Crystal Symphony [CYOA]

Your name is Aurora Flare, a mare that spend several years of her life in a comfortable and blissful slumber of ignorance only to be awaken by a grim reminder of King Sombra’s ceaseless presence. With a soul made of treacherous dark magic, in a body of putrid red crystals and gemstones, you now stood as a golem of war and a structure of terror. Unlike any other golem created by Sombra, however, you were in control of it. As a dead mare walking, you forced yourself into the challenges and gambles of this world. With a second chance of doing what’s right, you broke the invisible chains of Sombra and his mongering and you set your hoof on saving your friend.

Your name is Aurora Flare, a mare who is nothing more than a crystal pebble in the grand theatre of war and principles that is Equestria. With Sombra’s damning release of the monsters of Tartarus, the United Equestrian Forces preparing an all-out attack on the Crystal Empire, the disappearance of your close friend Golden Shield on his way towards the Crystal Empire, and the death of your close acquaintance Ginger Spice, you and your companion Red Sulfur settled on a daring and deadly journey to the frozen reaches of the Crystal Mountains in order to find the location of the so-called Resistance that is currently in possession of the “Crystal Note”, one of your only salvations.

And now…

You place your heavy hoof on the thick, almost solidified snow surface. The open, clear sky and distant, radiating sun obliges your crystal body to sparkle as heavy and strong as a shooting superstar; fortunately, you find yourself wearing heavy draperies to cover your cadaver from unneeded glamour and attention. While catching attention of the resistance is what you, indeed, need, Red Sulfur argued that not only it’s very likely for him to go blind from the reflective whiteness of the Snow Mountains and your twinkling surface; it’ll also grab the attention of predators.

The predators are many in those snow mountains, which you, at least, know for certain. The powerful wind that rends and cuts the mountains like a sharp knife or the freezing air caught in a gust of which you can ceaselessly turn into an ice statue, are ferocious predators in their own right. While those things are of the concern of your safety and well-being, they are not as likely to kill you as they do your companion – Red Sulfur. The golden-skinned stallion is wearing a dozen of woolen clothes to protect his body from the cold, and goggles, to safe himself from the wind.

“Are you hanging there all-right?” your mellow voice asks your friend with a worry, “Do you need a rest, Sulfur?”

“Its fine,” he tiredly yawns into his five layers of scarf, “I’d rather rest when we find someplace warm.”
You look over his shoulder to spot a drawing of a map or, at least, something closely similar to a map.

File: CS Frozen North.png (1MB, 720x539px) Image search: [Google]

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“I remember now,” you say as you shift the placement of your hooves with a grind, the cold climate quickly freezing your crystallized joints in place with each other, “I’ve saw the map of the mountains too, but I don’t remember it.”

“I’ve read it once three or five years ago,” the stallion shrugs with a lazy smirk, “One time should be enough, right?”

You sheepishly, with a bit of a taken insult, shift your gemstone eyes at the map of the Crystal Mountains.

>What do you do now?

>>29351730
Go to trotland first. Maybe crystal north will be ok

>>29351795
Yep. I hope to avoid the yetis. Sounds like bad news.

“We might as well check Trotland first,” you nudge your hoof at the drawing of town ruins, “Do you know anything about it, Red Sulfur? I’ve never heard of such a town.”

The stallion lazily, either from the lack of energy or lack of effort, shakes his head at you, “Don’t know, it’s a town…”

You return the needless shake of your own. You raise your head to stare into the open distance of the high reach, an entire sea of jagged peaks and mountains. As you mentally grasp for your breath, you focus on one of the black shadows deep far in the distance, “Let’s go to Trotland, it would make sense to settle in ruins of rundown town.”

“We will have to pass through the caves of Yetis,” Red Sulfurs adds with a worry, “I’m not fighting, Aurora.”

“You won’t have to,” you smirk at him mentally, “You can barely stand, Red Sulfur. It’s best to try to pass in-between them, if possible. If we do end up fighting those creatures, I mean ‘I end up fighting them’, then there’s that.”

“There’ll be no place to repair you here,” he says. That is not your greatest worry or concern at all up here!

“Did you bring anything with you that can be of use?” you ask him as you muster over the options you have.

“Blackward wouldn’t let me have the crystals I’ve invented for him, could have had been useful. Aside from that-,” Red Sulfur pauses to raise both of his hooves and increase the empty space between them, “No, I didn’t.”

Of course he did not, that would be even more of a weight and practically useless baggage to worry about. As you lower your gaze you manage to approximately spot the supposed location of the dozen or so caves that, per Red Sulfur words, are the hunting and resting grounds of the pony-eating Yetis; bad news. From all the way up here the ground and the caves appear to be empty, but you know better than to be hopeful or naïve. While the better idea would be to walk around their nests, the mountains that surround the only way through are tall, slippery and edgy.

You will need a plan, and maybe Red Sulfur can offer an idea or two as well. How will the encounter with yetis go?

>What do you do now?

>>29352083
Can't we just take the stairs? I f not then I say we do our best to avoid all confrontation and flee if at all possible.

“Your map makes it look like we can just pass under the Yeti Caves and reach those long stairs; are… they stairs?”

“They are stairs,” he adds with a cold chuckle, “And yes, my map makes it look like that but I’m not drawing from my memory of the Crystal Mountains, Aurora,” he yawns tediously, “But from another map. It could be different.”

“Still, our best bet is to go through this way,” you say, “The way through the Snowborn Tigers and then the frozen lake with all those… creatures does not look that much safer, if any,” you harrumph, “Let’s go, Red Sulfur.”

The stallion gently nudges the Quartz Eye of his hood; he tends to it, makes sure that it’s safe and sound; then, Red Sulfur hides it back under his coat. With a running nose that he attempts to ignore, or show that he’s ignoring, the stallion pushes the heavy bag of his over his head then follows every single one of your steps after you, wishing not to struggle with the thick and deep layer of almost unbreakable snow; at least to a hoof of an average pony.

The journey through the high peaks of the Crystal Mountains proves to be as difficult and complicated as you predicted it to be, it is a surprise that anypony would have settled here – let alone yak clans or pony tribes yet, here they are. With every single one of your steps, you throw a nudge in Red Sulfur’s direction to make sure that he is alright, and while he’s keeping up with you, his body is visibly struggling with this the ice-covered surroundings.

The map is just a representation of the real thing, of course; between the two noticeable locations there’s a very long and difficult path through caverns, hills, snow and ice, with almost nothing to look at but pure, unimaginable paleness of the snow, and even now it also starts snowing, adding additional troubles to your hardship journey. Thankfully, this also means that the small path that is showed on the map is actually a massive, open field from which you are not even able to see the dark, anthill like caves you managed to gaze at from the mountain before.

Red Sulfur suddenly stops and raises his head at the horizon on the left of him. As you look at him for answers, he says, “One of them, or more, caught our trail. My hood says that it is on its way here, Aurora; best to believe her.”

>What do you do now?

>>29352474
Then we best keep moving at a decent pace. Say Sulfur, what do you think you would have done had Sombra not taken rule?

“Nothing we can do but move at decent pace, Sulfur,” you add to him skimpily, besieged to trail the way through the Frost Field Glacier earlier than the Yetis can reach you, “Tell me if they are here, and be sure to hide behind me.”

“Right,” the stallion answers you back with a delayed cough, “Have you fought a Yeti before, Aurora?”

“No,” you say, “I did not, but I don’t think Yetis are as strong as those brass birds of Tartarus? Surely not,” your chuckle is hollow and empty, as always, “Say Sulfur, what do you think you would have done had Sombra not taken rule?”

“What do you mean?” he mutters a question back at you, “I’d probably be stuck somewhere doing something unimportant, so not much different, Aurora; maybe a museum keeper or librarian at a bookshop?”

“H-huh?” you stumble frontward at his response, “A librarian, why? Don’t you not know how to read?”

He shrugs at you with a half-assed smile, “That’s not really important, is it? It’s a quiet place so there’s always sleep to be had,” he yawns, “And I don’t have to do grand things to be useful. And nerdy mares might be my type, too.”

>What do you do now?

>>29352664
(Jokingly say) You're a lost cause, Sulfur. Most mares don't find laziness attractive you know. I would like to think I would have become a renowned conductor but odds are I would still be teaching my music class.

“You’re a lost cause, Red Sulfur,” you say with an as obvious joking attitude as you are able, “I think you’re selling yourself short, mares do not like stallions that are lazy.”

“Oh? Well, what mares want from a stallion is something you can only find in fairy tales. What about you?”

“Right,” you pause to think, but not for long, “I would like to think I would have become a renowned conductor but odds are I would still be teaching my music class the basics.”

“A musical teacher, that’s who you were?” he asks, his raised eyebrow the only thing visible, “…Were you a good teacher?”

“What does that mean?” you mentally gasp in insult, “Of course I was, they don’t hire teachers who are bad.”

“They don’t? Must have been the lessons learned from our generation of teachers,” he gives you a lazy wink but then his expression swifts to one of seriousness, “Still, I’ve never got you to answer, Aurora, got interrupted: why did you not become a conductor with that obvious Cutie Mark and talent of yours? I envy such a destiny, honestly.”

>What do you do now?

>>29352920
Wow. I wasn't expecting to have to answer this kind of question. I think that she teaches because she wants to show the wonders of music. That and some reason we don't know of that's kept her from becoming a conductor because I think she really would like to become one.

