Fallout: Beyond Equestria, 132: The Last Free Town (Part 9)

[2015-04-22 13:25:05] <Little_Gloom> 3Previously...
[2015-04-22 13:25:27] <Little_Gloom> 3The Crystal Empire melts away, and Bookwright finds himself in a much, much happier time.  And at a much, much happier event.
[2015-04-22 13:25:35] <Little_Gloom> 3He stands amongst the dapper crowd on a floor of checkered blues split down the middle by a carpet of red.  The huge room is lavishly decorated; white sheets drape between columns adorned with violet flowers whose perfume fills the air.
[2015-04-22 13:25:40] <Little_Gloom> 3Trumpets herald the opening of huge blue doors, and three shockingly young versions of the head mares of Stable-Tec come prancing down the carpet, dressed in gorgeous dresses and throwing rose petals all about them.
[2015-04-22 13:25:46] <Little_Gloom> 3And there she appears.  Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, dressed in white... a bridal gown.
[2015-04-22 13:25:53] <Little_Gloom> 3Bookwright's host follows Princess Cadenza as she walks to the raised archway to stand with her groom, a dashing white unicorn with multi-blued mane and and a smashing red military tuxedo.
[2015-04-22 13:25:59] <Little_Gloom> 3Princess Celestia Herself steps to the archway between them, announcing, "Mares and gentlecolts... we are gathered here today to witness the union of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor..."
[2015-04-22 13:26:05] <Little_Gloom> 3The wedding is beautiful, regal and amazing...
[2015-04-22 13:26:10] <Little_Gloom> 3...and it is brought to a screeching halt by the very loud, belligerent interruption, at the moment of pronouncement, by Twilight Sparkle.
[2015-04-22 13:26:16] <Little_Gloom> 3The wedding guests look shocked.  The royalty looks distressed.  Cadence is first angry, then hurt.  "Wh-why does she have to ruin my special day?"
[2015-04-22 13:26:21] <Little_Gloom> 3She begins to cry, only for the interruption to be amplified by the arrival of a second, terribly disheveled Princess Cadenza.
[2015-04-22 13:26:25] <Little_Gloom> 3"Because it's not your special day.  It's MINE."
[2015-04-22 13:26:30] <Little_Gloom> 3"Ah... Ah don't understand," voices a young and gayly-dressed mare who will one day grow to be the Ministry Mare for Wartime Technology.  "How c'n there be two of them?"
[2015-04-22 13:26:35] <Little_Gloom> 3Disheveled Cadenze trots forward, accusing, "She's a changling!  She takes the form of somepony you love and feeds off your love for them!"
[2015-04-22 13:26:42] <Little_Gloom> 3In the next moment, what started as an amazingly beautiful event goes horrifically pear-shaped.
[2015-04-22 13:26:47] <Little_Gloom> 3The memory ends abruptly in the midst of a showdown between Princess Celestia and a creature from nightmare.
[2015-04-22 13:26:52] <Little_Gloom> 3Bookwright jerks upright and gasps.
[2015-04-22 13:26:58] <Little_Gloom> 3Bookwright "I... have no idea what I just watched."
[2015-04-22 13:26:59] <Little_Gloom> 3...
[2015-04-22 13:27:19] <Little_Gloom> 3Golden_Dream notices, and then /sprints/ to CopyCat, and forces her head towards her own. "Copycat. CopyCat!" If she remained unresponsive, she would proceed to slap her as hard as she could. "You are /not/ goin' t' let that thing into y'! You hear me?" Shit, there goes Shatara. She would proceed to do the same to him.
[2015-04-22 13:27:25] <Little_Gloom> 3The wind picks up, the sound unearthly and intelligent.  With a loud crackling, a sheet of ice begins to descend over the open doorway.
[2015-04-22 13:27:31] <Little_Gloom> 3CopyCat looks into Golden_Dream's eyes without seeing, but the slap rouses her, just a little. "Ouch. Golden? You're here? But you're so quiet."
[2015-04-22 13:27:35] <Little_Gloom> 3Golden_Dream sees something swirling in the air above them, a faintly glowing blue.  Through Kid's eyes, CopyCat can see it too.
[2015-04-22 13:27:41] <Little_Gloom> 3For a moment, the ghostly blue seems to take an equine form, but elongated and horrible.
[2015-04-22 13:27:47] <Little_Gloom> 3Golden_Dream looks rather dire, whips out her shotgun. ShitshitshitSHITSHITSHIT. "FUCKING ICE GHOST! GET OUT OF HERE!"
[2015-04-22 13:27:52] <Little_Gloom> 3Shatara squawks as Golden_Dream's slap snaps him out of his neurosis.
[2015-04-22 13:27:58] <Little_Gloom> 3Noble_Heart looks towards the ceiling. "They can't get you when you are alone. We must split up! We can carry all but one of us out of this room." She looked towards the others worriedly. "But We are not certain whether they will follow."
[2015-04-22 13:28:03] <Little_Gloom> 3CopyCat looks up at the swirling ceiling, then at Noble_Heart, and finally down at the floor. "Alone again. So quiet. So quiet."
[2015-04-22 13:28:07] <Little_Gloom> 3Golden_Dream pulls out her shotgun and attempts to blow the ice wall apart. "I ain't leavin' Copycat n' Shatara!"
[2015-04-22 13:28:13] <Little_Gloom> 3Golden_Dream can now hear the sound of the apparition above.  So hateful the noise it makes.
[2015-04-22 13:28:19] <Little_Gloom> 3Noble_Heart looks back towards Bookwright. "You can teleport yourself. We will take the others and go. Make your way back as quickly and safely as you can. They should not be able to get you while you are alone, if what We have seen so far is true."
[2015-04-22 13:28:26] <Little_Gloom> 3Golden_Dream glares at Noble. "No! It'll still get you! That pony was frozen! We gotta get outta here together!"
