on the walkway he's hiding on, then collapsing against the floor - obviously hurt, but not bleeding out, thankfully. He takes a minute to wait for the coast to clear, before slipping over, trying to keep himself out of view of the lower level as much as possible, whispering loudly.]

Hey...! What's hurt...?

[It's obvious she's hurt, but he can't see the wound from this angle, and is naturally oblivious to the extruciating pain Dash is in.]

[elementofloyalty]

Wing...

[She lifts her wing very slowly, revealing the spattered blood beneath it. The injury is mostly healed externally, thanks to the paramagic, so it looks worse than it is... but still.]

[mirage_diver]

[...oddly, he hadn't pegged the pony as a girl. And hearing her voice does change his demeanor subtly, though he manages to keep from projecting a little too much on he. Regardless, this is someone who, however they were beforehand, was legitimately in need of help - help he couldn't give.]

Ach.. looks nasty... you think you can walk? We need to get you to the infirmary or find a medic... I think I know a fairly safe path, if you're willing to trust me...

[elementofloyalty]

[She gets her feet under her, then straightens on wobbly legs. She isn't hurt and nothing's stopping her from moving, she's just in a state of shock. (Not medical, psychological.) For once, she's not enjoying the adrenaline.]

I used Cure on it once, but... I can barely fly.

[mirage_diver]

[Locke nods. He can definitely tell that, at least, it's her first time in an actual war.]

Luckily this place is built so that most of it can be reached on foot. We just... need to keep low, try to stay out of sight. Don't worry too much, I'll keep you safe.

[And, doing his best to distract the pony from the trauma of the moment..]

Don't think I've actually seen you around. You look kind of like Instructor Do. You her kid sister or something?

[rewritethis]

Dash!

[Someone heard that shriek - someone now rushing down the walkway at full pelt, boots hammering on the floor, any pretense of caution thrown to the wind. He's wrong. He must be wrong. Screaming can sound like anyone, can't it? And there's no shortage of girls around here, right? It'll be one of them... he'll give them a hand, pull them to safety or something, then go right back to concentrating on not getting killed...

It isn't. And just for a second - despite knowing firsthand what an easy target he tends to make even without the glint of exposed steel giving his position away, knowing that what she needs is help - his breath catches, and he stops dead.]

[elementofloyalty]

Ed!

[There's much more pathetic relief in her voice than she'd ever intend to show, but her control's not the best right now. She at least brings her feet underneath her, though she doesn't dare to get up yet, and looks up at him.]

[Silence for a moment, as she tries to figure out what to say -- that she's all right, that she's having trouble flying, that there are people invading...]

You're not supposed to see me... looking this uncool.

[rewritethis]

[His expression unfreezes, some of the colour returning to his face. If that's the first thing she can think of to say, she probably isn't about to keel over just yet. Although now he has a better view of it, sheesh, that's a lot more blood than it looked like from a distance...

Well, if she isn't up to looking cool right now, he'll just have to work overtime. He crouches down next to her and tries to sound more focused than he's currently feeling.] I've seen worse. What happened?

[elementofloyalty]

I got shot. [She eases herself to her feet, though it's wobbly and tentative from sheer shock. Then, with her teeth gritted against the pain, she lifts her wing to show him the huge smear of blood on her side, and the mostly-healed injury.]

I cast a Cure on it, but... it still hurts for some reason.

[rewritethis]

[He makes a pretty good attempt at a wry smile.] The one thing you'd figure magic would be good for, huh? [Can't blame him for wanting to lighten the mood. It might not be solely for her benefit, though.

Following her lead, he gets to his own feet and glances down, leaning over the railing on tiptoe for a better view. There's no shortage of troops below them, but for the time being, none of them seem to be looking up. That's the best he can say, both about the situation and the scenery.]

But if it's not the place or the people they want...

[No, not worth contemplating until later. He takes a step back and looks at her.] Anyway, there's gotta be a medic left somewhere in here. You can walk, right?

[graynbowdash]

(Daring has been busy running around, trying to keep as many cadets and others safe as she can. As much as she'd like to go and give the attackers hell, there were comrades to worry about and she sure wasn't going to leave them behind.

