First Checklist Item [Misc Journal Shenanigans / Action]

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ In the middle of the day, Luceti is treated to the following eloquent series of letters: ]

DDDDD

[ So this is what happens when a hoof gets ahold of a drawing-to-text synthesizer. This is followed by a voice post about three minutes later: ]

... triangle, a couple of straight lines, and a square have to do with...

[ Several minutes pass, and then a video materializes. The viewer may be greeted with a pair of huge, intense violet eyes. ]

A-ha!

[ The sight of this particular creature might seem out of place to anyone who doesn't know Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash. You can now see a purple pony with a horn protruding from her mane. The horn is bathed in a magenta glow, as is a pointy stick that is way too close to the camera. Like mankind before her, Twilight is learning how to use tools. ]

Hi, um... anypony who's watching this! I'm Twilight Sparkle, and... I don't recognize these woods at all. [ She looks around, probably for the umpteenth time. Twilight's found herself deep within the forest, to the southeast. Not that she knows this. ] It doesn't look like any part of the Everfree Forest I've been to. [ A cloud parts and the sun shines in her face through the unseen treetops. Twilight shields her face with a hoof. ] Oh. Actually, I guess I could...

[ She looks back at herself and spreads her wings. Not her small Luceti wings, though. A huge pair of alicorn wings, of the same purple as her fur. She prepares to take off, then remembers the journal and hits it again with the stick. Video feed switches off. ]

---

[ Following this recording, the population of Luceti may witness a purple shape flying around the sky, observing the village from above. She'll circle a few times, trying to orient herself, before deciding to alight in the fountain square.

Two areas will grab Twilight's interest fairly quickly. First, she'll see her coronation outfit in the window of the clothing shop. She'll find this strange enough to go inside and consider buying it.

The other building she'll notice is the library (with a squee of excitement). Good luck extracting her from perusing the many, many, many tomes that now litter the floor. This is why Twilight needs an assistant librarian. What she wouldn't give for Spike right about now.

Feel free to interact with her in the square, at the clothing store, in the library, or in the air: she's several yards up but not out of shouting distance. ]

Comments

[Action - Library]

[geniustheveil]

[Ami, incessantly, is at the library herself. Her eyes widen in open surprise at the mess, but she manages to quickly stop herself from the rude staring, and hurry forward.

That's when she realizes what should have been the bigger surprise: She knows the pony in the middle of it all.]

Twilight Sparkle?!

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ She looks up from a book of spells. It's all written in some strange language; these seem like beast names. Isn't there a "levicorpus" in the Everfree Forest? ]

That's me! Does word of my arrival really get around that quickly?

[geniustheveil]

[Er... how to explain this? Twilight's been gone for quite awhile, and it's the right time for new feathers. The answer is obvious, to Ami: This is Twilight returned without her memories, or a different Twilight.

To a newcomer, of course, it isn't that easy, or as easy to explain.]

Not exactly... This might sound strange, but we've met before now. It was awhile ago, so you may not remember it. [There's a slight edge of nervousness to her smile, because she knows how unbelievable it sounds.]

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ She frowns. So many confusing things today! She'll sort them out somehow. ] You mean in Ponyville? I've never seen anypony like you before I came here, and now you're all over the place. It's enough to make me feel like a mule in Canterlot!

[geniustheveil]

[That's... the hard part, and for a second Ami glances away, as though trying to find the right words.]

We met here. You may not remember it, but you've been here before.

It isn't that anything's wrong with you! [She's very quick to reassure Twilight of that, at least.] It just happens sometimes, if people leave and come back. They don't remember the first time.

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ OH GOSH MORE CONFUSION ] Not remember? How could I have been here and not remember? Either I was here or I wasn't! Is Discord involved?

[ She feels herself start to hyperventilate a little, her wings flaring up involuntarily, and then remembers Cadance's breathing tips. With a couple of deep breaths and slow foreleg back-and-forth movements, she's calmed down a little. ] Sorry. That's a habit I've been trying to break. This place just keeps getting weirder.

