Thorax's Visit to Ponyville

by origami

Day 1 - Spike's Game

We headed back to the castle and had our late lunch. Spike had used some of the potion Twilight and Zecora made in a loaf of bread that everyone tried. The bread, and love, were both equally delicious.

Just as Twilight had said happened to her, everypony at the table seemed to have more energy and were in rather high spirits. My senses also told me that there may have been some amorous emotions to go along with the more upbeat mood, especially between Fluttershy and Big Macintosh.

I'd have to give Twilight a warning about this then; the increase in amorous feelings could cause the pony to engage in acts they wouldn't in normal circumstances, and may come to regret later.

After lunch, Spike invited me to come back to his room with Big Macintosh, where I was inducted into the game known as Ogres and Oubliettes, or O&O for short. Apparently, the way to play was for me to make up a character and pretend to be this character through the course of the game.

My character would join Spike and Big Mac's characters and travel around in the fictional world, engaging in fights with monsters and discovering lost castles and dungeons where we were to find loot that we could keep or sell.

For my first campaign, Spike and Big Mac accompanied me along on a quest that they'd already completed, and was also recommended for players just beginning to play the game. It involved traveling to a cave where a dragon that was threatening a village lived, and after doing the campaign my way, which involved convincing the dragon to leave the village and move on, my character was rewarded with a portion of the dragon's hoard and some experience, which I still didn't quite understand how to use yet.

In truth, I didn't understand much about the game and how it was played; Spike and Big Mac had to help me during pretty much every turn I took. However, seeing the happy look and feeling the love my dragon friend had for the game spurred me on, and we began a second campaign that was more involved than the first.

In this one, a village had called all of us to help capture a thief that had broken into some homes and stole some valuable possessions. The constable was unable to travel to the thief's hideout to apprehend them, and agreed to pay us a bounty if we succeeded.

We'd gotten to the cage to find out that the thief was part of a larger party of bandits that had been plaguing the countryside. Descending into their lair, we were met by not only the bandits, but several monsters they'd managed to enslave with a dark magic artifact.

My attempts at diplomacy were quickly defeated by a dice roll, so I changed my strategy after that to staying towards the back of our group and offering my potions to my friend and Big Macintosh, something Spike referred to as "being a support character". The two friends used their spells and combat abilities to defeat the remainder of the bandits and work all of the way to the head bandit.

"Upon entering the final chamber," Spike reads aloud from behind a screen he'd set up to keep Big Macintosh and me from seeing the possible outcomes of the quest, "you see the final bandit sitting on a throne. 'You've done well to come so far' he says to your party 'but it has all been for naught!'. The-"

Spike cuts off as he looks at me nervously. "Maybe we should call it here for today?" he suddenly proposes, fear and nervousness quickly spreading through him.

Big Macintosh looks at him with shock and a bit of anger. "After we done got to the last boss in the dungeon, y'all wanna give up now?"

Spike quickly walked over to Big Mac and whispered something into his ear. Upon hearing it, Big Mac's eyes go wide and he suddenly becomes as nervous as Spike.

"Y-Yer right" Big Macintosh concedes. "It is gettin' sort of late anyways."

A quick look at a nearby window shows me that the sun, while closer to the horizon, is by no means ready to go down.

I look back at Spike and Big Macintosh, both of them still exuding nervousness as they start to clean up pieces from the game.

"Spike" I say to get my friend's attention.

The little dragon winces. "Y-Yeah?" he responds.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here" I begin as I take a breath. "That last bandit boss? It's a changeling, isn't it?"

Spike doesn't say anything, but his body language and emotions confirm what I had suspected.

"That certainly explains their nervousness" I thought to myself.

I sit back and think for a second about this recent turn of events. Despite my attempts thus far to present a more positive image of changelings, they were still painted as villains by a great many ponies. It was understandable though; our queen attacked two different princesses directly. Even with claiming that the attack was meant to provide for her starving subjects, ponies still view the act as unjustifiable.

Before he can even offer a retort, I let out a breath and make my decision.

"Let's finish playing" I tell the two.

