The regal and magnificent Princess Luna stares at the other seven six ponies with an intensity borne in battle, her mind tempered by trials and sharpened upon the moonstone of emotions. Anger, from not being able to undo all of the alterations in reality, sifts through her mind. Frustration, in not understanding who or what is causing this, pickles her thoughts. Duty, to find her sister and right the wrongs that she alone must now endure, burns in her breast. Annoyance, that there were six ponies instead of seven, makes her eye twitch. She listens to the clock as its pendulums swing back and forth. tick. tock. tick. tock. tick. tock.

tick.

tock.

Tick.

TOCK.

"I'm back!!!" Pinkie Pie bounces into the main room, her personal little adventure to the bathroom finally concluded. The rest of the ponies sigh in relief from the tension that was slowly building. Applejack nudges Rainbow Dash awake, the cerulean pegasus wiping drool off the table as she grins sheepishly.

When Pinkie takes her seat, Luna glowers at the perpetually perky pony, then states to the rest, "Now, listen up! I want this to go smooth and by the numbers. We are all here and ready. We are gonna conquer, and we're gonna get some, is that understood!" The other ponies look at each other and nod rapidly in confusion. "I want swords drawn and maps drawn quicker. We have hardly done squat since we started this stupid game. But now, we are going to finally progress from the one castle with the one room, the one staircase, with the one alicorn guarding some scientific contraption..." Twilight Sparkle sits up, and not just because the word 'scientific' was mentioned. All those details seem to click for some reason, "...and it looks like we may finally get somewhere. When we last left our intrepid heroes, they had freed the unfortunate alicorn from an evil spell, but her mind is still addled. No matter what questions are asked of her...ahem." Twilight scribbles a few more words on her message scroll before she looks up, Luna staring back at her. She stops and folds the paper, muttering something about saving that question for later. Luna finds her place again in the script before her and continues, "No matter the questions, Silvery Orb cannot answer them. It is as though she were incomplete, bereft of all normal thought unless her sister is nearby, so dependent is she on her older...sister...as though day and night...could not exist...what?" Luna growls under her breath and flips through some more pages. At length she throws the pages onto the floor. "Burn this drivel for the insipid garbage it is and a pox befall her...AFTER thou hast found Our daft sister. Forsooth, Silvery Orb cannot remember name nor locus de soror. Ecfectus! Our little ponies, what do thou hast planned next?" They can sense Luna is agitated as her speech dips back a few centuries, so they are quick to respond.

Twilight's hoof is the first in the air, "Examine the contraption!"

Pinkie follows up, "Have a celebration for freeing the princess!"

Rainbow Dash and Rarity say in unison, "Search for more treasure!"

Applejack frowns at her friends and says, "Awd be more comfortable securin the castle before havin any parties or scavenger hunts, yall. What with roamin monsters and the like?"

Slicer Jen says under her breath, "I'd interrogate the princess harder." She notices Luna raising her eyebrow at her and follows up with a quick, "Or not."

Fluttershy waits until everypony quiets down before offering her opinion. "Um...if nopony else is up for it...um, well, I would answer the door, maybe."

Luna and the other mares stare at her with a collective, "Huh?" Just then the banging repeats at the front door, which sounds like somepony had been banging on it for a while. Luna throws up her hooves and kicks away her chair, storming around the room yelling, "Argh! Why do We even bother? Answer the door! Nay, forsaken the entire world hast become, because of some unknown magic destroying reality and stolen Our soror! Our role be anecdotal at this point. We just narrate a stupidly written script. We art the DM and We get no preparation notes, no insight as to what in Tartarus this whole adventure is about...and that pony at the door better have a good reason for interrupting US!" The last few words are blasted in the Royal Canterlot voice at a cowering Fluttershy.

While Luna continues to vent, Fluttershy is already backing up to the door, waving her hooves at the princess to calm her down and smiling nervously before spinning around and galloping the short distance to the front of the entryway. She inhales deeply, and then throws open the door to say rather softly, "I am quite, um, sorry that we cannot receive you. However, you could come back later once we...um...save-" She blinks and squeaks out, "...equestria?" Her voice squelches to a halt and she stops breathing, her eyes staring past the large group of ponies standing before her. It isn't their clothing that gets her attention, vintage outfits that should only be in fantasy novels. It isn't the soot, ash and blood that covers their faces and clothing. It is the town behind them that is burning, the roving bands of goblins and kobolds and wargs torching what buildings have not yet been set ablaze. The town did not resemble Ponyville anymore. However, this new version, so eerily close to the one in the game, was under massive assault.

With wide eyes and pinpricked pupils, Fluttershy steps back and turns to address the mares inside. "Uh. Twi...princesssssomepony!" She takes a quick breath when she remembers to breathe again. "Um, it's for you." She waves her hoof in the general direction of the crowd outside and hides behind the door out of everypony's sight.

Twilight furrows her brow and pushes out of her chair. She knows her friend is not accustomed to confrontation, but greeting strangers at the front door is hardly a challenge for Fluttershy to get flustered over. She trots over to the open doorway, mindful of her friend hiding behind the door and prepares a generic, 'thankyou-come-back-tomorrow' response to whoever is outside. She takes one look outside. What comes out of her mouth is, "Plot me."

