0 - The Rules of the Game
Well, this is embarrassing. There was supposed to be a story here...
"Hello? Is somepony out there? Please, anypony, please let me out!" Twilight pounded her hoof against the stone that obstructed her freedom.
...but Twilight seems to be stuck in a cave due to my writers block. See the metaphor?
"Shut up! You're not helping," she snapped. If there was something she could have glared at in this darkness, she would have glared it to death.
Ah, yes... Did I mention that she can hear all of us? And by all of us, I mean that she can hear the every single comment posted on every single piece of content on the entirety of the internet.
Curious, Twilight asked, "What's the internet?"
A human, err... monkey thing... Nothing you need to worry about, dear Twilight. Now, my explanation of what's going on here. In this not-quite-a-story, Discord broke free from his prison nearly three decade earlier than in canon. As a result, the elements of harmony were never found.
"The elements of what?" Twilight asked, and then shook her head. "Never mind. Can you just tell me how to get out of here?"
The elements of harmony. They are important, but that will be your only clue for now. You're a smart mare, Twilight, find that out yourself. And no, I can't help you yet.
Anyway, Nightmare Moon, weakened from her extended stay on the moon, was defeated by Princess Celestia upon her return, and was thus restored to her former glory as Princess Luna. Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's prized student, was sent with Spike to the rock island that Ponyville was on in order to aid in the reconstruction from their latest disaster.
Oh, wait, I forgot that part. See, the entire planet has been torn apart into countless fragments that float through the sky. Airships, cloud-hopping, and rope bridges are the only way to cross from island to island, but navigating is next to impossible, given that the islands keep moving and chaos monsters patrol the skies and regularly sink ships or attack towns.
Anyway, once Twilight had managed to make it to Ponyville, she and Spike met their best friends, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. Together, the seven friends faced many hardships in their ever-changing world.
A week ago, tragedy struck Twilight Sparkle. One morning, she woke up on a little rock in the sky, Ponyville nowhere in sight. Eventually, she managed to wander to a larger island, where she is now. Two days ago, she started hearing voices in her head.
Twilight snorted, annoyed. "Like you?"
No, not like me. They never actually spoke to Twilight, and were generally much quieter than me, so Twilight could generally ignore them. But YOU are just a bit too loud for her to ignore.
"Who are you talking to?"
All in due time, Twilight Sparkle. You see, YOU are actually a bit more influential in this world. But beware, Twilight, for THEY are just as influential...
Ok, Twilight can't hear me when I write to YOU this way. Here's the deal: this is a COMMENT DRIVEN STORY. I will write a short segment of Twilight Sparkle's adventure. At the end of each chapter, either Twilight and Company will ask YOU for advice, I will suggest courses of action for which the group could take, or there will be a need for some object. Then YOU, in the comments, will decide what happens next.
For example, I might ask what tool is in a bag. If enough people say "taffy-puller," then there will be a taffy-puller in that bag, even if it makes absolutely no sense. YOU have minor reality warping powers, but only if enough people agree on the same option.
So, twenty-four hours after each chapter is posted, I will tally up all the comments and direct the next chapter based on the replies.
However, we can't have Twilight's adventure be too easy for her. Thus, I will have THEM serve as an antagonist group, much like YOU, to hinder Twilight's adventure.
Are you confused? Don't worry, I'll give you a sample of what to expect below. Ready?
"Use Telekinesis to clear the rubble from the cave exit."
"Oh, that makes sense." Twilight nodded and set her horn ablaze with lavender light. Piece by piece, the rubble was slowly dug away. She lifted one rock away and was momentarily blinded by a beam of sunlight.
The sun, under Discord's control, promptly set once more, leaving Twilight again in the dark. However brief it may have been, that little light gave the mare hope for freedom. Gathering her magic, she released a pulse from her horn that blasted the remaining rubble from her path. Pine scented air greeted her nose. Twilight smiled; freedom was hers.
