Who You Gonna Call?

As Rhinestone moved to walk out the door, she looked over, mostly to Maverick, but she addressed everyone. "Okay, um, Bell Mare is being ominous again. Chances are she's just trolling me, but even so, we should be...y'know, aware."

"I'm always aware!" Sweet Puff says, then promptly flies face-first into a wall.

The Twins follow along silently. Gallows keeps extra close to Rhinestone, while Hallows walks a fair distance behind them.

White Whisper stood (well, walked, but he did a good impression of standing for a walking pony) a good distance away from both. The more distance the better, WW thought to himself. Adding more fuel to that fire would likely just burn down the city at this point.

The colt idly re-lit his cigarette with his mind. That was perhaps a more literal statement than he realized, but that was exactly the kind of thing he didn't like thinking about, so he focused on the sign around his neck instead. He should probably remove it, but then what was going to act as a counterweight to keep his brain flying out of his head to escape this stupid headache? Certainly not heavy thoughts like accidentally burning down cities if there was the remotest possibility they could be avoided.

If Celestia was in Las Pagasus for some unfathomable reason he was going to act very cross with her. No star had any account being that bright at this time of the day.

As Rhinestone walked with the others, she had a silent conversation with Bell Mare. Hey, I know it's your prerogative to be as unhelpful as possible, but I wanna know if the police in this town give a buoyant buck about what happened last night. If your mark is in jail you don't really get to have very much fun, so you might as well keep me informed.

Elacular wrote:Hey, I know it's your prerogative to be as unhelpful as possible, but I wanna know if the police in this town give a buoyant buck about what happened last night. If your mark is in jail you don't really get to have very much fun, so you might as well keep me informed.

And you expect me to know what the police think how?
---
After a few hours of walking through the desert (and Chronos's map), the group arrives in front of the factory. It is a large, open area (naturally, being in the desert), with a rail track (partially blocked by a boom barrier) that runs around the building, passing in front of the front door and several windows. The windows, save for one to the door's immediate right, are boarded up, while the rail track in front of those windows is blocked by several metal fans. The door has no handle on it, instead having a large clock reading 12:00, while smaller clocks are scattered on the ground, all reading 3:30. None of those clocks are the correct time. Chronos is standing outside the door, and waves when he sees the group approach.

"Ah, good, you made it in plenty of time!" said Chronos. "Unfortunately, I seem to be locked out, and can't quite remember how to open this door."

Hallows casually walks up next to him and looks at the clocks. "How is it supposed to open?"

"Huh." Rhinestone bent down and snuffed at the sandy ground, pushing her hoof into it experimentally. "So, uh, just curiosity here. What are the floors of this place made of?"

"You're locked out of your own factory, and there's a window we can break in through right there." Sweet Puff says, sipping at her bottle of soda.

Bronymous wrote:Hallows casually walks up next to him and looks at the clocks. "How is it supposed to open?"

"I think those clocks might have something to do with it..."

Elacular wrote:"Huh." Rhinestone bent down and snuffed at the sandy ground, pushing her hoof into it experimentally. "So, uh, just curiosity here. What are the floors of this place made of?"

The sand feels pretty sandy, and Rhinestone is able to push her hoof in pretty deep.
"Well, metal," said Chronos. "But there may be a bunch of sand in there, too."

Copper Rose wrote:"You're locked out of your own factory, and there's a window we can break in through right there." Sweet Puff says, sipping at her bottle of soda.

It's a pretty small window, though, so only Sweet Puff (and maybe the twins, if they squeeze) would be able to fit in.

"Hrm. Well, that figures. Bearing it in mind though."

Hey Bell Mare, wanna poke your head in or something? I don't exactly feel up to trying to break metal.

As she "said" this, Rhinestone glanced at the clocks and poked at a few of them with her shovel.

Looking at the size of the window, Sweet Puff starts flying away from the factory entrance. Once she is a good distance away, she turns back and starts barreling toward the window at top speed (after pulling a pair of goggles from her bag and putting them on).

