Spike

Chapters

Prologue
1. Meeting in the Dome
2. Frankie and Heli (or Level 1-1), part 1
2.5. Life and Death, Media Dimension Style
3. Frankie and Heli (or Level 1-1), part 2
4. Grave Danger (1-2), part 1
5. Grave Danger (1-2), part 2
6. Tomato Soup (1-3), part 1
7. Tomato Soup (1-3), part 2
8. Disco Inferno (1-4), part 1

Prologue

Larry's Home, 5 PM

"C'mon, what did you bring us here for?" Josh asked impatiently. He, along with 5 other friends, had been sitting in Larry's living room. Each one knew Larry was eccentric, always modifying electronic devices, but he usually wasn't so subtle about it. His cell phone? Big enough to be a registered weapon. Laptop? Ate enough electricity to power a small town. But today's modified device...didn't look so different.

In front of the 6 curious faces and beside the resident mad tech scientist was a normal, 42" box TV. Nothing more, it seemed. Larry cracked his knuckles before finally speaking. "Gentlemen, behold! What you see before you is a seemingly normal, 42" box TV! But...in case you didn't know, it has been MODIFIED! This box TV can allow you to watch any show in 3-D! No glasses necessary!" Larry gave off his evil scientist laugh, with as much gusto as always. His friends, however, gave no immediate reaction.

"Larry, is this some kind of f***ing joke?" Ronnie asked.

"Yeah, there's no way this is a good idea at all," Matthew agreed.

"You ask me, I'd rather get the 70" flatscreen from Wal-Mart," Jared shrugged.

"You have WAY too much time on your hands," Lewis said.

"I got out of bed for THIS?" Josh asked.

"I can only see this ending in tears," Tech concluded, shaking his head.

Larry rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, don't knock it until you see it in action," he retorted. "Just let me turn it on, and you'll see that this will be a revolutionary item!" No one seemed to notice a form in the TV. Larry pulled out the remote control and pressed the power button...
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Ponyville Library's Basement, 5 PM

"So, what exactly is this thing?" Applejack asked. She, along with the other 4 Elements of Harmony, were looking at a strange plastic box. Or mostly plastic. On one side, the one facing them, was a piece of glass, black as night. Twilight Sparkle was making sure everything was in just the right spot. The power cord was plugged in, the box was facing the right way, and the antenna was pointing in the right direction.

When she was certain everything was in order, she finally spoke. "Well, everypony, what do you think of my newest invention? I call it a 'television set,' or TV for short." The looks on their faces indicated confusion more than admiration. Even Spike, Twilight's number one assistant and first friend, couldn't properly react to the contraption before him.

"It looks...scary," Fluttershy whispered.

"Totally uncool," Rainbow Dash scoffed.

"It's nothing more than a tacky box," Rarity remarked.

"Looks a bit boring," Pinkie Pie wondered out loud.

"Sorry, Twi, I just don't see the big deal," Applejack said.

"What exactly is it supposed to do, Twilight?" Spike asked.

Twilight was a little nervous. She expected a few more questions, not a beatdown of her handiwork. "What this does," she said, ignoring her friends' disapproval, "is allow us to see across different dimensions and watch what happens without directly interfering." She gave a small smile. No one really looked like they cared. "M-maybe a demonstration will help," she said. A shadow crossed the screen, but no one noticed. Twilight reached for the power button...
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Place and Time Unknown

The creature at the hub of the world fiddled with his screen some more. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Or it would be, if it had not happened before. He remembered every bit of the last time: a gecko from Hawaii bought the TV he had placed in the real world. Ate his camera bug. Been captured and made into what should have been the new mascot for his network. What he didn't count on was this lizard to fight back. He had been humiliated. Not once, not twice, but THREE times, the lizard had thwarted his plans for global domination.

But now, he watched as both creatures had readied their respective TVs. One, a human, had modified his to create "realistic" pictures. The other, a purple equine, had built hers from the ground up. Both had inadvertently created the portal needed to conquer their respective worlds. "They will do," the monster growled. He examined both sides again. They had gathered an audience. "Even better," he continued his monologue, in spite of the fact he was speaking to nobody.
As the screen split into two, the time had finally come to collect his prey. The human and pony both turned on their respective set.

"I hear a group mascot is much better than a single one. Out with the peacock finally, and IN WITH THESE WRETCHES!" As he yelled the last line, he thrust his hands into the screens, his right into the human world, the left into Equestria.
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Neither side saw it coming. As soon as their TV was turned on, it showed nothing but static. All of them crowded around the screen as their host tried to fix the problem. Then they saw the hand. It ripped through the barrier and grabbed them all. For Larry and his friends, it was the right hand. For Twilight and her companions, it was the left hand. They were all grabbed and pulled right into the screen. When they were pulled through, their TVs shut off. They were Rez's toys now. And no one was getting out.

1. Meeting in the Dome

The Dome, Time Unknown

Larry moaned as he woke up from his sleep. He remembered the hand grabbing him and his friends and pulling all 7 of them into his TV. They fell into the static void, and then...blank. He had no idea when he blacked out, or how. But he also noted that he was short a friend. Or two. Scratch that, EVERYONE was missing! Larry surveyed his surroundings. He was on a catwalk, it seemed. Looking over the edge, it looked like a lot of high-tech stuff. Turning behind him, he saw a huge satellite, with four colored beacons hitting the top. He decided to walk around and find the sources of the beacons.

No sooner had he started walking did he crash into someone. Literally. He tripped and fell face first onto the ground. "Hey, what was that for?!?" a voice yelled. Strange. It didn't sound like his friend. Larry got up to confront the voice, but didn't see anyone. He looked all around before the voice said, "Down here, big guy." Larry looked down and saw a small, purple-scaled dragon with green dorsal scales running down its back. Larry's jaw dropped. What was a DRAGON doing here?!? Oh, today was NOT a good day for this human.

Spike looked at the human for a moment, nodding. "Are you the one responsible for bringing me and my friends here?" he asked. The human was CLEARLY not very helpful. He just stood there, wide-eyed, jaw open, and paralyzed with fear. A quick blast of green fire quickly got the human's attention. "HEY! I'm talking to you, big guy!" Spike said furiously. He was surprised when the human said, "What was that for?!? And my name's not "Big Guy," it's Larry!" Obviously not a social human, Spike thought. "Anyway, I'm not responsible for you, Tiny, I'm in a bind myself right now," Larry said.

Now it was Spike's turn to take an insult. "My name is Spike, not Tiny! And how do I know you're not lying to me?" Larry stared at the baby dragon for a moment. Spike stared back with the same intensity. After a moment of silence, Larry finally said, "It's up to you if you want to believe me. Right now, my friends are in danger, and I don't have time to babysit." He turned to leave and continue his search, but he felt claws dig into his back. Spike sat on Larry's shoulder and said, "Hate to break it to you, but I'm coming with. No way am I looking for my friends on my own." Oh, and having me for company is better? Larry thought.
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Place and Time Unknown

The monster chuckled at how easily he captured his prey. A human and pony was trapped in all 6 worlds. The Cemetery, New Toonland, the Jungle Isles, Kung Fuville, Planet X, and even his own little haven. It was a shame he didn't quite capture the human inventor, or the purple pony's little assistant. But still, he had 12 potential mascots all lined up. He could take his time. He turned to the white unicorn in the cage beside him. She wasn't like the other prisoners. She stared at her captor darkly. "Just you wait," she said. "Once Spike gets here, you will regret capturing us!" The creature laughed. Not maniacally, or evilly. Just...a normal laugh. He approached the cage and said, "Do not be so sure. My world does not play by the rules of yours. He will fail. And you will all help me achieve my dream of global domination." His other jailed subject, a huge man with more brawn than brains, replied, "Like we would EVER help you! Larry knows this place like the back of his hand!"

