//------------------------------//
// Login! 
// Story: The Ponies of TOME 
// by Scarlett Haze 
//------------------------------//

	A female voice began talking as Twilight went through her login process, putting in her account name and password.

"You've stepped into the virtual universe known as the Terrain of Magical Expertise. Within this expansive, interactive world, players of all ages, gender, and race from across the world unite together to a single community of social networking and gaming with an unprecedented level of customization! You can create your personal avatar character to interact with friends and battle foes!

Twilight's character finally completed its rendering and was sent soaring across the sky to its destination as the voice continued on.

"And our unparallelled and renowned virtual reality system dictates your thoughts and actions instantly to create an incredibly realistic sense of life, making it the most immensely popular and sought after game title in the world to date.

Twilight landed in the section of TOME known as ;Lavendera, the open combat section of the game to meet up with the rest of her friends and try out this new and unique game that was finally approved for use by Celestia and Luna. The game at first seemed to be overtly complicated, requiring technology that no one in Equestria had ever really seen. It took some doing, but eventually, even the resident mail mare was able to work and use this 'computer'.

Each of Twilight's friends gained an account in this new game and agreed to play their first session together, just to feel more comfortable about this venture. Just starting the game was an odd situation as well, where a drawn picture could also be used to make the avatar, instead of going through the general process that the game had. Twilight didn't really have an eye for art, but she tried her best at making an avatar she could use that was unique.

"Let your unlimited adventure begin! Welcome to TOME!"

Username: SparkleLight
Class: Spellcaster
Power: Elemental

SparkleLight was similar to Twilight's humanistic form when she went after Sunset Shimmer. The character had purple skin, long purple hair with a pink stripe in it, and a fair definition of a chest in Twilight's mind. She wore a loose robe adorned with multiple stars that glinted when the light hit it just right.

"They said they should be around here... somewhere?" SparkleLight thought quietly. She took a few steps as the avatar and found it much easier to do than when she tried to the first time as a human. It was then a roar was heard behind her.

She jumped back and lifted her hands to defend herself when she saw Spike's avatar.

Username: DragonAlong
Class: Animalistic
Power: Dragon

Spike was rather beefed up than how he normally looked. His arms were at least eighteen inches in diameter, the chest puffed out in pride, abs that almost seemed impossible. His eyes glinted in confidence as he looked down at SparkleLight, towering over at roughly about a foot. The wind kicked up for a moment, making his red cape wave.

"Did I scare you, Twi- I mean, SparkleLight?" DragonAlong asked, showing that if his look changed, his personality and voice wasn't.

"Yes, you did!" SparkleLight angrily huffed. "We're in the one place that is combat exclusive, and I'm not prepared for conflict yet!"

DragonAlong raised his hands in defense, an uneasy look on his face. "Alright, relax! I just wanted to spook you a little, not get you worked up."

SparkleLight gave a sigh and crossed her arms. "Sorry, I'm still a little nervous about this. The first game that had to be approved by the princesses before anypony could use it, along with all of this new equipment that is required to use it, it's a large leap in technological prowess."

DragonAlong lowered his arms and gave a look around him. "I don't see anything else around here except us, let me get a better view from above."

DragonAlong slowly traversed to higher ground to see around when a sudden blur of movement and shock suddenly hit him.

"Get you some!" A tomboyish voice yelled out as DragonAlong forced himself back to his feet. Before the blur could reach him, he unleashed a breath of Dragonfire, igniting the ground in front of him and giving him a breather from the sudden strike.

"I don't want to start something, right now!" DragonAlong yelled out, keeping a sharp look around for the attacker.

"Tough!" the voice cried again. "Either you get out now, or I'll run you over!"

DragonAlong slowly shifted to where he originally wished to go when he saw the blur again, moving from pillar to pillar. The figure kept shifting closer until it seemed that the figure ran into something.

"What the-?!" the voice yelled out, just before a loud bang went off, followed behind by colored streamers.

DragonAlong watched the figure as it bounced along the ground and slid to a halt.

Username: FasterThanRainbows
Class: Mechanical
Power: Speed

"No fair!" FasterThanRainbows cried out. "You got in my way!"

