API tools faq
paste
Advertisement
Scorch_Mechanic

Fallout: Beyond Equestria, 106: Origin Story (Part 23)

Scorch_Mechanic
Oct 15th, 2014
448
0
Never
Add comment
Not a member of Pastebin yet? Sign Up, it unlocks many cool features!
text 51.25 KB | None | 0 0
raw download clone embed print report
  1. [2014-10-15 13:10:08] <Mare-Do-Well> 3With time and effort, Bookwright is able to get all the bones lifted out and buried. However, with the difficulties CopyCat encountered, it becomes clear that the easiest way for the party (or, at least, for CopyCat and Noble_Heart) to leave is out through the pirate's cave.
  2. [2014-10-15 13:10:20] <Mare-Do-Well> 3...
  3. [2014-10-15 13:10:45] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Fallout: Beyond Equestria, Session One Hundred and Six: Origin Story (Part Twenty-Three) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SSUQxGjZZ4
  4. [2014-10-15 13:10:53] <Mare-Do-Well> 3--- Session Begins ---
  5. [2014-10-15 13:12:37] * CopyCat looks around shiftily as they head towards the Pirate's Cave. "Keep your eyes peeled for any animatronic wolves..."
  6. [2014-10-15 13:14:13] * Bookwright aims a quizzical thought at CopyCat and refocuses on leaving.
  7. [2014-10-15 13:17:49] * CopyCat blinks and stops suddenly and corrects herself, "Oh that's Pirates /Cove/." She smiles at her friends and walks with an extra spring in her step. "False alarm everypony!"
  8. [2014-10-15 13:17:55] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The water of the brook slides down the cave and out of its dark maw into the dazzling sunlight, falling into the river far below. The hot afternoon sun shines down into the jungle gorge, glinting off the rushing river as it cuts between sharp rocks.
  9. [2014-10-15 13:18:24] * Golden_Dream ignores CopyCat for a moment. "Alright. So, we don't have eyes on them pirates. My bag is fulla gold and gems. And we can't have Rainbow Dash do recon. Any thoughts, everypony?"
  10. [2014-10-15 13:19:08] * Bookwright "Um. Fly really carefully?"
  11. [2014-10-15 13:20:04] * CopyCat ponders. "If we had some eye patches and pirate hats maybe we could disguise ourselves?"
  12. [2014-10-15 13:20:49] <Mare-Do-Well> 3An old rope bridge, sways in the summer wind -- thick ropes twine about each other, aged and crusted with birdshit. The cave's exit is through the open mouth of a huge rock formation in the shape of a zebra skull. Sunlight pours in through the "eye sockets" above, and the rotting remains of sniper posts are visible just inside.
  13. [2014-10-15 13:21:15] <Mare-Do-Well> 3At this end, the ropes of the bridge fasten to metal rings around stalagmites that form the lower "teeth" of skull.
  14. [2014-10-15 13:22:16] * Bookwright "Dang, this thing is hideous. And frankly, it's a bit ostentatious. I mean, come on. Carving the entrance to your lair to look like a giant skull? How corny can you get?"
  15. [2014-10-15 13:24:09] <Mare-Do-Well> 3As you near, Shatara, Golden_Dream and Get_Lost all see a string of gibberish flash across their Eyes-Forward Sparkle.
  16. [2014-10-15 13:25:09] <Mare-Do-Well> 3A moment later, it is replaced by a flashing notice: >> DDA Report VI found. Download complete. <<
  17. [2014-10-15 13:25:32] * Golden_Dream trots up to get a better look. "You gotta admit, though. Points for style. I mean, what would you build if y' lived in a jungle and y' wanted t' be all bada-" Goldy jolts, the fur on the back of her neck going up and her teeth bared and clenching down, muscles going rock rigid. "FUCKIN' TERMINAL BULLSHIT DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT."
  18. [2014-10-15 13:26:22] * CopyCat looks up at the decayed sniper posts. "Perhaps this was made before 'corny' was even a thing..." She points up. "Those eye sockets should give us a good vantage point without being too exposed. Could somepony climb up and take a loo-" she is cut off by Golden_Dream's very appropriate outburst.
  19. [2014-10-15 13:28:01] * Bookwright grins. "Maybe Goldy should climb up there. After all, she has lots of experience with empty eye sockets."
  20. [2014-10-15 13:28:22] * Bookwright holds up a warding hoof. "I jest! I jest. Sorry. Sometimes my mouth runs away with me."
  21. [2014-10-15 13:29:16] * Shatara blinkblinks.
  22. [2014-10-15 13:29:18] * Golden_Dream glowers at Bookie. "Next time y' say that, I'm gonna get you experienced at havin' empty eye sockets." She starts poking at her pipbuck. "Now, who wants storytime?"
  23. [2014-10-15 13:30:01] * Bookwright plops down in the sitting feline position and raises an eager hoof. "Ooh! Ooh! I do! I do!"
  24. [2014-10-15 13:30:53] * CopyCat sits down regally and curls her tail around herself. "I do too," she says, closing her eyes.
  25. [2014-10-15 13:33:21] * Mare-Do-Well 3swoops up and sits in the air, floating next to Golden_Dream.
  26. [2014-10-15 13:33:57] * Golden_Dream clickity clacks on the pipbuck. It's sort of like watching a cavepony prod at a fire with a stick.
  27. [2014-10-15 13:34:41] <Mare-Do-Well> 3====================
  28. [2014-10-15 13:34:53] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Sixth mission report.
  29. [2014-10-15 13:34:58] <Mare-Do-Well> 3I didn’t break. Legate Jua got nothing from me. She never will.
  30. [2014-10-15 13:35:04] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The poisons she used to interrogate me still course through my body. I don’t have an antidote. I don’t know how long I’ll last, but I’m not counting on making it out of the Tenochtitlan Basin. Have I mentioned that I hate this place?
  31. [2014-10-15 13:35:11] <Mare-Do-Well> 3I don’t trust my escape. It was too easy. I suspect Jua is hoping I’ll lead her to the Amulet of Atonement. If so, she has another thing coming.
  32. [2014-10-15 13:35:23] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Luna’s army will have to retrieve the Amulet of Atonement. I’m leaving you a trail of breadcrumbs, and then I’ll deal with Jua myself.
  33. [2014-10-15 13:35:30] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The Amulet is hidden in a unique chest locked with a very special lock, one that the Spirit who powers the Amulet created for me. For specifics on how these locks work, read my book, /Daring Do and the Tree of Life/.
  34. [2014-10-15 13:35:52] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Quick overview: Doctor Caballeron was after the Tree of Life, and he had the backing of Roam. With the Legion of Roam at his disposal, he could blast and tear his way through the jungle to get to it. The Tree was hidden in a sacred grove sealed behind a mystical lock that the Spirit of Life within the tree had created.
  35. [2014-10-15 13:35:55] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The key was disguised as a historical artifact, and would only reveal its true form when brought to the lock by someone whose dominant virtue was /ambition/. And that meant if I was going to get to the Tree of Life before Caballeron, I had to team up with Ahuizotl.
