Raisin Quest 3
Day 12

Previously on My Little Dried Grapes:

>Back in town, you thank Celestia for being alive. Give Scootaloo a big hug, continue along to fetch Sweetie Belle (and give her a hug as well)
>Head into Library, obtain Twilight’s Earplugs
>--Send a letter to Princess Celestia telling her about the Adanemzurai --
>Head to the Town Square in search of Rarity
>Tell Sweetie Belle to give Rarity the Earplugs, Scoots to get some Elixir off of Pinkie while you fetch some grapes from Dad
>Obtain Grape Basket, look for your friends. Spike runs up to you with a letter in hand
>Read the letter. Princess Celestia asks you to confirm that you heard the name correctly
>xXx Confirm that you heard Sally tell you about the Adanemzurai xXx
>Scootaloo comes up behind you, hyper-active from consuming Snakeoil Sally’s Miracle Elixir
>Rarity and Sweetie Belle are heading into the Town Square; Rarity has equipped the Earplugs and is now focused
>Received a reply from Princess Celestia; learned that Luna was to be in town within the hour
>--Divide team up to accomplish mundane tasks you’ve done several times before—
(1/10 chance per turn (unlucky number 3) that Sweetie falls asleep or Scoots drives the fillies away with her voice. Rolled 4 times.)
>**Take Rarity with you to the secluded tree**
>Encounter Sally as you convince Rarity that all you need is the Adanemzurai
>Sally attempts to attack Raisin, but fails; she’s caught by Rarity’s Telekinesis
>Namedrop on the Golden Box, calling it the Adanemzurai, in front of Sally
>**Warn Sally about Princess Luna, she drops a bag of coins**
>Encounter the Treasure Seeker Fanatic
>**Stop Treasure Seeker Fanatic by singing to her**
>Rarity gets fed up with Raisin’s metagaming; ragequits back to her boutique with a stack of gold from the tree
>Try to store the Adanemzurai whilst singing to Treasure Seeker Fanatic; not enough room in bags
>--Dump Rocks, store Adanmenzurai—
>Stash Bag of Coins behind the garbage can in the Secluded Alleyway
>Sally leaves town, no sign of the Princess. Start heading back to Sugarcube Corner, leading Treasure Seeker. Pick up a stray derped filly
>Discover that Sweetie Belle has lost the fillies and that Scoots tried singing to them
>Plug up the Treasure Seeker and the fillies ears with Marshmallows; keep them calm
>Pinkie starts metagaming with you, mentioning the Crystal Phonograph from the previous run
>Luna has arrived in town
>Assign teammates to, yet again, take care of a mundane task for you whilst you go and meet with the Princess (probably a roll here, just sayin’).
>Luna is straight to business; asks you for the whereabouts of the Adanemzurai
>**Tell Luna that some fillies have been put under a weird spell; she commands her guards to gather all of the small ponies in town**
>xXx Surrender the Adanemzurai to the Princess xXx
>Get answers about the box’s functionality; found out that the box’s curse can be manipulated by storing a piece of oneself inside the box
>--Attempt to use Metagaming to trick the Princess into thinking you have psychic powers—
*Asterisks represent good actions, xXx represents bad actions

Raisin, standing among a sea of her peers, speaks over their confused pleas for explanation in an attempt to corral the mighty Princess Luna into her party. Using her innate gift of metagaming/time travel, she’s able to tell the Princess about the things she’s seen over the mountains beyond the Everfree Forest. One of Luna’s guards confirms a piece of Raisin’s ‘vision’, seeing a giant stone bird flying around one of the mountain tops. Intrigued, the Princess waits by the entrance of the Town Hall to listen to what Raisin has to share.

Standing amidst your fellow fillies and foals, you stare at Princess Luna with anticipation. She stares back, frozen with intrigue. Her guards stand ready at her side, emotionless and blank as her own expression. The box containing the mystical Adanemzurai is inches away from her chariot. Beyond the Princess, you see a small crowd of adult ponies outside.

"An Earth filly with the gift of foresight... this is an unprecedented feat." The Princess seems eager to listen.

You step up, your head held high. You address the Princess respectfully, but with determination. You know what you have to do and what you need to defeat Tezel.

"Your Highness... I-" Your voice cracks. "...I would like to ask for your permission to... umm... if you could ask one of the Elements of Harmony to accompany me on a quest to The Castle in the Sand..." Your voice gets a little softer toward the end, but Luna seems to have caught it all.

