"Does this poncho make my flank look big?"
Applejack looked over her back to check out the new poncho she wore. "Woohoo! This is AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash was flying above the group in a light armor that bent with ease. Troy laughed. "That armor was inspired by the beasts of the Arcade and designed with the blade in mind! Rainbow, right? See if you can catch this!" Rainbow Dash looked over to find a spinning silver blur flying at her. She caught it in her mouth.
"Whoa. This is wicked sharp!" Rainbow held it up to the sunlight. The light flashed off its many, and possibly excessive, pointed edges. "Careful Rainbow, It'll cut you if you don't swing it the right way." Rainbow Dash swung it experimentally, and was surprised by a ghostly mirage that followed it. "Whoa. That is awesome!"
Applejack looked over to Rarity. She had on a fanciful hat that had folded on one side. A silk cloth draped over her left shoulder, covering a large portion of her leg. "I must admit Troy, you knights have a knowledgeable taste in fashion even in combat!" Troy smiled. "For a lady such as yourself, I think I'll recommend the Final Flourish!" Troy handed Rarity a small straight blade. "You can look fancy and strike quickly with that sword." Rarity admired it as she swung the blade through the air and listened to the whistling it made.
Fluttershy trudged over. Applejack could see the pegasus was struggling under the heavy plate armor. "Troy? How do you knights wear these things?" Troy chuckled a little bit. "This armor might be a bit heavy, but it definitely serves its purpose. This armor was made to take a beating. It's not called 'Plate Armor' for nothing!"
Pinkie Pie hopped over wearing a bulky armor. "Troy, I don't know what you use this armor for, but it looks like balloons put together!" Troy looked over to Pinkie Pie. "You like it?" Pinkie Pie looked at the armor she wore. "I like it, but what's it for?" Troy smiled. "Here catch! But don't drop it!" Pinkie Pie caught the small flashing ball. "Ooh! What's this thing do?" Pinkie Pie gasped in delight. "A BUTTON!" Troy stopped her before she could push it. "Pinkie Pie, this is a bomb. The Nitronome is the biggest bomb I could find. Be careful." Pinkie Pie smiled. "Don't worry Troy, you an trust me!" Pinkie Pie stared intently at the button as Applejack put her hoof to her face.
Applejack looked around. "Troy, I admit this poncho looks mighty nice on me, but remind me again why I think it won't work?" Troy looked over. "Applejack, you don't take me as the kind of pony that likes to be up close and personal." Applejack frowned. "Actually, I'm probably the strongest mare round here." Troy blinked in surprise. "Oops. Sorry." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Sorry Applejack. I'm out of materials. I did make this for you though, if it isn't bad, you know." Applejack took the strange contraption from Troy. "I found a gun during my travels through the arcade. Turns out I could make it better. So I did." Applejack looked at it more closely. It had a light yellow fragments floating about it, and it looked much like a crossbow. "So if I pull on this thing, then it will shoot?" Troy nodded.
Lyra walked over on her hind legs. She was wearing something along the lines of a white magicians' robe, and the hood had a floating yellow halo floating over it. "This is impressive, Troy! How did you do it?" Troy took out a blade from his bag. "The halo was my own touch. Magnetic Luminite." Troy handed the large blade back to Lyra. "Like it? You told me about the nasty skeleton encounter before, so I looked through my book, and it turns out I could upgrade your blade too. So I did. Skeletons shouldn't be a problem for you now." Lyra held up the blade and admired it.
It's hilt was golden, and it's blade was no longer wrapped in sheets of marked paper. Instead, an almost heavenly yellow glow surrounded its edge, curling like vines on a fence.
"It's beautiful." Lyra smiled.
Twilight walked in. She was wearing the same cobalt armor that Troy had given her before. "Troy, it looks like your low again. Should I give you a jump?" Troy looked over to his bottle. "Why, yes it is! Just give me a sec." Troy took off his bag. "Wow, thanks to you girls, my bag is light as a feather!" He sorted through what was left of his belongings. he pulled out a few pieces of armor and put it on. "Okay Twilight. Fire away."
