Ponies and the Alpha Teamby Optimistic PessimistChaptersSightingBack to Twilight...Back to the EQ team...Back at the Training Hall...How Rude!Going into the ArcadeThe Scarlet FortressMechanized MileFortune smiles on the GreedyCandle Stick keepRumorsWhere Ponies fear to TredBack at Equestria...Gloaming WildwoodsSightingTwilight Sparkle trudged through the undergrowth of the Everfree Forest. "Zecora mentioned that they would be around here..." Spike was shivering nervously at her side. "I don't know Twilight. Maybe Zecora was wrong about this whole thing?" Twilight sighed. "If it's worth mentioning, then it's got to be true. At the very least, it's worth finding out about." Twilight stopped, and Spike bumped into her. "Shh. Did you hear that?" Spike looked around. "I didn't hear anything." Twilight twitched her ears. "There it is again!" Spike scratched his head. "What is it?" Twilight scooped Spike onto her back. "A small popping noise." Twilight raced towards the noise until she ran into a clearing. "A clearing? Out here?" Twilight stopped just before the brush stopped. "Spike, take out the papers." Spike rushed to her orders as Twilight scanned the area as she pulled out her binoculars. "Is that what Zecora was talking about?" "Spike take this down." Spike was ready with a quill in his claw. "Correct height: roughly five feet. Appears to be a bipedal creature wearing armor. Has limbs with hands, like that of a monkey. Carrys a shiny stick. No scratch shiny stick." Twilight lowered her binoculars. "A sword." Twilight stared at the small distant figure. It was looking around the area. It approached a strange green and white box. "Spike! Pay attention! The creature swings its sword at a box and it pops open to reveal," Twilight put down her binoculars and rubbed her eyes. "are those scrap metals and embers?" Suddenly a purple striped yellow creature approaches the bipedal from behind. "SPIKE! Creature is approached by a chameleon like creature. It responds to a strike with a lift of a. Shield? Strikes back quickly." Twilight looked on as the chameleon creature disappears into a purple gas. "I've never seen anything like that before." Twilight watched as the creature stooped to pick up more of the scraps and embers. "Quick Spike! Follow me!" Twilight rushed to follow the agile thing as he ran towards a large mineral deposit. "Huh. Those minerals would look good on a necklace. Maybe I should tell Rarity about this place." Twilight watched as the creature swung its' 'sword' and reduced the minerals to a few fragments. She watched as it picked up the largest one and set it onto its' back. "Spike, record significant strength. Ability to lift objects its' own size." Twilight watched on as the strange creature wandered past a few more bushes. "What's that thing?" Twilight stared as the creature walked up to a machine the likes of which Twilight had never seen before. It had a display with all sorts of figures on it. The creature pushed the lower of the two buttons, and suddenly, he disappeared quickly into the ground as if he was never there. Twilight stepped out of the brush. "What was that thing?" Spike stepped out of the bush. "From your observations, it looks like a monkey wearing fireproof armor that has an affection for shiny things." Spike looked up. "Twilight, what are you doing?" The unicorn had trotted up to the strange machine. "Interesting. It looks like it only has enough power for the display to work." Spike looked strangely at her. "How can you tell?" Twilight pointed to a small bottle attached to the machine. "A strange blue fluid filling a marked bottle." Twilight rubbed her chin. "How do I add more?" "Maybe here?" Spike pointed to a small little hole in the side of the machine. "It's made for a liquid. Hm...." Twilight closed her eyes. Her horn lit up in a purple aura. She put her horn close to the clearing. Spike watched as brilliant lightning flashed from her horn. Spike turned to the small bottle with the fluid. It flashed with purple lightning as it began to fill up. "Twilight! It worked!" Twilight looked over to see the bottle had filled to the brim, sparking with purple energy. "Interesting." The two buttons on the counsle started to light up. "I'm not sure what this thing does, but I know it will take me somewhere. Spike, take a letter, to the Princess." Dear Princess Celestia, Recent rumors floating around Ponyville had led to discover a new creature, and possibly new areas of exploration. I currently have no idea what I'm doing, but rest assured, I am safe. Alert Ponyville of my travels. I do not know if I will return from this expedition. I will attempt to send letters to alert you of my status and possible findings, but please excuse if it takes a while to reach you. If I need anypony, I'll send for her through you. The location of said entrance to the new area appears to be south west of your old castle. If my calculations are correct, it should be roughly half a mile from that location. In order to operate the machine, a unicorn is required to create a magical spark similar to the power of a spark on a lighted cannon. Wish me luck! Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle "Wait, you're really going?" Twilight nodded. "Of course! Who knows what we'll find down there?" Spike rolled up the parchment. "Are you really sure about this?" Twilight smiled. "I know what I'm doing. Send the letter." Spike sighed and blew the parchment away on his green dragon flame, and Twilight pushed the down button. The machine whirred, and they descended into darkness. Back to Twilight..."So this is Haven." Twilight Sparkle was wandering around the bright sunny place. The floor was stone, and there were many 'knights' like Troy roaming the area. They were everywhere. There was an auction house and a variety of merchants scattered throughout the place. "Impressive, eh?" Twilight looked at Troy. "Impressive indeed! You built this?" Troy rubbed his neck. "It wasn't just me. Plenty of knights contributed to this." He spread his arms in front of him. "This is Haven. It was built over an abandoned mine shaft that we stumbled upon after our ship crashed." Twilight looked at Troy. "Ship?" Troy looked at Twilight. "We knights aren't from around here. We aren't from this planet entirely! Our great Star ship, The SkyLark, took some major damage while in space, and crashed here. We called this place Cradle." Twilight looked in wonder. Troy continued. "We stumbled on this place after the ship crashed. We set up camp, and this happened. We've been trying to fix the SkyLark for some time now." Twilight wondered. "Does it really take that long?" Troy laughed. "Oh you have NO idea." Twilight looked around. "What about where we just were?" Troy looked back at the entrance at the side of the mountain. "That's what we called 'The Arcade.'" Twilight looked at Troy. "Why the arcade?" Troy shrugged. "I think it's probably because of the large diversity of monsters that lived in there." Troy looked at Twilight. "Not that I'm calling you a monster. You're actually more friendly than a lot of creatures I've met." Twilight giggled. "I wasn't even thinking about it that way. If you hadn't mentioned it though, I probably would still be calling you 'creature.'" Troy laughed. "I guess we're even then." Twilight was still curious about the Arcade. "Just how diverse are the monsters down there?" Troy pulled off his bag. "Enough to need a hugely diverse arsenal to counter their abilities." Troy opened his bag to reveal a huge amount of equipment. "Wow. That's a large diversity." Troy put his bag back on. "Yeah. It's actually kind of tedious. It's so difficult to sort through all this." Twilight giggled. "Wait. How am I going to get back down home?" Troy stopped. "The only way I can think of is by going back to that exact same level that you came from." Twilight smiled. "That shouldn't be that hard." Troy shook his head. "No, you don't understand. There are monsters, actual monsters, between here and your floor." Twilight blinked in surprise. "Great. I know that it's possible, but at the same time, it's next to impossible." Troy took off his bag. "Maybe not..." Troy shuffled through his bag. "It's gotta be in here somewhere... Ah! There it is!" Troy pulled out a small sword. It was curved sword. It had a small mechanical circle at the back of its blade. Twilight looked at Troy. "It's a curved sword." Troy smiled. "This is my Spur. It's a nice blade." Twilight stared skeptically. "A Curved. Sword. How am I supposed to use it anyway?" Twilight took it from Troy and held it in her hoof. She swung it awkwardly. "Uhm... Twilight, right? I think you're gonna need a little practice at the training hall." Twilight smiled. "You knights have a training hall?" Twilight trotted happily with Troy. They completely ignored the strange stares from the other knights. Back to the EQ team..."AGH! Where do these things keep coming from!" Applejack bucked another skeleton from getting close. The entire group was sitting in the corner. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were busy keeping the skeletons at bay. "These creeps just don't let up, do they?" Applejack bucked another skeleton. "Lyra!" The unicorn turned to the two mares defending the group. "Mind finding a tool that may be lying around here, help us out of here?" Lyra nodded, and she teleported away. "Let's hope Lyra gets back quick. These things aren't getting any easier." Lyra quickly galloped around the area. "There's got to be something around here that might help..." Lyra looked quickly around, and her eyes fell quickly upon a small stone relic. "What have we here, hmm?" It looked like something that might come in handy, so she wrapped her hoof around it. The strange bandages that wrapped around it began to flash. At one moment it flashed a bright yellow, and another, a dark purple. Regardless, she yanked it free. ~~~~ Applejack was blown back. "Argh! Those claws sharper than a dozen bee stings! Youch!" Applejack struggled to stand up right. "Rainbow! This might be it for us." Rainbow Dash bucked another skeleton and dodged a slash from another. "Maybe... Wait, what's that sound?" A quick galloping could be heard. "Applejack! Just a little longer! I think Lyra's back!" Applejack managed to kick back a skeleton. "She'd better be quick about it." Suddenly the ground turned a bright orange. The skeletons were suddenly set on fire. Unearthly shrieks filled the air as bones began to fly. Skeletons were reduced to bone dust and bone dust to ash as each skeleton met its' burning demise. Lyra stood on there on her two hind legs. She held the weapon in her right hoof. She reached out with her left. "Sorry gals, I couldn't find anything better." Applejack stood unsteadily on her legs. "How are you doing that?" Lyra looked at the sword. "You mean the strange symbols and floating sheets of paper? I honestly have no idea." Applejack waved her hoof. "Nah, not that. You're standing on yer hind legs." Lyra looked down. It was true. "This? It's easy. Nothing to it really." Lyra waved for the rest of them to follow. "Come on, I think I saw another one of those machines over there. Knowing Twilight, she probably wanted to get the hay outa here. Let's go girls!" Back at the Training Hall..."That's it Twilight, you got it!" Troy was cheering on Twilight as she hacked her way through training bots. She held the Spur in one hoof while holding a small iron buckler in the other. As she swung, the spur launched an array of a light green crescents from its mechanics. Twilight demolished a robot and turned to block an incoming attack. Twilight quickly dispatched the machines and stepped backwards through the ghost wall. "Whew. That was intense! You knights do this in your free time?" Troy chuckled. "Pretty much. I'm surprised you can stand up on your hind legs. I thought unicorns only stood on four legs!" Twilight giggled. "Trust me. Us ponies are capable of a lot of things." Troy patted Twilight on the back. "I can tell." Troy patted Twilight on the back. "But weapons aren't everything. Let's get you some armor." Twilight followed Troy over to a small box. "What's this?" Troy patted the machine. "This, my friend, is an alchemizer." Twilight smiled. "Alchemizer? As in alchemy?" Troy smiled. "Yes it is! Unicorns aren't always all magic." Twilight and Troy laughed good heartedly. "So what's it do?" Troy looked at the machine. "Well, if you have the materials and the recipe, then you can make things." Troy shuffled through his bag. "Hold on... Here!" Troy took out a small binder. "This is my book of recipes. If I have the right materials..." Twilight looked down into his bag. "There we go! Here are the materials! Now let's... wait." Twilight frowned. "What?" Troy rubbed his chin. "These recipes were designed for knights in mind. Maybe if I..." Troy pulled out a small device from his belt. "Twilight, hold absolutely still." Twilight followed orders as Troy walked slowly walked around her, staring at the small screen all the while. "Done! Now, if I put this into the machine..." Twilight watched intently as he plugged the machine into the alchemizer, and touched the screen a few times. "There! Now lets... aw geez." Twilight frowned again. "What is it this time?" Troy pulled out his tank. There was a pitiful amount blue fluid left in it. "I don't have any energy left to make anything." Twilight stared at the liquid. "Energy, do you power everything with it?" Troy nodded. "Yes. If it's from Haven, it's probably powered with energy." Twilight looked around. "How much do you have in there?" Troy looked at the tank. "I have five energy." Twilight looked around. "Let's go to a small corner." Troy blinked. "Why?" Twilight nudged Troy towards the furthest corner. "Trust me." Troy turned to Twilight. "We're here. Now what?" Twilight looked at the tank. "How do you collect the energy?" Troy looked around. "The atmosphere is charged with it. This armor acts like a leaf in the morning. It collects energy almost like dew." Twilight blinked in surprise. "Well, you learn something new every day." Twilight looked around to check to see if anyknight was looking. "Hold still, you might feel a little shock." Troy stood still. "What are you talking abOWWT!" Twilight stepped back. "Oh my goodness, are you okay?" Troy just stood there. "Twilight, you're extremely lucky they have health dispensers close by. Had this happened in the Arcade..." Twilight rubbed her leg. "Sorry I hurt you. Hopefully it worked though. Check your energy tank." Troy was skeptical, then he took a glance at his tank. He had to look again in sheer surprise. "Five hundred? I could've sworn it was only five before. How did you do it?" Twilight smiled. "I used a minor lightning spell combined with minor amplifier spell. That's probably why it hurt so much. Sorry." Troy gave Twilight a