open The Town That Friendship Forgot

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart @Samurai Equine

Thundy simply sighed at Dynamo. "I...I know...I just wanted to help. Whenever I get shut down like that...it just hurts. I know gaming is your specialty...but sometimes, you have to let things be. Plans don't always go the way you want them to. For me, whenever I see an opportunity, I'll take it, making sure it won't hurt any of my friends." Thundy replied hoping Dynamo understood where he was coming from. 

@ExplosionMare @PawelS @GeneralDirection 

"You might be really helpful with the battle team, especially since you can draw stuff. Hopefully all of us could be on the battle team. Of course, Pastel would want to be with Dynamo. Those two gotta stay together." Chelsea stated. 

[Dynamo Pad 11,372]

2 hours ago, Pastel Heart said:

Obviously, it was a no brainer for Pastel. She smiled and shrugged.

"How in the world can I pass up something like this!? Dream world over real world!"

She bounced up and skipped over to Dynamo, regaining her dashing rogue outfit and prior swagger.

"All the worlds treasures will be mine! Nyahaha~"

Dynamo looked over towards Pastel, who bounced up and skipped over towards the gaming unicorn. Even as she was being pulled back into the gaming world, Dynamo blinked in surprise to the young mare being able to skip as she was pulled towards the portal. He wondered if it was physics or if it was Pastel being Pastel. He chalked it up as the latter and chuckled. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised when you said you wouldn't want to pass up being in a video game world. I'm just glad that I get to have you come back to the gaming world with me, Pastel-chan." He smiled, leaning over and playfully ruffling Pastel's mane.

50 minutes ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

Thundy simply sighed at Dynamo. "I...I know...I just wanted to help. Whenever I get shut down like that...it just hurts. I know gaming is your specialty...but sometimes, you have to let things be. Plans don't always go the way you want them to. For me, whenever I see an opportunity, I'll take it, making sure it won't hurt any of my friends." Thundy replied hoping Dynamo understood where he was coming from. 

@Pastel Heart @Samurai Equine @C. Thunder Dash

Dynamo's ears fell as he looked down slightly. 'I guess now is a better time than any to discuss it. Since we're going back into the gaming world and everything.' He thought, before sighing and nodding. "I get what you're saying and I understand how you feel. I wasn't trying to shut you down when it comes to battling against an enemy or boss." He took a moment to figure out how to say his next response with care and concern. After a moment, he spoke once more. "I guess I was just trying to figure out how to fight and gauge an opponent, before figuring out a way to fight them. When I saw you fight, it was as if you were going in lasers blazing. Now I know what you mean be thinking and no. I'm not saying that you are reckless in your fighting. I...I just feel as if you don't trust me." Dynamo frowned, his shoulders shaking in worry and feeling upset. "I know you weren't trying to say it's my fault, but it still feels like it is. I know some of us are going back, but it still felt like I was being put to blame. I was a little bothered that I wanted to try and use a combo attack with two spells in conjunction. It's why I was hoping you could have distracted Daring so I could go ahead with the idea. If not, then to at least throw some lightning magic my way so I could try and launch a powered up spell. With everything that's been going on, I just felt like you didn't trust me with anything. I know it's bad that we were stuck in a video game, but in a way, I guess I'm sort of grateful." He says, shrugging his shoulders as even he felt weird for saying it. "I don't know how to explain it, but I guess it sort of makes sense. I've had trouble using my magic and I've been trying to figure it out with my friends in town. Being in this game, I feel as if I'm finally discovering a part of who I am. I just want to have the opportunity to keep figuring things out and see what I'm capable of." He says, hoping that Thundy could understand his concerns and/or worries.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart @Samurai Equine

"But...you have to realize Dynamo...a game isn't the same as reality...once the game's over, we'll go back to our regular forms. And yes, I know you want to figure what you're capable of...but this is a team effort. I do trust you, I really do. The thing is, I've learned to trust my instincts and that's why when I see something, I go for it. Maybe that could be our magic lesson for today after this whole gaming thing is done. That's how I ended up adding electricity to that one water attack, because I knew that water conducts electricity..." Thundy stopped and sighed. "I know I'm going on...and I know that all of us ain't perfect. The point is...you can't discover who you truly are without the help of others..." Thundy said putting his twin swords away. 

Edited November 9, 2020 by C. Thunder Dash

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

@C. Thunder Dash @Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart

Kronos was eating some cheddar popcorn as he was eavesdropping on the conversation after resettling in. After listening, he butts in with another transmission:

*INCOMING TRANSMISSION*

“Aww, well aint this just peachy?” Kronos said with a sarcastically sweet tone, “Two heroes going over their differences like boyfriends. Too bad none of that will mean jack shit once you reach my artificially terraformed level, the BioMechanical Highlands. There, you’ll be introduced to old and new creatures that are far tougher than you’ve ever faced before because, well, i turned them into cybernetic units programmed to kill on sight. So, see you guys there. Hope your corpses fall in my highlands.”

 

*TRANSMISSION TERMINATED*

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@Kronos the Revenant @Dynamo_Pony @Pastel Heart

"You don't scare us whoever you are! Once I get to you, I'll shove a soap bar in your mouth to wash out all that filth that's inside!" Thundy called out. He heard the cybernetic creatures being mentioned. "Pft, if I weren't limited to my batalion skills, I'd hack those creatures to get them on our side. There's always a weakness...Chelsea would be a super help for this one. Her water abilities would overload the electronics due to it being conductive." Thundy stated. 

[Dynamo Pad 11,372]

34 minutes ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart @Samurai Equine

"But...you have to realize Dynamo...a game isn't the same as reality...once the game's over, we'll go back to our regular forms. And yes, I know you want to figure what you're capable of...but this is a team effort. I do trust you, I really do. The thing is, I've learned to trust my instincts and that's why when I see something, I go for it. Maybe that could be our magic lesson for today after this whole gaming thing is done. That's how I ended up adding electricity to that one water attack, because I knew that water conducts electricity..." Thundy stopped and sighed. "I know I'm going on...and I know that all of us ain't perfect. The point is...you can't discover who you truly are without the help of others..." Thundy said putting his twin swords away. 

