>>11688246 (OP)
BRACE YOURSELF

HERE WE GO

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>>11688246 (OP)

It's a spy! I leap up from the tent with my weapon ready!

>>11688307
>>11688330
Is this some advanced form of shitposting

>>11688246 (OP)
Go investigate. Seems like the obvious decision.

>>11688339
Don't reply to the shitposter and we'll be fine.

>>11688339

oh look summer is here early

>>11688339
If you consider BCS advanced.
Also
Very ready, obvious thing to do is go check out the noise before bed.

>>11688246 (OP)

The obvious thing to do will be to inform Rose that there is a suspicious noise nearby.

>>11688246 (OP)
"...Celestia?"
Go investigate.

>>11688391
Rose is still passed out.

>>11688382

like the Mentally Advanced abridged series?

>>11688391
Rose is drunk and asleep anon.
Use your head.

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>>11688409

Rose is a very pretty pony.

>>11688368
>>11688382
>>11688394
Carefully, you lay Rose in the tent and close it up. You don't really know the best position for ponies to sleep in or whether or not that armor is uncomfortable, so all you can do is hope she doesn't wake up sore.

The guard who showed you the tent is gone by now, so you'll have to investigate alone. Luckily, the moon is fiercely bright tonight, and there's enough light from perimiter torches for you to set out a little ways. Upon arriving at the bush where you thought you saw the white flash, you notice several nearby branches broken. Someone was definitely here.

The forest is fairly sparse up ahead, allowing beams of moonlight to light the small clearing you find yourself in. There are no obvious signs as to where the pony has gone, and you're not exactly an expert tracker. You thought you may have seen her head further into the forest, away from the camp, but you can't be sure. You wish you had some method of tracking available.

Away from the camp, it's a bit chilly, too. Hugging your arms to your chest, you rub the bare skin, trying to warm up as much as you can.

>>11688579
check the ground for hoofprints.

>>11688579
Is the ground very hard/dry?
If not then surely the pony's footprints would show up easier even in the moonlight.
IT'S A TRAP

>>11688579
"Oi! Who's there?!"

>>11688430
I agree, have always loved her colors.

>>11688652
>>11688675
Crouching, you check the ground closely. The moonlight is just strong enough to reveal some indentations in the ground, though they're not consistent due to how hard the ground is. They look kind of like pony hooves, but you can't be totally sure. You feel a bug on your thigh and slap at it. Great... Equestria is full of pests, too.

It's slow, but by crawling along the ground, you can make out a rough direction in which the pony ran off. It matches with your hunch from before, but you don't really know how far the pony's gone and if the tracks are very recent. They could've happened last rain and dried up with the ground, for all you know.

The bug is back, and in the same spot, right around your pocket. You slap at it again, but your hand comes away clean. Drat.

>>11688707
"Hello? Anyone there?"

No answer.

>>11688872
W-what if that isn't a bug?

>>11688872
Very carefully follow the prints, check often to make sure we are still going the right way and leave a trail of broken twigs to follow back to camp.
Anything we can do so we aren't lost in the middle of the night.

>>11688872
Check your pocket.

>>11688872
Use your knowledge of movies and shit. Go and inform someone of what you found rather than being stupid and going of alone without anyone knowing you left.

>>11688930
>>11688981
You pause a moment, looking at the spot where the bug was. How the heck did you feel it through your pants, anyways? You dig in to your pocket, hoping to find the culprit. Your fingers close around the compass and you pull it out. Holding it up to the moonlight, you squint at the face. The needle isn't spinning aimlessly like before when you first looked at it. Now it's pointing in a very specific direction, vibrating just the slightest bit in your open palm. That must be why it felt like a bug.

But why now? And what is it pointing to?

You make note of the direction you were following the tracks and find the needle lining up nicely with it. It could be an odd coincidence, or it could be pointing to the very same pony you were tracking. With a deep breath, you set out, keeping your eyes and ears open.

>>11688956
You make sure to leave a trail of twigs behind you so you at least know the way back to camp.

The trek goes on for a short while, maybe a quarter mile, before you come to another clearing. Trees are sprinkled out amoung the tall grass, but one in particular catches your attention.

Celestia is brushing her side up against it, back and forth, almost like she's... scratching herself? It looks odd to you, but you suppose that's how ponies do it. Except, why isn't she using her magic? She hasn't noticed you yet; too concentrated on her current task.

