> Now Ponies Play Doom III
>  by obake
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A Little Wrath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight and Rarity rinsed their mouths repeatedly with mouthwash in the wash room, while Applejack tried ridding the aftertaste of the cookies with one of her famous Apple Brown Bettys. Pinkie scowled at her own reflection, wondering when the rainbow colors around her mouth would vanish. She looked at Rainbow, who sat casually atop the Apple's kitchen table. Eventually noticing Pinkie's stare, Dash said rather coolly “Don't blame me. I didn't know the cookies would have an aftertaste.” 
Overhearing, Fluttershy walked in the room, her face still flush. “You really need to be more careful,” she said. 
“Ah c'mon guys,” said Rainbow	, “I learned my lesson. Let's just forget about it. Besides, I'm not the one who ate the cookies after learning they were fake.” 
Applejack wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Easier said than done.” she replied, “I'm supposed to be one of the judges for the pie baking competition tomorrow, and I still can't taste anything but sour.”
Dash nearly chuckled, but kept her amusement to herself. “I'm sure you'll all be back to normal by tomorrow.” 
“We better.” 
“Mmm-hmm.” the others said in agreeance. Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy filed off, while Twilight walked up to Dash. 
“I hope you've learned your lesson for real,” said Twilight. 
By now Rainbow had had enough criticism. Her voice cracked. “I said I was sorry.” 
“And I accept your apology.” said Twilight, “It's just, be careful. Okay?”
“Whatever.” 
“By the way, the postal pony came to the door earlier.” 
“Yeah yeah.” Dash was ready to fly back to her own house when Twilight flew next to her. 
“This letter's for you.” She levitated a white manilla envelope in front of her face. On it were crudely drawn letters spelling 'D-A-S-H'.
Rainbow shrugged, taking the letter in her mouth and flying off without even a good bye. Twilight shook her head. Rarity walked out of the wash room, checking her mouth carefully in a hand mirror. “Twilight, dear,” do you think the chalk dust helps hide the stains?”
Back at Rainbow's house, she ripped the envelope open with her teeth. This has to be another fan letter, she thought. She was the star of her own fan club, and a town celebrity, after all. In her mind this was just a regular occurrence. When she read the letter, however, her eyes widened, and her mouth drew down. 
It was a literal letter from Hell, signed by a familiar “Mr. Sin.”



-----------------------------------------------
The street buzzed with wasps and mosquitoes of every variety. People swatted at the bugs, praying the light would turn green so they could at least drive one more block, before inevitably being stuck at another light for an hour. Everyone was in convertibles, none of which had working roofs or air conditioning. The embers of the swirling ashen sky beamed off of their foreheads, making them sweat even more as the incessant buzzing of the mosquitoes pushed them closer to the brink of madness. At least things were better in doors.
Hell is not so bad once you get used to it, thought Betruger, sitting back on his blue leather couch in his ground level apartment. Besides the ambiance of car horns, muttered swearing, and wails of despair of the unrepentant, besides the weekends spent listening to devils droning on about proper work ethics, and besides having nothing to watch but UAC training videos, things were peachy. He only wished he could get back to his Maledict form, rather than just a human.
ZDDINGT!
His apartment intercom buzzed. He held the portable receiver to his mouth. “Who is it?” he asked.
“Dave.” said a garbled yet familiar voice. 
Great, thought Betruger. Dave was a new recruit, sent to Hell for apparently every crime in existence. He was always bragging that he had murdered this man and this woman, this family, and that family, burned down entire cities, stole bread from the poor, sold that bread to the rich for profit, etc. Betruger was not sure Dave even could commit crimes (besides being annoying.) He was a goody two shoes, who did everything his devil masters commanded him to do without question, and more. He must have been sent to Hell by mistake.
Betruger did not want to give up any of his free time listening to a braggart. He spoke into the transmitter “Sorry, I'm busy.”
The voice on the other end crackled. “You don't look busy.”
Betruger shuddered. He forgot to close the blinds on his window. He made any excuse he could to get out. “I'm meditating.” he said. 
“Oh?”
“Yes. Now let me-”
Dave was already through the door. Why must I always forget to check the lock, he thought. He sat up, consigned to his fate. Dave sat next to him. 
“I like meditating,” said Dave, “I killed a guy once for interrupting me.” 
The irony was not lost on Betruger. He barely listened as his thoughts turned to being back with the UAC. He may not have had as much free time then, but at least it was quiet. Dave kept speaking without a second thought, mimicking the actions of his tall tales with dramatic gestures. Betruger admitted to himself that this was not ideal He wanted freedom again. The ability to order others to do his bidding, to be the one in power. He was the Dr. Betruger, after all, not just some schmoe! 
As his mind went idle, Dave's words began piercing in. 
“The ponies, you know, they're stronger than you think. I always knew their strength, of course. I killed a guy for a pony once. He was a-”
“Ponies?” interrupted Betruger. 
“Yeah, they defeated Old Hell, and brought peace to their world.”
Betruger nearly went back to his own thoughts again, before asking “Did you say Old Hell?”
“Yeah,” said Dave, “the part of town Romero runs.” 
Confusion and then anger showed on Betuger's face. “You okay?” asked Dave. Betruger stood up, staring into seeming nothingness. His hands fidgeted.
The Dr. began chanting, his voice growing hoarse. Dave slowly shuffled out of the room, making sure to close the door quietly. Betruger continued babbling, finally shouting the words  “My ticket...is…poniesssss.” 
> Message from an Icon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight grimaced. The letter was an official one from Hell, signature and all. Only problem was that it was written in a form of cipher, jumbles of arrows and letters. The rest of the Mane 6 and the Crusaders waited nervously for her to speak. “Dash,” she said, “do you know why the Icon wrote to you specifically?”
“No. Why?”
Twilight shrugged. Everypony sighed. 
Sweetie Belle stood up. “Rarity and I were the ones who defeated Hell. It's not fair that Dash gets a letter!” 
Applejack guffawed. “We have a day named after you two.”
“Yeah, and a parade and everything.” said Applebloom. 
Twilight chimed in. “Stop fighting.” She teleported onto the table. “We have to figure out what this letter is saying.”
“Well duh,” said Scootaloo.
“Maybe it's nonsense.” said Pinkie. 
Dash glared at her. “Why would the lord of Hell write nonsense?”
“Maybe his handwriting's just bad.” said Fluttershy.
“Yours would be too if you were just a head on a stick.” said Applejack.
“But we write with our mouths all the time!” said Pinkie. 
“We're horses!” said everypony else. 
The tension in the room was thick enough to chainsaw through. Finally Scootaloo stepped on to the table. “Let me see the letter.” She eyed the writings. A lightbulb went off over her head. 
Applejack held the switch. “No need to read in dim light.” she said.
Scootaloo looked closely. “That's it!” She exclaimed, and raced out of the window, letter in hooves. Before anypony could stop her, she was zipping down the street on her scooter. 
The others chased after her. “Scootaloo!” Dash shouted, “get back with my letter!”
Scoots was in Rarity's boutique lickety-split. 
Scootaloo booted up Doom II. The familiar music swelled, making her heart jump with nostalgia. She checked the letter. It was not a cipher, it was a list of codes. “Down, Up, A, B, 5, 6, Up, Down, Left.” At the last key stroke, unfamiliar music began playing. The rest of the ponies entered the room, watching in awe as the face of the Icon appeared, speaking.
“Stupid ponies. We are irate over your unfair victory. You puny ponies only bested us because you cheated. We demand recompense!”
Minutes passed, everypony growing bored as the Icon rambled. Finally it spoke “In four days, you and your wretched friends will take up our offer: a rematch on fair grounds, against a new army. You may keep your silly little spells. They will be of no use this time. Say hello to Doom III!” The screen went to black.
Everyponies mouth opened in horror. “D-Doom III?” said Applejack. “Does that even exist?” 
“Yeah,” said Rarity, “I bought a copy months ago. But...haven't got around to playing it.”
Silence. “Well, what are we waiting for?” said Twilight, “Let's get to the homework you should have done long ago!”
Everypony gathered around the computer, Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight fighting to play first. The logo screen appeared, the words Doom III emblazoned in fiery letters. 
Scootaloo watched engrossed for only a moment, before her eyes locked onto the mysterious letter again. She had only put in one code. There were eleven more.
> Fun and Games
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was morning. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Dash were still engrossed in the game. They offered each other control after every death, no longer speaking words. The Crusaders huddled on the couch, asleep. 
Pinkie and Fluttershy sat at the breakfast table downstairs. Pinkie sipped her mug of cocoa ("Mmm!") while Fluttershy looked on. 
"Pinkie?" she asked.
Her friend downed the rest of her cocoa in one gulp, licking her lips for over a minute. "Yes?" she said finally.
"I'm not too afraid of everything, am I?"
Pinkie gave an understanding smile. "It's fine that you're not playing the game."
"I know that," said Fluttershy, "but-"
"Butts are for sitting, silly." interrupted Pinkie. "You're not a sitting, you're a pony!"
Fluttershy stared blankly. "I wish I was as brave as you guys." 
"You are though," said Pinkie, "just differently. Remember how you saved the Crusaders from the Cockatrice, or us from the dragon?"
"Well, yes-"
"Just because you're afraid of spooky stuff doesn't mean you're not brave or loyal to your friends."
"You really think so?"
"Not just think so, know so!" 
They giggled, Fluttershy patting Pinkie on the shoulder. Neither realized they were being watched from the window by a fat zombie pony. It groaned too low for either to hear, slobber emanating from its drooping mouth.
Another fat zombie pony scuttled next to it.
In its zombie tongue, it spoke. "Th-these are the onesss?"
"Ye-s."
The zombies sneaked around the boutique, in plain view of Ponyville's residents. No one batted an eye, assuming they were pranksters looking to get back at Dash for the aftertaste of those cookies. It was bad enough the Pie Competition was held back because of that.
Lurching, one of the zombies tried opening the front door. It would not budge. It pushed, and pulled, and bit at the knob and window. Taken out of her trance from the game, Rarity asked "What is that scratching?" 
"Beats me." said Dash, doing her best to survive the onslaught of teleporting enemies onscreen. 
The other zombie pulled the first aside, and used a different approach. 
Knock...knock...knock...knock...knock-
"I don't want to go to school yet." mumbled Scootaloo, re positioning herself on the couch and falling back asleep. 
The rest of the Mane 6 looked at Rarity with a smile. She sighed, heading as fast as she could downstairs. Pinkie was already answering. 
"Look, zombies!" she said exaggeratedly, air quoting with her hooves, then snickering. Pinkie assumed the overweight guests outside the entrance were there to entertain.  She nearly let them in to scare Dash when Rarity took one glance, and screamed. 
She zipped to the basement, bringing a 2x4 and threatening "You devils, get away from my home now, or there will be consequences!" 
Pinkie slammed the door shut and said (amid groans outside) "Gee, I didn't think you would be so fidgety."
Rarity gave Pinkie the most sinister stink eyes. "Those aren't actors." she said. 
"They're not?"
"No," said Rarity. "Do you know where else I've encountered them?"
"Where?"
Rarity inched closer and closer to Pinkie, idling up to her ear. Fluttershy listened in as close as she could from her spot at the table. Rarity whispered "Doom 3."
Silence. "Oh," said Pinkie, "well that's not so-" Her mouth went agape, tongue flapping while swirls appeared in the background. "They're-"
"Yes." 
Pinkie zipped upstairs to warn her friends. Instead, she zoomed straight past them and into a wall, knocking herself out cold. Finally the attention they had had over the game dissipated. "Um," said Twilight, "is everything alright?" 
Rarity told them the situation. All of their mouths dropped.