  36. [2014-10-15 13:36:06] <Mare-Do-Well> 3At least my /fans/ enjoyed that.
  37. [2014-10-15 13:36:14] <Mare-Do-Well> 3I find myself wondering what things would be like now if I had chosen to team up with Jua instead. Fortunately, the key to the Amulet’s chest requires a personality trait Jua is distinctly lacking.
  38. [2014-10-15 13:36:43] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Open Sixth Pad y/n?
  39. [2014-10-15 13:36:47] <Mare-Do-Well> 3====================
  40. [2014-10-15 13:37:37] * Golden_Dream clacks. "Y".
  41. [2014-10-15 13:40:48] * CopyCat reads along with her eyes closed. It's not creepy.
  42. [2014-10-15 13:41:29] * Bookwright is grim. "I suppose that remark about poison means we'll be finding her remains shortly."
  43. [2014-10-15 13:43:07] * Mare-Do-Well 3grimaces. "I hope not!" Then whispers, "Celestia, I sent her on this..."
  44. [2014-10-15 13:44:25] * CopyCat nods solemnly .
  45. [2014-10-15 13:45:08] <Mare-Do-Well> 3====================
  46. [2014-10-15 13:45:57] <Mare-Do-Well> 3As a youth, pulp adventure stories were my addiction, one that led me to invest in courses on literature and writing at Baltimare University.
  47. [2014-10-15 13:46:10] <Mare-Do-Well> 3. It was during one such lesson, wherein we were studying a series of poetic tales based loosely upon historical events, that our teacher extolled a particular truth of storytelling: the story is in how we get to the ending, not the ending itself.
  48. [2014-10-15 13:46:22] <Mare-Do-Well> 3It is the engagement of the journey that enthralls the reader, even if the final outcome is known from the beginning.
  49. [2014-10-15 13:46:41] <Mare-Do-Well> 3As is the nature of a prequel, long-time readers of my adventures will be a step ahead of the narrative. Elements of this tale have made their appearances in previously written stories of Daring Do and will be familiar.
  50. [2014-10-15 13:46:51] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Few quotes have been the subject of as much conjecture amongst Daring Do fans as her comment in /Daring Do and the Griffin’s Goblet/ when first the Amulet of Atonement is mentioned.
  51. [2014-10-15 13:46:59] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“I am familiar with it.”
  52. [2014-10-15 13:47:14] <Mare-Do-Well> 3There are moments in our lives that weigh heavily on us. Events that forever alter the trajectory of our destiny. They change us, and in doing so change everything. No matter how much we attempt otherwise, we cannot fully sever their influence, nor escape the chain of consequences set into motion by their happening.
  53. [2014-10-15 13:47:25] <Mare-Do-Well> 3It was a muggy summer evening with twilight darkening the sky when I last saw A.K. Yearling.
  54. [2014-10-15 13:47:34] <Mare-Do-Well> 3~-------~ oOo ~-------~
  55. [2014-10-15 13:47:49] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The front door of the ambassadorial manor hung open and askew, torn free from one of its hinges. Daring Do’s heart sank in her breast as she landed before the violated house.
  56. [2014-10-15 13:48:02] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“A.K.!” Daring Do shouted as she raced up the path and through the broken entrance. The Quetzalcóatl cultists had gotten here first! She skidded to a stop, her eyes going wide at the sight of a cloaked body crumpled over a broken hutch table, surrounded by shards of pottery.
  57. [2014-10-15 13:48:15] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The cultists were after an amulet, and if it had not been aboard the Uasi, then Daring feared that they would strike here. She’d flown as fast as her wings would carry her, but it still wasn’t fast enough.
  58. [2014-10-15 13:48:21] <Mare-Do-Well> 3As she ran from the foyer into the dining hall, nearly tripping over another cloaked body, she heard a shout and the sound of heavy impacts somewhere upstairs.
  59. [2014-10-15 13:48:26] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“A.K. hold on, I’m coming!”
  60. [2014-10-15 13:48:36] <Mare-Do-Well> 3As Daring charged into the next room, half of the dining table flew at her, bucked with great force. She dove to the floor, feeling sharp shards of broken glass cut into her hooves and legs as the heavy wood smashed into the wall above her, pulverizing a brass candle sconce.
  61. [2014-10-15 13:48:42] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The table rebounded from the wall, bits of wax candles raining down, and thudded down next to Daring Do, between her and the attacker.
  62. [2014-10-15 13:48:48] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Someone in the room spat out something spiteful the zebra tongue.
  63. [2014-10-15 13:48:53] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do brushed away as much of the glass as she could, then pushed herself out from behind the table.
  64. [2014-10-15 13:49:08] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The dining hall was painfully wrecked. Pictures hung askew or had been torn from the wall, their frames splintered. The center table was split in two. Chairs were toppled. The only meager light came from the last rays of evening seeping through broken windows and tattered curtains. The floor was littered with broken glass from the windows and pictures.
  65. [2014-10-15 13:49:15] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Dead ashes and charred wood scattered out from the fireplace. The mounted heads of dead animals stared down in the darkness accusingly.
  66. [2014-10-15 13:49:25] <Mare-Do-Well> 3She spotted the zebra, his cloak askew, one eye bruised and bloodied shut, standing over the fallen body of a young mare in a floral dress. Any another setting, Daring Do could believe she was just sleeping. Her pith hat lay upturned nearby, amongst spilled fruit. A sharp metal shaft jutted out from beneath the forehoof crossbow on the zebra’s raised hoof.
  67. [2014-10-15 13:49:33] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do was just in time to see the zebra cultist plunge the blade of the dagger into A.K. Yearling’s breast. The mare screamed.
  68. [2014-10-15 13:49:45] <Mare-Do-Well> 3*“NO!”*
  69. [2014-10-15 13:50:02] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do threw herself at the cultist. The two tumbled across the floor. The zebra bucked Daring off, sending her flying into the fireplace mantle. She dropped to the floor amongst the ashes, scattering them further. The blunderbuss and its powder horn clattered to the floor next to her.
  70. [2014-10-15 13:50:08] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The assassin shouted something triumphant, turning back towards the moaning A.K. Yearling. He was intent on finishing the job, a driven gleam in his eyes. He was distracted by a loud, splintering sound from one of the rooms above.
  71. [2014-10-15 13:50:18] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do grasped at the blunderbuss and shouted, aiming it at the zebra. The cultist turned to Daring Do, eyes wide. Then laughed as Daring Do fumbled with the strange weapon, unable to make it work. The zebra lifted his hoof, pointing the hoof-mounted crossbow at Daring Do’s neck. The tip of the flamewood arrow flickered with bright orange fire.
  72. [2014-10-15 13:50:30] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do stomped, breaking off the cork of the powder horn, then spun, her tail whipping the powder horn towards the zebra. Black powder flew into his face in a cloud, igniting from the fire arrow in an understated whoop and an instant blaze of light. The cultist screamed as his face and breast were seared by flame.
