LP:EQO, Flying

Inspired / Based On:
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/127958/2/lets-play-equestria-online/
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/62074/friendship-is-optimal


I was filling out this questionnaire under duress after my friend swore up and down that this MMO based on ponies was so awesome and amazing. I guess he had some weird stuff going on in his head too.

There were a lot of survey questions, ones David had never mentioned getting. I punched in the answers on the pony pad. The game would somehow put me in a Shard that matched up with my preferences and help create my character through these questions, it said.

It was weird not answering the usual stuff, like gender, race, class, and adjusting portraits. City of Heroes had endlessly fascinated me with all the character concepts you could make, adjusting the flexible character appearance system with all the superhero tropes, and mixing and matching. Plus the fun mix and match of primary and secondary powersets.

Not much to do once you hit max level but create another character. I’d made 40 or 50, most of them throwaways, but a few favorites that I played more. Sewer runs were the best part. A bunch of people who didn’t know each other coming together to do a sewer run, was one of the best. Could never get a group to stick around much into King’s Crossing though.

But I digress. The survey questions where all situations, asking what I would do. Would I do the really bold aggressive thing and take charge of a group to work towards a solution (no, unless it was some kind of school project type of thing). I like to just go along with the flow. Being a guy and having to take charge and ask someone out was very difficult for me. I’d been setup once, but it never worked out for me.

My “shameful” secret was playing a lot a female characters in MMOs. Maybe I wanted to be swept off my feet instead. But that was stupid and embarrassing, I know. I’m a dude, and this game sounds like one that’s going to keep me as a dude, or ponydude.

My mind was wandering as I finished filled out all 20 detailed, complex questions.

The Ponypad went straight from a survey page with a blue background to a natural vista of hills, trees, white clouds in the sky, and a road leading to Canterlot, which was supposed to be where we are assigned a name by the supposedly smart AI.

Smart AI is relative, I thought, I’ll get some kind of stupid random name, most likely. Anyone can make a name generator from a corpus.

From what little David told me about this “pony-verse”, I realize the system had somehow created me as a female Pegasus.

I immediately experimented with flying. I had to tap one of the buttons on the pony pad to flutter up higher, and move the analog stick to move forward. I treated it like flying in City of Heroes, but it was so much better!

I even forgot about going to Canterlot right away, I flew up towards the clouds, and whooped down just above the trees. I even forgot to flutter once and mashed into a tree.

After a moment when stars flickered around me on the pad, I was able to get back up, and this time I headed towards Canterlot in the air. The sights on the ground were beautiful, but I was paying more attention to how cool the clouds were in this game, and the subtle feedback of going through clouds through the ponypad.

I actually saw some other Pegasi “mares” (that’s the word) flying nearby. I tried to wave, but I wasn’t sure how exactly to do that. Finally, after doing several amazing spins and rotations, I found the wave combo. They waved back and approached in the air as I was heading to Canterlot.

“I’m White Cloud,” said one. “These are my friends: Thunder Daze and Sky Hop!”

“Hi!”

David told me I had to use the voice chat in this game. But oddly, my voice came out different than  I spoke it. In the MMO, I heard myself in a mare’s voice, even though I obviously had a guy’s tenor voice in real life. Weird. What, was that a soprano voice they’d dubbed in for me.

I should try singing later and see how that translated.

“Hey what’s your name?” Sky Hop asked. She was sky blue with other colors that looked like the sky during a sunrise or sunset.

I almost said my real life name, but I stopped my self. “I don’t have one yet! I’m headed to Canterlot to get one, but I could just fly all day.”

Recognizing the moves I had discovered by mashing keys, I spun my pegasi clockwise all the way around and then descended, diving forward and down towards the road. The three pegasi followed me.

“Try to keep up with us!” Thunder Daze said, as she shot above a cloud, and then made the cloud shoot out a lightning bolt towards the ground.

I watched the flash of lighting, it was impressive, but it didn’t even affect the clay bricks that made up the road. The dirt nearby was marred however.

I swooped and rushed forward just a few feet above the road, but then I saw a unicorn stallion on the road, and had to tap the flutter button like mad to not run into him. I ended up leaping just over the unicorn and continuing on my way. Ooops, I should have stopped to say something, but I guess it was just an NPC, or maybe not?

The others were giggling as they swept past me.

“You almost ran into that stallion! Come on, let’s work on your clumsiness!”

“She’s almost to Canterlot. Head up to the clouds new one! Or you’ll bonk into the townspeople!”

I fluttered my way up into the sky, watching the more experienced flyers leave me in the dust. “Hopefully I’ll run into you again!”

“Of course,” Sky Hop said.

They laughed as they flew off in a gracefully arcing curve to my left.

I hopped and fluttered from rooftop to rooftop towards the castle where Celestia was, finally landing with a nice fluttery smooth stop.

It was weird walking again after all the flying. I made my Unnamed Pegasi hop, hop, hop every few steps as I climbed the steps into the castle. Suddenly I was in the throne room before I should have logically made it there. Weird.

I stepped into Celestia’s domain.

"Looking for your name?" Celestia asked.

I nodded.

"I can tell that you are interested in a lot of things. You'll find your apartment at Hobby Bluffs. You'll find that there are things to do every day. Check out the Odds and Ends shop."

"Ok thanks! Um, what should my name be?"I asked.

"I dub thee: Blue Yonder."

"Otherwise known as Wild?" I opined.

"You like to explore, whether it be flying through the sky or trying new things. Remember Blue Yonder, if you ever have any questions or need help, you can find me here!"

"Where can I find Hobby Bluffs?" I asked, wondering if she would just give me a quick way there.

"Fly north, and ask for directions. If you get lost, or end up in the Crossroads there should be a portal to take you there."

I smiled in the pony sort of way. "OK, thanks!"

Running down the steps, I launched into the air as I hopped the last one, soaring through the doorway and out into the sky.

It started to rain as I zipped away from Canterlot, but it was actually fun to feel and touch wet clouds and rain drops, and the charge of a thunderstorm not yet ready to zap.

After a few minutes in the rain, I rose above the clouds and watched the sun and the carpet of clouds below me. I could have missed Hobby Bluffs for sure, but I figured they were still further north.

I didn't have much time left, so I ended my session reluctantly. As stupid as the game had sounded, the flying was very neat. The tactile feedback in the pony pad almost made me think I was there in the clouds.