Things Are Not What They Seem: CYOA Part 2

 

 

You dream of voices and faces, names and memories, none of them familiar.

 

Waking is slow, your sleep slothing off in layers as awareness seeps back into your brain. Finally, you open your eyes, looking at an unfamiliar ceiling. Wood grains cross and flow along the surface, occupying your attention for a few brief moments before you sit up. Pinching your nose, you yawn, trying to remember how you'd gotten here.

 

Oh, yes. Talking magical ponies.

 

It still hadn't quite settled in yet. This world was so familiar, yet so foreign. Houses and streets layed out much the way they were back home... but there was no modern technology to speak of. Looking around the room, you spied some devices that looked electronic, but too large and bulky to be anything like a real computer. You felt like a fish on land: completely alone, out-of-place, and helpless.

 

How long would you be here? Where the hell even was 'here'? You had so many questions, still, but it seemed no one—well, noPONY now—knew the answers. The purple one, Twilight, was somewhat intelligent. She might be your way back.

 

You didn't hold much hope for it, though.

 

Stretching, you stand up off the bed. There were no noises coming from upstairs, and no windows to tell what time it was. You felt rested enough.

 

What do you do?

>Open response

 

 

 

 

>Look around

 

Twilight may not be up yet, so you decide to keep to yourself and examine your surroundings.

 

Luckily, you had the presence of mind to leave the light on last night. Trying to stumble around looking for a switch would have been difficult. At first glance, all you see are clunky old machines with bulbs and other various indicators, as well as some bookshelves filled with rather thick books. You don't recognize any of the machines, so you stroll on over to the bookshelves. The wood floor of the tree-house you're in is surprisingly quiet and comfortable under your feet.

 

You remove a book from the shelf, taking a closer look at the cover. "Properties of Non-Referential Magic Forces," it's called. Whatever spell Twilight used to translate your spoken vocabulary must have also worked on written words. Either way, the book is meaningless to you—but it offers some hope. If Twilight can tackle all of these, she must know a lot about magic, which seems like your only ticket home right now.

 

You reshelve the book and start reading through the titles of the other books. They're all reference guides and heavy textbox kind of materials, something you'd expect to see in a classroom or laboratory. It makes sense, given the setting: this room was likely Twilight's laboratory as well as a basement.

 

You hear some thumping coming from upstairs, like someone is moving around.

 

What do you do?

>(A) Continue to search the area

>(B) Go upstairs

>(C) Do nothing

>(D) Open response

 

 

 

 

>(B)

 

It's unlikely this room would hold any further relevant information. Time to head upstairs.

 

You walk up the stairs, thinking of how to greet whoever you heard moving around and make it to the door just as it opens in front of you. A little surprised, you step back from the door and find Twilight doing the same.

 

"Oh! Sorry to startle you. Good morning, Anon." Twilight proceeds to walk past you after the greeting and make her way down the stairs.

 

"Morning, Twilight," you reply. You wonder if she's come down here to start some experiment or something to help you get back. "Can I, uh, help you with something?"

 

"Hmmm?" she says over her shoulder, stopping at the bookshelf you had inspected. Her horn glowed, removing the book you skimmed through a moment ago with her magic, then placing it back in the shelf a couple spots to the right. "Ah. Much better." Her task complete, she turned back to you. "What was it you wanted?"

 

You scratch your head, staring at Twilight. "Nothing. How did you sleep?"

 

"Great! But you're the guest here. How was your night?"

 

"Not bad." You don't mention the dreams.

 

What next?

>(A) Ask her something (specify)

>(B) Go upstairs and look for food

>(C) Open response

 

 

 

 

>(A)

 

There are a hundred questions floating around in your head, and now's a good a time as any to start asking.

 

"So, Twilight... when we met, you called me a 'creature'. Does that mean you've never seen a human before?"

 

"Ah, so that's what you're called. Nope, never seen a human before. And I don't think I've ever read about humans either." She's smiling, almost quivering with excitement. "I know you're probably not exactly thrilled to be here, but, as a scientist, this is quite an opportunity. If we find your home... oh, my goodness, the thought of meeting an entire other sentient species is so exciting!"

