//------------------------------//
// Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds 
// Story: The Elements of Gaming 
// by HellRyden 
//------------------------------//

Elements of Gaming 5
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

By Ryden, Xephfyre and Krimzon_Flygon

---

The Carousel Boutique is known throughout Ponyville for many things. Oft times, it is known to play host to celebrity, fashion mogul and diva alike; other times, it is known throughout the humble settlement as a simple service center for the common, everyday pony looking for a simple button sewing.

Few who’ve lived in Ponyville can claim to have not heard of the boutique; after all, patronage from the likes of Sapphire Shores and Hoity Toity only served to propel the boutique right into the center of Canterlot’s legendary fashion spotlight.

Yet through all the patrons, fame and reviews the store has managed to garner for itself over the years, citizens of Ponyville remember the store not for the dresses it sells... but for the Pony who makes them.

To Rarity, despite all the years, bits and fame that have come the boutique’s way, it has always stayed true to one mission: spreading fabulosity to those in need, no matter what the deed.

From the simplest button sew to the most fabulous gala gown, never once has anypony knocked on the doors of the boutique and found themselves turned aside.

The only downside... was that Rarity sometimes found herself biting off a little more than she could chew.

This... was one of those times.

Taking a deep breath and composing herself, Rarity raised a twitching hoof and knocked three times on Twilight’s door.





My faithful student Twilight,

I must apologize: it was not my intention to give you faulty information. Indeed, I didn’t know about this change of plans until just this morning.

The Xbox project has been delayed. The University has just contacted me to let me know the projected release date has been set forward a number of months. In that time period, there will be no new games for you to review either. I apologize for this, truly.

However, this cloud has a silver lining: a very grand one, in fact. You see, the University is, in their own words, “on the verge of monumental technological innovation”. Apparently, they plan to set up a system within the Xbox that will allow Ponies to play games remotely: to put that in perspective, one could play certain games with a Manehattenite without ever leaving Ponyville! It is the development of this latest innovation that has slowed the development of the Xbox, but I personally believe it is well worth it: its ability to connect ponies from all over Equestria and forge friendships could be unprecedented!

As a token of appreciation for all the time you have put into aiding this project, and a small apology of their own, the University has sent you one final game to hold you over before the lull. They assure me its one of their best, and a bit of a preview of things to come: many of the unfamiliar characters in it will star in their own games soon enough.

I hope you and your friends enjoy it.

Your mentor,
Princess Celestia





Twirling the as-of-yet unopened package in her hooves, Twilight couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at what she was reading- such an endeavor wouldn’t just be a monumental leap forward in her studies of the magic of friendship, but promised a whole new way for everypony out there to discover that magic for themselves!

Why, ponies from as far as Canterlot could find friends in Ponyville, or even Cloudsdale! Twilight’s imagination couldn’t help but run wild with the possibilities this new innovation promised, the lavender unicorn almost losing herself in thought.

‘knock-knock’

“A visitor?” queried Twilight, snapping out of her reverie as a small smile flickered across her features; perhaps somepony was actually here to borrow a book!

Opening the door with a simple “pull” spell, Twilight but on her best librarian’s smile, bouncing slightly at the prospect of introducing a pony to the magic of reading.

“Can I help-”

Not even able to finish her sentence, Twilight found herself stumbling back into the library as a clearly disheveled, red-eyed Rarity burst through the doors, her normally immaculate coiffure fraying in numerous places as her breaths came in short, quick gasps.

Normally, Twilight’s first instinct would have been to ask just what in Equestria had turned her normally prim-and-proper friend into the absolute epitome of all things undesirable, but just as she opened her mouth to ask, she quickly closed it as a shrill, high pitched, all-too-familliar cry broke the library’s peaceful silence.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER GAME TESTIN’ SESSION AT TWILIGHT’S! YAY!” 

Glancing down at her friend, Twilight merely asked: “Crusader trouble?”

Looking back up at her friend, Rarity’s bloodshot eyes strained to open as the fashionista felt the weight of a thousand sleepless nights threaten to close them once again.

“Please, Twilight, I beg of you...” she whispered, “...forgive me.”

______________________________________________________________________________

“It was my fault!” Rarity blurted after taking a sip from the cup that she levitated with clear difficulty. Clearly exhausted, the normally elegant fashionista collapsed into a chair in Twilight’s private study as soon as she reached it, the tea her lavender friend so graciously provided easing her nerves just a little. 

Twilight leaned forward tentatively, testing the water. “Your fault? What happened, Rarity?”

Rarity took a deep breath. “I...I couldn’t help it!” She wailed. “That infernal Dragonforce song has been stuck in my head ever since we played Rock Band together!”

“I... don’t quite follow.”

“You see, I... I was humming it while I was filling out another one of Hoity Toity’s orders... helps pass the time and all... when Sweetie Belle overheard me!”

“...Oh.” was all Twilight could manage.

“After that...” Rarity shuddered, suppressing a small chill, “she kept asking me what I was singing. That wasn’t such a big problem, mind you. It’s perfectly normal for a filly her age to be curious... but I had to open my big mouth and mention the games Princess Celestia sent you!”

“Oh...” came Twilight’s reply, same as before.

“The minute I mentioned the words ‘game’ and ‘Princess Celestia’ in the same sentence, Sweetie Belle somehow put two and two together and decided this was an even better way to get a cutie mark than tree-sap tapping...whatever that means!”

“...Oh.” was all Twilight could once again muster.

Rarity furrowed her brows, apparently more than a little annoyed at her lavender friend’s monosyllabic responses.

“I’m truuuuly sorry if my tale is boring you, darling.” Drawled the tired unicorn, her mane somewhat straighter now but still clearly fraying in some parts.

Realizing her mistake, Twilight quickly shook her head in a effort to assuage her friend’s apparent annoyance, apologizing vehemently as she tried to assure Rarity she meant nothing of the sort.

“Oh, heavens no! I’m so, so sorry, Rarity, I-”

Sighing to herself, Rarity waved a hoof in front of Twilight, waving off her friend’s concern.

“No, no, Twilight... think nothing of it. It’s not even your fault anyway, dear.”

“It’s just... when Sweetie Belle thinks anything can get her a cutie mark, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo won’t be far behind! I haven’t gotten any sleep in days thanks to those three fillies out there pestering me about those games the Princess sends to you! I’m surprised I actually managed to finish Hoity Toity’s order with those three robbing the boutique of whatever semblance of peace it had left!”

Sensing her friend’s apparent distress, Twilight gently extended Rarity a comforting hoof around the tired unicorn’s shoulders.

“Rarity...”

“I... I had no choice, Twilight, I told them you’d let them play!”

Twilight immediately froze, her pupils contracting to pinpricks as sweat began pouring down the back of her neck.

“Y-You what?”

“They wouldn’t stop pestering me, Twilight! You have to understand... I haven’t slept in entire days, poor Opalescence stays cooped up in the attic all day to avoid the screaming, the boutique is a complete mess, my fabric’s everywhere... and that’s the good part!”

“S-so that means...”

“I’m sorry, Twilight, I truly am! Please believe me... I had no choice!”

Peering out of her study, Twilight spied the three over-active, energetic fillies tearing up a storm up and down the entire length of her library. She had been on the receiving end of the Crusaders and their rambunctious adventures once before; it took her weeks to even get half the library back into shape.

“Whaddya y’all think this here game’s gonna be like? If Princess Celestia sent it, there’s no way we’ll come outta this without our cutie marks!”

“I bet it’s something elegant, and royal! After all, it is Princess Celestia we’re talking about here!”

“Nah, I heard from Rainbow Dash that these were wicked awesome games where you get to fight aliens and sing wicked rock ballads!”

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER ROYAL GAME TESTERS, YAY!”

Twilight nearly fainted right on the spot.





As she silently trod down the wooden stairs leading to the main library, Twilight Sparkle found herself in the middle of a dilemma quite unlike any other.

On one hoof, she could always tell the Cutie Mark Crusaders that these “games” were in fact assignments from Princess Celestia herself, special tasks meant to be kept completely secret from anyone but the Elements of Harmony.

That, of course, would mean sending the three right back to Rarity, and furthermorethere was no telling just how the Crusaders themselves would react. For all the lavender mare knew, she might end up flat-out crushing the poor dears’ spirits.

On the other, Twilight could let them stay, but that would also mean endangering not only the library’s precious tomes and royal requisitions from Canterlot’s official archives, but potentially sever every single thread that tethered Twilight to the realm of sanity. 

“No!” Thought the purple-maned unicorn; she had to be firm and put both of her hoofs down. True, it would probably leave the crusaders in a slump for a few hours, but Twilight was confident that the three would pick themselves up and find another way to go questing for their cutie marks, saving both her books and her sanity in the process - it was the perfect plan!

Stepping off the spiral staircase and into the main library, Twilight glanced around for the crusaders; surely those three fillies would’ve been easy to spot, given their tendency to leave a trail of destruction wherever they lay hoof.

“That’s odd... they were here a second a- oof!”

No sooner had she stepped off the staircase did Twilight Sparkle find herself tackled to the floor by three hyperactive streaks of yellow, orange and white, her head spinning as she tried to find the source of whatever just knocked the wind right out of her chest.

“TWILIGHT! YER FINALLY HERE!”

“I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE ALL THE WICKED STUFF THE PRINCESS’S SENT YOU!”

“THANKS FOR LETTING US PLAY, TWILIGHT!”

Gasping as she tried to recover from the Crusaders’ surprise tackle, Twilight gently eased the three filles off her stomach as she hauled herself upright, still trying to at least maintain a semblance of decorum around the over-energetic three.

Putting on her best poker face, Twilight turned to face the three fillies with as much resolve as she could muster.

“Girls, I know how much you three want to get your cutie marks, but...”

If it was one thing the Cutie Mark Crusaders developed in their time together, it was a little something that the three young fillies liked to call the “shoo sensor.” It was a precious sixth sense that allowed the crusaders to detect when adults, older sisters and older brothers were about to clamp down on their cutie mark quest.

Right now, that same sensor had just thrown itself into overdrive.

Of course, no way were the Cutie Mark Crusaders going to let a little complication like that stand in the way of their all-too important quest for cutie mark discovery. Thankfully, Apple Bloom had taught their fellow Crusaders how to pull the very same “puppy-dog eyes” trick she successfully used on Twilight when she first set foot in Sweet Apple Acres.

