Crystal Symphony [CYOA]

File: a growing darkness.jpg (145KB, 1280x720px) Image search: [Google]

145KB, 1280x720px

>>29214920
Hakumen?

You smile towards Nifty Ribbon tenderly, like an older sibling would, “Sure there is use to doing something you’re bad at; it’s to get good at it! You won’t be able to ride a bicycle without learning it first, same is to things like climbing, reading, walking and, of course, singing!”

The young filly grimaces back at you, “You know that’s not true, I mean – not completely. You don’t have to learn and struggle to get good at your special talent from zero, sure, to be even better at it but not from nothing!”

“Your talent might not be just your old-fashioned “good at singing”, Nifty,” you smirk in a recollection, “I wonder why I never told you or everypony else at the class how I got my Cutie Mark. When I was a little filly I loved music, adored it. I thought it was my joy, my destiny. Thing was, I failed at every instrument I played and have I tried everything.”

“Even organ?” she asks with a suspicious narrow of her eyes.

“Only once, but yes; it wasn't until later I finally realized my true talent was conducting the very instruments I've failed at, and I haven’t even tried that until much later. So close and yet so completely different, do you not agree with me? Our destiny and the cutie marks that represent that can be so odd and wonderful, Nifty Ribbon.”

“Right,” she sighs and tilts his head backwards, “Right. But then... why are you not conducting now, teacher?”

“I-”

You wish to respond, really, but your dry throat rashes and, then, there’s a silent, invisible assault. You feel as if your entire body begins to crumble and your very soul rips and rends from the daggers of the eldritch presence. You feel your positive emotions twisting into hollow existence and outburst of anger, sadness and pure, barren despair. Then, you are able to hear, or feel, the disappearing zing of the Crystal Heart. Something is not right at the pedestal.

Nifty Ribbon can sense it, too; her eyes are lifted in horror towards the misleadingly tranquil crystal castle.

>What do you do now?

>>29214942
Try to say something like "Everything will be okay, don't worry." before you fade away out of existance.

“Everything will be okay!” you assure you from the bottom of your heart, the reality itself fading before your very eyes. Yet, as you soon come to realize, the dream is not over. You open your eyes only to find your body weak and feeble. The dancing gemstone patterns on your body and mane are no longer present, crumbled to be replaced with bleaker and darker hues and colors. Even your emotions feel false and forced, as if you are trying to phony them.

There’s a tremble in your mind as you try to recollect what has happened afterwards. You find yourself standing before the pedestal of the Crystal Castle; not alone, but with dozen if not hundreds of other crystal ponies present. Similar to your sickness they, too, look different, changed by something sinister; a force beyond their control. You are barely able to identify with the mutter of their worried yells, yet you are able to hear them frantically discussing the disappearance of the Crystal Heart. That cannot be right. You push yourself through the dense and frenzied mob only to find their words be true – the pedestal is empty and the powerful artifact is gone missing!

There’s a pony standing a couple of hooves away from the dais wearing a thick, black cowl and hood, the gray skin of his face barely visible under the thick shadow. He’s not looking at the ponies gathered and standing in circle around him; neither is he moving or answering some of the more worried questions from the crowd. Is that a smile you see?

>What do you do now?

>>29216700
Wake up.

>>29216700
oh this is when sombre reappear and we became his disciple for dark magic training.

>>29216700
Try to demand explanation from that shadowy figure, if we realise that it's our dream.
Else just tremble in fear and confusion.

>>29216910
>Else just tremble in fear and confusion.
Yeah, that's the more likely course of action old Aurora would have taken

>>29216979
The point is that if Aurora realises that it's only a dream, she can try to act more brave, just because she wants to show/genuinely tries to be a better pony, while not risking anything.

This moment is something that is familiar to you, yet there’s something odd and unsure about it. As the dark figure turns to face you, you imagine, your hooves tremble in unsettling fear, and the ponies around you feel it too. Some of them stumble back and some of them exchange unnerving glances. The figure places his gray hoof upon the pedestal and only then, he finds a couple of stallions brave enough to approach him – the royal guards. The two tall, menacing figures stop before the silent shadow as you gasp for air, unsure of what to do now. Better remain silent?

“Hey, you,” one of them says with an obvious hostility, “Do you have anything to do with the Crystal Heart’s disappearance?” he asks.

