Just a heads up, this project is pretty much dead, or rather I'm instead working on a revamped version of this project in the form of a visual novel. If you're interested in trying it out (which I HIGHLY recommend, for no other reason than I don't stand by a lot of the writing in this game anymore), I occasionally share work-in-progress builds in /tempo/.
{(set: $Saves to (a:))}<span id="box">(colour: #FF4500)[Brawn: (text: $brawn)] | (colour: #00CED1)[Speed: (text: $speed)] | (colour: #32CD32)[Smarts: (text: $smarts)] | (colour: #DA70D6)[Charm: (text: $charm)] | (if: (history:) contains "BG-Secret")[(if: (passage:)'s name is "Journal1-1" or "Journal1-2 (Skills)" or "Journal1-2 (Attacks)" or "Journal1-2 (Items)" or "Journal1-2 (Enemies)")[(link-goto: "Journal", 'Journal1-1')](else:)[(link: "Journal")[(set: $last to (passage:)'s name)(go-to: "Journal1-1")]]]
Time: (if: $time is 1)[Morning](else-if: $time is 2)[Noon](else-if: $time is 3)[Evening](else-if: $time is 4)[Night] | Day: (text: $date) | HP: (text: $hp)/(text: $mhp) | Bits: (text: $bits) | (if: (history:) contains "BG-Secret")[(if: (passage:)'s name is "Journal1-1" or "Journal1-2 (Skills)" or "Journal1-2 (Attacks)" or "Journal1-2 (Items)" or "Journal1-2 (Enemies)")[(link-goto: "Options", 'Options')](else:)[(link: "Options")[(set: $last to (passage:)'s name)(go-to: "Options")]]]
</span>
<div class="clear"></div>
<div class="clear"></div>(set: $name to (prompt: "Your name is...", "Zippity Dooda"))Your name is [[(text: $name)|CC-Sex]].(if: $name is "")[(undo:)]You are a...
(link: "...stallion.")[
(set: $sex to "male")
(go-to: "CC-Appearance")]
(link: "...mare.")[
(set: $sex to "female")
(go-to: "CC-Appearance")](set: $coatColor to (prompt: "The color of your coat is...", "orange"))(set: $maneColor to (prompt: "The color of your mane is...", "gold"))Your coat is a wonderful shade of (text: $coatColor), complemented by your mane's (text: $maneColor) [[splendor|CC-Race]].(if: $coatColor is "")[(undo:)](if: $maneColor is "")[(undo:)]You possess the...
(link: "...innate strength of the humble earth pony.")[
(set: $race to "earth")
(set: $brawn to it + 10)
(go-to: "BG-Secret")]
(link: "...agile wings of the noble pegasi.")[
(set: $race to "pegasus")
(set: $speed to it + 10)
(go-to: "BG-Secret")]
(link: "...impeccable intellect of the magical unicorns.")[
(set: $race to "unicorn")
(set: $smarts to it + 10)
(go-to: "BG-Secret")]You bear a terrible secret: you are...
{(link: "...a hermaphrodite.")[
(set: $secret to "herm")
(set: $brawn to it + 3)
(set: $speed to it + 3)
(set: $smarts to it + 3)
(set: $charm to it + 3)
(go-to: "BG-Herm")]}
{(if: $race is "unicorn")[
(link: "...one of Celestia's failed students.")[
(set: $secret to "student")
(set: $smarts to it + 10)
(set: $charm to it - 5)
(go-to: "BG-Student")]]}
{(if: $race is "pegasus")[
(link: "...a former Shadowbolt.")[
(set: $secret to "shadow")
(set: $smarts to it - 5)
(set: $speed to it + 10)
(go-to: "BG-Shadowbolt")]]}
{(link: "...a completely normal pony.")[
(set: $secret to "normal")
(set: $brawn to it + 3)
(set: $speed to it + 3)
(set: $smarts to it + 3)
(set: $charm to it + 3)
(go-to: "BG-Normal")]}
{(link: "...a changeling spy.")[
(set: $secret to "spy")
(set: $charm to it + 5)
(go-to: "BG-ChangelingSpy")]}<p>...a hermaphrodite. It didn't take long to learn you were different from other ponies. Your parents were always so eager to turn any discussion of your body to other, less volatile subjects, leaving you oh so woefully ignorant of your 'uniqueness.'
<p>It wasn't until your first foray into young love that reality finally reared its ugly head. You don't remember much. All you can really seem to recall is the face of that wide-eyed (if: $sex is "male")[filly](else:)[colt], staring at you with muted shock. The memory of exactly what happened that night is little more than a distant haze.
<p>It hardly matters now. You did learn one thing though: so long as others knew of your 'condition', you will always be treated as an outsider. Which brings you to Ponyville, a chance at a fresh start, a new beginning. Not to mention a longing in your loins long since left [[unfulfilled|Intro1-1]].<p>The journey is long and uneventful. Thick layers of sweat and dust blanket your coat, an unwelcome memento from your long travels. A sun-bleached knapsack bounces against your flank with every step, its lightness a constant reminder of your dwindling supplies and empty belly. Every now and then, you pass by a signpost displaying incrementally lowering numbers, as if counting down your imminent arrival to your destination. As you surmount a gentle hill, you indeed find the object of your journey within reach.
<p>Sitting at the base of the valley lies Ponyville, a perfectly picturesque presentation of small town Equestria, surrounded by softly rolling hills close-by and towering mountains in the far distance. The promise of a hot shower and a warm bed is enough to make you rear up on your hindlegs and whinny in excitement. As your forelegs hit the ground and you start galloping towards town, the realization that a brand new chapter of your life is about to unfold hits you like the receiving end of a lowered lance. The thought only propels you [[faster|Intro2-1]].<p>...one of Celestia's failed students. But then again, failure is such a harsh term, so easily misconstrued. After all, in what manner exactly did you [[fail|BG-Student2]]?<p>...a former Shadowbolt. On wings of righteous fury you fly. You are a faithful follower of the Nightmare Queen, one of the few to welcome, nay, yearn for the eternal night she promised. You prayed everyday that every day would not come, that the sun would stay beneath the horizon and leave the heavens for the divine moon and her twinkling stars to rightfully reclaim for all eternity.
<p>After years of unfaltering devotion, your patience was finally rewarded. She came to you in your dreams, every bit as majestic and magnificent as you thought she'd be. To see your liege for the first time in all her glory, to lock eyes with the Mare-in-the-Moon after all these years and finally see those brilliant blue eyes gaze back; if this wasn't true before, then you were hers forever more. As you pledged undying loyalty, your mistress inducted you into her most trusted retinue: the enigmatic Shadowbolts. At long last, night fell over Equestria and no dawn would come to chase the dark [[away|BG-Shadowbolt2]].<p>...a completely normal pony. You carry no such secret or shame. You have lived your entire life with the virtue and innocence that is so uniquely characteristic to ponyfolk. That said, it can easily be said that you amount to little more than a footnote in the grand scheme of things, a background character in somepony else's story. Discontent builds up in you like a river overwhelming a levee, until you decide to take fate by the reigns and strive for something greater. With wanderlust twinkling in your eyes, you set out for greener pastures. First stop: [[Ponyville|Intro1-1]].//Note: Will be revised to reflect current state of the show. Chrysalis had secondary hives elsewhere?//
<p>...a changeling spy. And not just your average, run-of-the-mill drone at that. You are the product of years upon years of selective breeding in a grand scheme headed by Queen Chrysalis herself, with countless generations of changelings lending unto you their accumulated skill in deception and subterfuge. You are the ultimate result of that plan, a changeling agent of unparalleled cleverness and independence, capable of making your own decisions regardless and even in spite of the [[hive|BG-ChangelingSpy2]].<p>Once again, a weary sun dips below the far-flung horizon and leaves twilight to close out another dreary, overcast day. Where the waning light of twilight does not reach, shadows reign and grow blacker still with every passing moment.
<p>Pale blue, insectoid eyes peer out unblinkingly from the cover of darkness. Your eyes to be precise. You stalk along the treeline that runs parallel to the main road leading in and out of Ponyville, patiently watching and waiting for a suitable pony to come [[along|ChangelingSpyIntro1-2]].<p>You stand atop the circular veranda of townhall, which offers you a commanding view of the town square. The center of Ponyville hustles and bustles with vibrant energy.
<p>A pair of spirited fillies chase each other around a softly babbling fountain. A group of farmponies had set up several stalls around a venerable looking oak tree, hawking a colorful assortment of fresh produce beneath its shade. A modest crowd gathers around a makeshift stage as two magically moving puppets pummel each other with tiny wooden clubs. Everywhere you look, ponies move to and fro about their busy lives.
<p>This seems about as good a day as any to explore your new home and meet its inhabitants.
[[Explore|Intro3-1]]<p>A week has passed since you first came to infest the outskirts of Ponyville. Not too long a time all things considered, but long enough to leave you famished for a heaping dose of love. For several days, you could do nothing but watch as ponies unwittingly entered and escaped your unseen clutches.
<p>Just the other day, a young mare managed to summon enough courage to fetch water from a secluded well. Simple words cannot describe how much you wished to reward her bravery with a clutch of your virile eggs, to be laid directly into her (undoubtedly) virgin womb.
<p>Earlier today, a couple pushing a baby carriage passed by on their usual afternoon stroll. Their love for each other was absolutely palpable, radiating off of them like light from a torch. It would've been so easy to take the (if: $sex is "male")[husband](else:)[wife]: a branch snaps and the (if: $sex is "male")[mare](else:)[stallion] turns (if: $sex is "male")[her](else:)[his] head reflexively; the (if: $sex is "male")[husband](else:)[wife] is pulled into the bushes by some unseen force; '(if: $sex is "male")[he](else:)[she]' reemerges from the foliage before the (if: $sex is "male")[mare](else:)[stallion] can even notice (if: $sex is "male")[he](else:)[she] was ever gone. All in the blink of an eye. You would've been sure to (if: $sex is "male")[impregnate 'your' wife again that very night, perhaps even ](else:)[ ]give 'your' foals a taste of your (if: $sex is "male")[fatherly [[love|ChangelingSpyIntro1-3]]](else:)[motherly love that same [[night|ChangelingSpyIntro1-3]]].<p>As the sun retires for a much deserved repose, her sister emerges to carry on their heavenly vigil. Candle-lit windows glow softly throughout Ponyville, each its own lighthouse in a sea of ceaseless darkness. Few ponies still deign to roam these roads in the dead of night, and those that do hurry along with brisk steps and broad strides.
<p>Only silence and shadow make their domain here now. And yet, there is a certain peace in the absence of light, a stillness that quiets the land as well as the soul and leaves the worries of tomorrow to drain away to insignificance.
<p>Most ponies will be asleep this time of night. You'll find that few share in your nocturnal tendencies. Still, who knows what new opportunities may present themselves on the moonlit stage?
[[Explore|Intro3-1]]<p>It doesn't take long to find someplace that might make for suitable lodgings. After a brisk walk through Ponyville, you stumble upon the town inn. While modest, the thatch-and-mortar building looks comfortable enough. Above the door hangs a sign depicting a pony peacefully dozing away in a feather bed.
<p>You step inside to find a cozy, fire-lit interior and an aged stallion behind a wooden counter. You figure he must be the inn's proprietor, judging by the inky ledger that lies before him. The gray-maned earth pony takes one brief look at your sorry state before wordlessly pushing towards you a wicker basket overflowing with freshly baked biscuits.
[[Eager|Intro3-2 (Eager)]]
[[Humble|Intro3-2 (Humble)]]
[[Refuse|Intro3-2 (Refuse)]]<p>You dig into the proffered biscuits with wild abandon, finishing off the sizable basket in a matter of seconds. Crumbs litter the counter-top like rubble on a devastated battlefield. You belch loudly, far too content to mind your manners at this point. The proprietor only smiles in response, evidently happy that you left nothing to [[waste|Intro3-3]].<p>You timidly pick up and nibble at a single biscuit, being careful not to drop any stray crumbs onto the wooden counter-top. The biscuit is obviously homemade with gratuitous amounts of not-good-for-you, but oh-so-good ingredients. The fluffiness of the bread is belied by its richness; it's as if you can actually feel the butter that went into the dough melt in your mouth. Despite your earlier hunger, one biscuit is more than enough to sate your belly. The proprietor takes notice of your restraint and only nods in silent acknowledgment, a token of appreciation at your [[modesty|Intro3-3]].<p>You stretch out your neck and push the basket back with your muzzle, letting the biscuits come to rest squarely on the proprietor's side of the counter.
<p>Does he think you were born yesterday, for you to take strange food from some strange pony? Besides butter and flour, who knows what else could be baked in there? Not to mention your funds are alarmingly short at the moment; though he hadn't asked for coin as of yet, you've no doubt he'll spring some exorbitant price on you at first bite.
<p>You've lived long enough to learn that when something is too good to be true, it probably is, and you certainly weren't about to get scammed immediately upon arrival to your new home. The proprietor merely shrugs his shoulders in apparent [[indifference|Intro3-3]].<p>Once you've finished, the proprietor finally speaks up. He warmly welcomes you to Ponyville and his humble establishment. After the two of you exchange introductory pleasantries, he offers you the single room currently available. With a quick jingle of your coinpurse, you confirm that you cannot afford his more than reasonable rates, much to the proprietor's [[unsurprise|Intro3-4]].<p>You stand atop the circular veranda of townhall, which offers you a commanding view of the town square. The center of Ponyville hustles and bustles with vibrant energy.
<p>This seems about as good a day as any to explore your new home and meet its inhabitants.
{(link: "Explore")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$explore))
(set: $explore to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore7-1")[
(link: "Go to the Castle of Friendship")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$friendshipCastle))
(set: $friendshipCastle to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore1-1")[
(link: "Go to Sugarcube Corner")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$sugarcubeCorner))
(set: $sugarcubeCorner to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore5-1")[
(link: "Go to Carousel Boutique")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$boutique))
(set: $boutique to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore3-1")[
(link: "Go to Sweet Apple Acres")[
(go-to: "FarmHub1-1")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "EggAdvice1-1" or (history:) contains "Explore20-8 (Deliver the apples)")[
(link: "Go to Fluttershy's cottage")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$cottage))
(set: $cottage to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore2-1")[
(link: "Go to the rally field")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$rallyField))
(set: $rallyField to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]]}
{(link: "Go to the town inn")[
(go-to: "Inn1-1")]}
{(if: $exploreguild is 1)[
(link: "Go to the adventurer's guild")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$guild))
(set: $guild to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]]}
{(link: "Brave the Everfree Forest")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfreeEntrance))
(set: $everfreeEntrance to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}
{(link: "Return home")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$home))
(set: $home to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}<p>Most ponies will be asleep this time of night. You'll find that few share in your nocturnal tendencies. Still, who knows what new opportunities may present themselves on the moonlit stage?
(link: "Return home")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$home))
(set: $home to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]{(if: $time % 4 is 0)[
(set: $night to 1)[
(go-to: "TownNight1-1")]]
(else:)[
(go-to: "Town1-1")]}
{(if: $farmToTable is 5)[
(set: $farmToTable to it + 1)
(set: $bits to it + 20)]}<p>The proprietor leads you through the inn and out a door to the back garden. You stifle a mild gasp as you step outside and take in the sight before you.
<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["Haha yes, I'll be the first to admit that maintenance has been a tad neglected as of late,"] the proprietor confesses, (colour: "#CBAB60")["I hate to see the place in such a state, but yard work is a young pony's game, and these old joints just don't bend like they use [[to|HomeIntro1-2]]."]<p>Miscellaneous pieces of scavenged furniture are scattered about in a crude effort to imitate a more typical home's layout. A plain table accompanied by two wooden chairs serves as a makeshift kitchen. A dusty, moth-eaten cot rests against the far wall. If nothing else, you suppose you're thankful that the roof has yet to come crashing down around your ears.(set: $home to it + (a: 'Home1-1'))
{(if: $tired is 1)[
(link: "Renovate home")[
(go-to: "RenovateHome1-1")]]
(else-if: $night is 1)[
(link: "Renovate home")[
(go-to: "RenovateHome2-1")]]
(else:)[
(link: "Renovate home")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$renovateHome))
(set: $renovateHome to it - (a: _psg))
(set: $time to it + 1)
(go-to: _psg)]]}
{(if: $tired is 1)[
(link: "Restore garden")[
(go-to: "RestoreGarden1-1")]]
(else-if: $night is 1)[
(link: "Restore garden")[
(go-to: "RestoreGarden2-1")]]
(else:)[
(link: "Restore garden")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$restoreGarden))
(set: $restoreGarden to it - (a: _psg))
(set: $time to it + 1)
(go-to: _psg)]]}
[[Check home condition|CheckHome1-1]]
[[Go to the town square|CheckTime1-1]]
{(link: "Go to sleep")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$sleep))
(set: $sleep to it - (a: _psg))
(set: $night to 0)
(set: $tired to 0)
(set: $date to it + 1)
(set: $time to 1)
(set: $hp to $mhp)
(if: $date is 10)[
(set: $home to it + (a: 'Home3-1'))]
(if: (history:) contains "Explore28-1")[
(set: $exploreguild to 1)]
(set: $temp to (either: 1,2))
(go-to: _psg)]}<p>You step back into the inn's main foyer and, as per usual, find the proprietor standing behind the front desk. You get a sense that he's been expecting you. You walk up to him and ask what's the latest news in Ponyville.
[[Ask what the town think of you|CheckReputation1-1]]
{(link: "Rumors")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$advice))
(set: $advice to it - (a: _psg))
(if: $advice is (a:))[
(set: $advice to it + (a: 'ProprietorAdvice11-1'))]
(go-to: _psg)]}
{(if: $eggAdvice is 1)[
(link-goto: "Mysterious egg", 'EggAdvice1-1')]}
{(if: $deliverApplesInn is 1)[
(link-goto: "Deliver apples", 'DeliverApplesInn1-1')]}
{(if: $returnLocket is 1)[
(link-goto: "Return locket", 'ReturnLocket1-1')]}
[[Leave|CheckTime1-1]]//Note: Nothing changes yet.//
<p>Your shack isn't so much a 'fixer'-upper as it is a 'burn it down and move somewhere with a higher income per capita with the insurance money'-upper. A large stump sits defiantly atop the dirt path that leads to the front door. All manner of weeds and shrubbery battle for what precious, little sunlight that does manage to reach the ground. Thick vines run up the sides of the shack's exterior walls, even managing to slip through ever-widening cracks here and there. The building itself looks to be at a permanent thirty degree slant, as if a particularly strong gust of wind had swayed it at one point and it just never bothered to right itself [[since|Home1-1]].<p>Miscellaneous pieces of scavenged furniture are scattered about in a crude effort to imitate a more typical home's layout. A plain table accompanied by two wooden chairs serves as a makeshift kitchen. A dusty, moth-eaten cot rests against the far wall. If nothing else, you suppose you're thankful that the roof has yet to come crashing down around your ears.(set: $home to it + (a: 'Home1-1'))
{(if: $date >= 10)[
(if: $mailbox's length is 0)[
(link: "Check mailbox")[
(go-to: "EmptyMailBox1-1")]]
(else:)[
(link: "Check mailbox")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$mailbox))
(set: $mailbox to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]]]}
{(if: $tired is 1)[
(link: "Renovate home")[
(go-to: "RenovateHome1-1")]]
(else-if: $night is 1)[
(link: "Renovate home")[
(go-to: "RenovateHome2-1")]]
(else:)[
(link: "Renovate home")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$renovateHome))
(set: $renovateHome to it - (a: _psg))
(set: $time to it + 1)
(go-to: _psg)]]}
{(if: $tired is 1)[
(link: "Restore garden")[
(go-to: "RestoreGarden1-1")]]
(else-if: $night is 1)[
(link: "Restore garden")[
(go-to: "RestoreGarden2-1")]]
(else:)[
(link: "Restore garden")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$restoreGarden))
(set: $restoreGarden to it - (a: _psg))
(set: $time to it + 1)
(go-to: _psg)]]}
[[Check home condition|CheckHome1-1]]
[[Go to the town square|CheckTime1-1]]
{(link: "Go to sleep")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$sleep))
(set: $sleep to it - (a: _psg))
(set: $night to 0)
(set: $tired to 0)
(set: $date to it + 1)
(set: $time to 1)
(set: $hp to $mhp)
(if: $date is 10)[
(set: $home to it + (a: 'Home3-1'))]
(if: (history:) contains "Explore28-1")[
(set: $exploreguild to 1)]
(set: $temp to (either: 1,2))
(go-to: _psg)]}<p>You decide to head back home.
<p>You bypass the inn and enter through a side gate built into the perimeter wall. After slogging your way through the wild, untamed frontier that is the inn's overgrown back garden, you step into your cramped cabin and breathe a quiet sigh of [[relief|Home2-2]].<p>You're careful not to let your temper get the better of you. You'd be well within your rights to get angry; that being said, the price of being the better pony is rarely ever steep enough to warrant outright dismissal.
<p>In your gentlest tone, you ask Octavia why she is doing what she is currently doing.
<p>Without even bothering to look up, she replies, (colour: "#BAB8AF")["I vas told Herr Proprietor had strings suitable for mein cello here. I vould much like to have zhem."] You wonder out loud if your landlord would appreciate somepony going through his things. (colour: "#BAB8AF")["Who do you zhinc gave me ze key?"]
[[Point taken|Home2-4 (Point taken)]]<p>Why is Octavia in your shed? What right does she have to go through your things? Why does she still refuse to treat you with any degree of respect? You angrily demand these answers you're so clearly entitled to.
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["I vas told Herr Proprietor had cello strings in his pozeshun; strickly speaking, zhey aren't your zhings; you've not earned it."] Given that Octavia's voice didn't so much as shift an octave, it's obvious your anger hardly even registered with her.
<p>Right as you're about to suggest looking for her cello strings within the closest convenient chimera sphincter, Octavia's voice manages to raise an iota. (colour: "#BAB8AF")["Scheisse!"] she exclaims under her breath whilst kicking away the remainder of the pile. She turns around to make for the exit, which necessitates getting past you.
[[Step aside|Home2-4 (Step aside)]]
[[Stand your ground|Home2-4 (Stand your ground)]]<p>If she's hoping to get a rise out of you, then she's going to to be sorely disappointed. You flop on top of your bed and put your hooves up in an attempt to appear like you're paying your intruder as little heed as possible.
<p>You fold your forelegs behind your head, which naturally directs your gaze straight up into the ceiling. Meanwhile, Octavia continues her search for whatever it is she's searching for. There's a certain rhythm to the chaos she's causing, very much a musician's way of doing things. You have to admit: the sound of it isn't altogether unpleasant.
<p>Your eyes close for just a moment.
[[...|Home2-4 (Act aloof and indifferent)]]<p>Unhappy with her haul (or rather her lack of one), Octavia kicks away the remainder of the pile, after which she slips past you and leaves without saying another [[word|Home1-1]].(set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent7-1'))<p>You stand your ground, even as an irate Octavia steadily advances upon your position. With your body blocking the doorway, she's forced to halt and face you eye to eye.
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["Move,"] she commands in that ever superior tone of hers.
<p>You don't give an inch.
<p>So subtle is her anger that only the most eagle-eyed observer would notice it bubbling just beneath her disciplined exterior: the twitch of an eye or flare of her nostrils. She sighs and resolves to forcefully shove her way past you. In a space as tight as this, there's no way she's slipping past without a considerable amount of bodily [[contact|Home2-5 (Stand your ground)]].<p>You slowly wake from your nap, groggy and tired as only a short nap can leave one feeling. The door is ajar, Octavia nowhere to be seen.
<p>That approach didn't feel nearly as cool as you thought it would [[be|Home1-1]].(set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent7-1'))<p>You'd like nothing more than to be rid of your unwelcome guest. You nimbly side-step Octavia as she approaches, allowing her to leave and thus ending this particular [[confrontation|Home1-1]].(set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent7-1'))<p>You're too tired to work on your home [[today|Home1-1]].<p>It's too late in the evening to do any housework, lest you disturb the peace with any undue [[noise|Home1-1]].<p>You've done all you can with the resources available to [[you|Home1-1]].(set: $renovateHome to it + (a: 'RenovateHome3-1'))<p>With feather duster in mouth, you charge into battle to reclaim your rightful land from the vile dust bunny empire. Window sills, pantry cupboards, ceiling beams: not a single corner is spared your feathery onslaught.
<p>You emerge from your home weathered and weary, wrestling with a mind wracked by worries beyond your years. Your rest is short-lived however; it isn't long before you have to head back inside to continue your dusty harvest.
<p>Before long, the cobwebs are cleared, the dust is in the wind, and the interior is almost halfway [[live-in-able|Home1-1]].(set: $tired to 1)(set: $dust to it + 1)(if: $dust < 3)[(set: $renovateHome to it + (a: 'RenovateHome4-1'))](else:)[(set: $renovateHome to it + (a: 'RenovateHome5-1'))]<p>You take some time to clean out the inside of your shed. You carefully sift through all the assorted junk, keeping anything that might be of use and tossing away the rest.
<p>There is little worth salvaging. It becomes abundantly clear that the innkeeper isn't one to readily part with his trash, all of which it seems ended up in here. Neither does it take long to realize that hoping to find forgotten treasures amongst this chaff is an exercise in futility. You're soon gaily chucking out bucketfuls of rusted bolts and bent bed-springs with nary a second thought.
<p>After an hour or so, the mountains of junk have visibly [[eroded|Home1-1]].(set: $tired to 1)(set: $salvage to it + 1)(if: $salvage < 3)[(set: $renovateHome to it + (a: 'RenovateHome5-1'))](else:)[(set: $renovateHome to it + (a: 'RenovateHome6-1'))]<p>Now seems as good a time as any to take down all the tools on the walls. Any hopes of finding something useful sinks further and further with every worn-out trowel and dulled hatchet recovered.
<p>Your diligence doesn't go entirely unrewarded however. You manage to unearth two or three relics that don't seem entirely liable to disintegrate with a single swing. It's not much, but enough to get you started on the garden.
<p>In due time, the chosen few lie assembled before you like a band of hoary soldiers standing at [[attention|Home1-1]].(set: $tired to 1)(set: $tools to it + 1)(if: $tools < 3)[(set: $renovateHome to it + (a: 'RenovateHome6-1'))](else:)[(set: $renovateHome to it + (a: 'RenovateHome7-1'))]<p>You take a moment to gaze upon your hoofiwork; most of the shed's interior had been cleared out, leaving you with a marked increase in living space. You can't help but savor the moment, stretching out your legs in your home for what feels like the very first time.
<p>Still, a few pieces of furniture remain, heavy cabinets and the like. The thought of having that much more space to prance about in once it's all finally gone gleefully spurs you into action.
<p>You struggle to move a particularly obstinate armoire. It eventually concedes defeat and gives away, toppling over with a violent crash. Virgin light falls upon the spot where it stood and catches upon something beneath the floorboards, allowing an empyrean glint to twinkle in the darkness.
{(if: $race is "unicorn")[
(link: "Retrieve it with magic")[
(go-to: "RenovateHome7-2 (Retrieve it with magic)")]]}
[[Remove the floorboard|RenovateHome7-2 (Remove the floorboard)]]<p>You grab a crowbar from your stockpile of tools and carefully pry one of the boards free, putting it aside to place back later. You lower your muzzle into the newly opened space and retrieve a silvery locket. It dangles on its chain, spinning lazily back and [[forth|RenovateHome7-3]].<p>You empty your thoughts and focus solely upon the glint. As your magic envelops the object, you can start to get a handle on whatever it is you're dealing with: something small and lightweight, irregular in shape, yet smooth to the touch.
<p>You concentrate a little more and start lifting. Surely enough, a silver locket rises forth, blithely slipping between the floorboards and onto your upturned [[hoof|RenovateHome7-3]].<p>Made of fine sterling silver and engraved with the profiles of two ponies forehead to forehead, this locket clearly means a great deal to somepony. Upon closer inspection, the face opens to reveal a short message etched within:
"If ever I'm lost,"
"I will not fret."
"For our hooves,"
"Will remember again."
<p>You assume this is the waylaid locket the innkeeper mentioned. You could give it back to him, or you could keep it to yourself for the time being.
[[Return it|RenovateHome7-4 (Return it)]]
[[Keep it|RenovateHome7-4 (Keep it)]]<p>You quickly pop back into the inn. The proprietor is standing behind the front desk as per usual, his gaze hidden behind silver spectacles, cheek resting atop a forehoof at a contemplative angle. You approach gingerly, which prompts a snore from the sleeping geriatric.
<p>Not wanting to disturb his slumber, you carefully place the locket in such a way that it'll be the first thing he sees upon waking. The question of a reward is almost mute; you're simply glad the little thing has been returned to its rightful owner. That being said, a reward would be [[nice|Home1-1]].(set: $tired to 1)(set: $renovateHome to it + (a: 'RenovateHome3-1'))(set: $mailbox to it + (a: 'Mailbox1-1'))<p>You pocket the locket. Maybe you'll give it back some other day. Maybe you'll be able to pawn it off for at least a hundred bits. Ain't the future [[grand|Home1-1]]?(set: $tired to 1)(set: $renovateHome to it + (a: 'RenovateHome3-1'))(set: $returnLocket to 1)<p>You're far too tired to do any gardening [[today|Home1-1]].<p><p>It's much too dark to do any meaningful work on the [[yard|Home1-1]].<p><p>Your current set of tools has been entirely worn [[out|Home1-1]].<p>(set: $restoreGarden to it + (a: 'RestoreGarden3-1'))//Note: No items yet.//
<p>By chance, you discover a [random low tier item] hidden beneath a patch of [[brush|Home1-1]].<p>(set: $tired to 1)(set: $restoreGarden to it + (a: 'RestoreGarden4-1'))<p>You spend an hour or so tending to the land in the shed's immediate vicinity. It's slow going, but you manage to clear out an appreciable amount of brush around the front door. While just a drop in the bucket, it's at least a start. Plus, now you can walk outside without instantly getting a face full of [[foliage|Home1-1]].(set: $trim to it + 1)(if: $trim < 3)[(set: $restoreGarden to it + (a: 'RestoreGarden5-1'))](else:)[(set: $restoreGarden to it + (a: 'RenovateHome3-1'))]<p>You collapse into your cot. The burlap fabric sags from the addition of your ungainly weight, leaving you low against the floor and colder than you'd like. After what feels like hours of tossing and turning, you close your eyes and get what sleep you can.(set: $sleep to it + (a: 'Sleep1-1'))
{(link: "...")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$sleepEvent))
(set: $sleepEvent to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}<p>Rest does not come easily this night. You go to sleep knowing that tomorrow's morning shall not be a pleasant one.(set: $sleep to it + (a: 'Sleep2-1'))
{(link: "...")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$sleepEvent))
(set: $sleepEvent to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}<p>You eventually fall asleep, but not without some difficulty. Whether due to the cold, or perhaps some mental affliction, you can not say.(set: $sleep to it + (a: 'Sleep3-1'))
{(link: "...")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$sleepEvent))
(set: $sleepEvent to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}<p>...
<p>......
<p>[[.........|Town1-1]](set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent1-1'))<p><i>Chirp. Chirp. Chirp.</i>
<p>A single cricket serenades you with a steady stream of dulcet sounds. Chirp by sweet chirp, they lull you into a serenely peaceful state. Just as you're about to leap off the cliffs of wakefulness and plunge into the waters of sweet oblivion, the first cricket is joined by [[another|Sleep4-2]].<p>You stare out the window for what feels like an eternity, before falling asleep to the accompanying sound of leaves gently rustling in the wind.(set: $sleep to it + (a: 'Sleep5-1'))
{(link: "...")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$sleepEvent))
(set: $sleepEvent to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}<p>Seems the crickets are taking a break tonight. So nice of the cicadas to take over.(set: $sleep to it + (a: 'Sleep6-1'))
{(link: "...")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$sleepEvent))
(set: $sleepEvent to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}<p>...
<p>......
<p>[[.........|Town1-1]](set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent2-1'))<p>...
<p>......
<p>[[.........|Town1-1]](set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent3-1'))<p>...
<p>......
<p>You awaken to find yourself pining for somepony who isn't there. Is there any pain greater than pleasant [[dreams|Town1-1]]?(set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent4-1'))<p>...
<p>......
<p>Something wakes you. What exactly, you can't say with any degree of certainty. A tree branch tapping at your walls? A mysterious shadow trailing across your face? The sound of hoofsteps outside your window? As far as you're concerned, the sky's the [[limit|Town1-1]].(set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent5-1'))<p>...
<p>......
<p>A town too small to warrant a place on the map. A neon-lit bar choked by a persistent fog of unfiltered tobacco smoke. A clueless (if: $sex is "male")[stallion](else:)[mare] asking for directions to nowhere in [[particular|SleepEvent6-2]].<p>...
<p>......
<p>You are forcibly shunted from Luna's domain by the sound of your front door being slammed shut. From beneath the ironclad safety of your blanket, you stare out into the darkened interior of the shed and curse your eyes for adapting of so slowly to the lack of [[light|SleepEvent7-2]].<p>In the meantime, much is left to your imagination. If your sleep-addled brain is anything to go by, creeps and spooks lurk in every corner, poised to leap out at any given moment. Soon enough though, the shapes grow distinct and the shadows defined as your pupils dilate to let in what scant light that does exist, thereby banishing the monsters back to the recesses of your mind. Even the door shutting itself has a rational explanation, you reason to yourself. It was simply blown open and then closed by a tenacious gust of wind.
<p>You push the covers away to get some air, which just so happens to reveal a shadowy figure at the foot of your bed. The figure sways to and fro ever so slightly, its outline perfectly lit by a window on the wall behind. You can do nothing but stare in horror as it walks to your side, the warm body of a shapely mare proceeding to climb into your bed and snuggle up against you.
[[What do you think you're doing?|SleepEvent7-3]]
[[Umm, hello?|SleepEvent7-3]]
[[Please don't murder me|SleepEvent7-3]]<p>Wait, she thinks she's dreaming?
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["But course, I've not slept so vell in some time. Mmmm, vunderbar."] You focus on clearing the shadows away from her face. Though her eyes are open, there is no life behind them, no light that guides them. Her visage, gorgeous as always, reads dim and listless.
<p>Your soul-searching is interrupted as Octavia's hoof slowly strays southward, eventually coming to rest dangerously close to your bare genitals. You stifle a mild gasp as velvety soft fur brushes against your defenseless (if: $sex is "male")[stallionhood](else:)[teats].
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["Shh mein (if: $sex is "male")[sweet](else:)[Fräulein], let it happen. Vee both know you vant it."]
[[Wake her|SleepEvent7-6 (Wake her)]]
[[Let it happen|SleepEvent7-6 (Let it happen)]]<p>Octavia begins to repeatedly lifts herself up and sink down, stuffing more and more cock within her tight fuckhole. Every inch is a fight as her inner walls struggle to resist your ingress, before yielding to its well-lubricated passage. Those same walls massage your stallionhood, undulating waves of snug pony flesh that knead and tighten with sweltering fervor.
<p>After a great deal of struggling, butt finally meets thigh as you hilt inside her. Octavia pants and slumps back, her body kept upright solely by the unyielding rod lodged deep inside her. She's only just begun and you already feel like your brink is near, her depths happily coaxing an constant flow of precum from you like a foal sucking for [[milk|SleepEvent7-12]].//Note: Needs female version.//
<p>They say it's unwise to wake a sleepwalker. You aren't sure who it is exactly that says that, but if that's what they say, then who are you to say otherwise? Besides, no sense looking a gift pony in the mouth, and what a lovely gift she is indeed.
<p>You lean back into your pillow as the not-so-conscious mare continues her perusal of all your bodily features.
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["Ja, ja, just like zhat. I know vhat (if: $sex is "male")[males](else:)[mares] vant, believe me."] She whispers into your ear, (colour: "#BAB8AF")["However much you vant it, I vant it <i>[[more|SleepEvent7-7 (Let it happen)]]</i>."]<p>...
<p>......
<p>A single candle illuminates your room, wavering and flickering with every stray breeze that drifts through the porous walls. You lay awake in your cot, caught in a fitful bout of unrest. Your mind races, every thought preoccupied by the sights you've seen and ponies you've met. You can't help but wonder what fate has in store for you. Where is your place in Ponyville? Will the townsponies ever come to accept you as one of their own? (if: $secret is "herm")[Will you ever find true [[lov|SleepEvent8-2]]-](else-if: $secret is "normal")[Will you ever find true [[lov|SleepEvent8-2]]-](else:)[Will you fulfill your [[desti|SleepEvent8-2]]-]<p>You have to grit your teeth just to keep from cumming your brains out as Octavia starts moving up. Her ass grips your cock like a silken vice, wrapping around your retreating flesh and lamenting the vacant cavity left behind. She slides back down, rapidly filling that emptiness and eliciting a moan that almost sends you over the edge.
<p>You concentrate on lasting as long as you can as Octavia commences riding you in earnest. Each plunge is long, deliberate, a heavenly medley of swirling and sucking sensations that beg for your release. Octavia eventually works up a fast pace; she slams herself on your cock like a mare possessed, wildly panting all the while. Your swollen jewels slap against her asscheeks and splash fluids all about both your nether-[[regions|SleepEvent7-13]].<p>The pleasure swiftly becomes too much to bear. You arch your spine and buck upwards as she slams down, reaching untold of depths. Your cock throbs almost painfully and shoots rope after rope of cum into Octavia, painting her insides with your molten seed. Octavia shivers and her muscles clench hard, signalling her own climax. Waves of mare ejaculate drenches your groin and overflows to stain the sheets underneath.
<p>Octavia leans forward to embrace you as you empty the entirety of your balls into her. Her body accepts every drop, as though milking you for all you're worth. You can actually feel a growing bulge in her belly from all the cum dammed up by your flare.
<p>A soft (colour: "#BAB8AF")["Mein (if: $sex is "male")[gott](else:)[göttin],"] is all she can muster before practically collapsing on top of you, what feels like bucketfuls of cum still sloshing about inside her, not to mention your slowly-softening shaft. You both lay together and simply enjoy the feeling of being [[connected|SleepEvent7-14]].<p>You've yet to turn away a stranger in need and you're certainly not about to start now. So what if you're not exactly overflowing with wealth at the moment? You've a roof over your head and a larder full of plain, but hearty fare, which makes you good deal more fortunate than this mare. That should be more than enough reason to help. You can only imagine how you'd feel in her horseshoes; the feeling of hopelessness she must cope with everyday and night. Even now you can see fear on her grimacing face; fear of rejection, fear of another night unable to quell a hungry belly, fear that Equestria had become a much more unduly cruel and cynical place than it need [[be|SleepEvent8-7 (Help)]].<p>You take a moment to size up the situation, weighing the potential risks of inviting a strange pony into your home, not to mention filling her audibly empty belly. It doesn't take long to reach a conclusion.
<p>With your current state of affairs, you're not exactly in any position to help the less fortunate. Heck, most ponies would probably agree that you're hardly any better off than this mare right in front of you. Furthermore, you owe her no debt nor obligation; for anypony to think otherwise would be a ludicrous notion. You don't know where she'll sleep or what she'll eat, but it shan't be under your roof this night. You shake your head plaintively and deliver your [[ultimatum|SleepEvent8-7 (Refuse)]].//Note: Needs female content.//
<p>You wordlessly usher your guest in, much to the mare's surprise.
<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["Truly?! Oh, thank yo-,"] is all she can manage to sputter before being more or less yanked through your doorway. In what is no accident, her hooves get caught on a sunken floor plank, sending the unicorn flying through the air and ultimately falling flat on her face. The dazed mare is sprawled out on your floor, her butt raised and tail swept aside to reveal an absolutely pristine [[pussy|SleepEvent8-7 (Rape)]].//Note: This passage is normally only available if the player has a specific perk.//
<p>What better way to quell a restless mind than sweet, sweet release? You must be lucky indeed for a young mare to practically deliver herself unto you in the dead of night, as if the Princess herself had answered your prayers. You couldn't have asked for a finer gift, a desperate mare with no home to run to, or loved ones to safeguard her.
<p>You pause to muse over how best to get this unsuspecting pony into your bed. Charm perhaps; a few honeyed words and your silver tongue could be probing her depths. Money is another avenue. How many bits might it take for her to surrender her dignity? And of course, there is always good, old-fashioned brute force. You could be a few moments and a muffled scream away from forcing your cock down her throat.
<p>During this entire time, the hopeful mare patiently looks up at you with an expectant look on her face. Poor thing probably thinks you're still deciding on whether or not to give her a bit of [[food|SleepEvent8-7 (Rape with sleep potion)]].<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["My name? Oh, I'm not important enough to dwell on. Even if we did ever meet again after tonight, I'd doubt you'd even recognize me."]
<p>A tad odd, you think to yourself, but you reason that drifters are no less deserving of privacy than any other pony. You don't press her any further, a sentiment that the mare visibly appreciates. You ask her how she likes her milk.
<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["In a cup if [[possible|SleepEvent8-11 (Name?)]]."]//Note: More nightmares to be written and encountered before coming across this passage.//
<p>...
<p>......
<p>You open your eyes. A stark, utterly white landscape greets you, like the very concept of emptiness made manifest, and then stretched across all of creation. There are absolutely no landmarks to draw your eye, no horizon to divide the nonexistent ground and sky. Whether you look up or down, left to right, the view is always the same. For all intents and purposes, you walk upon an endless void, a painter's canvas prior to a single [[brushstroke|SleepEvent9-2]].<p>You wander about for a bit, treading on ground that isn't there, in a futile search for something, anything of note. Somehow, you know you'll find nothing of the sort.
<p>That is, at least until a speck of black materializes in the unfathomable distance.
[[Run to it|SleepEvent9-3 (Run to it)]]
[[Stay where you are|SleepEvent9-3 (Stay where you are)]]<p>You run to it.
<p>You gallop for what feels like ages. If not for the sight of the dark slowly yet surely growing closer and closer, you'd be hard pressed to say you're moving at all. But grow closer it does, until at last you're standing before it. The black shimmers and twinkles like the heavens at [[midnight|SleepEvent9-4]].<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Greetings,"] says the Princess of the Night in a voice that fills the entirety of this void, such as a sudden rain might fill the sky. Her dark-blue form, regal and severe, stands as stark a contrast possible to the impossibly white backdrop.
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["We art glad thou had the good sense to seek us out. This realm can be most disorienting."]
[[Where am I?|SleepEvent9-5]]<p>(colour: "#373A77")["As steward of dreams and those that dwell within them, your restless state demands our presence. Thine own dreams are troubled in a manner that—to be perfectly candid—confounds [[us|SleepEvent9-8]]."]<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Forsooth? And pray tell, that reason is..?"]
[[Troubled dreams|SleepEvent9-7 (Troubled dreams)]]
[[Save Equestria|SleepEvent9-7 (Save Equestria)]]
[[Secret date|SleepEvent9-7 (Secret date)]]<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Safe and secure in thy bed of course. We wish thy sleep can be comparable to that of a babe's, but alas, 'twould be a most egregious falsehood on our part. We also get ahead of ourselves."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["The world thou'st seeth before them ist one few are privy to. 'Tis a place that belongst to neither the waking, nor they who sleep. A place where dreams art born."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Doth thou knowest the reason for our visitation?"]
[[Yes|SleepEvent9-6 (Yes)]]
[[No|SleepEvent9-6 (No)]]<p>Princess Luna's gaze flickers downward for a brief moment. She remains silent, unseen memories filing past her eyes. Her jaw tightens at a particularly sour thought.
<p>To your surprise, Luna's small, black crown floats off her head, landing upon her upraised hoof. She looks at it plaintively, before clutching it tightly against her chest. (colour: "#373A77")["From one pony to another, we tell thee this: above all else, do not let such fear consume you. 'Tis a long path, paved only with [[regret|SleepEvent9-10 (Fear of rejection)]]."] <p>She bows and magically places the crown back atop her head. (colour: "#373A77")["We thanketh thee for thy time. We have much to think about. It goes without saying that our business this night ist far from comprehensive. We shall have further dealings to be sure, at least until thy nightmares can be put to rest."]
<p>Though your eyes are open, your vision starts to fade until all that was white is displaced only with dark. (colour: "#373A77")["Farewell for now, our little [[pony|Town1-1]]."](set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent10-1'))<p>(colour: "#373A77")["We thanketh thee for thy time. We have much to think about. It goes without saying that our business this night ist far from comprehensive. We shall have further dealings to be sure, at least until thy nightmares can be put to rest."]
<p>Though your eyes are open, your vision starts to fade until all that was white is displaced only with dark. (colour: "#373A77")["Farewell for now, our little [[pony|Town1-1]]."](set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent10-1'))<p>Princess Luna nods solemnly, (colour: "#373A77")["Customarily, meetings such as these take place within the dream itself. 'Tis usually a simple matter of banishing whatever phantoms plague the sleeper. Thy own demons however art not so easily dispelled. We find thy dreams… puzzling, to say the [[least|SleepEvent9-8]]."]<p>Princess Luna bursts into a laugh, (colour: "#373A77")["My, thou art a bold one indeed! 'Tis said that fortune favors the likes of thee. Perhaps another time, our visit might be more, as they say, 'fun'."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Nay, as steward of dreams and those that dwell within them, your restless state demands our presence. Thine own dreams are troubled in a manner that—to be perfectly candid—confounds [[us|SleepEvent9-8]]."]<p>A small smile graces Princess Luna's visage. It's a tiny thing, yet it lights up her entire face. (colour: "#373A77")["Yes, we can relate."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Shadows,"] she whispers, shaking her head slightly, (colour: "#373A77")["Such curious things to live under, are they not? In our experience, those that carry this burden have one of two choices: they may choose to collapse under its weight, or they come to realize that perhaps what, or rather, who they fear failing the most is themselves."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["We know not who or what ist the subject of thy fears, but if thou can forgiveth our impertinence, we suspect that they love thee all the same. We know we [[do|SleepEvent9-10 (Fear of disappointment)]]."]<p>A grimace flashes across Princess Luna's visage. Something about your answer visibly strikes a rather discordant chord with the otherwise unflappable alicorn. You can spy an uneasy frown start to form before she swiftly covers her mouth with a slippered hoof.
<p>A moment of silence, deafening in magnitude, passes before the Princess can recompose herself. She takes a deep breath and forces herself to relax, (colour: "#373A77")["Thy fears are not unfounded; ponies are social creatures afterall. To be on one's own, completely and utterly, 'tis a fate we wouldn't dare wish upon even Equestria's greatest enemies."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["We have only just begun the process of healing thine anguish. The journey to come will be undoubtedly trying. But perhaps we can alleviate thy woes, at least for a little while. This is a path you need not walk alone; we shall be with thee,"] the Princess offers her hoof, (colour: "#373A77")["every step of the way."]
[[Take her hoof|SleepEvent9-10 (Take her hoof)]]
[[Hesitate|SleepEvent9-10 (Hesitate)]]<p>Princess Luna laughs softly, (colour: "#373A77")["Nothing so grandiose we art afraid, though in our eyes, 'tis no less important."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Nay, as steward of dreams and those that dwell within them, your restless state demands our presence. Thine own dreams are troubled in a manner that—to be perfectly candid—confounds [[us|SleepEvent9-8]]."]<p>The Princess approaches, (colour: "#373A77")["Which ist why we have chosen this place to meet, before thy nightmares can come to pass. In order to help thee, we have need to delve-"] she points a hoof at a spot in-between your eyes, (colour: "#373A77")["-here."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["We've tread thy dreams many a night prior, though we have refrained from intervening directly as of yet. Many and myriad art the visions that haunt thee; thusly, we have had some difficulty determining thy worriment. It pains us to admit, but it appears our skill in the deductive arts have proven inadequate."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["So tell thy Princess: truthfully, what vexes thee?"]
[[Fear of rejection|SleepEvent9-9 (Fear of rejection)]]
[[Fear of disappointment|SleepEvent9-9 (Fear of disappointment)]]
[[Fear of being alone|SleepEvent9-9 (Fear of being alone)]]
[[Fear of failure|SleepEvent9-9 (Fear of failure)]]
[[Fear of her|SleepEvent9-9 (Fear of her)]]
[[Evasive answer|SleepEvent9-9 (Evasive answer)]]<p>...
<p>......
<p>You awaken to find yourself in fields most green. Everywhere you look, an endless sea of chest-high grass stretches as far as the eye can see, interspersed by the odd copse of trees here and there. Their leaves shake and shiver as a gentle wind sends great waves rolling through the fields, though you feel no such wind on your face.
<p>Instead of a chill, the wind carries with it the imposing voice of the Princess of the Night, (colour: "#373A77")["We took the liberty of lending thy dreamscape a more soothing disposition, before any nightmares could take shape. Doth thou find this view agreeable?"]
[[Yes|SleepEvent10-2 (Yes)]]
[[No|SleepEvent10-2 (No)]]//Note: Upcoming choice determines how many fails player is allowed.//
<p>Ribbons of auroral light descend from the sky and part the grass in front of you as an unseen form steadily materializes, like sand filling the bottom half of an hourglass. A particularly polite gust of wind prompts every other plant in sight to bow before the appearance of one Princess Luna. She brings with her a beaming smile.
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["We art glad to hear it. We ourselves are no strangers to this view. There is a calm here that is sorely lacking in the waking world."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Now, onto the matter at hoof. We know better than most how tiresome night after night of endless questioning can be, so we wonder if perhaps thou would instead like to partake in a friendly [[competition|SleepEvent10-3]]."]//Note: If charm is high enough, detect sarcasm?//
//Note: Upcoming choice determines how many fails player is allowed.//
<p>With head bowed in repentance, Princess Luna materializes in the air before you in a manner not unlike how somepony might step through a waterfall, (colour: "#373A77")["We apologize for our transgression. We meant no disrespect."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["If thou can find it within thy heart to forgive us, mayhaps we can both repose with a night of leisure? Our favorite pastime, [[perhaps|SleepEvent10-3]]?"]<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Indeed? Thou must tell us where we can find a chess field to practice upon. We've not come across a single one since our return; a shortage that, to be quite frank, entirely baffles us. In our time, 'tis said that one could not tread a hundred paces without setting hoof upon a square of ebony or ivory, such were their ubiquity."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["'Tis a sobering notion: that our favored game hath fallen so by the wayside in Equestria's collective consciousness."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["But we digress; the lack of a suitable chess field ist hardly a limitation here."]
[[Chess field?|SleepEvent10-5]]<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Excellent!"] the Princess cries out, practically prancing in place, (colour: "#373A77")["We shall be on equal footing then, for we art terribly rusty indeed. Between our royal duties and the great shortage of chess fields that hast befallen Equestria, we have had little opportunity to practice. None whatsoever, truth be told."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Fortunately for us, the lack of a suitable chess field ist hardly a limitation here."]
[[Chess field?|SleepEvent10-5]]<p>Princess Luna laughs good-naturedly, (colour: "#373A77")["Forsooth!? We shall take care not to attract the ire of such villainous youth come our next visit to grand Manehattan. A child's wit is a sharp thing indeed."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["As for a match between the two of us, thou may rest assured that our skill only just barely breaches the threshold into lordemaster territory."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["It has been so long since we've had a chance to play, we art beside ourselves with anticipation! Let us tary no longer! A moment please, as we conjure forth a suitable chess field to play upon, posthaste!"]
[[Chess field?|SleepEvent10-5]]<p>Princess Luna disappears behind a curtain of shimmering air before you can ask what exactly a 'chess field' is and why it's necessary. She leaves naught but the rustling of a windswept prairie in her wake.
<p>She doesn't give you a whole lot of time to contemplate your newfound solace. It's a subtle thing at first: the shifting of the world and the lands therein. The tall grass begins to slowly recede back into the earth, as if looking upon years of growth being not only undone, but reversed in mere moments. They never stop waving at you all the way down.
<p>With the plains stripped bare to reveal the topsoil underneath, even more drastic changes become apparent. The ground shifts and roils, rising in some places to form gently sloping hills or splitting apart elsewhere only to fill with flowing water. Entire old growth forests sprout forth, newborn rivers carve out the widest of valleys and grandest of canyons, even stately castles are raised brick by brick and just as quickly fall to [[ruin|SleepEvent10-6]].(if: (history:) contains "Cottage2-1")[<p>For want of knowing any other ponies that could be of help, you show him the large egg you found in the Everfree Forest.
<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["Aye, that'd make a mighty fine Benedict. What? Not what you had in mind? I suppose Fluttershy could tell you more. Seek the southern bridge and follow the road along the river, it'll take you to her (link: "place")[(go-to: "CheckTime1-1")]]."(set: $cottage to it + (a: 'Cottage2-4'))](else:)[<p>For want of knowing any other ponies that could be of help, you show him the large egg you found in the Everfree Forest.
<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["Aye, that'd make a mighty fine Benedict. What? Not what you had in mind? I suppose Fluttershy could tell you more. Seek the southern bridge and follow the road along the river, it'll take you to her place."]
<b>You can now visit Fluttershy's [[cottage|CheckTime1-1]].</b>(set: $cottage to it + (a: 'Cottage1-1','Cottage2-1'))]<p>You've only just arrived! Give the townsfolk some time to form an opinion of [[you|Inn1-1]].<p>You dutifully inform the proprietor that a wagon full of apples awaits him outside.
<p><p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["Aye, thanks. I'll have my boys offload the share I'm owed. Just joshing yah, I don't got any boys. If I had boys, I could finally die, knowing the missus wouldn't get the inn. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a back to throw [[out|Inn1-1]]."](set: $deliverApplesInn to 0)(set: $farmToTable to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["Princess Twilight and her friends might not actually bear the Elements of Harmony themselves anymore, but everypony still calls 'em the Elements regardless. It's a catchy little team name you gotta admit, and more to the point, they won't ever stop embodying what them Elements stood for, fancy stones or [[not|Inn1-1]]."]<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["I might not look it, but I used to be an artist myself you know. I ain't saying my stuff hangs in museums or some such, but you've might've seen my work here and there. Oh, don't be getting too worried now, I know there ain't nothing more dull than listening to some old coot prattling on about the good ol' days. I try not to wear that part of my past on my [[sleeve|Inn1-1]]."]<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["You ever find it weird how we use 'pony' for most phrases and 'person' for others? Take 'in person' for instance. 'In pony' just doesn't sound all that good for some reason. I suppose 'person' can be more inclusive, in case we were in the company of a zebra or griffon or some [[such|Inn1-1]]."]<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["Feel free to pick any King's Bane you see in the garden. Blasted stuff is choking out my vegetable patch, might as well be a weed the way it grows so quickly. The missus convinced me to plant a few seedlings a decade or so ago. Didn't get to make use of it nearly as often as I would've hoped if you catch my meaning."]
[[Alright|Inn1-1]]
[[King's Bane?|ProprietorAdvice4-2 (King's Bane?)]]<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["Rumor has it that Princess Twilight had a secret vault built in her castle. Ask her or any of her friends and they'll deny such a thing exists obviously. Of course, that doesn't stop folks from imagining what might be inside. Rare spellbooks, magical artefacts, cursed pirate gold; ask fifty ponies what could be in there and you'll get fifty different answers. Only thing everypony seems to agree on is whatever's in there must be damned valuable to the Princess, assuming it's real in the first [[place|Inn1-1]]."]<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["When I opened this inn, I had to spend most of my savings bringing the ol' girl up to code. This was a whiles before Ponyville had a resident princess mind you, so paying customers were few and far between. Some days, could've sworn I'd be sleeping on the street come sundown."]
<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["One rainy day, this big, mean looking stallion comes up to me, drops a big ol' bag of bits in front of my face, and tells me it could all be mine. And all I had to do was refuse the next pony that came through my door. He leaves and I put the bag aside, wondering what in Tarturus just transpired. Not long after, a mare, soaked to the bones, stumbles her way through my doorway. Throws her hood back, and I'm staring into the deepest baby-blues I've ever done seen. Sweet thing says she's far from home. Asks for a warm room and a dry place to rest her [[hooves|ProprietorAdvice6-2]]."]<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["Heard you ran into Pinkie Pie the other day. Always good for a laugh, that one, but hard to rely on in a [[pinch|Inn1-1]]."]<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["So, finally had the pleasure of getting acquainted with the beautiful Miss Rarity, eh? Classiest mare this side of Canterlot, I tell you that [[much|Inn1-1]]."]<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["Well well well, look who managed to wrangle a private audience with our very own Princess Twilight. I suppose an ivory tower of your very own ain't too far off now either. Ah hem, be sure you put in a good word for your oh so generous proprietor, eh? [[Eh|Inn1-1]]?"]<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["The eldest seed of the Apple family came by earlier today on his usual rounds. Told me you had a run-in with his sister. She's a strong mare, that Applejack, in every which-way you can interpret the [[word|Inn1-1]]."]<p><i>...Dragons and Phoenixes are natural compatriots. For as long as spark have flown or embers burned, creatures of fire have flocked together. That is not to say that the two races have never quarreled; nothing could be further from the truth. It is only to be expected for beings of such eminence to bear very strong, often opposing, opinions regarding certain things, as only good friends can…</i>
<p>You manage to transcribe (text: $pagenumber) [[pages|Payment1-1]].//Note: Increasing 'smart' stat increases number of pages transcribed.//
<p>It doesn't take long for you to get your fill of musty, old books. You grab hold of the (text: $pagenumber) pages you managed to transcribe and take off in search of Spike.
<p>You find Spike leaning against a wall in the main hallway, his snout buried in a Power Ponies comic. He hardly looks up as you hoof over your completed pages. He nestles the comic book in his armpit and leafs through your work, raising an eyebrow every now and then, but ultimately says nothing.
<p>(colour: "#6DCE4E")["I see (text: $pagenumber) pages. It's fifteen per page, so I owe you (text: $pagenumber * 15) bits. Not bad. Most ponies don't get far enough to see a single bit."]
<p>He deposits (text: $pagenumber * 15) bits into your open [[saddlebag|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $bits to it + ($pagenumber * 15))(set: $time to it + 1)<p><i>...Time is very much like water: it has a marvelous habit of draining away when you want it to last, while too much of the stuff can make every passing moment feel like nothing less than pure agony...</i>
<p>You manage to transcribe (text: $pagenumber) [[pages|Payment1-1]].<p><i>...It is said that a Blood Diamond is borne from the earth's womb whenever tragedy and suffering in the world outweighs all that is good and pure. Despite its name, these exceedingly rare gems start off just as clear as their less infamous counter-parts. Only after consuming a great deal of blood do they acquire their legendary crimson hue...</i>
<p>You manage to transcribe (text: $pagenumber) [[pages|Payment1-1]].<p><i>...Magic IS friendship. When a unicorn moves a Stone, what do you think is happening? Do you suppose it is through the unicorn's own power that the Stone ascends? Nay, in that simple act, a promise is made: "you move, but not without good reason". What possible reason might a Stone possess to be persuaded to fly about by its own volition? You might be surprised to learn that perhaps stones and ponies are not all that dissimilar...</i>
<p>You manage to transcribe (text: $pagenumber) [[pages|Payment1-1]].<p><i>...SEARCH FOR MISSING AIRSHIP CALLED OFF
<p>A year-long search for Princess Celestia's new airship to be, Her Radiance, finally ends a mere three days from the anniversary of its mysterious disappearance.
<p>The airship departed from its Baltimare-based dockyard in the Summer of last year, to be christened by the Princess in Canterlot. When it failed to report at pegasus waystations en route, authorities declared it missing, launching massive search efforts.
<p>Officials believe the airship was lost over a particularly turbulent stretch of air above the Everfree Forest. Her Radiance's disappearance takes with it the skeleton crew of thirty-seven that operated the ship on its maiden, and fateful, voyage...</i>
<p>You manage to transcribe (text: $pagenumber) [[pages|Payment1-1]].<p>As you turn a blind corner, a mass of pink fluff slams into your chest and sends you tumbling to the ground. You land on your hindquarters with a hard `*`thud`*`, stars dancing about in your vision. You shake your head and blink the stars away, only to find a pink mare with cotton candy for a mane staring at you, genuine concern etched onto her [[face|Explore1-2]].<p>You happily reciprocate Pinkie Pie's gleeful demeanor, taking her hoof and spinning her about in a sudden, impromptu dance number. You effortlessly transition into her song, turning it into a duet and even managing to surprise Pinkie with your exuberance. You answer her question in song as well, introducing yourself and giving her your name in a big, showy finale.
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["Hehe, (text: $name) huh? You're the funnest thing to happen to me all day, and I've been having one doozy of a fun day so far!"] Pinkie says, giggling all the while, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Oh I just can't wait to introduce you to all my friends! Just wait 'till you meet Applejack! And Fluttershy! And Rainbow Dash! And Rarity! And [[Twi|Explore1-7]]-"]<p>You patiently wait for Pinkie Pie to finish her song. She concludes her musical number by crouching down and thrusting her head toward you like a filly about to receive a Hearth's Warming present.
<p>You step back and take one of Pinkie's hooves in your own. After introducing yourself eloquently, making sure to use a generous amount of purple prose and Prench phrases for good measure, you bow down and gingerly plant a dainty kiss on the pastern of her pink-furred hoof.
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["OOooo, faaaaaancy. Well howdy doody (if: $sex is "male")[Mr.](else:)[Ms.] (text: $name)! Now, don't get excited or nothing, but I know a certain pony that would absolutely adore you! Her name's Rarity and I'm sure that the two of you are gonna get along like milk and chocolate! Not that I'm saying nopony else in town will like you; Ponyville is pretty much the nicest, most fullest of kindest ponies in all of the whole entire universe! Come on! Let's go see Rarity now, she's probably at [[Twi|Explore1-7]]-"]<p>Oh great. Of all the ponies in town, you just had to bump into the annoying one. You sigh heavily, adopting a plainly irritated expression on your face. You try turning tail and heading elsewhere to perhaps find some more level-headed company, but Pinkie blocks you at every move, almost impossibly at times.
<p>Continuing around the corner, she follows doggedly, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Hey! You forgot to tell me your name!"] Sprinting through a nearby alleyway, she pops out from a casement window, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to get away from some hideous creature!"] Following a path through the park, she springs up from an adjacent bush, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Making new friends is like a walk in the park! Am I right, or am I <i>[[right|Explore1-6 (Make yourself scarce)]]</i>?!"]<p>Pinkie must've knocked you senseless for you to have only just realized how cute she is. In fact, just 'cute' might be a major understatement, as your vision gradually returns and her more curvaceous assets become apparent.
<p>Even though Pinkie is facing you, you can still spy her generous hindquarters spilling out from her sides. Like a big stuffed animal, there is not a hint of sharpness or edge to her form. Her soft body, flowing mane, and fluffy tail all come together to form an incredibly innocent, yet alluring pony. You would like nothing more at this very moment than to take this mare to the nearest alley, dive into that irresistibly inviting mane, and rut her for the rest of the day and a better part of the [[night|Explore1-6 (Flirt with her)]].<p>Pinkie visibly deflates, her ears flopping down limply against her head and her eyes growing wide as dinner plates. (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Omigosh, I almost forgot! I need to go to the castle, but I also really want to show you the rest of Ponyville!"]
<p>She rapidly turns her head towards the Castle of Friendship in the distance, then you, then back to the castle repeatedly. She frowns, obviously mulling over a very serious decision in her head.
<p>Finally she says, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["I'm sorry, but I really have to go. Tell you what though, come by Sugarcube Corner later and I'll give you the perfect Pinkamena Diane Pie welcome that you deserve! Just look for the yummy-looking building with a gingerbread roof and cupcake top, you can't miss it!"] She laughs coyly.
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["Hopefully we can 'bump' into each other again. But maybe not as hard next time. See you later alligator!"]
<b>You can now visit Sugarcube [[Corner|CheckTime1-1]]!</b>(if: (history:) contains "Explore1-1" and (history:) contains "Explore2-1")[(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore13-1'))](if: (history:) contains "Explore3-1" and "Explore6-1")[(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore20-1'))](set: $advice to it + (a: 'ProprietorAdvice7-1'))(set: $sugarcubeCorner to it + (a: 'Bakery3-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $newInTown to it + 1)(set: $explore to it - (a: 'Explore1-1'))(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore23-1','Explore31-1'))//Note: Alternate introduction or action will possibly be written for players with high starting speed.//
<p>You decide to do a bit of window shopping, visiting a few of Ponyville's shops and businesses. Variety is surprisingly diverse, given the town's relatively modest size. Like any other rural community, the general and hardware stores serve as Ponyville's economic backbone, whilst sprinkled around are also the more atypical jewelry store, joke shop, and bowling alley—just to name a few.
<p>After perusing a positively electrifying establishment that dealt exclusively in quills and sofas, you step back outside before the shopkeeper could further tempt you with lurid thoughts of late night penning sessions atop phoenix feather-stuffed [[loveseats|Explore2-2]].<p>As you ponder what store to hit next, a sudden burst of motion in the skies above catches your attention. You squint your eyes and manage to make out a cyan pegasus streaking across the wild blue yonder, fast enough to leave wispy contrails in her wake. You watch as she performs daring acts of aerial acrobatics, from barrel rolls, to loop-de-loop-de-loops, and everything in between. For what seems to be the pegasus's grand finale, she climbs higher and higher in the sky as if trying to straddle the sun itself, before folding her wings against her body and tumbling back over into a death-defying dive.
<p>The thought of the mare crashing into the ground fills you with…
[[...alarm.|Explore2-3 (...alarm.)]]
[[...glee.|Explore2-3 (...glee.)]]
[[...indifference.|Explore2-3 (...indifference.)]]<p>Relief washes over you immediately, easing all the coiled tension left in your limbs. While Rainbow Dash might not have been in any real danger, her apparent brush with it felt real enough to you just then. Adrenaline surged into your veins all the same, pushing you beyond your normal limits as you raced to her aid, unnecessary as it was.
<p>You feel like jumping with joy and embracing Rainbow Dash in earnest appreciation of the precious, fragile little thing that is life. You certainly would at least, if it weren't for the invisible anchors that had suddenly moored themselves to your limbs. Even the simple act of telling Rainbow your name is a labored, arduous ordeal, as if your lungs had decided that such use of valuable air was a frivolous [[waste|Explore2-9 (Express relief that she's okay)]].<p>Well oh well, seems you've just met somepony of import, and a celebrity at that. Regardless, you couldn't possibly introduce yourself to a pauper in your current state, much less a member of the illustrious Wonderbolts.
<p>You take a moment to compose yourself, closing your eyes and taking long, measured breaths to calm your rapidly pumping heart. In no time at all, any indications of your harried race are gone without a trace and you're looking presentable enough to attend the Grand Galloping Gala at a moment's notice, if you may say so [[yourself|Explore2-9 (Maintain a dignified air)]].<p>Clearly, humility isn't one of this mare's strong suits. You stare at Rainbow in stark disbelief for a good minute or two, completely blown away at how a pony can be <i>this</i> lacking in self-awareness. You tersely give her your name, which is quickly followed by a not-so-friendly reminder to the ungrateful pegasus that you ran your ass off to get here.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Yeah I can tell, dude. You're breathing harder than a mare in heat. Drenched like one too,"] Rainbow says, pausing to chuckle at her own [[joke|Explore2-9 (Be rightfully irate)]].<p>Everything about Dash screams an unspoken refusal to accept anything less than first place. As expected of a professional flyer, her very body seems built for speed at every other expense.
