Without further ado, let us continue from where we last left off.
Raisin catches her breath after nearly being crushed to death by Snakeoil Sally for having discovered and stolen a cursed box from her treasure hoard. Scootaloo slowly peeks out of the tree as the griffin takes her leave. “You know what? Fine. Take it. I’m not going to get killed over some dumb little kid that can’t listen to her superiors.” The griffin speaks with a certain tone of concern as she meshes into gaggle of ponies running about the market square.
Scootaloo and Raisin have just successfully attained a mysterious Golden Box from Sally’s treasure hoard, an item that Raisin was nearly killed for twice. Scootaloo glides down from the tree branches, carrying a load of golden treasure down with her. “Raisin… why did you want this box so badly?” She picks it up in her hooves. “I mean… it looks valuable, but… didn’t that featherduster say this thing was trouble?”
You, the questers, are now in control of Raisin’s fate. Choose wisely, adventure well, and survive. Good luck!
>>33529969 Tell her that we think King Tezel is so upset about losing his treasures because one of them can hurt him. We have a good feeling about this box.
Examine the treasure she has, does anything stand out?
>>33529742 GAME INFO: Just for the sake of sating a curiosity, I had several alternative paths planned for some of the actions you've taken. I offered a few alternate ways of attaining story critical information, but so far, you've missed nothing that would otherwise result in a guaranteed bad end.
>>33530058 GAME INFO: Hayseed has received a shoulder injury. Raisin feels absolutely terrible about it, making her unable to focus on her cherished, loving memories.
>>33530231 GAME INFO: The treasure box is currently at your hooves. It's red gemstone top glitters brilliantly.
>>33530162 Looking around the tree for a quick peek, you can see the Treasure Seeker still engaged in a conversation with a rather annoyed guard.
>>33530136 >>33530052 >>33530212 >>33530232 You tell Scootaloo that you're sure the box will be of help specifically because it means trouble. If King Tezel is desperately trying to find it, it very well could be the key to his undoing.
"Okay... I guess that makes sense..." She tilts her head, giving you a suspicious look.
Quickly, you look over her treasure to see if there's anything interesting that she's picked up. A lot of the treasure is poking out of her bags. To say the least, it makes the two of you look rather conspicuous.
"Scoots, we can't take that stuff with us."
"What? Why?" Scootaloo looks thoroughly displeased. You tell her that Sally will come back and wring both of your necks if she catches the two of you stealing anything else. You remind her of how close you came to dying just now. Reluctantly, she empties the back out of the trunk of the tree.
You wrap the small Golden Box up in your cape, then stuff it into the now empty saddlebag.
You take one last look around the tree before heading off. Scootaloo whimpers over the pile of abandoned treasure one last time before catching up to you.
You decide not to bring the Treasure Hunter with you this time. You figure she's more trouble than she's worth.
You push your way through the market square and towards Sugarcube Corner. You see Sweetie still singing to the fillies, but she looks a bit tuckered out. She nods when she sees you and Scootaloo.
"Have you been singing that annoying song this ENTIRE time?" Scootaloo looks her over. Sweetie Belle nods with an exhausted expression. "I can take over, hold on..." Scootaloo clears her throat. You dart over and cover her mouth, telling her to stay on the lookout for any suspicious ponies.
>>33530819 Tell Sweetie Belle to go inside and ask for some of that grape jelly and that we will take over singing for now. Start singing once she goes inside.
>>33530903 >>33530916 >>33531044 You tell Sweetie that she can take a break from singing for the moment. "Don't worry, I got this. Go inside and fetch us some of that jelly."
She lets out a sigh. "Phew, thank goodness. I don't know how much longer I could keep singing that song over and over and over..." She shakes her head before turning around and heading into the bakery.
You breathe in deep, noticing that your sides are quite tender from being squeezed so tightly just a little while ago. You cough a bit before starting to try and sing. Unfortunately, as you try to carry the melody, you cough every few seconds. The fillies and Rarity seem to be snapping out of their trance.
Send Scootaloo inside to make sure Sweetie doesn't dawdle.
Also, none of us have any money, right? I was thinking we could get some candy canes so eat just in case it was the thing to counteract the elixir instead of the grape jelly.
>>33531166 GAME INFO: You are not coughing up blood. Your sides hurt as you breathe.
>>33531238 GAME INFO: Hayseed is still diligently holding onto a pair of hairy Peppermint Candy Canes.
>>33531166 >>33531223 You stop trying to sing and, instead, start to hum. Scootaloo comes up beside you, humming along. She keeps key with you decently. The fillies snap back into attention, listening to your song.
You hear a rush of air come up from behind you. "Hiya~!" Pinkie gives you a noogie, then stares at your audience. She falls silent, but zigzags through the group. "Whatcha singing? Is it a new song? Are there any lyrics? Can I sing too?" She bounces about, intrigued by the odd group you've assembled. "OH! Hi Rarity! Are you singing along... too...?" She waves her hoof around in front of her face. Rarity snaps out of her trance. "Wha... what's going on? Pinkie?" Her eyes refocus, but she quickly slips back into a trance. Pinkie continues to ask her questions.
