The Runaway Mares

by Garino

Rating: everyone
Tags: Comedy, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Gilda, Random, Crossover, Human, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Original Character
Length: 11879

Trouble is brewing in Equestria. An unknown entity is kidnapping ponies, gryphons, dogs, and dragons of all kinds for a sinister plan. It's up to Gilda, a hot-blooded gryphon who claims to have written the book on "cool," Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic and Celestia's prized student, and Coral, marine pony and water lover, to thwart his plot and save the world by...partying in jungles, islands, and castles?

Notes: The following story is a crazy parody based off of my experience in the Mario Party games (50 turns, no mercy) and writing them with ponies taking the place of characters. How well this will work is completely unknown.

Special thanks to T.E.P.H. for allowing the use of Coral for these adventures.

Published 2012-06-19 01:04:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-06-19 01:04:01 UTC

2. Rarity's Jungle Adventure

"Ugh...my head," Twilight mumbled. "What hit me?"

"I don't know, but I feel horrible, too," Coral chimed in.

"Too...loud..." Gilda strained.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey," a voice called out.

All three of them slowly opened their eyes to see the source: one bipedal ape-like creature in a fancy blue suit, with a red tie around its neck, black pointed shoes, and shaggy, yellow hair that looked like it could cover the eyes. To Gilda and Coral, they were speechless. For Twilight, however, she knew exactly who this was.

"You must be Garino!" she yelled. Immediately, her head began to ache again. "Where have you taken me? And why do I feel so...sluggish?"

"Well, I guess since we're introducing ourselves, yes. I am Garino," the creature said. "As for where I have taken you, all will be revealed in due time. Oh, and you're sluggish because my minions are unable to follow orders." He looked at Twilight and continued, "And since you know my name, you must be Celestia's prized student. Twilight Sparkle, yes?"

Twilight blinked. "Yes...but how do you know about me?" she asked.

"Oh, don't worry so much about that right now," Garino replied as he straightened his tie. He turned to the gryphon and spoke again. "And you are...let me think, name should start with a G, but so many G names..."

"It's Gilda," Gilda said coldly, "and unless you want to have a VERY angry gryphon on your hands, you will release me RIGHT NOW!"

There was a snap, and iron bars appeared around Gilda, keeping her from moving. "I suggest you tone down your anger," Garino said calmly, "because you'll need a clear mind for what is about to happen." He gave his attention to the last of the 'guests,' the sea-colored mare. "I don't believe I've seen you around before. Who might you be?"

Coral didn't want to answer, but with the man's friendly demeanor, she couldn't help but tell him. "It's Coral," she responded. "I'm a marine biologist for Canterlot."

Garino smiled. "Interesting," he nodded. "Interesting, indeed. Very well, now that we're all on a first-name basis, allow me to show you around town." He snapped his fingers, dissipating the bars that had surrounded Gilda. She quickly flew towards Garino, claws outstretched and ready to tear him to ribbons. With his back turned and searching his pockets for a key of some sort, Garino took no notice of the would-be attacker. Why would-be? As soon as she reached him and swiped her claw, a barrier formed around him, giving her a mild shock and sending her back to the unicorns.

"If you're so keen on being let out of here, then please allow me to concentrate on finding the k- oh, there it is." Garino pulled out what seemed to be a blue key with a diamond-shaped base and inserted it into the door before him. It opened to reveal a jungle. Surrounded by trees and ancient ruins, the four walked to a sign that said, 'Start here.' Wait a minute...this isn't the town. Quick, save face! Garino then turned around and addressed the three once more.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Jungle! Here in the jungle stands a set of mysterious ruins. Rumor has it that a great treasure is hidden here. If the three of you, along with my subordinate who should be joining you any minute now, look for the treasure of the ruins, surely one of you will find it."

Twilight was not amused. Was he seriously trying to get her to forget why he had requested her presence in the first place?!? Coral and Gilda, however, had a glint in their eye that Garino could easily see. He knew they would be spicing things up very nicely. He cleared his throat.

"But beware, my good friends!" he announced. "There are many traps in this jungle! Whatever you do, please try not to step on a Happening Space, as your safety, and the safety of others, cannot be guaranteed. Ah, here comes my subordinate now. Sergeant Star, good to see you again!"

The three turned to find a unicorn mare running up to join them. She had a dark blue coat, a crimson mane and tail, and her cutie mark was that of a yellow star. But the star had...eyes on it? Just what was her special talent? "Sir, we have a problem. I can't find the...oh, here they are."

Garino placed a hand on his head. He muttered something unintelligible, possibly about Sergeant Star. "Well, anyway, we should decide turn order."

If anyone had a rational thought and their name wasn't Garino or Star, it was immediately dropped. "Turn order?" Gilda asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Is this some kind of game?" Coral added.

".........yes," Garino replied. "Yes, it is. But you all must participate. For Star, it's because I told her to. For you and Gilda, it's so that when all of this is over, you'll be released and whatever you've found, you can keep. And as for Twilight Sparkle," she snorted at the mention of her name, "playing is the only way to find her friends." That seemed to catch Twilight's attention.

"Wait, my friends are here?!? Where are they?!?" she demanded.

Garino wagged a finger at her. "Patience, little one. You will find ONE friend in this jungle, and you will find them ONLY if you play my game to the end." Twilight groaned at his smugness. "Now, are we all in agreement to play?" he asked. Four nods confirmed. "Good. Now, I do have one slight problem with your...body types."

Gilda screeched. "What's wrong with being a gryphon?!?" she bellowed.

"Yeah!" Coral joined in. "There's no problem with being a unicorn!"

"Hmm...how do I explain this...oh, idea!" Garino snapped his fingers and made four limbo bars appear about 3 feet above the ground. "Try and get under these," Garino commanded. Bless them, they tried their best, but none of them could get under the bar without hitting it and knocking it to the ground. After many attempts, Star, Gilda, and Coral gave up.

Twilight, finally unable to take it, pointed a hoof at Garino and yelled, "What are you trying to prove?!? I bet YOU can't do it!"

Garino simply smiled and put his hands behind his back. Bending this back, and his knees, he went right under the bar without touching it or anything other than his feet touch the ground. Once he cleared it and stood upright again, he cracked his neck, much to the uneasiness of the other four. "Would you like more proof?" he asked with the same smugness. Everyone shook their heads.

"Very well. Let's see if I still got it." He closed his eyes, held out his hands, and yelled, "COMMUTO HOMINIS!" Twilight felt weary as she felt something within her change. She collapsed to the ground, unable to stand on her own four hooves. She heard three more thumps, signifying that the others were suffering from the same fate, whatever it was. After what felt like hours (which was actually only three minutes), the pain stopped, and she could hear Garino panting heavily. Whatever he did, it must have taken a lot out of him.

"Well...not too shabby, if I do say so myself, but...I don't think I thought my cunning little plan all the way through," he said.

Twilight slowly got up and examined herself. She noted that her front hooves had become arms and hands, her back hooves had become legs and feet, her tail had disappeared, she had attained...*ahem* you know what they are, allowing her to also acknowledge her skin was tan, and her mane, still violet with the pink stripe down the middle, covered her head and came down to her shoulders. Oh, and for any perverts out there, yes, she was naked.

