Text Adventure Chapter 96 Log

[SAVE FILES]
-Anonymous (19% completed)
-2 (empty)
-3 (empty)

>Inspect Save File 1 (Anonymous)
[You have been plunged into a pastel-colored world with no memory of your previous life. Awakening into a hospital, you befriended the creatures of the world including a mare named Nurse Redheart, who has taken care of you. But as soon as you started to get settled, something attacked Ponyville and destroyed the town! The shadow that passed over destroyed many lives, and along the path to find this shadow you’ve recruited many into your party along the way, as well as many more to come. You left for Canterlot to meet the rulers, Princesses Celestia and Luna, who’ve had their magic and life force taken by the shadow that haunts the land, as has tasked you with finding and annihilating it once and for all. So, with your party you’ve travelled across Equestria to the Crystal Empire, saved the masses with problems small and large, and saved Princess Cadance from the shadow’s grasp. Now you’re on your way to Appleoosa and the Badlands to find Queen Chrysalis’ hive to cleanse it of the shadow’s corruption, and hopefully rid it from this innocent world forever. As of right now, you currently have Nurse Redheart, Berry Punch, Iron Will, and Gable in your party. Previous party members include Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Zecora. You are currently Berry Punch, and you are mourning the death of Gable.]

This is a text adventure-style RPG-oriented CYOA. Use the command list to interact with the environment and find information to aid you on your adventures. There is a battle/stat system that’s explained (along with a more comprehensive history of the game so far that’s been archived) within the pastebin below. The Other command is a new feature, whose purpose is to perform actions not allowed within the normal commands. Use it wisely! Otherwise, enjoy the game and if you have any questions, try the IRC channel below and we’ll be happy to answer them!

IRC: Rizon.net: #TextAdventureAnonymous
Story and Battle System: http://pastebin.com/u/Themasters

Commands:
>Help - Shows command list
>Inventory - Shows inventory and stats
>Speak - Speak to x
>Look - Look around the current room/setting, adds additional information
>Go - Go to x (Direction/item/person etc.)
>Search - Search for x
>Grab/give - Grab x and add it to inventory, or give something from it.
>Drop - Remove x from your inventory.
>Use - Use x from inventory or environment
>Attack/Defend - Attack x, or defend from it
>Equip - Equip x to you or others
>Status - Shows status of Anon and other party members (specifically stats, no items)
>Recipes - Shows known recipes
>Inspect - Inspects x, adds additional information
>Check/Add to Quest Log - Checks or adds something to your quest log
>Other - Custom command for extra freedom, case by case basis if accepted
>Directory - Checks the Directory
>Change - Changes perspective of narration between party members (Limit 3 per thread)

Archives: http://pastebin.com/rHLzwLQQ
Post suggestions below, no more than two per turn!



[You don’t have any more healing potions!]
[You can’t mine without a pickaxe!]

>Inspect Bracers of the Firelord
[These are the legendary bracers that Ator’s Atronach carried, the magical conduits that kept him in this plane of existence. Common Elementalism states that each and every elemental being that travels to the main dimension have to have some form of connection with the elemental plane, whether it be a crown, necklace, bracers or a sword. Bracers usually indicate a form of defense, so these would work great with a fire-oriented attacker, or for selling at your local magic shop for massive wealth. (+100 MD, grants immunity to fire, grants ability Hand of Kalimag)]

>Inspect Everlasting Ember
[This is an ingredient required for many higher-end fire-related recipes such as Etherember. Only found in areas with heavy lava streams or dropped from fire-type creatures.]

>Inspect Suncore
[This is the ingredient required for the clockwork robot that Gyro Gear sent you to speak with Frizzy about. This might make things a little easier! (If ingested, grants ability Plasma Lash for 3 turns)]

>With nothing else to look for, you continue on.
>Down towards the path, you finally get on some even ground after what felt like an eternity going deep into the earth.
>You will your ring to shine a little brighter since it’s so damn dark down here.
>Warm, yellow illumination overtakes the room you’ve found yourself in.
>It’s a very expansive room, not unlike the cave that Ator resides in.
>This one’s actually built though, as it has rundown cobble grounding and a few coffins around you.
>Oh great, more death. You needed that so much right now.
>You look around and see nothing but the ground around you and coffins.
>Upon closer inspection however, you notice a few braziers shining across the blackened room, unlit.
>What would you like to do?



[EQUIPPED BRACERS OF THE FIRELORD]
Berry Punch: [HP: 39/220][Stats: 40 PD, 160 MD, Fire Immunity, +15 HP / +80 PA wep]

>Inspect Hand of Kalimag
[The user charges their mana for a turn to unleash a devastating wave of fire and lava that destroys everything in its path. (-80 MP, +250 Fire AoE split, 100% burn of 50 MA)]

>You tap your hoof on the ring and get a bit of fire to strip away from its source, getting it to float just above like you had summoned it.
“Alright, don’t miss baby… Gotta be careful..”
>You concentrate on throwing this thing so much you don’t even feel your tongue dripping out of your mouth like a cartoon.
>You reach back, eyes on the prize, and you throw the little fire as hard as you can right at the top of the left brazier.
>The fire splashes across the wall, missing its target.
“Shit. ...Wait.”
>You squint your eyes and see the remnants of the fiery light crawl across the wall, and you see odd markings.
>It gets too dark too quickly to make them out, so you take another little bit of your fire, aim again, and throw.
>This time you manage to get the brazier, and it lights up like a Hearth’s Warming tree.
>Then, the fire starts to travel up some dark like that’s embedded into the wall, and splits near the ceiling.
>Huh, you’re pretty sure there wasn’t any oil, you didn’t smell it.
>That must be… you?
>Weird, you didn’t know you could control your fire like this.
>You must be becoming some sort of super earth pony that’s evolved so much you’re better than a unicorn.
>Or maybe not, but this is still cool.
[LEARNED BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF FIRE CONTROL (Reflect fire-based attacks against you or any other party member next turn, 7tcd)]

