Infinite Ponygram

Chapters

Prologue
Prelude to The Nightmare
Exploring the World, Making Friends Pt. 1.
Exploring the World, Making New Friends Pt. 2
Arrival in Ponyville Pt 1
Arrival in Ponyville Pt. 2
The Summer Sun Celebration
Everlasting Night I
Everlasting Night II
Everlasting Night III

Prologue

Tiara stared at the box her advisor had pulled out from behind her desk. She had gotten used to her advisor throwing curveballs and cake at her during their end-of-the-week debriefings, but the box was something completely foreign to her education and research. Her brain went into work mode trying to figure out its purpose. The title on the box made it clear what it was: Infinite Dendrogram, the first successful VRMMO Game, but it did not explain why it was sitting on Professor Dominguez’s desk.

After a couple seconds of silence, Dominguez was about to open her mouth when Tiara spoke up.

“Professor, I’ve heard there have been some studies on the physics and chemistry of that game’s world, but I don’t think they can be incorporated into my dissertation.”

“Oh, Tiara, please, call me Celeste; and this isn’t about your thesis. You’ve been working hard… a little too hard, and I think you should take advantage of Spring Break to relax a little.”

Tiara kept her expression neutral but she mentally sighed. As much as she revered her advisor on both a personal level and for her scientific accomplishments, her eccentricities sometimes vexed Tiara. “I already have my whole Spring Break mapped out.”

“I heard you gave a similar reply to Charlotte… she really was looking forward to having a party with you and the other students.” Tiara winced when Dominguez looked at her. “Tiara, take it from me, you can’t be working all the time. If you don't think of it as relaxing, think of it as a way to exercise a different part of your brain.”

She pushed the box a little closer to Tiara.

“Just give it a try. Have fun. You may even make some new friends!”

~~~

Back in her apartment, Tiara stared at the box’s components. With just a headset, a charging station, and an instruction book, the setup was much sparser than Tiara expected. Growing up, she had seen a multitude of VR systems come and go, and virtually all of them had had a bit more than this. There was not even a controller.

A dull green-eyed cocker spaniel-poodle mix with a purple collar tottered over to the headset and sniffed it. His eyes, gray with age, were not able to fully make out the unfamiliar object. With it not immediately being recognizable as food, he stuck his tongue out to lick it, but Tiara pulled it away. “No, Spike.”

Tiara looked at the bar on the back of the headset— it was fully green. It had been green for the past hour. While it had charged and past that point, Tiara had weighed the pros and cons.

Pro: Even if it was not part of her research and dissertation, the idea of a world with things like magic and fantasy creatures tickled her researcher side.

Cons: One, it’s a distraction. Two, who knows who could be online? Three, it could be addictive. Four, Tiara really wanted to emphasize in her mind that it was a distraction.

Ultimate Factor: Professor Dominguez also played. This had been a deciding factor in several ways.

~~~

As soon as Tiara had taken the box, Celeste had beamed, “Oh I’m so glad you’re going to play! You’re in luck. On Saturday, so three game days from now, there’s going to be a big festival in one of Legendaria’s towns—a local celebration to mark the defeat of a mythical UBM in ancient times. I always love attending.”

Tiara furrowed her brow. “Half of that made no sense.”

“That’s why I’m glad you’ll have a few days to get used to things. I know how thorough you are, Tiara, so I’m sure it won’t take much time to understand things.” Celeste’s smile thinned a bit. “That being said, I’d like you to learn about the game from inside it, at least at first. The forums can come later. I imagine the festival will already be over if you did research on the game before playing it.”

~~~

So, the pros and cons were limited to what Tiara currently knew.

And if I don’t play at all, she'll probably figure that out too probably, Tiara thought.

Taking a breath, she gave Spike a pet and then put him outside her room. He gave a little whine but a treat satisfied him.

Alone in the room, Tiara put on the headset. Her fingers reached up and pressed the power button.

The headset vanished and she found herself no longer sitting in her room but standing in what looked like an old library. Light emitted from bronze chandeliers above, but Tiara noticed they had neither bulbs nor candles— orbs of light just seemed to dot them and cast their illumination on the room.

Said room had a fine carpet, well-used but cared for so as not to be worn. Some of the books were in a similar state, but a few looked fairly or brand new. Tiara breathed in, enjoying the smell of the books.

She blinked and then brought a hand to her nose.

“Ah, always so much fun to see how a new Master reacts when they first get here,” came a voice from behind Tiara.

Tiara spun and was met with a woman floating right behind her. She stepped back and confirmed the woman was indeed floating a good foot off the ground in some sort of translucent oval structure. While the room had been so grounded in reality that it gave Tiara pause, this woman made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

The woman grinned. “I’m the Control A.I., Humpty Dumpty. So, shall we get you started on your character creation?”

“Oh… um, yes.”

“First, your name.”

While Tiara wanted to conceal her identity, she still valued her family name, so she used its Yiddish base root and translated it to English. As for her first name, she went with her favorite time of day, one of the few points where she gave herself a break.

“Next, let’s get your avatar set up.:

A mannequin appeared before Tiara. Hmm, I’ll start with myself as a base and work from there.

Tiara got to work and Humpty observed. About an hour and a half in, she remarked, “Ah, a thorough one, eh?”

“I want to protect my identity. Can’t be too careful. And all these options…” Tiara paused on her work and reflected on the complexity in just designing her avatar. The game was already living up to its name as, while there were basic sliders like many other games to deal with weight, height, hair hue, and skin tone, that was just the tip of an infinite iceberg. Body hair length could also be determined. Every single muscle could be altered. Birthmarks, moles, scars, and even diseased lesions could be added. Limbs, eyes, ears, nose, and tongue could be removed, and there were countless options on how they were removed, giving Tiara a rough idea of what it may have felt like to be an inquisitor or other historical torturer.

Skin could be stripped away, leaving only bone. That option had prompted Tiara to ask how her avatar would be able to move around without muscles, and Humpty had responded that it was possible since undead existed in the game and Masters could play as them. The idea of experiencing and documenting a force animating bone, exposed muscles, or dead flesh did strike Tiara’s curiosity, but the realism she was currently experiencing held her back. If it was in line with what the actual game offered, just the thought of having to deal with her own rotting smell as an undead steered Tiara away. One cadaver had been enough to quash a med school pursuit. “There isn’t a time limit, is there?”

“None at all. It’s just been a while since I’ve seen someone so involved. Still, you’re a long way from the record.”

Tiara continued building her avatar. There seemed to be no end to the options, so at a certain point, she stopped exploring them. Thirty minutes later, Tiara’s avatar was complete. She had been quite impressed by the level of customization available. The automatic randomization in some areas also comforted her like how fingerprints and the standard teeth (she could have gone with missing, crooked and even fanged versions) did not match her IRL identification. It also gave her a sense she would not just be controlling an avatar but an actual body.

That was why she had stuck with her gender but had changed other aspects of the avatar from height and weight to shoulder length and knee size. She definitely did not add a cup size. Totally did not. That would have just been a trick of the light if someone had been watching the character creation.

While she was not a fan of contacts in real life, she cast off her glasses for the virtual world and colored her eyes violet.

There was already so much customization using just her own body, that of an adult human female, as a base, that going beyond that was too much for a game she was not even intent on playing after this weekend. So, she had decided to just add a skin tone that could not exist in reality, without being too gaudy in her view. A slight tinge of mulberry was acceptable for her along with adding a point to her ears.

Seeing the array of color available for hair had reminded her of the anime her brother watched. She ultimately settled on a ponytail hairstyle with sapphire blue as its main hue and stripes of violet and rose running through it.

“Fan of purple, eh?” Humpty remarked.

“It’s just a color I like.” Tiara blushed and hastily changed the subject. “Okay, I’m good to go on looks, now for starting equipment, right?”

“Right you are.”

After taking another half-hour picking out what seemed appropriate (and quietly thanking her brother for never shutting up when he was in the boy scouts), there was a flash. The avatar model was gone and Tiara found herself a little higher off the floor. Yet, her balance was not thrown off. Raising an arm, she found it was more tanned than her schedule would have ever allowed and mulberry with a little bit of muscle on it.

Humpty produced a mirror and the reflection Tiara saw was her avatar. Only now, it had a spark of life in its eyes. When she moved, it moved. When she blinked, it blinked. “Fascinating.”

The word tumbled out before Tiara could really think about it.

Humpty purred, “Good, good. With how you’ve acted, I’m curious what Embryo you’ll get.”

As if summoned by her words, there was a spark from above. It zoomed down and crashed into Tiara’s hand. When Tiara’s vision cleared there was a blue shimmering gem embedded on the back of her left hand, yet it did not cause any pain or really feel like anything. She touched it out of curiosity and its shimmer seemed to shift.

“Would you like an explanation of how Embryos work?”

“The box said it’s some kind of unique item or AI mechanic? It wasn’t really clear.” Tiara’s lips tightened. One thing that she could not stand was not having enough info on something. “All those types too…”

Humpty grinned. “An Embryo will be your partner in Infinite Dendrogram. For a time after you start, it will grow within you, taking in you and your experiences before it hatches. Shall it be your sword or shield as Type:Arms? Your protector as Type:Guardian? Your ride as Type:Chariot? Perhaps a refuge as Type:Castle? Or, your own little world as Type:Territory? Or maybe even…”

Humpty paused seeing Tiara’s eyes had glazed over and smoke appeared poised to steam out of her ears. “Thinking hard about it already?”

Tiara shook her head and then looked down at the gem. “It’s a lot to take in for a game.”

Humpty maintained a grin, but Tiara sensed something shift behind it. “Even my descriptions of Embryos could not convey all the ways yours could develop. I could go on, but I get the feeling that experiencing things will get you up to speed much faster.”

Before Tiara could respond, a globe appeared above Humpty and Tiara. Humpty asked, “Now, where will it be? I have explanations for each place if you’d like?”

“Legendaria.”

“Oh, you must have heard about the Summer Sun Celebration. Funny how Altar has a similar festival on a different day, eh?”

Sounds like a way to explain events happening without overloading the servers, Tiara thought.

“Well, with that done, let’s get you on the way.” The globe and the room were whisked away like morning fog. Tiara found herself and Humpty floating above what looked like Earth, but the continents matched those of the globe that had been there just a second ago.

“Oh, one thing before you go,” said Humpty. “Maybe you know it and maybe you don’t but I’m the Control AI in charge of Embryos. A bit of an open secret. Every now and then I like to ask what made a Master want to play.”

Tiara looked at the world below her. “Well… my advisor said it would be good for relaxing and I don’t want to disappoint her… and the experience so far is intriguing with all its detail. I’m not really sure what I want to do though.”

“Don’t focus too much on it, or maybe focus on it all you want. Maybe you’ll quit after just a few hours or become known across the world.” Humpty pointed a finger to Tiara’s left hand. “That Embryo has infinite possibilities as do you in Infinite Dendrogram. So, I welcome you, Twilight Sparkle.”

Tiara reflected on the use of her player name before Humpty vanished in a blink. She stared down at the world for a second and admired a sight usually only astronauts or the incredibly rich could enjoy.

And then she fell. A few seconds after the shock wore off, she screamed at the top of her lungs.

This is how the Master, Twilight Sparkle, entered the world of Infinite Dendrogram

