• Published 22nd Jan 2013
  • 11,094 Views, 854 Comments

Equestria Legends Online - Shadowflame



A New virtual reality MMO goes screwy with the arrival of discord. Now over a thousand bronies are trapped in a virtual reality, and the only way out is to play Discord's game. Will they collect the Elements of Harmony in time, or die trying?

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May 15th (A Night With a Mare?)

Hey, Shadowflame here. I guess you're wondering how I'm doing right now. Considering the fact that just a week ago I had been tortured by a deranged serial killer, I'd say that I'm doing pretty well... Unless you count the nightmares that I get every other night. They're all the same; I'm always back in that room, and Ezekiel is there holding the blade, ready to slice nonstop hellish pain into my nerves.

Let's just say that I wasn't really excited to go to sleep after the first two days back in Canterlot from that. But I'm glad that experience is over, and now I'm getting back into the swing of normal life.

Although, I bet you're wondering what happened to Ezekiel. Well, all that I know is that he got away from any search parties we sent out. We couldn't find him after he teleported away with that crystal. Who knows where he is now, 'cause I don't. I just hope he doesn't come back again for a long time.

And as for the info that I managed to get from Ezekiel, the things I mentioned in the last entry I made, including the Haters' Guild mark on its members and the possibility of a loophole in Discord's "No hacking" rule. When I arrived back at Canterlot with my team, I immediately told Jupiter about what I knew.

Jupiter regarded the fact that all Haters had a skull tattoo behind their left ear with great enthusiasm. He was extremely glad that he now had a way to root out any spies in his guild, or any other guilds for that matter. Within a day, Jupiter and the other admins put together a secret search among their cities for anypony with a skull tattoo. The whole operation is secret, and I'm not sure how it even works. I only know that the system works, and already two Haters have been found and captured in Ponyville and Manehatten.

But as for the possibility to bypass the "No hacking" rule, Jupiter was interested in it, but he said that he was reluctant to try and find it. Any tampering in the code by someone results in their own instant death, and if they accidentally tamper with anything, then that would be another one of Jupiter's men gone. The head admin didn't want to risk the lives of his coders, but he said he'd look into it. All in all, his reluctance spark hope in any of us.

But that's basically all that's happened in the last week, so I guess I better get back to the present. I-

The sounds of hoof steps coming from the front door stopped my journal entry in mid sentence.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Yay, background music!

__________________________________________________________________________________

I glanced up from the quill and book I held with magic, my journal, and I looked towards the door of my team's base. I sat in the living room on a couch, though I don't think 'sat' quite described the position I was in. I was sprawled out on the sofa, with my back legs and tail up against the back of the couch, and the rest of me laying face up on the seat of the couch. I had neither of my weapons equipped, and I didn't have my cloak on either. My wings carelessly laid on the couch cushions to complete my lazy position, perfect for a lazy Saturday like today.

Technically every Saturday for my team was called a lazy Saturday. We decided a while ago that we needed a single day in the week where we didn't go out and train, that is, unless we were needed by Jupiter or some pony else. So, Saturdays have become my lazy day.

I looked towards the front door of my team base to see a few ponies walk into the room, although from my position, they all seemed to be walking on a carpet covered ceiling. I recognized them all to be Team Calvary and Team Vortex, with my team following behind.

Soul laughed as he looked at me on the couch in my lazy position, "Well, look at our group leader. That posture doesn't seem to fit your god like appearance."

I rolled my eyes as I stowed my journal into my inventory, "I told you already, Soul. Nothing about me is godlike. So, what's up, guys?"

Violet smiled as he pulled up his player menu, "Oh, nothing much. We just wanted to bring you a Christmas present 6 months early." He tapped a few buttons in his menu and then a small window appeared in front of me:

You received a gift!
-Knight's Chest Plate

I tapped on the window to accept the gift, "A chest plate?"

Neon made a huge smile, "Yep, it was my idea."

Lexus nodded as he gave Neon a loving nudge, "She figured that since you're our biggest gun now, you'd need the extra protection. None of us wanted you to get hurt too badly in action, seeing what happened last week."

"She told us about the idea only a few days ago, after we got back from Cloudsdale." Eclipse added, "So, everyone chipped in and gathered the materials-"

"And I crafted it in my forge." Violet finished the statement.

But then Cloud piped up, "Is it just me, or does anyone else think it's creepy that we can finish each other's sentences like that."

Cross laughed, giving the dragon a grin, "Probably. But what do you expect? We've all been together for months now."

I flipped myself around on the couch and stood up, accessing my player menu as I did. I opened up my inventory and then equipped my cloak, my weapons, and my new chest plate, to see how it all felt together. All of my equipment appeared on me at once. The chest plate was what felt more prominent out of all of my things because I wasn't used to it. The iron armor covered my whole mid section up to the base of my neck. My cloak was attached to the chest plate by two gold clips, and my weapons were strapped in their usual places.

I took a few paces across the living room and back, flapping my wings a bit as I went to test my range of motion in the new armor. I after a bit, I found that the only difference I felt was the weight of the chest plate, which wasn't all that much.

"Wow, this doesn't feel too bad." I smiled, "I think I'll be using this from now on. It feels lighter than I thought."

Siren piped up, "Well, of course it's light. We thought it'd be better to design the armor for a pegasus to accommodate for your wings. We figured it'd work for an alicorn too."

I nodded as I put away my equipment, "Well, you made a great choice. Thanks guys."

Violet gave a satisfied grin, "Well, now that this is taken care of, Dylan and I need to head back to our team base ASAP."

Cloud raised an eyebrow, as did Cross, "What for?"

Dylan and Violet were already making their way to the door when Dylan replied, "We're working on a big project. Really top secret stuff that Jupiter asked us to develop."

