Fallout: Beyond Equestria, 32: Norther Blues (Part 16)

[2013-04-17 13:43:46] <Kkat> 3Shatara expertly take out the second turret.  Beyond the fence, the companions can see bedraggled zebras emerging from the tattered and filthy military tents, tentatively looking for the source of the explosions and gunfire.  A couple of the zebras see the incoming airborne group and squeal, hiding.
[2013-04-17 13:43:52] <Kkat> 3Shatara squawks in surprise at the sight of the stripey survivors
[2013-04-17 13:43:56] <Kkat> 3Bookwright wrangles his writhing stomach as he catches glimpses of zebras. "Oh my goodness, do my eyes deceive me? Are those survivors?"
[2013-04-17 13:44:01] <Kkat> 3Kid hops out of the levitation bubble through the hole provided, panting heavily. She sees them out of the corner of her eyes. Well, holy hot shit. Survivors! She tentatively puts away her gun. "Heya, folks. Not meanin' any sorta trouble. Jus' want t' get ya'll outta here. Ya'll speak Equestrian?" She tried to sound pleasant.
[2013-04-17 13:44:06] <Kkat> 3CopyCat looks around that surrounded them both and sings a little song inbetween giggles. "Uh, oh, we're in trouble, something's come along and it's burst our bubble!"
[2013-04-17 13:44:16] <Kkat> 3Bookwright refrains from actually kissing the ground as he dismounts, but only barely. "People... please holster your weapons and make them safe. Please."
[2013-04-17 13:44:22] <Kkat> 3CopyCat bursts her bubble and lands unsteadily beside Bookwright, grinning all the while.
[2013-04-17 13:44:30] <Kkat> 3Bookwright puts down his bags and weapon, and walks carefully forward. Addressing the zebras, "Hello? Can you understand me?"
[2013-04-17 13:44:40] <Kkat> 3Noble_Heart descended quickly and placed Mitzi back on the ground, letting her shield dissipate. "We are surprised to see that any here remain. Though it is not so unbelievable, We suppose. This place was home to Zebras being 'redeemed'." She snorted at that word. "Undoubtedly they had children when the war ended." She moved near Bookwright to keep him safe.
[2013-04-17 13:44:45] <Kkat> 3CopyCat waves at the locals, still with a dumb smile on her face.
[2013-04-17 13:44:53] <Kkat> 3A few more disheveled zebra poke their heads out.  You can hear a burble of talk between them after you call out greetings.  All in the fluent, alien zebra language.
[2013-04-17 13:45:05] <Kkat> 3Bookwright 's gentle smile falters a bit. "O-kay, I guess not. CopyCat, can you impress on them that I mean no harm?"
[2013-04-17 13:45:11] <Kkat> 3CopyCat casts Telepathy on every zebra she can see. What was it they used to say about curiosity and cats again?
[2013-04-17 13:45:29] <Kkat> 3Fallout: Beyond Equestria, Session Thirty-Two: Northern Blues (Part Sixteen)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KIsa8-aXpk
[2013-04-17 13:45:35] <Kkat> 3--- Session Begins ---
[2013-04-17 13:46:29] <Kkat> 3CopyCat immediately senses the mix of fear and wonder from the zebras, along with a healthy does of guarded defensiveness.
[2013-04-17 13:46:59] <Kkat> 3Or not, since green alicorn telepathy doesn't work on zebras.
[2013-04-17 13:47:25] * Mitzi looks curiously at the... "Stripey ponies?"
[2013-04-17 13:47:27] <Kkat> 3Instead, CopyCat senses nothing from them at all.
[2013-04-17 13:48:27] * Get_Lost smiles. it's plenty of ponies that look friendly, for once! the mare looks in her bags in search for something while keeping an eye on the various new potential friends
[2013-04-17 13:49:35] * Bookwright "I really don't know how I can approach them and use my telepathy spell in a nonthreatening fashion. Suggestions?"
[2013-04-17 13:49:48] * Kid smiles and looks at Copycat. "So? What're they thinkin'?"
