//------------------------------//
// 42 - Playtesting 
// Story: Return to Equestria 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

David looked across the table at the others that occupied it, flanking it from all sides. They were... They were amazing pony stereotypes of nerds. Two wore thick glasses. One had a pocket protector on her vest in case you weren't sure about it. Nerds. All of them.

Good thing he was also one of those, just not as obvious in some ways? Stealth nerd! "Thank you all for coming."

That mare rolled a hoof in the air. "Hey. So we hear you just got into the game... but also decided to write for it. That's bold."

"Or stupid," added a guy. "Can't wait to see which it is."

"Or both," added another guy. "Could be both."

David pushed forward one of several stacks of papers. "Here it is. I kept it mostly to the actual rules." He tapped at another stack. "If you love lore--"

He didn't get to finish. The mare slapped down a hoof on the lore stack and pulled it right over. "I love lore." As if that wasn't already obvious. "Gives the numbers a reason to exist."

"Please." One of the guys adjusted his glasses. "We're not reciting the lore as we play."

"Says you." She flipped open to the first page. "Ooo, alicorns of Equestria, huh?"

That got the others' attention. "I told you that would come out," continued the mare. "Eventually. They had to! There's an alicorn, right there." She waved a hoof in the direction of the brighthouse. "But is it OP?"

"Probably super OP," lamented one of the guys.

David pushed out more of the stacks, the ones with the rules. "Have a look and you tell me. You've all been playing this. And if it is, tell me that too, and be specific." He waggled a pen. "I'm not fragile, adjustments can be made. This is just a random printout, not a published book, yet."

Thoughts of how one published books in that equine world tickled at him, but that was a future problem.

The mare leaned forward with a little smile. "So, you're at Joypad's place, right? With the video games?"

"Joypad, right. She's great." David settled back, his stacks given out. "But it was Pip that pointed me to you."

One of the stallions laughed. "Poor kid, named the same thing as a pop star. He must hate her."

The other swatted at him. "Have you met him? He's pretty peppy to 'hate' anypony."

The mare rolled her eyes and flipped onwards. "You made this up?" She tapped at the papers. "Feels... right. You copied the tone." She angled her head to a bookshelf with the books of the original game.

"A talent." He shrugged softly. "I read and I put myself in the world and wrote from there. Glad to hear it reads right."

"Yeah..." She flipped onwards. "Like it... So, did you make it all up or what?"

"Duh," taunted the first stallion. "Not like anypony knows much about alicorns, even the alicorn."

She shrugged. "What's up with that?" She clicked her tongue on her teeth. "She is one. You'd think that'd come with some bit of knowing."

"Sunny?" David glanced about the table. "Seems nice enough. But how does it look?"

"Right." The quieter male tapped at his set of papers. "You have the mechanical terms about right." He adjusted his glasses. "Kudos for that. But it all feels... Like you're trying but you haven't played it."

The mare grinned viciously. "Sounds like we have a new player."

Wait. That hadn't been...

"Welcome aboard." The louder male pushed his stack forward. "Guess we know what you'll be playing."

David didn't see a way around that... "If you're sure?" All three nodded quickly. "Alright." He dug out that set of dice he had gotten and set it on the table. "Guess I get to use these."

The mare snatched the bag and spilled the dice out of it without delay. "Nice." She leaned in, considering the colors. "Thoughtful, huh? Figures."

The quieter male turned up his nose. "Even! That's just an old mare's tale. You can't tell anything about a pony from their dice colors."

Even sat back with a smile. "Well, am I wrong?"

"Thinking is one thing I do? Creation and spontaneity I'd rate higher?"

"Perfect." Even slammed the table, making the dice dance in front of her slapping hoof. "Got it right on the money with the inside and outside colors. I have you figured out, human. Watch out."

The louder male laughed with humor. "She means it. So, uh, hey." He offered a hoof towards David. "I'm the dreamweaver." That was the local term for a game master. "Against Odds, but Against is fine."

"David." Not that they needed to hear his name again. He bumped the offered hoof with a balled hand. He offered the same fist towards the quieter male.

The stallion touched his hoof to the hand, coloring faintly. "Um, hi... Gerome." Hm, ponies of that generation sometimes just had... names, instead of words. "Nice to meet you. Um..." He looked to the others. "Are we playing?"

The mare shrugged. "Pip pointed us at him." She pointed at David. "To look at his stuff, and we got a player out of it, but I doubt he has an avatar ready to go."

Avatar, what the locals called a 'character'. So many subtle differences in terms but with the same meaning. All of them looked to David for confirmation.

"Got me." He held up both hands wardingly. "I thought I was just showing off rules, not playing."

"At least you brought dice." Even scooped them into the bag. "Even Odds, by the way. Do I get one?" She thrust out a hoof and his bag at once.

He accepted the bag and touched fist to hoof. "So what's the schedule? I'll add it." He dug out his phone to do that.

It was a weekly game, and added to his schedule. "Take a look over what I have." He waved at the stacks he was leaving behind. "Any and all feedback, super welcome." With a little sound effect, he made for the door, the meeting seeming to be over.