[2015-04-22 13:28:32] <Little_Gloom> 3Golden_Dream had only once been so scared in her life.
[2015-04-22 13:28:41] <Little_Gloom> 3Mare-Do-Well pokes her ghostly head through the sheet of ice now covering the exit, just as Golden_Dream shoots it with her shotgun.  The ghostly pony looks down in surprise, then up.  Her masked eyes widen in shock, and Golden_Dream hears her whisper "Windigo!"
[2015-04-22 13:28:43] <Little_Gloom> 3...
[2015-04-22 13:28:50] <Little_Gloom> 3Lionheart looks over all of you, reluctant to trust after a nearly disastrous start.  But the lavendar mare steps forward.  "Dad... please?"  He nods.  "*This* *way*."  He turns back towards the huge doors of the aerie.  "*Please* *help* *her*... *if* *you* *can*."
[2015-04-22 13:28:57] <Little_Gloom> 3Get_Lost says, "i don't have a lot of medical supplies but i can see what i can do..." The mare takes her doctor bag.  "So, who has the ouchies? the doctor is in!"  She sings a bit that last part and trots inside.
[2015-04-22 13:29:02] <Little_Gloom> 3The little filly begins to sob.  "Gramma doesn't love me anymore!"  The unicorn mare stops, turning and wrapping the child in her hooves.  "No, sweetie.  Grandma loves you. She's just... very sick."  She looks up with a hopeless expression.
[2015-04-22 13:29:07] <Little_Gloom> 3The filly buries her head in the mare's golden mane.  She hitches, the wails, "She doesn't even know who I am!"
[2015-04-22 13:29:10] <Little_Gloom> 3...
[2015-04-22 13:29:17] <Little_Gloom> 3The Captain comes aboard, followed by Mwana, who translates for her.  "The Captain wants your friend Get_Lost to bring the disabled tracker to Kifaa.  Hopefully, it was short range, something to help them find the ship if it went down."
[2015-04-22 13:29:22] <Little_Gloom> 3Mwana says, "But the Captain doesn't think so.  This ship was short range, so there has to be a bigger Imperial ship just over the horizon."
[2015-04-22 13:29:28] <Little_Gloom> 3Get_Lost sighs and gets up again from the table, gives the transmitter to the captain and adds "here you go. good work."
[2015-04-22 13:29:29] <Little_Gloom> 3...
[2015-04-22 13:29:36] <Little_Gloom> 3Bookwright hears a voice hiss softly from above.  "You saw me where I never was and where I could not be. And yet within that very place, my face you often see."
[2015-04-22 13:29:41] <Little_Gloom> 3Bookwright looks up. "Aw, no fair. I stink at riddles. Is the answer 'my reflection'?"
[2015-04-22 13:29:48] <Little_Gloom> 3The baby sphinx smiles down at Bookwright from atop a bookshelf.  "Reflections are not what you see, they are merely pretend.  Much better seen within a mirror than within a friend."  The little spirit turns and disappears over the other side.
[2015-04-22 13:29:53] <Little_Gloom> 3Bookwright frowns upward, mind working. "You know, that's a pretty cryptic way of saying that I should watch out for people who are only pretending to like me."
[2015-04-22 13:29:56] <Little_Gloom> 3...
[2015-04-22 13:30:02] <Little_Gloom> 3Noble_Heart nods her head. "It would be in bad manner to hold the sins of the past against those who still live. And truly unfair to those who had no hoof in their own creation." She smiles. "Hopefully the zebras will be understanding as well."
[2015-04-22 13:30:11] <Little_Gloom> 3Gundi_Kifalme nods.  "Oh, that you don't have to worry about.  We don't hold the living responsible for the actions of the long dead.  Line of responsibility and duty flow forward, not backwards.  Even without New Roam demonizing everything associated with the past empire, you wouldn't need to fear that."
[2015-04-22 13:30:17] <Little_Gloom> 3...
[2015-04-22 13:30:24] <Little_Gloom> 3Mwana notes, "Several pirate captains have ship's spirits.  I know of more than one who made the error of having the spirit act as translator.  Never turned out well."
[2015-04-22 13:30:32] <Little_Gloom> 3Mwana looks to Golden_Dream, "They're real dangerous when they grow up.  But the one in this shop is just a baby.  She's dangerous, but no more than a pet jaguar."
[2015-04-22 13:30:37] <Little_Gloom> 3Bookwright "So why is this one hanging around a library then? Does it enjoy mystifying customers?"
[2015-04-22 13:30:43] <Little_Gloom> 3Golden_Dream gives Mwana a really flat look. "Gee, Mwana. You sure showed me that this here dangerous spirit ain't dangerous." WHO KEEPS A JAGUAR AS A PET!??
[2015-04-22 13:30:45] <Little_Gloom> 3...
[2015-04-22 13:30:51] <Little_Gloom> 3Jugeote tells Shatara, "You'd be surprised at the things you can sneak by during the daily loves so long as an Imperial guard doesn't spot you."
[2015-04-22 13:30:56] <Little_Gloom> 3Shatara tilts his head. "'Daily loves'?"
[2015-04-22 13:31:01] <Little_Gloom> 3Jugeote nods.  "Three times a day, like clockwork.  Every citizen of the Empire stops what they are doing, bows their heads, closes their eyes, and concentrates on just how much they love their family, their neighbors, their nation and the Caesar.  In that order."
[2015-04-22 13:31:07] <Little_Gloom> 3Shatara stares. "Thats...wat"
[2015-04-22 13:31:12] <Little_Gloom> 3Jugeote nods.  "According to Roam, it's the daily loves that drove the windigos away." Shatara untilts. "Oh. That...actually makes some sense. We had to fight windigoes on our way here..."
[2015-04-22 13:31:14] <Little_Gloom> 3...
[2015-04-22 13:31:20] <Little_Gloom> 3CopyCat gasps. "An airship that's invisibles!"