And she did what any sensible being would do when they find out they had transformed from one being into another. She took in a huge breath and screamed at the top of her lungs. This was joined in by two other screams, which a keen observer would note that belonged to Gilda and Coral. Coral had suffered nearly the same fate, other than her skin was lighter and her maroon mane did not pass below her neck. Gilda was taller than the two, and her white hair (her feathers nowhere to be seen) was that of a bobcut.

"What did you do to us, you heartless-" Gilda started.

"Now, now," Garino said, his back turned from the three newly-made humans, "no need to call me names so soon. Star, please tell me you accounted for...?"

"Yes, I did, sir," Star announced. Her crimson mane was tied into a pigtail, and unlike the other three, she was wearing clothes. Specifically, a blue T-shirt, black jeans, and brown sandals. She handed the girls their own set of clothes and said, "You can wear these."

In 10 minutes, the three had donned their own looks: Twilight in a purple shirt, light blue jeans, and pink slippers, Gilda in a black shirt, leather jacket, stone-washed pants, and boots, and Coral in a green shirt, blue overalls, and dark brown shoes. Star announced they were presentable so Garino could turn around and speak again.

"Now then, instead of splurging the rules on you all so quickly, I will explain things as they appear. Oh, but first, we need an announcer/start point person. And I know just the pony to talk to." With the snap of his fingers, he disappeared. No later than 15 seconds, he reappeared with three familiar fillies.

Before Twilight could call Garino any names, he held up one finger. "Before you say anything, I assure you they will not be harmed, they came of their own accord, and I have talked to their guardians and they are okay with this." He turned to the first filly, who had a bright-red mane, a yellow coat, and a big bow in her hair. "Now...Applebloom, was it?" Garino asked. The filly nodded eagerly. "Okay, now Applebloom, you will stand here." He pointed right beside the sign. Applebloom trotted over and sat, waiting for the next set of instructions. "Next, stomp your front hoof four times. You'll see the land's magic at work. Whenever you're ready."

Applebloom took a deep breath and stomped her hoof four times in rapid succession. Four white boxes with rapidly changing blue numbers appeared before Twilight and the group. Twilight turned to ask Garino what they were, but he had disappeared. "Okay, now accordin' to that Garino fella," Applebloom explained, "those things are called 'Dice Blocks.' They'll decide who goes first just by hittin' them with yer fist." She quickly mumbled to herself, "Whatever those are..."

All four of them hit their block at the same time. From left to right, the numbers were 4, 6, 9, and 2. Applebloom spoke again. "Okay, the order is set! First, is Gilda, second is Twilight, third is Coral, and fourth is Star!" Before they could ask, Applebloom quickly added, "He told me before he left." They all nodded to each other, deciding not to question it.

"Now what else did he ask me ta do...oh! This is from him! 10 bits fer each of ya! He also said, 'Spend them wisely, 'cause I ain't givin' ya anymore when ya see me again!' Or somethin' like that...anyway, last thing he told me ta say is this. Reach fer the stars, and good luck!"

The second filly, a white unicorn with a pink and purple mane, started to bounce up and down. "Ooh, this is where I get to help now!" she exclaimed. She ran into the jungle before anyone could stop her. Then they heard her voice call out, "When you find me, make sure you have 20 bits! Garino gave me all of these Stars, and he said that you need them to win, and that I am not to part with them without getting 20 bits from anyone!"

Twilight sighed. "Okay, so that's Sweetie Belle's job. But what's yours, Scoo-" the third filly, an orange pegasus with purple hair in the shape of a feather, was nowhere to be seen. "Where did she...?" Twilight asked herself.

"Gah, I'm tired of waiting!" Gilda yelled. "Let's get this show on the road already!" As if on demand, a blue block with white numbers appeared before her. Gilda punched it, and gaped at what had happened: bits had flown out of the block and into her pocket! A large 7 appeared in front of her as the path lit up, showing her where to go. Before she began walking, though, Garino's voice called out to her, loud enough that everyone could hear it.

"Well, color me impressed! First turn and you're lucky enough to get a Plus Block! Whatever number you roll when you hit a Plus Block, that number is added to your Bit Count. You also get to move that many spaces, so go on ahead!" Gilda nodded and walked the path. She quickly came to a crossroads, the front path clear and the left path guarded by some weird block. She decided to move forward, since there wasn't any reason not to. When she passed the block, it suddenly moved and blocked her path back!

"What the...?" Gilda started. Garino's voice called out again.

"That's a Whomp! He guards paths that you can take. You can pay him 10 bits to have him move out of your way, or you can simply take the path he's not guarding. Either way, he'll make sure no one follows you." Following his words, Gilda moved forward to find another crossroads. This time, she decided to take the path Whomp was blocking.

Amazingly enough, the block could speak. "You want to take the path I'm blocking?" it asked. His voice sounded gravelly, so no big surprise there.

"Yeah, get out of my way!" Gilda commanded. 10 bits flew out of her pocket and into the Whomp's stubby hand. With a nod, the Whomp wobbled out of Gilda's way. She tried to walk further, but her feet refused to move further than the space Whomp was guarding.

Once again, Garino's voice called out to her. Did I mention she was getting tired of hearing his voice? "Sorry, but you can't move any further. That blue space you landed on just netted you 3 bits. Remember, in the jungle, money talks. And you can't speak if you don't have cash!"

Twilight jumped a bit as a dice block appeared before her. "Oh, right. It's my turn, I guess?" she muttered. She punched the block. Just one space? Almost not worth the effort. She walked the one space and got her 3 bits.

Coral took a deep breath as her turn came. One punch got her a whopping 9 spaces. She got to the crossroads and paid the guard to let her pass. When she reached the second crossroads, the Whomp spoke. "You can't pass if you don't have 10 coins!" he yelled. Without a choice, the green-shirted girl walked forward. 3 bits were added, but you knew that would happen, didn't you?

Last to move was Star. Her dice block, when hit with such brute force, had her move the same 7 spaces Gilda did, minus the added bits. She paid the first Whomp to allow her to pass and took a left, having no money to go past the second Whomp. When Star finished her move and got her 3 bits, all four players disappeared.

------------------BRIGHT FLASH OF LIGHT--------------

"Testing, testing, 1 2 3. If anyone can hear this, respond."

Twilight groaned. Just what kind of game did Garino throw them into? "Keep it down!" she yelled to no one in particular. "You're giving me a headache!"

"You're giving us ALL a headache, Garino," she heard Star say. Looking around, she saw Gilda, Coral, and Star right beside her. Each one had a hand up to their head. Gilda and Coral could only nod in agreement to Star's statement.

Garino's voice crackled again, this time a bit softer. "Sorry, it's been a while since this speaker's been used. Is this better?" After a round of everyone saying it was, he continued. "Now, since you all landed on a blue space, it means you get to play a 4 Player game. This particular one is a Free-For-All, or FFA for short. And this one is called Buried Treasure!"

"Please tell me we're not going to be pirates," Gilda mumbled.

"Well..." Garino sounded uncertain. "Yes and no. No, you're not a pirate in the strictest definition, but yes, you'll be digging for a chest. First to find it wins and gets 10 bits." There was a snap as 4 sets of digging claws appeared before the women. "Use these to get to the chest. You have one minute to find it, and rock, while diggable, is much tougher and will slow you down."

