Dear reader! Whether you are new here, archive-reading and whatnot, or you are already someone who has been with us for quite a while, I would like to say a few words that I believe are best kept close to mind.
-This is an MLP quest. And more importantly, none of us are gratuitously cruel. So good things will happen on this quest, and I hope that enough good things have already happened to prove that.
-This is also a horror quest, so bad things will happen. Bad things might happen to good characters if you are not able to protect them, and you most certainly will not be able to intervene if you lack the tools to do so.
-And finally, this is a quest in which you jostle with powers greater than yourself, with all that it entails.
Please, do keep those things in mind as you go forward. But ultimately, this is also a quest in which it is hoped we all have fun! So if any of the above points is not exactly your cup of tea, or somehow make the experience as a whole "not worth it", then this quest might not be for you. Which is fine! Individual tastes are a thing, so don't think any more about it if you don't want to read anymore. And regardless, I hope you have a lovely day!
Readers should take their own mental health into consideration when voting and not subject themselves to triggering narrative elements like rape or constant mental torture of a friend just for the Greatest Good of a world that doesn't exist.
If those are fine for you or Regrettable is even more triggering, then GREAT! More power to you. But you aren't a bad or selfish person for picking the option that keeps the characters you've emotionally connected with safe. [REDACTED for spoiler warning]
This is a high intensity quest that doesn't hold back when it comes to horror and negative consequences. Take care of yourself.
I regret it as I underestimated the Wolf. Never again.
But anyway Velvet probably won't personally kill two ponies here, so we wouldn't get through the door that way. DoA doing the killing for us doesn't count, I believe.
I admit some surprise about this wouldn't moving closer to wolfishness be a good thing?
And I'll also express my lack of regrets regarding the Tribal Door. I'd prefer an eyes open deal with the devil than... trying to bat off creeping moral decay.
Mm. The decision was made with the information we had at the time. There's no real point in beating ourselves up over something we only now know in retrospect.
I admit some surprise about this wouldn't moving closer to wolfishness be a good thing?
And I'll also express my lack of regrets regarding the Tribal Door. I'd prefer an eyes open deal with the devil than... trying to bat off creeping moral decay.
Oh my regret isn't about moving closer to wolfishness it's about the opportunity cost. Sure it saved a few AP and gave a forge and knock scrap.
However I'd value the wolf sacrament as worth way more then that and due to actions at the Tribal Door it seems some misguided people are against us gaining that sacrament.
It's cheap on bits and AP, combat focused and has great narrative and character development.
Oh my regret isn't about moving closer to wolfishness it's about the opportunity cost. Sure it saved a few AP and gave a forge and knock scrap.
However I'd value the wolf sacrament as worth way more then that and due to actions at the Tribal Door it seems some misguided people are against us gaining that sacrament.
I admit some surprise about this wouldn't moving closer to wolfishness be a good thing?
And I'll also express my lack of regrets regarding the Tribal Door. I'd prefer an eyes open deal with the devil than... trying to bat off creeping moral decay.
Ah but it is for her children and husband. It's Velvet deciding to go through pain and suffering, to make a pact and pay the price with her agony for power. Power to protect her family, power to end those who would hurt her family. Because her family is worth that pain.
It would be a testament of Velvet's love for her family.
Oh my regret isn't about moving closer to wolfishness it's about the opportunity cost. Sure it saved a few AP and gave a forge and knock scrap.
However I'd value the wolf sacrament as worth way more then that and due to actions at the Tribal Door it seems some misguided people are against us gaining that sacrament.
It's cheap on bits and AP, combat focused and has great narrative and character development.
It's not Wolf Blessed. The Wolf does not bless. He Curses. Keep in mind that Velvet caught a piece of him fleeing the scene and forcibly stuffed it into Soft. Which highly implies he helped drive Soft to suicide in the first place, and definitely means he was not a willing component.
After all, Despair is the wolf that devours thought.
And he deserves being turned into a little battery.
The author does not intend to (and should not be interpreted as intending to) break the site's Terms of Service or site rules at any point.
None of the above subjects are condoned, glorified or encouraged by the author, and their presence in this story is purely for narrative purposes.
If you do not wish to be exposed to any of the subjects cited above, you should STOP READING IMMEDIATELY.
- - -
- - -
- - -
[x] Plan No Clues Left Behind
-[x] Expedition Leader: Lady Velvet Covers (may not be changed)
-[x] Accompanying team: Daughter-of-Axes
-[x] Artifacts and Curios taken: None
-[x] You are willing to kill the ponies guarding Twilight Sparkle
In the end, you failed.
You had promised yourself that you would reach a decision before sunrise. But ultimately, you failed.
The question weighed you down far more than you thought it would. Far more than you even thought possible. Because at first, it was just a matter of saving Twilight. And if there was something between you and her, then you would just have to push it aside.
However, that rationale only lasted for so long. More specifically, it lasted until you realized that it wasn't "something" between you and Twilight, it was somepony. And that you weren't planning on just "pushing it aside", you were planning on killing. And for all that your rational thoughts tried to counterargue that these were cult members, criminals, or perhaps even both, those arguments also fell silent when you realized that…
Well, aren't you the same?
After all, you are a member of the Wildhoof Club as well. Or you were. But still, being a "past member" of a criminal organization is rarely something that exculpates a pony of their past crimes. And what is more, you weren't just any member of the Wildhoof Club, you were part of its leadership. A key part of its leadership, perhaps.
