Prompt: >"HI Nonny! I have a message for you from Rarity!"
>Pinkie sticks out her chest, puts on a spiteful face and adopts a familiar yet certainly made-up accent
>"I've had it up to here with Sweetie Belle spending her evenings at the arcade, playing... "video games". When I said she needed a male role model, well, Anon isn't what I had in mind. He's so carefree. And lazy. And boyish, and reckless. Not to mention he thinks he's SO good with kids. I can make Sweetie laugh."
>Pinkie crosses her arms and huffs
>"I could make her laugh until she cried. I'm just busy. There's no time in my schedule for telling childish jokes to my sister."
>She huffs even louder
>"And what is WITH his hair? Frankly, it's embarrassing. Spending time with someone of his... standards... is undoubtedly bad for Sweetie."
>...
>"Anyway, he's waiting to pick her up at her piano lessons. Be a dear and relay this to him?"
>Pinkie spins around and walks five feet before tensing up
>"Oh, but take out all those mean things I said. We wouldn't want to hurt his feelings."
>Pinkie nods her head and beams in satisfaction with her accurate retelling
>Then her eyes bulge

~~~

>You are Anonymous
>You are waiting to pick Sweetie Belle up after her piano lesson.
>You raise an eyebrow at the pink-haired girl's rendition of Rarity and look of self-inflicted shock.
"Boyish? Reckless? And what's wrong with my hair?"
>You reach up and run your fingers through your hair, wishing you had a mirror.
>Whatever, she was probably just being her usual hoity toity self.
>Always acting too good for anybody else.
>You notice Pinkie seems to be hyperventilating.
"Woah, hey, woah there, relax Pinkie. I don't mind you telling me all the mean things. My feelings are fine, calm down."
>Pinkie clutches her chest and inhales deeply before bouncing forward and giving you a hug.
"Oh thank goodness, Nonny! I was super duper worried you'd be upset at what Rarity had said, only it would have been what *I* had said, because it was kind of mean, which would make *me* kind of mean, because I'd have made you upset, which would make *me* upset. But if you're fine, then I'm fine!"
>She pulls back to arm's length and flashes her typical manic grin.
>You blink.
"I'm fine, Pinkie."
"Okie dokie lokie!"
>She closes her eyes and skips away.
>Right
>Fine
>You're fine.
>Why wouldn't you be fine?
>Watching over Sweetie Belle was just a favour you were doing for Rarity in the first place.
>A half-baked scheme to try and get closer to a pretty girl in school.
>It's not like you liked picking her up after piano lessons.
>Or enjoyed playing games in the arcade.
>It's not like the two of you had actually become friends, or talked to eachother about stuff nobody else would understand.
>If Rarity doesn't want the you to hang out together anymore, then that's fine.
"Anonymous?"
>A familiar, squeaky voice derails your train of thought.
"Are you alright? You seem upset about something."

"Yeah, I'm fine Sweetie Belle."
>You fake a smile for her.
"C'mon. Let's get you home."
"Home?"
>She tilts her head, a quizzical look on her face.
"Weren't we going to go to the arcade after my lesson?"
>Your smile disappears.
>You sigh.
"Sweetie Belle, your sister Rarity doesn't want us to hang out at the arcade anymore."
>She raises an eyebrow.
"In fact... She kind of doesn't want us to hang out together at all anymore. She said I'm... well, a lot of things, but they sum up to a bad influence."
>You shift away from the tree you'd been leaning on, hands in your pockets, looking glum.
>Sweetie Belle rolls her eyes.
"Ugh. Typical Rarity. First she doesn't have time to pick me up herself, then she doesn't want you to do it because you're actually cool."
>Sweetie Belle thinks you're cool?
>Maybe Rarity has a point.
>Sweetie stomps her foot and growls.
"I am so sick of her! If she never has time to do anything with me, why is she always trying to control my life?!"
>Her voice cracks as she shouts.
>It's so fucking adorable.
>You can't help but smile a bit.
>Sweetie suddenly glares at you and then walks past you, grabbing your sleeve and pulling your arm with her.
>You wobble off-balance in surprise before straightening yourself out.
>She continues tugging your arm before you start to walk, following after her.
"This isn't the way home, Sweetie Belle."
"I know. We're going to the arcade. I need to blow off some steam."
>You raise your eyebrows, but say nothing.
>It's best not to argue with Sweetie when she gets like this, especially about her sister.
>You'll play a few rounds and then take her home after she's calmed down a bit.
>One last hurrah, for her sake.
>Yeah.

>One and a half hours later
>You and Sweetie Belle are in one final battle to the death.
>You went easy on her the first few rounds.
>You picked Azoth, to try something different.
>Got forcefed your own ribcage a few times.
>Sweetie Belle's Queen Nai knows no mercy.
>You looked at the time and said it was probably time to take her home.
>She convinced you to play one more game, and really try this time.
>You relent and switch to your main.
>Orion, dressed in green of course.
>Time to show the little lady how the game is played.
>You're both at one stock.
>Dancing back and forth across shipwreck falls.
>You go for a power attack with your spear.
>Sweetie reads it.
>Launches a katar forward signature.
>You're animation locked.
>A wing of purple fire erupts from her character and you go flying.
>An explosion.
>A fanfare.
>A delighted squeal from Sweetie Belle.
"Wooh! I won!"
>She beams at her victory screen and then up at you.
>You smirk down at her.
"You sure did, kid."
>You tussle her hair.
>She normally hates when you do that, but she grins and laughs, euphoric in her victory.
"Now c'mon. It's time to get you home."
>Her grin vanishes instantly.
>She pouts up at you.
"Anonymous, do we really have to go home now? Rarity will already be mad we came to the arcade anyway. We could at least get something to eat before you take me home."
>Her big green eyes.
>Her pouting lips.
>That damned squeaky voice crack.
>She is manipulating you.
>And you are weak.
>You sigh.
"Alright, fine. But only because I'm starving. Afterwards I'm taking you home."
>She grins and grabs your arm, running you towards the door of the arcade.

>You take Sweetie Belle to Hey Burger.
>You order the both of you burgers and fries.
>Cola for you, a vanilla milkshake for Sweetie Belle.
>You bring the tray of food over to the table.
>You both enter attack mode.
>Vidya works up the appetite.
>You pause your frenzy as the setting sun shines into your eyes through the window.
>The golden rays shine from behind Sweetie Belle, illuminating her with a fiery halo.
>She sips her milkshake, looking like an angel.
>She notices you staring at her and tilts her head, moving away from her straw.
"Anonymous? What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
>She goes crosseyed looking at her nose as she brushes a hand across her cheeks.
>You shake your head, partially to say no, partially to clear your mind.
"Uh, no, sorry. I just... spaced out for a minute."
"Oh. Okay."
>Sweetie Belle resumes drinking her milkshake.
>She half lids her eyes, looking out the window while she plays with the straw in her mouth.
>You feel your face heat up and you quickly take a too large bite of your burger, trying to keep your mind from wandering.
>Sweetie looks back at you, her beautiful green eyes wide as she sucks on her straw.
>You drink some of your pop to help you swallow your food without choking to death while your mind roams.
>You hear the telltale sound of Sweetie Belle finishing her milkshake.
>She lifts the straw up and drags it between her lips, savoring the delicious white cream with a soft "mmm" of delight.
>You shift in your seat, trying to focus on finishing the last of your meal.
>Sweetie Belle's foot brushes up against your leg beneath the table.
>Your eyes widen a little and you glance up to see her grinning back at you.

"You should hurry up and finish eating you slowpoke. We wouldn't want to be late!"
>She prods your shin with her foot impatiently.
>You blink and swallow.
"I'm pretty sure we're already late getting you home."
>She beams and leans forward, resting her face in her hands.
