What We Must Do; Part 2
~*~*~Earlier That Day~*~*~
The loud clamor of a crowd reached the ears of Apple Bloom, an earth pony filly with a yellow-cream coat red mane, and a large bow in her hair. Her ears perked as she trotted through the town square, having taken a longer route home from school today in the hope that she could avoid Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
The two classmates were relentless. They never stopped picking on her because she didn't have her cutie mark yet. What the hay did it matter anyway? It's not like she wouldn't get one eventually. Everypony gets their mark someday... Though this one was taking too dang long. Why couldn't she have it now?
She distracted herself from thinking about her blank flank, instead focusing on the noise coming from town hall as humans and ponies alike were gathering just outside of the building. Rather, they were gathering at a large board in front of the hall, several yards wide, which had dozens upon dozens of slips of paper pinned up on it. That had to be the Ponyville Community Quest Board. She hadn't been through the square since the game started, so she had only heard of the board from her sister, Applejack. She didn't understand all the details, but apparently when anyone needed something done that they couldn't do, or didn't have time for, they would just write up the task and mail it, in this case, to the town hall. From there the mail was somehow turned into a quest, which would show up on allied boards in the territory where the quest could be completed.
The crowd soon dispersed, everyone going about their business with only a few stragglers still examining the quests on display. Soon, even they were gone, with not a soul there.
"I wonder what that was all about?" she wondered to herself as she passed by. Everyone crowded it all at the same and then left just like that? It didn't make any sense to her.
"Come on, Sweetie Belle!" an excited voice called out. "The grown-ups are gone!"
Apple Bloom whipped her head around to see two other fillies running up from the same way she just came. One was a pegasus with an orange coat and a short, sporty, violet mane. The other was a unicorn with a white coat and a curly, two-toned mane of soft purple and pink colors.
They seemed to be her age, and looked a bit familiar too. Were they classmates? Apple Bloom wasn't sure. It was hard to pay attention to other students when you had two bullies constantly on your back.
The two galloped right up to the board, pointing to various slips of paper and talking quietly. It was then that Apple Bloom noticed something that brought an excited grin to her face; neither of these two fillies had cutie marks either. They were blank flanks just like her! Turning right about and running to the pair, she was soon able to hear their conversation.
"If we want to get our cutie marks, then the more dangerous the better," the orange filly said to her friend. "Spike and Kai take on rank one dungeons and monsters with the others like they're nothing, and we're still way behind them."
"Well, yeah, but the captains have been at it from the start, even before they made the training team," the white filly pointed out. She glanced nervously at the slips of paper. "Shouldn't we stick to rank zero until it gets easier?"
Try as she might, Apple Bloom couldn't make heads nor tails of their conversation. As she approached behind them, however, she felt a lump start to form in her throat. What should she say? To her, it was like they were speaking a whole other language, just like when her sis started talking about the game. The more she tried to think of what to say, the more flustered she became.
Her face was as red as her mane by the time she finally squeaked out, "H-hi there."
The girls nearly jumped out of their skin, whirling around at the noise. They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw it was just another filly their age.
"Hey, I know you," the white unicorn realized, looking her over. "You're Twist's friend, Apple Bloom, right? You sit towards the front of Miss Cheerilee's class with her?"
So they were her classmates. Thinking about it, it was actually pretty embarrassing that she didn't even recognize them at all.
"Um, yeah, that's me," she nodded sheepishly. "Twist's got her cutie mark now, so I don't reckon she'll be wantin' to hang with a blank flank like me anymore."
The orange pegasus looked her over with concern before guessing, "Avoiding Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon by taking a different way home, eh?"
"What? How'd ya guess?" Apple Bloom asked nervously. It suddenly felt as though they could see right through her.
"We've been there," the unicorn filly assured her. "Who do you think those two meanies picked on when they weren't after you and Twist? Me and Scootaloo have been doing everything we can to avoid them."
Scootaloo dusted a hoof on her chest, grinning proudly as she declared, "Yup, Sweetie Belle and I use all the tricks: We show up at the last minute to school. We sit in the back of the class, so we're far away from them and the first one's out. We even take different ways home every day." She seemed to realize something, and bowed her head slightly. "Sorry about that, I guess that means they just picked on you guys more and more. Us blank flanks should be sticking together."
