Somber #16

    [19:05] <%Somber> 12The companions had come to Olives and were given a wonderful night together.  In the morning, they are greeted by Dr. Quickcure, who seemed quite happy as well.  Indeed, Twilight Sparkle showed up too, a rare public appearance for the pale mare who thanked Swampy and everypony for coming, doing all their hard work, and letting them know all about the
    [19:05] <%Somber> 12existance of stable 42.
    06[19:06] * Swamp_Shadow is a bit tired and walking a little funnier than usual. A mechanical foreleg she's still getting use to and a sore pair of flanks aren't very good for walking around.
    06[19:08] * Wanderlust walks close by Swampy, a goofy grin on his face. He was practically skipping as he walks beside her, clearly having had a good date. He does keep a close eye on Swampy though in case she was in danger of falling.
    [19:09] <%Somber> 12"Well, I hope you have many more wonderful encounters and discoveries.  Who knows, this could be the start of a wonderful relationship between the five of you and Olives."  Twilight said magnaimously.
    06[19:10] * Night_Wind prances happily out into the public area wearing her brand new griffon earring a.k.a. a tired Edna Stonetalon laying on her back and chewing on her ear. "Good morning, everyone! How...ow!...are you all this morning?" she asks sounding entirely too chipper.
    06[19:12] * Edna_Stonetalon is splayed out on Night_Winds back, quite sore in a great many places. Idly nibbling on the thundericors ear
    06[19:12] * @Shimmershy pauses and clears her throat. "Yes. And thank you for the hospitality. Now, there is one more thing you could do for me, please?" She gave a warm, friendly smile to the faculty. "Would you kindly delete the data on Stable 42 which you've undoubtably stolen from Wanderlust's PipBuck? The residents of the Stable specifically asked us not to tell or show anyone where it was.
    06[19:12] * @Shimmershy And it would be very, very rude if you made us liars wouldn't it?" She smiled a little bit more. "It was a long, hard trek back here. So my friends could really have used the night off." She sighs quietly and shakes her head. "I didn't think it was worth worrying about something like that right now."
    06[19:13] * Swamp_Shadow smiles wearily. "Wander may look meek, but... wow," she says, trailing off with a whistful look in her eye.
    [19:14] <%Somber> 12Twilight smiles pleasantly as she looks at Shimmer with her pale lavender eyes.  "Stealing?  What whatever do you mean.  We haven't stolen a thing."  She then turns a touch cool.  "We show our gratitude for your hard work and you accuse us of theft?"
    06[19:14] * Wanderlust blushes deeply and coughs into a hoof.
    [19:17] <Swamp_Shadow> "Shimmer! That's not being a very good guest if you go around accusing our hosts!"
    06[19:17] * @Shimmershy sighs quietly and smiles to Twilight. "Yesterday you were nothing if not aloof, today you overflow with happiness. You spot us a room, food, drink. A place to rest in comfort and a chance for my friends to get their exercise." She contemplates and taps her chin. "And yet, we haven't actually done anything for you. After all, the recovery of materials was for the good of
    06[19:17] * @Shimmershy those trapped by Sweet Tea. But for you, the most reclusive of the Faculty, to turn up like this and be so... Positively glowing with happiness? Something must have changed." She smiles. "Ofcourse, it could just be my paranoia talking. I have been known to be a touch over-cautious. But the ponies of that Stable gave everything, even their lives, for the data and processing of it.
    06[19:17] * @Shimmershy It would be tragic if something were to happen to corrupt their calculations, wouldn't it?"
    06[19:19] * %Somber 12arches a brow.  "Do you really think my happiness has anything to do with your actions?  If you must know, we uncovered a Ministry of Peace research facility that might give us access to the MASEBS tower in the heart of the city.  I've spent ten years looking for a system access point and now we've finally found one."  She sighed softly and shook her head
    [19:20] <%Somber> 12"Clearly you're more like Crystalis than I realized.  Your kind were always suspictious, unstable, and dangerous."
    06[19:21] * Edna_Stonetalon groggily sits up on Night_Wind's back "Shimmer apologize and lets go take down a insane racist dictator." turning to Twilight "One of yours tried to trick us out of the location yesterday she's just being cautious"
    [19:22] <%Somber> 12She looks shocked.  "Really?  One of the faculty did so?  Whom?  How?"