friendly punch. "Hey, with powers like yours, how can I complain? Just warn me next time so I can get some better armor out. So that I don't feel it so much, alright?" Twilight smiled. "Sure thing Troy." ~~~~ "It fits, right?" Troy helped tighten a few straps around Twilight. "It fits like a hoof in a sock." Troy took a step back. Twilight looked nice in the traditional colbalt armor of the Spiral Knights. "These machines are really accurate!" Troy stopped to admire Twilight. "Some armors have its benefits, some can slow you down." Twilight looked around the armor. "So what benefits does this armor serve?" Troy flipped through his recipe book. "Gives you boosted sword attack power." Twilight smiled. "Not bad!" Suddenly Twilight felt a tap on her shoulder. Twilight turned to find Spike. "What is it Spike?" "A bunch of knights are harassing our friends!" Troy and Twilight looked at each other. "How did they get here?" Troy smiled. "You have friends? I'd love to meet them." How Rude!"I told you it was a bad idea." Fluttershy was cowering in the center of the group. Applejack and the rest stared defiantly at the on lookers. "How did you monsters get up here anyhow?" "Get back to the Arcade where you belong!" "I hope the wolvers gnaw on your bones by nightfall." Applejack looked over to Rainbow Dash. "Any idea what they're talking about?" Rainbow Dash shook her head. "All of this is beyond me." Lyra looked around. "This is not looking good for us." Lyra suddenly thought of something. Lyra pulled out her blade. "Well THAT is an interesting blade!" The entire crowd looked over to find a knight and... "Twilight? Is that you?" Rainbow Dash could hardly recognize her in the cobalt armor that she wore. "Yes it's me Rainbow." "Troy? What are you doing with these monsters?" "I thought you were friendly Troy!" "Why did you give these things armor? You just made our job harder!" "I thought you were civilized!" "Hold your horses everybody!" Troy turned to Twilight. "No pun intended." He turned back to the crowd. "I know what this looks like. But if you will please give these so called monsters of yours a chance, they can explain themselves." "HOW? They're MONSTERS! They can't talk!" "Actually, to the contrary. I, excuse me, we, can hear and understand you quite well." Twilight walked among the stunned spectators. "I know I've been attracting a few unfriendly stares from some of you. But rest assured, I am friendly. So are my friends here." Twilight looked back to the group. "You tell'em Twilight!" Rainbow Dash cheered. Twilight promptly brought Rainbow down to earth. "That didn't help your position at all. Let me do the talking." "Now I'm sure that some of you are wondering what we're doing here. Trust me, I do not want to stay here longer then I want to. This group right here followed me here to try and rescue me. Believe me there is no need for alarm." "Are you sure about that?" Twilight glanced over to find a knight walking towards her. Twilight glanced. "Who are you?" The knight laughed. "I'm Amzok. And let me tell you. If there is one thing I don't like, it's monsters." Twilight frowned. "As I said before, we are not...!" Twilight was cut off when she found a blade pointed at her throat. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now." Twilight sighed. Just as quickly she twirled on her hooves and pulled out her blade. Amzok was shocked to find a blade to his own neck. "Because I can just as easily treat you, like a monster." Twilight put her sword away, and Amzok tripped away in fear. "You'll be hearing from me!" Twilight was amazed when all the other knights began to laugh. "Huh?" Troy walked up slowly and patted Twilight on the back. "That was AMAZING Twilight! You know who Amzok is, right?" Twilight chuckled awkwardly. "I have no idea who he was." Troy laughed harder. "Amzok is the scourge of our community. NOBODY LIKES HIM! You and your friends just earned the support of the entire camp!" Twilight smiled. Lyra walked up to Twilight. "What was that all about?" Twilight looked over to Lyra. "Oh hey Lyra. Nice sword. Where'd you get it?" Lyra shrugged. "Some creepy run down altar of some sorts." Troy walked over. "That there is a mighty fine blade. Let me see it?" Lyra shrugged and tossed it over. "Oof! And a might heavy, I might add!" Troy held it up. "With the right stuff, this blade can be really powerful." Rainbow Dash trotted over. "That's all nice, but what about us? We want a cool weapon too!" Troy was suddenly surrounded with ponies. "Whoa! Calm down guys! Or gals. Gals?" Twilight nodded. "Gals. I'll get you some stuff. Just promise me one thing." The group nodded in agreement. "You need me to help me get materials. Making these things isn't cheap." All the ponies nodded and cheered. Going into the Arcade"Does this poncho make my flank look big?" Applejack looked over her back to check out the new poncho she wore. "Woohoo! This is AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash was flying above the group in a light armor that bent with ease. Troy laughed. "That armor was inspired by the beasts of the Arcade and designed with the blade in mind! Rainbow, right? See if you can catch this!" Rainbow Dash looked over to find a spinning silver blur flying at her. She caught it in her mouth. "Whoa. This is wicked sharp!" Rainbow held it up to the sunlight. The light flashed off its many, and possibly excessive, pointed edges. "Careful Rainbow, It'll cut you if you don't swing it the right way." Rainbow Dash swung it experimentally, and was surprised by a ghostly mirage that followed it. "Whoa. That is awesome!" Applejack looked over to Rarity. She had on a fanciful hat that had folded on one side. A silk cloth draped over her left shoulder, covering a large portion of her leg. "I must admit Troy, you knights have a knowledgeable taste in fashion even in combat!" Troy smiled. "For a lady such as yourself, I think I'll recommend the Final Flourish!" Troy handed Rarity a small straight blade. "You can look fancy and strike quickly with that sword." Rarity admired it as she swung the blade through the air and listened to the whistling it made. Fluttershy trudged over. Applejack could see the pegasus was struggling under the heavy plate armor. "Troy? How do you knights wear these things?" Troy chuckled a little bit. "This armor might be a bit heavy, but it definitely serves its purpose. This armor was made to take a beating. It's not called 'Plate Armor' for nothing!" Pinkie Pie hopped over wearing a bulky armor. "Troy, I don't know what you use this armor for, but it looks like balloons put together!" Troy looked over to Pinkie Pie. "You like it?" Pinkie Pie looked at the armor she wore. "I like it, but what's it for?" Troy smiled. "Here catch! But don't drop it!" Pinkie Pie caught the small flashing ball. "Ooh! What's this thing do?" Pinkie Pie gasped in delight. "A BUTTON!" Troy stopped her before she could push it. "Pinkie Pie, this is a bomb. The Nitronome is the biggest bomb I could find. Be careful." Pinkie Pie smiled. "Don't worry Troy, you an trust me!" Pinkie Pie stared intently at the button as Applejack put her hoof to her face. Applejack looked around. "Troy, I admit this poncho looks mighty nice on me, but remind me again why I think it won't work?" Troy looked over. "Applejack, you don't take me as the kind of pony that likes to be up close and personal." Applejack frowned. "Actually, I'm probably the strongest mare round here." Troy blinked in surprise. "Oops. Sorry." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Sorry Applejack. I'm out of materials. I did make this for you though, if it isn't bad, you know." Applejack took the strange contraption from Troy. "I found a gun during my travels through the arcade. Turns out I could make it better. So I did." Applejack looked at it more closely. It had a light yellow fragments floating about it, and it looked much like a crossbow. "So if I pull on this thing, then it will shoot?" Troy nodded. Lyra walked over on her hind legs. She was wearing something along the lines of a white magicians' robe, and the hood had a floating yellow halo floating over it. "This is impressive, Troy! How did you do it?" Troy took out a blade from his bag. "The halo was my own touch. Magnetic Luminite." Troy handed the large blade back to Lyra. "Like it? You told me about the nasty skeleton encounter before, so I looked through my book, and it turns out I could upgrade your blade too. So I did. Skeletons shouldn't be a problem for you now." Lyra held up the blade and admired it. It's hilt was golden, and it's blade was no longer wrapped in sheets of marked paper. Instead, an almost heavenly yellow glow surrounded its edge, curling like vines on a fence. "It's beautiful." Lyra smiled. Twilight walked in. She was wearing the same cobalt armor that Troy had given her before. "Troy, it looks like your low again. Should I give you a jump?" Troy looked over to his bottle. "Why, yes it is! Just give me a sec." Troy took off his bag. "Wow, thanks to you girls, my bag is light as a feather!" He sorted through what was left of his belongings. he pulled out a few pieces of armor and put it on. "Okay Twilight. Fire away." Twilight gave him a shock slightly stronger then before. Troy was trembling with the after effects for a few moments. When he recovered, he took a look at his tank. "Right back up to five hundred. This magic thing of yours has me hooked!" Twilight smiled as the group walked towards the Arcade. ~~~~ "So what's the plan, Troy?" Troy smiled as the group gazed upon the machine that led into the mysterious Arcade. "Before you is the entrance to the Arcade. When it is activated, you descend into the unknown!" "Actually, it looks like you know the whole layout of the place." Twilight was staring at a small machine on Troys belt. "Yeah. That was just for dramatic effect." Twilight giggled. "You don't suppose we could get something like that?" Troy looked surprised. "You can operate this thing?" Twilight smiled. "It looks simple enough. It has tabs and no buttons. I'm assuming it's a touch screen." Troy laughed. "You learn fast, Twilight. I'll give you that. Wait right here while I get some for you all." Twilight watched as he turned and pulled out his wallet. "You use scrap metal for currency?" Troy looked over. "Scrap metal? Oh no. We use these things." Troy held out a piece of the 'scrap metal.' It had an image of a crown etched into it. "These are called 'crowns.' It's the basic currency around here." The groups each took their own little machines. "Now that you all have your own PDA's, Let's get down to business." Troy looked around the group. "You all know that there is a bottom to the Arcade called the Core, right?" The ponies looked among themselves in confusion. "You don't know? Twilight, do I have to go into the SkyLark and all that again?" Twilight smiled. "I filled them in while you were busy doing alchemy." Troy smiled. "Good. Now, there is a place at the very core of this planet, aptly named, The Core. There is a humongous energy source at The Core, and we could potentially use it to power the SkyLark and leave this place." "I thought we were here to pay you back." Everyone looked at Fluttershy. "Pay me back? For your equipment? Don't worry about it. If it really means that much to you, then you can collect any heat and crowns you find in your travels." Twilight looked at Troy. "You mean those embers I saw you pick up?" Troy was startled. "How did you see me pick them up?" Twilight waved her hoof. "We've seen several knights travel through our area, Troy. You're honestly not the first." Troy just chuckled. "Those knights were extremely lucky." "Now, start off. There are four gates going into the Arcade. They're all different, and for some reason they are able to re calibrate themselves to any order. So I advise you to pay close attention to your PDAs, and be wary around your foes." "Let's get the teams together." Twilight looked around the group. "In total, there are eight of us, and a single unicorn is required to power each machine, so I think we should go off in pairs balancing weaknesses." "Rarity, bring Fluttershy with you. She might be slow, but her shield looks more durable than yours." Rarity nodded. "I'll keep that in mind, Twilight." "Troy, your a swordsman right? Take Pinkie Pie with you. I assure you behind that smiling face is a master demomare." Troy smiled unsuredly. "I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, but alright." Pinkie Pie smiled as she bounced the Nitronome on her head. Troy was extremely unsettled by this for some reason. "Applejack, go with Lyra. A blade can be powerful, but the wielder does get worn out. Your gun should be helpful there." Applejack nodded. "Got it. Lyra! You're with me," "Rainbow Dash, you're coming with me. That blade looks fast, but it's not as big nor as powerful as the rest of ours." Rainbow Dash frowned. "Wow, thanks a lot Twilight." Troy raised a finger. "Actually Rainbow, she's got a point. A Spiral Knight Swordsman relies on a blade powerful enough to knock back and therefor cancel the enemies attack. Fluttershy here will have no problem, seeing how her blade is the same size as her. But your blade Rainbow, your blade, is meant for masters. That blade strikes quickly, but has no strength on its own." Rainbow Dash took this in slowly. "Fine. Let's get this over with." The groups walked onto a separate machine. One by one, they descended into the darkness. The Scarlet Fortress"Applejack, I don't think you'll be able use that gun properly if you don't stand on your hind legs." Lyra was looking back as Applejack was pretty much stumbling through the hallways. "I JUST DON'T GET IT! HOW DO YOU DO THAT?" Lyra sighed. "To think that you'd be better than I am, considering your hind legs are stronger than mine." Applejack tripped into Lyra, who easily caught her. "Well excuse me. I'm new to this. I seen you practice for who knows how long!" Lyra rolled her eyes. She took a glance around. "This is a really nice place, don't you think?" Applejack stood unsteadily on her back legs. "Now that you mention it, yeah, it is kinda nice. Wonder why there's no one here." Applejack looked around. Lyra took a step forward. Applejack lost her balance and fell on her face. Lyra turned and laughed. "Honestly Applejack, I don't think you'll be able to defend yourself on four legs." Applejack looked up with a furious red on her face. "Just wait til I get my hooves on you." Applejack's eyes turned to notice a small pink thing around the corner. "Whuzzat?" Applejack put her gun in a sling on her belt, and she approached the pink thing. It looked like a ghost, but it had the most adorable kitty face. "Well ain't you the cutest thing I ever seen?" Applejack sat down as the small creature looked up to Applejack. It mewed. "Aw...." "APPLEJACK! LOOK