>One by one, the increasing fire trails start to dip down back to their original level, lighting up braziers across the entire room.
>When they’re all lit, the sight in front of you nearly brings you to your knees.
>It’s a giant temple, some sort of chasm where ancient ponies must’ve built something absolutely grand, but left here to rot within the mountain.
>The floor is a bright yellow and green tile set up that complements the rest of the jade and gold embroidery.
>In fact, this place probably costs more than all of Canterlot and Ponyville for its materials alone.
>And you feel humbled to be here.
>Not much, since you’ve been in a lot less boring places, but you’ve never seen anything like this before.
>You look back up to the far wall and see two huge doors on both sides of the expansive chasm, each surrounded by markings.
>There are also markings on the tiles.
>You’re not sure if you should even do this without someone to consult.
>You’re all alone down here, and he’s not with you anymore.
>Maybe you could try reading some of these?
>What would you like to do?



>The best course of action right now would probably be to read these things, but you can’t see anything from where you’re standing.
>Instead, you tackle the markings on the tiles since they might have similar stuff.
>At least, that’s your best idea.
>And it’s coherent.
>Wait a minute, you’re thinking clearly?
>You instantly unbottle the cap to your rum and start drowning it like Ben.
>You don’t stop until you feel like you’ve got a good buzz going on.
>Takes a minute, but it’s the right thing to do.
>You had some issue you were sad about before, but now you can’t remember, and that’s always nice.
>Why didn’t you do this before?
>You take another hearty swig before you stumble up to the first few tiles, and read them as best you can.
>Oh, it’s not writing, it’s pictures.
>Looks like a few of them have pictures of either a hoofstep, a hoof going into the ground, a hoof on fire, a hoof with some sort of prickly dots on it, or nothing but a line for the ground, which means no hoof at all.
>Weird, it just goes on and on.
>Still need to get to the doors to read the markings there.
>What would you like to do?



>Maybe you need to look around a bit more.
>Utilizing the light from your ring, you walk over to the walls without stepping into the tile area and look more closely at them.
>Nope, the walls that are close enough to read have nothing on them, and you’d have to step on the tiles to get to the actual markings.
>You take another close look at the door, but you can’t see anything extra from where you’re standing, and its not like any more light is gonna help.
>You just have to figure this out.
>You definitely know there’s something going on with the tiles, at least.
>Maybe the symbols on them correspond to something?
>What would you like to do?



>Okay, you might be a bit drunk, but you definitely know something’s up.
>Given some time to think about it, you bend down and put your eye right up next to one of the tiles.
>That one where the hoof goes in the ground’s gotta be like some sort of quicksand or something right? So wouldn’t it be lower than the others to set it up, or something?
>You don’t see any differences.
>Shit, well that throws that theory out the window.
>You can’t tell any difference between them except for their pictures.
>Well, if you can’t eye your way out of this, only one thing left to do.
>You walk back to the center of the room and look at each tile.
>The first green one is the one with just a hoof on the ground.
“...Okay, it’s just a piece of marble, no fret… Just… D-don’t kill me, okay? Don’t need any more of that now…”
>You raise out your hoof and ready yourself to touch the tile with the hoof stepping on the ground.
>Are you sure you want to touch this tile? Y/N




>Here goes nothing.
>You slowly lower your hoof down onto the yellow tile, and make like the picture by tentatively putting your hoof down on the tile.
>The marble’s really cold, but it’s been in a dark and damp cave for centuries, so that’s expected.
>But hey, nothing happened, right?
>Sometimes you feel like alcohol gives you like, superpowers when you need them, and boy did it work.
>You step down properly with a big goofy smile on your face, and the pressure of your weight suddenly sinks the tile down.
>Four hooks suddenly spring out from the marble and sink right into your wrist and interlock with a clockwise motion, and hooks suddenly sink right into your skin.
“G-AAUH! ... Oh… Fff-fuck...”
>Nevermind, it didn’t work at all.
>You manage to open your eyes through the numbed yet stabbing pain, and see that you’re bleeding lightly from the four interlaced hooks.
>You try to wiggle out of the trap, but it won’t budge at all.
>You’re completely stuck!
>Even as you try to rip out of it in a drunken, foolish move, it doesn’t even give you leeway to rip your skin.
>The hooks must be in your bone.
“Damnit… no…”
>There has to be some way out of this, there has to be!
>What could you possibly do though?
>What do you do?



>Okay, you’re under the control of a hell of a lot of firepower.
>You’ve got some weird ancient artifact around your neck that’s more powerful than anything that bookworm Twilight could ever throw at you.
>Hell, you’re probably more powerful than Celestia right now.
>Fire has to be able to do something in this situation, right?
>The hooks can be melted, can’t they?
>It’s just marble.
>You take a deep breath and ready yourself to blast fire all over the hooks.
>But then you stop immediately.
>That’s not a good idea, is it?
>You might be almost made of fire now, but that doesn’t mean it can’t hurt you.
>You got plenty of burns when you fought that elemental.
>Okay, you were able to pull a little lintball of magic off of the ring, can’t you keep it small?
>You lower yourself down a bit, trying not to move your leg too much so the dam of blood doesn’t burst.
>You can feel every little bit of the metal embedded in your core, so it’s a bit hard to focus.
>You try your best to concentrate the fire around your ring, staring intently at the hooks.
“You can do this… you can do this, just stop seeing eights.”
>The hooks are really blurry, to be fair.
>A little more concentration, and you finally start to pull the flames together in the front of your ring, and the flow begins to converge.
>Slowly but surely, the trickled cone of fire begins to get tighter, denser and hotter until it becomes brighter than the braziers on the wall, and you try firing it.
>A pinpointed laser of pure heat rockets down and hits the tile next to your hoof.
>Fuck, you wish you hadn’t drank.
>You move the laser over which starts to make a drunken slur all over the place, but you manage to point it at one of the hooks next to your hoof.
>With the laser starting to heat it up, it should only be a matter of time before it melts.
>Right?
>What’s the melting point of marble?
>...
>It’s taking too long.
>You sat there for nearly half an hour with a constant stream of heat on the hook, and it’s bright red, but it’s still stronger than ever.
>You stop as it’s getting too hot for even your skin, and some of your fur’s been burned off.
>It won’t come off with your fire, at least not until it gets more powerful.
>What else could you do?
>Your options are narrowing fast, and if you want to get out of here to meet your friends in time so they don’t come looking for you and find that dragon, then you need to get out as soon as equinely possible.
>What do you do?



