//------------------------------// // (43) Dungeon Master Prep // Story: Canterlot High's D&D Club // by 4428Gamer //------------------------------// Story Spinner's POV Canterlot City Hospital Past Midnight The last thing I remember clearly was in the basement of that cabin. I saw one of the girls, Lotus I think, pass out after leaving the bunker. Then, sometime after, Aloe was carried out and the same thing happened. I think I tried going to help, but it didn’t work. I had to sit down and...That’s when things got blurry. I woke up briefly on this puke-green couch with Fluttershy wrapping my head with actual bandages. She was talking to me, but I couldn’t recall any of it. I went dark again only for a bright flashlight to shine in my eyes. It hurt and I realized there was someone tall there. And the girls weren’t nearby. I was put on a plastic table. I was brought outside with two other tall people. That was the last thing I could think back on. From there, it was nothing but moments that all became smeared together. Hours later, I woke up in the hospital. My mom was set up in the corner of the room, completely distressed. She had been watching over for me to wake up. Then, once she was sure I was conscious enough to stay awake, she explained it to me. The girls called an ambulance. At first, it was for Lotus and the others, who weren’t regaining consciousness. But after the emergency responders checked on me, it was decided I had to go as well. The only reason Mom knew was because Fluttershy called her. She wanted to make sure I wasn’t left alone in a hospital that night. She also told Mom that they were likely going to be at the cabin for a couple hours with the police. What that meant, I had no idea. Fluttershy didn’t explain much beyond that so my Mom couldn’t tell me. And since it was past midnight when I woke up, I decided it’d be better to wait for tomorrow to ask. It wasn’t like I could do much. Something else Mom knew about though was Twilight. Shining and his family brought Twilight in after all. She was being kept overnight three rooms away. Something about similar equipment and tests performed on us or something. It was hard to stay interested in the medical babble after the first minute. However, I did find out one thing. Neither of us was getting discharged in time for school tomorrow. They wanted me to stay for at least twenty-four hours and even if Twilight was discharged, I assumed her family wouldn’t launch her straight from hospital to school. Probably for the best after what that Nothic did to her. Since I was being kept for twenty-four hours, that meant I wasn’t getting out of here in time for the D&D Club either. This was a problem. Tomorrow was Tuesday; one of the times we were supposed to play in the first place. And already, we’ve put off playing this game because of my stupidity. What’s gonna happen with the principal? I thought to myself. The only ones who knew what was happening to her right now were myself and Sunset. Well, and Ms. Cheerilee and Vice Principal Luna too, I guess. But if Sunset was right about fate going on as planned, that meant Ms. Cheerilee and the vice principal weren’t about to tell anybody else. But that doesn’t matter, right? I furrowed my brow in the dark hospital room. Mom was passed out in the chair in the corner, leaving me alone with the beeping machines beside me. We did it. We changed fate. Aloe and Lotus are safe now, aren’t they? Aren’t they? They didn’t wake up. They’re in the hospital. They might not be starving or freezing anymore, but they didn’t look good. That, I remembered. You’re not that naive, I told myself. Just because someone’s in the hospital, it doesn’t mean they’re safe. What if they’re still in trouble? What if this is another cell for them? Like the cell in the game? ‘Story? You don’t know how the magic works. Your outside perspective has been helpful, do not get me wrong. But you don’t.’ Her words echoed in my mind. Rarity was right. I don’t know. I know even less than them. Sunset’s supposed to know how this stuff works. She’s supposed to be the one who can figure it out. ‘You just made up a character in the middle of the game? That was after we told you how serious this game had become, and you did it anyway?!’ Insane as she came off, it sounds like she’s been there for a ton of other magic stuff. All the girls had. All those rumors from the school, Applejack’s weird music magic, how easily they all get used to it? Even Big Mac seemed pretty calm when it came up and he couldn’t even see it. All I had was visions. A bunch of magic holograms. They said they’ve dealt with sirens and other things before. They’ve fought monsters. And even after the Nothic threat, they kept doing everything they could to help people. The Nothic, I realized. They thought a Nothic could have come after them at any moment. Sunset kept telling everyone not to go alone. Did she expect a Nothic might be right around the corner? I sat back in my bed and stared at the wall. They were ready to take on a Nothic to save those girls. Whether they know what a Nothic is or not, it sounds insane. ...I wouldn’t do that. That made me realize something else. ‘No, not splinters. But a heads up when you’re about to run like a coward would be nice.’ When Sunset told me that to me, it sounded like an insult. What if she was serious? As in ‘Tell us if you might run so we can deal with it.’ I told them I wasn’t going to run anymore. I meant about being overwhelmed. Not fighting monsters! I would run, I told myself. I would panic and run. I wouldn’t even try convincing the others. I would just leave them all behind like some heartless... Like a heartless coward. For the next half hour, I lay in that bed and didn’t say anything. I didn’t even move. I started playing out all of these ways that I would either run away or make their lives harder. I wasn’t smart like Rarity or Twilight. Not strong like Applejack or Rainbow. Not even as caring as Fluttershy or Pinkie. The best I could do was maybe talk my way out of a fight. Not much point in that when you’re fighting monsters or opening giant heavy doors. ‘You're the magic experts, don't ask me.’ ‘Do I have to be the DM? You're the ones with magic, can't one of you do it?’ ‘I’m done.’ ‘Please, just leave me alone. I don’t want to be near any of you. Go. Away.’ Everything magic-related, I kept hiding from. I’m still hiding from it. Even when everything’s getting screwed up by my own game. I slowly wrapped my arms around myself. By my own fault. It’s all stuck in my stupid head and I don’t even know how any of it works. I can’t do anything. I’m...useless. ‘Story? You don’t know how the magic works. Your outside perspective has been helpful, do not get me wrong. But you don’t.’ I don’t. I don’t know how the magic works. I looked over at Mom. Still asleep. Then I looked at the small hallway that led to my room’s entrance. I couldn’t see the door, but I assumed it was cracked. There was still some noise from outside. The machines around me were louder. Finally, I looked at my phone. It was within arm’s reach and on the screen I saw the time. 2:07 AM. The last time I looked, it was something before 12:30 AM. Except for the few hours I fell unconscious, I hadn’t slept since Saturday night. I don’t know how magic works. And I’m gonna end up getting in their way if I keep trying to follow along like this. I’m less than useless like that. I’m in the way. I put my phone on the bed beside me and laid back. I was slow about it. I didn’t want the sutures in the back of my head to sting me. Once I was settled, I folded my hands over my chest and closed my eyes. I don’t want to be in the way. I don’t want to be useless. I wanna be useful. But I don’t know magic. I don’t know how any of it works. Maybe I can work on that? I breathed, felt my body relax, and, as quietly as I could, muttered the words. “...Let’s start a story.” Yernal Onyxdagger’s POV Following the Attack on Phandalin Edge of Phandalin “Please, just give up!” She pleaded with Greggs and Hunser. “”None of us want to kill you! We want you to leave this town alone! We never started any of this with you!” It was one of the mages that had come to town. Glasstaff wanted them dead. Stalwart promised it would be done. We were supposed to carry it out. Like every other time. So many of us were dead. This girl, her friend bleeding on the ground, and all the others with them did it. I heard the war in the Sleeping Giant behind me. I was building a cold sweat and the crossbow along with the bolt it was loaded with was rattling in my hands. “Yernal, where is she?!” Greggs demanded. He and Hunser were both humans. They couldn’t see the girl in the darkness. She shouldn’t have been able to see either, but somehow she could. She dodged one of their swipes that got a little too close. “And why aren’t ya shootin’ man?!” “A-Ah. Ah..." I stared down at my crossbow. The girl wasn’t fast. And she wasn’t far away. It was an easy shot. I nailed harder ones plenty of times. I even hit her friend from horseback with nothing but her faint magic’s light. But the crossbow felt heavier this time around. She saved me. She stopped Stalwart from putting a bolt in my head. She didn’t have to. It’d be easier for them if she didn’t. And even though I was shooting after them and their horse, it was tougher now that she was begging. “Yernal?” The woman focused on me next. Her tone was soft and non-threatening. Despite that, my instincts found the strength to make me lift and train my crossbow on her. I was just as easy a target for her with her flames. “Your leader. Is a necromancer.” She watched me tense at the words. I already knew that. It freaked me out the first time I saw it. The walking skeletons. The crawling skulls. The others laughed when I ran out of the room. “We’ve already sent word to Agix,” she went on. “He will be caught. They’ll be here in a matter of days. If you stand down, they might only arrest you for extortion. It won’t be a death sentence then. But if you keep siding with him? They will judge you as an accomplice to necromancy. That is immediate execution. Please!” “Yernal!” Hunser’s voice had me flinching. “Shoot. Her.” “You don’t have to do this,” she kept telling me. “Please, Yernal. We don’t need any more death tonight. Just stand down.” The others started berating and mocking her while feeling around with their swords. The girl silently stepped aside each attempt, folded her hands, and pleaded that I do anything other than take the shot. The whole time, my crossbow was on her. I don’t wanna do this. I don’t, but...they’re gonna kill me. If I don’t, they’re gonna...I’m sorry...I’ll make it a clean shot. “VAREÉN!” The humans all spun around, blindly except for the girl’s case, to watch as this hulking orc woman made a straight charge for the mage’s friend. Out of instinct, I aimed my crossbow at her, but I was too slow. With a stiff shoulder, she sent me plummeting to the ground. One of my teeth began rattling around my mouth. “Glemerr!” The mage shouted in relief. The orc shouted in return as I jumped for my crossbow and got up to one knee, spitting out my loose tooth. That’s it, I thought blindly. If I kill the orc, maybe the guys will put in a word for me. Maybe Stalwart will give me another chance! I can do that! “Yernal!” But again, the mage screamed at me. I flinched, my conscience forcing me to listen. “Don’t do this!” From the scream, Greggs narrowed down where she was. He lunged, his sword whirling in a wide arc as Hunser rushed for the orc. That one was easier to listen for. Then, I saw her do it again. The mage lit her hand on fire, ducked past Greggs, and threw it straight at Hunser. The orc before herself. “Bwaaaah! BWAHHHH!” It wasn’t only his back. His entire torso illuminated the field around us. Maybe Greggs could’ve used that light to finally catch the mage, but he was too distracted watching his friend get incinerated. If that wasn’t bad enough, the wet sound of Hunser falling