"Exactly! So there's no reason we can't catch a movie before that happens."
>She grins and takes one of your fries.
"So come on. We don't want to be late because you take forever to eat."
>You stare at the young girl.
"Sweetie Belle, your sister is already going to be furious we've been out for this long. And that we were in the arcade. She doesn't want us to hang out anymore, and while I like hanging out with you and this has been a fun last hurrah, I need to respect her wishes and take you home."
>Sweetie Belle looks crestfallen.
"But Anonymous..."
"No buts. When I finish this drink I'm taking you home."
>Sweetie Belle sits back in her seat and pouts, crossing her arms.
>You sip on your pop, then pop the top off the cup.
>About one sip left.
>You swirl your cup around, contemplating.
>You glance up at Sweetie Belle.
>She's just staring angrily at nothing off to the side.
>You think you see her eyes watering a little.
>You stand up and walk over to the soda fountain, refilling your cup with cola and replacing the lid.
>You gesture for Sweetie Belle to follow you as you head for the door.
>She jumps up and follows you out, still angry.
>You glance down and smirk at her.
"So what movie are we going to see?"
>She blinks and looks up in confusion.
"I thought you were taking me home."
"I said I'm taking you home when I'm finished this drink. Your sister is right, you never listen."
>Sweetie Belle punches you in the arm, only half playfully.
"Ow!"
>She then grins up at you and hugs your side.
"You're the best, Anonymous."
>Her voice cracks on the word best.
"I try."

>You and Sweetie Belle sit down in the movie theatre.
>There's more people than you would have expected on a weeknight, but it's not packed.
>Movie's pretty boring.
>Lots of set piece shots
>Characters are pretty bog standard.
>That one storm trooper is legit, though.
>You absent-mindedly sip your drink and finish it.
>You glance over at Sweetie Belle.
>She's watching the screen and smiling.
>Good.
>She didn't hear you.
>You replace the cup in the holder on your armrest.
>No point in sticking to your word on that now.
>You've already made sure Rarity's opinion of you wouldn't be changing anytime soon.
>Besides, Sweetie Belle seemed to be enjoying the movie.
>And you enjoyed seeing her happy.
>You remember the first time you picked her up from her lessons.
>She seemed so glum.
>Her face lit up when you decided to take her to the arcade for an hour.
>She'd never played any of the machines there before, so she wasn't any good.
>But she learned quickly.
>You had made a regular event of doing something fun with her after her piano lessons, but going to the arcade was always her favourite.
>You'd spent hours playing together, and who knows how many quarters.
>Suddenly, she grabs your arm with both hands, jumping in her seat a little.
>You glance up at the screen.
>There's Han Solo with a red lightsaber through his chest.
>Rip.
>Sweetie Belle is looking pretty upset.
>Without thinking you slip an arm around her shoulder.
>She blinks and glances up at you.
>You blink and realize exactly what you just did.
>You feel your face flush.
>She leans back a little, resting her head against your chest.
>Even in the dim light of the theatre you can see that she's blushing.
>God dammit.

>It wasn't supposed to be this way.
>You were only watching Sweetie Belle to get closer to Rarity.
>She's the beautiful, elegant, sophisticated one.
>She's the one any guy in school would be lucky to go out with.
>Sweetie Belle is just her awkward, gangly little sister with the cracky voice.
>Nobody pays any attention to her.
>Especially Rarity.
>You'd only agreed to pick her up from her music lessons to show Rarity you were responsible, trustworthy
>Good with kids.
>You only took her to the arcade because you thought cheering her up would impress Rarity.
>You don't think she even registered that Sweetie Belle was actually happy.
>Just that she was home late.
>But you kept doing it anyway.
>Because you'd liked hanging out with Sweetie Belle.
>You liked helping her get better at video games in the arcade.
>You liked talking with her over milkshakes or while walking her home.
>You liked that she seemed to actually enjoy your company.
>She didn't act like she was better than you, or had more important things to do.
>She didn't pretend not to laugh at your jokes because she was too good for you.
>She didn't call you lazy or reckless or make fun of your hair.
>She was just
>Sweetie Belle
>Your friend.
"Anonymous?"
>You snap back to reality.
>The credits are rolling.
>You didn't even realize the movie had ended.
>You don't even know what Luke said at the end.
>You blink and awkwardly pull your arm from around Sweetie Belle.
"Oh, uh. Sorry."
>Sweetie Belle blushes and looks down.
"I didn't mind."
>You feel your cheeks burning.
>This is wrong.
>This is all wrong.
>It's Sweetie Belle
>She's Rarity's little sister.
>She's your friend.
>She's so damn cute.
>When did she get so pretty?
>Did you just never notice?
>You get up out of your seat and toss your empty cup out on the way out of the theatre.
"Alright, I think we've driven your sister crazy enough for tonight. Let's get you home."

"Aaaw."
>Sweetie Belle pouts.
>It almost works.
>God, how has it never not worked before?
>She's adorable.
"Hey now, none of that."
>You place a finger over Sweetie Belle's lips.
>She goes crosseyed looking at it.
>You smirk.
>Alright.
>Back in familiar territory.
>Caretaker Anon laying down the law.
>Now, the insolent Sweetie Belle will playfully bite your finger.
>You'll feign injury.
>The two of you will walk to her house.
>Balance will be restored.
>Sweetie Belle kisses your finger, blushing and looking up at you through half-lidded eyes."
>Well.
>That's new.
>You feel your heart pounding in your chest as you pull your hand away from Sweetie's face.
>You both stand there, silent.
>Sweetie's cheeks are brilliant red.
>You clear your throat.
>Sweetie Belle sinks into her shoulders, spinning around and grabbing her elbow.
"S-Sorry."
>You walk up behind her, gently slipping your arm around her waist.
"I didn't mind."
>Sweetie Belle blushes and leans into you.
>You walk out of the theatre together.
>The cool night air hits you both.
>Sweetie Belle shivers against you.
>You move your arm up around her shoulder, gently rubbing your hand along her arm.
>She leans her head against your chest.
>This is fine.
>Just a couple of pals walking home after an eventful day of hanging out.
>Friends.
>Yeah.
>This is completely fine.

>The two of you walk to Sweetie Belle's house in silence.
>You stop and slip your hand away from her arm as you reach the end of the driveway.
>She catches your hand in hers as you're pulling it away.
>She slips her fingers around yours, looking up at you.
"What's wrong, Anonymous?"
>Her voice cracks saying your name.
>You blush and look into her eyes, entwining your fingers with hers.
>You give her a small smile.
"Rarity's going to be super mad at me for keeping you out so late."
>Sweetie Belle's face displays a moment of shock before she frowns, looking down.
"Oh... yeah, I guess."
>You gently squeeze her hand, lifting her chin up with your free hand.
"It was worth it, though, I think."
>Your face feels like it's on fire, you're blushing so hard.
"Don't you agree?"
>She blushes as you look into her beautiful green eyes.
"Oh, uh... uh-huh..."
>She squeezes your hand, her other hand moving to your shoulder.
"Definitely."
>She shifts her position, moving closer to you and leaning her head back a little.
>You lean forward and press your lips to hers.
>She returns the kiss.
>Your heart is pounding in your ears as the two of you embrace in the moonlight, your eyes drifting closed as your lips gradually open to eachother.
>Suddenly the yard light turns on and you hear a familiar voice coming from the direction of the house.
>Rarity is standing in the doorway of her house wearing nothing but a bathrobe, face mask and a towel around her head.
"Oh Anonymous, so good of you to *finally* bring Sweetie Be- SWEETIE BELLE!"
>Her face becomes the definition of shock as she realizes what's happening.
>Sweetie Belle nearly jumps out of her skin and twirls around to face her sister.
