Hijack (the CYOA) - The Catacombs

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>The blinding darkness of your sleep fades
>Leaving you with the still blinding darkness of the underground
>What an improvement.

>You quickly blink your eyes free of fatigue and blurriness to assess your surroundings

>Amid your labored breathing, and pained stomach, you find yourself sprawled out atop a pile of what you can only assume is fungus ridden rock.
“M-My head… Nngh.” You groan aloud to nopony in particular
>You cradle your head in your hooves, letting the soothing sound of water drops echoing around you to take you from your painful existence.
>After a few moments, the pain subsides, but you find yourself somewhat out of sorts
>A thin trail of liquid graces your cheek, and you clumsily wipe it away
>Sleep drool is a nightmare for armor.
“Wha… Did I die?”

>You think back to what happened previously
>You approached a fallen skeleton
>…No
>No it wasn’t.
>It was a trap
>Laid by some mimic
>It engulfed you, and…

>You shoot upright
“TARA!” you cry, your voice echoing madly off the walls around you
>You try to leap to your feet, but a sharp pain sloshes through your stomach

>Despite your best efforts, a gallop isn’t possible right now
>And your stomach…
>You’re… Really hungry, actually.

>You take a gander at your surroundings
>At your feet, there appears to be several inches of water
>Luckily, it doesn’t appear to be rising.
>To your left, you see a hall mired by pores on all sides, like something has been eating through the rock
>Like acid or something.

>And to your right, the stench of embalming fluid flows freely through the air.
>The smell stings your nostrils slightly

>You take a deep breath and calm yourself in the dank catacombs.
>Tara is missing
>It’s time to focus.

>Where are we going to go?

>>28323751
Out

>>28323751
Here is fine.

>>28323751
Have some of our candy stash. Might reduce hunger, at least temporarily.

>>28323751
>Acid vs embalming fluid
I don't like either of these.
Observe ceiling, search water, and observe whatever that thing is that we're laying on. Are those eggs? Bubbles? Rocks?

Also, are we back to being male?

>>28323751
Er...are we still a mare? Or has our longsword been returned to us?

>>28323751
priorities should be to assess sourounding to make sure we're safe and orientated, then try to meet back up with our party.

Remember that the mimic was not able to perfectly emulate skellienana so thats something we can watch out for if we do run into tara or 'tara'.

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>You shakily grab your lollipop bag from your pouch and take out a candy
>You undo the wrapper violently and jam it into your mouth.
>...
>Well
>No one is looking...

>You jam another in
>And another
>And another
>And-

>STOP

>Four sticks loll out of your mouth, and your lips are tenuously pursed around each sweet
>Your cheeks are starting to hurt from the stretching
>It takes great resolve, but you manage to put the bag back into your pouch

===

HP: 85/100
SH: 0/6
AP: 3/3

===

>You need to stay calm, and make sure you don't succum to shock.
>Even though you aren't bleeding or coughing
>You feel like your stomach has been kicked repeatedly
>Best to take it slow

*sslllrrrr*

>Your eyes divert to the rocks perch you're sprawled upon
>And you find that the rocks beneath you are indeed not rocks
>But opaque, grey orbs with slight give and a healthy coating of slime.
>In fact...
>It seems like those pits in the walls have fragments of what appear to be the same eggs you're on top of now.

"Mother said to get out of the house someday" you quip to yourself, trying to fill the void your absent partner has left.

>Youi roll over onto your feet and check your body for injuries
>Aside from your stomach and throat pain
>...And cheek soreness
>Everything seems to be in order
>Well, save for the fact your... uh... 'long sword' is still missing.

>Nevertheless, the same two paths await you
>Left, towards the porous hallway, now evidently covered with empty eggs
>or Right, where the smell of the dead and their rituals wafts with wanton abandon.

smell of the dead best describes where we were before. so that one.

>>28324016
Yeah, sure. Right it is.

>>28324016
Close our eyes, spin around, and the first path we see is the one we'll take.

Left means that whatever was in those eggs has probably left, but maybe more would be further in.

Right sounds and smells like where we were before, but who knows if another of those slime-mimic things is guarding that path?

>>28324016

Well, lets try left. If there are any more egg things, can we maybe prevent them from living any further?

>>28324016
Go right.

>>28324016
Right, I suppose

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>You spin around in place and decide that fate is going to be your guide
>Why you spin with a sour stomach, you have no idea
>Honestly, you may have been just trying to distract yourself
>Even though you have no reason to be afraid of these dark halls
>Being here without anyone, even Tara
>…
>Especially without Tara

>Things are positively spooky

>Your stomach swirls and churns again, and you gag reflexively
>It feels like your innards are being pressed and pushed around
>Still, you do not let it progress further than an audible retch

>You look up to see the left path before you, each empty egg pocket glistening in the latent dim light of the caves

>…

>What are you, stupid?

>You turn around and decide that you need to head back to the catacombs proper first.
>You are familiar with the scent, and travelling down a path where the bastard that took you out is likely managing its hellish brood?
>Insanity

>Your armor takes on water as you walk through the soaked halls
>The conditional enchantment on it is your only saving grace
>Otherwise this whole ordeal might be sickening!
>The part where you are actively moving through thick, soupy water, likely rife with disease on account of the hundreds of years of musk and decay steeping in it for who knows how long

>But no, It’s TOTALLY OKAY

>Uhg.

>Twists and turns take you through uninteresting coordidors until you happen upon a staircase at the very end
>You make slow and steady progress, eager on not upsetting your belly-
*Urp!*

>Your belch echoes through the catacombs, providing a stark contrast to the relative quiet you experienced earlier
>Feels like gas now.
>Hopefully it doesn’t progress further.

>In any case, the hall leading to the staircase also appears to host a grand monument to a pony unknown.

>You take a quick glance at it
>…

>Who is this?
“Emarick?”

>Doesn't ring a bell.
>At all, even.
>How strange...

>You feel drawn to it, strangely
>The water nearby even feels somewhat... Warm.
>Soothing, even...

>>28324439
Look at the walls around us. Maybe they can tell his story.

so uh, did we get facehuggered? im beginning to be concerned about all this stomach trouble.

Also is that a coffin infront of the statue?

>>28324439
Hope some creature didn't lay an egg in or stomach or something.

Let's take a closer look at the curved wall behind the statue

>>28324474
Honestly, facehugger was my first thought too.

>>28324439
Before we get any closer, try calling Celestia on the pearl and see if we can get more information on this Emarick character. Maybe call Birch too to see if he and Greg can give us info on mimics or whatever happened to us after that attack.

>>28324490
on one hand; it wouldnt make sense for the creature to be laying eggs in ponies and also laying them all over the catacombs; its one or the other.

on the other hand; hiji wont let it go.

>>28324494
on that note, we can also call tara so she knows we're not dead.

>>28324439
Funny looking wall carvings.

>>28324508
Unlike this fandom

>>28324439
Check the wall.

>>28324439

So did the mimic shove eggs in both our womb and our butt? This feels like a very Hijack thing to do.

>>28324439

I think we should go up those stairs and out of the water immediately.

>>28324688
If it did I would want to get a refund on the armor.