She's dashing through the halls in a rush, but the shriek of pain definitely catches her attention. Wasting no time, Daring rushes on over to the source, horrified at the sight, but wasting no time in rushing to her aid.)

Rainbow! What happened to you?

(Yeah, time to check over the pegasus for injuries. The bullet wound is apparent, but if there are any others to worry about, she wants to know.)

[elementofloyalty]

They shot me. I -- I cured it, but it still hurts to move my wing...

[She's nursing some blood loss, obviously, but the wound is in good shape thanks to the paramagic. She's certainly not in such terrible shape that she doesn't feel embarrassment, at being caught injured instead of coolly handling everypony.]

[graynbowdash]

(She looks inquisitively at the wound, rubbing her chin with a hoof.)

I'm guessing you didn't remove the bullet first?

[elementofloyalty]

How was I supposed to get it out?! I thought the magic would just heal it!

[Sure, it's naive, but she's never been shot before, and never used Cure for things that weren't completely healable.]

[graynbowdash]

Gunshots aren't that easy, sad to say.

(Well this is a problem. Cure healed it up, which is kinda nice, but considering that this just made it extra work for it to heal properly...yeah.)

For this to heal properly, we have to get that bullet out. You think you can make it to the infirmary?

[scatterflower]

Rainbow Dash!

*Chika's eyes widen when she sees here roommate fly over and collapse like that, and before she can even think about it, she's charging over to the flying pony.*

Come on, we need to get you out of here.

*Sure, usually moving hurt people was bad, but not when they were getting shot at.*

Piyomon! Do you see any of them near us?

Not yet.

*Piyomon's looking over in the direction that Rainbow Dash came from, glaring down at it.*

But if they do show up... what are we going to do? You're no where near strong enough yet to fight effectively against them...

We'll worry about that later.

*She looked back down towards Rainbow Dash.*

Hey, do you think you'll be able to stand and walk to the infirmary?

[elementofloyalty]

H-hey... you guys should stay low. I'm a better fighter...

[She coughed into a hoof, but it's only saliva build-up, not anything intentionally dramatic.]

Get to cover. I'll be okay!

[scatterflower]

Dash. You've been shot and you're collapsing on the ground. I can't just leave you here. Now come on!

*Yeah, Chika's going to actually try to drag you away from where you are right now, while Piyomon's going to keep being on the look out.*

[elementofloyalty]

[Good luck with that. She IS a pony.]

Hey -- hey! [She flails a bit, then starts to get up.] I can make it!

[scatterflower]

*At least you're trying to get up now, but you're really heavy for someone who flies around and sleeps in clouds Dash.*

Okay. Come on!

*She's going to stop grabbing Dash for right now, but she's going to wait to see if Dash really can walk on her own first before she starts going.*

[laughafterme]

[Pinkie, who had been in the fray and taken a few hits her self in the arm and leg, sees something from the corner of her eye. The blue hue is hard to not recognize, but the fact that it's mixed with red is really cause for alarm.]

RAINBOW DASH! [Just as her focus switched to her friend, the enemy returned fire on her. Perhaps they don't like explosive cupcakes.

She dives for cover behind some fallen piece of debris, huffing in panic. She's pretty sure she can't get over to her friend in time.]

DASHIE! ARE YOU OKAY?! SAY SOMETHING!

[elementofloyalty]

Pinkie!

[Rainbow Dash, sprawled flat on the walkway, can only peer at her friend from up there.]

Are YOU okay?!

[laughafterme]

YEAH, I'M GOOD! [Pinkie, meanwhile, adjusts the settings on her cupcake bazooka.] Can you move?!

[elementofloyalty]

Don't really have a choice, do I.

[With that muttered aside, Rainbow starts getting to her feet -- a wobbly and unsteady process, thanks to the lingering pain and copious amounts of mental shock.]

[laughafterme]

WHAT?! I can't hear you!

[Justifiably so, since she just now launched a delayed cupcake grenade to the enemy. They scramble before it detonates. Of course Pinkie makes sure to curl up behind her hidey spot.]

I'M ON MY WAY!! [Pinkie peeks around the corner and sees that no one is there before sprinting out to help Rainbow Dash.]