[2013-04-17 13:50:41] * Noble_Heart waves a forehoof at the striped creatures. "Zebras, dear Mitzi. Though We admit that they are rare in Equestria, there are many who live upon the New Canterlot Republic's soil." She frowned and furrowed her brow. "We would be surprised if a telepathy spell would work. But We are not certain." She tilted her head slightly to one side. "We may need to find someone who speaks
[2013-04-17 13:50:42] * Noble_Heart Zebra to help."
[2013-04-17 13:51:53] * CopyCat tilts her head. Zebras were pony shaped... yet she couldn't hear them. "I... I don't know. They look frightened but I can't sense anything from them."
[2013-04-17 13:53:52] <Kkat> 3One of the zebras waves tentatively back at Noble_Heart.  Others crouch, as if prepared to run or fight.
[2013-04-17 13:54:32] * Mitzi decides to hold back for the moment. LAst thing she wanted was to frighten them.
[2013-04-17 13:54:36] * Bookwright "...damn. Okay, um..."
[2013-04-17 13:54:52] * Bookwright waves cheerfully at the zebra who waved to Noble_Heart.
[2013-04-17 13:54:52] * Kid 's smile fades. She folds her legs. "Right then. Hard way." She approached the zebras, and picked up some rock on the ground with her mouth, and started doodling where one could possibly doodle in the ground. One was a picture of two crude ponies, one with stripes, one without. The one without had a speech bubble coming from it's mouth of a square, the other a circle.
[2013-04-17 13:55:23] * Get_Lost takes what's left from her personal sparkle cola reserve... a whole 3 bottles and offers one to the zebra that waved to her "here, have one, let's make friends!"
[2013-04-17 13:55:42] * Noble_Heart frowns and sighs quietly, slowly approaching the zebra who was waving back, doing her best to look... Well, okay, she was trying to look authoritative and imposing, but not -scary-. "Does anyzebra here speak Equestrian?" She raised her voice to ask the question. It was likely a 'no', but someone here might still remember it. Maybe.
[2013-04-17 13:56:24] * CopyCat nods at Get_Lost. "That's the ticket! Friends is goods."
[2013-04-17 13:57:01] * Kid then drew a secondary picture in the ground where both of the crude ponies had their eyes closed and had a couple of waves coming off of their heads. They both had squares over their heads.
[2013-04-17 13:58:03] * Bookwright steps forwards and indicates the pony pictogram in the picture Kid just drew, then indicates himself.
[2013-04-17 13:59:15] <Kkat> 3One of the zebras moves forward to peer at Kid's drawings while another keeps protectively close by.
[2013-04-17 14:00:36] * CopyCat lays her quilt on the ground next Get_Lost and takes out a selection of the Fresh Fruit she'd brought with her.
[2013-04-17 14:00:40] <Kkat> 3The zebra who waved to Noble_Heart blinks in surprise and moves cautiously forward.  One of the nearby zebras puts up a hoof, speaking in the zebra language.  But the zebra nudges past and approaches Noble_Heart
[2013-04-17 14:01:05] * Kid doesn't back away, but doesn't make any move. She gives the zebra a non-toothy smile. Don't be a ghost don't be a ghost don't be a ghost.
[2013-04-17 14:01:35] * Mitzi sits and waits. They seemed to be making progress and she would likely just frighten them if she did... well, anything. She was a big girl after all, and not a pony in any way.
[2013-04-17 14:01:50] * Noble_Heart smiled as the zebra approached, offering a forehoof as she watched the Zebra's reaction. The truth was she wasn't expecting any kind of real reaction. But finding someone here who could speak Equestrian would expidite things dramatically.
[2013-04-17 14:04:08] <Kkat> 3The zebra stops in front of Noble_Heart, staring at the hoof.  And then at the offered Sparkle~Cola.  She hesitates.
[2013-04-17 14:05:09] <Kkat> 3The zebra looking at Kid's drawing nods, then turns slightly to address the others (again in zebra) while not losing sight of Kid.