[2015-04-22 13:31:35] <Little_Gloom> 3Mare-Do-Well nods.  Then shakes her head.  "Well, not exactly.  It's just really hard to notice.  Some sort of spirit's bound into it that makes your eyes slide off of it."
[2015-04-22 13:31:36] <Little_Gloom> 3...
[2015-04-22 13:31:43] <Little_Gloom> 3>> Warn your friend.  We do not trust them.  She should not either. <<  Serendipity's thoughts swim with shadows.  >> Their motivations are... selfish.  They do not wish to help the world.  They wish it to conform to their tastes.  Many of them... they are like sheep, following pretty promises.  We wonder who is making them. <<
[2015-04-22 13:31:49] <Little_Gloom> 3CopyCat turns to Golden_Dream as they walk. "Serendipity had a warning for us. The ponies Get Lost are with are not to be trusted. Pretty promises with a selfish heart."
[2015-04-22 13:31:54] <Little_Gloom> 3Golden_Dream raises an eyebrow. "This about that one poster she picked up? Y' wanna go and figure out what their deal is?"
[2015-04-22 13:32:00] <Little_Gloom> 3Bookwright pauses. "Wait, so... They're not really trying to build a new Equestria with 'Peace' and-slash-or 'Love'? I'm confused."
[2015-04-22 13:32:08] <Little_Gloom> 3The Sisterhood ponies weave their way through the Awesome-Mart.  The smell of fresh-baked bread wafts through the Awesome-Mart marketplaces as the wind shifts.
[2015-04-22 13:32:14] <Little_Gloom> 3A final thought reaches CopyCat.  >> We believe that the groups in each town are receiving advice from an outside source.  Their leader does not seem to be... local. <<  With that, her mind is gone, and with it the shadow-illusion of Unity.
[2015-04-22 13:32:19] <Little_Gloom> 3CopyCat nods at Golden_Dream and looks at Bookwright. "I believe we should try to find out." Her pace quickens to catch up with Get_Lost and the flower children.
[2015-04-22 13:32:21] <Little_Gloom> 3...
[2015-04-22 13:32:26] <Little_Gloom> 3Bookwright groans. He rises to his hooves, and the Jukebox gun rises with him. It aims at the captain. "I can't see you, but I sure as hell can hear you, bitch."
[2015-04-22 13:32:31] <Little_Gloom> 3Bookwright pulls the trigger. Sonic death rolls over the captain.
[2015-04-22 13:32:36] <Little_Gloom> 3The grievously wounded Captain falls, collapsing onto the deck under the lethal sonic barrage.  What happens next is so swift that it could leave witnesses questioning what they saw.
[2015-04-22 13:32:42] <Little_Gloom> 3Even before the Captain's dead body hits the deck, it is engulfed in a wreath of green flame.  The flame seems to burn away the visage of the powerful zebra, to consume coat, mane, eyes... What is left isn't zebra, nor pony... but something black and insectoid, with tattered ears, pupil-less cyan eyes, fangs and a sharp horn.  Then something within the armor
[2015-04-22 13:33:02] <Little_Gloom> 3-- or perhaps within its battle saddle -- erupts.
[2015-04-22 13:33:10] <Little_Gloom> 3Plasma explodes across the corpse, a miasmic energy that splashes everyone nearby, even as it dissolves the body into nothing but a glowing puddle of green goo.
[2015-04-22 13:33:13] <Little_Gloom> 3...
[2015-04-22 13:34:17] <Little_Gloom> 3Fallout: Beyond Equestria, Session One Hundred and Thirty-Two: The Last Free Town (Part Nine) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BigolJfoANw
[2015-04-22 13:34:23] <Little_Gloom> 3--- Session Begins ---
[2015-04-22 13:36:26] <Little_Gloom> 3"So, now you're putting it together, aren't you." says the little draconequus floating above the heads of the ponies and griffin as they stare at the glowing green puddle of goo.
[2015-04-22 13:37:14] * Golden_Dream just sort of stands there and lets things sink in for a bit. She shouldn't have done that. "... I'm gonna... I'm gonna loot these here bodies and-" YAY DISTRACTION. "Yer' th'... Yer th' thing. What made us go back."
[2015-04-22 13:38:13] * Get_Lost reaches for her scalpel "well, time to dissect an insect... let's learn something"
[2015-04-22 13:38:48] * Noble_Heart blinks in confusion and frowns. Then looks up and around at the voice. Curious as to who was actually speaking.
[2015-04-22 13:39:07] * Get_Lost frowns at the goo "nutritious, but useless... shatara, let me fix the freezinator before it explodes"
[2015-04-22 13:39:26] * Bookwright "Okay, so, I heard a sort of wet explosion. What... Happened?"
[2015-04-22 13:39:53] * Shatara nods, quicky pushing the freezinator upon Get_Lost and moving faaaar away from it.
[2015-04-22 13:40:32] * Get_Lost starts working on the experimental weapon, trying to make it start again "did it perform well?"
[2015-04-22 13:40:36] * Bookwright rubs his eyes with a hoof, but still can't see anything.
[2015-04-22 13:41:12] * Bookwright "Maybe I should switch to prescription goggles. Those might actually protect my eyes."
[2015-04-22 13:43:58] * Bookwright "'Cause then, some evil pony will be all 'Now I'll put out your eyes!' and I'll say 'That is the purpose of the goggles!' and then we'll FIGHT and it'll be dark and it'll be AWESOME."
[2015-04-22 13:44:07] * Bookwright ahem.
[2015-04-22 13:44:17] * Noble_Heart frowns, regarding Bookwright. "The captain was not what they appeared to be. They were... Some form of insectile pony? We have not seen anything like it before, Ourselves." She shook her head. "She exploded upon her death." She moved towards the edge of the ship regarding the Rainbow Connection. "We still have a few borders to deal with it seems."