The four put the gloves on and took their place. "Is everyone ready?" Garino asked. "Yes? Good! START!" At that, a loud *BANG* was heard and all four took off digging. Everyone swiped in front of them, left claw, right claw, left claw, right claw...Gilda passes a sign. It was an arrow, pointing diagonally, up and to the left. She was obviously on the right track. Before she could capitalize, though, a shout of "FOUND IT!" filled the air. Coral lifted the chest into the air, which was surprisingly light. The four watched as their new gloves disappeared, along with the rest of their bodies.

-------------------AND AGAIN! HAHA!-----------------------------

"Very nice. You'll make this game very interesting, at least," Garino called out. They were all in the jungle again, right where they had left off. "Coral gets 10 bits for her win. One turn down, 49 to go."

"Okay...wait, HOW MANY TURNS?!?" Twilight yelled. Garino laughed evilly.

"You didn't expect me to just let you go into this without a little exercise, did you? No! That's the fun about these kinds of games! Now, turn order stays the same, so..." Gilda was met with the white dice block. One punch, 5 spaces, +3 bits. Nothing too special.

Twilight hit her dice block, and jumped in joy at the 10 she received. She walked forward, paid Whomp the money to pass, and kept going forward (since she didn't have the money to pass the second Whomp). Her long walk ended on a green space with a question mark. What does this do? Twilight thought.

As if to answer her question, a huge boulder appeared and started rolling towards her and Coral. Screaming, the two ran down the path, jumping and clearing a crevice in their way. They tried to catch their breath, only to find the demonic rock had not stopped rolling towards them! They both ran down the path more, taking a quick right over a wooden bridge and finally avoiding the trap.

"Wow, bad luck, Twilight. That space you just landed on? It's called a Happening Space. As the name implies, different things happen when you step on one. In this jungle, it releases that rock trap, and if you don't want to be crushed, you have to run down the path. Don't worry, there's a silver lining to that fact, but that will be revealed in due time." Twilight sighed as 3 bits flew into her pocket. Before she could question it, she looked at her feet to realize she was on a blue space.

Coral's roll...well, it was bad news for two reasons. The first, was that she only got a 1 when she hit her block. The second reason? She landed on a red space that had Garino's face on it. "Oh, don't worry about me calling to you from my stand," his voice said, not as if he was shouting, but as if she were right behind...Coral turned to see the blue-suited man right there. "I want to make this appearance personal."

Coral started to whimper. "Wh-what did I do?" she asked softly.

Garino dusted off his right shoulder. "Well, you landed on my space. The red one with my face on it? Bad things tend to happen to people when they land on that space. As for what kind of bad things, well...this roulette," with a snap, a roulette appeared before Coral, "will decide your fate. Spin it and see what happens." Coral nodded and grasped a side. She spun it with all of her might, and waited with baited breath as to what might happen. It stopped on something called, "Koopa Face Lift."

"Ooh, beautiful," Garino mused. "My favorite type of event: one that everyone participates in! You see, in Koopa Face Lift, everyone plays a minigame! But, unlike when you play this normally, there's one slight catch. You'll all be graded, and if you don't get better than 90 points, you have to give me 10 of your bits." Another snap, and all four disappeared. "Don't disappoint me, now!" he called out.

The girls saw probably the most evil face they had ever seen in their life. It had a green face, orange eyebrows, orange hair, sharp horns, and sharp fangs. If they didn't know better, they would have guessed that this was Garino and not the human toying with them now. Speaking of which... "That face is going to move around a bit. On my word, you'll arrange the faces in front of you to match the Koopa King's in the middle. Remember, this is a Garino Space game, so if you don't have at least 90 points, you can kiss 10 bits goodbye!"

As he finished, true to his word, the face started to move. Its cheeks went down, along with its nose and its eyebrows. When it stopped, they were all face-to-face with an exact replica of what the face looked like before all of the alterations. "You have 30 seconds, ladies! Get to it!" Garino yelled.

Twilight grabbed one of the cheeks and quickly withdrew her hand. Was this...clay? She grabbed it again, and pulled it down. Amazingly, it moved without a problem. But it wouldn't go as far as she wanted it to go. Maybe it was enchanted? Never mind why, she needed to arrange the face, and she had less than 20 seconds to finish.

Gilda, amazingly, was whistling while she worked. In fact, she was actually fooling around! She believed she could make the face they were asking in less than 10 seconds, so she decided to see just what looks she could make this Koopa King pull off.

Coral was fretting with worry. She didn't want to play this game. She didn't want 10 bits to be on the line. She didn't want...well, it's just easier to say she didn't want anything to do with this game onwards. She just wanted to be back at sea, doing her job. But in spite of this, she trudged on. Hopefully, the face she made will be good enough.

Star finished arranging her face just as Garino's voice called out, "TIME! That's it, hands away! It's time to judge 'em!" Four turtles, each with a set of wings, flew to the four faces that the ladies created. They nodded, wrote something down, and handed the papers to Garino. He cleared his throat as he announced the results.

"Gilda and Coral. With your faces, you made...a 95. You're both safe." Both former gryphon and unicorn jumped up and down, whooping and hollering.

"Twilight, you made...a 92. You pass, too." She sighed in relief. That's another crisis averted...for now.

"Star, you made...ooh. Sorry to say, but you're an 86. You failed the challenge." Star's reaction was priceless. "What? WHAT?!? WHAT?!? No no no no no no no! You're kidding me!" she screamed.

"Hm..." Garino looked at the scores once more. "Seems like only Star didn't get the 90 points necessary. Well, rules are rules!" This time, instead of snapping his fingers, he stomped his left foot, making 3 bits appear out of thin air.

"No wonder she lost," Garino muttered. "Didn't have anything to lose, the cheap little..." He stopped himself as he realized that his deed was done. "Well, anyway, I have to get back to my stand," he finished. "Don't be a stranger!" In a bright flash, he was gone. For now.

Star sighed at her bad luck. She had never done that bad when she practiced. She punched her block in frustration, allowing her to move 4 spaces and get back the 3 bits she lost.

--------------ARE YOU BLINDED YET?!?-----------------

Coral looked at the chest before her. She was simply being given the chest? She went to touch it, but a crane suddenly grabbed it and lifted it high into the sky, above a set of green pipes. "How do you like that? You get to play Pipe Maze," Garino's voice announced. "Simply drop the chest into a pipe, and it will follow it down to the end. Whoever it lands in front of, they get 10 bits. Good luck!" Three buttons appeared before Coral, an arrow pointed to the left, one pointed to the right, and a square button labeled 'drop.' She simply hit the drop button and watched the chest drop into the far-left pipe. It snaked down the tubes, going into every side pipe it came across.

Coral watched as it neared the bottom, and closed her eyes. She should've kept them open, so she could avoid the chest when it came down on her head. It dropped in front of her, opened up, and 10 bits flew into her pocket. Coral couldn't notice. Not with the throbbing headache she had just obtained.

---------------NAH, I DIDN'T THINK SO----------------------

Gilda rolled her arm as she punched her dice block. She advanced 3 spaces into the jungle, getting 3 bits for the blue space. Twilight's turn was a bit nicer. Her block gave her 9 spaces to move. She passed Applebloom, who stopped her before she finished her move. "Wait! Garino gave me another job! This is yours for passing start," she said as 10 bits floated from the young filly to Twilight. What exactly is his game? Twilight thought to herself. She thanked Applebloom and finished her turn, gaining 3 bits from the blue space.

