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Wandering around the stalls


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Fillydelphia's Harvest Spook-Tacular event ! This was one of the few things Bumble Buns liked about the city, even as a foal. She had fond memories of going there with her family. Being farmers, it always was an important event for them. They'd put up a little stand, bring pumpkins, do something that would help their sales and make their farm better known.

Bumble Buns was old enough to work (and actually had her own little group of bee hives to take care of) so this year she'd have to work at the family stand in Scarecrow Corner too. But she wouldn't be the only one, and would have plenty of time to enjoy the festival as well. And there was so much to do this year ! She didn't even knew where to start.

Today the earth pony mare wouldn't have to be at her family's stand before much later in the evening, so she decided to wander around in Scarecrow corner. She was disguised as a bee, with a headband in her mane, holding two black antennas, fake bee wings on her back, a small dart tied at the base of her tail, and lots of black rings painted on her yellow mane.

The honey-yellow mare admired the stands. There was a lot of pretty things to sale, arts and crafts and decorations, and a lot of art material too ! The ponies around all had impressive disguises, made out of original ideas sometimes, and it was great to watch them.

All in all, this promised to be a great evening and a fun festival. The little pony mare was smiling all she could, happily wandering around Scarecrow Corner's many stalls. Perhaps she would even make some friends in Fillydelphia this year !

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Re-Roll had set up a stall as well, selling a lot of game-related things, such as colorful dice, rulebooks, cards, artwork, miniatures and other things. The pony himself was dressed as a wizard, though he had had to remove the hat one more than one occasion, because the hat kept slipping over his eyes. A colorful sign had been painted and placed at the front of the stall. Olde-Timey Gaming Wares for the Game-playing Pony. Granted, it looked unusual against a lot of the farm-based stalls set up, but Re-Roll didn't mind.

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Bumble Buns walked around the place, admiring every stall. Every pony had put a lot of work in what they presented, whether it was hoof-made little dolls, dresses and costumes, farm-made goods, or any other strange idea. A lot of them wore costumes, some bore fake stitches, some were disguised as witches, ghosts, or pirates. It was quite lively.

In the end of a row of stalls, a pony had put up an unusual stall, titled “Olde-Timey Gaming Wares for the Gaming Pony”. The honey-yellow mare wasn't quite sure if he sold goods or presented what he did ; perhaps it was a bit of both. The teal colt had a wizard disguise, but his hat was just a tad too wide and kept falling in front of his eyes. He looked really annoyed at it, and watching him try to keep it in place made Bumble Buns giggles.

Her curiosity awoken, the earth pony mare walked toward his stall. He was indeed selling games and things to play games. He had a lot of strange dices … wait, some of them even had more than 6 sides. She had never seen those before. He had sets of cards, too, some of them quite unusual (“friendship is magic : the gathering” ? ). He had little figurines of ponies and monsters, many of them in action poses, waving big weapons around them. Were they done hoof-made ?

And everything came with detailed illustrations and pictures and artworks. Forest & Fillies, Hydras & Hippogriffs ; she had never seen many of those games before, but they all had an attractive atmosphere of great stories and adventure, with their colorful images of noble heroes fighting dangerous monsters. Bumble Buns looked at the wizard pony in front of her.

“Hello sir ! How do you play those games ? I've never seen them before.” They sure looked like fun. And even if they all looked complicated, the young mare hoped she could try one of them ; she was getting quite curious now.

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"Ah! You wanna know how to play these games? You've come to the right pony." Re-Roll smiled serenely at Bumble Buns. "Well, they're similar to playing a board game, like Monopony. Only you're working with the other players. There are a lot of rules, but you can easily get used to them. I happen to have a boad set up for a game of Forests and Fillies, if you're game, of course."

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“Oh I'd love to give it a try !” Bumble Buns rejoiced happily. “There's all those little figurines you see, and all those pictures, and it all looks very interesting.” She hoped the rules wouldn't become too big a problem ; remembering a lot of things at once was not something she was very good at.

“So, Forest and Fillies is like a board game you say – but there are tons of different boardgames ! How does this one works ?” she continued, asking questions after questions to the stallion dressed as a wizard in front of her. She wouldn't stop until her curiosity was satisfied.

