Group 4 Session 58

<uSeaGM> **Group 4 Session 58**
* mimezinga is now known as Cerberus
* Notify: mimezinga is offline (irc.canternet.org).
<uSeaGM> Looking out over Harbourage and the bay is an old castle that belonged to a lord who called himself a king. Now it is the home of the numerous local ghouls and one musical alicorn. Our party experienced one of Danse's performances first-hoof...
<uSeaGM> Unfortunately it had quite an effect on one party member. Poor Whisper had only just started to give magic users the benefit of the doubt when he was confronted by the seemingly mind-bending mystical music. Being surrounded by all those ghouls and meeting an undead pirate couldn't have helped either.
<uSeaGM> Jasmine had her own problems. Coming face to face with a pony she recognised all to well, she went to attack without hesitation. Only a quick burst of calming magic from Artifica saved them from earning the ire of their hosts... but the effects won't last forever.
<uSeaGM> Prism was also interested in the few living ponies that had danced with the ghouls. Some of them matched the descriptions he had been given of ponies that had gone missing after taking the drug 'Friendship'.
<uSeaGM> The ghouls have left the hall, leaving the party with Danse and the small group of living ponies... and then the pirates showed up (but no robots or ninjas yet). Genie runs over to give the old pirate captain a hug as his swarthy crew stand behind him. “Grandpa Blackbeard!”
* Cerberus frowns: it seems to be hugging time and nopony told her! outrageous! the only thing a filly can do here is hug the pretty alicorn. set phasers on hug!
<Prism> Interested, but there was nothing he could really do now until something happened.   For now he tried to think of a way to break the spell without things getting ugly so to speak.  And if things did get ugly, well, he wanted to be safe, so he hangs back near Artifica, watching Cerberus.
* Whisper sneaks silently over to the doorway the party entered through, looking to make a quiet exit.
<uSeaGM> Danse doesn't seem comfortable around such an energetic filly, but she pats Cerberus on the head gently.
* Milia is still outside, having led Jasmine to a quieter spot than the crowded dance hall following the gryphon's freak-out. She rests on her haunches beside the gryphon in silence, as the two of them sit amongst the castle graveyard. A faint shiver runs through her as she watches the oddly preserved groundskeepers tend to their work. "Well...it's calm, at least..." the zebra murmurs.
<Whisper> Upon reaching the door Whisper carefully tries the handle.
* Jasmine nods. "Yeah..." She simply replies. "Calm and quiet." She turns to look at Milia, and then she seems to stare out into space, looking at nothing in particular.
<uSeaGM> The door opens easily but the old wood gives a loud creak. This draws the attention of the group of living ponies and they start to meander over to Whisper.
* Cerberus since she is getting patpats, the huggingg thing seems to be working. a coulpe of licks of celebration are totally needed here
* Whisper freezes and slowly turns his head to the rest of the room. "Hi," he says weakly, "just wanted to smell that salt air...," he trails off as the group approaches.
* Milia turns to look at Jasmine, a look of worry on her face. The zebra releases a deep sigh. "Sorry...uh...sorry you had to see that. Are you...how are you feeling, Jas?..."
<uSeaGM> The nearest pony to Whisper is the smiling unicorn mare with a broken horn that Jasmine bumped into earlier. She reaches out with a hoof and asks, "Friend?"
* Whisper stares at the hoof for a moment before reaching out and shaking it. "Um, yeah. Friend," he says, uncertainly.
* Prism looks to where the living ponies were going, and then notices Whisper.   Uh oh, this was probably not good.  So he decides to keep an eye on that situation, ready to help at a moment's notice.
<Jasmine> "Im.... fine... just fine." She says, a bit hesitantly. "Dont worry about me. It's over now. It's all over." She turns to face the zebra. There was no cheerful grin on her face, nor a look of despair. She was completely... neutral. Calm. "Everything will be ok."
<uSeaGM> The mare hugs Whisper. "Friend!" The other ponies looks at each other happily. They had made a friend.
* Whisper awkwardly returns the hug. "Yeah...friend," he says, completely nonplussed.