If the lavender mare couldn’t resist the puppy-dog eyes trick from one filly, she certainly couldn’t stand against the combined might of three simultaneous pairs.

“Well, girls- I... you see-”

Twilight couldn’t falter now - if she didn’t put her hoof down, she risked every last bit of sanity she had. She had to do this!

Then Apple Bloom started sniffling.

“Girls... please...”

Twilight could feel every last bit of resolve she had left falling apart. Could she really stand to come between these three innocent young fillies and their quest to discover their special talents?

“NO!” Twilight chided herself mentally. The first step was to be firm, but fair. She had to set these fillies an example of proper conduct!

“B-But these here games could really help us find our cutie marks, Twilight.” whimpered Apple Bloom, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

With a heavy sigh, Twilight felt that last bit of resolve wash away like a sandcastle in high tide.

“...Fine.” she breathed, slapping a hoof right over the middle of her face.

“YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!” came the ear-piercing cry of three overjoyed, hyperactive fillies.

“Oh Celestia...” whispered the purple-maned mare as she covered her ears with both hooves. “What have I done?”





It didn’t take long for the princess’s prized student to show the three over-eager fillies to the library’s basement. Here, Twilight maintained a small laboratory with only the most advanced devices that she had received upon imperial requisition from the royal palace itself.

Literally bouncing down the stairs, the very moment Twilight opened the doors to the basement did the three rambunctious fillies literally throw themselves inside, a loud ‘clang’ ringing from within the basement as the fillies collided with something seemingly solid... and valuable.

Her eye twitching ever so slightly, Twilight flipped the basement’s light switch to assess the damage done. Unbelievably, the three fillies had actually managed to succeed in not knocking over any valuable pieces of equipment or injuring themselves in the short time it had taken Twilight to flip a simple light switch.

Sprawled in a tangled heap right next to the same brainwave monitor that once attempted to fathom Pinkie’s unfathomable ‘Pinkie Sense,’ the three fillies gave a loud moan as they attempted to shake off their dizziness.

Bounding right back up, the three indomitable fillies began gazing around Twilight’s basement laboratory in wonderment, zipping around as they examined each and every one of her precious devices in the hopes of locating their prize.

“MAYBE IT’S THIS HERE DOOHICKEY?” Yelled Apple Bloom, staring through one of Twilight’s beaker decanters.

“OOH, OR MAYBE THIS ONE!” Came Sweetie Belle’s high-pitched squeal, the little filly prodding her hoof against a sparking tesla coil, tiny arcs of electricity jumping across her coat.

“I BET IT’S THIS WICKED THINGAMAJIG OVER HERE!” Shouted Scootaloo, zipping all over Twilight’s mega-screen display as she carefully examined every part, probing every inch with her hooves.

“GIRLS!”

That got their attention. The crusaders stopped in their tracks, turning to face Twilight. The purple unicorn let out a slow breath, holding up a hoof as a preemptive measure to keep the Crusaders from interrupting. 

“Now...” She began, looking around to the three curious fillies staring back at her. “Before we even think about letting you use this thing, I want to lay down some ground rules. This is delicate equipment we’re dealing with: Princess Celestia herself gave it to me.  I am very, VERY fond of it.” She fixed them with the hardest gaze she could without scaring them. “I want you to be VERY careful with it, alright? I want you to promise, okay?”

Looking back at the lavender unicorn with the most innocent expression they could muster, the Crusaders  responded as one.

“Yes, Twilight.”

“Good!” The lavender mare nodded with a satisfied smile, and turned around to the small pile of video game boxes that had been stacked neatly next to her console. “Now... which game should I let you three fillies play...”

“Ooh! Ooh! Twilight! Twilight! Maybe ya can let us play this one here!” Twilight heard Apple Bloom’s voice calling out from behind her, and the unicorn spun around in a panic, dreading to think what the Apple family’s youngest might have accidentally gotten her hooves on...

Only to see her bounding up and down in the air, with the latest, unopened box Twilight had received from Princess Celestia clutched in her hoof.

“Oh, well.. that’s actually-”

Before Twilight could even finish her sentence, Apple Bloom had torn off the package’s brown wrapping and hastily tossed it aside, holding the game’s box before her in a look of reverent admiration, her eyes seemingly sparkling with wonderment as she gazed upon the box’s cover art.

“Whooooooa...” was all the little filly could manage as she gazed upon the box, utterly captivated by the image adorning the simple, otherwise unassuming, box.

Sprawled across the front cover, set against a background of darkest black, numerous mares and stallions stood embroiled in battle, some standing hoof-to-hoof whilst other simply overlooked the battle from their lofty perch.

Clad in red and gold-tinted armor, battle-worn fighter gear, military uniforms and elaborate gold-blue-tinted costumes, the mares and stallions on the front cover seemed to be locked in mortal combat with one another as hoof stood poised to meet hoof in a battle of epic proportions.

As energy crackled across the hooves of some, others were simply content to wield guns and claws as they held each other at gunpoint, frozen in time as they waited for either one to make the first move.

Overlooking the battle, a stallion, face utterly obscured by his cold, unfeeling mask, stood next to what looked to be his gold-maned counterpart, his eyes utterly obscured by black sunglasses as his stoic expression betrayed a cold, Machiavellian ruthlessness.

“Marevel versus Coltcom THREE?!” Apple Bloom cried out in unrestrained excitement, resuming her energetic bouncing about. “They can’t mean Marevel COMICS?!”

“Marevel...comics?” Inquired Twilight Sparkle, “I think I’ve heard that name before...”

“MAREVEL, Twilight! Ah thought everypony knew who they were!”

“Yeah!” piped up Scootaloo, “ They’re the ponies behind Captain Equestria, the Amazing X-Ponies, Iron Colt, Doctor Strangehoof, Spider-Pony... I’m surprised they’re not in Canterlot’s bookstores!”

At Scootaloo’s words, fuzzy memories surfaced in Twilight’s mind as she remembered spending her days at the Canterlot central bookstore, searching out textbooks for her first year at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns....

There was always a certain area of the bookstore that seemed to be a little more alive than the others; fillies and colts fresh out of winter holidays clamoring around as they whooped and squealed, literally jumping for joy as they lay their hoofs on fresh, stapler-bound paper booklets. 

Twilight had never bothered to look closely at them, but she swore she had seen the word “MAREVEL” stamped across the front in big, white letters framed against a bright-red background at least once.

“Oh, they’re pretty popular in Canterlot, I’d imagine...” replied Twilight, unable to stop a small grin from flickering across her lips as the three fillies unearthed warm, comfortable memories of her time in the sprawling metropolis.

“So that just leaves one question...” Sweetie Belle stared at the cover. “Who’s Coltcom?”

“Search me.” Scootaloo leaned over her friend’s shoulder as she looked down at the cover closely. “You think they’re some other comic company?”

“Ah’ve never seen half of these characters...Ah mean, there’s Wolverine right there...that’s Iron Colt... Ah’m pretty sure that’s Doctor Doom there in the background...but who is that next to him? Th’ Pony in the shades?”

“Funny you should ask, actually.” Twilight interjected. “You see, girls, the Princess told me in a letter this game is a kind of preview. The characters under the Coltcom roster are supposed to appear in their own games soon.”

“Whoaaa...” Scootaloo breathed. “You mean we get to see these characters before they even EXIST?! That’s so AWESOME!” She spun to face Twilight. “What are we waiting for, Twilight? Pop it in! Pop it in!”

“All right, all right, Scootaloo, patience!” Twilight told the little filly sternly as she magically levitated the disc over to her console as she pushed the power button. “I’ve just gotta put this little thing in here, press this button to open the tray... and-”

“TWILIGHT! ARE YOU THERE?!” Came the uncharacteristically loud, shrill voice of a certain baby dragon, causing the lavender unicorn to almost jump out of her skin as she very nearly sent Princess Celestia’s latest game crashing to the floor.

Quickly catching both herself and the disc, Twilight gently eased the disc into the console tray as she breathed a sigh of relief to herself.

Gently massaging her ears, Twilight turned her head upwards, only to see her number one assistant looking right back at her with a sheepish look on his face.

“Spike... you don’t have to yell.” Chided the lavender mare as she put on a look of mock irritation.

“Sorry ‘bout that, Twilight, but the new library shipment from Canterlot’s coming in today! They’re waiting by the town hall for your inspection!”

Slapping a hoof across her face, a sudden realization dawned on Twilight.

“That’s right...! They’re supposed to deliver the latest edition of Solar Cycles and Moon Dunes! Oh horseapples, how could I have forgotten!”

Quickly turning to the three young fillies under her charge, Twilight quickly shot them the most “serious” look she could muster under such pressing circumstances. Unfortunately, it only made her look as if she ate a rather bad set of apples for breakfast.

“Listen girls, I have to run for a short while, so I’ll have to leave you here for a quick bit. I trust that the three of you know better than to touch somepony else’s property without permission, so please refrain from touching anything but the console over there, alright? Actually...” She added as an afterthought, “Don’t touch the Xbox. Wait until I get back. It’s a really important machine, and I can’t risk something happening to it. I’ll be back in about...I don’t know...ten minutes.” She looked down at the box. “There should be a manual in there on how to play. How about you read over that until I get back? That sound good?

“Okay, Twilight!” echoed the fillies in unison.

Something deep in her was just nagging away at Twilight’s better sense of judgement, something telling her she was basically pronouncing the death sentence of all that she knew and cherished within her basement.

“Well.. okay then!” declared the lavender unicorn, casting shifty glaces behind her back as she slowly, hesitantly trotted out of the library basement.

As the door clicked shut, and Twilight’s footsteps faded off into the distance, the three Crusaders broke into three of the widest grins you could ever slap on anypony’s face.





“Punch...kick...block...got it!” Scootaloo glanced over the manual before looking back at her fellow Crusaders.

“Alright, here’s the skinny: basically we build a team of three characters. We’re tossed into an arena with three other characters, and we have to beat them up.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s EASY!”

Scootaloo put the manual down. “That could be a problem, though. We have to EARN our cutie marks. EARNING something isn’t supposed to be easy.”

