Previously on My Little Golem: Raisin is Immortal…:
>Leave the Fortified Schoolhouse and return to clubhouse to collect tired Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle
>--Leave Candle lit inside of the clubhouse—
>Informed friends of the current situation; told them about the Red Cobra, her Amulet, and the Boulder Snakes
>**Make sure to cover Scootaloo’s saddlebags to protect her equipment**
>--Check around door for a letter, do not immediately see one--
>Stop by Town Square; recover Pale Stone Scale
>Go to the Library and scare the bejeebers out of Spike; Twilight awakens to investigate
>**Show Twilight the Pale Stone Scale**
>Ask if you can summon Princess Celestia’s knowledge about the mysterious Scale and the Red Cobra’s stone-form-reversing Amulet; Twilight argues that it’s late and should wait until the morning
>--Mention that the snakes talked of an eruption; also mention magma sighting by the schoolhouse--
>--Twilight panics, asking you to accompany her for an immediate investigation of the last known area the snakes were seen heading--
>Decide to use Wake-Me-Up Dust on Spike; make him join the party
>Equip Spike with a Firework and a Stompstarter
>Investigate Schoolhouse
>Spike picks up glowing orange molten Magma
>xXx Tell Twilight to utilize magical telekinesis on a figure that she has no direct line of sight on xXx
>xXx Spike and Twilight are hit with two very high velocity sandbags, knocking them both unconscious. Twilight has been severely injured xXx
>**Chuck soaked Firework into exposed Magma, causing it to detonate. Notice that your pursuers are bipedal armored canines**
>xXx Left your Stompstarter behind xXx
>Use distraction to pull Twilight and Spike to the safety of a nearby tree
>Armored Canine Leader approaches your tree, uses your Stompstarter to light the area up
>**Take off equipment, pose as a statue. Disguise works; Armored Canine Leader kicks you over and leaves**
>--Armored Canine Leader attempts to drag you back to the schoolhouse--
>Helping Dog roll fails (50% chance of success on odd roll; rolled a 6)
>Leaves you behind, you collect Twilight and Spike and head for the Library
>… Dump water on already drenched Twilight and Spike, hoping to wake them up …
>Water splashing awakens mortified Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle; rush Twilight and Spike towards the Ponyville Hospital
>--Leave Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle’s saddlebags at the Library--
>--Flitter, an evening weather team pegasi, swoops down in nervous worry to see if you need any help --
>**Tell Flitter to fly ahead and warn the Ponyville Hospital that you’re coming**
Raisin and her friends arrive at the hospital in the nick of time. Dropping off a very pale purple mare and her number one assistant, the three fillies wait inside the hospital to establish their new plan of action. The hospital intercom buzzes for doctors to go and help their new emergency room patients. Shocked, tired, and probably hungry, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo hang their heads low as they listen to the hospital hum to life.
Inventory check:
You sit with your two best friends as the hospital whirs to life in the wee early hours of a new day. Several doctors gallop down the hallway, carrying all sorts of bags and materials with them down the hall. It sounds like Twilight was in critical condition when she finally arrived... you hope that she's going to be all right.
Suddenly, an oddball thought comes to mind. You imagine the Candle burning in the clubhouse window, dancing behind a pane of wet glass. You recall that the Candle was not extinguished when you retrieved your friends...
"...uh... I hate to bring this up with everything else that's going on... but... you left the Candle burning in the clubhouse, right?"
Scootaloo lifts her head up. She looks like she's ready to fall asleep in the waiting room chair. "I don't know... did we?" She shakes her mane.
You get an awful feeling your gut.
You gently trot over to the dripping wet purple mane sitting across from you. You nuzzle her as softly as you can. She immediately perks up, shivering at your touch.
"Hey, you guys look completely beat."
Sweetie Belle's bleary, tired eyes stare into yours.
"I can't have my elite team performing sub par because they're exhausted. You guys need to get some rest. Head on over to the Library, grab your stuff, and head on home." A nasty feeling stirs inside your throat. "…I'll check on the clubhouse just to make sure everything's all right."