Another figure came out from the pillar that FasterThanRainbows attempted to hide behind.

Username: PartyPrincess
Class: Mechanical
Power: Explosives

PartyPrincess only giggled and gave a slight hiccup before she spoke up. "I just wanted to surprise you! Did I? Please tell me I did!"

DragonAlong scratched his head for a moment before speaking up. "You both don't happen to be Dash and Pinkie, are you?"

FasterThanRainbows was visibly shocked. "H- How did you know?!"

DragonAlong shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, maybe its how you're looking right now."

FasterThanRainbows floated back up, antigravity thrusters keeping her upright as she bobbed up and down. Her hair was represented by multiple wires, going through the rainbow colors as they ran down past her neck. Her chrome body and red LED eyes completed her cybernetic look.

PartyPrincess on the other hand was vastly different. Her character consisted of a tank, complete with cannon at the ready, with her upper body poking up from it. The human form had her usual poofy pink hair, and she wore body armor that looked to belong to modern soldiers.

"This is so cool, right?!" PartyPrincess exclaimed. "We can be and do anything we want in this game!"

FasterThanRainbows eyes shifted in anger. "Like get in somepony's way in the middle of a battle?"

DragonAlong interrupted the two before another battle could erupt. "Sparkle is waiting for me in the canyon, I promised to head up here to try and find you guys."

PartyPrincess leaped up in excitement, making the treads barely leave the ground before crashing to the ground again. "Oooh! I wanna see what Twilight looks like!"

"Don't use our real names, Pinkie!" FasterThanRainbows snipped at PartyPrincess.

PartyPrincess put a finger to her chin in confusion. "But you and Spike just did."

FasterThanRainbows flustered for a moment, "Just don't use it habitually!"

PartyPrincess put up a saluting hand gesture, "Aye aye, mi amiga!"

Both FasterThanRainbows and PartyPrincess began descending the canyon towards SparkleLight, leaving DragonAlong to keep an eye open for anyone else nearby.

SparkleLight waved at her friends as they approached.

"Finally, some of us are actually here. I was getting worried it was just going to be me today." SparkleLight sheepishly admitted.

"We wouldn't leave you here, Sparkle," FasterThanRainbows commented. "Especially not in the coolest game in all of Equestria!"

"Right?" PartyPrincess giggled, almost vibrating up and down in excitement. "Like that time I hit you with my Streamer Cannon? That was fun!"

FasterThanRainbows hair sparked with rage. "That wasn't fun at all!"

SparkleLight observed both FasterThanRainbows and PartyPrincess in close detail, noting that simply touching them made her believe they were actually there; the avatars 'existed'. She did stop in front of FasterThanRainbows and looked closely at her chest. "What the hay is 'swag'?"

FasterThanRainbows looked down at where SparkleLight was peering, "I didn't notice that! The stupid scanner must have accidentally captured some of my rough sketching and mistook it for some nonsense word!"

"Ya'll here?"

SparkleLight, PartyPrincess, and FasterThanRainbows turned to the familiar voice.

Username: Jackedin
Class: Morphological
Power: Binding

"Pardon for a moment," Jackedin continued, shuffling her way to the group. "I'm looking for some friends of mine and they should be around here."

Jackedin was an orange slime with lighter spots dotting her body wearing an all too-familiar Stetson hat. Her arms remained on the ground as she moved, looking intimidating. Her solid light green eyes looked at them all.

FasterThanRainbows began laughing at the sight of Jackedin, prompting upset looks from the group.

"You look good, AJ," SparkleLight interjected in the middle of FasterThanRainbows laughter. "I considered that class as a possibility, but I wanted to stay with something I was comfortable with."

Jackedin made her hat move off her head and into one of her arms, sweeping it across as she bent a little. "Much obliged, Sparkle." Her body soaked up the hat and moved it back to the top of her head with a slight blurping noise.

PartyPrincess began clapping repeatedly, "Ooh, ooh, ooh! Do it again! Please? Please? Pretty pleeeeeease?"

Jackedin only smiled. "Just the four of us, only two more to come."

