auroraexpress | Origin Star Finale: Session 3

Who: explorers
When: Day 54, early afternoon
Where: The Final Island

[After returning from the second mission with a little extra cargo, Thyme waits another 20 minutes before calling for the third and hopefully final round of totem hunting.

One more. If you have the energy to help, climb aboard.

Characters attending session 3 may now board the airship. As it flies, they'll get their briefing:]

If you haven't gone in yet, please pay attention.

Your objective is to find and deactivate a totem -- a source of Malice in the target area. You'll probably come up against enemies, but try to defeat them by showing them positive emotions, not through combat. Defend yourselves if you have to, but keep in mind killing things won't purify them.

This is the last totem as far as we can tell, so it's vital that you get to it one way or another.

[You land, this time, in a clearing in front of a ruined temple. The heavy bronze doors, cast with images of stars, have swung open, and one has fallen from its hinges to lay in the grass.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's working! He stops heating the floor in general, and the bottle's glow fades a little.

But... Even if I want to go back, I can't. I can't see her ever again.]

[Yeah, that whole. Soul jar thing.]

Well, I mean, she was a flower and then turned back into a girl.

And we do have your soul here, and we have a lot of people with a whole lot of other magic.

So it might be a question of how cool are you with an artificial body.

[The ghost appears stunned.

"You... could do that?"

He's not so sure, but Crow's gone and triggered the deactivation, so regardless... it'll be okay.]

[Oh]

I've made a promise to someone else, to let them have their own body.

We have a necromancer. We have a lot of talent magic users. We can figure something out.

If...if you're still there?

[She's putting her book in her bag and picking up the bottle. Trying to feel for his presence at all.]

[But only getting magic.]

[And....and Celestia, why. Why this.]

[It hurts her, it genuinely does, tears gathering in her eyes as she curls around the bottle.] I'm sorry, Lily....

[ALSO SHE'S STILL BLEEDING PRETTY BADLY, but like, she has been hit by a lot of grief that wasn't her own, so she's]

[She's a mess]

Edited 2020-01-06 05:41 (UTC)

Solar-san...

[ Chiharu is also a bloody mess and the bottoms of her feet have been burned and it's kind of painful, but seeing her in so much pain is an entirely different kind of painful, too. For the moment, while Pen is tending to things, she crawls over to her...

And very gently places a hand upon her back. She wants to hug her... pull her into an embrace, but that would only make her injuries worse. So instead, she lifts her hand to run it gently through her mane.]

They felt your intentions... you did all you could. And I-- I think they would want for you to pull through after all of this. Your kindness ultimately touched them... I know it did. But, you're hurt...

[She jerks at the sudden touch, looking up with wide eyes, tears still falling.]

I just....I just wanted to bring him back to her. She missed him so much, Chiharu. And he was...he was right there...

They didn't deserve all of that...

[But she is hurt.]

[Chiharu is hurt. Crow's hurt. Everyone is hurt and]

[A sob leaves her.] I hate this...

[ She's crying too. From emotion, from pain-- the feeling of having been unable to help and then seeing her newest friend like this. Tentative, she gently rests a hand upon her again. ]

I know. I know...

[ The pain and all of what has happened... ]

Right now nothing feels alright. But...the sun will definitely come out again tomorrow. And the things that hurt right now... they won't always hurt this much. We... We aren't gods or super beings. We can only do the best with the tools we have and you...you did everything within your power.

[ Without even a shadow of a doubt. ]

But right now if we don't get you back... we're going to lose you, too. And that will hurt many others as well.

[She kind of laughs a bit at one part. Not derisive, just...the wording.]

Funnily enough, I....I'm trying to become one, I think. Unicorns don't have wings. It was....it was those abilities that let me reach Lily...I thought...

[It doesn't feel like she did all she could. She just ran out of time.]

[She's not sure if she would hurt many others. But it'd hurt Penric. And maybe it'd hurt Chiharu. And she had promises to keep. Other people she promised to help.]

[Dying wouldn't do much even if it almost feels like it'd be a relief with all this pain inside.]

[She's going to take this bottle. Maybe there was something...something to be done. She doesn't know. She's putting it in her bag.]

[She looks around the room, at everyone whose hurt.]

Okay....okay, you go with Penric. He and Des will take care of you. I can get back on my own.

But you're hurt even worse than me--

[ She doesn't understand all this god talk or how a person-- or pony might become one. But right now that's not the most important matter at hand. ]

Your injuries...

[Her life is weird and she doesn't even have the memories related to it. Just the weird magic and wings.]

I can teleport. And you can't walk.

[Poof and she's find Chiharu.] Go with Pen.

[ She hates this. If she just tries-- if she attempts a step or two...

But she immediately wobbles back down to her knees. It's no use, she can't do anything like this and it causes her to grit her teeth. ]

Then please... please go back immediately to seek help!

I will.

Go with Penric.

[Very firm, authoritative tone.]

[And then POOF, she's gone from sight in a burst of redgold sparkles.]

Origin Star Finale: Session 3

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