open The Town That Friendship Forgot

[Pastel Heart 6,463]

@Dynamo Pad

"Ah, but consider the following... Shadow motorcycle~"

...It seems that Dynamo should just pick one before the filly complicates things further. She'll follow whatever he does.

The author is too lazy to tag anyone else for she is lazy and has fallen immensely behind

[Dynamo Pad 10,803]

1 hour ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

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

"Uhm...I'm not so sure about that motorcycle. Yes it looks cool and all, but does it have any means of protection...like pop-out machine guns or something?" Thundy asked. He knew Pastel really wanted the motorcycle ride, and wondered if Elusive had some upgrades for it so that way they would be protected since this was the final level. Thundy continued to wait for the others to load up or choose their own means of transportation.

6 minutes ago, Pastel Heart said:

@Dynamo Pad

"Ah, but consider the following... Shadow motorcycle~"

...It seems that Dynamo should just pick one before the filly complicates things further. She'll follow whatever he does. 

 

@Pastel Heart @ExplosionMare @Cinnamon Coffee @Samurai Equine @GeneralDirection @PawelS @Windy Breeze @C. Thunder Dash
After thinking it over for a brief moment, Dynamo nodded as he turned towards the young mare. “When you put it that way, then I think the motorcycle ride is a good idea. I know it would be cool to ride within a shadow, but I can make an exception.” He says, looking towards Thundy. All the while, nodding as he took the griffons words into consideration. “If worst come to worst, then I can just use my magic to try and add some backup support. Pastel can provide some offense and I can back her up, while covering for defense. Plus, maybe we can find upgrades and such along the way towards the boss.” He explained, recalling the times the voice allowed him to find such upgrades.

[Silly Druid 6,258]

@Windy Breeze

On 11/12/2020 at 11:38 PM, Windy Breeze said:

Of course, Creativity was expecting this question “I do can” he began struggling to put Keen onto his back which ended with succes, though the unconscious mare had her tongue out and drop-ing, saliva dripping to the ground “Well, good luck finding the spirit” he said before he broke into a gallop.

Nopony would find luck, when one of the visions shows a row of apartments where both Keen and Shadow lived, but Nightmare Moon has already left.

Guided by his visions, Nopony approaches a row of apartments and locates the one where there are strong traces of dark magic. He looks through a window and sees that there doesn't seem to be anypony inside. He decides to take the risk and enter the apartment. The door is locked, but it doesn't stop a powerful magic user from entering. He searches the rooms, hoping to find a clue as to what happened here.

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

The party is considering various means of transportation, and Tree Song decides what to do in her case. "I will fly above you as I did before. I will warn you if I see anything dangerous."

[Samurai Equine 46,764]

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

In the video game,
"It's a pleasure to meet you. All of you." Tempest says to Dynamo first, then to everyone. "Shadow Trail, you say? Everyone calls me by my alias, Tempest Shadow. From one Shadow to another, I look forward to working with you." Tempest also says to Shadow Trail. Elusive is happy to have three passengers, but doesn't quite care for Thundy's tone. "You calling me and my ride weak, bird boy? Have you ever seen a real street gang in action?" Elusive gets a little steamed up and speaks with a Neigh York accent, her repressed street rebel tendencies of old coming back up to the surface. About that time, Tempest Shadow puts a shadowy tentacle on her shoulder and gets her to calm down. "Relax everyone, I'll be her protection." Tempest offers to be her back up. "Oh my! Did I just almost lose myself again? Sorry team. I guess it's hard to stay professional and glamorous in a game like this." Elusive Facts says apologetically, completely switching back to her usual playful side.

Trilby was just happy to share a vehicle with his marefriend. "Hey, let's not come unraveled at the seams, okay team? We've been undefeated so far, and now we're almost there at the final level! If anyone can do this, we can, with teamwork." Trilby says.

It seems everyone has chosen their transportation of choice.
With engines revved, they all head out. Just to be safe, Elusive Facts makes sure to drive close to Thundy's vehicle. She can drive behind it if necessary. And their journey leads them out of the medieval ruins and straight to...

The dark valley.
If there was ever a place for final boss music, whether it's something to get you pumped or something to fill you with dread, this would be the place.
The land is covered in black sand and ash; no plants nor life of any kind can flourish here. The land is also littered with the massive, scattered bones of creatures several times bigger than any dinosaur. You could practically make a home out of the half-unearthed rib cages. And the sky is filled with slow moving dark clouds, blocking out the sun.

But because of a certain boss coming to town, the land had seen a new set of renovations. For at the epicenter of this abandoned, lifeless canyon, there is now a high-tech, ominous base. It looks like something straight out of Star Wars. The entrance to this base is also the portal to Level 4. The final level is there, waiting for them.

...Trilby sits a little closer to Shadow Trail. "I suddenly wish I was back home in my hat shop." Trilby says. "Except for the high tech renovations, my Shadow Wraith character would be quite at home here." Tempest says.

Edited November 14, 2020 by Samurai Equine

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

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

Thundy started up his Marauder. The quad turbo V16 roared loudly to life like an angry dragon. "Alright, here we go!" Thundy said excitedly. The place grew darker, so he turned on almost all the lights on his Marauder, making sure that no one was getting blinded by them. "Dynamo, how 'bout a quick scout around here to see if there are any upgrades. Once we enter that portal, there's no turning back..." Thundy stated. 