>You freeze like a deer caught in the headlights.

>Rarity narrows her eyes, glaring at her little sister.
"Sweetie Belle, go inside."
"But Rarity-"
"Now, Sweetie Belle!"
>Sweetie flinches at her sister's harsh tone.
>She gives your hand a final squeeze before slipping away and scurrying into the house.
>Rarity then turns her death glare towards you.
"You... deplorable, degenerate, inexcusable fiend!"
>Here it comes.
"First you ignore the message I sent with Pinkie Pie, then you take Sweetie Belle gallivanting off to who knows where for the entire afternoon and well into the evening, and now I find you standing in our driveway manhandling her like she's some two-bit strumpet!"
>Rarity scrunches her face up at you.
"If I hadn't already made up my mind about you this little display would have made it for me. As of right now I'm declining your offer to pick Sweetie Belle up after her music lessons. Don't you dare ever, EVER go near my beloved little sister again, Anonymous. I knew you were immature, lazy and incompetent, but I would have never considered the notion of entrusting Sweetie Belle to your care if I had known you were a lecherous pervert as well."
>Rarity looks back towards the house with concern on her face.
"And to think of all the weeks I let poor, innocent Sweetie Belle associate with you. I suppose I'm partly to blame for this."
>She turns back to you, a newfound fire in her eyes.
"But not as much as you! Sweetie Belle is a freshman, Anonymous! Have you no decency? No self control?"
>She straightens herself up and looks down her nose at you.
"Hrmph. I suppose not. A decent human being would know better than to take advantage of little girls, keeping them out all night playing pointless video games and doing who knows what else. I should have known better than to trust a disheveled, childish layabout with a stupid haircut!"
>You slip a hand into your pocket.
"So I can go now, right?"
>Rarity grits her teeth, glaring.
"Yes. Go. And don't come back!"
>She turns on her heel and storms inside.

>You turn and start walking home.
>Arrogant bitch.
>Always looking down at everybody else.
>What the fuck does she think is wrong with your damn hair anyway?
>You stop at a street corner and sigh, taking a deep breath.
>Get a hold of yourself Anonymous.
>You're pissed off and upset.
>But you can rise above the hate.
>Rarity just wants what's best for Sweetie Belle
>It's not her fault her parents are always out of town.
>She's basically taking care of her sister while going to school and trying to get her own life on track all at the same time.
>You let out the breath and loosen fists you didn't realize you were clenching.
>Your eyes wander up towards the night sky as you walk.
>She just wants what's best for Sweetie Belle
>And really thinking about it
>That isn't you.
>She was rude about it, but a lot of what she said rang true.
>All you do is slack off and play video games.
>That's the only reason you had so much free time to spend with Sweetie Belle in the first place.
>Maybe she's right.
>Sweetie Belle is too young.
>She doesn't know what she wants.
>Hell, you barely know what you want.
>It certainly wasn't to be feeling this way about your arcade buddy.
>You reach your house and just keep walking.
>You need to clear your head.
>You walk in an ever expanding circle, continually passing by your driveway in favour of continuing to walk through the night.
>Images of Sweetie Belle swim through your head the whole time.
>The sound of her laugh.
>The feel of her lips.
>It's after midnight before you finally turn in.
>You fall onto your bed and fall asleep in your clothes.

>You wake up to the sound of your alarm clock.
>You silence it.
>Time to get ready for school.
>You should get ready for school.
>You're not going to go to school.
>You're not getting out of bed.
>You're sick.
>Yeah.
>You're just going to stay in bed until you feel better.
>Which will be never.
>Because Rarity will never let Sweetie Belle see you again.
>You sigh and sit up, wiping the sleep from your eyes.
>God dammit.
>One day.
>You could have gone one more day without falling for her, and you would have been fine.
>Imbecile.
>Whatever.
>You stumble out of your room and make yourself a bowl of cereal.
>The tiny pink and purple marshmallows remind you of her hair.
>God fucking dammit.
>You manage to eat half the bowl before just dumping the rest in the sink.
>You throw your shoes on and head out the front door.
>You doublecheck to make sure you still have a roll of quarters in your pocket.
>You're not going to school today.
>You head for the arcade.

>You step inside the arcade.
>No Quarter Given.
>The best fighting game arcade in the city.
>A collection of mainstream and obscure cabinets, even some homebrew rigs.
>Every round cost a quarter, and as long as you won you could keep playing.
>You used to come here even before you started hanging out with Sweetie Belle and see how long you could play on just a dollar.
>After you started bringing her here it got a lot more expensive, since you would pay for her plays too.
>Whatever.
>Forget about her.
>It's a smaller crowd today than you're used to, but enough people to blow off some steam.
>You take a deep breath.
>This place smells like metal, sweat and agony.
>Sweetie Belle always smelled like lavender.
>You shake your head and look around the machines to find someone
>Something
>To destroy.
>Who's doing well?
>Who's happiest?
>It's certainly not you.
>A sudden uproar from one corner of the arcade captures your attention.
>A small group is gathered around a pair of combatants.
>You missed what happened, but the explosion from one side of the screen betrays that it was lethal.
>You walk over to see a kid with a beanie currently destroying Bulk Biceps' Donkey Kong as Fox
>3 lives, 12% damage to Bulk's one stock, 53% and counting
>You've seen this kid around here before, never caught his name.
>He looks to be around Sweetie Belle's age.
>Stop thinking about her.
>A victory fanfare saves you from your thoughts.
>Bulk leans his head back in defeat before offering a handshake to the kid.
>Class act, that guy.
"Alright noobs, who's next?"
>The crowd stirred in collective silence.
>There was not a man among them who would let himself be heard.
>You step forward, retrieving a quarter from the roll in your pocket.
>You quickly check the cabinet headboard to see which Smash machine this was.
>Vanilla Melee
>A classic.
>You feed the machine and grab your controls.
>You choose your character: Mr. Game and Watch. Green.

>The kid locks in Fox again.
"I'm Button Mash, by the way."
"Anonymous."
"You're Sweetie Belle's friend, right?"
>Your eye twitches as you lock in the stage.
>MASH Vs. ANON
>Final Destination
>Ready... GO!
>You fly towards the furry.
>You're swinging that 2D hammer like an 8-Bit Oldboy
>You eat a shine and a few kicks to the face, but your offense is relentless.
>You spot dodge a dair and punish with side special.
>9
>Rekt
>Button bites his lip in frustration.
>He drops into play and the two of you dance around.
>His invulnerability wears off.
>You resume breaking his vulpine avatar with construction equipment.
>You're going blow for blow now.
>You're losing most exchanges.
>Another solid read.
>9
>Rip
>You get immediately caught and killed during the next invulnerability period.
>You fly down from the respawn platform like the angel of death.
>You trade blows, hammer booping and beeping with malice and intent.
>You send the Fox flying off the side with a throw
>You follow into the open air
>You dodge the dair attempt.
>Midair side special
>6
>It's enough though.
>Yiff in hell, furfag.
>This game's winner is... Mr. Game & Watch!
>Button Mash curses and storms away from the machine muttering about RNG.
>So salty.
>The crowd disperses, Button's streak now broken.
>You look around the arcade.
>This place is really empty in the daytime.
>A few truant students.
>Some fat neckbeard weirdos sweating all over the street fighter machines.
>Suddenly, an older gentleman steps up to your machine and inserts a quarter.
>He looks to be in his forties.
>Alright Grandpa, let's do this.
>He cycles through the existing names all the way to the first entry.
>BOSS
>Oh shit.

>You look over at the old guy again.
>He shoots a sideways smirk at you and locks in Ganondorf.
>Is this guy serious?
"Anonymous, right?"
>You blink as he extends a hand.