Apple Bloom frowned. “So what do we do?”

Picking up the manual, Apple Bloom gave the booklet a quick flip-through, eyes poring over each and every page before finally resting on one, lone section..“It says here that we can do somethin’ called special moves... and hyper combos! Maybe these’ll help us get our cutie marks!”

Scootaloo ran to her friend’s side. “Perfect! One of these moves are bound to land us a cutie mark... we just gotta see what!”

Sweetie Belle looked somewhat skeptical. “I dunno, guys...” She mused. “My sister said these games are really hard to get the hang of. Maybe we should try a training mission, or start on an easier difficulty to get the hang of what a combo even is in the first place.”

Scootaloo had picked up the controller, looking back at the unicorn with a condescending expression on her face. “Come on, Sweetie Belle!” She held the controller up so that it was plain to see, pointing at the buttons one at a time.

“Puuuuuuuuunch....kiiiiiiiiick...bloooooooock...juuuuuuuuuump...duuuuuuuuck! Easy!” drawled Scootaloo, sounding very much like somepony trying out a very horrible impression of the local mailmare, Derpy Hooves. That or their teacher Cheerilee trying to walk Twist through a math problem for the umpteenth time...

Sweetie Belle crossed her arms. “What about swiiiiiiiiiiiitch? ”

Scootaloo’s smirk wavered. “Switch?”

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “We got teams of THREE characters, Scoots! One of the big parts of the game is switching them on the fly!”

Scootaloo put the controller down. “Wait, we can DO that?”

“Yeah! Look, tap these left and right buttons here to use something called an ‘Assist.’ They say if you hold these, err... ‘bumpers’ over here, you’ll switch the character you’re using!” Sweetie Belle pushed the manual under her friend’s nose. “See? It also says if you press both of them, you can use a super-powerful combination attack!”

Scootaloo blinked. “Oh, so THAT’S what those buttons do! They were so out of the way, I didn’t think they were that important...”

“Hey girls...” Apple Bloom piped up, pointing her hoof at an old, ornate clock hanging off one of the basement’s walls. “It’s been ovah two hours since Twilight and Spike’ve been gone. Y’think something might’ve happened to ‘em?”

“Nah,” replied Scootaloo, “they’re probably just running late, or-”

Pausing mid-sentence, a maniacal grin spread across the young filly’s face, her eyes narrowing to slits as her brain’s cogs started turning, hatching a scheme.

“...Or they could be wrapped up in some very important, super-special business from Canterlot! You girls heard Twilight; it’s an official shipment from the royal library itself. As her official game testers for the day, it’s our royal duty to see this session through!”

“Ah dunno, Scootaloo...” muttered Apple Bloom. “Twilight said not to touch that there box....”

Scootaloo immediately furrowed her brow in thought. True, the lavender mare had given the three of them specific instructions not to touch the Xbox...

“...but she didn’t say anything about those ‘controllers’ over there!” mused the orange pegasus, an she spied three oddly shaped devices lying on the floor right next to the console.

Looking at each other, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle raised their eyebrows in unison.

“Well, Scootaloo’s got a point...” muttered Sweetie Belle.

“Yeah... ah mean, Twilight could be gone for another two hours for all we know!” concurred Apple Bloom, nodding her head.

“Then what’re we waiting for!” Whooped Scootaloo, grabbing one of the controllers off the floor and grasping it firmly in her hooves. “Let’s get this show on the road!”

Striking a dramatic pose, Scootaloo held the controller high above her head as she reared up on her hind legs putting her free hoof on her hip as she puffed out her little chest with as much gusto as she could muster.

“...So uh, now what do we do?”

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom couldn’t help but smack their hooves across their face. Hard.





Thankfully, figuring out the controller was a fairly easy task for the crusaders, given that nothing exploded or burnt itself in the process, though Scootaloo very nearly yanked out an analog stick in frustration at some point.

Making sure to distance their friend from the controller, a little tinkering from Sweetie Belle and a smidgen of guesswork from Apple Bloom quickly saw the crusaders successfully getting the controller up and running- not a hard task to do either, since it soon dawned on the two that perhaps pressing the large button in the center was most likely the answer to their problems.

Controller in hand, the Crusaders turned their attention to the screen, their eyes riveted to a large, floating square in the middle of the screen that seemed to house a much larger version of the game box’s art.

“So now whadda we do?” Asked Apple Bloom, scratching her strawberry mane in confusion.

“Hmmmm,” mused Sweetie Belle, “Well it says right here to “Press the ‘A’ Button to play game... but where’s the ‘A’ button?”

“Ah don’t see no ‘A’ button on this here thingamajigger,” replied Apple Bloom, scrunching her eyes in concentration as she scanned Twilight’s console for any sign of an ‘A’ button.

“Uh, girls...” said Scootaloo, motioning to the controller in hoof, “there’s an ‘A’ button right here?”

Staring at Scootaloo for a few seconds, the two fillies could only hang their heads slightly as they gave their orange-maned friend a look of slight embarrassment.

“...Oh.”

Jamming her hoof down on the ‘A’ button, Scootaloo gazed in excitement as the screen gradually faded to black, her friends soon joining her as they riveted their eyes to the screen, eyes sparkling as they gazed up in wonder at the now-pitch-black screen.

After a few short seconds of silence, a single image slowly faded into existence, steadily emerging from the background.

Tinted gold with clear blue-and-white outlines, the word “COLTCOM” grew brighter and brighter against the pitch-black screen. Rumbling forth from Twilight’s speakers, a loud, high-pitched voice heralded its arrival with a resounding proclamation.

“COLTCOM PRESENTS...”

Fading off back into the darkness, the Coltcom logo soon made way for a solid red rectangle that emerged from the dark background, growing brighter and brighter by the second. Soon enough, a single, bold word, tinted purest white, could be made out as it came into view against the piercing-red shape.

“MAREVEL COMICS.”






As the final scene snapped to black, the three fillies could only sit in muted amazement, staring slack-jawed into the screen with wonder. Their eyes, now the size of saucers, literally sparkled with admiration and awe as the Crusaders struggled to snap themselves back to reality.. 

“That...”

“Was...”

“AWEEEEEESOME!” Came the sharp cry of the three fillies, their voices barely able to restrain the bubbling excitement now pumping through their veins.

“Did’ja see Iron Colt’s moves?! He was all wooooooosh- then zap, bam, pew! Ah thought he was gonna lose to that vampire-mare-lady-thing fer a second there, but nopony one-ups the amazing Iron Colt!”

“Yeah!” Interjected Sweetie Belle. “Did you guys see how they made the entire thing? It was like reading a comic book, but without even needing to turn a single page! And forget IRON COLT, what was that guy THINKING, going up against Hulk with a HANDGUN?”

“Ooh, ooh! Don’t forget the end, when Wolverine and that other karate... fighter pony had that epic showdown right on top of those huge Manehatten skyscrapers! I’ve never seen anypony give Wolvie a run for his money like he did!”

“But that wasn’t nothin’ compared to tha big surprise, Scootaloo!” Said Apple Bloom, the strawberry-maned filly now almost jittery with anticipation. “Ah’m not really big on Doctor Strangehoof, but slap me silly if ah didn’t just see the Dread Dormammu right then and there! He’s gotta be the big villain or somethin’!”

“Well,” interrupted Sweetie Belle, causing both the yellow earth pony and orange pegasus to turn their heads, “no point just standing around there guessing, right?”

Gesturing to the screen where the words “press any button to continue” flashed underneath a larger version of the game’s logo, the little unicorn filly picked up the controller and promptly pressed the ‘A’ button. 

As if on cue, the three fillies were once again greeted by yet another voice echoing forth from Twilight’s speakers, this one definitely deeper and far more serious than the one they heard before...

“MAREVEL VERSUS COLTCOM THREE: FATE OF TWO WORLDS.”

Immediately, the screen shifted views to reveal what looked like a small menu of sorts, flanked by an image of the yellow-and-blue clad stallion known as ‘Wolverine’. Reared up on his hind legs, the stallion bore down on the same fighterpony he had been duelling before, claws unsheathed and ready to bring the pain.

Blaring out from the background, playing over Twilight’s basement speakers, was the most upbeat, bass-heavy techno beat that ever graced the three fillies’ ears, and the three crusaders were now literally buzzing with excitement right where they sat.

Looking over the options, Apple Bloom’s eyes immediately fell on the first of the choices, simply titled ‘Offline.’ 

“Ooh! Sweetie Belle! Try that there option; it looks like it could get us straight into the action!”

Looking back at her yellow-coated friend, Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow in concern. “I dunno, Apple Bloom... shouldn’t we like, try something else to get us ready before we go and jump straight into the game itself?”

“Nah!” said Scootaloo, swiping the controller out of her friend’s hooves and mashing the ‘A’ button. “Everypony knows you gotta fall before you can fly! You really should pay more attention in Ms. Cheerilee’s Pegasi Proverbs class, Sweetie Belle.”

“Actually, Scootaloo, I don’t think-”

“Hold on, Sweetie Belle-” interrupted Apple Bloom, “there’s more!”

Indeed, no sooner had Scootaloo hammered down on the ‘A’ button did the scenery once again abruptly shift, the screen seemingly whooshing forward grandly as it revealed another set of options for the crusaders to consider. Meanwhile, framed in the background, a character easily recognizable to the crusaders as ‘Deadpool’ duelled with a smug, silver-maned stallion clad in a stylish red leather trenchcoat.

“Arcade... Versus... Training.... wuh?” Was all Scootaloo could manage, left eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Training sounds like a great, safe idea, don’t you think?” Piped up Sweetie Belle.

“C’mon, Sweetie Belle...” said Apple Bloom, “who knows when Twilight an’ Spike’ll pop in on us!”

“Well...” mumbled Sweetie Belle in response, “I guess that’s kinda true...”

Quickly darting forward to snatch the controller out of Scootaloo’s hooves, Apple Bloom quickly jammed down on the ‘A’ button once again.

“Hey!” Yelled the orange pegasus. “I was using that!”

“Y’should’ve thought of that before ya decided to forget what was in the manual!” Teased Apple Bloom, sticking out her tongue at her orange-coated friend.

