Equestria Legends Online

Chapters

January 22nd (Let the Games Begin)
February 15th (The First Element)
February 18th (Journey to Canterlot)
March 3rd (New Arrivals)
March 3rd (Under the Labyrinth)
March 4th (The Fourth Boss)
-Intermission- March 14th
Special: February 22nd (The Second Element)
March 21st (A Party?... In Canterlot?!)
April 5th (An Alicorn Arrives)
April 10th (Raid of the Haters' Guild)
April 10th (The Chess Game)
May 7th (Off To Cloudsdale!)
Special: January 22nd (Cross' View Part 1)
Special: January 24th (Cross' View Part 2)
May 7th (The Bird Brought Down The Thunder)
May 8th (The Torture of the Tolerant)
May 8th (Hunted in the Forest)
May 15th (A Night With a Mare?)
June 1st (Hollow Shades)
June 1st ("It's Where my Demons Hide")
June 14th (Lone Sky)
June 30th (The Change In Rules)
July 1st (The Badlands)
July 3rd (Fighting With My Friends)
Every Choice Made...
...Has a Consequence
July 5th (Embark)
July 6th ('Storming' the Empire)
July 7th (The Great Side-Quest Grind)
July 7th (Of Friends and Elements)
July 8th (Home is Where the Crystal Heart Was...)
The Unexpected Chapter (non-canon)
July 9th (Mmmm, Crystalsss)
July 9th (Passion to Pull Through)
July 9th (Falling Cities and Fragmented Hearts)
The Unexpected Chapter (non-canon) - Part 2
October 31st (Nightmare Night)
October 31st (To The Lunar Castle)
October 31st (Fighting The Nightmare)
November 1st (Prepare The End)
Reclaim the Kingdom! (Part 1)
Reclaim the Kingdom (Part 2)
Reclaim the Kingdom (Part 3)
Reclaim the Kingdom (Part 4)
The End
Epilogue
Collaboration In the Works

January 22nd (Let the Games Begin)

My mind raced as I ran into my house, a large box clutched under my arm. I was extremely excited, and everyone could see that from my exceedingly wide grin. The reason why I was so happy was because the package that I'd gotten today held my very own Nervegear console. But that wasn't all, because I had just barely bought my own copy of the newest brony game for the Nervegear, Brony Game Online.

Nervegear, for those of you who don't know, is a sort of virtual reality helmet. It actually catches the mental signals in your brain and warps it to where you are sensing the virtual reality that it creates. Although you couldn't move or feel your body in real life, you could feel and experience everything in the game.

I rushed through my house, not even stopping to say 'hi' to any of my family. I hurried downstairs into my room with my Nervegear, because I knew that the servers for BGO (that's short for Brony Game Online) would be opened in a couple of minutes, and I wanted to be one of the first ones in. It was incredible really, how Hasbro had funded the best game designers in the world for this single MMO. But, what was even more awesome was that the Nervegear was supposedly able to turn you into a pony.

Although, when anybody heard about me wanting the game, they'd think that I was crazy. They always said that a teenage guy like me shouldn't be playing with colorful, rainbow ponies. But BGO was going to be slap in their faces, because it not only took a player into Equestria, the setting of the game, but there was also a part of the game where you could fight against monsters, with swords, fangs, and everything.

Finally, I ran into my room and locked the door behind me. I didn't want anybody interrupting me during my first try of my Nervegear console. Without stopping for a moment, I plopped down the Nervegear box onto my desk, right next to my laptop. I grabbed a pair of scissors and cut open the box, and with it open, I pulled out the Nervegear console.

The console itself was just a disk reader, connected to a large Nervegear helmet. The console came with several cords that kind of confused me at first, but after I looked at the instruction booklet I was able to assemble the entire system.

Once I was done setting up my Nervegear, I looked at my digital clock that sat on my windowsill: It read 11:50 AM, which meant only ten minutes until the servers were up.

Suddenly, my phone began to ring in my pocket. I picked it up and answered, "Hello?"

A familiar voice spoke out through the other side, "Hey, man! Are you ready?"

I grinned, as I recognized the caller to be my buddy from school, "Yep, I'm ready. I just barely finished setting up my Nervegear console. I swear this is going to be awesome!"

"I know, right?"

Suddenly, a thought came to mind, "Hey, are you still using your usual username for BGO?"

"Nah, I'm going to use DarkenedSky for this game, or Sky for short. I stopped using my last user name a while ago, since everybody keeps mispronouncing it."

I couldn't help but chuckle, "Yeah, wasn't it in Russian?"

"Yeah, but it still sounded cool. So, what's your username?"

"Oh, the same as always. I've always liked Shadowflame as my name." I shrugged, "Oh, well. But also, are you going to set you OC as your avatar, or are you just going to ponify yourself?" (OC stood for Original Character. It's basically a character made by a fan of the show.)

"I don't know. I think I'm just going to ponify myself, but if I don't like how it looks, then I'll fall back on my OC."

I thought for a moment, "Yeah, I think I'll do that to." I looked back at my clock, which read 11:57. "Look, it's almost time to go. When you get into the game, if you finish choosing your pony first, just wait for me."

"All right. Bro-hoof."

I grinned, "And let's bro-hoof in the game, when we actually have hooves. See ya in a bit." With that I hung up and set my phone down on my desk. I glanced back at my clock and it read 11:58. I grinned widely, "I guess I can start right now."

I picked up the Nervegear helmet and stuck it on my head, fastening it with the chin strap. Once it was fastened, I laid down on my back on my bed. I flicked the helmet's power switch on and the console hummed as it came alive.

As the console was starting up, the glass eye protector of the helmet lit up as it prepared to take me into the game. Within a few seconds, the game was ready to go, but it would only start when it was activated by my voice.

I took a deep breath as I glanced at the clock inside the helmet's visor. It said 11:59. I grinned widely, "Only one minute left."

I waited, and time seemed to slow down in anticipation for the game. I took a few deep breaths as I waited, but then suddenly, the clock changed to show 12:00.

I grinned as I commanded the system, "Link Start!"

The inside of the helmet seemed to come alive as lights and colors of all kinds swept through my vision. Suddenly, Five bars of text appeared, showing the progress on the start-up of the game.

Sight: Ok

Hearing: Ok

Smell: Ok

Taste: Ok

Touch: Ok

The text bars disappeared and another text box appeared:

Language: English

User Name: Shadowflame

Password: ***********

The text box disappeared as the console signed me into my account. Suddenly, my entire vision went black, displaying white text:

Welcome to Brony Game Online

The text disappeared and I found myself standing in a completely dark place, with only a small spotlight shining down in front of me. More text appeared,

Now you must choose your avatar. Select which pony race you would like:

A small box appeared in front of me:

-Earth Pony

-Pegasus

-Unicorn

I raised an eyebrow, "No alicorns, huh?" I shrugged, "Oh, well. I guess they didn't want anybody to be too overpowered." I reached out with a finger and tapped the unicorn button.

Suddenly the screen changed:

What would you like your avatar to be?

-Ponified self

-OC

I touched the "ponified" button, making the box disappear. Soon it was replaced by:

Please hold still.

Suddenly, a large beam of blue light shone down on me. I tried not to move, but I couldn't help but try to see where the light was coming from. But after a few seconds, the light withdrew from me and like wisps of smoke, it weaved itself into the spotlight in front of me. The light began to wrap itself up, taking the form of a translucent pony.

Soon after it took shape, the light subsided, revealing a dark gray unicorn stallion with a dark red mane and tail, almost completely black. I examined the pony, or rather myself as a pony, and it wasn't too shabby. It looked pretty cool.

Suddenly, another window popped up in front of me:

Please make your cutie mark

In the window, it had a open box, along with several icons for designing, sort of reminding me of my old Photoshop application. I had a bit of experience with art, so making my cutie mark was easy. I used my finger to draw out a picture of fire. Not like a camp-fire, but just fire.

Once I hit the "Ok" button in the window, the cutie mark flew out of the window stuck itself on the flanks of my pony self.

I looked at my pony with a bit of satisfaction. It looked pretty good for a ponified version of me.

The window in front of me changed again:

Is this design acceptable?

I touched the "Ok" button, and the window withdrew from me. Suddenly, a voice sounded out from nowhere, "Now that you have chosen your pony, you may now enter Equestria."

A bright light suddenly swept through the dark place, blinding me for a moment. Before I entered the game, I heard the voice say, "Good luck."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

When the light subsided, I found that I was standing on all fours. I looked down at my feet to see that they had been replaced by hooves. I grinned as I moved them like I would have with a normal arm or leg, "It worked. I'm in Equestria."

I looked around to find that I was in the town square of Ponyville, the starting town for the game. Around me, several other players were appearing as ponies as they logged into the game as well.

But with the more players that came in, the more anxious I was to get going. I wanted to explore the town right away, but I still had to wait for Sky.

Suddenly, I heard a voice call out to me, "Hey, Shadow!"

I turned to see a dark cyan unicorn stallion running towards me. He had a black mane in a style that reminded me of DJ Pon3's (or Vinyl Scratch's, if that's what you prefer). His cutie mark looked like some sort of dark magic circle, which was fairly detailed, I might add.

Above his head, there was a player ID that read: Darkened5ky.

I grinned, "Hey, man. I see you went with your OC."

Sky smiled, "Yeah, I didn't like the look of myself ponified. My OC was cooler anyway."

I shrugged, "I guess that's true. So what are we going to do first?"

"We should explore around town first, just so we can know where everything is."

I nodded, "Right." Sky turned around as he began to walk (or rather trot) down a street adjacent to the town square. I began to follow him, but after about five steps I tripped over myself and face-planted in the dirt road.

I groaned as I got myself up, "Ouch. I guess walking with four legs is harder than with two."

I looked up to see Sky laughing his head off. Sky smirked at me, "Nice one."

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever. How did you get the hang of walking with hooves anyways?"

Sky shrugged, "Well, it's just like how you would crawl normally, but try walking on your hind legs instead of your knees."

I thought to myself for a bit about his reply, "Um, okay. I'll try." And so, we both began to walk down the street again, and this time I didn't fall over, although I did stumble once or twice.

But as we walked, a thought came to mind, "Hey, do you know how to use magic? It'd be useful to know how, since we're both unicorns."

Sky looked at me, "Um, yeah. I heard some other players say that there was a guide book in every player's inventory. Hold on a minute."

We both stopped and I watched Sky raise a hoof, quickly flicking his wrist down. As he flicked his hoof down, a small window appeared in front of him, displaying his player menu. He tapped a few buttons on his menu until he reached his inventory list. As he looked at it, Sky nodded, "Yeah, there's a guide for the game in general, but there's another one for unicorn spells."

I opened up my player's menu and went into my inventory, as well. But before I opened my inventory, I looked at my current stats. I was only at level one, and all of my stats were pretty low, but I didn't care. I had just barely started the game, so what else was I supposed to do? I could fight some monsters in the game and gain some experience points, but right now I just needed to get the basics of the game.

After looking at my stats, I opened up my inventory. Sure enough, the only things in there were the two manuals that Sky had mentioned. I touched the icon for the magic manual, and a book suddenly appeared in front of me. I was barely able to grab it before it dropped out of the air, which was difficult with hooves.

I sat down and flipped open my book, "Okay, let's see if there's a levitation spell in here. I don't want to have to try and carry everything with my hooves or my mouth."

I looked over at Sky to see that he'd taken out his book as well, "Good idea. Plus, we could learn a couple of combat spells for later. I want to try and fight a couple of monsters today."

I perked up at that, "Speaking of which, I heard a couple of players say that you shouldn't fight monsters on magic alone. You should at least have a weapon of some sort to fall back on."

Sky nodded, "Yeah, that sounds good. I think there's a weapon's stand around town somewhere. Did you find the levitation spell yet?"

I scanned through the book until my eyes rested on the spell I was looking for, "Found it. It's on page 7."

Sky flipped through his book, meanwhile I read the description on the spell:

The levitation spell will enable you to carry any object with magic. When used on smaller items, your magic meter will not deplete as it would with other spells. To use the levitation spell, focus on the desired object that you wish to levitate. You need to know what object you are levitating, and where you want it to go. Focus on these two aspects, and the spell should work easily.

I raised an eyebrow, "That's it? Doesn't seem too hard. Let's try it out." I stood up, leaving my book on the ground as my test object. Following the directions in the book, I focused on the book, willing it to rise up to my height. But as I concentrated, I felt a warm pulse flow from my horn as it glowed in red aura, signaling that I was using magic. And sure enough, my open book was surrounded in the same red aura as it lifted off of the ground.

I smiled with satisfaction, "Hey, I did it. That wasn't too hard. How did you do?" I looked over at Sky to see his horn glowing with black aura and his book also floating by him.

"I'm good. This is easy, but I bet the other spells are going to be harder."

I nodded, "Right. Hey, let's go find the weapon's shop. The game does start you out with some money to spend."

"Really? How much?"

I looked at my player menu, "Um... It looks like we get 200 bits each."

"Great, let's go get some weapons."

We both put our books back into our inventories and continued to walk through town. As we walked, we saw several other players pass us along the road. It was very clear that more and more bronies were coming into the game, but I just hoped that the town wouldn't be too crowded the whenever I played. Ponyville, after all, was known to be small, and I knew that over a thousand bronies had bought the game.

But Ponyville was only the starting point in the game, and as soon as you were in Equestria, you could travel to several different cities and towns, including Manehatten, Canterlot, and even the Crystal Empire. As soon as I had that thought, I began to stop worrying about Ponyville being crowded. I figured that I'd leave town eventually, as well.

Sky pointed a hoof out in front of us, stopping me in my tracks, "Hey, over there."

I followed his hoof until I saw a single stand that stood in the middle of an alley-way, just a couple of feet away. Even from where I stood, I could plainly see the weapons on the stand's display racks.

Sky and I walked up to the stand, and the stallion behind the counter asked, "May I help you?"

I smiled at him, even though I knew that he was just an NPC (An artificial intelligence, for anybody who doesn't understand what that is.), "Hey, we just need to buy some weapons."

The stallion nodded, "Right, feel free to look around. Tell me what you want when you're ready."

I thanked the store owner and turned to look at the inventory of weapons. Even though it was a small stand, it surprised me that there were *a lot* of weapons. Although, the game worked like any regular game with weapons, because of the fact that you had only two "hands" to hold weapons with. This meant you could hold two weapons at once if they're small enough.

The shop had a vast assortment of weapons, ranging from swords, to daggers, to shields, to even giant hammers. Because there were so many weapons, I was having trouble deciding what I wanted to use. As I looked through the weapons, testing out different ones, I glanced sideways at Sky, "Hey, what do you think I should get?"

Sky shrugged as he fiddled around with some of the swords, "I don't know. But I know what I want. I'll get two of these swords." He held up a pair of double-bladed swords for me to see.

"All right, you can buy those right now while I'm deciding what to get."

Sky nodded and turned to the owner of the stand to purchase his swords. Meanwhile, I was running through my thoughts for what I wanted in a weapon.

I wanted something that I could easily use with levitation or just with my mouth if the situation called for it, which narrowed down my choices to the one-hoof weapons. Out of the one-hoof weapons, I wanted something simple, like a sword or a hammer, but I still wanted something that'd be effective in hard fight, so I chose a single double-edged sword. But that left me with room for one more weapon, and I wanted something that could provide defense, so I chose a wooden shield.

Once I had my weapons chosen, I turned to the shop owner just as Sky finished buying his weapons. Sky stepped away from the stand, levitating two swords in their sheathes.

I began to purchase my weapons, "Okay, I'll take one of those short swords and one wooden shield."

The stand owner retrieved one of his swords, in its sheath, and a round wooden shield, placing them on the counter, "Okay, that'll be 80 bits."

As soon as he said that, a small window appeared in front of me:

Will you purchase these items for 80 bits?

-Yes

-No

I tapped the "Yes" button with my hoof, and the money appeared on the stand's counter. The stand owner took the money and held out my weapons, "Thank you, enjoy these while you can."

I thanked the owner and grabbed my weapons with levitation and went back to join Sky. When I turned around, I saw that Sky had already equipped his weapons on him, seeing as he now had two swords strapped on his back, the hilts protruding from either side of his neck.

Sky looked at the weapons that I held, "So, you got those?"

I nodded as I opened up my player menu, "Yeah, I figured that I might as well have some defense in fighting, unlike you, seeing as you just have two swords." I opened up my inventory to see that both of my new weapons were in there.

Sky shook his head, "Well, actually, who says that you need a shield to be defensive? I've seen enough movies to know that's not necessarily true."

I tapped a hoof on my weapons in my inventory, equipping them to my character. My weapons that I held with levitation suddenly vanished and then reappeared, strapped to my back like Sky's. I turned to Sky, "All right, as long as that works for you. I don't know about you, but I want to try out my weapons on some monsters."

Sky nodded, "Right, let's go right now. I heard that there are a few low-level monsters in the Everfree Forest."

I grinned, "Great. Let's see if we can gain a few levels today."

With that, we both turned and headed through town, towards the general direction of the forest.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

I breathed hard as I ran through the forest, with my sword and shield drawn. I held them both with levitation while I galloped hard away from the Timberwolf that was pursuing me. The wolf was only a few feet behind me, but I was just barely able to keep out of its reach.

"Come on, Sky! Today would be nice!" I shouted out behind me. You see, our plan for taking down this timberwolf was for me to fight it first, bring down its health, and then run as bait. And while the wolf was distracted by my, Sky would come up from behind and finish off the wolf. But I had been running for a good five minutes and Sky hadn't done anything yet.

But just as the Timberwolf was about to take a large bite out of my hind legs, Sky leaped out from the side and tackled the wolf away from me. With the wolf no longer pursuing me, I stopped and ran back towards the monster to see Sky quickly slashing the wolf with a flurry of sword strokes. Everywhere he hit, red lines of code appeared on the wolf, showing where he had struck.

Before I reached Sky to help, he had delivered the final blow, making the wolf cry out as it disintegrated into tiny bits of code, that eventually vanished in the air. As soon as I reached Sky, I window appeared in front of him:

Level Up!

Lv. 2 -> Lv. 3

Sky pumped a hoof into the air, "Oh, yeah. Level three."

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever. You only got most of the experience because you actually killed it. I did most of the damage, but I'm still at level two." I looked at my health meter, and I had taken some damage during the past few hours that we had been fighting monsters, so my health meter was down to 5/6th full. I looked at Sky's health meter, which was floating above his head. He had been more head-on while we fought, which made him take more damage, resting his health meter at about 2/3rd full.

Sky shrugged as he sheathed his swords, "Well, next monster we fight, I'll let you get the experience from it."

I put away weapons as well, "All right, fine. But we'll have to do it tomorrow. It's getting dark and the time here works just like the time back home. Which means..." I opened up my player menu and looked at the time, "... It's 6:30 back home."

Sky's eyes went wide, "Oh, shoot. My mom said that I needed be back for dinner at 6:00. Ah, man, she's gonna pinch my head off. I'm gonna log out right now. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, meet me back in the town square tomorrow, at around 4:00."

Sky nodded, "4:00, got it. See ya." He opened his player menu as he prepared to log himself out. But as he froze, wide-eyed as he looked at his menu, making me curious, "What's wrong? Aren't you going log out?"

Sky only kept staring at his menu, "Um... I would, except the log out button isn't here."

I raised an eyebrow, "Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm positive. It's not there. See, check your menu."

I opened up my menu and scrolled down to where the log out button was... or rather, where it should have been. Sure enough, it wasn't there. "What the- Where is it?"

Sky shook his head, "Told ya." He thought for a moment, "Maybe we can't log out in places like the forest. I think if we went back to town, we'd be able to log out there."

I shook my head, "No, I don't think so. The game makers themselves said that you could log out in just about any place, even in places filled with monsters."

"Then what the heck is going on?!"

I paused, "I don't know, but if we-" I didn't get the chance to finish my sentence, because at that moment, Sky and I were enveloped by a bright blue light. I couldn't see anything, not the forest, not Sky, not even my own hoof in front of my face.

Suddenly, the light subsided, and Sky and I found ourselves in the middle of Ponyville's town square. I looked around the square, helplessly confused, to see my self surrounded by other players who were just as confused as I was. Almost the entire square was filled with bronies, and I could see pinpricks of blue light throughout the square as even more players were being brought in.

"All of us were teleported here?" I muttered, "What's happening?"

Suddenly, the blue lights in the square subsided as they finished bringing in the last of the players in the game. Everyone was just as confused as the next person in the square, but then a voice called out, louder than the combined volume of the crowd,

"Gamers and Players, May we have your attention please!"

The entire crowd quieted down as they turned to see four alicorns flying in the air above the square. Each of them were different in color and in size, but only one seemed to be the leader, which had been the one who had spoken earlier. The lead alicorn was the largest of the four. His fur was a bright red with a long white mane and tail that flowed out behind him, giving him a more commanding presence.

The lead alicorn cleared his throat and addressed the crowd, "Everyone, we are the administrators of Brony Game Online. We are in charge of analyzing the system and keeping it running in top condition. However, right now we are experiencing several technical difficulties in the system. One of which, as some of you might have noticed, was the absence of the log out button in your player menus. This is a major problem, since there is no other way for anyone to leave the game. We do not know the cause for this malfunction, but please bear with us as we try to fix this problem. While we try to find what's causing this, for your own safety, please remain in the Ponyville square for the time being."

This news brought up several outbursts in the crowd. Everypony began to converse to each other, as they tried to guess what might've happened or what would happen. One lone pegasus suddenly flew up into the air, yelling out for everyone in the square, "What do you mean you don't know what the problem is?!"

The lead alicorn shook his head, "This problem isn't from a lack in the system, so we don't know where the problem might have originated."

Suddenly, the entire square was plunged into darkness. Everyone broke out into chaos as they had lost their ability to see anything. But during the chaos of the darkness, another voice chuckled evilly, sending a shiver through my spine, "Oh, I think that I might know what the problem is."

My eyes widened in surprise. I knew that voice, and I was sure that everyone else did as well. Suddenly, lighting struck through the darkness, partially lighting it. The voice swept through the crowd again, "That would be me."

Another crack of lighting sounded, lighting the square completely for everyone to see the source of the voice. Flying high above the crowd was a character that any brony should know. Everyone stared in awe or shock as they gazed up at the familiar draconequus, the being of chaos, Discord.

Discord laughed evilly at the crowd below him, "Hello, my little bronies." He turned his head towards the admin alicorns who were flying in the air on the other side of the square, "And hello to you, my good administrators."

The lead alicorn glared at Discord, "How can you be the cause of the problem? You are a program in the system that we designed ourselves. You may have partial control of Equestria, but you don't have the power to change the layout of the system completely."

Discord snapped his fingers, making himself vanish. But then he reappeared behind the lead alicorn, "Oh, but you already know the answer to that. You designed me to be exactly like the me in your television show, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic." He suddenly appeared next to me, making me jump a good foot into the air, "That really is a terrible name for a show, don't you think?"

Before I could answer, Discord snapped his fingers and reappeared riding on one of the admin's backs, "You see, you gave me control over reality in Equestria, but with this power, I hacked into the rest of the system, giving me power over the entire program. Oh, and to make sure that I stay in power, " He snapped his fingers and in a flash, the admin alicorns' horns and wings disappeared, making them plummet into the crowd below, while Discord still floated in the air.

Discord laughed evilly, "Now the admins are just plain earth ponies, and I've also taken power over their admin codes. They won't be able to do a thing to change my world. As for all of you, I will let you keep your wings and horns while you play in a game of mine."

The crowd burst in outrage towards Discord, but the draconequus simply snapped his fingers, literally zipping all of the mouths of the players shut. "My, I haven't even told you what the game is, and you're already anxious to get started. The game that I have in mind is a bit of a scavenger hunt. I have taken the Elements of Harmony and placed them all in secret hiding places, inside and outside of Equestria. Your job is to find the Elements and use them to reach me. There, we will have a fight to the death. If you manage to retrieve the elements and defeat me, then I will allow everyone to log out."

He lowered his head just over the crowd, "But it won't be as easy as you think, you see I've added a few features to the game. In the original system, if you died in the game, you would instantly re-spawn in the last town you were in. But that's too boring for me, so I re-wrote the system so when anyone died, their avatar would be lost, and their Nervegear Helmet in the real world will fry their brains. In shorter words, if you die in the game, you will die in the real world."

A collective gasp pulsed through the crowd. Discord laughed as he drew a line across his neck, making his head slide off of his head and into his hand. The dismembered head laughed as it looked down at the terrified crowd, "No need to lose your head over it." He began to laugh even more, "And also, if there is any tampering with the helmet in the outside world, the helmet will kill the player instantly. Actually, quite a few of players have died already this way."

Everybody, including myself, gasped in shock. I couldn't believe it, "People have... already died?"

Discord continued, "Now, in this game, there are a few rules. First, you cannot receive help from the outside world, that is, if you can even manage that. If I catch anypony communicating to the outside world, all of you will die. Second, any tampering with the system from inside the game, the rule-breaker will die instantly."

Discord chuckled, "And just so you know, I have a couple of monster friends who want to go out of their designated areas, so I'm letting them roam a bit. Maybe you'll meet them when you go out of town, but they won't follow you into a city or town. They hate crowded places."

The draconequus laughed evilly, "But a few of you might have thought, 'There's only six elements, so this will be easy.' But I'm sorry to burst your bubble," Discord suddenly, belched out a bubble that was bigger that the length of his body, "But I thought that only six elements would be boring. So I added four new elements." He poked the bubble with a claw, making the bubble burst and reform into ten smaller bubbles. "They will be hidden all over Equestria, but they will be guarded by my favorite kinds of monsters, just like a boss of each element."

"If you find the element, and defeat its guardian in a boss battle, then you may walk away with the element. But I must warn you, my guardians are no push-overs."

Lighting struck again behind Discord, "Well, there you have it. So just remember, your lives are on the line, not mine." He laughed loudly, making lighting strike behind him again, "So, my little bronies, let the games begin!" The sky suddenly was filled with thunder and lightning, blinding everyone as Discord laughed maniacally. When the lightning subsided, Discord was gone, only his laughter echoed through the streets of Ponyville.

Everyone was awestruck, including me. I turned to look at Sky, "What... just happened?"

Sky shook his head, "I think... this is more than a game now."

I nodded, "This has become... murder."

February 15th (The First Element)

Hey it's Shadowflame here. You can call me Shadow for short, since that's what the other players in Brony Game Online call me. It's been about three weeks ever since we were all trapped in the game by Discord... Well, at least I think it has been three weeks. I've been losing track of what day it is in the real world, since it doesn't really apply in the game.

Anyways, ever since Discord trapped us here and scattered the elements of harmony across Equestria, everybody has spread out across Equestria in search of the elements. They've gone everywhere from Canterlot to Cloudsdale, but even after three weeks, there's been no news of any of the elements. In fact, there has been more news on the deaths that have occurred in the game than anything. After three weeks, 31 players have died from Discord's monsters when they were searching for the elements.

But despite the huge risk, everyone has searched diligently for any signs of the elements. Even Darkened5ky and I have been working our butts off. Ever since we were trapped in the game, Sky and I have made our own team, but it's just us two. Other players have had the same idea and began to team up with each other, or even make guilds of their own.

But all of the guilds and teams are kept under orders by the former administrators of the game, who were stationed in Canterlot. Their head-quarters are in the Canterlot Palace, because it's a large enough building and it's highly protected. From there, they'd manage and deploy all of the guilds and teams to any part of Equestria.

Although this game was in Equestria, there were none of the canon ponies from the show. That was a problem for several reasons. First, without any of the ponies from the show, no one would be able to receive help from them. Second, even if we found and retrieved the elements, no one knew who would, or even could, wield them against Discord.

But it's because of these problems and our lack of progress that the admins have called separate meetings for all of the towns and cities. Right now, Sky and I were situated in Ponyville, along with a few other teams but no guilds. And now Sky and I were on our way to the Ponyville meeting.

I looked towards Sky while we walked towards the town square, the place where the meeting was being held, "Hey Sky, what do you think they'll talk about at the meeting?"

Sky shrugged, "I dunno. I figure they'll just say we need to pick up the pace and search even harder for the elements, like they've always been doing."

I sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right. But at least we've been working harder than the other teams, haven't we?"

Sky nodded, "Yeah, last I checked, we were ten levels above everyone else."

I chuckled, "That depends on when you checked last." But my smile turned to a frown, "Although, you'd think after three weeks of searching in the Everfree Forest we'd find something connected to one of the elements. I'm surprised that no one has found anything, yet."

Ever since we were all trapped in the game, everyone came to suspect that one of the elements was hidden in the Everfree Forest, even the ones who weren't stationed in Ponyville like me and Sky. But that forest was thick and could hide anything, so finding an element in there was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, discouraging with each passing day and possibly painful if you do find it.

Sky looked ahead, "Hey, look. We're here."

I looked forward to see the town square, and from the look of things, we were the last to arrive. Everyone else was already present. Sky and I joined the crowd of players just in time for the meeting to begin.

In the center of the town square, there stood a single blue earth pony with a blonde mane standing on a raised platform. All of the players in Ponyville knew him as Rex, since he was the local administrator for the Ponyville area. Rex cleared his throat as he began the meeting,

"Attention everypony! We have all been called here today to discuss a matter that is crucial to our liberation from the game."

I rolled my eyes, as I'm sure several other players did as well. We all knew Rex to be the kind that used unnecessary big words to make him feel smarter. But even so, we all still listened closely to what he said.

Rex continued, "As you all know, we have gone several weeks into this game, and so far 30 people have died and nobody has seen any sign of the elements. We all have become discouraged now and again, but I have something to say that will replenish your morale."

I heard Sky mutter next to me, "This better be good."

Rex took another moment to clear his throat, "You see, I've called you all here because just yesterday, we've found the hiding position of one of the elements."

A collective gasp suddenly pulsed through the crowd. But before everybody began to speak, Rex continued, "The element's position was discovered to be deep inside the Everfree Forest. Now, we haven't acutally been able to retrieve the element, but that's why I called this meeting."

"The element is being protected by a guardian, or in other words, a dungeon boss. It'd be suicide to send one team alone into a boss battle, so to prevent any deaths, we will all go and fight the boss together. But as you know, we have a few solo players and small rag tag teams situated in Ponyville, so before we fight the boss, I'm asking you to join up so you can watch each others' backs."

I turned to Sky, "We need to join up with somebody else? But we've done just fine with the two of us alone."

Sky shook his head, "Well, we've never fought in a boss battle before, so I'd be a good idea to add another member or two. Besides, I think it'll be just temporary."

I pondered over it and I could see the logic behind it, "All right, fine." I turned back to listen to Rex on the platform.

Rex cleared his throat again, "With that settled, join your ranks together and rest peacefully tonight, because we'll be disembarking for the forest at dawn. Meeting Adjourned!"

With that, Rex walked off of the platform and everybody began to leave the town square.

I turned to Sky, "Hey, let's go get something to eat. I'm starved."

Sky nodded, "Right, and *then* we'll look for somebody to team up with."

We both turned around and headed out of the square.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Soon, Sky and I had gotten ourselves some hay sandwiches, which I must admit tasted pretty good. We were both walking down the street as we ate, wondering who we should team up with for the upcoming boss battle.

"So," I started, "Who should we team up with?"

Sky shrugged, "I dunno. We should at least team up with one or two players. Seeing as we're at higher levels than everyone else, we can only help defend a few team members at once."

I nodded, "Right." I took another bite of my sandwich, but I found it a bit cold. So I used my magic to light a small fire underneath my sandwich. You see, after almost a month, I had gotten pretty good with magic. Sky had achieved some skill as well, but his magic was different from mine.

To explain this, you need to know that each player receives an ability after they've gained enough experience. My ability was called, "Blaze", which allowed me to use extremely powerful fire based spells, which fit me, seeing as my cutie mark was fire. I could use several spells in combat, like making a wall of fire, or making my sword light up in flames, which is pretty handy when you're fighting against a timber wolf.

On the other hand (or rather on the other hoof), Sky's ability was called "Darkness". His ability, like mine, allowed him to use powerful magic, but more based around dark magic. He could do things like make an area go completely dark or see through the darkest of places. Although, I don't know the full extent of his magic, seeing as he never really used it in combat, but I assume that it could be fairly horrific.

Anyways, after my sandwich was crispy, I took a satisfactory bite out of it. As I ate, I looked around at the other players in town who were on the streets, seeing if there was anybody who stood out as someone to team up with. Although, from the look of things, it seemed that just about everyone had already teamed up with another team.

I turned to Sky, "Hey, do you see anyone who could team with us?"

Sky was darting his eyes constantly through the street, but then his eyes stopped as he looked to the edge of the street. "What about him?" He said pointing a hoof to where he gazed.

I followed his hoof to see a single pegasus pony standing off on the side of the road. He was a dark gray colt with a blue mane that streaked through with navy. His cutie mark was a blue ruffle of feathers. Resting on his shoulder, he was holding a single pointed spear. Above his head, there was a player ID that read: Lexus.

I recognized him, as did most of the players usually did. All of us who are situated in Ponyville see each other a lot, seeing as it's such a small town. Lexus was a solo player that never talked to anyone else. In fact, he never did any leveling up or searching for the elements during the day like everyone else. He always did his training during the night, when Discord's monsters were the most in abundance.

Lexus always held a grim look on his face, like he despised every player in the game. Everyone says that he became like that after everyone was trapped, and he took the most shock and blamed it on everyone else.

With this in mind, I didn't quite like the idea of teaming up with Lexus. I turned to Sky, "Team up with Lexus? I don't know. I mean, there could be somebody else that we could team with."

Sky narrowed his eyes at me, "Hey, I don't care if you disagree or not. There's nobody left to team with, unless we want to go over our limit with team members. If there's anyone else, point them out to me."

I wanted to protest, but I sighed in defeat as I knew that he was right. I quickly gobbled down the rest of my sandwich, "All right. Let's go. But I doubt he'll team up with us, though."

We both walked over to Lexus, trying our best to look the least bit friendly. As we neared Lexus, he noticed us and turned towards us, clutching his spear tighter now.

I was the first to approach him, "Hey, you're name's Lexus, right?"

He narrowed his eyes at me, "Yeah? What of it?"

I cleared my throat, "I'm Shadowflame, and this is Darkend5ky. We were wondering if you wanted to team up with us when we go fight the boss in the forest. We could use all of the help we can get in our team."

Lexus scoffed at us, "No, I don't want to go with you, and there's no way that I would."

Sky raised an eyebrow, "But you haven't teamed up with anyone, yet. You'd kill yourself by going to the boss battle alone."

The pegasus glared at Sky, "You think that I don't know that? I'm not going to the boss fight." That made both of us pause for a moment in shock, but Lexus just shook his head, "Look, I don't have to help any of you. Now if you excuse me, I'd like to be by myself." With a huff, he walked past us and into a nearby alley way.

I couldn't believe it. He didn't even care that we were trapped in this game, and he wasn't going to help any of us to get out. I glared at Lexus with annoyance as he trotted off. Keeping my gaze on him, I muttered to Sky, "I'm not finished with him, yet."

With that I galloped after Lexus, Sky following behind me closely. As I entered into the alley, I drew my sword. Lexus heard my hoof steps and quickly whirled around, spear pointed towards me. Even with the spear between me and him, I didn't stop. I raised my sword to match the level of his weapon, and once I was within range, I activated my ability, "Blaze".

I saw panic fill Lexus's eyes as he saw my sword suddenly ignite with fire, and he quickly jabbed his spear at me. I quickly parried the spear to the side and rushed past the head of the shaft, throwing my weight against Lexus in the process. Lexus fell back against the wall of the alley and I quickly pinned him to it with my front hooves. The force of the impact made him drop his spear in the process, which Sky instantly picked up from a distance.

Lexus glared at me as he struggled under my hold, "What's the big idea, you idiots!?"

I pressed him harder to the wall and returned the glare, "Look, you snob. We've all been risking our lives to get out of this game and you haven't helped us in any way whatsoever. Other players are dying out there, and the sooner we get the elements, the sooner we can leave. Now the least you can do is stop being a jerk and team up with us for the boss fight. After that you can do whatever you want."

Lexus was glaring daggers at me, "No, I'd never team up with any of you nincompoops for the life of me."

I pressed him harder against the wall, "Why not?"

"Because of you freaking bronies! All of you are the reason why I'm stuck here!"

I felt my breath stop short. That wasn't the answer I'd been expecting at all. I saw Lexus's expression change from one of anger to sorrow. My anger released as well, and I let go of my hold on him.

Sky looked at Lexus with a curious expression, "What do you mean it's our fault?"

Lexus sighed, "Look, I'm not a brony and I didn't want anything to do with this game. But I ended up here anyways."

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "But then how did you get stuck in the game?"

Lexus shook his head, "Look, I don't want to bother any of you with my sob story."

But I still persisted, "We don't mind. I'm sure if you tell us what happened, you'd feel a little bit better."

Lexus sighed, "It was back in the real world. I was visiting my cousin's house. He's a brony and he was playing this game the day that it came out. When I got there, he made a bet with me that he'd give me twenty dollars if I played this game for at least an hour." He sighed as he looked at his hooves, "I thought it would be so easy, and I'd get out of here twenty bucks richer. But I couldn't have been more wrong. Near the end of the set hour of the bet, Discord trapped me here with everyone else."

Lexus glared at the ground as he stomped a hoof, "It wasn't fair. I had no say in it, and now I'm stuck here because of a stinking bet."

I actually felt sorry for the guy. He'd been trapped here like us, but I didn't expect that he'd wanted to get out before we were trapped. The emotional impact on him must have been harsh. I walked forward and put a hoof on his shoulder. He looked up at me and I gave him a reassuring smile, "Hey, I know what you mean. You've had it tougher than anyone else here. They just don't know it, but they're a lot luckier than you."

Lexus humphed and looked back at the ground, "And that's supposed to make me feel better?"

I shook my head, "No, but I'm just trying to show that I understand."

Sky walked forward, nodding, "Yeah, I mean, I have a few friends that aren't bronies and who absolutely despise the show. I can imagine how they'd react if they were trapped here, and really, you're handling it better than any of them would."

I smiled and looked back to Lexus, "That's right. You've learned to deal with this. We all have, because we need to if we're going to get out of this game." I backed away and picked up Lexus's spear with my magic. I held it out in front of him, "We all want to leave as much as you do. The least you can do is help us this one time. Once we defeat the boss and retrieve the element, then you can do what you want. It's all up to you."

Lexus looked at me with a wary expression, but I disregarded it as I moved his spear closer in front of him, "So, will you join us for this one fight, or are you going to enjoy you're time alone, like a self absorbed jerk?"

Lexus looked at me with a hesitant expression, and then he glanced at his spear. He said nothing for a while, but then he sighed, "All right. I'll team up with you guys, but only for this fight." With that, he took his spear out of my hold.

I beamed at him, "Thanks, Lexus. Welcome to the team."

Lexus gave a small smile, "It's only temporary, but thanks anyways. What's your- I mean, our team name again?"

"It's Team Equitum. It's latin for the 'Team of the Knights'."

Lexus nodded, "Hm, it seems to fit."

I nodded, "Yes, it does. All right, you know what to do. Tonight, we'll all gather the supplies we'll need for the battle. Get anything that you think will be useful in the forest, and at dawn tomorrow, we need to meet with the rest of the teams in the town square."

Sky and Lexus nodded, "Right."

I beamed at both of them, "Now let's get going. We want to be ready for anything tomorrow." And with that, we all headed out of the alley and set about our business for tomorrow.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The next day, Sky and I were out in the town square. Sky was rechecking all of his items in his inventory using his player's menu, but I was impatiently waiting for Lexus, who was a few minutes from being late.

Lexus, being new to the team, stayed the night at his old place. But now it was almost dawn and the other players were already gathering, and there was still no sign of Lexus.

I groaned to Sky, "Agh, where is he?"

Sky shrugged, "Maybe he slept in?

I sighed, "I hope not." I looked around at the crowd, seeing if I could spot Lexus anywhere. But then a voice called up from above,

"Hey, sorry I'm late!"

Both Sky and I glanced up to see Lexus fly down to us in the middle of the square. With ease, he lighted down onto the ground in front of us, stretching out his wings a bit, "Sorry for making you wait. The streets were crowded, so I had to fly to find you guys."

I smirked, "It's all right. Although, I never thought about, but we've never had flight as a skill in our team. Are you a pretty good flyer?"

Lexus smirked smugly, "Well, I'd say I'm amazing, since my ability lets me fly without making a sound."

Sky raised an eyebrow, "What's your ability called?"

"Stealth Wing."

I grinned, "Nice."

Suddenly, the crowd hushed as Rex stepped on top of the raised platform, dressed in full white armor, with a single long-sword strapped to his back. Rex cleared his throat, "All right, everybody. Thank you for gathering yourselves together for this battle. Now, if you need anything else in your inventory, now is the time to retrieve it. Otherwise, let's depart for the Everfree."

With that, Rex stepped off of the platform and began to walk towards the forest. Everyone did likewise, traveling in their teams as they followed Rex into the forest. Our team brought up the rear of the whole force.

But as we began to enter the forest, I began to grin with excitement, as I had come to usually do before a difficult fight. I grinned at Lexus and Sky, talking in fake western accent, "This is gonna be fun, ain't it?"

Sky let out a small chuckle, but Lexus only rolled his eyes. I merely shrugged at Lexus's response. It would only be a matter of time before we started to rub off on him.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

In the forest, we had been walking for a good twenty minutes. Luckily, none of Discord's monsters attacked the group on the way. I think it may have been because of our huge group, or it might have been just plain luck. But either way, I was still getting anxious to fight.

During the entire walk, our team had been talking with each other to pass the time. We told jokes, talked about things from the real world, and sometimes pulled a small prank on one of the other teams. Which, at the moment, was what we were doing.

Sky and I were trying not laugh as we watched Lexus fly above the teams in front of us. Since he was flying above the tree tops, and because of his ability, no one had noticed him. Right then, the teams in front of us were walking beneath a couple of apple trees, right below where Lexus flew.

I grinned at Sky, "You think he's gonna do it?"

Sky grinned widely, "I hope so."

We both watched as Lexus plucked an apple from a tree, observing the travelling group below.

My grin was growing wider, "Ah, man. He's gonna do it."

We were both snickering as we watched Lexus pinpoint a unicorn in the middle of the crowd, the perfect target. Silently, Lexus positioned himself just ahead of the unicorn's course, holding out the apple in front of him with a hoof. I could see Lexus was having a hard time trying not to laugh as he tried to position the apple perfectly.

But then, in the moment of truth, Lexus dropped the apple from 10 feet above the ground. We all watched it as it quickly descended from the sky and skewered itself on the tip of the unsuspecting unicorn's horn.

Both Sky and I raised our hooves in the air in victory, "SCORE!"

Soon, everyone started laughing, even the other teams who had witnessed the prank. The only one who wasn't laughing was the unicorn who was trying to get apple mush off of his horn.

Lexus rejoined us, laughing at his success, "See? I told you I can be accurate, even with hooves."

I was holding my sides, making me stop for a moment, "Man, you proved me wrong."

Sky began to calm down, "Hey, maybe you can use that accuracy against the boss."

I nodded as I began to walk again, "Maybe, but what's the boss anyways?"

Lexus shrugged, "I don't know. Nobody knows what it is. Everyone says that if you enter the boss room, then you can't get out until you beat the boss."

I raised an eyebrow, "Really? Where do they get that? This is the first boss of the game that we've ever fought before, so how can they be sure?"

"Well, that's how almost every game works. So why not here?"

I nodded, "Good point." But then, in the corner of my eye, I saw Rex make his way back through the crowd, towards us. I pointed him out to the others, "Hm, what do you suppose he wants?"

Sky shrugged, "I don't know."

Rex reached us after a moment or two, "Team Equitum? Who's your leader?"

I stepped forward, "That would be me."

Rex nodded, "Ah, right. Well Shadowflame, as you know, we keep record of everyone's levels in each town or city. I checked yours and your other team members have levels that are vastly superior than everyone else's in Ponyville. Last I checked, you had a level of 25, Darkend5ky had a level of 27, and your newest member, Lexus, had a level of 23."

I nodded, "Yeah, that's right."

Rex nodded, again, "Since your levels are higher, I need you to lead the attack force as the head team of this battle."

My eyes widened, "You mean, be the first to take on the boss?"

"That is correct. But don't worry. If it is the boss alone that we face, then you won't be alone. All of the other teams will swap out with yours when your life goes down too much."

I looked at Rex curiously, "Wait, what do you mean, 'if the boss is alone'?"

Rex sighed, "Well, as an admin, I know that a few of the bosses that we put into the game when we began... Well, there were the bosses, but we accompanied them with a few of the smaller monsters that you'd find in the wild. We're not sure if Discord messed with the program or not where bosses are concerned, but if he did, we could be walking into something entirely different."

I grimaced slightly, "Um... Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

Rex nodded, "Right, well, what about your team? Will you lead?"

I hesitated for a moment, as anybody would do when faced with a life or death situation. But still, I remembered the real world, so I mustered up what courage I had. I nodded to Rex, "We'll lead the fight."

Rex smiled, "Good. You'll help everyone here by doing so. Come to the front of the group, immediately. We'll be arriving at the boss room in a short while."

I nodded, "Right."

Without another word, Rex galloped back up to the front of the group. I turned to my team, "Let's go."

They both nodded. Lexus spread out his wings, "I'll meet you guys up there." He flapped hard and took off to the sky, heading for the front of the group. Sky and I began to make our way around the traveling group.

As we made our way to the front of the line, I took a look at the other players as they walked towards the boss room. It was clear that most of them were terrified of the upcoming fight, as it was evident in their expressions. All of them feared for their lives, but a few of them didn't show any anxiety. They looked as if they were either ready to die, or brave enough to fight to the death, maybe even both.

But whether they were scared or not, I was ready to fight, since it was the only that we'd all get out of this game. I felt a determined grin spread across my face. I turned to Sky, "You ready for this?"

Sky paused for a moment, but then he shared a look of determination, "I'm ready. You?"

"Totally."

Soon, we reached the front of the group, where Rex and Lexus were waiting for us. And we arrived at the front just in time, because then, we stopped in front of our destination. It was a set of giant, double doors, heavily overgrown by vegetation, as if it hadn't been opened for years. It was the entrance to the boss room.

Rex turned around and addressed the group of teams behind us, "All right, everybody! These doors lead to the boss room. This is the first boss battle of the entire game, and we need to defeat it if we are to acquire the first Element of Harmony. You all came here knowing that you could die in the battle, and I thank you for coming,"

Rex suddenly stomped his hoof to the ground, "But now is not the time to fear for your lives. Defeating this boss is the first step to returning to the real world. We need to give our all in this fight, or else we'll all die! Now is your last chance: You may either fight with us to beat this game, or you can hike back to town and leave everyone else to die."

Everybody was silent, unknowing as to what they should do. But then a voice called out from the group,

"I'm going to fight! I'll beat this boss."

As soon as this one voice, everyone else joined in, "Let us fight!"

Rex smiled in satisfaction, "Good. It seems we've all decided." He cleared his throat, "Now, as for our battle strategy. When we open those doors, we will lead a charge against the boss as soon as it appears. Since they have the highest levels of all of us, I will be leading the charge with Team Equitum. Once we start the charge, I need Teams Red, Bomber, and Gold to follow from behind for support. Everyone else needs to keep at a distance and help in any way that you can, whether it be attacking with long range attacks, or keeping smaller monsters off of our backs."

Everyone nodded as they understood. Rex smiled at them, "Make the choices that you need to, so that the ones you fight alongside survive." He looked towards me, "Don't ever forget that." Rex then drew his sword with his mouth, signaling for everyone to follow in suit.

I nodded and drew my weapons as well, along with Sky and Lexus. Everyone readied their weapons and armor, as Rex and my team turned towards the giant set of doors. As soon as everyone was ready, Rex placed his front hooves against the double doors and pushed as hard as he could, making the large entrance open slowly.

Rex gave the two doors one large push, swinging them open completely. Inside, there was a long, dim, stone hallway, lined with arches. Large torches dotted the expanse of the hallway, which I could see, led to a larger room at the end of it.

Rex waved us forward, and my team followed, along with the rest of the group. As we walked, I kept my sword and shield at the ready, just in case any monsters appeared out of nowhere. But as soon as the last person in the group passed through the double doors, the suddenly slammed shut, making several players jump in surprise.

I sighed as I looked at Sky, "I guess we can't go back now."

He nodded, "No turning back."

"No regrets."

Soon, the whole group exited the hallway and walked into the large room at the end. The entire room was pitch black, save for the light coming from the torches behind us. I couldn't see the other end of the room nor the ceiling, just proving how massive the room was.

But then, a howl echoed through the room, making all of the players hold up their weapons in alarm. I was startled, just everyone else was, but not because of the suddenness of the howl, but rather what had made it. I recognized the howl, as I mainly fought these creatures several times while leveling up.

Suddenly, the room was lit up by torches hanging by the ceiling. Light was shed to every corner to reveal what had been lying in the darkness. Everybody gasped and raised their weapons towards the creature that was now visible. It was a timber wolf, but not just any timber wolf. This wolf, the boss, stood three times the height of a normal timber wolf. Above its head, there was a health meter, and above that was its name, "The Alpha Timber."

But then, several other yips, barks, and howls began to fill the room. I glanced at the side walls to see other timber wolves, normal sized ones, begin to appear. But as they appeared, the wolves began to run in front of the alpha, blocking a clear shot from us to the boss. It was apparent: The fight had begun.

Rex glanced at me and signaled with his sword towards the boss. I nodded and focused on the wolves in front of the alpha. I then activated my ability, Blaze, and my horn began to ripple with small tongues of flame as I prepared to cast a spell. Just at the peak of my magic, I released the spell and a gigantic wave of fire spewed forth from my horn.

The fire leaped out at the wolves, making them move away from the alpha or making them catch on fire. I glanced at the top left of my vision, where my health meter had appeared. Just below it, there was a smaller blue meter, my magic meter, which had dropped by almost half. I knew that I couldn't use that spell again without using to much magic, so now I had to use magic sparingly. With the path clear, I raised my sword, "Charge!"

Everyone called out in a battle cry as we galloped, with weapons raised, towards the wolf pack. The wolves met our charge as they ran to get in the way of their alpha. But I activated Blaze, making my sword light with fire. As the wolves neared, I ran forward and slashed my sword against their sides, driving them away for the other players to finish off.

