Bard Quest #4

>You nod buoyantly, then stand back as you ponder about what you’re going to play
>Soon after, the last match begins, and it appears Wind Card managed to make it all the way back to the top spot
>Talk about a game of luck…
>You start playing… an old tune from a well-known opera in the desert
>The long and raspy notes carry the tension from the calm yet adamant resolve of ponies who accepted to put their lives on the line to stand true to their ideals
>Even in face of opponents just as unrelenting as they are.
>For the first time in a while, the audience falls silent to watch the game, and the nervousness is making the players sweat and shiver
>Except for Wind Card, who exhibits a wide, ravenous grin
>Rounds after rounds, the number of dice on the final table dwindle, along with the number of players
>And in the end, there’s only one other player left in front of the organizer
>A surprisingly young one, actually, while most of the player and public are old people, this one must still go to school
>But who cares about school when you can go competitive dice games!
>He even seem to have a little group of friends his age cheering for him in the public
>”Spiky Hair…” A random minotaur start telling you out of nowhere
>”He might look young, but I think he managed to get in touch with the soul of his dice, I’ve been watching him…”
>”He and Wind Card are at their last dice, this is the last round of this tournament!”
>”I’m Brass Knuckle, by the way” He adds to answer your uncomfortable glare to him
>You’re still a little creeped out…
>But one the table, the final round is about to happen
>”Bwahaha!” Wind Card laughs loudly as he relinquishes his second-to-last dice “A duel at the top! Just the way I like it!”
>”I hope you’re ready, young one, because when I win this tournament, I’m gonna bring everyone here to the Shadow Realm!”

>>27159565
>You almost hit a wrong note at that sentence, and give your impromptu commentator a worried glance
>”The Shadow Realm…” Knuckle winces “Wind Card promised he’d pay everyone a drink should he win”
>”But to think he’d choose the cheapest pub of all town…”
>You agree. Truly Wind Card is a master of evil
>”I can’t let that happen!” Spiky Hair courageously retorts “I’m not old enough to drink yet... Let’s end this here and now!”
>”With pleasure!” His opponent bawls
>They both place their last die in their respective cup
>And after shaking the cup and slamming it on the table, they begin to stare in each other’s eyes
>”Since I was just brought down to one dice” Wind Card solemnly starts “I’m the one starting the bets”
>”And what I bet… is ONE SIX under the cups!”
>The crowd whispers, and a few players nod in agreement
>”So? What do you say, young one?”
>Wind Card’s opponent is shaking under the pressure, you doubt he’s in any position to take a well-thought decision but still...
>”T-TWO SIXES” The young minotaur finally announces, a little unsteadily
>The crowd gasps
>”What a bold move!” Brass Knuckle exclaims “The chances for the two of them to have a six is only of one out of thirty-six!”
>”And if Wind Card didn’t have a six to begin with” He shivers “It’s all over…”
>But strangely, Wind Card remains motionless
>Until he starts to giggle, to cackle, louder and louder and louder until a sinister laugh comes out of his maw
>”I’m too old for this kind of tricks, Spiky” He declares with a devilish grin “Do you really think I can’t see it coming?”

>>27159573
>”That tension in the air, the drama, the beating heart of everyone…!” He points theatrically to his opponent
>”You announced something incredible, Spiky, and you expect me to lose by not believing it could be true…”
>”But the truth is, here and now, the reality is certainly even more incredible than anything possible!”
>”That’s why I’m gonna say…” The old minotaur stands up, dramatically put his hoof on the table and burst out of his shirt to roar “THERE’S THREE SIXES UNDER THE CUPS!!”

>After little Spiky received a copious amount of applause for his victory, you walk back to Wind Card
>Despite losing after an incredibly stupid move, the old bull is still all smiles with everybody
“Hey” You sheepishly approach him “Hum… I don’t know what to say about your last game but-”
>”Bwahaha!” He cuts you with a hearty cackle “I know! Incredible, right!”
>”Anyway, I really liked you music, just like me you put some spirit in your passion for everyone to see!”
>”And it did turn out better than it did for me…” He guiltily scratches the back of his head
>”Anyway” He reaches for a little pouch at his belt “Since I won’t have to pay a round to everyone, you might as well have the money I prepared!”
>The old bull gives you three silvers, bringing the content of your pouch to an all-time high of ten silvers and one cooper
“Woah, thanks a lot, pal!” You beam
>After adding the generous tip to your purse, you realize the sun is lazily starting to fall down the horizon
>While you’re still far from being in a hurry, you could probably go back to the barn already if there isn’t anything else you want to do before the night

>What do?

>>27159585
I can't think of anything we can or want to do.

Let's go to the barn and find out if birch finishes with those charms or wards she said she was going to make.
Though we can take our time walking there. If we see anything we're allowed to be distracted.

>>27159585
Let's go check out the shops!

>>27159585
Fly up really high in the sky and play a quick fanfare as loud as you can to celebrate the tip. Then go do >>27159696. We could use a saddlebag or something to carry around all our stuff. Like the claws, for example.

>>27159797
I thought saddlebags are one of our, what, three belongings?

>>27159797
What kind of traveler doesn't already have a saddlebag?

>>27159944
I didn't remember us having that. Saddlebag, harmonica, what's the third?

>>27159991
Uhh... our headband? Actually, is it a bandana? I want it to be a bandana.

>>27159647
>>27159696
>>27159797
>>27159944
>>27159974
>>27159991

>Golly, that whole bard thing might actually be fun AND profitable
>You soar up in the sky and blow a hearty victorious tune through your instrument

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMovw9o9YCk

>Maybe you could buy something to celebrate? After all you don’t travel with much right now
>There’s the trusty saddlebags you left at the barn, which contain a blanket, a rough map of the continent, a lighter and probably some biscuit crumbs
>Aside from that, you only have a piece of wood you use as a baton, the harmonica you got from your grandfather and your leather headband
>Maybe you could get better saddlebags around here? You can’t wait to check it out!
>However, after a little snooping around, you realise Malba hasn’t really much to offer for pony fashion
>The bags you already have are sturdy enough, and you don’t really find anything cuter of niftier in Malba
>And from the few blank models you see through the vitrines of the shops, minotaurs don’t do many saddlebags, probably because they prefer backpacks themselves
>Only slightly disappointed, you trot happily to the barn, where you find Birch sound asleep, and Winter Seed sitting in some sort of deep meditation
>Winter Seed registers your presence as you walk inside, though, and greet you with a silent nod

>What do?

I'm done being distracted, bring it on

>>27160137
ask if you missed anything. how long has birch been sleeping?
also should you wait for him till he's done?

>>27160137
Be apprehensive to interrupting Winter's meditation but seeing as we are bored make conversation with him.

Soooo... Uh Winter, where do you plan on going after this?

>>27160181
Thissun.

>>27160173
>>27160181
>>27160256
>As you trot inside, you wonder what is Winter doing
>Maybe he’s communing with his inner self or something important like that
>You shouldn’t interrupt him…
>You sit right next to the zebra
>That would be a very mean thing to do…
>You fiddle your hooves, then ruffle you wings a little to make sure they’re good
>Maybe dangerous even…
>You stare right into his mask, putting you face very close to it to observe every vein of the wood
>”You can talk if you want” Winter Seed suddenly mutters, not moving an inch other that his lips
“Ehe… ‘sorry” You sheepishly whisper back “I didn’t want to interrupt something mystical…”
>”It’s alright, I’m only dong it to rest my body and mind” He continues, as calm as breeze
>”It’s not something that deserve for me to ignore a friend”
>”Anyway, what did you want to say?” He finally turns his head to you making you retreat a little since you approached your face really close
“W-Well, did I miss something important while I was away?” you ask, a little embarrassed
>”Not really” The zebra plainly answers “Birch focussed on getting her protection done as fast as possible, and only finished recently”
“Huh… So… How long has she been sleeping”
>”It’s only been a quarter of an hour, don’t worry” He answers “She fell asleep almost as soon as she finished her job”
>”She also said to wake her up when you arrive” He adds “But there’s no harm in letting her have a respite for a little longer”
>A strange silence falls on the room, and soon you find yourself awkwardly swinging your back hooves in the air
>You don’t really have any pressing question, but you want to keep the ball rolling
>There’s little you know about the quiet zebra in the end, maybe you could learn more…

>>27160393
“Soooo...” You start again “Uh Winter, where do you plan on going after this?”
>”Mmh…” he ponders “I’ll probably travel to Daedalus, next”
>”I still need to gather several seeds from the Minotaur Realm, and I have good hope the apothecaries from the capital will agree to help me”
“Hey!” You stand up in front of him and show him your happy smile “I’m going there too, we can travel together”
>A warm smile also spreads across the zebra’s face, and he bows slowly
>”It would be my pleasure” he replies
>The zebra then proceeds to quit his mediation pose, and after a stretch of hooves, he gets to sit a little more normally
>”On second thoughts…” He turns to Birch “We should probably wake Birch up before night falls to get the plan together for tonight”

>What do?

>>27160399
We should do that thing that he said to do.
Go into the next room and drape ourselves over Birch like a blanket.

>>27160417
I just want to add "without warning and without telling Winter what we are doing".

>>27160399
But I thought we were going with Birch to the capital instead?

>>27160523
We did say that, but remembering things is for quitters. We should just accept all offers of travel and then panic later when we realize what we have done.

>>27160417
>>27160486
Then realize how soft and comfy she is.

>>27160580
...and fall asleep on top of her as she is waking up.

>>27160417
>>27160486
>>27160523
>>27160580
>>27160588
“Waking Birch? Harmony, on it!” You jokingly salute with a wink
>You then approach the sleeping earth pony…
>And gently proceed to make a blanket of yourself for your friend, under the apprehensive wince of the zebra
>You taking the Exorcist in your hooves until both your belly touch, and nuzzle her snout, which draws a satisfied purr from her
>It’s really nice, and warm, and comfortable…
>For the three seconds before Birch wakes up
>And then, the merciless eyes staring in your soul inches away from your face bear the promises of a rightful retribution for you tomfoolery
>”Harmony” Birch says in an icy voice and a void expression
“Hum… Y-yeah?” You can’t move an inch despite feeling the storm coming
>She’s really comfy after all…
>”Do you know what happens to disgusting colts like you who wrongfully invade the sheets of a fair young lady like me?”
“Eeeeeh… Hugs?”

