It was a surprisingly warm autumn day as Lorraine, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle set up a few foldable tables in the park. Nearby, John was with Scootaloo helping the filly set up a portable drink stand using her scooter and wagon. The park was bustling with activity as a starting line was set up and ponies in numbered track tops stretched and prepared. A sound caught Lorraine's attention, a hot air balloon was being inflated as Alastor watched with a critical eye and Pinkie was practically vibrating with excitement beside him. Alastor noticed her looking and grinned. She smiled and moved away from the tables to some boxes strewn about behind them. With her hooves-turned-paws she pulled out a variety of baked goods in containers or wrapped in cellophane packages and began spreading them out on the nearest table.
"Do you think we'll be able to sell all of this?" Sweetie asked as she set up a few foldable chairs. "That's a lot of food."
"Maybe, we got a huge crowd fer the race this year," Apple Bloom commented. "With the prince competin', every mare and their mom want ta watch."
"With all the stallions here, it's a herd smorgasbord," Sweetie said and gestured at the various sporty, athletic stallions getting ready. "The race is a big deal for ponies that like sports as it's the only time they can show off."
"Don't remind me, Big Mac still gets called a janefilly whenever he turns down a herd proposal." Apple Bloom complained as she began helping Lorraine with setting up the food.
"Could you explain? I get the whole, guys who aren't doormats are discriminated against, thing, but what's a janefilly?" Lorraine asked.
Apple Bloom paused. "Oh, right. It's meant to make fun of a stallion that acts more independent, like a mare."
"It's dumb." Sweetie added.
"Yeah, I agree with you there, sounds stupid." Lorraine said.
Something was beeping at the edge of Lorraine's hearing. Amid the hustle and bustle of the slowly gathering crowd, two voices stuck out.
"Are sure that thing is workin'?"
"Of course I'm sure! This is calibrated to track Umbral Radiation and with it, the TARDIS."
A laugh, "You sure about that then? You nearly gave Fluttershy a heart attack pokin' around her chickens."
"Oi! I was calibrating! It... a very delicate piece of equipment... around hens."
Something went ding.
"See Rose, it dinged! That means-"
Time turner walked into view, the stallion dressed in a dark brown pinstripe suit and a light brown trench coat that billowed out behind him as he moved on three legs. A pair of black framed glasses rested on his face and a strange device with various knobs, buttons and a small satellite dish held in one hoof. Trotting beside him was a tan furred pegasus mare with a blonde mane and tail, and brown eyes. She was smiling at Time Turner, her tongue slightly poking out between her teeth.
The stallion was focused on his device and halted right in front of Lorraine. He looked up at her, back down at his device, then looked rather sheepish as Rose smirked at him. "Ah, well..." He paused and peered at the doe, all curiosity and maniac energy. "It should have locked on to the nearest leak, which would be the largest concentration of umbral radiation in the area. But why you-you're brimming with, generating it even!" he walked around her, looking very confused. "How are you doing that?"
"Is something wrong Mister Turner?" Apple Bloom asked as she and Sweetie looked over at him.
"No, no. I was just... looking for something and my tracking device still has a few bugs in it." the eccentric stallion explained. Rose elbowed him with a wing and looked at Lorraine. "Right, sorry. Hello again!"
"Hi," Lorraine replied, her face was calm but her wagging tail betrayed her. "Do you need help?"
"Aren't you busy?" Rose asked and nodded at the bake sale setup.
"The girls can handle it and John's nearby if something comes up," Lorraine replied. "I don't mind."
"I need to get this re-calibrated..." Time Turner said. "Really, how are you generating umbral radiation?"
"Why don't we head somewhere quieter, yeah?" Rose suggested. "Get a better reading?"
"Maybe explain a few things? Like umbral radiation?" Lorraine added.
"It's what people call shadow magic," Time Turner explained as he led the doe and the pegasus away from the park and down a side street, inspecting the defective gadget. "It can change things, create things, reshape entire planets, and is one of the building blocks of the universe. Time was there were civilizations capable of using it to make paradise worlds, planets with everything a species could want or need."
"Is having this stuff bad?" Lorraine asked.
"It can be, wars have been fought over it. People have been driven mad by it, but the radiation in you is stabilized, perfectly harmless."
"Well that's good... I think," Lorraine replied. "So... You're looking for the TARDIS? How did you lose it this time?"
It was an innocent question but the looks of surprise the other two gave her jolted the doe's memory.
"Oh, right," she said dumbly and smiled. "I know you're The Doctor. We meet in your future."