Sky merely nodded in recognition, knowing full well that if Jupiter wanted it secret, he wasn't gonna stick his nose into it. Soul followed after his team mates, "I might as well come along. I've got nothing better to do than watch you guys tinker away down in the forge." He glanced back towards the last member of their team, "Neon, are you coming?"

Neon gave a small giggle as she hugged onto Lexus arm, "No, sorry. Lexus and I have a date tonight, and we still need to do some planning for it. I'll see you guys later."

Violet nodded, "Alright. Don't do anything reckless!" With that, Dylan, Soul, and Violet walked out of the team base.

Meanwhile, Neon glanced towards Lexus, "You know, I think tonight's date would be more fun if it was more than just the two of us. Maybe we should go on a group date tonight."

Lexus gave a sly smile, "Alright, that does sound fun." He looked back at the rest of the group present, "Shadow, Sky, you guys aren't up to anything today. Wanna come with us on a date?"

I blinked in surprise, while Sky, who had apparently slipped out into the kitchen, popped his head back into the room, munching on a piece of muffin, "Wait, what?"

"No, wait. Scratch that." Lexus spoke in more commanding voice, "You both are going to find a girl to ask out and we are all going out tonight on a date. Honestly, you guys are the most anti social ponies in our team."

"Well, if the date is tonight, then I'm not sure if either of us would be able to find a girl who could go tonight." I replied, "And that's not even including the fact that Sky would be too scared to ask a girl." I gave him a smirk, "Honestly, when he asked a girl on a date back home, I had to literally drag him to the girl to ask her."

Sky glared daggers at me for a few seconds, while I merely gave him trollish smile. But then, he a devious smile came on his face as decided he would prove my previous statement wrong.

Sky glanced towards Team Vortex, who still stood in our living room, "Hey, Siren. Do you wanna go on a date with me tonight?"

Both Siren and I blinked in surprise. I hadn't expected Sky to ask so quickly.

"Um, yeah. I guess so." Siren Stammered.

Sky smiled at Siren, "Alright, cool." He then smirked at me, "Your turn to ask somebody."

"What? You just asked the only other girl in our group! I don't know that many players well enough. Who am I supposed to ask?"

Neon gave a giggle, "I can help with that. Come on." Suddenly, she walked towards me and used her magic to grab a hold of my ear. Just like leading a dog on a leash, Neon then proceeded to drag me out the front door of the team base by my ear, which we all know that once a girl has your ear, there wasn't anything you could do to get away.

I shouted as I was pulled away, "What the heck, Neon? Where are we going?"

"To the guild hall. We're gonna find you a girl to ask out."

As I was dragged out of sight, Lexus sighed, "Well, that happened. I better make sure Neon doesn't push Shadow too far. I'll see you guys later." With that, he rushed out of the room after Neon and me.

Eclipse glanced between his team mates, "We'd better go too. Comet's almost here, and we should be at the base when she arrives."

Cross gasped with a start, "Wait, are you talking about the Comet we met in Cloudsdale last week? She's coming here?"

Swift nodded, "Yeah, we invited Comet to join our team after the whole Shadow being captured fiasco. She hadn't replied until just a few days ago. She's gonna get here later tonight."

Eclipse waved for his team to follow, "Well, let's get going. See you guys later."

Team Vortex began to walk out of the base, but as they did, Siren called back over her shoulder, "Hey, Sky!"

"Yeah?"

"I'll go on that date with you tonight on one condition."

Sky's eyebrows raised, "And that would be?"

"You can't be a gentleman for me." Siren smiled, "You know that I don't like being treated like a prissy girl."

Sky smiled back, "Alright, fine. See you tonight!"

Siren nodded, "Tonight." And then, she exited the building with her team.

With everyone gone, except Sky, Cross whispered to Cloud on his back, "So, Sky, Shadow, Neon, and Lexus will be gone tonight..."

Cloud added, "... Team Vortex will be busy welcoming Comet to their team..."

They both gave each other a grin, "... And the rest of Team Calvary will be down in their forge."

Cross chuckled, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

A devious smile grew on Cloud's face, "Troll Soul's secret food storage again?"

"Heck yeah." The two of them exchanged a quick brohoof and set off to prepare for the night ahead of them.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

"Man, Neon. You could have just explained where we were going before you dragged me halfway across Canterlot." I complained as I massaged my ear. (Yes, I complained, I didn't whine). I glanced behind me, "Also, Lexus, thank you for getting her to let go. Your girlfriend has a really strong grip."

Lexus shrugged as he walked behind me, "No problem."

Neon glanced over her shoulder, "Sorry, Shadow. I was just excited. I know a lot of cool ladies in the guild who would love to go out with you. Plus, quite a few of them have been asking about you ever since you came back to the city as an alicorn."

I paused for a moment. I still wasn't used to this instant fame that came with being an alicorn. It had only been a week since everyone had found out, and everyone's response was similar to when they found out that Cordon was an alicorn. And unfortunately, like Ezekiel, almost everyone figured out that the alicorn ability was transferable. While everyone had been giving me extra attention, I've already been challenged to 3 duels this week. As you could probably guess, I haven't been beaten yet. But I knew they weren't gonna stop trying to take my ability.

"Shadow!"

Neon's shout in my ear snapped me out of my thoughts, "Whoa, what?!"

Lexus and Neon were standing on either side of me, both with concerned looks on their faces. Lexus frowned, "What's wrong? Honestly, ever since you revealed that you're an alicorn, you've been spacing out more and more."

I shook my head, "I'm fine. Don't worry. I was just lost in thought." I glanced towards Neon as we all continued walking, "So, what were you saying?"

"I was just asking what kind of girls do you like? What do you look for in a girl?"

"Oh, um..." I frowned, "I guess I like the nerdy type of girls... and... I guess I really like them with short hair... and um... I don't know."

Lexus raised an eyebrow, "Really? Is that all you can think of?"

I rolled my eyes, "Come on, Lexus. Cut me some slack. Girls haven't exactly been one of the things I've been thinking about in last months, okay?"