Behind me, Rex, Sky, and Lexus fended off what wolves they could, and the players behind them met the wounded wolves in close combat. Together, we all acted as a wedge, driving our way towards the boss. But soon, our wedge broke through the wolf pack, and we then met the boss, the Alpha Timber. I glanced behind to see that the wolves had quickly regrouped, stopping the rest of the group from reaching the boss. The teams behind us were occupied with fighting the normal wolves, leaving Rex and my team to fight the Alpha by ourselves.

Lexus was the first to attack the boss, as he flew quickly to the sky and drove the point of his spear into the glowing yellow eye of the alpha. The ginormous wolf howled in outrage and quickly snapped its mouth at the pegasus, but Lexus was fast enough to barely avoid it.

I quickly ran forward alongside Rex and Sky, and we surrounded the body of the alpha. Then, we all began to hack away at the wooden creature with our weapons. I drove my sword into every part that I could find of the beast as Lexus distracted the boss from above. But his distraction wasn't enough, as the boss took notice of its flaming wounds.

In outrage, the boss swiped a paw at me, but I barely side-stepped it. With the paw to my right, I leveled my sword with the appendage and drove the flaming blade up its foreleg. The boss took another swipe at me, but I wasn't quick enough, and the blow grazed my side, stabbing a few splinters into the area.

I cursed to myself as I saw my health meter decrease by a fourth, "Dang it! This boss is strong. A full on hit like that would kill me."

But as I was injured, the boss whirled around towards its other attackers. With a massive, wooden paw, the boss swatted Rex aside. In his armor, Rex only took minimal damage, so I wasn't too concerned. But then the alpha turned towards Sky.

I gasped as I knew Sky wouldn't be able to take a hit like Rex could. If the boss caught him with a paw, Sky would die, even if he was a higher level than me. I quickly rushed between the bosses hind legs, just as the boss took a swipe at Sky.

I cringed as I saw Sky barely avoid the blow, but he didn't notice the gaping jaws of the alpha as it lowered quickly towards him.

I didn't have time to do anything else to save Sky from being eaten, so I plunged my sword into the underbelly of the alpha and flared the flaming blade as hot as I could. With a screech, the boss quickly recoiled and leaped away from me. But as the boss leaped, I was almost crushed by its bulking weight. I looked at my health meter to see that it had decreased down to 1/4 of my health.

The boss ran to the other side of the room, running through players and timber wolves alike. I grudgingly got up, stopping only for a few sensations of pain.

In the moment of pause, I ran up to Sky, "Hey, are you okay?"

He nodded, "Yeah, thanks. I did not want to be eaten alive." He saw the splinters in my side, "Ouch, does that hurt."

"Not really. But they are really annoying."

Rex and Lexus soon joined us. Rex looked at my condition, grimacing, "Shadow, I don't think that should continue to fight. You need to take a rest for a while, and possibly get those splinters out."

I shook my head, "No, I have to help fight the boss."

Rex put out a hoof in front of me, "No, everyone else will take care of the alpha. You've done enough." He turned to Sky and Lexus, "Keep him here and fight off any timber wolves that come along. I need to rejoin the other teams." With that, he picked up his sword in his mouth and galloped off to fight the alpha.

But then, something caught my attention. It was the boss, and it wasn't fighting in place as it had before. It was running as it fought, knocking away all of the players that it came close to. And I also noticed that there were no other timber wolves left. They'd all been defeated by the other teams.

Now it was everyone verses the one boss, and it looked as if we were going to win. But then, something happened that none of us could have foreseen. As all of the players were chasing after the alpha, running just on the giant timber wolves heels, it quickly whirled around on the spot. And with power unlike anything that I'd seen before, the wolf reared back on its hind legs and then drove its forelegs onto the stone floor.

The stones in front of it burst out of the ground in a huge cloud of dust, sending every player close to it flying back. As soon as the dust cloud cleared, I could see almost all of the players lying on the ground, dazed and with their health meters in the red. All of them, except for one: Rex.

Rex stood with his sword in his mouth, his health meter in the yellow. In a scream, he charged the wolf alone.

My eyes widened at the sight and I turned to Sky and Lexus, "Come on! He needs help!"

Lexus stammered, "But he said that needed to stay back."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Forget that! If we don't help him, he'll die."

Both Sky and Lexus nodded, and we all turned and hurried towards the fight between Rex and the Alpha Timber. As we neared the action, I could see Rex holding his own against the giant wolf, barely dodging the oncoming blows and countering just as quickly.

But then, Rex was a tad too slow, and the wolf pinned him down underneath his paw. My eyes widened as I saw Rex's health meter enter into the red, and another blow from the wolf's paw was on the way to crush Rex completely.

Sky shouted to me, "No! We won't make it in time."

I cringed as I knew that he was right, but then I glanced at my magic meter. It was still a third full. But then my eyes widened as an idea came to me. I had enough magic power to do it, but I'd have to act fast to save Rex. I raised my sword above my head, making it point towards the wolf.

And then, focusing every bit of magic into my sword, my blade became almost lost in a huge torrent of fire. With my last bit of magic, I launched my sword into the air as a flaming projectile. I watched my sword as it flew like an arrow, arching in the air until it met its mark in the wolf's neck.

The boss howled in pain, releasing Rex out from under its paw. I quickly ran to stand beside Rex, with only my shield for protection. However, it wasn't needed, as I watched my flaming sword slowly burn away the last bit health from the alpha's health meter. With its health at zero, the alpha let out a final cry as it suddenly burst into bits of code and disappeared.

As the boss disappeared, a large computer window opened up in the air,

Congratulations! You have defeated The Alpha Timber!

The boss had been defeated, and so everyone began to cheer. I couldn't believe it. We had defeated the first boss of the game. I glanced down at Rex to see that his health meter had just a small bit of health left. We had survived. I grinned at Sky and Lexus, "He's still alive. We did it." They both beamed and cheered with everyone else.

But then a small window appeared in front of me,

You've gained the last-hit bonus. You receive a rare item.

-Shadow Cloak

Curiously, I tapped the item name with a hoof, and in an instant, a black cloak appeared on my back, beneath my sword sheath. I grinned, "Cool."

But then a bright light appeared in the center of the boss room and everybody's cheers quited. I had to shield my eyes from its blinding light. But as it dimmed, I glanced at the light to see a small object inside it. Instantly, I recognized it as one of the elements of harmony.

The element floated down and stopped just in front of my face. The element was in the form of a necklace like one of the main six's, but the gem in it was a plain circle with no color. I didn't know what element it was, but I reached out and took it with a hoof.

Sky looked at the element curiously, "So what element is that one?"

I shrugged, "I don't know." I tapped a hoof on it, and a small window appeared above it.

Element of Courage (Inactive)

Object Type: Item

I raised an eyebrow, "The element of Courage?"

Lexus perked up, "Oh yeah, didn't Discord said that there were ten, instead of the original six?"

I nodded, remembering back to when we first saw Discord in the Ponyville town square, "Right, so I guess this makes one out of ten."

Suddenly, a loud, evil chuckling echoed through the boss room, startling everyone. The chuckling quickly grew into a maniacal laugh, and then there was a large flash of light. But instantly, the light subsided, and in its place there stood a figure that was all too familiar to the players of BGO.

I glared at the Draconequus, "Discord."

Sky and Lexus quickly drew their weapons and pointed them towards Discord. I would have, too, except I hadn't had time to retrieve my sword after defeating the alpha timber.

Discord nonchalantly waved a finger at us, "Now, now, now. I don't want any fighting at the moment." He snapped his fingers and all of our weapons disappeared. Several players shouted at Discord in outrage, but the draconequus quickly silenced them.

Discord cleared his throat, "Now, all I wanted was to congratulate you all for defeating the first boss. Now you have the first of the elements that I've hidden. I believe it was this one here that defeated the timber wolf." He pointed a loin's finger at me.

Discord grinned evilly at me, "You must be Shadowflame, unicorn of fire and courage." I raised an eyebrow, but Discord only snickered, "You see, the way that I have designed the bosses is that only the correct bearer of one of the elements may defeat each boss. You were only able to defeat The Alpha Timber because you were already chosen as a bearer of the element."

"However, since you are the bearer of that element, only you can hold it. If anyone else tries to, they will be hurt. Not severely," Discord suddenly appeared at my side, poking a claw at the splinters in my side, "But they will be incapacitated for days."

He let out loud laugh as lighting struck through the room. Discord suddenly appeared in the air above everyone else, "Just so you know, with every boss that you defeat, I'll just make everything much harder. Even now, I've made my monsters more powerful than they were before, including the other bosses. Everything you've been through has been a cake-walk compared to what I have in store."

Discord laughed again, but then he stopped as he noticed Rex behind me. He grinned wickedly as he appeared over Rex, "My, isn't this one of the old system admins? It looks as if he's in pain." He snapped his fingers and Rex's sword suddenly appeared in his paw, "I might as well put him out of his misery." Suddenly, Discord drove the point of the sword into Rex's unconscious body.

My eyes widened in horror as Rex's health bar dropped until it was empty, "NO!" Before I could do anything, Rex burst into blue bits of code and disappeared. I felt my knees buckle underneath me, Everything that I did to save him... It was for nothing?

I glared at Discord in rage, "You Killed Him!"

Discord grinned at my anger, "And the blood is on your hooves, Shadow." He laughed loudly at my distress. Turning around in circles, Discord addressed to everyone, "Now, time to get searching for the other elements, eh? Good bye!" In a flash, he was gone.

I clenched my teeth as my anger towards Discord grew, He killed Rex. Why would he do that? I paused as I looked down at the Element of courage that I held in my hoof, I swear, Discord. My team and I will find the other elements, and when I do, I will make you pay. Sighing to myself, I placed my element around my neck and turned to Sky and Lexus, "Come on. We have more work to do."

February 18th (Journey to Canterlot)

Day came and the sun shone through the window of my room. However, the light shined down directly on my face, which woke me up earlier than I would have liked. As hard as it is to believe, even after three days I was still sore from the boss battle with the Alpha Timber.

It's me, Shadowflame. It's been exactly three days since we fought the Alpha Timber and retrieved my element of harmony: The Element of Courage. Although, I have to say, it is weird to think of myself as an element bearer. It almost makes me feel important inside the game.

But ever since I retrieved my element, true to Discord's word, every monster out in the game has gotten even stronger, thus making the game even more difficult. Even after three days, there has been 11 deaths across Equestria. The ones who died hadn't leveled up enough before the monsters got stronger. So the next time they went training, it was too difficult for them and they couldn't survive. That's one of the risks of defeating each of the bosses as quickly as possible.

Groggily, I got out of my bed. Still half asleep, I glanced around at the inside of my room. Right now, I was at the Team Equitum base, our home for my team. It was a small building, but large enough to accommodate for a small team of five players. But either way, it was still home for me, Darkened5ky, and Lexus.

Ever since the boss battle, Lexus had taken a liking of fighting in a team with me and Sky. So, he decided to join up with us for a longer time than he had previously stated, before the boss battle.

Once out of bed, I went through my usual morning routine of gathering all of my gear. I opened up my inventory and equipped my cloak, the same one I had gotten from the boss battle. Afterwards, I went to equip my sword and shield. But before I did, an item beneath my weapons in my inventory caught my eye. It was Rex's sword, which he had named, Almighty.

After Rex had been killed in the boss battle, I took his sword with me. I don't know why I did, but I guess it's what had happened during the boss battle. I remembered what Rex had said before we fought the boss,

"Make the choices that you need to, so that the ones you fight alongside survive. Don't ever forget that."

I guess keeping Rex's sword was my way of remembering to do as he said. I wasn't going to let anyone else get killed the way he had.

Even now, as I stood looking at the icon for Rex's sword, I could still hear Discord's maniacal laughter after he had murdered Rex,

I glared at Discord in rage, "You Killed Him!"

Discord grinned at my anger, "And the blood is on your hooves, Shadow."

I sighed as the memory came back to me. For the past days, I've tried to convince myself that Rex's death wasn't my fault. But even still, I still believed that Rex died because I hadn't acted fast enough. Maybe if Rex hadn't been hurt so badly, then Discord would have spared him. Sighing to myself, I equipped my own weapons and closed my player's menu and walked out of my room.

The Team Equitum base was a small, two story house with five bedrooms upstairs, along with a living area and kitchen downstairs. Right then, I headed downstairs and into the kitchen for breakfast.

When I got downstairs, and sure enough, I saw that Lexus was already up and eating breakfast at the kitchen table. Even before joining our team, it had been part of his daily schedule to get up early for his own training. I myself didn't mind getting up early, but Sky on the other hand (or rather, on the other hoof) didn't like getting up early when he didn't have to. Most of the time, he usually slept until lunch, which cut down a bit on our training time.

Lexus noticed me as I walked into the kitchen and waved, "Hey, morning, Shadow."

I nodded to him as I sat down at the table, "Hey, Lexus. You got anything for me to eat?"

Lexus nodded as he slid a bowl towards me with a hoof, "Yeah, oats and hay with milk."

I smiled as grabbed a jug of milk with my magic, "Thanks." I poured the milk into my bowl and began to eat.

Meanwhile, Lexus pulled out a newspaper and began to read it as he ate. The newspaper, the Equestria Daily, was just a daily news source that kept all of us players up to date on what was happening across the game. Speaking of which, I had gotten into the Equestria Daily the day after the boss battle.

But then, I grimaced to myself, I made the front page, but Rex made it to the Obituary. I sighed as I continued to eat.

Lexus raised an eyebrow as he read the paper, "Huh, what do you know about that."

I looked at him questioningly, "What is it?"

Lexus turned the paper towards me, "It looks like a few players in Manehatten have lead on where the next boss is hidden. They're expecting to find it within the week, or maybe week after that."

I nodded, "Right." In truth, I was relieved that the next boss was near Manehatten. Manehatten was on the other side of Equestria from Ponyville, and since there weren't any trains in the game, it'd be too much trouble to travel there just to fight the boss. That meant, we wouldn't need to help fight this boss, which was good, since I didn't want to fight another boss for a while.

But then, I heard hoof steps coming down the stairs behind me. I turned to see Sky walking into the kitchen, still half asleep.

I grinned at Sky as he let out a huge yawn, "Isn't it a bit early for you to be up?"

Sky mumbled as he sat down as well, "Meh, I couldn't sleep."

I raised an eyebrow at him. Now that I thought about it, Sky had been having trouble sleeping almost every night. I didn't know what it was, but I knew that it was best that I should mind my own business. Sky's been my best friend for years, so I knew if he wanted me to know what was happening, then he would have already told me. But I just hoped that his lack of sleep didn't affect his ability to fight, and it rarely did, so I don't have to worry about it very much.

Just as we were all eating, there came a knock from the door. I glanced at the front door, "I wonder who that could be."

I got up and trotted over to the door. I pulled the door open to see a teal, earth pony stallion at the door. He had a long black mane and he had a halberd strapped to his back.

I looked quizzically at the stranger, "Hi, can I help you?"

The stranger nodded, "I'm looking for the Team Equitum base. I heard that this was the right place."

I nodded, "Yeah, you're in the right place."

The stallion smiled, "Great, so you must be Shadowflame, the new element bearer. My name is Isaiah. I'm one of the system admins from Canterlot. I was sent here to take Rex's place after he... you know." An uncomfortable silence passed between us.

I filled the silence, "Yeah, I know." I turned to a different subject, "So, why are you here at our base?"

Isaiah nodded, "Oh, right. I have a message from the head admins in Canterlot for you. I was hoping that I could relay it to your whole team at once."

I nodded, "Right, come on in." I stepped back and let Isaiah in, closing the door behind him as he entered. I showed him into the living area and called out to Sky and Lexus, "Hey guys, get in here."

I turned back to see that Isaiah had already sat himself down on a cushion, so I did likewise. In a moment, Sky and Lexus joined us in the living area.

I glanced at both of them, "Guys, this is Isaiah. He's the new admin in charge of Ponyville. He has a message for us from the head admins in Canterlot."

Lexus and Sky looked surprised, "Really?" They turned to Isaiah, "Why would you give us the message in person? Can't you instant message us?"

Instant messaging was a feature of the game that worked similarly like Email. It was handy for sending messages across Equestria without a whole ton of hassle.

Isaiah cleared his throat, "Well, our head admin, Jupiter, would have sent you an instant message from Canterlot, but surely you must know that you can only send messages to players who are on your friend list."

I rolled my eyes. The friend lists were the part of the game that let you keep track of your companions and allies in the game. You could only add a player to your friend list if they were standing next to you and if they accepted your invitation for your friend list. I've never met any of the admins, besides Rex, so none of them were on my friend list.

Isaiah continued, "And since none of you are on our friend lists, then we couldn't send the message. And since Rex died, we couldn't send a message to him for him to relay to you. So since I was already coming here to take Rex's place as admin, it was logical that I take the message to you as well."

Isaiah cleared his throat again, "Jupiter, our head admin, sends his congratulations for defeating the Alpha Timber. But since you are now an element bearer, he wants your team to travel to Canterlot as soon as possible."

I raised an eyebrow, "Wait, why?"

Isaiah sighed, "Over the past weeks, we admins all across Equestria have been receiving threats. They've all been saying the same thing, 'We will kill every brony who trapped us in this game. We're going to kill the admins first, and then we'll continue by killing the element bearers.' All of these threats have led us to believe that there is a secret, underground guild of players, all intent on killing us for revenge."

Sky gave Isaiah a questioning look, "Revenge for what? What have we done to them?"

"As unlikely as it seems, the players in this secret guild believe that they were trapped in the game because of us admins. They think that Discord trapped them here because we programmed him to do so."

Lexus raised an eyebrow, "Well, did you?"

Isaiah shook his head, "With how Discord came to be, we might as well have programmed him to do this. We were trying to make his artificial intelligence so identical to that of the Discord from the show, but we failed to anticipate how this Discord would act. So, in a way, they are right when they say we're the cause of all of this."

Isaiah cleared his throat, "But now, we're taking responsibility and leading everybody out of this game. With the growing threat of this secret guild, it's becoming more dangerous for you three to remain here for too long. You need to deliver your element to the Canterlot castle for safe keeping, so if you are attacked by them, we will still have the one element."

I sighed. It sounded like a good plan, but that would mean that my team would have to walk all the way to Canterlot. We all knew the path could become filled with monsters at any time, so it'd be better to travel as fast as possible if we didn't want.

I looked to Isaiah, "When would you like us to leave?"

Isaiah thought for a moment, "The trip between here and Canterlot is relatively short, so if you leave now, you should arrive in Canterlot before sunset. But the monsters out there are pretty low level right now, so it shouldn't be any problem for you guys. After all, you're the ones who took down the Alpha Timber."

I shook my head, "That was only because my ability involves fire, and because timber wolves are flammable. Any other monsters are a different story."

Isaiah nodded, "Right, so either way, you guys need to be careful while traveling."

Sky raised an eyebrow, "But what about our base?"

Isaiah put up a hoof, "It's alright. The admins in Canterlot have already prepared another base for you guys. When you arrive there, they'll show you to your new base." He turned to me, "So, how soon can you leave."

I paused for a moment before answering, "We can leave immediately."

Isaiah nodded as he stood up to leave, "Good. I'll send a message to Jupiter that you're on your way." He started towards the door and I led him out.

He walked through the door, but then he suddenly stopped and turned to me, "Hey, Shadow?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"

Isaiah sighed, "I knew Rex back in the real world. He was one of my friends, but I know that if he was going to die, he would've wanted to die fighting. His death isn't your fault, so don't blame yourself for it."

I paused before letting out a sigh, "Okay, thanks." With that, Isaiah trotted down the street and I closed the door.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Within an hour, our team was all packed up and on our way out of Ponyville. Although, as we walked out, all of us glanced back at the town as we got farther away. None of us had ever left Ponyville before, and now we were finally leaving for an unfamiliar place. In the back of my mind, I found it kind of unsettling. We had gotten so used to everything back in Ponyville that I was worried about what would lie in store for us ahead.

Lexus sighed, "Man, now I have to completely reconstruct my training schedule. Not to mention that I'll have to find another place to train in Canterlot."

I rolled my eyes, "Well, we were going to have to leave Ponyville anyways. I am the bearer of the element of courage, and wherever they need me, I'm bringing my team along to help."

Lexus chuckled, "Yeah, I suppose so."

Sky glanced at me, "Hey, you've got the element with you, right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, it's in my inventory. I haven't taken it out ever since we got back to Ponyville after fighting the Alpha Timber."

Sky nodded, "Right. I was just making sure we didn't forget it."

I grinned, "Yeah, that would be embarrassing."

A long silence passed between the three of us as we continued to travel over the open fields between Canterlot and Ponyville. I glanced behind me to see that Ponyville was completely out of sight now. Shrugging I looked back to the way in front of me, I hope I'll be able to return later. I liked that town.

Sky turned his head towards me as he walked, "Hey, so what are we going to do when we reach Canterlot?"

I paused for a moment before replying, "Well, I guess after we see the new base, we'll need to find another place to train, and we'll need to find a few shops in the city for supplies. And then, after that," I shrugged, "I guess we'll keep doing what we've always done: Leveling up and searching for the other elements."

Sky and Lexus nodded, "Right."

We continued walking for a while, but then, Lexus started glancing around the field uneasily. I raised an eyebrow at him, "What is it?"

Lexus continued to scan the landscape, "Don't you think it's odd that we haven't run into a single monster yet? You'd think by now we would have at least seen a few of them."

I glanced around the field to find that Lexus was right, Now that I think about, we haven't seen anything ever since we left. All monsters regenerate in the game after a certain time, and if there are no monsters then that must mean... My eyes widened, We're not the only ones here.

I quickly drew my sword and shield, "Sky, Lexus, draw your weapons and follow me." With that, I broke into a fast gallop with Sky and Lexus behind me.

Sky called up to me, "What's wrong? Why are we running?"

I kept my eyes focused on the way in front of me, "If there aren't any monsters, then that means somebody has been here recently and defeated them. If they were any old team of players, we would have seen them by now. But if we haven't seen them, then that means they're either gone or hiding. And if they're hiding, then that means they're waiting for-"

Suddenly, my eye caught a flicker of light as an arrow sped an inch past my face, embedding itself in the ground by my hoof. I looked up to see multiple players suddenly run out at us from all sides, weapons outstretched in an attack.

My eyes narrowed as the fight came towards us, "... An ambush."

Before the attack fully reached us, our team took a defensive position facing out ward, our backs turned to each other in a circle. But just before the attack reached us, they all suddenly stopped.

Sure they stopped, but they still had us surrounded. We wouldn't be able to go anywhere until we got past them. I kept my sword leveled towards the players in front of me, just to keep them at a distance. From what I could see, there were only five of them, but if they were even a few levels below any of us, we would still be overwhelmed by their attack.

But then, I heard a chuckling come from the player directly in front of me. I looked to see that it was an orange pegasus stallion, and on his back he had a long, curved sword (I later found out that it was called a Grosse Messer) and a steel edged buckler strapped to his back. His own weapons reminded me of my own, but there was still a slight difference. But then, I noticed that the player didn't have a cutie mark. I looked up at his Player ID; It read Ezekiel.

Ezekiel chuckled softly, "Took you long enough to get here, didn't it, Shadow?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Who are you and what do you want?"

Ezekiel smirked, "I assume that you already know my name, since it is on my Player ID. And everyone knows who you are, Shadow. Everyone's heard how you courageously took down the first boss and took the first element of harmony. But, as to what I want, that is a different story."

Ezekiel started to pace around my team, "Now, I'm sure that your friends, the system admins, have told you about the many threats being made against them and the other element bearers, if there were any."

Sky nodded, "Why do you care about that... unless..."

Lexus finished for him, "You're part of the underground Guild the admins told us about, aren't you? You're the ones who want to kill us all."

Ezekiel smirked at him, "You're quick to catch on, aren't you?" The orange pegasus nodded, "Yes, we're from that guild. But our true name, just so you know, is the Haters' Guild." He chuckled, "It's really quite fitting, isn't it? Even in this game, the bronies still feel the wrath of haters."

Ezekiel turned towards me, "But I believe that is enough talk. Now that you know who we are, I'm sure that you've figured out what we want." Suddenly, he leaped into the air, wings outstretched. With his front hooves free, he quickly drew his sword and buckler, pointing the tip of his sword at me, "We're here to kill you."

All at once, the players of the Haters' Guild leaped at us with weapons outstretched.

Sky brought up his swords and met two of the attackers head on. With unmatched speed, Sky held off both of his attackers. With two swords, he could block both of his opponents weapons when he needed to, but when he found an opening, his sword would quickly counter at the opened attacker.

Lexus fought with his spear against two other players, one armed with a close range weapon, but the other was armed with a bow, whose prime target was Lexus. Whenever the bowpony shot an arrow, Lexus would quickly fly out of the way, while still fighting in close quarters with his other opponent. With his coordination and accuracy, Lexus was able to match his opponent's strength, while still avoiding all f the arrows being shot at him.

But, that left me to fight the only player left: Ezekiel.

Ezekiel rushed at me with blinding speed. To block the incoming strike, I held up my shield. But, I wasn't expecting Ezekiel to strike me with his shield. The force of his shield connecting with mine sent me sliding back, but then Ezekiel slashed upwards with his sword. The strike caught the edge of my shield upwards, making me lose my balance. Ezekiel saw the opening and lunged again with his sword.

I quickly brought my sword down and parried his to the side. But he'd been too fast, and the point of his sword barely cut my right foreleg. I cringed at the pain as I glanced down at the red streak of code where the scratch was, Dang it, this guy's good. I better go on the offensive, or else he'll end this very quickly.

I regained my balance and swung my sword low, aiming for Ezekiel's hooves. But he quickly flew into the air, easily avoiding my attack. But then, without warning, he threw his sword at me, just like a spear. I just barely had enough time to bring my shield. In that exact moment, a sharp dent protruded in the center of my shield, right where the sword struck.

With him having no weapon, it was the perfect time to strike. I looked to see Ezekiel flying down at me, ready to hit me again with his buckler. In that split moment, I fired a tongue of fire from my horn. With the sudden stream of fire, Ezekiel averted his course to avoid the flames. But just as quickly, he quickly rebounded and caught me from the side, sending me sprawling sideways for a couple of feet.

I quickly looked up to see that Ezekiel had retrieved his sword, and now he was coming for me again. I cringed, Crap, I don't have enough time to get up.

But then, out of nowhere, a huge explosion erupted between me and Ezekiel, stopping my attacker in his tracks. With the moment of opportunity, I quickly got up to my hooves, What the heck was that?

Suddenly, two more explosions, similar in size, appeared on the battle field, sending everybody into confusion. But then, something caught my eye. In the sky above us, a small, black sphere dropped down towards the ground. I looked up to see where it came from, and I gasped. Above us, flying in the sky on tiny wings, a baby dragon circled the area of the battle field, dropping bombs as it went.

I stopped myself short, What the... Is this another one of Discord's monsters?

But then, one of his bombs landed on the ground, and instead of an explosion, the bomb let out a massive cloud of smoke, covering everything in it's thick cloud. I couldn't see anything, but I could still hear the sounds of panic coming from the players.

But then, something suddenly grabbed me. With a yelp, I tried to hit it with my sword for fear that it was Ezekiel. But before I could attack, a voice whispered, "Shush, I'm here to help you. Go that direction." With a hoof, the stranger nudged me in one direction, "I'll grab the rest of your team. Head for the cover of the trees. Just get out of here before they see you."

With a way out, I didn't argue. I began to gallop in the same direction the stranger had shown me. Within a few seconds, I broke through the edge of the smoke cloud. In front of me, I saw a thick patch of trees. Following what the stranger had instructed, I quickly ducked down behind the line of trees, keeping out of sight.

Breathing hard, I put away my weapons and peered around the corner of one of the trees. But then, I watched as Lexus came flying out of the smoke. A waved a hoof out to him, urging him over to my direction. He noticed me and quickly swooped down to join me. Once he had landed behind the trees as well, Sky galloped out of the smoke cloud, followed by a strange pony that I assumed must have been the stranger who helped us. All I knew that he wasn't one of Ezekiel's players, and that was good enough for me.

They both quickly ran between the trees and ducked down beside me and Lexus. With us all gathered, the stranger then looked up to the sky and waved a hoof. I followed where he was looking to see the flying baby dragon from before.

My eyes widened as everything made sense, This was all a just a plan to help us escape the Haters' Guild.

Soon, the dragon lighted down next to our group. I didn't pay much attention to him because at that same moment, the cloud of smoke began to disperse, revealing a bunch of angry haters. Ezekiel, from what I could see, was in rage. He was barking at his group, and even from our shelter I could hear him.

"Find them! Search everywhere. If anything, they're probably running towards Canterlot. Cut them off before they reach the city." Immediately, the group of haters galloped off, heading in the direction of Canterlot, leaving our group hiding behind the trees.

I sighed with relief as they disappeared from view, "Man, that was close." I turned to our rescuers, "Thanks for the help."

The stranger smiled, "No problem."

Now with everything calmed down, I took a closer look at the two strangers. The pony was a blue unicorn stallion with a black mane and tail with a streak of red running through the middle of it. He wore a black outfit and he had a small viking shield strapped to his back. With his magic, he held a large hammer, reminding me of Thor's hammer.

The dragon was covered in light brown scales, with orange spines lining his back and head. But surprisingly, the dragon had a small pair of wings, colored tan like his underbelly. In his claw, he held a single, black bomb.

But what was surprising between the two was that they were both wearing sunglasses. I didn't know why, but I didn't think to question it. Above their heads, their Player ID's showed. Above the unicorn, it read Crossheart, and above the dragon, it read, Cloud Burst.

I looked questioningly at them, "Who are you guys anyways?"

Crossheart laughed, "Oh, right. I'm Cross and this is my teammate, Cloud. We're players from Canterlot. We were out here because our head admin, Jupiter, sent us to track down the team of haters that you guys were just fighting. Good thing we found you guys, or else those haters would have done away with you like you were nothing."

Cloud raised an eyebrow, "Wait, aren't you Shadowflame? The guy who got the element of courage?"

I nodded, making Cross chuckle, "Oh, that's right. I thought you guys looked familiar. That just makes it even better that we got here in time to help you guys."

I glanced at Sky and Lexus, who were just staring at Cloud. I gave them a funny look, ''What's wrong?"

Sky shrugged, "Well, it's just,... There was no option for a player to become a dragon at the beginning of the game. How is Cloud a dragon?"

Cloud let out a humph, but Cross simply replied, "Well, I'll explain on the way to Canterlot. Right now, we just need to get to the city before any more trouble comes up."

Lexus raised an eyebrow, "But wait, won't the haters be expecting us though. They just said that they'd cut us off from entering the city."

Cross smiled, "Don't worry. Cloud and I know a secret way into the city. Follow me." With that, Cross and Cloud began to walk between the trees, leading my team along.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

From where Cross and Cloud were leading us, I could see the sun beginning to sink down in the distance. It'd be sunset soon, and at night, Discord's monsters were at an abundance.

As we walked, Lexus looked to Cross, "Hey, so are you going to tell us how shorty here became a dragon?"

Cross smirked, while Cloud gave Lexus an angry glare, keeping completely silent.

Cross replied, "Yeah, it happened a while ago, but I remember it well."

"You see, Cloud and I were teammates right at the beginning of the game. Back then, Cloud was actually a pegasus pony. But after Discord trapped us in this game, we were one of the first to leave Ponyville to search for the other elements. Our search led us to the city of Fillydelphia. But it was there that we discovered some kind of hidden dungeon."

"Well, naturally, Cloud and I thought that it might lead us to one of the elements, but then, we were ambushed by one of Discord's monsters. The monster was some kind of pony witch, and in the middle of the fight against her, she cast a spell on Cloud. The spell turned him into a dragon, but then after that, the witch just vanished. But when she disappeared, Discord re-appeared in her place."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Keeping to himself, Cloud listened to the story. He could remember every detail of the story Cross was telling. Suddenly, the memory of Discord's appearance rose into his mind.

Cloud looked down at his changed body, confusion and bafflement written across his face. His weapon was gone, and his health bar had shrunk drastically. Above him, Discord floated in the dark corridor of the dungeon, laughing at the, now, tiny dragon.

Cloud glared at the draconequus, "Why did you do this?"

Discord smirked at him, "Well, when I first set this whole dungeon up, I thought that this would be an interesting experiment. You see, when I took over the game, I came across a couple of files that the old admins had been working on. One of them was a project for where a player could be a dragon instead of a pony. So I thought, 'why let this program go to waste? The admins will never finish it, so why not use it now?'"

Discord chuckled, "Of course, the program is still incomplete, so you might experience a few bugs."

Cloud raised an eyebrow, "Bugs?"

Discord grinned evilly, "Yes, there are a couple of glitches. A few of them are that you can't equip any weapon to yourself, so you won't be able to fight. Secondly, your speed and strength are greatly decreased as of now, so I would be careful if I were you. And thirdly, this is a feature that I added in personally, even if you defeat one of the bosses by yourself, you can never become one of the element bearers."

Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared from the corridor, but his voice remained, "Well, good luck, you tiny little lizard."

Cloud shook his head as his thoughts returned to the present. It looked as if Cross was just about finished with telling the story. But Cloud sighed to himself, I swear, I'll get Discord for this.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Soon, Cross finished his story, leaving me and my team in awe.

Lexus let out a small whistle, "Wow, that's rough."

Crossheart shrugged, "Yeah, it was a bit rough, but Cloud's adapted well."

But then, I raised an eyebrow, "But if Discord said he couldn't equip weapons, then how can cloud use bombs?"

Cross smiled, "Well, that's a loophole that we found in the rules. Bombs are regular items that any player can use, but you don't have to equip them. So therefore, Cloud can still use them. Although, I have to admit, Cloud's become a bombing expert."

Cloud let out a small smile, "Yeah, I can craft any kind of bomb out of a just a few materials. It also helps in using bombs when you can breath fire. Seriously, I've become a real demolition expert."

Suddenly, Cross lifted up a hoof, "Hey, we're here."

I looked forward to see a wide gate just ahead. The gate was guarded by two guards in armor, but just in front of the gate was a single earth pony. My eyes widened as I recognized him as Jupiter, the head admin.

Jupiter grinned as he saw us approach the gate, "Hey, I'm glad you guys could make it. It looks like Cross and Cloud actually did their jobs for once."

Cross simply laughed as we reached Jupiter, "Yeah, good thing, too. Shadowflame's team would have been killed by the underground guild if we hadn't shown up in time."

Jupiter's expression suddenly became more serious, "What? Are you sure it was them and not some other group of thieving players?"

I answered for Cross, "Yes, they were part of what they call the Haters' Guild, the underground guild that keeps threatening everybody. They revealed themselves to us, and they would have killed us if it hadn't been for Cross and Cloud."

Jupiter paused for a moment, "Very well. You'll need to tell me more about your encounter with this Haters' Guild, but for now, I need for Shadow to follow me to the castle. The rest of you should come into the city until we come back." He turned to me, "Shadow, if you will." With that, he began to trot into Canterlot.

I nodded and followed after him, but then I stopped, "Oh, wait." Jupiter stopped and looked back at me. With Jupiter stopped, I turned back to Cross and Cloud, "Hey, how about you guys join our team? We could always use a couple of strong players to help us."

Cross and Cloud both wore curious glances as they glanced at each other. But after a moment, they both nodded in agreement. Cross turned to me, "Sure, we'd love to. We've been doing the same thing everyday for the past week. We could always make do with a change for once."

I beamed, "Great. Welcome to the team."

Jupiter cleared his throat, "Okay, with that out of the way, let us continue."

I nodded and continued with Jupiter as we traveled to the royal castle of Canterlot.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

I have to admit, I was impressed by the size of the castle. The building was so huge that I found it hard to believe that the admins only used it as their base of operations. Once Jupiter and I had reached the castle, he led me through the corridors, and then down to a staircase.

The staircase was extremely long, winding down to several feet below the castle. But once we reached the bottom of the stairs, it led us to a large, circular room. All around the room, there stood stone pedestals. I counted out ten of them, which sort of made me confused. These pedestals were the only objects in the room.

I looked questioningly at Jupiter, "What is this place?"

Jupiter glanced around the room, "This is the vault of the elements. This is where we will store each of the elements that we find. Every time that we acquire a new element, we will keep it here. And once we have all of the elements, you and the other elements will have to join forces to defeat Discord."

Jupiter cleared his throat, "But for now, I need you to place your element on one of the pedestals."

I nodded and retrieved my element of courage from my inventory. Instantly, the golden necklace appeared in front of me, its colorless gem shining faintly in the light. Carefully, I levitated the element onto one of the pedestals. Immediately after I let go of the element, a glass dome appeared, encasing the necklace beneath it.

Jupiter nodded, "Good. It should be safe in here for now. But I have something to ask of you, Shadow."

I turned to him, "Yes?"

"For the time that your team stays in Canterlot, I would like you to search the area around the city for any signs of an element. I have a hunch that there will most likely be an element hidden near Canterlot, and it would be better if we found it soon."

I nodded, "Right. Should I get my team to start right away?"

Jupiter shook his head, "No. For now, you all need to rest. You came within an inch of your lives today. You should get some time to recover from today's events. Until then, you should familiarize yourselves with the city, and then start looking for the next element."

I nodded in agreement and we both walked out of the vault of the elements, leaving the element of courage alone on its pedestal.

March 3rd (New Arrivals)

Hey, Shadow here. Just so you know, it's been less than a month since my team and I arrived in Canterlot, but something really extraordinary has happened in that time.

You see, several weeks ago, back before my team traveled from Ponyville to Canterlot, the players in Manehatten were on a lead of where the next element was hidden. Well, a week later, everyone heard that they had finally found the boss room, and with their combined efforts, they managed to defeat the boss. Apparently, the guy who killed the boss and claimed the element, was a unicorn named Violet Runner. Everyone's referring to him as the element of Spirit, since that's the element that he received.

Sure, another element bearer besides myself is good, but then his team did something extraordinary. To keep the new element safe, Jupiter contacted Violet Runner and ordered his team to bring the element to Canterlot so it could be locked in the vault of the elements. Violet and his team, Team Calvary, started to make the journey, but they took a side trip into Fillydelphia.

The reason for their side trip was because as they were traveling, the players at Fillydelphia stumbled across the next boss room. But out of all the things that Team Calvary could have done, they joined the boss battle. And what's more is that another member of Team Calvary defeated the boss and collected the next element. It was another unicorn named Soul Cards, and he'd gotten the element of Loyalty. And at the moment, both Violet Runner and Soul Cards, along with the rest of their team, were on their way to Canterlot.

I glanced out of the window of our Team Equitum base in Canterlot, slightly anxious. It wasn't just me either. Everyone down in the streets were buzzing with anticipation of Team Calvary's arrival. With the days that had passed, everyone knew that they would be arriving today.

Although, there were quite a few players who went outside of the city to meet Team Calvary early, but their reasons were all slightly different. A few players went out to meet Team Calvary, just to see a team as strong as them. But everyone else was working under Jupiter's orders to make sure that Team Calvary arrived safely.

Truth be told, when word of Team Calvary reached Canterlot, I've never seen Jupter so angry. Usually the head admin is collective and logical, but when Team Calvary received two elements, Jupiter was furious. I grinned at the memory of him cursing his heart out at every other minute, grumbling about Team Calvary's stupidity.

But, Jupiter was right. Everyone in the game heard about Team Calvary's efforts, including the Haters' Guild. With two element bearers in Team Calvary, they would be a prime target for the haters. At any point on the path to Canterlot, the haters could ambush them and kill their team, just like they had tried to do so for my team. Jupiter was only angry at them because they just made themselves a bigger target for the haters. And if they were killed, then the elements would be lost to the haters, and we would have to fight them just to get the elements back.

I glanced back at my other team members, who were gathering all of their stuff together for today's training. Even if there were two element bearers coming to Canterlot, we weren't going to take a day off just to meet them. In our base, there was me and Sky, along with Crossheart and Cloud Burst, the newest members of our team. Lexus, however, was already ready, since he liked training by himself early in the morning. He didn't like waiting for us, so at the moment, he was flying around the city wall, looking for Team Calvary as they came in.

I turned to my team, "So, are you guys ready for today's training?"

They all nodded. But then, Lexus suddenly came flying in through an open window, panting hard from the flight.

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Lexus, what is it?"

He smiled as he caught his breath, "Hey, I saw them. Team Calvary's here."

We all glanced at each other, and instantly we all ran out onto the street to see Team Calvary.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

By the time that our team reached the street leading to the castle, the roads were packed with other players who came to see Team Calvary. My team stepped out onto the street to see four ponies parading down the middle of the road. I recognized them from their pictures in the Equestria Daily as Team Calvary.

Team Calvary only had four members, but I could only see the first two members of their team from where I stood. They were both unicorns, both walking side by side with each other. The one on the right was a tan colored stallion with a short brown mane and tail. On top of his head, he wore a pair of mechanic's goggles, along with a light blue vest. On his back, he carried a giant, two-handed, steel hammer. His cutie mark was a pair of metal gears. Above his head, his Player ID read: Violet Runner.

The unicorn on the right was a gray stallion with a black mane, streaked with red. He carried two swords strapped to his back, just like Sky. His cutie mark resembled a playing card, an ace of hearts to be exact. Above his head, his Player ID read: Soul_Cards.

I glanced at Sky, "Looks like those two are the new element bearers."

Sky shrugged as he looked back to the approaching team. I did likewise and watched as Team Calvary drew nearer. But as they got closer, the players around us began to cheer for Team Calvary, shouting congratulations and stomping their hooves with excitement. Team Calvary, as they received the applause, simply waved to the crowd as they passed by, smiling as they were treated like celebrities.

But as I watched them, I felt sort of a pang of envy. When we arrived in Canterlot, nobody really celebrated it like they did for Team Calvary. Thinking this, a small frown subconsciously crept to my face.

Unfortunately, Sky noticed my unhappy expression, "Hey, what's up?"

I was momentarily startled, but I quickly collected myself, "Oh, it's just that... When we first arrived in Canterlot, barely anyone congratulated us or gave us praise like they are now for Violet Runner and Soul Cards. I'm just wondering why..." I trailed off in thought.

Sky raised his eyebrow, "Well, they are element bearers. They retrieved their elements, which is difficult enough. Not everyone could do that."

I suddenly found myself ticked off by Sky, "But what about me? I'm an element bearer, and I was the first one to ever do it!"

Lexus, who had been listening in on our conversation, chimed in, "Well, they were the first team to retrieve *two* elements, so they kind of have you beat there, Shadow."

I growled in frustration, "That's not the point. I'm just saying-"

Cloud suddenly interjected, "Geez, you're getting worked up just because you want the praise that Team Calvary is getting?... Wait, you're not seriously jealous of Violet Runner's team, are you?"

I faltered slightly, "What? No! I'm just saying that it'd be nice to receive some credit for bringing an element here to Canterlot."

Cloud folded his arms, raising his eyebrows as he replied sarcastically, "Uh-huh, right."

I rolled my eyes at him. Just at that moment, Violet Runner noticed our team on the side of the road. He recognized us and instantly galloped to us. Once he reached us, he looked at us all with a wide grin, "Hey, you're Team Equitum, right?"

I nodded nonchalantly, "Yeah, that's us."

"Then you must be Shadowflame, the bearer of the Element of Courage." I nodded, and Violet grinned, "Great, I finally get to meet you. Let me introduce my team. I'm Violet Runner, the leader of Team Calvary, and the bearer of the Element of Spirit."

He pointed a hoof out towards his teammates, "This here is Soul Cards, the bearer of the Element of Loyalty. Although, don't play poker with him, or else he'll clean you out faster than you could swing a sword." I nodded to Soul Cards a casual greeting, which he returned in the same fashion.

Violet continued, "These are the other two of my team. This is Neon Fire, our more magically advanced fighter."

I looked at Neon fire to find a light gray unicorn mare. True to her name, her mane, tail and eyes were all the same neon green color. On her back, she had strapped a long spear and a metal shield. Her cutie mark was a neon green fireball. Above her head, her Player ID read: Neon Fire.

Neon gave me a friendly wave, which I returned. Violet continued, "And finally, the youngest member of our team, Dylan.

I turned to Dylan to see a short, maroon earth pony colt. His mane and tail were a dark, olive green color. On his back, he held a long, wooden Bo staff. His cutie mark was the silhouette of a guy in midair, doing a back flip. Above his head, his Player ID read: Dyl0nkour.

Suddenly, I heard Sky inhale sharply behind me. He quickly tapped on my shoulder, "Could that really be... Dylan?"

I was confused at first, but then my eyes widened in realization, "Oh my gosh, he couldn't be, right? Isn't that impossible?" A million thoughts were going off in my head. Was this really *the* Dylan that both Sky and I knew? How did he even get here?

But then, Sky took a step towards Dylan, a questioning look on his face, "Dylan... Is that you?"

Dylan, along with everbody else, was confused by Sky's actions. Dylan cocked his head as he observed Sky curiously. But then, his eyes went wide and he let out a gasp as he recognized the unicorn's voice,

"Sk-Sky?"

For a moment, both Sky and Dylan stared at each other for a long while. But then, they suddenly embraced with their arms around each other in a tight hug. I spotted a tear at the corner of Dylan's eye, but Sky didn't cry (It takes a freaking lot to get Sky to cry). Sky hugged Dylan tightly, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're actually here. How is this even possible?"

Everyone else in both my team and in Team Calvary just looked on in confusion. I however, felt a grin creep to my face. Behind me, Lexus asked, "Um, what's going on? Do they know each other?"

I chuckled, "I can't believe it, but now they're together again. And here in the game, of all places."

Cross raised an eyebrow at me, "What do you mean?"

I grinned at my team, "Dylan is Sky's brother."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Soon, Team Calvary continued on their way towards the castle, but my team was travelling with them. The whole while as we all walked to the castle, Sky and Dylan were keeping close to each other, extremely happy to see each other again. I figured they were so happy because they both though that they'd never see each other until after we beat Discord. They never counted on seeing each other in this game before we fought Discord.

Sky grinned to his younger brother, "So, how did you end up getting trapped in this game, too? I was using the only Nervegear helmet we had in the house."

Dlyan smiled sheepishly, "Um,... yeah, well I was a bit too impatient, because you were taking so long with your turn. I decided to go to my friend's house and play on his Nervegear console. Unfortunately, that's when I also got trapped in the game."

Sky grinned, "Well that was stupid of you to do."

I rolled my eyes. They had only been reunited with each other for a few minutes and Sky was already teasing Dylan. Even in virtual reality, some things never changed.

Dylan glanced over his shoulder at me, "Hey, it's great to see you, too, Shadow."

I chuckled, "Yeah, it's good to see you again, Dylan. Although, I didn't think that you'd play this game and get trapped here as well. I figured that you'd be too busy playing Minecraft." If there was one thing true about Dylan, it'd be that he played Minecraft a bit too much.

Sky laughed at my reply, while Dylan just rolled his eyes.

But then, we all soon reached the castle. But standing in the middle of the doorway was a very unhappy Jupiter. We all stopped in front of him, with Violet Runner and Soul Cards standing front and center.

But then, Jupiter began to walk towards Violet Runner, exceeding anger evident on his face, "Are you out of your blasted mind, Violet Runner?! I gave you specific orders to deliver your element directly to Canterlot, and to not take any side trips. You disobeyed a direct order."

Violet Runner tried to defend himself, "Well, you see-" But Jupiter wasn't done with him, yet.

"You must have been crazy to take the Element of Spirit with you into the boss battle in Fillydelphia. If you had died while fighting the boss there, then we could have lost your element." He turned his head to Soul Cards, "But then you had to make things worse by having another member in your team receive the Element of Loyalty. You could have become a prime target for the Haters' Guild on the way here! Could you imagine how catastrophic it would've been if we lost *two* of the elements to the haters?"

From the side, a small smile started to form on my face. I don't know why, but it felt good to see Jupiter chew out Violet Runner.

Violet Runner started to object, but then sighed, "Yes, Jupiter. I guess we weren't thinking ahead when we helped with the boss battle in Fillydelphia."

Jupiter narrowed his eyes, "Well, I hope you now realize that you put yourself and your team into even greater danger." The head admin turned back to the open doors of the castle, "We'll settle this matter later, but for now, Violet Runner, I need you and Soul Cards to bring your elements and follow me. The rest of your team will have to wait out here until we return."

Violet Runner and Soul Cards obeyed and followed Jupiter into the castle, slamming the doors behind them. That left Neon Fire and Dylan outside with my team.

Neon Fire looked at all of us oddly, "So, I suppose we'll have to wait for Violet and Soul to return?"

I shook my head, "Sorry, guys, but our team still needs to do some training. We aren't taking a day off just because you guys arrived. You should just stay here until the rest of your team comes back." I turned back to where we came, "Come on guys, let's go. See ya, Dylan." With that, my team and I began to run to the city gate.

Before we all left, Dylan stopped Sky in mid gallop, "Hey, Sky."

Sky looked back to his little brother, "What?"

Dylan extended a hoof, "Brohoof?"

Sky rolled his eyes, and then connected his hoof to Dlyan's. He turned back towards the road and began to gallop after us, "Later, Dylan!"

_____________________________________________________________________________________

My team all stood in the field just outside of Canterlot, all of our weapons drawn for battle. We were in a circle formation, all of our backs to each other while our opponents closed in. Although it might seem ironic, but our opponents were a group of zombie ponies. From where I stood, I could count about seven of them. So, it was time to lead my team.

I lifted my sword towards the zombies closest to me, "Sky, Cross. Follow me with the first attack. Lexus, Cloud, I need you guys as air support to keep the others off of our backs."

With the plan set, we all took off into the fight. With an upward motion, I sliced a leg off of the zombie closest to me. I didn't feel any need to use my ability, "Blaze", since zombies were relatively weak monsters. But then, Sky whipped around me and finished of the zombie with several well placed blows to the neck, ending the monster with a stab through the head.

Meanwhile, I had joined up with Cross as we fought two of the zombies. First, Cross bashed his hammer into the head of one, while I stabbed through the belly of the other. As quickly as we struck, we traded off opponents. I slashed downwards into my opponent twice, making an "X" through the zombie's torso, and then finished by stabbing the zombie upwards beneath its jaw.

