-While Titus and Hoof work with the Witches to hunt down the Monster, Sling's journey through the creature's Limbo-Like Mind continues...       _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _     [20:12] Within the dimension that is the monster's mind, a Cannonite finds himself trapped and left alone. His captor has made it known that his body is no more, and is only a matter of time before his mind is also consumed... But the sadistic, bizarre machinations of the creature didn't stop there, and Sling was forced to wander through an apparently endless corridor with nothing to see but the floor beneath him, lightened by a single light from above. The road came to an abrupt end, to a stairway made of iron and stone, where the smell of rust and humidity fills the air. At the bottom, the stallion faces a metallic door with a wheel to open it. The surface is stained in rust like the walls around it. Faint mumbling reach the ears of Sling Swivel... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcDuPxTltRY     [20:20]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] stares at the large metal door for a time, studying it, thinking things over... There was evidence of water here, wherever here was... Did this door hold back water? Would it flood the room, should he open it? He couldn't be sure... But there was something... something else here, too...   [20:21]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] 's ears twitch and turn, scanning for the source of the strange mumblings... “Hello? Who's there?” he calls out, looking away from the door and peering out into the gloom surrounding him.     [20:22] Sling finds the walls covered in moisture, probably water, but nothing else around him than the walls, the stairway and the door... The muttering comes from the other side of the entrance.     [20:24]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] grimaces faintly and turns his attention back to the door... he takes a deep breath, then lets it out slowly, considering his options... He soon moves up to the door, turns his head and places an ear against its cold, damp surface, listening...     [20:26] The cold surface muffles most of the mumbling, only a few words make it clear to his ear... "...Mug--- ...... Stained? Stained, no. I can wait more...*sobs* s-- -----ne. So ro-----"     [20:29]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] draws his head away from the door, making a face... “Huh... I wonder...” he mutters, before gathering his resolve, sitting back upon his haunches and gripping the wheel with his forehoovesies. Gripping it tightly he makes to turn it counterclockwise.     [20:32] In spite of how rusty it looks, the wheel works without much difficulty. Sling hears the vault's lock open loudly, and the mutter stop when the metal door recedes and opens slowly... Before him there is a big room, empty, made of more rusty steel. Some water drops echo as they fall from the ceiling, and the murmur of water can be heard as it leaks from some fissures on the walls. But at least Sling is no longer alone. In the center of the room, a tall figure waits, sitting on its haunches. His big wings and feathery chest and head differ from his lower body, the one of a lion. Facing the pony, the gryphon of brown torso and legs and white feathers waits patiently...     [20:34] "A Griffon?" Sling asks, rather dumbfounded.     [20:36]  * Texin stares patiently ahead with a smile on his face, when he sees someone entering the room, he quickly looks down, scrambling his handy claws along the floor as if organizing before sitting upright once more, looking back to Sling.     [20:37] "H-hello?" he asks, cautiously.     [20:38]  * Texin begins to giggle as he hears the voice, almost shaking in his spot as he nods quickly Yes yes, come here!     [20:40]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] is hesitant, to say the least. Even in a year and a half down south, he'd never seen a Griffon before... “Er... who... who are you?” he asks, taking only a few steps forward, but remaining mostly outside of the chamber.     [20:44] Their voices echo in the steel chamber, but nothing odd seems to occur around them... well, within the parameters of the situation.     [20:46]  * Texin quickly gets up, standing upright and proud "I am me!", staying like that for a moment before looking down at himself, and nodding "Mhm, still me. But who are youuu?", his eyes shifting to Sling, taking some cursory steps towards him.     [20:47] "I... am Sling Swivel..." he begins, taking an equivalent number of steps back, "But, uh, who is me?" he replies.     [20:48] Sling is soon with his hindlegs against the first steps of the stairway.     [20:49]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] halts abruptly, glancing back for a moment... was the room getting smaller? He wouldn't be surprised, especially after that Moss thing...     [20:51]  * Texin stops, getting up on his paws and looking down to his belly, where a small fanny pack resides. He opens it up and starts to rifle a claw through it "Hrmm, swiveling swings, swiveling swings...I do not see you on the list of who is who...", his eyes widening as he looks up "You are new! Oh joyous, this is new and new, through and through!", falling on his back, not containing his ha-ppy laughter.     [20:51] The room wasn't getting smaller, there was just little space between him and the stairway.     [20:53]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] blinks as the Griffon chatters and rummages through his bag before busting into laughter... “Er... The List? Who is Who? Look, uh... I don't understand... what're you getting at here, man?” he asks, confused.     [20:57]  * Texin points to him "You are you. But I have never met you before. It's simple! Why, being here so long without meeting anyone new, you don't know!". He slowly gets back up, starting to pace now "So what aaaare you doing here? A vacation perhaps?"     [21:00] "I...I guess I'm new here... I don't know where here is or how long I've been here... but... no, it's certainly not a vacation. Didn't exactly come here on my own accord..." Sling replies, looking the catbird over in utter confusion, "But, really... who are you?" he adds.     [21:04] "Well didn't I say, I'm me! Texin's the name, and...I'm not exactly sure what my game is, oh well! Not of your own accord, oh that's just too cute, I imagine you want to check out then? It's okay, you always have me and the other lovely guests to be here with you! Oh, have you met them, truly the nicest bunch, but can be a bit crazy, the poor bunch."     [21:05] The sound of a lock opening resounds within the chamber, and in the far end of the room a new vault door has open....     [21:08]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] nods slowly, “Well... nice to meet you, I guess?” he begins, awkwardly, “And, nah... I certainly didn't... Check out? I'd sure as hell like to...” he continues, “Other Guests..? A small green Pony by the name of Spades, perhaps...?” he asks as... another door appears to open somewhere...   [21:08]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] jerks a bit in surprise, before squinting, looking through the former chamber at the newly opened door, wondering and worrying over what might be through it.     [21:11]  * Texin shakes his head a little with a giggle as he steps closer over to Sling, waving a claw "Oh no no, not so sad like that little bundle of unhappy."     [21:11]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] looks back to the Griffon warily, "Er... well, seemed to me he had good reason to be unhappy, all things considered."     [21:15]  * Texin nods "Yes yes, but he's not here. I think so. Well, like I was saying, no reason to stay on that when I'm sure everyone would love to meet you"     [21:15] "Er... who's everybody else?"     [21:16]  * Texin starts to casually stride towards the door, stopping himself to close his fanny pack "The other guests, who else? Come on now, time's a wastin. At least I think so in this place"     [21:18]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] swallows hard... Thinking things over... there was nothing back up the way he'd gone... so going forward was likely the only option... "Uh... okay, I guess..." he says, moving fully inside of the the chamber and making to follow after the Griffon.     [21:19] The door through Swing got into the chamber closes abruptly behind him. Now the only exit of the room is though the one Texin is leading him too... Somehow, with the gryphon on his side, things have won a much less ominous aspect, no matter how dark and abysmal the new place they are going to looks like.     [21:20]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] grunts and presses his tail to his hindquarters as the door shuts behind him... "Knew that was gonna happen..." he mutters.     [21:25]  * Texin chuckles as he says that, raising a claw towards Sling, but simply bringing it around him "Well you are on first step then, you must know the ins and outs. I'm not sure that you'll get to check out, but it is still good to know either way, oh, and of course to be polite to your fellow guests."     [21:25] The odd couple moves through the threshold and into the darkness. They haven't taken more than a few steps in when lights appear over them, helping them see the stone floor where they stand. *SHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEK**ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRR* The noises and screams of huge beasts come from the shadows to their sides, suddenly, and as they do, also come lights from the ground to allow Sling and Texin to witness an interesting spectacle. To their left, a big cage holds a giant black spider that sticks some of its legs outside in attempts to grab the pony, while to their left, a brown bear roars and grunts at them aggressively. The show repeats the further they go into the hallway, only that the beasts change... wolves, lizards of considerable size, giant cockroaches, eagles, vultures, snakes...   [21:27] The corridor is practically a zoo full of angry animals that snap at the sight of the gryphon and the stallion.     [21:28]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] winces a bit as the Griffon touches him, “Eh, heh... sure,” he replies, awkwardly, going along with the catbird to... somewhere. As they go... horrible roars and shrieks call out from either side and Sling jolts one way... then the other as the lights come on, revealing the menagerie of beasts... “Holy Shit! What the hell is this?” he asks, looking back and forth at the caged creatures in fear...     [21:34]  * Texin smiles as they go along the rows and rows of cages "These are some of our other guests of course! They may look cuddly nice, but no, they are quite angry."     [21:36] "Eh... they don't look nice..." Sling replies, going along with the Griffon, hoping to be away from the menagerie...     [21:39] Eventually the couple reaches another gate... or rather a trio of them, each with a number from one to three. The cacophony produced by the animals continue as Texin and Sling come to a halt.     [21:41]  * Texin shushes him as they reach the doors "Well don't say that, rude! Besides, we have reached an impasse it seems", letting him go and approaching the doors, pacing amongst them as he says to himself "Now where do you begin, and where will you finish?”     [21:43]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] stops with the Griffon and looks at the doors, "One... Two and... Three..." he mumbles, "Er... I gotta choose, huh?" he asks, looking to Tex, grimacing... The persistent sounds of the enraged creatures do little to calm his nerves.     [21:49]  * Texin nods "One two three, where do you want to go? Start from scratch, or check out, perhaps stay with your good friends here a while longer?", stopping up and looking over to him expectantly.     [21:51] "Erm... uh..."   [21:52] "D-door... Two?" he begins, "I'll go with... Door Two," he says, finally.     [21:53] The doors are made of iron again, and have a wheel each to be opened. As the stallion specifies his option, the wheel spins itself and the door opens for him and Texin....     [21:53]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] winces as the door opens, wondering what might be on the other side...     [21:54]  * Texin smiles widely and gets next to him "Excellent choice! I could certainly use another friendly walk", bringing a claw around Sling's back once more.     [21:54] Everything is shadows inside the door. Like before, they'll have to walk in to find out...     [21:55]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] winces slightly as the Griffon buddies up, "Alrighty..." he replies, ready to set off again...     [21:58] *GROOOOAAAAN**SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH* As the vault door closes behind them, the first thing Sling can hear is the roaring of beasts, and when the lights are on, he confirms that he and the gryphon have returned to the beginning of the 'zoo hallway'... unless it's another identical to it. He recognizes most of the monsters from before, but in a particular cell of red bars, the sight of a pony facing a corner of her room strikes a difference. Her red rust coat and brown mane almost fuse with the rusty walls of her prison, and she is using her wings as some sort of straight jacket, shivering and sobbing as she doesn't move... Again, at the end of the corridor, three doors with numbers in them appear. 1, 2 and 3....     [22:01]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] is just as uncomfortable with the Beast Hall as before and grits his teeth as they make their way through... He tries to keep his eyes forward... until he spots the Pony and lingers before her cell, “Hey... wait, who's this?” he asks.     [22:04]  * Texin slows down at the cell, going 'ooh' as he taps on the bars "And how are we this fine day?"     [22:05]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] looks to the Griffon, then to the Pony, curiously...     [22:07] The mare talks without turning around. "Ehk.. Suk'ap!" Her words are marked by a strange accent, and the words doesn't result familiar to Sling at all.     [22:10]  * Texin raises an eyebrow as he says "Well, I didn't expect that you would win the lottery either, but there is always next time!", stepping back from the cage and looking over to Sling "She'll get it eventually, don't worry, but ah it seems we are back at yet another impasse...what shall you do now?"     [22:11]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] tilts his head slightly to one side and moves closer to the bars... "What was that..?" he begins, but Texin speaks up and he looks back to the catbird as he speaks... then to the doors once more... “What about her, though?”     [22:14] "She'll be fine, I have not seen anyone better at saying gibberish than her, a true expert if I do say so myself. Which I just did."     [22:15]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] winces and looks sadly at the pony for a time... then at her cage for some means to open it, if at all possible.     [22:16] The bars are of an intense red, of a metal he has never seen before, smooth and shinny. Yet, he can't fin a gate on the cell or a lock of sorts. The mare doesn't mind him anyways, just weeping more and sometimes bashing her head against the walls.     [22:17]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] swallows hard and looks away from the cell, sighing, "Okay... let's, uh... let's go see those doors..." he relents.     [22:20] "So what will you go which now? Perhaps the life of leisurely walking down halls is for you!"     [22:23]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] approaches the doors, thinking things over... "Ahh, hell.... uh... I'll try... Three this time," he says, trying not to look back at the caged Mare...     [22:26]  * Texin nods, standing aside him once more "Into the breach we go!"     [22:27]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] watches the door anxiously...     [22:27] Like before, the door opens to his words, and a cold breeze enters the corridor. The sound wind howling is the only thing distinguishable in the darkness that is the new corridor.     [22:30]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] shivers a bit at the wind... It was the first time he'd felt cold since that night... He tries to get a good look inside, but gives up quickly enough and moves towards the doorway     [22:30] As they enter, and eventually the door closes brusquely behind them, light floods the place they are in. The floor beneath them is no longer smooth stone, but the cold touch of snow that is up to their knees. Then Sling notices how the scenery has changed as well. Around him, familiar streets appear. The door behind him is the one of a house now, a ruined big wooden house... They are now in the colony he learned to call home after being sent to the North Region, but there's nopony to see, or the lively voices of the workers singing, or the lights of the houses to greet their eyes. This desolated version of FourCannon sinks the pony's heart in loneliness... recognizing the streets, he at least knows he is near the inn, around the South area of town.   [22:32] [Roll perception after your post]     [22:32] !roll 1d20+1 [22:32] Sling_Swivel_[MIA] rolled 1d20: 7   [22:33]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] looks around in mild shock at the sight of the town... if he had his bearings right... they weren't too far from some of his friends' shops... "What is this? This... looks like... FourCannon..." he says, turning about.     [22:34] "Excuse me, how many cannons? I don't see any around here"     [22:35] "Er..." he mutters, looking back to the Griffon... it's the name of the town..."     [22:37] "What kind of a name is that, there aren't even any cannons! I demand a refund for this falsity", looking about.     [22:38] There are no tracks to follow, or signs of life anywhere... it's as if the town had been abandoned completely. Sling and Texin are left to explore the place, but they can't help but feel that someone or something else is around... the same oppressing sensation that happens when the monster is close.     [22:40] "Well... I had planned to start a project to..." he begins, before the feeling of that familiar presence washes over Sling again. He trails off and looks about, ears swiveling... "I don't... think we're alone here, Mister Tex..." he says.     [22:43]  * Texin grumbles "Well of course not, genius, I'm here. But beside the point, that's why you keep moving."     [22:45] "No... I mean.. besides us..." he says, looking about, nervously, "But, uh... where do we go?" he asks, looking back to the Griffon.     [22:48] The city streets are all.. empty, yet open to exploration. There's nopony in sight to tell them what to do or where to go after all...     [22:49] "Anywhere that we move to, it's your wrongly named town, find us something."     [22:51]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] grumbles, looking about, anxiously... "Okay... uh, let's head... northwest... I think it is... that's where the Guards post out of... maybe... and Townhall's on the way, I think..." he says, setting off, ears erect and swiveling, he sniffs at the air occasionally, as well...     [22:53] It's a little difficult to move through the snow filled streets, but without many distractions around the get near the Townhall in no time. Only the howling wind fills the absence of any sound in the otherwise lively village. *creeeeaaaaak*The sound of the Townhall's gates opening by themselves breaks the monotony...     [22:54] "Well... that was... freaky..." he mumbles, "Let's uh... have a look, I guess," Sling adds, moving up the steps to check out Townhall...     [22:54]  * Texin nods, following his lead "Good, I will make a formal complaint at the hall then.", tilting his head a little as the doors themselves open "Oh so polite they even open the door, let's go"     [22:55] "Indeed..." Sling replies, heading up.     [22:58] The duo enters the abandoned building. With daylight enlightening the hall through the windows, the sight of an empty Townhall with its chairs and tables scattered around is somewhat depressing... In a way, is as useless as it would with ponies still around, but the way the furniture is displayed and broken. Is as if a battle had taken place inside the building. "What is the difference between a saint and a sinner, huh?" Asks the voice of an old pony, coming from behind a flipped table. Sling can overhear how whoever is there spits on the ground and yawns after the question. "So? What is it?"     [23:04]  * Sling_Swivel_[MIA] looks around the room... the first and only time he'd seen the place... it had been abandoned... but not wrecked so... “Uhm... hello?” he calls out to the owner of the voice.     [23:06] "Heh, that's not the answer..." Replies the voice, and both the gryphon and the pony can hear a crossbow being loaded. "Want to know it?" A figure stands up suddenly, kicking the table in the direction with enough strength to send it flying above their heads!   [23:06] Hold to your seats, as the answer will be known tomorrow, in the next episode of FourCannon: The Animated Series: Revenge of the Euphorics!!!!! Cue credits music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5YhlMNM6Nk