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"Uhhh..." Re-Roll was beginning to think that this mare was asking a tad too many questions. "I'll try and explain" He brought out a Filly Master's Guide and began reading. "You'll need some dice." He handed the yellow mare a few dice. "And a rulebook, and a character sheet. I'll be playing Filly Master, so I'll be telling you what to do. I'll help you fill in the character sheet."

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"Okay !” Bumble Buns replied. She caught the dices, the pencil, the character sheet, and the rulebook. The other pony's explanations and a light skimming through the rulebook explained in better details what the game was about : she was going to pretend to be a warrior, a mage, a thief, or any other kind of “hero”, going through great adventures against whatever villain the Filly Master invented. It looked like storytelling made into a boardgame. Fun !

“So !” she continued, impatient to start. “I can be anything I want from the list right ? Can I be a warrior ? A strong and courageous pony that protect the weak and the innocent, or something like this !”

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"From the list, yes." Re-Roll replied. "You could be a warrior pony, or a sneaky-thief, or a powerful wizard unicorn, as long as it fits into the rules. I usually play a Wizard, but it's up to you." He looked through the Filly Master's Guide for appropriate senarios. "Just saying, this is usually a game for more than two ponies. It's more fun with friends. What's your name?"

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“Well I'd like to be a warrior !” the farmer mare replied. “A brave warrior pony, virtuous and chivalrous, that protect civilian ponies and fight evil !” The idea had struck her enough to create half a dozen stories for that character. A warrior, or a paladin, is what she wanted to play.

Her face fell when the Filly Master mentioned that it was a funnier game if it was played with more than two ponies. “Well, I don't have any friends ...” she started awkwardly, then added quickly : “I mean, here, I have none in the Harvest Spook-Tacular festival. Perhaps we'll meet another pony who's willing to give it a try ?”

“And my name is Bumble Buns.” the young mare concluded, on her guards now. She really wanted to try his game of Forest and Fillies, but if the colt started to make fun of her name ... she would probably go away. “What is yours ?” she asked in return.

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"I'm Re-Roll." Re-Roll replied cheerfully. "And don't worry. It is possible to play with just you and a Filly Master." He smiled and turned a few pages of the Filly Master's Guide. "Ah, here's a good scenario. The Ancient Lunar Castle. Good for warriors. Actually..." Re-Roll pulled over a character sheet for himself. "I'll be playing both the Filly Master and my wizard character. That okay with you?"

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“Fine with me !” replied Bumble Buns. It looked like a good idea to remedy to the shortage of players. Besides, he was the one who knew how to play after all !

She read her character sheet in more details and started to roll dices when she was asked to, using Re-Roll's wizard sheet as an example and asking him questions whenever she didn't understood something. Pretty soon she had completed it, and Thunderhoof the mighty warrior was ready to take on the Lunar Castle with his double-hooved sword !

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"Lookin' good." Re-Roll poured over Bumble's character sheet. "So, Thunderhoof, the mighty warrior pony, and Gold Rush, the great wizard, are going to the Lunar Castle. Now comes the fun." He held out his right hoof in a dramatic fashion. "Close your eyes. Imagine you are in a place, a long time ago now. You're walking along the borders of the Everfree, looking for any sign of danger with your friend."

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Bumble Buns imagined the scene ...

Thunderhoof eyed the great forest warily. The Everfree wasn't natural : it was as if it had a life of it's own. Here, the clouds moved by themselves, the plants grew without any tending, and the animals took care of themselves on their own. Some of them were big enough to eat a pony, and mean enough to consider it. It was a dangerous place to enter. His sword and his armor brought little reassurance, and he hoped he wouldn't have to use them – but he knew it was a fool's hope.

Trotting along with him was his friend and comrade-in-arms the wizard Gold Rush. Together they were on a mission ; they were to find and explore the Lunar Castle, for a great evil laid in it. It was a great danger to the simple ponies living nearby, and they had to do something about it.

“What are we waiting for ? Let's enter the forest !” Bumble Buns the young ma – The mighty Thunderhoof exclaimed with his strong and serious voice.

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"Right behind you, buddy." Re-Roll- Gold Rush, the legendary wizard said in a laid-back manner. "Though proceed with caution, friend. There is evil in that forest that does not sleep."

"You hear strange sounds coming from the forest. It sounds like somepony has gone into the forest, but hasn't come out. Do you want to investigate?" Re-Roll read from the Filly Master's guide.