While Twilight and Spike flew over the town to warn everyone of the impending danger, and Dash and Big Mac went to fight the zombies, Applejack sat around the table with the other Mane 6.
"Those traitors! They said we'd be fighting in their dimension, doggone it!" 
Fluttershy tended to Pinkie by holding a damp cloth over her head. Pinkie spoke, still woozy. "Yeah, well Hell hasn't been known for...fighting fair." 
"Darn tootin'." said Applejack, "I'll rustle them real good myself if I have to."
Rarity sipped from her latte. "Now, Applejack, we'll need to stick together."
"Says you.  If you and Sweetie Belle could beat Romeo nearly by yourselves, I could do the same lickety-split. No offense."
"You don't understand," said Rarity. "This isn't like Dooms 1 or 2. We're up against monsters with different sets of rules. Besides, its Romero."
Fuming, Applejack chugged from her cider and unknowingly slammed the mug down. Fluttershy jumped. 
Pinkie shook her head and looked at the clock. "You guys...still need to beat the game...right?"
"In time, dear." said Rarity. Applejack did not reply. 
Fluttershy dipped a second cloth in warm water and placed it on Pinkie's head. "Thanks," said Pinkie. 
Ding dong!
Pinkie's eyes widened. "The zoom-berries are ba-ba-barkkk!" She fell off her chair. 
Rarity answered, expecting news from Twilight or Dash. Instead she was greeted by a looming figure with a devious grin on his face. 
"Dis-" was all she got out.
"Indeed!"
	
	
> Trouble on the Farm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Everywhere in Ponyville asides from the boutique had been evacuated at the news of the invasion. Even if it was only two zombies, that was enough to dredge up memories of the last time Hell invaded, which was not pleasant. The only ponies outside were Dash and Big Mac, who were too impatient to wait for reinforcements. Two obese zombies would not be too much too handle, surely. If there was trouble, they could quickly run away.
They located the zombies at Sweet Apple Acres. The zombies, knowing they had been spotted, rushed into the barn, only to be assaulted by chickens and pigs. The animals had an instinct for trouble, and clawed as much as they could before scattering outside to safety. 
The zombies cursed themselves for choosing the barn to run into rather than the house. They feverishly rubbed the feathers and mud off of their clothes as they looked for any places to hide. 
“Got you!” said a winged figure, standing tall against the sunlit window. Dash charged one of the zombies, knocking it over. It was too late for stealth now. The other zombie grabbed a pitchfork in its mouth and lumbered forward, just as Big Mac busted through the front doors. 
He tackled the second zombie, causing it to lose grip of its weapon. The other kicked and punched at Dash, successfully hitting her a few times due to their close proximity. She finally flew as high as she could inside and dive bombed, flattening the ghoul on its back. It tried getting up, but Dash held it down with her weight, wailing on its head with her front hooves. It growled and growled, spitting with sharp teeth.
Meanwhile, Big Mac got on top of a stack of hay bails, waiting for his pursuant to climb its way up. To his surprise, the zombie shrugged and charged towards Dash (charged in zombie standards, anyways.) It swung its hoof around Dash's neck, catching her off guard. She gasped for air. Not willing to give up, she kept punching the face of the first zombie. 
Big Mac charged off of the hay and jump kicked the second zombie out of its grip, doing another kick to its side. Sweat poured down his forehead. As tiring as this was, he could not let Hell vermin win. He mustered his last ounce of energy and body slammed the zombie. It flattened with a loud pulp, something oozing from its burst insides. Only instead of blood, it was...sticky confetti?
Second wind got hold of Big Mac as he immediately rose and shook off the paper. Dash did a powerhouse punch to the zombie's face, her hoof sinking into it and retracting with tendrils of slime and confetti attached. “Yuck!” she said, shaking her hoof as best she could. The two zombies slowly melted into the ground, leaving only ragged clothes. 
The two ponies almost looked like they were having a good time dancing, but they were actually shaking the slime and paper off of their bodies. Big Mac spit and spat, worried he may have swallowed some of the goop. Dash wondered how they would have reacted to real blood. 
Suddenly a voice boomed out of nothingness, its origin seemingly near the ceiling. “Well, looks like you successfully passed the initial test. Congratulations.” There was the sound of slow clapping. Dash flew towards the ceiling, looking everywhere for the source. “I'm not actually in the barn, stupid.” said the voice, “I'm watching you, waiting to see if you're worthy of my presen-”
“Hey, what's with this techno setup?” said another voice.
“Dave, get out, please. I'm busy...no, don't touch anything! I said..." BZZGT! "No, that's not..." BZZGT! "I'll be back later.” 
Dash and Big Mac looked at each other, puzzled. Dash kicked at the ceiling in frustration, hitting it hard enough to create a huge hole. She was going to blame that on the zombies, for sure.

Meanwhile at the boutique, initial shock wore off and was replaced with an air of suspicion. “What?” Discord asked, “am I not allowed to visit once in a blue moon?” He transformed into a smaller version of himself sitting atop a floating blue crescent. He waved exaggeratedly towards Fluttershy. 
Scootaloo slogged down the stairs, rubbing her eyes. “What's all this fuss- oh, hey Discord.”
“Scoots!” Discord conjured himself back to normal, only now wearing a Doom marine's helmet. “Somepony has the courtesy to say hi.” 
“Yeah. I guess you heard-”
“Heard? Heard!?” said Discord. His helmet disappeared. “You mean Dash got a letter from Hell, and now overweight zombies are running amok in town? Why, I haven't heard that.”
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “No need for sarcasm.”
Rarity piped in. “Just what do you want-” 
Discord put a finger to her lips. “I may have been guilty of helping bring Hell to Equestria last time, but I swear by almighty Celestia that this time I am innocent!” 
“Uh-huh.” said Pinkie. 
“I'm serious. Look.” Discord snapped a finger, and a letter appeared out of thin air, falling onto the table with a thump. Its appearance was similar to that of the letter Dash had received. Again, it was written in code. 
Applejack puzzled over it. She turned to Scootaloo. “Can ya' translate this?”
“Sorry,” said Scootaloo, lowering her head, “these ciphers appear to be different than the other ones.”
“Ciph whats?” asked Applejack.
Discord huddled between Pinkie and Fluttershy. “No need to wrack your minds, fillies, I already know what it says. In short, Hell's new leader, Betruger, wants me to join his forces.” 
“You-” 
Rarity was interrupted again. “I'm not joining him.” Discord appeared next to Fluttershy. “Flutters is too good a friend to betray. Isn't that right?” He bearhugged her. 
“Pl-ease, sto-op” she said.
He let go, letting her catch her breath. Rarity glared at him. “How can we trust you?” 
“You'll just have to.” he said. His grin faded into a more serious expression. “By the way, no need to worry about Dash and Big Mac. They just defeated Betruger's test zombies.” 
“His what!?” shouted everypony in unison.
“His test zombies. Do I need to spell it out for you?” 
Discord conjured himself up in costume as a teacher next to a blackboard. He slowly wrote down the words “test zombies.” 
“We know what ya said!” said Applejack, “Please just explain what in tarnations-”
“Alright, alright.” said Discord, rolling his eyes “No need to shout. In my letter from Hell, Betruger said he'll be sending a few test monsters just to make sure you're a worthy match.” 
Scootaloo stared at the table, unsure. “You mean they weren't real?” 
“Exactly.” Discord appeared next to Applejack. “You could learn a lot from Scoots, how not to shout accusations, etc.” Applejack gritted her teeth.
“Anyways,” said Discord, “the next wave will be sometime tonight. Be prepared with more than two ponies. Oh, and one other thing...” He moved closer to Applejack and Rarity, “Catch up on Doom 3 as much you can. You'll need the experience.” Discord's cackling could be heard blocks away.





