Fallout: Beyond Equestria 135: The Last Free Town (Part 12)

[2015-05-20 13:10:46] <Kkat> 3Previously...
[2015-05-20 13:11:19] <Kkat> 3“Yeah,” drawled the mare with a bored air.  “Honestly, skip t’ where ya tell me how this new power generator is supposed t’ work.”
[2015-05-20 13:11:28] <Kkat> 3There is a polite laugh as the stallion shakes his head.  “Trade secrets… well, the particulars, at least.”  He visibly swelled with pride.  “But, picture this: megaspells, the government’s big superpower… for years, they have only seen military application.  But imagine that sort of power turned to the betterment of ponykind?”
[2015-05-20 13:11:34] <Kkat> 3The mare looked apprehensive.  “How exactly?”
[2015-05-20 13:11:59] <Kkat> 3“The megaspell framework created by the Ministries vastly magnifies the power of the spell it is created for largely by making it bigger.  But we at New Futures have taken that science; and for the last several years, we have been researching a megaspell framework that will instead make spells last longer.”
[2015-05-20 13:12:06] <Kkat> 3He chuckles.  “And before you ask how that’s different from just casting the spell over and over, what I mean is: we’ve managed to take an instantaneous spell, catching and holding it in a state of perpetual manifestation.  Indefinitely.”
[2015-05-20 13:12:20] <Kkat> 3“Indefinitely?” the mare repeats, her voice suggesting she isn’t sure she likes the images forming in her head.
[2015-05-20 13:12:31] <Kkat> 3“Well, Ah hope it’s as impressive as you keep saying,” the mare, Apple Bloom, admits.  “Stable-Tec has a project in the works that’s going to call for long-term, stable power generation.  Ah’d really like to use New Future’s reactors… if they’re safe, and they work as you advertise.”
[2015-05-20 13:12:48] <Kkat> 3...
[2015-05-20 13:14:27] <Kkat> 3The wedding is beautiful, regal and amazing...
[2015-05-20 13:14:33] <Kkat> 3...and it is brought to a screeching halt by the very loud, belligerent interruption, at the moment of pronouncement, by Twilight Sparkle.
[2015-05-20 13:14:38] <Kkat> 3The wedding guests look shocked.  The royalty looks distressed.  Cadence is first angry, then hurt.  "Wh-why does she have to ruin my special day?"
[2015-05-20 13:14:43] <Kkat> 3She begins to cry, only for the interruption to be amplified by the arrival of a second, terribly disheveled Princess Cadenza.
[2015-05-20 13:14:48] <Kkat> 3"Because it's not your special day.  It's MINE."
[2015-05-20 13:14:56] <Kkat> 3"Ah... Ah don't understand," voices a young and gayly-dressed mare who will one day grow to be the Ministry Mare for Wartime Technology.  "How c'n there be two of them?"
[2015-05-20 13:15:02] <Kkat> 3Disheveled Cadenze trots forward, accusing, "She's a changling!  She takes the form of somepony you love and feeds off your love for them!"
[2015-05-20 13:15:07] <Kkat> 3In the next moment, what started as an amazingly beautiful event goes horrifically pear-shaped.
[2015-05-20 13:15:20] <Kkat> 3The memory ends abruptly in the midst of a showdown between Princess Celestia and a creature from nightmare.
[2015-05-20 13:15:28] <Kkat> 3Bookwright jerks upright and gasps.
[2015-05-20 13:15:34] <Kkat> 3Bookwright "I... have no idea what I just watched."
[2015-05-20 13:15:35] <Kkat> 3...
[2015-05-20 13:16:02] <Kkat> 3Lionheart looks over all of you, reluctant to trust after a nearly disastrous start.  But the lavendar mare steps forward.  "Dad... please?"  He nods.  "*This* *way*."  He turns back towards the huge doors of the aerie.  "*Please* *help* *her*... *if* *you* *can*."
