Darkest Days Chapter 3 Date: 2013/1/7

[2013-01-07 17:45:44] <Ilushia> 12Fallout: Equestria: Darkest Days. Chapter 3: Scavenger Hunt. Session Begins.
[2013-01-07 17:49:13] <Ilushia> 12The soft, steady hums and clicks of running maneframe spell matrixes mixed with the steady whoosh of recycled air, filling the cold white room with a steady blanket of white noise. The terminal continued flashing quietly. 'Please attached storage device'. Outside, on the roof, the rain had let up, becoming a light drizzle by Trottingham standards. Which meant it was merely a
[2013-01-07 17:49:14] <Ilushia> 12steady rain, rather than an outright downpour, as thunder echoed in the distance. Occasional lightning strikes giving stark contrast to broken buildings like bones from a once-living thing now rotting beneath rain and darkness.
[2013-01-07 17:54:29] * Sephie glances over the assorted clothing. "I don't know," she says. "I'm not much of a mechanic, but none of this really looks like armor to me. I doubt I could use it to patch the basura I'm wearing right now."
[2013-01-07 17:55:04] * Cherry_Topping throws one last glance at Sephie before turning again to the dark and the rain. "Yeah, just another one of them Talon armors would do to fix this one. Dunno if you want me to kill one for you though. I make cheap prices," she grins.
[2013-01-07 17:55:15] * Rosemary_Thyme looks to Father_White-Eyes, "Is there anything you need me to do?  Any way I could help?"
[2013-01-07 17:55:54] * Father_White-Eyes "Yeah, plug in your pipbuck and let the maneframe dump some info into it. It might be useful later."
[2013-01-07 17:57:08] * Sephie scowls at Cherry_Topping. "I can only think of one I wouldn't mind murdering out of hand, but she's nowhere near here." The mutant griffon flaps her wings and huddles under the oilcloak. "As for any other talon... no, I'd rather you didn't. They're the only family I've got, after all." She looks up. "Regular combat armor would work too, wouldn't it?"
[2013-01-07 17:57:26] * Rosemary_Thyme nods and proceeds to do so.
[2013-01-07 17:59:58] <Ilushia> 12The PipBuck chirps quietly, then silence ensues for several long moments before finally the machine flashes. 'Data transfer complete' across the screen.
[2013-01-07 18:01:09] <Cherry_Topping> "Eeeehhh..." Cherry waves a hoof around in circles. "Let's say that the more...fine-tuned stuff requires some tight-fitting pieces already. So, mmm nah, that wouldn't work.Besides, I'm done with standing in the rain. Let's see what the brainers down there are up to." That said, she goes for the stairs down.
[2013-01-07 18:02:48] <Sephie> "No objection here," Sephie says, and follows the raider down the stairs. "I don't think I've seen it stop raining once since I got here, and it's been almost two weeks. Does your Steel Ranger base have heaters...?"
[2013-01-07 18:03:11] * Excellence wasn't doing much, since she wasn't being called upon or even being looked at, she took this opportunity to get a little extra rest, standing in place with her eyes closed.
[2013-01-07 18:06:44] * Rosemary_Thyme_ smiles to Father_White-Eyes.  All done.
[2013-01-07 18:07:06] <Cherry_Topping> "Heaters? Well yeah, at least the important offices. Walls and horsepower do the rest." Cherry arrives in the room with the others, and shakes herself dry violently, spraying cold water to her sides. "Any progress on the cracking, Black Ops?"
[2013-01-07 18:08:46] * Rosemary_Thyme_ waves to the returning companions.
[2013-01-07 18:10:16] <Sephie> "Place seems relatively secure without that stone-pony thing around," Sephie says. "Also, I think that zebra is a figment of my imagination... one moment she was there, and then she was gone again." She looks at Rosemary_Thyme. "Does she always do that?"
[2013-01-07 18:12:26] * Excellence had opened her eyes upon hearing hoofsteps, but did nothing else.
[2013-01-07 18:20:47] * Rosemary_Thyme_ looks to Sephie with a slightly bewildered expression.  "What zebra?"
[2013-01-07 18:22:28] * Cherry_Topping snickers. "Yeah, you must be seeing things. Got the pile of arcanoscrap working yet?"
[2013-01-07 18:22:53] * Sephie blinks. "Uh... the one with the funny-looking coat?" she says. "Chided us for fighting the stone monster...?" She looks at Cherry_Topping like she's about to cry. "Wasteland got me, didn't it? I've finally snapped! Oh woe is me!" She spreads her wings and flops back dramatically on them.