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Thunderhoof and Gold Rush cautiously entered the Everfree forest. The trees rapidly closed the skies over their heads, and very soon they were walking in a dense, obscure vegetation. They couldn't see any other living being, but they could hear muffled sounds around them, owl-like hoots over their heads, and sometimes, just off their visions, the bushes shuffled slightly. It looked like the Everfree forest was watching the two ponies.

A little bit further up their way, the two adventurers could hear even stranger sounds, that seemed to indicate that another pony was lost and in need of help. Listening to nothing else but his courage and his desire to help everypony in need, the brave warrior Thunderhoof explained to his friend what he wanted to do.

“We can't let a stranger alone in this forest, especially if they need help ! Let's investigate, my friend, and let my sword and your magic rescue this pony in need.”

Bumble Buns was completely caught in the game. She accompanied all of her declarations with grand gestures of her hooves and did her best to speak in character. She was already having a lot of fun !

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"Never a dull moment with you, friend." Gold Rush sighed as he followed his companion into the Forest. "This Forest has known magic far beyond me, and battles far beyond you." He said, examining some gashes in a tree trunk. "We best be cautious." Just as he said that, his cloak was caught on a branch that seemed to wrap itself around his cloak.

"Hmm. It apears that my cloak is caught in a branch and doesn't want to let go. I'm going to use some magic to get out of it. Now, where's that D6?" Re-Roll began to search the table for a blue 6-sided die.

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“We can't stay still when there's a pony in need !” Thunderhoof replied. “Onwards, my magician friend !”

Unfortunately the two ponies were soon halted by a branch that got caught in Gold Rush's cloak, wrapping itself around it, as if the forest tried to stop the two adventurers.

“I can use my sword to cut that branch if so you wish.” the warrior proposed, while Bumble buns was looking for the six-sided dice. “No need to spend your spells on something as unimportant !”

“Haha ! Found it ! “ the mare triumphantly announced as she retrieved the blue square from under a pile of papers and handed it to the Filly Master.

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"Awesome! Thanks." Re-Roll took the die and rolled it. "I just need a 2 or higher. 2 or higher. That's all I need." The die landed on a 3. "Perfect." Re-Roll cheered.

"No need, Thunderhoof." Gold Rush waved down his friend's offer of help. "It's just a simple spell. It'll recharge soon enough." The wizard cleared his throat. "Ahem...Release me, great force of nature!" He said in a booming voice that filled the entire forest.

"The branch lets go, and I'm free!" Re-Roll read out. "We're good to continue."

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Willow Whisper loved this time of year. Gloomy weather, awesome costumes, plentiful candy, and craft fairs by the hoof-full. The pastel green unicorn mare had come all the way from the edge of Everfree for the Harvest festival. She'd never been to Fillydelphia before, but she was loving every minute of it, even if she was mainly here on business. Her booth, 'Wicked Woodcraft', featured a variety of campy Nightmare Night themed wooden hoof-carved or magically shaped items. Playfully leering masquerade masks, life-like gargoyles and ghastly guardians, signs with dire warnings or spooky welcomes. Her booth smelled of sawdust, cinnamon, and hay. She breathed these scents in with a sigh of contentment as she closed down her booth for a break. It was time to finally take a look around.

The tall unicorn was costumed as a playfully grinning crocodile. A toothy wooden mask gaped open around her face which connected to a green hooded scale-patched, ended in a fat hay stuffed tail that hung down over her flanks. Her coat color and broad shape lended a little to the illusion, but mainly she just looked ridiculous. She browsed the stalls, and paused to buy a massive candy apple that was gone by the time she saw the gaming booth.

"No way..." She breathed, and her normally droopy drowsy expression brightened. Role-playing games? How long had it been since she'd gotten to play one of those? The pony grinned and she dashed over to check it out. She flitted from item to item, and mentally calculated just how much she was willing to spend at this booth. She was settling on her first purchase of a set of metallic silver dice when she finally noticed the game going on. "Oh man! Do you guys have room for another? It's been years since I played Forests & Fillies, like for real! Total nostalgia!" She laughed in her deep lazy voice, and remembered lucky criticals and embarassing natural ones.

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"Eh?" Re-Roll looked up at the unicorn. "Of course. Pull up a chair. Join us. Here's a character sheet, a rulebook, some dice, and a miniature for your character." He handed all of them to the unicorn. "We're doing the Lunar Castle campaign. I'm Filly Master, also playing a wizard. My friend Bumble Buns is a warrior. Be whatever you want."