"To what end, my loyal citizen?" The Princess seems quite concerned. "Surely, you cannot hope to defeat Tezel. Celestia and I could not so many years ago... you have not a hope."

You press on. "...I think we can... with the Adanemzurai."

Luna stops you. "Raisin, we cannot allow this artifact to fall into Tezel's hands. If he obtains it, war will pour out over Equestria." The Princess loads the chest into her royal chariot.

You watch as the Adanemzurai is placed inside the chariot, disappearing from view. You know that there must be a way to get Luna to see where you're coming from.

"Princess... you mentioned earlier that the box put others under the owner's control, correct?"

"Yes... but without a way to safely open i-"

You cut her off mid sentence. "There is a way to open it. It's not safe, but it can be forced open. If we dump out that piece of Tezel and put something else in... like a piece of your mane..."

Luna's eyes light up. "...Are you suggesting we... use THIS against Tezel?" She looks downright appalled. "To use such a devious, cursed relic on behalf of good would be... that's mad!"

"What if we did? What if we opened it up and placed a piece of your mane inside? Tezel's armies would be under your command, wouldn't they?" You press on.

The Princess looks perplexed. "...It's simply too dangerous, Raisin. We cannot allow you to put yourself in peril just to open this box... we don't even know if it can be opened without losing oneself to its curse..."

It looks like she might be bending a little... a hopeful spark lights up in your heart.

"Your Highness..." As you speak, you notice that the crowd of fillies and foals has gone silent. "...I can open the box. I know I can. I just need some sort of energy booster after I do..."

Luna stands in place, speechless. Her guards are looking back and forth between you and her. After a few long seconds, she speaks. "I will not allow you to put yourself in danger." Suddenly, you see the chest levitate out of her chariot and land on the wood floor before you with a thud. The lid unseals with a hiss as the Adanemzurai's brilliant case is once again exposed to the light of the afternoon sun.

"If the Adanemzurai is to be opened..." She holds it up in the air. "...then it is I that shall open it."

The guards instantly contest the statement. "Your Majesty!" Wedge steps forward. "As your personal guard, I cannot allow you to do this. If the box must be opened, then it is I that shall take on this burden." Without hesitation, Wedge takes the box in his hooves.

Luna looks at you again. "Raisin... what do your visions tell you? Can we do this?" Her gaze is piercing.

You think quickly. "My visions tell me that only an Earth pony can open the box without succumbing to its dark powers... at least, my visions show me opening the box just fine..." In the back of your mind, you remember the cold embrace and emptiness you felt when the box sat open in your hooves. You recall the panic that set in as your vision waned... and then the odd experience you had, apparently, through the eyes of your best friend.

Luna seems apprehensive. She doesn't know how to respond. One of the fillies behind you yell out, "Let Raisin open it!" It sounds like Sweetie Belle. You turn, but cannot pick her out of the crowd.

The Princess falls silent again. Finally, she plucks the Adanemzurai from Wedge. Slowly, the box inches it's way ever closer to you. She seems hesitant on letting you hold it. "...Raisin... you have saved our kingdom once before..." She swallows hard. "We... I trust you. Your determination is relentless... surely, you know what you are doing." She sets it down before you, swallowing hard. "If you know how to open it..."

With the Adanemzurai's lustrous gold shape before you, a sharp fear quivers over your body as you contemplate opening the wretched artifact once again. You look to Luna, who seems incredibly nervous. The crowd of fillies and foals have backed away, leaving you in the dead center of the room.

A silence falls over the hall. A hundred eyes watch you in silent apprehension.

You feel a bead of sweat run down your face. Before you have at the cursed box once again, you decide to see if your friends are around.

"...Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo?" You call out, stammering slightly. Luna looks at you with sympathetic eyes. You attest that you saw your friends by your side in your vision.

Before the Princess can continue, Sweetie Belle walks forward out of the crowd. "...I'm with you, Raisin..." You quickly ask where Scootaloo went to. "Scootaloo? She was with Pinkie looking for the other fillies... I haven't seen her..."

You make one announcement. "Uh... in my vision, I had a vial of that special elixir nearby. You know, the stuff that Sally was selling?"

"The poison?" Luna looks at you suspiciously.

Pinkie bursts passed the guards. "Oh yeah! I remember that! We gave Applebloom some when she dumped out the granite chip back in the Treasure Room!" The ponies in the room look about, confused. Pinkie simply withdraws a vial and sets it by your side. "Uh... let's not do the birthday thing next time... okay?" She looks about, then bounces out of the room. "Gotta find Scootaloo before she gets hurt!"

