Text Adventure Chapter 15 Log

“Hey, can you walk well enough? I can be your trusty steed this time, if you need?”
>She smiles, but shakes her head.
>”I’ll be okay. Besides, you need to be careful with that ankle. It’s patched up, but that doesn’t mean it can’t swell.”
>That made sense, so you didn’t push it.
>Finally, you set off towards the cavern, both of you bandaged and battle-hardened.
>Whatever was in this cavern better be damn good, you think.
>...
>The entire trip along with the battle took about half an hour, so you made a mental note to get back quickly after you found what you needed to find.
>You and Redheart stand at the lip of the cave, a pulsing blue light emanating from the inner chambers.
>”I’m getting a weird feeling about this. It’s sort of like when unicorns use their magic around me, I just get this fuzzy feeling in my chest… but now I’m feeling it over my whole body.”
“I’ve noticed that, I feel it too.”
>A reverberation through your chest… as if it was calling you to go in.
>Well, you didn’t come all of this way for nothing, so with a pat on Red’s withers, you walk in, descending down the cave.
>The feeling was vibrating your very being, and the shimmer became your entire visual spectrum, everything you saw being some shade of blue, including Redheart, who was looking unsure of herself and slowly lagging behind you, but continuing on nonetheless.
>The climb down quickly stopped as you finally stepped into the main chasm of the cavern….
>And the sight beheld was something you would never forget.
>A massive crystallized tree stood before you, roots that went through the entire chasm and possibly down into the ground for miles.
>There were small indentures in the body of the tree, six in total, but you didn’t know what for.
>Each branch was crackling with pure, unadulterated magical energy, a course of power so great it made it difficult to approach.
>That didn’t stop you from walking forward, however.
>”Anonymous…”
>You stop and look back for a second at her, and your heart dropped at the way she looked.
>She was so frightened, scared at the power that this thing was giving off, and you understood why.
>”...B-be careful.”
>You nod with the most comforting smile you could, and look back at the tree.
>You could feel the vibrations pulling you closer, in a dance that seemed needing, almost desperate, even.
>Like it needed your help.
>Do you wish to go to the tree? Y/N


