Crystal Symphony [CYOA]

You turn your head from the enclosed crevasse; a moment of doubt and guilt of leaving the Princess of the Day trapped in Sombra’s horrifying banishment stops you on your tracks. You struggle to take the first step, yet the second one comes easier – without a doubt finding the Crystal Heart is top priority now, both you and Princess Celestia know it. You can only hope that Princess Amore is going to return in time - what you must do is clear.

You approach the wall of thundering winds and freezing gusts that divides the Crystal Mountains from the Frozen North, only to face an incredible push back, a resistance. Your heavy and solid body is unable to pass through; the gale raises a pillar of snow underneath your feet and sends you crashing down the avalanche hill yet again. You struggle to take a step forward to no avail; the ground crumbles and slides down further and further away from the airstream divider. You look to your right, you look to your left and you even look up – the wall is never-ending.

>What do you do now?

>>29606855
Nothing can be that simple, can it? Could we dig? That would take a ton of time tough.

I got no idea.

You give the wind torment an annoying grunt and a sore shrug of your shoulders; you are unhappy with the way things are – can at least some things be easy and simple for you? You mentally sigh and push your hooves into the snow ground, in a vain hope to dig underneath the blizzard and pass through it that way. However, every time you shovel a pile of snow away, the strong winds immediately bring it back, making your attempts fruitless. Certainly, in addition to the magic draining and locked chasm, this rending barrier makes this place worthy place of banishment.

This does not help you or the situation, however – you will have to use magic, but how?

>What do you do now?

>>29607055
TK our way though? Part the wall?

You allow the veil of darkness – your old friend – to slowly creep over your vision. You stamp your hooves against the hard, wavering snow as you then harshly lean forward and concentrate, drawing the runic symbols of your telekinetic spell on the canvas of your mind. The emerald flash elicits your dark energy from your body; the black shadow of your smoke creeps out of every cranny in your body. Your black magic twists around your body like a cocoon; it enforces and strengthens its telekinetic hold and, with your permission, it lifts you off the ground and sends you straight into the whirlpool of mad winds and, hopefully, pass them.

This does not happen, however, as the powerful gusts stops you on your way out as soon as you find yourself in this tunnel of infinite and sharp air currents, blazing at you from all sides. Your telekinesis is, thankfully, able to keep you floating in mid-air but, the moment you soon realize that, the moment your spell is defunct, you’ll be send flying and thrashing through the blizzard channel until you are either destroyed by it, or spewed out either inside or outside.

>Body Changes:
24% [-1] Alicorn ‘Dark’ Magic [Magic]
04% [+1] Volatile Arcane [Magic]

>What do you do now?

File: CS Quartz Eye Phantom.jpg (361KB, 1650x1223px) Image search: [Google]

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Something came up, will be back in two hours.
Here's a picture of Red Sulfur's phantom.

>>29607177
I think we'll probably end up landing in snow and a chance of being on the other side beats no chance of being on the other side. Might would help to get closer to the ground though.

>>29607180
Neat.

>>29607177
We could spin our self with throw ind then trow our self through the wind wall to get out of it.

You struggle to set your hooves on the ground as the powerful winds, just barely, avoid blasting themselves into your crystal body. With a struggle and a grunt, you manage to move yourself just a bit forward despite the never-ending resistance of the violent flow of wind and snow. As the telekinetic hold of your magic over your body weakens, you find yourself in the jaws of a greatest monster in Equestria – the ever-free weather. In the deafening howl of the winds surrounding you, your obedient and prepotent magic find its equal – or worse.

The gust of blizzard picks your body like a ragdoll and, harassingly, tosses and spins and smashes you all through it. You find your body in a crushing storm, as if you just walked into a tornado. Despite the softness of the snow, the speed of which your body smashes into it literally breaks off pieces of your body. The gemstone splinters split off your body and then they disintegrate into nothingness. You find yourself unable to escape the barrier wall despite the best of your struggles; it is like a predator toying with its prey, and it gives you a jab of hope before pushing you back into its grasp.

