Celestia Quest 1

 

LINKS FOR THE ENTIRE QUEST ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PASTE.

 

 

 

In this quest, you will be adventuring alongside Celestia (among others) while she faces a threat to herself and her friends, hopefully romancing her along the way!

 

Before the story begins, you must make one choice: specialization. Most player rolls during this quest will be either 1) persuasion 2) physical prowess and there is a third type of roll, perception, which will still affect the story, but I will be doing these rolls. In general, persuasion rolls will deal with conversation, determining whether or not someone takes your advice or believes what you say. Physical prowess rolls will deal with combat and other feats of strength or agility. Perception is slightly different, as the rolls are done by me, and it will make it easier for you to determine if someone is lying or misleading you. There will also be occassional spot-check rolls on surroundings (mainly in combat situations).

 

Not all attempts at persuasion will be rolled, as conversations would likely be constant persuasion rolls in this case. I will only roll more significant attempts. Same for physical prowess.

 

Specialization will give you +2 to rolls, with most rolls being d10. Cast your vote.

 

 

 

You pride yourself on being a fairly rational person, someone who's able to sit back, relax, and analyze a situation appropriately.

 

When you found yourself hurdling through a void with eerie purple and white streaks rushing by you, your usual composure went out the window.

 

"AAAHHH!" you scream, flailing about, trying to grasp onto someone solid and stop this damn ride before you puke. Unfortunately, your hands find nothing but air, your body's momentum building up to a dangerous pace, faster and faster as the second whiz by. Your coordination and balance spin around wildly with no reference or even sense to your surroundings. Just as you feel like passing out from your speed, everything comes to a very sudden halt.

 

An almost comical 'pop!' brings you back to the world—four feet above the ground.

 

With another holler, you swing your arms and legs, frantically trying to break your fall or even land on your feet. But luck is not with you today, and you slam into the ground with a thud. The sudden impact disorients you further, vision twirling senseless in loops. The image of birds and stars orbiting your head comes to mind.

 

"Hey!"

 

A feminine voice calls out to you, though it seems strained. You give your head a good shake before looking around, searching for the source of the voice. When you find it, all you can do is gape.

 

"Can you understand me?"

 

You'd drop your jaw further, but it's currently held by the physical constraints of your body. The speaker appears to be an alabaster... unicorn? No, wait, it has wings too. Alicorn, then? Her slender legs support a sturdy, yet decisively feminine body. The essence that makes up her mane and tail flow smoothly about her, in sharp contrast to the anxious, almost angry visage upon her face. By all accounts, she is a beautiful creature... you just don't know how the hell she can talk.

 

"Drat. Stay there!"

 

You open your mouth to reply, but are cut short when a blue beam of energy whizzes over you, heading directly for the alicorn who ducks to the side and returns the aggression with a white-hot bolt of her own energy, shot straight out of her horn.

 

You gulp. Whoever she is, she ain't messing around. You turn to the direction of the initial attack, and find a group of four unicorns, one whose horn is still fizzling.

 

You landed in the middle of a unicorn fight? What in all of creation is going on!?

 

[first action]

 

 

 

 

>>406144

>>406146

>>406154

You scramble to your feet, though still woozy from the whole trans-dimensional-flying thing. As you look around the room, you find there are actually more than just four unicorns... there are at least a dozen, all focused on either you or the alicorn. None of them look friendly. You also discover there are exactly zero places to hide or take cover. You're in the middle of a wide-open cavern, the unicorns in roughly a circle around you and the alicorn. This was clearly some kind of ambush.

 

>>406143

"Alright, what the HELL is going on?" you yell, more to the alicorn than any of the other ponies, though your question has a similar effect on all of them.

 

If jaws could make a sound as they dropped, the cavern would be echoing very loudly right now. Luckily, it seems the alicorn has the composure to recover quick enough to give a reply.

 

"I'm sorry to be the one to say it, but you've landed in quite a bind, here." She bends her legs a bit, keeping her eyes on the unicorns as she speaks. "I think these ponies will let you go, as you've nothing to do with me, correct?" She raises her voice near the end as if asking the unicorns a question.

