Title: Raisin Quest 3 Day 22 (Final Day) Author: Anonymous Pastebin link: http://pastebin.com/G3DqHbHh First Edit: Monday 16th of April 2012 07:39:31 PM CDT Last Edit: Monday 16th of April 2012 07:39:31 PM CDT DAY 22 (Final Day)   >As we agreed upon the night previous, we shall be running our fantastic purple pone quest once again this night. Stay on your toes, questers, and remember; there's always a way out. Let's begin with summary of last night's events:   Previously on My Little Raisin… >Explain your current situation to Rainbow Dash; tell her that you need her help to defeat an ancient evil >Groggy and bleary eyed Dash is confused, decides to go along with your story >--Tell Rainbow Dash that you need to convene at Sweet Apple Acres to pick up Applebloom— >RD takes off to the farm, leaving your crew in the clouds. You give her chase, soon discovering that she’s mingling with a gaggle of guards partaking in a late night, Apple family meal >--Decide to skip out to collect Pinkie Pie— >Run into guard in town Roll Failure; 1/3 chance of guard making an appearance >**Fluttershy is able to panic her way around the guard, heading straight for Sugarcube Corner** 2/3 chance of dodging guard >Upon arrival, investigate for Pinkie’s presence. Door is locked, a pile of sleeping fillies inside >xXx Hop out of cart to knock on the window xXx 1/3 chance of being arrested by passing guards; lucky roll >**Immediately hide while Pinkie stirs; narrowly dodge a small group of guards** >Invited into Sugarcube Corner by a drowsy Pinkie; she gathers the general idea of your plan via meta-gaming knowledge >xXx Caught by guard as you exit Sugarcube Corner xXx 1/3 chance of appearing >**Pinkie and Fluttershy are able to pass you off as a small, non-purple filly that they’re taking home**   >--Guard gives you a permission slip in case you are hassled on your way to Sweet Apple Acres— >Approach Sweet Apple Acres, see an unfamiliar, suspicious gathering of clouds >xXx Go straight towards the gathering of clouds xXx >Rainbow Dash swoops in to grab at Raisin; your current powdery disguise catches her off guard >xXx Rainbow Dash swoops in again, getting a hold of Raisin xXx 1/4 chance of nabbing Raisin from the cart >Rainbow Dash has been convinced by the guards and your sudden absence that you’ve been put under an evil curse that has taken over your mind >--Attempt to convince Rainbow Dash that you’re not under a spell—1/7 chance of working; failed roll >--Try to use permission slip to evade capture; Rainbow removes your disguise, invalidating the scroll-- >--Try again—1/2 chance of saying something creepy; success, you freak her out   >Surrounded by guards; bonk Rainbow Dash’s belly with the Adanemzurai. Land in the cart with your new flying pony slave >**Make Dash take control of the cart, able to outrun guards** >--Lose Fluttershy as a team member— >Approach the mountains where you know the Stone Bird is lurking; guards are still chasing you >Find Strawberry, a derped filly, standing next to a gigantic hole in the road. Pinkie picks her up >Jump on Rainbow Dash whilst carrying the Adanemzurai; approach Kelthrax, the giant bird. >xXx Attempt to board Kelthrax; he evades you as you fall perilously to the mountains below xXx 1/3 chance of successfully landing atop the monstrous bird >xXx Ask the Adanemzurai for help; miraculously survive the fall. Picked up by RD xXx >Discover that you’re made of stone; use the Adanemzurai to take over Kelthrax >Swoop down onto the plateau to rescue your allies from the Canterlot Royal Guards >Try to escape the guards; need to go fast but bird too slow >Dive towards the mountain ranges to gain speed >--Attempt to hide— >Guard spots Kelthrax 1/4 chance of successfully hiding >xXx Stay to try and reason with the Canterlot Royal Guards xXx >ADANEMZURAI: xXx Direct Kelthrax to attack the Canterlot Royal Guards xXx >**Use confusion as a diversion, escape the guards** >**Drop off group near a rock a few hundred feet from the Castle in the Sand**   >--Command Kelthrax to fly away, issue a general direction over the Castle— >Kelthrax is torn to shreds by the derped unicorns >--”Command” the Adanemzurai to change you back into a normal marshmallow pone-- >**Stand your ground; order the Adanemzurai to change you back** >**Regained influence over the Adanemzurai; slightly less likely to commit uncontrollable actions** >Watched Tezel closely; discovered that he’s expecting the ‘Queen’ to arrive anytime now >Use cardboard box disguises to sneak across 300ft expanse of desert, now by the stairs >Have Pinkie Hammerspace a slingshot for you; it’s a wad of chewed gum >Roll candle in dirt and break it up to make projectiles   >With the moon hanging high over their heads like a silvery guillotine, Raisin and her friends sit in a collection of large cardboard boxes next to the flight of stairs that leads into the front entrance of King Tezel’s mighty fortress. Inside of Raisin’s steam filled box, she constructs a slingshot from a wad of chewed gum and plans to use some sandy candle wax as projectiles to distract the guards. With only a few short hours before the scheduled awakening of Titanio, Raisin and her friends must act quickly to seal Tezel’s evil powers away once and for all.   >Alright, questers. This could be it. I’m not going to say for certain that it is because by now, I think we’ve all heard it too many times. Tonight, you shall once again take the reins of our beloved purple pony in hopes to guide her to victory over the evil King and Queen of the Castle in the Sand. I wish you the best of luck.   Oh man, this is it.   Well I suppose that we will find out sooner or later.   Fire those candle chunks and let's get this infiltration underway.     Even though I highly doubt we're supposed to do the same thing again, what else can we do?   Still vote to go get Titano.   Yeah, but we've probably got to be near it's head to take it over.   Also we should talk to the Adanemzurai before doing anything.   We really need to know where it stands on us, and to get some info from it.   Same. The people that want to go inside don't seem to realize that use getting turned into stone screwed our old plan pretty hard.     Alright, what should we say? I propose:   1.) Demanding it to cool our body down to normal temperature 2.) Asking about hidden entrances 3.) If no hidden entrances, tell it once again to unstone us for sneaking purposes.   >You drop your little wax balls down onto the slightly cooler sand at your hooves. Through your box's porthole, a single beam of moonlight pours in, illuminating the steamy fog your hot body has made when it was covered by this slightly damp cardboard box.   >You close your eyes and speak to your beautiful Queen. "Uh... is there any secret entrance into the castle that you know of? I don't think I'll be able to sneak in thi-"   >Suddenly, her voice drowns yours out. "Surely, sneaking into the palace itself serves us no purpose. Only our true demise would come of this action." Her voice makes you feel at peace. "Take his creation. Crush my husband beneath his mighty hoof..."   >"But... wait, I can't sneak anywhere right now, not with this stony form..."   >"I could help you, little Raisin..." She sings into your mind.   >"Raisin, what's the plan?" Pinkie whispers into your box. "You gonna use that slingshot or what? It still had some flavor in it..." You see her big blue eyes searching around inside of her big cardboard box.   See? Even she thinks this is dumb. Our goals right now coincide, I really suggest we follow it's suggestion.   If it really wanted to take over us, it could at any time. We'd have to LET her though. Use her, then throw her away.   