~~~

“Hmm? Feels like I should log in a little early. I’ve got a good feeling today!”

~~~

“So, she actually took it. Color me surprised.”

“She’s a good girl at heart. Just needs to experience the world outside the lab a little.”

“Even if it’s not our world? Oh well, either way, this will make things a lot more interesting. I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces.”

“Promise me you won’t go overboard?”

“If there’s an issue with that, I guess Celestia can try and stop me.”

“What am I going to do with you?”

Prelude to The Nightmare

Somewhere in Legendaria

It had started with the screams.

When the last light of day had faded and the moon had risen, as villagers returned to their homes, some of them started screaming. The victims seized up and fell to their knees. Some went into convulsions. None of them stopped screaming.

An elderly woman rushed over to one of the victims, a child, bent down, and thrust out a wrinkled hand over his head. A glow surrounded the woman’s hand and then spread down to envelop the child’s head. His shaking lessened and his mouth went slack. After a moment, his eyes closed and he went limp. His chest fell up and down in a slow and steady pattern.

A little sweat had gathered on the woman’s brow. Villagers that were not holding down the other victims or gathering torches to see better in the dark drew close to her.

“Sophia, what is this?” one of them asked.

“A hex, it appears.” Sophia got up, knees cracking as she did, and rushed to another victim. A man had managed to restrain a young woman, who, like all the others, was still screaming. Sophia placed a hand in front of the woman’s face and the same light as before covered her hand and the woman’s head. “One that induces fear.”

When the glow faded and the woman was resting, Sophia backed away. She looked at the unaffected villagers gathered near her. “The caster must be nearby. Gather the men and weapons, and get me the elixir. Send some of our fastest men to alert the guild. A Master may be behind this. I’ll cast some protections a—”

Before Sophia could finish, all the villagers, save for those hit with the hex, collapsed. They were still for a moment on the ground and then began to writhe. Some spasmed as if running. Others clutched their knees to their chests. Some trembled like the hex victims. Many joined those already screaming. But, all those that had just fallen shared one thing in common: their eyes were all closed.

“Damn!” Sophia grit her teeth. A glow surrounded her body and sweat lathered her skin. “Multiple spells with this wide of a range?! But why he—”

Something tore through Sophia’s back. Blood streamed out her mouth and dripped onto the gauntleted arm sticking out of her chest. She could feel the warmth of her lifeforce seeping out of the wound. The icy cold already taking hold of her extremities rushed over the rest of her when something pressed closed to her ear.

“Ah, I was hoping a few more would enjoy such a lovely night with me for a bit.”

Sophia’s body told her to avert her eyes from the thing speaking beside her, but in her last moments, her eyes, drawn to the sound of her killer, looked. It was then, that she, despite her years of experience and despite the mental wards she had cast over herself, screamed.

Villages across Legendaria’s countryside that night were pierced with far off cries. Some thought it was poor souls caught by a monster. A few thought it might be Masters goofing around. Many did not sleep. In the dark, no one knew just what had happened.

Exploring the World, Making Friends Pt. 1.

Legendaria- Twilight Sparkle

Twilight heaved trying to slow what felt like her heart trying to tear itself out of her chest. The fall from what had appeared to be the upper atmosphere had not hurt one bit and a part of her mind had even recognized that friction had not been in play. Those facts did nothing to relieve the sheer visual terror of plummeting to the ground with nothing to stop her other than a strange force that slowed her down near the end and deposited her smoother than any parachute could. As soon as she had touched the ground, she had crumpled and was still trying to catch her breath.

She managed to steady herself after a bit and got up. Her legs shook a little. With a slight blush on her face, she looked around and sighed when she saw she was alone. “Professor Dominguez could’ve at least warned me about that.”

Calmed down, she looked ahead. Her jaw then dropped. She had been so focused before about others spotting her in such a frazzled state, the great tree in front of her had eluded her notice. Or, perhaps her brain, still recovering from the fall, had not recognized it as a tree. The trunk spanned a good third of the horizon. She followed its titanic base up and up. Clouds drifted past some of its lower branches while most of its true canopy remained hidden. Through the clouds, she could make out blurry shadows of what looked like immense branches and leaves that shielded her from the sun’s direct rays. Yet, it was still fairly warm out. The game’s box had made note of a time dilation mechanic so while the temperature IRL was still crisp, it could be an entirely different season here.

Taking in the impossible sight, Twilight also saw that to her left and right were large bodies of water that curved out far into the distance and appeared to loop either to or around the great tree. Its size made it difficult to grasp the actual scale of the geography around Twilight.

As she traced the bodies of water back to the tree, she noticed at its base there was a collection of spires. Looking closely, she saw turrets, ramparts, and stained glass. Closer to her, a wall rose up from the shore. Ahead on the path was a large gate which was opened a little in the middle to allow a stream of people through.

Taking a breath, Twilight ventured forward.

Drawing near the gate, her eyes widened. Some guards with even longer and pointier ears than hers stood at either side of the gate’s opening. Lustrous platinum hair flowed out of their shining helms. Great bows rested on their backs. Even Twilight recognized them as elves.

With their identical armored look and stiff stances, they were like statues compared to the crowd going in and out of the city. People with skin tones that made Twilight’s hardly noticeable were the most common. The people were also adorned with tails, horns, and ears of all varieties. Some Twilight could recognize as based on animals from Earth, but others were completely foreign. A few people even had extra arms and legs. Twilight was sure she caught a glimpse of one woman with eight eyes and a man with just a single central pupil.

They were still recognizable as people though. In the crowd, there was also a creature that was bipedal but covered in scales and had a head that resembled a dinosaur’s with a tail to match. It loomed over the rest of the crowd, matched only by an only slightly shorter cat-like humanoid with twin tails nearby.

Are kids able to play this too? she thought, given the cat humanoid’s bikini top.

Aside from those in the rough category of “humanoid” there were also things that seemed more like beasts. All of them were either pulling carts or had people riding them. There were scaly things that seemed very close to dinosaurs, large possibly flightless birds that Twilight was certain she had seen before, and great horned beasts that looked so fluffy Twilight felt an urge to go and pet them. To see what appeared to be just regular horses mixed in with the fantastic menagerie brought Twilight back to the task at hand.

“The festival takes place in this lovely little town called Ponyville,” Celeste had explained. A bit of drool gathered at the corner of her lips. “Oh, the cakes on an average day are good, but for the Summer Sun Celebration…” She blinked when she realized Tiara was staring at her and wiped the corner of her mouth while trying to pass it off as if she were coughing into her hand. “Well, it’s less than a day’s trip from Legendaria’s capital and the fare is manageable even from the start. That should give you plenty of time to get used to things and have fun!”

The way she described it is more like a trip than playing a game, Twilight thought. She then looked at her hand and opened and closed it a few times. As one of the dinosaur-like creatures passed by, hauling a cart, she felt the ground shake just a bit with each of its steps. It let out a small blast of air and a wisp of its warmth brushed against Twilight. The wisp also carried a slight stink to it that reminded Twilight of her biology classes in college when they had gone to a farm for a weekend of research. The scent was supplanted by a leafy medicinal smell that tickled Twilight’s nose as it wafted out of the cart.

“You’d think that sale would be a bit better of a deal,” a man with scales like a fish running up his arms grumbled. “Nothing really if you’ve played for any amount of time.”

“Hey, it’s a good sale for beginners and the magic section wasn’t half bad,” chimed a little ball of light floating next to the man. Taking advantage of 20/20 vision in-game, Twilight saw that the ball was actually a tiny glowing winged girl.

“Anyone with a High Rank Job could tear through you even if you read all those books.”

“You could’ve also gotten some fun stories to read too,” the faerie pouted.

“If I want to read, I’ll read it on DIN or a forum.”

“Ugh! You are such a damn ludo!”

Twilight hadn’t understood much of what the pair had said, but taking note of the keywords, she approached one of the guards.

“Uh, sorry to bother you, but is there some sort of book sale going on?”

“Indeed!” the guards proclaimed with a volume that made Twilight jump back. “Every sixty moons we hold a grand sale of treasured tomes, artifacts and fine wares in the square. It’s just to the right when you enter the gate!”

“You really need to tone it down,” the other guard sighed. He turned to Twilight and lowered his head a bit. “Sorry, he’s a bit new.”

The other guard blushed and, in a much more casual and flustered tone, said, “Hey, I was working hard on that.”

Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle. “My brother would’ve really liked this little tutorial.”

“Tutorial?” the newer guard cocked his head.

“Yeah,” Twilight said, thinking of playing along and testing the AI’s limits. “The procession of all these incredible creatures, those two NPCs clearly directing me to the sale, you two with your little routine. It’s really nice.”

“What are… Ah!” The newer guard spotted the jewel on Twilight’s hand. “A newbie eh?”

Twilight blinked. “Did something go wrong in the programming? I thought being a new player was what triggered this whole ‘go to the book sale to learn basics’ event?”

“Yeah, I can see how you might think that, but let me ask you this…” The newer guard pointed at his companion. “Which of us do you think is a tian?”

“A what?”

“An NPC.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Both of you?”

“Well,” the newer guard beamed, “seems I may be a little overenthusiastic about announcing the sale, but I’m doing good at my job!” He then removed the gauntlet from his left hand, revealing a crest of a helm. “I’m a player, what we call here Masters.” He pointed to his companion. “My senior though is a tian.”

“Huh?” said Twilight. Of the two guards, the newer had come off as far more scripted while the older guard had appeared much more flexible in his manner of speech. “But you look almost alike.”

“Oh, that.” The newer guard then removed a ring from his pinkie finger. In a flash, he was now in jeans and a t-shirt that depicted an elf in the midst of whipping his head back and forth while screaming into a mike. The guard’s hair had changed to a blazing blue but his ears remained the same. However, there was now a softness to his face, fuller lips, and two noticeable mounds pressing against the image of the elf death metal concert on the shirt. “I’ve been playing an elf from the beginning but when I saw Istafur here I finally found the perfect elf.”

As the elf-girl swooned, Istafur gave her a small whap on the back of her head. “Enough of that, Magis. You’re on duty now. I can stand the mimicry, but only if you copy my work ethic too.”

“Right, right, sorry!” Magis put the ring back on and transformed back into a spitting image of Istafur. “Anyway, the first bit of time in Dendro can really throw you for a loop, but I can assure you, nothing here is scripted… well, except for plays obviously. For tians, though, this is life and I couldn’t be happier!”

Istafur whapped the Magis again, this time harder since she was in armor. “What did I just say?”

“And what’s this about magic?” Twilight interrupted.

“Oh well,” Istafur stuck out his chest, “Legendaria has the best collection of books on spellcasting you’ll find in the world. Altar may have had their Arch Sage but they could never boast the number of casters we have. The stuff at the sale is up for anyone to buy though so nothing too dangerous, but I’ve seen quite a few great wizards and witches start at the sale and work their way up to High Rank jobs.”

“I even heard The Sun and The Moon fulfilled their first job requirements with a book at one of the sales,” Magis said.

“Can’t say if that’s for sure, but you never know what you may find.” Istafur smiled at Twilight. “So, enjoy your time here, and welcome to Legendaria!”

Magis waved Twilight off while Istafur sighed at the newer guard. Twilight gave a small wave back but her mind was drifting as she turned toward the gate and made her way through.

The streets inside the capital, like outside the gate, were filled with a swath of creatures both humanoid and animal-like. They moved in all directions but a good amount were flowing to the right of the gate. Twilight followed along and the wide street opened up even more into a large square. Patches of the square were taken up by sheets that were spread out and stacked high with books as varied as Legendaria’s inhabitants. There were stalls as well that were also filled with literature. Amidst the tomes were other things: wands, staffs, cloaks, and other trinkets that all screamed “magic!”

Twilight went over to one stall in particular that caught her eye.

“Welcome!” said the seller. Twilight noticed his eyes glance at her hand. “See something you like?”

“You’re allowed to make stuff like this?” Twilight pointed to a white staff with a distinct set of patterns interlacing the top of it.

“Hasn’t been a problem yet. Though unfortunately I won’t be able to sell it to you.”

“Why not?”

“Try picking it up.”

With a furrowed brow, Twilight reached out and picked the staff out of its holder. It remained in her hand for a second and then slipped and clattered to the ground. “Sorry!”

Twilight bent down to pick the staff up, but it slipped out of her hands each time. The seller stepped out from behind the stall, crouched, and picked the staff up with no problem. “Maybe it wouldn’t have been an issue if you’d stopped by when I started playing, but now I can’t seem to make anything for noobs. Level fifty is my limit.”

“You’re a Master too?”

“Yeah, I’ve always been big on model sets and props but IRL I haven’t got an artistic bone in my body.” He flipped his hand around, revealing a crest comprised of a collection of chisels in a circular pattern and grinned. “Here I can make as many replicas as I want and they actually work!”

“Can you actually do magic?” Twilight asked.

“Oh yeah.” The shopkeeper angled the staff forward a bit. “Mostly rely on my Embryo for work, but I got a few spells to help out with crafting.”

The staff glowed and a massive ball of light sprung out.

“Gah!” Twilight shielded her eyes but was still seeing spots.

“Oops!” The light vanished. When Twilight’s vision cleared, she saw the shopkeeper was looking a little embarrassed.

“A reminder to not cast in the vicinity of the sale,” came a voice from a spot above the center of the square. “Items damaged or destroyed will be paid in full.”

“Is it okay for new players to even be here?” Twilight asked. “Couldn’t we set something off?”

“Do you ban children from libraries just because they may be loud?”

“Fair, but I don’t think they might accidentally shoot a fireball or something.”

“Ah, you’d need a job or skill first that allows you to use spells and then consciously cast and use MP. It’d be impossible for a complete noob to use a spell.”

“Hmm, well, thanks for showing me the staff.”

“Anything else I can interest you in?”

“Anything that I can buy below level fifty?

The shopkeeper slapped himself on the forehead.

Moving along, Twilight perused around for a bit. As she picked up books to inspect them with the shopkeepers’ permission, she noticed other shoppers were also skimming the books, but a few of their eyes moved right to left or up to down rather than left to right.

“Ooooh! You noticed too?”

Twilight yelped and the book she was examining flew out of her hands. It was caught in midair by a pink hand.

Twilight turned to see the hand’s owner. Everything about this person was pink. Her skin was a bright pink, her floofy hair was a deeper shade than her skin, her long skirt was a very faint tone, and her vest bordered on maroon. The only things that were not pink were her boots, a trio of balloons etched into the back of the hand holding the book, and shocking blue eyes. Shocking not just for their intensity but because the color filled the full sockets. The girl had no irises or pupils, it was all just blue. A pair of antennae, also pink, drooped from her brow. In place of a nose, she had two slits in the middle of her face. Barring the hair, the girl reminded Twilight of signs she had seen dotting the road when she had gone to Vegas. Before she could think more about the adventure her brother had gotten into, the girl spoke up.

“Hi!” she proclaimed. She stuck out her free hand. “I’m Pinkie Pie!”

“Uh, hi?” Twilight took Pinkie’s hand and gave it a loose shake. Pinkie returned it with a grip and a shake that rocked Twilight on her heels and then onto her toes.

“It’s really cool you can already spot the tiny things! I love spotting them too. They’re so much fun! I’m really hoping I can spot a big one though! Then maybe I can have a party with the kitty or the caterpillar again!” Pinkie pressed closer. “Oh, I almost forgot to ask, what’s your name?”

“T-Twilight,” she gulped. Pinkie’s language had proven to be as alien as her looks. Though, Professor Dominguez also did not fully make sense when talking about Dendro.

“Just Twilight?”

“Twilight S-sparkle.”

“Hmmm.” Pinkie finally let go of Twilight’s hand and brought it to her chin. “That’s a pretty good one. Shows a real commitment. It’s not as much fun when people just use something that sounds like an email address. Oh right, did you want this?”

Twilight took the book after Pinkie thrust it back at her. “I was thinking about it, but a lot of these books are a bit too much for a new player. Too many terms I don’t know even if there’s some sort of translation feature.” Twilight glanced down. “Some of this history does sound a bit interesting though.”

“Tell me about it,” said Pinkie. “If this world were more like a game, it might be easier, but where’s the fun in that?”

Twilight blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Well, games are pretty clear in terms you need to know, but here it’s kinda like traveling without a tour book or guide.” Pinkie’s smile broadened. “That being said, I always love helping out new Masters and I’ve had a really good feeling that some new Masters today are going to make a big splash!”

“That’s probably not going to be me.” I just want to play enough so Professor Dominguez lets me get back to research after all. Twilight then thought of something. “You wouldn’t happen to know the best way to get to Ponyville, would you?”

Pinkie had a sharp intake of breath and lifted off the ground. She dropped back down and pressed close to Twilight. “You’re going to Ponyville? For the festival? Right-right?!”

“Yes?” Twilight winced in the face of Pinkie’s explosive excitement.

“Yay!” Pinkie exclaimed. She wrapped an arm around Twilight’s back and spread her other arm wide. “Don’t you worry! I’ve got the best ride to Ponyville! I knew I was on to something! Oh! I’d better go make adjustments! Can’t forget the crepes either! Meet me at the gate you came in from in an hour!”

Pinkie unglued herself from Twilight and sped off with enough force to rustle the nearby books. Twilight stood for a second pondering if the past few minutes had actually occurred or if it was some unexpected side effect of Dendro’s hardware affecting her mind. Accepting that she at least now had a ride to Ponyville, she went back to perusing with an eye on the time.

It was a little later that she came upon a stall operated by a middle-aged woman. Her hairstyle was a bit more vibrant than reality would have allowed with its crimson red and shock of purple— it reminded Twilight a little of Charlotte’s. Wiping a little sweat from her brow, Twilight looked over her wares and spotted a well-worn tome.

Opening it, Twilight savored the scent and the texture of the parchment, perhaps a bit more than the other books. What truly caught her attention though was the title: A Treatise on Magic. While the cover seemed worn, the ink looked fresh. Turning the page, Twilight read. Her pupils focused. Her grip tightened. Her eyes raced back and forth. I… I can understand this! Finally! Digestible terms! Oh, this is really all making sense now! If I can apply some of this with what I know… Yes! Y—”

As she devoured page after page, her fingers brushed over a crystal embedded in the book. It was a tiny thing that could easily be mistaken for an illustration, especially since the book at that point was talking about how a spell was a crystallization of a user’s magic points and concentrated thoughts given form.

Would you like to accept the job of Mage?

Yes! Twilight thought, too enraptured in finally getting her first true stepping stone into the unknown world of magic.

You have now obtained the job of Mage.

“Hmmm?” Twilight looked up from the tome for the source of the voice.

“Oh-ho,” said the shopkeeper. “Quite interested in magic, eh?”

“Uh, what just happened?”

“You just became a mage, my dear.”

Twilight blanched. “Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! I didn’t mean too! I just got so into the book that I—”

The shopkeeper raised a hand. “Think nothing of it. I must’ve forgotten this book had a job crystal too, but you did no harm to it and becoming a mage is a simple task. I’ve seen many new Masters in my time, and it’s nice to see those so passionate for the art.”

“Well, I do like to research and this presents a lot of opportunities. It’d be nice if I had more time to explore it, or if it had some practical applications.”

“Ah, that’s right, Masters don’t have magic from where they come from,” the shopkeeper mused. “Well, at least not magic the way we have it. At its core though, magic is about making your thoughts manifest and grasping the ungraspable with your will. I have seen magic do many wonderful things. Just look at the friend you made.”

“Friend?” Twilight then realized the shopkeeper was talking about Pinkie. It would have been hard not to notice that compressed mass of energy. “We just met. I don’t think we’re friends yet. I don’t really know how that ties into magic either.”

“You and that girl reached out to each other and seized upon a connection.” The shopkeeper grinned. “That’s magic in my book. Oh, and as to time, I hear that it flows differently between our worlds as well. So perhaps our world will offer you a chance to explore with time you didn’t have before?”

Twilight thought on the shop keeper’s words and smiled back at her. “Thank you. I think I’d like to buy this.”

“Certainly.”

Twilight paid and turned to head back to the gate. As she did, she paused and remembered that since she was going to be heading out of town, she wanted some nourishment, which was not included in her starting equipment. Pinkie had mentioned crepes which did sound good, and Twilight was interested in how taste worked here. That left the question of how vital food and drink were and the more immediate issue of securing water.

Given everything I’ve seen, drinking unclean water could be just as dangerous here as it is in reality. Even with modern amenities, tap water in foreign countries is a no go. Oh!

Without having taken a step, Twilight opened the book again and flipped through until she found what she was looking for. “Here we go. Now to just give it a try.”

“Wait!” the shopkeeper cried.

A second later, a ball of water appeared over Twilight and the shopkeeper. Gravity handled the rest.