 

There's no reply for a moment, then: "You summoned that thing here, didn't you? It was your magic that hit the Worldshard. You're probably trying to use him as a weapon to win this fight. Not happening, Celestia." The speaker is the same unicorn that shot magic at the alicorn, 'Celestia', supposedly, just a moment ago.

 

The significance of his statement is not lost on you. "Look, uh, guys, I don't have anything to do with anything. Just send me back where I came from and everything will be just spiffy." You look to Celestia, hoping she might do just that, but her face has fallen and her lips have curled into a frown.

 

Crap.

 

 

 

 

"Do you guys really have to be at each others' necks? Is there nothing to negotitate here? I'm sure—"

 

"Shut up, foul summon!" It's the same unicorn barking at you. Taking a closer look at him, you find he's the only one actually wearing something: a cape, black on the outside and red on the inside. Probably the leader.

 

"I'm very sorry, dear traveller, but the negotiations have come and gone. These unfortunate ponies only wish to fight now," says Celestia.

 

 

Shooting the unicorn leader a dirty look, you walk over to Celestia. Standing right next to her, you realize how intimidating her stature really is. Her head is slightly closer to the ground than yours, but among these ponies she's a tower. It feels like there's some otherwordly energy radiating off of her, like the sun on a summer day. You're a bit hesitant to lean in, but you need to whisper to her.

 

"Got any sort of escape plan? Magic? Wings?"

 

"I'm afraid not. I would teleport, but this cavern has been magically shielded with a power that would take me too much time to break, and the only exit is blocked by our ambushers." She points toward the exit and you grimace at the sight. There are four unicorns gathered tight around the tunnel. No way you're getting through there without a fight.

 

Attempting a bluff will require a roll. Do you want to try to bluff your way out?

 

 

 

>>406174

>>406175

2+10+2(persuasion) = 14

failure

 

"You all really think Celestia here summoned me?"

 

The leader nods through a glare and several of the other unicorns follow his lead.

 

"Do you want to know WHERE I'm from? What terrible depth she plumbed to raise me?" You take a few steps forward for effect.

 

"It doesn't matter," says the leader, though his hooves seem a little less sturdy.

 

"I'm from a dark dimension known as Earth, where the inhabitants live for war and merciless bloodshed, where the young are gathered and fight to the death, forged in the heat of battle with powers beyond knowing."

 

A few of the unicorns in the circle take a step back and you continue forward.

 

"You don't want to pick a fight with me, you know it. Celestia would never summon—"

 

"What a bunch of bull!" spits one of the unicorns, and everyone turns to him. "I know of every dimension we can summon from with magic, and I've never heard of Earth!"

 

"Well... maybe you're an idiot."

 

The leader is no longer convinced, and lets you know by releasing a blast of magic directly at your face. Your reflexes perhaps save your life, but not a whole lot more. The blast knocks you back hard and off of your feet, knocking the wind out of you when you hit the ground. Your elbow lands awkwardly, making your yell in pain as you clutch it instinctivly.

 

That yell gives your enemies all the prompt they needed, and attack, sending six more bolts at you, all of which would have connected but for a golden barrier that knocks them back at the last second. You look to Celestia in a silent thank you and grab the nearest rock.

 

[Combat begins]

 

You can ready yourself, making you harder to hit and makes your next attack more likely to hit. [the enemy gets a penalty to hit, but you don't attack yet]

You can toss the rock at a unicorn of your choice [the enemy gets to retaliate if you miss]

You can collaborate with Celestia, perhaps to break through the unicorns at the door or knock out several of your enemies at once. [she will protect you, but they will have two attacks on her. She is an alicorn, though...]

 

The first two options are equal difficulty. The last option will require a higher roll to succeed.

 

 

 

"Hey, Celestia!" you call out.

 

She looks to you, but only for a moment as she is forced to dodge two more unicorn bolts sent her way. "I cannot talk at the moment!"