Coral pretty much did the same thing as Twilight. Rolled an 8, landed on the same space, passed the same filly, got the same amount of coins added to her own count. Star's turn gave her 9 spaces to work with. As she moved forward, she passed an orange filly with a purple mane. "Hey!" she called out. "Aren't you gonna ask for my help?" Star turned around and looked at the filly. "You must be Scootaloo. But what exactly can you do to help me?"

"Garino's made me...well..." Scootaloo started to shift uneasily. "There's no other way to say it: I'm acting as a thief. You give me a target, I steal from them, and I give their coins to you. He also said I could steal their Stars, but that's a bit pricey. Not that you could afford it right now, anyway."

Star's cheeks puffed out at the orange pegasus's implications. How dare she! But she had to calm herself. She's just another pawn, use her services while they're good, Star thought. Aloud, she said, "Why don't you show me how you work? Think you can get a few bits off of that Coral girl?"

Scootaloo saluted and said, "Yes, ma'am! Be right back!" And in a flash (not of light), she was gone. And just as quickly as she disappeared, she reappeared. "Wow...she's quick to catch on...but I got some bits for you." Three bits flew from Scootaloo to Star. With a nod, Star continued walking. To her left, a stone door blocked the way. Garino's voice called. "Sorry, Star, but if you don't have 20 bits, you can't come this way!" And, to her dismay, she ran into Sweetie Belle.

"Oh, hey! You made it!" Sweetie said excitedly. "I bet you want the Star!"

Star nodded. "I do, but...I don't have 20 bits."

"Oh...sorry, but rules are rules. If you can come back later with the bits, I can give it to you then." Star continued down the path until her feet finally places her on a blue space.

----------------DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE BORED!------------------

"Ok, a bit more, and...stop! Perfect!" Garino yelled. Another weird-looking turtle, this time with a green helmet to match his shell, was sitting on a cloud.

"So, remind me what I'm doing, boss?" he asked.

"Listen, I don't want to have to explain twice, so why don't we...oh, they're here already." Four women appeared, still dizzy from whatever gets them from the jungle to the game sites. ...what? I'm just the narrator, I don't know these things!

"Welcome, ladies, to...HAMMER DROP!" Garino said with enthusiasm. No immediate response. "...what, you already know how this game works or something?" More silence. The man just rubbed the bridge of his nose in slight irritation. "Okay, I get it, you don't like the Garino Spaces. But they're there to spice it up, so deal with it. If not for me, then for the treasure for the Super Star."

"Boss, my time's kinda limited, so what am I doing?!?" the armored turtle asked impatiently.

"Can it, Mac. I can always ask Zac to do this, y'know," Garino told him. "Anyway...you four will be doing some bit collecting. Mac," he pointed to the turtle on the cloud, "will be throwing coins, bags, and hammers at you at his discretion. Collect the money, don't collect the hammers. Tends to leave a few lumps and bruises..." he muttered.

"So how do we win? Just collect more money than everyone else?" Gilda asked.

"Actually, this is a game where everyone wins: whatever you collect in this game, you add to your count when you return to the jungle." Garino turned to Mac and said, "I leave the rest to you. Have fun."

As Garino disappeared, Mac smiled. "Okay, ladies! Here we go!" The next 30 seconds consisted of everyone scrambling to stay on the platform (did Garino mention they were on a circular platform surrounded by water? No? He should've...) and collect whatever Mac threw at them.

"Mine! Haha!"

"Hey, featherbrains! That was mine!"

"No one over here, I can collect it withou- Whoa, she's fast!"

"Why won't you throw it over here?!?"

As time ended, Mac threw up his hands. "That's it, I'm outta hammers and money! Tally it up, and take it with ya!" Mac left the area while everyone counted their money. From what they collected, Gilda had 12 bits, Twilight 11, Coral 18, and Star 7.

--------------------SCENE TRANSMISSION!-----------------

"Hya!" Gilda yelled as she sucker punched her dice block. Only two spaces. She walked across the path the boulder had rolled across and ran into Scootaloo. "Welcome to Scootaloo's Bit Collection Service. Who do you want to take bits from?"

Gilda blinked. "What."

"C'mon, I'm a filly with things to do, either give me a name, or keep walking," Scootaloo said, completely out of character, might I add!

"Okay, okay," Gilda replied. "Um...that girl in the overalls. Coral, wasn't it? Take something from her."

With a salute, Scootaloo disappeared into the jungle. Within 5 seconds, she had come running back with a sack of bits in her mouth. (The following has been translated from Stuffed Mouthenese) "Here you go, 8 bits straight from her pocket!" Scootaloo spit the bag out of her mouth.

"Pretty smooth, kid," Gilda chuckled. "I'll be sure to ask for you again soon." She continued on her path and saw a huge stone door. It slowly opened itself and an unknown voice (I'm pretty sure it was Garino, but it was too distorted to be certain) shouted, "You going this way, or that way?" Gilda pointed away from the door. "Okay, maybe next time." The door closed and Gilda got 3 more bits for her blue space.

Twilight's roll of 2 allowed her to go past Whomp (for a modest 10-bit fee, of course) and land on the blue space. Coral's 5 took her past Whomp, forward a bit more and taking a left (didn't want to pay 10 more bits) and gave her a blue space. Star rolled a 1 and got a blue space. Go figure.

---AFTER THIS, NO MORE MEANINGLESS TEXT! (IF YOU'RE RIFFING, THIS STATEMENT IS A LIE)---

"You four should stop getting so many new games. I mean, I haven't had time to myself since we started." Garino was rambling. Star had given everyone the hint to 'tune him out until he says the name of the game.' And it looked to be working, because even I wasn't paying attention.

"...anyway, this is Box Mountain Mayhem." No response. "...I said, this is Box Mountain Mayhem." Still nothing. Garino finally figured out he was being ignored. He took a deep breath for his next few words. "HEY! THE GAME'S ABOUT TO START!" Four ladies scrambled to regain their composure and stood, wide-eyed and attentive. Garino nodded and continued his explanation. "As I was saying, Box Mountain Mayhem is a simple coin collecting game. Punch the block, block is destroyed, you get money. Of course some of these blocks like to make you jump around."

He demonstrated by punching three boxes to the side. The first one simply broke and gave him a bit. The second one latched onto him and sent him flying towards the group. While Star, Coral, and Twilight ran away, Gilda simply sidestepped to avoid the box. It broke upon landing, revealing nothing. Garino got up, dusted himself off, and punched the third box. Repeat the second box, except a bag and coin revealed themselves as the box broke apart. He grabbed them both and held them in one hand for all to see.

Holding up the bag, he finished with, "this is worth 5 bits, the coin's worth 1 bit. Get to it." Thus more of Garino's 'fun game' ensued.

"One bit, one bit, WHOA!"

"Watch the landing, you nearly flattened me!"

"Is it just me, or are half of these things alive?!?"

"I think I'm ready to send in a resignation letter!"

Bits collected were 5 for Gilda, 7 for Twilight, 12 for Coral, and 20 for Star.

-----------------------------------------------

Gilda closed her eyes. If she didn't get a high roll, there was no way she was getting the Star. A swift punch...yes! Gilda walked her 6 spaces, stopping as she passed Sweetie Belle.

"Still selling that Star for 20 bits?" Gilda asked suspiciously.

