//------------------------------//
// Fun and Games 
// Story: Now Ponies Play Doom III 
// by obake 
//------------------------------//

	It was morning. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Dash were still engrossed in the game. They offered each other control after every death, no longer speaking words. The Crusaders huddled on the couch, asleep. 
Pinkie and Fluttershy sat at the breakfast table downstairs. Pinkie sipped her mug of cocoa ("Mmm!") while Fluttershy looked on. 
"Pinkie?" she asked.
Her friend downed the rest of her cocoa in one gulp, licking her lips for over a minute. "Yes?" she said finally.
"I'm not too afraid of everything, am I?"
Pinkie gave an understanding smile. "It's fine that you're not playing the game."
"I know that," said Fluttershy, "but-"
"Butts are for sitting, silly." interrupted Pinkie. "You're not a sitting, you're a pony!"
Fluttershy stared blankly. "I wish I was as brave as you guys." 
"You are though," said Pinkie, "just differently. Remember how you saved the Crusaders from the Cockatrice, or us from the dragon?"
"Well, yes-"
"Just because you're afraid of spooky stuff doesn't mean you're not brave or loyal to your friends."
"You really think so?"
"Not just think so, know so!" 
They giggled, Fluttershy patting Pinkie on the shoulder. Neither realized they were being watched from the window by a fat zombie pony. It groaned too low for either to hear, slobber emanating from its drooping mouth.
Another fat zombie pony scuttled next to it.
In its zombie tongue, it spoke. "Th-these are the onesss?"
"Ye-s."
The zombies sneaked around the boutique, in plain view of Ponyville's residents. No one batted an eye, assuming they were pranksters looking to get back at Dash for the aftertaste of those cookies. It was bad enough the Pie Competition was held back because of that.
Lurching, one of the zombies tried opening the front door. It would not budge. It pushed, and pulled, and bit at the knob and window. Taken out of her trance from the game, Rarity asked "What is that scratching?" 
"Beats me." said Dash, doing her best to survive the onslaught of teleporting enemies onscreen. 
The other zombie pulled the first aside, and used a different approach. 
Knock...knock...knock...knock...knock-
"I don't want to go to school yet." mumbled Scootaloo, re positioning herself on the couch and falling back asleep. 
The rest of the Mane 6 looked at Rarity with a smile. She sighed, heading as fast as she could downstairs. Pinkie was already answering. 
"Look, zombies!" she said exaggeratedly, air quoting with her hooves, then snickering. Pinkie assumed the overweight guests outside the entrance were there to entertain.  She nearly let them in to scare Dash when Rarity took one glance, and screamed. 
She zipped to the basement, bringing a 2x4 and threatening "You devils, get away from my home now, or there will be consequences!" 
Pinkie slammed the door shut and said (amid groans outside) "Gee, I didn't think you would be so fidgety."
Rarity gave Pinkie the most sinister stink eyes. "Those aren't actors." she said. 
"They're not?"
"No," said Rarity. "Do you know where else I've encountered them?"
"Where?"
Rarity inched closer and closer to Pinkie, idling up to her ear. Fluttershy listened in as close as she could from her spot at the table. Rarity whispered "Doom 3."
Silence. "Oh," said Pinkie, "well that's not so-" Her mouth went agape, tongue flapping while swirls appeared in the background. "They're-"
"Yes." 
Pinkie zipped upstairs to warn her friends. Instead, she zoomed straight past them and into a wall, knocking herself out cold. Finally the attention they had had over the game dissipated. "Um," said Twilight, "is everything alright?" 
Rarity told them the situation. All of their mouths dropped.

While Twilight and Spike flew over the town to warn everyone of the impending danger, and Dash and Big Mac went to fight the zombies, Applejack sat around the table with the other Mane 6.
"Those traitors! They said we'd be fighting in their dimension, doggone it!" 
Fluttershy tended to Pinkie by holding a damp cloth over her head. Pinkie spoke, still woozy. "Yeah, well Hell hasn't been known for...fighting fair." 
"Darn tootin'." said Applejack, "I'll rustle them real good myself if I have to."
Rarity sipped from her latte. "Now, Applejack, we'll need to stick together."
"Says you.  If you and Sweetie Belle could beat Romeo nearly by yourselves, I could do the same lickety-split. No offense."
"You don't understand," said Rarity. "This isn't like Dooms 1 or 2. We're up against monsters with different sets of rules. Besides, its Romero."
Fuming, Applejack chugged from her cider and unknowingly slammed the mug down. Fluttershy jumped. 
Pinkie shook her head and looked at the clock. "You guys...still need to beat the game...right?"
"In time, dear." said Rarity. Applejack did not reply. 
Fluttershy dipped a second cloth in warm water and placed it on Pinkie's head. "Thanks," said Pinkie. 
Ding dong!
Pinkie's eyes widened. "The zoom-berries are ba-ba-barkkk!" She fell off her chair. 
Rarity answered, expecting news from Twilight or Dash. Instead she was greeted by a looming figure with a devious grin on his face. 
"Dis-" was all she got out.
"Indeed!"