>>32882527
So wes Applebloom?

>>32882527
Now, Raisin, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle are all outside of Zecora’s Hut, determining their next course of action. It’s beginning to get dark out. Zecora is trying to find out what the elixir is made. Snakeoil is still in town, more than likely ready to close up shop for the day. The CMC and Raisin were thinking about going to the library to look for Twilight and Spike, though they think Twilight may be missing.

Raisin’s fate, and possibly the fate of Equestria, is now yours to shape. How shall you proceed?

INVENTORY:
Sweetie Belle: CMC Cape, 2 Slingshots, Bag of Marshmallows
Scootaloo: CMC Cape, 1 empty elixir bottle, 1 Snakeoil Sally's Miracle Elixir
Raisin: CMC Cape, Boots, Stompstarter, Rocks, Hayseed

>>32882576
Applebloom is currently ill, sleeping in bed at Sweet Apple Acres

>>32882576
We're Rasin.

>>32882596
Lets find Snakeoil and beat their ass in!

>>32882658
NOPE

>>32882596
Tell the girls that going back into town tonight may not be the best idea. It would suck if we survived that cave and survived Cil, only to get killed by some random monster.

>>32882449
>>32882596

Ask Zecora if she wouldn't mind if we spent the night. We can sleep on the floor and she doesn't need to worry about breakfast for us.

>>32882596
Did Sweetie Bell or Scootaloo drink their elixir yet?

>>32882697
Pretty sure both are in the same boat we are of being against it.

>>32882697
Nope, and they aren't going to.

>>32882690
Seems reasonable. Going through the Everfree Forrest at night doesnt seem very clever.

>>32882596
Before we go to sleep we need to ask Zecora if she knows who King Tezel is. Tell her we overheard a loopy unicorn mention the name while we were in line to buy the elixer.

>>32882686
>>32882690
You suggest to the group that spending the night at Zecora's may not be a bad idea. Seeing as the sun is currently going down and you nearly died, you figure that spending the night at Zecora's would be the best course of action.

“Awww, what’s the matter? Afraid of the dark?” Scootaloo taunts. “You weren’t such a scaredypony the first time we went into the forest at night.”

“We can probably make it back before sundown if we hurry…” Sweetie Belle points out. "...but the forest monsters are probably already waking up. Remember when we got chased by that Cockatrice... twice?"

"I still think we should go crash that featherduster back in town square!" Scootaloo stamps the ground.

You walk back toward the hut, but Scootaloo stares you down from a distance. "C'mon! Don't be a chicken! You guys!" She shakes her hooves at you.

I dont know whats really going on, but I will still participate because why not

>>32882792
Scootaloo is not a clever pony.

>>32882697
Neither of them drank the elixir yet. You still have one on Scootaloo, just so you know. You gave Zecora the rest of it.

>>32882792
Stop dead in the door way and say "Who are you......calling chicken?!" while dramatically turning, like in Back To the Future

>>32882792

maybe we could use our extra bottle of that potion as bait to lure the fanatic off the path

that stuff should be like crack to them or some shit

Wasn't there another path through the forest?
We could try going that way instead.

>>32882792
Ask Scootaloo what Rainbow Dash would think of her if she got herself killed by doing something stupid.

>>32882967
Make sure to mention going into the forrest at night and dying is not at all awesome in any way.

This reminds me of the Star Trek episode where there was this fun new virtual game visor that was getting popular on the ship, but playing it made you trip out and become dependent of it

>>32882792
If we can't convince her to spend the night here then we should at least ask her if she can wait while we ask Zecora about a name we heard a crazy unicorn mention.

>>32882895
Maybe we should just.....you know, have one sip.

One little sip. Whats the harm in that?

>>32882994
That's probably what's happening, of sorts.

>>32883018
NO

>>32883018
Get the hell out.

It seems like he wants us to go in the forrest, but he's probably trying to trick us to going in and getting killed. Or maybe he expects that we'll assume everything is a death trap and the forrest is actually the safe way out, while staying at Zecora's leads to a bad end. God damn it that old questing paranoia is coming back.

>>32883018
Having derpy eyes and making rhymes about sand isn't normal.
But on Snakeoil Sally's elixir it is.

Snakeoil Sally's elixir
Not even once

>>32883065
Welcome to Sierra-level difficulty.

>>32882856
God, I love this option.

>>32882967
>>32882839
>>32882990
You look at Scootaloo from the doorway, encouraging her that the forest is far too dangerous to traverse at night. If you all were killed by some random forest monster after all the other adventuring you've done, like defeating Cilepharus, it would be totally lame.

"...you know... I hate to say it, but..." She hangs her head down, frustrated. "Fine. Let's wait until morning."

You walk into the hut. Zecora didn't even notice that you left. She's looking into the cauldron, concerned. She still can't figure out what the potion is made of, saying that a chemical is covering up the magic in the elixir.

>>32883065
Good point, sleeping all night would give the potion more time to do something to the pones.
If we go back now there may still be a chance to save them all.

>>32883098
GET ME A MASS SPECTROMETER I WILL SAVE THE DAY

>>32883098

ask her if she recognizes the name "King Tezel" from anywhere

>>32883147
Tell her we heard a unicorn with messed up eyes mention it while we were standing in line for some of the energy drink.

>>32883098
Ask her about King Tezel and see if she has any potions that might help us.

>>32883098
Maybe if we.....you know, poured just a little bit of that potion into Zecora's drink when shes not looking. It'll make it....taste better.

>>32883119
But we know it's canon that the Everfree forrest is full of dangerous stuff. It just screams bad end. But so does waiting until dawn and letting the potion work more. From the lines we saw outside the the guy's stand, most of ponyville will have taken it.

>>32883179
Silence, you fool. We really don't want to taint our likely last remaining ally.

>>32883179
Maybe if no.

>>32883184
And if the little fillys dont go to bed at a sensible hour, how will they stay awake to save the day tomorrow!

>>32883184

how long have the potions been in circulation, anyways? a day? a few days?

because if it's the latter, I think we have enough breathing room to wait for morning

>>32883184
If we get back to town and everything has gone to hell we can reload and try again.

Is Zecora working under a fume hood? Otherwise we should probably open all the windows before there's enough of the potion in the air to dose us slightly.

>>32883235
About two days, it seems. Yesterday and today.

>>32883147
>>32883170
>>32883178
You inquire about some odd name you 'heard in the town square earlier' and if it could be related to the elixir at all. You say that some dopey unicorn with derped eyes talked about a 'King Tezel'.

She looks at you funny. Zecora says that 'Tezel' is a name from many years ago. The 'king' was an evil pony made entirely of stone. He came through Equestria and attempted to oust Princess Celestia by attacking her with an army of statues. Obviously, he failed.

Being that he was already made of stone, the Princess simply banished him from Equestria to live out his immortal life in a mountain range far off in the west. She has no idea how this old, odd story has anything to do with the current situation... or Sally, for that matter.

"I never heard that name before..." Sweetie comments.

>>32883235
>>32883257
This.

>>32883331
Tell her she must have not been paying more attention to the gryphon.

>So let's see here, that unicorn mentioned that they were carving some-or-other out of stone, right?

what type of pony is Rasin?

>>32883428

earth pony

>>32883331
Lets get ready for bed and snuggle up in a very adorable manner. I'm sure everything can wait till morning and nothing important will happen durring the night

>>32883331
Well if we're staying, we should ask Zecora if she needs help working with the potion or something.

>>32883331

ask her if we can spend the night and head out first thing in the morning

>"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."

>>32882527

what do the asterisks signify?

>>32883409
You assure Sweetie Belle that Sally was talking about it on stage. She was making a huge deal about it while dancing around on stage.

"Yeah, don't you remember? She was being pretty loud about it." Scootaloo bluffs. She honestly looks slightly confused, but pretends to know what you're talking about.

"Huh. I guess not. It's the first time I heard about this Tezel guy." She shrugs.

Zecora fetches a few more ingredients off of the shelves and tosses them into the cauldron.

"For some reason, I cannot mix
anything in here to provide a fix." The components of the potion still baffle her.

>>32883511
>>32883528
You ask Zecora if it would be alright to spend the night at her house, considering that the Everfree is kinda spooky/dangerous at night.

She nods and tells you, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle that you're more than welcome to take a bundle of her blankets and camp out in her room.

>>32883428
INFO MODE: Raisin is a small purple Earth Pony.

>>32883571
Save points, I think.

>>32883612
Well then let's go to sleep and wake up bright and early.

Can we load from either of the saves?

>>32883571
Good question, Anon. Since you guys already passed these points, I wanted to signify 'good' things that you've done. The asterisks mean that course of action was correct in attaining a good end.

More for informational purposes, really.

The 'xXx' could mean a bad choice or possible death.

>>32883612
Lets just make up things that happened and talk about them, to further confuse Sweetie Belle. Because it will be funny

>>32883676

well, I don't see how a bucket of grapes could save us, but...you never know!

>>32883557
Who said that, Twilight?
Anyway, it seems potion dude is helping to bring back this stone king, and is involving the citizens of ponyville through this potion, the effects of which we dont yet fully know.

