> Press Start > by RandomChance > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Game Start > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- What's that music? It sounds familiar. I tried to sit of from my bed to look turn towards the music, but no movement came. That quickly brought me out of my drowsy state, and into one that more resembled panic. My eyes (at least what i could assume were my eyes) then opened, and I was met with a title screen. Welcome to The Game: New Game Options I stared in wide eyed shock for a moment, and tried desperately to move my head and find out what's going on, but i once again found that I couldn't move. I then focused on the title screen in front of me, taking in all of its details. The title was in a generic white text on a dark background. The remaining pieces of text were also very generic, but were outlined in red, unlike the title. I then remembered to all of The Gamer stories that I've read over the years. "Am I in a gamer story? OH FUUUUUUUU-" 1 Hour later "UUUUUUUUUUUU-" 2 Hours later "UUUUUUUUU-" 3 Hours later (Hurry up your freak out dude I'm running out of time cards) "UUUUUUCK!!!!!" I feel like I just made someone angry. Well they can go fuck themselves (hey man the fuck?) I have more important things to freak out about, like HOW I'M INSIDE OF A FUCKING GAME!! I didn't have anyone important last I remember, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I WANTED TO BE IN A GAME WORLD!! 30 minutes later. What are you looking at me for? I said I was almost out of time cards. It felt like an eternity of me just cursing everything that lead me here until I finally calmed myself down. I looked back at the menu screen, giving it the biggest death glare that I could. I continued doing so for a good minute, before relenting to the unchanging screen and its unyielding presence. I decided to see what would happened if I tried to press on the new game option, before remembering I can't move. "Um... New Game?" I said, not really expecting much to happen. Much to my surprise though, a new menu appeared. New Game Creating randomly generated world... Choosing base for world... Base chosen - My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Filling empty power... Power filled Creating enemies... Enemies created Creating factions... Factions created Well... This could take a while. (You know what? I'll just skip to when it's done) Game world generated Dear lord that took a long time. After waiting though a cascade of loading screens and notifications, the 'world generation' was finished, and the screen changed once again. Character creation Unicorn Pegasus Earth Pony That's it? That doesn't really seem like a whole lot of options if I am being completely honest. So I should think about this carefully. I don't really know the advantages of any of the species listed, so I'll go off of what I know. So, Unicorns I don't really know much about. All I know about them is from movies and tv shows, Harry Potter in particular, and I don't want to risk the chance of painting a huge target on my back. Pegasus is similar, but I could probably hide the wings with leaves or something, and fly away if I get into trouble. Flight actually sounds really cool to me, and they are apparently very strong. Earth Ponies... What the hell is an Earth Pony? I'm just going to assume that it's just a normal equine, so I'll just cross that off the list. After a long while of weighing my options, I decided that my overall best choice would be the Pegasus. this is due in part to the reason that flying is just really cool. Pegasus chosen Generating character... Character created Wait?! It's not letting me create it!? Name: Go-Go Species: Pegasus Gender: Female Level: 1 Hp: 21 Sp: 28 Ak: 17 Df: 13 Sd: 30 Wait, what are these stats!? What kind of name is Go-Go!? WAIT FEMALE!? NO WAIT WAIT DON'T DO THI- Game Start > Wake Up > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was asleep again, or was I asleep the whole time? Either way, I definitely wasn't where I was before. When I got out of bed (which was scratchier than normal) I fell down, feeling joints where there were none before, and not feeling some that were. The most noticeable of these new feelings were on my back. I look back to see cream colored fur, as well as a set of wings. This immediately made me panic, since I know I didn't have wings before. I then remember that screen, and sighed heavily, realizing what was going on. I was already in the game world. As I calmed down, I felt some information filling my head, and while felt uncomfortable, it didn't hurt like some would describe it. It gave me a load of information that filled me in on my current situation. I am Go-Go, A pegasus that lives in Manehattan, a city similar to New York City, if it was just the island. It's located in Equestria, a country populated largely by ponies, of which there were unicorns, pegasai, and earth ponies. I deadpanned as I realized that the situation I was in was in was nothing like I was thinking of. Not only were ponies the main species here, but unicorns could wield magic! Although, that doesn't mean I made a bad choice, because pegasai can fly fast, much faster than a bird would. With the Wonder Bolts (according to my memories) being comparable to the Blue Angels. After sorting through the collection of memories, I looked around my room. It looked like the room of someone who had never interacted with anyone in their life. It had no personality or flair, and all of the floor, walls, and furniture were all in a default light brown color. Speaking of colors, I then got a look at myself in the mirror. I noticed I had cream colored fur, it was a dark kind of cream color, I don't really know how to describe it. I then noticed my medium length mane and tail, both of which were a light brown color, and had a light wave that