The room is silent once again. Luna's confusion wears off as she looks back to you. "Should I even ask?"

You now have a vial of elixir, Sweetie Belle on your left, and the Adanemzurai in front of you. Your heart thumps loudly in your chest. You think about Hayseed, hoping that she's not as scared as you.

With slight hesitation, you take the box up in your hooves. You hold it almost like you would hold your beloved doll.. the cold, gem encrusted box sends a chill down your spine. You feel the whole room step away from you, all but Sweetie Belle.

You clasp onto the lid. The room takes a deep breath. With great strain, you pry at the lid. Luna is growing visibly more nervous. As you continue to pry, you can feel the lid start to lift ever so slightly. Your heart feels like it's going to beat out of your chest.

In an instant, your vision is stolen from you by a piercing, blinding white light. An overwhelming sound seems to beat you into the floor, booming over and over again its will to dominate you... 'CONTROL'. You cannot see if the Piece of Granite has fallen out nor can you hear it over the frigid storm that rips the warmth out of your body.

The box, you feel, has been open for long enough. You start to press the lid shut once more. With incredible effort, it resists your push. CONTROL... CONTROL... your body is blasted with the curse relentlessly. Suddenly, your vision returns.

You fly through the air, slamming into the far wall of the Town Hall. You can hear a panic in the room. The Adanemzurai is resting on its side on the center of the floor, covered in a white smoke. Sweetie Belle is already next to you, shaking you. You cannot hear her very well.

On the other side of the room, you see a smoldering Luna. The guards are moving her into the chariot and standing guard around the door. You can see the vial of elixir in Sweetie hooves as she offers the open bottle to you, her eyes slightly teary.

With just enough energy to lift your head, you lift up and let the lip of the elixir meet yours. As it pours into your mouth, you feel an overwhelming energy flood your body. In an instant, your vision returns, your hearing improves, and you feel alive. Life seems to have instantly been returned to you. Despite feeling like a million bits, you suppress your newfound energy to see what in Equestria just happened. You ask Sweetie to explain.

"You were covered in a bright light... like magic." Sweetie is barely able to speak over the commotion of the panicked fillies and foals in the room. "Something fell out of the box. You looked like you couldn't close it, so Luna rushed over and slammed it shut... now she's..." Sweetie looks over to the chariot with the Princess in it. The royal ride takes off into the air and disappears from sight. Several guards remain. They try to calm down the citizens. Cries from outside demand explanation, but are not satisfied.

"She put something in the box... I didn't see what, though." Sweetie continues. She looks like she's on the verge of crying. "Raisin... what was that? What happened to you?!"

The guards clamor about, trying to keep all of the kids inside the Town Hall. You can see a lot of parents outside with horrified expressions on their faces.

In the midst of the confusion, you walk over to the smoldering Adanemzurai. It looks much more alluring now for some reason... the gold seems to call out to you somehow. You glance around to see if Pinkie is around, then reach out to put your hooves on the mysterious, cursed box.

In an instant, you feel a great, cool breath wash over you. It feels like a ghost going through your mind, a cool smoke. The guards look over to you, then jump back.

"...Raisin...?" Sweetie Belle backs away from you. You can feel beyond the walls of the town hall... it's a feeling you cannot quite fully grasp. You hear a faint voice, though a whisper, that is louder than the commotion in the room.

"Her eyes... what's happening to her?!" One of the parents outside collapse from terror.

"...coo..coommmannn...ddd meee...." A distant whisper echoes in your head.

Though you feel empowered by the Adanemzurai and calmed by its lustrous glow, you decide not to take any risks. You hand the Golden Box off to Sweetie Belle. She backs away as you attempt to give it to her. Seeing that she won't take it from your hooves, you set it down on the ground.

Your senses dull and return to normal. The excitement you had from holding the Adanemzurai vanishes.

Your display seems to have caused a sudden silence in the room. The guards begin to approach you hesitantly. "Now... stay calm, Raisin... we don't anyone to get hurt..."

You notice the guards edging ever so slightly closer to you and the Adanemzurai. Though this would normally make you feel rather nervous, having that golden box nearby fills you with sheer confidence. It's lustrous golden sides and brilliant gems appeal to your fondest memories and visions... you shake your head quick, then address the guards.

"I'm fine. Whatever Luna put in there, it worked. I told you we could open the box and our plan worked!"

The guards continue their approach. "Filly, you seem to know an awful lot about that cursed thing that nearly ended our Princess' reign..." Wedge continues, withdrawing a spear from his back. "...we're going to need you to come in for questioning... especially after that fancy eye thing you just did."

You look at them funny. "Uh... what eye thing?"

They ignore the question. Sweetie Belle grabs onto your tail, pulling you back toward the group of fillies and foals. The parents outside are protesting this display of hostility. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? THAT'S MY DAUGHTER!" You hear your father growl excitedly from outside. You've never heard him this angry before.

You resist Sweetie's tug. Another guard behind behind Wedge is motioning to your group of peers. They start running outside, looking back at you as they go by. You can hear them muttering about how weird you always were. The room begins to clear as Wedge draws closer, his spear aimed at your neck.

"Wait, hold on. Luna has given me explicit orders to destroy the bo-"

"Liar!" Wedge snaps. "How do you know so much about Tezel, about this... thing? How did you know how to open it? Why were you so persistent? Did you know Luna was going to try and close it?" Wedge pressures you for answers. He jabs toward you with his spear, getting dangerously close to your face. "Talk, Traitor!"

"You're threatening a blank-flank with a weapon. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Wedge looks off to the side, but his eyes return toward you. "All enemies of Equestria are treated equally, regardless of... age."

"First, I opened it just by pulling on it. Two, we discussed this with Luna, the plan was to remove what was in the box and put in something that belonged to Luna. Third, I've saved Equestria once already, what makes you think I would want to throw that all away?" You deliver your speech with sincerity. He seems to lower his spear ever so slightly.

You continue. "I didn't want this to happen. I was supposed to be the one that closed it, not her. No one was supposed to get hurt!"

Wedge backs down. "...but... that doesn't explain what just happened..." He lifts his spear up again. You can still hear your dad protesting outside. "What was... that. That thing you just did? Didn't Luna take control of this thing?"

You still wonder what he's talking about. "What are you talking about?"

"That thing. With your eyes. They were glowing like... like you were using magic." He looks you over, realizing that you really don't have a clue what just happened. He lifts his spear up again, though it's a distance from your face now. "Could you please come with us, Raisin? We need some answers... and to make sure the Princess is okay..." You hear a set of shackles clinking on his hips.

Desperate to get the guard to surrender, you press on. "I'm sorry, but I really don't know anything more. When I touched the box, I heard a very distant voice saying, 'command me.' I don't think Luna took control of it. I think she gave control of it to me." You reason.

The guard seems to be questioning his own judgment. His spear lowers to the ground. He stares at you, trying to figure out what to say. "Bu.. uh..."

"Please, I can't afford any more delay. For all I know, by tomorrow it could be too late."

"...what do you mean by that?" Wedge becomes a bit more defensive. You can hear a voice peep up from behind you.

"Um... Wedge, was it?" Sweetie Belle finally chimes in. "Raisin is my best friend... um..." She quivers. "What she did was kind of scary... but... I think Raisin is telling the truth..." Sweetie elaborates. "She has been acting really strange lately with her powers and stuff, but... she's good. She's not a spy."

Wedge sighs. He puts his spear away. "Raisin... little Raisin's friend... I don't know what's going on right now, but I do know that thing right there injured our beloved Princess." He continues. "You were holding that weapon when the Princess was injured, yes?"

You stare at the guard.

"...I'm really sorry, but as much as I'd like to help, we have some formalities when it comes to these kinds of things. I think that you really want to help, but you've got to answer for what just happened."

The early mid afternoon sun hangs up in the sky, illuminating the variegated riot outside the town hall.

Seeing that the guard is absolutely insistent on putting you into custody and taking you to Canterlot for questioning, you take this brief lapse in his stone-wall defense to dive for the lustrous, beautiful Adanemzurai. As you draw closer to the box, for the brief moment in time you feel suspended in the air. You see Wedge instinctively reaching for his spear.

You touchdown on the wonderful, golden box. Immediately, you bring it up to your chest, hugging it tightly. Again, a cool, relaxing presence pours over you. You can feel the presence of all those around you, inside and outside the building. Again, the calm, peaceful whisper begs for your command.

You hear a high pitched 'ting'. The Adanemzurai pushes against your stomach as Wedge's spear glances off of the box. The ding echoes out into the room, becoming an overwhelming noise. Wedge's eyes suddenly become blank, but he stands at attention.