"I do realize that, though." Dynamo sighed, feeling as if the griffon didn't understand him. "I get that a video game and the reality that Friendshire is like are different. I know that when we complete this game, then we'll be back to our regular selves. The only difference is that hopefully I'll be able to use my magic more efficiently. I know the elemental magic in Equestria isn't the same as the magic in this game or any other game for that matter. Even so, I still want to be more capable and stronger in the right way. My special talent is my love and passion for video games. Maybe I can use that for every day life. To maybe adapt like one is able to adapt in a game. I want to believe you, but it still feels like you don't trust me. Considering you said that this is a team effort. I do want to work like a team, but I think it would be better to discuss a plan. That way, it'll be better to know what to do instead of just doing a random attack or something along those lines." He shook slightly as he was feeling frustrated, yet felt upset.

"I guess trusting your instincts can act like a lesson to learn, but that's just it. I do want to work like a team, but it depends on who I'm working with. We met only recently, but you don't really know me personally. I never really had a friend until I recently moved into Friendshire. Being able to meet and know Samurai, Pastel-chan, Astral, Pencil and a couple of others in town helped me to realize. That friendships can really come from just about anywhere. Especially when I lost someone in my life. I get that you can't discover who you truly are without the help of others. Sometimes when I speak, I feel as if I mean one thing, but it goes and gets taken out of context. I meant that I'd like to discover what I'm capable of so I can try and use that capability to help my friends. I know that water conducts electricity. It's why I used water magic to try and set up an electric attack, but it felt like you took away my strategy. I guess one could argue that you were trying to follow me up, but it would feel better if you told me. That way, I could have suggested a combo attack. I can't do magic as well as others, so I know the feeling that I'm not perfect. I don't expect myself to be perfect, but I still want to be the best that I can be."

15 minutes ago, Kronos the Revenant said:

@C. Thunder Dash @Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart

Kronos was eating some cheddar popcorn as he was eavesdropping on the conversation after resettling in. After listening, he butts in with another transmission:

*INCOMING TRANSMISSION*

“Aww, well aint this just peachy?” Kronos said with a sarcastically sweet tone, “Two heroes going over their differences like boyfriends. Too bad none of that will mean jack once you reach my artificially terraformed level, the BioMechanical Highlands. There, you’ll be introduced to old and new creatures that are far tougher than you’ve ever faced before because, well, i turned them into cybernetic units programmed to kill on sight. So, see you guys there. Hope your corpses fall in my highlands.”

*TRANSMISSION TERMINATED*

3 minutes ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

@Kronos the Revenant @Dynamo_Pony @Pastel Heart

"You don't scare us whoever you are! Once I get to you, I'll shove a soap bar in your mouth to wash out all that filth that's inside!" Thundy called out. He heard the cybernetic creatures being mentioned. "Pft, if I weren't limited to my batalion skills, I'd hack those creatures to get them on our side. There's always a weakness...Chelsea would be a super help for this one. Her water abilities would overload the electronics due to it being conductive." Thundy stated. 

 

Dynamo heard what appeared to be an incoming transmission. He wasn't sure where it was coming from as they were still in the void with the others. However, the voice sounded familiar. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he was concerned of this voice's warning, but he knew that he was someone that needed to be stopped. "It sounds like we got a bit of trouble on our hooves. However, we need to figure out a plan and try and take this enemy down. Although, it sounds like whoever this is, they are pretty prepared in their assault." He says, waiting a moment as it seemed the transmission had soon ended. He gave Thundy a deadpanned expression as he heard his choice of words. "I would say that would send that voice running. Although, I guess we'll have to wait and see what we are up against. He doesn't seem to be the type of opponent to take lightly. Chelsea might be necessary on the team if we are dealing with mechanical creatures. Depending on the group, we might need whoever is staying to all join up together. Better to have strength in numbers."

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart @Samurai Equine

"Well, it seems Trilby has left...so hopefully Chelsea could join us...this seems like it will be quite the hard level. I'd have to give us a vehicle that would get us through safely, yet swiftly....hmmm." Thundy thought. He had the Paramount Marauder in mind. It was big and heavy, with armor that could withstand some of the most powerful explosions. The downside was that it only had 300 horsepower. It was able to carry up to 8 passengers however. Thundy extended his talon out and gathered some electricity. He made several small holorgrams of armored vehicles from his world appear. They included the Knight XV, Paramount Maruder, Batt APX and a custom Armored Jeep Wrangler. He pulled up the stats for each to compare. Of course, he could create one with a swapped engine if he needed to. 

[Samurai Equine 51,929]

@Dynamo Pad, @Pastel Heart, @C. Thunder Dash, @PawelS, @Windy Breeze, @ExplosionMare, @Ragland Tiger, @GeneralDirection, @Kronos the Revenant, @Cinnamon Coffee

The fissure event was something, wasn't it?

Everyone watches as certain individuals decide to leave the game while other decide to stay.

Of all the confirmed people leaving beside the towns folk, Beryl decides to leave the game (and possibly leave town for now). Bluebell, Daring Decor, Keen, and Sundae leave the game as well, deciding to chill in Friendshire for the remainder of the event. Tempest Shadow also tried to get free with Bluebell, but was ultimately pulled back by the game. It's fine, though. With a smile on her face, Tempest accepts her fate. It was worth it to save a friend...

Elusive Facts considers her options. "Well folks, as much as I wish to go home, my reporter instincts tell me to always follow a good scope. And what better way to get a scoop than to go behind the scenes and get a first-hoof experience! Video game, here I come!!" With that, Elusive Facts decides to complete the game as well.

