Text Adventure Chapter 20 Log

>You walk back out to the livingroom, where the rest were waiting, very worried.
>AJ had tears brimming around her cheeks, and the other two looked like they didn’t know what to do with themselves.
>As soon as she saw you, she rebounded on you with a vengeance.
>”Well!? What do you have t’ say for yourself, Anonymous?”
“What?”
>”You were with her, right?! You better been with her, and if you were, why didn’t you protect her?”
>She was yelling at you quite loudly.
>”You have all these special powers and armor now and you couldn’t even help her! She’s in there DYING, Anon, my best friend, and YOU COULDA STOPPED IT!”
>She stops for a second with fresh streams running down her face, a look of intense anger and sorrow as she glared at you.
>Berry and Wheaties were too shocked to do anything.
>What do you say?



>You act purely on instinct at this point, doing the only thing you can think of.
>You kneel down and wrap your arms around her tightly, speaking no unnecessary words.
>AJ tried to get out of it first, but she very quickly let her emotions overtake her, and the dams burst.
>She hugs you back as she cries into your shoulder, giving her a place to grieve and to vent.
>At some point, she even manages to choke out a few words out of her sobs.
>”I… I-I’m sorry Anon… I know… know that you tried y-your best…”
>At that point, you suddenly feel Berry and Wheaties’ hooves around the two of you, making a group hug around AJ as the torrent of emotion floods away.
“It’s okay…. She’s gonna be fine, don’t you worry…”
>After a good deal of time had passed, Redheart had left the room with a bit of bloodstains on her face and front hooves, and the group breaks the hug as she comes out.
>”She’s stable, but it’ll take some time for her to heal, unless we can get something magical going… It’ll be a while before she’s back to top physical form again.”
[Pinkie Pie has left the party.]
“I’ll see what I can do about that… But for now,  there’s something I have to tell you guys.”
>You give AJ a pat on the withers as you go and sit on the couch, moving your bag around for easier access.
>They watch you as you remove the shadowy substance and hold it out in front of them, the eerie black smoke inching down your arm and making the markings on your palm glow a faint red from the heat.
>”I found this on the kingpin that stabbed Pinkie… I think it’s the reason why he was so insane, not feeling any pain or remorse or fear. This has something to do with Bane, but I’m not sure what…”
>Wheaties steps up closer with a strange look in her eyes, coming up very close and squinting at the dark mass.
>”...I think I’ve seen this before.”
>AJ, Berry and Redheart gain a surprised look.
>”Where?”
>Wheaties looks back at Red’s question, and shakes her head.
>”I don’t know, it just looks familiar… I might’ve saw it on some stray animal just a few days ago when I was visiting a family member in the plains.”
“Do you want to hold onto it and see if you can find out where these things are coming from, then?”
>”I could for now, sure.”
[You give Wheaties the shadowy substance.]
>With that out of the way, the tension seems to slow down in the room some.
“Well, to get our minds off of all of this, I had a few questions about the Tournament, Wheaties.
>”Uh, alright.”
>What do you ask her?






[QUEST ADDED: Vigilante Justice - Track down and murder the thieves that attacked Pinkie (0/3) {NOTE: This quest is of a morally ambiguous nature, and might not sit well with your other party members.}]

>"What are the rules, where and when is it, how do I sign up, and what should I watch out for?”
>Wheaties stood a little dumbfounded, whether it was your lack of knowledge about it or how much you asked her, you’re not sure.
>”Uh, well, registration starts at noon tomorrow, down at the Diamond Ridge Park… You sign up by writing your name, race, and choice of weapon, and how it works, well, it’s completely single, everypony for themself, it goes up in brackets and initial battles are randomly chosen. The winner gets 2,000 bits, runner-up gets 1,000, and the winner has a chance to fight Shining Armor as a sort of trophy match. There’s plenty of breaks and complimentary medical attention between rounds, and uuh, I believe that’s it. For the actual battles, it’s pretty much anything goes, knockout, ringout or forfeit ends the match, and uh, it hasn’t happened yet but if you kill anyone you’re disqualified from the tournament and depending on the circumstances, would be arrested.”
>It sounded pretty straightforward.
>”If you were planning on entering, Anon, you’ll probably need some better gear… Your armor now is fine, but you can’t expect to win just going in there gung-ho, ponies and gryphons from all over the world fight in that tournament.”
“...Well, we need the money. Specifically for you guys…”
>That’s when you had a sudden thought.
“Redheart?”
>She looks at you.
>”Yes, Anon?”
“Do healing potions have any different effect on a pony’s health than a medkit?”
>She blinks.
>”Of course, if it’s a decent potion then you’re able to completely cure all wounds rather quickly, they dry up like a pear. The problem is that they’re rare and expensive.”
>You remembered that Zecora had a good deal of them. She must’ve been saving them for good use.
>Now you feel rather lucky that you have the ability to create them.
>It was 3:30 A.M. and you and your party were recovering from the incident with Pinkie Pie.
>What do you do?


