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We're gonna die.

>>11904608
We've got Rose with us. She's gonna kick everyone's ass.

Take note of the symbols, confiscate any weapons, get back to the main group and raise the alarm, ask if Rose knows the group he might be affiliated with.

Should we try to save our fellow man or let it go for fear of too much disrupting of events?

>>11904569 (OP)
Get back to the camp.
And snag any weapons the pegasus was carrying.

>>11904776
We should probably incapacitate our enemies, let others kill if they see fit, but our actions would probably accelerate anything the guardian has planned to stack against us.

>>11904608
"We're gonna die."

Rose hardly looks amused. "Your confidence in your own fighting abilities may be accurate, but know I have no intention of dying here."

"It was sarcasm, Rose. You should try it sometime."

Shaking her head, she takes another look at the downed pony. You crouch down and take a close look yourself. There's an insignia imprinted on the sides of his armor, though don't recognize it at a glance.

>>11904672
You point to the insignia. "You recognize this?"

"Hmmm," she says, squinting. "It's similar to the Stampede's insignia, but different. Like an adaptation." She looks back up to you. "It would not be surprising for a good portion of the Stampede to take up sides with your adversary."

You pat the pony down for weapons, finding a short sword on him, though the grip isn't quite what you'd expect. It's shaped like a "D" with a groove along the curved portion. The blade seems somewhat loose in the groove as well, allowing it to swing back and forth along it if not held in place.

"What's this?" you ask Rose, holding the weapon out.

"That's a snout sword. Meant for holding in the mouth, though I don't know how well it would work in your mouth."

>>11904776
You can wield it with your hands well enough. "Let's get back to the camp. There's probably more on the way."

"Not exactly. They're already here."

Noticing Rose looking up, you follow her gaze to find dozens of pegasai flying over the trees.

[cont]

>>11904884
None pay attention to you; they must have a different mission in mind. The camp.

You break into a sprint back toward camp, Rose flying just in front of you. From the looks of it, she's already in her battle state, eyes sharp as razors, wings beating with rhythm and purpose. In just a couple minutes, you're back, finding the camp consumed in battle and chaos. The guards have created a perimeter around the princess' tent. Luna and Celestia both are out fighting as well, but the enemies' numbers are incredible. They must have you outnumbered at least three-to-one, all in the same armor and all fairly well-trained from the looks of it.

You start toward the tent, but find yourself quickly surrounded by about a dozen pegasai, none of whom seem have any kind intentions. Your stature must not intimidate them in the slightest. These are real warriors.

>>11904892
Remember your training.

>>11904892
Well shit.

>>11904925
What we did was largely for one on one encounters.

>>11904969
Most of it'd still be helpful though, I think. Don't know how much one practice session will help, though.

>>11904892
go down swinging

So we're outnumbered 3-1. Did we ever get a number on how many guards we brought along so we can work out how many enemies that actually is?

I'm assuming our plan is to break through to the centre since that'll be the focus of the fight and where all our allies are?

Only other idea is maybe to stick to the outside and get a better idea of what the enemy is up to, and where their command is.

Anyone else got any plans?

>>11905069
Well, us specifically it's more like 12-1 against us.

>>11904941
>>11904925
"Well, shit."

You survey your aggressors, making note of their numbers and appearance. Most are a bit bigger than Silver, stallions as far as you can tell. There are twelve total, and all seem to have their focus on you, like Rose isn't even there. And really, you don't think you've got to worry about her, but if they all attack you first, you'll be down fast and Rose will have to deal with them on her own. This isn't good.

Take a deep breath, you set yourself into your stance, curling your hands into fists and-

"What're you doing?"

You look at Rose, eyes wide, wondering if you heard her right. "What?"

"You're not here to fight for yourself if I know you right, and you wouldn't do much good out here anyways! Go do what you think is most important, and I swear if you think protecting me is important I'll knock you out before I deal with these chumps!"

"There are twelve of them! And why can't protecting you be important?"

"You buffoon! This isn't the time for arguing! GO!" She delivers a swift kick to your backside, causing you to stumble forward.

When you turn back to argue, you notice the enemy soldiers' demeanor has changed considerably. Their attention is now locked on Rose, eyes filled more with uncertainty than determination. Some have even taken a step back. You can make out mumbles between them.

