Anon Quest: Journey of the Golden Dice pt.2

Anon Quest: Journey of the Golden Dice, Part 2: A New Team is Born

>With everyone gathered around the living room table, you return from the kitchen cabinet with your most favorite board game. Now, some horses don’t recognize human letterings and only learn those weird scribbles you don’t get, but thankfully the crusaders can read the bright golden letters as you place the box on the table.
>“Hero’s Tale?” says Apple Bloom with a curious cock of the head.
Yup. This is what we’ll do for the evening. You three are ages 8 and up, right? What am I saying; of course you all are.
>With a tone of concern she refers to Sweetie at her left.
>“Isn’t this that thing that Rarity said ruins game night.”
>“Now that you mention it, Rarity did say something about-“
“Hero’s Tale is a night ENHANCER and Rarity doesn’t know what she’d talking about! She’s just bitter because she’s not good at dice rolls. In fact,” you say to Sweetie Belle, “I bet you’ll be even BETTER than your sister when we play. Wouldn’t that be something to brag about?”
>“It…would be kinda nice being better at something.”
>Your voice gives an almost tantalizing inflection as you add,
Who knows; you /might/ even become group leader.
>“A group leader?”
>Scootaloo sticks her hoof out as she cuts you two off,
>“Woah now, Anon. The Cutie Mark Crusaders work as equals. We don’t need somepony to lead…even though that pony would be me if we did.”
>You can’t help but roll your eyes at her statement as you open the box, and begin setting the decks and board on the table.
You definitely take after that cyan horse you like so much…I don’t like that.
>Her brow raises, unsure what you meant by the statement, but she doesn’t question it.
>You’re quick to finish preparing the table, though you probably won’t need the world board for today. It seems weird not having it as a centerpiece however.
Okay my little horse friends. Now I know for some this game might seem a little—“daunting” but it’s really not that hard to learn. Most of the time, it’s actually a straight forward game of chance, unless you go into advanced rules and start splitting up parties. Anyways, we’ll do this by the book; a few tutorials, an actual battle or two, and depending on who /I/ think is most qualified, we’ll have a leader. I’ll be honest; as of now, I’m leaning on Apple Bloom, because I really like her older sister.
>“THAT’S NOT FAIR!” yells Scootaloo clacking her hoofs on the table.
LIFE’S NOT FAIR! Also, I’m choosing classes for you three. Apple Bloom, you’re gonna be an Elementalist.
>“A what?”
Sweetie Belle, you’ll be a monk.
>“…”
Scootaloo,…
>A thought comes to mind before you announce her class.
…you’re president of the Rainbow Dash fanclub. By any chance, do you know what classes she-
>“Dash’s favorite classes are Hunter and Thief.”
>Holy cow, she /did/ know!
>“If those are good enough for her, I’ll take-“
An Alchemist.
>“But I don’t even know what that is!”
These three classes are pretty good for teaching with and they have solid chemistry, so you three will be keeping them until your training is over.
>After sorting through the class deck, you hand the three their respective cards, with Scootaloo being most reluctant to drag hers too her view.
You each have 100 stat points to use on whatever stats or abilities you have. Take your time, and choose wisely.
>The three begin reading their information carefully, only occasionally stopping to ask basic questions like what HP and AP stand for, or what an “initiative roll” means. For what seems like a rare occasion, the three are actually calm, and orderly, giving you a minute to let your mind wonder.
>With this, the question arises in your head; “Where is my brother?”