[Sphinx-Ara 3,526]

@Dynamo Pad @Samurai Equine

Seir would nod at the blue unicorn's knowledge of Clairvoyance "Well yeah pretty much" he would say and then smile as he heard the remark about the young filly "Seems that you two are close, that's good" he'd say but then raise an eyebrow at the the hoof wave, trotting over to Dynamo, he'd look at him "Is something on your mind Dynamo?" he would ask him.

[Dynamo Pad 10,803]

21 minutes ago, Samurai Equine said:

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

In the video game,
"It's a pleasure to meet you. All of you." Tempest says to Dynamo first, then to everyone. "Shadow Trail, you say? Everyone calls me by my alias, Tempest Shadow. From one Shadow to another, I look forward to working with you." Tempest also says to Shadow Trail. Elusive is happy to have three passengers, but doesn't quite care for Thundy's tone. "You calling me and my ride weak, bird boy? Have you ever seen a real street gang in action?" Elusive gets a little steamed up and speaks with a Neigh York accent, her repressed street rebel tendencies of old coming back up to the surface. About that time, Tempest Shadow puts a shadowy tentacle on her shoulder and gets her to calm down. "Relax everyone, I'll be her protection." Tempest offers to be her back up. "Oh my! Did I just almost lose myself again? Sorry team. I guess it's hard to stay professional and glamorous in a game like this." Elusive Facts says apologetically, completely switching back to her usual playful side.

Trilby was just happy to share a vehicle with his marefriend. "Hey, let's not come unraveled at the seams, okay team? We've been undefeated so far, and now we're almost there at the final level! If anyone can do this, we can, with teamwork." Trilby says.

Dynamo nodded as he heard Tempest's remark, before finding the irony in how Shadow and Tempest shared 'Shadow' in their names. His ears perked as he heard Elusive's angered tone towards the male griffon. He wanted to step in and break up the fight, but he opted out of the idea. While he would have an issue with Thundy like he had previously, he still knew it wasn't an argument that involved him. Still, he wanted to break up the fighting as fighting didn't solve anything. Thankfully, he breathed a sigh of relief as Trilby had gotten the argument under control. "Thanks for the help, Trilby." He stated, before turning his attention towards Elusive. "I'm guessing your from Manehattan, or somewhere around that area? I've been to some conventions and tournaments around the city. So, I kind of took notice of your accent." He explained, hopping into the open seat of the side car, while waiting for Pastel to join the group. "I'm sorry about Thundy's remark. I think he means well, but it's not worth arguing with him. I won't say I'm defending him, but still. What Trilby said has merit." He says, before nodding at the mention of Tempest protecting the trio. "I still stand by my word that I'll keep us safe. I'm glad to know we'll have support, but it still doesn't hurt to have backup options too." He says with a reassuring smile. 

6 minutes ago, Cinnamon Coffee said:

@Dynamo Pad @Samurai Equine

Seir would nod at the blue unicorn's knowledge of Clairvoyance "Well yeah pretty much" he would say and then smile as he heard the remark about the young filly "Seems that you two are close, that's good" he'd say but then raise an eyebrow at the the hoof wave, trotting over to Dynamo, he'd look at him "Is something on your mind Dynamo?" he would ask him.

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

"I had a feeling. I've heard of the word once in a video game I played. Granted, it was the user's special skill and not used in the way one would think. So, I still wanted to be sure instead of just assuming." He explained, before smiling with a slight chuckle. "You can say that, yeah. We met each other on the way to Friendshire. Well, we both got off the same train and happen to walk next to one another. After that, we've been pretty much stuck to each other like glue." He would say, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks. The reason for the blush was the earlier kiss that had happened in level 2. He knew it was something he'd have to talk to the others about once they were finished with this game. He shook his head to clear the blush from his cheeks, before nodding at Seir's question. Looking towards the others to make sure that they didn't hear him, Dynamo continued. "Yeah. You see, I don't think level 4 is the final level. Whenever I play a certain game, there's always the option to get a good or bad ending. Other times, there might be a sort of true ending. It's why I'm not sure if Kronos is the final boss or if there's something more that needs to be done. Whoever wins in this final battle will essentially change the fate of Friendshire. At least, that's what the Justice King had said to us. I was hoping to see what you thought of my idea. Do you think there might be a hidden ending in all of this?" He asks, wondering what the unicorn's thoughts were.

39 minutes ago, Samurai Equine said:

It seems everyone has chosen their transportation of choice.
With engines revved, they all head out. Just to be safe, Elusive Facts makes sure to drive close to Thundy's vehicle. She can drive behind it if necessary. And their journey leads them out of the medieval ruins and straight to...

The dark valley.
If there was ever a place for final boss music, whether it's something to get you pumped or something to fill you with dread, this would be the place.
The land is covered in black sand and ash; no plants nor life of any kind can flourish here. The land is also littered with the massive, scattered bones of creatures several times bigger than any dinosaur. You could practically make a home out of the half-unearthed rib cages. And the sky is filled with slow moving dark clouds, blocking out the sun.

But because of a certain boss coming to town, the land had seen a new set of renovations. For at the epicenter of this abandoned, lifeless canyon, there is now a high-tech, ominous base. It looks like something straight out of Star Wars. The entrance to this base is also the portal to Level 4. The final level is there, waiting for them.

...Trilby sits a little closer to Shadow Trail. "I suddenly wish I was back home in my hat shop." Trilby says. "Except for the high tech renovations, my Shadow Wraith character would be quite at home here." Tempest says.