"And they're both here!" DragonAlong yelled from above.

Jackedin looked up to see the large dragon waving from his position before he began descending.

Username: ForeverDiamonds
Class: Swordsman
Power: Shine

Username: Aflutter
Class: Fighter
Power: Camouflage

ForeverDiamonds strut forward, wearing a flowing gown that sparkled with jewels and gems, completely contrasting against the normal look of sword fighters. Her pure white skin and eyeliner made her face look angelic as she rested a hand on her sword's hilt. The sheath was lightly adorned with gold and silver trim that looked to spin and twist all the way down.

Aflutter stood out with her pink hair and light skin, making her power title seem a little misconceiving. Wings were folded behind her back, her hands were hands, but her feet remained hooves as she nervously shuffled them. Her uniform consisted of the bottom half looking similar to a large leaf wrapped around her waist and barely touching the ground, a large butterfly crossing over her chest, another butterfly covering her back as both of their wings just touched.

"Forgive the lateness," ForeverDiamonds started. "I just HAD to get the design right on this sword sheath."

FasterThanRainbows rolled her eyes, "Always the perfectionist."

"You're not late at all, Diamonds," SparkleLight responded. "In fact, your right on time."

Aflutter continued to shift her eyes to and away from the group, unsure of what to think. "I don't think I'm ready for this just yet." She commented, making Jackedin turn to her.

"Not ready?" Jackedin repeated, a look of confusion on her face. "What makes you say that, Sugarcube? Still not used to the whole computer thing?"

Aflutter kept her head down as she continued to clack her hooves together nervously. "I-i-it's not that. Just... a lot of other things." Everyone kept quiet, wanting Aflutter to continue. "While I'm here, I can't pay attention to the animals. I did tell Angel that if it was an emergency to unhook me, but I'm still worried something will happen."

DiamondsForever nodded in understanding. "You're just nervous because you aren't focused on what is happening in your home, in Ponyville." She gave a grin and raised her head. "But, we are not of that world here! We are the few of TOME, set out to create our own destinies, forge the paths that have yet to be made! As sure as the blade I wield, we will have grand adventures!" DiamondsForever unsheathed her blade, a long double-edged sword, and raised it to the sky, the blade golden in color and the hilt shining in silver. "For I, DiamondsForever, wielder of the Blade of Light, will live this life as her own and not as the life that exists in the beyond!"

Everyone in the group felt a sense of excitement that radiated from DiamondsForever and gave a cheer.


***


In another part of ;Lavendera, two players landed in the desolate land.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm, the music begins to plaaaaay~" One of them said.

"I missed this place sooooo much." The other figure said. "They even repaired the damage that I did." The sound of a fuse lighting went off, showing a white jacket with arms crossed and a claw with brown fur holding a very crude bomb. "Let's fix that issue."


***


Kirbopher groaned as he shifted his weight again, poised for attack when Alpha would login.

Username: Kirbopher
Class: Swordsman
Power: Enchanted Sword

"He usually arrives by now," Kirbopher grumbled, not wanting to wait any longer than he needed to. Kirbopher had an odd look about him, grey skin, really patched up clothes, a burlap sack as a hat adorning his head. If not for his sword, he would look nothing more than a peasant NPC. Giving a glance up, he watched for any transports that would come close by him and soon saw his winged friend coming in.

Username: Alpha
Class: Fighter
Power: Mythology

Alpha touched down on land and stretched out, readying himself to meet his online friends and continue exploring the untamed ;Lavendera. His avatar still remained unchanged after the Forbidden Power was finally extracted from him and thrown away, never to be seen again. He wore a simple blue armless shirt, blue wristbands on both his arms, and light purple pants. His wings and white tail were the only things separating him from being completely human in design.

Kirbopher jumped from his hiding spot, his sword raised in the air to strike. "I've got you this time!"

Alpha threw up his Orion's Shield, blocking Kirbopher's attack and knocking Kirbopher back as well. Throwing the shield, Kirbopher couldn't block in time, having the shield hit him in the head, making him stagger.

"You really need to find a better strategy to attack me besides running up and screaming like a maniac," Alpha chuckled.