* Milia shudders at the response. To say seeing Jasmine behave like this was unsettling was an understatement. She decides to gently press the issue. "...but it's /not/ okay, is it? What happens if you see her again? I could see something in you...just...snap, Jas. You were about to kill her. If Artifica hadn't interfered, you probably would have."
<Prism> So far the situation seemed calm, but those living ponies were acting strangely.   He could also just imagine how uncomfortable that had to be for Whisper.
* Whisper recovers a bit. "So, um, I'm Whisper. What's your name?" he asks slowly.
* Jasmine turned away from Milia, avoiding her gaze. "....I should have..." she mumbled, barely audible. "She was a bad pony. I should have killed her. Why wouldn't anyone let me? Everything she's done.... why ... why shouldn't I have killed her?" Jasmine replied. Her forced calm made her tone that of someone who was genuinely curious, rather than upset.
<uSeaGM> She looks puzzled for a moment before answering. "I am... Ghost. Whisper's friend... Ghost." The other ponies nod to one another. "Whisper friend."
<Whisper> "Ah, right. Nice to meet you, Ghost. Uh, are you from...here?"
* Milia remains quiet for a few moments before releasing a quiet groan of exasperation and rubbing her temples. "...Goddess, I am the /last/ person who should be trying to have this conversation..." she mutters under her breath. "Honestly, Jas...I don't know. I honestly don't know whether I woulda stopped you from doing it, either. I'm not, ah...I'm not a...poster child for self control myself."
<uSeaGM> She shakes her head slowly. "From away... friends here."
* Milia looks Jasmine dead in the eyes. "But, what I do know, is that mare in there, she is crippled, she is helpless, and she isn't even in control of her own mind. She isn't innocent, but there has to be a better way to make her answer for what she did than killing her when she's not even aware of what's happening."
* Whisper continues to probe. "So, you came here for friends?"
<uSeaGM> Ghost nods.
* Prism finds this completely sad.
<Whisper> "You and your friends help here, at the castle?"
<Jasmine> "What about those she has crippled? The ones she made helpless? Were they in control under her hoof, and a bomb collar strapped to their neck? But now, that Im no longer controlled. I can set things right. I am in control. This is... its about justice. It... its not personal." She lied. Not only to Milia, but she lied to herself. And she believed it too. "It.. it has to be done."
* Artifica_ is trying to keep an eye on everyone and succeeds in keeping an eye on no one.  Mentally performing eenie-meenie between her party members, she settles on keeping an eye on Cerberus and the alicorn, to whom she gives a polite bow.
<uSeaGM> The mare nods again.
<uSeaGM> Meanwhile, the alicorn stands up (with Cerberus clinging on somewhere. Yay for Princess rides!) and heads over to Artifica. "Is this yours?"
<Whisper> "Well, that sounds...nice. What exactly do you do here?"
* Cerberus has a ride, that's good "yay! fly my little pony, fly!"
* Milia doesn't like where this is going one bit. "Jas, listen to me, it doesn't /have/ to be done." She honestly wasn't even sure herself what she was saying was true at this point. Her voice wavers a bit as she forces herself to speak. "Killing...killing that mare isn't gonna...isn't gonna solve anything, or change what happened, or make the world a better place..."
* Artifica_ also watches Grandpa Bladckbeard and his granddaughter.  In theory, they were getting a swarthy pirate crew for their little seafaring adventure.
* Milia is absolutely struggling. She absolutely hates the words that are coming out of her mouth right now. "She's...she needs a chance to do better. She needs a chance to make up for what she did. And answer me honestly...do you think if you murdered her that it would turn out well? Would it...would it make you feel better? About what happened? Would it...err..."
<Milia> "...would it fix anything?"
* Artifica_ turns back to Danse.  "Yes.  Or, perhaps moreso, we are hers."
<uSeaGM> Ghost tilts her head, looking confused at the question. "We are friends."
* Cerberus nodnods "yeah, you see... after a lot of members coming and going, i sorta am the member of the group with the longer stay, so i'm... you know, the senior party member... the leader"
* Cerberus then lowers her eyes, a little sad "the others left, or died"
* Artifica_ nods, sharing in the sad reflection.
