//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Start New Game? // Story: My Little Pony: The Game // by DoomedPonie //------------------------------// "S-Spike...? Ugh, could you get me something for this pounding headache...?" The purple mare muttered to herself, she was met with no answer. "Spike?" She spoke up again, rubbing her eye, Twilight peaked opened. She jumped up with a start looking around vigorously in confusion. All around her, no floor, ceiling, or walls, all there was a black void. Despite not seeing any surface, she still felt the ground under her hooves. "What in the name of Celestia!?!" She cried. "W-what's going on here!" She started to gallop, however, she felt like she was running in place. Stopping, Twilight started to hyperventilate. "Hello!?!" She called out, her voice not evening echoing. "Anypony!?! ...Pinkie?" She waited for a response, but went unheard. She fell back on her hind legs, with her hooves she grabbed her mane while shaking like a filly. BOOM! Twilight flinched as the deep, echoing sound that erupted before her. Looking up, she gasped dramatically. Far above her was a gigantic, black square darker then the actual void with text written in a bold, deep red font. GAME OVER! Twilight nearly fell over in surprise and shock. POP! She tilted her head down to see a far smaller and not as nearly dramatic text box appear. Congratulations! You have survived (61) years, (7) months, and (5) Days! You have completed the following achievements: -Hatch a dragon egg and become Celestia's' student -Befriend all Mane Six members -Defeat NightMare Moon -Defeat Discord and restore harmony to Equestria -Attend (And Save) your Brothers' wedding - Uphold abstadance and never sleep with another stallion (Or Mare) -Send (999,999,999) Friendship reports to Princess Celestia -Ascend to Alicorn status & become a princess -Track Sunset Shimmer to The Human World and reclaim your crown - Reform Sunset Shimmer - Reform Starlight Glitter - Defeat Trek The mare nearly fainted. After a moment to recompose herself, she looked over her 'achievements'. "Wow, I know I did a lot of stuff, but to have all on one list..." She caught sight of her fifth accomplishment. "Wait, why is my virginity on there! Ugh, whatever... At least my reports are accurate" POP! She saw another window appear. Start New Game? [Yes][No] Twilight raised a brow seeing the question. "'Game'?" She pondered the meaning. Was it asking her if she wanted to leave? Or something else along that nature? What would happened if she chose 'No'? After a moment's thought, she decided. "Yes." The screen remained. "Um... Yes, I would like to start a new game." Still nothing. "Hm..." She tapped her chin with her hoof. She stopped and looked down at it. "Maybe...?" She brought up her hoof and pressed [Yes]. Another screen came. You started a New Game! Would you like to see the Basic Tutorial? Again, she pressed [Yes]. First things first, your inventory. This is where you can carry all of your items with none of the weight! But just this doesn't mean you can carry your whole bedroom and the kitchen sink, some objects can be too large and must be moved by hoof. Most items like potions and throwing knives are stackable, meaning they only take one slot in your inventory, the highest stack of any item can be 9999. You can also equip cloths, armour, and jewelry in your inventory. Twilight felt a slight smile on her lips, this was very well explained and informative. Whoever made this 'Game' seemed to know what they were doing. Second, is your quest log. This is where you can view possible missions and quest that you've accepted and are currently pursuing. There are four types of quests: Story, Side, Character, and Repeatable. Story Missions are what allow you to advance the main plot and campaign. They are also the most flexible ones. Your choices and actions and heavily influence your journey to the point you never have the exact same playthrough twice. Side Quests are just that, smaller but just as entertaining quests that can be taken on the side when the player doesn't feel like blowing through the main story. This is highly suggested so the player can see more of the world and gain special rewards not seen elsewhere. character quest are special tasks the player can take up for the NPCs'. These quests commonly allow the player to increase their reputation with that character and can only accessed when they reach a certain status with them. They player can also receive special bonuses and may even pave the road to that one special night~ Repeatable Quests aren't really much in terms of substance and more akid to chores. They are mostly their for the player to farm basic resources like EXP and crafting materials. But they can still be useful, you never know when you need that one last bit of Experience or piece of