>One step forward, and you find the magic from the tree branches beginning to curl towards you like wafty smoke beckoning you to come closer.
>Walking forward, the power waits for you to get close enough, and it reaches out.
>The magical lashes begin to curl around you, azure and violet wisps of magical energy whirling around your form and beginning to tenderly scrape your skin, giving waving sensations of prickling skin across your entire body, like an aftershock of an earthquake.
>This keeps going, and at some point your arms float up from your sides… then you lift off the ground entirely.
>The magic carries you like a mother carries its child, and you feel wisps around your eyes and ears, clouding the loud protests of Redheart.
>You think you are starting to hallucinate, but you realize it is a vision that this strange magic is giving you.
>You see death and destruction.
>Across Equestria, this shadow that you have been tracking down all this time, was going to win, no matter how you cut the situation down.
>The dead lay helplessly in the ashen, fiery debris of the aftermath of its wake, a passover so strong that you couldn’t help but feel like it was nothing short of a true, terrifying hell.
“...How… How do I stop this?”
>You don’t understand why it would be happening, why you--
>A blinding flash of light.
>Your screams mixing with Redheart’s, echoing throughout the chasm.
>Lightning, arcing across your body, paralyzing you with every force imaginable, until you feel nothing but your own consciousness slipping away from you, tearing you apart to your very soul…
>Then, blackness.
>You hit the ground…. Completely fine.
>All that is left of your shirt is a small burned corner sticking out of your burned jeans, though.
“...Holy shit!”
>You’ve got technicolor tattoos reigning across your lack of muscular tissue, but it still looks damn cool.
>Oh wait, nope, they’re turning black.
>Oh well.
>Redheart was next to you in a flash, and she gasped when she saw your new attire.
>”Anon, w-what is this? I’ve never seen these before, have you always had them?”
“... After what just happened, you think I had these before?”
>You roll your eyes to demonstrate the high improbability, and you get yourself up, Redheart at your side helping you.
>She’s still looking at you as if starstruck, but it is understandable…
>What the hell happened to you?
“...I saw Equestria, Red. It was destroyed. All of it.
>She looks up at you, a hoof covering her muzzle.
>”...Are you sure?”
“Yeah… Everything was… gone. Annihilated. … It was the shadow.”
>Red is speechless for a moment.
“I think it was a vision, something that was going to happen in the future, maybe, I don’t know.
>”...Do you think that’s why this… Tree thing gave this to you?”
“Probably…”
>You scratch your head, looking back at the tree that had given you this… gift?
>The tree itself looks the same as before, but the humming of power is gone.
>Well, not completely. It feels like it’s still there, but it’s not coming from the tree.
>It feels like it was coming from you.
>”Well… I think we should get back to the others. Hopefully these uuh… markings will help.”
“Yeah.
>You look around and wave your arms up for a shrug.
>Magic suddenly blasts out of your palms, knocking you down to the ground and causing a small earthquake as the magic hits the ceiling.
>”ANON!”
>You shake your head, recovering from hitting the ground for the third time today.
“I’m alright… But that was fucking awesome.”
>You get back up, and look at your palms.
>There were tattoos on them, too!
>You look back at a large boulder just sitting there in the chasm, and you throw out a palm at it, using the same thought you had before.
>A powerful blast of magic fires out of your arm like a megaman buster and explodes, creating a suitably large crater in it.
>You and Redheart simply stare at it, your palm still smoking.
>”....I’ve never been more attracted to you, Anon.”
>Yeah, no shit.
>You are fucking Zeus, or something.
>You guess that the Tree knew shit was going to go down, and it decided to pick you to fight it…
>...But…
>Why?
>As you ponder these thoughts, you remember you needed to get a move on.
>What do you want to do?



>You suddenly grab onto Redheart and pull her close.
>”Oh my, hnn, Anon~...”
>She was giving you bedroom eyes.
>You had different plans, however, and she snapped out of it when she saw your look of concentration.
>You vividly recall the image of the cave’s entrance in your mind, keeping it pristine as you think for a moment.
>You always wanted to try this, but you weren’t quite sure how to do it…
>Do you wish to proceed with this action? Y/N




>Before you try what you probably shouldn’t have, you just realized something.
>Sir Ducksalot was in your shirt pocket!
>...There’s nothing left of it, either. He’s gone.
>You take a moment to give him a silent salute, for he was a respected member of the party…
>A true hero.
>Your comrade.
[spoiler]>...Your friend.[/spoiler]
>A single tear is shed for your lost Sir Ducksalot.
>Quack.
[LOST RUBBER DUCK FOR QUEST: SEXY SHOPPING LIST]
>You ultimately decided to bow out of the whole idea you were having.
>Trying to teleport just after you got magic for the first time probably wouldn’t be ideal.
>Might’ve teleported into a wall or something, or spliced yourself.
>And Redheart.
>Huh, it’s so weird.
>You can into magic.
>The realization of this sinks in, and you realize you have some responsibility now.
>Better know all that you can just in case you run into Twilight again.
>You let go of Red, and you inspect the markings given to you by this mysterious tree.
>They seemed like tribal tattoos, but they weren’t just markings on your skin.
>They seemed to be ingrafted into your very being, as if you’d carry them with your soul if you left your body.
>The actual design was very complicated, but you noticed that it ended in four points across your chest, and one on each palm, for a total of six, the same number as on the tree.
>They were undefined, but you swore you’ve seen these symbols before, somewhere.
>In any case, you were ready to leave.
>Is there anything you’d like to do before leaving?