28 minutes ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

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

Thundy started up his Marauder. The quad turbo V16 roared loudly to life like an angry dragon. "Alright, here we go!" Thundy said excitedly. The place grew darker, so he turned on almost all the lights on his Marauder, making sure that no one was getting blinded by them. "Dynamo, how 'bout a quick scout around here to see if there are any upgrades. Once we enter that portal, there's no turning back..." Thundy stated. 

 

Once everyone had chosen their transportation, Dynamo's ears perked as the engine to Elusive motorcycle had revved up. "Hold on tight, Pastel-chan. This might be a bumpy ride." He would say, before he felt the vehicle take off towards the destination. Upon exiting the medieval ruins, Dynamo took note of the Dark Valley. The blue unicorn looked all around him in slight horror and awe. All around them was nothing but black sand and ash. He used his monocle to try and see if he could gain any senses, but it was to no avail. There was no plant life, no animals, no life in general was present around them. Seeing the bones of giant creatures gave Dynamo a sense of dread. "It's like a barren wasteland. What could have happened here?" He asks with a sigh, before noticing a high-tech base a couple miles up ahead. "I wonder if that's the entrance to level 4. I guess we'll find out when we get there." He says, looking up to Tempest, while nodding in agreement. "With how this place fits well with the darkness, I guess shadowy abilities would fit quite nicely with your skills. The same could be said for Pastel-chan, who has invisibility due to her power of a rogue." He stated, before giving Thundy an unsure expression. "I'm not sure, but I'll do what I can. I haven't heard anything from the voices of the game yet. To be honest, I'm not sure if they can be blocked out due to what Kronos had mentioned before. I'll see what I can do." He says, closing his eyes briefly, while hoping to gain some intel on any power-ups/upgrades for the team.

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

Kronos took another look at the upcoming fight as he sat in his command center. He noticed some of the characters decided to return home. Nevertheless, he was still left with quite the party to fight. 
 

“Now that’s what im talking about,” Kronos said to himself with a hint of hype, “Time to let the beasts loose.” He pressed a button, which gave a high-pitched signal throughout his level and opened up a gate, unleashing literal hell on earth with a huge stampede of cybernetic animals that had explosions of brimstone follow them. “Time for the gauntlet.” He turned around and looked towards his elite units, ready to defend the fortress, units which included gold-plated crab bots and mechanical armored chimeras, giant lizards and giant crustaceans of different kinds. 
 

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

 

*INCOMING TRANSMISSION*
 

“Welp, looks like this is it,” Kronos tells the heroes, “You made it to the final level, where im your penultimate hurdle before you reach the King of Darkness. You like what i did with the place? I did it all myself. Well, all i gotta say is COME GET SOME!!!!!!”

 

*FINAL TRANSMISSION TERMINATED*

 

The first thing the heroes would notice is a stampede of cybernetic animals coming their way, which wont make their advance to Kronos’ fortress easy. Heavily armored vehicles may be able to plow through most of the animals, but they’re gonna need to still deal with giant armored creatures inside the fortress and Kronos himself later. 

Edited November 15, 2020 by Kronos the Revenant

[Windy Breeze 15,177]

@PawelS

Shadow and Keen's apartment only have three rooms, one which is the bathroom, one containing both the living room and the kitchen, and the bedroom. On the right side of the room, a green square carpet lay on the floor, a few paintings hung on the wall, stepping on the green carpet is a white rectangular able and a couple of pillows with different colors, which is used for sitting, on the left ate two white shelves, which mostly contains books. The kitchen has some shelves,iceiceen, a cabinet used to store food, a long kitchen hooks used to hang frying pans and some other utensils, and a wooden cutting table. The bathroom door can also be seen.

The bedroom has no doors, exposing everything on the left side of the room: one small shelf and a black saddle bag slumped on the corner, which belongs to Shadow and where traces of dark magic seemed to emit, that is because the source is inside.

On the right side of the of room, a dark pink queen-size bed and bedside table.

However, not only Nopony who can sense magic.

Before Nightmare Moon left earlier, she also put another spell into the diary book, this spell will make the book vanish to any nearby presence who isn't Shadow, Keen, Trilby, and their known friends. So if Nopony walk close to the saddle bag, the diary book will vanish.

Meanwhile, Creativity had already arrived at the hospital, with Keen still in coma, who was put inside an emergency room.

Other than the diary, other items inside the saddle bag is Shadow's shadowbolt uniform, a camera, and some documents of her several jobs, including her current job as a photographer and journalist.

@PawelS @Samurai Equine @C. Thunder Dash @Kronos the Revenant @Pastel Heart @Cinnamon Coffee @Dynamo Pad 

“Thank you, Tempest” funny coincidences leading to somepony becoming interested working with her? Shadow chuckled nervously. This mare had no idea how currently weak she was. Shadow remained quiet throughout their trip, until they reached the next level: The dark valley.

Now, it's obvious why the level is named so grim, judging by how dead the place looks, it seems to clearly fit the name. The land is filled with black sand and ash, vegetation or life is nowhere to be seen, and the sky is filled dark clouds, blocking any sun light from giving its light, large bones larger than any createre Shadow could imagine litter the valley, and she could see a large canyon. A menacing dark music plays inside Shadow's mind, who sank closer to closer as stopped herself from showing any fear. She sighed to herself This is it she said inside her mind the final boss battle.

Shadow couldn't not hear the thundering of the stampede Kronos had released due to the sounds of of Thundy's vehicle makes, but she did hear Kronos' transmission.

