Herowannabe

The cycle is over EDIT: having computer issues, it doesn't want to connect to the internet. I might have to do the entire rollover on mobile, which would suck. Regardless, it might be delayed a little.

Cycle 4: A Changeling for a Change NOTE: @The Flash wrote his own death write-up, I only did a little light editing to it. If you feel like giving an upvote for the writeup, I have given permission to Flash to post a single non-game related post in the thread down below in order to receive your upvotes (and you really should). Bracken sat, despairing of ever finding the one true meaning of life. This last book had declared 42 to be the answer to life, and then was unable to support what question it was the answer to! It seemed like all these books were here to foil his purpose behind replacing an unimportant librarian pony. He had always sympathized with the ponies, and the Queen figured that would be helpful in staying hidden. The issue was that he hated being a changeling. He always had thought it was a disadvantage in trying to accomplish something worthwhile in life. And that is why he needed to find the meaning of life here. So that he would know why he was here, and what he needed to do to feel worthwhile. "Um, Bracken?" Said Wormy suddenly. "Earlier I was talking to some ponies about recognizing suspicious behavior..." "Yes?" Asked Bracken, a sense of impending doom growing within him. Wormy took a deep breath. "And I mentioned the strange sympathy for the changelings you have, and the fact that you always talk as if you were separate from the rest of the ponies... And they thought that was suspicious." "You think I'm a changeling" accused Bracken, as he turned another page. "Yes." Sighed Wormy, with some finality. "Well, you're right. But I don't want to hurt anyone, and I've been your friend, right? So there is no need to tell anyone." Wormy looked pained. ".... yes, you have been my friend. Perhaps more than the actual Bracken was. But it is too late for that." "Wh- UMPHHH" as Bracken was tackled from behind by several ponies that had hidden themselves. His head slammed against the ground, and he only had a moment to consider his failure before he lost consciousness. He awoke in the creepy Zebra's hut. All the ponies were there, and Wormy- oh, Wormy- sat on princess Luna's back. His eye watered slightly. He had considered the small bookworm to be a true friend. "You have confessed to be a changeling. Yet, we must have you take the potion." Said princess Luna. The ponies moved forward to force the potion down his throat. "No! Wait, I'll take it willingly if you just let me say a few things. Or if you don't make me take it, I can tell you where the rest of my kind are, I just need to finish my work..." pleaded Bracken. Princess Luna considered, then conceded. "We cannot trust you not to sabotage us. You will take the potion. But I will allow you to say a few things. What a changeling could have to say, I do not know." The ponies backed off a bit. "Ok. So..." Bracken trailed on, looking at the ponies who had become his friends, who stared back now with eyes of disgust. "I'm so sor-" And it hit him. He comprehended life. "I... understand" breathed Bracken, full of wonder at the beauty of life's meaning. "Understand what?" Asked Princess Luna, confused by his change in direction. "The meaning of life. You shouldn't judge me by how I began, or how I end. It is only by the journey that I took that I should be judged. I was never happy with the rest of the changelings, because they did not appreciate me for who I am. Even if I did work against you, the time I spent with you was the best time of my life. It made my journey become