Title:           Raisin Quest 3 Day 9
Author:          Anonymous
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/3k6HDMzz
First Edit:      Sunday 29th of January 2012 09:25:09 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Sunday 29th of January 2012 09:25:09 PM CDT

DAY 9:
 
Recap:
>Stopped singing to the Treasure Seeker Fanatic, watched her get turned to stone by the Cockatrice
>Huddled up and waited for the Cockatrice to leave
>Headed down the path, found Sweetie Belle injured in a bush. Rarity had vanished.
>Put Sweetie Belle in wagon, continued onward to the base of the mountain trail
>Scouted ahead of the team because Scootaloo was too chicken to do so herself
>Came to a plateau, saw two ponies standing on the other side
>Sang to ponies, discovered that they were Rarity and the derped out filly Fluttershy lost
>Chanted to a dead tree
>Saw a gap in the trail, told Applebloom to cut down the tree to make a bridge
>Gigantic stone bird flew by on patrol, caught the group by surprise
>xXx Decided to try and utilize the mysterious box to attempt to control the giant stone bird xXx
>xXx Raisin lost her mind, player unable to control Raisin… xXx
>APPLE QUEST TIEM > Player assumed control of Applebloom
>**Took Raisin’s explosives, threw them at the giant stone bird. Bird was defeated**
>Rushed the team out of the plateau due to an impending avalanche
>All ponies accounted for; group hug and attempt to restore Raisin’s mind
>Rarity runs off ahead of the group
>**Used Marshmallows as earplugs to stop the derped out filly from rushing off to the Castle**
>**Traveled to the Castle in the Sand**
>Used a stone to distract guards, assumed cardboard box disguises from hammerspace, snuck into the Castle
>Distracted guards inside the Castle with rocks, got most of team to the Grand Staircase
>**Went back and rescued the scared filly**
>Looked into treasure room; tempted to search through treasure
>Sitting on steps, trying to determine next course of action
 
>In the grand hall of the Castle in the Sand, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Pinkie Pie, a random filly named Strawberry, and Raisin sit upon the steps of the Grand Staircase in front of the entrance to the Throne Room. On the other side of the curtain, Applebloom caught the first glimpse of the gigantic stone pony that Raisin had been talking about earlier; King Tezel. Camping in their slightly musty cardboard boxes, the team shudders with anticipation, wondering how they’re going to stop the enormous golem’s plans, save Raisin, and underp the gaggle of unicorn slaves running about throughout the kingdom of Equestria.
 
>As the record in the other room plays a discordantly sweet melody, the team devises their cunning plan with care, knowing that their next decisions will determine the success or failure of their entire mission.
 
>Because Raisin has lost her little pony mind, you, the player, will be able to influence the outcome of this quest by giving Applebloom some ideas as to how your team will overcome their greatest challenge yet. Good luck, questers… may Celestia have mercy on poor Raisin’s soul.
 
>INVENTORY
>Applebloom: CMC Cape, Hammer, Saw, Apples, Slingshot
>Sweetie Belle: CMC Cape, Slingshot, Hayseed
>Scootaloo: CMC Cape, Vial of Strange Water, Vial of Algae, Stompstarter
>Raisin: Boots, Rocks, Peppermint Grape Jelly
>Pinkie: Raisin
>Strawberry: 2 Marshmallows (ears)
 
Alright, our first priority is destroying the crystal phonograph. We'll be captured either way, so the best we can do is hope that we destroy it first and hope it has a ripple effect.
 
My plan is: Give Pinkie jelly and tell her to drink the strange water. If the strange water DOES turn out to be elixir, then we send her out and in the initial confusion shoot an apple at the phonograph.
 
how will we get Tezel to release Raisin's soul once we've broken his favorite toy?
 
 
I'm pretty sure the strange water is just nasty bathwater. it probably wouldn't do anything. we lost our last bit of elixir when Rarity swiped it from Sweetie
 
Does the strange water look the same as the elixir?
 
If we're Applebloom, we've already drank some.
 
Do a taste test first. Just a sip though.
 
Taste the strange water and smell it. We should be able to tell if it's elixir or not.
 
We could always try going to the treasury and seeing if we can use that scepter he mentioned to ope the box without touching it.
 
So...
 
Do we search the treasure room or not?
 
It might be risky, but we have to at least try:
 
When Tezel has us captured, we tell him that at least Raisin won't feel the suffering because she's in the box. This might cause him to release her, at least so he can torture her a bit before ending us.
We'll need to talk with him a bit, to get an idea of how wrathful/cruel he is. He might be willing to grant us one last request of talking to Raisin again if he thinks we'll die either way.
 
I think the powder was just the controlling agent. From what Sally told us it sounds like her recipe for the elixir was older than her job with Tezel.
 
>While devising your plan, you wish to see if that Vial of Strange Water Scoots has on her may be the elixir. Considering how much energy it gave you at first, it could give one of your team members the energy they need to do a blitz-rush attack/distraction in the throne room.
 
>"Hey, Scoots... lemme see that water fer a second..."
 
>"Uh... you know where we got this from, right?" Scootaloo hooves it over to you carefully. "This came from Sally's lab... I don't know what it might be..."
 
>You open the vial carefully and smell the solution. It has a very pungent smell to it, much like the flavor of the elixir you drank. You cough a little. Just to be sure, you take a small sip. The solution crackles against your tastebuds, just like the elixir. It's so sour that it almost stings, but it perks you up.
 
>"We've got elixir!" You tell the team.
 
>"Ooooh! We do? Anyone got some candy?" Pinkie scoots up to your box, intrigued by this discovery.
 
Hand her some jelly, ready our apple shot as soon as she rushes out and bounces around the throne room.
 
We need to do it the instant their attention focuses on Pinkie, otherwise our apple will be stopped in midair be one of the guard's telepathy.
 
Pinkie should probably try to destroy the phonograph first. Can we fire a shot from cover to make sure we have two chances to break it?
 
He has Twilight brainwashed as his personal guard. Doesn't matter if he can use magic or not; after our surprise attack, we'll be captured and held in place with powerful magic.
 
We are operating that she won't be under his control once we break the phonograph. The filly is hopefully evidence of this.
 