"It's okay, Scootaloo," Apple Bloom smiled, giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder. She was glad they'd said each other's names, so she could pretend like she'd recognized them from school too. Still, instead of their mutual bully problem, she'd much rather talk about whatever it was they were doing. "So why are y'all here at the quest board anyhow? And what was all that stuff about rank zero and one?"
"You don't know?" Scootaloo asked, genuinely surprised. "It's what everyone's using to tell difficulty or strength. If your weapon is still in the first stage, then it falls under rank zero. Once you get your Cast level and weapon skill to level ten, then you can upgrade that weapon to rank one." She turned and pointed to a quest on the board. "The same thing applies to just about everything. If a monster has techniques in the one to nine range, then it's a rank zero monster. If a dungeon has mostly monsters with abilities between ten and nineteen, then it's a rank one dungeon. The items those monsters and dungeons give are usually called rank one items. Get the idea?"
That sorta made sense. "Then a quest that needs ya to fight some big rank two monster would be a rank two quest? So if the highest level is s'posed to be a hundred, then that means the ranks go all the way up tah ten?" she asked, uncertain she was understanding this right. She thought she'd heard something like that when she'd listened in on her sister talking with Mister Agil or their new workers on the family orchard.
"That's right," Sweetie Belle nodded. "It’ll take a long time to reach the top though, since the the highest anyone’s gotten right now is around twelve, and it takes longer and longer to raise them with each level."
Really? Then by the end it could take weeks or longer just to get one level? Sounded to Apple Bloom like it would eventually turn into way too much work.
"Pfft, yeah," Scootaloo scoffed, giving Sweetie Belle a playful shove with her shoulder, "but all those fancy levels don't mean anything if you don't know how to use them. Rank doesn’t replace actual skill. We may be rank zeros right now, but if we keep going and getting better, we'll be able to take on stuff that's two whole ranks above us or more!"
"We were just looking for a quest to take," Sweetie Belle chimed in with a smile. "Do you want to join us? We could use another teammate."
Apple Bloom blinked in confusion. "M-me?" she stammered. "B-but, mah family won't let me leave Ponyville. Ah'm not even allowed to go to combat training."
Scootaloo only grinned and said, "Heh, you think anyone gave us permission? We want to protect everyone too, that's why a bunch of us fillies and colts have been training secretly with the human kids." Her eyes gleamed with pride as she continued, "We're gonna keep getting stronger and before they know it, we'll be fighting on the front lines to help beat Nightmare!"
Apple Bloom's eyes filled with wonder at every word. The confidence that Scootaloo showed was infectious, and the day to day life of going to school like a good little filly seemed more and more unfulfilling. If they could do it, why couldn't she? That was right, she could do something more! Maybe it could even lead her to her cutie mark.
Apple Bloom held out a hoof, a big smile spreading across her face. "Count me in," she said. "We can get our marks together."
"That's the spirit," Sweetie Belle cheered. She turned back to look over the quest board. "So how about we find a nice easy quest to start off? We can stick to rank zero until you get the hang of things and you have a chance to train with everyone."
Scootaloo glanced back at the board with a dejected look. "Dang, I was really hoping to try moving into rank one, but I guess it would be a disaster with a newbie," she grumbled in reluctant agreement.
That was such a relief to hear. The last thing she needed was to be thrown in up to her neck. Better to get her hooves a little wet first. She was even starting to get a little giddy with anticipation. These fillies were being so nice to her, and they were about to take her with them on a little adventure. She might have just made some great new friends if everything went right.
"Oooh, did you hear that, Silvy? Sounds like the blank flank losers are breaking the rules," an all too familiar, scathing voice cut in, dashing all traces of excitement that had been swelling in Apple Bloom's heart. "Looks like the noponies think they can be someponies by being delinquents."
The three fillies turned in a mixture of anger and apprehension as their mutual bully problem approached them with smug looks.
"Maybe we should tell their families on them," Silver Spoon suggested, a wicked smirk plastered on her face. "That'll get them in really big trouble."
