Metagaming

by Snowday_Pegasus

04_Legacy-Icon

The party of digital adventurers paused to catch their breaths as they arrived in a dimly-lit space. This area was filled with antique televisions seated on a tiled floor. On each screen, a different video was playing.

“Is this still Rabbit?” Caballeron asked.

Fizzy said, “Reddit. And, I don’t think so.”

Caballeron’s staff led the way to one of the televisions. Displayed on the screen was TantaByte, now shaped like a wolf. It circled slowly around a familiar gray mare with a golden mane.

“It’s Derpy,” Yearling said, surprised.

“What’s it doing?” Caballeron asked.

On the screen, Derpy said to TantaByte, “No, I don’t want to leave. They– they wouldn’t do this to me.”

TantaByte spoke in a cold and raspy voice, “Of course they would. They never cared about you. You’ll be deleted if you don’t go. Just return to the shadows while you can.”

Derpy covered her face with her forearm and wept.

Discord averted his eyes from the dismal scene and said somberly, “The Derpy War.”

“The what?” Caballeron asked.

“It’s complicated,” Discord said.

Fizzy fought against tears of her own. “TantaByte is trying to get rid of her!”

The Derpy controversy; the public reaction to her name, her voice, her mannerisms; a dark time of high emotions on all sides, with one confused innocent little pony caught in the middle of it all.

“2012, right?” Discord asked.

“Yep,” Fizzy replied.

Yearling was getting frustrated. “What are you two talking about?”

Caballeron put his hoof to the screen; it stretched like cellophane as his hoof passed through it. Surprised, he immediately pulled it back out, watching as the screen again became taut.

TantaByte snapped at Derpy, “They don’t need you. They don’t want you. It would be better for everyone if you never existed.”

Derpy’s face nearly reached the floor as she sobbed. Caballeron winced. “I’ve seen enough. This is a war? Then I’m going to end it. Now!” He pushed his way through the screen and swaggered with determination towards the Tantabus, brandishing the Search Bar like a rapier.

Fizzy stared off into space. They don’t need you. They don’t want you. It would be better for everyone if you never existed. “Snap out of it,” Yearling yelled, shaking Fizzy, before immediately recoiling from searing pain.

Fizzy looked at Yearling and then down at herself, realizing she had shifted into Nirik form. She quickly focused and changed back. “Are you OK?”

“I’ll be fine, I’ve had worse,” Yearling said, annoyed.

“Sorry,” Fizzy said. Her ears drooped as she lowered her head.

“Not the right time,” Discord said. “Sad smol horse? Needs our help? Up ahead? Also, Doctor Caballeron just decided that he’s Zorro.”

“Right, of course. Attack. Attack!”

Caballeron was already fighting valiantly on his own against the Tantabus, in spite of how much more dangerous it had become. It was fast and agile with sharp claws and gnashing teeth, but it failed repeatedly to even scratch the archaeologist-turned-matador. Discord managed to manifest a party cannon, which he set off in TantaByte’s face. Yearling smacked it in the leg with the edge of her disc. TantaByte nearly bit into Fizzy, who turned the moment to her advantage by bucking it square in the jaw. The Tantabus howled and ran away, presumably to lick its wounds. But unlike last time, the party didn’t give chase immediately. Poor Derpy was shaking.

“We can’t just leave her here like this,” Caballeron said.

Derpy stared at the ground and cried, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt anyone! I just don’t know what went wrong! I’m sorry!” She kept repeating, “I’m sorry!”

Discord said to the two archaeologists, far more seriously than he normally spoke, “If you would give the three of us a moment alone?” The two looked to Fizzy for confirmation. Fizzy nodded. Caballeron and Yearling hesitantly walked away and observed from a distance as Discord and Fizzy spoke to Derpy for a while.

Caballeron asked, “That little mare caused a war? Where was I when this happened?”

Yearling replied, “Nothing I’ve heard of either.”

After a lengthy conversation, Derpy managed a smile.

Fizzy said, “The wolf wasn’t your fault, and neither is anything it said or did.” Discord, Fizzy, and Derpy shared a hug.

Discord added as he walked away, “The dark times will end. I promise.”

“Don’t worry about the wolf. We’ll take care of it. I swear to Celestia I will!” Fizzy was about to leave, when Derpy grabbed her by the tail.

“Here,” Derpy said. “You might need this.” Derpy gave her an envelope. Fizzy took hold of it and turned it over. It was sealed with a pink heart sticker.

“What’s this?” Fizzy asked.

“Just hold onto it. Maybe it’ll help.”

Fizzy thanked Derpy, and made her way over to her three companions.

“What was that all about?” Yearling asked.

“That… was something you shouldn’t have seen,” Discord said. His eyes were burning. “I’m going to make that Tantabus regret ever coming into being!”

“Let’s just get out of here,” Fizzy said, furiously. She looked at Caballeron. “Where is it?!”

Caballeron nervously pointed and then led the group to another doorway.

Yearling said, “Fizzy–”

Fizzy stopped. “What?!”

“I think both you and Discord have some explaining to do. It’s apparent you’re keeping something from us.”

“Let’s just get in there!” Fizzy snapped, becoming briefly engulfed in flames, and causing the others to step back. “There isn’t time!” Fizzy stomped her hoof and marched through the door.

Discord shrugged at the other two and went through.

“What are you thinking?” Caballeron asked.

“I don’t know, but nothing about this place makes any sense. Discord has been everywhere so it doesn’t surprise me he knows so much about it. But how does Fizzy know?” Yearling asked.

It was a fair question, but he had nothing to offer as an answer. Caballeron walked through followed by Yearling.