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Scorch_Mechanic

Fallout: Beyond Equestria 116: Origin Story (Part 30b)

Scorch_Mechanic
Dec 31st, 2014
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  1. [2014-12-24 13:12:43] <Little_Gloom> 3Previously...
  2. [2014-12-24 13:12:49] <Little_Gloom> 3Hedum answers, "There are folks in The Silos that know how to build airships. It's getting the parts that's hard."
  3. [2014-12-24 13:12:57] <Little_Gloom> 3Get_Lost tastes the rum, then passes the bottle around
  4. [2014-12-24 13:13:03] <Little_Gloom> 3Shatara nods and hmms.
  5. [2014-12-24 13:13:08] <Little_Gloom> 3Golden_Dream passes it along without drinking. "So, what's your story?"
  6. [2014-12-24 13:13:13] <Little_Gloom> 3Bookwright passes on the rum, he's too busy sketching his secret sketch.
  7. [2014-12-24 13:13:26] <Little_Gloom> 3Hedum takes a swig of rum. Then nearly drops the bottle as he starts coughing, eyes watering.
  8. [2014-12-24 13:13:33] <Little_Gloom> 3Get_Lost giggles a little "don't overdo it"
  9. [2014-12-24 13:13:40] <Little_Gloom> 3Golden_Dream takes the bottle. "Told'y." She dabbled a sip, her face puckering as if she just ate one of those absurdly sour hard candies that burn your tongue. "Thinkin' they might'a fortified that instead'a fermentin' it like what's supposed t' happen."
  10. [2014-12-24 13:13:47] <Little_Gloom> 3CopyCat drinks some offered rum and gets all giggly. Her ears perk at the sounds of merriment from below and, as she gets gradually more drunk, she sashays off below decks to join in the singing. What she lacked in language she made up for in enthusiasm!
  11. [2014-12-24 13:13:52] <Little_Gloom> 3Bookwright sketchysketches
  12. [2014-12-24 13:14:10] <Little_Gloom> 3...
  13. [2014-12-24 13:16:57] <Little_Gloom> 3Fallout: Beyond Equestria, Session One Hundred and Sixteen: Origin Story (Part Thirty-B) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WARx0LT_v6Q
  14. [2014-12-24 13:17:06] <Little_Gloom> 3--- Session Begins ---
  15. [2014-12-24 13:18:15] * Get_Lost doesn't drink that much, mostly because there isn't bery much to drink. so, soon the mare is sooking off the ship, deeply sighing, lost in some far thought
  16. [2014-12-24 13:20:01] <Get_Lost> *looking off
  17. [2014-12-24 13:20:59] * Golden_Dream is not used to not needing to start up a fire before night falls. She did that even before, when she was living alone and she wanted the local bugs to leave her alone. Something about smoke just did not sit well with them.
  18. [2014-12-24 13:21:11] * Get_Lost "probably, a dozen fans would have done their job a lot better..."
  19. [2014-12-24 13:21:38] <Little_Gloom> 3Night settles in.
  20. [2014-12-24 13:21:59] * Golden_Dream rose an eyebrow, and then crept up behind Get. "Hey. What's up with you?"
  21. [2014-12-24 13:22:01] * Get_Lost "i mean... you lose a engine, the ship keeps going... you lose the balloon, kiisses and hugs everypony..."
  22. [2014-12-24 13:22:35] <Little_Gloom> 3Down below, CopyCat's enthusiasm and sheer Charisma overcome the language barrier as she throws herself into the festivities.
  23. [2014-12-24 13:23:04] * Get_Lost "hi kid.... nothing special, i was thinking about these warships... they don't look like effective battlestations... they're easy to take down, slow and can't really lift a lot of weapons... it can be done a lot better"
  24. [2014-12-24 13:23:45] * Get_Lost "first of all, cannons are scary, but double barreled 40mm autocannons are lighter and much more effective..."
  25. [2014-12-24 13:25:04] * Get_Lost smiles. her visor doesn't really help reading her expression "i guess i'm a little boring... how are you?"
  26. [2014-12-24 13:26:02] * Bookwright finishes his sketch, smiles, and starts a new one.
  27. [2014-12-24 13:26:27] * Noble_Heart had decided to bed down after dinner. She'd had a long, and rather exhausting, day. Much magic had been cast. Many friends protected. And it had been some time since she actually got a proper full night's sleep.
  28. [2014-12-24 13:26:49] <Little_Gloom> 3Hedum watches and listens from his place laying next to Golden_Dream. Slowly, you young zebra lad begins to drift, his eyes growing heavy.
  29. [2014-12-24 13:28:46] * Golden_Dream looks weirded out. She didn't get the technical stuff. "Err. It's probably, like, old. It's probably all that they could reliably make ammo for. Cannons are easy, but those, uh. Things, they're hard to upkeep and feed. Right?"
  30. [2014-12-24 13:28:50] * Get_Lost "parlay. i need some better images of a lot of detains of this ship: propellers, the balloon stitches, some close-up of the gun hatches, the armorplates... some zebra plot if possible"
  31. [2014-12-24 13:29:47] * Bookwright sketches further.
  32. [2014-12-24 13:30:07] * Get_Lost nodnods "yeah, they can be a little tricky... probably i couldn't really make one: i'm more into engineering, energy and robotics... still, a good expert could avoid these guys a pretty unpleasant death."
  33. [2014-12-24 13:30:43] * Get_Lost "so, kid... do you like that young colt? he's quite cute, isn't he?"
  34. [2014-12-24 13:31:04] * Golden_Dream laughs nervously. "Err. Little personal of a question, ain't it?"
  35. [2014-12-24 13:32:25] * Get_Lost "yes, absolutely. personal questions are best questions" smiles again, the visor light turning from blue to pink
  36. [2014-12-24 13:34:02] * Bookwright mutters something about the moon.
  37. [2014-12-24 13:35:03] * Hedum 3blinks drowsily, the shoot upright, saying something in zebra that probably translates to "huh? what?"
  38. [2014-12-24 13:36:28] * Golden_Dream looks back at him and blushes bright pink. "Err. Maybe he's kinda cute. But I don't even know him that much." She whispered. Even though what you do know puts him at a perfect match for you. She shook her head of that thought. Bad pony! Bad! "And I doubt he'd want t' go a durned country away t' go back with me anyway."
  39. [2014-12-24 13:39:01] * Get_Lost giggles "oh, c'mon! you are so traditional, kid!" smiles widely "you should simply ripe the apple before he becomes a regret." checks her bags "i think i have some condoms.."
  40. [2014-12-24 13:39:11] * CopyCat communicates with the zebra pirates below decks through a combination of drunken laughter and bawdy charades. A universal language that all inebriated equines could share.
  41. [2014-12-24 13:41:01] * Golden_Dream bats at Get awkwardly. My, it's odd how red can go through green. "That'sverynicebutIain'tthinkin'aboutthatohfuckin'hellstoplookingalready."