Castle in the sand:
connections to the ocean, desert, something temporary.

>>32883668
INFO MODE: You can only load from your most recent save. Each time you save, the previous save is overwritten. Save and load wisely.

>>32883668
If I remember correctly, we have a finite amount of lives, so we should wait on that until we get killed.

Sleepy time. Smash cut to morning where we run like hell back to ponyville and see what the damage is.

>>32883742
He changed it up. We can only load if we hug Hayseed. If we die or Hayseed is lost or destroyed we cannot load a saved game.

>>32883676

Well, that's two for two, at least. Hey, how about instead of going to sleep, we just wait a few hours? It was pretty narrow timing on encountering the crazed unicorn on the safe trail.

I bet these poor little ponies will have trouble getting to sleep, considering all thats happened. You know what might help them get off to dream land? Some of that yummy elixir. I'm sure theres plenty if they all share

>>32883777

So I assume that mechanic is to prevent savescumming? Like, if we start to abuse it, Hayseed is grabbed by an eagle or something?

>>32883811
Even if we don't abuse it, there is a good chance of that happening.

>>32883777
Hey guys, I know a glitch that will give us infinite live/saves! All we need to do is take Hayseed and just submerge it in the elixir overnight. Works like a charm I should know my dad works as Hasbro

>>32883780
We have already convinced them to spend the night here, do you think we would be able to convince them to change their minds /again/?

>>32883787
But anon, the elixir does the opposite

let's just go to sleep and go back to town first thing in the morning

you know, I bet the fanatic would have walked right by us if we'd told her we hadn't been to the castle

>>32883787

Probably a bad idea. We should get up at the crack of dawn. We're probably getting railroaded into a bad end just by not using the cover to night to investigate Sally's cart or the library.

Sleep with Hayseed in our grip, we NEED to not lose it.

>>32883852
and when they crash, they'll sleep like logs!

>>32883897

if they need to sleep, all they gotta do is ask Zecora for a selection from her...personal garden

I am beginning to think that spending the night here was the wrong choice, but I'm not sure we can change our minds at this point.

Maybe if we and the others can't manage to fall asleep?

>>32883897
And then be ill for the rest of the day as they detox. You weren't here for part one, I take it.

>>32883867

Well, when someone is crazy, you probably should pretend to be on their side. Now we know that Tezel hates kids so it won't be long until everyone tries to kill us on site.

>>32883766
>>32883668
>>32883867
I wont say anything, 867

You lead the way to Zecora's room. The zebra stays out in the main chamber, pouring over the odd concoction that you've delivered to her. After you and the CMC enter the room, all you can hear is the clinking of glass and random, incoherent mumbling in another language.

"Bah... I can't sleep. What is that elixir stuff all about, anyways? Why would someone want to poison Ponyville?" Sweetie Belle stares at the decorative ceiling.

"How should I know? That Sally is probably just trying to make a quick Bit pushing some nasty potion thingy. The guards will have her in cuffs by morning." Scootaloo rolls about, unable to rest.

While your head swims with questions, especially about this Tezel character, your eyelids eventually close. Sleep starts to come...

>>32883787
>>32883839
From a sadistic GM point of view, I'm loving this idea.

so are all of the mane 6 in some way incapacitated

>>32883985
We only know that AJ, RD, Twilight, and Pinkie have taken it... I think.

Don't know about FS and Rarity.

>>32883963
Wake up at the crack of dawn.

>>32883985
They've all sampled the Potion, to my knowledge. The Apples were detoxing last we saw, and Twilight is still cursed from a previous adventure. Pinkie was chasing the yellow dragon, so to speak, and we haven't run across Rarity. Dash probably crashed pretty hard from the stuff, and Fluttershy is still an unknown.

>>32883963
Snuggle close to the other two. This is important.

>>32883932
He'd just kill us for being indecisive. Gotta roll with it. Hang onto that hayseed and make it back to ponyville. If everything is fucked, hopefully we can jump back a save.
Then again, maybe everything looking completely fucked is the right way for things to go and going back and not sleeping at Zecora's is still a bad end.

>>32884019
Sweetie told us that Rarity used it

>>32883985
INFO MODE: AJ and Rainbow Dash drank the elixir the other day. They felt sick, but not out.
Twilight is missing; she's been babbling about a Castle in the Sand.
Fluttershy hasn't been contacted at all.
Rarity apparently got 'loopy' after the elixir worked it's way out of her system, or so says Sweetie Belle
Pinkie Pie drank the elixir, but she seems to be healthy.

>>32883963

Try to sleep soundly. We'll need our energy.

>>32883985

Don't know. We know for sure that everyone drank except for Fluttershy, but Twilight and Rarity seem to be mad since they're unicorns.

Speaking of which, we should probably head for Fluttershy's cottage when day breaks, seeing as it's near to the forest and she's canon incorruptible hopefully

>>32884061
>incorruptible
>Return of Harmony part 1 and 2

>>32884047

10 bucks says we wake up in a cage awaiting execution.

>>32884028
Head for ponyville, but dont go charging in. Case the town or something. Make sure it isnt an obvious death trap.

>>32884079

What I meant was she probably wouldn't be easily manipulated into drinking the elixir for the sake of it. If she already has, we're fucked.

>>32884107
>>32884061
Keep in mind that we've been killed both for being too rash and for being too cautious.

>>32884081
50 bits says Zecora sampled some elixir to help her stay up so she could work.

Also
>>32882320
Is ripe for raisining

>>32884159

Still, I think that we should err on the side of risk. Better to have a chance of victory and fail than to make defeat certain through inaction.

>>32884044
>>32884028
Before nodding off, you snuggle up next to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They stop talking to each other. The three of you let out a sigh almost simultaneously. Sweetie yawns before closing her eyes.

Scootaloo puts a foreleg over you, but bumps into Hayseed. "W.. oh, gross." She whispers. She touched one of the melty Peppermint Candy Canes. The three of you eventually find rest and awake at the crack of dawn.

You exit the room. In the main chamber of the house, you see a completely boiled down cauldron and a zebra passed out on a nearby table. She snores soundly as you walk toward the door.

"So.. back to Ponyville now, right? We need to see if everyone's okay." Sweetie Belle follows you.

"We need to blow up that dumb bird's poison shack. Raisin; let's go grab those explosives and have ourselves a barbeque." Scootaloo looks at you with a mischievous smirk.

>>32884251
CHECK FOR HAYSEED

>>32884210
Let's move it on over here.

>>32882320
>>32882320
>>32882320
>>32882320
>>32882320

>>32884251
Make sure we have Hayseed and check Zecora to make sure that she is just sleeping.

Tell Scootaloo that if she wants to carry that explosive powder around then she will have to stay far enough away that she won't blow us up.

>>32884251
>zebra passed out on a nearby table. She snores soundly as you walk toward the door.

You know.....it would be really easy to dribble some of that elixir into her mouth. Give her a boost for morning!

>>32884303
I'm curious how these fillys got explosive powder

>>32884324
I seriously wish you'd get a few votes for your elixir ideas.

>>32884251

Grab Hayseed and wake Zecora. Tell Scootaloo that Sally will see such an obvious assault coming and we should save grabbing the bomb for later when we know what we can do with it.

I guess once getting situated, head off for Fluttershy's house.

>>32884324
No.

>>32884339
Applebloom made it for us. It has a one in onethousand chance of detonating every turn.
>We should save it to blow up that rock king dude.

>>32884354
But Jr

Then we couldn't hug hayseed to load

>>32884324
>>32884354

Fine jeez, take a lick of the elixir to see what it tastes like. Tell Sweetie and Scoots to be ready to grab us if we immediately go crazy.

>>32884381
>Applebloom made it for us


Uuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ok

>>32884399
Whats wrong? Baby needs his safety net?

>>32884411
It wasn't supposed to be a bomb, she was making fireworks for school or something and put too much boom in.
If I remember correctly.

>>32884405
Please just fuck off with your "pull the spaghetti out of my pockets" level suggestions.

>>32884429

Yes when the stakes are canon bad end. I've grown too attached to Raisin.

>>32884405
Better idea: if we see a little bunny or something on the way give it some elixir and see how it reacts.

>>32884271
>>32884303
>>32884378
Upon stepping over the threshold of Zecora's door, you pat your saddlebags down, searching for your little Hayseed. With a soft nuzzle against your hoof, you're sure that you feel her nose, tucked away in the front pocket. A wave of relief washes over you.

You walk back into the hut. "Raisin? Where are you going?" Scootaloo shouts from a distance.

You walk in and give Zecora a nudge. She suddenly snorts and falls off the edge of the table, wide awake. She asks you what's going on. You just say that it's morning; she must have passed out or something.

Sweetie Belle walks back into the hut, waiting for you. "Oh! Good morning, Zecora!"

Seriously, let's migrate to next thread after this post.

>>32884464
>Later it turns out to be Angel

>>32884484
ok

>return to ponyville, while trying in vain to resist that delicious elixir

Make sure we have Hayseed and check Zecora to make sure that she is just sleeping.