on his sword and impaling himself with it made all of us wad up in pain. “Thanks,” was all the orc had to say as she kept working on her friend’s wounds. The scorched man, feet away from her, didn’t faze her. The mage let out a shaky breath and stood at her full height. She looked remorseful. Like she regretted doing it. But then, she backed up and assessed the human in front of her. I exhaled, spat out some blood that built in my mouth, and dropped the crossbow. If I shoot either of them, the other would finish me off. I...I’m not doing it. I’m not dying here. I pulled myself back up to my feet, turned around, and broke into a run. “I just want you to know,” I heard the mage tell Greggs. Whatever she said next, I was too far to hear it. I didn’t want to hear it. I simply kept running. As fast as my stumpy legs allowed. I passed a couple of the others’ bodies before returning to the sight of the ambush. A collection of holes and corpses with tossed rocks and dirt all over the place. I was lucky at the time. I was towards the back of the group. Far enough that the Cortássian’s magic couldn’t reach. But even then, catching a rock to the cheek and having someone’s corpse slump against my leg hollowed out my courage as much as Stalwart’s crossbow leveled at my head. “No escape, devilkissed!” I slid to a halt, this time with the scream erupting out of the elf. It was craggy and dripping with venom. I was forced to turn and watch. All sounds of fighting at the tavern had halted. So too did the violin music that echoed out. Maybe that already happened, but the elf’s scream is what made me realize it. However, the quiet coupled well with the demonic purple glow still spilling out of the tavern. Stalwart was still alive. He looked beat to shit and desperate, but alive. He found himself back outside the bar and likely had to stomp over every Redbrand’s corpse to do it. And right behind him was every other outsider. None of them were dead. They looked ready to prove me wrong with so much as a light breeze, but there they were. Not only that, all the fear and command Stalwart held over the rest of us no longer existed. All his weight was on a single leg and his tail, while once always above the ground like a cat, was now dragging in the dirt and limp. He was fighting against the Cortássian’s vines that worked to drag him back face-to-face with the elf. Stalwart was screaming, roaring as he pulled his arms free from the vines. From what I remembered, her vines were covered in thorns. Sure, Stalwart had armor but so many of them had to be cutting into him. Especially as he writhed and yanked. “NO!” He declared. “I REFUSE!” With whatever angle he could, he cut through the last one or two pieces of vine that kept his sword bound and turned it in his hand. Then, with his other, he grabbed the Cortássian’s shoulder. I couldn’t see it myself, but it was pretty obvious by everyone’s expressions what he managed to do. A second later, the elf hit the ground and her vines went slack, releasing Stalwart save for a vine around his neck. “This is what you deserve,” he screeched, spitting on her body. “Filthy Cortássian!” The Dwarf and gnome tried to act, but Stalwart slammed his blade into the elf’s body further. He was in a craze. Ready to stab her as many times as he could. As he did, the vines convulsed. They tightened around Stalwart’s neck and strained his voice while he kept thrashing. One of them nearly wrapped across his wrist, but Stalwart caught it with his off-hand. “GET AWAY!” The Dwarf stormed, planting one foot into the earth beside her friend and swinging with all the force she could. Stalwart lost his shield at some point and his sword was stuck in the elf. He had nothing to defend himself with. Instead, I watched her hammer slam into his ribcage. His whole body flew back. All except for his head, still wrapped up. The vine became a noose, snapping Stalwart’s neck with enough force for me to hear the bones from over here. Although, aside from a chill running down my spine, I felt...relieved. A part of me was thankful. The scariest man in the entire lodge was lifeless in the dirt. The outsiders didn’t bother to check if he was dead. They didn’t care. They were swarming their Cortássian friend who had a sword in her stomach. They didn’t want this. I held my face, only now realizing I was crying. They didn’t want to kill any of us. We brought an army and they told US to surrender. Their ambush was a precaution. Let’s make him think she’s dead. He wouldn’t know better. He’s hysterical. I backed up further. There were no lights on me and I was far enough away that none of their darkvision would spot me. The only one who knew I got away was the mage. ...She knows I got away, I realized. They know I’m going back to the lodge. They won’t bother waiting for the guards. Stalwart made it personal. I gotta—I gotta get outta here! They’re coming for all of us! I watched the orc from before sprinting at top speed back into the Sleeping Giant’s purple light. She hurried to the Cortássian’s aid. She, the Dwarf, and the gnome were all crowding over her, tending to a dead woman. I didn’t keep watching. Before any of them somehow found me, I turned tail and sprinted up the path with a new purpose. I had to get out of here. I didn’t care about the Redbrands. This whole group was done for. Even if Glasstaff was still alive, what did it matter? The goblinoids outnumbered us now. If the outsiders, or Glasstaff, or that one-eyed freak didn’t kill us first, they would. We were the weakest now. The whole way up the path, I never slowed down. I had been up and down the path plenty of times. I had never run it this late in the day though. Every shadow or branch I ducked past had me throwing my head to the side or over my shoulder to make sure there wasn’t anything following me. No one can leave the lodge. Which means I can’t let him scare them off. How do I do it? Finally, heaving and stumbling up the last distance, the massive structure came