>While you still massage you burning red cheek which suffered the wrath of someone who’s certainly not a morning pony…
>Eerie Birch start to explain her view about tonight’s plan
>”We must act as soon as the cover of darkness will be sufficient” She start to tell
>“While the covers I made will protect us from any negative energy, the best would still be not having to deal with it at all”
>She brings out three pieces of dirt-brow rags, each the size of a towel
>”These” She proudly announces, showing off the ugly tissues like priceless robes “…are impermeable to the most common forms of evils”
>”It would have taken somebody far longer to pull out something like this”
>”But since I’m here” She snorts arrogantly “you will both be able to keep your hoofsies safe tonight, even if we excavate the devil itself!”
>She throws you and Winter a rag, which smells a little weird, and it’s icky to the touch

>>27160749
>”Now, how do we get in, Harmony?” She asks you as she start to draw a sketch of the factory on the dirt with a stick “That was your part, right?”
>”And what about you?” Birch turns to the zebra “Do you plan on being useless or not?”
>Winter Seeds look away, visibly more than a little uncomfortable
>”I’m not really comfortable with these methods…” he grudgingly admits
>”But if you’re both sure this is the best way to go, I’ll do what you ask me”

>What do?

>>27160523
>>27160537
Birch didn't impose anything on you. She said she won't go to Daedalus, but you're free ot visit her whenever you want
The choice about where to go next is yours

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Also, forgot...

>>27160756
Birch, we get in the same way the last guy who wanted to break in did it: we dig. And Winter, if you're not comfortable with this then okay. I respect that. You can be lookout.

>>27160756
we can fly in, and then use the claws to bring the rest of the party.

>>27160786
This.

>>27160756
Lament we forgot the fact Birch thinks we're a colt.

>>27160756
Into the greenhouse from the north.

>>27160860
>>27160844
>>27160834
>>27160786
“We get in the same way Lucky Boon did” You show the claws “We dig a path from the northern side of the factory and under the wall to the greenhouse”
>”Digging?” Birch huffs disdainfully “I’d appreciate if you kept your dirty ideas to yourself!”
>You curse under your breath, you hope you didn’t do any real damage with that impromptu physical contact
>But Birch stopped openly bothering you with that after the hoof to the head, so it’s probably a good sign…
>“Are you even sure it’s actually safe?” Birch continues
“Definitely” You nod solemnly “I got some practice today, and it’s safe for you to follow me”
>Birch cocks an eyebrow at first, but she ends up giving you a satisfied nod
>”Alright, I’ll trust you, Harmony, this time…”
“And Winter” You turn to the zebra “If you're not comfortable with this, then I’s okay. I respect that. You can be lookout”
>He nods in silence
>And without the need for any more complicated plan, the three of you exit the barn in the shadowy light of the settled sun
>It has already fallen behind the horizon, and only a few purple tones remain in the sky
>The light coming from the houses are giving you more light that the sky
>And an eerily cold breeze blows tonight… Without a light source on your own, you cling dearly on the rag Birch gave to you
>Soon, the factory comes into view, a big block of blackness without the radiance of the sun
>You arrive from the south and prepare to go around to dig your way in, until…
>”Wait there’s someone here!” Winter Seed whispers as he stops the two of you
>And indeed there is…
>A big torch in his mouth, you see Secure Shift, walking his way behind the fence, thoroughly looking around him before going on
>He seem to be on the lookout for intruders, and he's probably patroling all around Hero’s property

>What do?

>>27161167
we just wait for him to be a little further and then start digging. We should also do this in some bushes.
Would it be better to try and get the totem from underneath?

>>27161167
One guard patrolling the entire perimeter would be easy to sneak around as long as we don't leave evidence of our presence for him to find later.
>>27161202
If it's in the tunnel Boon used, then yes.

>>27161202
Seconded.

>>27161202
>>27161298
>>27161329
>One guard for such a big area? Sneaking around is gonna be a piece of cake!
>You wait for Secure Shift to put some distance with you, and then all start to lurk around the fence
“Hey” You whisper “I just thought about something, how about instead of sneaking inside, I simply go fetch that thing from underneath?”
“What do you think?” You ask to your companions
>While Winter Seed remains silent, Eerie Birch gives you a piece of her mind after pondering a little
>”Seems possible… and much easier, but…” Birch answers with a wince “I’m not sure this is such a good idea”
>”You can dig, but you won’t be seeing a thing under the ground, will you?”
>”Also, we won’t be able to help you under there… You’ll have to drag the thing on quite the distance on yourself”
>”And remember, my veil only protects the areas it covers…”
>As you talk, you finally arrive at the bushes and find the remains of Lucky Boon’s hole, ready for you to enter
>Secure Shift is far from where you are, but he’ll come around soon enough and you’ll have to wait more
“So, should I do it or not?” You ask again in a hurry “What do you think, Birch?”
>She shrugs and shakes her head
>”You’re the one taking the odds, here” Birch finally says

>What do?

see you tomorrow

>>27161431
No, play it safe.
>>27161517
Thanks for running.

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>>27161517
Welcome back mate. Thanks for running today.

>>27160749
Tried drawing an alternate version of this. Keep up the great work, this quest is a blast so far.

I think we can remember where the spot was buried and just imagine what's above us.

>>27162897
Cute as fuk. Why Birch gotta be such a grump?

have a good night.

Bump before bed.

>>27163970

we find ourselves on page 10. we must leave.

Bumpin.

>>27165855

>>27161431
Maybe we'd be better off digging a second hole just to get into the greenhouse then dig it up?

Bamp.

>>27161598
>>27162937
>>27168807
>All things considered, you’d rather not get yourself stuck under the ground with an unknown evil thingy at night
“Well… hum…” You stammer “Let’s get inside the greenhouse first, then, j-just how we planned”
>”That’s what I though” Birch smirks “What a scaredy-cat you are… But don’t be ashamed, that attitude can save your life”
>”Now get to work” She points to the ground “I still have hope to get some sleep after this”
>You nod in the dark, and after assessing your trajectory, you begin to dig
>Starting around two meter away from the shaman’s hole, you try to have your gallery parallel to his
>Once again, you enter the moist ground and begin to make your way toward your objective
>You don’t feel like you’ll ever get used to it, and tonight there’s something extra oppressing in the air… or soil
>Still, miraculously, when your head pop out of the ground, it’s roughly where you had planned it in the greenhouse, the suspicious place right next to you
>You extract yourself from the ground, and begin to wait for your friend to come
>Although, you soon find your breath getting short, as a growing stress settle in to you
>The darkness in here seems alive, like a shapeshifting mist of bleakness, absorbing all light and sounds in the greenhouse
>You can barely make out the shape of things, and you mind fills the rest in the most unsettling manner
>Cold chills run down your spine, as malign forms plague the side of you vision, but hide away in the shadows when you try to look at it
>You tell yourself this must be your imagination… You hope so
>Strangely, there’s also a subtle, sweet perfume of roses floating in the air
>The oppressing silence is broken by Eerie Birch a few moment later, as she emerges from your tunnel
>”Tsk!” She snorts as she get the biggest chucks of dirt off her coat “I’m not the one to worry much about appearances, but this is beyond degrading!”

>>27169806
>While you can’t really make out her face in here, you can still see her looking curiously around
>”But I can tell this gonna be worth the price… Aaah” She… moans? “It’s right here isn’t it?”
>Indeed, Birch has was immediately drawn to the strange patch of thorny weeds you saw earlier today
>”I can feel it right here…” She says with an unhealthy excitement in her voice “It’s… beating! There’s no doubt!”
>”You must dig it up, hurry! I wanna see it!”

>What do?

>>27169814
Get to it, but first warn her that you think there's something else is in here. Also be careful when digging it up.

>>27169835
Emphasis on not being alone. I think we smelled Marigold's perfume.

>>27169814
Let's dig it up.

>>27169835
>>27169883
>>27170024
“I’ll do it, b-but be careful, I think there’s something else in here” You meekly whisper
>”Of course there is!” Birch confidently answers “Just stop thinking about it, that’s my job”
>That’s not the kind of reassuring you expect…
“I mean, it could be someone… I think I smell Marigold’s perfume”
>”Really…?” You hear a pause as Birch sniff around loudly “Nah… you could smell the lady from miles away, this is just the flowers”
>”Now hurry, we’re still doing something illegal right now…”
>You let out an uncomfortable sigh, and get back to your ungrateful task
>But it’s not long before a freezing sweat runs down your spine, when you hit something that is not dirt under your claws
>Whatever it is you found, it’s solid, although it’s also in sort of tough jute bag
>You uncover the bag, which is actually quite big
>It’s roughly the size of a pony
>And while you uncover it, a horrible smell start to come out of the hole
>While it’s not something you encounter every day, it’s not something one is able to forget either
>The smell of death
>”Yes… Yeees!” Birch exults
>She approaches the excavation, apparently well-decided to open what you found
>Even in the dark, you can make out a slightly insane smile on her face

>What do?

>>27170038
Birch is starting to scare me.

>>27170038
Birch! Did I just dig up a corpse!?

>>27170038
what are you waiting for birch, destroy it or whatever it is you're supposed to do with a totem.

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>>27170038

>>27170126
>>27170127
>>27170140
>>27170222
>You let your friend open the bag and look inside
>Just as you feared, Birch, a victorious grin on her face, pulls out a pony skull out of it
>But expecting it doesn’t stop your intestines to twist inside you at the sight of it
“D-did I just did up a corpse?” You ask is a squeaky voice
>”Yes you did, a wonderful job!” Birch answers
>She then starts to observe her unliving prize under all angles, like a precious stone of some sort
>You’re starting to feel really spooked, the blood is pulsing in your head
>And you have to pee real bad…
“B-Birch? Can you hurry up and destroy it or whatever, please?”
>She still glares at the skull, but you’re unable to see her expression in the night
“Biiiirch?” you plead, looking around yourself apprehensively
>”There… There’s no spell…” Birch finally whisper in a blank voice
>”Which means… it came back on its own…”
>You don’t understand… what does it mean? Why can’t she explain it?
>”Ehe…” Birch turns to you “This is embarrassing… Seems like I screwed up a little…”
>For the first time tonight, she doesn’t sound very sure of herself
>In fact, right now, she sounds genuinely sorry
>Especially when she whispers the next words to you
>”Please don’t die, okay?”
>This is the last thing you hear before the world start to fall apart

>>27170553
>Suddenly, a towering mass of darkness erupts from the hole you just dug in a sinister, loud earthy rumble, filling all your view
>The thing surges in all direction, denying you any chance to scream as it painfully hits you in the chest and knocks you down
>It hurts
>From the brief and painful contact, you register that what it you is made of some sort of thorny bramble wood
>While you recover from the hit, you hear it spread all around you, invading the whole volume of the greenhouse and definitely extinguishing all sources of light
>The plants on the ground are also crawling under you with unclean vigour, making any attempt at having a steady hoof impossible
>Soon, the overgrown brambles are incredibly think around you, it’s almost like a jungle, and running in here will only get you hurt
>You have no idea where Birch is
>You have no idea how far you’ve been thrown away
>You have no idea where the exit is
>You’re out of breath, and you feel like your heart is about to burst out of your chest
>You’re lost, scared, and alone
>And aside from the unnatural sounds of shifting wood and roots, there’s a moan
>Filled with pain and despair, with grief and vehemence against the living
>It approaches

>What do?

>>27170559
Get pissed off at the ghost for causing so much trouble.