worthwhile. The meaning of life is to find joy in the journey of life. And the joy that I gained from being your friend and working among you... It gives me the courage I need to do what I need to do." Bracken ended in a whisper, looking as Wormy. No one said anything as he bravely took the potion directly from the pot. There was only a cry of despair from a small bookworm as Bracken collapsed. The smoke swirled, revealing the image of a changeling, and with a flash of green light Bracken's unconscious form on the floor transformed to match the image in the air. The smoke began to fade away, but before it dissipated completely the image of the changeling seemed to shift, perhaps showing a kinder looking changeling, something more colorful and beautiful than the traditional changeling? The crowd of ponies murmured slightly, for this was not what they had expected. Princess Luna soothed the bookworm. "Perhaps there was more to this particular changeling than we judge them by. Sadly, there are still those among us who are changelings, and they will not be as... unique... as Bracken was. Be vigilant." As the ponies dispersed, Zecora finally spoke: "Perhaps the changelings can be shown leniency, if they too can suppress their evil tendencies." Princess Luna bowed her head slightly. "For now, we need to expell them from the village. But one day... maybe something can be done. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take the changeling to the castle, and the bookworm to a new home." Deep thoughts prevented the sleep of most ponies in the village that nignt, thoughts upon the meaning of life. Schitzo waited until well after night had fallen before he dared venture into the Doctor's office. Other ponies went to the Doctor's during the daytime, which is exactly why he waited until night. Ponies who went to see the Doctor were usually sick, which means that they were contagious, and what if Schitzo caught whatever they had? In fact, he was beginning to wonder if he might have already caught something just by sitting in the waiting room. Was his throat starting to feel a little scratchy? Did noises sound a little muffled in his left ear? He was about to bolt for the exit when the nurse stepped into the waiting room. "The doctor will see you now, Schitz'." Schitzo took a could deep breaths to calm himself, then followed the nurse back to the office. "The doctor will be in momentarily," The nurse said. "Thanks for your patience. It's been a busy day, there has been a pandemic of ponies getting pounced on lately." Did she say pandemic? Is "getting pounced on" contagious??? Schitzo fretted over that so hard that when the door opened up he blurted out, "Oh thank goodness you're here doctor. I'm coming down with the pony pox again along with strep throat and my left ear has gone deaf and I'm 99% sure that somepony is going to pounce on me any sec-" He cut off as he saw the doctor pony's cutie mark out of the corner of his eye- it was a stethescope, identical to Schitzo's own cutie mark. Come to think of it, the Doctor's fur was the same color as Schitzo's. So was his tail. Schitzo's gaze drifted up to the Doctor's face, which was also identical to Schitzo's own face. Before Schitzo could utter a peep, the changeling pounced... The Flash was lynched! He was a Changeling! Jondesu was kidnapped! He was a Regular Village Pony! Vote Tally: The Flash (7): Jondesu, Hemalurgic Headshot, Paranoid King, Seonid, BrightnessRadiant, Ecthelion III, Alvron Hemalurgic Headshot (0): Bridge Boy Quiver (2): The Flash, Conatus Player List Sorry again about the great delay getting this cycle posted. I added an extra hour on to this cycle to help make up for it a little bit.