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle look at one another as a doctor rushes down the hallway carrying a strange monitor in his mouth. Sweetie Belle looks disappointed. "No… but… we can still help…" vYou shake your head. "Get a little rest. I'll do a couple small things while you guys sleep. Don't worry; I'll come and get you when things start to heat up."
Your friends shrug. Scootaloo gets up and starts heading for the door. "Alright… we'll catch up with you later, Raisin."
As the two fillies start filing outside, you rushed passed them, taking off down the long road to Sweet Apple Acres.
"Oh! Hold on!"
The droopy eyed fillies stop in their tracks.
"On second thought… could you guys stay here and watch Twilight? I think that would be more helpful."
"Sounds good to me…" Scootaloo yawns and stretches. "As long as I can get some shut-eye."
As your friends slog their way back into the Hospital, you bolt back down the road. Your thunderous hooves smash into the ground with every lunging step, blasting the mud up into the air. You look up above to see a bunch of pegasi pushing the clouds around, preparing for the early morning sunrise.
After a few minutes, you finally reach Town Square again. Your vociferous run fetches the ire of a few groggy sets of mane-curlers peering out of their windows. You ignore them as you take off down the road to your house.
As you rush back towards the Apple Family Orchard, you immediately notice a small stack of smoke rising from deep within the trees.
"Oh… oh my gosh…"
You bolt into the orchard towards the clubhouse. As you come to a grinding halt, you see that the windows are filled with smoke. Some escapes from the cracks and from under the eaves of the roof. A faint orange glow flickers inside.
Slightly panicked, you shuffle your jittery hooves around before darting off back towards town. You nearly charge through a tree trying to find the fence and the road again. You accidentally take out a portion of the fence in your haste.
As the weather pegasi start to land and stretch their wings, you slide into the town square, tearing up a familiar portion of the road.
"Hey! Help! Our clubhouse is on fire!"
The pegasi immediately in front of you shakes her head, then jumps up into the air. As the early morning light begins to pour over the land, it gives her feathers a brilliant, glimmering golden hue. She flaps up above the treeline, looking out into the distance. She confirms your report, signaling the rest of the tired weather team ponies to take wing.
"Oh, come on, are you kidding me?" A groggy, dark gray pegasus rolls his head before taking off.
"Well, that'll take care of the fire, at least…" You breathe a sigh of relief out of habit.
With a potential calamity averted, you pick up your hooves and gallop off toward Fluttershy's cottage. The early morning sunlight is a welcome companion. You know it brings out the birds, but that's not too big of a concern. Your friends give you the confidence you need to…
You try not to think about running into any birds this morning. They're probably going to be asleep anyways, you figure.
You begin you approach towards Fluttershy's cottage. Suddenly, the raspy crowing of a deranged foul stops you in your tracks.
You seize a bit as it's raucous cry continues to bellow out into the countryside. You can hear the muddy earth at your hooves popping as your stone legs quiver in fear. You haven't adventured outside alone during the day since… the incident… especially not this close to Fluttershy's house.
It crows again. You turn your head to see a the beast's crimson crest. He calls from atop a fencepost…
Your hooves slowly begin to pick up their pace again, though it takes a bit before you can tread on down the road.
The familiar forest entrance greets you once again. It's still pretty dry back in here; the pegasi didn't push the storm too far this way. The forest is still quite dark, but you know the path to Zecora's pretty well.
Inventory check:
You start your casual venture into the dark woods. Since your body is made of solid stone, the forest has become far less of a threat these days. Not much can hurt you.
It's quite difficult to see, but you're rather certain you know how to find your way to Zecora's. You pick up your gait and happily cruise deeper into the woods.
Suddenly, a midnight crow caws from above. You jump up and spin around, looking into the branches. You cannot see it. "Nope! Nope nope nope nope nope…" This particular flying rat makes you panic more than any other. Unlike most birds, this one has a tendency to…
Before you can think, you hear a caw come from directly behind your ear. One of them must have perched on your back. You buck and yell to get it off before you take off running into the woods.