Tell Scootaloo that if she wants to carry that explosive powder around then she will have to stay far enough away that she won't blow us up.

Do we have the hayseed? Get it, then hurry on over to Ponyville. We're getting too stagnant at Zecora's

>>32884473
I think JR forgot to switch threads.

Ask Zecora if she found something before falling asleep, then go to Fluttershy.

Ask Zecora if she found anything else out about the stuff.

>>32884542
Nah, I'm here. Continue, questers; Raisin's fate is in your hands.

I'm still not going to make any suggestions that would inadvertently help you. I refuse.

>>32884553
>>32884559
These.

Acquire seed.
Inquire with Zecora
Haul ass to Ponyville.

We should double check that we actually have hayseed. Im probably just being paranoid, but the way it was worded made it seem like something that shouldn't be assumed.

>>32884565
Do we have that sleeping powder Zecora gave us, or did we loose that after loading?

>>32884620
This.

>>32884620
HOW ABOUT WE JUST EAT HAYSEED SO WE ALWAYS KNOWS WHERE IT IS

>>32884559
>>32884553
>>32884585
>>32884618

You ask the groggy zebra if she was able to discover anything about the elixir that you brought her. She apologizes, saying that she used every last drop, boiling and mixing it with different herbs, tonics, and flowers to no avail. Some odd chemical in there would not allow her to isolate the magic.

She says that the 'King Tezel' thing really got to her late at night. She couldn't stop thinking about it after your mentioning of it, but she cannot tie it in with the smarmy snakeoil saleslady.

You thank Zecora for letting you stay the night. You tag along behind Sweetie Belle and start heading for Ponyville out of the Everfree Forest.

"Nothing? She used all that potion and found nothing?" Scootaloo scoffs. "What a waste of elixir!"

"Poison elixir." Sweetie Belle adds.

>>32884620
>>32884648
As you continue down the path, you pat your bags again. You feel the shape of your beloved pony doll in your bags. The candy canes in her hooves are covered in random hairs from her mane.

Ask Zecora if she found out anything new. Consider taking a small dabble on our hoof and tasting it to see what it tastes like. Who knows, grapes might be the covering agent. We should know what they taste like when mixed with things. Don't let Sweetie taste it though, since we can't afford to let her go insane.

>>32884693

Go to Fluttershy's cottage.

>>32884693

haul ass back to town
check on fluttershy on the way to make sure she's doing alright

>>32884693
Let's stop by Fluttershy's hut. If Scootaloo objects tell her that Fluttershy may get some birds to help us spy on Sally.

>>32884693
The elixir is gone, huh?

We uh.....we should probably get some more. For.....research and stuff.

>>32884693
Is Fluttersh--
>>32884726
>>32884729
>>32884732
Yeah, that.

>>32884736
We have another.

>>32884693
Go around the outskirts of Ponyville, looking for anything out of place.

>>32884736
We are out of money.

>>32884751
We should get more. A lot more


>>32884771

Thats ok we'll just....borrow it? I'm sure they wont mind, right?

We're going to get back to town and find out we've already lost, just you all wait.

>>32884726
>>32884729
>>32884732
You suggest that, before heading back to town, that you stop on by Fluttershy's cottage. You want to make sure that she's still doing alright.

"What? Oh, come on... we're wasting time!" Scootaloo protests.

You suggest that you may be able to let Fluttershy give up her falcon to allow you guys to spy on Sally.

"I'm in."

You head to Fluttershy's cottage. The path out of the forest seems to breathe... something is moving in the bushes far off, but your legs power you down the path.

You are now outside of Fluttershy's cottage. Nothing appears to be out of the ordinary from the distance. In fact, the place is still bustling with normal animal activity. Within moment, Fluttershy comes out of her front door with a bag of chicken feed.

>>32884736
Scootaloo still has one elixir in her saddlebags. She seems to have forgotten about it.

>>32884828

Look for derp eyes before approaching as ask her if she's tried any of Sally's potion.

>>32884828
Tell Scoots it's not dinner time and ask Fluttershy if she knows about the thing going on in Ponyville.

>>32884828
JUMP IN FRONT OF HER AND SHOUT "ABOOGA BOOGA BOOGA!"

>>32884828
Ask her if she has used the potion. If she hasn't ask if she has any 'guinea pigs' to try the potion.

>>32884828
I hope that elixir is clearly labeled. I would be a shame if she thought it was some fruit juice and drank it all by accident.....

>>32884869
>>32884876
Let's not be a jerk.

Ask Fluttershy if she has tried any of that energy drink and if she knows what is going on in town. After that ask her if she can lend us her falcon to us figure out what Sally is putting in the energy drinks.

>>32884869
For that matter, ask her if she's been in Ponyville in the last few days, and if she's run in to any of her friends. She might have just been chilling out her for the last couple of days.

>>32884876
I love you, anon.

>>32884854
>>32884869
>>32884888
>>32884906
You bump Scootaloo. "Hey, looks like she's bringing you a snack, Scoots." Scootaloo looks and notices that the bag is chicken feed. She punches your shoulder. "Ha ha ha. Very fu.. Wait, how did you even hear about that?"

Sweetie Belle looks over and gives you a wink. You shake your head and begin walking up to the cottage.

You carefully approach Fluttershy, checking her eyes for any signs of derpage. She immediately notices you and the girls. "Oh! Good morning!" She calls out.

You get a little closer. She seems fine. You ask her if she's had any of that miracle elixir that everyone in Ponyville has been ranting and raving about. "...I don't think so, Raisin. I haven't been in town the last few days since that strange griffin showed up." She pours some feed out for her chickens. "She reminds me too much of G...G.." She continues pouring the feed out. "That other really mean griffin."

>>32885001
Ask her if she's seen her friends recently. Also ask her if we can test the other elixer on some of her animals to see if it's effects are limited to just ponies.

>>32885001
Say "Gilda" right in front of Fluttershy

>>32885038

I second the first part, but no animal testing.
we'd probably just make her mad by suggesting it

>>32885001

"Has Twilight visited you recently and tried to convert you to a crazy cult? Apparently it's driving unicorns mad and we don't know what it does to earthies or pegasi. However, it's very addictive, and not even Zecora was able to divine its compents, meaning that whoever made it is a top-tier alchemist[/spoiler]"

Also, it's a longshot, but ask her about King Tezel and sand castles.

I just had a thought and I want to know what you guys think. What if we told Fluttershy about the potion and what it is doing to ponies, then had her follow us back into town. She stands guard while we break into the gryphons trailer. If the gryphon shows up Fluttershy should be able to hit her with the stare and make her spill the beans.

>>32885001
Tell Fluttershy that the potion is some sort of poison that not even Zecora can figure out, and that she shouldn't drink it. Ask her if she has seen any of her friends recently.

>>32885105
>If the gryphon shows up Fluttershy should be able to hit her with the stare and make her spill the beans.
She can't do the stare on command bro. At most she'd do it if the gryphon started threatening us with physical violence, and even then it's iffy at best.

>>32885149
I thought she could do it if she got pissed off. What could piss her off more than someone trying to poison the entire town?

>>32885038
>>32885091
>>32885105
"Has Twilight visited you recently and tried to convert you to a crazy cult? Apparently it's driving unicorns mad and we don't know what it does to earthies or pegasi. However, it's very addictive, and not even Zecora was able to divine its compents, meaning that whoever made it is a top-tier alchemist!"

Fluttershy looks at you with absolute confusion. "Um.. no... Twilight... she was by... but she said that she had to see Zecora for some reason. She wasn't feeling very good."

"Whatever you do... don't try any. It's really bad stuff, Fluttershy."

She nods. "Goodness... I hope you girls can find out what's going on. I promise I won't try any of it."

>>32885195
Find out when Twilight went to Zecora's. Before, during, or after we were there.

>>32885175
>break in
>let griffon attack and kill Scootaloo
>Fluttershy gets mad
>STARE
>We're heroes


The perfect plan!

>>32885105
What do you think, guys? Do we ask Fluttershy to tag along, or ask her to lend us a falcon to act as a lookout?

>>32885233
Since King Tezel hates children, having her with us could be really useful. Let's ask her to join us.

Who is dead in this current save state?

>>32885195

let's head onwards into town. we've spent enough time here as it is

>>32885233
Yes, we should.

>>32885286
No one, as far as we know.

>>32885038

If we're doing any testing, we should do it on Scootaloo. Sweetie would go insane and us drinking some would be Temple of Doom without a Short Round to rescue us.

>>32885298
Yes what?

>>32885220
I love the way you think. God, I will do a retard quest (in a good way) one of these days and your responses will be keyed in, man. Your ideas give me a chuckle

>>32885233
>>32885271
>>32885298
You ask if Fluttershy could come with you into town. You'd feel safer if an adult were with you while some weird psycho ponies are wandering around under the influence of this odd elixir stuff.

Her eyes get big. "Umm... but... I..."