[2015-04-22 13:44:25] * CopyCat 's shield flares as the changeling explodes with plasma fire. She collapses, too hurt and scared for her friends to comprehend what just happened. Her shield flickers and fades and she oozes blood onto the deck. The mare's front leg bends at a horrible angle while she lies there.
[2015-04-22 13:45:13] * Bookwright "I just heard a 'schlump' sound. Was that CopyCat? Can somepony guide me to her so I can do some restorative magic? I'm kinda, er, blind here..."
[2015-04-22 13:49:22] * Golden_Dream slumps. "Did I see that right?" She didn't even know what to do with the information she was given. Her mind told her that she should hold onto that thought and deal with the invaders on the ship first. Her heart was pregnant to talk to somebody about what she saw. "They're changerlin's." She spoke. "They got Roam under their hooves. And... I dunno what to do about that."
[2015-04-22 13:50:59] <Little_Gloom> 3The little chaos spirit watches bemusedly.  "Still haven't quite gotten there, have you?  Don't worry, I'm sure you'll fare much better than that other pony who figured it all out."  He gives an overly dramatic dismissive shrug.  "When you do, come look me up."
[2015-04-22 13:51:34] * Golden_Dream goes to approach the little spirit. "Wait, wait, wait! What other pony?"
[2015-04-22 13:52:12] * Noble_Heart frowns. "Ditzy Doo." Her ears go flat. "The one in Equestria is a Changeling..."
[2015-04-22 13:52:27] <Little_Gloom> 3The spirit claps in glee.
[2015-04-22 13:53:14] * Bookwright "Oh. Well, that would explain why she wouldn't let me do the telepathy spell."
[2015-04-22 13:53:54] * Bookwright walks very slowly and carefully to where CopyCat has fallen and cannot get up. Very gently he lowers his head until he's touching her side. Magic happens.
[2015-04-22 13:53:57] * Little_Gloom 3chides, "Elements of Harmony don't just /fall off/."
[2015-04-22 13:54:02] <Little_Gloom> 3(eep)
[2015-04-22 13:54:16] * Get_Lost reaches CopyCat and gives her some proper first aid
[2015-04-22 13:54:20] <Little_Gloom> 3The little draconequus chides, "Elements of Harmony don't just /fall off/."
[2015-04-22 13:54:23] * Noble_Heart nods her head and frowns. "And why the Element of Laughter is below Roam. It is still with the original Ditzy Doo. Trapped in a dungeon somewhere while someone masquerades as her." She scowls. This was going to be even more complex than she had expected.
[2015-04-22 13:54:41] * Bookwright "Yeah, I was wondering how they'd gotten the Element off of her. Normal pipbucks are hard enough to remove. But an Element...? I don't know if you can take that off without the bearer allowing it."
[2015-04-22 13:55:36] * Get_Lost prepares a potion and start trying to put everything together before giving the alicorn some fast healing, so that she won't heal in a wrong manner and be disfigured for the rest of her life
[2015-04-22 13:55:54] * Get_Lost you know, like... some pony that lost eyes, spine and stuff
[2015-04-22 13:58:06] * CopyCat murmurs softly, almost feverishly. "Hello Mr. patchwork dragon... I remember you. Have you lost weight? You're looking handsome..." she trails off, getting some much needed healing from Get_Lost and Bookwright.
[2015-04-22 13:59:21] * Golden_Dream facehooves. "Shit. /Shit/. Oh, fuck! Aw, fucking hell, this is /way/ above me." She was internally screaming.
[2015-04-22 14:00:52] * Noble_Heart frowns heavily. "We need to send a message back to Equestria. And find Miss Doo. And possibly depose this new Caesar. Though how we will do that is hard to say right now. For the moment, the problem at hoof. These zebras are taking our ship. And We will not stand for it."
[2015-04-22 14:03:17] * Bookwright "Golden, you're freaking out. Our job's not that hard. We just have to overthrow a zebra organization secretly controlled by changlings."
[2015-04-22 14:03:35] * Bookwright frowns. "Well, maybe that is a bit hard. But we can do it. I think."
[2015-04-22 14:04:23] * Shatara settles down by CopyCat, and tries not to think about the stripeypone he just stabbed in the throat.
[2015-04-22 14:05:51] * Bookwright "Can someone with eyes tell me what's going on over on the Rainbow Connection?"
[2015-04-22 14:08:14] <Little_Gloom> 3The chaos spirit smiles and bows to CopyCat with a flourish.  "Why yes.  I'm much slimmer now that I've had my loyalties removed.  Thank you for noticing!"
[2015-04-22 14:09:04] * Shatara tilts his head. "Loyalties? You were with the bugponecapten?"
[2015-04-22 14:09:24] * Bookwright is finding this not being able to see anything highly frustrating.
[2015-04-22 14:10:19] * CopyCat 's head stops swimming as her friends give her medical care. Bookwright's magic and Get_Lost's expert potion administration stop her bleeding and restores her strength. Her leg quickly heals, having already been reset and bound properly by Get. Pain fades and slowly her thoughts return.
[2015-04-22 14:13:59] * Get_Lost "okay, so... who wants the rainbow connection back?"
[2015-04-22 14:14:23] <Little_Gloom> 3The draconequus shakes his head... by taking it off and giving it a vigorous shake.  Then screws it back on, his eyes rolling in their sockets.  "Oh no.  I'm not /this/ ship's spirit."
[2015-04-22 14:15:19] * Golden_Dream raises her shotgun, checking the chamber. It's always a smart idea to have a shell loaded. "Me. And..." She blunk. "Who's ship spirit are you?"
[2015-04-22 14:17:01] <Little_Gloom> 3"The big one waiting just over the horizon.  The Leviathan."  The spirit grins.  "Can't miss it."
[2015-04-22 14:17:39] <Little_Gloom> 3With that, the draconequus folds himself up and sticks himself in his pocket, disappearing.
[2015-04-22 14:18:08] * CopyCat struggles to stand upright, and when she manages it the first thing she does is throw her hooves around Get_Lost and Bookwright, hugging her friends tight. "Thank you!"
