//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Let Me Tell You About My Character // by Tumbleweed //------------------------------// The Shake Shack bustled with after-school activity, as the students of Canterlot High bustled and socialized and otherwise gulped down the massive amounts of sugar required for the operation of a normal teenager. Seven girls sat in a corner booth, and chatted over their milkshakes and ice cream. “Guys.” Rainbow Dash said. “Check this out. I can totally tie a knot in this cherry stem.” “Why would ya wanna do that?” Applejack said. “With my mouth.” “That didn't answer my question.” “I know why!” Pinkie Pie said, and with a knowing giggle, leaned over to murmur something into Applejack's ear. The cowgirl's jaw dropped, and her cheeks turned the color of a red delicious. “That just ain't right.” “Seriously! I can do it! Watch!” Rainbow Dash plucked the cherry from the top of her milkshake and popped it into her mouth. She rolled the tiny fruit around in her mouth for a moment, and furrowed her brow in stern concentration. A moment later, Rainbow Dash began to sputter and clutch at her neck as she started to turn purple. “Oh! Oh no!” Fluttershy gasped from where she sat next to Rainbow Dash. She immediately wrapped her arms around Rainbow Dash's midsection, clasped her hands together, and pulled as hard as she could. With a “hork!” from Rainbow Dash, the cherry sailed neatly out of her mouth, and across the booth. Sunset Shimmer ducked out of the way, and the little red sphere bounced off the back of the seat, and back onto the table. “Huh.” Pinkie Pie leaned over to peer at the cherry. “You forgot to tie the knot, Rainbow!” Rainbow Dash heaved in a few desperate, needy breaths, and then held up a finger. “That one didn't count. Lemme try again.” “NO.” Everyone save Pinkie and Rainbow Dash said in unison. Just for good measure, they all pulled their own milkshakes closer to themselves. “Aw, c'mon! That was just an accident! I can totally do it!” “We believe you.” Fluttershy said. “I don't.” Applejack said. “But I ain't gonna let you get yerself killed over somethin' that stupid.” “I'm not gonna die.” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, Fluttershy saved me!” She draped one arm around her friend's shoulders. “If it gets really bad, she can just mouth to mouth me back to life or something!” “Mouth?” Fluttershy paled, and tried to shrink down into her turtleneck. “To mouth?” “Sure! You're all first aid certified, right?” “Yes. But. Um. I don't like it when my friends get hurt, so I kinda hope I never have to use it. So. Um. Maybe you could … not choke on anything, instead?” “Aw, c'mon!” Rainbow Dash squeezed Fluttershy's shoulders tighter. “It's gonna take more than a little cherry to stop me! After all the monsters and wizards and magic stuff, who knows what we're gonna fight next?” Rainbow Dash paused, and then added on. “Seriously, Twilight, what are we gonna fight next? I'm getting bored.” “Hm?” Twilight looked up from her tablet, which had captured her attention all through the cherry choking incident. “You did that magic-predicting math thing, right? So fill us in, what's the next crazy adventure we're going on?” “Er, about that … “ Twilight Sparkle scratched at the back of her head. “According to my calculations and observations, we're clear for the next few weeks.” Sunset Shimmer smiled. “It'll be nice not to have to worry about any magical disasters for awhile.” “You say nice, I say boring.” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “Are you sure there's not any magic happening? Lemme see.” She reached across the table and neatly plucked Twilight's tablet out of her fingers. “Hey!” Twilight Sparkle made a grab for it, but Rainbow Dash was too fast for her. Immediately, the purple haired girl began to blush. “You can't-- I mean, that's not … I mean, I'll be happy to show you the data, Rainbow, if you please give me my tablet.” “Whoa. You okay?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head to the side. “I didn't mean to get all grabby there. Didn't know it meant so much to you.” “It's just … I was looking at something private.” Twilight said, and held out her hand. “Which is why I will appreciate it very much if you give that back to me right now.” The wheels began to turn in Rainbow Dash's head. “It's not porn, is it?” She held the tablet loosely, not looking at the screen just yet. “What? No!” Twilight said. “Because it's totally cool if it is porn, even though this prooooobably isn't the best place to look at it.” “It's not porn!” Twilight said. “If it's tasteful, you can call it 'erotica.'” Fluttershy murmured. “It's not tasteful!” Twilight blurted. “Uh.” Rainbow Dash held the tablet out at arm's length, attempting to keep as little contact with it as possible. “You can have it back, then. Don't need to see what kind of freaky stuff you're into.” Twilight seized her tablet and clutched it to her chest with both arms, protecting it from the curious eyes of her friends. “It's. Not. Porn.” “We believe you.” Sunset Shimmer laid a hand on Twilight's shoulder. She paused, and scanned the faces of the other girls at the table. “I believe you, at least. We just want to make sure you're okay. You're … kind of freaking out a little.” “It's