But the camera didn't follow him. Even Odds tapped the lore stack. "Creative."

Against tapped a rules stack. "New. And not perceptive."

Even perked at that. "How did you get that?"

Against shrugged. "We have the same last name. Most ponies note that." He looked at Gerome. "What do you think?"

"Distinguished," sighed out Gerome, sagging in place with sparkles in his eyes.

Even peered at him curiously. "What?"

"Um!" Gerome quickly regathered himself. "I mean, seems nice..."

Against laughed and swatted the other stallion. "You don't even know if he likes that kind of thing. And you just met him! And he's not even a pony."

Gerome worked his hooves miserably, caught... "He seems nice," he weakly repeatedly.

Even clucked her tongue. "Well! I could tell you more about what I could see, but that'd just be more superstitions. Who needs those?"

Gerome colored a bit. "What'd you see?"

Even leaned in with a growing smile. "Admit there's something to it first."

Gerome threw up his hooves, flopping bonelessly. "Fine! Just tell me, please..."

"Alright then... He's dressed like somepony else picked things for him." Even brought her hooves together. "Or he just took whatever worked off the racks. Fashion, not his thing. He probably doesn't put a lot of thought into how he looks. His beard and mane echo this. Has he even heard of shampoo? Good smile, probably nice, like you said. Pragmatic, eyes on the prize." She ran her hoof over the lore stack. "Which is why he was thinking about these pretty much entirely. The game was a bonus prize at best. Ten bits he gets home and freaks out when he realizes what he signed up for."

Against snickered softly. "Sis, you are the opposite. You see everything. You just don't always share it."

She blew a raspberry at her brother. "And... he barely noticed you. He saw you were a fellow nerd, and I think he liked that, but nothing past that."

"He liked that?" Gerome picked the part he wanted to hear. "Really?"

Even clopped a hoof to her face. "Way to miss the point. He didn't see you as a stallion. Just a nerd. Nothing wrong with being one of those." She pointed to each pony there, including herself. "But he didn't look at me like a mare, or you like a stallion. But also he's not a pony! Maybe humans don't... Maybe ponies are ugly to humans? I dunno! I'm not a human. Ask him."

Against shrugged at all the romantic chat being shared. "Or, maybe, stick with me here, he just didn't come here looking for a new pickup!" He waved at the closest rule stack. "Maybe! He just wanted to share what he wrote with some ponies that play the game, and are now gossiping about him. Or maybe he thinks you're hot." He leered at the burning Gerome. "Maybe he's thinking about you right now."

Even tossed a die, bouncing off Against's head. "Stop teasing him! What do you see in him anyway? I mean... they're... all spindly." She wobbled  her arms in a bad intimation of human arms. "And their fur is all bunched in in places instead of spread out." She ran a hoof over her fuzzy face. "Kinda wierd..."

Against shrugged. "Well..." His eyes turned towards Gerome. "They're both greymanes."

"True," admitted Even, an adult, not middle aged or beyond. "But, colt! You need more than that!" She smiled even as he deflated. "Which is why you should get to know him, as a person. I'd say pony, but he isn't that, so..."

"So..." Gerome pushed his glasses back. "I should say hi, um, outside the game. See what he likes..." He began tapping his hooves together with obvious worry. "Maybe we like the same music?"

Against snorted softly. "Only you listen to that."

Even waved him off. "Don't listen to him. Just ask and see. Don't get overly excited, just a pony you want to know about, even if they don't have hooves." She gazed at her hooves with a fresh horror. "Imagine not having hooves..."





"David!" An image was on his phone, smiling at him brightly. "Been too long."

It was his contact. "Got a spot you need me for?"

"More than that." His face got real big as he leaned all the way in. "A whole media blitz. A commercial run, and you're the star. Check your email. I need you to do those as quickly as possible."

David pulled up the email with a few presses. "Alright... do that... sure..." Most of them were pretty simple. Him playing a game, looking happy. Him smiling at the camere. Him saying specific things. "Sure sure..." But then... "I don't... How do I do that?"

"Do what, babykins?" asked the grinning media manager.

"This." David tapped at the screen, not helping. "Looks like it needs all kinds of backdrops, or at least a green screen to edit it out in post."

"You don't have one of those?" He sounded legit astounded at the idea. "Hey, look, you're working for us! So long as it helps get this done, just buy it, and send us an invoice afterwards. Don't go nuts and it shouldn't be a problem."

Invoice, he knew what those were. "Alright.. Can I get a forward though? I don't want to lean on Joypad to cover these things. Once I get my first payday, shouldn't be that big of a deal."

"Exotic and prudent. Love it! Absolutely love it. Hey, check that phone, should have a payment app."

It did. David gave his identifier on it, and a little chime alerted him almost instantly that money had arrived. "Woah, um, on the case."

"I knew I could count on you." The line went dead.

David was left with more money in his personal control than he had held in the pony land. "Let's be responsible..."