>Suddenly, you pull Redheart back in, and kneel right into her muzzle, kissing her with a fiery passion.
>She is a little shocked from the spontaneity of it, but she quickly falls from this thought and melts into your arms, your tongues dancing in uninebriated bliss and lust.
>You lose track of the time by the time you break the kiss, a rope of saliva hanging between your glistened lips.
>Neither of you even need to say anything.
>She turns around for you, inciting lustful moans, and you don’t hesitate.
>...
>You are both dashing to get your armor and clothes back on.
>You probably don’t have any more than 10 minutes to get to the ridge!
>At least you feel much more relaxed, despite the stressful situation.
>”Oh no, do you think we’ll make it back in time?”
“I don’t know, but we better hurry!”
>Another hasty thought in the midst of chaos.
>You take out your phone once you had your pants on, and snap a quick picture of of the tree itself.
>The magic made it a bit blurry, but details are still decipherable.
>As soon as the two of you are ready, you look at the cave entrance.
>Do you wish to leave the cave, or something else?



>You beckon Redheart and start running through the tunnel that you came from.
>Right as you’re leaving, you could’ve sworn you saw something shiny in the corner of your eye underneath a pile of rocks.
>You probably could’ve searched the cave a bit more, but you were in too much of a hurry, it was too late now.
>You make your way out of the cave with Redheart right behind you, and the two of you finally break out back into the… sunset.
>The hour is nearly up, and you had 20 minutes worth of walking to do.
>Which meant running.
“Let’s go!”
>She nods, and the two of you start running for the ridge as fast as possible without exhausting yourselves.
>Do you push yourself to the limit, or take it steady?



>You’re running out of time.
>It must be the heat of the moment that is clouding yours and Red’s judgement, maybe it’s because you’re shirtless and ragged with tribal-looking tattoos and a spear, glistening with sweat all over your (implying) muscles.
>In any case, having sex was not kind to your time, and you had to get there.
“C’mon, we need to hustle!”
>”Trying..!”
“I’m gonna start sprinting, okay? Try and keep up!”
>As you set yourself to your maximum speed, you see Redheart galloping besides you, then passing you like a hotrod.
>She is definitely hot, and you realized it was you that couldn’t keep up with her.
>You both run as fast as you could, Redheart taking a large lead as you force yourself to run through the desert…
>The hot, sandy desert.
>With no water.
>Hope you can get back at all.
>...
>Thankfully, they see you coming up the ridge a little after an hour.
>Most of them are covered in ash and burns, their journey taking a toll on their skills and willpower.
[Pinkie Pie, Zecora, Applejack, and Berry Punch rejoin the party. -40 HP to each]
>When you and Redheart get up there, you both collapsed on the grass in front of them.
>Zecora and AJ were by your side with the other two checking Redheart.
>”You both were running for your lives, it seems. What has you both so frightened it’d take you to such extremes?”
“We… Didn’t.. want to… worry you…”
>You start a coughing fit.
>It probably wasn’t a good idea to do that…
[Anonymous and Redheart are exhausted. Running through a hot desert without hydration wasn’t your brightest moment.]
>Applejack takes off her hat and starts waving it to cool you and Redheart down, but seemingly in one simultaneous moment, she stopped waving, and the rest of them froze, staring at you.
“...W-what?”
>”Uh, Anon, what the hay is that on your chest?”
“Tattoos.”
>”..Have ya always had ‘em, then?”
“Nope.”
>”Get ‘em at the cave?”
“Yep.”
>”Some creepy artifact with magical powers?”
“Yep.”
>”Gave you magical powers?..”
“Yep.”
>”Wanna show us?”
“Nope.”
>”... And why not?”
“Dangerous.”
>”Is that right?”
“No, I’m just really tired and lazy.”
>”...Yeah..”
>Pinkie had been bobbing her head between the two of you for the entire conversation.
>”So Nonny has awesome magical powers like Twilight now?!”
“Yep.”
>Berry takes this time to prop you up on your knees, and starts poking at your sweaty chest.
>”Whoa, now… This is so weird, it feels cold and smooth, like metal! Red, did you feel this yet?”
>Redheart’s face flushes.
>”U-Uhh.. maybe.”
>Berry did a double-take at her, instantly getting what she meant.
>”Oh, couldn’t pass up that opportunity, could ya? Is that why you guys are late…?”
>She put a lot of inflection on that last sentence.
“...Yep.”
>”Anon!”
“What, we’re not gonna lie, are we?”
>”...True.”
>After a bit more time to let the shock die down, Pinkie graciously fetches some water for the two of you to drink, and once everyone was ready to leave again, the sun had dipped below the horizon, beginning the hours of dusk.
>AJ notes how this could affect the plan.
>”I don’t mean to bog down the hootenanny we got goin’ here, but I don’t think it’d be very easy for us to be gettin’ any manticore paws when we can’t see a foot in front of our face.”
“We could get torches or something from Zecora’s hut on the way?”
>Zecora nods in response.
>”I have a few supplies there, but it would be most wise to fight during the day. There are many threats that would strike us down without the sun’s rays.”
“I have to ask, when do you decide when and when not to rhyme?”
>”Sometimes I slip into old habits, Anonymous. I have been making linguistic art for the better part of my life, after all.”
>You guess you couldn’t hold it against her for that.
>So, this is a dilemma now.
>Should you: [A] Get torches and head through the night to catch the morning train to the Crystal Empire, [B] Sleep at Zecora’s and continue the quest in the morning, [C] have them wait at Zecora’s hut while you test out your new magic, or [D] Other?
[A, B, C, or D?]