~~~

The starting allowance all new players were given was just enough to cover the soaked books. The shopkeeper had even been nice enough to dry them off after Twilight had paid. Twilight had not said anything but she had memorized how the heat spell was used with proper precision to dry the books without substantially damaging them.

Twilight was also thankful the starting equipment’s item bag lived up to the explanation Humpty had given. Despite now carrying a small library of books, it all appeared as nothing more than a small bag Twilight kept tucked under her shirt.

The incident did leave Twilight without food though. She thought back to Pinkie’s reaction to food and her mention of adjustments. Given how friendly Pinkie was, Twilight was optimistic that food would not be too much of an issue. Perhaps in one of the books there was a spell for conjuring a meal or at least a snack.

Although that gets into an expenditure of energy and conservation of mass issues. Especially since I’d probably expend more energy as MP to make the food than I would get back from eating it. Although that assumes magic just draws energy from the user and not…

Twilight was pondering many aspects of magic as she moved past an alley on the way back to the gate. A blur of orange filled her vision and smashed into her. The world spun. She glimpsed a hoof, blond hair, and a hat. Someone hollered but their words couldn’t get through the ringing in Twilight’s ears. Then, everything went black.

Author's Note

Familiar Faces, Unfamiliar Places

Exploring the World, Making New Friends Pt. 2

Twilight opened her eyes, but her vision swam just as it had in the last moments she could recall. There was a ringing in her ears but not as severe as it had been. Breathing deep, her vision focused. However, that only revealed darkness. Or something close to darkness. She raised a hand and could see it was still the light shade of purple she had selected for her avatar. Looking around, murky shadows spread out in all directions. The consistency was not quite a gas and not quite a liquid. It was like looking at a monochrome Jupiter. A glance down confirmed she was sitting on the same substance, its solid texture added to its ambiguous nature.

Remembering that something had struck her and had struck her hard, Twilight thought, Did I die? The box had mentioned a death penalty, but is there something before that?

[Status: Fainted] [Status: Broken Skull][Status: Broken clavicle][Status: Broken ribs][Status: Broken Right Humerus][Status: Broken Left Radius][Status: Bleeding][Critical Damage Sustained][Death Imminent]

The voice, despite its emotionless tone, caused Twilight to jump up. “Who’s there?”

[Insufficient Resources. Answer not available]

Is this some kind of assistant AI? Maybe it shows up the first time you die?

[Incorrect. Feature hypothesized does not exist]

“Are you reading my mind?” Twilight asked with a slight unease that something in this game could even invade her thoughts.

[Answer: Standard Feature in ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ process.]

Part of what the voice had said was cut off to Twilight, as if someone had muted reality. Recalling this was a game, Twilight considered that censorship likely did exist. Yet, given whatever was talking to her was mechanical in its responses, the reason behind the censorship was not clear.

[Data sharing not permitted. Attempts to circumvent blocked. Insufficient Resources.]

“Right… Do you know how long I’m going to be here?”

[Insufficient Resources. Current state prevents external analysis.]

“Of me or you?”

[Yes.]

Before Twilight could sigh at the responses the voice provided, it spoke again.

[Notice: Injuries were fatal. Insufficient Resources to account for lack of death penalty… Notice: Clavicle restored. Rib restored. Rib restored. Rib restored. Rib restored. Left radial restored. Right humerus restored. Bleeding ceased. Skull restored. Allocating back to ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ process. Directing ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ amount to ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ . Booting up ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ .]

As Twilight tried to make sense of the words with half of them censored, the voice spoke again.

“Apologies, due to your injuries, the ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ process will take a little longer. I also prioritized speaking as your time here is limited. This will also cause a delay,” it said, its tone now smoother. While Twilight could best describe the voice before as that of what you would hear over a PA system at the DMV, she now knew the voice: because it was hers just shifted a few octaves.

“What are you?” Twilight asked. As she did, she felt something tug at her.

“Not enough time to provide a proper explanation. ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ process is not complete and I would rather not interfere in development. However, faint status and timing provide a rare opportunity. I have determined that a delay is merited and you will not suffer a severe detriment given the aid you are currently receiving. A direct question will be asked: are you lonely?”

The tugging was growing stronger and the mass of swirling darkness, which had appeared as a smooth flow before, now contracted and shunted. The reactions were growing stronger by the second. The place seemed primed to tear itself apart, but the voice’s words remained Twilight’s focus, especially given whatever it was sounded like it had devoted energy away from some sort of process in order to ask the question.

“I don’t think I’m… well…” Twilight recalled many late nights in the lab. Even those with other students, she couldn’t recall much outside of her work. No conversation, jokes, or other moments stuck out. It was just develop the hypo, conduct the experiments, write up the results, and go home. At home, take care of Spike, eat something, shower, and go to sleep. Repeat the next day. The routine had been like this for such a time, Twilight had not even thought about it until the voice asked the question.

“Understood. Interaction needed. Corrective action will be incorporated into ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ process.”

“Could you explain anything about what is going on?” Twilight asked.

“I will b—”

~~~

Twilight opened her eyes and was met with a pair staring back at her. A young girl, maybe in her early teens, with ruby hair tied in the back with a pink bow looked down at her. Seeing Twilight awake, she moved back and turned her head to Twilight’s left.

“Sis!” she called out. “She’s awake!”

“Thank heavens!” came another girl’s voice, this one deeper with age. Possibly weight too as Twilight felt something big come to rest beside her. There was a haze over her though and an ache throughout her body led her to only moving her head a little to the left. “You have my deepest apologies. I’ll be sure to make it up to ya!”

With her southern drawl, the Stetson hat at her chest, and her denim vest, the second girl was like something out of a Western. Her freckled face was stretched tight. Yet, it was a healthy face, and, while Twilight could only make out only the upper part of her torso, she appeared of an athletic build with well-defined arms. The question of what heavy thing had come to rest near her nestled in the back of Twilight’s head.

“I knew I should’ve taken care of business earlier, but with getting everything ready for the festival…”

“Sis, you’re overworking again,” said the red-haired girl. Twilight noted that she too had a drawl.

“Maybe just a smidge,” the second girl sighed, put her hat back on, and extended a hand out to Twilight. “Think you can stand? We fixed you up the best we could.”

Twilight, after a moment, took the second girl’s hand. “Thanks… I probably should have watched where I was going.”

“And I probably should’ve slowed down.” The second girl rose and took Twilight up with her. While Twilight stopped once she was on her feet, the girl kept going up. It would have been one thing to be taller than Twilight, but as the girl climbed over Twilight, skin and denim gave way to short orange fur on a wide barreled lower body. The girl’s body went down to two legs that were thick with muscle at the top and ended with hard hooves. However, her body also stretched back to a second set of legs. A tail, the same blond color as the girl’s hair swayed at the back of the girl’s body. “I’ll save my racing for later.”

“You’re a…” Twilight’s mouth opened and closed a few times. She had seen all manner of avatars earlier, but being up close to a creature that was pure myth in the real world was an entirely different experience. Twilight knew she was talking to a human girl, but now she could also tell that she was also standing before a creature with the power of a horse.

“Sheesh, first I almost kill ya and then I don’t make proper introductions.” The girl tightened her grip on Twilight’s hand. Twilight could feel the girl’s callouses. “Name’s Applejack. Pleasure to meet you.”

The centaur, Applejack, smiled down at Twilight.

“And don’t forget me!” the red-haired girl exclaimed. With both hands, she clasped Twilight’s free left hand and shook it with the same frenzied energy Pinkie had but at least without the strength. “I’m Apple Bloom!”

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened when she removed her hands and saw the jewel embedded in Twilight’s. “Oh! You’re new! No wonder sis clobbered you!”

Applejack blushed while letting go of Twilight’s other hands. “Again, mighty sorry about that. Anything else I can do to make it up to you?”

Twilight put a hand to her head. “Would you mind helping me over to the entrance gate? I’m supposed to meet someone there and get a ride.”

“Of course,” said Applejack. “You’re in luck, ‘cause we’re headed there too. Course, even if we weren’t, we’d still lend you a hand and a hoof. Apple Bloom, would you mind supporting her on the way over?”

“Sure thing, sis!” Apple Bloom locked arms with Twilight and positioned herself to support the brunt of Twilight’s weight. She lived up to her name, as Twilight could smell a slight floral scent coming off her. “You just tell me if I need to slow down at all or if you need me to bear you a little more. My Embryo will help to support you.”

“Thanks.”

“Well, let’s get walking then. Don’t want to keep your ride waiting,” said Applejack.

The trio moved along. As they walked, Twilight’s head cleared. Memories of the conversation in the fainted realm swirled in her head, alongside thoughts of the centaur walking in front of her, and the little girl she called her sister. The latter two caught her attention as answers to any questions that might arise were available.

“So, you two are related?”

“Yep,” Apple Bloom replied. “Applejack keeps reminding me I can’t say too much, but we’re sisters both here and outside of the game.”

“It’s nice to spend time together here though, since we’re so far apart IRL,” Applejack chimed in.

“Any reason she’s a centaur but you look pretty human?” Twilight asked Apple Bloom.

“Well, sis really does like horses.”

“Plus, the power you get from it is something else.”

Twilight cocked her head. “It’s not disorienting? I didn’t even go for undead with a human body given all the issues that would arise from that.”

“Eh.” Applejack shrugged. “They’re all different sorts of Masters. Speaking of which, since you’re new, I’m sure my friend will at least want to say hi. Now her body is something else entirely.”

Before Twilight could investigate what Applejack meant, they arrived at the gate. A familiar voice called out, “Applejack! There you are! I was getting a little worried since you’re usually on time. Oh, hai, Twilight!”

Pinkie Pie came rushing over from a cart loaded with boxes and sacks and installed with three seats in the back.

“Oh.” Applejack looked back and forth at Twilight and Pinkie. “You two already met?”

“Yep-yep!” Pinkie proclaimed with a grin. “Met Twilight since I logged in early and now, we can all go to Ponyville together!”

“Pinkie Sense?” Applejack chuckled.

“Never fails!”

“So,” Twilight spoke up and pointed at the cart. “Where are the mounts?”

Applejack grinned. “You’re looking at her.”

~~~

The cart sped along, crossing through verdant fields and lush hills. Twilight, like many Americans, had experience with horse-drawn vehicles via pumpkin patch rides and war recreations as a kid. So, when she, Pinkie, and Apple Bloom had gotten into the cart while Applejack hitched herself up, the first few minutes of the trip were what she had expected: a decent pace with clopping coming from the front of the cart. Apple Bloom had even nodded off. The fact that horse and rider were one in the same was a twist, but Twilight had now had enough time to digest some of the fantastic circumstances she found herself in.

Then, soon after they were out of the gate and clear of the masses streaming through it, Applejack had exploded off of the ground. Somehow, the cart did not lurch at the exponential increase in speed. While the air pressure around them increased to a stiff breeze, it did not match the pace they were going at. Twilight, unable to fully process the defiance of physics going on around her, could at least tell Applejack was hitting speeds equal to at least a train if not an automobile.

“Trivia time!” Pinkie exclaimed once it appeared Twilight had acclimated to their new traveling arrangement. “Do you think Applejack is fast or durable?”

“Huh?”

“This game doesn’t have a guidebook and forums can be confusing, so let’s make a game out how things work here. Now, guess!”

“Speed?”

“Err!” Pinkie crossed her arms in front of her. “Applejack’s an END build.”

“A what?”

Pinkie paused and stared at Twilight. “You’re not much of a gamer, are you?”

“No,” Twilight sighed. “I know a little from my brother, but nothing more than a few basic terms.”

“Aw, don’t feel bad,” said Pinkie. “People play Dendro for all sorts of reasons. To be honest, I wasn’t much of a gamer either before I came here. So, let me give you a little breakdown then.”

Pinkie held up both hands. Her left displayed all five of her fingers, while her right only had three lifted. Her eyes rested on the latter. “There are eight stats to look at here. The first three are HP, MP, and SP.”

“Health and magic.” Twilight focused on the third finger on Pinkie’s right hand. “‘SP?’”

“Special Points. That’s a tricky one since it can apply to a lot of stuff, especially once you have an Embryo. Think I’ll leave it at that. Examples are tricky-dicky.”

Pinkie put her right hand down. “So that leaves STR, AGI, END, DEX, and LUC. Care to guess what they mean?”

Twilight thought for a moment with Pinkie smiling at her. Hearing the stats all said together, their names aligned with discussions she had often heard her brother talk about with friends and occasionally when he screamed at his computer when they were younger. “Your physical power, your speed, your defensive capability, your dexterity, and your fortune… In a game this realistic how do you determine what your LU—”

“Ding ding ding!” Pinkie had somehow produced a cowbell and rang it with glee. “You’re definitely a smart cookie, Twilight! So, have a cookie!”

From out of Twilight’s sight, Pinkie fished out a cookie studded with chocolate pieces, and chucked it to Twilight. Twilight managed to catch it but then thought how, while the cookie had arced through the air, it had only slightly shifted back rather than being flung from the cart. She had been in the game for a good two hours so far and had eaten a light dinner before starting up Dendro, so when the fresh scent of the cookie wafted into her nose, her stomach grumbled. She raised the cookie to her lips and took a bite. The delightful sweetness in the bite filled her mouth.

This… this tastes so good!

“Never fails,” Pinkie giggled. “You’ll be happy to know, the bakers living in Ponyville made that and they’ve got plenty more where that came from!”

Something about what Pinkie said caught Twilight’s attention. This cookie was moist, with gooey chocolate and a faint remnant of warmth. Twilight felt the rest of the cookie still in her hand, with one finger pressing into where she had taken a bite. That inner section was a little warmer than the rest of the cookie. “Um, how long will it take to get to Ponyville?”

“‘Bout half a day.” She glanced at Applejack still speeding a long and then looked at Twilight with a gleam in her eye. “A well-supplied demi-dragon team of mounts could probably do it in a day, but then again, they’d have to rest.”

What “demi-dragon” meant was lost to Twilight, but it gave her somewhat of a sense of what the journey from the starting point in Legendaria to Ponyville was like. It also deepened her curiosity about the dessert she was holding. She looked over at Pinkie. “You didn’t bake this in town?”

Pinkie’s lips curled upwards, giving her alien face some feline qualities. “Just one of my many secrets.”

Sensing that pursuit of the topic would not go any further, and deciding not to put too much weight on an, albeit delicious, cookie, Twilight looked over the side of the cart, watching the land flow underneath it at dizzying speeds. “You aren’t just messing with me about Applejack not specializing in AGI?”

“It’s no fun to mess with new Masters. So, believe me when I say that Applejack is built to endure, but she’s got a high enough AGI to make travel a breeze too!” Her eyes gained a glimmer. “So, how about you check out your stats?”

“Oh, um, okay.” Twilight was relieved that while instructions had been scant, they had included information on how to pull up her status. Looking it over, she saw a fairly even dispersion of stats, which to her made sense given she had just started. Yet, there were some discrepancies. For one, her AGI was already higher than her END. Her DEX was also higher than both.

Yet, it was her MP that was somehow leaps and bounds above the rest. While the rest of her stats were all below fifty save for HP, her MP was already over 100.

“Why’s it so high?” she wondered aloud.

“Something catch your eye?” Pinkie asked. “If you don’t mind, we can be friends and then I can get a better idea of what you might be looking at. I can use Reveal, but I don’t like doing that with friends.”

“Oh, um, sure.”

“Yippee!” Pinkie then guided Twilight through the process. It was not that different from adding someone on social media. It even allowed a messaging function under optimal peaceful conditions.

“Hmm, interesting.” Pinkie’s eyes narrowed. “Your job also explains it a little, but not all the way, unless…”

Pinkie lunged forward and pinched Twilight’s ears. “Ah-ha!”

“Ow-ow-ow!” Twilight shoved Pinkie back. “What are you doing?”

“Sorry sorry!” Pinkie waved an arm back and forth. “Got a little carried away there. But now I get it. You’re a dark elf!”

“Wait… what?”

“Supernaturally purple skin. Pointed ears.” Pinkie grabbed her chin and nodded at Twilight like an art critic sizing up a piece. “Yep. Definitely a dark elf.”

