//------------------------------// // The Ponyville Players Part 1 // Story: TCB: Thera // by Joe Toon //------------------------------// June 3, 2020 Two days before the Declaration of War and three days after Spike and Rainbow Dash’s arrest. THE FOLLOWING IS A RADIO COMMUNICATION BETWEEN [REDACTED] Sorcerer: Dungeon Master, this is Sorcerer. Do you read, over? Dungeon Master: Copy that, Sorcerer. This is Dungeon Master, reading you loud and clear. Sorcerer: We have a problem; Wizard has been compromised and has been apprehended by Beholders along with Blue Jay. Dungeon Master: Copy that, Sorcerer. We assume that they found out about Blue Jay’s status? Sorcerer: Affirmative. Blue Jay’s status as a mother bird has been discovered prior to capture. Dungeon Master: What’s the status of the rest of the birds? Sorcerer: The other birds are under house arrest. Woodpecker’s status is okay, thanks to Barbarian’s confirmation. We heard from Nightingale’s little sister that she’s fine, albeit shaken. Mockingbird is fine thanks to her landlords, albeit depressed and heavily watched by Beholders. The only Bird we haven’t managed to confirm is Hummingbird. Dungeon Master: Copy that, Sorcerer. Await further orders. Pixie: Starlight, have you told them our plan yet? Sorcerer: Tr-Pixie! Codenames, remember?! Pixie: Oh, right. Sorcerer, have you told them our plans yet? Sorcerer: (Sigh) Dungeon Master, requesting permission to rescue Wizard and Blue Jay? Pixie and I thought of a plan but we thought to run in by you first. Dungeon Master: Negative, Sorcerer. I know you’re eager to rescue Wizard, especially since he has information on all players on the board and Blue Jay considering what the Pale Horse might do to her, but the situation has changed. The Horsemen of the apocalypse and their Beholders aside, we now have bigger problems; Big Brother is here. Sorcerer: Big Brother?! Here? How?! Pixie: Star- Sorcerer, who’s Big Brother? Sorcerer: (Sigh) New World Order. Pixie: WHAT?! They’re here?! HOW?! Dungeon Master: It doesn’t matter, Pixie. What matters now is that things just got a whole lot complicated. We already got wind of one of their agents apprehended by Beholders, Callsign Rook. If they are here, they probably know of our plans and would most likely disrupt Operation Rrakkma.  Pixie: Wait, I thought it was Operation Bastille. Dungeon Master: Same Operation, different name over the channel for security reasons. Pixie: Oh. Sorcerer: Look DM, here me out.  One Explanation of the plan later Dungeon Master: Bold, but risky. I don’t know if HQ will allow this, especially considering you and Pixie are key to this plan. I don’t know if the Brass will even greenlight this mad plan but I’ll forward it to them for approval. Stand by for further instructions. Sorcerer: Thank you Dungeon Master. Pixie: You think they’ll let us do it? Sorcerer: They’ve got to let us rescue them, or Operation Rrakkma is moot. Dungeon Master: Alright Sorcerer, Pixie, you’ve got the Greenlight. Notify the rest of the players and have Muffin Factory and Time Machine on standby. If we pull this off, we could rescue Wizard and the Birds in one fell swoop and smuggle them into HQ. You have to be discreet about this Sorcerer. With Wizard gone, you are our only source of information. If you are compromised, we will have no means to save you and we’ll have a Total Party Kill on our hands. Sorcerer: Acknowledged, DM. Over and out. Pixie: The Great and Heroic Tr-Pixie and her Faithful Companion will not fail you, Mighty Dungeon Master. Dungeon Master: (Sigh) I need a break.