Author's Note

I haven't actually played the offline DND running, but I have played Baldur's Gate 1 and 2. Therefore, the professions, attributes, magic spells, and so on that appear in this article and beyond are in the form of Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, not the current 5E rules (but in terms of AC and hit, for ease of understanding, I will change it to the larger the positive value, the better, rather than the smaller the better like Baldur's Gate 1 and 2). Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 7: Dungeons & CMC-Part 1

Chapter 7: Dungeons & CMC-Part 1

Mr. Miracle had joined CMC and became an “official” “honorary member”.

At first, he didn't really want to join because he thought they were a bit childish; But considering their future development, perhaps joining was not a bad idea.

But why was he called “official” “honorary member”? It was because besides being addressed, his treatment was exactly the same as theirs, he could attend meetings of CMC, vote, and act with them at any time. And he could be absent at will due to his status as an adult.

When he had free time, he would try various activities with them. Of course, he knew they still had a long, long way to get the cutie marks, and he was the same.

Besides that, he also had to help other ponies with their tasks. For example, when Hoity Toity came, he helped organize the fashion show for Rarity; When Pinkie showed a premonition of her “special abilities”, he underwent testing and research with Twilight, although nothing was ultimately discovered.

He would help Applejack to collect apples. Although he had to kick three or four times to collect one tree, he was down-to-earth and hardworking, still winning praise from the Apple family; He would help Rarity dye cloth. Although some similar colors couldn’t be distinguished, his attitude was very serious and he would ask questions if he didn't know; He will help Fluttershy to buy pet feed and miscellaneous things. She was not good at dealing with other ponies, so she left it to him; He would help Pinkie to hold parties, mainly doing manual labor and miscellaneous tasks, at least he wouldn't make mistakes in doing these things.

He felt his life was very fulfilling for the first time. Very tired, but fulfilling.

Finally, it was the weekend and he could take a break, but he didn't know how to relax. At this moment, Scootaloo rowed her scooter and pulled Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to the outskirts, in front of his tent.

“Mr. Miracle, today is Sunday and we have planned a whole day of 'Cutie Mark Campaign'. You have to come!” Said Apple Bloom.

“Uh...” Mr. Miracle lay in the tent, sticking out his head and looking very embarrassed. “What’s your plan?”

“We're going to Cloud City!”

“What?!” Mr. Miracle couldn't believe his ears. “Say it again, where are you going?”

“We're going to Cloud City!” said the Scootaloo.

“You should really know only pegasuses can stand on clouds, right?” Mr. Miracle raised his eyebrows and asked.

Apple Bloom nodded and said, “We know, but we will go up in a fire balloon, so we don't need to stand on clouds.” Sweetie Belle continued, “Rainbow Dash is going to compete in the Best Young Flyer Competition, and Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Pinkie are all going up to cheer for her. We also want to go.”

“And I heard Rainbow Dash is going to perform the legendary 'sonic rainboom', so it's even more important!” Scootaloo continued.

“Wait, since they have already gone to refuel Rainbow Dash, it means they have already taken the fire balloon. Is there another fire balloon?” Mr. Miracle asked.

“No,” the three shook their heads together and shouted loudly, “So we’ll make one together! ‘CMCs’ Fire Balloon Operation’, yeah!”

“We think it can be done with your help, otherwise we won't have had this plan.” Apple Bloom added.

Mr. Miracle felt a little headache and thought for a moment before saying, “I guess you don't know how to make a balloon either. So you probably need to get the instruction manual first.”

“That's right! ‘CMCs’ Fire Balloon Instruction Manual Operation’, yeah!” The three seemed to have anticipated it and shouted decisively.

“Just having an instruction manual is not enough, there need to be various materials.”

“Fine! ‘CMCs’ Fire Balloon Material Operation’, yeah!”

“We also need a map for flying to Cloud City.”

“‘CMCs’ Fire Balloon Roadmap Operation’, yeah!”

Mr. Miracle looked at the three with great interest and didn’t want to “pour cold water”, but this plan was really full of loopholes.

“I guess by the time we finally create the balloon, the Best Young Flyer Competition will have ended already.”

“Oh, why hadn’t we thought of it?” Said Sweetie Belle.

“Yeah, based on my construction experience, it takes at least a day to make a balloon.” said Apple Bloom.

“Ah? Shoot!” Said the Scootaloo with a pout.

Mr. Miracle raised his eyebrows and said, “Since you know it will take a day, you should have started yesterday.”

“Because we only discussed this plan this morning and didn't even know about the competition yesterday.” Sweetie Belle said.

Mr. Miracle covered his face with one hoof and had to remind himself that the three in front of him were still children, so that his blood pressure wouldn't rise too high.

“In the future, you have to remember this: ‘Plan earlier’. Do you understand?”

“Understood.” The three sighed disappointedly.

At this moment, the Scootaloo had a sudden inspiration and said, “Don't give up, my friends. The plan of fire balloon may not work, but we can use other methods to reach the sky.”

“What method?” The two asked.

“Slingshot!” Scootaloo gestured back and forth with her hooves and small wings. “We make a simple but sturdy slingshot, and then each pony rides a scooter with a curved upward runway in front. In this way, when we pop out like the shots, we can use the runway to soar into the sky.”

Apple Bloom couldn't help but exclaim, “Oh my goddess, sounds so exciting!”

“I don't know, it sounds a bit dangerous...” Sweetie Belle hesitated a bit, because Rarity would never agree to her doing so, even though Rarity was not currently there.

“Of course it's dangerous!” Mr. Miracle interrupted. “Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle aren’t pegasuses, they are not light enough, they will fall off halfway; and unlike fire balloon, even if they fly to Cloud City, they will fall off because they can’t stand on clouds.”

“Ah...” The three sighed disappointedly again.

Mr. Miracle couldn't bear to see them sad. After much thought, he suggested, “Calm down, today is the weekend and we should have relaxed. Let's find a new activity together that won't be tiring and we can have fun. By the way, you can also try new things.”

Upon hearing this, the three exchanged a glance and immediately turned sadness into joy.

Mr. Miracle walked ahead, gesturing for them to follow. “I think the barn in Sweet Apple Acres is a good place, with plenty of space, and as far as I know, there are many old items in the attic may be useful.”

So the four went to Sweet Apple Acres together, and as soon as they came in, they saw a strong earth pony with red skin, orange mane and a short, agile tail, working frantically. It was none other than Apple Bloom's brother, Big McIntosh. When CMC arrived, he had just finished all the work.

Apple Bloom was very confused. Even after breakfast and before she went to find her friends, Big Mac was still leisurely doing things. And he was too hardworking now, while he was usually more methodical.

“It seems that you have an activity today, which is why you finished everything beforehand.” Mr. Miracle had already guessed everything.

“Uh...yep.” Big Mac was reticent as usual.

“Can you tell us what activity it is?” Asked Apple Bloom. “Maybe we can play together.”

“Uh...nope.” Big Mac was sweating profusely, apparently thinking this activity was some kind of secret that should not be known by other ponies.

Except for Mr. Miracle, the three were completely confused. If they wanted to ask, it would be much more difficult to ask reticent Big Mac. At this moment, a green flame appeared out of nowhere, not burning anything, but instead shaping something.

In the blink of an eye, a roll of letters fell down.

Upon seeing this letter, Big Mac’s expression became even more panicked. Apple Bloom wanted to bring it over directly to take a look, but Mr. Miracle insisted on seeking the consent of Big Mac first. After all, this was a letter sent to him – they should be more polite. Apple Bloom could only sneer in frustration.

Big Mac picked it up and glanced at it, becoming unusually excited. He was about to leave, but seeing the four little ponies in front of him, especially his sister who looked pitiful, he had to agree to let them read the letter.

“Thank you, big brother!” Apple Bloom's face turned faster than flipping a book, and she went to get the letter. This piece of paper was written down and sent out by Spike. The content on it is:

“Dear Big McIntosh, our friends have collectively gone to Cloud City. Now is a rare opportunity for the ‘Guy's Night’, and because we have plenty of time, we can expand this night into a whole day! Come on, don't forget to bring dices and snacks. PS - Don't tell any other ponies, you know, this is our secret. Respected, good brother Spike.”

“It turns out to be ‘Guy's Night’,” Apple Bloom actually had felt a bit more hopeful than now, and then explained to the friends behind her, “Big Mac and Spike often spend 'Guy’s Night' together when there is no one to disturb them. Although they think it's a secret, every pony actually knows it.”

Mr. Miracle gradually smiled and felt that CMC could fully participate in this activity. Then he turned to Big Mac and showed a polite and sincere smile; But Big Mac didn't feel much relaxed seeing this smile.

……

In the Golden Oak Library, Spike was swinging his legs to place things. The round desk in the center had already set up maps, character board models, dices, snacks, character cards, player guides, and lord guides. The book cover features a grimacing troll, with several brave ponies standing across from it, printed with the words ‘Ogres & Oubliettes’.

Just as the decoration was finished, there was a knocking sound at the door.

“Come in!” Spike shouted eagerly, then rubbed his claws and sat down in his seat.

He still had a smile on his face when he saw Big Mac, but when he saw CMC behind him, the smile disappeared and was replaced by confusion.

“What are they doing here?”

“Uh...” Big Mac began to sweat profusely again.

“Let me explain,” Mr. Miracle took a step forward and said sincerely. “We happened to come across the letter you gave to Big Mac...” he said, glancing at Big Mac before lying, “We opened it without his permission, we're sorry; but we really want to join this game.”

“Big Mac, is that so?” Spike squinted his eyes and asked. “Are you sure it wasn't you who voluntarily leaked our secret?”

“Uh...um, nope!” Big Mac said with an awkward yet polite fake smile.

“We guarantee it will be fun!” Sweetie Belle volunteered.

“Can you guarantee to play seriously?”

“We guarantee to play seriously.” CMC said together.

Spike sighed and said, “Okay, you can play with us.”

So CMC, Big Mac, and Spike sat around the table, with a small plate of snacks, sets of dice, a character card, pencils, and scratch paper in front of each pony. There weren’t that many player guides, so they can only share two.

“Before we begin, I would like to ask, how much do you know about this game?” Spike asked CMC.

The three shook their heads in confusion, while Mr. Miracle hesitated and nodded.

“Mr. Miracle, have you heard of this game before?”

“Uh, yes or no.” Mr. Miracle hesitated and said. “In fact, I used to play another game called ‘Dungeons & Dragons’, abbreviated as DND. It's probably very similar to ‘Ogres & Oubliettes’.”

“‘Dungeons & Dragons’? Strange, I've never heard of it. Anyway, since you have experiences, how about you guide Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle?”

“Sure, let me take a look at the player guide first.”

Then CMC circulated player guides to each other, and Mr. Miracle already had some experiences, which was not difficult to understand; But the three were confused and decided to play directly.

“The key in this game is to use imagination to play another character in another world,” explained Spike. “For example, in the game, I’m called Garbunkle and a level 6 mage, while Big Mac, in the game, is called Sir McBiggun and a level 5 dark paladin.”

“Cool!” Exclaimed Scootaloo.

“Can we play any role whoever we want?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Of course, we can even play male or female roles. Let's establish our own characters now and remember to carefully weave their background stories. ‘Dedication’ is the greatest fun!” Mr. Miracle guided.

So CMC began to create characters in a hurry, and Mr. Miracle not only had to create his own, but also guide them. Afterwards, everyone created their own new characters, including Big Mac - his previous high-level character was not suitable for playing with newcomers; As for Spike, with more players now, he didn't have to be both a dungeon lord and a player anymore. He can focus on telling the story as a dungeon lord, so he didn't need to rebuild his character.

Then they began to introduce themselves one by one.

Firstly, there was Spike. “As Big Mac was pretty quiet, I helped him introduce him. The character is called the Retinue Littlegun, a unicorn and a warrior, and Sir McBiggun’s loyal retinue. After surrendering of the castle, he became separated from his Sir. While adventuring on the continent, he also gathered information about Sir McBiggun. His personality is exactly the same as that of his Sir- brave, tough, upright, and brave...the only flaw is his poor eloquence.”

Big Mac had already drawn his character draft on paper and erected it as his character model. It was a red unicorn dressed in armor, with flowing golden mane, standing tall and holding a large sword at his waist, exuding great majesty.

Next was Mr. Miracle. “My character is called Miracle, with the profession of sword master and the race of earth pony. Miracle is a wandering sword master from a distant land, with high martial arts and a proud heart. Any evils who see his sword will step aside. No pony knows his story, and his past is like the wind, making it difficult for everyone to figure out. The only clear thing is he hates evil, hates all evils, and wants to use the sword in his mouth to defend peace and tranquility.”

Spike raised his eyebrows and said, “Uh, you know your character is only at level 1, right?”

“Yes, I know.”

“A level 1 sword master... ‘skilled in martial arts’? And ‘Any evils who see his sword will step aside’...is this really the strength that level 1 can have?”

Mr. Miracle coughed awkwardly twice. “Well, don't focus on these details. Some of us even dare to write about having defeated a dragon at level 1.” he said as he stood up the character draft. It was a light brown pony wearing a bamboo hat and a black cloak, holding a long sword in his mouth, looking both mysterious and powerful.

The third was Apple Bloom, who excitedly said, “It's my turn! My character is called Apple Jarry, of the earth pony race, and of the warrior profession - this is the profession that I have found most similar to 'her'. She is the second in command of 'Golden Apple Acres', with an older brother named McIntock and a younger sister named 'Apple Bloomy'. Her biggest characteristic is honesty.”

Mr. Miracle leaned over to take a look at the character model, which was actually Applejack but with red mane.

The fourth was Sweetie Belle, she said in a coquettish voice, “Look at me! My character is Sweetie Belly, a unicorn of the same race, and her profession is bard - there is no such profession as a fashion designer, so I can only choose this one. She is an elegant pony and famous throughout the kingdom, with her speech...uh, behavior...uh, how can I describe it? Anyway, she is very elegant! Oh, and her sister is Little Sweetie, just as elegant as her. Sweetie Belly also had her own clothing store, and her biggest characteristic is generosity.”

There was no need to say, her character model is Rarity, except the mane color had been changed to Sweetie Belle's.

The fifth was Scootaloo, who enthusiastically said, “Finally it's me. My character is Rainbow loo, of the pegasus race, and of the ranger profession - without a pilot profession, I can only choose this one. She is a renowned super pegasus with unparalleled speed! She has a loyal follower named Little Loo. She is about to join the 'Magicalbolts', and her biggest characteristic is loyalty.”

This was even more recognizable. Just a glance, the model looked like Rainbow Dash, and there hadn't been any significant changes.

Mr. Miracle covered his face with one hoof and said helplessly, “Uh, um...what can I say? Although you can indeed play any role, I would prefer you to play ‘your own role’ rather than –”

“But we admire them the most!” The three explained in unison. “We dream of becoming ponies like them, and now that we have this opportunity to imagine, we certainly want to do so.”

Mr. Miracle had no intention of correcting them, he just hoped they have a great time, so he said earnestly, “I know. But even if you admire them, it doesn't mean you have to be exactly like them. After all, this is just a game. If your future cutie marks are like theirs, would you be willing?”

The three pondered for a moment and said, “Well...I'm not very willing because it won't be special.”

“That's right! Playing this game is the same. Of course, I won't ask you to change it, as I don’t want to against the principle of free imagination. I just hope you can think about it seriously. If you really want to use these characters, I won't have any objections.”

What Mr. Miracle didn't say was that there was a problem in fact - it was easy to disrupt the atmosphere, especially these characters were exactly the same as three ponies actually existed. Big Mac knew how to make some changes to the character.

“Okay, we understood, let's make some changes.” The three immediately began to make the changes. “This time we need to have our own unique characteristics.”

Soon after, three newly released ponies appeared. The character of Apple Bloom had changed to Apple Tarry, with a race of earth pony (increased in physique and strength, with additional exemptions and reduced intelligence), a profession of warrior, and proficient in throwing stone ropes, long swords, and sword and shield mode. She was once an ordinary farmer until the evil Squizard invaded the entire kingdom, forcing her to pick up weapons and fight for freedom. She was quick witted, brave, and not afraid of using sweet words to deceive enemies.

The character of Sweetie Belle had become Sweetie Beck, with a race of unicorn (intelligence and wisdom bonuses, additional spell positions, reduced strength and physique, and reduced movement distance), a profession of bard, proficient in crossbows and daggers, and initial spells of Magic Missiles and Shield. She once traveled throughout the kingdom, telling epic legends of various heroes, until the invasion of Squizard forced her to become a heroine herself. She was determined to embody all the qualities of a heroine.

The character of Scootaloo had become Shadow Loo, with a race of pegasus (agility and strength bonus, can fly, reduced physique), a profession of shadow dancer, proficient in long swords and dual weapon mode. She was once a member of the "Magicalbolts", but after the evils had come, she resolutely left the team and fought against the villains.

After seeing that all the ponies were ready, Spike picked up the module he had prepared and began to narrate:

“Very good. Now please use your imagination and start this exciting adventure together.”