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You come home late one freezing cold evening, having just finished a bit of logging near the Everfree Forest. Red candles burn and vibrant green wreaths hang over windows, framing the silhouettes of the laughing from within their homes. These ponies set such a lovely mood, you almost expect Santa Hooves himself to bring his sleigh to a skidding halt in the middle of main street. You love living in Ponyville and who wouldn't. You love the cheery, smiling faces of all the happy ponies, and you love being close to them.
In fact, you wouldn't mind being a little closer to some of them.
But it's all a pipe dream, you assume. Until on this snowy evening, you return to find a letter sealed in wax shaped like a heart pinned to your door.
<i> Hi, <strike>this is a love letter from Spike.</strike> This is Spike writing a letter on behalf of somepony who likes you. She, or he, or they (Ponies have been telling me I should write it that way lately) only said you'll have to figure out for yourself who likes you. If you ask around, some of these ponies might have some ideas.
Signed, Your Special Somepony.</i>
You take the letter inside with you. What an interesting turn of events. And just in time for a romantic Hearths Warming holiday.
If you can find out who the pony is before then. Your secret admirer wouldn't really just keep hiding and let the holiday pass. Would they?
Good thing it's the weekend. First thing tomorrow, you've got a lot of questions to ask around town.
[[To Town]]
/*First thing I'm gonna have to figure out is how to do a randomizer, specific to one pony in the entire list.
Probably the best thing I could do is assign each pony a number and then do a number randomizer which changes the value of $SecretCrush
*/
<<set $TwilightClue = 0>>
<<set $RarityClue = 0>>
<<set $AJClue = 0>>
<<set $PinkieClue = 0>>
<<set $FluttershyClue = 0>>
<<set $RainbowClue = 0>>
<<set $Clue = 0>>
<<silently>>
<<set $SecretCrush to random(5)>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 0>> <<set $SecretPony to "Twilight">> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 1>> <<set $SecretPony to "Rarity">> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 2>> <<set $SecretPony to "AJ">> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 3>> <<set $SecretPony to "Pinkie">> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 4>> <<set $SecretPony to "Fluttershy">> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 5>> <<set $SecretPony to "Rainbow">> <</if>>
<</silently>>
<<silently>>
<<set $SweetieBelleHides to random(4)>>
<</silently>>
<<set $KindToSweetieBelle = 0>>
<<set $TriggerSweetieBelleHides = 0>>
<<set $TriggerClubPonies = 0>>
<<silently>>
<<set $FirstEvent to random(5)>>
<</silently>>
<<silently>>
<<set $Event to random(5)>>
<</silently>>
<<if $FirstEvent eq $SecretCrush>> <<set $FirstEvent to $FirstEvent + 1>>
<</if>>
<<if $FirstEvent eq 6>> <<set $FirstEvent to 1>>
<</if>>
<<if $Event eq $SecretCrush>> <<set $Event to $Event + 1>>
<</if>>
<<if $Event eq 6>> <<set $Event to 2>>
<</if>>
<<if $Event eq $FirstEvent>> <<set $Event to $Event + 1>>
<</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush eq 6>> <<set $SecretCrush to 0>>
<</if>>
<<set $Event to 5>>
<<if $Event is 0>> <<set $EventPony to "Twilight">> <</if>>
<<if $Event is 1>> <<set $EventPony to "Rarity">> <</if>>
<<if $Event is 2>> <<set $EventPony to "AJ">> <</if>>
<<if $Event is 3>> <<set $EventPony to "Pinkie">> <</if>>
<<if $Event is 4>> <<set $EventPony to "Fluttershy">> <</if>>
<<if $Event is 5>> <<set $EventPony to "Rainbow">> <</if>>
$FirstEvent
$Event
$SecretCrush
/*After the expansion, I'm going to have to set a macro for if $FirstEvent is greater than or less than whatever, some ponies in a group give players a hint. */<<if $SecretCrush is 0>> It's Twilight <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 1>> It's Rarity <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 2>> It's AJ <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 3>> It's Pinkie <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 4>> It's Fluttershy <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 5>> It's Rainbow <</if>>
/* Am I going to put those in every frame? Idk. It could be there's an easier way other than doing those over and over, but maybe not. I don't see how it would be done without requiring /if macros anyway.*/
I probably need to make different variables for clues gathered from each pony to trigger different conversations.
Yeah. If I'm going to make it like, "I don't know, but Rainbow might know who bought that candle wax," then I've got to have some way of keeping track of all the clues.
And I can't have just one pony with the first clue either. Yeah, ok. There's only a set number of clues, but several different ponies might have the first. And because the same $PonyClue will never go back to one after that first is triggered, any event requiring an /if statement for that $PonyClue to happen will never trigger again regardless.
So each of those statements are going to have to have and statements after them for the $PonyClue.
//I need to get faster writing. Like, one pony's story per day. I can do that, I'm sure, if I decide that's what's up.
Actually, easier than I think, probably. Since these side story's will be the same through various scenarios.
<<elseif>> or <<else>>
Just because I'm gonna need these.
<<if $SecretCrush eq 2 and $AJClue eq 0 and $KindToSweetieBelle eq 0>>
The mechanical noise of Rarity's sewing machine fills the room. You're one of the rare few who get a glimpse of the fashionista in work mode, when she lets her hair fall out of place.
She doesn't notice you at first. Sweetie Belle stands beside her, looking grumpy. You notice a steaming cup of tea on the table next to Rarity, but it looks like it hasn't been touched.
Sweetie Belle, what's wrong?]]
Ask Rarity about the letter]]
[Ask Rarity if it's her]]
<</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush eq 2 and $AJClue eq 0 and $KindToSweetieBelle eq 1>>
You return to find Rarity at the same table, sitting at the same sewing machine, but this time she's sound asleep. You admire the cuteness of the scene for a moment, but sensing she's not alone in the room, her eyes flutter open.
"Oh," she says, stifiling a yawn. "I do thank you for the little wake up call. I'd hate to get behind on these orders. Is there something I could do for you?"
Be nicer to Sweetie Belle]]
Ask Rarity about the letter]]
Ask Rarity if it's her]]
<</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush eq 2 and $AJClue eq 1>>
As you approach Carousel Boutique, you hear an agonized, yet distinguished, cry of "Sweeeetie Belle!"
You hurry to the town square where you find Rarity, her Mascara running from tears as she holds up a picture of Sweetie Belle in front of a crowd of ponies.
"Th-this morning," Rarity says. "She made me tea and I didn't even say anything. I've been so f-focused on my work, I've barely heard a word she said all week! She left me this letter saying she ran away and a lot of other things. I don't even know where she learned the f-word!"
Rarity breaks down in tears as the ponies scatter, searching for Sweetie Belle. The matter of the letter will have to wait. A filly is in danger.
<</if>>
backup in case I fuck it up
<<if $SecretCrush eq 2 and $AJClue eq 1 and $SweetieBelleHides eq >>
This will go into my clues system, since I plan to reuse many scenes.
<<if $SecretCrush is 0>> <<set $TwilightClue = 0>> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 1>> <<set $RarityClue = 0>> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 2>> <<set $AJClue = 0>> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 3>> <<set $PinkieClue = 0>> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 4>> <<set $FluttershyClue = 0>> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 5>> <<set $RainbowClue = 0>> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush eq 2 and $AJClue eq 1 and $TriggerSweetieBelleHides eq 1>>
As the sun gets low, most of the young ponies have already left the snowy park. The pond is half frozen and a snowpony stands watch at the tree line, but you doubt he'll tell you anything useful.
<<if $SweetieBelleHides eq 0>>
You search the park a bit. You don't know Sweetie Belle very well, but you remember all of your favorite hiding places as a kid. Sweetie Belle makes it easy for you, however, and you spot a sign reading "I'm not in the fort! Go away!"
You climb up on the playground equipment, which includes an enclosure above the slide, which you guess must be the "fort." Her back to you, she glances over her shoulder.
<</if>>
<<if $KindToSweetieBelle eq 0>>
"Oh," she says, disappointment obvious in her tone. She wanted Rarity to find her.
<<elseif $KindToSweetieBelle eq 0>>
"Oh," she says with a smile. "I had a lot of fun with you today. I'm sorry you had to come out here."
<</if>>
You tell her Rarrity is looking for her. She shrugs, staying quiet in that way youngsters do.
"She was crying," you say.
She looks up at you. You can't tell if she's relieved or feels guilty.
"She feels terrible for ignoring you," you say.
"She felt terrible the last time, too," Sweetie Belle says.
You're silent for a moment. You can't fault her logic.
"You're right," you say. "I want to tell you it'll never happen again, but it might. But is it so big that you can't forgive her for it? You're safe with her. She doesn't hit.
"Sometimes ponies have issues in their relationships," you continue. "And sometimes a good pony makes the same mistake more than once. But these are things you and Rarity can work on. The important thing is she loves you, enough to dive into the mud or break down crying in the middle of town square."
Sweetie Belle thinks about what you say for a moment. "I suppose," she says.
ake Sweetie Belle Home]]
<<else>>
You spend about an hour searching the park, but find nothing.
<<if $TriggerSweetieBelleHides eq 1>>
Talk to Apple Bloom]]
Talk to Scootaloo]]
Search the park]]
To Town]]
<<if $TriggerSweetieBelleHides eq 1 and $KindToSweetieBelle eq 1 or $TriggerClubPonies eq 1>>
Talk to Pacific Glow]]
Talk to DJPon3]]
<</if>>
/*
0 - ??
1 - DJPon3's house
2 - with Pacific Glow
3 - with Apple Bloom
4 - With Scootaloo
*/
This thing I couldn't figure out. I thought I could make an if statement within another if statement, but apparently that confuses the fuck out of it.The snow covering the yards of Ponyville shine bright, reflecting the rays of Celestia's sun as you make your way into town. Ponies scurry about, finishing their Hearthswarming shopping for gifts and meals. Several greet you as you pass by.
Who might have an idea who wrote you that letter?
[[Talk to Twilight]]
[[Talk to Apple Jack]]
[[Talk to Rarity]]
[[Talk to Pinkie]]
[[Talk to Fluttershy]]
[[Talk to Rainbow Dash]]
<<if $TriggerSweetieBelleHides eq 1>>
[[Talk to Apple Bloom]]
[[Talk to Scootaloo]]
[[Search the park]]
<</if>>
<<if $TriggerSweetieBelleHides eq 1 and $KindToSweetieBelle eq 1 or $TriggerClubPonies eq 1>>
[[Talk to Pacific Glow]]
[[Talk to DJPon3]]
<</if>>
/*Gives the clue*/
<<if $FirstEvent eq 2 and $Clue eq 0>>
You visit Sweet Apple Acres looking for Apple Jack, but instead of AJ you find a frantic looking Apple Bloom galloping across the property. She's covered in mud and groaning "Oh no, oh no, oh no!"
[[Apple Bloom, what's wrong?]]
<<elseif $FirstEvent eq 2 and $Clue eq 1>>
You never know exactly where to look for AJ when you visit Sweet Apple Acres, but your timing is perfect. She comes out of the barn, dusting herself off after a bit of carpentry.
"You're just in time, Partner," she says. "I was just about to crack open a keg of apple cider if you want to join in. Sorry, I don't got anymore info for ya. Have you talked to $EventPony ?"
[[To Town]]
/*Triggered by the clue*/
<<elseif $Event eq 2 and $Clue eq 0>>
You stop by Sweet Apple Acres to talk to Apple Jack. You don't find her in the home, but Granny Smith points you in the direction of the river.
You follow the path until it brings you to the rushing stream, which has not yet iced over. All three Apple Siblings stand on the shore with fishing poles in their mouths. Apple Jack pulls on her line and a huge bass flies through the air, flapping its tail.
It smacks Apple Jack square in the face and she drops her pole. The bash flops back into the river and Apple Jack barely saves her poll from getting swept away as the water splashes her hat.
She laughs, wringing her hat out as she notices you.
[[Tell AJ about the letter]]
[[Ask AJ if it's her]]
[[To Town]]
<<elseif $Event eq 2 and $Clue eq 1>>
You come up on Apple Jack, Apple Bloom and Big Mac on a trail by the river. You hear Apple Bloom crying as she hugs Apple Jack.
"I'm so sorry!" says Apple Bloom.
"Apple Bloom, I promise you it's ok," says AJ.
You look at Big Mag, your eyes asking what happened. He comes up to you, talking quietly so Apple Bloom and Apple Jack can't hear.
"AJ's hat," says Big Mac. "It's our dad's hat. She had it resting on a rock and Apple Bloom accidentally knocked it into the river. Apple Jack is handling it alright, but poor Apple Bloom. I don't think she'll ever forgive herself if that hat doesn't turn up."
[[Help Big Mac find the hat]]
[[Good luck|To Town]]
<<else>>
You find the farm pony exactly where you expected to find her, thigh deep in snow trying to clear a path from her farm to the road. Though constantly busy, she always has time to talk to a friend. She wipes her hooves carelessly on her chest fur as she turns to greet you.
"Hey, there, partner. Don't mind the mess, just clearing a little walkin' room. What can I do ya, for?"
[[Tell AJ about the letter]]
[[Ask AJ if it's her]]
[[For you, no charge]]
[[To Town]]
<</if>>
/*Ok, here's where I'm kind of stuck for the moment. I want these same options on every pony visit. However, if they're worded the same, they will all go to the same two passages.
So I need to find out how to make the link name show up as the link even though I want it to link to a different passage.
Or, better solution, find out how to do that one thing I saw earlier. Where it just open the text on screen without going to a new page. */
Clue ideas
Scoots - Rainbow says "I didn't see who was at your house. I'm sorry. I get it, really. I had a secret admirer myself, not too long ago. But for some reason she stopped sending me letters."
Before this clue, Scoots will only say "Ew, no! There's only one pony I've got my eye on, and you're no Rainbow Dash!"
<<if $FirstEvent eq 0 and $Clue eq 0>>
Spike lets you into the castle. You press him to spill the beans, but the little dragon stubbornly refuses to give you even the slightest hint.
You find Twilight Sparkle standing behind a lab table covered in beakers and vials. She watches carefully as a beaker full of a bubbling green liquid slowly changes pink as she heats it over a Bunsen burner.
"Hello," she says, barely acknowledging you as she makes notes on her pad. "This starspider venom is scary stuff. Ponies have been put in a coma for months because of this stuff. But I'm pretty sure I can make an antidote if I harness the irony properties of the poison joke plant."
[[Help search for poison joke plant]]
[[Tell Twilight about the letter]]
<<elseif $FirstEvent eq 0 and $Clue eq 1>>
Decked out in her lab coat, Twilight Sparkle stands over a sleeping pony in a hospital gown, filling the IV with a pink substance. A pony you don’t know sleeps on a hospital bed, connected to the IV.
"Hello," says Twilight. "Don't look at me like that, I've got to test this on somepony."
You ask her about the letter.
"Sorry, I don't have any new ideas for you. Have you talked to $EventPony?"
[[To Town]]
<<elsif $Event eq 0 and $Clue eq 0>>
/* She's trying to find a childhood friend she can't quite remember the name of.*/
Spike is nowhere to be found, so you let yourself into Twilight's castle.
You find The Princess of Friendship in the middle of a mess of papers. Papers featuring sketches are taped to the walls all around her. The designs appear to be Cutie Marks.
[[Why do you have butts all over your wall?]]
[[Tell Twilight about the letter]]
[[Ask Twilight if it's her]]
[[To Town]]
<<elseif $Event eq 0 and $Clue eq 1>>
On you way to The Castle of Friendship, you see flyers posted all over town. <i>Have you seen this mare?</i> reads the caption. But the image is of a crayon drawing done by a foal.
<i>This is a picture I drew of a good friend I made when I visited Ponyville one day as a foal. I only knew her for one day but I would really love to reconnect! All I remember is she had pale fur, a cutie mark with a shield in it and her name had something to do with night.
If anypony knows this mare, please get in touch with me at The Castle of Friendship.</i>
You look at the drawing closely. A cutie mark with a shield in it... the drawing looks like the work of a foal who was much too young to have a cutie mark. Maybe the mystery friend was older?
[[Continue to The Castle of Friendship]]
[[Visit City Hall and go through their records]]
<<else>>
Spike is nowhere to be found, so you let yourself into Twilight's castle.
You find The Princess of Friendship standing in front of a chalkboard. She rubs her chin with her hoof as she examines a long length of equations.
Not wanting to interrupt her train of thought, you wait for several minutes until she turns around.
"Oh!" she says. "Sorry, didn't know I had a guest. Dunno where Spike is. How are you?"
[[Tell Twilight about the letter]]
[[Ask Twilight if it's her]]
[[To Town]]
<</if>>
/*
0 - Twilight
1 Rarity
2 AJ
3 Pinkie
4 Fluttershy
5 Rainbow
*/
<<if $FirstEvent eq 1 and $Clue eq 0>>
You let yourself into Carousel Boutique, but find no one in the front room. You ring the bell a few times for assistance, but no one answers. Rarity often gets very absorbed in her work, but not normally enough to miss a customer during store hours.
You check one of the side rooms, expecting to find Rarity at her sewing machine focused on a tricky pattern. But the scene you find reminds you much more of something you'd expect from Twilight than Rarity. She wears her fancy reading glasses, her hair tied up in a pragmatic bun as she examines several magazine clippings she hung over her walls. Mixed in with the magazine clippings are pictures of Sweetie Belle, often with the other Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"Hey," you say, quietly. "What's up, is she a changeling or a robot?"
Rarity seems confused for a moment, then giggles. "Nothing of the sort. She's a soon-to-be birthday girl. But for the first time ever, she won't tell me what she wants. She says it's not grown up to give lists like she used to." Rarity sighs. "I really must invest some time into getting to know my dear sister better. I have absolutely no idea what to get her."
[[Can I help?]]
[[Ask Rarity about the letter]]
<<elseif $FirstEvent eq 1 and $Clue eq 1>>
"Thank you again," says Rarity. "I'm sure Sweetie Belle will love it. I'm afraid I don't have any new information. Have you talked with $EventPony?"
[[To Town]]
<<elseif $Event eq 1 and $Clue eq 0 and $KindToSweetieBelle eq 0>>
The mechanical noise of Rarity's sewing machine fills the room. You're one of the rare few who get a glimpse of the fashionista in work mode, when she lets her hair fall out of place.
She doesn't notice you at first. Sweetie Belle stands beside her, looking grumpy. You notice a steaming cup of tea on the table next to Rarity, but it looks like it hasn't been touched.
[[Sweetie Belle, what's wrong?]]
[[Ask Rarity about the letter]]
[[Ask Rarity if it's her]]
<<elseif $Event eq 1 and $Clue eq 0 and $KindToSweetieBelle eq 1>>
You return to find Rarity at the same table, sitting at the same sewing machine, but this time she's sound asleep. You admire the cuteness of the scene for a moment, but sensing she's not alone in the room, her eyes flutter open.
"Oh," she says, stifling a yawn. "I do thank you for the little wake up call. I'd hate to get behind on these orders. Is there something I could do for you?"
[[Be nicer to Sweetie Belle]]
[[Ask Rarity about the letter]]
[[Ask Rarity if it's her]]
<<elseif $Event eq 1 and $Clue eq 1>>
As you approach Carousel Boutique, you hear an agonized, yet distinguished, cry of "Sweeeetie Belle!"
You hurry to the town square where you find Rarity, her Mascara running from tears as she holds up a picture of Sweetie Belle in front of a crowd of ponies.
"Th-this morning," Rarity says. "She made me tea and I didn't even say anything. I've been so f-focused on my work, I've barely heard a word she said all week! She left me this letter saying she ran away and a lot of other things. I don't even know where she learned the f-word!"
Rarity breaks down in tears as the ponies scatter, searching for Sweetie Belle. The matter of the letter will have to wait. A filly is in danger.
<<set $TriggerSweetieBelleHides = 1>>
[[Talk to Apple Bloom]]
[[Talk to Scootaloo]]
[[Search the park]]
<<if $KindToSweetieBelle eq 1>>
[[Talk to Pacific Glow]]
[[Talk to DJPon3]]
<</if>>
<<else>>
You find Rarity at a table set up in front of Carousel Boutique with Sweetie Belle, the two siblings building a snowpony. Rarity fusses over the details as Sweetie Belle hops around in the snow, which comes up to her barrel.
Noticing you, Sweetie Belle stops and pokes her sister to get her attention.
"Oh, we have a visitor," says Rarity. "What can I do for you this fine day?"
[[Ask Rarity about the letter]]
[[Ask Rarity if it's her]]
[[To Town]]
<</if>>
/*Rarity needs a first event*/
<<if $FirstEvent eq 3 and $Clue eq 0>>
You stop by Sugarcube Corner, the one spot where you're almost always guaranteed to find Pinkie Pie, but Mr. Cake informs you she's not in today. As a pony who is friends with everyone, Pinkie Pie could literally be anywhere between Sugarcube Corner and Yakyakistan. You decide searching for her would be pointless, but as you wonder who else to ask a very small pokes you with her hoof.
"I know where she is," says the filly.
The child gives you directions to a small factory building outside of town. The pink paint and balloons confirm you're in the right place. For some reason, you see a large crowd in front of the factory: a crowd of older ponies, most of them male. It's the first time you've ever seen a crowd in which male ponies outnumber the female outside of the Royal Guard (in fact, Royal Guard members make up a significant part of this crowd). You get the attention of the first pony, a fellow with a goatee and shades, and ask him what's going on.
"It's a celebration of friendship and love," he says. "The young mare in that building found the secret of a happy life, my new dear friend. I've never felt so good, I've never felt so accepted. She alone found the secret salve to ease the pain in my heart!"
[[Go into the factory]]
<<elseif $FirstEvent eq 3 and $Clue eq 1>>
You walk into Sugar Cube Corner and you find Pinkie Pie sitting at a table surrounded by young foals. Each has a Breezie doll sitting on the table next to their plates.
Pinkie Pie shows them one she kept, with loose stitching and one crooked antenna.
"Everypony is different and every Breezie is different too. Loose Stitch might not look like her sisters, but she's one of my favorites because she was made with love."
She looks in your direction. "Oh, hi. Sorry, my Pinkie Sense isn't telling me anything else. Have you talked to $EventPony?"
[[To Town]]
<<elseif $Event eq 3 and $Clue eq 0>>
The customers at Sugar Cube Corner seem nervous at a spectacle most of them have never seen before: Pinkie Pie is angry.
She paces back and forth in front of the counter, mumbling to herself.
"As if any self-respecting clown would be so mean. Clowns are givers of joy and would never scare ponies that way!"
[[Uh... What's wrong?]]
[[To Town]] /* Find the code that makkes this link look like something else*/
<<elseif $Event eq 3 and $Clue eq 1>>
You find Pinkie Pie sitting at the corner table. Her hair is straight and completely deflated. She rests her head on the table, her eyes despondent.
"Hey..." she says.
[[Pinkie...?]]
<<else>>
Customers fill Sugarcube Corner. Happily buzzing between tables, the energetic Pinkie Pie moves fast enough to do the work of three servers. She notices you and you wait a moment for her to finish up with her last table.
"Happy birthday in 107 days!" says Pinkie.
[[Tell Pinkie about the letter]]
[[Ask Pinkie if it's her]]
[[To Town]]
<</if>>
/*
0 - Twilight
1 Rarity
2 AJ
3 Pinkie
4 Fluttershy
5 Rainbow
*/
<<if $FirstEvent eq 4 and $Clue eq 0>>
The birds chirp as you approach Fluttershy's cottage. Each constantly seems intent on making its voice heard over the others, possibly hoping to get into Fluttershy's bird choir.
You hear a low, rumbling growl as you approach the cottage. Has one of Fluttershy's animals turned aggressive? The meanest animals in the world would never hurt Fluttershy, but certain illnesses can make animals lose their minds.
You rush in, expecting to find Fluttershy cowering in the corner from the wrath of an angry bear. Instead, she sits on a stool, looking at you with surprise. You were right about the noises coming from a bear, but it rests on the couch, tucked in under a blanket with an ice pack on its head.
"Sorry," you say. "I heard growls..."
"Oh, that's just Mr. Bear's snoring," says Fluttershy. "But it's just so wonderful you're here. Poor Mr. Bear needs Laslie Root if he's going to get better, but it could take all day to find some and I'd absolutely hate to leave him alone."
<<click "Maybe Zecora has some?">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "Maybe Zecora has some?">><</replace>>\
<</click>> <<click "Where do I find it?">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "Where do I find it?">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
<<set $HealRoot to 1>>
<<elseif $FirstEvent eq 4 and $Clue eq 1>>
You find Fluttershy again sitting with Mr. Bear. But Mr. Bear looks much more lively than before, sitting up as Fluttershy reads to him.
She looks up as you walk in. "Hello, again," she says. "OOh, I know why you're here. You don't remember what we talked about." She giggles. "You probably want to talk to $EventPony. And be careful with anything Tree Hugger gives you to eat or drink."
[[To Town]]
<<elseif $Event eq 4 and $Clue eq 0>>
You knock on the door for Fluttershy's cottage.
"Come in," she calls out, barely audible with her soft voice.
You walk into her room and find her knitting, sitting in her chair.
"Hello," she says. "I was just making a little embroidered thing to put on my saddle bags. A cute symbol for a musician I like. What can I do for you?"
You start to answer, but your eyes are drawn to something on Fluttershy's couch: a body pillow in the shape of Princess Luna.
"Oh, dear," She flutters over to the pillow, hiding it behind the couch. "Yes, um..."
That probably rules out Fluttershy, unless she's got another pillow hidden somewhere with your name on it.
[[You have nothing to be embarrassed about]]
[[Tell Fluttershy about the letter]]
<<elseif $Event eq 4 and $Clue eq 1>>
You find the door to Fluttershy's cottage open a crack. You hear the shy pony inside mumbling "Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh dear." Furniture thuds and clothes fly inside.
You let yourself in and find a crowd of worried animals watching Fluttershy, who hovers around filling suitcases and bags.
"Fluttershy?"
"Eep!" She hides behind her tail as she looks at you, her face tomato red, somehow showing under her fur. "Oh, um... hello."
[[Going on vacation?]]
<<else>>
The birds sing along with Fluttershy's happy song as she floats above her garden, watering her flowers and talking with a sweet voice to her bees.
She flutters to the ground as she notices you. "Oh. Um... hi," she says.