[2015-04-22 14:18:25] * Noble_Heart blinks and frowns a little, then raises an eyebrow. "Then why would y-" The spirit was gone before she could even finish asking the question. Well, they were the next target in either case. It seemed there were few options remaining at this point.
[2015-04-22 14:20:03] * Shatara pats his wing upon CopyCat.
[2015-04-22 14:20:16] * Golden_Dream slumps her head. Right. They still had that one to deal with. "Alright, alright. First th' Rainbow Connection, then we tow that thing over t' th' Leviathan and... Do somethin'."
[2015-04-22 14:20:24] * CopyCat absorbs Shatara into the hug as well.
[2015-04-22 14:21:45] * Bookwright "Well, I for one like our ship spirit more than that talky dragon thing. We've got frigging Rainbow Dash!"
[2015-04-22 14:23:13] * Get_Lost has hugs and gives hugs "glad to see that you're alive.... i thnk i got hit badly in the fight too...."
[2015-04-22 14:23:33] * Golden_Dream nods. "Yeah. Plus whatever's workin' this thing." She stomps on the invisi-ship. "Now, everyone get healed up. Once more in th' breach n' all that." Violence, she knew. Empire-wide takeovers not so much.
[2015-04-22 14:23:36] * Get_Lost is a mask of blood, but slowly regenerating
[2015-04-22 14:24:15] * Noble_Heart frowns and furrows her brow. "But what did it mean about its loyalties being removed..? Something has happened to that ship, which is not normal for the Zebra air-fleet." She shook her head. That was worrying.
[2015-04-22 14:24:23] * Shatara looks over towards their occupied airship. "Maybe we should try to get them to surrender?"
[2015-04-22 14:26:10] * CopyCat nods. "I will do what I can to heal you in kind, Get_Lost and Bookwright. But... Shatara, Golden_Dream, can you see what the zebra boarders are doing on the Rainbow? We may still have to fight them."
[2015-04-22 14:26:41] * Golden_Dream huffs. She'd like them to surrender. "I'd like that." She pulls out her binoculars. She hoped that they weren't just dumping their stuff.
[2015-04-22 14:31:29] <Little_Gloom> 3The zebra boarders swiftly realized the ship trade that had occurred.  It looks like they have jury-rigged a repair on the engine and are just now beginning to maneuver the ship around.  Two of them have slipped into a couple of the gunnery pods and are waiting for the ship's slow ascent to give them a good shot.
[2015-04-22 14:37:01] * Golden_Dream , on the other hoof, decides to head to the brush guns. "They're gettin' th' engines repaired. Anyone wants t' get this thing climbin', be m' guest."
[2015-04-22 14:38:03] * Noble_Heart frowns. "We cannot fly an airship. Shatara! See if you can get the controls online. We shall move to engage." She spreads her wings, pulling the massive crystal lamp-post sword from her side, then surrounds herself in a fresh shield and takes to the air.
[2015-04-22 14:39:52] * Shatara starts to work on the controls. "We can probably pick them off from here...they've just got a few rifles..."
[2015-04-22 14:41:23] * CopyCat can't help but chuckle amidst the chaos. "Suddenly I'm glad we never got around to improving the /Rainbow/'s arsenal."
[2015-04-22 14:48:43] <Little_Gloom> 3As Shatara moves into the ship's control cabin, he spots the engine room through an open door.  There is one final zebra on board.  The engineer is laying on her side, her hooves bound in rope.  The knots are poor and awkward, suggesting that she had tied herself up.
[2015-04-22 14:49:37] <Little_Gloom> 3The engineer zebra looks relieved at the sight of Shatara and says, in Equestrian and with a familiar accent, "Thank Celestia.  About time someone got back here!"
[2015-04-22 14:51:18] * Golden_Dream starts to get mounted into the brush guns and takes aim on the zebra on the single AR turret. She didn't want to shoot this zebra. Hell if she was going to let her go down, though. "Get talkin', or give me th' signal t' start shootin'."
[2015-04-22 14:52:34] * Shatara blinks in confusion at the strangely tied stripeypone. "...oh, uh...hi?"
[2015-04-22 15:00:25] <Little_Gloom> 3The ghostly form of Mare-Do-Well floats up out of the zebra, who immediately begins fighting and biting at her bonds.  "Caught her trying to sabotage the engine and blow us all up.  Pretty sure I stopped her in time."
[2015-04-22 15:03:30] * Shatara relaxes. "Oh, I see. Nice work." He blinks a bit, never thinking he'd be *relieved* to see a ghost coming out of someone. Shaking off the feeling, he digs out his cattle prod. "Uh, little help in here?"
[2015-04-22 15:06:51] * Golden_Dream looks over to where Shatara is and sighs. "Coming." She passes by Copycat and Noble, probably Get too. "Copycat, if we're gonna do diplomacy, do diplomacy. I'll be back on th' guns in a moment. Hurry before they get silly thoughts in their head."
[2015-04-22 15:07:36] * Bookwright looks out over the railings and sees... Nothing. Still. "Darnit."
[2015-04-22 15:08:39] * Golden_Dream steps into the engine room with a slightly bemused look on her face. "Oh. Good work, Mare-Do-Well." She puts a menacing look on her face. "Hey, lemme show y' how t' do a hogtie. Nopony ever gets out of a hogtie."
[2015-04-22 15:08:56] * CopyCat steadies herself. She was feeling much calmer now that her everything was no longer hurting. She turns to Bookwright and concentrates, her horn glowing softly. "My mind to your mind. My thoughts to your thoughts. Look through my Eyes and See~"
[2015-04-22 15:09:53] * CopyCat shares her sense of sight with Bookwright. Which may be strange since the first thing he'd see is himself.
[2015-04-22 15:13:21] <Little_Gloom> 3Mare-Do-Well sighs.  "Never did too well with ropes.  Ropes were AJ's thing."