[2013-01-07 18:23:08] * Father_White-Eyes turns back to the terminal.
[2013-01-07 18:23:31] * Father_White-Eyes clicketty-clacks. "Solaris".
[2013-01-07 18:24:55] <Ilushia> 12For a long, long moment the terminal sits, the reels spinning on the maneframe, before finally the PipBuck, still connected, chirps again quietly and the entire screen goes black on the terminal. Either it's run out of power, or whatever that was killed it.
[2013-01-07 18:26:16] * Father_White-Eyes "Unprint thyself you befuddling atrocity of technology!"
[2013-01-07 18:26:19] * Rosemary_Thyme frowns and checks her PipBuck for damage.
[2013-01-07 18:27:09] * Excellence had moved closer, but tensed up as the computer went dead. Fearing the worst she backed away very quickly.
[2013-01-07 18:27:27] * Sephie looks up from the floor. "Whuh? Did something break?"
[2013-01-07 18:28:28] * Cherry_Topping chortles at Sephie, before turning unamused at Father_White-Eyes. "Well then, guess the ol' tourist guide doesn't quite remember the way his decrepit toys rolled. *sigh* Who would have imagined."
[2013-01-07 18:29:12] <Ilushia> 12All around them the arcanotech maneframe churned a few moments longer, before the smell of acrid smoke lifted into the air and the slight tingling of releasing magical energies. Not enough to be dangerous, but it was clear someone had let the magic smoke out of the device.
[2013-01-07 18:30:59] * Rosemary_Thyme quickly detaches her PipBuck and starts running diagnostics on it, suspecting damage or worse.
[2013-01-07 18:31:23] <Sephie> "Oh. Oh that's not good..." Sephie says. "Those don't work so well once you let the smoke out of them..." She stands up and folds her wings. "Is your Pipthingy okay...? There's a repair station for them not to far away if it isn't..."
[2013-01-07 18:31:28] <Rosemary_Thyme> "From now on, let's not use that word.
[2013-01-07 18:32:04] * Rosemary_Thyme looks seriously to Father_White-Eyes.  "I would not be surprised if the name itself was a trigger."
[2013-01-07 18:32:46] * Father_White-Eyes sighs, "Yeah, I suppose that's what it must have been. Really no way to have known for sure beforehand though. Sorry for busting it."
[2013-01-07 18:35:51] * Rosemary_Thyme nods.  "Well, at least we got a copy of the data... so long as that death didn't wipe it from my PipBuck as well.  We should have made sure to disconnect before typing anything."
[2013-01-07 18:36:53] <Sephie> "What were you looking for on there, if I may ask?" Sephie says, padding a little closer to the Scribe and the priest. "What did you type?"
[2013-01-07 18:38:48] * Father_White-Eyes "I typed 'Solaris' into the terminal. And then the maneframe died."
[2013-01-07 18:40:01] <Sephie> "What's a Solaris?" Sephie asks, cocking her head. The beads and little bell jingle in her feathers. "Top secret pre-war project or something?"
[2013-01-07 18:40:31] * Cherry_Topping 's eyes grow wide and teary. "You.. typed.. S-*snerk* So-*wheeze*pffftHAHAHAHAHAHA-" She falls to the ground in howling laughter.
[2013-01-07 18:41:36] * Father_White-Eyes "It was a pre-war company with a male-centric attitude and a bad reputation. They were competitors with the Ministry of Technology and not all of their stuff worked as advertised."
[2013-01-07 18:42:28] * Sephie nods. "So basically the opposite of Stable-Tec, then?" She makes a wry face. "Sounds like a big bucket of bad news..."
[2013-01-07 18:46:08] * Father_White-Eyes "More like a direct competitor with Stable-Tec. They were in the news often, and not in a good light. But as far as I know nopony was ever formally charged with anything, despite the sketchy quality of some of their products."
[2013-01-07 18:48:40] * Cherry_Topping is wiping tears out of her eyes from down on the ground. "Hahahaha.. *wheeze* He typed Sola.. Oh my sides.... *snort* What a dumbass." Still chuckling to herself, she picks herself up shakingly and dusts her armor off with a hoof.
[2013-01-07 18:50:38] * Father_White-Eyes "Would you like to share something, Cherry_Topping?"
[2013-01-07 18:50:54] <Sephie> "Hmph." Sephie shakes her head. "Just because you didn't get caught doesn't mean you didn't do anything wrong." She nudges Cherry_Topping with a claw. "Care to share the joke?"