"SuMmOn AnGrY kInG cObRa."
Upon speaking, THEIR malicious words came true. There was a loud hiss behind Twilight. She whirled around and saw a king cobra slithering out of the cave. It reared up, flared its hood, and hissed again at Twilight.
"Aaaaahhh!" Twilight screamed. She jumped back just as the enraged serpent struck, causing it to miss her. The mare turned to run, but only made it a few steps before she tripped on some of the rubble that she had blasted from the cave. The snake slithered closer to her prone form, ready to strike.
"Use ally: Tom the Bashful."
Twilight's horn lit up with magic. She grasped a large boulder and threw it at the snake. It missed, but the resulting boom from its impact scared off the snake anyway.
"TwIgHlIgHt SpArKlE fOrGeTs AlL aDvAnCeD mAgIc."
"What? How could I forget... Oh no oh no oh no no no no! It's gone! All my knowledge is gone! I can't remember anything! Years of studying, gone! No no no no no no no...."
Twilight, calm down!
The hyperventilating unicorn glared at the sky. Her mane started fizzing up in response to her stress. "Calm! How can you tell me to be calm at a time like this? This is a disaster! THEY took my magic!"
Well, not all of it. You still have Telekinesis...
She rolled her eyes and groaned. "Thanks..." she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Ok, do YOU get it? YOU will help Twilight while she will be hurt by THEM. Now, I should mention one last rule. Anything done by YOU or THEM cannot be directly undone by the other group. Basically, you cannot give her magic back, but you could help her find spell books and such, and she can relearn it herself. Also, every time YOU make a decision, THEY can do one thing to attempt to counteract it, even if it doesn't work.
Meanwhile, I will be maintaining a list of Twilight and her party's items and powers for you to reference. I will link it at the end of each chapter, so YOU know what Twilight has access to. Got it? Good. Now, I'm going to shut up and Twilight is going to do her thing.
Twilight stood up and shook off the dust from her coat. She set off at a trot, intent on examining her current location. She didn't remember entering a cave, and in fact could not recall a cave even existing on the island before. Obviously, she had been transported while she was asleep, but Twilight could not fathom why.
The island she found herself on was a rocky, barren place. Few plants grew aside from the occasional thorny bush or patch of dried grass. A river arched through the sky overhead, but it was probably too far for the lavender unicorn to jump to, and possibly too fast to swim even if she could. There were clouds around the edge of the island, but without the cloud-walking spell, she could not cross them.
Up on the hill, there was an shack. From where Twilight stood, she could not tell if it were occupied or not. It was not too run down, but there were no lights on inside.
Continuing around the island, Twilight stumbled upon an old airship. Twilight doubted that it could even sail, though she figured that she might be able to patch it up if she could find the materials. Though, assuming she could get it to fly, as soon as she found a better craft, Twilight would abandon this one.
There was more to to this island that Twilight had yet to explore, but she doubted that there was anything else of value here. Still, it could not hurt to check.
What should Twilight do?
Option A: Investigate the cabin.
Option B: Investigate the airship.
Option C: Explore the island.
Option D: Attempt to jump into the sky river and swim to another island.
Option E: Find food and water.
Option F: Do something else (specify).
Author's Note
Click here to see Twilight's information.
F.Y.I., most chapters will not look like this. Instead, they will look like any other fimfiction story.
Also, as you may have guessed, there is absolutely NO FOURTH WALL. Well, only for Twilight, that is. She will "hear" every comment posted, so keep it PG and don't post stupid things, lest ye be insulted by Twilight Snarkle.
Otherwise, I hope you have fun. Expect frequent updates with very short chapters.
Twilight's stomach rumbled. She groaned, frustrated that now, of all times, her large appetite had reared its ugly head. Her mouth watered as daydreams of a juicy hay-burger pushed all other thoughts aside.
“Search for food and water.”
