Chapters The Ponyville Arcade was considered a center of entertainment for the residents of the small town and one of the more popular places to hang out after Sugarcube Corner. The young colts and fillies wasted many hours and bits on the various games that dotted the outdoor plaza. It is here that several mares found themselves today celebrating the birthday party of a certain cross-eyed Pegasus, or at least why they were supposed to...
“Why did Derpy send us all invitations and not even bother to show up?!” Rainbow Dash complained, taking a swig of cider.
“She probably just got held up on the way here.” Fluttershy replied, sipping on a juice box.
Applejack drained her own cider and looked up at Rainbow.
“Well either that or she wrote down the wrong time again. Remember last year when she made us come six hours late?”
“I’m sure she will arrive soon.” Pinkie Pie called out from a nearby arcade game. “TAKE THAT! Derpy would never miss out on all the fun...aha! Beat you again Lyra!”
From the other side, Lyra groaned as her partner Bon-Bon rolled her eyes. Vinyl Scratch, however, was quick to take her place in challenging Pinkie. Oblivious to the games and the missing birthday mare, Twilight Sparkle conversed with a rather rapt Octavia.
“They still occasionally bother me at night, but I have since gotten used to them.” Twilight answered, gesturing to her wings.
“Your life must be hectic though, with your new princess duties.”
“One would think so, but not as much as I thought. For example, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Cadence all have this important conference to attend but didn’t invite me. Even Discord is tagging along.”
“They must have their reasons. Speaking of reasons, are you okay Miss Rarity?”
Said mare was distractedly looking off, her eyes glued to an unfamiliar stallion that was busy dragging a cart to the end of the arcade.
“What was that dear?” Rarity asked, her stare not leaving the brown Earth pony. “I’m sorry. Normally I wouldn’t be so…inattentive…but I don’t believe I have ever seen that stallion before.”
Twilight and Octavia peered over in the direction she indicated.
“I do believe you are right. Do you girls believe we she should introduce ourselves?” Octavia suggested.
Suddenly Pinkie Pie was standing atop Twilight’s back and gazing at the new pony, much to the Twilight’s discomfort.
“PINKIE NO!” Rarity screamed, latching onto Pinkie’s tail.
“Yes Rarity?” Pinkie asked, barely fazed by Rarity’s odd behavior.
“It would be best if I go first. After all, I…oof!”
Rarity, as she turned around, bumped directly into the brown pony. Blushing furiously, she tried to apologize.
Red-yellow eyes widened as they focused on Rarity but the stallion shook his head and smiled.
“There is no problem. I sometimes get distracted as well, especially when I am playing one of my games!” He explained, sitting down to run his hoof through his orange mane.
“Is that why your cutie mark is a D-pad?” Pinkie asked, trotting around from behind the stallion.
The stallion flinched slightly in shock but nodded when he took notice of Pinkie.
“Yes. In fact, I am in town for a short while to find contestants for a game!”
Rainbow Dash, flying over to see what was going on, pointed toward the draped object in the cart.
“Is that your game there? Doesn’t look that much to me.”
“I assure you that this is no ordinary game! In fact, this will be an extraordinary, once in a lifetime experience!”
“Uh-huh.” Rainbow Dash skeptically said. “How about you show us how it works?”
The other mares at that point came over, curious to see what was happening. The earth pony stallion, suddenly surrounded, backed up a bit.
“Err, sorry to ask, but why are all you ladies here today? All the foals should still be in school right now so it is a bit strange to see fully grown mares here.”
Twilight spoke up.
“We are here for a friend’s birthday party. Normally we would celebrate at Sugarcube corner, but it is being renovated right now.”
“We are making the dining area much bigger!” Pinkie happily supplied, bouncing in place.
Twilight shook her head.
“My name is...”
“Princess Twilight Sparkle. It’s hard not to recognize a bearer of an Element of Harmony…or an Alicorn for that matter.”
Twilight felt embarrassed for a moment before introducing the other mares.
“In that case, you may also recognize Octavia and Vinyl, though you may know her as DJ-Pon3, and here is Lyra Heartstrings and Bon-Bon.”
The four introduced themselves as their respective names were called. The stallion nodded to each of them in turn.
“And which one of you would be the lucky birthday pony?”
“That would be me!” Came a voice from above.
A blue-grey Pegasus landed in the middle of the plaza, her amber eyes slightly misaligned.
“Sorry I am late! I had something that needed to be taken care of.”
“No problem…” Fluttershy replied, smiling as Derpy joined the group.
The stallion bowed in a rather exaggerated manner to her.
“Happy birthday, Madam!”
“Thank you!”
Rarity trotted up and tapped the stallion on the shoulder.
“Weren’t you going to show us your game?” She asked in a sultry voice, batting her eyelashes.
The Earth pony backed up, uncomfortable.
“Oh…uh...I technically can’t show you the actual game.”
“Huh?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Then what the hay is under the sheet?”
Impatient, Rainbow grabbed the sheet and tossed it aside. What was underneath was not impressive. It was just a metal stand supporting a small shield-like plaque.
“Booooooring!” Rainbow commented as she saw the object.
The stallion waved her off, trotting up and removing it from the cart.
“It is definitely not boring! This is just the contract!”
“Contract?” Octavia asked, curious as to what game required a contract.
“Yes. This is no ordinary game. Once entered, your team must pilot a giant robot and fight enemy monsters for the fate of Equestria!”
“Doesn’t sound any much different than what we usually do, besides the robot part.” Applejack replied somewhat sarcastically.
“Did I mention it fires lasers from anywhere on its body and can lift almost anything with its hands?”