Sweetie Belle is still inside, probably getting that jelly from Mrs. Cake. You continue humming, hoping that Pinkie's voice doesn't overpower your humming.
>>33531500 Ask Pinkie Pie if she wants to come help us defeat an ancient evil and save Twilight Sparkle. Tell her that Sweetie Belle will teach her the song when she gets out with some of the new jelly.
Tell Pinkie that she can sing along, but she has to be quiet and listen for a while. She has a good voice, so if we can just get her to think it's a game, she'll sing too.
>>33531743 Ask Pinkie to join us in our quest to save Twilight Sparkle and get to to sing/hum along with us. Ask Scootaloo to go inside and see why it's taking Sweetie Belle so long to get some grape jelly.
>>33531817 >>33531858 >>33531893 You tap Scootaloo, letting her know to continue humming. "Sure! You can sing along. Do you know the melody?"
Pinkie bobs her head along to Scootaloo's humming for a moment, then joins in. You begin to hum again. Pinkie keeps pace for a few moments, but then starts humming the tune to a much more upbeat tempo. As she bounces around the group humming the song at an increasing beat, you see the fillies start to lose their interest in the song. Quickly, you try to stop Pinkie.
"Pinkie! Hey, uh... would you like to help us defeat an ancient evil being out in a sand castle and rescue Twilight?"
Pinkie gasps. "Oh! I'd love to!" She zips around behind you. "But I already promised that I was going to help Mrs. Cake with baking tod-" Suddenly, the bakery door opens up. Mrs. Cake pops out.
"Oh, no! It's quite alright! Please, girls, you all go and have some fun!" She looks a bit nervous. Sweetie Belle pushes her way out with a lollipop in her mouth and a jar of jelly in her saddlebags.
"You were getting candy?" Scootaloo scoffs. "Oh, come on... we were waiting like forever."
"Sorry..." She shrugs.
"Oh! C'mon! Let's go and save Twilight from the evil sand castle!" Pinkie rears back. "Lead the way, Captain Raisin!"
Sounds good. Fluttershy's house, then Sweet Apple Acres. I had a feeling that the longer we try to control the derpicorns, the more likely something bad's gonna happen.
>>33532385 That would probably be a good idea. She's our only lead on pretty much anything right now, so we should bolt over to her place. Maybe we can even get her to examine the sand stuff too.
but the bomb is at sweet apple acres, isn't it? if we were to grab it last, that would mean going to SAA to get apple bloom, fluttershy's cottage to drop off the fillies, zecora's hut to drop off any relevant ingredients and investigate the golden box, all the way back to SAA to get the explosives, and then all the way back to the everfree forest to find the castle
and frankly we just don't have the time for all that
>>33532334 GAME INFO: You have 10 derped out little fillies in your group and one derped out Rarity.
>>33532272 >>33532334 >>33532336 You lead the group of humming ponies around the market square and start trotting off toward Fluttershy's house. As you continue down the road, Pinkie trots up to you with a confused look on her face. "Waitaminute... there's no sand castles out by Fluttershy's house... heck, there's not even a sandbox out this way or wait, maybe there is if she built one pretty recently but then if she did she probably would've invited me over to play with her..." Pinkie continues chatterting as you try to concentrate on humming the melody.
As you approach the cottage, Pinkie darts up ahead. She startles the pegasus just as she's spreading some feed out for her chickens. "You startled me..." Fluttershy looks shaken.
"Hey, Fluttershy! Can you look after this group of unicorn fillies for a while?" You shout up to her, coughing immediately afterwards.
Pinkie darts back. "How can we invade the sand castle without an army, Captain? We've gotta have soldiers to storm the castle, right?"
we've seen the treasure seeker on the road from zecora's hut into town. I think she's going directly to and from the castle, which would place it somewhere beyond zecora's hut
>>33532624 Tell Pinkie that the king of the castle doesn't like children and he might try to hurt them if he sees them. Tell Fluttershy that's why she needs to watch the fillies for us. Tell her that the song keeps them calm and ask if she can sing it for them, or at least keep them inside, until we get back.
>>33532708 >>33532719 >>33532800 You tell Pinkie that the King of the Castle in the Sand does not like children, so Fluttershy will need to watch over them while the 4 of you go to take care of the king. Pinkie looks ever more confused. "But... wait, so... what do they get to do for fun while we storm the castle?" She looks you over. "I thought it was 'the more the merrier'!"
Scootaloo chimes in. "Pinkie... we're going to an actual castle to fight an actual evil king." She looks at her seriously. "We're not playing around. We've gotta save Equestria." Sweetie Belle nods in agreement, continuing to sing. She cracks a note every once in a while.
"Sooooo..." Pinkie looks around. "You're fighting a REAL evil superbad guy in a real superbad guy evil fortress and we're not going to be playing a super fun game of storming sand castles?"
"Yep." You nod.
"Oh." Pinkie seems to be on the same page as you now.