"Boss Fight. I'm the owner. I've seen you in here a few times."
>You shake his hand.
>He selects the fountain of dreams.
>Ready...
"So, she dumped you, huh?"
>What?
>GO!
>You barely dodge an immediate side special, and are too caught offguard to properly punish it.
"We weren't together."
>You begin your assault, hammers cracking on Ganon's shield and swinging through the air where he dodges.
>You eat a jab to the face and fly backwards.
"You weren't? Could have fooled me."
>You grit your teeth and charge the king of evil.
>He perfect shields your attack, picking you up with a down smash.
"Have you thought about asking her out? You two would make a cute couple."
>You get juggled up and sent flying offstage with a forward air.
>You drop from the respawn platform, hammer swinging, turtle snapping, bacon flying.
>Boss Fight's eyebrows raise as you manage to catch him with a few wild swings.
>You roll the dice.
>2
>You eat another jab to the face and find Boss Fight back in the driver's seat.
"You're playing pretty loose, kid. Something bothering you?"
>You charge straight into a forward tilt, flying away.
>One down air later and you're down to your last life.
>You're gritting your teeth in frustration.
"Would you just shut up and play?"
"Can't do that, Anonymous. I have to see how you handle your salt if I'm going to offer you a job here."
>What?
>Wait.
>What?
>Boss lands a surprisingly quick combo on you while you're still processing what he said.
>You're at 53%
"You're also going to have to take one life off me at least, son. I know you're tilting pretty bad but this is embarrassing for you."
>He's not wrong.
>Okay
>Time to regroup.
>Breathe, Anonymous.
>You watch his approach.
>You predict the fake out and roll behind the warlock punch.
>Judge
>9
>KO

>Boss smirks before hopping off the respawn platform and destroying you.
>He ejects his quarter from the machine and looks over at you.
"Walk with me."
>You follow him as he walks you through the arcade and towards the back.
"Sorry about that. I figured she'd be a sore spot but I didn't expect you to fall apart completely back there. Still, I've seen you at your best; you're plenty good enough in that regard."
>He pulls out a keychain and unlocks a door labelled "Staff Only"
>He pushes the door open and gestures for you to step inside.
>It's a small office.
"Have a seat."
>You sit down and look around, puzzled.
"What's going on here?"
>Boss Fight sits down behind his desk and leans forward on his elbows, tenting his fingers.
"Anonymous, I've seen you in here a bunch of times with that little friend of yours. Now, I don't know the relationship there, nor do I care. It's clearly a thorny issue and none of my business. What I do care about is what I saw you doing with her in here. You were helping her. Teaching her how to play, and how to improve."
>He leans back a bit in his seat.
"That's an admirable practice, son. Anyone can come in here with the skill level you've got and just crush other players game after game until the line up runs out of quarters or patience. But then what are they left with? They're left on a machine that nobody will play against them on. And the people they played against just feel cheated, like they had no hope of winning. If I wanted to fleece quarters out of children, I'd have opened a carnival."
>You shift awkwardly in your seat.
"So you want me to work here?"
>He smirks and curls his fingers together, leaving the index fingers extended and pointing them at you like a gun.
"Yes, I do. I've had an idea for a while now to offer classes on helping people improve their skills at our games. I don't want this arcade to be just a place to play games, I want it to be a place to learn, a community, like a... fighting game dojo."

>You blink in confusion while Boss Fight continues.
"The problem is, I'm overworked. I'm handling the day to day operations, dealing with promotional materials, budgeting expenses, figuring out how to expand, even performing maintenance and repairs on the machines. I need to keep my focus on the big picture for a while. I want to get this place growing into something great, and I've reached the point where to do that I'm going to need some hired help."
>He leans back in his seat.
"And I'm not looking to hire the kind of burned out slacker who comes by asking to work here because they expect it to be getting paid to play video games all day. I have no time or money to waste on incompetents. The fact you're here now today instead of at school already has me questioning if you're the right man for the job."
>You sit rigid in your seat.
>Boss Fight smirks.
"So you're interested. Good. Here's my thoughts. I'll hire you to work afternoons and weekends in the arcade, get you used to the day in day out operations. If that works out, I'll start sign ups for lessons. One on one sessions. Basically, you'll be tutoring anybody who's interested in getting better at our games. Sound good?"
>You blink and nod vigorously.
"Excellent. Here's a card, it's got my number on it. We'll hash out the gory details later. Are you free for lunch Sunday? Say around 1 o'clock? We can grab some Chinese food. My treat."
"Uh... sure."
"Great. Now, get to school and catch the rest of your classes. Like I said, I'm not bankrolling any high school drop outs."
>You nod and stand up, leaving the office.
>You head home to grab your backpack before heading to school.
>You catch the last three periods, but you can barely focus on them.
>Your head is swimming through the events of the past 24 hours.
>Luckily none of your teachers give you a hard time.
>And you've already missed the classes you share with Rarity today.
>Between everything that's happened you're emotionally drained enough as is.

~A few weeks later~

>You are Anonymous
>Valued employee at No Quarter Given
>It's a pretty sweet gig.
>Arcades pretty much run themselves.
>You mostly just greet people who come in, direct them to specific cabinets, keep screens and controls clean.
>At the end of the night you lock the place up, shut everything down and take the money out of the cabinets.
>Boss Fight is a pretty chill employer, too.
>He has a serious love of video games.
>Built a lot of the arcade machines himself.
>Grew up in the heyday of arcades, played a lot of the classic fighters for years.
>Opened this place as a way of preserving that experience, you figure.
"Today's the big day, my loyal henchman!"
>Boss' voice derails your train of thought as he steps out of his office and wraps an arm around your shoulder.
"Today is the day you ascend from merely an unusually difficult enemy to a full fledged miniboss!"
>The Boss gets this way sometimes.
>Best to just roll with it.
"The first of your disciples is scheduled to be here in a few minutes, and signed up for a two hour Smash course. Ha! See what I did there? Like crash course, but for Smash Brothers? Fantastic."
>You stare blankly.
"Ha! Classic Anonymous! Anyway, I think he's a schoolmate of yours. Bulk Biceps? Said he's looking to 'up his game to the next level.' Then he grunted and screamed 'Yeah!' and flexed into his phone. Weird guy. Anyway, I'll handle the minutiae of the arcade while you get to mentoring. Sorry I couldn't find someone as cute as your previous protege, but I'm sure you'll manage."
>Your eye twitches.
>Between work and school you've been doing a pretty good job distracting yourself from the fact you haven't seen Sweetie Belle since the night you kissed.
>Most of the time, anyway.
>Before you can even reply to Boss Fight, the door swings open.
"YEAH! Let's DO THIS!"
>You turn to see Bulk Biceps walk into the arcade.
>Boss Fight pats you on the shoulder and pushes you towards him.
"Good luck have fun!"

>You stumble a bit as you approach Bulk Biceps.
>He's a big guy.
>You straighten yourself out and look up at him.
"Alright. Boss said you have two hours. Let's get you on a machine and see what you can do."
>Bulk slams his fist into his palm and grins.
"You got it, bro."
>You walk over to the melee cabinet.
>Bulk locks in DK
>You select G&W
>Dreamland.
>Ready... Go!
>One thing becomes immediately apparent.
>Bulk Biceps is terrible at this game.
>You three stock him.
>He hits you a total of three times.
>You leave the victory screen.
"Alright. Not gonna sugar coat it, you're pretty rubbish."
>Bulk's lower lip curls and quivers.
"But I've worked with worse. Let's see how you do versus an AI, so I can get a better feel for how you fight."
>You set yourself to AI 5
>You take your hands away from the machine and watch.

>Bulk Biceps is pretty bad, but he's not lose to level 5 AI bad.
>It's distressingly close though.