* Whisper smiles at Ghost awkwardly. "Right. Friends. Friends are good."
<uSeaGM> Danse looks at Artifica_ and Cerberus, then out through the open doors at the quiet gardeners outside. "Yes. I think I understand."
* Milia shifts her position, turning to face Jasmine directly rather than looking to the side. "Look...what I'm trying to say is...you hate her, Jasmine, I know you do. I do too. What she used to do represents everything wrong and horrible in the world, and to be honest, I almost crushed her skull to paste while she was out cold the first time we ran into her."
<Milia> "But...you're not an idiot, Jas; I know you're not.  You were smart and strong enough to make it through that horrible, unending nightmare.  And you have every right to hate her, because what she and the ponies like her did to you was unspeakable, but...but you know what's going to happen if you walk back in there and do what you so desperately want to."
* Cerberus sniffs and gets a little teary
<Whisper> Whisper's eyes go wide and he suddenly stands up. "Um, Ghost. Since friends are so great, do you want to make a new one?" he gives his best winning smile.
<uSeaGM> She nods.
<Whisper> "Well just follow me and we'll go find a new friend!" Whisper attempts to use all the knowledge gained from perusing MoM pamphlets on keeping up morale.
* Whisper walks over to Prism, checking to make sure Ghost and the others are following.
<uSeaGM> The group of ponies follow eagerly and form a small semi-circle around Prism.
<Prism> /Creepy./    "Er, uh, hello."   He sorta squeaks out.
<Jasmine> "I... I wouldnt be murdering her... Im not a murderer... murderers are bad guys.... Im not a bad guy. I would just be doing whats right.... Im not a bad guy.. Im not.." She repeats to herself over and over again. Desperately trying to convince herself.
* Jasmine then turned back towards Milia... her eyes strained as she unsuccessfuly tried to keep out her tears. She was crying. Something Jasmine had not done in a very very long time. "Im.... Im a bad guy. Im a bad guy!" she wailed, grabbing ahold of Milia and burying her face into her body. "Im... Im a bad guy... Im a bad guy..."
<Jasmine> she just repeated through sobs, completely breaking down as the spell on her wore off
* Whisper poots a hoof around Prism's shoulder. "Ghost, this is Prism. He likes meeting new ponies." Leaning over, he whispers in Prism ear, "You're supposed to investigate these ponies, right? Well, you can interview them now. They seem kinda out of it, though."
* Notify: mimezinga is online (irc.canternet.org).
* ChanServ gives channel operator status to mimezinga
* mimezinga is now known as Berry
* Notify: mimezinga is offline (irc.canternet.org).
* Artifica_ walks up and pets Cerberus gently.  "To friends no longer with us?"
<uSeaGM> Ghost and the others look at Prism. "Friend?"
<Prism> "Yes, friend."
* Milia 's eyes go wide. She certainly wasn't expecting /that/. It takes her a few moments to process the gryphon currently clutching her chest. "Ahhhh, shit..." she murmurs sadly, before gently wrapping her forelegs around Jasmine and hugging her. "...It's alright, Jas...you're not a bad person...trust me, you're not..."
* Prism scans over the semi-circle of ponies, attempting to find that grouchy stallion.    He was starting to get the gist of what was going on, but couldn't actually confirm it.  He was theorizing that it caused some ponies with a bit lack of friends to go seek them...even if they ended up being zombies of a sort in the process.  "All of you are good friends."
<uSeaGM> Ghost smiles and gives Prism a hug. "Friend!" The other ponies nod at Prism's question.
* Berry hugs artifica and lets finally go the poor alicorn "don't go away you too, please!"
* Milia just lets Jasmine cry into her. "...You're a little girl who's been through a lot of really shitty stuff, and I can't even imagine how hurt and angry you must feel..."
* Artifica_ hugs Berry back tightly.  "I'm not going anywhere, Cerberus."
* Artifica_ smiles, "Except with you."
<Berry> nuzzles the heavy weapon pony and nuzzles her, then stops next to her, a little more happy
* Artifica_ wonders how Milia would feel about adopting Berry with her.
* Milia would totally be on board with it.