“I was just about to do that. You don't have to state the obvious.” She started trotting forwards, but paused after only three steps. “???? you too, Gypsy!” the frustrated, hungry, and mildly sleep-deprived unicorn yelled at the rather rude commenter. Of course, the word she wanted to say came out as a high-pitched bleep instead. This is an “Everyone” rated story, after all.
Twilight! Such language! There are children here... well, man-children. And since when did you start swearing anyway?
Twilight stared up into the rapidly changing sky. “I started swearing when I got separated from my friends. Besides, I think it's excusable when ponies like Gypsy are telling me to do indecent things for their sick amusement, or ponies like IncinerateChicken are trying to kill me.”
Twilight. Here's an important lesson for you: those kind of people are called trolls. Their just trying to get a reaction out of you... like you're doing right now, I guess. Don't feed the trolls, just ignore them. They're harmless on their own.
“Your right.” She stopped talking and took a deep breath. Calmer now, Twilight set off towards the cabin to see if there was any food in there other than the dry grass she was walking on. A soft breeze wafted across the little island in the sky, carrying with it a distant sound. She could not make out exactly what it was, but Twilight decided that it would be best to find food before she went to investigate it.
As she trotted on, her eyes wandered up to the river that wound above her head. The unicorn mused that if she had a container, she could levitate it up and scoop out some of the fast-flowing water. Alas, she did not have anything to use.
“StUmBlE aNd FaLl On YoUr FaCe.”
Twilight's forward journey was abruptly halted as her fore-hoof caught on something protruding from the ground. “Aaahhgggg!” she yelled as she tumbled towards the ground, only to land with a solid thud. The mare groaned as she picked herself up. Her face stung and felt slightly wet. Dabbing her hoof against her cheek, she pulled it away to reveal that it was indeed bloody. “Great...”
Twilight turned around to see what she had stumbled upon. At first, it appeared to be like any other rock. However, that identification changed when she noticed the lighter color and the helix pattern. “Is that a nautilus fossil?”
Yes. Keep it, it might be important some day. You never know with these kind of things...
The unicorn shrugged and levitated the helix fossil above her head. A ray of sunlight managed to filter its way down between the above islands, clouds, and rivers, and shone directly upon the rock. Twilight missed seeing this; her eyes were focused on the road so that she did not trip again.
She reached the cabin door and gave it a gentle knock. There was no response. She looked in the window. The room was organized and obviously lived in, even if a bit spartan in terms of personal belongings. Inside, she could see a small cotton-candy cloud hovering over a bowl of chocolate milk; the cloud would probably not even produce enough milk a day for one pony to stay hydrated. Next to the cloud's bowl, the hungry unicorn saw a decorative plate full of chocolate-chip-and-oat cookies, adorned with a little sign on it that read, “From Senya. WE wish you luck!” It was so out-of-place considering the rest of the room that she couldn't help but chuckle.
From behind the cabin, Twilight heard an old stallion's voice call out, “Geeerrrump, little squirts. Gerump already!”
She did not know what “Gerump” meant, but it sounded like he was encouraging something.
Her stomach rumbled once more. Blood dripped out of the cut on her cheek. The helix fossil gently floated behind her.
What should Twilight do?
Option A: Enter the Cabin (and eat the cookies YOU sent).
Option B: Find the owner of the voice (and find out what "Gerump" means, and what a squirt is).
Option C: Contemplate the fossil, then do something else (specify).
Author's Note
Click here to see Twilight's information.
Twilight's eye twitched. All of this mindless prattle about her nautilus fossil and “Bird Jesus” was really getting on her nerves. She was starting to wonder if it was worth keeping.
Keep it, I say.
“No pony asked you.”
“Go into the house (and eat the cookies).”
Before Twilight could protest that the cabin was probably owned by somepony, her hooves were already carrying her inside through the unlocked front door, which she closed after passing through. Inside, there was a used sleeping bag, a small nightstand with a picture of a mare on it, the table that held the plate of cookies and cotton candy cloud's milk bowl. The unicorn could tell that this place was little more than a makeshift shelter.
