Text Adventure Chapter 58 Log

>Right before you start to get Cadance back out there, you have a sudden thought.
>You take a good, long look at the circlet.
>As powerful as it is, you shouldn’t be hoarding all of the power.
>One of your party members died because they weren’t ready for a battle like you just went through.
>You don’t want that to happen again.
>You set the circlet back inside the open container, and remove the mask.
[You trade Circlet of the False King for the Mask of the Dragon Aspect.]
>She said you could only have one, and you’re sticking to it.
>After her being so generous and benevolent in giving you something like this, you’re not about to abuse it.
>After stowing the mask away, you carefully prop up Cadance on your shoulder, and open the door back to the destroyed bedroom.
>As soon as the door opens, the rest of the group along with Twilight and her friends sees the state she’s in.
>Shining Armor comes over to help you out, getting her other arm.
>”What happened, Anon? Did she..?”
“She’s just in a bit of shock. I patched her up, so she’ll be fine, just give her a bit of rest…”
>You and Shining prop her up on her bed, and he starts tucking her in.
>Before you leave her side, you place a hand on her wither as your markings flare a soothing white, and the familiar glow cascades over Cadance’s body and soothes her mind and emotions.
>Used Blessing of Harmony on Cadance [-10 MP]
[Cadance is cured of all status effects!]
Anon: [HP: 130/130][MP: 2/20]
[YOUR MANA POOL HAS UPGRADED!]
[+4 MP]
Anon: [MP: 6/24]

>Even in her deep sleep, a small smile forms on her muzzle, and she curls up a bit more comfortably.
>”Hey, bro.”
>You look up at Shining, and he suddenly pulls you down and gives you a tight one-armed hug around your neck.
>”Thanks for all your help. Winning the tournament and saving the Crystal Empire, I really owe ya one.”
“Actually, is there any chance we could sleep here at the Palace for the night? We got more work to do after this and I think we need some comfy beds.”
>”Not a problem, Doc. We got a million unused bedrooms down in the second floor, so if you don’t mind it being a bit loud from the hustle of fixing up the place and getting everything set, you can have all the beds you want. You’ve more than earned that.”
“Thanks.”
>He finally lets you go, and as he goes over to talk with Twilight you rub your sore neck.
>You walk back over to your group and nudge Redheart a bit playfully, and she smirks at you.
“So uh, want to help me patch everyone up?”
>”Oh, right. EVERYPONY! Gather ‘round, time for an inspection!”
>You hear groans of disapproval as the other five of your members along with Dash line up as you and Redheart pull out your medkits.
>Used Supply Medkit on party
[Redheart used medkit on party.]
>100%/100% (/8/8) = >13%<
>+87% teamwork bonus<
>100%<
[Party and Rainbow Dash fully healed and cured of status effects!]
>After patching everyone up and laughing at Dash for getting her sensitive hooves tickled by a curious Redheart, everyone feels much better.
>During the small talk, you tap AJ on the shoulder.
>”Huh? Oh, what’s goin’ on, Anon?”
[You give Applejack Mask of the Dragon Aspect.]
>You hand the mask to her and she takes it in her hooves, examining it like a piece of moldy bread.
>”Er… What’s this supposed ta be?”
“It’s apparently called the Mask of the Dragon Aspect. Since you have that element now, you could probably use it’s magic to help you use this thing. You can change your voice and even weaponize your shouts for different effects. At least, that’s what Cadance glossed over when she presented them to me.”
>”Ooh. Are ya sure you should be givin’ it ta me? Dash has the biggest mouth around here.”
>Rainbow Dash laughs obnoxiously loud at something in a different conversation halfway across the room, almost as if to prove her point.
“Maybe, but I think you deserve this.”
>”Well, gosh… Thanks, Anon. I guess we’ve come a long way since we’ve first met, huh? All that hostility, and now you’re givin’ me presents!”
“Hey, it’s not like it’s Christmas or anything.”
>AJ gives you an odd look.
>”Er, ah think you mean Hearth’s Warmin’ Eve.”