At this, the monster looked curious. "He does, does he? Well, I can always fix that." With that, he turned to his screen and turned it to the Dome's camera system. On the catwalk were Spike and Larry, both approaching the Cemetery's portal. It was time to make his presence known, and a scapegoat was needed to make his point clear.
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The Dome, Time Unknown

Spike looked at the plastic box again. It looked like a coffin. Except it had the glass screen of that "television" that Twilight had created. On it was a skeleton laughing. Every so often, it would seem like two were on the screen at the same time before it went back to one again. "Are you sure this is how it works?" Spike asked his new friend. "As far as I know, yes," Larry replied. "Just touch the power button, and we'll be transported to a different place."

"Oh, it's never that easy," a raspy voice objected. The two heroes turned to find what could effectively be called a television reaper. In one eye was a 3, as if it were counting down to the time a show would be on, while the other eye looked to be a Standard Broadcasting Test, colored and without the annoying beep. The monster had no legs, instead hovering just a little off of the catwalk Spike and Larry were on. Spike didn't know why, but he just couldn't stand the look of this thing. Larry knew exactly what this thing was, though.

"You..." Larry said. "I thought a certain Maui lizard already kicked your sorry behind and left you crying for mommy." Spike stepped away from Larry. Apparently, the two had a history, and he didn't want to be caught in the crossfire. The beast chuckled evilly and said, "So that boy was right: you know about me, and the Media Dimension." Neither Spike nor Larry noticed, but their foe was starting to create a ball of energy in his hand. "But for my plan to work, I can't allow a smart one such as yourself to live. You'd simply lead the lambs to the slaughter." The energy ball shot out of his hand and hit Larry square in the chest, hurtling him over the catwalk. Larry would find that the fall was long, boring, and would end with a hole in the shape of his body where he landed.

Spike, for his part, could only look on in horror. "I guess now it is your turn to suffer his fate," the monster said maliciously. Spike didn't wait for him to follow through with his threat. He pressed the power button on the coffin TV and was sucked in before the reaper could even charge another shot. Not that it matters, he thought. He is simply a baby lizard. He cannot possibly hope to save everyone. The lord of the Media Dimension finally gave a full-hearted, evil laugh that would put many B-grade villains to shame.

2. Frankie and Heli (or Level 1-1), part 1

Cemetery, 11:30 PM

Spike groaned as he got to his feet. Why today? Why did today have to be the day everyone relied on him? Shaking off his dizziness, he noticed something strange. The ground was further away. He looked down to make sure he didn't land on anyone. No, it couldn't be that simple. He was taller. His arms and legs were just as long as they were on the day after his birthday. He looked at his tail, surprised its length had increased, too. "What happened to me?" Spike asked allowed. He clutched his throat as he realized: It was the same as it was that day, too.

Please, oh please don't let it be greed, the dragon thought. He'd already caused a lot of mayhem once because of it, and he didn't want to repeat the experience. Ever. "Calm down, you're healthy and not greedy," a voice said. Spike looked around wildly. In spite of the fact it sounded close by, he couldn't see the source. "W-where are you?" Spike yelled. "Show yourself!"

"Would if I could, but I can't, so I won't," the voice replied. "Sad that you don't remember me, even though we just met a while ago." Spike raised an eyebrow in wonder. Then it clicked. That voice...! "Larry? What happened to you?" Spike called out. "The one and only. Well...simply put, I died. And the dead of the Media Dimension come here when they croak off," Larry said nonchalantly. "But that doesn't matter. What does matter is that I'm here to help you rescue your friends."

"And if you're dead, how are you going to do that?" Spike asked. A boney hand popped out of a nearby grave, scaring Spike half to death! The hand didn't attempt to grab him, though. It simply pointed down the stone path. Soon, more hands joined the first, leading Spike down the path. They finally stopped at a coffin TV. Just like the one at the Dome. Except...

"Um, Larry? I think this thing's broken," Spike announced. "Nah, just give me a minute. I'll get it running," Larry said. Spike could hear springs, screws, bolts, screams, and film reel from inside the TV. When it stopped, he heard a beep and the TV came to life. The picture of the laughing skeleton appeared again. "Alright, same as before. Hit the power button, and we'll be on our way," Larry said.

You mean I'll be on my way, Spike thought. He pressed the button, and watched as the world around him became static.
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1-1 Frankie and Heli

The world came back into focus as Spike gathered his senses. It looked like he was in a graveyard. The same scenery as before. Did he really teleport? He didn't think so...until he ran into a wall. Spike jumped as high as he could. He landed right in the middle of the wall. He smiled, knowing that in his smaller form, he wouldn't have even gotten halfway up. After smiling to himself for a turn of luck, he took note of the question mark beside him. What does this do? he thought.

He tapped the question mark with his claw. Nothing. "Couldn't it at least match the place?" Spike asked aloud. "I guess, but it's not just for show, y'know," announced a familiar voice.

"There you are," Spike said. "What took you so long?"

"Tuning issues," Larry shrugged. "Doesn't matter. You want to know how to activate the mark?"

Spike pretended to think about it for a moment. "Why, yes, in fact I do," he finally replied.

"Very well. Just tail-whip it," Larry commanded.

Spike blinked. "'Tail-whip it?' That's how it works?"

"Yep. Just hit the mark with your tail and it'll do its job."

Spike didn't ask any more questions. Using all of his strength, he hit the question mark with his tail. It disappeared and in its place, a square appeared before the young dragon. In it were one yellow pegasus with a pink mane and a black skinned human. The human was the one that spoke. "Guys, it's Lewis. I'm stuck here with a yellow horse, and-"

"Um...I'm a pegasus..."

"Excuse me, yellow PEGASUS. Listen, there's more to this place than meets the eye. We've been seeing zombies and madmen with chainsaws! So whatever cavalry is coming to rescue us, make it quick!"

"Well, if you have the time..."

At the pegasus's last words, the square disappeared and it was once again back to the purple question mark. Spike's jaw dropped. It was way worse than he thought. Spike picked up his jaw and continued onward. "Well, that was a buzzkill," Larry said.

"Don't. Even. Start." Spike mumbled through clenched teeth.
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So far, nothing tried to oppose Spike. Yeah, there were pits, walls, and pools of liquid that Larry warned Spike that contact with it would erase him from existence, but no moving enemies. Yet. Spike looked at the newest challenge before him. This wall was far too big to jump, even for him. The wall looked like it was weak enough that a punch would destroy it. Spike cracked his knuckles, made a fist, did a few windmill motions, and...

"Hold it!" Larry yelled. Spike stopped himself a split second before his fist made contact. "WHAT?!?" Spike yelled.

"You want a broken hand?"

"No. But the wall's weak enough to punch through."

"You'd think that, but it's a lot tougher. Use your tail."

"Wait, you think my fist can't break it but my tail can?"

"Yeah. You'd be amazed what you can do with your tail. Just trust me, ok?"