Horseapples, why now? Why did these two have to show up now of all times? Right when it seemed like something amazing and exciting was going to happen for Apple Bloom, these two just had to take it away.
"Go ahead and tell," Scootaloo growled through clenched teeth, her whole body bristling with hostility. "It's not going to stop us."
Sweetie Belle didn't look so certain, saying, "Maybe, but I don't want my parents and my sister to worry. I want to be ready to prove we can do this."
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were both right. It would worry their families to no end if they found out, but if they wanted to go, they would go. There wasn't really anything short of captivity that could stop them.
"Now now, Silvy, maybe we shouldn't be so hasty," Diamond Tiara chuckled, something seeming to catch her eye. She brushed gruffly past Apple Bloom to look up at the board. "If the blank flanks want to play their silly game, then maybe we should let them."
All of them, Silver Spoon included, dropped their jaws in a unanimous reply of, "Eh?!"
"But DT, you said that--" Silver Spoon started to say.
"Just what the hay are ya up to?" Apple Bloom cut in midway, eyeing the spoiled rich filly warily. It just didn't feel right. She definitely had something planned.
Diamond Tiara turned about with an infuriatingly pleasant smile and said, "I have a deal for you; The three of you bring us the item needed to complete a quest. If you do, we won't tell a soul about your 'extracurricular activities'."
Getting what her friend was doing, Silver Spoon added, "We understand if you're scared, though. We'll just tell everyone what you've been up to and bust your whole group."
No. Not this time. She wasn't going to stand for it. "You're on, Diamond Tiara," Apple Bloom said, stepping forward. She wasn't going to let them ruin this for her, even if it meant that she had to play along with them. "Just name the quest and we'll do it."
Sweetie Belle did a panicked double-take at the declaration and stepped hesitantly back. She was stopped by Scootaloo, who put a forehoof over her shoulders and beamed confidently.
"Yeah, if that's what it takes, we'll beat any challenge you can throw at us!" she declared with no shortage of pride.
Diamond Tiara's false smile only grew wider, which worried Apple Bloom a bit. She pushed that aside though as she braced herself for whatever was in store for them. Diamond Tiara wasted no time in pointing her hoof all the way up to the top of the board, where a letter stamped with a crimson wax seal fluttered. Curiously, none of the other quests had such a seal. They were all just marked with simple ink stamps.
"If the three of you can complete that quest, then we won't say a word to anyone about all of this," she said smugly. She chuckled as she stepped aside, letting the three fillies come closer to get a good look at the quest.
Looking over the details on the paper, Sweetie Belle voiced her surprise first. "My sister Rarity wrote this quest," she said with more than a little worry. She read over the rest of it before summarizing, "Looks like she's working on something special and needs something called Weiss Venom to do it."
Venom sounded more than a little concerning. What in the wide realm of Equestria could a fashionista need with a poison? Still, it was right there on the paper, and according to the information, it looked like the venom could be found in a part of the Everfree Forest called the Palewood.
Mustering up her nerve, Apple Bloom called up the quest's menu and tapped the button to accept it, Scootaloo and then Sweetie Belle following suit. They looked between each other, all of them nervous.
Apple Bloom was the first to speak, psyching herself up with rousing, "Let's do this, girls."
"Yeah, we'll show them what we can do," Scootaloo said, nodding in agreement.
"We need to get ready though," Sweetie Belle added."We have to get supplies, especially for Apple Bloom, and we need to show her how fighting works before we go. Can’t forget to decide which sub-class to set her up with, either."
Right. Preparations. Get supplies, and a little bit of practice, and then kick some flank. There was no time to waste. It was just as exciting as it was terrifying. Apple Bloom could hardly wait to prove herself in this new world they lived in.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Damn it all to hell. Why did it have to be the Palewood?"
Agil marched along a beaten dirt path in the Everfree, bearing due north. His hulking figure didn't falter even as a few stray branches poked, bent, and generally got in his way. The minor irritations were nothing before the storm of emotions that brushed them all aside.
Just a few careful steps behind him, Rarity, Applejack, and Lisbeth followed in growing concern. No shortage of profanities managed to float back from Agil as he led the way to their destination, and it did nothing for their already wavering composure.