“Why you-” was all Scootaloo could manage, right before the very same voice from mere moments before thundered once more throughout the basement, as the music ramped up to become somehow even more upbeat and techno-heavy.

“WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF MAREVEL VS. COLTCOM 3! THE GREATEST SUPERHEROES ARE ALL HERE! LAY CLAIM TO YOUR GLORIOUS VICTORY!”

The selection screen was now gone, replaced instead by a futuristic-looking grid flanked on both sides by lone, three-dimensional rectangles, the words “MAREVEL VS. COLTCOM 3: Fate of Two Worlds” clearly etched into the sides. 

Positioned directly below the grid, large, bold letters clearly spelt out the words “HERO SELECT” as similar, equally imposing words spelt out “TIME: ∞” right above the grid’s very top, overlooking numerous portraits of various characters framed within .

“Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...” was all the three awestruck fillies could manage.

“That’s a...” Sweetie Bell stammered. “That’s a lot of characters...”

“I’m up first!!!” Scootaloo proclaimed suddenly as she took advantage of the momentary lull to snatch the controller right out of Apple Bloom’s hooves, much to her friend’s chagrin.

“Hey, give that back!” The red-maned little filly protested as she reached for it, but Scootaloo quickly jerked it out of reach, sticking her tongue out at Apple Bloom in a retort before focusing back on the screen.

“All right, let’s see who we have here... Oh geez, who the hay are these guys?” The pegasus filly scratched at her head confusedly as she realized her cursor was going over mostly Coltcom characters - she recognized only a few from Marevel, but now only unfamiliar names graced her vision, even as she jammed the analog stick in different directions.

“C. Hydra”, a crimson-maned mare clad in a crisp business suit and orange-tinted glasses; “Zero”, a robotic-looking pony encased in red armor with a wild mane that was as long as it was blonde; “Chris”, a musclebound stallion wearing olive military fatigues and armed to the teeth... and who was this “Wesker” fellow in the shades and decked out in nothing but black? 

Black trenchcoat, black shades, everything about him was black... except for his albino-white coat and neatly-slicked, platinum-blonde mane.

“I don’t know any of these guys!” Scootaloo finally gave up in exasperation as she threw up her hooves and handed the controller out, realizing she was getting nowhere fast. “Somepony else pick a character!”

“Told ya you should’ve let me have it first!” Apple Bloom said with an air of satisfaction as she took the controller back from the impulsive pegasus, before spinning her selector through the massive list of superheroes on her own, trying to find one that called out to her in particular.

“Hmm... Spencer... Spider-Pony... X-23... Felicia... Ooh, this ‘Ryu’ pony looks pretty interesting! He actually gave Wolvie a run for his money!”

Glancing over the character select grid another time, Apple Bloom’s furrowed her eyebrows in concentration, slowly thumbing the analog sticks as she steadily switched between characters, an occasional “hmmm” escaping from the young filly’s lips as she stared long and hard at the screen.

“...Ah’ve got it!” Proclaimed the little filly in a burst of inspiration. “I’ll use this here ‘Ryu’ pony, Captain Equestria just ‘cause he’s awesome... and round it off with Spider-Pony here!”

“Awww c’mon,” moaned Scootaloo. “Not a single X-Pony? That’s just bad taste.”

“The Avengers would swing rings ‘round the X-Ponies!” Retorted Apple Bloom, “‘sides, it’s mah team, and ah’m gonna decide who’s on it!”

Moving her analog stick over to the pony called ‘Ryu,’ Apple Bloom tapped her hoof down on the ‘A’ button and locked in her choice, his portrait giving a brief flash as the stoic, steely-eyed fighter-pony took up his position on Apple Bloom’s side of the screen, accompanied by another, smaller menu.

“Assists...?” Mouthed Apple Bloom, flipping her way through the menu as she looked over the choices within. “Shor... yuken? Hado... ken? What’s with all them fancy-shmancy names? What’s even one of these here “assists” again anyway!”

“Oh, oh!” said Sweetie Belle, hoof raised high in the air as though answering a classroom question. “I remember! The manual said they were moves your teammates used to help out your character! I guess you’ve gotta pick one to go on.”

“Oh yeaaaaah,” drawled the strawberry-maned filly, remembering the manual’s words now. “Guess ah’ll go with this here “Hadoken” thingy; it sounds mighty awesome if ya ask me!”

Eager to fill the next two spots on her team, Apple Bloom quickly selected Spider-Pony and Captain Equestria mere moments later, giving them both the “Shield Slash” and “Web-Ball” assists respectively.

As Spider-Pony took his place as Apple Bloom’s final fighter, the scene shifted once more to another menu of sorts, this time with only four options.

“Difficulty level, eh?” smirked Scootaloo. “Let’s crank this baby up a notch!”

Darting over to Apple Bloom, the orange pegasus stealthily flipped the analog stick to the side, cracking a small, devilish grin as she silently tapped the ‘A’ button the moment she saw the simple, unassuming ‘Normal’ setting make way for the far more ominous “Hard.”

“Hey!” Yelled Apple Bloom, “I was gonna play on normal!”

“You snooze you lose!” Triumphantly declared Scootaloo, turning her attention back to the game. “C’mon now, the fight’s starting!”

Shooting her orange-coated friend a sour look, Apple Bloom whipped her eyes back to the screen and narrowed them in concentration, faint silhouettes taking their place opposite her own three fighters as the announcer’s voice once more echoed forth.

“LET YOUR HOOVES DO THE TALKING!”

As the silhouettes faded into existence, Apple Bloom’s eyes widened as she beheld her very first opponents.

At the very forefront of the screen, facing down the stoic Ryu, a stallion that was all-too-familiar to the young comic buffs levitated himself in mid-air. Clad in a skintight red costume with a long purple cape flowing down his back, an intimidating crimson metal helmet encased his head as a look of sheer indignation streaked his features.

Apple Bloom felt as if she would pass out from fear as she realized just who she was looking at. “Celestia above...it’s MAGNETO!” She managed to stammer, her voice tight with sheer terror.

Taking up position behind the Master of Magnetism, a heavily-armored stallion with an elaborate green cape and unfeeling, metallic mask stepped forth from the shadows, rearing up on his hind legs to cross his two front hooves in a look of complete and utter superiority as he threw a light, sneering laugh at the legendary hero, Captain Equestria. 

“D-D-DOCTOR DOOM!” Squeaked Sweetie Belle, rushing to hide behind Scootaloo at the sight of the Fantastic Four’s armored nemesis.

Emerging as the last linchpin in the opposing team, another pony, only this time far more imposing, emerged from the inky black silhouette, revealing a massive body encased in a metallic suit, visage enshrouded completely in flames; his... its immolated countenance consisting of nothing but the outline of a pony’s bare skull.

“T-T-The DREAD DORMAMMU!!” Stuttered an absolutely terrified Scootaloo as she cringed backwards in fear, her face rapidly paling as she realized that her team was up against the three most dastardly villains Equestria had ever known - AT THE SAME TIME!

“Darn it Apple Bloom, I told you we should’ve picked an X-Pony! Magneto’s gonna tear us to shreds!” Scootaloo babbled, gesturing towards the television at the now-paused screen.

“A fat lotta good they’ll do ‘gainst DORMAMMU!” The red-maned filly retorted, fear tingeing her voice. “Nopony ever gone up ‘gainst tha Dread Wun tha’ didn’t come out with tha stuffin’ beat outta ‘em!”

“Which is why you picked Captain Equestria to go up against him, right?” Scootaloo’s voice was thick with sarcasm. 

“HEY! Nopony ever beaten Capn’ Equestria before! Not even Doctor Doom!”

“You think Captain Equestria can stop the Dread One? He couldn’t stop a sniper round, what makes you think he can face an extradimensional sorcerer!?!”

Apple Bloom froze, then her face twisted into a glare. “WHAT did you jest say?”

Scootaloo crossed her arms. “Civil War, remember? A hunk of lead was able to bring down Captain Equestria, what makes you think Dormammu will have a harder ti-urkk!”

In a display of uncharacteristic rage, Apple Bloom had tackled Scootaloo forward, sending both fillies tumbling to the ground. Scootaloo lay on her back, eyes wide with shock as she stared up at her friend.

“NOPONY TALKS ‘BOUT THE CAP’N LIKE THAT!”  Applebloom cried.

“ENOUGH!”

The two fillies on the ground looked up at their friend, stunned. Sweetie Belle was glaring down at them both as a mother would a pair of overly rambunctious children. Apple Bloom stepped off of Scootaloo, who climbed to her feet as well.

“S-sorry ‘bout that, Scoots.” Applebloom said quietly. “Ah don’t know what come over me back there...”

“S-sure...no problem.” Scootaloo gasped, still staring at Sweetie Belle. The unicorn was shaking her head, looking completely and unabashedly disappointed. 

“Shame on you.” She said, glaring back and forth between the two. “Both of you! We’ve been given an opportunity to get our cutie marks that will never come again, and you want to waste it cowering and fighting like spoiled children?!”

“We...we are children, Sweetie-mmph!” Scootaloo found Applebloom’s hoof slapped over her mouth.

“Shush, she’s on a roll!” Applebloom hissed.

It was doubtful Sweetie had even heard her friends, so wrapped up she was in her little speech. “You call yourselves Crusaders?” She proclaimed, loud enough for everypony to hear. “We made a promise to each other to try everything to get our cutie marks! A challenge like this, facing down three of the vilest villains that Marevel has ever known is SURE to get us our marks!

As her friends hung their heads in shame, Sweetie Belle continued on. 

“I know they’re really dangerous and scary! But you’re too scared to even try?! The Cutie Mark Crusaders are never scared! We never back down from a challenge, no matter how dangerous!”

Sweetie Belle had faced the screen, squaring her shoulders and puffing out her little chest in defiance of the wicked entities that awaited her just beyond. “...But if you two are too chicken...I’LL fight them myself!”

Grabbing the controller in her hooves, Sweetie Belle fixed the TV with a steely glare.

“Sweetie Belle, DON’T!” Scootaloo shouted. “You’ll get pulped by these guys!”

“Ya can’t win this one, Sweetie! Y’all gotta know when to fold ‘em!” yelled Applebloom.