Rainbow Dash falls out of her chair and the rest of the ponies come rushing over to see what shattered Twilight's demeanor. Their reactions are very similar. They stand there for a few seconds just taking in the sight. A small group of kobolds notices the crowd of vulnerable ponies in front of Twilight's castle and start charging at them, lit torches in their clawed hands. All the ponies are frozen in disbelief until they are jolted from their stupor by a beam of blue light sizzling over their heads from behind to impact the kobolds. They explode into smoking bits that fizzle away as black smoke. Luna addresses all the ponies before her, her horn blazing with blue fire, "This seems to be part of the altered reality. Elements, thou art still defenders of the realm. Arm yourselves for real combat. Slicer, gather thy Lunar Guard issued equipment and standby. The rest of yon villagers, inside and take refuge, your rulers shall deal with this menace!" The crowd outside immediately flows in and around the princess as she stands in the doorway, sending blasts of raw power out into the streets, mowing down whole swaths of invaders. The six Elements of Harmony nod and rush to the room where the aspects of their friendship reside. Slicer runs over to her saddlebags to fish out her armor and additional weapons. After a minute, aside from the villagers galloping by, it becomes eerily quiet. Slicer turns back around to see Luna wandering around the room, wistfully humming to herself. She sits down rather slowly at the head of the table again, and idly picks at the scattered pages in front of her.

Slicer walks over to the table while dodging random villagers as they scurry by. When she is close to Luna, she states, "Your Highness, I am ready to fight. What are your orders?" The princess smiles at her softly, completely different from her earlier warlike persona. Slicer is immediately put on her guard and tenses up, ready to fight. Instead, the dark alicorn reaches into a chest that wasn't there before, a chest eerily like the one described in the game. The wingless thestral starts to get a sickening feeling. Luna pulls out a dark figurine, glassy onyx expertly formed in the shape of a prowling cat. As the item is offered to her, Slicer looks up at her mentor and asks with impending dread, "Wh...where did you get this?"

The princess smiles serenely and replies, "From the Chest of Champions, of course!"

Not accepting what is happening in front of her, Slicer shakes her head, "No, that can't be. Princess Luna, this is all supposed to be a game. You said so yourself!"

In a motherly manner, the alicorn shakes her head and pats Slicer's shoulder. "Sooner or later we must put away our games and face reality, yes? Do be a dear and address me as Silvery Orb. Luna is a pretty name, albeit a luney one!" She even has the audacity to titter at her own joke.

With a dejected sigh, Slicer sits back on her haunches and stares down at the figurine. "You are lost to us, too."

Several shrieks erupt from down the hall and what sounds like a stampede signals the Elements' return, minus their Elements. Each and every mare is standing there holding their prizes from the game, now in physical existence. Pinkie Pie seems to be the only one unfazed as she keeps finding new locations to put her smiley face sticker. Twilight steps up to Luna and says, "Your Highness, the Elements are gone! All that was left behind were these things!" She holds up her quartz crystal, seemingly useless in her hoof. While the other ponies seem awkward with their swords, Rarity is almost ecstatic over her book of spells as she delves deep into a rather complicated magical process to boil water.

Luna nods solemnly and waves her hoof. "But of course. Your prizes have chosen you, as you choose your path to wield them and seek your destiny." Twilight sits back and quirks her brow, blinking. She then notices Slicer holding her figurine.

"Wait, where did you get that?" The dark thestral looks up sourly and glances at the chest and the princess holding it. Twilight follows her gaze and it starts to sink in. She closes her eyes, "No...nononono...we need her guidance. With both princesses lost, the sun, the moon. How are we going to-" A guttural roar comes from the doorway, a towering orc standing there brandishing a horribly spiked mace. Several of the villagers scream in terror.

Applejack growls and charges at the orc, spinning around the last instant and bucking the orc in the stomach. The orc doubles over and is flung back outside, knocking down several other creatures. Applejack nods and turns back to her friends. "Like it or not, we still got a job tah do. Twi, yer still our leader." Rainbow walks up next to her and peers out of the doorway.

"Heh, look at that! The orc vaporized into smoke." Indeed, what was left of the orc and the group of monsters it had crushed had already disappeared into nothingness.

This information bolstered Twilight and she trots to the doorway. "That's it! This town, the monsters outside, even the dilemma of the princesses. It's all some kind of illusion." She slowly moves the door to peer behind it. Fluttershy is still there, hanging from the top by her hooves. "That also means you won't be hurting anypony when you beat those bad goblins for scaring your pets, Fluttershy." The yellow pegasus still looks dubious, but she relents by dropping down and coming out from behind the door. The group starts stepping out of the castle cautiously one by one, with Twilight last. She notices Slicer isn't with them and turns around. The thestral is still sitting near the moon princess, staring at her in dismay. "Slicer, we can't do anything for her right now. All we can do is press forward and get to the end of this. We still have to protect the town from what is going on right now. I think that is what we were meant to do in the game, anyway."

For a second, Twilight isn't sure Slicer even heard her. After a time, the thestral gets up, pocketing the figurine. "Perhaps. Though now I AM tempted to interrogate her a little harder." She looks back at Twilight and nods. "Give me a couple of minutes, then I'll be out there helping you." She adjusts her stance and squares up to the princess, who seems to not even notice the wingless pony about ready to lay into her as she sits in her seat, humming some nonsense tune.

Twilight clenches her jaw and mutters about disobedient guards, turning to head out and see what the state of affairs the town is in. "Fine. Just don't take too long to miss out on your dramatic last minute save the day routine. This script is corny enough to be stuffed with them." With that, the young alicorn pockets the seemingly useless crystal and powers up her horn. When she steps outside of her castle, she finds her friends huddled in close by the alcove of the doorway, bearing witness to the destruction the evil creatures are wreaking on the town. There is hardly any townsfolk left to persue, so the goblins saw fit to continue burning and pillaging the undefended buildings. Lacking other excitement, the smarter orcs were starting to notice the stalwart ponies in front of the castle. Twilight sees the impending attack and immediately takes charge.

"Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, form a defensive line in front. Raise your swords and keep them from getting through. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, we are the ranged attack line, so stay behind your swordspony and do NOT leave the group, whatever you do. Slicer Jen, you are-" She cuts off as she glances behind her, the door still closed. Twilight grits her teeth and sighs, "Right, you are doing your own thing. As usual. Okay, mares, we can do this. Push out and brace yourselves."

