Without further ado... let's get started.
The morning sun beams through your bedroom window as you slowly rouse from slumber. Finally, the weekend has arrived. You roll out of bed and stretch, getting ready for another beautiful summer’s day in Ponyville. Briefly, you shake your head with reckless abandon until your mane snaps into its trademark style. Surely, you’re now ready to enjoy your fantastic, school-free Saturday.
You look about your room. The first thing you see is your muddy set of rain boots from the day previous. You remember how much fun you had tackling your dad into a big mud puddle while playing ball. You also remember how cold the water was when your mom sprayed you off quick with the hose. Some residual mud that was stuck to your boots seems to have sloughed off and caked into the carpet… it really stands out against the soft green floor, but you’re sure your mom will help you clean it up later. To the left of your boots by your dresser is your light blue saddlebag. Little Hayseed’s hoof sticks out of the flap. Going along the wall, you see your toy chest with a royal blue CMC cape draped over it and big cardboard box that reads ‘stay out – top secret’. Being so clearly marked with such a stern warning, you believe that your parents have kept their hooves out of it.
“Honey, come out here and get some breakfast! I made pancakes~~!” You hear your mom call to you. The aroma of her delicious maple cinnamon pancakes floods your senses… it’s enough to make your mouth water.
You trot over to Hayseed and tug her out of your saddlebag. After throwing your adventurous CMC cape on, you feel ready to handle any challenge that comes your way.
You lift up your toy chest lid. There's a couple of things in here, like a toy wooden train and some other old, not-Hayseed dolls, but nothing seems to really jump out at you. You slam the lid shut and grab your 'secret box'.
Inside your 'Adventure Box', as you like to call it, you’re greeted with a brand new Stompstarter, Spike’s slingshot, a hammer, and a triple-bagged satchel with Zecora’s cutie mark on it. You're rather proud of your collection.
You remember Applebloom making the satchel a few weeks ago for the Summer Sun Celebration. It contains some extremely volatile, really bright, vociferous popping firework powder. You also recall Applebloom getting chastised for making the recipe a bit too strong… In all honesty, you’re a little scared of the stuff accidentally going off. Applebloom’s satchel accidentally exploded in her ‘adventure barrel’ just a few days ago. Her big sister was dumbfounded as to how a set of twisted barrel rings ended up skewered into the side of the barn.
AB uses the blast crater as her new adventure equipment storage.
"Honey~! C'mon down here! Breakfast is on the table!" Your mom shouts up the stairs once more.
"Hold your ponies, I'm coming!" You retort.
You wrestle your boots free from the carpet and strap them on. After that weird Moldrot experience a couple months ago, you plan ahead for safety concerns. You also rush over to your saddlebags. Inside currently is a bunch of rocks and some twigs you were going to build a nest out of.
You decide that, just in case, you should pack your saddlebags to be ready for a spontaneous adventure. Knowing the antics of your CMC friends, it's likely that they'll be using the day off to do something extraordinary.
Carefully, you pack your shiny new Stompstarter, Spike's slingshot, and you remove the twigs to replace them with the explosive powder. The small collection of polished rocks remains in one bag. You carry Hayseed in your mouth, delicately. She tastes like a pile of crisp autumn leaves.
You bound downstairs to the kitchen table. Your mom walks a plate of pancakes over to your dad and sets them on the table. He gives her a quick smooch on the cheek.
“They smell delicious. Thanks, dear.”
He’s wearing his typical smirk as he reads through the morning newspaper. As you climb up one of the chairs to get a view of your plate, you notice the front page picture of your dad’s paper. It looks like some griffin in a set of carnival clothes. The main heading reads ‘Snakeoil Sally a Hit in Ponyville’. Some syrup pours out over your pancakes.
“Raisin, eat everything up before it gets cold. Don’t forget to deliver that bucket of grapes to the bakery this afternoon.” You know she doesn’t mean to nag, but you’d forgotten to deliver them after school the day previous. Your mom sits down to enjoy a plate of the steaming hot pancakes herself.
You’ve got pancakes in front of you, your dad behind a newspaper across from you, and your mom to your left.
Unable to resist your mother’s exquisite cooking, you immediately dive into the fluffy pancakes without a shred of care for the syrup that will surely get in your hair.
