//------------------------------// // Prologue: Enter, Maleficent Usurper and his Evil Vassals! // Story: Mane Six Vs. The Gimmicky Boss Squad! // by Doctor D //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle was in her library, organizing books for the upteenth time today with the reluctant Spike as her aid. The dutiful librarian was about to place the final book in it’s place when her dragon assistant burped out large spout of green flames, startling Twilight enough to drop the book. “Some warning would have been nice, Spike!” Twilight scolded the dragon with a grumpy glare. Only she saw Spike gasping for breath. “S-sorry.” Spike said before coughing heavily. “There’s *hack* usually some warning before that happens *heave* letter.” The young dragon said, pointing a claw the letter on the ground before going back to hacking out a non-existent hairball. Twilight ignore the young drake and picked up the scroll. It must have been from the Princess since nopony else knew how to send letters via Spike. However, something struck Twilight as odd. The letter looked a bit torn and was unsealed, which seemed to imply it was sent in a great hurry. Opening it and reading it’s contents sent Twilight’s eyes wide open and her mouth agape as the letter dropped from her magical grasp. Only one quickly scribbled word was written into it. HELP “Now are ya sure tha’ the Princess is in trouble Twi?” Applejack asked over the sounds of the train moving along the rails, as well as the lavender unicorn’s nervous muttering. The Mane Six sat on their own seats in the cart, except for Twilight who kept pacing back and forth. “Yeah. What if it’s just a prank somepony is pulling on you?” Rainbow Dash added off-hoovedly. But Twilight was not calming down. “A prank? No it can’t be! I knew the moment I saw the letter. It’s the princesses writing, though very rushed. The way it looked torn up and rustled. All the evidence is there!” The purple librarian said frantically. “Twilight, dear, we don’t doubt your judgement in this matter. We are as worried as you are.” Rarity said in a calm tone, hoping to calm Twilight down in the process. “But fretting over it won’t help us until we find out what iss wrong.” “I… I know.” Twilight sighed. “But this was just so sudden and- and I don’t know what could be so important that it would need the Princess to act so hastily.” “Well… whatever it is, we’ll help.” Fluttershy said in her own meek way. Then streamers exploded from the ceiling, along with a Pinkie Pie on a rope. “Yeah! Helping is something Pinkie does best, alongside parties!” The pink menace yelled positively, smiling all the while. “Yeah! I mean, it can’t be bad enough that my awesome skills can’t handle it.” Rainbow Dash chimed in with a hoof pump. Twilight laughed a bit, feeling more reassured by her friends. “Thanks girls.” It was then that the conductor came in to inform occupants of the cart that they would be at Canterlot Station in a few minutes. After doing so he went on his merry way. Everypony spent some time with smalltalk, except Pinkie who was looking out the window. “Uhh, girls?” Pinkie suddenly said something very unnerving. “Has Canterlot always had dark clouds over it?” In a flash everypony was at the windows looking out at the view of Canterlot. And the menacing dark clouds that loomed overhead and around the castle. “Oh, this can’t be good.” Twilight said, dreading what they would find when they departed the train. After reaching the station and getting off the train the Mane Six quickly made their way towards the castle. On the way they saw many ponies who were confused and afraid of the clouds, which apparently had appeared very suddenly. Rainbow Dash, despite Twilight’s warning, tried to go and pop the clouds, but the second she made impact it just stretched a bit and shot her back. The second time did not fare much better. Only after the third fruitless try did they manage to convince Rainbow it was pointless to try. So they headed straight towards the castle. But before they could reach the castle they came upon a peculiar sight. A whole regiment of Royal Guard standing outside the castle gates. One of them detached from the ranks and approached the Six Ponies. “Greetings, Twilight Sparkle and Elements of Harmony. I’m sorry but I can’t let you come closer.” The guard said in a gruff but professional tone. “What? Why not?” Rainbow Dash was first to ask the question they all wondered. “We are not sure.” The guard answered  in a stoic manner. “In an instant all of the guard were teleported out of the castle and spread around the city. We suspect an invasion.” “Wait. Something teleported ALL the guards?” Twilight asked in disbelief. “But nothing has that much magical power!” “We are… aware, which is why we have been trying to gain re-entry into the castle as soon as possible. But...” Just then a pair of guards tried to ram into the door to open it, only to be flung back as they hit an invisible barrier. “... As you saw, some sort of barrier is keeping us out. We’ve tried everything, brute force, magic, everything. Not even a teleportation spell get’s through it.” The guard said, his voice faltering a bit. “There is… seemingly nothing we can do.” The Mane Six looked at each other. “Well, ah hafta say, Twi. You were right, this just stinks of trouble.” Applejack said. “And those freaky clouds! You think Discord is behind this?” Rainbow Dash added, her suspicions clear and understandable. Twilight shook her head. “I don’t think it’s Discord. This isn’t… chaotic enough by his standards. And he’s still imprisoned as far as I know.” Rainbow frowned. “Then