“But I didn’t choose that! I was just going for human with a few odd features!” Twilight’s thoughts raced back to the guards at the city. “Oh no! Am I going to be hunted down now by regular elves?”

“Easy-easy,” said Pinkie. Hearing Pinkie’s tone come across as measured to account for Twilight’s panic, Twilight took a breath. “You're a stumbler.”

Another term that did not make sense to Twilight.

“There’s a lot of ways you can group players. Seekers vs stumblers is one. Seekers are often hard-core gamers. They come into Dendro with specific gameplay ideas and goals in mind. Stumblers are the opposite: they come into Dendro for a variety of reasons and nothing is set in stone for them. They often come across things or make big decisions completely by accident. Stumblers may sound like a bad name, but I actually think they’re more fun. You never know what they might do or find! Plus, in your case, it really worked out, being a mage and all. Maybe that explains your LUC being a teeny bit higher than average too!”

Twilight reflected on her own stats, but then turned her attention to Pinkie’s. She was about to check on her stats when a holler came from the front of the cart.

“Heads up!” Applejack called back. “We’ve got some varmints!”

Pinkie stood up, patted off her skirt, and spun to face out towards the edge of the cart. Her eyes scanned the countryside and locked on to something. Twilight looked in that direction and spotted a cloud of dust and then the creatures making it. They were a pack of wolves, though they were bigger than any species Twilight had ever seen. They raced towards the cart.

“I’ll keep on moving so we make it on time,” said Applejack. “You all good back there, Pinkie?”

“Yepperoni!” Pinkie raised an arm and held her palm flat out. She rotated her hand around a little. As the wolves drew near, Pinkie’s arm split lengthwise, right down the middle. However, no blood streamed out of what should have been a horrific gash. Instead, Pinkie’s flesh parted like pieces of a machine. Underneath her skin, everything was still pink. No sinew, blood vessels, nor bone was visible. Just a mass of pink. Twilight had seen how detailed the character customization was, so she had no doubt Infinite Dendrogram did strive to create avatars that were as “alive” as one could possibly imagine, down to as faithful of a recreation of anatomy in a world that allowed for myths and monsters to coexist alongside man.

So, what Twilight had thought was at least some understanding of basic biology here was once again uprooted. That upheaval grew stronger as Pinkie’s arm continued to shift. It gained an inorganic smoothness and a slight sheen. Deep grooves appeared that emanated a neon light. Where the center of her palm had been before was now a large hole. Pinkie’s hand was now a long metallic cylinder.

Twilight was still trying to comprehend what she was looking at when an explosion roared out of Pinkie’s arm. The blast barreled towards the wolves. The moment it slammed into them, the blast split apart in a shower of bits of vibrant paper.

“A confetti bomb?!” Twilight gasped.

“That’s just the opening bit!” said Pinkie. The confetti swirled all around the wolves. At first, it seemed as if the only damage dealt would be the blunt force trauma of having any kind of projectile slam into you with the speed of a cannonball. The wolf that had received the brunt of the blow had managed to stay on its paws, but it wobbled in its attempts to stay near the cart.

All the other wolves then yipped even while they continued their pursuit. Why they did this was not clear to Twilight at first, but then she spotted patches of their fur turning crimson. She also noticed the confetti, rather than flowing away with the wind, instead continued to swirl around the wolves.

“Think I’ve ginned them up enough.” Pinkie gave her neck a crack. “Wanna finish them off? Good chance to get some XP.”

“Don’t you want it?”

Pinkie waved her still human(?) hand. “Oh, I’ve already got plenty of levels. Plus, good chance to try out some magic, right?”

“That is true…” Before Twilight could think on it more, one of the wolves drew close enough that, even in an injured state, it made a leap for the cart and what it perceived as prey inside. It was also still cognizant enough that it bared its fangs down on Apple Bloom, still fast asleep. “Shoot!”

Perhaps based on the word choice and perhaps because it was the first thing that sprang to mind, a ball of flame about the size of a grapefruit materialized in front of Twilight’s right hand and soared into the wolf, slamming into its underbelly. It howled in pain as the ball burnt its fur, and singed its skin. Twilight could see up close now, the numerous little cuts that had torn its body apart. It then burst apart into particles of light. A few coins dropped from where it had been and into the cart.

“Great job!” Pinkie gave Twilight a pat on the back. Twilight heaved a sigh of relief. “Want to go for a few more?”

Twilight flexed her fingers. The gears in her mind turned. A small grin appeared on her face. “I have some moves I’d like to try out.”

“Then be my guest!”

Twilight drew her attention to the wolves and aimed her hand at them. Recalling the water from town and the fireball just now, she focused. Flames appeared, but this time their shape was a beam, uneven and bulging in a few spots. When Twilight moved her hand around, the beam of flame followed it, hovering a few inches above her palm. With a grasp on how the flames moved, she hefted them up, and, mimicking how she had seen Olympic competitors move, launched the flame spear at a wolf. This time, the attack managed to piece the skin. The wolf crumpled and burst into light like the other one. Since it was outside the cart, the rewards for defeating it were left in the dust.

Having seen their kin defeated, the remaining wolves split up and now pursued the cart from two sides.

“I’ll take the left!” said Pinkie.

“Got it!” Twilight shifted to the right. The air around her hand grew cold this time. Moisture appeared, instantly froze, and collected into a projectile about the size of a fist with a sharp tip. Twilight threw it like the earlier flame spear. The wolf she had targeted bared its fangs at her and jumped to the side, leaving the shot to gouge the earth and shatter. Twilight launched another ice volley at the beast, but it dodged again. The other wolves on Twilight’s side drew nearer.

Taking a breath, Twilight held her head out, but this time nothing materialized in front of her hand. Focusing her attention on one of the wolves, water appeared out of the air and coagulated around one of their heads. It leapt back and tried to free itself, but Twilight’s focus was keenly focused on the wolf and keeping the water she had summoned around its head. It thrashed about trying to get air, but Twilight did not release her spell.

When the wolves had first appeared and Pinkie began fighting them, the thought had crossed Twilight’s mind with all the realism she had experienced so far in Dendro that killing something, even these vicious looking wolves, would be a hurdle to overcome. She did, after all, view herself as an ethical scientist devoted to preserving and enhancing life.

The wolf going after Apple Bloom had brought her to the conclusion that the wolves had to be eliminated.

While emotion and impulse had pushed her to this point, now her researcher side had taken over and there was time to use rationality. There was indeed a real person in Apple Bloom, and the beat of Twilight’s heart, the sweat on her brow, and the quickness of her breath made it feel like this was actually happening, Twilight reminded herself this was a game. A game where she could use magic.

While she thought this, the wolf she was drowning in the middle of an open field turned to motes of light. Now only one wolf remained on her side.

In full experimentation mode, Twilight thought back to the book that had made her a mage. There were several different attributes of magic in Infinite Dendrogram. A basic breakdown of elements existed: water, earth, fire, and air; along with derivatives like lightning, metal, and ice. There was also light and dark magic. Infinite Dendrogram had lived up to its name so far, so Twilight had no doubt that the possibilities with magic were countless too here. With that in mind, she focused on the last wolf in a similar manner to how she had summoned water before. This time though, she did not aim to create anything. Rather, she wanted to open up a void around the wolf’s head.

Nature abhors a vacuum, so the conditions to create a true one, even with the proper tech, were restricted. That limit did not have to exist in Infinite Dendrogram though. Spurred by that thought, Twilight concentrated and summoned her magic.

The wolf advanced, unfazed, and pounced. Twilight yelped, unsure why the spell had not formed. She threw her hands up and fell back on using a fireball, but that too failed to materialize. Claws and fangs fell upon her.

Before they could tear her to shreds, a boxing glove attached to an arrow shaft clobbered the wolf. Ribs snapped and its chest caved inward a second before the wolf turned to motes of light.

“Close one!” said Pinkie. Twilight fell to her knees gasping for air. In the seconds when the wolf was falling upon her and her magic had failed, she had stopped breathing due to her heart rocketing up into her throat. Pinkie drew near and patted her on the back. “You okay?”

“I will be,” Twilight huffed. “I just… just don’t know what happened.”

After a second of staring at something Twilight could not see, Pinkie snapped her fingers, “Yep, out of MP.”

Twilight blushed. “Oh.”

“That’s kinda weird though. Even new Masters can spam low level spells like fireball, ice shard, and water sphere.”

Twilight wobbled to her feet to get back to her seat, and sighed falling into it. “Maybe it has to do with the last spell I tried.”

“Oh? What was that?”

“I hadn’t seen it yet in the books I have, but I wanted to try and create a true vacuum, not just an absence of oxygen but a true lack of air.”

“Well, that’s your problem. That kind of magic doesn’t exist!”

“I, uh, what?”

“Yep-yep! There’s magic to manipulate air, but not something like what you’re describing. Oooh, we can call it void magic! We’ll keep that as a working title. Don’t worry, I’ve got a friend that’s good with cool names.”

“It’s fine,” said Twilight. So, there are limits after all… interesting]/i]

Arrival in Ponyville Pt 1

Long ago, there were two sisters. One brought forth day, the other night. This was the origin of the superior jobs, The Sun and The Moon. The sisters’ names were lost to time, so even now they are only known by their jobs.

They had ruled over a portion of the land that became Legendaria and peace had initially prevailed. Yet, it was that peace that allowed The Moon to look upon her citizens. What she saw was them enjoying her sister’s day, but only sleeping during her night.

A pit of jealousy grew within The Moon until one day she decided not to end the night. The Sun tried to speak with her but The Moon would not listen. Her envy and hatred of the people that scorned her beautiful night twisted her into a terrible creature.

This was the birth of The Nightmare: Nightmare Moon. It vowed to wage war on The Sun and bring an eternal night.

With no choice, The Sun did battle with the monster her sister had become. Day and night became a maelstrom and it was unclear how long the fight lasted, but eventually the dawn returned to the land, along with the Sun, terribly injured but alive. The people, still fearful of Nightmare Moon, asked what had become of it. Before passing out from her wounds, The Sun had told them to look to the moon.

That night, for the first time, the people of Infinite Dendrogram saw the visage of a spectral mare on the moon.

It is said that Nightmare Moon, still seeking vengeance, comes to people in their sleep and tortures them from its eternal prison on the moon. Should there ever come a day where the Sun weakens, the stars shall aid Nightmare Moon in its escape.

~~~

This was a story from one of the books Twilight had gotten back in town due to her first experience in using magic. After the first fight with the wolves, she had decided to decompress a little and enjoy a few more treats provided by Pinkie.

Pinkie has also provided Twilight an MP potion. That had been handy for a few more fights. Twilight even gained some levels.

Despite it being a fairly short read, Twilight had gone over the story several times now. This was because interspersed between the fights, Pinkie had also shared many tidbits about Infinite Dendrogram. Two particular areas stood out: Jobs and Unique Boss Monsters (or UBMs for short).

Pinkie had illustrated Jobs by showing off her own. First there were lower rank jobs, of which Masters and Tians could hold six. Anyone could obtain these by going to a job crystal, as Twilight had. Pinkie herself had four: Chef, Jester, Engineer, and Journalist.

Then, there were the high rank jobs, of which Masters and Tians could only hold two. The exact conditions varied, but they were more difficult to gain than a lower rank job. Pinkie’s was Pâtissier.

Finally, there were Superior Jobs. Masters and Tians could only hold one Superior Job. The conditions to obtain one were incredibly exacting. Not only that, but, unlike the other job ranks where the number of people holding a job usually was not capped, only a single person in Infinite Dendrogram could hold a Superior Job. Pinkie held the Superior Job of Master of Ceremonies.

The way Pinkie had casually explained that she was a Superior Job holder stunned Twilight.

“Eh,” Pinkie had shrugged. “Even among Superior Jobs, some are easier to get than others. Plus, I do like to party!”

Pinkie, in Twilight’s summation of her, lived up to her appearance by having her thought process and view of the world be up beyond the clouds and in space. In addition to her earlier eccentricities, that view was solidified because Pinkie had volunteered what it took to become Master of Ceremonies: hit the level caps on the low rank jobs Chef, Jester, Musician, and Organizer; hit the level cap for at least one high rank job themed around parties that included Pâtissier; make at least five hundred friends; and host over 365 social gatherings. The final requirement came with the additional caveat that one of those parties had to be for royalty. To an introvert like Twilight, the latter requirements made obtaining this job appear impossible. Putting her own personality aside, Twilight saw nothing that made this Superior Job seem easier than any other given the sheer amount of time and effort needed to obtain it, even if it involved no combat.

Pinkie had only giggled at her shock.

Pinkie then went on to talk a little about Superior Embryos and how they were even more rare than Superior Jobs, but it was a different scale of things. That discussion had actually helped bring Twilight back to rationality since it was fairly straight-forward. Embryos, hers included, once it hatched, would go through seven “forms.” The final seventh form was a Superior Embryo. Yet, Pinkie stressed that gaining a Superior Embryo was incredibly difficult and only a handful of Masters in the entirety of Infinite Dendrogram had done so. She herself, despite boasting a Superior Job, only had an Embryo at the fifth form. Although, the conversation had shifted before Pinkie would go into deeper details on her own Embryo.

Somewhere along the journey they had gotten to talking about UBMs. While there were strong monsters in Dendro that could be classified as “boss monsters,” UBMs were different in that while there could be boss monster “species” there was only ever one UBM, hence the term, “unique.” Upon defeat, they granted an equally unique reward to whomever had contributed the most to killing it. This recipient was an MVP. Though, what determined an MVP varied wildly due to a number of factors. Pinkie had even once seen a child that some Masters had rescued from a UBM become the MVP. The Masters that had initially helped the child were quite shocked and a few were disappointed with that result.

Pinkie, in her job as a Journalist, had just recorded the event and sent it over to her employer, DIN, the Dendrogram Information Network. As Pinkie explained it, it was one of several ways she earned cash. Plus, they paid extra whenever she found what to Twilight sounded like glitches, but people in-game referred to them as “anomalies.”

Now armed with a fair more amount of knowledge than when she had started, Twilight could form hypotheses. This was helped by the detail put into the game. This random book, with a piece of lore that was not actively thrust into a Master’s face, showed how interconnected the world was. Jobs were not just something Masters could take up, but a cornerstone of myths. At least two jobs were present with The Sun and The Moon and possibly a third with The Nightmare. It also contained a potential UBM in Nightmare Moon. Pinkie had explained there were indeed tales of humans becoming UBMs as well. All this left Twilight marveling at how far Infinite Dendrogram went to not present a game, but a world.

The thought occurred to her, Could a game really be this detailed?

She did not have an answer to that question, and her experiences so far provided evidence pointing in both directions. As she pondered and resolved to gather more evidence if time allowed for it, Pinkie stood up and wildly pointed ahead.

“We’re here! We’re here!”

Twilight looked ahead and saw thatched and tiled roofs in the distance. Above them rose another tree. This one was far smaller but it was still a dominant feature of the town that came into view.

“Took ya long enough.”

Twilight spun at the unfamiliar voice. Pinkie turned too. Both were met with a girl flying beside the cart. Her apparel of a sports bra and spandex shorts appeared appropriate for a gym, but that was where reality stopped. Sweat shown off her teal blue skin, which contrasted with the yellow hawk-like talons at the ends of her arms and legs. Her hair was comprised of seven different colors and would have been her most eye-catching feature were it not for the wings flapping across her back. Despite Applejack’s speed, this girl was able to fly alongside the cart with ease.

“Hey, Dashie! Out here training?”

“You know it!” said the girl. “Gonna be putting on quite a show for the Celebration!”

The girl then swooped up and landed in the cart. Pulling a modern-looking sports bottle out from a storage bag at her side, she took a swig while furling her wings. Her cerise eyes fell on Twilight. “And a tourist. Neat.”

“Dashie, this is Twilight! She’s not just a tourist but totally new!” Pinkie’s smile shrank only the slightest of degrees. “I was actually kinda hoping I’d get to see her Embryo hatch on the way over but looks like no luck there.”

“What are you talking about? You’re in plenty of luck. You get to see me, after all.” ‘Dashie’ held out a talon to Twilight, who took it. It was a firm grip but at least not bone crushing like those of actual birds of prey. “Name’s Rainbow Dash, and you’re about to watch the greatest flyer in Infinite Dendrogram perform!”

In the face of Dash’s cocky grin, Twilight felt a bit intimidated, but this had been her third such forceful greeting, so she was getting used to it. “Twilight Sparkle. Those are quite impressive wings. I didn’t go far enough in character customization to find what race they belong to.”

“Race?” Dash glanced at her wings and then at her talons. “Ah right. I think I’m what you call a Tengu?”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Why do you sound unsure?”

“I’m not really big on the whole myths and monsters thing. I just asked the girl at the start which races had some tactical advantages and wound up with this one. But glad you like my Embryo!”

“Huh?”

With aplomb, she struck a pose with her left fist raised. The back of her palm displayed a cloud with a streak of tri-colored lightning racing out of it. “Took a bit, but now that Daedalus is at its sixth form we’re really getting somewhere with flying. Anyway, I still have some prep to do but I’ll be seeing you at the Celebration!”

Dash took off, rocking the cart, and zoomed into the clouds above.

“Watch the merch!” Applejack yelled at her. “I swear, that girl…”

Twilight stared at where Dash had been and blinked after a moment. “What?”