"Fluttershy, we really need you to help watch over these fillies while we sort this out." You approach the apprehensive yellow pegasus with full, shiny eyes. "Pleeeeeease?"
Scootaloo follows you up close behind as well as Pinkie, all three of you giving her the same sad eyes. She almost immediately caves in. "Well..."
"Good! Alright, Sweetie will teach you the song you have to sing in order to keep them all from going insane. Just keep singing it and everything will be fine."
"W...Wh..." Before Fluttershy can retort, Sweetie leads the fillies into her hut. Fluttershy is a bit dazed from the sudden invasion.
"All right! We'll be back!" You wave to Fluttershy as she flaps her wings outside of her house, still a bit confused as to what just happened. Sweetie tags along quickly. "You think she'll be alright?"
"Don't worry! Fluttershy is grrrrrreat with kids!" Pinkie assures her.
>>33532813 I laughed my ass off at this. Thank you, Anon.
Alright, so, once Fluttershy knows the tune, let's head to Applebloom's place and see if she'd well enough to come along. Hopefully she's feeling better with some bedrest.
That, or she decided to take more potion and is a bit addicted to it.
>>
RAISIN QUEST 3: THE EPIC JOURNEY CONTINUES AGAINFaceIessJr!derpv/fTOE 01/22/12(Sun)22:27 No.33533253
Questers, continue along. I hope you guys can keep up the pace.
>>33533248 >>33533286 You lead the gang towards Sweet Apple Acres. Shaking your head to try and stay awake, you eventually approach the familiar orchards where you've spent countless days questing with your friends. Scootaloo yawns. "Well, we're at Applebloom's." Pinkie continues to chatter with Sweetie Belle about different kinds of candy. Sweetie Belle just finishes her lollipop as you make your way over the hill.
As you get a bit closer, you see Big Mac hauling an apple wagon around. He acknowledges you with a nod.
Ask about Applebloom. Also, try to hold out for as long as we can. I'd rather we try to hole out until we get to Zecroa's hut to drink the elixir. We might be wrong about the grape jam and we don't want to crash later.
Yeah, tell Pinkie to give us a slap on the flank if we start falling asleep. Also inform her that Sweetie Belle is NOT to have a drop of elixir, no matter what.
"Eeeeyup." He continues hauling the apple cart towards the barn. Out of your peripheral vision, you see Scootaloo already up to the front door of the house. She pulls off a small note.
"Hey, Raisin... there's a note." She brings it over to you. Pinkie hops about. "Oooh! Oooh! What's it say? What's it say?"
Quickly glancing over the text, you see that Applejack has apparently left a note stating that she's going to be waving a pitchfork at Sally today in the town square.
"Well... probably not, what with all the guards around today." Scootaloo shrugs.
"Let's go see how Applebloom's doing!" Sweetie Belle leads the way into the house. As you enter, you see Granny Smith conked out in her favorite rocking chair. Your group slinks on passed as to not disturb the old pony. As you make your way upstairs, you see that Applebloom's door is open. She's messing with something on her dresser, but she's wearing her cape and everything.
"Going somewhere, AB?" Scootaloo announces.
"Guys!" She runs over to regroup with the rest of the CMC. "I was wondering when y'all would come on over." She adjusts her cape. "I was gonna go an see what was up with that no-good griffin in town."
>>33533849 Tell her that we found out that the gryphon is working for an evil pony made out of stone who is named King Tezel. He caught the gryphon breaking into his castle and said he would kill her dulness she started making potions that would mind control unicorns into becoming his soldiers and slaves. Right now we are here to pick up her and that satchel she made for us just in case we have to blow up king Tezel. If Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle ask where we learned this we can just tell them Sally told us while she had us up in the air.
"Yeah, we fixed that. Managed to swipe some stuff off her in the process."
Show her our stuff and tell her to grab anything she thinks might be useful, like rope or something. Also, ask everyone their opinion on whether we should carry the bomb satchel or not.
>>33534040 >>33534017 >>33534145 >>33534096 "We've got bigger fish to fry than Sally." You inform her that some ancient evil king has been brainwashing unicorns into soldiers and slaves. You plan on taking him out.
"Wait... what?" Pinkie looks about, confused. "When did that happen? Sorry, I wasn't here for the beginning of the quest." You and the CMC look at her funny. Scootaloo looks at you as well. "Hey, she has a point... where did you get all that?" You quickly explain that you learned all of this while Sally was tossing you around up in the air a few hours ago. Pinkie gasps.
"Alright, let's go get this... King guy, then. Just lemme grab my things quick..." Applebloom darts over to her saddlebags and straps them on.
As you make your way back outside, you ask if the group should bring the bomb satchel along. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle immediately protest. "NO. WAY."
Applebloom kind of likes the idea while Pinkie has no clue what you're talking about.