[2013-04-17 14:05:33] * Get_Lost open another sparkle cola and drinks from it, then offers the new one  again to the zebra
[2013-04-17 14:08:19] <Kkat> 3The zebra watches.  Then quickly snatches the gift and scurries back to the others.
[2013-04-17 14:10:03] * CopyCat had mostly lost interest in the zebra, since she couldn't read their minds. Still, her friends thought it was important so she should probably try to help.
[2013-04-17 14:11:10] * Mitzi looks to Copycat, "How come yu no can know wut zebra-ponies tinkeen?"
[2013-04-17 14:12:29] * Noble_Heart frowns slightlyt hen sighs, closing her eyes quietly. "Well, that does not seem to have had the result We wished for. But at least they may trust us a little more." She lowers her hoof with a frown.
[2013-04-17 14:14:00] * CopyCat shrugs, still feeling a little giddy from Bookwright's pain relief spell. "I don't know. I don't remember meeting any zebra before... maybe they just think really quietly."
[2013-04-17 14:14:42] * Get_Lost mutters "these zebras got a bad beating from those solaris power hooves...."
[2013-04-17 14:15:24] * Get_Lost realizes having the solaris family mark on her butt and teps back a little "ah... better if they dont' notice me"
[2013-04-17 14:16:42] <Kkat> 3One of the other zebras watches her kin take the Sparkle~Cola, then looks towards Get Lost and Noble_Heart hopefully.
[2013-04-17 14:17:43] * Kid gives the zebra a sweet smile, maybe with a little twinge of fear. "... Uh. Ya'll look real skinny. That ain't right. Where do ya'll get food?" She knew that it wasn't going to get answered. She thought twice and drew a picture of a striped pony with her mouth open and a question mark on what seemed to be a dinner plate.
[2013-04-17 14:18:03] <Kkat> 3Another steps forward towards Kid, picking up a broken bit of crystal and drawing a heart shape on the ground above the striped pony.
[2013-04-17 14:18:27] * Bookwright points at the telepathy pictogram, and then at himself several more times.
[2013-04-17 14:18:41] * CopyCat taps Get_Lost. "Do you think they're hungry, Get? I have some fruit here."
[2013-04-17 14:19:02] * Noble_Heart frowns a little bit, digging through her bags with her magic a few moments, she contemplates, then looks to Kid. "Do you have any spare water bottles? The only drink We still have is the rainbow sparkle cola. We do not believe the zebras would be well served by drinking it, however happy it makes Our kind."
[2013-04-17 14:19:16] * Get_Lost "i bet they are, and i'm not letting these poor guys starve." the mare starts rummaging in her bags
[2013-04-17 14:22:56] * Mitzi shrugs, "Uh haff sum salted meat left, but yu ponies dun like eet eef dere's plants instead."
[2013-04-17 14:24:25] <Kkat> 3The zebra who drew the heart puts the broken crystal down and looks to Kid hopefully.
[2013-04-17 14:24:27] * Get_Lost finds 5 rations of pre war food and 4 of snacks and starts distributing them among the zebras
[2013-04-17 14:25:42] * CopyCat mimics Get_Lost and does the same with some servings of fresh food.
[2013-04-17 14:25:50] * Kid smiles brightly. Aww, that's cute. You know, for some poor starving folks. She drew a picture of a heart herself over the wavy pony, then drew a picture of two ponies, one with a stripey face, one a unicorn. The unicorn was placing his horn on the zebra's head, with a couple of arrows going between them. She looks at the zebra and then Bookwright hopefully.
[2013-04-17 14:26:49] * Noble_Heart tilts her head to one side and looks over at Kid's pictograms. At least someone in the group was making headway. "We hope that that symbol means what you believe it does..."
[2013-04-17 14:27:08] * Kid blinks. "What else would it mean?"
[2013-04-17 14:27:49] * Bookwright "That they want to tear out our hearts and sacrifice them to some savage god?"
[2013-04-17 14:28:55] * Mitzi flicks Bookwright, "Dat stupid ting fur smart ponee tu say."
