Spike, Discord, Big Mac and the girls were exhausted. Ever since they cleared Level 75, the game was getting more and more dangerous... and they still had 25 levels to go. They couldn’t believe they even got that far. Alden the Centaur was sharpening long, black throwing spears—his weapons of choice—on the whetstone at Cinnamon Buns’ forge when they found him there. He had ditched his black hood and cloak to reveal his chestnut body and long black tail. And his horse half bore a mighty saddle, black and purple and decorated with gold.

“Now, before you understand why I sought these four treasures, you must understand the threat of the Midnight Castle,” he told them.

“The Midnight Castle? The Betrayer’s castle, the one that crumbled when the three heroes destroyed him?” Sunset inquired.

“Correct. The Castle is, in truth, a massive gate: a construct with the ability to move itself anywhere in the Realms with each new moon,” Alden explained. “In addition, Midnight Keystones fashioned in the Castle’s forges may be used to construct smaller ‘midnight portals’--pairs of magical gates which link to one another--outside of the castle... the Betrayer, seeking vengeance, intended to use the portals to move troops into Selena’s Gate. Now, the Black Network intends to use the castle to expand the reach of their Dark Web... With the castle and its portals in their hands, their forces will be able to move anywhere unhindered. This cannot be allowed. It is why we must take the Midnight Castle for ourselves, and either seal it or destroy it.”

“But... wasn’t it already destroyed?” Fluttershy asked.

“The Midnight Castle’s form on the Material Plane--our world--is a sort of illusion. Its true shape spans other realities: the Elemental Planes which make up our world, and the Plane of Darkness,” Alden went on. “The castle can be brought back, but the Harpers--rather than the Dark Web--must hold it. We must travel to each of the elemental planes and reactivate the castle’s Four Foundations. The four treasure keys you recovered can do so. Only then will we be able to enter the Castle’s Core through the Plane of Darkness and claim it for our own. Will you help us? The cause is noble, the rewards staggering, and the tale one of legends...”

“Legends, eh?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Yes, we’ll help!”

“Of course we will,” Fluttershy added.

“My fists are yours,” added Rarity.

“‘Staggering,’ you say?” asked Discord. “Hah! You can count on me, then.”

“You have my swords,” Spike stated.

“And you have my bow,” Applejack joined in.

“And my mandolin!” Pinkie cried.

“Great... sounds impossible,” Twilight said. “We better get to it.”

“It’s now or never,” Starlight agreed.

“Let’s go,” said Sunset.

“Eeyup!” Big Mac shouted.

“Excellent. I knew you would not disappoint me,” Alden smiled. “Now, I have a friend whose magic can transport you to the four Elemental Planes...”

He was soon joined by three new characters. It was the Champions of Yore; the three legendary heroes of Selena’s Gate! They looked almost exactly like their young counterparts, but had lighter color schemes... and big ‘80’s hair.

First, there was Firefly, a blue haired, blue-eyed, half-elf fighter who looked strikingly similar to Rainbow Dash.

“Pink?!” Dash exclaimed, looking Firefly’s clothes.

“Hey! I kicked a dragon in the face decades before you did!” Firefly replied.

The second looked exactly like Applejack, from her blonde hair to her green eyes, and was a human archer. And the third was a female Dragonborn with purple scales, green spines, and she wore long flowing robes.

“Spike... don’t you recognize me?” she asked.

Spike gasped as his eyes widened, and he knew instantly who she was.

“Mom?”

“My baby,” she whispered.

Spike smiled as he tearfully embraced her.

“I thought I’d have a hundred things to say,” he said as he clung to her tightly. “I’ve missed you.”

“You’ve grown so much,” Barbara smiled as she swept Spike’s forehead and stroked his cheek. “You look so handsome. Just like your father.”

Spike clutched her hand in his as he gazed deeply into her eyes.

“Spike, I know you’ve been searching for the Gates. But there’s something you have to understand... The power to control the luck of others through understanding and manipulating the elements forming an environment... It’s a mind control technique. Dealing is more than passing out cards. A true dealer uses their Roll Ruler to control the victories and losses of their players. If you can’t defeat the Storm King, you will be unable to leave this place,” she said. “Show me what you can do.”

“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve squared off against Lady Sextus,” Spike said. He turned to Sunset and added, “I think it’s time for our rematch. Don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

“No way!” Applejack yelled. “You’re really going to go through with that?”

Sunset smiled in reply, “I have the perfect armor for this occasion.”

She started glowing and her armor transformed into a strapless black and red ensemble, bejeweled with eight pearls and the same number of orange jacinth, as well as matching thigh-high boots and gauntlets.

“That’s Superior Blazing Full Platemail,” Discord observed. “Good choice against a Dragonborn.”

“Now Spike’s fire will only be half as effective,” Rarity added.

“Come on, Sunset,” Pinkie said. “At least give him a fighting chance!”

Spike grinned. “Fire resistant armor, huh? That just means I can turn up the heat as high as I want!”

Firefly started collecting bets from the girls.

“Put me down for Sunset in the first round,” Twilight said.

“You’re betting against him?!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “Why are we picking sides? I don’t want either of them to lose!”

“Get into the spirit, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash replied.

“I’ll hand it to Spike, he’s a tough little dude,” Big Mac said. “I’m sure he’ll end up mopping the floor with her.”

Spike and Sunset saluted each other with their weapons and the fight began. Sunset charged Spike, who sidestepped her first swing with her Flaming Burst Adamantine Morning Star of Purity +4, then Sunset ducked under Spike’s counterattack with his Eradicator/Dragonslayer sword, and Spike blocked a kick from Sunset before breathing fire at her, which missed.

“Come on, you can do better than that,” Barbara said. “Watch how I do it.”

She stepped in and threw a small burst of flame at Sunset.

“It’s just a flare, and even though it’s fire, it can do a lot more than just burn things. You have to learn how to make your fire not burn. You have to learn that if you wish for it, deep down in your heart, the fire will do exactly what you want it to do. Once you master that, then not even wind or water magic can beat you!”

“Enough!” Alden stated. “We’re wasting time.”

“Agreed,” Barbara said. “Spike, Lady Sextus, both Lady Applesmiths, and I will enter the Elemental Plane of Fire. The Fire Foundation should make the surrounding area habitable, but the terrain will be dangerous nonetheless.”

“I’ll take Sir McBiggun and Lady Silentflyer to the Plane of Earth,” Discord/Captain Wuzz said.

“Even with the magic of the Earth Foundation creating oxygen and pockets in the otherwise solid stone and soil, the Elemental Plane of Earth is a dark and dangerous place. Be careful,” Barbara told him.

“I’ll take Dasheyes and Bard Pie to the Plane of Air,” Firefly added.

“There is generally very little solid material in the Elemental Plane of Air, though the Air Foundation’s magic will have drawn some together. Still, a fall will spell certain doom,” Barbara warned them.

“And Starlight, Twilight and I shall take the Plane of Water,” said Rarity.

“The magic of the Water Foundation will somewhat tame the surrounding environment, so you will not drown. My magic will let you breathe like fish for a short time, let you breathe water like oxygen, just long enough for you to find the foundation and activate it,”

“We are prepared,” Spike stated.