* Prism realizes something.  He probably didn't have the heart to break the spell over them, even if he found a way to.  They at least seemed happy to have friends, which is apparently something the two missing ponies did not have.
* Whisper leans over and intones to Prism again, "The one with the broken horn, Ghost? She knows she's not from here, but I couldn't get anything else out of her."
* Prism whispers to, well, Whisper.  "If these ponies can be...fixed, so to speak, should we?   They seem rather happy.  The two ponies I was looking for didn't exactly have friends before..."
* Whisper pauses for a moment. "I dunno," he finally replies, "but I don't think I ever want to be some drugged out zombie. I'm glad I'm still lucid."
* Jasmine just continues to sob into Milia, shaking her head. "N-no... it.. its t-trueee.. I d-dont fight for justice. Its f-f-for revenge!" she bawls, stuttering through sharp intakes of breath one does when they are crying. "I'm gonna.. was gonna... m-murder.. and.. and.. I s-still think I s-should do it! I w-w-wanna do it! I-I-Im a bad guy!"
<Prism> "Gah, I'm so torn right now.  I know it's wrong to drug ponies into making friends, but they honestly had no friends before...an awful feeling I know quite well..."
* Whisper gets a distant look in his eyes. "Yeah...same here...," he says softly.
* Berry unaware of all the drama running somewhere else, the filly asks "so arti... what now? we got the crew? we can go and fight giant squids?"
* Milia gently pushes Jasmine back so she can look her right in the eyes. Her tone of voice turns stern. "Hey, HEY. No, that does NOT make you a bad person, okay? I promise you it doesn't. I PROMISE you. You cannot help feeling the things you feel. And to be honest, Jas, I would be worried if you /didn't/ want revenge on the scum that put you through hell."
* Prism works up some courage, and approaches Danse.  This was probably a bad idea.   "Excuse me, ma'am?"
<uSeaGM> Danse turns to Prism and smiles when she sees Ghost and the others following him. "You've made some new friends, that's wonderful! Oh, yes?" she answers.
<Prism> "I trust these ponies are you friends, yes?   How did you come about meeting them?"
<Milia> "But you don't have to act on those urges...you don't have to be that way, and you can find other ways to deal with those hurt and angry feelings.  You don't have to feel this way forever, Jas, okay?"
* Berry not getting a rreply, the foal starts wandering around again. it's time to find out what a zombie pirate smells like
* Prism wants to basically try to connect the dots insofar of these ponies and Friendship.
* Whisper snaps out of his daydreaming an realizes he's sitting alone again. He gets up and goes back to the front door. Perhaps Milia and the crazy griffin are doing something. Something away from scary alicorns and pirates.
<uSeaGM> Danse nods. "They are friends of the ghouls and so they are friends of mine."
* Jasmine flinches back as Milia goes mom mode and sternly talks to her. Her wails quite down to whimpers and sniffles as she turns away from her gaze, feeling like a scolded child. "I... I dont know what Im gonna... what Im gonna do if we... if I go back in there." She admits. "I dont know if I can... if I can handle that.."
<Prism> "How did you meet the ghouls then?"
* Whisper reaches the door, still ajar from his previous escape attempt, and slips outside.
* Milia relaxes her posture, she didn't mean to get that forceful. "I know...I know...we don't have to go back in there, the others can take care of the talky parts just fine without us, 'kay?" She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. "...Honestly, the less I see of that pony, myself, the better. Trust me, I don't wanna be around her any more than you do."
* Artifica_ smiles.  "Well, then.  Friendship is good..."
* Milia offers the gryphon a smile as she wraps a foreleg around her. "So, we can just sit right here, among all these here corpses where it's nice and peaceful until the others are ready to head out, alright?"
<Whisper> Stepping out of the door, looking around for Milia and Jasmine. Or anypony still lucid, really.
<Whisper> Steps*
* Artifica_ moves to Prism's side and whispers into his ear, "What's going on?"
* Jasmine shakily nods her head. "Okay... staying here.. staying here sounds good. I think I would like that. And maybe I can just... lay down for a minute or two.... or thirty"
* Berry since everypony seems to be interested ins something else, the filly decides to simply sit and see what happens
<Whisper> Finding the resident zebra and griffin proves easier than anticipated. "Hey," says Whisper, approaching the two. "What's going on?"