What other choice do we have? If you have any bright ideas, then I'd like to hear them.
 
The treasure room is boobytrapped to high heaven, don't say that.
 
That if Tezel doesn't place a secondary spell one the unicorns so that they obey him instead of the music box.
 
OH SHIT, IT'S THE CROWN SPIKES THAT DO THE MIND CONTROL, NOT THE BOX ITSELF.
 
SHIT, SHOULD WE AIM FOR THE BITS AND HOPEFULLY KNOCK SOME OFF?
 
 
Be careful when jumping to conclusions like that. We already lost control of Raisin that way.
 
I have a feeling there's something in the treasure room that will help us, probably that staff.
 
If the is another passage out of the room we could always tell her to run over to it then start making noise after we give her the elixir and candy. While Tezel and his unicorns are distracted we can shoot the phonograph off its pedestal.
 
Do you really want to go back? We trigger a trap, we lose the element of surprise.
 
>The room is slightly taller than the massive doorway leading in. You can see King Tezel off a ways, a magnificent royal rug leading up a single platform and up to his throne. Twilight and the other guard look miniscule next to the giant stone king. To the King’s side is a pony sized Crystal Phonograph playing an entrancing melody throughout the castle. It’s rather loud.
 
>Looking down at the base of Tezel’s throne, you see that the carpet, which is mostly a crimson color, has some dark blotches ground into it. On either side of the throne, you see two doorways leading out of the room on the right and left.
 
>The crown looks like the top of a castle. From the front, you can see that it has 4 rectangular bumps along the top with one bump missing in the center. It's made entirely of an ornately carved gold.
 
Is the phonograph within range of our slingshot? How long would it take an elixired Pinkie Pie to make it to one of those corridors?
 
>Using your engineering insight, you don't think that an apple will be enough to knock the big phonograph over. Seeing as the horn on top is constructed of Crystal, you think that you'd have an easier time shattering it with something a bit harder.
 
>The horn could probably be blocked by a well placed apple.
 
>It appears to be in range of the slingshot. You're pretty certain you could peg Tezel in the eye from the door if you really felt like it.
 
Well, I'd rather break the horn than just plug it. Raisin still has some rocks.
 
I stil kind of want to at least look at the treasure room more. I remember something about not knowing if there was a door leading out of it or not.
 
And the fillies were stealing from it before right?
It can't be impregnable.
 
Give Scootaloo a couple of apples and tell Sweetie to give her a slingshot. Tell her that once we shot the phonograph with a rock we want her to peg Tezel in the eyes.
 
She can't rescue Twilight, not when she's under MC.
 
Shoot Tezel with apple, shoot Twilight with rock, Pinkie destroys phonograph
 
>On either side of the throne, you see two doorways leading out of the room on the right and left.
 
Guys, I think a headlong attack is going to end disastrously. There has to be a sneaky way in.
 
He has a point. Tell the others we might be able to get a better vantage point if we go through the treasury.
 
If we do go through the treasury, let Pinkie be minesweeper. Her pinkie sense means she has the best chance of identifying traps.
 
the treasure could be booby-trapped though. remember last night how Jr said deciding whether or not to investigate it was a critical decision point?
 
Maybe the only way to defeat Tezel is in that room.
Fucking paranoia
 
 
Alright, change my vote to investigating the treasure room.
 
Have Pinkie lead the way and use Pinkie sense for traps.
 
If we do go to the treasure room do so very slowly and carefully. Tell the others to do the same.
 
Treasure room, abuse Pinkie sense.
 
I'm literally getting tensed up
 
Treasure room. Even though it's against my better judgment, our sneak attack will be much more successful if we approach from either the left or right hall.
 
 
>You decide that the Treasure Room may still hold some sort of secret that will help you get a one up on the monstrously huge pony golem in the Throne Room.
 
>"Alright, girls... Ah've got a plan..."
 
>Scootaloo scoffs. "Finally! Geez... the suspense has been killing me."
 
>You begin to explain that the treasure room probably has some more magical items hidden inside. It may be a bit risky to go inside, but as long as Pinkie uses her Pinkie Sense and stays in front, the team should be able to make it through unscathed. There may just be a passage or something that will help you sneak up on 'ol Tezel.
 
>They nod their heads and pick up their cardboard boxes, following you carefully down the stairs. You are careful to avoid the guards' attention as you make your way toward the treasure room.
 
>As you approach the room, Pinkie stops the group. "Twitchy-twitch..." She looks above, trying to see if there's anything above the door. It appears safe.
Ask Pinkie if her Pinkie Sense is acting up. Examine the floor and walls of the treasury.
 
don't pass that threshold
 
there's no way this can be anything but a death-trap
 
Was it actually the tail twitch?
Sweetie is a unicorn, can she sense magic at all?
examine everything without touching anything.
 
When we switched to AB didn't you say something about us being able to trigger the "danger sense" or whatever it was? If I'm remembering things right, lets do that too.
 
>To your front, you can see the back of Pinkie's cardboard box. Beyond that, the doorway to the treasury. There are mountains of gems, gold, Bits... a treasure beyond your wildest imagining.
 
>The floor is made of granite tiles, but you notice that several tiles have an odd symbol on them. The walls look like the rest of the Castle; polished to a brilliant shine.
 
>"Pinkie... are you sure that was a 'Twitchy-twitch' or..."
 
>"I'm pretty sure... the Pinkie Sense doesn't lie." Pinkie continues to look about, trying to find what set off her 6th sense.
 
>"Little filly..." You tap on the box behind you, then slip under it to talk to her. "Little filly..."
 
>The box close behind you shudders. "...Strawberry.." She whimpers.
 
>"Strawberry, Sweetie Belle... can you guys feel any magic stuff around the door?"
 
>Sweetie steps out ahead and points her horn at the doorway. She shrugs. "...hmmm... nope." Strawberry doesn't know what to do, copying Sweetie Belle. "N..Nothing."
 
>The music echoes through the halls. You can hear the soft tap of some hooves walking down the main hall.
 
 
are the symbols arranged in some kind of pattern?
 
My mental map of this place is not up to snuff.
Are these footsteps approaching?
 