Both Spike and Big Macintosh look at me. "Are you sure?" Spike asks me.

I nod. "I'm not surprised that ponies are using changelings as villains in different fictional stories, or game plots in this case. Until my kind change their ways and become more accepted in pony society, I'm just gonna have to live with this unpleasant fact that we'll be painted as villains."

Spike and Big Macintosh both look at me for a few seconds before returning to their seats. Spike places his pieces back in their spots as Big Macintosh does the same. The red stallion doesn't look me straight in the eyes, purposefully avoiding doing so as though he fears something will happen to him if he does.

Once the pieces are set back up, Spike resumes reading the campaign literature.

"The lead bandit is suddenly consumed by green fire, and after the column of flames dissipates, a changeling is left standing in his place. A nearby stallion witnesses this and attempts to run, but is suddenly caught in the changeling's sickly green magic. 'You have served me well' the changeling says to the stallion 'but now you will serve me in the way nature intended'."

Spike pauses and looks at me. "Do you really want me to keep going?" he asks, the uncertainty and fear greater than before.

I give him a nod. "I can probably guess what's coming next" I respond, honestly knowing what's going to happen next. In truth, I've seen it more times than I care to count.

"Okay" Spike says, giving me a nervous frown before continuing with the script.

"Before the stallion can protest, his breath catches in his throat as a pink energy is sucked out of his body and into the changeling's mouth. As more energy leaves the stallion's body, his gaze becomes unfocused and he becomes visibly weaker, his muscles sagging on his frame as energy leaves him."

"After a minute, the pink stream stops and the changeling discards the pony, tossing him away onto a few wooden crates, where the stallion's impact causes them to break. Due to the intense apathy of having his love stolen, the stallion doesn't even let out a groan of pain."

I don't show it, but I wince a bit on the inside as I hear what is more or less an accurate description of a feeding. It causes me to remember Soothing Dusk and again lament my actions. I once again hope to myself that Twilight and the zebra can perfect the potion. It would be rather nice to give back what I'd taken, even if in just a symbolic manner.

"Now full of love," Spike continues reading,"the changeling looks at your party with malevolence in its pupil-less eyes. 'Now that that pony has given me a decent recharge' he taunts 'I have enough energy to deal with the likes of you!' The changeling gets into a fighting stance and ignites its horn, prompting you and your party to adopt your own."

Spike looks to Big Macintosh. "What are you gonna do?" he asked the red stallion.

Big Macintosh flinches a bit during Spike's reading of the pre-fight encounter. Once Spike finishes, the stallion thinks over his choices and decides to attack with a distraction.

Spike rolls a die and it lands with a seventeen. Seeing he only needed sixteen, Spike reads the next part of the encounter.

"You throw a smoke bomb at the changeling's face and blind it momentarily. Taking advantage, you spot a boulder and step behind it."

Spike turns to me. "Do you follow Sir McBiggun or do you try something else?"

I look at the board for a moment before deciding on my move. I don't know what the changeling character is like in this game, but I am under the impression that it is quite under-powered despite its recent meal.

"I decide to attack."

Both Spike and Macintosh look at each other and then to Thorax.

"The changeling has really high stats, Thorax" Spike cautions me. "Are you sure that's what you want to do?"

"It is" I say with confidence.

Spike just looks back at Big Mac and shrugs. "Okay" he says to me and rolls his dice. They come up nineteen.

"You charge at the changeling ready to attack. What attack do you use?"

"I use electricity" I tell them confidently.

"Okay" Spike says, just a bit unsure. He hands me dice, telling me "Roll this one for accuracy and this one for damage.

I do as asked and both dice come up with high enough numbers to be considered successful.

Wide eyed, Spike refers to the campaign sheet.

"You charge up a powerful electricity spell and cast it. It hits dead center in the changeling's chest and incapacitates it. The changeling takes 13 damage out of its total of 150, leaving 137 health. The electricity also paralyzes the changeling and keeps it from using physical attacks for one turn."

Spike takes the dice in his hand. "I elect to attack with a fire sword!"