"Well that saves us a bit of time I suppose," The Doctor said as he grimaced. "There are small tears in the fabric of reality, tiny gaps between dimensions that are leaking umbral radiation. The stuff would start impacting the environment, the people, if they aren't closed. So, I landed my ship, the TARDIS near the Everfree and it was a bit too close to a tear and it was pulled in. This," he held up the device. "will locate a similarly sized tear and I'll be able to alter the flow of umbral radiation and use it to track down the TARDIS."
"How can I help?" Lorraine asked.
"I'll need you nearby so I can isolate a leak by... Process of elimination!" The Doctor replied brightly as the tracker beeped and the small dish spun.
The Doctor grinned excitedly as he moved swiftly down the street with Rose and Lorraine rushing after him. They darted through alleys, back roads, and the maze of cramped dirt paths between houses until the Time Lord stopped. His tracker was whirring and beeping like mad.
The trio were behind a house in Ponyville's high end residential area. Propped up against the wall of the two-story home was a large full body mirror that was emitting black, wispy tendrils of energy.
"Well, that's ominous." Lorraine commented as she took a step forward to get a better look.
"Careful." warned The Doctor.
"I know." Lorraine replied and remained where she was.
The umbral radiation went from black, to a deep blue and the tendrils retracted back into the mirror. The Time Lord pocketed his tracker and strode forward.
"It's stabilized," he commented and looked back at the doe. "It resonated with your radiation and copied the frequency. Try moving towards it."
Lorraine moved a bit closer to the mirror. The blue energy rippled out to encompass not only the mirror but expanded, forming a large, swirling mass of energy large enough to walk through.
"That's a portal yeah?" Rose asked. "Think it'll lead to the TARDIS?"
"It might," The Doctor replied and grinned at Lorraine.
"Right, Lorraine. Thank you for the help, which we really do appreciate but Rose and I will handle this next bit. Just, head on back and we'll see you later."
He looked at her expectantly. She looked at the portal, her brow furrowed.
"Mirrors act as doorways to the Dream Realm. Are you two going to be alright in there?" The doe asked.
"Course we will, we do this all the time!" The Doctor reassured her. "Pop in, find the TARDIS, and fly back out."
"Doctor!" Rose called out.
Something was stepping out of the portal. It was a deer. A middle-aged doe with chestnut brown fur and a dark red mane tied back into a bun. An aura of pale moonlight surrounded her and she was somewhat translucent. She smiled.
"Hello, pardon the intrusion dearies but are you going to come on through?" the older doe asked. "There are a few horrid beasties lurking on the other side that we can't risk escaping."
The Doctor trotted over beaming. "Oh, yes! Hello, I'm The Doctor. This is Rose and Lorraine. Sorry we'll pop over for a few minutes, won't be long."
"I'm Dandelion, Grove Keeper for the Boreal Dream Forest," the doe replied and gestured to the portal. "Come along dears, we can't stand around lollygagging."
The Dream realm was a fantastical place with a night sky adorned with splashes of pink or purple stardust and stars of every color imaginable. The grass was dark blue and the leaves on the trees nearby were a dark shade of green. Dandelion led the trio through a dense forest. Deer of all ages, all of whom shared Dandelion's white aura and opaqueness, watched them curiously.
"Don't mind them, visitors to our little corner of creation are few and far between, they're a tad nosy," Dandelion said with a smile. "So, why are you three so keen on opening mysterious portals? Are you Adventurers?"
"Sort of, we're looking for something. A big blue box, says Police." The Doctor explained while Rose and Lorraine took in the sights.
"So that box is yours then is it? We have things, and sometimes people the poor dears, fall through every now and then so we do what we can to keep things from falling into the wrong appendages." the doe replied and led them to a forest clearing filled with vibrant and exotic flowers. The TARDIS was placed on a flat stone and surrounded by blue flowers.
"Oh that's... Not bad actually, very, pretty." The Time Lord mused as he approached his ship.
Rose walked up to Dandelion. "So, you all live here?"
"Hm? Well I wouldn't call it living dear," the doe replied merrily. "We're all dead as doormice!"
"What? But that's impossible!" The Doctor spluttered as he whirled around.
A new voice interrupted the conversation "This is my realm, Time Lord. Nothing is impossible."
From out the shadows, The Nightmare stepped forward in all her glory.
Lorraine perked up. "Hi."
"Greetings," the goddess nodded cordially and focused her attention on the others. "My Lord Doctor, My Lady Rose, welcome to my realm."
