It was a dark, and stormy night.
At a house in Canterlot, a young boy was in a heated gameplay of mashing buttons on his control pad, with the new game he was most fortunate enough to purchase.
The boy is none other but Canterlot High School's local nerd, and video game master, Button Mash. Playing next to him as player two, is Twilight Sparkle's magically enchanted talking dog, Spike.
"Watch out, Spike!" Button shouted, as his avatar quickly slashed a huge wolf that almost chomped on Spike's avatar.
"Thanks, Button!" Spike replied, as he continues to fight off the monsters.
While it was initially strange for a dog to be able to actually talk human, Spike has also surprisingly displayed some level of intelligence befitting for a regular human. Enough to at least know how to use the game controls for a video game, that is. However, for Button Mash, he and his fellow classmates have seen weirder. Furthermore, Button Mash actually enjoyed having Spike for a friend, especially since the dog is almost a better player than Button Mash was.
"Come on," Button grunted, as he quickly presses some buttons to perform some attacks. "YES!! Rock wave! 390 points for me!"
"Not bad, Button," Spike replied. "But not, good enough!!" With that, Spike pressed a few more buttons, as his avatar performs some attacks. "Yeah! Take that you mutts! You curs!" Spike quickly silenced himself. "Whoa....did I just say those things?"
"Yep," Button replied, staring at his dog friend in bewilderment.
"Huh, I've been hanging out with the girls way too much," Spike muttered.
"And that's a bad thing how?" Button asked.
"It's not that it's bad," Spike replied. "It's just, all this talking, all these new perspectives I'm getting, it's kinda making me more human, and less dog."
"Oh," Button nodded his head in understanding. "Well, I'm kinda with you there brother. With all these video gamings, and with what everyone's been telling me, I'm beginning to think I might've been a video gamer way too long."
"Button, you really have been a video gamer, way too long," Spike replied.
"Oh, yeah, I have," Button replied. Then, a lightning storm went off, "ZOINKS!!!!!" Button screamed.
"YIPEE!!!!" Spike yelped.
With that, both the boy and dog dived under the bed, quivering in fear. After a while of collecting themselves, both boys looked to each other, before they broke out, laughing.
"Well, you think you're more human?" Button asked. "I think some of your doggy traits are rubbing off on me, just by hanging around with you."
"I guess so," Spike replied.
Just then, a knock was heard, "Boys? Are you alright in there?" a woman's voice spoke. "I thought I heard screaming."
"Yeah, mom!" Button replied. "I'm alright!"
"We just got spooked by lightning, that's all," Spike barked.
"Okay!" Button's mom replied. "Dinner's in about ten, Button. Oh, and Spike? You're welcome to stay. I hope you like meatloaf."
"Sounds yummy," Spike licked his lips.
"Okay mom!" Button replied. As the sound of footsteps were heard, Spike and Button Mash looked to the TV screen, seeing the progress they've made.
"Guess we're gonna have to save our progress for now," Spike spoke.
"Or maybe we should see if we've got what it takes to make it to level 30?" Button insisted.
Smiling at Button's suggestion, Spike quickly picked up his control pad, as he and Button resume their game.
Then, outside of the house, a stray mist of sparkling magic was floating, when a bolt of lightning passed through it, hitting the mist, and absorbing the magical aura. The bolt of lightning was soon heading straight for Button Mash's house, striking the antenna, conducting its way through the whole facility. Before they knew it, a blackout occurred.
Button Mash and Spike were so caught up in their game, that when the TV suddenly went off, they snapped back to reality, almost as if they've been hit in the face by a baseball bat.
"WHOA!!" both boys exclaimed, as they fell back.
Shaking their heads, the boys looked to see the TV was blacked out.
"NO! NO!" Button wailed, as he ran up to the TV. "We were so close to getting the Midnight Cloak! It's guaranteed to give us a 50+ of evasion in our stats!"
"That's a bummer," Spike whimpered.
"Bummer?!" Button began. "BUMMER?!! TRY GAME OVER!!! With that cloak, we'd stand a chance against Tirek the next time we ever have to run from him again!" Face shifting into anger, Button banged his fist on the machine, "Cursed machine! WORK!! WORK!! WORK!! TURN YOURSELF ON SO WE CAN GET BACK TO OUR GAME!!"