As the zombie burst into a cloud of blue code, out of the corner of my eye, I saw cross deal a crushing blow to his zombie's throat, bringing the monster's health bar to zero.

Behind us, I heard Lexus and Cloud swoop down from the sky, continually striking another zombie with each descent. But then, Lexus stabbed a zombie deep into its back from above, creating a large hole in the monster's spine. The pegasus quickly wrenched out his spear as Cloud then placed a bomb into the opening that Lexus had created in the monster's back. Then, they quickly took to the sky as the bomb exploded, destroying the zombie it was planted in and sending a shock wave into the remaining zombies.

With the remaining zombies faltering, it gave me, Sky, and Cross the chance to finish them off. We all charged in at once, dealing each of them a finishing blow in our own unique styles. Once the last zombie had disappeared into bits of code, I put away my weapons with satisfaction.

I glanced at my team as we all took a small breather, a small, encouraging grin on my face, "Wow, seven monsters in less than a minute. We've really gotten faster."

A voice interjected, "Not bad, Team Equitum. Not bad at all."

I looked towards the source of the voice to see that it was Jupiter, coming down from the gates towards our team. I raised an eyebrow, "Oh, Jupiter. What are you doing here?"

Jupiter smirked, "Well, I have an assignment for your team. You see, it concerns the location of the next element."

Our whole team jumped with a start. Sky looked questioningly at Jupiter, "Wait, did you actually find the boss room?"

Jupiter paused for a moment, "Well, no. We haven't actually found the boss room, but we have a fairly good lead as to where it is located. The Canterlot Labyrinth on the castle grounds, as you know is only made of shrubbery. But as of late, enormous black thorns have begun to grow all around the maze. We suspect that it may have something to do with the next boss of the game."

Jupiter looked at all of us individually, "I came down here because I want you all to investigate the cause of the thorns. And from what I saw just barely, I believe you're more than capable of finding the source of this problem."

I nodded, "Right, we'll get right to it." I waved to my team and we all started towards the Canterlot gate. But then, Jupiter suddenly stopped us.

He cleared his throat, "But before you go, I would like for Team Calvary to join you in this investigation."

I raised an eyebrow at Jupiter, "Violet Runner's team? Why do you want them to come along? They just arrived today, and they haven't gotten to rest from their trip here. Fillydelphia is farther from here than Ponyville, yet you made my team take a rest from fighting for a few days. Why not do the same for Team Calvary?"

Jupiter's eyes narrowed, "For one thing, Violet Runner owes me for not obeying my orders. I think this task will be suitable enough. If his team can investigate the labyrinth while under your orders, then I will forgive Violet Runner for his careless decision. As of now, Shadow, I'm putting you in charge of leading both yours and Violet's teams through the labyrinth." He turned back towards Canterlot, "So, I want you all to meet me at the entrance of the labyrinth for further details. You'll need to pick up Team Calvary from their base on the way there." With that, he began to make his way to the Canterlot gate.

I sighed, "Yes, Jupiter." I looked to my team, "Come on, let's go." And we all set off towards the gate to the city.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Team Calvary's base in Canterlot wasn't all too hard to find, since it was actually fairly close to our own base. As I searched for their base, I sent my team ahead to meet with Jupiter by the maze while I fetched Team Calvary.

After walking on the street for a while, I finally reached the door to their base. With a hoof, I knocked loudly on the wooden door. I waited for a moment, but then the door opened to reveal Dylan.

Dylan's eyes widened, "Oh, hey Shadow. What are you doing here?"

I took a step through the door, "I need to speak to your team. Where's Violet Runner?"

Dylan stepped back and let me in, closing the door behind me, "He and Neon are down in the forge."

I raised an eyebrow, "You guys have a forge?"

Dylan nodded me as he began to lead me through the base, "Yeah, it's in the basement. It came with base when Jupiter gave it to us."

I held back a glower as I thought to myself, Really? Jupiter gave them *a forge*? I sighed, Even when they're in trouble, they're more rewarded than my team has ever been. Forges were really expensive, and to have one inside a house just made it more valuable.

Ahead of me, Dylan continued talking, "Although, out of all of us, Violet is the only one who really appreciates the forge. He's really a genius when it comes to engineering. But occasionally he needs Neon to get the fire hot enough for him work with iron and stuff like that."

But then, something occurred to me, "Wait, if the forge is downstairs, then what happens to the smoke from the fire? I'd imagine that it'd get caught downstairs often."

Dylan smiled, "Well, Violet took a look at the forge and said that there was an enchantment in the chimney. It would instantly filter out the smoke and bring in pure oxygen. So, that's not really a problem.

Soon we reached a spiral staircase, leading downstairs. and Dylan pointed a hoof down it, "Okay, Violet and Neon should be down there."

I nodded, "Thanks Dylan."

Dylan smiled and trotted away, while I began to descend down the staircase. The staircase was dimly lit, but I managed to find my footing as I traveled down its spiraling steps. Soon, the lighting in the stairs became bright with the orange glow of fire. I reached the end of the staircase to find myself in the forge.

In the middle of the forge, I spotted Violet Runner, standing next to a large, lit furnace. A pair of goggles were covering his eyes as he held a long piece of red-hot metal in the furnace with his magic. Standing to the side of the furnace was Neon Fire. Her horn was glowing as she focused on the fire, which I now noticed, had a neon green tint about it.

Violet glanced at Neon, "Okay, I need the fire to be a bit hotter, Neon. Increase your magic and keep the temperature steady."

Neon nodded, "Right." Her horn began to glow a bit brighter as she put more concentration into the fire.

I would have waited for them to be done with... well, with whatever they were doing. But Jupiter was already waiting for us, so it was time to make myself known. I began to walk towards them, "Hey, Violet, Neon."

Violet jumped slightly, surprised by my intrusion. He quickly glanced back at me, "Oh, hey Shadow. What are you doing here?" He turned his head to Neon, "Okay, I think that'll be good for now. You can stop."

Relieved, Neon let go of her magical hold on the fire, letting the flames die down to regular orange flames.

I looked to Violet and Neon, "I have a message from Jupiter for your team, Violet."

Before I could continue, Violet set his glowing red piece of metal down on an anvil. He brought out his hammer, and began to hammer away at the piece of metal. He nodded to me, "Sorry, but I need to get this piece of iron molded before it grows cold. You'll just have to bear with me. Go ahead and tell me the message. Don't worry, I'll be able to hear you over the hammering. But if I can't, Neon will be able to tell me what I missed."

I raised an eyebrow, a bit hesitant at first, but I just shrugged and relayed the message, "Jupiter has a job for your team. He has gotten some reports that black thorns are growing all throughout the Castle Labyrinth. Jupiter suspects that it may have to do with the next element. So, he wants your team and mine to go investigate the labyrinth, and possibly find the boss room, as well."

Violet nodded, "Right. When will we do it?"

"Right now. At the moment, the rest of my team are with Jupiter, and they're waiting for us at the entrance to the labyrinth."

Violet nodded as he paused his hammering, inspecting his piece of iron, "Okay, we'll be there in just a second." He glanced over to Neon, "Go tell Soul and Dylan to get ready. We need to leave as soon as possible."

Neon nodded and raced up the staircase and out of the forge. Violet then turned to me, "Alright, you better not keep your team waiting. So, you should get going, too. Thanks for stopping by."

I nodded as I turned back to the staircase, and I climbed upstairs and out of Team Calvary's base. Out on the street, I turned towards the castle and began to gallop to the castle labyrinth.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Soon, both my team and Team Calvary were gathered in front of the entrance to the labyrinth. Jupiter stood in front of us all, standing between us and the entrance.

Now, let me tell you that the entrance to the labyrinth was huge. The walls made of shrubbery stood about fifteen feet tall, and it stayed at that height for all of the maze. But, just like Jupiter had said, I noticed several black, thorny vines weaving through the walls of the maze. And they weren't just growing out of the walls, but there were the occasional thorns growing out of the ground like tree roots. With all of the thorns, it gave the maze a sort of evil presence.

Jupiter looked to all of us who were gathered, "All right, before all of you go into that Labyrinth, I will debrief you on several details of the maze."

We all listened closely as Jupiter continued, "Now, the first thing that you need to know is that Discord put some restrictions for some players in the maze. One of which is that pegasus players cannot fly."

Lexus raised an eyebrow, "Really? Why can't we fly?"

Jupiter replied, "Discord hacked the area around the maze so that no pegasus could move their wings at all. They'd stay clamped to your sides, and you wouldn't be able to extend them, let alone fly."

Cloud interjected, "But what about me? I'm not a pegasus, so shouldn't I still be able to fly?"

Jupiter paused for a second, "Well, you used to be a pegasus, weren't you? And I don't think that Discord would have overlooked your case, Cloud. After all, he *is* the reason why you're a dragon now."

Cloud drooped his shoulders slightly, "Oh, I guess you're right."

Jupiter cleared his throat, "Anyways, like any place in the game, there are monsters in the labyrinth. However, a few other players, who were weaker than all of you, went into the maze and fought several monsters. They returned out of the maze just fine, so I wouldn't worry too much about the monsters that you meet in there."

Jupiter gave us all a fixed glower, "But that doesn't give you a reason to lower your guard. If Discord's behind these thorns growing around the maze, then he'll for sure have some surprises hidden around the maze that you would rather not find. Who knows what traps that Draconequus could come up with."

Jupiter cleared his throat, "However, though this is a maze, at all costs, do not get separated. If you get lost on your own, then it'll just be easier for Discord's monsters to pick you off, one by one."

"However, if you do find the cause of the thorns' growth, then I want you to find a way to reverse it. But if the cause is coming from a boss room, then do not attempt to beat the boss on your own. If you find a boss room, then make your way back here and contact me. You'll need to remember where the room is, so you can lead a larger group of players to fight the boss. Is that clear?"

We all nodded. Jupiter continued, "Good. Inside the maze, Shadowflame will make the decisions. He will be responsible for everyone else. But remember this: Your survival in there will depend on how well you work together as a team." He stepped out of the way to the entrance of the labyrinth, "Well, good luck." With that, he turned back towards the castle and walked away.

I looked to my team, "Okay, let's go." And so, we entered the maze, with Team Calvary following behind us.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

We had only been travelling through the maze for about ten an hour, yet we weren't getting anywhere. So far, we had taken about fifty wrong turns that ended up in dead ends. After a few minutes of this, I was starting to get a bit frustrated, as well as the other players in our group.

Luckily, we hadn't run into any monsters, yet. But, that fact left us in inactivity while I tried to get us through the maze, and a lot of us were starting to get bored. So, to fight boredom, a few members of our group were finding different ways to entertain themselves. Soul Cards, like his name implied, was showing off a few card tricks to Cross and Cloud. Cloud, since he couldn't spread his wings inside the maze, rode on Cross's back as we walked. Sky and Dylan were talking to each other, catching up on what the other had done ever since they were trapped in the game. But Violet Runner, Neon Fire, and myself kept a watch out for any monsters that would drop in on us unexpectedly.

Lexus, who had been messing with his immobile wings, walked up beside me, "Man, this stinks. I don't know if I'll be able to take this for very long. I think my wings are starting to get a cramp after staying still for this long."

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Well, I can't do anything about it. And I don't think your wings are getting a cramp. That's just your imagination."

Lexus sighed in frustration, "Well, I'm just saying, the sooner we find the source of these thorns, the better."

I nodded and looked back to the maze in front of us. But then, I saw something that surprised me. Our path in the Labyrinth stopped just ahead and split in five different directions.

We all stopped in the middle of the six-way fork in the road, all of us unsure about which direction to go. I tried looking down each of the paths, but none of them gave any clue as to where it would lead. I grumbled to myself, Sure, send us into the maze. Great idea, Jupiter.

As I was contemplating our next path to take, I heard Violet Runner speak. He pointed a hoof down one path, "Okay, my team should go down this path. Team Equitum, you guys go down that path." He said, pointing to another path.

I glowered at Violet, "Whoa, hey. You can't just order my team around like that. And besides, Jupiter put me in charge of this investigation, so I choose where we go next."

Violet was a bit surprised at my outburst, but he then narrowed his eyes at me in frustration, "Well, you've led us down into *fifty* different dead-ends. Yes, you've done a wonderful job at navigating." He said sarcastically. Violet glared at me, "But I think it's my turn to lead the group."

Sky stepped up next to me, glancing between me and Violet, "Hey, dudes. Stop it. Remember what Jupiter said about working together? That our survival depended on it?"

I ignored Sky and turned to Violet, "Hey, you're the one who made the decisions that put your own team into more danger. Just by getting an extra element in your team, you made yourselves a bigger target for the Haters' Guild. And I won't let you make any choices that will put my team in danger."

Violet replied just as quickly, "I already have Jupiter on my case for that, and I don't need you to be giving me grief for that as well. Besides, we never ran into the haters while travelling, so I don't see what the big deal is. We weren't in danger, so I don't see why I shouldn't lead."

I retorted angrily, "Well, for one thing, if we split up like you want to, then we would not only be disobeying Jupiter's orders, but we could be easily taken out by one of Discord's monsters. We have no idea what he has in store for us in here."

Violet rolled his eyes, "Look around! We haven't come across a single monster ever since we came into this maze. You're even scared that we'll run into one monster, just because we split up? Some Element of Courage you are."

I glared at him with hatred, "Well, what kind of an element is spirit anyways? At least mine makes more sense than yours. Maybe that's the reason why you went and got a second one. Just because your element sucked!"

Violet snapped back at me, "Is that what this is all about? Are you just angry that my team has two elements while yours only has one?"

I faltered for a moment, a bit shocked that Violet would even say that, "What? No!"

Violet didn't stop there, "It's true, isn't it? You're just jealous that we have two while you only have one. Maybe you're jealous that my team better than yours, or maybe... you're jealous that I'm a better leader than you!"

I suddenly lost my temper at that, and I drew my sword, "You little-"

"Both of you, quit it!" Lexus cut us off as he stepped in between us, "You're both acting like complete imbeciles! Who cares about who has how many elements! I'm not even a brony, yet I know that there's more to the elements than just being the bearer."

For a split moment, everyone was silent. But Lexus wasn't finished yet, "We all know that the elements will only work when they are used in harmony with each other. But when it comes time to fight Discord, we won't be able to use the elements because you two are fighting. They wouldn't work because neither of you are friends with each other. Some elements of harmony you guys are."

Lexus continued, "Can't either of you two see? Discord's manipulating you guys and you don't even notice it. He wants you to be chaotic with each other instead of working together in harmony. It's just like what Jupiter said; Our survival depends on how well we can work together as a team."

I was gaping at Lexus in shock. I was both surprised that Lexus even knew that stuff, and that what he was saying was actually true. We were being chaotic.

Lexus sighed, "We need to pull ourselves together and work together or else we'll never find what's causing these thorns to..." He trailed off as his eyes looked at the ground. Instantly, his eyes widened in surprise and horror.

I followed his gaze to see a few small thorns rapidly growing out of the ground beneath us. I gasped in horror as they continued to grow at a quick rate, "What the heck?" I glanced around us to see that huge thorns had grown up all around us, blocking off all of the paths.

Violet called out to everyone, "The thorns must have grown while we were distracted. We need to-"

CREAK

The ground under all of us suddenly groaned. My eyes widened as I saw that it actually was sinking below us.

I quickly called out to my team, "Get clear!"

But it was too late, because suddenly, the ground burst and collapsed under our hooves, dropping us down below where it used to be.

We all screamed as we fell through the air, heading towards nothing but a black pit below us lined with thorns. I glanced at all of our group as they struggled to do something to remedy the situation. Cloud and Lexus were desperately trying to spread their wings and fly. Sky and Soul pulled out their swords and tried to dig into the thorns to slow their descent, but to no avail, as their weapons couldn't penetrate the thick outer skin of the plant.

Everyone else and myself couldn't do anything else, except for fail out limbs helplessly as we fell through the darkness. For a moment, it seemed as if everything had stopped, like we were all going to die. But then, we landed on the cold hard ground below. My neck whiplashed with the impact of my body hitting stone, sending the back of my head slamming against the ground. Instantly, everything went black, including the one spot of light where we had fallen from.

March 3rd (Under the Labyrinth)

Soon, I roused myself back to consciousness. My head was still spinning from the impact of the fall, but I was at least grateful to be on solid ground again. I groaned as I blinked my eyes open, a small flickering of orange crossing through my vision. Soon, my sight cleared and I found myself lying on my back in the middle of a stone corridor, a few torches lighting the area around me.

I moaned as I pulled myself back onto my hooves, and then I took a closer look around at my surroundings. The corridor I was standing in was made of stone, colored orange by the torches that were mounted on the walls, but I noticed that there were also several black vines weaving themselves in and out of the walls and ceiling.

I rubbed the back of my head, where a bruise now protruded from, Where am I? I glanced at my health bar to see that I hadn't lost any health from the fall. I stared at my health bar, confused as ever, I didn't lose any health? I was sure that a fall like that would have killed all of us.

I gasped, Wait, where's everyone else? I quickly opened up my player menu and looked at my team list. Every player had a team list to keep track of anyone they're teaming with. There, you could see their stats, their levels, and their health bars. I looked at my team list and I felt a sigh of relief escape from my mouth. I saw the health bars for Sky, Lexus, Cross, and Cloud, and they were all still full like mine. That meant that they had survived as well.

But then, something else occurred to me, Wait, where's Violet Runner and his team? At that moment, I heard a deep groan come from behind me. I turned around to see Violet Runner, rubbing his face as he sat up. I glanced at his health bar, which floated just above his head. It was still completely full, so that most likely meant that the rest of Team Calvary was okay as well.

Once up, Violet blinked a few times, a questioning look crossed his face, "Shadow? What happened?"

His eyes widened as he remembered, "Oh yeah! We fell through the ground of the maze, didn't we?"

I nodded, "Yeah. It was a pretty long fall, but luckily, none of us lost any health. Although, I haven't seen any of the others, yet."

Violet glanced around at the corridor we were in, taking in our surroundings with a bit of surprise. But then, he glanced up and his eyes widened, "Wait, if we fell... Then where's the hole we fell through?"

My eyes widened as well, as I then looked up, too. Sure enough, there was no sign of the hole that we came through. The ceiling was completely smooth stone, not even a hole or dent in it. I rubbed the back of my head, "I don't know... Maybe this is some trap that Discord rigged?"

Violet paused for a minute, lost in thought, "Maybe. But if that's the case, then he would have most likely put some monsters down here to finish us off." He paused again, "Although, come to think of it, maybe that's the reason why we didn't see any monsters before, back in the labyrinth."

I nodded, "Yeah, I guess that would make sense." We stood silent for a moment, but then I remembered, "Oh, yeah. Violet, what about the rest of your team? Are they all right?"

Immediately, Violet opened up his player menu and looked at his team list. Once he looked at it, he let out a sigh of relief, "Yeah, they're okay. They still have all of their health. "

I sighed, relieved as well. Nobody had died... yet. "Good, at least they're safe. But the problem is that we don't know where they are." I paused, but then I opened my player menu and began to compose an instant message. Violet gave me a curious look as he watched me write out the message, "So, I'm guessing your sending a message to your team members, right?"

I nodded, "Right. Even down here, they should be able to get the message. If they respond, then they should be able to tell us where they are." Within a minute, the message was finished. I read it over again, just make sure that it was good:

Hey, guys. I know you're not dead yet because I can see your health bars in my team list, so that's good. From what I can tell, we've all been separated by the fall. I'm here with Violet Runner, and we've concluded that this was a trap set by Discord. Right now, we're both in some kind of corridor, made of smooth stone and ingrown by hundreds of thorns. Where are you guys right now? See if you can find anybody else from our team or Team Calvary.

-Shadowflame

After reading through the message, I felt satisfied with it and I tapped the send button with a hoof. The message instantly disappeared and was replaced by a small box, saying: Message Sent.

I looked to Violet Runner, "Okay, now we just need to wait for a response."

_____________________________________________________________________________________Darkened5ky and Dyl0nkour

Sky awoke to the sound of the message 'ping'. Groggily, Sky opened his eyes to see a small banner in his vision, reading New Message From Shadowflame. Sky quickly stood on all fours as he glanced around at his surroundings, "What... What happened?" He was now standing in a stone hallway, thorns running in and out of the stone like vines. The entire hallway was lit with torches hung by the walls.

Suddenly, Sky heard a small groan coming from his side, "Sky?"

Sky quickly turned to see Dylan next to him, "Dylan." He extended a hoof to help his younger brother up, "Are you okay?"

Dylan nodded as he took Sky's hoof and pulled himself up, "Yeah, I'm fine. Where are we?"

Sky shrugged as they both looked around at the hallway, "I don't know. I'm guessing we're probably somewhere below the Labyrinth." He turned back to the message from Shadow and opened it.

The message opened itself up into a box of text and Sky read it to himself. As he read, he was grateful to know that everyone was fine. Although, Shadow's position pretty much matched his and Dylan's. Once he had finished reading, he hit the "reply" button and began to type a return message,

I'm here with Dylan. We're both fine, but we're pretty much in the same position. The place we're in matches the description of where you and Violet are. What do we do now?

-Darkened5ky

Once it was finished, Sky hit the send button and his message disappeared. He looked back to Dylan and began to explain what he'd learned from Shadow's message.

_____________________________________________________________________________________Shadowflame and Violet Runner

Within a few minutes of each other, I soon received three messages from Sky, Cross, and Lexus. I read them all and I was able to put together quite a bit of information. I knew that we had all been separated into four different groups: Violet and myself, Sky and Dylan, Cross and Soul, and Lexus, Neon, and Cloud.

Each of our groups were in a similar place as me and Violet. So, I assumed that we were all underneath the Labyrinth. But if that was the case, knowing Discord, then I figured that we could be in another entirely different maze; A maze below the labyrinth. With the added information, I quickly composed another message to everybody:

Okay, listen up. It's safe to say that we're also in another maze, below the labyrinth. Right now, our top priority is to find another way out of here. Stick together in your own groups and make sure that you have each other's backs. Since we didn't see any monsters in the labyrinth, then I suspect that all of Discord's monsters will be down here. I don't want anybody to die down here. So, keep your eyes peeled and get going!

-Shadowflame

I sent the message and turned to Violet, "Okay, we should start making our way out of here."

Violet nodded as he hefted his hammer onto his back, and we began to trot down through the maze. We said nothing as we made our way through the dim corridors. It was either because we were to busy watching our surroundings, or we didn't really have anything to say at the moment.

Although, I could tell that the silence was making both of us uneasy. So, I sighed and turned to Violet, "Look, I'm sorry."

Violet raised an eyebrow at me, "What?

"I'm sorry for snapping at you back up in the labyrinth. That was wrong of me and I shouldn't have said that."

Violet shook his head, "No, I should apologize. Jupiter did put you in charge, and I was just frustrated by how long it was taking to get through the Labyrinth. Just because I started to argue with you, we ended up down here." He sighed, "I supposed it's my fault that we're down here."

I smirked, "No, it's as much your fault as it is mine. We were both frustrated and it led to this."

Violet chuckled, "Yeah, I guess that's true." He paused for a moment, "Look, Shadow. I'm sorry for saying all of those things about you and your team. You really are a good leader, and your team is amazing. After all, you were the first one to obtain an element."

I smiled, "It's fine. You don't need to apologize about that. You were actually right about one thing." I sighed, "I actually was a bit jealous of your team, and how you were treated when you guys arrived in Canterlot. Everyone was giving praise to the you guys who brought back two of the elements, but on the other hand, they gave me hardly any recognition when I brought back the Element of Courage. So, I should really be apologizing to you. I suppose it was only natural for me to snap at you. I'm sorry."

Violet smiled, "Apology accepted. Friends?"

I nodded, "Friends."

_____________________________________________________________________________________Crossheart and Soul_Cards

Cross and Soul walked through the corridors of the maze, weapons held at the ready. As they walked, Soul glanced at Cross, "So, what monsters do you think we should be expecting down here?"

Cross shrugged, "I dunno. I'd imagine something plant-like, considering that this place is lined with these thorns."

Soul nodded, "Yeah, I suppose your right." A long pause passed between the two of them, until Soul continued, "Although, it'd be interesting to see how well I'd fare in a fight with a living plant."

Cross smirked at him, "Well, normal plants *are* already alive. They just don't move around like an animal would." He let out a small chuckle.

Soul rolled his eyes, "Whatever. You know what I mean." Another pause passed between them. But then, Soul glanced at Cross, "Although, I do have a question."

Cross raised an eyebrow while Soul continued, "That little dragon in your group, you and him used to be your own team before you joined Team Equitum, right?"

Cross nodded, "Yeah, Cloud and I were our own team. We used to travel across Equestria to search for boss battles, but Team Equitum fought just as hard as we did, so we didn't mind joining them when Shadow asked us to."

Soul nodded, "Right, but my question is, how come both you and Cloud wear sunglasses all of the time?"

Cross paused for a moment, thinking to himself. But soon, he shrugged as he replied, "Because they look cool."

Soul raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to reply, but he didn't get to say anything. Because right then, out of nowhere, a long green vine suddenly lashed out between Soul and Cross, crashing into the wall behind them in an explosion of stone and dust. Startled, the two of them looked to see that the vine had grown out of the wall in front of them, and several others had grown out of the same wall and they were preparing to lash out at the two players like before.

Suddenly, another vine lashed out at Soul. The unicorn quickly brought up his swords and sliced the vine apart just before it hit him. Soul glanced at the walls around them to see that vines were growing everywhere around them. Another vine lashed out, and Soul quickly cut it to pieces. He turned to Cross, "RUN!"

Not needing to be told to do so, Cross began to gallop forward, avoiding the hundreds of vines as they stuck out in front of his path. Soul followed from behind, hacking off the vines that came too close to either of them.

_____________________________________________________________________________________Lexus, Neon Fire, and Cloud Burst

Lexus, Neon, and Cloud all traveled through the maze, weapons at the ready. Lexus and Cloud walked on foot, seeing as they still couldn't use their wings, yet.

But then, a sudden rumbling began to shake the entire corridor, knocking everyone off balance. Small bits of rock and dirt began to fall from the walls and ceiling. Lexus cringed as the shaking continued, "Are there earthquakes in this game?"

Neon shook her head as she tried to regain her balance, "I don't think so. It must be something else."

Suddenly, the shaking stopped and out of the ceiling three, armored diamond dogs dropped down around them, claws outstretched as they prepared to attack. Cloud narrowed his eyes as he readied a bomb, "I guess we know what that quake was."

Without a moment of hesitation, Cloud hurled his bomb at the first diamond dog. The projectile exploded, the force of the bomb sending the burrowing canine back from the group. The other two leaped at Lexus and Neon, who both held their spears ready.

Lexus stabbed one of the dogs in the chest. The diamond dog let a howl of pain, and at the same time, Lexus quickly pulled out his spear from his opponent's chest. And then, whirling about, Lexus then quickly kicked the diamond dog with his rear legs, sending the dog staggering back.

Neon stabbed the point of her spear into her diamond dog. While the dog was momentarily distracted, her horn came alight with neon green flames. The flames extended into a flaming whip, which Neon then lashed out at the diamond dog with her horn. The flames cracked through the air as they collided with the diamond dog, sending it flying back against its two companions.

The three dogs laid in a crumpled heap, struggling to get up quickly. But Neon quickly flared her horn and a geyser of green flames erupted out of the ground below them. The diamond dogs howled in pain as they were burned by the flames, but their howling came to an end as their health bars dropped to zero, and they disappeared in a burst of blue code.

Lexus, Neon, and Cloud all grinned at their success. But their success was short lived, as a green vine suddenly lashed out from behind and wrapped itself around Neon's rear leg. Neon let out a startled yelp as the vine's thorns stabbed into her leg. And then, just as quickly as it came, the vine retracted, carrying Neon through the air with it.

Neon screamed as she flew through the air, almost losing her grip on her spear as the vine carried her through the corridor, "HELP!"

Instantly, Cloud and Lexus ran after their comrade who was being carried away, "NEON!"

_____________________________________________________________________________________Darkened5ky and Dyl0nkour

Sky and Dylan galloped through the corridors at breakneck speed, weapons drawn for battle.

Dylan huffed as he sprinted, "What the heck was that shaking?!"

Sky kept a wary eye out in front of them as he navigated them both through the maze, "I don't know. It could have been an earthquake, which means this place could cave in... Or it was either some monster, which means it could be coming after us."

Suddenly, a shriek pierced through the air, echoeing through the halls of the maze, "HELP!" Both Sky and Dylan stopped dead in their tracks from the scream.

Dylan's eyes instantly went wide as he recognized the voice, "That was Neon! Let's go!"

But before they could move, the corridor around them began to shake violently, harder than it had before. The force of the shaking knocked both Dylan and Sky off balance, and they both struggled to find their footing.

Sky cringed as the shaking continued, "What the heck is this?!" But then, the shaking stopped as gigantic boulder of pure iron crashed down through the ceiling and into the corridor. The iron boulder, or rather sphere, landed with a deafening crash that sent Sky and Dylan staggering back from the shockwave of the impact.

Sky glanced quickly at the iron sphere to see that it took up most of the space of the hallway. There was no way anything could get around it. But then, the outside of the iron boulder rolled back shifting the shape of the sphere into one of a giant creature. Sky and Dylan gasped as they found themselves looking at a giant, iron plated, black armadillo.

Dylan's eyes widened at the sight of the creature, "Holy crap! That thing is huge!" He was suddenly cut off as the aramdillo let loose a deafening roar. Sky and Dylan both clapsed their ears with their hooves to prevent from going deaf as the wave of sound echoed through the halls of the maze.

Once the armadillo's roar had come to a halt, Sky quickly grabbed Dylan's front leg, "Run!"

Dylan nodded, and once again, the duo of brothers were sprinting down the corridors. But not far behind them, the armadillo was intent on finishing its targets, and it suddenly rolled back into its spherical form. Instantly, it began to roll through the maze with horrifying speed after Sky and Dylan.

_____________________________________________________________________________________Shadowflame and Violet Runner

I sprinted through the maze, Violet running right behind me. I breathed hard as I glanced at Violet, "Are you sure that was Neon's scream?"

Violet nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure. But if that was Neon screaming, then that means that she's seriously in trouble."

I nodded, "Right." We both ran forward, but then the corridor we were in ended and turned off to the left. I quickly turned the corner, but I suddenly had to stop myself at the sight that I saw. I quickly barred the way before Violet could run past me.

Having been suddenly stopped, Violet looked at me with a confused expression. But then I pointed out the path in front of us with a hoof. Violet's eyes widened as he saw that we had almost run into a pit of lava.

The lava pit extended out for about fifty feet, far too long for anypony to jump. The pit was shaped to match the walls of the corridor, making it impossible to go around it.

Violet glanced at me and then back to the lava, "What do we do now?"

I grimaced, "I'm not sure. I'll think of something." I paused as I continued to observe the lava pit in front of us. In my mind, I sighed, Lava, of course there's lava. Why does every game have to have lava in it?

But then, Violet cut off my train of thought, "Hey, look up there." He pointed a hoof towards the ceiling. I looked up to see several steel platforms high above the lava pit, suspended by metal chains on all four corners.

I nodded, "That could work... But how do we get them down?"

Violet paused until his eyes caught something on the other side of the pit. I followed his gaze to see a wooden lever hanging on the wall on the other side of the pit. Violet nodded, "That lever should be able to lower those platforms. If we can pull that lever, then we can cross." Violet glanced warily at the lever, "Although, how are we going to do that?"

I paused for a moment, but then, an idea struck my mind, "Oh, I got it." I quickly slung my sword and shield back onto my back. I took position directly in the middle of the corridor and faced towards the lava pit. I glanced back at Violet, "Hey, you might want to step back, unless you want to get burned by flying lava."

Violet quickly stepped back, "What are you doing?"

I grinned, "Magic, of course." I concentrated on my magic, activating my Blaze ability in the process. My horn glowed with its familiar red aura, but as I concentrated on the spell, the aura descended until it completely surrounded the rest of my body. With the spell ready, I reared back onto my hind legs and then charged into the pit of lava.

Right as I placed my hoof onto the surface of the lava, the lava instantly solidified into hard, volcanic rock. I continued to gallop across the lava, my spell both protecting me from the intense heat and from falling into the lava as I ran on it. With each step I took, a new patch of rock formed just below my hooves, but whenever I stepped off of one, the intense heat would instantly melt it back into lava.

Soon, I reached the end of the lava pit and stepped back onto solid ground. Gasping for breath and sweating excessively from the heat, I ended my hold on my spell and turned back to Violet on the other side of the pit.

Violet's face was spread out in a wide grin, "Dude, that was awesome! How did you know that would work?"

I shrugged as I pulled the lever on my side, "I didn't."

Violet's expression turned into one of shock, "Wow, you are crazy." Just then, the platforms lowered themselves down, coming to a halt just above the lava pit.

I grinned at Violet, "Element of Courage, remember?" I glanced at the hanging platforms, "Now hurry up and come across. The sooner we reach everybody else, the better."

Violet nodded and leaped onto the hanging platforms. As the unicorn hopped between each platform, the chains holding them above the lava would creak slightly, as if they were threatening to break free of their supports. I watched as Violet neared the end of the lava pit, patiently waiting for him to reach me. But then i noticed something suddenly jump out of the lava behind Violet.

My eyes widened to see that it was a giant skull, almost as large as me, completely covered in orange flames. Its eye sockets were filled with red lights, making the monster's appearance even more intimidating. And I also noticed where ears would usually be on a skull, the monster had a pair of white bat wings to keep it aloft in the air.

But then, as quickly as it had appeared, the skull flew through the air, straight towards the unaware Violet Runner.

I quickly shouted out to Violet, "Behind you! On your left side!" Violet's eyes widened as he quickly jumped to the edge of his platform. The skull barely missed him, flying harmlessly back into the lava pit. Suddenly, right as the first skull flew back into the lava pit, two more similar skulls flew out of the same pit heading straight for Violet.

I shouted as I drew my weapons, "Violet! Get off of there!"

Violet quickly picked up his hammer and faced the first of the two skulls. As soon as the skull came near him, Violet swung his hammer with his magic, striking the monster off to the side. But as the second skull came close, Violet quickly turned around and began to gallop across the platforms, heading towards my direction.

With one of the skulls right on Violet's heels, I glanced over to see the other two skulls come out of the lava and fly towards us. Finally, Violet stepped off of the platforms and back onto solid ground, right beside me with the flying skull in tow. I was ready, because right at the moment the skull came close, I swung my sword at the monster, cutting deep through its jaw. The monster staggered back from the blow, only to be rejoined by the other two skulls.

Violet glanced towards me, "Hey, once I fire this spell off, start running in the opposite direction." that his horn was glowing with a light blue aura.

I nodded, "Right."

Immediately, Violet's horn began to crackle with small sparks of blue electricity. A small scent of Ozone surrounded the unicorn as the sparks began to grow bigger. And then, Violet cast the spell, firing a stream of blue lightning at the three approaching skulls. The lightning exploded against the three monsters, making a small cloud of smoke.

Instantly, Violet and I turned around and galloped the heck out of there.

_____________________________________________________________________________________Darkened5ky and Dlyan

Sky and Dylan raced for their lives as the giant, iron, wrecking-ball of an armadillo tried to run them down. They were both getting winded from the long run. And with the fear of taking a wrong turn in the maze and ending up in a dead end, they were both on the verge of panicking.

Dylan glanced towards Sky, "What are we supposed to do about this thing?"

Sky grimaced, "From what I can tell, we won't be able to lose it in here. We could turn around and fight, but we'd either be crushed from being run over or we wouldn't be able to get through that thick shell of iron. We could possibly defeat it if we found some way to get that armadillo out of its shell, but I can't think of any way to do that." Sky glanced back at the pursuing armadillo, "Crap! It's gaining on us!"

But then, Dylan looked ahead at the path to see, not more than fifty feet ahead of them, there was a drop-off that resulted as a giant cliff. The drop-off extende for about ten feet, but then the path continued through the corridor after that. But then, Dylan noticed an outlet in their corridor, just before the cliff. Suddenly, the young earth pony got an idea.

Dylan glanced over to his brother, "Sky, turn down through that outlet." He nodded over to the outlet in front of the cliff, "I'm going to take care of this armadillo, and I don't want you in the way when I do."

Sky's eyes narrowed towards his little brother, "What-... No, you aren't taking on this monster alone."

Dylan narrowed his eyes pleadingly at Sky, "Please, trust me on this one."

Sky paused for a moment. Behind him, he could hear the armadillo nearing them, inch by inch. But then, Sky sighed, "All right, fine. But you better not get hurt. I don't want to lose you again; not after I just found you in this game."

Dylan nodded and readied his staff, eyes concentrating on the cliff before him. Next to him, Sky turned off of the path and into the outlet. Just then, the armadillo passed by him, still intent on pursuing Dylan. Dylan took a few deep breaths as he came within a few feet of the cliff, "Here goes nothing."

Instantly, Dylan planted the tip of his staff onto the ground just before the cliff. Using the natural strength of an earth pony, Dylan push down against the top of his staff and vaulted himself over the cliff. Right as he vaulted himself over the edge, Dylan shouted at the top of his lungs, "LEROOOOYYY JENKINS!"

Sky watched in both amazement and amusement as Dylan landed safely on the other side of the drop-off. The armadillo, on the other hand, wasn't as fortunate. Apparantly, armadillos aren't designed to jump over long distances, and the monster rolled off of the edge and plunged down into the dark pit below.

Sky quickly ran to the edge to meet with Dylan, a small smile across his face, "Nice one. I didn't think you could do that."

Dylan smirked at Sky, "Well, my player ability helps with that. My ability is called 'Iron Veins'. It gives me a bit more physical strength, as well as a larger amount of endurance."

Sky shook his head, "No, I'm not talking about that. I'm saying that I don't think you ever learned how to do that in your parkour classes back home. Actually, didn't you quit your parkour classes early?" The unicorn chuckled teasingly.

Dylan just rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Let's get going and find the others."

_____________________________________________________________________________________Lexus, Neon Fire, and Cloud Burst

Lexus and Cloud ran as quickly as they could through the maze, chasing after the rogue vine carrying Neon.

Lexus shouted out to Neon, "Neon, you need to cut yourself loose!"

Neon cringed as she tried to speak, "I-I'm trying. But I c-can't move!"

Lexus glanced at Neon's health bar to see that it was slowly dropping in health. It was as if the vine was actually draining her of her health. But something caught Lexus' eye. It was a small, yellow symbol, shaped like a lightning bolt, right next to Neon's health bar.

Lexus cursed under his breath, "Paralysis. She can't move or use magic."

Cloud ran next to Lexus, sprinting as fast as his small legs could carry him, "How long does this vine last? It's got to end somewhere." Just then, his question was answered as the vine led the three players into a giant room, completely different than any place in the maze. All three players gasped at what they saw in the middle of the room.

It was a giant, venus fly trap. It was like an ordinary fly trap, except it had thousands of vines and thorns growing out of its base.

The vine carrying Neon pulled her through the air, stopping just above the gaping mouth of the venus fly trap. The vine dangled Neon slightly as it prepared to drop her.

Lexus' eyes widened at the sight, and quickly turned to Cloud, "Cloud!"

The dragon nodded as he pulled out two bombs, "All ready on it." Cloud quickly ran forward and threw both of the bombs into the mess of vines at the fly trap's base. The projectiles exploded in a wide radius, lighting several of the vines on fire.

The fly trap let out a piercing shriek as the explosions burned its vines. With several vines, the fly trap swatted Lexus and Cloud away. Both of them landed hard against the back wall of the room, grunting in pain as their health meters were decreased somewhat. Lexus quickly recovered from the hit to see Neon once again dangling above the open mouth of the fly trap. But then, the vine suddenly let go of Neon, dropping her down towards her death.

Lexus gasped, and without even thinking, as if it were pure instinct, his wings quickly propelled himself into the air. Flying straight as an arrow, Lexus flew through the jaw of the fly trap, grabbing Neon in mid air and pulling her to safety. Immediately after Lexus flew clear, the fly trap's mouth slammed shut, narrowly missing both players.

Neon stared with wide eyes at Lexus, still struggling to speak due to her paralysis, "Y-You're wings... You can use them here?"

Lexus smirked, "I guess so." He quickly lighted down next to Cloud, who had also caught on that he could use his wings as well. Lexus carefully put Neon on the ground and turned to Cloud, "Finish him off."

Cloud grinned through his sunglasses, "I've got the perfect thing in mind." Out of his inventory, the dragon pulled out a small, red stone, shaped to look like fire. Instantly, the dragon took off towards the mouth of the fly trap, leaving Lexus to remedy Neon's paralysis.

Once above the fly trap's open mouth, Cloud prepared to throw his fire-bomb, "Eat this!" Like a baseball pitcher, Cloud threw the fire-bomb down the fly trap's throat. Immediately, the bomb exploded in a firey inferno, catching the whole plant monster on fire. The fly trap shrieked in pain as its health bar dropped to zero, and then burst into bits of blue code.

Neon, now recovered from her paralysis, grinned as she watched the fly trap disappear into bits of code, "Ha, serves him right." She turned to Lexus, "Thanks for saving me." Immediately, she grabbed Lexus in a tight hug, saying nonchalantly, "Love ya."

Lexus was left silent for a moment as Neon let go of him. Neon smirked, "Well, let's go."

Lexus nodded, a bit unsure of how to react to Neon's hug, "Um... yeah, let's go."

Neon started back through the maze, but then Lexus noticed Cloud standing next to him. The little dragon had see the whole scene of Neon hugging Lexus, and now he held a small smirk on his face.

Lexus raised an eyebrow at the small dragon, "What?"

Cloud chuckled teasingly, "You like her, don't you?"

Lexus sighed as he rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Come on, let's go... Before Neon gets abducted by another monster."

Neon called out from ahead, "I heard that!"

Cloud simply chuckled, and both he and Lexus galloped to catch up with Neon.

_____________________________________________________________________________________Crossheart and Soul_Cards

Cross and Soul barreled down through the maze, the vines were gaining in on them. As they ran, Soul slashed through the mess of underbrush, both vines and thorns, that barred their way. They were both tiring out, and they wouldn't last long if they couldn't get away.

Suddenly, they turned a corner, and Cross saw a way out of the vines. It was a large pair of double doors. It was made out of wood, but if they could both get through it, then they could stop the vines from coming after them.

Cross motioned Soul's gaze towards the door, "Hey, look. There's our way out. Let's go."

Instantly, the two of them made a bee line for the door. With the vines following close behind them, Soul and Cross pulled open the two doors. Once they ran through the opening, they both closed the doors as fast as they could.

Just in the nick of time, the doors slammed shut in front of the on coming wave of vines. The vines slammed constantly against the door, but it held shut, protecting Cross and Soul inside.

Cross and Soul let out a sigh of relief as they sunk down to the ground from exhaustion. Soul groaned, "Ah, man. Vines and plants. Of all of the monsters that we had to run into, why did they have to be vines and plants?"

Cross sighed, "I don't know. But at least, it could have been worse."

Soul nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I'm just glad that we found this door. We're lucky that we ran into it."

Soul paused as he looked at the door that protected them from the vines outside. Now that he looked at it, he noticed that the door was intricately designed with wood carvings. Soul couldn't put a hoof on it, but these doors seemed familiar. But then, his eyes widened as he recognized them.

"Uh, oh. Things just got a whole lot worse."

Cross glanced at Soul, "What is it?"

"I've seen these doors before. In an entirely different place, but these are the same doors. These are the same doors that I passed through when my team retrieved the elements of Spirit and Loyalty."

Cross' eyes widened in realization, "Wait, you don't mean..."

Soul bit his lip as he nodded, "Yes... We're in the next boss room."

March 4th (The Fourth Boss)

Crossheart and Soul_Cards

Soul and Cross stood with their weapons drawn as they scanned the interior of the boss room. The room was in a circular shape, and the walls were made entirely of black thorns. In the center of the room, a large pool of brown, murky water sat, bubbling slightly. But the most interesting part of the boss room was that there were four doors that lined the outside walls, including the one that Soul and Cross had passed through to enter the room.

Cross glanced over to Soul, "Let's get out of here. There's no way we can beat a boss on our own."

Soul nodded, "Right. Let's go, before the boss shows up." He turned around and tried to pull the doors open with magic. But even as Soul tried to open the door, it held shut.

Soul groaned, as he released his hold on the door, "Great, it must have locked when we came through."

Cross glanced over towards the other three doors, "Hey, why don't we try those doors?"

Soul nodded, "Right." But before either of them could start towards the other doors, one of them suddenly opened.

Soul and Cross quickly stepped back into a defensive position, ready for any monsters that could be coming through. But then, their eyes widened as they saw two figures trot through the doorway. It was Sky and Dylan. Soul and Cross grinned as they called out to their comrades, "Hey, guys! We're over here!"

Dylan and Sky glanced over at the two of them, and they also waved back, grinning. Sky laughed, "Well, at least we know that you guys are safe. Where's everybody else?"

And right at that moment, another one of the doors opened up. All four of the players glanced over towards the opening to see Lexus, Neon, and Cloud join them in the room.

Lexus, upon seeing the other players, smiled enthusiastically, "Hey, guys. It looks like we've found everybody."

Sky shook his head as he looked around at everyone who was present, "Not everybody. We still don't know where Shadow and Violet are."

But then, the two doors that were open suddenly slammed shut, loudly. Cross's eyes widened as he remembered the predicament they were in, "Guys, we need to get out of here. This is the boss room!"

Everyone else, besides Soul, looked at Cross with astonished looks, "WHAT?!"

Sky glanced back towards the door that he and Dylan had come through, "Dang it, I knew there was something familiar about that door. We need to get out and find Shadow and Violet." Immediately, he began to try and pull open the door open with magic, but to no avail.

Soul groaned as watched Sky try to open the door, "It won't open. It locks itself behind you when you come in here."

Cross sighed, "Sorry, we would have warned you guys, but we didn't think to when we saw you."

Lexus frowned, "So that means that we've come through three doors, and none of them will open for us. But..." He glanced towards the remaining door that hadn't been opened, yet, "...What about that door?"

Neon shrugged, "It's worth a shot." She took a step towards the door, but then recoiled slightly as the door suddenly began to open.

_____________________________________________________________________________________Shadowflame and Violet Runner

Violet and I ran through the corridor of the maze, panting hard as we were pursued by three giant, flaming, airbourne skulls. I huffed as I galloped, "Man, don't these things ever stop?"

Violet was galloping as hard as I was, "I don't know. But we're going to either have to shake them off our tails or turn around and fight." Suddenly, we turned a corner, and a gigantic, wooden door came into view. Violet's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the door, "Shadow. That door."

I nodded, "Right." I flared my magic slightly, giving me a bit of a boost in my run. I raced ahead of Violet until I reached the door. I quickly pressed my body and my magic against the door, opening just in time for Violet to race inside the opening. Once Violet was through, I quickly leaped inside the doorway, slamming the door shut with my magic. At that moment, the three flaming skulls behind us barreled into the door, landing with three large THUMPS against the woodwork.

I breathed a small sigh of relief, but then I heard something behind me, "Shadow! Violet! You're here!"

I quickly turned and stared with wide eyes at what I saw. I found myself looking at rest of our group. Lexus, Neon, and Cloud stood together on one end of the circular room. Sky and Dylan stood on the opposite side of the room from them. And Cross and Soul stood on the opposite side of the room from me and Violet. We had all found each other.

I grinned, "Is everybody all right?"

Sky nodded, hesitantly, "We're all right. But we need to find a way out of here, now."

Violet raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because, this is the next boss room." Soul groaned, "But we can't go back through the doors because they lock themselves behind anybody who enters."

There was a brief moment of silence before Violet and I quickly glanced at each other with a look of horror, "Uh, oh."

Suddenly, the entire room began to shake violently. I struggled to find my balance as the ground shook beneath me. But then, I noticed that giant, thorned vines suddenly shot up out of the ground, covering all of the doors around the room.

But then, the quaking stopped for a brief moment, and all of us were able to regain our balance. But in that small moment of time, the pool of murky water in the center of the room seemed to explode as something suddenly shot up out of it.

Everyone stared at what they saw. It stood over thirty feet tall, covered in gigantic, orange scales. The boss might have been tall, but everything below its neck was still in the water. Bright red scales lined the outside edges of each face of the monsters four heads. Above the boss' heads, a large health bar filled with green as the boss battle began. I drew my sword and shield as did everybody else in the room. It was clear that the only way out of here was to defeat the boss. That meant we had to fight a hydra.

I called out to my team mates, "Watch each other's backs! Each of those heads has a mind of its own. But whatever you do, don't cut off its heads!"

Suddenly, the hydra released a deafening roar. Then, out of the ground, hundreds of thorns sprung up from the ground, bound together in giant walls of plants. The walls grew up out of the ground and into the ceiling high above us, once again, seperating me and Violet from everybody else. I looked forward to see that the only open spot that the thorns hadn't covered was the pool where the hydra stood. Past the multiple necks of the hydra, I could see three other openings where the rest of my team mates were.

I cringed as I glanced towards Violet, "The vines seperated all of our groups again. It looks like we're on our own for this one."

Each of the hydra heads then descended into each of the four openings in the thorns, one per team. Violet and I readied ourselves as our hydra head raced down towards us.

I muttered to myself, "Let's do this."

Suddenly, Violet and jumped to either side of the hydra head as it came crashing down bewteen us, biting a large oprtion of the ground. It quickly jerked its head back, a large boulder held in its mouth, and without warning, the boss whipped its head and sent the rock flying towards me.

I quickly dove out of the way and countered by shooting a large tongue of fire at the hydra's head. But to my surprise, the flames merely deflected off of the hydra's scales harmlessly. Not even fazed, the hydra reared back and took another shot at us, this time aiming specifically for Violet Runner. Violet had hardly any chance to get out of the way, due to the blinding speed of the head.

Instead, Violet raised his hammer in a defensive position and braced for the blow. Immediately, the hydra slammed into Violet's hammer, forcefully pushing Violet back. Violet cringed as his health meter dropped a little bit. However, the unicorn managed to keep his footing and held the hydra in place.

In that opportunity, I quickly galloped underneath the neck of the hydra and stabbed the monster's soft under belly. The hydra roared in fury as it suddenly withdrew its head from Violet. I quickly rejoined Violet, my sword still pointed towards the hydra, "Hey, you okay?"

