Panic in the Magic Shop - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: the Role Playing Game

## My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: the Role Playing Game

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### Panic in the Magic Shop

This scenario is in two parts. The first part is just a description of the Magic Shop, and includes some adventure seeds. The second part, "Panic in the Magic Shop" is posted bu still has a final "chapter" that will be posted soon.

Marami Antique and Magic Shop

The Antiques and Magic shop can be found on a small side street, just off Marami’s main road. The shop seems to have been here a very long time. It has a wooden facade, formerly painted and varnished but now marked by time; however, this aged appearance gives the shop a bit of mystique and charm. For this reason the owner, Zabrina, has decided to leave it just as it is. The sign for the shop consist of brightly colored letters that read “Antiques Shop” and in smaller letters “books, potions, curiosities.”

Zabrina

The owner of the shop is Marami’s only resident zebra. Zabrina has a charismatic glance and cordial smile to greet every customer. She opens very early in the morning, maintains good relationships within the community, and adores watching colts and fillies at play in the park. Despite this, most ponies are wary of seeking out her potions for curing illness or healing, and instead rely on the local medical clinic. For this reason Zabrina supplements her income by selling books, spices and costumes.

The Shop Interior

The small interior is divided into three rooms that are open to the public. An odor of dusty old books, mixed with that of aromatic plants constantly on display, fills the air.

The front room contains a few pieces of old furniture, like chairs, small end tables and cupboards. Among the shelves and scattered among the furniture are a variety of objects. On the largest table a great quantity of various components is laid out: rare bird feathers, aromatic plants, all kinds of dried flower petals and grasses and a variety of salts and rare spices. There is also a crystal ball and several gemstones available. Components that are not in stock can be special ordered.

The second room is the library. It contains some very old books, covering all manner of subjects. The ponies can find picture albums, in particular almanacs of the Seashore Sprint races going back several years. There are recipe books, how to books, and tales and novels of the great ponies of Equestria’s past. In the recent works there are encyclopedias on flowers and animals, books of maps, and "The Big Book of Sorcery." Zabrina does not sell any of her books, but she does lend them from time to time.

The third room is reserved for clothes: hats, dresses, and other accessories. A large portion of the clothes consist of various Nightmare Night costumes. Zabrina is a good dressmaker, she makes the majority of the clothing herself and is always happy to make a hem or a final improvement.

A fourth room, normally closed to the public, is Zabrina’s alchemy workshop. It is full of all the materials necessary for the practice of alchemy: glass bottles, a cauldron, tubes, tweezers, etc. Needless to say, all of this is very fragile... Zabrina herself lives in a small apartment on the second floor of the shop.

Adventure Seeds

The magic shop can be incorporated into a variety of different stories. The little ponies could discover it by chance, as needed for a scenario, or they may have been told about it by family or friends, and seek it out to find some rare item. Here are a few suggestions on how the shop could be incorporated in your scenarios:

Burgling! -

Two ponies force their way into the Bazaar under the cover of night. They steal several crystal balls, convinced that the objects will let them to guess who will win the big race. They are likely to be disappointed...

Nightmare Night Disaster

It’s less than a week before Nightmare Night, a favorite festival of the ponies. There is a rush of customers at the shop, and unfortunately Zabrina has short supply of several components and pumpkins. Perhaps our little ponies would be willing to go in search of some items for her, she is even prepared to give them a list of what she needs.

The Lost Enchantment

Zabrina has come into possession of a very old black book. In this book, a great enchantment is detailed, unfortunately the pages explaining its effects were torn out. Maybe the ponies can travel to where the book came from and search for the missing pages.

Mysterious Disappearance

The Magic Shop is closed, and Zabrina does not answer. Is she missing, or is she simply on holiday? Maybe she has gone off to the woods to look for some rare ingredient, and may be lost or in need of help…

Panic in the Magic Shop!