Sweetie Belle took a deep breath. “I know I may not come out of this one... but if I fail here... I want to have failed as a Cutie Mark Crusader. I want to have failed knowing I FOUGHT for my cutie mark!” She turned to face the other Crusaders, failing to hide a trembling lip.

“Applebloom... Scootaloo... I may not come out of this one. If I don’t, I want you to know... you were the best friends I ever had.” She whispered dramatically.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Oh brother...” she muttered. It seemed that Rarity’s histrionics were beginning to rub off on her younger sister.

Thankfully, Sweetie Belle didn’t notice, turning back to the screen, grim resolve on her face.

“Alright, you dastardly fiends! Feel the wrath of Sweetie Belle: CUTIE MARK CRUSADER DEFENDER OF JUSTICE! YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!”




“No, Sweetie Belle, watch out for his-” yelled Apple Bloom over the din of Twilight’s speakers as she tried to warn her friend of the incoming danger.

For what seemed to be the umpteenth time since the mere 99-second game had started, Sweetie Belle found her character careening towards the air as an enormous beam of crackling, purple energy slammed into Captain Equestria.

Already over the course of a mere 20 seconds, despite the valiant fight that Sweetie Belle had put up, she had already lost two out of her three teammates: Ryu falling to Dormammu’s barrage of infernal magic shortly after Spider-Pony had been knocked out of commission by the merciless might of Doctor Doom.

“No! It’s alright! I’ve still got-”

Abruptly, a ring of light surrounded Sweetie Belle’s opponent as Magneto raised his hooves, darkening the entire screen save for the image of the crimson-clad stallion... soon, the image of Magneto himself took up the entire screen as he raised his right hoof in the air, menacing purple lightning crackling across its surface.

“MAGNETIC...” The supervillain began to proclaim in his grand, regal voice, and Sweetie Belle paled, shaking her head vigorously.

“Oh no, no, no, NO, NO! NOOOO!!!”

“SHOCKWAVE!!!”

Slamming his hoof into the ground, titanic columns of brilliant purple energy burst forth, thundering towards the hapless Captain Equestria with terrifying speed as the costumed avenger was sent hurtling the entire length of the screen, the brutal onslaught giving no quarter whatsoever.

“Oooh...” winced Scootaloo, “at least it can’t get any worse-”

Almost as if on Scootaloo’s cue, the Master of Magnetism leapt off-screen to make way for the arrival of the sinister, armored form of none other than Doctor Doom himself, the ruthless dictator’s robotic voice thundering through the entire basement. 

“THIS CHARADE IS OVER!” 

Rearing up on his hind legs, the Doctor crossed his front hooves across his chest, his armored limbs now sparking with brilliant, arcing bolts of blazing yellow energy as he prepared to bring down the hammer upon his hapless quarry’s head.

“MU-HA-HA-HAAAAAAAA!”

Bursting forth from his hooves, blinding pulses of searing yellow energy collided with the still-hapless form of the valiant Captain Equestria, the hero still, somehow, miraculously alive even in the face of all this punishment.

“It’s alright, guys!” Defiantly proclaimed Sweetie Belle, still confident she could somehow save the day. “The Captain’s still in this, which means we’ve still got a shot!”

In a once-in-a-lifetime moment, almost quite like the very fates pit themselves against Sweetie Belle, Doctor Doom leapt off screen only to make way for the Dread Dormammu himself, clearly here to finish the job his compatriots had started, his voice carrying with it an air of grim finality as he pronounced the final word.

“BURN TO CINDERS...”

Rearing up on his own two hind legs, much like Doctor Doom before him, the infernal lord of the Dark Dimension extended his two front legs forward as he summoned massive plumes of flame into his outstretched hooves, concentrating them into a tightly packed sphere of roiling fire that almost resembled a miniature sun.

“CHAOTIC FLAME!”

Clapping his hooves together, the malevolent Pony of the Dark Dimension collapsed the roiling orb of flame in on itself, sending forth a massive, merciless conflagration of bright-orange fire that consumed Captain Equestria whole, utterly devastating the Equestrian hero as he finally crumpled in defeat, the valiant stallion’s pained cry of loss echoing throughout the room.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

As the last member of Sweetie Belle’s once three-pony team crashed to the floor in defeat, time itself seemed to slow as the Captain spiralled to the floor, remnants of the inferno still licking at his costume as faint, orange-red flames danced across his now comatose form.

“YOU LOSE!” Came the resounding proclamation from the announcer, bursting forth from the speakers as the final verdict came to pass.

Now standing triumphant over his defeated foe, the malevolent, flaming visage of the Pony of the Dark Dimension began to twist in mad glee, a bone-chilling laugh issuing forth from his mouth as he summoned a miniature replica of Equestria into an outstretched hoof, crushing it with ease.

 “THIS PLANET IS MINE, AND NOW IT WILL DIE!”

Sweetie Belle’s hooves had gone slack, the controller hanging limp. The little filly’s expression was one of utter defeat and disappointment, as she glumly handed the controller back to Apple Bloom, her head hung low.

“I have failed Equestria, my fellow Crusaders... I am not worthy.” Sweetie Belle muttered despondently.

“Aww, don’t be like that, Sweetie Belle! Ya didja best!” The Apple family’s youngest patted her friend’s shoulder encouragingly as she relieved the white filly of the burden of the controller. “Ya put up a great fight even the Avengers would’a been proud of!’

“Yeah! Try again, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo piped up, eager to throw in her own two bits. “You were using Apple Bloom’s team after all, you should try using your own!”

Her little statement earned her a scathing glare from Apple Bloom, but it went unnoticed as Sweetie Belle perked up, her spirits rising in thanks to her friends’ encouragement.

“You know what, you’re right!” Rarity’s younger sister proclaimed proudly as she hit the start button right before the countdown timer for Game Over could begin to move, and the screen started to flutter backwards like pages being rapidly turned, until they were faced with the character selection screen again, the massive grid of character portraits facing them and awaiting their selection.

“I’m going to form my own team, and beat Magneto, and Doctor Doom, and Dormammu, all by myself!”

Quickly thumbing her way through the selection grid, Sweetie Belle’s eyes came to rest on the portrait of a grinning, almost feline sort of pony, her mane tinged cyan blue with streaks of white as unmistakeably diminutive cat ears protruded from within her mane.

“Ooh! How about this pony over here, guys?” squeaked Sweetie Belle, excitement in her voice. “She really looks different from the standard old heroes we see every day... could be just the pony I’m looking for to switch things up a little!”

Looking apprehensively at one another, then turning to their friend, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo tried desperately to hide the skepticism in their voice.

“Well...” drawled Apple Bloom, carefully weighing her words before saying something she might end up regretting, “I’m sure she’s definitely not like any of them other characters 

“Y-Yeah!” piped up Scootaloo, “Definitely... unique.”

“It’s settled, then!” Proclaimed Sweetie Belle, grinning in the face of the monumental odds before her, “I’m gonna make this team the best bunch of superheroes that Equestria’s ever gonna see!”





“Sweeite Belle! Don’t call in your second-”

Despite her two friends protesting in unison, their words seemed only to fall on deaf ears as Sweeite Belle proceeded to jam her hoof down on the left bumper button for what must have been the umpteenth time since the start of her match. Truth be told, she WAS doing better than she had before: she had managed to hold her own against Magneto and Doom this time, putting a sizable dent in each of their health bars. Her fighting style just seemed a little...awkward this time around.

In response to the pressed button, a diminutive pony piloting a massive, green robot adorned with a massive skull’s emblem appeared on-screen to spew forth a small gout of flame from a well-concealed compartment, valiantly assisting the rather strange feline-pony crossbreed that Sweetie Belle currently controlled.

In spite of her valiant attempts at resistance, the massive, hulking form of the Pony of the Dark Dimension merely laughed in her face as he calmly held out a single hoof, calling forth a massive shield of living flame to dissipate the meagre assault.

Clasping his hooves together, the infernal visage of the dimensional conqueror twisted into a sadistic, bone chilling smile that heralded his response to the pitiful ponies who dared raise even a single hoof against his might.

The very second Dormammu’s hooves collided, the very fabric of existence itself seemed to come apart as a massive, gaping rift came into being right before the infernal pony’s towering form, the dark magics at work ensnaring both of Sweetie Belle’s hapless team members as the malevolent Pony of the Dark Dimension once more prepared to incinerate all those before him.

“BURN TO CINDERS...”

“Stop me,” cringed Apple Bloom, unable to watch her friend get brutally crushed underhoof by one of the most vile entities to ever live. “Ah can’t watch this.”

“CHAOTIC FLAME!”

The same roaring inferno that claimed Captain Equestria mere moments before spewed forth yet again, utterly engulfing both ponies on screen.

Slowly, but surely, the massive conflagration of flame forced both ponies backwards as the searing heat consumed whatever fight they had left, eventually sending them crashing to the ground with a shrill cry of utter defeat.

“YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

“... WHAT WAS THAT!?” Sweetie Belle nearly shouted as her eyes bugged out and her jaw flopped open, while her brain still struggled to process the fact that she had simultaneously lost two of her team members in the blink of an eye.

“Focus, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo urgently reminded her, and the unicorn filly shook her head, quickly refocusing on the fight. It was still all right, she could still turn this around - she still had one remaining team member left...!

As Sweetie Belle steadied herself, the last mare of her team, a svelte, almost lithe pegasus with oddly-shaped, almost bat-like wings leapt onto the field, blowing the Dread Dormammu a playful kiss as she beckoned the maleficent pony to face her.

“Get him, Morrigan!” Sweetie Belle yelled as she mashed her hoof on the forward button, sending the succubus pony dashing forward to close the distance... 

… right in time to meet Dormammu’s flaming hoof, as the Lord of the Dark Dimension viciously countered her assault before it had even begun. An unrelenting barrage of attacks slammed right into Morrigan, knocking her off-balance as Dormammu mercilessly brought the pain, the combo chopping off at least half of her life bar before finally stopping.

“Careful, Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom cried out in concern as Dormammu began advancing again, but the white filly quickly had Morrigan jumping backwards, quickly backing away from the approaching Dread One.

“Relax, Apple Bloom, I’ve got thi-”

“MAGNETO!” Boomed the thunderous voice of the dimension-conquering pony as he stepped off screen, the grand, regal figure of the Master of Magnetism taking his place with a lightning-fast kick to the side of the succubus-pony’s face as he sent her spiraling backwards, right to the very end of the arena.