Violet nodded, "Yeah, but I'm not doing that again unless I have to."

Suddenly, the hydra struck at us again. We both leaped out of the way just in time to have the hydra crash down into the ground again.

I cringed as I studied the hydra head for a weak spot. The underbelly had been a good target, but if I hacked at that area too much, I could risk chopping the hydra's head off. I really didn't want to have to deal with two hydra heads, let alone one. But then, I noticed another possible weak spot: The hydra's eyes.

I glanced towards Violet just as he avoided another blow from the hydra, "Violet. I've got an idea."

"Yeah?"

"Can you knock away the hyrda if it comes close?"

Violet nodded, "Yeah, I think I can do that, but I don't think that'll do very much."

I nodded, "I know. I just need a little distraction for this to work."

Violet nodded, "Right. Just get ready, because here it comes again."

Immediately, the hydra lunged at Violet, but the unicorn quickly side stepped it. And with a giant swing of his hammer, Violet hit the hydra's head towards my direction. With the hydra slightly dazed, it gave me the opportunity that I needed. I ran forward with my sword pulled back.

As I reached the hydra's head, I shouted, "Blaze!" My sword erupted with fire as I then stabbed it through left eye of the hydra.

The monster roared in fury as it was blinded by the burning tip of my sword it reeled its head back in agony.

But then, Violet inhaled sharply, "Shadow, I think its time that we ended this hydra head. I need you to shoot a stream of fire at me when I tell you to."

I glanced at him, wide eyed, "What?!"

Violet looked back toards the hydra, "Trust me."

I didn't know what Violet was planning, but after all that time in the maze he still hadn't let me down. I nodded, "All right."

"Get ready."

Instantly, I drew in my magic as I prepared to use it. But I also saw Violet charging his magic as well. Small bolts of lightning began to leap from his horn a circle around him. The air crackled with electricity and Violet's mane stood up in multiple places. Soon, a solid sphere of lightning had surrounded the unicorn, but the hydra had also gotten over the pain in its eye.

Suddenly, the hydra reared its head back, preparing to strike again. But then, Violet shouted out to me, "NOW!"

I fired my stream of fire towards Violet, half expecting it to hit the unicorn. But instead, my stream of fire began to swirl around Violet, much like his electricity. I continued to feed Violet's sphere of energy with fire until it completely covered him.

Suddenly, the lightning and fire withdrew from Violet, condensing at the tip of his horn. The hydra lashed forward at both of us, but Violet was ready. As the hydra rushed at us, Violet shot a beam of energy out of his horn, a combination of fire and lightning.

The fire lightning crackled through the air until it met its mark in the hydra's other eye. The hydra roared in pain as the magic both burned and electrocuted its remaining eye. Both of breathing hard from using so much magic, Violet and I watched as the hydra head flailed about blindly, slamming itself against the walls of thorns around it. But then, the head backed away from us and dove back under the water, and it didn't come out again.

I breathed a sigh of relief, "Whew, that was close." I glanced towards Violet, "How did you know that would work?"

Violet chuckled as he caught his breath, "I didn't."

I smirked at him, "Hey, I'm the only one around here who's supposed to take risks."

Violet laughed, "You don't have to be the Element of Courage to do dangerous things."

I rolled my eyes, "Well, I hope your happy that you could have killed yourself there."

Violet grinned, "Element of Spirit, remember?"

_____________________________________________________________________________________Lexus, Neon Fire, and Cloud Burst

Cloud, Lexus, and Neon glanced around warily at the hydra head coming towards them and the walls of thorns that had suddenly appeared.

Cloud growled to himself, "Great, it looks like we'll have to deal with this on our own." He quickly pulled out a bomb from his inventory and chucked it towards the oncoming hydra. But to everyone's surprise, the bomb simply bounced off of the hydra's scales and fell onto the ground below, not even detonating when it landed.

Neon gave a small frown, "Um, Cloud? I think that one was a dud."

Cloud nodded, "Maybe. Hold on a second." He quickly pulled out another bomb and threw it as well. However, it had the same result as the last bomb, and it fell to the ground harmlessly.

Cloud groaned, "What the heck?"

Suddenly, Lexus figured it out, "Cloud, I don't think your bombs will work in here. I'm sorry, but it looks like you'll have to sit out on this fight."

Cloud started to object, but the hydra, who had become annoyed by the harmless projectiles that had been thrown at it, lashed out at the players before him. Everyone managed to avoid the blow, only to be flung back slightly from the force of the hydra striking the ground.

Lexus glanced towards Cloud, leveling his spear towards the hydra, "Cloud, get back! Without your bombs, you're defenseless."

Cloud grumbled under his breath, "Fine. I'll see if can check on the others." With that, Cloud flapped his wings and took off towards the ceiling, high above the hydra.

Unfortunately, the hydra head attacking Lexus and Neon had noticed Cloud, and the monster turned to attack the dragon. But, the hydra was unable to, because at that moment, Neon lashed out at the hydra with a whip of neon green fire. The fire whipped against the hydra's vision, making the monster recoil.

Enraged, the hydra turned its focus back towards Neon and Lexus, only to find a dark gray pegasus flying at top speed towards it. Lexus struck at the hydra's head with the point of his spear, jabbing wounds all along the monster's scales. The hydra, enraged, snapped at Lexus with its massive jaws, narrowly missing the annoying pegasus.

From the ground, Neon had begun to charge her magic, preparing to attack the hydra with the full force of her power. But above her, the hydra was still occupied with Lexus. The hydra would constantly try to land a blow on the pegasus, but so far, Lexus had been able to avoid all of the attacks the hydra threw. That is, until the hydra managed to nip his wing with its teeth.

Lexus gave out a small yelp as a few of his feathers were torn off of his wing. With the pulling on his wing, it threw Lexus' flight pattern off balance, and he careened right into another blow from the hydra. The blow sent Lexus spinning off through the air, back towards the far wall.

In mid air, still spinning from the hydra's strike, Lexus spotted the monster coming in again for another attack, jaw wide open in an effort to crush the pegasus in its teeth. With a moment of hesitation, Lexus quickly jabbed the point of his spear up into the roof of the hydra's mouth. They hydra roared in anger, but Lexus then took the opportunity to force the rest of his spear into the monster's mouth, propping the jaw wide open.

The hydra tried desperately to get the spear out of its mouth, tossing its head this way and that. Lexus quickly flew out of range of the hydra's thrashing. Below him, he heard Neon call out,

"Lexus, get clear!"

Lexus looked down at the unicorn to see her horn completely alight with green fire. Nodding, Lexus quickly lighted down behind Neon while the unicorn focused her aim on the flailing hydra. Only a small moment passed before Neon released her spell, firing a ginormous ball of neon green fire at the hydra. Whether it was luck or skill, the fireball arched through the air and landed inside the mouth of the hydra, which was propped open by Lexus' spear.

The fireball exploded in the hydra's mouth with the force of a bundle of TNT. The shock wave from the explosion ripped Lexus' spear out of the hydra's mouth, sending it through the air and landing on the ground before its owner. Lexus quickly retrieved his spear, and both he and Neon watched as the Hydra flailed in agony as the inside of its mouth and throat were burned to a crisp. After only a moment or two, the hydra head suddenly submerged itself back underwater, never coming back up again.

_____________________________________________________________________________________Crossheart and Soul_Cards

"Cross, on your left!" Soul shouted as the hydra began to strike towards his comrade.

Cross quickly heeded the warning at jumped to his right, quickly countering the hydra's attack with a backswing of his hammer. The blow from Cross' hammer barely made the hydra flinch, and the monster reared back in preparation to strike again. This time, Soul ran in front of Cross, swords held at the ready. The hydra struck the ground where Soul had been before, had he not jumped out of the way. With the hydra's head within reach, Soul quickly stabbed one of his swords into the hydra's eye.

The hydra roared in pain and quickly swung its head to the side, smacking Soul back against the back wall. Soul cringed as several sharp thorns dug into his back. In his vision, Soul's health bar decreased by half.

Soul cringed, "Dang it. I should have seen that coming." But then, he noticed something. His sword was still embedded in the hydra's eye, and now he only held one sword. Soul quickly picked himself back up to see Cross hold off the hydra head by himself.

Cross quickly dogded another one of the hydra's strikes, but then he noticed that Soul's sword was still in the hydra's eye, and an idea came to his mind. Cross readied his hammer as the hydra lunged towards him again. Like last time, Cross jumped out of the way. But then, the unicorn jumped back at the hydra, just as quickly, and swung full force with his hammer, striking the butt of Soul's sword in the hydra's eye.

The extra force of Cross' hammer drove Soul's sword all the way through the hydra's eye. The monster shrieked in pain as the sword plunged through its skull, the tip of the sword just barely jutting out of the other side of the hydra's head. The hydra flailed about helplessly until it submerged itself back under water, just like the two other heads before it.

_____________________________________________________________________________________Darkened5ky and Dyl0nkour

Sky and Dylan were panting hard as they continued to dodge the never ending attacks from the hydra.

Dylan cringed, "Man, doesn't this thing ever let up?"

Sky grunted as he jumped out of the way of another blow, "No, it won't. This is a boss battle, after all."

But then, instead of directly striking at the two players like it had been doing, the hydra switched tactics and swung its neck sideways along the ground. This sudden sweep caught Sky off guard and he was thrown back against the wall of thorns to his side. However, Dylan was able to react fast enough and he used his staff to vault himself upwards.

In the air, Dylan avoided the sweep, but then he landed with all four hooves on top of the hydra's neck. The hydra, now aware of the earth pony on its neck, began to thrash about, in an effort to shake Dylan off of it. But Dylan managed to hang onto the hydra, using his staff and his hooves to cling to the hydra's spikes.

Dylan hung on for dear life, shouting to Sky below, "SKY! Do something!"

Sky nodded and quickly started for the exposed underbelly of the hydra, swords at the ready. The hydra, still preoccupied by the earth pony on top of it, didn't notice Sky run up to it. Sky, now positioned squarely in front of the hydra's neck, raised his sword in preparation to strike.

But then, Sky flared his magic, and eerie, black wisps of smoke suddenly began to exude from his swords, strengthening his power. With his added magic, Sky began to let loose with a barrage of sword slashes all along the hydra's neck. Bit by bit, Sky hacked away pieces of the hydra's neck, making sure not to cut too deep and sever the entire neck. Every part of the neck that Sky hacked away disappeared in bursts of blue code.

The hydra, now aware of the pain coming from its neck, withdrew its focus from Dylan and honed in on Sky. The hydra reared back to strike, but then Dylan drove the end of his staff into the hydra's eye. The hydra roared in pain from both its eye and its neck. But after a few more well placed strikes from both Sky and Dylan, the hydra's whole neck convulsed, flinging Dylan off of its head.

Dylan landed hard against the back wall, and Sky quickly ran to aid his brother. Meanwhile, the hydra thrashed about uncontrollably, until it too finally submerged itself under the murky water in the center of the room.

_____________________________________________________________________________________Shadowflame

I watched from where I stood as the final hydra head sank below the surface of the murky water. I felt a hint of satisfaction. We had beaten a boss by ourselves, which was no small feat.

I grinned at Violet, "It looks like we've won."

Violet smirked, "Yeah, it looks like it."

Suddenly, the walls of thorns around us withdrew and sank back into the ground. I noticed that even the thorns covering the doors had retracted back into the dirt. Soon, I could see the rest of our teams around the boss room. From what I could see, they had made it out okay as well. I glanced at everyone's health bars, and was relieved to see that nobody had dropped to the yellow zone.

But then, lightning suddenly struck through the interior of the room, and a familiar, evil laughter echoed between the walls. I cringed as readied my weapons, "Discord."

Instantly, lightning flashed and the draconequus appeared in front of us all, floating above the pool where the hydra had been. Discord laughed menacingly, "Hello, my little bronies. Long time, no see." The draconequus chuckled to himself.

Soul stepped forward, "All right, Discord. We beat your hydra. Now, where is the Element of Harmony?"

Discord rolled his eyes as he appeared behind soul, leaning an elbow on his rump, "Sorry, Soul Cards. But you still haven't defeated the hydra, yet. So, no element for you." He said as he poked a finger on Soul's nose, which Soul immediately tried to hack off with his sword. But Discord simply disappeared and reappeared in the center of the room.

I glared at Discord, "What do you mean?"

Discord smirked, "Well, you see, Shadow, I lured you all down into this maze for one reason: To destroy you. Without you and the other element bearers, then the rest of the players in this game would hardly stand a chance against what I have in store for them." Discord tisked at me, "But it was a shame that you didn't cut off any of the heads of my hydra. It turns out that I underestimated you. I was hoping for a longer battle. So, to make the fun last longer, I thought, 'Why don't I do that for you?'."

Discord snapped his fingers, and not a moment later, the hydra leaped out of the pool of water. But this time, we all stared in shock as we saw that the hydra now had eight heads, instead of four.

Discord laughed maniacally, "Have fun!" With a snap of his fingers, the draconequus disappeared. And immediately after Discord was gone, the hydra attacked.

None of us were prepared as the hydra lashed out at all of us, one head for each of us. I quickly brought up my sword and shield to brace myself from the impact of the hydra's strike, but I was knocked aside by the massive head. I flew through the air, landing hard against the thorn wall behind me.

I winced as I saw my health meter decrease even more, entering the yellow zone. I glanced back up towards the hydra head to see it coming in again for another strike. I quickly jumped out of the way, making the hydra smash face first into the thorn wall. The hydra howled in pain as dozens of razor sharp thorns dug into its scales.

But while my hydra head was distracted, I glanced around at everybody to see that they were in a similar position. I cringed as I saw that everyone's health bars had also reached the yellow zone, almost entering the red. It was apparent that we were going to have to end this soon, or else we would all die.

But then, I spotted Neon, battling her own hydra head, when suddenly, the hydra rammed her into the thorn wall. I gasped as I saw her health bar enter into the red zone, barely even a sixth of her health remaining. But before she could stand up again, the hydra head reared back its head for another strike, one that would finish Neon off.

"NEON! NO!" I quickly turned to see Lexus, flying as quick as an arrow, flew straight into the body of the hydra and slashed his spear through the monster's chest.

Suddenly, all eight of the hydra heads stopped their attacks as they all felt the same pain at once, and they all roared in synchronized pain. They all turned at once towards Lexus, who stood guarding in front of Neon. For a moment, there was only silence as we all watched the scene in awe.

Neon looked up at Lexus from the ground, "Lexus... You..."

Lexus glanced back at Neon, "Not everyone is going to survive this game... But I can make sure that you do, that all of us do. But sometimes, that requires you to sacrifice yourself." With that, Lexus spread his wings and took flight, right towards the eight heads of the hydra.

I shouted at the pegasus, "Lexus, what are you doing?! Don't!"

Lexus ignored my call as he flew right at the hydra. All at once, the eight heads of the hydra converged on the oncoming pegasus. But then, right as Lexus pointed his spear at the hydra, the closest head opened its jaw and clamped the pegasus in its mouth. I watched in horror as the hydra then swallowed Lexus.

Everyone watching gasped, "Lexus!"

_____________________________________________________________________________________Lexus

Lexus clutched his spear tightly as he was pushed down the throat of the hydra. In the corner of his vision, he could see his health bar rapidly deteriorating. He cringed, I'm not going to last long at this rate. I'm going to have to make work of this if I'm going to save the others.

Soon, Lexus fell into a free fall, and he immediately flapped his wings to stop himself. It was completely dark, but if his hunch was correct, then Lexus was in the stomach of the hydra.

Lexus took in a deep breath, which made him almost gag from the reeking smell of the hydra's belly, "Okay, let's do this."

Immediately, Lexus swung his spear around blindly, slashing everything in the range of his spear. His spear cut through the inside of the stomach, and out to the other intestines of the hydra. Inside the hydra, the monster let loose a deafening roar that made Lexus' ears ring. But he couldn't stop now if he was going to bring this hydra down to its last bit of health.

Suddenly, after a short time of slashing through the hydra's innards, Lexus began to see blue specks of code begin to cover the hydra's body, meaning that the monsters health bar had finally reached zero.

Lexus grinned to himself, "Time to go." Instantly, the pegasus propelled his wings and shot back out through the throat of the head that had swallowed him.

_____________________________________________________________________________________Shadowflame

Only a moment after the hydra had swallowed Lexus, I watched as all eight heads of the hydra began to flail and writhe about, roaring in utter pain and agony. We all had to step back against the thorn walls of the room to avoid getting crushed by the hydra's rampage.

I glanced towards Sky, "What is going on?"

Sky grimaced, "Lexus is attacking the hydra from the inside. Look." He pointed a hoof towards the hydra's health bar. I looked to see that the health bar was decreasing rapidly, more rapidly than when we had all fought it all at once.

But then, the hydra's health bar reached zero, and several blue bits of code began to coat the scales of the hydra. The blue code spread along the hydra's body until it was completely covered, and then finally, the hydra burst, ending the boss.

But just as the hydra disappeared in code, Lexus came flying out of the code, quickly lighting down on the ground before us.

I grinned, "Lexus!" I ran forward to meet him, as did everyone else, "That was both stupid and amazing. Where did you get the crazy idea to fly inside the hydra?"

Lexus smiled sheepishly as everyone gathered around him, "Yeah, I don't know how I came up with that."

But then, Neon stepped forward and gave Lexus a hug, "Looks like you've saved my life twice today. Thanks." But then, Neon's eyes went wide as she quickly retracted from Lexus, scrunching her nose, "Ew, what is that smell."

Lexus chuckled lightly, "Uh,.. Yeah, let's just say that the insides of a hydra don't have the most savory smell in the world."

I took a quick whif of Lexus, and then supressed my urge to gag, "Yeah. Lexus, I'm not letting you back into the team base until you get that smell off of you."

Lexus only laughed, but he was cut off as we all heard a large *Bling*. We all turned towards the center of the room to see a large bank of text appear in the air above the pool of water:

Congratulations! You have defeated The Hydra!

Suddenly, a bright light flashed across the screen, forming a white, shining star that began to descend towards us. Soon, the star stopped in the air, right in front of Lexus. Lexus held out a hoof and touched the small star, and the light dissipated, leaving behind a small golden necklace, with a clear, wing-shaped gem in its center, in the pegasus' hoof.

Lexus lightly tapped the necklace, revealing its object ID:

Element of Honesty (Inactive)

Object Type: Item

Suddenly, we all began to cheer. I grinned at Lexus, "Yes, I can't believe we did this! We just fought a boss single-handedly, and now you're the Element of Honesty!"

Cloud lighted down on Cross' back, "Come on, let's get out of here and show this to Jupiter."

Violet raised an eyebrow, "But what about Discord? I mean, every time we've gotten a new element, he's appeared to us, right?"

We all glanced around at the interior of the boss room, and surprisingly, there was no draconequus waiting for us.

Soul nodded, "Yeah, wouldn't Discord have shown up by now?"

We all waited for a few more moments, yet Discord still didn't appear.

Lexus shook his head, "Well, Discord did appear when he brought back the hydra. I don't know about you, but I say, 'Screw Discord.' Let's get out of here."

Cross chuckled, "Yeah, you can't really argue with the Element of Honesty here. Can you?"

I nodded, "Right, let's get out of here. Before Discord does show up and brings back a hydra with sixteen heads." And with that, we all walked out of the boss room in search of a way back to the surface.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Needless to say, after we had left the boss room, we found that all of the thorns and vines throughout the maze had shrivled up and died. I guess that the hydra was the cause of the vines to grow... Or something along those lines. But anyways, with the vines and thorns now gone, we were able to find an entrance back up to the surface.

And once we were outside, Lexus and Cloud were able to fly through the air and lead us out of the Labyrinth. When we reached the castle, several players were actually shocked to see us. They had all heard that we had gotten lost in the Labyrinth for over 24 hours, and most of them had assumed that we had all died. Well, we did give them all a nasty shock... But I guess we even surprised ourselves by defeating the hydra.

But the one who was the least surprised was Jupiter. Soon, we all stood in Jupiter's office, which was located in one of the high towers of the castle. We all stood in line with each other, with my team to my right and Team Calvary to my left.

Jupiter scanned his eyes among us as he sat behind his desk. He let out a small grin after we had told him about our adventure in the maze, and he addressed us all, "I knew you all could handle this."

But then, his grin was replaced by a look of sorrow, "Although, I must apologize first for putting you in that danger. I had no idea that I was leading you all into one of Discord's traps, let alone into a boss battle." His grin suddenly returned, "But, you have impressed me immensely, and I'm sure that you've impressed Discord even more. From what you've told me, Discord didn't expect you all to fight so well together outside of your teams."

I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Well, when all of you dropped down into the underground maze, did you notice that all of your usual team mates were split up and placed with someone from Team Calvary?" I nodded, and Jupiter continued, "I believe that Discord did this so that you were weakened, and thus it would have been easier to destroy you with the hydra."

Jupiter chuckled, "But you actually managed to show Discord otherwise by working together with a different team mate, and defeating every obstacle that he put in front of you. And what's more, you managed to retrieve yet another element. And that brings me to my next point. I have a proposition for you all."

Sky cocked an eyebrow, "What is it?"

Jupiter cleared his throat, "You see, you all have proven yourselves to be excellent fighters, time and time again. And the fact that both of your teams have retrieved two elements each brings me to my point." The earth pony paused for a moment, "I would like to start an elite guild, to search for the elements and to be our main battalion in future boss battles. And to begin this guild, I would like your teams to join the Elite Guild."

I raised my eyebrows, a bit astounded, "Wow, really? Are you sure?"

Jupiter nodded, "Yes, I am sure. As leader of the Elite Guild, I will send you to different areas in Equestria when your assistance is required. Other than that, you all will still be able to function in your own teams and train like you normally would. I'm sure this new guild will bring together the toughest fighters in this game and it will greatly increase our rate of progress in obtaining the elements and eventually, defeating Discord."

Jupiter looked at all of us again, "So, what will it be? Will you join this guild, or will you continue to search for the elements like before?"

I glanced back at my team, receiving several accepting looks. I glanced back towards Violet, who simply nodded to me. I nodded back, and I turned back to Jupiter, "Yes, we'll join the Elite Guild."

Jupiter nodded, satisfied, "Good, but I do hope you realize that now you will be working with Team Calvary more often."

I nodded, "Yeah, it should be a good thing. I mean, you can't actually use the elements unless you're friends with each other, right?"

Jupiter nodded, "I suppose so."

Violet piped in, "Wait, since we defeated the hydra, does that mean we're off of our punishment for disobeying orders?"

Jupiter grinned, "I don't know. Last I heard, Lexus was the one who gave the killing blow. So, you're not completely off the hook, yet. I still might call you for a favor or two."

Soul rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Just don't go asking us to pull weeds out in the Labyrinth again."

We all began to laugh out loud with each other.

Violet turned towards me, "So, are you still jealous of my team and I?"

I shook my head, "Naw, I'm pretty sure that we're equal now."

Violet nodded, "Well, all I can say is that I'm looking forward to working with your team more."

I grinned, "Same here. It's give it our all."

-Intermission- March 14th

Hey, Shadowflame here. It's been more than a week since my team and Team Calvary had gone into the Labyrinth. Well, as you probably know, Jupiter has made us part of a larger guild, just to save time in searching and retrieving the Elements of Harmony. It was only a couple of days ago, but the guild was officially created under the name, "The Knights of Harmony".

So far, in the Knights of Harmony Guild, we only have a small number of players. For a headcount, there's me and my team, Team Calvary, all of the admins throughout Equestria, and couple of strong teams stationed here in Canterlot. It's not much, but hey, we're still growing.

However, something kind of unusual has happened today. It happened while I was taking a walk through the streets of Canterlot, just to clear my mind about a few things.

You see, down under the Labyrinth, while we were fighting the hydra, Discord had said that he'd made that trap to destroy us. He said that once we were gone, the other players in the game wouldn't stand a chance against what he had in store for them. But for the past week, that has really bothered me. I didn't know what Discord was planning, but I knew that it couldn't be good.

It's true that I've talked about this to Jupiter and the rest of the guild, but nobody had any idea what to make of the matter. With all of that uncertainty, it was really putting me on edge with anxiety.

I shook my head and pushed those thoughts out of my mind as I continued to walk down the street. I sighed to myself, "Come on, Shadow. You can't be constantly worrying about that. You just need to distract yourself a bit."

But then, I caught sight of a newspaper stand on the side of the street, giving out the most current issue of the Equestria Daily for today. I smiled a bit, "Perfect. I haven't read today's paper, yet.That should take my mind off of things for a while."

I trotted up to the stand and placed two bits on the stand's countertop. Soon, my money was exchanged with a newspaper. Gratefully, I picked up the newspaper and began to trot back down the street. As I walked, I read the front page of my paper:

Haters Have Struck Again!

The notorious Haters' Guild has struck again, this time outside the city of Las Pegasus. The attack took place at 11:06 AM, inside the cavern dungeon just outside of the city. Their target was a team of players known as Team Dragon, who had been training there since that morning. There were five players in this team when the attack began. However, there was one survivor from Team Dragon: A pegasus mare known as Meadow Breeze.

After she had escaped the attack of the Haters' Guild, Meadow ran to the admin in Las Pegasus. From her, we were able to collect information about the Haters' Guild and their operatives. She was able to give us the names and appearances of this team from the Haters' Guild (See page 3A for further details).

Much like the Guild's attack last week in Vanhoover, this attack was an ambush. This is where the Haters closed off any escape for their target and then killed every player of that group. However, since no one saw the haters from the Vanhoover attack, we cannot verify that this group of attackers was the same one who were behind the attack a week before. It is possible that either this group of haters are on the move, or the Haters' Guild has many teams working underground throughout Equestria.

Whether this is true or not, every admin has advised to keep your ears open for any more information regarding the Haters' Guild. It is also advised that no players should be outside of their city or town after sunset. This has been a message from Head Admin, Jupiter.

I sighed as I finished reading the passage. The Haters' Guild had become more active in the past weeks. With these sudden occurances of attacks, everyone was worried about them. I wouldn't be surprised if they were, because with four more deaths, that brought the grand total of deaths in BGO up to 172. That meant that there was only about 928 of us left.

To read the rest of the story on the attack, I turned to page 3A. But to my surprise, I found a wanted poster on the page. And it was a wanted poster for one hater that I had met several weeks ago: Ezekiel.

I glared at the pegasus' picture. Even after all this time, I could remember the time when he had attacked my team. He was a ferocious fighter, and he was relentless. The combination of these two aspects meant that he'd cut down anyone he fought, even if they were pleading for mercy.

I sighed, as at that moment, I got the feeling that I hadn't seen the last of Ezekiel. I knew he was going to appear again, but when that was going to happen... I just didn't know.

I turned the page of the newspaper and my eyes widened at what I saw:

It's Party Time!

Head Admin Jupiter of Brony Game Online has invited you to the party of a lifetime. We know that you've been working hard in the game, but now is the time to take a load off and have fun. This includes a night of dancing, laughing, playing games, and competitive dueling. Treats will be served and music will be provided. So come in and have a blast!

Time: March 21st. Party begins at 5:00 PM and goes in throughout the night.

Place: Canterlot Castle

(Warning: You will be searched for lethal weapons upon arriving. No one may have weapons or attacking items equiped unless you are in the dueling ring.)

Everything will be organized by courtesy of The Knights of Harmony

See You There Soon!

Immediately, I threw down my paper and ran towards the Canterlot Castle. With the knowledge of the Haters' Guild's growing attacks, and with my uncertainty about Discord, only one thought ran through my head, Jupiter, are you out of your blasted mind?!

Special: February 22nd (The Second Element)

Hey, guys. Shadowflame here.

So, here it is. A first ever, completely fan-written chapter of BGO. Now, you can thank Violet Runner for this unexpected chapter. Seriously, I had no idea that he was even working on this until he PM'd me this whole chapter. It did surprise me a lot, and it seemed like a good way to hold you guys back from ripping out my throat before I finish the next chapter. So, without a further ado, let's travel back in time and see what Team Calvary did before they arrived in Canterlot.

_____________________________________________________________________________________Violet Runner

It has been exactly one month since Discord trapped us in this game. Well, just like every other player, I spent the first few days power-leveling up with a few of my friends from the real world, who also became part of my team. Unfortunately, we lost a few members in the weeks that followed after being trapped by Discord.

Although, inside this game, I'm actually pretty skillful, and not just when it comes to fighting. According to the player's guide, my ability is called Bolt, which allows me to use Electricity type magic and it also gives me an edge in crafting items. I also find that it takes up less of my magic power to channel it through a hammer, rather than through a sword. So, I use one as my primary weapon, which is cool because I’ve always preferred playing as a paladin whenever I played other MMORPGs.

But concerning my abilities, I have also found that if I charge my body with electricity, I can create a sort of electromagnet around myself for other types of magic, which I can then unleash in one big burst of magic. However, it takes a lot of magic to do this, so I only use it as a last resort.

Anyways, our team’s name is Team Calvary, because on more than one occasion in the past month we have ended up saving a few low level players. Our team consists of: Me, Soul_Cards; a gray unicorn stallion with a black mane, streaked with red and a cutie mark resembling an ace of hearts playing card. Neon Fire; a gray unicorn mare with neon green colored mane, tail and eyes. Her cutie mark was a neon green fireball. And Dyl0nkour, the youngest member of our group; a short, maroon, earth pony colt, his mane and tail were a dark, olive green color and his cutie mark was the silhouette of a guy in midair, doing a back flip.

A few weeks ago, my team and I received orders from Canterlot to head for Manehattan and to start looking for a boss chamber there. I found it a bit ironic that I was stuck as my OC and we were positioned to his home town.

Anyways, unlike Ponyville, Manehattan was split into four different districts: The first of these were the Residential District, which was filled with empty buildings that players could use as their team bases, and the Business District, where all the shops were located. These first two districts were “safe zones”, which meant that they were free of monsters. However, the other two districts, the Port and Industrial Districts, were full of them.

The Port District had giant dock spiders, as well as these giant squid looking things that resembled Bloopers from an old game my dad once showed me called “Super Mario Sunshine”. It also had tons of warehouses and ships that you could explore. There were also chests and crates, with items and weapons hidden inside them, but they were guarded by high level monsters. So, it was best to level up before attempting to go there.

The Industrial District had steam and clockwork powered golems and robots. These monsters were pretty tough, as they were made of machinery, but they could be taken down easily if you knew their weak spots. The Industrial District also had tons of warehouses, filled with items and such. But, it also had a few forges and materials for crafting weapons and other items, if you knew where to look.

Ever since the player named Shadowflame beat the first boss and received the Element of Courage, we now had a basic idea of what the door to the boss room would look like. However, ever since the first element was found, the monsters in the area had gotten a lot stronger and there have been a lot more deaths.

A few days ago, the groups in charge of The Port District finished their search for the door to the boss room and turned up with nothing. Everypony's focus was now on The Industrial District, where my team was. So far, we’ve managed to search through most of the buildings, so there weren’t a lot of places left to look. It wasn’t too long before a scouting team managed to find the boss door leading into one of the district's warehouses. And now, with the boss room found, it was time to rally together and fight this boss.

I got out of bed, equipped my gear and walked to the kitchen to get some breakfast. I wanted to at least get something to eat before heading to The Business District, to stock up on supplies for fighting the boss. I also intended for my team to get some training done, before it was time to meet up with the other groups for the boss battle. When I got into the kitchen I saw that my team was already waiting for me.

“Morning guys,” I greeted them.

“Morning,” some of them greeted back.

“So, you guys ready to fight the boss today?” I asked, grabbing a slice of toast off a plate in the middle of the table.

Dylan glanced towards me warily. “To be honest, I’m kind of nervous about it. I mean, only the player who’s supposed to be the Element Bearer can finish off the boss. But what if no one in the battle is the Element Bearer? Or what if he gets killed before he can deliver the final blow?”

“Don’t worry. With so many players going in, someone is bound to be the Element Bearer,” I reassured him, trying to raise his spirit. “Now, we still have about two hours to kill before we have to meet up for the boss battle. So, who’s up for a trip to the Port District for some training?” They all cheered as they finished their breakfast and prepared to leave. And soon, we all departed for the Port District.

For the next hour or so, we trained in the Port District, fighting against squids and dock spiders. Luckily, nothing too extreme happened while we were training.

An hour and a half later, we walked into The Business District to start preparing for the boss battle. So, we began to start browsing through all the items up for sale. We split up to get everything we thought we would need for the upcoming battle. None of us had ever been in a full dive, virtual reality boss battle, so none of us knew what to expect.

As I browsed through the healing potions and some other items, I noticed a weird, mustard yellow potion in a small bottle in the shape of a fairy.

“What’s this?” I asked the NPC Shop keeper.

“It’s a spirit potion. It raises the spirits of your party members and temporarily increases their attack and defense, as well as decreasing the amount of mana used for spells. It is very rare.” The NPC explained as I selected the item.

The Potion cost 700 bits, which was almost out of my price range. I had more than enough bits, but I always put a budget on how much I spent in a day. I contemplated whether or not I should buy it, but I decided to go ahead and get it. I handed over the bits and put the potion into my inventory. It was almost time for the pre-boss meeting, so I went to go find my team mates.

“Hey, Violet!” Soul Cards called, waving a hoof towards me.

He and the rest of my team were hanging around a statue in the middle of the District. They had all traded in their weapons for better weapons that fit their new levels from the training we did earlier. Soul had two new swords strapped to his back, Neon had a new long spear and a metal shield, and Dylan had a long, wooden Bo staff.

“So, everyone ready for the Boss battle?” I asked, as I saw people starting to head towards The Industrial District.

“Yep,” Neon Flame nodded, checking that she had everything.

“Alright then, let’s go!” I said excitedly, leading the way. When we got to the meeting place just outside of the Industrial District, a crowd had already formed. The Admin of Manehatten, an earth pony named Dan_The_Man, began his pre-battle speech.

“Okay, in a few moments we are going to begin our assault on the Boss room,” he began. “We’ve already sent a few teams ahead to sweep the area for any monsters, so the short trip to the boss room should be relatively easy. As for what we can expect to find in there; from what we’ve heard from Ponyvile, we can expect the boss to resemble the monsters found in the area." He then turned towards me, "Violet Runner?”

“Yes sir.” I said, stepping forward.

“As I understand it, you and your team have been using this area for your training, and thus, you have the most experience dealing with the enemies in this district.” Dan said.

“Yes, that’s correct,” I replied, nodding my head.

“In that case, I would like you and the rest of Team Calvary to lead the attack.” He waved a hoof towards the Industrial District, calling us forward. “Alright, if no one has any questions, let’s go,” he ordered, leading the way to the Boss Room.

After a short, ten minute walk, we arrived in front of a previously unexplored warehouse with giant double doors, which were covered with markings and designs similar to the first boss room door. Dan stopped us all just in front of the double doors and then glanced towards me as everyone gathered around.

“Okay, before we go in, do you have any advice for everyone?”

“Yeah." I turned around towards everyone else.

"Okay, the enemies we are most likely going to encounter are Steam powered Golems and Clockwork Robots. Now, the Golems are slow in speed, but they have a strong defense. They attack with blades that come out of their hoofs and they also have thick armor that’s resistant to most magic. Their main weak points are the gaps between their joints and on their neck. But every once and a while, they open up to release steam. At that point, you want to attack their exposed control crystal.”

I cleared my throat. “The Robots on the other hand, though they have a weaker defense, they have speed and agility on their side. They attack with saws attached to their left hands and can shoot small projectiles out of the right. Their main weak points are their joints and their exposed clockwork.”

“Ok, everyone ready?” The Admin asked, turning to face the door as everyone cheered. “Then let’s do this!” He said, opening the door.

When everyone was inside the doors closed and a bunch of lights turned on. Positioned in the middle of the room was giant steam powered robot, entirely in shambles on the ground. The frame work of the robot looked as if it had been torn apart, and its outside hull was rusting as well.

“What a piece of junk!” I said shaking my head at the pitiful excuse for a machine.

Suddenly, an evil laugh filled the room.

“A ‘piece of junk', you say?” A familiar voice asked. “Well let’s see how you like this.”

All of the sudden, the Robot sprung to life with a hiss of steam and the grinding of gears as a bunch of smaller robots and golems started to fuse with it, making it look more menacing. It had two saw arms and two arms, with hands that I assumed it could use to pick up players and chuck them across the warehouse. That is, if it didn't crush them first. Above its head was its heath bar and its name: The Clockwork Giant.

As the Clockwork Giant pulled itself together, other golems and robots started to form ranks in front of it. It was clear that in order for us to reach the giant, we would have to fight our way through them.

“Alright, everyone. Attack!” Dan yelled, charging forward and cutting a path through the swarm mechanical monsters.

Several players, including my team, started following his lead, charging in and attacking the monsters head on. The rest of our attacking force stayed behind and began to fire projectiles, both arrows and offensive spells, at the Clockwork Giant and the mechanical monsters.

After clearing through about three dozen golems and robots, which seemed to appear just as fast as we knocked them down, Neon, Dan, and I managed to get within attacking range of the Clockwork Giant. Behind us, all of the other players were preoccupied by the other golems and robots that instantly spawned in before them. That left Dan, Neon and I to fight the giant ourselves.

The boss instantly swung one of its saw hands knocking Dan away, sending him, as well as some of the nearby golems and robots, into the far wall. The Clockwork Giant then reached down with one of its hands in an attempt to crush us, but Neon and I managed to just dodge it. At that moment, Soul and Dylan broke through the line of golems and robots barring the path to the boss. Dan managed to recover and joined us as we dodged a couple of projectiles that came our way.

“Ok, what do you guys make of this giant?” Dan asked, taking out a robot as it spawned next to him.

“Well, it seems to be a combination of both the golems and the robots- DUCK!” Soul shouted as The Clockwork Giant swung one of its saw arms again, narrowly missing all of us.

“It has two saw arms and two arms with hands that can shoot projectiles out of the holes in its palms.” Neon said, jumping out of the way of an incoming fist.

“Anything we don’t know?” Dan asked sarcastically, grunting right as a golem spawned in front of him.

“Yeah,” I said, as Neon shot out a stream of green fire taking out a couple of projectiles. “Even though Discord made this thing really OP, it seems to be extremely slow and attacks at regular intervals and in the same pattern; First saws, then hands, then projectiles.”

Dylan interjected. “Its armor is probably designed to withstand both magic and physical attacks, but I noticed when it swings its saw arms, a shoulder part is exposed. Plus, there’s a few seconds delay when it opens its palms to fire projectiles.” He quickly ducked as two saw blades swept over his head.

“If we could find a way to take out at least two of the arms, we should be able to take it down,” Dan said, jumping back at the two hands clapped together. “Got any ideas?”

“Maybe. Soul?” I called to my friend, after I just barely dodged a golem.

“Yeah?” He called back.

“You have any bombs left from training? -Agh!” I winced as a golem nicked my front leg.

“Yeah, I’ve got about ten left. Why?”

“When I give the signal, I want you to throw some of them into the Boss’s palms.”

“Right, I think I know what you’ve got in mind.” Soul said taking out the control crystal of a golem.

“Okay, ready?" Soul nodded as he pulled a few bombs out of his inventory with his magic. Immediately, the Clockwork Giant raised its hand and the holes opened.

"NOW!”

Soul, flaring his magical grip on the bombs, threw the projectiles right at the openings in the giant's hand. When the bombs entered the holes, they closed up and a few seconds later the bombs exploded in a raging fire. The Boss let out a metallic shriek as his heath bar dropped dramatically.

“Yeah, that got him!” Neon cheered.

Soul Card grunted as the giant quickly recovered, jumping out of the way of an incoming saw arm. “Yeah, but now I only have one bomb left.”

“And it looks like he’s gotten faster,” Dan commented, as a hand took a swipe at him.

“It looks like he’s out of projectiles, though,” Dylan said, jumping out of the way of a saw.

Neon quickly downed a heath potion, returning her health bar to full. “We should still take the hands out just to be safe.”

“Any ideas?” Soul asked.

“Yeah, cover me,” Neon said, as she suddenly jumped onto the back of one of the giant's hands after it slammed hard into the ground.

Neon proceeded to run up the length of the arm, cutting at the giant's internal wires, which dissolved into blue code as Neon destroyed them. Suddenly, as she neared the elbow of the arm, one of the saw arms lashed out in an effort to sweep her off. Neon didn't hesitate as she quickly launched a stream of green flames, heating up the metal on the giant's joints. At the last moment, the unicorn shouted a war cry as she did a back flip off of the giant and the saw blade cut right through its arm.

The Clockwork Giant let out another metallic scream as his heath bar dropped into the yellow zone. The disembodied arm fell to the ground with a loud BANG before dissolving into blue code.

“We got him on the ropes! Come on, we can do this!” I shouted excitedly.

Just then, a huge wave of Golems and Robots spawned and started to attack. Their sudden appearance managed to push us back.

“God damn it,” I shouted, sending blast after blast of electricity at the mob of enemies.

Suddenly, a nearby player shouted “Help! I’m being overrun!”

“Neon, Soul.” I gestured for them to go help the other player.

“Right,” They replied, quickly charging through the mob to aid the endangered player.

Dylan cringed as he took out a couple of robots. “Gosh dang it, don’t these guys ever take a break?"

“Apparently not,” Dan replied, taking out a couple of golems that had opened up their armor. Just then, Neon and Soul ran back to join us.

I glanced towards Soul as he ran up beside me. “Hey Soul, doesn’t this remind you of something?”

“You mean that time when we played W.o.W.? And you thought it would be a good idea to just Rambo our way through Gnomeregan at level 15?” He asked, looking around.

“Eeyup. You remember how we got out?” I asked, with a smile on my face.

“Oh, yeah! Boom and Doom Time!” Soul said, pulling out his last remaining bomb. “Remember, we only get one shot at this.”

I nodded. “If we time it right, we should be able to clear out most of the enemies and we just might deal some damage to the boss in the process.” I looked around at the vast number of golems. I waited for only a moment before a few of the golems' armor opened up to release steam. As soon as their armor opened, I shouted “NOW!”

Soul threw his bomb into the air as I electrified my hammer. I quickly swung my magically powered weapon at the bomb, sending it flying into the nearest golem. But in the moment that my hammer had connected with the bomb, the electricity in my weapon had transferred into the bomb, enhancing its blast power.

“EVERYBODY GET DOWN!” I shouted, as the golem's armor closed around the electrified bomb.

A few seconds later, the bomb exploded inside the golem, destroying it and the other golems and robots nearby. It started a chain reaction as electrified robot parts flew through the air, destroying anything they came into contact with.

Luckily, everyone had ducked and managed to survive the blast. As we got back up, we saw that the wave of robots and golems was back down to a manageable number. I then noticed that one of the boss' saw arms was missing, apparently blown off by the electrifying blast. I also noticed that the boss' health bar was in the red. However, most of the players in our attacking force had the same problem. There were only about two dozen players who's health bars weren't in the red.

“The Boss is weak! Attack!” Dan shouted as he charged forward.

Just as everyone began to charge, the Boss switched tactics and began to charge forwards as well, knocking dozens of players out of its way.

Dylan cringed as he jumped out of the rampaging giant's path. “Agh! What do we do now?”

But then, I noticed a crystal planted on the Boss's back, “Look there!” I said, pointing a hoof towards it. “That must be its control crystal. If we can destroy it, it should finish it off!”

“There might be a couple of problems with that,” Neon said.

“What?” I asked, turning to face her.

Neon explained. “Well, all of the pegasi are down for the count, the archers are out of arrows, and we are seriously low on mana!”

“Damn it,” Dan cursed in frustration.

“What are we going to do now?” Soul asked. “There is no way we will be able to survive long enough for our mana to recharge.”

“Wait a minute, I've got an Idea!” I grinned. Immediately, I opened up my player's menu and pulled out the Spirit Potion that I had bought earlier.

“Wait, is that a Spirit Potion?!” Dan asked.

“Yeah, I bought it in The Business District before the battle,” I replied.

Dan grinned widely, “Awesome. That just might be what we need to turn this fight around.”

Dylan glanced at the potion curiously. “Why? What does it do?”

I answered, repeating what the NPC told me when I bought the potion. “It raises the spirits of our party members and temporarily increases our attack and defense, as well as decreasing the amount of mana used for spells. They are supposed to be very rare.”

“Rare? That’s an understatement.” Dan said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Only one appears every month, and if no one buys, finds or uses it by the end of the month, it disappears.”

“Wow! Good thing I bought it when I did,” I said looking at the small yellow bottle. “So how does it work? Do I drink it like a regular potion or…”

“Yes,” Dan explained. “You drink it, and its power should spread from you to friendly players around you.”

“Okay." I raised the potion in the air in a small 'toast'. "To surviving this game.” I then began to drink the potion.

Almost instantly after finishing the potion, I started to feel its effects. First, I felt like I could go ten rounds with Chuck Norris. Second, most of the pain from the battle had disappeared. Third, my body started to glow a faint yellow, as did my teammates, Dan, and a couple of players fighting nearby.

“Dude, this is awesome,” Dylan said, swinging his Bo staff quicker than he could before.

I grinned. “Let’s do this!”

Soul, Neon, and I started firing magic bolts at the crystal. Dylan pole vaulted into the air with his Bo staff, and he and Dan both threw throwing knives at it. The Clockwork Giant screamed as the combined attacks hit its crystal, almost depleting his heath bar completely.

Dan glanced at the giant's health bar. “One more attack should do it! But only the element bearer can kill this thing, and the potions effects won’t last much longer.”

“Then everyone in the room will have to quickly take turns attacking the crystal until it dies.” Soul said.

“OK EVERYONE, AIM FOR THE CRYSTAL!” Dan shouted at the remaining players.

Everyone in the room quickly circled around the boss and, one by one, sent their own attacks at the crystal. But,none of the attacks damaged the giant whatsoever.

“Damn it, it’s not working,” Dan cursed angrily.

“Okay, my turn.” I said, stepping forward as electricity began flowing around me. “Soul, distract the boss. Neon, hit me with all of the mana you have left!”

“Are you insane? The potion’s about to wear off, and you pick now to commit suicide?” Dan asked, a little confused and angry.

“Trust me,” I replied. I could already feel the distinct electrical field surrounding me. “Neon?”

“Right,” she nodded, firing a stream of green fire at me.

The stream of green fire began to swirl around me until I was completely covered. I then concentrated, and the lightning and fire withdrew from my body, condensing at the tip of my horn.

“Discord,” I said with a small smile on my face, just as the Clockwork Giant turned around so the crystal was facing towards me. “Prepare to kiss your bot goodbye. ELECTRIC NEON FLAME!” I shouted, firing the combination of fire and lightning at the crystal.

The combined attack hit the crystal, causing it to shatter. The Clockwork Giant’s health reached zero, and it burst into a bunch of blue code.

“YES!” I shouted, before falling to the ground, exhausted.

Just then, a large computer window opened up in the air where the boss had been standing.

Congratulations! You have defeated The Clockwork Giant!

“Alright, who’s not dead? Everybody gather around!” Dan called out, just as the last of the golems and robots fell dead.

Everyone began to gather around as Soul helped me up. A small window of text appeared in front of me.

You've gained the last-hit bonus. You receive a rare item.

-Electric Sledgehammer

I tapped the item name with a hoof, and instantly, my hammer was replaced with the new one.

“Awesome,” I grinned, as I opened my inventory to check its stats.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared in the center of the boss room, and everybody's cheers quieted. I shielded my eyes from the blinding light. When it dimmed, I glanced at the light to see a small object inside it; the next Element of Harmony.

The element floated down, and stopped just in front of my face. The element was in the form of a necklace, like the one depicted in the news, but this one had a gear-shaped gem in its center. I reached out and took it with a hoof. I tapped a hoof on it, and a small window appeared above it.

Element of Spirit (Inactive)

Object Type: Item

“Element of Spirit?” Soul asked, confused.

I shrugged. “I guess it’s one of the new elements Discord made.”

“Well, two down, eight to go,” Dan said, happily.

Suddenly, a loud, evil chuckling echoed through the boss room, startling everyone. We all turned to see Discord standing in front of the door.

"Discord!" Dan glared at the Draconequus angrily.

“Congratulations on defeating the Clockwork Giant,” Discord chuckled, taking a mock bow. “Of course, we both know it was only possible because of that potion. Isn't that right, Violet Runner?” He suddenly appeared next to me. I turned to hit him, but he had already vanished, reappearing in the rafters of the boss room. “Which is why in addition to making all the monsters in the game stronger, I’ve decided to make the Spirit Potion even rarer by making it only appear once every 2 months,” He said with a laugh.

“Well I guess that’s all for now. Bye!” he said, before disappearing. As soon as the Draconequus was gone, the doors of the boss room re-opened.

I frowned as I glanced towards the open doors. "Come on, let’s go."

I then began to lead everyone out of the boss room and through the Industrial District. Even though most of the players managed to survive the boss battle, a few people died on the way back when we were ambushed by a bunch of golems that had decided to take advantage of Discord's power boost. Luckily, most of the players managed to level up enough during the boss battle, so those who were strong enough made it back to the Residential District.

But after the ambushes on our way back, I glanced around at all of the players to see many of them weeping or mourning for their dead friends. Even just by watching them, I felt a pang of sorrow and sympathy towards the ones who had lost their comrades. Before my team came to Manehatten, several of my friends had died.

I cringed as I glanced down at the Element of Spirit, which I now wore around my neck. All because of this game, so many of us had to die. But why would anyone be so cruel as to slaughter the defenseless, like the monsters that ambushed the weakened players after the boss battle? Why..?

I clutched my element in a hoof, whispering to myself, "Discord, I hope I fight you in the end. Because when I do, I'll be fighting for my friends that you murdered. And I swear, I will not hold back."

After everyone returned to the Residential District, they retired to their own bases, exhausted from the battle against the Clockwork Giant. In fact, nobody did any more training for the rest of that day. We all took the time to recollect ourselves, and to mourn for the ones that we had lost. It was break that we all desperately needed.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Two days later, there was a knock on the door of our base. When I opened it, Dan was standing on our doorstep.

“Hey Dan,” I greeted. “What brings you here?”

“I just got a message from our Head Admin, Jupiter,” Dan explained. "He wants you and your team to head to Canterlot, where your element will be locked away for safekeeping.”

I nodded. “Alright, I’ll tell my team and we’ll be on our way ASAP.”

“Good. I’ll meet you at the city gates in an hour,” he nodded, before turning to leave.

