>>27656859
First. Check everything including the mining tunnel and the glowy thing and the area where all the graves are. She might be in either of those places most likely.

If she's not, then she probably went out after we left, which means we'll have to find her.

>>27656859
Fuck yes. Not the Misty missing part, but the quest running.

Search the place top and bottom before going out to look for her. If we have to go out, bring a weapon.

>>27656859
Is the note in the same position we left it?

>>27657025
>>27657197
>>27657214
Alright, don't panic, she's probably just somewhere else doing something, she's probably fine. You go back out into the living room to take a look at the note again. It's in the same place you left it, meaning she probably didn't even get a chance to look for it. Now you're worried.
You look around the house for a minute until you notice that the door to the mining tunnel is wide open, along with the vault door. You run through the vault door, not even bothering to close it. Misty's safety was more important than the house being slightly chilly. You just hope she isn't hurt. Or worse.
No. Stop thinking like that. You have to be strong for her. She's fine. Everything's fine.
You make it up the stairs and past the machine to find her sitting at the wall with a pickaxe by her side. She isn't even wearing a coat, or anything protective at all. She's just sitting there, facing the wall silently.
“Misty?”
She doesn't respond.
“Misty, you alright?”
Same result. What in the world has gotten into her? Maybe she isn't as okay as you hoped.

>>27657252
She didn't look at the glowing thing without us, r-right?

Let's tap her on the side or pull her into a surprise hug.

>>27657252
Shake her lightly. Misty! What's wrong?

>>27657252
Is that the wall with the unknown thing behind it? Move the pickaxe away from her.

>>27657274
>>27657312
>>27657320
Maybe she just needs to be reminded of your presence. You don't know what happened to her, but whatever it is, it can't be good. You slowly move the pickaxe away from her, just in case she freaks out and tries to hurt you. You hate to think like that, but you're nothing if not cautious. You tap her on her shoulder lightly.
“Misty?”
She's not responding. She's just staring blankly at that mysterious wall. Maybe there is some dangerous magic behind it. You shake her lightly.
“Misty, what's-”
She turns around and screams in fear, you backing away on instinct. She shuffles to the wall, he back hitting it. She stops screaming and looks at you, her pupils completely dialated. She breathes heavily, violently shivering as she looks around the room, before looking back at you. She starts to speak in a rushed, panicked tone.
>W-Why am I in here? I was in my bed and now I'm out here and I don't know what's going on!

>>27657383
"I went out scavenging but came back on short notice. When I came in, I saw you sitting here with your pickaxe, staring blankly."

>>27657383
Attemp to appear calm dispite the fact she just scared the shit out of us.

I... I went out while you were still in bed. I just got back and you were just stitting here, staring at the wall like you were hypnotized.

>>27657413
>>27657417
“I-er-You were asleep when I woke up, so I went out to scavenge some things, but I came back shortly after and I found you staring at the wall, blankly. It was almost like you were hypnotized.”
>I don't remember any of that!
“What do you remember?”
>I remember going to sleep, then waking up in my bed. But I only remember being in my bed for a minute before everything goes blank.
This totally isn't good. If whatever is behind that wall is strong enough to guide ponies toward it and hypnotize them, then it has to be dealt with immediately.
“Are you okay? Do you feel alright?”
>I feel a little tired, but that's about it.
She sits up and walks next to you before turning around and looking at the wall. She looks peeved.
“You sure you're okay?”
>I'm just mad at this thing. Whatever is behind this wall must be pretty powerful, and I want to find out what it is.
She walks over to the pickaxe, picks it up, and before you get a word out of your mouth, she strikes at the wall, half of the axe buried inside of it.
“You sure that was the best course of action?”
>No, but it felt good.
She takes the pickaxe out, only for a bright pink light to shine out of the hole where it was struck.
>Uhhh...

>>27657564
If it's getting brighter, both of you back away from it. If it's a stagnant glow, inspect.

>>27657564
Investigate with her while keeping an eye on her and be ready to stop her if she starts going blank again

>>27657564
Let's try not to look directly at it. She was only blank until we interfered with her staring at the wall.

>>27657593
>>27657607
>>27657623
The beam of light seems to be pulsating. It's good that it isn't getting brighter, though. Not sure how you'd handle getting blown to pieces. You'd probably need more than some leather on your body to survive that.
“Well, let's see what it is.”
>Sure, hold on!
She begins to walk over to the hole before you speak up.
“Wait, maybe I should look first.”
>Oh? And why is-
Then she remembers why you two are here in the first place.
>Oh. Right. Duh.
“Duh!”
>Sh-Shut up and take a look already.
“Geez, such hostility.”
You walk over to the hole and take a look inside, eager to see what's on the other side.
On the other side of the wall, from what you could see, was a giant circular room with a large pink pulsating crystal in the middle, encased in a thin layer of ice. It seemed to be the obvious source of the pink light. In front of the crystal was a pedestal with what looked like a stone ring. The room itself looks like it was exquisitely carved into shape.
>See anything? Anything interesting?

>>27657798
Ya. I think it's some sort of ancient room. The light is coming from a crystal just in the middle of the room. There's also a pedestal with a ring on it.

>>27657798
How is there a "shrine" in the middle of a glacier.

>>27657798
Uhhhh... yeah. Really interesting. I don't think you're the first one in this glacier, Ice Queen.

>>27657798
Holy smokes. I see... I see... Ice.

>>27657896
>>27657905
>>27657914
>>27657952
“Oh no!”
>What is it?! What do you see?
“Ice.”
>Ugh!
“But yeah, I'm afraid you're not the only one who's been in this glacier before, Miss Ice Queen.”
>Oh, come on, stop joking around. What's inside there?
“No, I'm serious! It looks like a shrine of some sort with a giant crystal, and a ring on a pedestal.”'
>Alright, fine. Move out of the way.
You do as she asks, and she starts to axe away at the wall, grunting each swing she does so.
“Uhhh, why not just use the laser?”
>We're right here, we might as well.
With one last mighty swing, a small portion of the wall bursts apart, just enough for her to walk in. You follow her closely, still worried about her well being. The pulsing of the crystal giving the room an oddly warm atmosphere.
>I mean... Wow. How is this even possible?
She trots up to the pedestal, inspecting the ring as closely as she can without touching it.

>>27658060
Any ideas Misty?

Check the ring and gem.

>>27658060
No touching anything. Is there any writing on the walls?

>>27658084
>>27658094
“I wouldn't touch anything.”
>I'm not, I'm not, calm down!
“Just making sure, could be dangerous. Trying not to cause an apocalypse or release the end of the world, here.”
>And you'd have experience with those things?
“Who knows? Maybe I had a much more glorious past than you think.”
>Pffft, you were probably a janitor at an elementary school.
“Rude.”
You look around on the walls of the room, expecting to see ancient writing of some sort. But no such thing seems to exist. It's like this place just appeared without warning.
“Hey Misty, how long do you think this glacier's been around?”
>Probably hundreds and thousands of years. And this glacier is just a small part of a bigger one down south, so who knows how long this has been here.
Well that's just perfect. Makes pinning the age of this place more than impossible.
You walk over next to the ring, inspecting it along with Misty, looking equally as interested. It's old, cracked, and made of stone. It looks like you could put it on your hoof and it would fit rather well. As for the gem, there's nothing very remarkable about it other than it's humongous size.

>>27658235
Does Misty know what gems of that color do?
Let's put on the ring

>>27658235
Don't touch anything. Grab the book we read earlier and see if any descriptions fit.

Have Misty come with. Don't think we should leave her fully unattended until we know the nature of her... episodes.

>>27658252
>>27658320
“So do you know what this gem does? Can you tell by it's colour?”
>Actually, I've never seen a pink one before. Just be glad it wasn't a black one.
“What do the black ones do?”
>Explode.
“Ah.”
>I'll tell you what the other ones do once we have time. For now, wanna see what this ring does?
“Not yet. Do you know of the relic book you have?”
>Relic book?
She pauses for a second, thinking.
>Oh yeah! That old thing! I forgot I even had it. Pretty interesting stuff, but why do you bring it up? You think this might be one?
“Maybe. I remember the description of one called “The Ring” that's supposed to send ponies into the future. There really wasn't that much info in the book about it that I read because-”
You remember the description about the Snow Globe and shudder slightly.
“I lost interest. Wanna come with me and get it?”
>Well, I was going to stay here, but... sure.
The two of you take the trip back to the house. Opening the door to your room, you look around for a bit until you find the book. It had fallen on the floor somehow. You pick it up and hand it to Misty, and she flips through the pages before landing on one.
>Ah, here we are, The Ring. “A ring that, when worn, transports the user either A: Into the future, or B: An alternate dimension where technology has succeeded past anything known before. When taken off, the ring will stay with the user, and they will be back at where they originally put the ring on, regardless of if they moved in the other dimension or not.” That's it. Sounds exciting!