Describe the symbols on the the tiles. Are they spaced out to far apart for us to step from on to another?
 
Look behind us so we can see who is walking.
 
 
Can we see from here whether the tiles seem moulded together and there's a small gap next to the ones with a symbol? If all the tiles seem a little loose, then maybe walking on the marked tiles is the path to safety.
 
He knows he's being burgled; Tezel would probably switch things up.
 
>The symbols on the floor in front of the treasury door seem to be spread out in a zigzag. They have a weird mark upon them that you've never seen before.
 
>Behind you and around a corner, you swear that you hear the trotting approaching the stairs. You cannot see who it is yet.
 
Give Pinkie a few more seconds to identify a trap. If the hoofsteps get closer and Pinkie's still at it, roll an apple through the doorway.
 
 
it must be a ward. we definitely shouldn't go past those markings
 
So we can't go back, I guess.
Do any of the fillies know anything about magic?
Are runes and such things that exist?
 
Tell Pinkie maybe see if her Pinkie sense triggers along the outer edges of the doorway.
 
Maybe the trap only triggers if you walk through the center.
 
Why don't we unplug Strawberry's ears and tell her to lead us to treasure? She has to know the secret to getting past the door.
 
I support this. Tell Strawberry to bring back treasure, too. If she turns around, plug those ears
 
Do the runes look like they were recently put there.
 
Keep an eye behind us until we can see whatever is walking/
 
Just as a safety net, if we hear someone just about to be able to see us, everyone under the boxes and freeze.
 
>You again slink under Strawberry's box, but this time you pull out an apple. "...huh?" The scared little filly shivers as you jam it into her mouth. Quickly, you reach up and yank the marshmallows out of her ears. She panics for a moment, but you can see her eyes lose focus in an instant.
 
>"Go to the Treasure Room and bring us back somethin' shiny."
 
>"Applebloom! What are you..." Sweetie Belle protests for a moment, but quickly gathers what you intend to do. You can hear Strawberry mumble a question from behind her fruit gag, but she starts to scoot across the floor with you still inside the box.
 
>From a distance, you can still hear the hoofsteps approaching. Pinkie issues a command. "Everyone.. act natural!" You hear the simultaneous thud of several boxes contact the granite floor.
 
>Strawberry moves toward the treasury unabated.
 
Plug her ears again.
 
Listen to Pinkie's advice, put the marshmallows back in, and wait until we can't hear hoofsteps.
 
Pull them right out afterwards.
 
Listen to Pinkie's advice. She IS a master of disguise and always know the best way to surprise (and NOT surprise someone)
 
>You panic a little. Whatever pony is coming, you certainly don't want them to see you. Quickly, you plug the filly's ears once again. As she starts to regain her focus, you wrap your hooves around her body, trapping the apple in her mouth and keeping her from moving. She struggles in your grasp, scared and confused. You can hear her crying a little.
 
>The hoofsteps continue on by. Looking out the back flap of the cardboard box, you see a mint striped green unicorn wandering up the stairs. She looks content on getting up there to meet Tezel.
 
>"...whew. Sorry about that, Strawberry." She shudders and struggles, trying to break free of your hug.
 
Fucking Lyra.
 
Give Pinkie Pie a bit more time to let her Pinkie sense guide the way, then try Strawberry again if Pinkie can't find anything. Don't wait too long, though. We've risking enough as it is.
 
I agree. Let Pinkie Pie experiment a little first, then try Strawberry.
 
Be sure to let her out from out box, though, if we're going to be using her.
 
Not relevant to the next action, but I've been thinking: maybe the mind control isn't an aspect of the piece of the crown inside, but maybe it's a property of the box itself. It might be risky, but if we can open the open without triggering the spell, we might replace the crown chip with our bow.
 
I'm thinking that the box just makes the opener obey whoever owns what's in the box.
 
>You continue to hold onto the scared filly, keeping her from moving around too much. She's becoming quite a hassle. You tell Pinkie to experiment around a little bit more to see if she can get around this trap.
 
>"Okey dokie lokie!" Pinkie bounces up, letting Raisin and her box land on the floor. She slinks over to the tiles on the floor, scratching her chin.
 
>As she experiments with the floor, trying to decipher the trap, the filly you're holding onto becomes more unruly. You're starting to lose your grip on her.
 
>"Hey, AB? What are you and Strawberry doing in there?" Scootaloo turns her box to face the two of you.
 
>In the other room, you hear a deep, friendly laugh resound throughout the chamber. "Welcome!"
 
remember Sally's words:
>Inside, there was a ton of gold, but also some gigantic stone pony. I didn't mind him at first... he didn't move or anything. Then, he started talking to me.
 
at first, he wasn't moving. then he started to talk. maybe he didn't start moving until she, say, decided to take a chip off of his ornate golden crown, to sell
 
and maybe returning said missing chip would make him stop moving again
 
and in doing so, release raisin from his compulsion
 
Let go of the filly and remove the apple from her mouth. Apologize, tell he we thought she might know how to get past the trap, then return to our box and make sure Raisin is covered by Pinkie's box.
 
Listen to the conversation between Lyra and Tezel as best we can.
 
Apologise first, we need to try to calm her down as much as possible.
 
Impress upon her how important it is to stay quiet.
 
Calm Strawberry down, tell her that you're scared too, just try and give her a hug and start whispering about your sister and how much you want to see her happy.
 
>You apologize to the scared filly, telling her that you thought she could lead you to the treasure if her ears were unplugged. She starts to calm down a little bit, but she's still trying to get out of your grasp.
 
>You turn your grip into a soft hug. You whisper about how badly you want to get back to the farm, how badly you want to help your sister pick apples, how badly you want to go adventuring with your friends, and how badly you want to get out of this terrible place.
 
>She starts to calm down, but breaks down in tears, realizing how much she misses home. "I...I'm really scared.. why are we here?"
 
>You let her go, then tell her that you need to stop the evil golem pony here from destroying Equestria. It's your mission and your duty.
 
>You slink back into your box. Pinkie is still trying to figure out what's going on with the trap. You see her push on one of the marked tiles. A shiver ripples up her back. "Ooooohhhh... I don't like this one bit..."
 