Synopsis

Zabrina, the owner of the magic shop, has some concerns about her boutique: this very morning she found the place ransacked, although nothing is missing and there is are no signs of anypony forcing their way in. Zabrina spent the previous night in the forest searching for special flowers that only bloom in moon light, and has no idea what might have happened. The pony characters will investigate this strange business to discover a culprit that no one would have suspected.

Characters

Zabrina

Zabrina is Marami’s only resident zebra and owner of the Marami Magic Shop.

Mystie

Mystie is a shady, self-proclaimed mystic with an annoying, better than everypony else attitude. She is looking for a book with a rare clairvoyancy spell in it. Her research has mistakenly led her to Zabrina’s Magic Shop. Mystie has a violet purple coat and light blue and silver mane and tail. Her cutie mark is a crystal ball.

Bragger Ragbag

Bragger is a carnival barker and Mystie’s shill. He roams the carnival and does things like pretending to be excited about shows and games to build enthusiasm among the crowd, or “buying” tickets to intice real customers to do the same. He also talks to the locals and tries to fish information out of them that he can pass on to Mystie for her fortune telling act. Bragger is a yellow colored earth pony with a dark brown mane and tail. His cutie mark is a megaphone.

Ringtail

Ringtail is Mystie’s pet raccoon and cohort.

Prelude

The Sea Shore Sprint race and stunt derby is just a week away. In preparation for the town faire that accompanies the race each year, a number of carnival ponies and out of town vendors have begun to camp out in Marami’s Grand Park. One of those ponies, a unicorn mare named Mystie, bills herself as a mystic. She has a little wagon that unfolds into a booth for her carnival show where she offers to tell ponies their fortunes.

When Mystie first arrived in town she visited Zabrina’s Magic Shop in search of a book with the clairvoyancy spell it. She wasn’t able to find what she wanted, but is convinced that Zabrina is holding out on her. Her assumption is based on Zabrina telling her that her books aren’t for sale. Mystie thinks Zabrina has the book but wants to keep the book for herself, and of course Mystie believes she is far more deserving of the book than Zabrina. And so Mystie has decided to acquire the volume she seeks by nefarious means.

Proud and determined Mystie waited until nightfall to send her pet raccoon Ringtail into the shop using the pet door. Ringtail sneaked into the shop to search the stacks. Unable to find the non-existant book, the raccoon caused an indescribable mess in the store, knocking over the crystal ball display table and spilling the contents of just about every shelf in the place. Eventually giving up, Ringtail left empty pawed and returned to Mystie. Not one to be deterred so easily, Mystie is planning to send Ringtail on a second foray to search for the elusive book.

Zabrina, discovering the chaos in her shop, starts by making an estimate of the damage and notes that breakage is minimal and that nothing seems to be missing. Persuaded that it was a supernatural act, she contacts the characters instead of the police, who she judges wouldn't have any recourse in such circumstances. Zabrina has heard how the characters helped Mr. and Mrs. Chip and hopes they will be willing to help her as well.

Getting Started

Have the pony characters start their day hearing the news about the upcoming race and all the strange pony folk starting to arrive in town. They should hear the news from one of the background ponies. Butterfly Knot or Cookie Dough would work well, but any background pony will do.

When the pony characters go out to see all the commotion, try giving them a sense of the excitement that fills the park. There are carnival ponies setting up merry-go-rounds, Ferris wheels and various carnival games. City workers are setting up vendor booths and the stage for the award ceremony and entertainment, etc. The place is absolutely full of activity. Although none of the booths are open for business yet, a few carnies are working the crowd, advertising their shows in the typical carnival barker style. If the pony characters are looking about and checking what type of attractions will be at the faire, they may even notice Mystie’s fortune telling wagon, but they will not see Ringtail.

Never one to miss an opportunity to make a few bits, Mystie is one of the showponies working the crowd, doing her best to intrigue customers and get them to come visit her wagon when the faire opens. When the pony characters get near Mystie’s wagon, they will notice a small crowd standing about as Mystie stands on a pedestal to begin her routine:

“Fillies and Gentlecolts… Step right up! You are about to see a feat so amazing, so utterly mysterious, won’t believe your eyes!”