"Whoa! Take it easy, Button!" Spike barked. "Banging never solves anything!" Suddenly, the TV turned itself on. Only this time, the screen was all blood red, rather than the usual rainbow screen that would be displayed when a TV was short circuited.
"Hey! Look at that!" Button exclaimed enthusiastically. "It worked!" Just then, an icon of Tirek's face appeared, only it was laughing, in a more demonic voice.
"Um, is that part of the game?" Spike asked.
"One would think," Button replied.
"You think you have what it takes to best me?!" the Tirek Icon spoke. "You think you, the hero of this game, can defeat me?! Think again! Revenge is a dish best served cold! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
Then, with a flash of yellow light, from Tirek's eyes, the whole TV Screen turned dark, and a huge vortex was shown.
"Spike?" Button whimpered, while holding the dog close. "Wh-wh-what's going on?"
"I don't know!" Spike whimpered.
Before either of the boys could react, a large demonic hand came out of the TV, and pulled the screaming boys in.
"AAAAAAAHHH!!!!" Button screamed, as he and Spike tried to hold on, for dear life. "MOM!! HELP!!!"
"TWILIGHT!!!" Spike barked.
Then, with a final pull, both boys finished into the TV, out of thin air.
Once the boys disappeared, the power went on. The TV turned itself on to display the game's normal title page, when Button Mash's mom came in.
"Button Mash?" Button's mom spoke. "Spike? Where are you boys?"
Everfree Forest - Level 1
Author's Note
To those who’ve been waiting, I’d like to say I’m sorry with the hiatus. I’ve been busy with real-life, Dragonfire, and Equestria Heroes.
Everfree Forest - Level 1
Button Mash and Spike were falling through a long wormhole of multicolors, before they came out the other end. They find themselves falling from the sky, through the clouds, with a huge dense forest beneath them growing closer, and closer, until finally....
BOOOM
They landed with a loud crash.
“Ow,” Both boys groaned, as they both got up and dusted themselves off.
Taking a moment to collect themselves, the boys looked at each other, and were surprised at their appearances, "Whoa! Button Mash!" Spike exclaimed. "Is that you?"
In appearance, Button Mash was wearing a large suit of traditional Norse armor. Button Mash wore sets of plated steels, over a huge fur coat, together with thick boots, and a large helmet with two curved bronze horns on the sides. On the back, Button carries a large round shield, with a large pickaxe.
Button looked at Spike, in equal bewilderment, "I was going to ask you the same question," He said.
"Huh?" Spike looked at himself. "What the heck? What am I wearing?" Spike is still a dog. But that's not what surprised him.
Spike was don up in attires, about his size, that gave him a near like appearance of a wolf. Spike had the head of a white wolf, together with the paws, and furs on his back, underneath a suit of armor on his torso, and limbs.
"Am I wearing, one of my own kind?" Spike asked, clearly in discomfort.
The boys looked around, seeing they are now in a huge dark forest that went as far as the eyes can see.
"Spike," Button began. "I don't think we're in Canterlot anymore."
“What gave that away?” Spike asked rhetorically, before he barked, “Hello? Anyone here?”
“Mom? Anybody? Gloriosa? Timber Spruce?” Button called. Like Spike, however, the boy didn’t get any response. “Guess it’s just you and me, Spike,” Button said, sadly. “What are we going to do now?”
Spike sat down on his haunches, pondering at the moment, “Let’s think. How did we get here from the start,” Spike spoke.
Button soon joined in, as he shared his thoughts, “Last thing I remember, lighting struck my TV and short-circuited the video game system. And when the powers got back on, the Tirek’s face was on the TV. And if I remember correctly, he kinda just grabbed us, and dragged us into the TV.”
Spike looked incredulous at Button, “Are you telling me that we’re now in the video game?” He asked.
“Looks like it,” Button replied. “But then again, it would explain why we're like this," The boy said, gesturing to his and his dog friend's state of attires.
It didn't take long for Spike to have an epiphany, "Oh, yeah, it kinda does," Spike said. "If we're in the video game, then the reason we're like this is because we've taken form of our gaming avatars. You're a Berserker of the warrior class, and I'm a Lycanthrope of the feral class!"
