The Legend of Cozy Glowby kleiaChaptersRook on a BookEh, Nevermind, I Didn't Want To Learn About Chess Anyway [DC 5 Failure]Dust Is Not Sprout's Enemy! [DC 5 Success]Bridlewood, maybe? [DC 12 Failure]Ancient Cities, Even Older Castles, and EVEN OLDER Prisons. [DC 12 Success]Oh, Is That It? No, That's Just the Sun. Ow! [DC 10 Failure]There It Is! I'll Head That Way! [ DC 10 Success ]Can I Finally Learn Chess?Sprout's Sacrifice [DC 15 Failure]Sprout's "Betrayal" [DC 15 Success]How To Play A Roll Your Own Adventure StoryGolly! You Almost Left Me Behind! [DC 12 Failure]Golly! Thank You For Freeing Me! [DC 12 Success]Rook on a BookSprout, as Sprout does, was bored of community service. And of course, the majority of Maretime Bay made sure he knew they felt that community service wasn't enough for what he did. Sprout pouted at the broom he held in his hoof, brows furrowed in stubborn refusal. You know what? To hay with community service! Sprout smiled widely as he let the broom drop to the ground, and then in an instant, that satisfaction fled, his smile fading. Was there truly nothing more Sprout could do to feel the satisfaction of crushing his enemies under his might? Sprout picked his broom back up and continued sweeping, thoughts swirling in is mind. Hmm... that was it! Chess! Chess would allow him to crush his enemies underhoof without more community service! Now if only he knew how to play. There were books at the library - surely there had to be a book on how to play chess, right? Chess For Dummies or something? He'd take a look after his community service was wrapped up for the day. The Maretime Library was quiet and still, the jingle of the bell above the door signifying Sprout's entrance. Why did a library have a bell? Wasn't the point to be quiet? Sprouts angered thoughts on why a library had a bell were quickly interrupted. "Welcome to the Maretime Library," spoke a sweet, elderly woman. "Is there anything I can help you find?" she asked, offering a shaky smile to Sprout. "Oh! Uh, yes! I'm looking to learn chess." Sprout replied, trying not to giggle at how his words rhymed. "Of course, dearie, if you head to the back and make a right, there you'll find a whole section on chess!" the elder replied. "Just do be careful! Not a lot of ponies read about chess nowadays. and it's more than a little dusty," her tone shifted a little to one of a polite warning. "Thank you, ma'am," Sprout said as he made his way to the back. She was certainly right. It was far more than a little dusty. Dusting off some books, Sprout stifled a cough, waving the dust from the air. [INVESTIGATION CHECK - Find the Books About Chess] DC: 5 Bonuses: +0 Sprout really wants to learn about chess. Add a d4 to your roll if you like. [If you rolled 4 or lower, click here] or [If you rolled 5 or higher, click here] Author's Note C'mon Sprout! You can find the book! Eh, Nevermind, I Didn't Want To Learn About Chess Anyway [DC 5 Failure]Eh, Nevermind, I Didn't Want To Learn About Chess Anyway [DC 5 Failure] Dust gets into Sprout’s eyes, causing them to water significantly. Man was that old mare right! This place is super dusty! In his panic, Sprout inhales some of the dust, coughing wildly, scrambling to win this battle. Sprout frantically tries to back away from the dust, tripping over a stack of books, landing on his rear. Sprout’s lower lip quivers, tears in his eyes. “FINE! You WIN, CHESS! I didn’t wanna learn you anyway!” Sprout shouts at the books, Sprout being Sprout, standing and trotting out of the library haughtily. The librarian at the front doesn't even get a chance to ask what went wrong before the bell on the door rings once more, Sprout's red rump out the door. The librarian shrugs, and goes back to her clerical work. As fate would have it, the world is much safer without Sprout learning chess. Go ahead and head back and re-roll to pass the check. Secret Ending Number One: Eh, Nevermind, I Didn't Want To Learn About Chess Anyway. Congrats! You got one of the secret endings! This is what I'd call a "for shits and giggles" part. Feel free to head back and try that roll again. Author's Note Seriously? That's all it took to give up on chess? Whatever. Dust Is Not Sprout's Enemy! [DC 5 Success]The dust in the library settled, Sprout’s eyes scanning the chess shelf. No, no, no, AHA! One book in particular caught Sprout’s eye. On the leather spine was no title, but it was a curiosity nonetheless. Sprout carefully pried it from it’s spot on the shelf, the spot beneath it pristinely clean and dust free. On the front of the book was nothing but a gold leaf, embossed chess piece on the leather bound book cover. A rook, Sprout recognized. Sprout tilted his head in confusion. Where was the title? He held the book every which way, looking for the title, unable to find it. Maybe the actual paper cover was missing? After a moment of looking, Sprout shrugged, taking the book, and others, with him to one of the tables and chairs tucked away amongst the shelves of books. Quietly, he flipped through and skimmed some of the books. Studying was not his strong suit, after all. After a few hours, Sprout was sure his brain was fried, and that the books he read were all evil unicorns, frying his brains with horn zaps. But he had one book left. The title-less rook-book. That was a mouthful for Sprout. Sprout, as Sprout does, groaned as he opened the book, his eyes and lungs assaulted with more dust. Dust would not be Sprout’s enemy! He waved the dust in the air away once more, letting it settle before he read. ”This is the legend of Cozy Glow, master of chess.” Was the book’s first line. Who was Cozy Glow? What did somepony have to do with chess? Perhaps they were a master of chess in their lifetime? Sprout read on. ”Cozy Glow was a master of chess. While her cutie mark was nothing more than a rook, she knew that to be a master at chess, one had to play as the most valuable pieces. Some say that what she did was wrong, while many other agree that she knew what she was doing, and that she had the right idea.” Huh? Right idea? What did this have to do with chess? Sprout read on with the thought that maybe this had something to do with chess, perhaps Cozy was underhanded in a chess competition? "Cozy Glow was a master of manipulating her enemies, down to every pawn she played, -- Suddenly the words in the book glowed a mythical, mystifying arcane red. From the magic, a vision was drawn forth like a hologram from the books pages. "Golly! It seems you've read my book" spoke the vision of tiny, pink filly and a light blue, curled mane. Sprout blinked at the vision before him, jaw to the floor. "I applaud your ability to think clearly and find this book. Remember, world domination starts with playing in the shadows!" Sprout once more tilted his head. World domination? What? "Your next steps are to find me and free me! Only then will I teach you how to crush your enemies to dust! And laugh as they all scream!" Cozy Glow said, an evil laugh emanating from her hologram. Sprout looked around, ensuring no pony else had heard. No one else had payed him any mind. "To find me, head to where the unicorns once lived, hoity and toity, An ancient palace, an ancient prison, secrets it holds, Free me from the stonework, if you may be so bold," Sprout wracked his mind. Where was this tiny pegasus referring to? [INTGELLIGENCE CHECK - Just where was Cozy Glow Referring to?] DC: 12 Bonuses: -1 to your total roll. Sprout isn't very smart. [If you rolled 11 or lower, click here]or [If you rolled 12 or higher, click here] Author's Note Can you tell I don't like Sprout? Bro destroys someone's ENTIRE HOUSE and only gets community service?! WHAT? How does that make sense? ? ? 😭 Bridlewood, maybe? [DC 12 Failure]Sprout scrunched his brow in thought. Where unicorns come from? Bridlewood, maybe? But a castle? And a prison? Gasp! Unless Bridlewood was hiding a dark secret!! Sprout made a face similar to the cover image, slamming the book shut as the apparition began to repeat itself, making haste to check out the book and run home. As soon as he got home, he packed a bag and placed his unicorn repellent hat on his head as he ran out the door, sprinting through Maretime Bay onto the road to Bridlewood. The stallion didn't stop until he made his way all the way to Bridlewood, collapsing on the ground in the crystally forest home of many unicorns. His anti-brain zap hat had fallen off, rolling and bumping hooves with Alphabittle, who's eyes followed its trail to the red earth pony. Alpha raised an inquisitive eyebrow and strode over, offering hoof to the fallen pony. Sprout once again made a cover image face, screaming and cowering in fear, making an even bigger scene. "I KNOW YOU HAVE AN ANCIENT CASTLE AND SOMEPONY NAMED COZY GLOW LOCKED AWAY IN YOUR PRISONS!" Sprout shouted, scrambling to get up. Silence fell over the crowd that had now gathered. Alphabittle thought for a moment, then let out a loud, hardy guffaw; "Wh? What? Castle?" he said between bursts of laughter. "Prisoner? Cozy Glow?" he continued through laughter. He calmed himself down and took a breath. "You're a funny one Sprout, and just in time for Comedy Night, too," Alphabittle said, once again offering Sprout his hoof. Did he truly not know anything? Sprout would have to investigate over this... "comedy night" that Alphabittle referred to. Sprout pouted and took his hoof, rising, following Alphabittle to his teahouse. Inside, jazz music played and the aroma of tea filled Sprout's nostrils, his eyes wandering around his surroundings. The overall vibe was calm and collected, and worked wonders at calming Sprout down. He sat at the bar adjacent to the stage, where Alphabittle was already pouring his cup of tea, gesturing to a seat that was free. Sprout climbed into the seat and nodded his thanks, taking a sip of his tea. Ow! Hot!! He fanned his mouth, Alphabittle stifling a chuckle. "Sorry, probably should have warned you it would be hot. What brings you to Bridlewood? And what about castles and prisons?" Alphabittle inquired, offering a face of apology to Sprout. Sprout pouted in reply at first. "I found a book that had this? Magical hologram? Thing?" Sprout stopped talking at Alphabittle's puzzled face. "I'll just show you - " Sprout reached into his saddlebag and pulled out the leather bound tome, the gold leaf emblazoned on the front in a rook shape sparkling in the low light of the teahouse. Sprout placed it gently on the counter and opened even more carefully, reading the words once more. Again, they glowed and the apparition appeared, repeating what was said earlier in Sprout's day. "So ancient unicorn home brought you here, I see." Alphabittle said, closing the book. "That sounds more like Canterlot, from Bridlewood history books. As far as I'm aware, that ancient city still stands, albeit dangerous to visit." Alphabittle said, shuffling around behind the counter. The grey stallion levitated an old map onto the counter in front of Sprout, unraveling it. The fragile paper was an old map, where his hometown, Bridlewood, and Zephyr Heights were recognizable, but the map extended far beyond. Alphabittle pointed out a spot beyond the Everfree, a mountainous zone where an old castle was drawn on, labelled "Canterlot". "Whoever this little pegasus is, I think she wants you to go there," Alphabittle said, eyeing Sprout. He looked the map over and sketched out his own copy. "T-Thank you, Alphabittle, for the tea and the map." Sprout said, standing to go. "You're not staying for comedy night?" Alphabittle questioned. "Nope! I have chess to learn, and that little filly is the key, I just know it!" Sprout said, trotting into town and into the woods. Continue your journey. [click] Ancient Cities, Even Older Castles, and EVEN OLDER Prisons. [DC 12 Success][If you're here as a successful check in the library, please scroll down until you find the red line and read from there. If you're here as a failed check that led you to Bridlewood, please read from here. This is to prevent the reading of the passed check.] Sprout journeyed for days, finally coming across some other ancient town. What was left of it, anyway. The silence of the town creeped into Sprout's bones. He needed to keep his time here swift. This place was on his map he drew, but Alphabittle's original map didn't have a name of where he was. But what he did know was that Canterlot was but a few days off. Strolling into town, he passes by a long abandoned bakery, a boutique that holds the now crumbling fabric of couture at the time, and various other unfamiliar structures. In the center of town is an offensively shaped, crystal castle. Maybe this was the castle Cozy Glow was referring to? Sprout entered the castle, shivering at a breeze that blew through it's empty walls. Down from where he was standing, a door creaked open. Though creeped out, his curiosity got the better of him. The door led to a stairwell, which led to a balcony containing, seemingly, the only item left in this castle. A telescope. Hesitantly, Sprout looked through the telescope, looking for any signs of what remained of Canterlot. [PERCEPTION CHECK] DC: 10 Bonuses: +2 from the telescope. Sprout drew a map. Roll a d4 and add it to your total. [If you rolled 9 or lower, click here] or [If you rolled 10 or higher, click here] ══════════════════════════════════════════ Sprout thought and thought. It couldn't be Bridlewood. They didn't have a castle, so there was no way that they would have a prison. Sprout quickly found a map elsewhere in the library, and returned to his book, taking a look. He recognized Maretime Bay, Zephyr Heights and Bridlewood, but this map expanded past that. Past the Everfree forest was an ancient town called "Ponyville", and beyond it were mountainous heights where a grand city stood, named "Canterlot". He remembered briefly hearing about unicorn history, and that many of them originally hailed from there. Sprout sketched out his own map in a journal he had on hoof, returning the map and checking out the book he had been reading on Cozy Glow. He made quick work of getting home, packing a bag and heading out. Days passed by the time he finally found himself at the edge of the world he knew. Everfree forest had come to a clearing, where Sprout could see what remained of a cottage and some kind of animal sanctuary. He had traipsed right into the remains of Ponyville, which he knew very