Snowfall: Equestria - A Snow Day in the Winterland [IC]

[Deadly]

Oh sweet Celestia. Was the bot screwed up or was this place actually changing itself in response to Snow Eyes running through it? Neither boded especially well. Nor was Snow Eyes convinced that crystals would necessarily be in the place labeled Crystals.

She tried to figure this out as rationally as she could. [read a sitch: [roll0]
And of course, my question is: What's my best way in?

No, the map had been correct and you hadn't been turned around, you was sure. Sector 50 - and what you sought - should be through the door to your right, the door wrongly claiming to be sector 49.

The best way in wasn't through the doors, however. Both were apparently traps. The more you studied the hall and the doors, the more disturbingly organic they appeared to you. A single great organism mimicking walls and doors, even entire rooms and their contents. It was a great illusion, but not perfect.

Sector 50 had been on your right, and sector 49 on your left as the map had said, but they had both been grown over and replaced by something else. Something living. For whatever reason, it had got the two rooms mixed up, though it mattered little: step through either door, and you stepped right into its waiting maw. You could always fight your way through, hope for the best, but any shooting risked causing damage to whatever remained of the original room, and perhaps to the crystals you sought.

But there had been a hole in the outer wall in the hallway behind you. Climb the outer wall, come in through a window ... the monstrous organism probably hadn't prepared for that, and it probably wasn't fast enough to deal with surprises.

[Elanorin]

I'm also curious; Angel, how does it feel to see another pony spellbound by your lover? And you, Charger, you're in a staring contest with a windigo; in this moment, what are you most afraid of?

There was a beat when Jade Sun watched the awkward exchange and could not help the instant surge of emotion that rose in reaction. Of course she did not like it, she did not like it at all, and the only mitigating factor was the knowledge that Charger was merely putting on a show just to help her. Which would come to nothing if Jade stewed on this. Setting her irrational jealousy aside Angel made herself focus and leapt out from behind the boxes in an unnecessarily high pounce at Eclipse, stun brace buzzing and chillstab in hoof.

[Going Aggro: 2d6+0=5]

[Anarion]

No, the map had been correct and you hadn't been turned around, you was sure. Sector 50 - and what you sought - should be through the door to your right, the door wrongly claiming to be sector 49.

The best way in wasn't through the doors, however. Both were apparently traps. The more you studied the hall and the doors, the more disturbingly organic they appeared to you. A single great organism mimicking walls and doors, even entire rooms and their contents. It was a great illusion, but not perfect.

Sector 50 had been on your right, and sector 49 on your left as the map had said, but they had both been grown over and replaced by something else. Something living. For whatever reason, it had got the two rooms mixed up, though it mattered little: step through either door, and you stepped right into its waiting maw. You could always fight your way through, hope for the best, but any shooting risked causing damage to whatever remained of the original room, and perhaps to the crystals you sought.

But there had been a hole in the outer wall in the hallway behind you. Climb the outer wall, come in through a window ... the monstrous organism probably hadn't prepared for that, and it probably wasn't fast enough to deal with surprises.

Ooh, bad move on the giant bioweapon's part. Everypony knew not to mix up silly things like room numbers. That was always the way that such deceptions got noticed.

Snow Eyes doubled back right away. She was whistling the Daring Do theme music as she climbed a tree, found a sturdy vine, and swung in through the window.

[Deadly]

There was a beat when Jade Sun watched the awkward exchange and could not help the instant surge of emotion that rose in reaction. Of course she did not like it, she did not like it at all, and the only mitigating factor was the knowledge that Charger was merely putting on a show just to help her. Which would come to nothing if Jade stewed on this. Setting her irrational jealousy aside Angel made herself focus and leapt out from behind the boxes in an unnecessarily high pounce at Eclipse, stun brace buzzing and chillstab in hoof.

[Going Aggro: 2d6+0=5]

Eclipse, come to visit an old friend, steps through the doorway. Out of nowhere, Angel pounces upon her unsuspecting friend, like a mad mare, ready to electrocute and stab her full of needles.

Freeze the frame. Right there.

The perfect image.

You realize this too late, of course, but you probably should have closed the door before falling upon your unsuspecting friend like that. But alas, there you are, standing over said friend - in a rather provocative position I might add - and looking up from your grim deed to see several shocked faces in the street outside staring right back at you.

They all know you, the Angel of Windbreak. They all know Eclipse; some are no doubt fans and followers. And they all just saw you stab her in the back. Some of them look like they're going to start a riot over it right there and then. Others are running or slipping off to spread the word.

So perfect. *Amused chuckle*


Eclipse, you're rather rudely shocked and stabbed in the neck with needles full of chill. You're stumbling, your body is failing and your eyes are rolling back in your head. There's no two ways about it, you'll be out like a light in a second. But that's a whole second, and you can no longer see Charger ... or anything, really. What do you do?


Charger, you're out of the spotlight for the moment, as the ponies on the street can't see you where you stand.

Ooh, bad move on the giant bioweapon's part. Everypony knew not to mix up silly things like room numbers. That was always the way that such deceptions got noticed.