It takes a distance, but you seem to have lost the horrifying beast. "Whew…" You shiver and shake. "…stupid thing…" You collect your wits once more.
It's incredibly dark… looking around, you can't immediately determine where you're currently located. You seem to have gone off of the path.
Inventory check:
Gathering yourself, you know that your heavy hooves leave an unmistakable trail. Getting back to the road shouldn't be a problem at all. You look down at the pitch black ground, unable to see your prints.
"Hmm… maybe I could just… go straight back the way I came?"
You hear a distant caw taunting you from the distance. The demonic bird's relentless cackling makes you shake in place.
As the bird caws continue, you steel your resolve. You imagine the hideous little creature as a black ball of fluff… surely, there is no possible way something that small and stupid could harm you. There isn't anything to fear.
You pick up your hooves and begin charging straight back towards where the bird is cawing. Your pace slows down as it becomes louder…
"C'mon, Raisin… we can do this…"
More caws join the one in a cacophonous symphony. You tremble, frozen on the path back.
Looking around, the forest seems to be at least a little bit brighter than it was when you entered. It's still nearly pitch black, but you can see some more trees in the distance. You wish the sun would hurry up and light up a new path for you to follow.
You're not sure, but you think you hear some hollow plinking in the distance. The terrible avian foes seem to be flying away. As their nasty cries fade into the distance, you feel yourself begin to calm down.
You pick up your pace and march straight back. You can see the forest entrance in the distance… scanning around, you think you recognize this area. It should be the path… you think.
You stop. Though it doesn't really help all that much, you draw in what you think is a deep breath. You let it out slowly, clearing your mind of any avian related horrors. Nodding your head, you realize that all of the crows must have taken off. They're not going to be here to bother you right now. It's far too early in the morning, anyways.
To keep yourself chipper and to ward off any other lingering pests, you begin to sing to yourself. You hum at first, but then you start singing Hearthswarming Eve carols.
Your songs certainly clash with the spooky environment of the Everfree Forest, but it keeps you concentrated and motivated on your goal. You tread the beaten path underhoof, keeping your eyes directly forward.
In a few minutes, you see Zecora's Hut in the distance. There are no lights currently lit… it looks like everyone is either out or still asleep.
The dark little grove has so often served as a hub for your adventures… you only wish it weren't located in such an inconvenient spot. You begin to approach the little hut…
A piercing scream immediately wracks your nerves. It came from above… no doubt it's some other winged monstrosity. You rush up next to the door, pushing yourself into the doorway. You're pretty sure that it hasn't seen you.
Trembling, you try to collect yourself as best as possible before bumping the door with your head. You take care not to accidentally push yourself through it.
"Hello? Zecora? Applebloom? You there?"
It takes a moment, but the door soon opens up. Zecora comes to welcome you inside, though she cautions you to keep quiet. She mentions that Harry and Applejack are still recovering from their respective conditions.
You make sure to shut the door on your way inside. You feel relieved to have a barrier between you and the birds out in the early morning Everfree Forest.
Zecora seems to have the place decked out with some gently glowing vials strung up from the ceiling. You can only begin to imagine what they could possibly be filled with that makes them glow.
You carefully make your way across the floor. Your weight makes the house creak. As you approach Applebloom, you see her already beginning to open her eyes.
"Hey Applebloom!" You whisper quietly as to not wake up Applejack. The cowpony hatted mare is still fast asleep, probably from some sort of medicine that Zecora gave her the night previous.
"Hey Raisin! What did you find out last night?" Applebloom seems to be perky. She didn't get a complete night's rest, but she's got enough pep in her to go for a day.
Zecora offers you and Applebloom a small bit of bark and swampgrass for breakfast while you catch up.
You quickly run Applebloom through a summarized list of all the stuff she missed out on the previous night passed. She seems confused by the whole Schoolhouse being taken over by Diamond Dogs thing. She gets very worried when you say that Twilight got hurt.
"Everyone's at the Hospital then?" Her eyes are wide as she nibbles on some of the spearminty tree bark.