Neon gave a small giggle, "That's alright. If you're looking for a nerdy girl with short hair, I've got just the one for you to ask out."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

The Guild Hall for the Knights of Harmony, the headquarters for our guild. It's where we all gather when Jupiter calls us to action, or when we want a place to just hang out. The hall itself is located inside the Canterlot Castle, but it's more of a whole wing of the castle, rather than a hall. The entire hall was filled with tables and seating for the guild members, and a bar area as well. I tended to keep away from the bar, seeing as I didn't drink alcohol in the real world. Even though you can't get drunk in this game, I didn't want to start drinking now.

Other than seating, a giant bulletin board hung on one of the walls, where a few job offers and side quests were posted by other players. The job offers are usually posted by players when they need help with something, or when the game decides to post a rare side quest or two. Taking up job offers are actually a really great way to get bits and items without training on monsters. My team does go on side quests once in a while when we're low on bits.

As Neon, Lexus, and I walked into the guild hall, we found quite a few players from the guild inside. All of them were just enjoying themselves, hanging out with their friends, taking a break from monster hunting, or just drinking away for fun. It was just another day of everyday life.

As soon as we entered the hall, everyone's eyes turned towards us, or more specifically, me. The whole hall fell silent, which I could have sworn was the quietest the hall had been in a long time.

I stopped in the doorway, with Lexus and Neon to my left side. Under my breath, I muttered, "Well, this is awkward."

Lexus replied in the same fashion, "Well what do you expect? This is the first time you've made a public appearance as an alicorn. You've become an instant celebrity across the game."

"As if my Element of Harmony wasn't enough already." I grumbled.

Just as the tension in the room seemed to grow, Neon broke the silence, "Hey everypony! How's it going?!"

"Hi, Neon!" The whole hall chorused. After hearing the unanimous reply, I officially declared Neon to be the friendliest pony in Equestria.

Everyone turned back to their usual routines, while still giving me the occasional glance from where they sat. Meanwhile, Neon began leading me and Lexus farther into the hall.

As we walked, I could make out bits and pieces of every player's conversations.

"Is that really him? The alicorn of fire?"

"First it was Cordon, now that Shadowflame guy gets the power of an alicorn. Wouldn't that be cool to have wings and a horn?"

"I heard he went one on one with that Thunderbird boss from Cloudsdale. They say he dropped its health down by half in ten seconds flat."

"Whoa, that's crazy powerful..."

I decided to ignore the conversations. They'd all be the same,... Unless someone suddenly stood up from their seat and challenged me to a duel. That put made my fur stand on end, as if that were to happen right then. I shook my head as I tried to shake off my paranoid thoughts. I wasn't here to duel, I was her to ask a girl out on a date... But then again, I didn't even know who I was asking.

Neon suddenly stopped in the middle of the hall, "Alright, Shadow. There's your short haired, nerdy girl. She's sitting over there with her team. Her name is Frostlight, but most everybody calls her Frost for short." She pointed a hoof in towards the corner of the hall.

I followed Neon's hoof to see a small table with 4 players around it. I looked around at their player ID's until I saw the one that read: Frostlight. She was a mint green mare, with a short mane and tail, colored in white and yellow. Her cutie mark resembled a candle, and I noticed that her horn was actually three different colors: Green, yellow, and white. She didn't wear any weapons on her, but I figured it was because she wasn't going out to fight or train anytime soon.

Neon gave a small smile, "Well, what are you waiting for? Go on and ask her."

My eyes stayed trained on Frostlight. I didn't know why, but I couldn't help but think that she looked extremely cute. Wait... Am I really thinking that just by looking at a mare, and not a human girl? I've really been in this game for too long.

I tried to answer Neon, "Well, um..."

"Oh, for pete's sakes. Come here."

"Agh! Neon! Not the ear again! Ow, ow, ow!"

Neon dragged me helplessly towards Frostlight's as she waved to Frostlight, a huge smile on her face, "Hey, Frost!"

Frostlight glanced up to see Neon and smiled just as wide, "Hi, Neon." But then, she noticed me being dragged from behind, and her expression changed from a smile to one of surprise.

Neon finally let go of my ear once I was standing right in front of Frostlight, "Hey, I want you to meet someone."

Trying to ignore the pain in my ear, I shot Neon a look that said 'Was that really necessary?'

Neon simply returned an innocent smile, making me groan. I turned back towards Frostlight.

I gave her a small smile, though I think it must have come out more like a nervous grimace, "Um... Hi, I'm Shadowflame."

Frost smiled back, but it looked like she was even more nervous, "Oh, um... Hi. I'm Frostlight."

Crap, she's just as nervous as I am. This doesn't help. What if she gets too nervous and rejects me? What if I'm too intimidating? I cursed inside my head, Okay, calm down. I'm just over thinking this. That's why I'm getting nervous. Just don't think about it, and this should go smoothly. I turned my thoughts back towards Frostlight, only for me to realize that neither of us were saying anything. We were both staring awkwardly at each other.

Oh, no. What do I say?... Um... 'I like your eyes' maybe? Naw, that sounds too flirty... But, she does have really nice eyes. They're really cute... So big, and I love the color... Wow... I shook my head to get a mental grip on myself, I can't go thinking things like that! Now I'm just getting even more nervous!

Taking a deep breath, Okay, just go right out and ask. No problem. I gulped down a small lump in my throat that had suddenly grown without me realizing its existence. Here it goes.

"Um, it's nice to meet you, Frostlight." I tried to reinforce my smile. Judging from the way Frost's expression didn't change, it didn't work so well.

She nodded, "Yeah, it's nice to meet you too."

"So, uh, would you like to... Uh, go out on a date with me, um, tonight?" I managed to stammer out. I rubbed the back of my neck nervously, and then found that sweat droplets were running down it.

Frostlight blinked in surprise at my question, but then frowned warily, "Oh, um... Just the two of us?"