The figure does not answer.

“Tch,” the second one bites his lips, “I’ll watch over him, Zinc Javelin, get Princess Amore here, immediately.”

“Are you sure you are going to be fine alo-“

“The Princess,” the voice of the shadow creep and now, it’s more than obvious that is Sombra himself, and the moment is clear to you now more than even – his first takeover of the Crystal Empire, “Has left you and this world.”

There’s a gasp in the crowd around you, some of the ponies look in disbelief. You do not remember your reaction.

>What do you do now?

Sorry guys, I need to wake up early. It's a short session after such a huge delay but I promise I'll run tomorrow, and more often, now.

So much things about to happen!

>>29218438

>>29217172
If we can't remember, we could try to do reality check and then act bravely. We usually know that our dreams are indeed dreams, so we will feel better if our reaction to current events will be different than during the original happening.

As the memories of the day you first endured through the pain caused by the fading of the Crystal Heart, and its energy of love you grew oh so dependent on, shape themselves like a puzzle piece inside your mind, you clear your head to differentiate between the delusion of dream and your memory. The dark lifeblood of your energy, the arcane of black magic, is yours to control and it this veil is anything you wish it to be: you focus to tell yourself this.

What happens next is, for certain, not what has actually occurred back then. Instead of standing away from him, you take a step forwards instead; towards the outline that is Sombra himself. You feel stronger – braver - now, if only barely; it is a strange feeling. You wonder, is it because there’s nothing left to risk in your life that you are able to oppose the fearing and pessimistic taunts of Sombra and his demonic presence, or is it something different?

There’s an unfocused blur as one of the guards attempts to restrain the unicorn; the “fight” lasts barely a second long. With a howling echo, the sentinel is blinded and then forcefully smashed into the ground, his eyes burned by the fire of the sinister alicorn magic. The second guard attempts to jump in but is immediately frozen still as soon as his eyes meet the glare of the Shadow King. He stands, as if paralyzed, unable to move or mutter a single word.

“I knew it was going to be easy,” you remember hearing Sombra say back then, “But this? This is not even a struggle, even below my expectations.”

>What do you do now?

>>29223826
Not a prompt.

Since we're playing fantasy Aurora... ask him what he wants, why is he doing this.

>>29225654

good night bump

>>29225654
We might as well wake up, honestly, nothing to do here.

>>29229337
I... have to agree.

>>29223826
Fuck him up to feel better, then wake up.

I am very sorry to say this, but honestly, there is barely anything we could do here.

The figure lowers his heavy hood with a creeping motion, exposing the face of the future tyrant to the crowd in front of him. Sombra’s cold and arrogant stare is filled with repulsion and dissatisfaction, the green glister of his eyes evaporates into the air with an eldritch sounding hiss. The dark bubbles envelop his horn like an infectious hive.

Even without his crown present, he has a presence one would expect of a ruthless sovereign. He twists his head at you: “What a pathetic display,” his voice practically gnaws itself. He whispers loudly, “Bow before me… all of you.”

“No,” your voice rings back as the air of your dream brightens, “I won’t bow to you, whoever you are.”

He’s taken aback, or so it seems in your vision. His face twists into one of surprise and maniacal joy as the dark energy of his magic immediately entraps you inside a torturing bind. The Crystal Ponies near you, after noticing your abrupt punishment, fall on their knees with a wretched tremble. The future king forces a grin as he then tightens up your restraints, the bones of your body cracking with an obnoxiously loud echoing. Damn it, Aurora, concentrate!

Ignoring, or even forcing yourself through the pain, you clutch, raise and then forcefully shove your hoof through the void of Sombra’s magical coffin. The unicorn of your nightmares is forced to stumble back and hit an invisible, burning wall of dark magical fire – your fire. The moment he turns back, however, your hoof has already reached his face. The impact of the hit is so powerful it is enough to shatter the remains of your dream into oblivious of reality.

“Last thing I want to see in my sleep is your ugly face,” you sneer at the disappearing image; such rapture.

>>29232042
That was nice. We're fucking ready to get this shit up and running, whatever task we have at hand. And that was...?