[QUEST UPDATED: VIGILANTE JUSTICE (Track down and take in the thieves that attacked Pinkie (0/3))]

>You pace the entirety of the room for many minutes.
>No matter what you do, you can’t keep your mind off of what has happened recently.
>Eventually, you decide that just walking around here isn’t getting anything done, so you do the only thing you can think of at the moment.
>It takes a little while to find a good spot to set up your potion making stand at; once you do, you set it up and get to work.
>The rest of the party knew what you were doing once you set up the stand, and didn’t ask questions, taking this time to sleep as you work.
>You make two healing potions, both taking an hour to make.
[AQCUIRED HEALING POTIONS (2)]
>Leaning back in your seat, you examine your work.
>Not too bad.
>You stand up and stretch your limbs after being in one position for so long.
>The potions on the table have cooled down enough for you to handle, so you grab them both and proceed to where Pinkie is located.
>Stepping into what you assume is Wheaties’ guest room, you locate the bed Pinkie is sleeping in, along with Redheart keeping watch, monitoring her condition.
>You walk up to Pinkie, and place both potions on the nightstand eliciting a smile from Red.
>”Good thinking.. She’ll need it.”
>A second passes, and you realize what a bad idea it might be to give her both of them.
>One would most likely heal her enough so she’d be back to full strength, but two would be overkill.
>You don’t even want to imagine what would happen if she had caffeine, let alone a healing potion overdose.
>With that disturbing thought out of the way, you take back the other flask.
[-1 HEALING POTION]
>After storing the spare potion away, you walk over to Redheart.
>Keeping your voice down, you speak.
“Hey, is there anything I can do to help?”
>The nurse just shakes her head before replying.
>”It’s alright, we’ll be fine. You should get some rest after doing so much work in such a short time.”
>You nod.
“Alright well, just call if you need anything.”
>At this point, you start feeling the effects of working so long.
>Yeah, sleep doesn’t sound too bad right now.
>Being too lazy to find out where you should sleep tonight, you just go back to the living room and flop onto the couch.
>”OW, GET OFF!”
>Holy fuck, you sat on Berry.
“Sorry! I.. You just blended into the seat’s colors!”
>”Whatever, just go over there!...  Fuck..”
>Oops.
>...
“HEEUUUGH..”
>”Awake yet, Anon?”
>You open your eyes and see Berry, who is sitting on your stomach and drinking brandy.
>You look over at the clock and see it’s about 9 a.m.
“Okay, isn’t it a little early to be drinking…”
>”Nope. Get up dude, you got someone to go see.”
>Should you get up now, or push off Berry and keep sleeping?



>See, sitting on Berry last night was an accident but she just has to go and be like that.
>You must’ve really pissed her off with that.
“Okay, fine, I get it… I didn’t mean last night, it’s not like I was looking around for you to sit on, okay?
>”Yeah, I know...”
>As you start to get up, you wrap your arms around her, and she gives a little yelp from the surprise.
>A quick and tight hug, then you throw her off the couch, getting yourself on your feet.
>Berry had somehow kept her glass upright the entire time.
>”Alright lover boy, ready?”
“Ready for what?”
>”HE’S UP!”
>You look around at the empty living room, when all of a sudden you’re tacked back into the couch by a ludicrously fast pink blur.
>You are being choked by her tight embrace around you, even.
>Yep, you can’t breathe.
“P… Pink..ie..”
>”You saved my life Nonny! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou--”
“Can… Can’t…”
>”Huh? Can’t what?”
“..B-breath..”
>Pinkie promptly lets go of your neck and chest, and you suck in a big gulp of air.
>”S-sorry, I’m just so glad you were there and helped me…”
“Don’t mention it..”
>You give Pinkie a big smile, and realize everyone else is watching with big grins on their faces.
[PINKIE PIE RETURNS TO PARTY]
>”So what’re you gonna do about the big fight competition, Nonny? They told me you were thinking about entering!”
“..Yeah, maybe. The bits would pay for your guys’ protection, most likely…”
>AJ looks at the rest of the party, then back at you.
“Wait, for us? I don’t know about you, but my hide’s thick enough to outlast anything, sugarcube.”
“Trust me, I think we’ll all be needing some extra protection… I just have that feeling.”
>What would you like to do?



“Now, I still have more things to do. Pinkie’s well-being was top-priority and I couldn’t get it done before. Anyone want to come with me?”
>Pinkie still hasn’t let go of you, so you pretty much assume she is going.
>Redheart nods.
>”I’ll come.”
>Oh well. Looks like surprising Redheart was not an option now.
>Pinkie must’ve realized she was there, because as Red spoke, she let go of you and starts whistling.
>She didn’t seem to notice, though, weird.
>You snag a quick glance at the pink bounce, and you couldn’t help but notice a faint blush.
>...Interesting.
“Alright. Berry, AJ, Wheaties?”
>AJ shakes her head.
>”Sorry, but we were actually gonna head out and have some fun at the fair before we came to watch ya, Anon. Thanks for offerin’, though.”
>Sounds decent enough.
>You all walk outside, and you, Red and Pink wave to the other three as you make your way to Tricks and Needles, stepping inside after holding the door for your party members.