[2013-04-17 14:29:09] * Kid , to sweeten the pot, got a package of dried oats out from her saddlebag and offered it to the zebra for his bravery. "Pff. Look'at'em. They don't look like they could pick up a stick, much less a knife."
[2013-04-17 14:29:13] * Noble_Heart frowns and shakes her head. "There was once a crystal heart here, which fed off love and admiration to give more love and admiration back. We can only speculate what effect that may have had on these zebras' beliefs." She sighed quietly and shuffled a forehoof. "We do not know for certain. It is merely Our worries."
[2013-04-17 14:29:21] <Kkat> 3The zebra blinks, looking at the picture, and then back at Kid.  Slowly, she says a single pony word.  "Love?"
[2013-04-17 14:29:39] * Kid blinks. "Wut."
[2013-04-17 14:29:50] * Noble_Heart snorts with a laugh. "Like that."
[2013-04-17 14:30:08] * Shatara quietly observes the interaction
[2013-04-17 14:30:53] * Kid 's smile became very strained. "Okay, okay. Uh, Bookie? Now. Now, come here now and do th' head woojoo thingy. Now. Please. Now."
[2013-04-17 14:31:41] * Bookwright steps forward slowly, and gingerly touches his horn to the zebra's head, casting the spell as soon as he can.
[2013-04-17 14:33:24] <Kkat> 3The spell works.  And the first thing Bookwright senses from the zebra is bewildered surprise... she didn't expect love to feel like this.
[2013-04-17 14:34:06] * Bookwright <Sorry, this isn't love. That's between you and Kid there. This is communication. Telepathy.>
[2013-04-17 14:35:28] * Kid starts to sweat a little. "Tell her I ain't no marefriend, Bookie! Please?"
[2013-04-17 14:35:46] <Kkat> 3The zebra t is confused, and the source of confusion quickly bubbles to the surface of her thoughts.  Love is being touched in the head by a unicorn.  This has to be love.  What else could it be?
[2013-04-17 14:36:24] * CopyCat immediately blushes at the suggestion, until she realises that Bookwright wasn't addressing her.
[2013-04-17 14:37:44] * Bookwright <I am sorry, but this isn't love, that was a miscommunication. This spell will only last as long as we stay in contact. So before we end the spell, I want you to know that we mean no harm. Please tell your friends that. I don't have the skill to lie to you telepathically, I hope you can feel the honesty in my heart.>
[2013-04-17 14:39:54] * Bookwright <In a moment I can cast a spell that will last past the parting. Please tell them we mean no harm, and come back when you are done so I can set up a better spell.>
[2013-04-17 14:40:12] * Noble_Heart laughs a little bit and steps forwards, wrapping a wing around Kid. "We are certainy they will forgive you." She frowns then and furrows her brow. "I guess that they must have been impacted by the presence of Princess Cadence." She contemplates that. "Love being a thing given by a unicorn's magic, between two individuals." She shakes her head. "We do not like it."
[2013-04-17 14:40:28] * Bookwright <And tell them that we have food for them, if they would like some.>
[2013-04-17 14:40:50] * Bookwright steps back, breaking the contact gently.
[2013-04-17 14:43:29] * Mitzi looks around the group, "So, we makeen progress wit zebra ponies?"
[2013-04-17 14:44:49] * Bookwright "Well, the zebra there has confused my magic with... something else. At a guess, the Crystal Heart's magic. So they're dependent on it too, somehow."
[2013-04-17 14:45:09] <Kkat> 3It doesn't take long for a fair portion of the zebras to break through their nervousness and start crowding CopyCat and Get_Lost, the bringers of food.
[2013-04-17 14:45:52] * Bookwright "Also, I told them that we brought food. So we're about to be really popular."
[2013-04-17 14:46:04] * Get_Lost mutters to copycat "look at their wounds.... it looks like they get often attacked by those crazed crystal ponies that attacked even us...."
[2013-04-17 14:46:32] <Kkat> 3One zebra snatches an offered pre-war can of corn and runs away back into one of the tattered tents.  A moment later, three more zebras emerge from the tent, two of them very young colts.
