>The thing is, you didn’t want them to worry, even if they probably should.
>The fact of the matter is, you were just too shocked to do anything, the effect was so sudden that you couldn’t unfreeze long enough to try and get it off.
>You do indeed feel more powerful, but you instantly noticed the change in your mindset, as if you had suddenly lost a piece of your soul.
>It’s not something you want, and you want to get rid of this thing as soon as possible.
>On that note, despite the warnings in your mind telling you not to do so, you start looking through your bag and dragging your pace until you’re at the back of the group.
>You find your book on dark magic that you received back in the Everfree Castle, and begin to search through it.
>Surely there was something in it about removing corruption like this, right?...
>...
>Fuck.
>The closest thing you could find after going through every single chapter was something about removing some sort of black magic out of your heart or something ancient like that.
>It didn’t do you a bit of good, so the book was useless on this matter.
>With that idea shot out of the window, you feel the ever decreasing temperature start to freeze you and your party further, even with the torches.
>When you’re in the personal space of an open flame and you’re freezing like this, something’s wrong.
>Everyone else feels it too.
>”Anon, we need to hurry! It must be way down in the negatives by now, and we don’t have anything to treat hypothermia!”
>Red definitely sounds a bit panicked.
>You look up from your book as you put it away, seeing that they are trying their best to move quicker, only to be slowed by the lethargic snow.
>You try to hurry up and keep up with their paces as you think further on what you could do, still trying to fight the voices back.
>If all else fails… Call upon your master.
“Master… How do I purge myself of this shadowy corruption?”
~Embrace it, my child, embrace the power!~
“But it’s not what I want…”
~I see all. I know all. You need this power.~
“R-right… Hey, what are you, exactly?”
~I cannot tell you this, mortal.~
“Why not?”
~This is not the right reality.~
>You decide to leave it alone for now, for your master grows weary.
>...
 
[SEARCHING FOR STICKS, HERBS, MINING NODES . . .]
[ATTENDING TO LIST . . .]
 
Sticks (bundle) - >0<
Fire/Raw wood - >1<
Red herb - >1<
Blue herb - >2<
Lifeleaf - >1<
Rizzleberry bunch - >1<
Wisp Weed - >1<
Haze flower - >5<
Four-leaf clover - >0<
Mining Nodes - >0<
[COMPILING FOUND ITEMS . . .]
 
[You have found more firewood, 1 Red herb, 2 Blue herbs, 1 Lifeleaf, 1 Rizzleberry bunch, 1 Wisp Weed, and 5 Haze flowers!]
[Mining nodes are not prevalent in mountainous perks, only in their subsidiaries and cavities.]
 
>...
>You managed to search around a little bit while the rest of the group parted the snow, allowing you to catch up quickly.
>You rejoin them and their current pace catches your attention.
>It is a very sluggish speed, the cold taking toll upon them.
>However, there in front of you, you can see the tiniest rays of light through the blizzard’s fog.
“Hey, we’re nearly there!”
>”B-boy, am I glad-d to s-s-see that l-light righ’ there…”
>”YAY! We aren’t gonna freeze to death, Woohoo!”
>”D-do y-y-you t-think t-t-t-they hav-ve l-liquor…?”
>”L-let’s h-hurry…”
>Pinkie and the ever silent Gable seems to be the warmest of the group, most likely due to their leather armor as well as their coats.
>As they begin to use the last of their energy headed for the outpost, you try one more thing still being in the back.
>You draw your spear, looking at the enchantment that has been destined to strike down Bane.
>You look up and realize something.
>Why do this? Why fight it so intently?
>Is it not something that can help you in your goals?
>Why not instead just cut your losses, and rid yourself of the weaker members of your group?
>The ones that haven’t done anything…
>Your eyes, growing deeper and deeper with a primitive bloodlust wash over Gable and Iron Will, and even Berry.
>No!
“No!”
>Anything to get these thoughts out of your head!
>You raise the spear and stamp the blade’s broad end on your face’s new markings, and you instantly feel the searing heat.
>Grunting in pain and pulling away, you think you might as well should’ve just stuck the torch there.
>You definitely feel a burn, anyways.
>At least the thoughts were gone for now.
>You regain your composure and look out.
>You and your group are less than a football field away from the outpost.
>Is there anything you’d like to say or do before you reach it?
 
