[The Mountain]

[Hattaki]

In the darkness a pair of eyes shine bright red and a curious little noise follows as they blink slowly at you. "Are you lost too? I don't know how I came to be here, but it's just so hot and I can't think straight. Are you hearing that song too or is it just me?"



Between your own discomfort and the way this poor pony seems to be wilting, it might be best to take them back to the healers and you could use a drink yourself! Do you follow your instincts or do you try to help them where you are?

((This pony has now been FOUND! Participants with the highest posts and written responses will have the chance to enter for any ponies uncovered during the meta! ))

PeterPan_da144

 

[Hattaki]

If you weren't lost before you certainly are now! Unfortunately for you this gamble didn't pay off, even the pony that had been nearby seems to have disappeared into the darkness of the cave. Oh what will you ever do all alone and in the dark? Slowly the cave system twists, you bump into the walls a couple of times but you seem to be getting along well enough until you smack straight into a wall.

Hooves flailing, you discover that to either side is another tunnel but in the distance of one you could swear you see a light. At least you hope it's light.

Roll 1d4.
1-2: The heck with that light, you aren't even sure that it's a light or if it's just your imagination. You're going left!
3-4: Oh you just hope that's a light, it seems to be glowing every color and none all at the same time, but it also looks like an illusion. Either way it's better than stumbling in the dark!

belloblossom

Everything seems to be cool and quiet as you head into the thicket, shade here makes it a lot easier to breathe than on that mountain path. Birds are singing all around, you could almost forget the reason that you've come up into these mountains at all the way it feels so calm and relaxing. In the distance you hear a noise, a curious one certainly but not anything that sounds extremely stressed.

Roll 1d4.
1-2: You keep hearing that same curious sound, it almost sounds like a sort of cooing noise. You follow it further into the thicket
3-4: There are all sorts of noises up here, that noise could be anything. Still, you search around the area where you can see first.

xKOVAKtheWOLFx

 

[belloblossom]

At this point, Babble had completely lost track of the other pony that had entered the cave with her. Because of this, she was even more relieved to have Ripple with her.

"I don't know where that other pony went, but if they can still hear me, follow the sound of my voice!" Babble said this last part loudly, to make the point, but then her attention was drawn away by a flickering, ever-changing light. "Well, that's certainly unusual, isn't it, Ripple? Let's go investigate." She said, moving hastily towards it. She stumbled occasionally, but chattered on throughout it, accompanied by the abrupt pauses with a "Whoops!" or "Umph!" As she went on towards the light source.  

[xKOVAKtheWOLFx]

A sound kept ringing in his ear. He did not know what it was, but it was calling out to him. As if it wanted him to follow it. Pumpkin Spice was a curious one, and did as he believed he should. Follow the sound. Find it.  

[Hattaki]

"Oh I would like that very much." The mysterious pony responds, raising to shaky feet and following as best they can.

Once you deposit the pony with the healers, you set back off towards the mountainside again, following the twisting paths as you're reasonably certain that another pony could be lost up there if you found this one trying to survive the heat!

Once again you come to the fork in the road and this time swing to the right, following the sun beaten rocks up and up... only to be met with another fork. What is it with the ponies that built these paths?!

Roll 1d4.
1-2: You take a path to the left, a narrow path that seems to curve around a cut out side of the mountain.
3-4: You take a path to the right, this path is wider and there looks to be a small canyon clearing below.

StarshineAngel01

As you did not respond last round, the same prompts stand!

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PeterPan_da144

Just waiting on response

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If you weren't lost before you certainly are now! Unfortunately for you this gamble didn't pay off, even the pony that had been nearby seems to have disappeared into the darkness of the cave. Oh what will you ever do all alone and in the dark? Slowly the cave system twists, you bump into the walls a couple of times but you seem to be getting along well enough until you smack straight into a wall.

Hooves flailing, you discover that to either side is another tunnel but in the distance of one you could swear you see a light. At least you hope it's light.

Roll 1d4.
1-2: The heck with that light, you aren't even sure that it's a light or if it's just your imagination. You're going left!
3-4: Oh you just hope that's a light, it seems to be glowing every color and none all at the same time, but it also looks like an illusion. Either way it's better than stumbling in the dark!

belloblossom

As you did not respond last round, the same prompts stand!

 

[Hattaki]

The cooing continues to get louder as you approach, needing to duck every so often as low hanging branches grow down towards the path, reaching for the ground itself. In the shade, in the densest part, a pony lays resting beside a flowering bush, their breath coming ragged.

"Oh hello there... by the Four it's so very hot isn't it? Do you want to share my shade with me?" Their voice even sounds worn out as they speak, a smile on their face all the same.
Will you stay and rest with them or get them back to the beach where the Healers are?

