Our Little Game

"Hi Twilight! How was the party?" Spike asked as he re-shelved a few books, not really looking up when the door opened.

"Exhausting!" Twilight replied as she flopped on the floor. "Halfway through the party we had to go and put out several fires at the school playground."

Spike froze in confusion for a few moments before continuing stacking a few encyclopedias.

"Let me guess. Apple Bloom and her friends? Am I expecting another report for Princess Celestia?"

Twilight shook her head.

"No, there isn't really anything new to say. I doubt Celestia will even need to know to never trust the Cutie Mark Crusaders with rubber cement and peanut brittle ever again..."

"I don't even want to know how.... " Spike trailed off, trying to lift a heavy book into its proper place.

Twilight, seeing his trouble, levitated the book and properly shelved it with her magic. With his chores done, Spike stretched and helped Twilight up.

"Anything else that happened?"

"Well, there was this strange pony who had us all sign up for a game..."

"What kind of game?"

"Something about fighting monsters with a giant robot, but how in Equestria can such a game work?" Twilight asked, levitating Spike onto her back as they trotted up the stairs to their bedroom. "I mean, such a game would require immense amounts of magic to simulate, but he was an Earth pony!"

"Twilight. You are probably reading too much into this."

The Alicorn sighed and nodded in agreement.

"You're right. Maybe a good nap would..."

A large boom resounded and the ground shook violently for a moment. Concerned, Twilight ran outside with Spike still on her back. However, when she looked across town, she couldn't believe her eyes. Over in the distance, a large metal creature stood dwarfing Ponyville. Standing on two legs, all four of it's limps were incredibly long. It silently loomed, as if waiting for something.

"What is..."

"Welcome to the cockpit!"

Twilight rubbed her eyes to see if she was dreaming. One moment she was outside, the next she was standing in an empty, dimly lit void. In front of her was a circle of cushions, Button Mash stood in the center, watching her with interest.

"Sorry ladies about the abrupt teleportation, but my round will begin soon."

It was then that Twilight noticed the other mares who signed up were with her, some with confused looks on their faces. Lyra and Vinyl were both ecstatic. Bon-Bon and Fluttershy, however, were huddled together with nervous expressions. Rarity, overcoming her shock, immediately went up to inspect one of the cushions.

"Oh this material is absolutely magnificent!" She cried, running a hoof across the red velvet surface. "It is so soft, and the trim and tassels are simply perfect!"

"Okay, I'll admit that was a pretty cool trick." Rainbow Dash called, flying over to Button. "But how did you do it?"

"That would be me!" squealed a male voice. "Nice flank by the way."

Twilight shuddered when she felt something brush against her cutie mark. Whipping around, she found a small creature that looked like a floating gourd with mouse ears.

"Who are you?!"

The creature didn't move its mouth, but somehow spoke regardless.

"I am the keeper of this toy and your guide for the games. I would prefer to be just called Voice Bug, or VB for short."

Flying over her, Voice Bug hovered in the middle of the cushion circle just above Button Mash.

"As you have all been contracted to play the game, I was able to transport all of you here without a problem!"

"Then what am I doing here?" Spike yelled out, still perched on Twilight.

Suddenly Voice Bug was floating in front of Spike's face, his mouth plate open to show teeth in a twisted form of a smile. Spike yelped and fell back in shock. Twilight glared but the floating creature but he ignored her.

"You were nothing more than a passenger hitching a ride on the original target. Had you not been on your friend's back, you would have been left behind."

"Okay VB that is enough." Button Mash called, taking a seat upon a brown cushion. "We need to explain what is going on."

With one last look at Spike, Voice Bug flew back to where Button Mash was sitting.

"As we said earlier, welcome to the cockpit!" Button announced, seeping his foreleg across the room. "Here is where you will each pilot the robot when your turn comes."

"Just hold a minute!" Applejack interrupted. "I thought you said this morning that it was a team game!"

Voice Bug leaned forward, focusing his attention on the apple mare.

"Yes it is a team game, in the sense that your team mates must win every round in order to win. This toy only requires one pilot per round for ten rounds, so consider yourself lucky."

"Lucky? Lucky for what?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Anyway..." Button continued, ignoring Rainbow's question. "This game requires you to pilot this robot to fight dangerous monsters. All you have to do is to find the monster's power core, it's heart if you wish."

Pinkie listened intently, never one to disregard rules for a game. She even quieted Bon-Bon when she made a nervous peep.

"It is hidden somewhere deep in the enemy, and may not always be in the same place for similar looking ones. It will take some time, but once you find the core, destroy it to win."

"Find and destroy the enemy's power core." Spike commented. "Simple enough, but how do you move this thing?"

"The current pilot simply thinks how to move it and it will move."

Voice Bug suddenly shot up, and the room suddenly changed. The cushions all began to float as one and the darkness gave way to a panoramic view of the area.

"The round is about to start, everypony! Time to get this party started!