"I don't get it," Applejack finally spoke up. "Why the hay are there Nightmare soldiers in the Palewood with the girls? Aren't dungeons locked out once a team enters?"
Lisbeth nodded in confirmation and pulled up an area map in front of her. On it, all of the explored regions of the forest were displayed, with many winding paths heading in all directions and broad expanses of dense woodland where all the real dangers resided. Many stretches of wilderness, where much more powerful creatures lived, were still uncharted, as was the entire area halfway to Nightmare's castle and beyond.
All over the map, countless icons showed; everything from resource gathering points to known spawning grounds of different creatures. With a few taps of the menu, they filtered out until all that remained were several arch-shaped markers showing the entrances to all the dungeons that had been discovered. One more tap on one of the northernmost icons brought up a list of details concerning the Palewood dungeon.
"Dungeons are supposed to only allow one team at a time; a maximum of six players. Maybe they just meant that Nightmare's soldiers were waiting outside to ambush them when they come out? Without teleport crystals, that's a dangerous situation," Lisbeth said, giving her opinion. She paused for a moment as she examined the info, noticing a distinct lack of, well, info. "Wait, why the heck is there so little data on this place?"
Though he didn't turn around, Agil was quick to explain. "That's because it was only just discovered two days ago by our scouting parties. We sent a clear team in, but they were wiped out before they could get very far in. Because of that, we only know a few things about the place. First of all, it's the only rank three dungeon that we've found yet in this territory."
"Rank three?" Rarity echoed in disbelief. "But most players have barely been able to break into rank one equipment and skills. Not to mention the fact that only the best teams have been able to clear the few rank two dungeons that have been found."
"Huh, you're more informed than I expected, considering this is your first time leaving Ponyville," Lisbeth teased her. "Heck, I don't even think you've attended one meeting since the first Ani held."
"Well," Rarity said, scoffing indignantly, "unlike someone I know, I can do my job without creating an infernal racket. It makes it much easier to have a pleasant conversation with my customers."
Before Lisbeth could give her fuming retort, Agil spoke again, "The real problem is that it's not just the first rank three dungeon found, it's also the first raid dungeon."
"Well damn, no wonder the clear party got wiped out," Lisbeth said, groaning in frustration. "And those fillies are in there by themselves? I don't even want to think about how many times they've wiped already."
"What's so special about these here raid dungeons?" Applejack asked, a touch of confusion in her voice. Info like this that she’d not heard of was concerning. "You've never mentioned this kind of thing when we've talked before, Agil."
Agil shrugged before pushing a rather heavy branch out of everyone's way. "It never came up because we hadn't found one yet, and so we didn’t know how they would work in this game. It's the first one found in Equestria, and Ani was actually going to attend a meeting in Canterlot tomorrow to discuss how we would handle these new dungeons due to the greater risk involved," he explained as they walked by.
"Wait, I get that they're more difficult, but why are they more dangerous too?" Lisbeth asked.
"Because a raid has to be cleared with multiple parties, and in this case, players from any and every alliance can run a raid at the same time. Up to two full parties per side. That means twelve players," Agil answered flatly, his brow furrowed.
Wait a minute, with that many players, then that meant--
"Then the problem's not that them girls may lose or get hurt," Applejack muttered, a growing feeling of dread filling her chest. "With that many enemies, there's a chance they could be taken hostage!"
Applejack couldn't see her own face twisting with worry, but she imagined it didn't look too different from Rarity's. They both stood to lose a sister, and the terror in her eyes reflected that. "Hostage?!" she tittered in a panic. "My little sister in the hands of those ruffians? Oh, I can't bear the thought! Mother and father would be absolutely devastated too."
Then something strange happened; something Applejack would never have expected from the fashionista. It was like a fire lit inside Rarity, and her eyes narrowed into a gaze of considerable fury. "If they hurt so much as a single hair on her precious little head, I'll rip them to pieces."
Applejack more than understood the feeling. If anything happened to Apple Bloom, then she would be madder than a rattlesnake in a stampede, and just as scared too. Still, to hear such a statement from Rarity of all ponies was a shock. Even Lisbeth and Agil were staring at her with stunned, stupefied looks.