[2015-05-20 13:16:08] <Kkat> 3Get_Lost says, "i don't have a lot of medical supplies but i can see what i can do..." The mare takes her doctor bag.  "So, who has the ouchies? the doctor is in!"  She sings a bit that last part and trots inside.
[2015-05-20 13:16:15] <Kkat> 3The little filly begins to sob.  "Gramma doesn't love me anymore!"  The unicorn mare stops, turning and wrapping the child in her hooves.  "No, sweetie.  Grandma loves you. She's just... very sick."  She looks up with a hopeless expression.
[2015-05-20 13:16:21] <Kkat> 3The filly buries her head in the mare's golden mane.  She hitches, the wails, "She doesn't even know who I am!"
[2015-05-20 13:16:23] <Kkat> 3...
[2015-05-20 13:16:42] <Kkat> 3The Captain comes aboard, followed by Mwana, who translates for her.  "The Captain wants your friend Get_Lost to bring the disabled tracker to Kifaa.  Hopefully, it was short range, something to help them find the ship if it went down."
[2015-05-20 13:16:48] <Kkat> 3Mwana says, "But the Captain doesn't think so.  This ship was short range, so there has to be a bigger Imperial ship just over the horizon."
[2015-05-20 13:17:04] <Kkat> 3...
[2015-05-20 13:17:19] <Kkat> 3Mwana notes, "Several pirate captains have ship's spirits.  I know of more than one who made the error of having the spirit act as translator.  Never turned out well."
[2015-05-20 13:17:35] <Kkat> 3...
[2015-05-20 13:17:55] <Kkat> 3Jugeote tells Shatara, "You'd be surprised at the things you can sneak by during the daily loves so long as an Imperial guard doesn't spot you."
[2015-05-20 13:18:00] <Kkat> 3Shatara tilts his head. "'Daily loves'?"
[2015-05-20 13:18:06] <Kkat> 3Jugeote nods.  "Three times a day, like clockwork.  Every citizen of the Empire stops what they are doing, bows their heads, closes their eyes, and concentrates on just how much they love their family, their neighbors, their nation and the Caesar.  In that order."
[2015-05-20 13:18:11] <Kkat> 3Shatara stares. "Thats...wat"
[2015-05-20 13:18:18] <Kkat> 3Jugeote nods.  "According to Roam, it's the daily loves that drove the windigos away." Shatara untilts. "Oh. That...actually makes some sense. We had to fight windigoes on our way here..."
[2015-05-20 13:18:21] <Kkat> 3...
[2015-05-20 13:18:43] <Kkat> 3Bookwright groans. He rises to his hooves, and the Jukebox gun rises with him. It aims at the captain. "I can't see you, but I sure as hell can hear you, bitch."
[2015-05-20 13:18:49] <Kkat> 3Bookwright pulls the trigger. Sonic death rolls over the captain.
[2015-05-20 13:19:18] <Kkat> 3The grievously wounded Imperial Captain falls, collapsing onto the deck of the umbra-class airship under Bookwright's lethal sonic barrage.  What happens next is so swift that it could leave witnesses questioning what they saw.
[2015-05-20 13:19:41] <Kkat> 3Even before the Captain's dead body hits the deck, it is engulfed in a wreath of green flame.  The flame seems to burn away the visage of the powerful zebra, to consume coat, mane, eyes... What is left isn't zebra, nor pony... but something black and insectoid, with tattered ears, pupil-less cyan eyes, fangs and a sharp horn.
[2015-05-20 13:20:00] <Kkat> 3Then something within the armor -- or perhaps within its battle saddle -- erupts.  Plasma explodes across the corpse, a miasmic energy that splashes everyone nearby, even as it dissolves the body into nothing but a glowing puddle of green goo.
[2015-05-20 13:20:50] <Kkat> 3...
[2015-05-20 13:21:13] <Kkat> 3Golden_Dream slumps. "Did I see that right?" She didn't even know what to do with the information she was given. Her mind told her that she should hold onto that thought and deal with the invaders on the ship first. Her heart was pregnant to talk to somebody about what she saw. "They're changerlin's." She spoke. "They got Roam under their hooves. And...