Quickly reassuming his usual, refined posture, the helmeted form of the X-Ponies’ greatest nemesis slowly levitated off the ground; a powerful magnetic field silently pulsating underneath his hooves with a steady ‘thrum.’ Wounded he may have been, Magneto’s skill hadn’t wavered one bit; in fact, he seemed to be putting up even more of a fight.

“Sweetie!” yelled Apple Bloom, gesturing to Magneto’s diminished health bar, “He’s injured! You’ve got him now!”

Her face screwed up in concentration, Sweetie Belle gave her analog stick a quick press upwards as she commanded her last and final fighter to leap in for an attack on the seemingly hapless Master of Magnetism.

In that very moment, time itself seemed to freeze as the smug, sneering visage of the supervillain slowly turned upwards, brilliant purple-white energy coursing over his body in miniature arcs of lightning as orbs of energy began to form in his hooves.

“HYPER GRAV!”

Waving his hooves forward, the orbs of energy immediately darted towards Morrigan and wrenched her from mid-air, shackling themselves around her limbs as they dragged her, helpless, before the Master of Magnetism.

As her two friends winced, Sweetie Belle began twisting the controller’s analog sticks in a maddened fury to free her character from the clutches of the sparking orbs of energy that kept her at the supervillain’s mercy.

Try as she might, the pulsing orbs of energy anchored Sweetie Belle’s character in place as the Master of Magnetism reared up on his hind legs, making a grand, sweeping gesture with his front hooves as they crackled with dark, purple energy.

“GRAVITY SQUEEZE!”

Clasping his hooves together, the helmeted supervillain forcefully wrenched the hapless Morrigan from her bonds, encasing her in a massive, pulsing sphere of inky-purple energy as massive, arcing bolts of brilliant purple lightning darted about the sphere.

Holding his right hoof forward, the Master of Magnetism cackled gleefully as he called forth his immense powers to bind the hapless Morrigan within a massive metallic prison, his hooves now violently ablaze with blinding purple energy that arced gracefully around his mane and tail.

All that remained was the final, crushing verdict.

“YOU ARE DEFEATED!”

Stamping his hoof on the ground, the sphere immediately imploded on itself, sending massive shockwaves of magnetic force out in every direction as both arcs of deadly purple lightning and razor-sharp metal shards scattered outwards, claiming the last member of Sweetie Belle’s team as the sultry succubus-pony crashed to the ground in complete, utter defeat.

“NOT AGAIN!” Yelled Sweetie Belle, stamping her free hoof on the ground in utter frustration. “There’s no way we can beat them all! There’s no way just one crusader’s gonna stand a chance against the three deadliest villains Equestria’s ever known!”

“Ya did better, though.” Applebloom said comfortingly. “Ya almost had Magneto and Doom, and it was really jest bad timin’ ya lost that Felicia and Tron.”

Sweetie Belle stared dejectedly at the screen for a moment before she sighed heavily, and passed the controller to Scootaloo.

“Your turn, Scootaloo.” She muttered. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this game.”

Gingerly extending a hoof to take the controller from Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo’s eyes immediately lit up with the characteristic twinkle of an idea.

“...Wait a second, Sweetie Belle... you said there’s no way one lone crusader could possibly beat these guys, right?”

“Well... yeah, but I don’t see what that’s got to do with anything-”

“So why don’t we fight ‘em together, Cutie Mark Crusader style!” Declared the orange pegasus, flaring out her wings proudly.

“...That’s a great idea and all, Scootaloo,” interjected Apple Bloom, “but only one pony can play this here game at once.”

“No, you don’t get it, Apple Bloom,” said Scootaloo, shaking her head. “What I’m saying is why bother letting one pony play as all three characters... when each of us can play as one!” 

Dumbstruck at Scootaloo’s suggestion, Applebloom merely gazed blankly at her friend. Slowly, but surely, a look of comprehension began to dawn across Apple Bloom’s face as she realized that... was actually a really good idea! 

“That... that’s actually an awesome idea, Scootaloo! We could be the Cutie Mark Crusader superhero team!”

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER SUPERHERO TEAM, YEAAAAH!!!” The three fillies leapt into the air, smacking their hooves together in a high-hoof, their expressions already growing joyous as they realized that perhaps, just maybe, they could finally get a shot at getting their cutie marks right here.

Quickly turning their attention back to the character select grid, the three fillies gathered in a tight huddle about the screen, eagerly discussing the battle strategy that maybe, just maybe... would finally earn them the coveted prize they had always longed for... their very own cutie marks.

“So who should ah pick? Maybe I should give Capn’ Equestria another shot, seeing as how I-”

“Nah, bad choice. Dormammu wiped the floor with him that time. Sweetie Belle actually did much better with that... Ryu guy, so maybe you should give him a shot.”

“... Ah guess it couldn’t hurt ta try somethin’ new... but what about yerself, Sweetie Belle? Decided on a character yet?”

“I’m going to use that Felicia! She’s the only reason I even managed to put up a fair fight against Magneto of all ponies!”

“What ‘bout you, Scootaloo? Who’re ya gonna use fer this here fight?”

Furrowing her eyebrows in contemplation, the orange pegasus filly sent her selection cursor flitting about the giant grid of character portraits, trying to find one that suited her tastes... and after several moments, came to rest on a silver-maned stallion, clad in a stylish leather trenchcoat that just screamed “cool” - just the kind of pony she liked, the pony most like Rainbow Dash!

“I’m gonna use this fellow right here!” Scootaloo exclaimed proudly as she selected the stallion named ‘Dante.’

“All right!” whooped Apple Bloom, punching her hoof into the air, “Let’s hit it, kick it, save Equestria and earn ourselves our cutie marks! Everypony with me!?”

“YEAH!” replied both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, raising their own hooves into the air for a Crusader-style high-hoof.

As the three fillies locked in their selections with a slightly trembling hoof, the grid disappeared once more, making way for the imposing forms of the three iconic supervillains, ready to yet again strike down all those who dared oppose their will. 

Booming through the speakers, the announcer’s ever-thunderous voice shook the entire room as he prepared to pronounce the start of the match.

“WHO WILL COME OUT ON TOP?”

Shifting to an arena that stood high over the towering skyline of Manehatten, throngs upon throngs of rabid reporter-ponies scrambled across a precariously thin walkway that spanned two monolithic skyscrapers, eager to see good and evil clash in a battle to end all others.

Taking his position at the very front of the Crusaders’ three-pony team, the stylish, silver-maned stallion known only as ‘Dante’ seemed utterly uninterested in all the attention he was getting. Rather, he seemed to be... utterly bored as he turned to slowly face his opponents, a sly, smug grin plastered across his face.

“So, you gonna fight or what?”

Levitating down to match his opponent, the Master of Magnetism descended in a shield of shimmering purple, lightly waving both his hooves to quickly dispel his crackling forcefield as he lowered his steely gaze to face the overconfident stallion before him.

“Learn now, why they call me the Master of Magnetism!”

With a final, parting phrase, the announcer’s voice thundered through the speakers, signaling both fighters that it was time for the battle to begin.

“GET READY TO BRAWL... FIGHT!”

As the announcer’s final word faded off into the distance, Scootaloo immediately leapt into action, thumbing her analog stick upwards as she sent Dante flying straight for the helmeted villain.

Mashing the ‘A’ button, Dante withdrew an enormous sword from his back, positioning it overhead as he bore down on Magneto with his full weight, a blood red streak encasing the blade as it careened towards the villain’s seemingly helpless head.

“FORCEFIELD!”

Calling forth his shield, the Master of Magnetism stopped Scootaloo’s attack in mid air, slamming his hoof into the ground as an enormous pillar of electromagnetic energy burst forth, sending Dante spiraling headfirst into the air.

“Scootaloo!” yelled both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom simultaneously, worried for their best friend.

“It’s not over yet!” Yelled a defiant Scootaloo, mashing the ‘A’ button again to send Dante into yet another downward smash, praying that this time, her attack would actually connect.

To her surprise, and to both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle’s glee, the attack actually collided with the side of the villainous pony’s helmet, sending the stallion crashing to the floor as Scootaloo stared, temporarily shell-shocked by what she had just done.

“Scootaloo!” yelled Apple Bloom, snapping her friend out of the daze she had just sent herself into. “Press something... anything!”

“Oh! Uh... Right!” Snapping herself out of her trance, Scootaloo quickly mashed the ‘B’ button on sight, hoping she didn’t just blow her one big chance at putting down the Master of Magnetism.

In response, the silver-maned stallion stood up on his hind legs and pulled out two enormous pistols, firing downwards to blast the X-Ponies’ arch-nemesis right off the ground.

“I’ve got you now!” 

Now praying for the best, Scootaloo mashed down on the ‘B’ button again, breathing a heavy sigh of relief as Dante whipped out his sword yet again, this time spinning it in a blinding-fast flurry to send the already-dazed Master of Magnetism flying straight through the air.

“Scootaloo, jump! JUMP!” came the shrill yell of her two friends, gesturing madly at the screen and literally screaming for the orange pegasus not to let this golden opportunity slip out from under her hooves.

“Relax guys, I got this, I got this!” shot back Scootaloo as she angled her analog stick upwards, sending Dante leaping into the air right on the hooves of the supervillain.

Truth be told, Scootaloo actually had no idea what she was doing; she was simply hitting buttons willy-nilly and hoping... no, praying that she didn’t mess something up big-time.

Quickly jamming her hoofs on the ‘X’ and ‘Y’ buttons, Scootaloo commandeered Dante to make two fast, sweeping cuts with his enormous sword, further staggering the Master of Magnetism as he tumbled, helpless, through the air.

Sweat now poring down the orange pegasus’s brow, she quickly began twisting her analog stick in a frenzied flurry as she mashed the ‘B’ button yet again, silently hoping to Celestia she didn’t just make a royal doozy of a mistake.

Instead, Dante procured two dual-hooved swords out of nowhere, grasping them firmly in his hooves as he spun them wildly around his body, creating a massive wheel of flame that dragged both himself and the white-maned Master of Magnetism downwards, careening towards the floor at breakneck speed.