>Okay, burning it alone didn’t work.
>Marble can be chiseled, right?
>That’s how they made the statues in the city hall back in Ponyville.
>So many you can give it a bit of oomph with the fire from your ring, and the cold from your recently acquired sword.
>You draw the Windigo Spirit sword from your pack, and look at it for a moment.
“Looks like you’re helping me out again, huh?”
>You kiss the base of the hilt in memorial after a quick, repressed thought, and you look down at the burning hook with renewed vigor.
“Don’t you let me down now…!”
>Raising the icy sword high, you strike it down as quickly as possible after making sure to aim.
>The sound of the metal strikes the marble, and you suddenly smell copper.
>Huh, that’s weird-
>...

>...

>You slowly open your crusty eyes.
>Oh damn… you blacked out, didn’t you?
>Well, that was to be expected.
>How’s your stump of a hoof?
>Oh wait, you can feel it.
>You look at your hoof, and realize there’s white behind it.
>Holy shit, it’s a real wall.
>You look down, and there’s real bedsheets.
>YOU’RE IN A BED.
>What the fuck happened?!
>You spin around in the bed, taking in the room a little bit.
>It’s so pristine, and modern, and…
>Is that a projector?
>You have cable!?
>No, you have to be dreaming.
>You wouldn’t be in a nice hotel room in the middle of civilization with someone in your bed next to you.
>Wait, who’s that next to you?
>You examine the bulge under the sheets closely, but shake your head in confusion.
>That’s not important right now, what happened?
>All of a sudden, the pain hits you like a hammer to the head.
>You’ve been drinking your whole life like it’s a profession, yet you can’t even remember when you had such a bad hangover.
>But along with the pain, come with answers.
>How did you get here?...
>...

[Earlier]
>You stand past the tiles, your hoof bandaged and intact.
>After a brief scare with the sword, you nearly cut your hoof off, so you thought it’d be a good idea to mix your rum in with a bit of the experimental stuff you found at the bar back in the Crystal Empire.
>That got ya goin’ real good.
>You tore off the hooks, patched yourself up and found yourself here without even realizing what happened.
>You sway slowly as you look at the markings in your drunken nirvana that you achieve at a special level of lucidity and stupor, reading each door carefully.
“Mmk… so, we got’n ‘O’... an O ish a shircle… ringsh are circles, right?”
>You figure the left door’s where your prize is.
>You stumble over to the right door and look around it.
“Oh…”
>You aren’t very clear on what’s happening around you, but one thing’s for sure.
>You’re pretty sure you saw some sort of sun or orb of light hit some sort of laying figure, and the next marking has the figure standing.
>Wait…
>There’s a lantern thing, and it dips out a big ball that goes inside someone, and completely revives them?
>You look at the other markings to be sure…
>It’s here.
>This door holds some sort of revival potion, something to bring people back from the dead.
>There’s no way.
>There’s gotta be a catch.
>You look over at the left and right doors for a second, trying to figure it out in your haze.
>If you take one, the other might not be accessible.
>So it’s a choice, then.
“Pfff… I know what I need here…”
>You look between the doors.
>Which door do you choose?



>Yeah, there’s no questioning it.
>You open the door on the right promptly, without so much as a second thought for the ring.
>There’s a way to get him back, and you’re not about to lose that, drunk or not.
>You’ll just tell Anon that the ring fell off a cliff, or something.
>You walk into the dark room, and see the dead-end wall, your heart skipping a beat for a moment.
>But you listlessly sway forward and the light of your ring reveals the truth.
>On a wall-mounted podium, stricken and covered in countless funeral gems and magically-immortalized flowers and petals, is one elevated level, holding a pristine white lantern filled with two orbs.
>The orbs cascade around each other, gently floating across the confines of their home with a warm light eminating from the both of them, energies coursing within their boundaries unlike anything you’ve ever seen before in your entire life.
>It was worth it.
>You hear the clanging of metal to rock far off in some distant room, and you know what it is.
>But you don’t care.
>You walk up to the podium, and very gently remove the lantern from its palace, caressing it slowly as if it were your own child.
>Just holding it makes you feel more alive than ever.
>And you know exactly what you’re going to do with it.
>...

[ http://vocaroo.com/i/s17w5wHXrYDv ]
[ACQUIRED ALICORN’S TEARS (Two uses, completely revives the recipient from death and fully restores them to their prime condition)]

[COMMANDS LOCKED]