>fluffy pony sees basket ball >enjoys bright orange colors >bounces it >smiles delightfully >keeps bouncing with reckless abandon >eventually bounces too high >fluffy pony looks up as it comes down right on fluffy pony >fluffy pony hit by ball and goes flying >fluffy pony hits wall and bounces off >bounces into other fluffy pony >bouncing ponies cause all fluffy ponies in room to start bouncing around. >Later... >enter room, dead fluffy ponies still bouncing around >one fluffy pony found drowned in Gatorade cooler.
>>33534301 Tell them we are going to take the satchel with us, but stay away from them in case it goes off. Give Applebloom the box and tell her we should have Zecora take a look at it because we think it may help us defeat King Tezel.
You decide that taking the explosives with you would give you some very flexible options when having to deal with King Tezel.
"Well, do whatever you want, Raisin..." Scootaloo looks at you hesitantly. "Just keep your distance. I don't want to become a pile of burnt ponyfeathers."
"Me too. I don't think it's a good idea..." Sweetie Belle looks concerned.
"I think we should take it. Let's blow that castle to pieces!" Applebloom looks excited. "Let's go get it!"
>>33534526 You ask Applebloom if you could borrow a small cart to haul the explosive in. "Well... I think we could borrow one of the apple carts..." She looks them over, realizing they're much too big for any of the CMC. She looks over to Pinkie. "Pinkie could pull it."
She looks slightly nervous. "Uh... wait, were we just talking about hauling a bomb around?" She doesn't seem to thrilled about this idea.
You run out back and grab the satchel out from under the rock. It's still dry and cool. Applebloom scowls. "Wait.. you hid that stuff in my secret stash!?"
>>33534849 >>33534851 There's no point in Raisin surviving if one of them dies. Pinkie can hook herself up to the cart and pull the others around, but we have to walk.
>>33534819 >>33534836 >>33534849 >>33535035 You apologize to Applebloom, saying you wanted to get rid of the dangerous concoction but still know where it'd be if you needed it later. You tell her you'll make it up to her sometime. "Just as long as you didn't... peep through anything..." Applebloom keeps her distance as you carry the small satchel over to the barn.
Quickly, you regroup to organize yourselves. You set the explosive powder down inside of an empty apple cart. You tell Pinkie to trust you on this one; the cart should contain most of the blast and keep everyone safe. She looks a bit jittery, partially from the elixir but mostly from nerves. She nods. "O..Okay... le-let's do this..." She straps into the cart.
You pull out the Golden Box from Scootaloo's inventory. "Alright, I think this is the key to stopping that king guy." You yawn as you formulate your plan. "All we need to do is... something with it... at the castle... then Tezel will be history." The others catch your yawn.
"How does it work?" Sweetie Belle picks it up, examining it. "It's very pretty..."
You say that the Castle is probably through the woods passed Zecora's house. The next stop is the Everfree Forest. Pinkie puffs out her chest. "Lead the way, el Capitan!" The others begin to follow your lead.
As you travel down the road back towards Fluttershy's, you see the yellow Pegasus darting around outside, looking all over the place.
>>33535206 I could have sworn the consensuses was for us to carry the explosives while Pinkie carried the others in her cart.
Tell them to continue on to Zecora's while we go see what has Fluttershy so worried. Warn Pinkie to unhook herself from the cart once she get within sight of Zecora's hut, just in case.
Alright, send Pinkie packing. We can't waste any more time and I doubt she's supposed to be with us anyway. Tell her to find the kids and we'll be at Zecora's if she can catch up. Also, if the song doesn't work, try lowering the tempo a bit.
Also, it might be a good idea for us to take a swig of the elixir, along with Scootaloo. There are two candy canes on Hayseed, right? Eat one each, a bit of jelly too, and then take a drink the crack juice.
>>33535339 >>33535396 >>33535418 You take a slight detour to go see what Fluttershy is so worked up over. You can hear her singing the melody Sweetie taught her a little faster and quite loudly. From the cottage, you can hear Rarity mumbling a bit while the fillies bombard her with the same question over and over again.
"Where did you go?!" Fluttershy panics. You approach her, asking her what happened.
"One of the fillies got away! She must have not of been able to hear me singing.. and before I knew it, she was gone!" Fluttershy is on the verge of tears. "She's gotta be around here somewhere!"
Scootaloo looks about. "All she had to do was sing. Jeez." She yawns, her head dipping down before snapping back up. "Whew... to Zecora's, right?"
Pinkie looks over the CMC. "You guys don't look so hot... when's the last time you took a nap?"
>>33535600 Tell her not to worry and that we will find the filly. Tell her to watch the others carefully and ask if she can get Rarity outside so she can come with us.
Tell Fluttershy that we'll find the filly, but she has to make sure that none of the others escape. Tell her to lock all the doors and windows, just to be sure.
Eat a candy cane, some jelly, and then the elixir. Tell Scootaloo to do the same.
Tell Fluttershy that we'll find the filly, but she has to make sure that none of the others escape. Tell her to lock all the doors and windows, just to be sure.
Eat a candy cane, some jelly, and then the elixir. Tell Scootaloo to do the same.