“Hungry this morning?” Your mother smiles softly, eating her pancakes with finesse. “I made plenty for breakfast, so eat up.” You don’t pull your face away from pancake slaughter until you’re sure that not a single crumb remains.
Hayseed has a bit of syrup on her from your gorging. You make sure to wipe it off her as best as you can.
You go on to ask about the funny looking griffin on the front page. Your dad lowers the paper for a second, then flips it over. “Oh, you didn’t hear?”
He clears his throat and starts reading the article in an official sounding voice. “Snakeoil Sally a Hit in Ponyville. Sassy salesman and traveling entrepreneur Snakeoil captures the hopes and hearts of Ponyville’s denizens with her amazing energy elixir.” He continues on for a little bit, mentioning that she’s selling this drink for 3 Bits out in the town square for the next two days.
“If you want, I can give you a couple Bits so you can grab some candy at the bakery and get one of those griffin drinks.” Your dad smirks at you before he gets back to reading his paper.
Your mom interjects. “No, no, honey. Energy drinks are absolutely terrible for little fillies. Besides, she’s got enough energy as is.” Your mom fusses around with your tail and straightens out your mane. “She doesn’t need any weird griffin elixir.”
“Eh, alright. Just make sure to get a lot of candy then.” He pulls out a small satchel of Bits and slides them over by your plate. “Early allowance; go have some fun, grapefruit.”
As he finishes, you hear a rhythmic knock at the front door. “HellooooOOOOooo! Raisin! Are you awake yet?” You hear Sweetie Belle at the door.
You toss the small pouch of bits in with your stompstarter. They barely fit, but the flap is sorta tied down, so you should be good.
You hop down from the table to go see your friends. As the door swings open, you’re greeted by the smiling faces of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. “Raisin!” You hear Scootaloo start to call you ‘Ms. Bossy’, but she’s able to turn it into ‘Raisin’ in time for it to seem more like a joke than a slight at your character. Both of them are wearing their CMC capes and have some small satchels at their sides.
"Is that... is that your little doll?" Scootaloo laughs. "And here I thought you weren't a little baby!" She banters a little bit. Sweetie likes Hayseed's mane.
Apparently, they’ve heard of some weird saleslady in the town square that’s selling some potion stuff that’s supposed to give you a ton of energy. They intend to use it to help them crusade more effectively. Applebloom tried some out the other day and said that she felt ‘super-energized’. “But today she’s not feeling as good, so I wanted to go get her some more elixir so we can do some amazing crusading and find our cutie marks!” Scootaloo hops in the air as she finishes.
“I wanted to get some more for Rarity so she can finish her new dresses even faster!” Sweetie Belle shows you her satchel. “It really helped her yesterday, but right now she’s all loopy headed from not sleeping, so I’m gonna get her some more.”
“We gotta hurry before the line gets too long again!” The duo bounces with excitement. “C’mon! Let’s go!
You remember to grab that bucket of grapes your mom was talking about. You explain that you've got a small chore to run before you can go see Snakeoil Sally in the town square.
Sweetie Belle nods, but Scootaloo sighs. “You can do chores later, Raisin. We’ve gotta hurry before it’s all sold out!”
Sweetie Belle says that she’ll tag along with you if Scootaloo wants to save them a spot in line.
You implore that this chore is really important. You really don't want your mom to get upset with you. Scootaloo rolls her eyes. "Okay, fine. Sweetie, you and Raisin head over to Sugarcube Corner and do whatever. I'll go grab a spot in line." She starts trotting off, but turns back. "Don't blame me if they're all sold out by the time you get there!"
You and Sweetie carry the big bucket of grapes off to Sugarcube Corner. You try to talk to her, but she can't understand you. "Oh... umm... yeah." She pretends to understand you. You should wait until your mouth is cleared.
As you approach, you see a flash of pink darting around the front of the store. "ZOOM! ZOOM! ZIPPEE!!" Shrills and giggles follow the blur with a redshift Doppler effect.
“Wha… is that Pinkie Pie?” Sweetie Belle seems baffled by Pinkie’s incredible, instantly changing velocity. You approach cautiously. Almost instantly, a jittery, extremely happy Pinkie Pie stands before you, quivering with energy.