Trilby is tempted the most. At times, he felt useless. He thought he would just hold everyone back. But somehow, he managed to help. At least a little, right? ... But then, he sees the one thing he needs to make up his mind. Shadow Trail is going back into the game to finish it. "Shadow... Wait for me, baby!! TRILBY'S COMING HOME!!" Where his marefriend goes, he goes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile in the town of Friendshire,
Every pony and creature that has come out will have to get adjusted to being back in reality. Most are a little dizzy from their time in a game.

If Seir and Nopony wish to be of help, they can look after the citizens and help them get re-adjusted. But Seir is still welcome to hop into the video game world, if he wants.

Oh, and that glow that was covering ALL of Frienshire? It's died down.
Now the glow is only coming from one place; the arcade itself. And naturally, none of the citizens that just liberated themselves want to get anywhere near that light. They just got out! Why risk going back in?

@Dynamo Pad, @Pastel Heart, @C. Thunder Dash, @PawelS, @Windy Breeze, @ExplosionMare, @GeneralDirection

In the video game,
With everyone deciding where they want to be, the fissure closes. The game returns to being itself instead of a glitchy mess.
Furthermore, all the heroic characters are now back at the crossroads between the Nature and Desert Biomes. Dynamo, Pastel, Trilby, Thundy, Pencil, Chelsea, Silver, Elusive Facts, and Tree Song were all accounted for. It would seem that since Level 2 was completed and boss characters of that level ditched the game and went back to reality, there was no need for the Battle Team to continue to be in that level. Dynamo, Thundy, Pastel, and Trilby no longer have to decide what to with them! And no doubt, any of the Dark characters that chose to stay were back in their previous location too.

In fact, one transmission from Kronos seems to confirm this.

Speaking of, Trilby was a little unconscious when he arrived. He was awakened by the transmission. "Ugh... My head..." Trilby collects himself. As he does, he overhears what Dynamo and Thundy have been talking about all this time.

"...Umm, excuse me?" Trilby says, popping up next to them. "Thundy, what are you talking about?! You HAVE been helping! This has been nothing but a team effort from beginning to end. You've been providing the transportation, the back up support, and we couldn't have beaten the first few bosses without your help! Sure, Dynamo got to shine, but I don't see a problem with that." Trilby wave his hoof. "Look around! We defeated three bosses, completed two levels, and we're reunited with the rest of our team! WIN-BUCKING-WIN!" Trilby states before covering his muzzle, remembering that Pastel is with them. "Oops. Sorry. I meant... Win-Epic-Win!" Trilby tries to save himself. "Now if you'll excuse me a second... SHADOW!!!" Trilby runs over to give her a hug, no doubt knocking her and himself over when he does so.

"Sweet stitch jobs, we did it everyone! We're THAT much closer to beating the game now! How did you do, away team? Beat that Bonus Game? You have to tell me how it went. Pencil, have you drawn more beasts? Hello again, Tree Song!--" Trilby goes on and on, talking up a storm to anyone who will listen.

About that same time, a transmission comes through on the private line of her Heroic characters. "Hello?! Everyone, are you still there? Are you okay?" It's the Justice King/Mayor White!

[Sphinx-Ara 3,571]

@Samurai Equine @PawelS

Seir would look at what happened there, sighing in relief as the townsponies were fleeing the 'game' and reaching safety. He'd look to the other pony "You can stay here and help the townsponies, I'm going in" he'd say as he then made his ways inside of the town.

[Windy Breeze 15,190]

@Samurai Equine @Cinnamon Coffee @PawelS 

Disoriented, Keen stood up and wobbled on her legs, she didn't remember much of what happened other than she found two portals. One which lead back to Friendshire and one back to the game. And her choice to leave.

Her eyes snapped. She gasped in horror when she saw the familiar houses of Friendshire, not only did she abandoned her role in the game but also abandoned her friend. Panicking, she began to run around, ignoring terrified and disoriented ponies as she called out for Shadow.

However, she suddenly felt dizzy, her world quickly morphed into nothing and she blacked out, collapsing on the ground.

Emerging from her orifices is Nightmare Moon in her mist form, which quickly morphs into a young zebra mare with blue slit eyes. She let out an evil grin as she turned towards the apartment complex where Shadow and Keen lived.

Without Nightmare Moon's influence, Keen will remain in a coma

@Samurai Equine @Dynamo Pad @C. Thunder Dash @PawelS @ExplosionMare @GeneralDirection 

Unaware of Keen's 'betreyal' and Kronos' announcement, Shadow shook her head to rid of the dizziness she received from getting back into the game. Her recovery was then rewarded with a hug from Trilby, she grimaced at first but then accepted the hug. She chuckled at Trilby's antics as she lay on her back in a cute pose

Spoiler

Her ears perked when she caught another voice. Even though she couldn't see the source, she knew who the speaker was. She stood up from the ground and exclaimed “Justice King!”

Edited November 9, 2020 by Windy Breeze

[Dynamo Pad 11,372]

1 hour ago, Samurai Equine said:

In the video game,
With everyone deciding where they want to be, the fissure closes. The game returns to being itself instead of a glitchy mess.
Furthermore, all the heroic characters are now back at the crossroads between the Nature and Desert Biomes. Dynamo, Pastel, Trilby, Thundy, Pencil, Chelsea, Silver, Elusive Facts, and Tree Song were all accounted for. It would seem that since Level 2 was completed and boss characters of that level ditched the game and went back to reality, there was no need for the Battle Team to continue to be in that level. Dynamo, Thundy, Pastel, and Trilby no longer have to decide what to with them! And no doubt, any of the Dark characters that chose to stay were back in their previous location too.

In fact, one transmission from Kronos seems to confirm this.

Speaking of, Trilby was a little unconscious when he arrived. He was awakened by the transmission. "Ugh... My head..." Trilby collects himself. As he does, he overhears what Dynamo and Thundy have been talking about all this time.