The Doctor's jaw was tight as he watched her warily. "Nightmare."
Lorraine's ears drooped and she walked over to stand between the two as Rose trotted over to stand beside The Doctor. Lorraine looked worried. "Guys?"
Both the alicorn and the stallion looked at her.
The Doctor regained his composure first. "So tell me, Your Radiance, was it just a coincidence my ship was pulled into your domain?"
"No," the goddess answered calmly. "I need you to refrain from travelling off world and given that you would never do so of your own volition... I had to resort to other tactics."
"Ok!" Lorraine spoke up, a strained, small smile on her face. "Nightmare, why does he need to be stuck here?"
The Nightmare looked at her apologetically. "You know why, a storm is approaching. By keeping these two on Terran, then Doomsday is prevented."
The mare's words weren't an explanation, they were a hint, a clue that Lorraine picked up on. The doe girl's desperation to defuse the situation vanished and she looked resigned. "Oh..."
"Hey," Rose said gently. "We'll get through it. Just you wait an' see, yeah?"
"A prophecy, Nightmare, really?" The Doctor didn't look impressed. "Never liked prophecies, either they're self-fulfilling or just plain wrong, so! We'll just be on our way. Maybe give us a call if you need me to save the universe?" The Doctor sauntered towards the TARDIS.
"Do you really think I'm going to let you leave?" The Nightmare stated coldly.
"Do you really think you could keep us here?" The Time Lord retorted.
Lorraine looked between the two, took a breath and stomped a hoof to get everyone's attention. "How about we not do this?"
A crowd of onlookers, more ghost deer like Dandelion, watched them, and many of them were visibly concerned.
Dandelion walked up to the goddess, looking displeased. "She's right, you two butting heads won't do any of us any good. And look at the poor girl, she doesn't know what to do with herself."
Lorraine's ears were pinned back and she looked torn. She sighed and looked at The Doctor. She tried to speak but her words caught in her throat.
"A compromise then," the Nightmare suggested. "You may have your ship but I will do nothing to alter the events that await you and your companion or you remain in Ponyville and you will have my assistance whenever you wish, no questions asked."
"Doctor?" Rose looked at him as he thought it over.
Dandelion gently nudged Lorraine away from the clearing and down the path. "Let's get you sorted out. Leave the decision up to them."
"But-" Lorraine protested and the older doe's red eyes became stern.
"Butts are for sitting young lady, and you were working yourself into a tizzy," Dandelion stated. "What they choose to do is their choice. You can't put your health at risk worrying about what-ifs."
Lorraine fell silent. Dandelion's expression softened as she guided the Flora Doe through the woods. They came across other deer, polite yet curious spirits that Dandelion scolded if they stared or lingered for too long. The older doe shook her head. "Honestly... They'll give someone a fright one of these days, I swear..."
The canopy above them gave way to star filled skies as they entered a large village. A large tree that towered over the rest and glowed with a soft green light was in the center of town. The houses and buildings were trees that had been converted into livable spaces similar to Ponyville's library. Flowers and lush greenery were everywhere with dirt paths carefully winding around away from more delicate looking plants.
Lorraine followed Dandelion to a modest house made from a large, bulbous tree with a densely packed canopy with a myriad of herbs growing in the flowerbeds out the front. Once inside, the older doe directed her to a seat and then began to bustle about in the kitchen. Dandelion glanced back at her, a pair of coffee mugs grasped in a red, magical aura. "How do you take your tea?"
"Milk, three sugars," Lorraine replied somewhat stiffly. "Why?"
"You look like you could use a good cup of tea and a sit down." Dandelion replied casually and gestured around at the potted plants and bookshelves dotted around the living room. "Excuse the mess dear, I haven't had time to clean, what with all those Shadows running about."
Lorraine looked around as the other doe busied herself with making tea, the house looked a bit cluttered in a way that screamed organized chaos but wasn't anywhere close to what would be considered messy or untidy. The doe girl simply paid it no mind and sat quietly.
"So, which Grove are you from?" Dandelion asked as the sound of running water added the noise of her busy-work.
It took a second for Lorraine to register the question. "Oh, uh, I'm not from any. Polymorph."
"Welcome to the ranks then!" Dandelion replied cheerfully, the sound of the tap running ceased as the deer spirit moved to another part of the kitchen. "Are you going to join a Grove?"
The doe girl frowned slightly, uncertain. "I don't know?"
"Well a nice girl like you would be welcome anywhere I'm sure."
