Celestia's Finest: Old World Blues

[Elbeyon]

Love walks around to grab the cart and allows her goggles to get a good view of all the ponies in the room.

"Yep!", Love silently whispers into their comms.

She starts moving things inside after everyone else. "Needles. Pins", she says with a smile and nod toward them.

[DigoDragon]

"So, how much are these ponies gonna remember when they come to?" Rose asks.

[Miltonian]

"Yep," Needles says, "Packed away nice and easy. Sleeping in cocoons. Probably dreaming of murdering each other or something." He smiles back at Love.

Pins clears his throat. "Well...that's a tricky question, Rose. Things will be fuzzy for them. The few minutes before they will captured are gonna have a dream-like quality, if they remember them at all. So your best bet is to convince them it was all a dream or something."

There are a lot of changelings here and the crates are stacked in a way that could be seen as a barricade. If forced to a retreat, this is likely one of the changelings' fallback points. It would be hard to dislodge them, too.

[DigoDragon]

Pins clears his throat. "Well...that's a tricky question, Rose. Things will be fuzzy for them. The few minutes before they will captured are gonna have a dream-like quality, if they remember them at all. So your best bet is to convince them it was all a dream or something."

"Hmm, it would be grand if we can convince them of that to keep you changelings blameless. That way we can paint you all more heroically at Ashtown for the wasteland to go easier on your lot. Let's see... Maybe the cover was a series of gas traps that knocked them out?" She looks to her squad if they like the idea.

There are a lot of changelings here and the crates are stacked in a way that could be seen as a barricade. If forced to a retreat, this is likely one of the changelings' fallback points. It would be hard to dislodge them, too.

Rose now understands why Love worships at the Church of the Holy Gas Grenade. Maybe Rose should convert.

[D.KnightSpider]

"Whether we could convince them it was a dream would depend on how much and often they'd been emotion drained." Sniper invited the Changelings to share that bit of information. "And whether we could get them out of the cocoons, transported elsewhere and/or clean up the cocoon mess before they woke up."

He mulled over the situation for a moment. "It introduces a lot of requirements that would easily undermine any cover story. I'm not a fan of deception in the first place, but I'll yield to what the squad thinks is best."

[DigoDragon]

"The best thing to do then, is not address the story," Rose says. "We found them, we freed them, and we'd like their cooperation on a job bigger than any one faction. If they insist on an explanation, we tell them only that we found them as they are while we campaigned to have our case made to the gangs on unity against the CPI."

[Miltonian]

"So...no matter what you decide, we should all make ourselves scarce, right?" Needles asks.

[Elbeyon]

Love comms Rose and Scope, "I don't like using deception. There is too much lying going around. We're going to get bitten on the flank one day. We can't directly lie to the bosses, but we may be able to avoid the topic enough that they give up on asking us. Do we rip off the band aid now or risk a tear?"

She probes the changelings, "How quickly will the bosses wake up once we free them? If they are familiar with cocoons at all, they'd know what's up. What's the experience here in the wasteland with cocoons? How likely are they to recognize a cocoon? Nobody seems to know much about changelings at all around here." She makes sure to give them time to answer. They are working together now. "What about their traveling companions? Their status? What's the longest some of these people have been here?"

[DigoDragon]

Love comms Rose and Scope, "I don't like using deception. There is too much lying going around. We're going to get bitten on the flank one day. We can't directly lie to the bosses, but we may be able to avoid the topic enough that they give up on asking us. Do we rip off the band aid now or risk a tear?"

Rose subvocalizes a reply, "Just tell the bosses we dunno what happened. Wire died and everything went tidds up."

[D.KnightSpider]

"In answer to your question, Pins, yes. You'll probably want to be elsewhere... probably setting up a means to recapture the ponies if we fail." The words tasted like poison, but it was the best they could do.

Sniper sent out a sub-vocal message: I'd propose that we be honest but vague. With the overwhelming level of cud we've dealt with, there's no time to get bogged down in details. We keep mum about the deal but focus on that we saved their lives but there's another enemy that we need to unite against.

[DigoDragon]

Rose nods at Sniper's statement, though she was also nodding at the quiet message after. But either way, she was in agreement.

"Alright, we'll give you a couple minutes to stealth out and then I believe it's Hearthwarming time."

[Miltonian]

"We will be closeby," Needles assures Harrier Squad.

The changelings file out one by one. Pins nods to them as he passes by. Soon, they are left alone to do...whatever they wish, really. If any of them care to think about it, this is a sign that Chrysalis trusts them. To some extent.

[Elbeyon]

"Wish us luck", she says to the changelings. She'll protect the projector from being bumped over or any other paranoid idea as people funnel through the door. Cabal wants his baby protected.

Love comms, "That went well." She jokes over the comms, "A pony still has questions though." She moves over to the crates and starts inspecting them and their surroundings for the tools to open them. She has her knife, but hopefully, there are enough tools around for everyone.

[DigoDragon]

"Alright, let's crack open these crates and wake up our new friends." Rose will wait for agreement before actually cracking them open.

"Oh, and maybe let Cabal know we're recovering the gang leaders now."