into view. The lodge was a large, rectangular building, with massive double doors facing in the direction of the town below. I hefted up my knees, forcing myself up the cobblesteps before finally arriving at the landing where I could let myself tumble inside. Oh right. They have a snare. My boot slid against the stone, nudging something that was somewhat solid, yet still dragged with me for a second. But when I went to look dow— “YAAAAAAAAAARRGGGHH!” My body went weightless as my whole leg was dragged into the air by a thick rope clamped around my boot with the grip of a bear. My fingers skimmed the stonework, but that was on the way as, when the snare had finished its work, I was left three feet up off the ground. I watched Yernal struggle and twist for a minute while all his crossbow bolts and small baubles fell off of him and hit the ground beneath. Kind of like a bully in a cartoon shaking the nerd’s lunch money out of his pockets. There’s Redbrands inside. Definitely in the front room. They’d hear him screaming and come out. Twenty or so seconds later, the doors ahead of me were pushed open and three Redbrands had their weapons ready to stab at whatever triggered the snare. The one in the center, a woman named, I think, Rannie had a sword in one hand and a lantern in the other. It took a few seconds for their eyes to adjust. Being humans, they all relied on that lantern. And when they saw me, Rannie scoffed. “Ya gotta be kiddin’ me. Yernal? How do you set off the fuckin’ trap? You’re the one who resets it!” “Ah know, ah know, jus’ get me down! Quick!” I watched one of the others take the lantern and move towards the tree. “We might not got a lot a’ time!” Rannie blinked. “Time? Why, what happened?” Before I could answer, I saw her try to piece it together. “Wait. Do we got runners?! How many of ‘em skipped town before Stalwart an’ y’all got down there?!” “Nah, not runners. Wor—Woaaargghh!” I went weightless for a moment before landing hard jaw-first on the landing. Thankfully, I didn’t land on any of my bolts the wrong way. Another tooth might have gotten loose, but other than that I was fine. “Worse?” Rannie guessed my word. “Worse how?” “Th-They’re. They’re dead! All of ‘em! Stalwart, Rynelle, Tristen, an' Glaif. The only one left standing when I got away was Greggs, an’ that mage didnae look too keen keepin’ him alive! They’re all gone!” “Stalwart?” One of the others asked, incredulous. I didn’t know his name. There were plenty of folk I didn’t know here. “...Nah. No, that’s not possible. That demon skin’s too strong to die. I don’t care how strong that orc looked, not even she could match him.” “It weren’t the orc,” I said, voice cracking. “It was the Dwarven lass. Cracked her ‘ammer midway through his chest. His neck snapped! Ah ‘eard it myself! Swear ta Hephaestus, Ah did!” I scuttled up to my feet, grabbing a few of my effects I was more keen to hold onto. “We gotta tell the boss. They know ‘bout the skeletons! They sent word ta Agix! Magic words ta Agix! Said the Platinum Guard will know come mornin’! It ain’t safe no more!” Story Spinner’s POV Outside the Redbrands’ Hideout “Wait, that won’t work,” I muttered to myself. “If they tell Glasstaff, he’d cut his losses and run. No telling who a necromancer’s tied to in Canterlot City. No, they need to be caught before they do real damage.” I watched the world rewind itself a few seconds and then forced it to play again. Yernal scuttled up to his feet, taking a moment to tuck his crossbow bolts and effects in their rightful place. “Stalwart took out the Cortássian ‘fore he died! They’ll want blood long before we need ta worry ‘bout the Platinum Guard! We gotta start shorin’ up every defense we—” ⍙☍⌰⎐ ⌿⎅⋏⊑⎐ ⍾⍀ ⎐⊑⍾⎐⊑. ⍙☍⌰⎐ ☌⋉⎅⎍⟟ ⌰⎐ ⎅ ⎎⍀⋉⎅⎍☌. ⍙☍⌰⎐ ☌⋉⎅⎍⟟ ⌰⎐ ⌰⍾ ⍾⍀ ⌇⍀⎐⌰⍙⌰⍀⍾ ⍙⍀ ⟒⊑⎎⍀⌿⊑ ⎅ ⍜⊑⎅☌⊑⎍. ⍙☍⌰⎐ ☌⋉⎅⎍⟟ ☌⍀⊑⎐ ⍾⍀⍙ ⎎⎅⎍⊑ ⎅⟒⍀⌖⍙ ⍙☍⌰⎐ ⌇⍜⎅⎎⊑. ⍙☍⌰⎐ ☌⋉⎅⎍⟟ ☌⍀⊑⎐ ⍾⍀⍙ ⎎⎅⎍⊑ ⎅⟒⍀⌖⍙ ⍙☍⊑ ⎍⊑☌⟒⎍⎅⍾☌⎐. ⍙☍⌰⎐ ☌⋉⎅⎍⟟ ⋉⎅⍾⍙⎐ ⍙⍀ ⟟⍜⊑⊑. ⍙☍⌰⎐ ☌⋉⎅⎍⟟ ⌰⎐ ⎐⎎⎅⎍⊑☌ ⟟⍀⎍ ☍⌰⎐ ⍜⌰⟟⊑. ⍙☍⌰⎐ ☌⋉⎅⎍⟟ ⋏⍾⍀⋉⎐ ⍙☍⊑⏚ ⎎⎅⍾⍾⍀⍙ ⟟⌰⟊☍⍙ ⍙☍⊑ ⍀⌖⍙⎐⌰☌⊑⎍⎐. ⍙☍⌰⎐ ☌⋉⎅⎍⟟ ⋉⍀⌖⍜☌ ⍾⍀⍙ ⎐⎅⏚ ⍙☍⊑⎐⊑ ⍙☍⌰⍾⟊⎐ ⍙⍀ ⍙☍⊑⎐⊑ ⌇⊑⍀⌇⍜⊑. ⟊⍜⎅⎐⎐⍙⎅⟟⟟ ⋉⍀⌖⍜☌ ⍾⊑⊬⊑⎍ ⍜⌰⎐⍙⊑⍾ ⍙⍀ ⍙☍⌰⎐ ☌⋉⎅⎍⟟. ⍙☍⊑ ⟒⌖⟊⟒⊑⎅⎍⎐ ⋉⍀⌖⍜☌ ⍾⍀⍙ ⍜⌰⎐⍙⊑⍾ ⍙⍀ ⍙☍⌰⎐ ☌⋉⎅⎍⟟. ⍙☍⌰⎐ ☌⋉⎅⎍⟟ ⌰⎐ ⎅ ⍾⊑⋉ ⎅☌☌⌰⍙⌰⍀⍾ ⍙⍀ ⍙☍⊑ ⎍⊑☌⟒⎍⎅⍾☌⎐. ⍙☍⌰⎐ ☌⍀⊑⎐ ⍾⍀⍙ ⋉⍀⎍⋏. ⎐⍀⌿⊑⍙☍⌰⍾⟊ ⊑⍜⎐⊑ ⌿⌖⎐⍙ ☍⎅⌇⌇⊑⍾. ⍙☍⌰⎐ ⌰⎐ ⍾⍀⍙ ☍⍀⋉ ⊑⊬⊑⍾⍙⎐ ⋉⍀⌖⍜☌ ⌇⍜⎅⏚ ⍀⌖⍙.   ⍾⍀⍙ ⍙☍⌰⎐. ⍾⍀⍙ ⍙☍⌰⎐. ⍾⍀⍙ ⍙☍⌰⎐. ⍾⍀⍙ ⍙☍⌰⎐. ⍾⍀⍙ ⍙☍⌰⎐. ⍾⍀⍙ ⍙☍⌰⎐. ⍾⍀⍙ ⍙☍⌰⎐. I clutched my head, falling to my knees as every word replayed itself over and over again in my mind. Every reason. Every plot hole and factor that went into the motivation I’ve built up for this Dwarf so far both from Sunday now pounded in my head. It made me scream. Crying out in absolute agony while the words built up in my head. Pressuring my brain until it felt like my skull was either stretching or cracking against the force. It hurt. It hurt SO MUCH. And only when those last two words repeated like a stuttering movie did the pressure diminish. Two words. “⍾⍀⍙ ⍙☍⌰⎐.” O...Okay then, I told myself. Not this. Got it. I need to do something else. I waited until the words finished pounding against me and the pain faded before standing back up on my own two feet. The scene with Yernal and the Redbrands was suspended in time. It had reset to right before Yernal stood up once more. It doesn’t want me to contradict what I have, I interpreted. I guess this is what Sunset meant by ‘has to make sense.’ It needs to work. Make it make sense, Story. I focused back on Yernal and the others a third time and thought it out. Yernal thinks they’re screwed and wants to flee. If Glasstaff hears his account, Glasstaff would flee as well. He might even sacrifice the Redbrands or Bugbears to do it. In-fighting. Death not caused by the party. Death in real life. “I can’t let Yernal be the one to tell Glasstaff,” I said to myself. “I need a better messenger. Someone more...Oh. Right.” I remembered what happened last session and felt like an idiot. I even remember writing a note to myself Sunday night. I didn’t want all the magic nonsense to distract me from what was likely going to happen after. After taking a couple of seconds recalling what I planned in the first place, I restarted the scene. Yernal scuttled up to his feet, grabbing a few of his effects he held dear to himself. “Look! Ah dunno ‘bout all a’ you, but Ah’m gettin’ outta this town! They’re comin’ for us! Stalwart took out the Cortássian ‘fore they finished him off. And they seemed pretty tight-knit. This ain’t about some do-gooders anymore! He made it personal!” “You did not just say that,” Rannie sneered at him. At the same time, the others turned to aim their swords at his throat. “You know that’s not a choice. We all know what Glasstaff does. There’s no lying on that. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not sharing a cell with a batshit necromancer.” “Woah, woah, hey now. L-Let’s take a breath for a moment,” he backpedaled, keeping track of the three of them as they surrounded him. “Why would Ah tell a soul?! Ah tell anyone that Ah know a necromancer, a-a-an’ Ah’m rattlin’ on myself! An’ Ah don’t want a cell as much as the lotta ya! But take stock of our blessin’s fer a moment!” One of the others grunted behind him, tightening the grip on his sword. “What blessings?! We live in a rundown elf house! And we’re hunting for scraps of food every day!” “An’ we don’t have ta anymore,” I told him. “Who’s left ta stop us?! Anbera’s outta the picture, Stalwart’s dead, Glasstaff stays cooped up ‘less someone bothers ‘em, and our numbers got cleaved in half in a single night! What stops us from ditchin’ Glasstaff and leavin’ without anybody the wiser?!” “I can think of somebody.” All four of them went still. From the forest, passing by me without a single leaf rustling against them, was another figure. Its appearance didn’t startle me. Instead, what threw me off was Applejack’s voice speaking out. All of them turned in our direction, shining the lantern, and aiming their swords, to see who it was. Even Yernal took a second to pull his out. And when they spotted Platick stepping into the light, they were simply confused. None of them had seen Platick before. None of the Redbrands knew about Platick. He was a bland-looking human among a group of peculiar individuals. The rumors skipped him entirely. Although, what made it even weirder was how Platick looked. He was coated in blood and blue ichor, stained across him, his clothes, and his once boring cloak. He wore no armor, and clutched a fat brass dagger in one hand, lazily hanging at his side like a drunkard holding a bottle. However, in his other hand was a set of crystal blue glasses that Platick was holding out in front of him. The Redbrands seemed to recognize them and immediately lowered their weapons. “You.” Rannie put her sword away. “What happened to you?” “None of your business,” Platick told them. “If I’m going to talk to anyone, it’ll be your boss.” Then, he stared at Yernal. “And you. You should be dead with the others.” “There. The-There was nothin’ Ah coulda done,” Yernal lied. “They killed everyone. They killed Stalwart! Ah had ta get outta there! Ah was lucky Ah got outta there! Stalwart killed the Cortá—” “I heard you the first time,” Platick cut him off. “And that wasn’t any Cortássian. Any of you hear about The Thorn Wielder?” After some short deliberation, I had all four of them shake their heads. Yernal was a clueless Dwarf and the other three were short-lived humans that didn't care about Cortás. None of them would have. “Right. Forget it.” Platick rolled his eyes. “Take me to Glasstaff. If he’s asleep, wake him. He needs to know what we’re dealing with. And while we’re at it.” Platick pointed his dagger at Yernal. “Grab ‘em.” “What?” Yernal tried to back up, but Rannie and the other Redbrands obeyed Platick. They grabbed at his arms, locking him in place despite his best attempts otherwise. “W-Wait, hang on! Th-This ain’t fair! Ah. Ah-Ah gotta speak ta Glasstaff too! Yeah, that’s it! Ah gotta tell ‘em what Ah know ‘bout them, outsiders!” “I don’t think you do.” Platick walked up, now turning the dagger towards Yernal’s direction. “I guarantee that you have nothing I don’t already.” “No, no, seriously!” Yernal kept trying. “Ah saw the mage woman up close! Ah saw what kinda spells she did! Ah could probably help Glasstaff figure out what spell the mage ca—” “The mage,” Platick cut him off again. “Is named Stostine Swordhand; a nobleman’s daughter and a naturally gifted sorceress. And she mostly relies on Fire Bolts. A standard of hers, from what I can tell.” “You.” Yernal went quiet for a moment. “You know the mage’s name?” “I know all their names,” he told the Dwarf. “I know how they fight, why they’re here, and what they want. What they actually want. Which means all you are is a problem.” Platick looked to the others. “Stuff him somewhere. But keep him alive. I’ll deal with him later.” They obeyed, grabbing Yernal’s arms and dragging him against the stonework until he was past the threshold of the lodge. The entire way he started kicking and screaming, drawing the attention of the other dozen or so Redbrands that had now gathered in the main room of the lodge among all the commotion. Halfway across the room, Yernal wrenched himself free and stood with the last of his dignity against Platick. “Please, just let me leave! They’re coming fer us! Ah know it! We’re all dead if we stay here! Ah don’t wanna die, man! And neither do any of you! Ah know it!” Platick scoffed. “You should be hoping they come. Far as I care, their bleeding hearts are your only chance of living past the week.” Yernal looked around at all the other Redbrands. None of them seemed interested in taking his side. All of them knew how threatening Stalwart was, but that still didn’t dissuade them. Instead, it had the opposite effect. Whether out of pride or desire to prove themselves, they didn’t seem interested in letting the outsiders win. Yernal saw this across each of their faces. The sneers towards him or the desire to prove these mages and