Somber's game Session IX Log

[19:57:33] <%Somber> In a rather savage display of wastelandery, Aria summarially beat the doctor to death with a 9-iron. The wasteland was quite proud of her. No doubt the others in Stable two would be quite glad to hear how she'd split open her skull like a white watermellon. The secretary had tried to enter, and when she couldn't, a calm voice over the PA said 'Doctor
[19:58:19] <%Somber> Allcome to room 210. Doctor Allcome to room 210.' What a coincidence... that was the room number for psych services.
[20:00:37] Aria stares at the dead body outside, wondering why it wouldn't disappear. "This can't be real. It's can't. Everything that happened, it can't be..."
[20:03:42] Star_Chaser eyetwitches. "What is WRONG with you!? You do not just do that to someone! Even if you think they're lying to you!" She shook a forehoof at Aria, glaring at her.
[20:04:07] <%Somber> But it was real. Her body just lay there. And the town... it didn't look like the wasteland. It looked... looked... like those old pictures of life long ago. The shops were whole and the glass unbroken. The ponies walking along weren't crazy or mad or shooting. It looked... like life used to look so very long again.
[20:04:09] <%Somber> ago*
[20:04:21] Red_Line moves over to the desk andputs the "Wastlander" game in his saddle bag "Theres not more we can do here lets move it."
[20:05:01] Tiller shakes his head. "Don't think about it, Star Chaser. Everything you see is lying to you. Or else we're all crazy. Either way, security is coming. Get ready."
[20:05:16] Aria looks back and forth. "It's an illusion, I figured that it wasn't real and killing it would shock us out of it, but it didn't work. It didn't work!"
[20:06:23] <%Somber> But security didn't come through the door. They came outside the window, arranging themselves in a semi circle with arcane magic guns ready. Then a gentle purple gas began to fill the air from the vents. So sweet....
[20:07:12] Tiller "Hold your breath! Let's scram!:
[20:07:38] Tiller thumps the door open and aims his pistol up and down the hall.
[20:07:39] Aria erects a shield around the group, making sure Skyshine is close by. "Come on, let's go!"
[20:07:47] Red_Line "Ok time to get going."
[20:08:40] Star_Chaser eyetwitches again, looking up at the gas. "And if it's not a lie, then what? Then you murdered someone, for no reason!" She cursed and kept close to the others despite this. Something was definitely very, very wrong. "Everything since we got here has been trying to make us monsters. To punish us for trying to do the right thing, or make us do something horrible because
[20:08:40] Star_Chaser it's easy."
[20:10:32] Red_Line move in to the hallway glancing both was "Which way are we going?"
[20:10:32] Aria stops, looking back at the window. "This can't be real," she says, tears starting to form in her eyes as the gravity of what she did starts to hit her.
[20:10:48] <%Somber> When Tiller thumps the door open, the security on the far side opened up, each one blasting tiller with a bolt of purple magic from their pistols. One jammed, sparking, but three more bolts struck the stallion head on.
[20:14:15] <%Somber> The magic bolts stop inches from Tiller's face when it hits Aria's shield, but then the purple spells snake across the surface and a magical feedback slams into her head like a sledge hammer, and mercifully spares her any further contemplation of her murder.
[20:19:36] Tiller ducks back from the hallway. "Shit! Shit!"
[20:21:15] <%Somber> "Wait em out! Let the gas get them!" one of the guards shouted.
[20:21:33] Red_Line follows Tiller back in to the room "Well we're not going out that way."
[20:24:15] Star_Chaser reaches down to scoop up Aria as best she could. "Suggestions? I don't think we're getting out of this easily..."
[20:25:52] Tiller "We could surrender."
[20:26:33] Tiller points. "Or hide in the storeroom."
[20:27:25] Red_Line jumps up on to the desk and checks the ceiling for a way
[20:29:36] Star_Chaser snarls a little. "This is not good. I can't carry us all out that window. No way." She looks back towards the hallway. "I don't think we can fight our way out of this.
[20:30:31] Tiller looks up at Red_Line. "Well?"
[20:30:37] Skyshine [[email protected]] joined the channel.
[20:32:34] Red_Line looks to the rest "What If we made a hole thru the wall? We could try that."
[20:34:21] <%Somber> There was only one way to find out!
[20:35:44] Tiller "I don't have a bomb! And that nutty bomber pony we were with wandered off!"
[20:35:47] Red_Line moves to the wall in a rush of desperation and starts to buck at it
[20:36:14] Star_Chaser grumbles. Moving with Red Line and doing her best to help.
[20:36:43] Skyshine stumbles toward the wall as well. "Oh... I don't... feel so good..."
[20:40:02] Tiller "Okay then, let's do this!" He bucks at the wall as hard as he can too. Which is not very hard. Also, he's not very good at bucking.
[20:40:35] Red_Line lines up one waloop of a buck at the wall
[20:41:47] Tiller 's back hooves glance off the wall. He tries again.
[20:42:21] <%Somber> The wall crunches and wobbles. There's a chance he might make it out of here!
[20:45:31] <%Somber> Tiller slides to the floor, one leg still upraised. Still, Red Line and Star were up and awake... but it was a good question how they were going to get out of here.
[20:46:33] Red_Line watchs as the rest falter under the gas gives the a second buck
[20:47:31] Star_Chaser groans and wobbles a few moments, but continues bucking as hard as she can.
[20:47:57] <%Somber> Redline's kick knocks a whole in the wall. Escape! Freedom! ....and three security ponies waiting for the wall to fall in. Soon as they can, they unload on the pair.
[20:50:06] Red_Line looks to the trio "Well fuck me side ways."