 

 

 

@PawelS

 

@PawelS @Samurai Equine @C. Thunder Dash @Kronos the Revenant @Pastel Heart @Cinnamon Coffee @Dynamo Pad 

 

Edited November 16, 2020 by Windy Breeze
That error deleted

[Pastel Heart 6,463]

@Dynamo Pad,@C. Thunder Dash, @PawelS, @Windy Breeze, @ExplosionMare, @GeneralDirection, @Cinnamon Coffee, @Kronos the Revenant @Samurai Equine

This whole time Pastel was just thinking that Elusive Facts was just, like, the coolest. A REAL biker gang! If she has known this was possible she wouldn't be a rogue. Or at least she'd be a biker rogue. Oh well! Time to keep chill, she was playing the cool, chaotic evil rogue after all.

She just shrugged when Dynamo being warned about a bumpy ride. No caution in this one. 

"Haven't you ever seen Akira, Dyn-- umm, conspirator? Motorcycles are, like, the coolest. Unless they're exploded. Or its like, a gang war. Don't worry. I wanna protect YOU for a change~"

The chuunibyo was weak, for now. Or whatever force was influencing her earlier...

...Or, the normalcy lasted for a little bit anyway. Time to storm Kronos' castle. She smirked. And what a dark smirk it was. Pastel was getting consumed by her character again.

"Hah! Listen to him. He thinks he's so tough. I don't have time for mooks like this..."

She got off the motorcycle and looked towards the group. What she would say next would be equally crazy and concerning.

"I'm going in. You guys can handle the army of doom. As for me... It's time to do what I do best. Not every rogue is the same, you know? Rogues often have a subclass... Mine is Assassin~"

With that bombshell, and leaving no room for argument, she cloaks and disappears, intending to sneak her way past the crowd into the fortress for an attempted assassination on the boss. Completely reckless and she was likely gonna get hurt, but she couldn't pass up this thrill and wasn't gonna stick around to be lectured otherwise.

 

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

@Samurai Equine @Kronos the Revenant @Dynamo Pad @Cinnamon Coffee @Pastel Heart @ExplosionMare @Windy Breeze

"Pastel!!" Thundy called out as the suspension bounced a little as the stampede drew nearer to the group. Thundy pulled a lever that aimed the turrets at the incoming stampede. Thundy accelerated foward. "Everyone, we gotta get to Pastel to keep her covered. I'll bulldoze our way through this stampede. Dynamo, we could certainly use the power of that Oathkeeper like last time, or even call upon a natural element to clear some of the way. I've the air covered." Thundy said re-summoning the mechanized dragons with armored warriors mounted on them,. Thundy pulled another lever, and a few metal plates popped out from the lower sides of the marauder, making it a sort of bulldozer. 

[Dynamo Pad 10,803]

7 hours ago, Pastel Heart said:

This whole time Pastel was just thinking that Elusive Facts was just, like, the coolest. A REAL biker gang! If she has known this was possible she wouldn't be a rogue. Or at least she'd be a biker rogue. Oh well! Time to keep chill, she was playing the cool, chaotic evil rogue after all.

She just shrugged when Dynamo being warned about a bumpy ride. No caution in this one. 

"Haven't you ever seen Akira, Dyn-- umm, conspirator? Motorcycles are, like, the coolest. Unless they're exploded. Or its like, a gang war. Don't worry. I wanna protect YOU for a change~"

The chuunibyo was weak, for now. Or whatever force was influencing her earlier...

...Or, the normalcy lasted for a little bit anyway. Time to storm Kronos' castle. She smirked. And what a dark smirk it was. Pastel was getting consumed by her character again.

Upon hearing Pastel's question, the blue unicorn looked at her with a worried, yet sheepish expression. "Is it bad if I said I haven't? I do recall hearing about the name of the film. Something about a post apocalyptic and somewhat futuristic kind of film? I've only seen motorcycles in card game anime. You know the whole, CARD GAMES ON MOTORCYCLES!" He blushed with a chuckle as he always loved that catchphrase. "So, I can see your point on how cool motorcycle's can be. It's why we have some of those racing games in the arcade, after all." He smiled, before blinking in surprise with a look of confusion. "Wait a minute. You want to protect me? I mean, I don't get me wrong. I really appreciate your concern, but why do you say that? If anything, I want to make sure that you and the others are safe." He remembered how hurt Pastel was during the battle. He understood they still had their extra lives, but he was still worried for her safety. Along with the safety of the others in this team.

23 hours ago, Kronos the Revenant said:

*INCOMING TRANSMISSION*

“Welp, looks like this is it,” Kronos tells the heroes, “You made it to the final level, where im your penultimate hurdle before you reach the King of Darkness. You like what i did with the place? I did it all myself. Well, all i gotta say is COME GET SOME!!!!!!”

*FINAL TRANSMISSION TERMINATED*

The first thing the heroes would notice is a stampede of cybernetic animals coming their way, which wont make their advance to Kronos’ fortress easy. Heavily armored vehicles may be able to plow through most of the animals, but they’re gonna need to still deal with giant armored creatures inside the fortress and Kronos himself later. 

Dynamo soon looked up as he heard a voice calling out to him. From the sound of the voice, it appeared to be Kronos, once again. His eyes shrank slightly in both fear and realization. 'So, then...Kronos was the one who destroyed this biome? Unless the biome was like this, before he set up this base.' He thought, narrowing his eyes slightly at the mention of his challenge. As the transmission had come to an end, Dynamo took notice of a stampede up ahead. A giant horde of cybernetic animals. "If that's what you want, then so be it. Time for us to face this boss gauntlet!"