It was you who acquired the ritual to strike against Princess Luna. It was you who summoned the Master to the Wake. It was you who taught them how to summon Windigos. It was you who… well...
So, aren't you a criminal as well? Haven't your actions made the world a worse place? Haven't you empowered others who made the world a worse place?
And if you are willing to kill ponies like them, wouldn't that mean that it would also be acceptable, perhaps even preferable, to kill you as well?
Your mind reeled against that notion, of course. After all, if you die who will take care of your family? Who will take care of Silky Stream, and Stormchaser, and Selene and Soft Sweeps? Your mind reeled against the thought that you can, and should, be banded together with the ponies who are guarding Twilight's jail with all the strength of a pony's survival instinct.
But still, in the end, that is where your arguments were coming from.
From your instincts.
From your emotions.
From the selfish, self-centered, egotistical certainty that… you are right, or that you have to do this, or that somehow your actions are justified because it is you.
Spoken like a true autocrat…
But still, eventually, the morning came. And you still had not come to a decision.
The morning came, and you got out of your bed, and you collected your saddle-bag, and you went to the room that the Daughter-of-Axes had claimed only to find her grinding her great axe against a strange stone.
And when the two of you left your estate, you did not mention to her even a single word about whether she should kill the guards or not.
Because you know that you have to, and you know that you will.
But you are also too disgusted to admit that this is yet another line you have agreed to cross.
- - -
[Expedition: Crepuscule Jailbreak]
[Expedition – Days 1 and 2]
You and the Daughter-of-Axes arrive in Manehattan just as the clock strikes midday, and the sun reaches its height in the sky.
The time you planned to arrive here is, of course, intentional. After all, the trains to Manehattan are particularly packed at this hour, which means you will have a crowd around you as you disembark from the train. But it also means that since it is so bright outside, you (a dressed mare) walking around with a parasol will not strike anypony as something out of place. Which means that you have yet another way to mask your appearance, while staying hidden in plain sight.
Granted, you have no idea of how large the Cult cell in Manehattan is. You have no idea if they would have eyes in places like the train station, and you certainly don't think that you are either expected or suspicious.
Still, you are about to do something that will very much put you at odds with the Cult. So, it pays to be cautious.
"This is the passenger's stop of the train station," you say, under your breath, to the mare walking by your side. "The cargo trains keep going through the parallel train tracks over there, towards the docks and the more industry heavy part."
"Aye. Tha' wuid've taken us clos'ah tae where we wont tae be," she whispers back, even as she scans the crowd around you with a deceptively disinterested expression.
"Yes, but it would also mean sneaking in and out of a cargo train."
"An' ther's no need tae do tha' when th' front door is wide opn an' ungorded," she says. And it takes you a moment to realize that, much to your surprise, she is actually agreeing with you.
Which in turn makes you realize that the Daughter-of-Axes has been… unusually helpful, so far. In fact, she hasn't backtalked to you or been disagreeable in any way ever since the day started. Which makes you wonder if she is in some sort of "professional" mode, if she thinks this outing as a whole is interesting, or if she can just sense something that you can't which is making her more tense for some reason.
Still, this is the first time you have been able to interact with the snakemare without having to roll your eyes, sigh in exasperation or simply leave the room before you felt compelled to unsummon her. So, you will take your blessings where you find them.
"Alright. Just like we planned then. First stop is to find a place to stay the night, right?"
"Aye. Th' scryin' is good an' all. But we canny skip tha' chance tae hav a wee look wit' our own aes."
With yet another nod of agreement, the two of you deftly navigate the crowd, making your way into the city proper and looking for a place where you might set up a temporary base.
- - -
Despite your personal wishes, you and the Daughter-of-Axes waited for a full day and a half before setting out.
It gnawed at you, of course, to wait for so long. It hurt you to think that you have come so far, literally to a city in the other side of Equestria, and that Twilight was so close… and yet you were waiting, in some dingy hotel near the center of the city.
Still, you two waited this long because of Axe's insistence. And for all that you disliked her suggestion, you found yourself forced to agree with the logic behind it.
Because even though your emotions were telling you that you were waiting idly while Twilight was imprisoned, the two of you actually set out to get things done. And after several forays into the city at large, you two got an appreciable lay of the land, were able to find an actual map of the city, and managed to check the path that would take you from the hotel to the district where the warehouse was located.
Of course, the two of you didn't go all the way to the warehouse itself. You went as far as you could without leaving the boundaries of the "good part" of Manehattan, where you would be away from the safety of a surrounding crowd and perhaps closer to somepony who might be acting as a lookout for the Cult.
But still, the two of you got things done.
After a light dinner, one last look on the map, and one final discussion with the Daughter-of-Axes, the two of you packed your things and checked out of that dingy hotel.
And as the two of you follow down the path that you agreed upon, you can't help but realize how strange it feels that… well, that you two agreed upon this path. In fact, it still feels strange to realize how nonchalant the Daughter-of-Axes has been as a whole.
If nothing else, you can feel that you are the one getting more and more tense, as the time approaches.
You let out a calming sigh, and follow the mare to the outskirts of the city.
- - -
Ponies don't really need to wear clothes. Your species already has fur, and that's usually enough to keep you comfortable in most places where your kind has settled. Furthermore, the fact that Equestria has a literal weather department means that ponykind has the means to ensure the places where you create hamlets, villages and towns are both pleasant and habitable.
So, the idea of covering your bodies with added protection against the elements simply does not make any sense.
