Hex-It Twilight

by My Little Scribbler

Calamari Conundrum

Twilight held her horn level with Trojan’s chest as she generated her magic. Her horn glowed as she cast her spell, shooting a beam of magic. In a flash of purple light, Trojan disappeared, letting out an energized buzz echoing through the water, only to immediately reappear beside Twilight.
“You’re spells are lacking and your techniques are lame,” said Trojan as he swam back tot he box of bits. “Either you help me or you won’t leave this game.”
“I’m trying, but I just don’t know of a way to change the programing of a glitch.”
Trojan picked up three bits from the box and tossed them to Twilight. The bits disappeared as soon as they touched Twilight with a soft ching sound as it became a part of her.
“Perhaps more bits will increase your magic. Keep at it, or else your fate will be tragic. The arcade will open in only two more hours. Only you can save me with your alicorn powers.”
Twilight gawked at him. “Why are you rhyming?”
“In my quest for a personality, I thought I could become a poet. With this new identity, I could...uh, what rhymes with poet?”
“I don’t know. Listen, I keep telling you there’s no way I can get you out of this game. Why won’t you believe me?”
“Because I have no hope without you. Now get back to work.”
Twilight groaned as she powered up her magic again.

Ralph clung to the side of the submarine, his hair flowing wildly in the current. He gasped and choked as he slowly got used to breathing the water. However, the current was strong, forcing him to hold onto the sides of the sub with all his muscle.
“Hey, slow down!” he shouted. “I’m about to be swept off this sub.”
While inside the sub, Captain Gaff could barely hear Ralph as he operated the rusty steering. He happily sang to himself as he drove the submarine deeper into the murky depths of Sea Bottom’s oceans.
“Um, Captain,” said Felix as he was pressed against the metal walls of the sub by Rainbow’s flank, “I can hear Ralph telling you to slow down.”
“Arh, a big guy like him can take on a little current,” said Captain Gaff. “Besides, we don’t have much time left.”
“Well, are we almost there because I can barely move,” whined Rarity as she was pressed in the back alongside Applejack.
The sub was crammed full of ponies who were all squeezed together like sardines in a can.
“Ow, Rarity, stop stomping on my hooves,” said Applejack.
“I will if you get your tail out of my face,” said Rarity.
“Actually, that’s my tail,” said Rainbow.
“Then whose tail is poking me in the leg?” asked Felix.
“That would be mine,” said Spike. “Are we almost there yet?”
“Arh, don’t fret, my little sea dragon,” said Captain Gaff. “The mermaids should be congregating in the castle at the center of the game. It’s their typical hideout. Be patient and we’ll be there in no time.”
The submarine came to a lurching halt with a loud screech, sliding the passengers along the cramped interior. The motors hummed as they worked, but the submarine would not move.
“What was that?” asked Applejack.
“Arh, I forgot to mention, one of the obstacles in this game is the kraken who is programmed to grab the sub and hold it in place,” said Captain Gaff. “Funny, I thought it would have been sleeping in its lair at this time of day.”
From outside of the sub, Ralph could see a huge, red octopus tentacle wrapped around the sub. It’s suction cups held it in a firm grip.
“Oh no you don’t.” Ralph punched the tentacle with one fist, causing it to painfully let go.
A single suction cup ripped a piece of the sub off with a loud screech that echoed through the water. The ponies gasped in alarm, expecting water to gush inside, but instead, the water seemed to suspend over the hole like a bubble.
“Hey, what gives?” asked Rainbow.
“Not to worry,” said Captain Gaff. “This sub is programed not to allow water inside.”
“That’s great but what are we going to do with that hole?” asked Applejack.
“I can fix it.” Felix pulled his arm free from the ponies pressed against him, and with a wave of his hammer, the hole was repaired.
The sub lurched again as more tentacles reached out to grab it.
Ralph batted away the tentacles while keeping one hand on the rudder of the sub. A single tentacle grabbed Ralph by the midsection and pried him off.
“Let go of me, you oversized piece of sushi.” Ralph struggled to break free from the kraken’s grip, but the suction cups bound his arms together.
Rainbow saw Ralph being pulled away, kicking and fighting against the giant beast.
“Oh no, we have to save him.” Rainbow pried open the exit door and leaped into the water. She flapped her wings wildly, but the water was not conducive for flight. With every flap of her wings, she was sent flailing through the water, helplessly drifting off.
With the water congealing around the exit to the submarine, Spike leaped out into the open water. Below, he could see the kraken with its tentacles waving around from a large beak that could swallow him whole.
Rainbow flapped her wings desperately. “Spike, help me!”
“Why don’t you use your special abilities?”
“I can’t use any of my special moves unless I fly, and I can’t fly underwater.”
“Well, let me try.” Spike inhaled and fired a ball of flame with a muffled bang, sending out wisps of smoke. “Uh, it looks like my fire is no good underwater either.”
Two tentacles reached out and grabbed Rainbow and Spike. The two kicked and squirmed in its grasp to no avail.
Applejack leaped out into the open water, but her body also drifted out of control in the water. She kicked her legs, trying her best to remember the strokes Granny Smith taught her, but she was moving sluggishly in the ocean water.
“Rarity, don’t you have anything?”
“My special abilities are predominantly defensive,” shouted Rarity from within the sub. “I can’t fight off something this big.”
“What about you, Felix?”
Felix was also looking out at the water, perplexed. “All I can do is fix things.”
Applejack let out a groan of irritation as she turned to Captain Gaff. “Isn’t there anything you can do?”
“Arh, I can,” shouted Captain Gaff, “but first someone needs to free the sub.”
“All right, I’m on it.” Applejack swam out to the tentacles holding the sub. With a few swift bucks of her hind legs, the tentacles let go of the sub.
With the submarine free, Captain Gaff steered the sub around and aimed its torpedoes at the kraken.
“Swallow some torpedoes, you oversized calamari.” Captain Gaff fired the torpedoes and they hit the kraken in the beak with a muffled explosion. The kraken let out a screech of pain before diving back into the murky depths, leaving Spike, Ralph, and Rainbow to drift in the water as they were freed from the tentacles.
“You three okay?” asked Applejack.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” said Rainbow.
“After today, I’m never going to eat sea food again,” said Ralph.
“I bet I could have taken that kraken if I had a closer shot,” said Spike.
“No, we should save our special moves for when we find Twilight,” said Applejack. “We only have a limited amount of bits left, so let’s save them for when we need them. Come on, let’s get back into the sub.”