OUT!" Applejack turned her head to find that similar creatures had begun to attack Lyra. She turned back. "What in the hay!" The kitty face had disappeared into a howling ghouls face. A snarl told Applejack to step back before a bloodthirsty bite could reach her. "BACK OFF!" Applejack whipped out her gun and fired three shots towards the demonic cat. It was blown back. A purple puff of smoke and an echoing cry of anguish were the only traces of it's existence. "APPLEJACK! A LITTLE HELP HERE!" Lyra raced past Applejack. A sudden howl caught Applejacks' attention. Dozens of the little cats had appeared out of seemingly nowhere, and were giving a hot chase. "GAH!" Applejack quickly turned on her hooves and ran. "What are you doing?" Lyra yelled back. "WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING? RUNNING!" Lyra groaned audibly. "You have a gun. USE IT!" Applejack suddenly realized what having a gun meant. Applejack spun up onto her hind hooves, and her gun began glowing. "I sure hopes this works." The ghosts flew into the air and skydived towards Applejack. "HERE GOES NOTHING!" A large globe of energy shot out of the barrel of the weapon. All the ghosts were blown back a few feet. Lyra stepped back to Applejack. "Thanks. Cover me would you?" Lyra raced past Applejack with her sword drawn. The ghosts had little time to react as the unicorn brought the blade across her. Several beams of light pierced the ghost, and reduced them to purple smoke. Applejack picked off the last few, and together, they traveled down the hallway. Lyra chuckled. "Wow. That was out of nowhere. What were those things anyway?" Lyra picked up her PDA and flipped through some screens. "What are they, Lyra?" Lyra squinted her eyes. "Spookats? Apparently those aren't the only kinds down here." Lyra and Applejack looked up to find the machine in front of them. "It'll only get harder from here. Ready, AJ?" Applejack hesitated. "Nopony calls me AJ 'cept RD." Lyra smirked. "Alright, AJ. So be it." Lyra laughed at Applejack as they descended to the floor below. Mechanized MileRainbow Dash flew around the dark area. Twilight Sparkle was keeping an eye around the expanse. Her hooves clanked on the entirely metal floor. The distant sounds of grinding gears and bouncing sparks could be heard echoing throughout the corridors. "Why is this place so empty?" Rainbow Dash looked around. Twilight looked around. "I don't know. Maybe it's down this way?" Twilight pointed towards a dark alley. "I think it's this way." Rainbow Dash pointed in the opposite direction. "It's got this giant shiny button on it." Twilight looked curiously over. "Well what do you know?" There was a giant shiny button. It wasn't so much shiny itself, but it glowed from underneath. "I wonder..." Twilight put her hoof on it. She was startled by a small message that popped up in her face. "'This button will activate when all living party members stand on the button?'" Rainbow Dash smiled. "Cool! Let's go then!" Twilight stopped Rainbow. "Rainbow Dash, you really need to stop and pay attention to these things." Rainbow Dash watched as Twilight walked up to the gate. "Twilight. It's obvious to anypony this switch opens that gate." Twilight sighed. "I know that, Rainbow. but look at the base of this gate." Rainbow looked, and saw a small bump where the gate slide away to. "Now look behind you." Rainbow looked behind her. There was a similar bump in the ground. "Yeah, so?" Twilight sighed. "I'm thinking that once this gate goes down, that gate will go up. Unless you can find a way to lower both gates at the same time, I suggest we check out what's over there." Rainbow Dash sighed. "Alright." Twilight walked over to the opposite corridor and pushed a nearby button. The gate went down, revealing a crowded area. Twilight could hear grumbling and groans. "There we go." Suddenly surprised whispers and grunts could be heard. "Twilight, I'm pretty sure their not friendly." Rainbow Dash unsheathed her blade, brandishing its many edges. "Let's get this over with." Twilight waited with her sword drawn as the footsteps came down the corridor. Large impish creatures turned the corner, wielding huge hammers. Twilights' Spur began to generate a yellow glow, and the mechanical gear began to whir fiercely. Twilight swung her blade, and a green glowing disc blew out from the mechanical tip. It cut through the advancing enemy, and effectively scattered the remaining enemies. Rainbow Dash swooped down before any of them could react. Barrel Rolls, Loops and Dives, she incorporated all her moves into a deadly arsenal. The skilled pegasus laid waste to the small army. "Huh. Looks like you were right, Twilight." Twilight quickly trotted over to several columns of colorful mineral structures. "I told you Rainbow! Just pay a little more attention next time, alright?" The two didn't notice a small gremlin watching them as they collected the minerals. It ran off silently behind a hidden door. Fortune smiles on the Greedy"Oh! I remember this place!" It was a bright clearing. The birds were singing, the flowers were blooming, and there was not a single hint of evil in sight. "This is where I think Twilight came from, right?" Troy looked down to Pinkie Pie. "Correct! I think you should pay a visit to Ponyville! It's not too far from here." Troy chuckled nervously. "I, don't think that's such a good idea, Pinkie." Pinkie Pie dragged him along anyway. "Come on, Troy! It'll be fun! Ponyville is friendly!" ~~~~ "What happened here, Pinkie?" Ponyville was as brilliant and vibrant as ever. The flowers lining the streets were in full blossom, and the birds sang a merry tune. Except that there was nopony around. "I'm sure it's just a new pony thing. The same thing happened to Zecora. Let's go to town hall!" Not surprisingly, it was also closed. "Pinkie, I'm not so sure this was a good idea in the first place." Pinkie Pie laughed. "Ah, don't worry about it. I'm sure once everything's explained, you'll be welcome here!" Pinkie Pie knocked on the door. The mayor peeked her head from around the door. "Hello Pinkie Pie. What are you wearing?" Pinkie Pie smiled. "It's a new armor my friend gave me!" The mayors' eyes widened a little. "Really?" She opened the door a little wider and saw Troy. He waved. "You must be the leader here." The mayors eye opened her eyes in surprise. "You can speak?" "Well of course I can talk. If I couldn't talk, I probably wouldn't be with Pinkie Pie here right now." The Mayor stared in amazement. "Well. I think the Princess is in the Town Library. Go visit her. She'll know what to do." ~~~~ "Hey Princess! We're BACK!" Pinkie Pie opened the door to the library. Troy followed close behind. "This is you library? Impressive." The Alicorn turned around. "Ah, Pinkie Pie, you're..." She stopped short when she saw Troy. "Hello, being. May I know your name?" Troy turned around and gasped. The Princess towered over him, literally twice as tall as himself. His voice shook as he introduced himself. "P-Pleasure to m-meet you, your majesty." The Princess giggled. "You're not from here. I can tell. Please. I have no authority over you. You have no reason to fear." Troy loosened up, but just so slightly. "I'm Troy. You are Celestia I presume?" The royalty smiled. "See, now that wasn't so hard now was it? Please, take a seat. Tell me how Twilight's doing." Troy smiled. "You know Twilight too?" ~~~~ Princess Celestia sat in wonder at what Troy said. She looked at Pinkie Pie. "So Twilight is probably somewhere in the Clockworks?" Troy and Pinkie Pie nodded. "I can't pinpoint her exact location, but if anything happens, she will be safe." The Princess tapped her chin. "You know, I found the most curious thing several years ago in my old castle." Troy looked surprised as the Princess' horn lit up. He leaned towards Pinkie Pie. "How many castles does she have?" Pinkie Pie only giggled as the white light grew brighter. When Troy brought his hands down, the most curious set of armor had set appeared on the table top. They gleamed a snow white, and they shined with quality and care. The Princess used her magic to bring it together. "I had no idea what this was, or what it did. But seeing you reminded me of it. If I could just..." The magic of the Princess were swinging it around until it was a completed armor. Troy stared in awe. "The Valkyrie Armor. Said to have been worn by an ancient branch of Spiral Knights." The Princess gave it to Troy. "How did you find it?" The Princess shrugged. "I found it on a skeleton. Fortunately, the dragon didn't want it anymore. I figured I'd keep it for show or something." Troy smiled. "Wow. This is just. Wow. Thank you." The Princess smiled. "There's one more thing." The Princess brought over a large, two pieced blade. It was black, and it looked like it hadn't been used in a while. Troy looked in surprise. "What's that?" The Princess looked around the sword. "Huh, it looked different before." Pinkie Pie watched as the Princess turned the sword in all direction. "Princess, may I?" Celestia turned to Pinkie Pie, and gave it to her handle first. Pinkie Pie took a nearby quill and played around with the area in between the blade. "I think..." Pinkie Pie grunted, and something came loose. "There! Now all I have to do is..." Pinkie Pie swiped it in front of her. The blade suddenly blazed to life. Fire and sparks blew out from the blade. Pinkie Pie smiled broadly as she handed it to Troy. "Cool, huh?" Troy held the blade and listened to the fierce crackling of the fire in the blade. "Amazing! And you just found this?" The Princess nodded. "It was just lying there. Take it if you want. My artists have sculpted so many like it." Troy smiled broadly. "Thank you, Princess!" "You're welcome." The Princess smiled as the pair left through the door. She could hear Pinkie Pie saying, "See? I told you it was a good idea!" Candle Stick keepApplejack and Lyra landed with a resounding clunk. They shivered from the cold air of the area. Stone walls with sad excuses of banners stretched far from the light from the candle. "What's that?" Applejack looked over to a small yellow machine lying on the floor near the ghost wall. She walked over and pressed a button. A small message popped up. Beware the Grimalkin! These giant Spookats cannot be defeated! Instead, run into the safe light of a warding candle. Applejack shivered at the last memory of the Spookats. "There are BIGGER ones?" Lyra nodded. "I told you before. They're are so many more down here." Applejack gulped. "Alright. Let's go. In and out. Nothing to it." She stepped through the ghost wall. "Dagnabbit. Can't see the hoof in front of my face." Applejack looked around the darkness all around her. She looked behind her to the little area where the candle was. "Come on Lyra! We ain't got all day!" The unicorn walked through the ghost wall holding her blade up. "Let's get going." No sooner then a second after she finished speaking a dark shadow appeared on the floor. Lyra turned towards the dark moan from behind her. Slowly her head followed the growth of the shadow. It was a large fearsome Spookat wearing a skull. Its' teeth were not really teeth, but leftovers of whatever closed its' mouth. An evil purple glowed from its mouth. "RUN FOR IT!" Lyra dropped her blade and ran as fast as she could. Applejack followed closely behind. "Oh Celestia, what IS that thing?" Applejack held her hat on her head as she ran. Lyra just kept on running. "Grimalkin! What else?" Applejack looked back. Several Spookats had appeared along with some skeletons. "Oh come on!" They quickly ducked under the glow of a candle. They watched intently as the Grimalkin neared closer and closer. Then suddenly it bit at the air and disappeared back into the floor. "Whew! Too close." Applejack whipped out her gun. "Now we gotta deal with them." Lyra turned to find several Spookats and skeletons had followed them. They were also somehow immune to the light. "Let's... wait." She suddenly realized she dropped her blade near the ghost wall. "Applejack, hold them back. I'll be right back." Lyra dashed off, dodging between Spookat and skeleton. Applejack held her gun unsteadily at the ghosts. "Ah shoot. This just ain't right." She fired quick bolts of light and slowly back up. "There's just too many of them!" Applejack kept backing up. The more she fired, the further she walked away from the light of the candle. Applejack was busy keeping the ghosts away when a sudden moan stopped her in her tracks. She turned slowly to find a Grimalkin had appeared behind her. "GAH!" She quickly dodged around it. Applejack only ran from the Grimalkins. She looked around in fear for another candle, but despite how many she saw, none of them were lit. She suddenly met a wall. "No. No. No. No. NO!" She turned and backed against the wall. She watched as the Grimalkin turned the corner. She prayed to Celestia that it wouldn't see her, but it did anyway. Applejack watched hopelessly as the Grimalkin closed in on her. He lofted her hat. "See ya later, Lyra." A great cackling echoed through the hall, stopping the Grimalkin in its' tracks. It slowly turned and disappeared into the floor. Applejack turned her attention to the sound of bone rattling. She started to shiver as it got louder. Suddenly a dark skeleton, clad in a dark purple armor turned the corner. Its' cold yellow eyes looked around, and it fell upon her. Applejack began to shake even more as it walked closer to her. Applejack soon realized it had three horns. Applejack closed her eyes and muttered prayers. "Whoa hey Applejack, calm down! It's only me!" Applejack opened her eyes. "Lyra?" The skeleton took off its' head to reveal the familiar face of the unicorn. "I found this while running from the Grimalkin. Pretty neat huh?" She spread her hooves out and spun in a circle. Applejack started to laugh. "What are you laughing for?" Applejack laughed even harder. "You scared the living cahoots outta me! Don't do that again!" Lyra smiled. "I found this nice blade and shield to go along with it." Lyra showed off her new blade. It was slim, and it looked evil, like it was forged from obsidian. The shield looked like a rib cage ripped off the skeletons. "Wow, those look strong!" Lyra smiled. "Yeah, but now I got these voices in my head. 