>You think for a moment, looking out at the forest.
>What to do for the night would take some time to think about, so you put that in the back of your mind for now.
>What you did want to try, however, could be attempted now.
>First thing’s first, however.
“Zecora?”
>”Yes, Anonymous?”
“I was wondering if you could teach me a bit of alchemy when we get back to the hut, maybe for healing potions? And, just another thought, do you have any spare dartguns lying around at the hut, maybe?”
>Zecora snorts derisively at you.
>”You think I can teach you alchemy in the span of a single night? It takes much dedication and time to learn such a skill. Even if it were just for a healing potion, it would require at least a week’s worth of your time, which you do not have.”
>You look down dejectedly, feeling a bit foolish for thinking that.
>Zecora’s voice became much softer after this, however.
>”Though, it doesn’t take much to teach you how to use a blowdart. I do have a spare, and if you’re willing to learn, I’d give it to you.”
“Thank you Zecora, it would definitely help me out.”
>”Though, to make your darts you’ll require a potion-making kit, and I’d also be happy to lend you one-- for a few of those bits you so handily carry.”
>Of course, fuckin’ jewpones always out for your shekels.
>Er, you mean…
“Okay, that sounds fair.”
>You both nod at each other, and you stand up.
“Also, I have an idea…”
>You look at your party, now looking at you expectantly.
>As you look at your palms, you think about what you read before in those magical books.
>Maybe with these powers you could heal? It shouldn’t be that hard, right?...
>...R-right?
>Are you sure you wish to try healing the party with your magic? Y/N



>You raise your arms to the party, displaying the markings you got on your palms to them, as they slowly began to charge with magic.
>Most of them looked uneasy at the action, Red speaking up first.
>”W-what are you doing?”
“I’m going to try healing you guys… I’m hopeful that this gift that was given to me was for a good purpose, and this should be one of them. I read up on a few books, too.”
>Before they could ever protest, your magic surged through your markings and out of your palms, chain-hitting the entire party with channels of pure magic…
>Pure destructive magic!
>You couldn’t figure out how to control it, the flow wasn’t changing, you couldn’t--
>The magic rips through each and every one of their bodies, instantly burning and conflagrating them from the inside.
>Those wearing armor conducts it across their skin, electrifying each of them in pain and suffering no pony should ever have to face, their screams piercing the night and your ears with cries of why and hell, until you were finally able to stop your stream of devastation.
>But… it was too late.
[Pinkie Pie has died.]
[Zecora has died.]
[Applejack has died.]
[Berry Punch has died.]
[Redheart has died.]
>
>Oh… Oh god.
>What… What have you done?
>Your tear-stricken eyes look at your smoking, murderous hands, and you fall to your knees, without willpower to stand any longer.
>What have you done?
>You smell the stench of burnt flesh crawling in your nostrils, and you couldn’t help but look at their magic-mauled corpses, lifeless. Your friends. Your lover, killed by your own hands.
>What have you done?
>What will you do?