"Oh, no. That's not what I meant." I responded quickly, hoping she wouldn't get the wrong idea, "It'd be us, another couple, and Lexus and Neon. It's a group date."

"Oh, okay..." Her frown disappeared, "What'll we be doing?"

I paused. I didn't even know what we were going to be doing. I gave a sheepish smile, "I uh, I actually don't know." I glanced behind me, "Neon?"

"We're going to have dinner tonight at a restaurant."

I turned back to Frostlight, "So, would you like to come?"

Frost paused for a moment before replying, "Sure, that'd be great."

I gave her a smile, "Alright. Then I guess I'll see you later tonight."

She nodded, "Okay. Tonight then."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Neon Fire
Later that Night...

"Guys? Are you down here?" Neon made her way down into the forge of her team's base.

Soul's voice resounded from the bottom of the stairs, "Yeah, we're all here."

Neon entered the forge to find the rest of her team inside. Soul was sitting with his back against the wall, a deck of cards levitated with magic in front of him as he practiced some card tricks. Dylan was sitting along another wall, right in front of what resembled a computer, though it was slightly different. Dozens of cords plugged into the computer ran in all directions in the forge, across the floor and even up the walls. Violet was busy moving a few of the cords with some pliers and a wire cutter.

Neon paused as she tried to make sense of the scene before her, "So, what are you guys doing?"

Violet glanced back towards her, "We're just finishing the final touches of that secret project Jupiter asked us to do."

Neon nodded as she remembered, "Oh, yeah. You mean the security camera system?"

Dylan nodded from his place in front of the computer, "Yep, I'm almost done programming the computer."

Neon's eyes widened, "Wait, you actually programmed that?"

Another nod, "Yeah. Funnily enough, this is almost as simple as it is in my Tekkit Minecraft mod. But it takes a heck of a lot of materials in craft."

Neon gave her team mates a smile, "Alright, well don't blow the house up. I'm leaving for my date now. See ya later boys!"

"Bye, Neon!" All three of them chorused.

Saying her last good byes, Neon galloped out of the base to find Lexus standing on the street, waiting for her.

Lexus gave his girlfriend a smile, "You ready to go?"

Neon nodded, "Yep" She glanced around, "So, have Shadow and Sky gone to pick up their dates?"

"Yeah. They said they'd meet up with us at the restaurant."

Neon smiled, "Okay, let's go." The two of them walked side by side, farther into the city.

But little did they know someone was watching them from the rooftops above. Watching the couple walk away through a pair of binoculars, Cross smiled to himself as he levitated a walkie-talkie to his mouth. Pressing the talk button, he spoke into the device, "Alright, it looks like Neon and Lexus are leaving. Everything good on your end?"

The receiver of the message sat on another rooftop, just on the other side of Team Calvary's base. Cloud pressed the talk button on his walkie-talkie, "Yeah, all clear here. I'm ready to go inside. Where are the others inside the base?"

"I've got a good view of the kitchen, the living room, and all of their bedrooms upstairs. Their not anywhere in sight, so I can only assume their down in the forge."

Cloud nodded, "Okay, I'm going in. I'll use the usual route through Soul's window." He opened up his wings and took off towards the building, flapping up towards the nearest window.

Once he reached the window, Cloud peered into Soul's room inside. Thankfully, no one was in there. Gripping the window pane, Cloud tried to force it open. But the window wouldn't budge.

Cloud cursed to himself as he spoke into his walkie-talkie, "Buck, it's locked. Is there any other way to get in besides the front door?"

Cross studied the whole of the building through his binoculars, "Hm... Wait, Cloud, try the window to the hallway on that same floor. It looks like it might be open. From there, it'll be a straight shot to Soul's room."

Cloud nodded, "Got it." He flew over to the window Cross mentioned. Upon reaching it, he noticed that it was partially opened, making it the perfect entry point. Forcing the window open, Cloud lighted down on the floor inside.

"Alright, Cross, I'm in. Keep your eyes on the ground floor for the others."

"Roger that." The walkie-talkie replied, "I'll warn you if they're on their way up."

Cloud then crept as quietly as he could through the hallway. He passed by the other team members' rooms until he reached Soul's door. He gingerly placed a claw on the doorknob and turned, finding that it too was locked.

Cloud raised an eyebrow, "Locked too? Man, Soul must've gotten paranoid from the last time I raided his food loots. Oh well, a little lock like this is nothing I can't crack."

Cloud turned himself around and flapped his wings to raise himself up so his tail was at the same height as the doorknob. Pointing his tail out with careful precision, he inserted the tip of it into the key hole as a makeshift lock pick. After a few twists this way and that with his tail, the lock clicked open and Cloud made his way inside.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the forge, Dylan and Violet were making the final adjustments on the security camera system.

"Alright Dylan, I'm ready to connect the video feed for the cameras. You ready with the monitor?" Violet called from his position by the circuit breaker.

"Yup!" Dylan watched the computer monitor closely. 4 small screens full of static covered the monitor, waiting to be connected to the cameras they were programmed for.

"Okay, first, the living room." Violet flicked a switch, and one of the screens on Dylan's monitor flickered to life, showing the living room upstairs.

"Okay, it looks like it's good." Dylan replied.

"Now, the kitchen." Another flick of a switch, and the next screen came alive.

"It's good."

"Now, the forge." The next screen came on, and Dylan could see himself sitting at the computer. He turned around and jokingly waved to himself through the camera.

"Looks like it's good."

"Alright, now the last one, the upstairs hallway." He flipped the switch and the screen came to life, showing the hallway on the second floor.

Soul gasped as he saw the camera feed for the hallway, "Wait, is it just me, or did you guys see something slip into my room?"

Dylan blinked in confusion, "Um, no. I think that must've been leftover static you saw."

Soul frowned to himself, "Hm... I guess you're right. I think I'm just jumpy from that time I got trolled last month."