'Remember to block', and 'attack when you know you can' and things like that." Applejack smiled. "But what about you're old blade?" Lyra smiled as she dropped it in front of Applejack. "How about you hold on to it. i don't need it anymore." Applejack picked up the heavy blade. "Wow! I didn't think it was that heavy!" Lyra chuckled. "What? Too heavy for you?" Applejack huffed. "Lyra, stop it. It ain't funny." Lyra laughed again. Applejack looked around. "What happened to all the ghost?" Lyra shrugged. "I sent them back. Apparently this armor can tell them what to do." Applejack smiled. "So we won't have to worry about it?" Lyra smiled as she walked onto the elevator. "As long as I'm around, you won't." Applejack frowned as Lyra powered up the elevator. "Wuzzat supposed to mean?" Lyra laughed as they descended into the dark. RumorsTwilight Sparkle was in the library lounge, catching up on some light reading. A cup of tea magically floated down to her as she took a sip. The unicorn thought for a moment, and she brought her tea box over. "Shoot. Almost out of leaves." Twilight looked around. "SPIKE! SPIKE!" A young infant dragon ran down the steps. "I'm coming, I'm coming." Twilight looked back to her assistant. "Spike, I'm going to Zecoras' to get a new batch of tea leaves. Watch the library while I'm gone, okay?" Spike smiled. "Isn't that what I always do?" Twilight giggled. "Just making sure Spike. Just making sure." Twilight walked out the front door and smiled. It was a beautiful day, sun shining and not a cloud in the sky. There was nothing wrong. "Where is everypony?" Suddenly a pink earth pony popped out of nowhere. "THERE you are Twilight! I was looking for you! It's important!" Twilight was dumbfounded. "What's so important, Pinkie?" She just jumped in place urgently. "Town Square. Now." Twilight shrugged, and followed Pinkie Pie to Town Square. When they arrived, the whole of Ponyville was already assembled at the front of Town Hall. Twilight could hear murmurs of confusion as she walked up the aisle. "Why are we here?" "I heard some rumors about the Everfree Forest." "I hope no one was hurt." Twilight was sick with worry by the time she was at the front. Shortly after, the mayor came up to the podium. "Attention please! Attention please! Now, I know all of you are concerned with the recent rumors going about. Some of you may have heard of a strange new creature carrying shiny sticks and heavy plates, I assure you that there is no need to panic." Twilight was confounded. "Shiny sticks? Heavy plates?" "Our friend Zecora has seen these creatures many times, and all she sees them doing are passing by, emptying boxes of sorts. We currently have not have any eyewitnesses of said creatures, but rest assured, they are not hostile. Zecora estimates them to be roughly our height." Twilight was confused. "Roughly our height? Interesting." ~~~~ Twilight was flipping through page after page of books. The library was a mess. Spike came down from the steps. "Oh Twilight, you're back. Aw, don't tell me I have to clean that up!" Twilight didn't turn her head to respond. "How was the nap Spike? Does this library carry anything on creatures holding sharp sticks and wearing heavy plates?" Spike scratched his head. "Are you talking about horcs?" "And they're roughly my height." Spike thought for a moment. "Nope. I can't think of it. Why?" Twilight stood up. "That was the last book in the library. Hm..." Twilight lifted her bag and began to pack parchment and quills. "Excuse me Twilight, but um, where are you going?" Twilight closed her bag. "To the Everfree Forest. Why?" Spike shook his head. "Isn't that dangerous? I mean, with the rumors floating around." Twilight turned her head. "How did you know?" Spike sighed. "The balcony on the second floor looks out to Town Hall." Twilight sighed, and then perked up. "You know what Spike? You're right." Spike smiled. "That's why you're coming with me." Spike frowned. "What?" Twilight smirked. "Come on Spike, we're not even gonna stay there for long." Spike was shivering. "But, what about the... and the..." Spike was fretting. "Oh come on Spike, It's not that bad." Twilight nudged Spike with a wink. "Besides, I could always use a mighty DRAGON at my side!" This cheered Spike up. "Well, who wouldn't feel safe with a powerful dragon at their side?" Twilight rolled her eyes and giggled as she and Spike left the Library. Where Ponies fear to TredTwilight Sparkle and Spike landed on a small area. It was dark as night, and the grass gave an eerie glow. "What is this place?" Twilight looked around to see many broken stone columns and rocks. "What's this box?" Twilight turned to a strange yellow black box. It had a dial on it with a few numbers. "...Let me see, nine digits..." Twilight put in the number '000000042' from a book she liked. It clicked open. "What are these things?" Twilight shifted through the box's contents. "Looks like swords shields and armor. SPIKE!" The young dragon jumped. "AH! Twilight really! don't yell that loudly." Twilight rolled her eyes. "It's just a little dark Spike. Are you writing this down?" Twilight walked past Spike, who was scribbling furiously about the strange contents of the box. "What's this?" Twilight looked at the strange apparition. It was something like a wall, except it was made of floating cloud like substance. Twilight reached her hoof through. "Interesting...wait." Twilight tried pulling her hoof back. She couldn't budge it back to her side of the wall. "SPIKE! Take this down!" Spike came up to Twilight. "What is that?" Twilight sighed. "It looks like a wall, but it's only one way. Take a look back at the machine, does it look like we can go back up?" Spike walked back to the platform where they landed. "Sorry Twilight, doesn't look like it." Twilight sighed. "Guess we can only go forward." Twilight trotted through the wall. "Come on Spike!" Spike looked fearfully at the wall. Twilight looked back and sighed. "No, it doesn't hurt Spike." Spike looked at Twilight and sighed. He then walked through the wall. "Come on Spike, We have to find a way out of this place." Twilight made her way down from the hill. Spike looked around nervously as he surveyed the surrounding area. "Twilight?" The unicorn looked back at Spike. "Yes, Spike?" Spike gulped. "Why are there so many...Gravestones?" He was right. There were gravestones spaced evenly every three feet. "I don't know, Spike. To be honest, it scares me too." "GAH! TWILIGHT!" Spike tugged on Twilight's mane. "Argh! Spike! What is... AH!" A bony hand had reached out from one of the graves. It began to pull itself out of the ground. Twilight watched in horror at the skeleton that stared at her with its' yellow eyes. It had a dusty breath, and it was not held together by anything. "W-what do we do now Twilight?" Spike whispered to Twilight. "I'm not sure, but one things for certain. we've got to..." She was cut off by an hellish shrill and she turned back to find the skeletons had raised it's all too obviously sharp bone hand into the air. "RUN!" Twilight dashed off just before the hand swiped down, making a sharp whistling as it cut the air. "Um.. Twilight!" Twilight looked back to find about four more skeletons had joined the original. They were all following her. "Oh no! Oh no oh no oh... OOF!" Twilight ran face first into a wall. When she recovered, She found three more skeletons had joined them. "HELP!" Twilight let out a desperate cry. "I guess this is it Twilight." Spike gulped and bravely stepped in front of Twilight. "No Spike! Don't!" Suddenly, cries of anguish rang out as the skeletons began to turn to their back. Bones flew into the air as one by one they were cut down. Twilight stared in amazement as the skeleton in front of her was cut in two. She looked up to her savior. Then she looked back down. He wasn't that tall. Roughly her own height. He was wearing a light plate armor. He brought his sword back to him. Twilight recognized him as the creature she had seen go down the machine. He looked at her. Twilight looked back at him. "That's interesting. I came here to save another creature." Twilight looked at him in surprise. "You can talk?" The creature stepped back in surprise "You can talk?" Twilight was dumbfounded. "How can you talk? I've never seen anything like you!" The creature pointed his finger. "How can you talk? I've never seen anything like you!" Spike just stood there. "What?" Twilight raised her hoof. "Let's not let this get out of hand. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Twilight Sparkle. You are?" The creature looked at her hoof and awkwardly took a hold of it. "My name is Troy John. Where, umm, where are you from?" Twilight pointed to the direction where she came from. "I'm from the land of Equestria. I followed you down here on that machine thing." The creature looked surprised. "Well that's interesting. I thought only Spiral Knights could operate that." Twilight looked curiously at Troy. "A Spiral what?" Troy looked back. "Oh right, sorry. I come from Haven." Twilight looked curiously again. "Haven?" The knight put his palm to his face. "I'm sorry, I've forgotten you're new. Haven is like a resting point for knights like us. The Spiral Knights." Twilight shook her head. "Nope. Still not getting it." Troy sighed. "Follow me up there, I'm out of energy anyway." Twilight followed Troy as he trudged up a small hill. "Energy?" Troy stopped in front of another machine. "You don't know what energy is? Interesting." He pulled out a small bottle and poured its familiar blue fluid into the tank. "Then how did you get down here?" Twilight Sparkle walked onto the platform. "I used magic. I'm a unicorn. I can do that." Troy pressed the up button on the console. "Magic, eh? Interesting." Troy looked up as two large metal beams came slamming down onto the platform. Twilight Sparkle jumped as the resounding clang came to her ears and the platform began to rise. Back at Equestria..."WHAT!?" The white alicorn looked about Twilights' friends. "It's true. Twilight wrote in her letter that she was going on an expedition of some kind, and that she may or may not be coming back." A rainbow maned pegasus rushed up to the alicorn. "Princess Celestia, Why didn't you stop her?" The Princess simply shook her head. "I was completely unaware that she had gone up until the point where I got the letter." Pinkie Pie walked up to the Princess. "I say we should go down to get her. Who knows what ghostlies are down there? Rainbow Dash, are you with me?" The blue pegasus nodded. Alright!" The Princess looked at the two. "Twilight specifically mentioned that a unicorn is required to power the machine. Even if you do make it to the entrance, I'm not sure you can get any further." Pinkie Pie sighed. "Wait." She perked up. "Rarity! Wanna come with us?" The white unicorn turned to Pinkie Pie. "Of course I'm going with you! She's a friend. No matter the circumstances, I will help her in times of trouble! Applejack! Are you with us?" The orange earth pony smirked. "Course I am, Rarity. Ya'll probably need a bit o' bucking power where ya'll going." Applejack looked back to a yellow pegasus. "Not sure I can say the same for Fluttershy though." "Come on Fluttershy, we need you!" The pegasus looked back at Pinkie Pie. "I don't know Pinkie. It sounds dangerous." Pinkie Pie smiled. "Oh come on, Fluttershy! Who knows! You might meet some new animal friends where we're going!" That perked the mare up. "O-Okay Pinkie Pie." The Princess smiled. "That sounds like a good group to me." The Princess tapped her chin. "Although, there is one thing bothering me." Everyone turned to the Princess. "Twilight mentioned that magic is needed to power this, 'machine'. I'm thinking that one unicorn isn't enough." Pinkie Pie smiled. "Oh! So, we need two unicorns! I know just the girl!" Pinkie Pie rushed out the door. A few moments later, she came back with a mint colored unicorn. "Lyra here will help!" The unicorn looked at Pinkie. "Help in what? Oh! Your majesty, forgive me for this rude intrusion." The Princess laughed. "There's no need for such an address, Lyra, although our friends here could use a helping hand." Lyra looked around. "I don't see why you need me. We got enough horse power in here already." Lyra snickered at her little pun. The Princess smiled. "This may be a good crowd, but we're in need of a little extra help. Specifically, unicorn help. This party only has one unicorn, and a unicorn is essential where these ponies are going." Lyra looked around. "Alright, I'm game. A lyre makes a heck of a bow and arrow anyway." Lyra pulled out her lyre and demonstrated, shooting a magical arrow into the forehead of a wooden horse head model. "So, where we off to?" Gloaming Wildwoods"Fluttershy, darling. We're never going to get out of here if you keep hiding like this!" Rarity was walking through a dark forested area. There was no sun, almost like the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy was hiding behind a small bush. "It's so... dark." Rarity rolled her eyes. "I know that, darling. But honestly, you can't hide forever." Fluttershy whimpered. "Think about it Fluttershy. If you don't move, then you'll never get out!" "Oh, I wish Angel were here..." Rarity sighed. "Come on Fluttershy. There's no point in standing back there." A small noise caught her ear. Rarity turned to find a bump in the ground. It was moving around. Suddenly a fur ball popped out of the ground. Rarity drew her blade as it uncurled to reveal a snarling wolf. "The beasts here are impressive. Even our Timber Wolves live in caves. Not underground." Rarity quickly stepped to the side as the beast rushed around her. She jabbed quickly, and the wolver was brought to its knees. Another snarl from behind alerted the unicorn to another wolver behind her. Rarity had just enough time to escape before the beast ripped her sash. Rarity held it up pathetically. "This CANNOT be forgiven!" Fluttershy peeked from around a bush to find Rarity fighting fiercely. Fluttershy stared in horror as Rarity tried to swipe at the beast. She noticed the other wolver, whimpering softly in pain. She walked up slowly. The wolver noticed and snarled. "Don't worry." Fluttershy took off her heavy helmet. "I'm here to help." She picked up the ripped sash from Raritys' garment and slowly wrapped it around the bleeding leg. "I'm sorry that my friend here is being troublesome." The wolver unsteadily got to its' feet. It whimpered out softly. The other wolver stopped, and ran towards its' wounded comrade. Rarity turned in surprise. "What's that?" Fluttershy was listening intently. "Oh, it's nothing really. I'm sorry my friend here got the wrong idea." Rarity scoffed. "There's a big beast coming? Where?" The wolver barked urgently. "Oh. I see." Fluttershy kindly shooed the wolvers away. "Rarity, you should let me handle things like that." Rarity scoffed. "But you were behind a bush! How could I tell?" Fluttershy giggled. "Anyway. The wolvers told me to beware something called the 'Snarbolax?' They told me many skeletons can be found there." Rarity laughed. "Alright. We'll deal with it when we get there." Fluttershy's eyes flew open. "Um... Rarity? Why can't we go, um... around it?" Rarity laughed. "Darling, this is a one way street! Or road. We can only proceed through it." Fluttershy just stood there, staring in fear at what she might have to face.
