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// Encoding 
// Story: There's Nopony I'd Rather Be Than Me 
// by Tatsurou 
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	The following morning, all the sprites held their breath as Mr. Litwak wheeled in the new arcade machine.  As the store wasn't open yet and no one but Stan was in the arcade, the sprites felt free to crane their necks around the edges of their various cabinets to check out the new machine as it was wheeled in.

As Stan wiped his forehead, he chuckled at the sight.  "Arcade's still closed for today," he said aloud to no one in particular.  "Always nice to give a new machine a day to warm up before it gets played."

The sprites hid their chuckles.  They knew what this was.  Litwak was giving the sprites from the new game a day to get to know everyone - and for everyone to get to know them - before reopening the arcade.  Then again, most of the sprites were still a tad unwell after the events involving Turbo, so an extra day off was a welcome relief.

Besides, it would give Wily a chance to cross code everyone with the new game, just in case.

Leaning down, Stan plugged in the new machine.

Soul Calibur.





Nightmare Moon was the first to go into the new game.  She had been bouncing back and forth at the plug point, waiting for it to be connected.  Not only was she eager to make new friends, if it turned out to be her kind of world - it was rumored to be another fighting game, but this one with a high magic component - then she wanted Wily to code her in as a bonus character ASAP.

The instant the game was plugged in, Nightmare Moon dove through the connection, flying through the passage to the new game world.  What she found felt so like home to a part of her that, for a moment, she could only freeze.

Vast primeval forests stretched to the horizon.  Ancient cities stood tall on rivers and shores.  Towers reached for the heavens.  Rolling plains waited silently as the grass blew in the quiet wind.  In the distance, the sound of clashing steel echoed, speaking to an ancient memory as brief flashes of warriors facing each other across the battlefield filled her mind.

Unknown to her, Shadow Man was following behind her invisibly, taking notes on her reaction to be sent back to Dr. Wily regarding possible further details of the 'game' world of her origin.  This was unimportant at the moment, however, as such details were not apparent to Nightmare Moon.

After a time of staring around the world from the entry point, Nightmare Moon spread her wings and took off, flying low to the ground as she explored.

It wasn't long before she encountered one of the native sprites of the world.  He was roughly humanoid, and towered over her, taller even than Ralph in his silver armor.  His right arm was no longer human, looking like it had transformed halfway into a demonic claw.  In his left armored hand he clutched the hilt of a sword that was half metal, half flesh, with a demonic eye staring at her balefully.  A good portion of the right side of his torso was exposed, showing the demonic transformation his body was undergoing.



"Hail and well met!" Nightmare Moon proclaimed.  "Welcome to Litwak's Arcade.  By what name do you go by?"

The figure breathed in, then exhaled.  "I am Nightmare," it proclaimed in a gravely voice.  "Wielder of Soul Edge, the dark demonic blade."

Nightmare Moon frowned.  "This will not do," she scolded.  "For I am Nightmare Moon, Queen of the Night, bringer of bad dreams and destroyer of day!  Through me the night shall last...forever!"  She glowered down at Nightmare.  "We cannot share the same name!  It would cause too much confusion."  She lifted her head regally.  "I have seniority in the arcade," she allowed loftily, "so you'll just have to change yours."

Red eyes flared from under the helmet.  "You dare give me orders?" the figure demanded, the eye of the sword glowing red.  "I shall teach you your place!"  Yanking his sword point from the ground, he got into a battle stance.

Feeling the world around them change, Nightmare Moon realized a battle had been initiated, and it was her turn to give a battle taunt.  "You dare talk back to me?" she proclaimed.  "You will rue the day you crossed the Queen of the Night!"  She spread her legs in her own battle stance, mantling her wings.

The ground they were standing on rose up in an octagonal shape, leaving a deep pit all around.  A voice echoed from the air.  "Ready...FIGHT!"

Nightmare lunged forward, swinging his massive living blade in a downward swing.  Nightmare Moon side stepped it, dancing backwards and sideways as she dodged the follow up downward swing, and then ducking under the sideways slash.  As Nightmare's guard fell from that, she spun on her forehooves and delivered a hard double buck with both hind legs.  As Nightmare staggered back, Nightmare Moon jumped into a back flip, bringing her hind hooves down on his head and slamming him into the ground.  She then danced back as he returned to his feet.

Nightmare Moon grinned widely as she felt her blood race.  In Marvel vs. Capcom, there were so many limitations to what she could do in combat.  She had to build up the energy for special moves, work as a team, run back and forth across the stage...  This was more pure, more focused.  All moves were available as long as she knew how to do them.  The stage was small, confined, forcing continuous confrontation.  This was fun!

As Nightmare leapt into a diving, spinning strike to close the distance, Nightmare Moon spread her wings and flashed into the air above him as he reached her former location, delivering a blast of lightning - which was not her code damaging lightning - straight down, frying him.  As he staggered, she folded her wings and dropped, slamming him into the ground as she landed on his head.

As she leapt back, Nightmare rose quickly to his feet, his sword swinging out and catching her across the barrel, knocking her back.  She hissed in pain, glad her armored peytral took most of the impact, so she was bruised rather than bisected.  While one side of her thought now suggested caution, she could barely hear it over the pumping of her blood in her veins.  She felt electrified!

As Nightmare lunged in again, she teleported behind him and bared her fangs.  Sinking her teeth into his demonic shoulder, she flexed her entire body and magic and flung him across the arena.  He landed heavily before falling over the side.

"Ring Out!" the voice from before proclaimed.  "Winner: Nightmare Moon!"

"What?" Nightmare Moon demanded.  "Is that all?"  She stomped her hooves angrily.  "I've only just begun!  Get back up here and fight me again!"

Much to her frustration, the arena lowered back into the ground.  Nightmare pushed himself back up, shaking himself off.

Nightmare Moon rushed forward.  "I'm not finished!" she yelled, slamming her helmeted head into Nightmare's torso.  "Fight me again!"

"Another time," Nightmare growled.  After a time, he knelt.  "...my Queen."

Nightmare Moon blinked.  "...eh?  When did that happen?"

"I am the demon who devours souls," Nightmare replied.  "I serve only the dark impulse of the heart, the battle frenzy...from this battle, I see you embody it far more than I can...my Queen."

Blinking, Nightmare Moon shrugged, deciding to roll with it.  "So...are you the Bad Guy here?"

"...yes..."

"Then you're coming to BadAnon with us!" Moony proclaimed.  "Come along!"

Turning, she led Nightmare towards Pac-Man.

Meanwhile, Albert was already in Soul Calibur's code.  A new bonus character appeared on the character selection screen.



N. Moon