	

	
	
	
> Swarm of the Evening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Most able-bodied ponies of Ponyville were equipped with bows, spears, and armor for the upcoming fight. Unfortunately for Rarity and friends, Discord disappeared too quick before they could ask more, like when the next wave was exactly. All they knew was that monsters would arrive sometime in evening. Worse still, they had to play more Doom 3 just for the experience. Nothing takes the fun out of a game like knowing it is your only hope of surviving for real. 
The day wore on, morning turning to afternoon, afternoon turning to twilight (the time, not the Princess), and twilight turning to darkness. The skies became lit with searchlights. It was past midnight when the first group of ponies made a signal. Then another group, and another. A swarm of...something was flying towards town. The Mane 6 knew exactly what they were the moment they saw them. 
Cacodemons. Only they looked cuter than in game. 
As they had learned, Doom 3 Cacos were not too problematic, given the right circumstances. It did not help that they were going to fight them at night, however. Twilight (the Princess, not the time) looked at Rarity. Rarity gave her the go ahead. Twilight shouted “FIRE!” 
The Ponyvillians started throwing spears, javelins, rocks, whatever they could, into the demonic swarm. The weapons ever so often pierced into the demon's faces, or bounced off. Few, if any of the Cacodemons, seemed phased. They began spewing their own projectiles, sending balls of electricity into the crowd. Ponies scattered, running head first into one another, knocking down their more stalwart brethren who were still attempting aim. Finally, Twilight shouted “Unicorns, attack!” 
Her plan had been for the unicorns to save energy in case something big arrived, but she had lost patience. Waves of magic bolted into the sky, smashing head first into Caco after Caco. Sickening pops were heard as demons burst into sparks of confetti like macabre fireworks. As the remaining Cacodemons edged closer, the spears and rocks thrown by the non-unicorns showed more effect. Javelins speared directly through a few, confetti blasting from exit wounds in blood-like fashion. Others were left stunned long enough for unicorns to take aim. The battle took less than four minutes.
Magic and projectiles ceased, leaving silence. Then uproarious cheering, ponies chugging down glasses of cider from nearby kegs. Not everyone was gleeful, though. A few had received injuries during the fray, either from Cacodemons or friendly fire. While no one was dead, more than a dozen were sent to the hospital. The Mane 6 considered it a blessing that the battle was so quick. Rarity, however, wondered if that was really it, or only the beginning. She yelled at Twilight to quickly gather the armies together again and prepare for more. Who knew what else Betruger had in store that night?

The answer was, nothing. The Doctor came back home from the office only to find his swarm defeated. How could… 
On his monitors he saw dozens and dozens of Ponyville's citizens standing guard over the town. Betruger shrieked internally. Those thimble brains! he thought. His plans were for the Cacos to fight the Mane 6, not an entire army! 
He slammed his fist, knocking over a cup of watered down coffee (all drinks in Hell were watered down.) Betruger grabbed the microphone, ready to scold the Mane 6 for ripping him off, when he relented. The armies on screen stood completely still, listening intently to someone. 
One flick of a switch, and the audio from Ponyville roared into his ears. The Doctor furiously turned the volume down, blaming Dave for putting it on full blast. Twilight's voice emitted from the speakers. “We don't know what Betruger is up to next,” she said, “but it is imperative that we stand guard tonight in order to ensure our safety. We've learned from Doom 3 that he is a snotty, ugly little man. One with a bad temper and poor hygiene.” 
The Doctor's face turned the color of a tomato, his fists shaking. Twilight continued “Rarity will help organize you into two teams. Team 1 has first watch, team 2 has second, and team 3...” There were muffled whispers. “Ahem team 3 is my friends and I, plus Spike, who insisted on helping out past his bedtime.” The Doctor could not see it, but Twilight glared at Spike. 
“What?” said Spike, “I'm not just good at housekeeping, you know.”
Twilight continued “From what Discord's told us, there will be a few more swarms before Betruger opens the portal and has us fight for real. Any questions?” 
Betruger flicked the sound feed off. At the very least, the ponies knew the gist of his plans. But they were using an army for his practice fights, which was not what he intended! Townsfolk were supposed to join once he opened the portals, and that was it. He banged his foot against a chair leg, falling over in a fit of frustration. 

Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, the town's children, elderly, parents, and others deemed unfit or unwilling to fight were gathered in a couple of houses. The Crusader's held their classmates attention by telling their experiences with Doom. Even Diamond and Silver Spoon (neither of which cared much about video games) were in awe. 
At one point, Scootaloo sneaked upstairs to Rarity's room (as the children were in the boutique.) Scoot's was desperate to use the other codes on the letter from Hell. But as she opened the door, she found the computer in use by two Canterlot guards. One turned to her and asked “Yes?”
Scootaloo flustered in response. “Well, I...uh...”
The guard placed a hoof on her shoulder. “There's nothing to be worried about, little filly. Once the Princess gives the all clear, you'll be back home in no time.”
Scootaloo shook her head. “No, I mean. I have codes to test out!” The guard looked at her confused. “Twilight must have told you about the letter from Hell, right?” 
“Yes.” 
“Well, I was kind of the one to figure out that the ciphers on the letter were game codes.” 
Stone silence. Finally, the guard said “Good for you. Run along now.” Scootaloo did not even have time to word a response before the door was shut. She moped down the stairs. At least Dash and her friends are having fun, she thought.
Upstairs, the guard who did not speak to her (the one busily browsing the computer)  turned to his companion. “You ought to see this cat video!” he said. 
> Reality Between Worlds
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The Mane 6 assumed Hell was too afraid to lose their own demons, so they were sending fake ones made of magic and confetti. They were partly right. 
Betruger sat back in his office chair, the same which he had had since his first day working for the UAC. Its once bright amber fabric was now a hideously distorted brown, the mechanism that elevated and lowered it long broken.
He realized he had overreacted to the Caco situation. So what if the ponies assembled an entire town? They were not real Cacodemons, anyways. Betruger knew interdimensional travel had adverse effects upon genetic makeup. It was something he and associates studied for a long time back in the UAC. He had even lead his own unit, comprised of renown geneticists and microbiologists, to study the patterns of these changes between worlds. 
What they learned was that each dimension has its own unique makeup, or set of rules, beyond DNA and atoms. It was part of the reason Hell's previous invasion to Equestria failed. The differences in dimensional makeup between Hell and Equestria were so stark, the demons who invaded lost much of their power. Meanwhile, ponies who entered Hell received new found abilities. It was a frustrating reality that Betruger and all denizens of Hell had to face. 
It was not the main reason Hell lost, he assumed. The Icon and Romero knew of his studies, yet brought demons into Equstria anyways. It was poor planning and overconfidence, and Betruger was determined not to make the same mistakes.
There was only one broken link in his theories, and that is how Hell successfully conquered other cutesy places without interdimensional changes. It must be something to do with the teleportation methods deployed, he thought. Teleportation was a field with too many variables to count. Sometimes its randomness helped Hell's cause, like sending their enemies places without weapons. But often it was a pain in the neck. His plan was to teleport his army and the Equestrians into a neutral dimension, where neither side would be downgraded or upgraded in power. The battle would be, first and foremost, one of intelligence and wits.

“Did I do well?” asked Spike. He fastened his bow tie and slicked back his scales, hoping Rarity would take notice. She was busy designing a dress. 
“You did fine.” said Twilight, playing Doom 3 with Dash, AJ, and Pinkie, the Crusaders watching from the couch. 
Spike walked up to Rarity, elbowing her side. “I just hope our acting wasn't too hammy. Do you think Betruger really saw us?”
“Of course, dear. Twilight said her tracing spell picked up other dimensional signals, after all.”
“Uh, yeah...” said Spike.
“That means she knew Betruger was spying in on us.” 
“Oh.” 
Dash turned to Spike with an air of confidence. “And me and Big Mac were the ones to tell Twilight all about it.” 
Spike looked down. “Rarity, may I ask why you're not playing?”
Rarity was becoming annoyed, but hid it behind a soft smile. “Celestia asked that I design armors. Other seamstresses will copy them and they'll be mass produced.” 
“Cooool...” Spike realized he sounded like a little child opening what he wanted for his birthday. He sheepishly left Rarity to her work, joining the Crusaders on the couch. 
The rest of the Mane 6 (sans Fluttershy) just entered Hell in game. The doctor's voice cackled “Welcome to my domain!” Dash and AJ scoffed. Twilight, controlling the marine, fumbled around with the buttons. 
“Huh?” she said, as the doctor continued his spiel. Her marine no longer had any weapons or items. She spied a few small pickups, and a pistol and shotgun, laying on the ground. “That's how you're going to play?” she asked, not realizing she spoke aloud. Everyone besides Rarity watched in silence. The only other noises besides the Hellish ambiance were the scrambling of sewing materials and Rarity flipping through pages of armor manuals. 
Twilight weaved through the dark corridors, finding the chainsaw and gunning down imps. She swore on accident after getting hit by a fireball. The Crusader's mouths would have gone agape had they not been so invested in the game. 
Wave after wave of enemy emerged from corners, teleported in front of and behind the player. Twilight was having difficulty keeping composure. More noises emitted from the screen, volleys of fire swooshing from below each platform, wails of the damned filling through the room. 
Meanwhile, Scootaloo remembered the list of codes. Her hope was to test them out after the Mane 6 beat the game. She was so swept up in thoughts of what they would do, she failed to notice Twilight dying in game to a Mancubus. Twilight begrudgingly handed control over to Dash. 
Rainbow did not hesitate. She wove much the same paths, making sure to pick up each weapon. When she reached more dangerous encounters, she became uncharacteristically stealthy, dodging left and right, and hiding behind corners. Dash even killed all of the Lost Souls along the way, something she rarely did in previous Doom games. 
Eventually, she reached the teal blue teleporter, leading to the Guardian. The Soul Cube was so close! Yet her efforts in battling were fruitless. Her marine fell after minutes of failed aiming. Dash huffily handed the controls over to Applejack, the only of the three who remained calm (Pinkie simply watched the game up close.)
Applejack made a first, hilariously failed attempt after falling into lava. She started again, this time she making it to the boss. As intimidating the Guardian was in size and appearance, she managed to defeat it relatively unscathed. Finally, the Soul Cube was theirs! 
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle yawned simultaneously, followed by Spike. They had been watching the ponies play Doom 3 for nearly two-and-a-half hours. The next real battle with Hell spawn was not even scheduled for another day! The Crusaders were both enthralled and tired of the game, despite not having played more than five minutes total. 
It would all be over soon, they thought. Applebloom and Spike even fell asleep.
	