“Right, right.”
>Applejack equips the mask on her, and as she begins to speak through it, her Element of Honesty subtly shines in response.
>”So how do ah sound?”
>It was her normal voice (albeit slightly muffled), but once the element’s magic takes hold, the mask suddenly crackles with red magical electricity as she speaks.
>”How’s this thing supposed ta work?”
>Now her voice is really high-pitched, and you can’t help but laugh.
>The rest of the group sees these antics and gather around to see what you two were doing, and after hearing AJ’s voice, there’s laughter all around.
>”Guys, this ain’t funny! Ah sound like a varmint!”
>The mask suddenly crackled with more power, and you’re not laughing anymore.
>”If ya’ll are gonna be like that, then maybe I’ll try that shoutin’ thing on ya’ll first!”
>She sounds exactly like Bane.
>Not the shadow.
“BANE!”
>”Huh?”
“Huh?”
>AJ tries tapping on the mask, and it crackles again, giving her a small static shock.
>”OW! Ah think this thing’s broken, eeyup!”
>She covers the mask with her hooves, now sounding like a stallion.
>Pinkie Pie collapses to the floor in giggles at this.
>”S-s-she s-sounds … l-like Big Mac! AHAHAHAhahahaha-!!”
>AJ turns to you in anger, getting more than frustrated with it.
>>>>”DAMNIT, ANON-”
>You’re suddenly blown back by a force even greater than when the corrupted Cadance knocked you over like a bowling pin.
>You must’ve flown 20 feet before landing on your back with your feet in the air.
“Auuugh… Shit...”
>”Anon! Oh, ah’m sorry, I’m tryin’ ta get used to this dang ol’ thing…”
>You see Redheart and Iron help you up, and you shake your head and move your jaw to pop your ears.
“It’s good… it’s progress at least.”
[AJ HAS LEARNED VOICE CHANGE (-5 MP, changes pitch and inflection of voice for a short time)]
[AJ HAS LEARNED FURY WIND (3 turn CD, +50 PA AoE solid, knockback out of combat)]
>AJ dusts you off, and you see that the rest of the mares have joined you, seeing if you were alright.
>But it looks like everything here is going to be okay.
>The bedrooms are on the second floor, and looking out you can see that it was mid-sunset, closer to night than day.
>The changeling was still here in the palace, still completely unknown by anyone but your group.
>What would you like to do?


“Oh, hey Rarity, can I talk with you for a second?”
>She blinks at you, taken a bit off-guard.
>”O-of course, darling. I expect you probably have something to say about Fluttershy, am I correct?”
>Actually you did, but you wanted to take care of that after you finish with the more important issues.
>You just need to do this before you forget.
>You and Rarity walk out of earshot, and you scrounge through your pack until you pull out what you were looking for.
“I actually uh, need some advice.”
>Rarity makes an ‘O’ noise and flutters her eyes a bit.
>”Oh my, is it about your sweet little marefriend, Anonymous~”
“Well, sort of. See… I have this platinum ingot and a ruby I found during our adventures, and I was wondering where I would go or who to talk to to get this made into like, an amulet with the ruby cut like Red’s cutie mark. I thought you might be able to help?”
>Rarity suddenly claps her hooves in excitement.
>”Oooh, I know the perfect pony! I do a lot of dealings with him when I need special cuts of fine gems. He’s all the way out in Dodge Junction, though, so I’ve only been communicating with him through letters and shipments. Oh Anon, he’s such a fine gentlecolt, his name is Elusive. If you go down near Appleoosa, Dodge Junction is right on the same path, just a few miles west.”
“That actually works well, thanks Rarity. I owe you one.”
>”Oh puh-lease, the only thing I’d ask of you is to talk to Fluttershy. She’s really been frightened whenever we mention your name or talk about you, and I’m worried. Did you do something by chance to make her feel this way, dear?”
“U-uh… I might’ve asked her questions a bit harshly, but I’ll definitely talk to her.”
>She nods and pats you delicately on your back as she returns.
>Now you have to talk to Yellowquiet.