7 hours ago, Pastel Heart said:

...Or, the normalcy lasted for a little bit anyway. Time to storm Kronos' castle. She smirked. And what a dark smirk it was. Pastel was getting consumed by her character again.

"Hah! Listen to him. He thinks he's so tough. I don't have time for mooks like this..."

She got off the motorcycle and looked towards the group. What she would say next would be equally crazy and concerning.

"I'm going in. You guys can handle the army of doom. As for me... It's time to do what I do best. Not every rogue is the same, you know? Rogues often have a subclass... Mine is Assassin~"

With that bombshell, and leaving no room for argument, she cloaks and disappears, intending to sneak her way past the crowd into the fortress for an attempted assassination on the boss. Completely reckless and she was likely gonna get hurt, but she couldn't pass up this thrill and wasn't gonna stick around to be lectured otherwise.

Hearing the young mare's declaration caused a chill to run up and down Dynamo's spine. He wasn't sure if it was Pastel being daring and brave, or if it was the young mare getting into character again. "Wait, Pastel-chan. We might need a plan in order to take down some of these cybernetic beasts. Who knows if there's plenty more within the base. I agree that assassin as a subclass is probably helpful, but we should try and stick together." Without time to stop her, the young mare disappeared with the help of her invisibility. "Pastel-chan!" He called out to her in hopes that she would come back, but he felt his call was on deaf ears.

7 hours ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

@Samurai Equine @Kronos the Revenant @Dynamo Pad @Cinnamon Coffee @Pastel Heart @ExplosionMare @Windy Breeze

"Pastel!!" Thundy called out as the suspension bounced a little as the stampede drew nearer to the group. Thundy pulled a lever that aimed the turrets at the incoming stampede. Thundy accelerated foward. "Everyone, we gotta get to Pastel to keep her covered. I'll bulldoze our way through this stampede. Dynamo, we could certainly use the power of that Oathkeeper like last time, or even call upon a natural element to clear some of the way. I've the air covered." Thundy said re-summoning the mechanized dragons with armored warriors mounted on them,. Thundy pulled another lever, and a few metal plates popped out from the lower sides of the marauder, making it a sort of bulldozer. 

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

Using his monocle, the gaming unicorn tried to locate Pastel from within the soon to be chaos. He sighed in relief as he was able to locate the pink mare safely. Dynamo looked towards Thundy, while nodding in agreement on protecting Pastel. "With all of this stampede, we're going to need some backup." He says, taking note of the mechanized dragons that Thundy had used before. "That's good, but we'll need some ground support. I think we should try and match them, or have a distraction in order for us to get around them." He explained, before a thought occurred to him. "Hey, Pencil! I remember you said that you're able to summon animals and other drawings with your brush abilities. Are these drawings able to fight alongside us and/or offer some backup?" He asks, looking towards his teammate. He held out a hoof in order to draw out the keyblade like he had done before. His horn glowed with magic, while he closed his eyes to concentrate. With a strained breath, Dynamo's right fore-hoof fell as he gasped for breath. "I-It's no good. I-I can't summon the keyblade like I did last time." He stuttered in shock, while trying to run through possible reasons as to why this was happening. Was it a one time use, or was there something else at play here? So many questions ran through the blue unicorn's mind, before another thought crossed his path. "What if...it's because of the base and biome? Didn't Kronos say he was tired of the kind of Deus-Ex Machina or something like that? So, if that skip item doesn't work here, then maybe what I did before doesn't work either." He gave a frown as he was worried what else Kronos had the advantage of. His horn glowed once more and after a moment, he was able to conjure up some fire. "Well, at least my magic still works." He would say with another sigh of relief, before grabbing his deck of cards from within his outfit's pocket.

Edited November 15, 2020 by Dynamo Pad

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart @Kronos the Revenant @Cinnamon Coffee @Samurai Equine @ExplosionMare @Windy Breeze

"Yea, I just hope he doesn't cheat. I have a feeling he's gonna do everything in his power to weaken us so that way he'd win. I think I heard someone say that Kronos had that type of personality..." Thundy said as he bulldozed his way through the stampede. The mecha dragon above the group provided some air support with fire blasts and lightning bolts. The marauder bounced a little as it went over the mechanized creatures, crushing and shoving them away to clear the path. 

[Sphinx-Ara 3,526]

23 hours ago, Dynamo Pad said:

"I had a feeling. I've heard of the word once in a video game I played. Granted, it was the user's special skill and not used in the way one would think. So, I still wanted to be sure instead of just assuming." He explained, before smiling with a slight chuckle. "You can say that, yeah. We met each other on the way to Friendshire. Well, we both got off the same train and happen to walk next to one another. After that, we've been pretty much stuck to each other like glue." He would say, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks. The reason for the blush was the earlier kiss that had happened in level 2. He knew it was something he'd have to talk to the others about once they were finished with this game. He shook his head to clear the blush from his cheeks, before nodding at Seir's question. Looking towards the others to make sure that they didn't hear him, Dynamo continued. "Yeah. You see, I don't think level 4 is the final level. Whenever I play a certain game, there's always the option to get a good or bad ending. Other times, there might be a sort of true ending. It's why I'm not sure if Kronos is the final boss or if there's something more that needs to be done. Whoever wins in this final battle will essentially change the fate of Friendshire. At least, that's what the Justice King had said to us. I was hoping to see what you thought of my idea. Do you think there might be a hidden ending in all of this?" He asks, wondering what the unicorn's thoughts were.