You nod. "They're just resting in the waiting room. I figured it would be best for them to catch up on their sleep."
Applebloom looks at you curiously. "…so.. you came out here in the early morning all by yourself, ah reckon?"
"…yes. And yes, there were birds out, in case you were wondering…"
The little filly rolls her eyes. "Juuuust askin'."
You turn to look at Zecora. She's been listening to everything that you've said, but she has yet to offer any commentary. She looks concerned.
"Zecora… you heard that scream earlier, right?"
"I don't think 'scream' is quite the right word… you mean the call of the early morning bird?" She looks at you suspiciously.
"Sounded like a horrible, gut wrenching death rattle to me…"
"Alright, forget that. What about those snakes I mentioned? Anything weird or different now that we know they can talk? What about that Red Cobra? Got anything on any of these?"
She says that she's never heard of the Boulder Snakes, just like she didn't know what they were before, but the strange Amulet you mentioned has caught her attention. She says she might know what it is, given the description.
"You do?!" You try to keep your excitement held back.
Zecora mentions that it sounds a lot like a True Soul Amulet. It's a lost treasure from long ago… perhaps these snake things dug it up.
"True Soul Amulet, huh? You know what it does?"
Zecora explains that, if this Amulet you saw was indeed the Amulet she's speaking of, then it has the power to undo most any cursed or hexed form known. It requires a token from someone that loves the cursed form- like a lock of hair from a loving mother- in order to complete the amulet's spell.
"…could it cure a golem?"
Zecora looks about. She's unsure if it could help, given the wide range of other remedies that she and Twilight have both tried on you. The potential is there, she says, but she goes on to say that you shouldn't get your hopes up.
"…wait, so you knew about this Amulet earlier and it's amazing powers to revert the form of anything that's been cursed… you know, like me… and I didn't hear about it until just now?"
Zecora shakes her head. She says that the Amulet is a pretty obscure treasure and she's not sure if it would even work on something as powerful as the curse that was placed on you. She didn't want to get your hopes up or have you perilously looking around for some lost or possibly nonexistent treasure.
You glower at the Zebra's excuse. You could have been questing for this thing months ago had she brought it up back then.
"Earlier, when I was coming out here, I came under attack from some… well, I was being chased by some monsters. Typical, right?"
Zecora asks if they were birds.
"…yes. I was being chased by birds." You sigh. "That's not the point. Alright; while I was being chased, I heard something plinking the trees back by the forest entrance. It scared all the birds off… you know anything that hunts birds like that?"
Zecora shakes her head, saying the only thing she knows that makes a plinking sound like that would be a rock hitting a tree. As far as she knows, there's nothing in the Everfree that uses pebbles as projectiles to hunt birds.
"..huh. I guess that's something to look into." You look up at the glowing bottles. "…I have to ask…"
Zecora mentions that they're made from a special luminescent fungus that grows deep inside the Everfree Forest, specifically around bogs. She crushed some up into lights so she could read while the others were sleeping.
"…and why do I have to be quiet?"
Zecora lifts a brow, saying that it would be rude to come barging in so early and wake up two recovering patients of hers.
"…oh, right…"
Inventory check:
You watch Applebloom finish eating her light breakfast. You remember when you used to eat some of Zecora's swamp grass as a snack during your adventuring… you can't quite remember what it tasted like, though.
"…you ready to go?"
Applebloom gives you a hoofbump. "Ready, Raisin."
You walk up to Harry, preparing to shake him awake. Zecora tries to hold you back, but you give him a bump anyways. With amazing reflex, you see his claw come flying up around his side and dig into Zecora's hoof. She grits her teeth.
The skittish griffin is somehow still asleep. His talons relax after a moment as he slumps against the wall on his side. The smile on his face tells you that he has no idea what's going on right now. He snores as his cheek presses into to the wall of the hut.
Zecora shakes her hoof in the air silently, whimpering slightly.
"…sorry…" You mutter. Zecora pads her hoof with a wide leaf before telling you to get going. She'll watch Harry and Applejack while you're away.