<p>She is possessed of an athlete's physique, no doubt sculpted through years of intense exercise. Hardly a trace of fat mars her outline, that lithe body wrought solely of taut, sinewy muscle.
<p>Unfortunately for her, that biological predisposition for carving through wind and cloud had somewhat cheated her of stature. She was subtly but still noticeably smaller than most ponies, a little factoid you take an almost perverse pleasure in. You can't help but love the way Rainbow Dash has to tilt her head slightly upwards to look you in the eyes with that cocksure attitude of [[hers|Explore2-9 (Openly admire her body)]].<p>With nothing left to say, a lull settles between the two of you. You find yourself being drawn past Rainbow Dash's deep magenta eyes. An unflinching confidence blazes behind them, fueled by the tenacious spirit that very visibly dwells within her.
<p>But beneath it all, you glimpse something that manages to surprise you: a flash of vulnerability, or perhaps a longing for something more tangible than simply breaking records; you can't say for sure exactly, only that Dash has reason to keep it hidden away and out of view.
<p>Rainbow takes notice of your staring and furrows her brow in response. She blinks, and just like that, it's gone, leaving you to wonder whether you really saw anything at [[all|Explore2-11]].<p>You lie beneath the shade of a particularly old and imposing apple tree that stands atop a tall hill on the outskirts of Ponyville. The hill itself overlooks a portion of the river that cuts through town, lending the soothing sound of softly rushing water to the surrounding soundscape.
<p>The view is nothing short of breathtaking. Cottony clouds hang high in the bright blue sky, swept along gently by the slightest of breezes that caresses the cheek and tempers the midday heat.
<p>The town below is abuzz with activity as per usual, but the real spectacle is the vast swathes of farmland and orchardery overflowing with all manner of vibrant produce. One such field is covered with countless carrot tops peeking out from the ground, as if an enormous parade of green-haired, orange soldiers were frozen mid-march. Another hill plays host to row upon row of grapevines overladen with the plump, purple orbs. And of course, the trees around you bristle with apples; most red, some green, each and every one as perfect as can be. Everywhere you look, you can see the fruits of a bountiful Ponyville harvest paint the land in the warm shades of [[summer|Explore3-2]].<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["That's mighty neighborly of ya'. Thank ya' [[kindly|Explore3-4]]."]<p>The mare trots over to join you underneath the tree. She opts to remain standing however, allowing you the opportunity to examine her body in its entirety.
<p>Though she is built more heavily than most mares you've met, subtle feminine curves still grace her well-toned legs and muscled flanks. Indistinct grime covers parts of her coat, evidence of a heavy workload only just recently completed. Between the splotches of dirt and dust is some of the most lustrous orange fur you've ever laid eyes upon; fur that actually seems to glow like polished amber in the light of day.
<p>Bits of leaves and twigs are strewn throughout her blonde, flowing locks. That plant matter doesn't look too out of place, all things considered; her mane and tail are incredibly reminiscent of soft hay, or perhaps bushels of golden wheat. Two red ribbons tie together her mane and tail to form practical ponytails, further contributing to the aforementioned bushel imagery. Her rustic charm, combined with that weathered cowboy hat, lends an unconventional, but undeniable beauty to the [[mare|Explore3-5]].<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Well that's too bad, seeing as how my family owns this here apple orchard. As a matter-a-factly, I got half a mind to kick you outta here for trespassin'. Lucky for you I happen to be in such a forgivin' [[mood|Explore3-4]]."]<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Thought as much. You must be the feller everypony's been getting riled up about. Always nice to see a new face in Ponyville; the more the merrier I always say. Name's Applejack by the by, but you can call me A.J. if that's more to your likin'. Doesn't make a lick of difference to me, but heck I guess it saves folks a second or two. So, what's your name and what brings you here, if ya' don't mind me nosin'?"]
[[Greet her with cheer|Explore3-7 (Greet her with cheer)]]
[[Flaunt your sophistication|Explore3-7 (Flaunt your sophistication)]]
[[Brush her off|Explore3-7 (Brush her off)]]
[[Leer at her lecherously|Explore3-7 (Leer at her lecherously)]]<p>You practically leap up off the ground in your excitement and dance a merry little jig around the base of the tree. You don't though, 'cause that'd be weird. Really weird.
<p>Instead, you leap up off the ground in your excitement and dance a merry little <i>tango</i> around the base of the tree. Much more appropriate. Your dance is capped off by your name, along with the offering of an outstretched hoof to the country pony.
<p>Evidently unamused by your frolicsome outburst, Applejack regards your hoof with a wary look about her face. Out of politeness, she does eventually extend a hoof of her own to shake yours, though she doesn't look happy to do so. (colour: "#FDC363")["Hmm, I suppose you ain't all bad. I take it you didn't trespass in this here orchard on purpose anywho, so there's [[that|Explore3-8]]."]<p>Though the pony before you is clearly not of genteel upbringing, you reason that she is no less deserving of a good and proper greeting. You even feel the nascent desire to give her a taste of just how refined you can really be, starting off with an introduction worthy of a meeting with an elite Manehattanite.
<p>You get up carefully to ensure no dirt or grass clings to your coat, before turning to face Applejack–who is watching with bemused interest at this point–and giving the farmpony your full name and all accompanying titles, followed by a brief history of your family lineage, (if: $sex is "male")[a dashing bow](else:)[an elegant curtsy], and the fact that the pleasure is indeed [[yours|Explore3-8 (Flaunt your sophistication)]].<p>What were you thinking, hoping to get some peace and quiet after hiking all the way out here? Celestia forbid you have even a little 'you' time to be alone with your thoughts. Of course that wasn't going to happen. Fate itself probably ordained for some local yokel to show up out of nowhere like an untimely rash and practically parade herself around like she owned the place. If you wanted inane small talk, you would've stayed in town and let the proprietor bore your socks [[off|Explore3-8 (Brush her off)]].<p>You estimate Applejack to be no more than a year or two older than yourself. Despite that, you are undeniably looking at a mare in her absolute prime. If there ever were such a thing as the perfect mare, then Applejack most certainly inherited her physique.
<p>Her contours are graced by an almost impossibly ideal balance of soft flesh and firm muscle, leaving aesthetic lines to run across her toned legs and flanks. Every inch of that gorgeous body, from those full-bodied lips to that picture perfect apple-bottom, demands [[worship|Explore3-8 (Leer at her lecherously)]].<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Lemme give you a piece of a'vice: towns like Ponyville, folks all on their lonesome tend not to get by so easy. Don't mean nothing by it, simple truth s'all. Neighbor comes by to borrow a wagon? We don't think twice 'bout lending away. Heck, I'd lend a hoof to help haul whatever it is that needs hauling."]
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["But that sort of generosity ain't a given. Nah, you gotta earn it. And from what I've seen so far, you've got a ways to go before you do. Learning some manners oughta be a good start. Lemme show yah what I mean."]
<p>Applejack adjusts her footing and bucks Bark Woodberg with a single hindleg. Despite the apparent lack of exertion on her part, the enormous tree still shakes violently from the impact. (colour: "#FDC363")["Here, help yourself to one of Sweet Apple Acre's finest. You can munch on it on your way out."] Your befuddlement is swiftly banished when a small object bonks you atop the head. A shiny, red apple bounces off and rolls into your [[lap|Explore3-9]].<p>No matter where you are in town, the Castle of Friendship is ever present. It rises above and breaks Ponyville's otherwise uniform skyline, as out-of-place an addition to the quaint, rustic surroundings as an elephant in a herd of zebra.
<p>Despite its gaudiness, it does contribute a certain mystique to the valley, its crystalline surface sending rainbows dancing across the many pastures and orchards that dot the landscape when the sun hits it just right. Regardless of your feelings, you make your way to the personal abode of the Princess Twilight and ready yourself for an encounter with [[royalty|Explore4-1 (Entrance)]].<p>You heed the sign's message, walking up to the indicated doorway. Upon approach, the shouting becomes slightly louder, slightly more boisterous. You open the doors and find yourself at the tail end of a vast horde of ponies, all of which are heatedly hurling a variety of colorful complaints at a granite reception desk manned by a single secretary, a purple unicorn. There is no line to speak of, nor any semblance of order for that matter. The noise is deafening. Every pony in this sizable room is shouting at the top of their lungs, each trying to be heard over the ear-splitting din of the crowd, though in actuality only contributing to it. You butt your way through, ignoring the occasional sharp look and indignant cry, until you reach the desk.
<p>Upon closer inspection, the purple mare behind the desk is not the Princess, as evidenced by her lack of alicorn wings. She has clearly been at this for quite a while, her violet fur matted and sweat-stained. A single aquamarine steak runs through her disheveled indigo mane and tail. On her flank is an eight-pointed star with two turquoise ribbons spiraling [[upward|Explore4-3 (Nice Path)]].<p>She is trying her best to juggle several tasks at once, talking to whomever is currently yelling at her the loudest while also frantically sorting and filing away tall stacks of paper with magic. After a good while, she finally manages to somewhat placate the pegasus that had been monopolizing her attention, leaving her free to talk to you.
<p>(colour: "#EDBBF3")["If you're here to lodge a complaint, you're gonna have to take a number,"] she states flatly. (colour: "#EDBBF3")["Don't know if you noticed, but there's a pony or two still in front of you,"] the secretary gestures to the crowd screaming bloody murder at the back of your head, (colour: "#EDBBF3")["Sorry, but it's first come, first serve."]
[[Help me or not?|Explore4-4 (Nice Path)]]<p>Testy today, isn't she? A sentiment that you're sure to let her know.
<p>(colour: "#EDBBF3")["Yeah, standing in one spot long enough to turn your knees into jelly and getting shouted at until you can't hear yourself think straight might do that to you. Now, is there anything you actually need from me or are you just gonna stand there and block my desk? Because the last thing I need right now is a peanut gallery."]
[[Princess?|Explore4-5 (Nice Path)]]<p>(colour: "#EDBBF3")["Aces. My name's Starlight Glimmer by the way. Now, how good of an organizer are you?"] Before you can even open your mouth to reply, the agitated purple pony cuts you off, (colour: "#EDBBF3")["The answer is not a very good one, at least by her standards. Hey, don't give me that look! I'm no good either apparently. The only guy that's up to Twilight's snuff is a dragon that's basically spent his entire life in a library. Poor guy must've had a quill and parchment shoved into his claws the moment he hatched. Anywho, come on over to my side of the desk."]
<p>You follow Starlight's directions, stepping around and over to her. She motions for you to stand behind an adjacent desk that she had dedicated to magically filing away an enormous tower of important looking documents. Atop the desk are three semi-full trays, marked 'Civil,' 'State,' and 'Personal' respectively.
<p>(colour: "#EDBBF3")["This is the bulk of the mail that gets sent to Twilight. All you have to do is put the papers into the matching tray. Easy right? It darn well should be, I actually need to sort them down even further, but you doing this gets me a lot of the way there. I can leave that for later, but for now just concentrate on getting through this stack while I deal with my appointments. Alright, that should be it. Good luck and call me over if you have any questions. Try not to have any [[questions|Explore4-6 (Doc1)]]."]<p>(colour: "#EDBBF3")["Then why are you wasting my time? If you don't mind, I have work to do. Don't let the sign hit you on the way out."] And with that, the secretary turns away from you to address another pony. She's clearly unwilling to converse any further, so you have no choice but to turn around and backtrack your way through the sea of ponies.
<p>The roar of the crowd swiftly dies down as the doors shut behind you. Here you stand, back at square one in the main [[hallway|Explore4-3]].//Note: No wrong choices yet.//
Proposition to install one-hundred and forty-five helium canisters throughout Ponyville in case of emergency balloon inflating.
[[Civil tray|Explore4-6 (Doc2)]]
[[State tray|Explore4-6 (Doc2)]]
[[Personal tray|Explore4-6 (Doc2)]](806) Love letters from admirers, fans and suitors from every corner of Equestria.
[[Civil tray|Explore4-6 (Doc3)]]
[[State tray|Explore4-6 (Doc3)]]
[[Personal tray|Explore4-6 (Doc3)]](27) Marriage proposals from various princes and a few princesses of neighboring nations.
[[Civil tray|Explore4-6 (Doc4)]]
[[State tray|Explore4-6 (Doc4)]]
[[Personal tray|Explore4-6 (Doc4)]](4) Declarations of war from the Diamond Dog Clans.
[[Civil tray|Explore4-6 (Doc5)]]
[[State tray|Explore4-6 (Doc5)]]
[[Personal tray|Explore4-6 (Doc5)]](5) Appeals for armistice from the Diamond Dog Clans.
[[Civil tray|Explore4-6 (Doc6)]]
[[State tray|Explore4-6 (Doc6)]]
[[Personal tray|Explore4-6 (Doc6)]]Expiration notice from 'The Prancing Pen' magazine.
[[Civil tray|Explore4-6 (Doc7)]]
[[State tray|Explore4-6 (Doc7)]]
[[Personal tray|Explore4-6 (Doc7)]]Voucher for a three night stay at the Grand Palomino Resort and Casino in Las Pegasus, royal suite package.
[[Civil tray|Explore4-6 (Doc8)]]
[[State tray|Explore4-6 (Doc8)]]
[[Personal tray|Explore4-6 (Doc8)]]Letter from Shining Armor, Prince-regent of the Crystal Empire, Captain of the Royal Guard, B.B.B.F.F.; advisory warning of potential changeling spies.
[[Civil tray|Explore4-6 (Doc9)]]
[[State tray|Explore4-6 (Doc9)]]
[[Personal tray|Explore4-6 (Doc9)]]Invitation to attend the upcoming Running of the Leaves race as a guest of honor.
[[Civil tray|Explore4-8 (Nice Path)]]
[[State tray|Explore4-8 (Nice Path)]]
[[Personal tray|Explore4-8 (Nice Path)]]<p>It seems all the interesting documents had decided to congregate atop the pile and you're soon left to sift through a mountain of mind-numbingly tedious, legal jargon dense paperwork. You slump your shoulders and sigh, before settling in for a long workday. You already regret not asking Starlight for a chair or [[something|Explore4-9 (Nice Path)]].<p>There is no sign in Equestria with enough authority to command a (if: $secret is "spy")[changeling](else:)[pony] such as yourself, especially one so crudely constructed, with its irregular planks and rusted nails. Why, this sorry piece of lumber hardly even looks befitting of its spectacularly ornate surroundings. You nimbly sidestep the sign, giving the tiresome thing a not-so-gentle slap of your tail as you pass by.
<p>Just before you can start down the rest of the corridor, something exceedingly hard and flat smacks your backside with enough force to leave your rump throbbing red. You let out a pained yelp, the sudden, unexpected spank sending you jumping. You swing around, expecting to find some mischievous pony, only to see an empty hallway.
<p>What's more, the wooden sign has disappeared! Before you can even scratch your head or rub your bruised flank, you swivel around one last time to find the wooden sign blocking your path forward, this time with an angry face painted on its surface. A magical aura the color of ripe raspberries engulfs your animate obstacle. It seems this sign had been imbued with life through some mystical enchantment! You determine that battling the sign is the only way to progress further into the castle.
{(link: "You are battling an enchanted wooden sign!")[
(set: $ehp to 15)
(set: $emhp to 15)
(set: $ename to "Enchanted Wooden Sign")
(set: $espd to 4)
(set: $turn to "you")
(set: $log to "you")
(set: $eatktemp to (datanames: $enchantedWoodenSignAttacks))
(set: $eatkname to (either: ...$eatktemp))
(set: $eatk to $enchantedWoodenSignAttacks's ($eatkname))
(set: $combatwin to "Explore4-4 (Naughty Path)")
(set: $combatlose to "Explore4-4 (Lose)")
(set: $runlocation to "Explore4-4 (Run)")
(go-to: "Combat")]}<p>The sign is battered and bruised, which is quite odd because it is a sign. It visibly trembles, as if struggling with all its remaining might to stay upright. A wide scowl stretches across its drawn visage, actual tears of black paint welling up in its eyes, before trickling down and staining the scarlet carpet below.
<p>You take a step forward. The sign manages to summon one final burst of energy, turning tail and hopping down the corridor on its post with surprising speed. Before you could even react, the sign is out of view, leaving tiny dust clouds and a trail of black tears in its wake.
<p>You stride forward in triumphant victory over a piece of wood. Truly you are not a (if: $secret is "spy")[changeling](else:)[pony] to be trifled with. Still, you make sure to keep your wits about you. From this point on, you are undeniably trespassing within the domain of a royal princess. Who knows what malignant dangers could lurk within the Castle of Friendship? Who knows what manner of traps and countermeasures the fabled Tree of Harmony itself has devised to keep out unwanted interlopers? You press on [[undaunted|Explore4-5 (Naughty Path)]].<p>Even with the aid of directions, making your way through the castle's labyrinthine network of passageways is no easy affair. But you persevere, duly following (if: $castlechoice is "starlight")[Starlight's instructions](else:)[the trail of teardrops] until your path at last comes to an end in a small, narrow offshoot of a corridor and you find yourself standing before yet another set of doors. Hopefully, an alicorn princess lies within, though given your luck, you'd wager a stash of cleaning supplies would be just as [[likely|Explore4-4]].<p>You open the door and enter what appears to be a modest study. In contrast to the sonorous blues and purples that dominate the rest of the castle, the crystalline walls here sport more earthen tones, lending a homey, almost organic quality to the book-lined space. Indeed, one wouldn't be remiss to think they've somehow wandered into a wayward log cabin at first glance.
<p>In the center of the room lies a circular table, upon which sits a tea set for two and an upright, open book with front and back covers facing you. Behind it, an unseen mare hums a pleasant hymn.
<p>You walk towards the table, a luxurious carpet of what must be Saddle Arabian-make inadvertently muffling your hoofsteps as you approach. As you round the table's edge, the reader is revealed to be none other than the Princess of Friendship herself, Twilight Sparkle. The purple alicorn pays you no heed even as you're standing right beside her, clearly far too absorbed in her reading to take notice of your [[presence|Explore4-5]].<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["Hmm, the lower end of an 'A'. Regrettable, but within my margin of [[error|Explore4-8]]."]<p>The Princess beams at your response. While she says nothing, the twinkle of delight in her eyes is [[unmistakable|Explore4-8]].<p>The Princess blushes at your answer and rolls her eyes: half playfully, half dismissively, (colour: "#D19FE4")["Oh stop, you flatterer [[you|Explore4-8]]."]<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["Goodness, where are my manners? Little miss Princess of Friendship here couldn't even be bothered to remember the basics of beginning a new friendship herself. Do you mind if we start over? Ahem."]
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["Hi, I'm Twilight Sparkle. What's your name?"]
[[Ask how her day has been|Explore4-9 (Ask how her day has been)]]
[[Greet her with all the proper ceremony|Explore4-9 (Greet her with all the proper ceremony)]]
[[Express dissatisfaction with her tenure|Explore4-9 (Express dissatisfaction with her tenure)]]
[[Try to seduce the Princess of Friendship|Explore4-9 (Try to seduce the Princess of Friendship)]]<p>Your tired, haggard hooves can bear to bear you no longer, and you find yourself unceremoniously plopping down beside Princess Twilight. You make sure not to let that weariness extend to your demeanor however; you cheerfully tell the Princess your name, before proceeding to ask how her day has been thus far.
<p>She looks at you with eyebrow cocked and head askew, incredulous that you could ask such a banal thing. A moment of unsure silence passes, the Princess patiently waiting on you to follow up your icebreaker with perhaps a more typical [[request|Explore4-10 (Ask how her day has been)]].<p>It seems your day of reckoning has arrived. You think back on all the years spent honing your skill in the art of decorum, countless hours wasted standing stock-still with books atop your head, and learning to discern between different varieties of the exact same spoon. All that has led up to this point; for most ponies, a moment that exists only in dreams as flight of fancy: one-on-one audience with royalty.
<p>Tradition dictates that you begin with a bow, and you are nothing if not beholden to tradition. Stepping back to make enough room, you gracefully kneel on one foreleg while extending forward the other, before lowering your head in [[deference|Explore4-10 (Greet her with all the proper ceremony)]].//Note: Alternate passage will be written for changeling players.//
<p>You've had your qualms with Princess Twilight for a while now. Given her popularity with the common folk, never did you imagine that you'd ever get to air out your grievances, and to the source no less.
<p>You don't hesitate to tear into her. Her politics, her history, her character; nothing is spared. In truth, it matters not what you're complaining about, only that you have a willing target; such is the vast breadth of your frustrations.
<p>For her part, Princess Twilight bears your diatribe with unflappable poise. Like navigating through a mine-ridden field, she expertly sidesteps your accusations, even offering polite rebuttals every now and [[then|Explore4-10 (Express dissatisfaction with her tenure)]].<p>Princess Twilight certainly possesses all the grace and beauty befitting a royal, but in accordance with what you know of her upbringing, such qualities don't stem from any regal sense per se.
<p>No, this particular princess draws her allure from something more opaque: something you can't readily put into words. A bookish charm? An unyielding innocence? A powerful undercurrent of sexuality? Yes, yes, and yes; all that and more.
<p>Contrast: you see that no single note defines the breadth of Princes Twilight's appeal. At one moment, she might bear all the awkward delightfulness of a cute, introverted bookworm. With a tilt of her head or a slight shift of her tail, she could just as easily radiate pure and absolute [[sensuality|Explore4-10 (Try to seduce the Princess of Friendship)]].<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["Oh, would you look at the time?"] As if on cue, a rift in space splits open above the table, from which a sundial on a balcony can be observed. Its gnomon casts a shadow long enough to fall off the base.
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["I'm afraid we'll have to pick up our conversation on another occasion,"] Princess Twilight says, allowing the rift to evaporate. (colour: "#D19FE4")["Working with Starlight certainly ate up a good chunk of time, didn't it? With luck, we can have tea again soon. Better if we did so earlier in the day though, wouldn't you agree?"]
<p>If nothing else, you can take a hint. You bid the Princess a fine adieu, before making for the exit. Judging by the way you're stumbling over your own hooves, you're either drunk on tea or exceedingly tired. Probably the [[latter|Explore4-11]].<p>Just as you finish outlining exactly how her handling of the Fillydelphia necromancer incident was an absolute trash fire of an affair, sudden realization very visibly strikes the Princess, (colour: "#D19FE4")["Wait a second, something about you seems awfully familiar. Can I check something really fast?"] A flash of raspberry light forces you to glance away. When you look back, an enormous textbook now floats above the table. It lands gently before Twilight, front cover flipping open and its many, many pages following thereafter.
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["No. No. No,"] the alicorn mutters in rapid succession as she leafs through the yellowed parchment. One page finally manages to arrest her attention. (colour: "#D19FE4")["Ah hah! I knew it! Your name wouldn't happen to be <i>(text: $name)</i>, would it?"]
[[Demand an explanation|Explore4-11 (Express dissatisfaction with her tenure)]]<p>Your wandering takes you to the southern edge of town, where the Everfree Forest lies just a stone's throw away. (if: $time is 1)[It's still quite early in the day; Celestia's body sits low in the distant horizon, having only just begun its slow trek across the sky.] You find yourself standing in the shadow of a baroque cylindrical building, draped in a myriad of colorful drapes and banners. What looks to be a ceremonial carousel forms the building's second story, complete with prancing pony statues round the balcony. A sign bearing an illustrated statue in a stylish pink dress hangs above the front door, betraying the building's identity as not only a home, but also a clothing shop.
<p>While you can hardly say you're in desperate need of a (if: $sex is "male")[suit](else:)[dress] at the moment, it may prove prudent to introduce yourself to Ponyville's resident tailor. With that in mind, you casually push the door open and pass on through. A dainty chime announces your entrance to the seemingly empty [[parlor|Explore5-2]].<p>You prance up to Rarity, taking one of her hooves in your own and giving it a vigorous shake. Your greeting is short but sweet, a perfect encapsulation of who you are as a pony in one concise message. Rarity only smiles and looks at you with genuine curiosity.
<p>She patiently waits for you to finish, laughing drolly before saying, (colour: "#9575E5")["Well aren't you a spirited one? And from the sounds of it, you've led quite the exciting life as well. I can't say I speak for all of Ponyville, but I am very happy you've made the move here. I can already tell you'll make for a wonderful addition to our quaint, little [[community|Explore5-7]]."]//Note: Mouse over info for prior link ("Cultured as Rarity is, she's still only the second most sophisticated pony in the room.").//
<p>As pleasant a town as Ponyville is, most of its inhabitants leave a lot to be desired in regards to high society. It's obvious that everything Rarity does and says exudes pure sophistication. You feel overjoyed to find another like-minded socialite like yourself in this cultural wasteland, somepony to revel with in the latest news, fashions, and trends of the haute monde. Still, you make sure to rein in your excitement, lest you overstep some esoteric piece of etiquette.
<p>You give Rarity as deep a (if: $sex is "male")[bow](else:)[curtsy] as you can manage, introducing yourself whilst also complimenting your host and her home. Rarity's ears perk up at cultured manner with which you conduct yourself, fresh interest glimmering in her [[eyes|Explore 5-7 (Reveal how sophisticated you can really be)]].<p>You don't know what you were expecting when you walked in here, but it certainly wasn't... her. One look at this dame is all you need to figure she's trouble. Even now, you can see her hungry, roving eyes running across your body not unlike how a hustler might size up a potential mark. If your surroundings are any indication of Rarity's character, then she must be one vain pony indeed. Every word that comes out of her mouth might as well be an unspoken cry for self-validation. How much time must she spend in front of a mirror, you wonder, constructing that ridiculously self-indulgent mane and tail of [[hers|Explore5-7 (Remain wary of her friendliness)]]?//Note: This is the player failing to pass a seduce check? Alternative passage for successful seduction?//
<p>You freeze up involuntarily, blood rushing to your face and... other parts of your body.
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Hmm? Are you alright dear? You look flushed."] Rarity sidles up to you, swaying her hips back and forth in a pendulum motion more mesmerizing than any pocket watch. A sensual undercurrent punctuates every move she makes, from the flutter of her lengthy lashes to the subtle flick of her lovely tail.
<p>You're good. Fine. Great even; at least that's what you try and tell her. You look away and chuckle nervelessly in an effort to act natural. Judging by the way Rarity is smiling at you, you're not succeeding. She circles you like a hungry predator cutting off any avenue of escape, the tip of her tail just barely grazing the top of your muzzle as she passes by (absolutely inadvertently you're sure). This close, you're completely helpless as a plethora of exotic perfumes invade and overwhelm your olfactory senses, sending your head spinning with salacious [[desire|Explore5-7 (Get flustered by her beauty)]].<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Do feel free to stop by anytime, you'll find my doors are always open. And one last thing: Try not to worry too much about the gossiping now, most ponies can't help themselves and it's all in good fun. After all, I did say you were cuter in-person. Tata for now, darling!"]
<b>You can now visit Carousel [[Boutique|CheckTime1-1]]!</b>(set: $advice to it + (a: 'ProprietorAdvice8-1'))(set: $boutique to it + (a: 'Boutique1-1','Boutique2-1','Boutique3-1','Boutique4-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $newInTown to it + 1)(set: $explore to it - (a: 'Explore5-1'))(if: (history:) contains "Explore1-1" and (history:) contains "Explore5-1")[(set: $sugarcubeCorner to it + (a: 'Bakery6-1'))]<p>After spending a better part of the day absentmindedly strolling about town, you find yourself alone in Ponyville's town park. Save for yourself, the park looks to be absolutely deserted. You pause for a moment to relax and take it all in, resting your rump on a conveniently placed park bench. On a whim, you idly glance at the park's entrance and just barely manage to catch a glimpse of a small brown shape entering the park and coming down the path towards [[you|Explore6-2]].<p>You are utterly baffled as to what it could be at first, but as it nears, the shape gradually takes on the form of a tiny white rabbit dressed in equally tiny brown overcoat, with matching felt fedora. The rabbit calmly ambles up to you, utterly indifferent to your staring. As it's about to pass by, the rabbit stops, turns its head to face you, and brings a paw to its mouth in a shushing motion. Without skipping a beat, it walks off without even waiting for a response, eventually strolling off the path and disappearing into a thicket of shrubbery further down the trail.
<p>Odd, to say the least. You think to yourself that this surely won't lead to another kooky encounter with an offbeat townspony, even as you spot a yellow pegasus mare floating in the white rabbit's proverbial footsteps. She looks as though she is trying her best to remain out of sight, cautiously hopping from bush to bush, though only really managing to succeed in tangling up her lengthy pink mane. The only part of her that doesn't look completely out of place—as she peeks out from behind the narrow trunk of a tree—are the three pink and teal butterflies that comprise her cutie [[mark|Explore6-3]].<p>As you pause to inspect some merchandise on display in a shop window, the reflection in the glass reveals an adolescent dragon briskly power walking his way towards you. The green and purple reptile clutches an unfurled scroll between his claws, trying his best to maintain a delicate balance between walking and reading.
<p>An odd sight in any other town, but not here apparently. The denizens of Ponyville jovially greet him by (what you assume is) his name as they pass by:
(colour: "#9CE4F3")["Hiya Spike!"]
(colour: "#AC4389")["Spike! I made your favorite: bejeweled banana bread!"]
(colour: "#F3D36F")["Hey Spike! We still up for guys' night?"]
<p>Clearly in a rush, the flustered lizard firmly declines any and every offer of conversation as he steps up to meet you. He says nothing, merely sizing you up with the slitted irises of a young, but growing, apex predator. Unsure of what to do, you simply meet his silent stare with your [[own|Explore7-2]].<p>(colour: "#6DCE4E")["You interested in earning some extra bits? What am I saying? 'Course you are. Long story short, I'm offering you a job. Well, not me actually, Twilight asked for you. I guess you made an impression on her."]
<p>(colour: "#6DCE4E")["I got errands to run, so I can't stay and give you the deets, but stop by the castle sometime and we can take it from there. Or don't, not like you'd be ignoring a request from a princess or anything."]
<p>With that, Spike leaves you alone to ruminate on the thought.
<b>You can now visit the Castle of [[Friendship|CheckTime1-1]]!</b>(set: $friendshipCastle to it + (a: 'Castle1-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)<p>Spike sighs in response, (colour: "#6DCE4E")["Riiight. Look, I don't have time to do this whole song and dance, so if you happen to see (text: $name), do me a solid and tell 'them' that Princess Twilight has a job offer for 'them'. Come by the castle and I can fill 'them' in on the details."] With that, the dragon turns around and jogs off without so much as a second glance.
<b>You can now visit the Castle of [[Friendship|CheckTime1-1]]!</b>(set: $friendshipCastle to it + (a: 'Castle1-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#6DCE4E")["Your mother's butt, who do you think? Twilight mentioned something about your attitude. Yeah, it's you alright. You should be grateful. She's doing you a favor."]
<p>(colour: "#6DCE4E")["If you stop by the castle again, there's a job offer in it for you. Don't get too excited, you're not gonna be spying on King Minos or anything like that. It'll be boring as all hay, but it's steady, and the pay's good. Honestly, I couldn't care less whether you come or not, but Twilight asked for you personally. Chew on that for a while."]
<p>The dragon turns to depart. Just as he's about to walk out of earshot, he shouts out, (colour: "#6DCE4E")["And leave your attitude at the door. You're gonna make the rest of us look bad."]
<b>You can now visit the Castle of [[Friendship|CheckTime1-1]]!</b>(set: $friendshipCastle to it + (a: 'Castle1-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)<p>The town seems eerily silent today. Perhaps everypony is at a party elsewhere? You spend the rest of the afternoon sulking about and pondering why you weren't invited to this hypothetical celebration you just imagined up and in all likelihood doesn't [[exist|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore8-1'))<p>You wave hello to a passing farmpony. He quietly tips his head in [[response|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore9-1'))<p>You attend a public lecture being held by a local scholar. You don't understand every little thing she has to say, but enough to glean the occasional nugget of wisdom here and [[there|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $smarts to it + 1)(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore10-1'))<p>After touring about Ponyville for an hour or so and finding nothing of interest, you decide it's about time to give your legs some much needed rest. A conveniently placed hay bale presents the perfect place to put up your hooves. You sit down, allowing your eyes to freely wander as you absentmindedly pony-watch.
<p>(if: $date > 6)[One Lyra Heartstrings](else:)[A minty-green unicorn] across the street merits particular attention. Before her hovers a sizable banana, engulfed in the same brilliant, golden magic that currently surrounds her horn. One by one, all three sides of the floating fruit are peeled in slow, deliberate succession.
<p>Just as (if: $date > 6)[Lyra](else:)[the mare] has her mouth open, ready to bite down, her eyes catch sight of you staring from across the way. She freezes mid-bite, the banana between her teeth a mere hair's breadth away from being decapitated. You hurriedly glance away, trying now to express the keenest interest in a nearby barrel of apples ever displayed by [[ponykind|Explore11-2]].//Note: This passage normally only occurs when the player is short on bits and Rainbow Dash relationship is high enough.//
//Note: May be reworked to involve more of a choice. If smart enough, able to see that other ponies have been here recently?//
<p>For your wallet's sake, you didn't exactly have a king's breakfast this morning. Just a banana and some bread, anything more being a luxury you literally could not afford.
<p>It was barely noon before the first hunger pangs struck. You ignored them of course, doing your best to cope with the rest of the day on an empty stomach. Unfortunately, hunger is a problem seldom solved by the passage of time (unless of course it's a lot of time).
<p>Your abdomen growls loudly enough to draw the attention of passing ponies. You even start to feel a bit faint, your limbs gradually growing heavy and sluggish with every passing moment. Going any longer without food would almost certainly be a recipe for disaster. You have to eat [[something|Explore12-2]].<p>Midday. You decide a lunch break is in order, so you leisurely make your way to one of Ponyville's premier eateries: Café Hay. It seems you've managed to avoid the usual lunch rush; you're swiftly seated in the outdoor patio and given a menu. After agonizing for a few moments over what to order, (if: $date > 9)[Savoir Fare](else:)[the waiter] makes a confident recommendation he's absolutely sure you'll enjoy. Despite your initial hesitation, his guarantee of a satisfied belly (and more importantly: a new dish in the event you dislike his selection) eventually wins you over.
<p>He leaves with your order and soon returns with a fresh spring salad, served in an elegant porcelain bowl. Despite not being a huge fan of salad, you can't deny the quality of the [[produce|Explore13-2]].<p>Rainbow tilts her head and grins at Pinkie with a single raised brow, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["See, what'd I say? (text: $name) knows (if: $sex is "male")[his](else:)[her] stuff."]
<p>Pinkie simply rolls her eyes and starts walking off, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Blah blah blah, both of you are nutty in the butty. Come on, let's go find Fluttershy. We should've gotten an expert's opinion in the very first [[place|Explore13-7 (Rabbit-sized dragon)]]."]<p>Pinkie stifles a snicker while Rainbow fumes. The mildly annoyed pegasus says flippantly, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Jeeze, why don't you two get a room. Neither of you know what you're talking about."]
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["Aww let up Dashie, no need to get all grumpy. I can't help it if great minds think alike,"] Pinkie says as she slides on over next to you and playfully elbows you in the ribs. She falls to the ground after looking down and realizing there's no chair to support her.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Whatever. Let's go find Fluttershy. She knows a thing or two about animals. The first thing we should've done was get her input, expert opinion and all that [[jazz|Explore13-7 (Dragon-sized rabbit)]]."]<p>A mare you've never seen before stands below the overhanging eave of a building. She stares unwaveringly at the distant horizon, where the outbound road gently kisses a tumultuous sky. While she remains still, her plain, white dress billows all around her, as if a mist on the eve of a black-sky storm clings to her lower body.
<p>Passing townsponies briefly glance in her direction, before turning away and shaking their heads. You consider introducing yourself. Then again, some stones are perhaps best left unturned.
[[Talk to her|Explore14-2 (Talk to her)]]
[[Leave her alone|Explore14-2 (Leave her alone)]]<p>You walk up to the mare and introduce yourself. She merely looks at you with a plaintive look in her eyes, before returning her gaze to the road. She acknowledges you no further.
<p>How very [[productive|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>You shake your head and walk [[away|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>You overhear a snippet of conversation from a pair of passing [[stallions|Explore15-2]].<p>Your current path contrives to take you across a narrow bridge stretching over a rather diminutive tributary of the Ponyville River, so diminutive in fact that one can't help but wonder why such a bridge was necessary when a short hop across might have accomplished the job just as [[well|Explore16-2]].<p>You angrily tell the stallion off for his boorish, chauvinistic comments.
<p>(colour: "#9997AB")["Calm down (if: $sex is "male")[dude](else:)[lady], not my fault you can't take a compliment."] He walks off not long after, making sure to glance back and shoot you a dirty look every now and [[then|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>As you fidget about, uncomfortable with another pony's lecherous eyes on your body, you happen to glance into the brook. You gaze into the crystal-clear water, a red-faced pony staring back. The stallion opens his mouth as if to follow up his earlier remarks, but you beat a speedy retreat before he can even [[start|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>You can't help but smile at the stallion's words. You turn around yourself and assume a dancer's stance, chin up and hindquarters raised, before giving your rump a firm smack of your hoof. The act produces a rather satisfying sound that has a very visible effect on your admirer, particularly his stallion parts. Your butt cheek jiggles pleasantly under your hoof's touch.
<p>(colour: "#9997AB")["Oh yeah baby, just like that. Don't you stop. Don't ever stop."] You give the stallion a good show for some time, bending and flexing this way and that. There's scarcely a speck of fur that you haven't shown him by the time he exclaims, (colour: "#9997AB")["Horsefeathers! I'm gonna be late!"]
<p>He peels out without so much as saying [[bye|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>The singularly beautiful sound of an expertly played instrument drifts down the road and into your ear. The notes produced are deep, resonant, with an inherent mournful quality to them, indicative of a larger member of the violin family (a bass or cello perhaps).
<p>You have a devil of a time tracking the music to its source. Each note float about in the air, reverberating off walls and threatening to be swept away with but the slightest breeze.
<p>An earth pony with a coat the color of billowing smoke is poised atop a hill crowned by blooming lilacs. Such is the length of her black, untrimmed mane and tail that they continuously tease the ground. A white collar wraps around her neck, affixed with a pink bowtie that lends her an air of haughty elegance. Even more prominent is a varnished cello, nearly as tall as the mare playing it, straddled against her upright [[form|Explore17-2]].<p>You move to turn her sheet music to the next page.
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["Ze page ist vere it should be,"] she declares. Your hoof retracts at her icy reply.
<p>With that, the cellist simply stands there, unmovingly. Her bow hangs limply at her side. She doesn't even so much as look at you. She simply waits. For what exactly, you haven't the faintest.
[[?|Explore17-4]]<p>You stamp the ground repeatedly with your forelegs in praise.
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["Don't insult me. Mein performance vas medicore."] Your hooves fall silent with her coldly-delivered declaration.
<p>With that, the cellist simply stands there, unmovingly. Her bow hangs limply at her side. She doesn't even so much as look at you. She simply waits. For what exactly, you haven't the faintest.
[[?|Explore17-4]]<p>The cellist simply stands there, unmovingly. Her bow hangs limply at her side. She doesn't even so much as look at you. She simply waits. For what exactly, you haven't the faintest.
[[?|Explore17-4]]<p>You ask might what she be waiting for.
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["Ask your queschens, zhen leave me."] Your own response can be summed up as a confused '[[umm|Explore17-4]]?'.(set: $explore17 to 0)<p>You ask might what she be waiting for.
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["Ask your queschens, zhen leave me."] Your own response can be summed up as a confused '[[umm|Explore17-5]]?'.(set: $explore17 to 0)<p>A small bird lands and perches itself atop a nearby fencepost.
[[Pet it|Explore18-2 (Pet it)]]
[[Shoo it away|Explore18-2 (Shoo it away)]]
[[Ignore|Explore18-2 (Ignore)]]<p>While the bird declines to fly away immediately, it visibly recoils at your hoof's approach. It still allows you pet it, but you can't help but feel a slight pang of rejection all the [[same|CheckTime1-1]].<p>The bird flaps away, frightened by the sudden motion of your foreleg being [[raised|CheckTime1-1]].<p>You have better things to do than gawk at [[pests|CheckTime1-1]].<p>(if: $date > 6)[Miss Heartstrings](else:)[A familiar, minty-green mare] once again sits at her usual table, just about ready to snack on another hefty banana. It seems she's also added a cup of yogurt to her lunch. As soon as (if: $date > 6)[Lyra](else:)[mare] catches sight of you, she eagerly launches into a repeat of the first show she gave you, albeit with the inclusion of yogurt this time [[around|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore19-1'))<p>You find any possible headway very literally stymied by a large wooden cart taking up the entirety of the road ahead. With thick hedges bearing down on either side of this narrow lane, you've no choice but to wait for an opening if you have any hopes of passing.
<p>It's truly a testament to the strength of the ponies hauling it that the cart even moves at all; the thing threatens to overflow with freshly picked apples, their combined bulk doing all they can to obscure the ponies in front from your [[view|Explore20-2]].<p>The road eventually widens enough for you to pass safely. As you overtake it, you see that it wasn't an entire team of ponies pulling the cart as you first thought, but rather a single, stout stallion with a coat reminiscent of the rubied fruit he drags behind him. Accordingly, a sizable green apple sliced halfwise serves as his cutie mark. Clearly a draft horse as evidenced by the wooden collar round his neck, the farmer pony towers a full head above you, with broad shoulders and powerful legs to match.
<p>He briefly raises his head to look at you, before returning his gaze to the dirt road below.
[[Strike up a conversation|Explore20-3]]<p>You give the stallion your name, before asking for his in return. It takes a moment or two for him to respond (clearly, his mind is elsewhere), but respond he does.
<p>(colour: "#F64A59")["McIntosh. Some folks think I'm big, so you can call me Big McIntosh, or Big Mac."]
[[Ask something else|Explore20-3]]<p>Judging by his cargo and cutie mark, you hazard a guess that the stallion just so happens to work at Ponyville's prime purveyor of apples: Sweet Apple Acres. What with most farms being family-run affairs, it also stands to reason that him and Applejack are kin.
<p>Hmm, mature, as only a pony that provides for their family can be, yet youthful enough to shake off the impression of fatherhood. An older brother perhaps?
<p>The stallion merely confirms your rambling suspicions with a subdued, (colour: "#F64A59")["Eyyup."]
[[Ask something else|Explore20-3]]<p>(colour: "#F64A59")["Eyyup. Everyday 'smatter a fact."]
[[Ask something else|Explore20-3]]<p>(if: (history:) contains "Explore20-4 (Name?)")[McIntosh](else:)[The stallion] sighs, his eyes fluttering and nostrils flaring in the first real display of emotion you've seen from him thus far.
<p>He mutters a demure, (colour: "#F64A59")["Sorry,"] before proceeding to demonstrate the veracity of his apology by effortlessly speeding up. You quicken your own pace to keep up.
[[...|Explore20-6]]<p>Having exhausted the most pertinent topics of conversation you could think of, you fall silent. It takes conscious effort on your part just to stay abreast the now brisk-moving draft horse, even while burdened with an apple-laden wagon.
<p>(colour: "#F64A59")["Think you could make my deliveries for me?"] he suddenly says without prompting. The stallion stops, unhitches himself, and fishes out a burlap sack from beneath the pile of apples. (colour: "#F64A59")["Tell you the truth, there's a pony in town I ain't too keen on seeing at the moment."] He upends the sack, allowing around twenty bits to fall amongst the fruity cargo. (colour: "#F64A59")["That look about worth your while?"]
[[Deliver the apples|Explore20-8 (Deliver the apples)]]
[[No thanks|Explore20-7 (No thanks)]]//Note: Only show second paragraph if naughty is sufficiently high?//
<p>He nods his head in thanks. (colour: "#F64A59")["Most of those bits are at the bottom of this here cart. Offload the shipment and you get paid,"] he declares, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. (colour: "#F64A59")["Four bushels of Jonagolds due for Sugarcube Corner, a bushel and a half for the town inn, and whatever's left always goes to Fluttershy. It's all on the waybill here if you need a reminder."]
<p>As he speaks, the draft horse unhitches himself from the cart, then motions for you to come over and do the reverse. (colour: "#F64A59")["I'll go ahead and trust you won't tip the cart over when I'm gone. If you're gonna go through that much trouble for that much money, might as well just do the job. Couldn't be any less fun than picking through apples and [[grass|Explore20-8 (Deliver the apples)]]."]<p>(colour: "#F64A59")["Suit yourself. Come find me on this here road if'n you [[reconsider|CheckTime1-1]]."](set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore21-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)<p>True to his word, you see Big Mac hauling another, possibly even larger load of apples on the road between Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville.
<p>(colour: "#F64A59")["How do you do. Them bits still at the bottom of the cart. You change your mind?"]
[[Deliver the apples|Explore20-7 (Deliver the apples)]]
[[No thanks|Explore20-7 (No thanks)]]<p>A note taped to the bakery's front door reads, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Out saving the world. Be back in a jiffy!"] -P.P.
<p>You peer through a window and knock, but nothing comes of it. Seems the Cakes are away as well. You'll have to come back [[later|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $sugarcubeCorner to it + (a: 'Bakery1-1'))<p>Mrs. Cake greets you from behind the counter, (colour: "#7EDFFF")["Hello dearie. No Pinkie Pie here today I'm afraid, just little ol' [[me|CheckTime1-1]]."](set: $sugarcubeCorner to it + (a: 'Bakery2-1'))<p>You smell Sugarcube Corner long before you see it. The wondrous scent of a bustling bakery is a better guide than any map, a little chestnut you're sure isn't lost upon the baker.
<p>You decide to indulge this whim (because why not?) by closing your eyes and drawing a deep breath. Your entire world goes dark, as if the sun itself were suddenly snuffed out of [[existence|Bakery3-2]].<p>The longer your eyes are shut, the more pronounced your remaining senses become. Sounds seem to gain ineffable definition and texture; a skylark's song becomes a personal ballad of a brief yet beautiful existence, sweet beyond compare, not in spite of, but because of its brevity.
<p>And the smells–by Luna's word–the smells. Numerous different aromas fight for you attention, each tenfold more vibrant than the last. Smoke. Strawberries. Iron. Roses. Sweat. Wood chips. Raindrops.
<p>But one stands tall and proud above the rest: fresh baked bread, only recently borne from a wood-fired oven. You can't see it, yet you know it's more lustrous than a princely crown. You can't feel it, yet you know it's warm like a mother's touch. You can't taste it, and yet you know one bite will bring you to tears.
[[Breathe in|Bakery3-3]]<p>With eyes still closed, you start tugging at this particular thread; following it, obeying it, hounding it, surrendering to it.
[[Breathe out|Bakery3-4]]<p>Every step feels unsure and perilous, as if walking on the frozen surface of a lake in the waning days of winter.
[[Breathe in|Bakery3-5]]<p>Luckily, your nose proves a capable navigator indeed; not once do you falter as you tread towards solid ground.
[[Breathe out|Bakery3-6]]<p>You reckon that you must look like a right nutter to any onlookers right about now.
[[Breathe in|Bakery3-7]]<p>You're close to your goal now. Very close.
[[Breathe out|Bakery3-8]]<p>The smell of buttery bread reaches its zenith here, accompanied by the tantalizing aroma of cakes, pies, and donuts galore. And thus, you know in your heart of hearts that you stand before the front facade of one Sugarcube Corner.
<p>Just as you are about to open your eyes, a new scent slowly presents itself before you: one that can only be described as pure, sugary optimism. Borderline saccharine almost, only made palatable by a tempering dose of absolute and untarnished sincerity. You hear somepony inhale next to you. (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Ahhh,"] sighs a familiar, bubbly voice.
<p>Slowly, you open your eyes. As the blinding light gradually fades, your vision is filled by a larger than life-sized gingerbread house, big enough for a family of five and no less delectable-looking. Aside from an enormous cupcake that sits delicately at the very top, the building's contours differ little from that of an ordinary Ponyville [[home|Bakery3-9]].//Note: No karma as of yet.//
<p>An empty front tends to be a good indication of an absent Pinkie. As you debate your next move, Mr. Cake descends from the stairs, a young foal gingerly cradled in his foreleg. Save for a stubby unicorn horn, the infant is a regular chip off the ol' block, complete with bouncy shocks of orange hair atop her head.
<p>He dotes and daws at his little bundle of joy, before finally taking notice of you, (colour: "#FFDA3B")["Ah, good (if: $time is 1)[morning](else-if: $time is 2)[afternoon](else-if: $time is 3)[evening]."] He adjusts his foreleg so his foal can get a better view of you. (colour: "#FFDA3B")["Look, Pumpkin, we have a guest. Wanna try saying 'hello'? Say 'hello' for daddy."] The infant stares at you inquisitively, unsure of your stranger's face.
[[Try for a smile (positive karma)|Bakery4-2 (Nice)]]
[[Try for a smile (negative karma)|Bakery4-2 (Naughty)]]<p>You oblige the little lady with your most radiant smile. The child's face remains neutral for a brief, awkward moment, before brightening up with an ear-to-ear grin of her very own. She giggles as only a baby can, accompanied by a gaggle of what can only ever be described as happy baby noises.
<p>(colour: "#FFDA3B")["My, aren't we in a good mood?"] Mr. Cake nuzzles his daughter affectionately. He turns to you, explaining, (colour: "#FFDA3B")["Little Pumpkin here just woke up from a nap. Afterwards, she can be a touch cranky, but one look from you was enough to send her over the [[moon|Bakery4-3 (Nice)]]!"]<p>You rustle up a meager smile for appearance's sake. The longer the child is faced with it, the more distressed she seems to become. Eventually, she's in such a state that her lower lip starts to quiver uncontrollably and tears are freely rolling down the sides of her cheeks. She turns away from you in an attempt to burrow herself deeper in her father's embrace.
<p>(colour: "#FFDA3B")["What's the matter, Pumpkin?"] Mr. Cake is quick to inquire. (colour: "#FFDA3B")["I'm so sorry, I don't know what's gotten into her. She usually loves meeting new ponies."] The anxious father braces the foal against his bosom in a vain attempt to stem an increasingly steady flow of tears.
<p>You notice that the baby Cake's crying is more of the quiet sort, the kind of whimpering an infant might resort to when instincts scream that unseen danger is near.
<p>Mr. Cake politely excuses himself to console his [[child|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)//Note: Premise credit goes to /mlp/ Writer's Guild.//
//Note: Might add further scenes depending on Pinkie's affection level for player.//
<p>You brace yourself for a typical Pinkie Pie greeting as you enter Sugarcube Corner. Any moment now, you're sure Pinkie'll spring out of a nearby coffee mug or something and playfully tacklehug you to the ground.
<p>Or maybe she'll materialize out of the thin air behind your back and scare the living daylights out of you again. And who could forget that time she had the Pony Tones deliver you a singing telegram that consisted entirely of singing 'hello' in as many keys and cadences as [[possible|Bakery5-2]]?<p>Oh, who are you kidding? You could see Pinkie ten times a day, everyday for the rest of your life and you're sure no two hellos would ever be alike. That pony is just so predictably unpredictable.
<p>At this point, the expeditious thing to do would be to just let the pink demon have her way with you.
[[...|Bakery5-3]]<p>Yup.
[[....|Bakery5-4]]<p>Yes indeedy.
[[.....|Bakery5-5]]<p>Any second now.
[[.....?|Bakery5-6]]<p>You head upstairs, saying hi to the Cake twins as you pass by the ever so playful pair, until you reach the door that contain the last flight of steps leading up to Pinkie's cupcake tower. Muffin turret. Cronut keep. Pastry structure thing.
<p>Right away, it's a bit of a shock to see Pinkie's door closed. She had always kept quite the open door policy, like a ghost that had fundamentally misunderstood its role in a haunted house.
<p>True to Mrs. Cake's word, the door remains stubbornly locked, no matter how hard you knock. When it becomes clear that nopony will be answering any time soon, you have no choice but to leave empty [[hooved|Bakery5-9]].<p>(colour: "#7EDFFF")["You can try going up to see her, but she probably won't answer the door. Ever since Carrot and I had the twins, Pinkie will lock herself in her room if she catches so much as a sore throat. Blessed girl cares too much sometimes, but it's her choice: one she never budges from, no matter what we do or say."]
<p>Mrs. Cake shakes her head, every other word awash with the worry of a parent unable to help an ailing child. With nothing more to say, she bids farewell and quietly takes her leave.
[[Check on Pinkie|Bakery5-8 (Check on Pinkie)]]
[[Take Mrs. Cake's word|Bakery5-8 (Take Mrs. Cake's word)]]<p>You decide to trust the Cake matriarch's intuition. After all, what reason do you have not to? It's odd, now that you think about it, but Pinkie Pie can certainly be a touch stubborn at times, more so than Applejack or Rainbow Dash even. When that pink pony gets it into her head that something should or should not be, you haven't a doubt she'll move heaven and earth to make it so.
<p>You depart from the bakery, resigning to visit a healthier Pinkie on perhaps another [[day|CheckTime1-1].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>You flap your wings and take to the air. The ground quickly drops away as you gain altitude, until you're level with one of the windows. You approach gingerly, unsure of what you might find.
<p>The curtains are drawn, reducing your view of the interior to nothing more than a thin sliver of darkened room. Much is left to the imagination, but you're eventually able to make out the back of a couch and the headboard to Pinkie's [[bed|Bakery5-11]].<p>As you're walking away from Sugarcube Corner, a sudden impulse compels you to turn around and look back. Your gaze is steadily drawn towards the building's highest point, Pinkie's room. A few windows provide glimpses inside, though you're too far away to make out any exact details.
{(if: $race is "pegasus")[
(link: "Fly up to the window")[
(go-to: "Bakery5-10 (Fly up to the window)")]]}
[[Wave|Bakery5-10 (Wave)]]<p>In all likelihood, Pinkie is probably asleep in her bed, trying her best to recover. Still, you raise a hoof above your head and gingerly wave at the window. After a moment or two, you think you can spy a bit of movement. A trick of the light? Or perchance, a pink leg waving [[back|CheckTime1-1]]?(set: $time to it + 1)//Note: No Mane Six affinity yet.//
<p>The wafting aroma of freshly baked bread grows ever stronger as you near Sugarcube Corner. You climb up the steps to the open door and enter the giant gingerbread house.
<p>(if: $date > 14)[Gummy the Alligator](else:)[Pinkie Pie's pet alligator] sits atop the otherwise unattended front counter with his toothless maw wide open, as if daring you to stick a hoof in. Pinkie must've left the odd reptile to 'man' the shop while she went off to do who-knows-what. Before you can even begin to wonder where Ponyville's resident party pony could've went, the clatter of pans and faint singing in the back kitchen quickly solves that mystery.
<p>You take a look around and manage to spot Rarity sitting at a table on the far side of the room. It seems she's already seen you; she waves hello and beckons your approach. You take her up on her invitation, walking across the parlor and taking the open seat next to [[her|Bakery6-2]].<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["You're right! I can't give in to every distraction or desire that crosses my path. For a lady, there is no greater virtue than restraint. A fine attempt Pinkie, your most formidable one yet, but I shan't be breaking my diet today or any day soon."]
<p>Pinkie wilts dejectedly, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Aww, but my plan was so perfect!"] She looks to be on the verge of tears, her poofy mane deflating as if filled with air and punctured by the pernicious porcupine that is fate. "And I made this 'specially for you! Who am I gonna eat this with [[now|Bakery6-11 (Stick to her diet)]]?!"<p>You shrug your shoulders and offhoofedly tell Rarity to go for it. Your rationale is simple, but pragmatic; what's the harm in eating one little pastry? After all, a diet can run for weeks or even months at a time. A treat every now and then would certainly help stave off the monotony of constantly eating healthily.
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Alright,"] Rarity says, (colour: "#9575E5")["But only a bite and not a crumb more. And only if the two of you will have the rest; the smallest ball will do just fine for me, thank you. Pinkie, would you be a dear and fetch three [[plates|Bakery6-10 (Let her eat cake)]]?"]<p>Speaking of, the kinetic pink mare in question bursts forth from the kitchen door rear-first. Sitting atop Pinkie's back is a covered silver platter, its mysterious contents hidden from view. Pinkie swings about on her heels and nearly traipses on over to you and Rarity. She expertly arches her back and deposits the silver platter onto the table with all the ease and grace of a prima ballerina.
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["Hiya (text: $name)! I'm glad you're here. I'm gonna kill this diet so bad that they'll call you up as a witness at its murder trial. And yes, I know I just used the 'd'-word. My penance shall be twenty-one days and twenty-one nights of cookie binging. Follow not in my path, for it is one paved with tummy aches and sugar comas for the unprepared."]
<p>Rarity chimes in, (colour: "#9575E5")["You’re not going to win this silly challenge you've set up for yourself, sweetie. Little black dresses are en vogue and I've been meaning to slim down for a while now anyways. Believe me, I enjoy a delectable sweet or two as much as the next gal, but no pastry nor candy is worth committing fashion faux pas. And there is nothing beneath that lid capable of convincing me otherwise. So [[la-di-da|Bakery6-4]]~!"]<p>(colour: "#FFDA3B")["Hello!"] Mr. Cake greets from behind a stand stacked high with tasty treats. As you peruse everything on display, the squeal of the front door's unoiled hinges alerts you to somepony's entrance. You turn around to find a trio of someponies in fact, three royal guards decked out in full regalia, each resplendent in their matching, golden armor.
<p>Mr. Cake, evidently unperturbed by the sudden appearance of three heavily armored stallions in his place of business, cheerily addresses them, (colour: "#FFDA3B")["Oh, is it that time of the year again, [[boys|Bakery7-2]]?"]<p>With the apple cart at your back, you pull up beside a crouched Mrs. Cake tending to the flowers in front of her home.
<p>(colour: "#7EDFFF")["Goodness me, no McIntosh today? That's certainly not like him. I hope he hasn't come down with anything serious. I'll have Carrot take a plate of 'get well' fruit tarts up to the Apple farm later just in [[case|Bakery8-2]]."]<p>Rainbow Dash doesn't seem to be here today. You spend some time working out on your [[own|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $rallyField to it + (a: 'Rally1-1'))(set: $speed to it + 1)<p>With Rainbow Dash's offer in mind, you head over to the local train station. After making sure no oncoming trains were chugging your way, you cross the tracks and, sure enough, the exercise field she had mentioned immediately comes into view. From here, you can spy a lone Rainbow Dash galloping along the outermost lane of the earthen running track.
<p>You close the remaining distance, noting that the exercise area seems just far enough away from the station to dodge the roaring and rumbling of passing trains.
<p>The sprinting pegasus turns her head to look at you and briefly waves hello, still moving full-bore on her remaining three legs as she does [[so|Rally2-2]].<p>Upon arrival, Rainbow Dash immediately demands you give her a couple laps around the earthen track. The urgency in her tone is enough to almost set you off running without even taking the time to stretch, a potentially grave mistake that comes dangerously close to passing. (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Good to see you're not completely clueless,"] Rainbow comments.<p>
<p>You start running in earnest shortly thereafter; needless to say, a task made significantly easier after limbering [[up|CheckTime1-1]].<p>(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $rallyField to it + (a: 'Rally3-1'))(set: $speed to it + 1)<p>You've already completed three and a half circuits round the track by the time dreaded fatigue starts to set in. An invisible vice tightens around your rib cage, leaving every escaping breath feeling sharp and ragged. Your hoof-falls gradually grow heavier and heavier, every step sending shockwaves coursing up and down your legs as you struggle to maintain speed.
<p>By the time Rainbow Dash comes up from behind to overtake you (again), you've slowed to a complete stop. Stranded on the side of the track, the only thing preventing you from collapsing to the ground is the knowledge that you won't soon be getting up again if you [[did|Rally4-2]].<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["You heard me. Either you can't keep running, or won't."]
[[Can't|Rally4-4 (Can't)]]
[[Won't|Rally4-4 (Won't)]]<p>Judging by the change in Dash's expression, that clearly wasn't the answer she was looking for, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Okay, we're done for today."] She doesn't bother to say [[goodbye|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $speed to it + 1)(set: $time to it + 1)<p>Gone is your carefree workout partner; a far different Rainbow Dash now stares you in the face, one possessed of a singular goal: your betterment. To that end, she pursues with ruthless abandon.
<p>Dash leans in close. The bridge of her nose is pinched, her lower lip curled back to reveal tightly clenched teeth. (colour: "#A3DEF8")["You can and you will. Get back on that track,"] she practically snarls at you.
<p>Your legs had long since abandoned your demands. But in Dash, they find a new master. One step becomes two. Two becomes four. A crawl becomes a walk. A walk, a trot. Then a run. Soon enough, you're flying, a grinning Rainbow Dash by your [[side|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $speed to it + 3)(set: $time to it + 1)//Note: Rainbow Dash swearing? Might be changed.//
<p>A mindful Rainbow Dash lies on the grass, watching quietly as you gallop. A pencil is clenched between her teeth, along with a weathered notebook sitting on the ground in front of her. As you come around to finish another lap, she quickly jots down your time. Tired and sore, you can do nothing but plop down beside her, thankful for the cool breeze currently nuzzling at your cheek.
<p>Rainbow spits out her pencil and says, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["I counted one hundred thirty-four beats. You did better last lap, one twenty-nine. Not terrible overall, considering all your times are pretty much within that range: around one thirty, give or take ten [[beats|Rally5-2]]."]<p>You wonder out loud how Rainbow can be sure her heart beats steadily enough to act as a metric for keeping time.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Do you know how much concentration goes into a sonic rainboom? I have to be aware of every single part of my body. If I'm not in complete control, then fuck all happens. Or worse, I get hurt. Bad. At those speeds, one feather out of place can be a disaster about to happen. Trust me, I'm sure."]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Anyway, we still need to talk about your times."]
[[What about them?|Rally5-3]]<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["They haven't been going up since we first started working out together. Here, look at the numbers you've been putting out. The beginning's your baseline. From there: good, steady progress, up until this point. See? You're not climbing past one hundred and thirty beats."]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["In other words, you're plateauing."]
[[What do?|Rally5-4]]<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Don't give me that look."]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["You have a habit of favoring your hindlegs when you run. They're doing almost all the work. When you move, it's the legs in the back pushing you forward. That's fine for most ponies, sure, but if you could learn how to run with your forelegs too, you'd be doubling the distances you're getting."]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Think of it like a coach pulling out somepony that's been in the game for a while and slotting in a fresh player. The team as a whole does better in the end. With the way you're running right now, you basically have two players sitting on the bench, doing next to [[nothing|Rally5-5]]."]<p>You aimlessly wander around Sweet Apple Acres for a bit. Either nopony is here, or you are far better at hide and seek than you give yourself credit [[for|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $appleFarm to it + (a: 'Farm1-1'))<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Pretty sure I already told you to steer clear of this here farm. If you're havin' a hard time gettin' that through your head, I can help hammer it in for ya'."]
<p>Applejack is clearly unwilling to tolerate your presence on her family farm. Huh, 'family' farm. That's certainly an idea.
{(if: (history:) contains "DeliverApplesInn1-1" and "Bakery8-1" and "Cottage4-1")[
(link-goto: "Here to see Big Mac",'Farm2-2 (Here to see Bic Mac)')]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore22-2 (Confront them)")[
(link-goto: "Here to see Applebloom",'Farm2-2 (Here to see Applebloom)')]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Farm3-1")[
(link-goto: "Here to see, umm… Granny Smith?",'Farm2-2 (Here to see, umm… Granny Smith?)')]}
[[Them's fightin' words!|Farm2-2 (Them's fightin' words!)]]
[[Leave|CheckTime1-1]]<p>You've had it up to 'ere with Applejack. It's clear now that if you intend to glean even a drop of respect from this mare, you'll have to take it using a language she can more easily parse. Teaching her a lesson in humility is just an added bonus.
<p>Applejack sees you coming toward her with fire in your eyes, saying, (colour: "#FDC363")["Woah there partner, you oughta consider putting it back in the holster."] You don't back down. (colour: "#FDC363")["Alrighty then, you asked for this."]
{(link: "You're fighting an angry Applejack!")[
(set: $ehp to 150)
(set: $emhp to 150)
(set: $ename to "Applejack")
(set: $espd to 40)
(set: $turn to "you")
(set: $log to "you")
(set: $eatktemp to (datanames: $applejackAttacks))
(set: $eatkname to (either: ...$eatktemp))
(set: $eatk to $applejackAttacks's ($eatkname))
(set: $combatwin to "Farm2-4 (You're fighting an angry Applejack! ~if win)")
(set: $combatlose to "Farm2-4 (You're fighting an angry Applejack! ~if lose)")
(set: $runlocation to "CheckTime1-1")
(go-to: "Combat")]}<p>With eyes narrowed, Applejack asks pointedly, (colour: "#FDC363")["And what in the sam hill does Applebloom got to do with you? Heck, what makes you think you can just waltz on out here and ask to see my little sis, all friendly-like?"]
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["Maybe 'cause I invited (if: $sex is "male")[him](else:)[her] here?"] answers a miffed Applebloom as she trots up to join the discussion. (colour: "#F5F498")["You gonna put the hurt on a guest, Applejack? That really the kind of message you wanna be sending to all the nice folk down in Ponyville?"]
<p>Applejack flinches at the notion. She's quick to double back on her sister though, countering with her own series of lecturing statements, (colour: "#FDC363")["Land's sake, Applebloom! You can't be inviting complete strangers to the farm! 'Tain't [[safe|Farm2-3 (Here to see Applebloom)]]!"]<p>An expression resembling the bastard child of shock and disgust gradually spreads across Applejack's face.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["You're a sick, sick pony, ya' know that?"]
<p>Any attempt to explain yourself is met by the farmpony vehemently repeating how she <i>doesn't</i> want to know about [[it|Farm2-1]].<p>Applejack raises a brow, but refrains from making any replies right away. Instead, she turns her head to shout at somepony out of sight, (colour: "#FDC363")["Hey Mac! You expectin' anypony t'day?"]
<p>(colour: "#F64A59")["Eeyup,"] answers the deep, bassy voice of a cherry red stallion coming from around a corner. (colour: "#F64A59")["You giving another one of my hirees a hard time, sis?"]
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["This tenderfoot-lookin' cityslicker?! Land's sake Mac, why don't 'cha start recruiting straight from the schoolyard while you're at it?"] Applejack questions, eyeing you up and down.
[[Yeah, looking for work|Farm2-3 (Looking for work)]]
[[No, looking for love|Farm2-3 (Looking for love)]]<p>On the verge of collapse, Applejack is forced to back away. Those immensely strong, oak-like legs of hers: they're trembling at present.