"Whoa, no way!" Button exclaimed, as he excitedly swings his pickaxe around. "Oh yeah! I'm gonna wreck some awesome points with this baby!" With a newfound burst of excitement, Button Mash swung his weapon around, destroy some nearby bounders, trees, before slamming his pickaxe to the ground, resulting in a combustible shockwave that knocked Spike, off his feet.
"Hey, watch it, Button!" Spike barked, as he got up.
"Sorry, Spike," Button quickly sheathes his weapon away, as he and Spike began to look around. "Now the question is, how do we get out of here?”
Looking around, feeling the hostility of the forest in the air, Spike felt his hairs standing on end.
“Well, if we’re gonna find out how, let’s get going!” Spike suggested.
Button, picking up Spike’s uneasiness, quickly agrees, “You’re right. Let’s go!” With that, both boys took off running through the dark forest, brushing through the tree branches, causing the leaves to shake, and crushing the fallen leaves, twigs, and grasses beneath their feet.
After sometimes of trekking through the forest, the boys at last came across a bridge, built over a raging river. Looking around, seeing no other options, the boys all crossed the bridge.
Luminous Sword - Sword Art Online
Suddenly, jumping out of the water, cueing a fight music, and onto the bridge, in front of the boys, is what appeared to be an anthropomorphic turtle, with the grotesque face of a beard, and hairs growing around a hollowed depression atop its head, where it carries some waters.
Spike and Button Mash were taken by surprise at the creature's sudden appearance. Taking the time to process the situation, the boys read a description tag that appeared next to the monster.
Kappa: Level 3
Type: Water Demon
HP: 20/20
Attack: 3
Defense: 0
Description: Beware the claws!
With a loud bloodcurdling shriek, the kappa lunged towards the boys at a surprising speed, lashing its webbed claws at the boys.
"LOOK OUT!!" Spike shouted, as he and Button Mash rolled to the sides, narrowly dodging the monster's attacks.
The monster quickly turned around, looking at the boys, ready for another lunge.
"I think this is the part where we the players, fight our first monster," Button said to Spike, while unsheathing his pickaxe and armed himself together with his shield.
With another lunge, the kappa jumped at Button Mash. Anticipating its strike, Button Mash held his shield up, saving himself from the water demon's strong webbed claws, before he slashed his pickaxe forward, landing a blow to the creature.
The boys looked to see that Button's attack only dealt -3 damages to the monster. Clearly, still having enough energy left, and enraged at Button's strike, the kappa threw a fist at Button Mash, knocking the boy off his feet, and dropping his shield.
Taking its chance, the kappa lunged at Button Mash, only for Spike to intervene, as the little dog jumped at the water monster, biting at its neck, repeatedly dealing -2 damages. Vigorously shaking its heads to the side, the kappa struggled in vain to get the dog off. Button watched, to see some waters spilling out of the kappa's head, which further caused its HP bar to decrease, slowly.
"The head!" Button exclaimed in realization, picking up his pickaxe. "Spike! Keep him busy!"
"Why?" Spike asked, continuing to hold on for dear life.
"Just trust me!" Button insisted, as he slowly sneaked up, behind the kappa, and plunged his pickaxe, into its skull, resulting in a KO.
With a wail of agony, the kappa disappears in a flash of light, leaving behind several balls of lights, and piles of gems and coins.
"Whoa," Button panted, together with him and Spike. "I actually did it! We actually did it! We've defeated a monster!"
"And scored ourselves some experience, too!" Spike noted, as he and Button Mash looked to see they both received +35 exp. points.
"Oh yeah!" The boys cheered, while sharing some high-fives together. However, their celebration was cut short, when they looked, and noticed more kappas coming out of the waters, and snarling viciously at them. "Oh, no," The boys moaned.
With another bloodcurdling shriek, the kappas all lunged after the boys. This time, the boys knew what to do, and were all bopping the water demons on the head, resulting in quick kills. However, as more and more kappas kept on spawning, it became apparent there was too many to hack down. Spike and Button were also getting tired, with some -7 damages received form the monsters.
"Where are they all coming from?" Spike panted, while dodging a slash from one of the kappas's slash.
"Let's just get out of here!" Button insisted, as he and Spike quickly ran to the other side of the bridge.
However, much to their dismay, a goblin was already there. With a dagger in head, the goblin cuts the ropes, causing the bridge to collapse, and both boys to plummet into the river below.
"AAAAAH!!!" The boys screamed as they fell into the raging waters, with the kappas all piling on the boys.