“I…did, I wanted, but it’s not as easy as you might think, Red Sulfur,” you stop to catch the air you do not physically need, yet you feel like you do, “I’ve tried, I really wanted to become a conductor at first, Red Sulfur, Crystal Empire used to be incredibly famous for hers amazing sonatas and arias, as well as orchestras - of course.”

“So, what happened exactly?” he asks you meticulously and stubbornly, “You must have had time unlike me.”

“Listen, as I said, it is not as easy as you think,” you cut him with a shrug of your head, “I’ve realized that despite what the fate told me, it was wrong and I wasn’t the right gem for the cut. There were searching for a school teacher once and, with a tasting day, I’ve realized that my special talent with right in with their needs. I want to show the wonders of music, I want to help other ponies display their talents, and so I was.” You practically said the truth.

The two of you stop as the phantom shadow passes above your head; there’s a menacing and cannibalistic howl that echoes through the glacier emptiness like a crack in a bell. The two of your raise to see a massive, furry predator, with fuzz completely dried with very old blood. With long, spider-like legs and claw as sharp as a razor, it is no wonder to you why this fabled creature is so feared and respected. Its deep, hungering black eyes stare at you.

“He caught up to us,” Red Sulfur backtracks as he states the obvious.

>What do you do now?

>>29353606
Oh shit that is not good. Use flash take Red and run.

You instantaneously push the black canvas of the eldritch magic over your eyes and then, with the sizzling emerald paint, you slowly draw on the symbols of the spell with the power of your mind. The black magic inside of you reacts immediately, the obedient darkness of your insides bursts out of your eyes and cracks as it then lights up the already blinding white display. You are quick to cover the eyes of your companion – Red Sulfur, as you grab him by hoof to toss him over your side and rush as far from the monster as possible. Sadly, the creature that is well adjusted by the praetorian blindness of the snow around it is able to see through your Flash Spell. In a jump, like a hawk, the sleek, razor-sharp claw of the creature barely passes above your rump. The Yeti uses one of its incredibly long legs to step over you, its head twisted in your direction. The predatory fangs salivate as the creature detects Sulfur; he’s hungry.

>Body Changes:
08% [-1] Alicorn ‘Dark’ Magic [Magic]
01% [+1] Volatile Arcane [Magic]

>What do you do now?

File: Yeti.jpg (409KB, 3575x2400px) Image search: [Google]

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Oh look, a bump.
I'll be going to sleep now but I'll continue tomorrow.

>>29354990

>>29355825

quick bump

Bumps are good and all but some replies would be nice.

>>29357662
I was just catching up, hence the bump. Now we can talk serious. Okay. He has long legs, that's not really good, but if we are careful we can just snap one of them. Then, in case he tries to reach for Sulfur and escape, telekinetically slap another. Maybe it won't be necessary, but better safe than sorry. Use our strength, it's just an animal after all.

Long, flexible legs - this might be a problem if the yeti manages to catch and graze you with is claws. The thing is, if. No matter how powerful and aggressive this beast is, he should be unable to do any major damage to your sturdy, gemstone surface; neither does it want to. Yetis are supposed to be flesh-eating fiends and monsters that, apparently, feed on their own when there’re unable to find other creatures to kill and devour. For such a creature, somepony like Sulfur would be as desirable as a cup of water for a pony that was stuck in a desert for several days.

The hairy predator, despite the long distance between you and it, swings its long arm at you; you barely manage to thrust yourself out of its way. Sulfur, thankfully, has the help of his magical coat and, with her support, he is able to predict the swing of the claw and retort just in time before it could reach him. Sadly, he either slips on the thick, glacier ice or shoves his hoof too deep into the snow, or both, and defenselessly opens himself to another attack.

The creature, obsessed purely by primordial vigor and instincts, instantaneously jumps into the air aiming to bite into Red Sulfur’s throat and snap it between its powerful fangs. Thankfully, you are experienced. You close the veil of your vision for no longer than a blink; the short moment is just enough for you to drive the symbols of the Telekinesis Spell inside your mind and release the dark magic inside of you. The powerful energy forms into a telekinetic field and unswervingly surrounds one of the legs of the creature.

>Body Changes:
06% [-1] Alicorn ‘Dark’ Magic [Magic]
02% [+1] Volatile Arcane [Magic]

You do not even contemplate; you force the field to strengthen around it. There’s a loud, uncomfortable echo of a painful crack, and the creature responds back with an ever more powerful, berserk growl. Whatever. You quickly push the telekinetic field, and the creature now stuck wobbling in the air, towards yourself; then, you buck the yeti’s head as strong as you are able to, sending it flying several yards away from you and Red Sulfur, deep into the thick mists of the white snowfall.

The bones of Yeti’s leg should be dislocated, if not broken. Should you finish it or try to escape it. Something else?

>What do you do now?

>>29358576
Run, we're not vengeful.

>>29358576
Kill it. We can't risk it following us and it's corpse will leave something behind for any other hungry yetis.

>>29358584
>>29358589
Might try to decide among yourself.

>>29358663
Well I feel I made a decent argument on why to kill it. What do you >>29358584 say?

“You alright there, Red Sulfur?” you ask the stuck pony who answers you with a nod, “Let’s kill it.”

“Ehm,” he tiredly pushes his hoof out of the snow, “My hood tells me it was a lone yeti, surprisingly.”

“Are yetis pack creatures, usually?” you ask him, admittedly uninformed of the real facts behind the yetis.

“I don’t know,” Red Sulfur shrugs his shoulders at you, “Never found a reason to find out, I don’t think so.”

“Still,” you mutter underneath your crystallized breath, “If they caught the scent of you, like all animals they are going to follow you – like this one. It’s best we put it out of its misery, and give some meat to other of its kind.”

“No arguments from me,” he forces a tired smile, “If you wanted to heard a protest, not here.”

You can’t help but hollowly chuckle at his response. You allow Red Sulfur to stay back as you take certain but careful steps towards the struggling, rising and falling monster. With a damaged leg but a demeanor and determination only a hungry beast like it would have, it is still trying to reach for you and take you down. Sorrowfully for this creature, you are not a defenseless mare but a golem. You raise your hoof above it.

*** *** ***

To your gratitude, Red Sulfur ends up being right and you manage to avoid any other confrontation with yetis all the way to the so-called “Long Stairs”, the only way to reach the ruins of Trotland; those stairs were build but its denizens long, long time ago, and it shows. The steps were carved inside out of mountain with some additional marble and enchanted ice, what Red Sulfur called it, added into the mix. Despite this powerful combination, age is a dominant adversary and some of those steps, a lot of them, in fact, appear to be broken and damaged, leaving long, empty gaps in-between them. If the rebellion is, in fact, here, they are using a method that they do not leave behind.

>What do you do now?

>>29358896
So we can't actually use the stairs?

>>29359352
The stairs are broken so that Aurora Flare and Red Sulfur will have to jump from one set piece to another or somehow climb over the broken steps with the help of a mountain wall, maybe. Either way, Aurora and Sulfur will have to find a way to get themselves over the gaps without accidently falling and damaging themselves, or dying.

>>29359402
Well then I have no clue on how to proceed other than maybe throw Red then jump ourselves. Even then it's a big risk.

“So tell me Red Sulfur, what’s your opinion on flying?” you ask your companion with a tacky attitude.

“No,” he answers back bluntly, “I think I know what you are planning Aurora, and it’s too risqué.”

“Yes,” you mutter, “But what else we can do, we have to get up there somehow? Red Sulfur, come on.”

“I’m not a royal tactician, Aurora,” he mutters as he clutters himself into the thick layer of his clothes. With every minute passing, the sun lowers and the night air creeps in even closer; the arctic nights are something you’ll have to rest through, for certain. As you calculate, you realize that you have about five, maybe six, hour before the sun is completely hidden behind the barely visible, spiked horizon of the Frozen North. You wonder if you would be able…

“I know it might sound crude,” he yawns at you with a smirk, “But if I end up falling, even once, I’ll probably die immediately. If you fall, however, I don’t think there’s going to be much of damage to your body, Aurora. So, how about you go by yourself and if those foals are really up there, you ask them to pick me up as well; like a ladder?”

“I don’t know,” you twist your head at the long set of broken staircases without any visible end in sights, “It’s going to take me a while, are you sure you are going to be all right out here by yourself?”

“I think I’ll manage,” he rubs his tired eyes with prideful demeanor, “I’ll have more chances here than up there.”

>What do you do now?

>>29360178
Since I'm out of ideas I guess we'll try it.

Leaving Red Sulfur out here, alone? Even if he persistently insists that he’s going to be alright, is he truly going to be?

You don’t have a choice, if you are going to turn back now you might as well return to the Crystal Empire and meet Sombra muzzle to muzzle; he’ll crush you right here with a snap of his hoof. No, you need the Crystal Note, and you need the support and assistance of the “Revolution Song”. Salt Sphere is one of them and he, for certain, knows the weaknesses of his sister who is planning all sorts of traps and ambushes in preparation for the Equestrian army.

You take a deep, mental sigh. You push the hood of Red Sulfur’s coat over his head in a reassuring gesture, something he noticeably does not appreciate or so he shows, and then you step on one of the steps of the ladder. Immediately, you notice a massive problem and that is the fact that this enchanted ice, as well as years and years of snow storms and cold winds, made the entire ascend smooth and slippery. Those steps were not meant for your average hooves, the ponies before and, if they are there, the rebels now were using special horseshoe equipment.

“Is everything alright?” Red Sulfur, who notices your struggle, asks you.