 
 
>You have a feeling in the pit of your stomach, and since your instincts have not lied before, you act on them without hesitation.
“Everyone put out your torches… Let’s not be seen. Check around the outpost, and let’s make sure it’s safe before we go in.”
>They give you some annoyed looks for cutting off their heat source, but they do as you ask, each torch going out one by one.
>You put out your own, and it becomes a very long trek to the outhouse.
>You finally get there, though.
>Even if you’re freezing, you actually made it here.
>Once the outpost comes within spitting range, the party begins to diverge to scout the surroundings.
>There is a long and arduous spot check all around until you were satisfied.
>There isn’t a way to see inside, but with no major sounds coming from within and the relative peace, you’re pretty sure it’s alright.
>You and your group converge at the front door, and you pull on the handle.
>You pull on the handle.
>It’s not budging.
>Oh boy.
“It’s locked…”
>”Well, knock!”
>You do as Red says, rapping on the door a few times loudly.
>There’s no response.
>”C’mon, do something Nonny, it’s really really cold!”
>What should you do?
 
 
 
>You knock hard on the door a few more times, speaking right into the crack of the door.
“If there's anyone in there, we need to get inside, it's freezing! Please open up, or we're popping the door open!”
“Well, do any of you know how to lockpick?
>They all shake their heads.
“Nobody? Pinkie?... Gable… Berry?”
>With a resounding no from the group, you wonder how you can get in this door short of blowing it to pieces.
>Hell, why don’t you?
>It’d be easy enough…
>No, that’s the shadow talking again.
>You think very hard on other methods, and one does come to mind.
>You kneel down and face the lock at eye-level, raising your marked palms up to it.
>You do your best to remember Twilight’s teachings back in the library, because now you need it.
>Slowly but surely, a faint white and violet glow begins to permeate your hands and the lock.
>It used to be just white, but so much for that.
>You focus on the lock as you begin to levitate it, and then focus your magic on the tumblers.
>You close your eyes in concentration, trying to imagine each of the metallic pieces rising up into the correct positions…
>Aha!
>You hear a clinging noise, and you test the doorknob.
>Home free!
>You rush into the door and the party follows in after, feeling the radiating heat burst out of the open door of the outpost.
>As soon as everyone else is in, you close the place up.
>There sounds of labored breathing surround you, your friends getting the warm air in their lungs.
>The exhaustion from traveling through snow has taken it’s toll on everyone.
>”It’s about damn time… …”
>You look over at Gable who you just heard stop himself, and his eyes were darting across the room.
>You and the rest of the gang simultaneously look over at his line of sight, and the mares gasp.
>When you see it, it disturbs you immensely… but your thoughts are praising it.
>There are three stallions.
>Two seem to have been completely sucked of their life force, nothing but hollow shells of dead skin and bones, sunken eyes and withered manes, yet still alive, even if in comas.
>The other has skin of charcoal, laying dead over the table with some sort of black, veiny substance gripping the table from his turned head.
>He is definitely gone.
>Complete silence overtakes the room, the only sound being the flickering, dwindling fire in the fireplace.
>What do you do?
 
 
 