I think this is okay. As long as we move at a good pace, we should be able to reach the castle before the kid does. They have stumpy little legs and just kind of wander in the direction of the castle, so it should take them a while.
>>33535925 We have put a bomb in a cart that is hooked to Pinkie for some reason. Fluttershy has lost one of the filly's she was supposed to watch and more are about to escape.
>The early mid-afternoon sun bathes the land in warm, bright summer light >>33535688 >>33535766 >>33535704 >>33535735 >>33535834 >>33535842 You look toward the cottage, watching as Rarity starts making her way out with the small crowd of fillies. Fluttershy's singing immediately puts them into a trance.
"Fluttershy, we'll go find the other filly. We're gonna take Rarity with us; you make sure the other fillies stay put. Got it?"
Fluttershy gives you a calm, quiet "Okay". She heads toward the house, singing to the entranced group. Sweetie Belle goes up to grab onto her sister and drag her away. As Fluttershy goes inside, you reach into Scoots bags and withdraw her Snakeoil Sally Miracle Elixir. You pull out Hayseed and snap the fuzzy candy canes off her hooves, handing one to Scoots. "Blech! No way I'm eating that! It's already been in your mouth and now it's all... gross!" She pushes the offer away.
You instead offer her some jelly. She seems disgusted by this as well. Not wanting to fall asleep yourself, you down half of the elixir and the fuzzy candy canes. Instantly, your energy returns. You feel like you've got a full week of sleep and enough energy to kick a tree in half.
With everything feeling incredible again, you briskly lead the group into the ominous forest.
>>3356058 Hey Jr. Looking back there only seem to be one or two posts say to put the bomb in Pinkie's cart. All the posts about the bomb or the cart are saying we should hold it while Pinkie pulls the cart.
>>33536129 GAME INFO: If you'd like, you can instruct Pinkie to exchange the bomb in her cart with the CMC while you carry the bomb on yourself. A simple exchange... just give the word through vote.
>>33536247 >>33536294 >>33536341 Because Scootaloo is refusing to drink some of the elixir and you forbade Sweetie Belle to touch it, you decide to stop the team for a moment. "What's up?" Pinkie looks at you as you approach the cart.
You pick up the satchel, carrying it in your mouth as your saddlebags are currently full. You point at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, then at the cart. "What? But... if you carry the bomb and it goes off..." Sweetie Belle looks worried. You assure her that you'll be fine; the two of them are in serious need of some sleep.
Applebloom walks up next to you. "Yer not gonna wanna hold that in yer mouth the whole time... is there anything ya want me to carry for ya?" She's hesitant to get anywhere near the small explosive bag.
Just give her the rocks then. Swap out stuff so the bag is in the pouch Hayseed is in. With luck, she might just absorb some on the blast if it goes off. Maybe not a lot, but maybe just enough to leave just with broken ribs and legs instead of killing us.
>>33536926 Ask Pinkie Pie and Applebloom what they have with them. Ask Pinkie Pie to sing the song we taught her as loud as she can to try and attract the missing filly.
I still think the stompstarter is the best option. if we're going to be carrying volatile explosives on us, we probably shouldn't also be carrying an igniter
>>33537277 If Scootaloo already has the box then we don't need to give anyone anything. Just make sure we stay away from everyone else and that the bomb and the stomp starter aren't kept together.
>>33537295 Sweetie Belle: CMC Cape, 2 Slingshots, 2 Marshmallows (There was something earlier with an exchange of slingshots, but I think that happened on one of the nights were 4chan derped up)
>>33537318 >>33537353 >>33537388 You pluck your Stompstarter out of your saddlebags and hand it to Applebloom. "Wow... where'd ya get this? It looks brand new!"
You tell her that your dad bought if for you. You promised to only use it to start up campfires.
"Your dad is awesome." Applebloom takes the shiny red Stompstarter and bags it. You carefully set the satchel down inside of your saddlebags, fastening the carrying pouch tightly. You don't want the bomb to bounce around at all.
"Alright! Let's move out, then." You begin leading the way once again. Rarity seems to like traveling this direction. She keeps pace with you. "Raisin... sweetie, please, stop singing that song..." Her eyes are pointing in different directions.
Zecora's hut is in the distance. The forest seems to get darker beyond it.
>>33537570 Carefully take off our saddlebags and leave them far enough away from the hut so that we won't get hurt if they go off while we are inside. Ask Pinkie Pie if she can stay outside and away from the bomb, and sing as loud as she can to try and attract the filly that got away from Fluttershy. Go inside with everyone else and have Scootaloo show Zecora the box.
Let's leave the explosive ouch in a bush or something so we don't risk blowing Zecora's house up. We can ask her about the explosive and see if she can stabilize it.
>>33537623 >>33537740 >>33537780 You start making your way closer to the hut. Everything seems to be alright, though you cannot see the Zebra stirring within. Rarity parks up next to you. "Shhh... I'm trying to listen inside..." She presses her ear up against the glass. "Just for a second, please..."