>>27658460
Makes me nervous. Especially since what it did to you.

>>27658460
No, it sounds dangerous. Which is just a cautious sort of excitement!

>>27658460
Sounds like it only works for one. There might be interesting things wherever it goes, but it could be very dangerous as well.

>>27658492
>>27658510
>>27658601
“Exciting? Sounds dangerous.”
>Yeah, I guess you're right.
“But hey, that's just excitement with caution!”
She smiles slightly. Seems you're getting through to her a little more.
>Now you're speaking my language. We heading back?
“Yeah, lets go.”
You exit the room, trotting at a brisk pace with Misty following behind you. You walk through the vault when you bring up something that's been bothering you.
“Still though...”
>Hmm?
“It makes me nervous. What that did to you. It has to be more than it seems. I'm not a crystal expert or anything, but I'm guessing just a regular old crystal doesn't make ponies hypnotized.”
>I mean, yeah, an hour or so of my life is gone, but I've spent more time doing less productive things.
“I'm being serious, Misty. I worry about you, a lot.”
She sighs.
>Yeah, I know. Trust me, I do.
The two of you get back to the room and look at the ring. There's butterflies in your stomach.
>So. You wanna put it on? Because only one of us can put this thing on.

>>27658651
We're equipped for an adventure and we can come back by just removing the thing. We forgot to ask her about the possibly gem powered gun.

>>27658651
I'm not sure if it's worth doing if it means leaving you to be honest.

>>27658699
>>27658746
“Well, I'm already equipped for an adventure, and I can come right back just by removing this, so I think I'll be fine. But to be honest, I don't think it's worth doing.”
>What? Why not?
Ah shit. You backed yourself into this one.
“Well... because I have to leave you.”
She raises her eyebrows, looking into your eyes. You were about to say something before she laughs a little and gives you a hug. You gladly accept it, of course.
>You're sweet Chance. But I think I'll be fine without you for just a little bit Just, do come back, you know? You're somepony I would rather not be without.
You smile a little.
"Of course. I wouldn't dream of leaving you forever."
She smiles too, finally letting go of you and stepping back.
>Soooo. You ready?

>>27658882
Ask her about the gun before we go. We wouldn't be able to use it and she can tinker with it while we're away. It might keep her away from that strange crystal.

>>27658882
No. Ask about the gun.

>>27659024
>>27659026
“Not quite.”
You take out the gun from your holster.
“What can you do about this? I know the barrel's cracked, and I'm not sure how it works, so I was wondering if you could mess with it while I was gone.”
She takes the gun into her hoof, and a smile creeps onto her face.
>Awesome. It's an Etcher brand, too.
“That sentence doesn't really mean anything to me.”
>So you put a crystal in the top of the gun, right? With Etcher guns, instead of just firing the whole gem, it breaks little pieces of it off, so one crystal would last depending on how big it is. Now, crystals can be found a lot of the places around here, but the ones from my glacier are more powerful for some reason. You might be better off using crystals here than from anywhere else. I might be able to tell you more about this once I get some free time to tinker with it, but for what I can tell you right now is that you've got a pretty good find, here. Barrel's screwed up, though, so who knows if the damage is internal of not. We'll only know if I get around to it.
She looks back up to you.
>Sorry, that's really all I can tell you.

>>27659180
Borderlands-esque weapons system. Neato.

I'd rather leave it here for you to work on it than me have it and it explode if I try to shoot it. Other than that... I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be to go into a possible separate dimension.

>>27659261
“Oh, it's fine. I'd rather leave it with you than accidentally exploding myself trying to use it.”
>Sounds like a plan, yeah.
“Other than that, I guess I'm ready.”
>You guess?
“I'm going into what may be a separate dimension. I might be a little hesitant.”
>Alright. Just promise you won't be gone for too long and I'll promise to have this half working by the time you get back. Deal?
“Deal.”
You take the ring and look at it.
You can't believe you're about to do this. You're about to be transported into the future, and if not that, a completely different realm entirely. Not many ponies can say that they've done that. This is insane. But it'd be no fun if it wasn't. You look at Misty once more, her giving you an assuring nod. You take the ring and slip it onto your hoof, and everything goes black.
You feel lightheaded. How long were you out for? Your eyes slowly open, adjusting them to the new environment around you. You're... in a bed? You look around the room you're in. Everything seemed to be primarily made of cobblestone, with rotted wooden furniture scattered around the place. The ceiling is dripping water onto your head. You turn around towards the wall and look upwards at the window, you only being able to see white. The air feels rather humid, a strange change from what has now become the norm for you.
You get up from the bed and look towards the ancient-looking wooden door.
You'd ask where in the world you were, but you weren't sure if you were in “The world” anymore.

>>27659466
Well. Not exactly the futuristic aesthetic I was expecting. Better get going and see what there is to see

>>27659505
You open the door, looking out into the empty hallways of what you assume to be an abandoned castle. To your left, you can see a balcony. You decide it would be better to get your bearings, so you head over to it. You make it out to the edge and look out into the wide expanse of land before you. Looks like you're inside an ancient, and apparently abandoned castle built onto the side of a huge mountain.
Below and in front of you grows a massive green jungle. Half the lower part of the castle is completely overgrown by vines. You can start to hear a low, loud droning noise in the distance before the sound starts to completely shake the ground you're standing on. You look over to try to see where the noise is coming from to find a gigantic ship made of a black metal rocket past the castle towards the seemingly neverending jungle in the distance. The large blue rockets on the back of the ship are the source of the noise, making the entire castle shake as they pass by.
...How far are you into this future?

>>27659640
Welp, let's go back and check around the castle

>>27659640
See where it's going.

>>27659640
This is crazy. Unless there's some civilization close we don't have the gear to trudge trough a jungle. Try to find any signs of a city or try to find where the ship came from.

>>27659692
>>27659726
>>27659736
You look to see where the ship is going, but there's nothing but jungle in the direction it's heading in. Maybe it doesn't matter where it's going. Maybe it matters where it came from. You'd have to find a balcony on the other side of the castle, but it's nothing if not necessary. You run back into the castle and into the first hallway you see. Most of the giant stained glass windows are either completely destroyed or overgrown by plant life. Running blindly through the halls eventually lands you in the throne room of the castle. The throne in question seems to be missing from where you assume it would usually be. Looking up towards the ceiling, you see a glyph in the shape of a sun above where the throne should be. Is this perhaps a place that was used for a sun king of some sort? You may never know.
You run down a stairwell that leads to the bottom floor of the castle. The stairs go down a bit more, but you would be able to exit the castle as well to explore more there.

>>27659878
let's get out of here

>>27659878
Let's leave ane keep looking for chrome.

>>27659903
This. We need to find the REAL future. The one where everything is chrome.

>>27659886
>>27659903
>>27659928
Deciding not to spend any more time in this castle any longer, you head outside into courtyard, and eventually into a small town outside of the castle. Everything is still made of cobblestone, only it's even more overgrown than the castle. The town looked like it hadn't held life inside of it for centuries. Walking through it was giving you quite the surreal feeling. But that shouldn't be a new feeling. You've seen cities in worse states. Just recently, as a matter of fact. You were wondering if the future really was full of chrome and robots and whatnot. The flying vehicles bit has already been shown to you, so there's no need to worry if that exis-
>Stop!
Okay then! There goes that train of thought!
You stop right in your tracks as per the request of the deep metallic voice behind you.
>State your name or you will be terminated!

>>27660031
Well, let's slowly turn around and do as the robot says

>>27660031
"Sure, just let me take off this ring real quick."

>>27660031
I am Second Chance, as of recently anyways. Just Chance is fine. In case you can't tell, I am super lost.

>>27660085
Actually I take this back, I want to see where it takes us. Only take it off if it's going to kill us.

>>27660031
State name

>>27660031
State name, ask who wants to know. Whoever this thing answers to could give us a clue of who to look out for when we return to the present.

>>27660065
>>27660109
>>27660214
Somehow you don't see this ending well at all.
“My most recent name is Second Chance, sir. Chance is fine though, but who wants t-”
>Bullshit! What's your real name?
“I swear on my mother's grave that's my real name I think!”
>Get on the ground!
Having no opportunities to do anything else without the long lasting effect of death being applied directly to your body, you follow his orders and lower yourself to the ground.
“So, I am super lost at the moment, just in case you didn't noti-”
>Shut up!
“Rude.”
You see a stallion that looks like it's completely decked out in white metal armor come into your vision. It lower it's head down to yours, it's face completely obscured by a gas mask. It's mane, if it has one, is nowhere to be seen. Probably obscured by the armor somehow.
>...You can breathe here?
“That's kind of a stupid question.”
He tears off his gas mask, revealing his blue eyes and light green fur. He actually doesn't have a mane. Odd.
He lifts his head back up and yells behind you.
>Ax! We can breathe here!
A higher pitched male voice comes from behind you.
>Got it!
>You can get up now, Chance.
You do so. That was rather uncomfortable.
“Now, who wants to know who I am?”
>Me. I don't take orders from anypony. I know better.