"The Thorn in the Wind..."

"The Bloodred Rose..."

"The Blade of the Stampede..."

It seems she's a little more well-known than you'd thought.

>>11905190
Go help Celestia. Rose can handle herself.

>>11905226
So can Celestia, helping either seems kind of fruitless.
We should go ensure the worldshards aren't taken.

>>11905264
oh yeah. those things.
that's a better idea.

>>11905264
That's a good idea, Celestia would be extremely disappointed if she lost the only bargaining chips for Twilight we have.

>>11905190
>The Blade of the Stampede
Dang, that's a pretty high commendation, makes her sound like their greatest warrior.
And this group's a splinter group of the Stampede, if that altered insignia's anything to go by.

>>11905264
Do we even know what she did with it? Either way, getting back to the rest of the group sounds like a good idea, just because. Preferrably with minimal combat.
Take note of the direction the attack's coming from, and any elements of the army that stand out. Are they all kitted out identically like an organized force, or is their equipment piecemeal? Are they all clearly fighting under the same insignia, or are there groups?

>>11905264
>>11905367
The Worldshards are the number one priority. That might even be why this force is here in the first place. You'll have to get to Celestia first, though, to find out where she's keeping them.

You take a step toward the tent, pausing to glance back at Rose. She's not even looking at you anymore, but instead staring down her opponents. You wouldn't be surprised if she somehow defeated them with that glare of hers.

Your break into a sprint, running past the pegasai and straight toward the tent. One breaks off, figuring you'd be a much easier target than Rose, but she moves with blinding speed and lands a strike with her wingblades on the back of his neck, taking him out in one blow. You quietly thank fate for putting her on your side of the battle, but that's all you have time to do before you turn back to the tent.

There's a ring of battle between you and the tent. Some pegasai are fighting in the air, some on the ground. You might be able to break through with just your size, but you've only got armor on your chest and back. If a pony strikes your legs with any sort of blade you'll be down. You can see Celestia fighting in the air alongside Luna, thinning out the enemy, though they're still terribly outnumbered. Rainbow Dash is out fighting as well, though you can't see the rest of the Elements.

>>11905453
Maybe the rest of them are with the worldshards?

>>11905453
Get into the tent. The guards have a defensive perimeter around it, the worldshards must be somewhere inside.

>>11905264
>>11905294
>>11905453
>>11905526
>Worldshards
>Plural
Didn't Celestia give up the Unicorn one when we were first summoned, and we only have the pegasus one? I don't recall hearing it mentioned at all in that first fight apart from one of the enemies mentioning it, so I assumed it had already been handed over and that they'd just decided to finish Celestia off while they were at it.

>>11905579
No, I'm pretty sure we have both.
There would have been a greater sense of urgency to get a second if she had given it up in a botched exchange.

>>11905530
You've got to get to that tent, no matter what. You take off, sprinting for the tent, hunkering down. There's a small break in the perimeter; just one enemy pegasus between you and the tent. He's not even looking at you.

With a cry, you barrel into him, shoulder first, taking him to the ground. Instead of confirming he's unconscious or at least incapacitated, you roll off of him and find yourself just in front of the entrance to the tent. Thankfully, none of the guards have mistaken you for hostile. Glancing upward, you make note of Celestia's and Luna's status: both still fighting strong. Celestia spots you while you're looking up at her, though you can't really tell what her reaction is from this distance. All you can do is nod as you head inside.

>>11905526
You're immediately assaulted by a wall of pink latching onto your face while your head comes under a rain of blows. Stumbling around, you fight to pull the thing off you.

"Pinkie! He's not an enemy!"

"I know! But this is fun!"

"Now isn't the time for that!"

You stop in your tracks. Pinkie? That's who's on you? You tickle her sides and she falls off, though you catch her before she hits the ground. She's giggling in your arms, belly up, not a care in the world, melting you with that smile of hers. You find yourself envious of her-but there are more important things to think about.

Rarity and Fluttershy are in the center of the tent, along with Steady.

[cont]

>>11905845
"Do any of you know where the Worldshards are?"

"Yes, dear, they're right behind us in the chest. We're keeping an eye on them," says Rarity. "A sort of last defense, if you will. Not that I'm much for fighting."