>>33537637 >>33537818 Tired of Rarity's blaming you for the song she's hearing in her head, you decide that she's probably quite hungry from her endless ranting and meandering around. You fetch the jelly jar from the Sweetie quick, then unscrew the lid.
"Eat up, fatty."
You jam a glob of the peppermint grape jelly into her mouth. She spittles it about before stamping her hooves. "Why you LITTLE-" She vents a little steam, then calms down. You can hear her gritting her teeth. "Calm down, Rarity... she's just a dumb, stupid, obnoxious little bossy filly..." She talks through her teeth.
Applebloom snickers, then goes up to the door and knocks.
"Zecora! Zecora, are you in there?" She raps at the door for a reply. While she tries to get her attention, you turn to Pinkie Pie, setting down your saddlebags in a nearby bush.
"Stay out here. Try to see if you can call for that lost filly." You hum the melody. "Just sing nice and loud, k?"
"Yoooooou got it, boss lady!" Pinkie Pie starts singing the catchy melody aloud. You turn back to the house, seeing Rarity bobbing her head to Pinkie song. She wanders over to the cart, a little line of jelly dribbling from her chin.
>>33538074 Press your ear up against the door before going inside. Don't go in if we hear something suspicious. Tell Sweetie Belle to stay with Rarity and make sure she doesn't wander to close to the bomb.
>>33538204 >>33538191 >>33538143 You decide to knock on the door with Applebloom. You hear some rustling about from within. A very groggy zebra comes to answer the door. Her mane is ruffled and it looks like she was sleeping on the floor.
She welcomes you to her hut, then tells you she was unable to figure out what was inside the elixir. You let her know that you've got the components of the elixir, including a magic dust. You pull out the Vial of Glittering Sand. Her eyes perk open and she invites you inside along with Applebloom.
197
Let's pray that the next thread dies in time for us to move.
>>33538397 As you enter the hut, you catch the distinct smell of burnt lemons lingering in the air. Zecora takes your vial, then shakes the sand up and down, putting her ear up to the glass.
She tells you that this is called Siren Sand. It's used to control magic creatures and get them to respond to a special kind of music... whatever the potion maker binds it to. It lures the enchanted creature to the source, usually a music box.
>mention the box I'll continue with this response in the next thread. Don't want to 404.
>Mention the Golden Box You mention that you found a Golden Box that some crazy pony was nearly ready to kill you over. You think it has something to do with that Tezel pony you mentioned the other day.
Zecora nods, saying that you may very well be correct. Tezel knew his fair share of magic. She wouldn't put it past him to have figured out how to make Siren Sand... but the box baffles her. She asks if you've tried to open it yet.
The box, currently, is in a sleeping orange pegasus' saddlebags.
>>33538919 >>33538931 You tell Zecora that you didn't try to open the box yet, but you could go grab it quick and have her look it over. She says she'll take a look at it.
Quickly, you run outside. Pinkie is still blaring her song. She stops for a quick second. "HIRAISIN!" You peel around to the back of the cart. Scootaloo's snores in your face.
>>33539112 >>33539131 You boop the pegasus on the nose. She scrunches her nose up, then goes back to snoring. You boop her again. Her eyes slowly open up as she yawns. "Raisin... hey." You tell her you need the Golden Box. She reaches into her bags and hands you the Golden Box. "That... all?" Her eyelids slowly close. You tell her that you're good for now. She peacefully returns to slumber, despite Pinkie's loud singing.
You run back toward the hut and show the box to Zecora. She picks it up, looking it over. She says that she's never seen something like this before. She gives it a little shake, noticing that something seems to rattle about inside.
>>33539437 GAME INFO: Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Rarity are all a good distance away from the bush you dumped your bomb into. The bush is a few yards from Zecora's Hut.
>>33539437 >>33539456 >>33539487 You stop Zecora from shaking the box. "Maybe we shouldn't open it yet. Sally mentioned a curse..." Zecora looks over the box again, saying that she's not sure. She doesn't know why Tezel would want it so badly beyond it's value in gold.
She tells you that it's a gamble. You may be cursed, you may not be cursed. If Tezel really wants it back, it might have some sort of magical protection on it. Again, she doesn't know.
Seeing the sand, she warns you that Tezel is a very powerful opponent. Given the fact that he is made from magical forces, only something magical can defeat him. This box could be key, but without opening it, she has no idea how it could be.
"...I'm completely lost." Applebloom looks back and forth between you and Zecora.
>Raisin catches her breath after nearly being crushed to death by Snakeoil Sally for having discovered and stolen a cursed box from her treasure hoard >a cursed box
>>33539820 >>33539874 You tell Zecora that you'll take a gamble and attempt open the box. Applebloom looks at you with caution. "Are ya sure? What if ya get cursed?"
You say that you've got to take a chance, especially if this is the only way to destroy Tezel. Closing your eyes, you take the box from Zecora. "Stand back..." Carefully, you start prying at what you believe to be the lid. You feel the box resisting your pull.
Suddenly, it opens. With your eyes closed, you can still see a bright light flood the room. An overwhelming voice reverberates against your body. "CONTROL"
You feel your body becoming weak. Applebloom is screaming, though it's hard to hear her over the sound coming from the box.