((This pony has now been FOUND! Participants with the highest posts and written responses will have the chance to enter for any ponies uncovered during the meta! ))

xKOVAKtheWOLFx

 

[PeterPan_da144]

Hattaki

Upon finding the poor lost pony, Mango greeted them with a smile. "I haven't heard any pony else in these caves... But if any pony is here, I'll make sure to find them. Don't worry." She offered a kind smile before nosing at her bag and procuring some fruit and water.

"Here, you can snack on these while I get you back to the beach. I know one of your friends is there, waiting for you. Perhaps all the others have been found by now, too," she said gently, moving to escort the pony out of the caves as best she could. Who knows how long this poor pony was here for. They should rt checked out by a healer as soon as possible.

((She's taking the pony back to the healers))  

[xKOVAKtheWOLFx]

Pumpkin Spice's heart was beating louder and louder when following the sound. He was close! He just had to! The pony went into a trot, having to duck under branches and looking out for thorns on the way. Finally, he reached a clearing, and saw a ...pony? Was this who he was supposed to rescue?

Pumpkin Spice was confused. They didn't seem lost, and they didn't seem like they needed rescuing "It is hot," he chirped, making his way to the shade. It must be awfully hotter for the stanger, with their accessories and whatnot. "Do you want to cool off at the beach, by any chance?"

He would stay if they choose to. But he will bring them back to the beach if they are capable.  

[Hattaki]

Your hooves take you around the mountain, it gets a bit steeper as the path heads up and up, the heat rising slightly and the plantlife beginning to resemble dried and dead weeds and sticks more than actual plants. Speaking of a plant, there's something odd stuck in the branches of a tree that had grown up from the path.

That's defintely an odd place for a beach ball, there's gotta be someone up here! You grab it and keep following the path out until another one branches off between two mountains.

Roll 1d4.
1-2. Well you found this ball along this path, so the most reasonable course of action seems to be to follow it out wherever it leads you. You follow the same path you were on and notice that you seem to be dipping down a bit as you go, is that a canyon below?
3-4. If you were lost along these mountains you'd certainly want to find any path that looked different than this, so off you go down the path between the mountains. Oh these mountains just keep going around and around!

StarshineAngel01

The beachball is colored by Abeno Seimei and can be added to your inventory. <3

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"There were so many of us all together but now I can't remember where any of them went. DId I get lost or them?" The pony said sadly, taking the snacks gratefully and returns your smile. They can't tell you much more unfortunately, it seems like they're worn out enough that even walking takes all their focus. Worried about their condition, all this heat is just crazy even if you are in Summer, you take them back quickly and deposit them alongside their friends with the healers.

The healers stock you back up, it appears there are still more ponies to be found!

PeterPan_da144

Please follow the prompt below

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A tired smile was still on the pony's face as you come to join them in the shade, but the statement of the beach seems to have them perk up quite a bit. "I lost some friends... somewhere. I don't know where, but they could be down near the cool water! Especially with all this heat, maybe they were smarter than I was." They laughed sheepishly and rise to shakey feet so they can follow where you lead. As you take them down to the healers they start to wilt even more in the open heat, going slower until you arrive at the beach and get them into the hooves of the healers.

xKOVAKtheWOLFx

Please follow the prompt below

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Once again the mouth of the cave looms before you and you have a choice. Inside the cave there could be yet more ponies, but it's so very hot in there, maybe there's a chance that the mountain path would have a breeze. It might not be cooler but it offers views a little less scary than a dark cave right?

Roll 1d8
1-4: You head into the nearest cave with your fellow explorers
5-8: You carry on the trail around the mountain.  

[Hattaki]

"Other pony?" Just as you get to the end of the tunnel you realize that there's actually a turn and a pony with a pair of sunglasses in their hooves is holding them before a little glowing light. They put the glasses back on their face again and shine the light towards you. "You have friends that're lost in these caves too?"

"Feels like I've been lost for hours and I can't find my way back. I found this flashlight though!" They grin and waggle the flashlight as they walk over to you. Once they're closer you can see how heavily they're sweating.

((This pony has now been FOUND! Participants with the highest posts and written responses will have the chance to enter for any ponies uncovered during the meta! ))

belloblossom

 

[PeterPan_da144]

Having already been into the aves Mango decided to stick to the trail this time. She doubted many other ponies would have gone into the caves.  

[belloblossom]

Babbling Brook stopped short for a moment, as she took in the newcomer. She couldn't see them very well, even all this darkness, but she soon came to realize they must be one of the missing ponies she was searching for!

"I don't know if I'd call them my friend. But they came in with me to look for ponies! I think one of the ponies might be you, actually. Anyway, I'm Babbling Brook, but you can call me Babble, and this is Ripple. You can call her Ripple." She tapped the Serapentine around her throat lightly, which caused the creature to emit a low hiss. "And we're here to save you! Good thing you found that flashlight. Let's see if we can point it in the direction of where I came, cause I know I got in here someway, so maybe we can retrace my steps and get you to your friends!" She said, ready to pester the pony with all manner of questions on the journey back.

((Babbling Brook will do her best to escort this pony back to the beach, if she can.))