“May fortune follow you, friends,” Alden said. “Farewell!”

Using a portal spell, Barbara teleported each group to the elemental planes.

---

In the Elemental Plane of Water, Catrina was relaying her instructions to another one of the Dark Web’s agents; a short and stout witch with an ugly face.

“I’ll warn you again, Catrina: your men will only die here,” she said. “Nothing can stand between my magic and my foes and live!”

“You’re powerful indeed Hydia, but your arrogance will be your undoing,”

“How dare you! You think to command me, feline?”

“I do, and by your masters’ wishes--do not forget that. The men stay,”

It was hard to get lost in the Plane of Water. All Twilight, Rarity and Starlight had to worry about (besides a few Dark Web soldiers) were the new enemies they found there: water elementals—cresting waves that rolled along the ground. They had a medium-range attack, but it could easily be avoided by keeping distance and using ranged attacks. They were also very slow and incapable of closing the gap as long as the girls kept moving.

The girls eventually found a shallow ice pit... and the level’s boss.

“So! You’ve arrived. Do you know who I am? I am Hydia, Mistress of the Witches! My sorcery has defeated one hundred armies and slain two thousand heroes... and now it will utterly destroy you!”

Rarity thrashed Hydia with her best melee combos, but quickly sprinted away when she saw the witch’s ice strike fall from the sky. Ultimately, it was Twilight who dealt the killing blow. She’d had plenty of opportunities to backstab minor baddies, but this was her first chance to assassinate a boss. She snuck up behind Hydia, slit the witch’s throat, and she bled out. After the fight, Starlight approached the Water Foundation and activated it with the Razor of Masculinity.

Meanwhile, in the Plane of Earth, Catrina’s lizardman assistant was giving similar instructions to one of the heroes’ old foes.

“They are coming, Sylvia,” he told her. “The Harpers have hired them to take the Four Foundations from us.”

“Do not concern yourself with such trivial matters,” she replied. “I will deal with them soon enough.”

“Trivial? Do not underestimate them. It was such thinking that led to your disgrace at your manor,”

“I know my failings well,” she hissed. “Almost as well as yours, Rep. Perhaps we shall speak of failings another time... But now, I must prepare for the arrival of my guests. Soon the world will witness the full glory of my SCIENCE, and those lapdogs of the Harpers will help me.”

“Yes, show us this ‘science’ of yours. Just do not fail the Dark Web again,”

As they were talking, Big Mac smashed a tunnel through the rock (having noticed the off-color shards that shattered from his melee attacks). The tunnel he bore led him, Discord and Fluttershy right to some very nasty earth elementals—hulking creatures with dirt and stone bodies and club-like arms of jagged stone that swung at their sides. The level was infested with them. Fortunately, those goons were too large to fit into the tunnel Big Mac had made, and Discord just shot at them from a safe distance. They were pretty easy to beat even when Big Mac engaged them in melee combat and stayed to their right side (they all seemed to be left-handed)—even though they had an annoying projectile attack and a high-speed roll. Eventually, they reached the Earth Foundation... and Sylvia Broodmare.

“Back for seconds? I can not tell you how pleased I am to see you,” she told them. “I wish to thank you for your help at Broodmare Manor. Surprised? Yes, thanks to your wanton destruction of my creations, I’ve come to realize some grave errors in my thinking: originally, I had thought to create life from death -- true life, not undeath. Taking the best traits from existing creatures and bending them to my will to form a whole new species... But then you arrived and destroyed all that I had made. It was at that point I realized the truth of it all. What good is the creation of life if all it takes is a sharp blade to end it? Death. Destroyer of all. That was the missing element that prevented my experiments from reaching their evolutionary pinnacle. But no more. The solution is at hand... and you shall help me.”

Discord and Big Mac quickly killed all of Sylvia’s Dark Web escorts, then got within melee range and played ring-around-the-rosy until she dropped. But that was just the beginning... Sylvia got back up and contorted into a second form, which was a twisted abomination. The three heroes kept their distance and used projectile attacks to kill her and her swarm of spider babies and ran around in circles to avoid her poison spray attack. After their victory, the Jade Tiger activated the Foundation and the three heroes were summoned back to Selena’s Gate.

At that same moment, Capper was speaking to the Red Death on the Elemental Plane of Fire.

“Are you well, Lord Razer? Or should I call you just Razer, now?”

“What do you want, Capper?”

“I am merely concerned for your well-being. That was quite a ferocious blaze you set at Broodmare Manor, and you look... a little worse for wear,”

“Do not play with me, feline, or I shall nullify our alliance with your death!”

“Then lick your wounds quickly, dragon! The same adventurers who made a fool of you at the Manor are on their way here!”

“Let them come!” Razer replied. “I shall repay them tenfold for the humiliation I have suffered!”

On the other side of the Plane of Fire, Spike stopped when he and his party came across a pool of molten magma.

“Why is it that every video game has lava in it?” he asked.

“Technically, that’s not true,” Sunset replied.

“We can’t touch the lava,” Applejack said. “We fall in, we lose.”

“The game’s getting tougher,” Sunset added.

They were right.

Failure would be devastating; two missteps would kill them.

Unfortunately, both kinds of new enemies in the plane of fire—lava monsters and fire elementals—rushed them immediately upon entering the level. The fire elementals were annoying, but lacked long-range attacks and could easily be dealt with if the heroes ran ahead of them and used projectile attacks. The lava monsters had projectile attacks of their own, however, thus making them the priority target. As with earth elementals, circle-and-strike tactics worked well, and the heroes stayed to the monsters’ right side to avoid their left windmill punches.

Barbara doused the elementals with a water spell, causing them to shrink, hissing and smoking in pain and rage. Then, using the molten ash of the plane, she created half a dozen mentally linked copies of herself and they fought alongside her against the lava monsters.

“What was that?” Spike asked.

“Dust Clone Technique,” Barbara said. “It’s a Duplication spell.”

She demonstrated again and told Spike to give it a try. She told him that he could create as many duplicates as he wanted as long as there was an ample supply of dust in the environment and he stayed focused. It was a very effective spell. And since everything the clones experienced and learned was transferred back to the original when they were dispelled, this greatly reduced training periods of months and years to a matter of days.

“Spike, I know you haven’t visited my gravesite in a while. Why?”

“Laughing, thinking our happiness would never end... I look around and all I see is you, Mom. That’s why I haven’t visited your grave. I was afraid it would hurt too much. I know I should move on with my life, but I can’t stop missing you,” he sighed. “You were everything to me, and now I have nothing except the memories you gave me... I’ll try to do better the next time I visit you.”

Spike took a moment to observe the lava before each jump; there were occasional geysers of flame in place that meant certain death if timing wasn’t perfect. They had to skip across a couple small islands in the river of lava to get to the goal. After that, they made their way through a simple maze of rock walls and over a few easily jumped lava puddles to reach the Fire Foundation. They knew they were close because they killed a squad of Dark Web soldiers.