> Town Scare
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The townsfolk assembled in town square the next day. Some bobbed their heads up to try and get better view of the stage, a pointless task when nearly everyone else was doing the same. 
Mayor Mare stepped up to the microphone. “Settle down, everypony.” 
Under few circumstances were residents of Ponyville as quick to become silent. Mayor Mare did her best to keep her eyes from drooping. “As you can tell by my voice, I'm very tired.” she said, “I believe we all are. I won't keep you waiting for too long, but I do want to say...you're welcome, snoopy bear.” 
The mayor's words slowly trailed off, and she fell onto her side, snoring. Rainbow and Applejack hastily moved her off of the stage, allowing Twilight to step to the microphone. “Heh,” she chuckled insincerely. The last two days had been a blur, hours invested in playing Doom 3 and learning everything about its universe, while ignoring the world around her. 
Twilight spoke slower than usual, the toll of stress showing its effects. “As Mayor was...trying to say, we're gathered again to assemble a plan for both the next swarm, and for the final battle.”
One of the ponies in the crowd stood on his two hind feet, and shouted “What's going on?!”
Twilight shook her head. “I just said, we have one more battle here in Ponyville, before Betruger sends us to another dimension.”
“What other dimension?!” someone yelled. 
“Is it Hell?!”
“I hope not. I don't like being hot.” 
Two front hoofs slammed on the podium, startling everyone. Steam blew from Twilight's nostrils. Everyone hushed. “This is serious!” she said. After a few calming breaths, she continued. “As I was going to say, Rarity's armor designs are currently being mass produced in Canterlot. As for our situation now, we need to stand ready, for the next swarm will hit at noon.”
A minute passed. “You may ask questions, just not all at once. You, right there.” Twilight pointed to a pudgy stallion with a hoof raised. 
“Uh, yes. I was wondering if we'd be allowed to take quarter in our rooms, you know, to protect our homes?”
Twilight facehoofed. “No hiding.” 
Another stallion raised his hoof. “Well, Princess, I was wondering if I could be a body guard to you? In these troubling times our leaders need protecting.” Other members of the crowd nodded.
“That's very kind, sir.” said Twilight, “But I have plenty of guards already. You just need to-” 
Twilight's trail of thought was interrupted by shouting and crying. She looked into the crowd, and saw a mother holding her baby. The baby's face was soaked with tears, the mother jumping up and down impatiently trying to get her attention. “Yes?” said Twilight.
The mother stopped jumping, at which point the baby stopped fussing. She spoke with a hoarse voice. “Everyone, we have something important to tell you.” 
Twilight waited. Something seemed off. 
Finally, the mother turned around. “Th-the next attack will be earlier than noon.”
Tears began welling in her already sullen eyes, until the grass below her was soaked. The baby looked up, its expression changing from a frown to a smile. It started to chuckle. Quickly, the mother began chuckling, too, until the two were laughing hysterically. Their features started shifting. 
The mother opened her mouth to an impossible length, her neck stretching upwards like a giraffe's. Finally the skin snapped, leaving her head and spine floating above her crumpled body. The baby emerged from its blanket, revealing itself to have six long, spidery legs. The townsfolk watched in horror before erupting into panic. Twilight and the rest of the Mane 6 shared the same thought: not these guys!
As if on cue, monsters from all over the crowd began shedding their disguises, heads ripping from their necks, bodies transforming into spiders.
More appeared from above, climbing down buildings, floating in the sky. The confused crowd scurried in circles, Lost Souls and Trites raining down. 
The Mane 6 started attacking. Twilight pondered using the spell she had used to send the Pinkie clones to the mirror pool, but decided against it. Sending monsters anywhere where others would have to deal with them was wrong. 
Instead, she shot a giant laser into the sky, bursting through clusters of Hell spawn, creating rainfalls of confetti in the process. Applejack, Dash, and Rarity used melee, a strategy that was both effective and dangerous. A single kick was enough to rip through either kind of foe, often bowling them backwards into other monsters. The problem was their number. It was like the Changeling invasion times a hundred! 
Fluttershy and Rarity entered the crowd. Rarity casts temporary shields over the heads of townsfolk, while Flutters shepherded ponies away from danger. 
Others joined in fighting. Tougher ponies like Big Mac and Bulk Biceps battled, doing their darnedest not to get overwhelmed. Pinkie did her own thing, making goofy faces and taunting a Trite. It charged forward, only for Pinkie to bound over it at the last minute. It landed straight into the barrel of her party cannon. 
“Ready for some fun?!” said Pinkie, igniting the fuse and aiming the cannon towards a cluster of Lost Souls. The Trite blasted out at incredible speed, destroying itself and the monsters in its path. Pinkie gave a satisfied grin, until a sharp pain erupted on her back. “Owie!” She jumped to and fro, doing everything she could to fend off the Lost Soul who was biting her shoulder. She eventually defeated it with a good slam onto her back, crushing it. Sweat poured over her whole frame.

At the boutique, Scootaloo quietly booted up Doom 3. She was supposed to be at the town meeting, but she secretly left to try out the other codes. She felt bad, but at the same time, eager to help out. The codes must hold some significance, she thought. She would have asked one of the Mane 6, but they had been so busy beating Doom 3 and battling real life monsters, she did not think they had time.
Scootaloo started with the second on the list, reading aloud as she typed. “Up, B, A, Up, A, B, Down.” 
The screen went black, the intro music stopping dead. There were faint sounds, like...chew toys? A high-pitched voice interrupted the cacophony. “We look up, and no one is there. We look down, and know the world is dead. The world ignores us, calls us make believe. Truth is, they all believe, eventually. See us face-to-face, and bow.” 
All of Scootaloo's fears were replaced with confusion. The voice continued. “From our perspective, what we did was right. We took on the role of conquerors, but were thwarted. Please, envy us.”
As soon as the narration ended, the intro music and title screen kicked back on, causing Scootaloo to startle back. What? Her thoughts ran a mile a minute. What in all of Equestria?  
Scootaloo entered the third code. Up. X. A. B. A. Up. Again, the title screen went blank, squeals replacing music. 
“We suppose the one listening is intent on finding answers. Our goal is getting back what we lost. Although you are our enemy, we want you to help us destroy one of our other enemies. This is the purpose of the codes. Remember, good cannot sustain itself without a little evil.”
The narrator began laughing maniacally, though it was far from unsettling due to their squeaky pitch. The title screen popped up again, the music once more making Scootaloo jump. Despite getting decent rest, she was still jittery. Must be nerves. 
Screams and hollering erupted from outside. Scoot's carefully crept to the window, making as sure as possible her silhouette would not be spotted. 
She could see ponies fleeing from every direction, chased by flying heads and spiders. She knew the heads were Lost Souls. She must have slept through Mane 6's encounters with the spiders. 
Not thinking straight, Scootaloo turned off the game, hid the letter, and attempted getting out of the boutique undetected. The adults would certainly have a fit if they knew she was alone. 
Unbeknownst to her, she was spotted by a number of pegasi, who were still busy fending off monsters to confront her yet.
Scootaloo jogged her way down the road opposite of town hall, towards her house. Only then did she realize she was out in the open. 
She turned around, and indeed, a Lost Soul was gliding towards her. 100 yards. 50 yards. 25 yards. Scootaloo was paralyzed. 
When the monster reached 10 yards, Scootaloo regained her composure and ran to the nearest building.  She banged on the door once, realizing there was little chance of anyone being inside. She made a quick dodge around the corner of the building, only to find herself in a fenced off alleyway. 
She composed herself, running towards the fence at full speed and then jumping. Scootaloo barely grabbed onto the top of the slats before falling back. 
Oof! More unpleasant than the fall was the sight of the floating head, and a dark figure behind it. The Soul's mouth bobbed in silent taunts. 
Scootaloo knew she was going to die.
There was a subtle pop, followed by a shower of confetti. Scootaloo slowly lifted her head. She was eye to eye with Dash, whose mane was matted with confetti and streamers, her frown open enough to give view of each of her teeth. 
Guess she had finished fending monsters. 
> The Eternity Zone
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Eww..." Scootaloo's gag reflex went into overdrive at the sight of another glob of grimy confetti being put into a garbage bag. Part of her punishment was helping clean town square. The place had been a war zone, and looked the part. Despite consisting only of slime and paper strips, the carnage was daunting and gross enough in its own way. Scootaloo regretted her actions.
Alongside her were volunteers from the town, mostly stallions. The only of the Mane 6 to join in was Dash, mainly because she was too angered by Scootaloo to properly rest.
"I hope this is a lesson to you." said Dash, chucking another glob of confetti into a trashbin, "I won't be saving you next time."
"Yeah, yeah." Scoot's mumbled. She had had a terrible day. First, she barely learned anything from the few codes she tried. Then, she got chased by a Lost Soul. Then scolded by Rainbow, who had used a lot of choice words, too. Scootaloo would never forget her idol's outrage.
Now she was helping clean up icky piles of paper, all so the town could prepare for another battle soon afterward. Was it going to be the final one? She could not even remember. 
A stallion held a garbage bag open for her to toss another glob of confetti into. Bits of paper and dirt stuck to her gloves. Usually Scootaloo was all for dirt and gross things, but this was another ball game.