>You wrap the lantern in one of your rags for safekeeping.
>You don’t want it breaking or anything because you can’t keep steady, after all.
>Fuck ears, and their stupid coordination pool thingies.
>You’d be just fine without them.
>You think this as you sway and stumble out of the right door using the walls as support, and you decide to see what’s up with the left one real quick before going to do whatever you were doing.
>It’s kinda hard to remember.
>You manage to cave in the doors with your shoulder, and you see a similar set up like the other room.
>There are coursing red veins of power that encompass the entire back wall, that culminate into one spherical shape with a ringed groove on its outside, presumably where the ring was.
>Right underneath it, it looks like some sort of weight mechanism coming from a string in a cubby through the wall was triggered when you took the lantern, and the ring fell into an open trapdoor.
>You saunter over to it and take a hearty look down, seeing nothing but blackness, even with the light from your ring.
“‘ELLOOOO??!...”
>ELLOOOO?!
>ELLOOo…
>Ello…
>El…
>Wow, that goes deep.
>You hock a loogie you’ve been saving and spit it down there, discolored by your white rum.
>About 30 seconds pass until you give up on listening for it, so that thing’s probably lost for good.
>Weird how you felt so much heat from it, though.
>You turn around and leave the room, knowing you made the right choice, regardless.
>Now all that’s left to do is get back, get to Gable and…
>Somehow avoid the massive, ancient dragon that you’ve forgotten about until now that said he’d roast you if he ever saw you again.
>Shit.
>Well, let’s think of this logically.
>...Fuck logic, you can’t think.
>You take a step down the rise of the platform, and you fall the rest of the way without a care in the world.
>At some point you managed to scrape your knee, but it’s nothing compared to the dull, painless throb of your burns that’ve been numb for a while now.
>You get up with a bit of swinging in your stature and a dumb smile on your face, and you make sure your things are tight on your back.
>Staring ahead at the daunting challenge the tiles poses for such a mare like yourself, you figure you can get through this like you’ve gotten through life.
>Pounding through it without relent until something else gives.
>You give your rum bottle a little pat, and you instantly take off forward at galloping speeds that olympic runners would be gawking at.
>Every step you take sends lightning-fast arrows at you, floors crumbling, weird undead pony creatures springing from coffins, and weird plasmafire stuff that homes in on you.
>Definitely making sure that you don’t hit a hook one.
>But none of it’s getting anywhere near you with the speeds you’re going.
>In fact, by the time you realize you’re safe, you’re halfway up the railroad.
>No sense in stopping now, is there?
>You hum an old bar tune in your head in ignorant bliss, and you eventually reach the three paths again.
>Oh hey, treasure!
>Wait, it’s trapped, that’s right.
>You look back at the path you once took, seeing the expansive dark now subtly lit by fading braziers.
>And the silhouette of a dragon inside.
>Fuck that dragon.
>He might as well have killed him himself.
>Guess he’ll never see you coming with the plan you’ve just concocted.
>You crack your neck, and flick your ring to make sure it’s responsive.
“Gonna get reeeeeeekt, bitch.”
>You learned that term from Anon.
>Should probably thank him later for it.
>You take a deep, bountiful breath that expands your chest to nearly twice its size, and you run forward, your ringlight beginning to charge with powers you didn’t even know you had.
>As soon as your hoofsteps start echoing through the cave, you hear the shuffling of metallic scales, and a breath of indignation.
>You’re only halfway to Gable’s undisturbed resting place before Ator’s eyes bear down on you with fury like hell hath none of, or however that shit goes.
>>”DARE YOU ENTER MY LAIR AGAIN!?”
>His vocal chords themselves were sending reverberations throughout the place that you’re pretty sure should have caused a cave-in, but for the sake of this story, didn’t.
>So, yeah, he’s pissed.
>But you’ve gotten worse looks from your saint mother.
>Always tellin’ you she’d make you join a convent.
>You fucked every priest in that convent though, so that was fun.
>Oh right, you got a job to do here.
>You exhale.
>Used Drunk Dragon (DD)!
[ http://vocaroo.com/i/s0xR5j7QVRnF ]
>An overpoweringly strong flame of yellow and white rockets out of your lips with such volume that you’re surprised that it wasn’t coming from Ator.
>The fire rocks his world, the heat and force apparently being enough to send him rolling back.
>His head even hits the far wall, sending more vibrations through the walls and breaking off boulders and smoke that make it quite the spectacle.
“THAT’SH WHAT YEH GET, YOU BIG RED BASTARD!”
>>”Gggh, I will introduce you to the core of the planet!”
>He’s still stunned though, and you’re already at Gable.
>You open up the lantern as you stare listlessly at his ashes, and you ready an orb to be used as you very gently take it out of its home.
“Yah bett’r work… shtupid magic…”
>You’ve been drunk more than you’ve been sober at this point in your life, and doing it for so long’s given you some perks.
>You can’t tell anyone just how many stallions have tried to blindside you to have their way, when you would’ve gladly obliged if they’d just asked.
>But one thing you’ve never liked is getting hit from behind.
>And that’s what this asshole dragon is doing!
>You turn around and only have a split second to channel your ring’s fire control from the blue, writhing fire that puts your drake to shame.
>Dropping the lantern and raising your hooves, your ring gleams in protest of its master about to die and all of its power is exerted into your action.
>As the flames hit you, they split apart by some odd invisible barrier that sends two jets of molten gas away from you and Gable, keeping the both of you and the lantern safe from harm.
>You can feel the power behind it though, and it’s not gonna last long.
>You don’t give a fuck.
>Why not? Well, you should know.
>As you were blown back, your back hoof knocked into the orb you had set out, and it drifted into Gable’s body.
>Used Alicorn’s Tears! (1 left)
>You focus on diverting the flames of an ancient dragon as a powerful white light begins to shine and fill the entire cavern with pure light.
>Streams of magic start flowing around him, black returning to brown and white, flesh becoming whole, and soul being returned to body.
>It’s actually working.
>You’d be crying in love and happiness right now if you weren’t trying to keep this fucker from turning the whole thing into a saturday night barbeque.
>But eventually Ator gets his point across, or so he believes, and relents his stream of immortal fire thinking that you were nothing but a black smear on an even blacker rock.
>You look up at Ator as the smoke clears, and his eyes widen in surprise.
>Is that fear you smell on him?
“PFfffffhahahahahaaaaahahaa! Oh sshhhit, that’sh funny, oh-”
>>”How did you survive?!”
>You turn your hooves up with a blissful smirk on your face, revealing the elemental bracers.
>You knew there was some reason why you were able to do that.
>>”No matter, I will just have to silence you with my claws!”
>”Over my dead body.”
>You and Ator immediately divert your attention to the third voice.
>There, standing proud and armorless, is a stone-looked Gable, without scar or blemish.
>He’s also fucking hot.
“AYY!”
>As you run up and squeeze the life out of your revived friend, you end up squeezing the air out of him, which made him make a weird sound like ‘lmao’ or something.
>You’re too drunk and happy to notice.
>And you’re too busy thinking about how sexy he got without those scars.
“Yeh’re… yeh’re really here…”
>Gable wipes some drool off of your cheek with a bemused look on his face, but then he suddenly looks up in fright.
>”...Maybe now’s not the best time for cheery reunions.”
>You look back and see Ator prepping another smoke-out, probably to kill the guy he thought was dead.
>That’s not gonna happen on your watch.
“Time’t’g’!”
>”What happened?! Didn’t I-”
“NTIHNHN!”
>You grab the lantern’s handle with your tail and start pushing Gable back involunarily, your face pressed into his feathers.
>As the heat of the room starts to raise dramatically, he follows your direction without objection, and the two of you start running out.
>But wait.
>Why run?
>You reach over and chomp Gable’s tail.
>”AAGH- What the hell?!”
>You get him to stop, and you jump on top of his back at the same instant the fire comes screaming at the entrance.
>You wrap your hooves around Gable’s neck, putting your bracers at the forefront.
>And you suddenly get pushed back by the sheer force of Ator’s dragon breath, the invisible barrier acting as a shield.
>As you start to slide along the ground, you realize this isn’t going to pan out well.
>You and the completely bewildered Gable are about to head into the boob treasure again.
>Tittytrap.
>Booby trap, whatever.
>Your drunken streak will not be broken however, and you stick your hoof in featherfag’s spine to get his attention.
“Ey’, shtart flappin’!”
>”F-fine, just let me loose!”
>You shift your weight off of his back a little, and he starts pumping his wings frantically, sending you and the path of the fire upwards.
>And now you have your own Ator-fueled bubble transport!
>Anon thinks he’s so smart, let him see your ass now!
>And maybe see your ass later, you haven’t decided yet.
>The point is, you and Gable end up exploding out of the mountain and into the fresh air of the sunrise as the fire rockets the two of you into the air.
[Ghastly Gorge Dungeon completed! Nine Rings Map updated!]
[ http://vocaroo.com/i/s1Jl3CqxeCyG ]
“WOOOOHOOO! TEAM RRROCKET BLASHTSH OFF AGAIN!”
>”How drunk are you, Berry?”
“I wash grievin’.”
>”Over me?”
>You say nothing, instead opting to stick your tongue in Gable’s beak like the amazing fuckin’ bird he is.
>His eyes widen in surprise, but probably not because of that.
>The two of you just shared your first kiss after being dead for a while and then getting blasted out of a mountain like a cannon, soaring through the air with a bubble of smoke and fire headed towards the train station.
>Guess he gets over it though, as he kisses you back.
>It takes a minute for the two of you to realize what just happened.
>You slowly split apart and gather your bearings, Gable trying to hide his blush by looking around.
>”Well, looks like we made it out. I can see the train station from up here.”
>You let down your guard so the bubble pops now that you’re high in the air, and the cool breeze of the night is a very welcome change from the sweltering cave.
>Gable then shifts you to a proper flying position, and looks at you carefully.
>”How did you manage…?”
>You hold up the lantern with your tail, smiling bright and wide with a little giggle.
>You saved his life again, after all, he owes you now.
>Wait, why’s your tail so light?
>You look down and see a white lantern falling towards the forest.
“NOONONONO!”
>”Hold on!”
>Sensing the urgency in your slurred voice, he holds on to you and rockets down towards it.
>Keeping himself as aerodynamic as possible, he extends his talons out, reaching closer and closer to the flailing artifact…
>He manages to catch it right before it hits one of the pine trees, and he swoops out over the forest, using his momentum to carry the two of you to the station.
>”Gotcha… Here. Don’t drop it again.”
>You wordlessly put the lantern in your bag and ruffle his feathery do with your cheek, giving him a half-assed hug.
>”Now, did you get the ring?”
>You open your eyes in horror.
>...