>>27660257
Alrighty then. So who are ya, where you from, and can you take me there? Also, where the heck am I?

>>27660257
"My name's Second Chance. Got the name after a narrow escape with death. And my special trait is getting lucky all the time."

We should totally follow them. I want to seriously steal a suit of their power armor and a gun to bring back with us.

>>27660334
Lets not tell them the second part.

>>27660257
I'd like to know what organization I am currently dealing with.

Also, a name wouldn't hurt. I'd really hate to just call you increasingly snarky variations of baldy.

>>27660334
That's exactly what I was thinking only I'd prefer to not steal them.

>>27660282
>>27660334
“Huh. Well, uhh, good for you, I guess. As I said, I'm Second Chance. Got it from a near-death experience. My special trait is getting lucky. All the time.”
He stands there staring at you with a slightly perturbed look on his face.
Doesn't look like he's someone who enjoys laughing. Or any emotion at all. Ever.
“Err, So, who could you be? I'd hate to just have to call you baldy all of the time.”
>You really aren't from around here, are you?
“Huh?”
>Bor. My name is Bor. My colleague-
>Friend!
>Over there is Ax.
Ax runs ahead towards him, and stands beside him. He has the same armor, but it's obviously more fitted to his scrawnier frame. His eyes are a golden yellow, and his fur is pink. He also has a surprising lack of mane. Ax speaks to you directly.
>My name's Ax! Nice to meet your acquaintance!
He starts extending his front leg for a hoofshake for a split second before Bor bats it away.
“So who do you work for?”
Bor is the one to answer. Unfortunately.
>Ugh. We don't work for anyone. We just stole these suits from an abandoned Alchest outpost a couple miles back.
“Okay, so where are we now?”
Ax speaks up.
>Equestria! Canterlot, specifically. Don't take this as rude or anything, but how do you not know that?

>>27660460
"I uh... I guess you can say that I 'live under a rock' a lot."

>>27660460
Really? You just found those things? Rad! Have any extras or was there any left over? Can you or your boyfriend point in what direction to find some badass gear like that?

>>27660460
We don't even know our birth name.

>>27660460
near death and I just woke up? Amnesia? That's a thing you know

>>27660496
>>27660535
>>27660539
>>27660584
“I guess I live under a rock.”
Bore opens his trap again.
>More like a mountain.
>Bor, shut up, you just asked the guy if he could breathe.
“I actually don't even know my birth name.”
>Amnesia, I'm guessing?
Ax seemed interested enough.
“Yeah. Amnesia.”
>Eh, figures. I'm also gonna take a wild guess and say that your near-death experience was the cause of that?
“Bingo.”
>Huh! Crazy.
“I know, right?”
>Ugh. You guys talk, I'm going to go through the buildings and check if he's not alone out here.
Bor walks away to the nearest decrepit house.
“He doesn't like fun very much, does he?”
>He's a bit of a rock, yeah. He doesn't wanna admit it, but he's almost of much of a rookie as I am. Notice how he let you back on your hooves and then went to scout? He should've been doing that way before. He doesn't even have any weapons besides a short sword, either.
“Right. Anyway, is there a possibility I could get my hooves on a sweet set of armor like that?”
>Pfft, sweet? These are pretty low class, honestly.
Those are the low class? You wonder what the higher classes have in store.
“Oh? Well, nevertheless, I still want one.”
>Well, there's nothing left back at that facility. Which is pretty sad, since without this armor you'd probably be dead if you set one hoof into the jungle. That's actually a really complicated topic, actually.
“Actually?”
>Actually. Any other questions before Bor gets back?

>>27660673
What happened here exactly? What's going on with the world around us too?

>>27660673
Dude, look at what I'm wearing. You're "low class" is "top-o-the line" to me. So who are you two exactly and whatcha doin' here?

>>27660714
>>27660731
“Well, first off, if you take note of what I'm wearing-”
>Which is nothing.
“Exactly. Your low class is probably some of the best stuff I've ever seen before.”
>Huh.
“Also, what happened to Equestria?”
>Equestria used to be normal until we discovered a way to colonize other planets. Then we just left this place. Only a few stayed back.
“So we're disconnected from everything?”
>Not entirely. There's a ship that comes by every now and again to monitor this place. We don't know why, but they sure do like to do it.
“Strange.”
>Strange? I mean, it's kinda normal now. You really must not be from around here, huh? Where did you come from, anyw-
Bor walks up. Great. He's back. Perfect.
>So when are we leaving him and getting a move on?
>Bor!
>What? He has no armor, no weapons but a short metal rod, nothing. He would do nothing but drag us down if he came with us.
>So? You're just gonna leave an innocent pony to die out here?
>Yes. And we don't know if he's innocent. We don't even know where he came from.
>That is no reason to leave him behind!
>So what do you suppose we do, huh? Drag him along with us so we can die too?
>I-I don't know!
>Well why don't you stay with him and I'll go on by myself? Would that make you happy?
>Bor, stop, please!
But he was already walking away. He starts to run after him, but then looks back at you. He keeps standing in the middle of you two before collapsing to the ground.
>Fuck!
Bor just keeps walking.

>>27660855
We were only planning to visit the future, no reason to break them apart. Besides, Bor might die without his level headed companion.

>>27660855
"Bor, come on, all you guys need to do is give me a weapon. You guys can take on the damage while I can sneak in a few lucky shots from the back. I guarantee we can survive through this."

>>27660855
Ax, you don't need to worry about me, i think i'll be able to survive on my own.

>>27660855
Go to Ax. Put a hoof on his shoulder and tell him we'll be ok. We were fine before and we'll be fine after they leave. I mean, have you seen my cuitemark? Only one more question, are there any towns or cities and where is the closest?

>>27660965
I'm pretty sure they said the best they have is a short sword.

>>27660962
>>27660965
>>27661018
“Bor, all you guys need to do is give me a...”
He isn't listening. He just keeps walking. Asshole.
You trot over to Ax and put a hoof on his shoulder. He looks up to you with a worried expression.
“Ax, there's no reason for me to tear you guys apart. Don't worry about me, he needs me a lot more than I need you. I was fine before and I'll be fine once you guys leave. I'll be fine on my own. Besides, what's he gonna do without his level headed friend at his side?”
His smile returns to his face slowly.
>H-Heh, you're right. You're sure you'll be fine?
“Positive. But before you go, are there any nearby towns or cities I can get to?”
>Ponyville is close, but you'll have to climb the railroad tracks to get there safely. And if you're afraid of heights, well, good luck is all I'm sayin'.
“Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.”
>Well. I guess we're off. Have a good one, Chance! Maybe we'll meet again one day, eh?
“Yeah, I'd like that.”
He trots off, calling after Bor. The two disappear behind a building before their voices fade into silence. You didn't feel any more like you belonged here. But maybe that's not such a bad thing.

>>27661113
let's explore a bit... maybe head to ponyville? we should find something useful to bring back with us

>>27661140
Better to continue searching where we are. Find some supplies here. We might find an old book or something.

>>27661162
sure, let's do that.

>>27661113
Time to head to Ponyville. Make sure we're capable of taking the ring off at any moment in case the lands are as dangerous as they say.

>>27661113
Let's take the bracelet off. No more reason to stay here.

>>27661162
Probably aren't any books. Either rotted away or, more likely, picked clean by Sparkle before departure.

>>27661206
I was just hoping for something that we could learn a bit of history (future?) from.

>>27661140
>>27661162
>>27661203
You debated taking the ring off of your leg, but you wanted to check around the area just to make sure you didn't come back to the present with nothing to show for it. You walk into the nearest house and start to look around. There wasn't much there left in terms of useful things, mostly just rotted furniture and miscellaneous objects that were of no value in the present or the future. You head upstairs in one of the houses to find only one door at the end of the hallway. You open up the door and almost have a heart attack.
Sitting in the middle of the room is a maneless, hairless mare. She was looking right into your eyes with her own bloodshot ones. She didn't move a single muscle. And the worst part was that she was smiling. A smile that didn't seem too nefarious or too genuine. It just laid in that spot in between the two. It hadn't made any intent on wanting to hurt you.
There's a small footlocker on the other side of that room.

>>27661369
Remain calm and say "Hey there, are you alright?"

Keep your other hoof close to the ring in case we have to take it off at a split second notice.