"Don't you worry 'bout that," says Steady. "My soldiers can deal with whatever the enemy sends at 'em. 'Sides, you still got me if they get in here."

>>11905579
You walk over to the chest. "Mind if I check on them?"

"Go ahead, but no one has opened that thing since Celestia sealed it," says Steady.

Nodding, you open the chest, finding the Pegasus Worldshard safe and sound. The other is nowhere in sight.

>>11905851
"...Uh, guys? Isn't there supposed to be TWO shards in here?"

Clearly there's a problem here.
There's only one.

>>11905851
Panic!

Don't.

>>11905851
Ok, yeah, looking back some more, it's definitely supposed to still be in our possession.
>Luna answers you this time...
...Our Worldshard will buy us further time. They still want it, so we will act as though we might still part with it."

Maybe Luna/Celestia are currently using it as a weapon?
Maybe it was lost, but Celestia hasn't mentioned it to anyone else for morale reasons?
Or, crazy thought: the ponies we first fought said we appeared when Celestia hit the unicorn worldshard with magic, but we never saw it. What if it turned into us, or got swapped with us when we were sent here?

>>11906200
>And then anon was the worldshard

I don't really think that's the case since that "Guardian" in our dream said it can't determine our origin or any of that junk. If we were the worldshard, we'd share whatever energy signature it gives off. Probably.

Though it being swapped could've happened too.

Regardless, we should decide what to do now that we know one is not where it is supposed to be.

>>11905851
Ask whether anyone saw a pony or sonething come into the tent at any point?

>>11906056
>>11906068
>>11906088
"Uh, guys? Aren't there supposed to be TWO shards in here?"

"Huh?" Steady walks over, looking at the chest. "Crap. You're right. Where could the other be? I dunno why someone'd steal one but not the other. You think maybe White Wings has it on her?"

"That's one explanation," you say, tapping your foot. This doesn't make sense at all. You had just assumed Celestia grabbed the Worldshard with her magic when the two of you booked it. That also reminds you: you haven't asked her which one it was.

If she didn't take it with her, that would mean the enemy has it. But that would have been real cause for alarm. She would've mentioned it, right?

The only way to get real answers is to talk to Celestia, and there isn't exactly time for that right now. You've got a huge battle going on outside, and things are not looking good. From what you can hear, the clamor of fighting is only getting closer. You've got to find a way to either turn things around or get everyone out of here.

>>11905851
Sealed? In what way? It's not locked or anything.

>>11906303
if >>11906200 is right, and it was the unicorn shard...maybe we can use magic!

>>11906303
We could wait in her and let the battle play out or go out there and risk being ded'd.

1372927985157.jpg (31 KB, 247x247) iqdb google

Why don't we just shoot the bad guys? Seems like a very flawed quest with lots of plot holes.

>>11906365
we don't have a gun, stupid

>>11906303
How combat capable are we?

With that in mind, we should organize a quick relocation of the chest with the remaining shard, but leave a skeleton guard crew around the tent to make it appear as though it's still there. If faced with any real attack, they should retreat in a scattered manner to the new chest location unless they're being tailed.

We, with a handful of guards, if we're up for it, should try to divert some of the approaching band's attention away from the tent and wherever the relocation point for the chest is.

>>11906377
Remember that policy of not responding to the shitposters
Follow it

>>11906382
That kind of seems like a lot of effort for something that could go horribly wrong if a single pony spots us, and takes the chest away from the point where it's being best guarded. It'd really only benefit us if we really think someone's going to break through, or that it's going to be stolen somehow.

>>11906620
Wait, I take that all back.
>From what you can hear, the clamor of fighting is only getting closer. You've got to find a way to either turn things around or get everyone out of here.
Yeah, time for a change of location.

>>11906620
Well we should at least do the diversion part if possible.

I'd rather do something than sit with my thumb up my ass and wait for the Princess to save us.

>>11906309
"How was this sealed?" you ask. "It opened right up for me."

"Well, Celestia made a lock that only a few select ponies could open. Mainly me, Silver, her sister, and the Elements. I guess she included you, too. Close it back up so the lock activates again."

Silver. You haven't seen him in a while. You hope he's alright. Closing the chest, you hear a magical chime as the latch catches.