>There's nothing but music coming from the other room now.
 
 
So she was able to put her hoof OVER the rune and still have nothing happen?
 
Just walk across while telling everyone to not touch the marked tiles. I was worried that they could sense if a pony walked over them and not just step on them.
>You ask Pinkie how she feels about the marked tiles. "Oooh... there's something up with those ones. They're giving me the jeeblies all over!" She presses on the tile again, shivering once more. "Bad bad bad... these are definitely not good."
 
>"What about walking over the tiles?" You ask.
 
>"Hmmm... I dunno." She bounces over one of the marked tiles and lands on the floor. "Nope. That seems fine." You can hear an audible click in the wall.
 
And if she can't feel anything, then simply walk over the tiles, taking great care not to touch them.
 
Clearly communicate this with the others.
 
Look up, be prepared to run
 
 
Look up, but don't grab her tail and pull her back unless we see something shift, the the ceiling is about to give way.
 
I'm praying, PRAYING that it's a good click that locked things in place rather than a bad click that kills us.
 
Alright, I fucking give up. If Strawberry wasn't the key and neither was Pinkie sense, then how the fuck could we get into the treasure room?
 
We stopped Strawberry.
 
>You shout out to Pinkie, asking her if she feels like anything is about to happen. She looks about, a little confused. "Hmmm... not at the moment, no... but I did feel something when I looked up at the doorway..."
 
>She stands in place, looking over the small cluster of cardboard boxes. "Are you guys coming?"
 
Unplug Strawberry's ears and tell her to go get the treasure again. She's gotta know how to get around this trap.
 
Let Strawberry lead us. She's our best best
 
There has GOT to be a reason she's with us.
 
Rush inside.
 
If a gate is about to come down, we CANNOT afford to be separated.
 
Damn, at the rate of debate we're going, we're only having one action per hour
 
 
I don't know, I just don't know anymore.
 
Let the others decide. Every action seems like the wrong one. I don't want to be an anon who voted for the one that led to certain death.
 
Could that be the trap itself? What if the door wants us to rush through it, thinking it's gonna close?
My heartrate is going nuts...FUCK YOU JR MAKE SOMETHING GOOD HAPPEN
 
Fuck, so the door is probably going to slam shut.
We can either get Pinkie back out and be locked out, or get all or most of us in and be locked in a room that may or may not actually have an exit.
 
Either will probably alert everyone that we are here.
 
Fuck it, I say unblock the fillies ears and tell her to go as fast as she fucking can. Follow directly behind her,.
 
;Sorry to metagame, but you wouldn't have had her escape if she didn't have a purpose.
 
I vote for this. Tell Pinkie to stay where she is.
 
>You worry and fret. That click must have been something bad... you feel a knot roll up in your stomach. Going with your gut instinct, you turn to Strawberry once again. "Strawberry.. I'm going to unplug your ears again... I think you can lead us through."
 
>She panics. "W...What?! Me?!" She shakes and shivers a little. Before she has time to respond, you quickly unplug her ears and jam an apple into her mouth.
 
>"Get us some gold from the treasure room."
 
>She mumbles something like a question, then starts heading over to the tiles. Defying your reasoning, she jumps straight onto the marked tile. You hear the wall click and turn like crazy. She marches across the tiles with her derped out eyes, humming the song in the other room. Pinkie watches in horror as the filly steps across each tile.
 
>She reaches the last tile. As she steps on it, she waits, staring into the treasure room. Suddenly, the doorway lights up. A white fiery looking substance pours from the doorway, forming a wall. She stands in place, waiting. After a few seconds, the silent, ghostlike fire disappears. She hops into the treasure room and picks up the first coin that she sees.
 
>Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and yourself find your jaws hanging open in awe.
 
Woah...
 
Good thing we did that.
 
Do what she does, exactly. Sit down and catch our breath once we're inside.
 
Pick our jaw up off the ground, put Raisin on our back, then do exactly what she did. Tell the others to follow our lead, one at a time.
 
Leave the boxes if we don't think we can get them across.
 
>You pick up your small purple friend and carry her on top of your box. You tell Pinkie to come on back and follow your lead, one pony at a time across the tile floor.
 
>As you start formulating your plan, you see Strawberry heading back through the doorway. She walks straight through the tile puzzle, returning to face you. A single gold Bit slides off her back. She stares at your eyes, hers kind of bobbling around. You can hear her ask you another question, more than likely about the Castle.
 
>Her attention turns toward the Throne Room.
 
Plug her ears again, thank her and remove the apple.
Tell her she's been very brave and very helpful, she just saved all of our lives. Make sure she knows what to do, then continue in to the room.
 
Be sure to tell her "See, being a hero is easy!"
 
>You plug her ears back up with the pair of marshmallows, then hold her tight. As she starts coming to her senses, you calmly tell her that she's just saved all of your lives. You let her know that she's done a good job.
 
>She stares into space, confused. "Umm..."
 
>"See, being a hero is easy!"
 
>Pinkie is still standing on the central tile. It appears to be slightly depressed, but you're not sure what it does. Since she has first stood upon it, you notice that it has started to become a little darker than the other tiles around it.
 
Maybe it would be a good idea for her to move off of it.
 
Tell Pinkie Pie to jump back to where we are. Get a rock out and ready to the on to the tile she is standing on in case the tile doesn't reset itself.
 
>You tell Pinkie to jump on back over. You're not sure if the tile she's standing on is safe. "Okie dokie, Applebloom." She bounces off the tile and back onto the safe side of the floor.
 
>You continue to stare at the tile. It continues to darken up. After a little while, it seems like it has vanished. Pinkie looks over to it. "...where did it go?"
 
>You decide that you've been dallying around long enough. You tell the other ponies to follow your lead across the marked tiles, one at a time. You make your way across, then wait for the wall of silent white flames to dissipate. Summoning up some courage, you leap through the door way, landing inside the treasure room. One after the other, you watch as the wall of flames comes and goes, each time followed by another pony.
 