>>27661369
Is it even alive?

>>27661369
Be ready to take the ring off within a split-second.

>>27661389
>>27661406
>>27661470
Just stay calm, just stay calm... first impressions can be bad, but you know they aren't everything. You take your hoof and keep it close to the ring, just in case.
“Hey there. Are you okay?”
It doesn't do anything but blink.
Okay, so it's alive. You know that much now. Not exactly a good thing, but you know more about it, anyway.
It starts to slowly open it's mouth. You're about to pull the ring off before it does anything crazy, but all it ends up doing is closing it's mouth again.
It blinks at you once more. Like a robot. A very creepy robot.
You shift to the side nervously. It's eyes don't derail from yours. It just keeps staring and blinking. Whatever is in that footlocker better be pretty valuable if you ever consider stepping inside a room with that thing in it.

>>27661473
Avoid moving closer to the locker, she might see it as a sign of hostility or lunge at us.

Keep trying to socialize with her, maybe if we keep trying, we'll get her to open up a bit more. Continue holding onto the ring though.

>>27661499
All I can say is this. Can't believe we didn't bring our armor.

We've bitched out of everything Numb has tossed at us. I'd like to figure something out to get to the locker.

>>27661610
Don't worry anon. I'm not gonna wuss out this time. We're gonna get this locker..... Hopefully.

>>27661499
Maybe you can make her open up to you a bit more. Trying to simply socialize seems like the best option.
“Hey. Can you speak? I'd really want to talk to you.”
If it weren't for the fact that there might be something useful in this room, you would've left a while ago. Something about this pony doesn't seem right. Like it knows something that you don't. The bloodshot eyes, the opening and closing of the mouth, that damn smile. It just seems so unnatural and uncanny.
It does not move. Nothing you can do seems to make it move. You can, however, hear it breathing through it's mouth. Even though it's closed. It takes a minute before it finally says something in a barely audible, pained whisper.
>Help.
How it managed to say that without moving it's mouth remains a mystery to you.

>>27661664
"I'm sorry that you have to go through this pain.... How can I help? Is there something you need?"

>>27661690
I'm right behind you man. Even though it's the most sketch as all hell situation thus far.

>>27661690
“I'm sorry you're in pai-”
>S-Shh!
You stop. What is this thing?
>C-Come closer, to my mouth. I-If you or I speak t-too loud it'll kill you...
Did it just refer to itself in third person? This is crazy. You didn't sign up for any of this.
But you need to do it. You've been running from everything you've faced so far.
It's time to face the danger for once.
You slowly trot over to the mare, it staring at you the entire way. You lower your head down to it's mouth. You wanted to be anywhere but here.
>I've been inside it f-for years. S-step behind it. It's head will turn and-
It pauses
>P-please...

>>27661782
Some kind of parasite?

>>27661782
So, we seem to have a mare who's lost control of her body which is now killing things? Wonderful.

I guess all we can do now is just follow what she says. We have no other lead or solution for this.

>>27661782
>Creepy as fuck mare only says "It", forcing Chance to ask what the hell "It" is.
>*ding*

Make sure we won't get fucked over in the process. We'll help her but how do we know "It" still won't kill us?

>>27661782
I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.

>>27661852
We already walked up into "it's" face. All we can do at this point is listen to the mare.

My theory is that it acts on sudden movement/noise. Like if we tried to scream, run, or reach for our ring too fast, it will do something unpleasant.

>>27661825
>>27661860
The footlocker is right behind it. If you want it, you have to do it. She wants this anyway. She must. She has to be in so much pain. Looking at her eyes, and inside her mouth. You can see “her” mouth inside of it's mouth. This has to be done.
You get up from your position, and start to slowly walk behind it. You get to around where it's looking at you from the side when you hear a pained noise come from her. You move a little more to the back of it, only for the pitiable noise to increase in volume.
You look into it's slowly reddening eyes. You notice every single tear that rolls down it's face. The face that doesn't belong to the same body the tear came from. You hear every whimper and whine that comes from the mare inside that thing. You start to feel your own tears start to form. Her eyes.... her pleading, desperate eyes look up at you. Not having the ability to do anything but.
“I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry...”
Why the fuck are you hesitating?! You're making it worse on her! Do it already you fucking discgra-
Crack.
You stepped all the way to where the footlocker is, turning it's head completely backward. You watch in morbid fascination as the eyes go blank, the life slowly fading from them. In devilish timing, the mouth slowly opens once more, thick blood slowly pouring out of it's gaping maw. It doesn't close it's mouth. It doesn't stop staring. It doesn't stop smiling.
You feel the floodgates in your eyes burst, tears starting to run down your face. You turn around and open the footlocker, grabbing what's inside without even looking in too much detail. You sit down and close your eyes, sobbing as softly as you can with the footlocker's contents held tight. You wanted out. You didn't want to open your eyes, because you knew what would greet them if you opened them.

>>27661981
>Taking our eyes off of "it" and crying
Oooooh no. Nonono. The moment we open our eyes......

Anons, help. I don't know what to do.

>>27661981
just take the ring off now, we can come back to the future when we've recomposed ourselves... find Misty or something...

>>27661981
Make sure we have everything in the locker and take the ring off. Take us away from this nightmare.

Also, you're a fucking beast for running 8 hours straight. Could you maybe... dial it back? Maybe to 5? I got shit to do and I don't want to miss out.

>>27662009
I not entirely certain what you're implying this implies but I think he's just traumatized.

>>27662056
Ya. It's like 2am where I am, running this long can cause players to miss out a bit.

I was implying that the moment we open our eyes, it's gonna do something bad.

>>27662077
>Ya. It's like 2am where I am
Same my nigga, same.

>>27662077
But anon, it's 2 p.m. here...

>>27662040
>>27662056
You're done. This is over. Now. You slide the ring off of your hoof, feeling the blackness once again overwhelm your body to the point of blacking out.
You open your eyes. Everything's blurry due to the tears in your eyes. You just lay there on the ground. You finally let it all out, crying loudly, letting the tears freely flow onto the ice.
Part of you never wants to get up on this floor. You feel so awful. So, so awful. You remember Misty talking about how hard it is the first time you do it. You only assisted this time. What will you do when the time comes to do it by your own hooves? What then? If this broke you down so badly, you're gonna have a terrible time when the time comes. Because it will come. You know that.
You look at the stuff you got from the locker. It looked like a cloth bag, a suit of armor, and a sword. You couldn't make out any details.
Was it worth it?
Did you really do the right thing?
These words float around your head. You don't want to feel like this anymore.
You don't want to feel at all.

And here is where I'm stopping for the night. In all truthfulness, provided enough tea, I could go all night. But I know some of my players can't go all night. So here should suffice. Thank you all for playing.
>>27662056
Never thought I'd be asked to make my quest sessions shorter and not longer. Huh. Guess there's a first for everything. I understand though. Probably gonna pull an all-nighter, so no thread tomorrow unless things change. If anyone wants to ask me stuffs for some reason, feel free.

>>27662170
Dear QM

Why are you such a nerd

>>27662170
I have a question Numb. How lucky are we exactly? Since it's our special trait, how much does it impact what happens in the world around us?

>>27662678
Well, honestly it's pretty dependent on the situation. You could have found that the footlocker was empty, and all that work was for nothing. You could've been chased by that "thing" in the house by Will's, too. It could even derail certain death. But maybe it won't.
Keep in mind I don't intend on going full easy mode. That's your special trait. Not Misty's. You might get off easy at some points, but others you might be traveling with might not have the same amount of luck. Like the one anon said, it's fickle. But that's how luck is sometimes.

>>27662170
Pull our self together. That was probably the best thing we could have done for her. It was better to give her peace than live like that anymore. We were gone for only an hour or so if I had to guess. I don't think Chance is in the mood for going over loot. Let's just rest and maybe have a meal or find Misty for emotional support.

>>27662170
Let's start crying all over Misty.

>>27664987
Nah, we gotta try to keep up a tough guy facade and fail.

>>27665941
Nice idea.

We try not to cry. Then we just burst out crying and utterly soak Misty.

File: frostbittenthingy3.jpg (106 KB, 600x800) Image search: [Google]

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Finished this yesterday, right after the session started. Didn't want to distract while it was running though.
I'll make changes as the quest goes on, probably. Having a blast playing this.

>>27666042
>That scraggly mane and tail.
Geeze. Now that you showed it, when was the last time we got a hair cut and combed? We must return our mane to its former glory.

>>27666042
Face/head looks a bit too generic protagonist from a shooter game for me, know what I mean? Other than that good work.

>>27666042
This is really great. Thanks a lot, saved. Love the look on Misty's face in particular.
I can't really QM today though, unfortunately. Perhaps Saturday. I'm really not sure.
I hate setting dates in stone because I don't want to disappoint anyone if I can't get to it on said date.