“Yes,” you say with a bit of an agitated tone. You concentrate and then, you rush and jump at the nearest staircase. Thankfully, the strength of your body is incredible, and the obedient reaction of your dark energy makes it that much better. Still, as soon as you land on the second staircase your smooth, gemstone hooves slip and you end up smashing as the mountain wall that the steps are engraving into. There’s an impact, an echo, and a silent rumble.

As you raise your head to the sky you spot a flock of black birds leaving the high top of the mountains after your accidental buck; it appears that you scared them off. Far, far in the distance you mark the end of climb; the stairs that once were once proper whole, are now destroyed into, about, fifteen pieces. If the rebels did this on purpose and this is not the damage of time alone, you are going to be a very, very angry mare by the time you meet them.

>What do you do now?

>>29360496
Fuck this. Is it possible to get to the ruins from the Ice Lake?

“For fuck sake,” you tremble as you lean against the wall, “Why didn’t we find climbing horseshoes of all things…”

“Aurora?” Red Sulfur asks you from all the way down there, “You nearly fell; maybe it wasn’t the best idea of mine.”

“Red Sulfur,” you catch your breath mentally, “The entire staircase is frozen, and I think that my gemstone hooves are the worst pick imaginable to be mountain climbing, especially against this enchanted ice. Red Sulfur listen, is there another way to reach Trotland that is not using those stupid steps? Maybe we can pass by the Ice Lake?”

“Judging by the map-”

“Hang on, you remember it by memory?”

“Yeah?” he asks in a surprise, as if it was obvious, “I’ve remembered it, but it’s a crude map. Still, judging by the map, as I was saying before you interrupted me, it should be possible but,” he pauses sheepishly, “We will have to go all the way by the cave of the Yetis, again, and then we will have to go up the entire frozen mountain and then… by the lower hills of the Dragon Spire, though that might be the safest and least problematic part.” He shrugs at you.

>What do you do now?

>>29360629
Let's do that then. Better than killing ourselves on these stairs. We might have to find some shelter on the way there to spend the night.

“I don’t think I’ll survive falling from the top, Red Sulfur. Crystals have a tendency to shatter,” you joke hollowly.

He rolls his eyes at you and stands up when you gently, carefully slip down the step ladder and fall on the thick, snow surface in front of him. The two of you exchange affirmative glances and your companion, with a tired expression, adjusts his clothes and bag and nudges you to take a step forward before him, “I was about to sleep a bit, Aurora.”

“While I was busy risking my life to met the “Revolution Song”, you were planning to sleep?!” you puff at him.

“Yeah,” he shrugs at you nonchalantly, “I’ve deserve some rest, after all, we’ve been climbing for days now.”

You sigh, ignoring his laziness, he’s correct. It’s a big risk to try and reach Trotland in the very little time you have, you are going to have to find a place to sleep and rest at, and that means: another cave or secluded crevasse…

Red Sulfur blinks and, with haste, places his hoof on top of his Quartz Eye, “Damn it, this is bad.”

“Don’t tell me,” your anger is quick to swift to suspicion, “More Yetis are on our way?”

“Yeah,” he nods, as if surprised that you’ve guessed it, “Two of them, she says, probably eating the corpse of the one you have butchered. If we can just carefully pass around it – what I’m afraid of is that they’ll catch my scent with their noses; there are not many ponies passing around here. Wish there was a way to hide my scent.”

“There is,” you add, “I’ve heard from somepony once that if you rub ash and dirt then predators will ignore you.”

He looks at you with an insulted poker-face, “If you will be able to find ash and dirt in here, you’ll be a magician.”

You look around yourself; he’s right, the only thing here is ice and snow. You might be able to pass the prehistoric cannibals with ease, if only without showing aggression, but the moment they’ll notice Red Sulfur they’ll attack.

>What do you do now?

>>29361026
I know we have a lamp. Maybe we can pour the fuel on him? I'm sure they won't find that scent appetizing.

Really liking this banter by the way.

File: CS Aurora Flare II.png (48KB, 720x539px) Image search: [Google]

48KB, 720x539px

>>29361813
Thank you, and thank you for playing. I will be stopping here, however should I continue tomorrow after I am back from work at evening?

Here's a drawing of Aurora as a gratitude for playing.

Nightly bump.

>>29361845
Odds are I'll be too busy tomorrow. Thanks for the Aurora.

have a bump from 10

>>29361845
Nice ass. I should be up when you'll run today, at least I will try to.

Here is a bump from 10.

10 BUMP

>>29364869

crazy ponies everywhere trying to steal our things.

>>29367669
What?

“There might be a way,” a bright idea enlightens you, a brilliant and bright inspiration! “To hide your smell.”

“There is?” Red Sulfur asks you with an evident surprise, “Do tell, Aurora?”

“Here, I’ll need to take this out of your bag first,” you say with a bit of a devilish attitude as you carefully open the heavy bag hanging over his shoulders in order to take out a metallic-brass lamp, “There, we’ll use this.”

“I… do not think I understand,” the stallion mutters with confusion, “How is this lamp going to help us?”

“Not the lamp,” you mentally roll your eyes, “What’s inside of it. We’ll use the oil to hide your scent.”

“The oil,” he blinks and narrows his eyes, “You want to pour and rub oil all over my body. I don’t mind if you do.”

“W-why would I rub it?” you voice grinds to an awkward haul, “I can pour it, but you can do it all by yourself!”

“You don’t have to react so strongly to a joke,” Red Sulfur yawns at you with a bored expression as he carefully rolls the lamp in his hooves. With uncertainty, he opens the lid holding the oil secure and sighs, “Honestly, I do not want to be all oily – it’ll be a pain to wash off afterwards, though it might keep me warmer for a longer while…”

“So then, get to it,” you smirk at him mentally, “The night is coming, and we have a long way to go.”

“I can’t.”

“What?”

Red Sulfur turns the lamp over heads down and wobble it from left to right, “It’s frozen solid.”

>What do you do now?

>>29368292
Are you kidding me? Is it possible for us to fiND some sort of shelter to make a fire to melt it? Hell, at that rate we should just find a shelter nearby.

“You can’t be serious,” you mutter underneath your crystallized breath, “Is it that cold here?” you ask.

Red Sulfur shudders at you with a dismayed response, “It around the usual temperature ponies freeze in, yes.”

“Oh, well, I don’t really notice the temperature as a crystal golem, Red Sulfur,” you speak with a serene approach, “However, I’ve told you before to tell me if you are having problems so that we can take a break, do you remember?”

Prideful, the stallion shrugs at you, “I’m not having problems, Aurora; I’m just saying that it’s cold out here, yes.”

“Right,” you mentally roll your eyes, “Regardless, if we want to use this oil we’ll have to melt it first…”

“We do have candles and a fire starter,” the golden stallion closes his eyes in a though, “We won’t be able to make a proper bonfire, or campfire, unless you have a spell I have not seen or heard about, yet. Do you?”

“No,” you say, “I do not have such a spell, and the flame of the dark magic is cold and unpleasant anyway.”

“Are you unable to cast regular unicorn spells, only the eldritch variety?” he asks you, half-interested.

“I guess so,” you shrug at him with a grind, “I’m not really sure myself, Red Sulfur… Let’s go find a shelter…”

*** *** ***

It took you about half an hour to find a secure place in one of the many ice crevices. If one were to stumble into one, he or she would fall into the trap of ruthless nature and break their neck and bones, freezing and dying miserably. You two, on other hoof, fond this crevice deliberately and, with a careful planning, you’ve managed to locate a safe way to enter it and construct a campsite. With rags as sleeping bags, and candles as fire source, the two of you rested.

“There, all done, you should be able to rub it all over yourself now,” you say as you offer the lamp into Red Sulfur’s hooves, “Though, it’s going to be dark and dangerous in a few hours; even colder than before, in fact.”

“Yes, Aurora, it’s colder and darker when there is no sun,” he lazily throws sarcasm in your direction, “Anyway, we should use this opportunity instead.” As you knock your head in at him with a question, he slowly unhooks the Quartz Eye pendant and lowers his hood and then removes his coat off his body entirely. Naked, something that is not rare for ponies, he takes a deep breath and turns the lamp above himself; the wax liquid immediately covers him head to toe. Certainly, this is something a mare would be able to find in a Pleasure Club for the stallions there to do. Red Sulfur, his eyes shut, continues; he breaks you out of your stupor, “The Yeti’s will probably be sleeping through the night, they are living creatures after all,” he yawns, “Damn, this oil is surprisingly relaxing to the body...” he looks in your direction, thankfully, your crystallized cheeks are unable to turn any redder, “Let’s go out at night, Aurora?”

>What do you do now?

>>29368992
Divert your gaze. Yes, yes let's.

You avert your gaze, uncertain of what else to do at this point but to avoid staring at him. Your hollow voice wobbles with a concave menace, “Yes, yes – let’s go at night then. We’ll catch the rebellion group off guard as well then!”

Red Sulfur gingerly whistles a tune as he rubs the lamp oil all over his mane and skin, sniffing at the heavy odor that you are unable to smell; a lack of nostrils that you are thankful for – Red Sulfur looks very displeased with the smell. The stallion brushes off his mane and well-oiled body, his usually bland skin now practically reflecting off the candle fire. “That should be it,” he says with a bit of grouchiness as he then, hurriedly, tosses the cloak back on his shoulders. With an insecure move Red Sulfur makes sure that his hood is properly covering his body. Ginger Spice’s apprentice takes a step forward as he puts his head out of the crevasse to gaze towards the sky. “We have a few hours then.