Ask it what it would do about the unicorns under Tezels control, who could melt us the moment we took over Titanio.     Tell them to be quiet and that you're thinking right now.   "What do you propose? I'll decide if that's what we'll do, slave."   >You close your eyes again, trying your best to concentrate. "Pinkie, give me a second here... I'm thinking..."   >You speak once more inside your head. "What do I do about the unicorns? Can I command the Crystal Phonograph... somehow?"   >You hear a gentle laugh. "Worry not for their lives, Raisin. They are simply a means to an end. A ruler must understand this basic principle." You feel a little lump in your throat. "My Crystal Phonograph merely plays music... nothing more. It is the sand's magic that makes them dance to Tezel's whims... a counter curse is required... one that I alone know by heart..."   >You hear something moving behind you, kicking up some sand as it walks. The party maintains their natural, cardboard box positions.   Look behind us.   We can't look through a portcullis, right?   "I already know it, thanks anyway"   >stasis-ing Tezel seems like a dead-end option   How? We defeat Tezel and the Adanemzurai by doing that.     and ourselves   How did you possibly miss the part of the plan where we turn ourself into a pony, get the box off our back, and open it using a pedestal to remove Hayseed?   I didn't miss it, I'm basing it off the assumption that we can't change ourselves back. the way I see it, the only options we have at this point are to either destroy ourselves, go full-corrupt, or stay a stone golem and deal with it after Tezel has been destroyed   >You quickly yet carefully spin around inside your box, looking out of one of the other punched out handle holes. Behind you, a minty green unicorn with a white stripe in her mane makes her way up the stairs. The guards don't seem to mind her entry.   >"Have you ever been to the Castle in the Sand?" You hear her speak from the top of the stairs.   >"Enter the Castle. Praise King Tezel."   >Sweetie Belle whispers from her box. "What's going on? Did somepony just go inside? Doesn't she know there's a monster in there?!"   >You gather your Sandy Candle Chunks and think about your next course of action.   We know that breaking the phonograph frees whoever is under their spell. But, She wouldn't react too well if we told her we were planning on smashing her shit.   Whisper to Sweety that the unicorn was mind controlled. Tell the Adanemzurai to tell us how to take control of the Unicorns away from Tezel and ask if there is anything in the treasury we can use to defeat her husband. I guess we should fire them in an arc like last time if the box won't help us.   >Before you go any further, you decide that asking her Highness about that counter-curse wouldn't be such a bad idea. "Alright, so.. what is this 'counter-curse'?"   >You can hear her laugh softly. Not in a way to mock you, but a sincere, pleasant chortle. "The counter-curse to Siren Sand... it's a lost art. Even though you are but an Earth Pony, I can command my might through your mind..." A pleasant, soft wave washes over you. It reminds you of the beach. "Give me control of your tongue. I shall speak my magic to whomever you desire to relinquish from his control..."   Lets ask the box if it can make taking Titanio easy and safe.   Making us invisible or something, being able to prevent the unicorns from demolishing us immediatly.   And then what? Controlling Titanio will corrupt us fully.     Death before dishonor.   Sneak in. Even an ending where we get locked in stasis too is better than one where we become an evil queen.   infiltrate. I'm convinced it's the lesser of two evils   >Give me control of your tongue. I shall speak my magic to whomever you desire to relinquish from his control...   Will this count as actively using the Adanemzurai each time we use the counter curse?   Ask her if she can make us flesh so that we don't make as much noise while we sneak inside.   "I'll keep the offer in mind."   Proceed to completely disregard her offer and never give her any control of any part of our body.   Well, she can control our tongue when we're raping the maids.   >"No dice." You conclude your questioning of the Adanemzurai.   >"Very well... Raisin..." She whispers as her voice falls back into your mind once more.   >You lift up the side of your cardboard box. A puff of steam rises into the cool night air. You panic for a moment, but the guards don't seem to pay it any heed. "...just as attentive as Ponyville guards." You chuckle to yourself.   >"Command me." Rainbow Dash mutters from under her box. You give it a little tap, then draw back on your bubblegum slingshot. Loading it with a small chunk of sandy wax, you fire the ball in an arc over the guard's heads. Instead of the distinct clink you remember the pebbles making, it gives off a sloppy 'plop' noise. The guards turn their heads to check on the odd sound.   >Pinkie almost seems to warp under your box wrapped up in a set of towels. "Hey! I think this is working! Just like last time! Except without the whole 'clink' and now it's with a 'clump'!" She looks about. "...awww, where'd the steam go?"   “Steam sucks I switched over to Origin.”   Sneak in right now, but tell Dash to remain silent until we explicitly tell her to say something.   Mind controlled rainbow turns me on. if only we weren't questing   We're made of stone, AND a little filly.   Both make the whole sit-- nevermind.   we can ask more questions once we get inside. stop acting like it's the end of the world just because we didn't take over Titano. we're not dead yet.   Fire another piece of wax so that it won't land where they are looking, but near to it.   >"Hey, quiet back there. Don't talk unless I tell you to, comprende?"   >You are answered by silence and a subtle breeze in the air. "Good. Pinkie, let's get in there, secret-agent style. Sweetie Belle, stay close."   >"Should I bring Strawberry with us?" Pinkie asks. Suddenly, she shakes about. "Oh! No, I have to! Otherwise, she'll get squished!" You notice she left one of her towels in your box. It hangs off your back.   >Quickly, you round the base of the stairs and start sneaking up them. The sound of your stony hooves clinks against every step. You stop for a moment at the bottom of the stairs. "Oh boy... might have a problem here..."   >Raisin: Adanemzurai, 4x Sandy Wax Projectiles, Cardboard Box, Wet Towel ---CONTROLLED: Rainbow Dash >Rainbow Dash: Flight Goggles, Cardboard Box >Pinkie: Hammerspace, Strawberry, Cardboard Box >Strawberry: Nothing >Sweetie Belle: Glass Jar, Quills, Stompstarter, Candles, Cardboard Box   set the towel on the step above you and use it to muffle your hoofsteps when you ascend   Direct the others up the stairs and then go up last so that we will be able to fire another wad of wax in case they turn around too soon.   rip that shit into 4 pieces, wrap hooves.   Won't the tearing make a lot of noise though?   Can rainbow carry us or do we weigh a ton now?   Might be worth a shot. She was able to fly with us, albeit slowly.   Send the others ahead, then launch another waxy bit and have Dash carry us on her back underneath her box.   Sounds good, but tell them to be a little wary about guards up ahead and we'll be right behind them. Tell them to wait up for us inside.   >You remain frozen on the lowest stairs. The group soon stops behind you. "What's wrong?" Pinkie looks into your box through her porthole.   >"I'm making too much noise. You guys run ahead, duck behind the entrance. I'm going to have Dash fly me in."   >"Okey dokey lokie!" Pinkie continues bouncing up the stairs, Sweetie following close behind. She clamors of the stairs, making a little noise as her nearly empty box contacts the steps.   >As your friends disappear from view, you fire off another waxy chunk near the guards. They shift their focus away from the old spot and stare at the new spot. One of them asks the waxy chunk if it has ever been to the "Castle in the Sand".   >A voice resounds in your head. "You won't survive in there. How do you plan to defeat my husband? We shall surely perish."   >You shake your head. "Rainbow Dash, get in here." The blue mare scoots under your box, leaving her box behind. With a quick prayer, you give her the order. "Fly us into the Castle."   >She grabs onto your hot stony frame and flaps her wings. Slowly, you ascend the steps as her wings slap into the side of the box repeatedly. As you fly through the entrance, you can feel the guards look towards your box.   >Rainbow Dash keeps you up in the air, hovering up above a pair of cardboard boxes.   Uh oh. Have Dash set us down out of site. Can the box hide both of us?   >a tight squeeze ALL OF MY FANTASIES ARE COMING TRUE   BUT WE CAN'T FEEL ANYTHING ANON!   I bet if worse comes to worst, Dash could pass off as a derped pone. just have her ask the guards if they've ever been to the castle in the sand, and they should leave her be   This is a bad idea. she'll be sent to Tezel for assignment, who will squish her because he's a racist fuck.   So we're past the guards? Just set down quietly next to the boxes and wait for them to go back to staring at the desert.   Emphasis on the quietly part, please.   >"Rainbow Dash, down. Slowly..."   >As you descend, her wings drum against the sides of the box until your hooves meet the polished, granite floor. You push over to the side, trying to give the derped pegasus some room.   >From the entrance, you hear the sounds of one of the colossal statues moving into the Castle. Sweetie Belle shivers from inside her box. "Oh... oh no..."   >Pinkie Pie shushes her and keeps Strawberry's mouth shut. The statue beams over the small group of boxes; you can feel its presence standing over you.   If we can without shifting around too much, look out the hole at it. Don't say anything unless they try the "Have you been to the castle in the sand" thing.   ACT CASUAL     We might have to act, but only if it looks like we fail the roll.   If we do possess it, there will be no turning back.   >You peer out of your small porthole to look at the giant. It's stone eyes peer back at you with a fixed, angry expression. It doesn't seem to move at all... just staring blankly your way.   >Below the statue, you see one of the derped out unicorn guards. You're sure he'd be looking at you if his eyes could stay focused.   >Pinkie Pie whispers to you. "We have to make that thing go away..."   It eventually looked away from the candle things, right?   Lets stay quiet for a little bit and hope it decides we aren't interesting.   If it doesn't, we'll have to shoot another candle bit. If we do, we should wait until the unicorn isn't paying as close attention.   Goddammit. Do any opening match up with Pinkie's opening?   Fuck, if we launch another candle bit it'll see it.   Goddammit. Doing anything to distract it would involve moving the box.   I...I don't know.   How about this.   1.) Hold EXTREMELY still.   2.) If it approaches us again, fling a candle chunk through a hole not facing it.   3.) If it continues to approach, possess it, because at that point we can assume it's hostile.   >You decide to hold incredibly still. Quietly, you whisper through your box to your friends, "Silence. Move not, and it shall pass." You glower, realizing your speech got goofed up again.   >Pinkie doesn't respond, but her box doesn't move either. You, Sweetie Belle, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Strawberry wait silently as the monster stares coldly at your boxes. He doesn't seem to want to leave immediately.   >Continue Waiting?   No, we should shoot a candle chunk out.   Jr, how fast can we launch them? fast enough to not be seen by the naked eye?   Dammit dammit dammit.   I guess all we can do is fire a candle bit out. Do that, but also be ready to box the golem.   Fire a chunk of wax out the back of our box.   >Carefully, you maneuver around Dash to get a clear view of the rear port of the box. You stretch out your bubblegum slingshot and prime it with another Sandy Chunk of Wax. Aiming carefully, you let it fire out of the back and into the corner of the room behind you.   >The head of the statue slowly stirs. It looks up to the location you fired it... behind yourself, of course. It starts to move, getting dangerously close to your group. The derped unicorn passes you, then looks at the wad of melted wax pressed into the floor. He stares at it for a moment, then spins around. He trots out of the door, leading his gargantuan statue outside with him.   >Pinkie sighs inside of her box. You can't hear anything from Sweetie's. "That... that was close." Pinkie shivers with Strawberry.   Whew.   Let's proceed. What's further down the hallway?     Pure   Skill.   Alright, now for the real hard part. Tell dash that from no on, all motion orders will involve walking/running on the ground. No flying.   Coolio. Now, gently shift our box until we can see down the main hallway. Try not to be discouraged when we see 6 guards.   Let's ask the Adanemzurai what is down the dark hallway.   Too bad we couldn't carve some chunks off our tail. They would grow back.   Retrieve the wax ball we just fired then look down the hall.   >You motion to your comrades to follow your lead. "C'mon.. let's see what we've got here..."   >"Okey dokie lokie..." Pinkie sounds hesitant as she walks her box over next to yours.   >Looking down the hallway, you see 3 guards on either side. At the end by the stairway, you see two guards standing next to a set of large, stone, 2 headed wolves.   >"Yikes... uh..."   >You hear a voice resound in your head. "Give up, turn back. You will not make it to his throne, I assure you."   >You shake your head. "Yes, I will. I know exactly where you belong." There's a sudden silence, then no response.   >You motion to Dash to walk on over to the ball of wax you fired. She quietly moves over to it, resting the box over top. She stares at the ball until you pick it up.   >Carefully, you return to your position by Pinkie's side. She looks over to you through her box's porthole. "Um... any ideas?"   >You notice that Sweetie Belle hasn't moved from her previous position by the door.   Why did we just say that to her?   Damn, we fucked up. You just had to say that, didn't you?   Tell it that it belongs on the throne, with us. Besides, we'll go through the side entrances.   Don't tell it anything.   I'd suggest we go left. We know what's down there, and its pretty heavily trapped, so they probably wont put as much effort into guarding it.   if we distract the guards towards the dark hallway off to the right, we can sneak into the treasure room   alternatively, we can lure them towards the treasure room and go down the unexplored corridor   I recommend the former   Damn, I really wanted to try going through the right fork, but the increase in security might not be worth it.   we could ask the box what's down that way   Yeah. If it gives a very appealing description, we know to not go down it because it's a lying cunt.   Watch, we're probably doomed the moment we set foot in this castle. watch controlling Titanio be the right decision   If that's true I will be SO mad at ourselves because we were too cowardly to take charge of the situation   Either way, it's too late now.   