[2015-05-20 13:21:20] <Kkat> 3I dunno what to do about that."
[2015-05-20 13:21:30] <Kkat> 3The little chaos spirit watches bemusedly.  "Still haven't quite gotten there, have you?  Don't worry, I'm sure you'll fare much better than that other pony who figured it all out."  He gives an overly dramatic dismissive shrug.  "When you do, come look me up."
[2015-05-20 13:21:41] <Kkat> 3Golden_Dream goes to approach the little spirit. "Wait, wait, wait! What other pony?"
[2015-05-20 13:21:47] <Kkat> 3Noble_Heart frowns. "Ditzy Doo." Her ears go flat. "The one in Equestria is a Changeling..."
[2015-05-20 13:21:52] <Kkat> 3The spirit claps in glee.
[2015-05-20 13:22:01] <Kkat> 3Bookwright says, "Oh. Well, that would explain why she wouldn't let me do the telepathy spell."
[2015-05-20 13:22:15] <Kkat> 3The little draconequus chides, "Elements of Harmony don't just /fall off/."
[2015-05-20 13:22:55] <Kkat> 3Noble_Heart nods her head and frowns. "And why the Element of Laughter is below Roam. It is still with the original Ditzy Doo. Trapped in a dungeon somewhere while someone masquerades as her." She scowls. This was going to be even more complex than she had expected.
[2015-05-20 13:23:17] <Kkat> 3Bookwright agrees.  "Yeah, I was wondering how they'd gotten the Element off of her. Normal pipbucks are hard enough to remove. But an Element...? I don't know if you can take that off without the bearer allowing it."
[2015-05-20 13:23:29] <Kkat> 3CopyCat murmurs softly, almost feverishly. "Hello Mr. patchwork dragon... I remember you. Have you lost weight? You're looking handsome..." she trails off, getting some much needed healing from Get_Lost and Bookwright.
[2015-05-20 13:23:40] <Kkat> 3Golden_Dream facehooves. "Shit. /Shit/. Oh, fuck! Aw, fucking hell, this is /way/ above me." She was internally screaming.
[2015-05-20 13:23:49] <Kkat> 3Noble_Heart frowns heavily. "We need to send a message back to Equestria. And find Miss Doo. And possibly depose this new Caesar. Though how we will do that is hard to say right now. For the moment, the problem at hoof. These zebras are taking our ship. And We will not stand for it."
[2015-05-20 13:23:59] <Kkat> 3Bookwright "Golden, you're freaking out. Our job's not that hard. We just have to overthrow a zebra organization secretly controlled by changlings."
[2015-05-20 13:24:08] <Kkat> 3The chaos spirit smiles and bows to CopyCat with a flourish.  "Why yes.  I'm much slimmer now that I've had my loyalties removed.  Thank you for noticing!"
[2015-05-20 13:24:18] <Kkat> 3Shatara tilts his head. "Loyalties? You were with the bugponecapten?"
[2015-05-20 13:24:35] <Kkat> 3The draconequus shakes his head... by taking it off and giving it a vigorous shake.  Then screws it back on, his eyes rolling in their sockets.  "Oh no.  I'm not /this/ ship's spirit."
[2015-05-20 13:24:43] <Kkat> 3Golden_Dream raises her shotgun, checking the chamber. It's always a smart idea to have a shell loaded. "Me. And..." She blunk. "Who's ship spirit are you?"
[2015-05-20 13:24:52] <Kkat> 3"The big one waiting just over the horizon.  The Leviathan."  The spirit grins.  "Can't miss it."
[2015-05-20 13:24:57] <Kkat> 3With that, the draconequus folds himself up and sticks himself in his pocket, disappearing.
[2015-05-20 13:24:59] <Kkat> 3...