made them part to my left. I also had an average looking frame, and barely taller than average, at least according to my memories. Overall, I look like the prettiest average joe out there. I was going to continue to look at myself, but I was interrupted by a voice. "Go-Go! Honey, It's time for you to get ready for school!" that would be the voice of my new father, Winter Bolt. He's a single father who takes care of me and my new, slightly younger sister, Ash. "I'm getting ready!" I respond back, which goes unanswered. I walk out into the hallway of the apartment we live in. The apartment has three bedrooms and one bathroom, all of which are on one hallway that leads to the living room and kitchen. The bedrooms are all in the same hallway, with mine and Ash's being on the left with my dad's on the right. At the end of the hall is the bathroom, where I make my way. I then proceed to brush my teeth and get ready when I notice Ash coming in. She apparently takes after our mother Ebony Breeze, which resulted in her having an ebony colored man with a dark gray fur tone. She yawns as she gets up onto her hind legs to reach the counter. "Mornin'." She says. She's also pretty young, only being seven years old. This means she still has some growing to do. I hand her her toothpaste as she gets her toothbrush. "Good Morning." I say, before rinsing my mouth and make my way to the kitchen. "Hey there kid. How'd you sleep?" Dad asked (I'll call him that due to the fact that I'm going to be living here, and I should get used to it). "I slept pretty well, had a strange dream though." I responded, before mentally slapping myself. Now he's gonna want to know what it was about. "Oh really? Care to tell me?" C'mon think of something. "I don't really remember it very well, all I know is that it was strange." I said, nailed it. "Well, it doesn't seem like we have much time for it anyways. You should be heading to school. You don't have as much time, since you got up so late. Wouldn't want to be late on your first day of high school right?" He said, before we both looked at the clock. Shit, he's right, schools in an hour. "To be early is to on time I guess. Bye!" I say as I put on what I can only assume is this worlds version of a backpack, and walk out the door. I'll enjoy this relative quiet while I can, since this whole gamer thing will surely stir things up later. > Day One > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As I left the apartment complex and walked out into the streets of the city, I could tell that I'm not a city lover. The crowded streets, loud sounds echoing through the streets, and the oppressive feelings from the tall buildings surrounding me made me feel claustrophobic. I continued in the direction of the school, all the while thinking about the life these new memories provide. I have to say that there is quite a bit of info to go through here. Go-Go was born to a racer mother and a stay at home father. She lived surrounded by racers and talented fliers due to her mother's work. They would always look at her and say 'oh I'm sure that you'll be a great racer like your mother', but as time went on, a huge problem made itself apparent to both Go-Go and everyone around her. She was a blank flank (This section is already exposition heavy, and you guys know what a blank flank is so lets move on) The years passed, and Go-Go got a younger sister, Ash, who was a prodigy of a flier. She also was able to get her cutie mark much earlier than her peers, which further condemned Go-Go as the 'black sheep' of the family. All of this resulted in a depressed loner of a pony, grew to hate her mother, and become jealous of her sister, though she made sure to never show it to them. Though, all of that changed when her mother got into a racing accident, which took her life. The event hurt the family, with her father becoming slightly distant towards Ash, whom resembles his lost wife, and strained the tied between Go-Go and her sister, whom is continuing to follow in their mothers footsteps. The incident also resulted in the family moving from Cloudsdale to our current apartment. Overall, I can say with much confidence that this family has been thoroughly screwed over. I can't imagine how that kind of loss would hurt someone, even with the memories of that person in my head. I came out of my mental review as I saw the school building, a tall building with I can only describe as having a Ancient Greek style of architecture. I walked into the building, and continued into the front office to receive my schedule. Homeroom was with a teacher named Rolling Rock, who was also the science teacher I would have later in the day. After making my way to my homeroom class, I noted the student cliques that had already formed around me. I sat down in an unoccupied seat, which happened to be towards the back of the room, towards the window. After sitting, I noticed a tab appear in front of me. Character Screen Name: Go-Go Species: Pegasus Gender: Female Level: 1 Hp: 21 Sp: 28 Ak: 17 Df:13 Sd: 30 I also noted the athletic looking pegasus next to me. She had a bright pink fur tone with a tom boy styled yellow mane and tail. Right now it didn't seem like she was with any group, maybe I can try to be friends with her? As if sensing me looking at her, she then looked towards me. To avoid an embarrassing situation I turned towards the window as fast as I could, and hoped she wouldn't say anything. I looked forward to see that class had started, and began to do... whatever we do in this class? (I honestly don't know what a class like that is for) After that class and a few others, we were let out to lunch, which was in a courtyard filled a mix of all of the schools grades (Freshmen to Seniors for us Americans), so everyone is from 14 at the youngest to 18 at the oldest, and I would have continued my train of thought, but I