She looks around quick. "I...'ve got to... um... take care of..." She looks over and sees some flowers. Her eyes dart to a tree. "...the squirrels! I've got to take care of some baby squirrels today. Sorry, I wish I could come with you girls, but I'm going to be very busy... tending to the baby squirrels... today."

She looks a bit nervous. Her nose is kind of scrunched up as she smiles you down.

Scootaloo get annoyed. "Oh, come ON! Raisin, that featherbrain has probably brainwashed the ENTIRE town by now. We have got to get back into town and kick Sally's big feathery butt!"

In the distance, you can hear something faint, like a crowd.

>>32885369
>"Hey Scootaloo, you thirsty?"
>"Yeah."
>"Here, have this bottle of.....grape juice with the lable peeled off."
>"Oh boy my favorite!"

>>32885412
Give her foal eyes. We NEED her.

>>32885412
"Can we at least borrow your falcon to keep an eye out for Sally while we figure out what she put into the energy drinks?"

>>32885412
I like how you're replying to ALL my posts. I've just been in a lot of quests and am just poking some fun. Easier then running a quest myself

Its just everyone else is a being serious, which is understandable.

>>32885461
>CMCs doing the smiley angel thin with halos!
>Rasin is still new and screws it up

this was supposed to be a fast stop

we're dallying too long!

>>32885479
Or we could do this >>32885461.

>>32885515
Barely a minute should have passed.

But quest time is like in hyperspeed mode, where deciding if you want paper or plastic is actually an hour long decision

>>32885556
Time passes as fast as Jr wants it to.

>>32885556
STILL TOO LONG

PONYVILLE NEEDS US!

LETS RUN AWAY FROM FLUTTERSHY MID SENTENCE AND GO KICK SOMETHING

>>32885461
>>32885546

You look over your shoulder at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. You blink at them, alternating eyes in a strange code. They smile and nod their heads, seeming to understand your intention. Immediately, the three of you give Fluttershy your most pouty, sad looking faces.

She melts almost instantly. "How could I say no?" Fluttershy closes up her house and tags along with your group. Towards Ponyville, you see a massive gathering of ponies marching into town with pitchforks. They look disgruntled.

>The sun reaches high-noon

>>32885633
Race ahead of them to Sally's cart/wagon/whatever. We want to get the secrets out of it before the angry mob gets to it.

>>32885633
There must be a hey convention in town or something. Its not important at all

should we get the explosives?

>>32885753

no way

>>32885753
Not with an angry mob around. We should save to to blow up King Tezel.

>>32885633
Can you make out anything from what they're saying?

>>32885633
>high noon
WELL SEEMS WAKING UP AT THE CRACK OF DAWN WASNT EARLY ENOUGH

>>32885784
You have to remember that days in Equestria only last about fifteen minutes.

>>32885772
INFO MODE: The crowd mostly seems disgruntled. They aren't chanting anything in unison, but they certainly don't sound like they're hosting a Hay Convention.

>>32885784
Walk into town center cowboy style

>>32885808
Try get closer to the crowd, at least to learn what they're pissed about.

>>32885808
Oh dear...
Try to get an idea of what they're all angry about. Maybe even what the elixir did to them.

>>32885676
>>32885817
>>32885834
>>32885772
>>32885848
You run up ahead, leading the troupe closer to the angry mob. As they march closer to town, you see that some of them are carrying signs like 'Crooks unwelcome' and 'Drink your own poison'.

Some chatter stands out in the crowd, specifically the name 'Snakeoil'.

"Well, looks like the fans have arrived." Scootaloo comments.

>>32885834
Probably they're pissed about the elixir.

Maybe we should be pansies and get the royal guard in on this? Giant angry mob is a good enough reason to bring out the big guns, I think.

Maybe head to the library and talk to spike? We should be respected enough by now that the princess will heed our warnings about bad shit going down.

>>32885895
We need to get to Snakeoil before they do and make her spill the beans.

>>32885895
Use the mob as cover to sneak over to Snakeoil's stand and do some spying.

>>32885895
And that's how the angry residents of ponyville solve their own problems without help from stupid kids. The end.

>>32885927
>>32885928
We should pretend that we're trying to save her from the mob. Get her to come running with us to a place where we have the upper hand.

>>32885932
>Snakeoil Sally completes her plans and is reborn as a massive, magical dragon god and slaughters the crowd.

>>32885948
But then the mob would be mad at us.

>>32885927
>>32885928
Quickly, you decide to use the giant mob as a distraction to get closer to Sally's stand. Fluttershy seems to lag way behind. "Um... girls? What's going on?"

You see the stand in the middle of town square. The front is surrounded by angry ponies already. Sally's festive music plays loudly as she dances up on stage. "Come one, come all! One more day to get your share of the world's most incredible Miracl-"

"BOO!!!" The crowd is displeased with her act.

"Oh, come now, Ponyville! Tell me, was my potion not a super huge boost of energy, as advertised?"

Some crowd members stand up. "Yeah, that's also poison! We all got sick from it!" The crowd jeers.

"Now, now; don't blame me for having sensitive stomachs. I have a regular customer that has been drinking this stuff by the case without a single ailment!"

Pinkie almost magically appears onstage and waves to the crowd.

"She's doing quite well! Look at the energy she's got... and speed. I didn't even see you get on stage." Snakeoil looks a bit confused.

The act on stage continues. Do you continue watching? (the crowd is quieting down)

>>32886047
Leave someone behind to keep watch and listen to what she's saying, while the rest of us go and check out her trailer.

>>32886047
Are there any derped ponies around?

>>32886047

I have a very bad feeling that we're being railroaded into a bad end.

Try to find the Apple family. Scream "DOWN WITH KING TEZEL!"

>>32886047
Use the distraction to get to Snakeoil's trailer, or backstage, or where ever it is she has been sleeping.

>>32886047

Stay silent and watch. Keep Hayseed close just in case. Try to find other unicorns and keep our distance.

>>32886075

Leave Scootaloo and take Sweetie. She'll probably cause a scene, but it's better than Sweetie staying and her marshmallow brain being convinced that WE are in the wrong.

>>32886089
>railroaded
He's not done any railroading yet, as far as I can tell.

>>32886075
>>32886094
You point at Fluttershy. "Stay here. See what's going on." Fluttershy nods softly.

"But... wait! Where are you going?"

You and the CMC dart off around the crowd, making your way to the back of the stage. It seems a lot quieter now; the mob seems to be growing less interesting in burning Sally to the ground.

Derpy is standing out here with a horn in her mouth. She's smiling, just standing out by the back of the stage.

Sneak behing Snakeoil's stand or whatever and see if we can steal the elixir without anyone seeing. Then we can dispose of it.

>>32886132

He led us on for a couple of hours when we made a poor decision in the last quest.

Then again, maybe we were just too stupid to see any of the opportunities. Jr, if you still remember the last quest, would Dash have died if we let her charge the maddened Twilight and Cil?

>>32886154
Time to get out the slingshot

>>32886154
Tell Derpy that we won a backstage tour and ask her if she can show us where the energy drinks are made.

>>32886154

Tell Sweetie to distract her while we sneak around further. I'm sure the little unicorn can speak dumb fluently.

>>32886166
That depends. On her planned trajectory, Cil would have more than likely seen her coming and made Twilight blast her out of the sky. Suggesting an alternate route, such as a surprise from above (like from a cloud) could have been enough to knock Cil off of Twilight.

If you're creative, you can get a good end, even if shit looks unrecoverable.

>>32886166
I should have said that I haven't seen him do any railroading in this quest yet. Last quest was a ride on the fucking Polar Express for quite a while.

>>32886189

Give Sweetie the bag of sleeping powder just in case.

>>32886202
>If you're creative
Shit.

>>32886228
>You don't have this item on this current timeline.

Also, seeing suggestions for talking to Derpy and trying to get into the stage.

>>32886251
>>You don't have this item on this current timeline.

Damn it Jr, I asked several times if we had that with us and you never answered.

you know she's just going to blow that horn the moment you try to snoop around

and then the jig will be up

>>32886280
Showed you the inventory when we began, bro.

Consult with your fellow questers and choose a way to continue onwards.

>>32886251

Holy shit, Pinkie going to become an avatar of Tezel, isn't she?

Send Sweetie to distract Derpy, then sneak onstage. Let's stop it.

Oh God, I don't know what to do. Why do you have to be so good Jr?

>>32886251
I'm stick with my We Won A Backstage Tour idea.

Show Derpy our bottle of elixir. She's probably addicted and will do anything we say.

>>32886373

Shit, this, but make our entrance such that the bottle is the first thing she sees.

Throw a candy cane at her, it's not exactly a muffin but it's close enough.

Alrighty, we got a few ideas here, one good, one... you guys can choose how to proceed. Vote on these or a new one; I need a tie breaker.

>Sweetie Distraction
>Show her some Elixir

>>32886373

I don't think she's addicted, but sure, why not? I mean, what else can we do?

>>32886442

attempt to bribe her with the elixir

>>32886398
Eww, but they're all gross because I'm an idiot.