[2013-04-17 14:46:38] * Noble_Heart contemplates that. "Did the records we saw not indicate that Princess Cadence had some form of magic to make ponies love one another?" She taps her chin. "You recall, she mentioned she could not use her magic on Professor Paladin as his heart was closed to love. It is possible that this place used her magic in an effort to retrain these Zebras for Equestrian ideals... A
[2013-04-17 14:46:38] * Noble_Heart few hundred years and many generations of legends, and such stories might have become an equivalence in their minds." She sighs quietly. "We are not certain. We are more concerned by their wounds. Get Lost said they were from Solaris Inc powerhooves."
[2013-04-17 14:47:57] <Kkat> 3The zebra that Bookwright thought to stares at him for a long time.  Other zebra begin pestering her with queries.  It takes a moment, but she starts talking with them, and conversation spreads like wildfire.
[2013-04-17 14:49:18] * CopyCat grins, the size difference making her look a bit like a mother hen surrounded by stripey chicks. She nods to Get_Lost. "Hopefully we can make things better. I'm sure Amore would be kind to these zebra as well."
[2013-04-17 14:50:35] * Mitzi stands up, looking at the jabbering zebra crowd, "Dat dey talkeen eez gud, right?"
[2013-04-17 14:51:55] * Kid watches as they gather 'round the food. Food, okay. That's doable. She's good at getting food. "Hey, uh. I'mma gon' go try t' find a few things fer them t' eat. Mitzi, mind watchin' m' back?"
[2013-04-17 14:52:06] * Get_Lost "it really depends on amore's true nature... if she is a computer operating on some directive, then it is unpredictable to us... if she is a pony, then i'm sure she'll listen to her heart"
[2013-04-17 14:52:24] <Kkat> 3It doesn't take long for a crowd to form as zebras carry word across the camp and more zebras come out of the tents
[2013-04-17 14:53:27] * Noble_Heart frowns and sighs quietly. "We are not certain this is good. If they are being attacked, We believe we should search for the source of the attacks. Whatever it is must be coming past the defenses of this place. But the crystal ponies should not be able to get close..."
[2013-04-17 14:54:01] * Mitzi nods and saunters over to Kid, "Uh'd like tu help und dis probly onlee way Uh can at dis point."
[2013-04-17 14:55:34] <Kkat> 3Soon it because clear that the zebra survivors amount to a village.  A few dozen zebras, including several families.
[2013-04-17 15:01:58] * Bookwright assists Kid with the food-finding.
[2013-04-17 15:02:47] * Mitzi attempts to assist, but isn't all that good with pony diets
[2013-04-17 15:04:01] * Bookwright tries gently to tell Mitzi that zebras probably can't eat squirrel, even if it's spitted on a stick and roasted over a fire.
[2013-04-17 15:06:39] * CopyCat ponders Get_Lost's words, almost all her food gone. "But an artificial mind made to be a copy of the Princess should care for them too, shouldn't she?"
[2013-04-17 15:07:09] * Mitzi looks to CopyCat, "Maybe she cared too much?"
[2013-04-17 15:07:29] * Mitzi tilts her head, "Or maybe she not know dem, like how yur mind ting not wurk."
[2013-04-17 15:07:38] * Shatara quietly and thoughtfully pokes at the ruins of an auto-turret.
[2013-04-17 15:07:41] * Get_Lost thinks about it for a moment "i'm not sure... she seemed to care a lot about her crystal ponies"
[2013-04-17 15:10:59] * Noble_Heart frowns and furrows her brows. She reaches out with her magic to levitate the crystal and begins to draw her own image. This one would be... Less friendly. The image of a pony, but with sharp, angular lines like they were chiseled out of crystal. On one hoof a larger, bulky thing, with flames surrounding it. Beside that a crying zebra with a flaming horsehoe imprinted on
[2013-04-17 15:10:59] * Noble_Heart its side. She drew something resembling a road, if one counted 'two lines with some dashes down the middle' as a road, with a questionmark at the far end. One could only hope some zebra would be smart enough to work out her message.
