(set: $petal to false)
(Set: $feather to false)
(Set: $dust to false)
(Set: $horn to false)
[Above you, a set of mischiveous stars decorate the (background:(gradient: 0, 0,#ffffff,0.0033,#364fc7,0.9694,#888888,1,#ffffff))[gradiant blue sky.] You gaze at the almost purple gleam of the crescent moon. The eerie voices of midnight creatures warn you to walk away but a beautfiul archway stands before you. You are entranced by the floral coated branches that are perfectly twisted into an inticing entrance. You can't help but wonder what adventures await those who walk through this arch. So you step [[forward.->Archway]]]There are two paths.
Shall you take the one on the [[left->Friends Along the Way]] or the one on the [[right->Cherry Tree]]? A wonderful weeping cherry tree catches your eye. You sit beneath it, letting the cascading (text-colour:#faa2c1)[pink] petals land on your skin. You put a petal in your pocket. The drooping branches cast shadows in everywhich [[way->Friends Along the Way]].
(Set: $petal to true)As you walk along the path you are met by a [[fairy->Fairy]] and a [[lion->Lion]].
"Welcome dear traveler," says the fairy. "Are you lost? My name is (text-colour:#b197fc)[Zaza]. I can guide you wherever your heart desires, even if you're not quite sure where that might be."
Suddenly the lion roars. "Never trust a fairy," he warns. "besides, these woods are dangerous. I am the fearless (text-colour:#d9480f)[Aveer] and I can defend you against these creatures. What can that tiny fairy do? Shower you in stardust?"
"My magic happens to be //very// advanced. I could cast spells that would make you (text-style:"shudder")[cower].""Yay!!! I get to guide you through the forest! Where would you like to go?"
I'm thirsty. Where can I get something to [[drink->Prickly Pear Juice]]?
Let's do something [[fun->Glitter path]]!You made the right choice, I am familiar with every corner of this forest. Where to?
I'm thirsty. Where can I get something to [[drink->Watering hole]]?
I want to [[explore->Lion Prints]]. "There is a watering hole nearby with the freshest water that this forest has to offer."
"That sounds great!"
"Alright, it's this way."
You follow Aveer along a long path, pushing past branches along the way. Finally you see a clearing. A small body of water is in the center. The midnight sky reflects onto the surface of the water. You can even see the purple gleam of the moon.
Aveer goes to drink some of the water.
You cup your hands together into a makeshift bowl and plunge them into the darkness. You're almost surpised that the liquid in your palms comes up clear. You bring your palms to your lips and take a sip.
Your [[vision->Vision]] (text-style:"blurrier")[starts to blur.]
A silver chalice appears in your hands out of thin air.
"Here, have some prickly pear juice!"
"Thanks!"
"Umm is this supposed to tingle?"
"Don't worry! The tingling just means you'll start flying soon."
"Flying!?" When you look down you're surprised to discover that your feet are floating above the ground.
"Well, you have to be able to fly if you're gonna help me collect stardust!"
"What are you talking about?"
"You didn't think I'd show you around the forest without you helping me with a task did you?"
"Yeah, I did actually."
Zaza giggles. "Enough of your silliness, follow me to the [[stars->Stars pt 1]]!"(Set: $feather to true)
“Follow me,” Zaza says as she flies down a path.
A bird begins to sing.
It entrances you, stopping you in your tracks. You look up into the branches. Trying to locate the bird with the magical melody.
Although you don't find the bird, a beautiful silver feather falls. It floats straight into your palm, tickling you as it lands. You place it in your pocket.
When you look up Zaza is nowhere in sight.
Thankfully, she left a trail of glittering dust. The farther along the trail you get the more you hear the sounds of rushing water.
[[Keep following the glitter path ->Find Zaza]]
[[Find the waterfall->Waterfall]]Zaza zooms into the sky, leaving a cascade of sparkly specs in her path.
Reluctanly, you follow. You swim upwards in the sea of deep blue sky. The stars get brighter as you make you way towards them.
