Raisin Quest 3 Day 2

RAISIN QUEST 3

> denotes story posts, otherwise it's debate from questers.

DAY 2
RECAP From the New Year’s Episode:
>Woke up, packed your things, ate some pancakes
>Your dad’s newspaper had some griffin named ‘Snakeoil Sally’ on the front
>Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo came by to invite you along to go get some of ‘Snakeoil Sally’s Miracle Elixir’ (To help you all crusade better)
>**You remembered to deliver the bucket of grapes to Sugarcube Corner**
>Pinkie was going hyper-speed because she had consumed the elixir. She looked healthy.
>Got inside, Mrs. Cake was extremely grouchy from the elixir
>Bought 2 Peppermint Candycanes
>Went to Snakeoil Sally’s show
>xXx Tried to get in line to buy some elixir, but your satchel nearly exploded and killed everyone around you xXx
>Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle bought elixir, went to Sweet Apple Acres to visit Applebloom
>AJ and Big Mac had drank the elixir yesterday. They looked sick.
>Applebloom was sick; talked to her for a bit, tried to get info
>Hid the explosives from your saddlebags under a rock outside barn
>**Went to Zecora’s to try and reverse engineer elixir**
>Twilight was by earlier, ranting about a ‘Castle in the Sand’. Shoved Zecora and left
>Zecora cannot figure out what the elixir is made of. It has magic in it, but some chemical is covering it up.
>Ventured up the safer Upper Bog path
>Ran into Treasure Seeker Fanatic
>xXx Nearly crushed to death by the unicorn because she thought you were a thief xXx
>Mentions that ‘King Tezel does not like children’
>HUG HAYSEED! PREVENT DEATH!
Asterisks represent good actions, xXx represents bad actions
>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
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.
Seems reasonable. Going through the Everfree Forrest at night doesn’t seem very clever.
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 elixir.
>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.
Scootaloo is not a clever pony.
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
>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.
ask her if she recognizes the name "King Tezel" from anywhere
Ask her about King Tezel and see if she has any potions that might help us.

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.
Maybe if we.....you know, poured just a little bit of that potion into Zecora's drink when she’s not looking. It'll make it....taste better.
Silence, you fool. We really don't want to taint our likely last remaining ally.
>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.
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?
Let’s 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 during the night
Well if we're staying, we should ask Zecora if she needs help working with the potion or something.
>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.
>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.
Well then let's go to sleep and wake up bright and early.
Let’s just make up things that happened and talk about them, to further confuse Sweetie Belle. Because it will be funny
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 don’t yet fully know.

Castle in the sand:
connections to the ocean, desert, something temporary.
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
let's just go to sleep and go back to town first thing in the morning
>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...
Wake up at the crack of dawn.
10 bucks says we wake up in a cage awaiting execution.
>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.
CHECK FOR HAYSEED
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.
>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!
>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!"
Ask Zecora if she found something before falling asleep, then go to Fluttershy.
Go to see Fluttershy first
Acquire seed.
Inquire with Zecora
Haul ass to Ponyville.
>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.
>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.
Go to Fluttershy's cottage.
haul ass back to town
check on fluttershy on the way to make sure she's doing alright
Let's stop by Fluttershy's hut. If Scootaloo objects tell her that Fluttershy may get some birds to help us spy on Sally.
The elixir is gone, huh?

We uh.....we should probably get some more. For.....research and stuff.
>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.
Look for derp eyes before approaching as ask her if she's tried any of Sally's potion.
Tell Scoots it's not dinner time and ask Fluttershy if she knows about the thing going on in Ponyville.
Ask her if she has used the potion. If she hasn't ask if she has any 'guinea pigs' to try the potion.
>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."
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.
I second the first part, but no animal testing.
we'd probably just make her mad by suggesting it

"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 components, meaning that whoever made it is a top-tier alchemist"

Also, it's a longshot, but ask her about King Tezel and sand castles.
>"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 components, 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."
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?
Since King Tezel hates children, having her with us could be really useful. Let's ask her to join us.
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.
>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.
Give her foal eyes. We NEED her.
"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?"
>CMCs doing the smiley angel thin with halos!
>Raisin is still new and screws it up
this was supposed to be a fast stop

we're dallying too long!
>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
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.
There must be a hay convention in town or something. Its not important at all
Can you make out anything from what they're saying?
Try get closer to the crowd, at least to learn what they're pissed about.
>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.
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.
We need to get to Snakeoil before they do and make her spill the beans.
And that's how the angry residents of ponyville solve their own problems without help from stupid kids. The end.
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.
>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)
Leave someone behind to keep watch and listen to what she's saying, while the rest of us go and check out her trailer.
Are there any derped ponies around?
Use the distraction to get to Snakeoil's trailer, or backstage, or where ever it is she has been sleeping.
>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.
Tell Sweetie to distract her while we sneak around further. I'm sure the little unicorn can speak dumb fluently.
you know she's just going to blow that horn the moment you try to snoop around

and then the jig will be up
Show Derpy our bottle of elixir. She's probably addicted and will do anything we say.
Shit, this, but make our entrance such that the bottle is the first thing she sees.
I don't think she's addicted, but sure, why not? I mean, what else can we do?
Elixir. Pray that she actually drank some and isn't just stupid enough to be manipulated.
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.
>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.
>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.
sweetie distraction
"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.
Fuck, Sweetie distraction.
>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?
Oh god what
Yes, look around quickly.