[-45 bits]
[You give Gable Sword of the Windigo Spirit, D.I.C.K., Charity’s Hope, and Gable’s Headband.]
>Feeling the lovely flat ground of civilization is wonderful.
>After Gable had set you down, he turned around and started yelling.
>You were drinking a little more, so you can’t remember what he was saying, but it was something about responsibility and wasting time.
>Screw that.
>You stopped listening until he tired himself out, which wasn’t until you were halfway to Appleoosa on another carriage that barely cost 50 bits.
>Now you sit here laughing and singing, with Gable just looking out of the window like a spoilsport.
>You weren’t singing with him though.
>You ended up sharing a ride with these two unicorns that looked rather uncomfortable with your shameless advances.
>If they’re too prudish to have a little carnal fun, then that’s their problem.
>You didn’t want them anyways if they were just going to think you were crazy telling them about the dragon who’s ass you kicked.
>What you care about is that blockhead with no emotion that you saved.
>You look over at the frightened stallion and let your breath flow across his nostrils, which makes him gag.
“Hhhhey, I’m gonna go check out my friend over there… I’ll be back soon, stud~”
>He says nothing for fear of getting touched again as you get off your drunken flanks and walk to the other side, sitting down next to the callous birdlion.
“Ey.”
>No response.
>He’s just looking out there, a sullen expression plastered on his face.
>You can’t blame him too much, since he sort of died in there.
>And it’s the second time.
>He’s come back to life more than a spiky haired idiot with steroid-abuse.
>You’re not about to let him get down, though.
>Not unless it’s on you.
“I know yer’ all, ‘shit, I died again’, but man, ya gotta learn how to love what ya got. Here, take a drink.”
>He looks back at you for a second.
“I did promise you one, remember?”
>Gable looks at the swiggity swaggity bottle you’re shaking around, trying to stay as composed as possible.
>But eventually, the temptation becomes too great, and he wraps his talons around the neck, taking a plentiful drink of the Berry Punch elixir.
>Wrong move, beakboy.
>He must notice it too, because he sours up and coughs a bit.
>”That’s pretty damn strong. … Oh.”
>Now he’s feeling it.
>You look up towards the carriage rider while Gable tries to keep his lunch.
“So when’re we gettin’ to Appleoosa?”
>The driver’s window is slid across, and he looks back at you after a solid whack to the horsepower.
>”Appleoosa you said?”
“Yeh!”
>”Well I just came back to the station from there, this trip’s to Vanhoover!”