[2013-04-17 15:14:45] * Bookwright sidles up to Noble_Heart, "You do know I just talked to one of them telepathically, right? I could just do it again and ask the question directly."
[2013-04-17 15:17:37] * Noble_Heart sighs and looks to Bookwright with a frown. "If you wish. We would rather avoid more confusion. But if you wish to attempt it, We would appreciate it. We need to know where the things harming these zebras are coming from."
[2013-04-17 15:21:04] * Bookwright picks out the first zebra he "spoke" with earlier, gets her attention, and casts telepathy again.
[2013-04-17 15:22:40] * Kid trots around, looking at the state of things. No way in hell is this place not picked clean. It was perhaps a fools errand to think that it would be that easy. But maybe the opposite end? It... Wouldn't still be there if it were easily gotten. Hrm. "This is all kindsa fucked..." She mumbled to herself.
[2013-04-17 15:22:48] <Kkat> 3Several zebras look over Noble_Heart's drawing.  One of them finally points northwest -- in the direction of the Solaris weapons factory.
[2013-04-17 15:23:30] * Mitzi looks down to Kid with a frown, "So wut's da plan. Uh'm all for helpeen zebra ponies."
[2013-04-17 15:25:04] * Kid doesn't say much. "All I c'n figure is goin' t' th' opposite corner. But, well. That ain't gon' be easy gettin's if they ain't got to it yet."
[2013-04-17 15:25:15] * Noble_Heart nods her head and frowns. "We should go that way." She points up to the weapons, one of the turret buildings, then scribbled out another image. This one of a zebra, with bullets firing from the tower, but the bullets were being stopped by something before they reached the zebra. She could ask Bookwright, but this seemed to be working, mostly.
[2013-04-17 15:26:56] * Bookwright <We can see that several of you are injured, and our medical expert says the wounds come from power hoof weapons. Are you being attacked by the crystal ponies? Also, when we came here we were attacked by the automated defenses. How is it they do not harm you?>
[2013-04-17 15:28:29] * Shatara looks on at Noble_Heart and Bookwright, continuing to fiddle with a shot-up turret.
[2013-04-17 15:29:50] * Noble_Heart looks up towards Shatara's poking. "Shatara! We wish to know, are these turrets self controlled, or do you believe they are controlled from some remote location? If possible, We would like to reconfigure them to give these Zebras a safe place to call their home!"
[2013-04-17 15:31:17] * CopyCat has run out of food, but is still surrounded by hungry zebra faces. "Sorry I... I don't have any more to give you."
[2013-04-17 15:31:35] * Shatara looks up to Noble_Heart, nodding a little, his random poking now a more directioned search for power and control cables, and targetting doohickies.
[2013-04-17 15:32:46] <Kkat> 3The zebra that Bookwright is communicating with brings pictures in her head the Solaris weapons factory.  From the imagery, the place has become something very much akin to a raider den.
[2013-04-17 15:36:46] <Kkat> 3To the best Shatara can find, the turrets are self-controlled.  But they don't seem to target anything within the SRAC.  Nor do the patrolling robots take note of those within the camp's walls.  Clearly the zebras have been using the camp as a relatively safe home, counting on the robots and turrets to keep out the Heartless.  However...
[2013-04-17 15:37:24] <Kkat> 3...this safety most likely wouldn't extend to anyone coming or going on a scavenging run.
[2013-04-17 15:45:50] * Shatara hmms. He does not see any control cable running from the weapon over or into the ground going to some kind of central control unit, so it's probably autonomous.... "It looks self contained..."
[2013-04-17 15:47:38] * Noble_Heart frowns. "Hrm. That's irritating. But there must be -some- way to allow ponies or others to pass them without being shot. A prison like this would require such a system to move in new prisoners or to release those who have been redeemed without letting prisoners escape." She looks towards the building with the the anti-aircraft weapon atop it. "We believe that that area
[2013-04-17 15:47:39] * Noble_Heart should be Our next stop before leaving the prison."