<p>She hacks out a cough, a raspy sound that came from the throat more so than her lungs, (colour: "#FDC363")["Okay, okay, ya' made your point. Comon then, let's hear it. What do ya' want? If you're willin' to pick a fight on my own farm, figure I might as well hear ya' out."]
[[Looking for work|Farm2-3 (Looking for work)]]
[[Looking for love|Farm2-3 (Looking for love)]]<p>You stagger back from the force of Applejack's blows. Like it or not, you've been bested.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["That oughta learn ya'. Now get, before I make you get."]
<p>You have no choice but to flee the farmpony's [[wrath|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $appleFarm to it + (a: 'Farm2-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Huh, didn't peg you for the sorta (if: $sex is "male")[feller](else:)[gal] that'd outright ask for a job. You do know what kinda work we do here on a farm, right?"]
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["So, you any stranger to fieldwork? We have been thinken 'bout gettin' one or two farmhooves aboard to help with the harvest this year. (if: (history:) contains "Farm2-2 (Here to see Bic Mac)")[I don't like it, but an Apple's word is as good as gold, and if Big Mac offered you a job, then I suppose we can give ya' a try."]](else-if: (history:) contains "Farm2-4 (You're fighting an angry Applejack! ~if win)")[You can hold your own in a tussle with me, which is saying something. It says you're as ornery as a bull in a herd full of bulls and only one heifer, but I suppose ya' don't need manners to buck trees now do ya'."]]]
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Come around sometime and I might have chores for ya'. 'Til then, how 'bouts you vamoose before you start thinken I'm gettin' comfortable around ya'."]
<p>You heed Applejack's advice and head back into [[town|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $farmWork to it + (a: 'FarmWork1-1'))<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["This here's an apple farm. We sell things of a—how do I put this?—appley persuasion. I guess you can say we grow 'em with love, but that's a tad cliché for my tastes. Don't got the faintest why you'd expect anythin' different,"] the farmpony says, more exasperated than anything else.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Wait a tick, don't tell me…"]
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["...you proposing something, umm, 'tween the two of us?"]
[[Yes|Farm2-4 (Yes)]]
[[No|Farm2-4 (No)]]<p>To your surprise, you find Spike idly waiting at the foot of the stairs. (colour: "#6DCE4E")["Took you long enough to show up,"] is all he says before climbing up the steps and disappearing past the castle entrance. You follow suit, catching up to the plainly-irritated dragon as he slowly ambles down a disorientating series of corridors. He remains quiet in the meantime, content to hear only the tippy-tap of reptilian claws on crystal tile.
[[Knew I was coming?|Castle1-2]]<p>Interesting; twice now you've come here, and twice now you've been expected to some degree. You bring this up in an effort to ease the silence that weighs between the two of you.
<p>Spike folds his arms and sighs. It takes a moment or two for him to respond, but respond he does. Eventually. (colour: "#6DCE4E")["Nah, didn't have a clue. I just made the mistake of mentioning to Twilight that I didn't have any plans today. So you know what she says? 'Why not wait in front of the castle in case (text: $name) comes?' Cripe's sake, I really need to learn how to say 'no' to her [[sometimes|Castle1-3]]."]<p>(colour: "#6DCE4E")["Guess she was right though. Wish it didn't cost me what could've been a spa day is all."] You reach your apparent destination in short order, a somewhat small room that is made smaller still by the presence of stacks upon stacks of books, every one of which is scorched to some degree.
<p>(colour: "#6DCE4E")["A few winters back, Ponyville's old library was destroyed,"] a somber note marks his words now, (colour: "#6DCE4E")["Almost everything went up in flames. Luckily, the basement was mostly intact. This is everything we could find."]
<p>There is little room to maneuver. Spike more or less leads you down another corridor, only the walls here are made of paper, rather than crystal. This particular corridor terminates with a desk in the center of the room, surrounded on all sides by more burned texts than one would care to [[count|Castle1-4]].<p>(colour: "#6DCE4E")["Here it is. Hope you like the smell of ash and ink. If not, well, you better start learning,"] he says, producing a fresh sheet of brown parchment from the desk, along with accompanying ink and quill. He also gingerly grabs the nearest tome and sets it all atop the desk.
<p>(colour: "#6DCE4E")["A lot of these books are one-of-a-kind. But the thing is, we know their days are numbered. Twilight isn't the kind of pony to let any kind of knowledge just fade away. So this is the job: she wants you to preserve everything here. Transcribe it all onto new parchment. Every single book."]
<p>Spike pauses, as if expecting you to turn tail and flee. (colour: "#6DCE4E")["Huh, most ponies bail right about now. The rest quit after, at most, a week. And lemme tell you, we had a lot of ponies come through here. Emphasis on the 'lot'."]
[["a lot of ponies?"|Castle1-5]]<p>(colour: "#6DCE4E")["What? You didn't think this job was exclusive, did you? A lot of ponies show up for a royal job posting. Now try and take in how boring this job must be if every single one of those ponies quit."]
<p>(colour: "#6DCE4E")["To be honest, I don't expect you to last very long either. Which is why I'm not going to be here, standing over your shoulder. Copy over a page or two, and I'll have your bits when you leave. Your commission is fifteen per page, nonnegotiable."]
<p>(colour: "#6DCE4E")["Sound good? I'll be off now. And don't forget: try to have fun."] With that, Spike takes his leave of you.
[[Transcribe a page|Castle1-6 (Transcribe a page)]]
[[Leave|Castle1-6 (Leave)]]<p>Despite the fact that this overgrown chandelier harbors one of Equestria's most influential individuals, there are no guards to grace its hallowed halls. But then again, perhaps a more welcoming facade was the intent, considering this place fancies itself the de facto center of 'Friendship'.
<p>Still, you muse on how easily a marauding gang of minotaurs might simply barge in here and take the Princess captive. Sure, Princess Twilight can defend herself, but it must be difficult to keep a wary eye out all on her own. You think to yourself that this place must surely have some means of protecting its occupants; esoteric and myriad are the [[possibilities|Castle2-2]].<p>After a long enough time, you grow tired of waiting and set out to explore the castle. Your search takes you to the map room, its namesake object humming with quiet energy. Above it, near (either: ...$towns), the seven pointed star of Princess Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark hangs and spins like a perpetually falling comet.
<p>It appears the Princess is away on a friendship mission. You'll have to come back [[later|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $friendshipCastle to it + (a: 'Castle5-1'))(set: $castleTwilight to it + (a: 'Castle2-3 (Try to see Princess Twilight)'))<p>You spend a fair amount of time transcribing the contents of crumbling, ashy volumes onto new parchment. As you do so, you manage to pick some bits and pieces of arcane knowledge.(set: $pagenumber to (random: 2,3))(set: $smarts to it + 1)(set: $friendshipCastle to it + (a: 'Castle5-1'))
{(link: "Transcribe the words")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$page))
(set: $page to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}<p>Just before you can pass through the castle's front door, Fluttershy's voice sounds out from above.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["(text: $name)? Is that you?"] You turn around in time to see the demure pegasus descend from the sky and gently land at the foot of the stairs. She folds her wings and quickly climbs up the steps to greet you.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Oh, hi! Were you on your way to see Twilight? Hopefully, you aren't here on business. The girls and actually I have something planned for the evening. They're probably all here already. You're more than welcome to join us, if you'd like. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."]
[[Sure|Castle3-2 (Sure)]]
[[Maybe another time|Castle3-2 (Maybe another time)]]<p>Fluttershy tries her best to muster up a winning smile. With her by your side, you swing the doors wide open and start walking down the length of the castle's main corridor. You ask her what exactly is in store for you.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Oh um, sorry, but I don't really know myself."] She sees the confusion that must be evident on your face and tries explaining further, (colour: "#FCF4A4")["It's something the girls all came up with together, we call it 'bonding night.' We basically take turns deciding on fun group activities we can all take part in. Every night is something [[new|Castle3-3 (Sure)]]."]<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Like this one time, Pinkie Pie had us making personalized teddy bears. That was very fun. It's Rainbow Dash's turn tonight, so we can probably expect something brash and exciting."] Despite that foresight, the normally timid pegasus shows no sign of worry.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Can we hurry a teensy bit? I'd hate to inconvenience anypony with my tardiness."]
<p>The entrance to the castle's main conference room lies slightly ajar just up ahead. Even from a distance, you can hear faint laughter drifting out. The two of you reach it in due time. Fluttershy gives you a knowing nod, before unceremoniously slipping through the cracked doors. You shoulder the doors open and follow [[suit|Castle3-4 (Sure)]].<p>In spite of your efforts, Carousel Boutique's front door refuses to budge. Peering through the darkened windows yields equally underwhelming results. If you want to see Rarity, it seems you'll have to come back at some later [[time|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $boutique to it + (a: 'Boutique1-1'))<p>Try as you might, nopony within responds to your knocking. Must be nopony home. That, or Fluttershy is currently cowering under her sheets for whatever reason. You can't say which of the two is more [[unlikely|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $cottage to it + (a: 'Cottage1-1'))<p>Signs of animal life increase dramatically as you tread along the road leading to Fluttershy's cottage. Entire trees start to sag from the weight of countless nests and birdhouses, each as varied in size and shape as the occupants residing within them. The birds themselves fill the air with a musical multitude of cheeps and chirps.
<p>Groundwise, all manner of animal dens and burrows pockmark the nearby terrain, leaving gaping holes of utter black to blot the landscape, like pools of ink spilt on an oil painting. A few contain sets of curious eyes.
<p>It's odd, you think to yourself, for a pony supposedly as skittish as Fluttershy to live so worryingly close to the Everfree Forest, to look out at that unknown and unknowable expanse of foreboding wood from her very own back porch. You get a sense that not all is as it seems when it comes to that [[pony|Cottage2-2]].<p>What looks to be a vertical mound of earth and grass eventually comes to dominate your view. The road is pulling you toward it; clearly, therein lies your destination. As it draws near, the mound begins to sprout rather house-like features: a stout door, a brick chimney, curtained windows, et cetera.
<p>You cross a small bridge spanning the most clichéd babbling brook imaginable and walk the remaining distance to the front door.
[[Knock|Cottage2-3]]<p>The door opens to reveal an enormous grizzly bear answering your summons. Its bulk takes up the entirety of the door frame, giving off the impression of staring into a wooden cask, at the bottom of which lies two beady eyes and a toothy maw. It sniffs the air, then growls impertinently. You face down bared teeth designed with the express intent of crushing bones and rending flesh as efficiently as possible.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Harry,"] a quiet, yet firm voice says with all the tenacity of a lion-tamer. The effect is miraculous and instantaneous. 'Harry' lets out furtive yowl and concedes the doorway to comparatively tiny, yellow pegasus. If his tail was long enough, it'd be tucked between his legs.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Oh, hi (text: $name),"] a chipper Fluttershy greets, (colour: "#FCF4A4")["Don't mind Harry. Ever since the Filly Guides added us to their route, he expects everypony that comes to the door to have a box of cookies in [[hoof|Cottage2-4]]."]//Note: Will be adjusted in case player has already met Fluttershy, i.e. delivered apples first.//
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Did you need something? Most ponies don't come all the way out here unless they need help with animal stuff."] Her gaze drops to the ground in front of you, all that confidence on display moments earlier now nowhere to be seen.
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore20-7 (Deliver the apples)")[
(link: "Deliver apples")[
(go-to: "Cottage4-2")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "EggAdvice1-1")[
(link: "Mysterious egg?")[
(go-to: "Cottage2-5")]]}//Note: Premise credit goes to /mlp/ Writer's Guild.//
//Note: Will be rewritten to be more of a quest.//
//Note: Knowing recipe for love potion is dependent on whether or not player has a certain perk.//
<p>You decide to pay Fluttershy a visit, maybe stay a while for a spot of tea. Oh, the wonders that pony can concoct with some leaves and hot water. You can hardly say you were much of a tea-drinker before you came to Ponyville, but you'll be darned if she hadn't made you a convert. (If there ever were such a thing as a love potion, you wouldn't be surprised if the recipe was just an ingredient or two off from her pine needle tea./Incidentally, you do know a recipe for a fairly potent love potion and while Flutterhy's tea is missing a few key ingredients, it's still pretty darn close.)
<p>You find yourself standing before the front door of Fluttershy's cottage before you know it, a brief walk made even briefer by a mind looking forward to some good company and pleasant conversation. With a raise of your hoof, a gentle knock on the door announces your arrival. Fluttershy is quick to answer, surprisingly quick in fact, almost as if she had been waiting behind the door. She cracks the door open just enough to get a look at you.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Oh, hello (text: $name), nice to see you today. You came by at just the right time, I have the kettle brewing and tea should be ready in a moment, sorry to make you wait a little bit. And before you ask, umm, no, you can't come in. I'm sorry, that's not true. You can come in, but I would really, really, really appreciate it if you didn't. At least not through this door. You're more than welcome to (if: $race is "pegasus")[fly](else:)[climb] in through the window though, if it's not too much trouble."]
<p>You let out an exasperated sigh, asking why exactly you can't use the door right in front of you.
<p>After a brief silence, she says simply, (colour: "#FCF4A4")["Umm, look down."] You roll your eyes, but glance down at the ground nonetheless. Directly in front of Fluttershy's front door lies a newly sprouted sapling, a pitiful little plant with hardly two leaves to its name. Opening the door would almost assuredly rip it from the ground.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["You see it, don't you? I was coming home last night and I just barely noticed it in time; I almost trampled all over the poor thing! It must be so hard for little seedlings to grow in a world already full of great, big trees. I just couldn't open the door and risk hurting it. So, I might've, umm, spent last night in the chicken coop until Angel could unlock a window for me this morning."]
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["It's not too much of a hassle I hope, coming in through window, is it? I mean, it isn't that high off the ground. Oh, by the way, would you mind doing me a favor? Please send Applejack my way if you happen to see her today. I'd like to ask if she could help me build a new set of stairs..."]
<p>Fluttershy continues rambling on regarding renovating her cottage, evidently ignorant to the fact that you've long since walked away. You make it back to town after only a moment or two. It takes you even less time to reach Roseluck's house. As per usual, you find Roseluck just outside her home, tending to her garden. After explaining the situation, she gladly offers to help out however she can. You thank her, pick up what you need, and hurry back to Fluttershy's.
<p>Fluttershy is still talking about drastically modifying her cottage when you return, even as you walk up to her door, plunge your hooves into the loose soil and dig the sapling up. With that done, you gingerly place it into Roseluck's flower pot.
<p>You knock on the door, interrupting Fluttershy's running monologue.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Hmm, did you have something to add?"] Once again, she opens the door just a smidge, enough to give her a plain view of the potted sapling safely settled atop your raised hoof. All she can manage to say is, (colour: "#FCF4A4")["Oh."] She looks down at the floor sheepishly, before swinging the door wide open and stepping back to invite you in.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["So, how about some tea? The pot should be ready about now. Pinkie came by this morning and dropped off some fresh ladyfingers..."]
<p>Conversing over fresh tea, the two of you agree that the potted sapling makes for a lovely [[centerpiece|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>It's a bit of a hassle, but you eventually manage to wrangle the ungainly cart into position outside Fluttershy's cottage.
<p>Having heard the rumbling of solid wood wheels coming down her road, Fluttershy herself is quick to make an appearance at her [[door|Cottage4-2]].<p>For whatever reason, you decide that exploring the depths of the Everfree Forest is the most sensible course of action at this point and juncture. The Everfree, a vast stretch of untamed brush that encompasses much of the land directly south and southeast of Ponyville, is an ever-constant source of misfortune for nearby ponies.
<p>The denizens of this forest are infamous across all Equestria, with many a myriad of malignant monsters making their abode in this forest, from the oft underestimated parasprite to the voracious multi-headed hydra.
<p>While monsters—for the most part—tend to keep to themselves in the deeper parts of the woods, every once in a while some intrepid beast will venture out from the depths and stalk the outskirts of town, necessitating a response from the local authorities or even the Elements [[themselves|EverfreeEntrance1-2]].<p>For whatever reason, you decide that exploring the depths of the Everfree Forest is the most sensible course of action at this point and juncture.(set: $everfreeEntrance to it + (a: 'EverfreeEntrance2-1'))
{(link: "Enter the forest")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfree))
(set: $everfree to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}{
(if: $reddoor is "accept")[
(link-goto: "Investigate the house with a red door", 'RedDoor1-1')]}
[[Turn back|CheckTime1-1]]<p>You cautiously make your way through the wildly overgrown woods, pausing every now and then to duck beneath the odd low-hanging branch or sidestep the occasional patch of swampland.
<p>It's slow, but safe going. The terrain remains ever arduous nevertheless, and your body begins to find itself struggling to keep pace. Every step becomes an ordeal, every breath a flood of molten iron surging in and out of your lungs. You muffle your strained panting, lest you attract any undue attention.
<p>You breathe a quiet sigh of relief when the trees start to thin out and a sunlit clearing opens up before you. Your respite is short-lived however; something wicked this way comes.(set: $everfree to it + (a: 'Everfree1-1'))
{(link: "???")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$encounter))
(set: $encounter to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}<p>Poisonous plants. Voracious insects. Deadly wildlife. All this and more, you bear in your pursuit of material wealth.
<p>You find your persistence eventually rewarded in the form of a [random low tier gem]. You wonder if it was worth [[it|EverfreeExit1-1]].(set: $everfree to it + (a: 'Everfree2-1'))<p>Some faded footprints gradually morph into a disused game trail, before broadening into a actual path, and finally becoming the road leading out of the Everfree Forest and into [[town|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)//Note: Petrified pony can only be raped after learning cure from Zecora. Salve must be applied orally. As in player orally applying salve. To certain pony parts.//
//Note: If left alone i.e. not turned back to flesh, player comes back to find other forest denizens had been using statue?//
<p>As you're hacking and hewing your way through the underbrush, a peculiar stone manages to catch your eye. What looked at first to be a tall rock lain against the side of a tree gradually takes on a much more familiar form the longer you stare. As you approach the oddly-shaped rock formation, you find your initial suspicions swiftly [[confirmed|Everfree3-2]].<p>It doesn't take long for you to stumble across what looks to be an uncharted swamp. As you step onto what appears to be a patch of solid ground between vast swathes of stagnant water, your hoof pierces the loose soil, the ground all around you very suddenly and without warning giving way from underneath. You fall through the ensuing hole, with zero chance of avoiding otherwise.
<p>Luckily for you, the fall stops just short of doing any lasting damage, though it's doubtful you'll be sitting right for the following week or so. You quickly collect your bearings and glance upward; it shouldn't be too hard an ordeal to (if: $race is "pegasus")[fly](else:)[climb] your way out. Having secured a means of escape, you set about the task of inspecting your [[surroundings|Everfree4-2]].<p>The egg is large enough to take up the entirety of your empty saddlebag. It hangs heavily from your side, its ungainly weight throwing you wide off balance and making the (if: $race is "pegasus")[flight](else:)[climb] back to civilization that much more difficult than it needs to be.
<p>You make do of course, but not without a good deal of exertion on your [[part|EverfreeExit1-1]].(set: $eggAdvice to 1)(set: $shellShocked to it + 1)<p>The egg puts up a terrific fight. While it certainly takes a great deal of effort on your part, your constant ministrations eventually bears fruit in the form of thin, hairline cracks starting to appear across the egg's surface. From there, it's a simple matter of leveraging your strength at the greatest point of weakness and applying sufficient, life-ending pressure.
<p>With one last stomp of your hoof, the top of the egg caves in and the rest is soon to follow, producing a sickening `*`splotch`*` that does a good job of turning your stomach. Slightly off-white egg white stained with streaks of embryonic yolk spills out onto the cave floor, soaking the straw beneath. You step away, bits of egg shell still dripping from your hoof.
<p>With little reason to remain, you flee the cave shortly thereafter. It's a long walk back to civilization. It leaves you with plenty of time to think. Too [[much|EverfreeExit1-1]].<p>Try as you might, you just can't seem to so much as crack the egg's hardened shell. The would-be omelette proves immune to your efforts for the time [[being|EverfreeExit1-1]].(set: $everfree to it + (a: 'Everfree5-1'))<p>That egg ain't going nowhere anytime soon. You leave the egg to its own [[devices|EverfreeExit1-1]].(set: $everfree to it + (a: 'Everfree5-1'))<p>A pang of nostalgia rings through loud and true when a familiar hole comes into view. You glance around to confirm your desolation, before popping your head below for a quick look-see. As before, the egg sits in its nest, untouched. There is nothing to suggest anything has been through here since you left.
[[Take the egg|Everfree4-4 (Take the egg)]]
{(if: $brawn >= 50)[<span class='brawn'>[[Destroy the egg|Everfree4-4 (Destroy the egg ~if pass)]]</span>]
(else:)[<span class='brawn'>[[Destroy the egg|Everfree4-4 (Destroy the egg ~if fail)]]</span>]}
[[Leave the egg|Everfree4-4 (Leave the egg)]]<p>An exposed bit of root causes you to trip. You curse the tree that spawned it and all the tree's lineage, past or [[present|EverfreeExit1-1]].(set: $everfree to it + (a: 'Everfree6-1'))(set: $hp to it - 5)<p>A timberwolf sproutling stumbles its way out of the brush. The creature takes notice of you and bares teeth resembling rose thorns.(set: $encounter to it + (a: 'TimberwolfSproutling1-1'))
{(link: "You're fighting a Timberwolf Sproutling!")[
(set: $ehp to 35)
(set: $emhp to 35)
(set: $ename to "Timberwolf Sproutling")
(set: $espd to 20)
(set: $turn to "you")
(set: $log to "you")
(set: $eatktemp to (datanames: $timberwolfSproutlingAttacks))
(set: $eatkname to (either: ...$eatktemp))
(set: $eatk to $timberwolfSproutlingAttacks's ($eatkname))
(set: $combatwin to "TimberwolfSproutling1-2 (~if win)")
(set: $combatlose to "TimberwolfSproutling1-2 (~if lose)")
(set: $runlocation to "EverfreeExit1-1")
(go-to: "Combat")]}<p>You open your eyes slowly, trying your best to ignore the ear-splitting headache currently pounding away at the back of your skull. The room is mercifully dark, the dying coals of a nearby fire pit providing the only illumination in the dimly lit space.
<p>You groan; even the act of looking around feels like a minotaur is driving railroad spikes directly into your eyeballs. You wince, but the pain eventually subsides from excruciating to merely agonizing. Judging by the bed you're lying atop of, you're at least not in any immediate danger.
<p>You crane your neck to try and get a feel for your surroundings. It's easy enough to think you're in some sort of cave at [[first|Zecora1-3]].<p>A lone timberwolf leaps in front of you, blocking the path forward. Eyes like glittering emeralds drip with murderous intent, while the beast's engorged wood betrays a more carnal hunger.(set: $encounter to it + (a: 'Timberwolf1-1'))
{(link: "You're fighting a Timberwolf!")[
(set: $ehp to 75)
(set: $emhp to 75)
(set: $ename to "Timberwolf")
(set: $espd to 45)
(set: $turn to "you")
(set: $log to "you")
(set: $eatktemp to (datanames: $timberwolfAttacks))
(set: $eatkname to (either: ...$eatktemp))
(set: $eatk to $timberwolfAttacks's ($eatkname))
(set: $combatwin to "Timberwolf1-2 (~if win)")
(set: $combatlose to "Timberwolf1-2 (~if lose)")
(set: $runlocation to "EverfreeExit1-1")
(go-to: "Combat")]}<p>A pack of timberwolves descend upon you. They encircle you with otherworldly speed, until you're surrounded on all sides by a bristling forest of tooth and claw. A portion of the forest splits apart to allow the approach of an abnormally large, 'alpha' timberwolf. The creature throws its head back and lets loose a bone-chilling howl.(set: $encounter to it + (a: 'TimberwolfPack1-1'))
{(link: "You're fighting a Timberwolf Pack!")[
(set: $ehp to 150)
(set: $emhp to 150)
(set: $ename to "Timberwolf Pack")
(set: $espd to 50)
(set: $turn to "you")
(set: $log to "you")
(set: $eatktemp to (datanames: $timberwolfPackAttacks))
(set: $eatkname to (either: ...$eatktemp))
(set: $eatk to $timberwolfPackAttacks's ($eatkname))
(set: $combatwin to "TimberwolfPack1-2 (~if win)")
(set: $combatlose to "TimberwolfPack1-2 (~if lose)")
(set: $runlocation to "EverfreeExit1-1")
(go-to: "Combat")]}<p>You run a hoof over the dark wall next to your bed. Gnarled and irregular, yet somewhat smooth to the touch. A pattern of repeating concentric circles covers the floor, with the fire pit sitting in the epicenter.
<p>In regards to decor, potion bottles of every imaginable shape and hue sit on shelves that have been carved into the very walls. A plethora of colorful and eerie-looking tribal masks are strewn throughout the space, like silent sentries keeping an eternal watch for unwelcome intruders. It quickly dawns on you that this room is no cave, but rather a hollowed-out space within the trunk of a massive, sprawling tree.
<p>Your vision gradually adjusts to the lack of light, pitch black becoming muted shades of monochrome gray. Your heart skips a beat when you realize you're not alone; a pony sits on the floor directly across from you in some sort of meditative pose, apparently asleep.
<p>(colour: "#686874")["Awake at last, I see. Hopefully, you at least feel more rested than me,"] the shadowy figure says without provocation. Not dozing apparently, just exceedingly quiet. The figure slowly stands, allowing soft firelight to glide across what is obviously a mare's curvy body. Unexpectedly, lengthy vertical streaks of her otherwise pale coat stay black as [[night|Zecora1-4]].<p>(colour: "#686874")["You have many questions, of that I am sure. First, who is this zebra of black and white fur?"]
<p>Her voice is deep and melodious, slightly accented with the exotic cadence of a foreign land far from Equestria. She doesn't so much say the words coming out of her mouth as sing them. You wonder if her proclivity for rhymes is an acquired habit or a vestigial quirk of her native tongue.
<p>(colour: "#686874")["Zecora is my name and you—"] her eyes narrow, (colour: "#686874")["—have proven to be quite a pain."]
[[What?|Zecora1-5]]To do (in no particular order):
-General polishing and bug fixing
Rewriting certain passages (expect a ton of overwritten scenes and poor pacing early on), refining triggers, quality of life improvements, etc.
-Splitting longer passages
-Female content for existing scenes
Currently writing game with male character in mind. So just pretend your mare has a dick for now.
-Clop
-Magic to supplement combat
-Inventory
-Perks
-Mane 6 affinity
-Morality
Morality tracking to enable/disable certain scenes according to player's past choices.
-Achievements
-More ways to improve stats and actually make them good for something
-More scenes involving character's sex, race, secret
Very barebones at the moment, current writing roadmap looks something like:
<mark>Male scenes>Female scenes>Hermaphrodite scenes>Evil content>Earth pony content>Pegasus content>Unicorn content>Former Shadowbolt content>Celestia's failed student content>Changeling spy content</mark>
-More things to do at night
-More backgrounds
(align: "=><=")[[[Back|Title Screen]]]
<div class="clear"></div>
(css: "font-size: 180%;")[(font: "Spirax")[(align: "=><=")[<b>Untitled Text Aventure v.67</b>]]]
{(align: "=><=")[<span class='brawn'>[[Play|NewGame]] </span>]
(align: "=><=")[<span class='speed'> [[Load]] </span>]
(align: "=><=")[<span class='smarts'> [[To Do List / Info]] </span>]
(align: "=><=")[<span class='charm'> [[Credits]] </span>]}A big thanks to…
little guy
Church
BonesWolbach
Black Cat
/mlp/'s Writer's Guild - <i>"Just put a sidenote somewhere that says 'The Writer's Guild is awesome and ya'll niggas should go there'."</i>
/mlp/'s FiMFiction thread
(align: "=><=")[[[Back|Title Screen]]]<p>You're met, welcomed, belittled, and propositioned by an elderly earth pony mare appropriately named Granny Smith, all within the span of maybe half a minute.
<p>How [[even|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>For the first time ever, Applejack looks visibly unsure of herself. She turns her head slightly so as to eye you up and down, her gaze roving across your body in search of anything even remotely resembling duplicity.
<p>Sensing none apparently, Applejack says, (colour: "#FDC363")["Tell ya' what, we got an opening for a fieldhoof here on the farm. The pay's fair, and maybe, <b>maybe</b>, we can get to know each other a little better than not at all."]
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["You don't gotta say yes right away. Sleep on it, then come by if you ever feel like makin' an honest [[living|CheckTime1-1]]."](set: $time to it + 1)(set: $farmWork to it + (a: 'FarmWork1-1'))<p>Something about your answer does not sit easily with the agitated farmpony.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Right. Heat must be gettin' to me."] Applejack excuses herself to ostensibly get something to [[drink|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $appleFarm to it + (a: 'Farm2-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)<p>Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash boisterously greet Fluttershy from atop their individual thrones, all arranged around the large circular table that dominates the room.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Hi everypony, sorry to keep you all waiting. Look who came to join us!"] The other Elements shout out a second round of 'hellos!' with undiminished enthusiasm. You respond in kind, though adding that you can't help but feel like you're intruding on this special occasion of theirs.
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["Don't worry about it,"] Twilight reassures, (colour: "#D19FE4")["Friendship lesson number forty-seven: happiness shared is not happiness lessened. Here, go ahead and take the seat next to me. It's normally Spike's, but my little diplomat is busy responding to some very important dispatches from the Crystal Empire."] Twilight chuckles and shrugs her shoulders, (colour: "#D19FE4")["Fan [[mail|Castle3-5 (Sure)]]."]<p>You find a short excerpt detailing extant species of avian and reptilian creatures.
Common name (<i>Old Ponish Name</i>)
Type - Size - Behavior - Avg. Lifespan - Egg Description
Basilisk (<i>Baskos regulus</i>)
Monster - Medium - Solitary - 110 years - Black and green, overlapping scales
Chicken (<i>Gallus domesticus</i>)
Avian - Small - Social - 12 years - Various shades of white and light brown, smooth
Cragadile (<i>Cragodylus teranix</i>)
Beast - Large - Solitary - 29 years - Dark, craggy
Owlbear (<i>Strix ursidae</i>)
Beast - Large - Pairs - 34 years - Large, raised criss-cross pattern
Phoenix (<i>Harpus incendia</i>)
Avian - Small - Pairs - 90 years - Red to white depending on temp, swirling flame pattern
<p>This information could prove useful. You quickly jot down a copy for yourself.
<p>You manage to transcribe (text: $pagenumber) [[pages|Payment1-1]].(set: $cottage to it + (a: 'Cottage5-1'))<p>You and Fluttershy pull apart to take your respective seats. As you sit down, you notice a pitcher of milk sitting in the center of the table, alongside empty glasses set before everypony within easy reaching distance.
<p>As violet magic lifts the pitcher and starts filling everypony's glasses, Rarity takes the opportunity to speak up, (colour: "#9575E5")["Now then, Rainbow dear, you were saying?"]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Yeah yeah, sure. Umm, where was I again?"]
<p>Applejack clues her in, (colour: "#FDC363")["The Dragon Lands."]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Oh right! Ahem, these puppies only grow in the Dragon Lands, in the shade of erupting volcanoes. They're adapted to survive anything and everything a volcano can dish out: lava flows, ash fall, acid rain, you name [[it|Castle3-6 (Sure)]]."]<p>Three fillies start following you at some point, trailing your every move like a band of curious birds and ducking behind buildings whenever you turn around to look at them.
[[Confront them|Explore22-2 (Confront them)]]
[[Ignore them|Explore22-2 (Ignore them)]]<p>You hide behind a wall and wait for the three to catch up.
<p>A voice like a little flute drifts around the corner, (colour: "#A47BB4")["Are you sure this is a good idea, Scootaloo? What if (if: $sex is "male")[he](else:)[she] tells somepony?"]
<p>(colour: "#FFBE53")["Of course I'm sure. This pony looks cool, and if there's one thing I know, it's that cool ponies know how to keep a secret,"] a subtly coltish voice [[retorts|Explore22-3]].<p>You pay the three no heed, eventually giving them the slip through no real effort on your [[part|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore22-1'))<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["I think Scoots has it right,"] a third voice chimes in, (colour: "#F5F498")["Not about the cool thing. I don't think (if: $sex is "male")[he'll](else:)[she'll] say no, especially not after (if: $sex is "male")[he](else:)[she] hears what we have to say. Speaking of which, you two see where that (if: $sex is "male")[stallion](else:)[mare] went?"]
<p>(colour: "#FFBE53")["I thought Sweetie Belle was in charge of keeping watch."]
<p>(colour: "#A47BB4")["Wait, we weren't all keeping an eye on (if: $sex is "male")[him](else:)[her]? Three eyes is better than two."]
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["Her math checks out, Scoots."]
<p>(colour: "#FFBE53")["Ugh, whatever. Come on, let's go this way. I think (if: $sex is "male")[he](else:)[she] went past Junebug's [[house|Explore22-4]]."]<p>A moment passes before the three of them–a pegasus filly, a unicorn filly, and an earth pony filly–can turn the corner and run headlong into your waiting form. They stop in their tracks, their eyes wide with surprise at your sudden proximity. At this distance, it must certainly look like you're bearing over them in a threatening manner. The trio exchange unsure glances.
[[Say hello|Explore22-5]]<p>(colour: "#A47BB4")["Hiya!"] the unicorn filly is quick to reply, proceeding to take a step back and do a little curtsy. The orange pegasus takes the opportunity to leap up and rest herself atop the curtsying unicorn's back, so that her forelegs are dangling over the unicorn's side, (colour: "#FFBE53")["Hello yourself!"]
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["Um, hi,"] the earth pony says with significantly less gusto than her friends, (colour: "#F5F498")["So, you hear all that? Everythin' we were just saying?"]
[[Yup|Explore22-6]]<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["On the south road headin' outta town, there's a trail that goes a short ways into the Everfree Forest. It's faint, but it's there. Should be easy enough to follow it to the house. Folks in town don't like walkin' near that neck of the woods, so it's no surprise why more ponies don't know 'bout the place."]
{(link: "Any danger?")[
(go-to: "Explore22-9 (Any danger?)")]}
{(link: "Why not ask the Elements?")[
(go-to: "Explore22-9 (Why not ask the Elements?)")]}
{(link: "What's in it for me?")[
(go-to: "Explore22-9 (What's in it for me?)")]}
[[Agree to help|Explore22-9 (Agree to help)]]
[[Decline to help|Explore22-9 (Decline to help)]]<p>(colour: "#FFBE53")["We've staked the place out a few times. Like Sweetie Belle said, there's always a Diamond Dog standing guard in front of the house. It's not always same one though, so there's definitely more. How many, we don't know for sure, but at least four based on what we've seen."]
<p>(colour: "#A47BB4")["The thing is, we've seen other ponies go inside the house. Nopony we know, they've all been ponies from out of town. That's part of the reason why we wanted your help too."]
{(link: "Where exactly in the forest?")[
(go-to: "Explore22-9 (Where exactly in the forest?)")]}
{(link: "Why not ask the Elements?")[
(go-to: "Explore22-9 (Why not ask the Elements?)")]}
{(link: "What's in it for me?")[
(go-to: "Explore22-9 (What's in it for me?)")]}
[[Agree to help|Explore22-9 (Agree to help)]]
[[Decline to help|Explore22-9 (Decline to help)]]<p>(colour: "#A47BB4")["No!"] Sweetie Belle immediately cries out, (colour: "#A47BB4")["You can't tell Rarity or Twilight! Please, please keep all this a secret between us!"]
<p>Applebloom nods solemnly, (colour: "#F5F498")["We've tried talking to Silver Spoon ourselves."]
<p>(colour: "#FFBE53")["First thing we did as a matter of fact."]
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["When we asked if anythin' was wrong, she got really defensive. Couldn't get so much as a peep out of her. We woulda pressured her a bit more, but then she said we'd all be riskin' our [[friendship|Explore22-10 (Why not ask the Elements?)]]."]<p>(colour: "#A47BB4")["The respect and adoration of three adorable fillies!"] Sweetie Belle says with a beaming smile and not a hint of sarcasm to mar her words.
<p>Applebloom rolls her eyes in a way that doesn't entirely disagree with Sweetie's answer, but does say, (colour: "#F5F498")["We know you'd be stickin' your neck out for us, so it's only fair you get somethin' in return. If we all pooled together our allowances, we can give you about forty bits for your troubles. Half now, the other half after all this is over."]
{(link: "Sounds good")[
(set: $bits to it + 20)
(go-to: "Explore22-10 (Sounds good)")]}
[[No reward necessary|Explore22-10 (No reward necessary)]]
[[Not good enough|Explore22-10 (Not good enough)]]<p>Scootaloo spits on her hoof and holds it out to you. To nobody else's surprise, you decline, which cues a, (colour: "#FFBE53")["What? Was it something I said?"] from the oblivious pegasus.
[[Agree to help|Explore22-9 (Agree to help)]]
[[Decline to help|Explore22-9 (Decline to help)]]<p>(colour: "#FFBE53")["Aww, you are (if: $sex is "male")[such a gentle-stallion! See girls, didn't I say he looked like a gentle-stallion?](else:)[so nice! See girls, didn't I say she looked like she was nice?] I totally did. Come on guys, back me up."]
[[Agree to help|Explore22-9 (Agree to help)]]
[[Decline to help|Explore22-9 (Decline to help)]]<p>(colour: "#FFBE53")["Hey buddy, keep in mind we're still in grade school. Half our classmates don't even have their cutie marks. We have to <b>have</b> a life before we can put life-savings on the table."]
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["Hush, Scoots,"] says a pondering Applebloom. After thinking a bit, she resumes speaking, (colour: "#F5F498")["I got a set of horseshoes I was supposed to grow into. My granny said a pony could buck a twister over with them. They're yours, if you help us. The money too."]
{(link: "Sounds good")[
(set: $bits to it + 20)
(go-to: "Explore22-10 (Sounds good)")]}
[[Still not good enough|Explore22-11 (Still not good enough)]]<p>The three of them take a moment to look at each other and weigh their options. At the very least, they must be wondering if asking for your help was the right choice after all.
<p>To your (and the other two fillies') surprise, it's the least assertive among them that breaks the silence. Sweetie Belle speaks like a mare convicted, (colour: "#A47BB4")["I have a Drop of Heaven. It's a rare opal, easily worth one hundred bits at least. That's the best we can do."]
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["Sweetie Belle?! Are you sure you wanna do that? Weren't you saving that gem [[for|Explore22-12 (Still not good enough)]]-"]<p>The trio all breathe a collective sigh of relief that couldn't be better synchronized if they tried. They each say their thanks in kind, before informing you to meet them at their treehouse on the Apple family farm if and when you have any updates.
<p>Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle all say their respective goodbyes. They walk off together, a bit more bounce in each of their [[steps|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $reddoor to "accept")<p>The three fillies all express their frustrations in their own way, with Scootaloo pawing the ground like a bull readying itself to charge, Applebloom tipping her chin with a sigh, and Sweetie simply looking away in an attempt to hide her tears.
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["We figured you'd say that. Just, just do us a favor and pretend this conversation never happened then, yeah?"]
<p>As they turn to leave, Applebloom leaves you with one final thing to chew on (more an afterthought than anything else), (colour: "#F5F498")["We got us a treehouse near Sweet Apple Acres. We'll be there, in case you change your mind. Or something."]
<p>With that, the trio take their leave of [[you|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $reddoor to "decline")<p>You see Pinkie Pie balancing a tall stack of yellowed parchment atop her back. She spots you and makes a beeline for your position. Upon approach, she turns around to bite at a paper and shove it into your own mouth, almost Prench kissing you in the process.
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["Be ready when we need you,"] she says with all the seriousness of a heart attack. She gallops off, a flurry of flyers floating about in her wake.
<p>You spit out the paper onto your hoof. It's revealed to be a sheet of musical notation, with the choral portion highlighted for your convenience.
<p>Fantastic, another thing to be on the lookout [[for|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it +1)[[Appearance|Journal1-1]] | [[Traits|Journal1-2 (Traits)]] | [[Attacks|Journal1-2 (Attacks)]] | [[Inventory|Journal1-2 (Inventory)]] | [[Quests|Journal1-2 (Quests)]]
You are (text: $name), a (if: $sex is "male")[male](else:)[female] (if: $race is "unicorn")[unicorn](else-if: $race is "pegasus")[pegasus](else:)[earth pony] with a (text: $coatColor) coat and (text: $maneColor) mane. As a (if: $secret is "herm")[hermaphrodite, you are neither a mare or a stallion, but something in between.](else-if: $secret is "student")[former student of Celestia, limits (like all things) are beneath you.](else-if: $secret is "shadow")[Shadowbolt, you are Nightmare Moon's avenging angel.](else-if: $secret is "spy")[changeling spy, you're currently in disguise. Shhh.](else:)[completely normal pony, nothing about you makes you stand out in a crowd.]
(colour: #FF4500)[(if: $brawn < 25)[Given your physique, it's miracle you don't topple over whenever the wind blows.](else-if: $brawn >= 25 and < 50)[You work out, and it shows. Ponies often have a hard time tearing their gaze from your well-toned body.](else-if: $brawn >= 50 and < 75)[You're possessed of a physique that would put most draft horses to shame. So many ponies stop to admire your great musculature that you hardly notice them anymore. Almost.](else-if: $brawn >= 75)[The very ground trembles with your every step. Everytime you exhale, a flower sways on the other side of the world.]]
(colour: #00CED1)[(if: $speed < 25)[Whoa, what just zipped past you? Oh, it was a (either: "slug","snail","turtle","tortoise","Rainbow Dash's pet tortoise","sloth").](else-if: $speed >= 25 and < 50)[Seems all those leg days are finally paying off. It's a subtle, but impactful difference: you cross rooms faster, finish tasks sooner, and you're just plain quicker on your hooves than most ponies.](else-if: $speed >= 50 and < 75)[Not only can you dance on a wire, you can cross a league's worth of it faster than most ponies can blink.](else-if: $speed >= 75)[When the time comes, you'll give death itself a run for its money.]]
(colour: #32CD32)[(if: $smarts < 25)[Nopony needs to be told that glue isn't to be used as a condiment, but you certainly showed the world otherwise.](else-if: $smarts >= 25 and < 50)[Intelligence is a hard thing to quantify; self-awareness, not. You are smarter than most ponies.](else-if: $smarts >= 50 and < 75)[If intelligence is a curse, then you are one unlucky son-of-a-gun.](else-if: $smarts >= 75)[You know nothing. You know you know nothing. For that reason, you know more than most.]]
(colour: #DA70D6)[(if: $charm < 25)[For whatever reason, rooms you enter tend to quickly empty themselves.](else-if: $charm >= 25 and < 50)[You know all the right words and just how to say them. If conversation were a dance, then you're a regular Sapphire Shores.](else-if: $charm >= 50 and < 75)[Hard to say how many hearts you've broken. Of all the ponies interested in you, only a fraction are bold enough to confess it. The rest, they know.](else-if: $charm >= 75)[When you take a breath, the whole world stops to listen.]]
{(link: "Back")[
(go-to: $last)]}<p>You think on what to relay to the little filly.
{(if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-5 (Umm...)")[
(link: "Tell her about the house with the red door")[
(go-to: "Farm2-8 (Tell her about the house with the red door)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-7 (Let's talk about the filly)" or "RedDoor1-10 (You know..?)")[
(link: "Tell her about Silver Spoon")[
(go-to: "Farm2-8 (Tell her about Silver Spoon)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)")[
(link: "Tell her about Madam Martingale")[
(go-to: "Farm2-8 (Tell her about Madam Martingale)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-3 (Approach the manor)")[
(link: "Tell her about the Diamond Dogs")[
(go-to: "Farm2-8 (Tell her about the Diamond Dogs)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-8 (Ponies are bedding her?)")[
(link: "Tell her about the auction")[
(go-to: "Farm2-8 (Tell her about the auction)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-11 (Find Madam Martingale)")[
(link: "Tell her about your involvement")[
(go-to: "Farm2-8 (Tell her about your involvement)")]]}
[[Tell lies|Farm2-8 (Tell lies)]]
[[That's all for now|Farm2-8 (That's all for now)]]<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["That's okay, we don't expect you to move mountains on our account. I'm just glad you have the courtesy to check in with us. When you do have something, feel free to come on up and tell us what's what,"] Applebloom instructs, motioning to the treehouse above. (colour: "#F5F498")["We're up there pretty much all the time, not counting school 'course. It's kinda our headquarters. Cutie Mark Crusaders Central!"] she proclaims with all the pride of a pony that had a hoof in its creation.
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["Still, I feel bad that you came all the way out here and got nothin' to show for it."]
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["Tell ya' what, we need an extra farmhoof for the harvest this season. I'll try and see if I can't convince Big Mac to hold off on hirin' anypony straight away, in case you wanna give it a shot. You'd be a shoe-in, especially after I vouch for you. Just somethin' to [[consider|CheckTime1-1]]."](set: $time to it + 1)(set: $farmWork to it + (a: 'FarmWork1-1'))(set: $applebloom to it + (a: 'Applebloom1-1'))<p>Set prostrate against the trunk of a tree is what appears to be a life-sized statue of a unicorn mare. A stone horn graces her head, which glances behind to gaze at nothingness. The statue's face, while undeniably beautiful, is twisted into a frozen expression of terror.
<p>Its forehooves clamber at the base of the tree, as if trying to climb up and into the branches above. The artist even went so far as to dig scratches into the wood where the hooves would've been scraping away at the bark. If you didn't know any better, you'd swear that the sculptor had modeled his work after somepony desperately fleeing some unseen attacker.
<p>That impeccable attention to detail doesn't stop there; any pretense of dignity is abandoned as perverse curiosity compels you to duck your head and glance under the statue's tail. Where most artists might leave a subject's nether-regions tastefully blank, this one instead opted to recreate a gorgeous marehood, down to the most exact [[minutiae|Everfree3-3]].
(if: $smarts >= 30)[<span class='smarts'>[[Inspect scene|Everfree3-3 (Inspect scene)]]</span>]<p>You look around, expecting to find a signature or clue that might perhaps shed light on the artist's identity, or at the very least, give some indication as to why they chose to leave their work so far from civilization. You find no such thing; no identifying marks to sully the statue's picturesque figure, nor anything else to suggest another soul had been here anytime recently.
<p>The day an artist doesn't crave self-validation is the day Princess Mi Amore Cadenza comes down from her crystal tower and personally services every colt and stallion from Manehattan to Las Pegasus.
<p>In other words, there is no way whoever's responsible for this <i>didn't</i> leave a calling card. The only question is [[where|Everfree3-3]].(if: $smarts >= 35)[
<span class='smarts'>[[Inspect further|Everfree3-4 (Inspect further)]]</span>]<p>Even with one hoof indisposed, three legs is still better than the cockatrice's two. You turn tail and flee, never once bothering to glance behind at what might very well be certain doom.
<p>Surprisingly, you find your petrified appendage doesn't actually slow you down all that much. There's no real pain for one thing, only a somewhat dulled, tingling sensation where flesh meets stone. Neither does the hoof weigh upon you too heavily; after all, it's practically been splinted already! If nothing else, you'll probably leave this whole experience a good deal more sympathetic to the plight of [[pirates|Everfree3-6 (Run!)]].<p>You're given little time to continue your shameless inspection of the statue's undercarriage; a violent hiss from behind heralds the approach of something not altogether friendly.
<p>You spin about to face the intruder. You catch but the slightest glimpse of serpentine scales, leathery wings, and two eyes like burning garnets before raw animal instinct can scream at your brain to rip your gaze [[away|Everfree3-4]].<p>There. Beneath the statue's torso, nestled between gnarled roots and half-buried by detritus, you spy the glint of metal most precious. (if: $race is "unicorn")[You lift the metallic object out of the ground, letting it rise until it catches a ray of light piercing through the forest canopy.](else:)[You get down on the ground and dig out the metallic object. It's a tad awkward, maneuvering your hoof around the statue's hindlegs, but you eventually manage to excavate whatever's there.]
<p>A vigorous shake does a good enough job of flinging away any dirt still caked on. What's revealed is a brooch of surpassing intricacy, hoofmade with perhaps fine sterling silver or white gold. Engraved upon the face are all manner of flowering flourishes and sweeping scrollwork, with a crest bearing the letter 'P' at its very [[center|Everfree3-5 (Inspect further)]].<p>In spite of the handicaps forced on you, battling the cockatrice doesn't turn out nearly as one-sided as circumstances would initially suggest. Evidently unwilling to continue a fight where there exists a very real possibility of it losing, the cockatrice backs off. It lets out one last, derisive hiss, before retreating back into the woods from whence it came.
<p>A minute or two passes, and it's clear that your foe won't be returning anytime soon. To your surprise, the cockatrice's departure takes with it the spell inflicted on your hoof. You watch, relief tugging at your heart, as the petrified flesh begins to gradually revert back to its pre-cockatrice state. You know not what engendered this remediation, but it's a welcome development nonetheless.
<p>No such fortune befalls the completely petrified victim still clawing at the foot of the tree however. You'll have to find some other means to break the cockatrice's curse if you intend to free the unfortunate soul from her stony [[tomb|EverfreeExit1-1]].(set: $outOfTime to it + 1)<p>Your mounting wounds eventually take their toll, the cockatrice managing to force its way into your field of view. You try to take a step back, only to find your hooves inexplicably rooted to the ground. Glancing down, you see a thin line separating flesh and stone steadily creeping up your three remaining legs. To your horror, you realize that the petrifying effect has become self-sustaining.
<p>No amount of struggling can compel your limbs to move. As though sensing your helplessness, the cockatrice makes a clucking sound with an uncanny resemblance to wild cackling. The creature doesn't hesitate to take advantage of your immobility, circling around you and climbing atop your back with enviable speed. Those razor-sharp claws would most certainly be causing you a great deal of pain, had they supple pony flesh to sink into.
<p>You strain your neck as though to pull away from the cockatrice's influence, which the rest of your body invariably succumbs to. Heedless of your wishes, the deadening of all feeling gradually climbs up your spine, along with the creature itself. The last thing you ever see is the cockatrice's upside-down face.
<b>[[Your story ends here.|Title Screen]]</b><p>You spot a motionless Applejack, seemingly asleep at the base of a tree. With the brim of her cowboy hat tipped down to cover her face, you don't have an easy time of knowing for sure.
<p>Apparently, she's at least awake enough to hear your approach. (colour: "#FDC363")["Well I'll be. Didn't think you'd be showing your face 'round these parts again,"] she greets, (colour: "#FDC363")["Slap me in a sundae and call me nana, I guess I'm out ten bits. Thanks for that."]
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["I reckon you're here for that job?"]
[[Yes|FarmWork1-2 (Yes)]]
[[No|FarmWork1-2 (No)]]<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Darn, I was afraid you'd say that. And here I was hoping to grab a little shut-eye. Might as well finish everything up early I suppose."] Applejack reluctantly rises from her recumbent position. Once she's back on all fours, she readjusts her stetson and heads off towards a nearby copse of apple trees. You obligingly fall in line behind her.
<p>The two of you reach the trees in short order, at which point begins your crash course on all things apple and apple-related. Thankfully, Applejack starts you off slow; she first shows you the ins and outs of bucking the apples out of a tree. Never in your life did you imagine you'd be listening to an hour long lecture on how to properly kick a [[tree|FarmWork1-3]].<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Then what the hay are you pesterin' me for? Tryin' to get some shut-eye here, some of us work for a living."]
<p>You can't help but notice some parallels between this scene and the first time you and Applejack met, which you mention out loud.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Yea, the difference bein' my family owns this here farm, so I can sleep anywhere I darn well please. Now [[scram|CheckTime1-1]]."](set: $farmWork to it + (a: 'FarmWork1-1'))<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Ya' see, what most folks don't know is just how important the front legs are to a good buck. Most common mistake I see first-timers make is jumpin' into the air like a li'l jumpin' bean. Sure, the power's in the hindquarters,"] Applejack says while slapping her flank, (colour: "#FDC363")["But all that power ain't got nowhere to go if you don't got both hooves planted on the ground. Watch an' [[learn|FarmWork1-4]]."](set: $farmPay to (round: (random: (1,6)) + (random: (1,6)) * 0.1) * ($brawn * 0.5))<p>You spend the next few hours shadowing Applejack as she works the farm. When it comes time for you to buck a tree yourself, the results are...
<p>...underwhelming, to say the least.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Harder than it looks, ain't it?"] Applejack says, grinning, (colour: "#FDC363")["Don't beat yourself up over it though. Takes time to get good at this, like most things in life."]
<p>It takes no time at all to gather up your haul, and even less time for Applejack to meed out your earnings for the [[day|FarmWork1-5]].{(align: "=><=")[<b>Load</b>]
(align: "=><=")[
(if: (saved-games:) contains "Slot A")[
(link: "Load Slot A")[
(load-game: "Slot A")]]
(else:)[No save in Slot A]]
(align: "=><=")[
(if: (saved-games:) contains "Slot B")[
(link: "Load Slot B")[
(load-game: "Slot B")]]
(else:)[No save in Slot B]]
(align: "=><=")[
(if: (saved-games:) contains "Slot C")[
(link: "Load Slot C")[
(load-game: "Slot C")]]
(else:)[No save in Slot C]]}
(align: "=><=")[[[Back|Title Screen]]](align: "=><=")[[[Main Menu|Title Screen]]]
{(align: "=><=")[<b>Save</b>]
(align: "=><=")[
(link: "Save to Slot A")[(if: (save-game: "Slot A"))[$name the $race saved to Slot A]
(else:)[Save failed]]]
(align: "=><=")[
(link: "Save to Slot B")[(if: (save-game: "Slot B"))[$name the $race saved to Slot B]
(else:)[Save failed]]]
(align: "=><=")[
(link: "Save to Slot C")[(if: (save-game: "Slot C"))[$name the $race saved to Slot C]
(else:)[Save failed]]]}
{(align: "=><=")[<b>Load</b>]
(align: "=><=")[
(if: (saved-games:) contains "Slot A")[
(link: "Load Slot A")[
(load-game: "Slot A")]]
(else:)[No save in Slot A]]
(align: "=><=")[
(if: (saved-games:) contains "Slot B")[
(link: "Load Slot B")[
(load-game: "Slot B")]]
(else:)[No save in Slot B]]
(align: "=><=")[
(if: (saved-games:) contains "Slot C")[
(link: "Load Slot C")[
(load-game: "Slot C")]]
(else:)[No save in Slot C]]}
(align: "=><=")[[[Cheats]]]
{(align: "=><=")[
(link: "Back to game")[
(go-to: $last)]]}{(display: "Enemy")(display: "Log")(display: "You")}{<div id="enemy">$ename: $ehp/$emhp.</div>}<div id="you">You: $hp/$mhp
{(if: $turn is "you")[
(if: $ehp < 1)[
(link: "You defeat $ename!")[
(go-to: $combatwin)]]
(else-if: $hp < 1)[
(link: "You've been beat!")[
(if: $hp <= 0)[
(set: $hp to 1)]
(go-to: $combatlose)]]
(else:)[
(link: "`[" + $playerattack1 + "]`")[
(if: ((random: 1,100) + ($spd * $playerattack1accuracy)) > (random: 1,100))[
(set: $ehp to it - (round: ($playerattack1damage + $playerattack1modifier * $brawn)))
(set: $atk to $playerattack2)
(set: $atkdmg to (round: ($playerattack1damage + $playerattack1modifier * $brawn)))
(set: $turn to "enemy")
(set: $log to "atk")
(go-to: "Combat")]
(else:)[
(set: $turn to "enemy")
(set: $log to "miss")
(go-to: "Combat")]]
(if: $attackslot2 is 1)[
(link: "`[" + $playerattack2 + "]`")[
(if: ((random: 1,100) + ($spd * $playerattack2accuracy)) > (random: 1,100))[
(set: $ehp to it - (round: ($playerattack2damage + $playerattack2modifier * $brawn)))
(set: $atk to $playerattack1)
(set: $atkdmg to (round: ($playerattack2damage + $playerattack2modifier * $brawn)))
(set: $turn to "enemy")
(set: $log to "atk")
(go-to: "Combat")]
(else:)[
(set: $turn to "enemy")
(set: $log to "miss")
(go-to: "Combat")]]]
(if: $attackslot3 is 1)[
(link: "`[" + $playerattack3 + "]`")[
(if: ((random: 1,100) + ($spd * $playerattack3accuracy)) > (random: 1,100))[
(set: $ehp to it - (round: ($playerattack3damage + $playerattack3modifier * $brawn)))
(set: $atk to $playerattack3)
(set: $atkdmg to (round: ($playerattack3damage + $playerattack3modifier * $brawn)))
(set: $turn to "enemy")
(set: $log to "atk")
(go-to: "Combat")]
(else:)[
(set: $turn to "enemy")
(set: $log to "miss")
(go-to: "Combat")]]]
(link: "`[Run]`")[
(set: $log to "run")
(set: $runchance to ($speed / $espd) * .5)
(set: $runroll to (random: 1,10) * .01)
(go-to: "Combat")]]]
(else-if: $turn is "enemy")[
(if: $ehp < 1)[
(link: "You defeat $ename!")[
(go-to: $combatwin)]]
(else:)[
(link: "Continue")[
(set: $eatkname to (either: ...$eatktemp))
(if: ((random: 1,100) + ($espd * .5)) > (random: 1,100))[
(set: $log to "enemy")
(set: $turn to "you")
(set: $hp to it - $eatk)
(go-to: "Combat")]
(else:)[
(set: $log to "enemymiss")
(set: $turn to "you")
(go-to: "Combat")]]]]</div>}{<div id="log">
(if: $log is "you")[]
(else-if: $log is "atk")[You use '$atk' on $ename, dealing $atkdmg damage.]
(else-if: $log is "enemy")[$eatkname]
(else-if: $log is "enemymiss")[You manage to dodge the enemy's attack!]
(else-if: $log is "miss")[Your attack fails to connect!]
(else-if: $log is "run")[(if: $runchance >= $runroll)[(go-to: "Run")](else:)[You fail to run away!(set: $turn to "enemy")(set: $log to "atk")]]</div>}<p>You follow the treeline that runs in tandem with Ponyville's southern road, eventually coming across a trail leading into the forest. Had you not known to look for it, the overgrown trail would've certainly proven near-impossible to locate. No doubt a boon to those that would prefer to keep this particular neck of the woods hidden from the world at large.
<p>There's no telling what lies on the path ahead. If what the Cutie Mark Crusaders told you was true, you can likely expect something along the lines of villainy and high peril. You'd best be prepared for whatever's to come.
<p>Do you still want to go through with this?
[[I'm ready|RedDoor1-2 (I'm ready)]]
[[I could be better prepared|RedDoor1-2 (I could be better prepared)]]<p>You could turn back now. You don't, but you could. That may not be a luxury you'll always have the longer you walk this path. It's a harrowing thought, but you didn't come to Ponyville to live an ordinary life, now did you?
<p>So you press forward. On and on you tread these Everfree depths, where Celestia's warmth does not reach the ground, where far-off eyes watch from ceaseless shadow, and where trees leer with phantom faces.
<p>Just before the woods can get well and truly foreboding, sparse light up ahead indicates the presence of a break in the canopy. You reach it in due time, stepping into a large expanse of unwooded space, large enough to contain a dilapidated manor at its center.
<p>A manor with a red door, guarded by a single Diamond Dog. He leans on his spear in a half-hearted attempt to stay upright.
[[Approach the manor|RedDoor1-3 (Approach the manor)]]
[[Sneak around back|RedDoor1-3 (Sneak around back)]]
[[Turn back|RedDoor1-3 (Turn back)]]<p>There's nothing to indicate this trail won't still be here on the morrow. No sense bumbling into danger if you can help it. You make your way back to town, your thoughts swirling with what more you can do to make yourself [[ready|EverfreeExit1-1]].<p>You put on a brave face and stride towards the manor. The guard pricks his ears up at your approach, scrambling to stand up straight and yelling out, (colour: "#817361")["Oi! Who goes its?!"]
<p>The ornery, mastiff-looking fellow readies his ramshackle spear, and just as quickly relaxes once he actually gets a look at you, (colour: "#817361")["Just what do we got 'ere? Anotha' wee pony come to have a look-see at the little 'un?"]
[[Yes|RedDoor1-4 (Yes)]]
[[What is this place?|RedDoor1-4 (What is this place?)]]
[[Here to put a stop to this|RedDoor1-4 (Here to put a stop to this)]]
[[Was just leaving|RedDoor1-4 (Was just leaving)]]<p>You dissolve back into the trees and circle around back. Unfortunately, every window or door you come across looks to be boarded up. Clearly, someone wanted the front door to be the sole entrance and exit, fire codes be damned.
<p>You eventually make a complete circle, ending up back where you started at square one.
[[Approach the manor|RedDoor1-3 (Approach the manor)]]
[[Turn back|RedDoor1-3 (Turn back)]]<p>It looks like you haven't been spotted yet, meaning the status quo remains unchanged. Not like you've done anything you will regret, not yet at least. You quickly hurry back the way you [[came|EverfreeExit1-1]].//Note: Option to find actual password somewhere in town?//
<p>You play along with the guard, nodding in agreement. Here's hoping he lets some more information slip.
<p>(colour: "#817361")["Aye, color me glad ta see you. Ben lonesome around 'ere lately. Me and the boys was getting antsy, regarding our pay. No customers means no money coming in. Don't see how the boss'll pay us, savvy? But you, you got plenty o' bits! Nice bits to buy us many, pretty gems!"] The Diamond Dog visibly salivates at the idea.
<p>(colour: "#817361")["Quick! Quick! Inside you go!"] He steps aside, leaving the front entrance easily accessible, (colour: "#817361")["See the bairn, then give us the bits!"]
<p>The red door cracks open and, like a wispy tendril of smoke, a feminine voice drifts out, (colour: "#CD7F32")["Mr. Barkley, don't you think you're forgetting something?"]
<p>The guard's demeanor instantly shifts to that of a child caught doing something expressly forbidden. (colour: "#817361")["O-oh yes, mistress! 'Course I rememba, I was just getting to that! Y-you! What told you to come 'ere and who's the password!?"] He nervously wrings the spear's shaft between his paws.
[[Umm...|RedDoor1-5 (Umm...)]]
[[...The crow caws at midnight?|RedDoor1-5 (Umm...)]]
[[Cough out some gibberish|RedDoor1-5 (Umm...)]]
[[Should get going|RedDoor1-5 (Should get going)]]<p>(colour: "#817361")["Heh heh, this 'ere fine establishment's your one-way ticket to the best night of youse pony-picking life. Least it will be. House is all empty-like for now, 'cept for Dogs and 'course the Ma'am. Still looking for talent she is."]
<p>(colour: "#817361")["There is the little 'un I mentioned. Tasty little morsel, that one. Naughty ponies come from all over ta see 'er. She'll bring in a pretty penny once she starts working right propa."]
<p>(colour: "#817361")["But you din't come ta see ol'Barkley hem and haw. Naw, you came for tha little 'un. Ready to see 'er or not?"]
[[Yes|RedDoor1-4 (Yes)]]
[[Here to put a stop to this|RedDoor1-4 (Here to put a stop to this)]]
[[Was just leaving|RedDoor1-4 (Was just leaving)]]<p>You grandly announce that you've come to put a stop to all this. What exactly 'this' is, well, you can worry about later.
<p>The Diamond Dog puts himself between you and the front door, (colour: "#817361")["That so, poppet? You? All by your lonesome?"] He laughs, a jagged sound as rough-hewn as the tip of his weapon. (colour: "#817361")["Oh, I'm gonna enjoy breaking you in, poppet. Haven't had me a pony in so long. Won't even call my packmates I won't, keep ye all ta me self more like."]
{(link: "You're fighting a Diamond Dog Bouncer!")[
(set: $ehp to 60)
(set: $emhp to 60)
(set: $ename to "Diamond Dog Bouncer")
(set: $espd to 25)
(set: $turn to "you")
(set: $log to "you")
(set: $eatktemp to (datanames: $diamondDogBouncerAttacks))
(set: $eatkname to (either: ...$eatktemp))
(set: $eatk to $diamondDogBouncerAttacks's ($eatkname))
(set: $combatwin to "RedDoor1-5 (Here to stop all this ~if win)")
(set: $combatlose to "RedDoor1-5 (Here to stop all this ~if lose)")
(set: $runlocation to "EverfreeExit1-1")
(go-to: "Combat")]}<p>You beat a casual retreat, turning around and walking off in a manner that you very much hope comes off as nonchalant.
<p>(colour: "#817361")["Hold on a tick, we was only just gettin' to know each otha!"] the Diamond Dog says in an overtly predatory tone that does a fantastic job of making your veins turn icy. He grab hold of your tail, arresting your escape. (colour: "#817361")["I ain't done with you yet!"]
<p>You can feel your flank reflexively tense up as your hindleg readies a bone-shattering buck. Before you can launch it however, both you and the Diamond Dog freeze as the red door creaks open.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["That's quite enough, Mr. Barkley. You may let go."]
<p>The Diamond Dog instantly releases your tail. You aren't sure what transpires next between him and the voice behind the door; you don't stick around to find out.
<p>After retracing your steps through the woods, you eventually make it back to Ponyville in one [[piece|EverfreeExit1-1]].<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Enough,"] declares the voice behind the door, (colour: "#CD7F32")["I won't have a patron delayed by your babbling any longer. (if: $sex is "male")[Sir](else:)[Miss], feel free to enter at your leisure. And Mr. Barkley?"] The guard lets out a pitiful yelp upon hearing his name called a second time. (colour: "#CD7F32")["Trust that I'll have you paid on time and in full, as stated in our contract. I've done nothing to give you cause to doubt my ability to do so, so I ask that you refrain from sharing your misgivings with my patrons. We won't have this conversation again."] With that, you hear the sound of hoofsteps walking away.
<p>The dark gap in the doorway beckons your ingress. You leave the cowering guard behind and finally enter the manor proper. You can't help but gasp at the scene that greets you.
<p>In stark contrast to the wretched exterior outside, the foyer before you would make even the most self-indulgent pony blush and call for restraint. Lanterns paned with glass like frozen blood are placed on every available surface, casting a surfeit of eerie, reddish light all across the spacious room. Furnishing said room are all manner of luxurious effects, from darkwood tables of the finest grain to ottomares wearing chiffon doilies, though all share in common their exceeding quality. Of particular note are the numerous floor cushions strewn liberally throughout to serve in lieu of chairs, of which there are none.
<p>Lying upon a fainting couch on a raised dais at the back of the room is the only other being present, a stately earth mare of undefinable age, neither young nor old. Her bronze, bob cut mane is styled to fall over the left side of her face, leaving her only one amber eye to regard you with curious disinterest. She wears a body-hugging sequin dress that hides her cutie mark and most of her oil-black coat.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["My apologies for any inconvenience my guard dog may have caused,"] she says in a voice smooth and sullen like black satin, (colour: "#CD7F32")["Mongrels weren't my first choice, but good help is so hard to find out here. A tragedy I couldn't bring my usual staff with me."] She pauses to take a puff from the cigarette at the end of her lengthy cigarette holder. (colour: "#CD7F32")["Would you like to see the girl now, or shall we discuss some other matter first? Your choice."]