>With everyone else completely subdued by sights they have never seen before in their lives, you take charge and start to assess the situation.
>You examine the room very carefully, making sure there isn’t some lingering piece of the shadow laying around.
>A quick check in every corner around the room tells you that there’s nothing else here that’s dangerous besides the stuff on the table, and that there’s a good few supplies that you can take from here.
>Before you do this, however, you size up the two near-death stallions and go over to them, checking them carefully as you try to see what exactly happened to them.
>Red comes over to you after a while, assisting you in your objective wordlessly.
>You look over at her and open your mouth as you begin to explain what caused this, but there is no need.
>She figures it out well before you do.
>”Anon… They’ve been taken of their power just like the Princesses. It’s all the same symptoms.”
“...Are you sure?”
>”Weakness in body and mind, gaunt appearance, sunken eyes… loss of color in them too. It’s all the same.”
>Then whatever the shadow’s doing, its infections of others is growing much stronger.
>You’re glad you didn’t start talking first.
>It’s not like you knew what you were going to say, you just assume you have the same ability as the infected because you have shadow corruption within you, now.
>Due to their condition, there’s no need for medkits or healing potions, nothing’s going to fix them until the shadow is dealt with.
>You sigh as you stand up, and Red takes your place.
>”I’ll… I’ll get them stable, don’t worry.”
>You remove a piece of firewood from your pack and throw it into the flames, to keep it alive longer.
>Everyone can use the extra heat, as well.
>Red waves you over for a moment, and you help her move the two live ponies closer to the fireplace, and farther away from the dead.
>When you finish and look around, the rest of the party has barely moved an inch.
>If they weren’t going to move, then you’ll do the work. Fine.
>You’re better off by yourself anyways.
>...No, no you’re not.
>Your thoughts are beginning to overtake your reason.
>Checking the time and seeing it’s about 8:00 P.M., it wouldn’t be a good idea to leave anytime soon.
>You begin to gather supplies and make beds for everyone, when another thought catches you, this time your own.
“Hey AJ?”
>She looks over at you and refocuses her sight, then clears her throat.
>”Uhm… Y-yeah?”
“Can you watch that corrupted corpse? It could still be possessed, or at least dangerous, and if it starts moving, maybe lasso it and warn us. Just don’t get too close or touch it, okay?”
>”Okay… got it..”
>She slowly moves from the place she’s been standing and sits down near the table, watching it carefully as her ears and expression falls dramatically.
>Her movement seems to break the tension that had befallen the group, and the rest of the party scatters to go relax wherever they can.
>It also breaks the silence.
>”Well, this is a fine little predicament you’ve gotten us into, doctor.”
>You glance at Gable who is giving a once-over to the contents of the table.
>He does not look happy.
>In fact, he looks outright homicidal.
>”First, you drag me out here from a place I could have broken out of easily, and now look where we are!”
>What is he going on about now?
>”If your goody-two-shoes ass hadn’t come around, I’d be halfway to Appleoosa by now! Now I’m stuck out here in sub-zero temperatures, with a group of ponies who’d rather have me dead, and one of the most idiotic monkeys I’ve seen in all of my years of living!”
>This guy right here is starting to get on your nerves.
“And just what makes you think I’m an idiot?”
>He snorts.
>”Oh, I don’t know… How about the fact that you’ve followed a really vague lead? Not to mention you followed it right into the middle of a deadly blizzard! Yeah, a pretty genius idea for a ‘Legendary Doctor’, I’ll say! That’s another thing, you traipse around in that shitty coat like some kind of bad clichè while acting completely moronic! I’m pretty sure you’ve outgrown the age of playing doctor, you blackmailing hairless freak!”
>Did he just?
>He just dissed the coat.
>He’s going to fucking die.
>You swear you feel a small chilly breeze.
>Before you can get another word in, Pinkie breaks into the argument, desperate to break it up.
>”Stop with the arguing! He hasn’t done anything wrong!”
>You see Gable’s eyes light up. It seems he doesn’t like intruders very much.
>He leans in, almost pressing his beak against Pinkie’s nose.
>She slightly winces and recoils, but only just enough to be noticeable.
>”You wouldn’t understand! You know why? It’s because you are too much of an airhead who’s far too infatuated with that dumbass animal to see anything wrong! See, you two would be great together; just start one big idiot family! Oh wait, that’s right, you don’t even have a chance with him.”
>He gives a dark smirk with his final sentence.
>Again, another cold gust brushes past you. Pinkie and Gable seem to be too preoccupied to notice it.
>The pink mare stutters out a few inaudible words before Redheart takes over.
>”You know, Iron Will was right, you DO need an attitude adjustment! All you’ve done on this expedition is complain and insult us. You’ve pretty much just been dead weight, considering the fact that you hardly lasted a minute in that last fight. Isn’t that what you base your whole life on? Really, you sound like the bigger clichè. At least Anon has gotten somewhere.”
>Oho, You never knew she could have such a sharp tongue!
>You shiver, as this time the breeze is a lot more noticeable.
“Eh, guys? I th-”
>Berry cuts you off.
>”...I think you’re all being way over the top-”
>The whole room erupts at once, saying the same thing.
>”STAY OUT OF THIS, BERRY!”
>She shrugs.
>”Hey, I calls them as I sees them!”
>The chill is even worse than before.
>You feel your feet get extremely cold; looking down, you see that they are actually encased in ice.
“Hey, I think-”
>Yet again, you are interrupted by the argument breaking out, this time Applejack and Iron Will joining at the same time.
>Through all of the commotion, you catch one statement from Gable.
>A single statement that sets you off.
>”You’re just as dumb as Anon was for absorbing that damn shadow!”
>That’s it.
>If he’s going to sit around insulting you, your friends, and the thing that makes you complete, he can go rot in hell.
>It seems as if they’re all too caught up in their petty argument to even see that everyone’s legs were starting to freeze in ice.
>Fuck ‘em.
“That…”
>Nobody hears you.
”Is…”
>They don’t care.
”ENOUGH!”
>Your voice echos and distorts as you see everyone pushed back by the force of your outburst.
>Applejack looks over to you, and then down at your feet.
>The rest of them see that they are starting to lose feeling in their legs, and they work to break them out.
>Without a word, your markings flare in that deep violet shine, and you force your left foot from the floor, and smash it on the ground.
>The ice shatters, scattering shining shards of frozen water around the room.
>You do the same for your right foot.
>This definitely earns their attention and fear.
“It’s nothing… and you won’t be either in just a second.
>At a casual pace, you stroll over to Gable.
>He looks up at you, not even phased by your appearance.
>You silently rear back your arm, palm ablaze, ready to obliterate his head.
>It’s time you finish what you started!
>”ANON, NO!”
>Then the breeze returns, the strongest it’s ever been.
>It’s enough to knock you over onto your side.
>No, it’s strong enough to tear off the entire roof of the outpost!
>An ethereal scream accompanies the shrill winds that blow your entire party back into the back wall, tables knocked over and fires put out instantly.
>When you finally get yourself up to see what is causing this wind that has been plaguing you all this time, your anger falls quickly for fear.
>It was some sort of… cloudborn monster, an equine form with blood red eyes that hovers above you with a commanding presence.
>”IT’S A WINDIGO!”
>Applejack looks absolutely terrified, and so does Pinkie.
>You watch as the Windigo’s magic bears down upon you…
>But you aren’t going to go down without a fight!
 