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>You instinctively follow the warm soothing water
>As you approach the coffin, the water grows to warm…
>Its as if it’s a part of you
>Strange…

>You move around the coffin and the monument, examining the area
>It appears the coffin is not only a different material than the monument
>But it is also flush against the epitaph the monument is meant to have

“Who are you, Emarick?” you quietly mumble to yourself, enamored with his figure
>Upon closer examination, his hoof outstretched appears to have been broken
>And the length of the leg appears to be bandaged tightly.
>An injury, perhaps?
>Odd of them to include such a thing on a statue.

>You levitate your scrying pearl and attempt to contact your Princess
>A male voice sounds through the pearl
>”Aegis? Aegis, is that you?”
“Princess, er- Prince, I need you to tell me about… Do you know who Emarick is?”

>You can only hear the quiet breathing of your Prince
“Prince?”
>”I… He was a servant of the crown. A collector like yourself. That is really it. I’m surprised you know, actually. But I feel as though we can discuss this later. Good day, Staff Sergeant.”

>The pearl’s glow fades, and you can’t help but feel a bit jilted.
>Worse still, you attempt to contact Tara, but…
>Nothing.

>Why wouldn’t Celetsia want to talk about this Emarick?
>And why isn’t Tara answering your calls?
>You need to find her.

>As for Emarick, Maybe the wall can tell you?

>You begin to pore over the carvings

=

Strip One:
[Depicts a cloaked pony falling from the sky into a grassland. There are three races present. Earth pony, Unicorns, and Pegasai, each bearing their flags.]

Strip Two:
[Depicts a cloud comprised of clearly unequestrian facades. Though they are covered in skulls and are reminiscent of black tendrils.]

Strip Three:
[Shows the cloaked pony holding a goblet above his head, as he is wreathed in what appear to be flames. The other three ponies shown previously are shown slaying the creatures with beams of light and fire.]

=

>?

>>28324797
The cloaked pony fell from the sky at the time when ponies were divided, under the threat of foreign forces. That cloaked pony was the clearly a video game protaganist, since they somehow found the golden goblet, and that somehow meant they got ponykind to use magic!

Or its just a warning to not trust cloaked ponies.

>>28324797

A being that arrived from another world in a time of great crisis. This being united the three races and together drove back the invading menace, which is likely the dire.

This would suggest that Celestia and Luna have claimed credit for more than their own share of work, and that trinkets have entered our world before.

>>28324797

The statue also resembles Es with that bandaged arm. Likely another Witch with a creepy human arm that arrived and saved Equestria before.

>>28324797
someone came, something dark followed, the cloaked pony somehow united the three tribes against the darkness.

that doesn't jive well with what celestia was saying about him just being a collector. The goblet is probably a trinket and he himself might be the same type of thing that esmeralda is, he has a non-standard name and came from 'somewhere else'.

skulls and black tendrils could relate to what is happening here; maybe we'll need to find this goblet ourselves.

On the other hand; this is suspiciously not-hearthwarming. ponies united around fire to defeat an evil cloud. Maybe this is what actually happened and the common story is a cover? If its a cover, there's probably more to it than meets the eye, especially if he's like es.

>>28324797

I think we should get out of the bio-reactive water and continue onward. We might also consider inducing vomiting if we think there's something growing inside us.

>>28324838
>saved
That might have been the result, but i dont think he'd have a partially defaced statue in the bottom pits of the catacombs and be glossed over as a no-name collector if that was his intent. Id guess he played himself off as a savior but had other ideas.

Also we've seen that the catacombs has an active maintenance staff. yet he's broken.
And unlike the other statues he doesnt have any seems suggesting he can move.

He doesn't fit and he's right beside what i suspect is our gender swap trinket.

>>28324857

I dunno about that. I suspect it's more that Celestia is the one that did the savior credit claiming. Especially if she'd much rather his name be forgotten in such a place. The statue would likely be an empty gesture to appease those that were still around at the time.

>>28324938
but celestia didnt do that; there are no stories about celestia uniting ponies in the distant past. Hearthwarming has the ponies just figuring it out.

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>You look over the carvings once more
>The bandaged hoof
>The underground mausoleum
>The plain and ungarnished grave
>And the depiction of his death

“This isn’t a hero’s grave… But he’s here? What could have-“
>You look behind you, and upon the back of the pedestal is written a short passage that reads-

[Emarick the Collector. Though his sacrifice saved our world and granted unto us undying harmony, his arrival doomed it to eternal strife. For this, we cannot celebrate him, nor can we ignore his sacrifice. May his ashes rest here.]

>Eternal strife?
>Is this some big metaphor?
>What were those creatures?
>Did he cause the rift to appear?
>Was he like Esmeralda with her evil arm?

>So many questions, and yet.
“Who could possibly know any of this?” you fruitlessly plead

>As you walk around the mausoleum, you notice the warm water emanates from the coffin
>The different material and odd placement
>…
>This isn’t his coffin.
>In fact… Emarick was burned. His ashes would be in an urn…
>That would explain why the coffin is blocking the front panel of the monument!

>You rush through the water, splashing and trudging to the front of the coffin

>It’s stone surface feels warm to the touch as well
>Inviting even…

>Yes!
>This has to be the trinket!
>This has to be the Coffin of Metamorphosis!

>You start to push on the lid of the coffin, and slowly, it gives way, hinging on a corner.
>Within its confines, you find a fine marble interior, its surface contoured to imitate some foreign creature.
>But you can figure the round part is for the head.

>You’re close to getting back to normal here, but then again…
>Tara might need you.

>You don’t know how long the process might take, or if it will even happen!
>Tara could be in trouble!

>You waffle over and over
>On the one hoof, you are weaker than normal, for multiple reasons
>On the other hoof, her safety is important too!

>You…
>You can’t think about this forever!
>Just... Make up your mind!

pausing

incidentally, would you all like a more detailed picture of the motif?

I didn't finish it, and doing so would take a long time, but if you guys want it, I can try to finish it for the next session.

>>28324997
I wont say no to more lore or art.

>>28324988
ah, so he was the first collector and his arrival caused the arrival of trinkets.

Tara was with an army of skellie-nanas, but if they were effective defense we wouldnt be here. plus she's terrified of spoopy things and this is spoop city.

my main concern is that whoever is doing shit down here is the one who used the trinket; and the trinket changed everyone. so if we use it, everyone probably changes back, which will likely alert the bad guys who know where this coffin is. We'd be stronger, but we'd be alone and hunted.

I say find Tara. I would rather have a partner when we fight if possible. Plus wanting to save Tara from being spooped to death by her own shadow seems like a steel thing to do.

Go grab an egg, throw it in the coffin and find Tara while it works its mojo.

>>28324997
More art/lore is welcomed. g'night hijacker.

beb

bep

And here I was, hoping to change Steel back so that he could save Terry and be rewarded with sweet gay love making.

>>28326041

>>28328534

>>28329222

>>28326041

>>28327361
The problem with >>28325024 is that it assumes the eggs will work inside of the coffin.

There's an indent indicating you need a body in there. Maybe we could dump a bunch and try that instead?

Page 10 noooooo

>bad stomach
>sore throat
So that thing totally laid eggs in us right? Kinky.