*** *** ***

>Body Changes:
08% [+3] Alicorn ‘Dark’ Magic [Magic]
00% [-3] Volatile Arcane [Magic]

You wake up inside the same place in which you fell asleep in – the damp and murky mining cavern. It is at times like those you are, if only barely, happy that you do not suffer through the troubles that are starvation and discomfort of anything less soft than a cushion. As a living golem of crystals and poison, even a sleep to you is more of a luxury than a necessity. Of course, it is not difficult to start looking for benefits once you are turned into a soulless reaper.

With a glister of hope, you wobble your head to look around yourself – the time of the outside world evaporates in the clutches of this darkness; here, it is always nighttime. Dejectedly, you accept that Golden Shield has not returned and that you are unsure of his whereabouts. With a mental sigh you use the nearby wall to stand up, the energy of your body reacting with the maximum clarity and power: it is something you feel you’ll need today, call it a hunch.

With the help of the barely burning candles you leave the lodge to enter a more expansive part of the mining cavern. Inside, you spot a makeshift table and a familiar figure of Red Sulfur; as always, wearing his “run of the mill” artifact that is the “Quartz Eye Robe”, talking clothing. Since the shadow of the hood covers his face, you are unsure if he’s asleep or not. What you are sure of is that there’s nopony else in here besides him. You can hear a quiet sob, too.

>What do you do now?

>>29232060
Let ask Sulfur what is wrong, he usually just act tired about everything.

>>29232149
Better, hug him.

>>29232172
That actually might not be better, given Aurora's phobia and Red's... abrasiveness.

>>29232210
Hug him after a while of hesitation and be very gentle?

You approach your friend and, while you do make an attempt to remain sneaky and silent, the weight and grind of your body is just too much for the silence that you find yourself in. Despite this, Red Sulfur doesn’t react; in fact, he doesn’t even raise his head at you. Can it be that he’s crying in his sleep? - You ponder as you move in closer. No, there’s a mutter, a mutter and a quiet, but hostile, motion as the reef gold stallion picks up one of the alchemical bottles in his sleep and tosses it a few inches above your head. He grunts as he appears to finally notice you.

“Damn it,” you can hear him grind through his clenched teeth as he wipes out the tears on his eyes, “Aurora… sorry.”

“Sulfur,” you offer him a courteous bow and a positive sentiment, “Can’t sneak upon on you; is everything… alright?”

“Yes,” he follows hesitantly, “Yes, everything is… fine. What about you?” he changes the topic masterfully. He does not look that good; despite the deep shadows you are able to see his cracked, bitten lip and worn-out crimson eyes.

>What do you do now?

>>29232320
Come now, Sulfur. I think none of us are "fine." Please tell me what is wrong. Maybe I can help somehow.

>>29232320
We're equally not fine. We both need help, thus we should help each other. One day we will part our ways, but not now. Now I ask you: what's wrong? You helped me, finding the crystal remnants, now I shall help you.

“I’m…” you allow the empty pause to settle, “Not fine, Sulfur. I think none of us are ‘fine’ here”

The stallion gingerly raises his front leg and places the elbow over his face; he lifts his face just barely enough to see you. Though the awkward silence, the stallion’s deep, amber eyes quickly glance away, as if in a distrust or fear. With a quiet sniff, he mutters, “I just need some rest and sleep, that’s all…” he yawns in an exaggeration, “My turn now.”

“Sulfur,” you say in an attempt to soften the voice of a walking statue, “I ask you: what is wrong?”

The stallion attempts to quickly pass by you with a stubborn, even somewhat antagonistic, reaction, “You’re annoying, Aurora. I’ve said everything is fine; I’ll tell you about the research after… my… sleep.”

You stop him - however, with a powerful grip your crystallized hoof catches the barely standing stallion in your embrace as you hold him down despite the weak struggle he puts out to escape. Red Sulfur grunts in anger, and yells in insult, as he attempts to free himself, his attitude showing. To your surprise, you do not feel any disgust to the touching embrace. While Red Sulfur is a young stallion, he’s a friend first, a friend that needs – requires - your help.

“Let me go, Aurora! I’ve worked several hours on your repairs, but I’m still going to break them if I have to!”

“You did,” your mental smile grows, “You did, Red Sulfur, you’ve helped me.” You take a moment to softly place his head on your shoulder; the stallion is barely able to hold down to his tears now, “Let it out, Red Sulfur. I’ll listen.”