Hungrily, yet against her will, Twilight stepped up to the plate and devoured the cookies. They were delicious, but made her both very thirsty and very guilty. She eyed the bowl of milk. Twilight knew that it was not hers to drink. She had already taken the owner's cookies without permission, so she vowed to ignore the milk and search for water elsewhere.
“DrInK tHe ChOcOlAtE mIlK rIgHt NoW.”
Again, against her will, her body acted, summoning her telekinesis to lift the bowl to her lips. It too was delicious, as all of Discord's chocolate milk was.
She was only on her second sip when the cabin door slammed open. The sudden noise startled Twilight, causing her to jump. Her magic spiked, causing her to launch both the fossil and the milk bowl back behind her, where they crashed into the nightstand. The framed picture teetered before plummeting face-down into the expanding puddle on the floor.
The old, pale-orange earth stallion that had entered the doorway shouted, “Who are ya and what are ya doin' in my...” He trailed off as he saw the state of the room. “No!”
Twilight, stunned and desperately trying to think of an excuse that wouldn't make her sound crazy, merely stood there as he barreled past her. The stallion dove for the picture on the floor with a cry of, “GUMDROP! Oh, Gumdrop!” He picked up the soaked picture. As he removed it from the frame to help it dry, Twilight could hear him mutter, “Don't worry, Daddy's here.”
“I, uh, I'm really sorry...” Twilight muttered apologetically.
“YOU!” The stallion whirled around and glared at Twilight, his eyes ablaze with murderous rage. “YOU ALMOST RUINED GUMDROP'S PICTURE!” His features suddenly softened as he began to cry. “You... you almost took her away... *sniff* You almost cost me the very last thing I have of my family.”
“Oh Celestia. I'm really sorry. I... hope you can forgive me. And at least the photo is undamaged.”
He sighed and set the photo by the window, hoping that soon a beam of sunlight would shine through to help it dry. “What were you doing in here anyway? And... oh dear, you're hurt!”
Twilight idly touched her still-stinging cheek. Meanwhile, the stallion trotted over to a saddle bag resting in the corner of the room. He reached in and withdrew a small packet of adhesive bandages and a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and then returned and set to work patching up Twilight's face. “Hmmm... not that deep. That's good. I'll need to clean it out first with some sting juice. This will burn a bit at first...” He poured a few drops into the wound. Twilight winced. “Now, who are you and what are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad to see you, of course. I've been alone so very long now. I'm Trauma, best field medic in Los Pegasus. My special talent is keeping ponies alive until they can get to a hospital. Annnnnnd... done! All better, Ms... ?”
She smiled back at the stallion. The mare noticed his cutie mark, a first-aid kit, adorning his flank. “Twilight Sparkle, Librarian and local 'Egg-head' of Ponyville. Thank you, Mr. Trauma.”
Ally acquired: Trauma: Earth pony, elderly. Occupation: Field medic. Distinguishing features: Left eye is glass, scarred left side of face is hidden by bangs.
Trauma nodded in response to her introduction as he packed away his supplies. “Now, we have the 'who' covered, so why were you in my cabin, helping yourself to my milk?”
Twilight was about to reply when her eyes noticed something amiss; the plate that the cookies were on was gone, as if it had never existed. She mentally shrugged. “It's a long, strange story. You won't believe me.”
“Twilight, may I call you that?” She nodded. “We live in the second era of Discord; nothing is that weird now.”
“Well...” Twilight paused.
What should she do?
Option A: Tell the whole truth.
Option B: Tell a trimmed-down version of the truth.
Option C: Lie.
Option D: Dodge the question and talk about something else.
And in the future when you comment, it's easier on both Twilight and I if you start your comment with A/B/C/D/etc.
Author's Note
Click here to see Twilight's information.
Had YOU chosen to go directly to Trauma, Twilight would have had a more friendly introduction to the elderly stallion.