who else could’ve-” “Aah, my guests have arrived.” A voice like no other said from nowhere. Everypony, guards included tried looking around to find the source, but the voice sounded like it came from everywhere. Then, in front of the gate started forming something that could be only called a wall of constantly shifting darkness. The guards backed away on instinct as it grew till it was wide enough to cover the large wooden door. The darkness started flickering and showed an image. An Image of a pony stallion, coat dark as the shadows and eyes more menacing than the blood moon. On his long neck an engraved silver medallion with some ancient letters and blood red rubies embedded to it’s sides. Horn sharp like a spear, and to everypony’s shock, a pair of large spread wings could clearly be seen. “I have waited for a long time for this encounter, my little ponies.” The Alicorn of Darkness said the line as if a perversion of the way Princess Celestia referred to her subjects. “Who the hay are you?” Applejack was the first to open her mouth. “What have you done with the Princess?” Twilight followed with a question more akin to a demand. The shadow alicorn simply chuckled casually. “So, straight to the point? Excellent.” The shadow alicorn said, the darkness shifting to show the image of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, as well as the statue of Discord, trapped inside white magic bubbles. “Allow me to assure you, your precious rulers are fine… For now.” With that the image shifted back to the alicorn’s silhouette, his eyes glowing with a look of condescension. “Now, as for who I am. I am Shade the Maleficent. But you may start calling me your Lord and Master.” “Like heck we will!” Rainbow yelled at the screen of darkness. “Yeah!” Pinkie Pie chimed in with a serious face. “I’m not gonna have a party for you! …. Unless you ask super nice.” “PINKIE!” Everypony said in unison, to which Pinkie literally zipped her own mouth shut. “You won’t get away with this!” Twilight said indignantly. “We’ll stop you!” “YEAH!” The rest of the Mane Six added in, except Pinkie who was more like “WHEA!” Shade the Maleficent just laughed. “You wish to resist your fates?” He asked in a bellowing voice, examining the unchanging faces of the six ponies. “Okay.” He finally said, to the Main Six’s surprise, almost gleefully. “As you wish. Let’s make this more… interesting.” The Alicorn of Darkness said in a mysterious way. “There is a way for you to gain entry to my castle.” “It ain’t yours, you no good thief!” Applejack interjected. “Shut up, it is now!” Shade the Maleficent said in an almost juvenile manner. He coughed into his hoof and continued. “As I was saying, if you want to enter to save your precious leaders, then you are welcome to try.” After he said that something changed. The barrier between the guards, the Elements and the castle became visible. On it’s surface, right above the doorway inside, appeared five locks. Each lock was seemingly made of bronze and brass and had a carving on them. A hand of cards, a rock, a spout of fire, a… fishbowl and the last one was… some sort of swirly-thingy. “To undo the barrier separating you from your precious Princess, you will need five keys carried by my most powerful Lieutenants.” Shade the Maleficent said, stopping for dramatic effect and narrowing his eyes menacingly. “The Gimmicky Boss Squad!” Immediately Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, who unzipped her mouth, fell on the ground, laughing their faces off. Even Twilight, Applejack and Rarity snickered a bit. The only one who didn’t laugh was a slightly confused looking Fluttershy. “T-that is the d-dumbest name I have ever heard!” Rainbow Dash said before going back to laughing. “It’s HILARIOUS!” Pinkie shrieked in the middle of her chuckle fest. “S-Shut up! It’s not stupid!” The dark alicorn tried to defend the embarrassingly funny name for an evil elite force. “I-It sort of is.” Twilight said, holding in her snickers. Shade the Maleficent scoffed with a mean glare. “Fine. Laugh while you can. We’ll see who’s laughing once you face The mighty Gimmicky Boss Squad-” Pinkie and Rainbow laughed even harder at how serious the dark usurper was trying to sound. “Shut up! Fine, whatever. The first one of my Lieutenants waits in Las Pegasus. Go, save your Princess. Not!” Then the image as well as the darkness disappeared as the Alicorn of Darkness rage quit like a little foal. “Do you believe they can beat him?” Female Voice A said in a darkened room. “Most certainly. Is there any doubt they could defeat him in a duel?” The Alicorn of Darkness said demeaningly. Female Voice A was quiet before sighing. “Seriously?” “Well, considering the odds...” Female Voice B started to say. “Taking bets! Those who say utter defeat, place your bits onto the table! I bet sixty bits that it’ll be all over in one move!” A higher pitched voice added, immediately followed by a load of bits hitting the round table they were seated around. “I’ll wager… twenty bits for thirty seconds.” Female Voice B said. “Bah, that isn’t happening. Thirty bits for fifteen seconds!” Female Voice A added. “...  Oh come on! Have some faith!” Shade the Maleficent yelled out. “One naysayer!” The High Pitched Voice exclaimed from the shadowy room. “So that’s three-on-one. Input your bits if you’ve got the gal, or be a scaredy cat!” “Hmph!” Shade the Maleficent huffed. “Fine! Because I have actual faith in his abilities I will indulge in this nonsense, so don’t come crying to me when I take your money.” He said, plopping a bag of bits onto the table. “Fifty bits on the victory of Player!”