[2015-04-22 15:14:10] * Bookwright "Wow. I look kinda, er, awful. Wow." He blinks. "Cool. My eyes are totally black. Okay, look out at the Rainbow Connection please."
[2015-04-22 15:15:46] * Golden_Dream takes out her own rope, starts to hogtie the zebra, and then undoes the rope that RD found. She pockets that one. "Huh. You think she ever did anythin' kinky with that?" Hey, deflection is a wonderful coping mechanism.
[2015-04-22 15:18:18] * CopyCat moves uncomfortably (or comfortably) close beside Bookwright and sticks her head beside his, looking over the railing at the Rainbow Connection.
[2015-04-22 15:19:24] <Little_Gloom> 3Mare-Do-Well nods.  "Oh yeah."
[2015-04-22 15:20:42] * Bookwright collects the MASER from the deck of the ship and floats it in front of CopyCat, adjusting until he can see down the sights. "Okay. This might work, if it comes to it." He lowers the weapon. "Hopefully we can get them to surrender instead though."
[2015-04-22 15:21:13] * Golden_Dream raises her eyebrows. "Huh. Didn't take Steelhooves..." Pause. "Applesnack fer' someone that'd be int' that." She pats the zebra on the head, then starts back to the turret.
[2015-04-22 15:21:25] <Little_Gloom> 3The /Rainbow Connection/ is struggling to gain altitude.  Whatever repairs they managed in the last few minutes were enough to keep her running, but clearly not at Shatara's or Get_Lost's level of expertise.
[2015-04-22 15:22:30] * CopyCat then calls out to the zebra below, since Golden_Dream had asked her to. "We have taken your ship and defeated your captain. She was totally a changeling by the way. Surrender and we wont have to kill you. Please wave a white flag to let us know you understand this message."
[2015-04-22 15:36:56] * CopyCat tilts her head but sees no white flags. "Oh well," she shrugs against Bookwright. "We tried." Her eyes follow Noble_Heart's flight. "I hope Noble fares better."
[2015-04-22 15:38:01] * Noble_Heart dives downwards as she lets out a shout of battle. Her voice reverberating between the two ships like a crack of thunder as she plummeted towards one of the gun batteries on the Rainbow Connection. Her blade flashed through the air, intent to slice the weapon apart, or batter it to bits, as she passed. These zebras would soon see it was futile to oppose her!
[2015-04-22 15:38:15] * Bookwright "Please communicate to Noble Heart that I'll take combat cues from her."
[2015-04-22 15:38:26] * Get_Lost since she's done with the first aid, does the rest: fixing the freezinator, checking the engines, finding the radio
[2015-04-22 15:40:59] * Bookwright realizes something too late. "Oh darn, I just remembered I have stun grenades in my pack."
[2015-04-22 16:06:07] <Little_Gloom> 3Noble_Heart's dramatic action has most of the desired effect.  With a terrible sound, the gun is rendered damage, although not destroyed.  The sight and sound of the alicorn, however, is enough to make the zebras rethink attempting to retake their ship, or even keep this one.
[2015-04-22 16:07:24] <Little_Gloom> 3The zebra whose gun faced Noble's fury scrambles out of the pod, the others galloping for their gliders.  Only one hesitates before choosing the better part of valor.
[2015-04-22 16:18:12] * Golden_Dream snerks as she watches through her binoculars. "Whatever she did, did th' trick."
[2015-04-22 16:18:37] * CopyCat cheers. "Go Noble_Heart! Woo!"
[2015-04-22 16:18:42] * Bookwright watches through CopyCat's eyes, amused. "Lookit them go! Hopefully the folks back at the silos won't be too peeved we let them run. We still have to worry about that other ship... The 'Leviathan', I think that spirit called it?"
[2015-04-22 16:18:52] * Shatara watches through his own scope. "Should we let them go, or try to stop them?"
[2015-04-22 16:19:44] * Noble_Heart raises up and lands on the deck, her sword surrounded in a purple glow as its point just barely touches the wood of the ship, she makes no move to stop the zebras from fleeing, but puts herself between them and the weapons.
[2015-04-22 16:20:03] * Golden_Dream stays on the gun until they flee for good. If they do, then she sighs and gets off the gun. "No point on killin' 'em. They ain't got any info worth protectin'."
[2015-04-22 16:34:29] * Bookwright "Okay, so what about the ship we just captured? And our zebra prisoner? We don't exactly have enough bodies to put a prize crew on this ship. It's got the fancy hiding tech, maybe we can sell it to the silos for a lot of... money?"
[2015-04-22 16:35:05] <Shatara> "Don't we kinda need fancy hiding tech to not die horribly while infiltrating the empire?"
[2015-04-22 16:35:59] <Little_Gloom> 3Mare-Do-Well notes, "Or the keep the ship from the pirates so they don't turn it into a pirate ship."
[2015-04-22 16:36:41] <Little_Gloom> 3Soon, four gliders as swooping over the forest, away from the two captured ships.
[2015-04-22 16:36:59] <Little_Gloom> 3Meanwhile, Bookwright discovers he can see!
[2015-04-22 16:37:26] <Little_Gloom> 3The blackness drains from his eyes, trailing down his cheeks like crude oil.
[2015-04-22 16:37:41] * CopyCat smiles as the zebras vacate their airship without more blood being spilled. "Noble is best negotiator!" With the immediate danger over, she starts to slowly and carefully heal her friends.
[2015-04-22 16:37:51] * Bookwright suddenly sees double. "Okay CopyCat, that's enough. I can see again."
[2015-04-22 16:38:11] * CopyCat nods, and the Shared Senses ends.
[2015-04-22 16:38:46] * Bookwright wipes away gook with a kerchief. "Eugh. Never using this one again." He crumples up the poor swatch of cloth and drops it over the side.