[2013-04-17 15:48:50] * Bookwright "Do you folks have any more questions for these zebras? I've got a couple minutes left before the spell wears off."
[2013-04-17 15:51:16] * Get_Lost shakes her head "o can't think of anything useful to ask them at the moment... by the way, do you see some way to access the turret controls?"
[2013-04-17 15:51:16] * Noble_Heart shakes her head. Then pauses and contemplates. "Ask if they have visited the Ministry of Peace building. The Fluttershy Voice did not mention any zebras visiting, so We would like to know if they have found it."
[2013-04-17 15:51:40] * Kid heads on back and then nimbly leaps onto Noble's back, rolling onto hers while she was up there. "Hey. Uh, did a little lookin' around. They got this place picked clean and good. I saw some buildings on th' opposite side that looked kinda not looted, but I unno."
[2013-04-17 15:54:15] * Noble_Heart oofs, wobbling a moment before regaining her balance when Kid jumped atop her. "We believe perhaps the supplies at the Equestrian Embassy might be worth checking. There were vending machines, which might last them a few days at least. And the lemonade must have come from somewhere." She frowns and looks up to Shatara. "Do you think it is possible to repair the weapons when we prepare to leave? We would like to let these Zebras retain their relative safety here."
[2013-04-17 15:58:15] * Bookwright <Have any of your scavenging parties reached the Ministry of Peace building, to the east? If you can get there, there are things there that can heal your wounded. Also, I believe that there should be food there as well. We will attempt to reprogram the camp's turrets so they do not shoot at you, but if we cannot we will be forced to shut them down.>
[2013-04-17 15:58:20] * Shatara checks if the damage to the turret is within his ability to repair.
[2013-04-17 16:00:22] <Kkat> 3The cyberpony medic tries investigates too, but to the best Get_Lost can find, the turrets are self-controlled.
[2013-04-17 16:01:34] * Get_Lost shakes her head and goes back to the group "well, what do we want to do next?" finally notices copy's burnings "hey, don't those hurt?"
[2013-04-17 16:02:19] * Bookwright "The turrets have to have some kind of Friend or Foe targeting system, we just need to figure out how they do it so we can take advantage of it. Maybe it looks for military identifiers of some kind?"
[2013-04-17 16:03:20] * CopyCat looks at her own scorched wings. "Oh, err, they did but then Bookie made them feel better so they don't hurt at all."
[2013-04-17 16:03:36] * Kid chuckles. "And tell that zebra t' tell that one mare that if she wants t' go out r' somethin', that there better be dinner an' a play 'r somethin'." She was kidding of course. But then she realized they
[2013-04-17 16:03:55] <Kid> 'd probably actually do it. She grumps. "Actually, scratch that."
[2013-04-17 16:04:02] * Get_Lost "it's hard to tell if i can't see the program... unless we make some tries, but i wouldn't reccomend that"
[2013-04-17 16:04:59] * Get_Lost "maybe i can fix those burnings before they hurt again..." the medic approaches her friend and starts checking what can be done for her
[2013-04-17 16:06:31] * Noble_Heart frowns and nods, she began to move past the crowd in the direction of the military buildings, pausing to wait for the others. "Then We recommend checking the military buildings next."
[2013-04-17 16:07:25] * Shatara nods towards Noble_Heart, abandoning the autogun for the moment and following beside her.
[2013-04-17 16:07:27] <Kkat> 3The zebras look at Noble_Heart's picture of the turret and a zebra...  then one of them points towards a building on the far end of the enclosed camp, beyond the tents and near the northern gate.
[2013-04-17 16:08:23] * Kid gets one last idea before they head off. She tries to draw a picture of the shadowy figure that she knew identified Mare-Do-Well, putting maybe a little too much effort on the hat. She may or may not really want that hat.
[2013-04-17 16:08:41] * Kid rolls her eyes. Oh, who is she fooling, that thing's awesome.
