Most able-bodied ponies of Ponyville were equipped with bows, spears, and armor for the upcoming fight. Unfortunately for Rarity and friends, Discord disappeared too quick before they could ask more, like when the next wave was exactly. All they knew was that monsters would arrive sometime in evening. Worse still, they had to play more Doom 3 just for the experience. Nothing takes the fun out of a game like knowing it is your only hope of surviving for real.
The day wore on, morning turning to afternoon, afternoon turning to twilight (the time, not the Princess), and twilight turning to darkness. The skies became lit with searchlights. It was past midnight when the first group of ponies made a signal. Then another group, and another. A swarm of...something was flying towards town. The Mane 6 knew exactly what they were the moment they saw them.
Cacodemons. Only they looked cuter than in game.
As they had learned, Doom 3 Cacos were not too problematic, given the right circumstances. It did not help that they were going to fight them at night, however. Twilight (the Princess, not the time) looked at Rarity. Rarity gave her the go ahead. Twilight shouted “FIRE!”
The Ponyvillians started throwing spears, javelins, rocks, whatever they could, into the demonic swarm. The weapons ever so often pierced into the demon's faces, or bounced off. Few, if any of the Cacodemons, seemed phased. They began spewing their own projectiles, sending balls of electricity into the crowd. Ponies scattered, running head first into one another, knocking down their more stalwart brethren who were still attempting aim. Finally, Twilight shouted “Unicorns, attack!”
Her plan had been for the unicorns to save energy in case something big arrived, but she had lost patience. Waves of magic bolted into the sky, smashing head first into Caco after Caco. Sickening pops were heard as demons burst into sparks of confetti like macabre fireworks. As the remaining Cacodemons edged closer, the spears and rocks thrown by the non-unicorns showed more effect. Javelins speared directly through a few, confetti blasting from exit wounds in blood-like fashion. Others were left stunned long enough for unicorns to take aim. The battle took less than four minutes.
Magic and projectiles ceased, leaving silence. Then uproarious cheering, ponies chugging down glasses of cider from nearby kegs. Not everyone was gleeful, though. A few had received injuries during the fray, either from Cacodemons or friendly fire. While no one was dead, more than a dozen were sent to the hospital. The Mane 6 considered it a blessing that the battle was so quick. Rarity, however, wondered if that was really it, or only the beginning. She yelled at Twilight to quickly gather the armies together again and prepare for more. Who knew what else Betruger had in store that night?
The answer was, nothing. The Doctor came back home from the office only to find his swarm defeated. How could…
On his monitors he saw dozens and dozens of Ponyville's citizens standing guard over the town. Betruger shrieked internally. Those thimble brains! he thought. His plans were for the Cacos to fight the Mane 6, not an entire army!
He slammed his fist, knocking over a cup of watered down coffee (all drinks in Hell were watered down.) Betruger grabbed the microphone, ready to scold the Mane 6 for ripping him off, when he relented. The armies on screen stood completely still, listening intently to someone.
One flick of a switch, and the audio from Ponyville roared into his ears. The Doctor furiously turned the volume down, blaming Dave for putting it on full blast. Twilight's voice emitted from the speakers. “We don't know what Betruger is up to next,” she said, “but it is imperative that we stand guard tonight in order to ensure our safety. We've learned from Doom 3 that he is a snotty, ugly little man. One with a bad temper and poor hygiene.”
The Doctor's face turned the color of a tomato, his fists shaking. Twilight continued “Rarity will help organize you into two teams. Team 1 has first watch, team 2 has second, and team 3...” There were muffled whispers. “Ahem team 3 is my friends and I, plus Spike, who insisted on helping out past his bedtime.” The Doctor could not see it, but Twilight glared at Spike.
“What?” said Spike, “I'm not just good at housekeeping, you know.”
Twilight continued “From what Discord's told us, there will be a few more swarms before Betruger opens the portal and has us fight for real. Any questions?”
Betruger flicked the sound feed off. At the very least, the ponies knew the gist of his plans. But they were using an army for his practice fights, which was not what he intended! Townsfolk were supposed to join once he opened the portals, and that was it. He banged his foot against a chair leg, falling over in a fit of frustration.
Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, the town's children, elderly, parents, and others deemed unfit or unwilling to fight were gathered in a couple of houses. The Crusader's held their classmates attention by telling their experiences with Doom. Even Diamond and Silver Spoon (neither of which cared much about video games) were in awe.
At one point, Scootaloo sneaked upstairs to Rarity's room (as the children were in the boutique.) Scoot's was desperate to use the other codes on the letter from Hell. But as she opened the door, she found the computer in use by two Canterlot guards. One turned to her and asked “Yes?”
Scootaloo flustered in response. “Well, I...uh...”
The guard placed a hoof on her shoulder. “There's nothing to be worried about, little filly. Once the Princess gives the all clear, you'll be back home in no time.”
Scootaloo shook her head. “No, I mean. I have codes to test out!” The guard looked at her confused. “Twilight must have told you about the letter from Hell, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I was kind of the one to figure out that the ciphers on the letter were game codes.”
Stone silence. Finally, the guard said “Good for you. Run along now.” Scootaloo did not even have time to word a response before the door was shut. She moped down the stairs. At least Dash and her friends are having fun, she thought.
Upstairs, the guard who did not speak to her (the one busily browsing the computer) turned to his companion. “You ought to see this cat video!” he said.