>Wait, what?
“Huh?”
>”Yeah, we’ll be there in five minutes!”
>Gable sighs in frustration.
>”You picked the wrong carriage, too?”
“Hay, I was just tryin’ to save our bits by doin’ a ride-along!”
>”Do you even know how far we are from Appleoosa now? We’re going to have to take an express train straight through with the shipments to get there before they notice anything, and that isn’t gonna be fun!”
“Gettin’ real tired of your shit, featherfag.”
>One of the unicorn civilians tries to intervene, obviously scared for his life.
>”We c-can pay for your ride back if you want-”
“SHUT UP, CUNTBOY NOBODY ASKED YA!”
>”Hey, we need the help, it’s not like we have jobs!”
“So?!”
>”We’re here!”
>The driver suddenly stops the carriage, completely oblivious to the situation that was getting out of hoof.
>”Welcome to Vanhoover! At this wonderfully modern city that’s competing for world power over technological advancement against Manehattan, you’ll find the Equestria-famous Vanhoover Aquarium and the Clopilano Suspension Bridge! … Get out, I got a schedule to full and I only get paid by the fare.”
>You, Gable and the loser unicorns file out of the ride while they run as far away as possible from you, and then the two of you step into the big city.
>Well, the other big city.
>There’s nothing of note here, at least from what you know about the place.
>You just gotta get back down to Appleoosa.
>But first…
“Gable, I know we’re all… tryin’ to go south, but why not spend some time up?”
>”Excuse me?”
“We’ve been fightin’ dragons and elementals, and as soon as we get down there we gotta convince an evil queen to not start an Equestria-wide war… Why not have a day off, huh? Get some shuteye? I got enough bits for that hotel right there!”
>Gable looks around, getting a bit glassy-eyed from the drink you gave him.
>”...Kh, I don’t know.”
“C’mon, you fuckin’ died again, don’t you deserve a lil’ rest?”
>Gable looks at you for a long moment, then back at the busy streets.
>”Well, it would be nice to feel normal for a little while- hey!”
>You’re already dragging him to the hotel.
>The Vanhoover Vagina Vortex.
>That’s what you’re calling it anyways.
>...

[-100 bits]
>You wave goodbye to the flustered and red-faced receptionist at Gable drags you away upstairs.
“Hey, you mind lettin’ me go now?!”
>”Are you going to stop chasing after her?”
“She was a bitch, what else should I’ve done?”
>”Maybe if you hadn’t called her that after staring at her in silence for a whole minute, she would’ve been just fine.”
“You saw the way she was gawking, just judging me, like she’s so high and mighty!”
>”Yeah, that’s so surprising.”
>You push Gable off of you and walk ahead of him to your room, giving him a slap with your tail.
“Watch it buddy, or you might not get dessert tonight~”
>Gable trails off behind you, giving you an odd look.
>”...I have a sudden feeling of dread and anticipation all of a sudden. What’re you gonna do?”
>You find the door as he speaks, pushing the key through the door as you open it and look at him with lazy eyes.
“Not a question of what, birdboy.”
>You walk into the room, making sure to put a little extra sway in your hips as you look inside.
>Holy hell, this room’s better than your house!
>It’s all white and clean and… a projector!
>Oh.
>...

[Present]
>So that’s how that happened.
>You must’ve gotten him with one of your Punch’s, and had a wild crazy night.
>You look over and pull down the covers, seeing the messy mane of feathers that was Gable.
>So…
>Two down.
>You chuckle silently to yourself as you get up and stretch.
>You remember the feeling of him already.
>Wow, you really do.
>Being that drunk usually leads to some kind of amnesia, but you remembered everything from last night.
>Well, you should probably get your armor on and get going, then.
>Red and Iron are gonna be pissed when they find out what you two were doing that took you so long.
>What would you like to do?



>Inspect Bit pouch: (35 bits, 3 Gargantuan Gems)
[Gargantuan Gem = 640 bits per gem]
[Total: 1,955 bits]

[Note: <Before confronting the shadow in the final battle, make a quick stopover to BEAT THE EVERLOVING FUCK out of Ator, on the general principle of FUCK THAT SHITLORD.> Taken.]

>Inspect Nine-Rings Map
[It seems to be a map of Equestria itself, with an emphasis on the northern mountains being detailed with the land under it only sporting names in general areas, and fiery rings marking some sort of treasure.

