DM: So, to recap, what I'm getting from you all is... Ideally this ampaign would be striking a more relaxed, upbeat tone than I usually provide. No "gotchas" to be stressed over, no... threatening you with extremely punishing failure states.
Twilight Sparkle: And it seems like what *you* want is to encourage us to find the most "complete" victory we can. To consider all the angles and interact with the world to the max.
DM: Yeah, and up to this point I've been subconsciously pushing that through negative reinforcement.
Applejack: Ah think we can stand to be more thorough and proactive... so long as y' don't have a fit whenever we try somethin' off the beaten path.
DM: That's something I can work on, definitely.
Rarity: To be honest, we're already about 90% of the way there. We really love being in this world you made. It's very relaxing and fun.
Pinkie Pie: Yeah!
Fluttershy: It's really nice.
DM: You think so? Even you?
Rainbow Dash: Just give me a chance to beat up some prissy ponies once in a while and I'm good.
DM: Can do.
At long last, some communication. Comics are a limited medium, so assume that there was a long, looooong conversation before this. And it doesn't stop here, but it's a start.
Notice: Guest comic submissions are still open until this arc is finished! Guidelines here.
I'd presume that much of the earlier conversation was simply going over some of the stuff that Cadence-Player and SA-Player had already talked about, likely in a lot more detail, so it would be a bit redundant going over it again anyway.
While not this specific sort of scenario, I very recently just weathered a potentially group-ending crisis with my gaming group that among other things is going to lead to clearer negotiations with my players regarding expectations for game stories, group makeup, etc. So this is really hitting close to home right now, in a good way.