Snow Eyes doubled back right away. She was whistling the Daring Do theme music as she climbed a tree, found a sturdy vine, and swung in through the window.

*Crash* Right through the window. Brushing off glass, you take a look around. Half the room is festering with some kind of monstrous crystal growth, glowing and breathing like pure malevolence. The rest of the room has been ravaged by time and only I know what else. Only crystals you can see anywhere are broken or long since consumed by ... that thing.

The monstrous crystal tumor seems to regard you. It almost gives you the impression of being amused, if any emotion can be attributed to that faceless mass of glowing material. You get the impression it wants to make you a deal ... what you want, in return for what it wants.

[TheAmishPirate]

Eclipse, you're rather rudely shocked and stabbed in the neck with needles full of chill. You're stumbling, your body is failing and your eyes are rolling back in your head. There's no two ways about it, you'll be out like a light in a second. But that's a whole second, and you can no longer see Charger ... or anything, really. What do you do?

Outside. I have to get outside.

Why?

Too many innocents in here? Too many ambushers in here? Too much Charger in here? Greatest chance of rescue out there? Have to taste the sky one last time? Have to try and lose my attackers?

I don't know. I'm so cold. So, so cold.

I take off. I gallop. Whatever is still working. I flee from the freezing dark.

[Thanqol]

Charger gave Jade a long, sideways look. Then she flicked her coat off over one shoulder, and walked outside. She casually swept the hooves out from under the drugged up Eclipse, sending her into the snow, and gestured offhoof for the others to drag her inside.

She cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders as she looked out at the crowd.

[Read a sitch 3, 2: 5.]

[Deadly]

Charger gave Jade a long, sideways look. Then she flicked her coat off over one shoulder, and walked outside. She casually swept the hooves out from under the drugged up Eclipse, sending her into the snow, and gestured offhoof for the others to drag her inside.

She cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders as she looked out at the crowd.

[Read a sitch 3, 2: 5.]

Your gaze is pulled upwards all of a sudden, as if by the pull of a string attached to the back of your head. The sky is all white and gray, and your first thought is clouds, but then you realize: they are not clouds. They are massive tangled landscapes of silky threads. Then you fall over backwards, and the world flips 180 degrees at a dizzying speed. You don't hit the ground; you're falling towards those puffy pillows of silk.

You're an earth pony, few of your kind ever dallied around on clouds. To many non-pegasi, it's a terrifying idea. But these aren't really clouds. Are you hoping they will catch you in your fall, or concerned they might?

*

Eclipse, as your legs are kicked out from under you, you expect to feel your jaw hit the ground and taste the snow. Instead you feel soft, sticky silk.

*

Angel, Charger just collapsed outside your door, no explanation or visible reason. She's on the ground, next to Eclipse.

[Thanqol]

Your gaze is pulled upwards all of a sudden, as if by the pull of a string attached to the back of your head. The sky is all white and gray, and your first thought is clouds, but then you realize: they are not clouds. They are massive tangled landscapes of silky threads. Then you fall over backwards, and the world flips 180 degrees at a dizzying speed. You don't hit the ground; you're falling towards those puffy pillows of silk.

You're an earth pony, few of your kind ever dallied around on clouds. To many non-pegasi, it's a terrifying idea. But these aren't really clouds. Are you hoping they will catch you in your fall, or concerned they might?

Charger's heart started beating like a pub full of ponies stomping their hooves in time. Boom-tsh, boom-tsh. She opened her mouth and felt the warmth of her breath snatched from her throat by the howling wind. Her mane was blowing fast and wild, incomprehensibly tangled.

It was new. It was uncontrolled. It was spontaneous. She loved it.

And she was going to kill it. Kill it and drink its blood.

She howled into the wind.

[Open your brain: 10]

[Deadly]

Charger's heart started beating like a pub full of ponies stomping their hooves in time. Boom-tsh, boom-tsh. She opened her mouth and felt the warmth of her breath snatched from her throat by the howling wind. Her mane was blowing fast and wild, incomprehensibly tangled.

It was new. It was uncontrolled. It was spontaneous. She loved it.

And she was going to kill it. Kill it and drink its blood.

She howled into the wind.

[Open your brain: 10]

It was a dream, a nightmare, or something like it anyway. The important thing was that dream logic ruled this place. That, and fear.

There were three other minds of note. One you knew; Eclipse. The other two were unfamiliar. One was alien and elusive, skittering all over the place with a thousand or more eyes and many smaller minds. It was like a mind within minds within minds, a maelstrom of fears and nightmares. The other was distant, strangely equine and of a singular purpose: to inflict grave terror on those who wronged it.

Strings dangled from the clouds, and far below you thought you could make out the world beyond the dream: the streets outside Angel's with ponies that looked like tiny ants ready to swarm. Some were on strings.

Have you ever had any recurring nightmares?

[Thanqol]

"Of course I've had recurring nightmares. The oddest one is that a few of my teeth are loose, wobbling, like my baby teeth and I'm working them with my tongue over and over until they come out. Doesn't hurt, just feels kind of weird. And then I sit there staring at the lost teeth trying to remember if adult teeth grow back or not. It's not really scary but it is deeply confusing and I'll sometimes start having that argument with myself out loud while sleeping, and I wake up angry and righteously indignant.