[[Tell Fluttershy about the letter]]
[[Ask Fluttershy if it's her]]
[[To Town]]
<</if>>
/*
0 - Twilight
1 Rarity
2 AJ
3 Pinkie
4 Fluttershy
5 Rainbow
*/
/*
<<click "No">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "No">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
*/
<<if $FirstEvent eq 5 and $Clue eq 0>>
It takes some searching, but you eventually find Rainbow Dash at a picnic table outside of town. She doesn't seem like she's having a very good time, however. Her tea sits cold and she just stares across the field.
"What's wrong?" you ask.
"What?" she looks up, noticing you for the first time. "Oh. Nothing."
You follow her gaze. She's staring at the theater house at the other end of the park. A big sign reads, "Dazzles on Sunset Avenue. LAST DAY!"
"Couldn't get tickets?" you ask.
"Sure I could," says Rainbow. "If I'd <i>wanted</i> to! It's some dumb, dorky romance thing. Who'd want to see that? I wouldn't be caught dead in there, I'd be humiliated if anypony saw me." She rests her head on the table with a sad sigh, still staring at the theater.
<<click "I won't tell anypony you want to see it">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "I won't tell anypony you want to see it">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<<click "I'd really like to see it">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "I'd really like to see it">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
<<elseif $FirstEvent eq 5 and $Clue eq 1>>
Rainbow stands in the middle of a crowd. No longer embarrassed, she tells several ponies all about the play.
"I'm gonna see it fifteen times when it comes back to Ponyville!" says Ranbow. "Oh, hi!" she says, noticing you. "Thanks again. Sorry, I still haven't heard anything else. Have you talked to $EventPony?
[[To Town]]
<<elseif $Event eq 5 and $Clue eq 0>>
You bump into Rainbow Dash wandering around the outskirts of Ponyville. She's in a mood like you've never seen. Instead of boasting or zipping around for a workout, she carries a load of papers and books. She holds a map in front of her as she buzzes around like a bee searching for a flower.
"Rainbow?" you ask. "What's going on?"
"Everyone thinks I'm crazy!" she says. "But I found the pattern. All the clues are in the Daring Do books. I don't think she ever meant to put these clues into her stories but I sure figured them out. Am I the greatest Daring Do fan who ever lived or what?!"
"Awesome," you say. "What?"
"There's a temple right near Ponyville!" says Rainbow. "And I'm totally going to find it."
"Oh," you say.
[[To Town]]
[[Tell Rainbow about the letter]]
<<elseif $Event eq 5 and $Clue eq 1>>
/*Ideas. A detective thing, though that was done already in an episode. A Scooby type mystery - Might work better with Twilight. Oh. Rainbow accidentally unlocked the tomb of an ancient lich.*/
You run several more errands in town, spending more hours than you'd like because of the holiday rush, when suddenly a group of ponies begin fleeing from the other side of town. Purple and green energy rays burst in the sky. You spot Spike climbing up on a poll to get away from the stampede, hanging on for dear life as the ground quakes from the stampede.
"Spike!" you shout, projecting over the noise of the fleeing crowd. "Who's my secret crush?"
He blinks as he comprehends what you asked. "Are you nuts!?" he calls out. "Everypony's running for their lives, can't you see that!?"
"Yeah, what's that all about?"
"Rainbow pieced together some secret references in her Daring Doo novels about a hidden temple in the Everfree Forest! She brought a crowd with her to prove it, but it wasn't a temple, it was the tomb of an ancient lich!"
"That's nuts, man!" you say. "Now who's my secret crush?"
Just another Tuesday in Ponyville, to be honest.
[[See if you can help]]
<<else>>
You ask around and find Rainbow Dash at the Buckball field outside of town. All you can see is a rainbow blur as the Wonderbolt flies laps around the field.
Noticing she has a visitor, she slows down and takes to the sky, her front hooves on her hips as she grins.
"You think that's something?" she asks. "That was only my warmup!"
[[Tell Rainbow about the letter]]
[[Ask Rainbow if it's her]]
[[To Town]]
<</if>>
/*
0 - Twilight
1 Rarity
2 AJ
3 Pinkie
4 Fluttershy
5 Rainbow
*/
<<if $FirstEvent eq 2 and $Clue eq 2>>
AJ thinks for a moment.
"Ya know," she says. "Nopony's told me anything, but I have been noticin' some sly sideways glances you never seem to pick up on. I don't feel right sayin' if I don't know for sure, though. Tell ya what, Sugar Cube. Let me ask and I'll let ya know later."
[[To Town|AJ Clue Confrontation]]
<</if>>
"Afeared I can't say, sugarcube," says Apple Jack. "Me an' the gals don't gossip over crushes an' that nonsense like the other mares do. This here's the first I heard of your crush."
[[Ask AJ if it's her]]
[[To Town]]<<if $SecretCrush eq 2 and $AJClue eq 0>>
"Well how's about that? You found me out, and so fast t'boot. Whud'ja do, just go around askin' random ponies if it was them?" she asks with a wink.
[[Make a date]]
<<elseif $SecretCrush eq 2 and $AJClue eq 1>>
"Well how's about that? You found me out, and so fast t'boot. Whud'ja do, just go around askin' random ponies if it was them?" she asks with a wink.
[[Make a date]]
<<else>>
AJ gives you a sideways glance.
"You don't have a clue one, do ya? If it was me, I wouldn't just tell ya. Well," she shrugs. "<i>I</i> probably would on account of the whole honesty thing, but whoever done wrote you this probably wants to make a game of it. You're gonna have to play detective, sugarcube."
[[Ask AJ if she knows who it is]]
[[To Town]]
<</if>>
You start to tell AJ a bout the letter, but she soon stops your words by pressing a hoof to your mouth.
"You hold right on there, now. Per the Apple Family Code of Honor, no one leaves Sweet Apple Acres on an empty stomach. Whatever's got your tail in a hitch, it can wait a spell."
She invites you inside and you don't argue. Hearths and Hooves day is quite a while away, you're sure you have time for a meal and some chit chat. The two of you find a pie already made, courtesy of Granny Smith, who constantly seems to have a pie fresh from the oven.
You patiently sit through an hour-long story about how she and her cousins escaped from a pack of timberwolves when she was a young-un. When Granny finally leaves the room to take her nap, you tell Apple Jack about the letter you found on your door.
"I feel ya, sugarcube," says AJ. "I've gotten so many of those. Last time I saw one pinned on my door, I was honest-to-Celestia hopin' it would end up bein' a notice from the bank."
[[Ask AJ if she knows who it is]]
[[Ask AJ if it's her]]
[[To Town]]It takes AJ a second to figure out your meaning. You can't believe it's the first time she heard that joke, but apparently it was.
She shakes her head with a laugh. "You flirt," she says.
As per Apple Jack's code of honor, no one leaves Sweet Apple Acres with an empty stomach, so she invites you inside. You chit chat over an apple pie with a side of apple juice before you finally get to the reason why you're there.
"Well ain't that somethin'," says Apple Jack. "I get a few letters myself. 'Course they usually tell me who they are."
[[Ask AJ if she knows who it is]]
[[Ask AJ if it's her]]
[[To Town]]Both of you completely cover yourselves in hazmat suits and you follow Twilight to the Everfree Forest. You shy away from the shadows, knowing what sorts of vicious monsters lurk in these woods.
"Poison joke tends to grow in the more clear areas along trails," explains Twilight. "Making it more likely to infect a victim that might wander through its blooms."
As you search for the flowers, you tell Twilight about the note on your door. Although still distracted, looking for the flower, she occasionally stops and considers what you have to say.
"Well," says Twilight, examining the letter. "They were smart to have Spike write the letter, or else I'd know them by their hoofwriting. You got this letter last night... do you suppose he must have written the letter that day?"
You shrug.
"No way to know right now, I suppose," says Twilight. "But $EventPony did come to see him yesterday."
[[Finish helping Twilight]]
[[To Town]]
<<set $Clue to 1>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 0>> <<set $TwilightClue = 1>> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 1>> <<set $RarityClue = 1>> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 2>> <<set $AJClue = 1>> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 3>> <<set $PinkieClue = 1>> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 4>> <<set $FluttershyClue = 1>> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 5>> <<set $RainbowClue = 1>> <</if>>
/* I don't know if I want Twilight to give different ideas for the various possibilities coming from her or not. Idk, I'll decide that after I finish the Sweetie Belle storyline. */
<<if $FirstEvent eq 0 and $Clue eq 0>>
As you read the letter back to Twilight, she continuously nods and says "uh huh" in response, but her attention is 100 percent on her note book and Zecora's rhyming encyclopedia on the properties of mystical plants.
"I'm sorry," says Twilight. "I'm just so close! My tests all produced positive results. This was the worst possible time for me to run out of poison joke! I've got to go get some. Come on, we can chat on the way."
[[Help search for poison joke plant]]
<<elseif $Clue eq 2>>
Twilight glances at Spike.
<<else>>
"That's very interesting," she says. "And smart! If she'd written the letter herself I could have performed a hoof-writing analysis. Bit since Spike wrote it I have absolutely no idea how I can help. Sorry, he won't tell me. His dragon code of honor won't allow him to break a confidence."
[[Ask Twilight if it's her]]
[[To Town]]
<</if>>
It would be terribly rude to just high tail back to town after you got what you wanted, so you stay close to Twilight as leads you through a dark, dank grove.
Vines hang, covered with moss that looks like film from the top of an open sewer. You're not far from The Castle of the Two Sisters, you realize.
As some of the trees clear, Twilight breaks the silence with an "Aha!" She races ahead of you to get to a patch of poison joke flowers near the edge of the cliff.
Twilight carefully collects all of the flowers she needs, sealing them in a jar. But as you prepare to leave, a horrible stench hits your nose.
You hear them before you see them: over a dozen timber wolves, their eyes glowing in the dark. Even the mighty Twilight Sparkle can't take on so many.
[[Grab Twilight and run into the castle]]
[[Grab Twilight and jump off the cliff]]
"Hey!" Twilight shouts at you.
You grab her and take off running toward The Castle of the Two Sisters. Twilight blasts at the timber wolves pursuing you, shattering a few of the faster ones before they get close.
"Door ahead!" you tell Twilight as you near the castle gate. You have no idea if it's locked or not, but Twilight opens the gate with her magic, then slams it tightly shut as the two of you make it inside.
The timber wolves throw their bodies against the door. You hear them banging against the gate like a battering ram, but the door holds.
You and Twilight both lie on the floor, catching your breaths as sweat pools underneath you.
"Well," you say. "We're not dead, but we're stuck in here."
Twilight chuckles. Standing up, she takes a deep breath to steady herself. Then she spreads her wings, mostly to strike a pose, you suspect, and the bright shine from her horn fills the room.
[[Twilight teleports you both back]]
You scoop Twilight up. You doubt you could outrun the timber wolves long enough to make it to the castle, so you do the only thing you can think of: you say a prayer to Celestia and jump off the cliff.
You and Twilight both scream as you fall through the air. You splash into a convenient river at the bottom of the ravine. You try to hold onto Twilight, but you lose your grip as the strong currents toss you around. Unknown by you, she teleports herself safely to the bank of the river as the water carries you onward.
A jagged rock comes up at you fast, but a purple glow lifts you out of the water.
You laugh, giddy with shock that you managed to survive as Twilight lowers you to the bank.
"That was rather impulsive," says Twilight. "If you'd waited just a second I would have teleported us back to the castle."
"That's a good idea," you say. "Can you still do that?"
Twilight's horn glows bright and the light envelops you both.
[[Twilight teleports you both back]]The two of you reappear in Twilight's castle with a purple and white flash.
"Well <i>that</i> was interesting," says Twilight. "This ought to be plenty of poison joke, though. Just a little more tweaking, and I think I'll have a working antidote. Thank you for your help. Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm good," you say.
"I could have handled it but, you know. Quick thinking." She twiddles her hoof against the floor in a cute, shy way. "Well, don't forget to talk to Rarity. She might know something."
<<set $Clue to 1>>
[[To Town]] [[Current clue]]
[[Known issues]]Double-click this passage to edit it.Sweetie Belle's eyes brighten for a moment. The mere fact that someone notices her is enough to cause a small up-turn in the corners of her mouth, but the attempt at a smile fails as she glances at her sister again.
"Oh, I'm alright," she says. Her tone is not convincing. "I'm glad <i>somepony</i> was good enough to ask."
[[Ask Rarity about the letter]]
[[Cheer Sweetie Belle up]]<<if $FirstEvent eq 1>>
"Oh!" says Rarity with a big smile. "How perfectly lovely. You simply must tell me everything once you figure it out. As for who might have written it, I couldn't say for sure. But $EventPony has been walking around in a rather strange mood, lately. It certainly might be a crush."
<<set $Clue to 1>>
[[To Town]]
[[Can I help?]]
<<elseif $SecretCrush eq 2 and $AJClue eq 0>>
"I'm sorry, darling," says Rarity. "I'm usually the first to hear who has a crush on who, but as you can see I've been a bit occupied lately."
<<else>>
"A <i>love</i> letter!" she exclaims. "Somepony has a secret crush and they didn't tell me? As if I wasn't the expert on romance! Well, I'm terribly sorry. I'm afraid I don't know who wrote the letter. But I'll bet you ten bits I can find out before you do."
She gives you a sly smile.
<</if>>
[[Ask Rarity if it's her]]
[[To Town]] "Kind of cold to do much outside," you say. "I'd hate to see you cooped up in the shop all day. Did you know DJPon3 is setting up her equipment at the gymnasium?"
Sweetie Belle gasps with excitement. She loves DJPon3's events and apparently she didn't know about this spontaneous party. She looks up at Rarity. "Can I go?"
"Huh? Oh, yes, yes." Rarity gives you a wink of gratitude for taking care of the little pony, then quickly gets back to work.
[[DJPon3's Event]]
<<set $KindToSweetieBelle = 1>>
Even with zero notice or advertising, DJPon3 always draws a crowd. It takes almost ten minutes for you and Sweetie Belle to get inside the gymnasium. Sweetie Belle sprints away from you to join the throngs of dancing ponies. Fearing foalnappers, you rush to catch up with her.
You find Sweetie Belle in a circle of other ponies watching one particularly talented dancer. You don't know this pink pony. She reminds you of Pinkie Pie in a lot of ways, but this pony's fun seems significantly less innocent, in spite of the pacifier hanging from her necklace. Sweating from the effort of her movements, the pony's pigtails ripple through the air like streamers as she leaps and slides.
Sweetie Belle's eyes go wide as she watches Pacific Glow dance. She seems completely mesmerized. Never the shy one, Sweetie Belle doesn't think twice before jumping onto the card board mat to dance with pink rave master.
You cringe at Sweetie Belle's rude intrusion, but Pacific Glow doesn't seem to mind in the slightest. She grins, making room for Sweetie Belle and circling around her as the Cutie Mark Crusader tries her best to mimic Pacific Glow's moves.
She trips and falls several times, but has the time of her life. You'd fully expect a cutie mark for dance to appear on her flank, if she didn't already have one.
[[Rest]]
<<if $SecretCrush eq 2>>
Rarity giggles.
"Well if it was me, I think I might have at least run a comb through my hair before I let you see me. Or perhaps you can look past that and see the beauty within?" She gives you a flirtatious look.
<<else>>
"Why, darling? Do you <i>want</i> it to be me?" She gives you a stare that makes you blush.
<</if>>
[[Ask Rarity about the letter]]
[[To Town]] She seems, for a moment, as if she's going to tell you to mind your own business, but then she glances at the cold cup of tea she hasn't touched.
"Oh, dear," she says. "Yes, I have been rather cold. I'm just elbow deep in my addiction here. By that I mean my project, not- well, you know what I mean. Of course I'll make it up to the poor dear."
[[Ask Rarity about the letter]]
[[Ask Rarity if it's her]]
[[To Town]] <<if $TriggerSweetieBelleHides eq 1>>
The sun drops low in the sky as you finish the long walk to the Cutie Mark Crusader treehouse. Packed snow on top of the pastel-colored club house makes the little shack look like a cake topped with white icing. Pinkie would approve.
<<if $SweetieBelleHides eq 3>>
A big banner hanging on the outside of the club house reading "No Rarity's allowed!" makes you think you're probably in the right place. You stop to grin at the sloppy picture of Rarity's face painted on the sign, emphasizing bags under her eyes with her hair looking like a rat's nest.
You climb up and gently tap on the door. The shutters on the window crack open and you catch a glimpse of Apple Bloom. She wears an army helmet with camo-paint on her cheeks and glares out of the dark club house, but her expression softens when she sees it's you.
"Come on in!" she says, opening the door for you.
Apple Bloom forgets to tell Sweetie Belle it's you at the door, however, and as soon as you walk in she beans you square in the face with a water balloon.
She gasps. "I'm so sorry! I thought you were Rarity!"
You stand there dripping for a moment. "It's alright, Sweetie Belle," you say. It isn't really, your ears are likely to grow icicles on the long walk back.
Apple Bloom tries her very best not to laugh as she hands you a roll of paper towels.
[[Smooth it over with Sweetie Belle]]
<<else>>
As you step up onto the ramp, you hear a young voice yelling "Heeeeeelp!"
You rush inside and find Apple Bloom wrapped up in a thick vine, the slobbering face of a giant plant getting ready to devour her. Apparently she had a little mishap with one of her potions.
You break a long, sharp piece of wood off of the door frame and stab the predatory plant square in the bulb. The beast screeches as it convulses. You grab hold of the vines wrapping up Apple Bloom, freeing the filly as the murderous plant spasms for the final time.
"Holy moly," says Apple Bloom. "I reckon next time I'll wait until Twilight Time to try a new potion. Thank you."
[[Ask Apple Bloom if she's seen Sweetie Belle]]
<</if>>
<</if>>
/*
0 - Just search randomly
1 - DJPon3's house
2 - with Pacific Glow
3 - with Apple Bloom
4 - With Scootaloo
*/
<<if $TriggerSweetieBelleHides eq 1 and $SweetieBelleHides neq 4>>
Nopony in Ponyville has any idea where Scootaloo lives except Rainbow Dash. But before you can find Rainbow, you run into Scoots at the playground at school.
Her helmet strapped tightly to her head, Scootaloo sets her scooter up at the top of the slide. And at the end of the slide, various ramps made of shoddy wood extend the surface area. Before you can stop her, the filly daredevil takes off, bounding off the bottom of the slide. Her wheel, predictably, catches on the uneven connection between the ramp extensions and sends the little pegasus flying through the air, for a brief moment before she slams into a pile of snow.
You dig her out, dusting the snow beard off of her cheeks.
She spits out a bit of ice. "Thanks," she says. "What's up?"
[[Ask Scootaloo if she's seen Sweetie Belle]]
<<elseif $SweetieBelleHides eq 4>>
Asking around, a few ponies tell you they saw Scootaloo on her scooter buzzing on her way toward the Buckball field outside of town.
As the sun goes down, you find Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle having an informal game. Scootaloo plays the part of the earth pony, bucking balls as Sweetie Belle levitates the bucket, acting as a goalie for an imaginary team.
Scootaloo certainly succeeded in cheering Sweetie Belle up.
[[Smooth it over with Sweetie Belle]]
<</if>>
<<if $TriggerSweetieBelleHides eq 1>>
You ask around to find where Pacific Glow is staying. Most ponies don't know, but you just happen to bump into Tree Hugger as the markets close and she points you to a building at the center of town.
You've seen this place before, but last time you were in this part of town the building wasn't painted purple and pink. You hear music playing, but the dance pony is respectful enough of her new neighbors to keep the volume down. Or so you think until the door opens and a wall of sound knocks you to the ground.
Apparently Pacific Glow invested in some serious soundproofing.
Standing in the door way looking down at you, Pacific Glow asks if you're alright.
"I'm good," you ask. "Do you know a young filly named Sweetie Belle?"
<<if $SweetieBelleHides eq 1>>
"Yeah, I know that pony," says Glow. "She was at DJPon3's house when I left a while ago."
[[Talk to DJPon3]]
<<elseif $SweetieBelleHides eq 2>>
"Oh, yeah," she says. "Girl's got a killer voice, ya know. Come on in."
You're nervous as you enter the pony's home, watching your step for fear of stepping on a needle. But the place seems very clean with a shining tile floor. It's dark with colored lights, setting an eternal rave atmosphere. But there's furniture in the room and you find Sweetie Belle resting on the couch.
You say a few silent words to Celestia, praying she's tired and not reacting to some chemical or another. She looks at you and although it's hard to tell in the low light, she doesn't look messed up.
Quietly, you ask you, "You didn't take anything, did you?"
"What?" Sweetie Belle asks. She clearly has no idea what you mean, so you change the subject.
[[Smooth it over with Sweetie Belle]]
<<else>>
"Sorry," she says. "I've seen her before but I don't know where she is now. I sure hope you find her. I know what it's like to be lost. You know, until the music found me."
[[Talk to Apple Bloom]]
[[Talk to Scootaloo]]
[[Search the park]]
[[Talk to DJPon3]]
[[To Town]]
<</if>>
<</if>>
/*
0 - Just search randomly
1 - DJPon3's house
2 - with Pacific Glow
3 - with Apple Bloom
4 - With Scootaloo
*/
<<if $TriggerSweetieBelleHides eq 1>>
A heavily digitized song rattles the windows as you approach DJPon3's home. You can only assume Octavia must not be home, or else the classicist is probably in a rather sour mood.
You knock several times and are not surprised that the DJ pony can't hear you. You decide she probably won't mind if you let yourself in.
<<if $SweetieBelleHides eq 1>>
You walk in and find strobe lights in the dark room. The big area looks very much like it's outfitted to host a rave, but you only see one pony other than DJPon3.
With a backwards cap on her head, a blue wind suit and a gold chain around her neck, Sweetie Belle looks very much like she grew up on the streets. Watching her dance, she improved much after the talent show disaster. She's still a bit clumsy, but with a bit of practice you believe she could win a dance off.
You wait patiently for the song to end.
[[Smooth it over with Sweetie Belle]]
<<elseif $SweetieBelleHides eq 2>>
DJPon3 sits behind a massive speaker system, tilting her head up and down along with the music. You have to shout to be heard. When the music pony hears a filly is missing, she does something few ponies have ever seen her do before: she turns the music down.
"Sweetie Belle," she says, making you one of the few who's ever heard her speak. "Yeah, I know that pony. Earlier today she signed up for dance lessons from Pacific Glow. I think she's Glow's first student since she came to Ponyville."
Your eyes go wide and you rush out the room. You have to find Sweetie Belle before she eats the brownies!
[[Talk to Pacific Glow]]
<<else>>
DJPon3 sits behind a massive speaker system, tilting her head up and down along with the music. You have to shout to be heard. When the music pony hears a filly is missing, she does something few ponies have ever seen her do before: she turns the music down.
"Sweetie Belle," she says. "She sent me a few fan letters, but I don't know where she might be."
[[Talk to Apple Bloom]]
[[Talk to Scootaloo]]
[[Search the park]]
[[Talk to Pacific Glow]]
[[To Town]]
<</if>>
<</if>>
/*
0 - Just search randomly
1 - DJPon3's house
2 - with Pacific Glow
3 - with Apple Bloom
4 - With Scootaloo
*/
/*
0 - Just search randomly
1 - DJPon3's house
2 - with Pacific Glow
3 - with Apple Bloom
4 - With Scootaloo
*/
Each pony doesn't have to have a unique answer to all three of these. Maybe Apple Bloom would know if she went to Pacific Glow's or Scootaloo's, but she wouldn't know if she went to DJPon3's house or just search randomly.
I need to change the name of that to a specific place.
I need to add a specific trigger to start the search for Apple Bloome. Because I'm going to be reusing most of these passages.
I probably could just could have used that one. Shit! Do I need a closing trigger? No. I can use AJClue 3 to end that event.
Aw, fuck. Those AJClue triggers, I need to set an /if conditional. I think. Yes, on some of them.
As the sun gets low, most of the young ponies have already left the snowy park. The pond is half frozen and a snowpony stands watch at the tree line, but you doubt he'll tell you anything useful.
<<if $SweetieBelleHides eq 0>>
You search the park a bit. You don't know Sweetie Belle very well, but you remember all of your favorite hiding places as a kid. Sweetie Belle makes it easy for you, however, and you spot a sign reading "I'm not in the fort! Go away!"
You climb up on the playground equipment, which includes an enclosure above the slide, which you guess must be the "fort." Her back to you, she glances over her shoulder.
<<if $KindToSweetieBelle eq 1>>
"Oh, hey," she says with a smile. "I had a lot of fun today."
<<else>>
"Oh," she says, disappointment obvious in her tone. She wanted Rarity to find her.
<</if>>
[[Smooth it over with Sweetie Belle]]
<<else>>
You spend about an hour searching the park, but find nothing.
[[Talk to Apple Bloom]]
[[Talk to Scootaloo]]
[[To Town]]
<<if $TriggerSweetieBelleHides eq 1 and $KindToSweetieBelle eq 1 or $TriggerClubPonies eq 1>>
[[Talk to Pacific Glow]]
[[Talk to DJPon3]]
<</if>>
<</if>>
/*
0 - ??
1 - DJPon3's house
2 - with Pacific Glow
3 - with Apple Bloom
4 - With Scootaloo
*/
/* Ok, so this worked
<<if $IHaveCat eq 0>>
I have a <<if $CatIsBrown eq 0>> brown <</if>> <<if $CatIsBrown eq 1>>white<</if>> cat.
<</if>>
*/Her face pink with exertion (which somehow shows through her fur), Sweetie Belle sits down on the bleachers next to you as she listens to DJPon3's music. The music pony plays softer, more melancholy songs that set a mood.
Her voice soft, Sweetie Belle says, "I wish Rarity had brought me."
You look down at her. Her cheeks take on a deeper shade of pink.
"N-not that I didn't want to go with you," she says. "It's just..." she sighs.
"I know," you say.
You pull Sweetie Belle into a hug.
[[To Town]]
<<if $Clue eq 1>>
You should talk to $EventPony
<<else>>
You have no idea where to start. Maybe you should just talk to random ponies and see if anypony knows anything.
<</if>>
<<back>>/*It's not like the passage thingy with the sidebar menu. I need to find where to do it*/
body {
color: #eee;
background-color: #111;
}Double-click this passage to edit it.The snow softly drifts down as a group of children sing carols. Though they're far removed from the group of ponies circling Rarity and Sweetie Belle, their voice carries enough to provide a conveniently soft musical track as a teary eyed Rarity hugs her sister, promising to never be cold to her again.