[20:50:51] <%Somber> Purple bolts are their only reply.
[20:51:09] Star_Chaser stumbles backwards. Something about this whole setup was wrong. Guards everywhere instantly? This was definitely punishment. But not from just these guards, from something else... Not that she had any real time to contemplate that before collapsing.
[20:51:21] Tiller legtwitch
[20:53:45] Red_Line takes the blasts with a huff and stumples a bit "Is that all ya'll got."
[20:55:05] <%Somber> No. They had many more blasts of disruptive magic. Many more.
[20:55:39] Red_Line falls under the blasts of magic without a comment
[20:58:59] <%Somber> When Red Eye woke, things were different. He was clean, naked, and patched up in a lovely forest meadow. The kind that you could occassionaly find on post cards in the wasteland. Birds sang in the trees and purple butterflies flittered about the pretty lilac flowers. All five of them were together. Only Aria still possessed her PipBuck. A blue pegasus
[20:59:17] <%Somber> mare in a MoP coat sat near by, watching and writing on a clip board.
[20:59:22] Red_Line opens his eyes with a gasp and a shudder looking around himself
[21:00:04] <%Somber> So green. So soothing.
[21:00:45] Red_Line gets up and slowly trots to the mare "Well, and who may you be?"
[21:02:01] <%Somber> She looked slightly apprehensive, but rather pretty. "My name is Azure Wind. Most folks just call me Azure." She glanced over at the others. "How are you feeling?"
[21:03:26] Tiller groans. ""Azure'...? You look how I feel..."
[21:03:51] Tiller sits upright. "...Blue. Where are we?"
[21:05:30] Star_Chaser groans and slowly begins to wake up, "Uuurgh."
[21:06:25] <%Somber> "You're in the MoP maximum care ward," she said quietly. "There's some debate over your treatment. Until then you need to remain here in observation."
[21:08:03] Star_Chaser slowly sits up, rubbing her head. Something about all this was still bothering her.
[21:08:52] Tiller "When can I see my wife and daughter again?"
[21:09:38] <%Somber> "Also, so you're aware, that's not the real sky up there. This environment is for maximum calm while we decide what to do with you." She looked at Tiller and smiled. "Guests will be made available as soon as possible."
[21:12:09] Tiller stands up and begins walking away from Azure wind. Directly away. Just to see how far he could go.
[21:13:23] <%Somber> He reaches the edge of the forest about 200 feet away.
[21:13:47] <%Somber> The trees were so dense and tangled that it was almost impossible to make out the "wall".
[21:14:08] Red_Line bloops down on his rump and looks about the park/ward "So this is all an illusion for us sick in the head types. Well fake set ups help the crazys. That make all the since in the world."
[21:14:11] Aria mumbles something in her sleep that sounds like, "I'm sorry," before drifting back into medically induced slumber.
[21:14:20] Tiller turns around and returns to the group.
[21:15:41] Tiller "The edge of the meadow is the wall. So, what would you like us to perform for you, bluebutt? We could dance, we could caper, we could gibber, we could fuck... You're the one in charge here."
[21:17:43] <%Somber> She gave him a soft smile. "We're just observing for now, and discussing things with your specialist, Dr. Incongito. There is some debate of how to recover and purge this... wasteland... from you. Some are advocating a full memory removal. Wipe the slate clean and let you recover from there. Others are calling for less drastic forms of therapy while we
[21:17:55] <%Somber> deprogram you of this... mental contamination."
[21:17:55] Red_Line looks to Skyshine for a reaction on Tillers last comment
[21:19:01] <%Somber> "Dancing is fine. Caper is fine. Talking is better than gibbering. Coitus... well..." she flushes. "There's not much privacy but I'm getting my doctorate on alternative therapy techniques."
[21:19:52] Tiller leers. "We could do what we did to the last doctor to try to help us too. Doing that got us this. I wonder what doing it again would get us...?"
[21:20:07] Tiller abruptly loses all expression. Curls up on the ground. Cries.
[21:20:31] Skyshine shakes her head. "Alternative therapy techniques my left hoof..." She grumbles.
[21:20:37] Star_Chaser frowns and looks around the surroundings slowly, pacing around it in a slow circle.
[21:21:23] Skyshine looks over Azure. "So are you a heartmender or a headshrinker?"
[21:22:27] <%Somber> She almost looked sad, trotted over, and patted his shoulder with her wing. "There there... we'll get you through this. We've never seen a mind trap like this before. We don't know what the 'game' programmed you with." She looked at Skyshine. "I am rather adamantly a Heartmender. In fact, if they go with the full purge, I'll resign from the MoP."
[21:22:34] Tiller sobs something that sounds like "heartrender".
[21:22:43] Red_Line rolls onto his back "Gilded cages are still a cage, if i'm not wrong."
[21:24:01] <%Somber> She looked at Red Line. "The difference is you're in this cage for our safety. One of you already killed a mare. We don't know what you're capable of. We're trying to understand how best to fix you."
[21:24:44] Skyshine lets out a slow breath before trotting over and checking on Aria. "Alright, well, you get one point in my book," She says looking over Aria. She leans down and whispers in the mare's ear.
[21:26:09] Red_Line looks at the mare with one eye "Your not scared one of us would just kill you right now... hmmm?"
[21:26:18] Aria groans and opens her eyes. "Oh... Was it just a dream? Please tell me I'm back in the Wasteland and didn't kill an innocent pony..."
[21:27:23] Skyshine glares at Red Line. "Can we just... try... for ONCE! A plan that doesn't involve killing ponies? Or is this the wrong crowd?"