"...Umm, excuse me?" Trilby says, popping up next to them. "Thundy, what are you talking about?! You HAVE been helping! This has been nothing but a team effort from beginning to end. You've been providing the transportation, the back up support, and we couldn't have beaten the first few bosses without your help! Sure, Dynamo got to shine, but I don't see a problem with that." Trilby wave his hoof. "Look around! We defeated three bosses, completed two levels, and we're reunited with the rest of our team! WIN-BUCKING-WIN!" Trilby states before covering his muzzle, remembering that Pastel is with them. "Oops. Sorry. I meant... Win-Epic-Win!" Trilby tries to save himself. "Now if you'll excuse me a second... SHADOW!!!" Trilby runs over to give her a hug, no doubt knocking her and himself over when he does so.

"Sweet stitch jobs, we did it everyone! We're THAT much closer to beating the game now! How did you do, away team? Beat that Bonus Game? You have to tell me how it went. Pencil, have you drawn more beasts? Hello again, Tree Song!--" Trilby goes on and on, talking up a storm to anyone who will listen.

About that same time, a transmission comes through on the private line of her Heroic characters. "Hello?! Everyone, are you still there? Are you okay?" It's the Justice King/Mayor White!

@Pastel Heart @Samurai Equine @ExplosionMare @PawelS @GeneralDirection @Windy Breeze @Astral Vision @C. Thunder Dash

Dynamo slowly opened his eyes as he was soon transported back into the video game world. He placed a hoof over his right eye as everything happened so quickly. One moment they had completed the boss level, the next they were in some void and now they were back. He took a deep breath as he took a moment to gather his bearings. From the looks of things, the battle team was back at the crossroads between the Nature and Desert Biomes. Looking at the battle team, it seemed that everyone who was on the team had stayed in the game. "That's a relief. At least we aren't back in the town. It looks like we were given some sort of checkpoint." He says, his ears perking as Trilby had given his two cents on Dynamo's and Thundy's previous discussion. Dynamo smiled softly as he appreciated Trilby trying to help. "Thanks Trilby. I appreciated your help in the boss fight. I think we all were able to work together." He furrowed his eyebrows, while tilting his head to the side. "Wait a second. When you said three bosses, did you count Beryl as a boss? Would that count as two bosses or just one boss, but a sort of two boss phase?" Just thinking about it was giving him a headache. So, he chose to shrug his shoulders as he ultimately didn't worry about the answer. 

He gasped as he heard the cleric's choice in words, before sighing in relief as Trilby corrected himself. "I was about to say language as we have a young mare here, but you saved yourself. Although, I can understand that as I've had a moment where I said a bad word every now and then. I sort of get hyped up when playing a game." He responded with a chuckle. At the very least, the group seemed to be half finished with the game. With another half to go, it was only a matter of time before they faced whoever that voice belonged to. He looked around and smiled as it seemed the away team was with them, as well. "Hey, guys! Glad to see you all again. I hope you can forgive me, but I'm trying to see if anyone we knew was able to go back home. It seemed some might have gone back home to Friendshire, but I think we'll be okay. I just hope all those in Friendshire will be okay." He started, before he blinked as another voice had appeared. He looked around trying to find the source of the voice, before taking notice that it was the Justice King/Mayor White. "Justice King!? What are you doing here!? Is everything okay? I'm still here, sir. We just took completed the second biome and defeated the boss. After that, I found myself in this weird void with some portals. I think it might have happened to everyone else, but I'm not entirely sure." He says, hoping to try and figure out what was going on.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart @Samurai Equine

"Whoa nice save there Trilby." Thundy said. He hated profane language himself, and whoever the main villain was had no regard for the heroes, he was thirsty for a whipping on the villan. Thundy decided to go with the Knight XV, but before he summoned the vehicle, he turned as he heard Dynamo exclaim the Justice King was present. "It happened to me as well, but I'm gonna stay to help my friends." Thundy stated. 

@ExplosionMare @GeneralDirection @PawelS 

Chelsea walked over to where Thundy was and nuzzled him with her beak. "Oh hey Chelsea, you wanna come with us for this next level? Maybe Pencil could come along too. I hear you two had quite the exploration the other day." Thundy stated. Chelsea nodded, then turned to Pencil. "Hey Pencil, you wanna be part of the battle team with Thundy, Dynamo, Pastel and myself? That is...if the groups are gonna remain the same..." Chelsea asked. 

[Silly Druid 7,050]

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart @C. Thunder Dash @Windy Breeze @ExplosionMare @Ragland Tiger @GeneralDirection @Kronos the Revenant @Cinnamon Coffee @Samurai Equine

In the video game,

The two portals appear. Everypony needs to decide if they stay or leave. For Tree Song, it's a no-brainer. "I'm staying in the game, it's fun!" She says. "But if the next level is in the desert, I say we skip it. Deserts are boring..."

Then a transmission starts from someone who the others recognize as Justice King/Mayor White. But Tree Song doesn't know who he is. And why he has two names. Probably one of the two mayors that strange time pony was talking about, she thinks.

In Friendshire,

After the town went (mostly) back to normal, and the pony that he met entered the game, Nopony immediately begins investigating the area. Traces of magic are everywhere, and it seems the video game isn't the only anomalous thing that happened here recently. He also sees the citizens freed from the game, some of them are disoriented by all that happened to them. He helps them by using mild mind-stabilizing spells. Normally he is very reluctant to use magic, but in this case it's for a good cause, and also the little traces he leaves probably won't be recognizable in all the wild stuff that's happening here.

[ExplosionMare 18,065]

@C. Thunder Dash @Dynamo Pad @Windy Breeze @Samurai Equine @Pastel Heart @Ragland Tiger @GeneralDirection @Kronos the Revenant @PawelS @Cinnamon Coffee

Pencil was glad that she and the rest of the team members who stayed were back in the normal game hub. The unsettling atmosphere had calmed down and the glitching had finally ceased. Everyone was conversing like normal again and everyone who stayed was happy with their choice, thankfully. Pencil was pretty happy too because it meant she could continue playing this game with everyone.