“Gnhg,” he grumbles in an obvious vacillation as he struggles to keep his emotions under control; he fails. The stream of tears finally breaks, leaking by his cheeks in a disobedient manner. The stallion smashes his hoofs against your back and torso, more than aware than he will do not damage – or indifferent. With a wretched kick, he whimpers, “What the heck” he asks, “Damned King, what the fuck I ask… Me to be his successor, Aurora? What kind of sick, twisted joke is this, ah?! Why did we let him go alone, why? I’m not an enchanter, I never wanted to be this; I’ve only joined his side to avoid being a slave in the Crystal Mines, Aurora. This is not right, he shouldn’t be dead…”

>What do you do now?

>>29232645
No... no, he shouldn't. But this is what the king has wrought. Not just Ginger but for all of us. We're very similar Red. I too chose to became the king's apprentice to avoid the fate of so many others in the mines or at war. Sulfur, you can't be the pony Ginger was, you can only be yourself.

I'll be making a pause here, though I'm open for more suggestions. Thank you for playing!

Nightly bump.

>>29234308

Poor Sulfur. I'd hug him if I could, imagining a broken pony like that just makes me so sad. This >>29232875 is fine.

Vince, stop throwing horsebandos at us.

>>29237599

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-NRPfEfxl8

“Sulfur, you can't be the pony Ginger was, nor do you need to; you can only be yourself.”

“It’s not what you said last time,” he grits his hooves against your back in a semi-angry retort, he doesn’t mean it, not really, “You told me I have to continue his legacy, as I’m the only one who can.”

“I didn’t mean it like that, Red Sulfur,” you gently lean your neck onward, allowing the stallion to lay his head on your shoulder during his fickle melancholy. Red Sulfur nibbles his lip in a mad effort to hold down his sobs; there’s a visible dripping of blood slid off his chin because of this. In the accustomed and bare muteness of crystal cavern, the broken voice of Red Sulfur is just that much noticeable, and the echoing of his cries is just that much taunting.

“You are right, I’m the only one who can,” his curse is barely audible, “It’s not right, why it has to be me?”

“It’s not,” you caress his hood back gently, “But if you do not wish to, I’m sure Ginger Spice will understand. His legacy is his own, Red Sulfur, alright? Even if you carry on with his research, it will be yours and yours alone.”

“I’m… if only it wasn’t me,” he closes his eyes and silences his breath, “I didn’t give him the time of day when he tried to teach me, Aurora. If I knew he was going to… pass away, I would be more diligent. I didn’t give a damn, Aurora, and now it’s too late. He shouldn’t have had picked me, I didn’t expect him to die and leave me desperate.”

“Red Sulfur-”

“If there was one thing, only thing I used to be sure of, is that we would be protected and safe in Sombra’s eyes as long we were willing to supply him, to obey his wishes and join his side by our own decision. Even that was a lie.”

“Red Sulfur, listen-”

“He had a pick of several willing, and more hard-working ponies, it’s not my fault,” his voice is filled with miserliness; “It’s not my fault that, for him, there’s nopony but me! He didn’t even plan to die; I wasn’t even a proper student of his, just a foster foal that somehow managed to slip in his care for his own benefits. I don’t own him anything...”

>What do you do now?

>>29238681
I guess Sulfur is a bit insecure in his abilities. Reassure him. There was only one Royal Enchanter, and only one student. Sure, he can choose different thing to learn, especially now in these times of turmoil, but he's the only one who has the basic knowledge, isn't he? He can continue what Ginger started, if only he will believe in himself. Even if he choose this to not become a slave, crystals, enchanting and all that shit had to be his at least minor interest. Yes he can do it. We believe he can do it. But it's his choice, not ours. He has to make this decision freely and not forcing himself. We can only emphasize on how much we believe in him.

“Ginger Spice earned the title of the Royal Enchanter, that means that even Sombra has acknowledged his skill, experience and knowledge,” you make a short, memorial pause, “Of course it will be hard for you to follow in his steps, Red Sulfur. Yet, I’m certain that you’ll be able to do it, as long as you believe in yourself; if you pick to do so.”

“What a childish garble,” he hisses gracelessly as he leans into your crystallized skin, “This is not a folk tale, Aurora.”