SightingTwilight Sparkle trudged through the undergrowth of the Everfree Forest. "Zecora mentioned that they would be around here..." Spike was shivering nervously at her side. "I don't know Twilight. Maybe Zecora was wrong about this whole thing?" Twilight sighed. "If it's worth mentioning, then it's got to be true. At the very least, it's worth finding out about." Twilight stopped, and Spike bumped into her. "Shh. Did you hear that?" Spike looked around. "I didn't hear anything." Twilight twitched her ears. "There it is again!" Spike scratched his head. "What is it?" Twilight scooped Spike onto her back. "A small popping noise." Twilight raced towards the noise until she ran into a clearing. "A clearing? Out here?" Twilight stopped just before the brush stopped. "Spike, take out the papers." Spike rushed to her orders as Twilight scanned the area as she pulled out her binoculars. "Is that what Zecora was talking about?" "Spike take this down." Spike was ready with a quill in his claw. "Correct height: roughly five feet. Appears to be a bipedal creature wearing armor. Has limbs with hands, like that of a monkey. Carrys a shiny stick. No scratch shiny stick." Twilight lowered her binoculars. "A sword." Twilight stared at the small distant figure. It was looking around the area. It approached a strange green and white box. "Spike! Pay attention! The creature swings its sword at a box and it pops open to reveal," Twilight put down her binoculars and rubbed her eyes. "are those scrap metals and embers?" Suddenly a purple striped yellow creature approaches the bipedal from behind. "SPIKE! Creature is approached by a chameleon like creature. It responds to a strike with a lift of a. Shield? Strikes back quickly." Twilight looked on as the chameleon creature disappears into a purple gas. "I've never seen anything like that before." Twilight watched as the creature stooped to pick up more of the scraps and embers. "Quick Spike! Follow me!" Twilight rushed to follow the agile thing as he ran towards a large mineral deposit. "Huh. Those minerals would look good on a necklace. Maybe I should tell Rarity about this place." Twilight watched as the creature swung its' 'sword' and reduced the minerals to a few fragments. She watched as it picked up the largest one and set it onto its' back. "Spike, record significant strength. Ability to lift objects its' own size." Twilight watched on as the strange creature wandered past a few more bushes. "What's that thing?" Twilight stared as the creature walked up to a machine the likes of which Twilight had never seen before. It had a display with all sorts of figures on it. The creature pushed the lower of the two buttons, and suddenly, he disappeared quickly into the ground as if he was never there. Twilight stepped out of the brush. "What was that thing?" Spike stepped out of the bush. "From your observations, it looks like a monkey wearing fireproof armor that has an affection for shiny things." Spike looked up. "Twilight, what are you doing?" The unicorn had trotted up to the strange machine. "Interesting. It looks like it only has enough power for the display to work." Spike looked strangely at her. "How can you tell?" Twilight pointed to a small bottle attached to the machine. "A strange blue fluid filling a marked bottle." Twilight rubbed her chin. "How do I add more?" "Maybe here?" Spike pointed to a small little hole in the side of the machine. "It's made for a liquid. Hm...." Twilight closed her eyes. Her horn lit up in a purple aura. She put her horn close to the clearing. Spike watched as brilliant lightning flashed from her horn. Spike turned to the small bottle with the fluid. It flashed with purple lightning as it began to fill up. "Twilight! It worked!" Twilight looked over to see the bottle had filled to the brim, sparking with purple energy. "Interesting." The two buttons on the counsle started to light up. "I'm not sure what this thing does, but I know it will take me somewhere. Spike, take a letter, to the Princess." Dear Princess Celestia, Recent rumors floating around Ponyville had led to discover a new creature, and possibly new areas of exploration. I currently have no idea what I'm doing, but rest assured, I am safe. Alert Ponyville of my travels. I do not know if I will return from this expedition. I will attempt to send letters to alert you of my status and possible findings, but please excuse if it takes a while to reach you. If I need anypony, I'll send for her through you. The location of said entrance to the new area appears to be south west of your old castle. If my calculations are correct, it should be roughly half a mile from that location. In order to operate the machine, a unicorn is required to create a magical spark similar to the power of a spark on a lighted cannon. Wish me luck! Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle "Wait, you're really going?" Twilight nodded. "Of course! Who knows what we'll find down there?" Spike rolled up the parchment. "Are you really sure about this?" Twilight smiled. "I know what I'm doing. Send the letter." Spike sighed and blew the parchment away on his green dragon flame, and Twilight pushed the down button. The machine whirred, and they descended into darkness.
Back to Twilight..."So this is Haven." Twilight Sparkle was wandering around the bright sunny place. The floor was stone, and there were many 'knights' like Troy roaming the area. They were everywhere. There was an auction house and a variety of merchants scattered throughout the place. "Impressive, eh?" Twilight looked at Troy. "Impressive indeed! You built this?" Troy rubbed his neck. "It wasn't just me. Plenty of knights contributed to this." He spread his arms in front of him. "This is Haven. It was built over an abandoned mine shaft that we stumbled upon after our ship crashed." Twilight looked at Troy. "Ship?" Troy looked at Twilight. "We knights aren't from around here. We aren't from this planet entirely! Our great Star ship, The SkyLark, took some major damage while in space, and crashed here. We called this place Cradle." Twilight looked in wonder. Troy continued. "We stumbled on this place after the ship crashed. We set up camp, and this happened. We've been trying to fix the SkyLark for some time now." Twilight wondered. "Does it really take that long?" Troy laughed. "Oh you have NO idea." Twilight looked around. "What about where we just were?" Troy looked back at the entrance at the side of the mountain. "That's what we called 'The Arcade.'" Twilight looked at Troy. "Why the arcade?" Troy shrugged. "I think it's probably because of the large diversity of monsters that lived in there." Troy looked at Twilight. "Not that I'm calling you a monster. You're actually more friendly than a lot of creatures I've met." Twilight giggled. "I wasn't even thinking about it that way. If you hadn't mentioned it though, I probably would still be calling you 'creature.'" Troy laughed. "I guess we're even then." Twilight was still curious about the Arcade. "Just how diverse are the monsters down there?" Troy pulled off his bag. "Enough to need a hugely diverse arsenal to counter their abilities." Troy opened his bag to reveal a huge amount of equipment. "Wow. That's a large diversity." Troy put his bag back on. "Yeah. It's actually kind of tedious. It's so difficult to sort through all this." Twilight giggled. "Wait. How am I going to get back down home?" Troy stopped. "The only way I can think of is by going back to that exact same level that you came from." Twilight smiled. "That shouldn't be that hard." Troy shook his head. "No, you don't understand. There are monsters, actual monsters, between here and your floor." Twilight blinked in surprise. "Great. I know that it's possible, but at the same time, it's next to impossible." Troy took off his bag. "Maybe not..." Troy shuffled through his bag. "It's gotta be in here somewhere... Ah! There it is!" Troy pulled out a small sword. It was curved sword. It had a small mechanical circle at the back of its blade. Twilight looked at Troy. "It's a curved sword." Troy smiled. "This is my Spur. It's a nice blade." Twilight stared skeptically. "A Curved. Sword. How am I supposed to use it anyway?" Twilight took it from Troy and held it in her hoof. She swung it awkwardly. "Uhm... Twilight, right? I think you're gonna need a little practice at the training hall." Twilight smiled. "You knights have a training hall?" Twilight trotted happily with Troy. They completely ignored the strange stares from the other knights.
Back to the EQ team..."AGH! Where do these things keep coming from!" Applejack bucked another skeleton from getting close. The entire group was sitting in the corner. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were busy keeping the skeletons at bay. "These creeps just don't let up, do they?" Applejack bucked another skeleton. "Lyra!" The unicorn turned to the two mares defending the group. "Mind finding a tool that may be lying around here, help us out of here?" Lyra nodded, and she teleported away. "Let's hope Lyra gets back quick. These things aren't getting any easier." Lyra quickly galloped around the area. "There's got to be something around here that might help..." Lyra looked quickly around, and her eyes fell quickly upon a small stone relic. "What have we here, hmm?" It looked like something that might come in handy, so she wrapped her hoof around it. The strange bandages that wrapped around it began to flash. At one moment it flashed a bright yellow, and another, a dark purple. Regardless, she yanked it free. ~~~~ Applejack was blown back. "Argh! Those claws sharper than a dozen bee stings! Youch!" Applejack struggled to stand up right. "Rainbow! This might be it for us." Rainbow Dash bucked another skeleton and dodged a slash from another. "Maybe... Wait, what's that sound?" A quick galloping could be heard. "Applejack! Just a little longer! I think Lyra's back!" Applejack managed to kick back a skeleton. "She'd better be quick about it." Suddenly the ground turned a bright orange. The skeletons were suddenly set on fire. Unearthly shrieks filled the air as bones began to fly. Skeletons were reduced to bone dust and bone dust to ash as each skeleton met its' burning demise. Lyra stood on there on her two hind legs. She held the weapon in her right hoof. She reached out with her left. "Sorry gals, I couldn't find anything better." Applejack stood unsteadily on her legs. "How are you doing that?" Lyra looked at the sword. "You mean the strange symbols and floating sheets of paper? I honestly have no idea." Applejack waved her hoof. "Nah, not that. You're standing on yer hind legs." Lyra looked down. It was true. "This? It's easy. Nothing to it really." Lyra waved for the rest of them to follow. "Come on, I think I saw another one of those machines over there. Knowing Twilight, she probably wanted to get the hay outa here. Let's go girls!"
Back at the Training Hall..."That's it Twilight, you got it!" Troy was cheering on Twilight as she hacked her way through training bots. She held the Spur in one hoof while holding a small iron buckler in the other. As she swung, the spur launched an array of a light green crescents from its mechanics. Twilight demolished a robot and turned to block an incoming attack. Twilight quickly dispatched the machines and stepped backwards through the ghost wall. "Whew. That was intense! You knights do this in your free time?" Troy chuckled. "Pretty much. I'm surprised you can stand up on your hind legs. I thought unicorns only stood on four legs!" Twilight giggled. "Trust me. Us ponies are capable of a lot of things." Troy patted Twilight on the back. "I can tell." Troy patted Twilight on the back. "But weapons aren't everything. Let's get you some armor." Twilight followed Troy over to a small box. "What's this?" Troy patted the machine. "This, my friend, is an alchemizer." Twilight smiled. "Alchemizer? As in alchemy?" Troy smiled. "Yes it is! Unicorns aren't always all magic." Twilight and Troy laughed good heartedly. "So what's it do?" Troy looked at the machine. "Well, if you have the materials and the recipe, then you can make things." Troy shuffled through his bag. "Hold on... Here!" Troy took out a small binder. "This is my book of recipes. If I have the right materials..." Twilight looked down into his bag. "There we go! Here are the materials! Now let's... wait." Twilight frowned. "What?" Troy rubbed his chin. "These recipes were designed for knights in mind. Maybe if I..." Troy pulled out a small device from his belt. "Twilight, hold absolutely still." Twilight followed orders as Troy walked slowly walked around her, staring at the small screen all the while. "Done! Now, if I put this into the machine..." Twilight watched intently as he plugged the machine into the alchemizer, and touched the screen a few times. "There! Now lets... aw geez." Twilight frowned again. "What is it this time?" Troy pulled out his tank. There was a pitiful amount blue fluid left in it. "I don't have any energy left to make anything." Twilight stared at the liquid. "Energy, do you power everything with it?" Troy nodded. "Yes. If it's from Haven, it's probably powered with energy." Twilight looked around. "How much do you have in there?" Troy looked at the tank. "I have five energy." Twilight looked around. "Let's go to a small corner." Troy blinked. "Why?" Twilight nudged Troy towards the furthest corner. "Trust me." Troy turned to Twilight. "We're here. Now what?" Twilight looked at the tank. "How do you collect the energy?" Troy looked around. "The atmosphere is charged with it. This armor acts like a leaf in the morning. It collects energy almost like dew." Twilight blinked in surprise. "Well, you learn something new every day." Twilight looked around to check to see if anyknight was looking. "Hold still, you might feel a little shock." Troy stood still. "What are you talking abOWWT!" Twilight stepped back. "Oh my goodness, are you okay?" Troy just stood there. "Twilight, you're extremely lucky they have health dispensers close by. Had this happened in the Arcade..." Twilight rubbed her leg. "Sorry I hurt you. Hopefully it worked though. Check your energy tank." Troy was skeptical, then he took a glance at his tank. He had to look again in sheer surprise. "Five hundred? I could've sworn it was only five before. How did you do it?" Twilight smiled. "I used a minor lightning spell combined with minor amplifier spell. That's probably why it hurt so much. Sorry." Troy gave Twilight a friendly punch. "Hey, with powers like yours, how can I complain? Just warn me next time so I can get some better armor out. So that I don't feel it so much, alright?" Twilight smiled. "Sure thing Troy." ~~~~ "It fits, right?" Troy helped tighten a few straps around Twilight. "It fits like a hoof in a sock." Troy took a step back. Twilight looked nice in the traditional colbalt armor of the Spiral Knights. "These machines are really accurate!" Troy stopped to admire Twilight. "Some armors have its benefits, some can slow you down." Twilight looked around the armor. "So what benefits does this armor serve?" Troy flipped through his recipe book. "Gives you boosted sword attack power." Twilight smiled. "Not bad!" Suddenly Twilight felt a tap on her shoulder. Twilight turned to find Spike. "What is it Spike?" "A bunch of knights are harassing our friends!" Troy and Twilight looked at each other. "How did they get here?" Troy smiled. "You have friends? I'd love to meet them."