"Hurry up! I don't have all night!" Zaza yells down at you.
"This is the fastest I can go!"
The shine of the stars is beginning to be blinding. "The light is hurting my eyes."
"Ugh, I forgot, you're a weak little human. Here."
Suddenly everything is shaded. You reach a hand to you face. You're wearing sunglasses.
"Thank you!"
"Whatever."
You wonder what happend to the sweet fairy who was eager to guide you.
Finally Zaza stoops flying.
You look around in awe at the millions of [[stars->Stars pt 2]] that surround you.
"Collecting stardust is easy. You just use this." She hands you a nail file like tool.A basket appears. You grab for the star to begin filing. A searing pain shoots through your hand.
"OWWWWWWW!!!!!"
"Ugh, what now???"
The skin on your hand is seared off, exposing flesh and blood.
"Oh, for goodness sakes! Aren't you any useful?"
"Why don't you collect the dust yourself then," you say through gritted teeth.
"If I could have done that I wouldn't have needed your help. Now breathe in."
You're begining to question your trust in her but you do as instructed.
"Breathe out."
Your pain vanishes with your exhale. You look down at your hand. your hand is healed. A glove appears on it.
"Go on," Zaza motions towards the star.
You consider not helping her.
She watches you, noticing your hesitation. "Hey, I'm sorry for being rude. It's just really important that we collect this stardust.
Do you:
[[Demand she take you back down->Way to the palace]]
[[Help her->Stars pt 3]] //You see yourself sitting on a (text-style:"emboss")[throne], wearing an alexandrite embellished crown.
You flip through the pages of a worn book. You read hungrly, shoveling the words into your mind like bread into your mouth.//
"What'd you see?"
Your mind has returned to the watering hole with Aveer.
"I was sitting on a throne, reading."
"Good, that means you don't die."
"Die!?"
"No, no, I said you won't die. At least, not tonight."
"Did you think I was going to???"
"Yes."
"Are you going to elaborate?"
"No, we don't have [[time->Lion Prints]].You walk with Zaza, trying not to get distracted by the wonders of the forest.
There is a lot to tempt you. You crave to exlore the beauty of the ancient trees with color changing leaves, (text-colour:#22b8cf)[teal] one moment and hot (text-colour:#f06595)[pink] the next.
You're intrigued by the variety of berries around you. Berries you've never seen before, bright (text-colour:#f76707)[orange] and deep (text-colour:#ae3ec9)[magenta], begging to be tasted.
You almost give in, veering off towards a bush full of bright berries that seem to glow in the darkness.
"Hey!" Zaza snaps you out of it, "we're almost there." Zaza Points to the palace.
"We're gonna get your crown back. Just follow my lead."
"My crown????"
"You are the rightful heir to the throne but the queen, you're aunt, cast a spell on you so that you wouldn't remember anything about the kingdom or the forest. Your followers have been searching for you for years and you finally found your way back home."
You stop walking. "Wow. Ummmmm... I'm royalty? That's a lot to take in."
"I know but we have to get to the [[palace->Way to the palace pt 2]] now!"Your feet are aching.
Drums are pounding in your head.
You stop for a moment to catch your breath.
You don't remember exactly when you started climbing these white stone steps to the palace but it feels like they're neverending.
"This is no time for rest! You have a throne to reclaim," Zaza scolds you.
"I still have no idea what you're talking about."
"Don't worry, it'll make sense once we get there."
You keep walking, despite your suspican that Zaza is insane.
Finally you reach the heavily gaurded gates to the palace.
"We're here to see the queen," Zaza says.
"Only people in possesion of the rare silver feather are permitted to enter the palace," informs the gaurd.
(if: $feather is true)[[Enter the Palace ->Palace]]
(if: $feather is false)[[Find the feather ->Fairy]]When the butler opens the elegantly carved door you see Queen Namana making her way down the winding staircase. She is dressed in a red gown that caresses the floor with each step. You hear the clack of her heels on the marble floors.