However, clothes are still a thing. And even though ponies do not wear clothes for the practical reason of safety and survival, they still wear clothes for other practical reasons.
To put it simply, there are two kinds of ponies who wear clothes: Those who have something to show, usually as a display of wealth or culture through their attire, and those who have something to hide.
And Manehattan is full of both of those kinds of ponies.
So, you and the Daughter-of-Axes don't attract any attention at all. The two of you, wearing the oldest and least flattering clothes that you could find in your wardrobe, blend in on almost all the places that you pass through.
You two only look slightly out of place as you make your way through the center of the town, where everypony is well dressed and fancy, if only because your clothes look so poor in comparison. But then again, there are so many ponies around that you two are just an extra pair of mares in the crowd.
Then you two look almost at home near the suburbs, as the sun begins to set and several other ponies make their way home from work. In fact, you and the Daughter-of-Axes almost look like you have lived in this neighborhood all of your lives, and that you are about to enter the very next apartment building that you are going to pass by, to have a nice dinner before going to bed.
And finally, you two once again look only slightly out of place as you pass by the periphery, but this time only because your clothes look slightly nicer than the place you are at. Still, you made a point of keeping your mane unkept before leaving the hotel, so it has none of its usual luster. And you are sure that Axe's disgruntled expression kept anypony from really trying to accost you.
The two of you only really look out of place once you reach the fringes of Manehattan.
But only because there is nopony to be seen. Or at least nopony who wants to be seen.
"There it is," you whisper to the Daughter-of-Axes, as the two of you peek out from a run down alley.
You would have thought this part of Manehattan was abandoned, if you didn't know any better.
Everywhere around you, all you can see are the signs of abandonment and discontent. Broken street lights, cracked windows, buildings in sore need of repairs and factories with large signs claiming that they are either condemned or for sale.
But this is Manehattan, and you know better.
You realize that maybe one in ten of those places are used for legitimate businesses. You know that maybe one out of five of the warehouses you passed by are used for honest purposes, by businesses who are either cutting losses or who just lack the budget to keep their things somewhere closer to the docks, or at least somewhere safer. And you also know that places like these are a constant concern to whoever is governing this city. Or at least to its population.
But you can tell that this place is very much not abandoned. Even though it stinks of rust and alcohol, and other less pleasant things. Even though this looks like the place where ponykind's inherent goodness has gotten sick. You still know this place is thriving… with another kind of activity.
"Those two goons tha' dinnae get tha' messeg. They still followin' us?", she asks from behind you.
You sniff at the air, just to double-check.
"No. They stopped following us two blocks back…" you tense, remembering all the lookouts, hideouts and blatant dangers that you felt, and avoided, on your way here.
And you can't help but worry if those two ponies who had managed not only to see you, but also follow you two, were somehow…
"I still have no idea how they saw us," you whisper back to her, "you think they knew something about Lantern?" you ask, trying not to sound any more nervous than you already are.
"Dumb luk exists," she says with a shrug, before taking one last look down the street and sneaking her way out of the alley.
You follow right after her, keeping your eyes sharp and your nose sharper.
Your hoofs are dirty with mud, your clothes reek with traces of alcohol and smoke, and you can feel your sweat dampening your coat underneath your mane. Still, your steps are firm as you make your way after the snakemare.
And finally, you two reach the warehouse where, according to Jade's ritual, Twilight Sparkle is being kept prisoner.
[Day 1 and 2 hurdle: Watchponies]
[Rolling for number of guards…]
[Roll(2d3): 3 + 3 = 6]
The two of you reach the locked door at the back of the warehouse, both of you crouching in the stinking darkness where the light of the moon can't reach.
And as much as your physical senses grate at that, you still take a careful sniff of the air, the snakemare looking at you intently as you do.
"Seven ponies, as far as I can tell…" you say, to which she immediately nods.
"Candle-mare di' sae ther' were prisners. Plural. Maeks sense tha's so man-e," the Daughter-of-Axes answers.
However, you raise a hoof for her to stop talking as you notice… something.
"Wait…" you say, as you pay more attention to the scents inside the warehouse.
Because as you pay more and more attention, you realize that most of those scents… no, you realize that all of them, except for one, feel way more dangerous than they should.
You stay there, crouched and paying attention, for perhaps a full minute before you finally confirm it. A sinking feeling reaching your gut as you do.
Six of those scents are moving. Six of them are moving, and feel at least slightly dangerous. Which very much means they are not prisoners.
"Fok…" the mare says, as she watches your expression shift. "Fok fok FOK… how man-e…?"
"Six," you answer, already knowing that she understood your own dread, and also realizing what she was asking.
"Well… taek us in. Le's get whoevah is alone or n' a wee group." She says that, and for the first time in two days her voice has the practiced tone of annoyance that you are used to.
You would feel surprised at the fact her annoyance is still not aimed at you, if you had the mind to notice that kind of thing right now.
But you don't. You really, really don't have it in you to notice that right now.
"An… stae behin' me. Ae'll need 'elp if they try tae run. Bu' yer like brittl' glass, so stae behin' me."
She only waits for a moment, to make sure that you nod at her words, before going to the door.
And you have no idea what she does next, because as soon as her hoof reaches the rusted doorknob,it opens, because it was always open, and its hinges slide as if just oiled.
The Daughter-of-Axes doesn't so much sneak into the warehouse as she slithers into it. You follow right after.
The two of you stalk your way into the warehouse, the total darkness not being an issue for your closed eyes, and for whatever the Daughter-of-Axes uses to keep herself oriented.