  73. [2014-10-15 13:50:46] <Mare-Do-Well> 3He stumbled back, a foreleg lifting to cover his eyes. His scream was cut short as Daring’s backhooves slammed into his underside, cracking ribs and sending him flying.
  74. [2014-10-15 13:50:54] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do rolled onto her hooves, wincing as bits of glass pushed deeper, and dashed to A.K. Yearling’s side. The mare was breathing raggedly, a great red stain spreading over her dress. “Daring…” she gasped hoarsely, her teary eyes focusing on him with difficulty. “… friend… mine…”
  75. [2014-10-15 13:51:00] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“Yes,” Daring Do said, holding a hoof to her lips. “Don’t talk. I’ll get you to a doctor. You’ll be fine.” She dipped her muzzle into her breast pocket, pulling out one half of the friendship necklace. “See, friends. Forever.” She put the necklace around her friend’s neck. “Now you hold on…”
  76. [2014-10-15 13:51:08] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“Tell Goldentongue…” she whispered, blood bubbling up from her muzzle with every word, “…I’m sorry.”
  77. [2014-10-15 13:51:16] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“No,” Daring Do repeated. “Don’t talk. Just hold on.” Even as she spoke, A.K. went limp, a soft gurgling sound escaping her. “You’ll… you’ll be fine,” Daring told her again, tears streaming down her face. She knew her friend couldn’t hear her anymore.
  78. [2014-10-15 13:51:22] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do held her friend’s body, crying over her quietly.
  79. [2014-10-15 13:51:40] <Mare-Do-Well> 3<< paused to allow roleplay >>
  80. [2014-10-15 13:52:21] * Bookwright is crying.
  81. [2014-10-15 13:53:28] * CopyCat turns her head away, tears quietly rolling down her cheeks from her closed eyes.
  82. [2014-10-15 13:59:42] <Mare-Do-Well> 3<<continuing>>
  83. [2014-10-15 13:59:57] <Mare-Do-Well> 3A resounding crash pulled her back from the depths of her mourning. Two zebras smashed through the railing on the second floor hallway and slammed into the ground just beyond the dining hall. One, another cloaked cultist, lay still against the floor, having taken the worst of the fall. The other rose shakily to his hooves.
  84. [2014-10-15 14:00:04] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do recognized Mhudumu, Goldentongue’s servant. His injuries looked severe.
  85. [2014-10-15 14:00:44] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“Daring Do!” he spoke in surprise. “I am thankful to see you.”
  86. [2014-10-15 14:00:51] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do didn’t move. “A.K.’s...” It hurt to say the words, as if saying them made it real. “…dead.”
  87. [2014-10-15 14:01:08] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“I am sorry, young miss Do. I cared deeply for her too.” He frowned. “But right now the world needs you. There is something you must do.”
  88. [2014-10-15 14:01:16] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do stared at him uncomprehendingly until Mhudumu pulled out a silver-chained necklace. From it hung an amulet of dark metal with a star sapphire set into the center, surrounded by a motif of tears.
  89. [2014-10-15 14:01:23] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do’s jaw dropped. It was beautiful. For a moment, a sad, deep light glowed from the center of the stone. In that light, the pain of her friend’s death lost its sharpest edges, becoming more bearable.
  90. [2014-10-15 14:01:30] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“I serve the Senate of the Caesar’s Roam,” Mhudumu explained. “To watch Goldentonuge, I made this place home.”
  91. [2014-10-15 14:01:37] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do gasped. “You’re a spy!”
  92. [2014-10-15 14:01:44] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“This is the Amulet of Atonement,” Mhudumu said. “I’m in no condition to protect it. To Quetzalcóatl, it must never go. Take this to my friend in Bahari Soko.”
  93. [2014-10-15 14:01:52] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do stared into the light of the Amulet and she understood. This is what the cultists of Quetzalcóatl came here for. This is why they caused so much destruction and pain. She wasn’t about to let them have it.
  94. [2014-10-15 14:01:58] <Mare-Do-Well> 3But, she realized, she had no idea how to find Mhudumu’s friend. Or even who he was. Couldn’t she take it to the authorities? “How about the primi ordines?”
  95. [2014-10-15 14:02:04] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“Only if you must. Your judgement I must trust.” Mhudumu shook his head slowly. “Jua’s loyalty is to the Legion, not to Caesar. It would not be wise to give to her this much power.”
  96. [2014-10-15 14:02:16] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do nodded solemnly as Mhudumu passed her the Amulet. It felt heavy in her hooves, like the metal and stone weighed much more than it should. As she held it, a resolve passed over her, making her look down at A.K. Yearling’s body. Her dress was almost entirely crimson from her blood. Daring Do’s eyes moved to A.K.’s fallen pith hat.
  97. [2014-10-15 14:02:25] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Standing, Daring Do put the necklace around her neck, hiding the Amulet within her jacket, then scooped up the hat with her tail and placed in on her head.
  98. [2014-10-15 14:02:33] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“Daring!” she heard a voice call out from outside. She turned towards the window in time to see Fleetwing land, setting Bluebell onto her hooves in the grass, the two of them barely visible in the descending dark. They had followed her from the Uasi. (She suspected Fleetwing would have beaten her here if he had not been carrying his marefriend.)
  99. [2014-10-15 14:02:45] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“Soon more servants of the Dark Empress will surely appear,” Mhudumu warned. “Bring my friend Imani the necklace. You must not be here.”
  100. [2014-10-15 14:02:48] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do turned to Mhudumu. “What about you?”
  101. [2014-10-15 14:02:55] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“Miss Do, do not fear,” The battle-battered zebra gave her a smile of bloodied teeth. “I will keep them here.”
  102. [2014-10-15 14:03:06] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“Daring Do!” Bluebell called from the broken doorway. Daring Do swallowed and nodded, then lifted the body of A.K. Yearling onto her back with a wing. He blood was still warm, and began to soak into Daring Do’s jacket.
  103. [2014-10-15 14:03:12] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do choked back another sob. As she carried her friend’s body out of the room, she stepped across the crumpled body of the cult assassin. She paused, staring. The zebra didn’t move, but the gently rise and fall of his breast betrayed that he was still alive merely unconscious.
  104. [2014-10-15 14:03:20] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Part of Daring Do wanted to raise her hoof and stomp down on his neck. End him, like he had ended A.K. Yearling. But her better pony fought down the black urge. Not even murder justified murder. And the zebra’s death would not bring her friend back. Or make the pain any less.
  105. [2014-10-15 14:03:27] <Mare-Do-Well> 3She turned and galloped out the door, passing a shocked Bluebell as she ran into the night.
  106. [2014-10-15 14:03:40] <Mare-Do-Well> 3<< paused to allow roleplay >>
  107. [2014-10-15 14:05:07] * Golden_Dream 's heart sank a little. "Not even murder justified murder." She chewed on her inner lip for a moment. No. No, that only counts when the law would be there to punish those who did wrong. When the law is wicked, there's only one last recourse.