>With a little time, the team has now reassembled beyond the doorway. Raisin was carried over on Pinkie Pie's back... she seems to be moving around inside her box now.
So Raisin is reacting to something?
After we have our bearings and if everything looks safe, lets see if any of the items in the room are specifically having an effect on her.
 
see what's up with raisin. just make sure she doesn't suddenly try to make a break for it
 
>You can here Raisin stirring underneath her cardboard box disguise. Pinkie can feel her squirming about. "Guys! Raisin's moving!" She sounds excited, taking the small purple pony down off her back and setting her on the ground.
 
>"Alright! She's back!" Scootaloo cheers, keeping her voice down.
 
>"Raisin! I'm so glad that you're okay!" Sweetie Belle runs over, taking the box off of her.
 
>Raisin stands on her rearlegs, holding the box in her forelegs. Her eyes are still off center. Without an emotion on her face, you see her chuck the Golden Box into the pile of treasure. She lands on her hooves, then stares towards the back of the room. "Command me."
 
>"She's still not back yet..." The team is disappointed.
 
>All around you are mountains of treasure, including the Golden Box that was just thrown into a pile of artifacts. The shiny objects in this room overwhelm your senses... Scootaloo pours over the stacks of Bits just lying around on the floor.
 
return raisin to pinkie, and grab the box
 
now that it's out of her hands, maybe we can figure out a way to get at whatever's inside
 
Gently remind Scootaloo that if she touches the wrong thing, she could end up like Raisin.
 
Also, command Raisin to do a little dance to see if she'll listen to anyone or just Tezel.
 
Look for a staff or a stick we could use to open the box without touching it.
 
Also, look for armor. Armor pony is best pony.
 
>You gently remind Scootaloo that any of this treasure could have the same weird effects that the little Golden Box had on Raisin. Touching something could make you lose your mind.
 
>Scootaloo stops drooling for a moment. "Hmmm... there's got to be a way to pick this stuff up safely..." She shakes her head. "Right, right. Maybe on our way out?" You roll your eyes.
 
>An idea comes to mind. "Raisin, dance."
 
>Raisin stands in place, staring toward the back of the room. Looking up, you trace her vision to what seems to be an set of stairs.
 
>"Oh well, worth a shot..."
 
Hmm. Slowly extend a hoof towards the box, watching her reaction. Stop if it looks like she's about to do something.
 
Also have Pinkie ready to restrain her.
 
We still have our capes, right?
 
We have farm experience, we could tie them together to use as a rope and hogtie Raisin if she does anything. It's for her own good.
 
>You find Raisin's reaction rather peculiar. You lift the box up, watching her head move. Suddenly, she lowers her head. She takes a defensive stance, but nothing happens.
 
>Sweetie Belle looks her over. "It looks like she's trying to use magic..."
 
>Raisin stands in place, pointing her forehead in your direction. She has an angry look on her face.
 
>he treasure room looks like it was carved directly into the mountainside, it's dirt walls left bare to allow ease of expansion. There are golden treasures adorning all of the walls with a slightly wider path left open closer to the right wall.
 
Alright. Let's set the box down and step away from the pile. Tell Strawberry we need her help again. Gag her, unplug her ears, and tell her to get us something we can use to safely open the box Raisin threw into the pile of treasure.
 
Ha, looks like Raisin's glitched.
 
Alright, Raisin, time to be hogtied. See if we can take our CMC capes and tie them together so they form a rope. Stick an apple in her mouth for good measure.
 
>ou set the box down on the treasure room floor. Raisin's expression returns to it's flat, emotionless state. She turns back to face the rear of the room, asking but one thing.
 
>"Command me."
 
>Scootaloo looks over the small purple filly and wanders passed you. "Who is she talking to?"
 
>You find it in your best interests to restrain the small purple filly. You don't want her acting up. With the box out of your hooves, you're able to lasso her with your cape with no resistance whatsoever. "This is fer yer own good, Raisin..." She doesn't respond, staring at the back of the room in silence.
 
i think it's towards the staircase we haven't investigated yet
 
try picking up the box again. we should be good now, provided raisin hasn't been imbued with superhuman strength or something
 
naturally, drop the box immediately if she has
 
Stick an apple in her mouth to gag her. When she's all tied up, turn her to face the wall and look for a mundane scepter that we can open the box with.
 
We just want to find a simple staff or something that can open the golden box without anyone touching it.
 
We know what we want to do; this shouldn't take long.
 
If we can find a staff that can launch projectile-type magic, that'd be great. Blow up the crystal phonograph should, at the very least, stun all the controlled unicorns
 
>You search around the room a little bit, specifically over in the artifact pile. You remember seeing a scepter in here that could help you open up that scary little Golden Box that derped your dearest friend.
 
>"Whatcha lookin' for, AB?" Scootaloo inquires.
 
>You tell her that you want to get something to open that Golden Box from a distance. There could be something inside that is critically important to saving Raisin's life.
 
>"If you think so..." Scootaloo walks over, helping you pull out a solid gold scepter from the pile of artifacts. It's rather heavy... something feels odd about it as you hold it in your mouth. It's extremely cold compared to the other treasures.
 
>The Golden Box sits on the ground, ready to be jabbed with the blunt scepter.
 
Let's look around for a more mundane one. Don't want to blast the box into oblivion.
 
Hey, if the Bow in the box idea works, let's see if Sweetie will volunteer to be possessed so she'll have at least some magical ability.
 
What does the staff look like? Anything interesting about it?
 
>The staff looks similar to the Golden Box. Down it's side are engravings much in the same style as the box... though all of the artifacts in the pile you withdrew this rod from look kind of like the Golden Box.
 
>On top of the staff is a red gem. The bottom of the staff looks rounded with a few nubs sticking out of it.
 
>Carefully, you try to open up the box with the staff. The lid seems to be sealed shut. Gently poking at it doesn't seem to do too much.
 
>"C'mon, AB. On three..." Scootaloo pulls the staff back, preparing to jab the box in hopes that it will open up.
 
tilt it from the top.
 
Nope.
 
Examine the staff first, especially the nubs at the bottom.
 
Tilt it on its side.
 
>"Wait up, Scoots..." You halt her countdown. Instead, you push on the side of the box, letting it fall over. For some inexplicable reason, the lid refuses to open.
 