“Now showing for the first time here in Marami, the Mysterious Mystie, the greatest oracle who has ever lived, will provide you, the fair citizens of Marami, with the answers you seek!”

“Answers about your love life, your career, and your destiny; all to be had for only two bits! The Mysterious Mystie can grant you a brief glimpse into the future.”

“Are you looking for that special somepony? Want to know the best way to get rich? Are you wondering what your future holds? Then hurry to Mysterious Mystie’s, you won’t be disappointed!

Note: If you are playing with experienced role-players, they will probably catch on to the fact that Mystie is some how involved in the Magic Shop affair if she is the only carnival barker presented. You might want to have one or two other carnies give similar speaches to keep them off guard.

Mystie will refuse to answer any questions or offer any fortune telling at this time. She will simply say “If you want answers, be sure to come back when the gates open. All will be revealed in time!”

Mystie will then retire to the inside of her wagon, where she will wait for about an hour before repeating her routine for the next crowd.

Bragger Ragbag will be among the crowd watching Mystie’s speal. He will attempt to approach anypony that appears interested in the show and engage them in polite conversation, during which he will attempt to find out their names, what they do for a living, or any other type of information that he can pass on to Mystie. Bragger will introduce himself as Rip, and claim to be a reporter from Fillydelpia in town to cover the races. If the ponies ask why he is so curious he will tell them he is trying to get some local “color” for his reports. He will excuse himself and move on if the ponies seem suspicious of his story.

At some point in the morning, Zabrina will approach the pony characters and ask them if they would be willing to help her with a small problem. If the pony characters seem agreeable, she will explain the situation to them. The strange occurrence should peak the curiosity of the pony characters. It is also a great opportunity to introduce the Magic Shop to your players if they haven’t discovered it already.

The Investigation

The players should logically start by questioning Zabrina, who will tell them about her trip to the forest and what she discovered when she returned. She has no idea of what might have happened.

Our young ponies will discover the shop in about the same state as Zabrina found it (She just collected the slivers of broken glass in order to prevent somepony from cutting themselves).

The next step should be a careful inspection of the shop. Have the ponies each try a perception (mental attribute) check. The difficulty level of the checks is left to the discretion of the Storyteller. For each successful check, reveal one of the following clues:

1. Long hairs of various black and brown colors, if they are shown to Zabrina, she will recognize them as belonging to a raccoon.

2. No trace of forced entry on any of the doors. However, one of the ponies might notice the pet door. If asked, Zabrina will explain that she does not have a pet; the pet door has been there since the previous tenants occupied the house.

3. A tiny silver barrette. It belongs to Ringtail, who lost it during her mussing about in the shop.

Analyzing the clues

The ponies should be able to conclude a raccoon was in the shop. They may even be able to guess that the raccoon is somepony’s pet because of the barrette. If the ponies think to look outside, a successful perception check will find raccoon paw prints, but it is impossible to follow the trail more than a few feet to the well-traveled main road.

At this point all the ponies know is that a raccoon entered the shop, made a mess, and left. If they conclude that it was an isolated incident, they may decide they are done. Hopefully one of the ponies will suggest staking out the shop to see if the raccoon comes back. If not, you might want to have Zabrina suggest it to them. The ponies might also suggest she block the pet door.

The ponies should also offer to help clean up. Zabrina won’t ask them too, but you might have her say something like “This mess will take me all day to clean up, and I have so many orders to fill!”

If the PCs offer to help clean up, they will discover, along with Zabrina, that there are in fact some items missing. The missing items are nothing truly valuable, a couple of small pretty river rocks, and a hoof full of colorful ribbons. Ringtail is attracted to small shiny objects and could not resist the temptation as she rummaged through the shop.

The next night

Ringtail will return to search for the book again around midnight. This scene may play out in a number of different ways.