little about. From the cottage, he made his way into what was left of town, taking in the sights. A long overgrown farm, a bakery with surprisingly modern cookware, a boutique with ages old fashion, clouds that shaped themselves into a Greco-Roman home, and a crystal castle that formed a surprisingly offensive shape. Despite that, this ancient left over city brought a sense of comfort to Sprout. The riddle that Cozy spoke mentioned a castle, but to free from stonework. The castle here was pure crystal through and through, and had clearly been abandoned, like the rest of the town. Some buildings looked as though they had simply worn down over time, others looked destroyed by whatever put this town out of business. Sprout didn't want to imagine what. Shaking his head, he decided to check the castle out anyway. It was lined in spiderwebs, and nothing remained. A door further into the castle creaked open, leading to a stairwell, which led Sprout onto a balcony, which held the only item seemingly left behind. A telescope. Sprout hesitantly peaked through the telescope, checking the horizon for any signs of Canterlot. [PERCEPTION CHECK] DC: 10 Bonuses: +2 from the telescope. Sprout drew a map. Roll a d4 and add it to your total. [If you rolled 9 or lower, click here] or [If you rolled 10 or higher, click here] Oh, Is That It? No, That's Just the Sun. Ow! [DC 10 Failure]Sprout carefully calibrates the telescope and looks around, taking in the rest of the town first before scanning the horizon. Something on it caught his eye, so he shifted the telescope back to that unique point. Why was it so bright? Oh for Celestia's sake that's the sun! QUIT LOOKING AT IT! Sprout cries out in pain, realizing he's managed to blind himself in the one eye. Perhaps journeying wasn't for him. Plus, he should probably get his eye checked out back at home. Chess wasn't worth this. Sprout makes his way home quietly, returning the book and shrugging off the mystery. He just wasn't cut out for adventuring. Fate has decided that Equestria shall remain safe. Secret Ending #2: Screw You Celestia! Feel free to move on to the better roll if you wish! There It Is! I'll Head That Way! [ DC 10 Success ]With a careful eye and careful aim, Sprout recalibrates the telescope and focuses in on the mountain range. Wait! What was that? Something shiny on the horizon caught Sprout's eye. He shifted back to the shiny glints on and could make out a large, looming castle. From what he could see below it, an entire city, as ancient as the one he was in, stood beneath it. That castle he could see in the distance matched what was on his sketched copy of the map. That had to have been it. In quiet reverence, he nods to the castle he stands in, as a form of thanks for having a telescope remain. Sprout retreats down the stairwell, and out of the castle, finding his way to a train station, and what remains of the tracks. Canterlot was due north of here. He'd just follow the tracks. Easy right? More days passed and finally, Sprout found himself at the gate of the walled city of Canterlot. He suspected this is where the royal guard would guard the city from, at least, this was one spot. The gate itself was long corroded and fallen down. Sprout carefully stepped over what remained of the gate and ventured into the city. A renegade donut shop, a boutique that had similar fashion to the shop in ancient Ponyville. So much to explore, it was overwhelming. But then he saw it. In all of it's majesty, their stood a royal palace, it's shadow long cast over the rest of the city. Sprout carefully made his way past the second rotting gate, and through the courtyard where wooden doors had long been collapsed. Hesitantly, Sprout stepped inside, his hoofstep echoing off the stone walls and tile. Before him was a throne, atop it was a 6 pointed star. Curious. Sprout continued his journey into the castle, where he finally found the palace library, after much searching. This place was huge! But he wasn't here to explore. He was here to learn chess and gosh darnit he'd learn it!! The library was dustier than the one section back home, Sprout being careful where he stepped so as not to trigger a dust storm. Sprout explored and explored when finally, he spotted a small statue of a rook. He knew this part. Sprout carefully twisted it in place, a locking apparatus clicking behind it. A single tile on the wall slid out of place, revealing a piece of parchment older than Sprout. He very carefully picked it up ad unraveled it, reading it's contents. "Golly! You've made it this far! I'm so proud of you! Now go to the castle gardens and find my statue. I'll be with two others, creatures you may or may not recognize. Bring the Rook. It will set me free." Sprout carefully bagged the parchment and, with a bit of a struggle, pulled the rook from it's stand, placing it in his bag too. Quitely, he stepped out of the library and explored more until he found a severely overgrown royal garden. There were many statues, most of which were overgrown. Many were non pony creatures he didn't recognize. Wait... the original line from the book was "stone prison". We're these all creatures that once lived? Something in Sprout's mind whirled about. Were these prisoners? But how? Was it magic? Were they turned to stone against their will? So many were in poses of peril. Just what kind of garden was this?! Sprout shook the thoughts from his mind. He had to learn chess. He wanted to crush his enemies! Sprout continued on through the garden, spotting a statue that was less overgrown. On it was a tiny pegasus, a skinny dreadful creature, and another creature in an attack position. Cozy Glow was the only one that was recognizable. Sprout re-read the ancient parchment and took out the small rook statue, being careful with both items. The rook would set her free? Sprout investigated the statue. [INVESTIGATION CHECK - Now Where Does This Rook Go?] DC: 12 Bonuses: +0 [If you rolled 11 or lower, click here] or [If you rolled 12 or higher, click here] Can I Finally Learn Chess?Cozy Glow observed Sprout for a moment, watching him as he eyed her. It was time to see if her charms still worked. She drew in a breath. "Goodness! I didn't think my tiny face would startle you so much, Mister! It's only me! The one you freed!" Cozy Glow said with a sugary sweetness, pulling out a face of pure innocence. Sprout's mind came back to reality. "O-oh! N-no! I came here to free you, like your book said to do!" Sprout quickly reached for the book in his saddlebag, showing it to her. Yep. That was the one. Good. Someone who shared her mindset had heard of her legend and set her free to bring hellfire down on upon Equestria and -- "Cozy Glow?" Sprout spoke, shaking Cozy Glow from her thoughts. Hopefully he didn't see her face contort into a wickedly evil grin. "Yes?" she replied sweetly, batting her lashes. "Now that you're free, can you teach me chess?" Wut. Cozy Glow's smile faded instantly, her face displaying nothing but confusion. Cozy blinked. Who was this... this .... SIMPERING SIMPLETON?! How did this IDIOT free her? He did not share her mindset! Cozy Glow felt rage build in her chest. But she forced it back down. She could still take over Equestria. She'd just have to get this idiot out of the way first. Cozy Glow drew in another long breath, returning her sickly sweet smile to her face. "Why golly, of course! I'll teach you through real world example!" she said gleefully. Oh she'd teach him alright. And he'd unknowingly help her takeover Equestria. Her plan was now in action. He was clearly not very bright, and she was the master of charms and manipulation. "Shall we?" she asked, trotting past him and looking behind her at Sprout. He nodded and quickly packed his bag back up, trotting behind her. The journey back to Maretime Bay was nothing other than a spectacle. Listening to Cozy Glow prattle on about chess and how she used many of it's strategies in every day life was strangely fascinating. Quite honestly, you'd think hearing about wanting to be the literal Empress of Friendship and how she literally played Twilight right into Tartarus and all that would be a red flag. Double quite honestly, Sprout is not smart. Sprout lacks logic. Touché, me. Anyway, moving on. "So, Sprout," Cozy Glow spoke up after a few moments of thoughtful silence, her tiny wings flapping in the air. She had just regaled him on the use of pawns, and how while they may seem like the most unimportant piece - truly, they're the ones that can bring on the heat if played right and played well. What I mean is, they're perceived as unimportant - on some level they are - in the beginning and middle of the game, they're sacrifices, but become significantly important in the endgame." "Here's one strategy I like to use. It's called a "pin"," Cozy gestured quotations in the air with her hooves. "A pin is where a piece can't move, otherwise you risk losing one of your big pieces, such as a Queen. Either the Queen sacrifices her rook, or you lose the Queen. Obviously, giving up your rook is your only option," Cozy explains, gesturing with her hooves. Sprout just... looked confused. Chess was way harder to understand than he initially thought. "You ... look confused. Let me give you a real world example. Do you know any queens? Princesses, perhaps?" Cozy asked, eyeing Sprout. Queen Haven and her daughters Zipp and Pipp immediately came to mind. Sprout nodded enthusiastically. "The pegasus kingdom has a Queen and two princesses! You... wanna head there before we hit Maretime Bay?" he offered, smiling at the tiny pink filly. A wicked grin sprawled across Cozy's face. A laugh erupted from her tiny body, Sprout chiming in with laughter of his own. Cozy Glow's laugh slowed. "You really need to work on your evil laugh, dude." she said neutral toned, eyeing him. Sprout's face reddened... more than it already naturally was, and he rubbed behind his ears. "Sorry... anyway, it's this way to Zephyr Heights," he said, turning to lead the way, trotting off. "Eh, it's whatever. We'll work on it. Ready for a real world example?" she asked, flying beside him. He nodded excitedly. Raucous evil laughter could be heard from far below Zephyr Heights, echoing from the canyon the massive city stood before. Two guards that stood at the city gate furrowed confused brows at each other, having a conversation in facial expressions alone. "I'm not the only one hearing that, right?" came the twitch of a brow. "It's not just you, don't worry. But be on your guard." Came the flick of the eyes. They nodded to each other and returned to attention. Sprout and Cozy Glow loudly approached, stopping before the guards. "Hello, dear guards, we're here to see Queen Haven." Cozy Glow said, batting her lashes at the pair of guards. The guards once more shared a glance, looking between each other and the tiny pink filly. Sprout only smiled politely. "... Sorry... how does Her Majesty know you?" one guard piped in. Cozy Glow fluttered her wings. "Golly! I didn't even explain! You see, I'm a pegasus from far off, and I carry news of other pegasi that have never been here before. They'd be very disappointed if I didn't get to speak to her," Cozy's face contorted to that of puppy eyes and a pouty bottom lip. She held the face until the guards caved. "Right this way," said one guard, who nodded his head as he began to walk off. Cozy looked to Sprout and winked at him. Woah. She just did that. Maybe it was part of his chess lessons. He'd ask about it later. A short walk later, and the pair plus the guard found themselves in an elevator, leading them straight to the throne room. Sprout and Cozy followed behind the guard quietly. Cozy leaned in near Sprout, whispering in his ear, eyeing the guard to make sure his ears didn't turn towards them. "Watch and learn, Sprout. You're about to witness a pin, that tactic I told you about, in a real life example." she whispered. Sprout nodded in reply, eyes forward. "-- But Mom! Me?! Queen?" Zipp's voice carried from the throne room, it's glory coming into view. The white pegasus was clearly distraught. A smaller, light pink pegasus with down feathers came into the throne room, clearly distracted by her phone. Cozy eyed the smaller pegasus engrossed in her phone. She'd be the first piece played. The trio regained their composure and stood regally together, Pipp stuffing her phone under her wing. Cozy Glow leaned in and whispered once more. "The Queen is the queen, and her daughters are pawns, okay? Like I explained in the tactic," she nodded to Sprout, who nodded again in reply. Cozy composed herself as she and Sprout came into view. Royal fanfare announced the pair's presence, to the dismay of the royal trio. "Your majesty," Cozy spoke sweetly, bowing. Sprout bowed as well. "You have Sprout with you! How nice to see you again. And what can I do for you, little filly?" Queen Haven asked, meeting Cozy's eyes. "Well, you see... I've lived with my family outside Equestria for my whole life. When we met Sprout, we were scared, but he told us of your city. That we'd find peace and solace here?" Cozy Glow batted her lashes, her ears drooping against her head, eyes big like a begging dog. "Oh, I see, well of c-" Queen Haven was abruptly interrupted. "Oh EM gee! Pipsqueaks!" came Pipp's shrill voice. "This just in! New pegasi! From BEYOND Equestira! EEE!!" Pipp was very quickly in Cozy's face with her phone. This was it. It was time to initiate phase two. Cozy shifted uncomfortably away from the phone, smiling awkwardly, trotting over to the Queen. "Um, your majesty?" Cozy asked innocently, her tone honeyed. "I have a question..." "Of course! What can I answer for you?" Haven replied, all too eagerly. Silence fell over the throne room as Pipp continued to film. "What happens when a Princess, such as her," Cozy pointed to Zipp, "doesn't want to be next in line?" she finished, practically pulling the secret from thin air. Zipp's face was quick to contort to shock, as was the Queen's. Pipp's hoof was over her mouth, eyes wide. Pipp did not end her stream. "Wh- Zephyrina?! Explain yourself! You know you must be Queen someday! You are crown princess of Zephyr Heights!" Queen Haven's voice rose in volume the longer she spoke. "There is no other option for you! When the day comes, YOU will be crowned Queen! I have not spent years and years preparing you to be queen for you to do nothing but throw that