>But first...
“Before we all adjourn for the night, there's something else we need to do. Everyone, follow me!”
>Shining and Twilight are a bit surprised at your initiative, but they follow you along with the rest of your group and Twi’s friends.
“Now, while we walk... Shining, Twilight, I understand you all had a run-in with some Changelings. Care to tell me what you know about them?"
>Shining physically shudders just hearing the name.
>If that wasn’t a red flag, then you don’t know what else could be.
>”I don’t know where you heard about them, but it’s best you didn’t know. They’re just another enemy like this shadow thing that threatens Equestria even to this day. Everytime I talk to my aunt-in-law, I always ask her if we can just march into that hive and get rid of them for good… I’m still waiting for that day.”
>Twilight agrees with her brother.
>”Changelings are an insect mutation of ponies that derive their lineage from a long time ago, and when I say long, I mean before the founding of Equestria long. They can shapeshift into anypony they’ve seen before, some can use magic and all of them fly. Every drone is a unicorn or low-power alicorn that when amassed into an army can tear apart entire empires. That’s what they’re bred for. Queen Chrysalis leads them, and she has nothing but pure evil in that mind of hers.”
>As you and your group walk with Twilight, her horn glows and she suddenly draws a rectangle in the air that turns into a window into her memories, showing you a visual representation of what you assume to be Queen Chrysalis.
>You’re not gonna lie, she’s got it going on, in a weird buggy way.
>”She’s invaded Equestria a few times looking for sources of love to feed off of. You see, Changelings and her kind don’t eat. They sustain themselves with the magic that comes from love, whether it be platonic, familial or romantic.”
“Why did she invade? If love is their only food source, then why don’t they just ask another nation for a trade or something?”
>Twilight sighs, and Shining takes over for her.
>”Trust me bro, we tried that. Princess Celestia met with Chrysalis many times to discuss a bartering system, but it’s always fallen apart because Chrysalis kept abusing the rules, sneaking in extra drones disguised into the middle of our towns and sucked the love right out from innocent ponies. Eventually, Celestia was forced to bar her from ever returning from ponykind. That didn’t sit well with her, and one day just a while back, she attacked Canterlot.”
>Twilight returns to the speaking front.
>”She brought her entire army over the city, locked Cadance in the underground dungeons and assumed her position with her shapeshifting powers. Shining is an expert on shielding spells-”
>You definitely make a note of that.
>”-and he had put a barrier over all of Canterlot to make sure nothing could come in. But it was broken because Chrysalis had gained so much power from absorbing the love from my brother, it was almost hopeless. She bested Princess Celestia with that power, and if it hadn’t been for Cadance and Shining’s united magic and overpowering love, she would’ve won that day.”
>Shining finishes.
>”I made it a vow from that day forward to get revenge on the thing that nearly tore apart not only my life, but my love, my aunt, my ruler, and my country. If I ever see Chrysalis, or even another changeling again, I… I won’t hesitate.”
>He got a little intense at that last sentence.
>They feel very strongly about this.
>”So Anon, how did you find out about changelings?”
>You take a glance at the rest of your group and their eyes tell you to be cautious.
>You didn’t need to be told twice on that.
>What do you say to them?



“Well, before I start, what effect does feeding changelings love have, anyways?”
>Twilight thinks for a moment, probably wondering how to word it.
>”Well, from what we’ve seen and studied… Love’s magic serves as their mana and their food source, and without it, not only are they powerless, but they’ll starve to death. It’s not a pleasant fate, but I suppose the trade off is that the more love they get, the longer they can last without it and the more powerful they are. So I guess they sort of use their food as their magic source, which is why they tend to keep shapeshifting to a minimum and fight physically before they would magically, though when they use the latter, it’s something to be feared.”
>That gave you some time to word what you’re going to say.
“Alright… now, first off, I’ve gotten more information on where the shadow’s most likely run off to. I ask you right now, Twilight, Shining, not to get freaked out or anything by what I’m about to tell you, okay? Nothing bad has happened or is going to happen, so just let me tell the whole story.”