>He leaves himself open for punish after punish.
>He doesn't close distance, instead trying to slap people away from the max range of his attacks.
>He jumps forward instead of rolling to approach.
>He almost never grabs or charges his special punch.
>He wins, and you tell him to start another game.
>Then another.
>When he wins the third game, he looks at you somewhat annoyed.
"I didn't pay to play against the computer for two hours, bro."
"Hand me your controller."
>He hands it to you and you grab his character select badge.
"I want you to try something for me here Bulk."
>You move his character selection away from Donkey Kong and hand it back to him.
>He raises an eyebrow.
"Just try him out."
"Him? That's a guy?"
"Just trust me."
>Bulk shrugs and locks in.
>Moonspeak emanates from the cabinet.
"Your down b is a counterattack, you can use it instead of blocking if you time it right. Your regular special breaks through shields, your recovery is more vertical than horizontal. Ignore your side b for now. I think you're gonna find this guy's more your style."
>Bulk snorts.
"You sayin' I'm some kind of weeb?"
"No Bulk, I'm saying that deep down inside you're a pretty, pretty princess. Now play."
>You watch Bulk Biceps play Marth vs an AI5 Luigi.
>He crushes it.
>He keeps his enemy at sword length.
>He starts experimenting with aerial approaches and juggles.
>He even counters a misfired Green Missile, eliciting a "Woo! YEAH!"
>You smirk and set the AI to 9
>It's closer, but Bulk still wins.
>You check the clock.
>Still over an hour left.
>Excellent.

>You resume control, selecting Marth.
>Even while losing, Bulk can see how he could approach, pick up on combos and punishes.
>You pause after a kill to explain how Marth's side special works and let him practice a few times.
>Suddenly an obnoxious voice emanates from behind you.
"Hey losers, quit hogging the Melee machine."
>You turn to see Button Mash and a small crowd of his followers.
"Sorry Mash, machine's been reserved for another thirty minutes. There's plenty of other smash bros cabinets available to use until then."
"Pfft. What do I look like, a filthy casual?"
"No, you look and sound like a gremlin, now beat it."
>Button's eye twitches.
"The continued use of any arcade machine is to be determined by trial by combat, with winners reserving the right to a repeat play while losers must yield their place to any and all challengers on a first come first serve basis."
>You hang your head back and sigh.
"I know the code, Mash, I work here. We're doing something different today and we don't have the practice machine set up yet. Can you for once in your miserable existence not be a massive pri-"
"Let him play."
>You blink at Bulk Biceps as you hear the victory fanfare.
>He knocked you off three times while you had your back turned to button mash.
"You sure Bulk? I mean, it's still your time."
>He grins, a sparkle of determination in his eye.
"Positive, bro. You've helped me discover my hidden potential."
>He turns to look down at Button Mash.
"And now I'm gonna show this little jabroni what Bulk Biceps can really do! Yeah!"
>Bulk is a weird guy.
>You shrug and step aside
>Button Mash steps up to the controls.
>Suddenly the chiptune background music in the arcade dies, replaced with this: https://youtu.be/gl8_b4qi3Ss [Embed]
>You glance over at Boss Fight who shoots you a smirk, wink and finger gun from behind his laptop.
>The laptop that he has connected to the Arcade's sound system.
>What a drama queen.
>He moves closer to get a better view of the fight.

>Button Mash picks Fox as usual.
>Final Destination
"Good luck, squirt. You're gonna need it."
"Pfft. Whatever."
>Ready... Go!
>Bulk approaches Button flawlessly, immediately catching him with his sword and sending him into the air.
>He juggles him with a few quick short slashes, keeping close enough to hit but far away enough to not get hit with a shine.
>Button's eyes widen and he leans into the controls a bit.
>It's no use.
>Bulk sends him off the side, follows and spikes him too low to recover.
>He grabs the ledge, rolls up and taunts while Mash explodes below.
>The crowd is stunned.
>Bulk Biceps just took a stock off of Button Mash with 0% damage.
>Button comes back with a vengeance.
>He's taking Bulk seriously now.
>But he's salty, tilted, frustrated, flustered and mad.
>He can't bring his A-game to bear.
>The two combatants end up essentially trading the next two stocks.
>Of course, Bulk still had three left.
>Button emits a string of curses as he's sent crashing down for a third time.
"YEAH! This game's winner is BULK BICEPS, *muah*, *muah*, Hrrrrngh"
>Bulk kisses his muscles and flexes to the crowd, some of whom are cheering for him at this point.
"How'd you do it, Bulk?"
"Yeah, how'd you get so good?"
>You glare at Boss Fight.
>Both of those voices were his.
>He grins wickedly as the crowd presses forward, intent on learning Bulk's secret.
"I owe it all to my coach, Anonymous! He's the real MVP!"
>God dammit.
>You find yourself swarmed with freshmen, all clamoring to ask you how to git gud.
>Boss Fight saves you, stepping in and redirecting the crowd to the entrance desk and lesson sign up sheet.
>You breathe a sigh of relief.
>Bulk Biceps is over with the crowd, enjoying the afterglow of his hard earned victory.
>Button is still leaning over the Melee cabinet, fuming and breathing heavily.
>You walk over to try and say something to him, but he turns away from you and storms off, leaving the arcade.
>That kid has some serious anger issues.

>The next few weeks are a blur.
>Word spreads about Bulk beating Button Mash and your tutoring schedule fills up almost immediately.
>A lot of the early adopters are kids you recognize from Button's little clique that day, but word seems to spread through the entire school.
>As more people get excited about playing better and improving, they start spending more time in the arcade.
>They also start bringing friends and getting them interested.
>No Quarter Given suddenly becomes the new cool place to be for hip young teens.
>There's even a few older folks who become regulars, reliving their glory years by crushing punk kids on classic cabinets they played ten, even twenty years ago.
>Boss Fight hires on two girls to help run the arcade while you become a dedicated personal trainer and assistant manager.
>You even get a raise.
>Between that and not having to pay for the machines at work, you've managed to save up a nice chunk of spending money.
>Shame you don't have anyone to take out for milkshakes anymore.
>It seems like Sweetie Belle is the only person you haven't seen inside the arcade lately.
>Well, and Button Mash.
>He hasn't shown his face ever since Bulk Biceps beat him.
>Heh, and of course, it's not like you'd ever see...
>The door opens with a familiar siren, signifying a new challenger approaching.
>You glance up from your screen for a moment to spy Rainbow Dash come in at her usual time, ready to spend another afternoon trading blows with Applejack.
>Wait a minute.
>She's not with Applejack today.
>She's with Rarity.
>She can't seriously be here to play.
>You watch the two of them step up to a cabinet.
>Oh, you have got to see this.
>You glance at your current protege and check the time.
"Hey Snails, you're doing great. You mind if I cut this session short by ten minutes? I can get Sunset over here to spar you."
>Snails stares over at your fiery-haired coworker, practically drooling.
>Smoove.
"I'll take that as a yes."

>You step out from the back of the Arcade and wave Sunset Shimmer over.
"Sunset, I have a bit of a personal emergency. I need to ditch out on the last fifteen minutes of Snails' session, but I told him you'd finish it off with some practice matches. You're decent enough at Soul Calibur to whip him a few times."
>Sunset blinks in confusion as you speak while also grabbing her shoulders and steering her towards the practice area.
"Uh, sure, I guess. Is everything okay? Will you be gone long?"
"Oh don't worry, I won't be leaving the arcade."
>Sunset blinks in confusion as you slide her through the arcade, depositing her on the training cabinet, much to Snails' delight.
"But... I thought you said it was an emergency."
"It absolutely is!"
>You slant your shoulder and close your eyes before spinning around on your heel and flourishing your arms upward.