As soon as the group takes one step forward, several orcs howl and charge haphazardly at group. Some of the goblins take notice of the orcs' action and lick their lips, thinking of pony flesh and other horrible things. They join in the rush to an almost certain kill fest. Applejack and Rainbow take stances to receive the charge and rear up with their swords out in front. Fluttershy turns the flat of her blade to the enemy and curls up, completely terrified of the spectacle in front of her. That is when Pinkie Pie pulls out her lute and strums the most dissonant chord anypony has ever heard. The sound creates such a sonic pulse that the orcs and goblins stumble and fall, grabbing their ears as they drop their weapons. The two braver ponies take this opportunity to lunge forward and stab at the fallen creatures, the evil denizens immediately turning into mist as the swords are pulled back out. Twilight fires off flaming orbs at the goblins and some wargs that managed to avoid falling down, the wargs exploding into fire as they seem to be highly susceptible to flame. Rarity finally finishes a passage in her tome and several images of her flash into being all around town, confusing the evil creatures and disrupting any further followup to their initial charge. Other orcs and some kobolds walk toward the main group at a slower pace, waving spiked maces and cudgels. it becomes a pitched battle as they press up against the front line, with Applejack and Rainbow doing most of the sword swinging. Rainbow has to repeatedly overextend to protect Fluttershy as she cowers behind her mane, occasionally waving her green sword in the enemy's direction. Once or twice Rainbow and Applejack have to dodge Fluttershy's swinging as much as the filth in front of them.

One goblin climbs up on a nearby one-story building flanking the fighting group and pulls back on a crude bow, the black metal-tipped arrow aimed square at Twilight's head. The movement catches Fluttershy's attention as she is almost completely turned away from the fighting that is up close. The goblin lets loose and the arrow sizzles in, aimed true. An oval shield of rotating leaves materializes mere inches away from Twilight, the arrow shattering on it just in time. Twilight is about to cast a lightning spell when it is interrupted by the loud noise of the deflection. She sees the shield before it dissipates, then glances up to see the goblin swearing and nocking another arrow. She yells out, "Thanks for the shield, Rarity!" Rarity frowns and briefly turns to Twilight in confusion, then dives for the ground as several more arrows fly in from another direction.

"I don't know what you are thanking me for, Darling, but this situation is fast approaching disastrous proportions!" She sends harmless flashing lights at another group of goblins and they whip around their bows at them in fear. Rarity yells to Twilight again, "I'm running out of incantations!" Twilight nods grimly, already feeling her spell power running low. Initially she had thought to use her most powerful spells up front and take a huge chunk out of the enemy forces, but there were too many of them. Then she notices Fluttershy has crawled away from the group, trying to reach a nearby hedge of bushes that has so far survived the fires. A particularly nasty orc also notices the wayward pony and starts walking in her direction, twisting the scimitar grip in its hand in anticipation.

"Rainbow! Fluttershy needs help!"

Rainbow glances behind her, but immediately is beset by several goblins at once. She only knows that Fluttershy is not nearby anymore. "I have my hooves full at the moment! Applejack, can you get her!?" With a push of absolute desperation, Rainbow flaps her wings hard, punching into the group of goblins with her sword held sideways in both hooves out in front of her. The move bowls over several of them, only to have her scrambling back on her heels as more goblins replace them. Applejack yells and whips around, bucking another orc. As soon as it drops, several arrows fly in from behind it, one pinging off her blade. She grabs the fallen orc and heaves him up, his body taking most of the assault. After a few seconds the orc disintegrates, the stuck arrows clattering to the cobblestones. Something nags her regarding her flank but she pushes it to the back of her mind, concentrating on the orcs moving in to replace their fallen brethren. She also knows Rainbow asked her an important question, yet the adrenaline is keeping her from focusing on it. Even Pinkie Pie has resorted to firing her party cannon at point blank range and bonging the survivors with her lute. Several broken lutes lie nearby, her supply seemingly endless.

Twilight yells for Fluttershy and starts to move toward her, only to have to dodge a low swinging dagger from a kobold. The small reptilian creature was somehow able to swing around behind the sword-wielding mares and was attempting to shut down their magic-user. Twilight takes her staff and punches the kobold in the face, knocking it out cold. She sees the orc raising its sword overhead, Fluttershy oblivious to the creature towering over her as she slowly creeps into the bushes. Twilight yells, "FLUTTERSHY! NOOO!"

A dark shadow moves in on the orc, light glinting off a long knife as it sinks into the orc's lower ribs from behind. The orc twists around, chopping the bushes just to the side of Fluttershy as it howls in pain. The shadow takes on the form of Slicer Jen as she spins around, slamming her blade into the other side of the ribs higher up, puncturing a lung. The orc turns around, attempting to catch the thestral with a backswing, but Slicer rushes inside its reach and throws herself down on the ground, skidding on her knees underneath the orc as she raises her blade, neatly eviscerating the orc as she slides by. She ends up right next to a wide-eyed Fluttershy that just now started to notice what was going on near her. With the orc crumbling into a pile behind her, Slicer leans in close and says, "Bullies are only bullies if you let them be. Your friends need you. If nothing else, you can use the flat of your sword, yes?" She holds her gaze with Fluttershy until the yellow pegasus nods reluctantly. The thestral stands up, sees the goblin archers recovering from Rarity's incantation and starts making her way towards them in an indirect pattern.

With Fluttershy's emergency taken care of and the danger of the archers about to be removed, Twilight refocuses on the fighting in front of her. The press of creatures on Applejack and Rainbow is too close. What few spells she has left, any of them would harm her friends as much as the enemy. Slicer's addition may be a bit late, but doing the figures in her head, she already knows if they had all seven ponies in place, they would still be in trouble. This is no game either, spotting Applejack. The stalwart earth pony is showing several cuts and nicks on her, though her resolve keeps her from being affected by the injuries. Clearly this is real, and they are being worn down. There are at least another twenty creatures beyond what they are dealing with. Firing off her last fireball spell into the back ranks, she charges forward, raising her staff in a desperate attempt to help her friends.