>>28324439
>That little tank drawing
Oh you

>>28324439
Sweet Celestia, a Whispen!
It must be extremely rare if it is all the way down here...

>>28332148
if that were the case, do you think it stay in us if we go in the coffin? Or would they disappear when we change back?

>>28324988
I say use the trinkets, we won't be any good to her asploded from eggs. Unless that won't solve our egg problem.

>>28324988
We need to save Tara first. It's the right thing to do.

>>28324988
use it.

>>28324988
This might be our only chance! We'll can't help Tara if we can't help ourselves. I say use the coffin.

Also, I wanna see Terry's reaction to when the both have dongs.

No, full JUSTICE time.

We are STEEL CHARGE, hero of EQUESTRIA

We do NOT leave a pony behind!

>>28334389
that wouldnt work. whoever used the coffin changed everyone, so if we use the coffin it'll change everyone back. Terry will be Tara again.

>>28323740
Art style reminds me of Butt Quest.

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>>28334570
that armor looks familiar...

>>28334570
I hope you're joking.

>>28334570
You're not really this dense, right?

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unfortunately, I'm feeling especially awful today, so in lieu of an actual session, I'll be posting a lore blurb concerning the mural and a single update to cap it off tonight.

I'll be on a steady diet of chicken soup, sprite, and nyquil so I can be better tomorrow.

sorry guys

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===

This mural, paired with the monument of Emarick, depicts the odd circumstances as to how this creature came to our world as well as his demise. It is rumored that this entire thing was the result of the conflicting interests in his image to the populace. Ultimately, it was decided that it would be best for all to simply obscure his presence in Equestrian history. Though his efforts were ‘rewarded’ with a grand mausoleum to all himself. In his brief time, he held no heirs or protégés, and thus his legacy ended with him. Even his ashes were barely recovered, the only evidence of his presence marked by the ivory goblet he held at all times.

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[Mural 1]

In the days before harmony, the three races of pony warred constantly. The struggle for power was widespread and its effects ravaged the lands as each race consumed them acre by acre.

This timeless struggle was ended momentarily when a large tear appeared above Equestria, from which the Collector Emarick fell. Though he was a pony in appearance, he did not have the spirit of Equestria’s citizenry. As such, the races briefly united to avoid the creature, but each insisted on maintaining their conflicts…

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[Mural 2]
Though they ignored Emarick’s presence, deeming his existence an oddity at worst, they continued to fight. The fighting soon spread to the land below the rift that Emarick had fallen from. Previously thought as cursed, the tribes avoided the area wholesale. After some rumors of great magical powers and items at work, each race tried to sieze control of the chaotic land. Their struggles appeared to attract a terrible curse upon the planet – a dark, seething madness that only consumed. Some tribes called them demons, windigoes, disharmonious spirits, but Emarick only called them Dire.

And Dire they were. After many losses, the tribes united and attempted to fight the scourge, but were met with resistance far beyond anything they could expect. Each tribe blamed one another, and the world seemed all but lost.

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[Mural 3]
It was at this time Emarick had made himself known to each tribe again. Through great effort and perforamnces of magical prowess, he convinced each one he was a wizard from another world, and an entitiy that wished for nothing but peace. He proposed a grand spell of his own design, cast with a foul focus posing as a leg.

He required from each tribal leader to sacrifice something of great importance to ponies – their talents. Normally, each leader would have refused, but the Dire’s power was so great, it was either trust a stranger, or perish. Upon each one agreeing to the task, Emarick came with his ivory goblet, and a bright light showed forth, striking each leader with brilliant light. They were infused with a great power, marked by an incandescent pearl in their possession, and so they set out to strike down the dire. However, this power came at a cost, and every battle with the Dire and every pony given the gift taxed his body and mind.

On his final day, he begged the Equestrians for forgiveness for unleashing the Dire and trespassing upon the once pristine land, and made a final wish for harmony to return to the world. The words, upon escaping his mouth, were stifled by an all-consuming fire that incinerated the Collector alongside every Direbeast on the planet to a scant few ashes, leaving nothing but his ivory goblet.

===

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>You shake your head free of these waffling thoughts
>What are you, stupid?
>Who are you, you stupid pinhead?!

“I’m Steel Charge, damn it!” you shout
>You stomp your hooves with renewed resolve
>All this time you’ve been thinking of yourself

>Not a hero, huh?
>That much is obvious!
>You will NEVER be one until these thoughts never cross your mind in the first place
“Tara!” you shout, your voice rippling along the soaking stone walls
“I’m coming for you Tara!”

>Even if she can’t hear you
>You need to hear it yourself

>The first duty of every guard is to protect those around you to the best of your ability
>And sweating your lack of a certain bodypart is NOT a duty of yours!

>You look back at the coffin
>Warm water, out of place material, fine interior
>This is certainly the trinket, but…

>This is not a single target item, is it?
>You start to run back to where you woke up
>If it worked by itself, you could just close the lid and change back
>But its clear it needs a living creature

>Luckily, you woke up on a nest of living creatures
>Wait

>When you think about it
>If the creature left you in a nest of eggs, that means one of two things
>You hold your stomach and a feeling of dread washes over you
>It might have put an egg in you…

>You remember the ‘drool’ and you aching throat and stomach
>Or, realistically
>It could have left you to be eaten by the young

>You would throw up at the thought
>But you’re no Diamond Dog
>Vomiting is just not possible
>And if it DID put an egg in you, you might-

>…There you go AGAIN!

>You have ONE job today!
>PROTECT
>THE
>BAT

>Your pace slows as the nest comes back into view.
>Several egg sacs are freshly hatched
>But the babies are nowhere to be found.

>You look over the mass of unhatched eggs

"...Ewww."
>The thought of grabbing even ONE of these makes you queasy…
>Let alone, the idea that it might trigger the coffin seems almost silly?

>You gulp and get ready to grab…
>Which one?

>>28335058
the grub one on top, if it hatches its just a grub. also i'd rather take the one we can see what it is than risk one thats more unclear.

>>28335058
>>28335082
Agreed. This one.

>>28335058
Top grub, give it a try. And beware attack from above, maybe these things climb. Stamp on anything swimming toward you underwater, keep an eye out for ripples.

>>28335058
Tippity top.

>>28334608
>>28334622
I don't follow this shit lol. Just making an observation. Calm down.

>>28338168

>>28341492

>>28342134

>>28342562

>>28343286

>>28344761

>>28345239

>>28345907

>>28346661

>>28347716

>>28348881

>the first collector
So that's what E stands for.

Bat protector.

>>28334974
O-ooh hiji-san such satisfying lore. I could feel it going so deep.

m'lady

>>28351748

>>28351748

>>28354220

>>28354952

>>28355540

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>You reach out to acquire the best specimen
>For some reason, it seems all the eggs in this batch have different creatures in them
>Some are small minotaurs
>Others are griffon chicks
>And some are completely unidentifiable, alien almost.