>>27666229
I see it too. I'll try to make something more well-tuned the more we get to know the characters, if that makes any sense. Still coming to terms with Chance in specific.

>>27667324

>>27667858

>>27668252

>>27665960
More like we're relatively composed but clearly upset and when we tell her about our trip and we break down when we get to the part... well, you know.

>>27656859
Is that the ISIS flag without the Arabic writing?

>>27669525
Yes. This is an ISIS recruitment thread in disguise.

pg10

Bump it.

>>27671366

>>27671992

Boops for Misty

>>27673463

>>27674443

>>27675355

>>27676280

>>27676866

>>27677484

>>27656859

>>27656859

Excited for more of this cyoa.

>>27656859

I may be a little late today. And not running for as long as usual.

>>27680881
>not running for as long as usual

If that means less than 8-10 hours I'm fine with that.

>>27664456
>>27669513
...Pull yourself together. You're a mess. You know you can do better than this.
You wipe your eyes with your hoof. What you did was better for her in the long run. She doesn't have to live like that anymore. She's in a better place now. A peaceful place. You get up on your hooves, pick up the loot and ring, and place it on your back. Misty's going to notice your mental state isn't as strong as it usually is. But you're sure she'll understand.
You walk from the room, out the small door and back to the house, the vault door still left open. You walk to the other side and promptly close it. The sound echoes violently throughout the house. If Misty's in here, she'll surely hear the door. And as expected, she does. She walks over to you slowly, a smile on her face.
>So? How was it? I see you have some pretty cool stuff on your back there-
She looks into your eyes, the smile replaced by a look of concern.
>Chance? You alright?

>>27681514
Try not to cry...... don't cry...... cry.

>>27681514
Attempt humor to cope as Chance does.

I was lied to, I didn't see any chrome at all in the "future".

>>27681579
>>27681675
Nope.
“Pfft, there wasn't even any chrome that I could see in the future. How disappointing, huh? Yeah, I'm fine.”
You aren't.
You walk past her, and she follows you.
>Chance, are you okay? You're acting very strange.
“I'm just-”
You pause.
Is there really any use in hiding it? You know she won't judge you harshly, if at all. So what are you hiding it for? For what sake? Your shallow sense of masculinity?
>You're just?
“...Can we head to the couch to talk about this?”
>Uhh, yeah, sure!
You walk over to the couch and lazily dump your gear onto the table before slumping down onto the seat. Misty sits down beside you.
>So. You wanna tell me what happened? I can tell you're not okay. Your eyes say it all.
You can feel your eyes start to water again.

>>27681763
"I ki-... I had to... I had to p-put a mare out of her misery..."

>>27681783
I'm not sure what else I can add to this.

>>27681783
It almost seemed childish. But you just couldn't bring yourself to say it. It wrecked your head so far beyond anything you thought ever could. Every time you thought about it, you thought of her. Of those last glimpses of life fading from her eyes. The noises she made before you-
“Misty.”
>Yeah?
“I had to k-”
You pause, gathering your strength.
“I had to put a m-mare out out of her misery today.”
And there go the tears. There goes the facade you had on.
>Oh, Chance...”
She embraces you in a strong hug that you accept immediately. The tears stream down your face, completely losing grip on emotional stability.
“I j-just can't d-do this.”
>I know Chance. I know. It's alright. I'm here, I understand. I was like this the first time too. I'm so, so sorry you had to go through that. If I could take you out of this life and into a better one, I would.
You knew you probably could take yourself out of this life easily, if you wanted to. But you don't support those kind of thoughts.
>Is there anything I can do to help you?

>>27681952
Hugs. Lots of hugs. Day and night.

>>27681952
We'll find someplace better Misty, somehow. I promise. I think it helps a little that she's much better off now...

Let's eat lunch or dinner or whatever it is,

>>27681967
>>27682047
“Well m-more hugs couldn't hurt.”
She tightens the hug, holding you as close to her as she can. It really could help. It makes you feel much less alone when you're in the embrace of somepony you care about. Especially when it's somepony like Misty. You never really realized it, but when you were in the future, or wherever that place was, you really started to miss her. It just didn't feel right without her around.
>No complaints here.
The feeling is mutual.
>Are you any better at all?
“Yeah. I think you helped. And I know that she's better off now. It just hurts, you know?”
>Yeah... I know. I just wish it didn't have to be this way.
“I'm sure we'll find somewhere better for us, Misty. I'm not going to give up on you. Even if that means going through Hell to do it.”
She smiles.
>I'm glad we feel the same way.
It's your turn to smile now. You sniff and wipe the tears from your face.
“So, uhh, can we maybe eat something?”
>Yeah, I suppose it's about time for dinner. I'll get right on it.
She runs off to the kitchen to make some food. She said none of us are angels.
But damn if she doesn't act like one sometimes.

Busy for a second.

>>27682186
Is there anything like T.V. in this world? It would be nice to watch while we eat.

>>27682186
Lets check our loot.

>>27682259
I'm going to say no.

>>27682286
This.

>>27682286
>>27682314
>Dinner's ready! Don't get up, I'll bring it to you!
Case and point. Misty walks over to the table and sets two bowls of amber soup down, one in front of you, and sits down on the couch.
>So, wanna tell me what you got?
“Uhh, sure. Lets see here...”
Finally able to see with more detail, you look upon the loot you got. A brown cloth bag with a string keeping it closed, a blue steel short sword with a blue crystal in the hilt, and a slightly rust-tinted suit of armor. It looked sort of like the ones that Ax and Bor where wearing, but it doesn't seem to be as advanced. Perhaps it's an older model?
You go to the bag first, opening and dumping it's contents onto the table. Inside is a small, red, and rounded crystal with a small pin stuck in the top.
>Is that what I think it is?

>>27682686
Heck if I know, you're the one with the intact memory. Check out that sweet sword and ask what she thinks of that armor.

>>27682733
“Well, I wouldn't really know. Amnesia, and everything, you know.”
>Yeah, yeah, still... I think this is a grenade made out of a crystal! How did they even do that?
“I mean, probably some crazy futuristic technology or something.”
>Well, yeah, but still! Awesome!
“It is, but you wanna know what's less awesome?”
>Wha- oh. We only have one.
“Yeah. Sucks pretty bad.”
>Well, guess we'll just have to use it wisely, huh?
“I guess so. Anyway, I'm gonna check this out.”
You pick up the sword and examine it more closely. It doesn't seem to have any absurd special powers that you can see, and the blue crystal seems to be simply for decoration, but it looks extremely durable as well. You suppose there's more than a couple ways to find out for sure how durable it really is, but for now you put it back down as there's no immediate need for it.
>Looks pretty sweet, if you ask me!
“Yeah. If only the armor was in the same condition.”
>Yeah, and I'm a little scared to work on that. Just because it's such a futuristic thing and all.
“Would you use it?”
>In it's current state? No. In my opinion, I honestly wouldn't risk it. So you can either go back to the future and hope you find somepony to fix it for you, or we find someone here. I'm not sure which is less likely, though.

>>27682836
What could possibly go wrong with wearing it? It's armor.

Let's eat. Oh yeah, you mentioned that you traded the gems you mine to ponies and you bought that vault door. Who did you trade with?

>>27682836
Let's try it on. Hopefully we don't need power armor training or something.

>>27682908
>>27683089
[1/2]
“What do you mean? It's just armor, if a little rusty, I don't see anything wrong with it.”
>Well, like I said, I myself wouldn't wear it 'till I got the rust taken care of. You can go ahead, don't let me hold you back.
“Well, I kinda want to try it on.”
>Now?
“Why not?”
You get up and slowly but surely get the metal armor onto you. It's a bit heavier, and not as flexible as the leather armor, but it probably protects way more.
“How do I look?”
>Like you've been through hell.
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
>Eh, take it any way you wanna.
“Pfft, fine. Shall we eat?”
>Yeah, better not let this food get cold!
Once again you let the blueberry-flavoured brew do it's thing, filling you with energy once again. Once the food is eaten and your belly is full, you sit back on the couch. Despite the crazy ponies and all the potentially life-scarring things happening around you, it was nice to have little moments like this to relax. Your blank mind suddenly dissipates, however. You remember something you have to ask Misty.
“So, I remember that you said that you traded gems with ponies. That's how you got the vault door. Who do you trade with?