"It's a code diamonds, darling. I trust you understand."
>You grin over your shoulder at Sunset and wink.
>Her face is the very portrait of confusion.
>Her jaw hangs half open as though she's trying to speak, but there are no questions.
>Only dreams.
>You smirk and strut away.
>Boss was right.
>It *is* fun to mess with the help like that.
>You jog through the crowd and slide in behind Rainbow Dash and Rarity.
>You glance up at the marquee.
>Them's Fightin' Herds.
>You shift your eyes to the screen.
>Flames and fangs fill the air as Dash chains Rarity around.
>Rarity is flustered, hammering buttons and wiggling her joystick uselessly.
>It's not long before Dash's Tianhuo is victorious.
>She throws her arms up in celebration while Rarity crosses her arms and pouts.
"I honestly don't see why everyone is so keen to come to this place. These games are so childish."
"Aw, you're just cranky because I'm the best around."
"At what, mashing a plastic circle the fastest? That's all these mindless games are anyway."
>You step forward, hands in your pockets.
"Wrong on both counts, ladies."

>They both turn towards you.
>Rarity rolls her eyes.
"Ugh. Of course *you'd* be here."
>You smirk.
"Well, I *am* the assistant manager here."
>Rarity's raises her eyebrows.
"Although, the Boss has been pretty busy with getting new machines, planning a renovation, and working something out with the pizza place downtown for catering. I've pretty much been left in charge of this place for the past month."
>You grin and glance around the bustling arcade floor.
"And amazingly, nothing's caught fire."
>Rarity crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at you.
"Or been molested."
>You swallow the urge to shove her head through the arcade cabinet screen.
>They're expensive, after all.
>Instead you smile.
"I'm not at liberty to discuss what happens inside the arcade after business hours. Company policy."
>Rarity and Dash both look disgusted.
"Anonymous, what the heck is going on? What's a code diamo- oh. Hey Rainbow Dash, Rarity. What's up?"
>Sunset emerges from the training area to stand next to you, waving to the girls.
"Oh, Sunset. Good. Rainbow Dash was just explaining how she's the best at Them's Fighting Herds in the whole city."
"She was?"
"And how she would do me the honour of playing an exhibition match against me on the Spectacle Screen, to help us test out the new tournament set up."
"I will? I mean, of course I will! Rainbow Dash is the fastest, fiercest, fieriest fighter this side of Foenum. It's only fair that everyone else gets to see for themselves just how awesome I am."
>Like a fiddle.
"And how, as thanks, I would treat her friend Rarity here to a free personal training session after the fight. I would have offered it to Dash herself, of course, but I doubt she'll need one after she soundly crushes me in front of the entire arcade."
>Rarity blinks.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Think nothing of it, darling. The least I could do to repay Rainbow Dash for her cooperation is to help her extend her love of fighting games to you, her dear friend."


"Ha! It'll be a cold day in Tartarus before I find myself loving a digital facsimile of two cartoon characters brutalizing each other."
>Or anything else, you frigid bitch.
"Rarity, Anonymous is a really good trainer. People pay a lot of money to spend an hour or two learning from him, and he's been a big part of this place's success. Plus, he helped get me my job here. Even if you don't like the games here that much, if he's willing to give you a free personal lesson, it'd be pretty rude to turn him down."
>Fuck yeah, Sunset.
>What a bro.
>You knew telling the Boss to hire her over that Indigo Zap girl would pay off.
>Rarity rolls her eyes and drops her arms to her sides.
"Oh alright, fine. I'll let him 'train me' in how to hit buttons until the other person falls down. But I don't have to enjoy it."
"That's the spirit! I'll get the hook ups prepared, Sunset, you spread the word and rile up the crowd."
>You spend the next ten minutes fiddling with wires, checking and double checking connections, and finally sliding back a panel on the back wall away to reveal a giant display screen.
>The crowd's growing buzz escalates rapidly when they see the monitor.
>You turn the screen on and it fills with the image of you and Dash sitting on the character select screen.
>You smirk at Rainbow Dash.
"Ready?"
"Ha! I was born ready, which is to say I was born awesome."
"Capital."
>You fit a earpiece on and turn on the power.
"Testing, testing. 1, 2, 3. Can everybody hear me okay?"
>Your voice echoes throughout the arcade sound system.
"Alright, excellent. Good evening, arcade patrons. My name is Anonymous, and this is a test run of No Quarter Given's new broadcasting system. It'll be used mostly for tournaments, but for today it will be used in an exhibition match between myself and the lovely, the talented, the awesome Rainbow Dash!"
>A cheer resonates throughout the crowd.

>You turn the earpiece off and grab the controls.
>Dash has already locked in Tianhuo.
>You glance back towards Rarity and smirk.
"Watch closely, this will be on the test."
>You select Velvet.
>Round 1
>Stampede!
>Dash flies out of the gates towards you, fingers flying.
>My god, she actually is just mashing the buttons.
>This will be better than you expected.
>You calmly shield Dash's wild attacks while you reach up and turn your earpiece back on.
"Rainbow Dash with some early aggression. A truly blistering volley of wild attacks. How will I get out of this one?"
>Rainbow Dash grits her teeth together, continuing to hammer your tiny reindeer with jabs and pokes, looking for weaknesses in your defense.
>You offer her none.
"What are you supposed to be, live play by play?"
>Dash is loud enough to get picked up by your earpiece.
"I suppose I can be, although my true strength lies in colour commentary."
"Ha! The only colours you're going to be are black and blue! Once I... get... one... solid... hit!"
"Oh, you mean like this one?"
>You finally slip out from your defense and hit Dash with a quick kick.
>You follow your strike with a flying ice crystal.
>You then unleash a frozen hell on the poor Longma on screen, bouncing Dash around with a flurry of magical ice crystals, interwoven with leaping aerial kicks.
"You see Dash, you're fast, I give you that. But you lack technique. Finesse. Discipline."
>You synchronize your words with the ice attacks you're juggling the helpless dash between.
"Despite what some people may think, there is a lot more to fighting games than mindlessly hammering buttons. It takes precision, dedication, and focus."
>You send a whirling snowstorm Dash's way, carrying your combo string above 40.
"Like any artist, any athlete, the musician, the chess master, the couturier, effort must be spent studying one's craft. But that effort..."
>You strike the final blow against Rainbow Dash in what was a truly one sided display.
"Yields results."

>You flick off the earpiece.
"Alright Dash. Do you want me to spare you the embarrassment of a repeat performance?"
>Dash is staring slackjawed at the screen, her hands shaking as she grips the controls.
"Dash?"
>She grits her teeth, turns and punches you hard in the stomach.
>You double over, clutching your gut.
>Dash then kicks you in the chest, knocking you off of the arcade machine.
"Asshole!"
>Her voice breaks as she screams at you before running out of the arcade.
>You roll over and push yourself up.
>You immediately scan the crowd.
>Most are still watching the Spectacle Screen, only the ones closest to where you and Dash were playing seemed to notice what happened.
>You jump to your feet, wincing at the pain in your stomach as you quickly tug out the video feed cord.
>The image tears, freezes and cuts to a blank blue screen.
>You flick your headset back on and straighten yourself up as you move towards the front of the crowd.
"Whoops, seems like we're having a technical issue, but hey, that's what these tests are for. Better now than during the big 2v2 tournament that's coming up, right folks? Speaking of, if you'll head over to my lovely co worker Sunset Shimmer, she's handling sign ups for that event at the greeting desk. No Quarter Given thanks you for your patronage, and I thank you for your enthusiasm."
>You flick off the earpiece and take a short bow before retreating to the side of the arcade and collapsing between two cabinets, clutching your side.
>Holy fuck does that girl hit hard.
>You feel like you're going to puke, but if you did you'd rupture something.