“You are selling yourself short, Red Sulfur,” the tone of your voice heightens with a crescendo, “Don’t do that. Ginger Spice didn’t pick you because he felt sorry for you, or because you’ve asked him nicely – he’s not that easy, you should know. Perhaps he taught you the basics of his knowledge, Red Sulfur, but you have an immense talent, I know you do. The way you have repaired me, the sparkle in your eyes when you’ve mentioned ‘Futurium Ash’…”

You notice the stallion blink and retort; his head quickly jabs back as he stares at you in an oblivious disclosure.

“You have interest in crystals and enchantments, in a different but a similar fashion to your master, Red Sulfur.”

“What do you know?” he mutters with a growing aggravation.

“Only you know yourself, and only you can make this decision. But, I have a feeling you have a bright future, and Ginger Spice knew it too. I’ll emphasize with you, Red Sulfur, as we very similar in some ways. I’ll cheer you on.”

He snarls with a barely visible coyness, “You’re being overly nice, Aurora, don’t be. I didn’t fix you to be thanked.”

>What do you do now?

>>29239056
This is it. You did it for making sure you can, for achieving something, did you not? And you've also earned my gratitude.

That's all for today, sorry!

File: CS Red Sulfur.png (40KB, 720x539px) Image search: [Google]

40KB, 720x539px

Bump with best boy.

I'll give you a small bump

>>29240320
Damn he looks old.

>>29243799
He's just tired and maybe sick, Sombraverse does that to you.

>>29244087
>Random pony lands in Sombraverse
>When he's finally saved by his friends, he looks like an old wreck of a pony he once was
Shit man.

>>29239056
Then why did you fix me, hm?

>>29242376

File: Aurora-S-senpai.png (174KB, 720x539px) Image search: [Google]

174KB, 720x539px

I shall be taking a break today and, hopefully, running a long session sometime tomorrow.

>>29244087
This anon is right, here's how Red Sulfur would look like if he wasn't suffering through this current timeline. Or maybe not.

Well holy shit, Vince. You finally got me to care about Red Sulfur.

>>29247168

>>29248473

>>29249345

Just another bump.

And another.

“Then why did you do it, Sulfur?” you ask with a coy presence in your voice, “Why did you decide to fix me, then?”

The stallion attempts to release himself from your bearish hug and, with just a bit of resistance, he breaks himself out of your clinch. He takes a tentative, practically timid step backwards. He quickly drops his gaze and then mutters:
“You’ve asked me, and you were falling apart,” he knocks his head to the side, “I also hoped to know, to see if-”

“To see if you would be able to do what you did before, but this time, without Ginger Spice’s guidance – right?” You interrupt him, completely aware of the packed impoliteness of your manner; still, it is important you let him know you appreciate him and his feelings. “You didn’t need him standing behind you, guiding, to fix me this time.”

“My repairs are nothing compared to masters’,” he protests, “It was just beginner’s luck, Aurora, unlike Spice’s.”

Your grating, gemstone voice chuckles with an unintended menace, “If you want to call it such. Are you afraid you won’t be able to do it a second time, then, Red Sulfur, when I’ll need to be repaired again?”

He shakes his head with his usual, layback attitude, and raises his shoulders in a weak shrug, “Don’t know.”

There’s a short, silent pause as the two of you simple stand there, unsure of what to do or say but to smile, at least Red Sulfur tries to smile. You try to, if that much counts. Then, once Red Sulfur is completely relaxes, he delicately asks you: “What do you plan to do now? With Equestrian forces moving towards the Empire, what do you think is going to happen?” He then tugs the heavy fabric of his enchanted hood, “I have no idea; we’re in quite the trouble.”

>What do you do now?

>>29251711
So we are. I was hoping to find the resistance but it seems nobody has a clue where they are. All I know is that I don't want to be among Sombra loyalists when either the king or Equestrians get here. As much as I want to go after Shield I think we should take a risk and try to work with the Equestrians.

“So we are, Sulfur, so we are,” you make a short pause to ponder things over. “For certain, I do not wish to be counted as one of Sombra’s loyalist, even if he’s the one who arrives here first. That is my decision, and yours?”

The stallion gingerly raises his amber eyes at you, “If the King is really back, then anything can happen now.”

“You are right,” your chin lowers in a nod, “Anything can happen, and hopefully the Princess will be able to put an end to all of this with her blitz assault; we can only hope for that. But I’d rather not be here when she or he arrives.”