* Milia chuckles at the gryphon. "Take as much time as you need, Jas."
* Prism whispers to Artifica. "I'm trying to connect the dots.   Friendship doesn't necessarily seem like a bad thing, but is it ethical?  I want to know if these ponies will be well-treated, is the thing."
* Berry frowns, trying to listen to what prism and arti are talking about
* Milia then turns her attention to the normally quiet pony who approached them. "Whisper, my stallion! Uh, not much, just...havin' a nice chat in this scenic graveyard. You know how it goes. How's uh...how's it going inside?"
<uSeaGM> The princess smiles sadly. "Ponies naturally desire friends and companions, but in death they become isolated. It is like a barrier between them and their loved ones as the bonds they shared in life are severed. Most cannot cope with the lonliness and gradually lose their equinity."
<uSeaGM> "I came here to help them. I can lower the barrier between the ghouls and let them connect with each other. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts and together they find the strength to keep themselves sane."
* Whisper sits on his haunches and rubs the back of his neck with a forehoof. "Pretty wierd, actually. Those living ponies who were dancing? They came up and made friends with me."
* Jasmine turned to look at the approaching Whisper, before quickly looking away from him, perhaps of shame for the way she acted inside. She silently layed down, her head resting on Milia, as if she were a pillow. It comforted her somewhat.
* Milia raises an eyebrow. "My, my, you're on a roll today." She teases.
<Prism> "A feeling I know all too well.   I cannot object to this.  Two of those ponies had the commonality of being without friends before, and now they do.  As they are friends of the ghouls, that also probably helps them keep sane, does it not?"
* Whisper laughs nervously. "Yeah, I'll be a regular Pinkie Pie if this keeps up. Just, you know, without the whole stalker bit." He looks at Jasmine. "Is she okay?" he asks Milia, "she usually seems more...energetic."
* Berry "well, actually one of those was a slaver and something like a cold blooded assassin.... but things happened"
* Milia snickers at the Pinkie Pie comment, though her expression sobers up as the topic turns to Jasmine. "She's...she's gettin' there." the zebra quietly responds. "She's, uh...been through a lot."
<Prism> "If you do not mind me asking, if you know, how is this connected with the chemical known as Friendship?  As it has led me to here in search of those two."   He decides to finally ask.
* Berry "a weird pony with something simlar to a coffin wagon offered me a vial of that thing, i think.... didn't look that yummy, at first glance..."
* Whisper stares at Milia, awed. "Wow, first me and now her. You must be getting good at dealing with emotional stuff. I just...well...if you ever need to take a turn freaking out I'm willing to listen. Not sure I can help much, though."
* Milia lays a hoof on Jasmine's back. "But, hey, she's strong, so I got no doubt she'll be just fine! She just needs to take a bit of a breather 'till we're ready to head out, and there's nothin' wrong with that."
* Berry "moreover, he looked like an asshole"
* Milia decides it's her turn to laugh nervously. "Yeah...emotional stuff, if only mental scars could be healed like a bullet wound." Her eye twitches a bit, she was feeling a bit drained, she had to admit to herself.
<Whisper> "Like I said, I'm here if you need to take a break. I mean, you sat there for all my baggage, so I should return the favor."
* Jasmine trembles a bit as the two talked about her. Not enough for it to be visible, but Milia probably could feel it as Jasmine was laying on her. Suddenly she springs up, and turns towards Whisper. She had a forced smile on her face. "Heeeeyy uh... I think Im going to... go over there and... you know.... see if uh... I can go do hero stuff... over there." She said as chipper as she could manage
* Artifica_ gives Berry a nod.  "You probably made the wise choice."
<uSeaGM> Danse nods at Prism's first question and goes to answer the second. "I believe they are connected. Necromantic magic builds up in the blood of the ponies who live here. It comes from the strange blue fish they eat. But a lifetime spent with friends and family has tempered the necromantic element flowing through their veins. When they become ghouls the excess is removed so the necromantic magic doesn't cloud their minds. This is where
<uSeaGM>  'friendship' comes from."