She quickly turned her head in Chelsea and Thundy’s direction as Chelsea asked if she preferred to be on the battle team. Pencil was rather surprised and was not sure what to say at first. She knew most everyone liked her skillset, but it never occurred to her that it could be useful in battle. While Pencil eventually agreed to herself that the battle team would be an exciting opportunity, she had to take it up with the rest of the team first.

“I’ll ask my team what they think first,” Pencil told Chelsea. She then turned to the scavenger team. “Are you guys okay with me joining the battle team or do you still need me on the scavenger team?”

Before anyone could answer, the Justice King/Mayor White suddenly appeared. Pencil was thrilled and confused all at once. She figured his appearance would signify everyone’s progression in the game, but if that were true, why would his appearance be random? Pencil wasn’t quite sure how the rules worked regarding the two kings. Pencil would just have to ask the king about it himself.

“Excuse me, um, your majesty...” Pencil said, pausing to bow. She felt awkward doing so, but she didn’t want to risk being disrespectful. “Does your being here mean we won or something? Or are you just here for a random reason?”

[Samurai Equine 51,929]

@Dynamo Pad, @Pastel Heart, @C. Thunder Dash, @PawelS, @Windy Breeze, @ExplosionMare, @GeneralDirection

In the video game,
Elusive Facts waves at Dynamo. "I think he means me, Mr. Pad. Remember me? I'm Elusive Facts. I was the first boss from Level One. Level Two had two bosses, Daring Decor and Beryl. So that makes 3 defeated bosses in total." Elusive explains.

However, explanations are cut short. Even Trilby's moment of admiring Shadow and talking to all his friends is cut short. He gets up with Shadow, surprised at who is calling.

"Ah. Thank goodness you're all okay! It would seem the fissure from earlier would not let me leave so easily. If that is true, then the same must be true for Mayor Black, the Dark King. The game is not yet over, I'm sorry to say. However, because of the fissure's interference, I can tell there is now a lot less boss characters to tend with. The game is telling me there are only 2 left before you can arrive at the Dark King's castle."

Elusive thinks about this. "Actually sir, we may be able to finish this game even faster. Ms. Tree Song lead us to a Bonus Game, and with Pencil's skills, we won an item. It will allow us to skip a level entirely, which probably means skipping a boss too. The only reason why we haven't used it by now is because we wanted to see what the entire team things. And now that we are all together, we can put it to a proper vote. That is, if Ms. Pencil is okay with that." She turns to Pencil with a smile.

@PawelS

Outside of Friendshire,
The various citizens Nopony helps out thank him deeply. Others begin spreading blankets, food, and other supplies around. "Oh man, it was horrible... Like being stuck at a mundane office job all day, but you can't even talk to anyone during lunch break!" One of the towns folk says, reliving the 'traumatic' event. ...They'll be fine.

@Cinnamon Coffee

Stepping into the ray of light emanating from the arcade, everything soon turns to black.
When Seir's vision adjusts, he finds himself in a n empty black void with a digital grid for a floor and ceiling. The video game's announcer voice suddenly speaks up. Furthermore, her can't seem to move very much. He can only move just enough to do one thing...

SELECT YOUR CHARACTER!

And right on cue, a selection window pops up before Seir, giving him many choices of what kind of video game character he can be. One option is a POWER BOXER, a wondering martial artist that specializes in qi-based fighting moves. Another option is COSMIC ALCHEMIST, a character that uses science and sorcery to connect with the super natural powers of outer space. Another option is SNIPER, a character that uses regular and enchanted weapons to attack opponents from afar. There's also PIRATE, LUPIN, HACKER, and more. He can scroll through dozens of options and hopefully find something that matches his personality or fighting style of choice.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,571]

@Samurai Equine

"Choose my character hmm?" Seir would think to himself as he'd scroll through the choices and would smirk as he came across the Mercenary option, but as he was about to select it, he'd wince in pain as his clairvoyance would come upon him once more, guiding him towards the warrior option, but as he felt it was too plain an option, he opted for one of the sub classes, but couldn't find any suitable, so he shrugged and went with Warrior, after all, his clairvoyance has hardly ever wrong. He'd then stand and wait to see what would happen to him.

[Windy Breeze 15,190]

@Samurai Equine @PawelS

At the apartment complex, Nightmare Moon in a young zebra mare form turned into a wisp once again and passed through the knob of Shadow's apartment. Once inside, she turned back into her disguise and went to her Shadow's aaddlebas, and began rummaging. She finally found a quill but decided against using Shadow's journal, she decided to make a diary book using her magic, she made sure the book's design made it convincing to avoid suspicion.

The color of the book is black, it was simple, not flashy not girly. She knew Shadow wants and liked the most, including the latter's favorite color. She copied how Shadow wrote letters. What she written there would come straight out of a novel: she will try to trick Trilby into thinking Shadow loved Samurai the most and will make a few insults about Trilby's job, status, and his relationshipip with Samurai. The villain will make sure her plan will be successful.

Putting the book and quill in Shadow's saddlebag, Nightmare Moon went out of the apartments as soon as possible, going back to the population of Friendshire, blending as a zebra named Thamani Muziki.

Meanwhile, one of the residents of Friendshire took notice of Keen Fan in her coma state. An earth pony stallion by the name of Creativity Brain approached her “Hello miss... are you okay?” he quickly grows agitated as she continued to not answer. As he shook her, he lifted his head and yelled on top of his lungs.

“Somepony needs assistance!!”

@Samurai Equine @PawelS @Dynamo Pad @C. Thunder Dash @Pastel Heart @GeneralDirection @ExplosionMare 

When Shadow heard there are only two bosses left, she was stuck between whether she should be happy or be nervous of the possibility of Keen staying or leaving the game.

She gave a side glance and smiled at Pencil. Because of Pencil, they could skip levels and possibly avoid one of the bosses, hopefully it would be Kronos, there's no way she can stand up against him. She also wondered how is it like to 'die' inside a game.

But it would not hurt to try to fight him.