    06[19:24] * Night_Wind tilts her head. "Oh? That is interesting news, and I would love to hear more about the Ministry of Peace facility. Still, I do admit a certain curiosity about what exactly we did to earn such gratitude. The mere knowledge of Stable 42's existence is of little value without access to it. I make no accusations, but I would like to know how we have helped you. It would be
    06[19:24] * Night_Wind good to know so we can possibly find other ways to help."
    06[19:25] * @Shimmershy sighs quietly and nods her head to Edna, frowning slightly. "I'm sorry. I'm very, very used to having to assume the worst of most everyone. After seeing the way that individuals like Sweet Tea treat their 'guests', and the results of it for poor Wanderlust's intestinal tract..." she shook her head and smiled to Twilight. But it's good to know that a pony who once bore the
    06[19:25] * @Shimmershy Element of Magic is one who can be trusted." She also nods her head. "I'd also love to know more about the Ministry of Peace building! The truth is, it was because of the Ministry of Peace that I came to Appleanta to begin with..." she sighs quietly. "Though I don't think I'll be getting my answers any time soon..."
    06[19:25] * Edna_Stonetalon thinking hard for a moment "It was that... Dr.... Sporkplug or something. We brought Swamp Thang to see em after she went all borg and he tried to trick ol Wander there into letting him into his pipbuck"
    06[19:26] * Night_Wind turns to Shimmer. "You were sent here because of the Ministry of Peace too? Fluttershy and Velvet Remedy didn't mention you."
    [19:26] <%Somber> 12"You're doing good works for the wasteland and improving things here in Appleanta.  Doesn't that deserve its own reward?"  She said with a wave of her hoof towards the wastelands.  She then turned towards Dr. Sparkplug who rolls his eyes and explains, "I offered to give him a program that would have allowed him to monitor his marefriend's implant.  Then this
    [19:26] <Swamp_Shadow> "Well, the professor seemed really interested in mah body's cells being transformed into metal so maybe the data Sparkplug got from me was more important?"
    [19:27] <%Somber> 12one."  She said with  gesture at Shimmershy, "Became paranoid and distraught that I was trying to ferret data from his pipbuck."
    06[19:28] * @Shimmershy frowns. "He wanted that data very, very much. Indeed, he became even more frustrated when I stopped him." she shook her head. "I still believe I made the right decision. We came through a swamp full of pony-eating plants, snakes, mutant ponies and a young dragon. Faced a nearly-destroyed Stable with no functional air processing system and lived. And worse than that, were
    06[19:28] * @Shimmershy asked to protect its secrets by those who remained in it. I do not like to give up on my promises easily. And this one worries me greatly."
    [19:30] <%Somber> 12"You should worry about more immediate things," she said as she turned away and walked back into the college.  "I look forward to seeing what else you five come up with soon."
    06[19:31] * Edna_Stonetalon blinks "If I didn't know better I'd say she got laid too"
    06[19:31] * @Shimmershy frowns and sighs quietly, looking to the ground. "I understand. I'm sorry." She turns to walk from the area towards New Unicornia.
    06[19:36] * Night_Wind chuckles at Edna. "Could be. She's a clone, not a robot, so her body should have all its urges intact. Even if she has taken something to suppress the desire, the cocktail of endorphins and other chemicals released into the blood stream by a good round of intimate pleasure could certainly account for Dr. Sparkle's pleasant mood. On the other hoof, it could just be the
    06[19:36] * Night_Wind major break through with the Ministry of Peace building."
    06[19:37] * @Shimmershy frowns and shakes her head to Night_Wind. "Lust and happiness are not quite the same emotion. Trust me." She sighs and shuffles a forehoof. "I'm s-sorry. I've probably soured our friendship with Olives over nothing..."
    06[19:37] * Edna_Stonetalon shrugs and snuggles into Fumbles mane, purring "Whatever, as long as they don't shoot at us I don't really care"
    [19:38] <@Shimmershy> "And... Well, no. I mean... It wasn't Fluttershy or Velvet Remedy who sent me here. Not exactly." She sighs and hangs her head a little. "I... Um... It's hard to explain..."
    06[19:38] * Swamp_Shadow closes her eyes. "So if Ah felt something last night, does that mean Ah'm not a robot... yet?" she sighs, saying the last bit under her breath.
    06[19:40] * Wanderlust hugs Swampy. "You're you. And that's always going to be true no matter what."