You also make sure to stay conscious of where the six ponies, who are moving around the warehouse, are at all times. Which in turn helps you notice that at least one has not moved away from the faint and cowed presence you assume is Twilight Sparkle. Still, the other fives move in duos and trios, and sometimes all come together in certain places.
However, what neither of you expect is how… utterly labyrinthic the interior of the warehouse is.
You expected this to be a large, open place, perhaps like an oversized barn, where rows upon rows of large boxes would be kept. You know that these industrial-scale operations have tools that can lift weights much heavier than your farm produces, and you know that containers can be stacked incredibly high. But still, you expected perhaps a small maze of crisscrossed metal boxes laid over pallets.
Instead, the place you find yourself in appears to have been meant for smaller, more individualized loads. And you two find yourself inside a series of concrete corridors, filled with rows upon rows of heavy metal doors. Each of the doors lead to a frustratingly small room, that can barely fit two ponies, filled with empty and abandoned shelves. And for all that you have no idea what they hay this place was meant to storage, that warranted such individualized security, the fact remains that you and Axe simply cannot find your way through it.
The guards that you sense, however, seem to have no such problem.
However, your question on how the hay you are supposed to navigate this place is answered in the worst possible way. Because as you and the Daughter-of-Axes navigate yet another one of the disgustingly long corridors, a group of guards that were on the corridor next to yours somehow appear on yours.
The rusted sound of a metal door being opened right in front of you makes every last fur on your body stand on its end. And as a group of guards casually exits one of the tiny rooms, you realize this place is so run down that some of the rooms have holes on their walls.
Holes that, apparently, are the way these ponies use navigate through this maze of storage rooms.
And you definitely have no idea of which of the countless doors might be hiding those.
But again, the guards do.
You stare at each other in mute surprise for less than a moment, before the Daughter-of-Axes is upon them.
[Guards in this group? (1d3+1 = 4)]
[Daughter-of-Axes' current health: 5/5]
[Guard-1's health: 3/3]
[Multi-combatant fight. Axe will only "compete" to wound the nearest guard, but may be wounded by all other guards]
[Guard-1's second roll: 4 + 16 (Personal Combat) = 20]
[Guard-2's second roll: 65 + 13 (Personal Combat) = 78]
[Guard-3's second roll: 14 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 26]
[Guard-4's second roll: 77 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 89]
[Overflow: Axe – 95, Guards' – 0]
[Guard-1 suffers one wound (-50 to Axe's overflow)]
"What the f-?"
"Hey-HEY! Grab em'!"
Four stallions. Three earth ponies and a pegasus. All of them strong or lean or somehow scarred as if life had not been kind to them. Large, but in a way that is different than the farmers you have under your employment. All of them the clear opposite to your cushioned, comfortable life.
That is all you can observe from them, during the split second that you stare at them in surprise.
The Daughter-of-Axes acts first. The four stallions right after.
And you only snap out of your shock perhaps a full second after that.
The snakemare leaps at them, producing her large, antler-topped axe from the impossible folds between the scarf she is wearing and her neck. The thing is held in her mouth right after, making a wide swing through the corridor.
Two of the ponies were carrying flashlights. But the portable sources of precious light are forgotten less than a second later, dropped from shock-opened mouths and left to roll on the ground in long, lazy circles.
The Daughter-of-Axes strikes first, and for all that the blade of her axe whiffs due to the stallions being a bit too far, you can still hear the hard sound of one of the antlers hitting a pony's face.
"The crazy bitch's got a bat! Sack her first!" one of them yells in the darkness.
A corner of your mind thinks that, between the darkness of the corridor and the absurd speed the axe was swung, they were only able to see the handle that she is biting down with her mouth. None of them, you are sure, realized that there is a wide and ornate and deadly blade attached to the end of that "bat".
Two of the earth ponies charge at the Daughter-of-Axes, emboldened by the thought that they are four and you are two and they are stallions and you are mares and that one of you only has a "bat".
Not enough time has passed for anypony to even consider the situation you are all in.
Even less time passes before the weighty axe is swung back at the two charging stallions, with impossible strength and ridiculous speed.
You hear screaming.
The screaming is only barely louder than your heart, hammering inside your chest, as you realize your legs are still paralyzed.
[Daughter-of-Axes' current health: 5/5]
[Guard-1's health: 2/3]
[Multi-combatant fight. Axe will only "compete" to wound the nearest guard, but may be wounded by all other guards]
[Guard-1's second roll: 49 + 16 (Personal Combat) = 65]
[Guard-2's second roll: 48 + 13 (Personal Combat) = 61]
[Guard-3's second roll: 86 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 98]
[Guard-4's second roll: 16 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 28]
[Overflow: Axe – 86, Guards' – 20]
[Guard-1 suffers one wound (-50 to Axe's overflow)]
[Guard-1 has been killed, Axe's overflow reset for new target]
The flashlights are still rolling, making a long circle on the floor, near the spot they were dropped.
There is a sick, wet noise as something metallic carves through something. Something that is soft, then bone-hard, then soft again.
The dark silhouette of one of the charging stallions crumples on the floor. The sound of his body hitting the ground muted by the much louder wham of the second stallion body-slamming the Daughter-of-Axes. The snakemare and the stallion grabbing at each other for a moment before pushing each other away slightly.
But as soon as the short, grasping melee ends, the three stallions notice something is wrong.
