Give and Take (A Changeling CYOA)

File: gat271.png (13KB, 640x480px) Image search: [Google]

13KB, 640x480px

>>30433703

>Not much happened last time.
>You and Ant Silver had your first sparring lesson.
>You didn't do very good at first.
>But by the end, you had definitely gotten a bit stronger and faster.
>You went to see Trove Trotter about some pony food next.
>He didn't give you any, but he sold you some other stuff.
>He also said a name that might be useful later: Moonerva.
>Back at the pony cave, you gave the stuff you bought to Ant Silver so Soft Serve wouldn't find out you snuck out.
>It's lunchtime now, and you need something to do after that.


Your gear: 1 Bed Leaf, 1 Scoopy, 1 Shiny Eggy Shell
Your inventory: 1 Shiny Eggy Shell, 1 Fancy Stone, 1 Long Stick, 2 Torn Leaves, 1 Armor Stand, 1 Bit Box, 1 Twisty Grabber, 1 Glass of Chocolate Milk, 1 Gauze Roll, 1 Power Cord
HP: 12/15
Bits: 237
LV: 5
Spells: Feature Shift (Good), Telekinesis (Moderate)
Mood: Sore, but ready!


>What now?

>>30433745
At first I thought Moonerva was a place or sense of being. Not an actual person.

>>30433822 (dis me ham)
>>30433745
>even my awesome neigh kwan do skills wouldn't be enough to fend them off until I get to Moonerva's checkpoint.
Yeah. I thought the checkpoint was referring to his level in his neigh kwan skills. Like some god tier stuff.
>>30378705
>>30378715
>I cannot enchant without arcanium crystal
So last thread, I remember there being a few posts for ideas on how to get Soft, Dot and Silver out of Canterlot, or something good.
I have an idea to propose: buddy leaves Canterlot and looks for diamond dogs to dig tunnels to freedom. Aye? Nay?

>>30433745
Let's see what Soft is up to, I guess.

>>30433745
Did we finish glass of malk? Will it spoil, or do we get to keep it with us indefinitely without it spoiling to use as a healing item?

>>30433901
>checkpoint
>neigh kwan do skills
You rode the short bus to school, didn't you?

>>30433912
Soft is making and serving lunch,
as stated previously.

>>30433945
It will spoil within a couple of days.

>>30433985
>You rode the short bus to school, didn't you?
I did. It was gret.

>>30433985
Lunch? Sure. Buddy's lunch is soaking up the ambient feels or whatever you call it. Maybe practice his levitation while they eat.

>>30433985
Ask Ant Silver why people don't like getting their butts touched.

>>30433985
>What now?
Pondering about your existence. What is your purpose. Do you matter? Does anything matter?

>>30434029
>>30434038
I can include this if you want, but the prompt is for what to do AFTER lunch. I'm trying to steer away from prompts that mostly consist of "Thing is happening, go do it."

>>30434085
Go make an army of pie bats and various creatures found in these caves.

>>30433745
>>30434085
Let's see what Soft is up to after lunch.

>>30434103
What are we going to do capture them in tiny balls and hop that capturing them establishes enough dominence that they fight for us?

>>30434142
I don't know don't care. It's a thing to do. If we manage to succeed, then nice.

we can wing it and hope it works.

So are we just forgetting about learning how to talk and hanging out with Dot then?

>>30434177
Yes.

>>30433745
Let's hang out with dot. Ask her if she can teach us the rest of the alphabet. Also ask if she can teach us that ice magic that soft mentioned she could do.

>>30433745
Goal acquired.

Get the remaining survivors to Moonerva.

>>30434177
>>30434186
But dot is standing right behind us, we can't just blow her off like that. >>30434721
>Goal acquired
We also have to get the radio fixed, find food for dot, find crystals for silver, and find out what happened to dot's mom.
We are gonna be a very busy bug...

>>30434776
>We also have to get the radio fixed, find food for dot, find crystals for silver, and find out what happened to dot's mom.
We've tried and failed to fix the radio
We've asked Trove about the dwindling amount of food in Canterlot
We've yet to ask her where to find some
We have an idea what happened to her.

>>30433745
Let have dot teach us more equestrian.

File: gat272.png (14KB, 640x480px)

14KB, 640x480px

Was waiting for more responses and then had to do household stuff, sorry.

>>30433912
>>30434029
>>30434038
>>30434083
>>30434104
>>30434776

You trot over and give Dot a hug. She smiles and hugs you back, tasting a little less sad now. The two of you trot to the food cave and sit down with Soft Serve and Ant Silver to eat.
It's bean soup again. Dot isn't happy. She's even less happy than the time you touched her rump.
That reminds you...
>"Silfah?"
The big mare looks up at you. "Mm?"
>"How come Dot get mad at Buddee poke butt?"
You hear Dot's spoon clatter to the floor next to you. A weird mix of spice and chill jumps off her like fire.
Ant Silver doesn't look very happy about the question either. "That sounds like a breach of personal space and bodily integrity." she grumbles.
"Now, Sis, I'm sure it was an accident...!" Soft Serve says, sweating a bit. "He's still a baby after all."
Ant Silver grunts, but doesn't say anything else. You sit there quietly, sucking up the little bit of happy and mad (mostly mad) coming from the ponies around you. You have more questions, but you still don't really get how to say them.
A little bit later, lunch is over and the ponies go do other things. Ant Silver cleans the eggshells that the soup comes in, Dot goes back to her room and shuts the door, and Soft Serve goes to the computer room. It looks like he's working on the radio again. You trot up and sit next to him. He looks down at you with a smile. "Hey Buddy, what's up?"

>>30435398
I don't want to be here. I want to be outside 'playing,' not trying to fix a radio in black and white vision. What did fix it anon have in mind exactly?

>>30435398
Ask if he's made any progress on fixing the radio, or if he's just poking and moving shit and hoping for the best.

>>30435398
Tell soft that silver found some wires he could use to fix the radio. Ask if we can help.

>>30435398
Ask Soft what's the plan for escaping Canterlot. It didn't look like they had a lot of bean soup left.

File: gat273.png (6KB, 320x240px)

6KB, 320x240px

Tried to make the radio puzzle less Tinepone and more standard.

>>30435465
>>30435625
>>30435643
>"Radio fiks yet?"
Soft shakes his head. "Not yet, but I think I'm making progress!" he tells you. "Wanna see?"
You nod, and he pushes the radio over to you to take a closer look at.
All of the vines look like they're tied up now, not hanging out all over th place. And the little metal rocks aren't scattered around anymore. The radio looks pretty good; you're not sure why it's not working yet.
>"...Soft?"
"Yeah Buddy?"
>"Soft haff plan for to ek-scape Cantahlot?"
Soft pauses. "What?"
>"Soft and Dot and Silfah need leaf soon. Not lot of ickee ponee food left."
Soft Serve is quiet for a second before he starts tinkering with the radio again. "That's silly, Buddy." he says. "It's safe here, and we can eat lots of things. Like............... grass! There's plenty of grass up in Canterlot, and we have power here and we're... we're safe here." His face tenses for a second. "We're safe here... We have no reason to leave. So don't worry, Buddy. Everything will be okay. As long as we stay here, we'll stay safe!"
The air around Soft suddenly feels a lot colder.