[2015-05-20 13:25:12] <Kkat> 3CopyCat swallows. "Umm, M-m-Mare-Do-Well... you're the only one who's seen a Leviathan in action before. And you've seen how this one is armed. W-what do you think about us t-trying to take it down?"
[2015-05-20 13:25:41] <Kkat> 3...
[2015-05-20 13:25:42] <Kkat> 3Bookwright mumbles sarcastically. "A 'daring commando raid'? That's not how you spell 'suicide mission'."
[2015-05-20 13:25:44] <Kkat> 3...
[2015-05-20 13:26:01] <Kkat> 3Mare-Do-Well then admits to Golden_Dream, "I'm not really sure what leviathans run on.  It's not like they can be powered by thunderclouds, like a thunderhead."  She adds, "Zebra technology is weird."
[2015-05-20 13:26:03] <Kkat> 3...
[2015-05-20 13:26:55] <Kkat> 3The zebra squeals and tries her best to roll away.
[2015-05-20 13:27:02] <Kkat> 3Shatara blinkblinks. "Uhh, paging talkybot?"
[2015-05-20 13:27:13] <Kkat> 3CopyCat now has a wriggly-rolly zebra in her hooves. CopyCat likes this.
[2015-05-20 13:27:22] <Kkat> 3Bookwright says, "You know, if she dies of fright or something she's just going to try and come back as a ghost and haunt us."
[2015-05-20 13:27:29] <Kkat> 3Golden_Dream waves her hoof. "Huh. Looks like yer' a translator, Mare-Do-Well." Goldy pats the zebra on the head. "Tell her she ain't got nothin' t' fear. Or actually, don't do that."
[2015-05-20 13:27:39] <Kkat> 3Bookwright adds, "Tell her that if we're not successful on our mission, the Leviathan will destroy this airship with us, and her, on it."
[2015-05-20 13:27:41] <Kkat> 3...
[2015-05-20 13:28:01] <Kkat> 3Fallout: Beyond Equestria, Session One Hundred and Thirty-Five: The Last Free Town (Part Twelve) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BigolJfoANw
[2015-05-20 13:28:07] <Kkat> 3--- Session Begins ---
[2015-05-20 13:44:06] * CopyCat giggles at the struggling bound zebra. "They're so cute when they wriggle!" she coo's. "Do you like wriggling, Miss Zebra? Oh!" she gasps, "If I tickle you you could wriggle even more!"
[2015-05-20 13:49:51] <Kkat> 3If the zebra captive understood what CopyCat was saying, she'd glare more.
[2015-05-20 13:50:38] * CopyCat demonstrates one of the best things about having wings. Easy access to feathers. "Choochy-coo!"
[2015-05-20 13:51:05] * Bookwright is snickering audibly at CopyCat's antics.
[2015-05-20 13:51:27] * Shatara stares at CopyCat and the stripeypone.
[2015-05-20 13:52:26] * Get_Lost sighs "let me translate for you... if parlay can do it, i can do it too!" ah-hems and then goes all protocol droid "beep boop!"
[2015-05-20 13:54:16] * CopyCat performs an important experiment on an uncovered bit of the zebra's rump. Were her black bits more ticklish? Or her white bits?
[2015-05-20 14:10:44] <Kkat> 3The zebra squirms more and tries to bite at CopyCat
[2015-05-20 14:22:35] * CopyCat giggles again and leaves the poor zebra's flank alone. "I don't think we're quite initimate enough for using teeth yet~" she purrs into the zebra's ear, "But maybe I could make an exception."
[2015-05-20 14:23:17] * Golden_Dream rolls her neck. "Right. You translate her intel and go ahead and transmit that. Me n' Noble will get ready."
[2015-05-20 14:23:51] * CopyCat then feather-tickles the zebra's nose. "This will have to do for now."
[2015-05-20 14:25:32] * Noble_Heart stood on the deck of the ship, looking towards the horizon in the direction of their current target with a stern look on her face. This would not be easy.