Window Breaking rolls:

Hallows examined the clocks, and the door, looking for some clue as to how it all worked. Gallows, meanwhile, watched and then averted his eyes when he saw Sweet Puff flying at speed towards the window.

---

No real way to assist those rolls. But she gets a +1 to all three checks.
Hallows Perception, to see what the clocks and the door are all about (I can't solve the puzzle if I don't know what it is):
Nat 1+10=11

Check that, I can't solve the puzzle.

Elacular wrote:Hey Bell Mare, wanna poke your head in or something? I don't exactly feel up to trying to break metal.

As she "said" this, Rhinestone glanced at the clocks and poked at a few of them with her shovel.

Sure thing - it's like a party in there, anyway!

Bell Mare floats inside, heading through the window. There are six different clocks on the ground, all in different styles, all of which are frozen at 3:30.

---

Bronymous is on the right track - Perception (or History) to figure out what the clocks are all about.

---

Bronymous wrote:Hallows examined the clocks, and the door, looking for some clue as to how it all worked. Gallows, meanwhile, watched and then averted his eyes when he saw Sweet Puff flying at speed towards the window.

Hallows can figure out that they are clocks. Other than that this strange world frightens and confuses her.

Copper Rose wrote:Looking at the size of the window, Sweet Puff starts flying away from the factory entrance. Once she is a good distance away, she turns back and starts barreling toward the window at top speed (after pulling a pair of goggles from her bag and putting them on).

Sweet Puff, dashing at top speed for the window, barely manages to crash through, but does so in a way that shatters the window entirely, getting a few glass shards stuck in her. WHO COULD HAVE GUESSED?

Anyway, Sweet Puff ends up in a room stretching up two stories, with a lift on the left side. On the first floor, there are three doors - one to the north, one to the east, and one leading south, back to the outside area. The southern door has several large metal bars and poles, from what Sweet Puff can see, all of them jammed into the walls to make opening the door from the outside (without unlocking it) very, very difficult, but a keypad near the entrance should unlock it if the right passcode is put in. There is a large safe in the room. Several ribbons and ribbon spools of multiple colors are strewn about the room, alongside crates, gears, spider webs, and three old-looking jackets. A sign is strung up along the ceiling, reading "Welcome to Clockworks Court - It has been [6][2][0][5] days since the last accident". A strange-looking machine with several wheels and gears on it is near the southernmost door.

---

Sweet Puff takes 3 damage from the glass.

Rhinestone arched one eyebrow and opened her mouth to speak before Sweet Puff bashed through the window. "Uh...alright, ignoring that. My uh...in says that it's, I quote, 'like a party in there', which coming from her is insanely ominous so...yeah, on guard."

At the end of this statement, she knelt down to examine the clocks, wracking her brain for information.

Meta:

"Oww..." After recovering and taking a look around, Sweet Puff goes over to the keypad and decides to try the first four-digit number she can think of, which happens to be the supposed number of days since the last accident - 6 2 0 5

Hallows lets out a little whine as she looks at the clocks, entirely uncomprehending what they mean. Gallows goes over to help, and notices Rhinestone also examining them. He approaches and sits down next to her, looking at the same clocks. "Maybe... it's like some kind of code. All of the clocks have to match a specific time and the door opens. Or they each have to line up with different timezones... No wait..." He picks up and moves a few of the clocks with no real idea.

Hallows, on the other hand, gives up with the clocks entirely and goes to look through the window. "Hey, kid, are you alright?"

---

Gallows uses:

Two Heads:

So along with the passive +1 she gets, Rhinestone now has a 41.

Also, I have:

Benevolent Anubis:

Roll: 11

Elacular wrote:Rhinestone arched one eyebrow and opened her mouth to speak before Sweet Puff bashed through the window. "Uh...alright, ignoring that. My uh...in says that it's, I quote, 'like a party in there', which coming from her is insanely ominous so...yeah, on guard."

At the end of this statement, she knelt down to examine the clocks, wracking her brain for information.