    06[19:42] * Night_Wind smiles softly at Shimmershy as Eddie recuperates on her back, a warm, soft presence between her shoulders. "True, but Twilight is an odd duck. Everything I've ever heard of her said she loved learning with a passion almost unmatched in all of Equestria. Even Enclave propaganda never tried to suggest she was chosen to head the Ministry of Arcane Science without good reason
    06[19:42] * Night_Wind unlike her friends."
    [19:44] <Swamp_Shadow> "Well, how about we go help your unicorn friends get rid of Sweet Tea then? If Ah keep standing here, Ah might fall asleep... But what's this Enclave ya keep talking about, Nighty? Is that where alicorns like ya come from?"
    06[19:45] * Edna_Stonetalon groans "Damnit... Wander I need to have you take a look at something for me later"
    06[19:46] * @Shimmershy nods her head, biting her lower lip nervously. "Alright... Sweet Tea next..."
    06[19:47] * Wanderlust nods awkwardly. "Um, sure Eddie." She seemed to be in a rather strange mood...
    06[19:48] * Edna_Stonetalon rolls her eyes at the stallion "Not my flank you animal. Got a... radio I need you to have a look at."
    06[19:49] * Night_Wind shakes her head. "No, the alicorns originally came from The Goddess who wasn't a goddess but she called herself that and was powerful enough to smite most people who tried to say differently. But before any alicorn was an alicorn, they were all ordinary ponies. In my case, I belonged to the Grand Pegasus Enclave which resides in the clouds. Of course, it's not actually
    06[19:49] * Night_Wind all that grand anymore..."
    06[19:50] * Wanderlust rolls his eyes in response. "I wasn't implying your flank, you looked like you were in pain. Pervert."
    06[19:51] * Night_Wind snickers during the exchange then suggests, "Okay, while Wander is looking at your radio, how about I look at his PipBuck?"
    06[19:51] * Edna_Stonetalon giggles "I'm sore in all the right places. And now you're fantasizing about what me and Fumbles did last night aren't you?" a mischievous smile on her face
    06[19:53] * Swamp_Shadow puts her right hoof around Wander. "Nah, he's fantasizing about what me and him did last night." She then gives him a peck on the cheek and curls up on the ground. "When y'all are done checking each other's tech out, wake me up."
    06[19:53] * Wanderlust nods in agreement. "Sure Night, it would be fast...of course not Eddie! I have much better things to be fantasizing about!"
    06[19:54] * Edna_Stonetalon "Are you sure Wander? It involved some rope"
    06[19:55] * @Shimmershy sighed quietly and looked down at the ground, quiet for the moment.
    06[19:55] * Night_Wind nods and doesn't wait for Wander, her magic pulling his leg up off the ground so she can see his screen. "Just a moment here...enter the right admin code...access the logs and...hmmm? Hmph...windigos take them all, they did! Or someone did anyway."
    06[19:57] * Edna_Stonetalon giggles and digs out the radio "I need to know what *exactly* this thing dose"
    06[19:58] * @Shimmershy frowns and eartwitches at Night Wind's words. "I wish I could say I was surprised... I'm... Um... I'm sorry. I should have thought they'd do that... O-or more." She sighs and rubs her foreleg against her other foreleg. "I was worried when they started being so nice... But I didn't think they'd just... Steal it like that." She closes her eyes with a quiet sigh."
    06[20:01] * Wanderlust shivers and blushes, giving an indignant hmph as he sits down with the radio. He uses his magic to inspect it while Night was busy with his pipbuck. "Rope... like that's something I'm into..." he mumbles under his breath.
    06[20:02] * Night_Wind sighs, "By the time stamp on the logs, they waited until...well, I'm going to assume you two were sleeping by that time of the morning. I know Eddie and I were, and Wander looks too awake to have still been...ah...well, ahem..."
    06[20:03] * Night_Wind smiles slightly with a slight purpling of her cheeks but declines to comment on the rope.
    06[20:06] * @Shimmershy sighs quietly and looks down to her hooves. "At-atleast we know what the records there said... About... About the thing in the ruins, I mean... S-so maybe we can act on it to help everyone. Even if I did end up messing up..."
    06[20:07] * Edna_Stonetalon hops down from Night_Winds back and hugs Shimmer "I was the one who blabbed remember?"
    06[20:08] * @Shimmershy looks up to Edna and sighs. "Maybe. But I should have thought of this... Done something... O-or just kept my mouth closed."
    06[20:08] * Swamp_Shadow is already sleeping.