“Should we wait here, then? You can sleep if you want, I will wake you up.”

He yawns but retorts with a negative shake of his head, “I won’t bother to continue going if I go to sleep here.”

“I guess so, if it is you we are talking about. You are always tired, yet you are always trying to sleep...”

He shrugs at you, “I want to sleep, even now, I just don’t have the time or energy to do it – especially with master’s routine.” He pauses for a bit, clearly reminiscent of his words, “Anyway, Aurora.” He narrows his eyes at you.

“Yes?”

“How did you look before you were turned into a golem? I’m curious. I imagine – good-looking?”

>What do you do now?

Pausing here, I am very tired today. I'll be able to run short sessions like this until friday if the thread is alive.

>>29369548
"Well I would certainly like to belive so!"

I think Aurora would (after being flustered at first) take a moment to reminisce about her previous form. Describing her true form and colors to Red. Age of 29 when we "died."

shit bump

>>29370368
She wasn't red however.

>>29371771

Bump I guess.

>>29372321
I think you misread. I said "to Red (Sulfur)" not "of red."

“W-what?” you are taken aback by this much unexpected praise, of course, but you immediately catch your composure and, with a fluster, you retort back, “I’d like to believe that I was, yes. Why are you so curious?”

“I’m just curious,” he responds with a lazy yawn and then bundles up into his thick layer of clothes, “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“No-no, I’d like to,” you say with a thankful smile that he, sadly, is unable to see, “Let’s see… I had a long, curly heliotrope mane and sweet corn, tender skin. My eyes were of deep, red-violet hue. It is surprising I’m red now.”

“Not really, Aurora,” he turns in your direction and smirks back, “Your crystallized flesh would be of your natural color, but because of the Dragon’s Blood currently present inside of you, it overtakes your natural color with its red.”

“Makes sense; you know, I was also twenty nine years old when I died; anything else you’d like to know,” you ask.

“Not really, no,” he lazily waves his hoof, “Unless you want to do it yourself. Still, we share the same eyes then, eh?”

>What do you do now?

>>29375626
I suppose so. Are you ready to go?

“I guess so,” you mentally release a calm grunt, “Are you ready to go now?”

The stallion pauses for a moment to give his neck a silent crack. With a lazy yawn and a struggling heave, he pushes himself off the wall he was previously leaning off and gives you an uncertain nod, “As if I was the only holding us.”

“We were waiting for the night, but it’s going to be extremely dark and dangerous. Stay close to me, Red Sulfur.”

“Eh,” he shrugs his shoulders in a nonchalant gesture, “I’ll be fine, I’ve got my wits with me here; and my hood.”

*** *** ***

Despite your prediction, the two of you ended up being wide of the mark. The nights of the Frozen North are neither darker nor colder that its days. To the surprise of you both, the previously powerful, freezing winds have calmed down leaving a soft, crispy air to exhale and breath in – that is, according to Red Sulfur’s novel explanation. As for the nights, the blazing stars are brighter here than anywhere else, and their luminosity and vividness rangers from all colors of the world’s palette; and that is ignoring the brilliant and sky breaching aurora borealis. Such beauty…

Despite this, harshly speaking, hindrance, your oil plan has worked out flawlessly. The Yetis were unable to detect Red Sulfur from the vile stench that the lamp oil produced and even if they did, their rest and sleep was ways more important for them than picking on a shoddily smelling object. Your path through the nesting ground of the Yetis was of leisure and unhurriedness and the fact that you two ended up enjoying the walk was a pleasant surprise.

Still, the fabled “Ice Lake” is now before you; while it is, as its title speaks, an ice-covered, frozen pond; there is something more to it. The entire lake is as big as the mountains in the far distance, in both width and height. The thin layer of snow covers the frozen water entirely and yet, still, the brilliant blue luminous reflects off the surface of this lake through it, making the snow itself glow with vibrant, ethereal hue. Rumor has it that treacherous fishes and other exotic, even forsaken, aquatic creatures are banished and eternally frozen at the bottom of this lake.

If you are to reach the Trotland from this path, you will have to climb up the Ice Lake in its entire height.

“There’s there’s something uncanny, uncomfortable about this lake…” Red Sulfur yawns as he bends his knees to touch the surface of it, “I can’t put my hoof to it, but something is not right with this… Still, no other way.”

You nod and take a step forward, then another. Your ascend is fluent and peaceful, Red Sulfur’s worry was for not-

You body reacts immediately as you jab your hoof off an unexpected presence, a shimmering and hissing crawl of a tail. Then, you realize in shock and a surprise that your body is already half-way under the solid sea. As you try to crawl out, another swept of the tail covers your body once again to push it further into the ice which ends up pulling you in and acting like a jelly, science and physics be damned! You accommodate your senses to find yourself hovering in a lake that by all means is supposed be solid and frozen over, but is actually magically alive and liquid.

You turn your head to notice a massive, enormous tail of a black, strange, eldritch beast jabbing into your direction.

>What do you do now?

>>29376737
Oh hell no. All I think to do is try to get away. Where is Red?

bump I still need to catch up

>>29376737
Try to get that shit and tear it apart.

Almost off the board bump

Page nine already in under an hour? Calm your shit board.

>>29379812

You twist your head at the macabre creature with an understandable anxiety and distress. The sable and dim shape of the marine beast turns to face you as soon as you are in its grasp; only now you can fully comprehend its sheer, massive size. The clutch of its tail strengthens in an attempt to both either break your bones or force you to drown. How unlucky to this beast that, of all the creatures who have attempted to ascend this lake, it ended up being you!

As soon as you attempt to break out, however, the monstrous creature shows its enormous head. In the solid, magical ice, its head emerges from the dark pocket in vivid, multicolored luminosity. Truly, as a relic of the long forgotten, primeval past, the creature looks the part. The long, skull-like head is covered in hundred long fangs and dozens of black, spider-like eyeballs. Every single cell of this creature is covered in outlandish, bluish algae that you, also, find yourself now being completely covered in. As soon as you break out of its tail grapple, its head strikes you.

>Body Changes:
29% [-5] Crystallized Flesh [Crystal]
05% [+5] Crystalline Debris [Damage]

The impact is one that sends you flying through the solid ice deeper and deeper into the void that is the Ice Lake. You can feel and see the ice that is now surrounding you and, despite this strange reality, with an outlandish magic, you are able to move through it. You catch and adjust yourself with a complete lack of direction; unable to say where is either up or down is. As you turn your head, there’s an instantaneous smack of the tail that you by some means dodge.

You can’t be sure of Red Sulfur’s whereabouts, no matter how much in a panic you are. You are unable to see him from up here; if another beast ends up catching him, he’s going to end up in much more danger than you are for sure – with his frail pony body and inability to stay alive underwater. Last time you saw him, he was still above…

You spot more and more creatures emerging from the far reaches of this, by all means, frozen lake. The strange, glowing give-away that is the cobalt algae is covering them from head to hoof. All of those creatures are massive; all of them are also disfigured and wretched. Some of them appear to have several heads, some – several twin bodies. Still, they begin to circle around you in wait as the first monster you’ve met is opening its jaw preparing to attack you.

>What do you do now?

Might be only update today, good night.

>>29382721
I got scared and I'm only fucking reading it. I think flash will be much more effective here. We need to just nope the fuck out ASAP.

Have a good night

>>29382714
>>29383007
This. Flash at them and then get the hell out of this place.

Needs more ponies.

I'm going to take a day off today, and will continue either tomorrow or on friday for sure. To compensate, I was wondering if any of you have a drawing request that I can fulfill, doesn't have to be Symphony related.

>>29388405
A pic of an alternate world that might could be. I'd like a picture of a normal happy Aurora snuggling and touching snoots with Soarin.

>>29390018

>>29389044
You mean Shield right?

>>29390906

>>29392674

>>29393321

>>29394197

So who is potentially the best husbando for Aurora and why?

A few feet away from you, the monstrous being drifts in the solid ice with an eerie presence; thanks to the bright radiance of the supernatural algae, you are able to make out the slow opening of its massive, hungering maw. The moment you even dare to shrivel, it is going to consume you whole, its uncountable amount of teeth more than likely will crumble your body like oats; so you don’t move, and you remain calm and collective.

No breath, no problems.

Despite the creature’s close position, you still concentrate and veil off your vision for the black canvas of your spell casting, pulling out the dark energy that holds down your existence from your very soul. With a commanding formula of eldritch arcane, you burst out a tinged smoke of your eyes and mouth that forms into a black sphere. Then, the thin layer breaks and the orb blows up in a bright radiance, remaining an obedient lantern above you after.

>Body Changes:
05% [-1] Alicorn ‘Dark’ Magic [Magic]
03% [+1] Volatile Arcane [Magic]

There’s a sound of an abrupt snap, a snap so loud, so sudden, that is practically forces your body to fall down. Barely a few inches above your head, the prehistoric beast has snapped it maw around your sudden creation of light, leaving the bright algae the only light source remaining once again. Your magical spells have not existed for longer than a second however, it did what you it had to. You push your hind and front legs with all the power you have to swim as far away from the monstrous creature as possible. The others do not interfere, either the tailed underwater beast is somewhere high in their predatory hierarchy, or there’s an unspeaking rule about eating another one’s food.

Regardless, it does not take long for your pursuer to come in realization of your mistake, and to dash after you again!