>>30436362
I don't know what any of this shit is. What's Doxel's phone number?

>>30436362
"But it's not safe. That mean big us knows about this place, and Dot isn't happy. Why stay here? Do you want to find Dot's mom? (Whom I forgot the name of)"

[spolier]Answer this child damn you![/spoiler]

>>30436422
Shit

>>30436362
>dumb down the difficulty
This is even more insulting.

>>30436362
Ask Soft if something should be in those two tiny holes in the middle. (Like a resistor)

File: gat273.png (9KB, 640x480px)

9KB, 640x480px

>>30436362
>wrong size

>>30436438
It was never meant to be Tinepone levels of difficult.

File: asdfadf.png (8KB, 227x199px)

8KB, 227x199px

>>30436447
Can we get a hint?
Is there supposed to be something here?

>>30436447
Doesn't matter. The first time you introduced the radio problem, I felt to inept to post any suggestions to fix it, and I felt bad about it because I thought you were disappointed in your current players.

>>30436362
Flip the switch my dude.

File: gat274.png (6KB, 640x480px)

6KB, 640x480px

>>30436638
Now now, Anon. There's only enough room for one disappointment in this CYOA,
and that's the one you're talking to.

>>30436422
>>30436442
>>30436460

You scrunch up at Soft Serve.
>"Not stay safe. Bad bug know Soft and famlee here. Dot not happy. Dot need food. Dot need Mommy! No can stay."
The cold air gets wet and salty. "Buddy, please... you don't know what you're talking about." Soft says. "Canterlot is a changeling enclave now. The nearest town is almost 20 miles away. If we leave this bunker, the changelings will catch us. They'll suck us dry."
The air turns freezing cold.
"We'll die out there, Buddy. That's why we have to stay here. Just until we get in contact with the Royal Guard or somepony in Cloudsdale. That's our only chance."
You slowly look back at the radio, turning over what you've been told in your head.
Radio parts are confusing, but one thing you see right away is that a little space in the back of the radio is empty. There's a few rocks that could fit there, but you don't know which one.
>"Fiks dat?"
"I'm working on it now, Buddy." Soft says. "I feel like I'm close, but I'm still not getting any signal on this thing..."

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

I'm stopping here for the night. Please leave any criticisms, etc. that you have, and thanks for playing!

>>30436771
K bye.

>>30436760
What if you strip the cord we found and use the copper wires or threads?

>>30436787
>>30436760
Did I say we? I mean what Ant Silver found.
Ask Soft why people don't like butt touch.

>>30436760
We're so close getting the radio working, we can do this!
>"Soft, bak raydio missin stryped roc."
Point to >>30436460
>"Dew Soft haf won moar stryped roc?"
If Soft does not have one, check the ground, maybe it fell under the table.
If not under the table, check under the couch, as well as the rest of the floor in the computer room

Bup

>>30438182

>>30439006

>>30436760
>>30437425
bumble dumple.

>>30439831

>>30441097

>>30437332
Let's let the butt touch thing go. It serves literally no purpose to investigate and seems to put everyone in a bad space.

File: gat275.png (9KB, 640x480px)

9KB, 640x480px

>>30436787
>>30437332
>>30442439
You look around for a piece that could fit in the empty spot. There's a bunch of those little metal rock thingies on the table, but you have no way of knowing which one is the right one. They have the same shape, but the stripes on them are all a little different. You can't tell which one is the-
Oh wait Soft just took one of them and pushed it into place.
...Success! You clap your hoofsies together.
Soft still isn't smiling, though. He wiggles a little twisty rock around. "Nothing..." he mutters, sighing. You guess that missing piece wasn't the only problem. How else can you help?
...There's that vine you bought from Trove Trotter...
>"Soft, Silfah haff fine."
Soft Serve blinks. "Fine what?" he asks.
>"Fine! Ffffffine!"
"I hear you, Buddy!" he says, frowning. "I don't understand. What's fine about Silver?"
>"...Neffer mine."
You're not good at questions. And the one about butt touching just got Silver and Dot mad, so you're not going to ask it again. Soft isn't as happy as he was when you met, either; if Soft got mad at you, you'd...
...Oh.
Oh, wow, that's a scary thought to have.
What would happen to you if SOFT SERVE got mad at you...?

>>30442743
Is the only problem the lack of a signal, is it turning on and emitting static or anything?
Could the bunker and being underground be blocking a signal?

>>30442743
At least a bagillion tears.

>>30442743
Butt touch yourself. Will you get mad at your butt?

>>30442743
Go get the cord and strip it of its inner bits.

File: gat276.png (7KB, 640x480px)

7KB, 640x480px

>>30442787
>>30442813
>>30442827
>>30442838

Oh, right.
Crying would happen. Lots of crying.
You don't want that. Maybe instead of trying to tell Soft about the vine, you should go get it instead.
One trip to Ant Silver later, and you have the vine. You can see a thinner vine like the ones in the radio through a little tear in the vine, so you put your teeth to work and peel the outside off of it. Then you poke Soft Serve's flank and give him the vine when he looks at you.
>"Fine."
Soft tastes a little chilly. "Buddy, where did you get that wire from...?" he asks.
>"Silfah find in Camtahlot. It fiks radio?"
The chill goes away, and Soft sighs. He smiles at you. "Thanks, Buddy, but all the wires have been connected." he says. "I don't need that. Besides, this looks more like something that you'd hook to a computer anyway."

File: asdfasd.png (4KB, 110x198px)

4KB, 110x198px

>>30442743
Are these wires connected wrong?

>>30443011
Hnnnng But it's gotta work. Maybe we can ask Dot to help? She's tech smart.

Why didn't we ask her to help fix it in the first place?

>>30442743
Does this radio use tubes?

>>30443091
Like I said, not a Tinepone puzzle. All of the vital components are visible, and all necessary information to fix the radio is available to you.

>>30443244
So nothing here is currently missing?

Hit the radio really hard, that always fixes things.

>>30443244
When he turned the knob, did it make static, or was there nothing?

>>30443244
HAVE WE TRIED HITTING ONE OF THE SIDE SWITCHES TO TURN IT OFF AND ON AGAIN?

Is it plugged in?

>>30443011
Try making the wires on the speaker line up with each other. If that doesn't work, put the resistors on the lower portion of the radio in the same "L" shape assignment as the resistors on the top. Match up the stripes to the resistors match. Some different resistors may be needed from the spare parts pool.

File: gat277.png (7KB, 640x480px)

7KB, 640x480px

>>30443253
>>30443271
>>30443336
>>30443433
>"Part still missing?"
"Not that I can think of." Soft Serve answers. "But even with all the pieces, it won't turn on. There's no signal, or even static. It's just not working."
You think.
>"Iss on?"
Soft Serve chuckles. "I'm not that dumb, Buddy." he says. "I've flipped the switch on and off a few times already. And before you ask, yeah, it's plugged in too."
You rub your chin. This is harder than you thought it'd be. You wish you had something that showed you what to do...