<<if $KindToSweetieBelle eq 2>>
With your secret admirer still on your mind, you scan the faces of all the gathered ponies, looking for any who might be looking at you with love in their eye, but after all the trouble you went through to patch things up between a filly and her sister, half the ponies in town look at you as if they'd happily marry you on the spot.
<</if>>
Even with everything going on, you'd love to ask Rarity about the letter with Spike and if she's truly her secret admirer, but you're not about to interrupt what might (hopefully) be a turning point in their relationship. It'll just have to wait.
[[Go straight home]]
[[Dally a bit]]
<<silently>>
<<set $SecretCrush to random(5)>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 0>> <<set $SecretPony to "Twilight">> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 1>> <<set $SecretPony to "Rarity">> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 2>> <<set $SecretPony to "AJ">> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 3>> <<set $SecretPony to "Pinkie">> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 4>> <<set $SecretPony to "Fluttershy">> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 5>> <<set $SecretPony to "Rainbow">> <</if>>
<</silently>>
<<silently>>
<<set $Event to random(5)>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 0>> <<set $SecretPony to "Twilight">> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 1>> <<set $SecretPony to "Rarity">> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 2 and $Event is 2>> <<set $Event to 1>> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 3>> <<set $SecretPony to "Pinkie">> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 4>> <<set $SecretPony to "Fluttershy">> <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 5>> <<set $SecretPony to "Rainbow">> <</if>>
<</silently>>
$Event
$SecretPony
<<if $SecretCrush is 0>> "Twilight <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 1>> "Rarity" <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 2>> "AJ" <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 3>> "Pinkie"<</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 4>>"Fluttershy"<</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 5>> "Rainbow"<</if>>
<</if>>You tell her Rarity is looking for her. She shrugs, staying quiet in that way youngsters do.
"She was crying," you say.
She looks up at you. You can't tell if she's relieved or feels guilty.
"She feels terrible for ignoring you," you say.
"She felt terrible the last time, too," Sweetie Belle says.
You're silent for a moment. You can't fault her logic.
[[Convince Sweetie Belle to be patient with Rarity]]
[[Help Sweetie Belle make sure Rarity gets it]]
She looks worried for a moment as you explain the situation, but shakes her head and takes a breath. "Kinda takes after her sister in the drama department, I reckon."
<<if $SweetieBelleHides eq 0 or $SweetieBelleHides eq 4>>
She thinks for a moment. "There's a lot of places she might go, but I remember her sayin' lately that she ain't been to the park in a long time. Or she might be with Scootaloo. Who's to say?"
[[Talk to Scootaloo]]
[[Search the park]]
<<elseif $SweetieBelleHides eq 1 or $SweetieBelleHides eq 2>>
Apple Bloom thinks for a moment. "Scootaloo was here earlier, so I know she's not with her. Y'know, Sweetie Belle is kind of a fan of DJPon3. She might be at that pony's house. O'course she's also been getting a lot more interested in dance. I hear there's a new dance pony in town? What's her name... Pacific Glow?"
[[Talk to DJPon3]]
[[Talk to Pacific Glow]]
<<set $TriggerClubPonies = 1>>
<<else>>
She thinks for a moment. "I sure don't know where she might be, though."
[[To Town]]
<</if>>
/*
0 - Just search randomly
1 - DJPon3's house
2 - with Pacific Glow
3 - with Apple Bloom
4 - With Scootaloo
*/<<if $SweetieBelleHides eq 0 or $SweetieBelleHides eq 3>>
"She likes to go to the park when she's feeling pouty," says Scootaloo. "Or she might also be with Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom gives the best advice."
[[Search the park]]
[[Talk to Apple Bloom]]
<<elseif $SweetieBelleHides eq 1 or $SweetieBelleHides eq 2>>
"She's gotten really into dance parties lately," says Scootaloo. "She might be hanging out with that DJPon3. Or that new pony- what's her name? Atlantic... no, <i>Pacific</i> Glow.
[[Talk to DJPon3]]
[[Talk to Pacific Glow]]
[[To Town]]
<<set $TriggerClubPonies = 1>>
<</if>>
/*
0 - Just search randomly
1 - DJPon3's house
2 - with Pacific Glow
3 - with Apple Bloom
4 - With Scootaloo
*/"You're right," you say. "I want to tell you it'll never happen again, but it might. But is it so big that you can't forgive her for it? You're safe with her. She doesn't hit.
"Sometimes ponies have issues in their relationships," you continue. "And sometimes a good pony makes the same mistake more than once. But these are things you and Rarity can work on. The important thing is she loves you, enough to dive into the mud or break down crying in the middle of town square."
Sweetie Belle thinks about what you say for a moment. "I suppose," she says.
[[Take Sweetie Belle Home]]For a spontaneous show only a few weeks before Hearths Warming Eve, the event draws a very nice crowd. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo race around town, telling everyone they see to get to the public stage quickly, and Fluttershy still has costumes you can borrow, though the Luna outfit is much too big for the pony wearing it, Sweetie Belle.
As you step out onto the stage dressed as Celestia, the crowd laughs. You don't wear it well, but that isn't really the point. The point comes two-fold: to make Sweetie Belle feel less invisible and to imprint and important lesson on a certain fashionista.
You stand in front of a paper wall made to look like a balcony as you wave to everyone. Sweetie Belle, as Luna, comes up behind you.
"Mine dearest sister," says Sweetie Belle, awkward with her archaic pronunciation. "Surely thou wouldst accompany me to mine wine tasting party."
"Surely, I do love the taste of wine," you say. "But I am far too busy being adored by the masses."
Through the crowd, you catch Rarity's expression. She's is not amused.
<<set $KindToSweetieBelle = 2>>
[[Finish the play]]
The play continues with several similar scenes of Celestia neglecting Luna (and you really hope Celestia never hears of this). Everyone expects the play to end with Celestia banishing Luna, but you change the ending.
As Sweetie Belle threatens to drown Equestria in eternal night, you say, "I made a mistake. I made the same mistake over and over again. I am only a pony, and often a pony has this issue to work out. All ponies, no matter how close, have some problem between them that causes an issue. Wouldst that I could wink my eye and cure my heart of all flaws, but the pony heart does not work that way. These flaws take time to heal. Sometimes a second chance is not enough, and a pony needs more chances still. My dearest sister, my heart breaks for your loneliness. Wouldst though give me a third chance? And perhaps a fourth, though I promise to try my very best not to need it?"
Sweetie Belle, the terrifying Queen of the Night, looks down at you.
"Ok!" she says, and hops down, giving you a hug.
The ponies applaud. You catch another look at Rarity, who seems much more contemplative.
[[Take Sweetie Belle Home]] The only sound you hear on your way to your home is the snow crunching under your steps, but as you get closer a new sound reaches your ears: a low humming. But not the annoying humming noises you make yourself when you're bored. This sound is lovely, like a one-pony choir.
As you get closer to your house, you see a candle glowing on the front step. Just outside the circle of light, you see the outline of a pony, but it's too dark to make out who.
[[Who's there?|Crush Reveal]]Everything is so pretty tonight. Every falling snowflake seems spaced out perfectly. The glittering holiday lights give an impression of warmth even in the biting December cold, and the children's singing voices echo like the songs of angels in the night. As you stand on the bridge overlooking the frozen creek, you take a moment to just stare at the town for a bit. Even though you haven't found your secret admirer just yet, you know the pony exists. One of these ponies loves you the same way you've always loved every single one of them.
It's a night you wish would never end.
<<if $SecretCrush is 0>>
"There's nothing like a quiet moment alone with your thoughts, is there?" says a voice. You know it. "I used to spend hours alone just thinking. In my mind, anything was possible. All of the sacred mysteries of the universe were mine to unravel."
You turn around slowly. A purple pony stands in the darkness. Her horn sparks up, illuminating herself and the bridge in a purple glow. Twilight Sparkle, wrapped in a long, Hearthswarming-colored scarf, smiles at you.
"Quantum physics, astronomy, evolutionary biology: these things made up the world inside my mind. I learned to make room for friends, which I really love. But lately there's something new for my thoughts to center around: a crush."
"Is that a bad thing?" you ask.
"Sometimes it feels bad," says Twilight. "Sometimes it feels good. It's all so complicated and it feels so much like every emotion I've ever felt that I just can't stop thinking about it," she says.
"I'm sorry," you say.
"No, it's not bad," says Twilight. "I <i>want</i> to feel those ways. And I keep wondering..." she takes a step toward you, staring you in the eye. "What you're thinking. I wonder, if I asked, would you tell me?"
<<click "Yes">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "TellTwilight">><</replace>>\
<</click>> <<click "No">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "Don'tTellTwilight">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 1>>
"Just look at you," says a voice. "Letting the romance of this wonderful evening fill your soul. I might just have to steal a kiss from you."
Rarity steps into the light, giving you the most seductive look you've ever seen.
"It's a fine season for making memories that last forever, don't you think?" she asks. "That's why I waited so long to tell you, even though I was so worried someone would steal you before I could. I wanted the moment to be absolutely perfect." She moves closer to you. You smell just a bit of alcohol on her breath.
"You never came off as very experienced. What sort of memory are we about to make right now? Is this going to be your first kiss?"
[[Yes]]
[[No]]
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 2>>
"I know that look," says a voice. You freeze for a moment, not looking. Some part of you just wants to prolong the suspense, although the accent gives it away.
"It's the look of someone who knows how to soak in a moment. To savor it like the sweetest apple pie you've ever tasted, the victory lap after the first race you ever won... <i>or your first kiss.</i>"
You turn around slowly. Apple Jack stands on the bridge with you. For a rare change, she's without her father's hat and wears a brightly colored winter cap with a long scarf to shield her from the cold.
"There's nothing like a first kiss," says AJ. "Have you had yours?"
<<click "Yes">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "Yes">><</replace>>\
<</click>> <<click "No">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "No">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 3>>
"You've found a great spot to soak it in," says a voice. You can't quite place it. You don't turn around. You know your secret crush is about to reveal herself and you want to savor the moment.
"This is the one time of year when you can feel all of those special feelings like they're carried in the air," she says. "It's the time when think about all the new friends you made in the year, and all the tears you cried. And you remember that one day the snow will melt and the sun will come out again, warm all over you like a big hug."
You look behind you and find Pinkie Pie looking up at you, a small smile on her face. "You don't have to wait for the sun to come out. I can give you that big warm hug right now."
<<click "Hug">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "Hug">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 4>>
You stand there for several minutes, but something seems odd. You feel eyes on you, so you turn around.
You find Fluttershy standing behind you, bundled up in a heavy scarf and earmuffs. Her breath comes out in white puffs from the cold, which may or may not also be the reason why her cheeks are so pink.
"I didn't want to interrupt," she says. "You seemed like you were enjoying your thoughts so much. I don't usually enjoy mine. Unless I'm thinking about you."
"You wrote the letter?" you ask.
"Mm-hm," she says. "Well, that's not true. I had Spike write it and I dictated. I tried just telling you in person so many times, but I was just so nervous. But..." she says. "But that was such a <font color="pink">Kind</font> thing you did tonight, I'm not really nervous now. I can tell you what I feel."
"What do you feel?" you ask.
Her face turns a shade pinker. "Ok," she says. "Maybe I'm a little nervous, but..." she says the next part so quietly you can barely hear. "I've never... had... a kiss..."
[[Kiss]]
[[Let's take it slow]]
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 5>>
As you stare out over the frozen stream, a pair of blue hooves covers your eyes. You feel the warmth of a pegasus' body behind you.
"Guess who," she says, her voice flirty.
"Rainbow?" you ask.
She chuckles and embraces you from behind, looking around you to stare at Ponyville.
"I knew I had the right idea about you," she says, still holding onto you. You smell a bit of alcohol on her breath as she nibbles on your ear. Rainbow always was the bold one.
"That's exactly the kind of <font color="blue">Loyalty</font> I'd expect from you. And you really know how to have fun." She looks up at you, her gaze mischievous. "Want to go have some fun?"
[[Yes]]
[[Uh... what kind of fun?]]
<<else>>
But you still have no idea who this pony is.
/*This is where I'll put in the options for the players who didn't go the extra mile during the second event. I can probably simplify that kindness trigger. I don't need a different one for- actually, yes I do if I want the Secret Crush to have a line particular to each. */
<</if>>
/*
<<silently>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 0>> "Twilight" <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 1>> "Rarity"<</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 2>> $SecretPony to "AJ" <</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 3>> "Pinkie"<</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 4>> "Fluttershy"<</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 5>> "Rainbow" <</if>>
*/
/*Click in SugarCube will replace text with something without going to a different passage. Well, after you do appropriate macros.*/
/*"You close your eyes a bit, shutting out the world and just letting the mood soak into you as a warm smile spreads over your face.
"That's a sort of smile I wish I could frame," says a voice. Your heart skips a beat. This is it, you realize. Whoever this pony is must be your secret crush. You can practically feel it.
"I'm an expert on smiles," she says. */
<<if $SecretCrush is 3>>
Pinkie looks crushed.
"Because feelings like these are always silly, in a way," you say. "When these feelings are so new and you have no idea what to say. I feel pretty silly right now too. But that's not a bad thing."
[[Make a date]]
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 1>>
"How <i>wonderfully</i> perfect," says Rarity.
Reaching her hoof around you, she leans close to you, pointedly keeping her eyes open as she presses her lips against yours for a long, slow kiss in the snow.
[[Why me?]]
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 2>>
"Well," says AJ. "I'll just have to make it feel like the first time."
She wraps one foreleg around your neck, pulling you close. Her warm lips touch yours and you taste hor apple cider on her.
She pulls away from you slowly, looking up at you under lowered, seductive lids.
[[Why me?]]
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 5>>
Rainbow Dash breaks out a pair of ice skates, enough for herself and you also, and leads you out onto the ice.
However much apple cider she had, it doesn’t affect her performance. The creek gives very little room to skate in circles, so the two of you skate back and forth, Rainbow giving you a bit of support after the third time you fall.
She moves across the ice with an ethereal grace you've never seen from her before. It's much different than her races, which she conquers with all the fury and intensity of a hurricane.
Slowing down, she faces you, moving slower. She stares in your eyes for several long seconds.
"I don't normally go for this sappy stuff," she says. "I guess you bring something out in me."
She presses her lips against yours, kissing you hard.
[[Make a date]]
<</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 3>>
"Of course not," you say.
She gives you a big grin and steps closer to you. Personal space was never a concept Pinkie understood, but in this case it's not really an issue. She gets so close you can smell the cotton candy aroma of her favorite shampoo. She looks at you from lowered lids.
"My smile likes yours just as much as I like you. Our smiles should be together, don't you think?"
She presses her lips against yours. Her lips taste like mint.
[[Make a date]]
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 1>>
"Well," says Rarity. "Perhaps I could make it feel like the first time."
Reaching her hoof around you, she leans close to you, pointedly keeping her eyes open as she presses her lips against yours for a long, slow kiss in the snow.
[[Why me?]]
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 2>>
<<if $KindToSweetieBelle eq 2>>
"Well that just couldn't be more perfect," says AJ. "Just minutes after you showed your heart to the entire town, patched things up between Rarity and Sweetie Belle, and you were even good enough to lead me here to Ponyville's favorite lover's spot for your very first kiss."
<<else>>
"Well that just couldn't be more perfect," says AJ. "Hearth fires glowing through the windows, the smell of baking in the air, and you even went through all the trouble of leading me to this quiet, romantic lover's spot for your first kiss."
<</if>>
She wraps one foreleg around your neck, pulling you close. Her warm lips touch yours and you taste apple cider on her.
She pulls away from you slowly, looking up at you under lowered, seductive lids.
[[Why me?]]
<</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 1>>
"Haven't you seen your own beautiful eyes in the mirror?" Rarity asks. She gives you a teasing giggle. "Well I've certainly noticed them. I've noticed how those eyes of yours look beyond the superficial. Not that I've got anything against the superficial, of course, but there's so much more to that. There's so much more to that <i>with me,</i> and I know you see that.
[[Make a date]]
<<elseif $SecretCrush eq 2>>
With her arm around you, she keeps her face close to yours as she answers.
"After a night like tonight, the answer to that question ought to be obvious. The way you care for all of the other ponies... and you ain't doing it for the wrong reasons. No, you're as real in your reasons as it's possible for a soul to get. There's this <font color="orange">Honesty</font> in the way you put yourself out there. The way you show everypony who you really are," she says.
<<if $KindToSweetieBelle eq 2>>
"That's what I seen in you for a long time. Since the day you walked into town, your heart's been for all the ponies around you, so much you didn't hesitate to get in that dorky getup in front of the entire town just to help a filly patch things up with her sister."
<<elseif $KindToPinkie eq 2>>
"That's what I seen in you for a long time. Since the day you walked into town, your heart's been for all the ponies around you, so much you didn't hesitate to go through so much trouble to cheer up Pinkie Pie."
<</if>>
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 3>>
"I just told you, silly," she says. "It's that smile. I'm an expert on smiles. There's happy smiles and sad smiles, tired smiles and excited smiles. Yours is all of those things. Your smile says you've been through bad things, but you still have <font color="pink">Laughter</font> in your heart."
She backs up, tilting her head to stare at you. "You know what sadness feels like and that's why you want to take that feeling away when you see somepony else feeling it. You're so much like me."
<<if $KindToSweetieBelle eq 2>>
She giggles. "And what a show you put on! Wow. You're almost as good at organizing a play as I am at parties. And Sweetie Belle had such a big smile on her face afterward."
<</if>>
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 4>>
"Oh, that's easy to answer," says Fluttershy. "You show so much <font color="pink">Kindness</font> to everypony. And I can see it when you smile, too. And I'm not scared when you're around, and you really seem to understand what everypony is feeling."
<</if>>
[[Make a date]]<<if $SecretCrush eq 0>>
You make a date for the weekend. At the Castle of Friendship on Saturday night, you wait downstairs for several minutes for Twilight to finish getting ready. Normal for most mares, but for Twilight...?
It's not long, however, before the Princess of Friendship appears at the top of the stairs. She doesn't wear the crown, of course, but still looks the part with a fancy hair barrette and a pale blue dress.
"Sorry for the wait," says Twilight. "Rarity told me I should always keep a date waiting for at least ten minutes. Where are we going?"
[[Science fair]]
<<elseif $SecretCrush eq 1>>
You bring roses for your date with Rarity. You tap at her door on Saturday night, holding the flowers, and Sweetie Belle lets you in.
"Hi!" says Sweetie Belle. She hops around you as you come in. "This is exciting! I know ponies say Rarity dates a lot but that's not true. She mostly just stays home with her cat and-"
"That'll do, Sweetie Belle," Rarity calls down. With a sly, slightly embarrassed smile, Rarity makes her entrance. She moves down the stairs slowly, careful not to trip on her long ball gown.
"You look amazing, sis!" says Sweetie Belle.
"That's my line," you say, joking. "I agree. You look great."
"Why thank you," she says. "I do hope my attire fits the occasion. Where are we going?"
[[Fine dining in Canterlot]]
<<elseif $SecretCrush eq 2>>
Next weekend, you spend an hour with Granny Smith listening to her stories of her days as a high-diver.
AJ comes out wearing her hat, also dressed in an embroidered scarf with her hair tied in a braid. Apple Bloom, apparently her stylist, follows behind her, looking very much like every professional makeup artist watching with pride as the star take to the runway.
"You look great," you say.
She turns a little pink. She's not used to fussing over her appearance.
<<click "Spend the day in the woods">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "Spend the day in the woods">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
<<elseif $SecretCrush eq 3>>
You make a date with Pinkie Pie for Saturday night, but you don't tell her where you're going. As you get ready for your date, you hear a knock at the door. Who could that be?
Your hair half combed, you answer the door and find Pinkie Pie dressed in a fun dancing dress and a hat.
"I know you were gonna pick me up at Sugar Cube Corner but I just couldn't wait any more," she says with a grin. "I hope I didn't ruin the surprise. Where are we going?"
[[Skating rink]]
<<elseif $SecretCrush eq 4>>
You show up at Fluttershy's house for your date on Saturday, but there's no answer. A bird on a roost chirps at you. You know the bird is trying to get your attention, but you don't speak animal like Fluttershy does. The helpful bird, however, points its wing toward the pond.
You find Fluttershy sitting on the grass by the pond, chatting with her animals as two birds and a squirrel braid her tail.
"Oh," she says, noticing you. "I'm sorry. I got so caught up with my animals I lost track of time. Where are we going?
[[A movie]]
<<elseif $SecretCrush eq 5>>
Rainbow Dash meets you at the park that Saturday evening. She soars through the clouds a bit before landing next to you. She shows you a special smile few have ever seen: bold, but with just a hint of shyness.
"Where are we going?" she asks.
[[Daring Do convention]]
<</if>>
The pony doesn't answer for several moments. You can't tell if the pony is working up their courage or just enjoys leaving you in suspense.
<<if $SecretCrush eq 2>>
"I never told anypony this in all my life, not even the ponies closest to me," she says.
You know the voice.
"But I still talk to my parents every night. They don't talk back, o'course. But I feel like they hear. I tell them how confident and sassy Apple Bloom's gettin', I tell 'em..." she pauses for several long seconds. "I tell 'em I know Granny will be with them soon. And I ask 'em to help me be strong for Apple Bloom. But on happier nights like tonight, I tell 'em all about this lovable goofball I've had my eye on."
Apple Jack steps into the light. For once she's not wearing her hat, but rather a colorful holiday stocking cap and a scarf to shield herself against the cold.
<<if $KindToSweetieBelle eq 2>>
"Is there anything more important than the bonds between family?" she asks. "You get it. Hoo boy, did you ever prove that. A fine thing, too. I can't imagine bringing a crush home to Granny who didn't get it."
<</if>>
<</if>>
[[Would you like to come inside?]]
<<if $SecretCrush eq 2>>
She gives you a mischievous sideways glance.
"Ok," she says. "But don't you be thinkin' we're gonna go upstairs before we even had our first date."
<</if>>
You open the door and let her in. She shivers slightly from the cold. You start up the fire, which doesn't take too long because of the embers under the ash, still hot enough to light up the hay you pack under your logs.
$SecretPony says nothing as you make two steaming mugs of hot chocolate for the both of you.
<<if $SecretCrush eq 2>>
She takes a slow sip. If she resents ingesting anything not made from apples, she doesn't show it.
"This is really the best way to spend an evenin' this time o' year," she says. "This time o' year, hard to find a <i>wrong</i> way to spend an evenin'. Especially with a... special new romantic interest."
She wraps her front foreleg around you, pulling you gently toward her. You don't resist as she presses her lips against yours. You taste the hot chocolate on her.
<</if>>
[[Why me?]]
Double-click this passage to edit it.Ok. Those mid-scene complications, I want to make them random. But I don't want, for example, the player to go through Rarity's complication if Rarity is the secret pony.
So I think what I'm going to see if I can do is put the complications in an array, set a macro to remove each complication if it involves the secret pony, THEN add a randomizer to the remaining array.
I don't know yet if I can do that or how.
OR, what I might do is and an if qualifyer after the randomizer. If the secret pony and complication pony match, I'll set it to a specific complication. That means whichever complication I choose is slightly more likely to appear in the story, but that'll just be a small difference.
Before I start typing up all this extra shit, I need to decide which randomizer will trigger which level 1 scenes.
<<if $FirstEvent eq 0 and $Clue eq 0>>
<<elseif $FirstEvent eq 0 and $Clue eq 1>>
<<elseif $Event eq 0 and $Clue eq 0>>
<<elseif $Event eq 0 and $Clue eq 1>>
<<else>>
<</if>>
/*
0 - Twilight
1 Rarity
2 AJ
3 Pinkie
4 Fluttershy
5 Rainbow
*/
(Event) (NOT to be confused with Secret Pony)
wait, will this get jumbled? I don't think so, because the way I have it set up, the secret pony can't be the same as the event pony.
For first level events, maybe I also need to add disqualifying triggers? No. I'll just write entry level complications that still work even if it turns out to be the secret pony.
Or... yeah, I think I'll probably make it so they can't be the first event either if they're the secret pony.
And I'm still gonna have to go back through Twilight and Rarity's events to make it where they work with the multiple randomizers.
Should I make a second randomizer for the first event? Yes, I think so.
Oooh, I don't have to make separate macros for every time two of these things are the same. I can set a macro, for example, if secretpony is the same value as the event, I can change the event to event + 1.
Tight.
First event needs to happen to more than just one pony. Easy fix, I just add another prequal randomizer, set it to where they can't conflict, then put in the orif thing.You picked the perfect way to spend a date with the old-fashioned farm girl. You don't go into Everfree, but stick to the safer woods around Ponyville.
"I used to camp out in these woods with my Filly-Scout Troop. I got lost all night one night an' everyone expected to find me scared, but was one of the most fun nights I'd ever had."
You lead her to a clearing, surprising her with a table set up in the middle of the forest. Everything, from the home-knitted tablecloth to the to the polk salad dinner, was picked out specifically for the farm pony.
She looks thrilled for a moment, but then looks at you with worry. "You do know polk salad can be toxic if you ain't careful...?
"Granny helped me make it," you say.
"Ah," she says. No more need be said. You pull the chair out for her and she takes a bite.
You spend a good few hours chatting after dinner until it just gets too cold. Apple Jack, likely unaware of the romance novel stereotype, wraps her scarf around the both of you as you walk her home.
"I do love a simple, fun day," she says. "Folks say there's nothin' to do in Ponyville, there is. If they saw it like I do, and apparently like you do. I can't wait to enjoy all of it with you."
[[End]]Though the temperature outside plummets and icicles hang from your roof, you've never felt so warm inside. Every pony you see in town has a smile for you as you make your rounds. All are in a mood to celebrate: for mended fences, averted disaster, or just because it's that time of year.
"Hey!" says $EventPony. She grins at you. "Thank you again."
You wave at her. You'll see her again tonight, her along with Spike, $SecretPony and all of their friends.
You make your final purchase: a massive pumpkin, serving as the main course for a vegetarian feast. But before you leave, you spot a small vendor near the edge of town selling an assortment of cute knick knacks. $SecretPony made you promise not to spend too much. You thought that would be a difficult promise to keep, but something nice catches your eye.