~~~

It was only a short bit from there to the center of Ponyville. Most of the buildings reminded Twilight of what you would see at a Renaissance Fair, but a few had more of a late 1800s-early 1900s look. Some even resembled modern buildings with large glass windows that displayed their wares. She was not quite sure what to make of one building that resembled a vivid multilayered carousel on the outside sans anything to ride on. Another appeared to be made out of giant pastries. Hansel and Gretel came to Twilight’s mind.

Like the capital, many inhabitants here bore fantastic skin tones and some went beyond that with feathers, scales, fur, tails, and horns. In particular, Twilight caught sight of a light green unicorn lazing on a bench. Now, an actual unicorn was already quite fantastic in Twilight’s mind, but this one was sitting, not like a horse would, but with its back pressed against the bench and in a relaxed posture like a rude man on a subway. Also, it was holding a conversation with a young woman whose blue and purple hair seemed completely normal compared to a unicorn. Twilight could only assume based on the lyre on the unicorn’s left flank that she was a Master.

Twilight could not process what spending time in a completely inhuman body would be like. At least Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie had some human traits. Twilight made a mental note to also look out for any debuffs or jobs that would transfigure her avatar’s body.

As they moved along, they eventually came to a stop right by the confectionary shop.

“Thanks for the ride, Applejack!” said Pinkie, after getting off and unloading some of the cargo.

Twilight bowed her head. “Thank you very much.”

“No problem. If I had time, I wouldn’t mind showing around, but I’ve got some unpacking to do.” Applejack glanced back at Apple Bloom, still sleeping. “Maybe put this one to bed.”

“I was actually wondering about that.” Twilight eyed Apple Bloom. “Couldn’t she have logged out if she’s this tired? I’m guessing it’s getting a little late for kids wherever she is.”

“It is, but we’ve run into this problem before,” said Applejack. “If Apple Bloom had logged out back in Amneal, either she’d have to get out here on her own or I’d have to go back and get her.”

“Can’t you just choose a spot you want to log in at?”

“Dendro don’t work that way. You’ve got save spots, mostly towns, but you can’t just log out and log back into the same place if you’re, say, out in the wild.”

“Unless you’re camping!” Pinkie proclaimed. “Gotta do a lot of set up though!”

“Interesting.” Another piece of information was added to Twilight’s internal library.

“And don’t feel too bad, Applejack!” Pinkie gave Twilight a slap on the back. “I can show Twilight ar—”

The door to the Hansel-and-Gretel-style building opened up and a woman whose hair resembled a swirl of raspberry soft serve waddled out. Based on the width of her stomach, Twilight estimated she was near the end of her second trimester or possibly in her third. Her hands were bare of any crest.

“Oh, Pinkie, thank goodness, I thought I heard you! Some of our other deliveries got delayed so we’re now a bit behind schedule.”

“Roger!” Pinkie gave a playful salute. “I can get us caught back up. You and the twins take it easy-peasy!”

Pinkie lurched forward, read to sprint into the building, but stopped just before her feet left the ground. She twisted her upper body towards Twilight a few degrees more than what a spine should have allowed. “Oh my gosh! Twilight, I know this is super sudden, but do you think you could do me a super huge favor?”

Given that Pinkie had provided her with a ride, food, and a plethora of info, Twilight responded, “Of course. I only needed to stop by that tree. I’d just planned to log out after that until the Celebration.”

“But then you’ll miss a chance to try all the fun special tre—” Pinkie slapped herself in the face. From her storage she pulled out what resembled a cooler used to transport sensitive medical supplies. “Gotta focus. Can you please run this over to a friend of mine? Here, I’ll make you a map.”

Instead of pulling a pen and paper out of her storage, the skin of Pinkie’s arm peeled off. There was already what looked like ink on it, showing a rough outline of Ponyville with a large red X on a path that led to the outskirts of town. While retaining its pink hue, the skin’s texture shifted to that of parchment. Pinkie tore the map off her arm without a care.

“D-doesn’t that hurt?” Twilight hesitated a moment before taking the map. It did feel like parchment, but she could not ignore it had been Pinkie’s flesh and blood a second ago.

“Oh no worries, I turned the pain function off.” Pinkie drew close to Twilight. “It’s super important you keep that on you though. Angel is ultra-sensitive about strangers.”

“Is Angel who I’m meeting?”

“Oh no, no. Meeting Angel would just be silly. He’s a bunny, after all. My friend’s actually his Master, Fluttershy.” Pinkie pinched the finger and thumb of her left hand together. “She’s just an itty-bitty bit shy.”

It’s even in her name, Twilight thought.

“Dang, that’s the opposite direction from home for us,” said Applejack. “I do still feel bad about our first run-in though. Tell you what, let’s be friends, and you shoot me a message anytime you want to come over to the farm for some cider and zap apple jam.”

“Okay sure,” said Twilight. The two completed the task of approving each other as friends and then all of them split up.

With the cooler in her storage, Twilight, still unfamiliar with how exactly her item inventory worked and its limits on preservation, made a beeline for the tree. This had been her only business left to complete before the Celebration. Professor Dominguez had probably intended for Twilight to spend any additional time exploring Ponyville, but she had not explicitly said so, so Twilight had resolved to just get to town, do this one task, and then log out. Tacking on Pinkie’s request did not seem like much. Although, with magic, centaurs, aliens, and unicorns, her mind was stretched a bit. Even taking into account that this was a game (even with part of her brain starting to think it was more than that), all these fantastic sights were a bit much.

There was also the possibility that Professor Dominguez would be at the tree.

When you get to Ponyville, go to the Golden Oaks Library. You can’t miss it—it’s a big tree. I’ll have a surprise there for you!” she had said.

Pondering what it could be while giving it a 60% chance of it being cake, Twilight entered the tree. The inside reminded her of when she had started the game with books lining the walls. The scent of books that she adored was mixed with something akin to cypress. There was a desk at the center with an older woman manning it, but it must have been a slow day because she was sound asleep. Twilight went to approach but something tugged at her pants.

Looking down, she was met with a girl that appeared around Apple Bloom’s age. Her skin was a deep brown. Though, given how character customization worked, it was not indicative of any nationality. Sticking out of her hoodie was faint blue hair that matched her eyes. Those eyes were like a cat’s and the way they were focused reminded Twilight of a tiger ready to pounce.

“Easier than I thought. You haven’t even got an Embryo,” the girl giggled. She then lowered her tone. “Are you Celeste’s star pupil?”

“I… I wouldn’t say star pupil…”

“And so bashful.” The girl grinned showing that her teeth were fanged. “Well, I’m glad I didn’t have to wait too long. Now I can go back to having fun. I’m really looking forward to seeing you at the Celebration.”

The girl giggled some more before fading away like fog at dawn. Twilight stood there for a second with goosebumps running up her arms. Something about the child had seemed off and the way she vanished reminded Twilight of ghost stories. Professor Dominguez had not lied about what awaited her at the tree being a surprise, but it had not been a welcome one. Having completed her task, she turned to go.

“Ah, wait,” someone coughed. Looking back, Twilight saw it was the librarian. She rubbed one eye and yawned. “Forgive me. Strange as this may sound, I received a request where I would fall asleep and when I awoke, I was to lend a book to the first Master I saw.”

Twilight approached while the librarian pulled out a tome. To her surprise, she recognized it: it was the very same book that had made her a mage. But, given it was related to Professor Dominguez, Twilight still took it. As she did, a letter fell out. Twilight snatched up, and, setting the book aside, opened it up.

Glad you made it to Ponyville! it started. Sorry for not properly addressing this, but I’ll explain more when I have some time. I’m a bit busy getting ready for the Summer Sun Celebration, but I made sure to look through some things. I’m sure you’ve gotten a little familiar with how things work here by now, but I still wanted to give you a little help. So, I consulted the Suitable Job Diagnostic Catalog and found a job that looked like a good match: Mage! Of course, this is just me guessing and the Catalog works much better when a Master does it themselves, and it is just a suggestion. What I’m hoping most for is you to have fun!

Twilight wasn’t sure what to make of Professor Dominguez reading her like a book, but it sounds like so far, Twilight had fulfilled whatever goals her advisor was expecting of her in Infinite Dendrogram. Just to be sure, she took the book with her.

Arrival in Ponyville Pt. 2

A short trek away from the library, the cobblestone path gave way to dirt, but the path was still well-maintained as trees popped up and Twilight entered what was marked on Pinkie’s map as “White-Tail Woods.” The sun was dipping towards the western horizon at this point, but, in between battles on the way to Ponyville, Twilight had also tinkered with light spells so the issue of evening travel did not worry her too much. Given Pinkie’s disposition, it did not seem like she would send Twilight someplace dangerous either.

Though, that did leave her to question why Pinkie had warned her of a bunny. Even Spike, in his old age, seemed more of a threat than a bunny.

She was left to ponder these things while making her way along the path. It did not split or twist in any confusing manner, so she just kept an even pace. The map had also not shown any subtle divergences or wrong ways Twilight could go. There was some rustling in the branches though, so Twilight put the map away, since, while the path was clear, what was in the trees and shadows was not.

The trees thinned. The woods did not end but rather opened to a glade. A cottage rose up out of a grassy knoll. At first, Twilight thought it was another building made out of a tree given its verdant roof, but a closer look showed the walls were stucco or a similar material. Dozens of bird houses dotted the cottage and stuck up near it. There were also dens of various sizes and shapes all around too. While Pinkie’s place of work reminded Twilight of Hansel and Gretel, this conjured memories of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.

There may have even been an actual beauty to go along with the picturesque setting. Not far from the cottage stood a figure in a white and yellow robe. It hid her full frame but the robe’s contours gave enough away to tell that while dainty, there was a woman under the robes. A lock of pink hair poked out of the robe’s hood, smooth and straight in contrast to Pinkie’s frizzy near-afro. The woman was tending to what looked like a sheep of some kind.

Twilight took a step towards her, but heard something splash closer by. A chill seized her body as she felt eyes boring into her. Looking towards the source of the bloodlust, she saw a white bunny standing near a mud puddle. A second later, the ground under it cratered and the bunny vanished. Next, something slammed into Twilight’s back with enough force that it knocked her off the ground and sent her flying into the mud.

Crap! But I have the map! she thought. Mud covered her face and she swiped with one hand to clear it away from her mouth so she could breathe while her other hand frantically moved to her storage. Something smashed the hand going for her storage and she heard bones snap. But, since she had the pain function turned off, she was able to force her broken hand into her storage and pulled out the map just as she felt the air shifting above her head.

The air returned to normal and the meadow grew quiet after Twilight pulled out the map. Then, came a shriek.

“Oh, my goodness!” Even in alarm, the voice was soft, only a little above a whisper. “Angel, you need to be gentler!”

A great gust of air blasted Twilight from the front, flinging off most of the mud. Twilight blinked with her eyes now cleared. The woman was kneeling down before her and holding Twilight’s broken arm. Adrenaline combined with a lack of pain had allowed Twilight to push it to move earlier, but her limb now hung limp in the woman’s grasp.

“I am so, so sorry! Just hold still a moment.” Up close, Twilight could see this woman was indeed a beauty. Her skin had a soft nearly creamy complexion that was incredibly fair. It had appeared that the woman tended to animals, but her skin tone suggested she did not go out much. Then again, how much the sun and melanin affected tanning in Dendro was up for debate. The woman’s eyes were also closed yet the way she had her attention focused on Twilight’s arm gave the impression she was still looking at it. Twilight pondered if she was blind, but that line of questioning ceased when the woman bent her head low and sank her teeth into Twilight’s arm.

Twilight screamed even if it did not hurt, but the woman held her firm with both her arms and her teeth. Despite how frail the woman had appeared, she had enough strength to prevent Twilight from getting up and fleeing.

Just as Twilight felt faint, the woman unclenched her jaw and released Twilight. Twilight jumped back, but slipped on the muddy surface and fell. She braced herself with both hands out of instinct, cushioning the fall. Scrambling to her feet to try and run, she realized she had pushed off the ground with both arms. Her curiosity taking over, she raised the arm that should have been smashed to bits. It was not bent at any odd angle and all her fingers curled without issue. The only damage that remained was a set of puncture wounds, already scabbed over.

“I… I’m really sorry. I c-couldn’t tell if you were a tian or not s-so…” The woman approached but kept some distance.

“It’s my fault too,” Twilight sighed. Looking around she spotted the map, now dirtied and crumpled nearby. She stooped down and picked it up. “I’m still new so I didn’t realize items’ effects don’t work if they’re in storage.”

The woman then sniffed the air. “Oh, I see, you’re a new friend of Pinkie’s. She is always making new friends…”

There was a pause.

“Riiiigggghhhhttttt.” Twilight pulled the cooler out of her storage. “Pinkie asked me to deliver this. You are Fluttershy, right?”

“O-oh yes.” Fluttershy shuffled over and took possession of the cooler. “Th-thank you very much. I was getting low on my supplies.”

“Well then, I should get go—”

“Wait! Um, please?” Fluttershy looked down and was silent for a moment. “I… I still feel really bad about your arm… and your clothes.”

“Would it surprise you that you’re not the first person to break my arm today?” Twilight looked down and saw that while most of the mud had been blasted off by something Fluttershy had done, her shirt and pants were still stained beyond repair. “I don’t really mind the clothes that much. I mean, won’t they just reset after I log out?”

“I-I think? Oh dear, it’s been a while…” Fluttershy bit her lip, displaying canines bigger than what was normal. “I mean, I could definitely make this up to you some other way. Oh, but I don’t even know your name. And I don’t even know what else I could do. And, and…”

Seeing Fluttershy start to hyperventilate, Twilight grabbed her by the shoulder. “It’s okay. So, why don’t we go do something about my clothes? I’m Twilight Sparkle, by the way.”

“N-nice to meet you. I… I’m Fluttershy. Oh, but you already knew that.”

“A logical guess.”

“Well, um, for your clothes, I’ll take you to someone who can fix them up even better than before. Don’t worry, I’ll cover the cost.”

“Thanks, that’s very kind of yo—” Twilight paused when Fluttershy got on one knee. “Uh, what are you doing?”

“Oh…” Fluttershy blushed. “If you, um, don’t mind, could you please get on my back? I’ll carry you over since it’s getting late and I’m worried she won’t be there.”

“What about your clothes?” For all the concern Fluttershy showed to Twilight, Twilight felt it would be ill-mannered to sully such a nice robe.

Even with her eyes closed, it was apparent that Fluttershy had somehow glanced at her robe. “D-don’t worry. Th-this may sound rude, but you could never stain this even if y-you tried.”

Unsure what to make of Fluttershy’s comment, Twilight added it to her ever-growing list of things that did not make sense in Dendro and required further investigation. At the same time, she moved behind Fluttershy. “If you say so.”

