Fallout: Beyond Equestria, 83: Tragedy's End (Part 12)

[2014-04-23 13:28:08] <Kkat> 3Reapers.
[2014-04-23 13:29:40] <Kkat> 3Guardians of the afterworld.  The guides of dead souls.  Death spirits.  Necromantic bargainers.
[2014-04-23 13:33:36] <Kkat> 3In the last few days, the adventuring friends from Crimson's Caravans have encountered these dark beings, been drawn into their secrets, and begun to pierce their enigmatic nature.
[2014-04-23 13:34:33] <Kkat> 3Now, in this place called Tragedy's End, they have come face to face with the original Reaper.  The one with a name.  Sleipnir.
[2014-04-23 13:39:45] <Kkat> 3Appearing not as a skeletal alicorn but as an eight-legged nightmare, Sleipnir refers to the other reapers as Its "grandchildren", although those who hear Its thoughts can tell that there is something lost in translation.
[2014-04-23 13:39:55] <Kkat> 3Shatara and Golden_Dream can see Sleipnir and converse with It.  Through the magic of alicorn telepathy, CopyCat can see their memories as they form, and is offering them to Noble_Heart, Bookwright and Get_Lost -- acting as a relay so that all of the group may see what they see, and even participate in the conversation... albeit with a delay.
[2014-04-23 13:40:53] <Kkat> 3."... Um, I was wondering something. I... I need to know something, rather." Golden_Dream sighed, fumbling with her words. This is the first time in a long time she's been afraid to speak. "Why... Why can I see you and folk like you?"
[2014-04-23 13:40:53] <Kkat> 3Sleipnir turns Its gaze on Shatara.  >> I am sorry my... grandchild... upset you so.  Please forgive it."
[2014-04-23 13:40:54] <Kkat> 3Shatara brushes himself off and straightens. "I wasn't scared!...b-but how come I can see you now too..."
[2014-04-23 13:40:58] <Kkat> 3>> You were touched by the magic of death. <<
[2014-04-23 13:40:59] <Kkat> 3Looking to Shatara, >> In your case, because my grandchild desired to bargain with you.  It opened your eyes to us. <<
[2014-04-23 13:41:00] <Kkat> 3CopyCat closes her eyes and focuses, acting like a mental relay to keep their friends in the loop.
[2014-04-23 13:41:09] <Kkat> 3Get_Lost frowns and starts growing unconfortable from the moment she began seeing the thing.  She whispers to Noble_Heart, "Do you think we're pushing our luck too much?"
[2014-04-23 13:41:21] <Kkat> 3Bookwright really doesn't know what to make of all this.
[2014-04-23 13:49:01] <Little_Gloom> 3Noble_Heart tilts her head and flicks an ear from Get Lost's question. She frowns slightly. "I'm... Not certain? This is not within the areas I have any sort of expertise in, to be honest." She frowns slightly.
[2014-04-23 13:49:09] <Little_Gloom> 3Shatara nods a little. "So, uh...why make glue out of ponies?"
[2014-04-23 13:49:30] <Little_Gloom> 3Fallout: Beyond Equestria, Session Eighty-Three: Tragedy's End (Part Twelve - Conclusion) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW5n3k2VgZE&feature=youtu.be&t=55s
[2014-04-23 13:51:18] <Little_Gloom> 3Sleipnir is silent for a while, seeming to mull over Shatara's question.  >> I often do not comprehend the motions of mortals.  Perhaps because they knew how. <<
[2014-04-23 13:51:27] <Little_Gloom> 3--- Session Begins ---
[2014-04-23 13:53:00] * Shatara frowns, not exactly satisfied with the answer. "But they knew how because one of you deathpony-types told them how...why would they do that?"
[2014-04-23 13:54:56] * Bookwright "Perhaps the ponies sought knowledge, and the knowledge of, urgh, glue-making was what the spirit imparted in exchange for ensuring the bodies were destroyed?"
[2014-04-23 13:56:29] * Kid is scared. Not because of any feeling of loss of life. Not because, you know, death spirit, although that helps. Not anything that refined. But she figured it was simply the primal fear that she was now looking into the face of a god, and she was made even smaller than she thought she was. "Um. Th-that's alright, I-I guess." She looked down, unusually timid. Her heart pounded in her chest....
[2014-04-23 13:56:31] * Kid ..."So, I was wondering, you know, what does necromancy actually do? Does it have t' be, you know, possessions, soul rendin', and hurtin' others?" This question came out as a whimper near the end.
[2014-04-23 13:58:38] * CopyCat tilts her head, mulling things over. She asks a question with her eyes still closed. "Lady Sleipnir... is that how you would like to be addessed? Lady? Or how about Grandma Slippy?"