Meanwhile, at Canterlot Castle, the rest of the Mane 6 and Spike met with Celestia, Luna, and Discord. They chatted awhile over their plans for defeating Betruger. Discord, despite being antagonistic, provided a somewhat helpful blueprint of the dimension Betruger was going to send them to, called the Eternity Zone, or E! Zone for short. 
The Mane 6 inquired how he knew all this. 
"I'm a 4th wall breaker," said Discord, "I travel all around different dimensions. Do you really think I only hang around Equestria all day?" 
"No need to be rude," said Pinkie, "we just want answers."
"I gave you mine." said Discord. He snapped his fingers. A comb appeared in his hand. He ran it through his eyebrows. "The E! Zone is a neutral realm. Rules that govern dimensions don't necessarily change when entering. You will be the same there as you are here, as will Betruger." 
"What in the hay are you even talking about?" said Applejack. 
"Everypony, calm down." said Twilight. "We can't argue like this, it's what Betruger wants."
"She's right," said Spike, "I propose that Discord gives us a tour of the E! Zone before battle."
Everyone went silent. Discord dropped his comb in genuine surprise. It fizzled into the ground, leaving only a puddle.
Discord leaned down. "You want me to bring you to the Eternity Zone, so I can tour you around?!" 
Spike thought only a moment. "Well, yeah."
"Do I look like a tour guide?" Discord asked. He was now wearing a tour guide's uniform. He quickly transformed it into golfer clothes. 
"You just said you travel dimensions-"
Discord interrupted brashly. "Traveling between dimensions is not as simple as teleporting, you know. To take an entire group out of this world to another realm would be to put everyone at risk." He swung a nine iron and lost grip. It smashed through a window. Celestia and Luna glared. "That can get fixing later." he said.
A moment passed. Spike looked down. "I don't know much about dimension stuff." 
"Hold on!" said Luna, flying up to Discord. "I think you're just being lazy. Rarity and Sweetie Belle traveled to Hell with no problems-"
"Yes, but that's-"
"NO MORE BICKER-ing." said Twilight. She realized how much yelling she had done lately. "I know for a fact that Betruger's listening."
"I already knew that minutes ago." interrupted Discord. He was shushed.
Twilight continued. "If we keep arguing, we won't be able to properly prepare. Spike," she put a hoof around his shoulder, "I'm afraid touring the Eternity Zone beforehand is out of the question."
"But-"
"No buts. We have to prepare our ponies here. All of Ponyville, no Equestria, is counting on us to prepare them."
Spike gave a weak smile. "I understand." he said.
Everyone but Discord felt moved with emotion. "Ugh. Enough mush," he said, "I've given everything I know about Betruger's plans, and I'm tired. Fluttershy, if you would kindly take me back to the cottage so I could rest, I would be very grateful."
"Certainly..." said Fluttershy.
Applejack and Luna were about to argue, but Twilight signaled to let it go. 
A stallion entered the room. "Good news, all of Rarity's armors have been produced, and sent out!"
Most gave a sigh of relief. Fluttershy tried taking Discord by the hand, but he instead jumped on her back. 
"Flutters!" shouted Pinkie. 
"I'm fine." said Fluttershy, struggling. "I've done this before. I'll be back...soon." she carried him out of the room. 
Applejack raised an eyebrow towards Twilight. "Fine," said Twilight, letting her chase off after Fluttershy. 

Two hours, and town square was still only halfway clean. Scootaloo was granted a ten minute break every now and then, but Dash was assertive in getting her back to cleaning the second each break was over. Scootaloo wished she could just go home. Her thoughts ranged from what she would be doing had she not broken the rules, to what revenge she could exact. Her ideas of revenge, by the way, were simply pranks.
Cleaning up a disgusting mess for hours was too much after getting so little information from the codes. To be fair, she only tried two, but what did they even mean?
She thought to the messages. Despite the voice being shifted to sound squeaky, she started thinking it sounded familiar. Another aspect rang recognizable: the chew toy sounds. Perhaps, not sped up, they were chewing sounds, like ambience in a restaurant. Only louder. That begged so many more questions of what the messages were that her head began to hurt. 
Dash landed next to her. "I see you goofing off!" she said, "Am I going to have to yell more until you move?!" 
"No!" said Scootaloo, angrily grabbing another glob of confetti and tossing it towards an open bin. She missed, the glob landing on the ground next to it. She went to pick it up, then thought to ask "Rainbow, do they have restaurant's in Hell?"

Betruger switched channels from Canterlot Castle to town square. He was delighted at the sight. Poor ponies, he thought, laughing. The last swarm had been a success, even after last minute changes. He was originally only going to use Trites, but realized they did not have air capabilities. He added Lost Souls to make things a little more interesting, and it worked, magnificently. 
He heard his apartment door swing open. "Doctor?" said the voice of Dave. 
Betruger grimaced. His moment reveling in joy was interrupted. 
Dave walked into the room. "Doctor," he said, idling forward. "I don't know what it is, but there's a constant buzzing in my ears."
"Mine too," said Betruger, grumpily. He could not wait to fight the ponies, and win himself a promotion in their defeat. Moving away from his annoying neighbor was a bonus.
"The buzzing goes on and on," said Dave, "You need to look in my ears and see if my phone's been left in there, or something."
Betruger was not fond of the idea of looking into another person's ears, but he had little choice. "Get down," he said, forcing Dave to turn his head. 
He shined a lamplight into his ears. Out popped a mosquito, who despite having a brain one thousandth of the size of Dave's, still seemed smarter. Dave looked at the bug with a form of wonderment. "Was that all?" he said, catching it in his hands. "I knew I lost Milton somewhere."
Betruger was too tired to even ask questions. Dave left, hands clasped around the mosquito. All of Betruger's cheer was down the drain. He failed to notice the rest of the Mane 6 returning on screen. That, and the shipments of armor arriving in a dozen carts. The townsfolk rejoiced. 

Later that night, as Scootaloo lay in bed, her dreams turned to a nightmare. A flash of lightning, and she was in a strange limbo, a blue, purple, and black sky set over a mess of hexagonal tiles. Some made up the floor, others the ceiling, some flickering in diluted light. Music, possibly orchestral, played faintly. 
Scootaloo felt weighed down, each step causing her to stumble left or right out of her control. She fell nearly off of the edge of a tile. 
In panic, she looked up, and saw someone thin in silhouette staring back. "Help!" she said, then realizing the figure was not going to be friendly. She held tight onto the platform, but was gradually losing grip. 
Holding as best she could, she asked "Are you behind the codes!?" 
A squeaky voice answered. "Yes!"
Scootaloo lost grip and began descending. She tried swimming up as if she were in space, but gravity pulled her down. The voice continued as the darkness swallowed her. "The only way to make both worlds happy is to finish the codes."
	

	


	
> Old Television and Console
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Scootaloo expected to wake up in a sweat, holding tightly to her blankets, the sun beginning to shine through her window. Instead, she woke to the sound of distant machinery. The ground was hard. She looked around, and saw she was outside, in some sort of desert.
No...
As her eyes adjusted, she saw it was not simply a desert, but a cliff. The jagged mountainside extended down for what looked like miles, eventually obscured by cloud banks. 
Her mind reeled at the scope. She was certainly not in Ponyville, but where? The rocks were unfamiliar. They were all muddy red. 
Clang, clang!
The metallic sounds drew closer. Scootaloo looked more at her surroundings. She seemed to be in a camp of some sort, or what used to be one. A rotten tarp tied to a pole flapped helplessly in the wind, the remains of a fire pit next to it. A shed, obscured by jagged rocks, loomed a few hundred yards away. 
Clang, cla-
The sounds stopped. Scootaloo frantically scanned her surroundings. There's nothing walking…
Her heart stopped. What was drawing near was not walking at ground level, it was walking up the cliff! 
She bolted towards the shed. Panting, she kicked the door off of its hinges. The wood was dark and moldy, giving no resistance. Dust shrouded the air. 
The inside looked ancient. A chair and table sat covered in cobwebs, a stack of books crusted with age laying nearby. Upon them was a grimy canister, so coated with dirt it could have been mistaken for a fossil. The place reeked of chemicals. 
Scootaloo held her breath, waiting for the dust to settle. She finally let out an exasperated cough. The metal sounds had resumed, albeit from a distance. She tried spying from the window, but the panes were too coated with sand and dirt to see through. She peered from the broken door.
The culprit of the sounds was indeed a robot, like she suspected. It had spindly legs like an arachnotron, but was much smaller, and had no visible face or brains. Scoot's thought back to watching the Mane 6 play Doom 3. She vaguely remembered robots that would help the player. Sentry bots, she thought.
Noise boomed from behind. Instead of running, Scootaloo turned to the source, ready to fight for her life. She was surprised to see a battered television on the table, the screen emanating static. Hooked to it was a console with an “x” shape on it. None of those things were there before. She approached cautiously. 
Inside the console was a black disc emblazoned with the words “Doom 3.” Next to the console was a familiar list of codes. Of course, she thought. In order to finish, she needed a place without interference. Taking the controller in one hoof, and booting the game with the other, where she was did not matter. 

Back in Ponyvillle, the Mane 6 searched. 
“Where are you, Scoots?” asked Applejack and Rarity, tears almost welling in their eyes.
Rainbow hopped from roof to roof, shouting “Scootaloo! Scootaloo?” 
Pinkie looked inside garbage cans, under benches, and inside trees. At one point she peered through the second story window of a house, scaring the daylights out of the ponies living there. 
Twilight and Fluttershy knocked on doors, asking anyone and everyone if they knew where the filly was. Nothing turned up.
They eventually gathered in the castle. 
“I'm sure she's safe.” said Fluttershy.
“It's all my fault.” said Dash, “I knew forcing her to clean would turn her against me.”
“That's ridiculous,” said Applejack. “we're in the middle of Hell's second invasion. The last thing on any fillies mind is being angry about chores.”
“But I'm her idol!” said Dash. “She practically worships me. I was only worried for her safety.” 
“And we don't blame you for that, Sugarcube. But the fact of the matter is, we don't have time to continue searching. Betruger's next swarm is nearly here!”
“Not just swarm.” said Twilight, “The final swarm.” She conjured a whiteboard out of thin air. She scribbled equations on it with a marker. “In my spare time since beating Doom 3, I've done research on the effects interplanetary and interdimensional travels have on organic lifeforms.”  She spit out the marker. “I've concluded that our best hope of winning is having Discord fight alongside us.”
Everyone looked at the mess of numbers. “You figured Discord's our best hope from that?” asked Dash. 
Twilight blushed. “Actually, no. I was just doing equations. Math makes me forget my sorrows.”
“As it should.” said an ethereal voice. Everyone looked up. Betruger! 
“Don't act surprised.” he said, “I entered your conversation minutes ago. I agree that Discord will help, but even his powers won't be enough-”
“Tell that to my face!” said Dash. 
“No. Sit down and listen. Where are the townsfolk?”
The ponies looked at each other. Rarity spoke “In town.”
“Bring them.” said Betruger, “I'm going to explain the rules, and I don't want to do so more than once.”
“It will take awhile to gather em' all.” 
“Oh for Pete's...fine, you have twenty minutes. In the meantime, I'm going to gather my army.” 
The ponies heard squeaking of a chair, followed by footsteps and a light door slam. 
“I guess he's gone.” said Fluttershy.
“Let's get this done.” said Applejack. 
The Mane 6 left for town.
A minute later a different voice spoke from the ether. “Are you the ponies Doc's talked about? Hello?”