Kirbopher stomped a foot and glared at Alpha, "I'm going to win against you one of these times! Don't think I won't!"

Alpha readied himself in his fighting stance, "Riiiiight."

Kirbopher let loose a Dust Tornado from his sword, Alpha countering it with a Poseidon Wave from his right hand, offsetting both attacks. Both of them rushed forward and went into a short scuffle, Kirbopher occasionally hitting Alpha with the hilt of his blade as Alpha struck Kirbopher with as many punches he could land.

Both pulled back and circled each other for a moment. Alpha tripped up, his knee touching the ground.

"Gotcha!" Kirbopher yelled, moving in with a Spin Slash, rolling forward as he brought his sword in front of him.

Alpha only grinned as he moved behind Kirbopher as he landed, gathering energy in his fist and letting loose a Vulcan Fist, sending Kirbopher sailing upwards.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMNNNNNNNNNNNIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTT!" Kirbopher screamed out as he flew upwards. He soon landed down again, a LOSE! graphic hovering above him for a moment. Victory music played as Alpha reached for Kirbopher's hand to help him up.

"I was close, you know it," Kirbopher moaned.


***


Nylocke ran along the landscape of ;Lavendera, his smile as wide as it was when he first began playing.

Username: Nylocke
Class: Swordsman
Power: Ice

"WHOOSH!~" Nylocke would occasionally yell out as he past other players. Making them take notice of his dragon form, his long and flowing orange cape, his Sword of Cold Steel, that GLORIOUS beard, and overall his enjoyment. His fun was halted by a fallen pillar of stone that blocked his path, causing him to ponder aloud. "This does not seem right. Other times I have gone down this path, no pillar of stone blocked my way! Something fowl lies with this stone, and I-"

Nylocke leapt up, screaming up into the heavens. "-NYLOCKE, DRAGON OF INTRIGUING INVESTIGATIONS!-"

Landing back down, he continued his speech. "-will figure out who or what has caused such a disturbance!"

"You won't need to look faaaar~" a voice responded.

"What ho? Who goes there?" Nylocke dramatically called out.

A person stepped forward in awkward steps, looking almost inhuman as he moved.

Username: MentalMusic
Class: Fighter
Power: Crippling

MentalMusic wore a pure white straightjacket, his arms locked in place. A pair of thick black headphones covered his ears, no wire or connection seen on it to any device. His black hair jolted out in multiple directions, only adding to his crazed image. The left eye was surrounded by tribunal markings, the iris a thin, spinning circle that looked to move with each blink the man made. His right eye looked normal on the other hand, despite it continuously jolting around. A mask covers his mouth, showing a permanent smile. The pants this fighter wore were made of leather and covered in metal studs around the ankles.

"Hee, hee, hee..." MentalMusic chuckled, still twitching uncomfortably.

Nylocke pointed a finger at the laughing madman, "You? You are the cause of this fallen stone?" Clenching his fist tight, he condemned this foe. "A hacker, no doubt! You will suffer for this injustice on these sacred grounds at my hand!"

MentalMusic's head tilted sideways, "Aww, the voices like you~," he began, very soft and relaxed. "Now, WHERE'S YOUR DRAIN EDGE?" He spoke, his voice going lower and harsher.

Not taking a chance to respond, Nylocke fired off White Wind and Stalagmite Storm, wanting to take down the hacker quickly. One of MentalMusic's legs swept in a downward arc, breaking through the White Wind putting him in a splits position before he pushed onto his head and spun like a helicopter, breaking the ice of the Stalagmite Storm. With the momentum of the spin still going, MentalMusic moved to his knees and snapped back upright.

Nylocke closed the gap and swung with his sword, meeting with the studded ankle of MentalMusic. Pushing with the blade, MentalMusic forced Nylocke downward as his other ankle came down on the back of Nylocke's neck, putting the dragon warrior face first into the ground. Taking a leap back MentalMusic stuck a leg back, going on tiptoe on his other foot and spun once.

"The music of pain is a joy to hear and dance to~" MentalMusic spoke, still spinning before pointing again at Nylocke, trying to right himself again. "But, that is not what I need to do, oh no, he'll get mad..."