[2014-04-23 13:58:41] * Noble_Heart gently lowers herself towards the ground, wrapping a wing around Kid. She nuzzles the smaller pony briefly. "Your friends are here. And are not likely to leave." She did her best to be reassuring to her friend.
[2014-04-23 13:59:43] * Bookwright "Copycat, you might as well ask a stream how it feels about the rain that feeds it."
[2014-04-23 14:00:51] * Kid 's eyes are wide, and she doesn't look at Noble for comfort. She didn't want to take her eyes off of the flowing black figure in front of her. "O-oh, right. I-I'm bein' rude, ain't I?" She chided herself silently.
[2014-04-23 14:03:15] * Bookwright perhaps "Golden, curiosity is never rude. Only the way it is expressed."
[2014-04-23 14:03:55] * CopyCat makes a disapproving 'hrmf' sound and briefly turns to Bookwright, without looking at him. "It is important to be respectful, especially since we are guests."
[2014-04-23 14:05:20] * Bookwright nods. "Respectful, yes. But it's always possible to be curious and respectful at the same time. I want you and Golden to remember that."
[2014-04-23 14:07:45] <Little_Gloom> 3Sleipnir listens to the ponies, considering each question and suggestion with a leisurely respect.  Finally, It answers, >> You may refer to me however is most comfortable to you.  I call myself Sleipnir because that is the name first given to me by your kind. <<
[2014-04-23 14:09:00] <Little_Gloom> 3It then turns Its gaze back on Golden_Dream.  >> Necromancy is magic fueled by the raw energy of death.  It takes many forms, depending on who is channeling it. <<
[2014-04-23 14:13:38] * Sleipnir 3then answers Shatara, >> We... those you call Reapers... are spirits of death.  Our power is, by nature, necromancy.  We are the raw energy of death given form and sentience.  Any power we give you to channel will be necromancy.  But we do not chose the form that power takes.  You do. <<
[2014-04-23 14:14:27] * Sleipnir 3adds after a pause, >> This is why my... grandchild... could not tell you what you would gain from being offered necromancy.  It did not know. <<
[2014-04-23 14:14:54] * Shatara 's eyes go all 6_9. "But...what does that have to do with glue? Or the symbols made of ground-up fillys?"
[2014-04-23 14:15:50] * CopyCat (eyes closed) sticks her tongue out at Bookwright, then returns her attention to Sleipnir and curtsies. "Grandma Slippy, you called the other Reapers your grandchildren, but I'm not sure what you meant. Did they come /from/ you, or are they /because/ of you?"
[2014-04-23 14:16:44] * Bookwright "Perhaps Sleipnir meant only that Sleipnir is the first among the others?"
[2014-04-23 14:16:55] * Kid shoots daggers with her eyes at Bookie very briefly before returning her gaze to Sleipnir. "Um. A-a-alright. So, um. What else can it do?" She then realized what she'd been doing. "O-oh. Um. Do you mind if we keep some of th' stuff we found here? Um, also, why here instead a' some big huge castle somewhere?" She tried to come off as polite, but just wound up looking like a curious, big eyed...
[2014-04-23 14:16:57] * Kid ...filly. She felt like the kind that would ask "Why?" over and over again.
[2014-04-23 14:17:44] <Sleipnir> 3The shadows in the room deepen and seep.  They melt and grow, connecting together like drops of water that get too close.  Soon, the room is nothing but darkness, like everything has been painted black.  The lights from Shatara's and Kid's PipBucks refuse to light more than a few inches of the appendages to which they are attached.
[2014-04-23 14:18:06] * Noble_Heart furrows her brow and slowly stands up, contemplating something. She tilted her head to one side, then the other. "It is likely that the one who was granted powers before had his image of how necromancy should work shaped by those in the swamp." She blinks in confusion at the sudden darkness.
[2014-04-23 14:18:26] * Shatara meeps and wonders if asked too many questions...
[2014-04-23 14:18:28] <Sleipnir> 3Bookwright's horn does no better, although the light from CopyCat's and Noble_Heart's pushes back the gloom a few feet.
[2014-04-23 14:19:37] * Kid grips Noble's wing tightly. Oh no oh no she pissed her off she pissed her off run? Where? It's happening again oh no it's happening again
[2014-04-23 14:21:05] * Bookwright huddles closer to Noble_Heart and CopyCat. Not afraid of the dark. Just needed moral support. Yup.
[2014-04-23 14:21:54] * Shatara scoots closer to CopyCat.
[2014-04-23 14:22:08] <Sleipnir> 3In the darkness, Shatara and Kid can see images appear, figures of ponies and others... like mirages in the black.  One image is a zebra waving a crooked staff adorned with feathers, the crook like a dreamcatcher with a black sapphire woven into the center.  The zebra chants through the staff, waving it over powders, and the powders change color, darkening.