>>27170559

Fly above the thorns so you don't get cut and try to find a way out.

>>27170559
Birch! Birch are you ok!?

Oh fuck. Is the ghost Marigold?

>>27170630
Also add "where are you" to that

>>27170559
we still have the claw! it might tear the branches?

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>>27170595
>>27170607
>>27170630
>>27170722
>>27170835
”B-BIRCH!” You scream as loudly as your panicked breath allows you, once you’re back on your hooves
“BIRCH! ARE YOU OKAY!? WHERE ARE YOU!?”
>But you only get the rumble of the animated plants as an answer, making your fear increase a step further
>However, it is nothing close compared to what you feel when you actually see the face of your tormentor
>Veiled in a soft glow in the darkness, the shredded and vaguely pony-like form hoovers slowly toward you, exhaling despair and death
>You feel your insides liquefy at the sight, so terrified for a moment that you fail to form any coherent thought
>Yet, in a flash of recollection, you remember what Birch told you, that you mustn’t be afraid
>At that moment, you manage take back the control of your body, although still shaking violently
>You plant your hooves on the ground, and in a surge of courage, you manage to recompose a serious expression on your face, and stare back at the ghost
“H-hey! You there!” You scold “Y-you made this whole place in a mess, you know?”
“And it’s been a while you’ve been causing trouble to the town, a-aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”
>In the pitch darkness, your sentence sounds desperate and powerless
>Yet, at your words, that… thing holds its ground and stops advancing
>That’s… something
>But you can’t just stare in its hollow eyes forever
>You’re not that cold-blooded…
>Instead, you promptly fly up to the top of the green house, earning a few mean cuts from the branches hidden by the shadows
>When you reach the top, you realise it’s already being covered in a thin layer of living wood
>Fuelled by the energy of despair, you could try burst your way through
>And with the claws, you’re almost sure to succeed
>However, you’ll also probably earn a nasty gash
>You also notice the amount of branches is slowly increasing, and it’s gonna be more difficult to pass if you wait longer

>What do?

>>27170945

try not to cry

>>27170945
It's kind of the only way out so I think we should do it.

>>27170945
Confront the ghost. Birch is still in here and we aren't going to abandon her.

>>27171166
Can you precise how do you intend to confront it

Also I'l gonna need some tie braker with
>>27171125

>>27171166
I vote for this. Never abandon a friend.

>>27171166
This, from the air. Ask it want it wants and why it's here.

>>27171225
Well, it seemed to stop when we stood our ground earlier so it's intelligent enough to be surprised. We should see if we can make it talk, or maybe see if it reacts to music.

>>27171234
Also, we confront it with words, since that seems to affect it at least a little. Tell it about Birch. Tell it about our efforts. Let it know how much we want her to be okay.

What name do you call it?

>>27171264
thorny

I'm gonna end it a little abruptly for tonight since I won't be able to finish that scene without falling asleep on my keeboard

Thanks for playing and see you tomorrow

>>27171283
This.

>>27171166
well she also said "please don't die." i want to say that she can take care of herself.

have a good night bump

boop da ghost snoozle

>>27174042

>>27176014

>>27171473
>>27171397
>>27171252
>>27171244
>>27171239

>You were going to burst you way through… but the thought of letting Birch behind stops you in your motion
>Even if you could escape right now, you can’t bring yourself to abandon her
>Although she did seem more concerned about your health than hers
>You can only hope it wasn’t some misplaced bravado…
>Anyway, you have to confront the ghost again, it seemed to listen to you to some extend
>And it doesn’t take long for you to find it… since the thing has followed you and is only a few steps away from you
>You breath becomes shorter, and you fail to prevent tears from pouring from your eyes, blurring your vision
>Even with all the courage in the word, you can’t become used to that thing’s appearance in the slightest
>But still, you’ve got to hang on!
“W-What do you want?!” You call “Why are you here?!”
>The thing doesn’t stop this time and you find yourself slowly hovering backward to keep your distance
“P-please understand…” You continue, your voice increasingly shaking “Thorny… can I call you that?”
“I and my friend…We… we’re really trying to get to the bottom of this! W-we want to help you!”
“We j-just want you to be okay!”

>>27178038
>The ghost stops for a second, and suddenly an eldritch, screak echoes in your mind
>͕̠̦͓͟”͜I̵͉̗͓̲'͓̺̲v̗̣͙̪̯e҉̜͈̺ ͉be҉͚͔͈e̸n̴ ͈̬̞w͓̝̼͔͍͍a͇t̜̣̣̖̠̼͓ć̜̺͔̙̠̼ẖ̼i̙̬̣͡n͍g y̗͍̻̕ͅo͓ṷ͍.͓̫ ̷̤̥̯”
>”Y̛̖̱̯̠ͅò̳͈̩u̘͓͕ ̻͔̹̬͎͘d̷̗̘̺̦̻̱o̰̳͙n̨̞̭͔̬͙͖͍’̶͉̫͉͖͕̜ͅt̟ ̯u̬͖̖͕̗͢n̮̬̤̼̫̪͔d̘̖̘͖͝ḛ̷̩̟͙r̷͔̰̬şt̮a̝̮̦̗̬̯ṉ͟d̼̙̟ͅ ͕a̢ ҉̠̞̠̣̼̲ṱ̴̯̖̥ͅh͓i̮͖͔͔̱͍n̫͔͈͈̝ͅg.͔̱̰.̫͔͉̙̀ͅ.̝̯̹̺ ͢Y̛o̺ṳ͇̰̲̬͍̣͜’̢̞͓̼r̙͘e̺͔͢ ̴̹̟̹͎ͅju͓̞̭̠̣͠s̤̱t ̟l̸̮ik̢̖̤̥͙̰͔̞e͕͚̰͖̗͠ ̩͇͎̗̳E͍̦͘V̬͈̥̹̫͕͙E͏̤̹̯̩̤ͅR̺Y̪̙Ǫ͔̞͔̗N̼E̩̗ ͓̪̲̕E͖̖͖̲̪L̗S͇̬E̱”̡͍̼͚̘̠
>The wraith suddenly charges you at an alarming speed, thorny tendrils first, ready to tear your throat
>You only have a second to react

>What do?

>>27178057
Dodge.
"I'll admit that I don't understand, but I want to! Tell me! How can I help?!"

>>27178057
Charge at it and give him a boop. We shant allow it to intimidate us any further. It gets it's power from fear after all.

>>27178124
This is stupid and will end badly and we're doing it anyway.

>>27178057
fly down.

>>27178114
>>27178124

Dodge and then tactical boop

We didn't go out into the world without at least learning some martial arts first, after all.

>>27178231
i don't want what happened to birchs chest to happen to our hoof from touching that thing.

>>27178271
>>27178231
>>27178208
>>27178114
>That’s it! Running won’t get you anywhere, you’ll take it head on!
>Taken by a jolt of madness, you charge forward to the wraith
>But just before the frontal shock, you dive downwards, narrowly avoiding the ghost
>It takes you a conscious effort not to defiantly boop the undead muzzle, as the perspective of getting some undead scar reminds itself to you
>Your aerial manoeuvre allows you to put some distance with your pursuer, but it’s still hot on your heels
>And it’s flight remains unhindered by the branches everywhere, unlike yours
>The thorns are lacerating your sides, face and wings, and the adrenaline will not make you ignore the pain and fear for very long
>There’s got to be some way to reach to that ghost, it can understands you!
“P-please!” You beg “I'll admit that I don't understand, but I want to! Tell me! How can I help?!"
>You only get one word as an answer
>̲̗̔͌̿̾"͔͇̘̯̗͙̯͆D̒ͥ͏̩̰̬͕̰ͅI̫̮͍͇̮̦̪̋͐ͯ̄͂ͨ̔͠E̢̳̠͐ͬ!̊̑͏"̢̼̙̺̰̞̀̆ͫ̊ͥ̍
>Sounds like it’s not what you said…
>You’ve got to think!

>What do?

>>27178411
this is why we should have left instead of facing this thing.
attack it's body?

>>27178411

sort of out of ideas here tb.h f.am

>>27178411
Was that your skull we found?

>>27178411
if all else fail, play a song to calm it down

>>27178418
>>27178423
>>27178467
>>27178490
>You don’t know what to do…
>The walls close in, and your vision start to shift as panic slowly blinds all your thoughts
“Was it your skull we found!?” You call in despair
>And at your words, the place suddenly become quiet again, and the ghost disappears of your view
>The unnaturally grown plants are all still there, but somehow, everything just plain stopped moving
>You land on the ground, reeling, on the verge of throwing up from the combined pain and shock
>”N͜o͝b̛od̶y eve̵n ͘r͏ea͞lise͡d͟ I w̶as ҉g̨one͞”͜
>The voice echoes in your mind once more, in a mourning tone
>”͢I was̕ ḩere͡.͡..̶ ͞bųt n̶o̧bo̷d͟y͟ c̡a̡m̢e̛ ̧t͟o s̕ée̷ ̴m̷ȩ”
̨>̵”Not̴ ͜even̵ h́ím͠…҉ ͢n͞o̵t ev̛en̵ ͟HE͏R”
>That last word was said with a particularly hateful tone
>You’re out of breath, and the many alarm signals your body is sending to your brain are making your head spin
>But even if you don’t see it, you can feel the ghost’s presence creeping closer to you
͘
>What do?

>>27178660
What was your name?

>>27178660
Who are you!

>>27178741
>>27178875
>You look around apprehensively… the silence and apparent immobility being almost as unbearable as the face of the wraith
“What was your name!?” You call to the darkness “Who are you!?”
>But no one answers
>Until all of a sudden, the earthy rumble of the living roots can be heard right under you
>You’re to weary to react in time, and you can’t stop the thorny vines erupting from the ground to painfully twine around your legs
>The form of the wraith then materialize from the darkness, inches away from you
>But strangely, its face is turned toward the ground instead of you
>̢"M͠y n̢a̴m͜e͝.̡..” You hear the pained moan “I ̕c͞àn͠ s̡til͠l he͡ar̡ ͘h̵im whis̨p̶e͜r it̨ t͞o he̛r͠"͢
>͏"I̴t ma͘k͏es m͠e ̸w̵án̸t t̢o ̢d̛ie͘"̴
>The ghost raises its head up you, an ominous expression on her deformed face
>̀"͢It͞ ̴ma͟k͜es ͠me͢ ̶w͝a̛n͠t̷ ́to̕ ͡K͞I͡L̶L!"͘
>Its intent to take your live almost palpable
>You better choose carefully your next action or words, they might very well be your last

>What do?

>>27179019
Marigold, tell me what the last thing you remember is.

>>27179019
Marigold...?

>>27179064
>>27179238
>inb4 that's the wrong thing to say
>ghost gets mad and we get impaled by a thorny vine and die
>gg no re

>>27179019
I will get him for you. You can hear him say it again. You can say goodbye.