Spike rubbed his head. For such a helpful guy, Larry was getting to be quite annoying. He hit the wall with his tail, using everything he had. The wall exploded, opening up the path. On the other side of the wall, though...it looked like Frankenstein's monster as if he had created a duck. Spike took in a deep breath for a flame attack. This...thing...wasn't going to get in the way of saving his friends. When he breathed out...no fire. Spike blinked. He took another deep breath and exhaled. Still no fire.

"What gives? Why am I not breathing fire?!?" he yelled out loud. The monster lumbered forward, unaware of Spike's attempted attack. Spike ran at the monster, hand balled up into a fist, and attempted to punch his opponent in the face. For a slow guy, the creature caught Spike's fist before it could reach his face. Then, with its free hand, it repeatedly smacked Spike in the face before it punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. As Spike reeled in pain, the monster let go of his enemy and turned away.

"You okay there, Spike? That looked like it hurt," Larry commented.

"Gee...thanks for...the update..." Spike wheezed. "Just...what IS...that thing?"

"Frankie. They're usually weak. But boy, did he tear you a new one."

"Advice...NOW..."

"Same as before: tail-whip the bastard."

"Is that your answer to everything?"

"...for now, yes. When it's not the answer, I'll let you know."

As Spike caught his second wind, Frankie came back to finish the job. Remembering the question mark and the crumbling wall, Spike put his everything into his tail whip. The monster didn't stop it in time, and crumpled to the floor. Spike's face was priceless. "Is...is it...?" he started. Then, before he could continue, the lifeless heap in front of him disappeared in a burst of static, leaving nothing behind.

If it was possible for Spike's jaw to drop any further, it would've. "Well, one down, 999 more to go," Larry said. "Best hop to it while there's still light to guide you."

Spike shook his fist once more. "If you ever get your body back, I am SO punching you!"

2.5. Life and Death, Media Dimension Style

Cemetery, Midnight

Spike wasn't doing so well. Between learning the rules of this new world, worrying over his friends' safety (especially Rarity's) and trying to breathe after his...encounter...with Frankie, he really wished Larry would just go away. He also wouldn't mind something to eat. He got his wish a moment later, with a diamond in sight! Granted, it was small, but right now, anything would sate his appetite. Without waiting for Larry's approval or disapproval, he ate the diamond. Just as tasty as it was back in Ponyville! Plus, the gem seemed to have special abilities. The pain in Spike's stomach went away, his breathing back to normal. Did all the gems do that?

"Very nice. Feel better?" Larry seemed...bored. As if he expected this to happen.

"A lot," Spike replied. "Man, I gotta keep a supply of that on me."

"Well, here's a tip about those. Not all of them heal you."

"How do you know that?"

"Just keep going. I'll explain when we find another gem of yours."

Spike kept walking. It was kind of hard to actually keep a confident look when everything seemed to creep you out. The tombstones everywhere, dead trees, even the moon looked like it was screaming in horror. And poor Fluttershy, Spike finally realized, was actually stuck here until someone rescued her. His thoughts were immediately interrupted by his face slamming into a wall. As Spike shook off the dizziness, he heard Larry laughing his head off.

"Oh, man, I can't believe you actually did that!" the ghost chortled. "You've got to be THE most absent-minded dragon here!"

"Seeing as how I'm the ONLY dragon here, that doesn't really hold water," Spike retorted.

Larry lifted a finger for a comeback, only to realize the purple lizard was right. That meant Spike was the strongest, weakest, most focused, most absent-minded, most whatever-the-hell-you-want-to-call-him dragon in the Media Dimension. Spike gave a sly smile, to show his approval of finally putting the ghost in his place. Spike then whipped the wall in front of him, hoping it would collapse. Nothing happened. He jumped as high as he could. Couldn't even clear a quarter of the way up. Spike closed his eyes to think. If he couldn't go through the wall, or jump over it, how could he get out of here?

Spike must have been there for a while, because Larry finally said, "Are you just gonna stand there and twiddle or are you going to climb?"

Spike opened his eyes. "Climb? How am I going to climb a wall?"

"Maybe I'm wrong, but can you not use your claws to help you stick to surfaces?"

"Well, I never saw a reason to. I can try now, I guess."

Spike revealed very, VERY sharp claws and dug them into the wall. He then scaled the wall as if it were a ladder in a library. As he reached the top, Spike noticed two things: One, there was a camera floating in front of him. And two: there was a TV acting like a helicopter, circling around the camera. Spike looked to the specter for advice, but didn't say anything this time. Larry knew what Spike was asking, though.

"Camera's a milestone, helicopter TV is Heli. Another enemy, easily defeated. Both solutions are..." Larry didn't continue. He wanted Spike to know what the answer was.

"Tail again?" Spike guessed. Larry nodded. No surprise there, that's been the answer for just about everything except jumping. Spike smacked the camera with his tail. The camera's red light flashed twice, then blinded Spike and Larry with a bright flash. As soon as he could see again, Spike saw a picture coming out of the camera. It showed him exactly as he looked when the shot was taken. Now to take care of the helicopter TV. Heli, wasn't it called? Doesn't matter, thought Spike. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can rescue everypony. He hit the flying TV, and it crashed in front of Spike. But it didn't de-rez like Frankie. Instead, it had a 5 on it. Then there was a beep. The number went down to 4. For every beep, the number went down, until the number hit zero.

The last thing Spike remembered was the TV exploding and sending an antenna through his chest.

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Unknown Place and Time

Spike groaned as he found his legs. That really hurt. He hoped he wouldn't feel that pain again. But where was he? It was dark, creepy, and no place for anything living. He heard a voice call out.

"Spike...Spike...your time has come..."

If Spike's face had any color, it was completely drained now. He shuddered as a light approached him. A small lantern, held aloft by a bony hand. He knew it: Larry got Spike killed. And now everypony else was headed for the same fate. The lantern on the hand changed into a scythe. Spike closed his eyes for the inevitable departure of his head from his body. He heard a second voice suddenly. Was this good...or bad?

"Piss off, George! This one's mine!" it yelled.

The scythe turned back into a lantern, and revealed two skeletons in black robes. One was tall, the other short. Both were lanky in looks. Then again, what would you expect a skeleton to look like, round and sluggish? The smaller one spoke up first. "Seriously, we have procedure to go through, George! Just sit down and watch how this works!"

Spike finally got enough courage to speak. "Am I...did I...?"

"Well, let's see: from what I saw, an antenna traveled through your body at 150 miles per hour, pierced your heart, and removed said heart from said body. I would say...YES, YOU ARE DEAD! Now, let me go through the f***ing procedure, dragon!" the small skeleton seemed to have little patience. Spike watched as a scroll appeared before the skeleton. "Um...do you have a name?" Spike asked.

"Just call me Gary," the skeleton said with little care. "Now, let's see...Spike...Spike...your surname?"

"Um...I can't remember. But I'm Twilight Sparkle's number one assistant, if that helps," Spike said.

"Ok, that should...wait. Twilight Sparkle? THE Twilight Sparkle? Celestia's number one student?!?"

"Yeah, same pony. ...should I have not said anything?"

"Ooh, that means you're from Equestria, which means that you're a damn 'special' case!" Gary took the scroll and tossed it into the abyss. "According to the powers that be, those from Equestria can't die unless they're in another dimension! Oh, wait..." Another scroll appeared, and Gary read it quickly, muttering to himself occasionally. Finally, he said, "Actually, it says here that you DID die in another dimension, therefore you're free game!" George's lantern once again changed into a scythe. Spike once again closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. Again.