>You… You can’t.
>You can’t bear with the guilt. You can’t let it fester in your mind.
>You didn’t deserve to live after what you’ve just done.
>Your short-sightedness has cost you everything you held dear in this world, and there was nothing left for you.
>Flashes and memories of the times you had together run through your mind as you walk towards what remained of Redheart.
>You remember the feeling of her kiss on your cheek, as you remove the red-hot knife from her bag.
>The burning on your hand was nothing compared to the anguish that you had to settle now before you went insane.
>All you could think of was how you couldn’t save Equestria.
>How you couldn’t save these ponies.
>How you couldn’t save Redheart.
>How you, you were the one that killed them.
>And you will end one more life.
>You take the burning knife and slit your throat, instantly losing control of your body as you fall to the ground in the wake of those that you murdered.
>your blood seeps into the ground as a memorial of what you’ve done.
>...Let no more blood be shed…
[You have died.]

[Healing magic is only for the highest level unicorns and alicorns, something not even Twilight could perform. Be wise with your decisions, Anonymous…]

>You feel yourself falling through your memories once again, portals that you feel calling towards you.
>One in particular has you nearing a memory where you were standing with the party, thinking about healing them.
>Do you wish to return to this memory? Y/N
>You think for a moment, looking out at the forest.
>What to do for the night would take some time to think about, so you put that in the back of your mind for now.
>What you did want to try, however, could be attempted now.
>First thing’s first, however.
“Zecora?”
>”Yes, Anonymous?”
“I was wondering if you could teach me a bit of alchemy when we get back to the hut, maybe for healing potions? And, just another thought, do you have any spare dartguns lying around at the hut, maybe?”
>Zecora snorts derisively at you.
>”You think I can teach you alchemy in the span of a single night? It takes much dedication and time to learn such a skill. Even if it were just for a healing potion, it would require at least a week’s worth of your time, which you do not have.”
>You look down dejectedly, feeling a bit foolish for thinking that.
>Zecora’s voice became much softer after this, however.
>”Though, it doesn’t take much to teach you how to use a blowdart. I do have a spare, and if you’re willing to learn, I’d give it to you.”
“Thank you Zecora, it would definitely help me out.”
>”Though, to make your darts you’ll require a potion-making kit, and I’d also be happy to lend you one-- for a few of those bits you so handily carry.”
>Of course, fuckin’ jewpones always out for your shekels.
>Er, you mean…
“Okay, that sounds fair.”
>You both nod at each other, and you stand up.
“Alright, let’s head back to the hut and get some rest. We all need to be in good shape for when we fight that manticore, right?”
>A resounding yes from the party, and you continue on your journey. You had this thought about trying to heal them with magic, but there was no way you were going to try that.
>With your luck, you’d probably end up frying them or something.
>You look at your spear in your hands, wondering if you could somehow inject magic into it.
>You practice as you walk back to Zecora’s hut.
>...
>The journey home carried on without incident, besides the fact you actually managed to do something with the spear.
>On the way, you had pulsed magic into the handle of your weapon and sent a charge that sparked at the metallic blade. If you could time it right, it could be a devastating strike.
[ANONYMOUS HAS LEARNED SABER SLASH! (1 MP, +15 damage, 2 turn cooldown)]
>The party enters Zecora’s hut, Berry taking the closest seat and taking a nice swig of her flask.
>”Ohhhhh, that feels good… You two don’t know what you missed at dragon mountain. We fought so much stuff it isn’t funny, the wildlife there’s acting up because of the passover!”
>Pinkie nods ecstatically as she took her place staring into Zecora’s sitting cauldron.