[[Let's see what you have to offer|RedDoor1-6 (Let's see what you have to offer)]]
[[Remind me who you are again|RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)]]
[[Here to fight|RedDoor1-6 (Here to fight)]]<p>The crack in the door purrs a reply, (colour: "#CD7F32")["I'm afraid it's too late for that. I insist you join me for the evening. I won't take 'no' for an answer. Mr. Barkley, please give our guest the proper encouragement."] With that, you can hear the sound of hoofsteps walking away.
<p>(colour: "#817361")["You 'eard her,"] the Diamond Dog says, his voice now made hollow by fear, (colour: "#817361")["In yeh go, 'fore I get me hide skinned. Don't cause me no more trouble now."]
[[Do as he says|RedDoor1-6 (Do as he says)]]
[[Fight your way out|RedDoor1-6 (Fight your way out)]]<p>The Diamond Dog wobbles precariously back and forth, before slumping forward and falling flat on his face. Emboldened by your victory, you confidently stride into the manse with head held high. Nothing can prepare you for the sights contained within.
<p>In stark contrast to the wretched exterior outside, the foyer before you would make even the most self-indulgent pony blush and call for restraint. Lanterns with glass like frozen blood are placed on every available surface, casting a surfeit of eerie, reddish light all across the spacious room. Furnishing said room are all manner of luxurious effects, from darkwood tables of the finest grain to ottomares wearing chiffon doilies, though all share in common their exceeding quality. Of particular note are the numerous floor cushions strewn liberally throughout to serve in lieu of chairs, of which there are none.
<p>Lying upon a fainting couch on a raised dais at the back of the room is the only other being present, a stately earth mare of undefinable age, neither young nor old. Her bronze, bob cut mane is styled to fall over the left side of her face, leaving her only one amber eye to regard you with aloof disinterest. She wears a body-hugging sequin dress that hides her cutie mark and most of her oil-black coat.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["You have the look of somepony that doesn't know what (if: $sex is "male")[he's](else:)[she's] gotten (if: $sex is "male")[himself](else:)[herself] into,"] the mare states in the tone of a matronly school teacher. (colour: "#CD7F32")["That said, I don't appreciate being intruded on."]
<p>The mare claps her forehooves together, and just like that, Diamond Dogs flood the room from every darkened hallway. They surround you, cutting off any means of escape.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Try not to make too much of a mess,"] she says to the assembled pack. With that, she gets on her hooves and melts into the crowd.
{(link: "You're fighting a pack of Diamond Dogs!")[
(set: $ehp to 200)
(set: $emhp to 200)
(set: $ename to "Diamond Dog Pack")
(set: $espd to 45)
(set: $turn to "you")
(set: $log to "you")
(set: $eatktemp to (datanames: $diamondDogPackAttacks))
(set: $eatkname to (either: ...$eatktemp))
(set: $eatk to $diamondDogPackAttacks's ($eatkname))
(set: $combatwin to "RedDoor1-8 (Take my chances ~if win)")
(set: $combatlose to "RedDoor1-8 (Take my chances ~if lose)")
(set: $runlocation to "EverfreeExit1-1")
(go-to: "Combat")]}<p>You blackout, with only the fleeting sensation of your hindlegs being spread and a sharp pain in your rear to carry you into oblivion.
<i>A few days later...</i>
<p>You groan as the Diamond Dog gives one last tug and finally pulls away, his bulbous knot slipping out of your (if: $sex is "female")[raw twat](else:)[rectum] with a `*`squelch`*` and then a `*`pop`*`. Wave after wave of molten canine seed gushes out of you, most of it oozing down your inner thighs before adding to the ever-growing puddle of spent loads beneath you.
<p>(colour: "#817361")["Move ova' youse, high time I give that pony (if: $sex is "female")[pussy](else:)[ass] anotha' go. Stretched out (if: $sex is "female")[those holes](else:)[this hole] good we did, (if: $sex is "female")[lass](else:)[lad] hardly makes a peep now! I think we broke (if: $sex is "female")[her](else:)[him], boys! Hah!"] You stopped begging for any kind of reprieve a while back.
<p>A pair of fresh Dogs position themselves in front and behind you, the latter leaning forward until his chest rests atop your back. He grabs hold of your forehead and lower jaw, wrenching your mouth open to allow his packmate easy access. They both slam forward simultaneously, spit-roasting you on their turgid shafts.
<p>They pound you mercilessly, with zero regard for your own comfort or pleasure. It doesn't take long for them to cum as a result. They lodge their canine knots deep inside your body, before expanding to dam the copious amounts of seed still sloshing about inside you. You stay in this position for a good while, doggy dicks plugging up your orifices, until their knots soften enough to pull out and the cycle can begin all over again.
<b>[[Your story ends here.|Title Screen]]</b><p>At the Diamond Dog's spear-assisted prodding, you trepidly enter the house with the red door. Said door slams shut once you clear the entrance, leaving you awash in the soft red light of a hundred lanterns paned with glass like frozen blood.
<p>Furnishing the eerily-lit and surprisingly lavish room are all manner of luxurious effects, from darkwood tables of the finest grain to ottomares wearing chiffon doilies, though all share in common their exceeding quality. Of particular note are the numerous floor cushions strewn liberally throughout to serve in lieu of chairs, of which there are none.
<p>Lying upon a fainting couch on a raised dais at the back of the room is the only other being present, a stately earth mare of undefinable age, neither young nor old. Her bronze, bob cut mane is styled to fall over the left side of her face, leaving her only one amber eye to regard you with curious disinterest. She wears a body-hugging sequin dress that hides her cutie mark and most of her oil-black coat.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["My apologies for any inconvenience my guard dog may have caused,"] she says in a voice smooth and sullen like black satin, (colour: "#CD7F32")["Mongrels weren't my first choice, but good help is so hard to find out here. A tragedy I couldn't bring my usual staff with me."] She pauses to take a puff from the cigarette at the end of her lengthy cigarette holder. (colour: "#CD7F32")["Would you like to see the girl now, or shall we discuss some other matter first? Your choice."]
[[Am I a prisoner?|RedDoor1-7 (Am I a prisoner?)]]
[[Let's see what you have to offer|RedDoor1-6 (Let's see what you have to offer)]]
[[Remind me who you are again|RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)]]
[[Here to fight|RedDoor1-6 (Here to fight)]]<p>The guard brandishes his spear. He bounds around you with canine speed, forcing a confrontation.
{(link: "You're fighting a Diamond Dog Bouncer!")[
(set: $ehp to 60)
(set: $emhp to 60)
(set: $ename to "Diamond Dog Bouncer")
(set: $espd to 25)
(set: $turn to "you")
(set: $log to "you")
(set: $eatktemp to (datanames: $diamondDogBouncerAttacks))
(set: $eatkname to (either: ...$eatktemp))
(set: $eatk to $diamondDogBouncerAttacks's ($eatkname))
(set: $combatwin to "RedDoor1-5 (Here to stop all this ~if win)")
(set: $combatlose to "RedDoor1-5 (Here to stop all this ~if lose)")
(set: $runlocation to "EverfreeExit1-1")
(go-to: "Combat")]}<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Straight to business it is then. But first, a formality. Before anything else, I'll ask that you please deposit the one-hundred bits in that chest there,"] she waves a dismissive hoof at a banded iron chest against the wall.
{(if: $bits >= 100)[(link: "Deposit money")[(set: $bits to it - 100)(go-to: "RedDoor1-7 (Deposit money)")]]}
[[Decline|RedDoor1-7 (Decline)]]<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Madam Martingale, at your service,"] she coos, bowing her head ever so slightly.
{(link: "You in charge?")[
(go-to: "RedDoor1-7 (You in charge?)")]}
{(link: "What is this place?")[
(go-to: "RedDoor1-7 (What is this place?)")]}
{(if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-7 (What is this place?)")[
(link: "This place have a name?")[
(go-to: "RedDoor1-7 (This place have a name?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-7 (What is this place?)")[
(link: "Why so empty?")[
(go-to: "RedDoor1-7 (Why so empty?)")]]}
{(link: "Let's talk about the filly")[
(go-to: "RedDoor1-7 (Let's talk about the filly)")]}
{(if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-7 (What is this place?)")[
(link: "Any open positions?")[
(go-to: "RedDoor1-7 (Any open positions?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-7 (What is this place?)")[
(link: "How much to be with you?")[
(go-to: "RedDoor1-7 (How much to be with you?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-7 (Why so empty?)")[
(link: "Maybe I can find you some mares?")[
(go-to: "RedDoor1-7 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-7 (What is this place?)")[(if: $charm >= 85)[<span class='charm'>[[I want in on this racket|RedDoor1-7 (I want in on this racket ~if pass)]]</span>]
(else:)[<span class='charm'>[[I want in on this racket|RedDoor1-7 (I want in on this racket ~if fail)]]</span>]]}
[[Let's see what you have to offer|RedDoor1-6 (Let's see what you have to offer)]]
[[Here to fight|RedDoor1-6 (Here to fight)]]<p>You open your mouth to announce hostile intent, but the mare holds up a silencing hoof before you can start.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Think carefully before you say or do anything we'll both regret. My dogs may be brutes, but even brutes have their uses."] There's no malice to her words, only cold-blooded sincerity. Given her tone of voice just now, she might as well have been reading off her tax returns.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Now, you were saying?"]
[[Take my chances|RedDoor1-7 (Take my chances)]]
[[Reconsider|RedDoor1-7 (Reconsider)]]<p>The chest opens on its own accord as you approach, like the jaws of a lazy beast knowing full well it will be fed shortly. You proceed to count out one-hundred gold (the mare observing silently all the while) from your saddlebag, then dropping it all into the chest in one great pile. They make a sound reminiscent of a thousand swords clashing from afar as they spill across the chest's floor.
<p>Before you can step away, a single bit is lifted up and away from its brethren, before depositing itself into your saddlebag.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["It seems you miscounted,"] is the only explanation the mare gives. She gets off her sofa and starts heading down a corridor, expecting you to follow.
[[Follow her|RedDoor1-8 (Follow her)]](if: $bits > 100)[<p>You decline to pay without giving any exact reason why.](else:)[<p>You couldn't pony up one-hundred gold even if you wanted to. Of course, you neglect mentioning that little detail as you pass on her offer.]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Might I remind you that my liaison made it clear that my fee is non-negotiable. You may see the filly after I've received payment, not before. Until then, our business is concluded. I trust that you can see yourself out."]
<p>Seems there's no getting past this mare without dropping a sack-full of bits into her lap. You say your adieus and make for the exit, half-expecting to get jumped the entire time by Diamond Dogs you can't see but know for a fact are watching.
<p>That sense of dread doesn't diminish one bit as you step outside; the previous guard is nowhere to be seen, now replaced by a dire-looking doberman with a web of scars running across his face. He doesn't move, only ever staring directly ahead, and yet you feel his unflinching gaze on your skin.
<p>You don't feel safe again until you're well out of the forest and back in Ponyville. Even then, you make it a habit to continuously check behind you for the rest of the [[day|EverfreeExit1-1]].<p>You'll take your chances, you tell the largely indifferent mare. She simply claps her forehooves together, and just like that, Diamond Dogs flood the room from every darkened hallway. They surround you, cutting off any means of escape.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Try not to make too much of a mess,"] she says to the assembled pack. With that, she gets on her hooves and melts into the crowd.
{(link: "You're fighting a pack of Diamond Dogs!")[
(set: $ehp to 200)
(set: $emhp to 200)
(set: $ename to "Diamond Dog Pack")
(set: $espd to 45)
(set: $turn to "you")
(set: $log to "you")
(set: $eatktemp to (datanames: $diamondDogPackAttacks))
(set: $eatkname to (either: ...$eatktemp))
(set: $eatk to $diamondDogPackAttacks's ($eatkname))
(set: $combatwin to "RedDoor1-8 (Take my chances ~if win)")
(set: $combatlose to "RedDoor1-8 (Take my chances ~if lose)")
(set: $runlocation to "EverfreeExit1-1")
(go-to: "Combat")]}<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Reconsider what? Pardon my rudeness, but our last discussion bored me terribly. I've already put it out of my mind as a matter of fact. I suggest you do the same."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Have you any desire to see the girl now? Lest any more of our time be wasted."]
[[Let's see what you have to offer|RedDoor1-6 (Let's see what you have to offer)]]
[[Remind me who you are again|RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)]]<p>The Diamond Dogs throw everything they have at you and then some. You beat them back all the same. Eventually, the dogs you put down start staying down, until but a single hound remains standing, his packmates forming a rough circle on the floor around you.
<p>The lone Diamond Dong nervously grips the shaft of his axe. After a moment, he proceeds to gently put down said axe and get on the floor to join the others. He finishes off by taking one of his comrade's limp limbs and draping it over his chest, complete with tongue lolling out of mouth.
<p>Nobody is left to oppose you. The next course of action is yours to pick and choose at your leisure.
[[Escape|RedDoor1-9 (Escape)]]
[[Find Madam Martingale|RedDoor1-9 (Find Madam Martingale)]]<p>You blackout, with only the fleeting sensation of your hindlegs being spread and a sharp pain in your rear to carry you into oblivion.
<i>A few days later...</i>
<p>You groan as the Diamond Dog gives one last tug and finally pulls away, his bulbous knot slipping out of your raw twat with a `*`squelch`*` and then a `*`pop`*`. Wave after wave of molten canine seed gushes out of you, most of it oozing down your inner thighs before adding to the ever-growing puddle of spent loads beneath you.
<p>(colour: "#817361")["Move ova' youse, high time I give that pony pussy anotha' go. Stretched out those holes good we did, lass hardly makes a peep now! I think we broke her, lads! Hah!"] You stopped begging for any kind of reprieve a while back.
<p>A pair of fresh Dogs position themselves in front and behind you, the latter leaning forward until his chest rests atop your back. He grabs hold of your forehead and lower jaw, wrenching your mouth open to allow his packmate easy access. They both slam forward simultaneously, spit-roasting you on their turgid shafts.
<p>They pound you mercilessly, with zero regard for your own comfort or pleasure. It doesn't take long for them to cum as a result. They lodge their canine knots deep inside your body, before expanding to dam the copious amounts of seed still sloshing about inside you. You stay in this position for a good while, doggy dicks plugging up your orifices, until their knots soften enough to pull out and the cycle can begin all over again.
<b>[[Your story ends here.|Title Screen]]</b><p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Whether or not our relations remain cordial is a choice that rests entirely with you. Contrary to what you may or may not believe, stepping on toes and slitting throats is not a sound way of doing business. Why make enemies when friendship can be so much more beneficial? As a matter of fact, I believe our newest Princess derives most, if not all her legitimacy from such a mantra."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["It's clear you're not a client of mine; that much is obvious. Still, you represent a potential patron and I'm compelled to treat you as such. Which entails keeping you in one piece. In that way, our interests align."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Make no mistake however: I've no patience for those that take advantage of my generosity."]
[[Let's see what you have to offer|RedDoor1-6 (Let's see what you have to offer)]]
[[Remind me who you are again|RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)]]
[[Here to fight|RedDoor1-6 (Here to fight)]]<p>You deliver a decisive blow, bringing your opponent down to his knees. Only by planting the butt of his spear into the ground does he manage to remain upright.
<p>You take this opportunity to flee into the forest. The Diamond Dog sees this and attempts a last-ditch pursuit, though he doesn't get far before doubling over in pain and subsequently falling flat on his face. As the treeline nears, you leave him and the manor far behind.
<p>After retracing your steps through the woods, you eventually make it back to Ponyville in one [[piece|EverfreeExit1-1]].<p>Beaten, you can do nothing to prevent the Diamond Dog from grabbing you by the scruff of the neck and roughly hauling you into the manor.
<p>From the front door, you're dragged into a large foyer lit by lanterns with glass like frozen blood. Your body collides with all manner of luxurious effects, from darkwood tables of the finest grain to ottomares wearing chiffon doilies, though all share in common their exceeding quality. Thankfully, numerous floor cushions strewn liberally throughout the space to serve in lieu of chairs, of which there are none.
<p>Your journey at last comes to an end as the Diamond Dog dumps you at the foot of a raised dais, upon which sits a fainting couch. Lying upon that couch is a stately mare of undefinable age, neither young nor old. Her bronze, bob cut mane is styled to fall over the left side of her face, leaving her only one amber eye to regard you with curious disinterest. She wears a body-hugging sequin dress that hides her cutie mark and most of her oil-black coat.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Thank you, Mr. Barkley. You can leave us now,"] the mare orders in a voice smooth and sullen like black satin. The Diamond Dog makes a clumsy attempt at a bow, then takes his leave.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["My apologies for any inconvenience my guard dog may have caused. Mongrels weren't my first choice, but good help is so hard to find out here. A tragedy I couldn't bring my usual staff with me."] She pauses to take a puff from the cigarette at the end of her lengthy cigarette holder. (colour: "#CD7F32")["Would you like to see the girl now, or shall we discuss some other matter first? Your choice."]
[[Am I a prisoner?|RedDoor1-7 (Am I a prisoner?)]]
[[Let's see what you have to offer|RedDoor1-6 (Let's see what you have to offer)]]
[[Remind me who you are again|RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)]]
[[Here to fight|RedDoor1-6 (Here to fight)]]<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Indeed I am. Was that not self-evident? Perhaps I should hang a gaudy portrait of myself on the wall. Which do you think is better: neutral expression while staring uncomfortably at viewer or slightly disapproving expression while staring uncomfortably at viewer?"]
[[Ask another question|RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)]]<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["A brothel,"] Madam Martingale says flatly, (colour: "#CD7F32")["One of several in Equestria that I operate. I could use a more colorful euphemism, but I find that ambiguity doesn't mix well with my typical clientele."]
[[Ask another question|RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)]]<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["No, or at least none that I'm aware of. I've never been the creative type. Best to let the locals come up with one themselves. I'm sure it'll be more imaginative than anything I can propose."]
[[Ask another question|RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)]]<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["The nature of a newborn venture still struggling to take flight I'm afraid. I've not settled here long, as the lack of talent might attest."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["I had no formal plans to establish myself in Ponyville. I never meant to stay more than a night in this dinky little town; I was on my way to oversee the opening of another bordello in the Crystal Empire—you'd be surprised how much some stallions will pay to watch his cock slide in and out of a crystal mare."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Just as I'm setting off, who do I see struggling to carry my portmanteau but this tiny little filly? Long story short, we had ourselves a chat, and I found myself with reasons to start up operations here."]
[[Ask another question|RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)]]<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Her name is Silver Spoon. What would you like to know?"]
{(link: "Ponies are bedding her?")[
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Ponies are bedding her?)")]}
{(link: "How'd she get involved?")[
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (How'd she get involved?)")]}
{(link: "Young, isn't she?")[
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Young, isn't she?)")]}
{(link: "She okay with all this?")[
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (She okay with all this?)")]}
[[Ask another question|RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)]](if: $sex is "male")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["For mares, yes. Stallions however, I often find myself inundated with."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["For obvious reasons, stallions usually pay me for the privilege of sleeping with beautiful mares, not the other way around. I've made exceptions of course; some of my highest earners are male. But each and every one of them could have made a name for themselves as great soldiers or athletes. You see why I can be so discerning, do you not?"]](else:)[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Always. But don't think that means I'll hire any up-and-comer off the street. When it comes to courtesans, my stables have no equal. Once I get things up and running here, perhaps I can give you a proper audition. Until then, I'm sure we'll be in touch."]]
[[Ask another question|RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)]]<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Afraid I'm not on the menu. I prefer to keep my head clear, and sex can certainly be..,"] she licks her lips, (colour: "#CD7F32")["...intoxicating."]
[[Ask another question|RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)]]<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Really?"] she questions, her interest thoroughly piqued, (colour: "#CD7F32")["Now, that <i>is</i> curious. I presume you already have a mare in mind? That is, afterall, not a suggestion a pony ought make lightly or impulsively."]
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore2-1")[
(link: "Rainbow Dash")[
(set: $reddoormare to "Rainbow Dash")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore3-1")[
(link: "Applejack")[
(set: $reddoormare to "Applejack")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore5-1")[
(link: "Rarity")[
(set: $reddoormare to "Rarity")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore6-1")[
(link: "Fluttershy")[
(set: $reddoormare to "Fluttershy")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore1-1")[
(link: "Pinkie Pie")[
(set: $reddoormare to "Pinkie Pie")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore4-1")[
(link: "Twilight Sparkle")[
(set: $reddoormare to "Twilight Sparkle")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]]}
{(link: "Princess Celestia")[
(set: $reddoormare to "Princess Celestia")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]}
{(link: "Princess Luna")[
(set: $reddoormare to "Princess Luna")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore22-1")[
(link: "Applebloom")[
(set: $reddoormare to "Applebloom")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore22-1")[
(link: "Scootaloo")[
(set: $reddoormare to "Scootaloo")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore22-1")[
(link: "Sweetie Belle")[
(set: $reddoormare to "Sweetie Belle")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore11-1")[
(link: "Lyra")[
(set: $reddoormare to "Lyra Heartstrings")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore17-1")[
(link: "Octavia")[
(set: $reddoormare to "Octavia Melody")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Zecora1-1")[
(link: "Zecora")[
(set: $reddoormare to "Zecora")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]]}
{(link: "On second thought…")[
(set: $reddoormare to "On second thought…")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-8 (Maybe I can find you some mares?)")]}<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["That's something I'll want to make perfectly clear: the girl is still a virgin. What you are buying is simply the opportunity to preview my merchandise. This has been the case for everypony that has seen her."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["In thirty days' time, an auction will be held for the child's maidenhood. Only then will she be deflowered by the highest bidder. Consider attendance if you wish to be her first."]
[[Let's talk about the filly|RedDoor1-7 (Let's talk about the filly)]]<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["There have been younger, but yes, I don't usually employ them so green. In her however, I see a great deal of potential. With the proper guidance, she could be wonderful. Maybe even the best. And if her age draws a certain clientele, then all the better for it."]
[[Let's talk about the filly|RedDoor1-7 (Let's talk about the filly)]]<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["I'm many things, but a dealer of slaves I am not. The girl's choice of employment is entirely her own, same with all my whores. As for her reasoning behind that choice, well, her name should be clue enough, no?"]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Silver Spoon,"] the mare muses wistfully, (colour: "#CD7F32")["With a name like that, she was never going to spend her days as a lobbygirl, or a scullery maid. I merely provided her a means to maintain the lifestyle she was accustomed to."]
{(if: $smarts >= 40)[<span class='smarts'>(link-reveal): "And her parents?")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["The same parents that saw fit to sentence their splendid daughter to a life of drudgery?"] she asks rhetorically, a flash of anger briefly lighting her face. (colour: "#CD7F32")["Clearly, the progeny had more sense than the progenitors in this case. Best they remain ignorant to matters they cannot understand."]]</span>]}
[[Let's talk about the filly|RedDoor1-7 (Let's talk about the filly)]]{(if: $reddoormare is "Rainbow Dash")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["The former bearer of an Element, and a Wonderbolt no less? She'd be quite the draw indeed, assuming you can make good on your word and somehow convince her to make the career change."]]
(else-if: $reddoormare is "Applejack")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["The Element of Honesty? Yes, I know of her. She's strong. Very strong. Rather traditional as well. Certainly not the type to set hoof inside a den of iniquity, much less work in one - which makes her all the more desirable."]]
(else-if: $reddoormare is "Rarity")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Generosity itself, or so a piece of jewelry claims. Classy and elegant, with a body fit to bed royalty. Yes, I can see her draped at the base of a throne, clinging to the legs of some despot and wearing something see-through."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["However, why a highfalutin pony like her would abandon a thus far successful career is something known only to you."]]
(else-if: $reddoormare is "Fluttershy")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Ah, the meekest of the Elements. She is what we in the industry would call a 'silkie': incredibly docile, weak of temperament, an all-around excellent bed warmer."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["But don't make the mistake of thinking that makes her easily pliable. Unlikely strength has a habit of coming from the unlikeliest of places."]]
(else-if: $reddoormare is "Pinkie Pie")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["A mare with a natural inclination to please as many ponies as possible. She'd make a good fit here. That said, to go from blowing balloons to blowing stallions would be quite the leap for a former Element bearer."]]
(else-if: $reddoormare is "Twilight Sparkle")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["I reiterate: really? Our very own Princess of Friendship herself? As much as it would please me to add a veritable Princess to my stable, I'd wager the chances of such a thing happening are rather slim."]]
(else-if: $reddoormare is "Princess Celestia")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Indeed? I've canvassed the town and found no such mare matching Princess Celestia's build. Regardless, I prefer not to use glamours in the first place; the higher quality ones can be costly to maintain."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Oh, you mean <b>the</b> Princess Celestia. Hmm."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["The day Her Royal Highness pleasures ponies for coin is the day hairless apes rule the world. But by all means, prove me wrong."]]
(else-if: $reddoormare is "Princess Luna")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["A mare that most stallions can only dream of laying with, and frequently do. And as much as they like to claim it, I sincerely doubt it's the actual Princess Luna visiting those particular wet dreams. Show me you have what it takes to turn fantasy into reality, and then we'll talk."]]
(else-if: $reddoormare is "Applebloom")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["I know of her, one of three fillies that have made it a habit to skulk about my property."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Putting more than one filly in my employ is asking for trouble, but if she's as eager and promising as Silver Spoon…"]]
(else-if: $reddoormare is "Scootaloo")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["I know of her, one of three fillies that have made it a habit to skulk about my property."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Putting more than one filly in my employ is asking for trouble, but if she's as eager and promising as Silver Spoon…"]]
(else-if: $reddoormare is "Sweetie Belle")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["I know of her, one of three fillies that have made it a habit to skulk about my property."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Putting more than one filly in my employ is asking for trouble, but if she's as eager and promising as Silver Spoon…"]]
(else-if: $reddoormare is "Lyra Heartstrings")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["I can't say that I know that one. Not one of Ponyville's more notable residents, I presume?"]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Still, nothing like a few dim stars to make the truly great shine all the brighter. Perhaps she even has the makings of a great star herself."]]
(else-if: $reddoormare is "Octavia Melody")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Hers is a name I'm somewhat familiar with. A cellist of some noteworthiness, if I remember correctly. Art is a fickle thing, so difficult to depend on when it comes to one's livelihood. Would it surprise you to learn how many former artists and musicians stock my stables?"]]
(else-if: $reddoormare is "Zecora")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Yes, my guards tell me I share these woods with a zebra. To make her one of mine would both remove a possible threat and add a bit of exotic flavor to my repertoire. You can count me a friend <b>if</b> you make good on your word and bring her to my doorstep."]]
(else-if: $reddoormare is "On second thought…")[<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Let me know if and when you make a decision."]]}
[[Ask another question|RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)]]<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["I first met her in the town's inn, failing to haul luggage larger than herself. The girl's family recently ran afoul of some bad financial luck, which necessitated her taking on certain burdens, not to mention the relinquishment of more than a few luxuries."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Clearly, she was in the wrong line of work. So I offered her a partnership, and here we are today."]
[[Let's talk about the filly|RedDoor1-7 (Let's talk about the filly)]]<p>As you're cutting across an unfinished construction site, you discover a group of ponies huddled around a makeshift table. Two hard hat-clad stallions are seated opposite each other, their forelegs locked in a hoof-wrestling competition.
<p>Their deadlock is broken when the older of the two stallions finally manages to press the other's hoof to the table. He rises with a triumphant yell, the noise nearly lost in the cheers of the crowd around him.
<p>(colour: "#AF966A")["Who's next!? Com'on, you youngsters really gonna let an old horse like me take all youses bits? Winna takes all."]
<span class='brawn'>[[Take up his challenge|Explore24-2 (Take up his challenge)]]</span>
[[Keep walking|Explore24-2 (Keep walking)]]<p>You approach the group, sitting down with foreleg primed and at the ready.
<p>The loudmouthed stallion laughs merrily and takes the seat across from you. Amidst the boisterous cheers of the ponies clustered around the table, you and your opponent touch hooves before pressing each other's legs together.
<p>An impromptu referee is thoughtful enough to start a countdown. "THREE!" It only takes a word for the rest of the crowd to join in. "TWO!" With hammer in mouth, a construction pony gets ready to strike a steel girder. "ONE!" `*`DING`*` `*`DING`*`
<p>(if: $brawn >= 60)[(colour: #FF4500)[You soundly defeat your opponent, smashing his leg onto the table's surface with what must have looked like very little effort on your part.The stunned onlookers can only stare in awe as you pocket your reward and go on your merry [[way|CheckTime1-1]].](set: $bits to it + 30)](else-if: $brawn >= 50 and < 60)[(colour: #FF4500)[You and your opponent prove evenly matched enough for no clear winner to emerge. The balance of power swings precariously back and forth, until you at last find yourself gaining the upper hoof. Bit by bit, you drive your opponent's leg back, and thus, fur finally meets table. The cheers of the crowd provide a satisfying soundtrack to your victory. Even your opponent cracks a smile as you pocket your reward and go on your merry [[way|CheckTime1-1]].](set: $bits to it + 30)](else-if: $brawn >= 40 and < 50)[(colour: #FF4500)[You and your opponent prove evenly matched enough for no clear winner to emerge. To your dismay, it seems the loser is shaping up to be you. Bit by bit, your opponent drives your leg back, until fur finally meets table. The crowd cheers regardless, even offering you a few conciliatory pats-on-the-back. That's just as good, [[right|CheckTime1-1]]?]](else-if: $brawn < 40)[(colour: #FF4500)[The older stallion simply keeps his leg still as you push vainly against it. He toys with you a bit, before deciding to abruptly end the game by slamming your leg onto the table's surface. All said and done, the match wasn't much of a spectacle, as reflected by the crowd's rather lackluster reaction. You depart, neither richer or [[poorer|CheckTime1-1]].]](set: $time to it +1)<p>Maybe another [[time|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore24-1'))<p>You encounter a unicorn manning a small table, upon which are set three identical cups.
<p>Upon approach, he places a small figurine of Princess Twilight on the table and hides it beneath a cup, before proceeding to shuffle all three. (colour: #DAA95C)["Care to test your luck, friend? Just ten bits for the chance to double your money."](set: $cupchance to (random: 1,3))(set: $cupsuccess to (random: 1,3))
{(if: $bits >= 10)[
(link: "Choose left cup")[
(go-to: "Explore25-2")]]}
{(if: $bits >= 10)[
(link: "Choose middle cup")[
(go-to: "Explore25-2")]]}
{(if: $bits >= 10)[
(link: "Choose right cup")[
(go-to: "Explore25-2")]]}
[[Pass|Explore25-2 (Pass)]]<p>(colour: #DAA95C)["Not feeling particularly lucky today? Or is money the [[issue|CheckTime1-1]]?"](set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore25-1'))<p>(if: $cupchance is $cupsuccess)[The unicorn lifts your chosen cup to reveal a porcelain Princess beneath. (colour: #DAA95C)["A winner is you! Enjoy your [[bits|CheckTime1-1]]!"](set: $bits to it + 10)](else:)[The unicorn lifts your chosen cup to reveal nothing but bare table. (colour: #DAA95C)["Seems luck wasn't on your side today. Come back anytime though, [[eh|CheckTime1-1]]?"](set: $bits to it - 10)]You manage to (link: "escape")[(go-to: $runlocation)]!<p>As you're walking along the banks of Ponyville's river, you spy a half-buried glass bottle sticking out of the sand. You pick it up and shake out a crudely-drawn map detailing the presence of hidden bits near the rally [[field|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $rallyField to it + (a: 'Rally6-1'))<p>You follow the directions outlined by the message in the bottle. Hidden away within the hollow of a tree is a sizable bag of bits, just as the message described. You take the gold without a second [[thought|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $bits to it + 40)<p>You trade an honest day's work for an honest day's pay, earning a solid (text: $farmPay) [[bits|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $brawn to it + 1)(set: $farmWork to it + (a: 'FarmWork3-1'))(set: $bits to it + $farmPay)(set: $farmPay to (round: (random: (1,6)) + (random: (1,6)) * 0.1) * ($brawn * 0.5))<p>You see a sweat-drenched Applejack working her own particular brand of 'magic' on an apple tree. You approach and ask if she has anything that needs doing.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["I don't wanna burn too much daylight doin' chores today. I gots some bits with your name on 'em if'n you help me with the rest of this here acre."]
<p>You help Applejack harvest a small portion of the farm's vast orchard, netting you (text: $farmPay) in the [[process|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $brawn to it + 1)(set: $farmWork to it + (a: 'FarmWork2-1'))(set: $bits to it + $farmPay)(set: $farmPay to (round: (random: (1,6)) + (random: (1,6)) * 0.1) * ($brawn * 0.5))//Note: No items yet, so buy at your own peril.//
<p>There you are, minding your own business, when a cloaked merchant comes up and offers to sell you what he claims is a "valuable artefact" from "ancient times" for the "meager price" of fifty bits.
{(if: $bits >= 50)[
(link: "Buy it")[
(set: $bits to it - 50)
(go-to: "Explore27-2 (Buy it)")]]}
{(if: $charm >= 45)[<span class='charm'>[[Haggle|Explore27-2 (Haggle ~if pass)]]</span>]
(else:)[<span class='charm'>[[Haggle|Explore27-2 (Haggle ~if fail)]]</span>]}
[[Decline|Explore27-2 (Decline)]]
<p>You hoof over the agreed-upon bits, which are quick to disappear beneath the merchant's voluminous cloak. From those same depths, he kicks out a package wrapped in brown parchment paper. It lands in front of you, the haphazardly taped layers of paper instantly unraveling to reveal a (random low tier item item).
<p>You look up to find the merchant gone without a [[trace|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it +1)<p>The merchant agrees to lower his price, bringing the amount you are to pay down to a "paltry" forty bits. He declares it his final offer.
{(if: $bits >= 40)[
(link: "Buy it")[
(set: $bits to it - 40)
(go-to: "Explore27-2 (Buy it)")]]}
[[Decline|Explore27-2 (Decline)]]<p>You wave the merchant [[away|CheckTime1-1]].<p>You fail to convince the merchant. He remains firm at fifty bits.
{(if: $bits >= 50)[
(link: "Buy it")[
(set: $bits to it - 50)
(go-to: "Explore27-2 (Buy it)")]]}
[[Decline|Explore27-2 (Decline)]]
<p>You pass out from your injuries.
[[...|Zecora1-2]]<p>The timberwolf sproutling collapses into a small pile of leaves and twigs. You find a single Eye of the Forest amongst the creature's [[remains|EverfreeExit1-1]].<p>Despite your many, many advantages, the infant timberwolf emerges victorious. It hops around and about your beaten form, making happy "yipping" sounds as it does so. The creature happens to land atop your bag, knocking some bits out in the process. Upon seeing the shiny objects spread about the forest floor, the timberwolf sproutlings grabs a small mouthful and dashes back into the forest {(link: "depths")[(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfreeExit))(set: $everfreeExit to it + (a: 'EverfreeExit1-1'))(set: $everfreeExit to it - (a: _psg))(go-to: _psg)]}.<p>The timberwolf visibly struggles to maintain its form. It takes a step back, which proves one step too many as the creature implodes and its component pieces fall to the ground. You rifle through the jumbled mess of assorted plant matter and find two Eyes of the Forest for your [[trouble|EverfreeExit1-1]].(if: $sex is "male")[<p>You fall to the ground before your foe's feet. The timberwolf gnashes its teeth in anticipation of your imminent demise, snapping its jaws viciously and sending sap-like spittle flying every which way and that. It doesn't take long before the creature starts eying your jugular in particular.
<p>You can only watch, helpless, as the timberwolf slowly advances on you with splintery teeth bared. Before it can lay a paw on you however, a bone-chilling howl sounds off in the far distance. The timberwolf immediately steps back, ears pricked, before responding with an unearthly howl of its own. It turns around and dashes back into the forest without {(link: "hesitation")[(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfreeExit))(set: $everfreeExit to it - (a: _psg))(set: $everfreeExit to it + (a: 'EverfreeExit1-1'))(go-to: _psg)]}.](else:)[(if: $temp is 1)[<p>The timberwolf lunges for your neck, successfully wrapping its jaws around your naked throat. Instead of tearing your windpipe open though, the creature instead opts to forcefully throw you to the ground. The impact knocks all the air out of your lungs, further immobilizing your already exhausted form.
<p>You stifle a gasp as something warm and wet suddenly laps at your nether-regions. You turn back to see the timberwolf's head buried between your thighs, its tongue steadily probing the depths of your pussy like a tree's root eagerly searching for moisture. There's little rhyme or rhythm to the creature's palpitations; still, a very tangible bolt of electricity courses through your body every time the timberwolf's tongue flicks across your joybuzzer, or buries itself that much deeper inside. Whether you want it or not, your pussy is eventually drenched in both the timberwolf's sticky, sap-like saliva and your own love [[juices|Timberwolf1-3 (~if lose)]].](else:)[<p>You fall to the ground before your foe's feet. The timberwolf gnashes its teeth in anticipation of your imminent demise, snapping its jaws viciously and sending sap-like spittle flying every which way and that. It doesn't take long before the creature starts eying your jugular in particular.
<p>You can only watch, helpless, as the timberwolf slowly advances on you with splintery teeth bared. Before it can lay a paw on you however, a bone-chilling howl sounds off in the far distance. The timberwolf immediately steps back, ears pricked, before responding with an unearthly howl of its own. It turns around and dashes back into the forest without {(link: "hesitation")[(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfreeExit))(set: $everfreeExit to it + (a: 'EverfreeExit1-1'))(set: $everfreeExit to it - (a: _psg))(go-to: _psg)]}.]]<p>The last remaining timberwolf finally falls, its packmates either in full retreat, or littering the forest floor. Once you're certain the danger is well and truly dealt with, you take your time picking through the remains of the pack, netting you several Eyes of the [[Forest|EverfreeExit1-1]].(if: $sex is "male")[<p>Thoroughly beaten, you collapse from your injuries. The timberwolves practically clamber over one another for the chance to bark directly in your face. Clearly, these things have never heard of a queue.
<p>Before long, they're snapping and snarling at each other more so than yourself, the entire pack evenly split into two camps: one eager to start gobbling you up immediately, the other intent on satisfying an altogether different sort of hunger.
<p>Judging by his prodigious wood, the alpha is squarely in the latter group. He lets out a roar that quiets the entire clearing, then waits, as though daring another wolf to challenge the silence.
<p>A timberwolf steps forward, smaller than the alpha, but not by much. The rest of the pack closes in to encircle the two combatants as they begin their fight for dominance, providing you enough of a distraction to crawl {(link: "away")[(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfreeExit))(set: $everfreeExit to it - (a: _psg))(set: $everfreeExit to it + (a: 'EverfreeExit1-1'))(go-to: _psg)]}.](else:)[(if: $temp is 1)[<p>The alpha timberwolf sees his opening and pounces on top of you. Taking their leader's cue, other timberwolves pile on as well, their combined bodyweight pinning you to the ground. You struggle vainly beneath the ever-growing mound of scraggly wood being heaped upon your back. Try as you might, escape seems more and more unlikely with every passing moment.
<p>Like an encroaching tide, the remaining timberwolves draw close to inspect their catch. Your hapless state must be quite the enticing sight indeed; in addition to their assorted leaves and twigs, your foes all begin sprouting branches of a much more obscene and bulbous nature.
<p>Even the creatures lying on top of you are fast displaying the telltale signs of bestial arousal. The mound shifts, and you're suddenly faced with a timberwolf's groin. You can only stare in uncompromising detail as the cock in front of you swells with green sap, as though you were watching some grotesque fruit mature from bud to bloom in the span of a dozen [[heartbeats|TimberwolfPack1-3 (~if lose)]].](else:)[<p>Thoroughly beaten, you collapse from your injuries. The timberwolves practically clamber over one another for the chance to bark directly in your face. Clearly, these things have never heard of a queue.
<p>Before long, they're snapping and snarling at each other more so than yourself, the entire pack evenly split into two camps: one eager to start gobbling you up immediately, the other intent on satisfying an altogether different sort of hunger.
<p>Judging by his prodigious wood, the alpha is squarely in the latter group. He lets out a roar that quiets the entire clearing, then waits, as though daring another wolf to challenge the silence.
<p>A timberwolf steps forward, smaller than the alpha, but not by much. The rest of the pack closes in to encircle the two combatants as they begin their fight for dominance, providing you enough of a distraction to crawl {(link: "away")[(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfreeExit))(set: $everfreeExit to it - (a: _psg))(set: $everfreeExit to it + (a: 'EverfreeExit1-1'))(go-to: _psg)]}.]]<p>You aim your rod at her winking honeypot.
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["No,"] Octavia interjects, (colour: "#BAB8AF")["I vant it here."] She adjusts her position and your turgid head is suddenly poking at her rear-entrance. Pre and spit splatters that taut hole as she gently rams at it with your shaft.
<p>One prod finds enough purchase and your tip is abruptly gripped in a tight, velvety furnace. Octavia lets out a lasting moan at the sensation of her firm ass being entered. The two of you remain still for a moment as her body adjusts to accommodate the thick cock spreading her [[buttcheeks|SleepEvent7-11]].//Note: Next time meeting Octavia, choice to bring up this night or keep quiet.//
<p>Just as you're about to drift off to sleep, Octavia stirs. She raises her hips and, bit by bit, slides your cock out of her. Eventually, only your flare remains, which pops free with one last tug. Sticky semen pours out of her hole with all the constance of a tapped beer keg.
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["Until next zhime, <i>liebling</i>,"] she murmurs, before kissing your forehead. She climbs out of your bed and stumbles her way toward the door, semen still dripping down her hindlegs and leaving a shiny trail behind her.
<p>Morning's earliest light streams in through the open door your visitor left in her wake. With a sigh, you get up and get to work cleaning yourself up for the new [[day|Town1-1]].<p>You arrive at Carousel Boutique to find Rarity absentmindedly going about some busy work around her shop. She perks up at your appearance, greeting you with the kind of sincerity most ponies would reserve for an old friend.
<p>She gladly takes time out of her schedule to converse with you. So broad is your discussion that topics range from matters of mind and spirit to the ideal menu for a fancy dinner party. As expected of a pony with her caliber of social savvy, she's nothing if not easy to talk to.
<p>You feel somewhat more cultured yourself by the time she politely excuses herself and returns to her [[chores|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $boutique to it + (a: 'Boutique2-1'))(set: $charm to it + 1)(set: $time to it + 1)<p>You help Applejack muck out the farm's pig pen. It's hard, dirty, back-breaking work, but (colour: "#FDC363")["somepony's gotta do it"] as your cleaning partner puts it.
<p>You come away from the experience with (text: $farmPay) and a (if: (history:) contains "Farm7-1")[newfound](else:)[renewed] appreciation for rubber [[boots|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $brawn to it + 1)(set: $farmWork to it + (a: 'Farm4-1'))(set: $bits to it + $farmPay)(set: $farmPay to (round: (random: (1,6)) + (random: (1,6)) * 0.1) * ($brawn * 0.5))<p>The castle doors open as you approach, and Princess Twilight casually strolls out. Accompanying her is a female earth pony with orderly, white fur and a hair bun of the lightest pink. The other mare wears a white nurse's cap bearing her own cutie mark, a red cross with hearts in each corner.
<p>Both mares are laughing gaily, most likely the result of a joke told moments prior. You climb up the steps to greet the Princess and her [[friend|Castle4-2]].<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["Nurse Redheart is the foremost authority on postnatal care in all of central Equestria. I studied all I could on the subject after Flurry Heart was born. Turned out Redheart and I had a lot in common, so we've kept in touch ever since."]
<p>You take note of Twilight's answer as the two of you converse over your respective days, before you eventually have to depart as [[well|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["Huh, I don't really know. I've never seen her with anypony. Her job probably doesn't leave room for much of a love life."]
<p>You take note of Twilight's answer as the two of you converse over your respective days, before you eventually have to depart as [[well|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)[[Appearance|Journal1-1]] | [[Traits|Journal1-2 (Traits)]] | [[Attacks|Journal1-2 (Attacks)]] | [[Inventory|Journal1-2 (Inventory)]] | [[Quests|Journal1-2 (Quests)]]
(if: $secret is "herm")[
<b>Hermaphrodite</b> – Possess the genitalia of both sexes.]\
(if: $secret is "spy")[
<b>Master of Disguise</b> – <i>Changeling trait</i>. Change your appearance at will.]\
(if: $secret is "spy")[
<b>Ovipositor</b> – <i>Changeling trait</i>. Lay eggs when ejaculating.]\
(if: $race is "earth")[
<b>Earthmover</b> – <i>Racial trait</i>. Thanks to your earth pony heritage, you are blessed with uncanny strength.]\
(if: $race is "earth" and $brawn >= 75)[
<b>Stonebreaker</b> – <i>Racial trait</i>. Requires '<b>Earthmover</b>'. You possess the strength of ages, capable of shattering stone and crushing boulders with ease.]\
(if: $race is "earth")[
<b>Terra's Bounty</b> – <i>Racial trait</i>. Mother Earth never leaves her children wanting. Food and mineral wealth find their way to you like a river seeking the sea.]\
(if: $race is "pegasus")[
<b>Wings</b> – <i>Racial trait</i>. Allows for flight. There is no greater tragedy than the caged bird.]\
(if: $race is "pegasus" and $speed >= 75)[
<b>Ace</b> – <i>Racial trait</i>. Requires '<b>Wings</b>'. Your flying skills are second to none. Whether through natural talent or years of practice, you are just as comfortable in the sky as you are on the ground, if not more so.]\
(if: $race is "pegasus")[
<b>Cloudwalker</b> – <i>Racial trait</i>. A cloud beneath your hoof shall be solid and steadfast, as thought it were the ground far below.]\
(if: $race is "pegasus")[
<b>Rainmaker</b> – <i>Racial trait</i>. Confers basic weather handling.]\
(if: $race is "unicorn")[
<b>Apprentice</b> – <i>Racial trait</i>. Allows you to perform simple acts of magic, such as levitating small objects.]\
(if: $race is "unicorn" and $smarts >= 50)[
<b>Adept</b> – <i>Racial trait</i>. Requires '<b>Apprentice</b>'. You are a painter; magic your brush. With it, you compose nothing less than art.]\
(if: $race is "unicorn" and $smarts >= 75)[
<b>Magus</b> – <i>Racial trait</i>. Requires '</b>Adept</b>'. Your skill and knowledge in the arcane arts rivals that of the greatest wizards of our time. "Let me put it this way: have you ever heard of Clover the Clever? Meadowbrook? Star Swirl the Bearded? Morons."]\
(if: $secret is "normal")[
<b>Pony of All Trades</b> – Oft called upon, but seldom praised, the pony of all trades is to be admired all the same.]
{(link: "Back")[
(go-to: $last)]}[[Appearance|Journal1-1]] | [[Traits|Journal1-2 (Traits)]] | [[Attacks|Journal1-2 (Attacks)]] | [[Inventory|Journal1-2 (Inventory)]] | [[Quests|Journal1-2 (Quests)]]
Trample – Rear up on your hindlegs and bring your forehooves crashing down on your foe. A common attack used to ward off small, dangerous creatures, such as snakes and coyotes.
{(link: "Back")[
(go-to: $last)]}[[Appearance|Journal1-1]] | [[Traits|Journal1-2 (Traits)]] | [[Attacks|Journal1-2 (Attacks)]] | [[Inventory|Journal1-2 (Inventory)]] | [[Quests|Journal1-2 (Quests)]]
(if: $secret is "herm" or "normal")[
<b>Star-Crossed</b> – Find true love.
]\
(if: $secret is "spy")[
<b>The Imitation Game</b> – Pave the way for your Queen's return.
]\
(if: $secret is "spy")[
<b>First Impressions</b> – Find a more permanent place to hide your first victim.
]\
(if: $secret is "student")[
<b>Only Stardust</b> – Show Princess Celestia the error of her ways.
]\
(if: $secret is "shadow")[
<b>A Night That Will Last Forever</b> – Restore Nightmare Moon to power.
]\
(if: $newInTown is 6)[
<b><strike>New in Town</strike></b> – Introduce yourself to the Elements of Harmony.](else:)[<b>New in Town</b> – Introduce yourself to the Elements of Harmony.
]\
(if: $farmToTable is 1 or 2 or 3 or 4)[
<b>Farm to Table</b> – Deliver Big Mac's apples to Sugarcube Corner, the inn, and Fluttershy's cottage.](else-if: $farmToTable is 5 or 6)[<b><strike>Farm to Table</strike></b> – Deliver Big Mac's apples to Sugarcube Corner, the inn, and Fluttershy's cottage.
]\
(if: $shellShocked is 1)[
<b>Shell Shocked</b> – Learn what you can about the strange egg.](else-if: $shellShocked is 2)[<b><strike>Shell Shocked</strike></b> – Learn what you can about the strange egg.
]\
(if: $reddoor is "accept")[
<b>The House with a Red Door</b> – Investigate the house in the Everfree Forest.](else-if: $reddoor is "complete")[<b><strike>The House with a Red Door</strike></b> – Investigate the house in the Everfree Forest.
]\
(if: $outOfTime is 1)[
<b>Out of Time</b> – Find a way to break the cockatrice's hold on the mare in the woods.](else-if: $outOfTime is 2)[<b><strike>Out of Time</strike></b> – Find a way to break the cockatrice's hold on the mare in the woods.
]\
(if: $quidProQuo is 1 or 2)[
<b>Quid Pro Quo</b> – Speak to Twilight on Mayor Mare's behalf.](else-if: $quidProQuo is 3)[<b><strike>Quid Pro Quo</strike></b> – Speak to Twilight on Mayor Mare's behalf.
]\
(if: $returnLocket is 1)[
<b>Hooves Remember</b> – Decide on what to do with the proprietor's locket.](else-if: $returnLocket is 2)[<b><strike>Hooves Remember</strike></b> – Decide on what to do with the proprietor's locket.
]\
{(link: "Back")[
(go-to: $last)]}<p><i>...And that's when the yellow birdie thought to himself, "Hmm. My favorite little tree isn't such a little tree anymore." So she sang her song, big and strong, and they all lived in that great, big tree happily ever after. The end...</i>
<p>You manage to transcribe (text: $pagenumber) [[pages|Payment1-1]].<p><i>...Captain Celaeno reached into her coat, withdrawing and extending a worn spyglass in one smooth, practiced motion. Bringing the device to her eyes, she found her vision filled by the imposing form of the Magnolia. The skies had shrunken since last glance, replaced by sail and cannon as her purser gained speed....</i>
<p>You manage to transcribe (text: $pagenumber) [[pages|Payment1-1]].<p><i>...Small, bright eyes watched from the shadows as frantic villagers ran for the uncertain safety of the forest. The foolish ones carried away what few valuables they owned: coins, rings, bits of silver, and the occasional chalice or amulet. Those that knew better clutched at sacks of grain and hard biscuits, their gems and treasures hidden away above alcoves, under fireplaces, and in rotting tree trunks....</i>
<p>You manage to transcribe (text: $pagenumber) [[pages|Payment1-1]].[[Appearance|Journal1-1]] | [[Traits|Journal1-2 (Traits)]] | [[Attacks|Journal1-2 (Attacks)]] | [[Inventory|Journal1-2 (Inventory)]] | [[Quests|Journal1-2 (Quests)]]
Your inventory is empty.
{(link: "Back")[
(go-to: $last)]}<p>You arrive to find Rainbow Dash running the rally field's obstacle course. A Wonderbolt-branded duffel bag sits at the bottom of the adjacent bleachers. You make your way over and get started on some pre-workout stretches.
<p>As you're lunging around like a stallion dragging around a flatteringly-sized fifth leg, you can't help but be mesmerized by Rainbow Dash's (for lack of a better word) performance. You don't know if it's a quirk of her training or character, but there's a certain rhythm to the way she expertly navigates all the hoops and tunnels in her way. Her body twists and turns, this way and that to accomplish what seem like impossible maneuvers; she isn't so much flying through the air as she is [[dancing|Rally7-2]].<p>At Rainbow's behest, you rummage through her duffel bag and retrieve the aforementioned protein shake. You throw the bottle her way. It goes high, threatening to sail overhead, but Rainbow leaps up and snatches it out of the air with her mouth. Instead of falling straight back to the ground, she beats her wings to propel herself backwards, successfully landing an impromptu backflip.
<p>Without skipping a beat, Rainbow Dash deftly uncaps the bottle with her teeth and tilts her head back. She downs the entire thing in three vast gulps, allowing the empty container to fall to the ground. White liquid dribbles out of the corner of her mouth and down her chin.
<p>Grinning, Rainbow says, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Let's get you all caught [[up|CheckTime1-1]]."](set: $speed to it + 1)(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $rallyField to (a: 'Rally7-1'))<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Whatever,"] Rainbow Dash responds, walking off. You continue your workout in [[silence|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $speed to it + 1)(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $rallyField to (a: 'Rally7-1'))<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Aw crud,"] says a peeved off Rainbow Dash as she regards an empty weight rack, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Some deadbeat forgot to put 'em back again. Now what are we supposed to do?"]
[[Guess we're skipping leg day|Rally8-2 (Guess we're skipping leg day)]]
[[Offer to be a weight|Rally8-2 (Offer to be a weight)]]<p>You shrug your shoulders and bid the exasperated pegasus a hasty farewell. As you start to leave, you find your departure thoroughly thwarted by a firm tugging on your tail.
<p>Looking back, you see Rainbow Dash biting down on your (text: $maneColor) tail.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Ouuh neu yew don!"] Rainbow mumbles through clenched teeth. She spits your tail out and shouts, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["You're not getting off that easy! Lucky for us, leg day just turned into double-lap cardio day!"]
<p>You spend the rest of your workout on the track with Rainbow Dash hounding after you and threatening to chew on more than just tail the entire [[time|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $speed to it + 1)(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $rallyField to (a: 'Rally8-1'))<p>Rainbow Dash pauses to ponder your suggestion a bit. Finally, she says, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["You know what? That's not a half-terrible idea."]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["It's full terrible. That said, doesn't look like I have much of a choice now, do I?"] she concedes.
<p>The pegasus proceeds to lie down on the grass, belly up with all four hooves pointed towards the sky. (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Alright, all aboard. You better not drool, or Celestia help me I will launch you all the way to [[Yakyakistan|Rally8-3 (Offer to be a weight)]]."]<p>For reasons that aren't immediately clear, Rainbow Dash looks to be in a particularly sour mood today. She's too busy staring daggers at the distant horizon to do anything more than grunt a half-hearted hello as you approach.
<p>You try asking what today's workout will be, only for her to interrupt mid-sentence by curtly stating, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Shut up and run."]
<p>Clearly, something is eating her. The question is how you approach that something.
[[Give her some space|Rally9-2 (Give her some space)]]
[[Pry|Rally9-2 (Pry)]]<p>With forehoof raised, you back up to give the angry pegasus her space, before obligingly starting a lap on your own.
<p>You jog in abject silence for a good while or so, the absence of Rainbow's playful remarks made all the more glaring. It feels like it takes a little longer to complete your run.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Hey,"] says an awaiting Rainbow Dash at the finish line, her previously dour expression now a distant memory, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Sorry for snapping at you. I had to deal with some stuff at the academy today that really ticked me off, and then my folks tell me they can't make it to my next show, [[and|Rally9-3 (Give her some space)]]…"]<p>You pause, then ask if everything is alright.
<p>Rainbow flashes a heated look at you, before turning away and repeating her command. You force your way into her field of view, to which she responds by avoiding your gaze. Despite that stubborn insistence on being angry for anger's sake, her expression gradually softens at your equally persistent concern.
<p>She sighs and says in a more measured tone, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Look, it's not important. Some stuff happened at the academy today that got me in a mood. I'm not mad at you or anything like that."] Her words grow shaky the more she explains herself, as though coming to terms with the fact that her anger doesn't really have a leg to stand [[on|Rally9-3 (Pry)]].<p>You accompany (if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)")[Madam Martingale](else:)[the mare] down one of the manor's many shadowy corridors. You pass by countless doors, each seemingly more opulent than the last, until you reach the only one complemented by a small, hanging lamp.
<p>(if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)")[Madam Martingale](else:)[The mare] stops accordingly. She raises a foreleg, waving it about in front of the door in a manner that takes you a moment or two to register as a pattern. You hear a subsequent `*`click`*` and the door suddenly cracks open ever so slightly.
<p>Finished, your host then turns to face you, (colour: "#CD7F32")["In an hour hence, I will knock on the door thrice."] She knocks on the door three times to demonstrate. (colour: "#CD7F32")["At which point I will come in to retrieve you. Hopefully, you will have found enough reason to attend the auctioning off of her maidenhood."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["And unnecessary as it is to remind you—I'm sure—understand that this is a cursory examination and nothing more. You may look, but do not touch. Violating any house rule carries with it a lifetime ban. Enjoy your time, (if: $sex is "male")[sir](else:)[miss]."]
[[Enter the room|RedDoor1-8 (Enter the room)]]<p>The door quietly `*`click`*` shut, leaving you to regard a sparsely-decorated space dominated by a singular piece of furniture: a large bed made to appear larger still by the silver-furred filly lying atop its satin sheets.
<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["H-hello, (if: $sex is "male")[master](else:)[mistress],"] the filly murmurs with the all the manufactured confidence of a first-time lion tamer. The thick-rimmed glasses sitting crooked on the bridge of her nose, tarnished bead necklace round her neck, and, most strikingly, black laced negligee complete with frilly black panties all do little to lend the young girl any veneer of self-assurance.
<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["My name is Silver Spoon,"] she says in a rather mechanical fashion, (colour: "#AAB6BE")["I've been so lonely here, all cramped up in my room. I know! We can play a game! How about we share secrets?"] She gently rolls about on the bed, tussling and creasing the shimmering surface beneath her.
<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["But the thing is, I already know one of your secrets."]
[[You know..?|RedDoor1-10 (You know..?)]]
[[Keep silent|RedDoor1-10 (You know..?)]]<p>You come home to find a new, wall-mounted mailbox installed adjacent to the front door. Contained within is a note, which reads: (colour: "#CBAB60")[Found the inn's old mailbox. Thought I'd do you a favor and set you up with the postal service too. You should be able to receive mail now.] -Management
<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")[P.S. Rent's almost due. Fifty-five bits. Consider this your five day notice.]
<p>Funny how you get a mailbox just as rent-day is coming around. Very [[funny|Home1-1]].(set: $home to it + (a: 'Home4-1'))<p>You step through the gilded entrance and find yourself in a richly decorated hallway. Countless golden double-doors line the walls on either side of you, interrupted by the occasional sconce or vase. A solitary sign stands in the middle of corridor, obviously intended to block further passage into the interior proper. The wooden sign bears a crudely painted arrow pointing left towards an innocuous pair of doors, from which you can faintly hear a muffled chorus of angry voices just beyond.
(link: "Obey the sign")[
(set: $castlechoice to "starlight")
(go-to: "Explore4-2 (Nice Path)")]
(link: "Walk past the sign")[
(set: $castlechoice to "sign")
(go-to: "Explore4-2 (Naughty Path)")]<p>After a short hike, you arrive at the Apple family estate.
{(link: "Explore the farm")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$appleFarm))
(set: $appleFarm to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Farm2-3 (Looking for work)" or "Farm2-7 (No, still looking into it)" or "Farm2-4 (Yes)" or "Farm2-4 (No)")[
(link: "Work the farm")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$farmWork))
(set: $farmWork to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore22-2 (Confront them)" and "Farm2-1")[
(link: "Talk to Applebloom")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$applebloom))
(set: $applebloom to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]]
(else-if: (history:) contains "Applebloom1-1")[
(link: "Talk to Applebloom")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$applebloom))
(set: $applebloom to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]]}
[[Leave|CheckTime1-1]]<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Now careful, Derpy,"] an authoritative voice says from around the corner, followed shortly thereafter by the sound of something fragile and expensive making violent contact with the ground.
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Thank goodness that pot only dated back to the second founding of Griffonstone. Now if that had been a first founding, I'd be swallowing a lit torch right now. Guess I'll just have to settle with headbutting this cactus instead."]
[[Round the corner|Explore28-2]]<p>One short walk later, you stumble across what looks to be a recently renovated storefront, along with (if: (history:) contains "Home4-1")[Derpy and another pegasus mare](else:)[two pegasus mares] offloading a plethora of historical artifacts from a wagon.
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["How about I carry everything that's priceless, and you handle the crates with sweet, beautiful straw?"] suggests the amber pegasus. Of particular note is her distinctive monochrome mane, partially hidden beneath a pith helmet and matching safari jacket.
<p>(if: (history:) contains "Home4-1")[Derpy](else:)[The other pegasus] obligingly begins to ferry small crates into the building, leaving the clothed pegasus free to finally take notice of you. (colour: "#D6C160")["Oh. Hey,"] she greets upon seeing you, (colour: "#D6C160")["Say, you know who I am?"]
[[Daring Do?|Explore28-3 (Daring Do?)]]
[[A pony dressed as Daring Do?|Explore28-3 (A pony dressed as Daring Do?)]]
[[No idea|Explore28-3 (No idea)]]<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Noooo,"] the pegasus immediately responds, drawing the o's out so as to emphasize your wrongness, (colour: "#D6C160")["I am not a fictional character. I'm an actor, playing the <b>role</b> of a fictional character. A subtle but important difference I'm sure you'll agree."]
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["I got hired for a gig to manage an 'adventurer's guild' by the lady that writes the Daring Do books, if that makes any sense. Some kind of weird, 'living' advertisement to promote her next book or something."]
[[Adventurer's guild?|Explore28-4 (Adventurer's guild?)]]<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Finally! Somepony that can see I'm <b>not a fictional character from a children's book series!</b>"] the mare shouts loud enough for a certain ditzy pegasus to hear. (colour: "#D6C160")["Honestly, you'd think it goes without saying that fiction is, y'know, fictional. Some ponies out here apparently didn't get the memo."]
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["If you're wondering about the getup,"] she says, gesturing to her hat, (colour: "#D6C160")["Well, I'm an actor, and I got contracted to manage an 'adventurer's guild' type thing by the lady that writes the Daring Do books, <i>as</i> Daring Do. Some kind of weird, 'living' advertisement to promote her next book or something."]
(if: $smarts >= 35)[<span class='smarts'>[[Aren't you breaking character right now?|Explore28-4 (Aren't you breaking character right now?)]]</span>]
[[Adventurer's guild?|Explore28-4 (Adventurer's guild?)]]<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Hey hey, that's something we both had in common. I was starting to think I was the only one to have never read a Daring Do book, but our kind does exist."]
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Basically, they're supposed to be this series of books about an archaeologist who, in my opinion, doesn't do all that much archaeology. The lady that writes them hired me to play Daring Do, and to manage an 'adventurer's guild' in Ponyville. Some kind of weird, 'living' advertisement to promote the next book or something."]
[[Adventurer's guild?|Explore28-4 (Adventurer's guild?)]]<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["For all your treasure hunting, puzzle solving, foe foiling needs,"] she says with half-baked enthusiasm. (colour: "#D6C160")["But for real, it's supposed to be an actual store I'm in charge of. As Daring Do of course, so just call me 'Daring' when I'm on shift."]
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Everything should be moved in by tomorrow. Come by then and have a browse if you want."]
[[Need some help now?|Explore28-5 (Need some help now?)]]<p>A sudden crash inside the store interrupts 'Daring' before she can answer, (colour: "#D6C160")["I think I have enough help."]
<b>You can visit the Adventurer's Guild starting [[tomorrow|CheckTime1-1]]!</b>(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Hey, I'm on break. A break I have to spend doing manual labor by the way. So <i>not</i> in my contract,"] she complains, before puffing away a stray strand of mane from her face.
(if: $smarts >= 45)[<span class='smarts'>[[So what's your real name?|Explore28-5 (So what's your real name?)]]</span>]
[[You mentioned an adventurer's guild?|Explore28-4 (Adventurer's guild?)]]<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Your name happen to be Nosy McNoseface? To answer your question, it's Broadway Valentine. You probably haven't heard of me, I'm still an up-and-comer. Haven't been in anything big. Yet,"] she says, oddly evasive.
[[You mentioned an adventurer's guild?|Explore28-4 (Adventurer's guild?)]]<p>You close the door and, just like that, the outside world might as well cease to exist. Here in your shed, your home, your sanctuary, it matters not whether the day was kind or unkind; it welcomes you back into its comforting embrace all the same.
<p>Which obviously means you're not allowed to enjoy it. You don't even get the chance to slip off your saddlebag before somepony decides to start drumming their hooves on your front door.
[[Answer the door|Home4-2]]<p>You open the door, only to be met by a pair of gray hooves dangling in front of your face. The pegasus to which those hooves belong to gradually drifts her way downwards, until an appropriately dressed mailmare is standing on your doorstep. Her eyes jump out at you immediately: one regards you with cheerful aloofness, while the other stares off at a distant cloud.
<p>Armed with a smile that would make an ornery minotaur turn away and blush, the mailmare greets you with an enthusiastic, (colour: "#C1C5D3")["Hi! My name's Ditzy Doo! Some ponies call me Derpy, and that's okay!"]
<p>(colour: "#C1C5D3")["I'm in charge of delivering your mail! I promise to do my best!"]
[[Thanks Ditzy. Where is it?|Home4-3]]
[[Thanks Derpy. Where is it?|Home4-3]]//Note: Player hasn't gotten mail in a while, Derpy feels bad and writes letter herself.//
//Note: Derpy came to Ponyville at young age. Town took care of her and she's been trying to repay that kindness ever since.//
<p>(colour: "#C1C5D3")["You don't have any!"] she answers, happy as can be. (colour: "#C1C5D3")["I hope you get some soon!"] With that, the scatterbrained mare flitters away like a butterfly caught in the [[breeze|Home1-1]].<p>You cross paths with a ferocious manticore. It bays for blood, ready to launch itself at you at the slightest hint of weakness on your part.(set: $encounter to it + (a: 'Manticore1-1'))
{(link: "You're fighting a manticore!")[
(set: $ehp to 230)
(set: $emhp to 230)
(set: $ename to "Manticore")
(set: $espd to 30)
(set: $turn to "you")
(set: $log to "you")
(set: $eatktemp to (datanames: $manticoreAttacks))
(set: $eatkname to (either: ...$eatktemp))
(set: $eatk to $manticoreAttacks's ($eatkname))
(set: $combatwin to "Manticore1-2 (~if win)")
(set: $combatlose to "Manticore1-2 (~if lose)")
(set: $runlocation to "EverfreeExit1-1")
(go-to: "Combat")]}<p>As though drunk, the manticore stumbles back and forth on unsteady feet. In an attempt to flee, the monster starts to make for the safety of the forest, but only really succeeds in tripping over itself. It falls forward and slams its jaw to the ground with enough force to shake the leaves of every nearby tree. At this point, the manticore finally loses consciousness, but not before so thoughtfully spitting out a broken tooth for you to [[collect|EverfreeExit1-1]].<p>The manticore blindsides you with a massive swipe of its frisbee-sized paw, sending you flying into the trunk of a nearby tree. The resulting impact leaves your teeth rattling and your body limp from the searing pain.