 

 

You'll need to succeed at one of the first two options in order to give yourself an opportunity to speak with Celestia and go over option 3.

 

 

 

>>406191

>>406192

10+1=11

success

 

Scrambling to your feet, you make a desparate jump backwards, narrowly avoiding another unicorn blast. Celestia is busy darting around the cavern with agility you'd never expect from a pony of her size. The wind hardly affects her main and tail, something she even uses to her advantage a couple of times, blocking the enemy's view and playing with their aim like a matador taunting a bull. She even manages to connect with a couple of shots herself, though the enemy still vastly outnumbers you.

 

The rock feels good in your hand. You take a look and figure your best targets are either the leader or one of the ponies around the exit. You could also try to use it to distract the ponies and give Celestia and you time to formulate a more complex plan.

 

Looking at her fight, though, you get the impression she doesn't need your help at all...

 

 

[A hit will knock out your target]

1: Hit pony by exit (there are four there, remember) 2d10, 10 succeeds

2: Hit leader 3d10, 17 succeeds

3: Do something more complex 3d10, 20 succeeds

 

Mention which option you are rolling for!

 

 

 

6+10=16

success

 

You grip the rock firmly, lean back, then launch the rock at one of the exit guards, stepping through your throw. The rock sails fast and true, connecting with your target's head with a thud and he goes down hard. You pump your fist. "Yes!" Your celebration is cut short by three different bolts coming from the fallen ponies' brethern. You throw yourself to the side, effectively avoiding the bolts, but when you look up you find yourself face-to-face with a glowing blue horn.

 

Your breath leaves you for a second as you contemplate your doom, only to cringe back at a brilliant flash of gold that takes your attacker full in the face. He crumples, unconscious. At least, you think he's only unconscious. Celestia packs a damn scary punch.

 

You look back to where the golden bolt came from, expecting to find Celestia smirking at you, but she has taken no time to celebrate and continues to hand the unicorns' asses to them. Locating another rock, you start toward it, but freeze when you feel a horn on your back. You stiffen.

 

"Tell Celestia to stand down, summon. She seems to care for you and I can assure you: I don't miss at this range."

 

Your moment of victory, stolen from you in an instant.

 

 

 

>>406218

You briefly consider turning thing around on this guy, but you're waging your life against his reflexes. Not a bet you're willing to take.

 

>>406221

You can't really tell, she's looking at the other unicorns. Her horn certainly looks ready, she's firing it off at will.

 

 

 

>>406227

>>406229

>>406235

Still stiff as a board, you watch Celestia dart around the cavern, taking flight at times to dodge and counterattack. Even when the occassional bolt connects, it only hits a shield that hugs her body. Right now, she seems pretty much invincible—but you don't know how long she can keep it up.

 

You survey the area, finding five—oh, wait, make that six—unicorns down and seven still up, including the one right behind you.

 

"I won't ask again." This time he definitely means business. You're done pushing your luck.

 

"C-Celestia...!" You put a tinge of urgency in your voice, hoping she'll get the message.

 

Her head spins around, eyes locking onto you with a razor glare you imagine she'd been holding the entire fight. They instantly soften just a bit, noticing your stance and the unicorn behind you. A pang of regret hits you as you realize you're the weak link here and couldn't do more to help.

 

Celestia, however, has said nothing, and in fact is concentrating, her horn glowing much brighter than normal. She's got something up her sleeve, but you can tell it'd probably drain her significantly if she tried it.

 

Should you tell her off, try to find a different solution? Try to get this unicorn off your back alone? Duck out of the way? Or maybe something else?

 

 

 

 

While it usually doesn't have much force behind it, a rear kick would come out very quick and strike that unicorn's snout directly, given where his horn is touching your lower back. You jerk your head back at the unicorn, trying to let Celestia know what you're planning. Her horn powers down to the milder glow it used to have and she nods.

 

In one swift motion, you jerk your right leg back and you heel connects with his snout. An errant blast of reflex shoots off of his horn, but strays away from you and hits the ceiling. You duck to the side and not even a second later Celestia's magic finds the unfortunate hostage-taker and he goes down.