Sweetie nodded. "You looking to buy it?"

Gilda produced a 20-bit bag and said, "You tell me." Sweetie didn't ask any more questions. She simply took the bag and handed Gilda her Star. It was at this point Gilda had the unexplainable urge to pump her fist and give a hearty laugh. Sweetie tapped Gilda on the shoulder. "Supposedly, there's treasure hidden somewhere around here. What do you think?"

"There'd better be, or I'm just wasting time," Gilda muttered. She was about to ask Sweetie another question, but the little filly had disappeared. "I'VE MOVED TO A NEW SPOT! SAME DEAL, 20 BITS FOR A STAR!" she yelled for everyone to hear. And yes, my ears were ringing at that point in time. Gilda went forward, the Whomp covering her path as she took it, and got 3 more bits.

Twilight rolled an abysmal 1 and got 3 bits. Nothing more can be said on that. As for Coral, she punched her block to get a five and, well...

"I didn't expect you to call me again so soon!" Garino said. Coral yelped as he had appeared behind her again! This time, the roulette was already beside him. "Well, give it a whirl, let's see what's going to happen this time!" With her strength, the roulette spun for a good amount of time. When it finally stopped, Garino nodded. "Ah, the great Garino Chance Time. This will be so fun for me! TO CHANCE TIME!" And with a snap, everyone was teleported to a clearing with three blocks.

"Welcome, ladies, to CHANCE TIME!" the blue-suited human said with gusto. "Different things happen when you hit these blocks, and it could be a game changer! But since this is a Garino Chance Time..." he hit the far-right block, stopping it on a blue blazer. "...this is my gift to you. So let's see what happens. Coral, if you will?" Coral gulped. She didn't like where this was going. She closed her eyes as she hit both of the fast-moving blocks simultaneously.

Garino chuckled. "Well, well, well, what do you know? Chance Time says..." he pointed to the far-left block, showing Coral's former cutie mark, "that Coral," point to the middle, which had a bit with a X20 on it, pointing from left to right, "is giving 20 bits to..." he pointed to the block with his coat on it, "ME! How kind of you, Coral!" Coral cried as she parted with her hard-earned money. "Well, was that FUN or what?!? Now, don't be strangers!" Garino chuckled. All 4 of them were sent back to the board.

Wow, Star thought. I never knew just how...dark he can be. She moved her 8 spaces, taking the unguarded path on the left to her blue space.

--------------------------------------------

Coral found herself in quite possibly the worst position ever: hanging from the ceiling by her overalls. She was looking over six different items in front of her: a Twilight doll, a Gilda doll, a Star doll, a chest, a bag, and a coin. Garino walked onto the scene (that smug punk) and gave a wave. "Next game you'll be playing is the Crane Game. You know what a Crane Game is, yes?" he asked. She nodded tentatively. "Very well. Snag a rival, you steal 1/3rd of their bits. Chest is always 10, bag's always 5, coin's always 1. Just use your mind to get you there. As for you three," he turned to the dolls which, to Coral's surprise, moved on their own! "You three are just going to sit there and look pretty. If Coral grabs hold of you, start shaking! If you break free, she'll get nothing!" A beat. "Well, enjoy!"

Coral had a good idea. She focused her thoughts on Star, and the crane slowly floated to the doll. When it reached the doll, it lowered Coral down to her target just long enough to grab it. Star started to wiggle furiously, trying to break free of Coral's grasp. "Let go! I'm not giving you anything!" she suddenly yelled. Coral nearly dropped her in surprise, but kept a grip on the doll. The crane floated closer to the reception area. Closer...closer...there! Coral dropped Star into the area where the doll disappeared. There was a sound of applause from nowhere as the lights turned off.

----------------------------------------------

Gilda was about to hit her dice block when something about it stopped her. It was a bright red, with white numbers. If the blue was a Plus Block, as Garino called it, then would this one be...? Her question was answered with an explosion. It wasn't huge, just enough to shake her up. Garino's voice called, once again, and confirmed her suspicions. "Yep, you got the Minus Block first, too. Are we gonna explain EVERYTHING because you get it first? Well, anyway, Minus Blocks do the opposite of a Plus Block in that they take a coin for every space you move. You're quite lucky: better to lose just one bit than it is to lose 10."

Gilda shook her head clear and walked her one space. She was awarded with 3 bits to replace the one she lost. Twilight's turn brought forth a yellow block. What did this one do? She punched it and felt her whole body become sluggish. She moved 3 spaces ahead, pretty sure that a snail could easily beat her in a race. When she finally stopped, it was you-know-who once again. "Ah, you got a Slow Block. Slow Blocks make you move slowly by limiting your roll from 1-3. Good if you don't want to advance too far."

Coral's turn gave her a whopping 10 spaces to work with. She passed by Scootaloo, who managed to swipe 9 bits from Twilight and give it to Coral, just walked past the creepy talking door, paid Whomp to let her take his path, and ended on a blue space for 3 bits.

Star's turn was over quickly as her block appeared. It was a multi-colored block with a question mark on it. Instead of punching it, Star lightly touched it with the tip of her finger. It shattered immediately, and she felt herself become lighter. In a multi-colored light, she was gone. When she regained her bearings, she was on a blue space. What just happened? Star thought to herself.

"Warp Blocks end turns quickly by skipping all of the numbers and just letting you switch places with another player," Garino called. "It's not really a wanted block, but it's still good in a pinch like, say, your opponent is right in front of a Star Space?"

---------------------------------------------

A cage. The four were stuck in a cage. And taunting them just outside of it, was that jerk, Garino. He was busy trying to juggle black balls. They looked strange, though, Twilight noticed. They weren't perfectly round. Then there was that glow to them. What color were they...he tossed one behind him and everyone jumped at the reaction: the ball exploded behind him! He tossed the other two behind him, with the same result. "Ladies, before we begin, I would just like to point out that at no point in your adventures will your lives ever be in danger. It will, however, be very painful, so I hope you've brought plenty of painkillers."

Gilda was the first to ask. "I'm probably going to regret this, but what's this game?"

"This game," Garino said wickedly, "is Hot Bob-omb. A Bob-omb will be dropping from that ceiling, and you're going to toss it around to each other. Only one will drop, and if it's in your hands when it goes off, you lose. Well, have fun, and make sure to clean up afterwards!"

He disappeared as a noise came from above. A small, black bomb with a key in the back and eyes in front landed in Gilda's hands. Without thinking, she tossed it over to Twilight.

"I don't want this thing, you take it," Twilight said as she tossed it to Coral.

"But I don't want it either! It's yours." She tossed it to Star.

"Nope, yours." Back to Coral.

"But I just said I don't want it!" Back to Star.

"Well, I don't, either! Seriously, you can have it." Over to Twilight.

"Eek! Itsreditsreditsreditsred!" Tosses it to Gilda.

"No, don't throw that thing my way!" Throws to Star.

"Take it back!" Return to sender.

"But I OH NO! I DRO-" Gilda's cry was cut short as an explosion was seen and heard. Somehow, the last words she said before they were all sent back was not only in a deep voice, but it made the whole group, and Gilda when she thinks back to this time, laugh like hyenas.

"D'oh, I missed!"