The most covetous of dragons, red dragons tirelessly sought to increase their treasure hoards. They were exceptionally vain, even for dragons, and their conceit was reflected in their proud bearing and disdain for other creatures. No other dragon came close to the arrogance of the red dragons. They saw themselves as kings and emperors and viewed the rest of dragonkind as inferior.

As an adult red dragon, this was very much embodied by Razer. His swept-back horns and spinal frill defined his silhouette. His beaked snout vented smoke, his scales, which were bright glossy scarlet, were as thick and strong as metal; and his eyes were molten lava orbs.

“Your fortune ends here, adventurers--this time, there shall be no escape from my flames. I will leave nothing of you but ash!” he roared.

“That’s enough out of you!” Barbara shouted. “It’s payback time!”

Spike quickly scanned Razer’s stats: Armor Class 19, Hit Points 256, Strength 27, Dexterity 10, Constitution 25, Intelligence 16, Wisdom 13, and Charisma 21. Actions: Multiattack, Bite, Claw, Wing Attack, Tail Attack, and Fire Breath. This was not going to be an easy fight.

Of all the bosses they had faced up to that point, Razer was by far the hardest. Not only could he breathe fire in wide arcs, but he could also shoot fireballs in a half-dozen directions at once, cast heat-seeking magic missiles, and call flame strikes down from the sky... all at the same time!

Razer flew into a destructive rage and began acting on impulse (as red dragons often did when angered). He was ferocious! The heroes kept their distance and scattered in every direction to dodge his fireballs. Spike and Barbara conjured multiple copies of themselves from the volcanic dust and soil, and they distracted Razer while the real Spike threw ice from his wizard staff and free claw.

“A Dragonborn that uses ice magic?” Razer shouted.

The duplicates came at Razer from all sides, but he dispatched them until only the real Spike/Garbuncle remained and he pierced Razer through the heart with the Dragonslayer. Razer’s body exploded and all that remained of him was his toenails. When the heroes claimed victory, they activated the Foundation and returned to Selena’s Gate.

---

After leaving Hydia in the Plane of Water, Catrina transported herself to the Plane of Air, where she confronted another one of her pawns.

“I do not like this, Catrina,” he said. “Am I, the great Marcus Doomwing, now reduced to a petty guard?”

“You are not required to like it, Marcus,” Catrina replied. “The Dark Web commanded that you guard the Air Foundation; that should be enough. Or should I inform them you have more important matters to attend to?”

“Damn you! I am well aware of my duty to the Dark Web! Marcus Doomwing shall guard the foundation with his life! Now return to your hole, Catrina. The mere sight of you sickens me,”

“Very well. I shall inform the Black Network of your promise. Should the Air Foundation be captured, your life will be forfeit,”

Pinkie, Rainbow Dash and Firefly found themselves on narrow trail of little rock spheres floating in midair. They kept away from the edges so that they didn’t let the not-so-gentle winds blow them over. Even though they were little more than funneling cyclones of whirling dust and wind, air elementals were just plain jerks. They had only one attack: a boulder toss that did little damage, but it was more than enough to push the heroes off the edge and into the endless oblivion below. The three women did not even attempt to fight them; they just kept moving. The trail eventually became so thin that a single hit from an air elemental was a virtual death sentence. Finally, they reached the island where the Foundation was located. Unfortunately, it was guarded by a gnome mage and his pet Manticore.

“Tremble in fear, adventurers! You now face the all-powerful Marcus Doomwing, Archmagus of the Dark Web! Pray now to whatever deity you worship, because your death is at hand! Attack!”

Rainbow Dash and Firefly killed the Dark Web troops before turning their attention to the mounted Manticore leading the charge. Their primary threat was its spell-casting gnome rider who hurled spells at them as they fought. The women kept an eye on him (and the sky from which the deadly spells fell) and were prepared to dodge. They had plenty of room to maneuver as long as they fought at medium-to-long range. The fight was a little lighter up close. Without much room to move, they needed to be prepared to block when the Manticore reared up to fire a projectile attack of its own. Unluckily for the heroines, after they’d slain his Manticore, Marcus Doomwing cast a spell and vanished like a sniveling coward.

After killing the monster, Dash hopped over to the Foundation and activated it using the Ruby of Femininity, upon which they were automatically teleported back to Cinnamon Buns’ forge. Meanwhile, Catrina confronted Marcus again.

“There must have been fifty, no, a hundred men!” he lied. “I could have easily handled them, but they took me by surprise. Give me two hundred soldiers and I’ll go and take back the Air Foundation, I promise it.”

“Promise? Are you a man of your word, Marcus? Have you ever broken a promise?” Catrina asked.

“The great Marcus Doomwing always keeps his promises! Just give me three hundred soldiers and I promise to take back the Air Foundation without fail,”

“Then let me remind you of your promise to guard the Air Foundation with your life. The Dark Web wishes to collect on that promise now,”

“No! Give me another chance, please! Let me redeem myself!”

“You are past redemption. But rest assured, I will let the world know that Marcus Doomwing was a man of his word,” Catrina said as she extended her claws, drove her hand through Marcus’s chest, and tore out his heart.

---

The four groups of heroes returned to Cinnamon Buns’ forge in Selena’s Gate after successfully reactivating the Four Foundations.

“Now, we can-” Alden began. “What in the-?!”

Before the Centaur could say anymore, he was interrupted by a pair of humanoid cat creatures with golden fur and their lizard man servant.

“Catrina! I should have known you’d eventually show up, desperate to save your patrons’ plots. I should have killed you back in Dream Valley,” Alden said.

“Not likely,” the cat-woman purred in reply. “I’ll die in my sleep before you put me to the sword.”

Alden picked up two of his throwing spears and was about to hurl them at Catrina when the lizard man stepped between them.

“Peace, peace! Show no weapons. We have no wish to fight you,” he said.

“And who are you?” Spike demanded.

“You may call me Rep,”

“You have obviously gone to some effort to speak with us,” Spike said. “What do you want?”

“I’ve grown tired of your trickery, sell-sword!” Alden shouted at Rep. “Your words always wreaked more harm than any blade.”

“Perhaps that is so, but I speak truly,” Rep replied. “The Dark Web has lost the Midnight Castle... but so have you. The demon satyr, the Storm King, holds the only way into the Castle’s Core. It is he who controls the castle, now that your agents have brought it back.”

“The Storm King?” Alden asked. “He hasn’t stirred for nearly a century! What could he be up to?”

“No one knows, but disaster looms over both our employers and your precious Realms one way or another,” Catrina replied. “We sent for reinforcements, but we’ve lost contact with them... slain by the Storm King’s own soldiers, I think.”

“What do you three know of the Midnight Castle?” Spike inquired.

“The Midnight Castle, whose surface glitters like oil upon the water, it arrived in my homeland, quick, sudden, and stabbed into the heart of the land like a poisoned spear,” Rep said. “Darkness fell then rose, leaving the Castle behind, like a weapon dropped on a field of battle. Not even the moonlight would touch it, for the Castle drank its light. It was a black kiss, a serpent’s bite on the land. All my tribes raised their spears to it, their hissing became low and weak, that of slaves. The Castle devoured the hearts of my people... all except me.”