Twilight built up her magic, her horn glowing as she fired a spell at Trojan. However, as soon as the spell hit him, it suddenly fizzled away, leaving a tingling sensation around Trojan’s scaly body.
“That hardly did anything,” complained Trojan.
“I’m doing the best I can,” said Twilight. “I just can’t get you out of this game.”
“Well, that’s unfortunate for you then,” said Trojan. With his tail, he scooped up the box of bits and gave it to a nearby mermaid. “Take this box downstairs where she can’t find it.”
“Yes sir.” The mermaid swam off with the box in hand.
“And once you’ve done that,” called out Trojan after the mermaid, “you and the others will leave the game and save yourselves.”
Twilight gawked at him. “Hey, you’re not going to leave me here, are you?”
“I told you that you’re not going to leave this game if you don’t free me too. Since we only have about 30 minutes before the arcade opens, then I have no choice but to honor my threat.”
Twilight angrily fired a magical blast at Trojan, but he saw the blast coming and he swerved out of its way.
“You better save what little bits you have remaining if you want to get out of this game alive,” said Trojan. He put his tail to his chin, deep in thought. “Now I’m sounding more like a Bond villain. Maybe I’ll try that again. Mwahaha! Now Princess Sparkle, get to work freeing me from this game or else we’ll get deleted like yesterday’s e-mail. What do you think? Did that sound like what a Bond villain would say?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Twilight rubbed her forehead as a headache began to form.
Before Trojan could respond, the wall to the side of the dungeon suddenly exploded in a muffled crack of broken stone, spewing out large chunks of bricks that sank to the floor beside where Twilight and Trojan were.
“What in Tartarus...!” exclaimed Twilight.
Trojan swam up to the large hole created in his dungeon wall. He saw Captain Gaff’s submarine with Ralph and Applejack riding on top with their hands (or hooves0 held up like cowboys riding a bull.
“All right, release our friend Twilight right now before I have to ruff you up like an ornery hay stack,” shouted Applejack.
“So you’re here to save your princess,” said Trojan in a grandiose fashion, still trying to be a Bond villain, “but you are in our game meaning if you take one of us down, we’ll just come back immediately.”
From out of the castle emerged six mermaids who swam out to the sub armed with tridents. While they drifted like overweight ghosts on land, the mermaids were fast and agile underwater, able to dart around the intruders like angry hornets.
“Ralph, you take on the mermaids while I go get Twilight,” said Applejack.
The mermaids charged toward the sub, and Ralph swatted them away with his large hands. He batted the mermaids that came near, but with each strike, his fists were slowed and the mermaids harmlessly rode each punch as they were tossed away.
Applejack swam out into the open sea. However, despite her swimming proficiency, the mermaids were far faster than she was and they got in front of her, blocking her path.
The remaining mermaids were charging at Ralph, this time aiming for the sub, and with their strength and speed, they plunged the spears into the front of the sub, breaking the glass and the engine with a muffled screech. The water congealed around the damage like Jell-O.
“Arh, they’re trying to tear my ship apart,” shouted Captain Gaff.
“I can fix it.” Felix struck the glass with his hammer and the damage was instantly repaired.
With a loud screech, another trident pierced through the hull of the ship. Felix hit it with his hammer and the damage was repaired.
“Ralph, can’t you do something up there?” shouted Felix.
“I’m trying,” shouted Ralph as he swatted away a mermaid, “but they’re too fast.”