“The rumors of ‘Cloud Nine’ are not false, Aurora,” Sulfur retorts back, “The ponies of United Equestria do not hold grudge against Sombra alone, and I wouldn’t either. It’s fair to assume they’ll be prisoners, especially ones like me.”

“Not if they heed reason, Red Sulfur. I was able to talk with the likes of Spitfire, Verity and Soarin. It’s not too late.”

The stallion begrudgingly agrees with you, his headshake is just enough to boost your self-confidence.

“As much as I would want to go after Golden Shield-”

“-Of course you would.”

“-I think we should take a risk and try to work with the Equestrians.”

“The army that is currently moving at us?” Red Sulfur’s eyes slightly broaden up, “They’ll destroy you on first sight…”

You mentally cringe at the image, “I wish there was another way but, my hope to find the Crystal Empire’s resistance ended up without even starting; nopony seems to have a clue where they are at. Aren’t they supposed to be foals?”

“The resistance?” Red Sulfur yawns at the silent darkness in a though, “The ‘Revolution Song’ you mean? Yes, all I’ve heard of them are baseless rumors and how they are fucking us up even more than what the Vizier does, like what they did with the Empire’s water supply. Wait,” he pauses, “Wait, I think in one of her stories… Yes, I’m sure of it, in one of her stories yesterday night Quoits Clover mentioned the rebels.” Red Sulfur winces, “Then again, most of her other stories were a complete muddle of reason and pragmatism. Who knows where we’ll end up following that?”

>What do you do now?

>>29252006
Are you suggesting that we listen to Clover? Still, I will speak with her and see what she has to say.

>>29252006
I can't believe I'm saying this. Seance Clover have a strange talent to be extremely lucky, then what ever the story she told about their location might be where they are at right now. Can you tell me what she said about the rebels?

>>29252006
>the only lead we have is the storymaker Clover
Well shit, might as well ask her for the magical doohickeys.

“Are you seriously suggesting that we listen to Clover, of all ponies?” you ask distrustfully.

“I did say that it might not be the best idea,” Red Sulfur retorts back with a yawn, “But it’s one of the few, Aurora.”

“I guess so,” you sigh, more psychologically than physically, “I can't believe I'm saying this… She has a talent to be extremely lucky, right?”

Red Sulfur shrugs nonchalantly, “I guess so, that’s what Blackward and others talk and tell highly of the Royal Strategist, or was it Tactician?”

“Then whatever the story she told you about their location might be where they are at right now.”

“That can be true or absolute gabber,” he tells you upfront, “Listen, Aurora; she told me she met them on the edges of the Frozen North, the coldest place in all of Equestria. She said that she encountered them as she was traveling through the village settlements of the Crystal Mountains, and that is where they make their sanctuary. Apparently, they attacked her and then they had an tremendous mêlée at the end of which she was able to leave them with a warning of never trying to attack her again,” Red Sulfur appears to be skeptical, “If there’s anything reasonable in this premise is that the river that flows into the Crystal Empire resides in the Crystal Mountains, and it’s more or less a perfect place for the ‘Rebellion Song’ to hide in, as nopony will ever bother to go through the snows and blizzard to investigate it.”

“Is it really that cold?” you ask despite being a golem of crystal impervious to high altitudes and the spoil of snow.

“Extremely deadly,” he follows with a flinch, “Nopony sane will go up there, unless they really need something.”

“And where’s Clover now?” you ask him.

“No idea,” he answers with a shrug, “Should be somewhere in Manehattan; it’s been rather hectic outside.”

>What do you do now?

>>29252562
Look for Clover and ask. If the two stories will be the same or similar, we may assume she's not bullshitting us for once. That and rebels hiding in cold, unreachable area close to the river they could poison seems very probable.

>>29252562
Hectic how? Anything happen I should know about?

>>29252598
Also this: >>29252593

My main concern is that if we follow this lead that we'd have to go around the empire and that it would take too long to get there with too little gain.

“Hectic?” you ask him, “What do you mean? Has anything major happened while I was… asleep?”

“No, don’t worry,” Red Sulfur responds with a lift of his shoulders, “Nothing major, it’s just that the Royal Overseer and the Royal Hastiliarius have been overdoing things, I think so, in the training department. I’ve also heard that Blackward plans to put some of the remaining Fidelity Helmets on several slaves to form a second, rogue Vanguard.”