"Wait wait wait!" Gary suddenly yelled. Spike opened his eyes to find a purple gemstone in front of him. "That's...an amethyst," Spike muttered. But that's not what amazed him. What amazed him was that the gem was glowing brightly. So brightly, in fact, it illuminated the area to reveal that Spike was still in the Cemetery world of the Media Dimension. The gem than floated over to Gary, who grasped it in his hand. The skeleton looked at it a bit closely before he turned to the dragon.

"How about...a little deal?" he finally said.

"A...a deal? What kind of deal?"

"Simple. I'm going to acknowledge your presence of being a 'special' case." The gem Gary was holding split into three, which floated over to Spike. "From now on, an amethyst represents your life. When you die, present us with a piece, and we'll give you another chance. We'll even drop you off at the last milestone you passed."

"Milestone?" Spike asked. "You mean the camera?"

"Yes, those. But be warned: if you die and you don't have an amethyst to hand to us...well...George has been dying to use his scythe for once." George pulled out a grindstone and started sharpening his scythe. Spike gave an audible gulp. "Okay...can I go back to that...last milestone?" he managed.

"Very well, no need to keep you here, piss off," Gary said. He turned to leave, but raised one hand. "Oh, and Spike, if you see that Larry kid from Earth, tell him he's a dumbarse!" And with that, Spike lost consciousness.

3. Frankie and Heli (or Level 1-1), part 2

Cemetery, 12:48 am

Larry paced around the camera for quite a while. In hindsight, he probably should've warned Spike about Heli's tendency to self-destruct when their attachments were removed. Then again, the look on his face was absolutely priceless. Man, he hated when emotions conflicted like that. Before he could start looking around again, he saw the camera's red light blink twice. Then, in a flash of light, Spike appeared.

"So, did you have fun?" Larry asked, completely serious.

"Depends. Would you like to talk to Death and convince him not to use you as a test subject for his newest scythe?" Spike replied.

"...no. No, I wouldn't."

"Didn't think so." Spike looked around, remembering this was the place that TV decided to become an impromptu firework. But he forgot which way they were supposed to travel. He was about to ask Larry, when a bony hand appeared out of the ground and pointed right. Then another hand came out and handed Spike a letter. He took it and read it with eagerness. "When in doubt, go right. There's a way around everything." Well, it's a start, I guess, Spike thought. So, without further ado, he went right.
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Spike was finally getting the hang of things. He learned Frankies don't work together, TV explosions hurt everyone, and the de-rez pool, as Spike started calling them, also eliminated threats. Larry had quit helping, so now it was up to Spike to figure out where to go and what to do. Finally, he came to another wall. I am really starting to hate walls, Spike thought. This one was too high to jump and had spikes, so the dragon couldn't scale it. He put his hand on a nearby pedestal so he could think. Time-out...when did this place get a pedestal? Spike turned his gaze towards the pedestal to see a remote. 12 buttons, had a skull on top, and generally fitted in with the drab, dead place he was in.

"Hey, Larry, is it safe to grab that thing?" Spike asked. He didn't know why, but he felt it better to ask about things then just act on instinct. Who knows, maybe it was a trap set by that monster in the Dome.

Larry inspected every detail about the pedestal, making sure nothing was wrong. After a while, he replied, "You're good. No tricks, traps, or any other problems if this thing is moved."

With a smile, Spike grabbed the remote. Or, he would've, if it had not disappeared the moment he touched it. Spike's jaw once again dropped. He was told it was safe! What did he do wrong? Spike smacked the ground with his tail in disgust. He heard a rumble underneath his feet. He quickly looked down to find he was no longer standing on the ground. He fell through and landed face first into the ground. Larry, however, simply floated down. Helping Spike stand up (at least as much as a ghost can do), he noted the background now.

"That looked like it hurt," Larry said. "You need to rest?"

Spike shook off the pain and replied, "No. I'm fine. Let's just keep...whoa." Both of them were glad Spike had landed where he did. Because in front of them, was the biggest de-rez pool that either had ever seen. There was just no way he could get across: No bridge, the ceiling was too high, and no moving platforms to ferry him across. That's when Spike noticed the background as well. Didn't it look like the walls he had been climbing? Maybe...he unsheathed his claws and grabbed the background. Success! He could use the background to get to the other side! Carefully, he moved along the background, watching for any Helis that might try and make him lose balance. When he finally reached the other side and could safely drop down, he did. Right in front of a huge, yellow TV with static signal. It seemed the static read "Exit."

"Looks like you made it," Larry remarked. "Think you can handle this world now?"

"A bit, yeah," Spike nodded.

"Well, hit the power button, and let's be on our way."

Spike pushed the power button on the yellow TV. The world around him disappeared, replaced entirely with static. Spike didn't fall, nor did he rise. He stood right in the middle. Larry was nowhere to be seen. Movement caught Spike's attention. As he turned to see it, he saw the remote from before. It hovered in front of him before resting in his hands. The world finally tuned back in, Spike standing in front of the coffin TV. Except instead of the laughing skeleton, it was all static-y.

Spike sighed. Whether it was one of relief, discomfort, or a combination of the two, he didn't know. On the one hand, he made it out of there in one piece. On the other, he had a bad feeling he was just getting started on a very, VERY long journey.

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None of them were turned on.

There wasn't a single, solitary TV set that was on,, save for the Dome's and the one Spike just busted. He'd walked around the place 5 times, and still nothing changed. On his 6th round, Spike saw Larry sitting lazily on top of one of the nonworking TVs.

"Are you waiting for an invitation to get in?" the ghost asked.

"Not really. Do I need one?" Spike replied.

"No. But these things aren't going to activate on their own. And unlike the others, the power buttons are busted."

"So how do we get them to work?"

"In my world, when the buttons on the TV don't work, hope you have the remote."

Larry gave Spike a look. One that said "I gave you the answer, go from there." The dragon reached into his pocket and pulled out the skull remote. Would it work? He pressed the top right button and watched an aqua-colored light flow from the remote to Larry's seat. The blank screen turned into the countdown from the flying TVs! Spike jumped behind the nearest tombstone, trying to hide as much of himself as he could. When the countdown finished, however, there wasn't an explosion. In fact, there was a creepy laugh. Spike looked to the TV, trying not to leave the safety of the tombstone. The countdown had been replaced by the skeleton.

"Huh," Larry muttered. "Seems like the TVs buttons have been repaired." Turning to the dragon, Larry called out, "You ready for the next one?"

Spike left the safety from behind the tombstone, albeit slowly. He walked up to the now-blaring TV, and took another deep breath. "Ready as I'll ever be," he announced. He hit the power button, and watched the world disappear once more.

4. Grave Danger (1-2), part 1

Cemetery, 1:00 am

As he expected, the world materialized quickly. Unexpectedly, there was nothing standing between Spike and Frankie. A quick flick of the tail, and the enemy was disposed of. It was here that Spike saw something very strange. A stump. But not any old stump. This one would open its mouth and a skull would pop out! It would travel a ways up, then come down, into the maw of the stump, which would close for a moment before restarting the cycle. Curiously, Spike tail-whipped the skull as hard as he could. Instead of de-rezzing as he had expected, he sent it flying. It flew far before finally steering to the ground. There was a smack in the distance.

"I think I got something!" Spike yelled. He jumped over the stump, unaware that its maw was open once again. A skull knocked Spike off-balance in air (yes, it's possible). His body was went spinning before he landed face-up on the ground.