    06[20:09] * Edna_Stonetalon "It's all our faults. But mainly mine"
    06[20:11] * Wanderlust is still blushing awkwardly as he finishes looking over the radio. "Just looks like a radio to me, nothing special about it."
    06[20:13] * Night_Wind sighs and gently pets Shimmershy's mane. "Well, the only way we can make it right now is to get into Appleanta's core and find the unknown factor that's throwing off Stable 42's calculations. I'm not 100% convinced that their predictive method is infallible, but it sounds like events are falling so far outside of the most probable results that their conclusion is reasonably
    06[20:13] * Night_Wind sound."
    06[20:13] * Edna_Stonetalon takes it back and looks at it herself "Hmmm... that's odd. My employer said it had a transmitter or something too"
    06[20:15] * Wanderlust shrugs. "Well, if there is I didn't see it, and if you were looking for one you should have said so earlier. I didn't even know what to look for."
    06[20:17] * @Shimmershy sighs, flattening her ears. "Y-yeah." She smiles just a little bit. "Th-thanks..."
    06[20:17] * Swamp_Shadow suddenly snaps awake. "They're gonna hit the Stable! Take everything!"
    06[20:19] * Edna_Stonetalon "It took you a nap to figure that out?"
    06[20:19] * Night_Wind hmms? and tilts her head as she eyes the radio. "Really? Like Wander said, I didn't see one, but I didn't know thats what you were looking for." She blinks at Swampy and nods. "Yes, I'd say that was a fairly reasonable conclusion. I believe we were told that Olives employs teams to explore Appleanta's core, so venturing into the swamp should be within such a team's
    06[20:19] * Night_Wind capabilities."
    [20:20] <Edna_Stonetalon> "Maybe they'll take care of Gator"
    06[20:20] * @Shimmershy frowns and looks down sadly. "W-we could... We could try to stop them..? Maybe?" She sighs and closes her eyes. "B-but I'm not sure how..."
    06[20:21] * Swamp_Shadow shakes her head. "They'd know where the Stable-Tec building is. They'll take the secret entrance back."
    06[20:22] * Edna_Stonetalon groans "So what? Head to the building and seal up that door?"
    06[20:22] * Wanderlust groans. "Always something. And we pretty ruined the defenses so they'd be free to wander in and take what they wanted..."
    [20:22] <Swamp_Shadow> "Hmm..."
    [20:23] <Swamp_Shadow> "Well, we destroyed their defenses from the back, but the Stable Door should be pretty secure. If we can beat them back to the secret entrace and cave it in, then we can buy us some time."
    [20:24] <Edna_Stonetalon> "But that would be all"
    06[20:24] * Night_Wind shrugs. "We can certainly hope so, but I suspect he's smart enough to steer clear of a group that well armed and equipped unless he believes he has overwhelmingly superior fire power. I'm not sure what we can do to stop them now. We can certainly try, but I fear the best we can expect is a Pyrrhic victory."
    [20:28] <Edna_Stonetalon> "Do we even have anything to cause a cave in?"
    [20:29] <Swamp_Shadow> "Would a big enough electrical blast from Nighty work?"
    06[20:29] * @Shimmershy chewed her lower lip. "I gues... I guesss we could try... It'd maybe help a little bit. B-but that means sacrificign even more time away from Sweet Tea and from Solace and Spark Town. P-plus crossing Nightmare territory again..."
    [20:31] <Edna_Stonetalon> "The only thing we can really do is get to the tower. We fucked up and now have to deal with it"
    [20:32] <Swamp_Shadow> "Edna might be right. If we can take care of the problem before Olives alters too much, then the fact that they get the data would be a moot point. It still fucking sucks... Ah'm sorry, Clem."
    [20:34] <Swamp_Shadow> "But... What if we save all the factions and get them working together? If we could get everybody on board, we might be able to have a big enough force to invade Appleanta and get us into the core!"
    06[20:38] * @Shimmershy bites her lower lip and sighs quietly, nodding her head. "Y-yeah. That's one way to do it. I mean... Spark Town seems nice enough, and the Solace pony we met seemed nice, if a little naive... M-maybe if we can figure out what's going on we can get the help we need..."
    06[20:39] * Night_Wind nods at Edna's statement. "She's right. Now that they know the Stable exists, there is no good way to stop them unless we convince Dr. Sparkle to call off the team, and I doubt that will happen." She nods to Swampy as well. "Unifying the factions is an important start, but there remains that entity sending people masquerading as members of other factions. That's going to
    06[20:39] * Night_Wind put a strain on anything we do. That's likely the unknown factor we need to deal with."