---

>Sweet dollops this owlbear is relentless!
>You get that he’s mad; you’d be mad too if you were woken up by a bullet-fast tackle in the sides, but he almost crushed Pinkie under a boulder that he tossed in a blind rage (thank goodness she drove around it).
>Now Twilight has him magically restrained, and AJ, Rainbow and yourself are trying to keep him at bay. The katana is out and ready. Meanwhile, Rarity is tending to Fluttershy, as she continues to see stars.
>“Let me free you insufferable mare!”
>“Insufferable?!” says Twilight with a gasp. “All I want is for you to calm down!”
>“I demand satisfaction from the hooligan responsible for my harassing! Such atrocities are not permissible in Owlbear culture!”
Look, we don’t have time for this junk!!! Give us thirty seconds, and we’ll be out of your hair once we pass through!
>“Don’t you give me demands you…you…hairless chimp!”
>“Hey!” says Rainbow Dash breaking into the argument. “Don’t insult little Anon. If you wanna fight, I’ll do it!”
Dash, don’t escalate things.
>It’s too late, as the bound monster gives a low toned laugh at Dash’s statement. It’s not really a “haha” though. It’s more of a “hoohoohoo”.
>"So, you’re the mare that struck me?"
>“Yeah, and I ain’t afraid to do it again.”
>"Hoohooo~. Very well then. Let us have our fight."
>Suddenly, he releases a loud, ear grating screech that causes even Fluttershy to cover her ears. Its pitch begins to grow louder and higher until it becomes this unbearable beepish tone that rumbles the ground in its intensity. You nearly fall to your knees as you block your ears with your palm and the handle of your blade.
>Unsurprisingly, Twilight’s focus breaks, and her magical hold quickly vanishes.
>With everyone deafened and stunned, Owlbear jets forward with his muscular winged arms, before slamming his shoulder into Dash, sending her souring back, flipping face first into the dirt.
>She’s a tenacious one though.
>Through the concerned hollers of yourself and the others, Rainbow quickly leaps back to her hooves as and proclaims, “Now you’ve done it!”
>Dash then darts out in a streaking blur of color, as she begins to encircle the beast, delivering a medley of buck and kicks as he confusedly turns to try and keep track of her. It’s impressive, but it doesn’t seem to be doing much against his tough exterior.
>“Give up yet!” she says as she’s jack-hammering her hooves into the back of his skull.”
>“You ma’am-“
He swings behind only for Dash to swerve around his back, but he responds with a swift grab to her hind leg, bringing her to a jerkish halt.
>“-are far out of your league.”
>He then swings her over her head, slamming her back-first into the dirt.
DASH!
>Unable to stand idly by, you take stance and begin sprinting towards the beast, howling like the warrior you are as you ready to strike. You think that your form might have been slightly off though, as he deflects your sword with a swing of his massive arm. You only grazing him, removing a few of his feathers at best. He then knocks you away with a powerful swing to the stomach that makes you wish you brought the rest of your Shogun uniform, and not just the blade.
>“Nary the quickest of chaps!”
>You tumble back through the ground before slamming your back into a tree.
>Man, that blow really knocked the wind out of your tender boy chest, but now that you can violently suck the air back into your body, you’re able to give a groaning yell as you try, and fail, to get up from the dirt.
>You’re not too focused on the background at this point, but you can hear Applejack yelling incoherent southernisms as she fights with the Owlbear. You also notice her eventually lasso his neck, riding his massive shoulders as if he were a bull.
>Thankfully, you don’t go unnoticed, and you can hear the galloping hooves of Pinkie as she rushes to your aid.
>“Are you okay, Anie?!”
“No.” you pitifully say immobilized on your back.
>“Don’t move a muscle.”
>She disappears in a blur, as you weakly add,
I’ll try.
>In a matter of seconds she returns, having dragged the dazed Fluttershy by her tail to the scene.
>“Don’t worry, Anon. Fluttershy’s bound to have something. FLUTTERSHY WAKE UP ANON NEEDS YOU!”
>A soft groan comes from the poor mare.
>“Ehhh…I—w-what’s happening? Oh,” she says with a weak breath, “My head hurts.”
>“The Owlbear went bonkers after Rainbow Dash tried to save you from getting crushed by tackling the him while he was asleep on top of you, and of course it worked because you’re all safe and stuff but then the Owlbear went BONKERS and started yelling out all kinds of fancy stuff, and then he threw a boulder, but I drove out of the way and-“
>“Pinkie Pie,” says Rarity walking over, “Why did you drag Fluttershy off? You know I was looking after her.”
>You give an exhausted groan as Pinkie takes a deep breath, and continues speaking.
>“Well, after the Owlbear threw Dash into the dirt Anon wanted to jump in and give her a hoof because it looked like she-“
I NEED help!
>“What?” says Fluttershy as her eyes widen.
My back really hurts, but I think I’ll be okay. I just want someone to take me to the shoe, and I’ll just wait it out in there while the others take care of the Owlbear.
>“Did the Owlbear do this to you?” says Fluttershy, shaking her head in a slight disbelief.
Well…yeah.
>“But…you’re just a child.”
I’m a preteen.
>“He…hurt…a child.”
>Slowly, her face begins to contort to this almost terrifying look of abhorrence.
>“HE HURT A CHILD. HE HURT A CHILD!!!”
>Fluttershy then leaps to her hooves, before rushing off to the sight of the Owlbear. As Rarity slowly lifts you onto her back with her magic, you bring your attention back to the fight, as you see Applejack pinned to the ground by the creature while Rainbow Dash hops on his side in an attempt to harm him.
>Fluttershy then comes in, getting especially close to his face, and her words are perfectly clear as Rarity takes you to your car.
>“How DARE you hurt sweet little Red Anon like you did?!”
>“Whooo?” he says ignoring Dash. “That strange creature with the sword?”
>“Yes, that “strange creature with the sword”. In case you didn’t realize, Anon’s just a baby human, and you have no good reason to have done what you did.”
>“But…he tried to attack me.”
>“He’s just an infant! You should be ashamed of yourself.”
>“Oh. Oh my, I hadn’t realized.”
>As you’re awkwardly slid into your driver’s seat, you see the Owlbear, who has now risen from the ground, setting free the blue faced Applejack.
>He then turns to your vehicle, and begins a slow, almost shameful walk as Fluttershy travels by his side, with Rainbow tailing in the background; arms crossed in frustration.
>“Um, Anon, was it,” says the Owlbear, now finally calmed.
Y-yes?
>“I’d like to apologize for my prior actions. I was driven by rage, and was not aware of my wrong-doings. Call it a fault of my species, but we Owlbears are quickly prone to anger.”
>Fluttershy nods with a smile contrastingly sweet to her appearance not even a half-minute ago.
>“That was very polite of you,” she says in sincere praise.
So…does this mean we can go?
>“By all means, you may continue. First however, allow me to offer a token of apology.”