I'll count both these votes this time, but next time I won't. Please put your votes in red everyone! If you are on mobile, you can do it by typing" (color="red") VOTE (/color) but with [ and ] instead of ( and ). the same works for other colors (color="green") green (/color) (color="blue") blue (/color)

The cycle is over (55 minutes ago) Apologies about the delay, I was literally on my way home to start tallying votes and stuff when we got a report that a neighbor had seen our missing cat just a few minutes before so we spent the past hour searching for him. We didn't find him, but we're hopeful because we know he's close and we have a good idea of the yard(s) he's hiding out in. Anyway, working on tallying votes and logging actions now. I'll have the new cycle up ASAP.

The write-up for the cycle is now up.

Yes. ORDER OF ACTIONS:

Cycle 3: Make a Wish Happy Birthday @The Flash! Nopony in Ponyville could remember the last time there was a birthday party and Pinkie Pie hadn't helped to plan it (Except for maybe Granny Smith, but a pony could never be sure what Granny Smith was ‘remembering’ and what she was making up on the spot). Fortunately, the super duper party planner Pony had foreseen that she might not make it back in time for Bracken’s party, and had not left him unprepared. Bracken examined the large present that sat in the middle of his library. It was nearly as tall as he was, and just as wide and long. It was white with a large pink ribbon tied around it. On it was a note that read: “Open in case of party. -P. P.” Bracken glanced at Wormy, who shrugged. So Bracken grabbed one of the loose ends of ribbon. As soon as he gave it a tug the top of the present burst off with a loud “POP!” and a “Squee!” A shower of confetti shot out of it, along with streamers, party hats, balloons, games, a buffet table, and even a large cake with candles somehow already aflame. The entire collection of party supplies spun through the air and landed in precisely the right spots. Bracken blinked and adjusted the party hat that had landed atop his head. “Well then, now we just need some guests!” Somepony knocked at the door, and when Bracken opened it the entire town was waiting there. After two days of being gripped in suspicion and fear everypony was ready for something to lighten the mood, and Bracken’s party was just the thing. So for the rest of the day the ponies mingled, chatted, ate cake, laughed, played games like “Musical Mares” and “Pin the horn on the Princess,” and there was even a bit of flirting going on. But it couldn’t last forever. Eventually the sun dropped below the horizon, and everypony quieted as Princess Luna descended from the sky and landed in their midst. “It is well that you have had a chance to make merry,” the Princess said. “But I am afraid that solemnity is what is needed here. Celestia still lies unconscious and all of Equestria is danger from the Changeling invasion. So I ask, who among you shall be drinking of the Elixir of Secrets this night?” Ponies who were quiet before went even more silent now. Nopony dared to make a sound, except for one. Weaver was sniggering as she quietly whispered something in Twilight Blossom’s ear. Suddenly Twilight Blossom burst out laughing, and fell to the ground, stomping her hooves and wiping tears from her eyes. At the same time, Weaver realized that everypony was staring at her and frowning. She blinked at them, the red fez sitting askew atop her head, and said, “Huh?” *** A short time later, the purple clouds of smoke in Zecora’s hut revealed that not only was Weaver her true pony self, she had also been holding the Element of Laughter. And so it was that Ponyville turned their backs on Laughter at the time that they needed it the most. Jeeves sat in his home, pouring over his lists and notes. He knew he was missing Bracken’s party, but he had been too wrapped up in his work to set it aside. He wiped sweat from his brow, then leaped up. It all made sense now! He knew which of all the ponies in the village had been replaced by Changelings! And all the evidence was laid out neatly in his notes, plain as day for anypony to see. He snatched up his notes and dashed out into the street, excited to spread the word. The streets were mostly empty - Everypony must still be at the birthday party, but there was one pony trotting along. Dapper Duke jumped in surprise as Jeeves galloped up to him and thrust the notes in his face. “I’ve figured out who the Changelings are!” Jeeves declared excitedly. “See? It’s all right here.” Dapper’s eyes widened as he scanned the well-ordered notes. He cleared his throat and said, “Yes, hmm, I see. This is very well done. There is just one thing that you have forgotten to take into consideration.” Jeeves paused. Had he really missed something? “What’s that?” he asked hesitantly. “Changelings can change who they are at will,” Dapper said. “They can appear to be anypony.” With that green light flashed around Dapper Duke and when the light cleared Jeeves was looking at his twin, except that his twin had a malicious grin spread across his face. Weaver (Frozen Mint) was lynched! She was a Village Pony with the Element of Laughter Jeeves (Randuir) was kidnapped! He was a Regular Village Pony Twilight Blossom (Droughtbringer) is laughing uncontrollably (Cannot be voted for this cycle) Vote Tally Frozen Mint (5): Jondesu, Bridge Boy, Randuir, BrightnessRadiant, Anonymous Darkness Ascendant (0): Anonymous Paranoid King (0): The Flash Jondesu (0): Paranoid King Player List EDIT: Also note that this cycle will go for a couple hours longer than normal, because this coming Thursday I will be busy for several hours in the evening.

The cycle is now closed. Vote tally and the new cycle coming just as soon as I can get them up. The write up itself may be delayed though. I'm dealing with some RL stuff right now.