>>11906348
"What do you think our chances are if we just wait here and guard the chest?" you ask.

"Eh, not so great. Celestia and Luna are fine fighters but even my soldiers can't win against those numbers unless we've got real luck on our side. I'd go outside to check, but I promised I'd stay here. They're probably thinking up some sort of escape plan."

>>11906382
You wouldn't put much faith in your combat capabilities. Against one soldier, you might win, and Steady could probably take on a few himself, but nothing significant.

"What about relocating the chest? What if we drew them away with some sort of distraction?"

"I wouldn't put money on that. They've got so many soldiers they could both chase after the distraction and hold us up here. Without something that absolutely grabbed every single enemy's attention, we'd be in the same situation. Also, whoever when out on the distraction wouldn't make it back without some sort of way to disappear or teleport. You want my opinion? Get Celestia or Luna in here so we can get an escape plan going, and fast."

>>11906714
We'll try an get a word in with either one of them, it needs to be done.

>>11906714
Well if the general's stuck here and the princesses are stuck out there, And the ladies are hiding from the combat I suppose it's up to us to play messenger boy.

>>11906714
Try thinking really hard about turning invisible.

>>11906894
If we close our eyes we can't be seen.

>>11906768
>>11906822
Steady's plan sounds like the best right now. You nod to him. "I'm going outside then, to get one of their attentions. Hold the fort."

"Heh, like I was gonna do anything else. Good luck, Lanky."

Walking over to the tent entrace, you grab the flaps, take a deep breath, then duck outside and gape at what you see.

The perimeter has shrunk, only giving your a few feet of standing room outside the tent. What sends chills down your spine is the sky. There's a wave of enemy reinforcements just as large as the initial force on their way. The number of pegasai is staggering. The enemy must've been holding back until now... but why?

You can think about that later. Right now you need to find one of the princesses. Looking up you see Luna directly above you. Celestia must've broken off to fight somewhere else. This will have to do.

"LUNA!" you yell. She doesn't respond, too lost in the fight. "LUNA! COME DOWN HERE!" Still no recognition. Without wings, you're not going to get her attention like this.

"I got it!"

Silver zips by you, making a bee-line for Luna. He grabs her attention then points down to you. After another blast of magic, deterring an approaching enemy, Luna dives downward. Silver resumes fighting in her place.

[cont]

>>11906919
I meant more to test if we somehow have the unicorn shard inside us or something.

>>11907097
"What is it?" Luna pants. She's clearly worse for wear, but her coat seems completely undamaged. Alicorns must be seriously resistant to injury.

You usher her inside the tent and follow. "Luna, Steady said we can't hold out like this, and with that wave of reinforcements, we'll never win with strength. We need to evacuate."

Luna peeks outside to the cloud of enemy pegasai approaching. Her face somehow turns more grim than it already is. "Yes, of course. I didn't want to do this, but it seems we have no more time to spare. Some ponies will unfortunately be left behind, but... there is no other option. I'm going to mass teleport using the Worldshard." She moves for the chest, then pauses. "Unless you have another idea."

>>11907122
I don't have any other suggestions.
I could try to gather as many ponies as possible, but we all die if we stay.

>>11907168
Neat.

>>11907122
I still think we should try using magic.

>>11907122
Teleport? That's magic, right? Would that require the unicorn worldshard? Because if so, there might be a problem with that plan...

All the troops are pegasi, would it be possible to use the pegasus worldshard to just boost everyone's flight abilities and just leave the enemy in our slipstream? Seems like we'd be unlikely to lose anyone that way.

>>11907168
Neat.
Now he should give Rose a try.

>>11907168
Ooh, neat! I'll be a lot easier to envisage them now that I've seen a picture of them, too.

>>11907197
"Teleport? That's magic, right? Would that require the unicorn worldshard? Because if so, there might be a problem with that plan..."

Luna raises an eyebrow. "What sort of problem?"

"We don't have the Unicorn Worldshard. Assuming that was the one Celestia originally meant to trade for Twilight."

"Yes, it was. And I am aware of that. However, the Worldshards only manifest the power of their corresponding race for normal ponies. Steady, for example, would gain some... rudimentary ability of flight, but it works different for alicorns. We understand the power and essence of each race, and are able to manifest the power within any Worlshard however we see fit. The Pegasus Worldshard will help me cast just as well as the Unicorn Worldshard."