>>32886442
I'll go with bluffing Derpy.

>>32886442
What if we showed her the empty vial and asked for a refill?

>>32886442

Elixir. Pray that she actually drank some and isn't just stupid enough to be manipulated.

Please RNG god, please let our bomb blow up

>>32886446
>>32886454
>Bribe the pony that hands out the elixir by giving her an elixir

Guys?

>>32886485
And for that matter, do we know what she's like on the elixir? She could completely give away our position and ruin our entire plan.

>>32886442
I say we go for Sweetie Distraction.

>>32886446
>>32886454
>>32886388
You decide that you should be able to bribe the happy pegasus with the last bottle of elixir you have in Scootaloo's inventory.

"Oh man! I forgot we even had any left!" Scootaloo nods her head in approval. You tell her that you're going to bribe the pegasus with it. She's probably addicted to the stuff.

>>32886485
>>32886497
You begin to have second thoughts, but aren't completely sure of yourself.

"She'll probably take the bait. All we need is a few seconds to sneak on passed her."

The crowd out front begins to calm. You hear a small burst and a few cheers from the audience.

You guys gotta nail something down! I'm seeing a lot of indecisiveness.

>>32886545

sweetie distraction

>>32886545
"Wait a second, she was the one handing out that stuff yesterday. She can probably get it any time she wants."

Have Sweetie Belle distract her then go back to Fluttershy.

>>32886545

Fuck, Sweetie distraction. I'm sorry, Raisin

>>32886561
>>32886569
>>32886604
You look over to the odd, derp eyed gray pegasus. She seems to be enjoying herself, just standing back here with a squeaky horn in her mouth.

You tell Sweetie Belle to go over and distract her while you and Scoots sneak up onto the back of the stage. "Um... okay..." Sweetie Belle hesitates for a minute, but walks over by the pegasus. She honks the horn once, looking at Sweetie curiously.

"No, no, Ms. Derpy... Um... I just wanted to say hi..." Derpy walks up to Sweetie and nuzzles her cheek, then stares at her, chewing on the end of the horn. "Oh... yeah. Um... and.. uh..." Sweetie continues to stumble through a conversation with Derpy as you and Scoots sneak around, undetected. “Do you like Marshmallows?” Sweetie Belle asks as you tiptoe up the back set of stairs. You door and open it very carefully as to not make a noise.

The inside of the stage is surprisingly lavish. The interior is lined with a velvet felt. Immediately, to your left, you notice a small set of cages. They are filled with small unicorn fillies, each with a set of derped out eyes.

“yyyYYyyyyeeeeEEEE-“ You grab Scootaloo’s face, making her shut up.

You can hear some more cheering from the crowd out front. Do you wish to look at everything in more detail?

>>32886642
>a collection of derpy ponies
Oh god what

>>32886642
Yes, look around quickly.

And these better not be lobotomized ponies.

>>32886642
Look at everything in more detail. Things we want to look for are some way to drop the curtain seperating the front of the stage from the back of the stage, a mixing area for the potions, and any notes/journals/etc.

>>32886713
>Things we want to look for are some way to drop the curtain seperating the front of the stage from the back of the stage

HURRRRRRR. Maybe I'll learn to read the posts I reply to more carefully.

>>32886666
Even Satan is disgusted! This horrible atrocity must be stopped at once!

>>32886642

>Honked horn

We're fucked, aren't we. Look around, in more detail, since running out will probably end up with us meeting face to face with a crazed Twilight. Be ready to dive into hiding if we hear anything, but look for anything that resembles a key.

>>32886713
>and any notes/journals/etc.
Yeah, definitely be on the lookout for these. We gotta find out what's in this elixir before we can start acting against it.

Look for a blue notebook with a lightning bolt on it labeled "Lab Notes."

>>32886703
>>32886713
>>32886740

You look about the room, trying to gather as much information as quickly as possible. The fillies are locked in cages against either wall. They look about. One of them looks over to you. "Do you know of the Castle in the Sand?" She asks with normal volume.

"Who cares about some dumb castle?" Scootaloo whispers back.

"Such beautiful music. It's always so beautiful in the Castle." She answers.

You continue to look around while Scootaloo talks to the unicorn filly. You see a small stockpile of golden treasure in the back of the stage that doesn't seem to belong; it looks very much out of place. Nothing of it's design is local to Ponyville, but you're not close enough to investigate. It's beyond the small unicorn fillies.

In the other direction is a small wooden door. It looks slightly broken.

An explosion rocks the stage. All of the fillies in the cages look in a the same direction, away from the blast. "Where is the music?" They calm down quickly.

>>32886817

go investigate the door

>>32886817
fuck

>>32886817

Oh fuck, thank God we didn't pick our bomb up.

Investigate the gold. Send Scootaloo to stand guard. If anyone was waiting outside, the blast probably distracted them long enough to not see her sticking her head out.

>>32886851
>>32886860
It was Sally's explosives, not yours. In here, you wouldn't even be able to hear it going off. It's not THAT loud.

Investigate gold.

We're fucked, aren't we? I bet we needed that bomb to blow something up.

>>32886817
Get out Hayseed and prepare to hug her so we don't die. After we have her prepped for hugging we need to go investigate the broken door.

>>32886872

Change my vote to checking it out, then. If we see nothing but mutilated bodies, reload our save.

>>32886872
Is the timer still ticking, or has ours already gone off?

>>32886817
Smash the door down.

If we're quick enough they won't hear it from the aftereffects of the explosion.

>>32886901

On on stage explosion I mean.

>>32886846
>>32886901
>>32886911
You slowly approach the broken looking door while Scootaloo continues to speak with the caged filly.

"Have you ever been to the Castle in the Sand?"

"No. I'm never going there, either."

"The music is so beautiful at the Castle."

Carefully, you give it a tug. The door scrapes against the floor. It’s open enough to peek in, if you wish, or you can open it up all the way.

>>32886909
431

>>32886965
Peek in! Peek in!

>>32886965
Peek first. be ready to gtfo.
We are already holding Hayseed right?

>>32886965
Open it all the way

>>32886965
Get ready to hug Hayseed hard enough to take us back to Zecora's then peek in.

>>32886965

Peek in. Try not to throw up when we see a disemboweled Rarity.

>>32886965
Kick it down, Karate style.

>>32887042
And set off some sort of explosive trap? No way.

>>32886965

peek

>>32886980
>>32886992
>>32887011
A little scared of what you may see, you withdraw Hayseed from your saddlebags. Her candy cane hoofs are still a bit sticky, but you clutch her tight.

You decide to poke your nose into the door to see what's in the mysterious room. Inside, you see a bathtub with mold and algae growing out of it. You see a burlap satchel by the tub; there's sand all over the floor around it. There seems to be a lot of glass bottles placed haphazardly in there.

Outside, you hear a voice.

"Hey, pretty eyes; don't keep our customers waiting! Get up front, quick... and what are you doing here? We've got a lot of elixir ready up front; go get some, kiddo."

"...Oh... I... I..." Sweetie Belle pauses.

>>32887085
Ah shit...

Signal for Sweetie Belle to stall, tell her to make up some sob story about how she wants more but can't afford any more because she spent her last few bits on it.

>>32887085

try lifting the door upwards so it doesn't scrape against the ground when you move it. hide yourself and Scoots inside

>>32887085
Is there a window nearby that we can drop the satchel out of? If so whisper for Scootaloo to grab the satchel then drop it out that window, maybe she can lower us down as well. If there isn't a window then try and remember if there is another way out.

If all else fails, hug Hayseed and go back to Zecora's.

>>32887085
Investigate the room. Check to see what's in the glass bottles.

>>32887085
LOOK IN THE SATCHEL

>>32887138

This, I'm sorry Sweetie, but sometimes you have to take one for the team. Yank open the door when Sally's gone or if she spots us.

>>32887152

Yes, lift it up. Reducing normal force on the ground will reduce the force of friction, which will hopefully also reduce the sound.

>>32887188
>>32887193
Seconding these two. If we find something that looks dangerous in the satchel, snatch it. Maybe even scoop up some of the algae and mold in to one of the glass bottles to take back to Zecora for identification.

>>32887234
Don't forget some of the sand. People have been talking about it, maybe there is something about it in itself.

>>32887277
The sand is there to show if anyone has entered the room. It's like leaving a wax seal on a door.

>>32887277
Use bottles to collect sand and algae. (if needed) use the satchel to carry them, depending on what's inside it.

>>32887234

I think this is what we were supposed to do during the night. I swear, sleeping at Zecora's was one of the worst things we could have done.

>>32887320
I've got the feeling we are going to have to load soon.

>>32887138
Sweetie Belle is outside behind the door you used to get in.

>>32887183
There's no windows in the stage. Sally wouldn't store all this wicked stuff back here then put windows in for everyone to see inside, would she?

>>32887193
Can't because the door is only cracked open. You'll have to open it all the way to get in.

>>32887232
>>32887152
>>32887188
Carefully, you push the door upwards and open it gently. The door is now completely open.

"Oh no... was that Sally?" Scootaloo looks panicked.