The most able-bodied mares and stallions gathered alongside the Mane 6 in the castle's main hall. A mere 45 minutes of waiting, which felt like eternity, passed before the voice of Betruger interrupted the silence. 
“My apologies. Someone messed with the settings of my console. Now that it's fixed, I will proceed.
“The rules are simple: each side will have 30 members. Select those you send carefully.”
“Couldn't you have told us this before-”
“Shut up.” said Betruger. “Make your selections.”
Twilight and the gang sighed. They looked towards the crowd. “We don't normally like choosing teams, but...”
Discord appeared out of thin air, tap dancing on top of Twilight's shoulders. “Still, I'm the first, right?” 
Twilight gritted her teeth. “Yes. Now get off of me.” 
“Well, someone's persnicket-eeee!” Discord again vanished out of sight. 
Betruger spoke. “You've got one. Now just 29 more.” 
The process continued,  the Mane six arguing on end, the townsfolk getting restless. A few spoke up, volunteering on their own, at which point they were instantaneously zapped into another dimension. Scared, and confused, they looked at their unfamiliar surroundings. Lights beamed from a dark and hectic sky, stars and planets slowly shifting and pulling in shape.  Blue and orange swirls flickered in and out of existence. 
The fifteen towns ponies huddled, as more teleported in. “T-this is the Eternity Zone, then?” one asked.
“Beats me.” said another. 
The air was cold and damp. The ground looked to be made of tiles sitting at slightly different elevations. Dark shapes loomed atop distant hills. 
Finally Twilight, the last of the ponies, teleported in. Despite the darkness, she could see Discord's cold stare. “This is for real,” he said.

Scootaloo was sure her location was not Mars, but perhaps a realm similar to Equestria, for day and night seemed to work just the same. That, and she could breathe. The thought that Sweetie Belle and Rarity had survived in the original Doom's Hell (which was also set on Mars) did cross her mind, though. Perhaps ponies were like aliens when traveling to other universes.
She had put in the fourth code, and was surprised to see the game cut to a level she did not recognize. It was a decently lit space station, strange compared to Doom 3's usual gloominess. She was most surprised to see that it had actual bad guys, and weapon and health pickups. She had a blast mowing down monsters and beating it, but was unsure what it meant. Same with code 5, which led her to a slightly gloomier, but still out of place, factory.
By the time she started code 6, which led to a map set in a suburban city, outside was in dusk. Scootaloo looked out of the shed. Stars barely illuminated the sky. 
The game had kept her so busy she did not even notice the metallic sounds from before had multiplied. Sentry bots paced around the shed in circles. They began droning on her nerves. 
Must find answers she thought. She took the controller in hoof and pressed onward with the map. Only the game could distract her. Surely the city holds something. 
> Battle to the Death, or Not?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Those still left in the castle looked at one another. The aura surrounding Betruger's voice was gone, 30 of their fellow ponies having been teleported to who knows where. Among those left behind was Fluttershy, who did not consider herself enough of a fighter, and Big Mac, who felt one of the Apple siblings should stay just in case something happened. Granny Smith was too feeble to take care of Applebloom on her own. 
The earth and pegasi ponies pleaded with the unicorns to signal those who had been teleported, or to contact Betruger, but none knew how. They waited anxiously.

Meanwhile, the shapes atop the hills swayed back and forth in mesmerizing motion, growing slightly bigger as seconds passed. The 30 ponies huddled, finally able to discern the shapes as monsters. There were Imps, zombie Commandos, Hell Knights, Mancubuses, Revenants, Archviles, and a Cyberdemon. 
Twilight signaled her team to get ready to attack, but a humanoid figure teleported out of thin air, slowly descending until it landed in front of the. “Hello, all.” said the doctor, in an almost fatherly tone. “I welcome you to our little challenge.”
“Get ready for your flank to be kicked, Betruger!” said Twilight.
“Oh, so impatient, Princess.” said Betruger, “You remind me of myself, weeks ago. But I've steadily grown more confident. I have no fears of you or your silly little army, now that my goal is nearly complete.”
Dash pressed forward, in front of Twilight. “And what goal is that?"
“To finally rule over Hell.”
“You can't be serious.” said Applejack.
A pillar of green and purple haze shot from the ground around the doctor's feet. Another appeared next to the ponies, revealing Betruger inside. “You heard what I said. Romero and his Icon pal made fools of themselves. But not I. I've prepared for you all a test of endurance.”
“We'll get plenty of rest after beating ya'll to the grave!” said Applejack.
“Who said anyone will die?” said Betruger. The ponies gave confused glances. The doctor laughed. “You see, none of you fighting here will actually get hurt, though you'll feel pain.”
“Then, what exactly is the point?” said Applejack.
Betruger grinned. “The point,” he said, “is to see if you can defeat me before a certain filly is turned into mincemeat, for real." A projection appeared across the sky, showing a tired Scootaloo playing Doom 3, the letter from Hell sitting next to her. Beyond the busted down door roamed hundreds of sentry bots.
“Sc-Scoo-” Dash and friends could barely get out the words. 
“Yes,” said Betruger, “I've mislead the little filly into believing she's on a mission. The IoS made a few codes to try and finish me off, but I've prepared my own.” Betruger drew a familiar paper out of his pocket. “Here,” he said, tossing the paper to Twilight. It was the letter sent to Dash. 
Twilight tried responding, but was interrupted. 
“You can only guess what those bots will do once my last code is put in,” said Betruger. He cackled, starting a chain reaction of laughter from his army. “What say we begin?” 
The ponies barely had time to think before the Cyberdemon sent a rocket into the middle of the crowd. The blast sent ponies flying onto their sides, those closest to the impact having their skin burnt inside their armor. Instead of fighting, Twilight quickly went to the aid of those effected. Betruger's army began spreading out, most of them teleporting elsewhere. “See if you can find me.” said Betruger before, he, too, vanished. 
Those injured moaned in pain. Some, like Rarity, could not even stand up. “Go, fight.” she said.
“No,” said Twilight, “we need to heal you first.”
“First look behind you.” 
Twilight turned to see a group of Imps leaping forwards. A group of earth ponies held spears and shields at the ready, but discovered that piercing the Imps skins was difficult. Some of the spears even broke off, leaving the ponies defenseless. 
Twilight shouted for the ponies to move away. They did their best to scatter, though some were occupied with Imps holding them down. Twilight shot quick magic beams from her horn. Rather than take the creatures down, it merely seemed to annoy them. A few began throwing fireballs. She dodged two and then tripped. A lanky figure with a shield stepped in front of her just in time to stop a third fireball. 
“Discord!?” Twilight stood back up. “Where have you bee-”
“No time.” he said, “The important thing is that you do the healing spell, now.”
Twilight did not hesitate. She began revving her healing magic while Discord and other ponies held the Imps at bay. The spell needed a minute to charge up for full effect, and was really only a temporary adrenaline booster and pain reliever. But it was the quickest option they had.

Meanwhile, Scootaloo was on the eighth code, which led to a forest map. Can't...stop She yawned without realizing it. If only I could take a five minute nap. 
She would have given herself rest, if not for the racket of robots circling the shed. Each hour they seemed to increase in number, and the noise was overwhelming. 