She would ask a question to the unseen Mayor White “Excuse me sir, but who are the remaining two bosses in the game?”

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart @Samurai Equine @ExplosionMare @Windy Breeze @PawelS 

"I'd say from now on we all stick together to complete this one level. Then we use our skipper to get straight to the final boss. Unless there are still side quests we could do to win valuable items, I think staying together as one big group would make things easier. If we split up, one of the teams would be facing a harder level and there may be times where an ability that isn't available may be needed." Thundy stated

[ExplosionMare 18,065]

@C. Thunder Dash @GeneralDirection @Pastel Heart @Dynamo Pad @Samurai Equine @PawelS

Pencil looked at Elusive, Shadow, and Thundy as they all put their attention on her. She was a bit startled but was quickly able to recover her focus for what she was about to say. She spoke to Elusive and Shadow first, who both mentioned the skip ability from earlier. Pencil smiled back at the mares and told them,

“If you guys wanna use the skip for a boss level, then that’s okay with me. I’d like to hear input from everyone else first, but personally I don’t mind how you guys use the skip,”

She then turned to Thundy who had suggested that the two teams come together. With the game nearing its end, Pencil didn’t think that was a bad idea. Though she might be demoted to a side character again, at least everyone would be in the same place if everyone were to team up together.

“Teaming up together sounds like a good idea, Thundy,” Pencil said. “It would be a lot easier to defeat these final bosses if we did that. If everyone else agrees, then I’ll be glad to create a joint team!”

[Dynamo Pad 11,372]

6 hours ago, Samurai Equine said:

@Dynamo Pad, @Pastel Heart, @C. Thunder Dash, @PawelS, @Windy Breeze, @ExplosionMare, @GeneralDirection

In the video game,
Elusive Facts waves at Dynamo. "I think he means me, Mr. Pad. Remember me? I'm Elusive Facts. I was the first boss from Level One. Level Two had two bosses, Daring Decor and Beryl. So that makes 3 defeated bosses in total." Elusive explains.

However, explanations are cut short. Even Trilby's moment of admiring Shadow and talking to all his friends is cut short. He gets up with Shadow, surprised at who is calling.

"Ah. Thank goodness you're all okay! It would seem the fissure from earlier would not let me leave so easily. If that is true, then the same must be true for Mayor Black, the Dark King. The game is not yet over, I'm sorry to say. However, because of the fissure's interference, I can tell there is now a lot less boss characters to tend with. The game is telling me there are only 2 left before you can arrive at the Dark King's castle."

Elusive thinks about this. "Actually sir, we may be able to finish this game even faster. Ms. Tree Song lead us to a Bonus Game, and with Pencil's skills, we won an item. It will allow us to skip a level entirely, which probably means skipping a boss too. The only reason why we haven't used it by now is because we wanted to see what the entire team things. And now that we are all together, we can put it to a proper vote. That is, if Ms. Pencil is okay with that." She turns to Pencil with a smile.

Dynamo looked towards Elusive, who had addressed him. Upon her explanation, Dynamo tilted his head as he was still confused. However, he seemed to have gotten the gist of it. "I think that makes sense. I mean, I always count multiple bosses in one level as one boss. Unless the boss runs away and you have to fight it again. Just like Wolf and his team, Star Wolf in Star Fox. Also, there's no need for formalities, Miss Elusive. All of my friends call me Dynamo." Dynamo explained, before looking towards the Justice King's voice was projecting. "I guess since either mayor can't leave until the game is complete, then that's our current objective." He nods as the group was informed that there was only a few bosses left. "We managed to take down the first two levels and now there's a lot less bosses. I guess it goes to show that we're halfway finished, or we're reaching the endgame now."

4 hours ago, Windy Breeze said:

When Shadow heard there are only two bosses left, she was stuck between whether she should be happy or be nervous of the possibility of Keen staying or leaving the game.

She gave a side glance and smiled at Pencil. Because of Pencil, they could skip levels and possibly avoid one of the bosses, hopefully it would be Kronos, there's no way she can stand up against him. She also wondered how is it like to 'die' inside a game.

But it would not hurt to try to fight him.

She would ask a question to the unseen Mayor White “Excuse me sir, but who are the remaining two bosses in the game?”

The blue unicorn's ears perked as he heard Shadow brought up the question on bosses. "Shadow brings up a good point. The question is who are the remaining bosses. I'm not entirely sure who the voice we heard from before, but it's too difficult to tell if he's the next boss or final boss." He says, before looking back towards Elusive. "Do you happen to know who they are, Elusive? You possibly were with them at some point when meeting the Dark King, right?" He asks, wondering if either Elusive or the Justice King could shed some light on the subject at hoof.

48 minutes ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart @Samurai Equine @ExplosionMare @Windy Breeze @PawelS 

"I'd say from now on we all stick together to complete this one level. Then we use our skipper to get straight to the final boss. Unless there are still side quests we could do to win valuable items, I think staying together as one big group would make things easier. If we split up, one of the teams would be facing a harder level and there may be times where an ability that isn't available may be needed." Thundy stated

29 minutes ago, ExplosionMare said:

@C. Thunder Dash @GeneralDirection @Pastel Heart @Dynamo Pad @Samurai Equine @PawelS

Pencil looked at Elusive, Shadow, and Thundy as they all put their attention on her. She was a bit startled but was quickly able to recover her focus for what she was about to say. She spoke to Elusive and Shadow first, who both mentioned the skip ability from earlier. Pencil smiled back at the mares and told them,

“If you guys wanna use the skip for a boss level, then that’s okay with me. I’d like to hear input from everyone else first, but personally I don’t mind how you guys use the skip,”

She then turned to Thundy who had suggested that the two teams come together. With the game nearing its end, Pencil didn’t think that was a bad idea. Though she might be demoted to a side character again, at least everyone would be in the same place if everyone were to team up together.