[2015-05-20 14:26:34] * Golden_Dream starts going back to her claimed parts of the /She's One Of Ours, Sir/ (hey, she can dream) to grab her bits of bomb and see how well the Zebra cloak... Well, cloaked.
[2015-05-20 14:27:54] * CopyCat smiles at Golden_Dream. "O-kay~" she sing-songs, turning back to their captive. "Me and Get will try to... coax information out of her."
[2015-05-20 14:29:31] * Get_Lost keeps listewning to the radio
[2015-05-20 14:40:32] <Kkat> 3On the radio, it appears that the Imperials are tightening the noose.  But not without losses.  The pirates have learned they are being corralled, and are striking back with impressive fury.  A few of the Imperial ships are also reporting... less explicable difficulties.
[2015-05-20 14:44:31] * Golden_Dream rolls her neck. "Are y' ready, Noble?"
[2015-05-20 14:44:57] * Get_Lost tries to learn something more aboutr the less esplicable difficulties
[2015-05-20 14:49:28] * Noble_Heart nods her head to Golden_Dream. "As ready as We shall ever be." She frowns slightly. "Except possibly if We had time for a nap. But recovery of Our magical power will have to wait."
[2015-05-20 14:50:23] * Golden_Dream snickers. "Yeah. I wish I had time fer' a nap too. One that lasted a week r' so. After eatin' an entire bie."
[2015-05-20 14:50:29] <Golden_Dream> (pie*)
[2015-05-20 14:52:16] * Get_Lost "it looks like the spirits of the ships are turning against the zebras, for reasons... take this information with care... they could relay to us false informations since they probably suspect that we're listening"
[2015-05-20 14:52:42] * Get_Lost "ah, vy the way... have you seen this ship's spirit yet?"
[2015-05-20 14:52:59] * Bookwright stands in front of the Twilight Cannon and wonders what precisely went so bleeding wrong with it.
[2015-05-20 14:53:27] * Get_Lost "also, it looks like quite a sparse and random thing... not all the spirits are going medieval"
[2015-05-20 14:54:32] * CopyCat stops tickling abruptly. "That's a good point, Get_Lost! This will take some investigating. Let's go find a spirit! And then hug it."
[2015-05-20 14:55:55] * Golden_Dream looks at the open air. [Don't we got one equipped onto this ship? Ain't that how we go cloaky?]
[2015-05-20 14:56:34] * CopyCat tilts her head and then tries hugging the ship.
[2015-05-20 14:57:18] <Kkat> 3Golden_Dream's look about the ship does at least net the weapons and armor of the fallen.
[2015-05-20 15:00:06] <Kkat> 3Imperial ship is (still) armed with one top gun that nopony has looked at yet, bow linked brush rifles, and a mini-ballista (per enchanted composite crossbow +5 damage, no elemental damage, AP cost same due to Wind).  The other weapons acquired were the Captain's weapon, and the bright minigun (which fires ammo enchanted with a lvl 5 spirit of light)
[2015-05-20 15:02:27] <Kkat> 3The armor that is salvageable are all suits of zebra prime armor in the New Roaman Empire's colors (dark grey, cyan and green).  They have degraded to "used" condition from the battle.
[2015-05-20 15:08:37] * CopyCat hugs the ship even more. If there was a spirit in there it might take a looot of hugging to reach!
[2015-05-20 15:10:41] * Golden_Dream takes a loot at the top gun.
[2015-05-20 15:10:48] <Golden_Dream> (look*!)
[2015-05-20 15:12:10] <Kkat> 3The ship is not large, although probably twice as big as the Rainbow Connection, and searching it doesn't take long.  It is designed for a dozen zebras, with a separate but small captain's quarters, and a galley that can keep stores for several weeks of travel.
[2015-05-20 15:14:04] <Kkat> 3The stored goods are either fairly depleted or were never fully stocked for this mission.  But there is still enough food on board to sustain the party a couple extra days.