The flashlights finish their lazy circle-motion, one of them hitting against the leg of the pegasus. Its ray of light aimed squarely towards you and the Daughter-of-Axes.
Illuminating the decapitated body lying on the ground, arterial blood gushing out of its open neck. The head nowhere to be seen.
Three stallions look at the gruesome sight with eyes wide-open in shock.
You stare, equally frozen. Something inside your stomach fighting to eject itself out through your mouth.
The Daughter-of-Axes lunges again, her eyes snake-like and predatorial with murder.
[Daughter-of-Axes' current health: 5/5]
[Guard-2's health: 4/4]
[Multi-combatant fight. Axe will only "compete" to wound the nearest guard, but may be wounded by all other guards]
[Guard-2's second roll: 100 + 13 (Personal Combat) = 113]
[Guard-3's second roll: 5 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 17]
[Guard-4's second roll: 34 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 46]
[Overflow: Axe – 0, Guards' – 76]
[Axe suffers one wound (-50 to Guards' overflow)]
[Nat 100, Axe suffers one wound]
"Wha… WHAT THE FUCK?!"
"This fucker crazy!"
The three stallions, wide-eyed in terror, practically jump back. And the Daughter-of-Axes charges towards them, as if determined not to let them gain any distance, or perhaps escape through another side door neither of you know about.
But perhaps in panic, or maybe in mindless bravery, the other two stallions that had been on the back run at her. And just for a moment the snakemare is not sure of who to strike.
Before she can decide, the pegasus lunges at the middle-section of her axe, grabbing hold of it for just a moment longer than she thought he could. And whatever attention she could spare towards that was shoved out of her, together with her breath, as the other pony kicks her on the side.
But it is the third stallion, the one who had nearly been decapitated along with the first earth pony, who draws a yell out of her. Her mouth lets go of the hilt of her axe, as she lets out a loud, sharp yell, just as the third stallion finishes burying a shiv in the middle of her chest.
"AAAAAAAHHH!"
That would have killed a pony. That would have pierced the heart of any regular pony. The three stallions realize that immediately. Still, none of them have any time to react, either by expressing the shock at how one of their number just died, or to let out a panicked laugh at how their crazy assailant is finally dead.
None of them have any time to react, because the insane mare they are nearly holding down is not dead.
And her yell is not one of pain, but one of ear-openingfrustration.
"WELL AREN'T YE MORTALS JUST FOKKEN PRECIOUS?!"
The air is roused with HATE, and the mare, easily smaller than any of the three stallions, shoves them all back.
[Daughter-of-Axes' current health: 2/5]
[Guard-2's health: 4/4]
[Multi-combatant fight. Axe will only "compete" to wound the nearest guard, but may be wounded by all other guards]
[Axe's first roll: 94 + 45 (Personal Combat) + 20 (A Rousing Air) – 10 (outnumbered: 2) = 149]
[Guard-2's first roll: 21 + 13 (Personal Combat) = 34]
[Guard-3's first roll: 79 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 91]
[Guard-4's first roll: 29 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 41]
[Overflow: Axe – 115, Guards' – 26]
[Guard-2 suffers two wounds (-100 to Axe's overflow)]
[Axe's second roll: 47 + 45 (Personal Combat) + 20 (A Rousing Air) – 10 (outnumbered: 2) = 102]
[Guard-2's second roll: 33 + 13 (Personal Combat) = 46]
[Guard-3's second roll: 93 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 105]
[Guard-4's second roll: 64 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 76]
[Overflow: Axe – 71, Guards' – 29]
[Guard-2 suffers one wound (-50 to Axe's overflow)]
[Guard-4 attempts to flee, rolling…]
[Failure, Daughter-of-Axes interrupts]
She pushes the three stallions back, her clothes partially tearing as something bursts underneath them. As if a giant and coiled tail had just lashed out in wrath, pushing and straining at the fabric of her own dress and all but shoving the three stallions away.
Before they even hit the wall behind them, a hate-filled Axe jumps at them. Or rather, she jumps at the pony who had shanked her, and she does it with vengeance.
Her antler-topped axe is aimed at him like a spear, the tip of the horns facing him like a great charging deer.
The stallion yells, his legs moving underneath him in panic, trying to jump, run or crawl away from the deadly weapon. And he succeeds, but only in avoiding the thing from skewering his chest, seeing how the antlers still open a great and bloody gouging wound on his side, and pierce through one of his front legs, pinning it to the wall.
The other earth pony attempts to strike at her, and for all that the blow connects he might as well have hit a wall with his hoofs. The pegasus doesn't even try, and makes a run for the door from where they came from.
And the hoof-impaled stallion lets out a blood-curling cry as his hoof is freed from its pointy grip, as the Daughter-of-Axes swings her axe towards the pegasus, hitting the ground with guillotine strength and blocking his path to the exit.