"I get where you're coming from Rarity, believe me," Agil said after reattaching his unhinged jaw. "I'm just as angry and scared as though it were my own daughter out there. If I had known where they were heading, then--"
What?!
Applejack halted abruptly, turning a look on Agil that could set ice aflame. "If ya had known where they were headed? Are ya sayin' ya knew that the girls were going into the forest by themselves?"
Agil winced, clearly having said more than he meant to. Lisbeth also took a very immediate step backwards, shooting a nervous glance his way.
"Okay, yes, I knew that they were going to a dungeon," He admitted, trying to urge her along. "We don't have time to talk about this, though. The longer it takes us to get there, the bigger our already big problems will get."
Oh no, he wasn't getting off that easy.
Rarity stopped too and turned to Agil, confusion in her eyes. "Why ever would you allow children to do something so dangerous?" she asked. "They're only ten years old."
AJ had a good idea why, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt her anger starting to boil over. "Let me guess," she growled, still glaring him down, "y'all let them come out here just so you could line yer own pockets more, didn't ya?"
Confusion growing, Rarity looked to Applejack and echoed, "Line his pockets? What are you talking about, Applejack?"
Of course she wouldn't know. Agil was a smooth talker, and if AJ hadn't seen the paperwork herself, she wouldn't have guessed it either. "I'm sayin' that he's a swindler," she said, jabbing a hoof up at him. "I was helpin' him look over his profits, and found out that he buys materials for his shop at dirt cheap prices and then sells 'em back for four times what he spent. If that ain't enough, half of that money just disappears."
Lisbeth crossed her arms over her chest, glancing between Agil and Applejack. "Overcharging customers, then embezzling the funds, huh? Well, that's certainly what it looks like," she commented, her expression unreadable.
"You're really not helping, Liz," Agil shot back with an irritated look.
"I'd reckon ya don't need it," Applejack answered in kind, her glare not letting up. It was infuriating. Why in blazes would he take advantage of everyone like this? It didn't sound like the man she'd come to know over the last couple of weeks, but what she'd seen was undeniable.
"Look, I'm not going to just stand here and be accused like this. Especially when we need to get our asses to the dungeon. Now," Agil said, letting out a deep groan and pinching the bridge of his nose. "The most important thing right now is getting the girls back home safely." Ending the conversation there, he stormed past them along the path.
Frustrating as it was, Applejack knew he was right. There would be plenty of time to chew him out after they saved the fillies. This wasn't the end of it, though; not by a long shot. Biting her tongue, Applejack fell into step behind Agil, leaving a confused Rarity and exasperated Lisbeth in their wake.
"I just don't understand," Rarity spoke softly, the angry pair already out of earshot. Her gaze fell to the dusty, dirty path at her hooves. "Why would Agil do something like that? And how could he knowingly allow children to leave the safety of Ponyville? How could he be so cutthroat and selfish with the items and money that everyone else fights so hard to earn?"
Lisbeth sighed, giving a weak shrug, "I told him something like this was going to happen. I can't make any excuses for letting the kids fight, but his business practices aren't what AJ thinks they are."
Rarity looked up in surprise at Lisbeth, asking, "Then why didn't you say something to her? Surely you could have settled the misunderstanding."
"Yeah, I could have," Lisbeth admitted, shaking her head, "but Agil is a proud guy. I've known him a long time, so I know he'll set things straight in his own time. Till then, it's just not my secret to tell, so I have no business butting in. Understand?"
Rarity paused for a moment, staring down the dark, wooded path after their friends. After some thought, she started walking again. "I suppose I do," she acquiesced. "Come now, we don't want them charging into the dungeon on their own do we?"
Lisbeth nodded as she matched her pace. "You think you’re going to be comfortable with your sub-class and weapon types? There's going to be a lot of pressure on you since you’re the team's healer, and I can’t imagine a Booster and two Conductor type weapons are easy to adjust to."