all away!" Queen Haven huffed deeply, anger spread thick across her face. Another realization seemed to cross her mind. Pipp was streaming. She whirled around to face Pipp, rage now fueling her movements. "Phone. Off. Now." Haven practically growled the last word. Silently, Pipp turned off her stream and put her phone under her wing. "Zipp, Pipp, out. Now." she said, looking between the two. Haven seemed to have forgotten about Sprout and Cozy Glow. Zipp and Pipp quietly left, tears streaking the crown princess's cheeks. The two spared no glances to Sprout or Cozy as they left. Haven trotted, pacing back and forth in a line. "Pipp was livestreaming?! How many times have I told her?! The throne room is private! And now everypony will know! I had my suspicions but? What about us! The last time a scandal happened, we we're set to be arrested! What about their image? What about my image?" Queen Haven was clearly spiraling. Cozy Glow cleared her throat, causing her to stop in her tracks. "Um... I may just be a filly - but, what if you made a statement? If you're so worried about your image, their must be something you can do to preserve yours, right?" Cozy glow said ever so innocently. This was the pin. Haven had two choices. Admit her faults to the entirety of her kingdom, or throw Zipp under the bus and put the blame all on her. It was all too satisfying. "Either way you explain it though, one of you is in the wrong... I'd be careful with your verbiage, your majesty" Cozy Glow bowed and turned to leave, flicking Sprout with her tail, indicating for him to follow. Queen Haven's eyes stayed on the pair as they left, watching the spot they stood in long after they had left. Haven returned to her pacing. On some level, that little filly was right. Something had to be said. She had to save face. Her own face. Cozy Glow and Sprout sat at a table in a part of Zephyr Heights surrounded by what Sprout had taught Cozy Glow were massive televisions, where the news was regaling the events that just occurred in a form of breaking news. It was all anypony was talking about! Cozy Glow grinned widely. "That, Sprout, was called a pin, like I taught you. Now, we wait on the result of that pin..." Cozy said sweetly, keeping her eyes on one of the many surrounding screens. Sprout nodded, his neck twisted to watch the news. The two didn't have long to wait. "Breaking news straight from the Zephyr Heights palace! Queen Haven speaks on the days events!" cried a news reporter. "Hello, and good afternoon, my subjects. Firstly, I sincerely apologize for any actions you may have seen earlier. Princess Zepyhyrina is in a... very fragile state where she's constantly at ends with me... and well... Moms? You know how it is. Sometimes, you just get to your wits end. I assure you, she will be Queen one day. Your crown princess loves you, and can't wait to serve you!" she said jovially, smiling into the camera. Cozy Glow grinned wickedly. "This, Sprout, is the pin I taught you about. The Queen had no choice but to save face, else she risks her own hide." Cozy glow said, rubbing her hooves together. Something about this didn't feel right to Sprout, but he couldn't place what. He ignored the feeling for now, her voice breaking him from his thoughts. "Sprout? Did you hear me?" she asked, pouting at him. Sprout nodded. "Yes, the pin? What an interesting play in chess. I never knew you could apply chess to the real world … or at least certainly not in that way." Sprout replied, smiling awkwardly. "Shall we?" Cozy said, getting up and beginning to walk off. Sprout nodded, trotting to catch up. "Would you wanna meet my friends back home? Oh! I can also show you the unity crystals. I bet Sunny would love to meet you!" Sprout happily said, smiling at the pink filly. "Golly would I! I'd love some new friends to help me traverse this new era!" Cozy Glow replied just as happily, flapping her wings excitedly. The journey back home to Maretime bay was relatively uneventful. Sprout and Cozy Glow conversed about various things, mostly though, Cozy Glow had more and more questions about this era of Equestria. She had seen and learned so much, so figures she'd want to learn even more. "So those televisions work through electricity... we had that back in my time, but it was far less advanced," Cozy stated as the Crystal Brighthouse came into view, the sun falling beneath the horizon. Cozy eyed it, and the rainbow that came from the top. She could feel it. That rainbow contained motic power. Magic. If she could get her hooves on it, she could so easily take over. Her plan was working so far. Sprout was a fool enough. And apparently Sunny was an alicorn, though only at times. Which didn't make sense to Cozy, but eh oh well. She'd cut her losses and figure that out later. Sprout held open the door for Cozy, who flapped inside. The air inside the Brighthouse was pregnant with tension and silence, save for Cozy's wingbeats, and the news playing on the TV. Sunny, Izzy and Hitch were sat in silence, watching with intensity. "Tensions rising to astronomical levels in Zephyr Heights as a livestream straight from the palace illuminates the truth on the kingdom's crown princess. Riots, one after the other, have broken out in the streets, many saying to let the crown princess go, others saying she must rule! Is pegasi civil war on the horizon? More at 8." Sprout cleared his throat, garnering the three's attention. Sunny, Hitch and Izzy all turned to face them. "Oh! Sprout! There you are! We were wondering where you'd gotten off to. Who's this?" Sunny's voice came, the concern of the news washing away from her mind. "So - this is Cozy Glow - I read a book about her and...well it led me to a few ancient cities, where I freed her from a stone prison!" Sprout proclaimed excitedly, smiling brightly. "How fun! I'm guessing she'll need friends to help her adjust to modern times?" Sunny suggested, offering a smile to the filly. Cozy glow eyed her. How naïve of her. No alicorn in sight, either. Just an earth pony. Was Sprout lying perhaps? "Golly, I'd really appreciate that!" Cozy remarked, offering a fake smile in return. "Well, it's late so we'll show you everything tomorrow. The rest of us are sleeping over here, and you're both welcome to join us!" Sunny offered, looking between the two. Sprout and Cozy shared a look, and then nodded in agreeance. The rest of the night went exceedingly well, everyone took a shining to Cozy, happy of the new friend. Soon though, popcorn, movies, and snacks ran dry, and it was time to get some rest. Sprout lay in bed with little comfort. The events of the day had plagued his mind, whispering from the back of it. And now, with nothing else to do, they had returned to the forefront. Finally, reason had seemingly returned to him. Why was Cozy Glow in stone? What if their was a deeper, darker meaning to it? The book mentioned 'domination of Equestria' but it didn't make sense. He was learning about chess. He just figured, at least up until now, the book contained more real world examples. Was Cozy Glow evil? Her being trapped in stone was described as a prison. [INSIGHT CHECK - What Have I Done?] DC: 15 Bonuses: +0 [If you rolled 14 or lower, click here] or [If you rolled 15 or higher, click here] Author's Note yes, that was a barbie reference https://youtu.be/9B2DGTxxN8w also sorry if my chess explanations are a little wack, as it's confusing, but thank you to my friend IAmSinner for helping me learn a few tactics and terms for this part of the story to make proper sense. Sprout's Sacrifice [DC 15 Failure]No. No. No. No no no no no no. There was NO WAY Cozy Glow was evil! She had been nice enough up until this point. The book was surely just real world examples with very expressive wording. He had read a portion of it. It was just learning chess! Maybe she was "trapped" in stone so she could live longer? Sprout would bet that that garden of statues was all just other ponies and creatures waiting to be freed, just like she was. Sprout huffed and flopped huffily onto his other side, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep. The next morning, Sprout was woken up by a loud kitchen, and delicious smelling pancakes. Sprout rubbed the sleep from his eyes, standing from the couch and stretching. "Good morning Sprout! Come help Cozy and I in the kitchen!" came Sunny's voice, who leaned out from the counter. Sprout trotted over, helping quietly. Breakfast was ready soon enough, and the group sat on the couch, TV on for background noise. It was on the news channel again. "More violent riots and protest break loose in Zephyr Heights. Many injured, some dead." Spoke the news reporter. Sunny frowned, saddened by what she was hearing. "We need to head to Zephyr Heights." Sunny stated, placing her empty plate on the coffee table. Hitch spoke next, his tone full of logic. "Sunny... it's not safe. It's getting dangerous there. I feel sorry for the citizens, and I'm worried about our friends too, but it's just not safe. Let's take today to keep our mind off such things, okay?" Hitch commented, a hoof on Sunny's shoulder. Sunny let out a sigh. "You're right. We'll show Cozy around town, starting right here in the Brighthouse." Sunny's smile briefly returned to her face. Breakfast was wrapped up quickly, the group getting ready for the day. "Well, you've seen part of the Brighthouse so far, but there's one place you haven't seen yet. As I'm sure Sprout has told you, we ponies didn't have magic for a while. It took us coming together, and uniting our crystals, to finally get it back." Sunny pulled on a lever that brought down an elevator. The all got on and it took them up to the tower of the Brighthouse, where the unity crystals made their home. As the elevator rose, so too did the magic power Cozy could feel. It was overwhelming. So much for the taking. The elevator stopped, and before the group glowed the rainbow and gemstones that made up the unity crystals. "These are the unity crystals. They brought back magic to Equestria!" Sunny said. Behind her, an apparition of Twilight Sparkle formed from the crystals. The room was awash in a red glow. Sunny jumped and turned around. Cozy scowled at the apparition. "Activating Failsafe protocol. Stone prisoner escapee, Cozy Glow. Activating Stoneskin spell." came Twilight's voice. "W-what?" Sunny's eyes grew wide, watching the apparition. the rest of the group making the same shocked expression. Sprout watched as magic surrounded Cozy Glow. "No!" Sprout ran to Cozy Glow, pushing through everyone else. "Sprout no!" "Sprout stop!" came the weary cries of his friends. But it was too late for him. Sprout had shoved Cozy Glow aside, the magic working on his body instead. Pain enraptured is entire body, his flesh turning to the very stone Cozy Glow had escaped from. Before he knew it, his body was frozen permanently in a pained, fear-stricken pose. The group watched on in silence. Then a laugh cut through. Cozy Glow laughed heinously flapping up from the ground. "And that's how you truly, play chess, Sprout. And now, the magic will be mine." Cozy Glow booped Sprout's stone nose, turning to place a hoof on the crystals. "While Equestria has changed, there's one thing that hasn't changed. Do you know what that is?" Cozy's face contorted to a wicked, evil grin, eyes meeting with an ever silent Sunny. Sunny only swallowed in reply, the tiniest shake of her head illuminating that she didn't know. "I'll be glad to tell you," Cozy's voice was sickeningly sweet. "It's that fool lineage. I see that still lives on. Do you know how easy he was to manipulate? How easily he played right into my hooves? Speaking of hooves..." Cozy Glow placed hers on the unity crystals, reciting an ancient incantation. Magic swirled around her, the sound of cracking bones could be heard as her wings grew in size, a horn piercing through her skull. The unity crystals fell to the ground with a loud thud, the rainbow fading. Sunny attempted to rile up her alicorn form, but it only flickered before fading completely. "What've you done!" Sunny cried, staring down the alicorn filly. "You're about to find out!" a boom exploded from inside the Brighthouse, a massive hole in the wall where Sunny, Hitch and Izzy had stood. Their bodies lay amongst the rubble, many rushing from town to see what the commotion was. "Gaze upon me, Maretime Bay! For I am Cozy Glow! Your one and only alicorn princess! Bow to me, or face my wrath!" Cozy Glow lit her horn threateningly, those that had arrived to help stopped in their tracks, bowing out of fear. Cozy blasted them anyway, flying into town and wreaking havoc. It was not long after that she teleported to Zephyr Heights, straight to the palace throne room. Lucky for her, the princesses and the Queen were right where she needed them. Cozy readied her horn as guards came at her, blasting them away from her as she stepped menacingly towards the royal family. "I'm here to take over. Pipp, livestream will you? This is something that should be seen by all." Cozy stated, a wicked grin contorting her face. Pipp shook as she took out her phone and went live. Cozy snatched the phone from her, magically chaining up the family behind her. "Hello Zephyr Heights! As you can see, your royal family is a bit... tied up at the moment. Obviously, that's my doing! I'm taking over as your queen, effective immediately! Resistance is futile~! See what happened to these guards? The rest of Equestria is next!" the live stream ended, the phone being tossed back to Pipp. Havoc, chaos, and death descended upon Equestria. Cozy Glow freed Tirek and Chrysallis with ease, the three taking over the subservient land of Equestria once more. No pony would bring them down this time. Bad Ending: Equestria Was Doomed From the Start. Fate decided that Equestria shall fall. Author's Note And that's the bad ending! If there are any errors (ie grammar + spelling), constructive criticism, suggestions for the d20 system, etc, please let me know! Please also be aware that rude, unkind comments will be deleted. Please also remember that their is a fine line between being constructive and just being mean. Sprout's "Betrayal" [DC 15 Success]A thought occurred to Sprout. He quietly got off the couch and strode over to his saddle bag, pulling out the book he had borrowed from the library. He flipped its pages open, startled by the apparition. He threw the book, a small crystal