"Well, isn't it the child of my dear brother? I suppose you're hear for this?" She motions towards the gold crown encrusted in deep red diamonds that sits on her head.
"Yes," you say with a confidence foreign to you, "I am."
(if: $horn is true)[You stab Queen Namana's heart with the unicorn horn. She bleeds blue-black blood onto the marbel floor.
Aveer lets out a victorius roar then motions towards the abandoned crown.
You pick it up and place it on your head.
[(text-style:"emboss")[You are the ruler of the Enchanted Forest!]]]
(if: $horn is false)[The queen walks towards you. "You couldn't take it from me all those years ago." She runs a nail against your cheek. "What makes you think you could win now?" Stupid child, the spell only resets (text-style:"blur")[itself when you get] (text-style:"blurrier")[near me."]](Set: $horn to true)
Aveer guides you through the forest.
You notice something reflective on the ground. You stop for a closer look. It looks almost like an icicle but it can’t be one. It’s the middle of summer. Besides, it’s more opaque than an icicle. It has a slight blue tint to it.
The mysterious object isn’t cold when you touch it either. It looks iridescent when it catches the moonlight. You watch the color shift from periwinkle to lilac as you sway the leaf in and out of moonlight. You let it glide across your hand. It slips, leaving a surprsingly deep cut on your right leg on the way down.
“Ow!”
Despite it cutting you, you catch it before it drops.
You look up to ask Aveer for help. He is nowhere in sight.
Thankfully, his paw prints left a [[trail.->Forest Wall]]
You go along the path, trailing your own in blood.
You reach a point in the path that is obstructed by a wall of trees.
You think to yourself:
//I should [[give up->Teardrop Fruit]]//
//There must be a way [[through->Unicorn Land]]//You think back to how sharp the object is and decide to use it as a makeshift machete. It cuts through the branches like a knife through a cake.
You are amazed by what you see once the path is clear.
A dozen unicorns inhabit this part of the woods.
Their horns aren't twisted as fairytales lead you to believe.
Instead, they're smooth. The periwinkle of their horns shifts to pale purple as they graze on multicolored grass.
A unicorn with a (text-colour:#f03e3e)[strawberry red] mane notices you. "INTRUDER!!!," screams the unicorn.
"No, wait, I'm not trying to hurt any of you!"
The unicorn walks towards you, and looks down at your hand. "Then why are you holding a severed unicorn horn?"
"I-I found it. I didn't know it was-"
"ATTACK!!!"
The unicorns come rushing towards you.
Suddenly, Aveer appears beside you.
He lets out a raging (text-style:"rumble")[ROAR]!
The unicorns retreat.
"Let's get [[out->The Reveal #1]] of here." Aveer leads the way"You can't just take a severed unicorn horn and expect unicorns to welcome you freely," says Aveer.
"I didn't know it was-"
"Just be more careful. If you die, I'm stuck with Queen Namana."
"What are you talking about?"
"You are the rightful heir to the throne but Queen Namana, you're aunt, cast a spell on you so that you wouldn't remember anything about the kingdom or the forest. Your followers have been searching for you for years and you finally found your way back home."
"Wow. Ummmmm... I'm royalty? That's a lot to take in."
"I know but we have to get to the palace, you'll have to absorb the information [[on the way there.->On the way]]You see Zaza in the distance and run to catch up.
"Zaza! Wait for me!!!"
You get no response.
"ZAZA!!" you scream louder and still nothing.
"ZAZA!!!!" finally she hears you and flies back towards you.
"How did you get all the way back there?" she says.
"You didn't notice that I wasn't behind you?"
"Not at all, I thought you were listening to me tell the story about the time I slayed a dragon."
"You slayed a dragon????"
"Yeah."
"What happened??"
"Sorry, it's too complicated to tell the story twice in one day."
"Pllleeeaaassseeee"
"You should've been listening the first time."
"Now lets [[go->Way to the palace]]. And don't fall behind again."