Pegasi flew high up to get an aerial view. They saw that the E! Zone's layout was almost like a game board. Some of the tiles drew upward into crude mountains and hills. A blocky river ran through the land east, and square patches of forest intersected randomly into the hexagonal tiles the ponies had teleported on. 
Dash worked furiously. “Over that hill!” she shouted, pointing where those at ground level needed to move. Two Mancubuses shot at her and her companions. She evaded their shots, a pegasus behind her barely dodging a hit to her wing. 
Those utilizing the healing spell felt woozy, and had trouble coordinating, but still put forth their best efforts. Rarity used a shield spell over and over against zombies, causing bullets to ricochet harmlessly. It did not work against Mancubui, though. Their attacks shattered the shield, one rocket careening between Rarity and those close by. It was not as harsh as the Cyberdemon's rocket, but it still burned.
Seeing this, Twilight was about to rev up another dose of healing, before getting struck with the most intense pain she ever felt. She landed hard onto her stomach, shotgun shrapnel imbedded in her side. Needing cover, she crawled into a nearby ditch.
Thoughts raced through her mind. Where has Discord gone? What's our goal? She thought of the first group of Imps. Though it took a lot work taking them down, they eventually fell into heaps, disappearing into nothingness like they did in Doom 3. Do all of the monsters need to be taken down before Betruger?
“Twilight!” shouted a familiar voice. Applejack crawled up to her. 
“You're hurt, too?” the Princess asked.
“No,” said Applejack, “but it's best moving low. These monsters are taking a toll.” 
“Tell me about it.” Twilight tried sitting up, but was held down. 
“No moving,” said Applejack, “let me and Discord take control.”
Twilight was just about to ask, when Discord appeared next to her. She expected a snarky remark, or a costume. Instead, he held a white box in front of her. “Bandages?” 
She looked at him warily, before taking the box without a word. 
Rocket blasts sounded nearby. Dirt and mortar peppered the air. “Don't tell me Cybie's been let out.” said Applejack. She peeked over the edge, then rushed down. “Yeah, he's out!” 
She nearly ran off, before picking Twilight up on one side.
The Princess winced. 
Applejack shushed her, signaling Discord to help. He conjured a stretcher, and levitated Twilight onto it. They carried the Princess as far as they could. The Cyber's stomping grew closer. Everyone above them ran terrified. 
Dash, seeing the situation from above, took action. She flew higher, keeping an eye on the Cyber. Not that it was needed, as it was big enough to see from space. “Here goes.” she said.
Careening down, she mustered as much speed as she could, gritting her teeth as rainbow power built up. In just seconds, she would be doing a Sonic Rainboom directly into the monster's face. Or so she thought.
The Cyber had seen her, and shot a rocket. Dash abruptly changed course, making a v-shaped turn straight into a Revenant. A Rainboom exploded from its insides, coating the earth (and Dash) in a shower of blood and bones. Miraculously, she was not hurt. 
Shaking her head, Rainbow flew far out of the Cyber's sight, not an easy task with a skeletal arm stuck in her mane. Her attack was enough to impress not only Betruger, who watched from afar, but lesser monsters from his army. One Commando was so awestruck it failed to notice Pinkie sneaking up. She smashed a rock as hard as she could into the back of its head, knocking it down.
Betruger looked over the stats on his computer. Of his army, 9 were already dead. Fiddlesticks, he thought. He was getting anxious. Certainly the ponies wouldn't catch up? Shushing his thoughts, he calmed himself. The time was right.
He summoned the Vile next to him. “Take care of the purple alicorn princess and the fast blue one.” The Archvile nodded, moving quickly down the cliff. 
By then, Twilight had used the healing spell on herself. She was better off than those effected by rockets, but could still feel twinges of pain in her side. She decided flying was not her best option. 
“We have to find Betruger,” she said. 
“His army is too much in the way.”
“Never mind the little guys like Imps,” said Twilight, “we can't afford to lose Scootaloo. We'll just need to distract them.” 
The few ponies around her agreed. 
Discord marched up, dressed in army gear. He gave an exaggerated salute. “Yes, Princess! At once, Princess!”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Can't you be serious for one moment?” 
Discord snapped his fingers, and was instantly back in his regular form. “Oh, c'mon. I'm just lightening the mood.” 
Twilight grunted, then turned pale. She knocked Discord to the ground. Beams of fire flew over them. “Not an Archvile!” said Discord. The lanky demon gave back a terrible laugh.
Discord conjured a riot shield and armor. “You won't injure us, punk.” he said. The Archvile sent flames above Discord's head, which boomeranged to his back. Discord yelped. Twilight used an extinguishing spell to put out the flames.
“Just run!” she said. Discord dared not disobey. Twilight conjured a shield barrier. The Archie's flames smashed against it, slowly pushing it inwards. It began cracking around the edges. Twilight let go of the spell and ran for cover, the tip of her tail getting singed. She prepared to shoot it with a magic blast the moment it got in sight.
Zoop! Zoop! 
“What are those noises?” asked one of the townsfolk. Twilight's expression was not comforting.
The group peeked around the rock edge. The Archvile was summoning Hell Knight after Hell Knight after Hell Knight! 
The Princess spoke an expletive that made even Discord blush. 
A group of pegasi, observing the Archie's shenanigans from afar, decided to swoop in and put an end to it's rituals. The Vile shot fire into the air, hitting one of the pegasi stallions directly on. He fell, his wings lit up. Twilight immediately summoned a protective aura around him and pulled him to safety. Hell Knights followed after them.
The other pegasuses dodged the Vile's attacks and swung around for good kicks to its head. The Vile was surprised at their strength. But it was not enough. It grabbed one of them by the abdomen and slammed her to the ground. Just as a Hell Knight was about to stomp on the poor mare, chaingun fire erupted. Bullets perforated the Archie's head like Swiss Cheese. It crumpled to the ground. 
The interruption distracted the Knights long enough for Discord to teleport the mare to safety. Twilight looked behind and saw Pinkie holding a chaingun, a smirk across her face. She giggled. “Looks like I have a talent for carrying musical instruments and guns.”   
The stallion with burnt wings pleaded for aid. Pinkie immediately rushed to his side and helped Twilight transport him, just as the ground began shaking. The Cyber was getting close. The ponies best bet was circling around the range of hills to not face it head on. 
Rainbow, meanwhile, washed herself as best she could in the river. Actual guts and bone were infinitely ickier than confetti slime. She also needed to bring back her aerodynamics. Gore was only going to slow her down.

Luckily for Scootaloo, the ongoing noise grew so persistent it had a vacuum effect. Replacing initial annoyance, the noise was now like static. She almost fell asleep several times. But her determination to save Equestria kept her going. 
If only I didn't keep dying at this stupid map she thought. She had been stuck on the ninth code, which led to a level titled “Real Consequences”, for over an hour. 
Betruger took note of this from his monitor, hiding in a cave not far from the battles below. He wrung his hands, nearly slamming his fist on his desk several times. Enough of this he thought. He grabbed the keyboard and started hacking away, taking control of Scootaloo's character in game. The filly was too sleep deprived to even understand. 
I'm getting better she thought. She was suddenly blasting through the map at record speed, taking shortcuts and secret passages she never even knew existed. I'm flying through this!
Finally the map was over. Betruger gave a sigh of relief, letting Scootaloo once again take control. It took her several tries putting the tenth code in correctly, but she managed it. Little did she know she was one away from a horrific trap.

> Code Breaker
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tenth code led to a map titled “Leading Astray”, which Scootaloo read as “Leading A Stray.” She chuckled. Was she going to help Doomguy walk a cat?   
Her mirth was short lived. The map was a chore from the first room, where the marine was immediately faced by a Hell Knight in front, behind, and on both sides. Revenants ran to and fro on inaccessible platforms. Most of the floor was lava, with only thin walkways of rock. Escaping the first wave of enemies was a total crapshoot, but Scootaloo eventually muddled through. 
The next room was a simple, but very long, hallway of brick and stone. Luckily the door behind slammed shut, locking the Knights out. Scootaloo took the opportunity to rest. Her hooves ached.   
Amidst the cacophony of robotic clattering outside was a subtle whirling of wind. Scootaloo failed to notice, and with a breath, took the controller back in hoof. 


Betruger gawked at the numbers. His army...30 at the beginning, down to 21, then 20. Now it was 15.  He had underestimated the ponies. Most were still fighting. He had to act fast.   
He took hold of the loudspeaker. His voice boomed over the chaos. “Attention. In my mercy, I will grant the desire of those who wish to leave.”   
Twilight and a few others raised their heads. Is this some sort of trick? 
“There is no shame in surrendering when you know you cannot win.”   
The Mane 6 knew something was up. Despite this, the most injured ponies called out, begging to be sent home. Greenish smoke began surrounding them, and they vanished. Twilight stomped in frustration. How could they finish the battle now?   


Back at the castle, the Ponyville residents were getting antsy. “Are we really going to wait here all day?” asked one of them.   
“This room is so uncomfortable, and I'm starving.” 
“I hate crowds!” 
The bickering was growing worse. Fluttershy, Big Mac, and John RoMare-O (one of the lead designers of the first two Dooms) stood on top of the table. John had had enough of the townfolk's impatience. “I'm sorry,” he said, “but none of us can leave till we get word back from Princess Twilight!” 
“On whose orders?” shouted someone.   
“Celestia's.” said John.   
“Why are you even here?” asked another. Some booed. John gritted his teeth.   
He looked to Fluttershy and Big Mac. “Are your people usually this insatiable?” 
“Heavens, no.” said Fluttershy. “Everyone's just so scared of what could be happening to their friends.” 
John shook his head. “I didn't even work on Doom 3, so I have no idea what they're up against.” 
A pegasus flew above the throng. “Enough!” she said, “I say if there's not an answer in the next five minutes, then we all go home!” Much of the crowd agreed.   
A swirl of smoke appeared on the ceiling. Everyone quieted down, not expecting a whole slew of ponies to fall from the vortex.   
“Ow.” said the last to arrive. Her severe injuries from the E! Zone had been downgraded to minor burns.   
“Please get off of me.” mumbled another beneath. They were in a dog pile. The townsfolk helped them back on their hooves. Those who fell were dazed, but not seriously hurt. 
Everyone was pleased to see their friends again. They noticed something off, however. “Where's your armor?” someone asked.	 
“Armor?” said the pegasus who had nearly had his wings burnt off. He patted his head and torso. His armor was indeed gone, but his wings were back to normal. He sighed. He and the other arrivals were suddenly asked a barrage of questions. 
Once settled, the crowd listened. The details of the Eternity Zone amazed them, as well as the gruesome nature of the battles. Everyone was relieved to hear that those fighting were in no lasting danger. But their joy was short lived at the news of Betruger's plan towards Scootaloo. They went stone silent. 
Fluttershy's eyes glistened with tears. She turned to Big Mac and RoMare-O. “Scootaloo's going to make it home, right?”   
John looked down, not knowing how to offer comfort. Big Mac put a hoof around Fluttershy's shoulder. The anger the townsfolk had felt towards each other earlier was now directed towards Betruger.   


Unbeknownst to them, the mastermind doctor was becoming unglued. “No, no!” he shouted, slamming one of his monitors to the floor. His army was down to 11. 
If they somehow manage to defeat the Cyber… 
He shook his head. Don't be ridiculous he thought. The ponies would need the Soul Cube, which he did not even provide. The Mane 6 in the battle realized this from the beginning, but had been too occupied evading monsters to ponder any solutions.   
Still, thoughts raced through Betruger's mind. Going back to Hell defeated, being subject to Dave's endless ramblings. He'll go on forever about what I should have done. I'll be reminded of my failures, day in and day out, day in and day out, in and out… 
Betruger swore, and swore again. He stomped around, cursing incoherently until finally letting out his rage. “I can't let silly horses defeat me!!!”   