"Get off of me! Let me go!" Button spluttered, trying to break free from the kappas.
Spike, trying to break free, looked to see both he and Button Mash were heading towards a waterfall. With a frantic yelp, Spike struggled even harder. Finally having enough, Spike bites down on the kappa's webbed claw, forcing it to let him go, before he swam over to Button Mash, and bites on the kappas holding the boy down, forcing them to let go.
"C'mon! Let's go!" Spike panted, as he and Button Mash tried to swim for dear life, through the mass of kappas.
The kappas still wouldn't have any of that, as they once again, swarmed themselves on the boys. In retaliation, Button Mash slashed his pickaxe through the waters, staving the kappas at bay. Spike continues to paddle alongside the boys, before he jumped on one kappas's shell, and then the next. This gave the dog an idea.
"Hey, Button!" Spike barked, to which the boy looked to see what the dog was doing.
Catching on, Button quickly scrambled onto a kappa, climbing onto its shell, as he and the dog both leapt, from one kappa to another, before they made it back to the bridge. Or what's left of it.
The boys looked, seeing the kappas all disappearing, over the waterfalls.
"Glad to be out of that," Button panted.
"Yeah," Spike panted in agreement, before he groaned.
"Spike! Are you okay?" Button asked.
"I think so," Spike looked at himself, seeing some scratches on his body, glowing red. "Just a few scratches, I guess."
"Scratches or not, we can't go anywhere like this," Button commented, as he looked over himself, to see he was also carrying a satchel.
Checking the inventory, Button Mash pulled out a vial of red liquid, which he uses to apply to Spike's wounds. Both boys looked, seeing Spike was getting his health back up.
"Whoa," Spike gasped, as he stood up, giving himself a few stretches. "That actually felt good."
Button soon applied some of the potions to himself, replenishing his health.
"Wow," Button gasped. "I guess being in a video game isn't all that's cracked up to be."
"Yeah," Spike agreed. "What, with all this crazy magic, and monsters we're dealing with. There's no telling if we can just die, and respawn again."
"Then that's something we're gonna have to risk, if we want to get out of this place, alive, and in one piece." Button said.
Nodding in agreement, Spike was the first to move on, "C'mon. Let's go."
With that, the boys went down a road, before they came across a floating book, with sparkles emitting from its pages.
"What is this?" Spike asked.
"If I'm not mistaken," Button began. "I'd say it's an adventure log. I heard this is the game's feature where players can save their progress. Just in case, when the players have to quit the game, or died, they can just start right where they saved their progress."
Spike turned to Button Mash, "Think it'll work the same for us?" He asked.
"Wouldn't hurt to give it a try," Button suggested, as he and Spike both saved their progress.
Everfree Forest - Level 2
Starting from where the two boys last left off, they continue their trip, through the Everfree Forest Level, determined to find some answers on getting back home.
"How much longer do we have to walk through this forest level?" Spike asked.
"I sure wished I had the game guide with me right now," Button frowned. "That would really help us out a lot. All the secrets, all the short cuts, all the ins and outs of every levels are contained in that book."
"Well we don't have the book. Right now, all we need is a map. I'm not so sure if we're even going in the right path," Spike frowned. "Sure wished Twilight was here," Spike whimpered. "She may not look much, but she's one heck of a gamer. You should see her and Sunset playing Grogar's Apocalypse at the arcade."
"Whoa, they actually played that game?" Button asked incredulously.
"Oh yeah," Spike answered, before his ears perked up. "Shh! I hear something."
Both Spike and Button Mash stopped their walks through the woods as they stood still, keeping their ears open, scanning the forest around them. Suddenly, the sound of rustling filled the air and the boys looked to see a nearby bush was shaking.
The boys prepared themselves, ready for whatever could be lurking behind the brushes of leaves. Finally, the creature jumped out of the bush to reveal itself to be a simple white rabbit.
"Aw," The boys cooed, watching as the rabbit bounced away, when a huge monstrous beast jumped out and snatched the rabbit, cueing another fight music. "YIKES!!!" The boys screamed.
Luminous Sword - Sword Art Online
In appearance, the beast appeared to have the man of a lion, the dark furs of a panther, and the the overall body of a bear. The beast turned to face the boys, eyes locking onto them, growling hungrily, as another description tag appeared next to it.