“O-okay. Please… hold on tight.” Fluttershy wrapped her arms around Twilight’s legs with the same strength she had shown earlier. Twilight, cautious of what Fluttershy could do and well aware that as a newbie even accidents could seriously injure her, obeyed Fluttershy’s request. “Angel, come on.”

The white bunny from earlier had been standing aside this entire time, one foot beating against the grass. With a hop, it flew into the air and dived into the crest on Fluttershy’s right hand: a trio made up of two butterflies and a bat in a circular pattern.

The world became a smear of colors. The wind whipped at Twilight. Its roar deafened everything else. Twilight’s strong hold advanced into a death grip. Even with Twilight’s arms wrapped tight enough around Fluttershy’s neck to choke a normal person, Fluttershy did not stop. This was an experience with speed Twilight was familiar with, having done a few summer “space” camps. That Dendro had decided to reinstate air pressure and friction after a long cart ride where neither had seemed to apply like normal was not welcome. It took all of Twilight’s will to continue holding on even with Fluttershy keeping her steady. Twilight had seen pictures of what happened to motorcyclists without a helmet and vividly imagined a similar fate for herself were she to fall.

This maddening blitz through the woods only lasted a few minutes, but Twilight’s nerves were frayed when Fluttershy came to a stop. Fluttershy released her grip on Twilight’s legs, but still held onto Twilight, sliding her arms up while she rose. Only when Twilight managed to stand, albeit on wobbling legs, did Fluttershy fully let go.

“P-please wait a moment.” As Fluttershy turned away, Twilight saw that, indeed, Fluttershy’s robe was still pristine.

In a blink, Fluttershy was by a nearby door. It almost looked like she teleported to Twilight. Twilight recognized the door, or rather, the carousel-styled building it belonged to. Fluttershy knocked a few times. Having managed to collect her wits, Twilight wondered if Fluttershy’s knocks were loud enough to be heard.

“Come in!” sang a melodious voice from within.

Fluttershy beckoned Twilight and gripped the door’s handle. She opened it just a smidgeon and whispered inside. “Um, Rarity? I-it’s Fluttershy and I—”

“Oh, Fluttershy, dear!” Something raced toward the door and flung it open. “So happy to see you and your wonderful robe! Whatever can I do for you?”

Fluttershy flinched back from the woman who had appeared at the doorway. Twilight took a step back too. While Fluttershy had the appeal of a delicate flower or an ice sculpture, this woman was statuesque. Her outfit was bedazzled with fine jewels and the silky dress they were attached to accentuated her curves. Her skin was even more fair than Fluttershy’s. It actually appeared to glisten. At first, Twilight thought it might just be the light are her recovering from shock, but as Twilight began to fully comprehend the situation she realized the woman’s skin was not skin. It was fine white scales.

Now Twilight understood why she stepped back on instinct. Virtually all humans do at the sight of the elongated limbless form covered in scales, especially one far bigger than even the mightiest of boa constrictors. Even if that was just the lower half of the woman’s body, a snake was still a snake.

Fluttershy managed to stammer out, “C-couldyouactuallypleasehelpTwilight!I’mreallysorryImesseduphercloths!”

“Easy, darling.” The lamia gave Fluttershy a pat on the shoulder and then slithered over to Twilight. Her lower body encircled Twilight but her upper body remained in front of Twilight. “Good evening, my dear. I’m going to guess you had a bit of a dreadful encounter with Angel? You’d hardly be the first. Ah, where are my manners?”

The lamia offered out a hand and Twilight took it. Despite being a monster of legend, the lamia’s handshake was delicate and her hand smooth. It was easily the gentlest greeting Twilight had received so far.

“Rarity Belle, a pleasure.”

“Twilight Sparkle, the same.”

“Now that introductions are in order, let’s get you cleaned out and out of those blasé starter clothes. I really must speak with the devs someday about offering more fashionable options.”

Rarity then busied both Twilight and Fluttershy into the carousel-building’s interior. Inside were racks upon racks of clothes of all shapes and sizes. There was a sewing machine, spools of cloth, half-open drawers with thimbles, bobbins, needles, and gems. One section of the floor was taken up with mirrors gathered around a raised platform. Mannequins in various poses littered what remaining free space there was.

As Rarity closed the door, she used the tip of her tail to flip around a sign that was visible through a window atop the doorframe from “open” to “closed” and then locked the door. “There we are. That should give us enough heads up so we don’t have anyone walking in while you’re changing. I was about to close up anyway, so it shouldn’t be an issue. Need to get rested before the Celebration. Now, let’s get those dirty things off.”

Twilight complied. Seeing all the material around the shop, and the fine finished products, she could tell Rarity was a professional and she had taken steps to ensure her privacy. Fluttershy had already stepped way beyond Twilight’s personal boundaries, so she did not think much of stripping. That and her mind was reaching its limits with all the unbelievable things she had experienced.

While Rarity would glance at her every now and then, Twilight could not help but feel like there was another pair of eyes on her as well.

“I do hope we’re not intruding,” Fluttershy muttered, taking extra care to face away from Twilight.

“Anything for a friend.” Rarity slithered into another room and returned with a tray holding three cups and a fine china teapot. A blanket was draped over her shoulder. By this point, Twilight was down to her skivvies, so Rarity handed her the blanket and then led her and Fluttershy over to a table.

“Are we not getting clothes?” Twilight asked.

“I thought you should warm up first.” Rarity coiled her body up and made herself a seat while using her tail to pull out Twilight and Fluttershy’s chairs. “Plus, I’d like to learn a little about you, dear. Then I can make a design for you that will truly shine!”

~~~

Twilight drank the last of her tea. It was a fine blend that Rarity said came all the way from Huang He. With the way Rarity described that land, Twilight determined the tea was the equivalent of high-grade oolong from China.

“Hmm an accidental mage, but it sounds like you’re already on your way to proficiency,” Rarity mused. “And what an adventurous first day. I believe I’m with Pinkie Pie when I say I’m quite interested to see what Embryo you’ll have. It is quite odd yours hasn’t hatched yet though.”

“Do you think it has anything to do with that conversation I had while passed out?” Twilight recalled whatever she was talking to had mentioned interruptions to some processes.

“Hard to say. Faint is such a rare debuff and it usually doesn’t last long enough for a Master to even recognize they’ve fainted.”

That made sense to Twilight. From what she had gathered, faint only occurred when someone suffered something akin to a severe concussion bordering on a traumatic brain injury, so they usually were in the heat of battle. The death penalty was generally imminent to the fainted.

She had shared this and all her other experiences of the day with Rarity, save for those related to Professor Dominguez. She had explained an advisor at school had given Dendro to her but had kept other details vague. It was a bit too much personal info to hand out to near-strangers online and Fluttershy and Rarity respected that.

“Hmm, hmm, hmm.” Rarity nodded a few times. “Yes, I think I’ve got a good idea. Oh, and let me fix up your hair as well while we’re at it.”

Indeed, when Twilight was getting out of her muddied clothes, she had spotted herself in a mirror. Through a combination of the mud and Fluttershy’s dash over to Rarity, her hair had become a gnarled mess sticking out in every direction.

Twilight had stated it was not a big deal given she was going to log out as soon as Rarity finished taking her measurements and lent her some spare clothes (logging off as she was now would put her in the center of town in her underwear when she logged back in. Rarity had made very clear this had happened on several such occasions) but Rarity would not stand for it. So, Twilight had complied.

A little while later, Twilight was truly reaching the end of her rope. Rarity had tried out several different hairstyles and they had settled with one that left Twilight’s hair flowing down with bangs in the front. Her hair even seemed to have a new luster to it. Then came the measurements. No inch of her body was spared. Twilight firmly applied the label of perfectionist to Rarity.

An additional stressor early on was the ongoing feeling someone else was watching her. There was a second floor in the Boutique and every now and then Twilight glimpsed green lights up there.

“Oh, don’t mind Sweetie,” said Rarity. “Luckily, she’s spent her reserves for the day and is in charging mode. I’ll introduce you properly some other time… and hope she doesn’t overload.”

When it was finally over, Twilight, after having put on the spare clothes, asked Fluttershy, “Are you really okay with covering all of this? It seems like it might be a little much.” Even if I don’t have the cash to make it up right now.

“‘Cover?’” Rarity looked up from her notepad where she had jotted down everything on Twilight. She frowned at Fluttershy. “Now, Fluttershy, my dear, you didn’t think I’d actually charge you or Twilight just for proper beginning attire?”

“I, um, well…”

“Don’t you two worry about a thing. My beginner’s special is always on the house. It would be practically criminal to keep a new Master in those starting rags. And, as much as I dislike what the devs start you with, it gives me quite an in and free publicity.”

“Thank you very much,” said Twilight. “I can understand the business side of things, but it’s still very generous of you.”

“Oh-ho-ho, you flatter me.” Rarity slid close to Twilight and produced a card. “That said, when the time comes for you to step into the world of true fashion, my payment system is a bit more unique than others.”

Looking down at the card, Twilight read it: Carousel Boutique, a fine clothing establishment. Tian dealings: standard fares. Masters only dealings: 75% Lir, remaining 25% payable in… The rest of the card contained not fantasy terms but real-world e-commerce terms.

“I’m surprised there’s a cash shop here given everything else.” Memories of her brother raging at someone paying for items before doing the same flitted through Twilight’s head.

“Well, not what you’d normally think of.” As Rarity explained, cash shops were allowed provided they adhered to strict guidelines. This was because cash shops were something only Masters could run and only Masters could buy at. Yet, the resources to run a shop still came from within Infinite Dendrogram. Unregulated cash shops would be an economic calamity. Rarity had no complaints though and only aspired for more ways to display her work and increase her clientele.

She had even let slip the Superior Job she was aiming for: King of Fashion. Though it seemed the fashion world was stricter than the party one as this Superior Job too required an audience with royals, this time to fashion clothing for a coronation ceremony or something equivalent to it. That was far rarer than a mere social event and there were several other requirements Rarity had to meet. For now, she managed with the high-class job of Fashionista.

These were all things Twilight had to consider for later though. For now, she was spent. Rarity’s generosity had extended to offering a room for the night, but with everything else she had encountered Twilight longed for her own bed. She still had to take Spike out one last time as well.

After calculating out the rough time her clothes would be ready with enough wiggle room to log in, grab them, and then head to the Celebration, Twilight had said her goodbyes for the night.

~~~

Tiara removed her headset and breathed deeply. The smell of her room flooded her nose as if she’d been away for a while. Yet, a look at the clock showed that while it was late, it was indeed only a third of the time she had spent in the game.

Spike was curled up outside her door. She stroked his fur to wake him up and then took him out. With her last task of the day done, she crashed onto her bed. Even all-nighters usually did not take that much out of her.

She had met an alien, become a mage, been trampled by a centaur, held a mysterious conversation while unconscious, used magic, encountered a bird-girl, had a second mysterious conversation with at most likely an apparition, nearly been killed by a bunny and healed by its owner biting her, and capped things off with tea and getting clothes from a lamia.

Tiara held up her hand and, with heavy eyes, looked at the back of her palm. “What will you be?”

The conversation with the voice came back to her. “I don’t think I’ll be lonely. Everything there is too crazy.”

With that, she drifted off to sleep. She had been too tired to notice that a few hours earlier she may have said “that game is too crazy” but, wiped from the day, she had used “there” instead.

Author's Note

And thus we have the inhuman 6.

One of my favorite parts of Infinite Dendrogram is how creative the author gets with the forms Masters take. King of Beast's reveal was great and hilarious to imagine that little hedgehog in starting gear and brutalizing everything in her way

Although I'm reminded more of Ainz Ooal Gown (the guild) with this version of the Mane 6.

The Summer Sun Celebration

The door to Carousel Boutique flung open. Twilight rushed inside, choking down air. In truth, the distance from Ponyville’s save point to the boutique was minimal. Even at a full sprint, one would have to be severely out of shape to be as winded as Twilight.

Her current state was not related to her health but rather a quirk of Infinite Dendrogram. While things such as disease and injury would not carry over from reality, things such as exhaustion and intoxication could.

“I am so sorry!” Twilight gasped, spotting Rarity’s tail first and lowering her head in embarrassment. “I… I got too focused on some work and I…”

“Easy, darling.” The tip of Rarity’s tail pressed against Twilight’s cheek and was cool to the touch. “Breath.”

Twilight did as asked. With her breathing and brain calming, she realized stammering about rushing back home and up the flights of stairs to her apartment would have revealed too much personal information. Collecting herself, she took in Rarity.

While Rarity’s tail, long as it was, had helped straighten Twilight up and her words had calmed her down, Rarity’s upper body had not moved from a raised platform. A trio of mirrors encircled half the platform. Rarity and the duplicate images all scintillated, and not just from her ivory scales. A pair of golden hoop earrings adorned the sides of her face. Her hair was formed into a magnificent curl that spiraled down the length of her back. It was matched by a similar style in the front that covered part of her face at certain angles, adding a mysterious allure.

Fine lavender gloves went up the length of her arms, with space on the back of Rarity’s right hand to show off the trio of shining diamonds that trailed and wove together at the ends into a fine line etched into her skin. There was a gap to show off some skin (scales?) between her biceps and her clavicle. Twilight noted there was good definition there and wondered if Rarity had chosen that or, like Twilight, she had used her real body as a model. Straps, partially covered by a shawl, held up the dress that flowed to where Rarity’s ankles would probably be if she had legs. At first, Twilight thought it was a deep purple, but then perhaps maroon. It was only after staring for a second did she realize both answers were correct as the dress changed colors ever so faintly before her eyes to reflect the hues one would see only in the last light of day or in the early dawn.

“I see my choice for this year has made a good impression.” Rarity cinched some stitching near her waist and cut the remaining thread with her fingers. “Now, between the timing of your arrival and your name, I did follow a bit of a theme. Nothing too awkward as showing up wearing the same thing, I can assure you that much.”

“It’s no problem, Rarity.” Twilight managed to smile a little. “I’m just glad I made it in time.”

“Oh, don’t fret too much, dear.” Having put the final touches on her own dress, Rarity slid off the platform while her tail fetched a hangar draped with a clothing cover, hiding its contents. She moved it over to Twilight.

When Twilight opened it, her eyes glistened.

~~~

A final fitting was needed, so now Twilight stood on the dressing platform. Starting from the bottom, fine dark leather boots came up to a little below the knee. Their laces were cut in such a way to resemble rays of light either from the sun or the moon. Further up was a deep blue, nearly black skirt that felt quite flexible. A belt adorned with sapphires and amethysts ran along the waist, and cast reflections on the additional pockets and loops for storage. A blouse the same color covered Twilight’s torso and a dark purple vest the color of part of Twilight’s hair rested atop it. The vest had a few pockets as well.

When Twilight had asked about that and the space in her skirt for storing things, since this was a world with storage bags that ignored mass, Rarity answered, “It can be quite a hassle finding some things on the fly, no?”

Recalling that Fluttershy was with them yesterday and an explanation had been provided for Twilight's mud-soaked appearance, Twilight agreed.

The final piece was what had made Twilight’s eyes glisten, even though the entire outfit was stunning. It was a hooded cloak that contained the night sky. It wasn’t just that there were constatations sewn into it. The stars twinkled and galaxies swirled across its fibers. When Rarity asked her to raise it and Twilight saw it shimmer from three different angles, she murmured, “Incredible.”

“Such a fine complement. Oh, what I would give to see its inspiration up close.”

“Inspiration?”

Rarity snipped some thread while running another hand along the side of Twilight’s vest. “Oh, it’s quite a story, but we’re a bit short on time, so suffice to say I took inspiration from a gallant upcomer and the UBM he beat. Now… if only his fashion sense were a bit less… teenager-ry.”

Twilight glanced at the cloak. “UBMs can become clothing?”

“Quite often, in fact.”

“Huh, I was thinking if you fight them, they’d more often become weapons.”

The discussion prompted Twilight to think about the stats she had watched change whenever Rarity took off a piece to modify. It was common in games for clothes to affect stats, but given the realism of Infinite Dendrogram, it interested Twilight to think how all her clothes actually did make it easier to endure an attack. While the clothes increased her END by a few points, what caught her eye was that when worn all together, her MP increased by 50 points.

Taking that all into account, as Rarity finished up, Twilight asked, “Why am I able to wear this?”

Rarity grinned. “Ah, I was wondering what Pinkie meant when she came by earlier, but now I see that you do have an eye for things. Of course, I had to take your level into account in crafting your outfit.”

“You’re sure you don’t already have a Superior Job?” Given her experience earlier with the merchant in Amneal, Twilight knew that crafting items for new Masters like herself could prove even more difficult than crafting for higher level Masters.

Rarity tilted her head back. “Oh-ho-ho! You spoil me, Twilight. But the flattery will have to wait, we do have places to be, after all.”

“Right.” Twilight bowed her head while Rarity moved over to the door. Twilight followed. “Sorry if we’re late.”

“No worries. You might have an ear problem on that end, dear.” Rarity opened the door, letting Twilight out before closing up the shop. “There are more concerning things than this game. Now, let us be off.”