>But you gloss over all of these and instead spring for the best candidate in your eyes
>If you need to have a living creature for the trinket to swap you back to your original form
>You should pick one that is at its absolute weakest when it is but a child

>Minotaur calves hit with the force of a decent buck even shortly after birth
>And griffons have powerful head muscles and sharp beaks, capable of rending clean through unarmored flesh
>But this creature…

>You place a hoof on the changeling grub egg
>A changeling grub is completely weak, incapable of quick locomotion, flight, or telekinesis
>It’s very weak, and it won’t pose a threat
>Perhaps the only thing it might do is drop a dookie on your armor
>But you’re already soaked to the bone with rot-water
>Can’t really get much worse, frankly.

>You use your magic to press around the egg and slide it around in its socket
>It appears to be slightly loose
>And much larger than you had anticipated…

>You slide the egg out of the structure with a sickening slurp and pop and you take its heft into your hooves
>The grub twitches slightly and flexes its jaw, but it ultimately doesn’t move
>…
>Woah.
>That’s not a changeling egg, is it?

>You look down at the lower half of the egg
>Not only is it a prolated sphere
>But the unexposed part of the egg appears to be holding a completely different creature than the top would indicate
>The creature’s legs and hands twitch and grasp idly, appearing to respond to your body warmth
>Its hands reach out to the surface of the egg, and begin to paw gently at the inside walls.

>>28356627
Right. shapeshifter eggs.

Better get it to the coffin before it gets any ides about hatching. Don't feel like crippling a baby today, even a baby monster.

>>28356627
Uh oh. Can we just carry it in our magic all the way back?

Don't want to risk that creepy thing hatching.

>>28356627
Yecch!! I surmise that what we're seeing is offspring of the shape-shifter, all the young having taken different shapes. We're obviously the intended prey, so they're probably pretty fierce for their size.

The way I see it, we have three options.

One, put this thing in the casket and see what it does.

Two, splatter it because it's particularly disgusting and looks like more trouble than the rest.

Three, abandon the egg-nest and look for our companion, post haste.


I say, two, then three.

>>28356656
Yeah, no.

Lets stop wasting time and drop it in the COFFIN and find Tara. There's absolutely no point in going to Tara only to then double back here to retread a problem we can potentially solve now.

This thing might use other creatures as incubators.
It's a good thing we had a codpiece after all.

>>28356688
Fine, but once we discover that the coffin is the "Give Anything Inside Super Powers" coffin, don't come crying to me!

>>28356627
Put it in, it is only supposed to swap genders after all.

>>28356627
Put it in, Steelie.

>>28356853
oooh yeah baby put it all in.

>>28356853
Be the naughty gril you are in this strange world.

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>If its reacting to your body heat, which means it looks like it’s alive and somewhat aware of its surroundings
>Best to get this to the coffin quickly and carefully

“EWWWW! EW! EW! EW!”
>You weave and duck through the muddy waters
>Half juggling the egg in your grasp
>Even if you aren’t touching it
>it’s still REALLY gross!

>You slow down to the coffin and give it a once over inspection
>Seems to be made of solid granite
>Polished somewhat, but weathered
>The lid is securely attached

>Last time you used your magic and your brawn to move the egg
>So you need to set it down to move
>Where can you put this thing?

>>28357043
somewhere you can see it while you move the lid. like on the statue base.

>>28357043
Agree with other anon, set it on the statue somewhere while you open the lid.

>>28357043
Put it on the lid. Be ready to hold it in place with magic if it starts rolling though.

>>28357043
We should set it somewhere warm, don't want to kill it.

>>28357043
Apologize to Emarick and put it under the statue.

>>28357043
I think we should bring it back to the nest. It wasn't in danger of getting away from us there.

Okay, what the heck is a creature like this doing down here nayway? These are the catacombs, ponies come in here to bury the dead (skelegrannies not included) so why doesn't anyone in the city know about this?

Do you guys think the skelegranies are genderswapped as well?

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>Sorry Emarick
>You might not be a hero, but you still deserve respect

>You place the egg upon the base of the statue and keep an eye on it as you start to move the stone slab

>You leave the slab angled to keep the amount of time the coffin is open to a minimum and you reach up to grab the egg
>Thankfully, even though the creature is stirring more, you don’t think it’s actually

>”SSssshhhrrrrrgggghh”
>Its teeny baby arm stretches the membrane of the egg needily

“NNNNNNOOOOOPE!”

>You slam that sucker right into the coffin, and it squeals in pain, thrashing around violently
>You ignore it and close the coffin quickly, pressing down on it frantically
>As the lid slides into place, you hear an ominous howl, and the stone slab bounces ever so slightly

>But the slab doesn’t move much
>You take a moment to catch your breath, the shock of the surprising encounter making you far more stressed than it should
>Perhaps it was through some effect of the howl?

>You wipe the sweat from your brow and turn to the stairs
>But not before noticing a light beaming from the coffin…

“Oh, I wonder what this will-“

>A great for slams into your body, sending you skidding across the water
>You slam, back first, into the stairs leading out of the mausoleum.
>Your head spins, but you consciousness stays
>Unfortunately

“Oooohhhg…”
>You hear a familiar mare voice call calmly to you from the stairs.
>”…Steel? Are you okay?”

>>28357185
Hide and check our gender.

>>28357185
Call out, "Hoofganistan?"

>>28357185
D...do we have our longsword back?

>>28357185
Quick, what do you do on trains?

>>28357240
this.

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>You instinctively scramble to a corner and first check yourself
>Horn?
>Check.
>Legs?
>Check.
>”Longsword?”
>…
>…

>YES!
>IT’S BACK!
>IN ALL OF ITS MOTTLED GLORY!

>You look back at the entrance and see a bat mare touch down.
>She walks along the flooded mausoleum floor
>And asks again
>”Steel? Are you here? Where are you?”

>You lean back and rest your head
>You think about your passphrase
>You blurt out
“Hoofghanistan?”

>And Tara responds
>Hoofganistan? Steel? Where are you?”

>Hmm
>Not that one…

“What do you do on trains?” you call out, allowing your voice to bounce along the walls to mask your position
>Tara pauses and looks around
>She puts a hoof to her mouth
>And says
>”Not flick the bean.”

>>28357280
we agreed on 'entertain yourself'
also hoofghanistan was her suggestion, so she would definitely have known the reference.

That aint tara.

>>28357295
[Justice intensifies]

>>28357280
For some reason, I have an inexplicable urge for SteelXTerryXFemSteelXTara lewds now.

Suspicious answer is suspicious.

>>28357280
I was expecting "Banannastan" back from Hoofganistan, but Not Flick The Bean is pretty close for the train question. Not quite but close enough? I'd buy it. Glad we're back to normal now!

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>…
>That’s not Tara.
>That’s not Tara at all.

>You grit your teeth
>What is that thing doing?
>Being an offense to this world, probably
>And it doesn’t even look like tara, either!

>It couldn’t mimic the beauty of her eyes even if it tried!

>As you seethe at this abomination gliding around the flooded floor, you consider your options…

>If that thing came from upstairs
>And is mimicking Tara
>That means it knows where Tara is and is avoiding that area!

>You want to get Tara and slam this monster
>But your blood boils at the thought of this thing walking another step in her horseshoes.