Seir would nod as he listened once more to the blue unicorn "I see, but yes, it is like a premonition only much closer to the event and much clearer" he'd tell him, and then nod "I see, well treat her well" he'd look around as they rode on the motorcycle "As for your question, that is something I can't say for sure right now, but I suppose it could be a possibility, but does that mean we'd have to start over to get all three endings?" he'd ask him, scratching behind his neck as he felt an irresistable urge to scratch an invisible itch.

[ExplosionMare 18,010]

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

Pencil, naturally, took to creating her own transportation. She ironically created a large turtle, a snapping one at that just in case some enemies happened to be nearby. This wasn’t just any turtle, though, this turtle had rockets on its feet. Pencil made sure to paint those with passion and color so they would work really well. As everyone headed off via vehicles or some other means, Pencil blasted through the air on her jet-pack turtle, reveling as the wind blew through her mane.

Her celebration soon ceased once she saw how utterly dead Level 4 looked. It appeared as if several enemies had died here already as if a battle had taken place prior to the team’s entrance. If this is how the supposed “last ponies” were dealt with, Pencil wasn’t too sure if she wanted to know how her own team would fare.

As everyone arrived, another transmission from the final boss came on. He boasted about his creation of the level and how he was going to take everyone down. Pencil didn’t want to believe anything he said, but she wasn’t sure what she was dealing with. The final boss of a game always had some sort of clever trick no one else had. Pencil just hoped the team was prepared for whatever it may be.

As soon as the transmission ended, a hoard of robotic animals stampeded through the level towards the team. Pastel was already running into battle, the rest of the team following her to make sure she was okay. Pencil thought to join them as well until Dynamo came up to her and asked about her abilities. Turning her paintbrush so that the bristles faced the ground, she told him,

“S-sure, I can do that! I, uh, might need someone to cover me, though. Might have to make a lot of these!”

Pencil furiously painted in all directions on the ground, creating a variety of textures from fur, to scales, to feathers. Sword-wielding birds, fire-breathing llamas, spiky gorillas, really anything remotely combat-worthy Pencil could think of was brought to life as quickly as possible. Pencil did her best to churn out creations, but was having to cut details in order to mass produce, causing some of the animals to look a bit odd. The enemies were multiplying and Pencil wasn’t sure if she could match them by herself. She attempted to push her doubts aside and put all of her energy into her work, making duplicates if necessary in order to keep up with the fight.

 

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

@ExplosionMare @Kronos the Revenant

Chelsea jumped out the marauder and summoned her water dragon landing right next to Pencil. "Mind if I join the animal party?" She asked as her water dragon slithered low to the ground, engulfing the cyber creatures in water.

[Samurai Equine 46,764]

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

In the dark valley,
"You ask because of my accent? I was originally from the Broncs. Not every aspect of my former life is something I'm proud of." Elusive explains to Dynamo as they all travel closer to the cybornetic epicenter of this lifeless canyon. But it seems they wouldn't have time for pleasantries, and for two reasons.
Thundy had asked Dynamo to scout around to see if they could find anything to their advantage. However, it's pretty clear everything is dead here. Dynamo even hears a whisper telling him "There won't be a need for that...". The other reason why they don't have time to waste is because Kronos just sent out a stampede of cyborg animals! "Looks like this is it." With a final gulp, Trilby gets out of Thundy's vehicle and gets ready to attack! Looks like this is the big moment, and everyone is getting ready to fight, until...!

Nothing happens.

The animals cannot attack, and the heroes who launch attacks of their own find the attacks do not connect. Elusive and Tempest look at each other, sighing and shaking their heads "How long have you all been playing? The game forbids fighting outside the actual level itself. You have to step inside the portal first." Tempest explains. "I could have told you that." Elusive Facts echos. Shadow walks up and steps into the portal first. "Are you all coming or what?" Elusive asks her team as she follows close behind Tempest, being the second to enter the portal. Well now Trilby just feels like he has egg on his face. "...Well, this was a fun welcome. All these guards, and for nothing! Heh. ...They're going to follow us as soon as we step inside the portal, aren't they?" Trilby asks. Guess there is only one way to find out. He walks up to the portal and steps inside. Eventually, so does everyone and the artillery forces they can summon or control.

LEVEL 4: CYBER FRENZY

The game announcer confirms the level has begun when they all step through the portal. The level begins on the interior of Kronos' base. It definitely looks like something out of Star Wars. High tech from the ceiling to the floor. Various flashing lights and light up panels, lots of metal and wires, and so on. And as Trilby and the others observe their surroundings, they can hear the cybernetic animals from outside chasing them into the level. Some even approach from within the base itself. "Knew it. Totally called it! And I do NOT feel like being a robot's feast!" Trilby whips out his bladed staff and gives it an epic spin like a martial artist. "Bangarang." He gives a one liner before charging and attacking, slicing any enemy he can and shooting laser at the others as if he was Megamane!

Elusive isn't far behind in this juncture. No longer on her bike, she whips a metal bat and begins whacking away any animals that get close! Tempest crushes others with her shadow tentacles, but looks around the base for any hidden passageways. "Come on, Kronos... No hints or helpful secrets for me? For old times sake? Just cause we're on different sides doesn't mean we can't get along..." Tempest says as she slowly breaks away from the group, wondering if Kronos can hear her or if she'll actually get an answer.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

@ExplosionMare @Dynamo Pad @Samurai Equine @Cinnamon Coffee @Pastel Heart @PawelS @GeneralDirection @Windy Breeze

Thundy was still in his marauder. Chelsea jumped back in, her water dragon still out. They entered the portal and now started to relaunch the attacks. The mecha dragon still gave the group some air support. "Huh? Tempest, where you at?" Thundy called out, not seeing Tempest. 