<p>You ragdoll down the face of the tree, falling in between the sprawling, sunken roots that make up its base. Luckily, you manage to fall deep enough to escape the manticore's grasp. The beast claws in vain at the thick roots separating it and you. Once it's clear you're out of reach, the manticore loses interest and wanders off in search of easier {(link: "prey")[(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfreeExit))(set: $everfreeExit to it + (a: 'EverfreeExit1-1'))(set: $everfreeExit to it - (a: _psg))(go-to: _psg)]}.<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["That's right, (if: $sex is "male")[master](else:)[mistress]. You like little fillies, don't you? You wouldn't be here if you didn't. Who can blame you? We're so <i>precious</i>."]
<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["So, I know a secret about you. Only fair that I give you a secret of mine,"] Silver Spoon says whilst fluttering her perfectly-delicate lashes.
[[Sit back and watch|RedDoor1-11 (Sit back and watch)]]
[[Here to rescue you|RedDoor1-11 (Here to rescue you)]]
(if: $sex is "male")[[[Call me something besides master|RedDoort1-11 (Stop calling me master)]]](else:)[[[Call me something besides mistress|RedDoort1-11 (Stop calling me master)]]]
(if: $sex is "male")[[[Stop calling me master|RedDoort1-11 (Stop calling me master)]]](else:)[[[Stop calling me mistress|RedDoort1-11 (Stop calling me master)]]]
(if: $charm >= 40)[<span class='charm'>[[You can stop reading your lines|RedDoort1-11 (You can stop reading your lines)]]</span>]//Note: In progress.//
<p>You find yourself a nice high back chair and settle in for the filly's little show.
[[EverfreeExit1-1]]<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["Rescue me? From what, (text: $silverspoonnickname)? Oooh, I think I understand. Mistress Martingale told me that some ponies like to play pretend."]
<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["My saviour! You've finally come! How I've longed to see you burst through that door and fly me away! But first, you deserve a reward. Allow me to show you my gratitude. <i>All</i> of it."]
{(if: $smarts > 50)[<span class='smarts'>[[Just want to talk|RedDoor1-12 (Just want to talk ~if pass)]]</span>]
(if: $smarts <= 50)[<span class='smarts'>[[Just want to talk|RedDoor1-12 (Just want to talk ~if fail)]]</span>]}
[[Sit back and watch|RedDoor1-11 (Sit back and watch)]]<p>You tell Silver Spoon that you've come to talk and nothing more.
<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["Y-you are? But nopony ever wants to talk. They just want to see me. All of me."] Any doubt still nagging at the young filly's mind is swiftly banished by the mentioning of her friends. You make sure to emphasize the fact that it was they who sent you here in the first place.
<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo? Applebloom? They told you to..?]
<p>As Silver Spoon's voice wavers, you open your mouth to [[say|RedDoor1-13 (Just want to talk ~if pass)]]-<p>Your words fall on deaf ears. Try as you might, Silver Spoon remains unconvinced that you're anything more than just another client. You get the odd feeling that she doesn't <i>want</i> to be convinced, at least not right now anyway.
<p>Whatever mood that was in the room prior is long gone by now, chased away by your incessant questioning. Silver Spoon sits on the bed and awkwardly rubs her shoulders. Every now and then, she opens her mouth as though to say something, but the silence that hangs in the air proves too daunting an obstacle to overcome.
<p>The two of you sit quietly, content to simply let the clock run out. After what feels like a not insignificant amount of time, the door chimes in with three room-filling knocks, heralding the staggered entrance of one Madam Martingale.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["The hour has come and gone. I hope you've enjoyed your time, (if: $sex is "male")[sir](else:)[miss]. Allow me to escort you to the parlor."]
<p>As you follow the Madam out, Silver Spoon gives you a meek wave [[goodbye|RedDoor1-13 (Just want to talk ~if fail)]].<p>It's a brief walk back to the lanterns with all their red lights. If Madam Martingale has any idea what you said to Silver Spoon, then she certainly isn't showing it.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Here we are,"] she says upon reaching the parlor. (colour: "#CD7F32")["There is something for you in the chest. Please retrieve it."]
[[Go to the chest|RedDoor1-14 (Go to the chest)]]
[[Decline|RedDoor1-14 (Decline)]]<p>You approach the banded iron chest, the same one you had dropped a hundred coins into not too long ago. As before, it opens to give you a peek inside. Sitting on the floor of the chest is your one-hundred bits, just as you had last seen them. One by one, they start to stream out of the chest and back into your saddlebag.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Yours is the look of a pony that did not find what (if: $sex is "male")[he](else:)[she] was looking for. Whether or not this was due to any fault of my own, I will not have a client leave dissatisfied."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["I invite you to come back, so that we may yet have another chance to demonstrate we are deserving of your [[patronage|RedDoor1-15]]."](set: $bits to it + 100)<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["I'm afraid that wasn't a request. I promise you'll be pleased with what you find."] Her tone brokers no debate.
[[Go to the chest|RedDoor1-14 (Go to the chest)]]<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["As a reminder, the girl's auction will be held here in thirty days hence. Several <i>admirers</i> of her have already confirmed their attendance. I expect the bidding to climb past the five hundred mark at a minimum."]
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Unless we have something else to discuss, our business is concluded. I suggest you take your leave. It's in your best interests to spend no more time here than necessary, when not with one of my girls of course."]
<p>Before you know it, you're at the front door and on your way out. You can't help but feel relieved at feeling the sun's warmth again.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Forgive me for being presumptuous, but I have a feeling that this will not be our last meeting. Far from it in fact. You and I, we have a curious future ahead of us. Until then, (if: $sex is "male")[[[sir|EverfreeExit1-1]]](else:)[[[miss|EverfreeExit1-1]]]."]<p>If Silver Spoon had been drinking a glass of water, you're pretty sure she would've just spat it all out.
<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["Lines!? Whatever do you mean!?"] she asks, her lavender-colored eyes darting back and forth.
<p>When it dawns on her just how unconvinced you are, the filly lets out a heavy sigh, (colour: "#AAB6BE")["I'm not very good at this, am I?"]
[[Just want to talk|RedDoor1-12 (Just want to talk ~if pass)]]<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["Anything to make you happy. What do you wish me to call you?"]
{(link: "Just (text: $name) is fine")[
(set: $silverspoonnickname to $name)
(go-to: "RedDoor1-12 (Lover)")]}
{(link: "Lover")[
(set: $silverspoonnickname to "lover")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-12 (Lover)")]}
{(if: $sex is "male")[
(link: "Sir")[
(set: $silverspoonnickname to "sir")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-12 (Lover)")]]
(else:)[
(link: "Miss")[
(set: $silverspoonnickname to "miss")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-12 (Lover)")]]}
{(if: $sex is "male")[
(link: "Lord")[
(set: $silverspoonnickname to "m'lord")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-12 (Lover)")]]
(else:)[
(link: "Lady")[
(set: $silverspoonnickname to "m'lady")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-12 (Lover)")]]}
{(if: $sex is "male")[
(link: "Stud")[
(set: $silverspoonnickname to "stud")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-12 (Lover)")]]
(else:)[
(link: "Goddess")[
(set: $silverspoonnickname to "my goddess")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-12 (Lover)")]]}
{(if: $sex is "male")[
(link: "Daddy")[
(set: $silverspoonnickname to "daddy")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-12 (Lover)")]]
(else:)[
(link: "Mommy")[
(set: $silverspoonnickname to "mommy")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-12 (Lover)")]]}
[[Something different…|RedDoor1-12 (Something different...)]]
{(if: $sex is "male")[
(link: "On second thought, master is fine")[
(set: $silverspoonnickname to "master")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-12 (Lover)")]]
(else:)[
(link: "On second thought, mistress is fine")[
(set: $silverspoonnickname to "mistress")
(go-to: "RedDoor1-12 (Lover)")]]}<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["As you wish, (text: $silverspoonnickname). Shall I begin?"]
[[Sit back and watch|RedDoor1-11 (Sit back and watch)]]
[[Here to rescue you|RedDoor1-11 (Here to rescue you)]](set: $silverspoonnickname to (prompt: "Silver Spoon's nickname for you will be...", ""))(go-to: "RedDoor1-12 (Lover)")
(align: "=><=")[<span class='brawn'>Brawn: (text: $brawn) - (link: "Add 10 brawn")[(set: $brawn to it + 10)(go-to: "Cheats")]</span>
<span class='speed'>Speed: (text: $speed) - (link: "Add 10 speed")[(set: $speed to it + 10)(go-to: "Cheats")]</span>
<span class='smarts'>Smarts: (text: $smarts) - (link: "Add 10 smarts")[(set: $smarts to it + 10)(go-to: "Cheats")]</span>
<span class='charm'>Charm: (text: $charm) - (link: "Add 10 charm")[(set: $charm to it + 10)(go-to: "Cheats")]</span>
Current Bits: (text: $bits) - (link: "Add 100 bits")[(set: $bits to it + 100)(go-to: "Cheats")]]
{(align: "=><=")[
(link: "Back to game")[
(go-to: $last)]]}<p>The adventurer's guild oughta be open by now. With that in mind, you head on over to where you last spoke to "Daring [[Do|Guild1-2]]".<p>A fairly unassuming building stands before you. It is neither the tallest or the largest in sight, nor does it possess the darkest windows or the brightest banners. There are no hard-boiled warriors or hoary wizards loitering at the entrance. It'd be easy enough to think this place was just another typical Ponyville home, if not for the unpainted sign flatly proclaiming <i>"Adventurer's Guild"</i> above the door. In short, in no way does this structure outwardly warrant its distinction as a den for the curious or the intrepid.
[[Enter|Guild1-3]]<p>You step inside, only to find that the interior paints a far different picture. Light is scarce here; what little that does exist is confined to the occasional mining lamp placed haphazardly atop parchment-laden tables and dust-caked shelves.
<p>The lack of light has the unfortunate effect of leaving only small slices of the interior readily discernible. In one corner, you see the fossilized skull of some ghastly beast. There, a burial mask wrought in what might be silver, but could just as easily be glass. Elsewhere, ancient tools of indeterminate age and purpose. And here, all manner of swords and spears, some tinted red with what might be rust. Might [[be|Guild1-4]].<p>You navigate the maze of cobwebs and shelving laid out before you until you reach the only piece of furniture that looks as though it could've been built in the last century: a counter that had seen more than its fair share of spilled tankards and embedded daggers.
<p>Behind that counter is Daring Do, or at least the mare portraying her. She leans on the countertop with a dusty tome in front of her and a bored expression on her face, her eyes lazily scanning from left to right.
<p>You approach, unsure of what to expect. Without looking up or otherwise registering your presence in the slightest, Daring says, (colour: "#D6C160")["Well well well, look at what the griffon dragged in."] She finally deigns to look up, slamming the book shut with enough force to launch a cloud of dust into the air. (colour: "#D6C160")["You sure you're in the right place, chief? This ain't your typical dive [[here|Guild1-5]]."]<p>You drop a great big sackful of bits onto the counter. Daring peers inside and begins taking them out one by one, (colour: "#D6C160")["One. Two. Three."]
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["This might take a while. Come back later, I'll have this done and your paperwork all in order by then. Four. Five. Six."]
<p>You leave the pegasus to her [[counting|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $guild to it + (a: 'Guild3-1','Guild3-1','Guild3-1','Guild3-1'))<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["I really shouldn't,"] the pegasus mumbles, clearly mulling the idea over, (colour: "#D6C160")["But what the hay, I like your face."]
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["I'll knock fifty bits off the asking price. Anything more and I'll probably wake up tomorrow chained to a radiator. So what do you say? One-fifty, final offer."]
{(if: $bits >= 150)[(link: "Pay the initiation fee")[(set: $bits to it - 150)(go-to: "Guild1-6 (Pay the initiation fee)")]]}
[[Decline|Guild1-6 (Decline)]]<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Nice try, but my boss would skin me alive if she found out. Membership is still two-hundred smackaroos."]
{(if: $bits >= 200)[(link: "Pay the initiation fee")[(set: $bits to it - 200)(go-to: "Guild1-6 (Pay the initiation fee)")]]}
[[Decline|Guild1-6 (Decline)]]<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Probably for the best. Too many amatuers prancing about ancient dungeons and temples as it is. You know where to find me if and when you change your [[mind|CheckTime1-1]]."](set: $time to it + 1)(set: $guild to it + (a: 'Guild2-1'))<p>You return to the Adventurer's Guild to find it more or less unchanged since your last visit. Same pitiful lanterns trying their best to beat back the same ceaseless dark. Same shadowy corners that may or may not contain the same prowling monsters. Same ancient tome with curled up pages being read by the same bored Daring Do.
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["I knew you couldn't resist the siren's call of adventure for long. So, you give any more thought to signing up? Remember, it's two-hundred bits to get in."]
{(if: $bits >= 200)[(link: "Pay the initiation fee")[(set: $bits to it - 200)(go-to: "Guild1-6 (Pay the initiation fee)")]]}
{(if: $charm >= 50)[<span class='charm'>[[Discount?|Guild1-6 (Discount? ~if pass)]]</span>]
(if: $charm < 50)[<span class='charm'>[[Discount?|Guild1-6 (Discount? ~if fail)]]</span>]}
[[Decline|Guild1-6 (Decline)]]<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Welcome to the guild, chief. What can I do you for?"]
[[Buy|Guild3-2 (Buy)]]
[[Sell|Guild3-2 (Sell)]]
[[Browse rare texts|Guild3-2 (Browse rare texts)]]
{(if: (history:) contains "Guild3-2 (Any work?)")[
(link: "Browse available bounties")[
(go-to: "Guild3-3 (Browse available bounties)")]]
(else:)[
(link: "Any work?")[
(go-to: "Guild3-2 (Any work?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Guild3-2 (Any work?)")[
(link: "Turn in bounty")[
(go-to: "Guild3-3 (Turn in bounty)")]]}
{(if: $barfightBeatdown is 0)[
(link: "Teach how to fight?")[
(go-to: "Guild3-2 (Teach how to fight?)")]]}
{(link: "Leave")[
(if: (history:) contains "Guild4-1")[
(set: $guild to it + (a: 'Guild3-1'))
(go-to: "CheckTime1-1")]
(else:)[
(set: $guild to it + (a: 'Guild4-1'))
(go-to: "CheckTime1-1")]
(set: $time to it + 1)]}//Note: No inventory yet//
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["(either: "What're you buying?","Got a selection of good things on sale, chief.","Got some rare things on sale, chief.")"]
[[Back|Guild3-1]]//Note: No inventory yet//
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["(either: "What're you selling?","I'll buy it at a high price!")"]
[[Back|Guild3-1]]//Note: No magic yet.//
<p>You spend some time browsing through the guild's selection of rare texts and scrolls.
[[Back|Guild3-1]]//Note: Maybe restrict this passage until player is high level enough?//
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Matter of fact, yes."] She directs you towards a large wooden sign board, upon which are nailed a number of tattered wanted posters. (colour: "#D6C160")["That there's the guild's bounty board. See, when something extra nasty needs reining in, ponies'll pool together enough bits to put up a suitable bounty. Bring back something that proves you put the beatdown on whatever it was that needed it, and I'll pay you the bounty."]
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Of course, I'll only give you the job if I think you can handle it in the first place. Don't want us any rookies biting off more than they can handle."]
[[Browse available bounties|Guild3-3 (Browse available bounties)]]
[[Back|Guild3-1]]<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["I might know a thing or two,"] Daring says with eyes narrowed. (colour: "#D6C160")["It'll cost you though. Personal training ain't in my job description."]
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["One hundred bits, and I'll teach you how to handle yourself in a scrap. I'll even throw in a special move for when things get really <b>hairy</b>."]
{(if: $bits >= 100)[
(set: $bits to it - 100)
(set: $barfightBeatdown to 1)
(link: "Deal")[
(go-to: "Guild3-3 (Deal)")]]}
[[Back|Guild3-1]]<p>You walk through the door to find the usual silence replaced instead with the giggling of out-of-sight schoolchildren. What with all the shelves and racks everywhere, you can't say for sure where the sound is coming from.
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Alright, you guys gonna keep laughing or am I gonna have to stop here?"] Daring says. The giggling ceases immediately. (colour: "#D6C160")["Uh huh, that's what I thought. [[Anyways|Guild4-2]]..."]<p>A dire timberwolf leaps in front of you, blocking the path forward. Eyes like glittering emeralds drip with murderous intent, while the beast's engorged wood betrays a more carnal hunger.(set: $encounter to it + (a: 'DireTimberwolf1-1'))
{(link: "You're fighting a Dire Timberwolf!")[
(set: $ehp to 100)
(set: $emhp to 100)
(set: $ename to "Dire Timberwolf")
(set: $espd to 50)
(set: $turn to "you")
(set: $eatktemp to (datanames: $direTimberwolfAttacks))
(set: $eatkname to (either: ...$eatktemp))
(set: $eatk to $direTimberwolfAttacks's ($eatkname))
(set: $combatwin to "DireTimberwolf1-2 (~if win)")
(set: $combatlose to "DireTimberwolf1-2 (~if lose)")
(set: $runlocation to "EverfreeExit1-1")
(go-to: "Combat")]}<p>The dire timberwolf visibly struggles to maintain its form. It takes a step back, which proves one step too many, as the creature implodes and its component pieces fall to the ground. You rifle through the jumbled mess of assorted plant matter and find four Eyes of the Forest for your [[trouble|EverfreeExit1-1]].(if: $sex is "male")[<p>You fall to the ground before your foe's feet. The dire timberwolf gnashes its teeth in anticipation of your imminent demise, snapping its jaws viciously and sending sap-like spittle flying every which way and that. It doesn't take long before the creature starts eying your jugular in particular.
<p>You can only watch, helpless, as the dire timberwolf slowly advances on you with splintery teeth bared. Before it can lay a paw on you however, a bone-chilling howl sounds off in the far distance. The dire timberwolf immediately steps back, ears pricked, before responding with an unearthly howl of its own. It turns around and dashes back into the forest without {(link: "hesitation")[(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfreeExit))(set: $everfreeExit to it + (a: 'EverfreeExit1-1'))(set: $everfreeExit to it - (a: _psg))(go-to: _psg)]}.](else:)[(if: $temp is 1)[<p>The dire timberwolf lunges for your neck, successfully wrapping its jaws around your naked throat. Instead of tearing your windpipe open though, the creature instead opts to forcefully throw you to the ground. The impact knocks all the air out of your lungs, further immobilizing your already exhausted form.
<p>You stifle a gasp as something warm and wet suddenly laps at your nether-regions. You turn back to see the dire timberwolf's head buried between your thighs, its tongue steadily probing the depths of your pussy like a tree's root eagerly searching for moisture. There's little rhyme or rhythm to the creature's palpitations; still, a very tangible bolt of electricity courses through your body every time the dire timberwolf's tongue flicks across your joybuzzer, or buries itself that much deeper inside. Whether you want it or not, your pussy is eventually drenched in both the dire timberwolf's sticky, sap-like saliva and your own love juices.
<p>Seemingly satisfied with its handiwork, the dire timberwolf wastes no time climbing on top of you. It straddles your midsection, pinning you in place and putting its bulbous shaft on display. The creature thrusts its hips forward several times, each thrust failing to hit its mark and flinging globules of glowing green precum onto your [[stomach|DireTimberwolf1-3 (~if lose)]].](else:)[<p>You fall to the ground before your foe's feet. The dire timberwolf gnashes its teeth in anticipation of your imminent demise, snapping its jaws viciously and sending sap-like spittle flying every which way and that. It doesn't take long before the creature starts eying your jugular in particular.
<p>You can only watch, helpless, as the dire timberwolf slowly advances on you with splintery teeth bared. Before it can lay a paw on you however, a bone-chilling howl sounds off in the far distance. The dire timberwolf immediately steps back, ears pricked, before responding with an unearthly howl of its own. It turns around and dashes back into the forest without {(link: "hesitation")[(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfreeExit))(set: $everfreeExit to it + (a: 'EverfreeExit1-1'))(set: $everfreeExit to it - (a: _psg))(go-to: _psg)]}.]]<p>A changeling drone leaps out of the shadows. Clearly famished, your would-be foe's rail-thin body looks just about skinny enough to fit through one of the many, gaping holes perforating her legs.
<p>(colour: "#10DC0D")["Your love. Give it to me!"] she hisses through fanged teeth. Is that a hint of hope you hear in her voice?(set: $encounter to it + (a: 'ChangelingDrone1-1'))
{(link: "You're fighting a changeling drone!")[
(set: $ehp to 30)
(set: $emhp to 30)
(set: $ename to "Changeling Drone")
(set: $espd to 25)
(set: $turn to "you")
(set: $log to "you")
(set: $eatktemp to (datanames: $changelingDroneAttacks))
(set: $eatkname to (either: ...$eatktemp))
(set: $eatk to $changelingDroneAttacks's ($eatkname))
(set: $combatwin to "ChangelingDrone1-2 (~if win)")
(set: $combatlose to "ChangelingDrone1-2 (~if lose)")
(set: $runlocation to "EverfreeExit1-1")
(go-to: "Combat")]}//Note: Needs optional rape scene for male players.//
<p>(colour: "#10DC0D")["Why won't you love me..?"] the changeling drone quietly murmurs just before fainting. A small fragment of her carapace breaks away, giving you one piece of changeling [[chitin|EverfreeExit1-1]].<p>The changeling drone pounces on top of you. With the kind of desperate strength only near-starvation can cultivate, she wrestles you to the ground and keeps you there.
<p>With your body completely restrained, the changeling is given free reign to throw herself against you. She aligns her smooth, glossy torso with the contours of your furred own, quickly finding a comfortable position and settling there. She lays her head beneath your chin and nuzzles against your neck.
<p>(colour: "#10DC0D")["Yesss, tasty love,"] the changeling drones as her wings begin to softly vibrate. The two of you stay like this for a fair while, until your foe—apparently satisfied—eventually climbs off, the holes in her legs noticeably diminished.
<p>She leans down as though to give you a kiss goodbye. Her forked tongue proceeds to slather your cheek with saliva. With that, she spreads her insectile wings and buzzes off to {(link: "who-knows-where")[(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfreeExit))(set: $everfreeExit to it + (a: 'EverfreeExit1-1'))(set: $everfreeExit to it - (a: _psg))(go-to: _psg)]}.<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["Octavia."](set: $explore17 to it + 1)
[[Ask something else|Explore17-5]]<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["I play my cello."](set: $explore17 to it + 1)
[[Ask something else|Explore17-5]]<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["Ich bin ein Mareliner."](set: $explore17 to it + 1)
[[Ask something else|Explore17-5]]<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["I enjoy ze silence. Ze peace und quiet, zhey help me focus."](set: $explore17 to it + 1)
[[Ask something else|Explore17-5]]<p>You give praise to the mare's musical talent, which subtly shifts into praise for her own surpassing beauty.
<p>She completely ignores your compliments.(set: $explore17 to it + 1)
[[Ask something else|Explore17-5]]<p>This question in particular seems to catch her off-guard. Exasperated, she finally deigns to look you in the face, though her violet eyes have obvious difficulty focusing on any one feature. It wasn't readily visible from afar, but the telltale signs of many a sleepless nights sit beneath her eyes. (colour: "#BAB8AF")["You know mein name. You know I play. Let zhis satisfy you. Leave me."]
<p>With that, she henceforth ignores you completely and [[utterly|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $home to it + (a: 'Home2-1'))(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore37-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)<p>You quickly look over the leaflets posted on the wall.
(if: $wantedEverfreeStalkers is 1 or 2)[
(link: "<i>Wanted: Everfree Stalkers!<i>")[
(go-to: "Guild3-4 (Wanted: Everfree Stalkers!)")]]
[[Back|Guild3-1]]//Note: Not actual quest yet.//
<p><i>WANTED!</i>
<i>EVERFREE STALKERS</i>
<i>Abnormally large timberwolf pack led by dire timberwolf with history of aggression against ponies! Dangerous! Approach with caution!</i>
<i>250 BIT REWARD!</i>
{(if: $wantedEverfreeStalkers is 1)[
(link: "Accept")[
(set: $wantedEverfreeStalkers to 2)
(go-to: "Guild3-1")]]
(else:)[
(link: "You've already accepted this bounty!")[
(go-to: "Guild3-3 (Browse available bounties)")]]}
{(if: $wantedEverfreeStalkers is 1)[
(link: "Back")[
(go-to: "Guild3-3 (Browse available bounties)")]]}<p>You don't have any bounties to turn in.
[[Back|Guild3-1]]<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Listen up and listen good. I don't plan on repeating myself."] She takes you aside and starts showing you the basics of fighting in close quarters. From the very beginning, it's clear that Daring Do fights one way and one way only: <b>dirty</b>. She's quick to correct your hoofwork, emphasizing mobility and judicious use of the environment above all else.
<p>It's a good enough performance that you can <i>almost</i> forget she's still just an actress playing her role.(set: $attackslot2 to 1)(set: $playerattack2 to "Barfight Beatdown")(set: $playerattack2damage to 13)(set: $playerattack2accuracy to .6)(set: $playerattack2modifier to .5)
<b>You've learned [[Barfight Beatdown|Guild3-1]]!</b><p>How you managed to let a wooden sign snap up victory shall be a mystery for the ages, a question to be pondered by tacticians and philosophers alike. Long after your corpse is rotted and buried, this battle will remain in one form or another.
<p>Your enduring legacy.
<b>[[Your story ends here.|Title Screen]]</b><p>You beat a hasty retreat, resolving to conquer the castle's horrors another [[day|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore4-1'))(set: $time to it + 1) <p>She takes one look at you before saying, (colour: "#FCF4A4")["Tsk tsk. Big Mac still avoiding Cheerilee I see. When will that stallion learn that staying all cramped up inside is no way to live? Yes, I'm aware of the hypocrisy, thank you very much."]
<p>(if: (history:) contains "Cottage2-4")[A more withdrawn Harry comes back](else:)[A big brown bear comes from around the back] and practically lifts the entire wagon above his head. He takes it back from whence he came, before returning shortly afterward with much of its cargo [[gone|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $farmToTable to it + 1)(set: $cottage to it - (a:'Cottage4-1'))(if: (history:) contains "Farm2-2 (Here to see Applebloom)")[<p>You make your way to the treehouse Applebloom had mentioned. You find her easily enough, carrying out some chores all on her [[lonesome|Applebloom2-1]].](else:)[<p>You run into Applejack on your way to the treehouse Applebloom had mentioned. She's quick to confront you, asking you pointedly, (colour: "#FDC363")["Hold them horses, partner. Where do you think you're going?"]
(link: "Here to see Applebloom")[
(go-to: "Farm2-2 (Here to see Applebloom)")]]<p>Applebloom sets aside the bucket full of apples she was carrying. (colour: "#FDC363")["Hiya. Somethin' you wanted to talk about?"]
{(if: $reddoor is "accept")[
(link: "Yes")[
(go-to: "Farm2-7 (Yes)")]]}
{(if: $reddoor is "accept")[
(link: "No, still looking into it")[
(go-to: "Farm2-7 (No, still looking into it)")]]}
{(if: $reddoor is "decline")[
(link: "Offer to look into Silver Spoon")[
(go-to: "Farm2-7 (Offer to look into Silver Spoon)")]]}
{(if: $reddoor is "decline")[
(link: "Still can't help")[
(go-to: "Farm2-7 (Still can't help)")]]}<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["You will!?"] she says, her eyes instantly alight, (colour: "#F5F498")["That's the best news I've had all week! I gotta go tell Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo!"] With that, the little filly starts hightailing it for town.
<p>You chuckle and start walking away yourself. As you do so, Applebloom does a one-eighty and gives you a quick hug. (colour: "#F5F498")["Thank you!"] she says, before running off for [[good|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $reddoor to "accept")(set: $applebloom to it + (a: 'Applebloom1-1'))<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["Oh, umm, thanks for letting let me know, I guess?"]
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["If you do go, it'd be a big nice if you told Scoots, Sweetie or I beforehoof. We'd feel guilty something awful if you went out there without us [[knowing|CheckTime1-1]]."](set: $applebloom to it + (a: 'Applebloom1-1'))<p>Applebloom doesn't seem to be here at the [[moment|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $applebloom to it + (a: 'Applebloom3-1'))<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["...they sent you here to tell me that what I'm doing is wrong, that I shouldn't be here, that they're worried about me. Is that what you were going to say?"]
<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["I'm not stupid. Whatever those three did or didn't tell you, I'm not some naive little girl being taken advantage of. I'm here because I choose to be.] She sighs, exasperated more so than anything else. (colour: "#AAB6BE")["It's not that I don't get why you want to talk me out of all this, I do. But there's nothing you can say or do that will change my mind, so can we just drop it? Please?"]
[[Yes|RedDoor1-14 (Yes)]]
[[No|RedDoor1-14 (No)]]<p>Silver Spoon looks visibly relieved at your answer. The two of you sit quietly, content to simply let the clock run out. After what feels like a not insignificant amount of time, the door chimes in with three room-filling knocks, heralding the staggered entrance of one Madam Martingale.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["The hour has come and gone. I hope you've enjoyed your time, (if: $sex is "male")[sir](else:)[miss]. Allow me to escort you to the parlor."]
<p>As you follow the Madam out, Silver Spoon gives you a meek wave [[goodbye|RedDoor1-13 (Just want to talk ~if fail)]].<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["Do you even know how much danger we're in just by talking about this? If she found out what you were trying to do, we could get in so much trouble,"] Silver Spoon murmurs, her voice dropping to a barely-audible whisper. (colour: "#AAB6BE")["This one time, a client decided that looking wasn't good enough. He tried to grab me."]
<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["He didn't even manage to get on the bed before a Diamond Dog built like a minotaur bursts through that door and starts dragging the client out by this neck. I spent the rest of the night with the Mistress out in the parlor. She had a big table set up with all my favorites. Lemon drops, chocolate truffles, tiramisu."]
<p>(colour: "#AAB6BE")["I never saw the client [[leave|RedDoor1-15 (No)]]."]<p>The door suddenly chimes in with three room-filling knocks, heralding the staggered entrance of one Madam Martingale.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["The hour has come and gone. I hope you've enjoyed your time, (if: $sex is "male")[sir](else:)[miss]. Allow me to escort you to the parlor."]
<p>As you follow the Madam out, Silver Spoon gives you a meek wave [[goodbye|RedDoor1-13 (Just want to talk ~if fail)]].<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["Jawohl. Your fur is soft. I am enjoying it."] She burrows her face into your chest. You feel like a towel being used by somepony drying off after just coming out of a pool.
[[Ask something else|SleepEvent7-3]]//Note: No morality yet.//
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["I vas asleep. I felt lonesome. You are nearby. And often so (nice/forceful). I should be kindter to you."]
[[Ask something else|SleepEvent7-3]]<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["Nein, I kept ze key from Herr Proprietor. He neglected to ask for it back."]
[[Ask something else|SleepEvent7-3]]<p>You ask why she's acting so funny, what with her hating your guts just the other day. The signals she's sending out seem decidedly mixed. (colour: "#BAB8AF")["Dreams go vhere zhey vill. To fight zhem is to fight ze self: a foolish prospect."]
[[Dreams?|SleepEvent7-5 (Dreams?)]]
[[Ask something else|SleepEvent7-3]]<p>You see a stallion struggling to drag a large burlap sack. His ungainly cargo clings to the ground, unwilling to mount a small bump in the road. Whatever the stallion is transporting, it's certainly heavy, and curiously pony-shaped.
[[Help|Expolore29-2 (Help)]]
[[Investigate|Explore29-2 (Investigate)]]
[[Ignore|Explore29-2 (Ignore)]]<p>You approach the stallion and offer your help, which he gladly accepts. With your combined strength, the two of you easily maneuver the sack over the bump. The stallion gives you a few bits for you [[trouble|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $bits to it + 4)<p>You walk up beside the stallion, which just so happens to bump him in the process. He unclenches his teeth, allowing the sack's neck to fall to the ground. A hundred potatoes spill across the roadway.
<p>The stallion shoots you a look of pure hatred, before beginning the slow, laborious task of gathering up his scattered spuds. Sometimes a body-shaped sack is just a body-shaped [[sack|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>You shrug your shoulders and walk [[away|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore29-1'))<p>A feminine voice calls out from the top of the stairs directly opposite you, (colour: "#9575E5")["Pardon my absence dear, be down in just a moment!"] The voice speaks with an air of elegance and class that would befit the kind of pony that works in such lavish surroundings.
<p>And lavish the surroundings are indeed. While the exterior alone easily ranks this place amongst the most richly decorated buildings you've seen thus far in Ponyville, the designer obviously reserved the majority of their talent for the [[interior|Explore5-3]].<p>He proposes a deal. The ease and swiftness with which he eases into this 'deal' leads you to think he has had this conversation many a time before. Though he cannot give you the room in the inn, he does keep a small shed in the inn's back garden for just such a pony like yourself. The dusty old thing isn't exactly a cloudominium, he admits, but it'll keep the rain off your head and the chill of night away.
<p>In exchange, he promises not to charge rent until you've gotten yourself settled in town, with accruing interest in the meantime of course. He also expects you to maintain the shed itself and its immediate surroundings to the best of your abilities. How you do so is up to you, so long as the place doesn't look like it's falling [[apart|Intro3-5]].//Note: Will have additional home option, eventually.//
<p>You get a feeling that you won't find a better deal anywhere else in town. You also don't find the prospect of spending your first night in Ponyville squatting in somepony's stable or camped out on the edge of the Everfree Forest particularly appealing. With nightfall quickly approaching, it's clear that you have no choice but to take the proprietor up on his offer. Maybe at some point later down the line you'll be able to procure more proper accommodations. For now, this will have to [[do|CheckTime1-1]].<p>You learned all you could from your professors. You absorbed every lecture, scoured the libraries of Equestria, and melted many a candle whilst poring over an ancient tome.
<p>The hunger for more was insatiable. It mattered not whether you devoured Daring Do books or forbidden texts overburdened with dark magic. Is it not admirable for one to continue the noble pursuit of knowledge, limits be damned?
<p>Your peers, your instructors, even the Princess herself: what you saw in their eyes was not esteem as you first thought. You know better now. It was fear, tinged sickly green with envy. They were deathly afraid of the power swelling within you. And in their dread, you were expelled from Princess Celestia's (so-called) School for Gifted [[Unicorns|BG-Student3]].<p>A farce! All of it! What is an academic institution that turns away those that show the greatest promise, if not some cruel joke? Every detail of that last, shameful dismissal is forever burned into your memory: Celestia's frigid, unyielding stance and the slow crane of her slender neck as she watched you leave. Even now, you can feel her piercing eyes bore into the back of your skull. And above all, that despicably tender disappointment in her voice. Your blood boils and the pace of your heart quickens at the memory.
<p>You will show her. Perhaps a candid demonstration of your abilities in the form of tearing down everything she holds dear in this world will foster the proper respect you deserve. Yes, you'll start in Ponyville, with that precious former student of hers. Soon enough, all of Equestria shall bear witness as you outshine the sun [[itself|Intro1-1]].<p>The pink earth pony, evidently unfazed by the collision that left you reeling, exclaims, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! That was totally my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going. My cutie mark started a'glowin and a'shakin, which means I've got to be at Twilight's castle, so you see I'm really really <i>really</i> in a rush!"]
<p>She speaks a mile a minute with the kind of boundless energy that straddles the line between endearing and annoying. However, you hear in her voice a tone one would typically use with an old friend, as if she had just bumped into somepony she had known her entire life. Between catching your breath and rubbing your bruised rump, you take a moment to glance at her cutie mark, a trio of colorful party balloons. True to her word, they vividly pulsate in a manner you can't say you've ever seen [[before|Explore1-3]].<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["I don't wanna sound like a broken record, but I really am super duper sorry..."] She stops speaking for just a moment and furrows her brow. The hyperactive mare leans precariously into your personal space and stares at you with sky-blue eyes, obviously trying to get a good read on you.
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["...hmm, I don't know your face, which is weird cause I should know every face in Ponyville! Not to mention the names, birthdays, and favorite cupcake flavors to go with those faces. Which means-"]
<p>She gasps, as if you had just disclosed a particularly juicy piece of gossip.
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["You must be new in town!"] She picks you up and places you back on your hooves with strength that her small, if slightly pudgy, frame betrays and proceeds to brush off any dirt on your coat with a quick swipe of her cottony [[tail|Explore1-4]].<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["My first impressions don't usually start off on such a low note, which means I'll just have to make the rest of my welcome twice as welcoming to make up for it!"] She pauses and takes a deep breath, before shouting, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Hiya! My name is Pinkie Pie and welcome to Ponyville!"] She continues by bouncing around you whilst singing a simple, yet irresistibly catchy tune.
<span>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["I don't know you!"</span>
<span>"And you don't know me!"</span>
<span>"But that'll soon change!"</span>
<span>"'Cause my name is Pinkie!"]</span>
<span>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["Oh, the fun we'll have!"</span>
<span>"The things we'll do!"</span>
<span>"I don't know what they are!"</span>
<span>"But I'll be happy to do them with you!"]</span>
<span>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["I can already tell!"</span>
<span>"Life will never be the same!"</span>
<span>"With you here now!"</span>
<span>"So what's your name!?"]</span>
[[Match her enthusiasm|Explore1-5 (Match her enthusiasm)]]
[[Properly introduce yourself|Explore1-5 (Properly introduce yourself)]]
[[Make yourself scarce|Explore1-5 (Make yourself scarce)]]
[[Flirt with her|Explore1-5 (Flirt with her)]]<p>You sigh deeply once more, this time in resignation. You're obviously not gonna get anything done with this pink pest hounding you at every step. You begrudgingly give Pinkie Pie your name and nothing else. You can't help but let a bit of venom seep into your words. Not that you care all that much.
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["Looks like I've got another gloomy gus on my hooves!"] Pinkie's eyes narrow and the corners of her mouth curl into a devious smile. Her voice lowers to a threatening whisper, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Just you wait (text: $name), I'll crack your shell. I've done it before and I'll do it again. Maybe not today. Maybe not even tomorrow. But eventually. You. Will. Be. My. Friend."] She giggles maniacally.
<p>You raise an eyebrow and give her an incredulous look. (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Oooo, tough guy eh? I like a challenge. I might need some backup though, and who better than the Princess of [[Friendshi|Explore1-7]]-"]<p>(if: $sex is "male")[You lick your pastern and smooth your ruffled mane back, making sure to give Pinkie a good view of your chiseled jawline and beefy forelegs.](else:)[You bat your eyelashes and hungrily lick your lips, giving Pinkie a sultry stare all the while.] You saunter up to her and obligingly disclose some exceedingly personal details, including, but not limited to, your name.
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["Wowwie zowwie! Somepony wants to ride the fast track to friendship town, population: me! We only met, like, five minutes ago and we're already sharing secrets! Here's one of mine: I go through at least two barrels of glitter a WEEK! I don't even use that much glitter, I have no idea where most of it goes."]
<p>It appears Pinkie is ignoring your advances. That, or she's obliviously innocent. (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Twilight calls me an enigma. Speaking of, why do I get the feeling I'm forgetting [[something|Explore1-7]]..?"]<p>A mossy, chest-high stone wall outlines the garden's borders, which any trespasser will find to be of absolutely zero hindrance, thanks to a number of convenient gaps and breaches. Untrimmed hedges form their own meandering barriers, with grass growing tall enough in some places to hide a full-grown timberwolf. A well-trodden dirt path running down the middle divides the overgrown garden into two equal halves, like a line on a map marking the border between two jungle nations.
<p>Under normal circumstances, the entire space seems about equivalent to a regulation buckball field, though in practice the actual walkable area has been reduced to a smattering of canopied soil. If you do intend to fix this place up, it seems you'll find your work cut out for [[you|HomeIntro1-3]].<p>You follow the proprietor down the path. Errant leaves and twigs tickle at your shins as you walk past. The foliage grows denser the further you venture; even so, you're gradually able to make out a small building tucked against the far wall.
<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["There it is. And before you say anything, it's not as bad as it looks."]
<p>Well, he's kind of right.
<p>It's almost [[worse|HomeIntro1-4]].<p>Aside from a web-like coating of vines, the shed outwardly resembles a smaller version of a typical Ponyville home, albeit much less elaborate and in a state of considerable disrepair. Patches of black splotch the thatch roof, indicating places where the straw had fallen through. Narrow windows only meant to let in sunlight provide little by the way of viewing inside. At least the walls themselves look sturdy enough, if in dire need of a fresh coat of paint.
<p>The proprietor produces a vast ring of keys, one of which he inserts into the door's rusted lock. With a turn of his head and nudge of his hoof, the door slowly squeaks open, groaning against its corroded hinges.
<p>He steps inside and wipes away some low-hanging cobwebs with his foreleg. You peer at the interior of the shed for a moment, before ducking inside [[yourself|HomeIntro1-5]].<p>Even with just two occupants, space is at a premium. Piles upon piles of mislaid junk sit in unorganized heaps all about the cluttered space. Every conceivable tool is haphazardly hung upon the walls, all in various states of rusting away to nothingness. Sheets of white fabric drape themselves over the occasional piece of furniture. A layer of dust covers every visible surface, as if a very localized volcano had spewed forth a sun-obscuring amount of ash solely within this room.
<p>Despite all that, the shed isn't so cramped that you can't imagine living here at all. Already, your mind is erasing the junk piles, stripping the walls and installing amenities. Yes, a modest kitchenette wouldn't take up to much space. And here, a desk would make for a fine place to manage your thoughts, perhaps flanked on either side by bookshelves. Maybe a chest or dresser to store your belongings. All that would leave just enough floor space for a bed in the remaining corner.
<p>You'll have to be exceedingly economical with space, but you can actually picture yourself living here. It will take some time to be sure, but with the right amount of tender loving care, you just might end up with a halfway decent [[home|HomeIntro1-6]].<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["Ah! Here it is,"] the proprietor calls out. He bites down on a white sheet and whips it away to reveal a musty cot beneath. With a practiced hoof, he dusts the sheet off and expertly folds it in one smooth motion. (colour: "#CBAB60")["There we are, spic and span. I trust you'll have the rest of the place sorted out before long. For now, I'll leave you to get settled in."]
<p>Just as he's about to disappear through the door, he turns to you and says, (colour: "#CBAB60")["By the way, if you happen to chance upon a locket in here, I'd be quite grateful if it was returned to me."]
<p>With that, the proprietor finally excuses himself for good and leaves you to contemplate on what you've gotten yourself [[into|HomeIntro1-7]].<p>Yes, this was definitely worth the trek out here. Your body certainly seems to agree, as your eyelashes grow heavy and every other thought is interjected by brief lapses in consciousness. Just as you are about to nod off, a mare's voice rings through the air.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Howdy stranger, room enough on this hill for two?"]
<p>You snap awake and swivel your head around to see an orange mare hiking up the hill towards you. She stops just short of surmounting the summit, keeping a healthy distance between the two of you. A wide-brimmed cowboy hat sits atop her head, a fitting accessory for somepony with such a distinctive country accent.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Aw shucks, I didn't know you were fixin' to take a nap. Sorry 'bout that. Well, seeing as you're awake now, mind if I join ya' and ol' Bark Woodberg here?"] She motions affectionately to the enormous apple tree overhead.
[[I don't mind|Explore3-3 (I don't mind)]]
[[I do mind|Explore3-3 (I do mind)]]<p>Your roving eyes finally reach her face, at which point you notice that she had been spying at you from out of the corner of her own emerald-green eye. Even from your prone position, you can see a her mouth curl into a sly grin. You hurriedly avert your gaze and stare off into the distance.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Like what ya' see?"] The country pony teases, chuckling heartily, (colour: "#FDC363")["Not that I blame ya'. You ain't too rough on the eyes yourself, stranger. Can't say I've seen you 'round these parts afore. New in town I take it?"]
[[Yea|Explore3-6]]<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["That all so?"] Applejack proceeds to surprise you by straightening herself and effortlessly adopting a classic upper-Manehattan accent, <i>(colour: "#FDC363")["Well (if: $sex is "male")[Monsieur](else:)[Madame] (text: $name), consider me right charmed to make your acquaintance, and may I say that I am positively de-lighted to meet another well-to-do gentlefellow in these troubled times. Believe me when I say the dearth of good breeding that does surround us is nothing short of appalling. Fillies and colts cavorting about unsupervised, mares doing stallions' work; why, society might as well be collapsing all around us. But enough of such unpleasantries for now. Believe me, I can keep going, but I'd be liable to catch a serious case of the [[vapours|Explore3-8]]."]</i><p>You tip your chin and snort none too subtly, before rolling over so you can start ignoring Applejack properly. Unfortunately, the country bumpkin must be dense in addition to being filthy, given how she refuses to take the hint to make like a tree and fuck off.
<p>Clearly offended, she says, (colour: "#FDC363")["I've lived here in Ponyville all my life, so I can't even begin to imagine what movin' to a new town oughta feel like. Being as that may, it's a pretty common courtesy to give a name when somepony asks for it. Unless you're from the Dragon Lands, I'm pretty darn sure folks still said 'hi' to each other back where you came [[from|Explore3-9 (Brush her off)]]."]<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["A first impression's a sacred thing. You only get one, so I prefer to do 'em good and proper ifin I get the choice. I only meant to give ya' the opportunity to introduce yourself for manner's sake, seeing as I already know your name. (text: $name), right?]"
<p>You turn to her and half-glare, half-scowl at the insufferable mare.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["I'll take that as a [[yes|Explore3-8]]."]<p>And those hips, by Luna's word, they are just unreal. If only one thing was true of this world, one fact which you could trust with absolute and unerring certainty, the sole singular pillar of reality upon which all other existence can base itself and build off of, it was this: Applejack has an amazing ass.
<p>You introduce yourself to the mare that ass is attached to. As to what you're doing in Ponyville, well, is the reason not clear enough? Applejack clearly employs a rather blunt approach to life, so you think it only polite to reciprocate: you straighten up and plainly inform the mare standing before you that you are going to fuck her.
<p>Applejack merely looks at you, her expression stony and deliberately difficult to discern. Finally, she states, (colour: "#FDC363")["I 'preciate the honesty, but I'll [[pass|Explore3-8]]."]<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["And one last thing: unless you want something a whole lot meaner than an apple landing on your head, don't let me catch you in this here orchard again without me or my brother's say-so. Now you have yourself a good day."] With that, Applejack leaves you alone to collect your fractured thoughts.
<b>You can now visit Sweet Apple [[Acres|CheckTime1-1]]!</b>(set: $appleFarm to it + (a: 'Farm1-1','Farm2-1','Farm3-1'))(set: $advice to it + (a: 'ProprietorAdvice10-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore22-1'))(if: (history:) contains "Explore1-1" and "Explore6-1")[(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore20-1'))](set: $newInTown to it + 1)(set: $explore to it - (a: 'Explore3-1'))<p>This room is almost aggressively pink. Fuchsia curtains and bunting hang on every wall, so much so that it feels as if you've stepped into a spacious and exceedingly fancy tent. Whatever space that isn't covered with fabric is occupied by full-body mirrors. To your right, three such mirrors form a rough half-circle around a raised platform, no doubt intended to show off the tailor's merchandise from every angle.
<p>To the left are your first real impressions of the tailor's talent in her craft. Six stunningly beautiful dresses hang from a metal rack, each its own visual cornucopia for the eyes. Several mannequins strewn across the shop display more of her skill. Even judging by this modest selection, it's plain to see that no color is beyond her imagination, no couture too extravagant, no design too [[intricate|Explore5-4]].<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Always nice to see a pony admiring my hard work."] It seems the tailor had quietly made her way downstairs while you were busy ogling her wares. You pray she doesn't notice you ogling her now. Standing at the foot of the stairs is the tailor in question, a unicorn mare with striking white fur and a violet mane done up in a stylish coiffure that terminates into large, glossy curls. Her tail is a sharp reflection of her manestyle, both utilizing the same smooth curls that remind you of the long, twirly ribbons typically adorning the tops of Hearth's Warming presents. Her deep, azure eyes are acutely reminiscent of the trio of gems that form her cutie [[mark|Explore5-5]].<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["So sorry about the tardiness dear, I don't typically get customers this early in the day and I make an effort get an errand or two done before noon. My oh my, you must be the newcomer everypony has been talking about. I must say, you're even cuter face-to-face."]
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["I am Miss Rarity and allow me to welcome you to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique! To whom do I have the pleasure of addressing this exquisite (if: $time is 1)[morning](else-if: $time is 2)[afternoon](else:)[evening]?"]
[[Short but sweet introduction|Explore5-6 (Short but sweet introduction)]]
[[Reveal how sophisticated you can really be|Explore5-6 (Reveal how sophisticated you can really be)]]
[[Remain wary of her friendliness|Explore5-6 (Remain wary of her friendliness)]]
[[Get flustered by her beauty|Explore5-6 (Get flustered by her beauty)]]<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["My word, I had no idea I was in the presence of such refined company; what a pleasant surprise indeed. To be perfectly frank with you, when I heard we had a new arrival here in Ponyville, I let my imagination run a tad wild. I'm sure you've already noticed, but Ponyville isn't exactly a jet set destination."]
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Please don't misunderstand, I love my home with all my heart, but I might've had a few preconceived notions in respects to who you were and what you were like; not all of them flattering I'm afraid. Thankfully, everything I've seen so far is such evidence to the contrary. Oh, do beg pardon, you must think me a terribly shallow [[pony|Explore5-7]]."]<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Hmm, something the matter dear? You seem a tad lost in thought."] No, you answer curtly. You quickly think up a reason to excuse yourself from present company. Unfortunately, it seems Rarity is intent on prying at least some bit of information out of you.
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Is that so? But we've yet to get properly introduced! Surely, I can tempt you with a cup of coffee perhaps? Well, if really must go, then far be it from me to stop you. But before you leave, at the very least allow me the pleasure of knowing my visitor's name."] You roll your eyes and begrudgingly give Rarity your name. Hopefully, a gossipy mare like herself won't be able to do too much damage with that much [[knowledge|Explore5-7]].<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Ahem, I believe you were about to tell me your name?"] Rarity's words pierce the intoxicating haze of hedonistic thoughts surrounding your mind like a chill wind on a hot summer's day. Is it your imagination or has her speech adopted an even more sultry, more lurid tone? You stutter for a moment, but eventually manage introduce yourself amidst a chorus of "umms" and "uhs."
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["(text: $name), is it? Charmed! Excuse me for being presumptuous, but I get the feeling we shall be doing business sooner rather than later. Oh, I just know we'll get along swimmingly. Give me a moment to dig up my card, I'm sure the bashful little things are around here somewhere."] Rarity turns and ambles over to a nearby desk, giving you ample opportunity to admire her well-toned derrière, covered in that pristine white fur. You can even catch brief, precious glimpses of her jet-black marehood as her tail swings to and fro.
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["A-ha! There we are."] She returns to you with said business card enveloped in vivid blue magic, the same hue currently emanating from her glowing horn. After giving her the okay, she gingerly lifts the top of your bag and deposits the card [[within|Explore5-7]].<p>(colour: "#B8916A")["You hear? Some bigshot warrior is supposed to be coming to town."]
<p>(colour: "#E6DA8A")["Yes, I've heard. And not just any warrior is coming. It's the Thunderclap."]
<p>(colour: "#B8916A")["Big deal, not like I've ever heard of him before today."]
<p>(colour: "#E6DA8A")["Her,"] the replying stallion corrects. (colour: "#E6DA8A")["And you've never heard of her because you barely leave your house. Anyways, she's a big enough deal that I doubt she's coming to Ponyville for anything here. Maybe passing through on her way to something more important, sure. Why do you even bring up stuff like this if you don't know enough to carry a [[discussion|Explore15-3]]?"]<p>(colour: "#B8916A")["Well excuuuuse me for trying to start a convo. Jerk."]
<p>(colour: "#E6DA8A")["Featherbrain."]
<p>(colour: "#B8916A")["Ass."]
<p>(colour: "#E6DA8A")["Jerkass."]
<p>The pair continue their heated exchange until they're both well out of sight, and then [[some|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>After not a very long time at all, you can confidently say that you are hopelessly lost. The castle's corridors weave and wind in an antipattern not unlike the gnarled roots of an ancient tree. The walls blend into each other to produce bizarre kaleidoscope-like illusions that only intensify the sense of disorientation currently gripping at you. Every door opened leads only to empty storage closets and otherwise unfurnished chambers. Interestingly enough, there are no servants or guards to speak of.
<p>Eventually, you manage to break your monotonous meandering by stumbling upon a series of inky marks on the floor, the black teardrops left behind by your old foe as it fled. With no other recourse, you decide to follow them; you figure they'll either lead you back to the castle's entrance or the sign's master. In any case, you don't see any better way of getting out of [[here|Explore4-3]].<p>She rests her head atop her folded forelegs laid upon the table's surface, eyes of amethyst scanning from left to right with a mechanical intensity not dissimilar to the returning carriage of a typewriter.
<p>You clear your throat. Given the Princess's reaction, your restrained cough might as well have been a salvo of cannon fire. She immediately straightens herself and lets out a surprised yelp, emitting a decidedly unprincess-like sound. She quickly turns to face you, nearly falling off her seat in the process.
<p>She's speechless for a brief moment, entire body tensed like a cornered panther and horn ablaze with violet light, before her wild gaze starts to settle squarely on you. The Princess visibly relaxes with a relieved, (colour: "#D19FE4")["Phew, it's just you."] The magic around her horn fizzles out and dissipates shortly thereafter.
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["You almost just gave me a heart attack,"] she says half-jokingly. (colour: "#D19FE4")["Sorry, have you been standing there for a while? I must have missed you on the way in. I can get kinda lost in my own little world when I have a good book in front of me, as if that wasn't super obvious,"] she gestures to the many, many books that surround the two of you.
[["It's just you"?|Explore4-6]]<p>You ask if she was expecting you.
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["Well, not you in particular anyway, no offense. Allow me to make an educated guess: Starlight was too busy to make a new friend, and you were nice enough to lend a helping hoof. Despite your best efforts—I'm sure—she ended up exhausted anyway, which is why my little pupil isn't with us presently. So she sent you along as proof that she fulfilled all her friendship duties for the day."]
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["How did I do? Ninety percent correct? Ninety-five? Can't be a hundred percent right; Starlight did make a new friend after all, or at least I hope she did."]
[[0%|Explore4-7 (0%)]]
[[90%|Explore4-7 (90%)]]
[[95%|Explore4-7 (95%)]]
[[100%|Explore4-7 (100%)]]<p>Your earnest interest belies her suspicions however. Not wanting to appear cold to your friendly advances, the Princess of Friendship starts to answer your question, (colour: "#D19FE4")["Well, today wasn't anything too interesting, all told."] She speaks slowly, deliberately, drawing out the pauses between each word. When she sees that your interest refuses to wane—your eyes captured in quiet, rapt attention—her cadence invariably grows more comfortable.
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["Maybe the fact that it wasn't special in fact makes it special. I suppose I should be grateful; no foreign warlords threatening Equestria's destruction or rogue parasprite [[swarms|Explore4-11 (Ask how her day has been)]]."]<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["Let's see, what else, what else, what else. Oh, you wouldn't believe how much red tape I had to cut through in Canterlot today. I can appreciate being prudent with one's money, but I think I'd have an easier time convincing the Royal Treasurer to steal from a dragon, rather than dip into our own coffers. To think, all I wanted was some money set aside for a field trip!"]
<p>She takes a sip from her teacup, draining the petite, little thing in one gulp. She asks coquettishly, (colour: "#D19FE4")["Would you mind?"] If you didn't know any better, you'd swear that the teapot had been steadily inching its way over to you. You happily oblige her, filling her cup, then your own.
<p>The Princess proceeds with recounting the vicissitudes of her day, until past and present become beautifully entwined in perfect, rapturous harmony. She leans back and sighs, completely at ease, (colour: "#D19FE4")["Whew, I needed [[that|Explore4-10]]."]<p>Princess Twilight sees this and is visibly taken aback, (colour: "#D19FE4")["Oh, um. How very formal."] She looks around, as if expecting a procession of more supplicating ponies to suddenly materialize. She clears her throat, before saying in a more stately tone, (colour: "#D19FE4")["Speak your name and rise, my subject."] Her voice shrinks to a whisper at that last word, as though uncomfortable with the mere notion of being your superior.
<p>You dutifully deliver your designated denomination and stand, as directed. As you do so, you notice that Twilight's cup is nearly emptied. Not wishing to let such an opportunity go to waste, you (if: $race is "unicorn")[focus on levitating](else:)[casually stretch across the table to reach for] the teapot and promptly fill her [[cup|Explore4-10]].<p>You reflexively let slip an expletive, after which you demand to know why you're in this book of hers.
<p>Slightly wounded (more so than at any point during your slandering session), she explains, (colour: "#D19FE4")["Don't take it the wrong way. I-I have a map that lets me know when and where ponies are having friendship problems. It doesn't tell me the 'who' though, so I always try to get some research done before heading out to help: local newspapers, public records, things of that nature."]
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["One day, a friendship problem came up in your hometown. I looked into it, and well, you had already made somewhat of a name for yourself. The very moment I was about to leave, the map just... stopped glowing. I never followed up on it; I just assumed the friendship problem simply worked itself out. Most do, after all."]
[[Demand to be removed from the book|Explore4-10]]<p>You drift around Twilight like a slithery anaconda, more-or-less draping yourself around her shoulders and foregoing all the customary niceties associated with meeting heads of state in favor of a decidedly more raw experience.
<p>Apparently uneased by the sudden shift in atmosphere between the two of you, the Princess tries to distract herself by taking an expressed interest in her teacup. For her part, she barely flinches as you draw close to her ear and whisper your name in the most alluring voice you can manage. You also make sure to mention (if: $sex is "male")[the strength of your seed, should she ever wish to have an [[heir|Explore4-10]]](else:)[your skill in the tongue-based [[arts|Explore4-10]]].//Note: Will add conclusive resolution for animate sign.//
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["You look exhausted. And I know how tiresome those long, confusing halls can be, believe me. I'd hate for you collapse in the middle of one. Here, let me try a new spell I've been working on."] The Princess lowers her head, aiming her horn directly at the door and subsequently blasting it with a beam of violet energy. She ceases not long after, faint tendrils of smoke still rising from the tip of her horn.
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["There. I think you'll find the trip has been substantially shortened!"] Outwardly, it appears nothing has changed. When you open the door however, you find yourself staring at a picturesque Ponyville (if: $time is 1 or 2)[day](else:)[sunset], as if you were standing within the doorway of the castle's main entrance. You turn around to see a pretty purple princess yawning and waving you a fond [[farewell|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore7-1','Explore33-1'))(set: $advice to it + (a: 'ProprietorAdvice9-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $newInTown to it + 1)(set: $explore to it - (a: 'Explore4-1'))<p>A lesser changeling might've given in to their hunger long ago, but you however are made of finer stock, and the task at hoof demands a more deft approach. For ponies to start turning up with bellies full of changeling eggs would raise too much suspicion too soon. Furthermore, you do not intend to repeat the mistakes that brought ruin to your Queen's prior plans. It's abundantly clear to you that Mother's royal wedding ruse was bound to fail sooner or later; a changeling disguise can fool even the most perceptive of eyes, but a pony's heart can and will see through all deception, no matter how subtle.
<p>So you await a lonesome stranger, a pony with no attachments or obligations in Ponyville. You still hunger, but restraint came easily enough. You simply drew comfort in knowing that you will soon have your fill and [[more|ChangelingSpyIntro1-4]].<p>You take a break from musing over your own superiority as the faint 'clip clop' of distant hoofsteps drifts down the road. You freeze, ears perking up to get a better sense of who or what is coming. You can't help but smile: more prey comes to tug at the strands of your web. As per the last several days, you retreat slightly deeper into the forest and prepare an ambush.
<p>The hoofsteps gradually draw closer and closer, until a (text: $sex) (if: $race is "earth")[earth pony](if: $race is "pegasus")[pegasus](if: $race is "unicorn")[unicorn] eventually comes into view. Thick layers of sweat and dust blankets (if: $sex is "male")[his](else:)[her] (text: $coatColor) coat, clearly an unwelcome memento from a lengthy journey. On (if: $sex is "male")[his](else:)[her] flank bounces a sun-bleached knapsack that jostles and jingles freely with every exhausted [[step|ChangelingSpyIntro1-5]].//Note: Will possibly be extended to full sex scene.//
<p>As obvious an outsider if you've ever seen one. At last, it seems your wait has come to an end.
<p>The dying light of day provides a suiting backdrop to your hunt. You open your mouth and the tender voice of a lost filly calls out to the weary traveler. "Help, help," the voice seems to cry. The pony stops and looks around in confusion. And so your prey is snared.
[[Start your new life|ChangelingSpyIntro1-6]]//Note: Possible original pony subplot.//
//Note: Mention victim is stored in cocoon, which induces deathlike hibernation/stasis/coma. Allows victim to be in forest indefinitely (player can deal with it at their leisure).//
<p>You step out of the darkness and onto the main road, your equine hooves coming to rest on brick and mortar for the very first time. Already, the last couple of minutes feel like little more than a distant blur, a whirlwind of love and lust, of new memories to be remembered and a name gained.
<p>(text: $name). You laugh to nopony in particular, a stranger's laugh in a stranger's voice. Well <i>(text: $name)</i>, remind yourself that you will eventually need to come back out here and take care of the glossy-eyed, cum-leaking pony trapped in that pit at some point later down the line. But for now, best hurry and enter Ponyville proper before night falls. They say monsters roam these [[woods|ChangelingSpyIntro2-1]].<p>You admit that you were hoping to see the Princess when you walked in here.
<p>(colour: "#EDBBF3")["Yeah, you and everypony else here."] The mare puts her hooves up in mock surrender. (colour: "#EDBBF3")["Sorry to disappoint, but you're stuck with me,"] she says low enough that only you can hear, her tone dripping with hollow sincerity and just a hint of [[misery|Explore4-6 (Nice Path)]].<p>At this point, an irate stallion deigns this an appropriate enough moment to roughly shove you aside, proceeding to get up close and personal with the secretary pony. She merely stands stock still with a tired, bored expression on her face, even as the stallion spits saliva and vitriol at it.
<p>With the end of his fiery tirade, the secretary calmly states, (colour: "#EDBBF3")["For the last time Meadowlark, we cannot ban bears. We know a bear took your picnic basket and we're all very sorry about that. From what I hear, Fluttershy already gave the fella a very stern talking to."]
<p>Seemingly satisfied with this news, the stallion retreats back into the amorphous mass of the crowd. As soon as the spot in front of the secretary's desk is vacant, three more ponies step forth to take his place, each shouting their own assortment of issues and disputes. You can actually see the secretary's eyes glaze over from exhaustion. She is obviously on the brink of collapse. Just before she can fall off her chair, a sudden burst of energy visibly invigorates her slumped [[limbs|Explore4-7 (Nice Path)]].<p>She turns to you, saying, (colour: "#EDBBF3")["Hey, I just got an idea that could help us both out. I'm having tea with Princess Twilight later and I was supposed to bring along a new friend. You can tag along as my plus one, if you do me a favor. Deal?"]
[[Deal|Explore4-5 (Deal)]]
[[No deal|Explore4-5 (No deal)]]<p>It doesn't take long for the monotony of it all to set in and start gnawing at your brain. You quickly get bored and fall into a mindless rhythm: take a letter from the stack; barely inspect its contents; file it away into the appropriate tray; repeat ad nauseam. Even the clamor of the crowd gradually fades into white noise, becoming as dull and listless as the buzzing of an enormous bee in your ear.
<p>Even with your brain turned off, time feels like it slows to a crawl as you dutifully perform your appointed task. You make to reach for another letter, only for your hoof to tap against the desk's crystalline surface. You blink your eyes to break out of your self-induced trance and look around. The crowd is gone, leaving the spacious chamber deafeningly quiet. Slightly orange-hued light streams in through the tall windows high [[above|Explore4-10 (Nice Path)]].<p>Starlight Glimmer shuffles over to you and says, (colour: "#EDBBF3")["Hey hey, good job! Looks like we survived. And not a moment too soon, I must've locked my knees at some point cause I can barely- WHOA!"]
<p>She falls forward and collapses to the floor, her entire body spread eagle before you. She looks about ready to fall asleep right then and there.
<p>(colour: "#EDBBF3")["Yeah, there's no way I can make it through a tea party. If it wasn't obvious, I don't normally do this sort of thing, secretary type stuff I mean. Inkwell, the usual clerkpony, is sick and I thought it would be easy enough to fill in for her. Talk to a few ponies, a little paperwork, couldn't be that hard right? I didn't give Inkwell enough credit; I can see that now. Thanks to you, today wasn't a total [[disaster|Explore4-11 (Nice Path)]]."]<p>Starlight sluggishly lifts herself off the ground, (colour: "#EDBBF3")["I could really use some rest right about now. But deal's a deal, so if you still want to have tea with the Princess, it's alright for you to go alone. She'll understand. She always does."]
<p>(colour: "#EDBBF3")["Just go back out the door you came from, pass the sign, walk down the hall, hang left at the intersection, up two flights of stairs, and open the first door directly on your right. That'll be the tea room. Pass on my regards and apologies, will you? Now if you don't mind, I'm off to find the nearest [[bed|Explore4-3]]."]<p>The thought preoccupies you so much that you don't even notice the stallion approaching from the opposite direction until the two of you are rubbing flanks on the cramped bridge.
<p>(colour: "#9997AB")["Hey, watch it!"] the stallion yells out, never breaking his stride. He entertains a last-minute glance back at you. He very obviously sees something he likes; he suddenly brakes hard and pivots around to get a longer look [[you|Explore16-3]].<p>(colour: "#9997AB")["Wowzers,"] he exclaims, now lustfully eying the general area where your cutie mark resides, while curiously neglecting to ever lay an eye on the actual mark itself. (colour: "#9997AB")["Mmhm, I wouldn't mind having me a piece of <i>that</i>."] He licks his lips hungrily, thought you doubt he'd go for nice brie fondue right now.
<p>Already, heated emotions are welling up from deep inside you, chiefly...
[[...indignation.|Explore16-4 (...indignation.)]]
[[...embarrassment.|Explore16-4 (...embarrassment.)]]