A loud animalistic roar resonates over the fighting. All participants slow their actions, glancing around in terror to see where that came from. A massive black form leaps over the group and plows into the heaviest cluster of orcs that are opposing Applejack. Black blood and shreds of orc armor and flesh are flung about as a giant beast of fur, claws, teeth and yellow eyes makes short work of them. The moment is accentuated when the goblins, orcs and kobolds freeze, staring at the enormous black panther that is dripping in their comrades' entrails. A low thunderous growl emanates from the panther. The wargs are the first ones to yowl in fear and take flight, followed by the kobolds and the goblins right behind them. The orcs, made of sterner stuff, raise their weapons. The leader finally steps out of the rear ranks, several feet taller than the tallest orc, all decked out in necklaces of bones vaguely pony-like. One of its tusks is broken. A hideous scar runs down from it's forhead and the side of its face down to its chest. It raises a blood covered broadsword and yells its challenge at the newcomer.

Before it can finish its battle cry, the panther leaps at it, grabs its throat and rips it out, the battle cry turning into a gurgling escape of air as it collapses. The remaining orcs look at each other and run as fast as they can to follow the other escaping creatures. Twilight, although stunned by the quick sequence of events, does make a mental note that they are heading west, toward the mountain ranges far off in the distance. Her attention snaps back to the large panther that slowly approaches the group. The ponies huddle against each other, unsure what to make of this intimidating animal.

Slicer Jen trots up to the panther and whispers quietly in its ear. They look into each other's eyes and the black panther rumbles softly, bounding away down one of the side alleys. She watches it leave and walks up to the group. "I sent it to ferret out any creatures hiding in the shadows." No sooner does she finish her statement then a squeal of terror sounds out, cutting off rather abruptly. "Hope that wasn't a pony."

Twilight steps up to her, aghast. "That's not very funny, Slicer! And where did that...cat come from?? I've never seen an animal so large." The others nod, making similar statements. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, is anything but afraid. Her eyes are literally heart-shaped, staring after the panther.

"That was the most magnificent thing I have ever seen," the yellow pegasus says quietly. She notices Rainbow pointedly staring at her, "um...well, aside from other magnificent things, like a rainboom. Maybe." Fluttershy mumbles something else and grows quiet after Rainbow smirks and waves her hoof.

"Don't worry, Shy. We know YOU know I am all the magnificent anypony will ever need!" As Rainbow poses, the other ponies shake their heads. Fluttershy gives a strained chuckle, but her eyes still wander back to the alley the panther disappeared down.

The conversation between Twilight and Slicer steers back to the panther. "Like I said, where did it come from? One minute, we were about to be overrun, then the next you and that cat sweep through them as if they were nothing, making for a classic dramatic last minute....savethedayroutine oh for crying out loud, you did that on purpose, didn't you!?!" Slicer snorts and shakes her head.

"As much as I'd like to poke your little bubble, no. I didn't plan it that way. I plied the princess with more questions but she seems too out of it, her mind more like a child's. She did spontaneously come out with the panther's name, which happens to summon it from that figurine I got from the chest. That's when things started sounding very bad out here and I knew it was time to help. I suppose if the panther's name was rattling around in there, she might have other information, hidden." Slicer wrinkles her nose, more concerned for her mentor's mind than what might be in it.

The alicorn ponders the thestral's words for a time. She replies, "Then she may still have information we can use, just locked up in her head somewhere. Priority One is information then." She glances at the alley, hearing another scream further off. That could have been a pony. "Uh, what happens to be the panther's name, if you don't mind my asking?" The thestral raises her eyebrow and walks off to inspect Rainbow's cuts on her body. Twilight frowns and mentally pushes away a pang of jealousy. "Stupid crystal." She sees Rarity delving back into her book, tracing a hoof down one page and murmuring about snowflakes and their propensity to destabilize with the slightest breeze. Twilight sighs and looks back toward the mountain range, wondering about where those creatures came from.

Once the townsfolk inside the castle notice there are no more evil creatures, they start to file out of the entrance, thanking the ponies for their bravery as they pass before quickly running to nearby water troughs and wells to put out the raging fires still consuming the various buildings down the street.

As Twilight's friends receive the townsfolk and their thanks, they walk up to her as she stares off toward the mountains. Applejack asks her, "Watcha lookin for, Sugarcube? Didn we have enough excitement for one day without yall tryin to search for more?"

The alicorn turns back to her friend and replies, "They fled in that direction. I thought it important to mentally notate. When one is adventuring, one has to learn these things in case there's a.....an arrow in your flank!" Twilight points at Applejack in horror as the orange pony turns around to look. Neatly sticking out of her flank just behind her cutie mark is a black arrow.

"What? Oh, wouldya looka that. Didn even feel it, tah be honest, Twi." For her part, Twilight is turning pale at seeing such an injury and tries to console Applejack. Fluttershy faints. Rainbow, fending off Slicer's ministrations, attempts to touch the arrow, eliciting a yelp from Applejack, "Hey der pardner, don be touchin that! Hurts somethin fierce when ya do! Twilight, Ahm okay, really, Ahm not gonna die."

Slicer steps up past Rainbow and eyes the arrow, then sits back and pulls her medical kit out of her saddlebag. "Mmm. Arrow wound. I'll have to make a larger incision around the site to back out the arrowhead, treat the wound against infection and sew it up. Can't leave it in or the tissue refuses to heal on its own, with the body attempting to push it out, which it can't. The inflammation alone could lead to other problems, death not exclusively one of them." Applejack looks none too happy, but resigns herself to the inevitable pain forthcoming.

Twilight, on the other hoof, is perturbed for a different reason. She remarks out of the blue with, "This seems awfully familiar, like I read this somewhere."