>>27179064
>>27179238
>>27179363
>>27179388
“MARIGOLD!”
>For a split second, the grim world you’re trapped in flickers, and the shine of the moon can been seen enlighting the empty greenhouse
>But this is still a sweet dream for you, and in your reality you’re still painfully tied up by the brambles
>However, it all stopped moving, and so did the ghost, whose hostility vanished away
>It simply stands there, motionless and silent, staring at you
“T-Tell me…” You calmly says, still trying to recompose yourself “What’s the last thing you remember?”
>There’s nothing at first, even the ghost’s moan has disappeared, until…
>"I… was alone..." the mournful voice of Marigold finally rings in your mind
>"The last days had been really hard, but I didn't want everyone to worry so much so I made sure to keep smiling"
>͜"But̸ ͝th͏en” Her voice starts to sound distraught again “She͠ a͞rri̵v̡e͞d́ in the ͝ni̛g̵ht̀ an̡d ̀too͞k ͟evȩry̶thing ̶from m̢e..."͏
͘>"͜S̡he ̕t͠ormen̴t̶ed ͜m̡e̛.͏..̢ T̶ol̶d ͞m͏e͏ ̵t͡hat̨ n͏obody ͟would ̶mi̷s̀s͝ ͞m̶e..͞.͝ ͝a̴nd ţh̨at͡ ̴sh̢e'̡d̡ ͟us͠e̵ th͟e̢ḿ a͘s͞ s͏he p̀léa͡śe̢s̵"͠
͜͞͝>̴͞͞͝"͠I͡ ̡̀͡Ẁ̨̢̡̛A̴͝͡Ņ̨̡T̴̀ ͜͞͠͡H̶̷̢Ȩ̶͞͠R͢͜͜ ̵̵͘D͞͠Ę͏A̸̧͘͘͞D̵̢͜!̶̸̛̛!͘͝"̶̡̛͟ The ghost trembles in anger, but luckily it isn’t directed toward you anymore

>What do?

>>27179485
Who, Marigold? Who told you such lies?

>>27179485
Any idea where she came from?

>>27179485
We can help you.
Our friend Birch is a pony that will know how to reveal the pony that took over your life's deceit.
if not, she can at least take off the ward protecting the house and you can deal with her.

Fair hero isn't going to believe us if we claim that the marigold he sees isn't actually her.

>>27179485
Tell me Marigold, tell me and I'll make it right!

>>27179587
>>27179600
>>27179632
>>27179658
“Who, Marigold?” You urge the ghost to answer “Tell me who told you such lies!”
>The ghost shivers as it remembers its darkest hour
>”She told me no name, but she had my face, and my voice… and then”
>A wooden tendril works its way around the ghost’s neck
>”She took everything else…”
>The pieces are falling together, what a horrible story…
“We can help you, Marigold” You bawl, the tears starting to pour from your eyes again “We can make things right!”
“With my friend, we’ll expose your enemy, a reveal the truth to everyone”
“And even if we can’t…” You gulp “We’ll make it so you can deal with it yourself…”
>Marigold was going to answer, but suddenly a strange wind washes over you
>And while it only makes you wince in reflex, the ghost is literally blown away by this swirling gust
>In fact, it’s not the only one
>What is a simple breeze to you is sucking up all the corrupted vines from the place in a giant tornado of branches, which seem to be turning to dust
>And you’re soon free from the annoying plants on your hooves
>There also Birch, who you can now see faithfully incanting in the night with her censer out
>Swirls of green fumes are shining around her and the hole from where you dug the corpse, where everything is sucked back
>This keeps up for a moment, until finally, the place is completely cleared
>The wind stops, and Birch falls limply on the ground
>In the end, the greenhouse is back to its daily state, the weed has even lost most of its thorns

>>27180143
>And the moonlight allows you to see much better than you did when you arrived
>”Pfew!” Eerie Birch sighs with a satisfied smile “Now that was some working out!”
>Before you can say anything, the two of you turn to the end of the greenhouse, where loud bangs can be heard
>Suddenly, the door bursts open, and Secure Shift and Winter Seed barge in the cleansed greenhouse
>They’re panting, covered in sweat and have a panicked look in their eyes
>”What in the hell happened here!?” Shift asks “Holy…” His eyes go wide as he registers the pitiful state the two of you are in “W-What happened to you?”

>What do?

And... that's it for tonight, thanks for playing

Don't worry, situations like these will remain seldom, and will never last a lot longer than this
You now have my permission to be a goofball again... until next time

Don't hesite to tell me if you didn't like it, though

See you tomorrow

>>27180159
Not important right now. Eerie, the ghost told me it's story and now must help her. The marigold we see is not the real one but an imposter.

>>27180159
We ran into the ghost. Can we get out of here so we can talk for a bit.

>>27180193
Dumping everything on them all at once would just make them think we're crazy.

>>27180213
we'll punch them until they believe us.

>>27180224

Probably not the best idea desu senpai

>>27180557
How about shaking them then?

>>27180159
I think that in our cut up, bleeding, out of breath, coming down from adrenalin state that we should hobble our way over to Birch, hug her, and have a good cry. Incoherently thanking her and being glad that she's ok though the tears.

>>27180187
It was fucking fantastic. I rate the picture spooky out of 10 and the green mostly-spooky-but-could-be-more-spooky out of 10.

I don't mind a little darkness. It makes the light that much brighter.

let's demand medical care!

safety bump

Blard.

Shift is going to be surprised when he sees that dead body.

>>27186067

>>27187089
I think Shift might be in on it somehow. He sounds like a broken record whenever we talk or ask about Marigold.

>>27180193
>>27181471
>>27188187
>>27180213
>I…It’s over…
>You knee are a weak as the wave of relief washes over you
”B-Birch” You sob as you wobble your way the exorcist, the water flooding again from your eyes
>”Yeah. We should probably get some *Homf!*” Your collision on the pony’s chest knocks the air out of her lungs, as you look her in an iron-tight, slimy embrace
“I was So SCAAAAARED, Birch…” You wail “Wh-When everything went dark, I thought… I thought something horrible happened to youuuuu…!”
>”Harmony!” The earth pony tries to push your crying mass off her, in vain “Urg… You…You’re drooling in my cuts! Get off!”
“”AAAM SO GLAAAD YOU’RE ALRIIIIGHT!” You bawl, unleashing a torrent of snot and tears on her
>”OOOH‼” Birch screams angrily “NOT AGAIN!” but is way too weary herself to stop it
>In the end, it takes the combined efforts of the guard and the zebra to separate the two of you
>While Shift start to examine the place, Winter Seed is quick to provide a strange salve and applies it on your wounds
>The soft and dextrous touch of the zebra warms you and tickles a little, but the pain numbs immediately where he works
>Finally you manage to calm yourself a little under his delicate hoof
>You also now notice the bands on Birch’s chest are gone, as well as what it concealed
>However, there more important things to discuss right now
“Birch” You say, once you’ve built yourself a composure again
“That ghost…” You whisper, making sure Secure Shift, who’s investigating the hole, can’t hear
“I think it was Marigold! The real one! She’s…” The word’s bitter in your mouth “Dead… and someone else took her place”
>Winter seed perks up at your reveal, but he quickly resumes tending to Birch’s own cuts
>”Hmm…” The exorcist ponders aloud “So that was Marigold, huh? Sounds logical…”

>>27189323
>”That would explain the power she held over this place since it was so special to her… as well as the corpse”
>“The corpse!?” Secure jumps at the word, before giving a terrified look at bag in the hole, now covered in bands similar to the ones Birch wore
>“Is this… what I think it is?” Shift asks apprehensively

>What do?

>>27189339
Say "yes".

>>27189339
that depends, what do you think it is?

>>27189419
this
"If you think it's Marigold's dead body, yes"

>>27189418
>>27189419
>>27189512
“Hum…” That a little hard to tell… “Depends, what do you think it is?” You sheepishly ask back
>”Is that Marigold’s… b-body??” He asks, clearly freaked out
>Well…
“Yes”
>At your answer, his eyes go wide
>”That… That’s impossible” He stammers “She’s…” He start of hold his head between his hooves, and his eyes start to roll to the back of his head
>”B-But still…” His body start to shake erratically “You can’t…”
>The convulsions become even more violent and Shift rolls to the ground “…and that’s ad…” still making inchoate sounds
>Until suddenly, he just blacks out… under the shocked look of everyone else
>”Wow, what a sissy, right?” Birch smugly comments
>Almost everyone…
>Winter Seed is the quickest to rush to Shift’s side, and after a quick examination, he lets out a relieved sigh
>”Thanks Brahma he’s alright, I don’t know what went into him…”
>While your zebra friend puts Shift in a better position, the silence finally returns in the greenhouse

>What do?

>>27189623
we need to put the body back for now and let the imposter think her charade is still in effect. We should also carry shift with us out of here.

>>27189623
Ask Birch what she thinks about it all. Only thing we can think of is a changeling.

>>27189661
I don't see why we need her to think that, since the next logical step is to confront her. I say we take the body. First for evidence, and second so she can be laid to rest properly later.

>>27189768
well then i guess we should wake up the police and bring back up?

>>27189819
That was my thinking, yes. Bring the body.

>>27189661
>>27189687
>>27189768
>>27189819
>>27189858
“So, Birch…” You turn to the exorcist now that you know Shift is in good hooves “What do you think about that imposter? I’m calling changeling!”
>”A changeling?” She ponders “Could be… Though” She raises an eyebrow to you “It surprises me you know about them, they’re not exactly… common”
“Yeah, well…” A passionate smile bloom on you face “Grandpa used to tell me some stories about them!”
>Of how he beat the hell out of them with the very harmonica you inherited!
>”Hum… I guess their shapeshifting always did tickle the imagination of many ponies, especially colts…”
>”But it doesn’t change anything actually” She walks to the corpse
>”Seeing how that imposter could neither get rid of the ghost, nor perfectly replicate Marigold’s quirks, its abilities mustn’t be that great…”
>”Once its cover will be blown” Birch flashes you a toothy grin “That thing’s gonna get toasted!”
“So… we bring that corpse to the sheriff as evidence?” You offer
>”Well…” Birch answers delightedly “Since you’re proposing yourself so kindly to carry it…”
>Crap…
>Carrying both the fainted pegasus and the body happens to be a quite tiring task in your state, even with Winter Seed’s help
>Luckily you could find the main entrance’s key on Shift to avoid having to climb or dig again
>And after letting the guard to rest in the barn, the three of you arrive in front of the sheriff’s office with your grim package
>There’s light inside… but how should you proceed?

>What do?

See you tomorrow

>>27190076
knock.

>>27190076
knock and say that we need to move quickly, we have discovered some unsettling news. The marigold we've seen walking around isn't the real one.

>>27190076
Still be freaked the fuck out by the corpse and we carried it all the way. The dead body, Marigold, on our back.

marigold will be avenged.