“Teaming up together sounds like a good idea, Thundy,” Pencil said. “It would be a lot easier to defeat these final bosses if we did that. If everyone else agrees, then I’ll be glad to create a joint team!”

 

@Pastel Heart @ExplosionMare @Samurai Equine @Astral Vision @GeneralDirection @Cinnamon Coffee @PawelS @Windy Breeze @C. Thunder Dash

"It's the same for me, Thundy. I want to complete this game so nothing like this ever happens again to the town or the residents. I chose to willingly stay because I'm here to fight for my friends. What the Justice King had said also worried me. How we have to get the good ending as it affects Friendshire no matter the ending." Dynamo explained, before giving a nod. "I will have to agree, as well. It's better for everyone to stick together at this point. After what that voice had said in his transmission warning, it seems like we'll all have to work together. The mention of his mechanical beasts gives me the feeling that this battle is going to be much more difficult than our previous battles." He would say, tapping his chin with his hoof at the mention of this skip item. "I'd be up for using the skip, but that still begs the question. Can this item be used to skip an entire level, or can it just skip a boss? It usually depends on how powerful the item. Simply because there are times that the item may or may not work. I have no doubt on the whole skipping a level, but I don't know if it will skip this boss with the whole mechanical beasts. I guess it all depends on who is on the path to the next level." He explained, while trying to weigh their options.

Edited November 10, 2020 by Dynamo Pad

[Silly Druid 7,050]

@Windy Breeze

14 hours ago, Windy Breeze said:

Meanwhile, one of the residents of Friendshire took notice of Keen Fan in her coma state. An earth pony stallion by the name of Creativity Brain approached her “Hello miss... are you okay?” he quickly grows agitated as she continued to not answer. As he shook her, he lifted his head and yelled on top of his lungs.

“Somepony needs assistance!!”

Nopony hears the scream and runs to the place where it's coming from. "What's going on?" The druid asks, then he sees an unconscious pony lying on the ground. He immediately starts to probe her using his magic to determine the cause of her state.

[Windy Breeze 15,190]

@PawelS

Keen remained unresponsive, despite the druid poking at her body.

Creativity began to explain as he looked down at the unconscious mare “She was already unconsciouss when I found her, and when I tried to wake up her up, she gave no sign of stirring up, her breathing is also not balanced!” he put the side of his head on Keen's chest, checking her heartbeat. He hoped he and the druid could do something before bad things could happen.

[Samurai Equine 51,929]

@Dynamo Pad, @Pastel Heart, @C. Thunder Dash, @PawelS, @Windy Breeze, @ExplosionMare, @GeneralDirection, @Cinnamon Coffee
(And possibly @Kronos the Revenant, if you want to chime in or not)

In the video game,
Elusive nods at Dynamo's query. "Normally, I'd agree with you. But since each boss character is an actual person, I think it's better to count the bosses individually instead of by levels."
However, she soon has questions coming her way from Dynamo and Shadow Trail. "Hmm... Well, it's rather complicated, I'm afraid. I'm not part of the Dark characters anymore, so I can't tell you who is left for sure. I only got a glance when the fissure was open. I saw someponies leaving, but didn't pay enough attention to see who. For once, my instincts as a reporter have failed... At this point, the only one who could give us definitive answers is that Mr. Kronos fellow."

Of course, that's for Kronos to decide. On the surface, he doesn't have to tell them anything. But Kronos could confirm that he and Tempest Shadow (who is currently renovating her level since she's a solo boss now) are the only bosses standing between them and the Dark King's castle. Furthermore, if they are thinking about skipping him and his level, Kronos has to decide whether or not he wants to be skipped. Last but not least, with his tech, Kronos can easily scan the item they won in the bonus stage...

Spoiler

It's called The Wrath of the Creator. As the description says, it lets the players skip a level.
However, it cannot be used mid-level, only before they enter the next one. It will also force the boss of that level to be instantly defeated, allowing the justice characters to decide that boss's fate. Kind of like an instant fast-forward to the best part of a story.

Trilby has just been listening to the entire conversation. He looks over at the item Pencil won from the bonus game. "Sorry Dynamo, but my guess is as good as yours. It says that it lets you skip a level. A boss isn't a level, but it's part of a level, and we still want to help the bosses since they are real creatures like us, and... Ugh!!" Trilby ruffles his one mane. "This is so confusing! I have no idea how it works."But there is one other issue to discuss. "Hey, if Thundy thinks we should all be one big battle time instead of two different teams, I'm down for that. Should make finishing levels super easy, right?" Trilby says. Elusive looks up at them all. "You know, I suggested an idea a while back, and it's still on the table. If anyone wants to be two teams, then we could tackle two levels at once. One team could go after Level 3 and it's boss, and the other team could tackle Level 4. And one of the teams could still use the level-skip item, if we wanted." Elusive Facts says. She might not realize it, and only Kronos can confirm it, but doing that would help them complete the game almost instantaneously.

Still, there is one more person that might like to vote on all this, and he appears before all of them...

Seir chooses WARRIOR: A very basic character type that relies mostly of physical mele attacks. Wields one standard range weapon and one standard blade weapon; but can also borrow and wield the weapons of other characters regardless of type. Can also sacrifice a small percentage of his HP to give other characters a temporary power boost. Choosing this character dresses Seir up a warrior's fighting robes with a few sparse pieces of light armor.

Upon choosing this character, Seir is suited up and transported to where the other heroic characters are. Looks everyone just got a last-minute team mate!

Edited November 11, 2020 by Samurai Equine

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

@Dynamo Pad, @Pastel Heart, @C. Thunder Dash, @PawelS, @Windy Breeze, @ExplosionMare, @GeneralDirection, @Cinnamon Coffee, @Samurai Equine

*INCOMING TRANSMISSION*
 

”Ahahahahaha,” the heroes would hear Kronos tell them in an almost maniacal tone, “If i recall correctly, you seem to have a Wrath of the Creators relic on you guys. Well, guess what, I’m tired of the heroes always using some sort of Deus Ex McGuffin to weasel their ways out of the toughest parts of their journeys, so that bullshit ain’t gonna fly on MY level. That’s right, i finished a device that prohibits any sort of advantageous bullshittery from happening, at least in my level. So, if you plan on using it, you might as well use it now, because it wont work in the Dark King’s castle, either. See ya when you guys are finally six feet under. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.”