 

'If'. She said, 'if we find your home.' She must have been faking that confidence yesterday. After closing your eyes a moment, you collect yourself. Wouldn't do to act all broken up in front of a girl. Well, not a girl, technically. A mare.

 

A random curiosity comes over you. "I couldn't help but notice there's no one else living here with you. Why don't you have a colt-friend?" As soon as the words leave your mouth, you clamp it shut.

 

Where did that come from?

 

"C-coltfriend? Heh, well, I don't really live alone. There's Spike, my assistant. He's making breakfast right now, actually. Why don't we go upstairs and eat?"

 

>RP: 31 (-4) (Twilight's not comfortable discussing relationships with someone she hardly knows.)

 

What next?

>(A) Go eat like Twilight suggested.

>(B) Ask another question (specify)

>(C) Open response

 

 

 

 

>(A)

 

Best option would be to remove yourself from this awkward situation ASAP.

 

"Sure. I'm pretty hungry, actually."

 

Twilight nods and the two of you leave the basement. You follow close behind Twilight, allowing her to lead the way into the kitchen. At least this way she doesn't have to face the awkwardness.

 

Inside the kitchen, you find a small lizard-looking guy, 'Spike', you assumed, laying out dishes. He notices you and Twilight come in. Upon seeing you and your tall stature, he fliches back for a second. He tries to hide it by puffing his chest out immediately afterwards, but you noticed.

 

"You two are just in time! This morning, I've got eggs, peppers and avacado!"

 

Well, damn. Omelettes? This guy's definitely cool.

 

"Sounds delicious, Spike," says Twilight, taking a seat. The table is pretty small, and the chair is not meant for humans, but you manage.

 

"I love a hot breakfast. Thanks, Spike, I needed this." After a moment, you add, "I'm Anon, by the way," and offer your hand. He shakes it.

 

"Nice to meet ya."

 

The three of you dig into breakfast. You do your best to avoid eye contact with Twilight, hoping she didn't hold that question against you. There were other, more important things to think about, anyways. Like what to do today.

 

What is your next step?

>(A) Try to find someone else who may have more information about getting you home

>(B) Ask Twilight what she thinks the next step should be

>(C) Try relaxing. The stress could be getting to you

>(D) Open response.

 

 

 

 

>(B)

 

Twilight seems to have her head together, she'll probably know the best course of action here.

 

"So, Twilight, what do you think I should do next?"

 

She lifts her gaze from her meal and turns to you. "Anon, it's 'we'. I'm going to work as hard as I can to get you home. As for what's next... I think I should send a letter to my teacher about this. She'll know best, and she's much more learned than me. While we're waiting for a response, I can run some magical diagnostics on your body, see what spells are compatible with your magical frequencies. If you are from another world, your body may react differently to magic than somepony from Equestia. Given the results of yesterday's spell, you're probably safe, but it wouldn't hurt to be sure." She pauses, taking one last bite from her omelette.

 

Her plan seems sound enough. Consult the expert and run some tests. Very scientific, something you'd probably do in the same situation.

 

"Sounds like a pretty good plan to me. Let's do it."

 

Twilight nods, then leads you back toward the basement. As soon as you're out of Spike's earshot, you speak up.

 

"Hey, Twilight, I'm sorry about my earlier question. It was kinda rude and abrupt."

 

She stops a moment, considering your apology. "It's fine. You're new here, I can't expect you to know how to act, or even to keep it together under such an immense amount of stress."

 

"Still, I shouldn't have asked."

 

"I suppose it would be rude of me to not even give you a chance. I accept your apology."

 

RP: (33) +2 (Twilight is slightly more comfortable around you after the apology)

 

What next?

>(A) Let Twilight run the tests.

>(B) Ask her something.

>(C) Open response

 

 

 

 

>(A)

 

You decide to let Twilight run the tests without fuss. It's true you're a little nervous about them, but she didn't screw up the spell yesterday, so you've got no reason to think she'll mess these up, either.