Violet laughed as he came up to the computer monitor, "Oh, you mean the time someone raided your personal storage in your room?"

Dylan joined in laughing too, "Yeah, we never found out who did that, did we?"

Soul's eyes widened, "Hey, wait a second. I know I locked my door before I came down here. Why is it wide open now?!" He gasped, "The troll is back!" Without missing a beat, Soul took off out of the forge and up the stairs. He was going to make that little troll pay, whoever he was.

Upstairs, Cloud, unaware of Soul's approach, opened up the bedside drawer, the location of Soul's 'secret' stash. Reaching a claw inside, Cloud pulled out one of the several food items inside, Soul's favorite: A blueberry muffin.

Cloud licked his lips, "Yup, good eating for me and Cross tonight." Stowing away the muffin in his inventory, the dragon began taking the other food and storing them away as well.

Suddenly, Cross' voice shouted through the walkie-talkie, "Cloud! Abort! Abort! Get out of there! Soul's barreling up the stairs like an crazy person! I think you're in trouble."

Before Cloud could even react, his pupils dilated as a shadow loomed over his short dragon form from behind.

Soul's voice grumbled from right behind, "So, this whole time, it was you, Cloud."

Cloud glanced behind him to see Soul's eye twitching in a maniac expression. Cloud smiled warily, "Oh hey, Soul, old buddy. Um... You know this was a joke, right?"

"Then why aren't I laughing?" Soul's eyes seemed to glint with fury.

Cloud could only gulp down a lump in his throat as the unicorn slowly extended a hoof out to his scaly chest.

Downstairs in the forge, Dylan and Violet jumped in fright as they heard a scream and a loud crash above them.

Dylan cringed, "Whoa, I hope Soul didn't go overboard with that."

"Um, don't get your hopes up. Look, he just threw somebody right out into the hallway." Violet pointed to the computer monitor, "Hey, wait a minute, that's Cloud." Violet smirked and merely shrugged, "Ah, I should've known. Cloud *would* do something like this. And it wouldn't be too far off to assume Cross was in on this too."

Instantly, another huge crash came from upstairs and Violet and Dylan winced as they watched the action on screen, "Ooh, that looked like it hurt."

"Um, should we be worried that Soul might kill Cloud?" Dylan asked.

VIolet shook his head, "Naw, as long as they stay in the city, they can't bring each other's health's down unless they're in a duel."

"Okay, I guess you're right. But shouldn't we try to stop them?"

"Um, probably not. I don't think we'll be able to stop him, even if we tried."

"So, just sit back and watch the fireworks fly?"

"Yeah," Violet winced, "Ooh, but that was a nice use of a full nelson."

Dylan cringed, "Whoa, and then straight into a German Suplex! I'm surprised Cloud is still conscious."

Violet laughed, "Well, I guess one thing good came out of this."

"What?"

"At least we know the cameras are working, and now we can start working on installing a system for Jupiter at the castle."

And so, the two of them, and Cross with his binoculars outside, watched the action as Cloud tried to evade the wrath of Soul. Eventually, Cloud managed to fly away, ending the long tussle. But elsewhere, other events in Canterlot were happening.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Shadowflame

I trotted down a street lit with lanterns, on my way towards Frostlight's house. The sun had set only an hour ago, and the night would last much longer before it grew too late. Thankfully, Neon knew where Frostlight lived, because I had forgotten to ask her where I should pick her up for the date. What can I say? I'm forgetful when I'm nervous.

I continued to walk down the street, following the directions Neon had provided. I hadn't walked very far until I spotted the house. I made my way up to the front door, and raised a hoof to knock.

Okay, here goes nothing. I knocked a hoof against the wood door with a few quick thuds.

A few moments later, Frostlight opened the door, a bright smile on her face, "Hi, Shadow."

I smiled back, "Hey, Frost. Are you ready to go?"

She nodded as she exited her home, closing the door behind her, "Yup."

"Then let's go."

The two of us began walking back down the street, side by side, in the direction of the restaurant where Neon, Lexus, Sky, and Siren would be waiting for us. But as we walked, the first minute or so, neither of us said anything.

I kept giving Frostlight a few sideways glances, Man, why isn't she saying anything? Maybe, she's just waiting for me to start a conversation? I don't know... Or maybe she just doesn't talk a lot. UGH! Either way, I need to get a conversation going, otherwise this whole date is going to be extremely awkward.

I cleared my throat, "So, uh, Frost, how are you tonight?"

She glanced towards me, "Hm? Oh, I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm fine too." I paused for a moment as I tried to think of another way to keep the conversation going, "Hey, I'm a bit curious. Are you a little intimidated or something by the fact that you're out on a date with *me*?" In hindsight, that probably wasn't the best question in the world to ask. But then again, it did get the conversation moving like I wanted.

Frostlight paused for a bit, "Well, I guess I was. I mean, I guess I might just be a little bit." She frowned slightly, "I don't know." But then she gave me a sheepish smile, "Sorry, I'm not all that good at forming sentences right."

"Oh, okay." Well, at least I knew why she wasn't talking. I supposed that meant I'd be the one in charge of conversing, "Well, I was only wondering about what you thought of this date. I just hope that my known reputation won't make this date any less fun."

"Oh, well, you are kind of famous here in the game. Practically everyone had heard of you when you got the Element of Courage. And then you became an alicorn and yeah. You're basically the most famous player in the game." Frostlight glanced down at the ground, looking slightly embarrassed, "Um, when you asked me out this morning, I admit I was kind of..." She paused as if she were looking for the right word.

"Intimidated?" I ventured a guess.

Frost nodded, "Yeah. I wasn't really expecting you to walk up to me and ask me out on a date. But I noticed you were nervous too, so I thought... I'd say yes to your date."

I smiled a bit, "Okay, well I'm glad to hear that. Heck, even I'm not quite used to these wings either." I gave me wings a voluntary flap or two.