>>27683160
>Ah yes. I remember telling you that there was no one civil around here, but I may not have been in the right mindset when I said that. There's this pony called Pete that's one of the leaders of the flooded parts of the city, in the southeast. They have an outpost by the shore, and he decided to contact me when he noticed some of the crystals I was using. The exploding ones in particular interested him. He's probably the most sane pony in a position of power right now, but even that isn't saying much considering he runs a gang of raiders, and he himself has been known to favor... fillies.
She shudders visibly.
>Thankfully, said claims are unproven so far, and I don't think many, if any are in the city. Anyway, I trade mostly with him. I can't say I like him much as a friend, and I definitely don't agree with some of what he does, but I know where to go if I need something that can't be easily scavenged.

>>27683174
Let's keep the armor stored away until Misty can refurbish it. Last thing we need is for our armor to jam or pinch us.

Also, how do you make this soup? It's really good.

>>27683174
That's good I suppose. Another question is about that asylum. You said you had "friends" there before. Now... can you tell me everything you know about it?

>>27683269
>>27683376
“Huh. Well, I was just curious.”
>Yup yup.
“I think I'll take this off for now, though. I don't need for this thing to cramp up or something when we need to escape or something.”
>Which is why I'll do my best to fix it while you're gone. It'll be completely new territory for me, but I know it's worth it.
“I thought you said it'd b better to wait for someone else to do it?”
>I changed my mind. I'll do what I can, even if that isn't much.
“Alright, your choice. I've got another question though.”
>Shoot.
You take the armor off and set it on the table, talking while doing so.
“How in the world do you make that soup? It's amazing!”
She blushes slightly at your words.
>Heh, well blueberries obviously, but a special ingredient that I shan't tell anypony under any circumstances. Not even my closest of friends! Sorry.
“Pfft, fine, be that way.”
>Rude!
“That's what I was gonna say!”
>Pfft!
“That too.”
You sit back down on the couch with her. You remember another question you had in your head.
“Another question, Misty. I remember you said something about you having “friends” w ho went to Pitchurst. Is there anything else you can tell me about the place?”
>Not much that I haven't told you already. And, yeah, friends I had before I moved here is what I meant. One of them in particular I just never saw again. Came to school one day and she was gone. School just told me the guys from there came to take her away. And the fact that they don't allow visitors under any circumstances really bugs me. Makes me think there are some pretty terrible things happening there, more than what's let on by them. I'm honestly not sure how a riot hasn't been formed to take them down. I don't remember a single pony leaving that place after they went in.

>>27683499
I shudder at the thought. Maybe they're cannibals or something....(don't mention that to her).

Good call on not letting someone else handle the armor. The last thing we need is someone running off with our highly advanced piece of armor that shouldn't exist.

>>27683499
Numb, I'm having a hard time picturing the landscape. So there's an ocean, the ruined city in the giant crater, and it's surroded by ice? I need more explination plz.

Terrible things? No doubt it's terrible things. So... how are we gonna get out of here?

>>27683543
If they're cannibals how come they dump bodies into the ocean?

>>27683595
Wait, that was the place she was talking about? Then how come Misty never knew what happened to her friend? If she was in that place, then her body should've ended up on the beach some time ago and Misty would've found out.

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133 KB, 1000x1000

>>27683582
>>27683626
“Well, how come you never knew what happened to your friend?”
>Well, that's the scary part. The fact that they don't come back doesn't mean that she got dumped into the ocean. I think not every pony that goes there gets dropped into the sea. I think they keep some there, for whatever their sick needs are. I never ended up finding her body, and believe me, I looked. And as far as I know they never let her back out. So either her body was too rotted or disfigured for me to recognize it and I buried my friend without even knowing it, or she's still in that asylum, still there even from all those years ago.
She shudders again.
>I'm kind of scared to know the answer to where she is. Neither of those answers are particularly pleasing to me.
“I'm... I'm sorry.”
>It's fine. Can we just drop it now?
“Gladly. So how are we gonna get out of here?”
>I'm actually not sure. There's a security gate at the exit of this place, but it's on the other side of the city, a place I've never been before. All I know is that nopony has been able to short-circuit it. Ever.
>>27683582
Have a map. This is the general area.

>>27683832
Couldn't we build a boat and cross the ocean?

>>27683832
Can you make the map with a list of population densities and gang faction territories and maybe points of interest or looting grounds? I want to know the best routes to take when exploring/scavenging.

I think Misty might have another motive for drilling through the glacier.... maybe she's trying to dig her way out of the city?

>>27683832
Wouldn't Misty be close to the ocean?

>>27683867
“Okay, sure, but how has nopony been able to build a boat and sail the hell outta here?”
>Because the ones who built the security fence also built a gigantic grid that stretches over top of the city, and surrounds the area a few kilometres away from it. It vaporizes anything with a heartbeat, Some powerful magic enchantment or something, I think. It's invisible, too. That's why bodies and junk can come through here, but none of us can get out, no matter what route you try to take.
“But that makes no sense. How in the hell did I make it through the grid if I was alive?”
>That's!
She pauses, her eyes shrinking a little.
>That's a very good question. Is it possible you had no heartbeat when you came through here, but regained it somehow when you washed ashore? Is that even possible?
>>27683884
Not right away. What's on that map is only a rough idea of what you already know, and I intend to keep it that way. I don't want Chance to know exactly what the best route to take is because the map that doesn't exist told him to go that way.

>>27684005
Any idea why the entire area has been contained?

>>27684005
Dang. We must be one very lucky poner. It's odd why ponies would quarantine a whole city though.

Maybe lightning struck near us and jump started our heart along the way. Who knows.

>>27684024
And how did you end up here?

>>27684024
>>27684061
>>27684079
“Maybe something Kickstarted my heart? A jellyfish or a lightning strike?”
>Maybe. It's a stretch, but you're one lucky pony, so maybe it did actually happen.
“So how did you get here?”
>Well... I lied to you. A little bit. I figured that if I told you we were in a land of crazy ponies that wanted our spleens for breakfast after you nearly died, you wouldn't take it very well. I came here, like I said, to mine crystals out of here. But it was only when I got here that I noticed that there were crazy ponies that started to crop up. I tried to get out once I saw what this place was turning into, but the grid was put up before I could get out.
“Damn. If only you had my luck. You probably would've been able to get out in time.”
>Yup, but not everypony is as lucky as you. As for me, I've been stuck here ever since. I think it's because of the crazy ponies and the fact that they sometimes dump radioactive stuff down here that they put up the fence. But if you have a containment full of ponies, I have the sinking feeling they might want to...experiment.

>>27684155
Ah. So it's either an experiment on a whole population, or it's a mass prison where they dump bad ponies and garbage to fend for themselves.

This suddenly starts to remind me of an old movie called Escape from New York, where New York city became a giant prison.

>>27684155
Think this place might be an extension of the asylum? If there's no grid between the asylum and here, it'd explain how we survived.

>>27684155
Do you think it's possible to salvage a vehicle? Maybe get your raider friends to help if absolutely necessary?

>>27684245
>>27684251
>>27684325
“So. Either we're trapped in a gigantic city-wide experiment, or a prison.”
>Yeah.
“Lovely.”
“Do you think the asylum might be a part of all of this? I mean, if there's no grid between here and the asylum, that would be why I survived. More likely than any other theories we've got right now.”
>Maybe it is, and I don't think anypony thought that a pony would dig through the entire glacier just to get to it, so it would make sense for it to be unguarded.
“Well until we get a chance to test that, is there any way we could get a vehicle of some sort? Salvage it? Get your raider friends to help?”
>They aren't my friends. Business partners are not my friends, and I don't make friends with ponies like that.
“Geez, sorry.”
>No, no, I- ugh. Sorry, I'm kinda serious about that stuff. And stressed. We might be able to get a vehicle, but even if we did, most of the roads are destroyed. We can ask Pete about it if we find him.
“Sounds great, but why are you stressed? Besides, well, the obvious.”
She sighs and looks down.
>I checked the shore when I woke up, before you came back from your expedition. There was already a pile of them there. I haven't been checking on them because I've been busy with you, and I feel bad because of it.

>>27684392
...Does she mean the expedition we went on without here where she got hypnotized by the giant gem?

>>27684392
We should spend the day helping her bury the bodies then.

Maybe the asylum could be the place that's controlling the experiment/prison? If they take in random ponies, it could mean that they're studying some sort of long-term effect from this place. Or simply doing experiments.

>>27684408
I think she meant the time travel expedition.

>>27684408
To add, wouldn't make sense if she noticed them while we were in the future?

>>27684392
Anywho, tell her we'll help her tomorrow morning.

>>27684424
>>27684435
“I could help you with that, tomorrow morning.”
>You don't need to do that...
“No, I don't. But I'm going to anyway, because you're my friend. And what's important to you is important to me. And I would've helped you if I wasn't in the future.”
You give her a look of sincerity.
“I promise.”
She smiles, and gives you another hug.
>Thanks so much Chance. You're a wonderful pony.
“I-I'm not that great.”
>To me, you are.
She lets go of you.
>So we might have to get to bed early if we don't want to spend all day doing it. We can talk more, too, if you want. But I'm honestly kinda tired.