>>30443555
...Wait.

Do we?

>>30443555
What do we have for floppy disks for that computer?

File: 93741d193b3c7ca96f853b57a949fba0.png (3KB, 640x480px)

3KB, 640x480px

>>30443555

>>30443038
Anon was right, it seems

>>30443618
When did we get that?!

File: asdfasdfadf.png (9KB, 205x303px)

9KB, 205x303px

>>30443618
If I'm reading that right, the things in purple are backwards, and the blue thing is upside-down.

>>30443658
This!

File: adgasdg.png (5KB, 218x214px)

5KB, 218x214px

>>30443618
That top left corner bit doesn't quite match up either, but I don't think we can flip the little cylinder things. There's no slot on the other side for the green bit that I can see. The two wires, in teal/aqua, whatever colour that is, need to be swapped at the top, as said in >>30443038, and the red bit looks like it might be backwards too, but I don't know what that is or if the orientation matters there.

File: gat278.png (9KB, 640x480px)

9KB, 640x480px

>>30443779
That part was my mistake while translating the radio perspective. Sorry for the confusion.

>>30443618
>>30443658
>>30443681

Wait!
There was that little picture inside the radio. Maybe that'll tell you how to fix the radio!
>"Soft! Soft!"
"What now, Buddy?"
You point into the radio as pointily as you can.
>"Pikjer! Radio pikjer! How fiks!"
Soft Serve raises an eyebrow, then looks into the radio. He tilts it so that light shines into it. "...That faded old thing?" he mumbles. "I thought it was just a serial number or the BMI logo or something... you can read that?"
>"Uh-huh!"
"Oh, wow, that's great! What's it say? Did I do something wrong?"
You nod.
>"Fines rong. Soo-ish."
Soft looks confused. "...Hold on a sec."
Soft leaves the room for a bit. He comes back with a drawing stick and some notleaf. "Here, can you show me what it says with this?"
You nod and take the drawing stick with your magic, scribbling out a little picture for Soft Serve. He looks at it, then the radio, then the picture again, and then he stars fixing things in the radio. After a few minutes, he shows it to you. "How's that look, Buddy? Is that everything?"

>>30443853
The cyliders at the bottom has to be the same and we need a weird disk thing to connect the thing with the three wire on it.

File: asdfasdfasd.png (4KB, 209x159px)

4KB, 209x159px

>>30443853
I'm not sure what this bit circled in aqua is, and I don't see it anywhere.
Aside from that, I don't see anything else wrong.
I guess there might be those cylinders at the bottom like >>30443882 said, but I'm not sure if that matters or not.

>>30443853
Try it now nigga

File: gat279.png (9KB, 640x480px)

9KB, 640x480px

>>30443882
>>30443914

You take a closer look at the radio, then the pictures.
>"Uhhh... dis rong."
You point at the little rock thing near the bottom. Soft Serve looks at what you're pointing at, and he slaps his hoof against his head. "Ugh, crap, I must have mixed up the capacitors..." he groans. "Hold on."
A few clicks and snips and hisses from the smoky hot stick later, and Soft shows you the radio with a big smile. "How's that?"
You check your pictures. Something still looks weird.
>"Dis not in radio."
You point at the circle in the middle. Soft looks at it, then shakes his head. "That's the magnet that connects to the speaker cone, Buddy." he says. "It's already in here, under the wires. See?" He points at the thing in the middle of the big metal circle. "I think that part is there just so the magnet's poles are facing the right way. But I never touched the magnet, so they're fine."
>"Oh... den radio fiks?"
"Let's find out!" Soft Serve says with a smile. He tastes warmer and sweeter than he has since you became his Buddy. Slowly, he sticks the front of the radio back on and puts the tiny twisty metal bits back where they belong.
"I'm turning it on now, here we go..." he says.
He presses something until it clicks, then he turns the twisty rock...
...
...
...But nothing happens.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

I'm stopping here for the night. Please leave any criticisms, etc. that you have, and thanks for playing!

>>30444005
K bye.

>>30443998
At least we're bonding.

>>30443998
The only thing I can think of is that he usred the wrong resistors, but we need to see color for that.

File: adfadfa.png (2KB, 149x174px)

2KB, 149x174px

>>30443998
What's this bit in pic related? Is that on the other panel that's not visible? Check to see if those are oriented correctly.
The chip thing looks a bit different, but I don't know if that means anything, or if it's just a lack of detail with the illustration.
Maybe something is wrong with the wires? Does it matter which wire is plugged into which slots? Like, could we have accidently swapped the + and - wires, or does that not matter?

Unless the lines on those cylinder bits mean something, I can't see anything else wrong.

>>30443998
Micro chips in sideways.

Also looks like the resistors in the top left corner need to all be the same 2W type.

Also that sort of potato chip looking thing in the top left is also the wrong kind. The one in the picture is perfectly level with even with its mounts, this one is stretching.

File: 14990492836071.png (58KB, 1232x813px)

58KB, 1232x813px

>>30443998

1. Verify the tuning wire circle in ORANGE has been repaired.

2. As said by >>30444141, verify that the components in the other panel are oriented like those circled in BLUE.

3. The integrated circuit circled in RED is positioned incorrectly, it needs to be rotated 90 degrees.

4. The resistors may not be correct. Draw on the paper and show Soft what is circled in the YELLOW. The resistors on the far left are in parallel with each other. These are in series with the others. The total resistance needs to match what is depicted on the label. If one resistor is switched it will mess up the total resistance. Hopefully Soft knows how to read and understand resistor color values

5. The disc capacitors may have been swapped. Write down the values of each curled in WHITE and show Soft.

>>30443998
Will Buddy get an INT bonus for completing this?
Turn onto Soft as you help.

>>30446500

>>30447184

>>30447778

>>30448735

>>30449286

>>30450688

>>30451363

>>30451890

blt

>>30453199

bop

boop

Booop

>>30455979

File: indeponedence day.png (11KB, 640x480px)

11KB, 640x480px

I always feel kind of crappy not updating on holidays.
Happy Independence Day. May it remind you all of the things our ancestors believed were worth fighting for.

>>30457634
Fight for that family Buddy.

Arg! The feels.

>>30457634
Bump

>>30458247

>>30459114

>>30459667

File: gat280.png (7KB, 640x480px)

7KB, 640x480px

>>30444138
>>30444141
>>30444755
>>30444834
>>30445902

Not knowing what else to do, you turn to Soft and start asking every question you can think of.
>"Is tinee rocks rong? Flat skware not straight? Ooo-eye-errs in rong place? No strej tinee eggy? Pointee bit fiks? Front line up? Soo-ijj eggies?"
...You feel dizzy now. You flump over on your belly. Soft Serve chuckles and sits down. "You don't have much faith in me, do you, Buddy?" he asks with a smile. "I guess I wouldn't either, but don't worry: I've worked on lots of stuff like this in my life! I know how to read colors and solder electronics and stuff just fine. What took me so long was that I had to find a lot of parts to put in the radio. It was really beat up, probably from somepony stepping on it, heh. I had to take pretty much everything out. And new parts that still work after this long are hard to find... We really had to look. The resistors came out of an old jukebox, the capacitors were from a fridge, the... uh... computer thingy... chip, I think Dot calls it...? That was from a printing machine. But I promise they all work and they're all the right parts and in the right spots... as far as I know... so I'm really not sure what the problem is..."