>Luckily most of the crowd swarmed over towards Sunset.
>Poor girl.
>You hadn't even pitched the tournament idea to Boss Fight yet.
>But you weren't exactly in a position to think on your feet.

>You rest your head back against the wall, catching your breath.
>Pain is temporary.
>Glory is eternal.
>Rarity leans down into your field of view.
"Anonymous, are you alright darling?"
>Darling.
>Funny.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just... miscalculated, is all."
>You start to push yourself back up to your feet.
>Rarity offers you a hand up.
>You pause for a moment and accept it.
"Honestly, I never pegged Dash to be the type to get so mad over a silly little game."
>You shake your head.
"She wasn't mad about the game. She was upset because I humiliated her. I put her into a no-win situation. Really, I should have expected that from her. That was my bad."
>You take a step and a sharp spike of pain shoots from your gut, sending a wave of nausea through you.
>Rarity steps forward, almost reaching out to you before thinking better of it.
"Anonymous, it isn't your fault she hit you... Are you sure you're okay?"
>You let out a small chuckle, taking a deep breath.
>It hurts like hell, but it is a good pain.
"It is my fault. I should have known that's how she'd react. I just didn't think far enough ahead, and she punished my mistake."
>You stand up straight, wincing a bit before forcing a grin through the pain.
"I'm just glad nobody else saw. I'd hate to have to ban her from the arcade for that."
>Rarity tilts her head, her face a look of utter confusion.
"Anonymous, she assaulted you! Even if she was upset, that's still no excuse for such deplorable behavior."
>You smirk, slipping a hand into your pocket as the pain in your stomach subsides.
"You're right. It's not like she caught me kissing her little sister."
>Rarity's face flashes from sympathy to shock to anger.
"I should slap you."
"But you won't. Because you already feel bad that Dash hit me. Which is also why you're still going to go through with our training session. C'mon."
>You turn around and start walking towards the practice machine near the back of the arcade.
>After a moment, you hear Rarity follow.

>You step up to the practice machine and grab the keyboard to change what game it displays.
>You set it aside and gesture for Rarity to stand beside you.
>She tilts her head, looking skeptical.
"Honestly, Anonymous, these games aren't really my forte. I'm not sure why you even want to do this, especially after Dash attacked you like that. Are you sure you're alright?"
>You turn and glare at Rarity.
"Why are you here?"
>She looks taken aback.
"Wh- what do you mean, darling?"
"Here. In No Quarter Given. You. Why?"
"Well, Rainbow Dash wanted to come, and Applejack was too busy helping her family with chores on the farm..."
"Bullshit. If you were only here because of Rainbow Dash, she left; you would have too, by now. I've also seen her in here by herself before, plenty of times. You're only here because this place has become the coolest place to hang out in town."
>Rarity looks taken aback.
>You continue.
"You've heard people talking about this place for weeks, but you've avoided it. Partly because yes, of course I'd be here, but mostly because this place leaves you out of your element. You can handle clubs, restaurants, theatres. But an arcade? You're a fish out of water here, and you know it."
>You turn back to the machine.
"You have no idea why anyone sensible would waste their time and money playing these silly games. They just hit buttons until somebody falls down. It makes no sense! They must all be as carefree, boyish and lazy as Anonymous. His bad influence has somehow infested the town! The whole world's gone mad!"
>You flail your arms for dramatic effect before leaning over the control board.
>Your stomach hurts.
>Your eyes itch.
>You're tired and sore and getting upset.
>You wish Sweetie Belle was here.
>You close your eyes take a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, Rarity. That was uncalled for. If you're really not interested, you can just go."
>You blink and look up as Rarity steps up to the machine beside you.

>She puts her hands awkwardly on the controls, lightly tracing the circular buttons with her fingertips.
"Like this, right?"
>She grips the joystick, clearly having no idea how to hold one.
>You can't help but smile.
"However's comfortable for you. It's not going to be a huge deal."
>Rarity glances at you and tilts her head in confusion.
"How is not a big deal, Anonymous? I can't be expected to pull off dazzling displays of frost magic if I can't even hold the controller properly."
>She smiles awkwardly at you, fluttering her eyelashes.
"I may not know what I'm doing, but I know it's best to start with the basics."
>You smirk.
"And that's exactly what's happening. This is a slightly different fighting game. It's called Yomi."
>You start up the game.
"A lot of people look at fighting games the same way you do, pointless flailing contests. That's because the heart of fighting games, the real player vs player action, is mostly invisible. It's what goes on in the heads of the fighters, predicting the enemy's movements, attacks, grabs, blocks. Finding holes in their defense, or avoiding their attacks to create an opportunity for your own."
>You select the tutorial mode.
"For a lot of people, even when they play fighting games, they never reach a level where they experience that gameplay. This game focuses on delivering that same experience, but with a card game."
>Rarity blinks.
"Just go through the tutorial. It explains it better than I can."
>Rarity nods and starts pushing her controls, reading the instructions on the screen.
>You glance from the screen over to her, watching her face.
>She looks a bit confused.
>You glance her up and down.
>She seems tense.
"Hey. Relax. Everybody sucks their first time. There's no pressure."
>Rarity blinks and smiles awkwardly, shifting her position.
>After a few minutes she relaxes into the controls and seems to be grasping the way the game is played.
>Deja Vu.

>Rarity goes through the tutorial, besting the AI easily enough.
>She gives a small smile at the victory screen.
"Do you think you understand how it works?"
>Rarity nods.
"Excellent. now we can play."
>You shut down the practice cabinet.
>Rarity looks confused.
>You step down from the cabinet and head towards the back.
"Follow me."
>You enter a room labelled "Employees only."
>Rarity falters for a moment before following you inside.
>The break room is grand, majestic...perhaps too majestic.
>Like a combination of a much smaller version and a much larger version of this exact room.
>It houses a vending machine, a table, an electric kettle and an assortment of teas, and a shelf covered in various games.
>You grab two boxes of cards from the shelf, turning to toss one to Rarity.
>She blinks and reaches out to catch it, looking it over.
"I think you'll like her. She's fairly simple to play as. Tea?"
"Yes please. Earl grey, two sugar."
>You pour the two of you some tea and bring it over to the table, sitting and unboxing your deck.
>Onimaru, Wartime Strategist
>Not your favorite character, but fun enough.
>And more importantly, extremely straightforward.
>You gave Rarity Valerie, the Manic Painter
>She can focus more on when to go for big combos than worry about what cards are actually in her hand that way.
>You shuffle your deck, draw your starting hand, take a sip of your tea and play your first combat card face down.
>You watch Rarity read your ability, glance at her hand, bite her lip and play her first combat card face down.
>You reveal your cards.
>You blocked.
>She dodged.

>Rarity frowns as she discards her dodge card.
>You smirk.
"Nervous?"
>Rarity pouts and drops her next combat card.
>You play and reveal the same block.
>She reveals an attack.
>You draw and return your block to your hand.
>Rarity looks flustered already.
>She plays her card
>She'll probably throw you.
>You drop the same card, turned to become an attack this time.
>The reveal.
>She attacked you.
>Hers is faster.
>She grins and plays a string of normal attacks before looking through her deck for aces.
>The game continues, becoming a back and forth affair.
>She's a fast learner.
>You win two close games before Rarity calls a bluffed joker in the third, laying down a massive combo string and obliterating you.
>She beams and claps excitedly.
"I won!"
>You nod and start collecting your cards together.
"You sure did. Now, let's go out and give playing on a cabinet another try."
>Rarity looks up at the clock.
"Are you sure, Anonymous? I've already kept you distracted for over an hour, and the arcade closes in twenty minutes."
"Positive. Sunset can handle closing things down by herself, and I have a key to lock up so we can stay late if you want to keep playing for a while. I don't mind staying a bit later than usual."