"Why exactly would we be leaving some p0nies behind?"

"Because, while the Worldshards are powerful, without two or all three here, I cannot cast with precision. All I can do is teleport every p0ny within a certain radius, and that radius must be small enough to avoid bringing the bulk of their force with us. Therefore, p0nies fighting outside the area for us will be left behind."

"Could we gather as many as possible before you teleport?"

[cont]

>>11907472
"There is no time! That group of reinforcements will be here any second! Once they mix in with the rest of the main force, it will be impossible to save the few number of soldiers that remain!" Luna shakes her head, letting her voice drop. "I do not wish this any more than you. But we brought a small force out here for this very reason-that even if we were attacked, scattering and retreating would be easy. We do not have the capabilities to fight an army."

So every p0ny outside a small radius will be left here. That must be why all the guards set up a perimeter here; so this fail-safe plan could be used effectively.

>>11907493
Shit, that means Rose might be left.

>>11907472
What about the second plan?
>>11907233

Alternatively, if we quickly have everyone fall back just in time for the spell to go off, surely we'll only take the first rank of the enemy with us. That'll keep all our troops together, leave us with enemy numbers that are much more manageable, and who are disorientated and demoralized by having suddenly lost the backup of all the ponis behind them. Hell, if we've cut them off from whoever's commanding them, they might just try to flee back to their base camp.

>>11907603
Not everyone could move on there own power, surely there are injuries.

>>11907716
Then have them be carried by one or maybe two of the ones who still have flight. Maybe I'm overestimating the worldshard, but I imagine it'd be enough to allow a boosted pony carrying somone to outrun a pony flying only under it's own power.

The main problem seems to have been technical considerations; Luna only knows how to do an AoE teleport rather than a targetted one (If all the enemy are wearing that weird not-leather, can she not cast a spell that teleports all ponies in an area that are wearing metal armour? Maybe suggest that too); perhaps the problem might be that only way she could empower the troops with the pegasus shard's powers would be by a similar AoE.

>>11907850
It's a made up object in a quest. Smutanon has already give you the limitations. Stop trying to challenge those.

>>11907603
"What if you used the Pegasus Worldshard to boost everyone's flight abilities? "

Luna taps her chin a moment. "No. If everyone here were a pegasus, that might be viable, but the boost would not be enough to give unicorns and earth ponies the ability to escape. Also, with no knowledge of flight, it's likely they would simply crash on their own. Besides, without two Worldshards here, I might not even be able to cast that spell correctly."

"We'll need to have everyone fall back here, then, to take the fewest number of enemies with us."

"My sister has already given the signal."

You nod. At least a good portion of your force will make it out of here alive. Assuming the survivors do make up a "good portion." You snap to attention when a realization hits you.

Rose... Rose is still out there. And she doesn't know what Celestia's signal means. You rush to the tent entrance and look outside. The battlefield is thundering with cries and clash of metal, nearly deafening you. Above the tent, Celestia's horn glows bright as the sun, drowning the world in light. You look around, desperately hoping to find Rose somewhere near.

[cont]

>>11907928
Your eyes land on her, still where you left her, fighting off the enemy. The way she moves, you're not even sure Celestia's beacon has grabbed her attention. There's a pile of bodies around her, at least as many as you first encountered, but reinforcements had ganged up on her. You bite your lower lip, waving at her, hoping she'll somehow see you.

After giving her newest assailant a swift kick, she takes off toward the tent. The beacon must've tipped her off. You can't tell if she sees you or not. For whatever reason, she's galloping instead of flying. One of her wings might be injured.

Behind you, you hear the hum of an immensely-powerful spell. Luna must be casting the teleport. Shit.

>>11907880
It's a made up object in a quest. We have been given the limitations, it's now our job to come up with a way to work within those limitations to the best end possible.
Finding out how they work and how precisely we're constricted is the only way to do that; the word puzzle from the other session already showed that we need to ask futher questions to find out the solutions; we couldn't have solved that one with the information we were initially given alone.

>>11907947
We have to go for broke
Sprint, pick her up and sprint back.