was interrupted by a sudden wetness on my body, and the giggling of what sounded like a group of popular girls. "*laughing* Look at the blank flank, are you gonna cry like the baby you are?" The one in front said. She was a wine red unicorn with a silver mane in a very... high class style (think of rarity's style, but more elaborate). in response to the insult, I hopped out of my seat, walked into the gaggle of mares, and shook off all of the wetness, splashing it all over them. It was then that I realized that the wet substance was milk(seriously not even chocolate?). The mares all sputtered in anger, with one or two of them actually screaming, which got the attention of the ponies around us. "We will get you for this!" The red pony yelled as they all went into the nearby restroom to clean up. Afterwards I finished up my lunch and went to the gym for my next class. The next class, as it turns out, was flight class. We were brought in to see a large obstacle course that filled nearly the entire space. "Now! Since we have quite a few new ponies with us, we will be having you all go through the obstacle course to get a gauge of your abilities." The coach spoke as all of the other students entered the gym. They started going through all of the names in alphabetical order, which I listened to half heartedly as I pondered my situation more. I seem to have become the target of some bullies, which is not new for Go-Go or myself, but it's still a problem. "Go-Go you're up!" I heard the coach call out. I made my way up to the start line, and got into a ready position. The moment I heard the coach blow the whistle, I sprang forward into flight. Under any other circumstances I would probably struggle, but due to the memories of Go-Go's childhood my body moved automatically, and did what I wanted it to, even if I didn't realize it. I shot upwards into some hoops that curved up, which lead into a collection of pillars we had to fly around. I pushed myself harder as I went around them, and followed more hoops into a dive. I pulled up as I continued to push my wings to flap faster and harder, then I noticed something strange. Flying began to consume all of my thoughts, it was as if very part of my being was focused solely on flight. I suddenly felt myself screech across the floor and over the finish line, nearly crashing into multiple ponies along the way. When I came to my senses I noticed that a lot of the ponies were staring at me. "T-t-twenty five seconds..." The coach said, visibly shaken. I raised my eyebrow but decided to go sit down in the bleachers. It was then that I got another pop up. Skill Learned Focus: lv 1 Focus is the skill of power, and increases the effectiveness on a task or skill focused on by 50%, but causes the user to be unable to focus on anything else. I got a skill? Well that would explain what just happened. I then looked up to see a score board, and saw my name at the top. Due to great efforts, your Sd has increased by 1 I also increased a stat? That's convenient. I continued to just ignore everything around me, until I noticed the same pink and yellow pegasus from earlier. She was a great flier, and was probably faster than me. She weaved through everything with great ease, and finished the course with a time three seconds shorter than mine, putting her at the top of the board. When they were finished she came up towards me and sat down next to me, a sincere smile on her face. "You're a great flier dude, I didn't know if I was gonna beat your time." She said as she sat down. I looked to the board and thought for a moment. "I felt like I could have started better, cut those starting corners a little tighter, you know what I mean." I responded. "Yeah, I thought that too, but you weren't bad. You had a great pace, and it looked like you were really focused on that course." "Thanks. By the way, I'm Go-Go." I said, putting out my hoof. "Rainbow Dawn, but you can just call me Dawn." As I was walking out of the school, I noticed Dawn waving me over. As I walked over, I noticed that she had aviator goggles around her neck. "Hey Dawn." "Hey Go, you wanna go see a movie? It's Daring Do!" She said. "Um, sure." I said, hoping dad wouldn't be mad if I was late. "Alright! Let's go!" she said as we walked off towards the theater. We got quite a ways there before Dawn suddenly stopped, gasping before feeling her bag, then searching through it. "What's wrong?" I asked her. "I left my wallet in my locker!" She said as realization hit her face. "Well let's go get it!" I said to her. It also didn't take long to reach the schools area, but as we turned the corner, I felt something change. I don't know how to describe it, except as getting a shiver down your everything. "Alright here we... are?" I heard Dawn say as we reach what should have been the school. All we were greeted by was a giant castle. > Queen Chalice > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "What the hay happened to the school! We only went around the corner and now its a castle! What caused it to change!?" Dawn yelled out in confusion as we stared at the building that had once been our school. I looked around for a moment and saw something else surprising. "That's not the only thing that's changed Dawn, look around us." The cityscape that had once surrounded was was gone without a trace, and in its place was a dark sky overlooking a medieval kingdom. It seemed to stretch out for about a mile before going up to a tall stone wall surrounding us on all sides. All of the streets and buildings seemed to be in mostly red and black, and all of the ponies from before were replaced with what looked to be blank silhouettes. We turned back to the castle ahead of us and then looked to each other. I could see the confusion and hints of fear on Dawn's face but didn't comment. "Well we should see if we can find a way out of here