[2014-04-23 14:23:56] * CopyCat turns her head back and forth. "Who turned out the lights?" An odd question, considering she hadn't opened her eyes since starting the shared vision. She untenses when Bookwright and Shatara draw near. "Is this because of the Grandma thing? I just meant it as a term of endearment!"
[2014-04-23 14:25:09] <Sleipnir> 3A small grey unicorn with muddy-colored hair and a pair of scissors on his flank cases a spell, forming a ball of black, crackling energy.  A sea-green pegasus swoops high through the air then dives... faster and faster... faster still as the air distorts around her.  Glimpses of colors form and are bled black as she goes faster still until... >>>BOOOM<<<
[2014-04-23 14:26:00] <Sleipnir> 3The sky explodes around her, darkness rippling out in an expanding black ring.  And everywhere below, life withers and dies.
[2014-04-23 14:27:02] * Noble_Heart keeps a wing gently wrapped around Golden Dream.
[2014-04-23 14:28:37] * Bookwright closes his eyes. There is nothing for him to see. Instead, he watches with his mind. "Hm, I see. Users and their uses of necromantic magics."
[2014-04-23 14:29:03] <Sleipnir> 3These images are transmitted to the others by CopyCat, again after a marginal delay.  Meanwhile, Sleipnir explains.  >> We are the source.  Or, I should say, /a/ source of the power of death.  Mortals are the channel.  When a mortal becomes a necromancer, a part of their soul is... changed... so that our power may flow to them.  A conduit. <<
[2014-04-23 14:32:01] <Sleipnir> 3>> But it is the mortal's soul, and the mortal's inherent magical nature, that shapes the power... gives it... form.  Most unicorns cast spells.  Zebras infuse necromantic energies into things, or even attempt to bind death spirits.  For the pegasi, necromancy naturally flows through the channels of their own magical abilities. <<
[2014-04-23 14:33:16] * Kid seems oddly conflicted. "None'a those were Earth Ponies." She replied. "What do they do with it?" This seemed silly, but hell. Sleipnir didn't seem to be offering any deal that she wouldn't take, it's just that there's nothing that she seemed like she could do with it.
[2014-04-23 14:33:16] * CopyCat breathes a sigh of relief and hugs Bookwright and Shatara with her wings in the darkness. "Phew, it's just story time."
[2014-04-23 14:36:00] <Sleipnir> 3The scenes change, showing an earth pony hoof-crafting a hunting shotgun.  Kid recognizes it immediately: Blood.  Bonaparte hastily sketches a symbol on the wall with the ground dust of children's bones.  A hoard of Academy Foals charging up the alley stop suddenly.  They surround him and glare, but cannot approach.
[2014-04-23 14:36:36] <Sleipnir> 3One conjures a thick cloud of pink, but the cloud dissipates as it nears the symbol and the griffin cowering under it.
[2014-04-23 14:39:49] * Shatara watches quietly, gaining a bit of understanding.
[2014-04-23 14:40:30] <Sleipnir> 3>> For some, particularly those whose magic are different and less overt, I have witnessed necromancy shaped by their natural talents.  In the case of those you call earth ponies, their Special Talent usually informs how they wield the power we give them.  For others, like griffins and minotaurs, it is similar, albeit harder to predict. <<
[2014-04-23 14:42:29] * Sleipnir 3adds, >> The pony who ran this place was an earth pony.  A chemist by talent.  We did not tell her how to turn ponies into glue.  We merely gave her necromancy.  She... used that power... and told herself. <<
[2014-04-23 14:45:36] * Noble_Heart contemplates that and frowns slightly, looking down towards Golden Dream silently.
[2014-04-23 14:45:59] * Shatara hmms and muses. "Definitely explains why he didn't want to lose it. It didn't save him in the end, though..." He blinks at the addition. "Wait...so this pony took on the powers of death it self, solely for the purpose of...making really sticky glue?"
[2014-04-23 14:46:34] * Kid exhales in relief. She even chuckled a little, a bit more nervously when she saw Blood. "So, it ain't the stuff itself, but the use of necromancy that makes folks do awful stuff." She looks at Sleipnir, with some fear dissipated. "I'd say that I don't ever want t' put death int' booze, but then again, it's rottin' fruit or grain. It's already there." She gave the eight legged spirit a weak...
[2014-04-23 14:46:36] * Kid ...smile. "Thank you fer showin' us that. It's... A lot more medicinal than you might've thought. I can't see how I'd use it, but I'd like t' make a request of y'all, if I could."
[2014-04-23 14:48:16] <Sleipnir> 3A new mirage forms.  One of the incinerator, the smoke pouring out.  The burning of thousands of desecrated bodies.  >> Places like this... affect the veil between the world of life and the realm of death.  Things are possible in places like this that are not elsewhere.  Things are... affected. <<
[2014-04-23 14:48:36] * Bookwright waits with bated breath.