>>27190076

Just play it cool, there's absolutely no way delivering a dead body to the police could ever go wrong.

night

>>27193332
sleep well

>>27194144
that's sleep tight, sleepyslut to you

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375KB, 2000x1600px

In an effort to strike up discussion, what places are you most interested in seeing/exploring?

And to Pleeny, if we went to Ponylmpus then how come we started here? I bet Harmony had a ball in the pegasi city.

we're quite the spunky little bard.

Sorry, but I was forced to bring some work home today, so it's gonna be tomorrow

>>27197738
Alrighty.

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Happy bard bump.

Safety bump

>>27203434

>>27190137
>>27191051
>>27191432
>>27192730
>The weight of dead bones on your back is making you uneasy
>You could swear it’s been moving on during the whole walk…
>This is really giving you the chills, so let get it over with!
>After all, what could possibly go wrong with bringing a corpse to the authorities?
>You knock at the door of the sheriff
>The minotaur is quick to answer, but seems a little surprised to see the three of you
>”Eerie Birch and…“ He stops, taking notice of your worried expressions, as well as the huge suspicious bag on your back “…Did something happen?”
“Yes” You answer bluntly “But let’s talk about that inside”
>He stares at you for a moment, but eventually nods and invite you in
>At this hour, he’s the only one left in the office. And that’s kind of a chance considering what you have to reveal
“Sheriff, we have very bad news…” You start, sounding as seriously as possible while the minotaur listens carefully at his desk
“We have a bunch of reasons to think the Marigold we see these days at the factory… is actually an imposter!”
>”An imposter?” He repeats inquiringly, clearly not yet convinced “How’re you so sure about that? And then where would be the real one?”
“The real Marigold... has been assassinated, and we recovered…” You take an awkward look toward the bag you put resting on the wall “Her… remains…”
>Wide Shoulder is left silent by your revelation, mouth agape in shock for half a dozen seconds
>All of a sudden, he rushes to the bag, and immediately takes a peek inside, before backing up with a horrified expression on his face
>”What the…” He stammers, visibly at a loss of world “This is…”
>”You… You EXHUMED a CORPSE from the greenhouse?!” An appalled Wide Shoulders bawl “Why did you do that!?”
>”Why not?” Birch obliviously asks “What’s the problem with that?”

>>27206473
>”You moved an important part of the case!” An appalled Wide Shoulders answers “Aside from the many immoral aspect of the thing…” He adds
>“And right now I have nothing else than you word about where you’ve… “
>A wince of uneasiness crosses his face “Found… that! You should have called me immediately!”
>”And now, how do you want me to confront anyone about that?” He continues, starting to walk nervously around the room as he goes on
>”Marigold’s still alive, and she’ll be ready to claim it”
>”Besides, you can’t tell me nobody noticed anything at all if she was an imposter!”

>What do?

Sorry, but that's gonna be the only post I'll provide today

I should be able to run normally tomorrow, see you then!

>>27206481
Her inability to judge taste that mysteriously occurred right after she miraculously made a full recovery from a poison that only goes away after a year(?) or possibly by powerful magic. Also we believe that the ghost is the real Marigold. And Shift can attest to the bones being found in what remained of Boon's tunnel. It would also explain why Marigold didn't care about what Boon did, he inadvertently helper "her".

>>27206481
The ghost that's tormenting this town is Marigold! Heck, Birch was hired to get rid of the ghost! Do you really think we'd dig up a body just to accuse Marigold of being an imposter BECAUSE? You have to believe us!

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Grump bump.

>>27206481
first of all we didn't expect to find a body but a buried piece of wood or some other kind of totem. second there's something wrong with shift.
My theory is that he did notice something wrong and the fake marigold did something to him because when confronted with her body he seemed to have had has mind broken.
thirdly I want you to arrest her for some other charges, doesn't matter what they are and then confront her.

>>27208861

Bump..

i wish we could be sitting on a cloud playing our harmonica right now

weird times ahead

>>27206558
>>27206661
>>27208334
“Alright…” You try to keep your calm and to speak clearly “First, we didn’t knew we were digging for a body”
“Birch’s job was to find the origin of the ghost to banish it” You continue to explain “And we did”
“It’s that body” You point to the bag “And the real Marigold was the ghost all along”
>”Killed at her weakest…” Birch comments “Having her existence and loved ones robbed from her in front of her very eyes”
>She shakes her head and raises a fatalist hoof “No wonder she came back… a little grumpy with that”
>Wide Shoulder gives you a measured nod
>”Let’s assume that this is true, does that means you trespassed inside Fair Hero’s property?”
“Yes, we did broke in internally” You feel the minotaurs’s gaze on you become a little harsher “And Secure Shift saw us eventually”
“He’ll tell you’re we’re telling the truth about where we found that body”
“Now, about the imposter…” You change the subject await from trifling offenses “How do you explain Marigold’s reaction when you confronted her today?”
“She was suspiciously ready to forgive Lucky Boon too, isn’t that right?” You ask, hoping the answers would trouble the sheriff
“And let’s not talk about that miraculous recovery, you do know she wasn’t supposed to be on hooves until WAY longer?”
>”Hmm…” The sheriff ponders while stroking his badly shaved chin “I guess that’s true… and it did surprise me she was so composed about it”
“Furthermore” You contnue “Lots of people DID notice a lot of things changing about her since that time” You continue
“A complete change of attitude, the loss of her sense of taste, mood swings…” You list on your hoof “Shift witnessed it all”
>”Secure Shift… Uhm, now that I think about it, why isn’t he with you?”

>>27213965
“Well, actually” You immediately answer “Shift was with us, but when he saw the body, he had a strange seizure and fainted”
“So we brought him to the barn where he’s resting right now”
“My guess is that a spell was cast on him by the impostor, to keep him from asking himself bothering questions” You conclude
>Birch nods in support of your claim
>The minotaur crosses his arms and let out a grumble, as he tries to get the big picture from what you told him
“Please” You plead “You’ve got to believe us!”
>“Alright, alright…” He finally declares “Even without the body, that makes for a lot of… ahem… uncanny… coincidences, let’s call it that way for now”
>”But this is murder we’re talking about. We cannot rely on hunches only” He says, raising a finder to push illustrate his point
>”Do you have anything concrete to prove that this… corpse is actually the one of Marigold? Or that the murder happened?”
>”Or even that the Marigold we see isn’t the one we think it is?”
>He ponders “I guess the fact it’s a pony hints heavily toward what you say though”

>What do?

>>27213971
well the skull shape is that of a mare, along with the fact that the bodies size is smaller then a regular stallion.
how about the fact of where we found the body.
isn't marigold like the ONLY pony around here?

>>27213971
Ask birch to explain the physical/biological differences between a living Pony and a ghost that is just pretending to be one. There's got to be something we can test on fake marigold.

>>27214023
It would explain why she was so insistent on nobody entering the greenhouse.

>>27214023
>>27214031
>>27214105
“Hugh…” You groan “You really want us to take that body and discuss about who it’s a mare’s skeleton, and how it perfectly matches everything?”
>”It can actually be really easy and even fun to understand if you listen closely!” Birch comments with a genuine smile
“So how about we say Marigold is the only pony around and the only one who hangs around the greenhouse, instead?”
>The sheriff looks embarrassed, and nervously scratches his neck
>”Yes, I must admit…” He says begrudgingly “With all these facts, everything points to Marigold…”
>”Sorry about being a little on the edge, but… talk about an uneasy feeling…” He removes his to scratch his head uneasily
>”I guess I’m a little nervous about learning someone I knew for years… even we weren’t close, has been dead for a month”
>After a heavy sigh, Wide Shoulders stands up from behind his desk, and motion to the entry
>”I’m gonna wake up the boys” He announces “This is an emergency”
>”And I wouldn’t like to be alone if it is a shapeshifting magician we’re dealing with…”
>After fifteen minutes, Wide Shoulders comes back with the two same assistant which accompanied him this morning
>You little group walks again to the factory
>They plan on waking up “Marigold” and Fair Hero up then confront them with what you said
>You’re a key witness for the case so he’d like you to come with
>Wide Shoulders also asks you if there’s anything you’d like to add or prepare before you begin

>What do?

>>27214269
we're going to beat something up with our harmonica. just like our grandpa.
How about a glass of water? not to drink ( we can drink some) but to throw in the face of the imposter. You heard it makes witches melt.

>>27214269
Just tell them all what Marigold said to us and be ready to speed draw our harmonica. If grandpa beat a changeling with it so can we!

>>27214285
>>27214287
Grandpa Harmonica was a fucking badass.

>>27214285
>>27214287
>>27214482
“I think we need a glass of water” You say with a devious smile “I’ve heard it make the witches melt! And I’m kinda thirsty too…”
>Wide Shoulders gives you a very tired look in response, and it’s not only before it’s around the middle of the night
>And without answering, he walks to the factory, some of his hope to live in a sane world lost in the night
>Too bad… But anyway you’ve got you harmonica if things turn for the worst
>You might actually re-enact you whole grandpa’s story!
>Fair Hero and Marigold are woken up by the sheriff and his assistants, before everyone is brought in Hero’s office, where everyone can seat
>The couple looks a little confused, but aside from that they’re not particularly worried at first glance
>”You again?” Hero addresses Birch with contempt “I thought I said I didn’t want you to show your face again before you got rid of the ghost”
>”Well, actually, I did!” You nudge her with your hoof “Tsk… we did it, alright…”
>”But anyway, you’ve got other problems now, Hero” She give him a unsettling grin
>The minotaur raises a slightly worried eyebrow

>”Alright, I’m gonna go straight to the point” Wide Shoulder solemnly begin once everyone is in place
>”Tonight, a dead body has been found in your property, buried in the greenhouse”
>At his words, both Marigold and Hero’s eyes go wide
>”Wh-what was a body doing in our greenhouse?” Marigold stutter weakly, genuinely shocked by the revelation
>”Moreover” Wide Shoulders continues, unfazed “This body happens to be a pony’s”
>”And with the various clues we collected, we have come to believe this body actually is the one of Marigold”

>>27214835
>Both the mare and the bull as completely astonished at this point
>Marigold blinks several times, and her mouth hangs agape, as if she failed to understand what was happening
>“And that you” He stares at Marigold “are not the legitimate companion of Fair Hero, and may be implicated first hand in this case”
>The mare start to sweat, her head start to shake and she holds herself with her hooves, as if she was suddenly very cold
>”Wh-what’s th-this?” She whimper almost incoherently “I-Is Th-That another n-nightmare?”
>At her display, Fair Hero jumps out of his chair to hold her
>”Give her a break!” He barks at the sheriff “After all she went through… can you imagine how she feels right now?”
>”We’ll cooperate, we have nothing to do with this sordid story! So drop this ridiculous accusation at once!”
>But as much as Fair Hero seems ready to keep it rational, Marigold can’t seem to calm herself down
>”Th-this is so horrible…” She yelps “Y-you’re accusing me of my own murder…I…”
>A violent shake runs through her body, and without Hero’s support, she’d probably have fallen on the floor
>”I’m going to *hurp*” A quite sickening gurgle comes from her “P-please I need to use the restrooms!”
>Wide Shoulders seems willing to comply, and motion for both his assistants to accompany her

>What do?