"There are others, and I might tell you about them later. For now the point is that just because I am sleeping does not mean I have to be still."

It was that kind of incoherent anger that Charger was drawing on now. The feeling that she was right and that she was just going to keep on getting more and more right, with her opponents becoming more and more demonised. She latched on to that skittering multitude cockroach thing. She started to hate it. Started to hate the sound it made when it walked, the little goey weak blinking it did, the fact that it had started eating before she had sat down at the table do you NOT know how rude that is.

She started focusing on the strings that connected the cloudy sky to the ponies in the crowd. Those strings offended her. She was clearly in the right here and they were not and she could not believe these other useless horses weren't backing her up over this, they clearly weren't real friends, she was going to write a letter explaining exactly what was wrong here and send it to them and then they'd be sorry. Their reputations would be ruined and she wouldn't get her money back but that was fine because nopony would ever do business with them again.

And as above so below - if all went well Charger's unconscious body would be animated by that same sense of righteous anger and would immediately get up come to blows with that antlike crowd - violently focusing on the ones with the strings attached to them.

[TheAmishPirate]

Eclipse, as your legs are kicked out from under you, you expect to feel your jaw hit the ground and taste the snow. Instead you feel soft, sticky silk.

Really now? That sure was thoughtful of them. A pony needed their rest after all that hard work.

Eclipse bellowed out a mighty yawn, stretching her limbs out and out until they'd finally pop and fill her full of soothing goodness. Then she gave her eyes an open; see if they were in town today.

[Elanorin]

Eclipse, come to visit an old friend, steps through the doorway. Out of nowhere, Angel pounces upon her unsuspecting friend, like a mad mare, ready to electrocute and stab her full of needles.

Freeze the frame. Right there.

The perfect image.

You realize this too late, of course, but you probably should have closed the door before falling upon your unsuspecting friend like that. But alas, there you are, standing over said friend - in a rather provocative position I might add - and looking up from your grim deed to see several shocked faces in the street outside staring right back at you.

They all know you, the Angel of Windbreak. They all know Eclipse; some are no doubt fans and followers. And they all just saw you stab her in the back. Some of them look like they're going to start a riot over it right there and then. Others are running or slipping off to spread the word.

So perfect. *Amused chuckle*

Angel, Charger just collapsed outside your door, no explanation or visible reason. She's on the ground, next to Eclipse.

"Charger!" Jade shrieked, she was immediately by Charger's side checking her vitals. "Snow Kicker! Crystalshy! Get Eclipse inside!"

The crowd was a worry and Jade kept being distracted with their threatening appearance and despite feeling that really none of this was anypony's damn business and she shouldn't have to justify herself when just trying to help, she felt compelled to say something.

"They're sick. Go away!" Angel gently shifted Charger on to her back, "It could be contagious," she added and carried her inside.

[Anarion]

Snow Eyes was out of her element. So she waited and watched. What did this tumor want that would justify restoring the security that probably wanted to blow it up?

[Deadly]

"Of course I've had recurring nightmares. The oddest one is that a few of my teeth are loose, wobbling, like my baby teeth and I'm working them with my tongue over and over until they come out. Doesn't hurt, just feels kind of weird. And then I sit there staring at the lost teeth trying to remember if adult teeth grow back or not. It's not really scary but it is deeply confusing and I'll sometimes start having that argument with myself out loud while sleeping, and I wake up angry and righteously indignant.

"There are others, and I might tell you about them later. For now the point is that just because I am sleeping does not mean I have to be still."

It was that kind of incoherent anger that Charger was drawing on now. The feeling that she was right and that she was just going to keep on getting more and more right, with her opponents becoming more and more demonised. She latched on to that skittering multitude cockroach thing. She started to hate it. Started to hate the sound it made when it walked, the little goey weak blinking it did, the fact that it had started eating before she had sat down at the table do you NOT know how rude that is.

She started focusing on the strings that connected the cloudy sky to the ponies in the crowd. Those strings offended her. She was clearly in the right here and they were not and she could not believe these other useless horses weren't backing her up over this, they clearly weren't real friends, she was going to write a letter explaining exactly what was wrong here and send it to them and then they'd be sorry. Their reputations would be ruined and she wouldn't get her money back but that was fine because nopony would ever do business with them again.

And as above so below - if all went well Charger's unconscious body would be animated by that same sense of righteous anger and would immediately get up come to blows with that antlike crowd - violently focusing on the ones with the strings attached to them.

Sounds like you're going aggro on the crowd down below.

Really now? That sure was thoughtful of them. A pony needed their rest after all that hard work.

Eclipse bellowed out a mighty yawn, stretching her limbs out and out until they'd finally pop and fill her full of soothing goodness. Then she gave her eyes an open; see if they were in town today.

You were being rocked gently, like a little foal in her mother's hooves. You were curled up, nice and warm and tight in a blanket of the softest silk.

You opened your eyes, half-lidded ... and the world was full of impossibly long, black legs and beady blue eyes, moving, unblinking ... weaving you a nice, tight sleeping bag.