falling out from between the pages, shattering on the floor, a small wisp of magic fading into the ether, the apparition fading with it. Sprout exhaled in relief, taking the book back in his hooves, returning to the couch. Nopony else was in the living room, so he turned on one of the lamps, carefully reading the pages of the book. It did talk about chess, but not about how to play. It only compared it to the things that the book detailed Cozy Glow did in her life. "The tiny filly had nearly drained Equestria of all magic well over an age ago, and was locked away in Tartarus. Many moons later, she and others were freed from Tartarus. They were freed by , who at the time they believed to be, none other than the legendary Grogar. A spell of time later, and Grogar is revealed to be none other than Discord, Lord of Chaos, only releasing the villains to set a friend on a more confident path. The three stole his and other's magic, wreaking havoc and taking over Equestria for a time. Months later, Equestria banded together in one final stand against the three, where they were ultimately defeated and turned to stone." Sprout's eyes grew wide. What had he done?! If only he weren't so stupid and read more of the book! He was so keen on finding Cozy, he didn't bother to even read any more of it! He cursed at himself under his breath, dog-earing the page he had read, shakily closing the book and quietly striding into Sunny's room. Sprout shook her awake, shushing her when she made noises of protest. "Sprout? What's going on at this hour?" she questioned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. He held out the book to her. "You know how I told you this book had that magical apparition? I didn't bother to read any of it past that! Cozy Glow is evil!" Sprout whispered, his voice shaking. Sunny furrowed her brows together, confused. She took the book from Sprout and opened it to his bookmarked page. Her eyes grew wide with fear. "What've I done, Sunny? It's like I haven't learned anything! This is all my fault! The pegasi are nearing a civil war because of me! And she was so intrigued about the unity crystals! What if she tries to steal our magic, like she did ages ago?" Sprout shook in fear, tears spilling over and streaking his cheeks. Sunny placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Go. Get to Zephyr Heights. Get to Bridlewood. We will find a way to return her to stone. I'm going to go see if I can't move the unity crystals. Take everypony else with you, and be quiet." Sprout only nodded, wiping his face and going to wake the others, telling them the details of what was going on. Sprout, Izzy and Hitch split up. Izzy went back to Bridlewood to rally forces there, while he and Hitch sprinted to Zephyr Heights. The streets of Zephyr Heights were quiet. More so than usual. They were illuminated only by the flickering of TV screes, that had clearly been destroyed. Sprout swallowed, a pit of guilt building in his stomach. "This . .. this is all my fault," Sprout spoke quietly, gazing out at the destruction before him. "We can worry about that later. We need to get to the Queen and Pipp and Zipp, and quickly. We only have so much time." Hitch said in reply, shoving Sprout to walk with him. Sprout trotted after him, following his instructions on how to sneak into the palace. The two made it to the throne room quietly, where the three pegasi they were looking for turned toward the sound, fear in their eyes. The fear faded when they saw Hitch and Sprout. "Your majesty, this is all my fault - I'm the one who brought Cozy here-" Sprout began to apologize only to be cutoff by the Queen. "It's not your fault. What're you doing here?" Haven spoke quietly and dejectedly. "That filly I had with me? She's evil! We need forces to join up with us before she dooms all of Equestria! I read up on her more, and why she was trapped in stone. Ages ago, she tried to steal all the magic in Equestria, and was later turned to stone for other atrocities she committed." Sprout said fervently, pulling out the book and opening to the page he read. Haven read over the page, having the same reaction as everyone else. Eyes wide, fear and panic flashing across her face. "The royal guard, and myself and the girls will return to Maretime Bay with you." Haven announced, nodding to her daughters. They nodded in reply, trotting off to gather the royal guard. Together, they returned to Maretime Bay. Izzy, Hitch and Sprout all returned with forces in tow right at the same time. The sight before them was astounding. It seemed as though Cozy and Sunny were already neck in neck. Cozy Glow's form had changed. A horn poked from her forehead, and her wings had grown in size. Cozy Glow flew at Sunny, barraging her in a wave of motic bolts from her horn! Sunny barely managed to block in time, her magic flickering. [Music for the finale.] Right Click > Loop if you need to. "Ponies! This is it! Protect our magic! Protect Equestria! Charge!" Sprout cried. The troops that had been brought together shouted in reply, everypony lunging forward in a sprint, the pounding of hooves rumbling down to Maretime Bay. Pegasi flew in and swirled around Cozy, wayward laser beams from her horns striking down some. Unicorns on the ground shot up at her as a counter, the shield she conjured beneath her cracking and giving way. Cozy sent a blast that knocked Sunny out of the sky, her form careening down and meeting with the earth below. "Sunny!" the main 5 shouted as they caught up with Sunny. "Our magic is fading, and fast! She's got control of the unity crystals! We need to get them from her and return her to the stone she came from!" Sunny cried in reply, flaring her aetherial wings as she stood. "We do this together. All of us." she turned and looked at Sprout, who nodded. Sunny faced her friends and put out a hoof. "Hoof to heart. We're in this together." "Together," everypony else spoke in unison, putting their hooves in. "Hoof to heart." Sprout cringed internally to see that Sunny was slowly, but surely, beginning to turn to stone. Sunny met his eyes and shook her head. That didn't matter right now. Sprout swallowed anxiously, as they lowered their hooves. Together, they entered the fray, each finding their own ways to aid the fight. Hitch ran to the injured. "This way to safety!" he shouted, leading to the safety of behind a nearby boulder, ignoring the sonorous war cries behind him. His cutiemark glowed on his flank. Izzy blasted beams up with the ground force of unicorns, then, the mare had an idea. She ran off briefly to grab some items, which she unicycled into a giant spy glass. "Aim through this! It should amplify our beams!" she yelled to her fellow unicorns. In unison, they began to beam magic through it, and found that Izzy was right. Larger, more persistent cracks formed in Cozy's lower shield. Izzy's cutiemark glowed with pride. Zipp and Pipp worked together to aeriel maneuver their way through Cozy's horn beams, Pipp making an opening for Zipp to fly by with haste, causing Cozyglow to spin uncontrollably. Together, their cutiemarks glowed in teamwork. This was Sprout's chance. There was an opening to get the crystals to Sunny. Sprout looked amongst the rubble and sprinted to what had (conveniently) fallen into the shape of a ramp. Sprout could feel his cutiemark glowing as he sprinted towards the ramp, leaping into the air at Cozy Glow. She grinned and ducked out of the way. Good. She wasn't his target. His hooves met with the surfaces of the unity crystals, wrapping them up in his arms. Zipp and Pipp made haste to catch him and ground him safely. Sprout sprinted to Sunny, who took the crystals in her ethereal magic, flapping her wings to float into the sky. They were attuned to her now. Her wings and horn glowed bright and with so much intensity that the battle itself stopped. Everyone, including Cozy Glow gazed upon the source of the light. "Enough! Your tyranny ends here and now!" Sunny announced, using magic to accentuate her voice. For a moment, Cozy Glow was still. Then she made a move. A beam of light drew a line in the ground, in front of the filly. "I said enough! It is through friendship that we save Equestria. Through love. Not war, not hatred. Not the fear of a leader dissenting." Sunny's friends began to levitate, falling in behind her - not of their own will. Sprout, Izzy, Hitch, Zipp, and Pipp, found themselves on either side of Sunny, their cutie marks glowing bright. "Only together can we defeat you." A color of rainbow came forth from each of Sunny's friends, striking Sunny, who's eyes were now nothing but pure white, glowing with motic power. From her ethereal horn, a rainbow beam came, bursting Cozy's shield, surrounding her in color. The surrounding crowd shielded their eyes from the light. A thud could be heard as a stony figure was placed on the ground. She had been returned to stone. Sunny and her friends landed, each letting out a sigh of relief. The crystals joined together once more, healing Sunny of her affliction and returning to the brighthouse. All around them, the crowd cheered. Equestria was safe once more. Many weeks passed, and Sprout did his due diligence in rebuilding Zephyr Heights and Maretime Bay, and this time, served his rightful time behind bars. In time, both cities forgave him, and all was back to how it was. -- End Author's Note And that's the good ending! If there are any errors (ie grammar + spelling), constructive criticism, suggestions for the d20 system, etc, please let me know! Please also be aware that rude, unkind comments will be deleted. Please also remember that their is a fine line between being constructive and just being mean. How To Play A Roll Your Own Adventure StoryHello and welcome to the game! Roll your own adventure stories are like a choose your own adventure, except in this, fate decides where the story goes. Firstly, the most important rule is to stick with your rolls! Can I stop you if you decide to read the better roll chapter? Not exactly, but for a more genuine experience, at least go through once with your first time rolls. The d20 [20 sided die] system; This system is simple. At certain points in the story, usually the end of chapters, you'll get something that looks (kindof) like this: [INSIGHT CHECK] DC: 15 Bonuses: +1 If the main character saw Celestia eat the cake behind Luna's back, add one d4 [4 sided die] to your roll. [If you rolled 14 or lower, click here] or [If you rolled 15 or higher, click here] DC means Difficulty Class; in this case, on a d20 basis, this is a more challenging insightful look at something. To pass a check, you must roll at the checks required number or higher, in this case, you must roll a 15 or higher, bonuses included. As you can see, this game will also include bonuses. Not all bonuses will be positive, some will be negative, and some rolls will be a flat d20. Make sure you read the FULL text of the check, including the italicized text. This check has a second, smaller bonus attached for something YOU the READER rolled at the last check, in this case, if you recall rolling to catch Celestia in the act of eating cake, you would roll a d4 and add that to you overall total. Making sense so far? Good! Next up, some checks may include Advantage or Disadvantage. In both of these cases, you will roll a d20 twice. On a roll with Advantage, you take the higher. On a roll with Disadvantage, you take the lower. The reasoning behind advantage or disadvantage will always be listed. One other aspect of the d20 is critical failures and critical successes. This system is highly simplified, and will not include those, at least for now. Don't have your own physical dice? No problem! Google has their own built-in online dice roller. Remember, the most important rule is to stick with your rolls! Can I stop you if you decide to read the better roll chapter? Not exactly, but for a more genuine experience, at least go through once with your first time rolls. There are FOUR total endings. Good luck, and may the dice roll in your favor. Author's Note And that's how to play! Will Sprout play right into Cozy Glow's hooves? Let's find out! Golly! You Almost Left Me Behind! [DC 12 Failure]Sprout squinted at the statue. The skinny, centaur like creature seemed to be cowering in fear. The creature with bug-like wings was prepped in attack -- wait -- whoever this bug creature was had holes in their legs. That had to be it! Sprout picked up the rook statue and jammed it into one of the many holes of the creatures leg, smiling proudly at his work. That is, until nothing happened. Sprout pouted at the statues. Thoughts whirled around in his mind. "Fine! Be that way! I didn't want your secrets anyway..." Sprout turned on his heel to go, hoisting his bag over his back as he walked off. Before he could more than a few feet away, a rumble and the sound of cracking stone came from behind him. Sprout stopped in his tracks out of fear. "Golly! You almost left me behind!" spoke the familiar voice. Sprout turned around and made a face akin to the cover once more. Continue. Golly! Thank You For Freeing Me! [DC 12 Success]Sprout investigated the statue carefully. Nothing on the cowering centaur, and the holes were too numerous on the bug-like creature to be the right ones. Sprout squinted hard at the statue, as if it would make him see better. The base of the statue of the three creatures was carved in a Greco-Roman style, some covered by significant overgrowth. Sprout brushed and pulled off the overgrowth, revealing a rook shaped indent beneath the overgrowth. This had to be it. Sprout carefully placed the rook in the indent. At first, nothing happened. Sprout pouted, huffing air and stomping a hoof. Then, from the rook, runes trailed around and up the statue, leylines of magic tracing up each statue. Sprout watched them with intense curiosity, watching as the statue of the familiar pegaus began to crack. The earth began to rumble. Sprout fearfully took steps back, shielding his eyes from the now brightly glowing statue. An small explosion and falling debri. Sprout placed his hoof back on the ground. "Golly! Thank you for freeing me!" came the familiar voice. The tiny pegasus that stood before him matched the one that appeared in the apparition. Sprout's face was that of this story's cover, you see. No sound left his throat but his jaw may as well have been on the floor. Continue.