>A stalactite falls from the ceiling and splashes into the shallow water several meters from the monster’s position
>It’s body remains still, but then suddenly jerks towards the sound, while not turning to face it
>After brief delay, it returns to the entrance and calls out again

>”Steel? Where are you?”

>If you want to get out cleanly, you’ll probably need to get the monster further from the door.

a map with quadrants has been included to assist your planning

>>28357390
So, this is the fake? OK, let's wait for it to progress a little downward into quad 3, then move up into quad 2, wait until we're pretty sure it's moved into quad 4, then sneak left for the exit in quad 1.

>>28357390
it might be time that we sacrifice torch bro. place it down around the corner of the wall we're on facing lower quadrant three, then sneak back to where we currently are and flicker the torch with magic.

the shapeshifter will see the light flickering around the corner infront of it and have to investigate both the alcove and quadrant 4. once that happens move up through 2 and around the corner into 1. once we see the thing in 4, sneak into the door.

>>28357390
This:
>>28357403
If it's baby-sitting the exit we'll need a distraction and I like the torch idea.

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>So... You need a distraction, hm?
>You produce the torch and levitate it to the corner to your right
>Hopefully some splashing and some light can attract the beast

>You use your telekinesis to splash and toggle the light, creating a flashing torrent of water

>The creature locks onto the stimulus immediately, and when it starts to glide towards the light, you whisk it away around the corner and make a beeline towards the door
>You look behind you as you scale the steps, watching the monster sway back and forth fruitlessly

>As your line of sight breaks, you hear one last thing from the monster echo through the stairwell

>"Steel? Where are you?"

>You reach the top of the stairs, and look around
>It's dark
>And you can hear rattling in the distance
>Alongside another strange sound...

>The sound of... wagon wheels?

>>28357447
pausing here

>>28357447
could be the skelliewardens continuing their repairs.
investigate cautiously.

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>>28357447
>wagonwheels

Steel is inadequate for Tara. He doesn't deserve her. She needs a true gentlecolt who'll treat her right.

>>28358293
But who could be so cool they deserve her handsome face?

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>>28358323
Yare Yare daze.

>>28357820
ponewheels

>>28358821
>Autistic batcancer

Man that thing is spooky.

It's a bit late now, but with how its eyes look and how it reacted to the stalactite, methinks it's actually blind. The flashing light from the torch was just incidental, I think.

I actually kinda wanted to try capturing it. Steel can conjure up some chains and should be able to lock it down quietly enough.

>>28357447
I can't think of much else to do here other than move forward cautiously, avoid getting its attention.

>>28357447
Is anyone else concerned by the mounting number of WTFs?
I mean some trinket genderswapping everyone that's the main thing however whats with:
>The freaky doppelganger?
>What happened when we blacked out?
>The thing that knocked us out?
>Why did our throat and stomach feel all terrible?
>The heck was with those eggs!?

>>28360332
It's likely that most of that is one thing.
I'm guessing this shapeshifter used the coffin to help with its eggs in some way. Maybe it was just using it as a lure.
And we probably have one in us right now.

>>28360332
>>28360411
Maybe OP has gone full retard and has no idea what he's actually doing, so he's just making shit up and hoping that players like you will make things up and give him ideas to keep the CYOA going?

>>28360411
And if we do have one in us, we need to sit down with this shapeshifter and have a serious talk.
We're not some floozy to have an egg shoved in us before being ditched.
We expect commitment and financial support, along with back massages and walks on the beach.
And we want to meet the parents, soon!

>>28360332
1. we dont know.
2. it kidnapped us and brought us to its egg pile.
3. its the doppelganger
4. maybe it poisoned us or injected us with something; we werent just knocked out.
5. its brood and we were there food.

Bum.

>>28361433

Happy birthday Mike

>>28360460

I'm pretty sure that's how most CYOAs normally go.

>>28362564
thanks
I'm gonna take today off.

>>28363851
OK Hijacker, sleep well.
Also bump

>>28364302

spooky dooks

spoop

Bumperoo

>>28367164

>>28368383

>>28369331

>>28370649

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>You crane your head out carefully into the hallway ahead
>It’s dark, but for the most part, you can see around a bit

>The sound of wagon wheels continue to echo in the hall
>It sounds almost like…
>They’re above you?

>Better be careful.
>The darkness could be hiding all manners of things
>Worse still, the creature could be on your tail any minute if it becomes privy to your departure.

>>28371664
mechanisms probably. We're in the innet works of all that statue nonsense.

examine the ceiling above that first door.

>>28371664
I see traps on the ceiling in the picture on the left.
Pull the chain to close the door then walk to Steelie's left (Picture on the bottom right.)

>>28371676
I say we take the left door first. Pull the chain.

There was a door like this that was locked in the shieldbearer room. we might be on the other side of it; look through the bars of both but watch the ceiling on the first.

>>28371676
What's on the floor to the right?

>>28371676
Examine the floor for traps, enter the hall and use the pullchain and hope it closes the door behind us. Advance almost to the next chain, then pull it from behind that odd looking patch on the floor.

>>28371676
>>28371864
PS: Go left, looks like fewer traps.

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>You decide first things first, it’s better to scout out what looks less like a Daring-Do tier trap.
>It would be a massive shame to not have an escape when something inevitably chases you down a long hallway
>Maybe even punctuated with a massive explosion that you won’t look at because cool ponies don’t look at explosions.

>As such, left seems like a good idea
>The slots in the ceiling are really what sold you
>But first…

>You yank the chain to your immediate right and clear your flank from the threshold of the hall
>After a slight delay, you hear some ancient stone machinery thunk and grind in the wall as the gate quickly slides down and nestles into place
>Looks like the chains by the doors control them
>Figures, the architects probably had a few ideas to make at least SOMETHING make sense

>Though when you think about it, the moving statues seem to be more of an amusement park thing more than anything else
>You shudder at the thought of Agita and Lucas twanging a banjo and singing to a group of foals
>This is a place with dead ponies, show some respect!

>You approach the lattice gate and opt instead to peer through the opening first
>What you see pleasantly surprises you
>You see Lucas’ chamber, his statue still positioned as you left it
>though the shield you gave him is lying on the floor in there, likely left by the skeleton cleaning crew
>And on that note, you examine the walls and the gate opposite of your position
>It looks like the skeleton crew finished their work
>Either they are quick, or you were out like a light for far too long.

>You squeeze your cheeks back through the opening with a pop and get back to the other side of the hallway
>As you pass the entrance to the hall, you hear a growl and a distorted voice call out to you
>”Did you leave me down here? Why did you leave me, Steelie? Where are you?”

>Creepy.

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>You approach the other side, readying yourself for more traps
>You peer cautiously up at the slots in the roof
>Again, you hear wagon wheels passing around overhead
>But as you look through the slots
>You most certainly see some movement up there
>As well as quick and transient flashes between the bars between the slots

>You direct your attention to the threshold above the door and see a square plate of rock jutting out
>Just like the rock above the other gate.

“What kind of trap is this?”
>You look back at the hallway
>Maybe you missed a pressure plate?

>After a few passes, you see nothing of the sort
>But what you do find…

>You pick up a deep red cloth with your magic and bring it to you
>…
“Tara… I’m coming for you, I swear!”