* Whisper leans away in surprise. "Um...sure. Okay. Right, hero stuff. You do that."
* Milia smiles wearily at Whisper. "Hah...thanks...I might take you up on that...honestly what I'd love most right now is to finally get a night alone with my marefriend...but-" she's cut off by Jasmine's somewhat worrying declaration, but decides to give the gryphon some space.
<Milia> "Oh, uh...alright, Jas...just...stay safe, alright?"
* Berry "can i puke? because, you know... this is the blehest thing i've ever heard and i lived in a hellhound tribe..."
* Berry "i mean... i heard a lot of things about friendship... friendship is magic... freindship is forever.... friendship is what gives you a reason to be alive... but.... friendship is corpse blood? really?"
* Prism blinks.   Well, his theory was half right.   "So their diet of the Moon Fish turns the ponies of the Harborage into ghouls eventually, and Friendship is also a byproduct of the necromantic processes.  Hahaaa, while I doubt that causing a panic over their diets is a good idea, as it is their staple.  And it does take awhile to affect them ---"
<Jasmine> "Right! Good then! Uh... goodbye!" She says, giving both of them a smile, giving them a quick wave. As she turned to walk of, she craned her head in the direction of Milia. "Uh.. yeah! no need to worry! I will do that thing.... that thing you just said... yeah! And..... thanks." She replied, before walking off in a direction. What direction didnt really matter.
<Prism> "--- so I believe this to be the next best thing to treating the situation.  You make sure they are well cared for at least."
* Artifica_ picks up Berry and smothers her in the huggles of friendship.
* Milia responds quietly, more to herself than anyone considering Jasmine was already out of earshot. "Hey, no problem..." she says, trailing off.
* Berry "anso... las t time i've seen ghost, she was begging for her life and a  little more lucid than now.... that friendship drug seems to make pony brain a little... funny?"
* Berry has hugs, is soft, gives hugs back
* Whisper looks at the departing Jasmine. "You know," he turns back to Milia, "I can't decide what's worse. Seeing her like this or like...normal. This is sad, but normal was...terrifying? Yes, that's the word."
<uSeaGM> She looks at Berry. "Ah, you mean Grave Keeper. He is a strange pony to be sure, but it is thanks to him that I'm not really needed here. He has been looking after the ghouls for centuries."
* Milia snorts, shaking her head sadly. "Goddess...hopefully someday she won't have to force the smile."
* Berry "oh, okay, so he is unpleaseant but does a needed job... i can understand that. i'll say i'm sorry to him if we meet again"
* Berry then the foal tilts her head and asks out of the blue "ah... may i ask how do you feel about your mother's death? i mean, the goddess... it's something that puzzled me for a long time... you know, i've seen it happening and i never understood if it gave you freedom or pain..."
* Prism looks at Danse.  "I think you help in your way.  I believe you honestly care for the ghouls and the living ponies here.   Though I'm not sure of that gravekeeper's motives."
* Jasmine found a nice spot, out of sight of anyone else and lays down on her side, taking out an old worn book that she had had since before she was even a slave, and silently opens it and begins to read. She had read it hundreds upon hundreds of times already, but it always helped her through the stressful times.
* Whisper nods assent. "Hopefully." He coughs. "I do mean what I said, though. You guys have been better to me than any other group I've met in the wastes. I...I wanna repay that. I don't want to be dead weight, just leeching off ponies - er, I mean zebras - too nice for their own good."
* Artifica_ is startled by Berry's question to Danse, but finds herself also curious.  She seconds Prism's sentiment, "Yes.  From what little I have seen, you seem to perform a vital service to the well-being of the people here.  I am certain they are better off for your presence."
<uSeaGM> Danse looks down and absent mindedly puts a wing over Ghost's back. "How I... My greatest freedom and my greatest loss came at the same moment. I know what it is to be painfully alone yet surrounded by family. I help the ghouls because I know how they feel."
* Milia barks out a laugh, making no effort to hide her amusement. "Too nice for their own good, that's a new one! Ahh, sorry, just...never been called that before." She beams a toothy grin at Whisper. "Seriously, yo, don't worry about it, you ain't dead weight, and you're a pretty sincere dude, so I know we can count on you."