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

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

 

Kronos simply looked on at the heroes as they made their way to his level. He then hears Tempest attempt to ask for hints. He gave a slight smirk and decided to humor her.

Suddenly, one of the animals began to speak saying, "Hmmph, you want hints? Fine, I'll throw you guys a bone here. There are many ways to get around the fortress, however, they come with a give and take. Do you wish to try to get past powerful mechanical monstrosities or try to get past fiendishly difficult traps that can instantly kill you? The choice is yours."

 

Suddenly, Kronos somehow feels a presence near his boss chambers, one that he shouldn't be feeling yet, but he decides to get into his mech and get into the room anyways, just in case. His mech suit--at least, it's first incarnation-- is monstrously towering, but there's some visible generators on the back of it that seemingly connect to the deterrence field protecting the Dark King's throne room. These obviously seem to be important for the heroes to take note of, at least, any heroes that happen to manage to bypass his security.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

@Kronos the Revenant @Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart @Samurai Equine @Cinnamon Coffee @Windy Breeze @PawelS @GeneralDirection @ExplosionMare

"I'd say we take the animal path." Thundy said to the group as he continued to dive the marauder. "We also could benefit if Pastel along with some others could take out the security systems. Once the systems are down, it will make it slightly easier for us to get to the final boss of this game." Thundy stated as he continued to drive his marauder. 

[Pastel Heart 6,463]

@Samurai Equine @Kronos the Revenant

For Pastel, the various security barriers were a breeze. Where she could, she messed with wires and systems she shouldn't be messing with. Hopefully that makes things easier on her friends. 

For most characters they'd never be able to get this far without tripping a trap or engaging a foe, but Pastels class made this a breeze. Unfortunately, for all her shortcuts, she was alone and she was up against a mountain of a task... But if she could pull this off, not only would she feel like a badass, but maybe Dynamo-- her friends would see something more in her. In this game, she's more than just a weak little filly. This motivation fuelled her.

She was closing in on the room that Kronos was in. She had no idea what to expect. She looked at her inventory... A health potion, speed potion, daggers, poison... She had a feeling she wouldn't be able to take down a boss by herself by normal means. She had to think on her hooves.

With this, she pulled out an Assassin-unique item--a disguise potion. Would it be enough? Who knows. Throwing caution to the wind, she drank the potion... And soon had the appearance of a French maid. Fanservice? Totally. It was totally obvious she was Pastel to anypony who knew her as the potion only changed her outfit... She was betting it all on her charm and charisma. She smiled, satisfied with her gamble and poured the vial of poison into a wine glass. Here goes nothing.

Pastel knocked on the boss' door, a unassuming big smile on her face. What kind of a hero rings the villains doorbell!?

"Helloooo? Refreshments~!"

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

@Pastel Heart

As soon as he heard his door being knocked on, Kronos opened it up remotely and immediately unleashed a flurry of plasma shots into the corridor, which most likely destroyed whatever was right in front of the door. Incidentally enough, due to her small stature, most of the shots actually missed where he aimed at. So, instead, Kronos went up to Pastel and modified his plasma cannons into stasis beams and imprisoned the small filly. He stored her into a storage compartment inside of his mech suit. He just didn't have the heart to kill a filly, even if it was just in a game. 

"You'd make a great bargaining chip," Kronos explained to Pastel, "You'll be out of commission for now, but this prison will keep you safe. In the meantime, let me show you around." He proceeded to escort the little filly into the catacomb labyrinth while he waits for the heroes to try to get past his automatons. 

[Pastel Heart 6,463]

@Kronos the Revenant

Well, that wasn't the reaction she expected.

She froze, eyes wide, but still oddly calm for some pony that almost got vaporized. She even managed to hold onto her glass. Too close.

But this still didn't save her from being imprisoned. She looked like a little damsel in distress, the disguise disappearing since she was technically attacked. She clicked her tongue, annoyed. All this effort just to get captured!? This wasn't supposed to happen... You could see her tear up in anger.

"Bargaining chip? You think I'm just some helpless filly to be captured like a damsel in distress!? I'm a legendary thief here! For all your tech and fancy guns you couldn't hold a candle to my hoofwork. What's the matter, tougj guy? Scared you'll get beat down single hoofedly by a little filly?"

Helpless as she was, she was loud and defiant. Taunting probably wasn't the best thing to do, but her emotions were getting the better of her now.

Edited November 16, 2020 by Pastel Heart

[Windy Breeze 15,177]

@Samurai Equine @C. Thunder Dash @Pastel Heart @Cinnamon Coffee @GeneralDirection @ExplosionMare @Dynamo Pad @Kronos the Revenant @PawelS 

Shadow let out a yelp when Trilby went out, she look from from the window of Thundy's marauder and finally realized what made her coltfriend juno out of the vehicle in the first place.

Kronos has sent out a stampede of cyborg robot animals, which are now running at them with the intend to attack. Shadow gaped in horror, Trilby is going to face those things with the others! She was able to go out by herself when she noticed the sounds of fighting hasn't occurredd, she peeked her head out of the vehicle to see... The cyborg animals couldn't attack them, even the other members of the group could not land a hit as well, as if an invisible wall is preventing a 'war' from breaking out. shadow returned inside the marauder and sighed.