<<if $SecretCrush is 0>>
<i>How to Go With The Flow: A Guide to Relaxation for the Intellectual</i> by <i>Plot Hole</i>
You hesitate a moment when you see the author's name. <i>Plot Hole</i> has a reputation as the worst writer in Equestria, but what the hay.
<</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 1>>
It's a very small engraving of an alicorn carved onto a piece of jade with a silver trim. You wouldn't call it cheap, but it's certainly not expensive. Rarity certainly has much more extravagant things, but the level of detail the artist put into this carving is absolutely amazing. Rarity will certainly agree.
<</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 2>>
You've seen some of AJ's fishing gear. She's never been one to replace something just because it gets a little worn, but her poles are to the point where they'll be useless soon. The vendor offers a variety of sports equipment, including a well-priced, but well-made, fishing pole. You know the brand and some of the materials, so you feel confident it'll last for several years. That's something practical AJ will very much appreciate.
<</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 3>>
At first glance, a heart-shaped locket doesn't seem like the ideal gift for Pinkie. It's neither candy nor party related. But Pinkie's more than a one-trick pony and has a carefully-hidden sensitive side. Whoever's picture she puts in the locket (hopefully yours?), she's sure to cherish it.
<</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 4>>
Out of all the ponies you know, Fluttershy ought to be the easiest to shop for. She loves stuffed animals, real animals, singing, tea and sewing. All of her interests emphasize the fact that she is a sensitive, loving pony. Exactly the sort who'd probably love a book of poetry.
<i>Love and Fears: The Poetry Omnibus.</i> That sounds <i>very</i> Fluttershy.
<</if>>
<<if $SecretCrush is 5>>
Something Daring Do related would be obvious for Rainbow Dash. The problem is she's already got everything Daring Do related. At least everything Daring Do related that <i>you</i> can afford.
But this vendor has a few interesting little knick knacks: miniatures in the shape of Daring Do characters, cards, and an interesting little board game.
"That game was just released a few days ago," says the vendor.
"Really?" you ask. "I wonder why Rainbow hasn't mentioned it. She usually talks about nothing else when something Daring Do related comes out."
"She probably doesn't know," says the vendor. "This stuff isn't licensed. He makes them in his garage. You almost never see this stuff outside of Las Pegasus."
<i>Bingo.</i>
<</if>>
You make your final purchase and hurry to meet the others.
They chose The Castle of Friendship for this pre-holiday gathering. AJ and Pinkie take control of the kitchen while you chop wood for the fire and set out plates.
As you all gather around the fire, Spike tells the story, once again, of the first Hearths Warming.
$SecretPony sits nearby, leaning against you.
"I got you something," you say.
"You didn't forget our deal, did you?" she asks.
"Not at all," you say. You hand her the small bag. You didn't have time to wrap it.
She looks inside and gives you a big smile. "Thank you," she says, leaning against you again as the two of you listen to Spike finish the tale of love.
End.
<i>Woo! I hope you enjoyed the game. Follow me on the social media links below to be kept aware of expansions, updates and bug fixes.</i>
[[Please consider supporting The Southern Nerd on Patreon.|http://www.Patreon.com/TheSouthernNerd]]
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Twilight's cheeks flush. "What? No," she says. "I love... science"
She looks at you with a blank expression, her blush still visible from under her fur.
[[Tell Twilight about the letter]]
[[To Town]] "Butts?" She looks up, probably expecting to see some prank left by Spike or Rainbow Dash, but her mouth makes the shape of an 'o' when she realizes what you mean.
"I've been trying all morning to remember," says Twilight. "Last night, 11:35 or so, it just hit me. I used to have a friend in Ponyville! I don't even know why I was in Ponyville. I was so little," she says.
"Anyway," she says. "I only remember her name had something to do with night. So that only narrows it to, about..." her head hangs down as her body lets out a heavy sigh. "Half the ponies I've ever met in my life."
[[Tell Twilight about the letter]]
[[Ask Twilight if it's her]]
[[To Town]]
/*It'll turn out to be knight, not night.*/<<if $FirstEvent eq 4 and $Clue eq 0>>
<<elseif $FirstEvent eq 4 and $Clue eq 1>>
<<elseif $Event eq 4 and $Clue eq 0>>
"Oh, my," she says. "That's so lovely. A good idea, too. Maybe I should write a letter to Princess Luna?" she wonders. "I don't know. She probably gets so many. Anyway, I sure don't know who wrote you the letter. I'll sure tell you right away if I hear anything... if you promise not to tell anypony about that pillow..."
[[To Town]]
<<elseif $Event eq 4 and $Clue eq 1>>
<<else>>
"Someone left you a love letter?" You expect her blush to deepen, but a warm smile spreads across her face instead. "That's so very wonderful. I'm sorry, though. I have no idea who might have left it for you."
[[Ask Fluttershy if it's her]]
[[To Town]]
<</if>>
<<if $FirstEvent eq 4 and $Clue eq 0>>
<<elseif $FirstEvent eq 4 and $Clue eq 1>>
<<elseif $Event eq 4 and $Clue eq 1>>
<<elseif $Event eq 4 and $Clue eq 1>>
<<else>>
Her face turns bright pink. "Oh, my."
She hides behind her tail. She's not going to answer.
[[Tell Fluttershy about the letter]]
[[To Town]]
<</if>>
<<if $Event eq 3 and $Clue eq 0>>
"Oh," says Pinkie. "A love letter is nice. Sorry, I have no idea who might have sent it."
[[To Town]]
[[Ask Pinkie if it's her]]
<<elseif $Event eq 3 and $Clue eq 1>>
<<else>>
"You got a love letter?" she asks, excited. "That's very sweet, and I'm expert on sweet! Except I'm not an expert this time because I have no idea who it might be."
[[Ask Pinkie if it's her]]
[[To Town]]
<</if>>
She giggles.
"No fun just asking, you gotta look for clues! Wanna borrow my hat and pipe?"
[[Tell Pinkie about the letter]]
[[To Town]]
<<if $FirstEvent eq 5 and $Clue eq 0>>
An even more excited smile appears on Rainbow's face as you tell her about the letter.
"Wow. That's just like the play," she says.
"I know. And the book which you've raid." You smirk. "Is it you?"
"Of course not," she says with a laugh. "Not that you aren't cute, but you should know. If it was me I'd have casually leaned against you during the play, gave you sultry looks and all that good stuff. But you know, this is so much like Dazzles on Sunset Avenue, yeah. I think it must be somepony who's seen the play. You should talk to $EventPony. She liked it as much as I did. Well, no, that's not true. <i>nopony</i> liked it as much as I did. But she liked it almost as much."
<<set $Clue to 1>>
[[To Town]]
<<elseif $FirstEvent eq 5 and $Clue eq 1>>
You run into Rainbow Dash at the park again. But instead of pretending she doesn't want to see the play, she eagerly preaches to a captivated crowd about how great it was.
Spotting you, she says, "Hey! Thanks again for talking me into going. I'm gonna see it sixteen times when it opens in Ponyville again! How did it go with $EventPony? Was it her?
[[To Town]]
<<elseif $Event eq 5 and $Clue eq 0>>
"No idea. Sorry," says Rainbow.
[[To Town]]
<<elseif $Event eq 5 and $Clue eq 1>>
This shouldn't come up. Please report bug to TheSouthernNerd2016@gmail.com
Please say which Pony you talked to before talking to Rainbow.
Thank you.
[[To Town]]
<<else>>
"No way!" says Rainbow, hopping down near you. "I don't know who it is, but let me know as soon as you find out. And if you're looking for date ideas, bring her to the field. I'll do the Sonic Rainboom for you."
[[Ask Rainbow if it's her]]
[[To Town]]
<</if>>
She flashes you a crooked grin. "Well, it doesn't hurt to hope."
[[Tell Rainbow about the letter]]
[[To Town]]
<<set $KindToAJ to 1>>
<<set $HealRoot to 0>>
<<set $Hat to 1>>
You and Big Mac search along the bank, hoping to find the hat snagged on a root or washed up on the shore. The quiet farm pony, characteristically, doesn't say much until you stop for a break.
"AJ used to get so upset when our mom and dad left for Appleoosa," says Big Mac. "They were always gone for weeks at a time. Daddy liked to tell her to look after his hat while he was gone, just to give her something to do. She was a little foal at the time, younger than Apple Bloom."
He doesn't say much for several seconds, so you say, "I thought she had a closet full of hats?"
"She does," says Big Mac. "Because half the people we know get her a new hat every year for Hearths Warming. They see that beat up old hat, they think she's just being her usual stubborn AJ, not wanting to trade up somethin' she's comfortable with. They just don't understand. One day Daddy put that hat on her head and told her 'Take care of Daddy's hat until I come back,' and then he never came back. Him or Momma either."
He offers you a sip from a flask to warm your bones as the two of you get up to resume your search.
[[Search opposite sides of the bank]]
[[Search for tracks]]
A fallen tree forms a natural bridge across the river. The hat might be on either bank, so you decide to cross and search the west bank while Big Mac searches the first.
<<if $Hat eq 0>>
This is where you find the hat in the river
<<else>>
You search the snowy banks for about an hour, finding nothing. A whistle gets your attention. You look over to the opposite bank to see Big Mac waving at you. It takes you another several minutes to find a place to cross: a rickety bridge over the rapids.
"I found some tracks in the slush," says Big Mac. "A diamond dog, a big one. All the mud and tracks, looks like the diamond dog jumped into the water and come back out again."
"Would he have done that to get a hat?" you ask. "The water's freezing."
"Kind of a long shot," says Big Mac. "But everything a diamond dog wears or owns is scavenged. If he just happened to see that hat floating, he'd want it for sure. Probably enough to freeze his ears off."
[[Find the diamond dog]]
<</if>>
<<if $Hat eq 1>>
You never know what sort of curious animal might walk off with something. If a fish or a hawk will steal a map, they'll probably steal a hat too. So while you search the bank for the hat you also keep a sharp eye out for tracks.
You find a set of muddy tracks next to the bank. You're not the expert, so you call Big Mac over. It's big, whatever it is, with claws.
"Diamond dog," says Big Mac. "They almost never come this far out of the gorge."
"Do you suppose the diamond dog might have got the hat?" you ask.
Big Mac thinks for a moment. "You can tell by the tracks he jumped in and out of the river. This cold out, he didn't jump in just for a swim. Kind of a long shot, but if I just happened to see that hat floating by, he sure would have wanted it. Most everything a diamond dog wears or owns is scavenged from somewhere."
[[Find the diamond dog]]
<<else>>
You suppose a curious animal might have wondered off with the hat. You look around for tracks, but find nothing.
[[Search opposite sides of the bank]]
<</if>>You and Big Mac follow the tracks into the woods. A glow of a fire reflecting on the leaves tells you you're getting close.
You come upon a diamond dog with dark blue fur shivvering by the fire. Your heart sinks, however, because the hat is nowhere to be found.
You decide it wouldn't hurt to ask.
"Hello, there," you say. "I don't suppose you might have seen a cowboy hat somewhere around the river? Or anywhere?"
"Maybe," says the diamond dog. "What you give me?"
<<click "Big Mac has a flask">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "Big Mac has a flask">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
<<click "I'll leave without beating you up">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "I'll leave without beating you up">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
You look at Big Mac. He understands your meaning and unscrews his flask.
"OOoh..." says the diamond dog, his eyes sparkling. The dog presents a cup, which Big Mac fills with half of the substance Apple Bloom thinks is apple juice.
"Yeah, ok," says the diamond dog. "Well, I got the hat out of the river, but then I was wet and freezing. So I trade the hat to a <i>zebra</i> for fire wood."
You're silent for a moment. "So you jumped into the river for nothing?"
"No, I get fire wood and dry my fur."
"But you wouldn't have needed it if... nevermind," you say.
[[Talk to Zecora]]"Ha! I'll fight ya!" says the dog.
Big Mac puts a hoof on your shoulder, shaking his head. "There's no need for that," he says.<<if $KindToAJ eq 1>>
You're already exhausted, and the sweat in this sort of cold makes hypothermia a real danger, but you start running toward the shadowy part of the woods when you hear fighting.
Zecora stands in a clearing, throwing potions at a monster that seems to be made of shadow. The monster wears Apple Jack's hat.
"Be gone, you foul beast! The spell was meant as an act of peace!"
This monster is as big as a barn. Are you really going to fight this thing over a hat?
[[Battle!]]
<<elseif $HealRoot eq 1>>
Even in the middle of the day, the Everfree Forest give you the creeps. You wonder how a peaceful place like Ponyville existed for so long next to a forest full of timber wolves, bugbears and ursa majors.
You let out a sigh of relief to find her home. You didn't want to have come all the way out here for nothing. You knock and she beckons you come in. You find her stirring at her cauldron.
"What a pleasant surprise to see you. I was just making special stew."
"Smells great," you say. "But I was wondering if you might have some Laslie Root? Flutters has a sick bear."
"Laslie is such effective stuff. You simply never get enough. I'm afraid you've made this trip in vain, but you may find some on the river bank."
"Thanks," you say.
"Three leaves bears a Laslie true, look also for the berries blue."
[[Find the plant]]
<</if>>
You wear the hat on your head as Big Mac leads you to Sweet Apple Acres. Big Mac lets you into the homestead through the kitchen, where you find Apple Jack and Granny Smith trying their very best to cheer up Apple Bloom. The guilt of losing the hat seems to have nearly broken the little filly, but her eyes light up when she sees it on your head.
"Ohmigosh!" Apple Bloom hops up, rushing up to you.
Apple Jack's mouth opens in a wide grin. "Well I'll be a-... something I can't say in front of Apple Bloom. I sure thought it was gone forever. Thank you so much."
"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Apple Bloom shouts. "I'm so sorry, AJ, I'll never touch it again!"
"Apple Bloom," AJ giggles. "I keep tellin' ya, accidents happen."
You hand the hat to Apple Bloom. She recoils, seemingly afraid that the meer act of her touching it will make it disappear again. But she smiles and takes the hat into her mouth, carrying it over to AJ.
As AJ leans down, letting Apple Bloom put the hat on her head, Granny Smith insists you have a seat at the kitchen table.
"I'm afeared we done finished all the stew, but no guest leaves Granny Smith's kitchen without something for their taste buds. Apple Bloom, won't you be a dear and fetch us one of them jugs from the cellar?"
"The ones I can't drink out of?"
"One of those too, but I meant the soft apple cider."
"You got it, Granny."
As Apple Bloom darts off, Big Mac leans toward AJ. "You won't believe what he did to get that hat," he says.
As Granny Smith asks you about your family history, where you come from, basically your life story, Big Mac tells AJ about how you jumped on a slavering monster's back and wrestled the hat off of its head. She looks at you with wide eyes, horrified that you and her brother came so close to dying over that hat, but deeply touched by the risks you both took.
She doesn't say anything until Apple Bloom goes to bed, not wanting the already guilt-ridden pony to know what happened. After you've had your fill of Apple Cider, both the soft and hard kind, AJ walks with you along the snowy trails leading off of the farm.
"No matter how much it meant to me," AJ says. "I'd never ask you or anypony to risk their lives for a hat. But it's really something that you did. It means the world to me and Apple Bloom. I'm not gonna tell her just yet, the filly feels aweful enough already. But I just want you to know, we Apples don't forget the folks who treat us well. You're as good as kin to us here."
<<set $Clue = 2>>
You ask AJ if she knows who your secret crush is.
"'Fraid I got no idea," says AJ. "I'm sure she won't play hard to get for too long, though. Why don't ya head on home before it gets too late? Get you a good night's rest and come at it again in the mornin.'"
[[Go straight home]]
Big Mac charges the monster first, slamming into its rear legs. The animal roars as it trips. You leap onto its back, hoping to grab the hat, but the monster gets up again.
As you look down at the ground, you catch a quick glimpse of Big Mac and Zecora staring up at you, wide-eyed. You might have messed up.
The monster takes off running through the woods. The shadow creature's height puts you at the perfect level to get smacked square in the face by several different tree branches.
You shield your eyes, climbing on the beast's translucent fur. Somehow, the hat stays on top of the moster's head as it runs.
You reach up, the beasts rocking motions jerking you around, but you lunge forward and catch hold of the hat. You pull and the hat holds tightly for a moment, as if glued on. You pull with every ounce of strength in you and the hat breaks free.
Whatever botched spell Zecora cast to summon this beast, apparently the hat held its form in this dimension. As you pull the hat free, the monster disappears in a puff of smoke.
But your momentum sends you flying. You hit another branch, knocking the air out of you before you hit the ground rolling. The muddy hill sends you down into a wet, but thankfully soft, ditch full of snow and ice.
Zecora and Big Mac come up shortly after you make your landing, out of breath from running. Big Mac grins when he sees you're not hurt.
"A few years back," says Big Mac. "A friend o' mine said there was no way I'd have the backbone to jump onto Taro, the biggest, meanest bull on Rusty Hoof's ranch. After Rusty pulled what was left of me out of the pig pen Taro bucked me into, he told me the same thing I'm tellin' you now: 'That there takes a special kind of crazy.'"
<<set $KindToAJ to 2>>
[[Return the hatYou grab the only thing a forest has in abundance: a stick. You break it over the back of the monster's leg, causing it to growl. As it spins around, it swings its head and slams into you with its snout, sending you flying. You crash down into a bush, which softens your fall, but not as much as the snow would have.
Big Mac has is rope out, running circles around the monster. But the beast smashes into the trunk of a tree. The falling log cuts off Big Mac's path and the monster manages to corner him against a rock.
A part of you would love to run, but it's too late for that now. If you don't think of something, Big Mac is going to be swallowed.
<<set $KindToAj eq 2>>
[[Grab the monster's tail]]
[[Jump up between the monster and Big Mac and start clucking like a chicken]]
Double-click this passage to edit it.You grab hold of the monster's tail as tight as you can. The beast spins around, leering at you.
You drop the tail and mumble something not G-rated as you dive under the dubious protection of a rotted log leaning up against a rock.
The monster wedges its nose under the log and flips its head up, throwing the log off of you.
[[Run!]]
As the beast nears Big Mac, baring its jaws and dripping acidic drool, you do the only thing you can think of. You jump between the monster and Big Mac, bobbing your head back and forth and start clucking like a chicken.
Big Mac and the monster look at each other for a moment, in a brief moment of communication as each confirms with the other that this is just weird. But the monster loses patience quickly and begins growling at you.
[[Run!]] As the monster snaps its jaws at you, you feel bold enough to try and grab for the hat. You don't even come close, but the motion of your body wrenches loose the rock you were holding onto.
Adrenaline slows the seconds in your mind, making the fall seem to take forever. You have time to accept Celestia into your heart as you fall onto the monster's back, gripping its transparent fur.
The monster whirls around, snapping and trying to hurl you off of its back. You spot Big Mac, holding a lasso tied to the end of the creatures tail, which seems to help its thrashing, but not by much. You climb up, clutching its fur in a death grip until the hat is in reach. You grab onto it, finding it stuck, so you pull with all of your strength.
The beast disappears in a puff of smoke as you fall, smacking hard against the ground. Big Mac and Zecora rush up to you, the zebra quickly checking you for injuries.
"I do apologize, my brave friend. To create a monster was not my end," says Zecora. "T'was but a spell, so that the lost can be found, but unexpected grief unleashed the hound."
"Grief?" you ask.
"AJ's, I reckon," says Big Mac.
"You must be correct, for my feelings are in check," says Zecora. "I lost only my money pouch. I should have just checked beneath the couch."
"I'll be sure and come back to help you look for it," says Big Mac. "Soon as we get this hat back to AJ. She ain't gonna believe you ridin' that critter's back like a rodeo bull. That's about the craziest thing since Discord turned himself into a shark and dragged Spike behind him on a pair of water skiis."
[[Return the hat]] The monster crashes through the underbrush and low branches, roaring at you and chomping with its massive teeth. You put focus every ounce of energy in your body on the task of running. Big Mac and Zecora chase behind the monster, Big Mac winding up his lasso.
You spin around the trunk of a half-rotted tree. The monster smashes through it, showering you with shrapnel. It's so close you can smell it's breath, so foul it smells like something that came out of the other end, but you keep running, only a few feet in front of its chomping jaws.
A rocky slope appears ahead of you. Ordinarily it would be too steep and slick to climb, but as the monster tries to chomp at you, you get an accidental boost from its snout, tossing you several feet. You catch hold of a rock as the monster snaps underneath you.
Big Mac tosses the lasso, snaring the monster's ear. It spins around, giving Big Mac the same look it gave you before it started chasing you.
[[Get the hat!]]You stagger back home, not entirely sober because of the hard apple cider. The alcohol warms you and makes it very easy to relax in your bed. As you doze, you start to hear a beautiful voice singing. You take it for the beginning of a dream and you can't wait to fall completely asleep so you can enjoy it, but something makes you open your eyes.
You move to your window. Looking out into the darkness below, you see a pony singing to you from your yard. Hidden in the shadows of your poplar trees.
You hurry down, then approach slowly as you come upon the pony.
[[Meet your crush|Crush Reveal]]
<<if $SecretCrush is 0>>
“I spend most of my time trying to understand things, trying to research things,” she says. “But I can’t research the questions I have about my own heart. Why does it beat faster when you look at me with that mysterious grin? Why does it feel so calm and warm when I think about…”
She’s not quite bold enough to finish that last sentence, but you see a string of white magic trail up her horn. A purple glow illuminates her face as Twilight Sparkle, her cheeks flushed, looks up at you from under her brow.
<<if $KindToAj eq 1>>
“I felt it before I knew it. I thought it was just a silly crush,” she says. “But the amazing thing you did for AJ showed me you’re exactly who I thought you are. How did I know? I’ll never understand it and for once in my life I don’t want to understand it. Somehow I just saw the <font color="purple">Magic</font> inside of you.”
<</if>>
She moves closer to you, apparently feeling bold and encouraged by your warm smile. She presses her lips against yours, an innocent kiss with no tongue. Exactly the sort you'd expect from Twilight Sparkle. In fact, a thought occurs to you.
"Was that your first kiss?"
Her pink cheeks turn just a little pinker, but she nods. You give her another, holding her close.
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 1>>
"I'm normally more of a sly looks and subtle makeup sort of mare," she says. "With maybe a little shameless flirting with coy comments. But I think you deserve better than that."
Rarity steps toward you. In spite of what she said, she is wearing a little subtle makeup and gives you a very sly look.
<<if $KindToAj is 1>>
"I'd meant to draw this out a little longer, but after that brave performance with that monster and the hat, I figured I'd better hurry and grab you before somepony else does."
<</if>>
"I had no idea you liked me," you say.
"And I just couldn't have made it more obvious," she says with a teasing grin. "But even if you're just a bit oblivious, you've got many redeeming virtues. I don't think there's a pony in town who hasn't thanked you for something at some point or another. You're so <font color="purple">generous</font> with yourself. There's nothing you wouldn't give away. Except me, I hope."
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 2>>
For once she's not wearing her hat, but rather a colorful holiday stocking cap and a scarf to shield herself against the cold.
"I never told anypony this in all my life, not even the ponies closest to me," she says.
"But I still talk to my parents every night. They don't talk back, o'course. But I feel like they hear. I tell them how confident and sassy Apple Bloom's gettin', I tell 'em..." she pauses for several long seconds. "I tell 'em I know Granny will be with them soon. And I ask 'em to help me be strong for Apple Bloom. But on happier nights like tonight, I tell 'em all about this lovable goofball I've had my eye on."
<<if $KindToSweetieBelle eq 2>>
"Is there anything more important than the bonds between family?" she asks. "You get it. Hoo boy, did you ever prove that. A fine thing, too. I can't imagine bringing a crush home to Granny who didn't get it."
<</if>>
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 3>>
"If there's one thing I know, it's smiles," she says. "Some smiles are crooked, some smiles are sappy, but they all make me really, really happy!"
You see something in Pinkie's expression you've never seen before: shyness. The magical blush ponies sometimes show practically glows through her pink fur.
"Smiles talk, if you know the language like I do," she says. "Sometimes my smile says, 'I'm so happy to see you!' Sometimes my smile says, 'Don't worry about me. I just want to see you smile.' So... sometimes my smile does a bad thing. Sometimes my smile lies," she says. "I just want everything to be OK. That's really all, but I never feel like it will be and I don't know why. I never say it, though. I laugh, I smile and I giggle. I think maybe if I act like I don't feel that way, that'll make it true.
"But your smile says something very special," she continues. "It's a smile that knows things, it's a smile that makes a promise. It says, 'You can be real with me.'
She takes such a vulnerable tone when she asks, "Do I sound silly?
[[No]]
[[Yes]]
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 4>>
"Please, not any closer," says a shy voice. "I... well, it's so much easier in a letter, but I promised myself I'd be brave. Ok, I changed my mind. You can come closer."
You smile at Fluttershy as you move toward her. She looks you in your eyes, even though it's clear her anxiety makes her want to look away.
"I've never had a crush before," she says. "Well, I have, but I didn't say anything. And maybe that was for the best, honestly. But I know I can tell you. Even if you don't feel the same, you're just so, so <font color="pink">Kind</font>
<<if $KindToAj eq 1>>
She grins. "And brave," she says. "I wish I'd been there, I could have just talked to that big monster for you. Still, I would definitely feel so much better if you could stay up with me on the next Nightmare Nights."
<</if>>
She looks up at you. Her expression seems to change, becoming more comfortable and warm. "I think I'd regret it for a very long time if I didn't tell you. Sometimes a shy pony has to be bold if she has a chance of getting what she wants, and I really, really want you. If... that's ok..."
[[Kiss]]
[[Make a date]]
*/ I'm not happy with this one. Really, I need to have a look at all of the others except AJ. AJ's reveal got very deep, I want them all to be like that. Twilight's might be ok./*
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 5>>
"I'm... not really used to being this real," she says. "There's nothing in the world I can't do. I really believe that and that's what I want to show the world, but I never show anyone the real me. The real me is my secret that I'd never intended to ever show to anypony. Until I met you."
You've never seen Rainbow Dash look nervous before, but this is how she looks now.
She flexes her wings, feeling the muscles in her athletic body just to remind herself that she's Rainbow Dash. She should be bold.
"There are parts of me, feelings I have, that I used to wish I could get rid of," she says. "The part of me that sometimes feels scared, cries, or loves the feel of a hot bathrobe after a few hours at the spa. But I don't want to erase those parts of me anymore. I want to give them to you. When we talk, when we're together with all of our friends or even alone, I always felt you didn't care a flip about the absolutely amazing things I can do. You care about who I am. That's just the <font color="blue">Loyalty</font> you show in everything you do and say."
