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Preview to next Marksaline chapter · 8:41pm Feb 5th, 2023
As Discord had finished his explanation of what needed to be done in a few hours unless they all lose this Filly along the way.
Nightmaremoon was than recapping Discord explanation once more to make sure she understood it all.
"So just to make sure we check everyponys understanding of the situation:
- You collected us all in Sunset Dreamscape with help of Chaos and dark magic to save her mind and learn of a coming darkness we will have to face together and make sure repelling it and similar threats on a event that happend in the past, just less brutal for the fillys preservation of innocents?
- We will fight through a flying castle size ship in the space between Equis and the Moon. Filled with mutated creatures that while not lethal can inflict realistic pain when they inflicted Injury to us?
- We can't actually kill them, rather than incapacitat them?
- We have to repair parts of the castle sized ship that is Sunsets mind while changing others so we have her prepared to help us in the fight versus Harmony.
- And least but not last, you intend us to help everyone involved with this adventure to grow in character, development of resistance to brutal exposure of fighting to the death so we survive until we reached our goal of saving Sunset Shimmers sanity or we run out of time?
Did i miss something?!"
Nightmare Moon was outwardly ice cold, but the heat in her voice betrayed her disapproval of what the fillys would experience soon enough.
Discord reassuringly give them affirmation and guarantee that this was the safest way to do it.
Giving them further armor and weapons to protect them. That said, they would be mostly very advanced tools since the enemy they would face was not one easily defeated.
To their peace of mind would he give them helpful items and reassure that no matter if they didn't get hit or dismembered to pieces, they be fine by the end of the journey to save Sunset Shimmers sanity.
The surrounding grasslands morphed into darkness and they had two choices:
- Get into a advanced airship named Kellion to join the adventure into Sunset mind.
- Stay with Discord fixing Sunset Shimmer damaged mind and psychology.
Before Sunset could get over to Discord, did Marksaline and Fluffelpuff shepherded the filly into the fancy Airship named Kellion.
Luna Dreemur while being a expert in dream magic wasn't exactly a mind doctor, more like a therapist. So she joined the fillys.
Cadance got levitated by Nightmaremoon inside the colorful airship named Kellion, no royal familie member was to run from a fight. It builds character and would help get a clear picture of her Niece reacting and combating the enemy.
Discord hoped for this outcome. A lot more entertainment while we worked on Sunsets brain and physicaly. Besides, he had Luna sooner rather than later help him.
Sunset and her new companions departed from the Kellion once it reached the castle sized ship named Ishimura. As they walked onto one of the walkways that rested in the docking area that they had docked on, Sunset took a few seconds to look around and truly take in how massive the Ishimura was, even if this was only a single area of the ship.
The Ishimura was an impressive ship made out of stone and steel, even if it was only one existing in her mind as representation of her mind, was its kind something she would hope to ever lay her eyes on again. It spoke volumes on how skilled Discord was on building something.
Unless he build it off something he remembered seeing perhaps?
Where could he have seen a massive building constructs like this was beyond her. It was at this point that she got her first look at the exterior of the Kellion compared to the docking area. This place would have to be huge indeed. She started to doubt they could walk trough it all in a singel night.
Though as she gazed upon the ship that had brought them here she realized that a good portion of the vessel was starting to get damaged. Apperently what ever was decaying the flighting castle sized ship was already effecting their arriving vessel as well.
From the corrosion and if she was seeing things right it decaying, visible causing damage while she watched. It actually looked like they might have lost the ship to depart by the time they might want to leave.
As if to confirm her assumption a section of the ship already started to fall of like a tree would shed its leafy load during the year.
Everypony was staring at the Kellion with Sunset Shimmer, instead of following a glowing line with tiny pointers towards the sign that was welcoming them to the anticipated start of the journey on the Ishimura. Nightmaremoon eyes were resting on the same area of the ship that Sunset blanched, that happened to be suffer from corruption that they needed to stop erode everywhere they would have to walk through.
As fast as this little ship suffered from exposure to what plaged Sunsets mind, she had no doubt that Discord wasn't joking about Sunset Shimmer having only this night to fix herself before she lost herself forever.
Discord was busy recreating the Ishimura and all the threats within while linking it to problems that needed to be resolved. Every enemy defeated, every obstacles overcome would help Sunset. He just hoped they all would stomach what was coming their way. While he made it less of a gore filled bad dream, it was still rather hardcore what they have to go through.
He hoped Luna was not to cranky once he had taken her out of the game prematurely to hammer down how real the threats in the Ishimura are to them.
Discoverable and most informative was a big display teaching all participants how the armor they would receive soon work in general.
That was also when they noticed their horns, wings and mane as well their tails being see through now.
Apperently was there horns they all had now able to lift things close to them as to hold up to two items. But it would unlock later the ability to effect their surrounding more with a Kinetic horn add on.
It's exception of Fluffelpuff that was apperently a self defense item for some reason.
Discord logic lead them to head shacking, better to go with it than thinking it over.
Their wings would allow them once collected like the horns somewhere on the ship to slow down enemies and objects.
He warned that slowing down allies worked as well as enemies and some objects they have to interact with. Casualties might come up if they are not careful what they hit, intend or not.
Further was no flight possible. It reduced them and the enemy equally. But as a warning was stated that walking and crawling on walls and ceilings was possible at times for the enemy.
Their life indication was via lights on the armor that they receive soon. It could be upgraded if they wanted to be tougher, but lose damage output upgrade possibilities instead. It would be on them if they be sturdy but weak in offense or be strong in offense and rather be fragile in constitution.