herbs. She reread the passage again to memorize them. Twilight made her own little opinions of each description. "Hm, that's really informative. So 'Story missions' advance a plot of some kind. Side quest seem pretty interesting, I wonder how many there are. Character quests seem somewhat off... What was that last bit suppose to mean? And now that I think about, Spikes' only been doing repeatables' his whole life, I... Kinda feel bad for that." She looked to the next text. And Lastly, is the Status screen. Here, you can view your all your information from Name, to STATS, and even Buffs and Debuffs. Twilight raised a brow. "That's it? Nothing more? Kinda disappointing." She saw [Okay] at the button and pressed it. Before you start, please select at least one beginning perk. These perks will become a permanent part of your character. Most provide advantages along with some drawback, Please note contradicting perks cannot be taken together. (Normal Mode) (Purple Smart) (Alicorn Twi) (Earth Pony) (Pegasus) (Anthro) (Genderbend) (Canterlot High) (Casanova) (The Gamer) Twilight felt intrigued by the number of options, she pressed her hoof on (Normal), a text box with a poriet of her appeared. (Normal Mode)- Nothing too hard, nothing too easy. Good for beginners. "Hm... As much as I'd like to get some practice at this 'Game', I doubt this would provide a sufficient challenge." She pressed [Back] and selected (Purple Smart). Another picture of her, but done in a way so it was far more stereotypical. She wore thick, coke-bottle glasses held together by scotch tape and wore a silly little bow tie and collar around her neck. She even sported a small case of acne. She cringed at memories of her High School years. (Purple Smart)- A lot more brilliant than your average Twilight, this one has dedicated herself to studying and spell casting, but has neglected her body and social skills as a result. +5 to INT and WIS, but -5 to STR, END, and CHA. Also 25% less reputation gained from social interaction. Faster Leveling for skills involving Spells and Knowledge. She felt a twinge of embarrassment. "That's... not really different from right now..." She checked (Alicorn Twi). She saw a significantly older version of herself, she looked like Celestia or Luna except colored purple. This picture of Twilight had a peaceful, almost benevolent look to her. She also took notice of her angelic wings. (Alicorn Twi)- From the moment you pass the Dragon Egg test, you gain Alicorn status then and there. You gain god-like abilities just like Celestia and Luna, if not more powerful. This mode is for players seeking a more 'God Mode' playthrough, pun intended. Twilight blinked at the discretion. "I must admit, that is very tempting... But that would be too much stress for the time. No thank you." She looked at (Earth Pony). It was a simple portrait of her missing her horn. (Earth Pony)- Your parents, despite both being Unicorns, have long lost earth pony blood in their veins. You are born as an Earth Pony and have higher physical traits as a result. +5 to STR & END, but -1 to INT & WIS. Faster leveling for skills involving farming and physical tasks. "Hm, This seems like something Applejack would choose." Twilight checked (Pegasis). Just like she guessed, it was merely her with wings. (Pegasus)- Your Parents have long dormant Pegasi linkage and it reveals itself in you. You gain better reflexes and a more extroverted personality from it. +5 to DEX & CHA, but -1 to STR and END. Faster leveling for skills involving weather and social interaction. "Hm... Seems like a bland pallet swap compared to the Earth Pony perk." Twilight said with clear disappointment. "And with a bonus like that to only what I can assume is charisma, shouldn't somepony like Fluttershy be better at talking to ponies?" She looked at (Anthro). It was portrait of her with a weirdly shaped body like a more slender (and oddly flattering) ape clothed in a simple black shirt and skirt. (Anthro)- Lyra was right! Well kinda. All ponies, Griffons, Diamond Dogs, and any other intelligent creatures are now anthropomorphic. This perk is purely cosmetic and does not change base game. Twilight gained the most genuine look of confusion on her face. "What's Lyra have to do with this? And what does 'Anthro' means? Hm, I'll have to look it up." She exited and looked at (Genderbend). It was just her with more masculine features and a dreadlock-like mane. (Genderbend)- Everypony's the opposite gender, with the player being optional. +5% more reputation gained with the opposing sex. She felt blush cross her checks. She quickly looked at (Canterlot High), it was a picture of her human form from her adventure where she had to retrieve her crown from Sunset. She then began wonder what was going on in the human world now. (Canterlot High)- You are born in the Human version