[[...pride.|Explore16-4 (...pride.)]]<p>After a good while, the unfortunate bush directly adjacent to you finds itself occupied by the odd pony. Out of the corner of your eye, you can spot a yellow muzzle poking out from the leaves like some bizarrely-shaped, furry fruit.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Pssst. Psssssst. Hey,"] she whispers with a hushed, but urgent tone to try and get your attention, utterly ignorant to the fact that you're already acutely aware of her presence.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Please don't be startled, I'm not a monster about to jump out and devour your tender pony flesh. I'm just a pegasus in the bush right next to you,"] She pushes some branches aside to reveal the rest of her face. The resulting image is absurd to the point of being comical. She opens her mouth to continue, before a blank look dawns upon her face and catches the words in her throat before she can even [[start|Explore6-4]].<p>She darts her eyes about and scrunches up her face, saying, (colour: "#FCF4A4")["This is really odd, isn't it? Me, talking to you from inside a bush I mean."] You nod in deadpanned affirmation.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Oh. Right."] Despite the dirt and leaves that stubbornly cling to her face, you can still see her cheeks burning rosy red. The mare steps out of the bush and onto the park path. She beats her dainty wings and floats low against the ground, gently bobbing up and down like a cork on rolling waves.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["I'm sorry to bother you, but did you happen to see my little Angel bunny walk past here by any chance? He's been running off lately and he sometimes doesn't come home until sundown. He has me worried sick, so I've been following him to find out where he wanders off to. Or at least trying to, I just always seem to lose track of him here in the park."]
[[Help|Explore6-5 (Help)]]
[[Don't help|Explore6-5 (Don't help)]]<p>You unceremoniously get off your perch. With that, you start down the path towards the dense patch of underbrush the wayward rabbit had disappeared into.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Umm, is that a yes?"] the meek pegasus calls out from behind. You glance back to see her still floating idly by the bench. You gesture towards the end of the path, beckoning her to follow. Her face lights up at the realization that you're willing to help. She speedily—or at least the equivalent of a brisk trot—glides on over to you. With your companion firmly in tow, you continue down the path, the thicket now no more than a moment's walk [[away|Explore6-6 (Help)]].<p>Before long, the dull `*`thud`*` of hooves hitting hard dirt is replaced by the harsh `*`crunch`*` of dry leaves being crushed underhoof. The woods here are wild and unfettered, the dense forest growing denser still as you trek deeper into the country. The canopy becomes so thick in fact that your aerial acquaintance is eventually forced to land and tread earth alongside you. Just as doubt of actually finding this elusive white rabbit starts to creep its way into your mind, the pair of you finally come across a clearing, at the center of which lies a tall, grassy knoll.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Oh, thank goodness, I was starting to think we were walking in circles. I put up a tough front, but I was actually starting to get a teensy tiny bit nervous,"] you're companion admits, forcing a chuckle through clenched teeth even while her knees shake and wobble like some new-age dance.
<p>At the base of the mound is a rabbit-sized hole, which she quickly deduces, (colour: "#FCF4A4")["That's an entrance to a bunny burrow! And look there! Itty bitty paw prints leading inside! It was hard to tell because of all the leaves earlier, but there are tiny footprints all around here. A lot of prints as a matter of fact for just one Angel [[bunny|Explore6-7 (Help)]]..."]<p>You bend down to examine the tight entrance and jokingly ask if the pegasus mare had brought along a shrinking spell, or if she intends to dig up the barn-sized hill with nothing but her bare hooves. She doesn't answer, the impatient mare already well on her way round the other side of the knoll. She disappears around the bend without a word. You snort in irritation, before following suit.
<p>You stroll along the circumference of the knoll before catching up to her. You see her silently staring through a crude window built into the side of the hill. Whatever's inside must be quite the sight, judging by the way her ears are pricked up and her mouth is slightly agape. As if hypnotized into a trance, she doesn't acknowledge your approach at [[all|Explore6-8 (Help)]].<p>You mosey up beside her to take a gander for yourself. The window is quite small, so you end up rubbing against the mesmerized mare just to see inside. Her velvety fur feels pleasantly smooth against your body, long locks of her silken hair occasionally brushing across the side of your face. Even so, the pegasus remains still and speechless. As you survey the room inside, you can see why.
<p>Inside the subterranean chamber is what can only be described as a rabbity all-you-can-fuck buffet. Strewn about the room are countless lagomorphs, most mostly motionless in white puddles of improbable size. They lie atop dressers, bent over tables, even atop one another in enormous wet piles of black, white, and gray fur.
<p>You spy a bed at the far end of the cavern, upon which a harem of hares are still busily attending to a single white bunny. For some reason or another, you're certain this is the 'Angel' bunny. You turn to look at your companion. She watches with wide-eyes as her pet grabs the nearest doe for another round of [[<i>multiplication</i>|Explore6-9 (Help)]].<p>You take a step back, having gotten your fill of rabbits fucking for the day. Your companion on the other hoof maintains her trance-like gaze.
<p>You give her a gentle poke in the ribs to delicately grab her attention, at which point she jumps and yelps, (colour: "#FCF4A4")["Eeeeeeep!"] The pegasus floats in the air after your prodding, her eyes staring off into nothingness and forehooves held firmly against her cheeks.
<p>A moment of awkward silence passes before she blurts out, (colour: "#FCF4A4")["Oh my look at the time I really should get going I need to get dinner started and I can hear the kettle boiling and it's getting dark."] She turns to fly off in the direction you both came [[from|Explore6-10 (Help)]].<p>Just as the flustered mare is about to fly out of earshot, she stops in mid-air, turns to face you, and quietly says, (colour: "#FCF4A4")["I'm Fluttershy. It was nice to meet you."] With that, she leaves you alone in the clearing.
<p>On a whim, you peer back into the window to find Angel bunny up against the other side, giving you the cutest little death-glare you ever did see. He heatedly shuts the curtains, putting an end to any further voyeurism.
<p>Well, this was certainly one way to spend an afternoon. Now if you can just remember how to get back to town. You do remember, [[right|CheckTime1-1]]?(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $newInTown to it + 1)(if: (history:) contains "Explore3-1" and "Explore1-1")[(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore20-1'))](set: $explore to it - (a: 'Explore6-1'))<p>Subsequently, much of the Everfree remains uncharted and is said to be absolutely replete with hidden treasures ripe for the taking, should an enterprising pony be brave enough to go looking. With this in mind, you steel your nerves and venture forth into the unknown.(set: $everfreeEntrance to it + (a: 'EverfreeEntrance2-1'))
{(link: "Enter the forest")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfree))
(set: $everfree to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}{
(if: $reddoor is "accept")[
(link-goto: "Investigate the house with a red door", 'RedDoor1-1')]}
[[Turn back|CheckTime1-1]]<p>Your musings are interrupted by a sudden rapping at your chamber door. The harsh sound takes a moment to register in your brain. You can confidently say that you were not expecting company, especially not at this hour. It couldn't hurt to answer, you suppose, aside from the travesty of having to get up from beneath your toasty warm blanket.
<p>The knocking becomes incessant; even if you choose to ignore it, there's no way you'll be able to fall asleep amidst this racket. You resign yourself to a life of constant and unerring inconveniences, pushing away the woolen sheets and sluggishly rising from your stupor. The shock of your hooves touching the icy floor provides an almost welcome jolt of wakefulness as you shuffle towards the door.
<p>Unfortunately, the door to your shed lacks a peephole and the few windows the shed did possess are far too small and high up to be of any practical use at the moment. You call out to your inconsiderate visitor, asking what they could possibly want. You don't know what you were expecting, but it certainly wasn't the meek, feminine voice that replied [[back|SleepEvent8-3]].<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["Help, please..?"]
<p>Questions swarm your mind like a cloud of angry hornets. Some strange pony coming to your doorstep in the dead of night? This supposed cry for help could just as easily be some sly ploy by some loathsome monster (with a disarmingly tender voice). A sudden swell of alacrity surges into your veins at the prospect of unseen danger.
<p>You follow up your earlier inquiry with another, this time demanding the identity of your mysterious visitor. Only the crickets respond. Further attempts to communicate prove equally fruitless, no matter how loudly you shout. You briefly consider returning to bed and stuffing cotton into your ears. After all, what are the chances of a pony actually standing outside your door at this very moment in dire need of aid, potentially bleeding out from a mortal wound and only your timely door-opening could save them from shuffling off this mortal [[coil|SleepEvent8-4]]?<p>A weary sigh escapes your lips.
<p>You open the door and find yourself looking down at a young unicorn mare dressed in tattered rags, with the not-so-occasional spot of dirt here, there, and everywhere. Vast patches of her amber coat have faded to a dull, homely brown. Knots and tangles plague her coal-black mane, not so much a rat's nest as a troll's. Curiously enough, she doesn't smell nearly as unkempt as she looks, lacking the sickly-sweet odor vagrants tend to pick up after who-knows-how-long of living on the [[streets|SleepEvent8-5]].<p>She looks up at you furtively, as if afraid to make eye contact. After enduring your questioning stare for a good while, she finally manages to speak up, (colour: "#B7B7B7")["I-I'm sorry to bother you this late. I saw light in the windows and figured you were still awake. I have nowhere to go and nopony to turn to and I've been walking since sunrise and... I'm sorry! I'm just so hungry!"] Her strained voice, unexpectedly pleasant to the ear, cracks at that last word.
<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["Please (if: $sex is "male")[sir](else:)[miss], if you can spare some food, anything at all, I would be forever grateful."] She looks up at you for the first time, giving you ample opportunity to look into her deep, magenta eyes.
[[Help|SleepEvent8-6 (Help)]]
[[Refuse|SleepEvent8-6 (Refuse)]]
[[Rape|SleepEvent8-6 (Rape)]]
{(if: $brewmaster is 1)[
(link: "Rape with sleep potion (Brew Master")[
(go-to: "SleepEvent8-6 (Rape with sleep potion)")]]}<p>Without any further ado, you step aside and swing the door wide open, allowing a prodigious flood of soft candlelight to wash over your visitor. She stares at the interior of your shed with mouth agape and eyes growing wide as saucers, stunned by the unprecedented luxury before her. Despite your tacit invitation, her hooves remain firmly planted at your doorstep. Her legs visibly shake and quiver, uncertainty no doubt clinging to them like the thorny vines of plunderseeds. After her eyes finish darting over all your worldly possessions, her gaze finally comes to rest squarely on you. She takes a nervous gulp, before mouthing a tentative '[[really|SleepEvent8-8 (Help)]]?'<p>You nod and mouth an affirmative 'really' of your own, just to sweep away any and all traces of ambiguity. With surprising speed, the mare springs forward and wraps herself around you in a tender embrace. She buries her head against your bosom, muffling the already barely-comprehensible string of 'thanks you's' streaming from her lips. She quickly runs out of breath and resigns herself to hugging you ever tighter, as if you'd disappear should she let go. Silence falls over the room, interrupted by the occasional sniffle from your pony-shaped scarf.
<p>Her heart beats directly against yours with a vivacious rhythm that sings with gratitude and rekindled hope. There is a certain tenderness in her touch that you find comforting, for reasons you cannot put words to. With her embrace comes a wave of warmth—not of the temperature type mind you—that washes over and puts you deeply at ease. You find yourself unwilling to tear yourself from her grasp, instead taking the moment to rest your cheek atop her head. A good amount of time passes before you straighten yourself and finally break the silence with a restrained [[cough|SleepEvent8-9 (Help)]].<p>She opens her tear-stained eyes and lets go, (colour: "#B7B7B7")["I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. I shouldn't hav-"]
<p>You cut her off and say it's alright, even as you're already longing for her touch. You stifle the feeling, motioning for her to enter the shed proper. The door is still open after all, and cold night air makes for a poor house guest.
<p>She finally steps into your humble abode, at which point you close the door and wave the mare over to your plain table. She sits there patiently as you assemble a late night dinner, digging deep into your pantry to assemble a veritable feast of plain brown bread and simple cheeses.
[[Name?|SleepEvent8-10 (Name?)]]<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["My name? Oh, I'm not important enough to dwell on. Even if we did ever meet again after tonight, I'd doubt you'd even recognize me."]
<p>A tad odd, you think to yourself, but you reason that drifters are no less deserving of privacy than any other pony. You don't press her any further, a sentiment that the mare visibly appreciates. You ask her how she likes her milk.
<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["In a cup if [[possible|SleepEvent8-11 (Name?)]]."]<p>You pause for a moment. Was that a joke? You turn around to look at your guest. Sure enough, a corner of her mouth curls into a tiny smile. You ask her how some bread would sound.
<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["I'm not quite sure, I guess I never cared enough to listen."]
<p>You ask if she'll be keeping this up all night.
<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["Only until I've worn out my [[welcome|SleepEvent8-12 (Name?)]]."]<p>Dinner runs long into a night filled with mirth, laughter, and just a dash of lust. Soon enough, it gradually dawns upon you that not all is as it seems. No matter how many times you break a loaf of bread in half, you only ever break one loaf of bread. No matter how many times you refill your cups, the milk jug flows as if fed by Neighagra Falls (if it were a milkfall rather than a waterfall of course).
<p>You consider bringing up these curious miracles to your innocuous guest. She only looks into your eyes and giggles mischievously. No words are spoken, but the message is there: please, let's just enjoy this for a little while longer. You smile and refill her [[cup|SleepEvent8-13 (Name?)]].<p>The good times fly by, and it isn't long before the mare is once again standing in your doorway, this time to depart. The two of you must've talked for quite a while; only the brightest stars still shine in the violet skies and a deep shade of blue saturates the outside world, hailing the oncoming sunrise.
<p>You don't even get the chance to ask her to stay the rest of the night; her tone invites no entreating, no [[persuading|SleepEvent8-14 (Name?)]].<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["Please, I've already taken up too much of your kindness. You've done more for me than you could ever know. I can't thank you enough for the food, for the company, for everything. I only wish I could repay you. Oh, it wrenches my heart to leave you with nothing but promises, but promises are all I have to give. So please, know this: you could have turned me away, shut the door and went back to sleep. And I would not have faulted you for it one bit. But you didn't. Thankful sweet Celestia you didn't. Instead, you opened your home to me, a stranger no less. That is no small gesture. I believe life favors those with kind hearts and gentle souls. Because of that, I promise that fortune will shine down upon [[you|SleepEvent8-15 (Name?)]]."]<p>You rub the back of your head and bashfully downplay the weight of your actions. After all, you only did what anypony would've d-
<p>The mare takes the opportunity to rush in and hug you one last time, squeezing you even tighter than before, if such a thing were possible. She eventually lets go, but not before leaving a gentle kiss on your cheek.
<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["I really did enjoy our time together. Even though I said we wouldn't, I hope we meet again. Goodbye and goodnight to you, friend."]
<p>She turns tail and leaves without another word, gradually disappearing into the gloom of twilight. You shut the door and get ready for brand new [[day|Town1-1]].<p>Upon hearing your verdict, the beggar pony merely lowers her gaze and stares at the ground dejectedly. Her reaction is far more mild than you had anticipated. There are no tears. In fact, she adopts an almost matter-of-factly attitude, the former waver and trepidation in her voice replaced now by a flat monotone. You suspect this isn't the first taste of rejection she has faced tonight or any night.
<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["I understand. I'm sorry to have bothered you,"] is all she says. With that, she turns around and starts walking off to who-knows-where, never once raising her head all the [[while|SleepEvent8-8 (Refuse)]].<p>With your midnight encounter at an end and your visitor disappearing into the starless night, there is nothing left to do but close the door and get what rest you can. Just before the door shuts completely, you think you can faintly hear the flutter of wings. You pause for a moment, but ultimately think little of it.
<p>You return to bed and eventually fall into a dreamless [[slumber|Town1-1]].<p>You smile to yourself and approach her rear, even while stars are no doubt still dancing about in her vision. With your eyes completely glued on that tender marehood between her legs, your cock rapidly stiffens in eager anticipation.
<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["I'm sorry, that was very clumsy of m- Eep!"] she says, before being cut off by a pair of hooves gripping firmly at her hindquarters. It's certainly been a while, hasn't it? So you take your time, playfully kneading her soft, yielding flesh, and lining up your rigid member so as violate her as much as possible, as far as possible with a single [[thrust|SleepEvent8-8 (Rape)]].<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["W-what are you doing?!"]
<p>You'll be sure to let her know. Heedless of her lack of lubrication (the precum dripping from your tip will have to suffice), you pull your hips back and prepare to thrust with all your might. You wish you could savor this moment more, the calm just before the wailing storm, so to speak. But your throbbing penis aches to be buried deep in that tantalizing honeypot, and you simply can't bring yourself to deny it that satisfaction any longer.
<p>With no further ado, you ram forward, your flared head desperately trying to push past her labia and into that tight passage just beyond. Without warning, an unseen force suddenly lifts you up and throws you across the room, slamming you against the wall with enough force to knock all the air out of your lungs. And instead of falling to the ground, you are forcibly held in place by magic that moves like flowing [[daylight|SleepEvent8-9 (Rape)]].<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["I am very disappointed in you, my little pony,"] the unicorn mare says in a booming voice, her irises aglow and with a horn wreathed in fiery gold. She slowly sits back up on her haunches, the light fading from her eyes in the meanwhile. She rubs meandering circles into her temples, as one might do in response to a sudden-onset migraine.
<p>The mare eventually gets back on her hooves. Magic still coats your body and presses you against the wall like constantly-moving, ethereal silk. A similar aura starts to manifest around your door, enveloping it quickly. As the mare calmly departs—her eyes downcast and head hung low—the door swings open to make way.
<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["I had such hopes for you. Instead, you remind me that Equestria has yet to become the place I dream it to be. It seems I still have much work to do. I wish you a warm sunrise."] With that, she completely exits your shed, the door banging shut behind [[her|SleepEvent8-10 (Rape)]].<p>The magic around you immediately dissipates and you fall to the floor like a dropped idea. You hardly notice the pain at first; you're much too distracted by an altogether distressing combination of bewilderment and disappointment. Fatigue assails every part of your body. Despite your bed being no more than a step away, your eyes close and black becomes your world. You don't exactly lose consciousness, but nor can what you're doing be accurately described as 'sleep'.
<p>How long you remain in your torpor, you cannot say. There is light outside, but the rays that descend are not happy [[ones|Town1-1]].<p>Taking note of your uncertainty, baby dragon asks flatly, (colour: "#6DCE4E")["What, never seen muscles like these before?"] He tucks the scroll beneath an arm and clasps his claws together, flexing his tiny, tiny arms. (colour: "#6DCE4E")["Yeah, I'd be speechless too. Don't worry, I'm a gentle giant."]
<p>(colour: "#6DCE4E")["You can call me Spike. Now, down to business."] He takes the scroll back out and studies it briefly, glances up at you, then back to the scroll. (colour: "#6DCE4E")["Let's see, let's see; (text: $coatColor) fur, (text: $maneColor) hair. Hmm, close enough. You (text: $name)?"]
[[Yes|Explore7-3 (Yes)]]
[[No|Explore7-3 (No)]]
[[Who wants to know?|Explore7-3 (Who wants to know?)]]<p>The damage was done. Already, you can feel one of your forehooves grow heavy with unfamiliar weight. You're helpless to halt the fleeing of feeling in the affected area, an unpleasant sensation not unlike a limb very suddenly and unexpectedly falling asleep. Soon enough, the forehoof all but refuses to obey your commands, instead opting to freeze completely and utterly still with deathly placidity. And to complete the transformation, the very flesh itself begins to turn as hard and pale as that of the stone statue—or rather, the unfortunate victim—that drew you here in the first place.
<p>While the forehoof remains attached to your person, it now unquestionably belongs to the encroaching cockatrice in both body and spirit. Even now, with only the sound of hissing and fleeting glimpses out of the corner of your eye to rely upon, you feel it draw near. It's intent is obvious: to finish what it [[started|Everfree3-5]].<p>It doesn't take a Commander Hurricane to see that you're at severe disadvantage. Faced with an enemy you can't look at and burdened with a body part that is not only useless, but actively detrimental: this will be your fight to lose. Alternatively, you still possess three good hooves; not ideal, but enough to leg it and thus live to not be an inanimate statue another day.
{(link: "You're fighting a cockatrice!")[
(set: $ehp to 80)
(set: $emhp to 80)
(set: $ename to "Cockatrice")
(set: $espd to 25)
(set: $turn to "you")
(set: $log to "you")
(set: $eatktemp to (datanames: $cockatriceAttacks))
(set: $eatkname to (either: ...$eatktemp))
(set: $eatk to $cockatriceAttacks's ($eatkname))
(set: $combatwin to "Everfree3-6 (~if win)")
(set: $combatlose to "Everfree3-6 (~if lose)")
(set: $runlocation to "Everfree3-5 (Run!)")
(go-to: "Combat")]}<p>You're given little time to contemplate the ramifications of this discovery; a violent hiss from behind heralds the approach of something not altogether friendly.
<p>You spin about to face the intruder. You catch but the slightest glimpse of serpentine scales, leathery wings, and two eyes like burning garnets before raw animal instinct can scream at your brain to rip your gaze [[away|Everfree3-4]].<p>Thankfully, the transformation doesn't look to be permanent. What with you running for dear life and all, you hardly notice the fossilized hoof beginning to steadily revert back. Why and how, you can't say, but you're not complaining.
<p>You needn't run far to escape the cockatrice's wrath. It stops chasing you just short of leaving the statue's line of sight. Defending its territory perhaps? You muse on this possibility, the petrified pony, and ways to overcome the beast as you hike your the way [[back|EverfreeExit1-1]].(set: $outOfTime to it + 1)<p>She stares unwaveringly at the sheet music stand in front of her. Somber sounds flow forth from the cello as her bow slides this way and that across those delicate, little strings. The notes surround you, envelop you, then transport your mind someplace bittersweet. As with all good things though, her song must come to an end; her bow slows, then stops as she inevitably nears the end of the sheet. And so you return, back in the now.
[[Turn the page for her|Explore17-3 (Turn the page for her)]]
[[Applaud|Explore17-3 (Applaud)]]
[[Watch and wait|Explore17-3 (Watch and wait)]]<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["I vish to practice. I vant no distractions. You are a distraction. You vill not leave until you ask your queschens. So, ask zhem."]
<p>How very direct.
{(link: "Name?")[
(go-to: "Explore17-6 (Name?)")]}
{(link: "Musician?")[
(go-to: "Explore17-6 (Musician?)")]}
{(link: "Accent?")[
(go-to: "Explore17-6 (Accent?)")]}
{(link: "Why here?")[
(go-to: "Explore17-6 (Why here?)")]}
{(link: "Beautiful")[
(go-to: "Explore17-6 (Beautiful)")]}
{(if: $explore17 >= 4)[
(link: "Okay?")[
(go-to: "Explore17-6 (Okay?)")]]}<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["One bit for every apple. Considerin' what we usually 'em sell for, I say that's more than fair. Might not look like much now, but keep at it, and the pay can get mighty 'stantial."]
<p>You pocket the (text: $farmPay) bits you made, before heading back into [[town|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $brawn to it + 1)(set: $farmWork to it + (a: 'FarmWork2-1','FarmWork3-1','FarmWork4-1'))(set: $bits to it + $farmPay)(set: $farmPay to (round: (random: (1,6)) + (random: (1,6)) * 0.1) * ($brawn * 0.5))<p> Twilight tones down her laughter upon noticing you, (colour: "#D19FE4")["Hi (text: $name)! Let me introduce you to somepony you'll definitely want to know. This is Nurse Redheart,"] she says, gesturing to the other mare.
<p>(colour: "#F9CFD4")["Nice to meet you. For your sake, I hope we don't have to see each other much."]
<p>Twilight continues, (colour: "#D19FE4")["Nurse Redheart officially heads the maternity ward at Ponyville General. Unofficially, she pretty much keeps the entire hospital running [[smoothly|Castle4-3]]."]<p>(colour: "#F9CFD4")["Please, Princess,"] Redheart defers with a slight bow, (colour: "#F9CFD4")["Everything I do, Snowheart and Sweetheart do too. The hospital would be in a bad place with any of us gone."]
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["I think you mean <b>Ponyville</b> would be in a bad place."]
<p>(colour: "#F9CFD4")["Thanks Twilight, more pressure is just what we need. I should be heading back anyway. Give your niece and sister-in-law my best."] She hugs the Princess, who says her own farewell in turn. The nurse then takes her leave, leaving you alone with Twilight.
[[Ask what they were talking about|Castle4-4 (Ask what they were talking about)]]
[[Ask if Redheart is single|Castle4-4 (Ask if Redheart is single)]]<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["Hehe,"] Pinkie giggles, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Rainbow sure is excited. Those tutoring lessons must be paying off."]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Hardy har, I heard that. I just want you guys to be as sold on these things as I was."]
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Yes yes, enough showboating Rainbow, let's see them!"]
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["I wouldn't mind taking a gander too, after all this buildup."]
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["[[Ditto|Castle3-7 (Sure)]]!"]<p>With all eyes on the cyan pegasus, Rainbow Dash grandly presents a saddlebag, proceeding to upend it above the table and allowing six oblong peppers to tumble out. All manner of fiery hues are on display; each long, yet slender and largely flat with a distinctive forked tip.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Dragon tongue peppers,"] she declares with no small amount of pride. (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Alright girls, welcome to the main event. Six peppers, six of us. Last pony standing wins."]
<p>An unperturbed Fluttershy raises a hoof like a filly in a classroom, (colour: "#FCF4A4")["Rainbow Dash? Sorry, but I think I'm going to sit this one out. Keepsie chip."] She takes out a wooden token bearing a butterfly relief and delicately places it on the table.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Seriously, Flutters?"] Dash is quick to [[reply|
Castle3-8 (Sure)]].<p>Just as Rainbow is about to continue, Rarity cuts her off, (colour: "#9575E5")["Ah ah ah Rainbow Dash, you know the rules. Keepsie chip means out, no questions asked."] Rarity magically grabs hold of Fluttershy's token and drops it into a small velvet pouch. (colour: "#9575E5")["Speaking of, I'll be using my chip as well. If I am going to sweat, I shall do so from the comfort of a steam room, thank you very much."]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Oh no you don't. Fluttershy might be off the hook, but you already used your keepsie chip to get out of that pottery thing, remember?"]
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Which was a crying shame. I really thought you woulda' enjoyed that, you being the creative type and e'rything."]
<p>A look of panic crosses Rarity's face for a moment. She opens the velvet bag and peers inside, (colour: "#9575E5")["Oh [[horsefeathers|Castle3-9 (Sure)]]."]<p>Grinning, Rainbow scoops the peppers up with her wing and deftly deals them out to everypony save for Fluttershy. Two are left over, one of which she tosses your way. (colour: "#A3DEF8")["What? Thought you could just kick back and watch us have all the fun? Like Twi said, we got more than enough happiness to go around!"]
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["That hardly seems fair,"] Twilight interjects, (colour: "#D19FE4")["(text: $name) doesn't even have a keepsie chip."]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Neither does Spike, but he stills joins in sometimes. If other ponies want to sit in on bonding night, then they better be ready to get their hooves dirty, same as us. 'Sides, what else am I gonna do with the last [[pepper|Castle3-10 (Sure)]]?"]<p>Seems Rainbow Dash isn't leaving you with much of a choice. She opens her mouth and gently sits the pepper atop her tongue, whereupon she waits on you to do the same. With varying degrees of enthusiasm, everypony except Fluttershy mirrors Rainbow's move, placing the dragon tongues in their mouths, but stopping just short of biting through the inert skin.
[[Bite down|Castle3-11 (Bite down)]]<p>Like a head-on collision, the immediate effects are as sudden as they are terrible. What feels like nothing less than a raging inferno dredged straight from the deepest pits of Tartarus erupts atop your tongue. There is no slow burn or gradual buildup, only absolute, interminable heat that claws at the inside of your mouth and cascades down your throat.
<p>In the polished gleam of the table, you can see your own bloodshot eyes well up with painful, salt-filled tears. You look around to see the others faring no better, each suffering in their own unique, personal hells. For the moment, the glasses of milk go untouched, though you doubt that will remain the case for much [[longer|Castle3-12 (Bite down)]].(if: $brawn <= 25)[<p>(colour: #FF4500)[The initial heat proves more than your meager constitution can bear. You spit out your barely chewed, saliva-covered pepper onto the table and scrape at your tongue, desperate to rid yourself of the residual spice left behind. While it might've felt like an eternity, the dragon tongue couldn't have been in your mouth for more than a few seconds at the most. Luckily for you, everypony else is far too preoccupied to witness your not-so-graceful fall from grace.]
<p>It isn't long before the dragon tongues claim another victim. Pinkie Pie opens her mouth and a jet of actual fire bursts forth, quickly followed by her own swollen tongue. Her eyes dart about this way and that, desperately searching for relief, and eventually finding it in a nearby glass of sweet, mercifully cold milk. Pinkie slams her entire muzzle into the glass and tilts her head back, downing the cup in a single gulp. She slumps back into her chair, a look of satisfied relief and the glass still on her face.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Oh dear,"] Fluttershy comments, (colour: "#FCF4A4")["You didn't swallow it right away, did you Pinkie Pie? Here, let me refill your [[glass|Castle3-13 (Bite down)]]."]](else:)[<p>It isn't long before the dragon tongues claim their first victim. Pinkie Pie opens her mouth and a jet of actual fire bursts forth, quickly followed by her own swollen tongue. Her eyes dart about this way and that, desperately searching for relief, and eventually finding it in a nearby glass of sweet, mercifully cold milk. Pinkie slams her entire muzzle into the glass and tilts her head back, downing the cup in a single gulp. She slumps back into her chair, a look of satisfied relief and the glass still on her face.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Oh dear,"] Fluttershy comments, (colour: "#FCF4A4")["You didn't swallow it right away, did you Pinkie Pie? Here, let me refill your [[glass|Castle3-13 (Bite down)]]."]](if: $brawn > 25 and <= 30)[<p>(colour: #FF4500)[Likewise, the heat quickly proves more than you can bear. You spit out the masticated, saliva-covered remains of your pepper onto the table and scrape at your tongue, desperate to rid yourself of the residual spice left behind. You can't help but find relief in not being the first one out; if nothing else, you've managed to outlast Ponyville's premier party pony. Whether that achievement is worth a tinker's damn is anyone's guess.]
<p>Applejack is next to shows signs of tapping out. She puts up a tough front, closing her eyes and gritting her teeth in a solid attempt to power through the pain, but the farmpony eventually concedes defeat to whatever's left of the pepper in her mouth. In contrast to Pinkie however, Applejack never fails to keep her cowgirl cool. She calmly pantomimes a wiping motion to Fluttershy, who is quick to retrieve a napkin. After hawking the pepper out and crumpling it into said napkin, she drinks down her milk in turn.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Whooooweee! Them peppers bite down on a pony's tongue somethin' fierce! They're hotter than a big, clumsy rat smack dab in the middle of Flame Geyser [[Swamp|Castle3-14 (Bite down)]]."]](else:)[<p>Applejack is next to shows signs of tapping out. She puts up a tough front, closing her eyes and gritting her teeth in a solid attempt to power through the pain, but the farmpony eventually concedes defeat to whatever's left of the pepper in her mouth. In contrast to Pinkie however, Applejack never fails to keep her cowgirl cool. She calmly pantomimes a wiping motion to Fluttershy, who is quick to retrieve a napkin. After hawking the pepper out and crumpling it into said napkin, she drinks down her milk in turn.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Whooooweee! Them peppers bite down on a pony's tongue somethin' fierce! They're hotter than a big, clumsy rat smack dab in the middle of Flame Geyser [[Swamp|Castle3-14 (Bite down)]]."]](if: $brawn > 30 and <= 35)[<p>(colour: #FF4500)[Your turn; the heat finally proves more than you can bear. You spit out the masticated, saliva-covered remains of your pepper onto the table and scrape at your tongue, desperate to rid yourself of the residual spice left behind. After regaining your composure, Applejack respectfully tips her hat your way.]
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Don't you start gettin' too big for your britches though, I coulda lasted longer if I felt like it. If my livelihood weren't dependent on keepin' this here tongue peachy keen, I'd be smokin' all y'all."]
<p>With you, Pinkie, and Applejack knocked out, only three of the original six remain (not including Fluttershy [[course|Castle3-15 (Bite down)]]).](else:)[<p>With Pinkie and Applejack knocked out, only you, Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow remain in the [[running|Castle3-15 (Bite down)]].]<p>To everypony's surprise, the next pony up for the chopping block is looking to be the technicolor mare that started it all. Rainbow Dash's face is scrunched up beyond recognition and tears flow freely from her tightly-shut eyes, all in an attempt to keep the fiery contents of her mouth from spewing out. It's her battle to lose however; Rainbow leans to the side until she's out of view, at which point she makes quite the ghastly sound and presumably spits her chewed-up pepper out onto the floor.
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Tut-tut, Miss Dash. I do hope you plan on cleaning that up,"] scolds a rather unfazed Rarity, being sure to cover her own mouth. Aside from a few stray droplets of moisture staining her forehead, the wintry unicorn appears as calm and composed as [[ever|Castle3-16 (Bite down)]].<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Wow Rarity, you're really good at handling spice,"] comments an awed Fluttershy.
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Oh darling please, this is a day at the spa compared to a fussy client or <i>clients</i> going over my dresses with a fine-toothed comb. I should know,"] she responds whilst flipping her ribbony hair back. (colour: "#9575E5")["And if I'm making this look easy, I can assure you it's not. Even as I speak, I'm calling upon all my years of training as a lady. Looking fabulous whilst under pressure was one of the first things I [[learned|Castle3-17 (Bite down)]]."]
(if: $brawn > 35 and <= 40)[<p>(colour: #FF4500)[It's been a long time coming, but the heat ultimately proves more than you can bear. You spit out the masticated, saliva-covered remains of your pepper onto the table and scrape at your tongue, desperate to rid yourself of the residual spice left behind.]
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Well done (text: $name), you certainly showed Miss Dash you're made of sterner stuff than she is,"] Rarity says, (colour: "#9575E5")["Now if Twilight will only yield, we can finally be done with this silly [[business|Castle3-17 (Bite down)]]."]]<p>Unlike every other everypony around the table, Princess Twilight is apparently the only one injecting any semblance of technique in her pepper eating. Her eyes, laser focused on a nondescript spot on the table; each breath, measured and deep; her nostrils, subtly flaring with every intake of cool castle air. Truth be told, she's holding up surprisingly well. At least for the time being anyway.
<p>A bit of time passes by without incident, though Twilight does begin to show visible signs of slow, steady decline. She's panting rapidly at this point, short and shallow breaths that accentuated every muscle in her lean neck. In regards to her mane (now a wet shadow of its former self), locks heavy with sweat wilt downward to veil her eyes, necessitating the occasional puff of air to blow any errant strands away from her [[face|Castle3-18 (Bite down)]].<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Twilight, promise me you'll fix up your mane once we're finished here? These dragon tongues really do a number on them, wouldn't you agree?"] Rarity asks, even as her own mane flutters about, not a hair out of place.
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["Can't. Talk. Have to. Concentrate."]
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["By all means, Twilight. But really, it'd be so much easier on everypony if you'd only concede. Why go on punishing yourself like this?"] Rarity grins and a glass of milk starts inching its way toward Twilight, its tantalizing contents sloshing about with every invisible push. (colour: "#9575E5")["Go on my dear, drink. We shan't judge you for it."]
<p>Princess Twilight eyes the the milk hungrily. If she wasn't on the verge before, she's definitely being steamrolled towards it now. You can see her control clearly slipping; her hooves slowly reaching out to meet the milk [[halfway|Castle3-19 (Bite down)]].<p>A particularly strong shove causes a little milk to slosh out of the cup. Fluttershy leaps into action, taking hold of the pitcher and flying across the table to refill. The tip of her tail accidentally brushes past Rarity's nose in the process.
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")[(css: "font-size: 75%;")["Achoo!"]] Rarity sneezes, like everything else she does, daintily. Her pupils shrink immediately afterwards.
<p>(if: $brawn > 40 and <= 50)[(colour: "#9575E5")[<i>"Oh no,"</i>] she whispers, before collapsing to the floor with a <b>`*`thunk`*`</b>.
<p>(colour: #FF4500)[Seeing Rarity succumb is enough to push you over the edge as well. The heat finally proves more than you can bear, the mind and mouth numbing pain threatening to overwhelm all your senses. You spit out the masticated, saliva-covered remains of your pepper onto the table and scrape at your tongue, desperate to rid yourself of the residual spice left behind. The burns run deep however; it'd simply been in your mouth too long.]
<p>Yeah, you'll probably get some feeling back in your tongue in a couple days' time. [[Probably|Castle3-20 (Bite down)]].](else:)[(colour: "#9575E5")[<i>"Oh no,"</i>] she whispers, before collapsing to the floor with a <b>`*`[[thunk|Castle3-20 (Bite down)]]`*`</b>.](if: $brawn > 40 and <= 50)[<p>Rarity's prior prodding proves more than the Princess can bear. Twilight tries her best to hold out, and makes an admirable effort to do so, but that resilience (unassuming and unexpected as it was) only lasts for so long. The Princess finally snaps, more or less throwing herself at the glass of liquid salvation before her. So great is her need that she doesn't even take the time to put lip to rim; instead, she opts to flop atop the table and pour all the contents straight down her gullet.
<p>As the last drop hits the back of Princess Twilight's throat, she raises her forehooves and listlessly claps them together, (colour: "#D19FE4")["Good job (text: $name). You win. All agreed?"]
<p>Those who can offer up subdued congratulations of their own, then quietly go back to nursing their mostly-emptied [[glasses|Castle3-21 (Bite down)]].]
(else:)[<p>With Rarity passed out on the floor (being fanned by the wings of Nurse Fluttershy), only Princess Twilight is left.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Twilight wins!"] Fluttershy says triumphantly in the meanwhile, hereby conclusively concluding the competition. The others offer up subdued congratulations of their own, then quietly go back to nursing their mostly-emptied glasses.
<p>Upon hearing Fluttershy's proclamation, the Princess immediately lunges for her milk. So great is her need that she doesn't even take the time to put lip to rim; instead, she opts to flop atop the table and pour the entire glass straight down her gullet. Milk floods her mouth, threatening to overflow at times, but the Princess is sure to drink as fast as she can [[pour|Castle3-21 (Bite down)]].]<p>Subsequently, an odd peace settles over the room. You get the feeling that long, unbroken silences tend to be the exception rather than the norm when these six ponies are all together in one space.
<p>Nopony cares to break it anytime soon, as you all bask in each others' post-spice coma glow. When everypony is well enough, the party breaks up on its own accord, and so—according to Pinkie Pie—officially ends another successful bonding night. You leave as well, but not without being extended an invitation to future nights, should you care to [[join|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>You decide to take a rain check on Fluttershy's [[offer|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $friendshipCastle to it + (a: 'Castle3-1'))<p>At least, you hope she'll defy death as her plummet continues unabated. The distance between her and the ground closes fast. Alarmingly fast. The revelation that she isn't going to level out in time hits you like a falling meteorite. Beads of cold sweat trickle down the back of your neck. Your stomach lurches violently downwards. Before your brain can even signal for your legs to get moving, you're already galloping towards the free-falling mare's future crater.
<p>No matter how fast you can run, there is no possible way to reach her in time. That much quickly becomes clear. Even if you somehow did, what good would that be? At this point, the most you can do to help is to make sure she's still breathing after she hits the [[ground|Explore2-4]].<p>Time doesn't slow as she nears terra firma; in fact, the falling mare is nothing more than a whistling blue blur against a bright blue backdrop as she hurdles ever downward. After what feels like mere moments since you've started running, she finally crash lands in a dirt field up ahead, the impact itself hidden by tall banked hedges. But what an impact it must've been; you leap over the hedgerow to see a thick cloud of dust further obscuring the immediate area. Fearing the worst, you raise a foreleg to shield your eyes and slowly approach the point of impact.
<p>You were expecting to find the crumpled form of an injured pony, but as the dust clears, an upright figure gradually materializes from the gloom. The falling mare stands before you with wings outstretched, glossy cyan fur drenched in sweat and a striking rainbow mane swept back wildly, but completely unharmed otherwise. Her eyes are closed; her head held high. Her chest visibly rises and falls with deep, greedy gulps of [[air|Explore2-5]].<p>With both eyes still closed, she yells out, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Haha, yes! Now that was a close one!"] Her voice absolutely drips with confidence, not at all what most ponies that had just played chicken with the ground would probably sound like. But then again, you've already gotten the impression that this mare is not like most other ponies. She lifts a hindleg to stretch and you can spy cracks in the hard dirt where her hoof rested. Looking around, there are a number of such cracks all about the field, all of similar size and grouped in fours.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Alright Scoots, what's my time? Scoots? Scootaloo? Now where'd that filly run off to this time?"] Still holding that triumphant pose, she cracks an eye open to peak around, only to find you.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["You're no Scootaloo I've ever seen. I don't suppose you were timing me? I gotta know if I broke my old record!"]
[[Record?|Explore2-6 (Record?)]]<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Yeah, I've been trying to get my braking altitude down all day. I think I got it under the treeline this time!"] She giggles excitedly, before raising an eyebrow to look at you.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["What, did you think I was falling for real? Hah, as if! Everypony knows it takes more than a little high-elevation tailslide into delayed freefall to make a Wonderbolt wipe [[out|Explore2-7]]."]<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Oh, I get it. Doin' some joggin' lately? Or were you running to come save poor, helpless me?"] she sneers, pointing out the obvious sheen of moisture on your coat. On her face is what can only be charitably described as 'a shit-eating grin'.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["I wasn't sure if you just flew into Ponyville or not, but that clinches it. You gotta be from out of town if you don't know who I am. And if you don't know who I am, then... well, let's just say anypony worth knowing knows me. So let's fix that; name's Rainbow Dash: Wonderbolt, daredevil, all around awesomeness incarnate. So what do I call you, 'sides newbie?"]
[[Express relief that she's okay|Explore2-8 (Express relief that she's okay)]]
[[Maintain a dignified air|Explore2-8 (Maintain a dignified air)]]
[[Be rightfully irate|Explore2-8 (Be rightfully irate)]]
[[Openly admire her body|Explore2-8 (Openly admire her body)]]<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["You okay, dude?"] Rainbow inquires, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Hey, take a sec to catch your breath."] A subtle, but noticeable, shift in tone marks her words; gone is that carefree arrogance that punctuated her every move, replaced now with very real concern for your well-being. The petite mare sidles up beside you and presses her body to yours, allowing you to rest against her.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["You look like you're going to pass out. Maybe you shouldn't push yourself so hard, for my sake."] She isn't wrong on either accounts. You thank Rainbow Dash for lending a shoulder to lean [[on|Explore2-10]].<p>With that out of the way, you're free to greet Rainbow Dash properly. Seeing as how her hooves are doubtless drenched in sweat, you forgo the usual kiss on the hoof for a simple hoofshake. Rainbow looks at your outstretched hoof and smirks, before raising her own and meeting you halfway.
<p>Just as you finish giving her your name, you find the rest of your introduction cut off mid-sentence as she takes the opportunity to use your leg as leverage and yank you into a sweaty, surprise hug. She wraps herself tightly around you—wings and all—in an athlete's embrace that hums with camaraderie and good-natured horeseplay.
<p>You eventually manage to pry yourself from her grasp, but not before Rainbow leaves a sweaty impression of her face on your now twice-ruined coat. The ever widening frown on your face is juxtaposed by Rainbow's obvious attempt at suppressing a bout of [[giggles|Explore2-10]].<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["And like I said, I'm the last pony in Equestria that will ever need rescuing," Rainbow says proudly as she rears up on her hindlegs and boxes with an imaginary opponent. "You can count on that."]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["In fact, chances are I'll be the one saving your hide some point down the line. No need to thank me, just think about buying your future savior a drink or two when cider season rolls around."]
<p>It all makes sense now actually when you think about it; of course Rainbow Dash would be a Wonderbolt. All that hot air must help with buoyancy, and the sky really does seem like the only place with enough room for her and her [[ego|Explore2-10]].<p>All in all, you can already get an idea of what she'd be like in the bedroom. Something akin to taming lightning you'd imagine, a tight little ball of insatiable energy to be placated or broken at your discretion.
<p>You smile at her, baring teeth like a wolf's grin, and introduce yourself. There's an edge to your words, a subtle tone that tips off to its true purpose: a challenge.
<p>Your tacit challenge might as well have been a whip's crack. Without a shadow of a doubt, Rainbow Dash heard it loud and clear. Her body tenses up visibly, her eyes narrow dangerously, and a telltale smirk appears on her lips.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["I got a feeling me and you are gonna have a lot of fun."] And just like that, challenge [[accepted|Explore2-10]].<p>She coughs, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Well, it's been fun dude, but I gotta bolt."] She takes to the air and hovers slightly above, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Don't take this the wrong way, but most ponies can make the run between the middle of town and here without breaking a sweat. It looks to me like you're pretty out of shape."]
<p>Rainbow eyes you over before continuing, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["There's a rally field behind the train station. It's got a running track, an obstacle course, the works. You can find me there most days. Stop by sometime and I can show you a thing or two, maybe even whip you into decent shape, if I can find any spare miracles lying around. I'll be seeing you around, newbie."]
<b>You can now visit the rally [[field|CheckTime1-1]]!</b>(if: (history:) contains "Explore1-1" and (history:) contains "Explore2-1")[(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore13-1'))](set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore12-1','Explore26-1'))(set: $rallyField to it + (a: 'Rally2-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $newInTown to it + 1)(set: $explore to it - (a: 'Explore2-1'))<p>Curiosity gets the better of you however; you spy out of the corner of your eye as (if: $date > 6)[Lyra](else:)[the mischievous unicorn] brings the banana close to her mouth. Instead of chomping down, she plants a kiss on the tippy-top with all the tenderness of a sommelier sampling a fine vintage. The naughty mare takes it one step further; the tip of her tongue peeks out from between her lips to lavish the underside of the banana in saliva-drenched praise.
<p>As her tongue continues to swab at the perky piece of produce with increasingly ostentatious licks, you also notice it being slowly slipped further and further past her lips. Her jaw gradually widens to accommodate its thickening length, until her lips are kissing the peel and its tip is most assuredly pressing against the back of her [[throat|Explore11-3]].<p>She stares longingly at you with half-lidded eyes the color of blooming daffodils. Neither her gaze nor the seal of her lips breaks as she slowly retracts the banana from her maw. Just as the long, girthy fruit that most definitely does not symbolize a penis is close to completely escaping her lips, its momentum reverses and the entirety of its length nimbly slides back in. A tiny bump materializes just below (if: $date > 6)[Lyra's](else:)[the mare's] chin as she does so. Aided by a generous coating of spit and mashed banana, the abused fruit is repeatedly pistoned in and out of her mouth at ever increasing speeds, delving deeper still with each plunge, and the bump growing in prominence to [[match|Explore11-4]].<p>The peel now only hangs from the very bottom, the rest of the banana stripped naked for all the world to see. (if: $date > 6)[Lyra](else:)[The unicorn] at last closes her eyes to concentrate as the whole fruit disappears past her lips for one final push. The bump on her throat becomes a very visible bulge as the mare holds the pose for a good long while, until her breath inevitably runs out and the now sad-looking banana makes a hasty retreat from her windpipe.
<p>She proudly holds the battered and bruised banana aloft; whitened, frothy saliva dribbles from a corner of her mouth in the meantime. She peers at you with the bedroom eyes of a courtesan, giving you a knowing smile that feels like it should be hidden behind a fluttering paper [[fan|Explore11-5]].<p>When the banana recovers, she nonchalantly brings it towards her mouth for a second round. Just as her mouth is about to close around it, she promptly opens wide and chomps down with a violent intensity matched only by the most ferocious of dragons. She cheerfully chews away with newfound innocence, letting her cheeks fill to bulging with the former object of her affections.(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore19-1'))
[[Huh|CheckTime1-1]]<p>You meet an old, grizzled-looking salt in the marketplace, still adorned in his sailor's yellow cap and raincoat. He offers to sing you a sea shanty in exchange for a tankard of ale from a nearby vendor, a seven bit transaction all said and told.
{(if: $bits >= 7)[
(link: "Buy him the ale")[
(set: $bits to it - 7)
(go-to: "Explore30-2 (Buy him the ale)")]]}
[[Tell him to save his breath|Explore30-2 (Tell him to save his breath)]]<p>After downing his ale, the mariner clears his throat and begins to sing, a haunting sound that would be more at home drifting out of some ghostly fog or floating down the steps of a lighthouse on the morning after a storm.
(colour: "#71ACC6")["The mermaids sun themselves out on the rocks"]
(colour: "#71ACC6")["They are beyond our touch"]
(colour: "#71ACC6")["I watch and watch"]
(colour: "#71ACC6")["They wave at me"]
(colour: "#71ACC6")["They wave at me"]
(colour: "#71ACC6")["They wave and slip"]
(colour: "#71ACC6")["Back into the sea"]
<p>A few townsfolk stop to listen. None walk away with eyes still dry once he's finished, such is the sailor's melancholy. His end of the deal upheld, the seasalt disappears into the [[crowd|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>The mariner wastes no time shoving off to accost other [[passersby|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore30-1'))<p>Darkness abounds in this dank, foreboding cave; the sun's rays have a difficult journey indeed, first across the whole of lonely space, then through the forest canopy, and lastly the small opening you left above. Still, what precious little light that does manage to find its way down here proves enough to illuminate this place, cramped as it is.
<p>From where you stand, there are no other exits. The gnarled roots of mangrove trees weave in and out the walls like writhing snakes, providing some manner of stability to the walls. On the ground, bits of moldy straw are strewn throughout; it seems there was enough where you landed to somewhat cushion your earlier descent.
<p>A great deal of straw in one particular corner of the cave is the sole place of significant interest. The straw there looks fresher, much of it still yellowed and unbroken. As you approach, its ambiguous shape, at first merely a random pile of leafy matter, gradually morphs into something far more distinct: a nest, large enough for you step into and then [[some|Everfree4-3]].<p>You should know better, you really should. But is life not lived best without regret? You inch closer and closer to get a better look. Half of you expects nothing. The other half expects, or rather, craves something the other would very much disapprove of.
<p>Sitting in the exact center of the nest is (but what else?) an egg of prodigious size. A peculiar, almost lattice-like pattern of raised ridges marks its marbled surface. In any case, you haven't a clue as to what its inhabitant could be.
<p>Well, there is one way finding out. You could claim the egg as your own, to do with as you so choose. Conversely, you can end a potential threat before it even emerges. And of course, inaction is an action in of itself, though you'd merely be leaving this choice to the (text: $name) of another day.
[[Take the egg|Everfree4-4 (Take the egg)]]
{(if: $brawn >= 50)[<span class='brawn'>[[Destroy the egg|Everfree4-4 (Destroy the egg ~if pass)]]</span>]
(else:)[<span class='brawn'>[[Destroy the egg|Everfree4-4 (Destroy the egg ~if fail)]]</span>]}
[[Leave the egg|Everfree4-4 (Leave the egg)]]<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["Been quiet as of late. Days like these remind of a time before changeling invasions, before Storm Kings, before Princess Twilights. I can't rightly say if these exciting new times we're in are an [[improvement|Inn1-1]]."]<p>You flip past page after page of unintelligible text, tossing aside who knows how many unsalvageable books with nothing to show for it. It doesn't take long before you get fed up and leave.
<p>Spike doesn't even bother to look up from his comic as you walk past him [[by|CheckTime1-1]].<p>Of course, it was not to be. News of Nightmare Moon's defeat at the hooves of the newly rechristened Elements of Harmony traveled quickly. Even more devastating was word of Princess Luna's return. You refused to believe at first, but sure enough, morning came and wretched sunlight soon smothered the land once again. It wasn't until you visited Canterlot and saw the reunion of the Royal Sisters for yourself that all hope seemed truly lost.
<p>But no, you did not despair. Instead, you raged. You raged against the dying of the night. Neither you nor your Queen shall go gently into that good day, not while you still draw breath. But so long as the Elements of Harmony serve the sun, Nightmare Moon can never rule over Equestria. So you shall pave the way for endless darkness, a path that begins and ends in Ponyville. When your mistress returns, it will be for the last [[time|Intro1-1]].<p>At this point, you come to the realization that you're not entirely alone. The candleless interior of your home did an admirable job of suppressing her from your sight: a gray-furred pony with her back turned to you, her attention instead committed to a pile of rusted junk you had organized beforehoof. She haphazardly rummages through the pile, kicking away whatever she apparently doesn't like the look of.
<p>She turns to look at you with the most cursory of glances. Eyes so purple as to be near black first appraise you, then proceed to think exceedingly little of you.
<p>Octavia.
[[Question her gingerly|Home2-3 (Question her gingerly)]]
[[Respond with outrage|Home2-3 (Respond with outrage)]]
[[Act aloof and indifferent|Home2-4 (Act aloof and indifferent)]]<p>Octavia's flank presses tightly against yours as she attempts to wedge herself into the meager opening left by your standing in the doorway. A great many strands from her black-as-night mane get caught in your face in the meantime. The wistful aroma of heady lavender with just a hint of vanilla pervades your nostrils.
<p>You certainly don't make things easy for her, but escape she does, eventually. Her smoky coat, so perfectly maintained and meticulously groomed, finds itself tarnished in the process. Octavia awkwardly stumbles out your door and promptly leaves in a huff and a [[puff|Home1-1]].(set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent7-1'))<p><i>Chirp chirp. Chirp chirp. Chirp chirp.</i>
<p>Hardly a ruckus really; barely even noticeable as a matter of fact. Still, it's enough to give you pause for thought. In no time at all, you're again on the verge of entering Luna's [[domain|Sleep4-3]].<p><b><i>CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP. CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP. CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP.</b></i>
<p><b><i>CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP. CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP. CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP.</b></i>
<p><b><i>CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP. CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP. CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP.</b></i>
<p>Of course. Soon enough, a veritable orchestra of insectile musicians are chirping away. They do a brilliant job of keeping you up.(set: $sleep to it + (a: 'Sleep4-1','Sleep6-1'))
{(link: "...")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$sleepEvent))
(set: $sleepEvent to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}<p>You step up to the track and patiently wait for the Wonderbolt to complete her circuit. You don't have to wait long; Rainbow Dash stays true to her name as she lowers her head and surges down the rest of her lap. Her technicolor mane, presently tied together into a practical ponytail mirroring her actual pony tail, bounces gleefully with every subsonic step.
<p>Rainbow shows no sign of slowing as she approaches. Just as it seems she's about to pass you by, she brakes hard by unfurling her wings and digging her forehooves deep into the dirt, instantly bringing her to a screeching [[halt|Rally2-3]].<p>Rainbow Dash looks up at you and grins, no worse for wear. (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Huh, you actually showed up,"] she says, astonished and, if you're not mistaken, almost a tad pleased. She's quick to rein in that particular inflection however, immediately adopting a more crass tone. (colour: "#A3DEF8")["And here I was wondering if I'd ever get the field all to myself. Guess today ain't my lucky day."]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Go ahead and take a look around; see what we have to work with. Personally, I like to alternate between cardio, aerobics, and running the obstacle course."]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Before we get started, lemme just make one thing clear: if we're gonna be working out together, then we don't stop 'till we're good and sore. I mean it; I want to feel it in my bones. If you're not sweating like a snowpony trapped in Tartarus, then we're doing something wrong. Got all that? Swell. Let's get to [[it|CheckTime1-1]]."](set: $time to it + 1)(set: $rallyField to (a: 'Rally1-1','Rally3-1','Rally4-1','Rally5-1','Rally7-1','Rally8-1','Rally9-1','Rally10-1'))(set: $speed to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Wow, you look winded. C'mon, upsy-daisy. You still got a few laps to go. Not to mention I'm getting tired just looking at you.]
<p>You wave her away. At this present moment, nothing seems more appealing than the sweet, sweet embrace of death. Maybe a roll in the hay or a slice of ice cold watermelon, but just barely.
<p>You brace for another witty remark or insult to your (if: $sex is "male")[stallionhood](else:)[pride], courtesy of your workout partner. Imagine your surprise when she instead opts to take a hard stance, flatly uttering three simple words with all the conviction of a stern parent delivering an ultimatum, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Can't or won't?"]
[[What?|Rally4-3]]<p>You finish stretching right as Rainbow is through with her run. She makes a low pass, before making one last hairpin turn and skidding to a halt in front of you. After catching her breath, Rainbow Dash chides, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Late much? I'm just about done here. Tell you what though, toss me my shaker and maybe I'll think about sticking around."]
[[Throw shaker bottle|Rally7-3 (Throw shaker bottle)]]
[[See you later|Rally7-3 (See you later)]]<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Just give it a try. Here, if you adjusted your footing like this…"]
<p>Rainbow Dash proceeds to more-or-less drag you over to the track for another lap. She runs alongside you, teaching and correcting where appropriate. By the end of your workout, you manage to break past one hundred and [[thirty|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $speed to it + 2)(set: $time to it + 1)<p>You approach the supine mare from behind, her nethers tastefully hidden by the tail tucked between her hindlegs. On her cue, she lowers her legs enough for you to climb on top of them, hoof against hoof. (colour: "#A3DEF8")["And don't even think about looking down."]
<p>Amazingly, you have little trouble staying balanced, what with Rainbow having four independent hooves to keep you steady. Once she's sure you're secure enough to stay on, she steadily retracts, then extends her legs, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["One!"]
<p>You just try your best to remain steady as Rainbow goes through her set, her hot breath hitting your face everytime she pushes you up, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Thirty-four! Thirty-eight! Forty-two!"] Soon enough, she starts slowing down, each rep taking ever so slightly longer as she nears her limit. (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Eighty-five! Eighty-seven!"] she grunts, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Eighty-[[nine|Rally8-4 (Offer to be a weight)]]!"]<p>Rainbow's really huffing and puffing by the time she climbs past ninety reps, more so than you've ever seen before. So much so in fact that you can't help but doubt whether the next ten are within the realm of possibility. (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Ninety!"]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Ninety-four!"]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Ninety-six!"]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Ninety-[[nine|Rally8-5 (Offer to be a weight)]]!"]<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["One-hundred!"] Her legs immediately go limp, leaving you to crash down on top of her. As you scramble to get up, you're surprised to find those same legs suddenly have enough serendipitous strength to wrap around and pull you back to her. You feel Rainbow's chest heave underneath.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Okay, okay,"] Rainbow grumbles once she gets a handle on her breathing, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Your [[turn|CheckTime1-1]]!"](set: $speed to it + 1)(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $rallyField to (a: 'Rally8-1'))<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["...and none of that gives me an excuse to be an ass. Look, I know I can be rough some days, and I don't always show it, but I appreciate you coming here."]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Just, just thanks for letting me cool down. Let's get another lap in before I say something else I'll regret; try and burn some of this frustration off."]
<p>Right as rain, Rainbow Dash is soon back to her usual self. She laughs often and laughs hard, cracking a never-ending stream of jokes at your [[expense|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $speed to it + 1)(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["I, just, just give me some space to breath will yah? I don't need any other ponies up my ass."]
<p>With nothing more to be said, you oblige the irritated pegasus and start running. You're eventually joined by a more relaxed, more her usual self [[Dash|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $speed to it + 1)(set: $time to it + 1)<p>The leafy greens are fresh and crisp, adding a satisfying crunch to every bite. Cherry tomatoes every bit as sweet as candy are generously sprinkled throughout. A drizzle of homemade dressing adds an appreciable tinge of savoriness to the entire dish.
<p>There even some ingredients you'd normally outright dislike, but the flavors they bring out by being eaten together are so pleasant that you can temporarily overlook your prejudices. It definitely seems like (if: $date > 9)[Savoir](else:)[the waiter] knew what he was talking about.
<p>Just as you are about to settle in and really dig into your meal, you see Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash hopping/floating briskly down the main road. Rainbow manages to spot you first. She stops and nudges Pinkie, whereupon they both wave at you. Before you can wave back, the two of them start bounding directly towards you like an ungodly pair of tornadoes. Even from this distance, you can hear them rabidly chanting your name in unison as they [[approach|Explore13-3]].<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["(text: $name)! (text: $name)! <strong>(text: $name)</strong>!"] Pinkie squeezes through the fence that marks the patio's boundaries, while Rainbow flies right over. (colour: "#A3DEF8")["(text: $name)!"] Rainbow reaches you first, then Pinkie, at which point they both slam their hooves onto the table with enough force to send your salad flying straight up into the sky. (colour: "#FAB3D1")["(text: $name)!"]
<p>Luckily, the emptied bowl falls back into place, followed by the lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and other minor ingredients shortly after in consecutive order. Your fork it seems is nowhere to be found however.
<p>In spite of all the racket, you hear the Café's front door close. You spin around to seen (if: $date > 9)[Savoir Fare](else:)[the waiter] turning the 'OPEN' sign over. He grabs a cloth and starts wiping down the windows, an obvious attempt at trying to make himself look busy. Seems like you're on your own for the foreseeable [[future|Explore13-4]].<p>Rainbow speaks up first, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Hey (text: $name)! Glad we caught you! You're not doing anything important right now, right? Awesome. Mind helping me and Pink settle a bet? Which do you think would win in a fight: a dragon-sized rabbit or a rabbit-sized dragon?"]
<p>Pinkie butts in, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Pttfffff, obviously the rabbit! Just think about it; a giant fluffy bunny that could stomp across entire continents and hop over planets! Giant floppy ears that could hear a pin drop as far away as the Crystal Empire. What could a dinky little dragon do?"]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["We already went over this; the biggest thing your bunny could stomp is Trixie's wagon. That's how big the mountain dragon was, give or take. Not that it matters; the bigger they are, the harder they fall. My dragon would fly circles around your rabbit. A little fire breathing here, some clawing and biting there, and your rabbit's down for the [[count|Explore13-5]]!"]<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["Nuh uh!"]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Yeah huh!"]
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["Nuh uh!"]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Yeah huh!"]
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")[<strong>"(text: $name)!"</strong>]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")[<strong>"(text: $name)!"</strong>]
<p>They both shout simultaneously, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["What] (colour: "#A3DEF8")[do] (colour: "#FAB3D1")[you] (colour: "#A3DEF8")[think?!"]
[[Rabbit-sized dragon|Explore13-6 (Rabbit-sized dragon)]]
[[Dragon-sized rabbit|Explore13-6 (Dragon-sized rabbit)]]<p>Rainbow catches up to the departing pink pony, (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Fluttershy? Let's just skip ahead to the end and head over to Twilight's. See if we can find a way to convince her to shrink Spike to like the size of a bee and have him duke it out with Fluttershy's bunny."]
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["On the flip side, we could somehow make Angel huge and have him play-fight normal-sized Spike!"]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Yes. YES. THAT SOUNDS LIKE THE BEST THING WE COULD BE DOING RIGHT NOW. WHY AREN'T WE DOING THAT EXACT THING?!"] They disappear, leaving you alone at last to enjoy the rest of your [[meal|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["Or or ooor! We could borrow Spike for a little itty bitty experiment. Find some way to shrink him down and have him wrestle Angel bunny. For research purposes of course. Twilight would totally buy that!"]
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Better yet, why don't we get some kind of growth potion and make Angel huge! Keep Spike his regular size and see who'd do better in the ring."]
<p>Pinkie gasps, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["I have never wanted anything as much at this exact moment. A GIANT ANGEL BUNNY THAT COULD CUDDLE ME INSTEAD OF I CUDDLING HE?! That's like the third cutest thought I've ever had!"] The odd duo quickly disappear to undoubtedly cause more mischief. At last, you can enjoy your salad in [[peace|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(if: (history:) contains "Cottage2-1")[<p>Big Mac turns to leave the way he came, (colour: "#F64A59")["Come by the farm when you're done. Do a good job, and maybe we can find some more work for you. Be seeing [[you|CheckTime1-1]]."]](else:)[<p>Big Mac turns to leave the way he came, (colour: "#F64A59")["Come by the farm when you're done. Do a good job, and maybe we can find some more work for you. Be seeing you."]
<b>You can now visit Fluttershy's [[cottage|CheckTime1-1]].</b>(set: $cottage to it + (a: 'Cottage1-1','Cottage2-1'))](if: (history:) contains "Bakery3-1")[(set: $sugarcubeCorner to it + (a: 'Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1'))](set: $time to it + 1)(set: $deliverApplesInn to 1)(set: $farmToTable to 1)<p>You tell the tale of one pony's trek though the Everfree Forest, how (if: $sex is "male")[he](else:)[she] fell into an ominous cavern and found an egg unlike any other (if: $sex is "male")[he](else:)[she] had ever seen before.
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["Goodness me, that doesn't sound like a very pleasant walk at all. I certainly hope <b>you</b> aren't the pony in this story."]
<p>As if to confirm all her terrible suspicions, you retrieve the large egg from your saddlebag and place it on the ground before you. You patiently wait for her thoughts on the [[thing|Cottage2-6]].<p>Fluttershy tilts her head to the side and bites her lower lip, asking (colour: "#FCF4A4")["What kind of cave did you say this was in again? A dark, mysterious one? In a swamp? Oooh no! That can only mean…"]
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["...I have no idea what that means. Sorry."]
[[Seriously?|Cottage2-7]]<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["I have a feeling, but nothing I can say for certain. The pattern on the surface is very avian-like, but the coloration leads me to believe it was mammalian laid. The list of egg-laying mammals isn't very long, but its sheer size pretty much disqualifies any animal I can think of."]
<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["If I were you, I'd consult <i>Daring Do's Mighty Bestiary of All Things Slimey, Scaly, and Feathery</i>. You wouldn't think it, but A.K. Yearling is actually the preeminent authority on exotic creatures. The thing is, I'm pretty sure there was only one copy in all of Ponyville, and, well, it was in the Twilight's library when it destroyed by Lord [[Tirek|Cottage2-8]]."]<p>(colour: "#FCF4A4")["I'm sure you were probably expecting something more substantial. Sorry I couldn't be any more help. Normally, I'd also suggest you return the egg, but I really don't want you going back into the dreadful forest. So maybe hold on to it for now?"]
<p>You say your goodbyes to Fluttershy and head back into town to rethink your next [[move|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $page to it + (a: 'Page6-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $eggAdvice to 0)(if: (history:) contains "Explore20-7 (Deliver the apples)")[(set: $cottage to it + (a: 'Cottage4-1','Cottage4-1','Cottage4-1','Cottage4-1','Cottage4-1','Cottage4-1','Cottage4-1','Cottage4-1','Cottage4-1','Cottage4-1'))]<p>Which just so happens to be where all similarities begin and end. Where there should be columns, there is candy cane. Where mortar should be holding together brick and board, there is instead alabaster frosting sandwiched between layers of cookie and wafer. Even the flowers outside look fit to be licked away and sucked on by greedy schoolchildren. It's a sight to behold.
<p>You look to your side to find a pink mare with a cotton candy mane, eyes closed and muzzle raised. She's still as clearwater, clearly deep in thought.
[[Break the ice|Bakery3-10]]<p>You ask if it ever gets old.