Twilight gave him a shock slightly stronger then before. Troy was trembling with the after effects for a few moments. When he recovered, he took a look at his tank. "Right back up to five hundred. This magic thing of yours has me hooked!" Twilight smiled as the group walked towards the Arcade.
~~~~
"So what's the plan, Troy?"
Troy smiled as the group gazed upon the machine that led into the mysterious Arcade. "Before you is the entrance to the Arcade. When it is activated, you descend into the unknown!"
"Actually, it looks like you know the whole layout of the place." Twilight was staring at a small machine on Troys belt. "Yeah. That was just for dramatic effect." Twilight giggled. "You don't suppose we could get something like that?" Troy looked surprised. "You can operate this thing?"
Twilight smiled. "It looks simple enough. It has tabs and no buttons. I'm assuming it's a touch screen." Troy laughed. "You learn fast, Twilight. I'll give you that. Wait right here while I get some for you all."
Twilight watched as he turned and pulled out his wallet. "You use scrap metal for currency?" Troy looked over. "Scrap metal? Oh no. We use these things." Troy held out a piece of the 'scrap metal.' It had an image of a crown etched into it. "These are called 'crowns.' It's the basic currency around here."
The groups each took their own little machines. "Now that you all have your own PDA's, Let's get down to business." Troy looked around the group. "You all know that there is a bottom to the Arcade called the Core, right?" The ponies looked among themselves in confusion. "You don't know? Twilight, do I have to go into the SkyLark and all that again?" Twilight smiled. "I filled them in while you were busy doing alchemy." Troy smiled. "Good. Now, there is a place at the very core of this planet, aptly named, The Core. There is a humongous energy source at The Core, and we could potentially use it to power the SkyLark and leave this place."
"I thought we were here to pay you back." Everyone looked at Fluttershy. "Pay me back? For your equipment? Don't worry about it. If it really means that much to you, then you can collect any heat and crowns you find in your travels." Twilight looked at Troy. "You mean those embers I saw you pick up?"
Troy was startled. "How did you see me pick them up?" Twilight waved her hoof. "We've seen several knights travel through our area, Troy. You're honestly not the first." Troy just chuckled. "Those knights were extremely lucky."
"Now, start off. There are four gates going into the Arcade. They're all different, and for some reason they are able to re calibrate themselves to any order. So I advise you to pay close attention to your PDAs, and be wary around your foes."
"Let's get the teams together." Twilight looked around the group. "In total, there are eight of us, and a single unicorn is required to power each machine, so I think we should go off in pairs balancing weaknesses."
"Rarity, bring Fluttershy with you. She might be slow, but her shield looks more durable than yours." Rarity nodded. "I'll keep that in mind, Twilight."
"Troy, your a swordsman right? Take Pinkie Pie with you. I assure you behind that smiling face is a master demomare." Troy smiled unsuredly. "I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, but alright." Pinkie Pie smiled as she bounced the Nitronome on her head. Troy was extremely unsettled by this for some reason.
"Applejack, go with Lyra. A blade can be powerful, but the wielder does get worn out. Your gun should be helpful there." Applejack nodded. "Got it. Lyra! You're with me,"
"Rainbow Dash, you're coming with me. That blade looks fast, but it's not as big nor as powerful as the rest of ours." Rainbow Dash frowned. "Wow, thanks a lot Twilight." Troy raised a finger. "Actually Rainbow, she's got a point. A Spiral Knight Swordsman relies on a blade powerful enough to knock back and therefor cancel the enemies attack. Fluttershy here will have no problem, seeing how her blade is the same size as her. But your blade Rainbow, your blade, is meant for masters. That blade strikes quickly, but has no strength on its own." Rainbow Dash took this in slowly.
"Fine. Let's get this over with." The groups walked onto a separate machine. One by one, they descended into the darkness.