“Far over the Crystal Mountains’ desire
To dungeons deep and caverns mire
We must away; ere’ break of day
To find our long forgotten fire

And we shall become gods once again”

Smokey Mountain, the clean hoof (  )
Winter Tundra, the choker (X)
Ghastly Gorge, the back (-) [Lost]
White Tail Woods, the tail (  )
Macintosh Hills, the crown (  )
Rumbling Rock Ridge, the armed hoof (  )
Manehattan, the running leg (  )
Foal Mountain, the striking leg (  )
Hollow Shades, the halo (  )

Nearest dungeon: Smokey Mountain, South]

>It’s disappointing.
>Not selling your moral compass short, you made the right decision.
>You just can’t help but feel like you ruined a good way to get rid of the shadow.
>Maybe if you were thinking more clearly, the issue might’ve been looked at from a different perspective.
>But then again, who the hell cares?
>Anon’s got this shit, with those markings and magic that’s still more powerful than yours.
>And just because you lost one doesn’t mean you can’t find seven more, right?
>Either way, looks like it’s time to hit the road.
>You pull on your armor and get all your stuff ready, and you walk over to Gable on his side of the queen-sized bed.
>You then raise your hoof up as if you’re going to gently shake him awake.
>Nope.
>You slap him upside the head, to which he snaps his eyes open and writhes in pain.
>”Gghhh, damnit! What’d I ever do to you?...”
“Nice hangover, huh?”
>Gable gives you a death stare.
>It’s quickly replaced by confusion as he looks around.
>”How did we get here?... What is this place?”
“Hotel.”
>”Where?”
“Vanhoover.”
>”...Did we-”
“A lot.”
>Gable looks at you for a moment in a way you’ve never seen him look.
>You can’t help but smile a bit.
“Having trouble remembering? I’ll give you a refresher if you want.”
>Gable shakes his head, getting himself out of bed.
>”No, that’s… Vanhoover? We need to get going.”
>You nod and shove his things into his arms, and you walk out of the room.
“I’m gonna go check on some routes, get ready and meet me down there.”
>”Yeah, yeah.”
>As you leave the room, you hear him mutter under his breath.
>”...Finally pop my cherry and I can’t even remember it…”
>Damn, if you’d have known that you wouldn’t have got him drunk.
>Oh well.
>You traverse down the staircase and back to the lobby, where you see a different receptionist than last night.
>Good, at least it won’t be awkward.
>You walk up and catch her attention.
“Hey, got a sec?”
>”Sure, what can I do for you, miss?”
“What’s the fastest way to Appleoosa from here?”
>The energetic mare pulls out an atlas from her desk, looking through travel routes.
>”Let’s see here… The fastest route there is to take an express train down through Ponyville, and take a passenger train from there to your destination. If you take the express that leaves in… 20 minutes, you’ll make it there within the day.”
>That’s a lot quicker than before.
>Crystal Empire must -really- be out of the way then.
“How far away is the express train?”
>She points down the left side of the hotel door.
>”It’s on your left down here about a mile away to the station, a big sign that says ‘Vanny Express Lines’, you won’t miss it.”
>A mile, huh?
>It’s currently 9:10 A.M.
>It’ll be close even if you left now.
>What would you like to do?



>You nod to the receptionist and she waves goodbye.
>Don’t have much time, so you’re going fast.
>You move back up the stairs, and lo and behold, you bump into the eponymous avian cat on the way up.
>”Whoa, what’s the hurry?”
“We got 20 minutes to go a mile to get on the express train, can we get going?”
>Gable takes you by the hoof and leads you back down the stairs.
>”Yeah, I’ll go ahead and fly us there if we’re that tight on time. This is the last time it’s happening though, got it?”
“I think you just like me riding you.”
>Gable groans quietly, and he pushes the front door open, leading the two of you back into the city air.
>He throws you up on top of his back, and takes flight immediately, throwing himself up into the air as if you weren’t even weighing him down at all.
>He’s very strong, so you felt before.
>And as you hold him right now in the midst of this flying, you realize he’s like a big fat teddy bear, with the soft feather and fur.
>Maybe it’s a byproduct of being restored to his prime, but still.
>He might just be the biggest, baddest, and hottest guy you’ve ever bagged with all three qualities.
>Wait, why are you harping on him?
>Oh fuck, you better not be falling for him.
>That’s shit ain’t gonna fly.
“Hey bozo, can we get a move on?”
>”I can move you to the ground, if you’d like.”
>Still in control.
>Welp.
>Is there anything else you’d like to do before reaching the express train?



>The ride is silent for a little while, just enjoying flying over all the ponies’ heads down there and going past all of these tall as hell buildings.
>Even dodging a few of the other pegasi and gryphons hogging up the air traffic.
“So featherboy, you do realize anon is going to hug you to death after we tell him what happened, lucky we got another use out of this thing; I heard one more time and you get a free meal.”
>”Very funny. I’ve been meaning to ask you something about that, though.”
“What, about what happened?”
>He looks at you for a second before beginning to descend toward the station.
>”I don’t want you telling Anon about my death.”
“Wait, what?”
>”You can tell him about the rest of it, getting that lantern instead of the ring, the fact we have a free pass to keep someone alive, even our drunken night if you want. Just don’t tell him or anyone else that I died again. I don’t need the stress.”
“Uh…”
>You shift forward a bit on him to make sure you were hearing this right.
“Can you give me a better reason?”
>”Whether or not it was me being careless, or taking something on that I shouldn’t have doesn’t matter. The fact that I’ve had to be literally revived twice, which is a chance nobody ever gets in the history of this world, just shows how useless I am in this whole thing. I’m just a brawler, I can’t handle this level of danger. As soon as we get back to Anon, I’m backing out of this.”
“You can’t be serious!”
>Gable shakes his head slowly.
>”I’m not going to help if I’m going to keep dying. You’ll need that other revival you have there, considering how dangerous his mission is. Don’t let me waste it. I’ve already made up my mind.”
>What do you say?