Updates found are shared, how to use it was on eatch individual.
And with the tutorial roughly over they found themself new a shop with Discord in ponys form as vendor to sell them stuff.
Eatch payed pony Discord one hug for a suit of armor. Fluffelpuff did instead of a armor get a few candy's that she shared with Sunset and her sister.
Nightmaremoon, Cadance and Luna get a Needle rifle after a nuzzling pony Discord. It showed where it would hit with pointed lights. Fortunately wasn't it blinding anyone if aimed at there eyes.
Discord made the helmets blinding proof since it would be needed for the coming conflicts ahead.
And finally did Discord showed them how to store items and told them by investing into better armor by found resources, they get more store space.
With a snap of his tail did pony Discord dissappear including his shop out of existance.
The journey would now start he informed and after they all passed the door, enemies would appear without warning and had to be defeated unless they wanted to run for it. Both was acceptable, but eventually they would come later in bigger numbers if not defeated when encountered eventually.
Luna had a armor looking like the moon, bright grey with a royal decail on a few of her armors plates.
Nightmaremoon looked like the nightsky but brighter to be easy visible and per armor was lacking decails but had reflectiv surfaces that reminded of discoballs even if they where not re-invented yet.
Unbelievable adorable yet sinister was Marksaline armor, it had sinuster glowing ruines all over it giving a strong contrast to her pure black armor.
Fluffelpuff pawed at the armor in awe.
Cadance had not pink themed but light green armor for some reason. When Luna ask about it, Cadance confirm her favorite color.
Discord chuckeld for some reason after that.
Sunset Shimmer armor looked less protective. More like it was a undersuit that had many visible places for something nopony know as of yet.
The fillys followed the adults since they didn't want to be left behind, gently did Fluffelpuff grabbed Sunset's neck and nuzzeld her. Marksaline was only slightly jealous, but maybe mimicking her sister would get her acknowledge how it feelds to be ignored. To which Sunset found herself nuzzeld on both sides while walking down the walkway and rejoined the rest of their herd. Nightmaremoon on the front appeared to be listening to the welcoming sign, as if he was trying to figure something out while she and the others were waiting for the fillysto catch up.
The moment she noticed the fillys and her other companions coming she snapped to attention and continued walking. Cadance and luna were ready to go as well with rising alert and followed after Nightmaremoon.
As they walked towards the large door in front of them Sunset noticed that the three adults were carrying weapons, while she and the sister besides her had nothing to fight with.
Discord noted that Marksaline was a weapon in on herself and Fluffelpuff was more of a throwing pillow to distract enemies by very shortly unbalance and throw them back 1-2 steps.
Sunset would have to wait a bit until she get a unique weapon for herself shortly.
While Discord worked with a duplicate of himself in tandem to coordinate the rescue effort while keeping entertainment coming their way did he was plaged by one idea:
"Should be mentioned that if Sunset would at some point of the adventure die, she literally would do so in the real world as well do to magic lethal feedback loops? ... Nah, he cross that bridge once he burned it."
For a moment did Nightmaremoon wondered if the fillys and the company she had would manage the mission in one piece. Physical they were save, but mentally?
She expected there to be trouble eventually, since they were carrying weapons and Discord warning them of realistic injuries responses.
Cutting ones hoove on paper was a Diamond Dog of a experience, but getting stabbed? At least they didn't have to fear the consequences to having to go through painful restoration spells afterwards.
Then she decided that since they could not change the fact, they simply had to avoid getting hit.
She was the one in charge of the security of her herd, details that had to be worked on eventually would be resolved when they came up.
Luna was ready for action to which she followed after her sister with a reserved anticipation of the coming combat. She kept her eyes open and occasionally watched what the Foals did, it was very good to see they where practically glued to one another at the moment.
One of the things she noticed and made her frown was that the lights inside the ship were definitely instable, it was flickering or at times deactivated, which meant that the area was missing power or was only unreadable stable at the moment. She could feel the dreamrealm being vast and stable, yet it interacted in strange ways. More like a solid and realistic construct in the real world, rather than a dream construct.
This might in the end be more realistic than she expected.
Cadance noticed a couple of lockers that were locked, if the red light in the center of them was any indication. A couple of vending machines placed in the wall appeared to be powered down, meaning that something was definitely wrong with energy distribution if food dispersal places were not working. Unless eating was not necessary to keep fatigue at bay?
In her romance adventure books it was often noticed that one should never underestimate how mutch physical activities would demand water, food and potty breaks in between.
Maybe it was better that they experienced this all in the Dream realm, instead of the real world. There hooves would probably otherwise murder them after the nights end...
Discord contemplation about adding fatigue and physical demands to the adventure. Than he dismissed it for not being a 'realistic survivel shooter'. Why bother with realism if he could have fun with them more unrealistically.
"Guess the power's down everywhere." Sunset said, apparently noticing the same things that pretty mutch everypony had noticed. But better to notice the obvious before out loud, until missing something seemingly trivial that was actually important on sight.
Luna turned towards Cadance, who was standing near the opening they had walked through and was staring at the not longer decaying Kellion, "Cadance, get over here and open the door lock."
"She can do that?" Nightmaremoon asked, though at the same time she watched as Cadance approached the seemingly locked door and held a hoove towards the center of it, where she watched as she interacted with a light blue illusion of some kind for a few seconds.
Everyone could see how Cadance had to play a short puzzle game to get the door unlocked.
Apperently Sunset liked to play puzzles, Luna smiled at that.
I doubt it will be realised today. Hope you enjoy it anyway