---

>After examining the fillies’ chosen distributions, you’ve deemed the three ready to begin.
Okay everyone. I want you to try and use your imagination for this. You three find yourself wandering through the depths of White Tail Woods. Scootaloo wears goggles, and carries two giant satchels, containing who knows what, Apple Bloom sports a smaller satchel, and a green robe, and Sweetie Belle wears a pair of puffy green pants with a golden sash. Though enthusiastic, there is a hint of concern in Sweetie Belle. “Are you sure we should be here?” says the almost shivering filly. “I heard Apple Goblins live around here?”
---
>“Don’t be such a scaredy cat,” says Scootaloo with a confident smile. “If there’s anypony that can teach us how to be heroes, it’s The Great Anon. I say it’s worth the risk finding him.”
>“I’m not scared!” she yells defensively, “I’m just a little concerned. I’ve only been a monk for two weeks after all.”
>Apple Bloom adds, “Maybe this is part of our test, to see how brave we are.”
>“Well, /I’m/ not scared,” says Scootaloo so full of herself.
>An unknown rustle is heard in a nearby bush however, causing Scootaloo to give a slight jitter that the others notice, and smile upon.
>Apple Bloom says with a smug glare “What was that about not being scared?”
>“I’m NOT!”
>*rustle rustle*
>L-let’s pick up the pace though. You know, for Sweetie Belle’s sake.”
>After a whole ten minutes in the woods, the filly’s start to notice several goblin-like training dummies, hung by their neck, riddled with tears and punctures. It’s an unsettling sight to say the least, but that’s sort of the point.
>Then, they see it; the hooded figure, sitting on a stump by a non-lit campfire; wasting his time carving a mare with a knife and a small block of wood.
>They’re hesitant to interrupt, but [“everybody roll for courage”] Sweetie Belle eventually speaks up of their presence.
>“Um, excuse me? Mr. Anon? We’re here to begin our training.”
>He pays them little attention, as he widdles away at his cube, but he’s courteous enough to respond.
I must admit, I had my doubts you three would appear. My training tends not to accommodate children…
>He places his figure to the side of the log.
…but, you all have the blessings of my former partners, and I will respect their wishes to train you all.
>“Sweet!” says Scootaloo.
With that, the hooded creature rises to his feet, thus increasing his already towering height above the trio.
Come with me.
>The three tittup with glee behind the mysterious man, as they’re guided to a fighting ground, with several targets, orcish effigies, and dangling sacs of dirt.
Your sister called you Sweetie Belle, correct?
>“Yes Mr. Anon.”
Sweetie Belle, as a monk, you’re going to be the back-bone of your team. Monks lack specific qualities, but they have great power for any general situation. Now,
>He direct her attention to one of his fake orcs.
I want you to go over to that orc, and show me just how powerful you are.