“HANDS?!” “LASERS?!” Lyra and Vinyl immediately perked up, “HOW DO WE SIGN UP?!”
“Simply tap your hoof on the plate.”
“Vinyl/Lyra…I don’t think that you should just…” Octavia and Bon-Bon both began, but it was a bit too late.
Both Lyra and Vinyl had already signed into the game, the contract beeping once as each did so.
“Oh come on girls! Where is your sense of adventure? I’ll do it!” Derpy cheered, tapping her hoof against the plate.
“Well, if Derpy wants to do it, and it is her birthday…I guess I will too. I mean, I don’t want to upset her.” Fluttershy softly commented, before signing in and recoiling in fright at the beep.
With Fluttershy now signed, Rainbow Dash signed quickly too not wanting to be upstaged. In the end, all the mares signed up; each time a soft beep signaling their entry into the game. Rarity in particular blatantly flirted with the Earth pony stallion as she signed up, much to his discomfort.
“Why darling, did anyone ever tell you that your coat is incredibly soft?”
“I…I…I…Hey your highness! Why didn’t you sign up?” The stallion asked, pushing Rarity away.
Twilight hesitated, observing the contact plate uneasily.
“I don’t know. How does this game even…”
“Oh come on you scaredy-pony!” Rainbow Dash insisted, grabbing Twilight’s hoof and signing her in.
“Rainbow!” Twilight whined as the beep recorded her entry.
“So is that everypony?” The stallion asked. “Good! I’ll see you all when the first round is ready! Don’t worry; you’ll know exactly where to meet then.”
Pinkie Pie stopped him before he could leave.
“Wait a minute! You never told us your name!”
The stallion stopped for a moment.
“The name is Button Mash.” He answered before pulling the cart away.
Author's Note
Bokurano X-over. Will get *very* grimdark as per that universe's rules. You have been warned.
"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!
"Is that the enemy?" Applejack asked, noting the behemoth across the field from them.
Looking like a unholy cross between a spider and a crab, it's many claws waved menacingly at them.
"How revolting!" Rarity commented, hopping up onto the grey cushion next to Button. "Maybe you should make this quick. I would definitely like to get to personally know you better instead." She said, flicking her cushion's yellow tassels in a playful manner.
Button shuddered but didn't reply, instead waiting for his enemy's movements.
"Rarity, quit flirting and pay attention!" Rainbow Dash complained. "I wanna see this fight!"
A moment later a small screen popped up, showing a close up of a small arrangement of grooves on the top of the creature. Most of them contained a single light each.
"Doesn't look like much experience here..." Voice Bug announced, inspecting the smaller screen.
"That just makes it easier for me." Button said before the enemy suddenly lashed out with its claws.
Fluttershy sqeaked in fright and hid behind Lyra as the claws slammed against them.
"Don't worry!" Button Mash said, willing the robot to grab the attached claws. "The cockpit is protected by layers of armor and shock absorbers! Something as weak as that can't be felt in here!"
By Button's command, their robot immediately clenched tightly on the claws and pried them of its body. Using them like a rope, he pulled the creature closer, the enemy's legs attempting feebly to resist.
"See Bon-Bon!" I told you hands are useful!" Lyra said to a quiet Bon-Bon, barely noticing the trembling Pegasus behind her.
"Where are the lasers?" Vinyl asked, waiting to see the feature she signed up for.
Button obliged. With a flash, several beams of light struck the body of their victim, bouncing harmlessly of the metallic shell.
"As you can see, lasers are normally reflected off of the armor." Voice Bug explained to a disappointed Vinyl. "In most battles you must tear off the protective layers before they become effective."
As he spoke, Button was already tearing apart the metal, shouting in triumph when he found something. The mares all watched as he pulled out a small sphere, gripped tightly in the robot''s metal digits.
"Is that the core?" Spike asked, climbing back onto Twilight for a better view.
"Yes." Button said, staring at the sphere with an unreadable expression. "Once you destroy this, you win the match and the round is over."
The stallion took a quick glance at the still visible floor of the cockpit. Upon it was a series of faint lines laid out to form an unfamiliar design.
'At least it's nopony I know...' he thought.
Most of the mares didn't notice his hesitation, though Octavia had. From her position on the floor behind him, she couldn't make out what he was looking at, but resolved to ask later.
"If you have any other questions. You should ask me now." Button immediately addressed. "I will not be around after this so you will be all on your own."
"WHAT?!" Rarity screeched, nearly flopping off her cushion in shock.
"It's part of the rules of the game."
"But why? Can't you change the rules of your own game?"
Button solemnly stared at a nearby cushion. White with lavender trim, it visually was no different than the others but Button watched it as if it were the most important.
"I am not the creator, just another player. But how badly that I wish I could, Rarity."
Octavia spoke up.
"What do you mean?"
Ignoring the question, Button concentrated and the enemy core was pierced by several lasers. The lights of the enemy faded out as one before the panorama disappeared and the darkness returned. His task completed, the stallion hopped off his seat to address the group.
"Promise me that you will all do your best and fight your hardest."
"But..."
"Promise me!"
"Okay! We promise!" Twilight said for the group.
Button sat down, his expression glum.
"I'm..."
He couldn't finish his sentence as the mares all returned to their previous locations from before the battle. Twilight and Spike, both standing in the open door of the library, glanced upward to see both the robot and the enemy dissolve into nothingness.
"What was he going to say?" Spike asked, watching the last evidence of the robot disappear.
"I don't know Spike."
Had they been any closer to see its face, they would have seen the single light of their robot fade away.
Author's Note
Okay, this chapter's a bit shorter than I hoped. Next chapter is the reactions and responses of the ponies of Equestria.