So, should we try to angle a chunk down the dark path?   ask the box what's down the corridor to the right   >Feeling a little intimidated by the sudden increase in security, you shift in place next to Rainbow Dash. Slowly, you close your eyes and focus, searching for her voice. "...Uh... Adanemzurai?"   >"...You want to know how to get through here..." Her voice sounds a little aggravated.   >"Yes. Well, actually, I just wanted to know what's down the path on the right at the end of this hall. It looks suspicious."   >She takes a moment before answering, then calmly replies, "It leads to our bedchambers."   >"...alright... can we get to the throne room from there?"   >She doesn't immediately answer. After a long pause, she speaks again. "No. It should still be a dead end."   >You can hear Tezel at the very end of the hallway. He sounds as though he's welcoming someone.   What else can we do? Should we do two runs like last time?   we're statistically more likely to succeed in risking one slightly higher chance of being spotted than two slightly lower chances of being spotted. We go all at once.   Plus our second chunk can be used for the guards at the end.   Alright, I suppose we can't expect to do any better. Let's shimmy our way to the treasure room corridor.     >You've got a plan formulated. Looking out of the small porthole of the front of your cardboard box, you pull the sticky bubblegum slingshot back once more, loading your previously used ball of wax as ammunition. Aiming carefully, you angle the shot towards Adanemzurai's 'bedchambers' and let the shot go soaring passed the guards.   >The ones in the main hall immediately take notice to the flying ball, watching it as it soars down towards the darkened hallway. They start meandering down the hall to investigate it. The guards by the stairs move in unison with their scary wolf statues, guiding them towards the noise of the splattering wax ball.   >"Huh. That was easy."     That was ominous   Too easy.   Alright, we should shimmy down the corridor, and shoot another bit once we get towards the end to refresh our timer.   I bet he told his guards to let us pass into the main entrance of the throne room.   Joke's on him, we'll be going in through a side entrance.   We should probably tell everyone to DO EXACTLY WHAT WE DO, and then head to the treasure room in one clean run.   >You tap on Dash's back, then swing your forelegs over her back. Slowly, you steady yourself and saddle up on your variegated partner. "Alright, Rainbow... stay close to the wall." Your box is up in the air a bit, revealing her hooves, but you're still pretty well disguised."   >"We're moving?" Pinkie sounds a bit surprised. "Oh, thank goodness. The sooner we're in there, the better." She tiptoes on her hooves close behind, carrying little Strawberry in her hooves.   >Surprisingly, you've reached the end of the hallway without being detected... you feel as though there's something wrong here. The guards stand fixated over by the darkened corridor. One of them peeks his head up and looks your way, then goes back to staring at the wax on the floor.   >You hide on the other side of the stairway, catching your breath.   This is starting to seem like we're expected. It saw us but didn't come look? Suspicious.   Two things:   1.) Tezel is setting a trap for us   2.) The box is trying to fuck with our head and make us doubt and hesitate.     >The box is trying to fuck with our head and make us doubt and hesitate   That does sound like something Jr would do.   I think it's Hell-bent on stopping us now since its realized that we can't be "persuaded" into being a dark queen.   Yes, let's whisper to Pinkie and ask what she's feeling right now.   >You feel very paranoid about this whole situation. "Pinkie..."   >"Yeeess?"   >"Is your... Pinkie Sense acting up at all? Like it did last time?"   >The pink mare scoots her box a little closer to the Treasure Room door. She shutters. "Twitchy-Twitch... But..." She spins around. "I got the same feeling last time and nothing happened, remember?" She stops. "Oh, wait... but you were Applebloom last time... does that matter?"   >As Pinkie wonders about what's going on, you keep an eye on your rear porthole, looking at the grouping of guards. The same one seems to keep one of his derp eyes locked on your group. You feel your gut turn a bit.   >"They know." You hear Sweetie Belle whisper into your ear.     Oh goddammit.   I'm really tempted to try that countercurse right now.   No, fuck that. The box hates us now. If we give it control over any of us, it's going to fuck us over hard.   I'm half tempted to go up and boop them in the butts.   fucking dice. we could have gotten extremely lucky or this is a bad trap, but we'll never know for sure.     Stick with the plan.   Please oh please let us just have gotten lucky. Tezel is invincible if he knows we're coming. The only chance we had was with the element of surprise.   Can we head back out to Titano?   It's too heavily guarded in here, and it's fishy to boot.   Jr said that indecision would get us a worse end than ticking with whatever we choose. We are committed to this and I still have a desperate plan to get the Adanemzurai off our back.   I don't know any other path to a good end.   I..I'm really afraid we might have to sacrifice ourselves.   My vote was to convince the Adanemzurai to make us flesh so we could safely break our connection to her and stick her in Tezel's crown. I have absolutly no idea what the others thought we could do in her with the exception of the guy who wanted to look for something in the treasure room. I'm starting to think that they didn't know what they wanted to do either.   >Quietly, you turn your box to face back towards the entrance. Arming your bubblegum slingshot with another round of Sandy Candle Wax, you aim straight and true. As it releases, some of the gum catches on Rainbow's mane. The Sandy Wax Ball careens off course, splatting into the wall near the entrance.   >The guards seem attracted to the noise.. even though it was impossible to hear from this distance. As they group together to investigate it, one guard keeps turning his head towards your boxes. He doesn't seem to want to go this way, but continues on. Eventually, the entire squad huddles up around the new wad of candle wax.   >"Heh." You chuckle to yourself. From the throne room, you hear a soft laugh, then a voice. "I've got you now... up those steps you come... my sweet little Adanemzurai..." Tezel sounds quite excited as he whispers to himself loud enough for you to hear.   >A voice echoes in your head. "It's too late. They know you're here. We must get out of here immediately before the guards come back."   Wait, so now they're grouped around the entrance?   Alright, alright guys, alright.   Bear with me.   How about we do a two pronged attack? As long as Pinkie doesn't touch anything in the treasure room, we know she'll be safe. She can go into the treasure room while we make our way down the dark corridor.   Ask the Adanemzurai if the treasury's security system will burn our boxes.     This is all very surreal. Reminds me of the ME3 ending.   Fuck, treasure room I guess.   Treasure room.   Hey, I have an idea. Let's ask it how to get into the treasure room. I bet that'll tell us what side it's on.   Agreed.   >You come up with a clever idea to see if the Adanemzurai is being truthful. As you close your eyes to focus, you feel incredible fear.   >"U..Uh, Adanemzurai... How do I get into the Treasu.. Treasure Room?"   >She sounds sorrowful. "The treasure tempts you, does it not?" She pauses. "That... that is my fortune. You will never get into that room, however."   >"Why not?"   >You feel more panicked and fearful. "To cross the threshold would mean certain annihilation. It is protected by powerful magic." She collects her voice. "And is protected by a pattern of my husbands decision."   >"Hmm... gotcha."   >Continue to the Treasure Room using the old pattern you remember from last time?   Go for it. If she's afraid of us going in there, then we HAVE to go in.   Aren't we immortal now? What do we need to fear from some magical trap?   "You robbed my of my mortal form so I wouldn't have to worry about death. Or, are you implying that my stony body is imperfect?"   >"...Wait a minute... Aren't I immortal?"   >The Adanemzurai hesitates. "Not to that magic. No being could withstand those flames."   >You shake your head. "Pinkie, let's get moving. Follow my hoofsteps exactly. Sweetie Belle, you keep... up..." Searching around, you discover that Sweetie Belle is not in her box, nor is she near your current location.   >"...Pinkie... where's Sweetie Belle?"   >"Wasn't she right behind... Ohmygosh!" Pinkie gasps as she turns towards the entrance. Besides the large gathering of guards is a small, cardboard box sitting still.   >"Wait... didn't she just speak to..." You pause, realizing that the Adanemzurai has assumed the voice of your friends before.   >The box doesn't move by the entrance nor do the guards seem interested at all to investigate it. To your side is the Treasure Room.   god DAMMIT, I told you fuckers to go get sweetie belle!   HOLY SHIT THAT BITCH.   I'm sure someone said make sure Sweetie was following us. Damn.   Are they staring at her box?   Why did we even want to bring Sweetie Belle?   BECAUSE SHE OUR FAITHFUL FRIEND THROUGH THICK AND THIN.   the glass will be too loud. throwing the gum will make a small "splat" sound, which shouldn't carry all the way to the throne room   We have to go back for her.   Do we have one more candle chunk?   Tell Pinkie to do whatever she can to make sure they don't make noise and attract attention.   Shoot candle THEN send Pinkie to get Sweaty Belt   >You decide that it simply isn't safe to leave Sweetie Belle behind with all of the guards standing there like that. "Pinkie.. you've got to go get her."   >"I know... we can't leave her hanging!" Pinkie sounds a bit worried.   >"Here, run down there quick. Leave Strawberry here in the box; I'll fire off a candle away from Sweetie Belle."   >"Okey dokie lokie..." Pinkie Pie sounds like she's revving up an engine. You take aim outside your small porthole and fire off your very last round of Sandy Candle Wax, aiming for the side opposite of Sweetie Belle. It flies through the air, splattering against the other side of the main entrance.   >Immediately, Pinkie Pie makes a made dash down the hall to retrieve Sweetie Belle. She slides down the polished granite floor, then stops next to the cardboard box. She slides into place. You notice one of the guards look in her direction.   >She gives him a big smile. Frozen in place, Pinkie watches as the guards shift their attention to the brightly colored pink mare. Unboxed, she seems quite a bit more noticeable. The guards stare her down, doing absolutely nothing.   >Suddenly, she starts dancing for them. You can hear a light melody matching the Castle in the Sand song as she does a very interesting belly dance for the derped out guards. They seem to be content with watching her. She gives you a worried expression.   I thought she was going to stay in the box.   We need to learn to be really specific with these things   We never told Pinkie to get out of her box. I'm doubting Jr's claims that he wants Raisin to survive.   Every passing turn things fall apart.   Next I guess we'll get splattered because the box blocked the sound of Tezel sneaking up behind us.   This all a charade, isn't it? Jr, we're doomed huh?   Just motion for her to get Sweetie and come back here. We get ready to disable the trap and hopefully nobody follows us in.   Maybe he just wants Pinkie dead.   No, we PROMISED her we wouldn't let that happen. Not after the first time.   I think we have enough people that are willing to Kamikaze Raisin if we lose any of her friends. I can understanding punishing us for being stupid, but this and Raisin telling Adanemzurai our plans without and command from us is just malicious.   throw the gum to get the guards' attention off of her, and then have her bolt back   This is all we can do.   I'm sorry Jr. I'm really sorry for being a bad player.   IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL HE WRITES THE WORDS “GAME OVER”   >You see the panicked expression on Pinkie's face. The Adanemzurai speaks to you, "Run. Go get her... get out of here while you can..."   >You shake your head. Lifting up your box, you chuck the bubblegum as hard as you can. It makes a plop in the middle of the hallway. The guards swing their heads over for a moment.   >You watch the pink mare suddenly disappear from view. Amazingly, she has somehow compacted herself into Sweetie Belle's box. Four pink hooves pop out of the bottom as she scoots along the floor. The guards look towards the box for a moment, but she's already plopped herself back on the ground.   >"Oh..." You bite your stone hoof, unsure of what to do."   >You hear a grumble come from the other room. "...what's taking her so long? There's only 35 steps to climb." You hear Tezel shift in the throne room.   Fuck. I have a feeling he won't be fooled by the boxes.   Dash? Her goggles?   He will crush Sweetie because she's a sweet little filly.   We may have to launch the goggles.   >inb4 the goggles do nothing   Can't we just make Dash get them?   >In a last ditch effort, you pull the Vintage Wonderbolt goggles off of Rainbow's head and fling them down the hallway to get the guard's attention. You lift up your cardboard box and fling them down the hall, letting them clink against a nearby pillar. The guards look up again and Pinkie patters her way further down the hall.   >You hear some booming hoofsteps come from the other room. You duck and hide next to the very side of the stairway. You feel incredibly shaken.. this can't be happening.   >"Where in Equestria ar..." Suddenly, you hear the curtains part. "Okay... so... you're all over there, meaning... something was making noise..." You hear the titanic golem walk on down the stairs. You press your small body up against the side of the stairway as best as you can. You feel Tezel stop at the base of the stairs.   >"Oh? What's this...?" You hear his low, growling magic activate. "My... well, hello there! What are you doing under that little box?"   >"U..U..Uh... oh, h..hi!" Pinkie stammers nervously.   >The giant golem bellows out a charming laugh. "Oh, there's no need to be afraid of me, my dear! I know I look intimidating, but I'm a jovial guy!" You feel a sincerity coming from the giant king. "Tell me, what is your name?"     I HAVE NEVER REGRETTED EVERYTHING MORE THAN I DO RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT.   Poor Pinkie's gonna have a heart attack.   >"P...Pinkie... Pie." She squeaks.   >"Pinkie Pie... how delightful! I honestly was expecting someone else tonight... Tell me, you didn't see any other ponies out in the desert, have you?"   >"No sir! I got lost... and the guards... scared me, so.. I hid in this box..." Pinkie sounds pretty scared.   >"Oh, don't mind them. They're a little... how do you say..." he whispers as to not offend the guards. "...not the most intelligent sort, if you catch my drift..."   >He sounds as though he's turned around, his magic still buzzing. You hear the cardboard box gently rest on the floor. "Please! Come on in! You're a welcome sight at the Castle! I'd love to hear about your adventure out here..."   >The curtains part once again. As they do, you hear the little box scurry towards you. A short, gasping breath comes from it. "W...W...W..what happened?!"   Status check: What does the situation look like right now?   A fucking trainwreck   ah...of course! Pinkie Pie can talk his ear off! as long as he doesn't know she has anything to do with us or the box, he'll leave her alive for the time being.   We need to get into the treasure room fast though. She probably won't be able to hold his attention forever.   But whatever, this might not be as bad as we thought. We have the element of surprise back, and he doesn't seem like he's going to hurt Pinkie right away at least.   We need to hurry, because we have no idea what he wants to do to her.   After assessing the situation and reassuring Sweetie that Pinkie will be OK, we need to get our asses into the treasure room.   We need to act.   NOW   Go through treasure room and up the stairs as quickly as possible.   >You feel your entire body tense. "Sweetie, he got Pinkie Pie. Tezel got her." You lift her box up and try to reassure her. "The false King must be stopped. Come, we sha... We need to go this way, now."   >You look toward the Treasure Room. In your mind, the Adanemzurai speaks once more. "Did you not listen? Your friend is doomed. You will never get in there without..." She falls silent as you approach the tiles. An almost crippling fear halts your hoof. "Do not go this way." She sounds stern.   >"Raisin?" Sweetie Belle sounds like she's about to cry. "We can go home... maybe we can get Princess Celestia..."   >Your body feels nearly paralyzed as you stare at the tiles. The Adanemzurai speaks again. "Listen to your friend. Leave this place."   >You feel unsure of yourself.   "You are NOT the boss of me."   Do it. No regrets.   >get Princess Celestia HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA   Go into the treasure room telling them to copy your movements exactly.   Why do we want to go to the Treasure Room anyway, just because the Adanemzurai doesn't want us to?   Do you need a better reason?   >"I don't care... I know what to do." You stand firm, pushing through this horrible feeling in your gut... or, at least, where your gut would be, if it weren't made of stone. You push alongside with Rainbow Dash, just barely able to fit onto the tiles.   >You stand on the first one, hearing a loud audible click in the wall. Something sounds like it turns inside of the stone. You look back. "Sweetie Belle, follow me exactly. Bring Strawberry with us."   >She stands frozen for a moment.   >"We've got this." You turn around, lifting up her box. With your slightly warm, stony forelegs, you give your friend a hug. She seems surprised, but hugs back. You hear her sniffle against your shoulder. "Now... get Strawberry. We're almost there."   >She nods, pulling away gently from your legs. She darts under the same box as Strawberry. She starts walking behind you closely, following your every step. Behind, you notice that the guards are beginning to return to their positions.   >Hopping across the tiles, you stop on the last one, letting the noise in the wall come to a halt before a white wall of flames erupts from the doorway. In a few brief moments, the ghostly white fire dissipates. You jump through, unharmed.   >"Sweetie, wait on the last tile. Wait for the fire to go away."   >She hops to the last tile. Behind her, you see one of the wolf statues starting to make an approach.   We don't really have anything left to throw, do we? Is it going to get into the hallway with the tiles before Sweetie gets through? Because we can't have it fucking the pattern up.   Tell her to hurry but be careful.   Are we still under our boxes?   Just keep eye contact with Sweetie and tell her to leap sideways if the wolf leaps.   If. We know Tezel doesn't like children though.   >Your eyes grow large as the stone wolf makes it's cold approach. "That's it, Sweetie... just wait for the f-"   >Suddenly, the fires pour down from the top of the door. You're unable to see anything for a moment. They quickly dissipate, revealing Sweetie Belle once again. The wolf is nearly on the tiles.   >"Now! Jump! Now now now!"   >Sweetie Belle jumps forward, dragging the box and Strawberry with her. Suddenly, the wolf takes off into the air. As it passes over the tiles, Sweetie falls into the Treasure Room. You watch as the wolf nearly enters and grabs your friend's rearleg in its powerful jaws.   >Suddenly, the white fire flashes again. As soon as it contacts the wolf, the wolf turns bright orange. Instantly, it becomes molten, then the molten rock becomes ash. It makes a bit of noise, but the unicorn beyond the tiles doesn't seem to do anything else. He looks confused.   >"..." You and Sweetie look through the door frame, realizing the potential, horrible fate that would have come upon you had you touched that soft looking fire.   >From the back of the magnificent treasure room, you hear Tezel's booming laugh. "Oh, Oh ho ho! Another, do another!" You can hear Pinkie Pie talking in several voices to Tezel. It sounds like she's telling him jokes at the moment.   >To your left, you see a pile of various, golden artifacts. All around are treasures beyond your imagining. You can only see so much through your cardboard porthole.   The wall of flame destroys all.   >And then Raisin got an idea. A wonderful, awful idea.   Guys, I think I know how to make the box change us back...   Yeah, lets talk to the box.   That was pretty impressive, huh? You might be an ancient queen trapped in a golden chest for all eternity, but we're kind of interesting ourselves.   Let's not gloat. Just tell that we have some tricks of our own.   melting her off will proably kill us as well. can we try to squeeze it for info before we start making threats?   Yeah. She should be a little more willing to trust us to be able to handle things ourselves now.   We might be able to get some use out of her without completely ailianating her.   Once we do the threats there's no chance she's going to help us willingly.   >You smile smugly, holding back an excited laugh. "So.. now what? What's in here that you didn't want me to see?"   >You feel an awful, burning pain in your gut. She speaks again. "There's no way... how did you know that pattern? To wait? Not even I..."   >"You knew. This is your treasure room, right?"   >She doesn't answer you.   >"Anything interesting that I can use in here against your husband?"   >Suddenly, you feel the grip of pain on your gut relinquish. She immediately sounds less aggravated. "...If this truly is my collection, then yes... there should be a weapon in here that will prove most useful... in destroying him..." She pauses. "I can find it... give me your sight, so that I might see it clearly..."   >You hear Tezel laugh again. "Oh ho ho ho ho!" His hoof makes a thunderous boom. He continues laughing. "Oh, Pinkie Pie! Please, please! No more, no more!" You worry for a moment, but you can feel Pinkie Pie in the other room still. She seems a lot less worried...   This is going to well for Pinkie. We need to hurry, she's going to annoy him and get stomped.   She doesn't need our sight. We can see just fine, let her describe it to us and we'll get it. That way we can have another couple people looking too.   "No. Just give me a description of it. What it looks like, what it does."   Indeed. She needs to describe it. We won't give her an inch more than she's already taken.   