[21:27:41] Tiller sobs quietly on the ground. Muttered words that sound like names come between the sobs.
[21:28:00] <%Somber> She looked back at him. "You are not the only one affected by this mind trap. There are hundreds. Thousands of potential victims. Yes, you could kill me. If you want to rape me, so be it. It'll be valuable data, I'm sure. But I became a doctor to help ponies."
[21:28:09] Aria gasps and her eyes go wide. "No... no, no, no, no, no. Please tell me it was a dream, Skyshine. Please..."
[21:29:24] Red_Line sighs "I'm not planing to kill any one, just asking hte doctor here what makes her feel so safe with us is all."
[21:29:42] Tiller slowly stops sobbing.
[21:29:46] Skyshine hugs Aria tight and gently pets her striped mane. "I don't know, hun. I don't know." She looks up at Red Line. "You've never met a heartmender, have you?"
[21:31:27] Star_Chaser rubs her face, sighing quietly. She looked towards the ceiling and the woods, then back to the center of the place. "How long have you been watching us? Someone must have been following us since we arrived, yes?"
[21:31:28] Tiller slowly gets up. His face is tear stained.
[21:31:55] <Red_Line> "Rapist, killers, pillegers of small towns, heartmenders nope, not one."
[21:32:20] Tiller "Ar-Aria? You still have your pipbuck, right? Can you detect any pips other than her?"
[21:32:37] <%Somber> She smiled at Skyshine and then looked at Red. "If it helps you, I'll lend you my body, then looked at Tiller, then at Star. "One moment." she said to star, and then glided over to Tiller and landed. "Can I help you? In any way?"
[21:32:49] Aria looks at the EFS, hoping her tears would not obscure the bars.
[21:33:18] Tiller "I-I want to see my wife. My wife. Quiet Moon. I want to see her!"
[21:33:43] Aria starts to cry. "There's so many bars. So many."
[21:34:29] Skyshine nods. "Well, the wasteland tends to kill them." She glances to Azure, before looking at Red Line. "Heartmenders are gifted with near empathy. I don't know exactly how it works, but it's relate to their wings, at least in pegasus ones. Comes at a cost though. Unless she remembers to emotionally release the hurts of other ponies, she'll hurt herself. The strongest of souls are often seared with scars."
[21:35:14] <%Somber> She reached out with her wings. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She said as she held his shoulders. "Tiller? Our records say... they say she died two years ago. I'm so sorry. Your daughter will be here as soon as its decided you're safe to be around you. I am so sorry," she said as she wept too.
[21:35:25] Red_Line chuckled with a snort "Lend me your body. Now I know this is all fake." wiggles around in the gras or what ever it is
[21:36:03] Tiller snaps his eyes wide open. "NO!"
[21:36:06] <%Somber> It was quite soft grass. Tastey too.
[21:36:26] <%Somber> "I'm sorry..." she said with a sniff. "She is..."
[21:37:14] Tiller "Wh-wh-what *gulp* What happened?" he says through sobbing breaths.
[21:37:23] Skyshine hugs Aria tight, holding the mare close to her and wrapping her wings protectively about the unicorn. "Don't laugh, Red. I could have been one..." she trails off, planting her face in Aria's mane. "If I weren't so broken..." she whispers.
[21:37:57] Aria hugs her back, sobbing. "I killed her. This can't be real. I just want to wake up."
[21:38:19] Red_Line gets up and trots over to Azure "Where is his wife from, where does he live came you tell me that , can you?"
[21:38:42] <Red_Line> can*
[21:38:53] <%Somber> "There was a bomb. Sympathizers... Infiltrators... what does it matter?" she said with a sniff. "Soon after... soon after you started playing Wastelander. I am so sorry!"
[21:40:26] Tiller shakes his head violently. "No! No no no no no no..." he trails off.
[21:41:07] <Red_Line> "You would have some kind of record of where he's from, what town, city. But I think you don't. You don't know any of us."
[21:41:11] <%Somber> She hugged Tiller but looked at Red. "Of course I can, if we wasn't dealing with this trauma right now. I also know about you! Your record at Canterlot Schools is well known to the MoM and MoP."
[21:41:14] Aria just holds onto Skyshine. "You're real, right? I need you to be real. I need to get you out of here. I need..."
[21:41:56] Skyshine kisses the back of Aria's head. "I'm real sweetheart. Real as you are."
[21:42:21] Star_Chaser looks up towards the ceiling again, tilting her head to one side, then the other, contemplating something.
[21:42:38] Tiller "O-okay. When can I see my daughter? When I can I see Sweet Breeze?"
[21:44:01] <%Somber> "As soon as it's decided you're safe to be around her. As quickly as possible, I'll recommend."
[21:44:22] Red_Line shakes his head "School, the most I've seen of a schools are burnt out old recks."
[21:45:08] Tiller "What about my uncle? Uncle Wheezer?"
[21:47:39] <%Somber> "I'm not sure," she says, glancing at her clipboard. "I don't have a mention if him here, but I'll ask as quickly as I possibly can." Then she looked at Red Line. "You were a top ranked student at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns being groomed for the MAS. But your record is full of fighting, brawls, sexual assaults, and one attempted rape. No
[21:48:21] <%Somber> conviction. Your skill is second to none in Canterlot."
[21:50:48] Skyshine continues to pet Aria. "I don't want to know what they have on me then..."
[21:52:44] <Red_Line> "Oh so i'm a bad pony ehh, how many times does it say in your records that I've been raped?"