“How come you didn’t serve the castle?” Fluttershy asked.

“I speak to Catrina - I serve her. The Castle is a thing of humans. It smells of fire and hate. I would never raise my hand to such a thing! Yet it has claimed my people! My people, who need nothing of your cities! Yet the Storm King wants to drive them into human cities to spill human blood! He promises gold, steel, food... but doing this will only kill my people. The dead have no use for such things,”

“Rep - maybe we can help each other,” Spike said. “We need to get inside the Midnight Castle and stop the Storm King. There’s no telling how many innocent people could die if he brings it here!”

“If you will kill him, then Catrina, Capper and I will give you help any way that we can,” Rep promised.

Back in the real world, most of the resort’s guests and over half its staff continued watching Spike and the others on the big screen.

“They did it. They made it to the last few levels!” Midnight Radiance said.

“But these are the toughest of them all,” Micro Chips replied. “It’ll take everything they’ve got just to survive...”

Back in the video game, the group was trying to figure out what to do next.

“So, now what do we do?” Sunset asked.

“You have to find the last treasure and use it to defeat the Storm King,” Capper told them.

“The Staff of Sacanas,” Rep added. “Years ago, an evil wizard crafted a staff infused with magic powerful enough to control the elements of this world. The battle for possession of this forbidden weapon has gone on for centuries... and now, it is in the possession of the Storm King.”

Suddenly, the ground began to shake and parts of Selena’s Gate became engulfed in flame. Then, a great black castle appeared in the center of the city, and sent out a great ring of black lightning.

“What’s happened?” Fluttershy cried.

“It’s the Midnight Castle,” Spike said. “The Storm King... he’s here!”

“What are you going to do?” Barley asked.

“What else? Save Selena’s Gate with our own hands!” Spike answered.

“We will crush the Storm King--and his black castle--in the name of Celeste!” Sunset added.

“Well then, best have a look at what I’ve to offer,” Barley said. “Perhaps there’s something here that you could use in your last battle...”

“The city is under attack and you want to HAGGLE?” Sunset shouted.

“I am a merchant by trade, after all! I’m sure as gold glitters that you’ll succeed, so there’s no sense in giving away my best equipment for nothing! Eh... you will succeed, won’t you?”

The group exchanged nods and stocked up on arrows and extra healing potions. They were going to need them.

“He’s trying to lure us into the heart of the city,” said Sunset.

“You can’t be serious!” Spike exclaimed. “If that’s true, he’ll go after the people--!”

“That’s the whole point of his attack,” Rainbow Dash said. “And while the boss’s minions are killing NPCs, we can attack him... and kill him.”

“They’re not just objects; NPCs are different from rocks and trees!” Spike disagreed.

“You think they’re alive?” Dash replied. “In this game, they are just objects! And unlike us, if they’re killed, they can always respawn.”

“Sorry, but I’m not cool with that plan,” Spike stated.

Before they could argue more, Lady Cashmere burst into the shop.

“Praise Selena, and Celeste, and Clopgeddin, and Faust, and any other god who’d care to take credit! I thought the city was lost, but perhaps... perhaps you can stop it! The Midnight Castle... it suddenly appeared, people began to die... and then rise again! Come, I can lead you to the base of the Castle,” she told them.

She started to head back out the door, but they did not follow.

“Tempest Shadow is in the Castle, guarding the Storm King... you must destroy him... you must save Selena’s Gate!” she exclaimed.

“We need more help,” Spike said. “Our party isn’t big enough!”

Suddenly, he heard something that he hadn’t expected to hear: an orc horn!

Spike ran outside, looked to the wide-open gates of the city, and saw no less than six thousand fairies, pixies, sprites, half-orcs and shadow goblins, all armed with swords and bows, marching in. The Goblin King, Princess Willowstream, and Thoendithas Wolfswift and his entire clan led them.

“An alliance once existed between elves and half-orcs,” Thoendithas said. “Long ago, they freed us from slavery under the lizard folk. We fought, and died, together. We are here to honor that allegiance. We are proud to fight alongside elves once more! Let this be the hour we draw swords together... one last time!!”

Spike and his friends smiled as Princess Willowstream added, “We will follow you anywhere, even to death. You have given us hope. As long as you’re still standing, we have hope!”

Spike stood before the Brotherhood of Noble Monsters and marched up and down their front line.

“Sons and daughters of Selena’s Gate, of the Wolfswift Clan, my brothers and sisters, now is the hour!” he shouted. “Today, we fight for our homes! Together, we fight with honor! Now, we kick some dark alliance tail!”

The army roared as Cinnamon Buns brandished a pair of thick, black leather bullwhips and said, “All right, let’s get moving!”

“This is not your fight,” Spike said to her. “This is between me and the Storm King.”

“He attacked my home. That makes it my fight,” she replied.

Spike didn’t argue with her any more.

“After you,” he said.

---

The heroes followed Spike, Catrina, Rep, Capper and Lady Cashmere through the dark streets until they finally arrived at the gigantic castle that now stood in the center of the city. They had but one course of action: direct assault! A small army unit had stormed in but they hadn’t returned. They lay dead in the street—they didn’t stand a chance against the Storm King’s army of Minotaurs, large bull-headed, carnivorous, humanoid creatures that lived for the hunt. Their brown fur was stained with the blood of the soldiers they’d just killed and they reeked of death. And they were led by a small, squat creature with gray skin, white hair, pointy claws, and a pig-like nose. Frankly, he looked like an oversized hedgehog. They tore through the main plaza of Selena’s Gate with no regard for the destruction they were causing. People screamed and as they ran away, frightened by the Minotaurs’ savage battle cries.

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a party here,” Spike smiled. “I’m gonna sweep you aside like a fat ball of dust!”

The hedgehog laughed. “Yeah, right! You and what army, Dragonborn?”

“This army,”

Using his wizard’s staff, Spike opened several portals on the street and several creatures emerged from each, including an army of wizards, sexy witches and warlocks, the Crescent Moon Mercenaries, the druid Swan Song and the animals of the White Tail Woods, the Weretigers of Dragonblast Castle, and the Yuan-ti. They stood with the Brotherhood of Noble Monsters—the Fairies, Sprites, Half-Orcs, and winged Shadow Goblins—Catrina, Capper, Rep, Captain Thrash, and Alden the Centaur, who lowered himself onto his front legs so that Garbuncle could climb onto his back. As much as the hedgehog (who was named Grubber) hated to admit it, that was a pretty good army.

Spike reached into his robe and tossed Big Mac his Grand Vampiric Great Sword, and Big Mac dual-wielded it with his own Jeweled Mithral Great Sword of Defense. With the Dragonslayer Eradicator in his right hand, his Grand Infernal Great Sword in his left hand, and his wizard staff held by his dragon tail, Spike led his army against Grubber and the Minotaurs. Rep transformed into a bull while herds of elephants and rhinos stampeded into the city. As Applejack, Sunset and Fluttershy rode in on one of the elephants, Grubber dove out of the way.

“Charge!” Fluttershy yelled while motioning for attack with her staff.