>What do you do now?

>>29398856
I really hate to be throwing magic around like this but use flash again but this time try to lure it away with the orb of light. If this doesn't work I say we're just kinda screwed.

>>29399479
Might as well try this and see if it helps. Or maybe can we TK this shit, or use extra magic and levitate ourselves out the lake.

You grind your teeth as the beast approaches you closer and closer by every second counting. Without stopping your tense and wild swimming motion, you focus on the black canvas before your mind and then, you toss it away before the beast can reach it, the glowing creation of your dark magic vanishing in the deep distance. It doesn’t hit the end. At least now you know that the right way is up, towards which you focus on one and one objective alone – surface.

>Body Changes:
04% [-1] Alicorn ‘Dark’ Magic [Magic]
04% [+1] Volatile Arcane [Magic]

You smash your shoulder to release yourself from the enchanted lake. You hear hushed voice from Red Sulfur.
“Aurora!” he shouts at you from a long distance in panic, “They can’t go out outside the lake! Get here, Aurora!”

Your mental dread reflects on your inexistent physicality as you release a hollowed sigh in gratitude: Red Sulfur is alive. First, you try to climb on top of the frozen floor but you find yourself passing through it, like water. Then, you start swimming through it, as if flying, towards Red Sulfur. You reach the tired and apprentice as he hangs you his hoof – he is standing outside the lake’s reach – on the mountainside protrusion. Suddenly, you hear the mocking warning of the beast only to immediately see it jumping out of the lake in order to consume you and Red Sulfur.

>What do you do now?

>>29399594
Punch it or telekinetically punch it. Whichever will be more effective, even if it will uses all our magic and we will have to rest.

You twist your body away from Red Sulfur to grasp and squeeze over the mountainside edge; you finally have the ability to feel something that is an actual solid. With your body and its magic inner workings slowing down due to your worn-out mana, you are a bit late to the beast’s appearance – the speed of beast is as fast as lightning.

Still, your buck is powerful enough to stop and even push the aquamarine demon away from yourself. It stops in monotone confusion, or maybe overwhelm of the situation; all of its thousand of black eyes are now focusing and glancing away from you. In a moment notices, the monster twists its body and turns on Red Sulfur instead. You barely make it in time to push Red Sulfur away, unable to escape in time you suffer and gasp as the massive maw clutches close on you. You are barely able to hold on sleazy, ebon walls of the beast’s throat.

As it violently fights to gulp you completely, and you thrash about to hold on from becoming a ineffectual food nutritions, you finally receive a saving grace, a brief moment of luck, as your Scapolite Necklace starts to react in the constricted space. There’s a rending gust of wind and then, there’s a push of gravity as your body is lifted from a vacuum that is the monster’s gaping throat and smashes you against its teeth, breaking several of them in the process.

As soon as you are out of the crawling, powerfully injured monster and released to the freedom of the Frozen North air, the scapolite stops working. You lower your hind leg in preparation as you land on at least a couple of dozen of eyes. Defeated and humiliated, the creature throws you away from it body for you to simply land in the snow away from the Frozen Lake territory, on purpose or not. Itself, it drowns back into its domain in wait for another pony to pass by… “Aurora?” Red Sulfur approaches you with an unsure way to react – obvious confusion, Are you alright?”He narrows his eyes at you.

>What do you do now?

>>29399741
Check body for more damage and say we're a bit injured, plus our magic is being depleted. Ask him if he's fine.

>>29399741
I've suffered worse. Are you ok, Red? What happened?

You check your body for anymore damage first before you are to turn to Red Sulfur and answer him; still, the gap on your head alone is adequate enough of damage to your contained body’s wellbeing. If you are to lose a head here, your crystallized brain, that is now a potted carcass made out of vial Dragon’s Blood, will be damaged beyond repair – you are unsure if Ginger Spice told you or not, but your internal organs are one of a kind unlike your repaired flesh.

“A bit injured,” you nod at him with a tired expression as you expose the crackled hole on your head, “And I’ve used a lot of my magic down there. I’ve suffered worst, but I’ll need some rest,” You pause, “And you, are you fine?”

“I am yes,” he shrugs his shoulders at you, “My hood warned me to step out of the “enchanted ice” right after you’ve disappeared. I could have had figured it myself… Now that I’ve said it out loud,” he ponders for a second as he glances over you and then, turns his eyes to the Quartz Eye pendant under his chin, “She didn’t say anything when you stepped on the ice at first, I wonder why is that?” he asks and stops moving, clearly there’s no answer.

“I don’t know,” you grunt in a response, “As long as it keeps you safe it is fine.”

“I don’t really want it to keep me safe at every step,” he places his hoof on the pendant, “I’ll remove it for now… Think I’ve grown too dependent on it. If I was by myself,” He yawns, “I’ve probably figured out it before you had to.”

>What do you do now?

>>29399834
I won't argue if he wants to take it off. I just want to make good time to the ruins.

How and where did we get a hole in our head?

>>29400768
>How and where did we get a hole in our head?

Where the beast hit you underwater and you've recieved 5% damage. It is not a big hole, nothing serious.

“I won’t argue about you taking it off, Red Sulfur, let’s just… hurry over to Trotland.”

So he does just that, he places the pendant in his bag but then, with a quick pause, he sighs and places it back on his neck, “I don’t know why I took her with me in the first place, or why I decided to join in... Well, we are quite close.”

“How’s my head looking?” you gently rub the top of your crystalline skull as you begin your ascend.

“It’s as red and crystal as ever,” Red Sulfur mutters with a shrug, “There’s a bit of damage, nothing we can’t fix.”

You and Red Sulfur pass by and over several of the snow hills that stand in a ridge between you and Trotland; some of those mounds are stepper than other, some – edgier and sharper. All in all, all of them are a struggle to climb over that you wouldn’t even have to tackle if it weren’t for those stupid, broken steps! The responses of your carcass and concentrated focus of your mind are delayed and feeble; if you are to use anymore magic, it’ll get even worse. Red Sulfur is the one who is suffering through fatigue and frozen cold temperature the most, however.

It is an obvious challenge to his body.

You raise your hoof to offer Red Sulfur the help that he refuses. He climbs to the peak himself. From up here, you are able to see Trotland from a place that the previous residents of this town clearly did not expect anyone to attack from – the entire back of the city exposed and open to the potential, mad invaders. Still, it does not appear the case that anypony have ever tried or manage to do just that, certainly, the Ice Lake is something very hard to bypass.

While the back side is exposed, the rest of the ghost town is surrounded by an incredibly tall, mineral wall. The plague of time and snow blizzards that overtook and ruined the rest of this town did not damage the massive barrier.

“Its old Platinum architecture,” Red Sulfur comments once he catches his breath. “-What? Are you surprised I know that?” he comments as he points a lazy smirk at you, “I’ve been to a museum once and I’ve seen some pictures.”

“Right,” you mutter as you step over the empty, ruin streets of the city, “Maybe your hood can sense ponies, then?”

He pauses to wait for a mental answer as he, then, shakes his head at you, “No, not here.” He picks up a broken vase, barely being able to hold the sliding this in his hooves, “Maybe we are the first visitors in centuries?”

If that is the case, your entire journey was for nothing! No, the rebels must be here, but where in ruins of a medieval unicorn village a small (?) band of rebels could be using as their headquarters and living in?

>What do you do now?

>>29400897
Search through the ruins. At least fins a good place to rest and start a fire.

I'll be going for sleep until tomorrow now, thanks for playing.

>>29401515
good sleep

b

You notice what used to be the greatest and grandest of all of the structures in this town – the royal fort; now, it’s the most broken building in here, only a couple of stones, arcs and its very foundation remain. Incomparable to the royal palace of the Crystal Empire, or the Canterlot Castle, there’s still a presence of magnificence and majesty in it. Red Sulfur, surprisingly, takes a particular interest in the fort’s location. You allow him to go to the fort as long he turns back at the first presence of danger, and warns you about it. Reluctantly, he gives you a nod and leaves you.

You, on other hoof, decide to check the one and two-storey houses that appear to be the sturdiest of all the others in this boulevard, either due to their fortunate location or because of some additional hardiness in their stone bricks. In one of those houses you find a recent semblance of life, with objects and items that certainly do not belong to the times when of those who build this town in the first place. There are plates and other kitchen accessories; there are chests filled with crystals of all forms and variety and chests filled with weapons and armor. At closer inspection you spot a used, diminished campfire and chalk maps, which were probably used for scheming, decorating the walls on the inside.

“Is there anybody out here?” you shout as loud as you can. You bend your knees in a preparation of an assault.

Nothing, nopony responds or attempts to jump at you. Certainly ponies, until very recently, have been living here.

“Aurora?” Red Sulfur’s voice calls for you from all the way from the remains of the fort. You rush for him right away. Thankfully, by the point you reach him you realize that he is no trouble although, he still appears very distressed. The stallion gives you an uncertain nod and then he gesticulates with his hoof at one of the flat pillars of the fort’s ruins.

“There’s something written there – I can’t read, but it doesn’t look very good,” he says with a concern in his voice.

You raise your gemstone eyes to notice that there is, in fact, a message written – no – burned deep into the very stone in charcoal black by some powerful magic. You can see and sense it; certainly, it is the vanishing presence of another one’s dark arcane. The message is short. It says: “To the last one in hiding: your friends and companions have been captured by me, now. Bring the Crystal Note and I promise that I will not hurt you or them. I can’t guarantee their safety in a different way. You’ve had your fun. I need the Crystal Note you need your friends.”