then." I said, beginning to move into the building. "Hey wait up! Don't leave me behind!" I heard Dawn say as she rushed to catch up to me. As we entered the castle we noticed the color scheme change slightly. Our surroundings were no longer the same shades of red and black (though they were still prevalent), but there were now dark shades of brown, gray, and even gold that filled the floor of the castles main hall. Dawn and I both walked down the main hall towards a twin set of stairs leading up to an elevated floor, our hooves echoing through the hall as they fell on the hard tile. I looked around at the depressing and dark décor as the coldness of the tiles seeped into my hooves. "What the hay is going on!? Where is everypony!?" Dawn loudly questioned, though her question went unanswered. The echoes of her voice merely spread through the halls of the castle, fading away unheard. We made our way up the stairs and down the hall it fed into. The tile turned into lavish red and black tapestry. It looked like one long and extravagant Russian carpet, which repeated through the entire hall. Dawn's hooves stopped behind me and I turned to look at her, seeing a look of shock on her face. Seeing her eyes I followed where she was looking. I was then face to face with a glowing suit of armor. Both Dawn and I hit the ground of a cell, with Dawn letting out a small 'oomph' as we hit the stone floor. I looked back to see a group of the same suits of armor walk off as the cell door was locked behind them. As we stood back up Dawn immediately went over to the cell door and repeatedly kicking the lock. Hitting the lock a few times, the cell door rattled a few times, before eventually tiring herself out. "Damn it! What in Celestia's mane is going on!? What happened to the bucking school!?" She yelled out in frustration, kicking the cell door a few times. I made my way over to the cell door, before looking at the lock. It appeared to lock from the outside, which wasn't good for us. Searching the door a few times, I thought of something, before returning to the lock. "What are you doing Go?" I heard Dawn ask behind me. I didn't answer though and kept working. Unlike on earth, pegasai have an innate ability to manipulate clouds and the weather. The clouds of this world have a bit more solidity as well, which allows us to stand directly on top of them. Despite that difference thought, they still are made of water vapor. Gathering the water vapor in the air, I directed it into the lock hole, changing its shape before solidifying. Turning the construct I heard a *Click*, before I pushed the cell door. "Wha? How did you do that?" I turned back over to Dawn, who was looking at me with a shocked expression. I simply lifted my hoof to show her the key. Skill Learned Cloud Bending: lv 1 A Pegasus has the ability to manipulate the weather, use that power to shape clouds and water vapor into tools and weapons for yourself or friends to use. Dispersing the key the two of us started making our way our towards where we were before, noticing a lack of security for such a large castle. To be honest I was half expecting for us to at least run into an animal type creature ala Persona, but not even a strand of fur was to be seen. Suddenly hearing a noise I turned around, only to get punched in the face by one of the suits of armor that we ran into earlier. I was punched again in the side, and was sent back a ways as I heard Dawn yell out at me. Before either of us could do anything, two of the suits pinned each of us up to the wall. "So, these are the ruffian peasants that dared to enter my castle unannounced." Sounded out a haughty female voice. Looking over at where the sound came from, I was met with the sight of a wine red unicorn with a silver mane. Name: Queen Chalice Species: Unicorn Level: ? Hp: ? Sp: ? Ak: ? Df: ? Sd: ? That's not good. > An Announcement > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello Everyone, I don't really know how to really talk about this without being too blunt, but I'm going to just put this information and conclusion out piece by piece. I'm sure everyone has noticed my lack of schedule or consistency when it comes to writing these stories. I used to write multiple chapters (with variations in quality), and then fall off the radar for a large amount of time. Then, when people ask about the status of my stories, I tell them that I'm working on them, but then nothing shows about my progress. I'm honestly really sorry about that, and there's a few reasons for my lack of activity. One, is that I have been attending college and that has been taking a lot of my time, and two, is that I unfortunately lost passion for things related to FIM, and thus felt no real reason to continue with these stories. The last, and the one that I feel is the one I most often think about, is that I just don't like how my stories have turned out, they're rushed, the story is stunted, and the grammar is atrocious. I tried to rectify that with stories like Press Start, but none of them worked or felt incomplete. So, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the decision to abandon all of the stories currently posted to my account, and essentially, begin anew. No stories currently posted will have any new chapters added to them, though I will leave them up for your rereading pleasure. I will be attempting a new story, though it will have my attention split with a story I'm working on in another fandom. I will work on each chapter until I feel it is of the highest quality I can produce, so it will (hopefully) be better than previous stories. This will also include finding an editor, so whether it's me, or someone else, it will at least not have as many grammar mistakes. Thank you for all of the feedback and the wonderful commentary over the years! With the best regards, RandomChance Formerly, Psycko