"Charger!" Jade shrieked, she was immediately by Charger's side checking her vitals. "Snow Kicker! Crystalshy! Get Eclipse inside!"

The crowd was a worry and Jade kept being distracted with their threatening appearance and despite feeling that really none of this was anypony's damn business and she shouldn't have to justify herself when just trying to help, she felt compelled to say something.

"They're sick. Go away!" Angel gently shifted Charger on to her back, "It could be contagious," she added and carried her inside.

"That's what they said about my sister Free Fall too!" A pony shouted. The crowd immediately rallied around her, backing her up with shouts of 'yeah' and 'you tell her'. "Said they couldn't let me see 'er cause she was sick and might infect others. I never saw 'er again!

"How d'we know they're really sick?" She turned around and started addressing the crowd. "How do we know this 'doctor' won't be cutting them up for organs and scrap meat? We all know somepony they took! Like they took my sister! How long are we gonna take it? How long will Windbreak turn a blind eye to its own?!"

If you didn't do something, they seemed like to storm your place to try and 'free' everypony inside.

Snow Eyes was out of her element. So she waited and watched. What did this tumor want that would justify restoring the security that probably wanted to blow it up?

It wanted to be taken away from here, smuggled out to somewhere with fresh resources - fresh crystals and fresh magic - to feed and grow upon.

[Anarion]

It wanted to be taken away from here, smuggled out to somewhere with fresh resources - fresh crystals and fresh magic - to feed and grow upon.

Oh, nuts to that. She pulled out her crystal shotgun and blasted it straight out.

[Ended up going aggro. Rolled a net 6.]

[Thanqol]

Sounds like you're going aggro on the crowd down below.

Rolling +Hard - 5! Woo!

[TheAmishPirate]

You were being rocked gently, like a little foal in her mother's hooves. You were curled up, nice and warm and tight in a blanket of the softest silk.

You opened your eyes, half-lidded ... and the world was full of impossibly long, black legs and beady blue eyes, moving, unblinking ... weaving you a nice, tight sleeping bag.

Oh bothers on bothers. She'd fallen asleep again. Slept in like a schoolfilly. Just couldn't resist another few minutes, and another, and then..had she? How'd she get back in bed? What'd she done to her alarm clock? No, no, she must have, she remembered getting up and getting dressed and getting breakfast and now she was back here again and if she didn't leave soon she was going to be late and it'd be all her fault.

"Noooooooooooo, I cannnnnn't." She slurred blearily, wriggling in her silken sleeping bag. She had to get out of here. She had to keep her eyes open. Put one hoof in front of the other.

Get out.

[Rolling to Read a Sitch: (2d6)[12]]

Now, it's not on the list of questions, sir, but please with a number that big you gotta listen just this once; when you say warm, how warm are we talking?

[First two questions: What's my best escape route? And what should I be on the lookout for?]

[Elanorin]

"That's what they said about my sister Free Fall too!" A pony shouted. The crowd immediately rallied around her, backing her up with shouts of 'yeah' and 'you tell her'. "Said they couldn't let me see 'er cause she was sick and might infect others. I never saw 'er again!

"How d'we know they're really sick?" She turned around and started addressing the crowd. "How do we know this 'doctor' won't be cutting them up for organs and scrap meat? We all know somepony they took! Like they took my sister! How long are we gonna take it? How long will Windbreak turn a blind eye to its own?!"

If you didn't do something, they seemed like to storm your place to try and 'free' everypony inside.

Jade Sun stood protectively over Charger as her eyes quickly scanned the crowd of ponies.

[Rolling to Read a Sitch: 2d6+2=8 Who's in control here?]

[Deadly]

Oh, nuts to that. She pulled out her crystal shotgun and blasted it straight out.

[I'm either going aggro or seizing by force, depending on the level of surprise it has and level of retaliation it has to this action. Your call, Deadly.]

Your gem blaster came out in one motion and fired, as smooth as ever. The blast tore a hole right through the fake wall, through the festering mass of biocrystal ... and through ages of hoarded magical material: Depleted or unstable energy matrices, charged magical crystal clusters, and who know what else had been in this place before this monstrosity gobbled it all up.

There was a terrible crackling noise and just about enough time to say "Oh sh--" or your favorite variant.

This is gonna smart, but you may be quick enough to jump out the window and let the wall take some of the blast. Or you can try to grab what you came for from inside the about-to-explode guts of the monster, hope it survives intact with you. You're Acting Under Fire. What do you do?

Rolling +Hard - 5! Woo!

Something zips past you, something equine, something wrong and terrible. A cold wing tip touches your cheek in the passing, a light caress of goodbye, and you know: it's going after Snow Eyes. Then it's gone, down the thread you're holding ... down into your body.

Your body begins to get up, but it's not got its sight set on anypony in the crowd.

Oh bothers on bothers. She'd fallen asleep again. Slept in like a schoolfilly. Just couldn't resist another few minutes, and another, and then..had she? How'd she get back in bed? What'd she done to her alarm clock? No, no, she must have, she remembered getting up and getting dressed and getting breakfast and now she was back here again and if she didn't leave soon she was going to be late and it'd be all her fault.