>They both give you a suspicious look, so you begin without hesitation.
“We ran across a changeling in our travels that was being attacked by corruption. In return for removing the corruption, she divulged information to us, that much of their hive was similarly taken over. What you described, a magical juggernaut controlled by an omniscient evil? This wasn't like that. She seemed weak; or at the very least, lost and disoriented.”
>Shining stops walking, prompting the rest of the group to stop as well as he looks directly at you.
>”Anonymous… Is that changeling in the Palace?”
“Let me finish-”
>”IS IT in the palace?”
>He didn’t like you calling the changeling a she.
“...Most likely, she’s still in the same room we told her to stay in.”
>Shining gets a running start to go look for it, but you block his path directly.
“Please, Shining, at least let me tell you what I’m thinking before you run off, this concerns the safety of Equestria! Or did you lose sight of that?”
>His nostrils flare, but he doesn’t get by you again, so you continue.
“But going by what you're saying, they're highly dangerous, I know and I’m going to take that into account... my concern is, if they're corrupted, they'd be a much more powerful tool for the shadow, and if Chrysalis herself was taken over, she might be as dangerous as Cadence was when possessed, maybe even more so if she was able to defeat Celestia. I'm... debating trying to find their hive and remove the corruption.”
>Twilight steps up with Shining.
>”Anon, before I even begin to berate you for not telling us this sooner, Chrysalis’ hive has every single changeling in existence in there, and in her territory, you won’t survive! That’d almost be a death sentence for Celestia and Luna at their prime, let alone a ragtag group of ponies with a bit of firepower!”
“Look, it wouldn't be right of me to ask you for help in that endeavor, especially in light of today and knowing how you feel about the changeling race. That goes for the rest of you too,”
>You motion towards your party.
“But if they can be traded with, if Chrysalis has the capability to scheme and plot instead of just attacking ponies blindly, she might be able to be reasoned with, even if it has to be done with a sword at her neck. I'm hoping she'll see reason if we help her, cut her free of the shadow, maybe recognize that it's a higher priority and work with us, or at least stay neutral. If I can negotiate that, do you think you could bring yourself to turn them away on threat of death, rather than slaughter them? It would be a... a ceasefire, if you will. No alliances, no trust, just a mutual respect for life. Could you do that, just for now, for the greater good?”
>Shining Armor takes a good, long look at your countenance, carefully considering your words.
>Your boldness towards him has left the other mares speechless and shocked, and Gable smirking devilishly.
“Please… That’s all I ask. This can be the favor you owe me for real, and I’ll never ask for anything again.”
>Shining closes his eyes, and heaves out a breath of stress.
>”You don’t even know what you’re getting yourself into, man. If I hadn’t seen you fight off my alicorn wife just now with one of the elements at her side, I would have locked you up just now. But knowing you can handle yourself and your little group, I guess…”
>He chokes on his words a bit.
>”Just… Be careful, alright? I don’t wanna lose my bro, even if you’re a pain in the flank.”
>Your smile stretches your ears as you relax.
“Thank you. I promise I’ll get to the bottom of this.”
>”Ceasefire, only.”
“Right.”
[QUEST ADDED: In the Belly of the Beast - (Travel to Queen Chrysalis’ hive {0/1}, Clear the hive of corruption {0/1}, Negotiate with Queen Chrysalis {0/1})]
>”Now, take me to the changeling.”
>You hesitantly turn around and start walking back to the room where you last left her.
>Is there anything you’d like to do on the way?



“Since we're talking about the Empire's defenses, I guess this is as good a time as any to mention that I've got a couple ranged weapons I invented with his help over at Gyro Gear's that are for sale, your guard might be interested in them. Here's the one that's on sale now.”
>You pull off your shotgun and hold it in front of you so he can get a good look.
>”Well… uh, is it like a bow and arrow?”
“Sort of, it just fires metal bullets at nearly 100 times the speed of an arrow, fires four at once, no drawback, just load and fire.”
>His eyebrows raise in surprise.