<</if>>
[[Make a date]]
<<if $SecretCrush is 4>>
Fluttershy closes her eyes as you lean in close to her, letting you take the lead. She relaxes, enjoying the warmth of your lips against hers, and holds onto you.
"More..." she says. "I want hugs too," she says with a big smile.
You hug her tight.
<</if>>
[[Make a date]] "I dunno what in the name of hay I'm gonna do!" says Apple Bloom.
This must be serious. You've never seen her use that sort of language before.
"It's all my fault!" she says. "I left the sty gate open last night and now all of the pigs are gone. Apple Jack's gonna be so disappointed!"
<<click "That sucks">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "That sucks">><</replace>>\
<</click>> <<click "I'll help you find the pigs">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "I'll help you find the pigs">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
"You're darn right it sucks! I ain't got a woopin in years but Apple Jack says I ain't too old!" She covers her flank with her tail, cringing a bit. "Sorry, I don't wanna be rude to a guest but I really gotta find them pigs before Apple Jack gets back."
[[Find the pigs]]"Thank you so much!" says Apple Bloom. "I think they're probably in the woods. Apple Jack takes them through the trails sometimes so they can eat some wild fruits and berries."
[[Find the pigs]]Apple Bloom wants to split up to cover more ground, but you insist on staying close. You're not far from timber wolf territory, after all.
The two of you spend hours in the shady woods looking for the wayward pigs. Most are not hard to find. One found a nice spot of mud to wallow in, another you found sniffing through the leaves looking for truffles, and three you found in three small cottages in the middle of the woods: one of straw, one of wood and one of brick.
But with evening approaching, and the hour of Apple Jack's return imminent, you still have not found the final pig.
Apple Bloom sits down on the dirt path, exhausted and defeated. She stares at the ground, despondent. "She only asked me to do a few little things..." Apple Bloom says. "I can't believe I let her down."
You hug the heartbroken little filly. Although you don't say it out loud, the tears at the corners of Apple Bloom's eyes leave you with no choice: come Hell or high water, you are going to find that pig.
<<silently>>
<<set $WherePig to random(1)>>
<</silently>>
[[Search the river]]
Freezing water cutting through the snow and slush along the banks make the river seem rather unappealing, but a hungry pig could surely find something to eat around here.
You walk for a while, thinking maybe your search is hopeless, when you finally spot a set of cloven tracks in the snow. You follow the tracks, excited, but you slow your pace when you hear a loud, grumbly voice.
"And that is why I, Iron Will, am well within my rights to eat this pig that dared gobble down my wild berries!"
<i>Oh, crud,</i> you think, and you hurry after the voice.
You find the minotaur standing in front of a wooden cage staring at the frightened pig.
"No one steals from Iron Will!" said Iron Will. "Iron Will will gnash on your bones and mount your head as a warning to any who might intrude on my encampment again!"
"Whoa, Will!" you shout. "I'll pay you for whatever he ate, but that's Apple Jack's pig."
"Well then she should have been more assertive and not let it wonder off!" said Will.
You take a look at the emcampment. It looks like he's lived here for several days. "Uh, Will? Why are you living by the river and eating wild berries?"
"That is none of your concern!" says Will.
"Because it looks like you've had some financial issues," you say.
"Iron Will has it all under control!" says Will. "Iron Will doesn't need help!"
You groan. "Ok, of course not. How about this. You have a right to this pig, he stole your berries. So how about a trade? You give me the pig and you can..." you have to force yourself to say the next few words. "Stay with me for a few days."
Will scratches his chin, considering. "A month," says Will.
"Over wild berries?"
"Wild berries chosen by the brillient, discerning eye of Iron Will! They were worth their weight in gold."
"Ok, a week," you say.
"Two weeks!" says Will.
"Done," you say.
You shake on it and Will releases the pig to you. The pig's eyes say, "Thank you!" You just hope Will isn't as obnoxious as a roomate as he is doing everything else.
[[Return the pig]]
<<if $WherePig eq 2>>
<<else>>
<</if>><<if $WherePig eq 0>>
<<else>>
<</if>>"Hey, the line starts back here!" someone shouts at you.
"I'm not doing... whatever's going on. I'm a friend of Pinkie's and I just want to ask her something," you say.
"Yeah, sure you are!"
You ignore them and walk in.
You find Pinkie Pie sitting at a table surrounded by cloth and thread. You haven't seen her look so tired since the legendary Ten-Day Party Challenge she held with Cheese Sandwich.
"Oh, hey," she says. Her smile seems sincere enough, but the poor pink pony seems so fatigued that even a simple smile requires a bit of extra effort. "Are you here for a dollie?"
<<click "They're all here for dolls?">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "They're all here for dolls?">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>"Oh, yes!" Pinkie says. She holds up a nearly finished doll in the style of Breezie. "I call them My Little Breezie. I only just got started but already it's caught on bigger than I ever dreamed." The nervous laugh at the end of this statement speaks volumes.
<<click "In over your head?">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "In over your head?">>
<</replace>>\
<</click>> <<click "That's cool. See ya.">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "That's cool. See ya.">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
"Why would you think that?" she asks, forcing a big, wide grin. Her chin quivers and her expression cracks. Suddenly she jumps up on the table, her bloodshot eyes wide. "Yes! I'm not just in over my head, I'm in over my head in a mile-deep pit of quicksand with a rock tied to my tail! Please, you've got to help me!"
"Ok," you say. "For all of those customers, I'm sure you could hire-"
"That's the thing, I'm not charging for profit," she says. "I told everyone, 'Just bring the cost of materials and I'll make one for anypony who wants one.' I had no idea that would be everypony and their dog!"
She drops down on her plot, her hair deflating by several PSI. "It's no use," she says. "I could teach you how to make them easy, I've got fool-proof patterns for cutting the fabric and stitching. But we'd have to work eight hours a day for two weeks straight just to make enough for all of the grown ponies who want some and the little ponies still wouldn't get any."
Moisture appears at the corners of Pinkie Pie's eyes. You have to think of something quick!
[[The solution is simple]]
[[Ask the Mane 6 for help]]
"Wait!" She jumps up on the table, then looks away, scratching her front leg with the opposite hoof. "Oooh. I just... I need help!" she says. She grabs you, her bloodshot eyes pleading. "I had no idea so many ponies would want these dolls, especially grownups. That's great, I want everypony to love my dolls, but there are so many grownup ponies who want them I can't make enough for them, let alone enough extra to hand out to the little ponies. I don't know what to do..."
She drops down on her plot, depressed. "It's hopeless. They're easy to make, I already have patterns for cutting and stitching. But even the two of us couldn't make nearly enough."
[[The solution is simple]]
[[Ask the Mane 6 for help]]You step outside to address the crowd.
"Hear ye, hear ye," you say, then you cringe internally. Maybe you shouldn't have had that second mug of apple cider before you came here.
"Our Princess of Breezies never expected her work would be so loved by so many sisters and bros. Bro... Bro-eezies? Anyway, she's massively overwhelmed by the demand, but you can help! All she needs is ten or so of you artistic sorts to help with production. Who wants in?"
You leap out of the way with all the frentic energy of a rodeo clown dodging a charge from an angry bull as twenty ponies charge into the factory. Maybe this was a bad idea? You just hope Pinkie has enough patterns for everypony.
/* Too drunk to finish right now. */
Back in the factory, Pinkie seems just a tad nervous surrounded by all of the big hairy stallions.
"Oh my Celestia, I have been so all about My Litte Breezie since I heard about it yesterday!" says one.
"We love you, Breezie Princess!"
"Oh, wow. Ok. Yeah, I love you too!" she says with a smile. "This is all so sudden, but yeah. That's true, I love you!"
She hugs the two closest two her. You bite your lip but neither of them makes any attempt to grab her plot.
She quickly shows the Bro-eezies- Breezieonies-... the fans how to work the patterns. They chit chat while they get started, sharing ideas and fan theories about the comic strips you've never even seen before.
"I really think that Sunset Breezie took Sea Breezie's ribbon on purpose because she had a crush on her," says one.
"That can't be. Sea Breezie clearly stated she lost it by the river a mile away from the village. Sunset couldn't have known it was hers."
"No, bro. Remember six issues ago when Sea Breezie wore it to the Bubble Gum Parade?"
You sit at a station next to Pinkie. The party pony leans close to you and whispers, "I wrote those comics and they remember the details better than I do. This is kind of a lot of pressure..."
"Don't worry about it," you say. "Just do you."
With so many ponies helping, it only takes a few hours to make not only enough for all of the adults, but also all the foals in Ponyville.
One of the ponies, the first stallion you spoke to, slurs his speech and wobbles a bit when he talkis to Pinkie. He'd been drinking all day from a flask he kept in the pocket of his Hawaiian shirt.
"I just wanted to say that *hic*... you are a genius. Man ya don't know how good your art makes me feel, I didn't even need to drink today, I just did anyway."
"Thanks!" says Pinkie, embracing the drunk stallion with a big smile.
Pinkie takes the time to hug every single one of the fans before they leave with their new dolls, most of them crafted by themselves.
"I sure didn't know what to make of those guys earlier," says Pinkie after they leave. "I'll tell you a secret. For a minute there I was reeeeeeeeally scared they were going to drag me into one of the back rooms. But they're not like that at all, they're really, really sweet!"
As the two of you begin loading the dolls into boxes, you notice Pinkie setting some aside. She shows you some of them, one with its antennae on backwards and another with stuffing poking out of its loose stitching.
"Yeah, my patterns didn't make it as easy as I thought it would for some of them. That's ok. These can just be mine. And I'll hug them every night to remember you and all of those nice ponies who helped me today!"
[[Walk Pinkie home]] You promise Pinkie it'll be ok. "Just hang on a bit longer, I'll be back before you know it."
You sprint through the snow in order to fulfil that promise, stopping first at the Castle of Friendship. Twilight helps you out by teleporting you and herself to the homes of the other Elements of Harmony, then brings you all back to Pinkie's factory to help the party pony out.
You play close attention to any who might be giving you affectionate glances, but all are completely focused on their work. You wish you'd paid more attention in the weeks prior.
You join in as the ponies form an assembly line. Rarity, patron saint of the sewing machine, stitches the doll parts together faster than the other ponies can produce them. Fluttershy, with her careful snips, wears a warm smile on her face as she cuts the material into the perfect shapes.
"This was such a great idea, Pinkie," she says. "Every one of these dolls we're making is going to make somepony so happy. That is just so very wonderful."
Apple Jack smirks. "Sometimes you remind me so much of Granny Smith, the way she puts her whole heart into everything she does for the young uns. You're gonna make a heck of a grandma one day, Flutters."
"Oh," she says, turning pink in the cheeks. "But that would mean I'd have to have... I don't know..."
"Oh, it's just lovely, Fluttershy," says Rarity. "If you find a very special somepony."
"Or if you're just bored with Mr. and Mrs. Cake and you've got some rum," says Pinkie.
Everypony stops what they're doing to stare at Pinkie.
"What? I mean they're not grandparents yet but don't all grandparents make rum cake?"
Most ponies try their very best not to laugh, except for Rainbow Dash, who rolls around on the floor.
"What?" Pinkie asks.
"Don't you dare tell her, Rainbow!" says Apple Jack.
They talk Pinkie into forgetting about it and in just a few hours they produce enough to hand out to every pony in the line. Everypony sticks around to help Pinkie produce a hundred more, which she plans to hand out to the younger ponies around town.
[[Walk Pinkie home]]
You wait for the others to leave and offer to walk Pinkie home. Before you have a chance to ask Pinkie anything, she says, "You should talk to $EventPony"
"What?" you ask.
"Pinkie Sense," she explains. "You should talk to $EventPony."
"Is she the one who sent the letter?"
"Hay if I know. All I know is you need to talk to her."
What an unbelievably useful skill this pony has. It makes you wonder why she doesn't rule the world yet.
<<set $Clue to 1>>
[[To Town]] "Oh, it's just the most insulting thing I've ever seen!" says Pinkie. She holds up a comic book. In the center of the page you see a big, grinning face, pale white with red lipstick and green hair.
"I saw this in the store and I figured with a name like 'The Joker' it would be a real hoot. But then I read it and he was being <i>reeeeeeally</i> mean to ponies. He rang doorbells and ran, he painted butts on billboards, and he snuck into a graduation and played farting noises over a speaker while some poor student was trying to give her dissertation! This vile hate speech CAN NOT BE TOLERATED!”
Her eyes flame and smoke shoots out of her nostrils.
[[I... like that character]]
[[Tell Pinkie about the letter]]
[[Ask Pinkie if it's her]]
[[To Town]]
Pinkie's eyes pop open with surprise, then narrow. "Explain yourself," she says.
"He's actually a very interesting and complex character," you say. "An exploration of lunacy, mixed with nihilism and commentary on the dark side of pony nature. He represents a force of chaos and destruction pitted against our brooding hero, a force for order and law."
Pursing her lips, Pinkie takes another reluctant look at the comic book. <i> What's it all for, Batsy?<i> The Joker asks. <i>To preserve the drudgery of their meaningless lives? Does it make you feel like you're accomplishing something? Well you're NOT! Because it all comes to NOTHING in the end! HA HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"</i>
Pinkie's eyebrows quirk a bit. Something seems to click in the party pony's mind. You're not entirely sure that's good. Maybe you should have just let her do her thing.
[[To Town]]
[[Ask Pinkie if it's her]]
[[Tell Pinkie about the letter]] She shows you a comic book, featuring The Joker as a villain.
"I was so mad that they would smear clowns in media like this. But then I started reading, because I wanted more information for my letter to clown advocacy groups. He's so..."
"What?" you ask.
"Right," says Pinkie.
The word 'cupcakes' comes to mind. You make a mental note on where the nearest exits are.
"Life has no meaning, does it?" Pinkie asks. "That's what this character is all about. I smiled because I thought it mattered, he smiled because it doesn't. It made me feel good to see ponies smile, but that never changed anything, did it? Life is what it is, and that's it. And I wasted mine doing things that are just so... pointless."
[[It's not pointless]]
[[Life has no meaning. You might as well have fun.]]
"The meaning of life is what you choose, Pinkie," you say. "So many ponies live their entire living in ways they don't enjoy just because they think that's how it's supposed to be. Says who? This character represents the dark side of that idea, but there again are just artists living the lives they want to live. It makes ponies happy to read these comics and it makes ponies <i>really</i> happy to party with you. Would you want to live in a world without smiles?"
She takes a moment to process your words. "That's... true, I suppose."
<<set $KindToPinkie to 1>>
[[Help Pinkie throw a party so awesome it gives life meaning again!]]"That's the entire point of The Joker. Life has no meaning. You can do what you want because life is a joke," you say.
She looks up at you. "That doesn't make me feel any better."
"It should," you say. "Because you've had the right answer all along. It doesn't make sense not to live for fun, to paraphrase a great band. So many ponies can't enjoy their lives because they're so caught up in living the lives they think they're supposed to live. But not you. You live and give happiness, which is the only thing that matters."
She spends several long seconds processing your words. Slowly, her straight hair begins to curl again. "Yeah..." she says. "That... makes a lot of sense."
She sees your point, but she's not quite there yet.
<<set $KindToPinkie to 1>>
[[Help Pinkie throw a party so awesome it gives life meaning again!]]
Pinkie devotes so much time and energy into making others happy. You decide to put your search on hold and return the favor. You sneak over to Mr. and Mrs. Cake, asking them to try and keep Pinkie occupied for a few hours while you set something up.
[[Pinkie Appreciation Day!]]
You make a quick stop over to City Hall. Mayor Mare, always hard at work organizing road work and improvement grants, takes a moment to hear your idea.
"That's a great idea," says Mayor Mare. "Ponyville's entire tourism industry centers around our dear Pinkie's festivals. I can have a proclamation drawn up immediately, but I'm afraid I don't have the resources to organize a celebration. For something like this, I've always called Pinkie Pie."
"Yeah..." you say. "Organizing a celebration fit for the queen of all party ponies in less than a day... that's certainly the tricky part."
<<set $PinkieDay to 0>>
[[Recruit Cheese Sandwich]]
[[Recruit DJ Pon-3]]
[[Recruit Pacific Glow]]
[[Recruit Octavia]]
[[Recruit some yaks]]
/*
Cheese is 0
DJ is 1
Pacific is 2
Octavia is 3
Yaks is 4
*/
/* Ok, wait a sec. I need to decide how I'm going to lay this out and organize it. Do I want the actual parties all on the same page and chosen by conditionals? Probably. And they can all feed into the same tender moments of ponies telling Pinkie how much they appreciate her parties. And I can add extra conditionals during that part depending on who the player enlists to organize the party*/
Double-click this passage to edit it.You find DJ Pon-3 at the home she shares with Octavia. She invites you in to the odd room, split down the middle to reflect DJ and Octavia's wildly different tastes. It really makes you wonder how they can share their lives together when they can't even agree on how to decorate the living room.
DJ eschews her trademark shades and wears a red stocking cap instead. Instead of club music, soft Hearts and Hooves songs play on her radio.
"It's all about what the music makes you feel," she says. "There's magic in music, a very special sort. But the magic of holiday music only makes you feel it once a year, so I never miss a chance to soak up as much as that magic as I can. What can I do for you?"
You blink. For some reason you always thought she was mute. But you push that thought aside and tell her your idea.
"I'm normally the pony who gets hired by the planner, not the planner herself," says DJ. "It's been a long time since I planned an event and never something as big as a holiday celebration. But..." she smiles, as if anticipating a challenge. "You've got it."
[[Let's get this party started]]
<<set $PinkieDay to 1>>
/*
Cheese is 0
DJ is 1
Pacific is 2
Octavia is 3
Yaks is 4
*/You heard Pacific Glow recently moved to Ponyville. You get directions and find her address, a disappointingly plain looking building. The other ponies have homes shaped like cupcakes or carousels. You thought for sure Pacific Glow would build a home shaped like a giant pacifier, but she resides in a normal, thatch-roof home.
You knock on the door, finding it open.
"Come in, friend," a voice calls.
You find the inside of the home much more in line with what you were expecting. The air reeks of a burning herb you won't identify. You find Pacific Glow lying on her back under a yellow light, holding her hoof up in the air and staring at it.
You tell her about Pinkie Pie Appreciation Day. You're not entirely sure she understands what you're saying, but as she looks at you, her mouth spreads into a warm smile.
"I've always felt like Pinkie and I were soul sisters. We're so much alike, kinda, not really. I get lost in myself when the music plays, but Pinkie does everything she can think of to share her smile with other ponies. I'd do anything to help her find herself again."
[[Let's get this party started]]
<<set $PinkieDay to 2>>
/*
Cheese is 0
DJ is 1
Pacific is 2
Octavia is 3
Yaks is 4
*/"Me?" Octavia asks, surprised. "Whoever would you choose me to organize that?"
You found her during one of her practice sessions. It's a fair question.
"I know your taste in events is a lot different than Pinkie's," you say. "That's sort of the point. I want something that'll really stand out to her. Something that's a lot different than the parties she attends or throws almost every day."
She rubs her nose with her hoof. "I don't know," she says. "I always aspire for a sort of class worthy of The Grand Galloping Gala. And we all know how much Pinkamena cared for that event. Although..." she rests her chin on the end of her bow. "I suppose it's probably not as complicated a proposition as it seems. I have my own tastes but I know hers well enough to tweak my performance. We are family, after all."
[[Let's get this party started]]
<<set $PinkieDay to 3>>
/*
Cheese is 0
DJ is 1
Pacific is 2
Octavia is 3
Yaks is 4
*/
In a pub near the outskirts of town, you find a table occupied by a delegation of yaks. The biggest of them, Prince Rutherford, slams his front hoof against the table, shaking the entire building, and he shouts at the top of his lungs.
"Yaks love service in this establishment! Yaks leave big tip!"
Reluctantly, you approach the rowdy yaks. You explain the situation and your idea.
"Pink pony not know meaning of life? Meaning of life is to play yovidaphone and smash! And yaks all out of yovidaphone!!"
You dive out of the way as the yaks smash the table to splinters.
"Ok!" you say. "Good smash, great smash. Top ten best smashes I've ever seen. But I was hoping you yaks would consider organizing this celebration for Pinkie. I've heard her stories, you yaks really know how to have a good time."
Prince Rutherford scratches his chin through his massive beard. "Pink pony speaks the truth. Those who survive yak keg parties talk about them for rest of their lives. We will do it! Let us smash to celebrate this agreement!"
Ponies in the establishment flee for their lives as the hurricane of yaks smash everything in sight in an orgy of destruction.
This was a very bad idea!
[[Let's get this party started]]
<<set $PinkieDay to 4>>
/*
Cheese is 0
DJ is 1
Pacific is 2
Octavia is 3
Yaks is 4
*/You find Cheese Sandwich leaning against a tree in the shadows outside of town, looking mysterious in his parka and sombrero. You tell him about Pinkie's existential crisis and your idea to hopefully get her centered again.
He spits out the straw of hay he'd been chewing on, looking intense. "It's a heavy burden, being a party planner. It leaves scars on your soul and those scars run deep. I don't know if I can do anything to help Pinkie with this pain she's feeling, the pain all of us balloon blowers share, but I'll sure try."
[[Let's get this party started]]
<<set $PinkieDay to 0>>
/*
Cheese is 0
DJ is 1
Pacific is 2
Octavia is 3
Yaks is 4
*/
You spend all day running around town, spending every dime you've got to quickly print invitations and buy decoration for the First Annual Pinkie Pie Appreciation Day. By the time the sun goes down, you're exhausted. But everything is ready.
<<if $PinkieDay is 0>>
Pinkie sits in her room, playing a board game with Mr. and Mrs. Cake. As much as she tries to enjoy herself, her mind keeps going back to the pointlessness of existence. Suddenly her ears perk up, picking up a happy sound.
Downstairs, she opens the front door to catch sight of a massive parade. Cheese Sandwich, minus his somber hat and parka, radiates energy as he dances through town, seemingly everywhere at once.
<i>"I heard you're sad, I feel so bad, so I had to write this song!
I've heard it spoke that life's a joke, so we'd best all laugh along!
It's ok to play all day, just walk that one last mile,
'Cus as you know I'd sell my soul if I could only see you smile!"</i>
Pinkie's face brightens as Cheese Sandwich circles around her, overwhelmed with the magnitude of the massive celebration.
<i>"Sometimes life's a little sad
But all and all it's not that bad
We find the strength to make it through
'Cus when life gets hard, we think of you!</i>
As confetti and streamers fly, foul pegasi drape Pinkie in a royal cloak and clown made of gold foil while a group of earth ponies coax the smiling party planner onto the central float.
<i>"And this is why your dearest friends
Have cooked this up to make amends
And gathered all right here to say
Happy happy happy happy special fun and sappy
Pinkamena Diane Pie Appreciation Day! <i>
"WHO DO WE LOVE?!" You call out.
"PINKIE PIE!" All of the ponies shout out.
"JUST THE UNICORNS NOW, WHO DO WE LOVE!?"
"PINKIE PIE!" the unicorns call out.
"NOW THE MALE PONIES, WHO DO WE LOVE!?"
"PINKIE PIE!" shout back the handful of male ponies in town.
The music picks up again and Cheese Sandwhich descends on Pinkie Pie to the beat of circus music.
<i>
"We all know just how it feels to feel a little lost
But you can live life how you want 'cuz idea's your boss
If you can't find much meaning and you wish you had a sign
Believe in you, that much is true
And have a happy, sappy, laughy, clappy, fragulistic, existential, joyous smiling wonder-taculous
TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!"
</i>
Pinkie pie collapses in laughter as everypony in town joins in on the final note, raining the party pony with glitter and confetti.
"Pinkie Pie," says Cheese. "I've already told you what your example meant to me. There are a few other ponies I think you should hear from too."
[[Introduce the guest speakers]]
<<elseif $PinkieDay is 1>>
Mr. and Mrs. Cake manage to keep Pinkie Pie completely distracted while everypony sets up at Sugar Cube Corner. As DJ Pon-3 cranks the music up, the lights go out and the ponies start to dance.
Pinkie Pie wanders down the stairs, her hair still dripping from a shower, and looks over the partiers with a stunned expression.
"There she is! The mare of the night. Let's hear it for Pinkie Pie!" DJ announces.
The ponies cheer and stomp their hooves. For the first time, Pinkie notices the banner hanging over the dance floor. "Pinkie Pie Appreciation Day."
Her eyes start to sparkle. "Aw... you guys..."
"Come on down and dance with us, Pinkie!" you shout.
She glances at you and you see realization in her eyes. She comes up to you with a smirk. "You had a part in this, huh?"
You shrug. "DJ Pon-3 got it all rolling."
Pinkie insists on dancing with you first. There's nothing romantic about it, it's basically a drawn out game of "Ring Around the Rosie." Still, you scan the crowd for any jealous-looking ponies. If your secret crush is here, she hides it well.
Pinkie dances with nearly every pony in the room until she's finally exhausted, her hair and pink fur damp with sweat.
[[Introduce the guest speakers]]
<<elseif $PinkieDay is 2>>
The sound of music draws Pinkie Pie's attention. She looks out of her bedroom window, catching sight of the neon lights flashing in the road.
She makes her way down. As she opens the front door, loops of glowsticks fly at her, landing on her head and spinning around her neck like hoop rings on a peg.
"Pinkie Pie!" says Peppermint Swirl. "Happy Pinkie Pie Appreciation Day."
"What?" Pinkie asks.
"The first one ever," says Minuette, a pacifier hanging from around her neck. "Oh, man. Those brownies..."
"Dance with me, Pinkie!" says one pony.
"No, me first!" says another.
But a low, mischievous voice resonates, "No, no, no," says Pacific Glow. "<i>I</> get the first dance." She approaches Pinkie with a grin that makes the party pony take a step backward.
"P-Pacific?" Pinkie asks.
"Your friend over there," she nods in your direction. "Told me a few things." Pinkie's eyes go wide as Pacific Glow gets close. "That you don't know the point of it all anymore, that you're not sure what matters. What matters is laughter, life and love. <i>Especially</i> love," she says. "The smiles you spread, how you feel and how you make everypony else feel. Do you want to know how you make me feel, Pinkie?"