"Noooooooooooo, I cannnnnn't." She slurred blearily, wriggling in her silken sleeping bag. She had to get out of here. She had to keep her eyes open. Put one hoof in front of the other.

Get out.

[Rolling to Read a Sitch: [roll0]]

Now, it's not on the list of questions, sir, but please with a number that big you gotta listen just this once; when you say warm, how warm are we talking?

[First two questions: What's my best escape route? And what should I be on the lookout for?]

Snuggly warm, like cuddling up next to somepony under the blankets where none of the world's cold and troubles can reach you. The sort of warmth you may have never truly experienced in this cold and loveless world. The sort of warmth that won't let you leave ... not that you'd ever want to. Helpless against yourself, betrayed by your own body and mind, trapped and unable to think of anything but how nice and snug you are here. It must be terrifying and confusing, having no will but the will to sleep.

Your best way out --

"Oh girl, don't you see?"

Hey! Get out of my narration, you pink pest! Here, snow ballon!

"Oooh! La la la la lah ..."

Off with you now. Ahem! You have to watch your fears. Guard them well, for they are like threads of silk in this place and your hunters use them to find you, to crawl inside you and take away your will while they spin your mind and your fears into webs of hysteria and madness.

Jade Sun stood protectively over Charger as her eyes quickly scanned the crowd of ponies.

[Rolling to Read a Sitch: 2d6+2=8 Who's in control here?]

Fear is in control here. This mob is driven by fear, fed by the loss of loved ones and too many unanswered questions. The mare who's shouting doom and conspiracy and riling them up, she's not the problem. Her fears, and their fears, are what's fueling this.

Charger is getting back on her hooves.

[Anarion]

Your gem blaster came out in one motion and fired, as smooth as ever. The blast tore a hole right through the fake wall, through the festering mass of biocrystal ... and through ages of hoarded magical material: Depleted or unstable energy matrices, charged magical crystal clusters, and who know what else had been in this place before this monstrosity gobbled it all up.

There was a terrible crackling noise and just about enough time to say "Oh sh--" or your favorite variant.

This is gonna smart, but you may be quick enough to jump out the window and let the wall take some of the blast. Or you can try to grab what you came for from inside the about-to-explode guts of the monster, hope it survives intact with you. You're Acting Under Fire. What do you do?

I'm making a quick grab. Anything that looks like an intact crystal, unicorn magic telekinesis, pull it in front of my body and hope to Celestia that it's not too fragile. I'm already running the other way as quick as my hooves will carry me, cradling the crystal in my hooves, leaping through the window, and doing my best to magic shield my posterior. Pity the art of really good magic shields disappeared with Shining Armor in his Crystal Kingdom. I wish I'd been able to find them.

"Sweet Cele-" (2d6+3)[9]

[Thanqol]

Something zips past you, something equine, something wrong and terrible. A cold wing tip touches your cheek in the passing, a light caress of goodbye, and you know: it's going after Snow Eyes. Then it's gone, down the thread you're holding ... down into your body.

Your body begins to get up, but it's not got its sight set on anypony in the crowd.

Two can swim in that current, you son of a bitch.

If her body was now occupied, one of these other ones wasn't. She picked one of the other ponies in the crowd and lunged down the thread into somepony else's body. It also just so happened that the only vacant body was Eclipse's and Charger had always wondered what it would be like to be a pegasus...

[TheAmishPirate]

Snuggly warm, like cuddling up next to somepony under the blankets where none of the world's cold and troubles can reach you. The sort of warmth you may have never truly experienced in this cold and loveless world. The sort of warmth that won't let you leave ... not that you'd ever want to. Helpless against yourself, betrayed by your own body and mind, trapped and unable to think of anything but how nice and snug you are here. It must be terrifying and confusing, having no will but the will to sleep.

Terrifying?

Mister, haven't you ever worked a day in your life? Haven't you ever come back home for a good sit on your mat, after taking everything a day can throw at you? That's not scary at all; that's called being sleepy. You gotta sleep a little before you wake up, you know. I feel real sorry for you if you've never gotten a good sleep before. You should try it sometime.

Your best way out --

"Oh girl, don't you see?"

Hey! Get out of my narration, you pink pest! Here, snow balloon!

"Oooh! La la la la lah ..."

Off with you now. Ahem! You have to watch your fears. Guard them well, for they are like threads of silk in this place and your hunters use them to find you, to crawl inside you and take away your will while they spin your mind and your fears into webs of hysteria and madness.

Oh dear. I don't want that at all. I want that first bit plenty bad, but I don't want this bit. If I could keep that bit, and get rid of this bit, that'd be fine by me. But I don't want either bit now, because in a bit I've got to get up, and I can't always be having the first bit unless I want everything to fall to bits, and I certainly don't want that either.

But try as I might, they just won't let me get up. They'll make me late they're so persistent. So nice. So warm.

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine, jus' one, then..." Eclipse conceded. She stopped struggling, and - deep in the clutches of silk and spider - she slowly began to sing...

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun!