Edited November 11, 2020 by Kronos the Revenant

[Dynamo Pad 11,372]

1 hour ago, Samurai Equine said:

In the video game,
Elusive nods at Dynamo's query. "Normally, I'd agree with you. But since each boss character is an actual person, I think it's better to count the bosses individually instead of by levels."
However, she soon has questions coming her way from Dynamo and Shadow Trail. "Hmm... Well, it's rather complicated, I'm afraid. I'm not part of the Dark characters anymore, so I can't tell you who is left for sure. I only got a glance when the fissure was open. I saw someponies leaving, but didn't pay enough attention to see who. For once, my instincts as a reporter have failed... At this point, the only one who could give us definitive answers is that Mr. Kronos fellow."

Of course, that's for Kronos to decide. On the surface, he doesn't have to tell them anything. But Kronos could confirm that he and Tempest Shadow (who is currently renovating her level since she's a solo boss now) are the only bosses standing between them and the Dark King's castle. Furthermore, if they are thinking about skipping him and his level, Kronos has to decide whether or not he wants to be skipped. Last but not least, with his tech, Kronos can easily scan the item they won in the bonus stage...

  Reveal hidden contents

It's called The Wrath of the Creator. As the description says, it lets the players skip a level.
However, it cannot be used mid-level, only before they enter the next one. It will also force the boss of that level to be instantly defeated, allowing the justice characters to decide that boss's fate. Kind of like an instant fast-forward to the best part of a story.

Trilby has just been listening to the entire conversation. He looks over at the item Pencil won from the bonus game. "Sorry Dynamo, but my guess is as good as yours. It says that it lets you skip a level. A boss isn't a level, but it's part of a level, and we still want to help the bosses since they are real creatures like us, and... Ugh!!" Trilby ruffles his one mane. "This is so confusing! I have no idea how it works."But there is one other issue to discuss. "Hey, if Thundy thinks we should all be one big battle time instead of two different teams, I'm down for that. Should make finishing levels super easy, right?" Trilby says. Elusive looks up at them all. "You know, I suggested an idea a while back, and it's still on the table. If anyone wants to be two teams, then we could tackle two levels at once. One team could go after Level 3 and it's boss, and the other team could tackle Level 4. And one of the teams could still use the level-skip item, if we wanted." Elusive Facts says. She might not realize it, and only Kronos can confirm it, but doing that would help them complete the game almost instantaneously.

Still, there is one more person that might like to vote on all this, and he appears before all of them...

Seir chooses WARRIOR: A very basic character type that relies mostly of physical mele attacks. Wields one standard range weapon and one standard blade weapon; but can also borrow and wield the weapons of other characters regardless of type. Can also sacrifice a small percentage of his HP to give other characters a temporary power boost. Choosing this character dresses Seir up a warrior's fighting robes with a few sparse pieces of light armor.

Upon choosing this character, Seir is suited up and transported to where the other heroic characters are. Looks everyone just got a last-minute team mate!

@Pastel Heart @Samurai Equine @ExplosionMare @Windy Breeze @Cinnamon Coffee @Astral Vision @C. Thunder Dash @GeneralDirection @PawelS

"I can live with that form of logic. I remember fighting certain bosses that were were two bosses, but they counted as one for me in the game. I guess there's always a technicality for one thing or another." Dynamo responded, shrugging his shoulders as he accepted Elusive's answer. At the mention of the fissure, Dynamo nodded as he recalled what happened. "I remembered the fissure and how some were able to go home. I don't know exactly who, but I think I saw Bluebell went back to Friendshire. That, and I think Beryl and Daring Decor went back, as well when they were defeated. Other than them, I'm not entirely sure. So, I guess we'll wait and see. I don't think you've failed as a reporter, Elusive. You've done the best that you can and you were a part of the bad guys only briefly."

Looking towards Trilby, Dynamo nodded as, he too, was stumped. "Yeah. You're right about that, Trilby. A boss is near the end of a level if there is a boss. We can't just abandon a boss if they need help, or if they want to join our side." He says, looking around at everyone that was still together in a group. "I think it's good to try and take a vote on that. Considering that there's a choice of going as two teams, or one giant team. I can see one of the groups use the level skip on level 3. That way, we can all regroup and finish the final boss together in level 4."

51 minutes ago, Kronos the Revenant said:

@Dynamo Pad, @Pastel Heart, @C. Thunder Dash, @PawelS, @Windy Breeze, @ExplosionMare, @GeneralDirection, @Cinnamon Coffee, @Samurai Equine

*INCOMING TRANSMISSION*
 

”Ahahahahaha,” the heroes would hear Kronos tell them in an almost maniacal tone, “If i recall correctly, you seem to have a Wrath of the Creators relic on you guys. Well, guess what, I’m tired of the heroes always using some sort of Deus Ex McGuffin to weasel their ways out of the toughest parts of their journeys, so that ain’t gonna fly on MY level. That’s right, i finished a device that prohibits any sort of advantageous from happening, at least in my level. So, if you plan on using it, you might as well use it now, because it wont work in the Dark King’s castle, either. See ya when you guys are finally six feet under. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.”

Dynamo's ears perked as he suddenly heard an incoming transmission. It was from the same voice that had addressed them earlier. He gritted his teeth as his ears fell from the voice's remark. With a heavy sigh, Dynamo could only shake his head. "I guess level 3 will be the place that we can skip. Better to use the item at the right time, instead of using it carelessly. Sounds like this boss did prepare for just about everything. I just hope we'll be able to take on whatever he's got planned for us." He says, wondering when the right time to use the Wrath of the Creators relic would be.