>Body Changes:
25% [-3] Crystallized Flesh [Crystal]
21% [-2] Crystallized Flesh ‘Foreign’ [Crystal]
06% [+5] Crystalline Debris [Damage]

The white noise of spinning snow and cracking winds makes it harder to concentrate, you feel yourself losing your mind. It is then that you are able to see a clear emptiness, an open road that you’re, now, barely able to walk through. With a struggle, you push yourself to walk across the wall; the opening, created with a power of mighty oaken branches, is immediately destroyed and what was there of the magical trees is no more.

Catching your mental breath, a meditation and rumination, you realize and notice a presence standing before you. The presence is a soothingly shimmering creature of emerald energy and wood splinters, branches and needles.

>What do you do now?

>>29608453
Oh, it's bearwaskey. Let give him a hug then let go find where Sulfur and Nifty went to stay.

>>29608453
Bearwalski? I don't think I've ever been so happy to see him.

“Bearwalski?” you ask in disbelief as you approach the oaken bear cub with a slow shudder, “Is… is that you?”

The cub responds with an innocent, childish nod; it slowly approaches you. The stride of the oaken cub is followed by a pleasant and melodic singing of birds, and his steps melt the snow and give birth to a vivid-green grass beneath them. You look back to spot the torrent of wind that is still there, and it is a predatory as ever; what mad pony would want to cross this (!) – You ask yourself in a sarcastic disbelief. The cub stops before your legs and then, he gently nudges it with his paw. You kneel before Bearwalski and then, you give him the mightiest hug you can manage.

The everfree magic of nature begins to creep and crawl, as usual, all over your body. This time, however, you feel no weakness and you feel no struggle. The amount if dark magic inside of you is just too much to be dismissed by the natural magic of Bearwalski, as if he’s sunshine rain that is unable to stop the spreading fire that is yourself. It does not appear, however, that he’s in any pain himself. Despite everything, his magic is just more powerful than yours.

“What happened?” you ask, “How did you find me?”

The cub responds with another, friendly melody. Bearwalski shrugs his head in a direction and nudges you forward, to which you follow him. Soon, you find yourself standing before an abnormally green and floral dome, with lush branches and flourishing flowers decorating the canvas that is its walls. In this empty, cold and white tundra this shelter appears like a mirage, a fake fantasy of laughing death; only this time, it is real.

There’s a transparent, grayish smoke coming from inside of it. The fertile trees open to reveal an entrance, a bit small to your tastes but enough to pass through. Inside, it looks and feels even cozier than from the outside. The orange-green glow and the dry, arid atmosphere make it share so many similarities with the house that you and your parents used to live in.

Red Sulfur notices you first, he sighs with an obvious relief and then, with a fake indifferent shrug, he welcomes you inside, “You took your time, Aurora. We weren’t worried, not me.” Red Sulfur gives Bearwalski a pat, a scared and slightly prideful pat, “I think your friend here followed you, Aurora; more than happy we met him on our way.” You notice something strange and unusual about Red Sulfur, something that he is not hiding: his usual Cutie Mark, a red sulfur crystal that is melting at the bottom and is evaporating on the top, is replaced with a road of ginger spice.

“I’m glad he found you,” you smile sheepishly at him, “I’ve got something to tell you and Nifty, where is she?”

“I… don’t like her affinity with fire, Aurora; I think she’s some sort of pyromaniac,” he whispers to your secretly, “She has been spending a lot of time near the bonfire, either that or she can pneumonia. Not that I care, but she’s there.”

>What do you do now?

>>29608926
Let's go see if Nifty is ok.

>>29608926
Well I got news that both of you should hear about. So where is Nifty?

“Well, I’ve got some… news that I would like for you and Nifty Ribbon to hear, where is she?”

“News, about the princess?” he asks only to hear you nod, “Oh, well, she’s over there,” he points to the other side.

You and Red Sulfur come up to sitting teenage filly with a silent step, the young mare is wrapped in thick, heavy and warm clothes and is sitting just a few inches away from the strange, dancing fire that is somehow not burning the entire dome down, or of which the flames not even tinder the branches of. She looks relaxed, her eyes closed. It does not appear that she is sleeping in this uncomfortable position, however, she’s meditating.

“Hey, Nifty Ribbon, how are you holding up?”

“Huh?” she opens her eyes with in a confused manner, only to blink and then jump in your embrace, “Aurora! I was so worried,” she holds down her tears, “The avalanche, how did you survive that?!” Her breath is harsh and tired.