  42. [2014-12-24 13:41:47] * Bookwright finishes another sketch and starts another one, alternating between Hedum and Golden_Dream as reference material. A smile plays about his muzzle as his charcoal jumps across the page.
  43. [2014-12-24 13:42:51] * Get_Lost shrugs "as you wish... just... it looks like you wouldn't regret it... still, okay." the mare looks down again "so... what's next? we're going to pirate town now or we will try the tunnels first?"
  44. [2014-12-24 13:46:39] * Hedum 3is blushing furiously and has laid back down again. He found a hat somewhere and is hiding under it.
  45. [2014-12-24 13:49:31] * Golden_Dream breathes deeply to try to compose herself. "Alright, alright. So, uh. Tunnels first. We don't want th' Quetzlcoatl Queen wakin' up and fuckin' Silo up."
  46. [2014-12-24 13:50:06] * CopyCat is a happy drunk. She kisses all the pretty zebras!
  47. [2014-12-24 13:51:50] * Get_Lost "also, we should help the pirates making some sort of gigantic anti-ship cannon, so they could one-shot these so-called imperial airships from their base"
  48. [2014-12-24 13:52:03] * Get_Lost "it would be cool! we can call it sister ray!"
  49. [2014-12-24 13:53:50] * Golden_Dream lowers her eyelids. "How would y' power it?"
  50. [2014-12-24 13:55:29] * Get_Lost "power it? steam, of course! have you seen how much wood there's in this place!? steam and cast iron filled with black powder! i don't think there's anything in the sky able to stand a 4.5 tons exploding bullet short of some really large dragons!"
  51. [2014-12-24 14:00:25] * Golden_Dream gets another idea. "How would y' handle th' recoil?"
  52. [2014-12-24 14:00:46] * Bookwright finishes his sketch with a grin. He closes his sketchbook, and joins Get_Lost in her steampowergasm. "Oh, easy. We'll just make it recoilless!"
  53. [2014-12-24 14:01:45] * Get_Lost "the problem is: where do we get a working steel factory?"
  54. [2014-12-24 14:02:06] * CopyCat mentally suggests powering such a cannon with hugs. She hugs a nearby pirate to demonstrate. Somehow there is party music in the background of her mental communication.
  55. [2014-12-24 14:02:32] * Hedum 3lets out a prizeworthy scream and backpeddles against the railing as Mare-Do-Well pokes her head up through the floor in front of him to talk. "Right. Tunnels. Shield. Dark noodler. Element of Laughter."
  56. [2014-12-24 14:03:32] * Bookwright snickers. "Arr-Bee-Dee, you gotta stop scaring everyone we meet by doing that."
  57. [2014-12-24 14:03:41] * Hedum 3catches Get_Lost's look and adds, "Maybe an awesome steam-powered super-canon in there somewhere."
  58. [2014-12-24 14:05:21] * Golden_Dream slowly blinks. "I think there's a big problem with yer, ah. Yer statement there. I think recoil-less rifles shoot a buncha backblast out the-" Oh hi, Rainbow. "Eeeeeh. Hedum, er. Meet Mare-Do-Well. She's on our side. And how th' hell are you able to see her?"
  59. [2014-12-24 14:08:15] * Noble_Heart blinks at the scream, raising her head rising to her hooves. Quickly looking for the source of terror. Finding none, she yawns a moment later. "Hm? Steam powered cannon? That sounds unnecessarily difficult. And not particularly viable, We should think. The amount of heat needed to build pressure to launch a shell of any size high enough to hit an airship would likely not
  60. [2014-12-24 14:08:16] * Noble_Heart be useful." She yawns again and shakes her head, trying to wake up properly.
  61. [2014-12-24 14:10:37] * Hedum 3notes to Golden_Dream, "When I'm close to that seed, I think everyone can see me." She adds, "Like how normal folk can see ghosts in Stalliongrad."
  62. [2014-12-24 14:13:41] * Get_Lost "okay, maybe it won't be THAT effective, but when they get sunk by a bullet the size of a minivan, they won't waste the effort to come back again and check it it was just sheer luck"
  63. [2014-12-24 14:17:15] * Get_Lost "also, solaris always meant big and loud."
  64. [2014-12-24 14:18:38] * Golden_Dream blinks. "Huh." She elaborates to Hedum. "She's a ghost that follows us around and is a really good friend of ours. She hangs out with us and tends t' scout ahead t' make sure we don't wind up face-first in trouble."
  65. [2014-12-24 14:22:35] * Get_Lost "also, i have this project for a powerplant able to turn magic energy into machine power and vice-versa... only, it is still a little raw in the corners..."
  66. [2014-12-24 14:22:53] * Hedum 3blinks slowly. "A-a ghost... You're friends with the dead?
  67. [2014-12-24 14:24:23] * Golden_Dream sighs. "Kinda?" She thinks for a moment. "You know how someone turns into a ghost?"
  68. [2014-12-24 14:24:43] * Noble_Heart tilts her head to one side. "And the Reapers. Sortof? We are not certain We would call them friends. Acquaintences perhaps." She looks back towards Get Lost. "Hm. That might be possible. Though it would likely be hard to stabilize. And likely very dangerous."
  69. [2014-12-24 14:25:27] * Get_Lost "a lot of friends of mine are dead... does that count?"
  70. [2014-12-24 14:25:54] * Hedum 3grimaces. "Yeah, they die. And don't stay that way."
  71. [2014-12-24 14:26:22] * Hedum 3shakes his head to Get_Lost. "Totally doesn't count."
  72. [2014-12-24 14:26:52] * Get_Lost shrugs "okay"
  73. [2014-12-24 14:26:56] * Hedum 3pauses, "Unless you re-animate them. Or keep their heads on a desk so you can talk to them when you're alone."
  74. [2014-12-24 14:27:25] * Bookwright gives Hedum the hairy eyeball. "And you don't think this isn't rather creepy?"
  75. [2014-12-24 14:27:38] * Noble_Heart taps her chin. "We suppose some ghosts come about that way. Ghouls certainly do. Though We believe that is more a side-effect of exposure to massively powerful necromantic magics causing unforseen side-effects, rather than a deliberate design to raise the dead." She tilts her head to one side. "We heard rumors once that zebras knew secrets of bringing spirits back from
  76. [2014-12-24 14:27:39] * Noble_Heart beyond. Or preventing those who should have left from leaving."
  77. [2014-12-24 14:28:22] * Get_Lost "you know... with some decent electrical pulse compilator and with a not completely decomposed coepse, you can put together some decent walking dead army... it won't last long, but there are days when you just need to play the evil genius..."
  78. [2014-12-24 14:29:25] * Get_Lost "sure, they wont' be able to fight at all, but ponies are supposed to run and scream from walking deads, not to fight them back..."
  79. [2014-12-24 14:29:39] * Golden_Dream looks into his eyes. "No. Basically, what happens as far as I can tell, when you soak up enough life magic, the world don't react right when you're supposed to die, since with all that life magic in you, you should be stayin' alive. So it sorta improvises t' make sure th' poor fucker don't die, th' body dies, and th' soul stays alive and active."