Just thinkin' about
Tomorrow
Clears away the cobwebs,
And the sorrow
'Til there's none!

One word in front of the other. A bright song of hope, sung from a place of total safety.

[Elanorin]

Fear is in control here. This mob is driven by fear, fed by the loss of loved ones and too many unanswered questions. The mare who's shouting doom and conspiracy and riling them up, she's not the problem. Her fears, and their fears, are what's fueling this.

Charger is getting back on her hooves.

Angel goes straight up to the mare at the centre of trouble and stares her straight in the eyes.

"I'm on your side. I'm Angel. I help ponies. What I did to Eclipse I had to do in order to help her, she is completely unharmed. Unconscious but unharmed. Check her yourself if you want."

"Before you, or any other pony, do anything rash, such as utterly destroy the best infirmary in Windbreak, think. If you are right and I cannot be trusted then yes, leaving me to get on with my affairs unchecked would indeed be unwise. But if you are wrong, and I am exactly who I say I am, then running amok in my infirmary risks robbing Windbreak of one of the strongest weapons it has to fight these disappearances.

I need to treat Eclipse now, and check on Charger to see why she suddenly fainted. Feel free to watch me. I am not your enemy, there must be other ways of proving that to you than by destroying my infirmary and endangering lives. Name it.

[Rolling to manipulate the troublemare: 2d6+1=11]

[Deadly]

I'm making a quick grab. Anything that looks like an intact crystal, unicorn magic telekinesis, pull it in front of my body and hope to Celestia that it's not too fragile. I'm already running the other way as quick as my hooves will carry me, cradling the crystal in my hooves, leaping through the window, and doing my best to magic shield my posterior. Pity the art of really good magic shields disappeared with Shining Armor in his Crystal Kingdom. I wish I'd been able to find them.

"Sweet Cele-" [roll0]

*KABOOOOOOM*

It really was too bad that you didn't get to appreciate the brilliant blood-red fireball obliterating an entire wing of the greenhouse. It was quite the sight. Alas, from your vantage point everything's gone bright red and resoundingly silent as you hurtle through space, clutching your prize. You didn't have much time to both grab your prize and bring up a decent shield, but every little bit counted here.

[5-harm for big f*ing explosion, -1 for shield/AuF

4-harm total before armor. Roll+harm (after armor) please]

Two can swim in that current, you son of a bitch.

If her body was now occupied, one of these other ones wasn't. She picked one of the other ponies in the crowd and lunged down the thread into somepony else's body. It also just so happened that the only vacant body was Eclipse's and Charger had always wondered what it would be like to be a pegasus...

A pegasus shot full of tranquilizer, at that. An experience-seeking pony like yourself, with connections like Angel, I have to wonder; have you ever experimented with some of the funny drugs Angel keeps locked away in her lab? She's got quite the selection, I bet. Not that she samples it herself, of course.

Practically unable to think through the mollasses-like haze, with limbs that seem to be elsewhere in time and space, how does it feel?

You're acting under fire to get this wreck of a meatbag to act before Crystalshy and Snow Kicker tie it down securely.

Terrifying?

Mister, haven't you ever worked a day in your life? Haven't you ever come back home for a good sit on your mat, after taking everything a day can throw at you? That's not scary at all; that's called being sleepy. You gotta sleep a little before you wake up, you know. I feel real sorry for you if you've never gotten a good sleep before. You should try it sometime.

I'm afraid I've spent more time in forced, stone-like comas than I care to repeat, my queer friend.

The nightmare bristles at your reaction, but it's still got you tied up and helpless. It's not done with you yet.

Oh dear. I don't want that at all. I want that first bit plenty bad, but I don't want this bit. If I could keep that bit, and get rid of this bit, that'd be fine by me. But I don't want either bit now, because in a bit I've got to get up, and I can't always be having the first bit unless I want everything to fall to bits, and I certainly don't want that either.

But try as I might, they just won't let me get up. They'll make me late they're so persistent. So nice. So warm.

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine, jus' one, then..." Eclipse conceded. She stopped struggling, and - deep in the clutches of silk and spider - she slowly began to sing...

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun!

Just thinkin' about
Tomorrow
Clears away the cobwebs,
And the sorrow
'Til there's none!

One word in front of the other. A bright song of hope, sung from a place of total safety.

The legs withdraw in hisses.

It's getting warmer. Unbearably warm. Like a sauna, if you've ever been in one of those. They're quite popular in some parts of the Winterland. Have you ever been?

The silk is melting off of you, melting into your coat and mane, like molten sugar. There's sand all around you. Nothing but dark red sand for miles and miles and miles, hot enough to burn your hooves if you stand around too long. Have you ever seen sand before? What is it like?

Above, the sky is empty of clouds. The sun is swollen and red, a gigantic scorching sphere in its last raging fits of dying.

You know what comes after spring, don't you? You wanted the sun to come out. Here's your sun.

Angel goes straight up to the mare at the centre of trouble and stares her straight in the eyes.

"I'm on your side. I'm Angel. I help ponies. What I did to Eclipse I had to do in order to help her, she is completely unharmed. Unconscious but unharmed. Check her yourself if you want."