"Oh, you got something, alright," Larry chuckled. He made an "I Love Rock N' Roll" sign with one hand and said in his best surfer boy's voice, "Awesome air-time, dude!"

Spike got up slowly before he answered. "I'm really starting to hate this place. A lot."

"Then you're gonna hate that guy."

Spike turned to see what Larry was talking about, only to duck and narrowly avoid a bad scale-cut from a chainsaw. Without even thinking, he immediately whipped his tail towards his attacker. He heard a loud SMACK then a body hit the floor. Regaining his composure, Spike saw the body: a humanoid creature wearing a red sleeveless shirt, torn blue jeans, brown boots and a white hockey mask. His left hand was replaced by a chainsaw. Probably the same one that nearly hit me. What's it made of? Spike thought to himself. He didn't have time to examine the body further as it de-rezzed.

Spike continued walking while Larry lazily floated beside him, explaining in finer detail about the new enemy. Apparently, its name was Jeff. Something about it would've been Jason, but something crazy called "international copyright laws" prevented it from happening. Spike stepped in an area with tombstones, about to ask what that was, when the ground gave way again. Spike fell through, landing on ground surrounded by more tombstones. Then THAT ground gave way, causing him to fall further onto a set of spikes.

Don't worry, Spike was fine. Aching, cut, and out of breath, but still alive. He crawled away from the spikes into an area that contained, you guessed it, more tombstones. He fell through the ground once again and landed on solid ground finally, not surrounded by spikes or tombstones. He got up very slowly, hoping something could save him. A glint of light from the moon revealed an orange gem. An amber! Spike thought. He ran and devoured it quickly, thankful for a sweet and tasty meal.

In an instant, all of his pain disappeared. The aches were gone, the cuts were sealed, his breath returned, and even the scales that were cut from the earlier attack grew back immediately! That was definitely a gem to remember. But how was he going to get out? Larry floated down and asked, "You ok, Spike? That looked really painful, even for you."

"I'll live. I just ate some amber and it got me back to full condition! Heck, I think it even gave me an energy boost!"

"Enough of a boost to get you out of here?"

Spike looked up and went into deep thought. Three holes, no good walls to dig into, and spikes that could tear through his scales? Just what was everything made out of, anyway? "No, I don't think it gave me that."

"Then allow me to get you out of here," Larry said as he punched the background.

Spike watched in awe as the ghost tore right through time and space, creating a static portal big enough for the dragon to jump through. He then floated up and created another one at the top of the hole, on the side Spike should've been on. When he was given the thumbs up, Spike put a hand through the portal. Looking up, he saw it at the top of the hole! Spike leaned his head through, looked down into the pit, and saw his other half still down there. As he finished crawling through, the portals closed, as if nothing had happened.

"Now that's what I call thinking with portals," Larry chuckled.

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Wait, if you can do that, why don't you just get me to the TV and we can get out of here? Or better yet, why not warp me to Fluttershy and rescue her?"

Larry shook his head. "Believe it or not, that's about as good as I can do. I don't know where Fluttershy or the TV out of here are, so I can't create an exit point for them. And even if I could...well, quick question: do you want to be a hero?"

The question caught him off-guard. Of course Spike wanted to be a hero! Didn't everyone? And what did it have to do with the portal technique Larry knew? "Yeah, I wanna be the hero."

"Then why take the shortcut and get there, no one recognizing you, when you can take the long way and let people know just what you're made of?"

Spike almost said something, but realized Larry was right. Yeah, getting to the end was important, but you don't know the extent of your abilities if you simply take the quick, safe route. Larry derailed the train of thought with, "Also, I don't wanna be a game breaker, it just wouldn't be as fun."

Spike tried to tail-whip the ghost, knowing nothing would happen. Sooner or later, he would get back at him. He hoped for sooner rather than later.
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It was almost becoming a routine at this point. Enemy appears, smack it with the tail, watch it de-rez. Jeff may have been faster than Frankie, but he was still too slow for Spike. The dragon also noted that yes, tombstones equal weak areas. He also learned that Larry was in fact bluffing: the reason he couldn't just warp Spike to the exit or his friends was because he couldn't create the static portals. He could, however, detect them, which proved the ghost wasn't just dead weight.

Dropping from the ledge, Spike saw a beautiful ruby sitting in plain sight. He was about to run right to it when something in his mind told him otherwise. Why would a perfectly good gem just be sitting in the middle of nowhere? the rational side thought. With caution, he approached the gem, watching for any supposed traps. When he was satisfied there were none, he took the ruby and ate it. Tasty as always. Except...rubies weren't supposed to be spicy. In fact...it burned his mouth! Spike coughed and looked around, hoping to find water. Then again, the only "water" in this place was that deadly liquid, and he wasn't that desperate.

Another cough, and this time, it felt like something was in his throat. He couldn't take it. He jumped up, ran over to where the pool of liquid was, and just...puked. Sorry, there's no other way to describe it. Funny enough, right over the pool was a Heli, flying around as if nothing was wrong. When Spike's puke hit it, though, it burst into flames. Rotor, the TV itself, antenna, even the button that was burn-proof. All disappeared in glorious fire. Spike blinked. Then a smile broke over the dragon's face. He got his flame back!

Spike jumped across the chasm, grabbing the side of the wall. He crawled up, shot a flame at the two Frankies there, and tail-whipped the camera. A flash of light later, and Spike was ready to take on the world. For once, everything was going his way.

5. Grave Danger (1-2), part 2

Cemetery, 1:15 AM

Spike staggered to a hiding spot. He just had to think that thought, didn't he? One minute, he was on top of the proverbial world, the next he's at Gary's door. He accidentally headbutted a TV, which somehow caused him to lose his fire, ran a gauntlet of Frankies and Jeffs, (which accounted for most of his current scars) and lost any sense of direction he might've had. He looked around, hoping to find something, ANYTHING that could get him back into top shape. But alas, the moon did not reveal anything useful.

Larry finally appeared beside him and said, "Good thing this isn't timed, or you'd be in a lot of trouble."

Spike's eyes couldn't lock on to the ghost, but he could still speak. "Hurts...to...move...find...exit?"

Larry shook his head. "Nope. But I found something that may be what you need."

Spike groaned as he got up, still aching from everything, and followed Larry to the best of his ability. Though, when one can't walk 10 yards without tripping over their own two feet, that doesn't sound promising on one's ability. After many faceplants, he finally gave up walking and crawled towards the ghost. Thanking Celestia that Larry had chosen a path that had no enemies, Spike finally saw what he was looking for. One shiny, flawless diamond, ripe for the taking. With great effort, Spike grabbed the gem and ate it. With every bite he took, his scars faded once again. He stood up and stretched his limbs, thankful that luck smiled on him again.

"You know you won't have it this easy all the time, right?" Larry asked. "Because this place is not merciful to even seasoned adventurers."

"Right now, I'm just happy to be on my feet again," the dragon muttered, dusting himself off. "So which way now?"

"Right here, actually," Larry replied. He touched the background to reveal another static portal. Spike didn't ask where it lead to. He simply jumped right in.
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Unknown Area, 1:21 AM

A small area appeared before our hero. Just a stump right in front of him, a ledge with spikes behind it, and nothing behind the purple dragon. But suddenly, he heard a round of applause and a loud voice yell, "IT'S BONUS TIME!" A translucent box appeared before Spike. It showed the dark human, Lewis, and Fluttershy, the yellow pegasus.