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["No,"] Pinkie says simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. (colour: "#FAB3D1")["It never does."] The two of you stand together, content to while time away with nothing but the smell of baked goods and each other's company.
<p>Just as you can feel yourself get truly lost in the moment, a gentle nudge brings you back to the now. You see Pinkie gesturing towards the open door, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Come on, let's get you introduced to the bestest bakers in all of [[Equestria|Bakery3-11]]!"]<p>The rest of the day is spent touring Pinkie's home/workplace and meeting her employers, the kindly Cake family. Given how genial they are with one another, it quickly becomes clear that Pinkie thinks of them as more of an adopted family.
<p>It's easy to lose track of time as Pinkie and the Cakes regale you with local Ponyville lore. But it isn't long until Mr. and Mrs. Cake are reminded that they have a business to run. A few hungry customers stagger their way in, undoubtedly drawn by the same siren's scent that drew you here.
<p>They shower you with goodbyes and well-wishes, before retiring with a sweet, final farewell. Pinkie goes one step further; she walks you to the front door and sends you off with one of her trademark [[hugs|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $sugarcubeCorner to (a: 'Bakery1-1','Bakery2-1','Bakery4-1','Bakery5-1','Bakery7-1'))(if: (history:) contains "Explore1-1" and (history:) contains "Explore5-1")[(set: $sugarcubeCorner to it + (a: 'Bakery6-1'))](set: $time to it + 1)(if: (history:) contains "Explore20-7 (Deliver the apples)")[(set: $sugarcubeCorner to it + (a: 'Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1','Bakery8-1'))]<p>Pumpkin Cake eagerly stretches her teeny tiny forelegs towards you with the exuberance of a child reaching for a brand new toy.
<p>(colour: "#FFDA3B")["Oh, what are we up to now?"] Mr. Cake playfully inquires as his daughter's horn starts to glow with ghostly blue light. The same light enshrouds a nearby plate of cookies, one of which proceeds to fly up and over to you. It floats in front of your face like the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past.
<p>Mr. Cake cues in, (colour: "#FFDA3B")["I think she wants you to have that. Go ahead and consider it a little gift from my little [[gift|Bakery4-4 (Nice)]]."]<p>You oblige Pumpkin one more time, raising a hoof to accept her offering. The implacable foal isn't having none of it however; she sees her opening, your lips separating ever so slightly with one errant breath, at which point the cookie promptly shoots in. She laughs excitedly and claps her hooves together in triumph.
<p>(colour: "#FFDA3B")["PUMPKIN CAKE!"] Mr. Cake yells out, equally alarmed and red-faced. (colour: "#FFDA3B")["No, no, no, missy!"]
<p>You can't help but chew on the snickerdoodle in the meantime. Pumpkin flavored. Of course. You leave shortly thereafter, followed by an unending stream of apologies from the mortified [[parent|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>Where is that crazy pony? As you're debating whether or not to see that out mare for yourself, Mrs. Cake enters from the kitchen door, entire tracts of her turquoise body dusted with white flour.
<p>(colour: "#7EDFFF")["Hello there, dearie. Are you looking for Pinkie Pie? Sorry to say that she hasn't been feeling a hundred percent herself lately. Nothing too serious thankfully, just a sudden case of hay [[fever|Bakery5-7]]."]<p>You gently knock on the glass with the heel of your hoof; slightly harder when there is no immediate response. Thanks to your persistence, a wobbly pony is finally roused from the bed. She clings tightly to the sheet still wrapped around her and steps into the lone ray of light, revealing a very sad-looking Pinkie Pie. After teetering and tottering her way to the window, Pinkie reluctantly peeks between the heavy curtains with weary, half-lidded eyes.
<p>Seems it is your turn to start with the hellos this time.
[[Say hi|Bakery5-12]]<p>Pinkie sees you and breaks out into a happy grin, or at least as happy as she can manage in her current state. Despite how harsh the outside light must feel, she sluggishly throws the curtains aside with little hesitation.
<p>Pinkie opens her mouth to speak, but no sounds come forth. She taps on the glass, then points at her ears. Seemingly crestfallen by the barrier separating you and her, she places a single hoof on the window longingly. You reciprocate the gesture, meeting her hoof with your own.
<p>She smiles at this, then turns away to cough and wipe at her eyes. Her foreleg comes away with two tiny blotches of darkened [[fur|Bakery5-13]].<p>You whittle away the next hour or so floating in front of Pinkie's window. The two of you trade silly faces, play tic-tac-toe via window vapor, and otherwise enjoy each other's company in uncustomary silence. Today at least, words are very unnecessary.
<p>Much as you would like them to, your wings can't keep you aloft forever. In the interests of not falling out of the sky, you have no choice but to eventually bid Pinkie a fond fare-thee-well. Though no words are exchanged, Pinkie nods her head in understanding.
<p>Pinkie never breaks her gaze as you gently return to the ground. If you didn't know any better, you'd swear that she looked a little less sick, a little more like her usual [[self|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Hello there (text: $name), what a pleasant surprise to see you today. Here to see Pinkie Pie I presume? I'm afraid you might be in for a bit of a wait, seeing as how she's preparing some special mystery treat with which to tempt me once again. Ah, do beg pardon. I can see some explanation wouldn't be amiss. You see, I've recently put myself on a diet..."]
<p>Pinkie Pie's voice suddenly explodes from the kitchen, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["WE DON'T USE THE 'D'-WORD IN THIS BAKERY!"]
<p>Rarity continues, (colour: "#9575E5")["Riiight. I am on a..,"] she pauses to think for a moment, (colour: "#9575E5")["...a 'strict nutritional regimen' and every day since Pinkie has been trying to goad me into breaking it with sweet after sweet. No ill will intended I'm sure. I suppose she feels guilty, eating cakes and whatnot, while I make do with more healthy fare. Don't hold it against her; you know how she can get. And rest assured, I don't intend on cheating my 'regimen.' Beauty is pain after [[all|Bakery6-3]]."]<p>Pinkie retorts, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Oh, is that so? Well guess what? I just changed up my game plan! I don't know what I was thinking, bringing you all that junk food before. I shoulda known any old cake wasn't gonna be good enough for you. Well, this one's a doozy, so get ready to eat those words! And this doozy! Feast your eyes! Also, your mouth!"] Pinkie bites down on the lid's handle and lifts, revealing-
<p>Rarity's eyes grow wide as saucers, as if her very eyeballs were eagerly devouring the mere image of the unveiled delicacy. With equal measure awe and disbelief, she stammers out, (colour: "#9575E5")["It can't be. My eyes deceive me. Is that a <i>Courtesan au Chocolat</i>?"]
<p>Sitting on the silver plate is what can only be described as an ornately decorated tower o' pastry. The tower is constructed of three bonbon-shaped pastries of different sizes, with the largest one (glazed in lavender icing) serving as the base, the middling (glazed pale green) in the middle, and the smallest (glazed light pink) sitting daintily at the very top, itself topped with a single cocoa [[bean|Bakery6-5]].<p>Rarity turns to you and says, (colour: "#9575E5")["I was lucky enough to partake in this delectable delight the last time Pinkie and I were in Canterlot. I would've loved to bring a few back for the girls, but unfortunately they're made in a single bakery by a single chef, and they do not take well to travel. Oh, I can't tell you how many times I've thought about taking a day off and hopping aboard a train to Restaurant Row just to taste its chocolatey goodness again. Pinkie! How in Celestia's name did you acquire a Courtesan? It looks fresh out of the oven! Don't tell me..."]
<p>An uncharacteristically silent Pinkie Pie beams with self-indulgent pride. Given how much Rarity is gushing over the thing, simply getting her hooves on it must've been quite the achievement in of [[itself|Bakery6-6]].<p>Rarity on the other hoof seems unable to stop talking, (colour: "#9575E5")["You have the recipe!? B-but, not even the Café le Grand's sous chefs are permitted to make Courtesans! How on Earth did you convince Chef Gustave to give you the recipe to his culinary magnum opus? I can't even imagine what you could have given him in exchange. Money? A Pinkie Pie Planned Party? An endorsement from the Element of Laughter herself? Some other favor?"] Rarity's voice trails off at that last word.
<p>Pinkie finally answers, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Naw, I just asked him real nice like."] Rarity cocks an eyebrow, looking understandably unconvinced. Pinkie adds, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["That's the truth, I swear! What can I say? Who can say 'no' to this face?"] Pinkie Pie smiles a Pinkie Pie smile.
<p>Yeah, you'd give that smile a trade secret or two. Maybe paint that smile on a banner and carry it into battle. Overthrow the monarchy and establish an authoritarian government just to see that smile. Fan the fires of war and spill blood in the name of that [[smi|Bakery6-7]]-<p>Rarity interrupts your train of thought with an odd sound, something of a cross between a squeal of delight and a cry of frustration. (colour: "#9575E5")["Oh darling of mine, what a predicament you've put me in. Do I dare risk an ever expanding waistline to once again sample the choux ambrosia set before me? Or do I remain faithful to the tempestuous mistress that is haute couture? I'm so torn!"] Rarity throws her head back dramatically.
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["Come on Rarity, just a nibble. You know you want to,"] Pinkie says, nearly whispering into her ear at this [[point|Bakery6-8]].<p>Rarity cries out, (colour: "#9575E5")["(text: $name)! What do you think I should do?"]
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["Yes (text: $name), please help our dear friend."] Pinkie has a dangerous look in her eyes now, like staring straight down the edge of a knife.
<p>Rarity might as well be drooling at this point, but knowing her, she'll no doubt regret this lapse in mental fortitude come Fashion Week. Pinkie is obviously hoping you'll be her final agent of dietary destruction.
[[Stick to her diet|Bakery6-9 (Stick to her diet)]]
[[Let her eat cake|Bakery6-9 (Let her eat cake)]]<p>You know just how dangerous a slippery slope can be. A tiny cake today could easily turn into a gallon of rocky road ice cream tomorrow. One 'cheat day' becomes two, then four, then eight, and so on. Before long, a pony could balloon up to some unmanageable monstrosity, a veritable parade float in all but name.
<p>Okay, that might not necessarily happen to Rarity, but you're not about to let her take the chance to find out. If you have Rarity's best interests at heart, this choice is no choice at all.
<p>You shake you head and tell Rarity to say 'no' to the pink devil atop her shoulder. Pinkie stops leaning on Rarity's shoulder and shoots you a dirty look. Rarity shakes her head as if exiting a trance, having escaped her pastry-induced chocolate [[haze|Bakery6-10 (Stick to her diet)]].<p>Before you can even consider nominating yourself, Pinkie opens her mouth and more or less deepthroats the entire pastry tower. She lifts her head, tilting side to side as she eats, as if chewing in tune with a musical rhythm, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Yum! Chocolatey!"] Her cotton candy mane poofs back up again, fluffy as ever.
<p>Rarity rolls her eyes in good spirit, (colour: "#9575E5")["I will certainly need to have a Courtesan after Fashion Week though. Oooh! They would be marvelous for my book club meetings as well. And the anniversary of the opening of my Manehattan store is coming up! I will absolutely need Courtesans served there! Hmm, I wonder if Chef Gustave will allow..."]
<p>She might be a tad distracted at the moment, but you know Rarity will appreciate your emotional support in the [[future|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>Pinkie groans and slams her chin onto the tabletop, (colour: "#FAB3D1")["Awww, do I gotta? Washing dishes is super unfun! Why don't you just float them into our mouths?"] She opens her mouth in such a manner that reminds you of a certain alligator at the front counter. You can't help but wonder if that's something Gummy taught his owner or vice versa.
<p>Pinkie's suggestion seems to fluster Rarity for a moment, (colour: "#9575E5")["Ahem, are you asking that I pop it into your mouth like some flirty dinner date? Now Pinkie, seeing as how you're not a unicorn, you may not know this, but feeding another pony with magic is a decidedly intimate gesture."] She pauses to think for a moment, (colour: "#9575E5")["Granted we are all friends, I suppose I may, so long as it's alright with (text: $name)."]
[[Sure|Bakery6-11 (Let her eat cake)]]<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Alright, very well then. One last thing: I'd advise closing your eyes to best savor your first Courtesan."] You close your eyes as instructed and open your mouth. Presumably, Pinkie and Rarity are doing the same. A medium-sized pastry ball is sat upon your tongue. For a brief moment, you can nearly 'taste' Rarity's magic; you get a feel for the essence of her being on a level that simple conversation could never reach. Like two souls merged in one, you share in all her goals, her hopes, her dreams. The fleeting sensation disappears as quickly as it arrives.
<p>With nothing left to do, you close your mouth and bite down. The crispy outer layer of pastry and sugary glaze gives way as an explosion of rich chocolate crème floods your mouth. The dark chocolate cream, nearly custard-like in consistency and fudge-like in taste, is without a doubt the most intense cocoa flavor you've ever tasted; sweet, but not overwhelmingly so, with just a welcome hint of [[bitterness|Bakery6-12 (Let her eat cake)]].<p>You can even taste trace amounts of Rarity's magic mixed in, so even as your eyes are closed, Rarity is first and foremost in your thoughts. You swirl it about in your mouth, enjoying the flavors almost change and deepen as it washes over the different parts of your tongue. You can hear Rarity and Pinkie thoroughly enjoying themselves as well. You swallow, almost reluctantly so. You actually find yourself swabbing your tongue against your teeth to find any remaining cream hidden away in nooks and crannies.
<p>You open your eyes and Rarity opens hers. You smile. She smiles back. You hope she won't hate you too much when this chocolate-covered euphoria ends and she finds her old dresses are still as tight around the waist as ever. At least Pinkie Pie seems [[happy|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>The three guards all exchange stern looks with one another. Their leader apparent steps forward and asks in the strict, imposing cadence that only a martial life can bestow, (colour: "#85877D")["Sir, do you own this establishment? Are you Mr. Carrot Cake?"]
<p>(colour: "#FFDA3B")["That'd be me! Can I get you boys a cup or two of hot cocoa?"]
<p>The leader turns to look back at his compatriots. They both shake their heads. (colour: "#85877D")["That won't be necessary, sir. You know why we're here." With that, the leader falls in and all three form ranks to give Mr. Cake a simultaneous, well-practiced [[salute|Bakery7-3]].]<p>Ever a cool head on his shoulders, Mr. Cake can only look upon this intense display of respect and ask, (colour: "#FFDA3B")["Boys, is that really necessary? I haven't been active duty in an age and a half!"]
<p>Without breaking his salute or even so much as moving a single muscle on his face, the guard on the right side responds with, (colour: "#8181F7")["You know as well as we do, sir. Once a guard, always a guard."]
<p> You can't help but notice that Mr. Cake's voice adopts a rather crass, but well-intended intonation, not to mention deepening by several degrees. (colour: "#FFDA3B")["Is that how they're teaching cadets in the academy nowadays? All this pomp and ceremony? I hope they spend half as much time drilling some actual training into you lot as they do manners."] Despite his own words, Mr. Cake straightens himself, as if a solid rod of wrought iron had instantaneously substituted itself for his spine, and returns the trio's salute with a stout one of his [[own|Bakery7-4]].<p>The last guard finally breaks his silence, (colour: "#CE8149")["We have your blessing then, sir?"]
<p>(colour: "#FFDA3B")["Aye, you do. The whole lot of you."] says, Mr. Cake, his raised foreleg beginning its return to the ground. Once it does so, the guards at last end their salute. (colour: "#FFDA3B")["And you boys are staying for cocoa, on me. That's an order."]
<p>(colour: "#85877D")["SIR,] (colour: "#8181F7")[YES] (colour: "#CE8149")[SIR!"] the three boom in unison. As Mr. Cake leads them away to an empty table, they file past you in single succession. The last one takes the opportunity to whisper to you, (colour: "#CE8149")["You would do well to treat this pony with every kindness. There is much you can learn, and even more he can [[teach|CheckTime1-1]]."](set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#7EDFFF")["But for now, let's get that wagon unloaded. Pinkie!?"] she shouts at an open window on the second floor, (colour: "#7EDFFF")["Be a dear and help me get a delivery in the house?"]
<p>(colour: "#FAB3D1")["COMMMMMING!"] the window replies. The sound of galloping hooves on wooden floor steadily builds up, before culminating in a pink missile launching itself out said window and dive bombing into the cart amidst an explosion of fruity shrapnel.
<p>(colour: "#7EDFFF")["Oh Pinkie."] The three of you spend the next hour or so picking apples off the [[ground|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $farmToTable to it + 1)(set: $sugarcubeCorner to it - (a: 'Bakery8-1'))<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Can I offer you a cup of tea? Coffee, perhaps?"] Rarity says as the two of you settle in for a lengthy conversation.
[[Tea|Boutique3-2 (Tea)]]
[[Coffee|Boutique3-2 (Coffee)]]
[[Not thirsty|Boutique3-2 (Not thirsty)]]<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Ah, nothing quite like a nicely-brewed cup of jasmine tea (if: $time is 1)[in the morning](else:)[on a pleasant afternoon]. I really should stop drinking an entire kettle's worth at a time,"] she turns aside to giggle, (colour: "#9575E5")["but a girl can't help herself sometimes!"]
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["I'm partial to chamomile myself, though I have been dabbling in some more exotic varieties as of late. I recently acquired a recipe out of the Frozen North calling for pine needles of all things. Positively marvelous on those chillier-than-expected nights, believe me."]
<p>You and Rarity trade tea tips for the next hour or so. You exit her home a decidedly more knowledgeable pony in the aromatic arts, not to mention a good deal more fragrant than when you [[entered|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $charm to it + 3)(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Planning on staying up tonight, are we? Just as well, I've been meaning to get some light reading done. I've nearly finished a novel centered around the disappearance of <i>Her Radiance</i>. Do you happen to know of it? The disappearance I mean, not the novel."]
{(if: (history:) contains "Page5-1")[
(link: "Seen newspaper clippings")[
(go-to: "Boutique3-3 (Seen newspaper clippings)")]]}
[[No|Boutique3-3 (No)]]<p>Rarity nods her acknowledgement, (colour: "#9575E5")["I'm not surprised. To think, Princess Celestia's very own personal airship: `*`poof`*`, gone without a trace. It was undoubtedly the story of the century. I myself recall my parents discussing it around the dinner table, prior to Sweetie Belle even being born."]
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Naturally, a mystery of this caliber is fodder for all manner of sensationalist hogwash, my novel not withstanding. It started off innocent enough, a dime store love story using the <i>Radiance</i> as a backdrop, but the second half more or less devolves into conspiratorial rambling."]
<p>You listen to Rarity as she vents her criticisms. You feel qualified to pen a literary masterpiece of your own by the time she's [[finished|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $charm to it + 2)(set: $smarts to it + 1)(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Years prior, Princess Celestia commissioned a personal airship for herself. <i>Her Radiance,</i> it was called. I've only seen illustrations of the craft myself, but it would have been a sight to behold indeed. Tragically, the <i>Radiance</i> vanished without a trace on its maiden flight to Canterlot.]
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Naturally, a mystery of this caliber is fodder for all manner of sensationalist hogwash, my novel being no exception. It started off innocent enough, a dime store love story using the <i>Radiance</i> as a backdrop, but the second half more or less devolves into conspiratorial rambling."]
<p>You listen to Rarity as she vents her criticisms. You feel qualified to pen a literary masterpiece of your own by the time she's [[finished|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $charm to it + 2)(set: $smarts to it + 1)(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Oh,"] Rarity mutters, vaguely disappointed. She's quick to bounce back however, (colour: "#9575E5")["Just as well! One mustn't become too dependant on caffeine, in one form or another."]
<p>You and Rarity proceed to chat. Occasionally, she'll cast furtive glances at a pair of untouched kettles atop a far off table. She manages to catch herself as she opens her mouth to yawn. Rarity politely excuses herself, prematurely ending the [[conversation|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $charm to it + 1)(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["Good, then there ain't no need to repeat ourselves. Guess we oughta introduce ourselves first. My name's Applebloom."]
<p>(colour: "#FFBE53")["You can call me Scootaloo, or Scoots,"] adds the pegasus.
<p>(colour: "#A47BB4")["Last but not least! I'm Sweetie Belle! Together, we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"] finishes the unicorn.
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["And we could really use your help, (if: $sex is "male")[mister](else:)[miss]..?"]
[[(text: $name)|Explore22-7]]<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["(if: $sex is "male")[Mister](else:)[Miss] (text: $name). You see,"] Applebloom's speech becomes considerably more deliberate, more measured. She's clearly putting a great deal of thought into the next thing to come out of her mouth, (colour: "#F5F498")["It's a tad hard to explain. It's not exactly an problem, per se, more of a somewhat sensitive disagreement. Actually, disagreement might be a little strong, it's really more like a-"]
<p>(colour: "#A47BB4")["It's our friend, Silver Spoon,"] Sweetie Belle cuts in, looking exceedingly worried, (colour: "#A47BB4")["We, we think she fell in with a bad crowd. She hasn't been acting like herself lately. One day, we followed her and found out she's been going to this house with a red door in the forest. There's always A Diamond Dog standing guard on the outside, so we don't know what she does once she's [[in|Explore22-8]]."]<p>(colour: "#FFBE53")["But whatever it is, it can't be wholesome,"] Scootaloo continues, saying what Sweetie apparently can't, (colour: "#FFBE53")["So we need your help to A: find out what she's doing, and B: try to help her out of whatever she's gotten herself into, if you can. Anything else you need to know?"]
{(link: "Where exactly in the forest?")[
(go-to: "Explore22-9 (Where exactly in the forest?)")]}
{(link: "Any danger?")[
(go-to: "Explore22-9 (Any danger?)")]}
{(link: "Why not ask the Elements?")[
(go-to: "Explore22-9 (Why not ask the Elements?)")]}
{(link: "What's in it for me?")[
(go-to: "Explore22-9 (What's in it for me?)")]}
[[Agree to help|Explore22-9 (Agree to help)]]
[[Decline to help|Explore22-9 (Decline to help)]]<p>(colour: "#FFBE53")["If our teacher or anypony else we know starts looking in to her, she'll think it's because we asked them to. Kinda like how we're asking you."]
{(link: "Where exactly in the forest?")[
(go-to: "Explore22-9 (Where exactly in the forest?)")]}
{(link: "Any danger?")[
(go-to: "Explore22-9 (Any danger?)")]}
{(link: "What's in it for me?")[
(go-to: "Explore22-9 (What's in it for me?)")]}
[[Agree to help|Explore22-9 (Agree to help)]]
[[Decline to help|Explore22-9 (Decline to help)]]<p>(colour: "#A47BB4")["I'm sure. If it means saving our friendship with Sil, I'd give away ten gemstones. So, do we have a deal?"]
<p>(colour: "#FFBE53")["Yeah, all that sound enough to you? If you're looking to squeeze any more out of us, we might as well just turn to Pinkie Pie for help instead."]
{(link: "Sounds good")[
(set: $bits to it + 20)
(go-to: "Explore22-10 (Sounds good)")]}
[[Decline to help|Explore22-9 (Decline to help)]]<p>The squeal of batwing doors as they swing inward. The crass voice of a mare ten years your senior ordering a glass of amber liquor, neat. The tilt of her head as she downs her drink in one [[gulp|SleepEvent6-3]].<p>Her curt comments that hide a deeper uncertainty. Her tiny smirk reared by a joke at your expense. Her anxious laughter as you slowly manage to get through her gruff [[exterior|SleepEvent6-4]].<p>All her adolescent years spent in the fields of her farm, or by her father's bedside. All the hope in her heart of young love, dashed. All the rebuffs at the hooves of stallions in search of springtide [[youth|SleepEvent6-5]].<p>Your thumping heart that hangs on the tales of her woes. Your muted suggestion of a quiet dinner together. Your disappointment at her answer. Your hope that she'll stay, even as she leaves.
<p>[[Forever|Town1-1]].(set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent9-1'))//Note: More interactions with Octavia to be written before coming to this passage.//
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["Guten morgen. Apologies if I voke you,"] whispers the mare trying her absolute best to be the little spoon to your big.
[[Octavia?|SleepEvent7-4 (Octavia?)]]
[[What are you doing here?|SleepEvent7-4 (What are you doing here?)]]
[[Broke in?|SleepEvent7-4 (Broke in?)]]
[[Okay?|SleepEvent7-4 (Okay?)]]<p>You know better than to take advantage of somepony in such a vulnerable state, especially somepony like Octavia. It's no easy task, but you manage to extricate Octavia's hooves from your body. Her resistance, while meager, serves a constant enough reminder of her amorous desires.
<p>With her advances rejected, Octavia sits up in your bed, seemingly unsure of what to do next. She hugs herself and whimpers [[softly|SleepEvent7-7 (Wake her)]].<p>(if: $smarts >= 40)[(colour: #32CD32)[Having freed yourself of her embrace, you make sure to climb out of your rumpled bed, before proceeding to try and gently shake her awake.]](else:)[Having freed yourself from her touch, it's a simple matter of shaking her awake, preferably in as gentle a way possible.] She rocks back and forth at your ministrations, her head lolling about before eventually slumping forward. Long strands of her uncharacteristically messy mane fall in front of her face.
<p>You stop rocking as Octavia finally comes to. She lets out a low moan, muttering a dazed, (colour: "#BAB8AF")["Vh-vhere am I?"] She slowly raises her head like a pony coming out of a trance, then lifts a foreleg to brush the hair away from her face, which (given her grogginess) takes a good few tries to accomplish. With the veil lifted from her eyes, there is nothing to prevent her from examining her surroundings, predominantly yourself.
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["(text: $name)?"] she says hesitantly.
[[Yeah, it's me|SleepEvent7-8 (Yeah)]]
[[You okay?|SleepEvent7-8 (Yeah)]]
[[...|SleepEvent7-8 (Yeah)]]<p>(if: $smarts >= 40)[Octavia immediately wraps herself in your bedsheets in an attempt to shield her body from view. She scoots back until her spine hits headboard.](else:)[Octavia reaches out with her forelegs and roughly pushes you of your own bed. The sudden, surprise shove leaves you unable to steady yourself and you promptly crash to the floor in a jumbled mess of limbs and bedsheets.]
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["Schweinhund! Vhat is zhe meaning of zhis?! Vhy am I here?! Answers! Before I feed your eyes to ze wolves!"]
[[Try to explain|SleepEvent7-9 (Try to explain)]]//Note: Higher smarts or charm can lead to more believed explanation?//
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["Bah! Me? Entering zhis vile place villingly? Save your lies for somepony more foolish!"] Octavia gets off your bed and legs it towards the exit, making sure to give you a wide berth.
<p>She leaves before you can remind her that she did in fact enter this "vile" place willingly on at least one other occasion. With that ordeal over and done with, you get ready for a brand new [[day|Town1-1]].<p>Octavia starts to wiggle her way downward, planting tender kisses on your chest and belly as she does so. So tightly pressed together are your bodies that your cock can't help but grind against her underside.
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["For me?"] She asks, her face now level with your shaft, a meaty tool that extends well past your belly button. Her humid breath hits your groin and sends your head spinning. (colour: "#BAB8AF")["Oh, you shouldn't have."] You're practically throbbing in anticipation. Octavia slips her tongue out and tastes the bottom of your cock, a never-ending lick that begins at the top of your testes and ends at your flared head. She gives the rest of your cock the same treatment, leaving not an inch uncoated in her hot [[saliva|SleepEvent7-8 (Let it happen)]].<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["I dabbled in voodvinds before dizcovering cello vas my passion,"] Octavia says, now showering your tip with attention, (colour: "#BAB8AF")["Let us see if I remember ze basics."] She opens her mouth and takes you inside her, engulfing the head of your cock in tight, wet heat. You fight the overwhelming urge to buck forward as she swirls her tongue around your cock, teasing it, caressing it, worshipping it.
<p>Her efforts are rewarded with a generous dollop of pre, which is instantly suckled away. To your slight dismay, she pulls away to say, (colour: "#BAB8AF")["Ze strings is vhere I belong, but I vill always remember my time with my recorder fondly. Let me show you [[vhy|SleepEvent7-9 (Let it happen)]]."]<p>Octavia moves up until she's on top of you, her labial folds rubbing up and down the length of your cock and smearing it's already slick surface with mare fluid. She lifts her hips and prepares to impale herself on your stallionhood.
[[Fuck her pussy|SleepEvent7-10 (Fuck her pussy)]]
[[Fuck her ass|SleepEvent7-10 (Fuck her ass)]]<p>You buck your hips a little and poke at Octavia's rear-entrance. Precum and saliva splatters her moist valley.
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["How naughty,"] she teases in a coy, knowing tone, (colour: "#BAB8AF")["Zhat is not ze proper place."] Even as she's saying that, the lewd mare is already ramming at her taut hole with your turgid shaft.
<p>One particularly forceful prodding finds enough purchase to suddenly grip your cock in a tight, velvety furnace. Octavia lets out a lasting moan at the sensation of her firm ass being entered. The two of you remain still for a moment as her body adjusts to accommodate the thick cock spreading her [[buttcheeks|SleepEvent7-11]].<p>The market seems to be filled to the brim with colts and fillies today. As you venture forward, it becomes easy enough to see why: Pinkie Pie has set up her own tent, under which sits the aforementioned pink pony and a truly enormous pile of multicolored, yet-to-be-inflated balloons.
<p>Pinkie gives you a spirited wave hello as you approach, (colour: "#FAB3D1")[Here (text: $name), have a balloon!"] She blows a balloon full faster than you can blink, before speedily and <i>tightly</i> tying it to your tail. For whatever reason, you seem to get a lot more stares than usual for the rest of the [[day|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore31-1'))<p>You sit down on a bench and start humming to yourself. A passer-by mistakes you for a street musician and apparently likes your tune enough to toss a few bits your [[way|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore32-1'))(set: $bits to it + 3)(set: $time to it + 1)<p>Thankfully, it seems that Spike was thoughtful enough to leave a stool underneath the desk for any would-be scribes. You drag it out from its hiding place and sit down, doing your best to (if: $race is "unicorn")[recall how to hornwrite at least somewhat [[legibly|Castle1-7 (Transcribe a page)]].](else:)[wrangle the quill into proper position between your [[teeth|Castle1-7 (Transcribe a page)]].]<p>You carefully pry open the book's front cover. Even this proves almost too much for the fragile little thing; the brittle parchment within creaks in obstinate refusal, a disquieting sound akin to a thousand Fall leaves being swept away by a sudden gust. There is nothing worth preserving on the title page, an incomprehensible, desert landscape of oddly-tinted stains and burnt smudges that do a commendable job of consigning the original author to the realm of anonymity.
<p>The next page yields similar results, a pattern that stubbornly persists for the next hundred or so. Just as you're about ready give up and to toss the book aside, a single paragraph of readable text presents itself to you.(set: $pagenumber to (random: 2,3))(set: $friendshipCastle to it + (a: 'Castle2-1','Castle3-1','Castle4-1'))(set: $smarts to it + 1)
{(link: "Transcribe the words")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$page))
(set: $page to it - (a: _psg))
(if: $page is (a:))[
(set: $page to it + (a: 'Page10-1'))]
(go-to: _psg)]}<p>You wait until you can no longer hear Spike's footsteps, before leaving the room in a similar fashion. While you won't be doing any of this drudgery today, from the way Spike spoke, you'll have ample opportunity to transcribe some pages at some later point, if you so choose. For now, you have other things to attend [[to|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $friendshipCastle to it + (a: 'Castle2-1','Castle3-1','Castle4-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)<p>But that train of thought does little to benefit you presently. For now, you think it best not to barge into whatever official business the Princess might be engaged in at the moment, so you can try waiting in the main hall for somepony to come along. Alternatively, you can go transcribe some more pages.
{(link: "Try to see Princess Twilight")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$castleTwilight))
(set: $page to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}
{(if: $page is (a:))[
(link: "Transcribe books")[
(go-to: "Page10-1")]]
(else:)[
(link: "Transcribe books")[
(go-to: "Castle2-3 (Transcribe books)")]]}
{(link: "Leave")[
(set: $friendshipCastle to it + (a: 'Castle5-1'))
(go-to: "CheckTime1-1")]}<p>You meet Princess Luna's hoof with your own. Before anymore can be said, your vision begins to fade until all that was white is displaced only with dark. (colour: "#373A77")["Farewell for now, our little pony."] The last thing you see before darkness takes you completely is her heartfelt [[smile|Town1-1]].(set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent10-1'))<p>You raise your own hoof, but it goes not a breadth further. You don't get a chance to see how the Princess reacts; your vision begins fading until all that was white is displaced only with [[dark|Town1-1]].(set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent10-1'))<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Ah, a phobia as old as time itself. Take comfort in knowing that thou does not suffer alone in this affliction. Why,"] Princess Luna stops to look around, as if expecting somepony else to be listening in, before smiling mischievously and continuing, (colour: "#373A77")["just ask our sister. She might not look it, but there never lived a more anxious pony. To this very day, the mere thought of speaking in front of a crowd will send her into a tizzy."]
<p>Princess Luna's smile softens, her expression approaching something tender, (colour: "#373A77")["We should not make light of our sister's fears. Hers really is the best way to the deal with likes of apprehension and a nervous [[disposition|SleepEvent9-10 (Fear of failure)]]."]<p>(colour: "#373A77")["We thanketh thee for thy time. We have much to think about. It goes without saying that our business this night ist far from comprehensive. We shall have further dealings to be sure, at least until thy nightmares can be put to rest."]
<p>Though your eyes are open, your vision starts to fade until all that was white is displaced only with dark. (colour: "#373A77")["Farewell for now, our little [[pony|Town1-1]]."](set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent10-1'))<p>The Princess is visibly taken aback by your response. Judging by her reaction, your words might as well have been actual blows.
<p>She takes a moment to recomposes herself, though her countenance remains forlorn, her eyes downcast, (colour: "#373A77")["We understand. The acts sh- <i>we</i> committed can not be so easily forgiven. Nor should they be."]
<p>Suddenly, Princess Luna perks up, (colour: "#373A77")["We do not dare presume to receive a pardon. Not now. Not soon. Perhaps, not ever. But we shall try. By the sun and stars, earth below and moon afar, we shall try. Thou art owed that [[much|SleepEvent9-10 (Fear of her)]]."]<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Fortunately for us, we expect to have opportunities aplenty in these coming nights to win thy forgiveness. Despite the feelings thou might have toward us, we can no more neglect our royal duties than cease the beating of this pitiful heart. Either the nightmares stop, or it stops."]
<p>Though your eyes are open, your vision starts to fade until all that was white is displaced only with dark. (colour: "#373A77")["Farewell for now, our little [[pony|Town1-1]]."](set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent10-1'))<p>You present the Princess with an entire bouquet of explanations, the sum of which adds up to a whole lotta nothing. She considers your words first with quiet concern, before turning into chary acceptance.
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Thou art unsure. 'Tis to be expected in matters such as these, so we fault thee not for it. Rest assured that answers shall come soon enough, and with it, [[respite|SleepEvent9-10 (Evasive answer)]]."]<p>(colour: "#373A77")["We thanketh thee for thy time. We have much to think about. It goes without saying that our business this night ist far from comprehensive. We shall have further dealings to be sure, at least until thy nightmares can be put to rest."]
<p>Though your eyes are open, your vision starts to fade until all that was white is displaced only with dark. (colour: "#373A77")["Farewell for now, our little [[pony|Town1-1]]."](set: $sleepEvent to it + (a: 'SleepEvent10-1'))<p>(colour: "#373A77")["We speak of chess of course! A favorite of ours! Hast thou ever engaged in the sport?"]
[[Intimately familiar|SleepEvent10-4 (Intimately familiar)]]
[[Dabbled|SleepEvent10-4 (Dabbled)]]
[[Scammed by a little filly in Manehattan once|SleepEvent10-4 (Scammed by a little filly in Manehattan once)]]<p>As the world finally starts to settle, a white dot appears atop the dirt in front of you, like an errant dollop of alabaster paint dropped onto an otherwise picturesque painting. The dot suddenly bolts away at ludicrous speed, fast becoming a white line racing to kiss the distant horizon. Numerous other dots materialize and do the same, forming adjacent parallel lines. Another wave of intersecting lines cross the first group at a right angle, sectioning off the newly-formed landscape into perfect squares. Interestingly, every notable landmark in sight fits nicely within their given square.
<p>And to cap it all off, a new, more walkable layer of lush grass is swiftly cultivated to replace its unchecked predecessor, emerald-green in alternating squares, dark in the ones between.
<p>A chess field, [[apparently|SleepEvent10-7]].<p>As before, Princess Luna's words are ferried to you via an ethereal wind, (colour: "#373A77")["Beautiful, is it not? So rare are we allowed the opportunity to indulge ourselves. Not a traditional chess field by any means, but we find that tradition does not mean the same thing it did in millenia past."]
<p>The Princess reappears on a faraway hilltop. A quick glance is all you need to confirm that there are far more rows and columns between the two of you than would be necessary for a regulation chessboard, or at least any chessboard you're familiar [[with|SleepEvent10-8]].<p>And finally, the missing piece (or pieces, as it were): light itself seems to solidify and take shape within the two rows immediately in front of you. The pawns are the first to form; lines upon lines of ceramic pony-at-arms, each animate and life-sized. Behind them, entire formations composed of the familiar and unfamiliar, from heavily armored knights and mobile siege towers, to spiked chariots and battlemages. They all bow as—in the center of them all—two ageless alicorns make their grand entrance, one male and one female.
<p>Everything that had just occurred is mirrored on Princess Luna's side of the board, only with swirling shadows in the stead of light. White for you, Black for her.
<p>Though the Princess is separated from you by leagues worth of woodland, her words carry through clear and crisp as though she were right beside you, (colour: "#373A77")["Thou hast the first move. Merely think it, and they shall hear; this dream is of thine own making after [[all|SleepEvent10-9]]."]<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Feel free to take as long as thou need'st to calculate thy stratagem. No sand shall check us, and time in the waking world holds little sway here. We leave thee now to plan in peace."]
<p>Princess Luna is evidently unaware that this version of chess as she knows it is hideously archaic. You've no idea what some of these pieces are even called, much less how they move and attack. Not to mention the size of the board and the fact that terrain seems to play a tangible role.
<p>That being said, you get the feeling that Princess Luna will never live it down if you back out at this point. If nothing else, you can at the very least recognize some pieces for what they are. How hard could it be to learn whatever else there is on the fly?
[[Open with pawn|SleepEvent10-10 (Open with pawn)]]
[[Open with rook|SleepEvent10-10 (Lose balance of power)]]
[[Open with king|SleepEvent10-10 (Lose balance of power)]]<p>You mentally issue a command to a pawn, instructing them to move up. They all look up at you in unison as if for confirmation, before marching forward in lockstep. They halt and take up position in an open square.
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Peon to Vee-24, a most unorthodox opening. We are eager to learn what new stratagems have been developed in our—ahem—[[absence|SleepEvent10-11]]."]<p>You've made a mistake somewhere, which your opponent is quick to capitalize on. Already, you can feel the balance of power rapidly shifting out of your favor.
<p>You see an opening, a weak point in her defensive line that's ripe for exploitation.
[[Throw the bulk of your forces at a well-defended position|SleepEvent10-12 (Lose balance of power)]]
[[Position knight to threaten two Black pieces at once|SleepEvent10-12 (Position knight to threaten two black pieces at once)]]
[[Send queen along perilous path to secure territory|SleepEvent10-12 (Lose balance of power)]]<p>The Princess follows up with her own initial series of opening moves. This goes back and forth between the two of you until a variety of pieces are spread all about the field and an informal 'no pony's land' is established.
<p>You see an opening, a weak point in her defensive line that's ripe for exploitation.
[[Throw the bulk of your forces at a well-defended position|SleepEvent10-12 (Lose balance of power)]]
[[Position knight to threaten two Black pieces at once|SleepEvent10-12 (Position knight to threaten two black pieces at once)]]
[[Send queen along perilous path to secure territory|SleepEvent10-12 (Lose balance of power)]]<p>You order a brigade of knights to mount a ridge overlooking some enemy forces. From there, your knights are in a prime position to charge at two vulnerable pieces, thereby forcing your opponent to sacrifice one for the sake of the other.
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Ah, the Hero's Dilemma! Do we rescue the dazzling damsel or deliver the village from impending doom? 'Tis a shameful choice for thee to force upon us. Thou art a cunning opponent [[indeed|SleepEvent10-13]]."]<p>You're surprised by a sudden puff of smoke a few spaces away from your king. As the smoke clears, a hooded pony can be observed in a previously empty square. Despite the darkness that enshrouds him, you spy the telltale glint of sharpened steel beneath his cloak. You don't know what that piece is capable of, only that your own king is now looking up at you with a nervous, flighty expression about him.
[[Move guards to repulse the assailant|SleepEvent10-14 (Lose balance of power)]]
[[Attempt to castle your king|SleepEvent10-14 (Attempt to castle your king)]]
[[Ignore and better fortify a weak position elsewhere|SleepEvent10-14 (Lose balance of power)]]<p>You've made a mistake somewhere, which your opponent is quick to capitalize on. Already, you can feel the balance of power rapidly shifting out of your favor.
<p>You're surprised by a sudden puff of smoke a few spaces away from your king. As the smoke clears, a hooded pony can be observed in a previously empty square. Despite the darkness that enshrouds him, you spy the telltale glint of sharpened steel beneath his cloak. You don't know what that piece is capable of, only that your own king is now looking up at you with a nervous, flighty expression about him.
[[Move guards to repulse the assailant|SleepEvent10-14 (Lose balance of power)]]
[[Attempt to castle your king|SleepEvent10-14 (Attempt to castle your king)]]
[[Ignore and better fortify a weak position elsewhere|SleepEvent10-14 (Lose balance of power)]]<p>No need to tell him twice; the White king hurriedly rushes to the safety of your backline. With soldiers in front and a rook in the form of a siege tower by his side, any potential assassin would have a difficult time of reaching him indeed. A miraculous transformation then begins to take place: the siege tower grows and grows until it envelopes the entirety of its space, and even the king's next to it. A gatehouse and portcullis manifests upon its facade, then battlements up top, before its very walls transform into that of rough-hewn stone.
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["So, thou thinketh to keep thy prince safe and secure behind walls of yonder citadel? A most prudent measure to be sure, considering the absolute ruination we art about to [[unleash|SleepEvent10-15]]."]<p>Another opportunity soon avails itself to you: Princess Luna launches an ambitious offensive that threatens to win her control of the entire center. In doing so however, her forces are stretched thin. Perhaps too thin.
[[Pull back and regroup your forces|SleepEvent10-16 (Lose balance of power)]]
[[Set up ambush using pawn as bait|SleepEvent10-16 (Set up ambush using pawn as bait)]]
[[Spread out own units to match her maneuver|SleepEvent10-16 (Lose balance of power)]]<p>You've made a mistake somewhere, which your opponent is quick to capitalize on. Already, you can feel the balance of power rapidly shifting out of your favor.
<p>Another opportunity soon avails itself to you: Princess Luna launches an ambitious offensive that threatens to win her control of the entire center. In doing so however, her forces are stretched thin. Perhaps too thin.
[[Pull back and regroup your forces|SleepEvent10-16 (Lose balance of power)]]
[[Set up ambush using pawn as bait|SleepEvent10-16 (Set up ambush using pawn as bait)]]
[[Spread out own units to match her maneuver|SleepEvent10-16 (Lose balance of power)]]<p>Seems even an eons-old princess is no more immune to her own pride and folly than a impertinent child. You set about laying a trap for her, hiding some of your units along a treeline that traces the border of a recessed valley. With your pieces in place, it's only a matter of leaving a pawn on the valley floor.
<p>Your plan works beautifully; the Princess charges several pieces headlong into your waiting ambush, at which you capture a good deal many of them.
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Egads! Thy precariously positioned peon was naught but a devious ruse! So, thou art willing to sacrifice peons in order to command the field? Such ferocity... remind us not to tread paths with thee on a foul day, lest we incur thy [[wrath|SleepEvent10-17]]."]<p>The game nears its twilight phase with neither side managing to gain the upper hoof. You give as good as you get and, more importantly, both queens still remain in play. Everything prior had been nothing more than light skirmishing, White and Black jockeying for whatever possible advantage in preparation for this coming, decisive battle. Victory shall be arriving soon; the question of who it comes for will be decided by these upcoming series of moves.
[[Send out raiding parties to harry and harass|SleepEvent10-18]]
[[Form single line and march unto the enemy as one|SleepEvent10-18]]
[[Garrison strong defensive points and wait for her|SleepEvent10-18]]<p>You've made a mistake somewhere, which your opponent is quick to capitalize on. Already, you can feel the balance of power rapidly shifting out of your favor.
<p>The game nears its twilight phase with neither side managing to gain the upper hoof. You give as good as you get and, more importantly, both queens still remain in play. Everything prior had been nothing more than light skirmishing, White and Black jockeying for whatever possible advantage in preparation for this coming, decisive battle. Victory will be arriving soon; the question of who it comes for shall be decided by these coming moves.
[[Send out raiding parties to harry and harass|SleepEvent10-18]]
[[Form single line and march unto the enemy as one|SleepEvent10-18]]
[[Garrison strong defensive points and wait for her|SleepEvent10-18]]<p>Black and White forces clash all about the battlefield. At this point, both queens are out, completely untethered, their awesome power on full display. They fly across the board as only queens can, hurling bolts of magic and decimating entire legions at a time.
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Thou art using Ponetti's Defense against us, eh? Fitting, giveth the position of the board. Naturally, thou must suspect us to attack with Capy Barra. But thou must knoweth that Thoroughbault cancels out Capy Barra! 'Tis true of course, unless thine opponent hath studied her Azteca; which we have!"]
<p>Sounds like you're doing something right. Still, Princess Luna's experience grows more and more apparent as the course of battle progresses. Whether you like it or not, she's undoubtedly the stronger player. Small wins begin to mount for her: individually insignificant, until their combined weight is all but crushing. If you don't do something soon, defeat is all but [[inevitable|SleepEvent10-19]].<p>The longer the game drags on, the more you take notice of a certain quirk in your opponent's otherwise peerless strategy: she rarely, if ever, puts her queen at too great a risk. The Black queen never sticks around for long, instead preferring a hit-and-run approach that minimizes any danger she might face, at the cost of reducing her overall impact on the ongoing battle. The very fact that you haven't lost as of yet may very well be attributable to your own willingness to use the White queen to her full extent.
<p>A plan hatches in your subconscious mind. It gradually surfaces, coming to you in bits and pieces so as to soften the harsh reality of your situation, and what you might have to do in order to remedy [[it|SleepEvent10-20]].<p>A lull in the fighting allows for a quiet moment between you and the White queen. Even from afar, you can see a plaintive smile appear on her face, pure and white like the undriven snow. She knows as well as you do what must be done. You can't decide if that makes it any easier.
<p>That's it, the only edge Luna doesn't hold over you. If you have any hope of winning, you'll need to press that advantage for all its worth. The choice is yours: a slow, agonizing defeat as your opponent gradually tears you down piece by piece, or a chance at a window from which you might, just might, possibly snatch victory.
[[Sacrifice your White queen|SleepEvent10-21 (Sacrifice your White queen)]]
[[There must be another way|SleepEvent10-21 (Defeat)]]<p>No command was sent. She leaves you with but a look, before flying off and then over the Black lines. A move that was all her own. The only move that ever mattered.
<p>A storm of arrows fly up to greet her. A few meet their beautiful mark.
<p>Even with arrow shafts jutting out of her legs, her flanks, her wings, your White queen manages to remain aflight, though she very clearly struggles to continue doing so. She does the aerial equivalent of limping away, every other beat of her porcelain wings accompanied by a sudden and drastic drop in altitude.
<p>Sensing blood where there is none, the Black queen takes flight to pursue. Her quarry stops, waits. She catches up in short order; no point in running [[further|SleepEvent10-22 (Sacrifice your White queen)]].<p>The two Alicorns—White and Black—regard each other with quiet resolve, hesitation staying Black's horn. Black turns to look at her master. Princess Luna, stony-faced and utterly silent since this whole exchange began, fails to return her piece's gaze.
<p>An eternity passes. Luna nods.
<p>A black horn glows. A flash of unlight darkens the world. A White queen falls out of the sky.
<p>Princess Luna speaks up, (colour: "#373A77")["The game is over. 'Twould be best for thee to forfeit now."]
[[Win|SleepEvent10-23 (Win)]]
[[Forfeit|SleepEvent10-23 (Forfeit)]]<p>Your hidden pawn finally makes it out of the woods and onto the very last row. As each soldier crosses that thin white line, an unfathomably bright light starts to shine from within them. The light evaporates slowly, taking each soldier with it to disappear into the ether like a sandglass in reverse.
<p>All but one.
<p>No, the light from the others didn't evaporate. All of it, every single last bit, had channeled itself into the last remaining pony. So dazzling is her radiance that she hurts to look at. You squint your eyes and look [[anyway|SleepEvent10-24 (Win)]].<p>The light proceeds to bestow upon her the most burdening of gifts: a horn to smite her foes, wings to shield her allies, and the strength necessary to make the choices only she can.
<p>All hail the White queen, not to mention the Black king trapped beside her.
[[Checkmate|SleepEvent10-25 (Checkmate)]]//Note: Follow up dream that lets player fuck White or Black queen?//
//Note: Additional games in future dreams to increase smarts?//
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Beg pardon?"] states a very confused Princess Luna. She takes a moment to consider the new state of the board, eyes like two cosmic windows gradually widening with equal parts shock and disbelief. The crux of her situation is slow to dawn on your opponent, her reaction time having taken a rather noticeable downturn.
<p>With realization comes motivation. She furrows her brow and scans the field, searching for a path, a block, a feint, anything that might possibly lift your check. She finds no such thing.
<p>The White queen lowers her head, her horn pointed squarely at the enemy king's heart. Along with her eyes, that all-too-deadly horn starts to glow with the kind of white-hot intensity that only a thirst for vengeance can kindle. All she needs is for you to give the [[word|SleepEvent10-26 (Checkmate)]].<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Wait, please."]
<p>Princess Luna spreads her wings and glides down to land amongst her troops. She walks forward with steady, deliberate steps, her chin level and eyes affixed to the Black king directly ahead.
<p>The pair of umbral alicorns stand side by side, like a portrait of two shadows. Princess Luna touches a hoof to the Black king's shoulder, (colour: "#373A77")["You're relieved, sir. You can rest now."] With that, he lets loose a breath he'd been holding since the game began. He himself begins to evaporate, black smoke lost to the unfelt and unfeelable [[winds|SleepEvent10-27 (Checkmate)]].<p>(colour: "#373A77")["The sun,"] the Princess voices blankly, (colour: "#373A77")["'Twas in our eye from the very beginning."]
<p>She suppresses a sigh, before uttering a terser-than-typical farewell, (colour: "#373A77")["The night grows short. We shan't deny thee thy rest a moment longer. Until we meet [[again|Town1-1]]."]<p>You reluctantly issue one last command to your beleaguered king. He turns to look at you in kind from atop the walls of his marble keep, and simply nods a noble nod. With that tiny gesture comes the most violent earthquake you ever thought possible, albeit incredibly localized. The entire castle's structure seems to sway back and forth as no safe structure should, before caving in on itself in an implosion of dust and debris. When the smoke clears, only a pile of mislaid rubble remains.
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["A fine match from an even finer adversary; we could hardly ask for anything more. Ah, what fun can be gleaned from this marvelous game! We thanketh thee for reminding [[us|SleepEvent10-24 (Forfeit)]]."]<p>(colour: "#373A77")["Perhaps, if thou art willing, we can play again on another eve? The vanquishing of thy nightmares takes precedence of course, but should we ever happen to find ourselves with time in need of slaying..."]
<p>(colour: "#373A77")["May our thinking not grow too wishful; 'tis unbecoming of a Princess. We shan't keep thee any longer. Until we meet again, our glorious [[foe|Town1-1]]."]//Note: This passage can be reached prematurely by failing enough checks.//
<p>(if: (history:) contains "SleepEvent10-19")[If there was another way, you didn't see it. Not in time for it to matter anyway.](else:)[It's been a long time coming, but come it does soon enough. Nothing feels more certain. You had simply made one mistake too many, the proverbial straw to break the camel's back.]
<p>A sense of utter helplessness takes you and refuses to let go. You feel as though you can do nothing (aside from watch perhaps) as your opponent systematically outmaneuvers your each and every piece, before promptly capturing them with nary of hint of your saying otherwise. This exact scenario plays out repeatedly, again and again, until Black all but dominates the [[field|SleepEvent10-22 (Defeat)]].<p>This match was decided many a move ago. All that's left is the only piece that ever truly mattered. For her part, the Princess stops with the biting remarks, instead focusing on ending the game as painlessly as possible.
<p>It isn't long before your army has been reduced to one lonely king, alongside a smattering of whatever troops remain. Every which way you turn, you find only enemy soldiers to greet you. No escape. No recourse. In other words: checkmate.
<p>Princess Luna breaks her silence, her voice soft and reserved, (colour: "#373A77")["The game is over. 'Twould be best for thee to forfeit now. In circumstances such as these, we cannot conceive a more noble act."]
[[Forfeit|SleepEvent10-23 (Forfeit)]]<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["I look back at the bag and thought about the stallion's deal. It was no choice at all, really. I mean, what kind of monster would I be, to toss out a weary traveler from my own inn, into the rain no less? It wasn't like she was trying to stiff me neither, she had the coin to pay. And I always did pride myself over the fact that I had never denied a guest up until then. Or since."]
<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["Except that once. I told that poor mare to walk right back into that storm and not look back. She was confused at first. So I repeated myself. She bargained, then she pleaded, and finally she begged, but I was [[stubborn|ProprietorAdvice6-3]]."]<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["No. Weak. Damn me, I was weak. So she left, and I never saw hide nor hair of her or the stallion ever again. Not a day goes by that I don't wonder what I had a hoof in that day. I hope she found a place to stay that [[night|Inn1-1]]."]<p>You match his pace and try to strike up a conversation with the subdued stallion.
{(link: "Name?")[
(go-to: "Explore20-4 (Name?)")]}
{(link: "Applefarm?")[
(go-to: "Explore20-4 (Applefarm?)")]}
{(link: "Come this way often?")[
(go-to: "Explore20-4 (Come this way often?)")]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore20-4 (Name?)" and "Explore20-4 (Applefarm?)" and "Explore20-4 (Come this way often?)")[
(link-goto: "Moving kinda slow?", 'Explore20-5 (Moving kinda slow?)')]}<p>Applebloom glowers defiantly at her older sister, (colour: "#F5F498")["So, let me get this straight. You don't trust my judgment? That <b>is</b> what you're sayin', right?"]<p>
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Now you know that ain't fair, 'Bloom. You're still young an-"]<p>
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["And I don't know any better. That it now? So which is it? I dumb because I'm a child or I dumb because I'm naive?"]<p>
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["No! Um, I mean, yes! Hay and tarnation, girl! Whereja learn to be so pigheaded?"] Applejack sighs heavily, (colour: "#FDC363")["We've had this talk afore."]<p>
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["And remember what you said then, Miss Element o' [[Honesty|Farm2-4 (Here to see Applebloom)]]?"]<p><p>(colour: "#FDC363")["...Anypony who can get through Flame Geyser Swamp on her own, she don't need somepony like me babyin' her. That's what I said."]<p>
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["Yeah, ya did. If I can sneak a wagon full of pies past a chimera, don't you think I can handle one measly pony? No offense,"] she adds, gesturing your way.<p>
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["You're right, you're right,"] Applejack concedes to the little filly's point. (colour: "#FDC363")["I just… Just be careful, okay?"]<p>
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["I know, [[sis|Farm2-5 (Here to see Applebloom)]]."]<p><p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Alright, get. Go do whatever it is you two were gonna do. Holler if you need anythin', ya' hear? If I ain't in sight, I'll be in earshot,"] Applejack says, a statement faintly directed at you more so than her little sister. (colour: "#FDC363")["And 'Bloom? That chimera woulda gobbled you up if I didn't come along."] She lifts a hoof and tousles the filly's bright red hair.<p>
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["Yeah, I know that too,"] Applebloom replies, a hint of sisterly affection underscoring the sarcasm in her words. You and her set off in the direction of a more sparsely wooded portion of the orchard.<p>
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["Sorry about that. My sis can get that way sometimes. I get where she's coming from, but I ain't gonna be a young'un forever, y'know?"] While still undeniably a filly, Applebloom definitely seems a good deal wiser than her age would let on, in addition to being well on her way to becoming a young mare herself, physically [[speaking|Farm2-6 (Here to see Applebloom)]].<p><p>She leads you deeper and deeper into the orchard, until you're both standing at the base of a prodigious apple tree. A treehouse sits nestled in the sprawling branches above.<p>
<p>(colour: "#F5F498")["Sweetie and Scoots ain't here at the moment, but they should be showin' up anytime now. You find out what's been up with Silver Spoon? I assume that's why you came anywho."]<p>
{(if: $reddoor is "accept")[
(link: "Yes")[
(go-to: "Farm2-7 (Yes)")]]}
{(if: $reddoor is "accept")[
(link: "No, still looking into it")[
(go-to: "Farm2-7 (No, still looking into it)")]]}
{(if: $reddoor is "decline")[
(link: "Offer to look into Silver Spoon")[
(go-to: "Farm2-7 (Offer to look into Silver Spoon)")]]}
{(if: $reddoor is "decline")[
(link: "Still can't help")[
(go-to: "Farm2-7 (Still can't help)")]]}<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Huh, you haven't made yourself scarce yet, so I take it you're keen on joining the guild then."] She dips below the counter and comes back up with a flyer between her teeth. (colour: "#D6C160")["Here's what you're getting with the two-hundred bit initiation fee. You'll be in for life, which nets you certain privileges."]
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["I can sell you equipment and buy your valuables, you can peruse our collection of rare books, and you can hang here without getting your sorry butt tossed out by <i>moi</i>. That last bit is worth the price of admission on its own."]
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["So what do you say, chief? You in or you out?"]
{(if: $bits >= 200)[(link: "Pay the initiation fee")[(set: $bits to it - 200)(go-to: "Guild1-6 (Pay the initiation fee)")]]}
{(if: $charm >= 50)[<span class='charm'>[[Discount?|Guild1-6 (Discount? ~if pass)]]</span>]
(if: $charm < 50)[<span class='charm'>[[Discount?|Guild1-6 (Discount? ~if fail)]]</span>]}
[[Decline|Guild1-6 (Decline)]]<p>Daring continues as you look for her whereabouts. (colour: "#D6C160")["So there I was in the Atacamel Desert, lost and alone with one wing out of commish and a snake bite in the other. Everywhere I look, no matter where I turned: white sand as far as the eye could see! I was out of water. Out of time. Out of options."]
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["Thought the heat was starting to get to me too. Who do I see, just standing out there in the dunes, but the dastardly villain that left me for dead in the first place?"]
<p>At this point, you step out of a corridor and into a small out-of-the-way area hosting Daring Do and several enraptured children. Without missing a beat, Daring points at you and shouts with an exaggerated look of horror, (colour: "#D6C160")["The nefarious Doctor Oatker! Scatter, my little freedom [[fighters|Guild4-3]]!"]<p>The kids all gleefully scream, fleeing the scene with enough to alacrity to leave a stool spinning on one leg long after they've run off. Daring can't help but chuckle at her own hoofiwork. You greet her with brow raised.
<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["What? Bunch of kiddos wander in here and you think I'm <b>not</b> gonna jump at the opportunity to have them running around in here? With luck, one of them will knock over a djinn's lamp or something and get to go on an awesome [[adventure|Guild4-4]]."]<p>(colour: "#D6C160")["That should keep them busy for a while. You need anything?"]
[[Buy|Guild3-2 (Buy)]]
[[Sell|Guild3-2 (Sell)]]
[[Browse rare texts|Guild3-2 (Browse rare texts)]]
{(if: (history:) contains "Guild3-2 (Any work?)")[
(link: "Browse available bounties")[
(go-to: "Guild3-3 (Browse available bounties)")]]
(else:)[
(link: "Any work?")[
(go-to: "Guild3-2 (Any work?)")]]}
{(if: (history:) contains "Guild3-2 (Any work?)")[
(link: "Turn in bounty")[
(go-to: "Guild3-3 (Turn in bounty)")]]}
{(if: $barfightBeatdown is 0)[
(link: "Teach how to fight?")[
(go-to: "Guild3-2 (Teach how to fight?)")]]}
[[Leave|CheckTime1-1]]<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["King's Bane, dear (if: $sex is "male")[lad](else:)[girl]! Don't tell me you've never learned of it! A crying shame, (if: $sex is "male")[stallion](else:)[mare] your age ought to be making use of it whenever the <i>opportunity</i> calls for it."]
<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")["Rather not get into too much detail, but I'll say this: unless you want a couple extra teeny hooves scampering about the place, take three sprigs of 'KB', tie together with lover's twine, and brew for fifteen minutes. (if: $sex is "male")[Have your lady friend drink](else:)[Drink] immediately after, well, you know,"] the proprietor says as his eyes flicker [[downwards|Inn1-1]].<p><i>...a power-hungry general once rebelled against his king and threatened to plunge all of ancient ponydom into everlasting turmoil. Over the course of the rebellion, the king's daughter managed to fall into the general's clutches. With her came the opportunity to produce an heir of royal blood and thus legitimize his claim to the throne.
<p>Night after night, the general forced himself upon the princess. Everytime he did, it was made abundantly clear that her usefulness began and ended with giving him a child. If she did, only death would await her.
<p>The princess was given a servant, a zebra slave, to attend to her needs and eventually act as midwife when the time called for it. The slave took pity on the princess's plight and offered to forestall her fate. The slave promised that she'd bear no child, so long as she drank a tea brewed from a special herb brought back from the zebra [[homelands|Page11-2]].</i><p><i>Time and time again, the general's seed failed to take. With no real claim to the throne, few were drawn to his banner, and fortunes could only sour for the traitorous rebels. It wouldn't be long before the general's very last stronghold fell, and with it his hopes of leaving a legacy as anything more than a failed usurper.
<p>But alas, the princess did not live to see her captor's defeat. Grief-stricken, the king declared that no mare should suffer as his daughter had, and thereby ordered the slave's herb be spread across every corner of his kingdom. The plant was henceforth referred to as 'The Would-be King's Bane', or simply 'King's Bane' as it is known today...</i>
<p>You manage to transcribe (text: $pagenumber) [[pages|Payment1-1]].<p>Your first act is an audacious one, especially amongst your more subservient peers: a long term solo infiltration of Ponyville, the seat of power for the newest Equestrian princess. Over the course of several months, you intend to slowly corrupt the Elements of Harmony and turn them to your side, bringing to bear Equestria's greatest weapon against itself. Queen Chrysalis, bitter defeat still fresh in her memory, was overwhelmingly pleased with your boldness and bade you good luck in your endeavor.
<p>Unbeknownst to your liege, the gift of autonomy has left you a hunger for not just love, but also glory, pleasure, and power. As you left your brothers and sisters behind to start on the long trek to Ponyville, you thought to yourself that perhaps it was time for a new dynasty to rule over the changeling [[empire|ChangelingSpyIntro1-1]].(set: $time to 4)<p>The speck comes to you! It draws closer and closer, until at last it stands before you. The black shimmers and twinkles like the heavens at [[midnight|SleepEvent9-4]].<p>Just before you can set off from townhall, the building's front door is thrown open from within and a frazzled earth pony mare steps out. With her beige coat and smoky gray mane, she's definitely more on the mature side, though not yet mature enough to have had her hips touched by childbirth.
<p>She walks up to the railing and begins pacing to and fro with a pensive look about her face, occasionally pushing her browline glasses back to meet the bridge of her nose.
[[Ask what's wrong|Explore33-2 (Ask what's wrong)]]
[[Leave her alone|Explore33-2 (Leave her alone)]]<p>You approach the troubled mare and ask what's on gnawing at her mind.
<p>(colour: "#DCCDA5")["Gracious me, my apologies, I must not have noticed you. How can I be of service? Don't let it be said that Ponyville's mayor doesn't make time for her..."] She stops mid-sentence as her unexpectedly youthful eyes scan your unfamiliar face. (colour: "#DCCDA5")["...I was going to say, 'her citizens', but I don't recognize you, which means you're not from around here. In that case, don't let it be said that Ponyville's mayor doesn't give the warmest welcome in Ponyville."]
<p>She gives you a smile that would make even the surliest drunk this side of the Smokey Mountains feel right at home. It's quick to melt away however. In its stead, a lighthearted smirk appears. (colour: "#DCCDA5")["Oh, who am I kidding? Pinkie took that title a long time ago. But nevermind that. Were you asking for something? A place to stay? A bite to eat? I can heartily recommend Ponyville's own <i>Hay Burger</i>. Tell them Mayor Mare sent you!"]
[[You're the mayor?|Explore33-3 (You're the mayor?)]]
[[What kind of name is 'Mayor Mare'?|Explore33-3 (What kind of name is 'Mayor Mare'?)]]
[[Something on your mind?|Explore33-3 (Something on your mind?)]]<p>(colour: "#DCCDA5")["Of Ponyville and Ponyville's incorporated areas: yes. And when the situation calls for it, also its notary, auditor, magistrate, et cetera and et cetera. Ponyville isn't a big town. You'd think, what with Twilight—ahem—<b>Princess</b> Twilight living so closeby, a local mayor would be somewhat redundant. Feels like my workload has tripled if anything."]
[[What kind of name is 'Mayor Mare'?|Explore33-3 (What kind of name is 'Mayor Mare'?)]]
[[Something on your mind?|Explore33-3 (Something on your mind?)]]<p>(colour: "#DCCDA5")["Hah! Don't give it too much thought, just a nickname that stuck. My mother and father are a lot of things, but prophetic? Definitely not."]
[[You're the mayor?|Explore33-3 (You're the mayor?)]]
[[Something on your mind?|Explore33-3 (Something on your mind?)]]<p>You tell the Mayor she'll wear a path down into the basement at the rate she's pacing back and forth.
<p>She sighs, (colour: "#DCCDA5")["Am I that obvious? I suppose there's no point <i>not</i> telling you. Somepony else will, sooner or later."]
<p>(colour: "#DCCDA5")["Long story short, when the Elements are battling their monster of the week in the town square or getting all the townsponies enslaved beneath an impenetrable dome, emotions tend to get a little heated. The ponies that don't immediately blame me might go to the castle, just to get a canned response from Twilight's glorified secretary. <i>Then</i> they blame [[me|Explore33-4 (Something on your mind?)]]."]<p>(colour: "#DCCDA5")["Say, would you mind helping me out with something? I need to know how much Princess Twilight plans on contributing to the town's emergency fund, but I'm too busy to see her myself and my assistants have been getting the stonewall treatment. You're a new face. Maybe you'll have an easier time getting an audience. How about it? I'll make it worth your while."]