okay. I'm okay.” Twilight waved one hand in the air. “It's … a long story.” “Woo, storytime!” Pinkie Pie said. “You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Twilight.” Sunset Shimmer squeezed Twilight's shoulder reassuringly. “The cat's half out of the bag already.” Twilight said, “I should probably come clean before you guys think of something even crazier.” “Ooooh, oooh!” Pinkie Pie raised her hand with an eagerness she rarely showed in class. “I know! You're really some kind of brilliant super-criminal mastermind who's been stealing all kinds of diamonds and paintings and stuff, but it's okay because you're like one of those “steal from the rich and give to the poor” criminals! I really hope you're that kind of thief 'cuz then you could loan me five bucks so I could get another milkshake!” “It's not that, Pinkie,” said Twilight. “Aw. I really wanted that milkshake.” “I think you've had enough sugar, Pinkie.” Applejack said. “So ...” Twilight Sparkle slumped down in her seat and fiddled with her fingers, nervous. “You know how I told you that you guys were the first real friends I ever had?” “Yeah?” Sunset Shimmer said. “Well. Um. That's not entirely true.” “Whoa!” Rainbow Dash said, leaning forward. “Does that mean you went off saving the world and shooting friendship lasers and stuff before you met us?” “Not exactly, no. I mean, uh. You guys are my first real, uh, real life friends, I guess?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head to the side. “Is this where you tell us you've been talking to your imaginary friends and hope we don't call you crazy? Cause we're not gonna call you crazy. Pinkie Pie talks to herself all the time.” “It's true!” Pinkie Pie said. “No, it's not that. It's just that these friends were … “ Twilight bit her lip and sunk lower still, until she was only visible from the nose up. “They're from the internet.” “So you know a bunch of robots?” Rainbow Dash said. “No, they're not robots.” Twilight Sparkle said. “At least, um, they're probably not robots. I've … just never met any of them face to face. Ever. We don't really share personal details very often. Or, uh, ever, in my case. Safety, and all that.” “That's important!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “I heard that if you talk about yourself too much on the internet, someone will come and throw a catfish at you! I wonder why it's a catfish specifically? Do you think it's 'cause it's cheaper than tuna? But if that was it, then people would just be throwing cod at each other … “ Pinkie Pie rubbed at her chin as she thought. “I don't think that's how that works.” Applejack said. “Then how does it work?” Pinkie Pie said. “Beats me. We ain't got fancy internet back at the farm.” “I think we're missing the point.” Rarity reached over and patted Twilight on the head. “The important thing is, Twilight, there's nothing wrong with making a few pen pals, no? Provided, of course, they're not hounding you for indecent pictures of yourself.” Rarity paused, and her friendly smile grew tighter, fiercer. “They're not hounding you for indecent pictures, are they?” “What, no!” Twilight pushed herself up from her hiding spot. “Good.” Rarity said, primly. “We're just looking out for you, Twilight.” “Here's what I don't get.” Applejack idly stirred the last dregs of her milkshake with a straw. “How'd ya even start e-mailin' these folk in the first place?” “Uh. Yeah. About that.” Twilight said. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. “Have … any of you guys ever heard of ChronoQuest?” Twilight opened her eyes, and frowned. “Alright, judging by that awkward silence, I'm gonna guess the answer is 'no.'” “So what is it?” Sunset Shimmer asked. “It's a game. A role playing game.” “Wait.” Rainbow Dash squinted, “like Oubliettes and Ogres?” “That's the one most people have heard of, yes.” “So … you sit around in a basement and roll funny looking dice and pretend to be wizards?” “Kind of?” Twilight said, and pushed her glasses further up her nose. “There are some key differences. For one, Oubliettes and Ogres is based around a fantasy theme, which is fine, where ChronoQuest is more science fiction. Not very hard sci-fi, but the main game is still centered around time travel. On top of that, ChronoQuest is geared more towards Live Action than tabletop play. Think less 'board game' and more 'improv theater.'” “Theater?” A familiar glint began to show in Rarity's eyes. “Does that mean there are costumes?” “Sometimes, sure.” Twilight said. “It all depends on the character.” Rarity wiggled her fingers in eager anticipation. “Do go on.” “Right.” Twilight nodded. “So Blanco Lobo, the company that makes ChronoQuest, kind of revolutionized the role playing game industry when they first released the game. By focusing on a more narrative and interpersonal style of play, instead of the 'kill things and take their stuff' model of O and O, they were able to draw in a much wider audience than the standard RPG market. Not to mention the time travel aspect of the game allows a player to pretty much play any kind of character they'd want to, instead of a set couple of swords and sorcery archetypes.” Twilight realized how fast she'd been talking, and tensed her shoulders. “Sorry. I … I don't get to talk about ChronoQuest