CYOA: Next in Line

by David Silver

21

You meet Sweetie's hoof in handshake. "Fantastic. Let's start with the good news."

She turns, her pastel tail swishing as she leads you down a dim passageway. Ancient pipes line the rocky walls, dripping condensation that echoes through the still air.

"You can stay as you are - as an agent, you're already a state secret. But personally, I'd go pony." She glances back, teal eyes glinting in the shadows. "I'm biased, but you'd always be an outsider otherwise."

Sweetie sighs, her hoofsteps clopping on the concrete floor. "No hero of Equestria should have to live like that. Still, your choice."

You enter a small room, bare except for a metal table and chairs. She settles on her haunches with a squeak of protest from the chair.

"Training and equipment provided. As a pony, you'd get paid to spend how you please." She eyes your human shape. "As you are, no pay. We'd arrange necessities."

Sweetie grumbles, examining a scuff on her hoof. "Accidents happen in this work. If family survives you, they'd be cared for." She meets your gaze. "I could die here too. Welcome to the job!"

The flickering bulb above buzzes as Sweetie awaits your response. Somewhere deep below, machines thrum relentlessly. Condensation drips down your neck - the air hangs heavy with uncertainty.

"Well?" Sweetie asks. "What'll it be?"

You:
1) Pony.
2) Something besides pony.
3) Remain as you are.

Comments

[Time Waster]

So our options in this world are: get disintegrated, get a fate worse than death by being stoned, get our humanity robbed from us for racist reasons or be a slave soldier? Hm, tough choice. Option 4: nuke this evil Equestria and move on to, hopefully, a less shitty one.

[David Silver]

11753345
If you were left as a human, who would you spend your bits with?

[ShortCaveman]

Him they're a little too biased for Pony... Creepy.! (It's Pony or nothing) apparently.

[Time Waster]

11753346
Myself, my friends, my marefriend like everyone else. But really, why do they care? Just pay the man for his work.

[David Silver]

11753375
Encouraging the state secret to go breaking the secret hardly seems... productive?

[Time Waster]

11753378
Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that in a country where dragons, griffons, minotaurs, hippogriffs, changelings, yaks and Klugetown anthros are completely a-okay, a human must be kept as a state secret for some arbitrary reason. What was the reason again?

[David Silver]

11753383
That feels like a question you should ask Twilight, instead of the voice in the sky.

[I like burguers]

4)"why I will only be paid if Im a pony?"

[Reily]

11753352

We have samples of many Equestrian creatures, so you could become one of them, if you'd prefer? Most of us are ponies, to remind, but we are trying... I'm trying to encourage slow integration

Wait a minute, Ms. Sparkle. My humble apologies. But what about those of us that would prefer to remain human. You yourself just said you are encouraging slow integration with other species such as dragons, kirins, changeling, and yaks. Perhaps something can be done with humanity?

Which means breaking down the nature of the multiverse is not something I'm rushing to do. It won't help them, it will hurt some of them. And for what benefit?

The benefit of humans that wish to remain , well human. While it's amazing you are offering both physical and mental therapies , which I highly appreciate , some will be happier to remain as a human and not lose their sense of self.

If Equestria could have done the same thing you do to humans to other creatures, would you? In simpler terms; would you hide the existence of other creatures and of other countries. While I don't expect humans to become a common sight in your wondrous nation, I think the inclusion of other sentient species beyond ponies is a very good thing.

Um if you're still , well, listening to my ramble I'd like to help organize the effort and help advocate for my species to be themselves. If you'll let me.

[David Silver]

11753452

Wait a minute, Ms. Sparkle. My humble apologies. But what about those of us that would prefer to remain human. You yourself just said you are encouraging slow integration with other species such as dragons, kirins, changeling, and yaks. Perhaps something can be done with humanity?

You would want to be the only member of your species, or one of so few you may as well be the only one? To be of such a insignificant number that repopulation is, at best, a fanciful dream? The isolation... Is that something anycreature would actually want? I would not want to be so wantonly cruel...

The benefit of humans that wish to remain , well human. While it's amazing you are offering both physical and mental therapies , which I highly appreciate , some will be happier to remain as a human and not lose their sense of self.

Then sending them along past our world would be the best recourse. That would satisfy both needs.

If Equestria could have done the same thing you do to humans to other creatures, would you? In simpler terms; would you hide the existence of other creatures and of other countries. While I don't expect humans to become a common sight in your wondrous nation, I think the inclusion of other sentient species beyond ponies is a very good thing.

I'm afraid... I don't understand what you mean...

Um if you're still , well, listening to my ramble I'd like to help organize the effort and help advocate for my species to be themselves. If you'll let me.

I've heard it said that the only bad question is the one you didn't dare utter.

[David Silver]

11753450
Oh, that's simple. If you're not a pony, or at least some creature that wouldn't provoke questions, panic, and concerns, how do you spend bits? If you were a pony, or a griffon, or even a changeling, using bits would be of no problem, and neither would we hesitate to give them.

Otherwise we're giving you something useless.

[LtMajorDude]

Nuts, I'll only get paid if I'm a pony.
There goes my chance of being a dragon...

(Chapter 21, Choice 1)

[David Silver]

11753519
A dragon would get paid.

[David Silver]

11753519
Option added!

[CaptainSpaceCat]

I'll remain as I am. I rather enjoy having a human body and I'm quite good at using it already! (Ch 21, option 3)

Great work by the way! This is a lot of fun

[CrownofDissonance]

I wonder how divergent things would get as another kind of creature. Let's go with option 2, as a Griffon, if the choice matters.

(Chapter 21, Option 2)

This is neat, by the way. I like how internally consistent this version of Equestria seems despite being able to approach it from a bunch of different angles. From a worldbuilding perspective, its a cool way to tell a story.

[David Silver]

11754652
Option added!