The Minotaurs met them head-on, butting and goring like battering rams, and the street became a mess of hooves, scales, fur and feathers. The Minotaurs were fairly easy to defeat—not because they were wimpy, but because it was very easy to predict their attacks. They would run straight at their opponents, pause, and then try to pounce on them. Once that attack was seen, a number of counterattack options became apparent. Minotaurs in general were unorganized, had no respect for authority, and were notoriously difficult to control. Plus their armor was weak at the neck and below the arm. And because of that, they were easily overrun by Garbuncle’s allies, who quickly began to take back Selena’s Gate.

“Spike, slow down!” Sunset shouted.

“We can’t slow down! We have to stop the Storm King now!” he replied.

“But at this rate you’re gonna use up all your magic energy before we even reach the Castle!”

“Then I guess I’ll have to rely on hand-to-hand combat,” he said.

“Come and get me, boys!” Cinnamon Buns taunted the monsters.

“Head for the Castle!” Captain Thrash told Spike as he killed two Minotaurs. “We’ll hold them off!”

“Come on!” Spike and Rainbow Dash shouted.

Alden, Spike, Discord, Big Mac, Barbara and the girls tore through the Minotaur lines until they reached the Castle.

“Thank you for everything. We’ll be going on our own from here on,” Spike said to Alden as he slid off the Centaur’s back.

“Good luck, Garbuncle!” Alden replied.

He reared on his hind legs and cantered back into the throng of the battle, leaving Spike and the others behind him.

---

There were no puzzles to solve or hidden doors in the Midnight Castle: the only trick was surviving. The battles were at their hardest because the enemies were numerous and there was little room to maneuver. Rainbow Dash, Starlight and Sunset thought about avoiding combat by using stealth, but Spike, Discord and Big Mac charged in and battled their way up floor by floor to confront the Storm King at the highest room of the tallest tower (cliché, I know).

Unique beasts—including swarming gargoyles and lumbering brass golems—inhabited the lowest level of the Midnight Castle. Advancing toward the first large room on the first floor triggered the first swarm of gargoyles. They were extremely fast and attacked in large numbers. Discord had the most difficulty with them, as there wasn’t much time to use ranged weapons. Gargoyles were cruel, malevolent, grotesque fiends that enjoyed torturing, killing, and anything else that involved minimal effort but with maximum pain and carnage. Golems were made from humble materials—usually some kind of metal or stone—but they possessed astonishing power and durability. They had no ambitions, needed no sustenance, felt no pain, and knew no remorse. Unstoppable juggernauts, they existed to follow their creator’s orders, and protected or attacked as that creator demanded.

“Spike, there’s too many of them!” Fluttershy said.

“You’ll be safe if you stay behind me,” he told her.

“Okay,” she replied with a nod.

The gargoyles spat fireballs at the group as they proceeded through the chamber and entered a larger room heavily populated with brass golems. The golems were easy to defeat, in spite of their poison breath attacks. They saw another pair of brass golems patrolling the next room. As the group advanced through the winding corridors, they avoided several fireball traps by hugging the walls on either side to safely dodge the fiery projectiles that they launched. They located a doorway on the right side of the next room, battling the remaining beasts along the way. And they encountered three more brass golems in front of the staircase that led to the second floor of the Castle.

They ascended the stairs and the challenges of the Midnight Castle escalated from there. Several Minotaurs and brass golems populated the trap-filled corridors. Attempting to battle all of those monsters at close range proved quite difficult, so the girls tried to lure the Minotaurs away from the first golem. When that didn’t work, they used their area-effect spells and ranged weapons to weaken the monsters before engaging in melee combat. When the dust settled, they took a breather before continuing down the hallway, battling their way past more Minotaurs and brass golems. They continued to move carefully through the narrow hallways of the Castle. Monsters, including another pair of brass golems, hid in small alcoves along the sides of the halls. They stayed close to the walls as they entered the following room, avoiding an arrow trap set up in there. They fought the creatures and continued to the final room where even more Minotaurs and brass golems awaited.

Another horde of gargoyles greeted the heroes in the third level’s first room. Thankfully, explosive barrels scattered throughout the chamber provided some added power against the creatures. When that battle ended, the fourteen heroes split up into two groups of seven and went down separate halls. Either route out of the first room was a good option—gargoyles occupied both tunnels and each route connected to the same chamber. And although it featured a similar layout and appearance, the third floor of the Midnight Castle featured a new adversary—the blue steel golem. The mightiest of golems, those horrible monstrosities possessed sharp, powerful weaponry, which they used for devastating close-combat attacks, so only powerful fighters could venture close to them. The heroes moved through the hallway and battled the gargoyles and another blue steel golem in the adjacent area. After they finished them off, they battled through a room crowded with more gargoyles. They rounded the corner up ahead and proceeded toward a larger room with another steel golem. They headed down the hall until they reached a closed door. They opened it and proceeded into the level’s final area. They defeated the two steel golems and the gargoyles... and ascended the staircase on the far side.

Traps, gargoyles, Minotaurs, steel golems and towering onyx golems populated the arduous path through the fourth level of the Midnight Castle. They battled the huge steel golem and its gargoyle escort before working their way past a fireball trap had been set up at the end of the hall. They dodged around its line of fire and used it against the two mammoth onyx golems that laid in wait in alcoves on the left and right side of the chamber. They crossed the room and engaged another steel golem before moving to the next hallway. A squad of gargoyles protected the door to the next room, but Rainbow Dash made short work of them with an explosive barrel that rested on the right side of the hall.

The journey didn’t get any easier thanks to the aggressive onyx golem and its gargoyle escort in the next room. Big Mac assaulted the golem with a Whirlwind Attack while Sunset went after its gargoyle partners with her Fire Shield and other close-range spells. Eventually, they climbed the staircase leading to the fifth level... and more dreaded onyx golems.

“GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!!” Spike yelled as he decapitated the first one.

“I can do this!” he thought.

One by one, the golems fell before Spike.

“DIE, DAMN YOU!!!!”

Finally, they reached the second to last level of the game, where the Storm King’s second-in-command, Tempest Shadow, a Drow Ranger in black plate armor, was waiting. And she was accompanied by a squad of male dark elves.

“I was almost worried you wouldn’t make it here,” she said. “It would have robbed me the joy of crushing you.”

“I have slain far worse than you!” Spike spat as he stepped forward. “Do your worst!”

“Be careful, Garbuncle!” Fluttershy cried.

“Garbuncle?” one of the dark elves echoed. “Dressed all in green... dual-wielding swords, no shield... Don’t tell me that’s--Holy crap, it is! It’s the Emerald Wizard!” he exclaimed. “Tempest, this is the guy who solos the front lines... He’s the Serpent’s son!”

The squad of dark elves surrounded Spike and hacked away at him until they exhausted themselves. Then Spike started laughing.

“What the Tartarus?!” Tempest shouted. “Why isn’t he dead!?”

“About 400, in around 10 seconds, give or take,” Spike said. “That’s about the total damage the seven of you can inflict upon me. I’m Level 78. I have 14,500 HP, my battle healing skill auto-regenerates 600 points every 10 seconds. I could stand here all day and you’d never beat me.”

“That’s not possible!” Tempest replied.