“Oh, that’s nothing,” you give her a gentle smirk, “I’ve went through worse, is everything alright with you?”

“O-oh,” she says with a nod, “Yes, we stumbled on your friend, Aurora. H-he’s such a cute little bear! And he sings, too!”

“That he is,” a smile creeps in your mind, “That he is. Alright, Red Sulfur, you better sit down – this will take a while.”

*** *** ***

“Princess Celestia is trapped thousands of feet beneath the ground?!” Nifty whimpers at you in shock, “Oh no…”

“Yes,” you hesitate, “She’s powerless, and she’s badly injured – but she’s not dying. King Sombra has managed to defeat her all-or-nothing army, and he’s currently on his way to Canterlot to imprison, or worse, Princess Cadance.”

“I didn’t even know somepony like her was alive,” Red Sulfur comments with a shrug, “Where was she before?”

“Princess Celestia was giving her protection and guidance under her care, from what she told me, Red Sulfur.”

“How amazing,” he say with an obvious sarcasm, “Everypony in the Empire will be happy she was waiting until now.”

“It’s not that easy,” you mutter tiredly and then sigh, “The point is, we have to go to the Crystal Empire and find the Crystal Heart while we still have the time, and we don’t have that much of it. Hopefully, Golden Shield will be there.”

“I don’t want to be a spoon of tar in a barrel of mead,” Red Sulfur shrugs, “But even if we account the fact that Sombra is not in the Empire right now, it is in his control; that is, and also the fact that even Princess Celestia with a whole army behind her back could not defeat them, what chances do you have?” the pony asks you apathetically.

>What do you do now?

>>29609447
I assume he took a force with him, some impressive display of power. We need to sneak into the palace and find the Heart. We won't be meeting them with brute force.

I'm going to pause here, hopefully I can continue tomorrow. Thanks for playing, you're the best.

File: king_sombra_and_his_armor_by_koviry-d7y6w5y.jpg (172KB, 547x739px) Image search: [Google]

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Bump.

B

U

M

P

“I can only assume that he had something with him, some kind of impressive display of force, Sulfur,” you say.

“You assume that,” he shrugs his shoulders dispassionately, “But what if he’s just that strong by himself…”

“We won’t be meeting him face to face; all we have to do is sneak into the palace and find the Crystal Heart.”

“And what if it’s not there?” he asks, “I’ve told you, there’s a fifty percent change it can be hidden outside.”

You mentally bite your lip as you give him an empty, poker glance, “We won’t know unless we go through with it; you said you can confirm if the chains are able to hold down the winter by themselves, or not, correct?”

“I can,” he pauses and shrugs once again, “I think, but I’ll need time, the time that we won’t have much of.”

“He’s just scared,” Nifty Ribbon comments timidly while rubbing her hooves against each other for warmth.

“I’m not scared,” he tells her with a prideful attitude.

“I don’t blame him, I’m scared too,” she takes a deep breath. She sighs.

She blinks once she spots Bearwalski approaching you. In the magical grasp of the oaken bear cub is a small branch, a faintly lustrous twig. The cub places the magical object before your hooves and gives you an innocent nudge of his head. Then, the bear turns away from you and jumps in Ribbon’s hooves. Nifty is more than joyfully to have him and to able to hear the sound of birds and fluttering of their wings coming from inside his everfree body.

“Up here,” her smile grows, “Do you have a name? Aurora, does he have a name?”

“I’ve already told you his name, its Bearwalski,” Red Sulfur sluggishly waves his hoof at her.

“Yes but,” the filly wobbles uncomfortably in her seat, “M-maybe, but maybe that is not teacher Aurora’s name.”

“It’s not the name I came up with either, it was her foals.”

>What do you do now?

>>29614161
>her foals
My heart hurts. I hope we will get them back if... when we will save the Crystal Empire. Check the branch out.

>>29614161
I miss them so. I hope they're safe. I hope Soarin is still alive too.

What I do know is that we'll need to be at peak proformance for when we get to the Empire. We should either rest now or sometime on the trip there.

Warn Red about his phantom. It wishes to make him absolutely dependent upon her.