>>27684488
Alright, we're fine with that. Just try not to go sleepwalking again.

>>27684488
I'm beat aswell to be honest. Let's hit the hay.

>>27684512
>>27684547
“Sure, I'm fine with that, and I'm pretty beat too. Just try to make sure you wake up in your own bed instead of near that crystal.”
>Yeah, I'll try my best.
You walk with her to her room, then you head to your room.
>Goodnight Chance!
“Goodnight Misty! Have a nice sleep!”
>You as well!
You finally climb into your bed.
It feels like forever since you've been on your own bed, but alas, here you are. It's not perfect, but it's yours. You wonder and worry about Misty. How she's holding up, mentally. You don't want her to wake up screaming again. Even though there's really nothing you can do to help short of locking her in her room at night.
You hope everything will be okay. Things couldn't get much worse from here, so it can only get better as you go on.
...Right?

That's it for today. Might run again the day after tomorrow (Or maybe even tomorrow if I feel like it) at the normal time. Noon, Mountain Time. As always, thanks for playing.

>>27684595
I can tell things are gonna get exponentially harder from here. I just hope Misty's home doesn't get breached because it's a likely possibility.

I mean, if her business partners find out where she lives, they'll probably just ransack the place and claim it as theirs for the crystals.

We must prepare. And our most likely way to do so is by going back to the future for some advanced armor and weapons. Even if it traumatizes us to do it.

>>27684595
Thanks for running. I'm having a great time playing, even when it's just talking with Misty.

>>27685230
This. I really enjoy this quest, the character interactions, and how we built the MC.

...I wish we built him with more of a heart of stone though. He's too soft. It makes me feel bad that we'll most likely end up breaking him mentally many more times than this.

If we built him that way, we wouldn't have had to watch him go through all this pain, but hey. I guess it's good to have a daily dose of feels though.

>>27656859

>>27685632
I'd rather him a heart of gold than stone. I think it makes him more relatable.

>>27687729
True. I guess I tend to find myself more relatable to stone hearted people.

Are you still that other anon from when the quest started? I'm starting to think I should just be his left side of the brain while you be the right.

>>27656859

>>27656859

>>27688249
Indeed I am. Surely there are some things we have agreed to. How about we agree that we find this cyoa enjoyable?

>>27690106
I agree with you anon. But I will continue to be the opposite of you. Heh.

>>27689690

>>27690442
Naturally.

So... magic bump?

>>27692191
No... technology bump.

>>27692191
>>27692717
Magitech bump

Bmup

>>27684595
Wake up with our crazy mane tangled and wrapped around our head.

ur dum

>>27695552
Finally being released from your slumber, you slowly open your eyes to see a faceful of hair. You brush the unkempt and tangled mane out of your vision with your hoof. Maybe you should find someone to cut this mess on your head, or at least make it look presentable. It's honestly the least of your worries at the moment, though.
“I have to help bury a pile of bodies today”. That's not something you thought you'd ever think in your life. But then again, you probably never thought you'd get amnesia, either. But after all she's done for you, you think Misty deserves at least this one favor.
You get out of bed and onto your hooves, ready to face the day, and whatever it holds with it.
You peak out the door to your room, looking out into the kitchen. Seeing not a single Misty out there, you open it all the way and walk out into the living room to see her sprawled out on the couch. She looks over towards you and smiles.
>Good mornin'.

>>27697015
I thought she might've been abducted by the crystal again for a second there.

>>27697015
Sleep good?

>>27697259
“Mornin'. Sleep well?”
>Eh, not really, actually. I had a bit of trouble getting to sleep last night because I couldn't stop stressing out.
“Stressing? About what?”
>Oh, you know. Me and my crystal business, getting out of this place, you.
“Me?”
>Yeah, you. I worry about you a lot, you know. I've never really had somepony like you in my life for a long time. A pony who I could count on to be there for me when I need help.
She sighs, smiling a little.
>It's a nice feeling, you know?
“Yeah, it is. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel the same way.”
>And I'm guessing you don't lie much, huh?
“Nah. Not to ponies that are important to me, anyway. It just feels wrong.”
>That's kinda how lying works.
“Yeah, yeah.”
A silence fills the room. Neither of you wanted to say it. But it had to be said. Thankfully, Misty spoke up first.
>So... are we doing this now?

>>27697382
I'm ready if you are.

>>27697382
Let's go.

>>27697526
>>27697604
“If you're ready, I'm ready. Let's go. After you.”
>Alright, let me get the stuff.
She rolls off of the couch sluggishly and heads for her storeroom. Coming back with two shovels and a pair of winter coats. You fit into your coat, as does she into hers, and you walk out of the house and down the hallway once again. You haven't actually been to the coast since Misty showed you where you woke up. You don't imagine much has changed, but you aren't sure if you're ready to see the amount of death you're about to witness.
Even if you aren't, you owe it to her anyway. She deserves to have a little help with this. You can set aside your fear and disgust for the sake of something so important to her.
She suddenly stops walking. You notice her start to shake.
“Misty? What's wrong?”
She slowly raises her hoof to the shoreline. The nearly empty shoreline.
>Wh-Where did all the bodies go?
You look over to see only a single body on the shore where there was supposed to be a pile of them.
This can't be good.

>>27697710
Misty. Let's go back and get our combat gear. Like now.

Something inside me screams cannibals.

>>27697730
This is a great idea assuming we don't have it already.

>>27697730
>>27697750
“Misty. We need to go back and get our combat stuff. Like, really soon. As in, now soon.”
>On it.
Both of you head back to the house as quickly as you can. Once inside, you put on your leather armor, grab the steel sword you found, and gave that rebar piece to Misty, abandoning the shovels in the living room.
How in the world can an entire pile of bodies disappear in one night? And why did whoever took them leave one behind? Was it the asylum? Are there things living here that we haven't seen yet? You have no idea how to process the information that has just been presented to you.
You get back out to the entrance to the shore, standing a few feet away from the body at a safe distance. There's something off about it, but you aren't sure what.
>Chance?
“Yeah?”
>I'm scared.

>>27697862
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.

Keep the sword at the ready and check around the place before approaching the body. Are there any tracks or signs of the previous bodies?

>>27697921
This.

Look out for any ambushes or anything of the sort as we approach.

>>27697921
>>27698011
“I'm nervous as all hell, and I'd be lying if I said wasn't.”
You keep your sword ready, looking around the area in case whatever took the bodies is still skulking around, or at least some tracks to signal that anypony was here. Finding no such thing, you slowly and cautiously begin to approach the one body left. There's some misplaced dirt where you assume the rest of the bodies were. Something that reinforces that is the abhorrent stench of death surrounding the area. If this is how it normally smelled, you can't believe Misty handled this for so long.
You make it to the body and examine it more closely.
“Have you ever seen anything like this?
>N-No...
It had no mane, and the fur was pitch black. It's head was nothing but a tumor of skin. Any semblance of a normal pony's head was gone and replaced by a round, skin-covered bulb. There were some holes in the head leaking red, bubbling liquid. Another odd thing was that both forelegs of the “pony” were completely mechanical, sloppily replaced by rusted metal that's stitched onto the rest of the body. On the thing's side was a message carved into it's skin. The bleeding message read out this:
“WE KNOW”.
>Ch-Cha-
She interrupts herself by screaming, reeling back from the body. You do so as well, as you notice that the bulb is starting to pulsate, leaking more and more liquid as it does so. It slowly starts to get on it's hooves. It's twitching, stuttering movements making it hard for it to gain control of it's own body. It eventually makes it to standing up, and moves it's body around so that it's facing you head-on.
It shouldn't be alive, but it is.

>>27698129
We got a sword, use it! Aim for it's head.

>>27698129
My guess is that the asylum either knows about Misty mining the magic crystal and digging her way out of the city, or about Chance surviving the asylum. It's pretty obvious they want both of us silenced though.

Try damaging the bulbous head, but avoid getting any of its body fluids on you. Bubbly mutated head fluid doesn't sound healthy to touch.

>>27698129
>It shouldn't be alive, but it is.
Lets fix that.

>>27698154
>>27698164
You ready your sword. If you know anything about undead things, it's that it's always best to aim for the head. Whatever this thing is, it has to be stopped. You're hesitant, however, as you don't want to get any of that strange liquid on you. Misty backs away, half hiding behind you. You ready up your sword, and swing as hard as you can towards the head, cutting about halfway into the bulbous, disgusting mess. You cringe, the squishy sound of the metal hitting it's insides disgusting you.
You see some red liquid start to pour out onto your sword, and decide to pull the sword out before it gets damaged. It lets out a high-pitched whine and stumbles back, liquid pouting profusely out of the cut you just made in it's head. The mutated “head” starts to deflate a little, but you notice the head starts to bubble a lot more, it's twitching and sporadic movements increasingly getting faster. It's whining starts to get louder as well.