[geniustheveil]

[Let's see. Terms to put it in for a magical pony...

Ami, who tends towards overthinking and getting her mind in a frenzy at times herself, seems relieved when Twilight calms herself, but not too shocked.]

Think of it like magic. This whole place is warded very strongly. No one's escaped on their own yet, that anyone knows. [And she believes that, because if all those people had escaped, surely at least one would have told at least someone else?]

I've never heard of Discord, though. The ones who created this situation are called the Malnosso.

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ Twilight nods. ] A barrier, but for the mind as well as the body. That's not too difficult to understand. [ Keep this up, Twilight. You'll grasp this place's weirdness yet. ]

Well, I don't remember any part of my last time here. I guess I'll have to start re-learning stuff. What's your name?

[geniustheveil]

I'm sorry; I should have introduced myself sooner. I'm Ami Mizuno. [She gives the name in Western order out of deference to Twilight.]

We didn't know each other well, but we met at the library a few times. [And no surprises there.]

[fourthgenerationprincess]

Pleased to meet you, Ami. So I knew about ... all these too? [ Eyes shining while she looks at the books again. So much to learn. Oh, Twilight's gonna be in here for a WHILE. ]

[geniustheveil]

[Well, the library's pretty extensive so she's not sure about all the books, but she remembers Twilight definitely camping out here.]

You were here very often, so I imagine you read quite a bit.

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ She chuckles. ] But if you were here, too, you must have some idea of what's in these books, or how this is all organized? Which... it doesn't seem to be. [ Not that she's paid a huge amount of attention in her wild leap for the information, but everything seems sort of out of order. Like the books haven't been tended to in some time. ]

[geniustheveil]

I've gotten used to it after awhile; I'll show you. What were you looking for?

[Almost as though anticipating Twilight's answer, Ami is already glancing around, mentally noting where various topics are typically still found.]

[fourthgenerationprincess]

I need to be looking FOR something?

I guess I'd like to know more about how Luceti works.

[geniustheveil]

It helps as a starting point. [Oh. That.] But you won't be able to find much information about Luceti. It's probably because the Malnosso prefer us ignorant of that.

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ Scrunchy face while she thinks. ] Surely someone wrote something down at one point? There are a ton of ponies and non-ponies here.

[geniustheveil]

That's true; however, if you're looking for that sort of information, you'd probably find more in the journals. There isn't much left here in the library about it at all.

[fourthgenerationprincess]

Oh. I guess I could read that. [ Hovers her journal in front of her. ] So I have two libraries of information to sift through!

In that case, show me your favorite books.

[geniustheveil]

I like various types. Would you be interested in biographies, maybe? [No, really, this and dictionaries are her go-to genres. She just won't admit to the more secret liking for novels. She doubly won't admit to the romance novels.]

[fourthgenerationprincess]

Would I! I love history! [ She puts aside whatever book she was reading and gets up. Ready to follow you wherever, Ami. ]

[geniustheveil]

[Er... Ami ends up eyeing the books scattered about instead.]

Shall I help you finish picking these up and organizing the ones you want to study further before we go?

[fourthgenerationprincess]

What was I thinking? These books are a mess! [ What have you begun, Ami? Twilight levitates a few books and starts putting them back on the shelves. ] But you know, I'll probably be in here again, and I don't really know what to study first. I'd like to read all of them.

[geniustheveil]

You could choose some to bring home with you for awhile. It's like any other library in that. [Tactfully, she draws no more attention to the mess, she simply starts picking the books up.]

[fourthgenerationprincess]

Hmm. [ As she's putting them back, Twilight removes a couple. Then a couple more. By the time the mess is finally clean, about a quarter of the floor-to-ceiling shelf is levitating in the air around her. ] Okay, I think I'm ready!

[geniustheveil]

[Whoa! Ami's eyes widen as she takes a quick look around. The books. are floating. in the air.

This is not the first time she's seen something like that, but she can't do it herself and it's still not exactly common. She can't help thinking it seems convenient.]

Amazing!