You look for the next turn in the path and go left, following the sound of water. The jagged rocks around you get bigger unit eventually you're passing boulders. The sound of the waterfall continues to call to you, getting louder whith each step forward.
Finally you see it.
A waterfall that runs every color of the (text-colour:red)[r](text-colour:orange)[a](text-colour:yellow)[i](text-colour:lime)[n](text-colour:blue)[b](text-colour:navy)[o](text-colour:purple)[w].
You look down at the swirls of colors below and decide to dive into them.
Your screams of thrill are overpowered by the rush of the water.
They turn to screams of terror once you get closer to the colorful waters and realize how shallow it is.
A ragged rock protudes out of the water, threatening you with its sharp edges.
You squeese your eyes shut and attempt to brace yourself.
you're shocked to land on something soft. When you open your eyes you see Zaza flying infront of you, wearing a face of annoyance. "You could've gotten yourself killed!"
You look down to see that you're laying on a pink cloud. "Thank you so much for saving me."
"Whatever, let's [[go->Way to the palace]]."
(Set: $dust to true)
You reach for the star a second time. This time there is no pain, but there is an almost uncomfortable warmth. "Why do you need this stuff anyways?"
"A sprinkle of stardust summons slumber."
You shave away at the star, dwindiling it's brightness, until the basket is full.
As the two of you float back down, you see an extravagant building in the center of the forest. "What's that?"
"It's the Hidden [[Palace->Way to the palace]] "You admire the curved trunks of the trees that line the path. They're white from root to tip. Ending in a white tear shaped fruit. The sound of their branches swaying in the wind is as sweet as music and you can't resist dancing along.
You sway and turn as if the forest ground is your dance floor.
The trees thank you for your performance by drooping their branches down low enough for you to pick some fruit.
You bite into one. It somehow tastes like all of your favorite foods at once... in the most amazing way. You save some for [[later.->The Reveal #2]]Aveer finds you snacking on your new favorite fruit.
"Where did you go?" He asks.
"I got distracted and fell behind."
"You're over here snacking while I was worried that one of the queen's minions murdered you. You don't understand how serious this is do you?"
"No, I don't because you refuse to explain any of it to me."
"You are the rightful heir to the throne but the queen, you're aunt, cast a spell on you so that you wouldn't remember anything about the kingdom or the forest. Your followers have been searching for you for years and you finally found your way back home."
"Wow. Ummmmm... I'm royalty? That's a lot to take in."
"I know but we have to get to the palace, you'll have to absorb the information on the way [[there->On the way]]."Your feet are aching.
Drums are pounding in your head.
You stop for a moment to catch your breath.
You don't remember exactly when you started climbing these white stone steps to the palace but it feels like they're neverending. Aveer has to nudge you several times to keep going.
Finally you reach the arched doorway with elegant carvings. A butler answers the door as soon as the knocker makes contact.
"How may I help you?" Asks the butler.
"Only those who have the the required item are able to enter the palace."
"What is the required item?" You ask.
"A petal from the weeping cherry tree."
(if: $petal is true)[Enter the [[palace->Palace #2]]]
(if:$petal is false) [Start over to find the [[petal->Archway]]]When the butler opens the elegantly carved door you see Queen Namana making her way down the winding staircase. She is dressed in a red gown that caresses the floor with each step. You hear the clack of her heels on the marble floors.
"Well, isn't it the child of my dear brother? I suppose you're here for this?" She motions towards the gold crown encrusted in deep red diamonds that sits on her head.
"Yes," you say with a confidence foreign to you, "I am."
(if: $dust is true)[You grab a handful of stardust and blow it into Queen Namana's face.
She instantly drops to the floor. Zaza removes the crown from Namana's head and places it on yours.
[(text-style:"emboss")[You are the ruler of the Enchanted Forest!]]]
(if: $dust is false)[The queen walks towards you. "You couldn't take it from me all those years ago." She runs a nail against your cheek. "What makes you think you could win now? Stupid child, the spell only resets (text-style:"blur")[itself when you get] (text-style:"blurrier")[near me."]]