try hard mercenaries wrong was obvious to each of them. And from every face Yernal saw, it dawned on him who he had surrounded himself with. “Yer all mad,” he muttered in Dwarven. “Nothin’ but lunatics, the lot.” Rannie stepped forward and again grabbed Yernal’s arm. Yernal didn’t resist, but he kept shouting. “All their mages are still alive! It took half of us ta take one of ‘em down!” But they didn’t care. Instead, one of the Redbrands let out a laugh. “So what?! No way the rest of ‘em ain’t without their licks!” “We don’t let magic freaks live!” Another roared. “We’ll be ready for ‘em!” “I’d like ta see that orc throw ‘ands when we chop ‘em off!” “They won’t get away with killing Rynelle!” “There were two elves, yeah?! Ah’ll see them both bleedin’ before Ah start runnin’!” “Strong adventurers like them gotta have coin, aye?” “It woulda gone a lot different had I went with ‘em down there!” The lodge fell into an uproar. Greed, wrath, pride, and any mix of the three sins sent every bandit into a frenzy. Yernal kept calling out and begging to let him go, but he was cut out as Platick stepped up onto a table to earn the crowd’s attention. “What they managed was luck and surprise,” Platick told them. “Those outsiders set up traps and waited for Stalwart to show up. He didn’t know what magic he was up against. They were sorely unprepared. And it was luck they pulled anything off!” I took the time to walk inside as Platick talked up the crowd. Every compliment he gave the bandits or insult he threw at Stalwart and their failed allies rallied them more. And in the midst of all of it, I let myself look across the lodge itself. It didn’t care what they said. It was all noise at this point. Run of the mill ‘rally the troops’ tropes and cliches. Not my best work, I suppose, I told myself. Then again, the girls are never gonna see this. And I’m not about to write a speech for imaginary grunts. I looked past the crowd and towards the stairwell where Yernal was being dragged down. He was going to be brought to the basement, through a set of brass doors, and into a cell. The cell and heavy doors that were reflected with Aloe and Lotus at that bunker. The same setup, I realized. I’m throwing someone else into another terrible circumstance. But now, I’m doing it on purpose. I closed my eyes, focused, and opened them only to find myself in the jail room of the Redbrands’ Hideout. By this point, I had been following Yernal from the ambush fight back in Phandalin. I did this a few times now. The three Redbrands that dragged him here were taking a ring of keys off a hook in the wall. Yernal had given up struggling at this point. On the way down, they removed his red cloak. He knew what would happen to him if he tried running out of here without it. “You shoulda kept your mouth shut, Yernal,” Rannie told him, unlocking and opening the creaky cell door. Inside of it was one other prisoner. A woman wearing a ratty, gray tunic was chained to the wall by an iron cuff around her neck. She looked up while the Redbrands tossed the traitor onto the filthy floor inside and slammed the cell door. Yernal didn’t bother standing back up. He simply rolled over and looked at them. “You gotta believe me! They’re comin’. Stalwart kicked the nest with ‘em. Anyone who stays here’s a dead man!” One of the other Redbrands chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry. We believe you. We’re just not dumb enough to say it out loud.” “Yeah. That was where you fucked up,” Rannie told him. “If you kept your mouth shut, you could’ve probably skipped town. There might be some crazies upstairs, but enough of us still got our heads.” I crossed my arms as I watched this. I’m not telling them to think or say any of this. If the people they’re connected to in real life are even half this messed up, I’d rather they get caught or dealt with by the party. Yernal stood up and wrapped his hands around the bars. “Then take me with you! Please! I want to live. I don’t deserve this!” “Not happening,” Rannie told him. “Everyone here knows you’re a coward. The cutthroats and the amateur mage hunters up there would cut down anyone who so much as plays nice with you. You signed your own death.” They walked out and left him to rot, taking the lantern with them. To the four human prisoners, they were once again left blind. To Yernal, he was stuck in monochrome. The game plans on letting some Redbrands run away, I thought as Yernal slumped to the ground. I mean, is that the worst thing? If they walk off, they’re no longer part of the game. They fade into the void. Or do they? I had an entire world running around on autopilot every time the girls played. Tens of thousands of people lived in Leodaav, and that was low-balling it. And it’s not like everything’s business as usual every day for everyone else. Things would happen. I decided that I didn’t know what the best play was here. I wasn’t going to figure it out the first time running through here. And it felt like I had been in here for a couple hours now. I had been testing things out and running through events. Most of it was spent watching events play out like this. I felt like a director. Like these were my actors and I was writing the script in real time. The girls would be my audience and the results in the real world would be the reviews. How my messed-up performance would be accepted. It was weird. On one hand, I knew firsthand now what this was doing to people. The dangers they were falling in because of what I did. But this looked like the best I could do for now. We had to keep playing and that meant I had to prepare. Still, a part of me felt a little excited. An entire world, built as I envisioned. I could tell whatever stories I wanted to. I could probably put together whatever scenarios I wanted, enjoy a giant blockbuster movie, and then scrap the idea the moment it reached the end. Like it never happened. I already did too. Yernal wasn’t the first person I worked on. He was the fourth, actually. Another