"Before you, or any other pony, do anything rash, such as utterly destroy the best infirmary in Windbreak, think. If you are right and I cannot be trusted then yes, leaving me to get on with my affairs unchecked would indeed be unwise. But if you are wrong, and I am exactly who I say I am, then running amok in my infirmary risks robbing Windbreak of one of the strongest weapons it has to fight these disappearances.

I need to treat Eclipse now, and check on Charger to see why she suddenly fainted. Feel free to watch me. I am not your enemy, there must be other ways of proving that to you than by destroying my infirmary and endangering lives. Name it.

[Rolling to manipulate the troublemare: 2d6+1=11]

The mare looked around, then regarded you for a moment. "We'll come inside and watch you. If you're honest, then help us find out what happened to my sister and the others."

Inside the infirmary, Eclipse is twitching and stirring now too, though she hasn't gotten up yet. Crystalshy and Snow Kicker are trying to get her strapped down.

[Thanqol]

[A pegasus shot full of tranquilizer, at that. An experience-seeking pony like yourself, with connections like Angel, I have to wonder; have you ever experimented with some of the funny drugs Angel keeps locked away in her lab? She's got quite the selection, I bet. Not that she samples it herself, of course.

Practically unable to think through the mollasses-like haze, with limbs that seem to be elsewhere in time and space, how does it feel?

You're acting under fire to get this wreck of a meatbag to act before Crystalshy and Snow Kicker tie it down securely.

"Of course I've tried the drugs. Not just Jade's either - out in the forest there's all kinds of strange things, some poisonous, some hallucinogenic, and some that defy categorisation. In the absence of a guidebook I've put a lot of strange things in my mouth and had some even stranger evenings afterwards.

"I don't particularly consider it the best use of my time and I refuse to let myself become addicted to anything, but I'm no stranger to being a little bit out of control."

Acting under fire: 7

[Elanorin]

The mare looked around, then regarded you for a moment. "We'll come inside and watch you. If you're honest, then help us find out what happened to my sister and the others."

Inside the infirmary, Eclipse is twitching and stirring now too, though she hasn't gotten up yet. Crystalshy and Snow Kicker are trying to get her strapped down.

"Way ahead of you. Come on in," Angel commented as she turned and lead the way inside along with whatever pony wanted to watch. The infirmary seemed destined to be packed with ponies today. Funny, she once had a dream about this, not quite these exact circumstances but she figured it was as close as she was likely to get to a rapt audience. The infirmary wasn't exactly a Medical Lecture Theatre but take what you can get and brush it up to a compliment.

"Charger, how are you feeling, filly?" Jade beckoned her to come with her, still really concerned for her. "Come inside and rest. I'll check you over once I've seen to Eclipse." With that she went in to help Crystalshy and Snow Kicker restrain Eclipse.

[Anarion]

Snow Eyes hit the ground and rolled, smoke rising from her back. That had hurt, and her armor had gone from its painted white to a scorched black. She'd be scrubbing that for hours to clean it off, unless she could talk Charger into lending her an herbal cleaning solution, at any rate. But, she had her prize.

She tried to take a step back towards the robot and groaned. That had really hurt.
[rolling harm (2d6+2)[8]

[TheAmishPirate]

The legs withdraw in hisses.

It's getting warmer. Unbearably warm. Like a sauna, if you've ever been in one of those. They're quite popular in some parts of the Winterland. Have you ever been?

I haven't been to any sauna you've heard of, and I don't want to go another one. But I was a clever pony, and got to keep my clothes.

See, I didn't take them off, so their unicorn couldn't poof them away. I didn't break down the door, so their gang couldn't bury me in the snow. I didn't know how much steam those pipes could hold, so I stuffed them full and waited and waited until they exploded.

It wasn't a very good sauna.

The silk is melting off of you, melting into your coat and mane, like molten sugar. There's sand all around you. Nothing but dark red sand for miles and miles and miles, hot enough to burn your hooves if you stand around too long. Have you ever seen sand before? What is it like?

I've read books about sand, but nothing really about sand, you know? Nopony ever thinks to write as if the thing they're writing about doesn't exist anymore. Could they even do that? How could you tell somepony about your left hoof if they've only got one hoof?

Crazy.

This stuff is weird. I don't like it. It's hot, it scratches, it works its way into the cracks in my hooves, it's lousy to stand on, it gets in my eyes, it is the worst and it just won't leave me alone.

Above, the sky is empty of clouds. The sun is swollen and red, a gigantic scorching sphere in its last raging fits of dying.

You know what comes after spring, don't you? You wanted the sun to come out. Here's your sun.

I should be saying that's not my sun. I'm not its real mom. I adopted it off the street because it looked sad and now it's just turned out so wrong. But every time I try to say it, my mouth dries out and the silky sugary mess tightens around my chest and I can't get the words out right. I'm trying, I'm really really trying, but I can't do it. It's too much.

But I'm not gonna roll over and die yet. I don't want to do that. I got through Winter alright, and this is just another season. Pride in the Summertime comes before Fall, so all I need to do is keep my head high, and keep moving forward. I'll get past this, somehow, but not by staying here.

