Viva Las Chrysalis

by Aureane

I: Rise of the Changelings

Twilight and Dime stop just in front of a meticulous building that is full of various ponies, some who are cosplaying as changelings, ranging between the largest of stallions and the smallest of fillies. The building's title reads EREDOR, spread out across a huge, horizontal sign.

"There she is!" Dime points, hiding behind Twilight. Realistic action! Awesome graphics! GRAND RELEASE!

Twilight throws a hoof upon her face as she moves up to the propaganda. Chrysalis looks tall, alright... for a poster. She dressed the two of them into sunglasses, trench coats, and unicorn fedoras for nothing. "Rise of the Changelings. You brought me all the way here... for an arcade game?"

Dime shies away at the sight of Twilight's disappointed look. "But, I saw her, I swear! Her horn was this long!" She holds up her hooves out in front of her horn. Twilight frowns.

"I mean, she could be here, but that's just a normal pony dressed like her. Look, they didn't even get the horn right." She taps at the poster, groaning at the sight of the normal horn. "Even if she is here, we won't ever be able to find her. We'll look inside, but keep an eye out; changelings are dangerous. One wrong move, and they can nab you!" Twilight holds a hoof out, imitating a changeling's sharp fangs and exaggerated, slithering hiss. Dime ducks for cover, giving Twilight a good chuckle; she picks her up and tosses her onto her back, trotting inside.

The games seem normal enough: pinball tables, shooting galleries, air hockey tables, basketball hoops, flying simulators, action shooters, punching testers, hoof wrestling, guitars, drums, classic joysticks, wheel spinners, dance machines, and several ponies cashing in their tickets for prizes. The game that Twilight is looking for has a whole lot of ponies gathered around, no matter if they are cosplaying or not. It's a shooter game with a handle that allows for aiming with a single hoof, and for the other, a button that is pressed to fire. Two ponies are sitting on the seats, firing laser beams at changelings and scoring points whenever they hit their target. The game uses a life bar system for either player, with changelings flying at the screen in their best attempt at a direct bite. Dime peeps out from behind Twilight's neck, examining the game, and upon a closer inspection, she grins. "That looks pretty fun!"

Twilight looks around. At the front of the prize counter is a content, poorly dressed colt who is wearing a changeling trucker cap, fake wings, a night blue spinal plate, and a sharp, black tail that doesn't do any good to hide their bright red mane from underneath the costume. They press a button on their shoulder, speaking into the microphone attached to their cap in a polite, well-practiced voice. "Remember, the first two to score the highest on Rise of the Changelings gets to see the queen herself! Play nice, play smart... see the queen today."

The 'queen herself'? Twilight wonders. She walks up to the announcer at the counter, approaching the pale pony. When he sees her, he holds up a smile.

"Welcome to Eredor. Looks to me like you're dressed for the wrong event." Twilight looks at herself, noticing that there's no more weight on her back- she peeks over towards the changeling game, and Dime is watching the two ponies firing away.

"Right... uh, whoops," Twilight winces as she looks back to the worker, "we're from another event down the road. Some kind of detective party. The little one was yawning, so I decided we'd sneak out and come here."

"Well, I could always interest you in some changeling costumes, if you'd like. Players have been going crazy for them." He places two costumes onto the counter, each fit for Twilight and Dime.

Twilight weighs her options. If they're going to fit in, they need to look the part. "How much?"

"12 bits for both."

"Deal." Twilight hovers the costumes onto her back, and the stallion starts placing the currency into a cash register. "So- is this whole "see the queen" business for today only?"

Four bits are in the register. "Nah. It's been going on for a few months now. I don't quite understand it, but everypony seems to be into it, so hey, I'm not complaining. It's been bringing customers, and it lights up the atmosphere a little." Three more bits in.

"So- this 'queen', she's not like, the real queen? The one that nearly destroyed all of Equestria?"

The employee looks at her as if she's suddenly lost it, and he lets loose with a small chuckle. "Watch it, detective. Anymore questions and I'll lose my job. But I will tell you- once you're into those costumes, you'll fit in nicely around here. I won't tell the other detectives that you switched up your evening a little." When all of the bits are in the register, two fillies approach the counter with a hefty amount of tickets.

"Mister! Mister! We'd like to exchange these."

The second filly tosses a hoof in the air. "Yeah, for one of those slinky-thingies! Oh, and that spaceship that goes SPHEW! SPHEW! BOOM!"

"Alright- alright. Let's get you some prizes then, eh?" He looks at Twilight, "enjoy your stay here, detective. Games cost a bit per play." He then turns his attention to the enthusiastic pair.

Twilight turns around, musing to herself as Dime cheers the gamers on. "Well. If Chrysalis isn't actually here, then I suppose we could have some fun. I do have a few questions for the 'queen', myself..."

"Go! Hit them! Get them! BEAT THOSE CHANGELINGS! Ah! Over there!" Dime is screaming, hopping about, the most distinct voice in the crowd as she watches the screen: the left has the smallest tick of life remnant, and the right is doing their best to aid them, their health just a little above half. The game has simple, crudely textured three-dimensional graphics, as well as addictive mechanics: hit changelings with the beams to gather up points, head shots earn triple points, and shooting the "special power" drops allows both players to fire continuous, widened laser beams for a brief amount of time, earning quadruple points for each changeling hit. To reload, the player's cross hair must touch the edge of the screen to refill their mana pool, allowing them to shoot another seven round clip of beams.

There are several different areas: Manehattan, the Everfree Forest, Rainbow Falls, Hollow Shades, Apple Loosa, and Vanhouver. Areas that earn double points: Canterlot, The Crystal Empire, Galloping Gorge, Neighagra Falls, San Palomino Desert, and the Badlands, as well as the single area that rewards quintuple points: The Changeling Hive itself. No doubt that everypony is playing the stage, even though no one has managed to last ten seconds on a single play through within that area. The changelings shoot venomous poison, which can be incinerated by the beams, or they may choose to fly towards the player and bite, kick or scratch their side of the screen.

The current high score: 153,948 on a Badlands playthrough. Twilight grins. A shooter game... this will be easy.

Comments

[terrycloth]

I'd groan at the idea that she has to win the game to see whether or not Chrysalis is really there, but that was the entire plot of Equestria Girls.

[Aureane]

7724765

No worries, I'm steering this ship right into an iceberg.