>"Hmm... how do we open it? Raisin really gave it a tug when she activated it at Zecora's..." You recall as you try to remember how it was opened in the first place.
 
>Raisin continues to stare at the back of the room. You can hear a mighty voice resound from what you think is an exit. "Ah, my lovely servants! You may rest for now; tell the guards outside to relieve you." Two softer voices speak as you hear trotting echo from the main throne room.
 
Maybe the box can only be opened by a living thing.
 
Did they just finish the statue?
 
Damn, there aren't any hoofguards or golden cloth in the treasure piles?
 
We may have to open it ourselves and see if we can turn it upside down.
 
I really hate to say it, but we might have to do this. The box takes a while to assume full control, right? Even if we fail and pass out, we can tell the others to revive us by pouring some elixir in our mouth.
 
>Picking up the box, you examine it for anything peculiar. From the top on down, you see it's crowned with a beautiful red ruby. Down the box are 4 golden struts. Between them on each face of the lid is a decorative pattern of engravings. Where the lid meets the main box, there doesn't seem to be anything holding it together, but yet it remains firmly sealed.
 
>Flipping the box over, you see a small indentation. It looks like it's supposed to attach to something. Using your engineering prowess, you'd guess that this could be a keyhole... though you have nothing that could open it at the moment.
 
Does it look like it could attach to our scepter?
 
Alight, unplug Strawberry's ears and command her to find the key that opens this box.
 
This could work.
 
Well, let's see if Derpberry can help us.
 
It's the quickest solution.
 
Let's hope it's the right one.
 
>You make the realization that this box must have a key lying around here somewhere. There's got to be a way to open this box up normally. You approach Strawberry once again. She shivers in fear, knowing what you're going to do.
 
>"Alright.. bite down on this..." You put an apple up to her mouth. Reluctantly, she bites down on it. Carefully, you remove the marshmallows blocking up her ears. Her eyes fall out of focus.
 
>"Strawberry, find the key that opens this box up for us." You hold the box up and show her. She turns her head toward it, then mumbles something behind the apple.
 
>She walks towards the back of the room, then takes a sudden turn up the stairs. Pinkie panics.
 
>"Oh no! She's going into the throne room! Applebloom, do something!"
 
Lasso the bitch
 
What the fuck?
 
Did she sprint,? How could we not get her if she was just walking towards the staircase?
 
 
tackle her and plug her ears
 
Haha I can't believe I didn't see this coming
 
>You run up ahead. Just as the filly starts entering the Throne Room, you tackle her against the floor. She continues to struggle towards the absolutely gigantic pony golem that sits in his throne within spitting distance. You plug her ears up with marshmallows, then drag her back towards the room. The music seems to drown out the noise of the altercation.
 
>"That was close!" Scootaloo wipes a bead of sweat off her forehead. You can see that she's loaded her empty saddlebags with gold.
 
>As you reenter the room, you can feel a certain anxiety wash over your body. You look over the small Golden Box laying on the floor, desperately trying to figure out how you're going to open it up.
 
>Pinkie looks it over quick. "Do we need to open it up?" She shrugs. "Why don't we try talking to the king? He sounds like a nice guy..."
 
>"Are you crazy?!" Sweetie instantly retorts. "He'll crush us for sure!"
 
Yeah Pinkie, you can't really argue with the bloodstains on the carpet.
 
Open the box ourselves, either upside down or sideways so it would be easy to make whatever's in the box fall out. Make sure our hooves are wrapped in our cape, and cover ourselves with the cardboard box.
 
Worse comes to worse, this become Scootaquest.
 
Worse than dying.
 
Fine, Pinkie Quest
 
Yeah, fuck you Pinkie. We'll risk opening the box ourselves.
 
If we can't turn it over, then shut it and tell Pinkie to drop some elixir in our mouths so we'll wake up.
 
Tell her that Sally says he hates children and there were several stains on the carpet in front of him that might have been bloodstains. She might be able to talk to the king on her own though, but what would she say?
 
Tell Strawberry to lead us to the top of the staircase then point at where the key is. Unplug her ears and advance with her, getting ready to plug her ears again.
 
>In an act of desperation, you decide to take matters into your own hooves. "We've gotta get that box open! No matter what happens, you guys have got to stop Tezel!"
 
>Before they can say anything, you wrap your CMC Cape around your hooves, slide under a cardboard box, and start prying at the golden treasure. "Applebloom! Noo!!" Scootaloo tries to stop you, but the box comes tearing open. The cape around your hooves doesn't seem to be doing much good. In an instant, you are blinded by a brilliant white light. A loud, terrifying voice blasts you senseless. "CONTROL"
 
>You struggle, but you manage to dump the contents of the box out. The voice assaults you, weakening your small body. Memories of Sweet Apple Acres rush through your head. You remember sorting apples with your sister Applejack.
 
Slam that shit shut.
We didn't take much time to prepare, did we?
Hopefully someone is smart enough to wake us up if we pass out.
 
No one but the person holding the box can hear the word CONTROL.
They might have heard Scoots though, but we'll hope that she was smart enough to not scream.
 
Close it, tell Pinkie to pour elixir in our mouth to wake us up before we pass out.
 
>You struggle to quickly close the box. The lid resists the weakening strength of your hooves. As the word CONTROL blasts your ribs again, you let out a final push. The lid slams shut. You see your box come flying off. Pinkie is freaking out, but you cannot hear her speak.
 
>You mutter the word 'elixir'. Scootaloo seems to pick up on your cue as you begin to blackout. Your vision wanes to black...
 
>Suddenly, it returns. Your heart is racing and you feel alive again. A nasty, sour liquid goes down your throat.
 
Alright, wake up and see what came out of the box.
 
Pray that it looks like a golden crown bit.
 
Do we need to eat Jelly?
 
Check what fell out.
 
Arm up. Scootaloo grabs the sceptre, Pinkie grabs the crown piece and a bottle of elixir, make sure us and Sweetie have slingshots.
 
Leave Strawberry behind and take Raisin and the box.
 
Ascend to the throne room, staying just out of site as we plan our attack.
 
