//------------------------------//
// 75. 
// Story: 8-Bit Pony 
// by Dawn Flower 
//------------------------------//

Now with a portal back home, the four humans all got up from their seats and lined up to pass through it and return to their own dimension, as well to say their final goodbyes to the ponies.

“So, our latest adventure finally comes to an end,” Black Mage began. “And with us no richer or better off than when we started. So, you know; same old same old.”

“Speak for yourself,” Fighter responded, with the Armor of Invincibility in his arms.

“It is a shame that Thief isn’t here to share in this new adventure with us,” RM noted. “Have all the Light Warriors reunited once again.”

“Scared little forest elves!” Fighter suddenly shouted out.

Suddenly, Black Mage was lying prone on the floor, with what looked like another human standing on top of him, though this one had pointy ears, blue hair, and wore a brown, leather tunic.

“Thief!” Fighter and Red Mage exclaimed happily.

Twilight, however, blinked in confusion at this person’s sudden appearance, quickly glancing between him and the portal. “Wait, how did you get here? I didn’t even see you coming through the portal.”

“You can’t afford my secrets,” Thief responded offhand. “Speaking of which,” he continued, now facing Twilight fully. “As your world has had the privilege of being saved by the Light Warriors, I must inform you, as the leader of said Light Warriors, our services don’t come for free, so I am here to collect payment for services rendered.”

“Excuse me?” Twilight asked rhetorically. “One: the trouble that they helped save our world from was caused by them in the first place. Two: they barely even did anything to save us from said trouble. And three: these two have caused more trouble in their short time spent here than any villain we have faced in our country’s history, and myself personally so much mental trauma and tooth-grinding agony that if anything, I should be demanding payment from you, if for nothing else than to at least cover my dental bills.”

“Irrelevant,” Thief countered immediately. “Any and all counterclaims towards payment are clearly outlined in Section 4, Subsection E, as you’ll see here in these contracts,” he said, producing said contracts.

Twilight took a hold of the contracts and gave them a quick read, inwardly admitting that the legal language used was indeed impressive, and from what she gathered, completely airtight, before she lowered them and faced Thief once again. “Well, I don’t care what any of your contracts say; we are not paying you anything for all of the trouble that you and your friends have caused in our world.”

“Oh, we’ll see about that.”

Two minutes later…

“Thank you for your patronage, Princess. Proud to do business with you,” Thief finished, now with the entirety of the Canterlot Royal Treasury stuffed in sacks behind him.

Twilight, however, just stood there and blinked absently. “How did he do that?”

“I’m still down here,” BM spoke up, still lying prone beneath Thief.