>>11689295
Watch for a few more moments.
Then loudly clear your throat.

>>11689295
>Celestia butt scritches.
Hehe...

>>11689295
keep watching
maybe she'll start rolling around in the grass

>>11689295
Without sounding creepy, just sit there and watch, trying to avoid any and all sound.

>>11689342
>>11689356
>>11689375
Being in a clearing, you feel exposed, the cold night air biting into your skin, but you stand still, watching Celestia as she continues her eccentric ritual. When she does finally finish, you can hear a sigh as it drifts along the wing through your ears and across the clearing. This doesn't seem like the kind of thing she'd do in front of her subjects—you're witnessing something private. You find yourself fidgeting in place, nervous at the thought of her catching you... but you can't look away. Even doing such, well, horse-y things, she looks adorable.

Her attention wanders to the moon and you look up at it with her, wondering what's going on in her head. Is she thinking about Luna? Or Twilight? Maybe how bright it is tonight? It's impossible to tell. Her wings twitch and she bends her neck backwards, legs stepping up awkwardly in turns. Must be another itch, but really: she has magic! Why not use it?

She flops onto the ground, rolling on her back, kicking at the sky. The scuffles are an odd sort of background noise that defies an otherwise silent night. Even the wind against the trees hardly makes more than whispers. After a short time tussling about on the ground, you hear another sigh, this one much more satisfied than the first.

"Enjoying the show?"

>>11689639
She's far too good at that.
I suppose we should explain what we're doing here THEN ask her what she's doing.

>>11689674
>"I was just... because Luna..."

>>11689674
"Well, uh, it was nice." You pocket the compass, now that you'd found your destination. "I was just investigating something. I thought I saw someone out here and followed. Turns out I was right."

Stuffing your hands in your pockets, you make your way over to where Celestia lay. On closer inspection, you find her without her royal jewelry, grass and dirt speckling an otherwise pristine alabaster coat. Her mane and tail still had that almost-creepy flow to them, just as clean as if she'd just walked out of a shower.

"So, what exactly were you doing?"

"Scratching an itch." She arches her neck, looking at you upside-down, and grins. "You should try it sometime."

"Nah, I got these," you say, showing off your fingers. "Much better than a tree or the ground."

"Yes, and I have magic. But magic becomes so dull and uninteresting after a while. Doing it this way is much more satisfying."

She flicks a small chuck of dirt at you, bouncing it off your shirt. You shoot an unamused frown down at her, though that only earns another clump of dirt and her tongue sticking out like a red flag of mockery.

>>11689639
"A bit."

>>11690008
Lay down next to her and stare up at the sky.

"...You wanna hear those stories now?"

>>11690008
Not sure how to respond, certainly royalty on earth wouldn't act like that.

>>11690091
Which stories?
stars are more vivid than on earth

>>11690146
Snow White and Sleeping Beauty
and possibly other princess fairy tales as well

>>11690008
Well that's not very princess like...
Flick dirt at her!
Show her who the bigger child is.

>>11690168
Sure.

Celestia used her magic to cause the previously broken compass to point to her.
It's how she knew we were there, either that or she's just that perceptive. Celestia is not omniscient per the show.

>>11690623
Our compass is obviously stolen from Jack Sparrow.

>>11690727
I honestly hope that isn't the case.

>>11690750
It would be funny...

>>11690112
Mouth hanging open, you stare at Celestia, trying to figure out what to say. This Celestia was much more like the one you'd seen briefly after fighting and running from the unicorns when you'd first got here, but at that time she was under so much stress. Now she just seems... free. Her smile shines with such frank contentment, like joy was radiating off her face. And sticking out her tongue! This is hardly the kind of behavior you expected from a princess.

"Oh, come now, close your mouth before all the flies get in." Her voice flowed through the air, warm and comforting. You almost forget the chilly winds right then and there. Your mouth clamps shut and you decide to lie down next to her and enjoy the view.

>>11690091
"You wanna hear those stories now, Snow White?"

She perks up. "Ooo, yes, very much so. Tell me about Snow White and Sleeping Beauty."

"Alright." You recall the tales, toying with the dirt under your hand as you think. Once you get some loose, you start sprinkling it on Celestia's belly, wondering how far you can go before she retaliates.