“Pfft… you really think Anon won't figure what’s going on when you tell him?”
>Gable pumps his wings slowly for a gentle landing at the station, a few minutes ahead of the train.
>”What do you mean? If nobody tells him, we don’t tell him there were two orbs, how could he figure out? He’s not omnipotent, so it won’t matter.”
>Point taken.
>But you still have to be honest, right?
“Fine. I can't force you to stay with us, I guess. Even if the two things that did you in were a super-powered alicorn princess and the living flame of a seven-story-tall DRAGON, neither of which ANY of us were prepared for.”
>”That’s not the point.”
“Just a thought here -and I won’t tell him you got cooked if you don’t tell him I said this- I’m pretty sure that Anon’s trying his best, but he gets a little stuck in his own head sometimes. He probably handed you that amulet thing because he figured ‘Oh Gable's such a fuckin’ badass the only thing I can give him to make him more awesome is piles of fuckin’ gold and bits’, y’know? Turns out big-ass gemstones don't make very good armor; so rather than us keep quiet about what’s literally fucking killing us, maybe we should speak up and tell our apparently fearless leader that some defense or a weapon you don't have to hug the enemy to use would be sweet. Basically, I just think you need some better gear, and the second we can let’s buy you more stuff. We got over 2,000 bits between us right now.”
>He looks away in thought, unable to come up with a rebuttal.
>You clinch it by finishing up, giving him a little playful push to emphasis it.
“Or you can quit, I’m not passing judgement or anything. I just think we’re better off with you than without you, catass… Look, I can’t tell you to leave or go and Anon will say the same. I know I’m staying with him even though the only thing I got going is this ring around my neck. I’m staying with him until the end, but that’s just me. I just want you to know that, as corny as it sounds, you’re our friend and we care about you. No matter what.”
>Gable looks you in the eyes.
>His normally stoic and resolved countenance has been shattered, replaced by uncertainty and… well, emotion.
>You’re not a mopey pony, but damned if you didn’t want to hug him right there.
>You know what? Fuck it.
>You step forward and wrap your hoof around him softly, reassuring him.
“You’ll be useful. A lot more than some of us, no offense to them. From now on, we’re just gonna play it smart, okay?”
>A long time passes before you start to let go, unsure if it worked.
>As you loosen your grip however, you feel a hand wrap around your shoulders, caressing you with frailty you didn’t know he had.
>Gable’s actually hugging you back?
>This just got weird.
>You push him away, and the two of you start laughing together, which was a nice sound after all of the worry and fake demeanors.
>”...I’ll see what happens, alright? Maybe I can get some training down there, you never know.”
“Thanks, bozo. Let’s get on the train before it leaves, huh?”
>You and Gable nod at each other, and run up onto the express train.
>Going forward first, you’re stopped by the ticketmaster.
>”20 bits per pony, extra 10 if you’re goin’ to the end of the line.”
“Where’s that?”
“Ponyville.”
>Shit.
>Gable comes from around you and hands the tired mare a sack of bits.
[Gable gives the Ticketmaster 78 bits.]
“Whoa, how’d you keep that? I couldn’t even find it when you- er, yeah.”
>”Guess I’m lucky.”
>As Gable goes past you into the train, you note the glint of his necklace.
>Yeah, he definitely needs some real armor, holy shit.
>You get on the train with him, and find a booth just as the locomotive rolls out.
>The two of you sit down, ready for a long, all-day journey.
>”So, what now?”
“Hrm...”
>What would you like to do?



>There’s an idea.
“Y’know what’d be really cool? We should figure out some sorta awesome team-up move, like you use that sword to freeze someone in place, and then I like burn the hell out of ‘em with my Drunk Dragon! Or something like that, I dunno. You got any cool ideas we could work on?”
>Gable looks at you like you just contracted a deadly disease.
>”I’m sorry, did you get hit in the head on the way in?”
“Alright, I might’ve gotten carried away, but we need something a little more than what we got right now. If we’re actually working together in the heat of combat, might boost our chances of survival, right?”
>He thinks for a moment, tapping talons on the table.
>”I guess it’s an idea. I’ve never thought of combos, but then again, I’ve never had experience with magic until this thing. Maybe we can come up with some ideas and work on them after we get out of this train.”
“Alrighty, what do you have in mind?”
>As you and Gable begin to discuss battle tactics, you think about your ring’s power, and how it boosted your fire breath when you went full retard against Ator.
>If you could just find a way to replicate that…
>...

[You feel your presence leave the mind of Berry Punch, drifting into the abyss of subreality.]

>Who would you like to change perspectives to?
-Anonymous
-Redheart
-Berry Punch (X)
-Iron Will
-Gable

>Redheart selected!
[REDIRECTING MIND . . .]
>...

>You are Nurse Redheart.
>Jolted awake by a strange presence, you look around at the sight before you.
>Anon’s still sleeping soundly on your form, exhausted by the last few days’ events.
>You definitely don’t blame him, and you want to make sure he’s okay.
>Sure, he’s really grown into his own in the medical field, but you try to do what you can for him.
>It’s just a testament to how far you’ve come with him, ever since he got wheeled into your hospital that day nearly a month ago.
>Whether it be fighting terrible monsters, exorcising alicorn princesses, getting over petty sexual fantasies or living the good ones, it’s been a wild ride so far.
>And you have no intention of stopping now.
>You love him too much for that.
>You gently rub Anon’s shoulders, looking around at the rest of the carriage.
>Iron Will’s still a log on the other bench, still not awake yet.
>And Five’s still stock still, staring out of the window as if it were looking for threats.
>But the windows are shining bright now.
>As much as you know you all need this escort, having a changeling still doesn’t set right with you at all.
>To get your mind off of it, you sit up a bit and open the driver’s window.
“Excuse me, how far is it to Appleoosa now? We’ve been travelling over 30 hours.”
>The driver shackles the reigns again, looking back with a tired, yet happy expression.
>”We’re gettin’ real close. We’ll be there within the hour now. I definitely didn’t get lost at all.”
>That was oddly specific.
>”Thanks.”
>You close the window, deciding not to go after that bit of logic.
>Best to stay quiet when you’re still getting to where you need to go.
>You just hope Berry and Gable will be okay out there.
>But now you’re up, and probably not going to get back to sleep.
>What would you like to do?