1. The pony characters are not staking out the shop. If the ponies blocked off the pet door, Zabrina will come to investigate Ringtails scratching to get in. If the pet door is still accessible, Zabrina will come to investigate the noise Ringtail makes as she rummages through the shop. In either case, when Ringtail comes face to face with the owner, she will high tail it out of the shop. Zabrina follows the raccoon to the street, and sees her disappear down a storm drain. She will tell the characters about it in the morning.

2. If the characters are staking out the shop, they will hear Ringtail at the front door around midnight. If the pet door remains open, and the players investigate the noise, they will see Ringtail enter the shop. If the pet door is blocked, they will see Ringtail when they open the door. In either case, as soon as Ringtail is confronted by the PCs, she will run to the main road and then dive down a storm drain. Allow the characters to see where she went. The storm drain is too small for any of the pony characters to go in after her. If any of the pony characters knows the spell reduction, they may try to follow the raccoon down the storm drain, but by the time they get in Ringtail will be long gone and it will be improbable +4 to any attempt at tracking her in the dark, even with a horn light. You can also discourage them from any further foray into the drain system by describing the scary noises of rats or other creatures lurking in the shadows. The pony characters should wait until the morning to try and track Ringtail in the drains.

In the morning

The characters may decide to search for tracks at the other storm drains around town. There are over 50 opening to the storm drain system, scattered about on different streets and in alley ways. If the players try to track down each one and look for the signs of the raccoon’s exit, it’s going to take them all day. Somepony might think to go to the town hall and look in the records for the storm drain plans, in which case they can cut their search time considerably. In either case, the search for Ringtails exit tracks this way will end up disappointing the ponies. Ringtail, afraid to return empty pawed a second time, is still in the drain pipes waiting for another chance to return to the shop.

When the ponies go to town hall to look for the records, Mayor Lemon will want to know why. Or if the ponies are just searching around town for the drain openings, one of the background ponies (a city engineer wearing a vest and a hard hat) can see them poking around one of the drains and ask what they are up too. The city engineer will report whatever the characters tell him to the Mayor. This is a great chance to have a little fun, and shorten the amount of time the ponies waste searching the drain openings for tracks.

If the pony characters are talking to Mayor Lemon and tell the truth, Mayor Lemon will involve the local police. Marami has two police officers, Sergeant Flatfoot and Bobby. Dough Knot, Sergeant Flatfoot’s wife, runs the police office which is located in town hall.

The police will begin their own search for the raccoon and the ponies will begin to see small posters with a picture of a raccoon posted about town, asking for everypony to keep an eye out. The police and a couple of city engineers, as well as a number of curious helpers will begin to search the drain openings as well. Lead the pony characters to believe that any sign of the raccoon will have been erased by the other searchers. You can also let the ponies overhear one of the city engineers state that if the raccoon isn’t found today, the rain shower scheduled for tomorrow will flush him out.

If the pony characters choose to keep Zabrina’s business to themselves, they will have to come up with some excuse. They may claim to have lost something down the drain or they may say they are checking for some problem with the drains. In this case something similar will occur. Community volunteers will be recruited to help search for any supposedly lost items, after all our pony characters helped find the lost colt, and the least they can do is try and repay the favor. If the ponies claim there is some sort of problem with the drains, the city engineers will begin a search for the problem, wanting to fix it before the scheduled rain. Again, make it clear that any tracks they may have found would have been obscured by all the other ponies helping in the search. They should also realize that if they are going to have any chance of tracking the raccoon, they will have to do it before the rain comes.

The only way to track Ringtail through the drains is by using the reduction spell so the ponies can fit in the pipes. If none of the pony characters knows the spell, Zabrina can either find a book that has the spell or provide the ponies with a reducing potion, at the storyteller’s discretion.