Frost glanced curiously at my wings, "So, what's it like? You were a unicorn before, weren't you?"

"What's it like to have wings?" I asked to clarify, "Well, it's actually really fun, flying especially."

"Really?"

"Yeah, there isn't a feeling in the world like flying with your own wings. It just makes you feel so free."

Frost smiled as she looked ahead, distantly, "It sounds fantastic. Ever since we got in this game, I've never felt like I had freedom."

I glanced back at her, "Wait, speaking of which, how did you get stuck in this game?"

"Oh, well the Nervegear I'm using now is actually my friend's." She replied, "She wanted me to try it out for a bit, so I made another account and played it. But then,.. You know."

I nodded in recognition, "Yeah, all too well."

For a moment, neither of us spoke as we remembered back to the first day of the game, the day we all were trapped. I shook my head, "Well, we shouldn't really dwell on that. We're on a date after all. This is supposed to be fun."

Frost flashed a small grin, "Indeed."

"Okay, well what about your weapon of choice? What do you use to fight?"

"I use a bow. And when I combine my player ability to it, I can shoot Ice arrows."

I blinked in surprise, "Really? So, you're ability is almost like my Blaze ability. What's it called?"

"Frost."

I smirked, "So, I'm guessing that makes you the Katniss Everdeen of your team, right?"

Frostlight laughed, "Um, yeah. I can't believe you just made a hunger games reference. It's been a while since I heard anything like that."

I shrugged, "Hey, that series is only ten years old. It's still a great story."

"I think so, too."

"And what about Harry Potter?"

"Oh, I love that series!"

Surprisingly, our conversation went on smoothly from then on. And just from talking to Frostlight, I could tell that this night was only going to get better... Or, so I had hoped.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

It didn't take us long to reach the restaurant, and by then, Neon, Lexus, Sky, and Siren were all waiting for me and Frost. They all stood just outside the building, ready to go inside.

"Really? Your high school plays quidditch?" Frost asked as we approached the restaurant, her face making a massive grin.

I nodded, "Yeah, although I'm not very good at it, but that's mainly because I only ever play it in PE."

Frost laughed, "That's awesome."

Lexus smirked at me as we came close, "Took you long enough. Did you have a nice long walk?"

I simply shrugged. Neon then started for the door, "Well, now that we're all here, it's time to eat." Everyone filed into the restaurant behind her.

As we entered, Sky trotted closer to me, a sly grin on his face, "Man, with that silly grin on your face, I'd say that you like that Frostlight girl."

"Well, I guess you could say that. I mean, we have a bit in common with each other, but I haven't gotten to talk with her that long."

Sky shrugged, "Oh well."

"And what about you and Siren?" I asked

Sky simply blinked, "Well, I think she's starting to look at me a bit differently than usual because I asked her out, but nothing has really changed."

Under my breath I muttered, "Hm... I'll laugh when you end up having a crush on her by next week."

"What was that?" Sky asked.

I smiled sheepishly, "Oh, nothing."

Inside the restaurant, an NPC greeted us at the door and led us to a small table for 6. The table was made from polizhed wood, as were the chairs, save for the cushion padding on the seats, which meant that this place was in the midzone for the pricing of resaurants. Frostlight and I took our seats next to each other, while Neon sat herself down on a seat and Lexus pushed her chair in before taking a seat next to her. Next, Siren sat down in a chair, but before she could scoot herself in, Sky placed his hooves on the back of her chair.

"Here," He said, "I got this." He gently scooted her chair forward, which rewarded him with a sharp look from his date.

"Sky, I told you that you can't be a gentleman for this date."

Sky grunted under his breath, "Hm, right." Though his tone emphasized that he hadn't forgotten. He then took his seat at the table.

Later, another NPC took our orders and just as quickly came back with our food. (Gotta love video game diners. No need to wait for anything.) As a waitress NPC set down a clover sandwich that I had ordered down in front of me, I noticed that Lexus was glancing between me and Frostlight.

"Lexus?" I asked curiously.

He shook his head, "Oh, sorry. It's just that I noticed something funny." He chuckled a bit, "It kind of seems that you and Frostlight are exact opposites of each other."

Frostlight and I just stared at him in confusion, "Wait, what?"

"Think about it." Lexus explained, "First, your names. 'Shadowflame' has to do with darkness and fire, while 'Frostlight' has to do with ice and light, the exact opposites of the attributes in your name, Shadow. And then there's your colors. Your mane is red, while her coat is green, which is the opposite of each other on the color wheel. And your coat is gray, while at least part of her mane is white, which is close, if not just off from being opposite from each other."

I paused for a moment, but then I found myself laughing as it made sense to me, "Oh, wow. I didn't notice that before."

Frostlight nodded, an amused look on her face, "Yep. But there's more that you don't know."

"Yeah, so Frostlight uses a bow to fight, while I use a sword and shield. A ranged weapon and a close quarters weapon are basically opposites. And my ability is Blaze, which lights my sword on fire, but her ability is Frost, which adds freezing power to her arrows."

Sky chuckled from his spot at the table, just barely taking a few bites from his food, which was a plate of hay fries, "Well, you know what they say. Opposites attract."

I felt myself flush a bit, while Frost looked down to the floor in embarrassment. "Hehe, yeah. Right." We both replied in unison.

"Aw, isn't that cute." A voice spoke from behind me, with an icy tone. I glanced behind to see a black stallion wearing a black cloak. On a belt, he had two sais strapped there, ready for use. His mane and tail were a dark green, and he wore a cold, menacing expression. I could hear my group members gasp a bit as they saw this newcomer. We had seen him before, two months ago at the Canterlot party, just before he stormed off from being defeated by Neon.

Nyxia flashed us all a grin, "Surprise."

Lexus stood up from his seat, glaring at the unicorn, "What do you want, Nyxia? Another rematch?"