[“Okay, so this is a basic attack. In usual combat, an enemy will also roll for their defense, and the difference is considered damage if you roll higher. If not, then it’s a block or a miss. You’ve already got +10 attack, and the dummy has a fixed defense of 50, so this shouldn’t be hard.”]
>There’s a bit of tension as she approaches the large figure, hoping to impress her new mentor.
>“Deep breaths, Sweetie Belle,” she quietly notes to herself.
>“COME ON SWEETIE!” yells Apple Bloom, cheering in the background.
>“We believe in you!” adds Scootaloo.
>She takes another instance to breath, as her horn begins to emanate a small mana of green. Said mana, soon solidifies into a green mass with a slight curve pass her real horn’s tip. Granted, this is no greater than a short sword in length, but the sight still surprises Anon.
>“HYAH!”
>In a swift motion, she charges the figure ramming her horn in its torso, and tilting its stand back ever so slightly.
>The cheering intensifies, causing a slight blush as she tries to look tough and not smile.
Again.
>She charges the figure once more, yet it’s not nearly as impressive.
“Once more,” says Anon in a cold, unswayed manner.
>Sweetie takes another charge, but with a bad roll of 17, her mana dissipates, and fatigue sets in. Her horn deflects off of the orc’s padding, as she brings a hoof to her head in pain.
>“Mr. Anon, this thing’s kinda hard to hit.”
>He gives a slight nod, before Apple Bloom asks from the side lines, “Can I give it a try Anonymous?”
You’ll have your time. Your enemy’s padding makes normal strikes difficult to perform. To take him down, you’ll need an especially strong attack. As a monk, do you know how to-”
>“Concentrate?! Ooh! I’ve been working on that.”
[Abilities are very powerful, and incredibly useful at times, but the crutch for most abilities is that they can only be used once per match. Concentrate however is considered a ‘Natural Ability’, meaning you can use this as often as you please.
>“That’s suuuper fascinating,” says Sweetie Belle, obviously trying to get on your good side and inch ahead for leader.
You won’t be able to attack if you use Concentrate, but your next attack will gain +25, plus your ten for +35. With this buff, try to get a good roll and crack 50 damage.
>“Yes, Sir!” she says punctuated with a slight crack.]
>“This move is my specialty.”
>She takes her sweet time, closing her eyes, and putting everything she can into this attack, but the payoff is quickly apparent, as her originally small horn of mana grows to a length nearly that of her own body.
>“HiiiIIIYA!” she bellows with a crack as she leaps to the air and rams the orc, sending it clean out of its post and colliding to the dirt.
>The others yell and jump for joy, with Scootaloo telling her, “That was AMAZING! You might actually get your cutie mark in Monking after all.”
>“Thanks!”
>You’ve never seen a horse grin so wide before. It’s an absolutely adorable sight, but you dare not flatter a novice.
>“What did you think Mr. Anon? Did you like it? I hope you liked it!”
It was…fair.
>Satisfied, Anon direct his attention to the orange mare with the goggles.
You there, Rainbow’s servant.
>“The name’s Scootaloo, actually.”
You specialize in items, correct?
>“Uh huh. I’m an Alchemist in fact! Honestly, I’d rather be a thief like Rainbow Dash, but if I’m an Alchemist, I’ll be able to make use of the extra stuff she gives me.”
>Rainbow Dash always did tend to take things she didn’t want later. Honestly, that mare needs help.
>“I’ve got a few things I brought if you want me to show you some of my tricks.”
Save them for now. There’s something in particular I want you to show me.