"Do you know of the Castle in the Sand?" The inquisitive filly asks once again. Outside you hear the stones turn a bit. "Pretty eyes?"

You walk into the room, dragging Scoots in with you. There is glass bottles everywhere, rattling a bit with the explosions on stage. Some look a bit less stable than others. The room reeks of cleaners and something extremely bitter. Scootaloo coughs, but covers her mouth up.

>>32887277
>>32887308
You look over to the sand. It sparkles against the floor magnificently. You tap it without making a noise, indicating to Scootaloo that you want to take some with you.

The stage door opens. You hear talons tap against the floor. "Pretty eyes? You giving the kids snacks again?"

>>32887353

Ready slingshot. Be prepared to fire our glass of elixir. Hopefully Sally won't be immune to the stuff. Gather as much as we can, the sand, the algae, everything in the burlap sack.

>>32887398
I don't think we want to give the person who will want to chase us a potion to make them faster.

>>32887353
Give Scootaloo our slingshot and rocks. Tell her to peg the gryphon in the eye while we grab the satchel. Make sure Hayseed is located so that we can hug her at a moments notice.

>>32887398
Maybe we could run back to Fluttershy and pray to Celestia that Sally will be angry enough at us to activate Fluttershy's stare.

>>32887398
Don't you have to drink it?

Can... can we grab some sand? I mean, I know we don't have hands, but I want to know if we'd be able to prepare some to shoot into peoples face.

Is there some paper around we can quickly fashion into sand-bullets?

>>32887425
I bet it would hurt a lot if you got some in your eye

see what's in the burlap sack before you snag it

>>32887458

Not to mention broken glass. The potion was just extra. Hopefully it can't be absorbed through the skin.

>>32887458
Mmm. But aren't the bottles made out of glass? If we throw that at her that'll probably cause some serious damage, and I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIIIIIGHLY doubt we want a pissed off Sally chasing after us, most likely with the intention of murdering us.

>>32887481
Why don't we just shoot one of the empty bottles at her then?

>>32887455
>improvised pocket sand

Oh man, this is good. Tell Scootaloo to grab that satchel while we get ready to kick sand into the eyes of the gryphon when she gets in range.

Also
>>32883832
Is ready for use.

>>32887498

If she doesn't want to murder us now, then she wants to lock us up and force feed us the elixir until we're mindless.

Be heroic, shoot her with an empty glass bottle, but only if she gets too close for comfort.

>>32887473
"Hellooooo?" Sally looks about.

"Have you been to the Castle in the Sand?" several fillies assail Sally with the same question. She ignores them. You can hear her talons tapping against floor as she clearly searches the other room.

"OhmanOhmanOhmanOhmanOhman" Scootaloo shivers against you side.

You sneak a peek into the burlap sack on the floor by the tub. The thing is full to the top with the sparkling sand. It's much to heavy for you to lift.

"You kids... sometimes, I swear..." You can hear Sally talking to the fillies in the other room. They loudly assail her with a verbose question about the castle in the sand as she goes to where you presume is the pile of gold.

"Hope she didn't wise up..."

>>32887505
>You gave your slingshot to Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo didn't bring hers.

>>32887588
Grab some of the sand, algae and mold and shove it in to a glass jar.

>>32887588
Get Scootaloo to put some of that sand into an empty vial, but be sure to let her know to not get it in her mouth. Use a corner our cape to collect a bit of that mold and algae along the side of the tub so we can have Zecora take a look at it.

>>32887606

This. Try to silently move to a hiding spot in the room in case Sally takes a look inside. I think we still have our boots, so we should move silently. Tell Scootaloo to hide in a different spot so that if she gets caught, Sally will think she's the only one there. Inform Scoots of the plan, then act quickly.

>>32887606
>>32887637
>>32887651

You decide now is as good as any time to grab as much evidence as possible. Scootaloo shakes her head. "Raisin! You're gonna get us caught!" She whispers almost silently.

You tell Scoots to put some of this weird sand in her empty vial. She still looks at you like you're insane, but responds. She shakes as she attempts to gather some sand.

You scoop some algae and mold up on your cape. You see the inside of the tub for the first time as well; it's full with a clear, foul smelling solution.

After collecting the sample, you look about the room for a place to hide. It's too small and there seems to be too many bottles to move much at all.

"All right... it's all there..." The talons tap a little more before stopping in front of the fillies again. "So who were you kids talking to back here?"

>>32887725
Hide behind the door. Like between where the hinges are and the wall.

Also that next thread is ready, >>32883832

>>32887725
Tell Scoots to get in a corner without sand and away for the door, then tell her that as soon as Sally opens the door we are going to kick sand in her face and run like hell. Put on our boots and stand in the sand. Make sure that Hayseed is close enough for us to hug, and that she won't be left behind if we run away.

>>32887767
>>32887786
There's enough room for one filly behind the door...

>>32887725

Shit, we have to hide somehow. She's going to walk in on us and chop us to pieces with those talons.

I'm out of ideas. Take a deep breath and submerge ourself in the tub of liquid. Close our eyes tight so nothing gets in them, and pray that Sally won't bother to check the tub a second time. It's extrememly flimsy and will probably fail, but what else can we do? We literally have no chance in a direct confrontation. She's faster, stronger, and probably has the whole town on her side now.

I'm seriously thinking of just reloading and trying again.

>>32887812
Tell Scoots to get behind the door.

>>32887812

hide Scootaloo behind the door
hide yourself behind/inside the tub

>>32887786

This, for >>32887831 ye of little faith.

Have Scoots hide behind the door, us kick sand, and Scootaloo can ambush her while we run out.

>>32887865
Uhh

I don't think that's a good idea.That stuff is probably the mixture that's making people nutty.

>>32887831
NO. Have Scootaloo hide behind the door while we put our boots on and get ready to kick sand in Sally's face. Warn her of the plan so she knows when to shut her eyes.

JUMP IN THE TUB

>>32887885

we'll hold our breath

>>32887910
>>32887918
Stop it. We need to be capable of hugging Hayseed to load saves.

>>32887832
>>32887865
You tell Scootaloo to hide behind the door. She realizes that there's only enough room for her to hide. "...Raisin... if we don't make it out of this alive, I just want to let you know that you've been an awesome filly to know." She taps her nose against your cheek and nods, hiding behind the door.

You look at the door. You can hear the crowd outside going nuts. It obscures the sound of Sally's talons against the wood floor.

Suddenly, you see the door move slightly. "Celestia, I hope pretty eyes didn't let any­pony in here... I'd be so screwed..."

I was seeing a lot of jump in the tubs and kick sand. Tell me in the next thread what you wish to do.

Look over our shoulder so we know exactly when to kick the sand.

Make absolutely sure that hayseed is in our mouth so we don't loose her and can hug her if something goes wrong.

>>32888012
>>32888033
Wearing your protective boots, you step onto the glittering sand, ready to buck some up into Sally's eyes.

The door creaks open. "Wh... what the... what are you doing in here, ki-"

You kick back some sand at Sally. She immediately darts a talon up to cover her eyes. In her surprise, she stumbles backwards, looking into the room.

"Have you ever been to the Castle in the Sand?" Several fillies chime in when they see her fall back.

"You little brat!" Sally struggles to get up.

>>32888113

"RUN!"
Bolt for the exit.

>>32888113
Is she actually out of commission for more than a second or two, and not right in the doorway? Make a break for it, with Scoots.
Can she hover us over Sally if she is lying on the ground?

>>32888113

Shit, Scootaloo hesitated.

Time to milk as much info as we can. Tell her that King Tezel won't be revived and that you've already cracked the code to her potion. A convey of Celestia's guards are on their way and they have orders to force ponies to drink the cure. Be ready to hug if she lunges.

>>32888152

This if she's a bit stunned

>>32888155

This if she's ready to kill us.

>>32888152
INFO MODE: Sally is laying out on her back. She's right in the doorway, though, with the exit to the stage passed her down a narrow hallway.

>>32888179
Can scoots carry us with while flying?
I missed some of the previous quests where such a thing might have happened.

>>32888113
Yell RUN around the doll in our mouth and take off. Don't let go of Hayseed no matter what.

>>32888199
No, she can flutter up a but, but no real flight.

>>32888155
Seconding bluffing about knowing everything

>>32888179
Keep Hayseed in our mouth and leap over her. If she grabs us then hug Hayseed and try again.

Maybe we should retry going back to town next time.

>>32888199
Scootaloo cannot fly in the Raisin Quests... nor in canon, to my knowledge. She did hover once in the Cutie Pox episode...

Two for info milking, two for make a break for it. Tie Breaker?

>>32888228

I agree. We'll probably run out only to see the whole town zombiefied.

>>32888256

milk for info. I don't think we'd get too far if we tried to run

>>32888256

Info milk. We've already lost Sweetie and the rest of the town is probably dead.

>>32888256
Milking only works if she can't just kill us. We need to at least be standing by the door before trying to milk her.

Leap over and run.