>>30461202
Maybe it can't get a signal because we're underground.

>>30461202
...Did he turn the volume up?

>>30461202
Even if it couldn't get a signal from here, it should at least be making static, right?
Does it need new batteries?
Everything that I can see on the instructions looked correct. I can't think or see anything else that could be wrong.

>>30461202
Your wrong, we do trust you soft. We trust you more than anypony. You have given me so much, I just want to repay you as much as possible.

Starting with this radio. *Glares at radio*

>>30461202
Doesn't use batteries, and soft said it was plugged in.

What are we missing?!?!?!?

>>30461202
did he mess with the volume?

>>30461202
Ask soft what else radi oes need aside from insides.

Everything looks right so the only thing I can think of is outsides.

Also is it actually plugged in? It doesn't look plugged in.

>>30461202
What are those yellow and blue things on the table?

>>30461202
Are the batteries in backwards?

>>30461202
Tell soft that if there is any pony who can fix this, its him! We believe in him!

>>30461202
Looking at the clock, it looks like it's just past 1:15 pm.

>>30461202
Well next time We go scavenging we can keep an eye out for that stuff.


So are we going to go scavenging again without telling Soft? What if, late at night when everyone is asleep. We wake up Ant Silver and tell her what we're gonna do on top of asking her to lock the door as we leave. And leave before she can get a word in.

File: gat281.png (7KB, 640x480px)

7KB, 640x480px

>>30461252
>>30461257
>>30461274
>>30461292
>>30461311
>>30461315
>>30461325
>>30461330
>>30461391
>>30461435

>"Buddee bee-leef in Soft! Soft can fiks! Buddee help, promiss!"
Soft Serve puts his arm around you. "Thanks, Buddy." he says with a big smile. "I know we can fix it, too. Let's keep trying."
You and Soft spend a while more messing with the radio. It's plugged in, the volume is up, the antenna is working, and all of the spare pieces on the flat tree are broken. The two of you are stumped. Soft tastes a little hot now. "...Are you sure everything we did matches that diagram, Buddy?" he eventually asks.

>>30461623
Ask soft if the number for the microchip on the diagram is the number on the chip he pulled from the printer.

>>30461623
Did we draw the 2W that the four rock with strips need to add up to? check the chip if it's a pcb7 and the capacitors if it a 10 A

>>30461623
The only thing I can see from the diagram that could be wrong is the chip. Everything else looks correct.

>>30461623
As soft the significance of all the numbers and letters on the diagram. Maybe if we point it out he'll realize something is out of place.

File: gat282.png (8KB, 640x480px)

8KB, 640x480px

>>30461642
>>30461648
>>30461760

You squint at the drawing.
Wait a second...
>"Soft?"
"Yeah?"
>"Ooo-utt letters on com-pooter jip?"
He tilts his head, then looks at your diagram. "PCB7, right?"
>"No, jip in radio."
"Oh." Soft peeks inside the radio. A chill runs through him. "...Uh, ND43."
"What?" You both jump when Dot interrupts.
"Dot, how long have you been here?" Soft asks, patting his chest.
"A half hour." Dot says. "You guys were just sitting there staring at that radio when I came in... Dad, did you say 'ND43?'
"Yeah, why?" Soft asks.
"ND43 is the serial number for a LASER-SCANNING assembly." Dot huffs. "You tried to replace an audio-processing chip with a GRAPHICS CARD."
"..."
>"..."
"...Oh. ...Um..."
Dot sighs. "You need a chip that was designed to decompile the binary data received from the antenna into sound waves that the speaker can play back." she tells you. "Like the chip out of a walkie-talkie, a Victrotta, a plungophone, the auditory processor of a comp...ut.........er..." You taste cold. "...Uh, you know, the chip from something designed to make noise. Something like that is what you need. Maybe Aunt Silver will find something like that today. Is she back yet, Dad? You should go check and see. Or maybe if she forgot anything. You could probably still catch up to her!"
Soft Serve scrunches his face up. "Are you alright, Dot? You're not usually this talkative... or this keen on steering conversations away from speakers."
"I'm fine. I'm just worried about my Auntie, is all."
Soft Serve shrugs. "Well, okay, I guess I'll go see if she's back then..." he mumbles, turning to you. "We'll figure the radio issue out later, Buddy. We're so close. I can just feel it!"
He trots out of the room, leaving you and Dot alone. Dot wipes her forehead, smiling at you and looking back at her computer. "Wanna play with me?" she asks.

>>30462280
Yay, we get to play with Dot!

>>30462280
Sure!
Can we play some Deadly Dungeon Adventures?

>>30462280
We've wanted to play with her for days. Try not to actually buzz with excitement.

File: gat283.png (28KB, 640x480px)

28KB, 640x480px

>>30462322
>>30462375
>>30462406
Happy chirps! You can finally play with Dot some more. Your wings flit as you bounce over to where Dot is sitting.
>"Buddee play!"
Dot tastes happy. "Cool." she says. "What game?"
>"Dead-lee Dun-jin ad-finnjer?"
"Okay, just let me finish this round first."
You nod and watch Dot as she plays, trying to remember as much of what she does as you can for your turn. After a little while, she spells something wrong and gets a game over, which means lots of spiciness. Then it's your turn. Dot played the first part of the game before you came over, so you don't know what to do. You'll just have to guess.
You can feel Dot looking at you...

>>30462456
Ask dot to help us read and type.

Then type "cross bridge"

File: gat284.png (7KB, 640x480px)

7KB, 640x480px

>>30462474
You just remembered you can't read or type. You give Dot a scared look.
>"Buddee not can read."
Dot blinks, then she gives you a gentle smile. "Do you want me to read to you?" she asks. She tastes happier than she has in days.
>"Uh-huh."
Dot reads the words to you. She makes them sound fancy. When she talks about treasure, her voice is happy and excited. When she says some ponies are never seen again, her voice gets low and spooky.
>"Too spookee!"
"Sorry..." she giggles. Once she tells you where you are in the game, you stop and think.
>"Buddee cross brijj."
"Type it in then." Dot says.
Um...
"Oh, yeah, sorry." Dot points the right keys out for you. They're not in the same way on the keys board that they were on the flat rock Dot taught you with... weird.
After the typing, Dot says to press 'Enter.' When you do, the computer makes a noise and more words pop up.
"It says that the path across the bridge is blocked by a fallen tree." Dot tells you. "The only way around is through the forest. Even though the Sun is high in the sky, the forest is dark, and it only gets darker the further you look. You can hear hungry birds of prey cawing from beyond the veil of trees..."

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

I think my laptop is about to die, so I'm stopping here for the night. Please leave any criticisms, etc. that you have, and thanks for playing!

>>30462668
Move or go over tree

>>30462668
Well, looks like we're going in!
"Enter Forest"

>>30462668
>birds of prey
Food birds? Eat the birds!