>What do you do now?

>>29404803
FUCK! Shit, I don't know. If it's recent, they must've been captured in the same day but earlier. Are there any signs of struggle, hoofprints or something?

>>29404803
Wow, everyone going to the crystal empire, so our trip to find these guys was just a wast of time. We at lest know where they are at.

>>29404803
Punch the pillar in fucking anger. Nothing. All of this for nothing! That leaves us with only to options, go to the Equestrians which might react harshly to us or go straight to the Empire.

The insides of your body ignites in putrid, justifiable anger as you turn your body and buck the living hell of the arch with your dominant, crystal hooves. The impact is powerful; it sends a shiver through the entire fort ground as the archway shatters into dozen of rocks and pebbles, leaving nothing but dust and ash lingering languidly in the air.

“What are you doing?!” Red Sulfur retorts with a surprising anger as he glares away from you, “Do you want to cause an avalanche!?”

You turn your head at him in an attempt to answer calmly; impossible, you are more than pissed off now.

“All of this for nothing, Red Sulfur! This entire trip is for nothing. They are on their way to the Crystal Empire!”

Red Sulfur knocks his head and briefly pauses, “Calm down; don’t you think it’s strange?” He finally asks you.

“What… what do you mean?!” you shout back in hesitation, unsure if now is the time for his lazy jokes.

“Listen,” he sighs and places his hoof on the destroyed archway, “It said that the pony who was in hiding was the one with the Crystal Note, right? Isn’t it strange that pony with this artifact was somewhere else during this… raid?”

“I’m not sure if this was a raid,” you grind your head with a worry, “I haven’t seen any presence of fighting.”

“Do you think it was King Sombra?” Red Sulfur asks, “Or the Vizier? Why would they need the Note anyway?”

>What do you do now?

>>29404936
Vizier's bro was the head of the rebellion. So she could just crack on the whole group to force him to comply so he would be a bit more safer from the wrath of Sombra. I don't know if this is plausible now that he returned, but it may be the case. Fair Trade's brother may still be around here somewhere.

>>29404936
The writing is doubtlessly the Vizier's. I don't know what to make of all this. He could be here, he could be gone, it could be some trick. I don't know. I think we should either do more searching or rest.

“For sure, this is the work of Fair Trade – the Vizier. Sombra wouldn’t put his argument like that,” you contemplate.

“Why do you think so... On second though, you are right. The King wouldn’t bother to bargain or make deals.”

“It’s not that he wouldn’t, Sombra is a pony who enjoys mind games. It’s just not the language he would pick.”

“I see,” Red Sulfur pauses and looks at you in a worry, “Then if it is the Vizier who got here first…”

“I don’t know what to make out of this. The one who could be hiding could be the leader of the rebellion – Salt Sphere. This might be surprising to hear but he’s Vizier’s brother. He could be gone, too. It could be some trick.”

“I’m not sure how old was the message either,” Red Sulfur yawns and shudders in the night cold, “Good thing I didn’t remove my hood completely, I wouldn’t be able to find it in this darkness. Thanks, Quartz Eyes.” He nudges the pendant.

“Regardless, I think we must check the houses I’ve found for additional clues you,” You say as you take a step away from the royal fort, “It we won’t be able to find anything in there, we should at least get some rest before we are to return to the Empire. I’m going to see if I can find anything to help us, Red, think you can start the fire meanwhile?”

Red Sulfur lazily yawns at you and, with a visible aversion, he sighs and picks up the fire starting tinder, “Okay.”

You enter the stonework building only to without more ado start searching through it. You push away every box, every cupboard and every personal bag present to find something that can be of use. Certainly, only now, at closer inspection, you find that there are, in fact, sights of struggles and interference. Nothing major, no blood or even burned areas of the dark magic flames. The emergence of Fair Trade was unexpected and unforeseen, and there wasn’t anything the “Rebellion Song” members could do to resist her so up closer and personal.

Regardless, as you are about to give up on your search, you find a note – a diary of a mare called Slingshot. As you browse through it in curiosity you find that most of it is about her feelings and the operations the rebels have managed to achieve. Still, you also stumble upon an important entry that says: “It’s been two weeks since Nifty Ribbon and Salt Monument left to the Dragon Ridge with the both artifacts. Today, Salt Monument has returned only to ignore our questions and lead us once again.” The date of it appears to be smudged.

>What do you do now?

>>29405220
Aurora feels a pang in her heart upon reading the name of one of her dear students.

So now we have a lead and this entire endeavor wasn't pointless. Good to know. There's a good chance Salt is still up in Dragon Ridge. I say we take a good rest and have Red repair us if he can.

>>29405271
>Today, Salt Monument has returned
He came back, but we don't know how long it was when he return.

>>29405220
So they use pseudos, or at least Salt Sphere does. Go to the Dragon Ridge, she could be here. If not, the only way is CE.

>>29405292
The date was smudged and I think there's good chance he's gone back up since.

Your heart skips a beat as you read the name of one of your precious students – Nifty Ribbon. A remembrance of your last meeting passes by your mind as you stare blankly into the diary pages. Certainly, you are happy to hear that she is alive and that, unlike you, this little filly took the fate in her hoofs and decided to fight for her freedom. According to what Slingshot wrote, it is possible that both Salt Sphere, under the pseudo of Monument, and Nifty Ribbon, are still hiding or… busy, inside the mountain of a dragon. If they did not return, then they are there.

You show and explain your findings to Red Sulfur who, while not impressed, still gives you a nod of agreement.
“If you read the message correctly,” he smirks to himself, “Then it have mentioned only a single pony hiding.”

“That bitch doesn’t know the number of ponies who were, and weren’t, in Trotland at the time.”

“She would still know if it was her brother or not,” he adds with a bit of a shudder as he leans closer to the fire, “I’m just thinking that it’s either one of them, or both. And there’s a chance they climbed down before us, saw the message, and are already on their way to the Crystal Empire. I don’t think it’s worth it to climb it, is it?”

“I think we should at least try,” you add confidently despite the lean back protect on his face, “It isn’t far, right?”

“It’s… as far as the Ice Lake is from here, true. It’s the Windigo Stratus I am worried about, Aurora.”

“Care to explain?” you huff as you place your rump a few feet away from Red Sulfur, “What’s so bad about it?”

He sighs, “It’s a massive cloud at the very peak of the Crystal Mountains in which, every day and night, thousands spikes of ice accumulate until, eventually, a strong enough wind will pick it up and make it rain ice shards through all of Equestria. Whole Pegasus Towns used to gather together to fight this one cloud formation in particular.”

“And… how often does it happen?” you ask with a bit of a worry.

“I think,” Red Sulfur shrugs his shoulders at you, “I don’t know. Every seventeen years?”

“What are the chances then that today is the day?” you smile sheepishly and mentally at him, “Don’t worry about that! How about we rest, you said you really miss some sleep so I think we should do that.”

“You just want to sleep yourself, don’t pull the blame on me,” Red Sulfur argues pridefully back.

“I’d like to recollect me magical energy, not just sleep,” you answer him back, “…And, can you repair me?”

“With what?” he raises his eyebrow curiously at you, “The marble stone? The crystals they have in here are all, in some way, harmful – they used it against the Empire’s forces; the rebels. It’s also crushed crystal apples and berries – I don’t think you want that instead of your head. They are of no use… Although, maybe,” he shakes his head, “Well, if there’s anything that can be great to have it would be the rare Crystallized Aurora Lights. Fitting to, no?”

>What do you do now?

>>29405513
Quite fitting. Well then, I suppose I will rest now.

Any particular dream or memory you would like to pursue or you will allow yourself to drift into one?

>>29405722
I'd like a memory with dad.

>>29405722
>>29405722
Childhood thing

>>29405826
I am so mad.

“We might as well try, according to the map this ‘Aurora Crystal’ is supposed to be even closer than the Dragon’s Ride?”

“Yes,” Red Sulfur rubs underneath his tired eyes and, then, gently, pushes himself against the mineral wall. The stallion decides to keep most of his clothes on himself, yet he follows your advice and moves further from the flames – after all, he is still covered in oil that is very flammable; it’s lamp oil! You hear Red Sulfur muttering something to himself about a bath that he will not be able to take for a long, long while, also the scratchy feel of his oiled body.

If it is between having a rough, irritating skin and becoming the dinner of a Yeti’s, he’s got no reason to complain!

“Aurora?” Red Sulfur voice echoes through the crackle of the fire, “…Do you believe in ghosts and spirits?”

“…No, that’s just old mare’s tale,” you reassure your friend with a bit of a worry, “Why do you ask?”

“It’s nothing,” he responds lazily as he closes his eyes, “It’s best not to get too comfortable in abandoned towns.”

Certainly, this stallion is trying to scare you. Too bad for him, the line of your belief ends on completely ridiculous things! Your crystal body folds as you gently bend your legs and kneel before the sparkling fire. Very soon, your vision is consumed by the dark energies of your mind. You feel yourself slowly drifting into a tranquil sleep.

*** *** ***

You open your eyes to find yourself hopelessly floating underwater, certainly a black irony after the incident you have just suffered through. What is even worse is the fact that you are a filly in this memory, and you appear to be drowning. Why, of all memories, is the one where you are desperately drowning?! You can feel the freezing cold water soaking through your nose, throat and ears. Your vision plummets into a blur as you can no longer feel your body, either hypothermia or loss of your senses. You do not remember dying, of course you didn’t die! Back then…

There’s an indistinguishable figure, a phantom, of a mare that, you feel, gives you powerful push to the surface.