Rook on a BookSprout, as Sprout does, was bored of community service. And of course, the majority of Maretime Bay made sure he knew they felt that community service wasn't enough for what he did. Sprout pouted at the broom he held in his hoof, brows furrowed in stubborn refusal. You know what? To hay with community service! Sprout smiled widely as he let the broom drop to the ground, and then in an instant, that satisfaction fled, his smile fading. Was there truly nothing more Sprout could do to feel the satisfaction of crushing his enemies under his might? Sprout picked his broom back up and continued sweeping, thoughts swirling in is mind. Hmm... that was it! Chess! Chess would allow him to crush his enemies underhoof without more community service! Now if only he knew how to play. There were books at the library - surely there had to be a book on how to play chess, right? Chess For Dummies or something? He'd take a look after his community service was wrapped up for the day. The Maretime Library was quiet and still, the jingle of the bell above the door signifying Sprout's entrance. Why did a library have a bell? Wasn't the point to be quiet? Sprouts angered thoughts on why a library had a bell were quickly interrupted. "Welcome to the Maretime Library," spoke a sweet, elderly woman. "Is there anything I can help you find?" she asked, offering a shaky smile to Sprout. "Oh! Uh, yes! I'm looking to learn chess." Sprout replied, trying not to giggle at how his words rhymed. "Of course, dearie, if you head to the back and make a right, there you'll find a whole section on chess!" the elder replied. "Just do be careful! Not a lot of ponies read about chess nowadays. and it's more than a little dusty," her tone shifted a little to one of a polite warning. "Thank you, ma'am," Sprout said as he made his way to the back. She was certainly right. It was far more than a little dusty. Dusting off some books, Sprout stifled a cough, waving the dust from the air. [INVESTIGATION CHECK - Find the Books About Chess] DC: 5 Bonuses: +0 Sprout really wants to learn about chess. Add a d4 to your roll if you like. [If you rolled 4 or lower, click here] or [If you rolled 5 or higher, click here] Author's Note C'mon Sprout! You can find the book!
Eh, Nevermind, I Didn't Want To Learn About Chess Anyway [DC 5 Failure]Eh, Nevermind, I Didn't Want To Learn About Chess Anyway [DC 5 Failure] Dust gets into Sprout’s eyes, causing them to water significantly. Man was that old mare right! This place is super dusty! In his panic, Sprout inhales some of the dust, coughing wildly, scrambling to win this battle. Sprout frantically tries to back away from the dust, tripping over a stack of books, landing on his rear. Sprout’s lower lip quivers, tears in his eyes. “FINE! You WIN, CHESS! I didn’t wanna learn you anyway!” Sprout shouts at the books, Sprout being Sprout, standing and trotting out of the library haughtily. The librarian at the front doesn't even get a chance to ask what went wrong before the bell on the door rings once more, Sprout's red rump out the door. The librarian shrugs, and goes back to her clerical work. As fate would have it, the world is much safer without Sprout learning chess. Go ahead and head back and re-roll to pass the check. Secret Ending Number One: Eh, Nevermind, I Didn't Want To Learn About Chess Anyway. Congrats! You got one of the secret endings! This is what I'd call a "for shits and giggles" part. Feel free to head back and try that roll again. Author's Note Seriously? That's all it took to give up on chess? Whatever.
Dust Is Not Sprout's Enemy! [DC 5 Success]The dust in the library settled, Sprout’s eyes scanning the chess shelf. No, no, no, AHA! One book in particular caught Sprout’s eye. On the leather spine was no title, but it was a curiosity nonetheless. Sprout carefully pried it from it’s spot on the shelf, the spot beneath it pristinely clean and dust free. On the front of the book was nothing but a gold leaf, embossed chess piece on the leather bound book cover. A rook, Sprout recognized. Sprout tilted his head in confusion. Where was the title? He held the book every which way, looking for the title, unable to find it. Maybe the actual paper cover was missing? After a moment of looking, Sprout shrugged, taking the book, and others, with him to one of the tables and chairs tucked away amongst the shelves of books. Quietly, he flipped through and skimmed some of the books. Studying was not his strong suit, after all. After a few hours, Sprout was sure his brain was fried, and that the books he read were all evil unicorns, frying his brains with horn zaps. But he had one book left. The title-less rook-book. That was a mouthful for Sprout. Sprout, as Sprout does, groaned as he opened the book, his eyes and lungs assaulted with more dust. Dust would not be Sprout’s enemy! He waved the dust in the air away once more, letting it settle before he read. ”This is the legend of Cozy Glow, master of chess.” Was the book’s first line. Who was Cozy Glow? What did somepony have to do with chess? Perhaps they were a master of chess in their lifetime? Sprout read on. ”Cozy Glow was a master of chess. While her cutie mark was nothing more than a rook, she knew that to be a master at chess, one had to play as the most valuable pieces. Some say that what she did was wrong, while many other agree that she knew what she was doing, and that she had the right idea.” Huh? Right idea? What did this have to do with chess? Sprout read on with the thought that maybe this had something to do with chess, perhaps Cozy was underhanded in a chess competition? "Cozy Glow was a master of manipulating her enemies, down to every pawn she played, -- Suddenly the words in the book glowed a mythical, mystifying arcane red. From the magic, a vision was drawn forth like a hologram from the books pages. "Golly! It seems you've read my book" spoke the vision of tiny, pink filly and a light blue, curled mane. Sprout blinked at the vision before him, jaw to the floor. "I applaud your ability to think clearly and find this book. Remember, world domination starts with playing in the shadows!" Sprout once more tilted his head. World domination? What? "Your next steps are to find me and free me! Only then will I teach you how to crush your enemies to dust! And laugh as they all scream!" Cozy Glow said, an evil laugh emanating from her hologram. Sprout looked around, ensuring no pony else had heard. No one else had payed him any mind. "To find me, head to where the unicorns once lived, hoity and toity, An ancient palace, an ancient prison, secrets it holds, Free me from the stonework, if you may be so bold," Sprout wracked his mind. Where was this tiny pegasus referring to? [INTGELLIGENCE CHECK - Just where was Cozy Glow Referring to?] DC: 12 Bonuses: -1 to your total roll. Sprout isn't very smart. [If you rolled 11 or lower, click here]or [If you rolled 12 or higher, click here] Author's Note Can you tell I don't like Sprout? Bro destroys someone's ENTIRE HOUSE and only gets community service?! WHAT? How does that make sense? ? ? 😭
Bridlewood, maybe? [DC 12 Failure]Sprout scrunched his brow in thought. Where unicorns come from? Bridlewood, maybe? But a castle? And a prison? Gasp! Unless Bridlewood was hiding a dark secret!! Sprout made a face similar to the cover image, slamming the book shut as the apparition began to repeat itself, making haste to check out the book and run home. As soon as he got home, he packed a bag and placed his unicorn repellent hat on his head as he ran out the door, sprinting through Maretime Bay onto the road to Bridlewood. The stallion didn't stop until he made his way all the way to Bridlewood, collapsing on the ground in the crystally forest home of many unicorns. His anti-brain zap hat had fallen off, rolling and bumping hooves with Alphabittle, who's eyes followed its trail to the red earth pony. Alpha raised an inquisitive eyebrow and strode over, offering hoof to the fallen pony. Sprout once again made a cover image face, screaming and cowering in fear, making an even bigger scene. "I KNOW YOU HAVE AN ANCIENT CASTLE AND SOMEPONY NAMED COZY GLOW LOCKED AWAY IN YOUR PRISONS!" Sprout shouted, scrambling to get up. Silence fell over the crowd that had now gathered. Alphabittle thought for a moment, then let out a loud, hardy guffaw; "Wh? What? Castle?" he said between bursts of laughter. "Prisoner? Cozy Glow?" he continued through laughter. He calmed himself down and took a breath. "You're a funny one Sprout, and just in time for Comedy Night, too," Alphabittle said, once again offering Sprout his hoof. Did he truly not know anything? Sprout would have to investigate over this... "comedy night" that Alphabittle referred to. Sprout pouted and took his hoof, rising, following Alphabittle to his teahouse. Inside, jazz music played and the aroma of tea filled Sprout's nostrils, his eyes wandering around his surroundings. The overall vibe was calm and collected, and worked wonders at calming Sprout down. He sat at the bar adjacent to the stage, where Alphabittle was already pouring his cup of tea, gesturing to a seat that was free. Sprout climbed into the seat and nodded his thanks, taking a sip of his tea. Ow! Hot!! He fanned his mouth, Alphabittle stifling a chuckle. "Sorry, probably should have warned you it would be hot. What brings you to Bridlewood? And what about castles and prisons?" Alphabittle inquired, offering a face of apology to Sprout. Sprout pouted in reply at first. "I found a book that had this? Magical hologram? Thing?" Sprout stopped talking at Alphabittle's puzzled face. "I'll just show you - " Sprout reached into his saddlebag and pulled out the leather bound tome, the gold leaf emblazoned on the front in a rook shape sparkling in the low light of the teahouse. Sprout placed it gently on the counter and opened even more carefully, reading the words once more. Again, they glowed and the apparition appeared, repeating what was said earlier in Sprout's day. "So ancient unicorn home brought you here, I see." Alphabittle said, closing the book. "That sounds more like Canterlot, from Bridlewood history books. As far as I'm aware, that ancient city still stands, albeit dangerous to visit." Alphabittle said, shuffling around behind the counter. The grey stallion levitated an old map onto the counter in front of Sprout, unraveling it. The fragile paper was an old map, where his hometown, Bridlewood, and Zephyr Heights were recognizable, but the map extended far beyond. Alphabittle pointed out a spot beyond the Everfree, a mountainous zone where an old castle was drawn on, labelled "Canterlot". "Whoever this little pegasus is, I think she wants you to go there," Alphabittle said, eyeing Sprout. He looked the map over and sketched out his own copy. "T-Thank you, Alphabittle, for the tea and the map." Sprout said, standing to go. "You're not staying for comedy night?" Alphabittle questioned. "Nope! I have chess to learn, and that little filly is the key, I just know it!" Sprout said, trotting into town and into the woods. Continue your journey. [click]
Ancient Cities, Even Older Castles, and EVEN OLDER Prisons. [DC 12 Success][If you're here as a successful check in the library, please scroll down until you find the red line and read from there. If you're here as a failed check that led you to Bridlewood, please read from here. This is to prevent the reading of the passed check.] Sprout journeyed for days, finally coming across some other ancient town. What was left of it, anyway. The silence of the town creeped into Sprout's bones. He needed to keep his time here swift. This place was on his map he drew, but Alphabittle's original map didn't have a name of where he was. But what he did know was that Canterlot was but a few days off. Strolling into town, he passes by a long abandoned bakery, a boutique that holds the now crumbling fabric of couture at the time, and various other unfamiliar structures. In the center of town is an offensively shaped, crystal castle. Maybe this was the castle Cozy Glow was referring to? Sprout entered the castle, shivering at a breeze that blew through it's empty walls. Down from where he was standing, a door creaked open. Though creeped out, his curiosity got the better of him. The door led to a stairwell, which led to a balcony containing, seemingly, the only item left in this castle. A telescope. Hesitantly, Sprout looked through the telescope, looking for any signs of what remained of Canterlot. [PERCEPTION CHECK] DC: 10 Bonuses: +2 from the telescope. Sprout drew a map. Roll a d4 and add it to your total. [If you rolled 9 or lower, click here] or [If you rolled 10 or higher, click here] ══════════════════════════════════════════ Sprout thought and thought. It couldn't be Bridlewood. They didn't have a castle, so there was no way that they would have a prison. Sprout quickly found a map elsewhere in the library, and returned to his book, taking a look. He recognized Maretime Bay, Zephyr Heights and Bridlewood, but this map expanded past that. Past the Everfree forest was an ancient town called "Ponyville", and beyond it were mountainous heights where a grand city stood, named "Canterlot". He remembered briefly hearing about unicorn history, and that many of them originally hailed from there. Sprout sketched out his own map in a journal he had on hoof, returning the map and checking out the book he had been reading on Cozy Glow. He made quick work of getting home, packing a bag and heading out. Days passed by the time he finally found himself at the edge of the world he knew. Everfree forest had come to a clearing, where Sprout could see what remained of a cottage and some kind of animal sanctuary. He had traipsed right into the remains of Ponyville, which he knew very little about. From the cottage, he made his way into what was left of town, taking in the sights. A long overgrown farm, a bakery with surprisingly modern cookware, a boutique with ages old fashion, clouds that shaped themselves into a Greco-Roman home, and a crystal castle that formed a surprisingly offensive shape. Despite that, this ancient left over city brought a sense of comfort to Sprout. The riddle that Cozy spoke mentioned a castle, but to free from stonework. The castle here was pure crystal through and through, and had clearly been abandoned, like the rest of the town. Some buildings looked as though they had simply worn down over time, others looked destroyed by whatever put this town out of business. Sprout didn't want to imagine what. Shaking his head, he decided to check the castle out anyway. It was lined in spiderwebs, and nothing remained. A door further into the castle creaked open, leading to a stairwell, which led Sprout onto a balcony, which held the only item seemingly left behind. A telescope. Sprout hesitantly peaked through the telescope, checking the horizon for any signs of Canterlot. [PERCEPTION CHECK] DC: 10 Bonuses: +2 from the telescope. Sprout drew a map. Roll a d4 and add it to your total. [If you rolled 9 or lower, click here] or [If you rolled 10 or higher, click here]
Oh, Is That It? No, That's Just the Sun. Ow! [DC 10 Failure]Sprout carefully calibrates the telescope and looks around, taking in the rest of the town first before scanning the horizon. Something on it caught his eye, so he shifted the telescope back to that unique point. Why was it so bright? Oh for Celestia's sake that's the sun! QUIT LOOKING AT IT! Sprout cries out in pain, realizing he's managed to blind himself in the one eye. Perhaps journeying wasn't for him. Plus, he should probably get his eye checked out back at home. Chess wasn't worth this. Sprout makes his way home quietly, returning the book and shrugging off the mystery. He just wasn't cut out for adventuring. Fate has decided that Equestria shall remain safe. Secret Ending #2: Screw You Celestia! Feel free to move on to the better roll if you wish!