Pinkie's wide eyes sparkle with the reflecting neon lights. Pacific Glow takes hold of her hooves, leading her to the center of the road. Framed by purple and blue beams, the two of them start moving their hooves to the sound of beatbox music. Pinkie loosens up quickly, giggling as she circles around Pacific Glow. Pinkie has the time of her life with her nonsensical movements, Pacific Glow seems to move in tandem with the flow of the music. The two styles ought to clash, but they seem perfectly joined. The agile Pacific Glow drops to her knees, opening her arms wide as Pinkie Pie tackles her in a hug.
She giggles as she dusts herself off. Pacific Glow reluctantly lets go of her. You make eye contact with Pacific Glow and she nods, giving you permission to interrupt.
[[Introduce the guest speakers]]
<<elseif $PinkieDay is 3>>
A knock at the front door draws Pinkie Pie downstairs. She answers, finding you at the door dressed in a nice suit.
"Miss Pie," you say. "I was wondering if I might escort you to your engagement."
You step aside, motioning to a carriage in the street drawn by four stallion volunteers.
"Am I getting married?" Pinkie asks.
"Social engagement," you clarify.
You drive Pinkie to the local gym, they only place available on such short notice. You open the door for Pinkie. On the surface of things, the event would seem a match for a high-class Canterlot event. But none of those high-class ponies were available, so the ponies around town grabbed their best suits and dresses out of the attic.
Big Mac, wearing a tuxedo which is several sizes too small for him, approaches Pinkie while carrying a pie. Putting on his best air of a southern gentle-stallion, Big Mac says, "I do declare, Miss Pie. This is perhaps the fanciest, most esteemed shindig I've seen in years. I do hope I don't embarrass myself in the presence of such esteemed company. Oh, dear!" He wobbles, exaggerating his movement as he intentionally falls face first into the pie.
Pinkie Pie stares for several long seconds, then takes a close look at everything. Octavia and her band play at the stage at the end of the gym floor, the stage decorated with balloons. Octavia herself took the extra step of dressing like a rubber chicken.
A big smile appears on Pinkie's face and she falls over, giggling.
The high class party includes everything appealing to Pinkie and, in fact, the majority of the ponies at the party. They discard their suits and dresses to bob for apples, plunging waste deep into the tubs, and fire water pistols into clowns' mouths to make balloons burst.
As the energy at the party winds down, Mayor Mare takes center stage.
"Ladies and gentlecolts," says the mayor. "It is my great honor to issue this proclamation. Pinkie Pie, if you would join me on stage for a bit."
"Oh, gee," says Pinkie, blushing under her fur. She gets up on the stage next to the mayor.
"Pinkie Pie. Throughout all the years I've known you, you have consistently gone above and beyond not only to help the prosperity of Ponyville, but to put a smile on the face of any pony you happen to run into. For your constant dedication, it is my honor to declare this day the first ever Pinkie Pie Appreciation Day."
Pinkie's jaw drops. "W-w-w.... wha?"
Octavia steps up behind Pinkie with a smile. "Someone was certain to name a holiday after you sooner or later. Holidays honor all of the things that makes us smile, that lift us up when you're sad. You do that better than any holiday I've ever seen, Cousin. Every day with you around is better than Hearth's Warming."
For the first time in her life, Pinkie is speechless.
[[Introduce the guest speakers]]
<<elseif $PinkieDay is 4>>
The pounding of drums shakes the entire town. Expecting a battle, Pinkie charges through the front door wearing a marine helmet and war paint.
"Bring it on! I've got nothing to lose!" she shouts. But her fiery expression calms when she sees Prince Rutherford and his yaks outside. "Oh! You guys, I didn't know today was a yak holiday."
"Is best yak holiday!" says Prince Rutherford. "Is Pinkie Pie Appreciation Day!"
The banner drops from the buildings behind them. The yaks immediately break out yovidaphones (which you made sure to provide plenty of) and jam. Each yak seems to play his own song and their music sounds like chaos, but Pinkie Pie immediately leaps in with them, grabbing a yovidaphone and jamming along with her own tune. You have no idea how she had time to run up to her room and grab her yak helmet. Apparently you blinked at some point.
The stomping of the yaks shakes the entire town. A circle of ponies gathers, smiling and happy to see Pinkie Pie having so much fun, though they don't get too close to the huge, intimidating yaks.
"You guys are the best!" says Pinkie. "I can't believe you declared a holiday for me."
"Not us!' says Prince Rutherford. "Was idea of friends of Pinkie in Ponyville. But is good idea!"
Pinkie looks around, spotting you. Realization dawns on her.
[[Introduce the guest speakers]]
<</if>>
/*
Cheese is 0
DJ is 1
Pacific is 2
Octavia is 3
Yaks is 4
*/
Cranky Doodle approaches Pinkie first, holding his wig in front of his heart like a hat.
"I don't normally do stuff like this," says Cranky. "But I've just got to tell you. Even though we didn't make the great first impression, what you did for me, finding Matilda after so many years. You have no idea what it meant to me. You started feeling like nothing mattered? I can't really give you an answer for that, Pinkie, but what you did for us means the world to me and Matilda every day of our lives."
Pinkie's eyes well up.
More ponies line up behind Cranky Doodle. One very young filly told Pinkie she had no friends until Pinkie's party helped her overcome her shyness. Lyra Heartstrings tells Pinkie she met Bon Bon at one of her party's, and one filly shows Pinkie Pie the cutie mark she earned dancing at one of Pinky's celebrations.
"You just don't see the good you do, Pinkie," you tell her. "You think your parties are a frivolous thing, but they're not. When you think about it, really think about it, all of the good or bad things in life boil down to how they make people feel. You make people feel really, really good, and that means you're doing a really, really good thing."
Pinkie wipes away a happy tear. "You guys..." she pulls you into a tight hug. "I'm sorry you had to do all of this. I shouldn't be sad."
"You're allowed to be sad," you say. "Keep that in mind too. I just don't want you to think you don't do good things. Because you do."
She grins at you.
Other ponies take Pinkie's attention and she gives her front legs a workout with all of the hugs. You find yourself a quiet area, nursing a drink as you rest your tired body. <<if $PinkieDay is 2>> Somewhere in the crowd, Pinkie loudly asks Pacific Glow, "Why do you want to see my room, silly? The party isn't even half over yet."<</if>>
Pinkie seems thoroughly occupied for the night. You decide you won't be missed if you slip away and get some much needed rest.
[[Get some rest|Dally a bit]] /*Ok. I need to find the place where I renamed the name of the thing... actually, I think I know how? I just don't know the correct order.*/
<<set $KindToPinkie to 2>>
You pause as you catch Pinkie Pie's cheerful voice asking Pacific Glow, loudly, "Why do you want to see my bedroom, silly? The party isn't even half over yet."Double-click this passage to edit it.<<if $SecretCrush is 3>>
You pull Pinkie close. She leans into you. True to her word, her body heat warms you up even as the snowflakes drift down around you. She backs up a tad but doesn't let go of you. She stares at you, her face inches away from yours.
"Ever since I first saw that smile..." she says, wearing a grin of her own. "I think your smile likes mine. Our smiles should be together, don't you think?"
You're not sure what she means until she leans in a little closer. You let her press her lips against yours. Her smile turns more warm and affectionate than mischievous. Pinkie has never been what one would call shy, but you're surprised at how comfortable she is in this new situation.
[[Why me?]]
<<\if>>
"Oh, thank you so very, very, very much," says Fluttershy. "It's a very particular sort of plant: a three-leaf bush with purple berries that grows along the edge of a river or a pond. You might try some of those berries when you find it, they're delicious."
[[Find the plant]]"Oh, that's a very good idea, too," says Fluttershy. "Of course that still leaves the problem of me having to leave poor Mr. Bear alone..." She looks at you with sad, puppy dog eyes.
[[Talk to Zecora]]
You spend hours searching along the river bank. Fluttershy wasn't kidding when she said it would take all day. Apparently this root is in high demand, you find several which have been dug up but none of those have any of their roots left.
You sit down by a rock, exhausted and wondering what you're going to do.
"I feel so much stress from your chakras," says a voice.
You turn around to find Fluttershy's friend, Tree Hugger.
"Hey," you say. "Are you also looking for Laslie Root?"
"Naw. I was just meditating at the falls down the trail and I sensed hunger." She nods to her saddle bags. "I've got enough for two. Won't you have a bite with me?"
Now that she mentions it, you haven't had breakfast yet. "Sure," you say.
Tree Hugger sits a picnic blanket down, humming in some ritualistic way as she pours two cups of tea.
"Why do you have two cups?" you ask.
"I always pour one for Mother Earth, but I don't think she'll mind if I let you have her cup this time."
You have a nice tofu lunch with Tree Hugger and ask her if she knows how to find the plant.
"Yeah..." says Tree Hugger. "I'm feeling that you'll find exactly what you're looking for if you go about two miles east where a tributary bends off in a cave."
Her words sound as if she were speaking through a fan. A big smile spreads across your face as your vision blurs. "Whaa...?" You take another sip of tea, not putting two and two together even as your head swims.
"That way," she says, talking slowly. "Just follow your heart, it'll lead you to the answer."
"Wow..." you say. "That's really cool. It totally will, won't it? That's why everything's so confused. We try to reason things and ignore our hearts. Everything would be fixed in a minute if we just quieted our minds and listened with our souls."
"Whoa..." says Tree Hugger. "It's like you're totally in my head right now."
[[Search the cave]]You have no idea how you got to the cave. In fact, you're pretty sure you're dreaming. You stare at a rock for several minutes and as your vision goes out of focus, the rock takes the shape of Princess Celestia wearing a crown in the shape of a carousel.
Occasionally you remember what you're supposed to be searching for, so you scan the banks of the stream, which cuts through the cave. You don't think to wonder where the light is coming from. The ursa major, from which the glow emanates, sniffs at you but lets you pass as you wander by, not noticing.
You see a bush sprouting from the muddy bank covered in blue berries. What did Fluttershy say? They were delicious? And wow, you are HUNGRY!
You devour the berries. Fluttershy wasn't kidding. Someone should market these. Oh! Maybe you should market these! You could set up a booth at the market and sell berries to all the ponies in town. You'll need to grow some, though. Berries grow from bushes, you remember. Cool. And bushes grow from... crud, they grow from berries and you ate them all.
You stand up, intending to find another, but you stop suddenly. "OOooooh. Right. Mr. Bear is counting on me, I can't.... oh, God." You drop down into a crouch. "Mr. Bear is counting on me... he's home sick and scared and I almost forgot all about him!" You let the tears fall to the sand as you soak in the severity of your crime. "Mr. Bear, I'm so sorry!"
[[Take the plant to Fluttershy]]
You get it together and keep focused enough to dig up the bush. You get lost several times on your way back to Fluttershy's cottage, but as your head begins to clear, you remember which turn to take.
You forget to knock as you let yourself in. Fluttershy's eyes light up as she sees the plant, then her expression takes on a note of worry as she notes your dilated pupils.
"Oh. It's wonderful that you found the root. And apparently you ran into Tree Hugger. I forgot she likes to meditate out there. Don't be angry. She didn't mean to trick you, she just forgets to warn people what she likes to put in her tea."
She floats up to you, smiling. "Focus on my face. Do you know where you are?"
"Your cottage?" you ask.
"Very good," she says. She takes the bush and guides you over to her easy chair. "You've had a long day. Why don't you just sit right here and rest for a few hours. I'd worry if you left the house again right now."
"Cool," you say, relaxing. "Seems like I... something I needed to..."
"I'm sure you'll remember later."
"Oh," you say. "Somepony sent me a love letter."
"They did?" Fluttershy asks. "That's lovely."
"Yeah," you say. "Had Spike write it for her and sent it to me yesterday."
"Oh..." says Fluttershy. "Are you sure this really happened and you're not just confused because of the tea?"
"I'm sure," you say. "I didn't bring the letter with me."
"I believe you," she says. "Well..." she thinks for a moment as she grinds the roots in a bowl. "I hadn't heard of any of my friends having a crush. But if I had a secret crush on somepony, I think I'd probably confide in $EventPony."
"Oooooooh," you say. "I totally should have known that, my heart should have told me."
<<set $Clue to 1>>
[[To Town]] "I don't!" she says, feigning outrage. She puts on a grumpy expression, staring at the theater, then sighs. "And if I did it's not like I could go anyway. I've got a reputation, for pony's sake. What if someone saw me in there?"
You think about it for a moment. What should you say to her?
<<click "How about we go together?">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "How about we go together?">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<<click "Suck it up and go see the play, Rainbow">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "Suck it up and go see the play, Rainbow">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
"I've heard of that play," you say. You haven't really, but you've got an idea. "I'd love to see it but I'd feel sort of silly seeing it by myself."
Rainbow looks up at you, one brow raised.
"Want to go see it with me?" you ask.
Her ears perk up and she looks at the theater again.
"Well..." she says. "I suppose if <i>you</i> want to..."
[[See the play]]"Say what, now?" she asks. "You're cute and all but I don't really like you that way."
Well that answers one question.
"It's just to see the play," you say. "You don't want anypony to see you in there by yourself, so just act like you're seeing it with a friend. If anypony asks you can say I'm the one who wanted to see it. I'm not proud."
Her ears perk up as she looks at the theater, then she grins.
"Alright! Let's go!"
[[See the play]]Her eyes pop open. She takes to the air, staring down at you with outrage, her hooves on her hip. "Are you calling me a dork?"
<<click "Yes">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "I'm calling you a dork">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<<click "No">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "I'm calling you a dork">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
"Oh, you are on thin ice!" says Rainbow. "I'm the toughest pony in Ponyville. Why in the hay would I ever want to see a goofy romantic play?"
[[You're too scared to go see it]]"That sounds like a dare!" says Rainbow.
<<click "It's a double dare">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "It's a double dare">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
"Oh, I'll show you who's scared to see it. I'll-" she stops mid-turn before zipping off to the theater. Calming down, she looks at you with a sly smirk, giving a soft giggle. "Good one," she says, easing down to the ground. "Thanks."
<<click "One thing before you go">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "One thing before you go">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
You tell her about the letter and ask her if she has any idea who might have sent it.
"Huh," says Rainbow. "You know something? That sounds a lot like how Dazzles on Sunset Avenue started. Not that I've read the book or anything, but if I did I would have borrowed it from $EventPony. You might ask her."
<<set $Clue to 1>>
[[To Town]] Rainbow keeps her head low as the two of you go into the theater. To her relief, she doesn't see anyone she knows as the two of you take their seats, and nopony shouts out, "Hey, it's that Wonderbolt!"
Rainbow insists on keeping her face blank and pretending she's not having a good time... for about the first ten minutes. The first time the heroine of the story sings about her secret feelings, Rainbow's eyes go wide and starry. She leans up in her seat. You barely pay attention to the play, much more enjoying the reactions it causes in Rainbow. She couldn't be more expressive, whispering her reactions under her breath and fidgeting about in her chair. For a moment you're afraid you'll have to grab her to stop her from flying off to the stage. But she keeps a reign on herself.
Her cheeks flushed, she practically glows with contentment by the time the play is over. Walking out with you, she wears the goofiest smile and doesn't seem to give a buck if anyone sees her.
"Hey," she says. "I am so glad you talked me into that. That was even better than Daring Do and the Temple of Spiders. Thank you."
[[Tell Rainbow about the letter]]
"It's not what you think," says Fluttershy. "I get so scared at night, and hugging The Princess of the Night always makes me feel so safe."
"That <i>is</i> what I thought," you say.
"Oh," says Fluttershy. "I just didn't want you to think it's like my brother and his sock with rainbow hair drawn on it."
[[Tell Fluttershy about the letter]] "Oh, my," says Fluttershy. "Um, yes. Yes, that's all." She quickly turns away but can't hide her sob.
[[What's wrong?]]She drops down, sitting on the floor as her shoulders slump in defeat. "Oh, I might as well tell you. Everypony in town is going to know in just a few hours. I've disgraced myself in the eyes of Celestia and all my friends."
"How?" you ask. "I'm sure that isn't true."
"It is! or it will be," she says. "I did the silliest thing. You see, there's this weekly poetry magazine that comes out, and I said, 'Fluttershy, it's time to be more bold and do something you've always wanted to do. This isn't nearly as scary as being on stage.' So I thought it would be a good baby step if I sent them my poetry on gardens, swamps and the places we've been. So they wrote me back and said they're going to publish five poems from my collection today. I told every pony in town and they're going to get the magazine tomorrow."
"I don't understand," you say. "You're the one who told them all. Why are you freaking out?"
"Because it wasn't until after I told them all that I thought to ask the magazine which poems they're publishing. They told me, 'We're publishing <i>Lustful Moon, Shadows of Desire, Mare of my Dreams, Rebel Princess and After Dark Fun.</i> I accidentally sent them all of my poems about Princess Luna!"
[[Wow. That really, really sucks]]
[[It'll be ok]]
[[That's the funniest thing I've heard all week!]]
[[Maybe Luna will like them?]]"I know!" says Fluttershy. She hides behind her tail again. "Oh, I can never show my face in town again. Some parts of those poems were rated <i>very PG13...</i>"
[[Don't run from your problems]]
[[Maybe it's fate]]"Oh, I know Princess Luna would never banish me to the moon or hold me prisoner in a dungeon like that one poem I'm so glad they chose not to publish, but it's sooo..." Her eyes well up. "Those were my closest secret feelings that I never, ever meant to share with anypony."
[[Don't run from your problems]]
[[Maybe it's fate]]Her eyes well up with tears and her chin quivers. She suddenly collapses, hiding her face in a pillow and bawling.
[[Don't run from your problems]]
[[Maybe it's fate]]
Fluttershy gasps. "Princess Luna! Oh... "Quills and Quotes" is her favorite publication, she devours every issue! She's going to see for sure!"
She collapses, crawling behind her couch to hide.
[[Don't run from your problems]]
[[Maybe it's fate]]"I know that's the wrong thing to do, but for pony's sake, this is just way too much. I've made so much progress over the years, I've learned to be assertive and almost sing in public, now with one carless moment I've accidentally published my wildest sexual fantasies on a magazine with over two hundred thousand subscribers..." She eases herself down to the floor, crying.
"So don't you think you'll need your friends now, more than ever?" you ask.
She sniffs. "That's true," says Fluttershy. "Yes, you're right. You're absolutely right, I can't just shut out my closest friends. I'll make sure they know where to write to me once I'm in Saddle Arabia."
"Or you can stay here and trust them," you say. "If you have to go somewhere, spend the night with one of them. I think Rarity's the pony who'd understand. Tell her everything, she'll understand exactly what you need."
Fluttershy nods. "Yes, that's true," she says. "I do feel like she's the one who really gets me. And she's also the pony who made me that Princess Luna body pillow."
Sounds like a plan. You could let Rarity handle it, but maybe you'd like to try to make her feel more in control of the situation?
<<set $KindToFluttershy to 1>>
[[Talk her into performing a live reading]] Double-click this passage to edit it."Fate?" Fluttershy asks.
"Did you know some of the most celebrated artists in history were too shy to share their own work? Someone else had to do it. For Van Goat it was his brother. For H(orse) P(ony) Lovecraft it was his aunt. For you it's, well, you on accident. And you're a lot luckier than they are because you get to see how much everypony loved your poems while you're still alive.
Her mortified expression changes only slightly, but you do detect some optimism. "That's... I don't know. It's kind of even more embarassing to think ponies might be reading these long after I'm gone. Kind of... but that does kind of sound nice."
It's nice to hear a little hope in her voice, but this is still so much for her. Maybe there's something else you can do to make her feel in control of this situation?
[[Talk her into performing a live reading]]
<<set $KindtoFluttershy to 1>><<set $InvitedTreehugger to 0>>
<<set $InvitedPinkie to 0>>
<<set $InvitedLuna to 0>>
<<set $KindToFluttershy to 2>>
"Are. y o u. NUTS!?"
You back away. In a million years you'd have never imagined Fluttershy could be so loud.
"Call it nuts if you want, but this is a crazy situation," you say. "'Quills and Quotes' Do you have any idea how often you can take control of a situation if you just pretend to have more confidence than you really feel?"
"I... well..." she thinks for a moment. "I have spent an awful lot of time observing Rainbow Dash and taking notes..."
"We can reserve the stage at The Lounge. It'll be bright on stage but dark in the crowd, so you can barely even see the ponies you're speaking your poems to. Everyone will say, 'Wow, look how confident and secure she is? That brave pony must know what she's doing.'"
"I don't..." she says, her cheeks flushed. "I've made so much progress these last few years. But this is so much..." She clenches her jaw, putting on a determined expression. "But it's now or never. I don't have the option of baby steps anymore. You're right. I'll do it."
You suddenly feel very nervous. If this live reading turns out to be a complete disaster, it's all your fault for talking her into it! Well, you'll just have to be sure that doesn't happen.
Of course you'll invite Twilight, Rarity and all of them. But who else?
<<click "Invite Rarity">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "Invite Rarity">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<<click "Invite Treehugger">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "Invite Treehugger">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<<click "Invite Pinkie Pie">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "Invite Pinkie Pie">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<<click "Invite Princess Luna">>\
<<replace "#output">><<display "Invite Princess Luna">><</replace>>\
<</click>>
<span id="output"></span>
[[The live reading]]
It takes all day to find out where to find Treehugger. Though she doesn't live in Ponyville, it's your good fortune that she just happened to be in town, so to speak.
You track her to the nature trails in the safer parts of The Everfree Forest. You find her sitting on a rock at the base of a waterfall as the rapids wash over her. Her eyes are closed. Whatever she's doing, you feel you shouldn't intrude, so you begin to back away.
"I sense a stranger seeking help on a quest for good," she says, still not opening her eyes.
No way. She had to have heard you or something.
"What can I do for you, new friend?"
You tell Treehugger everything. Her eyes open and she gives a wide, warm smile. "Finally, the world can see the side of Fluttershy that only I knew. Fate truly is a wonderful thing. I'll certainly be there."
Excellent. Treehugger will definately have something to keep Fluttershy calm through this live reading. But there's still plenty of time before you have to start the event. Would you like to invite anypony else?
<<set $InvitedTreehugger to 1>>
Walking through the streets, it occurs to you. Pinkie Pie might not be an obvious choice for something which requires, let's be honest, a <i>lot</i> of tact and care, but nopony in Equestria is more comfortable in the spotlight. Pinkie could surely have something to offer in support. Maybe you should invite her.
"Invite me to what?" a cheerful voice says.
You turn around and find Pinkie staring at you with her big, happy eyes.
"I... didn't say that out loud," you say.
"Don't worry about it," says Pinkie.
Wow. Ok, Pinkie might be a goddess. Anyway, you tell Pinkie what happened.
"Wow," Pinkie says. "All of Fluttershy's deepest, darkest thoughts and fears and desires. Preserved in the printed page by all eternity, read by people who will spend the rest of her life telling her what they thought about..."
"Pinkie," you say. "Right now she doesn't need someone to say out loud everything she's afraid of. She needs someone to make her feel like it's OK that she feels these things and that it's OK that everypony knows. She needs somepony to make her feel like her poems are beautiful."
Pinkie stares at you, her expression blank for a moment. You can practically see the gears turning in her head. "Ooooooooooh," she says with a sly grin. "I gotcha. Yeah. Ok. It's hard for me, but this time I'll <i>think</i> about what I say before I say it."
"Awesome!" you say. "Fluttershy is going to love that."
ALl day it goes through your head: what if you invite Princess Luna? Maybe she'll love the poems. Maybe she likes Fluttershy. Maybe she'll propose on the spot, or at least tell Fluttershy she'll cherish the poems.
Maybe she'll also be indignant. Maybe she'll be outraged that Fluttershy dared daydream about her royal flank. You know absolutely nothing about Luna.
But you make a decision. Luna surely would have compassion at the very least, so you find Spike, the only soul in Ponyville who'd know how to get a message to Luna.
You tell it all, even warning her that the poems might get a little "PG13." You wait with Spike, chatting about comic books for an hour while you hope for a reply, but none is never sent. Will she get the message? Will she be helpful? Will she be angry? Time will tell.
Are there any other ponies you want to invite?
<<set $InvitedLuna to 1>>Double-click this passage to edit it.As you explain the situation to Rarity, her expression changes from one of shocked sympathy to one of mischievous excitement.
"Oh, my," she says with a dreamy grin. "Exactly <i>how</i> explicit <i>was</i> our dear Fluttershy as she detailed her desires for Princess Luna?"
"She said it was "very PG13."
Rarity gasps. "No," she says with a grin. "Oh, my goodness! Are you telling me that if I attend this event, I'll get to hear words such as "peeved" and "tushy" coming from the lips of the shyest, most innocent pony in all of Equestria?"
"Well I haven't read any of the poems, but... maybe?"
"The mere possibility is enough for me, Darling. I will most certainly be there. And I've got just the outfit for Fluttersy to wear. Very intellectual poet's attire. Or maybe not? By chance have you considered inviting Princess Luna? Perhaps I should design something a bit more..."
she giggles. "No, dear Fluttershy would never wear that, I'm quite sure."
So Rarity is in. Anypony else you'd like to invite?
<<set $InvitedRarity to 1>>
Management of The Lounge dim all the lights, setting a quiet, sedated atmosphere for the ponies all gathered around the cafe tables. Several of them have already looked over their copies of "Quills and Quotes," and quietly share some of the more sordid details to those who have not.
You wait with Fluttershy backstage. She stares at the floor, her face as red as a strawberry. <<if $InvitedRarity is 1>>She's certainly dressed for the occasion, wearing a knitted parka and a beret provided by Rarity. All the fashionista wanted in return was the closest seat possible to hear Fluttershy's reading.<</if>>
"I don't know if I can go through with this," she says, softly.
<<if $InvitedTreehugger is 1>>
A very laid back voice from the shadows answers, "Of course you can." Treehugger emerges from the shadows with an air of drama. "I feel it. Karma set you on this path, Flutters. Tonight is your night."
"But it's just so..." Fluttershy trails off.
"I know," says Treehugger. "That's why I baked you a little something."
Reaching into her saddle bags, Treehuger presents a big, delicious-looking brownie.
"Oh, my," says Fluttershy. "I know you like to put <i>special herbs</i> in your brownies. I mean, shouldn’t I keep my wits?"
"Not at all," says Treehugger. "You're not walking through a mine field, you're sharing your heart with the ponies you care about. The only thing that can make this night go wrong is fear."