He let out another cry of alarm as a mermaid punctured a hole next to Ralph’s foot.
Rarity cried out as the trident nearly hit her, stopping an inch away from her flank. She clasped Spike to her chest, yelping in surprise.
“Oh, don’t these mermaids know how to treat a lady?” Rarity’s horn glowed as she conjured a blue force field around the sub. The mermaids stabbed at the force field with their tridents, but the attacks bounced off the force field. They continued to pierce into the force field, causing it to flash with every strike. Rarity kept her horn glowing as she struggled to maintain it.
“Rarity, how long can you hold up that force field?” asked Spike.
Rarity twisted her face into a grimace as she tried to maintain the spell. “I don’t have enough bits to hold it much longer.”
Meanwhile, Applejack tried desperately to get passed the mermaids, but they effortlessly blocked her back, acting like a moving wall.
“If that’s the way ya’all want to play it, then take some of this,” Applejack spun around in place as part of one of her special moves: the Hoedown Spin. The mermaids let out yelps of surprise as they were knocked aside with one swift spin of her hooves. With no one to stop her, she dove down through the hole in the wall and landed onto the stone floor.
Trojan glared at her. “You shouldn’t have come here. The game will be unplugged soon and you’ll all be deleted with me.”
“We’re not leaving without Twilight.” Applejack bucked at Trojan, but he easily swerved away from her kick. She tried to strike him again, but with every thrust, he glided aside, dodging her attacks.
“Nice try, but we’re programed to operate at pique efficiency underwater, even I,” said Trojan. “Which means we can outrun all of you.”
Applejack, activated her spin kick move, but Trojan, having seen her use it before, dodged out of the way. Applejack leaped toward him and used her spin kick again. This time, however, a magical haze surrounded Trojan, much to his surprise. Twilight held him telekinetically, and Applejack’s spin kick connected, knocking him into the wall with a loud smack.
“Nice going, sugar cube,” said Applejack. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, just get me out of these cuffs.”
Applejack fiddled with the cuffs. “Dagnabit, where’re the keys?”
“Right here,” said Trojan as he got up, clasping the keys with his tail. From where he pulled out those keys, Applejack and Twilight could not tell.
“Applejack, you knock those keys off of him with your spin kick while I slow him down,” said Twilight.
“I can’t, I’m all out of bits. How about you blast him away with your magic.”
“I don’t have enough bits to do any more spells.”
Trojan chuckled. “Looks like you’ve wasted you’re trump cards. Now it’s time for me to use mine.” He wrapped his tail around his mouth and let out a loud honk.
From out of the depths, the kraken appeared again. With a single tentacle, it reached out and smashed through Rarity’s force field with a loud sizzling sound and grabbed the sub, crushing its midsection.
“Abandon ship,” shouted Felix. He opened the door to the sub, and everyone leaped out into open water. Immediately, more tentacles reached out and grabbed Felix, Captain Gaff, Rarity, Spike, and Ralph.
“Rarity, do something,” shouted Spike.
“I can’t, I used up the last of my bits to erect that force field,” said Rarity.
Rainbow swam up as fast as she could as the kraken reached for her.
“Celestia damn it,” shouted Rainbow, “if only I could get to the surface so I could use my special abilities...”
Several mermaids quickly swarmed around her, leveling their tridents to her and blocking her path to the surface.
Trojan watched the others struggle helplessly in the grasp of the kraken. “Sadly, it seems we’ll all die together.”