How Rude!"I told you it was a bad idea." Fluttershy was cowering in the center of the group. Applejack and the rest stared defiantly at the on lookers. "How did you monsters get up here anyhow?" "Get back to the Arcade where you belong!" "I hope the wolvers gnaw on your bones by nightfall." Applejack looked over to Rainbow Dash. "Any idea what they're talking about?" Rainbow Dash shook her head. "All of this is beyond me." Lyra looked around. "This is not looking good for us." Lyra suddenly thought of something. Lyra pulled out her blade. "Well THAT is an interesting blade!" The entire crowd looked over to find a knight and... "Twilight? Is that you?" Rainbow Dash could hardly recognize her in the cobalt armor that she wore. "Yes it's me Rainbow." "Troy? What are you doing with these monsters?" "I thought you were friendly Troy!" "Why did you give these things armor? You just made our job harder!" "I thought you were civilized!" "Hold your horses everybody!" Troy turned to Twilight. "No pun intended." He turned back to the crowd. "I know what this looks like. But if you will please give these so called monsters of yours a chance, they can explain themselves." "HOW? They're MONSTERS! They can't talk!" "Actually, to the contrary. I, excuse me, we, can hear and understand you quite well." Twilight walked among the stunned spectators. "I know I've been attracting a few unfriendly stares from some of you. But rest assured, I am friendly. So are my friends here." Twilight looked back to the group. "You tell'em Twilight!" Rainbow Dash cheered. Twilight promptly brought Rainbow down to earth. "That didn't help your position at all. Let me do the talking." "Now I'm sure that some of you are wondering what we're doing here. Trust me, I do not want to stay here longer then I want to. This group right here followed me here to try and rescue me. Believe me there is no need for alarm." "Are you sure about that?" Twilight glanced over to find a knight walking towards her. Twilight glanced. "Who are you?" The knight laughed. "I'm Amzok. And let me tell you. If there is one thing I don't like, it's monsters." Twilight frowned. "As I said before, we are not...!" Twilight was cut off when she found a blade pointed at her throat. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now." Twilight sighed. Just as quickly she twirled on her hooves and pulled out her blade. Amzok was shocked to find a blade to his own neck. "Because I can just as easily treat you, like a monster." Twilight put her sword away, and Amzok tripped away in fear. "You'll be hearing from me!" Twilight was amazed when all the other knights began to laugh. "Huh?" Troy walked up slowly and patted Twilight on the back. "That was AMAZING Twilight! You know who Amzok is, right?" Twilight chuckled awkwardly. "I have no idea who he was." Troy laughed harder. "Amzok is the scourge of our community. NOBODY LIKES HIM! You and your friends just earned the support of the entire camp!" Twilight smiled. Lyra walked up to Twilight. "What was that all about?" Twilight looked over to Lyra. "Oh hey Lyra. Nice sword. Where'd you get it?" Lyra shrugged. "Some creepy run down altar of some sorts." Troy walked over. "That there is a mighty fine blade. Let me see it?" Lyra shrugged and tossed it over. "Oof! And a might heavy, I might add!" Troy held it up. "With the right stuff, this blade can be really powerful." Rainbow Dash trotted over. "That's all nice, but what about us? We want a cool weapon too!" Troy was suddenly surrounded with ponies. "Whoa! Calm down guys! Or gals. Gals?" Twilight nodded. "Gals. I'll get you some stuff. Just promise me one thing." The group nodded in agreement. "You need me to help me get materials. Making these things isn't cheap." All the ponies nodded and cheered.
Going into the Arcade"Does this poncho make my flank look big?" Applejack looked over her back to check out the new poncho she wore. "Woohoo! This is AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash was flying above the group in a light armor that bent with ease. Troy laughed. "That armor was inspired by the beasts of the Arcade and designed with the blade in mind! Rainbow, right? See if you can catch this!" Rainbow Dash looked over to find a spinning silver blur flying at her. She caught it in her mouth. "Whoa. This is wicked sharp!" Rainbow held it up to the sunlight. The light flashed off its many, and possibly excessive, pointed edges. "Careful Rainbow, It'll cut you if you don't swing it the right way." Rainbow Dash swung it experimentally, and was surprised by a ghostly mirage that followed it. "Whoa. That is awesome!" Applejack looked over to Rarity. She had on a fanciful hat that had folded on one side. A silk cloth draped over her left shoulder, covering a large portion of her leg. "I must admit Troy, you knights have a knowledgeable taste in fashion even in combat!" Troy smiled. "For a lady such as yourself, I think I'll recommend the Final Flourish!" Troy handed Rarity a small straight blade. "You can look fancy and strike quickly with that sword." Rarity admired it as she swung the blade through the air and listened to the whistling it made. Fluttershy trudged over. Applejack could see the pegasus was struggling under the heavy plate armor. "Troy? How do you knights wear these things?" Troy chuckled a little bit. "This armor might be a bit heavy, but it definitely serves its purpose. This armor was made to take a beating. It's not called 'Plate Armor' for nothing!" Pinkie Pie hopped over wearing a bulky armor. "Troy, I don't know what you use this armor for, but it looks like balloons put together!" Troy looked over to Pinkie Pie. "You like it?" Pinkie Pie looked at the armor she wore. "I like it, but what's it for?" Troy smiled. "Here catch! But don't drop it!" Pinkie Pie caught the small flashing ball. "Ooh! What's this thing do?" Pinkie Pie gasped in delight. "A BUTTON!" Troy stopped her before she could push it. "Pinkie Pie, this is a bomb. The Nitronome is the biggest bomb I could find. Be careful." Pinkie Pie smiled. "Don't worry Troy, you an trust me!" Pinkie Pie stared intently at the button as Applejack put her hoof to her face. Applejack looked around. "Troy, I admit this poncho looks mighty nice on me, but remind me again why I think it won't work?" Troy looked over. "Applejack, you don't take me as the kind of pony that likes to be up close and personal." Applejack frowned. "Actually, I'm probably the strongest mare round here." Troy blinked in surprise. "Oops. Sorry." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Sorry Applejack. I'm out of materials. I did make this for you though, if it isn't bad, you know." Applejack took the strange contraption from Troy. "I found a gun during my travels through the arcade. Turns out I could make it better. So I did." Applejack looked at it more closely. It had a light yellow fragments floating about it, and it looked much like a crossbow. "So if I pull on this thing, then it will shoot?" Troy nodded. Lyra walked over on her hind legs. She was wearing something along the lines of a white magicians' robe, and the hood had a floating yellow halo floating over it. "This is impressive, Troy! How did you do it?" Troy took out a blade from his bag. "The halo was my own touch. Magnetic Luminite." Troy handed the large blade back to Lyra. "Like it? You told me about the nasty skeleton encounter before, so I looked through my book, and it turns out I could upgrade your blade too. So I did. Skeletons shouldn't be a problem for you now." Lyra held up the blade and admired it. It's hilt was golden, and it's blade was no longer wrapped in sheets of marked paper. Instead, an almost heavenly yellow glow surrounded its edge, curling like vines on a fence. "It's beautiful." Lyra smiled. Twilight walked in. She was wearing the same cobalt armor that Troy had given her before. "Troy, it looks like your low again. Should I give you a jump?" Troy looked over to his bottle. "Why, yes it is! Just give me a sec." Troy took off his bag. "Wow, thanks to you girls, my bag is light as a feather!" He sorted through what was left of his belongings. he pulled out a few pieces of armor and put it on. "Okay Twilight. Fire away." Twilight gave him a shock slightly stronger then before. Troy was trembling with the after effects for a few moments. When he recovered, he took a look at his tank. "Right back up to five hundred. This magic thing of yours has me hooked!" Twilight smiled as the group walked towards the Arcade. ~~~~ "So what's the plan, Troy?" Troy smiled as the group gazed upon the machine that led into the mysterious Arcade. "Before you is the entrance to the Arcade. When it is activated, you descend into the unknown!" "Actually, it looks like you know the whole layout of the place." Twilight was staring at a small machine on Troys belt. "Yeah. That was just for dramatic effect." Twilight giggled. "You don't suppose we could get something like that?" Troy looked surprised. "You can operate this thing?" Twilight smiled. "It looks simple enough. It has tabs and no buttons. I'm assuming it's a touch screen." Troy laughed. "You learn fast, Twilight. I'll give you that. Wait right here while I get some for you all." Twilight watched as he turned and pulled out his wallet. "You use scrap metal for currency?" Troy looked over. "Scrap metal? Oh no. We use these things." Troy held out a piece of the 'scrap metal.' It had an image of a crown etched into it. "These are called 'crowns.' It's the basic currency around here." The groups each took their own little machines. "Now that you all have your own PDA's, Let's get down to business." Troy looked around the group. "You all know that there is a bottom to the Arcade called the Core, right?" The ponies looked among themselves in confusion. "You don't know? Twilight, do I have to go into the SkyLark and all that again?" Twilight smiled. "I filled them in while you were busy doing alchemy." Troy smiled. "Good. Now, there is a place at the very core of this planet, aptly named, The Core. There is a humongous energy source at The Core, and we could potentially use it to power the SkyLark and leave this place." "I thought we were here to pay you back." Everyone looked at Fluttershy. "Pay me back? For your equipment? Don't worry about it. If it really means that much to you, then you can collect any heat and crowns you find in your travels." Twilight looked at Troy. "You mean those embers I saw you pick up?" Troy was startled. "How did you see me pick them up?" Twilight waved her hoof. "We've seen several knights travel through our area, Troy. You're honestly not the first." Troy just chuckled. "Those knights were extremely lucky." "Now, start off. There are four gates going into the Arcade. They're all different, and for some reason they are able to re calibrate themselves to any order. So I advise you to pay close attention to your PDAs, and be wary around your foes." "Let's get the teams together." Twilight looked around the group. "In total, there are eight of us, and a single unicorn is required to power each machine, so I think we should go off in pairs balancing weaknesses." "Rarity, bring Fluttershy with you. She might be slow, but her shield looks more durable than yours." Rarity nodded. "I'll keep that in mind, Twilight." "Troy, your a swordsman right? Take Pinkie Pie with you. I assure you behind that smiling face is a master demomare." Troy smiled unsuredly. "I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, but alright." Pinkie Pie smiled as she bounced the Nitronome on her head. Troy was extremely unsettled by this for some reason. "Applejack, go with Lyra. A blade can be powerful, but the wielder does get worn out. Your gun should be helpful there." Applejack nodded. "Got it. Lyra! You're with me," "Rainbow Dash, you're coming with me. That blade looks fast, but it's not as big nor as powerful as the rest of ours." Rainbow Dash frowned. "Wow, thanks a lot Twilight." Troy raised a finger. "Actually Rainbow, she's got a point. A Spiral Knight Swordsman relies on a blade powerful enough to knock back and therefor cancel the enemies attack. Fluttershy here will have no problem, seeing how her blade is the same size as her. But your blade Rainbow, your blade, is meant for masters. That blade strikes quickly, but has no strength on its own." Rainbow Dash took this in slowly. "Fine. Let's get this over with." The groups walked onto a separate machine. One by one, they descended into the darkness.
The Scarlet Fortress"Applejack, I don't think you'll be able use that gun properly if you don't stand on your hind legs." Lyra was looking back as Applejack was pretty much stumbling through the hallways. "I JUST DON'T GET IT! HOW DO YOU DO THAT?" Lyra sighed. "To think that you'd be better than I am, considering your hind legs are stronger than mine." Applejack tripped into Lyra, who easily caught her. "Well excuse me. I'm new to this. I seen you practice for who knows how long!" Lyra rolled her eyes. She took a glance around. "This is a really nice place, don't you think?" Applejack stood unsteadily on her back legs. "Now that you mention it, yeah, it is kinda nice. Wonder why there's no one here." Applejack looked around. Lyra took a step forward. Applejack lost her balance and fell on her face. Lyra turned and laughed. "Honestly Applejack, I don't think you'll be able to defend yourself on four legs." Applejack looked up with a furious red on her face. "Just wait til I get my hooves on you." Applejack's eyes turned to notice a small pink thing around the corner. "Whuzzat?" Applejack put her gun in a sling on her belt, and she approached the pink thing. It looked like a ghost, but it had the most adorable kitty face. "Well ain't you the cutest thing I ever seen?" Applejack sat down as the small creature looked up to Applejack. It mewed. "Aw...." "APPLEJACK! LOOK OUT!" Applejack turned her head to find that similar creatures had begun to attack Lyra. She turned back. "What in the hay!" The kitty face had disappeared into a howling ghouls face. A snarl told Applejack to step back before a bloodthirsty bite could reach her. "BACK OFF!" Applejack whipped out her gun and fired three shots towards the demonic cat. It was blown back. A purple puff of smoke and an echoing cry of anguish were the only traces of it's existence. "APPLEJACK! A LITTLE HELP HERE!" Lyra raced past Applejack. A sudden howl caught Applejacks' attention. Dozens of the little cats had appeared out of seemingly nowhere, and were giving a hot chase. "GAH!" Applejack quickly turned on her hooves and ran. "What are you doing?" Lyra yelled back. "WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING? RUNNING!" Lyra groaned audibly. "You have a gun. USE IT!" Applejack suddenly realized what having a gun meant. Applejack spun up onto her hind hooves, and her gun began glowing. "I sure hopes this works." The ghosts flew into the air and skydived towards Applejack. "HERE GOES NOTHING!" A large globe of energy shot out of the barrel of the weapon. All the ghosts were blown back a few feet. Lyra stepped back to Applejack. "Thanks. Cover me would you?" Lyra raced past Applejack with her sword drawn. The ghosts had little time to react as the unicorn brought the blade across her. Several beams of light pierced the ghost, and reduced them to purple smoke. Applejack picked off the last few, and together, they traveled down the hallway. Lyra chuckled. "Wow. That was out of nowhere. What were those things anyway?" Lyra picked up her PDA and flipped through some screens. "What are they, Lyra?" Lyra squinted her eyes. "Spookats? Apparently those aren't the only kinds down here." Lyra and Applejack looked up to find the machine in front of them. "It'll only get harder from here. Ready, AJ?" Applejack hesitated. "Nopony calls me AJ 'cept RD." Lyra smirked. "Alright, AJ. So be it." Lyra laughed at Applejack as they descended to the floor below.