“Wanna bet?” Spike asked. “If your numbers are high enough they give you a ridiculous advantage, almost to the point of invincibility! That’s what makes MMOs that use a level system so unfair.”

Tempest had underestimated him... and it was going to cost her dearly. Spike drew his Dragonslayer and sliced the dark elves clean in half at their waists.

“Impossible! He was able to defeat them all with one shot! So much power... I didn’t think wizards like that really existed!” she thought.

“Ready to give up?” Spike taunted her. “If not, I’ve got a fireball with your name on it!”

Tempest let out an angry yell and sprang at Spike. At first glance, Tempest seemed incredibly dangerous. Her melee attacks were powerful, she was a good blocker, and she had the ability to heal herself back up to full life at any time! But she had one giant weakness: all of her melee attacks could easily be blocked!

Spike blocked all of her attacks and countered with his fire spells before switching back to his swords. Diving under Spike’s blow with the speed of a striking cobra, Tempest pulled out a black orb. She threw the orb at his friends, who shattered in every direction, and the orb exploded when it made contact with Twilight’s face.

“My eyes!” she cried. “I can’t see... some kind of blinding dust!”

While Spike was distracted, Tempest managed to wrest the Dragonslayer from his grasp, and thrust it into his chest. A shrill cry rang out and Spike felt a pain worse than a hundred thousand poisoned blades as he fell to his knees.

“You monster!!” Fluttershy shouted.

She summoned a swarm of bats and they attacked Tempest. Then Fluttershy ran swiftly at her, clubbed Tempest across the face with her staff, and Tempest fell unconscious against the stone stairs she protected.

Spike’s harem knelt over him as he gasped for air.

“He’s alive!” Fluttershy cried.

“I’m all right,” he assured them.

They stared at him in amazement.

“We thought you were dead,” said Rainbow Dash.

“He should be dead,” Twilight added.

“It’s called the Dragonslayer for a reason,” Sunset added. “It should have skewered you... How-?”

Applejack tore open Spike’s robe and they all saw the wound where Tempest had stabbed him. An inch over and it would have gone through his heart.

Though the pain of the wound was fading, Spike felt himself growing weaker as he got to his feet. His friends stayed close by him as they walked up the final flight of steps to the top of the tower and came face to face with a stout humanoid creature with furry legs, the cloven hooves of a goat instead of feet, hairy white arms, and horns sprouting from its head.

Satyrs indulged in vice and craved the best of everything, and if they couldn’t indulge themselves, they would go to great lengths to sate their desires, and gave no thought to the consequences of their actions. And this one had 1,500 hit points, Armor Class 43, Magic Resistance and Shock Immunity.

“So, you’ve dispatched my minions, escaped my traps, and defeated my second-in-command, but you cannot possibly defeat me!” he said.

“Using women to fight your battles,” Spike said. “You’re a coward!”

“Storm King, your army is scattered and you have nowhere left to run. Surrender,” Sunset commanded.

“‘Surrender?’” the Storm King laughed. “I, who have bested death? I have nothing to fear from you.”

“On behalf of Selena’s Gate, we demand you surrender,” Sunset repeated. “We won’t ask again.”

“I served Selena’s Gate will ALL of my first life, only to be repaid with betrayal. The Dukes cost me victory, the lives of my soldiers... and my reputation. Now, I am but a sentence or two in a sage’s book, a footnote, forever a traitor!” he snarled. “Now you dare to invade my fortress, demand my surrender? No, I shall not bend my knee to you or them, ever. An eternity may die before I would even consider showing them mercy. As I died, they shall die - alone, betrayed, and forever cursed.”

“We are not here to trade words with you, tyrant!” Rarity shouted. “If we cannot sway you from our course, then we will stop you.”

“Then you shall die. I command this Castle. I command all within it. All your small victories, all the damage you caused, can be undone,” he replied. “Know that as long as I stand, the war against Selena’s Gate shall continue, and I shall be victorious. You and your bitches may hold the field, dragon-dog, but the day is mine,” he directed at Garbuncle. “Now... let us end this! On your guard!”

“Enough talk, monster. Your reign of terror ends here,” Spike/Garbuncle replied. “This game is over.”

The Storm King took up the Staff of Sacanas and the battle commenced!

The Storm King had a number of deadly attacks; only Big Mac could hope to defeat him in a melee fight, Rainbow Dash and Starlight had to keep their distance to negate this strength, and Sunset and Twilight used spells. Fluttershy cast a Spiritual Weapon spell—a potent distraction—but it didn’t take long for the Storm King to destroy the floating sword, and Big Mac got several solid strikes at the Storm King’s back while he was focused on it.

Sunset’s Flame Strike spell was not very effective against the villain, but Rainbow Dash had it a bit easier than her, thanks to her Precise Shot, Hail of Bolts, and Poison abilities (especially the latter, which was surprisingly effective against the boss). While the poison slowly sapped his health, she kept him at bay and fired arrows from her crossbow to get in a few more hits. However, her opportunities to land many direct hits were rare. Barbarian Rage was the key for Applejack. It had no drawback, since the Storm King’s attacks were unblockable anyway, and she was able to do enough damage to wipe out any life he tried to steal from her or the others. She circled him counterclockwise, being careful to avoid his sword arm. And Starlight and Twilight backed AJ up with a little magic.

When the Storm King’s health dropped down to half, he unleashed a massive counter spell from the Staff of Sacanas, which knocked all of them to the ground, and he towered over them.

“You peons are a joke!” he shouted. “You’re not even worth my time!”

The Storm King raised the Staff and pointed it at directly Spike, but Tempest Shadow reappeared and stood between them.

“What the--?” Spike began.

“You need my help. I’m the reason he’s almost unbeatable,” she said. “I programmed him that way.”

“You... You’re...” Spike whispered.

Tempest nodded.

“Every character has a secret enemy that they’re vulnerable to!” she said. “The Storm King is a satyr. The satyr’s enemy is the Dragonborn!”

“The Storm King is a Level 80!” Sunset said. “Will Spike’s magic be powerful enough?”

“Maybe with a little help from me,” Barbara told them.

Using her staff, she channeled her magical energy and blasted it at Spike, who absorbed it better than any sponge.

“I’m impressed your body’s still in once piece after that attack,” the Storm King said. “Not too shabby for a wizard so young. I will add your magic to mine, and then destroy you and your meddlesome friends!” he shouted.

He fired a bolt of lightning at Spike, who shook it off like it was nothing.

“Impossible!!” the Storm King gasped. “How are you even standing!?”

“You must be pretty cold walking around with no pants on,” Spike laughed. “Want me to warm you up?”

“Your flames are powerless against me! Fire can NEVER defeat wind!!!”

“Oh yeah? We’ll see about that!!” Spike said as he drew his sword.

“The Dragonslayer!” the Storm King gasped. “It truly does exist!!”

Smoke started coming off Spike’s claws as he lunged at the Storm King, and the angrier he got the more intense his dragon fire became, so much that it was heating the air around him!

“Flames of Emotion!” Sunset cried. “That’s ancient magic! But how...?”