There It Is! I'll Head That Way! [ DC 10 Success ]With a careful eye and careful aim, Sprout recalibrates the telescope and focuses in on the mountain range. Wait! What was that? Something shiny on the horizon caught Sprout's eye. He shifted back to the shiny glints on and could make out a large, looming castle. From what he could see below it, an entire city, as ancient as the one he was in, stood beneath it. That castle he could see in the distance matched what was on his sketched copy of the map. That had to have been it. In quiet reverence, he nods to the castle he stands in, as a form of thanks for having a telescope remain. Sprout retreats down the stairwell, and out of the castle, finding his way to a train station, and what remains of the tracks. Canterlot was due north of here. He'd just follow the tracks. Easy right? More days passed and finally, Sprout found himself at the gate of the walled city of Canterlot. He suspected this is where the royal guard would guard the city from, at least, this was one spot. The gate itself was long corroded and fallen down. Sprout carefully stepped over what remained of the gate and ventured into the city. A renegade donut shop, a boutique that had similar fashion to the shop in ancient Ponyville. So much to explore, it was overwhelming. But then he saw it. In all of it's majesty, their stood a royal palace, it's shadow long cast over the rest of the city. Sprout carefully made his way past the second rotting gate, and through the courtyard where wooden doors had long been collapsed. Hesitantly, Sprout stepped inside, his hoofstep echoing off the stone walls and tile. Before him was a throne, atop it was a 6 pointed star. Curious. Sprout continued his journey into the castle, where he finally found the palace library, after much searching. This place was huge! But he wasn't here to explore. He was here to learn chess and gosh darnit he'd learn it!! The library was dustier than the one section back home, Sprout being careful where he stepped so as not to trigger a dust storm. Sprout explored and explored when finally, he spotted a small statue of a rook. He knew this part. Sprout carefully twisted it in place, a locking apparatus clicking behind it. A single tile on the wall slid out of place, revealing a piece of parchment older than Sprout. He very carefully picked it up ad unraveled it, reading it's contents. "Golly! You've made it this far! I'm so proud of you! Now go to the castle gardens and find my statue. I'll be with two others, creatures you may or may not recognize. Bring the Rook. It will set me free." Sprout carefully bagged the parchment and, with a bit of a struggle, pulled the rook from it's stand, placing it in his bag too. Quitely, he stepped out of the library and explored more until he found a severely overgrown royal garden. There were many statues, most of which were overgrown. Many were non pony creatures he didn't recognize. Wait... the original line from the book was "stone prison". We're these all creatures that once lived? Something in Sprout's mind whirled about. Were these prisoners? But how? Was it magic? Were they turned to stone against their will? So many were in poses of peril. Just what kind of garden was this?! Sprout shook the thoughts from his mind. He had to learn chess. He wanted to crush his enemies! Sprout continued on through the garden, spotting a statue that was less overgrown. On it was a tiny pegasus, a skinny dreadful creature, and another creature in an attack position. Cozy Glow was the only one that was recognizable. Sprout re-read the ancient parchment and took out the small rook statue, being careful with both items. The rook would set her free? Sprout investigated the statue. [INVESTIGATION CHECK - Now Where Does This Rook Go?] DC: 12 Bonuses: +0 [If you rolled 11 or lower, click here] or [If you rolled 12 or higher, click here]
Can I Finally Learn Chess?Cozy Glow observed Sprout for a moment, watching him as he eyed her. It was time to see if her charms still worked. She drew in a breath. "Goodness! I didn't think my tiny face would startle you so much, Mister! It's only me! The one you freed!" Cozy Glow said with a sugary sweetness, pulling out a face of pure innocence. Sprout's mind came back to reality. "O-oh! N-no! I came here to free you, like your book said to do!" Sprout quickly reached for the book in his saddlebag, showing it to her. Yep. That was the one. Good. Someone who shared her mindset had heard of her legend and set her free to bring hellfire down on upon Equestria and -- "Cozy Glow?" Sprout spoke, shaking Cozy Glow from her thoughts. Hopefully he didn't see her face contort into a wickedly evil grin. "Yes?" she replied sweetly, batting her lashes. "Now that you're free, can you teach me chess?" Wut. Cozy Glow's smile faded instantly, her face displaying nothing but confusion. Cozy blinked. Who was this... this .... SIMPERING SIMPLETON?! How did this IDIOT free her? He did not share her mindset! Cozy Glow felt rage build in her chest. But she forced it back down. She could still take over Equestria. She'd just have to get this idiot out of the way first. Cozy Glow drew in another long breath, returning her sickly sweet smile to her face. "Why golly, of course! I'll teach you through real world example!" she said gleefully. Oh she'd teach him alright. And he'd unknowingly help her takeover Equestria. Her plan was now in action. He was clearly not very bright, and she was the master of charms and manipulation. "Shall we?" she asked, trotting past him and looking behind her at Sprout. He nodded and quickly packed his bag back up, trotting behind her. The journey back to Maretime Bay was nothing other than a spectacle. Listening to Cozy Glow prattle on about chess and how she used many of it's strategies in every day life was strangely fascinating. Quite honestly, you'd think hearing about wanting to be the literal Empress of Friendship and how she literally played Twilight right into Tartarus and all that would be a red flag. Double quite honestly, Sprout is not smart. Sprout lacks logic. Touché, me. Anyway, moving on. "So, Sprout," Cozy Glow spoke up after a few moments of thoughtful silence, her tiny wings flapping in the air. She had just regaled him on the use of pawns, and how while they may seem like the most unimportant piece - truly, they're the ones that can bring on the heat if played right and played well. What I mean is, they're perceived as unimportant - on some level they are - in the beginning and middle of the game, they're sacrifices, but become significantly important in the endgame." "Here's one strategy I like to use. It's called a "pin"," Cozy gestured quotations in the air with her hooves. "A pin is where a piece can't move, otherwise you risk losing one of your big pieces, such as a Queen. Either the Queen sacrifices her rook, or you lose the Queen. Obviously, giving up your rook is your only option," Cozy explains, gesturing with her hooves. Sprout just... looked confused. Chess was way harder to understand than he initially thought. "You ... look confused. Let me give you a real world example. Do you know any queens? Princesses, perhaps?" Cozy asked, eyeing Sprout. Queen Haven and her daughters Zipp and Pipp immediately came to mind. Sprout nodded enthusiastically. "The pegasus kingdom has a Queen and two princesses! You... wanna head there before we hit Maretime Bay?" he offered, smiling at the tiny pink filly. A wicked grin sprawled across Cozy's face. A laugh erupted from her tiny body, Sprout chiming in with laughter of his own. Cozy Glow's laugh slowed. "You really need to work on your evil laugh, dude." she said neutral toned, eyeing him. Sprout's face reddened... more than it already naturally was, and he rubbed behind his ears. "Sorry... anyway, it's this way to Zephyr Heights," he said, turning to lead the way, trotting off. "Eh, it's whatever. We'll work on it. Ready for a real world example?" she asked, flying beside him. He nodded excitedly. Raucous evil laughter could be heard from far below Zephyr Heights, echoing from the canyon the massive city stood before. Two guards that stood at the city gate furrowed confused brows at each other, having a conversation in facial expressions alone. "I'm not the only one hearing that, right?" came the twitch of a brow. "It's not just you, don't worry. But be on your guard." Came the flick of the eyes. They nodded to each other and returned to attention. Sprout and Cozy Glow loudly approached, stopping before the guards. "Hello, dear guards, we're here to see Queen Haven." Cozy Glow said, batting her lashes at the pair of guards. The guards once more shared a glance, looking between each other and the tiny pink filly. Sprout only smiled politely. "... Sorry... how does Her Majesty know you?" one guard piped in. Cozy Glow fluttered her wings. "Golly! I didn't even explain! You see, I'm a pegasus from far off, and I carry news of other pegasi that have never been here before. They'd be very disappointed if I didn't get to speak to her," Cozy's face contorted to that of puppy eyes and a pouty bottom lip. She held the face until the guards caved. "Right this way," said one guard, who nodded his head as he began to walk off. Cozy looked to Sprout and winked at him. Woah. She just did that. Maybe it was part of his chess lessons. He'd ask about it later. A short walk later, and the pair plus the guard found themselves in an elevator, leading them straight to the throne room. Sprout and Cozy followed behind the guard quietly. Cozy leaned in near Sprout, whispering in his ear, eyeing the guard to make sure his ears didn't turn towards them. "Watch and learn, Sprout. You're about to witness a pin, that tactic I told you about, in a real life example." she whispered. Sprout nodded in reply, eyes forward. "-- But Mom! Me?! Queen?" Zipp's voice carried from the throne room, it's glory coming into view. The white pegasus was clearly distraught. A smaller, light pink pegasus with down feathers came into the throne room, clearly distracted by her phone. Cozy eyed the smaller pegasus engrossed in her phone. She'd be the first piece played. The trio regained their composure and stood regally together, Pipp stuffing her phone under her wing. Cozy Glow leaned in and whispered once more. "The Queen is the queen, and her daughters are pawns, okay? Like I explained in the tactic," she nodded to Sprout, who nodded again in reply. Cozy composed herself as she and Sprout came into view. Royal fanfare announced the pair's presence, to the dismay of the royal trio. "Your majesty," Cozy spoke sweetly, bowing. Sprout bowed as well. "You have Sprout with you! How nice to see you again. And what can I do for you, little filly?" Queen Haven asked, meeting Cozy's eyes. "Well, you see... I've lived with my family outside Equestria for my whole life. When we met Sprout, we were scared, but he told us of your city. That we'd find peace and solace here?" Cozy Glow batted her lashes, her ears drooping against her head, eyes big like a begging dog. "Oh, I see, well of c-" Queen Haven was abruptly interrupted. "Oh EM gee! Pipsqueaks!" came Pipp's shrill voice. "This just in! New pegasi! From BEYOND Equestira! EEE!!" Pipp was very quickly in Cozy's face with her phone. This was it. It was time to initiate phase two. Cozy shifted uncomfortably away from the phone, smiling awkwardly, trotting over to the Queen. "Um, your majesty?" Cozy asked innocently, her tone honeyed. "I have a question..." "Of course! What can I answer for you?" Haven replied, all too eagerly. Silence fell over the throne room as Pipp continued to film. "What happens when a Princess, such as her," Cozy pointed to Zipp, "doesn't want to be next in line?" she finished, practically pulling the secret from thin air. Zipp's face was quick to contort to shock, as was the Queen's. Pipp's hoof was over her mouth, eyes wide. Pipp did not end her stream. "Wh- Zephyrina?! Explain yourself! You know you must be Queen someday! You are crown princess of Zephyr Heights!" Queen Haven's voice rose in volume the longer she spoke. "There is no other option for you! When the day comes, YOU will be crowned Queen! I have not spent years and years preparing you to be queen for you to do nothing but throw that all away!" Queen Haven huffed deeply, anger spread thick across her face. Another realization seemed to cross her mind. Pipp was streaming. She whirled around to face Pipp, rage now fueling her movements. "Phone. Off. Now." Haven practically growled the last word. Silently, Pipp turned off her stream and put her phone under her wing. "Zipp, Pipp, out. Now." she said, looking between the two. Haven seemed to have forgotten about Sprout and Cozy Glow. Zipp and Pipp quietly left, tears streaking the crown princess's cheeks. The two spared no glances to Sprout or Cozy as they left. Haven trotted, pacing back and forth in a line. "Pipp was livestreaming?! How many times have I told her?! The throne room is private! And now everypony will know! I had my suspicions but? What about us! The last time a scandal happened, we we're set to be arrested! What about their image? What about my image?" Queen Haven was clearly spiraling. Cozy