>>33540113 >>33540166 You press your hooves together, attempting to contain the terrible power that emanates from the little Golden Box you opened up. It resists your push, forcing itself open.
You give the box every last ounce of your strength. Pushing and pushing against it, you keep your eyes tightly closed. You feel a numbness crawling over your body. In sheer desperation, you muster the last of your small earth pony strength to get that lid to seal.
Suddenly, the box slams shut. The lingering voice of echoes 'control' as you fall to the floor, barely conscious. Your vision drifts about. You hear Applebloom's voice; it sounds like a distant echo. You lose consciousness.
When you awaken, you see that the evening sun is pouring into the window. Zecora is standing over you with a large leaf, fanning your face. You feel tingly all over.
"She's alive! She's alive!!" Scootaloo shouts as she gives you a big hug. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle gather around, welcoming you back into the world.
Zecora tells you that you went unconscious for a few hours. That box is clearly a dangerous, magical object. Who knows what would have happened had you looked inside...
"Oh! And your bomb didn't explode either!" Pinkie bounces into the hut. Rarity is off to the side, still looking about confusedly.
Yes, get down to business. Leave about half of the jelly with Zecora to experiment with it, take the other half and let Rarity lead us to the mountains.
Well fuck. Newest thread's been deleted, looks like shit might be going down again.
Anyways, do what the last few anons say, and also ask Zecora if she saw what happened to us when we opened the box i.e. the bright light and all that shit.
>>33540696 >>33540575 >>33540701 >>33540720 >>33540762 You ask Zecora what she saw and if she was able to see what was inside the box. She says that your body became as bright as day, emanating a brilliant, nearly blinding light. You weren't moving or responding to anything they said. Your back was turned toward them, so they couldn't see into the box. Zecora says looking into it could be what curses you... though holding it while it's open could also be a problem.
You hug your friends back, then tell them that you've got to get moving. Who knows what will happen if you waste too much time. Leaving a small sample of the grape jelly behind, you tell Zecora that it seems to make the elixir safe to drink. She nods.
You and your thankful team head into the slightly darker woods. Pinkie saddles up to the wagon and lets most of the CMC hop on board. "All right... lead the way, Raisin." Applebloom decides to stay up near you. "If you feel weak or anything, you jus' let me know."
>Pick up your saddlebags >Ask about stabilizing the bomb >Continue along, having Applebloom keep an eye on you >Make Rarity lead the way to the mountains
>>33541246 Dart back in and quickly ask Zecora if she knows how to stablize Applebloom's explosives or if she has anything of equal power. After we get our answer or some replacement explosives go outside and carefully put our saddlebags back on then have Rarity lead the way.
>>33541343 >>33541322 You quickly bound over to your saddlebags and carefully put them back on, making sure to not disturb the pouch with the bomb in it. After you put it on, you make sure that the Golden Box is in your possession.
"Got it..." Scootaloo reluctantly shouts out. "The Light Weapon Thing is safe and sound..."
>>33541349 >>33541453 You decide to test a curiosity. You close your eyes to see if you can hear anything... different. As you keep your eyes closed, you feel a calm wave of peace wash over you. Nothing seems to have changed, though.
You let Rarity lead the way. She gives you a sour look. "Little miss bossy finally decide to let the... adults... take..." She shakes her head. "Where is that coming from?" The unicorn slowly wanders deeper into the forest. The others follow you close behind.
It's a bit harder to see. Your stomach is in knots worrying about bumping into any other creatures.
>>33541697 >>33541608 >You close your eyes to see if you can hear anything... different. As you keep your eyes closed, you feel a calm wave of peace wash over you.
Hmm. Hug the box? Continue onwards and ask Pinkie Pie to keep an ear out for monsters.
>>33541738 >>33541853 You nuzzle up against Applebloom's mane, trying to calm yourself down. She looks about for a moment, then nuzzles you back. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah... I'm just... the forest is really scary at night."
You make sure that everyone stays pretty close together. The warmth of your friend helps you to relax a little. You remember that Hayseed is in your bag; though injured, her being with you greatly improves your confidence.
>>33542018 >>33542037 >>33542096 >>33542181 You hold up your hoof, letting the others know that you've got a bad feeling. Rarity continues on ahead. "Rarity! Get back here!" Applebloom shouts ahead. Sweetie Belle jumps off of the cart. "Hold on, I'll go get her."
Pinkie has a wave of goosebumps run up her body. She jumps up and spins her head to the right. "W..W..who's there?!" She calls out into the forest. Off in the distance, a pair of red eyes hang in the air. They seem to slowly draw near.
Scootaloo peeks over the side of the wagon. "Raisin... RAISIN! IT'S A COCKATRICE!" She yells ahead. You tell everyone to look away from it.
Out of the corner of your eye, you see a small blue light hovering in the distance.
>>33542361 GAME INFO: Rarity ran straight forward down the forest trail. Sweetie Belle followed her. The Cockatrice eyes are on the right of the trail. The blue light is on the left of the trail.