[BATTLE START] [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6XdKn6CTpU ]
>Anonymous: [HP: 130/130][MP: 16/20][Stats: 20 PD, 25 MD (+20% M up) / +10 PA, +15 MA wep / +75 PA ranged]
-Basic hand to hand combat
-Ogre Dance (0-4 Fail, 5-9 Succeed, confuses enemy)
-Expert spear combat (+15 dmg, ½ crit chance)
-Call Shot (Call specific location to attack, focus dmg and -66% hit chance)
-Shoot dart
-Giga Buster (-4 MP, Good attack, +25 MA, 3 turn CD)
-Redheart Cummer (-2 MP, +25 magic dmg, 2 turn CD)
-Flamescythe (-2 MP, Good attack, +10 MA, 4 turn CD)
-Parry (50% hit, deflects enemy atk/counters 50% dmg)
-Heart’s Calling (5tcd, Gives 50% attack boost to entire party for next turn)
-Shoot (Shoots F.U.C.K.E.R.)
-Ignite (-2 MP, Fire source, +25 MA, 50% chance to burn for 3 turns, 3tcd)
-SHOCKWAVE (-5 MP, AoE +36 MA each, 25% chance to stun for 3 turns each, 7tcd)
-Life Leech (-5 MP, Attach your magical connection to another living being, giving 10% of their health to you)
>Redheart: [HP: 130/130][Stats: 30 PD, 25 MD / +40 PA wep]
-Basic Spear Combat
-{S.S.S. +15 dmg with Anon’s/Red’s separate dmg.. 5 turn CD}
-Block (+5 PD and 25% chance to negate all dmg.)
-Parry (50% hit, deflects enemy atk/counters 50% dmg)
-Downforce (Good attack, +12 PA, split between all enemies, 3tcd)
>Pinkie Pie: [HP: 105/105][Stats: 12 PD, 6 MD, -25%B / +100 PA wep]
-Sugar Rush [Highly energetic attacks] (+3/+3 PA, hits twice)
-Party cannon (x3 damage, 5 turn CD)
-Darkstrike (Epic attack (rnd) single, or Good attack AoE split, 90% chance to bleed enemies hit, 7tcd)
-Parry (50% hit, deflects enemy atk/counters 50% dmg)
-Hypno-Necklace (0-4 fail, 5-9 win, confuses enemy)
>Berry Punch: [HP: 220/220][Stats: 40 PD, 20 MD, +15 HP / +44 PA wep]
-Throw beer bottle
-Drunk Dragon (2.4x multiplier AoE, 4x against wood, 3tcd)
-Fisticuffs (Basic attack)
-Do No Evil (Good Attack, +25 PA, 5tcd)
-Trample (+25 PA, 50% chance to crit for x2.5, 2tcd)
>Applejack: [HP: 240/240][Stats: 40 PD, 20 MD, +15 HP / +50 PA wep]
-Treekicker (x2 damage, 2 turn CD)
-Lasso (Immobilizes enemy for 3 turns)
-Bash (Basic attack)
-Cyli-Spin (Good attack, +25 PA AoE split between enemies, 50% chance to stun affected enemies for 5 turns, 4tcd)
>Gable: [HP: 200/200][Stats: 20 PD, 12 MD]
-Expert Hand to Hand Combat (+15 basic attack, 10% chance to crit for x2)
-Winged Fury (x5, 3 turn CD)
-Screech (+15 PA, 20% chance to fear for 5 turns, 3 turn CD)
-Flight (Allows 3-dimensional travel / +20 PA, 40% bleed chance for 5 turns, 4 turn CD)
-Rip and Tear (Good attack, 25% bleed chance for 5 turns, 5 turn CD)
>Iron Will: [HP: 275/275][Stats: +10 PD / +10 PA wep]
-Pummel (Basic attack)
-Charge (+25 PA, 2 turn CD)
-Enrage (+75% PA, -25% PD for 5 turns, 8 turn CD)
-Assertive Annihilation (Good attack, 50% chance to stun for 3 turns, 5 turn CD)
-OOOH YEEAAAH (Increases Party defense by 25% for 3 turns, 6 turn CD)
Windigo: [HP: 2,000/2,000]
[AWAITING BATTLE COMMANDS]