Slicer raises her brow as she sterilizes a scalpel with some alcohol. "You read stories about torturing pony flanks?" The other mares start giggling. Applejack grits her teeth, trying to remain still.

Twilight turns red and stammers out, "Yes, I mean, no!" Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash literally fall over each other laughing. Applejack tries to chuckle but winces whenever she moves. The adrenaline is wearing off, making her injuries more noticeable. "That is, there is a fairy tale about a donkey and an org...ogre. I said ogre!" More snickering ensues. "Stop laughing, it's a filly tale."

Rainbow cries out. "More like Fifty Shades of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, she means!" Applejack can't stand it and starts laughing, and crying from the pain.

"ARG! I'm just saying this all seems familiar." She pauses, watching her friends. "There is absolutely no way I can explain this clinically, is there?"

They answer in unison, "No!"

"Fine, forget it. Will she be alright?"

The thestral puts aside her mirth and answers, "I have to back out the arrow. That will cause more damage than it did going in, unfortunately." She moves in with her scalpel.

The patient in question pulls away. "Now wait jes a sec, wats this 'unfortunate' business? You ain't backin nothin out til we git that straightened out."

Slicer narrows her eyes and holds up the small surgical tool. "I coated the blade with an anesthetic. I'll be gentle. Whisper sweet nothings, if you are into that." It is Applejack's turn to blush as the others start giggling.

She is quick to recover and holds her head up, closing her eyes. "Ain't none a that necessary, Doc. Jes do yer thing an be done wit it."

The thestral nods and continues with her work, easing the blade into Applejack's flank near the arrow to apply the anesthetic and widen the wound. "Thank you. Were that all my patients were as pragmatic as you..."

Twilight watches her work. She can't help but dig at Slicer for her earlier comments. "Not much for bedside manners, are you," she asks quietly.

Slicer shrugs as if it's nothing important. "I can perform miracles on the operating table, not in the recovery ward. That is what nurses are for."

Applejack twists her neck around, "Best not be insultin Nurse Redheart. She's a fine right nurse, by mah standards."

Slicer is able to remove the arrow and tosses it aside. She applies some treated gauze to staunch the bleeding and prepares the needle and thread. "From my experience most nurses are excellent at what they do. As for me...dear Luna, you bleed a lot." She mutters to herself, mixing in some praises to Luna as she attempts to manage the wound. Applejack feels a warmth in her backside, but dismisses it as the medicine Slicer applied. The thestral, however, is a tad disturbed.

Rarity takes one look at the wound and blanches as she mentally makes the connection between sewing clothes and sewing...ponies. "Darling, are you sure you can handle such an injury as that out here? I am not unfamiliar with injuries in the workplace resulting from particularly troublesome wardrobe malfunctions, especially around the vicious currents of fashion shows. However, we are in the middle of a dirty street, after a bloody battle." She wrinkles her nose at some of the smears left on the pavement, which have not disappeared with their source bodies.

The thestral flares out her nostrils, "As you might be excellent in your sewing, I am excellent in my craft. Just because SOME idiots take me for a simple combat medic, I also happen to be a fully certified surgeon. I can do this in my sleep...in fact, much of my training HAS been while I was asleep. I'm sure you are aware of Luna's dream training." Slicer remembers back on some of her sessions and wishes she had her mentor there now to comfort her. The other ponies nod grudgingly. While she is speaking, she presses the wound closed, about to begin sewing. Applejack tries not to move as more warmth flows through her flank. She almost sighs at the sensation as it relaxes her. At length, the thestral steps back and stares at the healed area.

Applejack flexes her rear quarter and reaches back to rub it. "Well Awl be. That is some might right training you got. I kin hardly feel a thang." The others step up to inspect Slicer's work. "In fact, Ahw feel even better than before the fightin started."

Twilight looks the most impressed. "If my doubts ever offended you, they are gone now. Very good work."

Slicer, however, doesn't look too thrilled. "Uh huh. That's just it. That work is TOO good, even for me. Princess, I need your assistance." She holds up the unused thread and needle. The others stare at the items in her hooves, then back at Applejack. Twilight's brow furrows.

"Wait. How did you do that? What assistance?" The thestral steps up to her and, without warning, punches the alicorn in the shoulder. The other ponies recoil from the unwarranted assault as Twilight covers her shoulder, yelling, "OW! Why did you do that!?" Slicer reaches up and brushes away Twilight's hoof, inspecting the area. She can see it starting to bruise, with some blood welling up in the scratches she caused. Slicer closes her eyes and whispers quietly while laying her hooves over the area. Twilight is able to catch Luna's name in the whisperings. The bruised shoulder becomes warm and there is a soft glow that envelopes the injury. After a few seconds, the glow disappears. Twilight moves the shoulder around, then stares at Slicer. "That was magic! I didn't know thestrals can cast spells!"

The dark thestral sits back and shakes her head. "We can't. At least not in the normal world." Not saying anything else, she lets her unsaid thoughts settle in. As one, the group exchanges glances and Twilight nods her head.

"The game. You are our cleric. Any thoughts or prayers to the one you worship helps with healing magic." She looks at the other ponies with newfound clarity. "We are assuming our ingame roles. That means we are still playing under the games rules. Rainbow, you can fly, yet you can also use your sword. I daresay there are other things we can do." Slicer looks at the castle, brow creasing in frustration. Twilight turns to Fluttershy. "You were the one that cast that leaf shield!" Fluttershy sits back and blinks.

"No...mm, no I couldn't have. I don't think?"

Twilight nods, "Yes, part of your druid powers, or your connection with nature." She turns to Applejack and says, "Which means-"

Applejack exclaims, "Awh ain't no barbarian!" Rarity chuckles at her.

Twilight replies, "I'm not so sure we have a choice at this point. We will have to figure out what other things we are capable of within the bailiwick of the rules. That means examining the game rulebooks back in my castle. First thing's first. Slicer you-" Twilight stops as she sees Slicer walking away from her. "Wait, where are you going?"