However, that relief was short-lived, for she had a feeling the group of friends would soon attack them when they went into the next level.

She meanttally cursed herself for being right as Kronos' cyborg animals are now allowed to attack them, making Shadow unable to gawk in awe at how sci-fi'c and amazing Kronos' base is. She watched from the windows, silently hoping to survive their invasion in invading Krono's base as they plow their way towards it, killing some enemies along the way. The situation was so serious, she did not notice one member of their group went ahead of them to the boss.

Shadow agreed with Thundy's decision when he talk about taking the cybernetic animal 'path', she guessed they were met with two choices, which both have risks but one easier to take despite the possible damage they would receive.

If she could just help them... If she could summon things like weaponized drones that could fly up to the skies and shoot down their enemies with red lasers.

Little did she know, if the situation becomes too grim, her wish would come true.

[Dynamo Pad 10,803]

@Pastel Heart @ExplosionMare @Cinnamon Coffee @Samurai Equine @GeneralDirection @PawelS @Windy Breeze @Kronos the Revenant @C. Thunder Dash

"This is Kronos we're talking about. He'll either chat, or he's going to make it very difficult for us to reach the boss level. I don't personally know Kronos, but he seems to have ways in order to ensure a victory. Either that, or this game has messed with his head. So, it's difficult to say which theory is the one to lean more towards." Dynamo responded, glancing over towards Seir. "That's good to know, but that does sound troubling. That, or I guess I mean worrying. Since premonition sounds like a bad term of sorts whenever I hear it. However, I guess we'll see what happens in due time." He would say with a worried expression upon his face, before nodding as his expression soon turned to a sheepish look. "I'll do my best, but she has that unpredictability. So, now I'm worried about her and I hope that she's okay. Her grandfather asked me to look after her and I don't know if I'm doing a good job after this." He sighed, shaking his head as he felt concerned of letting her down. "I don't think that's the case. Glad to know that my theory isn't exactly wrong, but not exactly right, either. I don't think we'll have to start this all over, but I might have an idea. I'll let you know when I figure that idea out." He says, while trying to give Seir a reassuring look.

Hearing that Pencil could do such a thing, Dynamo grinned as he gave the mare a nod. "Awesome and that's completely okay." He would say, before using his magic on the cards he wielded. The cards soon expanded to the size of a giant door. He had 4 cards the size of a door, before launching them over at Pencil. Once they reached the mare, they circled around her, while staying in tight formation. "There you go, Pencil! They might not seem like much, but their able to block some attacks for you. About one to two hits each. It'll give you enough time to create some drawings to attack or support.

"Oh, I'm really sorry about that, Elusive. I hope I didn't bring up any bad memories or something along those lines. I didn't meant it like that. I meant more along the lines of I thought the accent was cool. Since I didn't know you were from Manehattan, but I recognized the accent as I visited the city from time to time." He explained, while hoping he hadn't said anything wrong to the reporter. As the group got closer, Dynamo took notice of the cybernetic creatures, who didn't seem to be moving. He seemed to recall that the creatures were rushing to them in a stampede a few moments ago. Was he going crazy, or was there something else going on? He honestly had hoped it was the latter of the two. He was soon given his answer as he heard the exchange between Tempest and Elusive. Thinking back to the games he had played, Dynamo did recall that they were still in the hub world of sorts. "Oh, now that would make sense. I mean, there were a few story based fights that would happen in the hub world. Depended on the game, of course, but I didn't think we were still in the hub world. Glad to know we don't have to waste any energy on these beasts just yet." He knew he mad the card shields for Pencil, but he knew it was better to build up a defense. If need be, then he could throw some of the cards over to the others to provide some back up. Without a second thought, Dynamo, alongside Elusive and the others had made their way into the portal. "Well, I'm with you on the bike, so I'm already going with you into the portal. Also, don't say that Trilby! That's a form of jinxing something and just asking for that to happen." He explained, while hoping the creatures wouldn't chase them into the portal. However, he had a bad feeling about all of this.

Upon passing through the portal, Dynamo managed to hear the name of the level being announced. Looking at the interior of the base, the blue unicorn was surprised to see the various lights, light up panels, metal, wiring, and so on. "This seems very high tech for the base. Almost reminds me of Dr. Wily from Megamane from how the base kind of looks." He would say, getting out of the motorcycle, before hearing the sound of giant footsteps from behind them. He turned around to see the creatures had chased them into the level. "Now that's what we call calling an idea into existence." He chuckled sheepishly, before having a deadpanned expression upon his face. He began to back up slightly, while trying to stay close towards the group. 

Watching Tempest had exited the group, Dynamo had begun to feel concerned. "Tempest, wait! Don't leave too! We all need to stick together in all of this!" He exclaimed, before seeing one of the animals beginning to speak to him and the group. He stood frozen as if this wasn't happening, but he blinked as he saw this was reality. He listened intently as both paths were explained to the group. "So, it's either ferocious beasts, or deadly traps. Either way, he's not making it any easier on us." He muttered, while trying to weigh the pros and cons on each option. After mulling it over, Dynamo decided to speak up on his thoughts. "I would go with the former option. We just have to preserve our energy wisely in order to reach the boss. The other path doesn't seem to bad, but it's a risk. Since it can easily take you down and you lose a life. If what Kronos had said was true and everything." He says, nodding in agreement on the security systems. "We just have to figure out where the security systems are located. If someone can take them down, then we might be able to launch a surprise attacks on Kronos." Dynamo explained, dodging out of the way from one of the beasts attacks.