>>33542362 >Try to trick the blue light into attacking the Cockatrice, playing off the hunch that the light is the Treasure Hunter Fanatic >Throw the Golden Box at the Cockatrice >Sing the song to try an attract Rarity back, make her attack the Cockatrice >Blast the Cockatrice with some of your Siren Powder
Toss the siren powder at the cockatrice and pray that it leaves us alone. I know the potion took a few hours to corrupt rarity's mind, but maybe inhaling the stuff will make it work faster.
>>33542612 The powder idea could work. We have delt with cockatrices before so hopefully JR will let us use our experience to know its tricks and tactics so we can keep the upper hoof.
Once we blast it in the face with the powder start singing the song and tell it to close its eyes and keep them closed.
>>33542679 >>33542681 >>33542702 You ask Applebloom if they've got any more of that Siren Sand with them. She nods. "Zecora gave it to Scootaloo..."
Scootaloo jumps out of the cart and lands by your side, dropping the small vial on the ground before jumping away. She still seems a bit nervous about your explosives.
Picking up the small vial, you give it a healthy toss toward the pair of red eyes. With a distinct shatter of the crystal glass, you see the sand glitter brilliantly in the air. Suddenly, the Cockatrice's eyes narrow down. It seems like it's dizzy. Within a few moments it looks off to the west, but stands in place.
"...is it...?" Pinkie looks toward the confused creature in the distance. Suddenly, it seems to disappear from sight. The red eyes are gone.
Now that I think about it, we can use this to our advantage. Maybe if we sing it the melody, we can grab the face and use it as a weapon against crazed unicorns. I'm sure there are cures for petrification.
Sorry, I just watched Clash of the Titans last night, so my mind
You press onwards, attempting to catch up with Sweetie Belle and Rarity on down the path. You walk briskly, but take care not to bounce. The satchel on your back is already feeling a bit warmer just from your current pace of walking.
Pinkie keeps pace, towing Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle in the apple cart. She huffs and puffs a bit. "They... couldn't... have... gone far..." She gasps.
Eventually, you see Sweetie Belle and Rarity form in the distance. They're very close to the outside edge of the Everfree Forest.
>>33542918 >>33542936 Looking back, you see a strange blue light hovering in the distance. Sweetie Belle notices it as well. "Um... Raisin? Are we being followed?"
Holy shit, this is brilliant. If we see the cockatrice again, I propose putting a bag over its head and pulling it off when confronted. Of course, IF it'll let us.
Let's take a small break to catch our breath and make sure the powder cools. Let's hope we'll be able to see who the light belongs to as it passes us by.
If the light starts to move away from us, I say we temporarily put our bags on the ground and just move close enough to see who it is, then regroup and continue.
>>33543101 >>33543107 You tell Scootaloo that you think the blue light is that unicorn from the previous night. She shivers. "That creepy one that was following us on the path?" You nod.
Seeing Sweetie Belle and Rarity nearby, you slow your pace to let the explosive powder in your saddlebags cool. You keep your eyes peeled, watching as Rarity continues walking toward the nearby mountain range.
The blue light behind you is drawing closer. Pinkie is slightly frightened. "Who is th-that?! I-i-isss that a... g-g--g-ghost?!" She shakes in fear.
>The evening sun begins to settle on the horizon >>33543251 >>33543272 >>33543274 You allow the light to approach. As it draws near, you can hear it chanting to a familiar melody. You can clearly make out the words "Have you ever been to the Castle in the Sand?"
You're rather positive that this is the same unicorn that you bumped into just last night. You start to sing the song you learned from Sally's stage. Scootaloo, Pinkie Pie, and Applebloom join in. Pinkie looks a little confused, but sings along anyways. The light begins to sway back and forth. You can hear something approach from the front of the cart as well.
>>33543437 Tell the others that the cockatrice is in front of the cart and they should close their eyes. Work "close your eyes and point your head at the ground" into the song and look at the unicorn to see how it reacts.
>>33543437 Hey, would you guys mind if we went ahead and continued this tonight (Monday night) at about 9pm EST? I'm falling asleep in my chair; don't want to suddenly disappear without saying anything.
>>33543591 >>33543599 SPOILERS:Dem are spoilers. Not saying anything. >>33543619 >>33543643 Alright, sorry bout that guys. I'm just not able to think anymore. We've been questing for about 6 straight hours; good progress, should be able to wrap this up with no rushing tomorrow.
The mountain is going to be perilous.. if you get out of the forest first, of course.
Good night, questers. This has been a ton of fun to host so far; I look forward to seeing if you can get Raisin to a good ending.
don't be so negative. we don't have to do everything perfectly. so long as we keep our wits about us and make good use of the various tools we've accumulated, we'll puzzle our way to victory for sure
>>33543907 Eh, if he's the kind of guy that gives players items that have no purpose other than to screw them up then I will probably stop following his quests. Maybe P.Q. will get off his rear and actually start questing again.