>You look over to where you remember dumping the box out. There doesn't seem to be any gold over here... the only thing that fell out of the box was a Piece of Granite. It looks like a small chip.
 
>"All that for a chip of rock? What kind of a joke is that?!" Scootaloo looks furious.
 
>You can hear the hoovesteps of a pair of guards echoing in the Throne Room. "Welcome! I trust it's been a safe, quiet night?" The guards seem to respond, but you cannot hear them clearly.
 
WHY, WHY WHY WHY
 
If we are assaulting the Throne room, we need to do a multi-pronged attack.
 
I'd suggest AB launch a rock at it as the initial strike, then have Scoots and Sweetie cause a distraction to keep the king's attention away from the phonograph.
 
I'm betting on the phonograph falling casing the control spell to stutter, which gives us an opportunity.
 
While the kind is distracted, we get pinkie to run in and destroy the music box.
 
Then... well, we pray the spell wears off fast enough for all the unicorns to help us before we get killed.
 
[Everyone bickers back and forth for the good part of an hour, before one anon gets a brilliant, BRILLIANT idea]
 
IDEA!
 
Tell Pinkie it's King Tezel's birthday. Charge in, yell SURPRISE! and give him the box as a present.
 
YES
 
DO THIS
 
WITH HER SINGING
 
AND IF IT DOESN'T WORK HAVE HER ATTACK THE PHONOGRAPH
 
May as well.
 
Actually fuck it, do this. Maybe he'll open it, and he might not attack her on sight. It will get her close to the phonograph at least.
Let her do this, hope she can hammerspace herself out of the way of his retaliation and break the phonograph, continue with the rest of the plan either way.
 
...hell, why not?
 
>You take a daring gamble. "Pinkie Pie..."
 
>"Yes, Applebloom?" Pinkie turns to look you over. "Are you feeling better?"
 
>"Yes, much. Listen, Pinkie... You know the real reason we came all the way out here for?"
 
>Pinkie tilts her head, imploring you to continue.
 
>"It's King Tezel's Birthday!"
 
>Pinkie looks rather excited. "OH!! We've come to celebrate it with him?!"
 
>You nod. "Yep. That's what this magic box is really about. It's his present." You lie through your teeth. As Scoots and Sweetie Belle try to protest, you cover their mouths.
 
>"YOU DRAGGED ME ALL THE WAY THROUGH THIS JUST TO CELEBRATE SOMEONE'S BIRTHDAY!?" Strawberry explodes. "No. NO. I'm not doing this." She spins around, crossing her hooves.
 
---
>In a matter of moments, Pinkie slides out in front of the titanic sized golem. He stirs. "Oh? What have we here? How do you do?"
 
>Pinkie breaks into her birthday song she wrote on the spot. Tezel looks rather pleased. You see the two unicorn guards approaching with their heads lowered. Tezel raises one of his massive hooves.
 
>Pinkie continues to sing her birthday wishes to Tezel. As she gets into the faster bits of the song, Tezel starts clapping along to the song. "...you've gotta be kidding me..." Scootaloo watches the giant enjoy Pinkie show.
 
>"Aaaaaand Happy Happy Birthday... TO YOU!" Pinkie spins around, revealing a small wrapped gift. "Happy Birthday, King Tezel!"
 
>The behemoth pony laughs and stamps his feet. "Oh! This is just too much! What an unexpected treat!" He picks the gift up with his telekinesis. "It's not even my birthday, but your king accepts your generous offering." Pinkie looks immediately upset. She casts you a cold glance. As Tezel opens the gift, the joy from his face suddenly turns to shock.
 
>"...oh my. What a gift to receive indeed." He looks over the small Golden Box with concern. "I've been missing this for some time... where in Equestria did you..." He stops. "Thank you, pink mare. You have brought me incredible joy this day."
 
>The giant golem stirs, lifting up out of his throne. "You are a hero of sorts. Tell me, what is your name?"
 
>"I...I'm Pinkie Pie..." She looks up at the intimidating golem.
 
>"Pinkie Pie... thank you." He lifts up one of his hooves. In an instant, it comes crashing down on top of Pinkie. She disappears underneath.
 
>"My children! The time of our ascension has come!" He bellows throughout the throne room. The CMC are in shock. "P...P...P..."
 
whelp
 
AH
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWaLxFIVX1s
 
 
WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY
 
SMASH THE GRANITE CHIP
 
Try not to faint.
 
Become enraged with bloodlust.
 
Aim for the crown.
 
Cont. or are we supposed to act?
I kind of just want to see things play out. There isn't much we can do now.
Do try to smash the chip with the hammer though, hopefully it was important to him somehow, and not just the box.
 
Game over.
 
Commit suicide.
 
We all live, or none of us do.
 
>You quiver with sorrow. Taking out your hammer, you prepare to smash the granite chip you took out of the box. Through bleary eyes, you take a few smacks at it. The chip crumbles into dust.
 
>Tezel and his guards cannot hear you over the music.
 
Shoot the phonograph with a rock.
 
we failed
i was wrong
so wrong
 
im sorry
 
Grab Hayseed and place her in Raisin's hooves before attacking.
 
She should die with her favorite toy.
 
him opening it
 
that's what I wanted
 
that's all
 
What was going through y'alls heads?
 
We thought creatively.
 
I'm actually shocked.
 
To come this far,
 
only for this.
 
>You pony up, regaining your wits. "We're not letting anyone go down in vain. C'mon girls!" You level your slingshot with the Crystal Phonograph. With a quick release, the rock flies through the air, unnoticed by Tezel or his guards. It impacts the horn, bringing an abrupt silence to the room. "Huh?" He turns around, seeing his beloved music player shattered upon the ground.
 
>Tezel's guards shake their heads and regain their focus. An energy seems to leap off of their bodies. "Wh.. What happened? Where am I?" The mighty golem king looks furious. He stamps one of the guards into the ground and kicks the other one towards the throne. "Where are you?! SHOW YOURSELVES!"
 
The original assault idea I had may have worked is the worst part
 
Oh well
 
Can we time warp
 
For old times sake
 
Back to right before the birthday idea
 
We'd get it right this time... promise
 
>God, I really want to do this. I hate seeing you guys come so far, quest for so long, and then fail in the last hour stretch.
 