[D.KnightSpider]

It would have been nice to get some of Love's answers, but, oh well.

He visually swept the area, searching for a place to get set up for sniping if need be. His bum wing would be a detriment but it couldn't be helped.

Then he turned his attention to Love's create. While she looked for tools, he examined it for any sign of ill intent.

"It wouldn't hurt to keep him in the loop." Sniper agreed with Rose. He surveyed the area again. "This... is going to take a while. It might not be a bad idea to get some food and water down here, just in case."

Spoiler: OoC Roll

Show

Perception
(3d6)[2][4][3](9) VS 16

[DigoDragon]

"Alright, I'll start taking vitals and getting them out. Someone contact Cabal, someone make the food run. Maybe ask Anaki to borrow a couple of her siblings to help carry the food?"

[Elbeyon]

Love volunteers, "I'll ask Star", another pony.

She silently comms Star, "Hey, Honey!", she says dripping with sweetness. "Would you let Cabal know we're about to make contact with the Bosses."

"It has also been suggested that some food and water would help the situation. The Bosses might be in the mood for some food." Seafire might be able to help with that.

[Miltonian]

The crates do not require tools to open. They are easy-access. Love opens them up and looks inside to find a pony sleeping in a green cocoon. No sign of malnourishment yet, so he probably has not been under for long.

Sniper has the perfect spot to live up to his name. This crates are arranged in a defensive pattern and he is able to set up on a 'tower', if he so desires.

"Will do!" Star says, "And I'll have the zebras send something over."

Spoiler

Show

Medical check from Rose if she wants to assess the prisoners' conditions.

[DigoDragon]

Rose begins medical checks. "Would this be like a second birth?"

Med Check (3d6)[11] vs. 14

[Elbeyon]

Love silently comms Star, "Thank you, Bae!"

"Star is handling everything."

She tilts her head in confusion at Rose, "No..."

Once everyone is ready, Love will help remove the ponies from the pods/crates and suggest they leave the pods inside the crates (so the pods aren't in immediate view).

[DigoDragon]

She tilts her head in confusion at Rose, "No..."

"Maybe more like butterflies," Rose says. She pulls out a knife to cut the first pony out.

[D.KnightSpider]

"We might as well assembly-line this." Sniper said. "I can open the crates, Love can cut them out of the cocoons and Rose can follow-up with medical checks. Bulkhead (Brazen) over there can haul ponies around and get them comfortable."

Provided there were no objections, he went to work.

[DigoDragon]

"We might as well assembly-line this." Sniper said. "I can open the crates, Love can cut them out of the cocoons and Rose can follow-up with medical checks. Bulkhead (Brazen) over there can haul ponies around and get them comfortable."

"Good idea. Big B, could you help pull these unconscious ponies in a row here? Space them about six hooves apart."

[Miltonian]

The ponies are, as a general rule, fine. Being trapped in a cocoon is not harmful in and of itself, except if the pony in question has some pre-existing condition. The changelings have been careful with these ones, though.

In short order, the zebras trot in, pulling carts of water and food. They set the carts along the side, exchange pleasantries, and Anaki steps close to Rose. "Do you want us to stay?" she asks, "In case the crowd should get...unpleasant?"

The ponies do not wake up immediately upon their release, so there is plenty of time to line them up.

[DigoDragon]

Anaki steps close to Rose. "Do you want us to stay?" she asks, "In case the crowd should get...unpleasant?"

"We could use two or three extra sets of hooves just in case," Rose answers. "The rest should keep our camp in Wire's office safe. Since the changelings left they might get bored and poke their nose in our business."

[D.KnightSpider]

"Keep in mind that we don't know how long they've been here. Some of these gangsters might have lost family to the games." Sniper said to Rose. "I'm not saying that they shouldn't stay, simply to be aware of what could happen.

"And speaking of which, we should get into character. Last call for any tweaks to the plan and let me know when to head topside."

[DigoDragon]

"Keep in mind that we don't know how long they've been here. Some of these gangsters might have lost family to the games." Sniper said to Rose.

Rose's eyebrows furl. "Good point. Anaki, if any of these ponies look like someone who played the board game, do let us know."

[Miltonian]

Anaki, Urur, and Oroko elect to stay, as they have the best combat utility. The others will file out and head back to guard the home base.

Anaki examines each boss in turn, but shakes her head. "It is difficult to tell. We did not see much of them and they are currently covered in..." She sniffs and wrinkles her nose. "The world's worst perfume."

[Elbeyon]

"Being efficient sounds lovely", she agrees with Scope. She helps let out all the pretty murderous butterflies from their lovely cocoons.

She exchanges hellos with the entering zebras.

Love silently comms, "We're going by our names, right? Scope, Rose, Love, Brazen?"

[DigoDragon]

Anaki examines each boss in turn, but shakes her head. "It is difficult to tell. We did not see much of them and they are currently covered in..." She sniffs and wrinkles her nose. "The world's worst perfume."

"Yeah, it's not unlike embryonic fluid. Highly oxygenated... well, it's a cocoon." Rose stopped herself from going full technobable on Anaki. "Basically changelings that replace others will put the original in one of these to keep them safe. Later they can release the captive or feed on their love as needed."