And these better not be lobotomized ponies.
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.
>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.
>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 its 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 the same direction, away from the blast. "Where is the music?" They calm down quickly.

go investigate the door
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.
Investigate gold.
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.
>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.
Peek in! Peek in!
Get ready to hug Hayseed hard enough to take us back to Zecora's then peek in.
Peek in. Try not to throw up when we see a disemboweled Rarity.
>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.

try lifting the door upwards so it doesn't scrape against the ground when you move it. hide yourself and Scoots inside
LOOK IN THE SATCHEL
Yes, lift it up. Reducing normal force on the ground will reduce the force of friction, which will hopefully also reduce the sound.
>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.
>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?"
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.
I don't think we want to give the person who will want to chase us a potion to make them faster.
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 people’s face.

Is there some paper around we can quickly fashion into sand-bullets?
I bet it would hurt a lot if you got some in your eye
Not to mention broken glass. The potion was just extra. Hopefully it can't be absorbed through the skin
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.

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.
>"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 too 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..."
>You gave your slingshot to Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo didn't bring hers.
Grab some of the sand, algae and mold and shove it in to a glass jar.

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.
>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?"
Hide behind the door. Like between where the hinges are and the wall.
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.
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.
hide Scootaloo behind the door
hide yourself behind/inside the tub
Have Scoots hide behind the door, us kick sand, and Scootaloo can ambush her while we run out.
Uhh

I don't think that's a good idea.That stuff is probably the mixture that's making people nutty.
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.
>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..."
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 lose her and can hug her if something goes wrong.
Kick sand. Jumping in the tub now would make noise. All we need to do is get out into the crowd.

Keep Hayseed in our mouth for easy access and don't let go if we feel something grab our tail.
>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.
"RUN!"
Bolt for the exit.
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.
I agree. We'll probably run out only to see the whole town zombiefied.
milk for info. I don't think we'd get too far if we tried to run
Fine then, milk her but be ready to hug Hayseed.
>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."
"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.
"Yeah, it is. Bye now"

Reload, try not to be too depressed at our utter failure.
"Right, simple bathtub tonic involves lines of ponies in cages all having the same hallucination."
Back up a bit, but stay confidant.
Taunt Sally, and motion to Scoots to be ready to slam.
Fuck, might as well.

I'm so sorry, Raisin. Please don't die.
>..."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.
"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."
"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!"
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...
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.
>"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.
>"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 privy access to the Princess' court."

>Scootaloo cocks her legs back, ready to slam the door.
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.
Fuck this then, kick door, hug doll. Regret loss of samples, but take solace in information gained.
Don't reload. We can still save this. We just need to get out for a while
>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.
Hug Hayseed to load our save at Zecora's. We have more info now, but lost our bomb.
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.
Twirl around and kick them toward Sally.

Use the opening to dash out the door.
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.
>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.
Ask Zecora if she has any sleeping powder we can use if we get cornered by a crazy Unicorn or monster while walking home.
Definitely. We need to stock up on some defensive items if we're gonna be doing that again.

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.
resist urge to suffer nervous breakdown
>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.
Keep going
Proceed like we did on the first night
>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.

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.
Agreed. Let's see if she's a patrol or just some crazy who got lost at night.
But get out Hayseed, just in case.
>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..."
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.
Get off to one side, but walk as usual. Get Hayseed out just in case.
Keep going, tell them that she won't hurt us if we don't hurt her, and get out Hayseed.
>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.
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.
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.
>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.
How many lights are there? Let's go to the right so we are no longer on the path.

Get Hayseed out.
Stop walking. If the other pony stops too, then it's a trap and should probably take more drastic action.
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.
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/
>You decide that the only thing you can do is stop in the middle of the path. Your friends both start panicking.

>"Raisin... you... you have a plan, right?" Scootaloo pulls on you, hugging you closer.

>"Oh... no..." Sweetie Belle pulls you in closer as well. You group hug in the middle of the road, watching the light ahead approach slowly. The melodious hum from behind gets slightly louder.

>"...g...girls?" A familiar voice comes out of the light up ahead.
Phew, girls doesn't rhyme with sand. We're safe for now.
Cautiously approach the light ahead of us.
>You slowly begin to approach the light. Sweetie Belle lurches ever so slightly ahead of you, squinting into the darkness.

>"...Rarity?" She ponders.

>"Sweetie Belle? What are you doing... all the way out... out here?" Rarity seems to be a bit off. She sounds like she's been drinking.

>The group approaches her until you can finally see her face. Her eyes seem to continuously lose focus.

>"Girls... what are you doing all the way out here?" She asks again, seemingly confused.
"Crusading! We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders, remember? What are YOU doing out here?"
Tell Sweetie Belle to play up the scared little sister act and ask her sister to lead her back to town. It sounds stereotypical, but her love might be able to break through the trance.

Continue to be mindful of the unicorn following us.
"Trying to get back to town. You need to come with us, the Everfree Forest isn't safe at night."
>"Crusading! We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders, remember? What are YOU doing out here?"

>"Yeah, we're trying to stop that poison salesgriffin from ruining Ponyville. What's your excuse?" Scootaloo chimes in.

>She looks deeply puzzled for a moment. Sweetie Belle giggles to herself, suddenly relieved to know the true source of the light. "Ye... Oh. Oh, right. Well, I kept hearing this... dumb music... and I broke the record player, because I thought it was coming out of it.. but... it wasn't..."

>She looks off behind you. "Who's that? Twilight?"
>You nudge Sweetie Belle, giving her a coded message through a series of blinks. She gives you a funny look, then nods. "Um... Rarity? Can we get back to town quick? This place is really starting to freak me out..."

>Rarity looks at Sweetie Belle, her eyes snapping into place. "Wh.. Yeah, sure. Let's get... get going, then..." Rarity slowly turns about, walking back down the path.

>The unicorn behind you is within seeing range, only about 8 ponies away. You can see her eyes. It immediately makes your stomach sink.
END OF DAY 2