“Hey there smarty pants!” She smiles and looks you over. She seems to teleport next to Sweetie Belle. “Are you guys finally dropping off those grapes?” She runs a few circles around you quick. “Oh my gosh! We’re going to make such delicious jam out of them! Do you guys want to try some after we make it? Huh huh huh?” She can’t seem to slow down for any amount of time.
You say that you'd love some a bit later, but you've gotta drop them off first for Mrs. Cake.
"OH! Here, let me take 'em for you!" Pinkie lifts the bucket up with her head and dashes off, barely leaving you enough time to let go. She zips on back, sliding to a stop. Hayseed is on top of her head.
“Did you guys even HEAR?! Some griffin girl is selling the most AMAZING super fantastic wonderful super juice in the town square today!" She bounces around. "Do you guys want to come WAIT! Hold on, do you guys want some candy FOLLOW ME!!" She's gone in an instant.
"What just happened?" Sweetie Belle looks concerned.
You dart off after Pinkie after reaching out for poor little Hayseed. Sweetie Belle sees the concern in your eyes and tries to keep up with you. You enter into Sugarcube Corner.
The bucket of grapes is empty and there's a boiling pot of water on the stove, presumably already full with jam. Pinkie zips on over to you and Sweetie. "Have some!" She puts a spoon of jam into you and Sweetie's mouth. It tastes a bit sour, but otherwise it's really good.
You ask for Hayseed back. Pinkie tilts her head, not quite understanding, but Hayseed comes tumbling off her bouncy mane. "OH! Your little dollie! That's sooo cute!" She goes over to the counter, grabbing a couple of peppermint candy canes. "You guys want some? They're deeeelish!"
Off to the side, you see an extremely groggy Mrs. Cake tending the counter. "Pinkie. Dear. They've gotta pay for candy. If they don't, we'll go out of business." She looks like a mix of sick and extremely agitated.
After reuniting with Hayseed, you give her a warm, gentle hug. Her plush, soft body reminds you of a set of fleece blankets you threw over yourself one time when you were ill and your mother read you a bedtime story. You remember how calm you were, how relaxing her voice was as you forgot about the world around you.
You talk to Mrs. Cake at the counter. Immediately, before asking, she says "Peppermint Candycanes. 1 bit a piece."
You ask her if she's feeling well. "Oh. Perfect. Just fine, dear." You can hear her gritting her teeth a little bit. Mr. Cake walks into the room, trembling a little. "Um... girls? Uh... are you going to buy something toda-day?"
Mrs. Cake doesn't even look his way, grumbling something incoherent.
>Invintory check:
You take Mrs. Cake up on the cheap candy. Sweetie Belle look over at you. "Um... were you going to still buy some of that elixir stu-"
Mrs. Cake interrupts. "DON'T... Don't waste your money on that smarmy chicken's death soup." She looks very irritable. "I swear, when I get better, I'm going to show that overgrown featherbrained nitwit the business end of MY ROLLING PIN!" She slams the counter with her hoof. Mr. Cake darts off. Pinkie seems to have stopped for a moment.
"Oh. That'll be 1 bit, Raisin."
You cautiously slide a bit across the counter top. Pinkie zips over and drops the peppermint cane on the counter, then zips back to make another dozen small cakes. "Thanks, Pinkie." Mrs. Cake mumbles.
She takes the bit. You start to go for another bit, then ask what the effect the potion gave to her. You mention your suspicions about the concoction, thinking that it might be some addictive blend of bad.
"...addictive?" She gives you a cross look. "Does it look like I EVER want to try anymore of that vile crow poison?" She shakes her mane. "You know, it felt great for the first few hours... and it really does give you a nice boost of energy..." She looks ready to explode. "But then... THIS. Nothing but SICK."
Pinkie zips over the counter, filling up another container with baked goods. She doesn't dare to interrupt Mrs. Cake.
"Um... Raisin..." Sweetie Belle motions to the door. "Scoots is waitin' for us over at the... uh... 'playground'... we shouldn't keep her waiting, should we?"
You give Mrs. Cake another bit and Pinkie drops another peppermint candy cane on the counter. You make sure to grab them in your mouth before you head for the door. "Thanks girls. Stay away from that horrible griffin."