>”I’m impressed. Did you talk with anypony else with this?”
“Cadance before she passed out, and wrote a letter to Celestia. It’s definitely something I’d recommend.”
>”Noted…”
>While you’re leading them, you strap the gun back on your back and look back at Fluttershy.
>As soon as she sees you looking, she hides behind Applejack, still fidgeting with her mask.
“Hey AJ, can you come lead? My memory is a bit hazy and I can’t remember where this room was.”
>She nods and picks up the pace, metaphorically leaving the yellow shyponi in the dust, as you slow your pace until she was whimpering and cowering in the back of the group.
“Hey Fluttershy, can I talk to you for a second? It’s pretty important. I promise I won’t bite.”
>She doesn’t say anything, but she wasn’t running off either.
>That’s a good a sign as any.
“Look, I just wanted to apologize for how I acted toward you earlier. I... honestly don't know what the hell happened in my head, I guess I got worked up about Bane- er, the shadow, and let my mouth get ahead of my brain. I am so, so sorry for yelling and scaring you, and I’ll never do it again. Is there anything I can do to make up for it?”
>After your apology, she seems to grow in stature.
>You then realize it’s her not cowering anymore, and actually standing upright.
>”Uhm.. w-well, that’s okay, I don’t wanna be a bother… you a-apologized and that’s all that matters…”
“C’mon, Flutters, I can’t do anything for you after all of this time just letting you stew?”
>”N-no, it’s fine-”
“You can have me do anything no matter how out of the way or tedious, just name it.”
>”I.. I really-”
“Please?”
>Fluttershy looks around a little bit before subtly nodding you closer.
>You bend over to hear what she has to say.
>”I… I could really use some help w-with a, uhm…”
>You really need to get Iron Will to talk to this mare.
>”...Well, I bought some… bird feed earlier this week, and I could use a strong, strapping stallion… o-or human like you to help carry it…”
“Bird feed? Well, sure. We can pick it up on our way out, how’s that sound?”
>”It’s a lot of bird feed…”
>Now you’re a bit intrigued.
“How much?”
>”Uhm, well, maybe a few dozen bags…”
>Well that’s not so ba-
>”150 pound bags…”
“...Uuuhh… Yeah, I can…. enlist some help to go with it, sure.”
>Fluttershy finally gives you a small smile.
>”Thank you, Mr. Anon, or, doctor? Is it doctor?...”
>Before you can answer, AJ waves your attention with her hat, then points at a door in front of cracked crystal.
>Shining looks over at the hole in the wall.
>”So, should we be looking for more property damage through here?”
“That’s the only… big… hole.”
>He nods with an exasperated look and simply climbs through it, while the rest of your group take the door after he unlocks it from the inside.
>When you’re inside, you see that nothing’s there.
“...Oh.”
>You also just now realized that there’s windows in this room.
“Oh…”
>Shining and Twilight only give you that face that says ‘I-told-you-so’.
>But all of a sudden, a shaking, frightened white stallion with crystal armor peeks his head out from underneath a lot of rubble.
>”Who is that? Oh, captain!”
>He stumbles out of the destroyed crystal and stands at attention.
>Shining Armor is completely dumbfounded.
>”T-Tidal Wave? Where’ve you been, you were supposed to report back days ago from the outpost! It’s so awesome to see you again, bro!”
>Tidal Wave…
>This might end badly, and when you look at the rest of your group, they all agree.
>The changeling disguised as the dead guard reciprocates a hug when Shining offers one, and looks at the the rest of you.
>”Captain, if I might ask, who are these ponies… and people?”
>”Oh, these guys are a weird bunch, but they just saved the Empire from total destruction. This is Anon, and his, ahem, marefriend Nurse Redheart,”
>She dumbly waves with a shocked expression on her face.
>”That’s Berry Punch,”
>Berry refused to speak or acknowledge anything by focusing on chugging her flask.
>”A charmer, no doubt… That’s Iron Will,”
>The assertive minotaur acts rather passive, opting to clear his throat.
>”...And that’s Gable.”
>”Nice to meet you.”