As his hooves touched the ground, the inferno of flame sent Magneto reeling backwards while Dante landed gracefully on his hind legs, quickly brandishing two guns from within his coat as the screen slowly darkened, this time focusing on the silver-maned stallion’s face as he spun his weapons forward, bringing them to bear on the battered supervillain’s form.

“Keepin’ it stylish! Yahoo!”

Scootaloo could only watch in muted wonder, an awestruck smile on her face as her on-screen character proceeded to unleash a barrage of blazing bullets upon the supervillain, decimating his health bar as the stylish red-cloaked stallion spun madly, whirling the guns around his body in a fluid, graceful dance that left the three young fillies completely mesmerized.

“Jackpot!” Dante suddenly stated as he spun around on his hind legs, right before pointing his two handguns forward again, and unleashing a final, simultaneous blast forward into the still-airborne Magneto, sending the supervillain spinning backwards as they slammed into him like a pair of twin, crashing anvils.

“NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...!!!”

Time slowed down for a second as the once-proud Magneto toppled over backwards into the ground, unconscious, the announcer’s voice booming over the speakers to proclaim his defeat.

“DOWN!”

Scootaloo pumped a hoof in triumph. “YES! I am LOVING this Dante guy!”

“SCOOTS, WATCH IT!”

Applebloom’s warning came too late, though, as Doctor Doom came flying from the right side of the screen, planting a flurry of punches and kicks into Dante. Scootaloo grit her teeth and raised her guard, thankfully fending off most of the assault.

“Sweetie Belle, you take this one!” Yelled the orange pegasus as she held down the left bumper for a second before tossing the controller to her unicorn friend. 

Bowing out of the battlefield, Dante called out the name of his teammate while Sweetie Belle deftly snatched the controller out mid-air, promptly proceeding to wildly mash away at its buttons once the feline-pony hybrid known as Felicia pounced on-screen.

Slamming right into Doctor Doom and sending the archvillain spinning into the air, Felicia took her spot centre stage as Dante leapt off-screen. By some miracle of Celestia, Sweetie Belle’s frantic button presses, as sloppy as they seemed, sent Felicia leaping into a frenzy of action that caught the airborne Doctor in an obscenely lucky string of blows that would have otherwise required a master’s hand.

With the onslaught sending the armored dictator reeling backwards, Sweetie Belle began hammering down on her controller like a pony possessed, twisting sticks left-and-right as she mashed her hoof down on all four buttons.

Almost instantly, the screen darkened to zoom in on Felicia, the hybrid cat-pony now reared up on her hind legs and spun forward at blinding speed, her entire body now enveloped in a blazing white ball that barreled headfirst towards the defenseless Doctor Doom.

Claw met metal in a typhoon of cuts and swipes as the blazing white ball that was Felicia collided with the hapless form of the armored supervillain, a fury of slashes and tears gouging out massive chunks of Doctor Doom’s health bar before finally draining it completely, sending the vile dictator flying backwards with a cry of defeat.

“FAILURE IS BENEATH DOOOOOOOOOOM!”

“DOWN!”

“I...I did it...I DID IT!” Proclaimed an overjoyed Sweetie Belle, overcome with elation at her seemingly impossible victory. “I BEAT DOCTOR DOOM!”

“NOW’S NOT THA’ TIME, SWEETIE BELLE!” Yelled Apple Bloom, trying to get herself heard amidst the raucous whoops and cheers of her best friend, “THERE’S STILL ONE MORE-”

At Apple Bloom’s words, the hulking, armored form of the Pony of the Dark Dimension sent a vicious backhoof to Felicia’s face, sending the cat-pony literally flying out of the screen as the flame-headed conqueror turned his full attention to whatever fighters remained, his visage ablaze with anger at the downfall of his two compatriots.

Leaping on screen to replace the out-of-commission Felicia, the stoic, battle-worn fighterpony Apple Bloom instantly recognized as that ‘Ryu’ character assumed a battle-ready stance against the malevolent mystical pony, ready to pit his hooves against the evil entity’s dark magic.

“TOSS IT HERE, SWEETIE BELLE! I’VE GOT A SCORE TA SETTLE!”

Deftly throwing the controller over to her strawberry-maned friend, Sweetie Belle fixed Apple Bloom with a steely, steadfast gaze, letting her best friend know that even if her fellow crusaders couldn’t be there to help her fight, they’d be there for her in spirit.

Snatching the controller out of mid-air, Apple Bloom proceeded to fix her eyes on the screen before her, muttering a few words to herself as she prepared to engage one of Marevel’s most dastardly villains in a showdown for the ages.

“Alright. Now the manual says the basic combo’s  X., Y, B then A, so that means...”

Tapping her analog stick forward twice, Apple Bloom commanded Ryu to dash forward, getting up close and personal with the Dread Dormammu before he could call forth any of the utterly devastating attacks he had at his vast magical disposal.

With careful timing, Apple Bloom gingerly pressed down on the buttons marked ‘X,’ ‘Y,’ ‘B,’ and sent a flurry of punches and kicks straight into the flaming visage of the Dread Dormammu, knocking him backwards in wide-eyed shock as she prepared one last, final surprise for her foe.

“TAKE THIS!” Declared the little filly in her proudest voice as she twirled her analog stick in a quarter-circle forward motion, simultaneously hitting not one, but two attack buttons together with careful, calculated precision.

Almost on command, the entire screen once again faded to nothing but black as the camera cut straight to a close-up of Ryu, the normally unassuming fighterpony now calling forth a massive ball of brilliant blue roiling energy together in his front hooves, ready to put an end to the fight.

“SHINKUU...”

Bellowing out his final attack, the once calm-looking stallion unleashed an immense, burning column of searing blue energy right at the armored, extra-dimensional pony, pushing him backwards with the sheer, unrivalled force of the blast.

“HADOOOOOOKEEEEEEEEN!”

“YEAH! HYPER COMBO IN YER FACE!” Applebloom whooped. “HOW’D Y’ALL LIKE THAT ONE, DUMB-MAMMU?”
 
Scootaloo stared at Applebloom like she had just grown another head. “Dumb-mammu, Applebloom?” She asked, her expression incredulous.

Applebloom looked away, an embarrassed blush on her face. “Not one of mah better ones, huh...?”

“Look out!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “Dumb-mammu’s still moving!”

Indeed he was. The Pony of the Dark Dimension was already back up, and one of his forehooves was blazing with fiery-red energy as he called out the Power of the Creator.

“Aw, hayseed!” Apple Bloom cursed as she began jamming her analog stick in a quarter-circle forward motion, mashing away at the ‘B’ button as Ryu thrust his forelegs forward multiple times, sending forth several blazing balls of azure energy.

Too slow. Dormammu abruptly called out “Power of the Destructor!” as his other forehoof suddenly became alight with sapphire flames, and before Apple Bloom could even react, the massive metal villain had already leapt over the several Hadokens she had thrown his way, landing right before Ryu and towering over the martial artist, both his forehooves blazing with magical fire.

“Meteor Storm!” 

“APPLEBLOOM, GUAAAAAAAAAARD!!!!” Scootaloo yelled in a panic, but her warning came too late. The miniature swarm of meteors thundered from the sky, slamming into Ryu as the fighter-pony screamed in pain, his life bar dipping to dangerously low levels as Dormammu’s spell finally took its toll on him.

“NO!” Apple Bloom snarled as she began mashing away at all of the controller’s buttons, desperate to do something, anything, if it could just salvage the situation! “Ah ain’t come this far ta lose to a giant hunk’a meta-”

Without even realizing it, her left hoof came down on the controller’s left trigger, and had Apple Bloom known specifically what it did, she would have been thanking Celestia that her team had a Level 3 Hyper Bar ready.

The moment she depressed the left trigger, Dante and Felicia suddenly leapt on-screen, taking positions next to Ryu. Rings of light emanated from all three of them, the screen briefly fading to black before displaying the entire team assembled - Dante already had twirled out both his pistols, pointing them forward, while Felicia had curled up into a pony-sized ball of spinning fur and claws, and Ryu himself had reared up onto his hind legs, planting one of them solidly behind as he wound himself up, ready to unleash a spinning hurricane of death.

Everything seemed to stand still for just a moment, the three fillies staring wide-eyed in wonder at the screen at the assembled team of heroes...

… and then the storm was unleashed.

The legendary Dormammu never had a prayer. A simultaneous barrage of bullets, claw slashes, and a punishing hurricane of kicks slammed into the Pony of the Dark Dimension in an unrelenting assault, decimating what was left of his health bar and sending him careening backwards into the ground with an inarticulate scream.

“Crossover Combination K.O.! YOU WIN!”

Ryu stood triumphant as his allies vanished from the screen, crossing his hooves and looking thoughtfully into the distance.

 “I feel at peace now...”

“WE... WE DID IT!” Came the ear-piercing scream of the three fillies as they punched the air in unison, the sheer euphoria of their victory leading them to start bounding all about the basement, leaping about in joy.

“Didja see what ah did back there!?” Apple Bloom whooped in a heady rush. “That was awesome!”

“I know, right?” Squealed Scootaloo, pressing her front hooves across her cheeks in an odd sort of imitation of her idol’s “awesome” face. “We kicked SO much flank back there!”

“Oh, Oh!” Squeaked Sweetie Belle, “remember when we did that three-on-one attack? Dumb-mammu never stood a chance!”

“Speakin a’ three-on-one...” mused Apple Bloom, pointing a hoof in the air as though she had just remembered something of monumental importance.

Glancing over at her flank, Apple Bloom watched with bated breath as she awaited the emergence of her long-sought prize... the one thing the Cutie Mark Crusaders had always longed, searched, and quested across all of Ponyville: their very own Cutie Marks.

As she waited, waited, and waited some more, a downcast frown slowly creased its way across the little filly’s face as her flank remained, as always, blank.

Turning her head to her two best friends, Apple Bloom’s smile once more turned upwards as she thought that maybe, just maybe, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had gotten theirs; only to be met with equally sombre expressions as the young filly realized that they too, remained blank-flanked.

“Awww... still no Cutie Mark!” Scootaloo groaned in exasperation as she turned to look at the screen, throwing up her front hooves in frustration. “We just beat the three deadliest villains to ever set hoof in Equestria, and we don’t even get a Cutie Mark for it! What’s the point?!”