[21:53:19] <%Somber> She looked at Aria. "Medical student at the MoP, Sky shine. I was a little hurt you didn't recognize me... but..." she shook her head. "Medical studies but also... bad... bad complications with your personal life. Emotional break down... then you... started the game."
[21:53:31] <%Somber> Looked at Skyshine*
[21:53:45] Tiller "Alright, so what do the records claim about me?"
[21:54:23] <%Somber> She frowned at Red_Line. "None as far as I can telll," she said with a glance. "But if you'd like, we can work through that trauma at a later date."
[21:54:43] Aria just shakes, holding onto Skyshine. If Littlepip wasn't real, if she couldn't help save Equestria, then protecting and staying with Skyshine was all she had left.
[21:55:09] Skyshine looks back at Azure. "Bad complications is a bit of an understatement sweetheart. I'm sorry I don't recognise you. I'm guessing that... we've talked before."
[21:56:52] <%Somber> She looked at Tiller again. "Decent family stallion. Worked at a terminal repair shop. Wife and daughter. Wife died in a skywagon commuter bombing... daughter is currently living outside Manehattan with her maternal grandmother."
[21:57:51] <%Somber> She trotted towards Skyshine. "I don't know if it will help you remember sky, but..." And then Azure kissed her.... and boy did she kiss her. It was a full wing pomfery sort of kiss.
[21:58:12] Star_Chaser tilts her head to one side, then the other, then looks back down towards the discussion again.
[21:59:06] Tiller "And what did my wife do for a living?"
[21:59:38] Skyshine 's eyes go wide as Azure kisses her. The kiss feels... familiar, but... She flails slightly, gripping Aria tighter. "I... wat."
[22:00:10] Aria looks up at the mare kissing Skyshine and growls, pushing the other pegasus away from them. "Stay away from her!"
[22:02:08] Red_Line gives Azure an off look "I still think this is all fake, as real doctor would most likely not do that." then turns away
[22:02:18] <Red_Line> a*
[22:02:33] Star_Chaser taps her chin and frowns.
[22:04:27] Skyshine lets go of Aria and curls up. "Why does everyone do that to me." She whispers quietly. "I tried to be a good filly... just... argh! Why is it all i can remember is..." she starts crying, burying her head in her hooves.
[22:04:34] <%Somber> She sighs and slumps, moving away. "So much for true love's kiss recovery theory..." she said as she backed away. "Though as an ex... guess I don't count." She looked at Tiller. "Your wife was one of pegasi pulling the Skywagon."
[22:06:04] <%Somber> She sighed and shook her head. "I wish I could do a better job convincing you. I was the only one willing to be in here when you woke." She looked at Star_Chaser. "What about you? What do you think?"
[22:06:28] Aria growls. "Look what you did! You're not a doctor! None of this is real! No doctors would ever act like how you ponies are acting!"
[22:07:38] <%Somber> She looked at Aria and seemed to be struggling with herself.
[22:08:12] Star_Chaser looks around at the trees. "I think your offer is very tempting. I also think that every tempting offer we have received has inevitably led to pain and anguish since arriving in this town." She looks back to the pony. "I'm curious, though. You must have had someone on the lookout for our arrival if we were really expected. We couldn't have been hard to find, after all,
[22:08:12] Star_Chaser with ponies not carrying weapons or fighting or the like. Someone must have seen us breaking into buildings, leaving materials in odd places, sleeping in the highschool gym." She tilts her head to one side. "So, I'd like to know, what do you know about steam tunnels?"
[22:10:07] <%Somber> "Steam tunnels?" She blinks, looking utterly baffled. "I don't know anything about steam tunnels. When you arrived, you stayed in the Merry Mare Motel. Then you wandered around town a bit a came to the hospital, presumably for treatment."
[22:12:17] Aria glares at her. "If we were delusional mental patients, then why were we allowed to go wandering or bring in weapons and armor. Your stories are all full of holes. There's nothing here to make me believe this is real."
[22:13:31] Star_Chaser frowns and furrows her brow. "Are you certain? Because while I can accept disconnects from reality, a failure of my own senses, that's a touch large to swallow. We spent two nights in a gymnasium attached to a highschool before coming to the hospital." She tilts her head to one side. "I ask, because we went into some before arriving. Nearly got cooked. Trying to save what
[22:13:31] Star_Chaser sounded like a foal but was just a dress stand." She taps her chin. "See, every time we've come up into a position to be 'heroes', something has beaten us down. Punished us for trying to help. We've been in buildings and to the stadium. Tiller nearly died drinking the water in the lobby of the hospital. What you're saying is such a massive disconnection from what I've experienced,
[22:13:31] Star_Chaser it would imply that my body has been acting without my consent."
[22:15:03] <%Somber> "You weren't mental patients. According to our records you were coming here for treatment because the Wastelander discognitive breakdown was growing more and more severe. The MoM wanted to arrest you. Doctor Incognito suggested letting you come here on your own recognisance would be less traumatic and help us to treat you. As for the golf club, there's
[22:16:43] <%Somber> been wastelands who think they're undead ponies letting themselves starve to death, or who think they're something called 'raiders' or than MoM agents are raiders. I know one pony wrapped up in tinfoil who thought that he was wearing Steel Ranger armor! The hope was once you were here and inducted then treatment could begin. Instead, you resisted."
[22:17:01] <%Somber> She looked at Aria, eyes narrowing like she REALLY wanted to say something.
[22:17:24] Red_Line slowly moves to Tiller and places a hoof over his shoulder "You wifes alive, this is all a pile of roadapples, just remember that ok, shes out there and safe, waiting for you with your daughter."