Mechanized MileRainbow Dash flew around the dark area. Twilight Sparkle was keeping an eye around the expanse. Her hooves clanked on the entirely metal floor. The distant sounds of grinding gears and bouncing sparks could be heard echoing throughout the corridors. "Why is this place so empty?" Rainbow Dash looked around. Twilight looked around. "I don't know. Maybe it's down this way?" Twilight pointed towards a dark alley. "I think it's this way." Rainbow Dash pointed in the opposite direction. "It's got this giant shiny button on it." Twilight looked curiously over. "Well what do you know?" There was a giant shiny button. It wasn't so much shiny itself, but it glowed from underneath. "I wonder..." Twilight put her hoof on it. She was startled by a small message that popped up in her face. "'This button will activate when all living party members stand on the button?'" Rainbow Dash smiled. "Cool! Let's go then!" Twilight stopped Rainbow. "Rainbow Dash, you really need to stop and pay attention to these things." Rainbow Dash watched as Twilight walked up to the gate. "Twilight. It's obvious to anypony this switch opens that gate." Twilight sighed. "I know that, Rainbow. but look at the base of this gate." Rainbow looked, and saw a small bump where the gate slide away to. "Now look behind you." Rainbow looked behind her. There was a similar bump in the ground. "Yeah, so?" Twilight sighed. "I'm thinking that once this gate goes down, that gate will go up. Unless you can find a way to lower both gates at the same time, I suggest we check out what's over there." Rainbow Dash sighed. "Alright." Twilight walked over to the opposite corridor and pushed a nearby button. The gate went down, revealing a crowded area. Twilight could hear grumbling and groans. "There we go." Suddenly surprised whispers and grunts could be heard. "Twilight, I'm pretty sure their not friendly." Rainbow Dash unsheathed her blade, brandishing its many edges. "Let's get this over with." Twilight waited with her sword drawn as the footsteps came down the corridor. Large impish creatures turned the corner, wielding huge hammers. Twilights' Spur began to generate a yellow glow, and the mechanical gear began to whir fiercely. Twilight swung her blade, and a green glowing disc blew out from the mechanical tip. It cut through the advancing enemy, and effectively scattered the remaining enemies. Rainbow Dash swooped down before any of them could react. Barrel Rolls, Loops and Dives, she incorporated all her moves into a deadly arsenal. The skilled pegasus laid waste to the small army. "Huh. Looks like you were right, Twilight." Twilight quickly trotted over to several columns of colorful mineral structures. "I told you Rainbow! Just pay a little more attention next time, alright?" The two didn't notice a small gremlin watching them as they collected the minerals. It ran off silently behind a hidden door.
Fortune smiles on the Greedy"Oh! I remember this place!" It was a bright clearing. The birds were singing, the flowers were blooming, and there was not a single hint of evil in sight. "This is where I think Twilight came from, right?" Troy looked down to Pinkie Pie. "Correct! I think you should pay a visit to Ponyville! It's not too far from here." Troy chuckled nervously. "I, don't think that's such a good idea, Pinkie." Pinkie Pie dragged him along anyway. "Come on, Troy! It'll be fun! Ponyville is friendly!" ~~~~ "What happened here, Pinkie?" Ponyville was as brilliant and vibrant as ever. The flowers lining the streets were in full blossom, and the birds sang a merry tune. Except that there was nopony around. "I'm sure it's just a new pony thing. The same thing happened to Zecora. Let's go to town hall!" Not surprisingly, it was also closed. "Pinkie, I'm not so sure this was a good idea in the first place." Pinkie Pie laughed. "Ah, don't worry about it. I'm sure once everything's explained, you'll be welcome here!" Pinkie Pie knocked on the door. The mayor peeked her head from around the door. "Hello Pinkie Pie. What are you wearing?" Pinkie Pie smiled. "It's a new armor my friend gave me!" The mayors' eyes widened a little. "Really?" She opened the door a little wider and saw Troy. He waved. "You must be the leader here." The mayors eye opened her eyes in surprise. "You can speak?" "Well of course I can talk. If I couldn't talk, I probably wouldn't be with Pinkie Pie here right now." The Mayor stared in amazement. "Well. I think the Princess is in the Town Library. Go visit her. She'll know what to do." ~~~~ "Hey Princess! We're BACK!" Pinkie Pie opened the door to the library. Troy followed close behind. "This is you library? Impressive." The Alicorn turned around. "Ah, Pinkie Pie, you're..." She stopped short when she saw Troy. "Hello, being. May I know your name?" Troy turned around and gasped. The Princess towered over him, literally twice as tall as himself. His voice shook as he introduced himself. "P-Pleasure to m-meet you, your majesty." The Princess giggled. "You're not from here. I can tell. Please. I have no authority over you. You have no reason to fear." Troy loosened up, but just so slightly. "I'm Troy. You are Celestia I presume?" The royalty smiled. "See, now that wasn't so hard now was it? Please, take a seat. Tell me how Twilight's doing." Troy smiled. "You know Twilight too?" ~~~~ Princess Celestia sat in wonder at what Troy said. She looked at Pinkie Pie. "So Twilight is probably somewhere in the Clockworks?" Troy and Pinkie Pie nodded. "I can't pinpoint her exact location, but if anything happens, she will be safe." The Princess tapped her chin. "You know, I found the most curious thing several years ago in my old castle." Troy looked surprised as the Princess' horn lit up. He leaned towards Pinkie Pie. "How many castles does she have?" Pinkie Pie only giggled as the white light grew brighter. When Troy brought his hands down, the most curious set of armor had set appeared on the table top. They gleamed a snow white, and they shined with quality and care. The Princess used her magic to bring it together. "I had no idea what this was, or what it did. But seeing you reminded me of it. If I could just..." The magic of the Princess were swinging it around until it was a completed armor. Troy stared in awe. "The Valkyrie Armor. Said to have been worn by an ancient branch of Spiral Knights." The Princess gave it to Troy. "How did you find it?" The Princess shrugged. "I found it on a skeleton. Fortunately, the dragon didn't want it anymore. I figured I'd keep it for show or something." Troy smiled. "Wow. This is just. Wow. Thank you." The Princess smiled. "There's one more thing." The Princess brought over a large, two pieced blade. It was black, and it looked like it hadn't been used in a while. Troy looked in surprise. "What's that?" The Princess looked around the sword. "Huh, it looked different before." Pinkie Pie watched as the Princess turned the sword in all direction. "Princess, may I?" Celestia turned to Pinkie Pie, and gave it to her handle first. Pinkie Pie took a nearby quill and played around with the area in between the blade. "I think..." Pinkie Pie grunted, and something came loose. "There! Now all I have to do is..." Pinkie Pie swiped it in front of her. The blade suddenly blazed to life. Fire and sparks blew out from the blade. Pinkie Pie smiled broadly as she handed it to Troy. "Cool, huh?" Troy held the blade and listened to the fierce crackling of the fire in the blade. "Amazing! And you just found this?" The Princess nodded. "It was just lying there. Take it if you want. My artists have sculpted so many like it." Troy smiled broadly. "Thank you, Princess!" "You're welcome." The Princess smiled as the pair left through the door. She could hear Pinkie Pie saying, "See? I told you it was a good idea!"
Candle Stick keepApplejack and Lyra landed with a resounding clunk. They shivered from the cold air of the area. Stone walls with sad excuses of banners stretched far from the light from the candle. "What's that?" Applejack looked over to a small yellow machine lying on the floor near the ghost wall. She walked over and pressed a button. A small message popped up. Beware the Grimalkin! These giant Spookats cannot be defeated! Instead, run into the safe light of a warding candle. Applejack shivered at the last memory of the Spookats. "There are BIGGER ones?" Lyra nodded. "I told you before. They're are so many more down here." Applejack gulped. "Alright. Let's go. In and out. Nothing to it." She stepped through the ghost wall. "Dagnabbit. Can't see the hoof in front of my face." Applejack looked around the darkness all around her. She looked behind her to the little area where the candle was. "Come on Lyra! We ain't got all day!" The unicorn walked through the ghost wall holding her blade up. "Let's get going." No sooner then a second after she finished speaking a dark shadow appeared on the floor. Lyra turned towards the dark moan from behind her. Slowly her head followed the growth of the shadow. It was a large fearsome Spookat wearing a skull. Its' teeth were not really teeth, but leftovers of whatever closed its' mouth. An evil purple glowed from its mouth. "RUN FOR IT!" Lyra dropped her blade and ran as fast as she could. Applejack followed closely behind. "Oh Celestia, what IS that thing?" Applejack held her hat on her head as she ran. Lyra just kept on running. "Grimalkin! What else?" Applejack looked back. Several Spookats had appeared along with some skeletons. "Oh come on!" They quickly ducked under the glow of a candle. They watched intently as the Grimalkin neared closer and closer. Then suddenly it bit at the air and disappeared back into the floor. "Whew! Too close." Applejack whipped out her gun. "Now we gotta deal with them." Lyra turned to find several Spookats and skeletons had followed them. They were also somehow immune to the light. "Let's... wait." She suddenly realized she dropped her blade near the ghost wall. "Applejack, hold them back. I'll be right back." Lyra dashed off, dodging between Spookat and skeleton. Applejack held her gun unsteadily at the ghosts. "Ah shoot. This just ain't right." She fired quick bolts of light and slowly back up. "There's just too many of them!" Applejack kept backing up. The more she fired, the further she walked away from the light of the candle. Applejack was busy keeping the ghosts away when a sudden moan stopped her in her tracks. She turned slowly to find a Grimalkin had appeared behind her. "GAH!" She quickly dodged around it. Applejack only ran from the Grimalkins. She looked around in fear for another candle, but despite how many she saw, none of them were lit. She suddenly met a wall. "No. No. No. No. NO!" She turned and backed against the wall. She watched as the Grimalkin turned the corner. She prayed to Celestia that it wouldn't see her, but it did anyway. Applejack watched hopelessly as the Grimalkin closed in on her. He lofted her hat. "See ya later, Lyra." A great cackling echoed through the hall, stopping the Grimalkin in its' tracks. It slowly turned and disappeared into the floor. Applejack turned her attention to the sound of bone rattling. She started to shiver as it got louder. Suddenly a dark skeleton, clad in a dark purple armor turned the corner. Its' cold yellow eyes looked around, and it fell upon her. Applejack began to shake even more as it walked closer to her. Applejack soon realized it had three horns. Applejack closed her eyes and muttered prayers. "Whoa hey Applejack, calm down! It's only me!" Applejack opened her eyes. "Lyra?" The skeleton took off its' head to reveal the familiar face of the unicorn. "I found this while running from the Grimalkin. Pretty neat huh?" She spread her hooves out and spun in a circle. Applejack started to laugh. "What are you laughing for?" Applejack laughed even harder. "You scared the living cahoots outta me! Don't do that again!" Lyra smiled. "I found this nice blade and shield to go along with it." Lyra showed off her new blade. It was slim, and it looked evil, like it was forged from obsidian. The shield looked like a rib cage ripped off the skeletons. "Wow, those look strong!" Lyra smiled. "Yeah, but now I got these voices in my head. 'Remember to block', and 'attack when you know you can' and things like that." Applejack smiled. "But what about you're old blade?" Lyra smiled as she dropped it in front of Applejack. "How about you hold on to it. i don't need it anymore." Applejack picked up the heavy blade. "Wow! I didn't think it was that heavy!" Lyra chuckled. "What? Too heavy for you?" Applejack huffed. "Lyra, stop it. It ain't funny." Lyra laughed again. Applejack looked around. "What happened to all the ghost?" Lyra shrugged. "I sent them back. Apparently this armor can tell them what to do." Applejack smiled. "So we won't have to worry about it?" Lyra smiled as she walked onto the elevator. "As long as I'm around, you won't." Applejack frowned as Lyra powered up the elevator. "Wuzzat supposed to mean?" Lyra laughed as they descended into the dark.