"Alright, we've been doing some research," Lewis said. "Small time, nothing fancy. But we found a place where this stump shoots out skulls, and some monsters walk on a spiked platform."

"Um...what was I supposed to say?" Fluttershy asked timidly. Lewis handed her a piece of paper with words on it. She looked over it before speaking, very softly. "According to what we've found...those monsters have hurt people and ponies alike. Use...use the skulls to...to...I can't say that, i-it doesn't sound nice."

Lewis sighed and finished for her. "Use the skulls that stump shoots out to kill the monsters. There's some kind of reward for defeating them all. You have about 30 seconds to do this, and time starts when we disappear. So to whoever is out there, good luck."

"...what he said," Fluttershy said. With that, the box disappeared.

As if on cue, also, the stump shot out two skulls rapidly, and Spike could hear a ticking sound. He also saw the Frankies walking along the spiked platform. Listening to what Lewis and Fluttershy said, he hit the skulls into the Frankie. Like all the others that crossed his path, this one fell and de-rezzed. He kept the rhythm going, hitting the skull into the enemies on the spiked platform. There was no question, when time ran out, he had defeated all of the enemies. The translucent box appeared again, but this time, it showed a results screen.

On it where a picture of Frankie, and 0/10. The 0 went up quickly to 10, adding an amethyst starting at 5 and for every number up. When the number finally stopped, the screen dissolved and displayed "PERFECT." After that, a picture of a black remote appeared, with a tiny bit flashing. What did that mean? No time to find out, because the world faded when the box did.
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Back Outside, 1:23 AM

Larry tapped his foot impatiently. He figured it wouldn't take this long, if at all. Then the portal opened up again, spitting Spike out and disappearing. Spike didn't look hurt.

"Looks like you were successful, then," Larry nodded.

"You knew about that?" Spike asked.

"Um, yeah, otherwise I wouldn't have pointed it out."

As they turned to leave, Larry lifted a hand and said, "Oh, and all gems and enemies have respawned, so have fun with that."
___________________________________________________________________
(Insert obvious "Extremely Loud Outburst" joke here)
___________________________________________________________________
Running as fast as he could, Spike grabbed the remote and did a tail bounce on a Heli nearby. It exploded in time to eliminate a nearby Jeff. As he ran, Spike finally reached the end of the path. A coffin beside him, a spike wall in front of him, a horde of monsters behind him, and the exit above on a platform. Is this how it's supposed to end? Spike thought. I was doing so well. At least for someone who doesn't know anything about here.

He saw Larry on the platform, waving his hand. "USE THE COFFIN!" he yelled. "IT'LL GIVE YOU A LIFT!"

"HOW DOES THAT WORK?!?" Spike yelled back.

"DON'T ASK ME, JUST JUMP ON IT!"

Spike jumped on the coffin. Without warning, he was shot up into the air, above the platform and into the sky. Larry followed Spike's form before it went out of sight. Nodding, he pulled out an imaginary pad and pencil and did a few calculations in his head. Moving a few steps away from the exit, he somehow made an X in the ground. After about 10 seconds, he looked at his wrist and held up 3 fingers. 2. 1. He pointed to the sky as Spike's scream became louder. He landed on the X with a loud THUD!

Spike moaned as he got up. He checked all five of his limbs: arms moved well. Legs weren't the worse for wear. Tail moved at his command. No, the fall didn't do anything. He didn't even acknowledge Larry. He just hit the exit TV's power button and watched the world once again fade. The remote appeared in his hand and took him to the map.

6. Tomato Soup (1-3), part 1

Cemetery, 1:30 AM

Larry sat on another Coffin TV, recently powered up by Spike's remote. "Rude, much? Didn't even thank me for finding that coffin."

"Maybe it's because you knew it'd shoot me that high in the sky? AND you knew where I'd land?"

"I had no idea, actually. Usually, coffins are small boosters. As for the landing area, that was a lucky guess."

"Yeah, yeah..." Spike approached the TV, ready to enter another area of the Cemetery. Before he did, though, he looked at Larry and asked, "Anything new I should know about before I enter?"

Larry thought for a moment. "...nope. Nothing you haven't faced before. Just...keep an eye out for the breakable floors. You don't want your life to end so soon, do you?" ...no reply. Larry turned to look for Spike, only to be alone on top of the TV. I wonder how much of that he heard? he thought as he entered the TV.
__________________________________________________________________________
Both ghost and dragon appeared at the same time. Something about this area was a bit...off. Everything was black and white. Including Spike, who was supposed to be purple and green. (Like I need to REMIND you?) Spike looked around for something to help the problem. "Where are we? And what exactly happened?"

"We should be in the Cemetery still," Mr. Exposition stated. "But soon, Ned Turner will have this colorized." As if on cue, the world was hit with sudden color. Exactly the same ones the two adventurers were used to. "What'd I tell you?"

"Yeah, don't get full of yourself," Spike muttered as he slid down the hill. Over the edge was a hopping tomato with an evil grin. Not the weirdest thing he's seen. "What is this, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes?" Spike asked out loud. He destroyed it, and saw another purple question mark. One flick of the tail revealed another message from Fluttershy and Lewis.

"And we're on," Fluttershy said.

"Got more juicy insider info," Lewis announced. "Apparently, reapers love coins. In this world, the coins are in the form of golden flies." Pulling one out as a visual, he continued, "If you have a hundred of these babies before you die, you can give them to the reaper and he'll turn a blind eye to your death. Neat, huh?"

"Also," Fluttershy added, "certain areas have, um, a...video tape, he called it? It supposedly records your progress. But we haven't seen one yet..." The box clicked and disappeared again.

Fly coins? Spike thought. Where, and more importantly how, am I going to find a hundred of those things? As if to answer his thoughts, he saw an arrow. All made by fly coins! Amazingly, they didn't fly away when he approached. He grabbed one, and it disappeared. He grabbed another, same result. It was apparent that they were going to be acting like the remotes, so Spike kept walking. It seemed the Frankies had gone on vacation and decided to let the Tomatoes take their place.

As he nodded to the change of pace, the ground before him erupted in flames! Just for a moment, though. Still, it caught the dragon off guard. He looked for the source on the ground, but couldn't find anything. The next thing he knew, the flame hit him in the back of the head. It didn't kill, but by Celestia, did it hurt! He looked up to find the cause: A yellow winged beast that looked like a gargoyle. Every time it turned around, it would shoot a fireball from its mouth. Spike jumped up to try and get rid of it, but it was too far up in the sky.

"Huh. Didn't think we'd see them so early," Larry remarked. "They rarely are ever on your level, so your best bet for now is to just avoid their fireballs."

Again, Spike wasn't listening. Because before him were an aqua gemstone and a pearl. Spike had never tasted either of them, so why not try now? He ate the aqua stone first. As he downed it, he felt lighter. As if he could just speed through everything. Which probably explained why the pearl went down very quickly. This one's effects took immediately, too. A whirlwind formed around him, whipping up sticks, bones, and other items to protect Spike. With a laugh, he ran off, hitting a camera quickly, and barreling through a horde of Tomatoes.

Larry saw it coming before Spike ever did. He shouted out a warning to Spike to jump. But as fast as he was, the dragon's reaction time couldn't keep up with his new-found speed. He fell right into the pit and into the de-rez pool.