[22:23:41] Skyshine uncurls herself and looks up at Azure. "I know you want to help, but somepony once told me that there are certain things the heart and soul remember that the mind can't. With all my past relationships, I remember hurt, pain, and abuse. You should have known that. Why did you kiss me?"
[22:26:04] <%Somber> She looks pained. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Sky! I wanted to tell you. I did!" she said in anguish. "I didn't mean for it to happen. It just did! And I've felt sorry for it every second since you left! I just..." She bowed her head. "I just wanted to be with you again. That's why I came in here... for you."
[22:26:43] Star_Chaser sighs and looks back and forth. Moving towards the forest to try and find the actual edge of the room.
[22:28:40] Aria tries to cast a spell, but realizes something's off and stops. Turning to Skyshine, she whispers, "Look for her tell," before turning back to Azure. "Quick question. How long were we unconscious?"
[22:29:37] Skyshine nods as Aria whispers in her ear
[22:29:42] <%Somber> "Five or six hours," she said simply.
[22:30:30] Skyshine looks back and forth between Aria and Azure with confusion. "Uh... she's not lying. But I'm guessing you know something we don't."
[22:32:55] Aria smirks. "Because when I cast my shield, I was near tapped out. Five or six hours, even under stress and strain, would still have recovered a lot of my magical strength. However I'm in the exact same condition I was earlier."
[22:33:09] Skyshine looks to the party. "I don't think she can lie to us. But... that makes no sense. The average pony says 3 lies in 10 minutes."
[22:34:30] Tiller "Hey, drinking that water barrel gave me recurring cramps. I had them right up until we got into the hospital. But now I feel fine."
[22:34:47] Aria looks back at Skyshine. "It's because she's not a real pony. If this world is an illusion like I think it is, then she won't act like a real pony. Everything she's saying is true within the world that's being created."
[22:35:00] <%Somber> "Maybe the stunners disrupted your ability to recover strain? I don't know precisely how they effect non-ponies." She then smiled at Tiller. "Some purgative spells and a few hours of rest helps immensely."
[22:35:16] <%Somber> non-pegasi*
[22:36:45] Tiller "But you just said it was all an illusion. If it was illusory, why did you need to cure it?"
[22:37:21] <%Somber> She looked around and then looked at Skyshine. "Look, Sky... I just... I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I should have taken your feelings into consideration and not forced you into doing things you didn't want to do. I'm sorry..." She sighed, wings and ears drooping. "Can you forgive me?"
[22:37:44] <Red_Line> "Well there one thing, I'm a unicorn, Tiller is an earth pony, Star and Sky are pegasi how did they play this game?"
[22:38:55] Tiller "Yes, how? I can't use memory orbs."
[22:39:34] <%Somber> "The mind trap uses the same spell as a recollector, just in compact form. It's most addictive to unicorns, who get affected by it stronger than others, but non-ponies get trapped too."
[22:39:53] <%Somber> non-unicorns*
[22:40:35] Star_Chaser turns back towards the group again, frowning as she approaches.
[22:40:54] <Red_Line> "Ok, whats a recollector if you don't mine me asking."
[22:40:56] Skyshine takes a step toward Azure. "I... I want to... I..." She looks conflicted, looking back and forth between the pegasus and Aria.
[22:43:15] Aria steps forward. "If recollectors can be compact, then why do the Ministries, that are the cutting edge of magical technology, still have to use the big ones?"
[22:44:32] Somber smiles a little. "Wanting to is more than I deserve." she looked at Redline and sighed. Clearly there was only one mare she really wanted to talk to. "It's an arcane device that allows interfacing with a memory orb, either to copy a memory or to experience one." And she shrugged as she looked at Aria. "The one's I've seen and used fit on a circlet,
[22:44:52] <%Somber> and most of that is just to wear comfortably. The game simply removes the circlet."
[22:45:58] Tiller "I wanna meet this Incognito pony. I realize that's probably a contradiction in terms, but I still want to meet him. Or her. Or whatever."
[22:46:55] <%Somber> She frowned. "Yes. We're hoping to meet with him too. We're having difficulty verifying his personal information. That's not a good sign."
[22:47:50] Tiller frowns. "So then how did he get us all psych recommendations? Why are you taking orders from an entity that may not exist, and whose very name means 'hidden'?"
[22:47:52] Skyshine blinks. "Wait... you're having trouble verifying his personal information? Uh..." she looks at the party, then back to Azure. "Shouldn't um... that be done before he was hired?"
[22:48:17] Star_Chaser frowns, tapping her chin and furrowing her brow.
[22:48:45] Aria grins. "She's trying to stall us. To get us to forget it and hope we slip farther into the illusion."
[22:48:50] <%Somber> "He's in our system and Fluttershy herself has vouched for him. All communication with him has been through terminals, though. It's very frustrating."
[22:49:35] Tiller "Through terminals? Now that's interesting. Hey y'all, didn't we meet somepony in this town who only communicated electronically? Through a pipbuck, last time."
[22:49:50] <%Somber> She then looked coldly at Aria. "There are ponies here who would erase all your memories completely. You are not helping your case."
[22:50:06] Tiller "And he didn't identify himself to us then, either. Now there's a goddamn connection here, I know it!"
[22:50:32] Skyshine leans close to Aria and whispers.
[22:52:03] Skyshine turns back to Azure, skewing her ears back. "I'm sorry I snapped. That wasn't kind of me. I know you're just trying to help." She says, stepping closer.
[22:52:14] Red_Line has had enough of this run around with the mare "Well if ya'll need me. I'm going to trot around the cell for a lack of a better word."
[22:52:51] Aria blinks. "Skyshine?" she asks, hurt in her voice. "Don't trust her."