Eclipse took off trundling through the desert, finding just enough breath for a tune...

Can you hear the bells are ringing
Far, far away?
Can you hear the voices singing
Far, far away?

Can you hear them
Bells are ringing
Far, far away?

Can you hear them
Voices singing
Far, far away?

I know that someday soon a song shall rise
You'll hear it with the sleep still in your eyes...

[Deadly]

"Of course I've tried the drugs. Not just Jade's either - out in the forest there's all kinds of strange things, some poisonous, some hallucinogenic, and some that defy categorisation. In the absence of a guidebook I've put a lot of strange things in my mouth and had some even stranger evenings afterwards.

"I don't particularly consider it the best use of my time and I refuse to let myself become addicted to anything, but I'm no stranger to being a little bit out of control."

Acting under fire: 7

Then this isn't so unfamiliar. Eclipse's drugged body doesn't respond too happily to being moved around. You can sort of manage, but with Angel and her two assistants all there to tie you down, you wager you may not make it far. You can sort of talk, though it's slurred, and you can make slightly uncoordinated gestures.

Also, Angel certainly has something that would counter the drug and get you back on your legs, if you could convince her to give it to you, but perhaps you don't want to run off with the pony she went to such lengths to examine?

What do you do, then?

"Way ahead of you. Come on in," Angel commented as she turned and lead the way inside along with whatever pony wanted to watch. The infirmary seemed destined to be packed with ponies today. Funny, she once had a dream about this, not quite these exact circumstances but she figured it was as close as she was likely to get to a rapt audience. The infirmary wasn't exactly a Medical Lecture Theatre but take what you can get and brush it up to a compliment.

"Charger, how are you feeling, filly?" Jade beckoned her to come with her, still really concerned for her. "Come inside and rest. I'll check you over once I've seen to Eclipse." With that she went in to help Crystalshy and Snow Kicker restrain Eclipse.

"Wishing Well," a mare spoke up from within the crowd.

The instigating mare, whose name appeared to be Wishing Well, looked around as the other mare pushed her way through the crowd. "Wide Eye? You're coming along?"

"You bet I am," the mare replied as she caught up.

Wishing nodded. Several others joined as well, and soon the infirmary was stuffed full of ponies, most of which were definitely there out of curiosity now. The crowd outside thinned a bit, but many remained behind.

Charger was checking out each of her legs, dancing a bit from hoof to hoof. She waved a hoof for you to go on with your work. "I'm fine," she said. "I have an errand to run, then I'll be back, don't worry," she said and started towards the door, her face set in a determined expression. There was something a little different about her. Maybe it was just grogginess, though.

Eclipse was getting really lively for a pony shot full of chillstabs. It seemed your suspicions about her being infected like Bell Bottom may have been right, the way she was still kicking.

Snow Eyes hit the ground and rolled, smoke rising from her back. That had hurt, and her armor had gone from its painted white to a scorched black. She'd be scrubbing that for hours to clean it off, unless she could talk Charger into lending her an herbal cleaning solution, at any rate. But, she had her prize.

She tried to take a step back towards the robot and groaned. That had really hurt.
[rolling harm [roll0]

You didn't really have time to notice what precisely you grabbed. It was all sorts of indiscriminate; better too much than too little. In the aftershock, you don't notice either that something small scuttles into your pack to hide.

Something else - besides the shellshock and the fire raining down around you - might be distracting you from it: a new and inexplicable desire for equine blood. A lot of it, too. It's not an irresistable urge at all, just an unfamiliar one, and you know in the back of your mind that you'd feel much better, that it would help your wounds, if you indulged. Of course, that indulgence would come at the expense of another pony's well-being, or even their life.

The urge will remain as long as you're harmed.

Sweetie was where you had found her, but she seemed to have shut down entirely. Perhaps the explosion did that.

I should be saying that's not my sun. I'm not its real mom. I adopted it off the street because it looked sad and now it's just turned out so wrong. But every time I try to say it, my mouth dries out and the silky sugary mess tightens around my chest and I can't get the words out right. I'm trying, I'm really really trying, but I can't do it. It's too much.

But I'm not gonna roll over and die yet. I don't want to do that. I got through Winter alright, and this is just another season. Pride in the Summertime comes before Fall, so all I need to do is keep my head high, and keep moving forward. I'll get past this, somehow, but not by staying here.

Eclipse took off trundling through the desert, finding just enough breath for a tune...

Can you hear the bells are ringing
Far, far away?
Can you hear the voices singing
Far, far away?

Can you hear them
Bells are ringing
Far, far away?

Can you hear them
Voices singing
Far, far away?

I know that someday soon a song shall rise
You'll hear it with the sleep still in your eyes...

The sand has an end. Summer too will come to an end.

This is what the end of Summer looks like.



You stand at the edge of the sand, staring into the inferno consuming the world. You think you see Snow Eyes inside all that fire, but it's scorching your face, threatening to burn you to dust if you step into it.

What do you do?

[TheAmishPirate]

That's a mighty troubling sight. But before we get into the sticky mess of what happens next, I've got one more question.

[Spending last hold: What's my enemy's true position?]