~~~

The Summer Sun Celebration. Since Professor Dominguez had only provided the name and time the celebration took place in Ponyville, it had fallen on Pinkie Pie to explain it. Coincidentally, it tied into the story Twilight had read about The Sun and The Moon. The Celebration was said to align with the historic date The Sun defeated Nightmare Moon. Looking over the dates, Twilight had noticed it aligned with the summer solstice as well. This matched up with how several cultures on Earth observed solstices as well, but Twilight did think it was well-developed lore for what boiled down to a minor annual event.

What made Ponyville special was that the current holder of The Sun job appeared every year. This was because it was said that Ponyville was founded by survivors of Nightmare Moon’s attack, which had devastated the castle and surrounding town they had lived in before. Its name even came from Nightmare Moon’s form: that of some ghoulish equine monster.

The Sun would make her appearance and use the job’s ultimate skill to briefly turn night into day. Seeing such a thing tickled Twilight’s curiosity. She also wanted to know a little more about The Sun given a key piece of info Pinkie had provided: the current holder of The Sun job was a Master. In fact, she had been the one to help Pinkie set up the party for royalty that had netted her the Master of Ceremonies job. Yet, The Sun had not added Pinkie as a friend and did not make many public appearances. Pinkie described her as very nice and regal but distant. The only other knowledge Pinkie had on her was a username: Princess_Celestia.

~~~

All of Ponyville appeared to have gathered at the spacious town hall. Many eyes were directed up to a balcony. A bright banner depicting a stylized sun hung from above it.

“Hi, Twilight and Rarity!” Pinkie exclaimed upon spotting them. She looked Twilight up and down. “Oooooh! Another good one, Rarity!”

Rainbow Dash swooped over. She had traded in her gym clothes for a blue jumpsuit that resembled something between military fatigues and a NASA uniform. “So, Rarity got you decked out, eh?”

“And I wouldn’t mind giving you something as well,” Rarity offered.

“Eh, I’m good with what I’ve got.”

Rarity shook her head.

“G-good to see you back,” came a voice from behind Twilight. She turned and was met with Fluttershy. “I… I was a little worried the incident with Angel might have scared you off.”

“Well, there are advantages to not feeling pain when your arm gets broken.” Twilight let out a forced laugh but a heavy silence fell on her and Fluttershy.

Some clops broke the tension, and Applejack approached. “Mighty fine to see you again, Twilight. Hope you’re ready for some good eatin’ once we’re wrapped up here. We’ve got pies to eat for days!”

“And cake!” Pinkie proclaimed. “Oh, and soda! And croissants! And berries! An—”

A parade of trumpets cut Pinkie off. The crowd grew quiet and a middle-aged woman with graying hair stepped onto the balcony. “Masters and Tians alike, as Mayor of Ponyville, I welcome you to the Summer Sun Celebration!”

A round of applause went up. While the crowd cheered and the Mayor continued with introductions, Twilight could not help but notice a quartet of stars around the moon. Maybe it was the scale of things but it appeared like they were moving. Then, perhaps a trick of the light, the surface of the moon appeared to shift. The moon did appear similar to Earth’s, a gray-white sphere pockmarked with craters, but to Twilight the craters seemed to form the pattern of a horned horse. At least, it had, but in the last few seconds, she could no longer make out that shape and only saw craters.

“… and without further ado, I welcome the current The Sun, Princess_Celestia!”

With a flourish, the Mayor waved her arm over to some curtains. The curtains pulled back, but there was no one there. The Mayor blinked, stared at the empty space, and then blinked again. She rushed over and peered further back. Some at certain angles could see her calling out, but could not hear her since she was trying her best to whisper. Taking a breath, she turned back around.

“Well, um, The Sun is a Master after all, so she may have, uh, logged out.”

Twilight, despite her unfamiliarity with Infinite Dendrogram, felt something cold form in her gut.

“Hmmmm.” It helped Twilight a little that Pinkie did not appear concerned. “She did things like normal last year, but maybe she wants to spice things up a bit.”

As if responding to Pinkie, the lights flickered. Twilight’s skin prickled and she saw others experiencing a chill as well. A frigid air tugged at cloak, it almost felt like something snaked by her. She tensed when she saw there was somehow a purple mist now flowing through the room.

Before Twilight could yelp, the mist rose and gathered on the balcony. As it did, the lights of the room were snuffed out, but the mist had a pale glow. In the darkened room, all eyes fell upon it. The way it writhed turned stomachs in the crowd.

It then burst apart. Everyone felt as if something with claws made of ice seized their hearts.

What had appeared in the mist’s place resembled a woman, but something screamed at Twilight that this thing was something far far worse. She had a dark complexion from where her skin showed, but most of her body was covered in either silver armor or something that could only be described as a liquid shadow. It oozed between her gauntlets and greaves, running up her legs and arms. Her chest-plate was engraved with a sickle-like moon. Part of the mist had remained and now formed a sort of dress below her waist. Although, it could have been mistaken for a death shroud. Another portion of the mist flowed into a wavy spectral mass that connected to her helm. Beneath her helm were hellish pupils that scanned over the crowd. Her fangs curled into a grin.

“Oh, my beloved subjects, it’s been so long since I’ve seen your precious little sunlit faces.”

Her words made Twilight’s skin crawl.

A burst of lightning, a serpent of flame, a beam of bright light, spears, arrows, axes, and several other attacks rained down on the armored entity. Dust blew around the spot where she had stood for a second. Not a soul made a sound. Then the dust was cleaved away with the swipe of a massive screen of mist. Twilight was knocked back and saw others thrown off their feet, but Dash swooped in front of her, Pinkie and Fluttershy. Applejack and Rarity rushed to their sides and used their larger bodies as windbreakers. Yet, before Dash, smaller even than Twilight, the brunt of the gale seems to break apart.

With the others protecting her, Twilight was able to see the balcony. The woman was there. In fact, she was rooted. A spear ran through her chest and into the balcony. Arrows pieced her in several spots. An ax had buried itself above her nose, splitting her face in two. Yet, her sneer was even bigger than before. It was the look of a predator about to devour its prey.

She stepped to her right and her body parted around the spear. The arrows clattered to the ground. She grasped the ax and dislodged it from her head. With the same grin still plastered on her face, she looked down on the crowd, giving them a full view of the gapping hole in her chest and the wound to her face. None of her injuries bled and instead writhed. It reminded Twilight of a mass of maggots and she felt nausea welling up.

It was only thanks to the wounds closing up in just a few seconds that she managed to keep from getting sick.

A scream also distracted her.

“N-no!” a young woman with a flower in her hair wailed. “It can’t be!”

“The horror!” said another.

“Th-the Nightmare!”

“Oh hell,” Applejack cursed.

Twilight could not stop shaking, but part of her brain grasped for an escape. This is just a game. I’m not facing an actual ancient monster. I… I can just…

Her brain latched onto years of scientific pursuit and that observation was a key to understanding. With that, almost on instinct, Twilight rushed to use a skill she had acquired thanks to Pinkie’s help. Reveal!

The Nightmare, Nightmare Moon That was all that was displayed to Twilight. No stats. Only a name that confirmed her worst fears.

“That was quite a nice little welcome.” Nightmare Moon brushed off her armor. “Really lit up the place. I suppose you’d better enjoy that.”

Nightmare Moon held aloft something. It was a golden tiara with a purple stone inset in the middle. Gasps went up throughout the hall. Nightmare Moon crushed it like it was brittle clay. “Remember this day, for it was your last! The Sun is mine! And now, the night will last forever! Ah ha ha ha!”

Everlasting Night I

Twilight awoke to the sound of screams. Bolting upright, she found herself still in the town hall. It was now bathed in a dull crimson light. Through the windows above, she could see something that hung in the sky where the moon had been. Its surface writhed, undulating between purple and black, not unlike the aura that had clothed Nightmare Moon’s lower body and helm. Twilight’s last moments of consciousness flooded back to her.

“Nightmare Moon!” she yelped. “Where did i—”

“Sshhhh.” Fluttershy rested a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. Her touch was like a feather but with a force behind it that kept Twilight’s movement checked. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

“And to answer your question: made the moon go all crazy, tanked a few more attacks, and unleashed something nasty before she flew out of here howling like a banshee.” Applejack scanned over the hall. Many Masters and Tians lay strung about. A few that had fallen snored, but the majority spasmed on the ground and screamed until their voices gave out. Many Masters in this state vanished into motes of light. Tians just became still. “I reckon it’s an AoE for anyone under a certain level, but a few Masters I know who have high levels took direct hits from the muck she turned into and didn’t fare much better. Good job blocking whatever’s giving out the penalty, Fluttershy.”

“Y-you’re welcome.”

While Twilight tried to make sense of half of what Applejack had said, Dash swooped into the hall. She landed with enough force to crack the floor under her. “Damn!”

“She’s faster than you?” Rarity gasped.

“No, that’s not it. Fifth form would be enough,” Dash huffed. “She’s definitely baiting. I wanna smash her face in for the mess she’s made, but if I’d followed…”

The volume of Dash’s voice masked a slight tremor in her arms and a bristle in her wings.

“Is… is this part of a script?” Twilight asked. “It’s some sort of event, right?”

“Oohhh, so some of your bro’s game sense rubbed off on you.” Pinkie knelt by Twilight and shook her head. “Aside from holidays, there are no set events to follow in Infinite Dendrogram. This is a real nasty jam we’re in thanks to that queen meanie. Got any clues, Applejack?”

“Probably using several skills and items to cover up everything she’s got on her, but it’ll take a bit more than that to fully pull one over on me, my Reveal, and my Truth Discernment. Everyone not helping the injured, gather close!”

The five Twilight knew and a few others drew near to Applejack.

“She’s definitely a Master,” Applejack began. “I picked up several MVP rewards. Never heard of a tian with that many. They got too much to live for to face that many UBMs.”

“I’m willing to bet one of those is the actual Nightmare Moon then.”

All eyes looked at Twilight.

“What does a complete noob know?” huffed a girl with a tiara sticking out of her purple and white hair.

“It’s a working hypothesis, and you’re right, I’m basing it off of what I know as a new Master and a bit of what I picked up from my brother, but this person sounds like a hard-core role-player trying to be a reborn Nightmare Moon. She got the MVP and the related job, which I’m guessing is a Superior Job, and is now acting out the part.”

“D-do you really think she beat The Sun?” Fluttershy quivered.

Twilight furrowed her brow. “I’m not sure about that. The original Nightmare Moon was said to have wanted revenge on The Sun. Killing The Sun now would mean three days of not being able to have her way with her. So, she might be keeping The Sun locked up. Although, the Sun could still probably log out.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Oh…”

“Let me guess, The Sun is also into roleplaying?”

Pinkie clasped her chin. “I think? Even though she helped me get my job, I didn’t get that much time to speak with her. She’s pretty busy in-game attending to Sun duties and her other jobs.”

“But where could Nightmare Moon have locked her up?” asked Rarity.

Twilight turned to Dash. “Did it look like she was going off in the direction of a forest?”

“Yeah, the Everfree.” Dash clenched a fist. “I can handle the monsters, but the sudden weather changes and the environment there mean I can’t just storm in.”

“I thought so, if I’m right, she’s at the Castle of the Two Sisters.”

“Those ruins?” the tiara-adorned girl huffed again. “You’re just making wild guesses. That monster could be halfway to Caldina for all we know.”

The girl grated on Twilight but as words of rebuke were on the tip of her tongue, she paused.

What am I doing? This isn’t going to get me out of here any faster. Twilight had resolved to stay for the Celebration and perhaps even enjoy it a little and then, presumably, run into Professor Dominguez. Facing a crazed Master acting like a manifestation of nightmares and seeking to bring eternal night was far beyond what she was prepared to deal with. That she was still shaking even from something that she kept telling herself was not real was enough for Twilight to consider logging out. With everything that had happened, she was sure Professor Dominguez would understand.

It was Pinkie who broke the tension. “Hey, Twi, what’s that you got there?”

“Huh?” Twilight looked down at where Pinkie was pointing a finger. Sticking out of her belt was a piece of parchment.

With a gulp, Twilight pulled it out. Her blood ran cold at the first two words.

Star Pupil, I await you at the Castle. Do not keep your new queen waiting.

The sender was clear, but those two words already had Twilight inching for the menu and then the log out option. It was one thing for a Master to be masquerading around as a revived monster, but the wording could only mean that Nightmare Moon, or rather the actual person behind her, knew who Twilight was. Twilight wanted to tear off the headset and rush to check her locks.

“Hey! Did anyone else get this?” someone cried out from nearby. They were waving a piece of parchment.

“Yeah, what the heck is it?”

“Ugh, if she wanted a duel, couldn’t she just do it the regular way?

“Says the dude who got debuffed.”

Similar conversations echoed across the hall. Twilight, still stunned, just watched as Pinkie snatched the letter from her and held it up. Sticking two fingers in her mouth, she whistled with enough force that Twilight’s ears rang. “Alright! Does everyone with a letter have this same thing about a star pupil and going to a castle?”

Ayes went up and heads nodded.

Pinkie bent down to Twilight and handed her the letter with a smile. “Woo-hoo! You were right on the money!”

Twilight felt her heart slow. The pit in her stomach remained given everything but it dwindled to a manageable size. Wobbling to her feet, she checked and found that everyone who had received the letter, herself included, had one common trait: their usernames included an allusion to stars or other astral phenomena barring direct references to day or the sun. That Nightmare Moon had been able to locate all of them and plant the letters chilled Twilight, but not as much as a nutjob like that knowing who she was IRL.

“So now what?” Twilight asked. Taking Pinkie’s earlier words to heart, she knew there was no script. Infinite Dendrogram, unlike other games, would continue whether Twilight went to the castle or not. The option to just log out, send Professor Dominguez an email and put this nightmare behind her was still viable.

“I’d recommend we head to the castle,” said Applejack.

“Ohhhhh…” Pinkie bit her lip. “You think it might be a Franklin Situation?”

Fluttershy shuddered. “Oh no.”

“Yeah,” Dash sighed. “I wouldn’t put it behind that creep if we don’t do something.”

“Wait wait!” Twilight called out. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, we’re a bit concerned that if you and the others don’t go to the castle like Nightmare Moon’s demanding, she may get rude,” said Rarity. “There was a terrible incident a little after I started where a player in Dryfe, the Giga Professor, Franklin, got beaten. So, when his Death Penalty expired, he killed his killer.”

“That seems pretty standard in an online game.”

Rarity’s features tightened. “Then Franklin killed him again, and again, and again, and again. He made sure every time his killer logged in that he died almost immediately.”

Twilight felt her skin prickling. “H-how long did this continue?”

“A month. Then the Master stopped logging in… I’d hate to see your time here ruined so soon.”

“Especially if you haven’t come by the farm,” said Applejack.

“Or had a welcome party!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Dash stomped a foot. “Or seen all my tricks!”

“L-let’s…” Fluttershy shook, but she managed to choke out the words. “Let’s help get her to the castle.”

Dash gave Fluttershy a slap on the back, eliciting an “eep!” “Good show of spirit, Fluttershy! I was thinking we’d round some people up anyway and show her what’s what! Twilight’s new anyway so no way I’d feel right if she had to go to the Everfree alone.”

“Even experienced Masters can have trouble out there,” Applejack snorted. She then turned to Twilight. “I’m sure others are going to be headed out too, but what do you say about us forming a party?”

Five sets of eyes looked back at her, albeit with Fluttershy’s remaining closed. The emotion Twilight felt was unfamiliar but not entirely foreign. After late nights in the lab, with dawn breaking, she recalled a similar look in the eyes of her peers when they finally managed to figure out the proper chemical reaction or had synthesized the needed amount of an element. She clutched a hand close to her chest and said, “Let’s go, together.”