>I mean, shit. I honestly do not want to kill off Raisin, but at the rate things are going, I may have no other choice. I also didn't expect this quest session to go on so long...
 
This is Raisin Quest
 
We get the ending we deserve
 
To be lenient now would betray the whole thing that made your quests good.
 
Just promise to draw a nice tombstone for Raisin.
 
i want to save raisin
i can't let things end like this
 
 
What he said. Jr, you're the best because victory is never assured. (But I wouldn't mind it if you made some rolls a bit more forgiving)
 
>...but you guys are right. No matter what has happened or how shitty the situation seems, we have to play by the original rules. Sierra mode, ruthless.
 
>If you guys want to continue, you may, just to get closure on this quest.
 
 
[GLaDOS]Did you know right before the brain dies, it gives out a flood of chemicals that is what makes pleasure pleasurable? It's true. The last moment of someone is a euphoria of whatever last thought they had, so it feels like an eternity.
 
What feeling do you think she felt right before the end? Her last party? Her friends? The good feelings of all those happy moments?
 
No. It was how you failed her in her time of need. The wrong decision you made. She felt a sting of betrayal that lasted for what was to her an eternity.
 
I thought that was very interesting.
 
aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFUCKYOUGLADOS!
 
... Damn you GLaDOS.
 
Don't have to rub it in.
 
Come on! We can still do this!
 
Maybe Pinkie used her riduculousness to escape somehow.
 
 
It's all a dream.
 
That's it
 
When Applebloom gets squashed, she'll wake up from her nightmare, and her friends will be outside and they'll all go play with Raisin.
 
And there was happiness forever, as the CMC strangely never aged
 
But they didn't mind
 
And Applebloom's mom and dad were there too, she was so happy to see them again.  They felt so bad about leaving her when she was so young, but were happy because she'll be their little girl forever.
 
Soon, the rest of her family showed up. At first they were scared, but then they realized that being together forever was what they always wanted.
 
>You pony up, regaining your wits. "We're not letting anyone go down in vain. C'mon girls!" You level your slingshot with the Crystal Phonograph. With a quick release, the rock flies through the air, unnoticed by Tezel or his guards. It impacts the horn, bringing an abrupt silence to the room. "Huh?" He turns around, seeing his beloved music player shattered upon the ground.
 
>Tezel's guards shake their heads and regain their focus. An energy seems to leap off of their bodies. "Wh.. What happened? Where am I?" The mighty golem king looks furious. He stamps one of the guards into the ground and kicks the other one towards the throne. "Where are you?! SHOW YOURSELVES!"
 
Fall back into the treasure room and leave the way we came in.
 
Ok, well. I still doubt we have any real chance, but might as well soldier on. I think our best bet is to find Twilight. She will be sane again.
Tactical retreat.
 
 
You know, it's hard reading how dark this has become.
 
Before, death was something that only happened to us, now they're dropping like flies.
 
>You and the CMC retreat back into the treasure room. Sweetie Belle looks devastated. You see Strawberry and Raisin chilling inside of the Treasure Room. "What's going on?" Strawberry asks, holding onto Raisin.
 
>"Pinkie's down! We need to get out of here... now!" Scootaloo grabs the small filly and begins dragging her in tow. You lift up Raisin. She seems to be almost completely non-responsive as she was before, though she's no longer looking in any specific direction.
 
>You start heading out of the Treasure Room. The Castle quakes as King Tezel stomps out of the Throne Room. He seems absolutely furious. The ponies in the hallway seem to have vanished.
 
>"Applebloom... what do we do?" Sweetie Belle looks out into the hallway.
 
Take cover, follow him out.
 
When we're behind him, shoot him with apples and the scepter.
 
man
 
I don't know
 
we don't have any big ponies with us anymore
 
hide in the treasure pile or something
 
wait for him to head outside
 
Start grabbing all the menacing looking treasures and wait until he starts going outside. Rear attacks get +2 to hit!
 
Follow behind him and hope the Unicorns have enough of their shit together in order to carve him apart. Failing that, we should find Twilight, tell her Tezel killed Pinkie Pie, and hope she goes in rage mode and atomizes him.
 
You know
We may still be able to save everyone
We need to escape
We need to fix Hayseed
We need to get Raisin's mind back
We need to hug the shit out of the doll
Then...
Then we finish this.
I refuse to give up.
 
>You duck back into the room and wait for the gigantic stone pony to run on by. After you're certain he's run outside, you head into the hallway. You can hear the unicorns yelling outside.
 
>The statues in the hallway all start walking outside. You stay at a close distance, carrying Raisin above your head. As you approach the entrance, you see Tezel running through a small group of ponies. They have enough strength to shove the tyrant around.
 
>"We've gotta find Twilight..." You tell your friends.
 
Maybe if we can find Rarity before she gets squished. She can manipulate fabric can't she?
 
Yes. Yes. Find Rarity. She can fix Hayseed.
 
Leth does have a point Jr.
 
Hayseed din't work because she was damaged. After all, don't we owe it to our friend to fix her favorite doll and put it in her ars one last time, maybe recount all the good memories together before we say goodbye to the world?
 
doesn't raisin have to register a memory while hugging hayseed?
 
she's gonna have a hard time doing that while her mind is in some box
 
Even if it doesn't, we owe it to Raisin to fix her favorite doll.
 
In past hayseed usages, it required Rasin to focus on her old memories. Can the others use it? Can Rasin use it if she cant focus on her old memories?
 
I mentioned that we should have Raisin's mom fix Hayseed before we leave, but no one payed attention to my posts.
 
Nobody thought we would need to. I think death was always present in our minds, but we always thought; we'd find a way out, it won't happen to us.
 
I remember that one things we never really used was that if Raisin died while holding the doll time would reset.
 
THAT'S RIGHT JR, YOU CHANGED THE RULES YOU SAID WE COULD SWAP ON VOTE
 
WE'RE SWAPPING TO LOAD ON DEATH IF HUGGING HAYSEED
 
Now I'm reminded of that scene in Little Nicky where he has to go to Hell so his friend bash his head open.
 
END OF DAY 9