---

>A golden pear.
>Before leaving, that Owlbear said this would help you recover from your back injury. It seems like a pretty useful item, and the continuous aching in your back makes it a tempting tool, but you’ve never been the type to use items unless it seemed absolutely necessary.
>As you try your best to drive the shoe, Rainbow Dash asks once again from the thimble on your left, “Are you positive you don’t want to throw that away? It could be poisonous.”
Dashie, I don’t get why you’re worrying so much. Owlbear seems pretty genuine.
>“Yeah but…what if it /were/ poisonous? I just don’t wanna see you get hurt is all.”
“Jeez, you’re starting to sound more and more like Fluttershy…NO OFFENSE FLUTTERSHY,” you say yelling to the Tuk Tuk in the third row.
>“None taken.”
>It takes a while, but eventually you and your party advance out of the woods, where you can see a stone structure peering to the sky at the far horizon.
Is that…?
>It is.
There it is. It’s Rambling Rock! We actually made it!

---

>With a freshly picked apple, Anon places it in the grass, in front of the Alchemist.
I want you to turn this apple into a weapon.
[“So, items. There are a ton of items that can be found in the game, or bought during quest, and they can make a pretty useful tool when you need something done that you just don’t have. In this case, you have an apple, and you could use it this turn to heal 20 HP, and that’s super good since your team doesn’t have a designated healing character. As an alchemist, you don’t have any especially powerful abilities, but you will be able to abuse items. You’ll even get 5 items to start with, absolutely free of charge.”
>“I still wanna be a thief though.”
You say that as if I care…Anyways, the ability ‘Dark Conversion’ can convert healing items into a plus damage attack, so, declare the ability, and roll to attack.”]
>“Make a weapon? Pfft, I can do that with my eyes closed.”
>Sporting a cocky grin, Scootaloo walks over to the apple and drops her hindquarters into the grass. She then takes her fore hooves to the apple, and it immediately begins glowing a brightish white.
>“Oh yeah, I’m really feeling this one.”
>With a swift toss, she throws the apple high above her head, as it begins to deform into several growths, before creating a small explosion of apple bits, and a mist of juice that slowly rains down upon her.
>Of course, the others cheer at their friend, and her crude alchemy.
>“Not bad huh?” she says with a wink
It was quite flashy, but weak.
>“WEAK?!”
[“Roll for composure”]
>“What do you mean weak?! I spent all week learning that!”
Are you questioning my judgment, child?
>“N-…no it’s just.”
You are here to train, not to be praised.
>“Well, I’m sorry but-”
Apple Bloom! Follow me.
>Scootaloo looks to the ground with a mixture of shame and frustration, as Apple Bloom follows Anon deeper into the woods, with Sweetie Belle tailing behind. Scootaloo’s quick to join them as well.
[“An Elementalist is like a Mage, except no one wants to play as them. Their moves are weak, with no buffs and a damage cap of 40, BUT there are two things three things that make them worthwhile. Effects, weaknesses, and coverage. See these three cards?”]
See these three Apple Goblin hanging from that three.
[“You can hit not just this card, but also its two adjacent partners.”]
I want you two strike all of them, with whatever move you please.
[“Keep in mind, they have an armor cap of 50, so if you roll less, it’ll do nothing to all three of them, but in an actual fight, they’d have to roll individually. So, what do you wanna use?”
>Apple Bloom takes a hard look at the abilities she chose for her card, and she seems almost stumped what to choose.
>“Do any of them have an elemental weakness?”
Ooh! You actually remembered what I told you. No, no weaknesses.
>“Okay. Well, I’ll use…”Glittering Storm?” It says it removes 10 defense on success for..."
>She gives it another glance.
>"Six turns, so maybe I could weaken them for my next attack.”
Yeah! Yeah, that’s good! Just, don’t get below fifty.]
>With a nod, Apple Bloom, reaches her mouth into her satchel, and pulls out a small metal stick, reminiscent of lightning rod.
>She then begins to shake the tool vigorously in her mouth, as the tip begins to give a static like noise, and a few hairs on her head begin to raise.
>Soon, bits of static begin to manifest one after another through the air, one even giving Anon a slight shock to the nose. The rod begins to visibly charge with static, and Anon despite being very hard to impress, has a slight enthusiasm over the happening that he’s watching. Unfortunately however, the results fail to please.
>The electricity soon dies down in a few seconds. The move failed, and Apple Bloom stands, completely stunned, with her eyes wide as dinner plates.
[“Roll for composure!”]
>“A-Anon, I’m sorry.” She says through her clutched teeth. “Can I try that again?”
>You give a slight sigh before your response.
Very well.
>Unable to perform the same spell so immediately, Apple Bloom raises her rod to the air, and its tip begins glowing with a new ability. Slowly, a small sphere of reddish orange begins to develop over the tip, leading Anon to quickly realize, she’s trying to use ‘Crackling Flame’.
A move to inflict burning. A sensible alternative.
>There’s a visible droplet of sweat that rolls from the young mare’s forehead, as she tries to form her attack. It fails even more quickly than the last move however, as the sphere soon shrinks, implodes on itself, and explodes weakly into a cloud of dissipating flame particles.
>Apple Bloom seems to be a weak roller.
>“W-wait, please! I can do it right. I’m just nervous is all.”
Nervousness can get you killed if you’re not careful.
>“Ah’m—I-I’m sorry Anonymous.”
>Anon thinks to himself for a moment, “I should probably say something nice...but I won’t.”
I’ve seen enough.