I closed the door, and went to inform the rest of my team. When I got into the main room, I saw Soul reading a message in his player's menu.

He glanced up from the message, “Hey, Violet.”

“Hey, I just spoke with Dan." I explained. "He delivered a message to us from Canterlot. We’re to pack up and head there, so my element will be kept safe.”

“We can’t."

I raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"Well, not yet anyway. I just got a message from my cousin in Fillydelphia,” Soul explained, closing the message. “She’s asking for our help with the boss battle there. Apparently they’ve already sent two groups into the boss room, and no one’s been able to defeat it.”

I cringed at the predicament, rubbing the back of my neck. “I don’t know. I really don’t want to make Jupiter mad. What if went to help your cousin and something happens? What if I lose my element? Jupiter would be pissed at me.”

“Why? Do you know him outside the game?" Soul asked.

“Sort of, but I’d rather not talk about it,” I replied, trying to avoid the subject.

“Okay, but I can’t just leave my cousin hanging,” Soul said, almost pleading.

I paused for a moment as I tried to figure out what to do. Finally, I came to a conclusion. “Alright, gather the rest of the team.” I began walking towards the door. “Once we leave for Canterlot, we'll take a detour into Fillydelphia. But we can't let anyone else know, or else we'll have loads of trouble on our hands.”

March 21st (A Party?... In Canterlot?!)

Hey, Shadowflame here.

Well, the day had finally come, whether I agreed with it or not. Today, the Knights of Harmony would be hosting a party in the Canterlot Castle. Truthfully, everyone was excited for a party. They really needed some fun or some time to relax after working in this game for so long. Of course, even though I too was excited about the idea for a party, I was also wary about the event.

I sat on the bed in my room, at the Team Equitum Base. All of my other team members had already gone to the Castle to help set up for the party, leaving me on my own until the celebration actually started.

I sighed as I recalled my argument with Jupiter, just prior to my learning of the party:

I growled at Jupiter, very frustrated, "Are you out of your mind, Jupiter? The Haters' Guild has already made two attacks on different teams across Equestria, and you choose now to have a party?"

Jupiter nodded, his face emotionless as he sat behind his desk, "Yes, Shadow. Even though we are still in this murderous game, there's no rule that we can't have some fun every now and again. Besides, you have worked constantly to find the other elements, along with your team and Team Calvary. And thanks to your efforts, we've been able to sweep the surrounding area clean of any possibilities for a place where the elements are hidden."

But, Jupiter could easily tell from my angry expression that I wasn't convinced. The admin sighed, "Look, Shadow. I know that you're worried about everybody's safety during this party, due to the increasing attacks from the Haters' Guild, but do not worry. I have thought this through.

"You see, I have sent out the party invitations all across Equestria. If my calculations are correct, dozens of players will travel from their towns and cities to Canterlot. With all of us who are already here, and the number of players travelling to Canterlot, our numbers would be too large for the Haters' Guild to try to strike us. As for the other players who will stay out in their own towns, I've informed the admins that they all need to be on high alert for any suspicious activity."

He then turned towards me as he stood up from his desk, "But if it makes you feel any better, Shadow. Seeing as the Knights of Harmony will be the ones to organize this party, I would like you to do your part in making preparations by being the head of security."

I raised an eyebrow, "Why me?"

"I'm choosing you because so far, you're the one who has shown the most concern for everybody's safety. Not just with this party, but ever since you first came here to Canterlot." Jupiter paused, "But I am curious, does this have anything to do with Rex, before he died in the first boss battle?"

I winced at the memory, but I nodded, "Yes. Before the battle, Rex told me to do whatever I needed to, so that the ones I fight alongside survive. I promised that I would live out that rule until we finished this game, and I'm sticking to it."

Jupiter nodded, "I see. But nonetheless, I believe the best way to fulfill that rule would be to protect everyone in this party. Thus, I am appointing you as the Head of Security."

I nodded, "Fine. How do I get started?"

I sighed as I glanced towards the clock in my room: It read 4:00, which meant there was only an hour left before the party actually started. But that also meant that it was time for me to leave and make security checks around the castle.

I stood up onto my hooves, and opened my inventory. I glanced towards the icons that represented my weapons and my usual armor: My Shadow Cloak. Seeing as I was part of security, you'd think that I would take my weapons and cloak. However, being the Head of Security, I was allowed to enjoy the party, as long as I kept up to date with the other guards.

So, I didn't equip my weapons or cloak, but I did select my sword. In the game, if an item is "selected", then a player wouldn't need to open up their player menu to equip/use it. They could instantly bring the item out of their inventory without opening their menu. With my sword selected, I could easily equip my sword if I needed it.

After making my preparations, I turned and ran out of my room and began to make my way to the castle.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"...Now remember, no player is to be allowed into the castle grounds if there are any lethal weapons found on them. That includes poisoning, paralysis, or burning attributes. Got it?" I glanced towards the troop of twenty players in front of me, all of whom Jupiter had assigned to act as guards during the party.

All of the guards nodded, "Yes sir."

After I had arrived to the castle, Jupiter had led me to the ballroom, where the main party would be taking place. It was there that he also left me with the guards for me to give orders. As I was instructing the guards, several players from the Knights of Harmony were bustling about the ballroom as they prepared for the party. However, the guards and I ignored them as I continued with my instruction.

"Good. Now, the party starts in just a half hour, so get to your stations ASAP. During the length of the party, I will check each of your posts at random. So, none of you should be sleeping on the job. Also, the rule is that two guards must be present at one station at all times. Do not leave another guard unattended, or else you will answer to me and then to Jupiter. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!"

I nodded, "Now, get to your stations. Party guests will be arriving any minute, so start searching them for any weapons. Dismissed."

At once, all of the guards ran to get to their stations. I smiled in satisfaction as each of the guards disappeared.

"Hey, nice job." A familiar voice said.

I glanced to my right to see Cross standing behind me. The blue unicorn grinned through his usual pair of sunglasses, "Man, no wonder you're our team leader. Those guards didn't even question you when you began giving orders."

I smiled, "Thanks."

Above us, another voice called out, "Hey Cross, stop hanging around and help me with this."

I looked up to see Cloud flying near the ceiling, holding a streamer in his claws against the ceiling of the ballroom, "Come on, man. Hurry up and tape this before my arm falls off."

Cross laughed, "All right. Hold on a sec." The unicorn picked up a piece of tape with his magic and taped the streamer to the ceiling, allowing Cloud to let go of the party decoration.

I had to suppress a small chuckle. When Jupiter had assigned all of us jobs to help prepare for the party, he had assigned Cloud and Cross to handle decorations. Compared to being made Head of Security, I was kind of glad Jupiter had made the assignments. It had made preparations more straight forward than if we had to organize it ourselves.

Of course, Jupiter had given assignments to the other members of the Knights of Harmony. Sky had been made the DJ for the party (Of course he'd be the DJ. His mane style says it all.), Dylan and Violet had been put in charge of entertainment, Lexus and Neon were put in charge of organizing the dueling ring, and Soul was put in charge of overseeing the party games. All of the other members of our guild had been given jobs to take care of the rest of the preparations.

I glanced at the small clock in the right hand corner of my vision: It read 4:45, which meant that party guests would be starting to arrive. So, we needed to wrap up preparations as quickly as possible. Seeing as we didn't have a lot of time left, I pitched in and helped Cloud and Cross finish putting up the decorations.

_____________________________________________________________________________________5:00 PM

The time had finally arrived for the party to start and we finished preparations just in time. I stood in the now filled ballroom... Well actually, to say that it was filled would be an understatement. The ballroom was packed with players, because Jupiter had ordered that before that party started, he wanted to make an announcement. Although, I had to laugh a bit. There were so many players in this castle that the Haters' Guild would have to be crazy to try and crash the party.

But then, the crowd in the ballroom was quickly silenced as Jupiter cleared his throat. The admin now stood on top of the stage in the ballroom, with a microphone placed in front of him, "Welcome everybody, to the very first, game-wide party!"

Everybody let out a cheer, followed by an applause of hoof stomps.

After everybody calmed down, Jupiter continued, "Now, I suppose some of you may be curious why we organized this party. But don't worry, because I'll tell you."

"Before this game was released, before Discord trapped us in here, this game was designed to be a way for players from all across the world to directly interact with each other. This game was created so that everyone could become friends with one another. And after this whole mess is over and we are released from this prison, I would like to continue BGO as it was meant to be.

"However, after Discord trapped us here, the game's future has been looking bleak. After we escape from this game, the authorities of the real world will most likely shut down BGO for causing the deaths of so many lives. But that's why I called this party to be organized.

"This party is meant to remind everyone of what BGO was meant to be. This is to show that this game isn't responsible for our imprisonment here, and it was never meant to be blamed for our troubles."

A small silence passed over the crowd, before Jupiter continued, "Now, I am asking you. Please enjoy yourselves. And without further ado, let's get this party started." Instantly, Jupiter hopped off of the stage.

But then, Sky popped up in the DJ's booth, just behind where Jupiter had been standing. I almost laughed as I saw that Sky was now wearing a pair of black sunglasses, just like Vinyl Scratch. Sky then placed a track down onto the DJ booth, raising a hoof to the crowd, "All right, everypony! Let's spin this thing!"

Everyone let out a cheer, and then, the stereos and the bass cannon began to fill the ballroom with music. The party had officially begun. Several players started to dance with the music while others began to leave the ballroom to entertain themselves with the other activities that the party had to offer.

However, I would have stayed in the ballroom and enjoyed my best friend's DJ'ing, but as the head of Security, I needed to make my rounds to all of the guard stations before the party got too wild. And so, I trotted out of the ballroom and made my way to the nearest guard station.

_____________________________________________________________________________________6:00 PM

After doing quite a few perimeter checks around that castle, I was able to have the chance to enjoy the party. So, to start, I thought I would check on Violet and Dylan, just to see what they had planned for the entertainment. I walked to the room where they had set up for the party.

As I walked in, I noticed several benches positioned in front of a raised stage. From the look of the number of players who were already seated on the benches, it looked as if Violet's and Dylan's show was about to begin. So, I quickly took my seat, and at that moment, the lights went out, save for a single spotlight on the stage.

I watched as the show began with Violet stepping out onto the stage.

Violet just stood alone until Dylan ran up next to him from the other side of the stage, breathing heavily, "Hey, I'm back!"

Violet nodded, "Right, what's up?"

Dylan began to breath slower as he caught his breath, "Man, there are a lot of monsters out there. Did you get a group together to fight them?"

Violet nodded, "Yeah, I did. But they have some really weird names. Let's see..." The unicorn began to list of the players, "Who's the Tank, What's the Mage, I don't know's the Priest-"

"Wait, come again?"

"Who's the Tank, What's the Mage, I don't know's the Priest-"

Dylan frowned, "You got these guys together, but you don't even know their names?"

"No, I do know their names."

"Then who's the Tank?"

"Yeah."

"No, I mean the guy's name."

"Who."

"The Tank."

"Who."

"The guy taking damage for all of us."

"Who."

"The guy with the huge sword!"

"Who!"

"The Tank!"

"Who. Is. The. Tank."

Dylan shouted, "That's what I'm asking you!"

Violet nodded, "That's his name."

"Who's name?"

"Yes."

"Well, then go ahead and tell me."

"That's it."

"That's who?"

Violet nodded, "Exactly."

Dylan groaned in frustration, "Ugh.... Phew."

I found myself laughing a bit, as well as everyone in the audience. But then Dylan and Violet continued.

Dylan sighed, "Look, all I'm asking you is what is the name of the Tank?"

"No, what's the mage."

"I'm not asking who's the mage!"

"No, Who's the tank."

Dylan held up his hooves in frustration, "One class at a time!"

"Hey, take it easy."

Dylan calmed himself down, "Look, tell me. Who. Is. The. Freaking. *Tank*?!"

Violet nodded, "That's right."

Dylan shrugged, "Okay." And the earth pony began to walk off of the stage. But then, just as quickly, Dylan turned around and ran back to Violet, "Wait a minute...."

Violet raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"You still didn't tell me the name of the Tank."

"No, I did."

"Then who's the Tank?"

"Yes."

Dylan sighed, obviously frustrated, "Look, I'll ask one last time. What is the name of the Tank!?"

"No, What's the mage."

"I'm not asking who's the mage!"

"Who's the Tank!"

Dylan shrugged, "I don't know!"

Violet shook his head, "No, he's the Priest. We're not talking about him."

Dylan cocked an eyebrow in confusion, "How did I get to the Priest?"

"You mentioned his name."

"I mentioned who's name?"

"No, Who's the Tank."

"What?"

"What's the mage!"

"I don't know!"

"He's the Priest." Violet paused, "Look, we're back to the Priest again."

Dylan shook his head, "Forget the Tank for now. Do you have a Rogue in the group?"

Violet nodded, "Yep, it wouldn't be a group without one."

"Then tell me his name."

"Why."

"I just thought I'd ask you."

"I just thought I'd tell you."

"Then who's the rogue?"

"No, Who's the Tank."

"I'm not asking- Wait a minute..." Dylan paused for a moment, "Stick with the Rogue."

"Okay."

"What's the name of the Rogue?"

"What's the name of the mage."

"I don't know."

"No, he's the-"

"PRIEST! I get it!" Dylan groaned, "Just tell me the name of the Rogue!"

"Why."

"Because!"

Violet paused, "Oh, he's our Hunter."

Dylan then began to glare at Violet, making all of the audience laugh. Dylan shook his head, "Whatever. Do you have a Warlock?"

Violet nodded, "Sure."

"And the Warlock's name is...?"

"Tomorrow."

Dylan raised an eyebrow, "You don't want to tell me today?"

"I'm telling you *now*."

"Then go ahead."

"Tomorrow."

"What time?"

"What time what?"

"What time tomorrow are you going to tell me who's the Warlock?!"

"Who's not the Warlock. Who's the-"

Dylan screamed, "I'll break your arm if you say 'Who's the Tank'!" The audience burst out in laughter, but then quickly quieted down as the show continued.

Dylan asked, "What's the name of the Warlock?!"

"What's the mage."

"I don't know!"

"No, he's the-"

Dylan instantly shot his hooves into the air in frustration, "Priest! Priest! Priest!" The earth pony groaned, "You know what, I have some healing potions."

Violet rolled his eyes, "Really?"

"Yeah. So, let's say that we group together and fight a dragon. We can't wait 'till Tomorrow to attack, so the Tank starts taking damage for us. I see that he's getting pretty banged up, so being a good team member, I give the healing potion to Who."

Violet nodded, "Now that's the first thing you've said right all day."

Dylan yelled in frustration, "I don't even know what I'm taking about!" He continued, "I give the potion to who?"

"Naturally."

"Who?"

"Naturally."

Dylan nodded, "Naturally."

"Naturally."

"So I give the potion to Naturally?"

"No, you give the potion to Who."

"Naturally."

Violet nodded, "Yep, now you've got it."

Dylan groaned, "That's what I said!"

Violet paused, "Here, now you ask me."

"I give the potion to who?"

"Naturally."

"Now you ask me."

"You give the potion to Who."

"Naturally."

"See, I said it the same as you!"

Violet snickered, "Look, just calm down."

Dylan paused as he composed himself, "Who gets my potion?"

"Naturally."

"He'd better get it!!" Dylan continued, "So I give the potion to who, but the potion wasn't strong enough, so whoever is the Tank dies. Boo hoo, sad story. The dragon then goes after Why? Because. I don't know. He's the Priest, and I don't care!"

"Wait, what did you say?"

Dylan groaned, "I said I don't care!"

Violet paused, "Oh, he's our Paladin."

Dylan screamed, "That's it!!" Suddenly, the small earth pony ran forward and tackled Violet off of the stage and onto the floor.

Everyone burst out into laughter and applauded as the show ended. I found myself laughing extremely hard. I didn't think that Dylan would actually tackle Violet.

But then, my small moment of laughter was interrupted as someone called my name through the hallway of the castle, "SHADOW!"

I quickly turned to see Cross run into the show room, panting hard to show that he'd been running hard. That also meant that something was up.

I raised an eyebrow, "Cross? What is it?"

The unicorn gasped as he caught his breath, "It's Lexus! Out in the Dueling Ring! It's..."

I gave Cross a questioning look, "What do you mean? Did he loose in a duel or something?"

Cross shook his head, "No, he's in a duel right now! And his opponent is totally brutalizing him, practically torturing him!"

"What?!" I stared at Cross in shock, "What do you mean?"

Cross motioned towards the doorway, "I think it'll be easier just to show you, unless the duel has already ended. Follow me."

And so, I galloped after Cross as he lead me through the halls of the castle and towards the Dueling Rings outside.

_____________________________________________________________________________________6:20 PM

By the time Cross and I reached the Dueling Rings, a large crowd of players had already gathered around the main Duel Ring. The crowd was large enough that Cross and I had to push our way through some players to be able to see the fight that was going on. But soon, I reached the outside edge of the ring and Lexus came into view, locked in a fierce fight against his opponent.

Lexus was on one end of the ring, holding himself up with his spear, which was planted firmly into the ground. His breathing was short and ragged, and he was sweating profusely. I glanced towards his health bar, which was just a little more than half full, almost in the yellow zone. According to Dueling rules, the first dueler to have his health bar reach the yellow looses the fight. And from the look of things, the duel would only last a little while now, due to Lexus' current state.

I glanced towards Lexus' opponent who stood on the other side of the ring, only to find a large, black unicorn stallion, with a dark green mane. His cutie mark was covered by a by a black cloak, so no one could see it... That is, if it was even there. In his magical grip, he held a pair of black sais, much like Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Just a reference point for those of you who don't know what a sai is). The player ID above his head read: Nyxia, and from what I could tell, his health meter was still completely full.

I turned towards Cross, "What's going on? I've never seen Lexus lose this badly in any fight."

Cross glanced towards me warily, "Well, the duel started with Nyxia betting Lexus that he could still beat him, even if neither of them used wings or magic. Lexus accepted the challenge, of course. But after one minute, Nyxia cheated and began using magic."

I raised an eyebrow, "But what about Lexus? I mean, after Nyxia started using magic, wouldn't he have used his wings?"

Cross shook his head, "That's just it. Lexus is refusing to go against the deal he made with Nyxia. And now, for the past five minutes, Nyxia has just been toying with him. He's slowly bringing down Lexus' health, all while inflicting as much pain as possible."

I frowned as I watched Lexus and Nyxia duel, "And yet, nobody has even stepped in?"

Again, Cross shook his head, "No, the rules to dueling say that no one can end the duel unless a winner is declared. And the only ways to do that is for one dueler's health to reach the yellow zone, otherwise one of the duelers have to surrender. And so far, it doesn't look like either of them are giving up, yet."

I growled sarcastically under my breath, "Out of all of the things Lexus could be, he had to be the Element of Honesty."

However, the fight still continued, and the only way for it to end would be if Nyxia finally brought Lexus down to the yellow zone, unless Lexus could make some kind of a miraculous comeback. However, by the look of things,the latter seemed the most unlikely.

I cringed as I watched Lexus be pushed to the ground by Nyxia's telekinesis, only for the unicorn to stab one of his sais into the pegasus' leg. Lexus let out a yelp of pain as his health bar decreased just slightly, still staying in the green. In retaliation, Lexus tried to swipe at Nyxia with his spear. But the unicorn simply caught the spear with one of his sais, knocking the weapon out of Lexus' grip.

Nyxia chortled loudly as he looked down at the defenseless pegasus on the ground, "Even after all of this, you refuse to go against your word."

Lexus didn't reply. He simply glared at Nyxia as he struggled to get up.

Nyxia simply laughed at Lexus' struggle, "You know, I could end this now. Just by a small prick of my sai, I could finally end this duel... But the thing is, I don't want to. I just want to see somebody suffer like me."

Lexus glanced towards Nyxia with hateful eyes, as he continued to try and stand up, "What... do you... urgh, mean?

Nyxia laughed darkly, "Isn't it obvious? I'm stuck in this game against my will. However, it's not like any of you know what that feels like." The unicorn slowly lifted one of his sais into the air above Lexus, the point facing down, "But for now, I've had my fun. It's time to end this duel, but I'm going to do it in a way that you'll never forget."

Before anyone could react, the sai was slammed down through Lexus' chest, right where his heart would be. Lexus let our a bloodcurdling yell as the overwhelming sensation of pain filled his chest. I glanced towards Lexus' health bar to see that the blow had dropped his health bar into the yellow zone... But it went past the yellow and into the red zone!

Everyone let out a gasp as Lexus' health meter stopped in the red zone, leaving the pegasus with only a sixth of his max HP. But then, Nyxia withdrew his sai from Lexus' chest as a box of text appeared over him:

Congratulations!

You've won the duel!

Nyxia grinned at his success as he glanced down towards Lexus, who was only managing to stay conscious, "You should realize that you're lucky. If I were fighting you outside the city, then I wouldn't hesitate to end the life of a weakling like you. I don't even have a clue as to how you got your element from that Hydra. Some Element of Harmony you are." And with that, Nyxia spat directly into Lexus' face.

In that moment, I felt a deep hatred towards Nyxia. There was no way I was going to let something like that happen to one of my team members without any consequences. But right as I was about to step out onto the ring to give Nyxia a piece of my mind, I was stopped by a shout that came from the crowd:

"Hey, Flankhole!"

I quickly glanced to the side to see Neon walk into the ring, her expression very much like my current feelings towards Nyxia. Neon then walked up to Nyxia, right into his face, "Nobody does that to one of my guild members and walks away gloating about it!"

Although, one thing that surprised me was that Neon was now speaking in a British accent, unlike her regular American accent. But then, I glanced to the side to see the rest of my team and Team Calvary join me and Cross outside of the ring.

I glanced towards Soul, who had been in Neon's team for longer than anyone else, "What's up with Neon? She just got angry with this guy and her accent went British!"

Soul's eyes widened, "Uh, oh. The only time her accent changes is when she's seriously pissed."

I raised an eyebrow, "You seem kind of concerned."

Violet nodded, "Yeah. Right now we're mainly concerned for Nyxia. You do not want to be in the path of Neon's rage."

Meanwhile, out in the ring, Nyxia merely smirked at Neon, "Oh, is this weakling one of your guild members? Well, pardon me. I was simply showing what a fool he was, much like the rest of your guild."

Neon glared at Nyxia, her eyes practically giving of small flames of Neon green fire, "Shut up or else I'll hand your flank back to you on a silver platter!"

"Is that so, Little Cutie? And how are you gonna do that?" Nyxia sneered.

"I'm gonna challenge you to a duel, and I won't even fight with any weapons. I won't need them to deal with an egotistical hog like you. Besides, I'd rather give you a fair chance to win, unlike what you did with Lexus."

Nyxia growled at Neon, "Alright, fine. Let's see who's eating their own words after this!"

Immediately, Nyxia opened up his player menu and tapped a few buttons. But then, a small box of text appeared in front of Neon:

Nyxia has invited you to a duel. Will you accept?

-Yes

-No

Neon tapped the "Yes" option with a hoof, and a counter suddenly appeared in the air between Nyxia and Neon. Meanwhile, Sky and I ran into the ring and pulled Lexus out of the way. Lexus stirred slightly as he was carried between me and Sky.

I chuckled, "Ah man, Lexus. You gave us a pretty bad scare." Just then, we set Lexus on the ground outside of the ring.

Lexus didn't bother to reply, as he saw the scene before him in the ring, "W-What happened? Why is Neon fighting Nyxia now?... Why doesn't she have any weapons out?"

I cleared my throat and proceeded to tell him the situation that had occurred. And once I had finished explaining, Lexus only watched the ring with shock.

Meanwhile, Neon and Nyxia stared each other down from their own sides of the ring. The counter between them slowly counted down the seconds before the duel began.

9...

8...

7...

Nyxia drew his sais and held them out in a fighting position.

6...

5...

4...

Neon's horn began to glow with a deep neon, green aura, as did her eyes.

3...

2...

1...

Only silence filled through the air...

START! The game blared with the sound of a bell chime, signalling the start of the duel.

Instantly, Nyxia wasted no time in galloping right at his opponent. With only a few feet between him and Neon, Nyxia lashed out at the mare with his sais. However, Neon sidestepped the attack with blinding speed. Instantly, Neon conjured a whip of green flames and lashed it across Nyxia's back, long before the stallion could even react.

Nyxia cringed in pain as hot flames seared his backside, his health bar decreasing somewhat. Enraged, Nyxia turned to face his opponent, only to find that Neon was no longer there. Nyxia quickly glanced behind him to see Neon's hind legs bash into his face, sending him flying back a couple feet backwards.

Nyxia quickly stood up again to face his opponent, face contorted into a fierce glare, "What the hell is happening? No player can move that fast. It's not even possible!"

Neon simply smirked as she stood her ground, "I'll let you into a little secret. My player ability is called Avenge. What it does is when one of my allies' health is in the red zone, my attacks and speed are raised by 50%. However, my defense is lowered by 25%, but I have my magic to keep you from ever getting close enough to actually hurt me."

Nyxia's eyes widened in realization, making Neon grin, "Now do you see why I don't need any weapons to deal with you? It's because you hurt Lexus, and now," Neon paused as her horn began to glow with bright, green flames, "I'm avenging him."

Instantly, the ground below Nyxia burst in green flames, sending the unicorn high into the air. But then, Nyxia struggled as found that his legs were bound by Neon's magic. Gaping in shock, the stallion glanced down towards Neon to see three whips of neon fire protrude from her horn.

Then suddenly, Neon's whips lashed at Nyxia's defenseless, hammering the stallion in quick succession of each other. For only a few moments, Neon kept this going until Nyxia's health bar was just barely in the green zone. When only one hit was needed to knock Nyxia into the yellow zone, Neon withdrew her whips and with the force of her magic holding Nyxia, she slammed the stallion down onto the ground... Very hard.

Instantly, Nyxia's health bar dropped into the yellow zone, thus ending the duel. A large window of text appeared in the air above Neon:

Congratulations!

You've won the duel!

Neon, smiling smugly at her victory, walked up to Nyxia, who was stuck on the ground in the small crater that his body had created after Neon's magic slammed him down from the air. Nyxia, upon seeing Neon, flinched and quickly tried to stand up.

Neon smirked as she stomped a hoof on Nyxia's arm, "Don't worry, the duel is over. You should consider yourself lucky. If I were fighting you outside the city, then I wouldn't have hesitated to end the life of a weakling like you." Neon said coldly, repeating the very words that Nyxia had said to Lexus.

Nyxia looked as if he were on the verge of tears, but Neon wasn't finished, yet, "Listen here, Nyxia. I'm gonna let you go for now, but if you ever come near Lexus, or another one of my guild members, then I will personally leave you, defenseless and alone, in the next boss room before anyone else goes inside. Got it!?"

Nyxia nodded frantically and Neon took her hoof off of his arm. Satisfied with her work, Neon walked over to our group with a smug look. But as she reached us, she sat down in front of Lexus so that she was eye level with him.

Lexus raised an eyebrow at her, "Why did you do that? Why did you get back at Nyxia?"

Neon smiled softly, "You already know the answer to that. Nobody hurts my team members like that for no reason and walks away unscathed." Neon paused, blushing slightly, "I also might have done it because you saved my life twice in the Labyrinth. I was simply paying you back for that."

Lexus smiled at her as he raised a hoof to her cheek, "No, you were never in debt to me for that. However, now I'm in debt to you, and I need to repay you in the only way I can."

All of us around the two of them remained silent as we watched as the two of them inched closer. Slowly at first, but finally, their lips met together and they closed their eyes in bliss, oblivious to everyone around them.

Meanwhile, all of us from our guild let out a hearty cheer, celebrating the bond that had formed between Neon and Lexus. Everyone was clapping for the two of them, laughing, and cheering as Neon and Lexus ended their kiss, only to stare dreamily into each other's eyes.

Sky let out a small chuckle, "What do you know. When we first met Lexus, I never pegged him as a lover boy."

I grinned, "Neither did I. Kudos to him."

Sky shook his head, coming back to reality, "All right. I don't know about you guys, but I have a party to DJ. In fact, I think the next dance should be a slow one, just for them." He raised his voice to the crowd, "Let's have them dance together, right?"

Everyone let out a cheer and Sky galloped back into the castle, a sly grin on his face.

Behind Sky, Soul and Violet led everyone back inside, "All right, everybody! Let's keep this party going!"

However, as I watched everyone trot back into the castle, I spotted Neon and Lexus following the crowd, walking side by side, not taking their eyes off of each other for an instant.

Lexus chuckled as he stared into Neon's eyes, "Huh, I guess they want us to dance together. Well Neon, would you care to dance with me?"

Neon giggled, "Of course I would." And so, the two of them walked into the castle, without a care in the world. I found myself grinning as they disappeared behind the doors of the castle. I had to say, I was happy for them.

Suddenly, a voice jolted me out of my thoughts, "Hey, Shadow." I turned to see Cross, as well as Cloud who rode on Cross' back.

"Yeah?" I replied.

Cross scratched his head, "Well, since we're already out here, do you mind having a duel with me? I've been working on my magic and I've been dying to try it on a hard opponent."

I shrugged, "Why not?"

Cross beamed, "Great." He turned to Cloud, "All right, Cloud. You might want to get off of my back, unless you'd rather get caught in the middle of the fight."

Cloud rolled his eyes, "Right, I get it." With that, Cloud flapped his wings and flew off of Cross' back. Meanwhile, Cross and I entered the ring to begin the duel.

However, as our duel began, neither of us noticed a broken and bruised Nyxia limp away. The beaten unicorn stallion growled bitterly to himself, "Oh, you've made a huge mistake Neon. Now my goal in this game isn't to search for the elements. Now my main priority is to kill both you and Lexus. I swear that I will not stop until you both are dead!"

_____________________________________________________________________________________8:50 PM

Nevertheless, let's just say that Cross is one heck of a dueler. I was surprised when he showed me his latest spell that he'd learned. The spell he used at the very beginning of our duel conjured a giant, red "X", which could protect him from just about any enchantment, not to mention destroy any enchantments set on anything else. This spell was always able to counter my spells, even my own Blaze ability when I used my sword.

So, that left me to duel Cross without magic, with only my sword and shield. Of course, with his hammer and buckler, Cross put up a really good fight. We were both equally matched and the duel lasted for quite a while. But nonetheless, we had to end our duel early as the night came, due to my responsibilities as the Head of Security.

That's where I was at the moment, patrolling the hallways that were supposed to be restricted from party guests. The hallway was left dark, just to give the sign to any wandering party guests that they weren't supposed to be there. But I lit up the dark hallway with my magic, which cast off a bright red glow.

I continued to walk through the restricted castle hallways, focusing on my surroundings. But then, I stopped in the hallway as I noticed a single door that was open, and the light inside it was on. I raised a curious eyebrow as I realized that the room in question was Jupiter's office.

I thought to myself, Hm, that's weird. Why would Jupiter be up here when his own party is downstairs? Being curious as I was, I decided to investigate. Slowly and quietly, I peeked through the door to the office to see who was there.

But my eyes widened as I found that it wasn't Jupiter in the office, but rather somepony else. This stranger was a cerulean blue, thin, unicorn stallion. He had a dark blue mane, streaked with a sky blue color. I also noticed that this guy didn't have any cutie mark on his flank; It was completely blank. I glanced at his player ID, it read: Sharky.

I continued to watch Sharky while out of sight, but I then noticed that this strange unicorn was leafing through Jupiter's documents. As the Head of Security, I knew I couldn't allow this guy to go unchecked. I decided to make myself known.

I stepped into the room, facing Sharky, "Hey, you're not supposed to be in here!"

Sharky flinched as he heard me, quickly turning to me he cursed to himself, "Crap."

Instantly, Sharky tried run, but I was blocking his only way out, seeing as Jupiter's office didn't have any windows. My horn began to glow with red aura as I barred the exit, "Stop, what were you just doing in here?"

Sharky remained unresponsive as he tried to run past me. However, I stepped into his path and shoved him back into the office, "Freeze."

Sharky quickly regained his balance and turned to face me. To my surprise, the unicorn now had a small smirk on his face, "Freeze? Okay, if you say so."

Instantly, Sharky's horn flared with a light blue aura and a beam of ice-like magic was shot towards me. Immediately as I saw the spell coming towards me, I flared my magic, firing a jet of fire to counteract the freezing spell. The resulting collision of spells burst into a cloud of steam, temporarily blinding me for a second.

By the time that I had recovered from Sharky's sudden attack, the blue unicorn had slipped past me and out the door. Immediately, I turned around and began to chase him down. As I ran, I equipped my sword and I felt the familiar sheath appear on my back. With my magic, I drew my sword, following close on Sharky's tail.

But as I ran, I noticed that a thin, lanky unicorn like Sharky was surprisingly quick, and he seemed to match me in speed. But then, I was snapped out of my thoughts as Sharky stopped suddenly and jumped out of an open window. I gasped suddenly, because I knew that he had just jumped out of a window that was thirty stories off of the ground.

I quickly ran to the window and searched for any sign of Sharky. But I was dumbfounded as I saw that the unicorn was perfectly unharmed. Apparently, Sharky had been able to use his magic to create a ramp entirely out of ice, and now he was sliding down it all the way to the ground.

I quickly shook my head, snapping me back into focus. I refused to let this guy get away, and so I did the most crazy thing I could think of: Jump out the window after him. I leaped through the window, landing on the top of Sharky's ice ramp. However, the slick surface made me lose my balance and fell on my side, all while sliding down the chute of ice.

Below me, I spotted Sharky making a break for the castle gates. I knew that I would lose sight of him by the time I got to the end of the ice ramp, so I needed to do something fast. But then, i got an idea.

Immediately, I pointed my horn towards the ramp in front of me, and I fired a large burst of fire at the ice. The fire connected with the ramp at the same moment that I slid over it, and the resulting burst sent me flying off of the ramp and into the air.

Just by luck, the blast threw me through the air and into Sharky's direction. Having heard the blast, I watched as Sharky turned around to see me land on top of him.

"Oof!" We both cringed as we collided with each other, and we both fell to the ground. Immediately afterwards, we both stood up to face each other.

Sharky was panting hard from the chase and the sudden scare that I had given him when I had fallen on top of him, "Hm, I'm guessing you're Shadowflame, bearer of the Element of Courage?"

I narrowed my eyes, "Yes, that's me. But what I want to know is who you are. Why were you leafing through Jupiter's office? And why did you run when I caught you?"

Sharky shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I cannot show my identity. Too much is at stake for me to reveal myself..." I suddenly noticed that Sharky's horn was glowing, "... But one thing you can be sure of is that our paths will cross again in the future. But until then, Shadow, keep searching for the elements."

Suddenly, Sharky's horn flared and a wall of ice instantly grew out of the ground between us. I quickly fired several jets of fire from my horn to melt the ice wall. After a few shots, I was able to break through the ice barrier. I ran through the hole that I had created, only to find that Sharky was no longer in sight. I had lost him.

I stomped a hoof in frustration, "Crap. Jupiter will want to hear about this." Immediately, I turned around and headed back to the castle to report what just happened to Jupiter.

_____________________________________________________________________________________9:20 PM

I watched as Jupiter searched through the contents of his desk, a grim expression on his face. The head admin had been searching through his desk for anything that the intruder could have taken.

Jupiter glanced towards me, "Are you sure that he didn't have anything with him when you were chasing him down?"

I nodded, "Yeah, he didn't have anything on him, unless he had already deposited it in his inventory." Jupiter continued to search through his desk, but the admin sighed with relief as he stood up.

Jupiter turned towards me, "Well, it doesn't seem like he took anything."

But I still didn't know why Sharky came in here in the first place, "Who do you think that guy was?"

Jupiter paused, "Hm, I'm not sure. Although, I'd guess it wouldn't be a long shot to say that he was part of the Haters' Guild..." Jupiter looked to me again, "What did his Player ID say again?"

"Sharky."

Jupiter's eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets at the single name, "Wait, what?! Why didn't you tell me this before?"

I raised an eyebrow, "What?"

However, Jupiter ignored me as he was lost in his own thoughts, quietly muttering to himself, "No, it can't be... It couldn't really be him. That'd be impossible... But the description Shadow gave fits his character, not to mention his deep affinity with ice. But how is this even possible?"

I stopped Jupiter short, "Are you saying that you actually know this Sharky guy?"

Jupiter nodded, "Yes. Well, that is, if this is even the same Sharky..." Jupiter dropped back into his thoughts, "But the servers for BGO are specifically programmed to keep players from having the same name, so it has to be him."

"Wait, what do you mean? Was he in the game before?"

Jupiter nodded again, "Sharky was one of the system admins for BGO. He was in charge for monster development in the creation of this game. He did all of the monster development on his own, and he really was a wiz at that kind of thing... But the morning before BGO's servers came online, I heard a news report that Sharky's house blew up while he was still inside it. They said that he was presumed to be dead, but I didn't get any more details because I had to come into the game to open up the servers. And then, that's when Discord showed up and you know the rest."

I just stared at Jupiter, "But- But if he's dead, then how is he even in this game?"

Jupiter paused, "I'm not sure. It's possible that he survived his house's explosion, but why he would come back into the game is beyond me."

We were both silent for a moment, until I broke the silence, "Well, if he isn't part of the Haters' Guild, then what are we supposed to do about Sharky?"

Jupiter sighed, "We don't have enough information, but for now, we just need to wait for Sharky to appear again." Jupiter turned to leave the office, "However, we still have a party to enjoy for the rest of the night. Besides, I hear that Lexus and Neon haven't even left each other's side since the dueling incident. I want to see if that's really true." He finished with a smirk.

I gave a small chuckle, "Yeah, I guess you're right." We both walked out of the the office and down the halls of the castle. I laughed a bit, "Man, what a crazy night."

And so, after a few more uneventful, but still fun filled hours, the party ended and everyone returned back to their bases...Of course, that is, except for the Knights of Harmony. Since the party was our idea, we were stuck with clean-up duty. And when a party happens in a large place like the Canterlot Castle, you get a very, very large mess.

Let's just say that wasn't the highlight of my night. But hey, everyone had enjoyed it. And surprisingly enough, there wasn't even a single appearance from the Haters' Guild or Discord, so I thought that the party was a huge success. Of course, after all of that time of partying, tomorrow we were going to have to get right back to work and find the other elements.

... But, as the party was ending, I found myself thinking about our current situation in the game. During the last boss battle, Discord had revealed that he was planning something very big; something that none of the other players could survive. Alongside that, the Haters' Guild was growing more dangerous in their spontaneous attacks. And on top of that, I just met an old system admin that was supposedly thought to be dead. With these three things all happening at once, I know that this game is going to get even harder from here on in.

Anyways, I will leave you with this: We're all going to have to get ready, so when something does happen, we'll be prepared for it.

~Shadowflame

The Element of Courage

April 5th (An Alicorn Arrives)

"Hm, I don't know if I should get it." I contemplated out loud.

Sky groaned as he stood next to me, "Come on, man. You've been deciding whether or not that you wanted to buy that for at least a half hour now. Seriously, I want to at least get some training done before the day ends."

I rolled my eyes. It was true that Sky and I *had* been at this vendor's stand for more than a half hour, but I was still deciding on whether I should buy it or not.

Truth be told, I was terrible at making decisions when it came to buying things. That was one of the weird things about me. In a large battle, I could easily make tactical decisions that could help win the fight for my team. But if you left me alone in a random store and told me to buy one thing, I'd be as clueless as a cow standing in the middle of a road.

The item in question that I was deciding to buy was a single handed, double bladed long sword. The hilt of the blade was covered in black leather, while the entire length of the blade was a deep ruby red. The sword even had a name crafted with it: Inferno.

This really was an awesome sword, and when it came to stats, it was way stronger than my current sword. Of course, every weapon in this game came with a price. In Inferno's case, that price was 19,950 bits. Sure that was a very large price, but I had enough bits saved up that I could afford it... Of course, if I bought the sword, that'd leave me with only about 300 bits. I was reluctant to buy because what if something else came up that I wanted to buy, but then I'd find myself short on bits.

Sky sighed, "Look, you should get the sword. It's way stronger than your current sword, and besides, it's red, your favorite color. Just get it already."

I paused for a moment, but then I nodded, "All right, I'll buy it." I picked up Inferno and placed it on the vendor's counter. The NCP behind the counter asked for payment, and I handed over my 19,950 bits. And then, once I had taken Inferno off of the counter, I immediately equipped the weapon, replacing my old sword.

I then turned to Sky, "All right, let's go... Unless you want to buy a new weapon, too."

Sky shook his head, "Nah, I'm good with my current swords." He gestured towards his double swords, which he had recently upgraded into two double bladed, pitch black swords. Of course they'd be black, seeing as they belonged to a guy named Darkened5ky. But that wasn't the only reason that Sky had those swords. It was also because they were very powerful when equipped to a player that had an affiliation to darkness or shadows. In Sky's case, the swords were stronger when he used them because of his player ability was literally, 'Darkness'.

I nodded, "Alright, let's meet up with the others. I think they're already waiting for us in our usual training spot."

Sky nodded and we both turned down the street towards the city gates. However, we were stopped as a voice called out to us,

"Shadow! Sky!"

We both turned to see Violet Runner galloping towards us, today's issue of the Equestria Daily in his magical grip.

I waved to Violet, "Hey, what's up?"

Violet panted from his run, "Have you seen today's issue of the paper?"

Sky raised an eyebrow, "No, why?"

"The front page story. It says that the fifth element has been found!"

Mine and Sky's eyes widened, "WHAT?!"

Sky quickly snatched the newspaper out of Violet's grip and began to read it. I turned towards him, "Come on, Sky. What does it say? Who found the next element?"

Sky cleared his throat and began reading, "The fifth element has been revealed as the Element of Genorosity, which was found by a unicorn named Eclipse. The place where it was hidden was located in Appleoosa, just outside of town on the plains. The boss, a sand demon known as The Dust Devil, attacked the town of Appleoosa without warning early in the morning yesterday. The entire town of Appleoosa was required to fight in order to survive this unexpected attack.

"In the attack, nine players were killed, and everyone else beat The Dust Devil while in critical condition. Eclipse, now the bearer of the Element of Genorosity, gave the final blow to The Dust Devil as it tried to destroy the town by firing an enchanted arrow from his bow. Afterwards, it became clear that no one had even found a room where this boss may have hidden, or had even been released from its room. This is a growing concern, seeing that bosses can now leave their rooms and attack nearby towns and cities.

"Eclipse, along with his team, have been invited by Jupiter to join the Knights of Harmony Guild in Canterlot. Eclipse's team, known as Team Vortex, has eagerly agreed to join, and they are now making their way to Canterlot. Team Vortex consists of three players: Eclipse, a pegasus known as Siren, and their leader, Cordon.

"The leader of Team Vortex, a player name doom_squared but more commonly known as Cordon by his team mates, was a real surprise to find at the scene of this boss battle. He was known as the fastest player in Appleoosa, and was one of the first to enter the fight against The Dust Devil. However, it was during this boss battle that Cordon had revealed himself to be..." Sky's words trailed off as his eyes grew wide at what he read.

I raised an eyebrow, "Don't stop there. What did Cordon reveal himself to be?"

Sky put down the paper, still in slight shock, "... An alicorn."

_____________________________________________________________________________________1 Day Later

The next day, after everyone had heard about the alicorn Cordon, The Knights of Harmony stood just inside the gates of Canterlot, waiting to welcome Team Vortex into our guild. At the Moment, Team Vortex was still travelling towards Canterlot. Already, thousands of players were buzzing with the news of an alicorn's appearance. Of course, this is due to the fact that no one had ever seen an alicorn ever since the admins were stripped of their power by Discord.

I glanced over towards Sky as we all waited at the gate for Team Vortex, "But seriously, how did a guy become an alicorn? Didn't Discord make that impossible?"

Sky frowned, "I don't know. I would say that this Cordon guy hacked the game, but Discord would have killed him immediately after that. So that option's out."

I nodded, "Right, it doesn't really make sense."

Lexus suddenly flew back to the gate, as he had been assigned to look for Team Vortex from the sky. Lexus turned to Jupiter, "They're here. They're only a few minutes out."

Jupiter nodded, "Good. Stay with them until they reach us."

Lexus nodded and flew back in the direction he came from. Jupiter turned to everyone else in our guild, "All right, everybody. Team Vortex will be here any minute. So, remember to greet them as one of our own, and welcome them as friends. Got it?"

Everyone nodded in response without any further comment.

But then, after only another minute, four figures came into view as they neared our position. One of them I could easily recognize as Lexus, but I had never seen the other three before. Without a doubt, that was Team Vortex.

At the head of the group, just behind Lexus, a tall, gray alicorn stallion lead his team. The stallion's mane was a dark gray color, streaked by a lighter shade of gray. I found myself snickering a bit at the alicorn's appearance as it reminded me of fifty shades of gray... But then again, he was an alicorn. The alicorn carried a single, two handed battleaxe on his back. His cutie mark resembled a green vortex of wind. Above his head his player ID read: doomsquared

I glanced towards Sky as several other players behind us began to mutter to each other at the sight of the alicorn, "That must be Cordon."

But then, my gaze shifted towards the two players following behind Cordon. The first of the two was a pure white unicorn stallion. He had a black mane that was similar to Sky's, except his tail was in a different style. Draped around his body and shoulders, he carried a steel bow and a quiver of arrows. His cutie mark was a ying yang symbol. Above his head, his player ID read: Eclipse

Sky muttered towards me, "That must be Eclipse, the bearer of the Element of Genorosity."

I nodded as I glanced towards the last of the approaching foursome. The last player was a deep purple pegasus mare. She had a short pink mane that only dropped to her shoulders. But I was surprised to see a crossbow mounted on her shoulder, despite the fact that the mare was smaller than most of the mares that I've seen in the game. Her cutie mark resembled a red rose with thorns. Her player ID read: Siren

Pretty soon, Lexus and Team Vortex reached us and stopped just in front of Jupiter. Everyone fell silent as Jupiter then greeted the new arrivals.

Jupiter gave Team Vortex a hearty smile, "Welcome to Canterlot. My name is Jupiter, head admin of BGO and leader of the Knights of Harmony. I'm pleased that you decided to join the guild and travel here from Appleoosa."

Cordon grinned smugly, "Of course we came. We're the best when it comes to what we do."

Jupiter chuckled softly, "Well, that's debatable. You haven't seen Team Equitum or Team Calvary in action." Way to go, Jupiter. I always appreciated the praise.

Cordon merely smirked, "Well, you've never seen us in action either."

Jupiter nodded, "True, but there will be time for that later, won't there?" He cleared his throat, "But for now, will Eclipse please step forward?"

The white unicorn nodded as he stepped forward, "I'm here."

Jupiter smiled, "Good. Well, since you're now an element bearer, I figure that you should meet the other elements as well." He glanced back towards our guild, "Shadow, Violet, Soul, and Lexus. Would you please step forward?"

All four of us quickly lined up beside Jupiter. The head admin then began to introduce us, pointing a hoof towards each of us as he went along, "First, we have Shadowflame: The Element of Courage. He's also the leader of Team Equitum. Next we have Violet Runner: The Element of Spirit. He's the leader of Team Calvary. Here we have Soul Cards: The Element of Loyalty. He's part of Team Calvary. And finally we have Lexus: The Element of Honesty. He's part of Team Equitum."

Eclipse nodded, a small smile on his face, "It's nice to meet all of you."

We all gave a friendly wave, and Jupiter continued, "Well now, upon your arrival, I hope that you've now realized something."

Cordon raised an eyebrow, "And that would be?"

Jupiter turned to the whole of our guild, "The arrival of Eclipse marks the halfway mark of our goal. We now have 5 of the 10 Elements of Harmony. We've come this far and neither Discord or the Haters' Guild has stopped us. I know for a fact that we'll be able to push through anything that comes against us and we will retrieve the last five remaining elements. Nothing can stop us, nothing ever will."

Everyone suddenly gave a loud cheer at Jupiter's statement, giving me a small bit of satisfaction. It really was hard to believe that we were finally at the halfway mark.

Jupiter grinned, "But for now, keep up the good work, all of you. And with that, you all may return to your regular activities." But then he cleared his throat, "However, I would ask that Team Equitum and Team Calvary stay for a moment."

Everyone did as they were told and headed back into the city, except for my team and Team Calvary, leaving us with Team Vortex and Jupiter. Jupiter turned to our group, "Shadow? Violet?"

We both responded, "Yes?"

"Today, I would like for Team Vortex to tag along with your group. Seeing as your teams are the only ones who bear the other elements, I believe that it would be wise to start working with Team Vortex now. Therefore, when the time comes that you have to use the elements, you'll be able to work together in harmony."

I raised an eyebrow, "Um... I'm not sure if that's the best idea. I mean, they just got here. Wouldn't it be better if they get a bit of rest before starting work again?"

Before I could react, a gray blur filled my vision and found myself looking in the eyes of Cordon, who appeared to be a bit insulted by my comment, "What? You think that we're just pushovers who can't handle hard work?"

I quickly stepped back, waving my hooves in front of me sheepishly, "Whoa, I didn't mean it like that. I was just wondering if you needed a small break. After all, you have been travelling for about two days straight."

Cordon rolled his eyes, "Whatever. We don't need a break. We're ready to go."

Jupiter nodded, "Good. Also, I would like for all of you to follow me now, so Eclipse can put his element into the vault."

Eclipse nodded, "Right."

Jupiter turned back to the city gates, "Follow me." And so, Jupiter lead all of us to the Canterlot castle. And once we reached the castle, we all waited outside while Jupiter and Eclipse went inside to stow away the Element of Generosity the vault.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

We all waited out in the courtyard of the castle for a long 20 minutes. Yet, that time seemed to pass by quickly for me. The entire time I was constantly trying to figure out how Cordon became an alicorn. However, no matter how hard I thought, I couldn't come up with a plausible answer.

I was lost in my thoughts, when somebody came up and sat down next to me, "Hey, what's up?"

I glanced to the side to see Siren next to me. "Oh, um... nothing," I lied.

Siren rolled her eyes, "Right, I'm not buying that. You're wondering how Cordon became an alicorn, aren't you?"

"Um, yeah. How did you know?"

Siren shrugged, "Well, that's pretty much what everyone else is thinking, right? Not to mention the fact that you've been glancing back and forth between Cordon and the ground for more than 10 minutes."

I chuckled a bit, "Wow, you are very observant." I paused for a moment, "Well, do you know how Cordon became an alicorn?"