You head outside of the hut, facing the dark woods ahead.
"…ya'll wouldn't happen to have that Lamp on ya by any chance…?" Applebloom asks.
Inventory check:
>7:45AM
You look on ahead into the dark woods. With your best friend Applebloom by your side, you know that those birds shouldn't dare get too close now. While your statue like body seems to draw them in, your friends are more than enough to shoo the vile creatures skywards.
"It's alright, Applebloom. I know the way through the woods. Just stick close and we'll be fine."
The little red maned pony swallows hard. "W-whatever ya say, Raisin. Ah've got yer back…"
You take the lead, guiding your friend through the black morning woods. Though it's hard to see, the eerie sounds of the bog on your left and the incessant shrill squeaking of an undoubtedly small bird in the distance help guide your way down the path.
"You sure we don't need a light?" Applebloom squints into the darkness, unable to see.
"Nah, we'll be fine."
A feeling in your gut contradicts this statement. You feel the sudden urge to stop. You halt Applebloom as well. "Hold up… something's not right here…"
"What? Ya see somethin'?" She nearly hugs your side.
Listening to your senses, you withdraw your Lamp and set it down. "Applebloom, you got that extra Stompstarter, right?"
Without another word, she quickly pulls it out and kicks some sparks into the Lamp. Suddenly, a flame comes to life, lighting up the forest relatively well.
A strange sight greets you. A colorful, concave bulb rests just a few inches from your face. The flickering light illuminates it brilliantly. It looks like an open mouth…
"…what is it?" Applebloom tilts her head. "Never seen a plant like this before…"
"I don't know, but I don't like it." You motion for Applebloom to follow you as you pick the lamp up in your mouth. You circle around the odd plant, heading down the trail further.
As you continue, you hear something directly behind you. Applebloom's neck is craned back. "R-Raisin… that thing is movin'…"
The bulb seems to have spun around since you were last in front of it. Suddenly, it closes. You see two large eyes staring you down. The creature doesn't seem to move.
Applebloom picks up her pace to match yours. "Sometimes… ah really wonder why Zecora chooses to live out here…"
You finally reach the entrance of the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy's cottage comes into view. You see her outside, tending to her chickens.
>8:15AM
You look out into the beautiful morning lit pastures of Equestria. Fluttershy's Cottage is a welcome sight… despite the inordinate number of birds living there. You quickly remember to extinguish your lamp to conserve on the remaining oil. You open the top and blow into it.
Nothing happens.
You pass it over to Applebloom and let her extinguish it properly. In on quick puff, the light is extinguished.
As you pass Fluttershy's Cottage, you wave to the mare and wish her a good day. She smiles.
"Y-you too!" She waves your way, throwing out some feed for all the ravenous avians adorning her yard.
As you hit Town Square, you swear that you can hear some shouting from on down the road towards the Schoolhouse. It sounds like Mayor Mare is on a bullhorn.
"Oh boy…" You mutter to yourself.
As you start heading down towards the road to the Schoolhouse, a familiar gray pegasus trots out of the Mailpony's Office. She's got a bag full of letters. Immediately, she starts sorting through them next to the first house she sees. You can see her tossing them about, trying to find the right one for the address.
"Hey, there she is! C'mon, Raisin!"
While you're tempted to approach Derpy about LS once again, you can't help but feel some curiosity for the noise happening down at the schoolhouse.
"…you hear that?" You bring attention to the Mayor's voice down the road.
Applebloom lifts her head up. "…is that the Mayor?"
You also notice that you see almost nopony out and about right now. Something is definitely happening down at the Schoolhouse with the Diamond Dogs.
You and Applebloom charge down the road towards the Schoolhouse. As you draw closer, you see a couple of guards have closed off the road up ahead.
"…whoa. That wasn't there just a few hours ago…"
You can hear the Mayor telling the Diamond Dogs that what they're welcome in town if they behave themselves, but they need to evacuate the schoolhouse immediately and return the construction workers they kidnapped.