    06[20:44] * Edna_Stonetalon "Let's go topple an insane dictatorship then shall we?"
    06[20:45] * Night_Wind nods. "Sounds like a good start to me, Eddie!"
    06[20:46] * Swamp_Shadow wipes the sleep out of her eyes. "No rest for the wicked or cyberponies, Ah guess."
    06[20:46] * @Shimmershy sighs quietly and swallows nervously. "I'll need to change before we arive." She smiles to her friends. "And. Um. It'd probably be better if only Wanderlust and I came back... I don't think they'll react well to everyone showing up at once." She sighs. "But... Snuffbox can probably help distribute the cure to the ponies and griffons there."
    06[20:47] * Edna_Stonetalon thinks for a moment "Me, Swampy and Fumbles will go in the back way"
    [20:47] <Swamp_Shadow> "Ah could try to sneak in."
    [20:48] <Edna_Stonetalon> "That's what I just said. Know a back way in"
    06[20:50] * Night_Wind glances at her friends. "Well, that's all assuming we actually need to go in. Still...I suppose we could at least wait in the back entrance just outside Unicornia proper. Listen for sounds of a ruckus (or fracas) and come running if needed."
    06[20:54] * @Shimmershy nods her head and frowns. "I d-don't think it'll be that easy... The tunnel's probably pretty big, to stop prisoners from escaping... S-so you might have to sneak in and start freeing slaves a little after I go in... I don't think that Wanderlust will be welcome there again..."
    [20:54] <Edna_Stonetalon> "Shimmer they probably think he's dead"
    06[20:54] * @Shimmershy frowns. "Oh. R-right, Wander got infected too." She looks to the unicorn sadly. "I think I'll have to go alone... If... If I'm going to make it in at all. You should go with the others. T-try to help."
    06[20:56] * Wanderlust nods. "They would expect me to be dead. But it feels wrong letting Shimmer go alone..."
    06[20:56] * Night_Wind slowly nods. "So we go in the back way, free slaves while distributing the antidote, and prepare for all heck to break loose when we're eventually discovered."
    [20:57] <Edna_Stonetalon> "Yes! All of us go in the back way. Get all the slaves out then.... we did get the antidote right?"
    06[21:00] * Night_Wind tilts her head and rubs her chin. "If Shimmer were to go in alone, she'd need a very good cover story. She could cause a useful distraction, but I'm not sure it's worth the risk." She looks at Shimmer addressing her directly. "Sweet Tea didn't get where she is by being a trusting person, so anything you did that didn't completely match your cover story would probably make
    06[21:00] * Night_Wind her extremely suspicious. And that's with her starting off at least mildly suspicious of you."
    06[21:01] * Edna_Stonetalon face talons "Just what Shimmer needs. To go running off on her own again"
    06[21:02] * Wanderlust gives Eddie a "that's what I was getting at" look.
    06[21:02] * @Shimmershy frowns and nods her head, contemplating this a little. "W-well I could take Swampy in as my slave and worker, I suppose. Cybernetics to keep her in line." she taps her chin. "If I can get to Snuffbox and tell him we have the cure, he can probably turn the rest of the ponies there against Sweet Tea. They only follow her out of fear and a lack of other options." She looked
    06[21:02] * @Shimmershy to Night Wind and shook her head. "The slaves shouldn't need a cure. They're not infected, I think. Sweet Tea uses it to control the griffons and the unicorns. The slaves are just... Slaves."
    06[21:03] * Swamp_Shadow suddenly lets her eyes glaze over. "Yes Mistress Shimmershy?"
    06[21:05] * Night_Wind looks from Shimmer to Swampy and back then slowly nods her head. "That...that could work. If you used a different appearance than last time, there's no reason Sweet Tea should suspect you more than any other new unicorn. You wouldn't even need to switch disguises to talk to Snuffbox - just whisper that Shimmershy sent you with the cure."
    06[21:06] * @Shimmershy bit her lower lip and nodded. Smiling a little bit. "I... I guess that might work." She sighs. "I hope this doesn't end up terribly..."
    06[21:07] * Night_Wind adds, "Oh, and a different name. Um...maybe color yourself red and call yourself Raspberry Tart or something. Be creative."