>>11907928
Oh goddamnit, I'd missed a week or so, and despite having read what I'd missed, I was thinking we were still with just the group that flew out to find the pegasus worldshard. Of course there's unicorns and earth ponies here. I'm an idiot, sorry about that.

>>11908043
She is galloping, though, just not flying. Would we even speed her up?
I think we have to try anyway. We can't really leave her there if she can't fly. There's the chance we'll get left behind, but if we get caught it's a good chance to find out what exactly is going on with the enemy, and if we don't get caught we can probably find our way back to the main group with our compass.
This is such a stupid idea.

>>11908184
She hasn't seen the call to retreat yet so she's probably not even going the right way.
There's no time to explain either.

>>11908259
>she takes off toward the tent.
She's going the right way.

>>11908043
"I'm going to get Rose!" you call out to Luna. You break into a sprint, her cry of protest dying against your back. The immediate area is so dense with ponies you can't run as fast as you'd like, but you're still making some progress. Just as you break through the inital row of ponies, something grabs you and you're frozen in mid-air.

Struggling, you look around, trying to find the source. Whatever's got you has covered your body in a golden glow. Wait... that's Celestia's magic. You look up to the beacon, but you can't make out her face with the light glaring into your eyes.

"No! Let me get her!"

Your cry falls on deaf ears. A sphere of light comes from the princesses' tent, swallowing the battlefield, approaching you rapidly. Your attention darts back between Rose and the light. She's so close! If Luna just waits a few more seconds...

And you're gone.


~~

The world looks a lot different, now. You're in a different clearing, and the camp is gone but for the princesses' tent. The enemies are all disoriented, but the guards, who were expecting this, keep their feet and use the moment of surprise to their advantage. With Celestia and Luna to back them up, the battle is over in no time at all.

Rose is no where to be found, and you've got some words for Celestia, not to mention you have no idea where you are now.

>>11908286
FUCK

>>11908286
This is an applicable reaction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKA_Jxe_7m8

>>11908286
Damnit. Damnit damnit damnit.
Maybe she'll take the opportunity of the confusion from our dissapearance to escape? Don't give up on her, she's repeatedly shown she's far more skilled than us in a bunch of different ways.
She's totally going to lose faith in Celestia and be leading that Stampede splinter group next time we see her
The camp seems to be under control again, so there'll probably be a post-battle meeting before too long to plan our next course of action. Make sure we don't have any injuries, Do we want to check in on Silver?, keep eyes and ears open in case there are other events going on in the camp before that, but otherwise just recover in preparation for that.

>>11908286
Take it up with Celestia. Publicly. She will explain her actions and if we find her reasoning wanting....

We'll decide where to go from there.

>>11908534
That's exactly what I was afraid of.

>>11908574
We don't need to stir up any animosity amongst her own ranks.
We'll do it privately.

>>11908574
Gonna have to disagree here. Firstly, her actions make perfect sense to me; the teleport couldn't be delayed or else there would have been far more enemies brought with us and greater casualties at this end, and if we'd been allowed to run off she would have lost us. Maybe we could have made it back, but she doesn't know that for sure, and doesn't have enough reason to trust in our ability to escape a battlefield with an injured comrade and make a trek back across a land and world completely foreign to us.
She lets us go: she loses Rose and loses us.
She stops us, she loses Rose and keeps us.
Choice was obvious.

Secondly, this is a small army. A single person throwing a fit because their friend got left behind, when presumeably there were other injured ponies and outright dead ones out there, is just plain blind selfishness.

>>11908788
It hurts morale.

>>11908814
What hurts morale?

>>11908534
You look around for Silver, hoping he did okay talking up where Luna left off. You find him with another soldier, one you don't recognize, helping him limp over to where other soldiers are laying down. He sees you coming and greets you with a nod.

"Hey. I'm... I'm glad you're okay. I think." The other soldier groans and Silver looks over, concerned. "C'mon, just a little more." He looks back to you. "D-don't think I'm still not mad, cause I am!"

His voice raises over the now-quiet remnants of the battle. Not much of anyone is very lively at the moment. A couple heads turn your way, but most ponies are too tired or injured to care.

"Hey yourself. I'm happy you got out of there fine. Sure you're not injured?"

"Yeah." He sighs, looking at the ground. "We got our flanks busted."