"Command me." He mutters. The other guards in the room look at one another, then back away slowly. The crowd outside doesn't appear to see what has happened; they continue to yell at the guards for threatening a harmless filly. Some of them see your eyes and shut up immediately.

You feel overwhelmingly powerful. Strangely, you feel as though you can see through Wedge's eyes.

You decide to use this odd change of events to your advantage. Testing out your newfound control, you issue the pegasus a command.

"Uh... Wedge! Kneel before your queen." You command him, unintentionally calling yourself a queen. "...wait, just me. Kneel before me." Queen sounded right in your head for some reason.

The pegasus kneels down. You motion to Sweetie Belle to hop on. She looks at you in terror. "Raisin... what did you do?!" She looks at Wedge, seeing that his face lacks any emotion.

"Hey, I'm just rolling with it. Jump on!"

Sweetie shrugs. "Well... okay, I guess..." Reluctantly, she hops onto the pegasus.

"Wedge, up." He rises instinctively. Automatically, he moves under you, walking towards the balcony. You feel his legs moving... it's a very odd yet empowering experience. You feel much taller.

You look over your shoulder to the guards and the crowd. "I'll let him go when I get to the edge of town! Sorry, but I have to do this!" You call out. The crowd seems terrified as they look into your eyes.

You reach the balcony. The warm summer breeze that would usually relax you seems to bring with it a ton of information. You can hear a song coming from the far west. You feel the presence of many ponies right under your feet. You can feel the wind flowing through Wedge's wings.

"Um... Raisin, are you sure about this?" Sweetie holds onto you, hugging you close.

Without a second thought, you make Wedge jump from the platform and take to the air. You never thought you'd have the opportunity to feel the air glide over your own set of feathery wings; it feels incredible. You're not a very competent flyer, however, only managing to glide to the street. You start running towards the Everfree Forest, a small platoon of guards hot on your trail.

As you approach the town square, something seems to call out to you. You look around, the image of the statue in the middle of the town seeming to beg for your command. The whisper becomes a plea as you approach.

You're heading through the now emptied town square. In the sky, you feel an incredible magic force...

As you speed through town, you resist the overwhelming urge to stop and awaken the statue. You hear a whimper as you pass by; it fills you with a certain sadness, but you know better than to stop and experiment while you're being pursued. Using your acute senses, you dodge a small barricade of food stands as you gallop out of town towards the forest.

Eventually, the guards appear to vanish into the distance, staying in town. Though you can feel Wedge's legs beneath you and run as if you were in his body, you do not feel at all strained or tired. The Adanemzurai, once an object of fear, seems to be the only thing you really need anymore. It provides you incredible comfort...

"There's the forest..." Sweetie Belle sounds a little scared as you slow to a trot.

You are now outside of the Everfree Forest, Wedge still under your guiding command. You calm Sweetie Belle down, telling her that everything's under control. Your control.

You tell Sweetie Belle that you want to check on Applebloom. If you're still going out to the Castle in the Sand, you're going to want her by your side.

"...Castle in the what now?" Sweetie Belle seems a bit confused. "You mentioned that once before... what is it?"

"It's my home." You tell her casually. Suddenly, you realize what you just said. You shake your head, then hop down from Wedge. You remove your cape and wrap the Adanemzurai in the fabric. Your confidence seems to wane as your senses become dull and droll once more... normal, you say to yourself.

You hoof the Piece of Granite over to Sweetie Belle. She stares at you still. "...your home? Raisin... is that thing messing with you?" You nod, saying that you suspect it's having some sort of effect on you. Wedge stands at the ready, his face still lacking of any emotion.

"Wedge, you are released from my control." You speak authoritatively. Suddenly, the pegasus collapses. Sweetie panics. "Oh my gosh! Is he okay?!" She picks his head up. He's breathing, but appears to be unconscious.

"He should be fine..."

You start heading out towards Sweet Apple Acres, staying along the treeline.

"Look, Sweetie Belle... I know I've been acting REALLY weird today.. like... REALLY weird..." You stop for a moment. "I'm sorry..."

Sweetie Belle tilts her head back and forth. "Yeah.. it's okay, Raisin... It's been a really weird day... but you know something?" She looks over at you. "..this is actually kinda fun!" She seems chipper about the recent change of events. "It's not everyday your best friend gets crazy mind control powers!"

You approach the sweet, fragrant apple orchard. There doesn't seem to be any guards out this way. You can see Big Mac hauling an apple cart around in the distance.

"So... what's the plan?" Sweetie asks.

END OF DAY 12