Yes they can. Yes. As long as a player is still alive and they hold an element that element is still in play. In this hypothetical scenario, the Kindness/Generosity pony would still be able to pass Generosity on. It doesn't have to be EVERY post. A quick reply to answer someone's question doesn't need an extended RP, especially if you just did one a few minutes ago. Really, there aren't any hard rules, it's more up to how much effort you personally want to put into your RP. There is an Eliminator doc. Players are free to ask questions of me in other locations, such as their GM PM.

My cat is lost. We have two cats, but Rugby is really my cat. Or I should say, I'm his person. He just adores me, and loves to jump in my lap and get attention from me and cuddle with me at night. He doesn't mind getting luvs from other people, but I'm the only one that he really seeks out for luvs. And now we can't find him. He's an indoor cat- we don't let him out, but (as best as we can tell) he snuck outside sometime Saturday Evening. We've had such a busy crazy weekend that we've barely been at home the past few days and it wasn't until this morning that we realized we hadn't seen Rugby in a while and started searching. We've been doing all the normal things you should do- searching for him, leaving food out, putting up fliers, calling the Humane Society and animal shelters, posting ads on Craigslist and Nextdoor and KSL and everything- but haven't found him yet. We talked to a few neighbors who saw/heard him slinking about and yowling on Saturday Night, but we haven't found anybody who has seen him since then. We found tufts of fur that are probably his nearby one of the places that he was seen, so he's probably been in at least one fight with another cat. He's a big cat and he hasn't been declawed or anything so I think he can hold his own against another cat and probably even most dogs, but like I said he's an indoor cat and doesn't know what he's doing out there. The worst was the neighbor who said they heard a cat yowling the other night- I'm sure that was Rugby, lost and alone and crying for help. It just breaks my heart. I'm so sad and worried for him that I just feel sick. I just want my buddy back safe and sound.

Yes, any time a player is eliminated their alignment and role will be revealed.

Rule clarification: if the pony with Kindness is lynched they are NOT eliminated. The Changelings would still have to eliminate them in order to meet their win condition. 1. Yes. This is also a good time to mention that there is no limit on the number of actions a player can make in one cycle. So if (hypothetically), a Pegasus with the Element of Laughter was also given the Element of Generosity, she could target somepony with Laughter, give Generosity away to another pony, and use her secret vote on yet another pony, all in the same cycle. 2. No, they have no influence over it. The Element of Generosity will be given away randomly (I'll roll a die) and the Changeling will not be told who it went to.