>In the distance, you can hear a quiet sob, just beyond the door ahead
>That-!
>That has to be her!

>Behind you, you hear a large mass slam into the lattice gate that is blocking the entrance to the hall
>You peer over your shoulder and see a wispy form grasping and whipping around wildly through the gate’s holes
>Instead of a voice, a vile cacophony of cries and moans comes from the creature
>The sound of splintering wood fills your ears…

[[INVENTORY UPDATED]]

http://pastebin.com/0XDpcTiU

there was the headstone that breathed gas on the other side of the door, where that plate is. i think its not a trap but rather a reset button for the head or the whole statue contraption.
so we should probably not push it.

so i say pull the chain and justice internally.

>>28372071
Pull the chain.

>>28372071
Pull the chain, hope for the best!
I recommend stepping a bit back from the trap-looking stuff as we do, however.

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“I’m coming Tara!”
>You pull the chain, and the walls rumble with the movement of stone mechanisms long since abandoned.
>The door slowly rises, and you slip through quickly

>Your eyes flit back and forth, scanning the dark room
>”I’ve GOT you, MURDERER!” Tara cries

“Tara?! It’s me! I-“

>Your pleas are interrupted by Tara slamming a stone panel next to her, one that resembles the panels outside the gate, actually

>From above, you hear several steel bars slide out of place, and that familiar rattling wagon wheel sound returns
>But this time, in far greater volume

“Tara, please! What are you doing?”
>”Don’t talk to me! Go back to where you belong, you monster!”

>You open your mouth to speak, but two skeletons entwined with large bladed wagon wheels crash down onto the floor ahead
>As they spin, sparks kick up and flicker, causing light to dance along the walls as they approach your position

[HP: 85/100]

"We had a safe word!"

okay, its unlikely that the mimmick can copy our spells and abilities; so cast spell chains on a wheel, and we'll have a shield up for the other one just in case.

hopefully tara will react in time when she sees our spell chains and druidic focus lockdown the other wheel.

>>28372501
"Hoofganistan! Uh, Things we don't do on trains!" meanwhile, defend from the skeletons, announce who we are to them.

Geez, whirling wheel-skeletons. I think our best strategy is to try to get them to impede one another and collide, particularly if they're rotating the same direction. That'll cause a... What was that game called, bey blades? Anyhow, it'll cause them to bounce violently apart- So we'll want to hit the deck when they strike one another.

>>28372501

Tara! What do we do on trains!?

aww, she's trying to avenge us.

>>28372501
And now to Romeo and Juliet this shit.

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“Tara!” you shout, simultaneously charging up a spell chain to seize the wheels
“Tara, we had a safe word!”

>She starts mashing the stone plate frantically
>”No! You can’t trick me! You ate Steel! You ATE him! YOU’RE NOT HIM!”

“TARA, PLEASE!”
>One of your chains miss, and you instinctively summon a shield to protect yourself
>Again, you try to talk to her
“Hoofganistan! Trains! Tara! Come ON!”

>The second wheel plows into your shield, and while it absorbs most of the shock, its razor edge scrapes along your side, making you wince in pain
“AH!”
[HP: 80/100]

>You look back at Tara on her perch
>She continues to hit the plate repeatedly
>But no more wheels are coming
>In fact, that’s all she’s doing
“Tara…” You start quietly
“It’s me, I swear. What do we do on trains?”

>She sits quietly, rocking back and forth, her head hanging low, and her hoof tapping the plate weakly
>She yells at it frantically “RESET ALREADY!” while taking ragged breaths

>”Oh… what’s the point. Even if you aren’t him, I don’t want to lose again. Just…”
>She swallows hard
>”We… We entertain ourselves…”
>She looks up at you with her stark red eyes, gleaming with relief

>”Please be you… Somehow.”

>You walk to her, holding your nicked side
“It’s me, Tara, I swear.”

>She weakly stands up and begins to move towards you
>And with every step she takes, her pace increases
>The two of you meet in the middle of the room, and pull each other into a hug
>She hangs her weight on you for a moment and lets out a half laugh
>”Oh please if you’re fake, just kill me now.”
“Nope. Real deal.”

>Tara sighs contentedly in your arms
>”I’m so sick of monsters and skeletons in the dark. I’m so sick of the dark. Please don’t get eaten ever again?”

“I don’t think I-“

>The sound of splintering wood in the distance fills your ears

>>28372720
Hey... Still wanna avenge me even though im okay?

>>28372720
is there any way out of this room, or are we ready to fight whatever is trying to break through the gate?

>>28372729
[also give her the bandanna]

>>28372720
Prepare to fight the attacker, and call out to the skeletons for help also. Unchain the one we bound, too. They're obviously smart enough to figure out what's going on, here.

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>You jerk your head up, and allow your ears to swivel
>Again, the sound echoes down the hallway into the large room where Tara made her stand
>You haven’t heard any breaking yet
>But the wooden lattice gate probably can’t stand much more punishment
>You hear an ungodly shriek, followed by another splintering slam

>Tara sighs again in your arms
>You wince at what you are about to say
“Tara? We need to move.”

>”Hm? Oh… Yeah, sure.”
“We… can talk about this later, okay? That thing is coming for us.”
>She blinks twice, and a growl escapes her lips

>”I’m going to MURDER that thing, Steelie.”
>Huh.
“You’re still going to try to avenge me, huh?”
>”Nopony hurts my Steelie, and don’t you forget it!”

>She stretches out her hoof and clears her throat
“What are you- Oh, right”
>You hand her the bandana and she starts to tie her mane back up
>You idly blurt out
“You really are very pretty without that thing.”
>”I’m a little more inclined to let you rip it off me later, Steelie~”
>She leans over and gives you a quick peck on the lips and smiles warmly
>Its less of a sultry smile , and more…
>Warm.
>Earnest, even.

>Still, you’re a bit flustered
“You- I mean, okay.” You resign to figuring that out later

>The two wheel skeletons roll over to you and tara and cock their heads inquisitively
>You try to give them commands, but they ignore you
>And instead opt to roll UP THE WALL-
“WHAT?”
>”Oh yeah, they’ll do that.”

>Another bang happens.
>”Steel?”
“Hold on… What is this door?”

>”I… don’t know.”
>Your gaze falls on the door
>That looks familiar...

“You couldn’t open it?”
>”Tried both after the thing chased me in here, but they didn’t work. I guess you’ll need to pull both, but I… uh… was having a breakdown earlier. Guess it didn’t hit me.”

>Another bang and cry sound out from the hall behind you…

the ambush plan is a good plan.

sit in the room and have tara hide, act like you believe the shapeshifter and when it approaches do spellchains, spell arrow, spell arrow while Tara feasts.

>>28372788
pausing here

fight now, or travel further into the tomb?

YOU DECIDE

>>28372822
Did the kiss heal our remaining booboos?

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>>28372824
Yes
[HP: 100/100]

>>28372845
then lets do this thing.

Movelist:
http://pastebin.com/FHuWHUwV

>>28372788
Yup let's kick that thing's ass. We've got wheelie-skeletons in here to help, too, probably.