[2014-04-23 14:51:32] * CopyCat thinks about going 'Whooo wooooo~' spookily, but she manages to stop herself... unfortunately she is already broadcasting her thoughts.
[2014-04-23 14:52:19] <Sleipnir> 3An insect flies towards the factory, then drops dead.  The view changes, showing Tragedy's End much as it is now.  A large, white bird approaches the wall, but doesn't quite make it before falling from the sky.   Stronger life forms -- a group of pegasi, an Enclave scout team -- actually make it into the base before succumbing.
[2014-04-23 14:53:30] * Bookwright "This raises a question: Why do we still live?"
[2014-04-23 14:54:11] <Sleipnir> 3Simultaneously, a mirage of an almost identical set of buildings -- Wonderglue factor and incinerator -- pour smoke into the air above a vast, ugly swamp.  The smoke descends, changing, becoming a neigh-impenetrable mist.
[2014-04-23 14:55:27] * CopyCat smiles, her face seeming creepy under the sole light of her horn. "As I said, Bookwright. We are guests here."
[2014-04-23 14:55:29] <Sleipnir> 3>> It is in places like these where new spirits of death are born. << Sleipnir explains.  >> They are young.  They need guidance least they go astray.  I am here for them. <<
[2014-04-23 14:56:49] * Kid doesn't even need to think about it to answer Bookwright. "Business." She looks at the swamp. It may have looked ugly to them, but it came off as charming to her. Anything is beautiful when it reminds you of home.
[2014-04-23 15:02:32] * Shatara nods to copycat. "I presume Slepnir is protecting us from the life-sapping effects..." He ponders quietly what effects necromancy would have had on him.
[2014-04-23 15:04:37] * Sleipnir 3waits silently a moment, then explains, >> We offer the power you call Necromancy to those willing to work for us in return when we need agents in the mortal world.  We give it in exchange, and can stop doing so if the mortal attempts to... renege on its obligations. <<
[2014-04-23 15:04:57] * Sleipnir 3 frowns.  >> Other... agencies of death energy have... /other/ ways of dealing with those who displease Them. <<
[2014-04-23 15:05:36] * CopyCat tilts her head. "Like a strongly worded letter?"
[2014-04-23 15:06:14] * Bookwright "Or the strongly worded meteor."
[2014-04-23 15:07:05] <Sleipnir> 3The mirage of the zebra returns, this time with her screaming in unimaginable pain as... something happens to her.  Something that mercifully the group's senses cannot allow them to perceive.  All they can feel is an overwhelming dread and a sense of wrongness so palpable they are drowning in it.
[2014-04-23 15:09:01] * CopyCat winces.
[2014-04-23 15:09:56] * Noble_Heart blanches slightly and frowns. "The Zebras have many dark legends about the wrath of the Stars. No doubt there are worse fates than the ones in the stories."
[2014-04-23 15:11:04] * Bookwright "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that's one of the 'worse fates'."
[2014-04-23 15:19:23] * Sleipnir 3merely nods.
[2014-04-23 15:20:34] * Bookwright "O-kay then. Note to self: Avoid 'worse fates'."
[2014-04-23 15:21:56] * CopyCat bows. "Thank you, Grandma Slippy, for showing us. I was very curious after we met the Reapers at the academy."
[2014-04-23 15:22:22] <Sleipnir> 3The mirages change.  A red and scarlet earth pony is working on some sort of spyglass.  She stops, muttering to herself shaking her head in horror as she realizes that she needs the fresh blood of a murdered foal to properly craft the lens.  In the background, in the next room, stands a crib; the baby inside horribly deformed and kept alive only by magic.
[2014-04-23 15:24:10] * Noble_Heart blinks and shudders slightly. "Why is it that so much of necromancy seems to require such horrible things to be used? It seems unlikely that there would not be more uses of it for more peaceful reasons. Surely many souls linger in this world, and many suffer for their presence, which might be calmed with such a power." She sighs quietly and shakes her head, looking to the
[2014-04-23 15:24:11] * Noble_Heart ground sadly.
[2014-04-23 15:24:35] <Sleipnir> 3Another image, this time Bonaparte with mortar and pestle, pulverizing the bones of an Academy Foal, identifiable by bits of her cloak still clinging to bone in the pile next to his workbench.
[2014-04-23 15:26:34] * Bookwright "Eeew. Golden Dream? I think you should pass on necromantic powers. I don't think they're worth the price to use."
[2014-04-23 15:27:23] * Shatara frowns as he recalls an earlier thought. "Does...such desecration harm the souls the remains once belonged to? Rip them out of the afterlife or something..?"