You're not able to hear the Diamond Dog responses from here, but judging by the tone of the Mayor's voice, she's not getting through to them too well.
You motion for Applebloom to follow you. "C'mon, we got this."
"Right behind ya." Applebloom confirms.
As you approach the barricade, the guards look down at you. "Sorry girls. School's going to be cancelled for today." The other guard leans on the small makeshift barricade they made out of an old Hearthswarming's Eve play prop. You recognize it because you remember helping to build it.
"The Mayor is trying to get some dogs out of the school. It's going to probably be a while before we get things sorted out with them." The guard leans down. "They're a bit… slow… if you know what I mean."
Applebloom complains. "You guys can let us get a closer look, can't ya?"
The guard sighs. "Sorry, but the Mayor ordered us not to let anyponies through."
"You know I'm going to save the day here, right?" You give the familiar town guard a cold stare.
He looks down at the Royal Medallion you have equipped, then he tilts his head back. "Ugh… fine. Just tell them you snuck by us… but… well, make sure you mention that it was tough. We don't want to look incompetent or anything."
The guard keeps his nose pointed up to the clouds as you and Applebloom 'sneak' by, probably undetected.
"…that was easy…"
As you get closer to the schoolhouse, you see that the Mayor is behind a very large group of various pony guards. They're all armored and carrying spears. The Diamond Dog you saw last night is leaning back inside of the belltower, kicking his feet up ontop of a massive gun. You notice some crystals have been jammed into the upper belltower area… they weren't there last night.
"Please! We don't want anypony to get hurt over this! All we're asking you to do is return out contstruction workers and abandon the school! The fillies need a place to learn!"
The Diamond Dog up top laughs. "I don't care! This is a Diamond Dog house now!" He leans over the side of the tower. "There was a huge tunnel out this way and now it's ours!"
The Mayor rolls her eyes. "This is our schoolhouse! For the last time, Rover, plea-"
The Diamond Dog grabs onto the handles of the massive mounted cannon up top. "No! This is a Diamond Dog house! Get off our property before I make you!"
As you walk in, the Diamond Dog up top stares you down. He seems completely taken aback that you're moving around.
"Wh… wait. How did you girls get out here?" The Mayor whispers off of the bullhorn.
"We snuck passed the guards."
She simply sighs. "It's dangerous out here right now. You fillies get on home while we take care of these wretched dogs…"
Inventory check:
You calmly ask the Mayor for the Bullhorn. "…if I may?"
She rolls her eyes. "I've tried everything. If you have an idea, then I don't see why not." She hoofs it to you. "…I don't know what that gun up there is all about, but we've got some unicorns up front to catch anything they throw. Don't make him mad; we don't need any injuries."
You take a gulp before activating the horn.
"Rover, was it?" You call through the microphone. The Dog still looks like he's awestruck.
"H-how are you moving? What kind of magic is this?" Rover leans forward as far as he trusts his arms. "We're not leaving!"
"That's fine, we understand." You look back at the Mayor. "We just want to know if the hostages are okay."
"They're pulling carts! We give them water and food. They're fine!" He flicks his wrist your way. "We keep them as workers!"
"That's good… thank you for feeding them."
The Dog ignores your thanks.
"When did you find this tunnel? We didn't know it was here until we heard about it from you just now."
The Diamond Dog looks down. "We ran up this new tunnel! It was muddy and leads into lots of other new tunnels!" He looks ecstatic. "We have claimed this new gem horde in the name of the Diamond Dogs!"
You swear that you hear a couple of dogs chanting inside, rooting for the proclamation.
"And there's no way we're going to give this land up!" He points the gun down at the guards again. They don't so much as flinch. "Unless you want to work for us, buzz off!"
The Mayor leans over and whispers in your ear. "You're not going to get anywhere with these bozos. We've been arguing for almost an hour before you got here."
You stretch out your stony cheeks before clicking the Bullhorn on again. "I'm just curious now, but do you know who made your new tunnels?"