>>30462668
Enter forest.

Thank you for reading dot.

>>30464642

>>30462668
Kick tree.

>>30462668
Ask if this computer has what the radio needs

>>30465841
Pretty sure Soft has something suitable he can use in storage instead.

>>30465841
I'm sure that will go over well.

>>30465046

>>30466719

>>30467901

>>30469073

>>30469789

>>30470592

>>30471538

>>30472509

>>30473331

>>30433703

>>30476397

>>30477397

>>30478574

Update tomorrow.
Pinkie promise.

File: 11564651651651.png (167KB, 959x833px)

167KB, 959x833px

>>30480162
yay

>10

>>30481576

>>30482868

>>30483676

File: gat285.png (7KB, 640x480px)

7KB, 640x480px

>>30462872
>>30462926
>>30463040
>>30465293
>>30465841

>"Moof tree."
Dot helps you type out what you want. This typing stuff is pretty easy with her helping you.
"The tree's girth is overwhelming." Dot reads. "You're not strong enough to handle it."
What? You're a strong bug! You can handle any girth you want! This game is cheating.
>"Kick tree."
Typety-type.
"You strike the tree with all your might." Dot says. "It doesn't budge. Feelings of inadequacy fill your thoughts, like when you were a foal and your mother told you between bottles of hay malt that you'd never amount to anything."
Looks like you need a new plan.
>"Enter forest."
Typety-type.
https://youtu.be/CODmvzK25dI
"Heehee... You venture into the forsaken forest unprotected and step on a snake. The snake does not appreciate being tread upon and delivers a nasty bite to your leg. Within seconds, your leg is swollen and purple and you are paralyzed with agony. But on the plus side, at least the snake will be well-fed for the next month. Game over. Type 'retry' to try again or 'quit' to exit the game."
You frown. Stupid computer game.
>"Dot?"
"Yes, Buddy?"
>"Do computer haff part for fiks radio?"
A chill covers your tongue and muzzle. "Nnnot that I know of." Dot answers, before quickly asking: "Wanna play again? Or maybe do something else?"

>>30484899
Sore topic for her. Continue our quest neat this game. We are a string and smart bug. Plus, it helps in leaning to speak better as well.

>>30484899
Ask her if she knows how much longer the food supply in the bunker will last. If that question gets uncomfortable ask her if she can teach you to talk better now that she's done sequestering herself.

>>30484899
Read me a story, Dot.

>>30484899
We shall not be so easily defeated!

Type "retry"

Type "help" and "inventory"

>>30484899
Dot. This game sucks.

File: gat286.png (7KB, 640x480px)

7KB, 640x480px

>>30484933
>>30484947
>>30484990
>>30485026
Dot's acting kind of funny... Maybe you should ask her something else.
>"Dot, how muj ponee food left hear?"
Dot tilts her head back. "Too much." she grumbles.
>"Uh?"
"Nothing." Dot shrugs. "I don't know for sure. There's less than a week's worth left on the shelves in the kitchen, but Dad'll get more out of the storage room before then. He always does."
That's good to know. You smile and flap your wings.
>"Play again! Tawk more to Dot. Buddee like tawk and like Dot read more storee."
Dot gives you a funny smile. "What's the magic word?"
You stare at her.
>"Uh...?"
"Please." Dot says, poking your head. "When you want something, you should say 'please.'"
>"Oh... Please Buddee play again?"
Dot giggles. "Good enough." With Dot's help, you type 'retry' and start again. Dot reads the first part of the game again, and you think about what to do. But you're not sure what you CAN do...
>"Buddee need help."
Dot nods, helping you type the word 'help.' "In Deadly Dungeon Adventure," she reads, "it's much easier to get things wrong and meet a tragic end than it is to get things right. One misstep could lead to you being bit by a rattlesnake or squashed flat by a rolling boulder. You will have to play the game many times in order to learn what actions lead to a safe spot or a helpful item and which lead to a game over. If you get stuck, your best bet is to ask the townsponies for help, since they're usually pretty friendly. But be careful: some ponies will expect you to help them in return, and making a promise you can't keep can be just as dangerous as any wild animal or monster."
Helpful items? Helping ponies? This sounds like in real life. Maybe you'll need bits.
>"Buddee haff bits? Eye-tems?"
"Smart boy...!" Dot cheers. She helps you type a word you don't recognize: 'inventory.' "In your saddlebags are your photo ID, 5 bits, and a stick of gum." Dot tells you.

File: Ultima4_SS2.jpg (333KB, 640x384px)

333KB, 640x384px

We need to find a copy of pony Ultima, or something like Contra for Dot

>>30485195
Serch ground for dropped bits. Also start lokking for a paperclip so we can become virtual pony MacGyver.

>>30485221
New goal: find gaems in Canterlot ruins. Search the rich peoples homes cuz they always have the cool shit.
>>30485195
Go to town!

>>30485195
Let's talk to the town ponies!

"Enter town"

File: gat287.png (7KB, 640x480px)

7KB, 640x480px

>>30485221
>>30485237
>"Serj ground."
"There's nothing interesting here." Dot says.
>"Go to toon."
"You mean town, right?"
>"Uh."
"Feeling unprepared, you turn around and return to Hoofingdale square. A standing clock reading 1:30 acts as both a landmark and a road sign. To the left is the shopping district. To the right is a park that the river runs through. Up ahead is the residential district owned by Happy Merchant. A gray pegasus mare sits on a nearby bench."
>"Serj ground."
"There's a beetle scurrying on the ground near the clock."

>>30485344
Get ye clock

>>30485344
Take beetle

>>30485344
Wait... What is the goal of this game? What is the condition for winning? What the hell are we trying to do?

>>30485344
Buy snake venom and drink small dosages over a period of time to build a resistance.
There. We beat the game. No more death by danger noodles.

>>30485344
Go talk to Pegasus.

>>30485344
We need job for bits. Let's work at an ice cream parlor.

>>30485344
Grab beetle, that beetle is going to be important.

>>30485479
It is versatile. It could be bait, we could eat it, it might be some Mcfluffin McGuffin, it could be someone's pet we could return for reward money.

>>30485344
Get money to buy a honey badger

File: gat288.png (8KB, 640x480px)

8KB, 640x480px

>>30485392
>>30485415
>>30485424
>>30485430
>>30485439
>>30485479
>"Get ye clock."
Dot gives you a look. "...You cannot add a ten-foot-tall landmark to your inventory, you idiot." she says, before quickly whispering: "Sorry, the game said that, not me. I don't think you're an idiot."
>"Tank Dot... Take beetle."
"You pick up the beetle. It flies away. Oh well, it probably wasn't important."
>"Buy snek fennum."
Dot gives you another look. "There's nothing to buy here."
>"Tawk to pekasisis."
"You greet the pegasus with a smile and a wave. She waves back and you have a pleasant conversation about the weather. Soon, you run out of things to say and awkwardly bid her farewell."
>"Get job at ice cream pallor."
"There are no jobs here. And nopony will hire you anyway because you have no skills and are a 5/10 at best. Why do you think you're going on a deadly quest for a treasure that might not even exist in the first place?"