>>28372885
Yea, those wheelie skellies are probably more great great grannies. Lets go kick some ass.

Is Tara hurt? Does she need a kiss to heal her booboos too?

>>28372845
B A S E D

>>28372967
Her feefees were hurt so yes.

beb

>>28372822

Fight. Add the wheel skeletons to the ambush now that they've reset.

>>28374248

>>28372788
Is no one else bothered by the fact that we were apparently EATEN WHOLE AND ALIVE!?

>>28375636
That's how she saw it; not what actually happened

>>28376120
She probably also missed the part where the monster pumped us full of its eggs, too.

>>28376693
N-no, we were saving ourself for marriage!

>>28376781
Is it too late to switch back and have Terry pump our womb full of his rich, thick bat cum?

I feel like we missed an opportunity there.

>>28376845
Yup, but we might be able to get a non-canon thing.

>>28376845
It's too late anon. We have to leave Tara and marry the shapeshifter to avoid bringing great dishonor on our family.

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>>28376859
:^)

>>28376918
I would

>people actually want combat

>>28377951
lmao

>>28379420

>>28379924

>>28380536

>>28381098

>>28381098

>>28382283

>>28384227

>>28384931

>>28372816
We cant open with spells, we need shields to cast.

Let's try hornslash, hornslash, hornslash

>>28386445
No. spells give us shields

>>28386916
But spells cost shields, and we don't have any up right now?

>>28387160
>http://pastebin.com/FHuWHUwV
>Upon attacking, gain a spell shield
>>SKILLS
>1 AP / 0 SH – Shoulder Check
Charge the enemy and deal light physical damage. Chance to Addle.
>1 AP / 0 SH – Horn Slash
Rush the enemy and slash them with your horn.

>>28387241
so we have no turn one options then? That makes an easy vote.

>>28387290
AP is something that increases at the beginning of a turn. SH only increases when we attack and decreases when we use it or reach a certain damage threshold. Both of those skills are 0SH so we can use them without shields. Please work on your reading comprehension.

>>28387290
AP is regained every turn. We are limited to 0SP attacks for our first attack only, assuming it hits.

>>28387342
There's also this:
>0 AP / X SH – Grim Wager
Sacrifice your shields to riposte the enemy upon counter attack and heal yourself. Severity of attacks sustained confers riposte damage dealt as well as HP recovered. If you have no shields, you may convert 15 HP into a single shield.
So we could end the turn with 4 SH if we want to. Also since we get the SH by making an attack, we might be able to spend them on the same turn.

>>28387362
Grim wager leaves us with no shields. The 15 HP swap is just to get a shield for the move to burn.

>>28387500
It doesn't say anything about burning the shield it generates.

>>28387581
>Sacrifice your shields
>If you have no shields, you may convert 15 HP into a single shield

>>28387611
Yes you sacrifice your shields for the spell, but It doesn't say that the shield you generate from the spell has to be burned, your already burning some HP.

>>28387659
Then why is the condition that you have no shield?

>>28387671
I don't know, how about we wait for Hijack to come on and get the answer than rather than speculating on something we most likely aren't going to do.

>>28387716
I'm entirely certain I'm right, otherwise he would have worded it differently. This move burns your shields and requires at least one. You can sacrifice HP for the shield you need to use it if you don't have any. It's really simple.

>>28387740
this is correct.

You need to have 1 shield to burn for grim wager to proc

however you ARE permitted to trade 15 hp for a shield and then NOT use grim wager's effect, but you need to specify that you are doing such a thing.

we can start with shoulder check, activate our spell sword, then do a horn slash.
we will get the shield necessary for the spell sword from the first attack, and end the turn with at least one shield up, plus anything we get from combo attacks if this is a proper string pls

>>28387798
So we're both actually right?

>>28387798
Might be better to list that shield gen as a separate move then.
>0AP / 0SP If you have no shields, you may convert 15 HP into a single shield.

>>28387880
Done. Movelist updated.
http://pastebin.com/FHuWHUwV

okay craft

>>28389005

>>28389922
Double dubs, check'd!

>>28389005

>>28391670

>>28393089

beb

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>Finally, you hear the wooden gate give way
>Followed shortly by the pounding of many feet, and the whipping of a large, heavy tail

>You look up at the doorway to see bits of wood rattling down the halls
>The creature hisses maliciously as it pokes its head into your corner
>And it cocks its head

>The tail that hangs above shifts and contorts as the light around it twists into various familiar faces
>Some you know, and others that you do not.

>It speaks slowly, and haltingly
>As if to send a specific message, collaged from the various words it has picked up
>With every word, its tail twists into a new façade to deliver the message

>”Y-Ou-…W-I’ll-…Fee-Duh…-Us…”
>You pause
“Feed? You? Really?”

>”It…I-Ss..Hope…Le-Ss...Pony-Ss…”
>”You don’t say?” Tara dismissively, flipping her hair.

>”Die-For-ME!..!”
>Tara and you look at each other, and you both stifle a wry chuckle
>”This thing really isn’t as smart as we thought it was, huh?”
“Not even close. It’s a disgrace to everything on this planet and more.” You add

>The creature bares its teeth, revealing a sickening maw dripping with saliva, soiling these sacred halls
>Its tail folds into a tight spiral, looking almost like a flower bud and raises high above the main body, a set of glowing organs peeking out between the cracks every now and again.

>You assume a low stance, and Tara stands at attention
“For the sake of all Equestrians, both long passed, and yet to be born – You will face justice!”

File: battle m5b start.png (487KB, 2100x1000px) Image search: [Google]

487KB, 2100x1000px

Note:
Highest voted string will be used.

==
Steel Charge
[HP: 100/100]
[AP: 3/3]
[SH: 0/6]

Tara
[Ready]

MOVESET:
http://pastebin.com/FHuWHUwV

INVENTORY:
http://pastebin.com/0XDpcTiU

>The monster stands at attention, watching you with jet-black, soulless eyes
>A sense of unholy rage consumes the area…

>What will you do?

>>28396925
Oh! Oh! We can drop the coffin on it! Am I a good player yet?

>>28396925
Ask if the monster has any wheat-based products for trade

>>28396935
Thank you Doxel. Also this.

>>28387831
I want to do this

>>28396925

What's the "T" points?

>>28396935
>>28396955
Lets wait until we're sure it won't miss.

>>28396991
I assume turns

Okay, assuming that Spell Blade does not require a shield upon start-up, I vote for Emergency Shield, Spell Blade, Horn Slash, Horn Slash. If that gets us an additional AP, store it for next turn.

>>28396999
And how will we know when it wouldn't miss?

>>28397145
There are status effects that prevent dodging.

>>28396938
I second this

>>28397161
>>28396938
Hijacker, stop being a fucking bully

>>28396935
I vote this

>>28397169
>>28397161
>>28396938
This meme came here too? We bread now?

>>28396925
Can Tara summon the skelewheels again?

>>28397181
Dude... Wheat LMAO

>>28397191
>>28397181
I don't get what's going on...

>>28397196
It's a shitty meme that Hijacker used when he first started this quest. Somebody is starting it up

>>28397220
I am 100% certain you are mistaken and this is someone shitposting

>>28397220
>It's a shitty meme that Hijacker used


Retard found. It's a meme from /biz/


We're being raided

>>28397225
Can you just kick them from the room so we can keep playing?