actor in my play. I just used him to set up the Redbrands for the next game. Just used him...an actor. Huh. I put my hand to my head. Let’s not get too carried away. He still reflects somebody in real life. I took a breath, closed my eyes, and reappeared back in Phandalin outside the Sleeping Giant. The girls’ characters were all right where we left them; scattered across the field. They were the only things I couldn’t manipulate. They and the space around them were stuck in time. “I think that’s more than enough for now,” I said, glancing over the characters. “Although.” I felt around the back of my head. There was no scar. No bandages. No pain. Whatever pain or injuries I had in the real world didn’t follow me here. Same with the medicines the hospital gave me. I sighed. “I hope it doesn’t hit me all at once. Otherwise, it’s gonna suck coming back and forth from here.” I closed my eyes and focused one more time. I wasn’t sure if it would work this way, but I started picturing the hospital. Then, myself lying in the padded bed and the annoying beeping machines. I pictured Mom passed out in the chair in the corner and the touch of the blankets catching on my skin every time I moved. It took a little longer than a second. After what felt like ten or so seconds and trying out some mantras and the like, I finally got it to work. I opened my eyes. My real eyes. And I was back in the hospital. The pain throbbed against my skull and the medicine made my body feel a whole lot more numb. Like I was afraid of, all the pain and misery crashed against me. “All at once! All at once! Argh, it’s all at once!” I twisted in pain, trying not to move my head and pull on the stitches from underneath the bandages. And after maybe four minutes of it, I finally got to a point where the pain became manageable. When I could relax, I noticed the window of my room. The morning light poured against the blinds. I went into my world sometime around 1 AM. After checking my phone, it was now 7:48 AM. However long I was in there, was however long passed in real life. Mom was out of the room at this point. Probably to check on Button. He wasn’t left at home alone or anything. Fluttershy’s family offered to let him crash there for the night. Mom thought it’d be better than having him sleep in an uncomfortable chair in the hospital on a school night. So, the room was to myself for now. Probably for the best, I didn’t want anyone worrying about me writhing in pain. Besides, I didn’t feel all too alone. Especially with the collection of gifts that were left for me. Set up on a small table across from the bed was a vase of flowers with a small plushie of a bear holding a D20. It wasn’t only a bear though. It looked like someone had replaced the bear’s head with an owl’s, complete with tiny plastic eyes and a goofy hooked beak. Then, beside the flower vase were three small cases of mystery D&D minis. A whole care package set up with the words ‘Get well soon’ on a card set up in front of it all. As if all that wasn’t enough, on the tray table beside me was one last thing. An envelope with a pink wax seal keeping it closed. On the front of the card was ‘Get Well Soon!’ written in this fantastical calligraphy. I smiled. She got better at it. When did Pinkie have the time for this? I reached over and carefully snapped the wax off without breaking it to find a letter that looked pretty close to legit parchment inside. And like the outside, it too was written in this fantasy penmanship. Hey Story! We all wanted to say thank you for helping out with Aloe and Lotus yesterday. We wanted to come check on you last night, but it was pretty late when we left to go home ourselves. And we wanted to give you a care package! We understand if, after everything you had to go through, you wanted to step back for a little while and rest. Yesterday was tough on all of us. But more than anything, don’t give up on what you like doing just because of what’s going on. Give it some time and we’ll have all of this mess out of your game! P.S. If that mean Nothic gets any ideas, we got you an owlbear! His name’s Hootrawr! Pinkie was trying to fantasy-ify a get-well-soon gift and now we all know what they are. P.S.S We will NEVER fight an owlbear! Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie have all decided that if you put one in front of us, we WILL make it our friend! Get well soon! -The Sonic Rainbooms That same smile from before didn’t leave my face. All it did was get directed back at ‘Hootrawr’ over there. “Huh. I take it you’re our club’s new mascot then?” It stared back at me, its plastic button eyes full of pride. I clicked my tongue before carefully refolding the parchment and putting it back on the table. “Well then. Welcome to the team, Hootrawr. Your résumé has impressed us and we expect great things from you.” Hootrawr said nothing, instead letting his actions do all the talking. Just then, I heard a knock at my door. “Uh, Story? Are you awake? Can I come in?” I know that voice. “Sure, come in.” The door was out of sight from my hospital bed, but I still heard it. And, a couple seconds later, Twilight walked into view. She didn’t look her best at this point. She looked drained not out of lack of sleep but out of mental exhaustion. Although, given where we were, a lack of sleep might not be impossible either. She was in sweatpants and a regular shirt; clothes more meant for comfort than an ‘upstanding student’ like usual. Twilight’s eyes quickly fell on the flowers and Hootrawr on my table. It made her smile a little. “Looks like Pinkie got you a care package too.” “And incredibly personalized. You?” She smiled. “Some books that I’ve mentioned off-hand and all the flowers are made out of paper. I’m still trying to understand when she has time for all of this.” I chuckled. “Same thought. I think I've passed the whole ‘this can’t be possible’ idea at this point. It’s just impressive at this point.” She nodded. “It’s definitely impressive, but I’m not quite there yet. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.” I stared at her for a few seconds as both myself and Hootrawr were at a loss for how she could think that. “...You have a talking dog.” Twilight looked over her shoulder for a second, then went back and closed the door. “Okay, point taken. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to take anything unexplainable for granted. Especially with how everything’s turned out lately.” I took a second to think back over the last couple days. “Yeah. It feels like none of us have a good handle on this.” Twilight didn’t have anything to add to that. “Say, um. You were the newest person before me, right? How much are you used to it all?” She opened her mouth to answer but closed it for a few seconds. “Not too much, honestly. The girls are all terrific friends and they’ve told me about what they know. And having Spike nearby has made adjusting to magic all the easier. But I’m not going to pretend I know any more than they do.” Twilight watched me react for a few seconds before she looked guilty. “Sorry if that wasn’t what you were looking for.” “No, it’s not that.” I shook my head. “I know I shouldn’t expect the full story. Especially after what I did. But even after you all came clean to me about the magic, it felt like I was still at arm’s length, you know? Like I still wasn’t worth trusting at the time.” Twilight walked past my bed and sat down in the open chair. “I think, in a way, I’m to blame for that.” “I wouldn’t be too sure,” I told her. “I haven’t exactly been easy to work with on any of this.” “No, I mean, I think I’m the reason that. Th-That..." Twilight trailed off, suddenly lost in thought. “Twilight?” I sat up. Twilight was tearing up all of a sudden. Oh crap, it’s happening. “Twilight. Twilight!” “H-Huh?” Twilight’s eyes refocused and, with tears streaming out of her eyes, she clutched and shook her head. It took her a few seconds, but eventually Twilight snapped herself out of it. “Urgh! It keeps...arrggghhhh...I-I’m good. I. I’m okay now. Thank you.” “Y-Yeah,” I said, definitely not believing her. “Maybe we should change the subject.” “No.” Twilight patted the sides of her face a few times and wiped the rest of the tears away. “No, it’s getting easier. I think. Sunset said you mentioned how reliving the memory makes the reaction weaker. I practiced with Mr. Prism’s math te—t-test. His. Math. Test,” she forced, fighting through the daze. “It’s mostly worked. That was one of the other reasons I wanted to talk to you. If it’s alright, would you mind listening to me walk through a few things?” I shrugged. “Not at all. Besides, I’m stuck here too. We’ll probably get discharged in the afternoon, if at all, today.” “I really hope so. There’s too much going on for us to stay here.” Twilight sat up in her chair and took a couple of breaths. “So. Erm. I know that you’re still getting used to all the magic from your game. But something that’s making me blank out is from when I first found the magic. Do you really not mind letting me talk through it?” I watched her for a second. Through the bags in her eyes and the sluggish attention, she had this guilt hanging over her. Whatever the memory was, it was making her cry. My first instinct told me that reliving this was going to be hard for her. But that wasn’t it. She looked guilty towards me. Twilight never did anything wrong before. There was no reason to be upset. And, over the last few days, I had been forced to commit multiple crimes, put dead center of high-school drama, and forced to endure magical nonsense from a nerd game. “Twilight,” I said with a smile. “I genuinely do not think anything you say will be a problem. I’ll listen to whatever you want to talk through.” She appreciated that and thanked me. And after a few breaths and blanking out as she collected her thoughts, Twilight wiped away the tears and began. She started with the odd readings she was getting from the girls’ magic. How she tracked down the source of it to Canterlot High and her former principal, Principal Cinch, blackmailing her into entering a contest for a referral to some extracurricular thing. Then, meeting and somehow sapping the girls of their magic. Throughout all of it, I couldn’t help but ask questions. And Twilight blanked out a couple of times answering but still did her best. But then, she describes these rifts. Portals from another world by the sound of it. And I stayed quiet from there on out. She told me about the vines bursting out of the ground. Magic splitting between this world and another. Sapping more magic with her little makeup mirror disc. And then more stuff going haywire. Up until what Twilight described as ‘Midnight Sparkle.’ That’s where the most blanking out happened. The doctors came in at one point, seeing Twilight in tears and asking if everything was okay. We couldn’t tell them the truth obviously, and Twilight was still trying to come to her senses, so I covered for her until she was okay to keep going. Once Twilight had gone through it enough times, she managed to fight off the Nothic problem and explain how the girls helped snap her out of it. How they saved a bunch of other students from falling into rifts that she created and how they made her feel welcome. And then, there was one other thing she let slip. The other Twilight. One that ran out of a rift that was supposed to be there. One from another world and was royalty. Royalty. Another world. Another Twilight. And where there's another Twilight... “Story?” Twilight blinked, watching as I stared down at my bed blankly. “Um. Are you alright? I know it was a lot to go over. And you likely have other questions.” I took a slow breath. I did. I had a lot more questions. Ones that Sunset made me promise never to ask. So instead, I held my face in my hand. “N-No,” I lied. “No, not really questions. More like...it’s a lot. Like you said. It’s...yeah.” Twilight gave me this sympathetic smile. I felt like I was going to be sick.