[22:53:07] <%Somber> The trees slide open and a green unicorn stallion walks in. He looks coolly at Azure. "Miss Azure wind... you were supposed to notify us when they awoke from being stunned. Not chat with them." The blue peagsus slumped, but then looked up at Skyshine with renewed hope in her eyes. Then she caught the doctor's glare. "Yes sir. I'll just... go..."
[22:54:24] Skyshine reaches a hoof out. "Wait! But..." She looks down scuffs the ground. "She... I think I believe her."
[22:54:40] Star_Chaser looks towards the doctor. "Yes we have been contacted by someone like that. I figured he was the one who set up the referrals. After all, he'd said that he could do whatever he wanted with terminals, with a little effort."
[22:54:50] <%Somber> He sighed as she slumped away, levitating the clipboard. "You're suffering from acute paramagical schizoid episodes. You're been referred by a Dr. Incognito. I'm recommending full memory wipes for all six of you. We'll let your loved ones fill in the gaps. Any questions?" He asked in a bored tone.
[22:55:24] Tiller "Yes. I have a question. Who is doctor Incognito?"
[22:56:43] <%Somber> "Who knows. The MoP is so big I don't know half the doctors in my own building, let alone some 'discognative psychopattern expert', whatever that is," he said with a sniff.
[22:57:51] Skyshine frowns. "Azure said that there were other ways. Ones that didn't involve memory wipes. More traditional therapies as opposed to drastic ones."
[22:58:14] Tiller "Azure Wind said you guys couldn't figure out who he is. That his 'information', whatever that is, was wrong. Incomplete."
[23:00:03] Star_Chaser tilts her head to one side. "How long have we been in this town?"
[23:00:43] Tiller "Wait, what? Six? There's five of us here. Five."
[23:01:15] <%Somber> "Talk to IT. They're the ones who can't get things squared away with Stable Tec. I swear, Scootaloo's got it in for the ministries. If you're not MWT or MAW you are SOL." he looked at his clipboard. "A few hours. Killed a doctor too. Wow. Yeah. Full wipe for you," he said with a grin. Then he looked at tiller. "Uh, no. There were six. One of you
[23:02:03] <%Somber> was such a lunatic we didn't have to consider. Took us four tries..." He frowned. "Might add another wipe or two just to be sure. He's a freaky one."
[23:03:19] Skyshine pales. "I liked Modd..." She looks at the Doctor. "I'd rather talk to Azure. She actually listened."
[23:06:09] <%Somber> "I rather don't care. He was a pyromaniac. You're a nymphomaniac. She's got PTSD." he said with a nod at Star. "He's a sociopath. She's a murderer. And he's got grief issues. As far as I'm concerned, the sooner we wipe you the better off you'll all be. Shrink the heads to nothing, and start anew." He said with a sage nod.
[23:07:09] Tiller "And what are you doctor? Megalomaniac?"
[23:07:58] Star_Chaser blinks and scowls. "A: I'm not a 'he'. B: I am not a sociopath. That would imply I don't care about anyone around me. Which I do. If I didn't, I wouldn't stick my neck out trying to save people so often." She snorts. "Also I'm pretty sure he was not a pyromaniac. Obsession with fire and obsession with explosives are not synonymous. Are you really a doctor?"
[23:08:05] <%Somber> "Nope. I'm the one making the recommendation. We got hundreds of you lunatics to deal with. Soon as we find a way, we'll take care of all of you." His horn flashed, and there was a snapping noise. "Like that."
[23:08:27] Aria sits down, smiling. "Don't listen to him. Don't talk to him. We're giving it life by interacting with them. We're collectively giving the illusions life. Sit with me and ignore him." She then closes her eyes and just stares towards the door.
[23:09:09] <%Somber> He looked at Star. "YOU are the one with PTSD. HE..." and he pointed at redline. "Is the sociopath. And YOU..." he gestured at them collectively. "Are wasting MY time."
[23:09:18] Skyshine trots over and sits down with Aria. "Let's play silent hoofball! Everypony sit in a circle."
[23:10:16] <%Somber> "You have been informed. If you wish an appeal we can log it with the courts. Please don't waste our time though. If you really think all of this is an illusion, we'll just expedite ending it for you."
[23:10:27] Star_Chaser blinks and beats her wings once, then moves over with Aria and sits by her side, looking off into the distance and pondering the rest of the town.
[23:10:29] Red_Line shrugs and moves to Aria to sit in the circle
[23:11:13] Tiller shrugs. Moves to the circle. Gazes into space.
[23:12:25] Red_Line then whispers to the group "I've got two maybe three good shots in me if we need to make a brake for it."
[23:12:34] <%Somber> The green stallion snorts and walks away, smiling. "Finally. First big of good news from these nut jobs. Give me War Fatigue any day." He said as he walked to the far wall.
[23:13:16] Tiller mutters, "I really hope you've got the right idea here, Aria."
[23:14:00] Aria just whispers. "Stay quiet, ignore it."
[23:14:20] <%Somber> The door opens, the doctor looks back, and then leaves.
[23:14:40] Skyshine waits quietly, closing her eyes and steadying her breathing.
[23:14:59] Red_Line quietly hums to himself
[23:15:23] Star_Chaser yawns briefly, frowning. "So what are we doing then? We still need to find that healing talisman for the NCR soldiers. It's somewhere in the hospital, most likely."
[23:15:54] <%Somber> Nothing happens... then more nothing... then more nothing. Then her pipbuck rasps, "You five get an F in subtlety. When some-pony is deceiving you, you might not want to let them know you know."