[[I'll see what I can do|Explore33-5 (I'll see what I can do)]]
[[Not right now|Explore33-5 (Not right now)]]<p>You don't make any promises, but you tell the Mayor you'll make an attempt to speak to Twilight on her behalf.
<p>(colour: "#DCCDA5")["Really? Oh thank you thank you thank you!"] Mayor Mare begins prancing in place, practically giddy with relief. She's quick to recompose herself however, (colour: "#DCCDA5")["Let us hope this is the start of a long and fruitful partnership. There'll be more work where that came from, once you get back to me. Until then, good day to you, (if: $sex is "male")[(link: "sir")[(go-to: "CheckTime1-1")]](else:)[(link: "miss")[(go-to: "CheckTime1-1")]]."](set: $time to it + 1)(set: $castleTwilight to it + (a: 'CastleTwilight1-1'))(set: $quidProQuo to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#DCCDA5")["I need a definitive answer on that emergency fund soon. Any later and the chamber of commerce will be calling for my head. Come see me if you [[reconsider|CheckTime1-1]]."](set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore34-1'))<p>(if: (history:) contains "Explore33-5 (Not right now)")[You leave the Mayor [[alone|CheckTime1-1]].](else:)[Clearly, this mare wants her space. You obligingly leave the veranda all to [[herself|CheckTime1-1]].](set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore34-1'))<p>Once again, you find (if: (history:) contains "Explore33-5 (Not right now)")[Mayor Mare](else:)[the older mare] pacing about the townhall's porch. She doesn't seem to have relaxed one bit since you last saw her.
{(if: (history:) contains "Explore33-5 (Not right now)")[
(link: "Offer to see Twilight for her")[
(go-to: "Explore33-5 (I'll see what I can do)")]]
(else:)[
(link: "Ask what's wrong")[
(go-to: "Explore33-2 (Ask what's wrong)")]]}
[[Leave her alone|Explore33-2 (Leave her alone)]]<p>You open your coinpurse to set a lunch budget. Judging by the contents, you could maybe go to Café Hay and eat the flowers they set the tables with. No wait, those are the actual appetizers, so even that's out of the question.
<p>There is always <i>that</i> option. To be more specific, the option that's all around you and completely free. That is to say, you could trot out to some nearby pasture and start grazing like some filthy fucking animal, or a cow. Now, you're no prude, but grazing fell out of public etiquette a good while ago and anypony caught eating off the ground is going to be called out for it regardless of whether or not grass is involved. That much is a given.
<p>On the other hoof, you also want to not die. So in the interests of avoiding a slow wasting death by starvation, you make your way towards some literal greener [[pastures|Explore12-3]].<p>You eventually settle on a secluded meadow on the outskirts of town. Tall trees line the perimeter of the meadow, a comforting barrier from any prying eyes that might be near. Though numerous hoofprints are scattered across the ground, the area seems empty enough. You look around one last time, before lowering your head to the ground and the luscious aroma of wild grass fills your nostrils. You get cold hooves for a brief moment, pausing to consider a number of alternative avenues, from borrowing bits or pilfering produce, but a fresh wave of stomach cramps sweep away any and all remaining traces of hesitation.
<p>No sense delaying any further. You close your eyes and a tuft of grass enters your mouth. Most of the meadow is hidden away under the shade of willows, leaving your impromptu lunch cool and crisp with morning dew. You bite down and tear the grass away. It tastes overwhelmingly of nature; a tall glass of cool spring water would be absolutely perfect right about now. Before long, you're happily chomping away at the tasty turf below, your tail swishing back and forth contentedly. Contrary to what you were expecting, you actually find yourself savoring every blade of [[gra|Explore12-4]]-<p>(colour: "#55ACF3")["-MAJESTO!"] Behind you, a brilliant flash of light momentarily illuminates the meadow, accompanied by the frenzied shouts of an overly theatrical mare.
<p>(colour: "#55ACF3")["Voila! Be amazed by the dazzling display of mystifying magic you have all just borne witness! With the help of Trixie's lovely guest assistant, you have all been magically teleported to this clearing!"]
<p>You turn around to find an entire stage and accompanying audience has appeared behind you. Fortunately, the applauding audience has their backs turned towards you. Unfortunately, (if: $time > 9)[Trixie](else:)[the onstage magician] might spot you at any moment. If you can sneak away quietly, you just may be able to end the day with some dignity [[intact|Explore12-5]].<p>(colour: "#55ACF3")["Teleporting a single pony: a difficult feat in of itself. Teleporting an entire audience? Impossible, were we not the Great and Powerful Duo of Trixie and Starlight! You will find complimentary sick bags beneath your seats... hey, you there! Pony in the back! Why do you abscond? Do we bore you so much that you'd rather slink away than further endure our show?! Wait... oh."]
<p>'Oh' is a major understatement. You swallow whatever grassy mush is in your mouth with a pained gulp. The grass stains on your chin however aren't so easily concealed. The crowd is already quieting down and turning their collective gaze towards you. If their whispering is any indication, everypony obviously knows what you've been up [[to|Explore12-6]].<p>Various ponies voice their thoughts out loud:
(colour: "#C0B6FF")["Is (if: $sex is "male")[he](else:)[she] grazing?"]
(colour: "#F8CC6A")["Eating grass off the ground, in this day and age?!"]
(colour: "#C7CBC9")["Do you think that pony is doing okay? (if: $sex is "male")[He](else:)[She] can't be, nopony would actually graze if they had a choice."]
(colour: "#ECEFB2")["Listen here hun, if you're hungry, you come straight to momma. You don't ever resort to what that poor pony's doing."]
(colour: "#AF966A")["Isn't that the pony that just blew into town?"]
(colour: "#CBF4A0")["Harumph, youngins these days thinken' they're too good fer manners."]
(colour: "#EAC4C8")["I had no idea some ponies in Ponyville were so bad off. Maybe I should start a soup [[kitchen|Explore12-7]]."]<p>Blood rushes to your cheeks. Your vision blurs with fresh tears that tug at the corners of your eyes. Well, this could've gone a lot better. You've only just arrived, and already you're gonna be known as the pony that eats off the ground. On the bright side, at least you don't have to worry about starving to death anymore. Dying of shame is so much quicker.
<p>You start backing up. Just as you are about to turn tail and gallop away as fast as your legs can carry you, a cyan pegasus flies out of the crowd and gently lands next to you. Rainbow Dash. She gives you a reassuring smile.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Heya (text: $name), small world huh? Is that a new manecut? 'Cause it looks like a new manecut and it is stylin'~,"] she says nonchalantly. (colour: "#A3DEF8")["Oh, dude! You're on that new grass roots diet too?! That's crazy! I heard it was good, but I didn't think it would catch on that fast! Speaking of, I am [[starving|Explore12-8]]."]<p>Before everypony's eyes, Rainbow Dash sniffs at a clump of grass before eagerly devouring it in a highly exaggerated manner, doing her best to chew and swallow as loudly as possible. She finishes off with a rowdy burp, individual blades of grass still clinging to her lower lip.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Oh yeah, that's the stuff. Can't beat getting it straight from the source, am I right? Just feels more, I dunno, more natural that way. Not that I care all that much where my chow comes from, I just heard this diet can really bring out the shine in pegasus feathers. A <i>Wonderbolt's</i> always gotta look her best after all,"] she says, ruffling her feathers.
<p>Rainbow's rambling stops you in your tracks. And everypony else for that matter, if their newfound silence is anything to go by. Seems it's getting late enough that the crickets are starting to come out. Rainbow looks at you confidently, her head held high and [[proud|Explore12-9]].<p>After what feels like an eternity, the crowd finally breaks the silence with some fresh perspective:
(colour: "#EAE4CE")["Rainbow's such a weirdo."]
(colour: "#7A80A0")["Don't chew with your mouth open!"]
(colour: "#B0F7B9")["I'm tellin' yah, all that air rushin' through a head does a pony no good. Does things to the noggin."]
(colour: "#C0B5F5")["Me thinks Rainbow Dash has done one too many sonic rainbooms, if you guys catch my drift."]
(colour: "#EDF9F0")["That reminds me, I really should trim the lawn. Who did I lend my scythe to again?"]
(colour: "#A2EC74")["Hah, Rainbow's a carpet [[muncher|Explore12-10]]!"]<p>(if: $time > 9)[Trixie](else:)[The magician] launches a firecracker that sails over the crowd and explodes overhead in a vibrant display of sparks. Having commandeered the mob's attention, she exclaims, (colour: "#55ACF3")["Enough! I will not have Trixie's show turn into a roast. To the park we return! PRESTO-"] With that, she stamps her hooves and the entire stage and audience disappears in a familiar burst of light, leaving you and Rainbow Dash alone.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Well that didn't go exactly according to plan, but I'll take it."]
<p>You turn to Rainbow and sheepishly thank her for committing social suicide on your behalf.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Oh that? Don't mention it dude. Ponyville gossip doesn't leave Ponyville, and I bet everypony'll forget all about this by this time tomorrow, a few days tops. That kind of thing tends to happen we get attacked by some super villain every other month. How many has it been so far, four I think? I'm starting to lose count [[honestly|Explore12-11]]."]<p>You thank her again regardless. You try to salve your wounded pride by asking if you can somehow repay her.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Repay me huh? Well now that you mention it, there is one thing I can think of. How 'bouts I join you for dinner? I phrased that like a question, but that wasn't really a question. I really am starving."] She lets out a coy laugh.
<p>(colour: "#A3DEF8")["Now, where were we?"] Rainbow Dash returns her head to the ground and gingerly nibbles at the grass below, a far cry from her earlier behavior. You smile for what feels like the first time today, ambling up to graze beside her. The two of you spend the rest of the day eating, talking, and basking in each other's company. As the stars start to twinkle in the twilight sky, the grass somehow tastes all the [[sweeter|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>The park fountain comes into view. You see a fair number of coins scattered beneath the water's surface.
{(if: $bits >= 1)[
(link: "Make a wish")[
(go-to: "Explore35-2 (Make a wish)")]]}
[[Fish out some coins|Explore35-2 (Fish out some coins)]]
[[Do nothing|Explore35-2 (Do nothing)]]<p>You take out a single bit and think hard on what you want, before tossing it into the fountain. Who knows? Maybe this will be the one that comes [[true|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore35-1'))(set: $bits to it - 1)(set: $time to it + 1)<p>After a quick glance around, you (if: $race is "unicorn")[focus your mind and concentrate on lifting a few coins out of the water](else:)[gingerly step into the fountain and gather a few coins], making sure not to take too many so as to make your theft [[noticeable|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore35-1'))(set: $bits to it + 4)(set: $time to it + 1)<p>You content yourself with staring at the water's surface and enjoying its unbroken [[reflection|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore35-1'))<p>(if: $date >= 18 or (history:) contains "Explore36-2 (Do some tai chi)")[As before, Aloe and Lotus](else:)[Two mares] cheerfully invite you to join in on their (if: $time is 1)[early morning](else-if: $time is 2)[midday](else:)[afternoon] tai chi session.(if: $date >= 18 or (history:) contains "Explore36-1")[](else:)[ Judging by their matching, albeit inverted, pink and blue color schemes, it's obvious you're looking at a pair of twins.]
[[Do some tai chi|Explore36-2 (Do some tai chi)]]
[[Decline|Explore36-2 (Decline)]]<p>You do some quick stretches, before falling into position behind the twins and (if: $date >= 18 or (history:) contains "Explore36-2 (Do some tai chi)")[adopting their familiar stance once more. You still net a smile or two, but at least you're getting better at [[this|CheckTime1-1]].](else:)[doing your best to approximate their graceful, bowed stances. Your attempt manages to elicit some lighthearted giggling from the two mares in front of you. They're quick to give you tips on how to improve your form, which does a wonderful job of making the whole encounter feel more welcoming than [[awkward|CheckTime1-1]].](set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore36-1'))(if: $temp is 1)[(set: $brawn to it + 1)](else:)[(set: $speed to it + 1)]<p>You decline the sisters' [[invitation|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore36-1'))<p>A small, brownish blur darts out from around a corner and makes a mad dash directly for your unsuspecting form. It weaves between your legs with lightning speed and tickles your shins with coarse canine fur.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["C'mon Winona! You need a bath, girl!"] Applebloom shouts, before hothoofing it around the corner herself. Upon seeing you, she urges, (colour: "#FDC363")["Quick (text: $name), grab her!"]
{(if: $speed >= 36)[<span class='speed'>[[Grab Winona|Applebloom4-2 (Grab Winona ~if pass)]]</span>]
(if: $speed < 36)[<span class='speed'>[[Grab Winona|Applebloom4-2 (Grab Winona ~if fail)]]</span>]}
[[Stay out of it|Applebloom4-2 (Stay out of it)]]<p>You easily grab hold of Winona before she can run off. The wily pooch lightly struggles against your grasp, trying to slip out more so than break out. When it becomes apparent she can't, she opts to start viciously licking your face instead. If that tail currently beating at your limbs is any indication, this is one dog having time of her life.
<p>Applebloom finally catches up and gives her weary ultimatum, (colour: "#FDC363")["Okay girl. You had your fun. Bath time."] Winona's ears perk up at her master's words. She effortlessly wiggles out of your grasp, before running to Applebloom's side and planting herself beside the filly with all the steadfastness of a centuries old oak. (colour: "#FDC363")["Thanks for the assist, (text: $name). I owe you [[one|CheckTime1-1]]."](set: $time to it + 1)(set: $applebloom to it + (a: 'Applebloom4-1'))<p>Winona scampers away just before you can collapse on her. She stops a short distance away and turns around to give you a playful bow, clearly an invitation to chase after her.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Gosh darn it, girl,"] Applebloom says, coming up from behind, (colour: "#FDC363")["Some of us got other chores to do after this!"] Winona replies with an indignant bark. (colour: "#FDC363")["What? I consider pie tasting a chore."] You and Applebloom spend the next hour trying (and failing) to trap Winona between the two of [[you|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $applebloom to it + (a: 'Applebloom4-1'))<p>You refuse to budge, even as Applebloom approaches, and Winona continues treating your legs like her own personal agility course. As the little farm filly nears, Winona pokes her head out from underneath you to waggle her ears at her master. She doesn't stay put for long however; the rascally pooch doesn't even give Applebloom a chance to get close, scampering away with the kind of ease and guile only a practiced herding dog cam possess.
<p>(colour: "#FDC363")["Great. Just. Great."] Applebloom pants out, a weary resignation about her words. She wastes no time chasing after her pet, currently sitting/taunting from atop a distant [[knoll|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $applebloom to it + (a: 'Applebloom4-1'))The mailbox is empty.
[[Back|Home1-1]]<p>(colour: "#CBAB60")[Thanks for returning something very precious to me. Consider this month's rent paid.] -Management.
[[Back|Home1-1]]<p>You can't help but smile at the notion of somepony coming across a red smear on the ground and wondering where it came from. In fact, the idea tickles your fancy so much that you'd like nothing more than to be there when it happens. To that end, you take off running towards the free-falling mare's future [[crater|Explore2-4]].<p>You easily perceive the pegasi's stunts for what they really are: a braggart's plea for attention. Unfortunately for her, you're not at all inclined to indulge the stroking of anypony's ego. You avert your eyes from the mare out of spite.
<p>The situation comes to a head when she finally crash lands in a nearby dirt field, the impact itself obscured by a thick cloud of ensuing dust. You raise a foreleg to shield your eyes, unsure of what you'll find.
<p>You expect the crumpled form of an injured pony, but as the dust clears, an upright figure gradually materializes from the gloom. The falling mare stands before you with wings outstretched, glossy cyan fur drenched in sweat and a striking rainbow mane swept back wildly, but completely unharmed otherwise. Her eyes are closed; her head held high. Her chest visibly rises and falls with deep, greedy gulps of [[air|Explore2-5]].<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["S-sorry? I don't think I heard you right. It sounded like you said <i>zero</i>."]
[[I broke in|Explore4-8 (I broke in)]]
[[I said 90%|Explore4-7 (90%)]]
[[I said 95%|Explore4-7 (95%)]]
[[I said 100%|Explore4-7 (100%)]]<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["So let me get this straight: you were <i>not</i> in fact sent up by Starlight? Instead, you went past the sign, trespassed into my castle, and wandered around until you came in here? All that, just to speak with me?"] the Princess asks, not nearly as alarmed you'd thought she would be, (colour: "#D19FE4")["Huh. I suppose I should be upset, but to be honestly, I feel flattered more than anything else. I'll always appreciate a pony putting their best hoof [[forward|Explore4-8]]."]<p>You reenter the Castle of Friendship to find it more or less unchanged since your last visit. A potted plant here and there would do wonders to liven up the place.
{(link: "Try to see Princess Twilight")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$castleTwilight))
(set: $page to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}
{(if: $page is (a:))[
(link: "Transcribe books")[
(go-to: "Page10-1")]]
(else:)[
(link: "Transcribe books")[
(go-to: "Castle2-3 (Transcribe books)")]]}
{(link: "Leave")[
(set: $friendshipCastle to it + (a: 'Castle5-1'))
(go-to: "CheckTime1-1")]}<p>You find Princess Twilight in the map room, her nose buried between the yellowed pages of an ancient-looking tome. The book in front of her is made all the more conspicuous by the various scrolls littering the table's surface, the vast majority with seals still unbroken.
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["Hello (text: $name)."] Twilight glances up to regard you. (colour: "#D19FE4")["Something on your mind?"] she asks, her eyes occasionally flitting downward to get in a word or two.
{(if: $quidProQuo is 1)[
(link: "Mayor Mare sent me")[
(go-to: "CastleTwilight1-2 (Quid Pro Quo)")]]}
[[Leave|CastleTwilight1-2 (Leave)]]<p>You arrive at the rally field only to find it curiously empty, your exercise partner nowhere to be found. In spite of all the grief she might give you, even you have to admit that working out isn't nearly as fulfilling without somepony there to revel with in your victories and make light of your shortcomings.
[[Look around for Rainbow Dash|Rally10-2]]<p>Having failed to find any trace of Rainbow near the running track, you decide to try your luck at the neighboring obstacle course instead.
<p>Despite searching high and low, it doesn't seem like Rainbow Dash will be turning up anytime soon. In her stead however, you encounter a young pegasus perched atop one of the surrounding bleachers. The gloomy colt glowers at nothing in particular, with the kind of amorphous anger that only the tribulations of youth can beget. His scowl only seems to widen a your approach.
<p>(colour: "#E2E2EA")["Hey, you (text: $name)?"] He asks once you are within earshot.
[[Yes|Rally10-3 (Yes)]]
[[No|Rally10-3 (No)]] <p>(colour: "#E2E2EA")["Rainbow Dash wanted (if: (history:) contains "Rally10-3 (No)")[them](else:)[you] to know that she couldn't make it today. Also, (if: (history:) contains "Rally10-3 (No)")[they](else:)[you] smell."]
[[Name?|Rally10-4 (Name?)]]
[[Here often?|Rally10-4 (Here often?)]](if: (history:) contains "Rally10-4 (Here often?)")[
(link: "The Wonderbolts come here?")[(go-to: "Rally10-4 (The Wonderbolts come here?)")]]
{(if: $sex is "male")[(link: "Why so glum?")[(go-to: "Rally10-4 (Why so glum? ~if male)")]](else:)[(link: "Why so glum?")[(go-to: "Rally10-4 (Why so glum? ~if female)")]]}
[[Rainbow Dash wants me to know I smell?|Rally10-4 (Rainbow Dash wants me to know I smell?)]]
[[You smell!|Rally10-4 (You smell!)]]
{(if: (history:) contains "Rally10-4 (You smell!)")[(link: "Smell you later!")[(go-to: "Rally10-4 (Smell you later!)")]]}<p>(colour: "#E2E2EA")["I'm Rumble. Nice meeting you,"] he says disingenuously. (colour: "#E2E2EA")["Guess we're best friends now. Wanna get matching bracelets?"]
[[Ask something else|Rally10-3 (Yes)]]<p>(colour: "#E2E2EA")["When I can be, yeah. My brother is on the Wonderbolts' secondary team. He likes to train here. When he's around anyway. Some of the other secondaries come here too when they rotate out. They always tell me how great of a guy my brother is, how much fun it is working with him. Yeah, I bet."]
[[Ask something else|Rally10-3 (Yes)]]<p>(if: (history:) contains "Rally10-4 (Name?)")[Rumble](else:)[The colt] considers you for a good moment or two, before tepidly saying, (colour: "#E2E2EA")["You don't look all that old, so I guess I can tell you."]
<p>You file away a quick mental note to get back at the colt someday as he continues, (colour: "#E2E2EA")["It's just, what's the deal with (if: $sex is "female")[you] girls? (if: $sex is "female")[You](else:)[They] say one thing, but (if: $sex is "female")[you](else:)[they] mean something else. Everything has to be so complicated (if: $sex is "female")[all the time](else:)[with them]. Why can't it just be easy!?"]
<p>(colour: "#E2E2EA")["The worst part is..,"] he pauses to search for the right words, (colour: "#E2E2EA")[",..I can't stop thinking about (if: $sex is "female")[you](else:)[them]. I-I'm just in a weird place right now, alright?"]
{(if: $charm >= 60)[<span class='charm'>(link: "Maybe I can cheer you up?")[(go-to: "Rally10-5 (Maybe I can cheer you up? ~if pass)")]</span>](else:)[<span class='charm'>(link: "Maybe I can cheer you up?")[(go-to: "Rally10-5 (Maybe I can cheer you up? ~if fail)")]</span>]}
[[Ask something else|Rally10-3 (Yes)]]<p>The colt takes a long, hard look at you. His youthful face, every so slightly feminine, proves easy enough to read. A battle rages on behind his eyes, of decisions being weighed and possibilities being considered.
<p>(colour: "#E2E2EA")["...w-what do you have in mind?"] He finally asks rather tepidly, trying hard not to sound too interested.
[[Something wet|Rally10-6 (Something wet)]]
[[Something tight|Rally10-6 (Something tight)]]{(if: $sex is "male")[
[[Something hard|Rally10-6 (Something hard)]]]
}
[[Nevermind|Rally10-3 (Yes)]]<p>(if: $sex is "male")[(colour: "#E2E2EA")["There's only one thing I do with my butt and it doesn't involves putting something back up there."]](else:)[Your suggestion clearly catches (if: (history:) contains "Rally10-4 (Name?)")[Rumble](else:)[the little colt] off guard. His delicate lashes flutter briefly, hinting at the internal battle being fought behind them. Finally, he stammers out, (colour: "#E2E2EA")["I-I don't think that would be okay."]]
<p>The conversation proves too awkward to continue. Best to put it on hold for [[now|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(if: (history:) contains "Rally10-4 (Name?)")[Rumble](else:)[The colt] blows you a raspberry, before folding his legs. He makes it a habit to avoid your gaze from now on.
{(if: $charm >= 30)[<span class='charm'>(link: "I can keep a secret")[(go-to: "Rally10-4 (Why so glum? ~if male)")]</span>](else:)[<span class='charm'>(link: "I can keep a secret")[(go-to: "Rally10-5 (I can keep a secret ~if fail)")]</span>]}
[[Ask something else|Rally10-3 (Yes)]]<p>(if: (history:) contains "Rally10-4 (Name?)")[Rumble](else:)[The colt] eyes you warily, still tight-lipped as ever. Seems you failed to convince him of your good intentions.
[[Ask something else|Rally10-3 (Yes)]]<p>(colour: "#E2E2EA")["(if: (history:) contains "Rally10-3 (No)")[Ah-ha! I knew it! You are (text: $name)! I was right! Yes! Why am I so pumped up about this!?](else:)[Eh, that one's on the house.]"]
[[Ask something else|Rally10-3 (Yes)]]<p>(colour: "#E2E2EA")["No, you smell!"]
[[You smell!|Rally10-4 (You smell!)]]
[[Ask something else|Rally10-3 (Yes)]]<p>Rumble furrows his brow for a moment, before giving you a begrudging nod that says 'you win this [[round|CheckTime1-1]]'.(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#E2E2EA")["Whatever. Not like I care that Rainbow Dash had a message for them."]
[[What's the message?|Rally10-3 (Yes)]]<p>You enter Carousel Boutique to find its owner pouring over today's issue of <i>The Canterlot Chronicle</i>. (colour: "#9575E5")["(text: $name)! Come in, come in. Please, make yourself comfortable, I've very nearly finished,"] Rarity says, referring to the newspaper in front of [[her|Boutique4-2]].<p>You obligingly wait for Rarity to finish. Every so often, the ivory mare will shake her head dismissively, or let out the occasional 'tut-tut'. Something even manages to extract the mildest sigh. A good couple of minutes pass and your host shows no sign of tearing herself away from her paper.
[[Read anything interesting?|Boutique4-3 (Read anything interesting?)]]
[[Keep quiet|Boutique4-3 (Keep quiet)]]<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Nevermind me, just bemoaning the current state of Equestrian nobility is all. Have a listen for yourself: 'Pervy prince pursues pachyderm prostitutes'. Apparently, our very own Prince Blueblood has a penchant for elephant body parts, and I'm not talking about those prodigious ears."]
<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["And to think, I was into him once upon a time,"] Rarity gives a bemused roll of her eyes, (colour: "#9575E5")["That feels like a lifetime ago. Tell me, what's happened to all the romance in the world? Has it really all dried up? Surely, there must be reserves of the stuff left [[somewhere|CheckTime1-1]]."]
{(if: $sex is "female")[
(link: "Can't be all bad")[
(go-to: "Boutique4-4 (Can't be all bad)")]]}<p>Rarity flicks her eyes over to you for a brief moment. She proceeds to cough, a dainty sound masquerading as an invitation to converse on her terms.
[[Read anything interesting?|Boutique4-3 (Read anything interesting?)]]
[[Remain quiet|Boutique4-3 (Read anything interesting?)]]<p>(colour: "#9575E5")["Hmm, you know what? Perhaps I spoke to soon. Do yourself a favor, my dear, and find yourself a stallion like Twilight's brother. Shining Armor is living proof that chivalry is indeed alive and [[well|CheckTime1-1]]."]<p>To your surprise, you stumble upon a sleeping Octavia carelessly left on a park bench. The passed out mare lies on her stomach, with one foreleg resting beneath her chin, the other dangling over the edge and very deliberately placed atop a large case stashed on the ground underneath.
<p>Before you can do anything else, two colts barrel their way into view, facing the side of the bench currently occupied by Octavia's shapely [[ass|Explore37-2]].<p>(colour: "#F4A75B")["You sure she's still here? What if she woke up? What if she wakes up while we're..?"]
<p>(colour: "#989898")["Will you relax? I'm telling you, she comes here everyday and knocks out for like a solid hour. She's not gonna wake up. I've seen birds land on her head! And guess what? Her ears barely twitched!"]
<p>(colour: "#F4A75B")["I still don't know about this, Dust. This just doesn't feel ri-"] The lagging colt stops mid-sentence as the pair finally become aware of your presence. The three of you stare at each other for a brief, awkward moment, before the second colt erupts with a succession of sudden, (colour: "#F4A75B")["SORRY SORRY [[SO|Explore37-3]]-"]<p>A swift elbow to the ribs from the colt going by 'Dust' curtails the stream of apologies. You can just barely hear the accompanying whisper, (colour: "#989898")["Pipe down and let me do the talking, or else we'll both be kissing our hineys goodbye!"]
<p>(colour: "#989898")["Right, like my friend here said, (if: $sex is "male")[mister](else:)[ma'am], sorry we couldn't find a grownup sooner! We were both worried about her,”] referring to Octavia. (colour: "#989898")[“Shouldn't grownups know better than to take naps outside? Thank goodness we all found her before some monster or changeling did!"] Even as the anxious colt is explaining himself, both lads can't help but steal fleeting glances at Octavia's tail (or, more likely, the sweet honeypot hidden behind that tail). (colour: "#989898")["Looks like she's in safe hooves, so we'll just be on our way!"] The two spin about to flee the way they came.
[[Let them go|Explore37-4 (Let them go)]]
[[Order them to stop|Explore37-4 (Order them to stop)]]<p>The two colts waste no time making their escape, leaving you alone with an unconscious Octavia. Her sleep remains undisturbed, evidently heedless of the frantic whispering that had just transpired.
[[Wake her up|Explore37-5 (Wake her up)]]
[[Take advantage of her|Explore37-5 (Wake her up)]]
[[Leave her alone|Explore37-5 (Leave her alone)]]<p>The fleeing pair pay no heed to your command, leaving you alone with an unconscious Octavia. Her sleep remains undisturbed, evidently heedless of the frantic whispering that had just transpired.
[[Wake her up|Explore37-5 (Wake her up)]]
[[Take advantage of her|Explore37-5 (Wake her up)]]
[[Leave her alone|Explore37-5 (Leave her alone)]]<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["On zhat, vee are in agreement."] With that, Octavia collects her instrument, slips past, and walks away without another [[word|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["So you did. Now zavour your reward."] With that, Octavia collects her instrument, slips past, and walks away without another [[word|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["I could do many zhings."] With that, Octavia collects her instrument, slips past, and walks away without another [[word|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>You quietly approach the sleeping mare, taking care not to step on any wayward twigs or leaves in your path. Before long, your shadow comes to fall upon her face. You're close now, so very close. Close enough to see the sides of her torso puff out ever so slightly with each noiseless breath. Close enough to make out the faint smell of lilacs suffusing her mane. Closer to her now than you've ever been before.
<p>(colour: "#BAB8AF")["You let zhem go. Vhy?"] It is at this point, as you're standing over her, that you notice her right eye is open.
[[Not worth the effort|Explore37-6 (Not worth the effort)]]
[[Have you all to myself|Explore37-6 (Have you all to myself)]]
[[Coulda told me you were awake|Explore37-6 (Coulda told me you were awake)]]<p>You quietly depart, lest you wake the mare on the [[bench|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>You dangle the locket in front of the proprietor's face. He responds by snoring. Seems he's asleep, his unconscious gaze hidden behind silver spectacles, cheek resting atop a forehoof at a contemplative angle.
<p>Not wanting to disturb his slumber, you carefully place the locket in such a way that it'll be the first thing he sees upon waking. The question of a reward is almost mute; you're simply glad the little thing has been returned to its rightful owner. That being said, a reward would be [[nice|Inn1-1]].(set: $mailbox to it + (a: 'Mailbox1-1'))(set: $returnLocket to 2)<p>You give the mare a dismissive shrug of your shoulders. The effect is immediate. Her spirit, as well as altitude, visibly sinks. (colour: "#FCF4A4")["Oh. Okay then. Sorry to have bothered y..."] You have to strain your ears just to pick up the last half of her sentence. Whereas before she would make eye contact at every other word, the mare now refuses to lift her gaze off the ground.
<p>She shuffles her hooves in midair, before shuffling off herself in search of her dearly departed, trenchcoat-wearing pet. You don't feel it necessary to inform her that she's heading in the wrong [[direction|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $newInTown to it + 1)(if: (history:) contains "Explore3-1" and "Explore1-1")[(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore20-1'))](set: $explore to it - (a: 'Explore6-1'))<p>You collide with a smaller-than-average Diamond Dog, a shaggy-haired runt of a terrier by the looks it. (colour: "#A9A9A9")["Hey bub! What's the big idea!? I'm walkin' 'ere!"] The tiny fella is hardly more than a pup himself.
<p>(colour: "#A9A9A9")["Ooooooooh, pony!"] he exclaims once he gets a good look at you, (colour: "#A9A9A9")["Pretty pony! Ok, you are now mine, pony. I will go on many adventures, and you will be my trusty steed."] He unspools a length of rope and draws it taut between his diminutive paws. (colour: "#A9A9A9")["Now c'mere!"](set: $encounter to it + (a: 'DiamondDogRunt1-1'))
{(link: "You're fighting a Diamond Dog runt!")[
(set: $ehp to 22)
(set: $emhp to 22)
(set: $ename to "Diamond Dog Runt")
(set: $espd to 11)
(set: $turn to "you")
(set: $log to "you")
(set: $eatktemp to (datanames: $diamondDogRuntAttacks))
(set: $eatkname to (either: ...$eatktemp))
(set: $eatk to $diamondDogRuntAttacks's ($eatkname))
(set: $combatwin to "DiamondDogRunt1-2 (~if win)")
(set: $combatlose to "DiamondDogRunt1-2 (~if lose)")
(set: $runlocation to "EverfreeExit1-1")
(go-to: "Combat")]}<p>You give the Diamond Dog runt one last kick in the rear. The little guy lets out a pitiful yelp, turning tail and fleeing with said tail tucked between his legs. A few bits, pilfered no doubt, jostle their way out of his coat pockets as he [[flees|EverfreeExit1-1]].<p>(colour: "#A9A9A9")["Bahahaha! Pony is mine! We'll have the grandest time, just you wait! Can you see it? You and me running down others of your kind and holding 'em up for big shinies! Sure, you'll hate me at first, but through our shared misadventures, you'll eventually come to understand, and even respect me! Then you gets hurts and I gots to puts you down. Much sad."] He honestly sounds pretty torn up over your eventual demise.
<p>Immobilized by your injuries, you can do nothing as the runt makes a beeline for your backside. (colour: "#A9A9A9")["Pony's even got saddlebags already!"] He clambers at your side, trying desperately to raise his leg high enough to mount your back. An errant kick manages to open your saddlebag. (colour: "#A9A9A9")["Ooooooooh, pony's got shines!"] The Diamond Dog runt immediately forgets what he's doing, reaching into your saddlebag and pilfering a few bits for himself. He casually walks off, counting his misbegotten loot as he does {(link: "so")[(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfreeExit))(set: $everfreeExit to it - (a: _psg))(set: $everfreeExit to it + (a: 'EverfreeExit1-1'))(go-to: _psg)]}.<p>The muscles around your mouth give way to a ill-tempered scowl. Pumpkin looks immediately shocked and offended, or at least as shocked and offended a baby can look. In response, she puffs up her own face and shoots back with an equally ugly grimace of her own. Despite all that, even you have to admit the kid is still cute as a button. An angry, murderous, cute little button.<p>
<p>Mr. Cake, having been preoccupied with keeping his infant charge from squirming out his grasp, evidently missed your little faceoff. (colour: "#FFDA3B")["I see somepony's still a bit cranky-wanky. Is that somepony hungry? Let's go find your bottle, honeybear."] Mr. Cake starts for the kitchen door, with Pumpkin blowing raspberries at you from over his shoulder all the [[while|CheckTime1-1]].<p>(set: $time to it + 1)<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["Mhmm,"] Twilight acknowledges. She hardly even looks up from her [[book|CheckTime1-1]].<p>You let the Princess know of Mayor Mare's current predicament.
<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")["Oooh right right right, the emergency fund."] She puts her book down and surveys the vast sea of scrolls strewn out before her, before selecting and passing you one such specimen. (colour: "#D19FE4")["Ah hem,"] she clears her voice, (colour: "#D19FE4")["I trust you'll have this delivered in a timely manner?"]
(colour: "#D19FE4")["Not that it needs to be; no real deadline or anything. Just seemed like something a princess would say in this situation. Did that sound princessy enough to you? Princesses should be <i>commanding</i>, right? Maybe I'll give that a try."] Princess Twilight begins reciting various orders in what she must think is a <i>commanding</i> tone of [[voice|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $quidProQuo to 2)(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore38-1','Explore38-1','Explore38-1','Explore38-1','Explore38-1','Explore38-1','Explore38-1','Explore38-1','Explore38-1','Explore38-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)<p>You find Mayor Mare sitting on the porch of townhall. Her forehooves dangle lackadaisical off the topmost step. She looks off into the distance with a blank expression on her face, staring at nothing in particular.
{(if: $smarts >= 30)[<span class='smarts'>[[Follow her gaze|Explore38-2 (Follow her gaze ~if pass)]]</span>]
(else:)[<span class='smarts'>[[Follow her gaze|Explore38-2 (Follow her gaze ~if fail)]]</span>]}
[[Turn in Twilights's scroll|Explore38-2 (Turn in Twilights's scroll)]]
[[Leave her be|Explore38-2 (Leave her be)]]<p>You trace the path of her gaze, drawing a line between her and the object of her attention. At the end of that line: a young mare, with both eyes hidden behind her hooves, and the giggling foal directly in front of her. The mare throws her hooves up suddenly, causing the foal to fall over backwards laughing. You look back at the Mayor. A small smile graces her lips.
<p>(colour: "#DCCDA5")["Ah, (text: $name),] she says, snapping out of her daze and back into her usual, professional demeanor. (colour: "#DCCDA5")["I assume you have something for me? From the Princess I mean, though I will accept a box of chocolate if you have one."]
[[Turn in Twilights's scroll|Explore38-2 (Turn in Twilights's scroll)]]
[[No|Explore38-2 (Leave her be)]]<p>Try as you might, you just can't seem to pinpoint where the Mayor's gaze falls.
<p>(colour: "#DCCDA5")["Ah, (text: $name),] she says, snapping out of her daze and back into her usual, professional demeanor. (colour: "#DCCDA5")["I assume you have something for me? From the Princess I mean, though I will accept a box of chocolate if you have one."]
[[Turn in Twilights's scroll|Explore38-2 (Turn in Twilights's scroll)]]
[[No|Explore38-2 (Leave her be)]]<p>(if: $race is "unicorn")[Using magic, you](else-if: $race is "pegasus")[Using your wing, you](else:)[You] retrieve the scroll from your saddlebag and deliver it to the Mayor. Once it's in her hooves, she promptly and unceremoniously breaks the wax seal, thus unfurling the rolled-up piece of parchment for her to scrutinize.
<p>(colour: "#DCCDA5")["Dear Mayor Mare, may you find this letter well, yada yada yada, allow me to state, blah blah blah, sympathize with your concerns, et cetera and et cetera, do all we can to ensure the, so on and so forths..,"] the mayor recites, clearly glossing over words she has seen many a time over. Her brow narrows as she reads a more pertinent passage, with her voice steadily rising to match, (colour: "#DCCDA5")["...regarding Ponyville's emergency relief fund, to be used in the event of the town accruing damage due to unforeseeable circumstances, I must regretfully inform you that I will be unable to contribute."] She can barely even finish the sentence before stopping just short of crumpling the scroll between her hooves.
<p>(colour: "#DCCDA5")["That..! That..! Grrrrh!"] The Mayor grumbles through clenched teeth as she struggles to find the right words.
[[That bad?|Explore38-3 (That bad?)]]
[[Mind if I have a look?|Explore38-3 (Mind if I have a look?)]]<p>You leave the Mayor to her little world for [[now|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $explore to it + (a: 'Explore38-1'))<p>(colour: "#DCCDA5")["That bad. Not only do we have nothing to fall back on next time an ursa minor decides to carve its way through town, but I've pretty much used up every bit of political capital and goodwill I had just keeping my administration afloat. <i>'Unforeseeable circumstances'</i> my ass,"] she sneers with visible contempt.
<p>(colour: "#DCCDA5")["I'll need some time to think up-,"] a brief pause, (colour: "#DCCDA5")["-something."]
<p>(colour: "#DCCDA5")["I'm sorry, you probably just want to be paid more than anything else. Here,"] she takes out a small pouch, (colour: "#DCCDA5")["If nothing else, I can pay for services rendered. Good day to [[you|CheckTime1-1]]."](set: $quidProQuo to 3)(set: $explore to it - (a: 'Explore38-1'))(set: $time to it + 1)(set: $bits to it + 30)<p>(colour: "#DCCDA5")["Be my guest,"] the Mayor plainly states, more defeated than angry at this point.<p>
[[Read the scroll|Explore38-4 (Read the scroll)]]<p>(colour: "#D19FE4")[Dear Mayor Mare,
May you find this letter well. First and foremost, allow me to state that I unequivocally understand and sympathize with your concerns. I'm certain we are in complete agreement when I say we as public servants should do all we can to ensure the continued prosperity of Ponyville, in addition to Equestria and ponykind as a whole. However, regarding Ponyville's emergency relief fund, to be used in the event of the town accruing damage due to unforeseeable circumstances, I must regretfully inform you that I will be unable to contribute.
Respectfully yours,
(font: "Spirax")[Princess Twilight Sparkle]]
[[That bad?|Explore38-3 (That bad?)]]<p>(colour: "#E2E2EA")["Not all of them. There's Rainbow Dash and my big bro, obviously. Besides them, Silver Zoom comes by sometimes, High Wings too, even saw Fleetfoot doing high apogee figure-eights once."] The colt's eyes sparkle brighter and brighter at every name uttered.
[[Ask something else|Rally10-3 (Yes)]]<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Out of the question."] Something about her tone tells you this particular train of thought will only head nowhere.
[[Ask another question|RedDoor1-6 (Remind me who you are again)]]<p>You make your escape from the house with the red door. The act itself is an uneventful affair all said and [[done|EverfreeExit1-1]].<p>No sense fleeing now that you have the run of the place. With this in mind, you venture forth into the bowels of the beast in search of its nebulous [[master|RedDoor1-10 (Find Madam Martingale)]].<p>It isn't hard picking up her scent. The acrid aroma of still-smoldering tobacco guides you deeper and deeper into the manse, until you're standing before the last door at the end of the hall. Just as you open the door and step on through, the image of a baited fishing hook flashes through your [[mind|RedDoor1-11 (Find Madam Martingale)]].<p>You ready yourself for Madam Martingale's imminent refusal and prepare to retaliate with an rebuttal of your own. To your surprise however, she promptly answers back, (colour: "#CD7F32")["You're welcome to join. Shall we hash out the details of your employment?"] She gets off her perch and proceeds down one of the mansion's many darkened corridors. Her form is swiftly swallowed by shadows, leaving nothing but wispy smoke in her wake.
[[Attempt to follow her|RedDoor1-10 (Find Madam Martingale)]](if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-8 (Take my chances ~if win)")[<p>You enter an elongated room covered wall to wall in white, ceramic tile. The opposite side of the room is obfuscated by an ornate folding screen, through which you can spy a mare's head reclining against the lip of a freestanding bathtub.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["You fared well. Not many ponies can face an entire pack of Diamond Dogs and emerge the victor."] Leftover adrenaline still courses through your veins. With nerves tensed and muscles coiled, you tentatively approach. (colour: "#CD7F32")["I could use an individual of your capabilities."]
<p>Against your better judgment, you peek past the screen. Madam Martingale lies on her back in a spacious bathtub, filled just high enough to turn her pert teats into a pair of twin islands. (if: (history:) contains "RedDoor1-7 (I want in on this racket ~if fail)")[(colour: "#CD7F32")["I've reconsidered. A partnership would benefit the both of us, wouldn't you agree?"]](else:)[(colour: "#CD7F32")["I've a proposition: partnership. I believe you'll find in me a more than generous employer."]] She slowly raises a single hindleg high into the air, lowering the water and thus giving you an unfettered view of her prominent vulva.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Shall we finalize these terms?"]
[[Be her enforcer|RedDoor1-12 (Be her enforcer)]]
[[Be top dog|RedDoor1-12 (Be top dog)]]
[[Shut her down for good|RedDoor1-12 (Shut her down for good)]]](else:)[<p>You enter an elongated room covered wall to wall in white, ceramic tile. The opposite side of the room is obfuscated by an ornate folding screen, through which you can spy a mare's head reclining against the lip of a freestanding bathtub.
<p>The shadow on the screen opens her mouth just a smidge; still, the ensuing voice washes over the room like the incoming tide. (colour: "#CD7F32")["It so happens that I'm in need of an individual with some degree of tact. Someone I can entrust with matters too delicate for your typical Diamond Dog. Ordinarily, such duties would fall on the aids accompanying me. What with the spontaneous nature of this particular enterprise, I find myself devoid of reliable help."]
<p>You approach tentatively and peek past the screen. Madam Martingale lies on her back in a spacious bathtub, filled just high enough to turn her pert teats into a pair of twin islands. (colour: "#CD7F32")["Consider myself swayed by the way you carry yourself. So in response to your earlier proposition: I accept. I believe you'll find in me a more than generous employer."] She slowly raises a single hindleg high into the air, lowering the water and thus giving you an unfettered view of her prominent vulva.
<p>(colour: "#CD7F32")["Shall we finalize these terms?"]
[[Be her enforcer|RedDoor1-12 (Be her enforcer)]]
[[Be top dog|RedDoor1-12 (Be top dog)]]
[[Shut her down for good|RedDoor1-12 (Shut her down for good)]]]<p>(colour: "#686874")["You're lucky that I make my home in these woods and whatever attacked had merely left you battered and bruised. You are safe for now, thanks to poor Zecora and her medicinal know-how."] The agitated zebra points to a set of fresh bandages around your foreleg and some empty vials on an adjacent table, which you presume previously contained some sort of medicine.
<p>(colour: "#686874")["I know not why you entered this forest, unless your intent is to find eternal rest. Still, foolish ponies should know better than to tread where monsters roam and make their beds. And yet here I am, tending to another helpless [[lamb|Zecora1-6]]."]<p>You try to sit up, but she presses a firm hoof against your chest and presses you back down. She's close now, so very close. With every dulcet word, her heated breath hits your face and sends warmth cascading down your body.
<p>(colour: "#686874")["Rest now, for both our sake. The sooner you leave, the less of my supplies you take."]
<p>In your weakened state, you haven't the strength to resist her commands. And even if you did, there's still the Everfree Forest to contend with. Best to do as she says and rest up for the time being.
[[Rest up|Zecora1-7]]<p>The next few hours are spent in infirm misery; too weak to move, too pained to sleep. Despite her earlier hostility, Zecora rarely leaves your bedside, continuously replacing your bandages and applying strange, itchy salves. She chants quietly to herself as she does so, a soothing sound that feels like it has a curative property all its own.
<p>In no time at all, you're surprised to find serendipitous strength gradually flow back into your battered body. No sooner are you well enough to stand does Zecora start tenaciously butting you out her door.
<p>(colour: "#686874")["The time has come, you cannot stay. So follow the path and do not to stray,"] she croons, pointing down the trampled earthen trail, presumably towards town. She gives you no chance to get a word in edgewise, slamming the door shut as soon as you clear the doorway.
<p>With night rapidly closing in, you've no choice but to follow Zecora's advice and make your way along the trail leading away from her hut. Just as darkness is on the verge of overtaking the forest, the trees finally start to thin, and then eventually break. You manage to return home soon enough; sore, but [[safe|TownNight1-1]].(set: $time to 4)//Note: In progress.//
[[EverfreeExit1-1]]//Note: In progress.//
[[EverfreeExit1-1]]//Note: In progress.//
[[EverfreeExit1-1]]//Note: In progress.//
[[Farm2-7 (Yes)]]//Note: In progress.//
[[Farm2-7 (Yes)]]//Note: In progress.//
[[Farm2-7 (Yes)]]//Note: In progress.//
[[Farm2-7 (Yes)]]//Note: In progress.//
[[Farm2-7 (Yes)]]//Note: In progress.//
[[Farm2-7 (Yes)]]//Note: In progress.//
[[Farm2-7 (Yes)]]//Note: In progress.//
[[CheckTime1-1]](set: $time to it + 1)(set: $applebloom to it + (a: 'Applebloom3-1'))<p>(colour: "#E2E2EA")["You mean your..."] He can't bring himself to finish the sentence. (colour: "#E2E2EA")["No, no, definitely not,"] Rumble mutters, shaking his head vigorously enough to send his ear flopping every which way. Despite his vehemence, you can't help but take note of the fact that he stopped at 'not' and not 'not ever'.
<p>The conversation proves too awkward to continue. Best to put it on hold for [[now|CheckTime1-1]].(set: $time to it + 1)<p>Just as you are about to pounce on her, a devious idea worms its way into your mind. If you remember correctly, you might be able to concoct a crude sedative from the herbs in your garden. Some crushed poppy leaves to induce drowsiness, one bright-blossom bulb for the catalyst, and just a drop of bloodrose ichor to ensure a lasting slumber. One sip and she'll be fast asleep, leaving you free to ravage her unconscious body. Oh yes, that will do nicely.
<p>You put on a warm smile and cordially invite the mare into your home, stepping aside so she could enter through the doorway. Her face lights up upon hearing your words, a small, subtle change that transform her into something radiant. You waste no time ushering her in. You make sure to briefly step outside and pluck a few choice herbs from the adjacent garden.
<p>The shed's door slams shut behind you with a deafening crack. Knowing the fate that will soon befall your unfortunate guest, you don't even bother locking it. (colour: "#B7B7B7")["Wow! This is where you live?"] The mare squeals, genuinely awestruck by your meager home. With her attention preoccupied, you're free to prepare your [[concoction|SleepEvent8-8 (Rape with sleep potion)]].<p>You fetch equipment from their various resting places. With a mortar and pestle, you pulverize the poppy; with a teakettle, you steep the bulb; and last but not least, a mug to pour it in. (colour: "#B7B7B7")["Oh! Are you making tea? I love tea!"]
<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["It smells wonderful."] You offer her the mug, which she takes without a moment's hesitation. She brings the amber liquid up to her nose and inhales sharply. (colour: "#B7B7B7")["No matter what, I can always count on a cup of hot tea to lift my spirits. Leaves in water: so simple yet so reassuring."]
<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["Aren't you going to pour yourself a cup too?"]
{(if: $smarts > 35)[<span class='smarts'>[[Only have one mug|SleepEvent8-9 (Only have one mug ~if pass)]]</span>]
(if: $smarts <= 35)[<span class='smarts'>[[Only have one mug|SleepEvent8-9 (Only have one mug ~if fail)]]</span>]}<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed. It's not like you were expecting company or anything. But hey, less dishes to wash!"]
<p>She continues to savour the aroma of her imminent assault. (colour: "#B7B7B7")["Huh, I can't seem to tell exactly what kind of tea this is."] The mare pauses to look at you, expecting an answer.
{(if: $smarts > 40)[<span class='smarts'>[[Pass it off as specialty blend from the East|SleepEvent8-10 (Pass it off as specialty blend from the East ~if pass)]]</span>]
(if: $smarts <= 40)[<span class='smarts'>[[Pass it off as specialty blend from the East|SleepEvent8-9 (Only have one mug ~if fail)]]</span>]}<p>Your explanation comes across convincingly enough that the mare proves none the wiser. (colour: "#B7B7B7")["Wow, tea from the East..,"] the mare whispers, now staring into her mug with newfound reverence, (colour: "#B7B7B7")["...and you used it on me."]
<p>She suddenly thrusts the mug towards you, (colour: "#B7B7B7")["At least have the first sip!"]
{(if: $charm > 50)[<span class='charm'>[[Cite guest right|SleepEvent8-11 (Cite guest right ~if pass)]]</span>]
(if: $charm <= 50)[<span class='charm'>[[Cite guest right|SleepEvent8-9 (Only have one mug ~if fail)]]</span>]}
[[Drink|SleepEvent8-11 (Drink)]]<p>Despite your insistence, it's apparent a red flag had been tripped somewhere. The mare keeps the mug a healthy distance away from herself, as though its contents concealed a dangerous serpent. Her eyes wander about the small room, evidently searching for an escape route.
<p>(colour: "#B7B7B7")["Thank you for opening your home to me. I should go now."] The mare places the mug on a table and starts making for the door. With the way she's walking, you have scant little time to act.
{(if: $speed > 40)[<span class='speed'>[[Pounce on her|SleepEvent8-10 (Pounce on her ~if pass)]]</span>]
(if: $speed <= 40)[<span class='speed'>[[Pounce on her|SleepEvent8-11 (Pounce on her ~if fail)]]</span>]}
[[Let her go|SleepEvent8-10 (Let her go)]]//Note: In progress.//
[[Town1-1]]<p>Despite knowing what lies in store, you take a gulp from the mug. Such is the efficacy of your mixture that darkness immediately [[follows|SleepEvent8-12 (Drink)]].<p>You wake up to daylight streaming in through the windows. Unsurprisingly, your late night visitor is nowhere to be [[found|Town1-1]].<p>You pounce on top of the mare. Her legs quickly give out from underneath her, sending the both of you crashing to the floor in a mismatched pile of pony body parts. Luckily for you, the top position remains yours for the time being.
{(if: $brawn > 50)[<span class='brawn'>[[Force her to drink|SleepEvent8-11 (Force her to drink ~if pass)]]</span>]
(if: $brawn <= 50)[<span class='brawn'>[[Force her to drink|SleepEvent8-11 (Pounce on her ~if fail)]]</span>]}<p>This broad's more trouble than she's worth. You hang back and allow her to leave, an opportunity the mare makes sure not to pass up. Early morning sunlight streams in through the open doorway after she's good and gone, heralding the start of a new [[day|Town1-1]].(if: (history:) contains "SleepEvent8-10 (Pounce on her ~if pass)")[<p>You straddle the mare's back in an attempt to pin her down.
<p>She's strong! Much stronger than her diminutive size would suggest. You have a devil of a time just staying on top of her. Before long, this bucking bronco proves too much for you handle, and she sends you flying like last week's news. The arc your body is riding on soon meets a rather painful obstacle: the side of a [[wardrobe|SleepEvent8-12 (Drink)]].](else:)[<p>You attempt to wrestle the mare's head into a leglock. With luck, you won't have too much trouble force-feeding her the solution.
<p>You quickly stand corrected. The mare wrenches free from your grasp fairly easily, but not before throwing her head back hard enough to strike your chin and knock the living daylights out of [[you|SleepEvent8-12 (Drink)]].]//Note: In progress.//
[[Town1-1]]//Note: In progress.//
[[CheckTime1-1]]//Note: In progress.//
[[CheckTime1-1]]<p>Seemingly satisfied with its handiwork, the timberwolf wastes no time climbing on top of you. It straddles your midsection, pinning you in place and putting its bulbous shaft on display. The creature thrusts its hips forward several times, each thrust failing to hit its mark and flinging globules of glowing green precum onto your stomach.
<p>The beast's cock finally manages to line up with your marehood and it unceremoniously slips in. Your pussy eagerly accepts the invading organ, its passage eased by the copious amounts of lube coating your inner walls. You can't help but issue a sound resembling a howl of pleasure as the timberwolf bottoms out inside you, and you're surprised to hear your foe answer with a lustful howl of its [[own|Timberwolf1-4 (~if lose)]].<p>Intent on getting itself off as soon as possible, the timberwolf sets to work sawing in and out of you. Each thrust is short, shallow, driven with the kind of raw intensity only a creature of pure instinct can possess. Readily apparent is your own body's betrayal; the timberwolf's cock is met by yielding flesh that welcomes its invasion and curses its absence. Despite everything, you feel a violent orgasm approaching.
<p>The base of the timberwolf's cock, a grotesque knot with wood grain made to resemble veins, manages to force its way into your snatch. The sudden sensation of such a large, hard object entering your body is enough to set you off. You tilt your head back and clamp down on the girthy shaft inside of you, massaging its length with your velvety walls. The timberwolf lets out a yowl, and spurt after spurt of wet heat floods into your womb.
<p>Once finished, the timberwolf pulls away. Cum like molten algae sloshes out. The beast lifts a hindleg and licks at its cock, then at your sensitive marehood. It comes around and licks your face, splattering you with a mixture of fresh seed and your own juices. With that, the timberwolf finally departs, leaving you to bask in your afterglow {(link: "alone")[(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfreeExit))(set: $everfreeExit to it + (a: 'EverfreeExit1-1'))(set: $everfreeExit to it - (a: _psg))(go-to: _psg)]}.<p>The beast's cock finally manages to line up with your marehood and it unceremoniously slips in. Your pussy eagerly accepts the invading organ, its passage eased by the copious amounts of lube coating your inner walls. You can't help but issue a sound resembling a howl of pleasure as the dire timberwolf bottoms out inside you, and you're surprised to hear your foe answer with a lustful howl of its own.
<p>Intent on getting itself off as soon as possible, the dire timberwolf sets to work sawing in and out of you. Each thrust is short, shallow, driven with the kind of raw intensity only a creature of pure instinct can possess. Readily apparent is your own body's betrayal; the dire timberwolf's cock is met by yielding flesh that welcomes its invasion and curses its absence. Despite everything, you feel a violent orgasm [[approaching|DireTimberwolf1-4 (~if lose)]].<p>The base of the dire timberwolf's cock, a grotesque knot with wood grain made to resemble veins, manages to force its way into your snatch. The sudden sensation of such a large, hard object entering your body is enough to set you off. You tilt your head back and clamp down on the girthy shaft inside of you, massaging its length with your velvety walls. The dire timberwolf lets out a yowl, and spurt after spurt of wet heat floods into your womb.
<p>Once finished, the dire timberwolf pulls away. Cum like molten algae sloshes out. The beast lifts a hindleg and licks at its cock, then at your sensitive marehood. It comes around and licks your face, splattering you with a mixture of fresh seed and your own juices. With that, the dire timberwolf finally departs, leaving you to bask in your afterglow {(link: "alone")[(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfreeExit))(set: $everfreeExit to it + (a: 'EverfreeExit1-1'))(set: $everfreeExit to it - (a: _psg))(go-to: _psg)]}.<p>The mound shifts again, and the cock in front of you is dragged across your face, smearing your muzzle and cheeks with sap. Your disgust only lasts an instant, quickly replaced by bewilderment as the creature's member detaches itself and starts traveling across your body like a slug. It even leaves a shiny green trail in its wake.
<p>One by one, all the other timberwolves on top of you are similarly disassembled. Bark splinters, vines unfurl, knots become undone, until only a swirling mass of wood and detritus remains. And amongst all that, severed green penises swarm and writhe their way towards your undefended crotch.
<p>It's at this point that the they start to <i>rebuild</i>. Layer after layer of sodden bark is pressed tight against your fur, plating your legs and flanks like shingles on a roof. Before long, not an inch of your (text: $coatColor) coat is left uncovered. Newly-formed teeth akin to wooden stakes ring the upper and lower halves of your vision. A tree trunk-sized cock is poised to ream your rear [[end|TimberwolfPack1-4 (~if lose)]].//Note: In progress.//
<p>The wood shifts and you take a step forward, though you made no conscious decision to do so. The wood heaves and your immobilized body is lifted into the air, suspended between the ribs of the enormous timberwolf you now wear like a suit of unholy armor. The wood around your head shakes with what is undeniably laughter, and thus you realize you're looking out from within the timberwolf's jaws.
<p>The creature's hips suddenly swing forward, sending its conjoined cock careening into your crotch.
{(link: "Exit")[(set: _psg to (either: ...$everfreeExit))(set: $everfreeExit to it - (a: _psg))(set: $everfreeExit to it + (a: 'EverfreeExit1-1'))(go-to: _psg)]}{(set: $time to 2)
(set: $date to 0)
(set: $explore to (a: 'Explore1-1','Explore1-1','Explore1-1','Explore1-1','Explore2-1','Explore2-1','Explore2-1','Explore2-1','Explore3-1','Explore3-1','Explore3-1','Explore3-1','Explore4-1','Explore4-1','Explore4-1','Explore4-1','Explore5-1','Explore5-1','Explore5-1','Explore5-1','Explore6-1','Explore6-1','Explore6-1','Explore6-1','Explore8-1','Explore9-1','Explore10-1','Explore11-1','Explore14-1','Explore15-1','Explore16-1','Explore17-1','Explore18-1','Explore24-1','Explore25-1','Explore27-1','Explore28-1','Explore29-1','Explore30-1','Explore32-1','Explore35-1','Explore36-1'))
(set: $advice to (a: 'ProprietorAdvice1-1','ProprietorAdvice2-1','ProprietorAdvice3-1','ProprietorAdvice4-1','ProprietorAdvice5-1','ProprietorAdvice6-1'))
(set: $renovateHome to (a: 'RenovateHome4-1'))
(set: $restoreGarden to (a: 'RestoreGarden4-1','RestoreGarden5-1'))
(set: $dust to 0)
(set: $salvage to 0)
(set: $tools to 0)
(set: $friendshipCastle to (a:))
(set: $sugarcubeCorner to (a:))
(set: $boutique to (a:))
(set: $appleFarm to (a:))
(set: $farmWork to (a:))
(set: $rallyField to (a:))
(set: $cottage to (a:))
(set: $everfree to (a: 'Everfree1-1','Everfree1-1','Everfree1-1','Everfree2-1','Everfree3-1','Everfree4-1','Everfree6-1','Everfree7-1','Everfree8-1','Everfree9-1'))
(set: $encounter to (a: 'TimberwolfSproutling1-1','Timberwolf1-1','DireTimberwolf1-1','TimberwolfPack1-1','DiamondDogRunt1-1','ChangelingDrone1-1','Manticore1-1'))
(set: $home to (a: 'HomeIntro1-1'))
(set: $sleep to (a: 'Sleep1-1','Sleep2-1','Sleep3-1','Sleep4-1','Sleep5-1'))
(set: $page to (a: 'Page1-1','Page2-1','Page3-1','Page4-1','Page5-1','Page7-1','Page8-1','Page9-1','Page11-1'))
(set: $sleepEvent to (a: 'SleepEvent1-1','SleepEvent2-1','SleepEvent3-1','SleepEvent4-1','SleepEvent5-1','SleepEvent6-1','SleepEvent8-1'))
(set: $everfreeEntrance to (a: 'EverfreeEntrance1-1'))
(set: $everfreeExit to (a: 'Zecora1-1'))
(set: $guild to (a: 'Guild1-1'))
(set: $castleTwilight to (a: 'Castle2-3 (Try to see Princess Twilight)'))
(set: $applebloom to (a: 'Applebloom1-1','Applebloom3-1','Applebloom4-1'))
(set: $mailbox to (a:))
(set: $towns to (a: 'the Crystal Empire','Vanhoover','Los Pegasus','the San Palomino Desert','Cloudsdale','Canterlot','Neighagra Falls','Appleloosa','Manehattan','Dodge Junction','Winsome Falls','Fillydelphia','the Badlands','Hayseed Swamp','Trottingham'))
(set: $enchantedWoodenSignAttacks to (dm: "The enchanted sign starts spinning in place like a top, before smacking you for 2 damage!", 2, "The sign hops forward and launches itself at you, pole first, for 1 damage!", 1))
(set: $applejackAttacks to (dm: "Applejack pins you down and gives you a wicked noogie for 9 damage!", 9, "Applejack tackles you, knocking all the air out of your chest and dealing 16 damage!", 16))
(set: $cockatriceAttacks to (dm: "You feel the cockatrice's gaze starting to take effect, petrifying you for 17 damage!", 17, "You avert your eyes to avoid the cockatrice's petrifying visage. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop your foe from clawing you for 12 damage!", 12))
(set: $timberwolfSproutlingAttacks to (dm: "The timberwolf sproutling darts between your legs and nips at your heels for 7 damage!", 7, "The baby timberwolf claws at your body for 5 damage, producing a sensation reminiscent of running through a bramble patch.", 5))
(set: $timberwolfAttacks to (dm: "The timberwolf bites you for 13 damage! Though you manage to pull away before the creature can clamp its jaws shut, red lines still streak across your coat.", 13, "The timberwolf dashes past while slashing at you with its claws, dealing 16 damage!", 16))
(set: $direTimberwolfAttacks to (dm: "The dire timberwolf bites you for 13 damage! Though you manage to pull away before the creature can clamp its jaws shut, red lines still streak across your coat.", 13, "The dire timberwolf dashes past while slashing at you with its claws, dealing 16 damage!", 16))
(set: $timberwolfPackAttacks to (dm: "The pack blitzes you, launching a flurry of fangs and claws at you for 29 damage!", 29, "Several timberwolves try probing at your defenses, nipping at your heels for 17 damage!", 17))
(set: $diamondDogRuntAttacks to (dm: "The Diamond Dog runts ties his rope into a lasso and manages to it wrapped around your neck! You pull it off, but not before he's dealt 4 damage!", 4, "The Diamond Dog runt throws his rope at your hooves at pulls at the right moment, tripping you over for 5 damage!", 5))
(set: $changelingDroneAttacks to (dm: "The changeling drone manages to graze you with a bolt of foul energy, dealing 9 damage!", 9, "The changeling drone fades back into the shadows, before appearing behind you with a newly-manifested set of gryphon talons! She uses them to slash at you for 11 damage!", 11, "Your foe's forelegs are suddenly wreathed in brilliant, green fire! The spectacle is enough to momentarily blind you, giving the changeling drone ample opportunity to attack you with her brand new bear claws for 11 damage!", 11))
(set: $manticoreAttacks to (dm: "The manticore stoops down, its scorpion tail shooting overhead to stab you for 31 damage!", 31, "The manticore takes flight! It dives at you claws outstretched, just narrowly missing your vitals but still dealing 25 damage!", 25))
(set: $diamondDogPackAttacks to (dm: "A few Diamond Dogs grab on and try to hold you in place. You successfully kick them away, but not before they can get a few good scratches in, dealing 18 damage!", 18, "A beagle comes up from behind and jabs you in the ribs with a blackjack while you're distracted, dealing 9 damage!", 9))
(set: $diamondDogBouncerAttacks to (dm: "The bouncer swings his spear at you like a bat, smacking you for 12 damage!", 12, "The bouncer knocks you to the ground and presses his spear lengthwise against your throat in an attempt to choke you out. You manage to push him off, but not before he headbutts you for 15 damage!", 15))
(set: $bits to 2)
(set: $brawn to 20)
(set: $speed to 20)
(set: $smarts to 20)
(set: $charm to 20)
(set: $hp to 50)
(set: $mhp to 50)
(set: $playerattack1 to "Trample")
(set: $playerattack1damage to 8)
(set: $playerattack1accuracy to .7)
(set: $playerattack1modifier to .3)
(set: $attackslot2 to 0)
(set: $playerattack2 to "Trample")
(set: $playerattack2damage to 8)
(set: $playerattack2accuracy to .7)
(set: $playerattack2modifier to .3)
(set: $attackslot3 to 0)
(set: $playerattack3 to "Trample")
(set: $playerattack3damage to 8)
(set: $playerattack3accuracy to .7)
(set: $playerattack3modifier to .3)
(set: $newInTown to 0)
(set: $farmToTable to 0)
(set: $shellShocked to 0)
(set: $reddoor to "0")
(set: $outOfTime to 0)
(set: $quidProQuo to 0)
(set: $returnLocket to 0)
(set: $wantedEverfreeStalkers to 1)
(set: $barfightBeatdown to 0)
(go-to: "CC-Name")}<p>An otherworldly roar heralds the appearance of something monstrous.(set: $everfree to it + (a: 'Everfree7-1'))
{(link: "???")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$encounter))
(set: $encounter to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}<p>Rocks tumble down from the cliffs above. You look up, only to see a dark shadow barreling its way downwards and headed directly towards you.(set: $everfree to it + (a: 'Everfree8-1'))
{(link: "???")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$encounter))
(set: $encounter to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}<p>You find yourself sandwiched between two massive bluffs. Before you lies the only way forward. A sinister shape sits directly in your path.(set: $everfree to it + (a: 'Everfree1-1'))
{(link: "???")[
(set: _psg to (either: ...$encounter))
(set: $encounter to it - (a: _psg))
(go-to: _psg)]}