Fluttershy seems hesitant. "Well," she says. "My parents always told me not to give into peer pressure. And I told them, 'You know I can't promise that,' so here goes nothing."
She takes a big bite, chewing slowly, enjoying the taste of the wonderfully flavored brownie.
<<else>>
"Of course you can," you say. "Remember when you stared down a dragon for your friends? Now it's time to stare down a dragon for yourself. Metaphorically, I mean."
"I... seriously don't want to think about dragons right now," she says with a mild quake.
"Just think of it this way: you're brave for everypony else when they need you to be," you say. "You're brave for your friends and for the animals. It's time to be brave for yourself. You deserve that."
She stares at the stage, letting out a slow, shuddering breath. "You're right," she says. "I'd do it for other ponies, I can do it for myself too."
"Right on!"
<</if>>
Fluttershy steps out onto the stage. The ponies in the audience softly stamp their hooves in a warm welcome. A seductive whistle sounds off from somewhere in the audience, causing many of the other ponies to chuckle. Fluttershy stands her ground.
<<if $InvitedPinkie eq 1>> To her right and near the rear of the stage, Pinkie Pie wears a striped sweater and hides her eyes behind a pair of mirrored sunglasses. A red beret on top of her head and a fake goatee complete the ensemble and she begins lightly drumming her bare hooves against a pair of bongos <</if>>
Steeling her voice, Fluttershy addresses the crowd. "Good evening, everypony. By now I'm sure many of you have seen the poems I submitted to "Quills and Quotes." Every intimate, private... passionate... oh, my," she says, turning red in the face again.
A pony in the crowd helpfully calls out, "We love you, Fluttershy!" <<if $InvitedRarity is 1>>It sounds very much like Rarity.<</if>>
A small smile appears on Fluttershy's face as she takes her seat, organizing her notes in front of her.
[[Let's hear it!]]
She starts with the tamest poem she could find, one which did not appear in "Quills and Quotes" but one she felt might ease herself into this situation. In the poem, she compares the color of Luna's fur to the color of a lake at midnight and her hooves to polished Lapis Lazuli.
<i>But the only thing to distract from her hair
Is her ancient, wise and knowing glare
The glare of one who understands hate
But broke the chains of most cruel fate</i>
The ponies give a polite applause, but all in attendance, including Fluttershy, can tell they're waiting for her to get to the good stuff.
<<if $InvitedTreehugger eq 1>>
Slowly, a deep sense of peace suddenly fills Fluttershy's soul. Her vision blurs a bit. She lets out a small giggle.
"Thank you," she says. "That's not what you came here to hear, though. You came here to hear about how much I like Princess Luna's butt."
You hear startled gasps in the room. You realize one of them is your own. The crowd, for their part, quickly gets over their shock at hearing Fluttershy say "The B-Word" and stamp their hooves in approval.
"I always tell my friends how much I love Luna's full moon, but I don't mean what they think I mean," she says, swaying in her chair in a stoned haze.
The crowd laughs and you turn to tree hugger. "You said you'd give her something soft!" you hiss at her.
"The softest," she says. "There's actually nothing in that brownie except regular brownie stuff. What we're seeing is the most glorious placebo effect I've ever witnessed in my life."
You look back out at Fluttershy, who is now out of her chair and talking about a body pillow she owns with Princess Luna's picture on it.
Treehugger makes a sound. "Um... unless I accidentally mixed that brownie up with the one I was going to share with Pacific Glow later. If that's what happened, this poetry reading is about to get <i>very</i> intense."
"I never feel lonely with Pillow Luna," says Fluttershy. "I mean I know it's not as good as snuggling with the real Luna..." she gives a snort. "Yeah, <i>just snuggling</i>", she says with an ironic tone. "Kind of like how Derpy and Doctor Hooves are <i>just doing research</i> in that big lab he's got."
<<if $InvitedPinkie eq 1>> Pinkie, on the bongos, follows up with the standard comedic drum pattern. Lacking a tambourine, she makes the "Tst" sound with her mouth.<</if>>
"We've got to stop this!" you say. You try to rush out onto the stage but Treehugger grabs you.
"No, this is great," she says.
"Are you insane? She's going to leave Ponyville and move into a cave when she comes down off of that stuff!"
"I've seen her like this before," says Treehugger. "Just trust me."
[[Oh, Celestia, how is it going to end?]]
<<else>>
Fluttershy recites another poem, only slightly more interesting. This, too, is met with polite applause.
<<if $InvitedRarity eq 1>>
"That's so lovely, Darling, it really is," Rarity says. "But I think you're holding out on us."
<<else>>
"Come on, you've got way better than that," somepony calls out.
<</if>>
Fluttershy purses her lips, steeling herself. "Ok," she says. "I guess it's time."
She flips through her notes, choosing one. She bites her lips, taking one look at the crowd (and feeling thankful she can barely see them in the lighting), and recites the poem.
<i>
It felt like the cold of winter snow
And the warmth of the fire of hearth and home.
You've taught me things I've never known
And I feel you in my deepest soul.
I dream of you
and I know it's real,
I love the things
You make me feel
Staring at me with your lustful eyes
So wise and true, so free of lies
I'm fascinated by your mysterious ways
You make me shake, but in a fun way.
</i>
The crowd is quiet for a moment. Fluttershy fears they're about to burst out laughing, but an applause slowly builds.
Fluttershy takes a sip from the water bottle you thought to provide. Her lips and throat are parched from nervousness, but as she focuses on calming her racing heart and feels the appreciation of the crowd, she starts to relax. It isn't so bad after all.
She reads the other four poems to the crowd, each more risqué. She paused in the middle of her last poem for several seconds, working up the nerve to say the word "tushy," which came out as a squeak.
The crowd warms to her, showering her with applause as she finishes the last poem. She's still red in the face, but wears a genuine smile.
"Thank you all so very, very much."
[[Congratulate Fluttershy]]
<</if>>
/*I probably don't have to be this raunchy here. I feel like I should, but I go too far with shit. That's always been my biggest weakness. Water it down some.
Back on stage, Fluttershy tells the crowd, "My brother has a sock he named Rainbow Dash." The laughs in the crowd takes on a hysterical tone. Some are beginning to suspect chemicals are involved in this performance. "I told my friend I don't use my Luna pillow the same way my brother uses his sock, but I was lying. I do."
*/
"I might be going a bit too far but hey, buck it, it's already out there," says Fluttershy. "I'm going to honest with you here. Do you want to know how this whole thing really started?"
"Yeah!" says the crowd.
Fluttershy leans in, giving a mischievous stage whisper. "I accidently sent "Quills and Quotes" the wrong notebook."
She waits for the laughter to stop again. The ponies stamp the floor, showing support for her honesty.
"But right now, I'm actually glad that happened," Fluttershy says. "At this moment, because of whatever Treehugger put in my brownie. But... for a long time I felt like my feelings were... dirty... but they're not, are they?"
"Noooooo..." agrees the crowd.
"Yeah, they are," she says with a giggle. "But everypony's got something or another. And to a certain somepony, I'm not going to name names, I know that skimpy maid's outfit I found in your closet wasn't a Nightmare Nights costume."
You glance at Treehugger.
"Not me," she says. "I'm more of a wine and roses sort of mare. Except replace the wine with something smokable. Alcohol is sooooooo bad for your body chemistry."
As she takes a deep breath and focuses her mind. She reads as if she's alone in her room, passionate in her enunciation of every word. She speaks as if she's pledging her heart and devotion directly to Princess Luna herself. <<if $InvitedLuna eq 1>> Which, unknown to Fluttershy, she is. <</if>>
The crowd hangs onto her every word, not out of sultry amusement (well, some of it) but with respect. They've never expected to hear these passionate, wanton words coming from Fluttershy.
Isn't it always the quit ones?
[[Congratulate Fluttershy]]
You let out a deep breath as Fluttershy takes a bow.
<<if $InvitedTreehugger is 1>> She wobbles a bit as she moves toward you, still feeling whatever Treehugger gave her. "That was..." she blinks, as if trying to remember what she was about to say. "I hope I remember this in the morning. Or do I? Was it really embarrassing?
"Not at all," says Treehugger, beside you. "It was perfect."
<<else>>
A few drops of sweat show on her red face as she approaches you. She lets out a breath she's held in.
"That was scarier than the time we all had to run from a hydra," she said.
"But you did great," you say.
"You really think so?" she asks.
"Absolutely," you say.
<</if>>
<<if $InvitedRarity is 1>>
"Yes, I quite agree, Darling," says Rarity. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with just putting it all out there, like I did with that skimpy maid's uniform. <<if $InvitedTreehugger is 1>>Which really <i>was</i> for a Nightmare Nights party, by the way. Although I don't deny I might have used it for more private engagements once or twice."
<</if>>
<</if>>
<<if $InvitedPinkie is 1>>
"Yeah!" says Pinkie. "I liked your poems <i>much</i> better than <i>5o Shades of Hay</i>! You were so much more focused on the romantic over the sensual. But that last part was good too."
<</if>>
"But," says Fluttershy. "It still doesn’t change it. Tomorrow everypony I see is going to know I wrote that.
"And they'll remember how great you were reciting it," you say. "They'll say, 'This pony isn't ashamed, this pony is proud of her feelings. Maybe I can be proud of my feelings too.'"
<<if $InvitedLuna is 1>>
She smiles, but still seems worried. You start to say something else, but you stop when you see Fluttershy's expression. Her eyes are wide and her face seems shocked as she stares, not at you, but over your shoulder.
You turn and see Princess Luna walking toward the two of you. You step aside and back away, letting her talk to Fluttershy.
The shy pony glances up<<if $InvitedTreehugger is 1>>, unsure if this is real or a side effect of Treehugger's brownie<</if>>.
Luna seems fierce at first, but then encourages Fluttershy with a warm smile.
"I'm so sorry," says Fluttershy. "Ever since the first time you cured that nightmare for me, I just. Except for the Tantabus thing I never had another one, just because I knew you were there. And I just sort of started feeling more, and more..."
"I know," says Luna. "I've seen <i>those</i> dreams, too."
"Oh, my."
[[Give them some privacy]]
<<else>>
With a warm smile, she hugs you<<if $InvitedPinkie is 1>>,and Pinkie <</if>><<if $InvitedTreehugger is 1>>, And Pinkie<</if>><<if $InvitedRarity is 1>>, And Rarity<</if>>.
"Thank you so much," she says. She drops her poems in her saddle bag and turns away. "If you don't mind, I need to hurry home.""
<<if $InvitedPinkie is 1>>"What's your hurry?" Pinkie asks <</if>>
"I hope you're not hiding away?" you ask.
"No," she says. "I had a poem idea." She gives you a small, grateful smile which shows just a hint of mischief.
[[Go straight home]]
[[Hang out in the club for a minute]]
<</if>>
You hang out in the back of the club for a while as Fluttershy chats with Luna. You fully intend to mind your own business, but you "accidentally" get a glimpse of Fluttershy and Luna leaving together, Luna's wing draped over Fluttershy.
[[Hang out in the club for a minute]]
[[Go straight home]] Some of the other ponies take advantage of the remaining time and set up their own spontaneous poetry reading. You find a table in the back to listen in. Several have their own love poems, several admit they never would have shared them in a million years if they hadn't just watched Fluttershy.
Every time a pony recites their deepest feelings, you think of your own secret crush. Is that how she feels? How much would she have loved to see this?
One pony takes the stage you're surprised to see.
<i>
I wish I'd known ahead of time
So I could write some better rhymes
But you always take me by surprise
To me you always seem so wise
Standing stalwart, like a knight
I hope you'll walk me home tonight
</i>
$SecretPony stares straight at you for a moment. The crowd looks back at you, realizing what's going on. They start to cheer as $SecretPony hops off the stage, marching straight toward you.
[[Whoa|Crush Reveal]]
<<if $SecretCrush is 0>> "Twilight"
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 1>> "Rarity"
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 2>> "AJ"
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 3>> "Pinkie"
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 4>> "Fluttershy"
<<elseif $SecretCrush is 5>> "Rainbow"
<</if>>"It's Rainbow Dash!" Spike calls out. "She went looking for hidden archeology because of her Daring Do books and she sure as hay found one! She just unleashed an ancient lich!"
Another Tuesday in Ponyville.
[[See if you can help]]"Are you nuts!?" he calls out. "Everypony's running for their lives and you ask who your secret crush is?"
"Yeah, what's that all about?"
"Rainbow pieced together some secret references in her Daring Doo novels about a hidden temple in the Everfree Forest! She brought a crowd with her to prove it, but it wasn't a temple, it was the tomb of an ancient lich!"
"That's nuts, man!" you say. "Now who's my secret crush?"
[[See if you can help]]You push through the crowd to make it to the outskirts of Ponyville. A dark fortress appeared in the distance, its grim spires towering over the trees of The Everfree Forest. You can't see much of the fight, other than Twilight Sparkle circling over the trees and blasting her horn at something you can't see. Apple Jack and Pinkie hold the line at the edge of the forest, Pinkie Pie's cannon shattering a horde of animated pony skeletons which try to attack them.
You start to rush off to help, but you spot a purple tail poking out from under a bush. You pull the branches aside and find Scootaloo, the fur on her face still wet from tears.
"Scoots," you say. "Why aren't you at one of the monster attack shelters?"
"Because I haven't seen Rainbow Dash yet."
"You can watch her do stunts any time," you say.
"No, you don't understand," says Scootaloo. "I was part of that group that went with Rainbow into the woods. Skeletons popped out of the ground and we heard this crazy laughing. She told us, 'Run, I'll hold them off!' But I haven't seen her come out of the woods, yet."
You look at the castle again. Six to one, Rainbow is probably in there somewhere. That sure seems like more of a job for The Elements of Harmony, though.
[[Help Pinkie and AJ]]
[[Search for Rainbow]]
<<set $RecruitedPinkie to 1>>
You race toward Pinkie and AJ, grabbing a thick Metatarsal Bone that Pinkie's cannon blew off one of the skeletons. Reaching the two of them, beat back the attackers trying to flank them, knocking the head off of one skeleton.
"'Preciate the assist, Partner," says AJ. She swings her lasso, roping four at once. She pulls back hard, pulling their spines clear away from their bodies and causing the skeletons to collapse like houses of cards. You smash another as it tries to grab Pinkie's mane, then bring the bone around to smash the legs out from under a particularly tall minotaur skeleton.
With three bone warriors still standing, Pinkie sets off her cannon one last time, blowing them away in a shower of confetti.
AJ looks around. More skeletons appear in the woods, but Pinkie points her hoof to the horizon.
"The cavalry's here," says Pinkie.
A squad of pegasus Royal Guard land in the field, drawing their spears and forming ranks between the skeletons and Ponyville.
"OK, look here, Partner," says AJ. "We an' Pinkie need to find Twilight and the others before we can assault that castle. This ain't really your fight, but you can back us up if you're inclined."
[[Help find the others]]
[[Search for Rainbow]]
<<if $RecruitedPinkie is 1>>
The Elements of Harmony, minus Rainbow Dash, charge into the castle ahead of you. You follow them into a massive reception area filled with doors and stair cases.
"Alright," says Twilight. "We might not have much time so we're going to have to split up. I'll check the tower."
"I've got the foyer," says Apple Jack.
"I'll check the kitchen!" says Pinkie Pie. "If she's not there I'll make us all some snacks for later."
"I saw some mice," says Fluttershy. "I'll ask if they've seen her."
Rarity uses her magic to pull a tapestry aside. "These drapes and rugs so often hide secret passages," she says. "I'll look around."
"Cool," you say. "I'll check the basement."
<<else>>
You find a sturdy club along the way. You use it to smash the skulls of several animated skeletons along the way. You're no martial artist, but neither are the skeletons. They seem to rely on numbers to overwhelm the enemy, and most of their numbers are occupied elsewhere, leaving you free to invade the castle.
Candles burn along the walls, giving a bare minimum of light in the eerie castle.
<</if>>
You grab a candle off the wall and descend a long flight of stairs. You walk for several minutes, finding no end to the stairs. You're beginning to think the stairway might be bottomless, but after Celestia knows how long, you find a level floor.
You look back up with a groan. The return trip is seriously going to suck.
You move slowly down a long hallway, afraid of monsters jumping out. You hear noises, like the sound of chains scraping, and a voice calls out, "When I get out of here I'm gonna pound you!"
You rush toward the voice and find a prison cell set in the walls. Inside, Rainbow is chained to a wall.
"Get me out of here!" says Rainbow. "Hurry, there's no telling what that lich might do!"
You shine a light on the walls and find the keys hanging up. You unlock the cell and take the chain off of Rainbow's neck.
"Thanks," says Rainbow, rubbing her neck. "Ok. I need you to come with me, I might need you to back me up."
You follow her out. She leads you through a long hallway. "The lich?" you ask.
"If I'm right we can kill him from within the castle," says Rainbow. "It was in the Daring Do books. The only way to kill a lich is to destroy its heart, but its heart isn't in its body anymore. It has to be kept in a defiled holy place."
"The temple you were looking for?" you ask. You follow her through the dark hallways, holding your torch high as she grabs one of her own with her wing.
"This is it," says Rainbow. "This whole building was a shrine to Princess Celestia before Bor Hasan Issad sold his soul for immortality."
"So it could be anywhere," you say.
Rainbow stops at what appears to be a dead end, the hallway closing off in a brick wall. She feels along the mortar between the bricks.
"Maybe," she says. "But the holier the defiled alter, the more power gets absorbed by the heart. I spent hours pouring over the ancient maps I found out this temple had a sacred bedroom where Celestia would grant intimate audience with the hottest of her acolytes. <i>She went through a wild phase in her 2,000s</i>," she says.
"That's the holiest place in the temple?" you ask.
"It's where you'd always find ponies yelling "Oh god, oh god, oh god," says Rainbow.
[[Search for clues]]
You follow AJ and Pinkie Pie through the woods, toward the sound of energy blasts. You come upon a charred clearing, the black, ashy ground smoking. Twilight soars through the air, shooting energy blasts at a figure in a white robe.
The emaciated pony hovers in the air, his robes fluttering in the breeze. His visage is skeletal and dry, like a mummy without the wrapping. He's been dead for a very long time, but his eyes glow green with dark power.
Skeleton warriors of every race fill the burnt clearing. You spot Rarity and Fluttershy on top of a rocky outcropping. Though frightened, they both punch and kick at every skeleton that comes at them.
Apple Jack and Pinkie take off in their direction to help, but your gaze is drawn to a glowing symbol drawn into the dirt. The skeletons surround it, seeming to protect it. Twilight Sparkle, fighting with the lich, fires off a blast. But not at the lich, she fires at the arcane circle. A black crystal at its center shoots out a bolt of dark energy, enveloping the energy from Twilight's blast and deflecting it.
[[Destroy the arcane circle]]You swing the bone, batting skeletons out of your way as you charge the arcane circle. The crystal makes Twilight's energy blasts completely useless against it, but the only defense against a physical assault seems to be the (un)living wall of skeletons surrounding it.
Twilight helps you out with a blast, taking out half a dozen skeletons who stood outside the range of the crystal.
You crash into the six that remain. You take one out with a kick, shattering its knee, but the others push you back. Deliverance arrives in the form of a lasso, snaring two of them and yanking them backward.
"Do it!" AJ yells. Four skeletons surround her. You don't have much time.
You push past the two still on you and dash into the arcane circle. The crystal floats, tethered to the ground by a chain. Energy from the sigil glows from the ground and into the chain. Will breaking the chain loose stop the crystal's power? Only one way to find out.
You grab the chain and immediately scream as energy shoots through your body. You're aware of little else but the pain, but you know you have to pull this chain out of the ground, so you pull with every ounce of strength you've got.
Through your half-clenched eyes, you see the lich turn toward you. His horn glows green and he opens his mouth, a swirl of flames forming within his dry, decayed gullet. As he launches the fireball at you, you pull one last time, panic adding to your strength. The beg in the ground breaks free and you fall backward. A flash of energy blasts the skeletons, and the fireball, away.
[[Am I alive?]]
You lie flat on your back, staring up at the Elements of Harmony, staring up at you.
"That was a very smart tactic," Twilight says. "How did you know to break the chain loose? Was it the dichotomy of dark energy and nature energy kept stable by iron, or was it the synchronicity of the sigils in the circle?"
"Lucky guess," you say. "Is the lich dead?"
"Doubt it," says AJ.
"He disappeared in green fire," says Fluttershy.
"Yes, Dear, but he promised revenge," says Rarity. "Rather hard to take revenge if you're dead."
"Hard to do a lot of things if you're dead," says Pinkie. "That doesn't seem to stop the lich, though."
[[Search for Rainbow]] Searching along the wall, you find some of the bricks just a bit loose. You push in three of them, then watch as they click back into place. <i>It's a puzzle,</i> you realize. You try the bricks in every possible pattern. On the second try, you hear a louder click than before.
Rainbow backs away as the wall begins to move.
"I did it!" she says, pumping her hoof. "I found a stick and turned it in a hole. It must have been a secret lock! Sure did look like a mouse hole, but that stick caught onto something."
You follow Rainbow into a bright white room. Your torchlight shines on dusty white marble. The room looks nothing like the rest of the castle and appears completely undefiled. Except for whatever defilements Celestia performed here millennia ago. A silky night gown still hangs off a chandelier and as you blow the dust off of the bed post, you find more notches than you've ever seen.
You hear a low rumbling, a growl coming from the other end of the room.
A beast with the torso and head of a primate steps into the room. Six legs spread out from the lower half of its body and a menacing stinger swings about behind it. Mandibles flex below the stomach, where the primate's torso connects with the giant scorpion-like lower body.
"Ah... any chance you want to tell us where the heart is?" you ask.
The monster gives an unintelligible grunt.
"I know exactly how to find the heart," says Rainbow. "If you can just keep that thing off me for like a minute."
She takes off, leaving you to face the monster. "Uh, Rainbow? You didn't really give me a chance to say..."
The best growls again, staring down at you.
[[Kick its thorax!]]
[[Try and talk your way out of it]]
You jump at the monster, throwing your weight against it in an attempt to knock it over. It's like trying to tackle a solid brick wall.
Knocked senseless by your own charge, you hit the floor.
The monster reaches down at you with its pincher, but a multi-colored blur knocks the monster back. Ranbow Dash pounds on the monster with her front hooves, making the beast stagger.
"Find the heart!" she shouts. "It'll be near the bed because that's where the most magic happened!"
You crawl under the bead, tossing aside a pair of hoof-cuffs as you search. You hear the sounds of fighting and you hope Rainbow is still winning.
You dig through boxes full of magazines and various toys. You grab something metallic, and shaped like a cucumber. You almost toss it aside, mistaking it for something particular, but you detect an odd weight.
You pull it out. It's certainly shaped like what you thought, but much too thick (or so you'd guess). And a cork sticks out of the end.
You pull the cork out and dump out the contents of the jar. The dried, emaciated chunk of organic matter vaguely holds the shape of a heart.
You grab it and find Rainbow still fighting the monster. "Here it is!" you say. "What do I do with it?"
"Burn it!" says Rainbow.
You drop the heart on the floor and grab the torch, shoving the brand against it. The heart burns like paper, and the castle its self starts to scream.
[[Get the hell out of here]]
"So, uh..." you say to the monster. "Maybe I'm misunderstanding? I thought you were a guardian, but maybe you're one of those 'hottest acolytes' that used to serve here."
"Am yes hottest acolyte!" says the monster. "But not of Celestia!"
The monster brings its stinging tail around. You dive out of the way as the stinger stabs a chunk out of the marble floor.
"That's not cool, we were having a moment!" you say. You run a circle around him as he tries to grab you with his pincers. "Are you sure you're in the right religion? Because this one seems to have some perks."
As you keep the monster distracted, Rainbow rummages through Celestia's things. Various kinky props fly through the air as Rainbow searches. One item, a large, metal thing shaped like a melon, pops open as it hits the floor.
"Rainbow!" you call out. "There it is!"
Rainbow looks out from under the bed, spotting the dry, emaciated heart as it spills out of the metal jar. She races toward it, grabbing her torch.
You duck the monster's blows one more time as Rainbow jams her torch against the heart.
The monster, and the entire castle, scream.
[[Get the hell out of here]] <<if $RecruitedPinkie is 1>>
<<else>>
<</if>>
You rush out into the hallway. You say a very un-PG word as you come up on the stairs. "I forgot about those!" you say.
"I'm on it!" says Rainbow.
She grabs you as she zips up the stairs, taking the distance in half the time it took you to descend.
The entire building shakes as you come up into the reception area. <<if $RecruitedPinkie is 1>> You find Twilight in the others already gathered, rushing out ahead of you.<</if>> Rainbow drops you and the two of you dash out the front door.
You expected the castle to crumble. But instead of collapsing, you watch as the dark stone walls fade away, glowing with yellow energy as they transform into white and marble.
A magnificent, ancient temple stands before you in the place of the dark fortress. A magnificent golden top piece in the shape of the suns rays shines in the light.
[[I need a drink]]
You and the other ponies gather in Sugar Cube Corner. Rainbow Dash, hovering at the center of everypony, gives a recount of the fight.
"And then it swung its tail, stabbed a chunk out of the marble!" says Rainbow.
The other ponies look in your direction, surprised and impressed. Except for $SecretPony, who only looks impressed.
"Are you alright?" $SecretPony asks.
"Yeah, it didn't hit me.
She smiles at you with a hint of seductiveness.
[[Let's talk in private|Crush Reveal]]Spike answers the door, dressed in his armor from Ogres & Oubliettes. "Hey!" he says. "Want to join our game?"
<<set $WentToCastleofFriendship to 1>>
[[No, I want you to tell me who my secret crush is]]
[[No, thanks. I was looking for Twilight?]]You skip the trip to the castle and make your way to City Hall. Ponyville is a rather small town. Going through the birth certificates from that time will be a pain, but doable.
But as Mayor Mare unlocks the record room for you, you find that Twilight Sparkle has already beat you to it. She sits in the middle of the room, surrounded by files. Her horn glows as she reshelves them, apparently reorganizing all of the records from the past 200 years.
"Hello," she says. "I see you had the same idea I had. I've already looked over about two hundred birth certificates and identified four ponies who might be the mare I'm thinking of. I can't wait to talk to them, but so many ponies have been shuffling through these files and they left them out of order! Why do ponies do that? Don't they have any consideration for other ponies who need to look stuff up? I can't leave this room until I make it right."