Rushing forward as Nylocke got to a knee, MentalMusic slammed his knee and ankle into the face of Nylocke, knocking Nylocke onto his back and away from his blade. "Don't make me ask again~" He hummed, jamming a foot into the neck of Nylocke.

Nylocke struggled to pull the foot off, still unsure as to why someone so lanky could overpower him. "You... evil being... How can you fight me like this with such an unfair advantage?"

MentalMusic pulled his foot away and screamed at Nylocke. "FAIR?! WHEN IN LIFE IS ANYTHING FAIR?!"

Nylocke gripped his sword and rushed to MentalMusic to strike again, only to see a bomb planted in his path.

"Surprise!" Another voice yelled out, before the bomb went off and knocked Nylocke down again, forcing a LOSE! with the impromptu match.

MentalMusic remained where he was as another player burst from the ground.

"It's good to be back!"

Username: Rockoon
Class: Animalistic
Power: Explosives

The brown raccoon laughed uproariously, his red eyes looking at his downed prey. The lengthy claws looked ready to strike again. "Can you believe it?! Ya'll better recognize this pretty face!"

MentalMusic strut forward and swung a leg toward the head of Rockoon, making the animal whimper as it nearly struck him. "You poor excuse for a solo, how dare you interrupt in the melody that was occurring?!" He spoke, upset about what had occurred.

Rockoon gingerly pushed the leg away from his face with a pointed claw, "Right, right. Didn't need to interfere, but, c'mon man! It's been FAR too long since I blew up someone!"

MentalMusic bent forward, looking eye-to-eye with the animal, his voice quiet and level. "Your pianissimo improvisation to this arc of destruction I had been creating is unappreciated." His voice went back to normal as he tilted his head to the left. "And a shame! No other works of yours has ever held importance."

Rockoon clenched a fist and bared his teeth, "Listen, you over-hyped hacker, you've never experienced what I had to! I have, as the French call it, Experi-awnce in le field." Rockoon's confidence returned, putting a hand to his hip. "Ya see? I can say fancy words too; nutcase."

MentalMusic stepped over Nylocke's prone body once more with Rockoon on the other side. Placing a knee to Nylocke's throat, MentalMusic peered down at Nylocke. "Sticks and stones, my mammal friend," he quietly cooed at Rockoon. "You wouldn't be able to do things like this a cappella, would you?"

Rockoon gave a confused look to MentalMusic, "What the what?"

MentalMusic peered down to Nylocke again as he began to stir. "Shhh, he awakens to the aria of defeat."

Nylocke groaned as his eyes looked up to the two hackers. "I... have nothing to say to you..."

MentalMusic shushed the dragon in a calming tone. "It's fine, all we need to know is what happened to your Drain Edge after the events of the Gemini Tournament. The tones have been leading to the crescendo of where the forbidden power is."

Nylocke's eyes opened wide at the name of the beast that had nearly torn him and his friends apart. "I'll not say a word about that unspeakable atrocity! I'm glad that it is gone!"

Rockoon sputtered for a moment, "Gone?! You mean that we missed our chance at securing the biggest score of all time?!"

MentalMusic pushed once more into the neck of Nylocke, "Oh, but if it is gone, it means it can be found, can't it?"

Nylocke coughed a laugh, "Not a chance! I sent the accursed object flying through the skies of TOME, never to be seen again!"

MentalMusic glanced over Nylocke and gave a grin. "I think this ensemble has reached the last verse." With a final push into the neck, Nylocke was forcibly spawned out. "Let's get back to Master, we've done good on this piece."

Rockoon crossed his arms and pouted, "Fun ruiner."

MentalMusic leaned into Rockoon's right side, his eyes half-closed. "Orrrrr~ We can give ;Lavendera the encore of Rockoon, hmmm?~"

Rockoon leapt up with a whoop, "Now you're speaking my language, crazy man! C'mon, let's see if we can find some more familiar faces of my past!"

Rockoon began spinning in place as he moved, laughing maniacally as he did. MentalMusic leaned forward and began sprinting after the twisting raccoon.