[2013-04-17 16:10:45] * Noble_Heart nods her head, "We thank you." She looks in that direction with a frown. She knew where they needed to go. Hopefully.
[2013-04-17 16:11:47] * CopyCat bows her head and let's her friend get to work, giggling at the dulled feeling of the examination. "Teehee! Thank you Get_Lost. Wait, that tickles!"
[2013-04-17 16:12:24] <Kkat> 3Several zebra watch Kid draw.  One of them, a little filly, suddenly squeels in delight and starts jabbering to the adults.  The adults peer closer and looks of recognition light up their faces.  There is much nodding.
[2013-04-17 16:14:06] * Kid smiles! Oh! They can see her too! Awesome, hey, this must be payback for all those zebra ghosts. She proceeded to draw a compass rose and a question mark beside the picture.
[2013-04-17 16:17:15] <Kkat> 3The filly pours out alien words, clearly trying to tell Kid a story.  The adults nod sagely, occasionally glancing at each other.
[2013-04-17 16:18:08] * Kid smiles uncomfortably and draws out a nice rectangle and drops the hunk of crystal she was using.
[2013-04-17 16:21:17] <Kkat> 3Bookwright receives images of the Equestrian Embassy.  They are tainted and dark.  The zebras (or at least this one) seem to regard the building with superstition.
[2013-04-17 16:21:42] * Get_Lost tends to the alicorn's and the griffon's wounds "we're running low on potions again.... try to avoid fights unless indespensable, okay?"
[2013-04-17 16:24:37] * CopyCat drinks the potion as per doctor's orders, like a good pony, and smiles as her magical burns fade away thanks to Get's expertise. "Thank you Get! My wings are pretty again. If you need potions I have a few on me. You could take 2 and I'd still have some for an emergency."
[2013-04-17 16:31:35] <Kkat> 3Shatara is able to quickly surmise that the two turrets the group destroyed getting in are beyond repair.   However, the remaining parts could be used to repair other damaged turrets up to a much better condition.
[2013-04-17 16:32:23] * Kid looks at Bookwright, now trying in vain to understand word number one that's coming out of the filly's mouth. "Bookie! Bookie! Ah need some help!"
[2013-04-17 16:33:13] * Bookwright steps up to the filly, touches forehead, and casts the spell.
[2013-04-17 16:33:55] * Bookwright <Woah woah woah there, slow down. Start from the beginning.>
[2013-04-17 16:44:18] <Kkat> 3The filly's story bombards Bookwright with images mixed with zebra words.  The filly isn't wise enough to understand that the spell doesn't translate the language, but between the pictures and the emotional content...
[2013-04-17 16:44:53] <Kkat> 3...Bookwright is able to grasp the gist of the story.  And it is the sort of story which begins, as all good stories do, with "Once Upon a Time."
[2013-04-17 16:46:00] <Kkat> 3The story is of a secret and brave defender of the zebras who only makes herself known to very, very good little colts and fillies.  But who helps protect everyzebra from the evilmeanbad Heartless.
[2013-04-17 16:50:44] <Kkat> 3The secret defender is purple and black and totally invisible, especially to adults.  If you see her, you'll know her because she has a big floppy hat that's really cool.  And she's wearing a mask because she doesn't want any of the bad guys to know she's a zebra.
[2013-04-17 16:52:20] <Kkat> 3She can't touch anything really, and never hugs.  But she's always vigilant.  She's really good at breaking machines, though.  She's the one that makes the hoof weapons of the Heartless sometimes explode.  If one explodes, you know she's there keeping an eye out for you!
[2013-04-17 16:55:21] <Kkat> 3But there's a sad side to the story, because the mysterious heroine has never found true love.  And until she does, she'll never be able to touch anything.  Because it's a curse.
[2013-04-17 16:56:43] <Kkat> 3But if she does, then everything will change, all the good ponies will wake up, the evil ponies will go to sleep, and everyone will live happily ever after.
[2013-04-17 16:57:10] <Kkat> 3The End.
[2013-04-17 16:59:28] <Kkat> 3---End of Session---