Glow cleared her throat, causing her to stop in her tracks. "Um... I may just be a filly - but, what if you made a statement? If you're so worried about your image, their must be something you can do to preserve yours, right?" Cozy glow said ever so innocently. This was the pin. Haven had two choices. Admit her faults to the entirety of her kingdom, or throw Zipp under the bus and put the blame all on her. It was all too satisfying. "Either way you explain it though, one of you is in the wrong... I'd be careful with your verbiage, your majesty" Cozy Glow bowed and turned to leave, flicking Sprout with her tail, indicating for him to follow. Queen Haven's eyes stayed on the pair as they left, watching the spot they stood in long after they had left. Haven returned to her pacing. On some level, that little filly was right. Something had to be said. She had to save face. Her own face. Cozy Glow and Sprout sat at a table in a part of Zephyr Heights surrounded by what Sprout had taught Cozy Glow were massive televisions, where the news was regaling the events that just occurred in a form of breaking news. It was all anypony was talking about! Cozy Glow grinned widely. "That, Sprout, was called a pin, like I taught you. Now, we wait on the result of that pin..." Cozy said sweetly, keeping her eyes on one of the many surrounding screens. Sprout nodded, his neck twisted to watch the news. The two didn't have long to wait. "Breaking news straight from the Zephyr Heights palace! Queen Haven speaks on the days events!" cried a news reporter. "Hello, and good afternoon, my subjects. Firstly, I sincerely apologize for any actions you may have seen earlier. Princess Zepyhyrina is in a... very fragile state where she's constantly at ends with me... and well... Moms? You know how it is. Sometimes, you just get to your wits end. I assure you, she will be Queen one day. Your crown princess loves you, and can't wait to serve you!" she said jovially, smiling into the camera. Cozy Glow grinned wickedly. "This, Sprout, is the pin I taught you about. The Queen had no choice but to save face, else she risks her own hide." Cozy glow said, rubbing her hooves together. Something about this didn't feel right to Sprout, but he couldn't place what. He ignored the feeling for now, her voice breaking him from his thoughts. "Sprout? Did you hear me?" she asked, pouting at him. Sprout nodded. "Yes, the pin? What an interesting play in chess. I never knew you could apply chess to the real world … or at least certainly not in that way." Sprout replied, smiling awkwardly. "Shall we?" Cozy said, getting up and beginning to walk off. Sprout nodded, trotting to catch up. "Would you wanna meet my friends back home? Oh! I can also show you the unity crystals. I bet Sunny would love to meet you!" Sprout happily said, smiling at the pink filly. "Golly would I! I'd love some new friends to help me traverse this new era!" Cozy Glow replied just as happily, flapping her wings excitedly. The journey back home to Maretime bay was relatively uneventful. Sprout and Cozy Glow conversed about various things, mostly though, Cozy Glow had more and more questions about this era of Equestria. She had seen and learned so much, so figures she'd want to learn even more. "So those televisions work through electricity... we had that back in my time, but it was far less advanced," Cozy stated as the Crystal Brighthouse came into view, the sun falling beneath the horizon. Cozy eyed it, and the rainbow that came from the top. She could feel it. That rainbow contained motic power. Magic. If she could get her hooves on it, she could so easily take over. Her plan was working so far. Sprout was a fool enough. And apparently Sunny was an alicorn, though only at times. Which didn't make sense to Cozy, but eh oh well. She'd cut her losses and figure that out later. Sprout held open the door for Cozy, who flapped inside. The air inside the Brighthouse was pregnant with tension and silence, save for Cozy's wingbeats, and the news playing on the TV. Sunny, Izzy and Hitch were sat in silence, watching with intensity. "Tensions rising to astronomical levels in Zephyr Heights as a livestream straight from the palace illuminates the truth on the kingdom's crown princess. Riots, one after the other, have broken out in the streets, many saying to let the crown princess go, others saying she must rule! Is pegasi civil war on the horizon? More at 8." Sprout cleared his throat, garnering the three's attention. Sunny, Hitch and Izzy all turned to face them. "Oh! Sprout! There you are! We were wondering where you'd gotten off to. Who's this?" Sunny's voice came, the concern of the news washing away from her mind. "So - this is Cozy Glow - I read a book about her and...well it led me to a few ancient cities, where I freed her from a stone prison!" Sprout proclaimed excitedly, smiling brightly. "How fun! I'm guessing she'll need friends to help her adjust to modern times?" Sunny suggested, offering a smile to the filly. Cozy glow eyed her. How naïve of her. No alicorn in sight, either. Just an earth pony. Was Sprout lying perhaps? "Golly, I'd really appreciate that!" Cozy remarked, offering a fake smile in return. "Well, it's late so we'll show you everything tomorrow. The rest of us are sleeping over here, and you're both welcome to join us!" Sunny offered, looking between the two. Sprout and Cozy shared a look, and then nodded in agreeance. The rest of the night went exceedingly well, everyone took a shining to Cozy, happy of the new friend. Soon though, popcorn, movies, and snacks ran dry, and it was time to get some rest. Sprout lay in bed with little comfort. The events of the day had plagued his mind, whispering from the back of it. And now, with nothing else to do, they had returned to the forefront. Finally, reason had seemingly returned to him. Why was Cozy Glow in stone? What if their was a deeper, darker meaning to it? The book mentioned 'domination of Equestria' but it didn't make sense. He was learning about chess. He just figured, at least up until now, the book contained more real world examples. Was Cozy Glow evil? Her being trapped in stone was described as a prison. [INSIGHT CHECK - What Have I Done?] DC: 15 Bonuses: +0 [If you rolled 14 or lower, click here] or [If you rolled 15 or higher, click here] Author's Note yes, that was a barbie reference https://youtu.be/9B2DGTxxN8w also sorry if my chess explanations are a little wack, as it's confusing, but thank you to my friend IAmSinner for helping me learn a few tactics and terms for this part of the story to make proper sense.
Sprout's Sacrifice [DC 15 Failure]No. No. No. No no no no no no. There was NO WAY Cozy Glow was evil! She had been nice enough up until this point. The book was surely just real world examples with very expressive wording. He had read a portion of it. It was just learning chess! Maybe she was "trapped" in stone so she could live longer? Sprout would bet that that garden of statues was all just other ponies and creatures waiting to be freed, just like she was. Sprout huffed and flopped huffily onto his other side, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep. The next morning, Sprout was woken up by a loud kitchen, and delicious smelling pancakes. Sprout rubbed the sleep from his eyes, standing from the couch and stretching. "Good morning Sprout! Come help Cozy and I in the kitchen!" came Sunny's voice, who leaned out from the counter. Sprout trotted over, helping quietly. Breakfast was ready soon enough, and the group sat on the couch, TV on for background noise. It was on the news channel again. "More violent riots and protest break loose in Zephyr Heights. Many injured, some dead." Spoke the news reporter. Sunny frowned, saddened by what she was hearing. "We need to head to Zephyr Heights." Sunny stated, placing her empty plate on the coffee table. Hitch spoke next, his tone full of logic. "Sunny... it's not safe. It's getting dangerous there. I feel sorry for the citizens, and I'm worried about our friends too, but it's just not safe. Let's take today to keep our mind off such things, okay?" Hitch commented, a hoof on Sunny's shoulder. Sunny let out a sigh. "You're right. We'll show Cozy around town, starting right here in the Brighthouse." Sunny's smile briefly returned to her face. Breakfast was wrapped up quickly, the group getting ready for the day. "Well, you've seen part of the Brighthouse so far, but there's one place you haven't seen yet. As I'm sure Sprout has told you, we ponies didn't have magic for a while. It took us coming together, and uniting our crystals, to finally get it back." Sunny pulled on a lever that brought down an elevator. The all got on and it took them up to the tower of the Brighthouse, where the unity crystals made their home. As the elevator rose, so too did the magic power Cozy could feel. It was overwhelming. So much for the taking. The elevator stopped, and before the group glowed the rainbow and gemstones that made up the unity crystals. "These are the unity crystals. They brought back magic to Equestria!" Sunny said. Behind her, an apparition of Twilight Sparkle formed from the crystals. The room was awash in a red glow. Sunny jumped and turned around. Cozy scowled at the apparition. "Activating Failsafe protocol. Stone prisoner escapee, Cozy Glow. Activating Stoneskin spell." came Twilight's voice. "W-what?" Sunny's eyes grew wide, watching the apparition. the rest of the group making the same shocked expression. Sprout watched as magic surrounded Cozy Glow. "No!" Sprout ran to Cozy Glow, pushing through everyone else. "Sprout no!" "Sprout stop!" came the weary cries of his friends. But it was too late for him. Sprout had shoved Cozy Glow aside, the magic working on his body instead. Pain enraptured is entire body, his flesh turning to the very stone Cozy Glow had escaped from. Before he knew it, his body was frozen permanently in a pained, fear-stricken pose. The group watched on in silence. Then a laugh cut through. Cozy Glow laughed heinously flapping up from the ground. "And that's how you truly, play chess, Sprout. And now, the magic will be mine." Cozy Glow booped Sprout's stone nose, turning to place a hoof on the crystals. "While Equestria has changed, there's one thing that hasn't changed. Do you know what that is?" Cozy's face contorted to a wicked, evil grin, eyes meeting with an ever silent Sunny. Sunny only swallowed in reply, the tiniest shake of her head illuminating that she didn't know. "I'll be glad to tell you," Cozy's voice was sickeningly sweet. "It's that fool lineage. I see that still lives on. Do you know how easy he was to manipulate? How easily he played right into my hooves? Speaking of hooves..." Cozy Glow placed hers on the unity crystals, reciting an ancient incantation. Magic swirled around her, the sound of cracking bones could be heard as her wings grew in size, a horn piercing through her skull. The unity crystals fell to the ground with a loud thud, the rainbow fading. Sunny attempted to rile up her alicorn form, but it only flickered before fading completely. "What've you done!" Sunny cried, staring down the alicorn filly. "You're about to find out!" a boom exploded from inside the Brighthouse, a massive hole in the wall where Sunny, Hitch and Izzy had stood. Their bodies lay amongst the rubble, many rushing from town to see what the commotion was. "Gaze upon me, Maretime Bay! For I am Cozy Glow! Your one and only alicorn princess! Bow to me, or face my wrath!" Cozy Glow lit her horn threateningly, those that had arrived to help stopped in their tracks, bowing out of fear. Cozy blasted them anyway, flying into town and wreaking havoc. It was not long after that she teleported to Zephyr Heights, straight to the palace throne room. Lucky for her, the princesses and the Queen were right where she needed them. Cozy readied her horn as guards came at her, blasting them away from her as she stepped menacingly towards the royal family. "I'm here to take over. Pipp, livestream will you? This is something that should be seen by all." Cozy stated, a wicked grin contorting her face. Pipp shook as she took out her phone and went live. Cozy snatched the phone from her, magically chaining up the family behind her. "Hello Zephyr Heights! As you can see, your royal family is a bit... tied up at the moment. Obviously, that's my doing! I'm taking over as your queen, effective immediately! Resistance is futile~! See what happened to these guards? The rest of Equestria is next!" the live stream ended, the phone being tossed back to Pipp. Havoc, chaos, and death descended upon Equestria. Cozy Glow freed Tirek and Chrysallis with ease, the three taking over the subservient land of Equestria once more. No pony would bring them down this time. Bad Ending: Equestria Was Doomed From the Start. Fate decided that Equestria shall fall. Author's Note And that's the bad ending! If there are any errors (ie grammar + spelling), constructive criticism, suggestions for the d20 system, etc, please let me know! Please also be aware that rude, unkind comments will be deleted. Please also remember that their is a fine line between being constructive and just being mean.