[2014-04-23 15:27:49] <Sleipnir> 3>> The aid we seek is in helping those cross over who are unable to do so naturally, yet whose souls yearn for peace.  <<  Sleipnir looks left as the mirage of a healthy yellow earth pony trots into view.  Right as a ghoul shuffles into view and begins a conversation with her.  >> These are life, perhaps not as life has always been, living as they should. <<
[2014-04-23 15:28:58] * Bookwright 'I shouldn't think so, Shatara. Remember, the Reapers in the Academy wanted the foal's corpses destroyed so that their souls move on. They wouldn't grant powers that required harming souls - it's literally counterproductive."
[2014-04-23 15:29:30] <Sleipnir> 3A small pink pony in a yellow environmental suit walks up, asking "Have you seen my mommy?" in a cute but oblivious voice as her eyes take on an unnatural pink glow.  >> This... is not.  This is a soul trapped in a body that cannot truly live, prevented from moving on. <<
[2014-04-23 15:30:53] <Sleipnir> 3Sleipnir points to the deformed newborn in the crib, kept alive by magical life support.  >> As is that. <<  Its gaze turns towards the Academy Foals surrounding Bonaparte, kept on the edge of going feral.  >> As are those. <<
[2014-04-23 15:32:13] <Sleipnir> 3More figures appear in the darkness.  Similar images of sadness and horror.  Most are foreign.  Two however, are recognizable.  >> As are many more, << Sleipnir states sadly.  >> These are the ones for whom we seek the aid of mortals in enchange for our gift. <<
[2014-04-23 15:35:26] <Sleipnir> 3One of the recognizable figures is the zebra again.  This time, she is trudging through snow, her staff in her mouth, a tattered cloak around her.  A troop of Steel Rangers approaches her.  She raises her staff; slams it into the snow.  Their souls are cut free from their mortal bodies, which she reanimates to follow her.
[2014-04-23 15:36:53] <Sleipnir> 3The other is a very elderly yellow pegasus, streaks of pink in her white mane, as she lays in bed, her breathing troubled.  A hellhound watches over her.
[2014-04-23 15:38:41] * Kid questions once more. "I don't really know what my talent could do with death magic..." She looked at her flank. Alcohol. Hospitality. Maybe some sorts of bombs, but she doubted she could make fire more... Death-y. "But I wouldn't mind bein' able t' send y' some letters whenever I see me somethin' that you should know about. And I wouldn't mind givin' Rainbow Dash a hug, but we really have t'...
[2014-04-23 15:38:43] * Kid ...go to where Ditzy started t'...." And then she froze. She froze and gagged when she saw the foal. No. No! That is evil as hell, what the fuck lady! Killing a... Foal that would've died if not for equine intervention. Like how she "killed" a school full of foals. Right. No right to point out who's evil. "I- I'd like it if you could send us to where Ditzy Doo started t' lose her grip on her...
[2014-04-23 15:38:44] * Kid ...Equinity! I'd like it if ya'll could just take us there an'..." And then she saw that. "Alright, first one, I'd do fer' free. Second one, /no/, fer th' same reason Rainbow Dash is off limits."
[2014-04-23 15:41:44] * Bookwright "Wait, wait. Hold on. Why is Fluttershy in that group of images? How is her situation different from that of the ghouls you say are normal?"
[2014-04-23 15:50:33] <Sleipnir> 3Sleipnir pauses.  Looking to Bookwright, >> Her situation is... unusual.  Complicated.  She has... done this to herself. <<  Sleipnir turns to Kid.  >> That one is not. <<
[2014-04-23 15:51:33] * Noble_Heart frowns and tilts her head to one side. "Done... What to herself? She was cursed by Killing Joke... Was she not?"
[2014-04-23 15:52:16] * Bookwright "It was the Killing Joke that turned her into a tree. I think this might be separate."
[2014-04-23 15:52:42] <Sleipnir> 3The other mirages slip into blackness as the red and scarlet earth pony at her workbench and the crib nearby become the solitary focus.  Another figure moves into view, a unicorn in Steel Ranger Scribe garb with medical accoutrements.  His horn glows, casting yet another spell on the newborn.
[2014-04-23 15:54:01] <Sleipnir> 3As the mirage lingers, more details become clear, enough for Kid to recognize the location: Rusty's Nails and Planks, a hardware store in Froggy Bottom Bog.
[2014-04-23 15:54:45] * Get_Lost mostly listens to the others, not sure of how she could improve the conversation
[2014-04-23 16:02:51] * Get_Lost decides to rest her head agains shatara's shoulder and goes oon listening
[2014-04-23 16:03:33] * Shatara blushes a little as he finds himself nestled between Get_Lost and CopyCat, trying to focus on what's going on.
[2014-04-23 16:03:46] * Bookwright leans his head against Noble_Heart and watches the images play out in his head, eyes still closed."