You've never seen anyone so defeated. He could hardly keep himself upright, though you couldn't tell if that was more from fatigue or despair. "That we did." You want to keep the conversation going, but neither of you are in the mood.

"Well..." His voice trails off.

"Well." Whatever. You need to talk with Celestia anyways. Silver trots off, still supporting the injured soldier, while you make your way to her tent.

[cont]

>>11909051
>>11908574
>>11908620
>>11908788
Inside, you find Celestia, Luna, Steady, and the Elements, none of which look too happy. Pinkie manages a smile when she sees you're alright, but even that isn't enough to brighten up the room.

"I'm glad you're alright, traveler," says Celestia.

"Yeah. But what the hell? Why did you hold me back? I was going to save Rose! I'm not your subject, remember? I get to choose what I want to do, and I chose to take the risk of getting her back. You don't have the right to deny me that!"

Her face contorts, stuck between sympathy and regret, before shifting back to that royal visage of a passive ruler you've seen her hold in front of her subjects. You fucking hate that.

"I had to. There was no time left, and your presence would not have made the difference. I am sorry I could not bring her, too, but I took action only to prevent needless disaster. Please understand, it is not my intention to cage or restrict you. I just... I saw no good coming of that action."

>>11909070
How far are we from where the camp site was?

So, do you all remember waaaay back when we first found out Smut was hiding stuff in images? Then we found a weird code embedded in one of the files? I think I finally figured out what it was.

A pastebin URL.

http://pastebin.com/fn9L17Rx

So, whatever it says, it's probably a bit outdated since we found it in session 6, but it looks like there's still important stuff in there.

6d6dae55f73afbdca38f929f5(...).gif6d6dae55f73afbdca38f929f59238eed.gif (26 KB, 500x620) iqdb google

>>11909235
Ah, good job anon!

1/4
?moe
So there is/will more to be found, presumeably. Wonder if we can do anything with ?moe there, or if we'll need to combine it with something from the ends of future messages to make use of. That'd be 16 characters, if it is exactly a quarter. What uses that many?
Or is it a signature

>>11909070
Disaster is exactly what I fear will happen because of your action.

CurrentMap.png (2.55 MB, 1196x1444) iqdb google

>>11909292
"And how do you know that your action isn't exactly what will become of the consequences of your action?"

"We do the best with what we have. From what information I had, holding you back was the better choice. I'm sorry we disagree on this, but it would be best to accept it now and move on. Rose is a tough pony. I believe she will fare well enough on her own."

You hold your tongue, not wanting to aggravate the situation any further. Her explanation was reasonable, yes, but you're not exactly in the mood right now. Next order of business.

>>11909151
"Where are we right now and how far is that from the camp?"

Luna brings out the map and gestures to it along with her description. "I moved us toward the edge of the forest, much closer to Alabaster Road. This still leaves us with the cover of the forest, but also the option to move out and retreat back to Canterlot should that be our decision. It also gives us better access to the Badlands, where we have not yet scouted. It remains one of the few areas where our enemy might be keeping Twilight."

In Celestia's haste to save Twilight she has become exactly what her enemies oppose.

>>11909404
Rose said that that group was likely a subgroup of the Stampede. Who are they, and why would they have thrown in their lot with our rogue chancellor?
Do we know where they're likely to be based in future, or any other pockets of likely discontent?

The alabaster road is literally just a paved road, right? Is it typically guarded to ensure safe passage?

Didn't the inscription on the worldshard say that it's use caused it to break? Is that likely to happen if we need to use it again in the future? What's stopping us from just teleporting freely about the countryside?

PostTeleMapCompare.png (979 KB, 1196x1444) iqdb google

>>11909404
No data added to the end, and the image is pretty much unchanged from last time, though the message is missing from the whitespace this time. The name of Baltimare seems to be a bit messed up, for some reason...
...Hang on, that's not "Baltimare" on the new one at all!
neYB4KMC
http://pastebin.com/neYB4KMC

Oh boy, I guess this means that it's the mystery chancellor slipping us these creepy messages.

Get supplies
Leave on our own(kill two birds with one stone then since our interaction would be minimal)
Head back to the old camp location and search for survivors or clues as to the whereabouts of Rose or other prisoners.

>>11909568
"How much do you know about the Stampede? Why would they throw in their lot with your former adviser? Do you know where they're based?"