Okay okay, this is turning out a lot better than I thought it might. If this weapon works.... then we just have to save ourselves.   Pinkie distracting is perfect. I'm sorry I doubted the, admittedly, crazy sounding idea.   >"Nah, I can see just fine. Why don't you descri-"   >The pain returns. "It is golden. Can you not see it already? Are you blind?" She sounds a bit angry. "Of course not. Look about." The entire room, of course, is filled with golden objects. "I know that I can find it... where your eyes are weak to magic, mine are strong. I do not know the object it has manifested itself inside of, but I can find it easily."   >"Hmm..."   Wait a minute.   Last game Jr said the treasure was cursed. Ask her if she knows anything about a curse, since treasures in castles like this are always cursed.   "I'll take my chances."   >use cursed treasure >Corruption increases drastically.   Let's ask her if the sceptre is it first.   >You speak to her once again, wincing a bit in pain. "Aren't these things cursed? All of them are cursed, aren't they?"   >The Adanemzurai takes a moment to respond. "Cursed? These are my greatest keepsakes. I would not carry such treasures in my stores." She continues. "I know not what my husband has added since I've been gone... please, grant me your eyes, so that I may see for myself..."   "Never."   Start threatening her. We're wasting too much time. The white flame is the only thing she seems to fear.   and check on Sweetie for Christ's sake.   I disagree with threatening her, but I agree that we should check on Sweetie.   get the scepter. I think we almost destroyed the box with it last time   I feel like we're wasting so many turns.   I agree, grab it, check on Sweetie, then head up before Pinkie gets smashed again.   >You run up to the treasure pile, taking the golden scepter up into your mouth. Suddenly, you feel a jolt of energy course through your body. Your hooves tingle. "Oooohh... Wha... what is this? Is this it?"   >Sweetie Belle stands up on her legs, admiring the treasure for a moment before she hears Pinkie in the other room. "Raisin! She's in there!" The small white filly looks thankful, but still panicked. She hops up and down in place. "How are we going to save her?"   >The scepter feels horribly cold, but the energy pulsing through it makes it feel exceptionally important. "How astute..." Adanemzurai speaks through your mind. "Well, it looks like... you found it..." The pain in your gut releases completely. "Well, then... shall we?"   >Sweetie Belle looks at you, keeping a hoof over Strawberry's mouth. "What is that, Raisin?"     "Our boomstick."   go check out the entrance to the throne room and see how Pinkie is doing   "I don't know. Either it'll save me, or kill me."   Oh God, this is it, isn't it?   Mood music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1EAFaro95g   "WELL GUYS LETS TRUST THE BOX THATS BEEN LYING TO US FOR THE LAST TWO HOURS! EVEN THOUGH WE ALREADY HAVE THE KEY TO DEFEATING TEZEL ON OUR BACK! WHAT COULD GO WRONG!"     I'll miss you Raisin. In the afterlife you won't have to do with moron retard questers doing stupid shit.     I'm just worried about Pinkie. We can decide what we're going to do. Once we see she's safe.   >You decide to jump up on Dash's back, carrying the cold, powerful scepter in your mouth. "This... this is a weapon, apparently. It's going to help us defeat Tezel..."   >Sweetie Belle looks at you. "Is this what we needed so badly?" She stands in place. "Um... what do you want me to do?"   >"Sit. Do nothing." Your words come out harshly.   >She cowers down a bit, then sits still next to Strawberry. The derped filly tries to ask a question, but Sweetie covers her mouth. "...good luck..."   >You walk up to the entrance into the Throne Room. Pinkie is still giggling and putting on a show for Tezel. "...so the dragonfly says to the moth..."   >"Point. Aim. Fire..." The voice echoes in your head. She sounds sadistically pleased with this notion. "We'll be rid of our problems shortly with my scepter..."   >Pinkie sees Rainbow Dash's colorful mane. She looks even more relieved to see you. She gives you a wink and continues with her act. Tezel explodes into laughter once more. "I have never been so... entertained! Marvelous! Marvelous!" He claps his hooves together, producing a series of loud, rock-on-rock booms.   Well it looks like we might have to fire blind.   Is it too late to ask what it does and what it will do to us? At least motion for Pinkie Pie to get away before we do anything.   Be prepared to fire, but insist on knowing what it will do.   I don't want collateral damage.   NO NO NO NO NO We don't know what this thing is going to do. What if she's tricking us? >"We'll be rid of our problems shortly with my scepter..." Aren't we a problem for her?   >Once more, you press the Adanemzurai for information. Pinkie continues to dance and tell jokes for the jolly, though terribly evil king.   >"What does it do?"   >The voice comes back into your thoughts. She speaks softly and confidently. "Obliterate him, of course. It will fire magic behind your comprehension, blasting his granite form into a fine, powdery dust." She cackles. "There will remain not a single fragment of his stony body... he will finally be gone from this world."   >You swallow hard. The staff in your hooves certainly feels powerful... it pulses with radiant, raw magical energy. "...This is it... what do I do...?"   >"Fire it. Burn him." She sounds almost excited. You feel incredibly confident, staring down at the staff. A cruel smile cracks across your stony face.   I've changed my mind. Suicide is better than whatever she's planning.   Assuming we can get plugged in, Tezel should be immobolized. This probably means that the statues and things will be deactivated, and that breaking the grammophone would be completely uncontested. Sweetie or Pinkie could walk up and hit it with a hoof if they wanted, freeing all the unicorns outside, including Twilight.   Then, if the crown is removed, by Dash or really anyone, it isn't like there is a time limitI hope, we could even sit there for a day or so until Celestia comes and does her magic shit. When the crown is removed we'd still probably be in stasis, but Tezel would be vulnerable. So long as things are prepared for that it should be easy to deal with him.   We could even probably remove the box from the crown later if we want, if we can't remove both of them from us.   If we do have to do the plug thing, that's what I'd go with.   Make sure there is NOONE in the firing path of the scepter. Have Rainbow fly us to an appropriate angle if necessary.   Then fire.   Fire the scepter at yourself.   Embrace the warmth of it's magic.   With that energy, anything in the room will be obliterated. I'm sorry Jr, I wish it was different. If only Pinkie and Dash weren't in the room. Don't use it.   this isn't the time to back down! we can do this!   That thing will corrupt us, I am certain. No I am not the "Titano will corrupt us" guy.   I'm still sticking by my guns. Die a hero.   Maybe our statue will be put in a pretty park somewhere.   They both practiced Dark Magic.   It's like listening to the ring to defeat Sauron.   >I've counted the votes up. Are we ready to proceed with what could possibly be the biggest decision in the game?   >6 for box >4 for sceptre >2 for blasting the box   Yes.   If it's wrong, just please draw her a pretty tombstone.   Let's do it.   I have a worse feeling about the plug!   We're making a mistake.   Looks like plugging wins.   Good luck, Raisin.   why did we come this far just to jump right back to killing ourselves?!   isn't this exactly what we were trying to AVOID?!   