"Do I have to join one?" Lorraine asked.
"Oh you're a smart cookie, not many folks ask that," Dandelion hummed in thought. "Groves are a bit like pony villages, a community made up of people working together but they're also like small, independent countries. Each Sacred Grove has a leader that determines the law and governs how information or goods are shared with other groves.The deer kingdom isn't a defined place on a map but the collective number of groves and deer scattered across the globe. You don't have to join one."
"But there'd be benefits to doing so." Lorraine commented.
"The same sort of benefits found in any community really. Folks looking out for one another, a say in how things are run, a roof over your head and food in your stomach. There's no law saying you have to join a grove or even live in one, it's just how things are done." Dandelion explained.
"Okay." Lorraine said bluntly.
"You're welcome here anytime you know. You're quite the celebrity around here. It's not every day we get a new shadowmancer in town." the other doe said.
"You can tell?"
"That portal wouldn't have opened otherwise. Still learning the ropes?" Dandelion asked pleasantly over the sharp whistling of a kettle.
"Yeah."
After a few minutes of silence, Dandelion set a cup of tea on the coffee table near Lorraine. "Now you just sit tight." The older doe walked briskly into another room, talking as she did. "My son is a shadowmancer, he kept quite a lot of notes on the subject and left them here with me when he got his new job, in Tartarus of all places. I have them around here somewhere, you can borrow them if you like."
"No it's fine, really." Lorraine declined.
Dandelion trotted back levitating several old tomes. "I insist, in fact, keep them. Nightmare knows my boy won't come get them himself and you need them more than him anyway."
"Are you sure?" Lorraine asked.
Dandelion huffed. "Oh he absolutely refuses to set a hoof in this realm, my idiot of a son makes a name for himself in Hell and doesn't tell his own mother. I found out from the newsie's up in the Ivory City. The least he could do is visit, it's not like I'm going anywhere." the spirit shook her head and smiled. "Nevermind that, drink your tea before it gets cold and I'll look for a bag for these books."
"Okay."
Lorraine walked through the front door of her house looking a bit bewildered, a drawstring sack balanced on her back. Everyone was still out so the doe walked through the lounge room and down in the hall. She stopped by Alastor's room and left the sack of books by his bedroom door and headed back into the lounge. The doe plugged in her game console of choice, grabbed her controller, her headset, and wandered towards the couch. She flopped down onto it and got herself comfortable, ready to spend the rest of her day being a couch potato. After her little adventure, she was very much done with people for the day.
“Sorry.” John apologized as he waddled down to the basement carrying a box. “I’m invading your space.”
“It’s okay.” Thorax looked up, then got up from the couch as he paused the video he was watching. “What’s up?”
“So we’ve had these boxes in our closets since Lorraine and I got here, and we finally have a spot to store things.” John set down a box. “But first, I’m gonna have a look at what’s in them.”
Thorax trotted over to the smaller changeling. “And you haven’t looked at them yet… why?”
“Procrastination followed by just forgetting about them unless we look in our closets.” John chuckled as he scratched then tugged at the duct tape. “And this one’s not all that heavy so…” He opened the flaps…. And blinked.
“What’s Ultraman?” Thorax asked, sticking a hoof in to put out a metal box-set.
“We got copies of our stuff.” John said bluntly. “I mean, that should’ve been kinda obvious.” He started pulling box-set after box-set out of the box. “Ultraman, Ultraseven, Return of Ultraman, Ace, and the modern Ultra series. All five seasons of Digimon, Castlevania seasons one and two, RWBY. Goddam.” He blinked. “Thorax?” He looked at the ‘ling flipping through the DVDs of the Ultraman set.
“Huh?” Thorax blinked at him.
John put everything back in the box and pushed it towards the other changeling. “Just take this and enjoy. I’ll have to find a bookshelf or two anyway.”
“You serious?” Thorax blinked again.
“Absolutely.” John nodded with a grin. “I’ll take ‘em back whenever you’re done with them. Oh and note that the Ultra series can be kinda corny, but the stories are good and the characters are great. Orb and X might be my favorites though, even though they’re modern and other people hated the modern series… for some reason.” He shrugged.
“Oooookay. Should I watch anything in any particular order?” Thorax asked, looking into the box.
John tapped his chin with a finger. “Wellll…. RWBY is easy, it’s seasons are numbered. Digimon is already in order and the boxes say what season. So does Castlevania. Ultraman is finicky. If you’re going old seasons it’s Ultraman, Seven, Return, then Ace. Tiga is kinda a reboot-offshoot-thing from the original series but it’s great. The new series go in order or Ginga, X, Orb, Geed, then R/B. In case you forget, I can write a list.”