RumorsTwilight Sparkle was in the library lounge, catching up on some light reading. A cup of tea magically floated down to her as she took a sip. The unicorn thought for a moment, and she brought her tea box over. "Shoot. Almost out of leaves." Twilight looked around. "SPIKE! SPIKE!" A young infant dragon ran down the steps. "I'm coming, I'm coming." Twilight looked back to her assistant. "Spike, I'm going to Zecoras' to get a new batch of tea leaves. Watch the library while I'm gone, okay?" Spike smiled. "Isn't that what I always do?" Twilight giggled. "Just making sure Spike. Just making sure." Twilight walked out the front door and smiled. It was a beautiful day, sun shining and not a cloud in the sky. There was nothing wrong. "Where is everypony?" Suddenly a pink earth pony popped out of nowhere. "THERE you are Twilight! I was looking for you! It's important!" Twilight was dumbfounded. "What's so important, Pinkie?" She just jumped in place urgently. "Town Square. Now." Twilight shrugged, and followed Pinkie Pie to Town Square. When they arrived, the whole of Ponyville was already assembled at the front of Town Hall. Twilight could hear murmurs of confusion as she walked up the aisle. "Why are we here?" "I heard some rumors about the Everfree Forest." "I hope no one was hurt." Twilight was sick with worry by the time she was at the front. Shortly after, the mayor came up to the podium. "Attention please! Attention please! Now, I know all of you are concerned with the recent rumors going about. Some of you may have heard of a strange new creature carrying shiny sticks and heavy plates, I assure you that there is no need to panic." Twilight was confounded. "Shiny sticks? Heavy plates?" "Our friend Zecora has seen these creatures many times, and all she sees them doing are passing by, emptying boxes of sorts. We currently have not have any eyewitnesses of said creatures, but rest assured, they are not hostile. Zecora estimates them to be roughly our height." Twilight was confused. "Roughly our height? Interesting." ~~~~ Twilight was flipping through page after page of books. The library was a mess. Spike came down from the steps. "Oh Twilight, you're back. Aw, don't tell me I have to clean that up!" Twilight didn't turn her head to respond. "How was the nap Spike? Does this library carry anything on creatures holding sharp sticks and wearing heavy plates?" Spike scratched his head. "Are you talking about horcs?" "And they're roughly my height." Spike thought for a moment. "Nope. I can't think of it. Why?" Twilight stood up. "That was the last book in the library. Hm..." Twilight lifted her bag and began to pack parchment and quills. "Excuse me Twilight, but um, where are you going?" Twilight closed her bag. "To the Everfree Forest. Why?" Spike shook his head. "Isn't that dangerous? I mean, with the rumors floating around." Twilight turned her head. "How did you know?" Spike sighed. "The balcony on the second floor looks out to Town Hall." Twilight sighed, and then perked up. "You know what Spike? You're right." Spike smiled. "That's why you're coming with me." Spike frowned. "What?" Twilight smirked. "Come on Spike, we're not even gonna stay there for long." Spike was shivering. "But, what about the... and the..." Spike was fretting. "Oh come on Spike, It's not that bad." Twilight nudged Spike with a wink. "Besides, I could always use a mighty DRAGON at my side!" This cheered Spike up. "Well, who wouldn't feel safe with a powerful dragon at their side?" Twilight rolled her eyes and giggled as she and Spike left the Library.
Where Ponies fear to TredTwilight Sparkle and Spike landed on a small area. It was dark as night, and the grass gave an eerie glow. "What is this place?" Twilight looked around to see many broken stone columns and rocks. "What's this box?" Twilight turned to a strange yellow black box. It had a dial on it with a few numbers. "...Let me see, nine digits..." Twilight put in the number '000000042' from a book she liked. It clicked open. "What are these things?" Twilight shifted through the box's contents. "Looks like swords shields and armor. SPIKE!" The young dragon jumped. "AH! Twilight really! don't yell that loudly." Twilight rolled her eyes. "It's just a little dark Spike. Are you writing this down?" Twilight walked past Spike, who was scribbling furiously about the strange contents of the box. "What's this?" Twilight looked at the strange apparition. It was something like a wall, except it was made of floating cloud like substance. Twilight reached her hoof through. "Interesting...wait." Twilight tried pulling her hoof back. She couldn't budge it back to her side of the wall. "SPIKE! Take this down!" Spike came up to Twilight. "What is that?" Twilight sighed. "It looks like a wall, but it's only one way. Take a look back at the machine, does it look like we can go back up?" Spike walked back to the platform where they landed. "Sorry Twilight, doesn't look like it." Twilight sighed. "Guess we can only go forward." Twilight trotted through the wall. "Come on Spike!" Spike looked fearfully at the wall. Twilight looked back and sighed. "No, it doesn't hurt Spike." Spike looked at Twilight and sighed. He then walked through the wall. "Come on Spike, We have to find a way out of this place." Twilight made her way down from the hill. Spike looked around nervously as he surveyed the surrounding area. "Twilight?" The unicorn looked back at Spike. "Yes, Spike?" Spike gulped. "Why are there so many...Gravestones?" He was right. There were gravestones spaced evenly every three feet. "I don't know, Spike. To be honest, it scares me too." "GAH! TWILIGHT!" Spike tugged on Twilight's mane. "Argh! Spike! What is... AH!" A bony hand had reached out from one of the graves. It began to pull itself out of the ground. Twilight watched in horror at the skeleton that stared at her with its' yellow eyes. It had a dusty breath, and it was not held together by anything. "W-what do we do now Twilight?" Spike whispered to Twilight. "I'm not sure, but one things for certain. we've got to..." She was cut off by an hellish shrill and she turned back to find the skeletons had raised it's all too obviously sharp bone hand into the air. "RUN!" Twilight dashed off just before the hand swiped down, making a sharp whistling as it cut the air. "Um.. Twilight!" Twilight looked back to find about four more skeletons had joined the original. They were all following her. "Oh no! Oh no oh no oh... OOF!" Twilight ran face first into a wall. When she recovered, She found three more skeletons had joined them. "HELP!" Twilight let out a desperate cry. "I guess this is it Twilight." Spike gulped and bravely stepped in front of Twilight. "No Spike! Don't!" Suddenly, cries of anguish rang out as the skeletons began to turn to their back. Bones flew into the air as one by one they were cut down. Twilight stared in amazement as the skeleton in front of her was cut in two. She looked up to her savior. Then she looked back down. He wasn't that tall. Roughly her own height. He was wearing a light plate armor. He brought his sword back to him. Twilight recognized him as the creature she had seen go down the machine. He looked at her. Twilight looked back at him. "That's interesting. I came here to save another creature." Twilight looked at him in surprise. "You can talk?" The creature stepped back in surprise "You can talk?" Twilight was dumbfounded. "How can you talk? I've never seen anything like you!" The creature pointed his finger. "How can you talk? I've never seen anything like you!" Spike just stood there. "What?" Twilight raised her hoof. "Let's not let this get out of hand. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Twilight Sparkle. You are?" The creature looked at her hoof and awkwardly took a hold of it. "My name is Troy John. Where, umm, where are you from?" Twilight pointed to the direction where she came from. "I'm from the land of Equestria. I followed you down here on that machine thing." The creature looked surprised. "Well that's interesting. I thought only Spiral Knights could operate that." Twilight looked curiously at Troy. "A Spiral what?" Troy looked back. "Oh right, sorry. I come from Haven." Twilight looked curiously again. "Haven?" The knight put his palm to his face. "I'm sorry, I've forgotten you're new. Haven is like a resting point for knights like us. The Spiral Knights." Twilight shook her head. "Nope. Still not getting it." Troy sighed. "Follow me up there, I'm out of energy anyway." Twilight followed Troy as he trudged up a small hill. "Energy?" Troy stopped in front of another machine. "You don't know what energy is? Interesting." He pulled out a small bottle and poured its familiar blue fluid into the tank. "Then how did you get down here?" Twilight Sparkle walked onto the platform. "I used magic. I'm a unicorn. I can do that." Troy pressed the up button on the console. "Magic, eh? Interesting." Troy looked up as two large metal beams came slamming down onto the platform. Twilight Sparkle jumped as the resounding clang came to her ears and the platform began to rise.
Back at Equestria..."WHAT!?" The white alicorn looked about Twilights' friends. "It's true. Twilight wrote in her letter that she was going on an expedition of some kind, and that she may or may not be coming back." A rainbow maned pegasus rushed up to the alicorn. "Princess Celestia, Why didn't you stop her?" The Princess simply shook her head. "I was completely unaware that she had gone up until the point where I got the letter." Pinkie Pie walked up to the Princess. "I say we should go down to get her. Who knows what ghostlies are down there? Rainbow Dash, are you with me?" The blue pegasus nodded. Alright!" The Princess looked at the two. "Twilight specifically mentioned that a unicorn is required to power the machine. Even if you do make it to the entrance, I'm not sure you can get any further." Pinkie Pie sighed. "Wait." She perked up. "Rarity! Wanna come with us?" The white unicorn turned to Pinkie Pie. "Of course I'm going with you! She's a friend. No matter the circumstances, I will help her in times of trouble! Applejack! Are you with us?" The orange earth pony smirked. "Course I am, Rarity. Ya'll probably need a bit o' bucking power where ya'll going." Applejack looked back to a yellow pegasus. "Not sure I can say the same for Fluttershy though." "Come on Fluttershy, we need you!" The pegasus looked back at Pinkie Pie. "I don't know Pinkie. It sounds dangerous." Pinkie Pie smiled. "Oh come on, Fluttershy! Who knows! You might meet some new animal friends where we're going!" That perked the mare up. "O-Okay Pinkie Pie." The Princess smiled. "That sounds like a good group to me." The Princess tapped her chin. "Although, there is one thing bothering me." Everyone turned to the Princess. "Twilight mentioned that magic is needed to power this, 'machine'. I'm thinking that one unicorn isn't enough." Pinkie Pie smiled. "Oh! So, we need two unicorns! I know just the girl!" Pinkie Pie rushed out the door. A few moments later, she came back with a mint colored unicorn. "Lyra here will help!" The unicorn looked at Pinkie. "Help in what? Oh! Your majesty, forgive me for this rude intrusion." The Princess laughed. "There's no need for such an address, Lyra, although our friends here could use a helping hand." Lyra looked around. "I don't see why you need me. We got enough horse power in here already." Lyra snickered at her little pun. The Princess smiled. "This may be a good crowd, but we're in need of a little extra help. Specifically, unicorn help. This party only has one unicorn, and a unicorn is essential where these ponies are going." Lyra looked around. "Alright, I'm game. A lyre makes a heck of a bow and arrow anyway." Lyra pulled out her lyre and demonstrated, shooting a magical arrow into the forehead of a wooden horse head model. "So, where we off to?"
Gloaming Wildwoods"Fluttershy, darling. We're never going to get out of here if you keep hiding like this!" Rarity was walking through a dark forested area. There was no sun, almost like the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy was hiding behind a small bush. "It's so... dark." Rarity rolled her eyes. "I know that, darling. But honestly, you can't hide forever." Fluttershy whimpered. "Think about it Fluttershy. If you don't move, then you'll never get out!" "Oh, I wish Angel were here..." Rarity sighed. "Come on Fluttershy. There's no point in standing back there." A small noise caught her ear. Rarity turned to find a bump in the ground. It was moving around. Suddenly a fur ball popped out of the ground. Rarity drew her blade as it uncurled to reveal a snarling wolf. "The beasts here are impressive. Even our Timber Wolves live in caves. Not underground." Rarity quickly stepped to the side as the beast rushed around her. She jabbed quickly, and the wolver was brought to its knees. Another snarl from behind alerted the unicorn to another wolver behind her. Rarity had just enough time to escape before the beast ripped her sash. Rarity held it up pathetically. "This CANNOT be forgiven!" Fluttershy peeked from around a bush to find Rarity fighting fiercely. Fluttershy stared in horror as Rarity tried to swipe at the beast. She noticed the other wolver, whimpering softly in pain. She walked up slowly. The wolver noticed and snarled. "Don't worry." Fluttershy took off her heavy helmet. "I'm here to help." She picked up the ripped sash from Raritys' garment and slowly wrapped it around the bleeding leg. "I'm sorry that my friend here is being troublesome." The wolver unsteadily got to its' feet. It whimpered out softly. The other wolver stopped, and ran towards its' wounded comrade. Rarity turned in surprise. "What's that?" Fluttershy was listening intently. "Oh, it's nothing really. I'm sorry my friend here got the wrong idea." Rarity scoffed. "There's a big beast coming? Where?" The wolver barked urgently. "Oh. I see." Fluttershy kindly shooed the wolvers away. "Rarity, you should let me handle things like that." Rarity scoffed. "But you were behind a bush! How could I tell?" Fluttershy giggled. "Anyway. The wolvers told me to beware something called the 'Snarbolax?' They told me many skeletons can be found there." Rarity laughed. "Alright. We'll deal with it when we get there." Fluttershy's eyes flew open. "Um... Rarity? Why can't we go, um... around it?" Rarity laughed. "Darling, this is a one way street! Or road. We can only proceed through it." Fluttershy just stood there, staring in fear at what she might have to face.