"Sleeping Beauty's story starts with a King and Queen, both benevolent and loved by their people. They have a beautiful daughter and throw a big party, inviting fairies to come and bless the new princess with special gifts. While several come to bless her, one fairy is not sent an invitation, and in a bout of bitter anger, curses the princess to prick her thumb on a spindle and die."

[cont]

>>11690943
"Oh, dear."

You chuckle at her comment. "Indeed. So, one fairy who had not yet used up her blessing is able to weaken the curse, making it so, instead of dying, the princess would fall asleep indefinitely, wake-able only by a true love's kiss. The King and Queen of course attempt to destroy all the spindles in the kingdom, hoping to avoid the dilemma altogether." You pause to sprinkle some more dirt on Celestia.

"If only things were so simple," she says.

"The princess is eventually tricked by the fairy, pricking her finger on a spindle, sending her into a deep sleep. Before this fate befalls her, though, she meets a handsome man, someone who practically sweeps her off her feet with charm. The man is taken with her as well, and the two fall in love with only a single meeting."

"So then—"

"Hush, Celestia, you'll ruin it." You grab another fistful of dirt and fling it on her. "Now, the two had planned to meet later, but as the princess had fallen asleep, she could not see this handsome man who'd fallen so quickly for her. He is devastated, and tells his father of his love, a love for a girl he'd never seen before, someone he'd thought was a mere peasant. However... it turns out, his father is a king, a king who'd planned to marry him to a princess—the very princess with which he'd fallen in love."

[cont]

>>11690960
"The wicked fairy would have none of that, though. She throws everything she can at the prince, determined to stop his love and wear at his determination."

"But she fails, the prince finds his princess and they end up happy," Celestia says.

Rolling your eyes, I turn to her and lean on my elbow. "You ruined it! You have to let me actually tell the story of him going and defeating the fairy though valiant battles and a journey of discovery."

Grinning, she pokes your nose. "Really? He's going to defeat the evil with nothing more than love? I'd have taken a shield, at least."

"Well, if you'd let me tell the story, you'd know he DID have a shield."

Celestia looks back up at the sky. "Sorry, it did sound like a nice story, but I couldn't help myself. It's so very rare that things truly do work out so nicely."

>>11690972
>abruptly switching from second-person to first-person
#BEEF

>>11690972
Well certainly things aren't often so simple, then again, most of the fairy tales from earth don't end very happy or didn't have very nice origins. They were changed over time to give people something to believe in, even if it was just by a hopeless romantic.

>>11690972
"Well, you might not like the story of Snow White much, because it's...really pretty similar."
"Though there IS a fight with a big dragon at one point!"

>>11691072
Got a neat little song too.
High ho High ho~

>>11691116
It's off to work we go~

>>11691060
"Well certainly things aren't often so simple, then again, most of the fairy tales from earth don't end very happy or didn't have very nice origins. They were changed over time to give people something to believe in, even if it was just by a hopeless romantic."

"And are you one of those, 'hopeless romantics'?"

You gulp, thoughts flying at a mile a second. "I can appreciate the desire to have a story like that. It's important to have something to believe in."

Celestia shifts her attention back to the moon. "Mm-hmm."

Silences hangs in the air between you, becoming heavier with each second. You imagined Celestia as something of a romantic, someone who'd fall in love with fairy tales, but she seems more impassive. It also seemed to have struck a different sort of chord in her. One she wasn't thrilled about exploring.

The night's cool wind comes back.

>>11691072
"Well, you might not like the story of Snow White much, because it's...really pretty similar. There IS a fight with a big dragon at one point, though!"

"You have dragons in your fairy tales?"

"Yeah. Big, nasty, fire-breathing beasts that try to roast the hero alive."

"Well, how do you know the dragon wasn't attacked first? Maybe the hero is the nasty one."

"He can't be nasty, he's the hero." You toss another clump of dirt onto Celestia's chest.

[cont]

>>11691412
And she reacts by dropping a small mountain of dirt onto yours.

The attack comes so far you can't even react, merely wince as it hits you. Hacking and coughing on the result dirt cloud, you wave your hand in front of your face. "Magic... no fair..."

"All's fair here, traveler," she says, tone frank and teasing.

You take a swipe at her but she rolls away and onto her feet.

"You'll need to try harder than that!"

With a grunt, you free yourself from the dirt, getting to your feet, and take off after the prankster.
Sorry guys, gotta stop it here tonight. Look for the next session Saturday at the same time.

>>11691433
works for me
thanks SA