He rolls the first die, and it comes up with a six. Spike groans as he reads the sheet. "I charge forward with my sword but trip on a rock. My blade catches in the wall and I struggle to free it."

Spike turns back to Big Macintosh and the stallion tells him he wants to attack with his Gravity Hammer. The little dragon flinches, thinking the weapon might not be appropriate for the situation. Nonetheless, he gives Macintosh the dice.

The stallion rolls the big dice and it comes up twenty. The red stallion grins and stretches out his hoof, only to quickly pull it back into himself.

Spike smiles as he reads the script. "Sir Biggun produces his gravity hammer and approaches the changeling. It is starting to regain movement, but it freezes as it sees the stallion approaching. It makes one last ditch effort to get itself free, but to no avail."

Spike turns the page and then becomes shocked. "The changeling then ignites his horn and starts trying to drain the love from you!"

He turns to me. "You see Sir McBiggun in trouble and want to help. What do you do?"

"I cast electricity again" I say a bit too enthusiastically.

Spike hands me the die and I roll. I smile as it lands on 18.

"The electricity spell you conjured hits its mark," Spike reads on, "and Sir McBiggun is freed from the changeling's grasp. The insecto-equine is incapacitated again, and takes another 13 damage, taking it to 124 health."

"Since you were able to save Sir McBiggun, he gets to take his turn again."

Turning to Big Mac, Spike asks if he wants to repeat the same attack or try a different one.

"Gravity hammer" he says with no hesitation.

Spike hands Macintosh the dice again. The first is high and the second is low. "You bring up your hammer and swing it home. At the last second, the changeling tries to roll out of the way, only succeeding partly."

Spike then winces as he reads the next part.

"Because you've added an enchantment to this hammer for a triple damage multiplier, the glancing blow which would normally be worth only twenty-five points is now worth seventy-five, bringing the changeling's health down to forty-nine health points. The blow stuns the changeling and incapacitates it for one turn."

Spike picks up the dice in front of him. "I'm going to try my fire sword again."

Rolling the dice, Spike rolls a sixteen, which is just what he needs for a successful attack.

"I get my sword free of the wall and bring it back for a swing again."

He rolls the dice again. A low number on the first and a low number on the second.

"Shoot!" he swears as he reads the script.

"The changeling avoids my sword swipe and has gotten back to his hooves. Because of his dazed state from the hammer, the next player will get a free turn against the changeling."

Big Mac grins an evil grin.

"Gravity Hammer to finish him."

Spike rolls and the dice read fourteen. Big Mac deflates.

"Sir McBiggun winds up his hammer and strikes, but the changeling dodges at the last minute. Again, he grabs McBiggun in his magic and prepares to drain his love. What will you do Thorax?"

"Electricity again!" I call out, a little more enthusiastically than I had meant to.

Spike gives me the dice and I roll.

A six.

"Dang it" I curse.

"The electricity spell misses its mark," Spike reads, "colliding into a nearby wall. The changeling charges up its spell and prepares to feed. Since it's my turn, I'll try my fire sword one last time."

Spike rolls and his eyes go wide with a smile. Twenty.

"The blade cuts into the changeling right as the pink energy starts to leave Sir McBiggun. The blow deals twenty five damage, but the blade's burning effect will linger for the remainder of the match and take five health at the beginning of each of the changeling's turns, unless the changeling can acquire a healing potion. The changeling now has twenty-four health points.

"Sir McBiggun is freed from the changeling's grip, gasping a bit from the effect of having love pulled from his body, but not taking him out of the fight. What would you like to do?"

"Gravity Hammer again" Big Macintosh tells Spike. The dragon then rolls the large die and it comes up eighteen.

"The hammer swing strikes into the changeling's side and sends them into a wall. The powerful strike removes all remaining health points from the changeling and the creature lays on the floor, finally defeated."

"Your party binds the creature in heavy rope and hauls it out of the hideout and back to the village. The stallion he drained is taken as well, likely to be recovered by an apothecary before being dumped in with the changeling."