  80. [2014-12-24 14:31:07] * Bookwright nods along with Golden_Dream. "That's about what happened, I think."
  81. [2014-12-24 14:31:45] * Golden_Dream rolls her hoof. "So technically, Ghosts never die, they just lose their bodies somewhere along th' way."
  82. [2014-12-24 14:33:07] * Get_Lost "or, there's something they still have to do before they depart, i guess? like coltsper the friendly ghost?"
  83. [2014-12-24 14:33:40] * CopyCat staggers back up on deck with the others. She is very drunk, wears a pirate hat, and is also singing a song about potatoes.
  84. [2014-12-24 14:36:49] * Bookwright catches CopyCat and prevents her from stumbling over the rail. "I think you've had enough for tonight Princess. Why don't you set yourself down and go to sleep?"
  85. [2014-12-24 14:37:59] * Get_Lost "i'm taking her to bed, guys. i'm a bit sleepy too"
  86. [2014-12-24 14:39:47] * Golden_Dream points at MDW. "We're gonna go down to the tunnels, get them get a golem going and diggin', we're gonna use up th' Amulet of Retribution t' get th' shield of Rasdon up and goin', and then get th' amulet back to th' Faceless to find out where th' element is." It was a bad idea to say all of that in one sentence.
  87. [2014-12-24 14:40:10] <Golden_Dream> (One breath, rather.)
  88. [2014-12-24 14:40:53] * CopyCat giggles as Bookwright and Get_Lost conspire to keep her falling to her doom. "If your stomach is grumblin' And your mouth starts mumblin' There's only one thing to keep your brain from crumblin’~" she drunkenly sings, hugging Bookwright and Get_Lost.
  89. [2014-12-24 14:41:36] * Bookwright finishes the lyric, "Potatoes, and molasses..."
  90. [2014-12-24 14:44:39] * Bookwright helps CopyCat set herself down. "You're a silly pony."
  91. [2014-12-24 14:47:52] * Golden_Dream rubs her hooves together, blowing some of her mane out of her eyes. She needed to cut it soon. "The golem is gonna be done by th' mornin'. I think we can spare some down time."
  92. [2014-12-24 14:47:59] * Hedum 3stares at the ghost, saying nothing. But the mentions of necromancy clearly send shivvers of fear and revulsion through him.
  93. [2014-12-24 14:49:25] * CopyCat grins and allows herself to be settled down. She sways completely at odds with the motion of the airship.
  94. [2014-12-24 14:49:53] * Get_Lost helps bookie with copy, but is smiling in amusement. these are nice moments, happy memories she'll carry with her for long
  95. [2014-12-24 14:51:21] * Noble_Heart yawns again and very slowly settles down once more. "We suggest everyone getting a full night's sleep. Doubtless the Quetzlcoatl Empress will have much to oppose us."
  96. [2014-12-24 14:51:22] <Hedum> 3CopyCat has had an alicorn's share of rum, and would have quite the collection of bawdy and/or gruesome tales to tell if she remembers anything of the night in the light of morning.
  97. [2014-12-24 14:52:24] * Bookwright nods. "Righto princess Celestia!"
  98. [2014-12-24 14:54:22] * Get_Lost "we could use some real flametrower down in the tunnels, tomorrow..."
  99. [2014-12-24 14:54:57] * CopyCat also yawns and uses Get_Lost's plot as a pillow. "Now we talk about boys, yes?" she slurs. "Or girls. Both are good." Her eyes begin to droop.
  100. [2014-12-24 14:55:43] * Get_Lost eeps for a moment, then simply moves a bit and returns the favor
  101. [2014-12-24 14:56:48] <Hedum> 3Darkness settles over the jungle, and the sounds of the night fill the air. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yF0nz7D0x0
  102. [2014-12-24 14:56:53] * Golden_Dream nuzzled down to get some sleep, using her cloak as a blanket. "You know, Sleipnir's a pretty nice lady as far as I could tell. Real protective of a place, but who ain't?" She breathed a sigh, her words becoming mumbles. "Things ain't as good or as bad as folk make 'em out t' be."
  103. [2014-12-24 14:59:12] <Hedum> 3A little later, after the sounds of sleeping zebras and ponies has replaced the din of drunken and rowdy celebration, the Captain stealths up onto the deck. She looks around until she spies Hedum snoring softly next to Golden_Dream. Smiling softly, she moves over to them and draps the two in a blanket.
  104. [2014-12-24 14:59:32] <Hedum> 3The Captain the slips off quitedly to her cabin to retire for the night.
  105. [2014-12-24 15:02:22] <Hedum> 3The night is peaceful, uneventful save for a shooting star and the occasional roar of a far-off jungle cat.
  106. [2014-12-24 15:03:24] <Hedum> 3As the edge of the sky slowly brightens, the sounds of the jungle night give way to those of the dawn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTiRw7kx97E
  107. [2014-12-24 15:04:44] * Get_Lost yawns, turns the visor on and takes a look around "rise and shine, little ponies... we've got an awful lot of things to do, today..."
  108. [2014-12-24 15:05:24] * CopyCat groans and asks Get_Lost's cutie mark for five more minutes.
  109. [2014-12-24 15:05:57] <Hedum> 3Get_Lost is the first to awaken. She is just starting to nudge ponies when her visor starts flashing information into her mind.
  110. [2014-12-24 15:06:56] * Get_Lost eeps "woah, that was a busy night" starts skimming the log to see if there's something important
  111. [2014-12-24 15:07:49] * Noble_Heart yawns, and slowly opens her eyes as the light of the sun begins to make its way through the canopy. She didn't like the idea of waking up so early. But it seemed that her surroundings had other ideas.
  112. [2014-12-24 15:08:27] <Hedum> 3>> DDA Report VIII found. Download complete. <<
  113. [2014-12-24 15:08:54] * Get_Lost "girls, there's a new chapter to read!"
  114. [2014-12-24 15:09:40] <Hedum> 3When Golden_Dream awakens, she finds the same message flashing on her PipBuck.
  115. [2014-12-24 15:10:07] * Golden_Dream yawns and stretches. Another report. She didn't want to wake up. She found out that there's someone behind her. This gave her the ability to levitate that she really wanted since she was a foal for around two seconds.
  116. [2014-12-24 15:13:22] * Get_Lost opens the report and start checking it "at what point are we? do we have time to read it now or we have to disembark immediately?"
  117. [2014-12-24 15:13:43] * Bookwright groans awake. "Urgh, sleeping on a wooden deck is not something I'm excited to do again.
  118. [2014-12-24 15:14:19] <Hedum> 3The new DDA report means they've just come into range of another of Daring Do's trail of tags. Which, Get_Lost ponders, is rather surprising since they haven't changed position all night.
  119. [2014-12-24 15:15:01] * Noble_Heart yawns and slowly stands up, stretching a few moments as she moves to take a look over the side of the ship curiously.
  120. [2014-12-24 15:15:09] * Get_Lost "ah... could somepony check if we moved during the night?"
  121. [2014-12-24 15:18:29] * Golden_Dream bolts out away from Hedum. "YES I WILL DO THAT THING THAT YOU ASKED OF ME." She looked over the side to try to find a landmark, checking her pipbuck to see if it left any trace of revealed trails of light where there once was dark.
  122. [2014-12-24 15:18:42] * Get_Lost "i don't know... it was quite comfy, actually..."
  123. [2014-12-24 15:19:38] * CopyCat opens one eye and winces, holding her head in her hooves. "Owwwwie... Get, my head hurts," she whines quietly.
  124. [2014-12-24 15:19:57] <Hedum> 3Nope. Noble_Heart looks around. The ship hasn't moved from where it anchored. Still above the same stream. Still surrounded by the same canyon walls. The same trio of trees still grows precariously out of the cliffside up ahead. Back behind...
  125. [2014-12-24 15:20:03] * Get_Lost smiles at hedum "she's a rough diamond. don't waste the chance"
  126. [2014-12-24 15:20:29] <Hedum> 3Hedum is woken up by the swift and overly loud helpfulness of Golden_Dream.
  127. [2014-12-24 15:21:36] <Hedum> 3Golden_Dream checks her PipBuck and... wait... There's a new tag -- the one that triggered the download, naturally -- but it was moving. Towards them.
  128. [2014-12-24 15:22:52] * Bookwright groans again. "Golden Dream it's waaay to early for you to be that loud. And what's all the excitement about anyways?"
  129. [2014-12-24 15:23:03] <Hedum> 3Noble_Heart looks down and back, and spots a dozen grey figures flying along the gorge, at a height about halfway between the airship and the river.
  130. [2014-12-24 15:23:52] * Golden_Dream blinks. "Wait. It's not- It's comin' towards us." She panics. "SOMETHIN'S COMIN' TOWARDS US!"
  131. [2014-12-24 15:24:28] * Hedum 3jumps up in alarm. "Is it the Imperials!?"
  132. [2014-12-24 15:24:29] * Noble_Heart blinks. "We believe We are about to have company." She frowns and watches as they approach. "Something is flying below us in the forest. Though it is hard to tell who or what they are."
  133. [2014-12-24 15:24:31] * Get_Lost "okay, what is it?"
  134. [2014-12-24 15:25:06] * Golden_Dream whips out a pair of binoculars and starts to try to pick out their location from where they were on the map.
  135. [2014-12-24 15:25:21] * Hedum 3rushes to the railing.
  136. [2014-12-24 15:27:54] <Hedum> 3Golden_Dream can tell that this jungle gorge is the same one they crossed before... the canyon that the skull-shaped rock opened into. But they were much deeper along the gorge, which ran quite close to the heart of the Tenochtitlan Basin.
  137. [2014-12-24 15:31:31] * Hedum 3looks relieved as he spots the swiftly approaching figures. They were keeping their altitude, showing no signs of rising to meet the airship. "It would be fatal for them to mess with the /Cutlass/ and her canons anyway."
  138. [2014-12-24 15:32:26] * Golden_Dream looks down with her binoculars to try to get a closer look at the figures Hedum was talking about. "Lemme be th' judge of that."
  139. [2014-12-24 15:32:30] * Get_Lost "i still think a couple miniguns would clean that kind of problems faster"
  140. [2014-12-24 15:32:49] <Hedum> 3As the half dozen figures near, Noble_Heart is able to make them out more clearly. They are zebras with large bat-like wings... and they are made entirely of stone.
  141. [2014-12-24 15:34:45] * Golden_Dream frowns gravely and then gives Hedum the binoculars. "Hedum, do these folk look like Gargoyles to you?"
  142. [2014-12-24 15:35:09] * Noble_Heart blinks and frowns at that. "Animate stone zebras. We have seen these before. But why would they be here? They were far away, back at the mansion." She furrowed her brow. "And where would they get bats? This is not a good thing." She furrows her brow. "We should stop them. They have something which a PipBuck would pick up. That is unusual enough to warrant investigation."
  143. [2014-12-24 15:36:31] * Hedum 3grimaces. "We have our own name for them. But yes. They are like the statues that haunt Mwanzo Mpya."
  144. [2014-12-24 15:37:01] * Golden_Dream frowns. "Any idea why they'd be goin' out this far?"
  145. [2014-12-24 15:37:34] <Hedum> 3Mare-Do-Well grumble-whispers, "Yeah, except these were elite Legionaries in life, with flight talismans. Trained to kill pegasi. Probably Jua's elite guard."
  146. [2014-12-24 15:37:59] * Bookwright "That would explain why they're tagged then."
  147. [2014-12-24 15:38:13] * CopyCat rubs her head and looks at Hedum. "Friends?" she asks the zebra colt.
  148. [2014-12-24 15:38:28] <Hedum> 3The gargoyles fly beneath the airship and continue on. Soon, they pass into the ship's shadow.
  149. [2014-12-24 15:38:48] * Bookwright "Can this ship shoot them down?"
  150. [2014-12-24 15:38:54] * Get_Lost "probably stuck forever in an endless patrol over the forest?"
  151. [2014-12-24 15:39:08] <Hedum> 3Hedum shakes his head. "Monsters. Horrors of the End of Things, like the Seraphs."
  152. [2014-12-24 15:39:29] * Noble_Heart furrows her brow. "If they were Jua's guards, then they may have something that belonged to Daring Do." She spread her wings. "Shall We attempt to stop them?"
  153. [2014-12-24 15:39:44] * Golden_Dream frowns, then starts to check if she had 40mm grenades left. "Seraphs?" Man, Zebras knew how to name horrifying things horrifying names.
  154. [2014-12-24 15:40:38] * Get_Lost "i would first check the logs before deciding what to do..."
  155. [2014-12-24 15:40:47] * Bookwright "I would prefer to be using heavier weaponry, but I do have some energy weapons that would work."
  156. [2014-12-24 15:41:18] <Hedum> 3Mare-Do-Well frowns and nods at Get_Lost's suggestion. "Of course. And if they're patrolling this gorge, they're probably patrolling the ruins of the Fortress of Talikon."
  157. [2014-12-24 15:42:23] * CopyCat nods. "Get Lost is right. If they triggered the log then they might feature in it somehow. It would be best to check first."
  158. [2014-12-24 15:43:05] <Hedum> 3Get_Lost looks again at the download:
  159. [2014-12-24 15:43:07] <Hedum> 3====================
  160. [2014-12-24 15:43:43] <Hedum> 3>> “There is no where left to run, Daring Do. Even if you could fly, there is no place left to go. Except down, we agree.” <<
  161. [2014-12-24 15:43:55] <Hedum> 3>> “How is my Equestrian? I have been practicing. No more rhymes.” <<
  162. [2014-12-24 15:44:01] <Hedum> 3Come on. Just a little closer.
  163. [2014-12-24 15:44:13] <Hedum> 3>> “I will give you this, Daring Do. You could not have chosen a more cinematic place for our final confrontation. To face me above the great hole in the world. But then, you have always had a flair for overly dramatic storytelling. So why not stop hiding. Come out onto the bridge and face me.” <<
  164. [2014-12-24 15:44:33] <Hedum> 3>> “You ponies have such a place in your own homeland, do you not? A cavity in the world, leading to where the worst of monsters are imprisoned? In the Imperial Tongue, this place is called Cavum Orcus. The common people call it Kutengwa Shimo." <<
  165. [2014-12-24 15:44:45] <Hedum> 3>> "Our zebra ancestors imprisoned the Quetzalcóatl Empress here. Built this temple above it to seal Her in. Until you ponies plundered the temple for its riches, and weakened that prison!” <<
  166. [2014-12-24 15:44:54] <Hedum> 3I seem to recall you zebras doing your fair share of weakening this place, Jua.
  167. [2014-12-24 15:45:06] <Hedum> 3>> “Ah! A decoy. Nice try. Now where are you, really? I weary of this, Daring Do.” <<
  168. [2014-12-24 15:45:24] <Hedum> 3>> "“Wait. Did you actually go down the stairs? Are you that eager for the end? The poison must be agony in your veins. You are too weak to fly. Too weak to climb back up. Unless… " <<
  169. [2014-12-24 15:45:37] <Hedum> 3>> "Is this where you hid the Amulet of Atonement? Are you hoping it will give you the strength to climb your way out again? Or are you just hoping to drag me down with you into Orcus?” <<
  170. [2014-12-24 15:45:48] <Hedum> 3That’s it. Take the stairs. Just a little farther.
  171. [2014-12-24 15:45:59] <Hedum> 3>> "“There is nothing sacred anymore.” <<
  172. [2014-12-24 15:46:24] <Hedum> 3>> “The Senate speaks of the depravity of ponykind, trumpeting the hastening degradation of your social and moral values, as if they have kept theirs. I remember when spirits were respected and feared. Now we bind the power of spirits of rage to make our bullets burn and spirits of whispers to make our war machines silent. " <<
  173. [2014-12-24 15:46:37] <Hedum> 3>> "This place was once held in reverence. Now it is a resource for the war effort. We are weaponizing Windigos. The Legates listen to the likes of Xero. Even the blasphemous horrors of necromancy are not above the Senate’s consideration.” <<
  174. [2014-12-24 15:46:57] <Hedum> 3>> "If the citizens realized the full extent of what we have done, the Hidden Nightmare would not need to destroy us – we would tear ourselves apart for her.” <<
  175. [2014-12-24 15:47:15] <Hedum> 3>> "Some zebra needs to remind everyone why we must respect and fear the old ways.” <<
  176. [2014-12-24 15:47:23] <Hedum> 3By taking control of the Radiant Shield of Rasdon? What are you really doing here, Jua? Are you planning to lock Equestria in eternal day? Or are you just planning to shut it off and open this Tartarus pit wide?
  177. [2014-12-24 15:47:50] <Hedum> 3>> “What? There you are! Sneaky, Daring Do. But not enough. I will be up there in a moment. Though, before I kill you, I have to ask: how did you stick yourself to the underside of the bridge like that? You are no alchemist.” <<
  178. [2014-12-24 15:47:57] <Hedum> 3Wonderglue. Same stuff I used to glue all those explosives to the chasm wall beneath you.
  179. [2014-12-24 15:48:10] <Hedum> 3>> "“No!” <<
  180. [2014-12-24 15:48:19] <Hedum> 3I will not kill you, but I will send you to jail. Goodbye Jua. Say hello to Cerber-
  181. [2014-12-24 15:48:48] <Hedum> 3...
  182. [2014-12-24 15:48:54] * Get_Lost gasps
  183. [2014-12-24 15:48:56] <Hedum> 3Log corrupted. Forced End.
  184. [2014-12-24 15:49:00] <Hedum> 3...
  185. [2014-12-24 15:49:25] <Hedum> 3Open Eighth Pad y/n?
  186. [2014-12-24 15:49:35] <Hedum> 3====================
  187. [2014-12-24 15:49:44] * Get_Lost hesitates. slowly selects Y
  188. [2014-12-24 15:53:40] <Hedum> 3====================
  189. [2014-12-24 15:54:28] <Hedum> 3Eighth Pad Begins
  190. [2014-12-24 15:54:30] <Hedum> 3...
  191. [2014-12-24 15:54:43] <Hedum> 3I will not even attempt to transpose the words spoken to me in the zebra’s native tongue.
  192. [2014-12-24 15:54:52] <Hedum> 3To my shame, despite all my years adventuring in the Tenochtitlan Basin, I only learned a passing amount of the language spoken in the rural areas and the outlying villages. I schooled myself on the Imperial language – that spoken in the central cities, for it was the language of their government and military.
  193. [2014-12-24 15:54:59] <Hedum> 3And as I had a penchant for finding myself in trouble with them, the ability to smooth-talk my way out of that trouble saved my feathers on several occasions. Likewise, I grew very adept at translating the ancient glyphs that were often the key to understanding the ruins and artifacts that were the focus of my endeavors.
  194. [2014-12-24 15:55:13] <Hedum> 3The zebras put us to shame by being more willing to learn our tongue than we were to learn theirs. Within their trade centers, such as Bahari Soko, many zebras strove to learn Equestrian.
  195. [2014-12-24 15:55:21] <Hedum> 3The method of education involved nursery rhymes and a rhythmic learning structure which is so at odds with Equestrian schooling that I cannot imagine how it would make learning our language any easier. I would be hard pressed to consistently express myself in the form of poetry.
  196. [2014-12-24 15:55:28] <Hedum> 3In younger years, it was exceptionally rare to find a zebra fluent enough in Equestrian to speak without rhyme. Rarer still to find a pony fluent in either of their languages, much less both.
  197. [2014-12-24 15:55:53] <Hedum> 3In this era, I fear the art of language is slowly dying. I have read /The Principles of Proper Pony Speech/, and I am aghast.
  198. [2014-12-24 15:56:00] <Hedum> 3As a writer, I fear what we are doing to our own ability to express ourselves. And if we have so little respect for our own language, what hope have we to respect the languages of other cultures? Or to respect and strive to understand those cultures through learning their native methods of communication?
  199. [2014-12-24 15:56:09] <Hedum> 3What was rare then is scarce now. The other nations have grown recalcitrant to learn Equestrian. Perhaps they have finally grown tired and decided to adopt our exceptionalism-driven ignorance. Or perhaps they have simply decided that the best way to protect their secrets is linguistic isolation.
  200. [2014-12-24 15:56:15] <Hedum> 3~-------~ oOo ~-------~
  201. [2014-12-24 15:57:59] <Hedum> 3Daring Do screamed as the pony in the red hat pressed the burning tip of the flamewood arrow against the base of her left wing and slowly dragged it across her flesh until it reached her feathers. Bright, searing pain lanced through her brain. Her body arched against the ropes binding her to the wooden rack.
  202. [2014-12-24 15:58:07] <Hedum> 3The pony in the red hat lifted the flamewood arrow and Daring Do collapses, unable to keep her tears from flowing or to stifle the ragged sounds in her every breath. She fought the urge to look down and to the left, instead focusing on the pony in front of her.
  203. [2014-12-24 15:58:14] <Hedum> 3The pony looked at her patiently, the arrow held in his mouth. Daring Do took a deep breath and glared back at him. He sighed. Then lowered his head and pressed the burning tip against her flank, just an inch below her cutie mark.
  204. [2014-12-24 15:58:24] <Hedum> 3Daring Do howled as he held it there. One second. Two. Three. Her body began to shake. Four.
  205. [2014-12-24 15:58:26] <Hedum> 3“Stop it!” screamed Bluebell from her cage, her voice cracking.
  206. [2014-12-24 15:58:31] <Hedum> 3Finally, the pony in the red hat pulled the flamewood arrow away, tossing the it into a barrel filled with its brethern. He gave her a pitying look that she didn’t believe for a moment.
  207. [2014-12-24 15:58:37] <Hedum> 3Behind him, two zebra cultists guarded the entrance of the cultist’s storage room, now turned into a makeshift interrogation chamber. They spoke to each other in hused and, at least in Daring’s imagination, disapproving tones.
  208. [2014-12-24 15:58:43] <Hedum> 3“Where is it,” the pony asked again, taking a civilized, conversational tone.
  209. [2014-12-24 15:58:48] <Hedum> 3Daring Do spat. “Under a rock somewhere. I forget which one. Try looking under all of them.”
  210. [2014-12-24 15:58:58] <Hedum> 3“I have many ways of helping you remember.” The pony shook his head. “Why do you resist when it only hurts you more and delays the inevitable?” the pony asked. “Sooner or later, you will tell me where the Amulet of Atonement is.”
  211. [2014-12-24 15:59:03] <Hedum> 3“Never!” Daring Do hissed, forcing herself not to look down and to the left.
  212. [2014-12-24 15:59:21] <Hedum> 3The pony tsk-tsked. “Never? In my experience, ‘never’ will come shortly after I stop /hurting/ you and start /maiming/ you,” he told Daring. “Trust me, the ponies and zebras who speak sooner are far better off.”
  213. [2014-12-24 15:59:28] <Hedum> 3“Why are you doing this?!” Bluebell cried out, sobbing. One of the zebras spoke sharply to her. Even without knowledge of the zebra languages, it was easy to tell he was ordering her to be quiet. Or, perhaps, threatening her.
  214. [2014-12-24 15:59:34] <Hedum> 3“Because the zebras have no stomach for the fine art of interrogation,” the pony said casually, turning towards Bluebell. “Truly, it’s nothing personal. I have no stake in the freeing of the Quetzalcóatl Empress. It is a job, nothing more.”
  215. [2014-12-24 15:59:40] <Hedum> 3Horror and revulsion and denial fought for supremacy in Bluebell’s wide-eyed expression. She cringed away.
  216. [2014-12-24 15:59:46] <Hedum> 3Both the pony and the two zebras turned towards the entrance as voices, speaking in the zebra’s tongue, carried in from outside the ruins that the cultists had taken over. They listened carefully to make sure those outside were friend, not foe.
  217. [2014-12-24 15:59:53] <Hedum> 3While they were distracted, Daring Do risked a quick look down and to the left, to where A.K. Yearling’s pith hat had been knocked from her head when the cultists dragged her in here. It was a small miracle the blow hadn’t knocked the Amulet loose from where she had hidden it in the hat’s inner headband just before being captured.
  218. [2014-12-24 16:00:02] <Hedum> 3Her blood ran cold as she spotted the silver chain snaking out from under the brim.
  219. [2014-12-24 16:00:07] <Hedum> 3Daring Do quickly looked back at the earth pony in the red hat and the zebras, praying that the hat remained forgotten.
  220. [2014-12-24 16:00:13] <Hedum> 3The pony in the red hat turned back to Daring Do. “Perhaps we should just skip ahead,” he suggested, looking towards the rickety wooden table which held an ominous collection of tools. He hovered a hoof over each in turn before stopping at the bonesaw. “Maybe the removal of a wing will convince you to unshackle your tongue.”
  221. [2014-12-24 16:00:20] <Hedum> 3Bluebell let out a paniced shout. “No!” Then followed it with forced bravery. “You better stop! Fleetwing got away, and when he gets here, he’ll be bringing the whole Equestrian army with him!”
  222. [2014-12-24 16:00:32] <Hedum> 3The pony exchanged a glance with the zebras, one of whom said something Daring Do couldn’t understand. The pony chuckled wryly. “The pegasus who abandoned you and fled? I seriously doubt that. He’s probably hiding under a rock somewhere... if the ahools or couatls or jungle cats haven’t made a meal of him already.”
  223. [2014-12-24 16:00:38] <Hedum> 3Bluebell sobbed, whispering insistantly, “He didn’t abandon us!”
  224. [2014-12-24 16:00:46] <Hedum> 3The pony in the red hat picked up the bonesaw in his teeth and looked towards Daring Do. Then towards Bluebell. He dropped the bonesaw back onto the table. It landed with a clatter amongst his other tools of torture. “On second thought...” he mused, trotting over to the barrel of flamewood arrows. “I think I’ve been going about this all wrong.”
  225. [2014-12-24 16:00:53] <Hedum> 3The pony barked an order to the zebras and they decended on Bluebell, unlocking her cage and dragging her out. The pony pulled one of the flamewood arrows from the barrel, its tip flickering with fire.
  226. [2014-12-24 16:01:00] <Hedum> 3“No!” Daring Do ordered, her voice hoarse from screaming. “Leave her alone!”
  227. [2014-12-24 16:01:06] <Hedum> 3The pony approached slowly, the tip of the flamewood arrow held before him, burning hot. Bluebell screamed, pulling at the zebras who held her. The pony in the red hat pointed the tip of the arrow at Bluebell’s right eye.
  228. [2014-12-24 16:01:28] <Hedum> 3Bluebell screamed again. Daring Do screamed with her, shouting at the pony. “Don’t! In the name of Celestia, stop!”
  229. [2014-12-24 16:01:37] <Hedum> 3One of the zebras adjusted her grip to hold Bluebell’s head still. Her eyes went wide as she tried to shrink back from the flaming weapon. The pony stepped closer, bringing the flamewood tip close enough that the heat dried her tears.
  230. [2014-12-24 16:01:39] <Hedum> 3“Daring Do has it!” Bluebell blurted.
  231. [2014-12-24 16:01:47] <Hedum> 3Daring Do felt the world fall out from under her.
  232. [2014-12-24 16:01:53] <Hedum> 3The pony took a step back, turning to stare at Daring Do. Then he rushed to her, tossing the flamewood arrow back into its barrel as his hooves worked over her jacket again, being even more thorough than the first time. Finding nothing, he started to check her mane and tail.
  233. [2014-12-24 16:01:58] <Hedum> 3Bluebell sobbed. “I’m s-s-sorry.”
  234. [2014-12-24 16:02:05] <Hedum> 3Despite all the pain, Daring Do felt numb. It was over. Any moment, the pony would remember the pith hat, see the chain, find the Amulet of Atonement. The Tenochtilian Basin, maybe even the world, was doomed.
  235. [2014-12-24 16:02:13] <Hedum> 3And Bluebell had broken before the pony had even touched her. Somehow, that was the worst part of all.
  236. [2014-12-24 16:02:20] <Hedum> 3The voices from outside got louder. Three more zebras burst into the room. Two of them were assassins dressed in cultist robes. The other…
  237. [2014-12-24 16:02:26] <Hedum> 3“Mhudumu?” Bluebell whimpered, then let out a cry of horror.
  238. [2014-12-24 16:02:36] <Hedum> 3Mhudumu had put up one hell of a fight before they captured him. He was covered in cuts and bruises, one of his eyes was swollen completely shut, and there was a stump wrapped in blood-soaked bandages ending above where his left forehoof should have been.
  239. [2014-12-24 16:02:42] <Hedum> 3Daring Do stared, her heart bleeding for the brave zebra. Her own pain suddenly seemed like nothing. They had chopped off his hoof!
  240. [2014-12-24 16:02:48] <Hedum> 3The pony in the red hat began talking rapidly with the zebras -- no doubt, Daring thought, informing them that he almost had the Amulet. The two guard zebras dropped Bluebell, leaving her sobbing on the floor. They took custody of the prisoner. One of the zebras who brought Mhudumu in turned to speak with the pony torturer while the other zebra headed back
  241. [2014-12-24 16:03:00] <Hedum> 3“Mhudumu… not you too.” Daring Do had never felt more hopeless.
  242. [2014-12-24 16:03:06] <Hedum> 3Mhudumu looked at her with his one good eye. Daring Do looked down, unable to meet his gaze. She had failed.
  243. [2014-12-24 16:03:15] <Hedum> 3The zebras pulled Mhudumu to a rack and started binding his forelegs to it. They secured his right hoof, then paused, speaking to each other in confusion as they realized they couldn’t properly bind the half-missing limb.
  244. [2014-12-24 16:03:21] <Hedum> 3In one fluid, rolling maneuver, Mhudumu struck at the zebra assassin, bucking her with both hooves. The assassin flew into the pony with the red hat, knocking both of them back through the barrel of flamewood arrows. The barrel shattered, arrows spilling everywhere, as the pony and zebra crashed to the floor of the storage room.
  245. [2014-12-24 16:03:28] <Hedum> 3One of the flamewood arrows fell into a stack of the cultist’s cloaks, and they immediately caught fire.
  246. [2014-12-24 16:03:37] <Hedum> 3The two guard zebras grabbed ahold of Mhudumu, struggling to restrain him. The zebra assassin clambered off the pony interrogator, getting back to her hooves.
  247. [2014-12-24 16:03:46] <Hedum> 3Daring Do looked down. One of the flamewood arrows was beneath her, almost touching one beam of the rack. She strained, trying to reach it with her tail.
  248. [2014-12-24 16:04:05] <Hedum> 3The pony clutched his red hat, surprisingly still on his head, and rolled over. His eyes fell on the discarded pith hat. The silver chain snaking out from beneath it glowed in the reflected light of the spreading fire.
  249. [2014-12-24 16:04:14] <Hedum> 3Bluebell, forgotten on the floor, scrambled for cover, cringing behind the cage that had recently held her. Her eyes cast about wildly.
  250. [2014-12-24 16:04:18] <Hedum> 3The assassin spun, lifting up her foreleg, aiming her crossbow at the struggling Mhudumu, who was being pinned against his rack by the two zebra guards. The assassin shouted something at him.
  251. [2014-12-24 16:04:24] <Hedum> 3The pony torturer dove for the pith hat.
  252. [2014-12-24 16:04:30] <Hedum> 3Daring Do groaned loudly, her eyes clinching shut as she strained against her restraints, her limbs flaring with agony. He tail tip barely brushed the arrow.
  253. [2014-12-24 16:04:36] <Hedum> 3The fire licked upwards, climbing a set of hanging masks carved and painted as feathered serpent. Flames tongued at the stone roof of the ancient room.
  254. [2014-12-24 16:04:42] <Hedum> 3The pony in the red hat knocked over the pith hat. The Amulet of Atonement fell out onto the ground. The silver and blue gold turned a hellish orange in the light of the fire. The pony’s eyes went wide.
  255. [2014-12-24 16:04:48] <Hedum> 3One of the burning masks fell from the wall, clattering onto a crate of alchemical supplies.
  256. [2014-12-24 16:04:56] <Hedum> 3Three flamewood arrows floated through the air, wrapped in magical blue light, and sank into the calves of the assassin pony. She crumpled to the ground just as she fired. The shot meant for Mhudumu sank into the neck of one of the guard ponies holding him. She stumbled backwards, clutching at her neck, blood running between her hooves.
  257. [2014-12-24 16:05:04] <Hedum> 3Bluebell’s horn stopped glowing blue. She shut her eyes tight, not willing to see.
  258. [2014-12-24 16:05:10] <Hedum> 3The pony with the red hat stared into the sapphire that sat in the center of the Amulet of Atonement, caught by its inner glow.
  259. [2014-12-24 16:05:16] <Hedum> 3Daring Do let out a scream, feeling something tear in her right foreleg as she forced herself to pull harder. Blackness crept into her vision, but she forced herself to focus. Her tail brushed over the flamewood arrow beneath her, then wrapped about it.
  260. [2014-12-24 16:05:23] <Hedum> 3Mhudumu knocked the other guard zebra back and twisted about, biting at the restraints binding his right hoof to the rack.
  261. [2014-12-24 16:05:28] <Hedum> 3The pony torturer scooped up the Amulet of Atonement with a triumphant cry. He turned, galloping out of the room, trampling the assassin along the way.
  262. [2014-12-24 16:05:33] <Hedum> 3Daring Do brought the flame arrows tip to the ropes binding her left hindhoof. The arrow burned through the ropes and they fell away. She almost fainted as her leg was freed, radically changing the strain on her limbs. Her tail whipped the arrow’s tip around and started burning through the ropes binding her right hindhoof.
  263. [2014-12-24 16:05:43] <Hedum> 3The assassin, crippled and trampled, began to pull herself up on one of the crates. She turned to see one of the guard zebras slumped against the wall, a river of blood from her neck. The other guard zebra was pulling a small sword off of a weapons rack, his eyes fixated on Mhudumu, who had nearly chewed through the strap on his forehoof.