When a unicorn does not have a talent with a particular spell, but has access to the spell in a book, it is a little different than impromptu spell casting. Once read or learned, the unicorn can cast the spell using a base chance equal to her realization score and a magic talent level of 1. Regardless of the unicorns magic talent level she is considered to have a magic talent level of 1 for the purposes of casting that specific spell until the player spends the appropriate amount of pony points to practice and learn the spell properly.

The bottom of the drain system is littered with dirt and debris, a simple mental attribute check is all that is needed to track Ringtail through the pipes. In the day time tracking the raccoon in the drain system is an average difficulty level. If there is more than one pony doing the tracking, it should be fairly easy to follow the trail.

As the ponies make their way through the drain pipes, emphasize the disorientation caused by the disproportionate size of things around them. Make them aware of the difficulty by having them climb over a rock on the ground, slug through mud puddles, or getting dowsed with water drops coming from above, etc.

The adventure inside the storm drain!

The pony characters enter a world of mice and rats, and possibly a snake or two, beneath the streets of Marami. Emphasize the scrapping noises and echoes they hear to make them aware of the life inside the pipes. Allow the players to explore a few meters, amidst the dirt and muck. Finally, they will come upon a "room", or rather, a junction where several pipes meet. A family of sparrows tallows have nested here, and there nest is partially blocking the pipe that the raccoon’s tracks lead to. If the characters make any noise or have a horn light illuminated, panic ensues! Sparrows hurriedly depart their shelters while slipping on top of the characters heads, which is likely to cause some commotion. After a state of calm returns, the ponies can continue on their way down the pipe.

If the players are careful, they won't frighten the sparrows, whose nest partially blocks the exit from the area. With no other tracks to follow, they will have to find a solution to get carefully past the nest.

The lair of the rat

Finally, the passage will end in a gigantic cul-de-sac. As soon as they enter, Ringtail will chatter at them. She is on a small ledge against the wall at the rear. But the characters won't have time to do anything because from an enormous gray rat suddenly appears at their backs!

The ponies are hypnotized by the unhealthy gleam in its eyes! They will have to find a solution and quickly! If not, our ponies risk being gnawed for lunch by the dreadful rodent. The ponies may try to chase the rat off with hoofticuffs, or in the worst case, they can take refuge on the ledge with Ringtail. Let the PCs come up with a quick plan of action, and allow them to start climbing up on the ledge or go through one round of hoofticuffs, but before anything serious happens, Ringtail will come to the rescue!

Ringtail is bigger than the rat; she’s also bigger than the ponies at the moment! Ringtail will jump off the ledge and confront the offending rat, hissing and gnashing her teeth. The rat, realizing it’s outclassed, will flee.

If any of the ponies knows the spell to talk to animals, they may try to converse with Ringtail. This is about the only way in which the characters can learn about the reason for the raccoon’s visits to the Magic Shop. Ringtail will simply state that she was sent to the shop to look for a book, but will not reveal any other information. Ringtail’s primary concern, however, will be getting home to Mystie. The storm drain has become too crowded for comfort.

Ringtail will take her leave. She’s not in a hurry so the pony characters can follow her. She will lead them to place where the drain empties out under the bridge connecting the central park to the beach, and then head directly back to Mystie’s wagon. Once the ponies are out of the drains the potion should wear off, or the spell can be cancelled so the ponies return to their normal size.

Confronting Mystie

In all cases, Mystie, with a tear in her eye, will thank the ponies and explain her pet got lost and how worried she had been. If the ponies confront Mystie about the raccoon’s exploits in the shop, she will deny all knowledge, saying that Ringtail is just a mischievous raccoon, always getting into trouble.

When the pony characters return and tell Zabrina about the raccoon being Mystie’s pet, Zabrina will make the connection. She will explain that Mystie had come to her shop asking to buy a particular book. Mystie became upset when she found out that Zabrina doesn’t sell her books, and accused her of lying just so she could keep the book for herself.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not yet compete, as of 5 March 2012. Look for the final part to be posted soon...

Experience

Finding Mystie 4 points

For an original solution for getting rid of the rat 2 points

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