 

Twilight first busies herself with a quill and scroll, scribbling down a brief letter to her teacher before wrapping it up and calling for Spike. He shows up at the entrance to the basement and Twilight levitates the scroll to him. Taking in a deep breath, he spews a gout of green flame over the scroll, incincerating it. You simply gape at him.

 

"Did you just torch that letter?"

 

"Yeah. It's how I send letters to Twilight's teacher," he says in a matter-of-fact way.

 

Freaking magic, dude. You don't know if you'll ever wrap your head around it.

 

"Wait, if you breathe fire, does that mean you're a dragon?"

 

"Hell yeah, the only one in Ponyville! I'm kind of a celebrity!"

 

Yeah, you may make a mean omelette, but you're not THAT cool, dude.

 

In the meantime, Twilight is writing on the basemend floor with chalk. It's a circle with some more complex patterns inside. Looks mysterious, probably has something to do with whatever magic tests Twilight is planning. You ask Twilight about the machines.

 

"Oh, those are calibrated for ponies. I doubt we'd get any meaningful results if I used them to test you. I'm all done with the arcane circle, stand in the middle and I'll get started."

 

You swallow and walk into the circle. Twilight lowers her head and her horn starts that ominous glow again.

 

What next?

>(A) Make smalltalk while she tests

>(B) Ask her something

>(C) Open response

 

 

 

 

>(B)

 

"Are there any sort of risks involved in this test?" you ask.

 

"I'll be very careful. If there's any sort of violent reaction to my magic, which I doubt, given I casted a spell on you just fine yesterday, I'll cut the test off. There might be pain if the magic reacts with your nervous system, but that's unlikely. Trust me, I've done this several times before."

 

"But not on humans."

 

She scrunches her face into a frown. It would look cute if you weren't about to get zapped. "Not on humans."

 

A beam of purple light shoots from her horn into the circle, which glows underneath you. The glow gets brighter, turning into a strange mist that hugs your body. You think you breathe some of it in, but it doesn't smell or taste like anything. You can't help but clench your fists in worried anticipation... but nothing hurts so far.

 

"What's this test going to tell you?"

 

"Mainly, if the rules of magic apply to your body the same as they would a pony. Also, I'm trying to see if I can determine a magical frequency, which would make returning you to your world much easier. If I can lock on to a frequency, then sending you through a teleport spell of the same frequency should take you home."

 

You're not entirely sure you understood all of that, but it sounded like some optimistic conjecture.

 

There's a knock on a door in the distance. Twilight flinches, but maintains her concentration. "Can you get that, Spike?"

 

"Yeah!"

 

Twilight's still casting. What next?

>(A) Chat

>(B) Ask more questions

>(C) Open response

 

 

 

 

 

>(C) Let her concentrate

 

You don't need Twilight botching a spell you're stuck in the middle of, and it looks like that door knock was bad enough. You zip your lips and let Twilight do her thing.

 

A warm sensation starts flowing up your body, starting at your feet. It's very fuzzy, almost like your legs are asleep. The heat that accompanies the fuzziness relaxes your legs almost like a massage would. The feelings move up past your stomach, then chest. For a moment, you panic, as you're not so comfortable with this... thing enveloping your head. You stay quiet, though, as Twilight needs to concentrate.

 

"Heya, Anon!"

 

So much for that plan.

 

Pinkie is at the top of the stairway, waving enthusiastically at you. It's nice for her to check up on you, but her timing is very poor. You look to Twilight, dreading her losing control of the spell, but she's looking determined as ever. She must be used to Pinkie.

 

"Hi, Pinkie. Sorry, could you wait just a second? Twilight is trying to cast a spell."

 

"OOoooh, what kind of spell? She's really really good with magic, you know. I see her cast spells all the time!"

 

Pinkie isn't the type to take a hint, is she?

 

Your attention snaps away from Pinkie when the weird feeling hits your head and grows much more intense. Squinting your eyes shut, you try to block out the sensation, not wanting to worry Twilight and throw her off. The room is spinning, and your head feels like it's going to catch on fire. You gasp, but don't say a word. Just as the intensity threatens to make you black out, the purple mist vanishes and Twilight exhales sharply.