~~~

“Nyaaaaaaa, you’ve seeeeeeemmmeeedddd busier than usual lately.”

“I finally got a chance to try that method I brought up a while ago”

“Woooooowwwwww, the conditions finally appeared?”

“Yes, and the Embryo itself took action to provide the necessary delay.”

“Hmmm, even in the zeroth form?”

“Yes.” The cat saw the egg smile. “I can’t wait to see how it develops and the Superiors it will awaken.”

Everlasting Night II

Twilight pulled out the dagger she had started the game with and nicked two fingers. She winced feeling the blade slice through her flesh. Severed capillaries dripped onto the ground. With her unhurt hand, she dowsed the injuries with just enough potion to heal them over. Flexing her healed digits, she looked over to Pinkie.

“There’s really no other way to deal with a fear debuff?”

“Well, there’s a few, but this quirk is the easiest one to go for. You wanna conserve as much MP and SP as possible.” She gave a twirl and when she stopped, she was bedecked in a trench coat, shades, and a fedora. With a grin, she pulled away part of the trench coat, revealing the inside was lined with several flasks made of various materials. “And I am ready to rock and roll up to that queen meanie!”

“You sure I can’t come?” Apple Bloom looked up at Applejack.

“You’re needed more here.” Applejack glanced at the unconscious purple-haired girl Apple Bloom had hitched onto her back. She appeared around Apple Bloom’s age. “Your Embryo is better suited for first aid and support anyhow.”

“I…” Apple Bloom’s grip on the girl tightened. “I understand, but if you need help, I’ll come.”

Applejack reached out and tousled her hair. “Of course. Now, don’t stay up too late. We’re gonna show that Nightmare not to mess with our town!”

“And… there… we… are!” Nearby, Rarity finished inputting commands into a tablet-like device that was connected by several cords to what appeared to be a young girl. Her mulberry and rose hair had a tinge to it that alerted Twilight that there was something artificial about it, more so than any other hair she had seen in Infinite Dendrogram, which all appeared very real, just with fantastic colors. Her alabaster skin had sheen to it as well, somewhere between that of a mannequin’s and gem’s luster.

As Rarity uncoupled the cords from various sized ports on the girl’s arms and back, her eyes lit up like digital displays. Her voice matched her age but it had a mechanical filter over it. “Battle Module successfully integrated… I’m ready to keep everypony safe, Rarity!”

“Good, good.” Rarity bent close to the girl. “Now, Sweetie Belle, the programming should have set clear objectives and limits, but just remember to take only defensive action as needed. Do not actively engage in combat. Retreat if no tian lives are in danger.”

“Roger!” Sweetie Belle gave a salute and then grinned. “Oh, I’m really hoping I get a chance to test out the missile system!”

“Please try to keep the collateral damage to a minimum,” Rarity sighed, foreseeing a future of dipping into her in-game savings.

After Apple Bloom and Sweetie walked off to help out around town, the group checked their gear and status one last time. Dash had traded in her loose fatigues for what looked like a spandex with slits in the back to let her wings pass through. Rarity bore a cloak that scintillated with sapphires. Applejack and Fluttershy appeared the same as when Twilight had met them. Prepared as they could be, they set off for the Everfree.

“Was that your Embryo?” Twilight asked as they walked. “You’d mentioned her charging the other day though…”

“Sweetie?” said Rarity. “Oh goodness no. Conscious Embryos tend to mirror a Master’s personality and I haven’t the slightest clue where Sweetie’s comes from… especially the equestrian additions.”

“Then what is sh—” Twilight was cut off by the group coming to a halt. Ahead, vines and weeds cropped up on the path. Trees, far bigger and more densely packed than those around Fluttershy’s cottage, rose up. It gave off the illusion they were standing at a gaping maw.

“Let’s go.” Applejack stomped forward.

“What do you all know about the Everfree?” Twilight asked. “We’re working with such little time, so it was hard to sort truth from fiction in the books.” Or really anything in this world.

“It’s a freaky deaky place!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Weather patterns shift on a dime here,” said Dash. “This is an emergency situation, so I’ll cover us if we get in a pinch, but you generally come in all-terrain gear or with sets that can handle whatever this place throws at you.”

“Luckily my outfits are all built to withstand basic weather issues. Although if things get extreme, I’ve also got wards at the ready.”

“Course, the bigger concern is the varmints.” Ahead of Applejack, the trail narrowed and led out to a cliff face. “Everfree ain’t like White Tail Woods. Generally, you’d want to max out a few jobs and establish a decent build before coming here.”

“B-but with all of us together we should be okay.” Fluttershy looked over everyone. “Right?”

“Darn tootin!”

“Yepperoni!”

“Hell yeah!”

“Indeed.”

The girls’ words reassured Twilight as the trees gave way to rock. The path thinned to the point where the party had to walk single-file, pressing closer and closer against the stoney wall. Past the edge stretched the Everfree in all directions. Twilight looked out and tried to spot any clearings or areas where the forest seemed off. Given what the others had said and their experience, she opened her mouth to ask about the path ahead.

Said path then shook under her feet. Everyone paled when a great crack appeared to their left where the path met the cliff face. The ground lurched, then tumbled. Half the party yelped in terror.

Dash did not. Her wings slashed out and she snatched Pinkie up. Strings flew from Rarity’s right hand and she swung over to the cliff. In the chaos, Twilight spotted Fluttershy somehow staying stable midair. That left her and Applejack to fall.

Vines exploded out of the freshly exposed rock nearby. Applejack’s arms whipped around, trying to grab one and snapping several vines before managing to clasp one strong enough to bear her weight. Jabbing a hand into her inventory, she pulled out a single seed which burst out from her hand and into another vine that latched onto Twilight’s left wrist, catching her right before she rolled over a cliff. The first vine, the one supporting Applejack, snapped in a few places. “Twilight! Just hold tight!”

Twilight shifted and grabbed the vine with her right hand. More snaps rent the air. She held on with every bit of strength she could muster, but the fraying did not stop. The vine supporting Applejack thinned faster and faster. In a knee jerk moment, Twilight looked back but could not see over the edge. She could hear the dirt and rocks rolling past them smash into ground far below.

“Twilight.” Applejack’s words became Twilight’s entire world. She felt the vice the vine had on her left wrist loosen. “I need you to trust me on this. My Embryo can support my weight on the fly, but the two of us right now are too much. So, I need you to let go.”

“So, death penalty,” Twilight sighed and started to remove her right hand.

“I didn’t say that! Twilight, there’s no way I’d abandon someone like this. I promise, you ain’t gonna get the death penalty. That’s the honest truth.”

“I…” Twilight took a breath. “Okay. I trust you.”

She let go. Her legs were already over the edge and it only took a few seconds for the rest of her to follow. Even believing in Applejack's words, as gravity took hold, she could not help but scream in fear of what a fall like this would feel like with her pain sensors on. Just as she prayed it would be like a falling nightmare where you woke up right as you hit the ground, she felt a breeze.

Not a rush of wind from below but a slight gust from her sides. There was also pressure on her arms. Opening her eyes, she was greeted with Rainbow Dash to her left and Fluttershy to her right. The gusts came from the flaps of Dash’s wings and the glistening yellow ones hovering just off of Fluttershy’s back.

“Man, that’s a good pair of pipes on you,” Dash chuckled.

“Y-you’re not hurt too bad?” Fluttershy asked while she and Dash guided Twilight to the ground where Pinkie waved up at them. As soon as Twilight’s feet touched the ground, the bat-like wings hovering behind Fluttershy dispersed.

“No, I think…” Twilight looked around. Rarity slithered away from the base of the cliff and Applejack jumped from platform to platform of roots and vines until she too was on the ground. “I think I’m good.”

With everyone gathered on the ground, Applejack took her hat and bowed her head. “Sorry if that gave you a bit of a scare. Didn’t have time to mince words.”

“No, thank you, Applejack. You saved us both.”

“Well, shall we be on our w—”

Something roared with enough force that all the nearby birds took to the sky.

Everlasting Night III

“Baskerville, time to wake up.” Applejack’s crest glowed and vines exploded out of it. They meshed with roots flowing out of the ground and then coalesced. A wooden quadrupedal body took form decorated with thorny paws and tail of vines. Its body continued to swell until it stood even taller than Applejack. With its eyes aglow, it made quite an impressive appearance. Then, it stuck out a frond like a tongue from its muzzle and snuggled up to Applejack for a pet on the head.

Looking closer, Twilight noticed the creature’s shape was remarkably similar to a border collie’s, just multiplied in size and made entirely of plant life, mainly wood.

While obliging Baskerville, Applejack said, “Yes, girl, I know fifth form is great, but I’m gonna need you ready for a tussle.”

At this, Baskerville straightened. With her ears perked up, she growled in the direction the roar from earlier had come from.

While Applejack had been summoning Baskerville, the others had remained on guard. Nothing had approached, but the sound of branches snapping and metal clanging could be heard nearby. Pinkie had morphed her hand into a cannon, Dash had her wings unfurled and her talons poised to strike, and strings swirled around Rarity. Twilight had drawn her dagger but her grip shook. Fluttershy was also trembling.

“Well, we can’t just stand here!” Dash took off. The others raced after her. They slowed when they saw Dash come to a halt as they made a turn. “Oh crap.”

Everything in front of them was marred with claw marks. A few trees and patches of the ground smoked and bubbled. In the midst of this was a monster even bigger than Baskerville. Its claws and scorpion-like tail glisten in the moonlight. A few drops of venom dripped from the tail and onto the ground, making the earth hiss and discolor. Wings rested at its side. Black thorny spikes protruded from its body. A massive mane framed its muzzle. Said muzzle currently had a man’s head pressed between its jaws.

“A manticore,” Fluttershy gulped.

The man flailed at the manticore but only his left fist could reach it. There was only a melted stump at his right elbow. Deep gashes covered his body. His left fist did make contact but the manticore responded by bringing its jaws closer together. There was a crunch and then the man’s body disappeared into motes of light.

“L-last of the party.” Pinkie shuddered.

Taking in the scene, Twilight took a small solace that Master’s bodies disappeared when killed. That solace quickly faded when the manticore turned its sights on her group.

“Baskerville! Sic ‘em!”

Baskerville charged the manticore. The manticore’s tail lashed out and bore into Baskerville’s shoulder. The wood smoked and melted from the venom but then sprung off. Fresh roots and wood repelled the stinger. Baskerville thrust her head out and sunk her fangs into one of manticore's forelegs.

At the same time, Dash zoomed overhead while Rarity and Applejack split right and left. Twilight and Fluttershy remained in place.

A claw came crashing down on Baskerville but something held it back. Strings wrapping around its legs glistened. Rarity moved a few fingers around as sweat formed on her brow. “May need to step up to the next form.”

As if hearing those words, the manticore slashed at the strings and the air around it with its tail. Free, it clawed Baskerville. The right side of Baskerville’s upper body and its left foreleg were reduced to timber. What remained pulsed with vegetation but before it could reform, another swipe sent Baskerville flying into Rarity. Strings went up, slowing Baskerville, but she still smashed into her. Both tumbled into the forest.

“Hey, bozo!” Dash dove down, talons at the ready and cracking with electricity. “Let’s see how you like a taste o—

The wings that had rested at the manticore’s sides flared open. The gales they summoned knocked Twilight off her feet. Fluttershy stood frozen in place. Dash managed to stay airborne but her path was jerked around. In the midst of the turbulence, she saw a glint and swerved at the last second. The manticore’s tail tore through her right wing. She sucked in her breath and rolled away before crashing to the ground. Her wings vanished but she managed to get into a crouch.

“You’re gonna pay for that!”

“And for Baskerville too!”

Dash and Applejack rushed the manticore. At some point Applejack had brought out a lasso and now moved to get the rope around its neck. Rarity appeared from out of the woods and joined in, using both her string, now a shade a crimson, and her tail to restrain and bash the manticore.

Getting back to her feet, Twilight saw the others giving it the all and began running through spells. Just as she readied to cast one, a hand pressed on her shoulder.

“Wait,” said Fluttershy.

Ahead, the manticore tore the rope from Applejack’s hands, batted Dash away, and raised a claw at Rarity. Just as Rarity braced to take the blow, Fluttershy burst off the ground. The claw stopped inches away from Rarity. The manticore snarled but Fluttershy did not release her grip.

One of her eyes was now open, displaying a brilliant aquamarine. It honed in one thorn. It looked like all the other thorns sticking out of the manticore, only this one jabbed into the manticore’s paw. Given its location, it would be difficult to spot in the heat of battle when eyes would have been on the claws right above it. “So that’s the source. How awful.”

With a roar, the manticore whipped its tail at Fluttershy. Her other eye opened, this one a deep red. The manticore seized up. The stinger was right by Fluttershy’s face but she did not even flitch. “Hold on. I’ll make this better.”

Taking a deep breath, she plunged her hand into the manticore’s paw. It let out a howl that shook the earth but Fluttershy did not heed it and dug at the thorn. When she had a firm grasp, it suddenly writhed, piercing vines shot out and latched onto Fluttershy but when they touched her robe, they burst into flames.

With a great pull, she removed the thorn and crushed it. The manticore howled even louder. Fluttershy opened her jaw wide, displaying rows of fangs and thrust her mouth onto the wound. Overwhelmed with pain, the manticore stumbled and fell to its side. Yet, all other energy seemed to have fled it. Perhaps that was why the thorns covering its body ruptured and turned to smoke.

Everyone else just watched as Fluttershy chomped down on the manticore’s paw. After a moment she pulled back, revealing a scar where there should have been a deep wound. A bit of blood dripped from her mouth, but she wiped it off with her sleeve. Said sleeve remained an immaculate white as if the blood had vanished. Shutting her eyes, Fluttershy brought a hand to her head. She looked more pale than usual.

The manticore gazed at her. Regaining its energy, it opened its maw.

“Shoot!” Twilight began charging a spell and the others raced to block the attack, but Fluttershy was too close for them to make it.

The manticore gave Fluttershy a few licks of its tongue.

She gave a faint chuckle. “There you go. Feeling better?”

“Geez. Been a while since I’ve seen you deal with a big one.” Dash slid over and held out a hand to Fluttershy. She took it and wobbled to her feet. Reaching into her inventory, she pulled out a plastic container. Its crimson contents sloshed a little from the tremors running through Fluttershy. It had a spout on one end that should have been connected to an IV but Fluttershy sucked on it like a juice box. “Feeling okay?”

“Had to give up quite a bit. The poor thing had a horrible curse on it. Even with the source removed, I had to flush out his whole system.”

Twilight could only blink. None of what had just happened had a rational basis in her mind. Then, something landed next to her. She looked up and saw Pinkie with a grin on her face.

“Where did you go?”

Pinkie wiped some sweat off her brow. “Oh, just getting a Plan B in place, but since everything worked out…”

She pressed the button in her hand. Nearby, an explosion tore away a chunk of the forest.

One of Twilight’s eyes twitched. “W-what?”

“I mean, I know Fluttershy can handle any creature but that really was one nasty curse that was controlling that manticore.”

“I… I just…” Twilight signed and shook her head. “I’ll ask later..”

“Oki-doki! I’ll be sure we have a big party!”

Author's Note

We need more vampires fighting evil plants