Cycle 2: Eccentric Enchantress The moon rose slowly over Ponyville, bringing with it Princess Luna. She alighted in the center of the town square, where a crowd herd of ponies had already gathered. Straw looked up at the Princess and wondered, Will she through their trickery? She’s a princess, surely she will be able to see the truth, won’t she? All the other ponies in town were Changelings. Every last one of them, except for Straw of course. He had suspected it all along, but his suspicions were confirmed when several of them had tackled him, stuffed a gag in his mouth and trussed him up like a pig for market. Princess Luna looked over the gathering of traitors, and spoke. “You have found somepony you suspect of being a Changeling?” Several ponies nodded, but none of them objected. Of course. “What evidence do you have?” Good, she doesn’t believe them, Straw thought, until Jeeves trotted forward and presented the Princess with a list- several lists actually, each bundled up in a tight scroll and carefully arranged on a tray- that outlined all their reasons for suspecting Straw of being a Changeling. Luna skimmed a few of the scrolls, then nodded. “Very well, we shall see if you are right. Follow me.” She turned and started walking straight towards the Everfree forest. The forest was wild and frightening even by the light of day, but by night it was even worse, and everypony hesitated when they saw where Princess Luna was leading them. “Come!” Princess Luna called, looking back over her shoulder, and nervously the ponies began following after her, carrying Straw on their backs. Oh great, Straw thought. They’re going to feed me to a cragadile or a manticore or something. Figures. They walked through the dark forest by the light of the moon for some time, and though they heard the sounds of many wild creatures in the night, nothing troubled them. Eventually, they reached a creepy looking hut in the middle of the forest, with various baubles and potions hanging from its branches. Candlelight flickered through the windows, and a strange purple smoke drifted from the chimney. Princess Luna rapped her hoof softly on the door, and a moment later the door opened to reveal the zebra, Zecora. Twilight Sparkle had befriended Zecora some time ago, and many ponies were starting to trust her as well, but a great many others were still wary of the strange zebra. Upon seeing Luna, Zecora said, “Greetings, Princess of the night, Come inside into the light. I have been toiling all day for you, Mixing up this special brew.” Luna gestured for the ponies carrying Straw to follow, and together they entered the small hut. The other ponies gathered around, trying to get a peek through the doorway and windows. “Will this brew of yours work the way we want it to?” Luna asked. Zecora replied, “The Elixir of Secrets will do the trick, Though I warn you to not be too quick. A pony who drinks soon will see Her secrets revealed to you and me, But a side-effect awaits those who take: They shall fall asleep and shall not wake Until all the traitors are revealed, And not a one remains concealed.” Luna nodded gravely. “It will have to do.” Turning to the other ponies she added, “Fear not, little ponies, for I will guard the dreams of any innocent pony who drinks the Elixir of Secrets. Do you still wish to submit the unicorn Straw to this test?” The ponies glanced at each other, and then nodded. Straw sighed through the gag. Well at least this is better than getting eaten by a manticore. Probably. Zecora scooped a cupful of the purple elixir from her cauldron as the ponies removed Straw’s gag. He tried to cry out but they poured the purple liquid into his mouth and he spluttered and swallowed some of it. His eyes rolled back into his head and he blacked out. *** Next to Straw the boiling cauldron became agitated, swirling about and belching up a large cloud of purple smoke. The smoke spun and danced and formed into an image- It looked just like Straw, and it glowed with a pure silver light. The ponies watching glanced at each other, and Princess Luna hung her head. Apparently this meant that Straw had not been a changeling after all. Before anyone could speak though the smoke danced and spun again before reforming itself into a glowing image of a red crystal in the shape of a lightning bolt. Everypony gasped. It was an image of the Element of Loyalty. With a flash of light the cloud puffed away. The cauldron was now empty. Zecora shook her head sadly, then recited. “A terrible mistake has here been made, And a terrible price has now been paid. It will take time to mix another brew, Come back on the morrow to try anew.” Princess Luna departed shortly thereafter, taking Straw’s unconscious body to the Royal Castle to lay beside Princess Celestia, and the rest of the ponies somberly made their way back to Ponyville. Not everypony had gone with Princess Luna into the everfree forest, some had stayed behind. Hidden Antler was one of those. He hadn’t wanted any part of the accusations being tossed about, so he had stayed to the side, quietly crafting a bundle of rubber tipped arrows. It was soothing work, and he quickly became lost in it. Some time later he was interrupted by a small purple filly. “Watcha doin’?” she asked. Hidden Antler blinked, looking up at her. “I’m fletching- er… I’m making arrows. You use a bow to shoot them.” He gestured to the strung bow sitting to the side. By Tirek’s nose ring, is it nighttime already? Shouldn’t this little filly be in bed by now? And the filly wasn’t alone. Several other young foals surrounded Hidden Antler, looking at him curiously. “Wow,” the filly said. “That sounds useful. Especially with the coming war against the Changelings.” “Uh, yes, now where are your parents? Wait, what!? Who said anything about a war with the Changelings?” The fillies and colts were edging nearer, the curious looks on their faces slowly giving way to malicious smiles. One by one the foals’ eyes flashed with a green light. Uh oh… In the morning, nopony could find Hidden Antler, only a bundle of half-finished arrows where he had been working. Straw was lynched! He was a Village Pony with the Element of Loyalty! A Joe in the Bush was kidnapped! He was a Regular Village Pony! Vote Tally: Straw (5): Jondesu, Randuir, BrightnessRadiant, Ecthelion III, Anonymous Brightness Radiant (2): Paranoid King, Straw Paranoid King (1): Bridge Boy, Frozen Mint Player List EDIT: Just a reminder to the Unicorns out there: Your PM groups from cycle 1 are ended. You may now create a new PM group for cycle 2. If you wish to use your cycle 2 PM to communicate with the same players as cycle 1, you do not need to create a new PM, simply post in the cycle 1 PM group that you are using your PM for this cycle to continue the conversation. EDIT2: Quicklinks

The cycle is now closed.