"I don't care what made them!" Rover shouts from behind the safety of a pair of haphazardly made gun sights. "These are Diamond Dog tunnels now!"
Again, you hear some faint rooting from inside of the schoolhouse. While they may be incredibly hard to deal with, they've certainly got spirit for their home team.
"What if those creatures come back? What will you do?"
Rover laughs. "We'll shoot them with our new gun!"
"But the creature must be really big. Those tunnels are huge, aren't they?"
"Enormous!" He calls down.
"Wouldn't it take a really big creature to dig those tunnels so quickly?"
The Mayor looks a little worried. "Raisin… the snake statue that was in town yesterday… did it.. come to life during the night and dig that tunnel?" She whispers to you.
Rover pats the cannon he's manning. "That's why we've got a big gun! Nothing can stop us!"
"You mean those beanbags you shot me with last night? Those didn't even phase me! How's that go-"
The Mayor yanks the Bullhorn away. "Raisin, we're trying to keep him from shooting us, remember?"
"Ms. Mayor, I was hit by one last night. It didn't do anything to me. If they see that it's completely ineffective, they might be willing to talk."
The Mayor looks very worried. You see her tap on one of the guards hovering above her. He cranes his neck down and listens. In a few moments, he gives out a quiet command. The guards assemble closer to one another, specifically protecting Applebloom and the Mayor. She gives you the Bullhorn back.
"And remember… we've got a secret weapon they're not expecting…" She looks towards the unicorn guards up front. "…I hope you know what you're doing."
You test the ground quick, making sure that you're not going to fall through the road and into some pit of boiling magma. The ground seems to actually push back nicely… your hoof barely sinks in at all.
You take a few steps forward in front of the armored regiment. The trigger happy Diamond Dog stares you down with a cocky grin. "What's that you were saying?" He pulls back a large bolt on the back of the gun.
"Last night, you shot a pony and a dragon. They were merely sent to the hospital."
"Is that so?!" Rover calls down from above.
"Yes! Your big gun only hurt them a little bit. When a much bigger creature comes along, what are you going to do when it doesn't hurt them at a-"
You hear a thunderous report. The guards lower their heads and brace themselves. You flinch, but immediately notice that the 'sandbags' are hanging in the air. In the full light, you see that they're hoof sized burlap bags. You can see bumpy rocks making small dents all over the outside of the bag's skin.
Rover leans over to see the bags hanging in the air. "Cursed ponies!" He flips the large, wooden barrel end of the massive gun over. He pulls the bolt back and aims at you again.
"Catch this!"
You see the bags drop in preparation to catch the new projectile. You hear this report, only this time it's accompanied by a rushing sound… the ground is covered in these brilliant, sharp looking crystals.
Turning around, you see several guards with the projectiles sticking out of their armor. One of them is holding his forehooves. He's pulled back into the armored crowd.
"Retreat!" The Mayor calls out. The small huddle starts hightailing it back towards Ponyville. You can hear Rover laughing up in the tower.
As you back up, you can hear a crunching noise coming from various parts of your back. Feeling around, you crack off a couple of crystals. Amazingly, they seem to have embedded themselves into your stony skin…
"Shoo!" Rover flicks his wrist your way a few times before pulling the bolt back on the gun once more.
Seeing the Diamond Dog ready his cannon again, you hold up the Bullhorn to apologize, but it seems to have been cut to pieces.
Keeping your wits, you snatch up a couple of the crystals and put them inside of your empty saddlebag pouch. You notice that it falls straight through; your bags appear to be slightly damaged.
Inventory check:
You pick yourself up and start hobbling away. You notice that your gait isn't as graceful as normal. You're moving a little slower… You suspect that the Diamond Dog gun has actually damaged you in some way.
Looking back, you see Rover howl from the top of the tower. The dogs inside the schoolhouse bark loudly, celebrating the small victory over a group of rather well armed ponies.
As you run, you hear another volley from the tower. This time, however, it's the sandbags. One hits you in the back of the head with some force, but it doesn't hurt whatsoever.
"And stay out!" Rover shouts after you.