Magic Touch

The first thing most people saw when they entered the Romero Arcade, was a few rows of the old game cabinets arranged in the center of the room, the second floor above was visable with the panel glass railings and the third floor was a duplicate of that. The layout of the plave was a mix between a shopping mall and a dance club. Titled floors with neon blue lights casting a mellow low mood lit glow over everything. It was my kinda place.

The entire place also had a well stocked snack bar on the first level, a screening room (with today's presentation being Pixels) on the second, and pinball, billiards, air hockey, ping pong, and midway games on the third. The eight of us entered and given what had transpired just a few minutes ago, already had a crowd at our attention.

"A few rules on how this will work." I told them turning to my seven competitors.

"Okay shoot, what'd y'all have in mind?" Applejack said as she cracked her knuckles and prepared for the worst.

"All video games, no ping pong, no air hockey, no pinball, and no basketball machines or shooting gallery. We do this all games and nothing else. Second condition, the contest goes until I lose, you could beat me in the first round and that will be it."

"Ha! One chance to best all seven of us?" Rainbow Dash said with a smug grin. "This will be way too..."

"I choose who I face of with first." I quickly added before putting my headphones back on. I stood in front of my choice game the one I trained intensely on, Pac Man. Right beside the original was a cabinet for the lovely lady Ms. Pac Man. "Fluttershy...you're up." I said smirking as I took notice of the way she gasped and eeeked softly before hiding behind her clenched up fists.

"Are y'all nuttier than a payday bar?! Applejack angrily yelled at me. Again, her actions made me think of some...equine that was gettong defensive, not hard to imagine farm girl stamping her foot and snorting like it was supposed to frighten me...my eyes stared straight ahead after all. "Fluttershy is...not very competitive and you know that! I think y'all are just tryin to make this easy by pickin through us easiest to hardest."

"What's the matter gamer boy? Afraid of losing to a bunch of girls?" Rainbow Dash said as she started circling her finger around the button to a Galaga cabinet.

"No...I...I want to compete, and I'm not afraid." Fluttershy said as she took her spot at the Ms. Pac man cabinet and got a fistful of quarters. I did the same before smirking and doing the same. We popped a few coins into the slots and made the respective games start up. I hit the play button on my Discman.

[youtube=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0-MONIvP6kI]

I was lost to the world as soon as that song hit my ear drums. A crowd of spectators walked away from rounds of pong and House of the dead to watch us. Fluttershy's friends stood close to her, but not too close. Already I saw her weakness to crowds affect her already novice level skills, feeling kind myself, I told everyone.

"Hey guys, give the girl some room and air okay?" The listened and backed off some. I did just as those thirty year old tunes did, for though it had been before my time, I admired everything that the world of the past had given me. My actions as the screen glared and reflected off my glasses, the way I made my pac man fent from one corner to another, then through a side exit as I saved those four power pellets for last, made me look not unlike a shadow out of time.

My appearance would not have been out of place in present or past, but to which age did I belong? I belong to the now. I took a moment to look over at Fluttershy, the girl was making littpe squeaky noises as she held the joystick in just the tips of her fingers l, her friend Rainbow Dash turned t her and said.

"Come on Fluttershy! You can't be afraid here! You gotta take that game and show it who's boss." Some weren't as encouraging.

"Choke! Choke! Choke!" A boy I recognized as hoops chanted while his crony Scoreboard backed him up with.

"Hey dudes! Its Camp Anawanna all over again, remember those days Fluttershy? When you afraid to even did your toe in the lake?" Scoreboard taunted with a dumb and goofy laugh.

"Yeah cause you jerks put a rubber snake in her canoe on the camp float trip!" Rainbow Dash retorted, though my hearing was spmewhat blocked by music, I caught their conversation, and the spund of Ms. Pac man getting caught by the ghosts. Though the girl and I were by the rules of competition...well competing against each other, I had to do something. Call it...good sportsmanship on my part, or maybe I just can't stand seeing guys make a big girl cry. At the cost of my last life, I took my hand from the joystick and turned to her antagonists. I looked them straight in the eye, my missmatched glasses staring right at them and said.

"Leave the lady alone fellas, you got no part in this, either shut up and watch or take your bunk to the Barcade in the city where trash like that is accepted, cause it's not welcome here. By the time I turned back to my screen the demo mode had started up again, my final score? Solid fifty thousand.

"With a score of fifty thousand to fifteen hundred." Little Button Mash said to the crowd, standing on that stool the little kids had to use to reach the buttons. "Pixel Resolution wins round one!" The whole arcade erupted in cheers and praise to my name. Pixel chanted as the girls accepted the defeat. I called a ten minute break until the next round, and saw Fluttershy. She sat on the metal lattice table by the snack bar crying softly, as I got closer, I heard why.

"Oh..I'm sorry girls...I didn't mean for us to lose in the first round she said making pained faces about to break down in tears. Twilight pated her shoulder gingerly and placed a soda beside her.

"Awww Fluttershy, you don't have to be sorry." She said smiling at her softly.

"You did all you could darling, that's what really counts isn't it?" Rarity asked as they gathered around to comfort her. I cleared my throat and hoped I was not intruding where I should'nt have. The first girl to turn her head to see me, was Applejack.

"Howdy fella." She said nonchalantly, "so....I guess y'all one round uno than?" She said, not all that angry, after all she knew wben and how to accept a loss. I only took a seat across from Fluttershy and said.

"Those guys had no right to talk down at you the way they did, I wouldn't stand for it." I say reaching over and drying her teary eyes with a napkin.

"Why are you being nice to me? Arent we opposing competitors in this little farce?" She aske sibbing softly.

"Just because your friends and I are on opposite sides tonight, does not negate your right to ne treated like a person Fluttershy." She smiled warmly at me and blushed hard as I took my hand from her face and stood up. "Who's hungry? I think the first round of jalapeno poppers are on me...anyone up for some?" Seven hands shot in the air, as the girl I bested blushed harder and redder than Blinky the ghost.