I would give this a like, but I'm still out of likes...

Just have to say, I'm enjoying all the RP everybody. I've been giving likes to all the posts with RP that clearly had a lot of effort/humor/entertainment put into it, but I've run out of likes for the day.

Not quite sure what the problem is, but here's a guess. When you create a Pm and start inserting somebody's name a little window will pop up with any user names that Match what you've typed so far. Once you see the user name you click on their name and it will add it to the PM with their name highlighted blue. The same and thing applies when using the @ symbol to tag people in thread. You can practice by creating a PM or two with myself and our impartial mod @little wilson, Or if worse comes to worse reply to my GM PM to you and let me know who you want to include and I'll create it for you.

No, there are no secret roles or anything of the sort in this game. It's just that it's very late and I'm very tired and I was trying as hard as I could to make the rules perfectly clear. EDIT: A couple other points of clarification that nobody has asked me about, but which I feel needed to be addressed: Lynches: Many games require a 2-Vote minimum for a lynch to take place. Not so in this game. A pony can be lynched with only 1 vote (so long as nopony else has any votes on them). Ties/No-votes: A tie-vote, or a situation in which nopony receives any votes (still technically a tie-vote), normally results in nopony getting lynched. If the holder of Generosity is still in the game, they will be lynched instead. If the Generosity-Pony has been eliminated or lost their power, then tie-votes/no-votes revert to resulting in nopony getting lynched. Rollovers: I will be doing a system similar to what Joe did in QF23. Basically, the cycle ends when the countdown timer reaches 0:00, and then there will be roughly an hour pause while I tally votes and compose the writeup and so on, and then the next cycle begins when I post the new thread. Rollover for this cycle: I'll be attending a family gathering tomorrow evening and so will probably be a little late getting home. As such I am extending the length of this cycle by 1 hour (so it will end at 10:00pm MST, not 9:00). I'll go adjust the countdown timer right now. Thanks.

The new color palette is a little weird, so it makes it trickier to get to true red. I will accept any sort of reddish-colored vote, but if players wouldn't mind putting their votes in bold or underlines or something to help it pop out a bit more that would be nice. Not required, but nice. Yes, the pony with Honesty can learn other ponies' roles (including Elements) along with their alignments.

If a pony holding an Eliminated- whether by kidnap or lynch- it counts towards the Changelings win condition. As long as the Element of Generosity is still in play the Eliminators haven't won, no matter who holds it. Rand has the right of it. The Pony with Kindness can survive a lynch, but will not survive a kidnapping. Note that if the Pony with Kindness is lynched and survives, they have not been eliminated. the Changelings will still need to kidnap them in order to meet their win condition.

I'm working on sending out all the PMs, but ran out of time and I have to go pick up some family members from the airport. I will get all the role PMs sent out before I go to bed tonight. Feel free to post, and to use your role abilities (particularly you Unicorns, feel free to create a PM for the cycle), but I encourage you not to say anything that may give away whether or not you've received your Role PM yet. EDIT: I was able to send out the rest of the PMs via mobile, so everybody should have received them by now. If you haven't, please PM me and let me know. Also, just a reminder about your Cosmetic Roles! Have fun with them, and I'll be watching for those ponies that do the best job at living up to them!