“He’s going to put the cursed helmets on other ponies?” you gasp, an obvious disgust present on your face.

“I’ve heard as much, I didn’t leave the cave. Stayed with you,” he tells you with a small smirk; what an asshole.

“Damn…” you consider stopping Blackward from commending yet another heinous act yet, you stop to ponder and think: do you really have the right to stop him? This might be one of the only chances for him to protect Manehattan, after all, and you are just a rascal golem in unfamiliar, neutral waters. “I’ll… think about it, on other hoof, rebels hiding in cold, unreachable area close to the river they could poison seem very probable, Red Sulfur.”

“Do you want to risk it?” he asks you with an obvious, exaggerated raise of his eyebrow.

“I think… we need to find Clover first, and ask her in more details, important details. Sulfur, this might sound arrogant but… do you think you can accompany men on this journey, if I do end up going to the Frozen North?”

The stallion pauses, the heaviness of the air dampening before your very eyes, “If you can find me something warm.”

>>29252766
Express gratitude. Maybe we'll even find Shield on our way up there to the North. But first things first, let's look for Clover. as for the Fidelity Helmets. We know how terrible they are and forcing ore ponies to suffer the same fate as our temporal comrade is bad, but I don't want conflict with Blackward. Plus he still has the whole city to care about.

>>29252766
Thank you, Red. I'll see what I can find.

Let's go to Blackward first. We have to stop him if we can.


I know we didn't ask him but honestly... I'm surprised he agreed. Also,
>an obvious disgust present on your face
Holy hell, we can emote now?

*** *** ***

You enter one of the many flatlands now present within the Manehattan Capitol; this one, or so you heard, previously used to be an unrestrained and ever-growing park with all sorts of compilation of trees, bushes, exotic animals and even foreign fishes! Following the victory of the Crystal Empire and the successful siege, as well as the forces and Sombra’s dark magic reaching the frontlines of the metropolis, the area now is nothing but a dead, arid meadow.

You spot Blackward, the clockwork general, standing before a kneeling, and almost begging, stallion before him. Two of his soldiers, sharing the same design of multitude of turbines, spare parts and bolts, as well as gray smog, are attempting to restrain the slave before him who is clearly trying to get out and fight for his rights – the little he has.

“Please,” the stallion whispers with a weak and breaking voice, “Please, don’t put it on me.” To you and Red Sulfur, the fear of the stallion is more or less obvious – the Fidelity Helmet that Blackward is trying to put on his head.

“I cannot afford or risk disapproval and mutiny in my ranks, and I do not trust you enough,” the breaker bay stallion speaks, “You should be rewarded for your actions, soldier, accept your duty gracefully. You will perform excellently.”

>What do you do now?

>>29252849
We have to do something. Plead with Blcakward to not place the helmet on him.

>>29252849
Ask for him the stallion go, but don't intervene any further. They all will be free when we will overthrow Sombra and the Vizier.

You approach the disorganized situation with an uncertain, even frenzied, pace. You raise your hoof to catch the augmented stallion, and his soldiers’, interest. “Blackward, Royal Hastiliarius,” you address the stallion as properly as you are capable, by name and title collectively, “Please, let him go. They don’t need to wear a helmet to fight here.”

“If it is King Sombra who will arrive here, it is correct,” Blackward retorts, the blistering and ever-cursed helm patiently lying on his hooves in wait, “But Crystal Warlock Aurora, did you know that the reason for the majority, sixty percent, of the unsuccessfully and even completely lost battles in Equestrian History has been the disloyalty and disobedience of the ponies under the general’s command? The Fidelity Helmet brings such a percent to a zero.”

“You do not know how… horrible it is to wear the Fidelity Helmet, Blackward.”

“The drastic situation drags me to drastic measures. As long as the army is collective I do not… care,” he adds.

>What do you do now?

>>29253183
Pretty brutal attitude, but also pragmatic. He's right, even if it's fucking insane kind of right. But maybe. Just maybe he could form auxiliary forces instead? He could check their loyalty this way. If he disagrees... well, we cannot do anything else. We don't need another little civil war here.

>>29253242
I really wish I had more to say that "this."

I considered using our spell to make the thoughts of those already enslaved to show him how awful it is but at this point I don't think he'd even care.

Hey guys, I'll be taking a break now; I shall continue tomorrow. Thank you all for playing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siP58mIp1Qs