"For your party's efforts, you are rewarded with ten-thousand gold bits, a set of durability enchanted armor that resists up to twelve damage points, a dozen healing potions, and a dozen poison antidotes."

"The local wizard has crafted a unique item for one of your party to use. It is a cloak that, when worn by one of your party, will allow them to disguise as another character for up to five turns, or when they choose to reveal their identity."

Big Macintosh lets out a whistle. "That sounds mighty useful."

"It is" I say absentmindedly, then look around when I suddenly sense confusion. Both Big Macintosh and Spike are looking at me.

"I mean," I say nervously, "being able to disguise yourself would make getting into places you're not supposed to much easier."

"So YOU'RE the reason Princess Flurry Heart always has cookie crumbs in her crib after bedtime?" I hear Vigilant call out from his spot near the door to Spike's bedroom. I let out a groan upon hearing that, having more or less completely forgotten he was standing there. Spike and Big Macintosh both laugh at the chiding from my guard. I decide to just take the L and go about cleaning up the playing pieces I was using.

Spike and Big Macintosh clean up their own pieces. As they do so, Spike looks at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Thorax" he tells me. "That was a brand new campaign and it was the first time me and Big Mac played it. If I'd known about the last boss-"

"It's okay, Spike" I reassure the little dragon. "I'm not upset. Sure, it's a little disheartening to know that ponies still view changelings as nothing more than manipulative monsters; nothing has happened to show the good changelings are capable of. I knew when I came here and established that goal, I was climbing up a very steep hill, but I am determined to see it through to the end!"

Spike looks at me for a minute, and then smiles. "That optimism is infectious" he tells me.

"Eeyup" Big Mac agrees. "Good to have a positive outlook, especially when things look the worst."

I nod at the stallion's sentiment. Big Mac returned to putting his pieces away. I take mine and give them to Spike, but he pushes them back at me.

"I want you to have those" he tells me. "I'm sure there's other ponies in the Crystal Empire that play O&O. I know Shining Armor does, or he used to."

"He's so busy doing his guard duties," I tell Spike, "and these games seem like they could really stretch on for a while."

Spike nods in agreement. "They can, but that's what bookmarks and stat sheets are for; you can pick up where you left off if you have to stop for any reason."

"I know," I tell Spike, "but like I said, Shining Armor is always so busy, so who knows when he and I would get a chance to play the game. It's entirely possible we'd never get any time at all."

"What happens happens," Spike tells me as he pushes the pieces back to me, "but I still want you to keep those. If you ever visit again, we can have another campaign. I'm sure Big Mac wouldn't mind a brief round after his chores get finished for the day."

Big Mac nods at Spike's proposal, and then his eyes go wide. "Oh, Fiddlesticks!" he calls out before barreling out the door and down the hall.

Vigilant watches him go and shakes his head. "Whatever it was must've been important."

"It was" Spike confirms. "It's actually a mare named Fiddlesticks. She's a distant relation to the Apple family. She's due on a train in..."

Spike pauses to look at a clock.

"...about an hour. Big Mac needs to get cleaned up and brush out his mane."

"Couldn't he have cleaned up here?" I suggest.

"He wants to go home so he can get Apple Bloom and take her to the train station with him" Spike tells me.

I nod in understanding, then look up at the clock on the wall. "It's getting close to sunset now."

Spike's eyes widen as he looks at the clock with me. "I gotta go!" he announces as he bolts out of the room.

"Where are you going?" I ask him as I follow him out at a much slower pace.

"Dinner isn't gonna cook itself" he calls back as he disappears down a hallway.

I smile as I watch my friend leave. Vigilant, walking behind me, let's out a sigh.

"Has nopony around here ever heard of not running indoors?"

Author's Note:

I apologize to any and all tabletop RPG players that might have read this chapter. I have no experience with these games and simply wanted to include something that involved Spike, Thorax, and another pony essentially bonding and this was what I came up with.

The next chapter will conclude the first day, but don't look for that one until after the new year starts.

Comments

[Melody Song]

It's pretty accurate if it's based on DnD, you did a good job!