* Berry tries to elaborate the meaning of the reply, then nods. "oh... sorry then."
* Berry seems to feel gulty for something but doesn't elaborate... looks like she decided that saying she is sorry is enough
<Prism> "Rest assured, you have at least one other friend today if you want one."   He smiles faintly.
* Whisper looks away sheepishly. "Well, hiding is my main tactic, and it's great if you're trying to keep yourself in one piece. Not so much if you're trying to help somepony else."
* Berry shrugs "that's so pony..." takes a look at whisper "don't worry, we got your tail covered"
<uSeaGM> "Friend!" says Ghost, and she hold out a hoof for a hug. Danse smiles and holds her hoof out as well. "Hug?"
* Berry shrugs. "hug" hugs are good, so, why not
* Milia scoffs, rolling her eyes. "Well that's where your gun comes in, dorkus. I /know/ that thing ain't just for looks. I mean, shit, how effective do you think /I'm/ going to be out at sea? I kick things. That's /it/. So unless these nightmare squids decide to just slither up on deck or possibly have some emotional issues they need hashing out, I'm hosed."
* Prism despite not being a pony for contact in the past, given that was never the environment he was raised in decides to give Ghost and Danse the hug offered hug.
* Artifica_ nods and steps forward.   "Friend." She gives Danse a hug.  And then moves to give one to each of the living friendship-ponies.
* Whisper gives a little chuckle. "Given my luck that's what'll happen."
<uSeaGM> The hug is good! But for Berry, Prism, and Artifica_ things so a bit <-=======ooO Ooo=======->...
<Whisper> "Changing the subject, um, have you ever met a cyberpony?"
* Berry here eyes go wide and she sees stuff
* Prism sees things, maaaan, you wouldn't even know.
* Artifica_ whoahs, "Whoa!"
* Milia blinks a few times, before hummind out thoughtfully. "Uhhh...huh...no, can't say I have, actually." she says, shooting a curious look to the stallion beside her. "That's a...weirdly specific question. Why do you ask?"
* Whisper looks down and begins idly pawing the ground with a forehoof. "Oh, I just always thought the tech was neat. Wanted to see it for real, you know?"
* Artifica_ looks about, startled.
* Milia chuckles softly. "Stallions and their robots..." she murmurs to herself. "I've always been more of an alchemy gal, myself. Go figure. You lookin' to, you know...get a few upgrades or somethin'?"
<uSeaGM> Danse steps back, wide-eyed. "Oh I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to show you... I'm sorry!"
* Artifica_ doesn't let Danse step back far, embracing the alicorn with a fierce hug.
* Berry is still seeing stuff... you know, she never leaves the movie until they are done with the ending titles... mebbe there are extras
* Prism looks sad.   "No, it's okay...definitely okay."   He joins Artifica in the big hug on the alicorn.
* Berry is still hugging.
* Artifica_ has to ask, "Was that... was the child you?"
* Whisper looks up, nervously. "Yeah. Yeah, I am," he replies, hesitantly. "More than a few, though."
* Milia perks up, intrigued. "Oh ho? What exactly are we talkin', here?" She asks, having a fairly good guess at why Whisper was interested in the first place.
* Whisper looks around a minute, then leans in closer. "As much as I can get my hooves on," he says, deadly serious.
<uSeaGM> The alicorn shakes her head. "No no, it was Ghost here." She draws the blissfully unaware ex-slaver closer with her wing.
* Prism hugs Ghost then, as well.
* Artifica_ nods somberly and turns to give Ghost a fierce hug.
* Milia 's eyes go wide, leaning her head back a bit from Whisper. "Uh, woah...intense...you're pretty serious about this, aren't you? I'd ask if you'd settle for alchemy instead, but, uh...I think we both know what the answer to that would be."
* Whisper looks down again. "I dunno, will alchemy help me go beyond the frail body I was born with? Because that's where I'm going." He looks and meets Milia's eyes again. "Prism is actually nice, and I can get along with him, but he's wrong. I don't have any magic. I'm small. I'm weak. I can only get by by running and hiding. Becoming a cyberpony is a way to become strong enough to protect myself. The only way I know of, in fact.