Cycle 1: Say Goodbye to the Day Princess Celestia stood on her balcony, gazing at the sun as she gently lowered it behind the horizon. It was a pretty sunset, if Celestia did say so herself, full of vibrant shades of red and gold, but something felt off somehow. She couldn’t quite put her hoof on what it was, but perhaps discussing it with Luna could shed some light on it. Luna would be there soon to raise the moon and usher in the Night. Even as Celestia had the thought, her sister threw open the doors and rushed out onto the balcony in a gallop. “Celestia!,” Luna called, her voice urgent and frightened. “You must come at once!” “What’s wrong, little sister?” Celestia asked. “The Elements of Harmony! They’ve gone missing!” Luna cried. Celestia’s heart dropped at the words. She wasted no time, leading Luna as they galloped towards the chamber where the Elements were kept. Pony’s gasped in surprise and worry as they dodged out of the way of their galloping princesses. As she raced through the castle, Celestia’s mind raced, too, considering the implications. The magic of the Elements of Harmony had served and protected the land of Equestria for millennia. If they were missing now… what could that mean? Twilight Sparkle and her friends, the current wielders of the Elements, were away on an extended trip to the Crystal Kingdom, visiting Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. They were not due to return for weeks, though could they have somehow summoned the Elements to them over the great distance? Or could somepony have figured out a way to break in and steal them? A lone guardpony stood at the entrance to the Chamber of the Elements, and he started with surprise at their arrival. “Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!” the guardpony- Captain Shard- said, saluting smartly with the weapon strapped to his foreleg. His son had created the weapon- a sword it was called. “Be on the lookout, Captain!” Celestia ordered. “There is mischief a-hoof!” She paused in front of the doors only long enough to activate her magic. A shimmering golden aura surrounded her horn, and a matching aura surrounded the lock on the doors. With a click the lock opened, and the doors swung open. “Behind me, sister!” Celestia called to Luna as they rushed inside. The chamber was large and elongated, with intricate stained glass windows decorating the walls. At the far end of the chamber stood a pedestal, and atop the pedestal sat the pillowed case where the Elements were stored. And in the case rested... … the Elements of Harmony. Celestia blinked in confusion. The Gemstone necklaces that represented the Elements of Harmony- honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty, and magic- each sat in their proper place in the case. “Sister,” she said. “I don’t understand-” The doors slammed shut behind her. Celestia whirled to see Luna there, a malicious glint in her eye and a twisted green aura enveloping her horn. Before Celestia could react, Luna shot a fiery green blast of energy at her, and the blast knocked Celestia back, dazing her. “I must thank you for leading me here, sister,” Luna said, putting a sarcastic emphasis on the last word. “You are not my sister!” Celestia cried, firing a golden blast of energy from her own horn. Luna deflected it easily, but it was just a distraction anyway. When the glowing blasts cleared, Celestia hit her foe with a second wave of magic. The image of Luna melted away, revealing Chrysalis- Queen of the Changeling hordes. Chrysalis scowled, looking down at herself, but then changed her grimace into a laugh. “No matter,” she gloated. “Nopony is here to see me but you, and once I deal you I will become you, and take your place as the object of everypony’s adoration.” “You are a fool, Chrysalis!” Celestia declared, readying another blast of energy. “We defeated you before, and we will do so again.” Crysalis snorted in derision. “Oh? And how do you plan to do that? Cadance and Shining Armor aren’t here this time, and Twilight Sparkle and her irksome friends aren’t here either to use the Elements of Harmony. And as I recall, the last time we fought it was you who was defeated, Celestia. You see, we were careful this time. A handful of my minions have infiltrated your precious kingdom and have been watching for months now, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.” From the other side of the doors they could hear the sounds of fighting, and of Captain Shard calling for backup. There was a crash and Captain Shard cried out. “Ah, see? There they are now.” Chrysalis continued. “Once we deal with you and the Elements of Harmony are safely locked away, there will be no force in Equestria that will be able to stop me.” Celestia let her magic loose, firing a off a beam of golden light. Queen Chrysalis fired her own beam as well, and the two beams exploded as they struck. Celestia