As you leave, Pinkie slides up next to you, jostling your saddlebag. "Oh, don't mind her too much. She's just grumpy because she didn't drink any this morning!" Pinkie zooms around you quick, then heads back to the bakery.
"Sure seems to give you a LOT of energy..." Sweetie Belle smiles. The two of you head out, two candy canes slowly melting in your mouth and a bustling, excited town square up ahead. "That must be it! C'mon, let's hurry!"
You see a massive gathering of ponies around a very loud, flashy stage. A griffin lady with a megaphone yells to the crowd, “Come one! Come all! Get your hooves on a case of Snakeoil Sally’s Miracle Elixir before it’s all gone!” She twirls a cane and does a small jig on stage as the bits pour in. You can barely see a gray pegasi with a blonde mane serving up potions on the far right of the stage. She's wearing a bottle hat.
Scoots runs over to and Sweetie. "Guys! Look! Score!!" She's got two small, ornate little bottles labeled 'Snakeoil Sally’s Miracle Elixir'. "One for me, one for Applebloom. Hurry up and get in line before it's all gone!"
You shake your head in approval, noting that Scootaloo has more than enough elixir to help us discover what it REALLY is. "Yeah, okay Twilight. Sweetie Belle, you gotta get some elixir for Rarity and yourself still, right?"
Sweetie Belle nods. "Oh yeah! She gets soo funny when she's all super-fashion mode." She looks at you. "We're still gonna get potions, right?"
You mosey your way toward the line. You notice that it's a tight fit and ponies are constantly bumping one another.
"I'll go ahead. Follow me!" Sweetie jumps ahead of you.
You see Sally still twirling her cane and dancing up on stage. A whisper floats towards the back of the crowd. "Hey... did that stuff make you guys sick at all?" Random audience members chatter back and forth. "Yeah, but then I drank some more and I was fine."
Before you get into the claustrophobic line, you grab Hayseed and stick the slightly melted candy canes to her hooves, like she's holding them. They have sharp ends now.
"Eeeewwww..." Sweetie Belle watches you put the candy on your doll. Sticking her back into your pouch, you notice that the cane tops keep the flap slightly open. It shouldn't be a problem...
You maneuver into line a bit. You keep getting bumped about as the other ponies cheer. You hear more whispering from the adult ponies. "This stuff is incredible!" Another goes on, "Did you hear, though? One of my friends started talking about some sand castle thingie..." their conversations gets lost.
You get bumped again.
Bumped, bumped, bumped.
You remember that you're carrying some rather lethal explosives in your saddlebags. You quickly turn the other way, hoping that it's not too late.
Sweetie Belle turns around. "Raisin? What's wrong?" You don't let her know about the explosives, telling her to instead just make her way up the line and buy you your potion. She nods, darting in between a pair of legs to get back in line. Sally detonates some fireworks high above the stage, celebrating her 500th sale. "Quick! Hurry up! We're nearly out for the day! Get some while you can!" She screeches over the megaphone.
Scootaloo runs up to you. "Hey, are you okay?"
You quickly check your bags. Everything seems to be safe and sound. The explosive satchel is surprisingly hot, but it's not shaking or doing anything else.
Scootaloo's eyes widen up. "You brought WHAT?!" She jumps back 10 feet. "Are you INSANE?! Didn't you hear what happened to Applebloom's Adventure Barrel?!" Some other ponies close by take their eyes off of Sally's show and cast you two a look.
You carefully walk away from the crowd and sit next to the town square statue in the shade. Scootaloo keeps a safe distance. "You're completely nuts, Raisin. Not even I would bring Applebloom's Bombshell Powder stuff with me."
Sweetie Belle rushes back with 3 bottles of potion, one in her pouch and two in her mouth. "Gtthf mmm!"
Scootaloo seems to have enough room in her pouches to hold all of the new vials. "Sure... as long as Ms. Ticking Timebomb doesn't hold onto them, I think we should be fine..." Sweetie Belle tilts her head, but quickly picks up on the hint. She jumps back. "Raisin?! ARE YOU CRAZY!? You brought that explosive powder stuff that Applebloom made?!"
You give her a very flat expression.
You suggest that the team should go see what Applebloom's up to. Scootaloo agrees, but tells you to keep your distance. She doesn't want you exploding on her.