You gasp for air as the hooves of your father, Northern Light, push themselves on your stomach. You burp and spit an incredible amount of choking water, barely finding the time to breathe. Once you are back to the world of the living, you catch the shocked and scared expression of your father. He is quick to hug you to his chest.

“I knew it,” he says with a troubled, trembling voice, “It was too soon for you to try pearl diving! I’m so stupid!|

>What do you do now?

>>29406047
Hug dad tightly. Do our best to not cry.

I'll go to bed early to not be a drag at work tomorrow, if things go well I'll be able to continue tomorrow. Thank you all for playing. I hope the art request is not too ugly.

Getting you bumped from 10.

>>29409173

>>29406382
Is beautiful, Vince.

>>29406047
>>29406204
Hug the dad. Cry a lot.

>>29409985

File: Unimpressed Twilight.png (592KB, 1280x720px) Image search: [Google]

592KB, 1280x720px

>>29405513
>“I think,” Red Sulfur shrugs his shoulders at you, “I don’t know. Every seventeen years?”
>“What are the chances then that today is the day?”

>>29397543
Golden Shield and Soarin are likeable, but not to the extent of coltfriends.

>>29397543
Shield. Failing that, Soarin.

>>29351716
Bubba Symphony

>>29413593
You. I like you.

>>29413593
Maybe the other way?

>>29417604
>Soarinfag

As soon as the presence of death is no longer stroking its chilly hoof across your back, you open your eyes, jump up and clinch your father in a hug that any grown up steed would be envious of. You try not to cry but, you clearly forgot how weak the will of a filly is, compared to the emotionless crystal golem that you are outside of this dream. Still, your father jolts back in an obvious surprise of your speedy recovery; immediately, however, he hugs you back.

“There, there, my little pony, everything is fine. Nopony got hurt,” he whispers calmly in his usual tone of voice.

“I’m sorry dad!” you whine as your disgusting, salty tears surge into your mouth. You are barely able to say anything comprehensibly, and also, you probably look more than ludicrous. “It’s not your fault, I shouldn’t have had asked!”

“There-there,” he mutters in a lullaby as he gently strokes his hoof against your mane, “Just promise to be more careful next time, okay?”

“O-okay,” you burble with a hiccup as you rub the tears off your eyes, “Wait, n-next time, father?! Are you sure?!”

“Why, of course,” his gentle and smooth smile grows as he, magically, nabs an incredibly beautiful and rare, albeit small, pearl, to the likes you have never seen before, from your mane, “Look what you’ve found on your first dive!”

“H-huh?” you take the pearl into your hooves with a tremble. You inspect the grandiose treasure with no recollection on what has happened down there, or how you even managed to catch it. Still… “Do you think mother will be able to put this pearl in my conductor’s bow now, father? All of the other fillies have gemstones in theirs!”

“Of course…. But, one pearl will not be enough, I feel, Aurora.”

“I-,” you look at the icy floor that is scarcely protecting you from the cold presence of the lagoon, “I don’t think I want to go swimming for some time now, father.” You smile with a bit of a hesitation and pessimism; fear, too!

“Oh, don’t worry,” your father says as he then shows you a net filled to the brim with pearls that he have gathered in the same amount of time as you did. And you weren’t even trying to find it! “I can give you some of mine?” He asks.

>What do you do now?

>>29418845
Accept and make him happy, promise to do more chores when shaking of cold.

>>29418845
Well... only if you want to.

File: CS Bearwalski.png (48KB, 720x539px) Image search: [Google]

48KB, 720x539px

Nightly bump.

>>29421706

Bump for our dad.

“Y-yes,” you mutter under your exhausted breathing, “Your and my pearls will make the bow even better!”

“And here I thought I would have to insist on it!” his cheeky smile hops on his face as he gives you his small, gathering handbag. Northern Light then removes a short, white towel out of his bag and, after a brief and somehow painful rub, surrounds you in it. Then, your father picks you and gently places you on his comfortable, soft back. “I don’t think you should be moving in your conditions, princess, just sit tight – we are not far from home.”

“Okay,” you say without a squeak as you clinch your father’s mane stronger and set yourself down comfortably.

Your father was an amazing pony, unquestionably, but usually, he preferred to keep his thoughts and problems to himself. He was always kind-hearted and cheerful, as well as even-tempered and optimistic. Even though you have not seen him the way he was before you were born, you heard enough stories about him from your grandmother.

And your mother, Diamond Epiphany, was famous school teacher; an altogether different pony from your father. She spoke in the same, calm voice, of course, but her voice was strict, cold, menacing and scary. She always knew what to say as to when, and was not afraid to show it.

Between you, your father and her – she was the dominant piece in the house.

So, you remember a question, worm of curiosity, forming in your mind before you finally had asked him:
“Dad how did you and mom met?” you ask him with an laidback approach.

You can see the speed of his steps coming to a complete halt as his face slowly turns bleak. Your father turns his head without a single noise as he then, with a barely-held smile, whispers to you, “I don’t think your mother will forgive me if I tell you, Aurora, it is not that interesting,” he knocks his head just a little bit back, “Maybe you want to hear how I got my Cutie Mark? Try guessing!”

>What do you do now?

>>29424089
Did she rape him or something? Also, I guess he got a nice pearl or dived for really long time.

>>29424089
Uhmm... you fell into the water by accident and came back up with like a hundred pearls!

“Maybe,” you ponder, “Maybe you once fell into the river and then, when you returned to surface, you had all those beautiful pearls with you?!” You conclude in bursting excitement; that’s an even more amazing story than yours!

“Nope,” he shakes his head gently yet you barely able to hold on to his mane, “Would you believe if I told you that I did not discover my talent in water, more specific, I did not even knew how to swim at that time?”

You shake his head in a negative; you remember being dumbfounded by this question – how is that even possible?

“How is that even possible, little Aurora?” he asks you back with a chuckle, “Well, it happened when I was slightly younger… about your age. I and my class were visiting a sea vessel that gathers pearls. But I was scared of water at the time and spend this journey inside the ship itself; the movement of the waves frightened me especially. That is when one of the crew members approached me. He was checking the kitchen, of course, but he ended up stumbling on me on his way back. He asked and I’ve explained him the situation. He gave me an oyster from one of his journeys and said that ‘As long as I hide in my oyster, I won’t be able to truly shine like the pearl inside’. I do not know how he knew that this oyster had a pearl inside, but the crewmate did, and I ended upon finding it! Such a beautiful thing Aurora; giving just a little sunlight, it is a swirling tornado of colors and hues! I knew that day what I wanted to do with my life and so, my Mark have appeared! To show and share with everypony in Equestria the beauty of pearls.”

“And then, you jumped into the water and end up being an amazing swimmer and diver on your first attempt?”

“Nope,” he shakes his head again at you with a growing smile, “I’ve spend five months learning how to dive!” He pauses, “Any questions my princess?”

>What do you do now?

>>29424289
What's the coolest thing you ever found underwater, other than pearls?

Nightly bump.

>>29424289
Five months?

Shame I've missed this session, but I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Thanks Vince.

>>29424289
Five months? Was he scared during his first try like we were now? Or did he find a pearl like we did?

fucking bump

>>29430291
Why so angry?

>>29430356
Because I keep missing sessions.

>>29430376
Do not worry, for those are not sessions but daily updates instead so, if the thread is alive, you can simply imput when you are free. Proper long session will be tomorrow. Today I'll update a bit later, accidently poured some liquid wax on my carpet and all.

>>29430401
>tomorrow
>tomorrow I start work for five or so days straight
I try not to cry.

“Five months?” you gasp at his answer, “That’s a very long time, father! Why did it take you that long?”

“Aurora,” you father chuckles with a brief pause, “My talent is not to be a great swimmer, or the even a great diver. It is not even to fish for oysters and pearls, no. My special talent is to help ponies see and find the things that are already there, in plain boring sight. It is to show them the rareness and beauty of those, at first look, boring things. It was very hard for me to learn how to stop fearing the sea and even longer to learn how to swim. One of my teachers even said that ponies were not born to dive, and our bodies are not suited for it. My Cutie Mark was just a beginning of my journey – the same as yours, now that I think about it! Keep up the good wo-”

“That’s a very-very strange and convoluted description, father!” you raise one of your hooves into the air in visible exaggeration, “My talent is to help other play music. Mother’s talent is to teach. But yours – that’s complicated!”

With a simple shake, he smiles, “I don’t think that’s the case. But even so, when everything is said and done, Cutie Mark is just a sign on your flank; it is how you intrepid it and what you do with it that makes it your special destiny!”

“Did you find a pearl during your first try, like I did?”

“No,” he says, “I was bit in the snoot by a crab. I couldn’t swim for a week after that.”

“So I’m better at this than you,” you raise your voice to a laugh. You catch your breath and, with an obvious curiosity, you ask him, “Hey father, tell me, what is the COOLEST thing you ever found underwater?”

“Well,” he delays with a fake though, “Excluding Diamond Epiphany it would be-“

“You found mom’ underwater?!” you gasp at him; your father’s face blanks as he immediately facehoofs himself.

“Ugh, slipped,” he anguishes, “Let’s forget about that. The coolest thing would be a… sunken pirate ship!”