 

What next?

>(A) Ask Twilight about the results

>(B) Apologize for shrugging Pinkie off

>(C) Make sure Twilight is okay

>(D) Open response

 

 

 

 

 

>(C)

 

The spell complete, you jog over to Twilight, who's rubbing her forehead and moaning. She doesn't look as chipper as she did before casting the spell.

 

"Are you alright, Twilight? It looks like that spell took a lot out of you."

 

She peeks at you with one eye, the other still squinted shut. "Y-yeah, I'll be fine in a second. That just took more out of me than I expected. Usually it's a lot easier." She pauses, then adds, "Thanks."

 

Pinkie bounces over to the two of you, then looks at Twilight with concern. "Did it give you an owie-wowie?"

 

Twilight forces a laugh. "You could say that."

 

After taking a moment to herself, Twilight stands back up straight, shaking her head. "Alright, I think I'm good." You first reaction is to smile, but when Twilight returns your smile with a worried frown, your relief slowly fades.

 

"Twilight... what is it?"

 

"Um, Anon..." she trails off, looking away, "...there's something very, uh, off about you."

 

"What is that supposed to mean?"

 

"Your body conforms to all the magical laws of Equestria just as it should, but I saw something in the scan. Like a cloud hovering over you."

 

>Analytical: "And where on my body was this cloud focused?"

 

"You head. More specifically, your brain. It was tied to it."

 

Pinkie has gotten a little frantic, looking back and forth between you and Twilight.

 

>RP: (36) +3 (Twilight is touched by your concern)

 

How do you react?

>(A) Keep your cool

>(B) React strongly

>(C) Shove it off and chat with Pinkie

>(D) Open response

 

 

 

 

 

>(C)

 

Don't want to let your worry show. If you freak out, you may drive away your best chance at getting out of here. You can vent later, and besides, they're proving to be pretty good friends.. Right now, you decide to chat with Pinkie. She's enthusiastic no matter what, it seems.

 

"So, Pinkie, what brings you over?"

 

The worry vanishes from her face the second you address her. "I just came to check up on my new friend! How was your night?"

 

"Pretty good. Breakfast was omelettes. How was yours?"

 

"I got to say hi to Pumpkin and Pound Cake! But I was really tired for some reason and went to bed almost right after that."

 

Twilight bumps Pinkie out of the way and stares at you. "Anon, I just told you there was something seriously wrong with you! Aren't you worried?"

 

Taking a deep breath, you offer Twilight a shrug. "No sense worrying about something I can't change. Do you think you can fix it?"

 

Pinkie butts in. "Oooh, Twilight, that was the most amazing spell I've ever seen you cast! If you can do that, why couldn't you fix Anon?"

 

Twilight turns to Pinkie, raising an eyebrow, then slowly turns back to you. "I'm sorry, I don't think I can do anything without serious risk to you. If I'm going to remove that cloud, I'll need to know a lot more. Heck, it could even be normal for humans. My reaction could be way off. I just... I said I would help. I don't want to go back on my word."

 

(cont.)

 

 

 

 

Pinkie hops up to Twilight and pokes her in the shoulder. "You'll be fine! You've never let me down!"

 

"Uuuhh, yeah." Twilight still seems apprehensive. She rubs her chin for a second, looks up to the basement door, then turns to Pinkie.

 

"Could you give Anon and me a second? I have to talk to him about something, er, private."

 

"Yuppers!" Pinkie gives a salute and gallops off, gone from the basement in mere seconds.

 

You turn back to Twilight, the familiar nervousness creeping back into you. Would you ever get a break? Your heart would probably give out if this continued for the next few days. At least Twilight was level-headed. Maybe you could talk with her more about this, ease your nerves.

 

Twilight gestures for you to lean in, and she does the same.

 

"Anon, I don't think that's Pinkie."

 

Great. Just great. Exactly what you needed.

 

There's another knock on the door.