----

>Having showed the basics, you tell the three mares,
I’m probably going to regret this, but I still have a shop to run, and there’s still more for you three to learn, sooo I think we should…
>Their eyes begin to widen as their mouths drop lightly.
…meet up…
>Here comes that glimmer.
…tomorrow.
>The three burst out with an excited squeal, not because they get to play this again, but as Sweetie Belle puts it, “Anon actually invited us to play! He finally likes us!”
>Scootaloo adds, “This is just one step away from hanging out with Dash and the others at game night.”
>“Yeah!” says Apple Bloom. “I’ll even bring my Granny’s specially made apple cookies ta snack on!”
Bribing the DM with cookies. Underhanded, but clever. Apple Bloom earns 2 additional leader points.
>“AW COME ON!” yells Sweetie Belle, as the mood immediately shifts back to hostile.
Don’t worry you two. There’s still a chance to win leadership tomorrow. Besides, Apple Bloom isn’t even on top right now. She’s in second.
>“Then,” says Scootaloo as she glares to Sweetie Belle, “Who’s in first?”
Maybe you’ll find out, NEXT TIME WE PLAY! We done tho, so get out of my living room.

---

>Having reached your first stop, you and the party have decided to stop in Rambling Rock Ridge to take a break and relax.
>Atop the highest cliff you could find, the six of you enjoy a small picnic that Rarity set up of potato salad and scones, with Pinkie’s snicker doodles, and the many cheese sandwiches you packed.
I’ve got white cheddar with cilantro for you Fluttershy.
>“Oh, you’re too kind Anon?” she says as you place it upon her hoof.
And for Spike, pepper jack, with jalapeño and hot sauce.
>“All right!”
>He blows a quick breath of flame over the sandwich, somehow grilling it perfectly before cramming half of it into his mouth.
>With everyone satisfied, you take a bite of your own American and Swiss and announce to the others,
Isn’t this great? Fresh air, the wide, open view; my back's even starting to feel better. I’m glad we’re doing this trip.
>Twilight agrees.
>“I’ve got to admit, this is kinda nice. Hopefully we won’t run into any more trouble though.”
Don’t be silly. What’s the fun in an adventure if there isn’t a little danger?
>“Hey now,” says Apple Jack, “Don’t make a wish yer gonna regret. You already hurt your back tryin’ to be a hero, we don’t need any more accidents.”
No, no it’s fine. I think my footing might’ve been off when I was trying to fight. I’ve done this before at conventions you know, I just need to get back into my groove.
>And groove you did as you quickly finished your meal, and began practicing your slicing motions, dangerous close to the edge of the cliff; wind blowing through your short, golden hair, as you imagined you were someone much cooler and more powerful than you actually are. The others found your efforts amazing, but they just don’t get it. They think you’re weak just because you get picked on by your older brother. Speaking of your older brother, you can’t help but think from time to time, “How is my big brothers doing?”