The thestral replies without turning, "To the nearest tavern. I need more information on where we are and where we are going next. That way I will be prepared to sacrifice more for this silliness if Your Highness decrees." She trots on down the street. Twilight grumbles in irritation and turns to the others.

"Okay, as much as I hate to admit it, she's right. We do need more information. But how can she not know where we are? This is Ponyville-" A random pony walking by cuts her off by telling her the area is called Ponytowne. The pony continues on with the rest of the crowd. "Ponytowne. How original. Fine. We need to find out how much has changed-" Applejack starts galloping off in the opposite direction of Slicer Jen. "Applejack, where are YOU going now!?"

Applejack bears her head down to gain more speed and yells back, "To find Sweet Apple Acres and mah family!" Twilight groans out loud.

"Argh. Fine. We can...NO! Rarity you stay right here!" Rarity was about to head off to her boutique. She smiles guiltily and turns back to Twilight. "I'm sure wherever your store is, your dresses are safe. Now, will nobody help me gather information?"

Fluttershy steps up to her and says, "Um, I can help you...but...well, that is, as long as we don't have to go into that very tall and ominously dark castle." She glances over Twilight's shoulder.

"What? What dark castle?" Twilight turns around and looks back at her home. It is now a very tall and ominously dark castle, exactly like the one in which they previously fought the cube, the undead, and then the dragon. Spike. He was supposed to be in a coma in her personal castle living room. Along with the player's guide and other game books. Her BOOKS! "Oh Great Celestia, my library!!!!" She tears off in a trail of smoke as she runs to the doors and pushes through them as though they did not exist.

The remaining ponies look at each other. Rainbow Dash pipes up, "Uh, I think we should probably escort her. No telling what is still left wandering around in there, remember?" They all recall Applejack's suggestion to sweep the castle clean. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity agree in unison and make haste to follow their intrepid princess in.

Before they go inside, Rarity hesitates. When the others look back at her, she glances down the street. "I'm concerned for Slicer. I think Luna's condition is affecting her far more than the princesses' plights are affecting the rest of us." While Rainbow shrugs her shoulders, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie nod.

Pinki Pie replies, "I think you're right, there Rarity. Make sure she doesn't do something foalish...well, something I wouldn't do. You know what, just keep an eye on her! Yeah, that works!" Rarity smirks at her not quite red friend and nods. She gallops down the street to catch up with the thestral while the three ponies left behind push the doors open, with Rainbow remarking to the creepiness of how accurately she imagined the doors to look.

After slowing down to make sure she doesn't miss the right building, Rarity eventually comes across an inn. When she walks inside, it is exactly as she imagined from the game described by Luna. Slicer is sitting at the bar, nursing a large tankard. The rest of the bar/inn seems to be empty. Rarity snorts over the notion of a typical guardsmare drowning her sorrows away in drink and steps up to the bar next to her, peering down at the container in front of the thestral. It is filled with chocolate milk. Rarity blinks in surprise. Slicer notices her expression and grabs the tankard, gulping down half the contents. Rarity says contritely, "Really hitting the hard stuff there, ninja nurse?"

The thestral roughly pushes the tankard away, liquid slopping out of it. "I'm NOT a nurse, you overbedazzled tailor."

Rarity chokes out, "Tailor!?! Tai...I will have you know, well, yes, I AM the BEST tailor in a thousand leagues! And bedazzling does wonders for an otherwise boring gala." Slicer looks at her. Rarity stares back. They both start chuckling.

"Alright, maybe not OVERbedazzled," the thestral offers.

The white unicorn pats the thestral's foreleg. "Quite alright, Darling. We're all tense with what is happening. And the ninja nurse comment was originally Twilight's, I overheard during her many mutterings. While I normally abhor name calling, I can see its need to lighten the mood once in a while." She watches Slicer reach for the tankard and pull another long swallow from it. "Perhaps this is not one of those whiles." Several silent minutes pass between the two ponies. Yells from various townsfolk can be heard outside as they coordinate putting the place back in order. The barkeep has been gone for quite a while, Rarity notes. She is about to call out for him when the door swings open, with Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie walking in dejectedly. Even Pinkie Pie's hair is a tad less bouncy.

Applejack remarks to Twilight, "Yall knew she wasn gonna be much help, jes as Ahw knew mah family wouldn be there." She gets no reply from the bummed alicorn.

Twilight pulls up a stool on the other side of Slicer and looks at her drink. "Chocolate milk. Hard stuff for the Lunar Guard. I suppose one can do worse, eh ninja nur-" She stops as Rarity is giving her the cut across the throat message of 'cease and decist.' For her part, Slicer doesn't appear as angry hearing it again.

"Harder than you think. It reminds me of pain, and death. In my line of work, that is all I will ever have as my companions." The other ponies stare at her. Rarity winces, and presses her hoof to her face, knowing Twilight is trying to lighten the mood, but piling on after Rarity's gaffe makes the moment that much more poignant.

The alicorn gets the clue. "Ooookay." She slides a little away from Slicer and raises a hoof, looking around for the bartender, "I will NOT have what she is having."

A short little dragon pops up, helped by a stool he is standing on. He says, "One 'no pain, no death' coming right up!" and proceeds to pour prune juice in a cup. Twilight and the others stare at him before Twilight screams.

"SPIKE!" She reaches across the bar and grabs up the little dragon, squeezing him. "I thought we had lost you!"

The dragon flails about while expertly setting the cup down, "Woh, woh nilly! Hooves off the goods, miss! The place for THAT kind of activity is down the street. Just uh, don't mention my name. I still owe them." Twilight drops the dragon and sits back, her cheeks red.

"Uh, Spike, did you just...say what I think you said?"

He looks at Twilight, then at the blushing Rarity. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow are dying laughing. Applejack eyes Spike in an odd manner. "What? What did I say?"