>>30485526
Because those will murder the shit out of snakes

>>30485533
Well we are boned, head to shopping district.

>>30485533
Go talk to Happy for jobs
I dontvwanr to go to the river because I'm sure it would kill us.

>>30485533
Let's see what goods are available.

"Speak merchant"

>>30485533
ctrl + alt + delete

I'm almost positive Trove had some walkie-talkies.

We could see if he has them still.

>>30485533
Offer Pegasus stick if gum. Ask her about ye treasure.

>>30485664
Why do you think that? Got any proof or observations you'd like to share?

>>30485533
Ask where we can buy some boots.

File: gat289.png (8KB, 640x480px)

8KB, 640x480px

>>30485534
>>30485556
>>30485574
>>30485577
>>30485671
>"Buy honee bajjer."
"There's nothing to buy here."
>"Giff pekasisis gum."
"You offer your stick of gum to the pegasus mare. She politely declines."
>"Go ress-denj-ull disk-tick."
"You trot down the street to the Zio apartment complex. There are 4 buildings on either side of the street, each with 8 apartments. At the end of the street is a large gate, behind which sits a luxurious mansion."
>"Tawk to Happy."
"There is nopony like that around."
>"Go jopping."
"You return to Hoffingdale square, yada yada... You trot down a street lined with vending booths. There's a fruit stand and a curio stand on one side of an inn, and on the other side is a clothing booth and a wooden crate with 'Lemonade: 2 bits' written on it. A unicorn filly sits behind the box."

>>30485783
buy that lemonade it going to be important, then head to the curio stand.

>>30485783
What's a curio?
HELP

>>30485783
Buy ye lemonade.

>>30485783
ASK (ABOUT) DUNGEON

>>30485783
Fuck filly

>>30485904
This is me shit posting. You're welcome.

File: gat290.png (8KB, 640x480px)

8KB, 640x480px

>>30485795
>>30485833
>>30485836
>>30485854

You look at Dot.
>"Kee-oo-rio?"
"A curio is something that's interesting and hard to find." Dot explains. "It's usually something small, like a good luck charm or some old trinket, but sometimes it can be bigger and more valuable."
>"Oh... Buy lemonade."
"The filly regards you with a hopeful smile as you approach. She asks if you'd like some lemonade, to which you agree. She makes the lemonade right in front of you, with a little juicer and everything. You now have 3 bits, a stick of gum, a photo ID, and a cup of lemonade."
>"Go kee-oo-rio stand."
"You are greeted by an old zebra stallion in foreign robes and a pair of spectacles. He asks you how many bits you have. You tell him, and he shows you the items you can afford. There's a lens of polished crystal, a wooden replica of a rose, and a small, folding knife caked with rust."

>>30486107
Butt Touch

>>30486107
Get knife
Ask Dungeon

>>30486107
Buy small folding knife.

Have to go do an errand. Be back in an hour or so.

>>30486107
Buy crystal too if we got the bits

>>30486428
Actually, buy the rose too, it might come in handy

>>30486467
We can give the mare the rose

File: gat291.png (8KB, 640x480px)

8KB, 640x480px

>>30486188
>>30486209
>>30486210
>>30486428
>>30486467
>"Buy nife."
"You buy the knife from the curio vendor. You now have 1 bit, a stick of gum, a photo ID, a cup of lemonade, and a rusty knife."
>"Buy kriss-tull."
"You don't have enough bits."
>"...Buy rose."
"You don't have enough bits."
>"Butt tujj."
Spicy taste. "...Don't know what 'butt' is."
>"Aks dunjinn."
The spicy taste goes away. "You ask the vendor about the dungeon. He tells you that the dungeon is a maze filled with monsters and deadly traps, and that almost nopony who's ventured into it has ever returned."

>>30486922
>almost nopony
Maybe we can find a survivor?

So we have been to the shopping district and the residential district. Lets go to the park.

"Enter Park"

>>30486922
I had a giggle at Dot looking at Buddy. I'm assuming she was looking at Buddy when he asked about butt touch.

Help me?

>>30486922
Trade gum

File: gat292.png (8KB, 640x480px)

8KB, 640x480px

>>30487002
>>30487022
>"Trade gum."
"The vendor isn't interested in this."
>"Go to park."
"You go back to the square, then head down the hill to the park. You hear the trickle of cool water from the river running alongside the lush meadow. An old mare nearby is throwing breadcrumbs to some ducks on the shoreline, and a few shrubs dot the grassy knoll. One bush is shaking. At the bottom of the hillside is a rocky beach that leads to a dock."

>>30487200
Cautiously approach the bush, who knows what demons lie within

>>30487200

"Investigate bush"

File: gat293.png (8KB, 640x480px)

8KB, 640x480px

>>30487281
>>30487430
>"Look bujj."
"...Bush?"
>"Uh."
"You cautiously tiphoof up to the shaking bush and give it a poke. A pegasus colt flops out of the bush and gives you a mad look. He tells you he's playing hide-and-seek and to go find your own hiding spot. Then he hides in the bush again before you can say anything else."

>>30487462
head to the dock.

>>30487462
Go on a depressing tangent about how we are all hiding in our own personal closets.

>>30487462
Whoopsies! Lets move so we don't give away his spot.

Maybe the old mare knows something about the dungeon. She's old and wise, right?

"Talk Old-Mare"

File: gat294.png (7KB, 640x480px)

7KB, 640x480px

>>30487473
>>30487513
>"Depressing tanjent about everee ponee is hiding."
A pause. "...Don't know what 'depressing' is."
>"Go to dock."
"...You head down by the water. A few ponies are fishing, and one Earth stallion is trying to start his motorboat without much luck. Beneath the dock are several glass bottles and Addle Brain the hobo pony. He's currently asleep, and he smells quite strongly of alcohol."

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

I'm stopping here for the night. Please leave any criticisms, etc. that you have, and thanks for playing!

>>30487562
Whoops, sorry, didn't see this one.
Will include it in the next relevant update.

>>30487595
Steal his alcohol

>>30487595
>>30487897

Resist the urge to commit crimes, as you are an upstanding changeling

>>30487595
Give Addle Brain 1 bit.

>>30487595
Dont steal liquor your good poner.

Give money to the magic hobo.

try to help motor pony?

>>30484723

>>30490312

>>30487595
Ask hobo for life advice

>>30490968

>>30487595
Give hobo a hug. Hug hobo.
Buddy has yet to meet or learn what a hobo is, so he doesn't know that they're typically smelly.

>>30487595
The pony looks like he can use a hand- I mean hoof.