>>29615720
>inb4 phantom hurts Red the second we start unveiling her masterplan

Your crystallized heart thumps at the mention of Trampled Flower and Scarab Amber; you miss them, you miss them a lot. You shake your head at the trivial, if not just a little bit hostile, exchange between Nifty Ribbon and Red Sulfur; you avoid their small, childish argument and instead, you take the twig into your hooves and then, you snap it.

The split second you crack the branch under your hooves, you find the world around you change to that of a colorless and empty acreage; there is a strange, silencing and calming magic floating through the bone-dry air, like some sort of enchanted dust. You are not here, however, despite the tangible feeling and grasp this is but a vision.

This is the spirit realm of the Warden Tree, and it’s once grand, gilded presence is withering away, it is dying.

In this sterile, bleach whiteness, you notice a shape, a specter of a withering cherry tree, a tree with no leaves or fruits. It is a naked and dry trunk, and beneath it lays a glowing, white shape of its guardian spirit, a shape of a stag.
In this strange concussion of veracity, you manage to see the shape that the Warden Tree is in, and the result of it no longer being able to protect the gates of Tartarus. All sorts of monstrous shapes, black figures and horrible villains are escaping through the path that Sombra has created, and there is no knowing where they are going to go now.

You feel the dream collapsing the moment you wish to approach the guardian spirit, pulling you back into the reality.

Red Sulfur and Nifty Ribbon are still throwing passive-aggressive remarks at each other, not seriously-mind you. You lower your head to see Bearwalski sitting right before you; his glowing green eyes are looking right through you.

>What do you do now?

Sorry guys, I really wish to continue today, especially with y'all now being present, but morning shift is a bitch and I need some sleep.

>>29615864
Fuck, shifts always take away any joy from me. Well, sleep tight, crystalpone.

As for the suggestion, I feel like Bearwalski was showing us the way to get some extra support on our fight with Sombra. Hypothetically, we could try and save the Warden Tree spirit somehow, but I have no idea how we could do it without wasting more time. Does our cub have any ideas he can show us? Or maybe you do, Anons?

>>29616699

>>29615942
I'm not certain. Maybe Bear will give us some hint.

You silently lower your hoof to pick Bearwalski up; with virgin innocence of a cub he climbs into your embrace and then, he gently bonks his head against your chin. With loss and oddity, you ask him, “What… do you want me to help you with, Bearwalski. Do… you want me to bring you back to the Warden Tree – or, you want me to help the spirit?”

The cub gives you another nudge and, as if following tact to invisible melody, he moves his head forward, nodding.

“I’m so sorry, Bearwalski,” you hesitate to answer him, “I can’t, we don’t have time. D-don’t look at me like that!”

His glare is that of monotone incorruptibility, it is hard to catch any emotion from his featureless bark muzzle.

“I know that the gates of Tartarus are important, and all those prisoners – But if we don’t stop Sombra now…!”

Out of nowhere, a vivid and lush branch smacks you right upside your head; it is a light yet sensitive hit. On instinct, your raise your hoof to rub the place of a bruise as you realize the cause of this oddity; in return, you harrumph at your oaken bear companion whom simply places his claws on his chest and, then, points one of them towards you.

“Are you saying that- are you going to help me first as long as I help you with the Warden Tree afterwards?”

The cub nods and then, for nothing more than a jest, the branch smacks you upside the head once again. With a passive irritation, you grab a hold of the branch by its stalk and then, you quickly break it into two clean halves, “Not funny, stop it!” You take a deep, throat grinding breath, “We need a quick rest to be in our best condition, now. A quick rest.”

You turn to Red Sulfur who gives you a, more or less, confused look, “Didn’t you say just now we don’t have time?”

“An hour at best, I need to calm down my used volatile arcane, Red Sulfur.”

He shrugs at you with a simper, “I know you like to sleep as much as I do, Aurora, but-”

“That is not the point here-”

“The more time we wait, the bigger the chance Sombra will be in the Crystal Empire by the time we arrive.”

He… he is right. You mentally bite your lip as you attempt to think of a way to both rest yourself to be in your best condition and for the three – four – of you not to waste any time. It is impossible for you to think of anything now! Your eyes focus on purple-red gemstone hanging right beneath his neck; is it best to warn him about her, you wager.