[2015-04-22 16:39:32] * Noble_Heart watches the zebras go. Now she had a slight problem. Someone had to pilot this ship and repair the engines and she only knew one griffin who could pilot ships. Which was a bit of an issue. She moved back to the railing and called back. "We should consolidate, and likely park this ship somewhere safe and use that one to attack their remaining vessel. The engine damage will
[2015-04-22 16:39:33] * Noble_Heart likely make moving this ship fast enough in time impossible."
[2015-04-22 16:41:32] <Golden_Dream> 
ACTION nods. "Yeah, we kinda do. Reason I went with goin' fer' this one first is 'cause it might be operated by a skeleton crew and be able t' get us past th' ring o' death." She watches the zebras flee. "Now, let's say we tow th' Rainbow Connection and take this here ship t' check out th' Leviathan. I figure that th' four that left are a raidin' party, probably don't contribute much t' th' ship function, and th' six that were here w
[2015-04-22 16:43:49] * Golden_Dream starts to look through the bodies for their equipment. This makes eight ponies you've killed, Goldy. Two more and you're an ace. Also, probably a horrible pony.
[2015-04-22 16:44:31] <Golden_Dream> (, and th' six that were here was th' captain, th' engineer, th' shaman, and three gunners.")
[2015-04-22 16:52:26] * CopyCat first heals herself before looking to her friends. Her few remaining wounds close and her leg strengthens within the bandages Get Lost had wrapped her in.
[2015-04-22 16:54:13] * Bookwright "I think I could pilot this ship. But honestly, I think we might be better off scuttling it, looting the weapons, and marking its location with a pipbuck so we can salvage it later. Let all the lifting gasses out of the envelope."
[2015-04-22 16:57:17] * CopyCat concentrates. Bookwright was very injured, but he was beside her while Noble_Heart was at a distance. CopyCat focuses on the Bond she shares with her friends, and streams healing to Noble_Heart. Mending her light wounds with soft magic.
[2015-04-22 16:58:07] * Golden_Dream blinks at Bookie. "Why." She asked, emphatically.
[2015-04-22 16:58:52] * Noble_Heart finally allows her shield to drop now that all the danger has passed. She wasn't certain what they should do with the two airships at this point. She wasn't even sure they could make the spirit of secrets which hid the stealthy ship work for them or not.
[2015-04-22 16:59:26] <Bookwright> "Because... Well, frankly, we can't do anything with this. We don't have enough ponies to crew it. I can't shoot any of the weapons. I'd be better off shooting the Twilight Cannon, assuming we can figure out what went wrong with it and it's an easy fix."
[2015-04-22 17:00:29] * Shatara hmms. "We could really use a crew..."
[2015-04-22 17:01:27] * CopyCat makes a dismayed horse noise at Bookwright. "/This/ ship is in a much better state than the /Rainbow/ is right now. Now hold still," she fusses, "You're hurt and need some tender loving care." Her horn glows again.
[2015-04-22 17:01:31] * Bookwright "On the other hoof... this ship still looks like a zebra ship. If we made ourselves look like zebras... We could totally surprise the Leviathan
[2015-04-22 17:01:41] * Bookwright fusses.
[2015-04-22 17:03:19] * Bookwright "I'd been thinking about this all wrong. Hum. Could it work?"
[2015-04-22 17:03:27] * Golden_Dream looks around. "Seems t' me that this thing can be comfortably flown with two folks. It's got a much better gun emplacements and more of 'em. And it's got th' cloaking thing that is gonna come in useful when we decide t' scout th' ring o' death."
[2015-04-22 17:04:41] * Golden_Dream looks around. "Hell, we got two, three folks that know their way around a spanner here. Th' hardest part is comin' up with a name."
[2015-04-22 17:05:54] * CopyCat is a very slow, methodical caster and Bookwright was in a very bad state. During the long minutes of casting she regards her patient with an almost motherly affection.
[2015-04-22 17:06:06] <Bookwright> "You know, I might be able to temporarily restore the Rainbow Connection's engine to working order, if we don't have the time to fix it here and now. I've got a spell, see. It can undo damage... for a while. It fades after a couple hours, but it would make the engine on the Rainbow Connection like it was before it got hit with a missile."
[2015-04-22 17:07:17] * CopyCat whitters on, "Now when you're all better I don't want you playing rough with those zebra boys again, do you hear?"
[2015-04-22 17:07:35] * Bookwright "While I'm thinking about repairs, Shatara, can you please look at the Twilight Cannon? There was a bad malfunction with it during the battle, so I only got one shot off."
[2015-04-22 17:13:48] * Golden_Dream looks up from her grisly work. "And while we're at it, mind takin' over body lootin' fer me? I'm gonna go see if there's any ship spirits on /this/ thing." She smirks at Mare-Do-Well. "Not sayin' I don't see you as a friend, jus', well. I don't really see you as a bound spirit."
[2015-04-22 17:15:31] * CopyCat finishes healing Bookwright and trots over to Golden_Dream. She nods at Goldie and Dashie. "Unless we can find some ghost ropes, of course," she adds with a wink.
[2015-04-22 17:17:08] <Little_Gloom> 3Mare-Do-Well returns in a ghostly blur (she left?).  Her voice whispers, "Went to check out that 'Leviathan'.  We might have a problem."
[2015-04-22 17:17:26] * Golden_Dream perks up. "... What kinda problem."
[2015-04-22 17:18:20] * Golden_Dream doesn't even state that like a question. It's too steady and monotone to be a question. It was a statement of fact, like she doesn't even doubt there are more problems.
[2015-04-22 17:19:21] * Bookwright "I'm pretty sure that there's a motto out there that says that no matter how big the problem is, it can always be solved by a bigger gun."
[2015-04-22 17:20:51] * Noble_Heart heads back up to the stealthy ship. For the moment she had no real ability to steer the Rainbow Connection anyway. "We might suggest sending the Rainbow Connection back towards the Silos with those who are uncomfortable being involved in a direct battle onboard. If We are to fight this Leviathan, it will surely be very dangerous."