"help stallion"

>>30493286

>>30487595
Take empty bottles

>>30495217

>>30497182

>>30497865

>>30498482

>>30499421

>>30500909

>>30501747

>>30503529

>>30503547

>>30504342

File: gat295.png (8KB, 640x480px)

8KB, 640x480px

>>30488203
>>30489333
>>30491941
>>30493345
>>30496821
>"Hug hobo pone."
Dot smiles and rolls her eyes. "You give Addle Brain a big hug. He squirms out of your arms and pushes you away, calling you a dirty commie."
>"Giff hobo bit."
"You give Addle Brain your last bit. He raises his bottle to you and tries to take a drink, but he's out of liquor. He throws the bottle down and it shatters on a rock."
>"Aks hobo adfice."
https://youtu.be/CODmvzK25dI
"You ask Addle Brain for advice. He thinks you're a Hinnanuki trying to probe his brain for top secret information and cracks your skull with his bottle. Game over. Type 'retry' to try again or 'quit' to exit the game. Or type 'Dot' to let me have a turn, heehee...!"

>>30506654
Dot.

>>30506654
This game is hard. Let's do something else.

>>30506654
Dot

>>30506654
Damn murder hobos!

Let's share with dot.

"Dot"

>>30506654
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV8eiSA4vqc

File: gat296.png (8KB, 640x480px)

8KB, 640x480px

>>30506665
>>30506701
>>30506712
Bah, whatever. The game is cheating anyway so you don't even care. Stupid game.
>"Dot."
Dot smiles and gives you a hug. "Thanks Buddy~!" She takes over the keyboard, leaving you wondering what you should do now, while you wait for Ant Silver to get back...

>>30506740
We she really ask Dot to help fix our speaking problems. If I remember correctly we only know half of the alphabet.

>>30506740
We can play outside in the sand box.

>>30506740
Go outside and build our sand kingdom as we wait for Silver.

>>30506782
This
Also ask soft how the radio is coming. Maybe he found a spare microchip he can use to get it working

I don't think I can run anymore tonight. I'm sorry.

>>30506740
Convince Dot to use computer part for the r day ooo? Maybe if we get the radio working, Dot can find her friends.

>>30507481
K, night night Inept. Don't let the bed changelings bite.

File: 1420143653274.png (93KB, 601x413px)

93KB, 601x413px

>>30507716

>>30505250

>>30506740
Go see what Aunt Silver brought back.

>>30508799

>>30510615

>>30511241

>>30512249

>>30506782
>>30506937
>speech therapy

>>30506903
>>30506920
>play in sand

>>30506937
>>30507514
>try and fix radio with computer parts

Apologies; I usually try and combine posts so nobody gets left out, but these are all pretty distinct things and at least one of them will have an outcome that affects the others. So a tiebreaker is needed.

>>30514110
Speech therapy. Normally I read but not play, but I'll weigh in to break a tie.

>>30514110
Amass an army of pie bats and other vermin with our changeling mind control powers.

File: gat297.png (12KB, 640x480px)

12KB, 640x480px

>>30506782
>>30506937
>>30514126
At first, you're happy to just watch Dot play, trying to keep track of all the stuff she types to not die.
>'Take pebble.'
>'Buy wooden rose.'
>'Swap roses.'
Dot has to type a lot, though. Soon, you lose track of what to do. And sitting around is boring...
>"Dot."
"Hm?" she mumbles.
"Teej Buddee how to tawk?"
"Oh, right, we never finished that, huh?" Dot types one more word ('save'), then hops down and takes your hoof, dragging you to her bedroom. "...Where's my whiteboard?" she asks.
>"Oat-side."
"Oh... okay."
A minute later, and the white board is back and set up again, and your lesson begins. There's only a few letters left that you don't know, but one of them has been really giving you trouble: W. This letter is really weird. First off, it has a longer name than any other letter, which is confusing. Why not just call it 'wee?' Lots of other letters are like that, like C, P, G, and T, but this one isn't. Second, it's called double-YOU, but it doesn't look like a U at all! It looks more like a couple of V's that really like each other. And whatever comes after second, it's called 'DOUBLE-you.' Doesn't that mean it should sound like two U's? But it doesn't sound that way at all. It should sound like 'uuuuuuuuh' or 'oooooooooo,' but it's such a short sound. It's not even a single-you!
You chirp all these complaints and more at Dot, and eventually she starts getting kind of mad that you won't 'concentrate,' but you stand your ground. W is a stupid letter, and you don't like it at all.
But eventually, you get through to the last few letters. Y gives you a bit of the grumps because it starts with a W, but soon you finish your lesson. Dot wipes her brow and puts her writing stick down. "Congratulations, Buddy!" she says. "You know how to say all the letters of the alphabet now! That means you officially know how to talk. ...Mostly. There's still digraphs, but we'll get to those later. For now, you get a gold star!

1/2

>>30514395
Do a victory dance!

>>30514395
Teej me about the ch digraph.

File: gat298.png (10KB, 640x480px)

10KB, 640x480px

>>30514395

2/2

That's to show everypony that you're a smart, hard-working student. Wear it with pride, Bud."
You chirp happily as Dot raises the star to your forehead. Wait, your horn is in the way. Dot thinks for a second, then she smiles and sticks the gold star to your flank. "There you go! Now you have a Cutie Mark! Come on, let's go show Dad."
>"Okay!"
You and Dot go to the kitchen, where Soft Serve is making dinner. "Hey, Dad!" Dot says, pointing at you. "Check Buddy out: He got a Cutie Mark in talking!"
Soft Serve looks at you. He smiles a little bit. "Oh... that's great, Buddy. Way to go."
You tilt your head. Soft tastes salty... AND cold.
Dot tastes it too. "...What's wrong, Dad?" she asks, the happiness going out of her.
"Nothing, Dot... Um, dinner will be ready in a few minutes."
Dot narrows her eyes. She looks around, then goes to the door of the food cave. "...Where's Aunt Sil?"
Soft gets colder. "I don't know... she should have been back by now." he mumbles.

>>30514692
Hug.

>>30514692
Bug hug on a rug! Minus the rug.

>>30514692
[deep goncern]

>>30514395
>For now, you get a gold star!
As shit nigga! Time to celebrate.
>>30514692
Maybe she needs help?

>>30514692
What if bad bug found her? Run outside and search for her.

>>30514692
We should go look for her.

We also probably need to lie to soft, again. *groan*

File: gat299.png (8KB, 640x480px)

8KB, 640x480px

>>30514788
>>30514797
>>30514850
>>30514899
>>30515107
>>30515141

Ant Silver isn't back yet? Why would she not be back yet?
...
Oh.
...
Uh-oh. What if the bad bugs found her?
You run up and hug Soft.
>"No scare, Soft. Silfffvvver be okay."
He hugs you tightly. "I sure hope so, Buddy..."
"Let's not panic just yet." Dot says. "How long has she been gone?"
"Since about one." Soft says. "She said she was going to look for more metal because hers is getting rusty..."
While Dot and Soft talk, you sneak out of the room and make for the exit. Silver might need help; maybe if you can find her quick, she'll still be okay.
But where will you look? And what will you do if you find her?
...
And, what will you do if you DON'T find her...?

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

I'm stopping here for the night. Two updates sucks, but I started late and am currently falling asleep. Please leave any criticisms, etc. that you have, and thanks for playing!

>>30515169
Was that circle thing in the ground on the left path always there?

>>30515180
Kay. Sleep tight Inept.

>>30515169
Maybe if we have her sent we can track her.

>>30515169
Let's head in the direction of canterlot. On the way there let's ask trove if he saw her.