of Equestria, Earth. Very little magic and sorcery is known here, so the natives resort to cold, hard science to improve. So you have no access to magic, but gain natural proficiency with anything of that world. Access the exclusive Canterlot and Crystal Prep Questlines and Equestria will still be available through the portal, but only through certain time frames. Twilight shrugged. "Eh, I've already seen it enough, I doubt I'd find anything of interest I couldn't just ask Sunset." She looked to (Casanova). She blushed furiously at the picture. It showed her lying on a massive bed surrounded by faceless stallions and mares, and even Celesta and Luna were all lying around her giving her bedroom eyes. The picture of her merely smugly stared back at her through its black sunglasses. (Casanova)- Oh Baby, is that saxophone I hear? You were born with the natural ability to be irresistible to both genders. Stallions and mares will stop in their tracks and do a double take as you trot down the street. No one is completely immune to your charm, even the Sun Goddess herself will quiver at your touch. 50% more reputation gained from everyone. Anyone you meet will start automatically with the 'Liked' reputation level. Antagonist and other normally hostile NPCs will become neutral. Buffs gained from romances will be doubled in effect. Twilight buried her face into her hooves in emressment. "W-Who would make such a perverted option!?!" She cried. She frantically backed out and looked at (The Gamer). It was simpler her staring at a screen with a smile, quite like now. (The Gamer)- Fourth wall? What fourth wall? You gain the ability to see the world in a way even Lauren Faust can't. You're able to see the information of nearly everything in sight, from an enemy's' stats to an unknown ponys' name, you can see it all as if life were one big video game. Immunity to mind-based effects like confusion and insanity. She felt a surge of excitement. As a seeker of knowledge and insight, this would surely aid in her gathering. And the extra defense to her mind was just icing on the cake. "Oh! This on goes looks too good to pass up!" Twilight clapped her hooves in glee. She quickly tapped [Take Perk]. It brought her back to the previous screen with (The Gamer) greyed out. She rubbed her chin in thought. "Hm... It did say I could take more than one..." She muttered. "The 'Purple Smart' makes it seem it gives a good boost to intelligence and wisdom, and I doubt I'll encounter many problems where brute strength will be needed... But that big reduction to reputation gain. I'm not entirely sure what that is, but it sounds important." Twilight puddered for a little longer. "Until I can understand the full extent of these numbers, I better just go with the balanced route." She selected (Normal Mode) and [Take Perk]. She then tapped [Done] at the bottom of the screen. You have selected the (Normal Mode) & (The Gamer) perks! You're new game will start shortly. Twilight sat patiently, waiting for this 'New Game' to start. What would happen? Will she wake up back in her old bed like nothing happened? Or will she become a filly? Or, worse, this was all just some huax played by some god-like deity of the afterlife who just wanted to mess with her? Oh dear Princess Celestia, that last one actually scared her a little. Twilight brushed that thought away as she yawned. A sudden rush of fatigue came onto her. Lying down, she rested her head on her hooves and started to snore. -Loading New Game- "GRRRRRRRRRR-!" The muffled sound growled. Twilight shivered at the wet, hot, convolsing around her. It felt so... disturbing! "...On...ore...Pus...!" She heard another speak, she started to hear heavy breathing as she felt herself slid. She tried to opened her eyes, but to no avail. She tried to move, but found that her body felt wrong. It barely responded to her commands and her limbs felt heavy and sluggish. She opened her mouth, but it was shut by the tight, slimy walls. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH-!" Twilight perked up at the sudden scream as she felt herself shoot out of the gooey prison and into a rush of cold air. A small, hoarse cry escaped her lips. "Wah... Wah...!" She sounded nothing like herself. "...Wait..." She thought. "....Am I...?" "There we go! You did very well Miss Velvet. Here, hold your child." A voice said. Twilight opened her eyes to be met with a painfully bright light. After her vision adjusted, she saw her mothers loving face. She had terrible bags under her eyes, her fur and face drenched in sweat, and her mane was a complete mess. She saw her father, who looked less awful, come into sight. "There she is... Our sweet little filly..." He said. "Hm, yeah." Her mother lightly moaned. "I'll name her... Twilight, Twilight Sparkle." birth...!" Twlight thought. If only she could cringe.