[2015-05-20 15:18:05] <Kkat> 3The top gun is an anti-machine rifle with a heavy-duty military laser sight and modified with a chain-feed rather than the standard magazine, all built into a turret seat.
[2015-05-20 15:18:52] * Golden_Dream whistles loudly. "Shatara oughta like this one."
[2015-05-20 15:20:21] <Kkat> 3The weapon looks to have had a suppressor at one point, but not anymore.  Considering its current configuration, it may have been unmanned because it is the opposite of stealth.
[2015-05-20 15:22:21] * Golden_Dream pat pats the weapon, then slides back down. "Any news on how t' make this thing go all invisible again?"
[2015-05-20 15:25:46] * CopyCat tilts her head at Golden_Dream. "I tried hugging but I'm not sure if it worked..."
[2015-05-20 15:26:36] <Shatara> "Do we know it's not already?"
[2015-05-20 15:26:50] * Golden_Dream groans. "Ask th' engineer! Borrow Parlay!"
[2015-05-20 15:30:05] * CopyCat 'oooh's. "Oooh. That's a great idea!" She looks around and starts to call out: "Here Parlay Parlay Parlay! Here girl, here girl!"
[2015-05-20 15:33:10] <Kkat> 3Parlay beeps curiously and visibly turns to Get Lost for orders.  The cyberpony nods and Parlay zips over to CopyCat and starts taking pictures of plots.
[2015-05-20 15:36:12] * CopyCat pats Parlay on the top and trots back towards their captive. "Come on, Parlay! Time to ask our zebra some questions." She pauses for a moment, then continues. "And to document her plot too, of course. I never did reach a conclusion of where she was most ticklish..."
[2015-05-20 15:40:42] <Kkat> 3Parlay boops and takes a picture of the zebra's backside.
[2015-05-20 15:46:26] * CopyCat is all smiles as she returns to their captive and plops herself down in front of the zebra (careful not to interrupt her photoshoot). "Parley, please translate." CopyCat ruffles up her feathers and takes a deep breath, as if about to ask something super important and meaningful. "Hello. What's your name?"
[2015-05-20 15:48:10] <Kkat> 3With Parley acting as translator, they group is able to effectively question their captive engineer.  She is recalcitrant, but eventually does give up answers.
[2015-05-20 15:49:01] <CopyCat> (If she doesn't there'd be more tickling!... There may be more tickling anyway)
[2015-05-20 15:52:10] <Kkat> 3The first being her name and rank.  "Stoicae" and "mechanicus immunes" .
[2015-05-20 15:52:28] * Bookwright would like to know what happened to the ship spirit.
[2015-05-20 16:02:23] * CopyCat smiles. "Hello Stoicae. I am CopyCat. This is a remarkable ship you have here. I understand that a ship like this has it's own Spirit. We would dearly like to meet it."
[2015-05-20 16:03:18] * Bookwright "Also, can you tell us anything about the ship spirit of the Leviathan?"
[2015-05-20 16:06:02] <Kkat> 3Stoicae frowns.  "The ship is enchanted.  That doesn't mean it has a spirit on the crew.  I would not serve on a ship that does.  I do not trust them.  Let our shamans bind spirit power for the Empire, yes.  But spirits as crew?  Dangerous.  Foolish."
[2015-05-20 16:06:29] <Kkat> 3In answer to Bookwright's query, "Especially /that/ spirit."
[2015-05-20 16:11:45] * Bookwright "Well, that tells us something interesting for sure. Can you tell us anything about the ship itself? How many are aboard, anything?"
[2015-05-20 16:14:00] * Bookwright "Or a different question: Is the Roam Empire making new airships?"
[2015-05-20 16:14:02] <Kkat> 3The zebra grimaces.  "It is a bad ship.  I would not serve there, no matter the pay.  It does bad things to its crew.  I avoid being there as much as possible."