You ask about the powder, seeing as you've never personally used it. "Anything and everything sets it off. It can go off for no reason AT ALL, like Applebloom's did. Zecora said it was really bad news, that's why she threw it out in the first place." You swallow hard, trying to walk as level as possible. You can no longer feel the heat of the satchel against your side.
You approach a field of apple trees. You're at Sweet Apple Acres.
As you approach the little farmhouse, you see a disgruntled Applejack with her head hung low. She's hauling a large cart of apples very slowly. She looks like she's in a really bad mood. She casts you a glance.
"Applebloom's sick right now..." She groans. "Just like me and Big Mac.You girls need something?"
Scootaloo recoils. "She's sick? She was doing fantastic yesterday..."
You and the CMC approach. "Yeah, until that nasty potion business worn off. I feel downright terrible... ugh... I never should have drinken that stuff..." Big Mac comes around the side of the barn, dragging his feet.
You ask if you can see Applebloom. "Uh... yeah, sure. She's in her room... just be quiet. Granny Smith isn't feeling right either."
Before you head for the house, you ask if Granny Smith had one of the energy drinks before she started feeling bad.
"Yeah... she drank one after she had gone an seen how much energy me and Big Mac had..." She motions over to the orchard. You reckon that a little over half of the trees are cleared. "We got a ton of work done.. but it cost us a lot more than 3 bits of that nasty tastin' 'elixir' junk."
Scootaloo starts to have doubts about the elixir. "Huh. Nobody except Pinkie seems to like the stuff..."
She pulls a vial out and looks over the label again. "Rainbow Dash really liked it... she was going like mad crazy doing tricks yesterday..."
You all make your way into the house as quietly as possible. You head up the stairs and make your way over to Applebloom's door. She motions for you all to come on in. She looks terrible; she's scrunched up in her bed, laying there lazily. "Oh. Hey guys."
You express your concern for Applebloom's health.
"Are you alright? You look like the apple trees bucked YOU."
She smiles. "Ohhh... I'm just not feeling too good... I think I caught somethin' adventurin' the other day..." She leans back into her pillow. "Sorry guys, I just don't feel li-" She stops. "Oh! Scoots... did you bring me some more of that energy drink?"
Scoots darts a glance over to you. "Uh..."
"--No. No we didn't. It's not good for you anyway Applebloom. That stuff is what's making you sick!"
She tilts her head. "Whaddya mean? That stuff is 'a miracle in a bottle'. It really makes ya feel really... jumpy. And good..."
You go further, explaining that everyone you've talked to that's drank the potions have all gotten terribly sick or feel extremely bad.
"Oh... I didn't know... Why don't you talk to Zecora about it? I bet she could.. you know." Applebloom groans. "Ohmmm... my tummy..."
You say that's the plan and prepare to take off... but first...
You make mention that you've got her explosive satchel with you. Her eyes widen up. "Are you crazy? Raisin... what?" She scoots away from you on her bed.
You say that you're going to go out back and get rid of it. You and the CMC nod and leave her room.
You evade Applejack and Big Mac, heading out toward the back of the barn.
You look around and find Applebloom's Adventure Crater. It's got a large rock at the bottom, presumably under which Applebloom hides her stash of secret adventure gear. You carefully take off your saddlebags and grab the explosive satchel. It's air-temp right now.
"I still can't believe..." Scootaloo watches you handle the satchel, twitching slightly. Sweetie Belle holds onto your tail as you lift up the rock and place the explosive satchel underneath it.
Under the rock are some candies, a green bow, and a small journal. You set the satchel next to them.
"Whew. Glad that's over." Scootaloo wipes her head. Sweetie Belle pulls you up quick.
"Off to Zecora's then, right?"
You decide to peek through the journal just to see what's in it. Scootaloo chimes in. "What is that?"
You read the first page. In it, Applebloom is speaking first person. "Today, I met this small purple filly named Raisin at school. She seems really cool! I’m going ta see if she wants to crusade with us sometime..."
"What is it? Is it Applebloom's little diary? Did we finally get it?" Scootaloo looks excited.
You realize that it's Applebloom's diary. You jump to the last few pages quick.
"...that funny eyed pegasi handed me a couple of vials, one for each of us. Sally seems like really cool griffin, much better than that other one that Pinkie mentions at random sometimes.