[2014-04-23 16:05:04] * Kid gasps and brings her hooves to her mouth, eyes wide in recognition. "That's old Rusty's place! Rusty Turnip Truck! I remember this!"
[2014-04-23 16:05:57] * Get_Lost "and this is... ah.... a good thing, riiight?" seems a bit lost
[2014-04-23 16:06:49] * CopyCat shivers. An image of shattered crystal sending ice up her spine. "There was... a broken crystal pony in a sleeping crystal kingdom. I... put her back together again. I brought her back. Is she— Did I make her into a pony who should not be?"
[2014-04-23 16:07:51] * Noble_Heart wiggles slightly in surprise at Bookwright's sudden contact, but she remains relatively stable against it. "The swamp? But it does not seem likely to have been a time you had seen before..."
[2014-04-23 16:10:51] * Kid pointed it out. "No, alright. Explanation time. That baby right there? That's a swampfolk pony! Like, them swampfolk did th' horizontal do-see-do and since they're so durned screwed up on account of them screwin' each other so much, that they kin come out mutated and die rightabouts when they get born! So, they jus' ditch 'em out in th' middle 'a nowhere in a crib with a mine in it, so when...
[2014-04-23 16:10:52] * Kid ...folks come around t' check it out, th' bomb goes off, kills th' baby as a mercy, and then th' swampfolk come around and take their stuff!"
[2014-04-23 16:11:24] * Bookwright is suddenly very nauseated.
[2014-04-23 16:11:43] * Shatara shakes his head. "That is wrong on so many levels..."
[2014-04-23 16:12:00] * Noble_Heart blanches at that prospect. "Then this one was... Found by someone with necromantic knowledge? And saved?"
[2014-04-23 16:15:23] <Sleipnir> 3Sleipnir is silent a while before choosing to answer CopyCat.  >> What you did was good.  That pony lives and her soul enjoys life.  It is good. <<
[2014-04-23 16:16:21] * Kid then points at the crib. "So, that doctor there, right? He tried t' save that kid and that riled the whole town up like hell! Some'a them said that he's doin' Celestia's work, and some folk wanted m' dad t' go over and shoot the durned baby and kill it before th' Swampfolk realize we're gettin' wise!"
[2014-04-23 16:18:07] * Get_Lost frowns "boobytrapping your own foal? seriously?" seems to refuse the information somewhere in her brain "fuck it. i'm out of here. is there a way to forget what you just said?"
[2014-04-23 16:18:38] * Shatara drapes a wing over Get_Lost and pats her.
[2014-04-23 16:18:51] * Noble_Heart furrows her brow. "But... This was not a normal healing, it seems. Or perhaps it was, but it does not make the foal well. Just... Alive."
[2014-04-23 16:18:59] * CopyCat visibly untenses. "Ah... Thank you, Sleipnir."
[2014-04-23 16:21:56] * Kid glances at Get_Lost. "Hey, if we're goin' t' Froggy Bottom at any time, you gotta know not t' walk around cribs with babies callin' out from 'em. They dangerous." Her accent seemed to be out in full swing just recently.
[2014-04-23 16:23:35] * Kid bites her lip, and then puts on a stern expression. She's been surrounded by things that she didn't understand for a long time, but now was the time to buck up and do what she can do. Barter somepony down into the ground! "Sleipnir. If we kill that zebra, can we arrange fer th' same deal that Rainbow Dash got? No reap until they want it?"
[2014-04-23 16:24:28] * Get_Lost "you... don't booby trap your foal! it's.... i don't even..... no, just no!"
[2014-04-23 16:25:04] * Bookwright speaks through gritted teeth. "I'm seriously trying to forget myself, Get. Please stop reminding me!"
[2014-04-23 16:27:46] * CopyCat shakes her head, to clear it of these errant doubts. "Grandma Slippy, we are on a journey into zebra lands to find a megaspell. It may be the key to helping countless ghoul lives back in Equestria. We also seek a lost Element of Harmony, which may itself be the key to saving somepony who dearly deserves saving. Is there anything you can tell us that you think might help?"
[2014-04-23 16:29:59] * Bookwright shivers. "It feels so strange to hear somepony say it out loud again. 'We're looking for a megaspell.' Eeesh."
[2014-04-23 16:34:01] <Sleipnir> 3Sleipnir considers Kid's request.  >> You wish... to ensure that you will not be reaped unwillingly?  You wish eternal life... or at least until you bore of it? <<
[2014-04-23 16:34:09] * Noble_Heart contemplates that and tilts her head to one side. "Is it that strange? The one who enslaved us was slain by a megaspell. Fillydelphia was saved by a megaspell. They are dangerous, for certain, but hardly irredeemable evil." She frowns. "Though the bombs are doubtless a horror by most standards."