See you tomorrow

not so fast MARIGOLD.

File: 1461723319236.png (1KB, 128x128px) Image search: [Google]

1KB, 128x128px

Monk bump.

>>27214844

Let her go as long as the police are with her

Bamp.

I think it's time to reveal the ghost telling us they were marigold. did anyone notice or remember any outsiders coming to town when she was sick
they would def have noticed another pony

birch should reveal their true form!

>>27218831
>>27217168
>>27215204
>The two minotaurs in tow, the sickly mare trots, wobbly, out of the room
>Fair Hero watches her leave, worry in his eyes, until the door is closed behind her
>”I know this is hard on both of you” Wide Shoulders tells him with a companionate tone “But there’s just too much troubling facts around this place to ignore it”
>”All I want is to get to the bottom of this”
>Fair Hero’s mood sulks, and he lets out a sorrowful sigh before starting to talk in a pleading tone, clashing with his large frame and usual confident attitude
>”Listen” He starts “I won’t lie, she’s changed a lot since she had her accident, but there’s got to be another explanation“
“Fair Hero…” You barge in the conversation “To tell you the truth, the ghost that has been haunting this place is your wife”
>Hero Shivers
>”I’d appreciate if you refrained to formulate such claims before we’re sure of anything…”
“Sorry…” You speak softly, trying your best to remain compassionate with Hero “But she did tell me she was killed by another pony”
“Did you notice any other pony in town at the time Marigold was at her weakest?”
>Despite his unfriendly attitude toward, you can tell the minotaur is searching his memories
>”Well…” He answers a little begrudgingly “There was someone, I remember. A traveling unicorn… Shift told me he met her at the tavern one night”
>”He told me with her he… *Ahem*” Hero coughs, a little embarrassed “…But she left without even a goodbye in the night, according to him… Which is…”
>He shakes his head, refusing to admit the evidence that dawns on him
>”No, she must have looked nothing like Marigold!” He exclaims “And she was a unicorn, not a pony of earth!”
“Fair Hero…” You wince “I hate telling you this, but with magic involved-“
>You’re suddenly cut buy two muffled scream coming from out of the office

>>27220429
>And before anyone can do anything, you can all hear the sound of a pony passing hastily in front of the door

>What do?

>>27220440
The chase is on!

>>27220440
I knew we shouldn't have let her go.
Yell "get her" and then attempt to tackle the bitch from the air.

>>27220440
jump out a window and fly! Try to get vision on her.

>>27220452
>>27220469
>>27220475
>You all jump out of your chairs, ready to chase the fake Marigold
>Except Fair Hero, who seems like paralysed
>But that’ll have to come later, right now it’s gonna be just like your grandpa’s story all over again!
>While Wide Shoulder, Eerie Birch and Winter Seed rush to the door, you decide to take another route
>You trot to a window and quickly open it to get through
>The cold air of a spring night washes over you of a as you take off, quickly gaining altitude
>Even if the moon is not full, the sky is clear, and you have a good view of the area around the factory
>Though… there’s no sign yet of anyone…
>But after a few seconds, you can see Marigold running out of the factory thought he front gate
>While she still look like Hero’s partner, a black, chitinous horn now adorns her head
>After a quick glance behind her, she dashes left once the fence is behind her, toward the fields
>You also see the sheriff and your zebra friend coming out at that moment
>It doesn’t look like anyone has noticed you yet

>What do?

>>27220573
Stay in the air and catch up with it.

>>27220573
we could blow into our harmonica to let them know we're up here but then the changeling would as well and we want the element of surprise on them for a dive with our harmonica forward and we hit the back of their head.

>>27220573
Divebomb!

>>27220596
>>27220613
>>27220627
>Your friends on her tail, the changeling dives into a thick artichoke field, the plants being tall enough to hide her completely
>And then, all of a sudden, she bursts in a blast of green flames
>”Over here!” You register Wide Shoulder’s voice behind you
>However, you realise the pony changed colour and now blends almost perfectly among the plants
>She also took a sharp turn just after shapeshifting…
>You doubt anyone else could have seen her turn, you’re gonna have to care of this yourself
>Not that you didn’t wanted to…
>You take out your trusty harmonica… you’ve had it forever, and so did your grandfather
>But even after all the times it hit the ground or took a dive in the mud, it always remain absolutely faultless after a good cleaning
>That’s why you never doubted you grandpa when he told you his silly story
>But this time, you’re the one making the tale!
>After positioning yourself, you dive, faster than the wind right toward your target
>With the element of surprise, it’s like a walk in the park
>You hit the changeling with the instrument with a sonorous *BONG* in G major that rings even in your arm
>She trips under the assault, and is send tumbling forward by her momentum in the mass of crops while you renascent a few meter in the air
>However, despite your hit, the changeling is quick to get back on its hooves, and furiously glares at you, even if she looks a little dazed
>”Gah…” She hisses as she painfully massages her head, her voice sounding nothing like before “YOU! You dirty little…!”
>Her eyes flare with a bright greenish fire, and so does her horn

>What do?

>>27220754
HEY! We're not dirty, we bathed earlier today. The only dirty one here is YOU criminal and there's more where that came from!
Fly up and dick kick.

>>27220785
She's obviously charging a spell.

>>27220754
Evasive maneuvers.

>>27220809
I wanted to throw the harmonica at her horn to stop it following up with a punch, but then I didn't want to risk losing it so I thought this was alright.

>>27220827
That might work.

>>27220785
>>27220809
>>27220827
>>27220912
“HEY!” You scrunch at her “I’m not dirty, I’ll let you know I bathed earlier today!”
“The only dirty one here is YOU Criminal!” You point dramatically at her before charging again
“And there's more where that came from!”
>The changeling displays a wicked grin before sending a blast of magic toward you
>Expecting it, you barrel to the side, narrowly avoiding the green magical beam
>In the corner of your eyes, you see the plants being burned really bad by the attack
>Even if nothing catch fire, you really don’t want to get hit by that
>Too bad that’s exactly what your opponent seems to want
>”I’ll fry you like a chicken!” The changeling roars, before unleashing a continuous flurry of beams at you
>The many harmful spells buzz meanly near your ears as you fly and dodge them
>She’s got some hellfire in her! Even while keeping your distance, you have to give it your all to avoid getting hit
>It’s not like you’re a professional airborne fighter after all, you won’t last forever like that
>You haven’t recovered completely from before either…

>What do?

>>27220938
Wouldn't this light show draw it's other pursuers?

>>27220938
throw dirt in her face!

>>27220938
We do what we do best and make some noise with our harmonica to draw their attention.

>>27220986
>>27220990
>>27221057
>This can’t continue for long, even if at least the light show must have alerted your friends
>You dive once again to avoid the shots, almost hitting the ground, and manage to scope a hoof-full of dirt without hurting yourself in any way
>And using the motion of your next barrel, you hurl the clod at the changeling’s face… which it hits with a low *thud*
>Bull’s eye!
>”Araugh *ptooh!*” You hear her spit and trash, while you finally get a break from the barrage of shots
>In the respite, you can see your companions running toward you, there’s about thirty seconds until they arrive
>Stalling the action is probably the best way to go
“What’s your problem” You smugly taunt her “Can’t keep up the pace?” and punctuate with a little cheeky harmonice solo to make sure her attention is away from your friends
>And the changeling does seem to have completely forgotten about them, and focusses her hateful, dirt-covered face on you
>Her wings flare behind her, and the soars right toward you while her whole body erupt in green fire
>Looks dangerous…

>What do?

>>27221179
jump up!

>>27221179
Fly away! Head straight for our friends!

>>27221209
That'll remind it about them. Keep it close to the ground instead.

>>27221291
Yeah, fly away close to the ground towards our friends.

>>27221192
>>27221209
>>27221291
>>27221319
>You fly up at first, avoiding the reckless charge
>But your pursuer is a potent flier, and repeats the attack again and again after taking sharp U-turns when missing you
>While these demented charges are much easier to dodge than the many projectiles, the changeling’s faster than you, and gives you quite the workout
>You keep it close to the ground, heading toward your friends while you avoid the many assault on you
>Eventually, you pass right over them, and when the changeling follows…
>Wide Shoulder jumps, and using both his hands as a hammer, he bashes the face of the bolting changeling
>She crashes on the fists of the bull, and is stopped at once in a sharp *WHAM* before limply falling backward
>The changeling lies on the ground. Unconscious, but breathing
>And while Wide Shoulder rubs his hands painfully, there also a satisfied smirk on his face

>What do?

Thanks for playing, see you tomorrow!

>>27221439
Quickly, let's detain them.

>>27221439
Got anything to prevent it from using magic?

we have succeeded.

have a good night bump

>>27223230

>>27224058

>>27224959

>>27226547

the rain of bumps on episode day begins.

>>27227172

>>27229047

leaving page 10.

>>27231748

>>27232799

>>27233470

Sorry, things came up

See you tomorrow

>>27235082
gotcha
see you
>tomorrow

>>27234513

>>27235082
>tomorrow

>>27236036

>>27238124

let's get a bump

>>27239290

bump from 10.

bumo

>>27242970

>>27221451
>>27221523
>You land near your friends, exhausted, and your wings a numb from the intense effort
“Q-Quick!” You say between two pant “We’ve got to detain her!”
“Can we stop her from using her magic?”
>As you look around, you realise Birch isn’t around
>”Mmh…” The sheriff ponders, as he takes the fainted changeling on his shoulder like a bag of potatoes
>“I must still have these old disturbing shackles somewhere, ‘been a while I didn’t have to use them”
>”But I’ll send word to the capital to have her dealt with the right way” He adds
>”In the meantime, I’ll make sure to have someone keep an eye on her at every time”
>You nod to him, and as soon as the minotaur start to walk in the direction of the city, Winter Seed trots to you, looking a little upset
>”That was reckless!” He says as he puts his hear on your chest
>”You shouldn’t have put yourself in danger for the sake of mere retribution!”
>He continues to examine you without any regard to personal space, but ends up letting you a relieved sigh, and giving you a warm smile
>”But thanks Brahma you’re alright…”

>What do?

>>27244453
She changed her appearance and direction, if we didn't go after her, she'd have been able to escape.

>>27244453
we couldn't let them get away and it all turned out ok. Plus we're super tough! Make sure they're in a cage.

>>27244453
Hug him.