“This stuff is amazing! Everyone on the farm is just going crazy fast! I hope this lasts for the rest of the day! I've gotta tell the girls; this is fantastic!"
You read the final entry.
"I don't feel very good anymore. I think the energy stuff wore off. Also, Twilight was saying a lot of funny stuff when she drank hers with Applejack... her eyes looked kinda funny too..."
It ends there. You close it up and put it back
You, Scoots, and Sweetie Belle wave bye to a tired Applejack and Big Mac as you head off towards Fluttershy's cottage, just on the outskirts of the forest.
"Man... We could get there so much faster if we drank some of these things... did you see how fast Rainbow Dash was the other day?" Scootaloo listens to the rattles of the bottles in her saddlebags.
"Or how fast Pinkie was moving! She was soo fast!" Sweetie Belle darts her hooves around, accidentally tripping. She gets up, her cheeks a rosy red.
The Everfree Forest starts coming into view. The three of you head into the currently sunny entrance, taking Twilight's favored path straight to Zecora's hut. "Hey, Raisin... you don't happen to have a lighter do you?" Scootaloo asks. "Never know if we'll run into that green fog stuff again".
You roll your eyes. Zecora's hut lies in the distance. You can see her walking around her house. She
You knock at the door. "Who could that possibly be? Another strange, cross eyed pony?" She opens it up. "Oh, Raisin! Come in, come in."
"...And Scootaloo. And Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo adds on. "We're here too."
You say that you saw her pacing around in her house and ask what's wrong. In a way that Jr cannot currently rhyme right now due to time constraints, she explains that Twilight came by with an extremely weird message. Her eyes weren't centered either.
You ask Zecora if, by chance, there were some sort of 'crack juice', if she'd be able to find out what the hay is in it so that you could, just as an example, make a cure from said 'crack juice'.
"If there's a potion, then it's true, that there's something that I could do."
She nods. Scootaloo reaches for one of Snakeoil Sally's Miracle Elixirs. "Well... I guess she can have mine, then... I mean, it's poison, right?"
Zecora snatches it. She reads over the label, scoffing at the picture of the griffin on the front. She says that she knows this idiot. Apparently, she sold her some bad ingredients just a few years ago. Back then, she was 'Snakeoil Sammy'.
She's a con artist.
She says that she's never seen this stuff before, but she knows exactly who 'Snakeoil' is. She immediately drains her cauldron and dumps the small vial into it, taking notice to the smell. Her nose scrunches up. She can't imagine how anyone actually drank the stuff; a mild mix of lemon cleaner with some other, extremely bitter agent.
A storm of chemicals and other various ingredients whip off her shelves and into the mix. She starts up a fire and begins to stir it up. While it boils...
You ask about the visit. Zecora's eyes pop open. She says that Twilight came by just a couple of hours ago telling her about a 'castle in the sands' and how Zecora should travel with her to see it. Twilight would NOT stop going on and on about the castle, saying that the music sounds so lovely, even from here.
After that, Twilight left. Zecora tried to stop her, but Twilight batted her away with magic. It was the strangest thing... since then, Zecora has been researching a cause and looking for a cure.
You pow-wow with Scoots and Sweetie Belle. 'Castle in the Sand'? Twilight going nuts? What is going on?
"I bet that griffin knows what's going on. Let's crash her stage show!" Scootaloo punches at the air.
"Wait, hold on... it's getting kind of dark out. Should we go to the library and see if Spike knows anything? We could go to Sally's later at night..." Sweetie Belle argues.
You ask Sweetie Belle how Rarity reacted to the potion. She tells you that Rarity was moving a lot faster, but she started getting all loopy later on. She also kept going over to the record player and hitting it, which Sweetie found rather funny.
Zecora keeps stirring the mixture. She seems a bit confused. She mentions that there's something definitely magical about the solution, but another chemical seems to be covering it up. She has no idea what it could be.
The evening sun approaches the horizon.
You ask Zecora that, in the event you bump into Twilight and she's hostile, if you could use some sort of 'sleeping medicine' on her. Zecora tells you to wait just one moment. She turns around, grabs a small satchel, and hands it to you. She uses this stuff to get to sleep in a flash.