Glawackus: Level 4
Type: Fearsome critter a.k.a. the Northern Devil Cat.
HP: 20/20
Attack: 6
Defense: 1
Description: Part bear, part panther, part lion. Oh my! Dogs are its favorite meal.
The Glawackus looked at Spike, and licked its chops hungrily for the dog, "Ruh roh," Spike whimpered.
With a loud screech that sounded like that of a bloodcurdling tiger's roar mixed with a hyena's cackle, the Glawackus pounced at lightning speed, slashing its strong sharp claws at Spike, who quickly rolled out of harms way and quickly yipped away in fright.
Button Mash plunged his pickaxe into the Glawackus's hide, but it only made the big cat angry as it thrusted its arms at the boy, shoving him off, into a tree. Button caught a glimpse of its HP and saw that his attack only dealt merely two damages to the beast. The Glawackus pounced forward, pinning Button Mash, crushing the boy under its heavy weight with its mighty paws.
"AAAHH!!!" Button screamed. "Spike help! It's crushing me!"
With a loud bark, Spike came running back and bit the devil cat by the leg, causing it to screech in pain, before it turned its head and snapped its jaws at the little purple dog. At first, Spike bits harder into the cat's leg, determined to cling on for dear life, while trying his best to avoid the sharp teeth form the Glawackus's mouth. In the meantime, Button Mash got himself patched up with another healing potion he kept in his satchel, before he picked up his pickaxe and furiously slashed his weapon at the devil cat.
Taking a chance to check on the beast's HP, Button Mash saw their combined assault have only made it go down to 14/20.
"What will it take to beat this thing?" Button asked.
The devil cat continues its furious struggle to rip Spike off of its leg, but the dog continues to hold on with all his might. Suddenly, the wolf head Spike was wearing started to glow, and the holographic outline of a wolf's head was formed around Spike and it too sank its fangs into the Glawackus, dealing -5 damages.
"Whoa!" Button exclaimed. "Spike! You're whaling it!"
"I am?" Spike asked, before he was successfully thrown off.
The Glawackus snarled as it viciously advanced upon the little dog, "Quick! Go werewolf on it! It's the only chance you've got!"
Spike looked at himself, seeing he only has boots of a wolf's paw, "How do I do that?" Spike asked.
"I don't know. Try pretending you're a wolf and you'll become a wolf, I guess. Just do it. Trust me."
Hesitant at first, Spike complied, 'Think wolf. Think wolf,' Spike repeated mentally.
The Glawackus pounced after Spike, ready to bit the little dog down. Button looked away. Then, a flash of light occurred, beckoning the berserker boy to look up and see his dog friend had transfigured himself into a huge white wolf.
With a snarl, the wolf forced the Glawackus off, before it jumped on the devil cat's back, and bites hard, dealing a damage of -6. The Glawackus howled in pain, before it whipped its tail, snaring Spike and throwing the dog-turned-wolf off, throwing him into a tree. Spike quickly recovered as he dives under the Glawackus before it could pin him down, and Button Mash lunged forward to land a final blow, dealing -3 damages, killing the Glawackus as it disappears into a thousand data bits.
To celebrate their victory over the devil cat, Spike looked up to the sky and howled victoriously, before he reverted back to being Spike.
"Wow, Spike!" Button Mash smiled, bending down to pet the dog. "You did it! You were amazing!"
"No Button," Spike replied. "We did it!" Then, the two boys looked over to see where the Glawackus once stood, to see an item has been dropped.
Walking over to investigate, the boys could see that it was called a Glawackus Claw.
You Got The Glawackus Claw!!
After the victory text was spoken, the said item was stored away in Button Mash's satchel, and the boys were on their way. However, the boys hadn't gone far when they encountered another beast, with another description tag to describe it.
Timberwolf: Level 4
Type: Woodland Dog Spirit
HP: 15/15
Attack: 5
Defense: 0
Description: Mess with one, beware the pack!
Spike and Button Mash looked to each other, nodding their heads, knowing what they needed to do. With loud shouts of determinations, the boys lunged towards the timberwolf and quickly reduced it to piles of twigs, before several more were spawn, beckoning the boys to fight more, gaining more experience points, and collecting more items that have been dropped. The boys kept this up before they reached their next checkpoint, where they saved their progress, until the next chapter of their adventure.