staggered back, as did the Changeling Queen, but Chrysalis recovered first. Chrysalis fired another blast and Celestia was thrown back once again. She slammed into something, and glancing up she saw it was the pedestal holding the Elements of Harmony. Celestia turned her gaze back to Queen Chrysalis, and smiled grimly. “You have made one mistake, Chrysalis. Twilight and her friends aren’t the only ones that can use the Elements of Harmony. Anypony with the right characteristics can wield their power.” Princess Celestia activated her magic again, and a golden light surrounded the gemstones above her. She poured everything she had left into the gemstones, causing the Elements to rise into the air, and in a flash they shot to the side, blasting out one of the stained glass windows and streaking out into the open air. They zipped across the sky, heading towards the town of Ponyville, and in moments they had disappeared from view. “NOOO!!!” Queen Chrysalis screamed, “What have you done!?” “I have sent the Elements to ponies that can use them,” Celestia declared. “Use them to stop you!” Chrysalis snarled and blasted Celestia again with her magic, but this time she didn’t let up. Celestia felt the Changeling magic seeping into her, paralyzing her limbs and draining away her power. But it was too late to stop her plan. The ponies she had sent the Elements to would be able to stop the Changelings, if they worked together. Celestia prayed that it would be enough. As her vision started growing dark, Celestia looked through the broken window at the stars glimmering in the night sky. The stars seemed to shimmer and move, and a pale blue light flared alight in the midst of them. The last thing Celestia saw was the blue light striking Queen Chrysalis, throwing the Changeling to the side. Then Celestia slipped into unconsciousness. ***A short time later*** A sizable crowd had gathered in central square in Ponyville. Princess Luna looked over them as she prepared to address them. Ponies of all types, from all walks of life, all wondering what had happened. They had seen flashes of light and had heard explosions coming from the Royal Castle in Canterlot. They were worried. “Citizens of Ponyville!” Luna called, and the crowd quieted. “I bring dire news. Princess Celestia was attacked by Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, a short time ago, and the Elements of Harmony have gone missing. I arrived in time to stop the attack, but not before Celestia was terribly injured. She sleeps now, her body overcome by Changeling magic. As long as there are Changelings nearby, I am afraid that she will not be able to awaken. Queen Chrysalis fled when I attacked her, which means that there are other Changelings nearby. “It will take nearly all the power I possess to raise the Sun and the Moon, and to protect my sister from further harm, so I must call on you to find out the Changelings in our midst. Be careful, they can take on the guise of anypony, even your closest friends. Be on the lookout for those among you who do not act as they should, who may be working against us. When you have found somepony who you suspect of being a Changeling, bring them to me. “Good luck, my little ponies.” The game has begun! You have about 45 hours for this first cycle. Cycles will end at 9:00 MST (see the timer below) One last thing, a note about contribution. I’ve been saying this at the beginning of all the games I’ve been participating in lately, and as the GM I feel I should also do so here. All of you signed up for this game because something about it appealed to you. You thought it sounded fun. So I invite you to play the game, and have fun! Post when you can, contribute how and where you can. Some people like to do intricate analyses on spreadsheets, or post elaborate roleplays, and some people find they only have enough time to read the thread and post their gut feelings here and there. Wherever you sit, I hope that you will participate and contribute when and where and how often you can. If you do, I guarantee you and everyone else will have a more enjoyable experience because of it. So have fun, and let the game begin! Player List

Sign ups are closed now. Cycle 1 post and role PMs are soon to follow!

Hey everyone, the countdown timer will wind down in 7 minutes, but I'm not quite ready with the intro writeup yet. I'm working on it now, and once it is ready I will post again and officially close sign ups (So if there are any latecomers you have one last chance to get in). Once sign ups are closed, I'll post the intro and send out role PMs. Good luck everyone, and I hope you have fun!

It hasn't really changed, but if you look closely you can tell it's become a little more polished and expressive over time. You don't really notice unless you watch episodes from the latest seasons and then go back and watch the first few episodes from season 1.