Sprout's "Betrayal" [DC 15 Success]A thought occurred to Sprout. He quietly got off the couch and strode over to his saddle bag, pulling out the book he had borrowed from the library. He flipped its pages open, startled by the apparition. He threw the book, a small crystal falling out from between the pages, shattering on the floor, a small wisp of magic fading into the ether, the apparition fading with it. Sprout exhaled in relief, taking the book back in his hooves, returning to the couch. Nopony else was in the living room, so he turned on one of the lamps, carefully reading the pages of the book. It did talk about chess, but not about how to play. It only compared it to the things that the book detailed Cozy Glow did in her life. "The tiny filly had nearly drained Equestria of all magic well over an age ago, and was locked away in Tartarus. Many moons later, she and others were freed from Tartarus. They were freed by , who at the time they believed to be, none other than the legendary Grogar. A spell of time later, and Grogar is revealed to be none other than Discord, Lord of Chaos, only releasing the villains to set a friend on a more confident path. The three stole his and other's magic, wreaking havoc and taking over Equestria for a time. Months later, Equestria banded together in one final stand against the three, where they were ultimately defeated and turned to stone." Sprout's eyes grew wide. What had he done?! If only he weren't so stupid and read more of the book! He was so keen on finding Cozy, he didn't bother to even read any more of it! He cursed at himself under his breath, dog-earing the page he had read, shakily closing the book and quietly striding into Sunny's room. Sprout shook her awake, shushing her when she made noises of protest. "Sprout? What's going on at this hour?" she questioned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. He held out the book to her. "You know how I told you this book had that magical apparition? I didn't bother to read any of it past that! Cozy Glow is evil!" Sprout whispered, his voice shaking. Sunny furrowed her brows together, confused. She took the book from Sprout and opened it to his bookmarked page. Her eyes grew wide with fear. "What've I done, Sunny? It's like I haven't learned anything! This is all my fault! The pegasi are nearing a civil war because of me! And she was so intrigued about the unity crystals! What if she tries to steal our magic, like she did ages ago?" Sprout shook in fear, tears spilling over and streaking his cheeks. Sunny placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Go. Get to Zephyr Heights. Get to Bridlewood. We will find a way to return her to stone. I'm going to go see if I can't move the unity crystals. Take everypony else with you, and be quiet." Sprout only nodded, wiping his face and going to wake the others, telling them the details of what was going on. Sprout, Izzy and Hitch split up. Izzy went back to Bridlewood to rally forces there, while he and Hitch sprinted to Zephyr Heights. The streets of Zephyr Heights were quiet. More so than usual. They were illuminated only by the flickering of TV screes, that had clearly been destroyed. Sprout swallowed, a pit of guilt building in his stomach. "This . .. this is all my fault," Sprout spoke quietly, gazing out at the destruction before him. "We can worry about that later. We need to get to the Queen and Pipp and Zipp, and quickly. We only have so much time." Hitch said in reply, shoving Sprout to walk with him. Sprout trotted after him, following his instructions on how to sneak into the palace. The two made it to the throne room quietly, where the three pegasi they were looking for turned toward the sound, fear in their eyes. The fear faded when they saw Hitch and Sprout. "Your majesty, this is all my fault - I'm the one who brought Cozy here-" Sprout began to apologize only to be cutoff by the Queen. "It's not your fault. What're you doing here?" Haven spoke quietly and dejectedly. "That filly I had with me? She's evil! We need forces to join up with us before she dooms all of Equestria! I read up on her more, and why she was trapped in stone. Ages ago, she tried to steal all the magic in Equestria, and was later turned to stone for other atrocities she committed." Sprout said fervently, pulling out the book and opening to the page he read. Haven read over the page, having the same reaction as everyone else. Eyes wide, fear and panic flashing across her face. "The royal guard, and myself and the girls will return to Maretime Bay with you." Haven announced, nodding to her daughters. They nodded in reply, trotting off to gather the royal guard. Together, they returned to Maretime Bay. Izzy, Hitch and Sprout all returned with forces in tow right at the same time. The sight before them was astounding. It seemed as though Cozy and Sunny were already neck in neck. Cozy Glow's form had changed. A horn poked from her forehead, and her wings had grown in size. Cozy Glow flew at Sunny, barraging her in a wave of motic bolts from her horn! Sunny barely managed to block in time, her magic flickering. [Music for the finale.] Right Click > Loop if you need to. "Ponies! This is it! Protect our magic! Protect Equestria! Charge!" Sprout cried. The troops that had been brought together shouted in reply, everypony lunging forward in a sprint, the pounding of hooves rumbling down to Maretime Bay. Pegasi flew in and swirled around Cozy, wayward laser beams from her horns striking down some. Unicorns on the ground shot up at her as a counter, the shield she conjured beneath her cracking and giving way. Cozy sent a blast that knocked Sunny out of the sky, her form careening down and meeting with the earth below. "Sunny!" the main 5 shouted as they caught up with Sunny. "Our magic is fading, and fast! She's got control of the unity crystals! We need to get them from her and return her to the stone she came from!" Sunny cried in reply, flaring her aetherial wings as she stood. "We do this together. All of us." she turned and looked at Sprout, who nodded. Sunny faced her friends and put out a hoof. "Hoof to heart. We're in this together." "Together," everypony else spoke in unison, putting their hooves in. "Hoof to heart." Sprout cringed internally to see that Sunny was slowly, but surely, beginning to turn to stone. Sunny met his eyes and shook her head. That didn't matter right now. Sprout swallowed anxiously, as they lowered their hooves. Together, they entered the fray, each finding their own ways to aid the fight. Hitch ran to the injured. "This way to safety!" he shouted, leading to the safety of behind a nearby boulder, ignoring the sonorous war cries behind him. His cutiemark glowed on his flank. Izzy blasted beams up with the ground force of unicorns, then, the mare had an idea. She ran off briefly to grab some items, which she unicycled into a giant spy glass. "Aim through this! It should amplify our beams!" she yelled to her fellow unicorns. In unison, they began to beam magic through it, and found that Izzy was right. Larger, more persistent cracks formed in Cozy's lower shield. Izzy's cutiemark glowed with pride. Zipp and Pipp worked together to aeriel maneuver their way through Cozy's horn beams, Pipp making an opening for Zipp to fly by with haste, causing Cozyglow to spin uncontrollably. Together, their cutiemarks glowed in teamwork. This was Sprout's chance. There was an opening to get the crystals to Sunny. Sprout looked amongst the rubble and sprinted to what had (conveniently) fallen into the shape of a ramp. Sprout could feel his cutiemark glowing as he sprinted towards the ramp, leaping into the air at Cozy Glow. She grinned and ducked out of the way. Good. She wasn't his target. His hooves met with the surfaces of the unity crystals, wrapping them up in his arms. Zipp and Pipp made haste to catch him and ground him safely. Sprout sprinted to Sunny, who took the crystals in her ethereal magic, flapping her wings to float into the sky. They were attuned to her now. Her wings and horn glowed bright and with so much intensity that the battle itself stopped. Everyone, including Cozy Glow gazed upon the source of the light. "Enough! Your tyranny ends here and now!" Sunny announced, using magic to accentuate her voice. For a moment, Cozy Glow was still. Then she made a move. A beam of light drew a line in the ground, in front of the filly. "I said enough! It is through friendship that we save Equestria. Through love. Not war, not hatred. Not the fear of a leader dissenting." Sunny's friends began to levitate, falling in behind her - not of their own will. Sprout, Izzy, Hitch, Zipp, and Pipp, found themselves on either side of Sunny, their cutie marks glowing bright. "Only together can we defeat you." A color of rainbow came forth from each of Sunny's friends, striking Sunny, who's eyes were now nothing but pure white, glowing with motic power. From her ethereal horn, a rainbow beam came, bursting Cozy's shield, surrounding her in color. The surrounding crowd shielded their eyes from the light. A thud could be heard as a stony figure was placed on the ground. She had been returned to stone. Sunny and her friends landed, each letting out a sigh of relief. The crystals joined together once more, healing Sunny of her affliction and returning to the brighthouse. All around them, the crowd cheered. Equestria was safe once more. Many weeks passed, and Sprout did his due diligence in rebuilding Zephyr Heights and Maretime Bay, and this time, served his rightful time behind bars. In time, both cities forgave him, and all was back to how it was. -- End Author's Note And that's the good ending! If there are any errors (ie grammar + spelling), constructive criticism, suggestions for the d20 system, etc, please let me know! Please also be aware that rude, unkind comments will be deleted. Please also remember that their is a fine line between being constructive and just being mean.
How To Play A Roll Your Own Adventure StoryHello and welcome to the game! Roll your own adventure stories are like a choose your own adventure, except in this, fate decides where the story goes. Firstly, the most important rule is to stick with your rolls! Can I stop you if you decide to read the better roll chapter? Not exactly, but for a more genuine experience, at least go through once with your first time rolls. The d20 [20 sided die] system; This system is simple. At certain points in the story, usually the end of chapters, you'll get something that looks (kindof) like this: [INSIGHT CHECK] DC: 15 Bonuses: +1 If the main character saw Celestia eat the cake behind Luna's back, add one d4 [4 sided die] to your roll. [If you rolled 14 or lower, click here] or [If you rolled 15 or higher, click here] DC means Difficulty Class; in this case, on a d20 basis, this is a more challenging insightful look at something. To pass a check, you must roll at the checks required number or higher, in this case, you must roll a 15 or higher, bonuses included. As you can see, this game will also include bonuses. Not all bonuses will be positive, some will be negative, and some rolls will be a flat d20. Make sure you read the FULL text of the check, including the italicized text. This check has a second, smaller bonus attached for something YOU the READER rolled at the last check, in this case, if you recall rolling to catch Celestia in the act of eating cake, you would roll a d4 and add that to you overall total. Making sense so far? Good! Next up, some checks may include Advantage or Disadvantage. In both of these cases, you will roll a d20 twice. On a roll with Advantage, you take the higher. On a roll with Disadvantage, you take the lower. The reasoning behind advantage or disadvantage will always be listed. One other aspect of the d20 is critical failures and critical successes. This system is highly simplified, and will not include those, at least for now. Don't have your own physical dice? No problem! Google has their own built-in online dice roller. Remember, the most important rule is to stick with your rolls! Can I stop you if you decide to read the better roll chapter? Not exactly, but for a more genuine experience, at least go through once with your first time rolls. There are FOUR total endings. Good luck, and may the dice roll in your favor. Author's Note And that's how to play! Will Sprout play right into Cozy Glow's hooves? Let's find out!
Golly! You Almost Left Me Behind! [DC 12 Failure]Sprout squinted at the statue. The skinny, centaur like creature seemed to be cowering in fear. The creature with bug-like wings was prepped in attack -- wait -- whoever this bug creature was had holes in their legs. That had to be it! Sprout picked up the rook statue and jammed it into one of the many holes of the creatures leg, smiling proudly at his work. That is, until nothing happened. Sprout pouted at the statues. Thoughts whirled around in his mind. "Fine! Be that way! I didn't want your secrets anyway..." Sprout turned on his heel to go, hoisting his bag over his back as he walked off. Before he could more than a few feet away, a rumble and the sound of cracking stone came from behind him. Sprout stopped in his tracks out of fear. "Golly! You almost left me behind!" spoke the familiar voice. Sprout turned around and made a face akin to the cover once more. Continue.
Golly! Thank You For Freeing Me! [DC 12 Success]Sprout investigated the statue carefully. Nothing on the cowering centaur, and the holes were too numerous on the bug-like creature to be the right ones. Sprout squinted hard at the statue, as if it would make him see better. The base of the statue of the three creatures was carved in a Greco-Roman style, some covered by significant overgrowth. Sprout brushed and pulled off the overgrowth, revealing a rook shaped indent beneath the overgrowth. This had to be it. Sprout carefully placed the rook in the indent. At first, nothing happened. Sprout pouted, huffing air and stomping a hoof. Then, from the rook, runes trailed around and up the statue, leylines of magic tracing up each statue. Sprout watched them with intense curiosity, watching as the statue of the familiar pegaus began to crack. The earth began to rumble. Sprout fearfully took steps back, shielding his eyes from the now brightly glowing statue. An small explosion and falling debri. Sprout placed his hoof back on the ground. "Golly! Thank you for freeing me!" came the familiar voice. The tiny pegasus that stood before him matched the one that appeared in the apparition. Sprout's face was that of this story's cover, you see. No sound left his throat but his jaw may as well have been on the floor. Continue.