[Daughter-of-Axes' current health: 2/5]
[Guard-2's health: 1/4]
[Multi-combatant fight. Axe will only "compete" to wound the nearest guard, but may be wounded by all other guards]
[Axe's first roll: 66 + 45 (Personal Combat) + 20 (A Rousing Air) – 10 (outnumbered: 2) = 121]
[Guard-2's first roll: 71 + 13 (Personal Combat) = 84]
[Guard-3's first roll: 36 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 48]
[Guard-4's first roll: 28 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 40]
[Overflow: Axe – 58, Guards' – 29]
[Guard-2 suffers one wounds (-50 to Axe's overflow)]
[Guard-2 has been killed, Axe's overflow reset for new target]
[Axe's second roll: 67 + 45 (Personal Combat) + 20 (A Rousing Air) – 5 (outnumbered: 1) = 127]
[Guard-3's second roll: 20 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 32]
[Guard-4's second roll: 83 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 95]
[Overflow: Axe – 95, Guards' – 29]
[Guard-3 suffers one wound (-50 to Axe's overflow)]
[Guard-4 attempts to flee, rolling…]
[Success]
You watch as the second earth pony stallions heaves at the several punctures on his side and leg. His shiv falling on the ground as his jaw goes slack, drooling blood. But still, he half-limps and half-runs at the Daughter-of-Axes, closing what little distance there is between them, and attempts to strike her.
His metal horseshoe impacts against the wide side of her axe, that she raised from its place blocking the pegasus and directed at the incoming blow almost with prescient speed.
And in a fluid, almost water-like motion she spins her axe. The hoof that was pushing against the side of her axe, even if only for a moment, then "trips" towards her, and the stallion that was putting his weight behind it follows.
The mare merely pushes her axe forward, and the blade finds itself cutting through the falling stallion's throat with terrible precision a moment later. He falls on the ground, hard, heaving through the open wound on his throat.
He drowns in his own blood seconds later.
But as she struck out with her axe, she also opened the path for the pegasus to lunge for the exit. And lunge he does, tripping over his own legs and dead companions, flapping his wings in instinctual panic as he tries to escape.
You are running after him before he even disappears from your sight.
You can feel terrified tears threatening to form on your eyes. The entire melee between the Daughter-of-Axes and the four stallions had lasted… way less time than you thought it would. Way less time than you thought it should. And yet you just saw two grown earth ponies fall to the ground in dead, bloody messes in that short span of time.
As you chase after the pegasus, you realize you are doing it because you know the Cult cannot find out about this.
But still, you can't help but wonder if you will die as quickly as the two stallions you left behind, or if perhaps you will fall like a puppet with its strings cut off, should the pegasus turn around and knife you in the middle of the chest like the Daughter-of-Axes was.
[Chasing the escapee, competing rolls]
[Roll: 37+ 9 (Martial) = 46]
[Guard-4's roll: 13 + 7 (Martial) = 20]
[Success]
You chase after him, through the twists and turns of long corridors. Following after his scent, running into metal doors left wide open and jumping into pony-sized holes on unkept walls.
You chase after him, even as you realize your own rationality, your own common sense, is chasing you as well. And that it will force you back into terrified stillness should it ever catch you.
It doesn't even occur you to push those thoughts aside. Your entire body trembling at how close you are to danger.
You hear the pegasus cry out for the other guards. You smell danger and movement in the far distance, as they hear him.
Still, you catch him. Or at least you catch up to him.
Your horn is shining with hesitant, unpracticed movements, that you only ever tried against wooden dummies, as you strike against him.
[Velvet's first roll: 80 + 14 (Personal Combat) = 94]
[Guard-4's first roll: 69 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 81]
[Overflow: Velvet – 13, Guard-4 – 0]
[Velvet's second roll: 72 + 14 (Personal Combat) = 86]
[Guard-4's second roll: 62 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 74]
[Overflow: Velvet – 25, Guards' – 0]
You catch up to the pegasus only in the sense that you tackle him. But given how desperately he was running, even that is enough, and your grasp on his hindlegs causes him to fall on the ground.
The two of you struggle, for a moment, and he attempts to kick at you with his hind once one of his legs escapes from your grip. He misses, by sheer luck, but the violence in his movements causes you to wince, releasing his other leg.
However, you are still on your legs, and he is still lying prone on the ground. So you jump over him, placing yourself between him and the direction he was going. You are still acutely aware that the other two ponies who heard his cries for help will come from behind you. But such rational concerns can't really reach your panicked, adrenaline-flooded mind.
The pegasus, still heaving from exertion and as scared as you are, lunges at you. If only because he doesn't believe he has any other choice.
[Velvet's first roll: 43 + 14 (Personal Combat) = 57]
[Guard-4's first roll: 76 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 88]
[Overflow: Velvet – 25, Guard-4 – 31]
[Velvet's second roll: 33 + 14 (Personal Combat) = 47]
[Guard-4's second roll: 43 + 12 (Personal Combat) = 55]
[Overflow: Velvet– 25, Guard-4 – 39]
You try to apply what you know in theory.
You try.
The pegasus lunges at you, and you can almost see his movement in slow motion. You can feel the air tense around his wings with magic, as he opens them slightly mid-jump. You can almost taste the fearful sweat accumulating near his hoofs. You can see all that, and you know what you can do. What you should do.
Sidestep, block his hoofs with your own, partially deflect his momentum with magic… Tartarus, even lowering your head to gorge him in the exposed chest with your horn. Any of those would have been a good alternative. Any one of those options would give you the upper hoof, and you know that.
But as the pegasus lunges at you, you might as well be a critter facing down an eagle, because you freeze.
His body smacks down against you with the weight of a fully grown pony. His hoof grazes against your cheek, and even that clumsy miss has the strength of a punch given your situation. The two of you roll on the ground, pain spreading through your body as you realize how thin and frail and brittle you are.