[2015-05-20 16:17:48] <Kkat> 3The zebra nods with a bit of a grin.  "Yes.  Roam makes many new airships.  A great new fleet!"  She adds fatefully, "But not new leviathans.  Roam has lost the power to make leviathans.  It is for the best.  They were a thing of Old Roam."
[2015-05-20 16:19:13] * Golden_Dream ponders. [So, if it's not a spirit, how d'ya turn on th' invisible?]
[2015-05-20 16:19:51] * CopyCat tilts her head. [I don't think it turns off.]
[2015-05-20 16:20:14] * Bookwright "Think back. Can remember if you noticed anything unusual about your captain?"
[2015-05-20 16:21:00] <Kkat> 3The zebra feigns thinking then answers, "No.  Or yes... everyone is unusual.  You more than most."
[2015-05-20 16:21:39] <Shatara> "Did the captain ever seem...*too* normal?"
[2015-05-20 16:21:41] <Kkat> 3She then murmurs, "The pony in our lands wants to know who seems unusual."
[2015-05-20 16:22:51] <Kkat> 3At Shatara's question, however, the zebra actually does take a moment to think.  Then another.  She finally decides on, "No."  But you can tell there is room for doubt.
[2015-05-20 16:23:20] * CopyCat smiles at Stoicae. "Did she ever turn into a bug-zebra?"
[2015-05-20 16:26:19] <Kkat> 3Once the question is translated, Stoicae looks at CopyCat like the alicorn is insane.
[2015-05-20 16:27:06] * Shatara baps CopyCat. "We're supposed to get to that part gently..."
[2015-05-20 16:28:58] * CopyCat ruffles her ears at the head-bap and rubs her chin. "So that wasn't just something the captain did at the weekends... curious..."
[2015-05-20 16:30:50] * Bookwright shrugs, and turns back to the zebra. "Your captain was not a zebra. I'm guessing that few, if any of your officer class are real zebras. She was a changling. They feed off of the emotion of Love, and yes, that's the real reason for the Daily Loves. You don't seriously think they're to keep windegoes away, do you?"
[2015-05-20 16:35:59] <Kkat> 3Stoicae nods.  "Yes, I do.  It is because we are a better nation than any of the nations that came before us.  It is our love that keeps the windigo away.  Love of family.  Love of country.  Love of Caesar."
[2015-05-20 16:36:12] * CopyCat gasps as an old question rears its head. "Am I a changeling?"
[2015-05-20 16:38:07] * Bookwright boops CopyCat. "No. you're just the literal manifestation of 'impressionable'. Open the dictionary and there's your picture, right next to the definition for 'impressionable'."
[2015-05-20 16:39:07] * CopyCat nods at Bookwright. Then she immediately asks Stoicae, "Do you have a dictionary?"
[2015-05-20 16:39:31] <Kkat> 3The zebra listens, then nods.  "It is true.  I have seen this dictionary.  Your picture is in it."
[2015-05-20 16:40:00] * CopyCat gasps. "I'm famous!"
[2015-05-20 16:45:31] * CopyCat hugs Stoicae in her joy.
[2015-05-20 16:54:22] <Kkat> 3Stoicae squirms.
[2015-05-20 16:56:14] * Golden_Dream rolls her eyes, then dips back down below to talk to the prisoner. She looks a sight, covered in cans of hellfire, ordinance, and armoring. "Right. What's goin' on down here?"
[2015-05-20 16:56:48] * Bookwright "The prisoner, Stoicae, and myself both agree that CopyCat is impressionable."
[2015-05-20 16:58:03] * CopyCat smiles at Golden_Dream while still holding their prisoner. "We have decided that I am. Oh, I was also just about to ask Stoicae where she was the most ticklish."
[2015-05-20 17:00:04] <Kkat> 3The zebra's eyes go wide at the sight of Golden_Dream and her... ornamentation.
[2015-05-20 17:04:44] * Golden_Dream lowers her eyelids. "That's, uh. That's right, Copycat. You... Just keep bein' you." She rolls her eyelids. "Alright, here's th' rundown. Yes, Equestria's fine. Yes, it was radioactive, it got better, we got grass and gov'ment and stuff now. No, we don't eat zebras and raise them on farms. Any further questions?"