“Or I could just ask you again.” Thorax commented.
“Point.” John pointed at him then turned towards the stairs. “And I’m going to go get more boxes.”
“Want some help?” Thorax asked.
“You don’t have to but if you want to?” John shrugged.
“I think this is your box. It’s filled with baggies filled with plastic figures.” Gilda commented as she stared into a freshly opened box.
“OH MY GOD YAY!” John immediately buzzed over to the box.
“Are you sure you’re not a hoarder?” Gilda asked as Thorax came out of the downstairs storage closet, only to pick up another box.
“Noooo….” John looked away. “I just like figures.”
“Sure.” Gilda rolled her eyes. “I’m sure Lorraine’s going to be happy with some of this.”
“Hey, we found her plushie.” John pointed at her as he tugged the tape off another box then tugged the flaps open and peered inside. “Welp, this one’s Lorraine’s.”
“How can you tell?” Gilda asked, raising a brow.
John pulled out a small box. “One sec.” The small ‘ling waddled upstairs.
The hen shrugged as she scooted John’s box aside.
“OH MY GOD!” Came a un-Lorraine-like yell from upstairs.
Gilda jumped and rushed upstairs, quickly followed by Thorax. On reaching the living room, they saw Lorraine grinning giddily.
“We’re going to make everyone watch this.” Lorraine gestured with the box in her wooden paw.
Alastor got up off his chair and magically tugged the box out of her grip. “Lorraine dear, what exactly is,” the buck squinted at the box, “Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go?”
John stood in the backyard with a look of concentration on his face. His eyes were screwed up as his tongue stuck out of his mouth.
“What’s he doing?” Asked Sweetie Belle as she, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Spike, and Thorax all sat on the porch looking at the small bipedal changeling.
“From what he said,” Thorax glanced from the ‘filly’ to the ‘ling in the yard. “He’s metally working on his biped form.”
“An’ wha’s that mean?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Probably imagining what it’ll look like before he actually transforms.” Spike commented.
“It’d be cool to have wings like that.” Scootaloo said with a sigh.
“What, you want bug wings?” Bloom raised a brow at the pegasus.
“Hey, any wings are better than malformed wings.” Scootaloo shrugged.
“And you’ll get to fly eventually.” Spike patted her back.
“Sure.” Scootaloo snorted, rolling her eyes. “And one day you’ll grow wings.”
“Hey, weirder things have happened.” Spike pointed at her.
“Like?” Scootaloo looked smug.
“Shit!” A yelp caught their attention and the four of them looked to see Lorraine standing stock-still. Thorny spikes had erupted from her back and lower legs. After a moment, the thorns sank back into her body. She immediately trotted off. “Nope. Nope. Nope. I’m going back to growing Bucksleaf. Fuck this.”
“Like that.” Spike gestured at the retreating deer. “Don’t see a doe sprout spikes every day.”
“But she’s weird.” Scootaloo countered.
“So are the rest of us.” Sweetie deadpanned at her.
“I think John’s ready to do a thing.” Bloom commented, grabbing the three’s attention.
John ~fwoomphed~
As the flame receded, John looked a little different. He was the same height, but he didn’t look as stocky or squashed. For the most part, he was thin. He didn’t have much of a waist or stomach, though his chest and shoulders were rather wide. His upper arms were long and lanky. However His forearms and hands were bulkier as were the lower half of his legs. Additionally his head sported a green, silk-like mohawk.
John opened his eyes and looked himself over. “Yay it worked.”
“What’d you do?” Bloom called out.
He took a step and immediately face-planted into the grass. He immediately pushed himself into a sitting position. “I redistributed my weight. Made my lower arms and legs, and my chest more dense. However this’ll take some getting used to. I’m thinking more Halfling and less Dwarf.”
“But you are a dwarf.” Scootaloo snorted.
“Yes, but I now don’t have to waddle everywhere.” John nodded at her.
“And the mohawk?” Sweetie called out.
John blinked at her. “Mohawks are cool.”
Lorraine glanced into the backyard as the girls and Spike trash-talked each other while playing Smash. John was in his modified biped form. Solaire, in his diamond dog form, was with him and both seemed to be giving pointers to Thorax, who seemed to be trying to make his own biped form. Solaire had mentioned something about sparring. If she remembered correctly, John equated it to something between boxing and wrestling.