>Fucking Gable.
>’Tidal Wave’ nods to each of you, and Shining gets his attention.
>”Alright officer, I want you to show these guys to their bedrooms on the second floor. They get as many as they want and room service, ‘kay?”
>”Yes sir, will do… sir.”
>Looking unsure of hisself, ‘Tidal’ makes another salute, and walks out of the room, the rest of you minus Shining following him.
>However, the latter stops you for a moment as the others leave.
>”I thought you said there was a changeling in here?”
>At this point, you’re not sure what to do.
>You didn’t do anything before because of the sheer shock.
>Should you tell him the truth, or lie to get away with this?



“Shining… The changeling is very afraid right now, terrified of being alone and lost, so I ask you to keep an open mind.”
>You snap your fingers to get everyone to stop, and you put a hand on ‘Tidal’s shoulder.
>You feel his muscles freeze, but doesn’t move otherwise.
“Listen, we’ve already talked about it and I’ve guaranteed your safety. Can you change back so we can discuss the issue with the corruption and your Queen and hive?”
>At those keywords, Shining’s expression darkens immensely.
>With your prompt, the apparent guard slowly turns around, and a magical line scans up around his body until the changeling’s form returns, eyes wary of the increasingly angry captain.
“Look, the changeling didn’t leave, see?”
>”It impersonated one of my closest officers!”
“She was frightened and obviously knows you from before! Just, please, just let her come with us, stay just one night, you’ll never see her again. I’ll tell you what happened to Tidal Wave.”
>Shining’s anger is suddenly replaced by worry.
>”What happened to him?”
>You sigh, and wave the party with the changeling off so they can get to the bedrooms.
>You ask Berry for the items relating to the outpost before she leaves, and she complies before joining Iron’s side.
[Berry gives you Iron Aegis’ Journal, Badge I.D.’s (Iron Aegis, Bastion Aurora, Tidal Wave), Missive from Shining Armor, and Royal Pass.]
>Everyone leaves except for Twilight, who stays with her brother for comfort.
“Okay… While my group and I were searching for Rainbow, we ended up stopping at the guard station to get directions to the outpost, and we went out there through the blizzard to see if there were any leads, and to see if we could get a royal pass to get in here. This is what we found.”
[You give Shining Armor the aformentioned items.]
>You speak as he looks through them.
“The ones known as Iron Aegis and Bastion Aura are alive, currently enrolled in the Mi Amore hospital from a life-drain similar to what Celestia and Luna experienced. I’m still trying to find a cure for the coma they’re in while I’m at it.”
>Shining begins to read the journal entries, and you wait for him to finish.
>A hardened captain of the most powerful authority in this country looks up at you with tears beginning to brew.”
>”And Tidal?”
>You hesitate before continuing.
“He was found laying on a table, suffering from the same corruption that Cadance was experiencing, except much more progressed. He… he’s passed on.”
>He closes his eyes and buries his face in Twilight’s wither, who pats him with a solemn expression.
“It’s all the more reason we have to stop that shadow. It’s the drive to beat this thing is why I’m doing what I’m doing, going for any leads I possibly can, and why I want to take that changeling with us into the hive so I can carry out what I set out to do. It’s for the ponies that have lost their lives to this threat, that’s why I’m doing this.”
>Shinin stops to sniff up any liquids that were overflowing on his face, and faces you once again.
>”Then do what you need to do.”
>Without another word, he leaves the room and turns right, headed back to check on Cadance.
>This leaves you alone with Twilight.
>”... I’m looking at you, and I still wonder what goes through your head sometimes. Sometimes, you’re so mysterious in your actions, erratic, even crazy and sometimes, just… malicious!”
>That puts a sinking feeling in your gut.
>”Then you do all of these things to help other ponies, working your flank off to keep Equestria safe, being so kind and selfless… I just can’t tell who you are, Anonymous. I guess what I’m trying to say is… thanks for doing the right thing. If you ever need anything, just ask me, okay?”
“...Yeah.”
>Is there anything you’d like to ask her before returning to your party?