"Yeah, this is gonna be one of those levels," Larry muttered to himself.
______________________________________________________________
Gary's Pad, Time Unknown

Gary tapped his finger lightly. How to make this next move? He couldn't fail this time, a lot of money was riding on this. Tentatively, he pulled two cards out, put them face down, and put them in the discard pile. George handed him two more cards. George himself discarded one, and took one from the deck. It all came down to this.

"$20," Gary said.

George put the money in the pot, and added $10 more.

"I see what you're trying to pull. Raise $10 more."

George called it. Before the cards were revealed, a familiar purple-scaled, green-finned dragon appeared.

"And here, I thought it was going to be boring. What happened to you this time?"

Spike laughed uneasily before answering, "The edge of a cliff. Led right into a de-rez pool."

"Payment in the pot," Gary said uninterested, pointing to the pile of bills. Spike took out one of the amethysts he won and threw it in. "Very well, on your way. You're interrupting a close game." Spike left for the door, utterly confused.

The last two things he heard before reentering the cemetery were, "PAIR OF TWOS, BITCH!" and "WHAT?!? A THREE OF A KIND?!? NOT AGAIN!!!"
________________________________________________________
Same Time, Cemetery Milestone

Beep. Beep. CLICK! In a bright flash of light, Spike appeared. The camera stuck the picture out, revealing the fast whirlwind that had passed it not too long ago. Somehow, Larry took the picture from the camera and put it in his pocket. "This will give me laughs for years to come," he chuckled.

"Why do you keep things a secret from me?"

"What do you mean? The pool?"

"Yeah, the same one that killed me?!?"

"...I did. You just didn't listen."

Spike's right eye twitched. He seemed to have a response to it, but he decided against it. He instead continued on his way, destroying the enemies that had dared to be in his way during the last run. That was probably the only thing he hated about dying: when he came back, the enemies did, too. Thankfully, not only did he get to his death spot quickly, he didn't fall in like last time. The background, once again, was easy to climb on.

"Hey, want to learn a new technique?" Larry asked.

"Is it useful?" Spike asked.

"Half and half. It'll allow you to hit things that are just out of your reach, but it takes a while to perfect."

"How does it work?"

"Climb up to here." Larry hovered over to something new: a yellow movie reel turning left and right, as if it was looking for something. Spike carefully climbed up to the spot, only realizing he couldn't quite reach it. Plus, there was no path to drop and hit the reel on his feet.

"Ok, now do a 360 tail whip."

"Exactly how? If I try to do that, I might lose my grip!"

"It's Nintendo Logic. Don't think about it, and it works in your favor."

"Nintenwha?"

"Just do the tail whip."

Spike sighed and complied. He did a tail whip. Nothing happened. "Ok, basic's down, now keep spinning." The dragon sighed, knowing Larry was eventually going to get him killed. Again. But he kept spinning. One, two, three, four...wait, what was that sound? It sounded like a power up. When Spike stopped spinning, he saw his tail was glowing, giving him a bit of a further reach. Plus, there was a path before him. And on top of that, (sensing a pattern here?) the yellow movie reel had now turned purple.

"And that is the Power Spin. It takes a bit to charge, so it's not really practical, but it also keeps yourself defended. Just take a look below you." Spike looked down to find the remains of three gargoyles slowly dropping into the de-rez pool.

"Well, no time to gawk. We still have a lot of ground to cover and this isn't even the halfway point!"

Spike followed Larry on the new path. If this was going where he thought it was, this was going to be a long day.

7. Tomato Soup (1-3), part 2

Cemetery, 1:42 AM

Time was passing quickly for the two adventurers. They no longer needed to worry too much about the dangers, as Spike had gotten used to the world. It had defaulted to actually asking one another about their respective worlds. Now, I could tell you all about Spike, but there's nothing about him that you don't already know. Except maybe that time he held a house party when Twilight wasn't around. We will simply say it did not end well.

As for Larry, there was a reason he knew the Cemetery like the back of his hand. Reason? He had heard of it before. Tech and Ronnie knew a bit about here, too, but Larry was more versed with here and the rest of the Media Dimension. They knew the last being who was captured and trapped here. "Truthfully, I didn't think we'd ever be coming back. Guess I was wrong there, too," the ghost commented. What surprised Larry was that everything was exactly as it had been so long ago. All the fly coins, all of the enemies, and even the remotes. Spike smiled at this. It meant they'd be out of here quickly, as long as they kept a level head.

A tombstone trap lay before them now, but Larry dropped through the ground to examine the field. When he came back up, he gave a thumbs-up for safety. Spike dropped through the trap, grabbing on to the background to keep from landing on the Tomato below. With a quick tail-bounce, the enemy disappeared, leaving a handful of fly coins ripe for collecting.

"Over here! Another portal!" Larry said as he motioned to the rippled static. Spike took another deep breath and jumped through, hoping for more amethysts and more chances to rescue everypony.
________________________________________________________________________
Bonus Area?, Unknown Time

Spike expected the bonus area to look like it did last time. Instead, there was something odd about it. Instead of the graveyard look of everything else, it had...a cyber-like feel. The floor was chrome colored, there was a red static portal in front of him, and behind him was a blue static portal. There was a dark laugh that filled the room.

"You didn't think I would leave everything as I did so long ago, now did you?" the voice echoed. "Instead, you've walked right into a dummy area! Oh, don't get me wrong, do well enough, and you can leave with no strings attached. However, if any of my minions get through to that blue static portal, it will make the rest of your tenure here a living nightmare!"

The voice fell silent as the red portal started to get bigger. Monsters of all shapes and sizes started to pour out of it. Spike recognized their features, but...their colors were all wrong. Weren't Frankies supposed to be green, not yellow? And didn't Jeff's chainsaw replace the other hand? When did the Tomatoes become pumpkins? No answers could be given, because no matter what the reason, they all had the same goal: the blue static portal, with the only thing standing between the two being Spike.

The enemies rushed towards the blue portal, completely ignoring Spike. For the yellow Frankies, this led to them being driven back to the red portal, where they were sucked in and destroyed. He then ran to drive the other two back, but to no avail. The monstrous human had already entered the blue portal, and closed it behind him. Spike then noticed the pumpkin bouncing back towards him. He simply dodged it, knowing there was nothing he could do now.

"Oh, so unlucky," the voice cackled. "It seems your troubles are just beginning. But don't worry, you can fix this. Anything that can be broken can usually be fixed. But it may or may not work like it used to. Enjoy the rest of your stay in the cemetery...Spike..." With that, the area disappeared.
________________________________________________________________________
Cemetery, 1:51 AM

Ok, it shouldn't take this long, Larry thought. The bonus area should only last a minute, two minutes tops. So why isn't he back yet? He didn't have to wait long for an answer, as the portal opened, dropping Spike onto the ground. "Finally. What took you so long? Bonus areas aren't supposed to be th-"

"It wasn't a bonus."

"...say that again?"

"It wasn't a bonus. Apparently, someone's been noticing our progress, and now we have these...dummy areas, as he called them."

Larry started to pace. "Dummy areas?" he mumbled. "But there were no such things before. Has he figured out...?"

Spike seemed lost. "Has who figured what out?"

The ghost shook his head. "Never mind that. What did it look like?"

Spike retold Larry everything he remembered about the dummy area. Larry's expression slowly turned from curious to horrified. As the last details were reported, Larry simply nodded. "Then there's no time to waste anymore. If what that voice said is true, then we're in for something even I can't foresee. And for all we know, we may have put Lewis and Fluttershy in danger."