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"Oh, awesome!" Willow Whisper exclaimed with a laugh, accepting the items from Re-Roll and taking a seat beside him and Bumble Buns. Her horn glowed a dark green as she began filling out the character sheet, slowly at first and then much faster. All the rules were coming back to her. "Thank you so much, man. I'm Willow Whisper by the way, and my character's gonna be..."

Leafdancer, a unicorn druid of the Everfree forest watched the two strange ponies from afar. She was a dark brown mare that was draped in a soft cloak of shifting shades of brown and green, and her deep green mane and tail were braided with small twisting vines of ivy. She had heard cries for help in this direction, but before finding them she witnessed these two ponies entering the forest. She was sure at first that the trees would turn these strange visitors way, frightening them off with living roots and branches as the trees often did with outsiders. She smiled as she witnessed the wizard's spell, and trotted forward, revealing herself to the pair.

"A friend of the forest is a friend of mine. Adventurers then? Most auspicious, for I fear somepony might need our aid." She spoke in level voice filled with wisdom, and swiveled her head as more pleas for aid rang throughout the trees. "Let us hurry, this wood is a dangerous place even to a druid of the Evergreen Circle."

"How's that?" Willow Whisper asked with a blush. She had forgotten what it was like to role play at the table!

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Bumble Buns was interrupted in her noble quest by another pony taking interest in the game. It was a mare, with a light green pelt and a darker green mane worn in dreadlocks.

“Yeah, welcome !” the yellow mare answered cheerily. “I'm completely new to this game, and Re-Roll the Filly Master says it's better if I play with more friends, so hop in ! The more the merrier !”

Re-Roll the wizard pony greeted the newcomer as well, and gave her a seat and all the character sheets she needed. Pretty soon she was rolling dices and writing things down, going faster as she remembered the rules. Bumble Buns watched in awe. It had took her a lot of time and effort to finish what she was doing in about ten minutes. So many rules to remember and to keep track of !

And once Willow Wisp was done the little group resumed the game.

Thunderhoof turned around, looking at the stranger who had just walked in their backs. He drew his sword in a reflexive manner, drilled in his mind by years of training, but dropped his guard just as fast as he realized the pony meant no harm.

“Welcome, stranger” he said in his deep voice. “This place is full of dangers, but it is our duty to keep them at bay, and to come to the rescue of those in need !”

“I am glad to have you by our side,” he continued as he started to walk again. “This is my friend Gold Rush, he is a wizard, and my name is Thunderhoof, I am a warrior. We travel to the Lunar Castle and we're currently investigating the cries you heard, for I fear somepony might need our help.”

“You're doing great !” the young mare dressed as a bee interrupted ; “how am I ? It's my first time playing one of those games, I hope I'm doing well.”

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"You're both doing just fine." Re-Roll reassured both of the ponies.

"You're very welcome to join us, if you wish." Gold Rush said. "Any member of the Evergreen Circle is a friend of mine and the Order of The Magi." He looked around the area they were in. "This part of the forest is, for the most part, free of danger. We should still proceed with caution."

"As we head deeper into the forest, we find our path is blocked by a large stone. How should we proceed?" Re-Roll read out.

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"Well met, Thunder Hoof, Gold Rush." Leafdancer replied as they trotted along, offering them both a tentative smile. "Call me Leafdancer as the trees do. What drives you to seek the Lunar Castle?" She asked curiously, wondering at their mission. Only the bravest warriors and most cunning spellcasters risked venturing into the Everfree Forest. It must be a pressing matter indeed!

She slowed to a walk as they came upon a massive stone in their path, ancient and covered in a fine moss. "Perhaps, with our combined strength, we might shift it?"

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Walking along with his friend and his new comrade, Thunderhoof pondered. “We are going to the Lunar Castle because ... well I don't know.” Bumble Buns pouted. “That's actually a good question. You haven't told me why we were going there Re-roll ! Anyways,”

“Moving this great rock out of the way can surely be done, but are there any easier ways ? Perhaps going around it, or over it, depending on its size and our endurance ?” the warrior wondered again. He wasn't one to blindly charge into action without any thinking. On the contrary, he always took the time to figure out the best possible solution.

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