You ask the CMC if they should go to the library to see if Spike can explain more... or describe this 'Castle' thing Twilight was going on about. Scootaloo rolls her eyes. "Seriously, you're purple and everything. They should call you Twilight Jr." She banters. "I still think we should go and teach that featherduster a lesson."
"I hope Spike's okay..." Sweetie Belle chimes in.
You pull Hayseed out of your bags. She's still got those sticky peppermint candy canes stuck to her hands. You feel a little grossed out by 'em, but you give her a hug anyways. Her soft mane under your chin reminds you of your mom nuzzling your head after a long afternoon of playing ball with your dad. It makes you calm down and focus on yourself. Your shoulders relax and your heartbeat softens.
QUEST SAVED
"...Are you still with us, Raisin?" Scootaloo pokes your shoulder. You snap out of your trance.
You decide to head off toward the library. Spike may have some more info for you guys and might be able to help you find some. The skies darken up a bit and the forest looks a bit more scary. Zecora doesn't seem to notice you leaving; she's absorbed with trying to isolate the magic in the potions you gave her.
You turn around and shout to Zecora that you're going to investigate the Library. She pops up from the cauldron, urging you to come back. She points down the path ahead, saying that Twilight's path isn't safe at night. You need to use the upper bog path to stay in the moonlight; it's almost completely dark, so it'll be much safer than the lower, normal route.
You're thankful you asked.
Inventory check:
You continue on your way down the safer, upper bog path. You trot towards the lights at the edge of town, preparing to investigate the library to see what's going on.
A cold chill runs up your spine.
You look about, trying to spot any danger. You ask Sweetie Belle for your Slingshot back... you think there's something nearby. She shivers, a little scared. "A..Are you s-s-sure?"
Scootaloo walks ahead. "There's nothing to be s-scared of. C'mon, Zecora said that we were gonna be safe up he-"
She stops talking. You hear the stones on the path behind you start to rustle about. Some trotting can be heard in the distance.
Quickly, you and your comrades dive off the path and behind a bush. You peek your nose out to see what's following you. "What do you see? Is it a monster?" Sweetie Belle whispers.
You see a soft light pour out from the creature. It's definitely a unicorn...
But its eyes are derped. She hums a really strange tune as she trots down the path.
"Do you know of the Castle in the Sand?" She calls out. "We carve the statue from the rocky land." Her horn glows bright. "We serve under the stony hand... of the king of the Castle in the Sand."
You're not sure if she knows you're there. Sweetie Belle shakes nervously, aiming a pebble for the creepy unicorn's head. "Just tell me when... oh Celestia..."
You hold back Sweetie Belle, indicating that she shouldn't do anything to give off your current position. The unicorn isn't one that any of you recognize. She gets closer, staring into the bush. She hums the melody, a little louder now.
You can feel Scootaloo shivering at your side. "She can see us..." She whispers.
As the unicorn slows to a stop in front of your bush, you discuss your plan. In desperation, they agree with the idea. The creepy unicorn is now parked in front of the bush, staring into it. "Do you know of th-"
You toss the bag of sleeping powder at her face. Almost instantly, she catches it with her telekinesis. "Have you ever been to the Castle in the Sand?" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo panic, running toward Ponyville.
You're stuck in front of the inquiring, wall eyed unicorn. She doesn't move, simply holding onto the sleeping powder you tossed at her.
You tell her that you've been to the Castle in the Sand, but you and your friends have lost their way.
"You have been to the Castle in the Sand..."
She pushes you with her magic into the dirt path. "King Tezel does not like children. The children have seen his Castle. They took his treasures. You took King Tezel's treasure."
She shoves you into the road again. It robs some of the breath from your lungs. The fanatic unicorn continues on with her droning message, shoving you down the road every time you try to stand up.
"King Tezel does not like children."
You instinctively grab Hayseed during one of the chants. You grasp her with what little breath you've got left. Giving her a quick squeeze, the world seems to melt away as your chest brushes up to her tail. It reminds you of a soothing feeling you had when you were a little younger, laying down on your mother's tail during a crisp, Spring morning. The unicorn attacking you vanishes... the warmth of your friends returns.
"...Are you still with us, Raisin?" Scootaloo pokes your shoulder. You snap out of your trance.
END OF DAY 1