[2015-05-20 17:06:19] <Kkat> 3The zebra makes a face.
[2015-05-20 17:06:46] <Kkat> 3Stoicae then asks, "Are you going to kill me or let me go?"
[2015-05-20 17:07:28] * Golden_Dream sighs. "We're hopin' to do th' latter sooner than the former. Don't make us do the former."
[2015-05-20 17:13:40] * Bookwright "We would also be accommodating if you decided to defect. Though that will have to wait until after we deal with the Leviathan."
[2015-05-20 17:18:26] <Kkat> 3The look on Stoicae's face at the mention of defection is remarkable.  It is like Bookwright just offered to let her eat her children.
[2015-05-20 17:20:28] <Kkat> 3What follows is a long rendition of what might be a national anthem.
[2015-05-20 17:20:52] * Shatara applauds. Yay for musics!
[2015-05-20 17:21:33] * CopyCat attempts to sing along without knowing the words or even the language.
[2015-05-20 17:22:52] * Bookwright raises his eyebrows and gently plugs his ears with some handy bits of shredded fabric.
[2015-05-20 17:25:46] * Shatara waits for her to finish (and baps CopyCat again).
[2015-05-20 17:26:04] * Golden_Dream waits for her to finish. "... Beautiful singing voice," She probably lied, "but yer' gonna have t' tell us if y'all got a brig so we can get y' outta those rope. Probably not great fer yer' legs t' be all tied up like that."
[2015-05-20 17:28:55] * CopyCat makes a ;w; face at Shatara.
[2015-05-20 17:33:59] * CopyCat claps her hooves together when Stoicae finishes her song. "Ohh! Will you teach me how to sing it, too?"
[2015-05-20 17:36:03] <Kkat> 3The zebra frowns.  "You've seen the ship."  Not a lot of room for a brig.  "You can lock me in with the food.  Or lock me in with the ammo."
[2015-05-20 17:36:58] <Kkat> 3The zebra then answers CopyCat, for once her expression sounding eager.  "Of course!"
[2015-05-20 17:41:07] * Golden_Dream thinks. "I'd prefer y' with th' food, 'cause we can move that stuff back into th' firewagon, and that what we can't, well. Th' less food we have, th' less food I cn' cook."
[2015-05-20 17:45:57] * CopyCat bounces up and down, smiling at Stoicae. "We can have a slumber party and eat midnight snacks and tell ghost stories and sing songs!" she squee's. "This will be so much fun!"
[2015-05-20 17:46:23] * Shatara hmms. "Hopefully singing their song doesn't make the changebugpone usurping the empire more powerful..."
[2015-05-20 17:48:16] <Kkat> 3The zebra seems to consider this.  "You cook better than any galley chef I have served with.  It would have been a fine last meal.  I will not rob myself of eating another."
[2015-05-20 17:51:35] * Golden_Dream smiles a little. "Thanks. You got a pretty good pair a' hooves on you yer'self t' keep this thing in th' air. Prolly why they let you choose where y' got stationed, if th' Enclave and Roam got anythin' in common."
[2015-05-20 17:57:22] * Golden_Dream rubs the back of her neck. "I don't suppose that you'd believe me if I said that there was nothin' personal 'bout what we did here."
[2015-05-20 17:59:08] <Kkat> 3The zebra glances towards CopyCat and gives Golden_Dream a disbelieving look.
[2015-05-20 18:00:06] <Kkat> 3--- End of Session ---
[2015-05-20 18:00:43] * CopyCat heads off with the zebra to sing songs and tell ghost stories. She had a lot of ghost stories now! Like the one about a town of living statues, or an old school being choked by melting pink mist, or the one where she was stalked by a spirit of Whispers! Such fun.

Fallout: Beyond Equestria 135: The Last Free Town (Part 12)