“Then we are moving out in a couple of minutes, say ten, is this alright with you two?”

“I guess-”

“Red Sulfur,” you hesitate to speak as you cross your gaze with the silent, burning eye of Red Sulfur’s Quartz Eye, “It’s best you remove your Quartz Eye from your hood, she is not who you think she is. She’s an evil phantom.”

He blinks and slowly raises his hoof against his neck to push his hoof against the suddenly tightening lash, “What an exaggeration, Aurora. I though, she helped you with the whole Crystal Note fiasco, did she not?”

“She did, barely,” you make a throat clearing sound, “But she also said she wants to make you dependant on her and her alone!”

“I’m dependant on her, she is useful,” the stallion gives his gem an overlook, “She saved my skin so many times I’ve lost count, even before I met master. She’s also the only reason I was able to find all those and crystals for my researches, Aurora.” The stallion points his hoof at you, “I’m dependant on you too, you know, do you think that’s unreasonable? And you let me to travel with you because I’m useful to you, too.”

“She said that she won’t allow me, or anypony else, to steal you away from her, Red Sulfur. That’s how psychos talk!”

“Well, do you intend to?” he asks you with calm, tired confusion; his eyebrow perked.

>What do you do now?

>>29620832
My intent is only to make you aware of her intentions. I will not force you to do anything. You are my friend and I worry about you, Sulfur.

Tell Bearwalski that we're sure that alot of ponies will be willing to help him once Sombra is stopped.

Finally I know that these two fleshies can't march straight to the Empire without rest so we'll rest when they do on the way.

>>29620912
I say we go help the warden tree, if we don't then sombre won't be the only problem we have to deal with when we reach the crystal empire.

>>29620963
But this might be our only chance to capitalize on his absence. If we use the Heart we can destroy Sombra and direct our attention to Tartarus. I don't know how tough deamon are but Sombra fucked Celestia and her entire army.

>>29621049
Another reason is that we have no idea how to help the Warden or what that would entail.

Anybody wants to see a shitty drawing of Aurora in wedding gown?

“Listen, Red Sulfur,” you shake your head in a mild annoyance, “You don’t have to get rid of her if you do not want to, and it’s up to you. Simply put, I’m worried about you – you are my friend and I worry about you; that’s all there is.” You give Bearwalski a hug, something you are more than happy you are able to do now, “If… once Sombra is defeated, Bearwalski, a lot of ponies will be more than happy to help you, not just us.” He answers with a quiet roar.

Nifty Ribbon narrows her eyes at Red Sulfur. She twitches in her seat. She clears her throat and then, she decides to whisper to both of you with a blunt and honest expression, “That’s not what he wanted to hear, teacher Aurora.”

The yellowish stallion blinks and then, he narrows his eyes at her, “You, shut up; her answer is first-class.”

The teenage filly grunts and looks away in visible, obedient limpidness. With a grinding and echoing chuckle you give her a shake of your hoof, “Its fine, it is fine, Red Sulfur. Tell me, Nifty, what do you think he wished to hear instead?”

“You know I am sitting right here, right? You can ask me – I can answer. Your answer is good enough, Aurora-”

A shy smile appears on her lips as she whispers to you, “Probably that yes, you intend to steal him from the phantom.” She would then turn to face Red Sulfur, “I’ll have you know that teacher Aurora is middle-aged.”

He shrugs unfazed, “That old?”

“I’m not old, I’m only thirty years old,” you whine in complain; the two of them exchange uncomfortable glances.

>What do you do now?

>>29621160
Oh hell yeah!

>>29621283
Quick, make it not about us! Whisper to Nifty asking her if she belives that Red is... romantically interested in us.

File: CS Aurora Flare III.jpg (318KB, 1275x1650px) Image search: [Google]

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>>29621374

>>29621483
That's actually very pretty. Also what I hope for a best end.

>>29621564
Oh, thank you. Hope you don't mind me waiting for some more suggestions.

>>29621283
Sulfur is not our type, and we already have an eye on a stallion

>>29622117
Let's not just shoot him down. While I do want someone else if Red proves himself I'm willing to change my mind.