Siren shrugged, "I wish I did. I mean, nobody else knows how it happened. Cordon himself doesn't really know either."

I sighed, "Hm, sorry for asking. It just seemed impossible to me."

Siren nodded, "You and me both."

But then, Sky walked up to Siren and I, "So, Siren. When exactly did you team up with Eclipse and Cordon?"

Siren smiled a bit, "Well, it started back when Discord trapped everyone in the game. After a week inside the game, lots of players had already left Ponyville for other towns and cities. I was one of the last few players to get sent to a different town by Jupiter. I was sent to Appleoosa with a few dozen other players. It was when we all were travelling to Appleoosa that Cordon, Eclipse, and I formed Team Vortex.

"Yeah, and so, the months rolled by in Appleoosa and everyone did what they could to help search for the other elements, but with us being so far away from any other town or city, the only news we got of the outside world was through the newspapers. So far, everything was a bit uneventful, except for the occasional close call when fighting Discord's monsters. But then, only a few weeks ago, something happened.

"It was supposedly a normal day, but that was the day that Cordon became an alicorn. Like I said, nobody knew how it happened, but that morning, Cordon woke up in his bed as an alicorn, even though the day before he fell asleep as an earth pony."

"Wait, what?" I jumped a tiny bit as Cloud seemed to appear next to me. Apparently I was so focused in on Siren's story that I hadn't noticed the dragon come up next to me. But then I glanced around to find that everyone else had gathered around to hear Siren.

"Cordon was just a regular earth pony before he became an alicorn?" Dylan asked, obviously very surprised.

Siren nodded, "Yes. That morning he became an alicorn, but that wasn't the only thing that had changed. His player ability changed, too."

Soul raised an eyebrow, "Really? What did it change to?"

"Well, his ability before he changed was called, "Gale", which doubled his speed stat. Back in Appleoosa, he was known as the quickest pony around. But when he became an alicorn, Cordon's ability changed to something called "Apotheosis". But what was weird was that the ability didn't have any description to it."

I raised an eyebrow as I knew that Apotheosis was another term used to describe the raising of someone to Godhood. I frowned, "So, you're basically saying that this new ability changed him into an alicorn."

Siren nodded, "Yeah, basically."

Violet Runner raised an eyebrow, "But, wait. You said that he became an alicorn a month ago. Nobody knew about Cordon being an alicorn until yesterday."

Siren cleared her throat, "That's right. You see, after Cordon changed into an alicorn, the only player we told about the ability to was the admin in Appleoosa. There was a bit of fear that the Haters' Guild would try to come after Cordon if they discovered that he was an alicorn, so Jupiter ordered us to hide Cordon's ability from everyone else."

Lexus interjected, "Wait, so you're saying that Jupiter knew that Cordon was an alicorn beforehand?"

Neon added, "Well, that would explain why Jupiter wasn't very shocked about the fact that an alicorn was coming into Canterlot. But what I want to know is how you were able to hide Cordon's ability. How exactly did you pull it off while you were around the players in Appleoosa, who had already known Cordon as an earth pony?"

Siren smiled nonchalantly, "It wasn't all that hard. Whenever we were in town, we just had Cordon wear a cloak with a hood to cover up his wings and horn. It worked pretty well, and when anybody asked about the cloak, we just told them that it was new armor. Nobody really thought twice about it."

Cross laughed a bit, "So, you just hid Cordon's wings and horn under a cloak? In that case, for all we know, Shadow could secretly be an alicorn, too." He glanced towards me and lifted up the hem of my cloak, thoroughly inspecting my side, "Well, no wings here." Cross joked.

I rolled my eyes as I shrugged Cross off, who only laughed at his joke harder.

Ignoring Cross, Soul glanced towards Siren, "Well, we don't know how exactly Cordon got this ability, but why did he get it?"

"Because, I'm the strongest in this entire game. It's only natural that got this ability."

Everyone glanced up to see Cordon flying overhead, lazily gliding above everyone as he listened to the discussion that was going on. Cordon simply smirked down towards all of us, "Well, if you're done talking about me, I'd be happy to continue by telling you all my whole life story."

Just then, Eclipse came back out of the Canterlot castle and joined our small group, "Hey, I'm back. Now that my element's locked up, what do we do now?"

I paused for a moment as I glanced around towards Eclipse, Cordon, and Siren, "Well, seeing as you three will be working with us a lot later, I think the best thing to do now is see what you can do in battle. Lexus?" I turned to the pegasus, "Do you have anything in mind that could work as a good training ground for Team Vortex, or even all of us?"

Lexus beamed, "I thought you'd never ask." He turned to Neon, "I think now would be good to bring out the spawner."

Neon grinned, "Great, you should fly ahead and get everything ready. We'll meet you there in just a sec."

Lexus nodded, "Great." He gave Neon a small kiss on the cheek, "See ya there." With that, Lexus flew off into the sky and out of sight, leaving the rest of us in silence.

Sky glanced towards Neon, "Okay... What were you two talking about?"

Neon smiled, "Don't worry. I'll explain on the way. Follow me." And so, Neon turned around and began to lead us out of the castle grounds.

However, as we began to walk, something caught my attention from the corner of my eye. As Sky trotted after Neon, Cordon suddenly lighted down next to him. Without a single moment of hesitation, Cordon swung out his front hoof low, knocking Sky's legs out from under him and making the unicorn go sprawling to the ground.

Seeing Sky trip, Cordon laughed at him in a haughty way, "Oops, my bad." Before Sky could get back up or retaliate, Cordon had already taken off again and now flew at the head of the group. Meanwhile, I helped Sky get back up to his hooves,

"Hey, you okay?"

Sky's eyes seemed to pulse with anger, which was typical for him because he hated being pushed around, "I'm fine. I just need to get Cordon back somehow."

I sighed. Cordon seemed to have a really big ego, and I really hoped that this wasn't how he acted the whole time. Otherwise, I'm sure it'd start to get on everybody else's nerves.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Soon, we were all outside of the Canterlot walls, walking behind Neon as she led us through a small forest. But while Neon led us through the forest, true to her word, she began to explain what she and Lexus had been talking about.

"It's called a monster spawner, or mob spawner for short. Like its name implies, it spawns massive amounts of monsters all at once, nonstop until it's destroyed."

I nodded, "Right, I think we all know what one is. But I'm assuming that you've actually found one?"

Neon nodded, "That's right. You see, a while ago I started joining Lexus on his early morning training sessions. It was about a week ago, but Lexus and I stumbled across one. Luckily, we were able to stop the spawner from spawning too many monsters, so we didn't have too much trouble. But on the plus side, I did gain a level in that encounter."

Soul frowned, "How exactly did you do that?"

"Well, I happened to have an item that could prevent monsters from spawning in a 50 foot radius when activated. It's called a Silver Tear."

Violet perked up at the mention of the item, "Wait, so that was the item that you had me craft in my forge. I was wondering what it did. It did take a crap load of materials to make."

Neon smirked, "Well, yeah. Right now the Silver Tear is keeping the mob spawner from spawning any monsters. After Lexus and I stopped the spawner from creating any more monsters, we hid it away thinking that we could use it later in a group training session. Turns out we were right."

Cloud laid back on top of Cross' back, lounging while everyone else walked, save for Cordon who flew in the air above us, "So, you sent Lexus to get the spawner out its hiding spot for us, right?"

Neon nodded, "Right." A small pause passed through our group before Neon spoke up, "So, Team Vortex? What's your stories?"

Eclipse raised an eyebrow, "Stories?"

"Yeah, I mean, everybody has their story of why they got trapped here in the game. For example, I came into BGO because it seemed fun. Lexus came here because of a bet he made with his cousin. Shadow and Sky came in while playing together. Dylan, ironically enough, came in on his friend's game console because Sky was using their *only* Nervegear Helmet."

Eclipse frowned, "Why are you asking us?"

"Well, Jupiter does want us to become friends. It'd help if we knew you three a bit better."

There was a small pause, but then Siren spoke, "Well, back at my home, everyone treated me like a pampered doll. They'd always offer to do favors for me, even if it was something small that I could have done easily. But to make everything worse, I was expected to act like a young lady, all 'properly mannered and frou-frou' stuff. I To be honest, it just didn't fit me. Really, I'm more of a tomboy at heart. It was like I was living in a prison. But, I thought I could act more like myself if I came to BGO. So, I bought the game." She laughed a bit, "Now look where that got me."

Eclipse was the next to speak, "Back home, I was more of a lonely guy. I didn't really have any friends, and there wasn't very many people around who wanted to be friends with me. So, I bought BGO hoping that I could make new friends here."

A long silence passed as everyone glanced up at Cordon, who was lazily gliding through the air on his back. It took the alicorn a while to notice the silence, but soon he looked down to meet our gazes,

"What? You're waiting for me to tell my story?"

Sky rolled his eyes, apparently still angry that Cordon had tripped him, "Obviously."

Cordon simply rolled his eyes as he continued to glide through the air, "Whatever. I just bought the game because it sounded fun. That's all."

Neon smiled, content with the answer, "Well, now we know more about you. Hopefully we can keep your reasons for coming into BGO in mind, so we don't offend any of you guys. But for now, we're almost to the spawner."

Right on cue, we soon came to a small grove in the forest. Right in the middle of the grove, Lexus stood next to a large black cage, about two feet tall: The mob spawner. Inside the black cage, a small fire burned dimly. But then, I noticed something sitting on top of the spawner.

It was a small, silver piece of metal. It was about a foot long, extending into a thin tear shape. As sunlight shined on the metal, it seemed to give a soft glow to its surroundings. This small piece of metal I assumed to be the Silver Tear that Neon had talked about.

Lexus, upon seeing us, waved a hoof towards us, "Hey, you guys made it!" We all reached him and gathered around him and the spawner. Lexus cleared his throat, "All right. As you can see, the spawner can't create any monsters due to the Silver Tear. But once I remove it, monsters will begin appearing all around it. It can only spawn about three monsters at a time, so it should be enough for a small group of players to take down. But that leaves the question: Who's on first?"

Feeling a moment of hilarity, Violet interjected, "So you're asking 'what's the name of the guy on first'?"

Dylan joined in, "No, What's on second." The two of them were awarded with a few laughs from everyone else, but we quickly calmed down and got back to business.

I smiled, "Right. Well, let's start with Team Vortex. That way we can see what they can do in action."

Lexus nodded, "Right." He turned to Team Vortex, "Get your weapons out, because once I take this thing off, you'll only have a second before they come after you."

Cordon hefted his ax off of his back, while Siren and Eclipse loaded arrows into their bows, "We're ready."

"Good. Everybody else get back. This is their fight." So, save for Lexus, we all stepped back behind the tree line of the grove. Lexus then placed a hoof on the Silver Tear in preparation to remove it from the spawner, "Okay, it's coming off in 3...2..1.... NOW!"

Immediately, Lexus grabbed the Silver Tear and took off to the skies above. Just then, the flames inside the spawner flared and the air around it shimmered blue as it spawned three monsters. The monsters were a minotaur armed with a giant battleaxe and two skeleton ponies armed with swords.

But then, the monsters spotted Team Vortex and instantly began to charge towards them. Cordon grinned at the oncoming enemies, "I'll take the minotaur. Siren, Eclipse, take out the skeletons and don't get in my way."

And not a moment later, the two groups clashed.

Cordon and the minotaur swung their axes at each other, the minotaur only missing Cordon by a few inches, while the alicorn delivered a massive blow to the bull-man's leg. The minotaur lost its balance from the blow and fell to one knee, just as Cordon swung his battleaxe down towards the minotaur's head. However, before the blow could hit it, the minotaur blocked Cordon's ax with his own and quickly lashed out with another swipe towards the alicorn. But Cordon was faster than his opponent, and was easily able to avoid the attack.

Meanwhile, Siren had taken to the sky and had begun to fire her crossbow at the skeleton warriors below her. Eclipse also shot at the skeletons from a distance, using his bow to fire arrow after arrow at the enemies. Only once or twice, the skeletons came close to Eclipse, but they were picked off from the sky by Siren.

But then, just as Siren tried to fire an arrow from her crossbow, the skeletons dodged her fire and charged eclipse at the same time. Eclipse was still in the middle of loading an arrow into his bow when the two monsters lashed out at him with their swords. Eclipse barely side-stepped the attack, but then his horn flared with white magic as a small bolt of magic hit the ground underneath the two skeletons.

The effect was instantaneous, as the ground suddenly began to glow and the two monsters began to float into the air, as if they were no longer affected by gravity.

I found myself very impressed, as I had never seen gravity magic before. But nonetheless, I continued to watch the fight.

Now that the two skeletons were floating helplessly in the air, Eclipse reached into his quiver and pulled out two arrows. Quickly drawing back his bow, Eclipse fired both arrows at once. The two projectiles soared through the air and both of the arrows pierced through the bones of the two skeletons. The two monsters suddenly gave one last shriek as they disappeared in bursts of blue code.

With the two skeletons defeated, Siren and Eclipse stepped off to the side, obeying Cordon's order to stay out of his way, and watched as Cordon fought the minotaur on his own.

The minotaur swung its ax at Cordon, blow after blow, but the alicorn was able to dodge every single strike the monster threw. But then, as the minotaur swung its ax from the side, Cordon powered his wings and jumped over his opponent's head. As Cordon was in the air, his ax swung down and struck through the minotaur's skull. The monster roared in rage as the alicorn landed behind him unharmed.

The minotaur, in a blind fury, swung its ax behind him towards Cordon, but the alicorn swung his ax upward. The two axes collided with each other, and the minotaur's ax was sent spinning from its grasp. With his opponent unarmed, Cordon then swung his ax around his body and into the minotaur's abdomen. The blow sliced through the minotaur's midsection and cut the monster in two, just as it burst into blue code.

Everyone gave a loud cheer at Team Vortex's impressive fight. It was clear that everyone was impressed.

Lexus grinned as he came down from the sky and placed the Silver Tear back on the mob spawner to stop any more monsters from appearing, "Wow, that was great."

Violet laughed, "But I want to know how Eclipse learned gravity magic. I know I'd have fun fooling around with that kind of magic."

"Sorry, but it's my player ability. So, I don't think you can learn it." Eclipse replied.

I stepped forward, "All right, now that Team Vortex has shown how they fight, who wants to go next?"

Violet raised his hoof, "I think it's Team Calvary's turn." He turned towards his team members, "Right, guys."

Soul grinned as he drew his swords, "I'm ready."

Neon nodded, "I'm ready to go."

But then, Dylan spoke up, "Um, guys? Is the spawner supposed to do that?"

We all turned towards the spawner to see that the flames inside were growing larger. The fire inside the small cage had reached the bars of the spawner and were now extending past them. It looked as if the whole spawner was ablaze.

I glanced towards Lexus, "Lexus, what's going on?"

Lexus shrugged, "I'm not sure. It's never done that before."

Neon suddenly gasped, "Lexus! The tear. look!"

We all glanced towards the tear to see that it had been consumed by the flames of the spawner. It didn't seem to be affected by the flames, but then a massive crack appeared on the outside of the Silver Tear.

My eyes widened in realization, "The spawner is destroying the Silver Tear." I quickly drew Inferno and my shield, "Weapons out, everyone. With this much activity from a spawner, as soon as the tear breaks, this grove is going to be filled with monsters."

Everyone quickly readied their weapons and faced the spawner. At that exact moment, the Silver Tear shattered.

Crack!

Suddenly, the whole grove lit up in blue light as the spawner created several monsters at once. Once the blue light faded, we found ourselves facing a horde of monsters, who were all guarding the spawner. There were at least twenty skeleton warriors and ten minotaurs, and there was only 12 of us. We were clearly outnumbered... But that didn't mean that we were outmatched.

I raised my sword, "CHARGE!" Our group galloped, or flew, towards the massive number of enemies. Instantly, our two forces met.

The first monster that I reached was a skeleton warrior. It lashed out at me with its sword, which I quickly parried with my own. With the skeleton opened up, I plunged Inferno into its ribs. I shouted, "Blaze!", lighting my sword while it still impaled my opponent. The flames burned through the skeleton and the monster burst into blue code. I ran forward through the opening in the horde, only to be faced with a minotaur.

Instantly, the minotaur swung its ax down at me. I sidestepped the blow and quickly slashed the minotaur through the midsection with my flaming Inferno. The minotaur, in fury, tried to retaliate against my attack, but it stopped as an arrow suddenly shot through its skull, making it burst into code.

I turned around to see that the arrow had been fired by Siren, who was in the air and loading another arrow into her crossbow. At the moment, Lexus, Siren, Cloud, and Cordon were flying above the horde and picking off enemies one by one. But the spawner was quickly replacing every enemy that they defeated, and the never ending stream of monsters continued.

I growled in frustration as I decapitated another skeleton warrior, Crap, we'll never reach the spawner at this rate. I glanced up towards the sky to see Lexus take out a minotaur with his spear. I called out to him, "Lexus. Get everyone who can fly and fly ahead to the spawner. We need to destroy that thing."

Lexus nodded, but then an arrow suddenly soared through the air and punctured through Lexus' hind leg, right at the knee. Lexus grunted in pain and quickly flew up higher as another arrow just barely missed him. I quickly glanced through the horde of monsters to see that the spawner was now spawning skeleton warriors who were armed with bows instead of swords.

I cursed to myself, "Dang it. Those archers will make it too risky to try destroying the spawner from above. It looks like we'll have to charge our way through." I glanced back towards my team mates, "Neon, Violet, I need you to behind me in a wedge shape. I'll need you both to use your magic to help cut through this horde. Sky, Cross, Soul, you three need to stay right behind Neon, Violet, and I. Keep anything that gets too close off of our backs." They all nodded and quickly got into position around me.

I glanced up to the sky, "Cloud, throw all of your bombs and create a pathway between us and the spawner."

Cloud raised an eyebrow as he quickly dodged an oncoming arrow, "All of my bombs?"

I nodded as I stabbed an oncoming skeleton through its skull, "Yes, all of them!"

Cloud nodded back, "All right, here it goes." The dragon quickly looped around through the air as he withdrew an armful of bombs from his inventory. He then flew just above us and began to scatter the bombs down to the ground as he flew towards the spawner. The resulting explosions created a small path through the horde, which was quickly being replaced as more monsters spawned.

I flared my horn, "NOW!" With that I charged forward through the small path, firing a continual stream of fire in front of me to clear the way. Behind me, off to the side, Neon and Violet followed in suit, firing their own magic to clear the way, Neon firing a stream of neon green fire and Violet firing a bolt of blue lightning. Behind us, Sky, Cross, and Soul followed along the path that we were creating, all while keeping any enemies from attacking us from the side or from our back.

We blazed a trail through the horde, not even stopping for an instant. Our force knocked the monsters that spawned in front of us to the sides, and nothing even gave any resistance. I almost found it amusing when we actually trampled over an unknowing skeleton warrior that spawned right in front of me.

But then, as we blazed our trail through the thickest part of the horde, we reached the spawner. As soon as we reached the spawner, Neon, Violet, Sky, Cross, and Soul all took up positions around me and the spawner as they fended off the monsters around us. Meanwhile, I took charge to destroy the spawner.

Immediately, I began to swing Inferno at the black bars of the spawner with all of the power that I had. Yet, despite my efforts, each blow that I dealt to the spawner only caused a few dents to appear in the bars. It was going to take me a while to break through the spawner and take out its center.

Sky called back to me warily as he fended off a minotaur, "Come on, Shadow! Would you hurry up with that spawner!"

Violet nodded grimly, "Yeah, right now would be nice!"

"Hey, I'm trying my hardest, but this thing is hard to break." I replied as I continued to barrage the spawner with several sword swipes.

But then, high above us, I heard a voice call out, "Incoming!"

I quickly glanced up to see Cordon rise into the air, his horn brightly lit with gray magic. But then, I watched as the wind around Cordon began to race around himself, centering in around his horn. The winds whipped through the air like a twister, growing faster and larger with every second that passed. But then, as the winds reached their peak, they all condensed into Cordon's horn. And as every bit of wind condensed, Cordon unleashed the gale from his horn, aiming it right at the spawner.

Now, I would have been fine with this, and I kind of wished that Cordon had done this sooner. But the fact that I didn't like was that I was basically on top of the spawner when he fired the gale.

The force of the wind was so powerful that it collided with the spawner with a large crash. The impact of the wind crushed the spawner to a pulp, but the force also threw me back, high into the air. But while I was in the air, time seemed to slow as I saw the gale knock back everyone else who had been standing around the spawner. As they were thrown, I watched as their health bars dropped drastically into the yellow zone, all of them.

A bit of panic hit me as I worried for my team mates, but I then watched as the gale took out the monsters surrounding the spawner as well. The winds were so powerful that it took out almost all of the monsters in the grove.

But then, time resumed at normal speed as I landed hard against the trunk of a tree. I grunted in pain as the tree stopped my momentum and I dropped to the hard ground below. My vision blurred and turned red as I glanced towards my health bar. I watched it drop from the green and into the yellow zone... and down into the red.

Painfully, I stood up, a thousand different thoughts running through my head at once. I looked up to see that all of the monsters had been defeated and that the spawner was now destroyed. Everyone was now gathering in the center of the grove.

Violet called out to everybody, "Is everyone all right?"

"I was all right," Lexus joked, "But then I took an arrow to the knee."

It turned out that everyone was okay, which gave me some small comfort. But then, Cordon swooped down to the ground to join our group, "Well, I believe some form of gratitude is in order for me. Who wants to buy lunch for the guy who saved everyponie's skins?"

I found myself now glaring at Cordon. I mean, what kind of guy pulls a reckless stunt like that, which almost gets me killed in the process, and then asks for some one to buy him lunch!?

I growled as I walked towards the alicorn, "Cordon, are you out of your mind? Are you so egotistical that you don't even realize that you just did something crazy to destroy the spawner, injure everyone in the area, and then ask for lunch to celebrate the fact that you almost killed me in the process?!"

Cordon simply shrugged, "You could have moved out of the way. I did say to get clear."

I ground my teeth as my anger only intensified, "All you said was, 'Incoming'. You didn't say to get clear because you were using a spell that would throw me sky high when it hit. I thought you were coming to help me destroy the spawner, not send me flying twenty feet into the air on a gust of wind."

"The moment you got here, you've been nothing be egotistical, rude, and short sighted. If you keep that up, then it'll end with you taking the life of one of your team mates." I glanced towards my team members to see their own looks of surprise, which just made me more annoyed, "Look, that's enough training for today. I'm out of here."

And so, putting my weapons away, I turned around and left the grove without another word. With how Cordon acted that day, I knew that these next few weeks around him would be torture. Hopefully I could knock some sense through that huge ego of his. And I needed to do that soon, or else... Who knows how disastrous the consequences could be.

April 10th (Raid of the Haters' Guild)

Hey, Shadowflame here. It's been a while, so I'm going to do a bit of an update as to what has happened ever since Team Vortex arrived.

Well, it's been only five days since Cordon arrived in Canterlot. But from what I recorded last time, you can probably guess that he's been nothing but a pain in the flank. Let's just say that Cordon has reached the limit of my temper, and even beyond that. I seriously don't know how Siren and Eclipse could deal with Cordon for this long.

But transitioning to more important things, the Haters' Guild has been acting up more and more in the recent weeks. There have been ambushes from the guild all over the southwest corner of Equestria. This has led all of us in the Knights of Harmony to believe that their headquarters are somewhere in that vicinity. The Haters' Guild has become an ever growing threat to every player in BGO. Due to this, Jupiter has declared it as our top priority to find the Haters and stop them before they can kill anyone else. Until then, none of the Knights of Harmony have been sent anywhere to check for signs of the other elements.

It's true that we can't search for the elements right now, but they can wait until later; The Haters' Guild, however, cannot. They've already killed over 50 players within the past month, bringing the total number of players in BGO down to 874. Once we find the Haters and lock them up, we'll be all clear to search for the other elements without anymore unwanted deaths.

However, today was a bit of a surprise. It was early in the morning when Jupiter called a full assembly of the Knights of Harmony, and we were ordered to go to the castle immediately.

I glanced behind me towards my team who followed me as we trotted up the road to the castle. Everyone was yawning as they walked, except for Lexus, who was accustomed to waking up this early. I tried my best to stifle a yawn of my own, with little success. It was 5:30 in the morning, and the sun was just barely beginning to shine some light behind the distant mountains around the city.

Sky let out another yawn, "Ugh, why is Jupiter calling us now? You know I usually sleep until 11."

I shrugged, "I don't know, but I bet it's something important."

As we reached the castle, I saw that the other teams from our guild were gathering inside the ballroom. We proceeded to make our way inside and join everyone else. Once inside, I spotted Team Calvary and trotted over to Violet Runner, with the rest of my team following behind.

I nodded to Violet, "Hey, morning. What's this assembly about anyways?"

Violet yawned loudly, "I don't know. But I just hope I can go back to bed after this is over."

Sky grunted, "Yeah, you're telling me." He glanced behind Violet, "But it looks like Dylan's got the right idea."

All three of us turned around to see Dylan standing on all four hooves, his head hanging close to the floor and emitting some quiet snores. He had actually fallen asleep standing up. I rolled my eyes in annoyance. Sky and Dylan's family were full of deep sleepers, who could fall to sleep at anytime they wanted. I guess it was some kind of gene that ran through the family. Of course, Sky wasn't part of that gene pool. He was an insomniac while his family was the polar opposite. All I can say is that their family is weird.

I shrugged, "Oh, well. Let him sleep for now, but he needs to wake up when Jupiter starts this assembly."

I felt a hoof tap on my shoulder, and I turned to see Cross (Along with Cloud, who was asleep on Cross' back.)

Cross nodded over towards the doors of the castle, "Look who's here."

I glanced over to see Team Vortex walking through the castle doors. From the look of things, I figured that they were the last to arrive. Cordon, Eclipse, and Siren all made their way over toward our group. Cordon led his team at the front as they joined us, and I glared at him coldly. I was in no mood to put up with his crap at the moment, and I wanted him to know that.

But then, Jupiter appeared from one of the castle hallways and made his way to stand in front of our guild. Meanwhile, I heard Sky behind me shake Dylan awake. Once Jupiter stood before us, he cleared his throat to address everyone,

"Good morning to you all. I should apologize for making all of you get up so early. However, this is a matter that can't wait any longer, for it is extremely crucial that we act right now."

A few mumbles and whispers exchanged throughout the crowd, all full of confusion. Jupiter continued, "You see, based from their recent attacks we know that the Haters' Guild is stationed somewhere within the Southwest corner of Equestria. We don't have a specific place as to where their headquarters could be. However, this is no longer the case, because we have found their headquarters."

I suddenly felt all of my drowsiness instantly wash away as Jupiter said that last sentence. The whole of the guild was loudly conversing with each other, unsure what to make of this new information. But Jupiter quickly quieted down everyone by stomping his hoof against the ground,

"It was a couple weeks ago that I ordered the towns in the south east to start looking for the Haters' Headquarters, but one of the scouting parties' that was sent found where they were hiding. It was a party from Ponyville and the Haters' Headquarters is inside the Everfree Forest." Before anyone could speak up, Jupiter hastily added, "And we are going to storm the Headquarters, today. We are taking the Haters as prisoners so they'll never harm another player again."

The ballroom was suddenly filled with numerous voices, ranging in all kinds of emotions. I glanced towards Sky, "I guess you won't be able to go back to bed."

Sky grinned towards me, "Naw, I don't need sleep for this. I could fight the Haters with my eyes shut."

But then, Lexus stepped forward, "Wait a minute, Ponyville is a day's travel from here. If we leave now with the entire guild, we wouldn't reach Ponyville until late afternoon. And any scout from the Haters' Guild would be able to see us coming from a mile away."

Jupiter nodded, "Yes, I'm glad you brought that up. But don't worry, I've come up with a solution to that problem." He quickly turned around, "Follow me." Jupiter then began to walk out of the ballroom and into the castle grounds, everyone else in the Knights of Harmony following behind him.

I glance towards Lexus, "What do you think Jupiter's solution is?"

Lexus simply shrugged.

But then, as we all filed out of the castle and into the yard, we all saw Jupiter's solution, even in the dim light of the rising dawn. There were three of them, and they were all larger than a regular house. They all were made of one giant balloon each, painted with a deep purple, and they all had sails, tail fins, and propellers for navigating in the air.

Cross let out a laugh, "Wow, airships. I didn't see that one coming."

Soul frowned, "Hm, I didn't think that there were airships in this game. I guess I was wrong."

Violet nodded, "Yeah, a player can either buy or make an airship for himself, but they're crazy expensive. You'd need at least 5 million bits worth of materials to even make a small one."

I looked in awe at the giant airships, "I'm guessing that these aren't the small ones. Kind of makes you wonder how much Jupiter spent on all of these."

As the whole guild looked at the spectacle of the airships, Jupiter quickly called us back to attention. But I noticed that he was now joined by three other players, all of them pegasi.

Jupiter addressed the guild, "All right. Using these airships, we'll reach Ponyville in only a matter of hours. We'll attack the Haters' Headquarters from the sky when we reach the forest. Since we only have three airships, we'll be dividing the guild into three groups: Alpha, Beta, and Delta. Each group will be in their separate airships."

"Teams Grover and Whiplash, you'll be in Group Beta. Teams Red, Mineturtle, and Victorious, you'll be in Group Delta. Teams Equitum, Calvary, and Vortex will be with me in Group Alpha."

"Now that you're in your groups, find your pilot and board your airships. And remember, do not do anything until I give the order. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!" We all replied in unison.

With that, everyone began to move around to find their airship's pilot, which were the pegasi that I had seen standing by Jupiter when he was giving out group assignments.

Soon, Group Alpha was assembled in front of Jupiter and our own airship pilot. Jupiter cleared his throat before he boarded our airships, "Group Alpha, I'd like you to meet your pilot. This is Swift Vapor, one of the best pilots in BGO."

I looked at the pilot to see that he was a gray pegasus stallion. His mane was a light red color, streaked with lime green. His cutie mark was the Online Steam symbol. He wore a pair of goggles over his eyes and a pair of hoof claws strapped to his back. His player ID read: Swift Vapor

Swift waved a hoof at us, "Hi, I can't believe that I'm actually meeting the Elements of Harmony. You see, I only joined the Knights of Harmony two days ago because Jupiter asked me to. Little did I know that I'd actually take part in something like this."

Jupiter nodded, "Well, you can all chat later when we're airborne. But for now, everybody get on board. I'd rather not leave anyone behind, but we have a schedule to keep." With that, we all boarded our airship and prepared to take off.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Everyone sat near the railing or windows of the airship as Swift began finishing preparations to take off. I sat near the navigator's station as I watched Swift flip and turn several switches and dials.

Jupiter stood nearby, talking into a small microphone to communicate with the other airship pilots, "Activate Burners!"

"Activate burners." Swift echoed the command as he continued to flip a few more dials. I glanced at towards the other airships to see that the balloons of their ships seemed to expand more with hot air.

Jupiter commanded again, "Release the landing gear in T-minus ten seconds. Ten... Nine..."

Swift placed his hoof just above a single button as he prepared to release the landing gear. "Seven... Six..."

Swift glanced towards me, "Hey, have you ever flown before?" Five... Four...

I shook my head, "Not really, on account of the fact that unicorns can't really fly." Three... Two...

Swift grinned, "Well, when you've got me as a pilot, you're in for the ride of your life." One... Release!

Suddenly, a giant scraping noise resounded from the hull of the airship, sending a small tremor through the ship. But as soon as that happened, I peered over the edge to see that the ship was beginning to float off the ground, along with the other two airships.

After a few seconds of ascending into the air, Jupiter ordered, "Activate propellers and turn port face."

I watched as Swift then pulled a few levers and then turned the massive steering wheel to the left. Instantly, the whole airship began to turn in midair.

Jupiter ordered again, "Power the propellers to full thrust. Fly in V-formation until we're above the Everfree Forest, Airship Alpha taking the lead." With everything set and the airships on route towards Ponyville, Jupiter stepped away from the microphone and turned towards Swift, "I'm going below deck to finish some work. Don't interrupt me until we're a mile away from Ponyville."

At that time, I decided to get up and explore the ship. But then, I stopped just withing earshot of Swift and Jupiter to hear this:

Swift nodded as he steered the helm of the airship, "Yes, Jupiter." The pilot then seemed to cringe a bit, "But... Are you sure that you won't reconsider my-"

Jupiter quickly cut him off, "No, Swift. I'm sorry, but you need to stay here on board the airship. Going into the Haters' Headquarters in an emotionally compromised state is too dangerous. For your safety, as well as everyone else's, you're staying on board during the raid." Jupiter then turned around and left without another word, leaving an agitated Swift behind.

I frowned to myself, What? That's weird. Does Swift have some kind of history with the Haters' Guild? I paused as I thought about it. But then, I shook the thought out of my head and I continued to explore the airship, the thought of raiding the Haters' Guild coming to my mind.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

It only took about an hour, but I explored every corner of the airship. I have to say that the ship was massive, consisting of three floors, as well as the top deck. There was about fifty rooms in total throughout the whole ship. There were living quarters for players, a small mess hall, and a few storage rooms for items. All in all, the airship could house a fairly large group of players for weeks, while still staying airborne.

Of course, it didn't really take me a full hour to search the whole ship. Half of that time I spent looking for the rest of my group. Sky and Dylan were up on deck, making final preparations for the raid. I guessed that they didn't want to take any chances during the actual fight.

Lexus and Neon were in the ship's engine room, listening to Violet go on about the fantastic structure of the whole ship. Violet was basically in paradise when he trotted into the engine room. He loved machinery and technology, and I think he was starting to bore Neon and Lexus with his explanations of the structure of the engines.

Cross, Cloud, Soul, and Eclipse were down in the mess hall, grubbing it up. I figured that they'd missed breakfast when Jupiter called the assembly earlier.

Siren was up on deck as well, looking over the deck at the ground far below. We really were a ways up in the air, higher than any pegasus could fly for too long.

That left Cordon, who I couldn't find anywhere on the ship. He must have flown off of the ship for a while, which I was fine with. He couldn't cause too much trouble when he wasn't on the ship.

Before I knew it, I found myself back on deck. I glanced around to see that the airship was flying above the clouds, which I assumed served as a cover from any Haters' scouts on the ground below. Enough time had passed since we took off from Canterlot, and now the sun was high in the sky overhead.

I looked behind the airship to see the other ships following us on either side, making a V-formation. Despite the distance between our ships, I could see the other guild members on deck, making last preparations for the raid.

But then, I glanced up at Swift, who stood at the ship's wheel, a small frown across his face. I guessed that he was still a bit angry at Jupiter, but I still didn't know why. I shrugged to myself, Now would be a good time as ever to find out. Maybe I can help.

I approached the helm and Swift say me come into view, "Oh, hey Shadow. How are you liking the ship?"

I gave a small smile, "It's great. I'm enjoying myself." I paused for a moment, "But, um... I overheard you and Jupiter talking. You seemed a bit upset when Jupiter told you to wait up on the ship. I was wondering why you were upset."

Swift shook his head, "It's nothing. It's a long story. You shouldn't worry about it."

I shrugged, "I don't mind long stories. I was just wondering if I could help."

Swift sighed, "It was about a month ago when it happened, back when the Haters' Guild's attacks began to be more frequent. I had a team up in Vanhoover. They were all my friends that I came into the game with. After Discord trapped everyone in the game, we stuck together, no matter what. We fought through the thick and thin, and we always managed to pull through."

Swift stared out towards the path of the ship, a tone of sorrow coming into his voice, "But then, we were ambushed, just outside of town.

"They came out of nowhere, picking each of us off one by one. Before any of us knew what was happening, there were only two of us left. And when the Haters came for us both, my friend sacrificed himself to let me escape. All of my friends died, all because of the Haters."

The pegasus frowned as he clenched the wheel of the ship harder, "I was the only survivor, and I want revenge. The Haters who killed my team disappeared after they attacked, and no one saw them again. But I know that they're hiding in their headquarters."

He turned towards me, "Now you see why Jupiter wants me to stay behind. He's afraid that I'll only be focused on finding one Hater in particular. Jupiter plans to arrest the Haters and throw them into the Canterlot dungeon, so that nobody dies. I disagree. They killed my friends, and they deserve to die."

I was a bit surprised as Swift finished his tale. When I first met him an hour ago, Swift seemed like a cheery guy. But now he had become the complete opposite, cold and ruthless. I felt for him, but I didn't know how to help.

I frowned, "Swift. I know how you feel, but killing the Haters to avenge your friends isn't the way to go. If they die, they die unpunished. We need to capture them and lock them away, so that when we leave this game, they can face the justice system in real life. Murder is a crime that can't be forgiven."

Swift paused for a moment, but then sighed, "I know that.... But Shadow, will you do something for me?"

I nodded, "Sure, what is it?"

Another pause, "I want you to find the Hater who lead the ambush against my team. I want you to capture him before he tries to escape. His player ID says: Orange. He's an Orange earth pony with an Orange mane and tail. And his cutie mark-"

"Let me guess, it's an orange?"

"Nope, it's a banana."

I rolled my eyes. Even the Haters were puns. I nodded, "You can count on me. If I find him, I won't stop until he's caught."

Swift smiled, "Thanks. Don't let me down."

With that, I turned around and walked back down below deck to make final preparations for the raid.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

After I had finished making my final preparations for the raid, I found myself looking over the ship's rails, gazing at the scene before me. I glanced up at the bright blue sky above me, as several clouds rolled beneath the hull of the airship. If I didn't know any better, I would have mistaken myself to be on a regular ship, just sailing on a ocean of white water. The whole scene was breathtaking, serene and peaceful. It almost made me forget that we were on our way towards one of the biggest fights of our lives.

But then, the moment was shattered as a certain gray alicorn burst out from beneath the clouds. Cordon flew right out of the clouds, right in front of me. I quickly recoiled back in shock as he flew through the air as nothing but a laughing gray blur. I quickly composed myself and watched as Cordon flew around the other airships, showing off with his flying skills.

I only rolled my eyes in annoyance, "That ego maniac."

"You know, he wasn't always like this." A voice suddenly added.

I glanced around to see that Siren was standing next to me. I raised an eyebrow, "Wait, what?"

"Cordon wasn't always like this, egotistical and short sighted. Back when Eclipse and I formed a team with him, he was actually a cool guy. He looked out for others, didn't care if he was better than anyone else, and he did what he could to help. He was one of the best team leaders you could ever find."

Siren sighed, "But then, after Cordon woke up as an alicorn, his personality gradually began to change. He went from being caring to being selfish. I saw it happen day by day, a bit ignorant about what was happening to him, until I finally saw that he wasn't the same as he was before. Within a month, Cordon went from being the most awesome guy ever to being the pony he his today."

I frowned at her, "Wait, so you're saying that Cordon's alicorn ability changed his personality?"

The pegasus paused, "Almost, but not exactly. I don't think the alicorn ability itself changed Cordon, but rather the power that came with it. An alicorn has a lot of power, and I think being able to wield that kind of power got to Cordon's head. I guess you could say that the power consumed him, turning him into what he is now."

I paused as I glanced at Cordon as he showed off to the other airships, "Why are you telling me this?"

Siren frowned, "Well, you have been going hard on him. I think its good that somebody is drawing the lines for Cordon, but maybe you're going too hard on him? I just want you to give him a chance. Maybe if you gave Cordon the opportunity, he could change for the better."

I sighed, "I don't know. Right now, I'm still wondering how you and Eclipse can even stand to be with him."

"It's because Cordon is still our friend. But will you at least promise me that you'll try to give Cordon a chance?"

I paused, "Fine. But if Cordon screws up again like he did during our first training session together, then I won't be keeping any promises."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The total trip had taken about two hours, but after that time, the small town of Ponyville came into sight. Jupiter had ordered everybody on deck, and now we were all looking at the small town in the distance.

I smirked towards Sky, who stood next to me, "Ponyville. It's been a while since we left here. It's been about two months, right?"

Sky nodded, "Yeah. When we found the Element of Courage, almost everybody left for other towns and cities. I wonder how many players stayed behind here."

I shrugged, "I don't know. But I'd guess the town's been overrun by undercover Haters by now."

Jupiter called us all to attention, speaking to us as well as the other airships through microphones, "All right, everybody. This is it. It's time to raid the Haters and bring them to justice."

All three of the airships roared with cheers and battle cries.

Jupiter continued, "The Haters' Headquarters is a large, abandoned castle in the middle of the thickest part of the forest. Here's the plan.

"Each group will take a separate path while breaching the castle. Group Alpha will come in from above, Group Beta, from the East, and Group Delta, from the west. I've contacted Isaiah, the admin in Ponyville, and he's rounded up a force of players who are still in Ponyville. They'll be attacking the castle from the north on the ground. However, their path is blocked by a drawbridge, so we'll need to release the bridge before they can come in and help us. That will Team Mineturtle's job from Group Delta.

"The pegasi from each group will be the ones to lead the charge. It's their job to take out any guards and clear the way for the airships to allow everyone else to storm the castle. Airship pilots, anchor the ships and guard the vessels with your lives. I don't want to end this raid to find that the Haters have taken one of our ships.

"Everyone else, storm the castle and capture any Hater you find. I repeat, Do Not Kill! We do not want to become murderers. That's why the Haters are our enemies in the first place. Use whatever means you can provide to immobilize them, including paralysis, freezing, slowness, and unconsciousness. Once you've immobilized a Hater, bring them back to the airship for holding. Does everyone understand?"

Everyone nodded, and Jupiter concluded, "Good. Watch each other's backs. The Haters are masters when it comes to ambushes. Who says that they won't do the same in their own territory." He glanced back towards Swift at the helm of the ship, "Take us in."

Swift nodded and began pulling multiple levers and dials. Instantly, the airship began to descend out of the sky, racing fast towards the Everfree Forest below us. Soon, all three of our guild's airships were flying fifty feet above the treetops, flying on route towards the abandoned castle that the Haters called their headquarters.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Ezekiel raced through the interior of the Haters' Headquarters, a frown firmly apparent in his expression. Their scouts had just spotted three airships coming from Canterlot, and their were on route for the Haters' hideaway. Ezekiel, being one of the main officers in the guild, it was his job to inform the leader of the guild about the oncoming attack.

Finally, Ezekiel found himself standing before the guild master's door. Slowly, he opened the door with a hoof and walked inside. The room inside was dimly lit, yet anybody could still see the massive size of the chamber. The entire room was empty, save for a single table. On the table was a chess board, untouched and set to start a new game. Behind the table sat the leader of the Haters' Guild.

She was a light gray unicorn mare, her mane and tail a blank white color. Her cutie mark was a scattered assortment of black chess pieces, one of every type of piece, except for a queen. Off to her side laid a single tower shield, her only weapon. Her player ID read: Chess Queen.

Ezekiel approached Chess Queen, "Queen, three airships left Canterlot and they're now on their way here. It must be Jupiter along with the Knights of Harmony. They must have found out where we've been hiding. We're about to be in the middle of a raid."

Chess Queen didn't seem phased. She chuckled, "It seems that Jupiter has finally caught up to us." She glanced up at Ezekiel, "Go tell everyone to be ready for battle. We'll need to hold off their forces for as long as possible. But before then, I have a job for you, Ezekiel."

"Yes, Queen?"

"As I understand it, you and Shadowflame have a history in this game. His team was the only one that has ever survived any attack from you. You have never left any survivors, save for Team Equitum. With this fact, I believe Shadow will recognize you instantly out of everyone in here.

"As soon as the Knights of Harmony breach our castle, I want you to find Shadowflame and lead him to me. You may bring along anyone else who chooses to follow, but I would like to speak to the Element of Courage before anything happens to him. And then, I'll let you kill the survivors that you missed."

Ezekiel nodded, "Yes, Queen." He then turned around and galloped out of the room, leaving Chess Queen in the dim light.

Chess Queen glanced down at the chess board before her, "Well, Jupiter. The game has begun. And for my first turn, I've sent my knight out to the front lines." As she spoke, she picked up her right knight and placed it in front of her pawns. "Your turn, Jupiter."

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A/N: Hey everyone. Since this is a large fight scene, I'm giving you all the opportunity to make reading this next part even more epic by adding in background music. Remember, this is optional, and you don't have to use background music if it would distract you from reading. Thanks,

-Shadowflame

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Soon, the black towers of the Haters' castle came into view. The tension in the air was thick as everyone drew their weapons to prepare for the castle breach. I drew Inferno and my shield, and I glanced around at the rest of my group to see that they were ready to fight as well.

Jupiter drew his own sword as we came nearer to the black towers, each of the airships splitting off to enter through their designated areas of the castle, "Pegasi! Charge!"

Instantly, Lexus, Siren, and Cordon leaped over the edge of the airship, spreading their wings in flight as they dove down towards the courtyard of the castle.

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Back in Chess Queen's room, the mare watched as one of the white pawns began to tremble slightly, but then moved forward two spaces.

Queen smirked, "It seems that my enchanted chess board never lies. So, Jupiter, you've sent your pawns out first ahead of you. Wise decision. But now it's my turn to advance my pawns." She picked up one of her pawns and moved it two spaces forward, one space diagonal of the white pawn. "Let's see just what you're strategy is, Jupiter."

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We all watched as Cordon, Lexus, and Siren dove down towards the courtyard of the castle. Down in the courtyard, I spotted two Haters, who had their weapons ready to meet our attack. However, Cordon reached the first of the two and quickly took him out by slamming the flat of his battleaxe against his enemy's head. The Hater fell unconscious as he was thrown through the air by the massive blow.

The second Hater was taken out in a similar manner by Lexus and Siren. Soon, both of the Haters laid unconscious on the courtyard ground. Cordon, Lexus, and Siren all stood on the ground, keeping the area clear of any attackers.

Meanwhile, Jupiter turned to Swift, "Take us down."

The pegasus nodded, flipped a few levers and switches and the airship began to descend into the courtyard. Soon, the airship touched down onto the earth, and everyone began jumping down to the ground. Meanwhile, Swift released the ramp leading onto the airship, allowing players to board the ship again.

Once on the ground, Lexus ran up to Jupiter, "Where do we keep these two?" He asked, pointing a hoof towards the two unconscious Haters.

Jupiter glanced at Lexus, "Take them to the lower deck and bind them with some ropes." Lexus nodded and proceeded to do so.

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Chess Queen watched as her pawn that she had moved forward suddenly get knocked away as the white pawn moved forward into its place. The black pawn then rolled off of the board and righted itself off to the side.

Queen frowned. If her pawn had been killed, the piece would have disappeared into ash. This could only mean one thing. "So, Jupiter. You plan to capture all of us? Interesting technique. But now, its time to play for real."

Gingerly, Queen picked up her next pawn and moved it forward as the game continued.

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Suddenly, as our group stood in the middle of the courtyard, at least a dozen of Haters exited the castle, weapons drawn in attack. I yelled to my group, "Here they come!"

We instantly formed our ranks to meet the oncoming force, and then, our two groups collided.

I fought off every Hater that came too close to me or my team mates. I would give a few quick jabs with my sword at each of them, just barely bringing down their health bars. This wasn't lethal and it distracted them while my team mates used their own methods to paralyze or immobilize the Haters.

In the midst of the fighting, I suddenly remembered the promise that I had made to Swift. I frowned, "I have to find Orange." I stepped away from the front line of attackers and began to glance around in search of Orange.

But then, I spotted the Orange pegasus up in the air, flying as he fought one on one against Lexus. Now that I had found him, I just needed to knock him back down to the ground. I charged my horn with magic, a few stray flames beginning to flicker off of my forehead. And then, I released the spell, sending a giant whip of fire arching through the air above Orange.

The orange pegasus, as well as Lexus, were shocked by the sudden appearance of this huge line of fire. But neither had a chance to react as I whip-lashed my neck downward, causing my whip of fire to crack down against Orange, sending him plummeting to the ground.

I quickly galloped towards the spot where Orange had landed to see that he now laid in a crumpled heap, his health bar only down into the yellow zone. Upon seeing me, Orange tried to lash out with his weapon (Which apparently was a sword that was shaped like a banana). I quickly parried the sword and knocked it out of his hoof, bringing the tip of Inferno down about an inch from his throat.

I glared at Orange, remembering the deaths that he had caused, "Hey, Orange. Swift Vapor sends his regards!" With that, I withdrew my sword and slammed my shield down against the orange pegasus' face, knocking him unconscious.

With Orange unconscious, I picked the pegasus up with my magic (Which was fairly easy to do, seeing as they needed to be lightweight in order to fly). With Orange in my hold, I carried him up to the airship and up onto the deck of the ship.

Swift, upon seeing me, let out a sudden gasp as he saw that I now carried Orange with me. I dropped the orange pegasus in front of Swift's hooves, "I'll leave him to you. I trust you enough not to kill him."

Swift paused for a moment in awe, but then he nodded, "Alright. You better get back down there and help the others."

I nodded and turned around, about to leap over the edge of the ship to join back into the fight. But before I could, another orange blur pierced through the air and landed right in my path. I looked up to see another orange pegasus, but this one had a red mane. My eyes widened as I recognized as I recognized this particular Hater, his sword and shield held in both hooves.

I glared as I pointed my weapons towards him, "Ezekiel."

Ezekiel smirked at me, "So, you remember me. I must say, it's been a while, Shadow."

I lunged at Ezekiel with my sword, only for it to be parried away by the Hater. He quickly countered with a swipe of his sword but I brought up my shield to deflect the blow. But as Ezekiel's sword was deflected by my shield, he crashed into my shield with his own, causing me to stumble backwards.

I cringed, He's using the same techniques as last time... But if that's true, then that means. I glance up just in time to see Ezekiel catch the bottom rim of my shield with the tip of his blade, sending it up above my head. I was ready for this and I brought Inferno down as Ezekiel tried to strike me with his sword. My quickly deflected the blow and I countered with a quick swipe towards Ezekiel's hind legs.

The blow connected with the Hater's legs and Ezekiel quickly took a step back out of range, his hind legs scarred by a line of red code. Ezekiel glanced down at the small wound that I had produced, "Hm, it seems you've gotten stronger since the last time we've met. You Knights of Harmony only came here to arrest us and lock us away, but you've forgotten one key detail." The pegasus quickly stretched his wings, "You'll never catch me!"

With that, I watched as Ezekiel quickly took to the sky and flew back inside the castle. I glared at Ezekiel as I galloped after him, "I can't let him escape. I need to catch him now, or else I'll never find him again."