 

Getting to your feet, you scrape off some dirt and wince when pain shoots up your right elbow, the one you landed on poorly earlier. You cradle it with a hand as Celestia lands right next to you. She looks concerned, though not much of it shows through her hardened battle stoicism. You try waving her concern off, but when you take your hand off your elbow the pain only returns and you're forced to hold it again. Celestia frowns, then turns to your remaining enemies.

 

They're close to each other, split into two groups of three, the exit visible through a small path between them. Straightening her neck, Celestia takes a step forward as if to intimidate them, but none run, though some are looking mighty shaky.

 

They likely wouldn't fear her so much if they could hear the heavy breathing coming from her right now.

 

Their leader is, in fact, one of the ponies still up, and you doubt the rest will flee with him still conscious. You look down and see the two sizable rocks in front of you, as well as a handful of smaller ones. Your throwing arm was only good for one throw, it seems, so if you want to throw again, you'll need to do it with your left arm.

 

 

 

 

"Hey, Celestia, you think you could take the both of us out of here through that gap?"

 

"Hmmm," she says, scruitinizing the gap, then looking up to her glowing horn. It brightens for a moment, then calms back down. "I believe I could gallop past them and provide us with a shield. Your quick thinking is to thank for that. If I had done what I first planned for taking down that unicorn, I would not have had sufficient energy for a shield. I will caution you, however." Her voice goes low and quiet. "If all of them fire upon the shield at once, it will not hold. We'll need to keep them from coordinating."

 

You look down to the rocks. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I can handle that part."

 

You consider asking Celestia to numb your elbow with magic, if such a thing is even possible, but she's tired enough as-is and doesn't need to spend more energy on you. Gritting your teeth, you let your injured arm hang limp and grab the larger rock with your left hand. You walk over to her side, ready to hop on her, but hesitate. She's actually a very dignified creature, and you feel... wrong just climbing on her, especially as dirty as you are. Horses are one thing, but this...

 

"We have no more time!"

 

Crap, the unicorns must be sick of staying on the defensive. Putting your concerns aside, you get on Celestia's back and hunker down. The moment you're steady, she takes off at a gallop toward the entrance, bringing up a golden shield. It feels like a buildup of static electricity all over your body. Squinting through the air that rushes by you, you focus on the leader pony, homing in on his head. The unicorns seem to be going off his attack, just as you thought. Right before they strike, though, you release the rock and it sails true.

 

The leader goes down with a whump, and the other two ponies of his group are too busy staring at his unconscious body to attack. The other three unicorns launch their magic bolts at Celestia and you, but the shield absorbs them with ease, even going as far as to send a bright flash back at your attackers, blinding them temporarily.

 

You burst through the exit, met by an evening sky and fading sun. The air outside the cavern feels much more refreshing, and you finally allow yourself a smile, clutching Celestia's neck for stability as you learn forward and offer her a thumbs-up. She nods in reply, but keeps her attention focused on the road ahead.

 

That's how you travel for a few minutes, and eventually Celestia comes to a halt, letting you hop off before speaking.

 

 

 

 

"We need to continue down this path for another half-mile before we reach my camp. I'm sure our... friends are no longer chasing us." Her lips curl into a sneer as she says, "friends" but it only lasts a second. If you didn't know better, you'd say she was more than a little ticked by the whole situation.

 

Of course, that doesn't even come close to how you feel, and now that the immediate danger is gone...

 

"What the FUCK is going on?!" you yell at the sky.

 

And while you expected many reactions from Celestia, be it anger, silence, understanding, or even a harsh, "Suck it up," what you got was something else entirely.

 

Laughter. Lots of it.

 

You turn to Celestia, finding her in stitches on the ground, holding her belly as she rolled back and forth on her back, tears of laughter streaming from her eyes as she breaks down into fits of chuckles. Every now and then she'd pause to catch her breath then return to laughing, slamming a hoof on the ground as she tried in vain to stop.

 

This alicorn is well and truly fucked up.

 

 

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