>>29622207
I don't agree with sulfur being our chose of husbrando, also I believe Clover might be going after him after our time at manehatten.

>>29622329
I don't currently agree with him being chosen husbando either but I'm open to the option.

>>29622117
You just afraid of his phantom, like a crazy ex.

>>29624430
I bet you'd husbando Sombra too.

>>29625966
To be honest we didn't interact much with him after awakening, he might be a cool husbando.

>>29626092
Are you insane? How a guy who fucking enslaved a whole bunch of ponies and wages all-out war against other free nation can be cool?

>>29626315
You know, being a tyrant and being a husband don't have to be one and the same. I'm joking, of course.

>>29626343
You can never be too sure if other players are joking or not, bro.

>>29626347
You know there is that one anon that ship aurora with sombra.

After an aching sigh, you give Nifty Ribbon and Red Sulfur a short and bitter glance, “Alright, that’s enough about me.” With that, you approach your student to entrust her with the oaken cup from your hooves who she, blissfully, accepts; Bearwalski is no less happy either as the sound of peaceful bird singing exhilarates from out of his body. Red Sulfur throws a lazy eye roll in your direction and then, he glances away, “Do you want me to check on your injury?”

“That’s fine!” your head awkwardly bumps at him with a smile, “I don’t think you have any crystals with you anyway!”

“Sadly,” his hoof rubs against his template, “Climbing the peak that has the crystallized aurora might be something that you’ll be capable of doing, but we don’t know its danger or height. And too much magic might be bad for you.”

You lightly tap the crown molded into your head, “So far, it has been very useful. Thanks for finding it for me, Sulfur.”

He blinks and simply shrugs his shoulders in a response, “I’m not saying I don’t want to see what will happen when a large amount of crystallized aurora is trigged by dark magic but, it might blow you up – so let’s not; your welcome.”

With that, the reef gold stallion puts himself contentedly on the opposed side of the deviant yet natural bonfire; after a short but meaningful pause, he slowly taps the Quartz Eye under his chin and gently nabs the edges of his hood. For sure, his Quartz Eye is whispering to him! They are having a private and close-minded discussion between each other and, more than likely, the Quartz Eye is portraying you in a bad light – you can easily sense the wicked…

“Nifty,” with a slow crawl you move yourself closer to your kind and shy student. With a waiver of a hoof, as if It’s nothing serious, you ask: “Do you think Red Sulfur likes me?” you lower your crystallized voice to that of a whisper.

“I… I don’t know,” the teenage filly answers you with a short and misplaced shake of her head, “Why do you ask?”

“Well, you told me that you knew he wished to hear something else from me, about me caring about him – right? I thought that, just maybe, you’ve noticed something about his attitude that I did not.”

Your filly timidly drums her hooves against each other as she attempts, with visible coy, to come up with an appropriate sentence, “Teacher Aurora,” she begins, “Think of our school, that’s how much I know about likings. I did not get a confession but you know how the colts were towards the fillies they adored – they would steal their erasers and pens, pull their manes and tails, throw their boogers at them and sometimes, they would taunt them!”

“Erm,” glancing shortly towards Red, you whisper with bewilderment, “He did not do any of that but you know-”

“Teacher Aurora,” your student whispers back, “What about you – do you think he likes you?”

It is not hard for Red Sulfur to notice your whispers; it’s only evenhanded he would be aggravated. The stallion slowly tilts his head in your direction and, finally, asks, “What? I know the two of you are close, and you have a lot to catch up but, I did not know that musical lessons are supposed to be this secretive.” He shows visible displeasure.

>What do you do now?

Lonely update today.

>>29627018
Tell him something distractive. Wave our hoof, giggle a bit like it's all the long-time-no-see thing. Then move on I guess.

Nightly Bump.

>>29627018
>“What about you – do you think he likes you?"

I was never the best when it came to matters of romance.

Tell Red it's just mare things, which is true actually.

>>29628727

>>29629620

>>29629924

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Somebody asked me before to explain more about the forces of the United Equestria, so here it is. Sadly, in plain text as sprites take too much work. Note that this hierarchy is before the events of the Crystal Symphony.

>>29633627
>Field Marshal Fox Trotter

If that's a take on Erwin Rommel, you my nigga.