//------------------------------// // Zebra-Downwards // Story: Observer (A choose your path story) // by future pegasister //------------------------------// You are a Zebra. Your black tribal tattoos stand out on your white and black coat, which, when the light of the lake catches it, gleams a musty green. Your gold earrings shake slightly as you drink your fill. When you are finished, you look at your back. There is a flask and a small pouch hanging there. While you are looking at your belongings, you also notice the spirit mark on your flank. It's a black gecko with its tail in a loop. Automatically, the meaning comes to your lips; 'Immortality,' you whisper. You fill the flask to the brim, because you know you will need the water. Should you look through the contents of your pouch here? You... ----Look through the pouch ----Ignore the pouch and go to the twin tunnels (read on) ____________________________________________________________________________________________ You ignore the pouch and move towards the two tunnels. You stop in front of them and note that one goes up and one goes down. ...But which one do you choose? You choose to go... ----Downwards. The underground calms you and doesn't cloud your judgement. It also reminds you of your forgotten foalhood. (read on) ----Upwards. You have an unexplainable fondness for the outdoors; feeling the breeze in your mane and the dirt beneath your hooves brings back many memories. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ You go Downwards. Already you feel calm and ready to begin your journey,and you have a feeling that it will uncover your forgotten past. Let's hope you find out who you are! You have finished with the following stats: LOYALTY: 0% GENEROSITY: 0% HONESTY: 0% KINDNESS: 0% LAUGHTER: 0% MAGIC: 0% For every choice you make, for every problem you solve, and for every friend you make, you will be given one (1) or more of these points. You get Loyalty points for being loyal to the friends you make, Generosity for the advice you give, Honesty for being honest to both your friends and strangers, Kindness for the help you give, Laughter for cheering ponies up or making funny comments and Magic for solving a problem so well that you make no enemies. At the end of this story, the stat. bar you have filled the most will become your Element of Harmony. Have fun, and don't forget to "thumbs up", "thumbs down", favourite and add comments! Begin The Adventure! __________________________________________________________________________________________ Slowly, you descend to the level of the underground. The air here smells of many herbs found underground, and many memories rush to your head. You, as a small foal, playing with your sister Sunrise; you are carving small pictures into pieces of discarded tree bark. There is a subtle flash and your sister is jumping with joy at having found her talent. You peer at her drawing, and find that it looks like an exact reflection of a near by bird. You are weeping, bawling and burying your head into your mothers hooves; a wooden coffin is carried by you, which contains your even younger brother Moon Light. He doesn't even have a spirit mark, and yet, here he is lying, dead. Sunrise is bawling beside you, and your mother looks like her heart is broken in two; you had learned the dangers of playing in hidden caverns that day. If there was a cave in, there would be no pony to save you. You are sitting with Sunrise on the exact clump of moss that she earned her talent on; you are both older now, more like young mares than foals. She is carving a picture of your mother, father, brother, you and herself sitting together at the dinner table, laughing and joking. You look at her and she looks at you; you both burst into tears of sorrow, tears of regret and tears of relief. If you both had been playing with Moon Light, you would have been able to save him. But on the other hand, you wouldn't have been able to warn you mother and carry out your most valuable possessions before the avalanche of dirt and rocks crashed into your cave. Both you and Sunrise are mares now; you are both crying like you haven't cried in years; another coffin is going past you, and now it contains your mother. You have no one to depend upon but your sister now, since the rest of our family are dead. A huge roar can be heard from above you; you slowly look up and see a monster of a fire coming towards you. It's spreading quickly, and there is nothing you can do but run. You no longer live in a cave. No, your village is now made up of wooden houses and they burn quickly. You can hear the screams of foals and mares, and the crackle and hiss of the fire as it spreads. In a few minutes, all that is left is ash and charred remains of bones. You see a small flash and look at your flank.There is a spirit mark there. It's a black gecko with it's tail in a loop. 'Immortality,' you sob. You curl up in a ball and cry; every one you once knew is dead. Your spirit mark is proof of that. You want to be in your mothers hooves; you want to feel safe and happy, with all your friends and family around you. You sob for what seems to you like hours, but it probably only was a couple of minutes. Then you stop and listen... you hear a tune, a tune which makes you calm down and listen more carefully. 'It's okay to be afraid and sad, my child, it only shows that your heart is true and pure... All you lost is gone for ever but that doesn't mean you cannot start anew...' Do you follow this mysterious voice or do you ignore it and continue on your way? ----I follow it. It sounds like my sisters' voice, and I might find some pony who can help me. (read on) ----I ignore it.What if it's a trap? Honestly, I won't fall for such petty tricks. _________________________________________________________________________________________ You follow the mysterious voice through the taverns. Sometimes, it sounds like your mother's voice, sometimes like your brothers'; and sometimes, it sounds completely different altogether, as if another being is calling out to you, luring you closer... But really, who would sit in a tavern like this and be able to mimic any voice you have ever heard? It's not like there is any creature that lives underground in these strange hexagon-shaped, honey combed caverns and leaves strange green goop everywhere, right? ...right? A danger bell rings inside you as you step over into the next tavern; it's as if instinct is trying to tell you to trot away as fast as you can. But do you? You.... ----Step forward into the tavern. Danger shmanger; I eat danger for a light lunch. (read on) ----Trot away. What if it's a DRAGON? Or a zebra-eating monster that pony kind has never been aware of? (link soon to be made)