[2015-04-22 17:22:43] <Little_Gloom> 3Mare-Do-Well frowns.  "Huge command warship.  Probably the command and control for the fleet of littler ships that this one and the other ship we know about are part of."
[2015-04-22 17:24:09] * Shatara blinks. "Wait, 'other'? This is in *addition* to the battlewagon we bipassed?"
[2015-04-22 17:24:20] * Noble_Heart frowns and furrows her brow. Something was bothering her. "Why would such a ship have a Chaos Spirit as its ship spirit? And what did it mean by 'released from my allegiance'?"
[2015-04-22 17:24:26] * Bookwright nods. "It's the big momma warship."
[2015-04-22 17:35:30] <Little_Gloom> 3Mare-Do-Well nods.  "If it's true that The Silos are the last 'free' town...  they're putting real effort into crushing it.  That kinda ship would have one of the top military brass on it back during the war.  Kinda surprised any of them still fly."
[2015-04-22 17:36:36] * Noble_Heart frowns and contemplates that. "It seems, then, that taking out that ship would cripple their attempts to take The Silos, for the moment. It may be the most important action We can undertake at this time."
[2015-04-22 17:37:49] <Golden_Dream> 
ACTION rubs her mane. "We gotta evacuate th' silo. I have an idea, we try t' get everyone in through th' portal, and if that doesn't happen..." She sighs. "We take on at least a crewmember that can translate Zebra to Equestrian and back, and then give over th' Rainbow Connection on th' grounds that they head fer' Equestria ASAP and let some of th' NCR know what's goin' on. Tell 'em that Crimson Caravans Company 5 sent them that way a
[2015-04-22 17:39:11] <Golden_Dream> Tell 'em that Crimson Caravans Company 5 sent them that way and that we got ourselves stuck in a power struggle up here. Then tell 'em t' keep an eye on Ditzy Doo, since odds are that she's a changerlin' spy. As is that one zebra from back in town."
[2015-04-22 17:39:21] <Little_Gloom> 3Mare-Do-Well looks excited at the prospect.  That excitement fades as she realizes she won't be getting to fight.  Then reality sinks in further and she says, "I don't think we have enough hellfire."
[2015-04-22 17:40:04] * Golden_Dream sighs. "No, we don't. Noble, we nearly killed ourselves getting /this/ ship. What makes y' think we can take on a fuggin' fleet?"
[2015-04-22 17:43:13] * Noble_Heart frowns. "It is not a fleet. It is a fleet -command-. Without it, there is no clear connection between fleet ships. The pirates may be used to operating independently, but We doubt that these zebra warships are." She shook her head. "While it remains, The Silos are in danger. There must be many, many more ships here than We were lead to believe if such an coordination vessel
[2015-04-22 17:43:14] * Noble_Heart is necessary. Our choices are to abandon The Silos, or to destroy that ship."
[2015-04-22 17:45:56] * Golden_Dream looks at the rest of the party. "Take this to a vote?"
[2015-04-22 17:47:55] * Bookwright "Like I said, the solution to this big problem is a bigger gun. And we have two of them. We're standing on one now. And we flew here in the other one."
[2015-04-22 17:48:14] * CopyCat swallows. "Umm, M-m-Mare-Do-Well... you're the only one who's seen a Leviathan in action before. And you've seen how this one is armed. W-what do you think about us t-trying to take it down?"
[2015-04-22 17:48:18] * Golden_Dream sighs. "I'm fer' evacuating th' Silos. We can't fight somethin' that big. That well armed and well-crewed. I know you were too busy behind yer' shield t' see, but Copycat, Bookie, and Get nearly died once t'day. I ain't keen on letting that happen again. There's a real line between bold and stupid, I think yer' crossin' it."
[2015-04-22 17:49:33] * Bookwright "Think about this: We load up the Rainbow Connection with as much explosive, as much hellfire powder we can find. And we fly it into that Leviathan."
[2015-04-22 17:51:29] * Noble_Heart nods her head in agreement to Bookwright. "That would be a good start."
[2015-04-22 17:53:01] * Noble_Heart looks down to Golden Dream and frowns. "It is true. This will doubtless be one of the most dangerous things We have ever done. But if We stand by and do nothing, the Silo fleet, already in the air, will likely be outmaneuvered and destroyed by coordinated attack. The pirates might be better on their own, but as an organized war-fleet they are too divided." She shook her
[2015-04-22 17:53:01] * Noble_Heart head. "Trying to evacuate the Silos now would mean panics, and likely many of the airships left behind. The battle is already joined, there is not time."
[2015-04-22 17:54:29] * CopyCat swallows. "M-maybe we could tell the pirates about what we found? They're more experienced at this than we are. D-do we have to do this alone?"
[2015-04-22 17:54:52] * CopyCat sounds shaken.
[2015-04-22 17:57:07] * Shatara wraps a wing tightly over CopyCat.
[2015-04-22 17:58:02] * Bookwright "Or we could do a deep insertion with a giant package of hellfire. Rainbow Dash can find a nice necessary thing in the Leviathan that wouldn't take well to explody death. Copycat can pinpoint her location, and then Noble Heart or I could teleport somepony there with a really big bomb, then teleport out."
[2015-04-22 17:58:46] * Bookwright shrugs. "Any way we look at this, we either scuttle the Leviathan, or we, and the Silos, are done for."
[2015-04-22 18:00:29] * CopyCat leans into Shatara. She swallows and nods at Bookwright's words. It might need to be done, but that didn't make it any easier.
[2015-04-22 18:00:36] * Noble_Heart looks down to Golden Dream. "If We allow the fight to continue without intervention, it is highly likely that all of the Zebra ships will be lost. Including the one which carries the cute colt whom you have been spending so much time with lately. We believe you will make the right choice. For these Zebras, and for their lands."
[2015-04-22 18:29:36] <Little_Gloom> 3--- End of Session ---