>>27244541
>>27244547
>>27244657
“C’mon! She was gonna escape! If I didn’t catch on her, you guys would have totally lost her”
>”Does it really make a difference whether we catch her or not?” The monk retorts
“Wh-What?” You squint your eyes in incomprehension “Of course it does! She killed Marigold! We can’t simply let her walk away”
>”Old age makes many victims too, are you gonna chase after time itself?”
“Huh?” You cock an eyebrow “Hey! Don’t start with obscure monk sayings!”
“Besides, it turned out okay in the end anyway”
>You flex your abstract biceps to him
“I’m really tough, you know!” You say with a with grin and a wink
>”No you’re not” The zebra blankly answers
“Hey!” You pout at him
>”You’re a bard and you’ve never learned how to fight” He continues
>”The best thing I can say about you is that you’re swift and crafty, but that’s all”
“Damn…” You say after a sigh “Winty, what got into you? You’re a real party pooper right now…”
>The monk look away, looking somewhat a little embarrassed
>”Hum… Sorry…” He stammers “But all that lives is important in the eyes of Brahma”
>”And…You’re also important to me. As my friend”
“Aw… Winty…” You let out a comprehensive sigh, before taking him in hug “Talk about a twisted way to say you were worried…”
“Sorry about being reckless, but don’t make such a fuss about it next time”
>”Hum…” He nods in your arms “Yeah, sorry about over-reacting”
>By the time you’ve broken the embrace, the sheriff has almost already reached town already
>Birch is still nowhere to be found

>What do?

>>27244882
Winty should go with the sheriff while we look for Birch.

>>27244882
Where the hell is birch? Did she not follow you out here? When did you lose her?

>>27244901
>>27244909
“Wait, where’s Birch? Wasn’t she with you?” You ask, a little worried
>”Well” The zebra squints his eyes as he remembers “When we started running after the changeling, she was with us”
>”But she was way slower, and had trouble keeping up. We lost her as soon as we were out of the factory”
>”If she’s not on her way, that means she’s probably still there”
>The two of you agree to look for her at Fair Hero’s place
>And indeed, you find the pale earth pony on her way out of the factory
“Birch!” you call as you meet her eyes
>”Oh! Hey, you two!” She happily waves at you before you arrive in front of her “Did you catch that murdered?”
“Yeah, we did! But what about you?”
>”Oh, well…” She winces “I’ve never really liked to exercise, so I let you guys do the job”
>”Instead, I decided to check on those two guards she escaped from”
>”Don’t worry, the changeling only used a bright flash to daze them. They’ve probably joined with Shoulders already”
>”Oh, and” A mischievous grin grow on her face “I also took the occasion to collect my payment from Fair Hero while I was here” She pats a pouch on her side
>”He was so shocked by the situation he didn’t realize I asked a little more than what we agreed” Birch declares, visibly proud of herself

>What do?

Sorry bout the inconsistant schedule/small sessions
I'll try to fix my agenda in the coming days

See yout tomorrow!

>>27245250
Isn't that kinda... dishonest? Well, I hate to try and take advantage of someone who just realized their wife is dead and have been living with their murderer for the past month but maybe he'll give you another chance at the seeds, Winter. But yea, now may not be the best time.

>>27245250
Birch you should feel ashamed of yourself. The Minotaur just found out that his real wife is dead and was being impersonated by a monster.
Unless she's hurting for money she's either returning it or giving it to a charity or an orphanage or something ( it's not like he's hurting for money so he won't notice it missing.)

bumping at nine

have a good night bump

>>27247569

What a sad story for Hero.

>>27249572

>>27250632

>>27245810
>>27246314
“Wait…” A chill of indignation runs down your spine “You did what? Do you really need money so bad you decided to be dishonest with Fair Hero?”
>”Well… not really, but I could use some new reference books… and a bigger bed… aaand…”
>You see red for a moment
“So you’re telling me you took advantage of someone who just lost his wife to a monster?! Don’t you have any shame?!”
>”Tsk…” The exorcist rolls her eyes like an annoying teenage mare “Don’t be so dramatic. Fair hero’s immensely rich anyway”
>”Even with a bonus, my fees are still like a drop in the ocean for him”
“I’m repeating myself, but you literally just scammed a minotaur who just found out that his real wife is dead and was being impersonated by a monster!”
>Birch still doesn’t seem convinced, and a rather pissed look appears on her face
>”Alright, you know what?” She barks “Here!”
>From inside her bag, she pick out a smaller pouch and tosses it to you
>”You’ve helped a lot in the end, so I had in mind to give you and Winter Seed some of the pay”
>A raised eyebrow, you take a peek inside the pouch to find it filled with silver coins
>”There’s 60 in here for the two of you” Birch comments “And I overcharged Hero for 30”
>”So if you want to pay him back, knock yourself out!”
>”Now, I’d really like to stay and chat a little more, but I still have some work to do”
>Birch then proceeds to trot past you without a glance, heading for town
“You do?” You cock a suspicious eyebrow
>”Yes” She says behind her shoulder “Marigold’s spirit is only trapped in a spell of mine right now”
>”I’ve still got to make sure she stays dead, and it’s probably gonna take me the rest of the night to do it properly, and I need some other compounds”

>What do?

>>27251687
wait a minute! We need to bring fair hero so he can have a give a proper good bye. That would kind of make the extra charge thing worth it in my opinion.

>>27251687
Go return the money, then catch up with Birch to help her finish this.

Are we sure that r isn't an upside-down t?

>>27251687
I'm not the ghost professional but since we solved the problem won't she, I dunno, pass on?

>>27251700
Yeah! Maybe she'll go more naturally instead of Birch forcing her away.

>>27251796
One the one hand, it's the right thing to do. On the other hand, I don't think Hero will take well to being told he got scammed on top of everything else.

Plus its 30 fucking silver. Like damn.

>>27251700
>>27251796
>>27251810
>>27251827
>The gears in your mind click swiftly
“Wait!” You call “Can’t you let Fair Hero participate? To give his wife a proper goodbye?”
“If anything, that’s justify for what you charged!” You say, crossing your arms severely
>The earth pony sighs, but seem to considerate the option
>”Mmm…” Birch ponders “Seems possible… if she talked to you she has probably regained enough sanity to recognize Hero”
>”Plus, it’ll be easier for me if she doesn’t resist afterwards…”
>Suddenly, the idea to compare Birch’s name with a rude word finds itself on the edge of your mouth
>”All right!” She finally nods
>”Just get him to go to the greenhouse, I’ll do the ceremony there”
“Hum” You nod “But… out of curiosity, now that Marigold is at peace, can’t she just… pass on or something?”
>”Well, it’s not that easy unfortunately” The exorcist start to explain
>”She has accumulated some raw magical strength in her grief, and it’s now much harder for her to disappear on her own”
>”And in the loneliness of the limbo between the living and the dead, she might very well end up insane again…”
“Oh, I see. Thanks for the rundown”
>”It’s actually my pleasure” Birch answers with a wink
>On that note, Birch heads back to town
>Fair hero is probably still in his office
>How will you approach him?

>What do?

>>27251882
Tell him that when we talked to Marigold she lamented not getting to say goodbye. I bet he wishes he could say goodbye too about now. Invite him to come along and do so.

>>27195605
Very late, but why not

The reason is that first place was decided in her backstory as the first place she visited as a bard
And while I wanted that profession to be still recent for the protag, I didn't want to deal with complete beginner wanderer issues, as I didn't get any inspiration about how to make them interesting

>>27251882
We need to tap him on the shoulder and say there's not a lot of time and I know these conditions aren't ideal but this is his chance to say good bye.

>>27251899
>>27251923
>You climb to Fair Hero’s office
>And as expected, he looks devastated
>Sitting in front of his desk, he remains as still as a statue with his face covered with his two huge palms whiles his elbows rest on the desk
>There isn’t the faintest sound coming from him
>You slowly get around him, and lightly pat his shoulder to get his attention
>But he doesn’t respond
>So you try again…
>Yet still he remain motionless
“Hum…” You start to talk faintly, out of other options “Fair Hero?”
>But still the bull looks too afflicted to care
“Birch, is going to help Marigold…” The minotaur shivers at the mention of the name “…passing on right now”
“And she said you might be able to get a word with her…”
>AT these words, Fair Hero slowly raises his head, and turn to stare in your eyes
>His eyes are utterly devoid of any emotion
”Birch is gonna do the ritual in the greenhouse in a moment” You continue “I know the time isn’t exactly right, but…”
>The bull cuts you with a silent nod, before still slowly getting up
>You, Winter Seed and Fair Hero then proceed to the greenhouse in a heavy atmosphere
>Birch isn’t here yet, so you all begin to wait in the more than awkward mood
>However, after a little while, you perk up as you see Fair Hero walking among the trees, and looking around
>”How strange…” He says in a blank tone “Everything is back the way it was… a month ago, before all of this started”
>”When she was still…”
>His outbreak is cut by the sound of the door opening at the other end of the greenhouse
>Eerie Birch enters with a familiar sack on her back, along with some other weird-looking stuff
>She then proceeds to carefully place the body in the hole it came from

>>27252243
>You also notice she has painted a maze of twisted symbols on herself in a slick, dark green ink, giving her a quite occult… and somewhat unsettling aura
>”Alright” Birch start to explain, while tracing other symbols on the ground with a strange powder “This is what’s gonna happen”
>”I’m going to summon Marigold and allow her to speak. She may be a little lost at first so be patient with her”
>”It’s going to take around two or three minutes after I start, and then you’ll see something appear in the smokes, it might not look like her immediately”
>”And don’t be affair, you risk absolutely nothing… as long as you don’t mess with me or the symbols while I’m casting, got it?”
>Unless you have any question of business with Marigold yourself, you might just want to just wait and see

>What do?

>>27252246
Put a comforting arm around hero and wait.

>>27252246
>*"Dont be affraid..." damn...

>>27252246
suppose we should give him some time to himself.