[23:16:43] Red_Line nods "It should be in the OR. If any where."
[23:17:52] Star_Chaser raises an eyebrow at the message.
[23:18:04] Aria smiles. "Sorry, I'm more of a swords and magic kind of mare, but thanks for the tip," Aria says as she stand up. "It's a pretty ingenius trap. The illusion gets stronger the more we interact and play along. Am I right?"
[23:19:18] Tiller "It was damn strong. Really damn strong. So why did you set us up with it, 'doctor Incognito'? Why prolong it?"
[23:20:02] Skyshine sighs. "See! I knew we should have played silent hoofball..." she grumbles something about 'thwacks' and zooms
[23:20:37] <%Somber> "No. There's no illusion. Everything around you is as real as night and day. That was a flesh and blood mare you beat to death with a nine iron, and this is a real mental quarantine chamber you're sitting in." the rasping voice mutters. "I have one very simple question to ask you. Do you want to live or die?"
[23:22:09] Star_Chaser raises an eyebrow. "Odd question. I'm pretty sure most would say 'live'." She looks towards the others.
[23:22:17] Aria takes a step back, her eyes wide and her mouth going dry. "It... It's not an illusion?"
[23:22:47] Tiller is very quiet. "I want to meet my wife again."
[23:22:49] Red_Line smerks "Living only prolongs till the day we die, so yes."
[23:24:36] <%Somber> "Damn it..." the voice mutters. "Fine. I was hoping you'd be some of those idiotic self sacrificing types. But I promised an oath I would do no harm... so I'll try to get you out of this alive if I can."
[23:25:22] Skyshine lays her ears back. "I'd prefer to live, but if it saves the others... I'm not afraid of dying."
[23:26:03] Tiller "So you are a doctor. Interesting."
[23:26:53] Aria sits down, looking completely degected. "I-I..." Then she hears Skyshine's words and shakily stands back up. "I'm not afraid either. I messed up... But I can't give up." She gives Skyshine a weak smile. "I've still got somepony special to protect."
[23:27:15] <%Somber> "I am. I've been stuck here for longer than I can recount. But there's something worse here. Something nopony realizes till its too late. This whole place isn't what it seems. For instance, have you seen any ghouls in the wasteland version of this place?"
[23:27:50] Red_Line "A ghoul or a heavy smoker from the sound of it."
[23:28:32] <%Somber> "Both," the voice rasps. "Though it's been a long time since I got more than a tingle from something as weak as cigarettes."
[23:28:33] Tiller "No, I haven't. Not since I left Breeze with Uncle Geezer back in the town."
[23:28:49] Skyshine thinks a moment, then shakes her head. "I haven't seen any ghouls."
[23:30:02] Red_Line "Well there was that NCR sergeant."
[23:30:06] <%Somber> "That purple dust... or mist... or chemical... doesn't work on us like it does you. Oh, it can drive us feral in a heartbeat. Seen it happen. But it doesn't get inside us like it does you. And that's what this place does. It gets inside you. Tries to find out how you tick."
[23:30:39] Skyshine frowns. "Well, that explains a lot..."
[23:32:20] Tiller "Alright. Now that expose theatre is over, how do we get out?"
[23:32:47] <%Somber> "It doesn't explain a thing. You five are different though. You arrived late. That let me put in a 'reference' for you five. So instead of just breaking your minds apart, it's observing and studying. If that stops... you'll end up like all the rest. Dead and gone."
[23:34:22] <%Somber> "You can't. Not till you find the thing running all this and stop it. It's planning something, and I don't like it for one second.
[23:35:10] Tiller "You got any suggestions? Or even some material aid? We're a little stuck here."
[23:37:33] <%Somber> "Sure. Then I'll have to go. every time I contact you, it traces me. It really, really wants to stop me. Here is my suggestion: Play along. Treat everything you experience as if it were real. Because it is. And if you're not careful... if it thinks that it won't learn what it wants to from you, I'll get nasty really quickly. You can die more than once
[23:37:37] <%Somber> here."
[23:37:56] <%Somber> it'll get nasty
[23:40:23] Tiller "Last question. Can it actually wipe our minds?"
[23:41:46] <%Somber> "Wipe them? It can wipe, rebuild, puree, mash, pour, reform, and oblierate them. I've made you just intriging enough that it won't. Not right away at least. Got to run. And remember.... no matter what. It's real!"
[23:42:43] Tiller "Ew. That was a horrible mental image." He looks to the others. "So. Now we wait."
[23:43:21] Skyshine sighs as the transmission stops. "By the way, just so we're clear: I am not a nymphomaniac. That part's definitely wrong."
[23:44:01] Aria thinks for a moment before looking over at Skyshine and giving her a comforting, completely non-sensual hug. "I know. We're going to get out of this."
[23:46:49] Skyshine hugs back and looks to the group. "I'm not the strongest pony here, but... sure as my cutie mark, I'll try to help best I can. Be the group's ray of... um... sunshine." She gets a somewhat shamed look as she ends her speech.
[23:47:26] Star_Chaser frowns and furrows her brow, tapping her chin.
[23:47:36] Aria nuzzles Skyshine slightly as she breaks the hug. "You keep me going and I'll be your strength, got it?"
[23:48:50] Skyshine nods, looking at the ground. "Sorry... got it." she says, getting up and trotting about the room, shaking her mane and wings agitatedly.
[23:50:02] Star_Chaser furrows her brow. "So I was right. This place is a mental institution. But not the sort operated by normal ponies." She frows and stands up, plodding around the room and looking at the walls. "Tries to get inside your head..."