>>32888256
Milk for info, while being ready to hug the doll at a moments notice. Be as far away from her as possible. Memories last when we reset, so we can still gain even with a load.

>>32888302
Fine then, milk her but be ready to hug Hayseed.

That's a good question

Do griffins have milk? Are they mammals enough down there to have teats?

>>32888302

We're abusing the system like this. Jr. won't let us do anything if we thought we were safe. Run away.

>>32888356

it's not abusing, it's capitalizing

>>32888278
>>32888223
>>32888155
>>32888289
Sweetie's not lost... where did you get that?
You decide that things couldn't possibly be worse. In an attempt to bluff the griffon, you start making some outlandish claims.

"You will never revive King Tezel!"

Scootaloo gives you an odd look from behind the door. Sally gives you a similar look.

"How do you know about that guy?"

"I know everything about... everything. Your brainwashing scheme, the poison, the secret mixture you used in your elixir... I've got it all. And Celestia personally knows about it as well."

Sally looks at you with deep concern. "Oh. She does, huh? Princess Celestia knows about some bathtub tonic I mixed up, does she?"

Sally gets up on her feet.

"Yeah, she does. She's going to put a stop to you and your evil plans."

"...which would be?" She calls your bluff.

She starts moving closer.

"Nice doll."

>>32888349
delicious griffin milk

>>32888356
Its not abusing the system, its making the most of a bad situation. If we go past this we'll probably end up with a worse save then we have now. If we were making suicide run with no intention of surviving then it would be abusing.

>>32888349
Get out of my head

>>32888400
"Brainwash Unicorns so that they serve king Tezel when he tries to overthrow Celestia again."

If she doesn't stop advancing we need to hug Hayseed and go back to Zecora's.

>>32888400

"Yeah, it is. Bye now"

Reload, try not to be too depressed at our utter failure.

>>32888447

I think I get it now. Sally's just a con artist who happened to rediscover some old potion recipes and thought she could get rich off it.

Reload.

>>32888400
"Right, simple bathtub tonic involves lines of ponies in cages all having the same hallucination."
Back up a bit, but stay confidant.

>>32888400

have Scootaloo slam the door in her face when she gets close enough

>>32888496
Then how would she know about Tezel, and why would she be keeping Unicorn foals in cages?

Alright, I see two INCREDIBLY good responses up there. You guys need to pick one out and vote on it.

Choose carefully.

>>32888447
>>32888514
I bet these two are the good ideas.
Am I hot or am I cold?

>>32888583
Let's see what your fellow questers think.

>>32888583
Seconding these also.

Taunt Sally, and motion to Scoots to be ready to slam.

>>32888566

>two responses
>Two reloads

I still just think Sally is a griffin who got herself in a little over her head and is just trying to damage control

>>32888632
It's possible, but that pile of gold suggests that she was hired to do this.

>>32888598

Fuck, might as well.

I'm so sorry, Raisin. Please don't die.

>>32888583
>>32888598

..."To brainwash Unicorns so that they serve king Tezel when he tries to overthrow Celestia again."

Sally stops in her tracks. "Huh... well... isn't that... wow. Honestly, I didn't expect that..." She loses her sarcastic expression. "Just how much do you know about this... situation?"

You blink either eye in a coded message to Scootaloo. She's shaky, but nods. She gets ready to buck the door when Sally gets close enough.

>>32888702
"Enough. I know that you were hired to do this and that you chose this town because you wanted to break apart the Elements of harmony before they could pose a threat. I also know that the energy drink is made to make non Unicorns too weak to fight back."

>>32888702
Chance!

"Enough. And a letter's already been dispatched to Celestia herself. She'll be here soon enough.

Get out of here forever if you want to fly free ever again!"

>>32888702

Because a certain Draconiquus told me. You can tell your master that he's in for a very pleasant surprise when he's finished with all the dirty work. Bluff to high heaven.

this is getting risky, Be ready to bolt when Scootaloo surprises her

>>32888769
>Because a certain Draconiquus told me.

I'm pretty sure that she won't buy that.

The stakes are high. How do you guys want to bluff on this one?

If you fail a bluff, she'll probably find some way to get you and Scoots to shut up quick.

Succeed, though...

>>32888825
We know everything. You can probably still get out, you know. Tell us what you know, drop everything now and run. The powers that be are more interested in other things. Last chance...

>>32888825

We have to go on. Though the stakes are high, we have to be brave. Better to try and fail than concede certain doom.

Tell her that it was a lucky guess. She'll think we're lying and press us for more. She'll more likely believe what we tell her next.

>>32888825
Uhh, well, my suggestion. Get her out of town. Mop up.

Not an epic conclusion, but stops her nonetheless.

>>32888825
See >>32888753. If all else fails the door slamming on her face will be enough to buy us time to load.

I'm interested in retrying our encounter with that Unicorn from last night.

>>32888825

I'm a smart filly, go to the library. Read up on what Tezel does to traitors, even the ones who help him. I'm sure your purple slave will be happy to grab it for you.

>>32888881
Just because we kick out the vendor doesn't mean there isn't a stone king in the mountains that needs vanquishing.

>>32888901
That's what the mop up is, a master without a minion is easy to take out.

And we just need to get out of our immediate danger right now, then call in the bigger guns to help.

"My sources are secret. Besides, why are you helping Tezel? He committed genocide against griffins.

>>32888931
>He committed genocide against griffins

Who's ass did you pull that out of? The key to bluffing is to make stuff up that makes sense.

>>32888753
"Enough. I know that you were hired to do this and that you chose this town because you wanted to break apart the Elements of harmony before they could pose a threat. I also know that the energy drink is made to make non Unicorns too weak to fight back."

She lunges a bit closer. "For your information, I wasn't 'hired' to do anything! Do you think I like this whole slave business thing?!" She collects herself. "You're just town number two on my list. I'm trying to save my own hide her-"

She catches herself.

"You know, you'll never leave here with that information, right?" She cracks her knuckles.

>>32888863
>>32888760
"If you leave town RIGHT NOW, you may still have a chance to save yourself. When Celestia's royal guard gets her-"

"You really think I'm buying that?" She starts to cross the threshold of the room. "...Like some messy haired little purple filly has privvy access to the Princess' court."

Scootaloo cocks her legs back, ready to slam the door.

127; your bomb detonated. You could not hear it, but the crowd outside thought it was distant thunder.

>>32889006
Fuck this then, kick door, hug doll. Regret loss of samples, but take solace in information gained.

>>32889006
"You don't recognize me? I saved this two from an ancient dragon trying to take over the place.

Even you, from whatever ruddy town you come from should have heard about it."

>>32889006
Well we are about to get our skin unzipped by a gryphon and our bomb is gone.

Hug Hayseed and let's try travelking through the forest at night again.

>>32889036
two = town

>>32889006

Bitch I beat a dragon warlord. Also, dragonfire is the latest craze in instant messaging. You should try it out.

Just keep her focus. Be ready to run as soon as Scootaloo acts.

Don't reload. We can still save this. We just need to get out for a while.

>>32889006

"We stopped Cilepharus, we'll stop you too."

Slam the door.

QUERY:Where is she standing in relation the the door? Would slamming it buy us time, or just hit her on the side?

>>32889036
Alright, let's try this first. Throw in the offer of being able to help her out of whatever problem she is in as long as she helps us.

If she doesn't buy it then have Scoots slam the door.

>>32889054
>>32889036
>>32889077
>>32889081

While failing a bluff, you decide to keep going. You wink at Scootaloo. She's ready at a moments notice.

"You don't recognize me? I saved this two from an ancient dragon trying to take over the place. Even you, from whatever ruddy town you come from should have heard about it."

Sally looks you over and scoffs. "A little young to be Twilight Sparkle, aren't you kid?" She continues into the room, reaching for Hayseed. "I don't think Twilight Sparkle carries such a dopey looking doll arou-"

Scootaloo kicks the door as she can. It bashes the griffin in the side of the face. She falls over, knocking over a ton of glass bottles. They fall from every shelf in the room, raining down on the trio underneath.

As they fall, you watch 3 jugs aim for your noggin.

>>32889156
Hug Hayseed to load our save at Zecora's. We have more info now, but lost our bomb.

>>32889156

Reload save. We're not going to be knocked unconscious only to wake up in a cage.

I suppose we've done all we can here. Things should work better once we have the cover of night.

>>32889156
Twirl around and kick them toward Sally.

Use the opening to dash out the door.

>>32889156
Move and hug that shit.
Make sure to not get hit by anything else either.

>>32889188

I really don't think our bomb is completely necessary. Jr is tough, but he's fair. If we could have lost it through no fault of our own, there must be another way. Besides, if it goes off in our possession, that's instant bad end. Quest fails, Raisin dies for good, and no more god-tier Jr quests.

>>32889223
Well look at it this way: There is a bad guy made completely out of stone out there somewhere, and we probably should kill him.

What better to kill a rock than explosives?

>>32889196
I admire your tenacity. This idea would theoretically work, too, but popular vote has
spoken.