[2013-01-07 18:54:52] <Cherry_Topping> "Well, how about Sol-*snerk* Solaris being the very LAST thing one would ever type into something that is NOT Solaris? They weren't exactly lauded, you know. Doing that just sounds like, the dumbest thing one could possibly *snort* I mean, have you even tried Swordfish? If you were to play dumb, blind clichès, you could have at least gone with /that/!"
[2013-01-07 18:55:55] <Sephie> "Sword... fish?" Sephie looks very confused. "A sword made of fish, or a fish made of swords? I don't get it..."
[2013-01-07 18:57:49] <Cherry_Topping> "Eh, it's a joke among coders that Granny told me. Beats me if /I/ know where that came from," she replies. "Though a fish made of swords sounds cool enough to justify that."
[2013-01-07 19:04:55] <Sephie> "Better than a sword made of fish," Sephie agrees. "I don't think that'd be very effective at anything other than being tasty."
[2013-01-07 19:07:02] <Cherry_Topping> "Can't forget the humiliation factor, though," Cherry sniffs. "That's always a plus in my book."
[2013-01-07 19:08:12] * Excellence did something rather rare, she spoke up. "The time is now 9:50 PM, might I suggest finding a place to rest?"
[2013-01-07 19:08:59] * Father_White-Eyes steps back from the terminal and looks around the room. "Well, now that's a bust, anybody else got any ideas?"
[2013-01-07 19:11:35] <Sephie> "Um, I vote for finding some nice, warm, and relatively dry place to sleep, then going back to the Steel Ranger base," Sephie says, then lowers the talon she'd raised. "If... if I get a vote, that is. I have stuff to do there."
[2013-01-07 19:13:14] * Cherry_Topping gives a neutral look around, "Well, unless someone else wants to join the crocodile party downstairs, I'd call this a day."
[2013-01-07 19:17:25] * Father_White-Eyes closes his eyes and centers himself, muttering, "...Celestia give me strength..." Opening his eyes and peering around the room, "I... am officially out of ideas. So either I can arrange a prayer circle and we can all pray to the Goddesses for help, or we can call it a day, steal anything not nailed down, and move on to the next marked location. Thoughts?"
[2013-01-07 19:18:02] * Father_White-Eyes continues, "By the way: I'm serious about that prayer circle. If you want to, we can do that."
[2013-01-07 19:19:39] * Sephie snorts. "Your pony princesses never did me any good, preacher, but that's not surprising. I'm a griffon, not a pony." She shuffles her talons. "I'd feel a lot warmer and happier with a hot meal and a place to crash for the night than I would holding your hooves and talking at the clouds."
[2013-01-07 19:20:58] * Cherry_Topping chuckles, "Yeah, a prayer to Celestia, suuuure, and what about one to the Headless horse as well so he won't come and snatch us during the night?"
[2013-01-07 19:21:17] * Excellence just keeps her mouth shut and gaze averted.
[2013-01-07 19:21:51] * Father_White-Eyes merely shrugs, his expression mild. "As you wish. Some find the idea of a power greater than themselves to be a comforting thought. In this age of endless rain, the idea of the Princesses 'endless reign' appeals to many."
[2013-01-07 19:22:36] * Sephie groans at the pun, then giggles. "Yeah, I guess. Seems all higher powers expect of me is to die valiantly doing something that doesn't matter, so... I'm not really a fan."
[2013-01-07 19:24:24] * Cherry_Topping groans amused, "Oh just look at him, two hundred years old and still believes in Royal Princesses. But who am I to crush somepony's innocent dreams, who am I indeed."
[2013-01-07 19:24:37] * Father_White-Eyes "Do you want to die valiantly for a higher power? All the ponies I know who wanted to die for Equestria have indeed been rendered deceased. Were they able to respond to questions, I'm sure their opinions would differ with the perspective of death."
[2013-01-07 19:26:57] <Sephie> "Dying just means I get to be done with all of... this." Sephie spreads her four wings and gestures at their surroundings. "I don't see as how higher power is a comforting thing when it allows crap like this to happen. Either because it doesn't care, or worse, likes it." She looks at the ground. "I don't mean to snark at your beliefs, Padre, but it looks like the only power who won in Equestria was Discord..."
[2013-01-07 19:29:48] * Father_White-Eyes "I would enjoy having a theological debate with you some time, but now is neither the time nor the place." He smiles crookedly, "I never said anything about what I believe, fledgling. I don't have any comment about Discord, he was before my time. But you're right about the war: The only victor was death."
[2013-01-07 19:30:43] * Father_White-Eyes "In fact, death even claimed me..."
[2013-01-07 19:31:20] <Cherry_Topping> "Yay death, woo~" Cherry throws a hoof into the air. Then grins at the faces directed towards her. "...More fun for those left, right?"
