Bits and Games

Chapters

The Surprise Gift
Finding a Game to Play
Time Flies When You're Having Fun
A Plan for the Problem
The Revival
The Magic of it All

The Surprise Gift

"Shhh! Pinkie Pie stay down or she'll see you! We all have to keep quiet," Rarity warned the party pony.

The five mares and Spike were crouched low, hiding in Twilights library.

Twilight Sparkle woke up from her sleep. She stretched her legs and looked out the window. It was a beautiful day outside and she couldn't wait to enjoy her special day. She skipped down the stairs with excitement. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, all of her friends popped out and yelled "SURPRISE!" Twilight fell backwards in surprise.

"Wow!" she said. "Thanks for remembering that it was my birthday today! Pinkie, it looks like you really out did yourself with all the balloons and party streamers!"

Pinkie Pie giggled and said, "Oh Twilight, you know when it comes to parties I'm always on the ball! Here, have a cupcake!" Pinkie Pie stuffed a cupcake in Twilights mouth.

Suddenly, Spike hunched over, holding his stomach. Twilight looked at him as his cheeks puffed up a bit. He burped out loud and out came a letter. Twilight used her magic to levitate the letter in the air. It was from the Princess. The letter simply read, "Happy Birthday!" Out from the bottom of the folded letter fell out six small pieces of paper that fell to the ground. Twilight looked at each one.

"It looks like these are some kind of gift certificates to a place called...." Twilight paused for a moment. "Bits and Games? Have any of you girls heard of such a place before?"

None of her friends had an answer. They all simply shook their heads no.

Twilight scratched her mane with her hoof and said, "I wonder what kind of games this place has?"

Pinkie Pie shot up and yelled out, "Maybe they have pin the tail on the pony!"

"Or maybe it's some kind of indoor sporting place!" Rainbow added.

"Maybe they have farm games like horse shoe tossin' or somethin'," Applejack said.

"I don't know girls," Twilight said. "The Princess left us a good chunk of bits for each of us. Fifty bits for each one of us. That's an awful lot of money. It sounds like this might be an all day event or something. Maybe the Princess knows something about this place that we don't know, or even better, maybe she's going to throw a surprise party for me there!"

Pinkie Pie folded her front legs in protest and said, "No pony throws a better party than me!"

Applejack adjusted her hat and replied, "Aw, come on Pinkie! We really should go and see what it is that the Princess wants us to enjoy. Why don't we all just go out and see what the big fuss is about this place and if we still have some energy left the next day, then you can throw us an after-party party. Sound fair?"

Pinkie Pie nodded yes in agreement.

"How about before we go, we all get something to eat for breakfast? I am just starving right now," Twilight said.

The other five mares agreed and trotted off to get something to eat.

When they finished eating, they decided to go to this place called Bits and Games. There was only one problem. No pony knew how to get there. They asked around town, but no pony had an answer for them. They searched all over the place and eventually gave up.

Twilight leaned against a building that she was standing next to, she was tired and frustrated that no pony in town knew anything about this special place that the Princess wanted them to go to.

"Why would the Princess send us to a place where no pony has even heard of before? You would figure that if the Princess were sending us away to somewhere special, that it would be very well known. This all just doesn’t make any sense to me," Twilight said.

Rainbow giggled a bit and said, "Hey Twi! I think you found it. Look behind you."

Twilight turned around and to her surprise there was an old, beat up sign that read "Bits and Games."

The building was very old and looked like it had seen better days. The funny thing about this place was that it was right in the center of town. There was a small window in which Twilight peaked through. She could see some kind of snack bar and some lights in the background, but no pony appeared to be inside.

"Is this place even open?" Applejack asked.

"The sign says open," Fluttershy nervously added.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Rainbow said. "Let's see what this place is all about."

Fluttershy studied the building with caution. She opened the door gently only to fall back from being blasted by a cacophony of noise from inside the building. Fluttershy gasped in fear. She ran and hid behind a nearby tree.

"What in Equestria was that all about?" Rarity asked.

"I don't know," Twilight said. "But it looks like we have to get Fluttershy to calm down."

The five others had to pry Fluttershy from the tree and drag her back to the building.

"But I don't want to go in there. Whatever is in there is loud and scary and I'm so scared of loud noises. Please don't make me go back in there," she said with tears in her eyes.

Applejack let go of her tail and said, "Relax sugar cube, ain't nothin' gunna hurt you inside that place. We're all here and we won't let nothin' bad happen to ya. Ya hear?"

Fluttershy gulped and nodded her head slowly.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and bucked the door open. Loud sounds came out that made the rest of the girls cover their ears in disgust.

Fluttershy let out an "Eeeeep!" and hid behind the others.

"What is this place!?" Twilight yelled out.

Rarity took her hooves out from her ears and said, "It sounds absolutely awful inside there. Those sounds are just terrible. Why, I can't imagine why the Princess would send us to a place so loud inside! Why don't we all just go home instead?"

"No," Twilight said. "That isn't right. The Princess sent us a lot of money and wanted us to come here for a reason. I know it's loud and sounds terrible in there, but the least we can do is check it out."

Rainbow Dash led the way inside.

Applejack grabbed a hold of Fluttershy's tail and dragged her along as well.

Once inside, Twilights mouth hung open in surprise. She tried to talk, but no pony could hear her. She eventually gave up and gestured for every pony to stand over in the corner of the building. Finally, they were able to hear each other more clearly.

"Oh no, no, no, no, NO!" Twilight said. "The Princess must have gotten things mixed up and sent me the wrong gift or something."

Applejack scratched her chin with her hoof as she looked around. "What in tarnations is this place? I haven't seen anythin' like it," she said.

Rarity began to whine. "Oh this place is just awful! It smells bad in here and I'm worried I'll have to wash my mane when I get home. This is obviously not a place where a true lady would hang out." Rarity turned her head and sniffed her mane. She didn't look too happy.

Rainbow scratched her mane with her hoof and said, "I thought this place was going to have sports and be, you know, cool."

Fluttershy nervously squeaked, "Oh my, this place is so loud and scary and all the bright lights could give some pony a seizure. My animal friends would be terrified of such a place like this. I want to go home."

Pinkie bounced over with a confused look on her face and said, "Where exactly are we, Twilight?"

Twilight stepped back as she examined the place and said, "We must be in an arcade! I have heard about these places before, but have never been in one. This is absolutely ridiculous! There is no way the Princess would ever step hoof inside such a filthy, dirty place like this. She must have meant to send those gift certificates to a colt or something."

"There were six tickets," Applejack added. "And it is yer birthday. I reckon the Princess wouldn't make such a careless mistake like that considerin' that yer her favorite student and everythin'."

Twilight sighed and said, "I just won't be able to enjoy myself here. Let's all just go home and send the gift certificates back."

Pinkie Pie tilted her head in confusion. She walked over to one of the machines and stared at it. Her eyes lit up as she gawked at the flashing lights atop the arcade cabinet. She bounced on over to another machine. She began to stare at the monitor and giggled madly. She looked back over to Twilight and said, "Oh my! These colors are amazing Twilight! They make my head feel like there are explosions and rainbooms inside my brain!"

Twilights face turned red with anger. "Come on girls. Let's go home!"

Pinkie Pie bounced over to them with a frown and said, "But wait girls! There must be something each of us can enjoy! Can't we at least try something before we leave? I bet we'll find at least ONE game that we'll enjoy playing. Just look at all of these games and the bright colors on the screen! Oh, that game looks like fun, but so does this one and this game..."

Twilight Sparkle put her hoof to her mouth and silenced the pink mare. "Fine," she said. "We'll stay a while and play a FEW games, but I certainly am not going to spend a long time here. Video games are for little immature colts that have nothing better to do with their time, and I certainly have better things to do in life like reading books and doing scientific research! Why don't we all split up and find some games to play for now."

The other mares nodded in agreement, except for Fluttershy. She was hiding in the corner with her hooves covering her eyes. "Let's um, not go?" she whimpered, but it was too late. She was left all alone in the corner of the arcade. She uncovered her eyes and began to panic. Every pony was gone. "Girls? Girls? Eeeeeep!" Fluttershy cried out. Fluttershy put her hooves back over her eyes, when she noticed the bright flashing lights coming from one of the arcade cabinets.

The rest of the girls went over and cashed their gift certificates in. They were each given a small bag of bits to spend on the games.

Finding a Game to Play

Rainbow Dash walked through the arcade eyeing each machine. "Lame, uncool, wouldn't spend a bit on that game," she said. Rainbow Dash sighed and said, "I could be practicing my tricks in the skies today, but instead, I'm stuck here with a bunch of lame games." Rainbow suddenly reached the far end of the arcade. Her eyes lit up like a foals eyes in a candy store. There was a machine with such bright flashing lights that she couldn't take her eyes off of it. The colors on the screen were vivid and hypnotizing. Rainbow licked her lips as if she were about to eat something delicious. "Now here's a game that might be interesting," she said.

Rainbow Dash stepped onto the platform. She didn't know how to play the game, so she waited for the instructions to appear on the screen. She read them out loud, "It says to wait until the arrow reaches the top and then step on it. Avoid stepping on mines, Keep your hoof down on arrows with a long tail, these are hold arrows. Keep your hoof tapping on rolls/multi-tap arrows." Rainbow scratched the back of her mane with her hoof. "Sounds easy enough," she said.

She took some bits out of her bag with her mouth and plunked them into the slot of the machine. The arcade speakers made a loud noise as she put each bit into the slot. "Wow! That sounds so cool!" She pressed a green button on the cabinet to start her game. She began to bob her head with the music that played at the select screen. She read what the screen said out loud, "Singles is one pony playing on one pad. Doubles is for one pony playing on two pads. Insert more bits to play with a friend." Rainbow Dash was deep in thought. "Singles sounds too easy. I bet doubles is more fun and challenging anyway." She selected doubles mode and began to scroll through each song. "Wow! This music is awesoooome!" she thought to herself. She went through each song while listening to a variety of different genres of music. She eventually landed on a techno song and paused for a moment. "Wow! This song is from DJ Pon-3! I can't believe this machine has my favorite song by her!" Rainbow Dash hit the green button once again. "It says to hold or press again for more options." Rainbow Dash pressed the button again and up came a screen with what seemed like an endless amount of options. "Hmmm. Speed mods adjust the scroll rate of the arrows." Rainbow Dash didn't really understand, so she chose the modification somewhere in between. She skipped through the rest of the options and made it down to the bottom. "Select difficulty. Hmmm. I may not have played this game before, but I'm good at everything, so let's give the expert level a try." Rainbow Dash hit the green button two more times and stepped back. She bobbed her head as she kept the beat of the music.

On the screen came a barrage of bright, colorful arrows. She began stepping across the pads like wild. She was already sweating and having trouble keeping up with the arrows on the screen. She made it a quarter of the way through, until she tripped and fell on her face. She got back up and finished her song, but it was too late, her life bar had drained all the way down and it was game over after she finished her first song. "Aw nuts!" she said. "I can't believe I failed!" Rainbow Dash wiped the sweat off of her forehead and grinned from ear to ear. She looked nervously around her to make sure no pony was looking or laughing at her for making a fool of herself on the dance pad. She plunked more bits into the machine. She smiled as each bit she put into the slot made that magical and awesome sound. "That was really kind of fun. Maybe I'll try something a little bit more easier this time."

Applejack made her way through the arcade. She looked at each machine as if it were some kind of strange sorcery that she did not understand. "What in tarnations are these things? She pressed a few buttons on one of the cabinets, then backed away from the foreign object. "Well, I guess I might as well try somethin'," she said. She put a few bits into one of the machines and began to play. She had no idea what she was doing. She just began pressing random buttons. "WHAT!? GAME OVER!? Why I just started playin' the darn thing! Gimmie back my bits!" Applejack bucked the machine in an attempt to get her bits back. "I reckon these games do nothin' but suck the bits right out of yer bag!"

Applejack became frustrated and walked over to the snack bar. There, the manager was waiting for her. He was a tall brown earth pony with an arcade joy stick and buttons for a cutie mark.

"I'll have one of those ice cream soda floats please," she said as she sat on the bar stool. The manager nodded and made her one. He slid it over to her. Applejack caught the drink with her hoof and began to sip it. "Ah, that tastes good!" she said. "Here's the two bits for the drink."

The manager smiled and gave her the money back. He looked at her and said, "Don't worry about paying for the drink today. It's on me. I saw you were having a hard time with one of the games and lost your bits rather early, so the drinks on me."

Applejack tipped her hat to him and said, "Why that's awfully nice of ya mister. I ain't ever been to an arcade before and I just don't understand these modern do-hickeys."

The manager nodded with understanding and said, "Just please don't buck the machines when you lose, that can damage the machines."

Applejack turned red with embarrassment and said, "I'm awfully sorry about that sir. It won't happen again!"

The manager smiled and turned his back to her. He was watching Rainbow Dash go berserk on one of the dance games.

Applejack finished her drink and wiped her mouth with her front leg. She was about to go find Twilight Sparkle and ask if she was ready to go yet, when suddenly something caught her eye. In the back of the arcade was a pool table and a dart board. "Pool and darts? Now those are fun games!" Applejack looked at the sign by the pool table. Five bits per game of pool. One bit for a game of darts. Applejack put the bits in the side of the pool table and grabbed herself a pool stick. She grinned and said, "Now this is a game a farm girl like me can play!"

Pinkie Pie bounced around the arcade. She would occasionally stop and stare at the bright colors on the screen.

The manager watched her for a while, then came out of the snack bar area and stood beside her. "If you're nervous about playing and losing bits, I can give you a few free games since you're new here," he said.

Pinkie Pie looked up at him and said, "Oh no, I just really like looking at the colors and movements on the screen. There's something about them that makes my head go zoom, zip, ka-pow!"

The manager scratched his head with his hoof. There was something odd about this pony. She was different. Maybe she had a bit of A.D.H.D. the way she would try to look at multiple screens at once. He couldn't figure out which game to suggest to her, and then it hit him. "What's your name, dear?" he asked.

"My name is Pinkie Pie," she replied.

"Well, Pinkie, I think I have just the game for you that you might enjoy. Why don't you follow me?"

"Okie dokie lokie," she said as she bounced behind the stallion.

In one corner of the arcade were pin ball machines. He bent down low and put in a few bits for her to try the game for free. He then gestured for her to play and he stepped back.

Pinkie Pie stood on her hind legs and put her front hooves on the buttons. She didn't know what she was doing.

The manager laughed and pushed the start button for her and out came a ball. He pulled the lever back and shot the silver ball out into play. He looked back over to Pinkie Pie and said, "Now just try to keep the ball in play and not let it get past you!"

Pinkie Pie frantically hit the buttons trying to keep the ball in play.

The arcade manager smiled as he watched her eyes dart around trying to keep focus on the ball. He knew he had her hooked and that pin ball was her game.

Pinkie Pie's eyes lit up at the randomness of the ball and she was giggling madly. After her game was over, she got out her bag of bits and bounced over to another pin ball machine. She put her money in the slot of the game and started playing. She was hooked and mesmerized at how the ball can bounce so crazily around the board.

Twilight Sparkle frowned as she looked at each game. "In The Hooves 2? Pony It Up? Poppin' Pony? These games are for little foals, how can the Princess even think of sending me such a gift? Why couldn't she send me a book instead?" Twilight Sparkle said as she bowed her head and walked in disappointment. She then bumped her head into a machine. "Ow!" she said. She looked up and noticed the machine had a giant touch screen on it. Above the screen was the game's name. Rehay. Twilight sighed out loud and said, "I might as well play something here." She read the instructions out loud. "Tap the symbol when it reaches the twelve o' clock position and matches the music’s beat. Sometimes, more than one symbol will need to be pressed at once. These are called omni-taps. Multi-taps require you to tap each time a bar rotates to the twelve o' clock position with the beat. Holds need to be held down. Press down on the symbol when it rotates to the twelve o' clock position and keep it held down until it rotates back around. Follows require a pony to hold down and follow the path of the line until it reaches the end. Sounds easy enough, let's give this a shot."

She levitated some bits out of her bag and put them into the slot of the game. Twilight Sparkle stood on her hind legs, she touched the screen and was greeted by the intro. "It says that I can either play full screen or half. I better play half to be safe. Full screen might be a little bit too hard to read right now," she said. Twilight selected half screen and began to scroll through the music selection. She found her song that she wanted to play and made sure the difficulty was set to easy. She pressed the screen again and the song started.

Twilight tapped each colored symbol as they appeared on the screen. She tapped one of her hind legs on the ground in an attempt to keep beat with the music. When she finished her song, she looked at the results. "Oh! I got a star!" she said in a cheerful voice. "I passed my first song!" Twilight was rewarded with another song. She looked around to make sure that no pony was watching her enjoy her game. She was embarrassed and unsure if she should be having this much fun with a video game. After all, in her mind, video games were for foals and not to be taken seriously. After Twilight finished her game, she looked around and noticed there were other touch screen music games to be played. She grinned as she tip-hoofed over to another game and opened up her bag of bits.

"UNGH! This place is absolutely hideous! I bet there are cock roaches roaming around behind these machines," Rarity said in a whiny voice. Rarity looked around for Twilight and the others, but she couldn't see any pony. She sighed out loud to herself and sat down on a stool that was in front of one of the games. She watched the screen as a demo of the game was shown. Two ponies were fighting each other in the game. Rarity rolled her eyes and said, "I guess I might as well try this game. Although I can't imagine enjoying it."

Rarity walked over to the counter and got some paper towels. She took them over to the machine and put them down on the cabinet. She used her magic and took out a bottle of hoof sanitizer. She always kept a bottle with her when going out, just in case she didn't feel very clean. She put some hoof sanitizer on the paper towels and wiped the joy stick and buttons down.

Rarity used her magic and put the coins into the slot of the machine. She hit the start button and was greeted by a selection of fighters. She began to comment on each of the characters on the screen. "Oh, this pony would never win a fight. He's too thin and weak looking, and this pony is too big and strong. He would be too slow to keep up with the faster ponies, and that pony has absolutely NO taste in style, there is no way she would win in a fight!" Rarity cocked an eyebrow at one of the pony fighters in the game. "YES!" she cried out. "She is perfect! She's pretty, stylish, has an attitude, and looks almost as beautiful as me. She would win a fight for sure!" Rarity selected her character and began to play.

Click clack, click clack. The sound of Rarity's hoof was pounding away on the buttons. "Seven hit combo with an air juggle! That did so much damage!" she cried out. Rarity won her fight and proceeded to the next pony to fight in the game. Rarity put her hoof to her chin in thought. "Playing such silly little games like this is not very lady like and if Sweetie Belle ever found out I was here, why, I don't even know how she would react, but I bet it wouldn't be good," she thought to herself. Rarity played another stage and lost. "Well, I guess that's that. No need to get upset over a loss. It's just a game and I have better things to do," she confessed. Rarity paused for a moment and thought to herself. "But I was so awfully close to beating that pony, and my pony should of won being that she's the prettiest in the game! I must continue and beat that pony!"

Rarity closed her eyes in frustration and used her magic to put more coins into the machine. "There's nothing wrong with trying again. You can have a little fun, Rarity. It's not a big deal." As Rarity selected her character, she started to scream at the machine. "You're going down punk! I'll show you this time!" Rarity couldn't help but smile a sinister grin. She felt awfully guilty that she was enjoying a game in such an unclean place, but that didn't stop her from playing again. She wanted to beat the game, more importantly, she wanted some pony else to play with her so she could beat them as well. Rarity pounded the keys again and she screamed out loud in excitement, "C-c-c-c-combo breaker!"

It has been about a half hour now and Fluttershy was still cowering in the corner of the arcade with her eyes shut tight and her hooves covering her ears. Fluttershy took some deep breaths and said to herself, "Ok, you can do this, Fluttershy. Just walk through the arcade and find a game. It’s not that hard."

Fluttershy got up and tip-hoofed her way nervously around. A loud bang had occurred from the other side of the arcade. "Eeeeep!" Fluttershy yelled and hid behind one of the arcade cabinets. "Oh wait, maybe this isn't such a good idea. Maybe this machine might make a loud sound too," she thought to herself.

Fluttershy ran from behind the machine and made her way to the counter. In her mind, the machines were so loud, that she was afraid that they would explode.

There stood the manager looking down at the terrified pony.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, "Um, excuse me, but these machines are so loud and it's really scary being in here. Is there any way that you could perhaps turn the volume down on the machines?"

The manager simply laughed and said, "I could do that, but other ponies might feel that the sound would be too low for their game. I have a better solution."

The manager bent down behind the counter and pulled out some headphones. He pushed them over the counter to her and said, "These are special noise cancelation headphones that you can buy for just ten bits. You can plug them into a game and control the volume yourself!"

Fluttershy nodded her head slowly and gave the pony her gift certificate.

She quickly put the headphones on right away and sighed to herself in comfort. "That's much better," she said. "All that noise is gone, but I can still feel those scary vibrations in my hooves. Oh, I just need to go find a game away from where all my friends are playing."

Fluttershy ran over to one corner of the arcade where there were no ponies. She took in a deep breath and looked at one of the machines. "Ok Fluttershy, you need to be a brave pony and try," she said to herself. Fluttershy took out her bag of bits and opened it up. She put a single coin in and a loud sound came out of the speakers. "Eeeeep!" she cried out. Fluttershy ran and hid behind a stool. She was shaking and cowering. "Get a hold of yourself, Fluttershy. It wasn't that loud with these headphones on. You just need to get used to feeling the vibrations in your hooves," she said to herself. Fluttershy put another coin in and looked at the screen. She pressed the start button and read through the tutorials. "All I have to do is press one of the buttons with the matching notes on the screen that goes to the music. That doesn’t sound too hard," she said.

Fluttershy plugged her headphones in and put the volume down very low. She scrolled through the music selection and picked out a soft classical song to play. She began to hit the buttons on the cabinets that matched with the notes on the screen. Fluttershy smiled warmly and said, "Oh my, this isn't so bad. In fact, this is kind of fun, now that the volume is reasonable." Fluttershy enjoyed her game. She really had fun with the note and symbol matching games, so she stuck with those. She didn't want to play any of the fighting games because she didn't like the violence that she saw on the screen.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Rainbow Dash snuck up and grabbed Applejack from behind in a tight hug."Applejack! Get over here!" she yelled out.

"What in tarnations!?" Applejack said. Applejack turned around to see Rainbow Dash looking at her with excitement and joy in her eyes. "Rainbow, ya almost made me miss my shot. What's gotten into ya? Yer also soakin' wet!"

Rainbow giggled and said, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, Applejack you HAVE to try these dance games! They are so much fuuuuun!"

Applejack readjusted her hat and said, "Calm down sugar cube, I don't think video games are my thing. I tried to play one game and it ate my bits just like that!"

Rainbow didn't say anything back, she simply grabbed Applejack by the hoof and raced over to where the dance machines were. "I found out that you don't have to worry about losing your bits if you have a friend playing with you. I'm good enough to keep the both of us alive and we can play our three songs together!" Rainbow proudly said.

Applejack looked around nervously and said, "Well, if ya say so, R.D. I just don't wanna make myself look like a fool on one of these here machines. Which one are we gonna play?"

Rainbow Dash puffed up her chest proudly and said, "This one has four arrows. Up, down, left, and right. The other game has five. All diagonal arrows and a center step. The last game has nine, but I think that might be too advanced for you right now. Let's try the one with four to start with."

Applejack nodded and stepped on the pads. "So all ya gotta do is step on the arrow when it reaches the top?" she asked.

Rainbow nodded yes proudly with her eyes closed and said, "Yup, and make sure to avoid the mines! Some of them can be tricky." Rainbow Dash put the coins in the machine and started to scroll through the music. "They have some really great songs in here, A.J. I even played a song by DJ Pon-3!"

Applejack just stared at the screen in confusion. "What in the hay is all this electronic soundin' music? Ain't there somethin' on this machine that a farm girl could dance too?" she asked.

Rainbow Dash ignored her friend and continued to scroll through songs, looking for something like rock and roll or metal to dance to.

Applejack's ears suddenly perked up and she swatted Rainbow's hoof away from the buttons. "Go back! Go back! I heard a familiar bluegrass tune!" she cried out. Applejack pressed one of the buttons on the machine and it took her back to the previous song that Rainbow had scrolled over. "I want this one, Rainbow! Good ol'e fashioned bluegrass music!"

Rainbow muttered some words under her breath and held the start button down. She adjusted her speed mods and then went on Applejacks side and put on the same speed mod she was using.

"What are ya doin' to my screen, R.D?" Applejack asked.

"I'm just adjusting the scroll rate of the arrows so you can see them better. Just trust me Applejack," Rainbow replied.

Rainbow got down to the very bottom of the screen and put her hoof to her chin. "How about we play on medium Applejack?" she suggested. "That way we can both play the same chart and it won't be too hard for you. I'm sure you're going to be good at this game, seeing that you're in such good shape from all that hard farm work you do."

Applejack nodded yes and grinned at the thought that Rainbow called her a hard worker.

Rainbow locked in both of their screens and stepped back.

The two of them began stepping on arrows.

Rainbow couldn't help but glance at Applejack's screen to watch how high her score was. She was a lot better than she thought, but Rainbow was confident that she'd pull ahead and win. When the song ended, Rainbow and Applejack stared at the screen in anticipation to see their scores.

"No way!" Applejack cried out. "I beat ya at yer own game fair and square, Rainbow!"

Rainbow muttered some words of disapproval. "It was close, A.J. I got an eighty nine point ninety nine percent score you got a ninety percent score. I was off by a smidgen!" Rainbow Dash said.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack played another two songs together. Rainbow won the next one, but Applejack came back and won on the third song.

"Yee-Haw! That wasn't so bad Rainbow, maybe I'll play with ya again after I finish my game of pool. I'll catch ya later."

Rainbow stared at the screen in disbelief. "I hate losing," she whispered to herself. Just then, she saw Fluttershy walking very slowly behind the dance game, hoping not to be noticed by any pony. "HEY FLUTTERSHY!" Rainbow called out.

Fluttershy let out an "Eeeep!" and ducked behind the arcade cabinet.

Rainbow Dash went behind the machine and pushed her onto the dance pad. She put some more bits into the machine.

Fluttershy nervously looked up at the screen and said, "Um, excuse me Rainbow, but is this a violent game? I don't like games with violence in them."

Rainbow shook her head no and said, "Well not really, but you do kind of stomp on the pads pretty violently though!" Rainbow stomped her hoof on the pad causing Fluttershy to feel vibrations in her hooves.

"Eeeep!" Fluttershy cried out and held onto the red bar attached to the pad.

Rainbow grabbed her tail and yanked her back down to the pad, she then took Fluttershy's headphones off and hung them on the bar behind her. "Relax Fluttershy. All you have to do is step on the arrow when it reaches the top. Just don't step on any mines!"

Fluttershy nodded her head nervously.

Rainbow started the game up and picked her song. She put Fluttershy on an easy difficulty and picked a harder difficulty for herself.

Fluttershy stayed put on the center platform. She was frozen there in fear. When the song started, a single arrow came up on Fluttershy's side of the screen. She nervously stuck out her hoof and stepped on the panel. She squeaked a little bit in fear.

Rainbow was watching her step out of the corner of her eye. "Keep your hooves on the arrows and stay off the center, Fluttershy!" Rainbow called out.

Fluttershy kept her hooves on the arrows until the mines started going off. "Bang! Boom! Pow! Fluttershy let out a squeak and instinctively went back to staying on the center of the raised metal platform again.

Rainbow rolled her eyes at the sight of Fluttershy tapping each arrow gently with her hoof and then pulling it back quickly to the center in fear of stepping on another mine. When the song ended, they compared their scores. "Um, Rainbow? Did I just beat you?" Fluttershy quietly asked.

Rainbow pressed the start button in disgust and replied, "Yeah, but that's only because I played a harder difficulty than you. You should really try to not stay on the center platform so much."

Rainbow played two more songs and lost each one to Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy, I don't know how you do it, but your rhythm is flawless in this game," Rainbow said.

Fluttershy's cheeks turned red at the compliment. she looked at Rainbow and said, "I guess I um, must have good rhythm from teaching the birds how to sing."

Rainbow Dash spread her wings out and said, "Are you up for a rematch? I bet I can beat you this time if you play a harder difficulty level with me!"

Fluttershy stepped off the pads and grabbed her headphones. She put them around her neck and said, "No, that's ok, Rainbow. I was actually making my way over to play another one of these music games where you press buttons that match the notes on the screen. Maybe we'll play sometime later."

Rainbow Dash nodded and went back to her game.

Twilight Sparkle looked up at a clock nearby. "Oh my goodness! We have been here for almost eight hours! We missed lunch and it's almost dinner time!" she cried out.

Twilight ran around the Arcade looking for her friends. Each one was still busy playing their games. They were all locked deep in concentration as they stared at their games. Twilight was able to gather up all her friends. They were all oblivious as to how much time had gone by. None of them even realized that they were hungry, and none of them wanted to leave the arcade.

They eventually settled down at the snack bar and had some food. No pony said much of anything. They all devoured their meals and went back to playing games.

The arcade eventually closed and all the ponies were left outside sitting in the dark of night. They were all silent.

Twilight eventually spoke up. "Hey girls?"

"Yeah?" they all responded.

"I don't know about you all, but I'm kind of afraid to admit that I actually had fun and maybe video games aren't just for little foals, but are quite challenging and fun for adults too."

Rainbow Dash spoke up, "Hey Twi? I still have a good chunk of bits left in my bag. Could we perhaps come back here tomorrow and play some more games?"

All the other girls murmured in approval.

"Rainbow, you bet your flank we'll come back tomorrow! I haven't had this much fun since I was a little foal! I'm still embarrassed about other ponies finding out about us playing here, but we seemed to be the only ponies here tonight," Twilight said with enthusiasm.

All the other girls cheered. They decided on a time to meet up tomorrow. They were exhausted and went home and fell asleep.

A Plan for the Problem

The next day all the girls met up at the same place. They even showed up about a half hour earlier. They peeked inside the window. The arcade machines were on, they could see two ponies sitting down at the snack bar and the manager was walking around by the front doors.

Rainbow Dash banged on the window until she got his attention.

They all walked over to the door and he opened it. The manager peeked his head outside and smiled. "Welcome back girls! I'm so glad you decided to come back to play some more games. I'll just need about twenty more minutes until I can open up!" he said.

Twilight Sparkle spoke up, "Why do you need that much time? All the machines appear to be running and we saw two ponies sitting at the snack bar."

The manager gave a nervous little grin and said, "I'll be right back. I'm just having some technical difficulties right now."

He closed the door leaving the girls confused.

They all ran back over to the window and watched him go back to the snack bar. He appeared to be talking with the two ponies. None of the girls could recognize who they were. The arcade was rather dark and they were sitting too far away.

The manager came back and opened the door. "You can come in now," he said.

The girls gave each other a confused look and walked in. The manager closed the door and locked it.

"You're locking us in?" Twilight asked.

The manager laughed and said, "I can't open the doors to the rest of the public right now. There are two very special visitors that stop by nearly everyday before they go to work."

Twilight and her friend's made their way to the snack bar. They all froze in fear and shock.

Princess Luna and Princess Celestia sat there at the snack bar enjoying their ice cream soda floats.

The girls instantly bowed down to the Princesses.

"Hello Twilight Sparkle," Princess Celestia said. "I'm so happy that you decided to come back here with your friends. I wasn't sure if you would enjoy the gift I sent you."

Twilight Sparkle picked her head up and said, "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, what are you doing here in a place like this!? This is not made for royalty!"

Princess Luna laughed and said, "Art thou not fond of video games, Twilight Sparkle? We have enjoyed games ever since we were fillies growing up. It is a traditional and secret value in our family."

"That's right," Princess Celestia added. "We normally come here every day before we have to do our royal duties to unwind and have some fun! We can't be seen though. Many other ponies may frown or look down upon us for being in such a place as this. Especially the upper class at Canterlot. Being seen here may ruin our reputation as being royalties. You girls must keep this a secret and not tell any other pony.

All the girls nodded in unison. They were still shocked that they were all standing in front of the Princess's.

Rarity stuttered to find words. "So what does Royalty like to play in the arcade?"

Princess Celestia laughed and said, "My sister and I love to play ALL the games here! However, we are most fond of that fighting game over by the entrance of the arcade. We can get very competitive in that game, but we have a great time together!"

Rarity's eyes widened. She fainted and fell backwards into her friends front legs. "Oh, I never knew my hooves touched the same game that royal hooves touched!" she cried out. "I never knew that I had such good taste in video games either."

The Princesses giggled at the sight and sipped their soda floats.

Princess Celestia turned to Rainbow and said, "Rainbow Dash, I think there's a special pony that might still be here. I hear that he likes to play the dance games."

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow and ran over to where the dance games were. Sure enough, there was a stallion playing one of the dance games. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was Soarin' from the Wonderbolts.

Rainbow Dash ran over to him and stood on the pad next to him, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, Soarin', is that you? I'm like your biggest fan and I had no idea you came here!"

Soarin' laughed and said, "Yep! Sometimes me and Spitfire come down here with the rest of the Wonderbolts and play some games when we're not too busy with our schedules. You're Rainbow Dash, aren't you? I have heard that you're one of our biggest fans. I have a little something special for you."

Rainbow Dash's heart went pitter-patter. She had a huge crush on Soarin' and here he was standing before her, getting her something special.

He reached into his bag and pulled out a VIP ticket for a backstage pass for the next Wonderbolt show in town. He gave it to Rainbow Dash.

She was speechless. She threw her front legs around him and gave him a hug.

"That might not be a good idea. I'm kind of wet right now," the stallion said.

Rainbow Dash smiled and said, "That's okay, I actually don't mind. You're my hero."

Soarin' blushed a bit and patted her on the back.

Rainbow stared into his eyes and asked, "Do you think w-w-w-we could dance?"

Soarin' laughed and looked at the clock across the room. "I'm afraid I don't have time for another game. Spitfire is waiting for me and we have practice in a half hour. I really must be going, but I'll see you at the next Wonderbolt performance. Don't forget to come early since you have backstage access. I'll meet with you then and maybe we can talk about meeting up here another day. Thanks for being such a loyal and great fan, Rainbow!"

Rainbow's heart kept beating faster and faster at the thought of hanging out with Soarin'.

Soarin' left the arcade and Rainbow was all alone staring at the ticket. She hugged it tightly and ran back over to the other girls. She began to talk as fast as she could. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I just got a ticket to see..."

Applejack put her hoof to her mouth and said, "We know sugar cube, we saw the whole thing. Ya look like ya have quite the crush on Soarin'."

Princess Luna and Princess Celestia laughed at Rainbow's enthusiasm.

Rainbow's cheeks turned bright red at the thought that they were all watching her behavior the whole time.

Twilight looked back over to the Princess's and asked, "How come it's so dead in here? There are so many games to play, yet we seem to be the only ponies who ever show up."

Princess Celestia nodded with a serious look on her face and said, "I am glad you brought that up. I'm afraid this arcade will be shutting down for good."

"Shutting down for good!?" all the girls gasped in unison.

"Yes, I'm afraid ponies have forgotten the culture and the joy of coming to the arcade to play some games and socializing with each other. Coming to the arcade seems to be a thing of the past and ponies have found other forms of entertainment without the need of leaving the house. It's really a sad thing since arcades are so magical and bring the best out in ponies. There are not many arcades left in Equestria, and this arcade is the very last one standing in Ponyville. I'm afraid this place will be shutting down for good this year. That's why I gave you this birthday gift. I wanted you to share some magical moments with your friend's, while having fun over some video games, while this place is still here. I'm so glad you girls came and enjoyed your gift."

Princess Luna wiped a few tears from her eyes.

Princess Celestia continued, "We have many fond memories of coming here when we were fillies. We never grew out of the gaming culture and we just wanted to pass on some joy to the next generation of ponies while we still can. At least you all will remember what an arcade is and will have some memories to share with each other."

Twilight Sparkle spoke up, "But Princess, there must be something we can do to save this arcade. I can't imagine not being able to play my touch screen games anymore."

"Or not being able to play my pin ball," Pinkie Pie added as she bounced around in between the stools like a pin ball.

"Or not being able to play dance games," Rainbow yelled out.

"Or what about my favorite fighting game? There's no other game like it!" Rarity added as she put her two front hooves up like she was going to fight.

"Or not bein' able to play billiards and darts," Applejack said.

Rainbow Dash suddenly elbowed Applejack in the side.

"Oh, and dance games too of course," Applejack said.

"And I would miss playing my special music games as well," Fluttershy quietly said.

"I'm sorry girls, but unless we can totally turn things around, all those games will be gone and this place will not exist anymore," Princess Celestia said with dissapointment.

Twilight stomped her hoof on the ground and said, "No, Princess. Arcades are special and we need to save this one. We will all work together to bring ponies in from all around town and save this arcade! Who is with me?" All the girls cheered loudly except for Fluttershy, she let out a soft sounding "Yay."

The Princesses stood up and Princess Celestia said, "I'm very proud of your efforts wanting to save this place, but I think it may be too late. This arcade is already in serious debt. It would take a miracle to turn things around for this place. We need to get going now. This will probably be one of the last few times we will get to be here. I wish you girls luck in your attempt to save this place. Goodbye for now."

All the girls bowed once more as the Princesses left the building.

The arcade manager went back to the front doors and unlocked them.

The rest of the girls followed him. Applejack spoke up, "Ain't there somethin' we can do to help ya out around here?"

The arcade manager sighed and said, "It's too late for this place girls. You can try to bring some of your friends in so they may enjoy this place before it closes, but that's really about it."

Rainbow Dash puffed her chest out and said, "Don't worry mister. We're going to save this arcade if it's the last thing we do! Come on girls! Let's spread the word."

The arcade owner wiped a few tears from his eyes at the girls wishes to keep this place open. He opened the door for them and waved goodbye to them.

Twilight turned back and said to him, "Don't worry, we'll be back soon. Expect some new customers soon."

The stallion smiled a toothy grin at the mares and closed the door.

Back at Twilight's house, the ponies sat around a table having some tea.

Twilight Sparkle took a sip and said, "Okay girls, we need to get the word out about this arcade. No pony even seems to remember that it's even standing there. Rarity, you have a special eye for beauty. Why don't you help by creating posters to be put around town to tell other ponies about the arcade?"

Rarity nodded yes with a serious look on her face.

"Rainbow Dash, I don't know any pony else who is more qualified than recruiting new ponies to the arcade. You're in charge of spreading the word in the skies to other pegasus ponies."

Rainbow Dash gave a proud salute.

"Pinkie Pie! We need a good reason to get ponies into the arcade. How about you bake a ton of your signature cupcakes to get ponies into the arcade? We'll give them out for free to the first customers who get there."

Pinkie Pie giggled and smiled at the thought.

"Applejack, will you work with Apple Bloom and spread the word through the schools in town?"

Applejack tipped her hat to Twilight.

"Fluttershy! You have a kind heart and love taking care of things. The arcade owner is going to be very busy at the snack bar. Would you be willing to help him serve other ponies?"

Fluttershy smiled warmly.

"And I will make sure that everything is going according to plan. I'll help spread the word around town as well. We're going to save this arcade girls! TEAMWORK!" All the girls put their hooves together in the center of the table.

The Revival

It didn't take long for the girls to get their mission accomplished.

Rarity and Sweetie Belle posted posters all around town.

Pinkie Pie had baked a ton of cupcakes.

Applejack and Apple Bloom helped spread the message through the schools in Ponyville.

Rainbow Dash spread the word across the skies, literally. She borrowed a huge supply of cloud and made a message in the sky that said, "Bits and Games!" with an arrow pointing down to the building.

Fluttershy helped spruce up the arcade and helped the manager get the food ready.

Twilight Sparkle made sure everything was going according to plan and helped spread the word on the ground as well.

When everything was ready, the girls sat outside the arcade eagerly awaiting customers. It wasn't long before a few ponies came.

Pinkie Pie greeted each one as they came in for their free Pinkie Pie cupcake.

Slowly, but surely business started picking up.

Fluttershy and the arcade manager were busy making food and drinks for all the ponies.

It was lunch time now and Rarity and Sweetie Belle took a break and enjoyed playing that fighting game that she loved so much.

Applejack was busy teaching Apple Bloom how to shoot pool, and Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were tearing things up on the dance pad.

After lunch, ponies really started to swarm the arcade. The arcade was jam packed and all you could hear was the loud noises from the machines and the clicking of hooves against the games. Many of the ponies that came were much older.

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were shocked to see Miss Cheerilee come in to play some pin ball. They all ran over to her and hugged her. "Miss Cheerilee!" Apple Bloom yelled out. "What are ya doin' here?"

Miss Cheerilee laughed and said, "Back when I was a filly, I used to come to this arcade all the time! I guess I got so busy with my teaching job that I forgot how awesome and magical this place really is. It's been a long time since I stepped hoof in this place! I'm glad they kept all the machines that I used to play."

Twilight Sparkle gathered her friends and looked around the arcade and noticed that some of the newer games weren't being played. All their personal favorites were being avoided because ponies weren't sure how to play. Twilight Sparkle gathered her friends to the corner of the arcade and said, "Okay girls, we need to demonstrate some of the newer games so that ponies can see that they are fun too! Let's show them our skills!

Rarity sat down at her favorite fighting game. She put her hoof to her head and called out, "Oh, won't some handsome stallion come play this game with me? I'm awfully lonely over here and I need a good challenge." Rarity blinked her eyes affectionately at a group of stallions and soon the edge of the arcade screen was filled up with coins along the ledge. Ponies put their coins on the ledge of the screen as a waiting position to play next.

Rainbow Dash had gathered quite the crowd around her on the dance game. They were cheering her on and putting coins on the edge of the screen as well.

Twilight Sparkle showed off some game play of her touch screen music games to the ponies around her. Many of the ponies hadn't seen such a thing before and were amazed at how quick Twilights hooves were on the screen. Ponies began forming a line behind Twilight wanting to play next.

Applejack had gathered a large crowd around her. She was busy beating all the other ponies in pool and darts.

Pinkie Pie was showing off her favorite pin ball games to the ponies nearby, and even Fluttershy built up a following of ponies watching her play her favorite music games.

Soon, the girls regrouped and watched all the other ponies around them. Every machine was being occupied and there were lines waiting to play each game. Some ponies were even waiting outside to be able to come in and play.

Twilight walked around and took special note of the ponies reactions while playing each arcade game. They all had smiles and were very excited. Some of them were even cheering and yelling. Many of the ponies in line were stomping their hooves in excitement as well. There were ponies of all different age groups sharing games, laughing, and having fun. There was this indescribable joy and love in the air as the community of Ponyville got together and shared great games together. Neither Twilight, nor her friends, had seen anything like this before. The crowds didn't die down at all. It seemed like every pony in Ponyville had stopped by at least once during the day.

The arcade owner didn't realize how late it was. He was busy serving up food and drinks for the ponies and then realized that it was three full hours past closing time. He had to make an announcement and closed the arcade down for the night.

Twilight and her friends helped clean up the arcade, after the doors were locked.

The arcade manager wiped the sweat off his brow and said to the girls, "Wow! I hadn't had that much business since the day I first opened this place. I'm glad I got to see so many faces before this place closes down for good."

Twilight Sparkle looked up at him and said, "This place will not close. We will keep coming back and spreading the word about this place!"

The stallion lowered his head and sighed, "I'd need business like this for a long time to keep this place open."

"Don't you worry and have faith! We're still going to do our best to spread the news! We'll even start to run and host special tournaments for our most competitive players! Please promise us that you won't close down this place as long as you're getting good business from now on." Twilight said as she hugged the stallion.

All the other girls came in for a group hug around him. They all cried out "Pleeeeeease!"

He couldn't help but smile. These six girls had already brought in so much business for him in just one day.

"Okay," he said. "I'll keep this place open as long as you keep bringing in ponies to play games. That's a promise."

Twilight and her friends leapt up in the air. They were overcome with joy.

The Magic of it All

Time went by and the girls kept spreading the word about this place. They even took the train to other towns to hang up posters around and to tell other ponies how wonderful this arcade is. Soon, ponies from all different towns both near and far, were traveling by train to come visit and to play games and save this arcade.

The arcade owner was so overwhelmed with business that he even had to hire an extra employee to run the snack bar while he took care of other things.

Business was booming and Twilight and her friends didn't really get much time to play since they had to share the machines with so many other ponies.

The owner saw that the girls were giving up their game time to allow new comers to play. The manager noticed this and came up with a great idea.

When closing time came, he had the girls join him at the snack bar and made each one of them an ice cream soda float. He then pushed over a key to each one of the girls. All the mares looked at each other in confusion.

"Excuse me, but what are these for, my dear?" Rarity asked.

The stallion wiped a few tears from his eyes and said, "You girls have been the biggest blessing to me. My dream and passion in life is to keep this arcade up and running and somehow, you girls were able to do it. I am ever so thankful for you all. I noticed you girls were letting others cut in front of you so that you could let the newcomers play the games instead. I had these keys specially made just for you all. You now have access to the arcade even when it's not open. You can play your games without having to wait in line. I trust all of you and I know that you'll behave without me there. I want you to know that I don't give these keys out to many ponies. Only a handful of my oldest and best customers get one, so please don't get these keys recopied or share them with your friends. Congratulations! I am so happy that you're all a part of this very special community. You all have earned this special reward!"

All the mares came in for one big group hug.

Applejack looked at the stallion and said, "Say partner, ya never got to tell us yer name, what do ya like to be called?"

"My name is Joy Stick," The stallion replied.

"Well, Joy Stick," Twilight said. "You can trust us with these keys and we'll also help fix up any machines that might be giving you problems. This is such a wonderful gift and we really all appreciate it!"

Rainbow Dash suddenly perked up and said, "Hey! Does Soarin' have his own key? Was that why he was here that one day when the arcade was still closed?"

The stallion nodded yes and said, "Soarin' as well as the rest of the Wonderbolts have been dedicated customers for a long time. They all have their own keys."

"Sweet!" Rainbow Dash said. "I have a chance to dance with a Wonderbolt, and it's Soarin' too!" Rainbow Dash put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hooves.

Applejack poked her side and said, "I reckon ya might be able to score a date with him too, lover girl."

All the other ponies began to laugh at Rainbow.

Rainbow sunk low on her stool and her face turned red. She was blushing quite a bit.

When they all finished their drinks, they left the building. Tomorrow was going to be a brand new day and they were going to take advantage of their new keys.

The next day, the ponies were back at the arcade for more fun.

"Hurry up, Applejack! I need to see if Soarin' is still there!" Rainbow Dash said as Applejack fumbled for her key at the front door with her friends. She opened it up and walked in with the others. She then closed the door and locked it.

All the girls ran over to their favorite games.

Rainbow Dash was surprised to find Soarin' already there on her favorite dance game picking out a song to play. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" she said to herself. She ran over and hugged him. She was covered in his sweat, but she didn't care. She was crazy for Soarin'.

Soarin' smiled a nervous little grin as he felt a little odd for getting what might be his biggest fan soaking wet with his own sweat. "Hey Rainbow, I heard from Joy Stick that you got your own key. I had the day off today so I thought I'd stop by to see if you were here and if you wanted to play some games," the stallion said.

Rainbow's heart went pitter-patter. She stuttered to find words. "You mean you came out here j-j-just to see me?"

"Yup!" The stallion replied. "I really enjoyed hanging out with you before. I think you're really cool and fun to be around!"

Rainbow almost fell over in shock at what Soarin' had just said. "He not only thinks I'm fun, but he also thinks I'm cool!" Rainbow thought to herself. She didn't realize her mouth was hanging open and she shut it with her hoof. "Is this s-s-some kind of date?" she asked.

"No," Soarin replied as he scrolled through the song wheel.

Rainbow's heart sunk deep in her chest and she lowered her ears in disappointment.

He then turned back to her and said, "But it can be if you want it to be."

Rainbow leapt in the air and tackle-hugged Soarin'. "Oops," Rainbow said with bright red cheeks. "I didn't mean to knock you down. Are you Okay?"

Soarin' picked himself up and dusted himself off. "That's okay, I'm fine," he said. "I just wish you'd wait until I at least got to towel myself off. Now how about you dance with me?"

Rainbow's heart leapt with excitement. She opened up her bag and shoved in the bits. "First, he wants to date me, now he wants to dance with me, can this day get any better!?" Rainbow thought to herself. Just then, Soarin' bent down and gave her a peck on the cheek. Rainbow stood there in shock. "YES! This day can get even better!" She thought to herself.

Soarin' laughed at how shocked Rainbow was and said, "I have always liked you, Rainbow. I just thought I'd never get the opportunity to ask you out."

Rainbow quickly returned a kiss on his cheek. "And I never thought I'd be able to get a date with the coolest Wonderbolt ever!" she exclaimed. "Now, how about we dance and get a little sweaty?"

Soarin' smiled and held down the red button so that he would fail his last song so that he could play with Rainbow right away. He put some more bits into the machine and they both hit the green button simultaneously. They both bobbed their heads to the music as they decided what song they wanted to play. They locked in their choice, selected their modifications, and was soon stepping like crazy all over the dance pads.

Twilight Sparkle hung out with the Princesses for most of the time. She watched them play their favorite games and have fun. They talked about the games and how wonderful it is that the arcade would be staying open after all.

Rarity was quite impressed with how good the Princesses were at her favorite fighting game. Not even she could beat them.

Every pony had a great time and they were all happy that they were able to play their games without having to wait in line for a long time.

The Princesses couldn't stay long. They had a long day ahead of them and had to leave early.

Twilight Sparkle and her friends played all different kinds of games.

Eventually, Joy Stick showed up and gave them all a thirty minute warning before they all had to leave out the back door, so that no pony would see them. There was already a line waiting outside for other ponies to get in.

Soarin' stepped off the dance pad with Rainbow and said to her, "How about we go home, shower up, and we can hang out some more later? Would it be okay if I picked you up at your place?"

Rainbow Dash nodded yes with a huge grin on her face. Soarin' left the building and Rainbow ran over to where all her friends were sitting down and enjoying an ice cream soda float before they had to go. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, GIRLS! I got a date with Soarin'! This is so awesooooome!" Rainbow Dash said.

Applejack just chuckled. "Never thought ya would be the romantic type, Rainbow, but ya'll look so cute together over there spazzin' out on that dance game. I think ya really oughta be thankful though. For if it wasn't for this place, ya would have never been able to hang out with Soarin' like ya did today. I reckon places like this help ya make new acquaintances, friends, and in yer case Rainbow, meetin' yer very own some pony special," Applejack said as she nudged Rainbow with her elbow.

All the other girls giggled at Rainbow's excitement.

When they all finished their drinks, they went back to Twilight's house to have some tea. They all gathered around the table as Spike was listening to all of their stories of epic gaming moments in the arcade.

Twilight looked over to Spike and said, "Hey Spike, take a letter to the Princess."

Spike got out a scroll and a quill and put it down on the table. He began writing down what Twilight said. "Dear Princess Celestia, Today I learned that going to the arcade isn't just for colts and fillies, but also for grown stallions and mares as well. Video games are a wonderful form of entertainment and can challenge us in many ways, including improving our eye to hoof coordination and our imaginations. I learned that arcades are in fact a very special place to meet new ponies, make new friends and create special memories. Sharing a game with a pony is one of the most fun and magical experiences I have ever had. I have even seen healthy and friendly competition brought out from playing these games. I learned that with a little team work, ponies can overcome just about any problem, including saving an arcade from shutting down. I used to be afraid to admit that I had fun playing these games, but I am now proud to call myself a gamer. Oh, and all my friends wanted me to tell you that they are proud gamers too! We'll definitely keep coming back again. Thanks again for introducing us to such an amazing place! Yours Truly, Twilight Sparkle."

Spike sent the letter away with his magical dragon fire breath.

The girls continued to sip their tea and talk about their accomplishments at the arcade.

Rainbow was so busy getting excited, talking about her high scores in her favorite game that she almost forgot about her date with Soarin'.

Applejack chuckled and said, "Hey Rainbow! Don't ya have to be with yer some pony special today?"

Rainbow perked up with a look of seriousness on her face. She suddenly yelled out, "I got to go girls! See ya later!"

Just then she ran over to the mirror in the library. She started to panic. "Oh, how do I look, girls? I'm still a sweaty mess aren't I? Do I look pretty?" Rainbow asked as she started to mess with her own mane.

Applejack started cracking up. "I never thought I'd see the day when Rainbow started worryin' bout lookin' pretty," she said.

All the other girls started laughing except for Rainbow. She shot an annoyed glance at all of them and said, "Hey! This isn't an ordinary day! I got a date with Soarin' and I need to feel well, uh, you know. I need to feel a little bit pretty."

Rarity blinked her eyes affectionately at Rainbow and said, "Well, you could stop by my boutique and I could give you a head to hoof make over."

Rainbow put her hoof to her chin nervously and considered this option. She then said, "How long would it take, Rarity?"

Rarity took a sip of her tea and said, "In your case Rainbow, I'd need to spend a few hours on you. What do you say?"

Rainbow frowned a bit then began to laugh to herself. "You know what, Rarity? I think I'd better just go home and take a quick shower. That should solve my problems," she said.

Rainbow burst out of the door and flew home.

All the girls laughed at Rainbow's consideration of getting a makeover. They continued to enjoy their tea and talk about games.

Thanks to their efforts, Ponyville’s last arcade would still stand and become popular again. Ponies from far and near would travel to play some of the greatest games ever invented.

The girls continued to play at the arcade and Rainbow Dash continued to date Soarin'. They were so in love with each other and eventually Soarin' was able to get Rainbow Dash on the team with the Wonderbolts. Rainbow found it amazing that their relationship came about, all because she found and enjoyed a video game. She loved playing the game so much, but she would have never guessed that it would bring her the love of her life as well.

The girl's would continue to help out the arcade manager and run weekly tournaments for ponies hungry for competition and fun.

For the arcade was a special place in deed for all ponies who wanted to share the joy and magic of sharing game's with each other and creating precious memories.

The end.