>>27698304
We have to drain the head of fluids to kill it I think. We have to do it fast too since it's becoming more and more sporadic.
Also, the screaming can attract others over to us.

>>27698304
The the hell away from it.

>>27698323
I'm pretty sure it's gonna explode.

>>27698304
Retreat!

>>27698323
>>27698339
>>27698372
You're about to prepare for your second attack when you put the pieces together. Increased whining, more sporadic movements, shaking...
That thing's gonna explode.
“Misty, run! It's gonna blow!”
You trot away from it as fast as you can, trying to get as farthest away from the incoming explosion that you can. You hear a fleshy explosion erupt from behind you. You look behind you to see fluid flying up in the air and landing on the ground, bubbling slightly through it. You are, thankfully, away from the blast radius. All that's left is the pony's body. It stands there for a few seconds before collapsing to the ground, limp once more.
You breathe a sigh of relief, as does misty.
What the hell was that thing?
You look off into the distance, into the fog. You think you can see two green glowing eyes faintly glowing in the distance before they disappear, leaving you questioning if you even saw them in the first place.

>>27698488
Welp. We'll probably have to ask Misty to seal this place off from her home. As much as I hate to do it, we probably have to.

Also ask Misty if she's alright.

>>27698488
Let's... let's get back inside. Ask Misty if she saw that.

>>27698488
I think burying bodies has become a bit to dangerous now.

>>27698510
>>27698593
>>27698609
You look at Misty with a concerned look.
“You alright?”
>Yeah, yeah, just shaken up a little. You?
“Yeah, I'm fine. Lets get back inside, I really don't feel comfortable on this beach anymore.”
You pull yourselves together and head back inside, more than happy to leave this place. A place you had thought was the closest you could get to peaceful around here.
Making it back to the house, you slump back onto the couch with Misty. Setting your sword down on the table, you sigh.
>So what in the hell was that?
“I don't have a clue, but I think burying bodies is a little bit too dangerous now. I know that place isn't safe anymore. If things like that can show up on shore, that puts you and your house in danger.”
>So what do you suppose we do?
You sigh. You hate to even bring this up.
“Well, we'll probably have to seal off the shore from your hou-”
>No.
“Misty!”
>They deserve a proper burial. I can't just leave them out there like that!
“Misty, you need to realize what you're saying. If they can walk, they can walk in here. If they can walk in here, they can kill both of us. It isn't safe. I'm sorry, I really am, but it has to be done.”
>B-But-
“Misty. Some ponies can't be buried. Some ponies can't be saved... but that burden's not yours. It isn't your responsibility. I know it's hard, but you need to let it go. I think I saw some green eyes watch me from the fog. The asylum might be watching us, observing us. We need to protect ourselves.
>I-
She stops, deeply thinking about what you just said. She lets out a sigh, a solemn look on her face.
>Okay. I'll block it off with some scrap metal sometime today, and I'll make sure nopony can get through it.

>>27698708
Give hug. She obviously needs one. Have we booped her yet? That's a standard protocol in all quests.

>>27698708
I'm sorry it has to be like this. I'll help you later.

What about those shovels? If they're sturdy enough we can sharpen them and use them as weapons.

>>27698761
>>27698821
“Thanks, Misty.”
You take your forelegs and wrap them around her, pulling her into a hug. She does the same. You feel her warmth on you, and it gives you a small bit of happiness inside that makes you feel just that little bit less alone. You, unfortunately, let go of each other. You decide on doing something a bit odd.
“Hey Misty?”
>Yea-
You raise your hoof up to her snout, pressing against it, slightly making it scrunch up. She looks at you with an expression of complete confusion.
“Boop.”
>I-
“Don't speak. Just let it happen.”
You keep it there until eventually you lower your hoof. She stutters a little before you interject.
“So what do you think about sharpening those shovels to use as weapons?”
>I-err-I mean, I guess if you wanted to. You have a sword, though, so I don't know why you'd want to use that as a weapon.

>>27698992
What about you?

>>27698992
How about I use the sword and the armor (when it gets refurbished) while you take my leather coat and the gun? I'll have a good defense while you'll have a good offense.

>>27698992
Never hurts to have a spare weapon.

>>27698992
>“Don't speak. Just let it happen.”
My fucking sides

>>27699073
>>27699203
>>27699079
“Yeah, but what about you? You don't have anything.”
>Well, yeah, but I don't really need anything.
“Come on, Misty, you and I both need something to help us along if we plan on getting out of this city. Besides, it never hurts to have a spare weapon around, just in case.”
>Yeah. I suppose you're right. What do you think we should do, then?
“I think you should get my leather armor and the gun, while I can have the metal armor and the sword. You'll be the offensive side while I'll be the defensive side.”
She ponders on the subject for a bit.
>Huh. That actually sounds pretty awesome. I'll have to get that armor fixed up soon, then. Or, at least try.
“Sounds like a plan!”
You sit there in silence for a moment before Misty speaks up.
>So what now? We have lots of daylight left, so we could probably go to the city after we're done here.

>>27699298
I really want Misty to get the armor done asap, but I'll leave it up to her for if she wants to go scavenge or not.

>>27699298
Priorities should be breakfast, sealing that area, and fixing the armor and gun. In that order.

>>27699331
>Breakfast
Wait WHAT!? We skipped breakfast? What kind of heresy is this?

>>27699317
>>27699331
>>27699373
“Well, we haven't even had breakfast yet, so that would be nice.”
>Wait. We never had breakfast?
“I guess not.”
>That is absolutely disgraceful!
She launches out of the couch and goes to make soup. It's the same soup every day, but that's fine with you. It tastes good enough for you not to be bothered by it. A few minutes later she comes back with two bows of soup and sets them on the table. She instantly starts to drink hers.
“Geez, not one to stop and smell the roses, I guess.”
You slowly start to sip on yours, finishing your soup a full minute after she she finishes hers.
>Pfft, says you. Anyway, I'll go grab some scrap metal from the back room.
She trots off to the back and comes back with a wagon carrying two large pieces of metal that barely fit through the door.
>This should be enough, I think. If I recall correctly, I got this from a shipwreck a while ago.
She hauls the wagon along with her to the front door.
>You know... I don't really need your help. I'm more than confident I can do it on my own, and I'd hate to make you work anymore than you have to.

>>27699549
Maybe I can go back to the future while you barricade the area and refurbish the armor. There could be more cool stuff.

>>27699549
I just hate having you do everything around here.

>>27699572
Oh god. What if we reappear where we left?

>>27699623
I always thought it was randomized. It did say that it would be at some random point in the future, or an alternate universe with a different future.

>>27699572
>>27699623
>>27699632
“Maybe I could head back to the future to get some more cool things while you're doing your thing?”
>You could. But you have to promise me something.
“Yeah?”
She walks over to you, and looks you dead in the eyes. She gives you another hug, tightly gripping you.
>Try not to come back to me on the verge of tears again, alright? I hate to see you cry.
She lets go of you, still looking onto your eyes. She really meant this.
“Yeah, I'll do my best to make sure I don't. For you, i'll really try.”
>Thank you, Chance. And come back in one piece. You're more important to me than a lot of things right now.
She heads back to the wagon and saunters off.
...Well, back we go.
You take another walk back to the gem room, holding the ring in your hooves. You remembered to bring your sword and armor, so you should be prepared for most of anything. You take the ring into your hooves and let is slip on, you once again falling into darkness.
You dearly that this experience will be better than the last.

And that's it for today. I'd really like to hear your thoughts on this quest so far. Seems like you guys are enjoying it, though. As always, thanks for playing, I'll probably run again on Wednesday, 12:00-1:00 PM Mountain time.

>>27699810
I'm really enjoying this quest so far. Mainly the character interactions.

Chance and Misty romance when? Just kidding, I'm not being serious. That'd be too important of a thing to rush straight into.

>>27699833
I agree. With nothing but talking but talking happening for the most part recently I've still had fun. The hints at something bigger going are are quite something.

Exactly. I like how things are progressing right now.

>>27699810
I don't know, but, I have the feeling that something will happen to Misty while we're out.
You know, those green eyes are now observing us, and we just saw what they can do.

>>27700261
True, but hopefully we'll be in a better alternate future than the last one.

>inb4 we end up in the middle of a space marine battle.

>>27700714
Not sure if that would be better or worse than our current situation. Probably worse.

>>27656859

horrible futures bump

>>27703005
Power armor n' lasers bump.

>>27703658
We should totally get a bolter.