If we're not raping the maids, I guess we'll at least rape the crown.   j-j-jam us in.   It's been an honor guys.   Thanks for all the long nights.   Us too. Gentleman, it has been a privilege playing with you tonight.   I'm fucking terrified. This is nuts.   I've had a lot of fun. However this turns out, you're all bros.   22 days, 4 months, and countless hours   It all comes down to this         >Command Rainbow Dash to plug the Adanemzurai into Tezel's crown You look at the scepter one last time, then hop off of Rainbow Dash. You lay the scepter on the ground. Instantly, you feel a crippling pain wash over your body.   >"No.... pick it back up!" The Adanemzuai blasts you with her voice. You resist.   >"Rainbow... Dash... please... plug this thing in-STO-!!"   >You're pulled into your mind, unable to speak. "We've come this far. Pick up my scepter. Destroy him!" Adanemzurai pushes you into the ground and paralyzes your body with fear, pain, sorrow... the worst feelings you can possibly imagine flood and incapacitate your senses.   >..."Plug the Adanemzurai into Tezel's Crown! This is my order!" Your loud command goes unnoticed as Tezel continues his vociferous applause. Rainbow Dash doesn't respond with any speech. She simply walks up to you and begins twisting on the Adanemzurai. Your body feels like it's heating up again as words start to escape your lips.   >"Slave! I order you to st-- sto---s---" You restrain her speech as you endure this extraordinary pain. Suddenly... the world wanes. The pain in your body leaves immediately. You feel calm and cold... your vision fades to black...   >...in a moment, you suddenly see your stony form frozen before you. A patch of red mane hangs in front of your eyes. You have no control, but you can hear Adanemzurai screaming in fear. "Stop! STOP! DONT! WE'LL DIE!! YOU ARE GOING TO DESTROY US! RAISIN!!! STOP!" She continues to scream as Rainbow Dash automatically walks up behind Tezel's mighty, tall throne. The giant monster laughs, blissfully unaware to your presence.   >"NOOOOO!!!!" Adanemzurai lets out a fearful yell. Rainbow Dash flies over the great golem king, locating a missing notch in his crown. With force and agility, she slams the box into the notch. Suddenly, Tezel stops his laughter.   >"What was that?" He nearly whispers these words. You see Pinkie shaking in anticipation   >"That's all, folks!" She nearly laughs as you watch the king freeze up. Your vision fades away... blackening slowly... Adanemzurai's voice becomes a sleepy whisper as her protest disappears.   >Silence floods your mind. Your vision dissipates. You can no longer see, hear, feel... nothing. It's gone...     We won.   Even if we died, let's be at peace.   I am okay with it. Even if Raisin is gone.   You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.   Even though it's the former, it still hurts.     We were doomed the moment we failed taking control of the bird.   It was worth it. No fatalities.   >...you hear a magnificent rush of energy. Suddenly, your eyes snap open. You feel stiff, cold...   >"...Raisin?" a voice echoes inside of your head.   >"Am I...?"   >Light blinds you from all around. You feel like a great weight has been lifted from your shoulders... you slowly stretch your legs, standing up on all fours. It hurts to move... your legs feel so stiff. Your vision begins to return.   >"Raisin? Oh my goodness... Raisin!" You hear the clop of two hooves wrap around and tap the back of your neck.   >"...M..Mom?"   >Your vision finally recovers enough to see the source of the voice. You see the teary eyes of your loving mother as she takes you into her hooves. "We thought we lost you!"   >You hear another set clasp around you. "Grapefruit! Oh, thank Celestia! Thank you!"   >"...Dad?"   >The light is still fading in behind the two ponies. You cannot tell where you are.   >You feel incredibly happy... your smile beams. Is it over? You wrap your hooves around your mother, pulling her in close. She coughs a little bit.   >"Raisin..." She sobs. Both of your parents sound like they're crying.   You hold your mother... but you cannot feel the warmth of her embrace. It doesn't satisfy you... you cannot feel her warm cheeks. Your body is numb.   >"...I'm dead, aren't I?"   >Your parents do not immediately respond. They hold you in their hooves, weeping in joy. Your vision begins to improve as does your hearing...   This http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp3jda591M4   We might be stone, we might be a ghost, but we won.   We won, against all odds.     >Looking around the side of your mother's head, you can see your arms. They are still made of granite.   >"...I'm still... a statue?"   >Your parents sniffle. Finally, your mom speaks up. "We thought you had seen a Cockatrice! We tried everything... but Twilight said that you had come into contact with something... much, much worse..."   >Your dad pretends that he wasn't crying too hard. "Hey, we'll figure something out..." He can barely hold a smile. "You'll always be my little Raisin."   >Your vision almost completely returns. Behind your parents, you see two wavy manes in perpetual motion. In front of them stand an entire group of ponies, all of them unicorns. Twilight is standing out front.   "We will accept payment in maids"   I don't care. We did it. And we survived.   HUG TIME!   I like not being dead.   Give them both hugs and say we need to privately talk to the Princesses about what happened.   Goes to show we should never take our bodies for granite.   CAAAAAARLOS!   >You pull them in close again, happy to finally see their faces again. "I love you, mom and dad..." You feel as though you want to cry, but the tears don't come.   >Twilight comes forward along with the Princesses. Celestia addresses you directly as your parents back away. She looks almost saddened.   >"Raisin... you've... saved Equestria from almost certain destruction." She looks down at your small, stony form. "You've given up your body, disobeyed Royalty, fled from the law... risked your life countless times..." She moves in closer. "...and saved the lives of countless innocents."   >Luna makes her approach. "We thought you'd have had a better plan... being able to see the future as you can...." She pauses. "...but my faith in you came through yet. Equestria is forever in your debt."   >Twilight gives you a soft smile as Luna continues. "Therefore, we would like to show our gratitude towards your brave actions these days past by presenting you with this Royal Medal, one of the highest honors that we can bestow."   >Your parents look floored.   At least we know what Raisin Quest 4 will be about.   >here's a medal   that's great. someone fucking cure me i need to scratch my ass.   >I saved the land and sacrificed my very mortality and all I got was a stupid medal.   At least we'll be the most popular filly in school. Maybe that will help make the fact that we will never feel the cool of a summer breeze or taste our family's special grape souffle ever again.   >It's been an incredible past couple of months. My ability to write stories on the fly is improving immensely. You guys have been incredibly fun to quest with; through thick and thin, good luck and bad luck, we've had one awesome ride. You guys definitely earned your 'good end'. I had expected that first grimderp ending to have crushed your souls, yet you continued on. Amazing.   >There will probably be a quick followup session to this one, or I may save any followup until RQ4. Let's see what happens.   >Take care and sleep well. You have earned your victory this night.   END OF RAISIN QUEST 3   STATUS:  GOOD END.  VICTORY, BUT NOT WITHOUT HARD SACRIFICE