very often. Sometimes I get a little too excited.” “It's fine.” Sunset Shimmer smiled. “We've all got our own interests and hobbies. It's nothing to be ashamed of.” “I'm not ashamed. It's just … awkward.” Twilight said, fiddling with her glasses. “This is a part of my life I haven't told anyone about before.” “Sunset's right.” Applejack said, grinning. “That weren't half as bad as when Rarity spends half an hour talkin' 'bout them fancy underpants that make your butt look big.” “The term is bustle.” Rarity said. “Besides, it's not as if you're one to talk. Remember the time you lectured me for hours on the differences between apple varieties?” “Hey, that kinda stuff's important.” “More important than fashion?” “Ya can't eat fashion, sugarcube.” “Well … “ Rarity mused, “there was that one time with Sapphire Shores at an awards show, but … well, eating that likely would have been unsanitary.” “I still don't get it.” Rainbow Dash leaned forward in her seat a little. “I thought this was like a board game? Like, don't you need other people in the basement?” “That's actually the interesting part.” Twilight said. “As ChronoQuest has a very robust online structure. You can play a game with just your friends, absolutely. But at the same time, you can also play in a network of other games. They're all tied together, so you can take your character from one game and play them in another. Or, if there's not a linked game in your area, you can also play in special online venues that are still tied into the national plot. They're run in special chatrooms. They kinda even taught me how to type fast.” “How long have you been doing this, Twilight?” “I started a couple of years ago, before I met any of you. It … it was a way for me to meet people and socialize without … um, really meeting people and socializing. Not to mention the game itself, which is really engrossing. I've been playing the same character since the beginning of the chronicle, and it's really interesting to see how things have played out. Especially now that the Endpoint Nexus is showing signs of succumbing to Flux, which could mean the collapse of the entire Quantum Collective. I've been trying to get The Council of Eons to notice, but there's only so much I--” Twilight abruptly stopped, and hugged her tablet to her chest again. “Sorry. I was gushing again, wasn't I?” “Just for the record,” Rainbow Dash said, “this is just a pretend disaster you're going on about, and not a real one?” “Exactly.” Rainbow Dash snapped her fingers. “Dang.” “There's only so much I can do online, though. The real action's going to be at ChronoCon.” Twilight said. Sensing her friends' confusion, she added on, “ChronoCon is a big gathering the fans have once a year where they get together, and, well … play ChonoQuest. And socialize. And maybe have a room party.” “A room party? How's that work? Every party is held in a room! Unless you party outside. Which is pretty fun until the Park Ranger comes by and tells you to stop dancing in the fountain and put your pants back on.” “Er, it's … basically a party in a hotel room, Pinkie.” Twilight said. Pinkie tapped the side of her chin with her fingers, thoughtful. “I can work with that.“ “Not that I'd know firsthand, honestly. I've never been to a regular live game, much less ChronoCon.” “Where do they have ChronoCon, anyway?” “It rotates from region to region, but … they're actually having ChronoCon in town this year.” Twilight admitted. “There ya go!” Rainbow Dash said, “You can totally go do your nerd stuff in person, this time!” “I've thought about it.” Twilight Sparkle pushed her glasses further up her nose. “But it's still kind of intimidating. I mean, I'll know … some of the people there, or at least their characters, but I bet there will be even more of them I don't know, since I've never been to one of these before, and I'd hate to go to something as big as ChronoCon only to suddenly get all anxious and shy and hide in a corner the whole time.” “What if we go with you?” Sunset Shimmer asked. “You know, for moral support?” “You'd do that?” Twilight said. “Of course!” Sunset Shimmer gestured to the other girls at the table. “Sure, it's … unconventional, but it sounds like this ChronoQuest thing could be fun.” “The costuming would present a unique challenge.” Rarity's eyes gleamed. “Not to mention room parties!” Pinkie Pie said. “Pretending to save the world isn't as cool as actually saving the world, but I guess it's better than just sitting around watching TV.” Rainbow Dash said. “Say.” Applejack pushed the brim of her hat up. “When is this big schindig of yours, anyway?” “Um.” Twilight said. “That's the other thing. It's this weekend.” “That's not so bad.” Sunset Shimmer said. “I mean, I didn't have any definite plans. This is obviously important to you, so we're going to do everything we can to make sure you have a great time. Isn't that right?” She turned to the other girls at the table, who nodded their eager agreement. “Are you sure? I mean, ChronoQuest isn't exactly for everyone … “ “We're sure.” Sunset said. Twilight's mouth turned up in a relieved grin. “Thank you. Thank all of you.” “No problem!” Rainbow Dash held up a finger. “One thing, though?” “What's that?” Twilight asked. “How do you play this nerd game of yours again?”