A knock at the front door got her attention. Since she was up she walked towards the front entrance. “I’ll get it.” She made sure to announce so Alastor and Gilda didn’t have to get up. Once she got to the door, she made a paw and opened it.
On the other side was Pentious, looking somewhat embarrassed, and a gray-furred Kirin with a bright pink mane, red eyes, and a golden horn. “Hi there! You’re Lorraine, right? I’m Ashira and I’ve come to make sure my husband here apologizes for how horrible he treated you.” Ashira said with the fakest of happy smiles.
"Hang on for a moment." The doe kept a straight face as she walked back towards the lounge, calling out with a tone that could be summed up not dealing with this. "Alastor, Pentious is at the door!"
“Oh wonderful! Be right there!” Alastor called out.
Pentious immediately yelped. “Please no!”
“Please, your attack dog isn’t called for.” Ashira said, maintaining her fake smile.
Lorraine stopped and turned back around to face the kirin. "I don't care."
“Hey Lorraine I heard-” John’s voice called out as he, Solaire, and Thorax (Thorax now having an awkward waddle due to his squat biped form.) came around the side of the house. At the same time Alastor came up behind Lorraine and just smiled at Pentious. Which caused the snake to shrink back more than a little.
“You.” John growled.
“On second thought, perhaps now isn’t the right time. Maybe a little soon, hmmm?” Ashira turned around, magically tugging Pentious along with her. “We’ll try again later.”
“You could try again never.” Alastor called out. “How are your egg boys doing Penny? They still feeling a little scrambled?”
Pentious seemed to silently fume as he slithered away.
“You okay?” John called out.
“Yah, thanks guys.” Lorraine nodded at the two ‘lings and the goddog.
“Kay.” John nodded.
“Now, Thorax, let’s get back to your transformation practice. While you do that John can spar with me.” Solaire said with a nod. “I believe John needs to work out some stress.”
“I’ll try not to hurt your paw pads this time.” John said as the three retreated behind the house again.
“Lorraine, are you really okay? Seeing them must have been a shock.” Alastor commented, looking down at her.
“Why do you think I went to get you?” Lorraine replied, looking at him.
“I’ll always be there to scare away your demons.” Alastor said with a nod before turning around and returning to the living room.
Lorraine blinked as the deer retreated. She sighed as she shut the front door.
“Don’t you four need to work on your talent show project thing?” Gilda asked as the doe came back to the living room.
“We’ll get back to it.” Sweetie commented.
“We do need to practice it more.” Scootaloo commented. “Bloom can’t get her steps right.”
“Oh sorry that Apples have some junk in tha trunk.” Bloom snarked back.
“It’s perfectly fine. Bloom you’ll get it. And your flank is fine the way it is.” Sweetie said with a nod.
“Ya like looking at my backside?” Bloom smirked at the unicorn, causing said unicorn to blush, stammer, and have her character get punted off the edge of the map.
“And that’s-”
“GAME!” The TV announced.
“Okay. Backyard. Now. Practice your thing.” Gilda got up and shooed the fillies and dragon into the backyard where John was bobbing back and forth with his fists raised, occasionally jabbing into Solaire’s raised paws.
“We’re going!” Spike groaned as he was scooted out.
“No loafing.” Gilda followed after. “Show me what you got.”
“Right, Spike got the music player?” Bloom asked as the door shut behind them.
“I don’t understand why they play those games.” Alastor shook his head with a chuckle.
Lorraine switched channels on the TV to a crime documentary and sat on the couch. "There's a few reasons. Firstly there's the power fantasy, the world of a game often revolves around the player as their actions are really the only things that affect the game. Another reason is immersion, a games world and lore can draw people in, in much the same way a book or TV show can, even more so due to the interactivity inherent in video games as a medium."
"And what about you?" Alastor asked.
"I enjoy a good story, or productive busy-work but there's also the fact that I'm able to do things in games that I wouldn't be able to do normally and playing as a good character is often rewarded and encouraged," the doe explained. "I'm either interested in the gameplay itself, the story and characters or all of the above and the game usually rewards and validates the time and emotional investment I put into it."
“I for one, can’t really see what’s so interesting.” The buck shook his head. “But I’m happy that you can enjoy it… Actually.” He paused, got up and moved to sit next to the doe “Do you mind if I watch whatever you decide to play for a bit?”
The doe shrugged. "I was just going to chill out and watch something but I can play a game if you want me to."
“Well that works too.” Alastor nodded. “I will try to enjoy whatever it is, because you’re interested in it.”