[Daughter-of-Axes' current health: 2/5]
[Velvet's current health: 2/2]
[Guard-4's health: 3/4]
[Multi-combatant fight. Guard-4 will only "compete" to wound Velvet Covers, but may be wounded by all adversaries]
[Guard-4 suffers three wounds (-150 to Velvet's overflow)]
[Guard-4 has been killed]
The two of you continue to roll on the ground, but no longer due to momentum. Instead, you two keep at it thanks to the frantic kicking and bucking of your legs, as both of you try to gain some form of advantage over the other. The struggle ends with the pegasus on top of you, but a desperate part of your mind realizes all four of his legs are either holding his weight or horribly out of position, and that his neck is exposed.
You punch up, as fiercely as you possibly can. Putting your whole body behind your foreleg even though you are all but lying on your back. And your hoof is met with the sickening sensation of something straining, like a wire taught to the point of nearly snapping.
And more importantly, you also hear a muted, dry cough, of a pony who just realize he can't breathe anymore.
The pegasus slips to the side, one hoof going to his neck in panic, and you take the opportunity to get your legs underneath you and stand up.
But the pegasus is out of your sight for a moment as you do that, as you roll to get up and reorient yourself, and that terrifies you.
Still, as soon as you look back up towards the po-… towards your enemy, you realize he is on the floor.
Two seconds later, you realize there is a great horned axe embedded on his back, nearly bisecting him in half.
And with that you realize that…
… you realize that…
That this is finally over.
And that your legs are still shaking, and your mind is in tatters, and that you nearly died, and that you just watched several ponies die, and that everything is going dark an-
"Don' ye FOKKEN wuss out on me!"
The Daughter-of-Axes is in front of you on the next moment, her hoofs on your shoulder as you finally realize she is the reason your vision is shaking so hard.
Her words cut through the panic you are feeling, but only for long enough that you finally realize you are sweating cold and… and your head is light and weak and… and the Daughter-of-Axes is still bleeding from where her chest was stabbed a-and tha-
"Two moar. Ye sed thar's two moar, aye? Wher' tha' fok are they?!" the mare asks, her voice focused and urgent.
And you can barely whisper to her that they are approaching, given how absolutely disoriented you are.
"Aye. Go fokken hide som'ere, ae'll com' back for ye," she says, letting go of your shoulders as soon as you tell her what she needs to know.
The snakemare doesn't even spare you a glance before picking up her axe, and running in the direction you pointed her to go.
[Rolling combats…]
[Success. Daughter-of-Axes current health: 2/5]
- - -
[Day 1 and 2 hurdle: Warded Door]
You took… a long time to get back on your legs.
The Daughter-of-Axes left you alone, as she went to look fo-… as she went to hunt the last two ponies. And even though you could see clearly without light, you still felt like she left you alone in the dark.
Your body still hurt, from where you rolled in the ground. Your face still ached, from where the grazing blow struck you. Your mind was still reeling in fear that you nearly died. That several other ponies died right in front of your eyes and that it was just so easy.
To be honest, there were so many things to be terrified about that you couldn't even form a single coherent dread.
Because how easy would it be for a creature like the Daughter-of-Axes to be thrown against you?
How easy would it be to drown in your own blood, from a single cut on the neck, like that stallion did?
How simple would it be for you to never to see your family again, if you were to die here?
Still, you eventually get back on your hoofs.
But only because you can.
The Daughter-of-Axes returns to you just as you finish drying your tears on the sleeves of your clothes. Your clothes still feel warm to the touch.
She gives you a single nod, that the deed is done, before waving for you to follow after her.
A few minutes later, navigating through the now-empty warehouse, you finally reach the barred door. The Forge-touched barrier that stands between you and the only other living pony in this place.
You wave a hoof towards the thing, and the Daughter-of-Axes is upon it moments later.
The door buckles open before she even reaches it, and you can't help but think that the movement was similar to that of a scared foal jumping in fear.
In fact, you think that all the Daughter-of-Axes did was glare at the door.
"Ees wo' ae fokken thought…" you hear her mutter under her breath, towards the cowering door.
But you pay her no heed. Instead, you pull the door open, and enter into a large room.
And there, shivering in a corner, you find the pony you came for.
You can see her, terrified, tensing as she looks up towards the door. And as she looks in your direction with blind fear you remember that the room is actually covered in total darkness, and that she can't see either of you.
She looks…
Twilight Sparkle is…
The way she is imprisoned here is…
…
You take a deep breath, telling her what she needs to hear as you light up your horn.
5: She forgot that "Princess Celestia" was a fake…
4: … she also forgot your involvement…
3: … she also forgot where she is…
2: … she also forgot what happened, all of it…
1: … she forgot everything, even who she is.
[Twilight Sparkle's Willingness to Cooperate]
[Amassed Virtues: "Soothing Words: +1"]
[Amassed Miseries: "Parting Words: -1"]
[Total dice modifier: + 1 - 1 = +0]
6 or higher: Clinging to you like a foal.
5: Cooperative.
4: Untrusting, but willing to follow.
3: Convincing required; (if failed, go to "2")
2: Coercion required; (if failed, go to "1")
1: Restraining required.
0 or lower: Twilight Sparkle initiates combat.
[All three status will be decided on separate 1d6 rolls]
A/N: You really had the worse luck. For the damned Moth roll for surprise. For the number of guards, the amount of guards on the first combat, and for the Nat100 that got the Daughter-of-Axes. Still, Velvet came out unscathed, even though that should have been way less traumatic.
QM will roll those three d6 for Twilight. Here. In the thread. At... some point in the future, later today. Must sleep.