[2014-04-23 16:34:43] * Kid shakes her head. "No! Her! Not me, her!"
[2014-04-23 16:36:21] * Kid frowns and thinks about Rainbow Dash. "Look. I know Rainbow Dash. Alright? Going out with a friend is how she'd want to go out. And until that happens, I can't in good conscience let them go without them getting their affairs in order."
[2014-04-23 16:36:26] * Sleipnir 3pauses.  >> You wish... all Reapers abide by the same deal as the one you call... Molly... in regards to the ghost known to you as Rainbow Dash? <<
[2014-04-23 16:36:49] * Get_Lost is still too horrified by the foalbombs to think about defending the versatility of megaspoells against the risks
[2014-04-23 16:37:19] * Shatara holds Get_Lost as he himself leans on CopyCat.
[2014-04-23 16:38:56] * Kid stamps and begins to shout. "I'm sayin' that I want them to be able t' meet and talk and be able t' say somethin' to th' ones they love before they go away fer good! My daddy never got that, and I won't let anyone else share th' same fate!" That felt strangely good to say.
[2014-04-23 16:40:17] * Noble_Heart frowns and sighs quietly, though she doesn't say anything in regards to Kid's comments.
[2014-04-23 16:41:04] * Kid points at the Zebra. "She went and ruined her chances by rippin' th' souls out of folks. They didn't do anything wrong. Please, I know when they get a chance t' go away by themselves t'gether, they'll want to. Please."
[2014-04-23 16:41:19] * Get_Lost frowns "ah... kid.... that's n ot how life works.... usually, life is a bitch, you know...."
[2014-04-23 16:43:34] * Bookwright shakes his head. "No, Get Lost. The compound's dog Molly was a bitch. She had three litters to prove it. Life is just... Life."
[2014-04-23 16:45:57] * Kid seems to lose all of her pride in a moment. She looks off to the side, hyperventilating. Whatever good she felt from shouting that evaporated like a drop of water on red-hot steel. "Please. If you'll let that happen, I'll..." She breathed some more, then bowed.
[2014-04-23 16:46:35] * Bookwright wishes he didn't suck at comforting other ponies. Kid certainly needs it right now....
[2014-04-23 16:47:41] * Kid frowns. It's amazing how quickly she can go from cocky to begging in the span of a brief moment.
[2014-04-23 16:47:50] * Shatara isn'tsure how his own efforts at comfor are proceeding.
[2014-04-23 16:48:13] * Noble_Heart gently wrapped a wing around Kid, she looked down sadly. "We do not always get to say goodbye. But it is a comfort to think that when we are gone, we will see one another again on the other side." She nuzzles the smaller pony. "I realize that may sound bad, but if Fluttershy is in such a state... It is concerning as to how she got there."
[2014-04-23 16:48:55] * Get_Lost is both sad and angry, so... not that good
[2014-04-23 16:49:27] * Shatara can only try squeezing the cybermare tighter.
[2014-04-23 16:49:52] * Sleipnir 3regards Kid almost gently... well, for a granddaddy death spirit.
[2014-04-23 16:50:54] * Get_Lost if squeezed tight enough that she coul use some air. still, doesn't complain,. probably she needs that contact
[2014-04-23 16:51:16] * Sleipnir 3seems to glean something.  "You... wish to bargain for Fluttershy?"
[2014-04-23 16:51:35] <Sleipnir> 3(correction)
[2014-04-23 16:51:41] * Kid bows. "Yes ma'am."
[2014-04-23 16:51:52] * Sleipnir 3seems to glean something.  >> You... wish to bargain for the one called Fluttershy? <<
[2014-04-23 16:53:31] * Sleipnir 3frowns.  >> If you end the zebra known as Xero, I will tell the Reapers to leave Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash to chose their own times of passing.  So long as they remain capable of doing so.  And with the understanding that there is one Reaper whom I cannot speak for. <<
[2014-04-23 16:55:14] * Get_Lost tilts her head "what? who's this super lonesome reaper working solo?"
[2014-04-23 16:55:41] * Kid looks to the side, her face still in the bleak. "Th' worst thing in th' world is t' die alone. My momma at least died when she my brother, dad, and me in the house with her. Dad died alone, and it still hurts. And... I wanna help." She bows. "How do I kill Xero? Will conventional stuff work?"
[2014-04-23 16:56:08] * Noble_Heart raises her eyebrows. Then contemplates that a moment. Then lowers her head sadly, but does not say more.
[2014-04-23 17:06:06] <Sleipnir> 3All the other mirages are overtaken by gloom.  In answer to Get_Lost's question, a single reaper appears.  This one has a flowing, plasma-like mane and tail which looks like the rippling night sky, filled with stars.