Twilight blinks, and then shakes her head, "Nevermind. Still, I'm glad to see you are not, well, completely changed, I guess? You don't remember us, do you?"

The drakeling eyes them, then shrugs. "You gals met up here a few days ago over in that booth, really focused on getting into some kind of adventure. Gee, you know, wish I could go on an adventure." He goes back to pouring more drinks for the rest of the ponies. Twilight thinks about something for a minute. She then takes out a piece of parchment with a hastily sketched map.

"I don't suppose you know where this is?" She taps one end of the map with her hoof, a crappily drawn mountain some distance from an equally crappily drawn town and a stupid looking smiley face on a moon over that town. Spike looks at it and grins.

"Nice! Did your filly draw this? Yeah, that's supposed to be Undermountain. My folks used to go there for the summer, but it's gotten kind of weird the last few centuries. Hold that thought!" He hops down from the stepstool and runs into the back room. Twilight claps her hooves in glee. Finally they were making progress! He returns with a scroll box and uncaps the end, spilling out at least a hundred maps, some new, some very very old. He drags one map over and it mirrors the drawing Twilight has, only it is very well detailed and inked in with color. He lightly taps the mountain. "There you go. Takes some brave souls to head that way these days."

Rarity raises her brow and turns to Twilight, "Pardon, but where did you get that drawing from, Twilight?"

The alicorn sits back and replies, "We spoke to Princess Luna again, after we found her in the 'new' castle." Slicer perks up, interested in what Twilight has to say. "Like our esteemed surgeon has observed, she is very much not there. After rambling on about cake, of all things, she sat down and started drawing this map with crayons, repeating that 'She is under the mountain, under the mountain.' At the time I had a horrible thought that she meant buried. No. She meant Undermountain, a place." Twilight taps the map Spike provided. "This place." As Rarity nods, Twilight looks back at Spike intently, then at the other ponies. They catch on and nod in approval. She looks back to Spike, "You know, we are always looking for another adventurer to join us. Since you have such great knowledge of our destination, what if you took a vacation and helped guide us for a while?"

It was as if the dragon's mind exploded. He literally hopped up and down in anticipation. "That would be excellent! But I would need a purpose. All party members need a purpose. Oh I wish I could be a Dragon Knight, but no, you already have knights. Three to be exact." The ponies look at each other, then at Applejack as she guffaws out loud.

"Told ya, ya apple-rotted knuckleheads, ahw aint no barbarian!"

Spike replies, "To be exact, you are a paladin of Devotion." He looks at Rainbow Dash. "You are a paladin of Vengeance. I certainly wouldn't want to get in your way." He then looks at Fluttershy and smiles warmly, "And you, for all your soft timidity, you are a special paladin." He seems enamored by Fluttershy, who in turn blushes.

The ponies stare at him in awe. Twilight furrows her brow and says, "Spike, how do you know all this stuff? You can't have hatched from your egg all that long ago, and you only met us just recently."

The drakeling grins and leans against the bar. "I might have a new body, but I am a very old soul." He watches their confused looks, then laughs. "I'm just messing with you. It says so on their swords." The ponies twist around to look at the swords strapped to their backs. Applejack draws hers out and lays it on the bar. Spike traces a claw over the runes inscribed on the bluesilver-tinged blade. "It's an old language, something my parents taught me a while back, oh and we hatchlings do live quite a while as hatchlings." Twilight scratches the back of her head. "See, these symbols mean 'honesty, courage, compassion, honor, and duty.' A tough path to follow for most, but you, my dear, are straight up Lawful Good. Oath of Devotion rules your path." Applejack sits back thoughtfully. Twilight peers at the runes, not recognizing them. Spike says, "Dragonish."

Rainbow slaps down her blade, "Alright, me next! Watcha got on my blade?"

Spike peers at it, tracing the red runes. "You are definitely into punishing others who commit grievous sins. You are not quite so righteous, but you are more of an avenging knight. Your tenets are, retribution, revenge...another version of revenge, single-minded revenge...yeah, that's about what they all mean. Ever walk into a coffee shop for the first time, look around at all the options and ask for coffee? Kind of like that, except, well, revenge flavored." He pulls his claws away from the blade. "Let's just say I don't want to be your target. Justice is ruthless in your position."

Rainbow Dash nods, "Darn straight it is!" She takes up her sword, eyes now bright with the knowledge that her sword speaks for her soul.

The others slowly turn to Fluttershy, who has been so very quietly sitting at the far end of the bar. She clutches her sword, unsure if it will spell certain doom or enlightenment for her. Spike slides over the stepstool and stands up on his tiptoes, straining to read the inscription on the blade. His eyes shimmer and he bows his head, "Hail to thee, Ser Damme, Fey Knight of the Wood, She Who Shelters the Light!"

Fluttershy turns red from embarassment and sits lower in her stool while her friends look on with fascination. "Um, I can't be...um, all that, I think. It's really too much." She sighs and smiles cutely, "But thank you."

Spike shakes his head and reaches out to hold her hoof, "No! Those are not compliments! They are your rightful titles. You fight the darkness to protect and love the beautiful and life-giving things of the world. You follow your own way, much like Nature does. In a way, you are Nature's champion! And my liege! Were I to ever be a Dragon Knight, I would fight by your side, Ser Damme, for you follow the Oath of the Ancients."

Twilight and Rarity glance at each, then clamber down towards Fluttershy's end of the bar, yelling Spike's name and pushing each other and their friends out of the way. Fluttershy and Spike are oblivious to them. Fluttershy looks down and closes her eyes, murmuring, "Thankyou, Spike." Just before Twilight and Rarity reach them, Fluttershy looks up and asks, "Would you prefer to be my squire?"

"Squire it is!" He raises a tankard and gulps down the liquid as Twilight and Rarity freeze right in front of him.

Twilight squeaks out, "Spikey!"