And before you ask about the Virtues:
-"Parting Words", the good and the bad, are the words you told her when you saw her in the jar. Great to keep her sane, not so great to make her trust you given how you still kept her there.
-"Expedited Rescue" refers to the fact you rushed there. After all, this expedition was only available this turn because you told Cadance that Twilight was missing, and that signaled how worried Velvet was, and how little time (comparatively) she was while there.
-The others I believe are self-explanatory.
Character sheet and all other relevant things will be updated after the end of the expedition. The Crepuscule Jailbreak is still under way.
Jesus Christ, this was close to going really really badly. If we had taken that malus to our combat roles there is a really good chance we would have died.
I'm not happy we had to resort to murder but I am happy that decision probably saved velvets life, it would have been a massive blow if she died without even freeing Twilight.
Hopefully our roles for twilight are better than our roles for this update.
Hilariously and terribly, the one we have the highest bonus in is the one that'd probably be best to roll low in. The -1 to the sanity roll… I'm dreading that, and Bird is a monster for making us wait!
Sanity:
Twilight WON'T be Functional
Twilight HAS 1/6 CHANCE of being Insane
Memory:
Twilight WON'T forget:
-where she is…
-what happened, all of it…
-everything, even who she is.
Twilight HAS 1/6 CHANCE of forgetting our involvement
Twilight HAS 1/3 CHANCE of forgetting "Celestia" was fake
Twilight HAS 1/2 CHANCE to remember everything
Cooperation:
Twilight WON'T initiate fight immediately
The chances of any other outcomes are equal
...I really hope for 6 on Cooperation. 1 on Sanity will be bad, but Incision of the Heart may help with that.
Hilariously and terribly, the one we have the highest bonus in is the one that'd probably be best to roll low in. The -1 to the sanity roll… I'm dreading that, and Bird is a monster for making us wait!
The most important is cooperation, in my opinion.
Sanity and memory are more...manageable.
I don't think that i'm joking when i say that everything depends on Twilight cooperation.
Hilariously and terribly, the one we have the highest bonus in is the one that'd probably be best to roll low in. The -1 to the sanity roll… I'm dreading that, and Bird is a monster for making us wait!
Well this was a mess, but I guess we made the right decision to not hold back. All that is left is to handle Twilignt one way or another and dispose of the bodies. If we were eviler and had more time, then we could raise these hired muscles as zombies from the ground and have them dispose of themselves in the furthest reaches.
As is now, we are a bit too traumatized to consider theses things. I will say that removing our own debuffs will be a priority if we want to continue doing expeditions. Given there is always a chance of combat in expeditions one way to another
Twilight is a mess at this point we will have to see how feels about us
5: Stressed.
4: Panicked.
Both of those are probably ok. Higher is better, but we don't really need it at high level.
3: Unresponsive.
Not convenient, because expedition isn't over yet, but not really bad, either.
2: Delusional.
Arguably, if we roll really low on Cooperation this is our best bet. Also, rolling higher than this (1/2 chance) means that gaslighting has troubles.
1: Traumatized.
Not ideal, but I guess acceptable. I've expected this to be much higher on the chart, to be honest, and much more probable.
0 or lower: Insane.
...Let's hope that if we roll this, Incision can heal her.
Memory:
6 or higher: She remembers everything.
Most likely option, at 66%. Depending on her cooperation, either really good or really bad.
5: She forgot that "Princess Celestia" was a fake…
Rolling exactly this will be inconvenient, as she still remembers us, but not what prompted us to act as we did.
4: … she also forgot your involvement…
I guess this is acceptable. A blank slate, of sorts.
3: … she also forgot where she is…
2: … she also forgot what happened, all of it…
1: … she forgot everything, even who she is.
All of those are impossible. Very good, I say, especially that last option, although her own traits means that absent of maluses, she at max would have forgetten where she is. On the other hand, if we would have waited, the lower options would have been... Bad.
Cooperation.
6 or higher: Clinging to you like a foal.
ideal. Like, we really like that.
...Or maybe not. Given the amount of Grail we have, Rarity style situation maybe possible. Whether or not that's a bad thing is debatable thing, but things can go horribly right in this scenario.
5: Cooperative.
Worse than the previous one, but generally speaking should be ok. Add to that Grail later, and it's almost as good as 6.
4: Untrusting, but willing to follow.
Ok, I guess. We'll have harder time later, but I guess it's ok.
3: Convincing required; (if failed, go to "2")
Not good, but honestly given amount of Grail we have, still acceptable, if barely.
2: Coercion required; (if failed, go to "1")
1: Restraining required.
Both of those will be bad.
Because it's appears that Cooperation is just an immediate reaction, we still have a chance to turn things about, but generally, 1/3 of good outcomes, 1/3 of acceptable ones, and 1/3 of bad ones.
0 or lower: Twilight Sparkle initiates combat. Thankfully impossible.
Also, did Jade mistook some guards for more prisoners, or were they moved? Used?
Well at least we all now understand the implications of what saying YES to Lunar Bureau is. "Guard against the darkness in the night"
As Unfortunately, the job will be to bust cult cells and reenact what we did today on a Larger state sponsored scale for bigger cult cells. We may not be leading the charge like today, but we will be signing off and pointing the charge of ponies like today against other pones. Although given our high lore stats, I wouldn't discount us leading a couple charges.
Given Celestia is OUT of mercy, then captured cult ponies will be executed with high probability. This will encourage cultist to resist till death which would mean combat between guards vs cultist and a blood bath on a larger scale then today that we will lead.