But the Storm King was prepared. He knocked Spike’s swords out of his claws, sending them clattering across the ground. Spike tackled the Storm King after the satyr knocked away all of the Dragonborn’s weapons and they grappled for control of the Staff of Sacanas. Spike delivered a wicked headbutt to the tyrant, wrestled the Staff from the villain’s hands, slashed the satyr’s face with the jeweled end, and finally speared the Staff through the Storm King’s chest. As the Storm King fell to the ground, impaled on the Staff, his voice slowed, deepened, and devolved into a groan.

“And so it has come to pass that I shall die twice... and this second time shall be the last. I... The Castle will not hold. You must leave this place. I ask your forgiveness. I... let anger cloud my vision. I harmed those who had sworn to serve me - in all these things, great harm has been done. Let Selena’s Gate have its peace. I shall not rise again to challenge it - though it will doubtless need others such as you to defend it from others that wish it harm. Now... leave me to die. This Castle shall be my tomb,”

Spike had defeated the Storm King, but the Castle still stood. He looked at a pedestal that stood on the far edge of the tower’s watch, and saw a heart-shaped jewel resting upon it.

“That’s the source of the Castle’s magic,” Tempest said. “Smash it and the Castle will crumble!”

Spike raised the Dragonslayer and brought it down upon the Crystal Heart, shattering it, and Rep, having shapeshifted into a large copper dragon, flew up to the Castle’s watchtower, and transported the heroes safely down to the city below. Chunks of onyx and stone cracked and fell and people darted out of the way of the falling debris. And thus, in a storm of fire and lightning, the Storm King’s fortress was no more. They destroyed the Midnight Castle, freeing the citizens of Selena’s Gate from its curse! A blinding flash of light pierced through the clouds, and with it, a new day dawned on Selena’s Gate. Everyone was still shaken by what had just happened, but they were quickly overjoyed by the heroes’ success.

“The people want to meet their savior!” Barbara told them.

“I owe you my life, Garbuncle... as do all the people of Selena’s Gate,” Lady Cashmere began. “You are truly a hero among heroes...”

“Friends, it is my honor to know you,” Alden added. “You’ve saved my life and a lot more in Selena’s Gate. I raise my drink to you. I’ll bet that damned satyr didn’t even know what hit him.”

“We can’t thank you enough for your help, adventurers,” Valkyrie agreed. “I drink to your health and good fortune.”

“You know, you’re pretty darn strong, handsome,” Princess Willowstream said to Garbuncle. “You’re like the MVP of Dragonborns. Are you their secret weapon or something?”

“Nah, I’m just a humble mercenary passing through,” Spike replied.

“I like the wandering type,” she added. “Have you ever thought about being a merc for the Brotherhood? You get three meals a day plus snacks and a nap.”

“So, Garbuncle, I was thinking, how about I buy you a drink, both as a token of my appreciation and an opportunity for us to get to know each other a little better? My treat,” Marony said.

“Come on, Marony!” Willowstream cried. “That’s not fair! You’re totally seducing him with those things!” She pointed at the half-orc’s impressive breasts.

“I’m seducing him? If you were any closer to him, he’d be wearing you!”

“Would you two chill out?” Applejack interjected. “For your information, he’s my boyfriend!”

“Your boyfriend?” Marony asked. “Them’s fighting words, barbarian!”

Suddenly, the sky in the video game formed a vortex overhead. Somehow, Spike and the gang knew that was their ride home. The characters Spike and his friends had met along the way conveyed that they were going to miss them.

“Thank you all so much,” Princess Willowstream smiled. “May the magic of the fairies be with you!”

“Bravest of heroes, you shall never be forgotten,” the Goblin King promised.

“Come back and see me sometime,” Cinnamon Buns said to Garbuncle.

Spike’s eyes filled with tears as his mother wiped them away.

“I don’t want to go back,” he told her.

“You have to,” she replied.

“Will we be together again?” he asked.

“Sooner than you think,” she said. “Remember, the art of any warrior is not to kill, but to fight against the forces of evil. Good-bye, Spike.”

They held each other one last time as the others waved to their digital allies before they floated up into the sky and vanished.

---

Back in the Flimflam Brothers’ Resort, the door of Micro Chips’ hyper energy chamber swung open and Spike, Discord, Big Mac, Applejack, Sunset, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Starlight and Twilight staggered out human again. The girls felt as if they’d awoken from a strange dream. They were all unharmed, but groggy nonetheless.

“Okay, human body, hands and feet, full head of hair, both arms and both legs, still alive... still alive...” Spike sighed.

As soon as Spike stepped out of the machine, he was swarmed by Trixie, Moon Dancer, Adagio, Aria, Sonata, Coco, Sassy, Fleur, Vinyl, Zecora, Lyra, Bon Bon, Dear Darling, Fond Feather, Swoon Song, Shimmy Shake, Lighthoof, Aloe, Lotus Blossom, Trapeze Star, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Stellar Flare, Celestia and Chrysalis, who all kissed him repeatedly (the latter left marks all over Spike’s face in blue lipstick).

Discord asked Midnight Radiance how long they had been inside, and they were surprised when he told them that they had been gone only six hours... if that.

“Time flies when you’re playing games,” Spike thought.

“Thank goodness you made it back!” Celestia exclaimed.

“We’re so glad you’re safe!” Stellar added.

“We thought we’d lost you!” Chrysalis cried happily.

“But we still failed,” Spike said. “We didn’t save Micro’s friend.”

“Now, I wouldn’t say that,” a new voice replied.

The crowds looked at the hyper energy chamber and saw a beautiful woman step out of it. She had long magenta hair and mesmerizing blue eyes, and she was wearing a form fitting black T-shirt and even tighter blue jeans.

“Who are you?” Fluttershy asked.

“Formerly Tempest Shadow,” she said. “Now Fizzlepop Berrytwist.”

“Holy reality check!” Pinkie shouted. “That was you? You were the one who was trapped in the game?”

“I was,” she replied. “I zapped myself in via the test run last week. So, you were Garbuncle,” she said at Spike. “You got me out just in time. Any longer and I would have lost myself to the game. I am eternally grateful... though, I don’t suppose I’ll ever be fully able to repay you.”

“You zapped yourself in?” Micro Chips asked. “Why?”

“Out here, I’m just plain Fizzlepop Berrytwist,” she said. “In there, I could fight, use magic, and I actually felt better about myself. I guess I just got tired of living a life that wasn’t awesome.”

“But you were already awesome,” Spike told her. “I mean, you helped create that amazing video game. And as much as I enjoyed being in it, it doesn’t compare to living here, in the real world... with my friends.”

“Words fail me,” Tempest replied.

Suddenly, the television that was hooked up to the hyper energy chamber turned back on and footage of a woman with raven hair, soft lips, and emerald eyes appeared on the screen. She smiled warmly.

“Mom?” Spike asked.

“Hello, Spike. If you’re watching this, then you’ve beaten the game. Congratulations! You’re probably wondering why I appeared as a character in a video game in the first place. Well, I had a hunch you might want to see me again someday... if anything should happen to me, which I’m sure it has... I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am about how things turned out for you... for us. I wish I could have been a better mother to you... but what’s done is done. I can only hope that you can forgive me. I want you to know that, even though I’m gone, I am very, very proud of you. From now on, for me, I want you to keep helping people. Share your happiness with them. I want you to keep smiling and remember that even if we’re apart... I’ll always be with you. I love you, Spike.”

As it faded to black, Spike saw his reflection in the screen. His mother’s words touched him so deeply that he broke down in tears. Celestia placed a hand gently on his shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

“No, Mom,” he said. “I’m better than okay.”

Spike smiled as he held his hand over his heart before pulling her into a hug.

“It’s almost as if she never left me,” he smiled happily.

“That was her last letter to you,” Tempest said. “Disguised behind a bonus that could only be unlocked by you playing as your character, so no one else could access it. An avatar made up of everything she wanted to say to her beloved son. And when you look back on it, it’s easily her best work ever.”

Spike smiled in agreement.

“Let it be known that in this day, in this place, these men and women formed a covenant!” Discord proclaimed. “This band of gallants shall be forever known as... the Crusaders of the Lost Mark!”

“Wow,” Spike thought, “when he says it like that it’s actually not half bad.”

“Huzzah!” everyone cried.

“So, how do you know so much about Ogres and Oubliettes?” Discord asked Spike. “Come on, no secrets here.”

As the group looked at him, Spike felt like he’d been caught in a bind. He didn’t want to share the truth, but he knew that Applejack was just going to find out the truth sooner or later. So, he decided to come clean.

“All right, I admit it! I’m a hardcore gamer! I have been for years!” he confessed. “It’s not something I’m proud of,” he added shamefully.

The girls’ jaws dropped... as did Discord’s.

“Seriously?” Starlight asked.

“Spike, we’ve always been impressed by your coolness,” Rainbow Dash replied. “But we’re even more impressed now that we know you’re a gamer like us! I didn’t think it was possible, but you just got even sexier to me.”

“Really?” he asked.

“It’s like you said, levels are just numbers,” Sunset told him. “And a person’s strength in a video game world is just an illusion. Sure, it’s cool, but there are more important things than that... like being a good friend. And that’s what we love most about you.”

The girls wrapped around Spike in a big group hug and he closed his eyes as he enjoyed the feeling. It was the most fun he’d had in a very long time.

---

After their adventure into Micro Chips’ video game, Spike and the group decided to have themselves checked out by the resort’s doctor to make sure that their being in the game didn’t have any unusual, permanent side effects. They were all tested for temperature, reflexes, heart rate and blood pressure, the usual stuff.

Aside from his white blood cell count being abnormally high and the stab wound in his chest (the one that Tempest had given him, which stayed with him after leaving the video game), Spike was the picture of perfect health. His vitals looked great: pulse, 72; blood pressure, 120/80; and even with his heavy drinking his liver was in good shape. Another odd thing about Spike was that no matter how many women he slept with, he remained free of disease. He chucked it up to his good luck, which seemed to transfer from the gambling tables to the bedroom.

The rest of the group checked out as well, except for Twilight. The orb Tempest had thrown at her had damaged her vision—knocking it from a perfect 20/20 to 25/30—so she had no choice but to wear glasses.

The next day, Spike was standing in front of the mirror in his bathroom, examining the gash from the sword when Tempest tried to kill him. It had scabbed over, but instead of being made of the usual dried blood, it looked more like purple scales... like those of a dragon; another souvenir from the video game world. He started admiring his muscles when he realized that he was not alone.

“What in the world?” he asked himself (literally).

He saw three other hims in the mirror, and when he turned around, he knew that his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. There were three perfect duplicates of him, much like the copies he had learned to make while he was in the video game, in the bathroom with him. Suddenly, Spike heard a knock outside his suite. He told the clones to stay where they were as he threw on his bathrobe. He answered the door to find Sunset Shimmer standing in the hall.

“Spike, we’ve been looking all over for you!” she exclaimed.

“Why?” he asked. “And who’s ‘we’?”

Before Sunset could go on, Applejack joined them with Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie in tow.

“Did you tell him what happened?” AJ asked Sunset.

“Tell me what?” Spike inquired. “What happened?”

“I tore the door to my suite clean off its hinges!” Applejack replied. “I didn’t even pull on the handle that hard. It was like it was light as a feather.”

“And I’ve been hitting the gym more than I usually do,” Rarity added with a nod. “It’s like I have this newfound desire to learn more than just self-defense.”

Spike looked at Fluttershy. “What about you?”

“I was feeding the birds in the aviary, when all of a sudden they started to perch on my arms,” she said. “I could make any sort of movement, and they would not get off! And it wasn’t just the birds; the fish in the lobby aquarium followed me everywhere I moved.”

“I just went for my morning run like I usually do, and the next thing I knew I was out in the middle of the desert,” Rainbow Dash put in.

Spike looked down at Dash’s shirt and noticed her breasts were a bit bigger than he remembered. In fact, all of the girls’ breasts had grown.

“The Ruby of Femininity,” he thought. “Handling it must have increased their busts!”

“Super-strength... martial arts... communication with animals... super speed...” Spike listed them off as he pointed to each girl respectively. “Well, believe it or not, you’re not the only ones with new abilities,” he smiled.

He called out to his bedroom and the three clones smiled and waved as they joined the group.

“The Duplication Spell from the video game,” Sunset breathed. “But... how is that possible?”

Pinkie gasped. “Being inside the game must have given us some of the abilities of our avatars!”

“Well, not all of us have gotten new abilities,” Sunset replied. “Discord hasn’t, neither has Applejack’s brother, Starlight Glimmer, or Twilight.”

The girls couldn’t believe their luck. They didn’t know how this could have happened, and they didn’t care. All they really cared about at that moment was learning how to control their new abilities.

“Oh, I’m definitely gonna have some fun with mine!” Spike thought.

---

Meanwhile, across the street, in her office high above the city, Impossibly Rich was throwing a fit.

“What do you mean you still can’t find them?” she shouted at Abacus Cinch. “I’m supposed to believe that the last three Gates just vanished into thin air? What is the ICDG doing?!”

“Well, we managed to determine an unidentified girl got them five years ago, and then up and went missing,” Cinch replied.

“Contact headquarters!” Impossibly stated. “Tell them they’re off the project if they don’t find that Gate Holder within a week!”

“Project?” Spoiled Rich asked. “This is the first I’ve heard of it. What is it?”

“This has nothing to do with you!” Impossibly Rich snapped.

Just then, Impossibly Rich’s mole barged in.

“Impossibly Rich, Spike escaped the video game,” she reported, “and freed Fizzlepop Berrytwist.”

That was Impossibly’s latest scheme: she’d ordered her mole to rig the video game so that Spike and his friends would die in it, which would have sabotaged Micro Chips’ chances of winning the big cash prize he would receive if the public liked his game the best. But it still failed.

“What?” Impossibly Rich yelled. “I thought you told me it was foolproof!”

“It was!” the mole replied. “But he’s just too clever!”

“Just like his mother,” Impossibly Rich growled. “I should’ve done away with that boy years ago, myself, when I had the chance!”

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