None of the six clocks scattered on the ground match in style. Rhinestone recognizes one off the top of her head as being modern, but the others are older and older. According to etchings on the side they've been produced at intervals of seventeen years. Even more strangely, they all seem to be in the same amount of disrepair, covered in dust and frozen at 3:30. The clocks weren't exactly haphazardly placed, either - somepony had to have kept them in place and uncovered during times when the desert winds picked up. Rhinestone doesn't know who that pony would be, but knows they are either very old, a ghost, or more than one pony, considering the first clock was made (and presumably placed) 85 years ago.

Copper Rose wrote:"Oww..." After recovering and taking a look around, Sweet Puff goes over to the keypad and decides to try the first four-digit number she can think of, which happens to be the supposed number of days since the last accident - 6 2 0 5

After Sweet Puff presses the "0" the keypad beeps - apparently it only takes three numbers. She does, however, hear a loud series of clicking noises from outside.

Bronymous wrote:Hallows lets out a little whine as she looks at the clocks, entirely uncomprehending what they mean. Gallows goes over to help, and notices Rhinestone also examining them. He approaches and sits down next to her, looking at the same clocks. "Maybe... it's like some kind of code. All of the clocks have to match a specific time and the door opens. Or they each have to line up with different timezones... No wait..." He picks up and moves a few of the clocks with no real idea.

Hallows, on the other hand, gives up with the clocks entirely and goes to look through the window. "Hey, kid, are you alright?"

When Gallows mentions "match a specific time" Rhinestone realizes something - there's a layer of glass closing in the smaller clocks, but not the one on the front door. The clock hands there could be moved to a specific time. The hands move on their own, though, stopping at 6:20. Chronos walks up to the door and tries to open it with no success.

"Time zones?" muttered Chronos, partially to himself. "Could be, could be... but who would take the time to factor that into the door lock?"

Rhinestone, though, has a pretty good idea what time the door needs to be set to - after all, if the clocks have been here for such a long time, frozen specifically at 3:30, it stands to reason the "password," as it were, hasn't changed, and all Rhinestone needs to do is move the hands of the massive door clock to that specific hour.

Rhinestone lifted one hoof and bashed herself across the face with it. "DUH! Of course, that just makes sense! Thanks Gallows!"

She nuzzled the Jackal gently, then placed her hooves on the hour hand to move it to the three.

Everyone outside hears a click, while Sweet Puff sees one of the poles securing the door move.

---

The door'll swing open (towards Sweet Puff) when the minute hand is set, so you can safely assume that, after opening the door, you all get inside on your next post.

Gallows blushes when Rhinestone thanks him, and follows her to the door.

<AFTER FINISHING THE THING>
Hallows returns to the door with her brother, and they walk inside. Taking note of the glass and blood, on Sweet puff, she stares uneasily. "Why would you do that?"

Sweet Puff shrugs. "It got me in, didn't it?"

"Good job taking one for the team, there, Sweet," mumbled White Whisper, now hangover free but still looking something slightly greater than "grumpy" and slightly less than "miffed". Perhaps the word we are looking for is "hackered", but that is the kind of word one only uses while hungover. ""Mind you, if you hadn't gone barreling off like a zoo animal faced with a broken lock, I would've been able to intangible you in all ghosty-like, usual tricks. Still, good job, all things considered."

Spoiler:

Not ones to be overly protective of a foal, the Twins distract themselves from Sweet Puff by looking around the lobby, looking for signs of whatever they are here to do.

---

Perception: 19+10=29

There are two other doors on the first floor of this room, one (unlocked) to the north and another (locked) to the south. The room has a second floor, but the lift up to it is on said second floor, and there are no stairs. Several long strings of ribbon (approximately two feet wide and at least six feet in length) have fallen along the ground near wound spools of ribbon, and gears, crates, and jackets litter the ground. Also in the room are a safe and a machine with several wheels, gears, and levers, and a pole roughly the height and width to hold one of the spools of ribbon. There is also the aforementioned sign hanging from the ceiling, detailing that it has been [6][2][0][5] days since the last accident.