"Yes dear, I set myself up with «Cleric» sub-class that you all suggested. Agil even lifted crystals from his shop that have different «Enchanter» spells in them. I'll have all of your backs, I guarantee it," Rarity said with no shortage of determination”
"Are you sure you're up for this?" Lisbeth asked, more than a little concerned. "Your weapons skills, sub-class, and Casts are all at levels one, two, or three, and we're heading into a rank three dungeon."
Rarity nodded, her eyes flashing with resolve, "As much as I hate to admit it, Rainbow Dash was right when she said that all one needed was the right reason to fight. I wish it wasn't like this, but I'll walk through Hades itself if it means protecting my sister." For a moment she looked down before adding, "Though I will need a nice hot bath once I get home. My hooves are already getting filthy, and I shudder to think the state I'll be in once we're done."
The statement brought a soft chuckle out of Liz. "When this is all over, how about Agil treats us all to a nice spa day? I'm sure that'll perk you right back up," she suggested.
The mere mention of it brought a blissful smile to Rarity's lips. "That sounds absolutely marvelous, but do you think he'll agree to it?"
Lisbeth grinned slyly, saying, "I get the feeling that when it's all said and done, he won't really have much choice."
"Who won't have much choice for what?" Agil asked from ahead of them.
Both of them looked up in surprise. They hadn't realized that they had already caught up within earshot of the others. Agil and Applejack were back in view, just a short ways ahead of them. The stubborn pair didn't share so much as a look between them, and the wide gap between them even though they walked side by side made it clear that they were still simmering.
"Oh nothing important," Lisbeth deflected with a wave of her hand. "Just a little girl-talk."
Applejack shot a skeptical look back at them, but relented. Rarity was sensible enough not to have a frivolous chat when her sister was in trouble. Whatever they had talked about must have been more than they were letting on.
Oh well, it didn't really matter. Especially since as she turned her eyes back ahead, she saw neat lines of trees come into view along each side of the path. What really caught her eyes was the fact that as the lines of trees went deeper, the bark started to grow progressively whiter. The discolouration started at the roots that dug deep into the ground and went up the trunk farther with each proceeding tree on the path. Far up beyond sight and further in, no doubt the blanching reached the very tops of the dense trees.
The four of them stopped at the first set of partly-ivory trees. This was it. The rank three raid dungeon; still undefeated.
"Can we really do this?" Rarity asked, echoing the doubts nagging at the back of Applejack's mind.
"We can," Agil asserted with a firm nod. "In this game, it should be possible for even a rank ten dungeon to be beaten at this point. It would just be extremely hard to do."
He was right. They just had to find the girls and get out of there. They'd have to fight some tough monsters and maybe even Nightmare forces, but then they could just double back to the entrance once they found the girls and everything would be over... Right? If worst came to worst, they had already sent Rainbow Dash to fetch Animus for reinforcements.
Geared to go, Applejack took the initiative by tapping her way through the dungeon’s menu. She stopped short at the last part and waited for everyone else to be ready.
“Alright, let’s get this show on the road!” Lisbeth cheered enthusiastically, “I’ve missed the feeling of tackling a tough dungeon.”
Agil brought up the dungeon’s menu as well, a crease forming on his brow, and he noted something strange, “It looks like we aren’t the only allies that came here. It says that there are already six players in the dungeon.”
Applejack let out a little sigh of relief. The discovery was odd, but far from alarming. Whoever the other three players were, it meant that they had that much more help. They could already be protecting the fillies too.
“I reckon we’d better not keep’em waiting, right?” she said.
Agil nodded in agreement. With a single touch he confirmed their entry, and in a flash of light the four of them were teleported into the Palewood.
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Woof, pugging a 12-man raid with 9 underleveled characters... it's too bad the game system doesn't have gear/stat checks in place to keep noobs out,
6015465 Technically it's 10 underleveled players.
1-3 = CMC
4-6 = Mystery Players
7-10 = Agil, Applejack, Rarity, and Lisbeth.
So there are two empty slots for their side right now.
Plus I've tried to make it a point that levels don't mean as much as they do in other games as far as strength is concerned. They do bring some stat improvement, but more than anything they just unlock more tools for the players to use. More skills to fight with and such, with more and more useful effects. So gear and level checks would kinda defeat the purpose of encouraging that focus on one's own ability to fight.