>>32889188
>>32889196
>>32889197
You quickly pull Hayseed up to your chest. As you feel the cold clink of a bottle against your head, Hayseed's plush body fills your heart with a sense of peace. You remember back when your mom had to sew up Hayseed's arm when you got back from school once. You remember crying, worried that Hayseed wasn't going to make it. When all seemed lost, she came back to you, repaired and whole once again.

Sally and her stage seem to dissolve around you. The jar smashing into your head evaporates into thin air... you feel the warmth of your friends at your sides once more.

"...Are you still with us, Raisin?" Scootaloo pokes your shoulder. You snap out of your trance. You're back in front of Zecora's hut with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, looking at the evening sky.

>>32889223
No more RAISIN quests. I'd still do others... though I really do like little Raisin. She's a badass.

Who knows what's up with that bomb, though.

>>32889223
>esides, if it goes off in our possession, that's instant bad end. Quest fails, Raisin dies for good, and no more god-tier Jr quests.

Which is why we have another pony carry it for us.

>>32889296
Ask Zecora if she has any sleeping powder we can use if we get cornered by a crazy Unicorn or monster while walking home.

>>32889316
Definitely. We need to stock up on some defensive items if we're gonna be doing that again.

>>32889296

Alright. Do we have the sleep powder in this timeline? Go back and get it if we don't. Talk to Zecora anyways to refresh our mind about the safe path, then retry the encounter with the unicorn.

Also fuck haters, Raisin is the best OC.

>>32889296

resist urge to suffer nervous breakdown

>>32889296
Ask Zecora if the name King Tezel means anything to her. Tell her we heard a Unicorn talking about him while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were paying attention to Snakeoil Sally.

>>32889316
>>32889325
>>32889335

As the faces of your friends fade in, your first instinct is to go back inside and talk to Zecora. You ask her if she has any sleeping powder the CMC may be able to use to ensure a safe travel back to Ponyville.

She snaps up from the cauldron. She turns around quick and comes back toward you with a small satchel. She says that it's a sleeping powder mix she uses on herself sometimes when she can't quite get to sleep. It works wonders, apparently.

She also warns you not to go back down Twilight's path if you plan on going back to Ponyville before sundown. The Everfree creatures are more than likely already awake and ready to gobble up small fillies like you, Scoots, and Sweetie Belle. She tells you to take the Upper Bog path; it's covered in moonlight and should be far safer than going down through the forest path.

"Pff.. I could take those goons any day of the week." Scootaloo puffs out her chest.

"I vote safe path." Sweetie Belle looks a little scared, but clings onto Raisin.

Hey, how you guys holding up? Tired at all yet?

>>32889384

I'm tired, but there seems to be a good amount of people here.

I say we do the unicorn encounter, and then stop for the night. I'm extremely curious about how we could have handled it differently.

>>32889405

This.

>>32889384
I read a scary fic, so I'm still awake, much to my chagrin.

>>32889384
>tired
>2:27 AM
Nope!

Anyways, I say we do >>32889405

>>32889384
I was about to call it quits

A stream and this are keeping me up longer than I should be

But this is as good as any place to stop if we're gonna scootaloo out and load

>>32889384
Not really.

On the way out tell Zecora that we thought we heard one of the Unicorns in the crowd mention something named King Tezel, but it sounds like crazy talk.

Tell Scootaloo that dieing out in the middle of the forest probably wouldn't be an awesome death.

>>32889419
>>32889418
>>32889413
>>32889405
>>32889422
Alrighty; it's 5:30 am where I am and I haven't slept in almost 24 hours, so I'm a bit tuckered. Let's go until after the unicorn encounter

You say that the safer path would probably be your best bet for getting back into town. "Who knows what kind of monsters are lurking on Twilight's path at night?"

Sweetie Belle agrees. Scootaloo seems to not care either way. "Alright, then. What are we waiting for? Let's go bust that featherduster's beak in!" She punches at the air before ducking out of the hut. Before you leave, you remember to ask Zecora about something 'funny' you hear a random unicorn talking about.

"King Tezel... sounds weird, doesn't it?" Zecora looks at you odd. She mentions that it's a name that she hasn't heard in a long time... apparently, this Tezel character was an evil pony made completely out of stone that attempted to overthrow Celestia's rule using a small army of living statues. His rebellion, obviously, was quelled.

Because he was already made of stone, Celestia decided the best course of punishment would be banishment. He was doomed to serve out the rest of his immortal life in solitude high in a western mountain range. Zecora doesn't have any clue how this would have anything to do with the situation at hand, though. It's a curious thing to bring up at random.

She wishes you a safe journey back to Ponyville as you tuck out of the door. She gets back to work on her cauldron, relentlessly trying to figure out what's in the potion.

You begin up the bog path.

>>32889508

Follow the path normally. This time, don't pay any mind to the unicorn and just pretend like she doesn't exist unless she addresses you directly.

Tell Scoots and Sweetie to let you handle all the talking and to follow your lead.

>>32889526
But get out Hayseed, just in case.

>>32889526
>>32889540

Agreed. Let's see if she's a patrol or just some crazy who got lost at night.

>>32889526
>>32889565
You start up the eerie Upper Bog path. The soft rays of sunshine finally wane out, letting the silvery glow of the moon light your trail. A cold shiver runs up your spine as you recall your last venture up this path.

"This isn't so bad. I bet there's not a single monster out tonight." Scootaloo looks around nervously. "Probably all got sick from that griffin's potion... all of them got tummy aches or something."

Sweetie Belle laughs a little bit. "Yeah... I sure hope so...that... or they ate a bunch of ponies that drank the elixir and now they... have..." She realizes that she's scaring herself and stops. Your trio continues up the narrow path.

A cold chill runs up your spine. You hear a familiar hum fill the air. It paralyzes your friends... the sounds of pattering hooves on the cobblestone path comes from behind. "...castle in the sand..."

>>32889633

Tell everyone to get close together and just keep looking forward and pretend that the unicorn doesn't exist. If they protest, just ask them to trust you. Try not to make eye contact unless absolutely necessary.

>>32889633

Push onward.

>>32889633

Get off to one side, but walk as usual. Get Hayseed out just in case.

>>32889633
Keep going, tell them that she won't hurt us if we don't hurt her, and get out Hayseed.

>>32889659
>>32889665
You put your forelegs around the back of your friends necks and pull them close, continuing to push forward. "Ignore that unicorn. Just keep going."

Sweetie Belle looks back, seeing a pale light. "Umm... R...Raisin? I th-think it's a gho-ghost..."

You keep pulling them. You can feel the goosebumps crawl up their backs at different intervals. As you continue, you don't seem to notice the mysterious mare getting any closer. She keeps pace with you, maintaining the distance as you push ahead.

In the darkness ahead, down the hill, you see a light. It bobs back and forth.

>>32889716
Get off the path and try to make out what the light is. Keep moving forwards, but at a slower pace so we don't make as much noise.

>>32889716

Make a 90 degree turn and just walk off the path, don't go deep enough to get lost, just enough to hear if the unicorn is following us or not. If she isn't, the sound should get fainter and fainter as she walks down the path. Try not to move closer to the light.

>>32889716
A strange light in the everfree forest? The only thing that comes to mind is Snips and Snails... but it's probably not them. Better avoid it.

>>32889748
>>32889767
>>32889781
>To your left is a sheer dropoff into the bog. To the right are a few bushes and a concave embankment.
>Not too many choices for alternate paths
You continue down the road toward the light ahead. You try to think of some other path to take.

Sweetie whispers. "R-Raisin... there's another light."

"There's another light there, Raisin." Scootaloo tries not to sound nervous. You can feel their hooves locking up.

>>32889815
How many lights are there? Let's go to the right so we are no longer on the path.

Get Hayseed out.

>>32889815

Stop walking. If the other pony stops too, then it's a trap and should probably take more drastic action.

>>32889833
INFO MODE: There is one light ahead and one light behind the group.

>>32889840
Make sure we aren't looking at the light, and tell the others to not look at the light either. We don't want to get caught by a will o' the wisp.

Alright, so... at current, we have one vote for 'get into the bushes, hold my lovely doll', one for 'Stop Walking', and another for simply not looking into the light, but continue to walk.

What do you guys really want Raisin to do?

>>32889909

Stop walking, don't look into the light *tell the others this too) and ready Hayseed in case we feel our mind going. Going into the bushes would be pointless since the unicorn already knows we're here/

geez. we really need to rethink our strategy here

>>32889909
Can we use Info Mode to get info on the lights? Do they look like Unicorn horns, torches, or something else?

I vote for getting off the path, holding Hayseed, and breaking eye contact with the lights.

>>32889942

I guess this seems most reasonable. Pray that we don't get captured for not running.

>>32889942
But whatever is responsible for the light ahead of us might not know we are here.

>>32889909
Stop walking, take off you boots and fill them with yucky bog water.

>>32889948

What do you suppose we do? We're cornered, we need the cover of night to gather materials from Sally's little lab, we would probably get eaten by a monster on the other path. There is no right decision.

>>32889959

If they're both brainwashed then it really doesn't matter.