[Tricks and Needles]
>“Hello there, welcome to the Tricks and Needles, where we make your dreams of appearance come true and more! ..Oh my, you look ghastly! Can we fix that coat for you? Trust me, it’s no bother, I have extra help by Ponyville’s very own Rarity in the back!”

-Buy
-Sell
-Modify
-Exit
-Speak to Shopowner
-Speak to Rarity



-Speak to Shopowner
“Hello, I had a quick question. I was wondering if you knew about the situation with the weapon shop? It sounded like there was financial issues or problems there.”
>”Oh, I’m not sure, I haven’t spoken to many other shopowners lately, as I’ve been helping set up the fair. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful in that area. I can be helpful in others, though, like that coat!”

-Speak to Rarity
“May we speak to Rarity, please?”
>”Oh, you know her? One moment, I’ll see if she’s available.”
“Tell her Pinkie Pie is here.”
>Pinkie smiles wide and waves at the shopkeep.
>”Alright, one moment…”
>The shopowner disappears behind the back door for a moment, and the next, Rarity appeared and bounded up onto the counter, meeting Pinkie halfway in a hug.
“Not much of a way to celebrate the Crystal Fair, sat behind a sewing machine, now is it?”
>Rarity rolls her eyes at your comment.
>”Oh Darling, It’s so nice to see you all! I’m sorry we haven’t kept in touch, ever since Twilight and the rest of us got here it’s been nothing but madness!”
“What happened?”
>She looks at you and her face droops wearily, as if she were remembering the events with vivid detail.
>”The Palace was closed when we got here, and we were planning on getting a room in the Royal Suite, but none of us had enough bits to even stay at the hotel, and I refuse to partake in such nasty locations as that Trot & Travels.”
>She actually shudders.
>”So we’ve been making due on our own paces, and split up until the Palace re-opened. I’m here, with the lovely Miss Stringtie of course, Fluttershy is currently helping the Crystal Fair for her share, Twilight is trying to contact Cadance and Rainbow Dash, well… She flew off trying to find a way to break in, but I haven’t heard from her since.”
>Since? That was two days ago. The thought leaves your mind soon afterwards.
“Alright… any news from Twilight, maybe? Whereabouts of Bane?”
>Pinkie, Rarity and Redheart all groan at the mention of your nickname.
>”The SHADOW, darling, hasn’t been spotted anywhere, so she was quite confident we beat it here, and so did you, apparently.”
“We actually found its presence here.”
>Rarity’s eyes widen in fear.
>”Y-you have?”
“A pack of thieves jumped me and Pinkie last night, and the boss fell, but… he had a black, shadowy substance escape from him. It was definitely the shadow.”
>She looks around on the ground, unable to create words.
“Look, don’t worry, we’ll find it and take it out. I got that enchantment from Zecora, so we should be fine.”
>She nods, and gives you a weak smile.
>”Alright, I believe you, Anonymous. Now that we’re caught up, what did you come in here for?”
“Well, I wanted to get this coat cleaned up, and add a little bit of stitching to the back, if you didn’t mind… I’m also a little bit under the bank, if you get me, so, I was wondering…”
>A magical force had already removed your coat from your body.
[You give Rarity your Doctor’s Trenchcoat.]
>”It’s no problem at all, dear! What do you need stitched?”
>You take a glance at Redheart, and lean in close, beckoning Rarity.
>Curious, she leans in with her ear pointed up, then you speak in a whisper.
“I’d like it very much if you could modify the red plus to be Redheart’s cutie mark, and put ‘Legendary Doctor’ lining the top and bottom of it.”
>Rarity coos silently and couldn’t help but steal an envious glance at the mentioned.
>”It will be wonderful, Anonymous, I’ll be sure of it!”
>She begins to walk back to the door, when she stopped for a moment as Stringtie returned.
>”By the way, anything else you wanted will be done by her, as I’ll be busy, of course. See you in a little while!”
>You, Red and Pinkie wave, the latter pouring out goodbyes.
>”Be back soon Rarity! I’ll miss you even if it’s only for a little while because you’re the superest duperest best friend a pony could ever have- Oh, she’s gone…”
>Miss Stringtie catches your attention.
>”So, what could I do for you, then?

-Buy
-Sell
-Modify
-Speak to Shopowner
-Speak to Rarity [Unavailable]



-Speak to Stringtie
“Uh, actually, I was wondering if you were in the business of making a decent armor, out of leather?”
>”Well, I can stitch up a nice jacket, but nothing like armor as I’m unsure of how to go about reinforcing it. I could make you a base, though, and you could go to the Protected Wither and get it armored?”
>It was a possibility.
>Do you want to get the base of the Manticore armor made? Y/N