"Right!" Spike yelled in agreement. Then a question came to mind. "But first...how do we get out of here?"

This was one of the only times in recorded history where a ghost successfully performed a face fault.
______________________________________________________________________
"No differences yet. That's a good thing. Ok, coast is clear, you can come on up."

Spike crawled up to the ledge and grabbed the remote. Once again, it disappeared into thin air, but he was used to it by now. So far, nothing had changed. The enemies were still easy to defeat, coin flies (which Spike had counted 32 were in his possession at that moment) were still in their spots, and thankfully, the same could be said for the remote. Another de-rez pool lay before the dragon, but this time, there seemed to be a skull raft waiting to ferry him across. The journey wasn't too long, and the enemies were easily avoided.

At the end, the raft crashed into the side, sinking into the pool. Spike leaped off before any damage could be done to him. The exit was right before them! He rushed to the yellow TV, taking care to avoid the tombstone traps and Helis flying around. But he stopped at the TV. In front of it was a pedestal with a small video tape on top.

"Safe to grab, if you're wondering," Larry commented. Just as Spike thought, as soon as he touched it, the tape disappeared. With all completed, Spike jumped into the exit for the third time. The now-familiar static engulfed the land, and handed Spike the remote to the next area. There wasn't much left to go after this. Will he be able to make it to the end?

8. Disco Inferno (1-4), part 1

Cemetery, 2:00 AM

As our two heroes left the area of bouncing fruit (or are tomatoes vegetables? I never could figure that out) and back to the hub, the video tape appeared before them. It now had a set of letters on the side, reading:

RXZFKHVP

"Passwords," Larry muttered. "I preferred it when they just recorded everything for you instead of making you remember."

"What happened?" Spike asked.

"Some idiot went and busted the original recorder," Larry replied. "Since then, it's been do it yourself recording." There was a moment of silence. "...anyway, on to the next area!"

"You got it!" Spike said enthusiastically. He pulled out the remote, hit the power button, and followed the light to the next coffin TV. You know the drill by now.
___________________________________________________________________________
Instead of being in a graveyard, the two were in an underground catacomb. One that had apparently not been traversed in a long time.

"Ok, will someone PLEASE call the maids?" Larry asked aloud.

Spike didn't even have time to ask where in Celestia's name that line came from when a fireball shot at his feet. He looked around for the source, but all he saw was a candle on the other side. He would've dismissed it as just that, had it not become the upper half of a demon and fired another fireball at him. Spike dodged the second shot and swung his tail at the flame. He missed, though, and received the third shot right in the chest. He rolled to the side to avoid any other attacks, when Larry waved his hand and pointed down a pit.

"Grab on to the side and climb down here! There might be something we can use to extinguish that flame!" the apparition announced.

Struggling, Spike ran over to the pit and dug his claws into the side. Thankfully, the candle monster couldn't fire his fireball well enough to hit Spike where he hung. Easing down the pit, both of them heard Jeff's chainsaw revving up. When they looked, however, the humanoid looked different. Instead of the white masked, red shirted, blue jean killer they were used to seeing, he had on a red mask, a green shirt, and matching pants. In their favor, thankfully, he didn't notice the dragon above him. And Spike capitalized on that fact. He let go of the wall and landed tail-first on the enemy's head. The beast fell over, as if dead.

Spike turned his back to find anything to help with his fire problem when the revving began again. He was about to turn around when Larry yelled, "Don't turn, just RUN!" Spike followed orders, running until a de-rez pool cut him off. He looked for something, ANYTHING to get him to the other side. To his greatest relief, the ceiling was close enough for him to jump up and dig his claws into. He crawled to the other side of the pool and dropped onto the ledge. Turning, he saw the recolored Jeff, alive and kicking. But how?!? Spike thought. My tail connected with his head! It should have defeated him! Even worse, the new Jeff did something neither Spike nor Larry had seen any enemy do thus far.

He jumped. Right across the de-rez pool and onto the ledge, right in front of Spike. This is where one would get worried. If you thought you had lost someone who was pursuing you and they wound up catching up, how would you feel? Yeah, Spike wasn't feeling too hot, either. Jeff, instead of slicing the purple dragon in half, elected to punch him, launching him all the way across the impromptu arena. Spike was losing consciousness. One more hit like that, and he'd be meeting the reapers again.

A light flickered in front of him, shining on a blue gem. "A sapphire...these always made awesome desserts," Spike mumbled. Without even thinking, he gnawed on the gem. Just as tasty as before. With a hint of cold. Cold...wait, if the ruby granted him fire, would the sapphire...? Spike fought with his body, standing up, despite its cries of not wanting to move. He turned to the humanoid maniac, took in a deep breath, and exhaled. Just as he thought, a lump of ice shot out of his mouth and stopped his enemy cold. (Yes, the pun was intended) He tail-whipped the new sculpture, which shattered and sent Jeff away in a burst of static.

"I...I don't even..." Larry's brain quit functioning. He wasn't used to an enemy that survived more than one shot. Yeah, there were some enemies, but none in the cemetery.

"You ok there? You're not the one fighting them, y'know," Spike reminded him.

"Yeah, but...it still doesn't make it easier, especially since I've never seen him like that."

"So Jeff ju-"

"No. We don't call this one Jeff. He reminds me of...Rick."

"Rick?"

"Yeah. Looks like I'll have to tell you more about my world. But for now, how about we ice the flame?"

Spike rolled his right arm in response. If this was what he was in for, he was in for one long area.
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Ice makes an awesome breath attack, Spike thought. He could stop any enemies and destroy them before they knew what hit them. Even better, some made a nice platform so he didn't have to waste energy climbing up a wall. That was actually a nice benefit, because he could've sworn his claws were getting dull.

Upon crossing another de-rez pool, Larry noticed something unusual. There were two fly coins above the pool, but no way to get them without dropping into it. If memory served him right...

"Hey, Spike. You're probably gonna hate me for this suggestion, but get those coins," Larry said.

Spike raised an eyebrow. "What," he stated flatly.

"Yeah. Jump in and grab the coins."

"Didn't you tell me that jumping into de-rez pools is a no-no? Amethysts aren't really easy to come by."

"Trust me on this. You will NOT die this time, and it will get you 3 more of those gems. And if it doesn't...um...what could I do if I'm wrong?"

"Rest in peace?"

"Fair enough. But if I'm right, you have to admit it."

Spike sighed. He went through a mental checklist of the dumbest things he'd ever done in his life. And this is about to top every single one of those things combined, he thought. He swung his arms and silently counted. One. Two. THREE! He jumped into the pool and grabbed the two coins. However, nothing happened to him. He wasn't back in Gary's home. He wasn't still swimming in the pool. Somehow, he was on solid ground.

"Follow the sound of my voice," Larry said. Spike did just that. He walked when told to walk. He jumped when commanded. He even shot an ice ball above him to eliminate a Candle Demon waiting to get the drop on him. With one final jump, Spike could finally see the cemetery again. And, just as Larry had promised, there were 3 amethysts: one on each side of him and one where the Candle Demon resided a moment ago. He took all three of them and placed them in a pocket. When he turned to continue, he came face-to-face with a grinning ghost.

"Well? What do you say?" he asked, with a bit of a jerkish tone.

"Alright, I'll admit it. You were right. Again."