A stack of five files sits next to Twilight and her notebook. Next to them you notice a newspaper clipping, apparently set aside for refiling. The label on the file reads "Live action roleplayers, events and permits."
<<set $WenttoCityHall to 1>>
[[Are you sure it was "night" and not "knight"?]]
Double-click this passage to edit it.Twilight's eyes go wide. "Oh my gosh! You're right! The Knight of the Lagoon, she called herself. Oh," she says, letting out a depressed tone. "But it wasn't even her real name! It was a silly game we were playing. I don't think her cutie mark was real either, we drew on each other with magic markers." She collapses in defeat. "It's hopeless. I'll never find her."
<<set $KindToTwilight to 1>>
[[Don't give up]]
[[I'll help you find her]]Spike laughs. "Sorry. I swore on my honor as a dragon to never tell. Come on in, though. Twilight should be back in a minute."
[[Come inside]]"She's not in yet, but should be back soon. Come on in."
[[Come inside]] You come inside as Spike rejoins his game with Big Mac and Discord.
"Well what have we here?" says Discord. "A new invader in our realm?"
"Just waiting for Twilight," you say. "Not trying to intrude."
"Maybe you're not trying, but you're managing it, regardless," says Discord. "But no worries, I know how to hurry this up for you."
Discord snaps his fingers and Twilight appears in the middle of the room, surrounded by files and papers.
"What the buck?" Twilight says. "Discord!"
He holds his hands up, defensively. "I did you a favor, you have a visitor. And such language, honestly. And in front of dear little Spikey Wikey."
"I'm not that little," says Spike. "I've got my wings, I'm allowed to hear someone say 'buck.'"
"But you're not allowed to say it!" says Twilight with a tone. "Sorry," she says to you. "I've been looking through birth certificates. I've found five that have names related to 'night.' But I really need to get back to City Hall, I left it in a huge mess."
You glance at Spike, Big Mac and Discord, decked out in armor as they play Ogres & Oubliettes.
[[Are you sure it was "night" and not "knight"?]]<<if $WenttoCastleofFriendship eq 1>>
"It's a small world," you say. "And you've got a great memory. If you keep looking, you'll find her sooner or later."
"Cranky Doodle searched for decades," says Twilight.
You don't really know what to say to that, nor do Spike or Big Mac. The only sound in the room comes from Discord shuffling his cards. He rolls his eyes. "Beh. Well I guess it's going to be Discord to the rescue again. Listen, Twilight. If you found this character unique enough to remember after so many years, then of course the mare who roleplayed as her will remember. Ask dear Spike or Big Mac. The memories you make in the realm of make believe can be as real and fulfilling as those you make anywhere else."
Spike shrugs. "He's not wrong," he says. "Just do your flyers again with everything you know about the character. We'll help you hand them out."
"Absolutely," says Big Mac.
"Yes, I'm on board as well," says Discord. "But I don't suppose we could do it <i>after</i> we finish this little session? It's only the climax of a story we've crafted over several months, after all."
<<set $Clue to 2>>
[[Help with the flyers]]
<<else>>
"It's a small world," you say. "And you've got a great memory. If you keep looking, you'll find her sooner or later."
"Cranky Doodle searched for decades," says Twilight.
"Well, yeah..." you say. "But you know, if you remember the character maybe she does too. Print more flyers, give more info on the character. I bet something'll turn up."
<<set $Clue to 2>>
[[Help with the flyers]]
<</if>>
"I've got an idea," you say. "If you remembered this game, she'll probably remember too, right? If she's the one who came up with the character."
"That's true," says Twilight. "But she might not even be living in Ponyville anymore. Will a bunch of flyers get her attention?"
[[Help with the flyers]]
[[Throw a live action roleplay event]]You canvas the south side of Ponyville with flyers as Twilight and her friends cover the rest of town. You enlist the aid of several other ponies, putting the flyers up. As you work, one pony looks up at you.
"The Knight of the Lagoon," she says. Derpy Hooves hovers a few feet into the air, looking over your shoulder at the flyer. "That was my OC. What is this?"
"Did you ever play with a purple unicorn?" you ask.
"Knights and princesses? Yeah, I kind of remember a purple unicorn was in my castle once," says Derpy. "That was my favorite game, but it was hard to find ponies to play it with me."
"You might want to have a chat with Twilight Sparkle," you say.
"Oh," says Derpy, backing away. "I don't think so. She's The Princess of Friendship and I'll probably crash into something..."
"She really wants to see you," you say. "Trust me."
"Really?"
"Really," you say.
She grins. "Ok. I'll go talk to her. Thanks!"
[[Go straight home]] It took a week of preparation and announcements for the event to begin. Spike, Big Mac and Discord recruited several other roleplay warriors for the event, each bringing their own weapons and armor. You recruited Pinkie Pie, who happily provided refreshments for the event. AJ and The Apple Family dug out an arena and set bleachers around it, and Rarity provided several dresses for the ladies in the audience.
Discord took center stage, sounding off on his horn to announce the games.
"Hear ye, hear ye!" shouted Spike. "The first Knight of the Lagoon Joust -o Royal is about to begin! Just a reminder, all knights taking part are amateur professionals. Foals, do not try this at home!"
Spike takes to the air, giving room to Twilight as she teleports to the center of the stage. She wears a new crown (provided to replace her Element), and a short, blue dress.
"Everypony, thank you so much for participating. Ah..." she gives a nervous giggle. "A quick reminder to our knights to <i>please</i> be careful. And I want to remind everypony, I'm looking for a friend from long ago. The Knight of the Lagoon was her pretend name, and I only knew her for a few hours. But I'd so love to see her again. If anypony remembers being The Knight of the Lagoon, please get in touch with me."
The ponies stamp their hooves as the games begin.
[[Let the games begin!]]The opening games begin with a joust. Most simply carry the lances themselves. Spike and Big Mac form a team with Spike riding the stallion's back, but per the rules, they are only allowed to joust the two other teams which have riders.
Spike and Big Mac emerge victorious from their event. Rainbow Dash, naturally, takes first place in the pegasus division.
Rockhoof made a special appearance just for this event. After defeating the strongest earth pony jousters Ponyville had to offer, he dazzled the crowd with his chugging ability by downing an entire keg of ale.
Victory in the unicorn division went to a pony you'd seen but never talked to before, a pony named Sweet Mint. Her pale fur catches your eye and you think surely this will end up being The Knight of the Lagoon, but her eyes don't show a hint of recognition as Twilight Sparkle places her laurels on her head.
Festivities continue well into the night. Horn players break the medieval theme a bit with their jazzy tones. Bon fires, hot barbecue and even fireworks celebrate the victories of each division's champion. All and all, it would set a great mood for a reunion. But nopony announces herself as The Knight of the Lagoon.
Twilight seems despondent.
"Why don't you let me help the others clean up?" you offer.
She gives you a sad smile. "Thanks," she says.
With a flash of purple, the Princess of Friendship teleports away.
[[Help clean up]]
<<set $KindtoTwilight to 2>>
It's past midnight by the time the ponies clear out enough to clean up. You stifle a yawn as you sweep the paths, bagging up discarded garbage with several other volunteers.
As you tie up a bag, you hear a soft voice behind you.
"Lady Twi looked really sad earlier."
You turn around and see Derpy Hooves, dressed as a court jester, hanging her head in sadness.
"Yeah," you say. "I'll bet she'd be so much happier if The Knight of the Lagoon told her who she was. I wonder why she didn't do that."
"I was so strong back then," says Derpy. "So fast and brave. But then I got hurt." She sits down, her entire body heavy under the weight of depression. "It's not just my eye. I crash into everything now, and the way I think about things changed. And I'm scared now because of it..." she sniffs as she wipes her nose on her hoof. "I used to be like Rainbow Dash."
"You're like you," you say. "That's a good thing."
"No it isn't," says Derpy. "She wasn't looking for Derpy. She was looking for The Knight of the Lagoon."
"Yeah, that's you," you say. "You think you're not the same person but you are. Even if an injury changed things, that's life. All foals grow up to be different in some way, but you're still that same foal at heart. And I think Twilight will be really happy to know The Knight of the Lagoon is you."
Derpy seems hopeful at your words. "That's... Well, I guess at least someone like Twilight wouldn't make fun of me or anything. I'm... kind of scared to tell her, though."
"You could always write her a letter," you suggest.
"Yeah..." she says. “That would give me time to think about what I want to say. Sometimes I need that.” She grins at you, then takes off into the air. Her flank bumps against one of the vender booths, breaking a piece off of the shade. "Sorry about that!" she calls down as she flies away.
You wrap up the initial garbage cleaning. Though the booths remain, the rest of it will have to wait until all of the volunteers have gotten some sleep. You depart the makeshift fair grounds, making your way toward the trail, when back at the arena you hear the sounds of romantic music.
You follow the music back to the arena. A record player sits in the darkness, playing a lovely tune that well suits the medieval atmosphere.
"I've always loved the idea of knights," says a voice. "Valiant souls, knights errant on quests for good. Warriors with hearts of gold who'll protect the land, or reunite two very close friends.'
You take a step toward the shadows. The mare wears an elegant dress, stitched for the occasion, and a veil. $SecretPony brushes her veil aside, looking up at you with her round eyes.
[[Why me?]]
It's a long train ride to Las Pegasus. You pass the time by ordering a fine meal for Twilight and yourself as musicians plan.
Twilight has only a few sips of wine to deal with her anxiety. "I was really nervous," she says.
"Why?" you ask.
"I didn't know where we were going so I had no idea what to research," she says. "I've crammed all week, reading everything I could find about theater etiquette, fine dining and dancing."
"I'm surprised you needed to look that up," you say. "You were raised in Canterlot."
"Yes, but court etiquette is so much different than date etiquette. Princess Celestia taught me a lot of things, but not how much space should remain between your lower body and mine during our first hug."
"Because it's really your choice," you say. "Have you figured out where we're going?"
She smirks. "Well I know of an event happening in Las Pegasus today. I think I might have a clue."
After the train pulls in, you catch a cab to the convention center. Twilight's grin tells you her unspecified guess was correct.
"This is perfect!" says Twilight. "I wish I'd known. I didn't have to study for this, I've already studied half of the scientists presenting today."
Twilight takes the lead during the convention, charging through the crowds as you struggle to keep up. She explains the complicated displays to you. You pretend to understand and she, kindly, pretends to be fooled.
There's so much to see, but after a few hours even the excited Twilight shows a bit of fatigue. You find a quiet table near the concession booths.
Twilight fans herself with a napkin. The climate control in the convention center isn't the best, but she practically glows.
"This was great," she says. She glances at you, then quickly looks away, then looks at you again. "Ok," she says. She's silent for several seconds. "So during a quiet moment on a date, that's typically when the two date participants initiate some manner of more intimate physical or emotional contact, correct?"
"Entirely up to you," you say with a smile.
"I wish you'd stop saying that," she says. "It's so much harder when one discounts social norms and guidelines. Ignoring these rules leads to embarrassment and social oopsies. And if these rules continue to be ignored, that's the first step to total anarchy."
You chuckle a bit. "I'm not saying you have to throw me to the floor and make out with me in front of everypony. Just... be as bold or as cautious as you're comfortable with."
She thinks a bit, then takes a deep breath. She moves her chair around the table, sitting closer to you. She looks down for a moment, then quickly looks up to give you a kiss on the cheek.
"How was that?" she asks.
"Perfect," you say.
[[End]]
You don't quite have the budget for the more extravagant Canterlot restaurants, but <i>The Glitter Horn</i>, a two-hoof rated local favorite, sets a decent enough atmosphere.
"It's perfectly lovely, my dear," says Rarity. "Excellent reviews. The honest sort, not the pretentious sort that kept these establishments struggling for so long."
"I'm glad you like," you say.
You perfectly play the role of a lady's suiter, holding the door open for her and her chair. Your only concession to formality is that you don't place Rarity's order for her. That particular custom, in your opinion, seems a bit outdated.
<font color="purple">Generous</font> Rarity orders an inexpensive salad meal with roasted carrots and wine.
"You can get more than that," you say.
"Oh, I can't imagine what else I'd want," she says. "It's been ages since I've had roasted carrots. Not quite as long since the last time I've had wine, but one never really gets tired of wine."
You invite Rarity to the dance floor while you wait for your food. You practiced all week, but still make a few obvious missteps. Rarity pretends not to notice, and "accidentally" brushes her tail against you.
"So sorry, darling," says Rarity with a wicked smile.
As you enjoy your meal, Rarity downs half of her glass of wine. You have no idea if it affects her at all, but she stares at you with a particularly flirtatious gaze.
"It's been a long time since I had a date who knew how to treat a lady," says Rarity. "Although I do hope you know, it doesn't have to be fine dining in Canterlot every time. A simple picnic can be every bit as lovely with the right company."
"Maybe with roses and some more of that wine?" you suggest.
"Fine idea," says Rarity. "Though it'll be a while before it's warm enough for picnics. And far too early to invite you to my place," she says with a wink. "But not too early for a bit of <i>lip play."</i>
She leans forward across the table. You do the same. She presses her lips against yours, giving you a taste of the wine she'd been drinking. Breaking the kiss, she stares at you seductively.
[[End]]
You don't know how she found the time during the trip between your house and the skating rink, but Pinkie managed to retrieve and put on her Nightmare Nights outfit, complete with roller skates, 80s vest and puff ball hair style.
The party pony owns the rink, skating circles around you and everypony else. She seems to be in ten places at once, appearing at your shoulder to give you a quick peck on the cheek, then popping up beside the DJ to grab the microphone for a quick cheer.
"I say skating, you say rink! Skating-"
"Rink!"
"Skating-"
"Rink!" say the ponies.
You fall several times as you get used to the skates. You always find Pinkie Pie suddenly near you to help you get up again.
"You're going to be so sore tomorrow with all of that falling down," says Pinkie. "That's OK. A lot of fun things leave you sore afterwards."
She skates away again, leaving you with absolutely no idea if she meant that to sound lewd or not.
Pinkie Pie never gets tired, but you do. She joins you at a table for a couple of strawberry shakes.
"You're a lot of fun," says Pinkie. "But I don't know if you can keep up with me, if you wanna know the truth."
"I can so keep up with you," you say with a smirk.
"Oh yeah?" she says. "Prove it. When you blinked just now I asked the DJ to play a new song."
She grabs you, dragging you back into the rink.
The lights go dim with sparkles reflecting on the walls. Two spotlights shine down on the two of you. Pinkie, suddenly more docile, moves close to you and wraps her front hooves around you.
"You... asked the DJ to do that earlier, right?" you ask. "Even you aren't that fast."
She giggles. "Not telling."
Never the shy sort, Pinkie leans in close, planting a deep kiss on your lips. <i>Maybe she is that fast</i>, you think. You get over your surprise quickly, returning the kiss as the two of you skate together in circles.
[[End]]Double-click this passage to edit it."Do you know me or what!?" Rainbow shouts. She darts ahead of you to get to the convention, but pauses halfway there, suddenly remembering she has a date with her. She drops to the ground, walking slow to give you a chance to catch up.
"Have you ever read the books?" she asks.
"The first two," you say. "I'm halfway into the third."
"Oh, you're gonna love it," she says. "Are you sure you want to go in, though? There's going to be spoilers everywhere."
"I'm good," you say.
Rainbow takes the lead as soon as you get your badges. She helpfully covers your ears as you pass a couple talking about the end of the third book and leads you to a tight rope over a ball pit.
Most ponies who attempt the walk end up taking the plunge into the ball pit. One by one, ponies step onto the rope and immediately fall. But Rainbow Dash expertly eases her weight onto the rope, using her wings to balance as she carefully, slowly, walks across.
The ponies stamp their hooves in applause for the only pony they've ever seen successfully walk the tightrope.
Rainbow Dash grins. "This was nothing. I did that over a gorge on a dare once," she says.
You spend several hours visiting booths and panels from celebrated cosplayers. Splitting up for a moment, you find Rainbow again and surprise her with an Ahuizotl plushie.
"I figured you probably already had a Daring Do," you say.
"Several," she says. "Ahuizotl's a lot cuter in stuffie form. Thanks," she says, playfully bumping her flank against you.
You wander around a bit more, both of you quite tired, when a specific panel room catches your eye.
<i>Daring Do ship fics, 18+ ONLY!</i>, the sign reads.
You and Rainbow look at each other.
"We totally have to go in there," says Rainbow.
You follow her inside. It is, without question, the most crowded panel you've attended so far, and the panelists dim the lights to set the mood.
The panicked eyes, blush and sweat on Rainbow Dash's face as the first panelist details her wildest Daring Do fantasies tells you she might be having second thoughts about attending this particular panel with a date, but the panelist diffuses the sexual tension with a few jokes.
"Wow," Rainbow whispers. "I wonder if A.K. Yearling knows about this."
Rainbow hides her face under her hair during the rest of the panel. You fan her with a copy of the program schedule during the "rope bunny" readings just to keep her from passing out. When the panel ends, Rainbow bolts for the door and is the first one out.
You find her at a water fountain, splashing her face.
"Sorry," she says. "I didn't think it would be so..."
"You never read them?"
"Ship fics, yeah. But this was hard core lemon. I knew there'd be 18+ content but I didn't think it would be like <i>50 Shades of Hay.</i> Which I <i>also</i> haven't read," she says.
"If you say so," you say.
"I haven't!" she says. "Don't get me wrong, I'm no prude. I just heard it wasn't that well written."
You leave the convention center with Rainbow as the events come to an end. Rainbow closes her eyes, enjoying the cool breeze on her fevered face.
"That was a real good time," she says. "But don't think I'm gonna let you try any of that stuff from the ship fic panel on our first date or anything."
"Damn," you say. "The one time I remember to bring a riding crop and sexy maid's outfit."
Rainbow snorts, grinning at you. "Well," she says. "One thing we can do."
She pulls you close, still grinning as she presses her lips against yours.
She breaks away, a little red in the face as she stares at you, adoringly.
[[End]]You take Fluttershy to a matinee at the local theater: a special showing of <i>Soul of the Canterlot South</i>, a romantic movie featuring a shy heroine.
"Oh, my," says Fluttershy. "Is this movie going to have k-ki... <i>kissing?</i>"
"Probably," you say with a smile. "Too much? We can see something else."
Fluttershy looks up at the billboard. The only other movie playing is a movie featuring string puppets which give lessons on <font color="pink">Kindness</font>. "Well," she says. "I've already seen the <i>Sweet McPuppet Movie</i> ten times already, so let's go ahead and give this one a shot. But, um... I might have to step out for a bit if there's a <i>bedroom scene,</i>" she says. "I'd hate for you to waste your money if I can't even watch the ending."
"It's fine if you can't watch the ending," you say. "It's not about the movie, it's about the company."
Her cheeks turn pink.
You take your seats in the theater as the lights dim. Fluttershy sips from her soda next to a big bag of popcorn as the characters on screen romance each other. You sense her tense up a tad when the characters share their first kiss.
"That..." she says, barely audible. "Looks kind of nice."
"Does it?" you ask.
Her eyes widen. "Oh, my. Did I say that out loud?"
You grin.
As she feared, the movie ends with the two main characters spending some time alone in a bedroom. Fluttershy covers her mouth with her hoof.
"It's ok," you say. "We can step out."
"I... OK, let's..."
You get out of your seat, leading Fluttershy out of the theater.
Outside, the sun has gone down and snow gently drifts around you.
"I'm sorry," says Fluttershy. "I know it's silly. This is all just so new to me."
"It's all good," you say. "I had a great time."
She gives you a warm smile. "One thing that looked... very nice," she says. "Could I... try it?"
She leans up, giving you a soft kiss on the cheek.
[[End]] Mr. Pig (as you've decided to name him) cheerfully scurries behind you as you lead him back home. You hope you'll arrive before AJ, but coming up on the farm, you see you're too late. An agnry-looking Apple Jack stands near an ashamed-looking Apple Bloom.
"I'm so sorry," says the heartbroken little filly.
But both of their moods immediately improve when they see you coming towards them, Mr. Pig trailing behind.
"Oh, thank goodness!" says Apple Bloom, dropping to the ground with relief.
"I sure do appreciate you doin' that for us, Sugar Cube," says Apple Jack. She glares down at Mr. Pig. "And jus' what do ya think you were doin'?"
Mr. Pig oinks.
"Bad pig, givin' us a fright like that. You coulda got eaten up by somethin' out there."
You decide not to mention the angry minotaur currently packing his bags to move in with you.
"I sure am sorry about the trouble," says Apple Jack. "Won't ya come in for a bite t'eat?"
"I can't, I've got hurry and get home to... let a guest in. But I wanted to ask you something."
You tell AJ about the letter. She grins.
"Ain't that the sweetest," she says. "I don't reckon I know anypony mentionin' a crush on ya. Although this does kind of sound like somethin' $EventPony did with her crush in school a few years back. She told me all about it, but- aw, dang," she says. "I hope that wasn't meant to be a secret."
<<set $Clue to 1>>
[[To Town]] "I was thinking how lucky I was," you say. "This past year in Ponyville has been the best of my life, and then I found out somepony had a crush on me. And during the perfect time of year," you say.
"Was I the pony you hoped for?" she asks.
"Absolutely," you say. "I've got a question, though."
[[Why me?]] You smirk. "Well, that would take away the whole mystery thing, wouldn't it?" you say.
"Mean," says Twilight. "Holding out on me."
"You'll have plenty of time to get to know me," you say.
[[Why me?]] "That's a big step," you say. "Especially for your first kiss."
"True," she says. "How about a warm hug? I'm no newbie as far as hugs go."
You pull Fluttershy in close, giving her a squeeze as she rests against you.
[[Make a date]] She laughs. "Sorry, not that kind of fun. I move fast but not <i>that</i> fast.
Rainbow Dash breaks out a pair of ice skates, enough for herself and you also, and leads you out onto the ice.
However much apple cider she had, it doesn’t affect her performance. The creek gives very little room to skate in circles, so the two of you skate back and forth, Rainbow giving you a bit of support after the third time you fall.
She moves across the ice with an ethereal grace you've never seen from her before. It's much different than her races, which she conquers with all the fury and intensity of a hurricane.
Slowing down, she faces you, moving slower. She stares in your eyes for several long seconds.
"I don't normally go for this sappy stuff," she says. "I guess you bring something out in me."
She presses her lips against yours, kissing you hard.
[[Make a date]]
"It's not what you think," says Fluttershy. "I get so scared at night, and hugging The Princess of the Night always makes me feel so safe."
"That <i>is</i> what I thought," you say.
"Oh," says Fluttershy. "I just didn't want you to think-" she trails off, turning pink.
[[Tell Fluttershy about the letter]] [[Please consider supporting The Southern Nerd on Patreon.|http://www.Patreon.com/TheSouthernNerd]]
[[Or follow The Southern Nerd on Facebook|http://facebook.com/thesouthernNerd2016/]]
The story generator chooses a separate pony for the first event, the second event and the secret crush. The random number generator is set to roll again if the same pony is chosen more than once for any of these, so there <i>usually<i/> won't be a repeat. But occasionally, the second roll comes up, once again, with a repeat.
If the first event pony and the second event pony are the same, it's impossible to finish and you'll have to restart. You'll know very soon in the game, though.
If the secret crush is the same as either the first event pony or the second event pony, doesn't break the game, but can get weird if your secret crush just happens to be a pony you just helped ship with a different pony.
If the game does well, I'll either research a better generator system or just add a bunch more ponies (which will mean the roll repeats are much less likely).
The following issue may or may not be resolved. The first event pony, after you help her, is supposed to tell you who to talk to next. But sometimes the name comes out as $ EventPony (with no space between the $ and EventPony.) The macro for generating the name of the Event Pony is different than the macro used to generate it, so I think the Event Pony will still be triggered after you find her.
Please report bugs to TheSouthernNerd2016@gmail.com
Thank you!
"Would you?" Rarity asks. "She's with her friends, I know they like to window shop after school. She'll spot me if I try to see what she's looking at."
"You want me to stalk Sweetie Belle?"
"For only the noblest of reasons, Darling," she says.
[[Spy on Sweetie Belle]]You wait about an hour for the foals to get out of school. As you spot The Cutie Mark Crusaders bouncing down the road, all full of energy, you hide behind a newspaper with two holes cut in it. They pass the toy shops and flower shops, seemingly on their way to some place.
You inconspicuously fold up your newspaper and follow behind.
You have to hurry a bit to catch up. You hide in the bushes as they stop to eat, then follow them again a few paces behind, turning a corner as they move down an ally.
They move closer to one another in the ally. Apple Bloom looks back at you, then all three of them take off in a full gallop.
"Pervert!" Sweetie Belle screams. "Pervert!"
"What!? No!" You try to take off, but an instantly formed crowd blocks off your escape.
Three Royal Guard pegusi descend on you, their eyes narrow.
[[It's a misunderstanding!]]You explain to the Royal Guard and ponies in the crowd, including the CMC, that Rarity sent you to find out what Sweetie Belle wants for her birthday.
"It's true Rarity's been trying to get me to tell her what I want," says Sweetie Belle.
"I dunno," says Schootaloo. "Rainbow Dash said I should always watch out for adults following me around or hiding in the bushes."
"This is totally something my sister would do," says Sweetie Belle. "And y'all can just ask her," she says to the Royal Guards.
They nod. One of them takes off in the direction of Carousel Boutique, leaving the others to keep an eye on you.
"I'm sorry I called you a pervert," says Apple Bloom.
"Oh, that's alright," you say. <i>It's probably going to follow me for the rest of my life, but that's alright.</i>
The Royal Guard returns with confirmation of Sweetie Belle's story.
"We apologize for the misunderstanding," they say, flying away.
"Geeze," says Sweetie Belle. "Just tell her about the new Diamond Diva concert in Canterlot next month. I've kind of been wanting to go."
"Sure thing," you say.
<<set $Clue to 1>>
[[Back to Rarity]]Rarity offers you a cup of hot tea to calm your anxiety.
"I am so terribly sorry," says Rarity. "I promise you, I will make absolutely sure everypony knows you were just doing a favor for me."
"Thanks, Rarity," you say. "I hope this secret crush hears that, whoever it is."
"Yes," says Rarity. "I'm afraid I don't know, but $EventPony has been acting strange lately. I've suspected a crush."
[[To Town]] Double-click this passage to edit it.