-------------------------------------------

So it's no surprise right now that Gilda was in a foul mood. It was not as bad as it will be later on, but it was still pretty bad. It didn't help that a Slow Block had appeared to do its namesake. She smacked a 2 out of it and trudged over to the star-shaped blue space it covered. She disappeared almost immediately.

-----UNNECESSARY CUT TO GAME------

Gilda was still in the jungle, but it seemed to be darker. There were torches lined up down a dirt path. So someone had been here before? What is this crazy place? she thought.

"Well, this is the course for the Limbo Dance!" Garino shouted in her ear. This was met with a fist to the face and his face to the floor. He should've seen that one coming, yes? "Ouch...well, I'll make it simple. You hop down path, cross finish, no touchy the poles. Go." He crawled away before she could unleash any more of her wrath.

"So how am I supposed to hop down the path and not touch the poles?" Gilda asked aloud. Silence. She just sighed and hopped. Amazingly, she felt her back bend as she did. She hopped a few times more, passing under the blue bar with ease. She continued hopping forward, ducking under a yellow bar and coming dangerously close (but not enough to fail the game) to a red bar. As she crossed the finish line, she leaned forward and sighed. "Rule #1 of being a gryphon," she said smugly, "always be limber for anything."

-----TOLD YA IT WAS A LIE--------

Gilda shook her head to clear her mind. Garino wouldn't let her clear it fully, though. "Forgot to tell you: blue star spaces are minigames designed for 1 player. Pass it, you get a nice cash bonus. Fail, and you have to pay money for your failure. Be careful, gang." Twilight watched as her block appeared. A Warp Block. Who was she going to warp with? She flicked it and felt her body float from her space to someone else's. She looked at the ground and guessed it was Gilda. How did she come to this conclusion? I think the star-shaped blue space was the dead giveaway, but hey, it's another minigame.

Twilight found herself in the middle of a set of ruins. Garino appeared in front of her. And to her sides. And, well, all around her. They all spoke at the same time, making this a very creepy thing indeed. "The game you'll be playing, my dear Twilight, is Ghost Guess."

"Ghost Guess?" Twilight repeated. "How does that work, I just choose which one of you is a ghost?"

"Almost," they all replied. Seven of them transformed into white spherical ghosts. The only one that didn't transform continued, "You're going to be surrounded. Just touch the one that you believe is the leader. He'll move before the others. If you succeed, the whole pack goes down. Miss, and..." it transformed into the others, "well, you wouldn't want that." They all started to circle the young student, laughing creepily.

Twilight looked around. They're all moving at the same pace! she thought. How can I tell when one's moving before the others?!? She looked for something, ANYTHING to help her find the boss. But they all wore the same expression: the evil smile, the moving around wildly, shadows dancing in the...wait! The shadows! One of them moved before the others! Twilight ran into the top-left ghost, hoping for the best. And the best came. The ghost disappeared, leaving a chest behind. His underlings soon disappeared along with him, leaving a happy, bouncing Twilight that would not have to deal with whatever happened to losers of this game.

Coral watched as Twilight reappeared in the jungle. She nodded as she punched her dice block, moved 6 spaces, and landed on her normal blue space. Star's roll gave her a 7. As she reached the end of her run, she heard a noise. Turning around, she screamed and ran from a rolling boulder that appeared out of nowhere. She caught her breath as she stood at the edge of the starting area and gained her bits for running.

---------------------------------

Rubber balls with faces. That would be the best way to describe what exactly they were balancing on. They were on a flat island surrounded by water, balancing on...rubber balls with faces. What could possibly be the game he designed here? And why was he announcing the rules from a paddle boat?

"Bumper Balls?" Coral asked.

"And the goal is to knock your opponents off?" Gilda happily chirped in.

"Only 60 seconds to play and if 2 are still standing, everyone loses?" Twilight finished the rules spiel.

Garino nodded. "Yeah, that pretty much sums it all up in a nutshell. Welp, good luck." He paddled away as the girls tried to move around. Star laughed as she easily got the hang of it and bumped Twilight off of the island. What she didn't expect, however, is to turn around and see Gilda and Coral barreling towards her. "Nonononononono!" she said rapidly. She could survive one hit, but two in a row, which was just what happened, was enough to knock her off. Of course, it was Gilda who made that last hit, and she didn't quite stop herself as she hit Star's ball, so she fell off from the impact herself. Guess who was left standing, as she cheered her good fortune?

----------------------------------------

Gilda was not amused with last game's outcome. She smacked the dice block so hard, she sent pieces of it flying into the darker depths of the jungle. Didn't change the fact she had to walk 2 spaces onto a Happening Space that did absolutely nothing.

Twilight's block allowed her to move 7 spaces. The bad news? It was a Garino Space! "Welcome, Twilight, to your own little slice of Tartarus. Spin the roulette, and decide your fate!" Twilight sighed and spun the wheel. After a short while, it stopped on a tile that said, 'bits for Garino.'

"Aw, a simple event? Just hand over 20 bits and that's all that happens," Garino pouted.

"Huh. I thought you'd be a bit more angry," Twilight told him.

"Oh, no. Because you'll always be back," he said with a smirk. "Thankyoucomeagain!"

Coral, in short, copied Gilda: 2 spaces, Happening, and nothing happens. Star was a bit more tasteful, rolling a 3 and getting 3 bits for her troubles. And now, I ask you to turn on a fan, because it's about to get blistering hot.

------------------------------------------

"Okay, run that by us one more time. This is a two-on-two match-up?" Twilight and Coral asked at the same time.

"Yes, you have to work together to get to the goal," Garino said, massaging the bridge of his nose.

"But how do we move with these planks tied to our feet?" Gilda and Star responded, also at the same time.

"Work together. Figure it out from there. Listen, the longer you stand here and ask me trivial things, the hotter it's gonna get, so just GO!" he yelled before a burst of flame engulfed him. When the flame died down, he was gone. Again.

All four tried to move, but they were too far uncoordinated. After falling down for a while, Twilight got an idea. "Coral, just move the foot I call out," Twilight whispered. Coral nodded in acknowledgement. Twilight tapped her foot four times before she called out, "Right, left, right, left, right, left," in time with her beat. Within moments, they had left their opponents in the dust, both literal and proverbial.

As the two girls up front cheered for figuring out how to move in tandem, all Gilda could do was simply say, "I blame you."

-------------------------------------------

Need payback, need payback, need payback... Maybe, a 7 was good, right? Gilda walked down the path, running into Scootaloo again. Wait a minute...

"Weren't you just over there?" Gilda asked her, pointing to the area she was just at.

"Yes. But...oh, don't worry about the details, I'm here to help, right?" Scootaloo replied. "So let me help! Give me a target!"

Five seconds later and 6 bits richer, courtesy of Coral, Gilda landed on...the dreaded Garino Space. "Ohoho, Gilda. You're the next unlucky contestant on...no, that won't work. Bah, forget it and just spin the wheel." With a questioning look, Gilda spun the wheel with all of her strength. The look on her face when it stopped meant that her event was clearly not one she looked forward to participating in.

"Whoa. You have to play that game. Well, I'll be back! Gotta get the suit!"

*Disclaimer: The following has been removed due to overly violent acts against a woman in a spiked turtle suit. The only thing you need to know about it is that said woman in said suit lost all of her bits in this event*

"What terrible people!" Garino said in mock horror. "They stole all of your coins! So now you know what it feels like to be a bad guy. Doesn't feel good, does it?" Gilda could not respond properly, but one could tell she was annoyed by the fact her eye was twitching and her hands were balled into fists. "Well," Garino finished, "keep having fun, I've gotta go back to the pedestal!"