>”Yeah, it was like, woosh and dash trying to keep them off our flanks, phoenixes and lavamanders and spooky scary skeletons!”
>...Wait, wha--
>”But we got the ember! AJ has it!”
>She nods and takes off her hat, taking out a small baggie from it that held a dark, glistening powder.
>She tosses it to you and you stow it in your inventory with a thanks.
[AQCUIRED OUNCE OF MORTIFIED EMBER FOR QUEST: ZECORA’S FIRE ENCHANTMENT LIST]
“Thank you kindly.”
>”Don’ mention it, partner. Now, did ya’ll find anything besides mystical tattoos?”
>Redheart looks at you, and you look back.
>”Well, we had our own battle, took down some diamond dogs, but… Otherwise, nothing else happened.”
>Berry chuckles, a bit tipsy from her recent chug.
>”Suuure, and I’m a monkey’s uncle. Oh uh, no offense, Anon.”
>You actually took more offense that she thought saying monkey would be offensive, but it’s all good.
“Well, there was one more thing I should tell you all.”
>They look at you expectantly.
“Er, what happened in the cave, anyways, was that there was this huge, magical tree, it looked crystallized like it had been preserved by something, and it… It gave me a vision.”
>Zecora was in the middle of setting up her potions when she looks at you after your last sentence.
“The vision was… Equestria. It was destroyed, a barren wasteland of ash and death. I’m not sure what it was saying with this, but I’m pretty sure that Bane’s the culprit.”
>Redheart and AJ groan while Pinkie and Berry giggle.
>”Stop callin’ it Bane, Anon, for Celestia’s sake, yer worse than my sister!”
“But, yeah, right after it showed me this vision, it put these markings on me and gave me these powers. Do you guys maybe... think it’s trying to change the future?”
>Zecora has a grim expression on her face, a rare occurrence.
>”From what you say of this vision, this magical tree has sent you on a mission. It acts on behalf of Equestria’s will, to raise up a defender, whose position you’ll fill.”
“Wait, so I’m the defender of Equestria?”
>AJ pipes up at this inference.
>”Yeah, that’s complete bologna if I ever heard it, the Elements of Harmony are the defenders of Equestria, not some hyooman that arrived just a couple days ago! Er, no offense, you’re good in my book now.”
“N-none taken.”
>Zecora sighs, her hooves hard at work in her cauldron after she pushed away an insistent Ponk.
>”I am aware of the outlandishness of the tree’s request, but Equestria believes that Anon is the best.”
>So, you have to save the entire world apparently.
>...You don’t buy it.
“Oh, and uuh, I have to report a loss.”
>The group’s talkative nature dies down instantly.
“I want to honor the death of my close, trusted friend and comrade… Sir Ducksalot. He was a fine duck, who quacked every time you squeezed him, and made the best jokes. He will be missed… I…”
>You wipe a genuine tear from your eye as you look at Pinkie, who was on the verge of tears herself.
“...I just wish there was a way to bring him back.”
>Suddenly, you get hit in the head with something metal.
“OW, son of a--”
>Berry had just thrown her flask at you.
>”HEY! I know you’re not drunk, but if you’re gonna start spouting random nonsense again, you best get a move on, now drink that!”
>You take the flask and look at it, the mood killer watching you intensely.
>You shrug and take a large sip before throwing it back to her, going back to sit down with Red.
>Before you can enjoy it however, Pinkie comes up to you with features of resolve.
>”Nonny, I’ll do my best to find you a new Sir Ducksalot, mark my words!”
>She gives a single nod before you could say anything, and runs to the back of the hut, diving into the supplies closet.
>Zecora starts running after her, yelling profanities as the pink blur destroyed all organization she once had.
>...
>The conversation mostly died down after this, the group finding places to rest as you hang back with Redheart, at least until Zecora had gotten your attention.
>You were sleeping though…
>”Anonymous, it is time to learn. Or are you too tired?”
>Do you sleep in Redheart’s arms, or go learn some recipes?