>>28397267
>>28397225
We are playing, we're asking for bread.

It was these guys' fault >>28397191
>>28397220
>>28397242

I have no idea who these fucks are

>nobody giving Tara inputs
Kek

>>28396925
We have two loaves of bread, we can dual wield it against him right? That's not banned is it?

>>28397267
>kick them from the room

You just meme'd like a boss

>>28387831
This works. Still waiting on an explanation for "T" though.

File: thinken of justice.png (134KB, 510x525px)

134KB, 510x525px

>You were working new techniques since Tara... emasculated you earlier...
>With this new method of casting, you'll fight even more devastating than before!

>>28396935
>You look above
>There appears to be a coffin hanging by some rusty chains
>If either you or Tara could free it...
>That would easily flatten any pony, or monster even!

>But the problem is reaching it...

>>28397190
"Tara, can you get more skeletons?"
>"Not sure, Steelie. The button behind us is stuck. There's a couple more around the room, but I don't know if I can help you if I go for them. Besides, we can totally take 'em!"

==

Still awaiting a vote superiority
There are two strings you can perform

>>28387831
and
>>28397084

Please either vote or suggest a new string.
If a consensus cannot be achieved, I will be using >>28387831, as it is the first option

>>28397519
*disrespects ur session*

>>28397519
I dunno, emergency shield, shoulder check, back up, spell arrow the monster, spell arrow the chains?

>AFAfags this buttblasted their fuccboi qm got rekt.

>>28397519
>>28396925
>>28397444
I want to start building shield count before doing anything else. There are actually quite a few turn one plays we can do. I would be fun to start off with Emergency Shield into three Spell arrows, very likely comboing and leaving us with a shield, but it's probably best to build ourselves up first before messing around.

I suggest Emergency Shield, Shoulder Check, Shoulder Check, Shoulder Check.
Have Tara use Eclipse.

Three basic attacks in a row tend to combo, there's really no need to have Spell Blade up so early while we're still building, and the three checks might addle it, buying us more time. And then there's >dodge.

>>28397546
Oh yeah, have Steel PDA too.
Every turn.

>>28397531
get the fuck out corrosion

>>28397546
>>28397574
Thanks Hero. I vote this.

>>28397546
This

File: battle m5b r1p.png (554KB, 2100x1000px) Image search: [Google]

554KB, 2100x1000px

>>28397546

>You use Emergency Shield!
>A shield has been generated!
>Your resolve is bolsted, and you will not fall so long as this shield remains!
HP: 85
SH: 1
AP: 3

>You use Shoulder Check!
>You use Shoulder Check!
>You use Shoulder Check!
>The enemy is Addled!
>The enemy cannot combo!

>Your attacks have comboed!
>'Full Gallop' activated!
>1 Dodge Gained!

>Your attacks have generated additional shields
>+3 SH

>Your shields have granted you additional effects!
>With 2SH, your defenses have increased!

>Your shields have granted you additional effects!
>Combo strings will now refund 1 AP upon success!

>Tara used 'Eclipse'
>+2 Dodge gained!
>Tara is unable to act for 2 Turns.
==

"I'm ready for whatever you can throw at me!" you boast


>"And if he isn't, then I'm here!" Tara adds

==

[[End of Turn Status]]

Steel
>HP: 85/100
>AP: 0(+1)/3
>SH: 4/6

>Defense +
>Dodge +3


Tara
[2 Turns]

File: file.png (280KB, 765x776px)

280KB, 765x776px

[[Enemy Turn Begins]]

>>Leibelah casts "Predatory Pursuit"
>It's body flexes and it breathes deeply
>It's movements appear to be wild and erratic
>+1 Dodge Gained
>Attack increased!

>It looks at you and Tara, and raises its head to the sky
>>Leibelah casts "Terrifying Shriek!"

===
>Tara slaps your flank, and while you flinch from the act, you do hear her say
>"Steelie! Plug your ears!"

>You reflexively slap your hooves over your ears, and the monster's screech hurts only a little
"Woah! Thanks, Tara!"
>"Stay safe, hun."

===

>...But you dodge the attack!
>Leibelah cocks its head to the side, examining you and Tara

>It jerks its head to the sky and looses a somber wail that echoes through the complex
>>Leibelah used "Call of Kin!"
>It appears to be waiting for something...

>As it waits, its trains your eyes on you, specifically
>Its jet black orbs gazing endless into yours
>>Leibelah used "Insight!"
>It watches your moves and attempts to discern your tactics...

[[End of Enemy Turn Status]]

>Leibelah is waiting for something...
>Leibelah has 1 Dodge
>Attack+ Active

===

[[Player Turn Begins!]]

>Your Dodge decays, leaving you vulnerable once more.

Steel
>HP: 85/100
>AP: 3(+1)/3
>SH: 4/6

>Defense+ Active


Tara
[1 Turn]

>What will you do?

>>28397939
Lead with a shoulder check, make it think we're just gonna do the same thing, then switch to a spell arrow and finish up with a stomp.

>>28397935
My apologies, I neglected to list the damage you dealt with shoulder check

Shoulder Check = 15

Total Damage = 45

>>28397939
>add summoning
fuck
Also, am I misunderstanding dodge? Is it a guaranteed dodge now or is it still a stat buff? Because it sounds like we went from 3 stacks to 0 all during it's turn.

Start by using the Steel Torch on it, hopefully blinding it momentarily and cancelling out whatever Insight is doing for it.
From there, I say Stomp, Spell Blade, Horn Slash, PDA

>>28397939
>Call of Kin
Enemy reinforcements incoming!

Horn slash, horn slash, horn slash.

>>28398046
>Also, am I misunderstanding dodge? Is it a guaranteed dodge now or is it still a stat buff? Because it sounds like we went from 3 stacks to 0 all during it's turn.
Dodge has been turned into a status buff in which you can dodge enemy strikes per stack

1 Dodge = 1 Attack avoided

Because Steel does not have the proper items, buffs, or passives to retain Dodge, all dodge stacks gained during your turn will reset when the enemy ends their turn.

>>28398046
ill second stomp, spellblade, horn slash and the torch if hiji lets us do it without needing an ap

>>28397939
Stomp, Spell Blade, Horn Slash, Horn Slash

>>28398085
>>28398046
>it dodges the light flash or the stomp
I change my string then.

Steel Torch, Spell Blade, Horn Slash, Spell Chain, Spell Arrow targeting the coffin, PDA

If it's getting backup, I want to get the coffin hit before something else can take the hit in its place. I'm also wary about Stomp getting dodged. Horn Slash missing isn't too big of a deal and should still trigger a combo.

>>28398202

>>28397996 here. Switching my vote to this.But I would like to use spell chain BEFORE horn slash in the hopes of getting more damage due to spell chain debuff.

>>28398228
>before horn slash
It all depends on which move it dodges. Assuming it does not dodge the Steel Torch, it dodging horn slash is much better than it dodging spell chain, which is why I ordered it that way.

>>28398251
Agreed. That's my vote.