Twilight rolled a 7 herself. She passed a beaming Applebloom, who kindly gave her a 10 bit boost, but lost 3 of them to a red space. "You don't really need me to explain," Garino yelled from his hiding spot, "but a red space does the opposite of a blue space, meaning you lose 3 coins when you land on it!"

Coral followed the rule of three and rolled another 7. She walked up to Scootaloo, who beamed at her. "Hey, you have enough to steal a Star! How about you pay me 50 bits and I get it for you?" Coral tapped her foot thoughtfully. Sure, it'll rocket her into first place, but...that'll mean she's 50 bits poorer, and what if someone follows up with 50 more bits and swipes her star?

She finally shrugged and said, "What've I got to lose? Get a Star for me, please." 50 bits flew from Coral to Scootaloo, who saluted and dashed off. There were shouts of anger before the young filly came back with a Star in hoof. "It wasn't easy," she managed, "but I got it." She gave the Star to Coral, who, much like Gilda, couldn't help but do something strange. For her, it was do a backflip and let out a shout of joy. She finished her turn on a blue space, 3 bits richer.

Star was unlucky enough to have a Slow Block appear before her. Thankfully, her roll of a 1 meant she got 3 bits, no questions asked.

--------------------------------------------

Okay, stop me if you've heard this one. Four girls were in an abandoned mine with lava underneath them, on two different handcarts (you know, the one with a lever that requires two people?), and a guy in a blue suit telling them about how they were going to race to the finish.

"But please, be careful," Garino wrapped up. "Breaks are there for a reason. Don't want to fall off and become burnt meat, do we?"

"Yes, already!" Star yelled. "Can we just get started already???"

Gilda shot a glare at the woman who stole her line. "What she said," she muttered angrily.

"Okey-dokey! Coral and Star on the left, Gilda and Twilight on the right. Record for clearing this is 35 seconds straight. Good luck." Garino walked off the scene, only to remember his platform was not 5 steps wide, but 4 steps, and he fell off. The last thing he could be heard saying was, "SON OF A BEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAaaaaaaa-"

Gilda and Star, who were just getting ready to start, could not help but laugh at his misfortune. So much so, that they couldn't operate the handcar properly, and it was up to Twilight and Coral to even get any progress done in the first place. At the first turn, Gilda and Star finally got that the event had started and began helping their respective partners. It was neck-in-neck, looking like one would outrun the other. At the home stretch, Coral and Star gave that final burst of speed needed to finally pull ahead and cross the finish line before their opponents. They hopped off of their cart and embraced each other, squealing in delight at their victory. (Random fact: this epic race ended in 37.54 seconds. WHEE!)

Twilight, even though she lost, simply cast a smirk at Gilda. "I think I'm allowed to say it this time. I blame you."

------------------------------------------

Gilda rubbed the bridge of her nose. Was this really happening? Was she losing to 3 unicorns? She was so mad, she didn't realize the dice block wasn't its normal color. With a swift punch, she managed to get an 8 to move. Even better, 8 bits magically flew into her bag, bringing her back to her senses. Maybe she could turn this around, just get to Sweetie Belle before...

Her train of thought was stopped by Applebloom. "Hey! Don't ferget yer 10 bit bonus for passin' go!" She tossed Gilda a bit bag, who caught it without a problem, and stopped on a blue space not too far ahead.

Twilight's roll was uneventful, moving only one space onto a blue space. Coral's wasn't much more exciting, moving 6 spaces before she reached her blue space. Star's, however, was just humiliating. She rolled a 4 on a Minus Block, causing an explosion to take away 4 bits, passed Applebloom who kindly gave Star 10 bits, and landing on a red space, losing 3 more bits. And that should keep you entertained for another hour and a half.

------------------------------------------

"That's the last time I decide to place a platform over lava," Garino muttered as he swam in the lake under a huge orange flower. He opened an eye to see Twilight, Coral, and Gilda in a leaf boat around the base of the flower. That meant only one thing. "Game explanation time," he sighed.

"Ladies, this is Coin Shower Flower. Star, are you up there?" This was confirmed by the flower moving left and right. "Good. Coins are going to drop from the sky onto the flower. Star, you have to collect them before they hit the water. You three," he pointed to the three in their leaf boats, "collect the coins that drop into the water. This is a bit game, every coin is worth a bit, and you win if you get even one bit. Have fun." With that, he dove into the lake. He surfaced a second later and added, "By the way, this game is 30 seconds long, and ends early if Ms. Twinkletoes up there falls off. Now you can begin." With that, he dove back into the lake, and the game began.

This game is, for lack of a better word, quite boring. We'll just skip it and tell you that Star got 28 bits, Gilda managed to pick up 4 of her own, Twilight 1, and Coral 2. Sorry to disappoint you.

-------------------------------------------

AN: Thus ends the first 10 turns of what will be 400 turns of hell on Equestria. This part of their misadventures will end in 40 more turns, so place your bets. And stick with them, because once you choose your character, it ain't over til it's over! (You are allowed to change when they go to a different map, however, so keep that in mind)

1. A Plan (but is it sinister?)

Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic, approached the giant doors to Canterlot's great castle. It was rare for Twilight to get a summons from Princess Celestia, and even rarer for it to be considered "urgent." The doors opened and the young librarian walked into the castle's throne room. There, standing ever-so-regally, was Princess Celestia herself. But Twilight could tell something was wrong. Her mentor's eyes were red, her multi-colored mane unusually frazzled (yeah, imagine THAT, why don't you?), and her normally-present smile was...well, not present.

"My faithful student," Celestia said, "I am glad you could answer my summons."

"Princess, what's going on?" Twilight asked. "I've never seen you like this."

"It is because something like this has never happened before," Celestia answered. "Take a look at these."

A stack of papers floated towards Twilight. Each one showed a different location, along with a strange creature. It stood on two legs and looked to be very tall, about 6 feet, if Twilight were to guess. It wore a fancy blue suit, with a red tie around its neck, black pointed shoes, and had shaggy, yellow hair that looked like it could cover the eyes. If Twilight didn't know better, the creature looked exactly like the creature Lyra was always going on about.

"What is it?" Twilight finally asked.

"It's a human," Celestia replied.

"What?!? But that's impossible! Humans haven't been seen in Equestria for well over two millenia!" Twilight yelled.

Celestia closed her eyes. "I thought it impossible, as well. But this was taken by Featherweight while he and his family were on vacation in the Fruit Islands. And worse..." Celestia's eyes opened again, "nopony has seen Featherweight since we've received this pictures."

Twilight didn't speak. What could have happened to the young photographer, and how can anypony not have seen him since?

Celestia continued. "It's not just Featherweight. Reports have been coming from all over Equestria: Baltimane, Las Pegasus, Trottingham, even Ponyville and right here in Canterlot! There have been multiple reports that ponies have started to turn up missing. And if that wasn't enough...the other species have been reporting missing individuals as well. From Diamond Dogs to dragons and gryphons, it seems nothing is safe."

"Then what do you need me for?" Twilight asked after a moment of silence.