Nyxia simply shook his head, tutting as he did, "No, Lexus. My business isn't with you yet. Right now, I need Shadow for the moment."

I narrowed my eyes, "And what would that be?"

Nyxia drew one of his sais with his magic, "I want the power of an alicorn for myself, just like everyone else in this death trap of a game. I challenge you to a duel, Shadowflame."

I paused for a moment, but then I turned back to my plate of food, "I decline."

I could hear Nyxia's breathing become more harsh, as if he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, "You're declining my challenge?!"

I nodded without looking back, "Yes, I am. As you can see, I'm on a date."

"So what, you're a coward now? What happened to your so called Element of Courage?"

"I'm not a coward." I replied flatly, "If you're so anxious to duel me, then I'll have to ask you to come back to me tomorrow and challenge me then."

Nyxia drew his other sai and snarled, "We are doing this right here, right now!"

Instantly, Lexus, Neon, and Sky stood up and pulled their weapons out of their inventories, ready to defend against Nyxia if needed. "No," I told them, "I'll take care of this. Besides, he says his business is with me."

I glanced behind me towards Nyxia, "You can't hurt me if I don't accept the duel. We're in a safe zone, remember? Whichi means my health bar can't drop at all unless I accept the duel, which I don't. Come back tomorrow."

"No! Your lackeys and your petty little wallflower can wait. And if you don't accept when I ask again, I will hunt down your team mates outside of the city walls, where they can be easily ambushed."

I inhaled sharply, and the whole room seemed to fall silent. I stood up from my seat and turned to face Nyxia, "I don't care if you call me a coward, or any other name for that matter." I quickly equipped my armor and weapons with a hoof, making all of the equipment appear on me instantly, "But no one threatens my group like that without paying a price." I drew my sword and shield, making my blade burst into flames, "And they are not my lackeys, they are my friends... And also," I flared my wings in anger, "Frostlight is anything but a wallflower, you scumbag. So you better apologize before I hand your flank to you on a silver platter."

Nyxia's face drooped into one of shock, but then quickly twisted into a sneer as he regained his composure, "Hahaha, that's right. Get angry. Those wings will be mine before you know it." He quickly tapped into his player menu, selecting the invite to duel option.

The duel invitation appeared in front of me, but I didn't pay it any attention. I beat my wings once, and I was instantly an inch from Nyxia's face, my blade right beneath his throat.

I growled under my breath, "I gave you the chance to come back and duel me tomorrow, but now, you don't even deserve it. I won't be dueling you today."

Nyxia looked shocked, "B-but, you can't hurt me in a safe zone. Not unless you duel me. Why bother drawing your sword then?"

"Because, I don't plan on hurting you. I can't lower your health, but my weapon can still use its knockback!" In a single swipe, I drove my sword into Nyxia's chest, but rather than stabbing into him, he was thrown backwards a few feet, landing hard against the floor behind him.

I walked up to him, my sword pointed towards his chest, "Now, unless you want to get ping ponged across this restaurant, I'd suggest you get out of my sight."

Nyxia, knowing he wouldn't fare well in this kind of fight, quickly scrambled to get up to all fours and galloped for the door. But before he could exit, a hoof on his shoulder stopped him. Lexus had flown over and intercepted Nyxia's course to prevent him from leaving.

"Not so fast." The gray pegasus said, "When you were launched by Shadow, I thought I saw something like a tattoo. It came from right behind your left ear." Before Nyxia could react, Lexus kicked out the unicorns legs from beneath him and pinned him to the ground with his body. And just as quickly, Lexus parted Nyxia's mane away from his left ear, revealing that there was a tattoo there: A skull.

Sky frowned as he looked at the mark, "So, he went and joined the Haters' Guild. I guess it was a big mistake for him to come to us."

I glanced towards Neon, "Message Jupiter right away. Tell him that we have another Hater in our custody."

As Neon went ahead and prepared a message, Nyxia could be heard beneath Lexus' body weight, "Shi-" He was quickly knocked unconscious as I smacked him with my shield. Another thing about me, I did not like swearing all that much either.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

I yawned as I walked down the street, out of the restaurant, "Man, even with a bit of action in between, that meal really hit the spot." I glanced towards Frostlight who walked beside me, "So, how was your food?"

"Oh, it was good."

You see, after sending a message to Jupiter, it only took a few minutes for some players from the guild to arrive and drag Nyxia off to prison. So, that was settled, but everyone decided because of the action, we'd cut the date a bit shorter than we had planned. So we all decided to eat our food and enjoy ourselves a little bit, but then we'd walk each of our dates home. And since we were all finished, it was time for me to walk Frostlight back home.

My armor and weapons had been stowed away after Nyxia had been carried off, which helped me to relax a bit after the action. I glanced towards Frostlight, only to notice that she was being a quieter than before. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked.

She shook her head, "It's just... Back there, against that Hater, you were really intense. I thought you were actually planning on killing that guy. It was, I don't know, it was like seeing a whole different side of you."

I paused, "I guess that wouldn't be too far off. That guy, Nyxia, me and my team have some bad history with him. He brutalized Lexus when we first met him, and I suppose we all grew a small little hate for him. And when he threatened my team," I could hear my voice grow grim, "That was a line that he shouldn't have crossed."

"Oh," Frostlight seemed to delve deep in thought, "I suppose when you put it that way..."

I shook my head, "Um, look, sorry if I ruined this date for you."

"No, that's fine. You didn't ruin it for me. It was just that it made me think a little bit. I don't think I could have gotten to know you like I do now if this hadn't happened. I know how you feel. You care for your team and for your friends. And it's just like everyone says, you really are a good leader."

I gave a small smile, "Thanks. But if you're giving me compliments like that, then I need to at least give you one as well."

She smiled, "Really?"

I nodded, "Yeah... So, can I just say that you're probably the most amazing girl I've ever met."