>>27252287
>>27252343
>You give the minotaur a friendly tap on the shoulder before walking away, this is his personal moment after all
>After a sonorous gulp of apprehension, Fair Hero nods at Eerie Birch for her to commence the ritual
>The exorcist nods back, and then start to mutter strange incantations while lighting her censer
>Fair Hero has trouble waiting through the occult ceremony, and while he was all glum before, he can’t seem to remain steady on his seat anymore
>And after a couple of minutes, something strange start to happen
>Fair Hero gasps and stands up in a blink, as a white, thick mist start to emanate from the bag
>It keeps pouring out, until it forms a cloud a few feet in width, floating and swirling above the ground
>”Marigold?” The minotaur calls, his voice full of hope
>A strange sound answers to him, akin to the wind blowing against the walls of a building, but nothing else
>”Marigold….” Fair Hero continues with a shaky voice “The truth is I…I knew. I knew it wasn’t you”
>”This just wasn’t you, I could tell it from the start, but I didn’t want to believe”
>”What kind of a monster would I be if I was wrong…?” He calls, trying to defend himself “Abandoning my wife after that terrible accident on a mere hunch…?”
>”I could only cling on the hope everything would come together, eventually…”
>”And I’m not sure about… what it really was anymore, but… She… faithfully kept trying, day after day”
>”So I kept supporting her, in the hope that she might become more like you again”
>The minotaur pauses, until a deeply pained wince takes over his face
>”No… that’s not it…”
>”She really wanted to please me… Whoever that person was, it really seemed like she loved me”
>”And seeing her enthusiasm… I thought I could fall for her, eventually”
>Fair Hero start to stare at the ground in shame
>”But it looks like it was all a farce…”

>>27253017
>Even from where you are, you can see the minotaur’s fists clenching, and the water starting to pour from his eyes
>”And in the end, I have just been dishonouring you… Marigold!” His voice escalates in volume “I was so stupid… PLEASE!”
>The minotaur grovels on the ground in front of the smoke
>”Tell me you’re angry!” He bawls “It was my fault wasn’t it?! It was because I was such an idiot you couldn’t even rest in peace, right?!”
>”Fair Hero…” An ethereal voice softly rings in the greenhouse
>Fair hero gasps, and his eyes shoot open as he tries to locate the source of the voice
>”You’re right” The voice continues “I was angry… but not at you, you big dummy!”
>An innocent giggle, as clear as crystal, resonates in the air
>You can see all of Fair Hero’s shiver from where you are, while his face is paralysed in an awe-stricken expression
>”How could I be angry about you for that?” The voice softly continues “This why I fell for you in the first place!”
>”You’ve always been optimistic, you always knew how to see the potential of things and people…”
>”If someone knew how to look at the bright side of things, it was always you!”
>”So you have to keep trying, just like you did, even without me…”
>”B-but… I can’t!” The minotaur sputters “You’re my bright side! But… you’re…”
>”But I’m no more…” The ethereal voice completes
>Slowly, a tendril start to extend from the smoke, and begin to gently stoke the cheek of Fair Hero
>”I was happy, my Hero, you’ve brought me so much joy…”
>”But now, I have to move on” The tendril retracts, letting an expression of utter despair on Fair Hero
>”I wish you to find love again, and I would really like you to promise me one thing…”
>And at that moment, from the puff of smoke materialise a pure white Marigold, wearing a big, wide smile
>”Please, be happy!” She beams

>>27253025
>Fair Hero opens his mouth to speak, but no word can come out
>”So when we’ll meet again” The ghost continues “You’ll have lots of happy stories to tell me, okay?”
>”M-marig-gold…” The minotaur finally stammers, weakly reaching an arm to the apparition
>”Fair Hero…” Marigold’s tone become more serene “I know you don’t like the idea, but… this is actually goodbye”
>”N-no…” He begs, but his wife gives him a gentle shake of the head
>”There no other way, Hero. But I’ll be waiting for you” She flashes him her smile again
>”Just make sure to take all your time, okay?”
>”I-I can’t…” He meekly answers, his voice about to break
>”Yes you do. I know you can always start anew” Marigold hovers closer to her lover, resting her hooves on his chest
>”That’s why I love you, My Hero”
>On that last sentence, the minotaur’s lips are taken in a passionate kiss
>They remain still for a while, Hero being completely bewitched by the apparition of his wife
>But when he finally tries to seize it, to catch the smoke in his weak, trembling hands, it just vanishes on him
>Fair Hero keep staring bewilderedly at the air, where his loved one stood just a moment ago
>Meanwhile, Birch seems to come out of her own trance
>She wipes the sweat off her forehead, and soon tells to you to come closer with a sign of the hoof

>What do?

[/cutscene]

See you tomorrow

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>>27253037
Damn. See what Birch wants.

>>27253044
Bunp

>>27253037
Approach her as quietly as possible so as to let Hero have his moment.

>>27253037
Wipe our eyes.

>>27253037
That was pretty touching. Hopefully fair hero will be ok. Now let's see what Birch needs.

Getting a mega bump!

have a good night bump

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>>27253037

I didn't come here to feel, Pleeny. What have you done?

Blord bump.

good morning bump

>>27256096
The question is
What will you do

>>27253892
>>27253400
>>27253151
>After such a display, you can’t refrain the tears from dropping from your eyes too
>If so sad for Fair Hero, but also beautiful… This is a good sadness
>Maybe you could write a song about that as a tribute sometime ?
>You quietly pass around Fair Hero, still lost somewhere in another world, to meet Birch
”Wh-what’s the matter, B-Birch?” You mutter between two sobs
>”Actually” She answers, apparently unfazed “I’ve got something to ask you”
>”What comes next is purging Marigold out of this world”
>”And I’m going to need all my concentration for the next hours, and I work best alone”
>”So, can you bring Fair Hero back to his chamber or whatever? I’m afraid he might be tempted to stay until the end”
>”Can you-“ She starts, but her sentence is cut by a single tear rolling out of each of her eyes
>”Tsk…!” She cringes for a second, as she quickly wipes it with her hoof “I hope I won’t have to redo these runes…”
>She takes a big breath in and out, and her dark brown eyes are as dry as sand again when she opens them
>”I was saying, can you do that for me?”

>What do?

>>27259758

Do the thing

>>27259758
Hop to it, but almost immediately return to give Birch a hug. Tell her thanks.

>>27259758
Yes. Let's lead him away. Tell him Birch needs to finish the ritual.

>”Can you-“ She starts, but her sentence is cut by a single tear rolling out of each of her eyes
So she does have feelings.

>>27259940
We should let her finish the ritual first.

>>27260089
>>27259940
>>27259900
“Hmm, sure…” You nod
>You turn to the minoaur, but…
>Not without taking your friend in a soft surprise hug
“Thank you, Birch!’ You whisper in her hear
>”H-hey, quit it!” She protests weakly “For real! Y-you’re gonna smear my runes…”
>You don’t force yourself a lot more on her this time, and back off to offer her a smile instead, which she reciprocates
>After some little tap on the shoulder, Fair Hero slowly come out of his trance, and quietly accepts to follow you out
>Meanwhile, in the corner of your eyes, you see Birch starting her incantations again
>And the runes on her body start to shine in a sinister green aura
>But that’s none of your business, and the two of you exit the greenhouse to find a place for the minotaur to rest
>”Thank you, little one” Fair Hero lips finally unseal when you reach his room
>”I… I’m glad you and your friends managed to reveal the truth to me, even if it hurt” He continues in a gloom, but resigned tone
>”Oh, and…” Something seem to come to his mind “I remember you friends asking for seeds the day before, right”
>”You can come to the greenhouse anytime, I’ll make sure Shift gets the word”
>”Also, I’ve got something else for you”
>The minotaur goes inside his room, and you can see him rummage in a drawer for a minute before coming back
>”Here” He says, as he hands you two richly decorated tickets
>”These are for the Superbrawl” He explains “It’s a series of games that will start in one week in Daedalus”
>”There’s one each year, and the festivities last for three days”
>”It’s the most popular event among minotaurs, they come from all over the country to see it, anybody will tell you”
>”I…” His mood sulks a little “Planned to go with Marigold for the first time, but I don’t think I’ll be up for that sort of things for a little while”

>>27260197
>”So, have fun, sell them… Do what you want”
>Fair Hero then proceeds to go inside his chamber, and begin to close the door
>”Now, if you’d excuse me, I need to rest. And to dream a little”
>The door is quietly shut in front of you, and you’re left alone in the silence of factory at night

>What do?

>>27260205
We should tell winty that he can get some seeds and after that go to the barn and get some sleep.

>>27260205
Awesome, the superbrawl! My favorite event is the one where the minotaurs chuck boulders at each other.

>>27260220
Yeah, let's go find Winty and rest.

>>27260220
>>27260236
>>27260262
>Even in the gloomy situation, you can’t refrain a little smirk
>Your grandpa told you about the superbrawl, and he said it was absolutely crazy
>According to him, there was even an event where the bulls would hurl boulders at each other!
>And that’s only one even tint he three days of fun in perspective!
>Your step a little lighter, you return to the barn to announce Winty he’ll be able to collect his seeds
>Altogether, good things have finally started to come from this day
>As you trot back to the barn, exhaustion from the day reminds itself to you, and you fall yourself aching for a good night of sleep
>Upon opening the door, you immediately see the monk at the side of Secure Shift, and he quickly asks you to hush by placing a hoof on his mouth
“Is he alright?” You ask quietly to the zebra as you approach on the tip of your hooves
>He nods back
>”He should wake up anytime, now”
>You seat next to him, enjoying the silence of the moment after a night rich in emotions
“Oh, by the way” You announce “Fair Hero said you could go at the greenhouse anytime to collect the seeds”
>”That’s fanta-“ He starts, but his sentence is interupted by some movement next to you
>”Uhrg…” Shift start to moan as he slowly rises up “My head…”
>Speaking of the devil…
>The Pegasus painfully sits up, a hoof still holding his forehead
>”Wh-what happened? Where are we?” He asks after registering your presence, visibly confused

>What do?

>>27260518
Tell him everything is alright. We're in a barn. What's the last thing he remembers? Tell him the ghost that was actually that was haunting the town was marigolds.

>>27260542
Pretty much this. With all we've been through today I'm afraid Harmony will pass out where she stands if we don't sleep soon.

>>27260542
>>27260641
“You collapsed” You tell the guard “So we brought you in the barn we spend the night”
“What’s the last thing you remember, Shift?” You ask “Do you recall being with us in the greenhouse?”
>”Y-yeah, I remember that…” He keeps painfully rubbing his temples “We were talking about Marigold and there… there was a body!”
>”And it was…” His eyes shoot open in fear “Oh, god… It was Marigold’s body!”
>”D-did I dream that?!”He asks expectantly
>You wince is response, and shake your head
>”Oh no… but then… What about the other one?”
“Well, actually… the real Marigold was the ghost, and the one you saw was an imposter…”
>His jaw drops at the revelation
>”Woah…” He finally utter, too shocked to say any more
>”Damn… That’s… a shock…”
>You let him digest the information for a while
>”But what about Fair Hero?” He asks after a moment “What about the imposter?”
“The changeling has been caught and put into jail” You say “Fair Hero… got to rest after saying goodbye to his wife’s ghost”
“Eerie Birch is still exorcising her right now, by the way”
>Once again the pegasus finds himself at a loss of words
>”Woah…” He finally repeats “I… should probably go back to my quarters, then…”
>He stands up a little shaky, but trots to the door in a little hurry
>”Thanks for everything” he says as he leaves
>You wave him goodbye as the door closes, and you can already see Winty tucking himself him for the night
>Imitating him seems like the perfect plan right now
>You don’t think you’ve ever been so quick to fall asleep

>After a dreamless but rejuvenating sleep, you wake up the next day in the barn
>Judging from the light passing through the planks, it must be around noon
>You’re alone right now, or so you thought
>Before seeing Birch collapsed in her covers, some of her make up still on her, although it looks a little… burnt, you notice

>What do?

See you tomorrow

>>27261211
Make sure she's bundled up and comfty, after that write a note and say you went out to get her some food. Then get some food.

Blord bump.

>>27261755
this, but just say we went out to get something to eat. surprise her.