***


Username: Gamecrazed
Class: Morphological
Power: Shadow

Username: Flamegirl
Class: Spellcaster
Power: Fire

Flamegirl and Gamecrazed waited patiently beside a quest marker at ;Mechcity. Flamegirl kept checking both sides of the streets, uncharacteristically pacing in the process with continual anxiety.

Gamecrazed dark purple form glared at the moving woman in front of him, doing his best to remain as patient as he could. A left and right shoulder button belonging to a controller hung on his shoulders, a red 'A' button adorned on his forehead, and a blue 'B' button directly on his chest.

Flamegirl's once shortened hair had grown back to its long form, her red top covered her chest, but kept her midriff and arms exposed. Her black shorts reached down to her thighs, but her boots came up to her knees, just barely covering her legs.

"You need to calm down, Flamegirl," Gamecrazed finally spoke up in his calm tone. "Alpha, Kirbopher, and Nylocke should be arriving at any moment. Pacing will not hasten their arrival."

Flamegirl grunted in annoyance, "I know! I know!" Her hand went up to her opposite arm and gripped it. "I'm... just nervous."

Gamecrazed remained quiet as Flamegirl took a breath and went back to him. "If is about the quest, we could do it at another time. Though, I'm sure your anxiety is not about that at all."

Flamegirl composed herself before speaking again, "The thing is, I've been getting really offputting messages recently, and none of them are coming from players. Every time I try to look up the name on the message or try to report it for harassment, the message just suddenly disappears from my inbox!"

"Hacker?" Gamecrazed speculated.

"Maybe, but a hacker wouldn't put up a mess of letters and numbers if they wanted to intimidate me or get something," Flamegirl responded.

Gamecrazed only gave a "Hm." As Nylocke came rushing towards them.

Nylocke breathed heavily behind every word he attempted to let out, hands at his knees as he bent over. "Sir Ga... mecrazed a... nd Lady... Flamegi... rl... Terri... ble news!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down, Nylocke!" Flamegirl hurriedly reacted, putting up her hands to try and get Nylocke to calm down. "What's terrible news?"

Nylocke finally gathered his breath and stood again. "I was in recent battle at ;Lavendera against a heinous foe! A hacker!"

Flamegirl's eyes widened, "What?"

"This hacker spoke of the forbidden power, he's out to search for it!" Nylocke continued. "He somehow knows of the Drain Edge that was used to seal the creature away and now knows that I no longer possess that item!"

Gamecrazed reacted in surprise, "You threw that item away, there shouldn't be a way that the item still exists on this gameplane."

Nylocke clenched a fist, an upset look on his face as he spoke. "The hacker knows that I had thrown the accursed device across the heavens, but something in his eyes told me that he knows it still exists here."

"What did he look like?" Flamegirl asked.

"The hacker," Nylocke angrily recollected, "he fought without using his arms, in fact, he had restricted them in a jacket of white and straps! His legs were the only device he used in not only defeating me, but gathering his information."

Gamecrazed crossed his arms and gave a "Hm." Thinking of any character that he may have seen before that fought similarly. "Did you get his name?"

Nylocke continued to bitterly recount his events. "Yes! A name that will burn in my heart as hot as the flame of the dragon within me! A name that will be recounted with great ferocity and spite!" Nylocke's eyes seemed to light ablaze as he spoke the name, "MentalMusic." Almost instantaneously, his eyes went softer and a hand went to his chin, "And... a raccoon? I can't recall his name, though I swear my eyes have seen his visage before..."

"We're going to need to talk to Alpha about this," Flamegirl worriedly mumbled to herself. "If the hackers are back-"

"Is this the line for the quest?" A voice asked from behind Flamegirl.

Flamegirl turned and saw a wide variety of colors in the group that looked back at her. "Excuse me?"

The floating robot behind the robed spellcaster groaned, "Didn't you hear her the first time?"

A resounding shush came from the group as the spellcaster turned back to Flamegirl. "Sorry, she tends to be a little rude. Let's try that again. Hello, my name is SparkleLight, and these are my friends, is this the line for the quest?"