Frostlight giggled a bit, "Really, even when you only met me today? You barely even know me."

I paused, "Well, I tend to have a pretty good judge of character. Let's see here... You are very nerdy, which I like a lot. You are kind and understanding. And you are... just beautiful."

Before I could react, Frostlight stopped and turned, just to throw her hooves around my neck in a tight hug. Her face had wide grin on it, "Thank you. I just..." She trailed off in the sentence.

I smiled a little wider as I returned the hug, "You're welcome."

Suddenly, a huge crack of thunder ripped through the air causing both of us to break away from the hug. I glanced up just in time to feel a few drops of rain fall down onto my fur, before it escalated into a fairly decent downpour. "Huh, it's raining."

Frostlight smiled as she leaned in closer from the side, "Well, that's good. I've always liked the rain."

I paused for a moment, feeling as the cool rain cascaded from the sky and onto my head and back. It did feel nice, or maybe it was just the feeling of Frostlight pressed up against my side. But either way, I hadn't smiled like this for quite a while. I nodded, "Yeah, I love the rain too."

"Well, um Shadow? Shouldn't we get going?"

I blinked as I realized that we had stopped walking. I smiled, "Yeah, let's go."

So, we walked with our sides touching, as if we thought it'd be of any help in repelling the rain. But it was more of an excuse to stay close to each other. I wasn't going to complain. Frostlight just felt so soft and warm. It felt good just to be with her.

As we walked in the rain, Frostlight spoke, "Shadow, you're a dork."

I blinked in surprise, unsure of how to react, "Um,... Thanks?"

Frost giggled, "No, I didn't mean that badly. When I call someone a dork, I mean it in a good way. I like dorks."

I smiled, "Well that's okay. I like nerds" I flashed her a grin.

Her smile grew a bit bigger, and she glanced down at the ground in embarrassment, "You're such a dork."

And so, just to show appreciation of the fact, I unfurled a wing and draped it across her back to pull her into a tighter hug. We walked through the rain together in silence, just enjoying the fact that the other person was there. It seemed almost magical. This had been a good date after all.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Darkened5ky

The rain poured down hard as Sky walked beside Siren. They walked down the streets towards the Team Vortex base. Sky's horn glowed black as he held a magic shield above the two of them like an umbrella.

Siren made a pouting face, "You know, Sky. I was fine with you walking me home, but holding an umbrella for me is where I draw the line. I told you, no being a gentleman."

Sky flatly replied, "I heard you before."

The two of them trotted along in silence for a while, only the patter of rain filling the void of silence.

"You know, Sky, you say you heard me when I keep telling you to not be a gentleman, but why are you ignoring what I tell you to do."

Sky stopped in his tracks, turning to give Siren a level stare, "It's because I was always taught to be polite to any girl I go out on a date with. It doesn't matter what she tells you to do, I was told to treat her well, even if she declines."

Siren paused for a moment, "That... Who would teach you that? No offense, but I'd say that's only rude to the girl you're out on a date with."

Sky groaned, "Look, Siren, I figured that if I treated you politely like I did tonight, you'd have second thoughts. You said that you came into this game in the first place because you were sick of being treated like a princess. Well, it's been months since you were home and you for sure haven't been getting that treatment here. Don't you miss your home, with your family and with all the treatment you were given by them?"

Siren stared in surprise at Sky, "But- But I... I *do* miss my family, and I guess I do miss how I had to put up with their annoying treatment... I guess I hadn't been thinking of that..."

Sky turned towards her, his expression softening somewhat, "But, it's not just that. I think that a date isn't just a time for a guy and girl to get to know each other, but it's a time where I can make the girl feel special." He sighed, "But if you still don't want that, I understand. But let's get you home first."

Sky and Siren continued down the street, with Sky focusing on his makeshift umbrella, and Siren following just behind him. A hundred different thoughts bounced through Siren's mind, her past dislike of her home, what treatment she really longed for, the fact that Sky wanted to make her feel special tonight, and a small nagging part of her mind that kept saying she needed to apologize for not understanding his intentions. It was a massive cluster of thoughts, and her mind was working hard to try and piece everything together.

Before she knew it, Sky announced, "We're here."

Siren glanced ahead to find themselves standing in front of the Team Vortex base.

Sky nodded his head over towards the front door, "Well, you better get inside. I'll see you later."

Siren hesitated for a moment, but then slowly trotted towards the door. She climbed up the steps to the base, but she stopped before she opened up the door.

Sky, noticing Siren's pause right in front of the door, raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Before he could say anything, Siren turned around, calling to him,

"Wait, Sky. Just one thing." She trotted down the steps and back to Sky. And by standing up on her hind legs to make up her height difference, she planted a kiss on Sky's cheek.

Sky's eyes went wide and he turned to look at Siren, whose face was growing red. The pegasus mare gave a small smile, "Thank you for the date. We should do it again sometime, and... And then I'll let you make me feel special."

Sky paused for a moment, but then nodded, "Okay, yeah, we should."

Siren's smile grew a bit bigger, "Great. I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." Without another word, Siren raced back inside the Team Vortex base, leaving Sky out in the rain alone.

Sky couldn't help but rub the spot where Siren had kissed his cheek, "Hm,... Why did she...?" He shook his head, "Ah, it's probably that Element of Kindness side to her." He chuckled to himself as he turned back towards the direction of the Team Equitum base, "Well, Fluttershy was always my favorite pony, and she has the same element. Go figure."

Smiling lightly to himself, Sky released his hold on his makeshift umbrella. He liked the rain better anyway. With the date at an end, Sky walked through the rain as the night was growing to its latest, back to his home base.

Author's Note:

Thanks again, Raybony for the picture of Shadowflame in armor.

Also, special thanks to Frostlight for 'letting me use' your OC in this chapter. :P I hope you don't mind. Surprise!

Thanks for reading,
-Shadowflame.

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