  108. [2014-10-15 14:07:07] * Bookwright dries his eyes.
  109. [2014-10-15 14:09:32] * Bookwright looks determined. "We need to finish Daring Do's business."
  110. [2014-10-15 14:10:52] * CopyCat nods slowly. "Those were gentler times," she says quietly to Kid. The irony of saying that after reading about A.K. was not lost on her.
  111. [2014-10-15 14:15:13] <Shatara> "Killing in defense isn't murder anyway..."
  112. [2014-10-15 14:21:13] <Mare-Do-Well> 3<< continuing >>
  113. [2014-10-15 14:21:26] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“What in Tartarus?” Fleetwing shouted. “By Celestia! Daring Do!” The pegasus immediately began to chase after her, followed by Bluebell.
  114. [2014-10-15 14:21:33] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Tears were streaming down Daring Do’s face again, blurring her vision as she hit the street and turned towards Mwanzo Mpya.
  115. [2014-10-15 14:21:39] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do stumbled, wincing. She spread her wings, lifting off the ground, then pulled a shard of glass from her left forehoof with her teeth. She was bleeding from a dozen small cuts, and her body ached badly. Three fights in one day was a record, and these hadn’t been schoolyard tussles.
  116. [2014-10-15 14:21:46] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Fleetwing took to the air. He flew beside Daring, keeping pace as he stared at the blood-soaked body on her back. “Who is that? Is she dead? What happened?”
  117. [2014-10-15 14:21:57] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Spitting out the glass, Daring Do answered, “She’s A.K. Yearling. She was Goldentongue’s goddaughter. And my friend.” She almost growled. She felt like shouting. Why did she even have to explain that? “One of those cultists killed her, and I’m going to make sure…” Make sure what? That she got a proper burial?
  118. [2014-10-15 14:22:05] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do’s mind conjured images of more cultists descending on the manor and burning it to the ground. Or killing Mhudumu and leaving the bodies to bloat in the jungle heat.
  119. [2014-10-15 14:22:11] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“The ambassador had a daughter?” Fleetwing asked, confused. Daring Do beat her wings forward, stopping to glare.
  120. [2014-10-15 14:22:22] <Mare-Do-Well> 3How could Fleetwing not remember her? Sure, he hadn’t spent hours with her under the ambassador’s willow tree fantasizing about futures involving establishing world-renowned museums or collaborating on best-selling novels.
  121. [2014-10-15 14:22:33] <Mare-Do-Well> 3He hadn’t flown high over Mwanzo Mpya, carrying her while she pointed out the distant ziggurats in the Tenochtitlan Basin, talking about them by name. He hadn’t pestered a photographer into taking their picture. He hadn’t even interacted with her at that first dinner.
  122. [2014-10-15 14:22:39] <Mare-Do-Well> 3But he had been there, and she had been there, and shouldn’t Fleetwing at least remember that?
  123. [2014-10-15 14:22:55] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Fleetwing shot past as Daring Do suddenly stopped. He blinked, slowing to a hover, and turned to see Daring Do’s angry expression. Daring Do wobbled in the air, A.K. Yearling’s weight heavy on her back.
  124. [2014-10-15 14:23:02] <Mare-Do-Well> 3As she opened her mouth to shout at Fleetwing, Bluebell caught up, panting. She looked at Daring Do and the limp, scarlet-soaked mare on her back. “Celestia! Daring, I’m sorry. I think...”
  125. [2014-10-15 14:23:08] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Whatever Bluebell thought went unspoken, or at least unheard. Daring Do’s shout was likewise silent. Even the buzz of the mosquitoes had vanished. The trio of ponies looked around in alarm. The street was dark, surrounded by blackest shadows on each side. All sound had been wiped from the world around them.
  126. [2014-10-15 14:23:18] <Mare-Do-Well> 3From the shadows, a figure emerged. Tall, gaunt, with a featureless face. Tendrils of darkness writhed from its back, somehow darker than the utter blackness around him. Those tendrils reached out towards Daring Do.
  127. [2014-10-15 14:23:25] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Daring Do dropped to her hooves, taking a fighting stance. Her body protested. She’d bee through too much today already. But she wasn’t going to let this thing take the Amulet of Atonement.
  128. [2014-10-15 14:23:32] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Utter panic flooded Daring Do when the tendrils of black instead wrapped around A.K. Yearling’s body and lifted her from Daring Do’s back. She screamed silently as she felt the weight lift from her.
  129. [2014-10-15 14:23:46] <Mare-Do-Well> 3*/No! You can’t have her!/*
  130. [2014-10-15 14:23:53] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The faceless head of the slender, stripeless zebra seemed to stare into Daring Do, even though it had no eyes. A rush of memories flooded up from her mind, jumbled and unbidden.
  131. [2014-10-15 14:24:04] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“But…” snapped Fleetwing as he confronted her on the deck of the /Uasi/.
  132. [2014-10-15 14:24:14] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“She…” said Goldentongue as he trotted down the gangplank of the /Mzigo Msichana/.
  133. [2014-10-15 14:24:20] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“Is...” Bluebell asked, looking at the blunderbuss.
  134. [2014-10-15 14:24:28] <Mare-Do-Well> 3“Mine...” whispered A.K. Yearling, dying.
  135. [2014-10-15 14:24:46] <Mare-Do-Well> 3*No!* Daring Do repeated in a voiceless shout, wincing from the mental barrage. She took a step forward, crouching to launch herself at the creature. It seemed unconcerned. What stopped Daring Do was the body of A.K. Yearling. As it floated in the air between them, the friendship necklace dangling from around her neck, she began to fade.
  136. [2014-10-15 14:24:55] <Mare-Do-Well> 3As the trio stared, A.K. Yearling became translucent, then transparent.
  137. [2014-10-15 14:25:01] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Then she disappeared altogether.
  138. [2014-10-15 14:25:08] <Mare-Do-Well> 3A moment later, the buzz of the mosquitoes returned. The sounds of the jungle and the scattered noises of the town ahead continued. The slender, featureless zebra was gone.
  139. [2014-10-15 14:25:53] <Mare-Do-Well> 3---
  140. [2014-10-15 14:26:01] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Sixth Pad Ends.
  141. [2014-10-15 14:26:07] <Mare-Do-Well> 3====================
  142. [2014-10-15 14:26:18] * Bookwright is crying again.
  143. [2014-10-15 14:27:05] * CopyCat shivers, the hairs on her neck standing on end.
  144. [2014-10-15 14:29:28] * Bookwright "Gone... She's gone. It took her, and all trace of her."
  145. [2014-10-15 14:33:15] * CopyCat swallows. "Daring Do's friends were unable to remember A.K. even before the... spirit took her. Do you think there was something else at work? Or... did her future fate affect her past?"
  146. [2014-10-15 14:34:58] * Bookwright "It took all earthly memory of her that existed. No wonder Daring Do took her name as a nom de plume. To force new memories of her."
  147. [2014-10-15 14:38:47] * Golden_Dream goes quiet for a moment, and then looks at Bookwright. "Bookie. Next time we meet Mr. Squigglebutt, yer' gonna be th' one t' tell him t' fuck off and go t' hell."
  148. [2014-10-15 14:40:21] * Bookwright "Pew Pew is gonna have a few things to say to it, yes."
  149. [2014-10-15 14:41:18] * CopyCat nods. "I do not wish to be noodled again on a first date."
  150. [2014-10-15 14:46:31] * CopyCat shakes herself and ruffles her feathers. "Our goal remains the same: Find the Amulet, so that we can then find the Element of Laughter... hmm..." she ponders.
  151. [2014-10-15 14:47:49] * Golden_Dream notes, "Pew Pew ain't doing shit. It's a spirit critter. It got more magic bullshit than a tatzlwurm got tongues."
  152. [2014-10-15 14:49:02] * CopyCat looks at Shatara, Kid, and Bookwright. "Slendermane has asked us to find the Amulet, yet when it took A.K. it made no attempt to also take the Amulet of Attonement from Daring Do."
  153. [2014-10-15 14:49:43] * Golden_Dream shrugs. "Maybe it couldn't. Spirits tend t' have t' follow rules of some sort."
  154. [2014-10-15 14:51:15] * Bookwright "Pew Pew is a magical energy weapon. It'll do something, I should think."
  155. [2014-10-15 14:55:01] * Shatara ponders ways to blam things with Blood without nasty feedbacks.
  156. [2014-10-15 14:56:18] * Noble_Heart frowns and contemplates that. "The amulet did not -belong- to it. Yearling did. It wished to make a deal. That you would -give- it the amulet."
  157. [2014-10-15 15:01:00] * Golden_Dream blew out of her nose. "... Tell y' what we're gonna do. We're gonna go out, find the amulet, take it to Bahari Soko just t' fuck with Slendermane, and we're gonna find th' element on th' way."
  158. [2014-10-15 15:01:06] * Bookwright "Wait, what? What are you talking about? Why in Celestia's good name would we ever give that /thing/ the Amulet?"
  159. [2014-10-15 15:01:49] * Golden_Dream "Because it knows where th' element is. But I figure we don't have a deal."
  160. [2014-10-15 15:05:12] * Noble_Heart frowns heavily at that, contemplating a bit more. "The spirit which powers the amulet. That is an interesting thing for Daring Do to say. Is the amulet not powered by the Quetzlcoatl Empress? It is her amulet, and powers the Radiant Shield, correct?" She furrowed her brow at that prospect. Then shook her head. "It is strange. But We doubt that taking it to Bahari Soko will
  161. [2014-10-15 15:05:13] * Noble_Heart be meaningful. Remember that this is in the far distant past. Before Daring Do locked it away. Before the war even. It is likely that it has already been to see his friend. Right now We are more concerned about why this strange spirit wants it. And what it will do to possess it."
  162. [2014-10-15 15:06:49] * CopyCat nods. "And right now we're worried about a pirate airship. Golden_Dream, Shatara, could you two take a look from what's left of those sniper posts?"
  163. [2014-10-15 15:10:23] * Shatara flies up and examines a position.
  164. [2014-10-15 15:10:25] * Golden_Dream looks at the baleful gaze of the skull statue, now right and properly angry instead of just a low grumbling grumpiness. "On it." There was acid in her voice, like she was planning something very unpleasant. She pulls out her binoculars and examines the posts.
  165. [2014-10-15 15:11:27] * Mare-Do-Well 3responds slowly to Noble_Heart's comment. "It's a talisman, right?" She looks up. "The Amulet of Atonement. It's a zebra artifact, like the Elements of Harmony. It's power came from a spirit."
  166. [2014-10-15 15:12:55] * Bookwright "Wait, you're saying that the spirit that powers the Amulet is squigglybutt?"
  167. [2014-10-15 15:13:20] <Mare-Do-Well> 3While the sniper platforms are little more than a few pieces of rotting wood now, the rock still makes for a good lookout position for any who can fly.
  168. [2014-10-15 15:14:03] * Mare-Do-Well 3shakes her head to Bookwright. "No, I'm sure it would be a spirit of... atonement. Or remorse. Or something like that."
  169. [2014-10-15 15:14:48] * Bookwright "Possibly the spirit of a zebra then? They seem to do a lot with spirits, they're certainly better at it than ponies are."
  170. [2014-10-15 15:14:55] * Golden_Dream looks like she just got hit by the backhoof of an idea. "... We're idiots."
  171. [2014-10-15 15:16:06] * Bookwright nods eagerly. "Yes, I definitely am. Because I have no idea what you're talking about."
  172. [2014-10-15 15:16:46] * Golden_Dream looks at Bookwright. "Only th' remorseful one..."
  173. [2014-10-15 15:17:43] <Bookwright> "We already established that you're remorseful, didn't we?"
  174. [2014-10-15 15:20:00] * Golden_Dream rolls her eyes. "No. Well, yeah, kinda. But we have a better fit."
  175. [2014-10-15 15:20:35] * CopyCat glances at Mare-Do-Well.
  176. [2014-10-15 15:23:02] * Bookwright "...Oh. OH. But... she's intangible! Will it even work?"
  177. [2014-10-15 15:23:28] * Mare-Do-Well 3blinks. "Wait... me?"
  178. [2014-10-15 15:23:45] * Mare-Do-Well 3shakes her head. "Nonono... it should be Golden_Dream."
  179. [2014-10-15 15:26:16] * Golden_Dream huffs. "No, look. I got stuff I regret. Sometimes, there are parts a' me that I wish I could tear out and forget. But I think that since you /are/ ghosty, well... If th' door wants a remorseful spirit, I figure you can fool it pretty damned hard."
  180. [2014-10-15 15:26:50] <Golden_Dream> (remorse spirit, not remorseful spirit)
  181. [2014-10-15 15:28:45] * Mare_Do_Well_ 3asks, "Fool it?"
  182. [2014-10-15 15:29:57] * Bookwright "Well, satisfy it, anyways."
  183. [2014-10-15 15:30:09] * Mare_Do_Well_ 3points out, "To get the key, you need to be able to touch the object to the lock, right? I can't do that."
  184. [2014-10-15 15:30:26] * Bookwright "From the description we've gotten of Jua, do you think she could ever have remorse for anything?"
  185. [2014-10-15 15:30:55] * Bookwright counterpoints "But you can borrow Goldy to do that."
  186. [2014-10-15 15:31:01] * Mare_Do_Well_ 3sighs, " Actually, I wouldn't count on me to be the answer to anything right now."
  187. [2014-10-15 15:31:28] * Mare_Do_Well_ 3looks to Bookwright, "I can't. Not now..."
  188. [2014-10-15 15:31:49] * Noble_Heart frowns and furrows her brow. "No. It's more than that. It is not just that the individual needs that as a part of them. It needs to be..." She pauses, her voice getting low as she looks towards the ground. "It needs to be their driving passion. The reason they do what they do. Remorse for a mistake they should never have made."
  189. [2014-10-15 15:32:17] * Mare_Do_Well_ 3looks to Noble_Heart, then nods.
  190. [2014-10-15 15:34:50] * CopyCat nods. "We still need to find the door in any case." She looks up at her griffin friend. "What do you see from up there, Shatara?"
  191. [2014-10-15 15:41:55] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Shatara scans the skies. There is no sign of the pirate ship (at least, not in the direction he can see). However, the "eye" gives the griffin a great view of the rope bridge, the other side of the gorge, and the huge temple that rises above the jungle just beyond. This is the ziggurat with no ahools surrounding it, and Shatara can now see why.
  192. [2014-10-15 15:42:52] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Wrapping around the temple is a giant coautl!
  193. [2014-10-15 15:44:04] * Bookwright ponders quietly. "Or perhaps, a driving passion to stop things from being wronged in the first place. Hrm...
  194. [2014-10-15 15:44:08] * Noble_Heart looks down and fidgets her forehooves slightly, the question to Shatara gets her attention away from the ground and towards the griffin.
  195. [2014-10-15 15:45:35] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The creature is covered in brilliant, fiery feathers and scales of emerald and inky black.
  196. [2014-10-15 15:46:29] * Shatara balks at the sight of the building-sized snakebirdthing.
  197. [2014-10-15 15:46:34] * Bookwright "Noble Heart, do your thoughts ever wander to history? To the times of the past, wherin heroes and fools do battle both foolish and heroic. Where knowledge is kept, and where knowledge is lost. Where the crimes of the past are cause for action in the present?"
  198. [2014-10-15 15:48:05] * Noble_Heart flattens her ears slightly. She looks back down towards Bookwright and answers, in a weak, and very obviously not true, voice. "... no..."
  199. [2014-10-15 15:50:34] * Bookwright looks sad. "Oh."
  200. [2014-10-15 15:52:15] * Golden_Dream looks up and shouts. "Hey, Shatara, what do y' see?"
  201. [2014-10-15 15:52:29] * Noble_Heart sat quietly a few moments, watching Bookwright. "... perhaps a little." She conceded. She stood slowly and moved away from the group, obviously distraught about something.
  202. [2014-10-15 15:53:09] * Shatara struggles to bring the sight to words. "Uhm...a giant birdsnakething doing unspeakable things to a zigawhat?"
  203. [2014-10-15 15:53:42] * Golden_Dream looks at Shatara blankly for a moment. "... What?"
  204. [2014-10-15 15:54:46] * Shatara scratches his head.
  205. [2014-10-15 15:55:24] * Golden_Dream gives Shatara a hopeless look. "Erm, folks. Do we really gotta go in this one?"
  206. [2014-10-15 15:56:27] * Bookwright "Wait wait wait. Did you just say there's a coautl on that building? Is it alive?"
  207. [2014-10-15 15:57:50] * Shatara blinks. "Uh, maybe?" He looks over for any definitive signs of life.
  208. [2014-10-15 15:58:55] <Bookwright> "Well. There are two options. The bad one is that it's the Empress of Coautls, in giant statue form. The worse one is that it's actually the Empress of Coautls."
  209. [2014-10-15 16:00:12] * Mare-Do-Well 3floats over to Noble_Heart, sensing her new Twilight-colored friend is hurting. She fades, moving away from the seeds. When she reaches Noble_Heart, she cannot talk. But she symbolically hugs the alicorn.
  210. [2014-10-15 16:00:14] * CopyCat blinks at Shatara. "She's doing /what/ to the Ziggy?" CopyCat blushes and mumbles to herself. "I didn't know you could get baby Coautls that way..."
  211. [2014-10-15 16:00:55] * Golden_Dream closes her eyes tight. "We gotta hurry." She said with no small amount of dread in her voice.
  212. [2014-10-15 16:02:13] * Noble_Heart looks up towards Mare-Do-Well. She wasn't certain the ghost could see her. She spoke quietly. "Have you ever done something which got an innocent pony killed?" It was probably a stupid question. This was the mare of the Ministry of Awesome, one of the leaders of the Equestrian military. Who had helped command their armies and their forces across the globe. Of course she'd
  213. [2014-10-15 16:02:13] * Noble_Heart given orders that got ponies killed.
  214. [2014-10-15 16:03:42] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Shatara stares out at the giant coautl. It's definitely moving, slowly slithering around the ziggurat! And, after a few moments, the coautl fades, much like Mare-Do-Well, until it is merely a shadow moving across the temple.
  215. [2014-10-15 16:04:11] * CopyCat walks over and sits beside Noble_Heart. Just offering her presence.
  216. [2014-10-15 16:05:10] * Shatara squints a bit. "Yeah definitely a...what?"
  217. [2014-10-15 16:06:12] * Shatara palms his face and sighs. "Is everything in this Luna-forsaken land a zombie-goast?"
  218. [2014-10-15 16:06:36] * Bookwright "...What? What are you talking about?"
  219. [2014-10-15 16:07:07] * Golden_Dream bites down on her lip. "Let's just get inside before it notices us." She whimpered, uncharacteristically meek.
  220. [2014-10-15 16:11:16] * Golden_Dream inhales deeply and starts to carefully cross the bridge.
  221. [2014-10-15 16:12:28] * CopyCat calls out to Golden_Dream. "But what about the firewagon? We were leaving this way so that myself and Noble could return to it."
  222. [2014-10-15 16:14:27] * Golden_Dream winces. Shit, she forgot. "You two get it and we'll park it on th' tongue, we'll meet y' on th' other side. Shatara, come down here and get ready t' catch one of us in case we fall. We're crossing one at a time. If this place is where I think it is, then we really best get th' amulet before somethin' happens."
  223. [2014-10-15 16:15:27] * CopyCat nods and turns to Noble_Heart. "Shall we?" she asks, flexing her wings.
  224. [2014-10-15 16:15:41] * Bookwright "Shatara? What are you talking about? What's this about ghosts?"
  225. [2014-10-15 16:16:21] * Noble_Heart blinks a moment and looks int he direction of CopyCat. She sighs quietly, then nods and rises. "We shall."
  226. [2014-10-15 16:24:57] * CopyCat trots out the mouth of the cave and takes to the air, wheeling around to fly back down into the ruins to where they'd parked the wagon. While in the air she briefly scans the horizon looking for those pirates.
  227. [2014-10-15 16:28:09] * Noble_Heart continues to seem preoccupied as she sets about getting herself strapped in. Not paying terribly much attention to the surroundings and, for once, letting CopyCat take the lead.
  228. [2014-10-15 16:34:09] * CopyCat helps Noble_Heart with straps and buckles, in just the same way as Noble usually helped her. The two of them lift off with the wagon in tow and bring it out of the ruins in time to see their friends crossing the bridge.
  229. [2014-10-15 16:37:39] * Bookwright "You're back! That was fast."
  230. [2014-10-15 16:39:17] * CopyCat smiles at Bookwright. "We weren't that far away, as the alicorn flies."
  231. [2014-10-15 16:40:40] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The bridge sways precariously, but at least the ropes are thick and sturdy. There seems no threat of them breaking, only the threat of losing balance or similar fatal misstep. The journey across the bridge is definitely not for anyone feint of heart or fearful of heights.
  232. [2014-10-15 16:41:13] * Bookwright eyes the bridge nervously. "I'll take the firewagon, thanks."
  233. [2014-10-15 16:42:01] * Golden_Dream is neither. And she's also pretty spry of step. So, not a lot time passes while she crosses the bridge.
  234. [2014-10-15 16:42:41] <Mare-Do-Well> 3CopyCat cannot spot the pirate ship. Perhaps it is hiding in the clouds?
  235. [2014-10-15 16:43:27] <Mare-Do-Well> 3CopyCat and Noble_Heart can, however, quickly find the ruins again, despite the heavy canopy that conceals them. They are, after all, not far.
  236. [2014-10-15 16:44:41] <Mare-Do-Well> 3As they fly over to the ruins, CopyCat does spot a suspiciously pirate-ship-shaped shadow in one of the clouds above.
  237. [2014-10-15 16:47:01] * CopyCat and Noble_Heart bring the firewagon to where Bookwright and Get Lost can hop on... or be floated on if need be. They soon rejoin Golden_Dream and Shatara on the other side, since those two hadn't needed any help to cross.
  238. [2014-10-15 16:48:22] * CopyCat looks at her friends. "I believe I saw the pirate ship hiding in the clouds above the ruins we just left." She ponders, "I certainly saw a shadow that looked like it at least..."
  239. [2014-10-15 16:49:54] * Golden_Dream looks extremely worried. "... Alright folks. Take everything in th' wagon that's worth somethin'. Make /damn/ sure you ain't left ammo in th' cannon."
  240. [2014-10-15 16:51:55] * Golden_Dream looks around the horn-headed population. "Unless one o' y'all got a spell that can make it invisible, let's assume they know we're here."
  241. [2014-10-15 16:53:08] * Noble_Heart was only dimly paying attention to what was happening. "If they were hard to see, we were likely hard for them to see. They may still be heading on route to where they first picked up our transmission."
  242. [2014-10-15 16:55:17] * Golden_Dream gives her a cautious look. "We are bright, literally fire wagon red. If they so much as look in our direction, they can see our stuff and /take/ our stuff, while they come t' take /us/. Everyone take as much of our stuff as possible."
  243. [2014-10-15 16:59:31] * CopyCat nods. "Well at least they can't fly off with the wagon as well." She chuckles, "Unless they can just put on a necklace and grow a pair of wings!"
  244. [2014-10-15 17:00:10] * Golden_Dream starts shuffling around and prepares a pack the booze and drinks on Copycat, the big 75mm shells on Noble's back, the guns and fix-ittery on Shatara, the medical supplies on Get Lost, the food on Copycat, and the good suits and MEW ammo for Bookie.
  245. [2014-10-15 17:00:38] * Bookwright "I'm not sure this is a good idea..."
  246. [2014-10-15 17:01:16] * Golden_Dream gives Bookie a severe look. "You wanna leave it all in the wagon?"
  247. [2014-10-15 17:01:20] * Noble_Heart oofs under the weight, struggling to remain standing as a result.
  248. [2014-10-15 17:01:45] * Bookwright grunts. "I'm not exactly a draft horse!"
  249. [2014-10-15 17:03:41] * Golden_Dream is mildly entertained. "Alright, what's yer' idea on what happens if they decide t' investigate what the red thing is on the big stone mouth?"
  250. [2014-10-15 17:04:31] * CopyCat waves her hoof in the air. "Oh! Oh ohhh oh! What if they think we're a tongue?"
  251. [2014-10-15 17:04:51] * Mare-Do-Well 3blinks ghostily at CopyCat.
  252. [2014-10-15 17:05:05] * Golden_Dream blinks numbly at Copycat.
  253. [2014-10-15 17:05:15] * Mare-Do-Well 3then looks up, "They may be hiding."
  254. [2014-10-15 17:05:35] * Noble_Heart contemplates that a little bit. "We can create illusions. But it is doubtful they would last long enough." She frowns. "Otherwise we might need to simply hide the wagon."
  255. [2014-10-15 17:06:11] * Mare-Do-Well 3realizes she stated the obvious, so expounds on that. "I mean, from the thing Shatara saw."
  256. [2014-10-15 17:06:15] * Bookwright "Man, if only we there was such a thing as a ess-ee-pee field spell. That would be perfect."
  257. [2014-10-15 17:06:38] * CopyCat whispers loudly. "Hide it as a tooooongue!"
  258. [2014-10-15 17:06:47] * Bookwright cocks his head at Shatara. "Yeah, you never actually said. Something about a ghost?"
  259. [2014-10-15 17:07:19] * CopyCat smiles. "Then it would be somepony else's problem!"
  260. [2014-10-15 17:09:02] * Golden_Dream nods at Mare-Do-Well. "I'm counting on that bein' th' case." She ponders Noble's idea. "... Okay, I like that. Noble, Rainbow, n' me go down and find a place t' stash this that's out of line-of-sight of the airship. You folk set up a parameter in th' first room in that place. Unless y' hear th' word 'twinkle' called out, shoot at first sight."
  261. [2014-10-15 17:09:27] * Shatara shrugs. "Like giant snakebird thing, but sometimes not?"
  262. [2014-10-15 17:10:00] * CopyCat suddenly turns to Shatara and blinks. "Sometimes not?"
  263. [2014-10-15 17:10:22] * Golden_Dream points at Bookie. "You, grill yer snake buddy fer' info about this place."
  264. [2014-10-15 17:10:31] * Bookwright "Okay that's really bad then. Because that sounds like the Empress of Coautls."
  265. [2014-10-15 17:13:47] * Bookwright <Right, Scales? Big, impossibly large coautl, black scales, semi-transparent? That's the Empress, right?>
  266. [2014-10-15 17:14:07] <Mare-Do-Well> 3{ Yesssss. }
  267. [2014-10-15 17:15:40] * Bookwright "Crap. Okay. Yes. Definitely the Empress of Coautls. Um. Guys? I recommend we stay as far away from the giant evil entity as possible."
  268. [2014-10-15 17:17:13] * Golden_Dream begins to get on the wagon. "Alright, Noble. Let's take 'er down and find a spot. I'll get on hidin' it." She gives Noble a stern look. "... And then yer gonna tell me what's botherin' you while I work."
  269. [2014-10-15 17:19:00] * Mare-Do-Well 3notes, "Well, we know what we have to do."
  270. [2014-10-15 17:19:09] * CopyCat assists Noble_Heart and Golden_Dream with the wagon... although she wasn't great at finding hiding places.
  271. [2014-10-15 17:19:28] <Mare-Do-Well> 3---
  272. [2014-10-15 17:19:29] * Noble_Heart frowns and doesn't look pleased at that prospect, but nods slowly anyway.
  273. [2014-10-15 17:19:37] <Mare-Do-Well> 3<< Previously >>
  274. [2014-10-15 17:19:50] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Mare-Do-Well sighs. "In /Daring Do and the Griffon's Goblet/, the Cult of the Quetzalcóatl Empress takes over the Tenochtitlan Basin, shrouding it under the Empress' dark magic, but their efforts to summon forth Quetzalcóatl is foiled by Daring Do, who kicks their flanks..."
  275. [2014-10-15 17:20:03] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Mare-Do-Well continues, "Then in /Daring Do and the Amulet of Atonement/, Ahuizotl attempts to take the Quetzalcóatl Empress's power for himself, having secured some sort of secret passage in and out of the Basin. Daring Do thwarts him, but just barely..."
  276. [2014-10-15 17:20:08] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Mare-Do-Well finishes, "Then, in /Daring Do and the Razor of Dreams/, she finally defeats Ahuizotl and secures control of the Amulet of Atonement, dispelling the dark magic of the Quetzalcóatl Empress, and thus protecting the basin with the Radiant Shield of Rasdon!"
  277. [2014-10-15 17:20:14] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Golden_Dream 's ear perks up. "Mare-Do-Well, where'd they say th' Radiant Shield of Rasdon went?"
  278. [2014-10-15 17:20:21] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Bookwright sighs and shakes his head. "Golden, weren't you listening? We're /in/ the Radiant Shield of Rasdon!"
  279. [2014-10-15 17:20:26] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Bookwright points a hoof upwards, indicating the Obelisk above. "These tunnels, that rock, those glyphs... We're /inside/ the Shield!"
  280. [2014-10-15 17:20:31] <Mare-Do-Well> 3---
  281. [2014-10-15 17:25:07] * Mare-Do-Well 3flaps her wings, looking at everyone. "If the Dark Empress has returned... or is trying to return... that means that there is something wrong with the Radiant Shield of Rasdon! It's been shut off or something! We need to use to Amulet of Atonement, just like Daring Do, to turn it back on. Before Quetzalcóatl can manifest with all her dark power!"
  282. [2014-10-15 17:26:37] * Golden_Dream gulps. "Yeah, I get it. I got it. We're fuckin' scared, but if she's /here/, that means so's th' Amulet."
  283. [2014-10-15 17:27:37] * Mare-Do-Well 3then droops. "Of course, we can't do it /exactly/ like Daring Do."
  284. [2014-10-15 17:27:53] * Bookwright "I suppose we have to head for the center of the Shield then."
  285. [2014-10-15 17:28:02] * Noble_Heart frowns at the prospect. "It would seem necessary again." she sighs quietly. "First we must find the amulet."
  286. [2014-10-15 17:28:46] * Mare-Do-Well 3notes, "The center of the Shield was the Fortress of Talikon." She rubs the back of her neck. "Buuuuut... we kinda destroyed that."
  287. [2014-10-15 17:29:30] * CopyCat bites her lip as the mental recap flows from her friends. "Those tunnels we found under the obelisk, perhaps they offer us a way inside that temple without incurring the Empress' wrath."
  288. [2014-10-15 17:30:25] * Mare-Do-Well 3ooohs. "Hey, maybe there are tunnels to underneath the Fortress that aren't totally collapsed!"
  289. [2014-10-15 17:31:03] <Bookwright> "Lava tubes you mean? Repurposed ones, anyways. It's worth a shot."
  290. [2014-10-15 17:31:08] * CopyCat nods at Mare-Do-Well. "Or to the Fortress, yes."
  291. [2014-10-15 17:34:26] * Mare-Do-Well 3thinks. "Soooo... we sneak our way into that temple... in order to get into the lava tubes. Then make our way under the Fortress!" She seems to be forgetting the 'get the Amulet' step, but at least she's got her enthusiasm back!
  292. [2014-10-15 17:34:53] * Golden_Dream continues. "And here's got to be where th' amulet is."
  293. [2014-10-15 17:36:03] * Golden_Dream points something down by the forest. "Alright, you hide it there, I'll get on moving ferns over th' damned things. Remember t' call out Twinkle."
  294. [2014-10-15 17:36:07] * CopyCat cocks her head. "Or at least another clue from Daring Do, with any luck."
  295. [2014-10-15 17:36:51] * Mare-Do-Well 3nods. "Makes sense. I think this is the Temple of the Quetzalcóatl Empress, where her cult used the Griffin's Goblet to summon forth the Empress' dark magic!"
  296. [2014-10-15 17:38:02] * Noble_Heart moves the wagon into position where Golden Dream had suggested. "If the Empress returns, it is likely to her seat of greatest power. Whether or not the amulet is here, We do not know."
  297. [2014-10-15 17:38:10] * Bookwright nods "It couldn't be anything else. Not with the spirit of the Empress actually coiled around it..."
  298. [2014-10-15 17:43:19] * Mare-Do-Well 3suddenly thinks, 'Damn.... what Twilight wouldn't give to be here now.'
  299. [2014-10-15 17:43:47] * Golden_Dream moves around some ferns over or whatever's available to hide the wagon. She very notably put the CRUX and the gold into the compartment. "Alright, alright. Let's go, let's go."
  300. [2014-10-15 17:44:25] * Bookwright "Right. Let's get a move on then."
  301. [2014-10-15 17:46:30] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Golden_Dream's first attempt at obscuring the wagon needs a little more work, especially with the wind.
  302. [2014-10-15 17:47:00] * Golden_Dream bites her lip. "Hold on, hold on."
  303. [2014-10-15 17:47:32] * Noble_Heart looks to Golden Dream. "You should let them move on. They were to set up a forward base, were they not?" she moved to help lift objects to hide the wagon.
  304. [2014-10-15 17:48:33] * Shatara approaches Golden_Dream. "Err...you doing okay...?"
  305. [2014-10-15 17:49:31] * Golden_Dream calls Shatara over. "No, help me."
  306. [2014-10-15 17:50:47] <Mare-Do-Well> 3It turns out, covering the wagon is a lot harder than it looks. But Golden_Dream and Shatara keep trying.
  307. [2014-10-15 17:52:14] * Shatara gathers more branches, and tries to cover the shiny bits with mud.
  308. [2014-10-15 17:53:13] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Fourth time is the charm! Nobody is going to find this firewagon! In fact, Shatara should probably mark the location on his PipBuck to make sure the /party/ can find it.
  309. [2014-10-15 17:53:36] * Golden_Dream grabs more ferns to cover it. Right. Right. "Alright, we got it. Now let's hurry back, c'mon!"
  310. [2014-10-15 17:55:20] * CopyCat nods. "To adventure!"
  311. [2014-10-15 17:55:39] <Mare-Do-Well> 3--- End of Session ---
Advertisement
Add Comment
Please, Sign In to add comment
Advertisement
Public Pastes
Advertisement
We use cookies for various purposes including analytics. By continuing to use Pastebin, you agree to our use of cookies as described in the Cookies Policy.  OK, I Understand
Not a member of Pastebin yet?
Sign Up, it unlocks many cool features!