[23:50:56] Skyshine plops herself down hard and covers her ears. "Yeah... it... does that rather... um, well..."
[23:52:49] Skyshine smacks her head on the ground, hard. "NO I DON'T!" She shouts. "All that ever did was lead to hurt..."
[23:53:30] Aria sits next to Skyshine. "I'm here for you, Skyshine." Then Skyshine smacks her head. "Sky, don't do that," she cries, taking her into her hooves and holds her like she held Aria.
[23:53:41] Tiller sighs. "I want to see my daughter..."
[23:55:39] Skyshine bites her forehoof. "Pls dn't. Jst... lt erythng rt."
[23:56:59] Aria swallows hard. "Skyshine, you're scaring me."
[23:58:07] Skyshine lets go of her hoof. "Everything hurts, my head is being screwy... oh fuck horrible choice of-LUNA DAMMIT! I HATE THIS PLACE! I don't like sex... it brings back bad things... why is this place making me want it? Goddesses..."
[23:59:40] Aria holds her tight, stroking her mane and trying to be the strong one this time. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I'm going to make sure no one touches you again, do you hear me, Sky? I'm here for you. I promised you at the bridge I'd protect you."
[00:00:01] Star_Chaser looks back towards Skyshine and frowns. Trotting up towards Skyshine and sitting down. "Because it's testing you. Everything has been. The explosions. The gunfights. The weird ponies in the diner. The 'foal' from the steam tunnels. The NCR soldiers. The pony strung up to the statue. Everything we've seen since coming here. It's all be observed, been planned, been designed
[00:00:01] Star_Chaser to try and test us. See how to push our buttons. Make us break."
[00:01:04] Aria closes her eyes. "It would have broken me if not for you," she whispers in Skyshine's ear.
[00:01:24] Tiller "So then... Where? Where did we enter this? On the bridge?
[00:01:51] Skyshine starts crying. "I'm sorry... I'm trying and it's in my head and in my body and ARIA DON'T DO THAT FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA AND LITTLE PIP. Sorry... just... everything is really sensitive and I hate my body and so help me boys if you come over here..."
[00:02:47] Red_Line looks to Tiller and shakes his head
[00:02:56] Tiller backs off, makes disarming waving gestures. "Woah, woah. I won't. I won't, I promise I won't. I promised my wife. I won't. I promised myself..."
[00:03:26] Skyshine buries her face in the ground and squeaks, her body shaking. She bites her lip so hard it starts bleeding.
[00:04:34] Star_Chaser looks towards Tiller. "Probably when we landed. Maybe as we crossed the bridge. The explosion was the first step. Did we turn back? Run? Try to escape? Did we continue in? Trapped us here." She looks to Skyshine and frowns. "Not sure what there is I can do to help."
[00:05:18] Aria starts breathing heavily and her eyes go wide. "No..." Aria whispers before picking Skyshine back up and holding her as tight as she can. "No... It's trying to get me too, but we can't let it. I messed up, but so did Littlepip. No pony is perfect. Littlepip had Arbu, I have this hospital. We have to do better. We can do better," she whispers to Skyshine.
[00:05:38] Skyshine moans loudly in response before swearing vehemently. "Just...stay...there...and... not... touch... please? Goddesses dammit body..."
[00:05:57] Tiller is bewildered.
[00:05:59] Skyshine looks pleadingly at Aria. "Please stop touching me... please..."
[00:07:34] Skyshine looks down at the ground, horrendously embarrassed. "It's... the cloud is... it's making me come, ok? Celestia and Luna..." She flails away from Aria and curls up in a ball.
[00:07:44] Tiller suddenly flushes, and starts staring pointedly at the ground.
[00:08:15] Aria winces. "We're stronger than it, Skyshine. We can do this together. It's your body, Sky. You're in control, not it." Closes her eyes tight. "Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it."
[00:09:52] Star_Chaser frowns and eyetwitches. She went to check her bags, assuming she even still had them. Cursing quietly under her breath. "Aria! Do you know any spells to stun a pony? Knock them out?"
[00:10:17] Tiller curls up on the ground and starts biting an ankle. Shutup. Shutup. No. Stop. Don't.
[00:10:19] Aria closes her eyes, trying to meditate like her mom used to do, trying to block out the voices. "Deep calming breaths. Deep calming breaths," she repeated.
[00:10:43] Tiller groans. "I... have... a... wife..."
[00:11:57] Skyshine gets up and flies to the opposite corner of the room, away from everypony else. She plants her plot on the ground and closes her eyes, holding a forleg up to her bleeding lip.
[00:12:18] Aria looks to Star_Chaser. "Not anything that has a higher chance of killing them. I'm done killing. I messed up, I can't take it back, but I can try to make it better."
[00:13:32] Tiller begins gently beating his head against the ground. Thud. Thud. Thud. "Can I ask *thud* a favor from somepony? *thud* Please give me *thud* a swift kick in the balls..." *thud*
[00:13:56] Star_Chaser looks back towards Tiller, her eye twitching again. "Ofcourse it knows the best ways to get to each of us. Tiller! You do have a wife. Think about it. This... Whatever it is that's got ahold of this town. It's testing us. That's why you saw your wife and daughter when you drank the water. Why Aria saw Stable Two in the gas cloud. Why the 'nurse' claimed your wife was dead."
[00:13:56] Star_Chaser She turned back towards Aria and Skyshine. "Tch. It's trying hard this time... Guilt trips and sex."
[00:15:07] Skyshine calls out from the far corner. "Please stop saying that word!"
[00:17:21] Skyshine does her best to sit in the most awkward position possible, looking rather odd in the process