>>30515181
That was our sparring circle.

>>30515210
Have her *scent*

>>30515169
Go explore the caves. If we don't find her then, we'll brave Canterlot.

>>30516978

>10

>10

File: Bump.png (34KB, 351x194px)

34KB, 351x194px

boop

>>30517795

>>30523478

>>30524076

>>30524861

>>30526533

>>30529341

>>30530987

>>30531646

beb

File: gat300.png (27KB, 640x480px)

27KB, 640x480px

>>30515210
>>30515405
>>30515716

A funny idea comes to you.
What if you try to SMELL Ant Silver out? Besides hot, she usually has a few funny smells coming off her. Mostly what Dot calls 'hoof soap' and something kind of like what Soft called 'bread.'
Very old, bad bread.
You put your snoofler to the ground and try to follow Ant Silver's trail. Mostly, though, you just follow the way to Trove Trotter. You ask him if he's seen Silver, and he tells you he hasn't.
This is bad... you're going to have to go up the long stairs to Canterlot to look for her. But everything out here tastes the same. You don't know where to go or where to look.
What can you do...?

>>30534847
Follow that mysterious trail by the fallen door.

>>30534847
There a strange trail coming out of the door. Look inside before following the trail.

>>30534847
Practice your consonants as you follow the trail. We still have trouble with some of them.

File: gat301.png (7KB, 640x480px)

7KB, 640x480px

>>30534904
>>30534928
>>30534934

Wait.
Everything here tastes the same...
But there's that metal smell again, like when Soft fell and hurt his mouth. When you look for where it's coming from, you find a trail of something dark and wet near a door. The smell is stronger inside, where you can hear grunts and scuffles.
Fear grips you. Is the bad bug in there? Or a lot of them?!
You peek in as quietly as you can...

>>30535150
Ask if there anyone here, we are no bad bug.

>>30535150
You've trained! Grown strong! And have faced a bad bug already! You can do this!

State your business, and approach! Cautiously

>>30535150
Take the seat on the right.

>>30535150
A-a-ant Silver?

Approach her. How is she?

>>30535150
Eep! Move to the side of the door frame and call out.

File: gat302.png (9KB, 640x480px)

9KB, 640x480px

>>30535173
>>30535225
>>30535326
>>30535364
You swallow hard. Something is moving in here, and it's BIG.
But you've trained. You're a stronger, smarter Buddy than you were yesterday. You've fought big bugs before. You can do this!
You puff out your chest and use your special attack: shaky talking!
>"H-hello...? Iss any pony here? Buddy n-not bad bug..."
The noises stop, and a big head pokes out from behind the table. You squeak and jump back from the... monster?
No, that's Ant Silver! And she's all beat up!
"Buddy? What are you doing here?!" she demands.
>"Ant Silvah! Wwwwut happen?!"
The big mare makes a wet clicky noise with her mouth. "Those wretched changelings ambushed me..." she growls, heat shooting off all around her. "A group of them attacked me. One of them injured my leg pretty badly... but that's not important."
You chirp sadly and trot up to her.
>"Yyyyyoo hurt..."
The giant pony snorts and looks down at her leaky leg, then at you. "Please... it's inconsequential compared to what *I* did to THEM..." she mumbles. "Unfortunately, it's also rather deep. I've cleaned it, but I haven't been able to stop the bleeding..." Her eyes narrow. "I still want to know what you presume to be doing here by yourself, but first... do you perhaps have something I could, ungh, use as a bandage?"

>>30535399
Do we still have the first aid kit with us?

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

I'm stopping here for the night. Please leave any criticisms, etc. that you have, and thanks for playing!

>>30535388
If this is what I think it is, then thank you very much Bath!

>>30535399
Give her the gauze roll that we have in our inventory.

>>30535399
>Your inventory: 2 Torn Leaves,1 Glass of Chocolate Milk, 1 Gauze Roll
The Choco malk that HP boost and sugar. Her body needs the nutrition to replace lost blood.
Gauze Roll for leg.
Torn Leaves for extraness.

>1 Long Stick, 1 Armor Stand, 1 Twisty Grabber
One of these for a a splint?

>>30535388
My OTP is coming true!

>>30535399
Ant Silver didn't come back, We were worried and went to find you.

>>30535399
Soft was worried. I snuck out to look for you.
Maybe I should do the scavenging instead.

>>30535399
Wow we actually have gauze.

We need to find out of we can use changeling goo as a bandage.

>>30535801
Dont say this.

>>30535912
And why not?

>>30535979
She probably wont take it well

>>30536052
Then what do you suggest then? Got any better idea?
And there's nothing wrong with telling her the truth. She has been out for sometime, so she would know Soft would have been worried about her.
Angry or not, ultimately she will be grateful that we came for her.

>>30535388
I don't think I've ever seen you draw a changeling before. The legs have knobs like an actual horse.

>>30537206
Cyoot

>>30537969

>>30538521

File: gat303.png (10KB, 640x480px)

10KB, 640x480px

>>30537202
>>30537206
You guys are great, thank you.

>>30535416
>>30535421
>>30535699
>>30535801
>>30535885
>>30535912
>>30535979
>>30536052
>>30536145

Your eyes sparkle. You have a great thing to use as a bandage: a roll of bandages!
>"Buddy have bandaj!"
You root around in your bag, pull out the gauze, and hand it to her. She looks surprised. "Where did you get this?" she asks.
>"Buyed from Trove Trotter."
Ant Silver takes the gauze and starts rolling it over her hoof. She smiles a little. "You're more resourceful than I've given you credit for..."
You nod, taking out other stuff Ant Silver could use: your metal stick can hold her broken leg together, the torn bedleaves so she can wipe up the metal water she's leaking, and your chocolate milk so she grows up big and strong!
Ant Silver shakes her head at the stick and leaves though. "Thank you, but just the gauze will suffice." she says. When you give her the cup of chocolate milk, though, a cold wind blows off her and she scooches back from it, face twisting in a funny way. "NO." she says in a sharp, loud voice, waving her not-broken hoof at you. "That..." Her cheeks puff out and she makes a quiet swallowing noise. "N-no, thank you. I don't need that."
You tilt your head. Ant Silver must not like chocolate milk.
Weird pony.
"You still haven't told me why you're here." she says as she ties the gauze nice and tight, her voice serious now.
Should you tell her? She might get mad if you try and take her job away, but she can't get mad at you for being worried, right?
Or at SOFT for being worried...!
>"Silver not come back. Soft get worry, so Buddy go find."
Ant Silver sighs and finishes her bandage. You stick your tongue out and drool some thick goo, pointing at it and then the bandage.
>"Gwoo?"
Ant Silver makes some weird choking noises and gets up really fast. "You need to go." she says in a shaky voice. "Get back before Soft notices you're gone. I'll follow behind you, when the coast is clear."

>>30540274
Nuuuu. We must stick around to make sure she comes back safe.

>>30540274
Isn't it more important that she gets home safe then Soft getting mad?

>>30540274
We can't just leave her like this! There's a blood trail leading right to her!

>>30540274
We should clean up the blood mess outside so no one sees it.