“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you three fillies earned something far greater than just a Cutie Mark.”

Freezing mid-sentence, the orange filly slowly craned her neck upwards to behold the all-too familiar sight of Twilight Sparkle, standing at the top of the basement’s staircase as she fixed the three fillies with a steady stare, one the three could not quite tell if it was filled with anger, joy, rage or some combination of the above three.

“T-Twilight!” stammered Apple Bloom, “w-when did’ya get back?”

“Oh, about fifteen minutes ago, give or take.” Smiled the lavender unicorn as she began trotting downstairs, Spike in tow.

“We-we didn’t touch anything, Twilight!” Came the timid squeak of Sweetie Belle. “We were just- I mean we were... It was-”

Letting a small giggle slip out the corner of her mouth, Twilight turned to the three, frightened fillies and fixed them with a look of calm, clear compassion.

“It’s all right, girls.” Reassured Twilight, stroking their heads with a single hoof.  “I’m just glad my basement’s not on fire and Princess Celestia’s console is still in one piece.” She shrugged. “I suppose I shouldn’t really be mad at you for using the console: I lost track of time after I promised to be here to supervise you, and I kept you waiting for so long. It would’ve been unfair to expect you not to play. So, I’m sorry.”

“But... but we didn’t get anything out of it, Twilight.” moaned Apple Bloom, “we tried and tried and tried, but we still ain’t got no Cutie Marks to show fer it.”

“Apple Bloom... Sweetie.... Scootaloo, do you want to know something?”

“What?” responded the three fillies in unison, their voices coming together in a chorus that couldn’t help but bring a warm smile to Twilight’s lips.

“I think...  you three have something that’s far, far more important than just a simple Cutie Mark. You three fillies have a very special friendship that’s almost, I dare say... magical.”

“It’s this friendship that makes what you three fillies have more special than any Cutie Mark could ever hope to explain. It’s why you three will never find yourself without a shoulder to lean on, or a mane to cry into, and...” 

Cocking her head over to the console, Twilight gave a sideways glance at the victory screen that still lingered, testament to whatever the three fillies before her were capable of, so long as they had each other.

“...It’s why you three will always, and I mean always, be together.”

“Awww... that was so swee-” was all Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle could finish saying before Scootaloo broke the silence with yet another inappropriately-timed comment.

“Yeah, yeah, any sappier than this and I feel like half my teeth’re gonna fall right outta my mouth! I mean, c’mon, we just beat three of Marevel’s greatest villains at the same time and all we’ve got to show for it are blank flanks?! I’m happy for us an’ all, Twilight, but this is getting us nowhere!”

Taken off guard by Scootaloo’s... ‘outburst,’ Twilight merely raised her left eyebrow and eyed the filly with a look of vague skepticism, only to quickly shake her head and let a short giggle escape her lips.

“Maybe some other time, alright girls? I don’t know if you haven’t noticed, but it’s already getting very dark outside... maybe you’d like to stay here for the night?”

No sooner did Twilight speak those words did a small, impish grin cross Scootaloo’s face, a brief glint of mischief sparkling in her eyes as she quickly put on her best poker face.

“Of course, Twilight! We’d be delighted to.”





“Ya shure this here’s a good idea, Scootaloo? I mean, sneakin’ outta Fluttershy’s house is one thing, but sneakin’ into Twilight’s basement? Ain’t that like breakin’ an’ enterin’?”

Rolling her eyes at Apple Bloom, Scootaloo sighed and began explaining the situation to her friend for what seemed to her, the umpteenth time.

“It’s not breaking and entering if we’re already inside the house! Now shhh! We don’t want to wake Spike or Twilight up.” Scootaloo turned her attention back to the door in front of her, creaking it open as carefully as she could. Her friends held their breath, expecting at any moment a loud creak to bring Twilight or her dragon assistant running to the scene. But by some grace of Celestia, Scootaloo managed to get the door wide enough for the three of them to squeeze downstairs.

“Alright, we’re in.”

The three fillies closed in on their prize: the Xbox 360 sat before them, waiting for them to turn it on and claim their cutie marks.

Scootaloo’s mischievous grin stretched from ear to ear. “Perfect.” She said. “We got the Xbox, its games, and an entire night to try them all! I’m sure ONE of them will net us our marks!”

Applebloom tried to suppress the nervous feeling that was racing down her spine. “If ya say so...”

Scootaloo had run up to the modest pile of games next to the console. “So where do we begin? Aw man, all these games look so cool!”

“Maybe we should give Marevel vs Coltcom another go! We were mighty good at it before, Ah bet we can pull of some sorta challenge that can get us our cutie marks!”

“Ahem...” The two of them looked back to see Sweetie Bell step forward. “Actually, I remember a game that we might be good at.”

Scootaloo gave a strange look. “What’s that?”

“My big sister talked about it. Basically you build a base in order to make troops and send them all over a map to destroy the enemy’s base. She said it was kind of like chess, and she really liked it!” 

Applebloom pulled a face. “Ah stink at chess...” Scootaloo looked more optimistic.

“A game where you’re a military commander, huh? That’s awesome!” Her eyes gazed into the distance: in her mind she could see herself standing resolutely before a crowd of saluting soldiers. A general was pinning medal after medal on her chest to celebrate her accomplishments in the line of duty, and she wore a cutie mark proudly on her flank...

“...aloo...Scootaloo...! HEY!”

The pegasus shook herself back to reality. The soldiers were gone, replaced by her friends, who were giving her funny looks.

“Ya still with us, Scoots?” Applebloom quipped.

Scootaloo turned back to the games, looking them up and down and trying to ignore the heat rising in her face. “Kind of tired...” She muttered. “So what’s this game called, Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie Belle shrugged. “I don’t remember the name, actually. I know it had something to do with WAR...Tyr...Tai...something War.”

“Found it!” Scootaloo held a game proudly aloft. “This what you’re talking about, Sweetie Belle?”

Th unicorn took one look at the cover of the game in front of her and suppressed a chill. “I don’t...think so...”

Scootaloo looked at the game cover. “It’s gotta be: it’s the only game Twilight has with “War” in the title. Besides, this game just looks AWESOME!” She yanked the case open, carefully removed the disk, and replaced the Marevel vs Capcom one as she had seen Twilight do.

Applebloom gazed nervously at the start-up screen. “If ya say so, Scoots.”

“Should we turn the volume down, Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle wondered. “We don’t want to wake Twilight up...”

Scootaloo shrugged, gazing at the metal logo that had just appeared on-screen. “We’re in the basement, she’s upstairs. She’s not gonna hear us.”

______________________________________________________________________________

GRRRNNNG-GRNG-GRNG-GRNG-GRRRRRNNNGG!! GGRRRRAAAAARRRGGGHHHHH!

“YAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!” 

“AAAAAAAAAAAARRRGHHH!!”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”

______________________________________________________________________________

Twilight sat bolt upright in bed with a gasp. It was that sound again...that horrible, gut-turning grinding of metal that had given her nightmares not so long before, followed by three  simultaneous, high-pitched screams of terror.

“GIRLS?!”

Spike had sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Guuh...whuzz goin’ on...” 

“No time, hop on!”

Bolting out of bed, Twilight tossed her number-one assistant up on her back as she galloped down the stairs to her basement at breakneck speed, silently whispering prayers to Celestia that the Cutie Mark Crusaders hadn’t found... that game.

Throwing open the basement’s door with her magic, Twilight frantically galloped down the stairs, her heart hammering in her chest as she prayed that she wouldn’t find what she feared she would...

… only to behold a trio of twitching, traumatized fillies lying before the television, their horrified expressions vacant and blank as their pupils contracted to mere pinpoints.

“So... so much blood...” Apple Bloom muttered weakly as the image of Marcus Fenix stood on the screen, the bayonet of his Lancer assault rifle coated and slick with crimson Locust fluids as he towered over the devastated remains of his latest opponent.

“The horror... the horror!” Sweetie Belle let out a high-pitched moan as she clutched at her head with her hooves, trying to dispel the gore-filled images that had been seared into her brain.

“CANNOT... UNSEE...” A twitching Scootaloo muttered incoherently, the controller laying on the basement floor right before her limp forehooves, her young, innocent mind completely traumatized by sights that nopony could have possibly prepared her for. “TOO MUCH... BLOOD...”

Slamming a forehoof into her forehead in exasperation, Twilight Sparkle moved forward to switch off the Xbox 360, the image darkening to black as she cut the power to the television as well, before moving to collect the three twitching, traumatized fillies from their prone positions on the floor.

“C’mon girls, let’s get you out of here and get you into bed. Sweet Celestia, I’m going to have a hard time explaining this one to Rarity...”





‘knock-knock’

“Cooooming!” came Rarity’s sing-song voice as she gracefully trotted over to the front door of the Carousel Boutique, fresh and re-invigorated after Twilight had so gracefully offered to take the Crusaders off her hooves for one night.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and manifi-”

Instead of a pony with a garment in need, or a show-stopping mare with a craving for gems on her threads, Rarity instead beheld the rather dreadful sight of a panting, exhausted Twilight Sparkle with three shivering fillies slung across her back, each cuddled in a cringing fetal position and attempting to suck on their hooves... to no avail.

“Rarity... I’m so sorry...” The lavender mare whispered, “... I tried my best.”

The immaculately groomed fashionista could only heave a heavy, tired sigh; somehow, she had the feeling it was going to be a very, very long night.

______________________________________________________________________________

Dearest Princess Celestia,

Thank you so much for the game that you have sent. Though I can hardly profess myself to be a comic buff, it was extremely entertaining, and I look forward to seeing the Coltcom characters shine in their own games soon.

Today I did not so much LEARN something about friendship as I was reminded of one of its most important traits: teamwork. As teamwork helped me and my friends defeat Nightmare Moon two years ago, three of your youngest subjects were able to conquer seemingly impossible odds today by working together. By helping your friends and letting them help you, all sorts of feats become possible.

On a different note, I learned that I need to hide any violent/gory games I have well away when fillies come over to play: they can and will get their hooves on them otherwise. The results are NOT pretty. (Actually I may just give my copy of Gears of War to Pinkie Pie when she gets her own console, I know I’m never going to play it again...)

Ever your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle