Dungeons and Dragons: Curse of the Lunar Fang

"Inside the capital city of the Kingdom of Arliege, New Krayan, a young wizard wanders the streets, her lizard familiar atop her shoulder as she passes by many men and women, all moving through the city sporadically." A disembodied voice spoke as Twilight, or rather Starstorm found herself walking the roads of the large town, however this wasn't any town in Equestria. The buildings were lacking the same color that those in Ponyville had, many remaining boring browns or dull greys depending on the building material, and to make it stranger, around her were not ponies, no, rather they were the strange bipedal creatures she had seen in Luna's books.

"Where am I?" Starstorm asked, standing still as many a person moved passed her, staring as she gawked at the sky in search of answers.

'You are in the game Twilight, this is my magic at work, it makes it far more entertaining than if I were were to resort to boring maps and miniatures. Do not worry, you can not be harmed here but everything happens in real time, so your hesitation could bring you failings, remember that.' The voice spoke directly into Twilight's mind. Quickly processing the information she'd just received she began to examine her self, she was standing atop two legs, her body was no longer purple but a pale peach-ish color, and she had hands!

"What, I, this is..." Starstorm muttered as she continued examining herself, she was dressed in light purple robes with stark white stars spotted all across it, on her feet were simple, purple linen boots and on her waist was a small lavender satchel filled with several, nondescript bits and pieces. "Oh, I get it! Wow," Twilight spoke aloud, earning her several more strange stares from the passing people "This is amazing, I have to learn the spell she used."

"Miss, are you alright?" A man asked with a particularly thick cockney accent.

"Huh?" Starstorm finally snapped too as she realized where she was, and particularly who she was supposed to be. "Oh, oh, yes, my apologies sir, I was merely lost in thought." she offered with a smile, accepting the explanation the man shrugged and walked off into the crowd "I see how this is better but what about the dice..." Starstorm muttered to herself

'The dice are automatically rolled by my spell when it's necessary, and all of the math is done for you, just move forward and forget that you are in a game.' Luna urged

"Well, I suppose..." Starstorm muttered before noticing that she was garnering more stares, blushing slightly she smiled at the onlookers before finally moving forward "Ok, forget it's a game... then what to do I wonder... I suppose go about my day, that's it I'll just go home, maybe read a book... and I have a feeling home is this way." Starstorm turned and began walking off in a seemingly random direction. After a few minutes Starstorm found herself in front of a small, simple wooden house with absolutely nothing remarkable about it. Fumbling inside of her satchel she found a key and placed it inside the lock, sure enough it twisted without fail and allowed access into the building "I was right!" She exclaimed and walked inside. The house, just like the outside, was unremarkable save for the many books that littered the floor.

Starstorm started to call for Spike to begin cleaning before she realized -Spike- was the little green fellow on her shoulder and that, besides a small bonus to one of her skills, he didn't provide much. Sighing she went about cleaning it up herself. "Jeeze, well this is fun... aren't I supposed to be doing something by now..." she crossed her arms expecting a reply but garnered only silence. "Of course you ignore me n-"

“Hello, Starstorm?” An elderly, yet stern and familiar voice rung out from outside the building.

As the voice spoke a name came to Starstorm’s mind, Archmage Eramac of the mages college. With that, a thought rushed into her mind “Oh shoot.” She bit down on her pointer finger, realizing those scrolls she was supposed to prepare were left on a wagon on the other side of town. “Wait, I don’t bite my… but Starstorm does, right, right, I’m not in a game, I’m not in a game.” she muttered as she felt compelled to follow through on the habits and quirks of her character

“What have I said about talking to yourself Starstorm.” the voice spoke from right behind her.

“Archmage!” she yelped, hairs standing on end and eyes wide as saucers. As she calmed down she held her hand over her heart, heaving as if about to collapse. Before her now was an old man, easily in his 60’s with a long, stereotypical wizards beard and mustache combo, his body was draped over with simple blue robe whose chest was emblazoned with two wands crossed over a book, the mark of the school he taught out of. On top of his head was a long pointy hat, his face bore a serious and tired look, though life did still find a way to shimmer behind his bifocals.

“And do get into some better shape, even I take prolonged walks around town from time to time, I swear you’re more likely to fall to a heart attack then I. “ The words nudged Starstorm oddly, but not in the way it seemed as she felt it a jab from her GM about her choice to keep a lower con score in favor of other stats. “Either way, have you prepared those scrolls?”

Recovering from her bout of terror and near collapse the young mage straightened up, a serious look of nervous despair spread across her face, a feeling of nostalgia washing over her as the scene reminded her of her mentor Celestia in the real world. “Uh, the scrolls, I, you see, I finished them…but…”

“But…” the elderly wizard urged on, curious as to his students next excuse.

“Buuut… and hear me out, but I think a stagecoach stole them.” She explained with less and less assurance.

“A stagecoach?” her mentor spoke with depressing amounts of disappointment.

“Yes, you see, he was clever. He talked me up, confused me with pleasant conversation, no doubt using magic to convince me into forgetting them on his coach for his own nefarious plot.” the young wizard spoke with fervor.

“You left them on a wagon.”

“Not left, they were clearly taken from me.” Starstorm offered with vindication

Sighing with the weight of a mountain giant, Eramac placed his palm on his face before taking his glasses off to rub his eyes. Placing his glasses back on he spoke “Look, Starstorm, you are a brilliant mind, but if you continue these shenanigans I will have to have you removed from the course.”

The thought of failure irked Starstorm deeply, images of a poor woman dressed in rags holding a tin cup out on a street corner flashed before her eyes as panic set in “Oh no no no, you can’t, you mustn’t! I, I, umm.” Desperately thinking as quickly as she could, the young woman pounded one hand into another as an idea formed “You don’t have to do that, because I am coming up on a, a, huge project.” she quickly lied

Crossing his arms, the archmage perched a brow in interest “Do go on.”

“Yes, well, I didn’t want to say anything, but I’m working on a spell, a special spell.” noticing her mentors eyes slowly close into slits Starstorm hastened her lying “Yes, you see, I’m developing a spell that will allow one to…to...” the woman began to stammer as her eyes scanned over the room at the speed of light until she noticed the books stacked on her shelf “to… read books in seconds, yes, it will allow one to instantly absorb the information from a book into ones head, allowing studies to happen in a flash! In fact, I’ve figured out a way for this seemingly powerful spell to be used as a mere cantrip.” the woman nervously giggled, face stretched wide in forced smile as beads of sweat careened down her face

The archmage processed what he had been told, stroking his beard as an impressed smile crept along his wrinkled lips “Oooh, I must say Starstorm I am impressed, to think behind your easily distracted nature lie a truly innovative mind.” the words -he bought it?- shot into Starstorm’s minds as she felt a weight fall off her shoulders “Well then, I best not keep you then, I’d like the rough draft on my desk by the end of the week.” suddenly a larger, much heavier weight landed on the wizard as if she had been caught between the couch cushions and Celestia’s royal white flank again. “Well, farewell, I was just checking in.”

“Eh...hehe…” the Wizard meeked out as her mentor left. Suddenly the poor girl fell to her knees, hands on the floor as she began to shake “Three days… three day, t-to begin a spell, not just any spell, but some super spell, in cantrip form no less. What do I do, what do I do!” she began to panic as she felt a sharp pain on her ear. Clasping it violently she looked to see her lizard friend staring at her, somehow in disgust “Don’t judge me! It’s your fault as much as mine, you should have protected your master from that evil stage coach and his hypnotic voice!” she shouted at the lizard who continued to stare at his owner.

Sighing in defeat “You’re right, well, life was good, but now I must move onto a life as a beggar, forced onto the cold cobblestone, begging stranger to stranger for naught but a mere coin for a warm meal. But, it’s not all bad, at least I’ll have you…” she looked down to her familiar who was already half way down her arm in an attempt to leave. Looking back up the lizard shot her master an insulting stare before continuing on his way down “Thank you, thanks a whole lot, my self esteem needed that, you know what fine, leave, I don’t need you anyways…” She crossed her arms and pointed her nose up before the lizard finally climbed off and walked away on the nearby table “Wait, no, come back I need you!” she whined, arm stretched out towards her familiar as it went along it’s merry way.

Realizing the lizard wasn’t soon to return Starstorm stomped to her front door, opening it up with as much conviction as a person could open a door before marching to the local reagent shop. Muttering in angry growls as she did, her look of extreme frustration warding off any potential conversation. Bursting into the store she looked up like a bat out of hell at the clerk “Umm, h-hello?” the clerk spoke nervously.

“I need… I need…” the Wizard began before blinking twice, noticing something that found it’s way onto her attention “What’s that?” she pointed down at a tiny little black satchel laying behind a display case.

“Oh, this? It’s called the Ever Pouch, it can store a near infinite amount of reagents and it can summon any with a mere thought, only a thousand gold.”

Cooing at the pouch Starstorm pressed her face to the glass. “I”ll take it.” the woman then proceeded to pull out several gems of varying wealth as well as some papers of certification. “These should cover it!” she said as the clerk looked over the assortment of papers and gems

“Yes they will!” he spoke excitedly as he pulled all of the gems into a sack before pulling the ever pouch out and handing it to the Wizard “Thank you, and do come again.”

Gleefully holding her new bag as she walked out of the building she stared at the satchel before something hit her, she had spent all of her money on a fancy bag, bought zero reagents, and was now broke with nothing needed to prepare her rough draft before the end of the week. Starstorm fell to her knees, arms falling to her side as she slumped over, now staring at the ground.

Noticing the downed woman a group of people began to surround her, several asking if she was alright. Suddenly she began to cackle “Alright, alright? Hohohoho, I’m more than alright!” she jolted up onto her feet “I’m Starstorm, the greatest wizard to ever live, I don’t need reagents, I don’t need incantations or somatics I’m a genius. hohoho!” she then proceeded to scoop back up her expensive satchel and march off, her tall and proud stance quickly deteriorating into a slumped over trudge “Stupid Eremac, stupid abandoning Spike, stupid fancy bag, stupid…” she said when suddenly the ground began to shake violently. “Dear sweet… something something of something!” she shouted in surprise, barely able to keep on her feet as the earth itself attempted to knock her flat on her backside.

The shaking eventually grew and grew until buildings began to crumble and collapse, falling over, spilling onto the streets, burying men women, and children alike with a few violently impaled by wooden beams. Suddenly, a blinding purple flash tore across the sky accompanied by a sound, a sound that reminded Starstorm of powerful magic ripping through the air, something mystifying and terrifying. Suddenly the light drained from the sky, save for a single pillar of rising energy, raw and angry as it erupted from the earth below and reached to the sky, as if to tear the heavens apart.

As the world looked on in shock and awe, something chilling crawled into Starstorm’s skin, a sickly feeling quickly formed in the pit of her stomach and the air around her turned bitter and stale, Starstorm had always been sensitive to magic, part of the reason why she was so talented, but the sensitivity caused her immense discomfort in the presence of something to massive...