Pirate ships are coo; so cool. They are amazing and fantastic, too! And they are just plain cool. But… but, you can always inquire about it any other time in the future, and you think you remember actually getting to hear the story once or twice eventually. On other hoof, your father is going to avoid and try to hide the moment of his and mother’s meeting, and that’s just won’t do. You want to hear it, and you want to hear it now. Why is he hiding it?

“Please dad,” you beg him with the begging cat eyes method, “Pretty please? What happened with mother?”

Your father stops to hesitantly rub his face and then, with a defeat sigh; he turns to face you, “As long as you promise not to tell her, Aurora Flare. Your mother was… drowning once, and I ended up saving her from the sea.”

“Mother was drowning?” you blink, “How? She’s not the type of pony to end up in such a situation.”

“She was just barely a grown mare at the time, same as me, but even then, it wasn’t hear fault. There was a powerful tide that she ended up falling in when she was gathering some water for your grandmother. It was so strong that most ponies would simply end up being tossed back to the shore on their entry. I was gathering pearls at the time, at one of the few calm places in the river, and I’ve noticed your mother simply passing me by; she was already unconscious. So, of course, I helped to bring her to the shore and gave her a mouth-to-mouth rescue.”

“Wow! The first time you met and you two already kissed! And mother tells me to stay away from colts!”

“She might be right,” he says with a mocking smile, “She simply says that because she loves you. And I do too.”

“I love you too, father.”

*** *** ***
>Body Changes:
08% [+4] Alicorn ‘Dark’ Magic [Magic]
00% [-4] Volatile Arcane [Magic]

05% [+5] Anandalite [Crystal]
00 % [-5] Crystalline Debris [Damage]

“I love you too, father,” you mutter as you awake from what one could only call a mockery of a slumber. Your body and mind, as if filled to the brim with pure adrenaline, reacts with an unsurprising jolt. You slowly raise your hooves to rub beneath your eyes – certainly, there are no real tears present but, it feels if you were crying. Strange. Your emotionless body finally stands up from its relaxed position as you instantaneously attempt to find your companion.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Red Sulfur speaks as he enters the ruins with a gather of wooden supplies that he straight away throws into the campfire, “I’ve repaired you a bit with the crystallized lights – found some close nearby.”

You shudder in disbelief; he touched you without your consent! You take a mental breath to calm down. He fixed you, Aurora… You approach the southern wall of the abandoned rebel building as you find a hanging, broken mirror. You raise it just enough to see the part that Red Sulfur has repaired – a hole in your head.

The rainbow crystal makes it look as if you are wearing a crown – like some sort of princess or, in this body, maybe more similar to a maleficent queen.

>What do you do now?

>>29430978
Is he well rested? Is he alright? where is Padme?

>>29430978
Thank sulfur for the repair, we should get ready to head to the Aurora Crystal

You check on Red Sulfur perceptibly. He doesn’t look too much different from his usual self: he has heavy and murky bags under his eyes and his scourging wrinkles are, as if forcefully, engraved into his muzzle. Even if he did leave to sleep, which you are unsure of, a couple of hours rest is just not enough to instantly heal the damage caused by the struggles of his life. The reef gold stallion gives you a nonchalant shrug as he notices your “gaze” on himself.

“It’s… I’m thankful, Red Sulfur, thank you for the repairs,” you say with a drop of a hesitation, “Are you okay?”

“I don’t think I’m going to be any more ready than now,” he shudders, “Less time we waste, the better.”

“Yes,” you nod in acknowledgment. You slowly stand up and approach him, “Let’s head to the Northern Lights.”

He does not follow you, he simply blinks. He clears his throat and says, “It’s what I used to repair you, Aurora.”

“What?” you answer back with confusion, “Wait, what? I though you said we’ll have to climb a lot to reach them?!”

“I thought that you’ll have to climb a mountain to reach them, according to what the map shows,” he shrugs, “But I decided to check the place by myself and, what-do-you-know, they are pieces broken off by the wind lying on the ground right before me.”

“I see,” you pause to jingle the real, tangible Aurora Borealis on top of your head. “So, what does it do?” you ask.

“No idea,” he raises his shoulders dispassionately, “I have never heard of anypony getting their hooves on it; that’s not true… the unicorns of Trotland used it a lot in their jewelry and clothing – but I couldn’t read anything further.”

>What do you do now?
Posted an unfinished version.

>>29431298
Can we hear sounds now? Aurora Borealis makes sounds, it's crystallized version binds us to it a bit, no?

Pausing here. Thanks for playing!

>>29431298
Let's set off for Dragon Ridge.

>>29431315
What? We could always hear.

>>29432328

>>29433087

>>29431540
I means see sounds, but my brain farted.

>>29434098

Beep-boop.

Sorry guys, I'm creatively dead today for the post that I need to write down, as well as I do not have a picture as of yet that I need to accompany it with. Sorry for this, but let's play together tomorrow.

File: Crystal Pony.png (801KB, 1280x720px) Image search: [Google]

801KB, 1280x720px

Aurora, what are you doing there?

Buuuuuump.

>>29437241
>>29437241
DO A FLIP FAGGOT

>>29439348

Your allow your dark magic to veil over your eyes bit by bit, only for you to remove it and look at the world in a different light. To your complete disappointment, however, nothing has changed! You mentally scrunch your nose as you then place your hoof against the “Aurora Tiara”; you gently nab it for a jingle that, while melodious, changes nothing to your body or your surroundings. If the crystallized form of the northern light has any magical powers, it is certainly not a power that is so easily triggered or visible.

Your voice sighs as you look at the barely locked door; you can see daybreak sunshine slowly entering and brightening the room from the outside.

“Try casting a spell,” Red Sulfur adds with a nonchalant wave of his hoof.

“What?” you ask.

“The residents of Trotland were all unicorns, right? So either it was for jewelry alone or wearing those crystals had something to do with their magical powers.” He shrugs, as if he really didn’t care about your decision on this.

>What do you do now?

Abump.

>>29442191
Try to pick something up.

>>29445629
With magic or just?

>>29445766
Magic, magic.

>>29445780
This. Magic something, we can shrug off one spell.

While it is, possibly, is a waste of magical energy to use up your dark magic now, instead of when you’ll more than likely find yourself in a dangerous situations, it’s better to know and be prepared for the effects of this anadalite crown. You open the door and expose yourself to the vivid and bright sunlight of the new day; your bare crystal body shimmers as bright as a fire. With Red Sulfur’s curious rise of his eyebrow and nudge of his head you mentally close your eyes and then, without any hurry, you inscribe the cursed ciphers of the telekinetic spell before yourself.

Your electric and charged body releases a smoking charcoal cloud – a part of your dark soul. With absolute obedience, the semi-transparent magic surrounds the first thing you see – a brick stone on one of the destroyed fortifications. You focus in an attempt to slowly pick up the stone and toss it away from yourself, far away hopefully.

Instead, what you find at first is that your magic is now surging with out of the ordinary, hollow and echo-like ringing. It is hard to explain, in all sincerity, but you feel your magic having a presence, a strange aura. At second, you find that your tangible grasp of the brick stone is light, as if you are trying to hold a single grain of salt. So, with your acknowledgment, the field starts to expand and grow. You rip off a major chunk of the fornication – almost your size.

This crown is somehow – someway empowering your magical energy. It does not discriminate against dark magic.

[Telekinesis][Cost: 1% Dark Magic]
[Aurora Flare can now raise large sized objects in additional to previously medium and small sized ones.]

>Body Changes:
07% [-1] Alicorn ‘Dark’ Magic [Magic]
01% [+1] Volatile Arcane [Magic]

>What do you do now?

>>29446192
Happily hug Red, trying to not crush him by accident, and then... oh wait, touch phobia. Cheer verbally then, prepare to look around this place for some rebels. Or clues. Or maybe something useful some more.

“Did you see that?!” your menacing, hollow voice squeals as you drop the massive wall piece before yourself.

Red Sulfur offers you a shrug, “I think I did. Do you think you can repeat that for me?”

“Sulfur,” you grumble at him with a huff, “I can’t be wasting my magic.”

“I’m joking,” he yawns with a snigger, “I am joking, Aurora. I’m not much for theory but I was right; the crystallized magical aurora empowers magic. Well, if you want to look for me I don’t suggest it, it looked like a very long and steep climb and I’m not sure there’s a connection between the amounts of crystals you have; you know?”

“We might try, but I also want to check the rest of Trotland for any clues or maybe still, hiding rebels, Sulfur.”

“I did that that,” he mutters in a tired whisper, “Me and my hood, that is. We couldn’t find anything.”

“I might as well give it a chance,” you hesitate.

“Aurora,” Red Sulfur explains, “I’ll be honest, if there was anything interesting, I wouldn’t miss picking it up – even if I do not know how to read I know what a diary or a book looks like. And my Quartz Eye can sense and pinpoint me towards important and valuable things, and dangers. There are neither here. I’ll wait for you here if you want to. I’ve explored a couple of ways towards the Dragon Spire too, and all of them are very troublesome. You can pick one.”

>What do you do now?

>>29446584
Try to pick the easiest way we could possibly find. Also, we go to Dragon Spire or directly to the CE? I must've missed the part when we decided.

>>29446633
I think people agreed to go, but if that changed others might make themselves heard?

>>29446729
I kinda think I need a confirmation from others, don't want to send us into some terrible mess.

I'll leave it for the night then, unless shitposting about the movie kills this thread.

>>29446584
Let's hear them.

Man, the one time I'm too busy to play and somebody else was here. Super sorry Vince.

The thread almost died. You're welcome.