Kaiser

by MellowSoul

Beaten Path (Part 6: Arc End)

Author's Note:

"For the child not given his choice...Insulting..."

Maple held the ice against Twilight's tailbone. It was a bit sore, but luckily, nothing seemed to be broken.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Spike asked.

"You should know by now I'm tougher than I look. Besides, healing magic's come a long way with medical tech. If there was a problem, it'd be a simple fix."

"I'm really sorry..."

"Hey, don't look so down. Come here."

Spike embraced his sister in a remorseful hug.

"It's all gonna be okay." she soothed.

"You guys really went at it," Vanilla pointed out, "I couldn't tell who was gonna win."

"Can you tell us more about this other dragon you saw?" Maple inquired.

"Sure," Twilight obliged, "It was a lot bigger than any other I've seen. It's face was ancient and fierce, like something from a bygone era."

"Whatever it was, it caused Spike's power to explode. I didn't even see him move before you went flying."

"I want to say it was just adrenaline, but I can't shake the feeling something's watching over us - something old and powerful..."

"Why don't we ask Shining when you guys switch out," Spike suggested, "He knows a lot about combat magic."

"That's actually a really good idea," Twilight praised, "If anyone will know what's going on, it's him."

"So...What now?"

"Now we have a little fun. We'll only be in town for today. May as well make the most of it."

"What do you wanna do?"

"Well, it's been a long time since we hit up an arcade. How 'bout a round or two for old times' sake."

"Are you sure you're okay to walk?"

Twilight stood up to prove her point.

"Guess we're on." her brother agreed.

---

At the arcade, the party split into two groups. Vanilla ordered pizza with her friends while Spike, Maple, and Twilight explored to find games they liked. The siblings searched for a machine tailored towards co-op play. Outside of their training, neither of them were particularly competitive: a fact that took Maple somewhat by surprise, though in hindsight, it made sense. They eventually stumbled across a horror-themed stand. The first player was given a gun while the other held a sword.

"Wanna try this one?" Twilight asked.

"Sure," Spike replied, "Looks pretty unique compared to the others."

"Which weapon do you want?"

"I'll take the sword."

"Always a classic."

Twilight inserted money into the machine. The story was a generic premise about zombies in space, but the gameplay stood out. The mechanics allowed for players to swap weapons in-game, adding an extra layer of challenge to the experience. In addition, upgrades were available to power up weapons and armor.

"It was really sweet of you to be concerned about me, ya know." Twilight encouraged.

"Of course. You know how much you mean to me."

"I think it's time I hung up my gloves, so to speak. Even if it hadn't been for that surge of power, I would've run out of steam eventually. Your body's better conditioned than mine."

"Guess everyone has to move on sooner or later."

"Shining's closer to your level. Training with him will be far more effective."

"I'm gonna miss you..."

"We'll see each other again before you know it. Things are different than before. I can feel it..."

"Yeah..."

The pair continued their game until they emerged victorious.

"Ya know, I never heard anything more about your comic series after that night." Twilight spoke.

"I finished it a few years ago. It's up on the journal if you wanna read it."

"Yeah...I'd like that."

"We should send Vanilla and Larry our old recordings. They'd probably be interested to hear what we sounded like back then."

"Definitely."

"I love you, Twiight..."

"I love you too, Spike..."

Maple reflected on the events of the day. Not only had Spike gone the entire time without thinking of Rarity, but he'd come to terms with his feelings for Twilight and accepted his role in her life. The road forward promised to be very interesting...Very interesting indeed...