I leaped off of the airship and back to the ground. I then spotted Sky and Lexus as they fought off a few Haters. Seeing as it wasn't a smart decision to follow Ezekiel alone, I called out to them, "Sky, Lexus, follow me!"

They glanced towards me and nodded. I turned and galloped into the castle, Sky and Lexus following me from behind.

As we ran through the corridors, I could hear Ezekiel's voice echo through the halls, "You'll never catch me!"

But that's not the only thing I heard. I could also hear the sounds of more fight coming from every end of the castle. It seemed that our guild was just as large as the Haters' Guild. It seemed that we were all equally matched. I shook the thought out of my mind, refocusing my efforts on trying to catch Ezekiel.

But then, as Sky, Lexus, and I rounded a corner, we spotted Ezekiel as he opened a door and entered the room inside. I turned towards my team mates, "Keep your eyes open. For all we know, he could be leading us into a trap."

Sky nodded, "Don't worry, I've got your back."

Lexus nodded, "Let's go."

I turned and all three of us galloped to the door that Ezekiel had entered through. I opened the door with my magic and walked in, Inferno pointed right in front of me.

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Chess Queen moved her knight back a few spaces, retreating it back to stand beside her queen. As soon as she did, Ezekiel came running into the room.

Ezekiel quickly ran up beside Queen, "He's on his way, along with two of his team mates."

Queen said nothing as she watched as the white pieces on her board took their turn. Suddenly, the white knight began to tremble, but then it moved forward, closer to the black queen piece. Queen grinned as at that exact moment Shadow and his team entered the room.

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As my team and I walked into the room, we saw that the lighting was extremely dim, but we could still make out every detail of the room. But then, we spotted Ezekiel standing in the middle of the room, just beside somebody else.

She was a light gray unicorn, with a long white mane. Her player ID read: Chess Queen. She sat behind a table, and on the table sat a chess set.

The mare chuckled lightly as she watched us enter the room, "So, this is Shadowflame, the Element of Courage. I've been anxious to meet you."

I frowned at her, "Who are you?"

She laughed, "Normally, I don't reveal my identity. But I'll make an exception for you and your team mates. I am Chess Queen, the leader of the Haters' Guild. I am their leader, their strategist, and their queen."

April 10th (The Chess Game)

Sky, Lexus, and I all stood with our weapons ready for any fight. Just in front of us, Chess Queen sat behind her chess set, Ezekiel standing to her side.

The room we were in was massive, similarly structured as a throne room. There were only three doors in this room, the one we had come in through, and two other ones on opposite ends of each other off to the side.

Sky stepped forward towards the Haters before us, "We've taken your castle, and you have no where else to run. Surrender now, or else we'll have to drag you both out of here."

But at that same moment, I watched as one of the white bishops on Queen's chess board moved forward.

Chess Queen noticed this as well and simply chuckled, "So, you must be Darkened5ky, right hand man of Shadow, and one of the strongest warriors in this game. I must say that it's surprising that you're also the bishop in this game."

Sky glanced towards me with a confused expression, which I only shrugged back. Meanwhile, Queen continued as she moved one of her black pawns on the chess board, "In the real world, a bishop or priest were the ones that people went to for protection against demons and evil spirits. Some people would call it the power of god, while others looked upon it as magic. Though, I must say it is ironic that you are the one who uses the least amount of magic in combat than the rest of your team does."

Lexus stepped forward, "What are you rambling on about?"

At the same time, one of the white rooks moved forward on the chess board. Queen smirked, "I'll tell you in a second, for I know who you are. Lexus, the non-brony who joined Team Equitum for the first boss battle, and bearer of the Element of Honesty. It seems that you are the Rook."

I frowned, Why is she calling us different chess pieces?

Queen smirked at us as she moved one of her bishops on the board, "Rooks, or what other people may call castles, were used as fortresses for many people. They were places where a damsel in distress was hidden to be saved from a dragon." She chuckled, "Of course, in your case, Lexus, you protect your damsel from a hydra."

The mare continued, "And I won't forget about you, Shadowflame. You are the knight. The knights are the ones that lead the charge against the enemy. They are the ones that are sent by their king to defeat their enemies."

I frowned at Chess Queen, "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Don't you see? You are nothing more than pawns in this game. At the start of every chess match, the knights or the pawns are the first to be sent to fight, though they aren't expected to survive. Then afterwards, the rest of the pieces are used to outsmart the enemy and trap the king in checkmate. This means that you, Shadow, are being sent in to die in this game first by none other than your own king, otherwise known as Jupiter."

I felt my magical grip on my weapons tighten, "No. Jupiter is my friend. He only makes the decisions that allows everyone to survive."

Queen only chuckled, "But not everyone survives, do they? I'm sure you remember what happened to Rex."

I glared at her with fury at the mention of Rex, "Shut up! He didn't die while fighting. That was murder from Discord. You've been killing everyone off in the exact same way for months now. Why are you doing all of this?"

Queen smirked at me, "Well, first you should know that I wasn't originally a hater before. I was actually a pegasister that wanted to be here. Of course, I joined the Haters because they were the most likely to win."

Lexus glared at her, "That's not true. We've already collected five of the elements."

"But how much have you lost in the process?" Queen asked, "Face it, you'll never win because you have two enemies to fight against. On the other hand, we Haters only have one enemy: You."

"Well, that's going to change today." I replied, "Blaze!" Inferno instantly lit up in flames as my ability took effect.

Queen smirked at me and my team, "Foolish pawns. Did you forget that I am the queen? I have pawns of my own." Suddenly, her horn began to glow and two large bodies of blue code appeared between us and her.

The bodies of code began to condense in size, but then the code disappeared, revealing a unicorn to her left and an earth pony to her right.

The unicorn was dressed in a magicians robe, and had no weapons in sight. The earth pony was dressed in full, pitch black armor, a long sword and a shield strapped to its back. Neither of them had player ID's, but just above each of them there was a health bar and a small line of text: If they didn't have Player ID's, then that meant that they weren't players at all, just NPC's.

Queen laughed as her minions appeared before us, "As you can see, I'm a summoner. I can summon my own personal army at will. Allow me to introduce you to my pawns, the Mage and the Dark Knight." She released a small chuckle, "Let's see if you three can handle my pawns and my knight." She glanced towards Ezekiel beside her, "Ezekiel, it's time to redeem yourself."

Ezekiel grinned as he drew his sword and shield, "Gladly." Instantly, he flapped his wings and took up position between me and Queen. The Mage and the Dark Knight took up positions on either side of Ezekiel, ready for battle.

Meanwhile, Sky and Lexus took their positions beside me. Sky glanced towards me, "Don't worry about the pawns. Lexus and I will take care of them. Ezekiel will most likely go after you, so you'll need to take care of him."

I nodded, "Good. See if either of you can reach Chess Queen. We can't let her summon any more pawns."

There we stood, facing each other. By following the gazes of our opponents, it was clear concerning who was going to fight who: Me against Ezekiel, Sky against the Dark Knight, and Lexus against the Mage.

I brought my sword up to face Ezekiel, "All right, let's do this."

And then, we converged.

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Yay, more background music. I mainly got good reviews about the background music from last chapter, so you'll be sure to see it more often. Alright, you know the drill. The background music is optional.

Youtube Video

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Ezekiel's blade crashed against my shield, causing me to be pushed back quite a ways. But before I could counter his attack, the Hater began to strike against my shield with several blows from both sword and shield, moving faster than I could have anticipated.

I cursed to myself as I hid behind my shield from every strike Ezekiel dealt towards me, Crap, if this is his normal speed, then he must have been holding back when we fought on the airship. That means he only fought me to get my attention. He was leading me right into this, and I fell for it.

Meanwhile, as I was busy cursing my own stupidity, I could see the two other fights in the room out of the corner of my eye.

Sky was busy dealing with the Dark Knight, who was armed with a sword and a shield. Due to his speed and the lack of armor to burden him, Sky was naturally the first to strike against his opponent. However, each time Sky attacked the knight with a flurry of strikes from his dual blades, the knights armor would protect him from most of the dealt damage. This meant that Sky could only chip away a tiny bit of the knight's health bar.

Meanwhile, the knight would only see Sky's blows as a minor annoyance and would instantly try to hack away the unicorn with a crushing blow from its sword. Sky would block the knight's strike, which would slide him back a few feet, but then he would immediately keep slashing his swords against the cold, black armor.

Lexus, who was busy dealing with the Mage on the other side of me, wasn't in any better shape. The Mage would cast spell after spell at the pegasus, who did his best to fly out of the way. Lexus was able to dodge almost every spell that was fired at him, but whenever he tried to fly closer to the Mage, the unicorn would fire a pulse of magic that would push back Lexus, bringing his health meter down slightly.

I cringed as I saw the situation we were in, We won't be able to keep this up. We need to change this fight before Chess Queen can summon any more minions. I continued to hold my grip on my shield as Ezekiel continued to hammer away at my shield, trying to get past my only form of defense.

But then, I got an idea.

I frowned at the idea. It wasn't the best one I've ever had, but it was the only one I had. I took a deep breath, Well, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. And then, in between one of Ezekiel's continuous strikes, I pulled my shield back, flipped it so it was parallel to the floor, and then threw it like a frisbee, right towards Ezekiel's face.

As soon as my shield left my magical grip, I felt a sudden pain come from my chest as Ezekiel slashed his sword across it. I winced at the pain, but luckily my cloak served as a weak armor and the blow only reduced my health bar by 1/4th. But my pain was rewarded as I watched Ezekiel's eyes widen as he saw my Kite Shield fly out of my grip and right between his eyes.

Immediately, I received a satisfying *CLUNK* as my metal shield connected with Ezekiel's head, causing the Hater's eyes to roll to the back of his head as he fell back against the ground unconscious.

With Ezekiel taken care of, I turned my attention towards Lexus and the Mage. I turned to see that the Mage was occupied with trying to hit Lexus with all of its magic power, which meant the unicorn wasn't aware that I was coming after him next.

I flared my horn and a stream of fire shot out from my horn, right towards the Mage. Unfortunately, the Mage's defense against magic was fairly high, so my spell caused very little damage. However, the force of my spell was powerful enough to push the Mage backwards, knocking him off balance.

I yelled towards Lexus, "Take him out!" Instantly, the pegasus looped back around in midair, heading straight for the off balanced Mage with his spear ready. As soon as Lexus reached the unicorn, he began to fly in circles around the disoriented mage, slashing away at the minion continuously with the tip of his spear. The Mage's health bar dropped dramatically as Lexus continued to ruthlessly take him down. And then, when the Mage's health was in the red zone, Lexus flew a small loop in the air, only to come crashing back down into the unicorn, his spear stabbing into his opponent's chest.

The Mage let out one final grunt as it's health bar emptied and it burst into blue code. Now, only the Dark Knight remained, who was still fighting against Sky. I turned to Lexus, "Hold off Chess Queen. Make sure she doesn't spawn any more minions."

Lexus nodded and flew towards Queen. Meanwhile, stepped in beside Sky with only Inferno in my grasp, lighting up the dim room with the flames coming off of it's blade.

Sky glanced towards me as I joined in next to him, just barely dodging another swing of the knight's sword, "This guy's armor is as strong as heck. I can't find any way to deal any real damage."

I frowned as I observed the knight's black armor, jumping out of the way as he swung at both me and Sky with his sword. But then, I had another idea. (And no, it did not involve me throwing my sword at him, like I did with my shield for Ezekiel.)

I glanced towards Sky, "Well, you know what? This armor reminds me off that old dutch oven we used for camp outs."

Sky paused for a moment, but then realization dawned on him as he glanced towards my flaming sword, "Okay, I'll distract him. Once you have an opening, light him up."

With that, Sky leaped forward at the knight, swords drawn and ready to strike. The knight slashed downwards at the oncoming unicorn, but Sky was easily able to sidestep the strike. But then, the knight slashed his sword sideways at Sky, and the unicorn blocked the blow with both of his swords. Taking one of his swords underneath the knight's blade, Sky then struck the knight's sword upwards, knocking the enemy off balance and giving me the opportunity to strike.

Immediately, I lunged forward towards the knight's exposed chest and stabbed Inferno through his chestplate. As I had expected, the knight's health bar didn't drop very much, but then I flared my magic, making the flames that covered my sword larger while my blade was inside the knight.

In BGO, earth ponies don't have a lot of natural defense against magic and spells, even with armor. But in this case, it was being inside the armor that was killing the knight, as the flames of my sword roasted the earth pony in his protective coverings.

Instantly, the knight's health bar dropped down to zero and he disappeared into blue code.

With the last of Queen's minions dealt with, Sky and I turned our attention towards the leader of the Haters' Guild. We both turned to see Lexus trying to land any sort of hit on Chess Queen with his spear, but the unicorn still sat behind her chess board, defending any attack coming towards her by levitating her tower shield between her and the oncoming strikes.

Lexus, agitated by the fact that he couldn't get past Queen's shield, flew straight into the barrier with all of his weight, but he was thrown back as Chess Queen used her shield as a paddle and smacked the pegasus away from her. Lexus landed with a grunt against the floor before Sky and I, and we quickly helped him get back onto his hooves.

Meanwhile, Queen placed her shield beside her again, literally laughing at me and my team, "I see all of my pawns weren't lying when they called you three the best fighters in BGO. But I'm afraid that all of your efforts are in vain, for I have already gained the upperhand, or should I say upperhoof, in this game of ours." She began to move one of her black bishops on her chess board, "I've captured one of your pawns, or should I say, two of your comrades." As she spoke, she moved her bishop into one of the white pawns on the board, placing the captured pawn to the side of the board.

Suddenly, one of the side doors opened and two unicorns stepped through and entered the room. But then, my team all gasped as they saw who they were dragging behind them.

In the magical grip of the Hater unicorns, two players were dragged into the room and then placed on either side of Chess Queen. The first was a purple pegasus mare with a pink mane and a crossbow on her shoulder. The other prisoner was a white unicorn with a black spiked mane and a bow and quiver of arrows strapped over his shoulders. I couldn't believe it. The Haters had captured Siren and Eclipse.

I glanced towards Eclipse and Siren where they laid, making eye contact with both of them. They both seemed worried, angry, and scared at the same time, panic written across their features. Their health bars were both completely full, but there was a small yellow mark to the side of their health bars: The symbol for paralysis.

I glared towards Chess Queen and the other two Haters, Dang it. They must have paralyzed both of them during the fight outside.

Queen let out another chuckle, "I have a proposition for you three. Join my army of Haters and I will spare these two. But if you refuse, or even try to take them from me by force..." Suddenly, the two unicorns holding onto Siren and Eclipse both pulled out a short black dagger and held them inches away from the necks of their hostages, "... We'll kill them."

Sky glared at Queen, "Let them go, now!"

The mare only chuckled, but then she was cut short as the door behind me and my team was suddenly blown off of its hinges. I quickly whipped my head around to see the large figure of Cordon standing in the doorway, anger and rage clearly written on his face, "No one captures my team members and gets away with it."

The gray alicorn flapped his wings and took up position in front of me and my team, "Release them, NOW!"

Chess Queen smirked, "Ah, Cordon, the new alicorn in town. Leader of Team Vortex and one of the newest recruits into the Knights of Harmony. My, this is a pleasant surprise. I know that you're anxious to save your team members, but I must warn you: Take another step or wing-flap forward, and they'll both die.

"You see, the knives that my pawns hold are very special and very rare. They are both poisoned blades and a single prick from one of them will for sure kill a player in 5 seconds, quick enough to kill any player and no hope for recovery."

We all gasped, except for Cordon. He was too determined to get his team members back, "Release them before I come over there and kick your trash."

Queen ignored him, "So, what will it be? Either join my guild, or watch your friends die right in front of you."

Cordon growled at Queen, "Why I oughta..." He was about to run forward, but he was stopped as I grabbed his tail in between my teeth and pulled him back.

I shot the alicorn a glare, "No, Cordon. Don't! You'll get both of them-" Cordon flapped his wings and took to the air, ignoring me completely. As soon as Cordon took off, heading straight for Queen with his battleaxe, I watched in horror as the two unicorns holding Eclipse and Siren captive plunged the tips of their knives into their throats.

"...Killed."

The five second kill time of the poisoned knives began, and the health bars of their victims began to quickly deteriorate.

5...

Time seemed to slow down as I reacted. I glanced towards my team mates as I ran towards Siren, "Guys, help Eclipse!"

4...

I saw the Hater standing over Siren's dying body, and a certain rage lashed out inside me. I held the handle of my flaming sword like a spear and threw it point first at the Hater.

3...

The tip of my blade stabbed through the Hater and he was thrown back against the ground from the force of the projectile. I knew the blow wouldn't kill him, but it would give me enough time to save Siren. I ran up next to Siren's dying body, pulling up my player's menu.

2...

I frantically opened up my inventory, searching through all of my items for an antidote. But then, I found it and quickly tapped the item icon with a hoof and it appeared in my grip.

1...

I quickly opened the stopper of the potion and poured the liquid down into Siren's mouth. Luckily, Siren was still somewhat conscious and she swallowed the liquid.

0...

I paused as I glanced towards Siren's health bar. It had stopped in the red zone, only a tiny sliver of health remaining. I breathed a sigh of relief as I began to fish through my inventory for a health potion, "Oh, thank goodness. I just made it in time."

I quickly pulled out a health potion and gave it to Siren, to which the pegasus thanked me for it, her paralysis status now gone.

I turned towards where Eclipse laid, to see that Lexus and Sky had managed to save him just in time as well.

But then, my attention turned towards Cordon and Chess Queen. Apparently, the sheer force of Cordon's strikes had caused Chess Queen to abandon her place behind her table, and now her chess board and its many pieces were scattered across the floor. Now the two were fighting on foot, Chess Queen defending herself with her tower shield as Cordon hammered away at it with his battleaxe.

But then, after only a few seconds, Cordon struck the shield one last time, the protective barrier's endurance ran out and it shattered into blue code, leaving Chess Queen defenseless.

Queen fell to the floor as her shield disappeared, and Cordon held his ax steady above her, ready to strike again if it was necessary. However, despite her predicament, Queen only laughed, "So, it has come to this. You risked the lives of your own team members to defeat me. I suppose now it's safe to say that you've captured me."

Cordon showed a hint of satisfaction, "You're little game of chess is over."

Queen only smirked at him, but then glanced towards me, "In every game, the round isn't over until the king is defeated. As I told you before, I am the queen, not the king. This game has only begun, and it will never end until the king is defeated."

I glared at her, "Who is the king then?"

The mare laughed, "You'll just have to find out who it is on your own." She paused for a moment, glancing around the room. But then, she let out a small chuckle, "And while you're at it, you might as well try to find my knight. It seems that he fled during all of the action."

I frowned, "Knight?" But then, realization hit me, "Ezekiel!" I glanced around the room, and sure enough, the pegasus was gone.

Suddenly, the doors of the room burst open and several members of The Knights of Harmony began to file into the room, only to see the sight before them. Jupiter soon stepped out of the crowd of players.

He walked up beside Cordon, standing just before Chess Queen. Queen smiled as she saw the head admin, "Ah, Jupiter. You don't know how nice it is that you could join us. Too bad you couldn't have seen your pawns fight against me. Typical that a king like you would cower near the back of the game board while your forces did all of the dirty work for you."

Jupiter remained emotionless, "Chess Queen, due to the crimes and acts of murder that your guild has committed, I am placing you and your guild under arrest." He turned towards the other players in the room, "Take them away."

Two players then picked up Chess Queen between them and began to walk her out of the room. But as they walked out, they passed by me and Chess Queen shot me a small smirk, "I'm guessing your bishop hasn't fully uncovered the power he holds."

I frowned at Queen in confusion, but she laughed before I could say anything, "Don't worry, it won't be long before he discovers it."

With that, the players hauled her and the other Haters away. With everyone beginning to head for the airships, every Hater captured and bound on the ships. But first, shaking off the small moment of confusion that Chess Queen had given me, I retrieved my weapons and ran back to the ships with the rest of my group.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The flight back to Canterlot from the Everfree Forest was only about two hours, but to me, as well as everyone else, it seemed like an eternity. Sure we captured almost every Hater from the Haters' Guild, but a few Haters had managed to escape, including Ezekiel. I also ventured a guess that there were a few small teams of Haters who weren't at the Guild's Headquarters when we had attacked.

And to make matters worse, we had lost two of our guild members in the fight. They had been killed in action, but I couldn't help but think, We almost lost four, two of which were my closest friends.

My gaze wandered over to where Cordon stood on the deck of the ship, Cordon risked the lives of his own team members, and they were too close to dying before I acted. What if I hadn't been able to save Siren? What would've happened if Eclipse and Siren had died?

But then, the familiar words of Rex echoed through my mind, "Make the choices that you need to, so that the ones you fight alongside survive. Don't ever forget that."

I sighed to myself, I made a promise to do what I could to save everyone. If I'm going to still abide by that promise, then one thing's for certain: Cordon needs to leave.

But then, we arrived at Canterlot and the airships landed in the castle's courtyard, just as the sun was beginning to descend towards the horizon. Ramps lowered from the ships and everyone began to escort all of the Hater prisoners out of the ships and into the castle dungeons. Meanwhile, I began to walk down the ramp and off of the ship, Cordon not too far ahead of me with his team.

I took a deep breath. Crazy enough as it seemed, I was about to pick a fight with an alicorn. Here it goes.

I stopped and shouted forward, "Cordon!"

Cordon stopped in his tracks and turned around to face me, "Yeah, what do you want?"

I glared at him, "Back at the Haters' Guild, you almost caused the death of both of your team members because of your reckless actions. I've held back and given you several chances for you to improve, but you haven't proven to me that you can change and take everyone else into account when you fight. Now, I can't stay back and watch while you constantly put everyone into further danger. I won't let your actions kill anyone else. I want you to leave the Knights of Harmony immediately."

Cordon scoffed at me, "Are you crazy? Why would I leave? I'm not that big of a problem to you am I? Besides, my team would never let me leave." He glanced towards Eclipse and Siren, "Right?"

The two of them seemed hesitant to reply, but then, Siren spoke, "Cordon, I hate to admit it, but Shadow might have a point. You have been acting a bit reckless, and... I almost died because of it."

Eclipse nodded, "You're our friend, Cordon. But you haven't been acting like Cordon we knew before, back before everyone knew you were an alicorn. But, maybe if you listened to reason-"

Cordon snapped at the unicorn, "Oh, so you're both siding with him?" He pointed a hoof towards me, "Fine, be that way." He turned back towards me, pulling out his battleaxe in the process, "You want me to leave, right? Well, I'm not leaving without a fight."

I paused for a moment, but then I realized that there was only one way to truly make Cordon leave forever, "Cordon, I challenge you to a duel."

I could hear several gasps come from the group of onlookers that surrounded me and Cordon. Cordon glared at me, "What are your terms?"

"If I win, I want you to leave Team Vortex, leave the Knights of Harmony, and never return."

Cordon's glare turned into a vicious grin, "Fine, but if I win, I want you to leave your team and the Knights of Harmony. And in addition to that, you will give me your Element of Harmony: The Element of Courage."

I hesitated for a moment, Crap, that's a large price... But then, I nodded towards Cordon, ... But it's one I'll have to take if I want to keep everyone safe.

I opened my players menu and went to the duel page, hitting the button, "Initiate Duel."

Over where Cordon stood, I saw a duel request appear in front of him and he accepted. Once he accepted, the duel counter appeared above both of us and began to count down from a minute.

I drew my sword and shield while Cordon wielded his ax. Behind me, I heard Sky and the rest of my team shouting towards me,

"Are you crazy?"

"Shadow, don't! That's suicide!"

"Have you seen Cordon fight? One hack from his ax and you're dead!"

I glanced behind me towards them, "Sorry, guys. But this is something that I have to do." I turned back towards Cordon, holding my shield between me and him. If anything, Cordon would be the first to strike.

The timer continued to count down:

10...

9...

8...

7...

6...

I took another deep breath, "No backing down. I need to win this."

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

The counter's bell chimed, "START!"

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A/N: Alright, I know we already had background music this chapter, but this particular fight scene is one that I want to be read with music. So, if you are a fast reader and the last track hasn't finished playing, you can either wait for it to be over, or go back and hit the pause button on the video. And then, start this track.

Again, background music is optional.

Youtube Video

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As I had expected, Cordon was the first to strike as he flew straight at me with blinding speed. I barely had enough time to raise my sword in shield in front of me to brace the sheer force of the attack. And even then, the momentum of Cordon's lunge drove us both back quite a few feet.

Once we had both stopped sliding, I lashed out with Inferno, taking a swipe towards Cordon's chest. But the alicorn quickly brought up the hilt of his ax and blocked my sword. Cordon jumped away from me with a flap of his wings, his horn glowing with green aura. I quickly lit my horn in anticipation of any magical attack.

But then, Cordon fired a huge gale of wind from his horn, directing it down towards me. In return, before the wind reached me, I fired a raging inferno of flames towards the oncoming gust. Our two magical forces collided with each other and began a frantic contest for power as we both tried to overcome the other's spell.

While Cordon and I were unaffected, everyone else who were watching were not. I continued to fee my magic power into my spell as I briefly glanced around to see every onlooker begin to run for cover. But they all still stayed close enough to watch the rest of the duel.

But as my magic meter reached half full, Cordon's gale of wind ceased and the alicorn came flying over my wave of fire, battleaxe raised to strike. Ending my continuous stream of fire, I jumped out of the way as Cordon came crashing to the ground where I last stood. Recovering as quickly as he had struck, Cordon turned towards me and began to throw blow after blow with his battleaxe, each one as quick as the last.

I parried, I blocked, I avoided almost every strike that Cordon threw at me. Once I found the right opportunity in between his attacks, I would squeeze in a small jab with my sword and bring his health bar down bit by bit. But I didn't dodge every hit, and Cordon's ax would nick or scratch me, but they weren't any solid blows.

I started to breathe hard as I continued to fight against Cordon's endless attacks. I was starting to tire out, Ugh, I knew he'd be tough, but at least he hasn't landed a solid hit on me yet.

Cordon swung his ax across, which I blocked with my sword and shield. The resulting force sent me back a foot, but I jumped back towards Cordon to continue the fight.

There's one difference between Cordon and me: I can't lose! If I lose, then that'll put everyone else in more danger. I have to win. The memories of Eclipse and Siren coming within an inch of their lives flashed before my eyes, I have to win this for them. I can't lose.

I swung my sword as hard as I could towards Cordon as I rebounded back into the fight,

I can't lose!

*CHINK!*

My eyes widened in horror as I heard the distinct sound of metal, the familiar noise... of a sword breaking in half. Time seemed to stop as I looked down at Inferno in my grasp, the top half of the blade having been torn off by a powerful swing of Cordon's battleaxe. My sword, my most powerful and favorite sword that I've ever had, burst into blue code and disappeared, leaving me with my shield as my only weapon to defend myself against Cordon.

Cordon, seeing that I now had no other way to strike back, began to attack me with even greater ferocity than before, causing me to hide behind my shield to defend myself.

I cringed as Cordon continued to beat my shield with the blade of his ax, Crap, Inferno was my strongest sword. I could try to equip another one of my swords, but Cordon would probably win the duel before I could even use it. And even if I did use it, none of my other swords would break against Cordon's ax. But then, my thoughts stopped short as I realized that I did have a sword that surpassed Inferno in endurance, but not strength. The sword was called Almighty: Rex's sword that I had kept since he died.

I frowned as i continued to hold my ground against Cordon, But Rex's sword is a two handed weapon. I can't equip it when I still have my shield. It'll take too long for me to put my shield back into my inventory and pull out my sword. I guess I'll have to get rid of it now.

Without a moment of hesitation, I flared my horn and my shield was suddenly engulfed in fire. Once it was covered in fire, I leaped backwards out of Cordon's reach, and just like I had done with Ezekiel, I threw my shield towards Cordon's head. Unfortunately, Cordon knocked the flaming projectile out of the air with his ax, but a distraction was all that I needed.

I quickly began to run in a circle around the courtyard, opening my player's menu as I ran. Cordon spotted me as I ran and his horn began to glow with green aura, ready to fire another blast of wind.

Meanwhile, I quickly tapped into my inventory and began to search for Almighty as I galloped as hard as I could. But then, Cordon began to fire off several gusts of wind in quick succession, all of them aimed towards me as I ran. Fortunately, Cordon couldn't aim well when he was faced with a moving target, but I felt very unsettled as the gales that he fired blew my mane and tail through the breeze of each shot.

But then, I found Almighty in my inventory. I quickly tapped on it and equipped it, making its sheath appear on my back. Just then, Cordon knew he wasn't going to hit me any time soon if he kept firing his blasts of wind, and his continuous rounds of shots ceased. I grabbed the hilt of Almighty on my back with my magic and I drew the blade out of its sheath.

The sword was heavier than my usual swords, but not by much, which meant I'd be able to use it just fine. Believe it or not, I had trained and upgraded Almighty in the past, so that it could still be used if I needed it. Turns out that now was the time that I needed it. I stopped and turned towards Cordon, my sword raised towards him.

Cordon raised his ax towards me, a cocky grin on his face, "So, I guess you aren't running? This is still your last chance to flee."

I glared at him, "Let's end this. BLAZE!"

But then, that was when something extraordinary happened. As soon as I activated my ability, flames appeared around Almighty like they usually would. But then, the flames descended down the blade, past the hilt, and then the flames completely surrounded my body. The flames didn't hurt, in fact they sort of awakened me. I felt so alive with that much power and energy surrounding me. I realized that this was new, but I didn't care. I was literally in the heat of the moment. (Ah, the puns.)

Cordon looked a little shocked as I burst into flames, but then he regained his composure. He quickly flapped his wings and took to the sky, only to loop back down to the ground in a nose dive. He then flew only a foot above the floor of the courtyard, flying fast towards me with his ax.

I began to gallop forward to meet his charge, the flames around me helping to surge me ahead with speed that I never had before. We both yelled as we charged towards each other, weapons raised as we were about to collide.

But then, in the split moment that we collided... I can't remember what happened at that moment. All I saw was a flash of light and a sudden pain near my chest.

I opened my eyes once I had come to a stop, the flames surrounding my sword and myself had both died down already. I looked down towards one of my legs to see a scar of red code cutting horizontally across it. I glanced up towards my health bar...

....

... It was still in the green zone.

I glanced back towards Cordon behind me, who had landed back on the ground on his hooves, his battleaxe had dropped to the ground beside him. His health bar was in the yellow.

I had won the duel.

The game chimed as a text appeared above me: Victory!

No one cheered. They merely stood in utter shock. But then, Cordon collapsed to his knees and his wings drooped as the massive weight of reality finally came crashing down: He had lost.

Without any form of emotion, I put away Almighty back into its sheath, picked up my shield again, and walked past where Cordon sat. As I passed him to leave, I didn't even glance back as I spoke, "Cordon, you have until sunrise to prepare yourself. But once the sun is fully over the mountains tomorrow morning, I want you gone."

With that, I walked back to my team base, alone. I was so exhausted by the day's events that I don't even remember getting into bed and falling asleep.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

I blinked my eyes open as a thin trickle of sunlight began to raise over the horizon of Canterlot, travelling through my window and lighting up my room.

I groaned as I sat up off my bed, "Ugh, I didn't sleep well. I guess that duel against Cordon really took a lot out of me." But then I glanced towards my window and saw the sun beginning to rise for the day, "Oh, yeah. I told Cordon that he needed to be gone by the time the sun was fully visible. I guess that means he only has about ten or twenty minutes before he has to leave." I shrugged, "Good riddance."

I hopped off my bed, but then my hooves clattered against something on the ground. I looked down at the floor to see my shield, Almighty, and my cloak scattered on the ground. I sighed, "I guess I was too tired to even bother putting everything back in my inventory. Oh, well. I better get everything ready for the day."

I picked everything up with my magic, but then I noticed that my shield had several dents in it, due to the strain that I had put on it yesterday. I frowned, "Hm, I'll have to ask Violet if he can fix tha-"

It was then that I caught my reflection in the metal of my shield. I saw something against my side that hadn't been there before, but I couldn't fully make out what it was from just the dull reflection of my shield. I slowly turned my head towards the unknown thing against my side.

But then, as soon as I saw it, I gasped and my muscles all tensed up in shock. At the same time, the gray objects against my sides suddenly unfurled, causing me to panic even more, making me drop all of my items in the process. My weapons landed hard against the ground with a loud clatter, but I didn't care about that as I continued to stare with wide eyes at the feathered covered, gray appendages that were attached to both of my sides.

I couldn't believe it: I had woken up with wings.

I was an alicorn.

I was on the verge of panicking, What the- What the heck is happening? Why am I an alicorn now? The only alicorn that was possible in this game was Cordon, but that was only because of his... I paused for a moment with wide eyes, ... His ability.

I quickly opened up my player's menu and went to my player's stats. I looked up towards where my Blaze ability had been before, only to see that it had been replaced with another ability: Apotheosis.

I inhaled sharply, My Blaze ability is gone. Now I have the alicorn ability. But then I saw a small box of text beside the Apotheosis ability that read: The ability, Blaze, can still be used along with Apotheosis.

Oh, I guess my Blaze ability isn't gone after all. But how did I get Apotheosis in the first place?

But then, a sharp knock at my door quickly jerked me out of my thoughts. Sky's voice suddenly shouted out from behind the door, "Shadow, wake up! It's Cordon. He's... Well, you better come and see him for yourself."

My eyes widened in panic, Oh no. I can't let anyone see me like this. I quickly glanced around the room for anything that could hide my wings. But then, my eyes fell onto my cloak, laying on the floor. I quickly snatched it up and tried to put it on. But my wings were still sticking up, keeping my sides from being completely covered.

Meanwhile, Sky knocked on my door again, "Shadow! Wake up! This is important! I'm coming in."

I began to breath hard, Crap, how do you work these wings? I quickly tried to concentrate on my wings, and then I willed them to move like I would have with an arm or leg. Luckily, my wings then curled back up to my sides, allowing my cloak to cover them again. I had to admit, the feeling of my wings moving sort of unsettled me. It was like I had another pair of arms attached to my sides. But I ignored the feeling as Sky opened my door and walked in.

I turned towards Sky, trying to hide the panic that came with waking up with newly grown appendages, "What is it?"

"It's Cordon. He's at the city gates, but he's sort of different now."

I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"I think you better come and see for yourself."

I nodded, grabbed my weapons off of the floor and equipped them, and then followed Sky as he galloped out of the base and into the city streets.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The whole time the I followed Sky through the city, I remember asking myself, Why did I hide my wings from Sky? He's my best friend, and I could trust something like this to him. I shrugged, I guess that was just me panicking. I guess I'll tell him later.

But then, the Canterlot gates came into view. But as Sky and I arrived, we saw that a giant group of players had gathered around the gates, all of them looking at one thing. We soon reached the crowd and with a few pushes and 'Excuse me''s, we reached the gates to find our usual group waiting for us.

But then, my eyes rested on Cordon and my jaw dropped in shock. He still looked the same except for two key two differences: His horn was gone, and his wings were gone as well. Cordon, the proud and boastful alicorn was now back to a normal Earth Pony.

Cordon glanced towards me, a hint of humility and sorrow in his eyes, "Oh, Shadow. You made it." He sighed, "As you can see, I'm not an alicorn anymore. Well, since I don't have wings or a horn anymore, I would try to talk you into letting me stay here." He paused, "But I lost the duel. I always keep my word, so now I'll be going."

He turned towards Eclipse and Siren, his only team members. As I looked at them, I could see that they were sad to see Cordon have to go. Cordon gave them a small smile, "I'll see you guys later. You're your own team now. Eclipse, I'm making you the leader of Team Vortex. Now you only have two team members, but you'll need to recruit some other players because this game will only keep getting tougher. You both need to survive."

Eclipse and Siren nodded, "We will."

Cordon nodded, glancing back towards the sun as it was almost completely visible behind the mountains surrounding Canterlot, "Well, I guess its time for me to go." With that, the gray earth pony turned around and began to walk away from the gates and outside of the city.

But before he got too far away, he suddenly stopped and turned around, glaring at me with a newfound hatered, "Shadow, remember that this won't be the last you'll see of me. I'll come back someday and I will defeat you in a duel. I will come back for revenge." Before I could respond, Cordon turned back towards the road and galloped off.

I could only stare as I watched Cordon galloped away into the distance, Cordon lost his alicorn ability, and now I have it. That could only mean that I got the ability after I defeated him. I felt a sense of panic as I realized that I had made a massive discovery.

Apotheosis would be transferred to another player after the original bearer of the ability was defeated. But since Cordon was the first pony to receive Apotheosis, I figured that he didn't know about this fact yet. He hadn't seen that I was an alicorn now. But if he did, then he would've known that I had become an alicorn after defeating him in the duel.

My eyes widened, If anybody saw me as an alicorn now, then they would connect the dots too. Then news would spread and then everyone would know the truth about Apotheosis. I could see it now: Power craving players would hear about this and then come after me to try and take the ability for themselves. If I told anyone that I was an alicorn now, I'd put myself into a very dangerous situation.

I shook my head, I can't let anyone know that I'm alicorn now. I'll have to keep it secret from everyone, including my own team.

But then, I shook out of my thoughts as Sky tapped my shoulder. I turned around to see that everyone had left the gates. Now only my team and Team Vortex remained.

Eclipse and Siren walked up and stood before me. Eclipse spoke first, "Shadow, Cordon was our friend and we were a bit hesitant to see him go. But..."

Siren continued, "But we talked it over with Cordon last night. We told him about everything he was doing, how his actions were affecting others and he was just ignoring everything. He was already a bit shocked by losing to you in the duel, and he finally saw reason why you would want him to leave. But he said that he would leave because it was his choice, not because it was the penalty for losing the duel."

Eclipse interjected again, "He wanted to leave on a journey of self discovery, he said. He wanted to improve himself and get stronger out in Equestria, not by sitting here in Canterlot."

I frowned, "Why are you telling me this?"

Siren paused, "Well, we do feel a bit bad that you sent our friend away, but you're our friend as well. You were right that Cordon needed to go, because it would be better for everyone, including him. You were thinking about everyone else, so we just wanted to say that no matter what our opinion may be, we'll follow you to the end."

Eclipse nodded, "We're not angry at you, but we're not glad either. But we're still allies, and we'll still help you when we can."

I was a bit taken aback by their response. I mean, I had just sent away their team leader. Shouldn't they have been angry with me? I quickly regained my composure, glancing at both of them, "Um, thank you."

With that, Eclipse and Siren turned back towards the city and continued with their day. I looked back towards my team. They all seemed oblivious as to what I was feeling right now. I mean, my mind was full with everything that had happened: We had just barely captured the Haters' Guild, I dueled Cordon and won, I caused Team Vortex to lost their leader, and I became an alicorn. The only thought I had was along the lines of, Why do I have to have such a weird life?

May 7th (Off To Cloudsdale!)

I looked up into the sky above me, the clouds blowing through the cross breezes and the sun just barely beginning to rise up behind the horizon. It was early in the morning, and everyone back in Canterlot was still asleep. A cool breeze was blowing through the air. It felt soft and relaxing from where I stood, high on a cliff outside of Canterlot. I was alone, and that gave me the chance to give my wings some air, out from under my cloak that I usually hid them beneath.

Nobody knew that I was an alicorn yet. I hadn't told any of my team members or even my guild members. This was the only way to protect my ability "Apotheosis" from any power-hungry players. So far, it's worked out just fine, and nobody has come after me yet. Nobody suspected anything yet.

I glanced down at the cliff that I stood on top of, the face of it about twenty five feet off of the ground. Even in BGO, falling off of a cliff like this could still hurt a player, even kill them if they were low enough in their level. I however was at level 50, which meant if I fell off the cliff, I wouldn't be hurt that badly. But that's where having wings came in.

I took a few steps back, away from the edge of the cliff. I stopped about five feet away from the edge, just far enough to get a running start. I flared my wings open, and the two appendages seemed to breath a sigh of relief as the wind softly rippled against my feathers. The feeling was good, but not nearly as enjoyable as full flight.

I took a deep breath, "Let's do this."

Instantly, I galloped towards the edge of the cliff and leaped off of it. I let myself free fall from the cliff for only a second, but then I quickly flapped my wings hard and began to soar right above the ground below. I shifted the position of my wings and began to flap them harder, ascending high into the air and into the clouds above.

The wind blew past my wings and my mane at such high speeds, it was almost like riding in a car with the window rolled down. But riding in a car didn't even compare to flying on your own strength, a hundred feet in the air, with nothing that could bring you back down to earth.

"WHO-HOO!" I yelled in jubilation as I curled my wings against my sides, causing me to plummet down towards the ground in a nose dive. I was going so fast that tears began to leak out of the corner of my eyes. But as I reached the ground I unfurled my wings and arced backwards into a loop-de-loop. I then proceeded to continue to pull off several other tricks that I had come up with in the past month, including the Barrel Roll and a corkscrew twist.

Man, I had only had my wings for a little under a month, but I've become a pretty fair flyer. I would compare my skill to that of Rainbow Dash's, but I didn't need to make my ego any bigger.

But then, as I flew near the level of the clouds, I glanced down towards the ground to see a single figure standing in the middle of a grove of trees. I knew him as one of the only players who was a better flyer than me, and he was looking directly at me. It was Lexus, and he waved a hoof towards me as he tried to call me down.

I complied and quickly descended down towards the grove, lighting down just in front of him. I nodded towards him, folding my wings back against my sides, "Hey, Lexus. How was that?"

Lexus had a small grin on his face, "Pretty good. Although, I think the shouting was a bit unnecessary. Anyone could have heard that and come running to see what it was. We *are* trying to keep your wings a secret, right?"

I scratched the back of my head, smiling sheepishly, "Um, yeah. Sorry, I wasn't thinking about that."

Um, remember when I said that nobody knew that I was an alicorn yet? I kind of lied. Lexus was the only one that knew about me being an alicorn. Other than him, no one else knew. The reason why Lexus knew that I was an alicorn was because I needed someone to teach me how to fly. Since I have wings now, why not? And who better to teach me than the best flyer I knew.

I remembered back to when I told Lexus that I was an alicorn.

I walked through the dense forest, along the path that was dimly lit due to the fact that the sun had only begun to rise. It had only been a day since Cordon left The Knights of Harmony. It was early in the morning, right at the time that Lexus would usually wake up for his own daily training session. This forest is where he usually trained, but little did he know that I had been tailing him ever since we left the Team Equitum base.

Soon, I reached a grove in the forest, and in the middle of the grove stood Lexus. My wings suddenly twitched nervously underneath my cloak as they shuffled around uncomfortably at my sides. I sighed, "Well, if I'm going to learn to fly, then Lexus needs to know. Here it goes." I approached the pegasus in the grove.

Lexus heard me approach and quickly whirled around towards me, "Oh, Shadow. What are you doing here? I thought you were still asleep."

I nodded, "Um, yeah. I tailed you here because I needed to ask you something."

Lexus raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Um,... If you were ever needed to teach somebody to fly, would you?"

Lexus gave me a curious glance, "Uh, yeah, I suppose so." He paused for a moment, "This is a rhetorical question, right?"

I shook my head, "No, not really."

"Wait, you want me to teach someone to fly? Who?"

I hesitated for a moment, but then I took off my cloak and spread my wings out. I almost laughed while I watched as Lexus' eyes seemed to bug out of his skull, his jaw dropping to the ground in pure shock.

I let out a small chuckle at the memory. Lexus' face had been priceless. After he had calmed down, he had agreed to teach me how to fly early in the morning in place of his morning training session, and then he swore to keep my secret safe from anybody.

Lexus shrugged, "Well, I guess it's safe to say that you've learned almost everything that I know about flying. I guess we won't be continuing our morning lessons, but that doesn't mean that you can stop practicing."

I nodded, "Right."

Suddenly, a girl's voice shouted throughout the forest, "LEXUS?! Where are you?"

Both mine and Lexus' eyes widened as we recognized who's voice it was, "Uh, oh. It's Neon." Lexus glanced towards me, "Quick, put your cloak back on."

I was already tapping into my inventory, "Already on it." I quickly equipped my cloak and the cloth suddenly appeared on my back, covering up my gray wings at my sides.

Just then, Neon trotted into view, just outside of the grove. Upon seeing us, Neon ran up to me and Lexus, a wide grin on her face, "There you are, Lexus. I was looking for you. I went to your base first, but everyone said that you had left already for your morning training." She suddenly stopped and glanced towards me, "Oh, that reminds me. Shadow, when I stopped by your base, Jupiter was over there looking for you."

I raised an eyebrow, "Oh, I guess I better go see what he wants."

Lexus nodded, "Yeah, you better not keep Jupiter waiting." But then the pegasus turned back to Neon, "Why are you here anyways?"

Neon smiled, "Well, duh. I came to remind you about the date we were planning for tonight, silly. You didn't forget, did you?"

I glanced towards Lexus to see him smile nervously, I think I might have spotted a trickle of sweat on his brow. Lexus replied, nervously chuckling, "Oh, yeah. Of c-course I didn't forget. How could I have forgotten?"

Neon gasped as she saw through his pathetic mask, "You did forget! How could you forget!?"

Lexus only stammered, "Um... Well, uh..."

While Neon continued to chew Lexus out for forgetting about their date, I stood off to the side chuckling, "All right, you two love birds. I'm gonna go see what Jupiter wants. I'll see you later." Neither of them heard me over their bickering, so I just walked out of the forest alone and back towards Canterlot.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The sun was high in the sky when I arrived back to the Team Equitum base and everyone in Canterlot was already beginning their day as usual. I opened the door to the base and walked in.

The first floor of our base was much like our last one in Ponyville: The living area and Kitchen were downstairs, while everyone's rooms were upstairs. From the doorway, I could hear voices coming from the kitchen, one of which I recognized as Jupiter's. So I followed the sound of the voices into the kitchen.

I walked into the room to find that Jupiter was sitting at the table, conversing with Cross who was laughing very hard at whatever they were talking about. I also spotted Cloud at the table as well, all of his bomb crafting equipment sprawled across the tabletop in front of the small dragon. He was tinkering around with what seemed to be a miniature bomb. Of course, I didn't see Sky anywhere, but he was most likely still asleep at this hour, which meant he was still in bed.

Cross noticed me as I entered, "Oh, hey Shadow! How did training with Lexus go this morning?"

The "training" that Cross mentioned didn't include flying. He, as well as everyone else, believed that I joined Lexus when he trained in the morning because I was falling behind in leveling up. I smiled, "It was pretty good. We managed to stay out of too much trouble, you know, since there tend to be more monsters during the night and early morning." I glanced towards Cloud, giving him a cold glance, "And Cloud, I thought I told you: No tinkering with your bombs in the base. Sure the building can't be burned down and nobody can be hurt in a safe zone, but everything else is still flammable."

Cloud rolled his eyes, "Hey, it's completely safe for me to work on my bombs here. I haven't made a single mistake with them and I haven't set off any of them by accident yet."

"Yes, the key word being, 'yet'." I replied, emphasizing my point. Cloud was about to retort, but then he grumbled, "Fine." And then began to pack up his equipment.

I turned back towards Jupiter, "So, Lexus and I ran into Neon earlier. She said that you wanted to see me."

Jupiter nodded, his earlier cheery expression suddenly being replaced by a serious mask of emotion. "Yes, take a seat. It's very important."

I sat down at the table, intrigued by Jupiter's sudden change in mood, "What is it? What's going on?"

Jupiter paused for a moment, "We've found another one."

With those four words, my heart skipped a beat, "Wait, are you sure?"

Jupiter nodded, "Yes."

"Where is it?"

"Cloudsdale, you'll leave Canterlot in Swift's airship in exactly one hour. Your team, as well as Team Calvary and Team Vortex will be the whole group who is going to assist the players in Cloudsdale for the fight."

I nodded, "Yes, sir."

Jupiter stood up and began to walk from the table, "I want you to gather your team and tell them to get ready and meet me at the castle in an hour. Also, I want you to tell Violet Runner everything, and have his team prepare themselves. Meanwhile, I'll inform Team Vortex myself." With that, Jupiter walked out of the door of our base, closing it behind him.

Meanwhile, Cross and Cloud glanced at each other with curious looks, trying to figure out what Jupiter was talking about. Cross looked towards me, "Um, what exactly was he saying?"

I glanced towards the unicorn, a small grin on my face, "Go find Lexus and Sky. Tell them to prepare to leave in an hour. I'll be back after I tell Violet the news." I then got up and proceeded to gallop to the front door.

Cloud shouted after me, "Why? What news?"

I glanced behind my shoulder and gave him a small smirk, "Didn't you hear Jupiter? The next boss room has been found in Cloudsdale, and we're going to help them fight the boss." With that, I ran out of the building and began to gallop towards Team Calvary's base.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Soon, I found myself standing in front of the Team Calvary base, a little winded by my gallop to get here. I didn't bother knocking as I opened the door and walked inside uninvited.

As I entered, I spotted Soul and Dylan sitting at a small table, both of them holding their own hands of cards as they played a game that I recognized: Poker.

Dylan pushed a few bits into the middle of the table, "I'll bet five bits." Soul then pushed in five of his own to meet Dylan's bet.

Soul's expression was emotionless, "Alright, lay down your hand." Dylan complied and set his hand down on the table, face up,

"Two pair with queens and eights. Beat that."

Soul smirked, "Not bad. However, that doesn't beat a flush." The unicorn laid down his hand to reveal a flush of spades, ranging between 9 and a king.

Dylan groaned as Soul took the betting pot of bits, "How are you doing this? I've only beaten you in two rounds so far."

Soul smirked, "You know you don't have to lay down your hand every time. You could just fold if you know you have bad cards."

I cleared my throat, trying to catch their attentions. They both heard me and turned towards where I stood. Soul raised an eyebrow, "Oh, hey Shadow. I didn't see you come in. Want to join in? We're playing Poker."

I shook my head, "Not right now. Listen, where's Violet? I need to talk to him."

"He's down in the forge." Dylan replied.

I nodded, "Right, thanks." I turned around and ran down the set of stairs that led down to the forge.

The forge, just like any time that I visited, was dark, hot, and pretty dirty. But as I reached the bottom of the stairs, the full forge came into view. I spotted Violet at his usual place by the furnace, wearing some protective equipment for forging. He was holding a bright, molten piece of metal with a pair of tongs, suspending it above the hot fire below.

I watched as Violet then took the molten steel and placed it on top of an anvil, and then began to hammer away at it with a small mallet. I approached Violet as the unicorn finished pounding the metal into the desired shape and then dunked the piece into a bucket of water, sending a column of steam rising up from the container.

Violet held up the metal with his tongs to inspect it closer. But upon further inspection, I realized that the piece of metal resembled a large, metal feather. I wasn't an expert with feathers, but ever since I got my wings, I'd recognize a feather anywhere, even if was made out of metal.

I raised an eyebrow at Violet, "It looks like a feather."

Violet jumped a tiny bit as I spoke, quickly putting the metal feather back on the anvil, "Oh, Shadow. I didn't hear you come down here. What's up?"

Curious as I was about the metal feather and why Violet was making it, I would have asked about the craft. But I figured that now wasn't really the time to ask. I cleared my throat, "Jupiter says that another boss room has been found in Cloudsdale, and he wants your team, as well as mine and Eclipse's to aid the players in Cloudsdale with the battle."

Violet frowned, "Really?"

I nodded, "Yes. Jupiter wants everyone ready to leave in an hour. Once your team is ready, meet up with everyone else at Swift's airship. Got it?"

Violet nodded as he took off some of his forging equipment, "Got it. I'll get my team ready right away."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Within an hour, everyone in our group had been gathered, and our airship was almost ready to take off. We all stood on deck, standing before Jupiter as he gave us a final briefing of the upcoming boss battle.

Jupiter cleared his throat, "Now that everyone is here and ready, we can begin. You see, the door to the boss room was found at the very top of Sky Tower, the dungeon that is located near Cloudsdale. No one has opened the door yet, but given the circumstances of the dungeon, the boss is most likely one that will be able to fly."

Sky raised a hoof, "But if it can fly, then why not send a team with more pegasi or other players that can fly? Heck, our teams are mostly unicorns, and we can't walk on clouds."

Jupiter nodded, "Yes, that is true. But, we already have a surplus of pegasi up in Cloudsdale. However, they need more magical support, and that's where you will come in. And as for the issue of walking on clouds, Eclipse has already taken care of that. Since he deals with gravity spells, he has come up with a weightlessness spell that should make you just as light as a pegasus."

I raised an eyebrow, "Does it work?"

Eclipse nodded from the side, "Yep, Swift helped me in testing it. He flew me up to the clouds in the airship and then I used the spell on myself. It worked just fine, and while I'm at it, I might as well mention that clouds are probably the softest things you'll ever be on in your life."

I smiled to myself, That's true. I've experienced that firsthand, and I didn't need a weightlessness spell to do it.

Jupiter continued, "Now, you all will be the only ones from the Knights of Harmony that will aid the players in Cloudsdale in this battle. This is because the other teams of the guild are needed elsewhere at the moment. Also, I won't be going with you to fight in this battle, so I'm putting Shadowflame in charge of leading this group."

The admin turned towards me, "Once you arrive in Cloudsdale, find the admin there. His name is Solar Flare. Follow every order that he gives you and watch yourselves. You're fighting in an unfamiliar territory, and we don't want any accidents to happen."

I nodded, "Yes, sir."

Jupiter turned to face everyone else, "This is where I leave you now. Watch each other's backs and make it back safely. The Knights of Harmony will need their best warriors in the future. Good luck." With that, Jupiter walked off of the airship and hopped back down to the castle grounds below.

Back up on deck, I turned to Swift, "Prepare the ship. Let's get this thing up in the air. Set a course for Cloudsdale."

Swift nodded and flew over to the helm, and within two minutes, we were airborne.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

I stood at the stern of the airship, gazing out ahead towards our course through the sky. A small breeze of wind blew across the ship’s deck as we flew in the open air. I felt my wings twitch underneath my cloak as the breeze rippled across them, longing to spread wide open and take to the sky.

I shook my head as I resisted the temptation, I can’t fly, not right now. Everyone would see.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as Lexus walked up beside me. I glanced back towards him, “What’s everyone else doing?”

Lexus paused for a moment, “Well, Dylan and Soul are below deck, playing poker. Dylan did mention something about winning his bits back from Soul. Plus I think Cross and Cloud joined into the game too. Violet and Neon are talking about something below deck, but I have no idea what it is. Siren is roaming about the ship, Eclipse is up at the helm with Swift, and strangely enough, I have no idea where Sky is.”

I smirked, “Well, don't look at me. I've known Sky for years and I still don't know where I'd find him.”

Lexus chuckled, “Yeah, I guess he'll turn up when we get to Cloudsdale.”

I nodded, “So, were you able to clear things up with Neon about forgetting your own date?”

Lexus let out a sigh, “Well, the only reason why I forgot about the date was because I was busy helping you keep your secret safe while I taught you to fly. But Neon was peeved that I had forgotten and she wanted to know why I had forgotten. I didn’t want Neon to find out about the truth, but I’m a terrible liar. I’m the Element of Honesty after all.”

I glanced towards Lexus, a worried expression evident on my face, “Did you tell her?”

Lexus shook his head, “No. Since I couldn’t lie, I told her that I couldn’t tell her right now. She trusts me enough that she accepted that answer, but she’s still pretty pissed off at me. So, basically your secret is still safe, but now you owe me big time.”

I sighed, “Thanks Lexus, but I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be able to keep this secret. I mean, if I’m fighting anything, during training or even a boss battle, my cloak will sometimes reveal my sides. If that happens during the battle in Cloudsdale, then somebody for sure is bound to see my wi-… My secret.”

Lexus paused for a moment, “Yeah, I see. What are you going to do?”

I shook my head, “I don’t know. I suppose I’ll have to do what I can to keep my secret safe, without rousing any suspicion. If I’m lucky, I might be able to keep everybody from seeing them, but that’s a very slim chance.”

Lexus nodded, “Yeah. It’s going to be a lot harder to hide them up in Cloudsdale, that’s for sure. But don’t worry; I’ll be there to serve as a distraction if needed.”

I smiled, “Thanks.”

Lexus turned around, “Well, I’m gonna head downstairs and talk to Neon. Hopefully I can convince her to be less angry with me while we’re in Cloudsdale.” And so, I watched as the Pegasus walked down the stairs leading below deck, leaving me to my thoughts.

I turned and looked up towards the helm, where Swift and Eclipse stood. Swift appeared to be showing Eclipse all of the controls to the ship. It was funny really, how in the past month, Swift had managed to become good friends with Eclipse and Siren, but since they were team mates, I guess it would only be natural.

Oh, yeah. There’s something that I forgot to mention. Two weeks after Cordon left the Knights of Harmony, Eclipse had asked Swift to join Team Vortex, because Cordon had ordered Eclipse to recruit new team members before he had left. Swift accepted the offer, and because of that, Team Vortex was put in charge of maintaining and crewing Swift’s airship, which the three of them had named, Westfalia.

Ever since Team Vortex was put in charge of crewing Westfalia, Swift had employed himself with the task of teaching Eclipse and Siren to control and fly the airship. So far they were both pretty good ship flyers, but neither of them were quite as good as Swift. That was due to the fact that Swift had been flying airships for longer and also because of his player ability.

You see, Swift’s player ability was called, “Wind Watcher”, which allowed him to physically see the air currents around him. With that ability, he point the airship in the direction that a breeze was blowing, he could ride the wind and fly the ship faster than normal. He could probably even guide an airship through a massive storm, full of cross breezes, and still come out with the ship in one piece. However most pilots, if they ever flew into a storm, would have their ships torn up in the wind and plummet down to their deaths.

I’m not saying that anybody should fly an airship right into the middle of a storm, but if it was necessary, Swift could do it.

As I continued to watch Eclipse and Swift look around at the controls to the ship, I caught a small glint of reflected light out of the corner of my eye. I turned just in time to see a large, double bladed battle axe fly out of the sky, wedging itself partway into the floor boards of the deck, only a few feet in front of me.

I quickly turned to see what the source of the ax was, only to see a nearby cloud burst into small fragments as about six griffins, armed with weapons of all kinds, flew out of it, heading directly for our ship.

I turned back towards Swift and Eclipse, drawing my weapons in the process, “All hands on deck! We’ve got griffins coming off from the port bow!”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Soul winced with pain as he clutched his side, the place where one of the griffins managed to scrape him with their claws, "Gosh, I didn't think fighting those griffins would be so hard."

Violet shrugged as he handed Soul a health potion to heal the wound, "Well, that's because we aren't used to fighting airborne."

We had all managed to fight off the griffins, and everyone was recollecting themselves as we neared our destination. I stood at the stern of the airship.

Suddenly, Dylan piped up, pointing a hoof off towards the starboard bow, "Hey, there it is!"

We all glanced towards where he was pointing to see the airborne city of Equestria: Cloudsdale.

I looked back towards Swift standing at the wheel, "Bring us in!"

Swift nodded and altered the course of the airship towards the floating city.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Everyone on the ship stared in awe as we pulled up to the makeshift dock at the edge of the enormous city. Sure we had all seen what Cloudsdale had looked like from the show, but to really see it ourselves was almost overwhelming. The buildings made of clouds were extremely detailed with designs, and there were several rainbows that acted like waterfalls as they descended from the clouds and disappeared in thin air.

All of the clouds that held up the city were all on different levels of height, letting the city be large and dense, while still have so much room to travel from cloud to cloud. Everything about the city just enhanced the magical feeling around it.

Once Swift had stopped the airship in the air, we all turned our attention to Eclipse. The white unicorn cleared his throat, "Okay, now it's time to use the weightlessness spell. Everybody get close to each other. It drains my magic faster if you're all farther apart."

We all did as instructed and stepped closer together. Meanwhile, Eclipse's horn began to glow with white aura as he prepared to cast the weightlessness spell. And then, Eclipse released the spell and everyone without wings, and myself, were surrounded in white light. It only lasted for a moment, but then it subsided as Eclipse finished the spell.

Cross raised an eyebrow at Eclipse, "So, did it work?"

Eclipse nodded, "Yeah, it should have. Who wants to test it first?"

Suddenly, Sky ran out from our group towards the side railing of the airship, "Me first!" He then jumped over the railing, and onto the clouds beside the ship, causing a small puff of cloud to spring up from under his hooves as he landed.

Everyone who was still on the ship ran over to the edge of the ship to see how Sky fared in testing the effects of the weightlessness spell, only to find Sky rolling about on his back on the clouds. Sky let out a laugh as he laid on the clouds, "Ha, I heard that clouds were soft, but I didn't think they'd be this comfy."

Dylan chuckled a bit as he watched his older brother, "Hey, I'm next." With that, Dylan was the next one overboard the ship, landing onto the clouds as well. One by one, everyone jumped out of the ship onto the clouds of Cloudsdale. Naturally, I was the last one to go, just making sure that no one accidentally saw my wings when I hopped of the ship.

Everyone who hadn't experienced the feel of clouds before were having a great time as they felt the softness of the airborne material. However, our fun time was cut short as I spotted somebody trotting across the clouds from the city towards us.

He was an earth pony, with a gray mane and brown fur. He had a single broad sword strapped across his back, along with heavy, saddle armor that covered up his flank, hiding his cutie mark from sight. He had a Player ID above his head that read: Ti-Rone. I figured that there weren't a lot of earth ponies here in Cloudsdale, so this guy must've been the admin of the area.

I turned to my group members, "Hey, look alive. Here comes the Cloudsdale admin." Everyone stood up and lined up as Ti-Rone reached us.

The admin took a quick look at our group, a small welcoming smile across his face, "Ah, so you must be the group that Jupiter was sending: The Elements of Harmony."

Violet cocked his head in confusion, "I think you might be confused. We're the Knights of Harmony. We've never been called the Elements of Harmony before, even though that's who we are."

Ti-Rone nodded, "Yes, 'The Knights of Harmony' is your guild's name, but Jupiter likes to keep all of his guild members to be organized, so he tends to name the groups. Since every Element of Harmony that we've found so far is in your group, it's natural that Jupiter would call your group the Elements of Harmony."

Everyone nodded their heads in approval, giving a few comments of likeness towards the name. I shrugged, "Well, it certainly does suit us. So, in answer to your question, yes; We're the Elements of Harmony."

Ti-Rone nodded, "Good. We've got everything prepared for the boss fight. We'll be ready for anything Discord's got prepared for us in there."

"Wait, so where exactly is the boss room located? Is there some kind of dungeon around here in the city?" Lexus asked.

Ti- Rone pointed a hoof up towards the sky, where a massive cloud drifted high above Cloudsdale, "Up there on that cloud is a gigantic dungeon known as Sky Tower, the tallest of all dungeons in Equestria. It took some doing, but our players scaled the tower up to its highest point. It was up at the top of the tower that we found the boss room. Right now, all of our pegasi players are waiting at the entrance to the tower for your arrival."

I nodded, "Okay, we'll hop back onto the airship and fly up there right away."

Suddenly, high above us, a lone pegasus soared down from the large cloud where Sky Tower stood. The pegasus then lighted down between us and Ti-Rone. I took a quicker look at the newcomer.

She was a light gray pegasus mare, with a long, off-white mane and tail. The tips of her hooves were a firey red color, while her eyes sparkled blue. Her cutie mark was a rough depiction of a comet, and the only armor she wore was a pair of goggles, a green band around her fore leg, and a green scarf wrapped around her neck. Her player ID read: Comet

Comet turned to face Ti-Rone, "Sir, everyone is ready to depart for the boss room." She glanced back towards our group, "And I see that the Elements of Harmony have made it as well."

Ti-Rone nodded, "Very well. Shadow, this is Comet. She's a solo player and my personal lieutenant over the Cloudsdale players. She'll be leading our players while they fight the boss battle." The admin turned back to Comet, "Fly back up to everyone else. Tell them to get their weapons ready and lead them inside once the Elements of Harmony get up there."

Comet quickly nodded and flew back up to the entrance of Sky Tower. Meanwhile, Ti-Rone spoke to our group, "Now, I won't be going with you to this boss battle. I have to stay behind and watch over the city for any situation that might occur. You better get up to Sky Tower right now. Waiting isn't one of Comet's strong suits."

I nodded, "Right." I turned to my group, "Get back on the airship and fly us up to Sky Tower." We all then boarded our ship again, while Ti-Rone waved a hoof goodbye towards us, "Good Luck!"

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Soon, we were at the base of Sky Tower, standing alongside Cloudsdale's legion of pegasi players as we gazed up at the precarious structure in front of us. True to its name, Sky Tower was a giant tower made entirely of clouds. The clouds it was made up of seemed to spiral around itself, as if it were a twister that had been frozen in time. The pinnacle of the tower rose up several hundred feet up into the air

Siren whistled in amazement as she looked up at Sky Tower, "Wow, when they said this was the tallest dungeon in Equestria, they weren't joking."

Cloud squinted his eyes as he looked up towards the top of the tower, "Man, I can't even see where the top ends. The tower seems to go on forever."

"All right, people. Let's get started!" Comet shouted out to all of the players before her, while she stood in front of the open entrance to Sky Tower. I stood just beside her as she commanded the troops, "Now that the Elements of Harmony have arrived, we'll have all of the magical support we'll need. You all know the plan already; Teams Star Scream and Raptor will lead the frontal charge, while teams Pidgeotto and Falcon cover their backs from behind. A few members of the Elements of Harmony will accompany each team."

I spoke towards my group, "Team Calvary, you'll stay towards the back to support Teams Pidgeotto and Falcon. Teams Equitum and Vortex will be in the front to protect and fight with Teams Star Scream and Raptor. Does everyone understand?"

Everyone present spoke in unison, "Yes, sir."

Comet nodded in approval, "Good. We'll enter the Tower now. Everyone fall in line. I'll lead everyone inside with the Elements of Harmony up front." She turned towards me, "Let's go. Once we enter the tower, it'll teleport us to the top floor where we last put a checkpoint."

I nodded and everyone followed in line behind Comet as she entered through the entrance to Sky Tower. But as Comet entered through the threshold of the tower, her body began to disappear as if she were passing through an invisible membrane. I assumed this was the teleporting effect, so I followed in after her.

I passed through the teleportation field and found myself in a brightly lit corridor of clouds, and Comet was right in front of me. I continued walking and looked back behind me to see the rest of my team and the Cloudsdale players enter in behind me.

But then, as we continued walking down the corridor, a familiar sight for my team came into view. It was the same set of giant double doors, detailed extremely well like all of the others we had passed through before when we retrieved another element of harmony: The boss door.

Suddenly, Dylan piped up, "There's the boss door. Race you there!" Without another word, the young earth pony galloped towards the giant doors. Meanwhile, I chuckled a bit as I saw Sky and Soul roll their eyes to my right.

Soul groaned, "He's always anxious to get anywhere first. I'm honestly starting to doubt that he's your brother, Sky."

"Hmph, well he's not me." Sky replied.

But then, I watched as Soul took another look towards where Dylan galloped, but then his eyes went wide and a small gasp escaped his mouth, "Wait! Dylan, come back!" The gray unicorn suddenly lurched forward with incredible speed towards Dylan.

I called out after him, "Soul, what's wrong?"

But then, my question was answered as I watched what happened next. As soon as Dylan was twenty feet from the boss room door, the cloud floor between him and the door suddenly vanished into thin air. Dylan let out a yelp as the clouds disappeared beneath his hooves as he was about to drop down out of the empty air. But then suddenly, Soul reached the edge of the cloud floor that remained, using his magic to grab onto Dylan before he dropped, suspending him in mid air.

Sky's and my eyes went wide at what we saw, "Dylan!" We both ran to Soul's sides and used our own magic to help tow Dylan back onto solid cloud.

By the time we had pulled Dylan back to safety, we were joined by Comet and the rest of our group, while the Cloudsdale players stayed back from us a ways.

Sky looked down at his younger brother, who was in momentary shock from a near death experience, "Hey, Dylan. You alright?"

Dylan paused, but then nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. That was a close call."

I nodded, "Yeah, you're lucky Soul caught up to in time to catch you." But then, something struck my mind, "Wait a minute..." I looked towards Soul, "How exactly did you know the floor was going to disappear like that, Soul?"

"It's my player ability, which is called 'Indirect Sight'." Soul explained, "It allows me to see something from a different person's view. It's like I can borrow somebody's eyes for a little while so I can see something that's hidden."

There was a small pause while we tried to comprehend what Soul had said, but then, Dylan shouted angrily, "Wait a minute! You've kept your player ability secret all this time? You must've been using it to see my hand whenever we played cards! That's why I can never beat you. You cheated!"

Soul smirked a bit, "Actually, I don't use my ability while we play cards. You're just bad at poker."

While Dylan sulked from Soul's reply, Lexus piped up, "Hold on, if Soul's ability let him see things from somebody else's eyes, then that means that somebody must have known that the floor was going to drop. But nobody here knew that the floor would have dropped, so who's eyes did Soul use to see it coming?"

Soul paused for a moment, "I'm not exactly sure who's eyes I used. But when I saw the trap, it was like I was looking at everything all at once. I could see every detail in this corridor, even the back of my own head. Seeing all of that at once was a bit chaotic for my head."

I gasped, "Wait a minute, I think I might know who's eyes you used Soul. It must have been somebody who is basically one with the game, someone who could see everything and control the game at will." Everybody in my group suddenly came to realization about who I was describing.

Comet's eyes widened, "Wait, you don't mean..."

I nodded towards her, "Discord."

As if the Draconequus' name was a que, the room suddenly got darker than before, and an evil laugh pierced through the air, "Well done, my little ponies. It's true, Soul did use my eyes to see the trap."

Lighting flashed from the clouds that made up the corridor, striking in midair above the gap in the floor where the trap had been. The lightning flashed once, but then subsided to reveal Discord. The lord of chaos looked down towards Soul with a look of disappointment, "It's true that I can see everything in here, but why'd you have to go and ruin the good trap I set. I would have liked to see Dylan here fall to his doom."

Sky angrily drew his swords, "Discord, don't you dare come near him again or I will destroy you."

Discord merely chuckled, "Now Sky, you don't want to use up all of your energy fighting me. After all, you still have a boss to fight. Oh, and while I'm at it," Discord snapped his fingers and a wall of clouds appeared right behind my group, separating us and Comet from the rest of the Cloudsdale players, "I must inform you that I won't let anyone else fight in this boss battle, except for the Elements of Harmony. They are the defenders of peace and harmony, so it's only natural that they fight against my creation of chaos."

Comet shouted at Discord, a pair of knives suddenly appearing in her hooves, "No, that's not fair. You just cut off the bulk of our attacking force!"

Discord sneered at Comet, "Please, I was kind enough to leave you in the fight. Just be grateful that I didn't leave you behind with your other pegasi friends." The draconequus laughed evilly, "Now, I will let you pass to face my monster." With a snap of his fingers, he was gone, and the floor leading towards the boss door reappeared.

Everyone from our group was almost used to Discord's unexpected actions, but that didn't make us any less angry at him. Comet, however, was furious. The pegasus began pounding with all of her might against the wall of cloud that separated her from the other Cloudsdale players, "Hey, can you hear me? Anyone?"

Sky groaned in frustration, "Gah, can't we ever get a break?"

I sighed as I looked at everyone in our group, "Look, this is Discord. He wants to do everything he can to keep us from succeeding, but he doesn't want to stop us without a little entertainment for himself. I think he blocked us off from the Cloudsdale players because he knew that we'd be too much for his boss. He went and evened the odds into his favor. But that doesn't mean that we can't defeat the boss on our own."

Comet frowned towards me, "Are you saying that we should try to defeat the boss on our own? We'd be crushed."

"Do you even know what the boss is?" I asked.

Comet paused, but then shook her head, "No, nobody looked inside because they were afraid that they'd get locked inside with the monster."

I shrugged, "Well then, how do you know we can't beat it on our own? It was only a few months ago that my team and Team Calvary were dropped down into a dungeon underneath Canterlot to fight a hydra. If this is anything like that, and it most likely is, then we will be able to beat the boss here."

Comet glanced at me warily, but then sighed, "Fine. You've been in more boss battles than I have. I trust that you know what you're doing."

I nodded and I turned to face towards the boss door, "Everybody, get ready. We're going in."

Special: January 22nd (Cross' View Part 1)

Cross heart

It was a clear day outside my house. Everything was so clear and beautiful, most people couldn’t imagine how a person could stay inside the house all day… Well, I’m not like most people. If you're like me, you probably don’t know how to stand to be outside for more than five minutes. You know why I say this, because it's true.

Let's make something straight, now. My parents died in a accident when I was seven years old. I was at my grandma's house that day. I remember somebody calling us on the phone. I remember my grandma telling me with tear streaked eyes that my parents had died. Since that day, I've lived with my grandma, promising every day to her that wouldn't lose my smile that she loved so much. So far, I've never broken that promise.

Well let's get to back in the moment. Right… I bought the new game that was released, called BGO. I was kind of excited because that was a game that brought together two things that I like: Ponies and video games.

Oh, yes. I forgot to mention that I am a brony. Yep, the type of person that likes to watch colorful, talking ponies. But I keep it in secret from my friends. Why? Because they bully a kid for liking it. So, I decided to never tell to them the truth… What? You’re worried that I hang out with bad people? Hahaha, it's not that they're bad, they're just stupid. And as to why I keep hanging out with them?… Because I'm not very good at making friends because of my childish personality.

I glanced to the clock. It read: 11:59.

I sigh, “Time to enter the game.” I put the Nervegear on my head and laid back on my bed. Glancing over, I see that now the clock read: 12:00. I took a breath and shouted “link start!”

The inside of the helmet seemed to come alive as lights and colors of all kinds swept through my vision. Suddenly, Five bars of text appeared, showing the progress on the start-up of the game.

Sight: Ok

Hearing: Ok

Smell: Ok

Taste: Ok

Touch: Ok

The text bars disappeared and another text box appeared:

Language: English

User name: CrossHeart

Password: ********

The text box disappeared as the console signed me into my account. Suddenly, my entire vision went black, displaying white text:

Welcome to Brony Game Online

The text disappeared and I found myself standing in a completely dark place, with only a small spotlight shining down in front of me. More text appeared,

Now you must choose your avatar. Select which pony race you would like:

A small box appeared in front of me:

-Earth Pony

-Pegasus

-Unicorn

I reached out with a finger and tapped the unicorn button.

Suddenly the screen changed:

What would you like your avatar to be?

-Ponified self

-OC

“I not good at doing OC’s, so I'll go with ponified.” I touched the "ponified" button, making the box disappear. Soon it was replaced by:

Please hold still.

Soon after it took shape, the light disappeared, revealing a dark blue unicorn stallion. His mane and tail were black with a red steak in the middle of them. I examined the pony, or rather myself as a pony, and it wasn't too shabby. It looked pretty cool.

Suddenly, another window popped up in front of me:

Please make your cutie mark

In the window, it had a open box, along with several icons for designing, sort of reminding me of my friend's old Photoshop application. I wasn’t very good drawing detailed pictures, so I used my finger to draw out a picture of a red "X". It was simple and cool, just what I was looking for.

Once I hit the "Ok" button in the window, the cutie mark flew out of the window stuck itself on the flanks of my pony self.

I looked at my pony with a bit of satisfaction. I was excited that I'd be taking on this form.

The window in front of me changed again:

Is this design acceptable?

I touched the "Ok" button, and the window withdrew from me. Suddenly, a voice sounded out from nowhere, "Now that you have chosen your pony, you may now enter Equestria."

A bright light suddenly swept through the dark place, blinding me for a moment. Before I entered the game, I heard the voice say, "Good luck."

When the light subsided, I found that I was standing on all fours. I looked down at my feet to see that they had been replaced by hooves. I noticed that I could move them like I would have with a normal arm or leg.

I looked around to find that I was in the town square of Ponyville: The starting town for the game. Around me, several other players were appearing as ponies as they logged into the game as well. I then noticed a dark gray unicorn with a dark red mane and tail, looking anxious as if he were waiting for someone. I shrugged and decided to ignore him.

“Well, time to go exploring the town.” I started to walk around the town, looking at all of the buildings and NPC's that were selling weapons and items.

“Watch out!” a voice suddenly cried out. I turned to see an orange Pegasus stallion flying within a few inches of crashing into me. I rolled to the side to avoid the oncoming player, and he shot right past me. Glad that I wasn't hurt, I rapidly looked back to see that the orange Pegasus was already gone.

“How strange.” I said out loud, before deciding to continue walking. I then notice a big clothing store that stood in front of me, and I decided to check it out.

Entering the store, I noticed a light brown Pegasus stallion with an orange mane standing in front of the counter of the store. His cutie mark was a cloud with dozens of lines that resembled rain. Above his head, his player ID read: Cloud Burst . Right now, he was pleading with the NPC for something that I couldn't hear. Taking a step closer, I listened to what he was saying.

“Can't you cut down the price a little?” He asked, but the NPC shook his head.

“Sorry, sir. But the price cannot be cut,” At that moment, Cloud's head banged against the counter in annoyance. I felt a bit sorry for him, so I decided to help him.

“How much does it cost?” I asked, talking to NPC. Meanwhile, Cloud looked at me with a confused expression on his face.

“ 50 bits” The NCP replied, showing me what Cloud was buying. It was a pair of sunglasses.

I frowned, Don't all players start with 200 bits at the start of the game? How does Cloud not have at least 50? I glanced towards Cloud to see a giant, three foot sword strapped to his back. It sort of reminded me of Cloud's sword in Final Fantasy 7. (Ironic, right?) I raised an eyebrow, Oh, I guess he spent all of his bits on that sword.

I turned back to the NCP, “Okay, I'll take two pairs, one for me, and one for Cloud.”

As soon as I said that, a small window appeared in front of me:

Will you purchase these items for 100 bits?

-Yes

-No

I tapped the "Yes" button with my hoof, and the money appeared on the stand's counter. The stand owner took the money and held out the sunglasses.

I picked up the pair of sunglasses with my hoof and put my pair on, and I then gave the other pair to Cloud, “Here you go.”

He blinked at me, “Oh, thanks. You don’t know how much I wanted these.” He said doing a little nod of gratitude, putting his pair of sunglasses on, “My name's Cloud. Who are you?"

"I'm Crossheart, but you can call me Cross."

"Hey, want to go gain some levels with me? There's a forest nearby with some weak monsters."

I rub my neck, but then I looked at him and nodded, “Sure. But, I'll need to get some weapons before we actually head off.”

“Okay, let's go to the weapon's store.” He replied with excitement in his voice. I let out a small chuckle.

“Okay, let's go.” I said.

We both trotted out of the store and began to look for a weapons stand.

Cloud pointed a hoof out in front of us, "Hey, over there."

I followed his hoof until I saw a single stand that stood in the middle of an alley-way, just a couple of feet away. Even from where I stood, I could plainly see the vast amount of weapons on the stand's display racks.

Cloud and I walked up to the stand, and the stallion behind the counter asked, "May I help you?"

“We just need to buy some weapons." I responded

The stallion nodded, “Right, feel free to look around. Tell me what you want when you're ready."

I nodded to him and began looking around at all of the weapons. But I only 100 bits left, so I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to buy anything. But as I was looking around, I spotted a hammer that reminded me of the Mjollnir (Thor's Hammer) and a small Viking shield. I checked the pricing to see that the hammer cost only 50 bits, which meant I had enough to buy it.

But then I figured that I'd need some sort of defensive item, so I kept searching for a shield. I continued to browse through the racks until my eye caught a small viking buckler. I checked the price to see that it cost 45 bits, which meant I could get both the hammer and the shield.

I turned back to the stand owner, “I'd like a small hammer and a small Viking shield.”

The stand owner retrieved one of the hammers, in its sheath, and a small Viking shield. Placing them on the counter in front of me, "Okay, that'll be 95 bits."

As soon as he said that, a small window appeared in front of me:

Will you purchase these items for 95 bits?

-Yes

-No

I tapped the "Yes" button with my hoof, and the money appeared on the stand's counter. The stand owner took the money and held out my weapons, "Thank you, and enjoy these while you can." I gave a polite nod to the owner.

I then tried to pick up my weapons with my hooves, only to fail miserably.

“Argh, how I am supposed to carry weapons with only hooves?”

Cloud rolled his eyes, “Why don’t you just levitate them?”

“Uh..." I just remembered that I was a unicorn, so I could use magic. (Facehoof) I then remembered that in my inventory, there was a guide that could show you how to use magic. I opened my player menu and opened my inventory. Once I found it, I selected the guide and it appeared in my hoof. (I don't know why I was able to hold this and not my weapons. Stupid video game physics.)

After I read the guide's magic instruction, I was able to learn how to use magic. I focused on my hammer and shield and the weapons rose off of the ground with levitation. Once I had a hold on them, I equipped my weapons and they appeared strapped to my back.

Cloud nodded, “Now that you’re ready, let's gain some levels.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

We both ran fast through the thick underbrush of the forest, three Timberwolves pursuing us and they were right on our tails.

“Remind me who's idea was it to fight three Timberwolves at the same time.” I asked, shooting daggers from my eyes towards Cloud, who was on my right. Above his head, his health bar was 1/2 full, just like mine.

“I said I was sorry.” He replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

I sighed as I continued to search the area ahead of us, just in case some other monster decided to pop up in front of us. But then, I discovered that we were running towards a dead end: The foot of a massive cliff.

I needed to think fast for a plan. If it was possible, a light bulb would have appeared above my head as an idea came to my mind. I glanced over towards Cloud, “At the count of three, jump to your left.”

“Okay” He nodded, not even questioning me.

“One,” The timberwolves were getting closer as we approached the cliff face.

“Two,” Closer.

“Three!!” We both jumped out of the way almost landing against the cliff face. But then, the Timberwolves were so intent on catching us that they had no time to slow down as they crashed into the wall of the cliff.

“Now, attack!” I shouted to Cloud and at same moment we both struck the Timberwolves blow after blow with no end. After a few seconds, the three timber wolves then burst into bits of blue codes.

But then, a box of text appeared in front of me.

Level up!

2 -> 3

“Heh, level three. Finally.” I said as sat down on the forest floor, breating hard. My health bar was still the same as Cloud's: ½ full.

Cloud nodded, “Well, time to log out. It's already 6:30 and my dad will kill me if I don’t come for dinner before 7:00.” My eyes went wide.

“It's already 6:30? Oh, no. I'll give a my grandma a heart attack if I don’t get back soon. She'd probably scare herself by thinking I'm dead on my bed.” I quickly opened my player menu to log out.

But it was then that I discovered that the log out button wasn't there, “Eh, where is the log out button?”

Cloud rolled his eyes, “It's right he-” His eyes went wide like mine as he discovered that the log button wasn’t on his player menu either. But then, before either of us could say anything, Cloud and I were suddenly enveloped by a bright blue light. I couldn't see anything; Not the forest, not Cloud, not even my own hoof in front of my face.

But then, the light subsided, and Cloud and I found ourselves in the middle of Ponyville's town square. I looked around the square, helplessly confused, to see myself surrounded by other players who were just as confused as I was. Almost the entire square was filled with bronies, and I could see pinpricks of blue light throughout the square as even more players were being teleported in.

“What the hay?” I muttered “What's happening?”

"Gamers and Players, May we have your attention please!"

The lead alicorn shook his head, "This problem isn't from a lack in the system, so we don't know where the problem might have originated."

My eyes widened in surprise. I knew that voice, and I was sure that everyone else did as well. Suddenly, lightning struck through the darkness, partially lighting it. The voice swept through the crowd again, "That would be me."

Another crack of lightning sounded, lighting the square completely for everyone to see the source of the voice. Flying high above the crowd was a character that any brony should know. Everyone stared in awe or shock as they gazed up at the familiar draconequus, the being of chaos, Discord.

He suddenly appeared next the dark-gray unicorn that I saw earlier, making him jump a good foot into the air, "That really is a terrible name for a show, don't you think?"

Before he could answer, Discord snapped his fingers and reappeared riding on one of the admin's backs, "You see, you gave me control over reality in Equestria, but with this power, I hacked into the rest of the system, giving me power over the entire program. Oh, and to make sure that I stay in power, " He snapped his fingers and in a flash, the admin alicorns' horns and wings disappeared, making them plummet into the crowd below, while Discord still floated in the air.

Discord laughed evilly, "Now the admins are just plain earth ponies, and I've also taken power over their admin codes. They won't be able to do a thing to change my world. As for the rest of you, I will let you keep your wings and horns while you play in a little game of mine."

Everybody, including myself, gasped in shock. I couldn't believe it, "But... How... When did-?"

The draconequus laughed evilly, "But a few of you might have thought, 'There's only six elements, so this will be easy.' But I'm sorry to burst your bubble," Discord suddenly, belched out a bubble that was bigger than the length of his body, "But I thought that only six elements would be boring. So I added four new elements." He poked the bubble with a claw, making the bubble burst and reform into ten smaller bubbles. "They will be hidden all over Equestria, but they will be guarded by my favorite kinds of monsters, just like a boss of each element.

"If you find the element, and defeat its guardian in a boss battle, then you may walk away with the element. But I must warn you, my guardians are no push-overs."

Lightning struck again behind Discord, "Well, there you have it. So just remember, your lives are on the line, not mine." He laughed loudly, making lighting strike behind him again, "So, my little bronies, let the games begin!" The sky suddenly was filled with thunder and lightning, blinding everyone as Discord laughed maniacally. When the lightning subsided, Discord was gone, only his laughter echoed through the streets of Ponyville.

Everyone was awestruck, including me. I turned to see that Cloud was in complete shock. He didn’t even move.

“CLOUD!” I shouted, making him come back to reality again.

“Agh, what?” he said looking confused “What just happened?”

“This has become more than a game.” I replied, grimly.

_____________________________________________________________________________________The next day

Cloud and I spent the night in a hotel in Ponyville. Our plan was to leave town the next day and head for another town to search for the elements, but before leaving we needed to buy some health items in the shopping square.

“How many health potions do you think we’re going to need?” Cloud asked, turning towards me.

“Um, like 5 or more.” I responded, rubbing the back of my neck.

“Okay,” He turned back to the stallion behind the counter, selecting the "Yes" button to finalize the purchase. He then turned back to me, “Well, it's time to get going.”

We both started to walk forward to the edge of Ponyville, but we stopped just before the outskirts of town. I glanced towards Cloud, “So, where should we go first?”

“Well, Fillydelphia is one of the closest cities from here, other than Canterlot. With our levels, I think we can manage to get there in no time.” He replied.

I raised an eyebrow, “You know that we're only at level 3, right?”

“Hey, we can level up on the way there.” He replied as he began walking out of ponyville

I rolled my eyes,“If you say so”

Cloud stopped walking, seeing that I wasn't following, “Are you leaving or not? Come on!”

I let a chuckle out and follow him down the road and out of Ponyville. The road led straight to Canterlot, and there weren't too many strong monsters. On that trip alone, Cloud and I were able to level up twice each.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

“Here we are, Canterlot at last.” Cloud announced as we both gazed at the massive walls surrounding the city. Cloud's health bar was only 2/3 full, but mine was at 1/2. “So, do we want to spend the night here, or should we keep on heading towards Fillydelphia.”

“Heh, and get killed in the dead of night? No thanks.” I replied jokingly, “Come on, let's find a place where we can spend the night.” It wasn't very late, but I knew that if we tried to travel to Fillydelphia now, night would come. Travelling in the dark is hard enough, but monsters are more abundant during the night. I’m sure Cloud and I wouldn't have been able to survive the trip.

Cloud nodded, “Well, I’m gonna look around. Maybe we should split up and do a little recon?”

I nodded, “That doesn't sound bad.”

“Well, see you later.” With that, he flared his wings and took off to the skies, leaving me alone at front gate. Looking at the sky, I wonder what I’m going to do first.

“Well, for one thing, staying here doesn't help me.” I thought as I started to walk through the city.

Canterlot, despite what the show had made it out to be, wasn't at all crowded or largely populated. The streets were barren, and only a few NPC's could be seen wandering about. Of course, this was due to the fact that the majority of players in BGO were still in Ponyville or departing for other towns and cities. But I did spot the occasional player around the city.

After about ten minutes of walking, I saw a building that caught my attention. I spotted a sign on top of It that read Library. I frowned, "I wonder what could be inside a library in this game."

I then took a step forward and pushed the doors to library open, entering into the building.

As I entered, I noticed that nobody was inside. There were only stands with books, and a small place were you could sit and read the books.

Walking forward, I inspected the bookcases. But then I noticed that the books were guides to the game, numbering up with each different book.

I glanced towards the one marked, "Vol.1". I frowned, "I wonder what this says."

Grabbing the Vol.1, I trotted over to the reading spot and sat down to read the book. Once in a comfortable spot, I used my magic to open to the first page and began to read it.

Secrets of the Game:

1- There are some weapons that can be only be found in secret places. These weapons are common in other games for being the most powerful of their kind that can be found. Examples of these weapons are: Excalibur , Kusanagi ,Durandarte, gungnir … (For more weapons and detailed information please see Vol.5)

2- There are hidden skills that any player can unlock when they get to a certain level (Depending on the player and their abilities). These skills can greatly enhance a player and they can become extremely powerful.

3- There hidden caves all across Equestria that can be found by a few players. Most of them are hidden with spells and enchantments that need to be eliminated by a player with the power to do so. Finding these caves may vary in results, for some may hide rare treasures while some house hordes of monsters. But often times, the caves will hold both.

4- Every race of pony has their own natural attributes: Earth ponies have a higher power and defense, Pegasi have greater speed and agility, and Unicorns can use magic and have stronger defense against magic based attacks.

5- The more time that a unicorn uses a certain type of magic consistantly, they can upgrade it to become more powerful. (This is true, whether or not the magic in question is their "Ability-defined" magic.)

Suddenly, the sound of a new message rang out and a small banner appeared in my vision. The banner read: New Message from Cloud Burst.

“Huh, I guess he already found a place. That was quick.” I thought as I put the book I was reading on a nearby table. I opened the message and read it.

“Hey cross I haven’t found a cheap place to stay for the night and I don’t have enough money to buy one” At this, a sigh escaped from me, “But don’t get disappointed already. I found a way to earn enough money for both of us. Meet me at the Canterlot Coliseum at the 4:00. Don’t be late.” I checked my clock to see that it was 3:50.

My eyes went wide, “I only have ten minutes, and I don’t even know where the coliseum is. I better get moving.” I quickly put the book back on the book shelf and started galloping out in search of the coliseum, leaving the library behind.

As I galloped, I spotted a nearby gray earth pony stallion with a lime mane. I didn’t pay attention to his User ID or cutie mark. I asked him where the coliseum was. From my expression, he saw that I was in a hurry, so he gave me the directions to the coliseum. I quickly thanked him and started galloping again.

Soon, the coliseum came into view and I spotted Cloud waiting outside. “Hey, Cloud!” I call out to him and he glanced towards me as I ran up to him. Breathing hard, I asked, “What... is it?”

“I'll explain in just a sec. Come on, our match is about to start.” He said, pulling me inside the coliseum's reception area. I spotted an NPC standing behind the reception counter, and Cloud pulled me over to the counter, “Here's my team mate.” He said to the receptionist.

The receptionist glanced towards me, “Team name, please.”

Cloud paused for a moment. It was true. Despite all of the time that we had beem together, Cloud and I had never formed a team. “Team C” Cloud improvised.

Before I had the opportunity to say anything, the receptionist nodded, “Okay, name accepted." He then pointed a hoof towards a guard that was blocking the entrance of the participant entrance, “Follow him. He will guide you to the participant room.” The guard then turned around and started to walk to participant room.

As we follow the guard, I stare at Cloud, expecting some kind of a response. He notices the stare gives me a sheepish smile. I frown at him, “What's going on?”

“Well, as you probably know, neither of us have enough money to buy a room in any hotel. But then, I heard some players saying that if you win one match in the coliseum, you win a lot of prize money. So, I decided to try it."

“And the part that involves me?”

“Well, I saw that teams could participate and if you win as a team, you receive more prize money. So, I decided to choose you as my team mate.”

I sighed, “Well, who are we fighting?”

“They're some team called the Powerful Two.”

“We’re here.” The guard interrupted us, showing us a massive gate that lead to the center of the coliseum, “Good luck.”

Cloud glanced at me and I gave him a nod as we both entered the gates into the coliseum.

At first, the lights of the coliseum momentarily blinded me, even while wearing my sunglasses. But after my eyes finished recovering, I was able to see how big the coliseum was. It was then that I spotted that the other team was standing at the other end of the arena.

There were only two of them, seeing as their team name was the Powerful Two. The player on the left was a unicorn with a purple coat and a white mane. On his back he was carying a rapier. His player ID read: Hasteclock.

The other one was buff earth pony. His coat was cyan, his mane was two different colors, the left side was red and the other side was blue, and his weapon was a giant rawhide hammer. His ID read: Str0nguy. However, I couldn’t see the cutie marks of either of them.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to the coliseum!" An announcer shouted out, his voice ringing across the coliseum, "Today we are presenting a tag match of two teams. In the south corner, we have our challengers: A new called Team C.” As he said our team name, a television screen showed Cloud and I. Only silence and some laughs were heard throughout the crowd of spectators, “And in the north corner, the most known team here for winning the first five matches in this coliseum in a row, our reigning champions: Theeee Powerful Two.” This time the crowd cheered and stomped their hooves in a massive applause.

I couldn't say that I wasn't a little jealous of them, receiving all that cheering. Of course, the cheering was making the Powerful Two a bit more arrogant, which could turn to my team's advantage.

The announcer continued, “Each of the teams will have to choose one team member to fight. The team member can’t be changed until the fighter's health reaches the yellow zone or until they win the round. When both players of one team reach their health's yellow zone, the other team wins!”

“Teams, choose your players!”

Suddenly, a text appeared in front of Cloud and I, with both of our names listed on it. Cloud and I glance at each other.

“You go first, Cloud. After all, this was your idea.” He nods in approval.

I selected Cloud's name and then another text box appeared:

Cloudburst is selected. Is this OK?

-Yes

-No

I selected "Yes".

“Both teams have selected their participant. Give an applause for Cloud Burst and Strong Guy!” The crowd cheered as they took their places in the arena. A textbox appeared in front of Cloud:

Str0nguy has invited you to a duel. Will you accept?

-Yes

-No

Cloud tapped the "Yes" option with a hoof, and a counter suddenly appeared in the air between Strong and Cloud, counting down from 10.

Strong gave a creepy smile towards Cloud as the counter began, "Heh, do you think you can actually defeat me?” Cloud simply glared back at him.

5...

4…

3…

2…

1…

START! The game blared with the sound of a bell chime, signaling the start of the duel.

Wasting no time, Cloud grabbed his sword and lashed out with an attack, directly at Strong. Strong dodged the attack before he swung his hammer from the side. The blow hit Cloud across the side, his health bar decreasing slightly as he was sent flying towards the arena wall. Using his wings, Cloud stopped his momentum and quickly flew back towards Strong.

“Back for more, eh?” Strong grabbed his hammer like as if it was a bat and stood on his hind legs in a batting position, “Well, time for a home run.”

When Cloud come close enough, Strong swung his hammer with all of his strength. Having saw it coming, Cloud quickly avoided the blow by doing a barrel roll. With his opponent open, Cloud swung his sword at Strong, leaving a line of code across the pony's flesh. Instantly, another line of code appeared in Strong, quicker than a flash, along with another one, and another, and another, and another, leaving six line of codes stretching across Strong's body. Strong cried out in pain as his health bar suddenly dropped into the yellow zone, ending the match.

Suddenly, a large window of text appeared in the air above Cloud:

Congratulations!

You've won the duel!

Everybody was left awestruck, including me. Cloud had only hit Strong once, not six times! For a while, it was only silence. But then a stomp could be heard in the crowd, another one following it, and another, until the entire coliseum was cheering for Cloud. Cloud, now exhausted from his difficult opponent, came back to the participant zone and sat down by me.

I raised an eyebrow at him, “Okay, what did you do? You only gave him one strike and six wounds appeared instead.”

Cloud paused as he tried to catch his breath, “that's my ability. It's called, "Burst attack". If I can hit my opponent at least one time, I can strike him more times than that. The only problem is that it leaves me exhausted. I'll need you to take the next fight.”

I sighed, “Okay.” I turned to the gates and entered the arena. Before I was too far off, I heard Cloud say, "Good luck."

“Okay folks. Both teams have selected their participant. Give an applause to Cross Heart and Haste Clock.” The Crowd cheered loudly, anxious to see another fight just like the one they had seen before with Cloud.

In the arena, I made my way to my position to start the fight. Across the arena, Haste glanced at me and sighs, "Your friend was lucky. Strong was too cocky, and I wont make the same mistake he did.”

I stared at him. Noticing my silence, Haste gave a short chuckle as he shook his head, “After I finish you off, you'll friend will have to fight. And I will make your friend pay.” I gave him a cold glare took a deep breath.

“That is, if you can finish me.” I replied, mockingly.

Immediately, haste opened up his player menu and tapped a few buttons. But then, a small box of text appeared in front of me:

Hasteclock has invited you to a duel. Will you accept?

-Yes

-No

I tapped the "Yes" option with a hoof, and a counter suddenly appeared in the air between me and haste.

9…

8…

7…

6…

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

START! The game blared with the sound of a bell chime, signaling the start of the duel.

Haste lashed out in an attack with the tip of his rapier. I quickly took a step to the right to avoid the blow. I just barely dodged the strike, but then he suddenly attacks me with a swing of his sword. Defending myself with my buckler, I was able to stop his attack and counter with my hammer. Noticing my hammer, Haste quickly jumped out of the way as I was about to hit him.

After this, our routine become basically the same the entire time: Attack, guard, attack, avoid. Pretty soon, Haste was starting to get impatient. He jumped back to avoid my hammer's blow, shooting a glare at me, “This was funny at first, but now this is just annoying. Time to end this.”

He started to charge his magic with his horn, surrounding it in a white aura. He took a deep breath, “Haste.”

Suddenly, a giant white clock appeared above his head and stuck to his chest, “This will only last 10 seconds, but that's enough time to end this.”

Haste suddenly starts to move twice as fast than before, making it difficult for me to evade his attack. I defended myself with my buckler, and at the same moment that I did, he attacked me again without hesitation, landing a hard blow. He swung at me again, aiming for my side. The blow barely nicked me as I rolled out of the way, taking a little bit of damage. I then started to gallop away from Haste, dropping my hammer in the process.

But then, Haste quickly caught up to me and lashed out at me with his sword. The strike dealt a lot of damage to me, but not enough to drop me into the yellow zone. I fall to the ground from the force of the attack, quickly glancing back up at Haste. The unicorn approached me, but I noticed that his "haste" status has already gone away.

“This took me more time than I was expecting.” Haste said as he glared down at me, “You’re a strong fighter, Cross, but not enough to defeat me.”

I grinned, “Heh, are you sure about that? Look under you.” He simply looked at me with confused eyes, but then he glanced down to discover that my hammer was directly under him. I let out a laugh, “Jackpot.”

I quickly levitated my hammer up from under Haste, striking his jaw and dropping his health bar a bit. The blow caused Haste to stumble backwards, trying to regain his balance. While he was distracted, I charged up my horn with magic and sent a fire ball to Haste's stomach, making him lose his balance again. I struck him again at his chest with my hammer, sending him flying back into a nearby wall. Haste landed hard against the wall, knocking him out at the same time that his health bar dropped to the yellow zone.

Suddenly, a large window of text appeared in the air above me:

Congratulations!

You've won the duel!

Just like they had done for Cloud, everybody was silent. But then the crowd exploded with cheers. Cloud entered the arena and put an arm around me shoulder, “That. Was. AWESOME! Man, for a second there, I thought you were going to lose. You definitely proved me wrong.”

I let out a short chuckle, but before I could respond the, the Announcer interrupted us, “Well, that folks, was the ending of the tag match, and the winners are Team C!” The cheers of the crowd grew wilder.

Cloud and I then left the arena and went to the reception area to claim our prize. The receptionist congratulated us and then gave us a fairly large bag of money. Inside the bag was 2,500 bits for each of us. My jaw and Cloud’s hit the floor at the sight of that much money in one bag. We hadn't thought that we'd ever be able to earn that much money at the beginning of the game. We both gave our thanks to the receptionist and headed for a hotel. We both agreed that tomorrow morning, we'd be going shopping before heading off to Fillydelphia.

Special: January 24th (Cross' View Part 2)