[2014-04-23 17:08:27] * Sleipnir 3shakes It's head, noting sadly, >> I am not offering you my power.  You are not necromancers.  Rather, one of you can make the claim that you are the... friend... of a Reaper.  And so I offer the hospitality of this place.  I make it safe for you.  This bargain... <<
[2014-04-23 17:09:25] * Noble_Heart eartwitches slightly and breathes one word. "Luna..." Her voice low and quiet at the prospect. Then she ponders slightly more. "Or... Nightmare Moon?"
[2014-04-23 17:09:59] * Bookwright smiles, looking for all the world like a happy dreamer. "You and I think alike, Noble Heart."
[2014-04-23 17:10:40] * Get_Lost "okay, that reaper looks badass enough"
[2014-04-23 17:10:43] * Sleipnir 3looks to Kid, >> This bargain is made because you ask.  You are not beholden to it, and nothing will be lost if you abandon your part, save that you will not gain the request you desire.  I do not know how to end Xero.  She is a most unique abomination.  Many before have failed in their attempts. <<
[2014-04-23 17:18:08] * Kid frowns, then looks back down. "That ain't Luna. It's close, but, I know who that is. It's th' reaper that comes for the folks in their sleep, and talks in their dream. That's close t' Luna, but I don't think that's her."
[2014-04-23 17:19:04] * Kid looks back up. "You lead th' other group, don't y'? Th' one sorta at ends with th' Church 'a Luna not-Luna."
[2014-04-23 17:20:24] * CopyCat tilts her head. "In the vision we saw this zebra tear souls from steel rangers with a wave of her staff. Is there any protection against this power that you know of?"
[2014-04-23 17:20:35] * Noble_Heart blinks, then frowns and keeps Kid closer. She didn't understand enough about these spirits of death to have any idea what was going on with their... Politics? Religion? Duties? She wasn't even sure the right word for it.
[2014-04-23 17:21:26] * Sleipnir 3shakes Its head.  >> Neigh.  Those... zebras... are in service to... the outer entities. <<
[2014-04-23 17:24:07] * Get_Lost offers "aim for the staff?"
[2014-04-23 17:24:50] * Get_Lost "with some really heavy caliber, so that even if it is invulnerable it will fly away"
[2014-04-23 17:25:22] * Shatara nods a little, patting Get_Lost's blam-related creativity.
[2014-04-23 17:26:47] * Kid lets out a heavy sigh. "Yer' talkin' 'bout th' stars..." She puts on a pathetic expression. She felt like she was about to pitch way over her own competency level. Over /everypony's/ competency level. A zebra that could fucking rip souls out. "... If y' would, if you could, I'd like it so that we could get goin' now. I'd also like it if Molly could keep me posted on things you find out about...
[2014-04-23 17:26:49] * Kid ...'em." She smirks, trying to levy the mood just a little so that things didn't seem so bad. "Or we could trade pie recipes. I bet you a grandma like you knows a bunch of 'em."
[2014-04-23 17:27:11] * Sleipnir 3thinks to CopyCat, >> None better than that which you already possess amongst you. <<
[2014-04-23 17:28:31] * Get_Lost "ah... before we go, i have a... ehm... a thing i'd like to ask....." seems almost sorry to even try asking
[2014-04-23 17:28:57] * CopyCat ponders. "Perhaps this zebra would be friendly if faced with Nightmare Moon... or at least curious." CC lowers her head. "Not that the ruse would last long—"
[2014-04-23 17:29:12] * Bookwright "So... What about this Steel Ranger scribe and the child? What of them?"
[2014-04-23 17:29:23] * Sleipnir 3nods to Kid. >>Then do not let me keep you. <<  It pauses, looking down.  >> And thank you for the visit. <<  It looks to Get_Lost, >> Yes? <<
[2014-04-23 17:29:47] * CopyCat opens her eyes and blinks at where Sleipnir seemed to be standing. "You speak of 'Blood'? The weapon infused with your power?"
[2014-04-23 17:31:30] * Get_Lost "ah... i.... i got lost..... a long time ago.... uhm...." seems a bit hesitant, then puts on a hopeful smile "have you seen my mom?"
[2014-04-23 17:58:24] * Sleipnir 3is silent for a long time.  Then It shakes Its head.  >> I am sorry.  I have not. <<  Then adds, >> She likely still lives. <<
[2014-04-23 17:58:43] <Sleipnir> 3>> But I cannot be certain.  There are many deaths I cannot see. <<
[2014-04-23 18:00:48] * Get_Lost still smiles, even if a little less. "thank you anyway.... i'll find myself someday.... thanks"
[2014-04-23 18:01:12] <Sleipnir> 3With that, the darkness in the room fades away, the gloom slipping back into normal shadows.  And Sleipnir is gone.
[2014-04-23 18:01:21] <Sleipnir> 3--- End of Session ---