Luna answers this time. "Unfortunately, we know very little about the Stampede. They are something of a militia, formed with my sister's blessing to defend against dragon incursions. Their methods of coordination, bases of attack, and army size are mostly unknown to us. Our only point of contact was a small outpost just outside of Dodge City, in which they reported to the Equestrian Army all dragon activity."

"So they could be half or twice the size of your army and you wouldn't know?"

"Correct. Though we are determined to resolve this without an all-out war. Army size is moot at this point."

"Is the Alabaster just a normal, paved road? Guarded?"

"There are infrequent patrols, though those patrols are run by the Stampede. Yes, it is an ordinary paved road. Travel would be much, much faster than through this forest, though."

So freedom of movement at the cost of secrecy. It's a little disturbing how much Luna and Celestia had let go to the Stampede for them being a militia instead of an official army.

"Didn't the inscription on the worldshard say that it's use caused it to break? Is that likely to happen if we need to use it again in the future? What's stopping us from just teleporting freely about the countryside?"

[cont]

>>11910083
"Inscription?" asks Luna. "You mean the one on the altar? Either way, no, the Worldshard is not likely to break. I am not sure anything in this world other than another Relic of the Beginning could break it. We could use it as much as we want. However, as for 'teleporting freely about', it is unwise to teleport to a place we have not already scouted. Also, such rampant magic use is sure to attract the attention of any unicorn adepts on our enemy's side. I simply cannot focus the teleportation energy enough with only one Worldshard."

So it truly was a last ditch effort. Any unicorns working for the Stampede nearby probably know where you are now, so staying in one place for too long isn't a real option. This is fine with you, as you were planning to get Rose anyways, but there are a lot of injured soldiers here. That may not be an option for the rest of the group.

"I intend on returning to the campsite to find Rose."

"Are you sure?" says Celestia, her stern face cracking. "It will be very dangerous alone. And they may have captured her and taken her away."

"Then I'll look for clues. I'm not leaving her there."

[cont]

>>11910097
A silence falls amongst the tent. The tension grows with each second. You wonder if Celestia is considering holding you back again, or maybe Luna will this time. The Elements may have their own say in this as well, though you can't tell what they're thinking. Celestia only stares at you, as if her eyes are trying to see something beyond the surface.

"I will go with you," she says.

Your jaw drops as Steady and Luna both protest.

"You have soldiers to lead!"

"This is the worst time to leave for morale! What will they think if their princess leaves?"

"You have to think of others!"

"I can't protect a bunch of injured soldiers with a bunch of other injured soldiers! You're one of the few able-bodied--"

Celestia cuts Steady off by raising her hoof.

"I have wronged my friend, and friends make things up to each other. While I still stand by my initial choice, that does not absolve me of any fault or negative consequences. I will help you, traveler, that we make accomplish this task quickly and efficiently."

Once you mind processes her response, you're actually able to crack a smile.

Luna brings up one last protest. "Sister, there are things far more important than friendship at stake here! I enjoy his company as well, but he is only one pony! There is a greater good to be served!"

"Dear sister, tell me, what good is rescuing the Princess of Friendship if we must abandon the very thing she stands for in the process?"

>>11909070
Speaking for myself, and not for our Player or for anyone else, the greater good does come first.

But again we live in pony world.

>>11910194
Is rescuing Twilight all there is for the greater good?
It doesn't seem to be, the root of the problem was deeper than that, if it hadn't been then Twilight wouldn't have been kidnapped.

>>11910121
...Ouch. This makes me feel terrible, but I can't deny it'll be nice to have her along.
And we can't really deny her after
>"I get to choose what I want to do, and I chose to take the risk of getting her back. You don't have the right to deny me that!"
line.
It's a stupid, risky venture, but from what we've seen her troops trust her to leave her to do what she must, and Luna's perfectly capable of leading in her absence. So long as we don't get her captured, it could turn out OK.

Things seem to be slowing down, so I'll just end this session here.

Next is Wednesday at 7pm UTC-5! I'll post reminders in the general as always.

>>11910337
Ah good, I'm pretty beat.
Thanks for the session! Let's just hope this doesn't blow up in our face, I guess.

>>11910337
Thanks, I am definitely wiped out.