Celestia finally stood up and walked to Twilight. "I need you to find this human," Celestia said. "He's the only constant in all of these disappearings. Plus...he's sent me this." The princess then revealed a piece of parchment unlike anything Twilight had ever seen. It was rectangular in shape, with one side completely perfect, and the other had an X on the back, stretching from corner to corner. The front, which had writing on it, said, "To Celestia's student."

The back had more writing, this time saying, "Open here." An arrow pointed to the center of the X, where it seemed like an edge was jutting out. He must think we're stupid or something, Twilight thought as she used her magic open the envelope. She read it out loud for the two ponies to hear.

To Celestia's Student,

You do not know me, but I know very much about you. I have seen how well you handle yourself and others in the face of adversity. However, I wish to test just how well you can do so...alone. Come to the abandoned warehouse located at 2358 Timber Lane. I look forward to meeting you and just watching what you can do.

Of course, I know you might choose not to show. Therefore, I have taken the liberty of taking your friends hostage. They are located in the pictures taken by a certain white pegasus with a brown mane. I will transport you there for you to rescue them. Hope to see you soon.

Garino

Upon finishing the letter, Twilight's eyes widened. How was this possible? The first human in 2000 years to reappear in Equestria, and he's taken to kidnapping?

Celestia's demeanor, in contrast, had changed from worried to downright angry. She wrapped a wing around Twilight to comfort her, and leaned forward. "Get yourself to the address. Once you find him, capture him and bring him to me," she said coldly. "I will make him pay for his actions."

Twilight closed her eyes and nodded. Whoever this Garino was, she would find him. And when she brought him before Celestia, may the Sun Alicorn have mercy upon him. In a flash of lavender light, Twilight disappeared.

Coral Filigree. A unicorn with a sea-colored coat, maroon mane and tail, and a cutie mark in the shape of a clam. Can you guess her job? If you guessed anything related to the sea, you are right. Coral is the leading marine biologist for Canterlot, sailing out to study life under the sea. She enjoyed it for the most part, getting to find new animals and plants one would never find on land. Today, she was to present her findings to the Academy, and hopefully, finally get recognized across the world. She sincerely hoped so.

As she approached the Academy, Coral realized something was wrong. All the lights were on, but it looked like nopony was here. Were they at lunch? Did they reschedule her for a later appearance? And did it have anything to do with...cloaked ponies? Coral hid herself, careful not to be seen by them. Two of them were carrying bags with their teeth. Obviously earth ponies, judging by the facts that A. They were using their teeth and not magic, and B. Those bags looked far too heavy for other ponies to carry.

The ponies cleared out quickly, leaving Coral in the clear. Just who were they? And what were they carrying? Coral thought to herself. She shook her head. It didn't matter, she had to make her presentation soon. She passed by a calendar and glanced at it. The days that had passed were already crossed out with an X. But wait...Saturday, August 14...wasn't crossed out? But she was sure today was the 15th.

Coral hummed to herself.Those ponies surely had something important in those bags. But what?

"I don't know," Coral answered the unspoken question, "but I'm going to find out!" With that, she turned around and chased after the ponies before they got out of range. She had plenty of time to report her findings: and this could be the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stop something big.

Gilda Lockehart flew around Manehattan, sulking. It had been a year since she last spoke to Rainbow Dash. It was obvious they weren't going to see each other again...at least not on good terms. Okay, so MAYBE she was a little too harsh about the words she chose to describe those ponies. But so what? As far as she was concerned, they were all lame, and Dash was just another lame-o pony that could've been cool. But still...it hurt that her former friend abandoned her. It wasn't so easy to forget her, and...

Her train of thought was interrupted as a bright flash of light erupted from the abandoned warehouse. Every fiber of Gilda's being told her, "Don't fly over and examine the light. It's nothing important." But curiosity got the better of her: after all, who would be crazy enough to cause something that bright to appear in daylight? She flew down to the front door, to find it was wide open. She was about to enter the building, until she heard a voice.

"You big dummy! How many times have I told you, don't make it so flashy?!?"

"Quiet, you! We did as we were asked. Let's just get these ponies to him before anypony notices."

"Nopony would notice if you didn't make a show out of every capture."

"Hmph. You just don't know talent when you see it."

"Whatever. Let's just get out of here before the guards take note."

Gilda flew to the roof and watched as two cloaked figures, unicorns by their horns, walked out of the warehouse with multiple wriggling bags in tow. Just what was going on? She should help them. But...they're just lame ponies. "Why should I try and help them? It doesn't concern me in any way," Gilda muttered. No sooner had the words left her mouth did she feel something strike the back of her head. She heard a single sentence before she blacked out.

"It concerns you now, gryphon."

Setting the maps before him, Garino went through his plans one more time. "Maybe I am wrong," he muttered to himself. "If she can't succeed, then it will only complicate things. And the stars are almost out of energy." He turned to check on the subjects. All five were still in top condition. Asleep. And if he was correct, exactly what could be used to restore the stars. A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. "Door's unlocked, come in," he said.

Three ponies entered the room, each carrying a bag. They dropped the items in front of Garino and panted, their energy gone from all of the carrying. The right hooded pony spoke first, in a rough, masculine voice. "Sir, we've secured Celestia's student, as you've asked. We've also found a sea-colored unicorn and another gryphon around the warehouse. We decided to play it safe and capture them as well."

Garino sighed. "Secure and capture do not mean the same thing, Corporal. Secure means to make sure everything is in order, while capture means to take control. Securing the student did not mean you had to bag her." He looked to the other two, who simply shrugged their shoulders.

"Sir, if I may speak freely?" the middle pony asked. Her voice was kind, but had a hint of manipulation to it. Garino simply nodded, prompting her to continue. "You still haven't told us what these 6 can do. You said they were important to your plans, but just what exactly are they?"

"Hmm...I guess I can let you three know what's going on," Garino answered. "After all, you will be directly part of it."

All three ponies gasped. "But sir," the third pony questioned, in a voice that blended naivety with maturity, "why do we need them if we will be part of it ourselves?"

Garino tapped his finger on the far-right map. It showed a beautiful jungle, but he knew it would contain traps. Non-fatal, mind you, as a dead individual is useless to all but necromancers, something he was not. "Because it requires competition. Someone on my side must stand against them to ensure it's not just a given victory. The stars know a set-up when they see one. Or...at least HE does." The emphasis was said in distaste. "There will only be one location where...did you ever get her name?"

"Um, Twilight Sparkle is the student's name, sir," the corporal said.

Garino blinked. "Okaaaaaaaaaaaaay...anyway, there's only one location where...Twilight Sparkle...cannot assist us, and we will need to find a replacement for when that time comes. For now, take her to the first portal, along with the gryphon and the unicorn. They can be her...acquaintances...during her tenure here. Sergeant." The middle pony saluted. "You will be their first opponent. I will be down to monitor them shortly. Private." The left pony saluted. "You will be their second opponent. Make preparations for the second map and come to me if you have any problem. Corporal, I don't think I need to give you your orders."

"No, sir. I believe I know them right now," Corporal responded.

"Very good. You have your orders, so that'll be all. DISMISSED!" Garino bellowed out the last word loud enough for its immediate effect. As soon as they were gone, he turned to the subjects again. "And so it begins. The die shall be cast, and the world must be protected." He turned his attention to the far right. "The so-called Element of Generosity," he murmured, "your time has come. The game begins, and you shall be the guide of the Jungle."