Rarity squeaks out, "Wikey!"

The drakeling wipes his maw and says, "Sorry girls, this one is taken!" He leans over and proceeds to teach Fluttershy how to pronounce each rune in dragonish while the yellow pegasus sits with a glowing warmth. She has acquired her first pet in this world. The two morose ponies push past their friends a second time as they return to their stools, filled with a feeling of loss as though they finally realize they took Spike's adoration for granted. Their friends remain perfectly still, eyes following them, except for Slicer.

She nudges her tankard of chocolate milk toward Rarity. "Alas, poor Spike. I knew him...all of three hours. A fellow of infinite jest, and most excellent fancy scales." Rarity grabs the tankard from her and takes a swig.

The ponies sit for a while, digesting all that has happened up until now. All of it begins to settle in. The losses of things and ponies they knew, the draining results of the battle, the difference in this reality's Spike. Twilight sits up, duh's to herself and moves to write it all down, only to discover she has none of her writing materials in her saddlebags. She remembers it was all in her castle, where she left them before rushing out rashly to do battle. She sighs and groans, "My library is gone."

Applejack sighs similarly, "Sweet Apple Acres is gone, too."

Pinkie Pie says, "My party stash is gone!" Her hair is even less bouncy.

Rarity thinks about her boutique but says nothing. She is NOT a drama queen, thankyou very much.

Fluttershy thinks of her pets and cries softly, though Spike is there to console her, which make Rarity and Twilight cry more.

Slicer glowers, trying to figure out how to help Luna.

Rainbow hears the anguish from her friends and tries to lighten the mood. "I bet Fifty Shades of Donkey is gone, too."

Despite her eyes stinging, Applejack covers her muzzle in a poor attempt to stifle her laughter. Fluttershy stops crying and her eyes brighten while her cheeks take on a rosey hue, oddly enough. Pinkie Pie's hair gets bouncy again and she sits up. Rarity's eyes widen at the scandalous comment and Slicer, well she doesn't react all that much, though she does snort once as she stares at her drink.

Twilight starts to laugh until she realizes Rainbow is talking about her. She crosses her forelegs in a huff, grumbling about lack of manners and tact. Looking over at Slicer, the cause of her latest uncomfortable social situation, she asks sweetly, "Speaking of disappearing, where would a pair of thestral wings go, if one were to lose them?" Rarity's eyes could not get any wider.

Slicer picks up her tankard and slings the contents at Twilight, drenching the sputtering alicorn in chocolate milk. In response, Twilight throws her cup of prune juice at Slicer, who neatly rolls backward off her stool and out of the way. The cup sails over and hits Rarity in the forehead, it's contents staining Rarity's fur from the eyes down. Rarity calmly stands up as she holds a hoof to her head in pain, regards the two apologetic ponies, picks up Slicer with her magic and throws her into Twilight. As they both topple in a heap, Rarity screams and leaps onto the both of them, pulling any hair she can grab. "Prune juice stain takes DAYS to wash out of fur! How dare you both act unladylike in a public place!" She yells as she rolls on the floor with the other two, of which both try to jab and push the other toward the avenging unicorn.

Rainbow, Fluttershy and Applejack stare at the spectacle. Spike leans over to watch while wiping down the now unused tankard Slicer just emptied. Pinkie Pie plays a honkey tonk tune on an old standup piano in the background as if in a saloon. Spike asks, "When did we get a piano, or is that a secret bard power?"

Fluttershy smiles and replies, "Oh no, that's Pinkie power. You get used to it...um.. Or go insane. Mm, sometimes both."

Spike shudders and shakes his head, "Scary."

The other ponies nod in unison, "Quite."

Applejack watches the three mares roll around on the dirty floor. "Call me a wet blanket, but shouldn somepony, uh, step in, uh, eventually? So we can leave?"

Rainbow weighs in, "I dunno. Maybe they will get some xp from all that physical brawling. Magic users not being into contact activities, they could level up on that."

Applejack nods. That makes sense. "Still, Awh jes find it aw-ronic we are still in the same inn. From the ver beginnin. Still."

Rainbow looks around, "No way! You're right! But we aren't waiting all day for Twilight to waltz past every shop. This time we tie a rope to a book and drag it down the street and out of town. She'll take the bait."

Twilight stops in midfight to retort, "I heard that!" She stands up and brushes off the dirt as if nothing had happened. "By the way, what book are you talking about?" Rainbow and Applejack have another round of laughs. Rarity gets up and grabs HER book in a huff to go sit in a nearby booth and attempt to enchant the stains out of her fur, repeating the word 'uncouth' several times.

Slicer stands up and works her jaw with a hoof. She eyes Twilight with some respect. "For a prissy princess, you hit like a sack of books."

Twilight smirks, "Thanks. At least you stand up for yourself, unlike so many other Guards that cower around me." She pauses and tilts her head. "I...I am still curious about your wings, all insults aside."

The thestral eyes the alicorn, then shrugs as if not giving a damn this time. "Buy me another chocolate milk and you get to find out why I am the way I am." Twilight eagerly purchases another tankard in anticipation of this newfound subject in psychological evaluation.

The other four ponies, and dragon, just stare at them. Rainbow exclaims, "What the hay just happened?"

Applejack pushes her hat back, "I reckon...Friendship is Magic? I guess?"

Spike shakes his head, "Friendship is Weird with you guys," and continues cleaning his cups and mugs.

The other ponies nod in unison, "Quite."

Author's Notes:

Work, family, lots of other things. This chapter required a lot of work as I decided to take the story past its spoof phase into a more detailed adventure. Some parts are not fleshed out, but I know where I want to take this story now. It will get completed, in its proper time. Thankyou for sticking with it.

*edit* I decided to add the gore tag, given this chapter's content. While I do not plan on going into significant detail regarding the subject matter, any future battles requires its attachment. Please don't let this detail put you off. I will try to keep it within reason.