  264. [2014-12-24 16:05:48] <Hedum> 3Daring Do freed her other hindleg. Her eyes locked on the exit that the pony had just run through. Her eyes narrowed, a fierce determination burning through her. She curled her body upwards, her tail bringing the burning arrow tip to the ropes on her right foreleg.
  265. [2014-12-24 16:05:54] <Hedum> 3The alchemy crate exploded!
  266. [2014-12-24 16:06:01] <Hedum> 3The explosion sent shrapnel – wood and pottery shards – across the room and filled the air with odd, brackish smoke.
  267. [2014-12-24 16:06:06] <Hedum> 3Daring Do burned through the last of the ropes and dropped to all hooves, biting back a scream as agony ignited through her right foreleg. She looked about, her eyes watering as much from the horrid alchemical smoke as from the pain.
  268. [2014-12-24 16:06:11] <Hedum> 3Daring Do stepped over the unconscious body of the assassin.
  269. [2014-12-24 16:06:17] <Hedum> 3A hoof reached out of the smoke and grabbed her. She tried to strike out, but Mhudumu blocked the blow. “Hurry,” he said, speaking in his heavily accented but non-rhyming Equestrian.
  270. [2014-12-24 16:06:26] <Hedum> 3Daring Do nodded. Mhudumu was in no state to chase after the Amulet of Atonement. It had to be her. She bolted forward, only to stop at the doorway as Bluebell called out her name.
  271. [2014-12-24 16:06:32] <Hedum> 3“D-Daring?” Bluebell choked. “I-I’m coming with you.”
  272. [2014-12-24 16:06:39] <Hedum> 3Daring Do’s mind flashed to the image of Bluebell beign held by the zebra guards, the burning arrow close to her eye. She heard the memory of Bluebell’s words in her ears.
  273. [2014-12-24 16:06:45] <Hedum> 3“No.”
  274. [2014-12-24 16:06:51] <Hedum> 3Bluebell stepped forward, reaching out a hoof for Daring Do. Daring batted it away.
  275. [2014-12-24 16:06:57] <Hedum> 3“It’s not safe for you,” she said. This was wasting time.
  276. [2014-12-24 16:07:03] <Hedum> 3“I’m s-s-sorry!” Bluebell said softly
  277. [2014-12-24 16:07:12] <Hedum> 3Daring Do turned away and galloped out of the room. Each fall of her right forehoof sent fire lancing through her leg. She wasn’t going to be able to catch up this way. She spread her wings, ignoring the hot pain where the firewood arrow had been dragged along the base of her left wing, and took to the air.
  278. [2014-12-24 16:07:18] <Hedum> 3The pony with the red hat had a big head start, but she had gotten into Baltimare University on an athletics scholarship.
  279. [2014-12-24 16:07:31] <Hedum> 3“It wasn’t my fault!” Daring heard Bluebell call out behind her.
  280. [2014-12-24 16:07:33] <Hedum> 3“No,” Daring Do whispered to herself. “It was my fault.” She told Bluebell about the Amulet. She put the mare in that position. Daring Do knew it wasn’t right to blame Bluebell for talking just because she wouldn’t have.
  281. [2014-12-24 16:07:45] <Hedum> 3Daring Do stopped when she reached a fork in the paths. She landed, peering closely at the ground, trying to determine which way the pony with the red hat had run. The passage was well-used, but most cultists would be walking these halls. That pony was running; his gait was different.
  282. [2014-12-24 16:07:52] <Hedum> 3Daring Do spotted the tracks she was looking for. The passage he had taken looked like it went deeper into the ruins.
  283. [2014-12-24 16:07:58] <Hedum> 3Daring Do spread her wings again. She glanced backwords. Mhudumu would take care of Bluebell. She was sure of that.
  284. [2014-12-24 16:08:06] <Hedum> 3Daring Do felt a sharp pang of regret. Bluebell... she was a good pony. Just not made of the stuff necessary to handle something like this. Daring Do shouldn’t have put her in danger. Shouldn’t have put the burden of keeping a secret this important on anypony other than herself.
  285. [2014-12-24 16:08:12] <Hedum> 3“From now on,” she resolved as she took to the air again, flying into the darkness, “I work alone.”
  286. [2014-12-24 16:08:13] <Hedum> 3...
  287. [2014-12-24 16:08:25] <Hedum> 3Eighth Pad Ends
  288. [2014-12-24 16:08:30] <Hedum> 3====================
  289. [2014-12-24 16:11:40] * Noble_Heart frowns and shakes her head. Before looking back down at the patrol. "Perhaps they recovered something that belonged to Daring Do before the end claimed them? It sounds as though she was in the pit where we were."
  290. [2014-12-24 16:13:22] * Bookwright "Sounds? She was in there all right, we found her jacket glued remember? And I think she made it out, at least long enough to write down what happened in there. I think we should stop those gargoyles."
  291. [2014-12-24 16:15:41] * CopyCat nods. "I think you're right. For Daring Do's sake, we can bring them down."
  292. [2014-12-24 16:20:12] * Bookwright "Now I guess we have to ask the captain to please help us kill these things but without turning blowing them into smithereens with the cannons.
  293. [2014-12-24 16:21:30] * CopyCat smiles sweetly. "If we target their wings then they'll drop like... gargoyles missing a wing."
  294. [2014-12-24 16:21:57] * CopyCat ponders. "But I don't suppose the cannons would be quite that precise."
  295. [2014-12-24 16:23:08] * Noble_Heart frowns. "We doubt that such heavy artillery would be needed. These are not swarms of gargoyles at the mansion. These are a small patrol."
  296. [2014-12-24 16:24:40] * Golden_Dream blinks. "How do we know they have somethin' we want?"
  297. [2014-12-24 16:26:08] * Bookwright "They're carrying what is almost certainly the last, or one of the last tags, and they're not a location, so it must be some /thing/ interesting they're carrying."
  298. [2014-12-24 16:26:38] * CopyCat pokes at Golden_Dream's PipBuck. "Because they have a bleepy thing." CC looks Golden_Dream dead in the eyes. "I /want/ the bleepy thing."
  299. [2014-12-24 16:27:51] * Golden_Dream feels /really/ weird about this whole thing. "Err. Well, I don't exactly got anything too terribly long range, and bullets don't work too well on 'em. We sure they don't got no minds left?"
  300. [2014-12-24 16:28:11] * Bookwright "I couldn't have put it more succinctly, CopyCat."
  301. [2014-12-24 16:28:42] <Hedum> 3Mare-Do-Well is staring, eyes wide, at the pad on Get_Lost's PipBuck. Her mind is racing, trying to remember each detail of her conversation long ago with Daring Do -- seeing it in an entirely new light.
  302. [2014-12-24 16:38:32] <Hedum> 3--- End of Session ---
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