Meanwhile, the war outside was dwindling. The Princess and her friends surrounded a lone Mancubus. It shot at Rarity and Twilight. This time, the two unicorns used shield spells in unison, creating enough of a barrier to stop the rockets short. The explosions blasted into the monster's sight, blinding it long enough for Applejack to jump onto its back.   
It tried shaking her off, but Applejack's years of bull riding in rodeos gave her an advantage. With one hoof around its neck, she karate chopped the Mancubus in the head, sinking her free hoof through its skull. Brain matter leaked out as it stumbled and flattened into mush. “Yee-haw, another down!” Everyone cheered.   
Pinkie sidled up to Twilight. “How are we doing?” 
“Things look good,” said Twilight, “all we need to do is keep avoiding the Cyber, and we'll be done in no time.” 
“Golly,” said Applejack, cleaning gore off of her elbow, “I haven't had this much exhilaration since, well, last time we fought Hell.” 
“I know what you mean.” said Twilight. A glimpse of worry entered her expression. “I just wonder where Discord and Rainbow are. They didn't leave for home, did they?” 
No one could offer an answer.   


Betruger paced, exhaling heavily. Every time he checked the stats, his army was down by more units. If that blasted filly would just finish the map… 
	He stopped. That was it. “Time to play Doom 3 myself, again.” he mumbled.   
“What, bored by the real fight already?” came a reply.   
The doctor clutched his chest and nearly fell backward. He turned to see Dash standing in the door leading to the hall and elevator.   
“You-” 
“Can it, doc.” Dash interrupted, “I heard your screaming from outside.”   
Betruger composed himself. “You're too late,” he said, “the filly will be putting in the last code any time now.”   
“Her name's Scootaloo, and if I didn't interrupt, you'd be doing it for her.” 
The doctor gritted his teeth. “Aren't you supposed to be helping your friends?” 
“Oh, we're already kicking butt.” said Dash, “Since the injured have been sent home, we've had more time killing instead of healing!” She smirked at her sudden cleverness. It was true the ponies benefited from not having the injured to take care of, despite a loss in number.   
Betruger regretted his earlier decision. “Get out of my lair!” he said. 
“And miss an opportunity to beat you senseless?” 
The doctor rolled his eyes. “You realize you can't kill me, right? I've set myself up just like you and your friends.” 
“As long as you can still feel pain.” said Dash. She gave a devious smile from ear to ear. Betruger ordered her back. 	 
As fast as lightning, Dash tackled him. Betruger groaned, his breath taken out. He tried getting on his feet, but Dash knocked him down. “Think I'm intimidated by you?” she asked. 
“Shut up.” said the doctor. Rainbow started batting him back and forth with punches. When he stood back up, she double-barrel kicked him into one of his desks, splintering it into pieces. He quickly yanked a piece from it and stabbed Dash in the forehead.   
She yelped, but nonetheless punched him in the mouth.   
The doctor recoiled, cupping his hands to his face. Blood dripped from between his fingers. When he opened his hands, a few teeth fell out. Luckily for him none were his front teeth.   
Dash was impressed by her own strength, enough to distract her from seeing the doctor grab another piece of desk. This time Betruger swung it like a bat, nearly scoring a hit. Dash ducked just in time, rolling on her side and getting ready to charge.   
Just outside, at the bottom of the mountain, the ponies defeated a group of Hell Knights. Despite being tired and covered in dirt and scratches, they were gaining in resolve. They're down to single digits. We can do this thought Twilight. A sound of heavy stomping grew in volume. She could feel her heart racing.   
As the ponies gathered to run again from the Cyber, and as Betruger was getting the daylights beaten out of him by Dash, there was a sudden blast. Not a mere rocket, but a full cataclysm. The ground shook violently, and for a moment the entire sky was orange red. As soon as the quaking stopped, an electronic voice spoke. 
It was a recorded message from Betruger. “Tut, tut, that was the end signal. The little filly is no more. But don't worry, she's safe in Hell now.” It ended with the doctor's demonic laugh.   
Dash was too shocked to move. Those outside looked towards Twilight, hoping she had some sort of miracle. The Cyber, having just aimed its gun, slowly dissolved into a puddle, as did the rest of Betruger's army.   
The doctor got up, brushed himself off, and readjusted his tie. The bruises would have to be taken care of later. He looked at Dash. “Too bad,” he said, “you fought with real resolve, which I admire.”   
Rainbow remained frozen. Betruger went to his main desk, where he kept his loudspeaker. 
“Hello, ponies.” he said, his voice echoing across the land. “Sorry you lost, but that's the breaks.”   
All were in tears. How could this happen?   
“Don't cry,” said Betruger. He snapped his fingers, teleporting outside. Even through water filled eyes, they all recognized him. “You tried so hard, and you're rewarded with experience. And I, get a new form.”  
Their sadness turned to rage. Steam blew from their nostrils. Even if they were too late to save Scootaloo, they could still send Betruger back to Hell, where he belonged!   
The ponies charged. “Oh, such anger.” he said, dodging out of their way by teleporting out of existence and back in again. “Poor dears.” He did not care how hypocritical he was calling others angry, he was just happy his years of torture were over.   
Lightning struck him, and in an instant, he transformed into a monster a thousand times his size! It had taloned feet, giant leathery wings, and a skull for a face. The ponies were pushed back violently. Those in the air were thrown against the mountainside. One stallion was nearly crushed under one of its claws.   
“Pity you mortals have no chance now.” said the creature, “Now that I'm the Maledict, I can rule over all of you in Hell.”   
Dash, weakened by the impact, said “You told us we'd be sent home!”   
“Did I?” The Maledict stuck its tongue out. On the end of its tongue was the doctor's head, which also taunted in the same manner.   
“Cheater!” said Twilight. She teleported herself back up, revving magic on her horn. The Maledict stomped the ground with one leg, causing her to stumble.   
“Oh, give up. You lost."
“Who says?!” shouted a youthful voice. The Maledict looked up to where it had come from. Had its eyes not been empty sockets, they would have opened wide. Descending was Discord, who held Scootaloo in his arms. Scootaloo was holding a tied up paper in one hoof, and the Soul Cube in the other. 
“You-you were sent to Hell!” 
“Not so.” said Discord, holding a megaphone over his mouth so everyone could hear. “Did you really expect a dimension hopper like myself not to recognize the distinct rock formations of Nevada?”   
Nevad-what? thought the ponies.   
The Maledict thought back to the sky projection shown at the start of the battle. In it, Scootaloo was seen inside a building surrounded by mud red rocks. “It's still impossible-” 
Scoots dropped the paper and took the megaphone. “Discord followed the sound of robots, and saved me just in time!”   
Down below, ponies cheered and hollered.   
The Maledict was not about to let them get a victory. It swung at Discord with one of its wings. Discord teleported out of its way, appearing in its left eye socket. “Missed.” he said. Scootaloo wiggled out of Discord's arms.   
“You won't believe who did finish all of your codes, though.” She smashed the Cube onto the Maledict's skin, causing it to sting. “A Mr. Dave.”   
The Maledict shook its head to free its eye of the intruders, then stopped short. Dave? 
	Meanwhile, Twilight took hold of the paper, which had been weighed down with a rock and string. She saw it was the list of codes the Icon had sent, with the words “put the last in now!” written at the bottom. Twilight concentrated her magic harder than ever, until successfully summoning a computer and keyboard. It was difficult typing the code in with the Maledict's movements shaking everything, but after multiple failures, she finally got it.   
Swatting at Discord and Scootaloo like mosquitoes, the Maledict asked “How did you find-” 
Discord appeared in the monster's right eye socket. “You mentioned him in one of your messages. He wasn't difficult to get hold of.” 
“But-”   
Sudden, immense light burst from the Maledict's every pore. It roared, no longer just in bafflement, but in pain. Scootaloo slipped, plunging down. Dash swooped in and caught her.   
Panic ensued as the world began shaking worse than ever. The very tiles of the land started to shatter, shards bursting from the ground. Knowing the Maledict had reset the rules to take them to Hell, the ponies were in danger of actual death. All were about to be flattened into a pancake as the monster tipped over. 


Silence. They were seconds away from being crushed. Then nothing. Twilight and friends looked around. Darkness, yet they were being moved, but where- 
Just as sudden, light blinded them. Their surroundings slowly came into focus, and as they did, they rejoiced. They were back in the castle! Onlookers watched and whispered.   
Many tried getting up, but fell back in pain. The randomness of interdimensional travel struck again. But none were dead.   
The crowd erupted in joy. 
Scootaloo, who sat atop the dog pile, was fatigued but otherwise unharmed. She hugged her friends. Applejack threw herself into her family's arms, then regretted it. “I'm gonna need a hospital.” she said.   
The animosity between the Icon and Betruger was the Maledict's downfall. Scootaloo realized the messages the Icon had sent alluded to helping defeat Betruger. The last of its codes was an automatic kill spell, or kill code, so to speak, just like the last code on Betruger's list. The denizens of Hell are rarely fair to one another thought Scootaloo.    


Betruger's return to Hell did not reset him back to regular health as planned. His human body was still bruised with hoof prints, and two of his teeth were gone. The pain was agonizing. Worst of all, Dave was as cheerful as ever, despite being slaughtered by sentry bots. “Can you believe I finished your map?” he asked. The doctor could barely respond.   
“I know,” said Dave, “Next time, I'll design a map, and you try beating it! How about one set in a tundra, or no, a convenience store...”   
Betruger covered his head with a pillow to drown out the noise of his own cursing. 


A few weeks of recovery went by, and a parade was held for all who had fought. Ponies and creatures from across Equestria attended, cheering the heroes as they passed by on floats. Scootaloo had one all to her own, decorated in black and orange flowers creating flame patterns, and the words “DOOM 3 CODE CHAMP” written on the sides. She watched specifically for her Crusader friends, though it was hard spotting or hearing them among the ruckus.   
Luckily, Sweetie Belle planned ahead of time, using an air horn as a signal. Scootaloo immediately turned to see them, and waved enthusiastically. 
“You rock!” said Applebloom, over the crowd. 
“Go Scootaloo!” shouted Sweetie in the same manner. Scootaloo could not help but blush. She was not the only one to defeat the denizens of Hell. Though she was a part of it, and that was what really mattered.