<uSeaGM>  "It is the memory she tries to bury the deepest, yet it is the one that screams the loudest. My power bridged the gap and... I'm sorry."
* Berry sighs and shakes her head "look... i... i know cracking her horn was cruel, but... it was that or kill her... she was trying to kill us and her magic was giving her the edge.... i'm sorry"
<Prism> "Wait, ...I'm unaware that you met her before."
* Artifica_ nods somberly
* Berry "ah... yeah, that... she and her companions tried to kill us while taking vcontrol of a giant orbital weapon of mass destruction... we killed the others and i had to break her horn to stop her from tossing grenades on our heads through a floor..."
* Berry "funnily enough, it is how i got my cutiemark... i... guess that now it looks a little more like a faultymark..."
<Prism> "I see...you did what you had to do.  But you didn't kill her.  She got a second chance at least to repent."
* Artifica_ agrees.  "Not a faultymark, Cerberus.  What you did... you saved her life."
* Berry no, we didn't kill her because she gave up and asked us to spare her... and... well... you don't kill a foe that surrenders... you know, that means he, or she, already gave up the fight...
<uSeaGM> Danse looks down at Berry in surprise. "Then that little pink pony with the magic gun was you? Well then, it is thanks to you that she is here now."
* Berry looks a bit worried "ah... and this is.... good? also, how do you know about the pink pony and stuff?"
* Milia taps a hoof to her chin, thoughtfully. "...actually, yeah, it will, believe it or not. I mean, I ain't gonna tell you what you should and shouldn't do with your own body, that's /your/ business. But, if you can't swing the whole robo-pony thing, I'm more than happy to offer up my dubiously acquired knowledge to help ponies out."
<Milia> "But, I mean, who knows?  Maybe we'll find some cyber pony stuff down in that facility, you never know!"
<Prism> "This is good...she's not going to harm anypony, nor is it likely anypony can harm her."
* Whisper 's eyes go wide. "How much? How much could you improve me? Is it permanent? How difficult is it? Because if it's permanent and drastic I'll drink every potion you put in front of me."
<uSeaGM> Danse looks a bit embarassed. "Well, um, I was curious about her horn..."
* Berry smiles nervously "turns out they're pretty tough... got 3 well aimed shots to crack it..."
* Prism winces, and cringes.  "Owwww..."
* Milia 's eyes dart back and forth. She wasn't expecting such an...enthusiastic response. "...uh...I actually...dunno. I was...I was mostly joking, dude you flipped absolute /shit/ when my talisman gave you temporary bat-wings, you sure you wanna be a test subject for stuff that /won't/ wear off?"
<Milia> "I can totally try brewing some stuff if we come across the ingredients, but...you know, just, make sure you know what you're getting into."
<uSeaGM> She winces too
<uSeaGM> She winces too. "Yes I... I felt it."
* Prism comes to the realization that he would be pretty damned useless without his horn.   That worried him.
* Whisper continues, unperturbed. "I didn't expect that and had just met you. And yes, as I said I'll drink anything as long as one, it's permanent, and two, it makes me better." He's leaning forward, intensity etched onto every inch of his face.
* Milia blinks a few times, legitimately surprised. "...I'll...see what I can cook up, then."
* Berry "so... uh... why don't we change the topic? why did she arive here? was she looking for somethingg?"
* Prism just lets Berry take over here, since he was overwhelmed with sympathy.
* Whisper relaxes. "Thanks. This means a lot to me. I can't wait to see what you cook up," he says with an odd smile.
* Milia snickers. This was gonna be fun. "Me neither."
<uSeaGM> The alicorn pats Berry. "She was looking for friends," Danse answers, "and I'd like to think she found some."
<uSeaGM> **End of Session for Group 4**
* Jasmine sighs and looks down at her book, fresh waterstains in little droplets now on the pages. She closes the book and returns it to where she had it stashed away, and stood up, looking over towards the direction where Milia and Whisper were. Taking a deep breath, she puts on her best smile, and slowly makes her way back.
<uSeaGM> **End of Session for Group 4** (take two)