[2013-01-07 19:32:00] <Sephie> "That must give you one hell of a perspective then," Sephie says, sitting back down and ignoring Cherry. "I'd... I wouldn't mind hearing about it sometime when I'm not smelling like a drowned cat attacked a flooded chicken coop. Can we go someplace relatively dry?"
[2013-01-07 19:32:57] <Excellence> "Perhaps I could assist with that?"
[2013-01-07 19:34:24] * Sephie quirks a brow. "Uh, sure, miss. Muchas gracias," she says to Excellence.
[2013-01-07 19:34:58] * Father_White-Eyes "Seraphim, if there is another side I did not see it when I 'died'. Perhaps because what you might call my soul was chained to this mortal coil by the necromantic energies that 'killed' me I was not allowed to see what exists on the other side, or perhaps there is no other side. I do not know, nor do I pretend to know. My spiritual services remain at your disposal."
[2013-01-07 19:36:23] * Excellence spreads her wings and loosens up, a few twists of her jaw and she suddenly surges forward, in her place a mini tornado surrounded and veiled the gryphon. Within a few seconds it fades and a better smelling ball of fluff was in place of the mutant gryphon, the pegasus returning to her spot licking her lips.
[2013-01-07 19:37:12] * Father_White-Eyes smothers a dry chuckle at Sephie's poofy appearance.
[2013-01-07 19:37:49] * Sephie staggers dizzily. "Dios mio..." she stammers. Her fur, and feathers, are ridiculously poofy, and stick out through all the rents, tears, and bulletholes in her jury-rigged armor. "Gracias, senorita," she says. "But next time warn me before you do that. I thought you were going to give me a blanket or something."
[2013-01-07 19:38:54] * Sephie shakes off the dizzy and turns back to Father_White-Eyes. "When I'm sure I have a soul, then we'll talk," she says, and shakes her head sadly. "And... don't call me Seraphim, por favor. There's a reason I go by Sephie."
[2013-01-07 19:39:48] * Father_White-Eyes "As you desire. Peace be upon you, Sephie."
[2013-01-07 19:39:52] * Rosemary_Thyme finishes examining her PipBuck.  "All seems fine.  That crash left an odd file on my PipBuck however.  I suggest we not activate it, or even examine it, until we can move it onto an isolated and expendable device."
[2013-01-07 19:41:54] * Cherry_Topping guffaws at that. "Do pegasi come with drying routines now?.... What happens if you try that on a bloody corpse? Does that suck it dry? .. Where does the blood even go? Oooh... That's a pretty image..." She stares forward at nothing.
[2013-01-07 19:42:11] * Father_White-Eyes sighs, "Oh good. I was worried I'd damaged your device. For now, I suggest we return to your Steel Ranger base and offload all that data we got. It's sure to be of value to somepony, possibly even to us. And I'm sure you have spare terminals to try out that mystery file. Furthermore, I mightn't need any physical sustenance, but the rest of you do. Unless there's anything else y'all want to steal, shall we move on?"
[2013-01-07 19:42:14] <Sephie> "Vaya con Diosa, I suppose would be the right response?" Sephie says, and giggles. "You certainly are an odd herd... wait a tic." She looks down at herself, then at Excellence. "What did you just clean me with... tell me you didn't...."
[2013-01-07 19:45:19] * Rosemary_Thyme blinks, looking at Excellence.  "My, my... you have many talents, my dear."
[2013-01-07 19:45:56] <Excellence> "You were one month and fourteen hours overdue for a proper grooming and preening, I apologise, but I have no grass for the finishing touches."
[2013-01-07 19:46:24] * Rosemary_Thyme then nods to Father_White-Eyes.  "Back to base now, I believe.  Although I would not be adverse to prayers along the way."
[2013-01-07 19:47:09] * Sephie blushes a little. "Uh... well, I..." She shuts her beak with a snap. "Again, gracias. I do want to see if that Stable-Tec Repair place has a PipBuck or something in it. We might get lucky..."
[2013-01-07 19:51:26] * Rosemary_Thyme thinks, "If it's on the way, I see no reason not to, so long as we have time before it gets dark."
[2013-01-07 19:53:51] * Father_White-Eyes "Very well. One of the favored prayers among those I have been padre to begins with these three words: 'Dear Princess Celestia'..."
[2013-01-07 19:56:08] * Father_White-Eyes "Today, we learned that not everything goes as we assume it will. That no plan survives contact with reality. We seek Your pardon for our sins against our fellow ponies, and against ourselves. We pray for peace and Your love. Your student, White-Eyes."