>You flash Rarity a smile as you return the Yomi decks to their place on the shelf and offer her a hand.
"It'd be worth it."

>You walk Rarity out from the back and into the main area of the arcade.
>The crowd has mostly dispersed, excepting a few stragglers finishing up matches.
>Sunset looks frazzled as she's going from machine to machine, powering off ones that aren't being used.
>You definitely owe her one for today.
>You also have to make sure to run the doubles tournament idea past Boss Fight.
>It should be easier now that you have a list of participants, though.
>You guide Rarity back to the practice cabinet and set up Sm4sh.
>You explain the controls and the sumo style goal of the game.
>You set up a team game versus bots, and you and the two of you play.
>It doesn't take long before Rarity has a handle on the controls, and starts really enjoying herself.
>At closing time you mention to Sunset that you're going to stay late, so she can just turn the lights off and go home when she's done with the cabinets.
>You and Rarity end up staying for over an hour after closing time, playing by the light of the arcade cabinet.
>She quickly insisted on playing against you instead of AI.
>She doesn't take a single game off of you, but she improves over the course of the evening and seems to be really enjoying herself.
>Finally, you stretch and lean away from the controls.
"Alright, we should really be going."
>Rarity looks at the time and lets out a little yelp, her eyes going wide.
"Oh my, I had no idea we'd been here for so long! I am so sorry for keeping you here so late, Anonymous."
>You dismiss her concern with a wave and a shrug.
"It's fine. I had fun. I'm usually so busy helping people improve that I don't really get much of a chance to just play anymore."
>You tilt your head toward her.
"You enjoyed yourself?"
>Rarity blushes, looking away and idly tracing her fingers over her joystick.
"Oh yes. It seems I misjudged this place. And... I misjudged you, Anonymous. You're not lazy or reckless. It was wrong of me to say such things, even if I didn't intend for you to hear them."

>You smile, appreciating the apology.
"Thank you. C'mon, I'll walk you home."
>You shut down the practice cabinet and extend a hand to Rarity, guiding her through the darkened arcade.
>You stop to lock the door before turning and walking towards Rarity's house.
>Rarity steps a bit closer to you, linking her arm in yours.
"I really appreciate you walking me home, Anonymous. And I'm glad you taught me to play those games. Especially after I've been so... inhospitable towards you."
>You look around awkwardly.
"Oh. Well. Hey. It's not like you had much positive experience to go on, really."
>Rarity squeezes your arm.
"Still. I feel awful. You're always so courteous, even when I'm being... less civil, than is proper."
>You smirk.
"It'd take a lot more than anything you've said to get under my skin, Rarity."
>You find yourselves at the end of Rarity's driveway.
"Still, darling. I wish there was something I could do to try and make it up to you."
>You pause at the end of the driveway, slipping your hand from your pocket to take Rarity's hand.
>She turns, slipping her other hand in yours.
>You smile at her in the dim light of the moon and the street lamp.
"Well... there is... one thing you could do."
>Rarity blushes and smiles, looking at you from below her violet locks.
>She steps forward, pressing herself against your chest
>She tilts her head back and presses her lips to yours in a kiss.

>You blink.
>Rarity is kissing you.
>That is
>That is not what you meant.
>Why is this happening?
>You part your lips a bit, kissing her back.
>Who cares why this is happening?
>This is great.
>This is wrong.
>Rarity wraps her arms around your neck.
>You wanted this.
>Months of trying to get her attention.
>Weeks of picking her sister up from music lessons.
>Now it's actually happening.
>You don't want this anymore.
>It's still nice.
>It's amazing.
>You rest your hands on Rarity's waist, closing your eyes.
>You can smell her perfume.
>She smells like vanilla.
>Sweetie Belle always smelled like lavender.
>You jerk yourself away from the kiss, shoving Rarity back by her shoulders.
>She looks up at you in shock.
>You retract your hands from her shoulders, folding them in front of yourself, bringing them to your mouth, fidgeting uselessly as you try to catch your breath, form words, explain yourself.
"That... that wasn't what I meant. Wow. Um..."
>Rarity looks towards the ground, her cheeks turning beet red.
"Sorry darling. That was... that was foolish of me."

"It. Uh. It's. It's alright."
>You awkwardly rub the back of your head, looking at the ground.
>You have no idea what to say.
>You have no idea why this happened.
"I just thought... between things Sweetie Belle said, and you being so nice to me today, and walking me home..."
>She twirls a finger in her hair, looking up at you.
"I just sort of thought you were... interested. In me."
>She grins awkwardly, blushing.
>Bah gawd that's cute.
"Rarity... I mean... I *was*..."
>Oh my god, don't say that!
>Rarity's face drops.
>God dammit.
>You suck at this.
"I mean. I did like you. Or I thought I liked you, at least. You're gorgeous, elegant, sophisticated. You're like a princess."
>You gently drag the back of your hand down her cheek.
"You deserve someone who appreciates the finer things in life. Fashion and fine dining and dancing. That isn't me. I am not a prince."
>Rarity takes your hand in hers and looks into your eyes.
"Anonymous, don't be so hard on yourself."
"Rarity, I work for a guy named Boss Fight. I've on multiple occasions used my skill to manipulate people for personal gain. I'm just waiting for the day I go to sweep some kid's leg out and take a crane kick to the face. I don't know who's the protagonist of this story, but I am clearly its villain."
>You squeeze her hand.
"And as such I need someone who understand me. Someone who knows why I do what I do, how much of it is real, or just an act."
>Your gaze drifts towards Rarity's house.
"Someone... who can read me like a book."

>Rarity follows your eyes.
>She frowns.
"You mean Sweetie Belle, don't you?"
>You flinch and turn back to her.
"I... I don't know."
>Your shoulders sag and you let out a sigh.
"I miss her. I miss hanging out with her at the arcade. I miss going to the movies with her. I miss just talking with her. And I don't know if I only miss her because she's my best friend, or because..."
>You awkwardly rub your arm
>You can feel your face heating up in the darkness.
"...or because I think I might be in love with her."
>Silence fills the driveway.
>Rarity clears her throat.
"You haven't told her any of that, have you?"
>You shake your head.
"I didn't realize it the last time I saw her. I didn't know what was happening that night. I just kind of... let it happen without thinking. I only realized how I really felt after I stopped seeing her. At first I thought it was just because I wasn't used to having so much free time. The job fixed that."
>You smile, staring off to one side, not really looking at anything.
"But every night when I'd close up the arcade... every single night I'd walk home... It didn't matter that I just spent the entire afternoon playing video games and helping people. Those people weren't Sweetie Belle. They didn't share our stupid little in jokes. I'd miss her laugh. And her smile."
>You glance back at Rarity and realize she's staring at you.
>You straighten yourself up and clear your throat awkwardly.
"Sorry. It probably sounds weird, me talking about your little sister like that."
>Rarity tilts her head, her face sympathetic.
"Honestly, darling, it's not entirely unexpected. I... overreacted a bit, when I saw the two of you that night. I even forbade Sweetie Belle from going to the arcade, which honestly I'm surprised to hear she actually listened to me about."
>She fidgets a bit.
"I just want what's best for her, and my opinion of you at the time was... less than favorable. Which was unfair."

"Uh... thanks, I guess."
>You rock back and forth on your heels a bit.
"I should probably get going."
>Smooth.
>Whatever, this whole thing had become an awkward mess already.
>It was a half baked idea to begin with.
>A hasty plan thrown together with imperfect information.
>Foiled in its conception.
>You turn to leave.
"Anonymous, wait."
>Rarity steps after you.
"You said there was something I could do, to pay you back."
>You turn back to see her blushing in the moonlight.
"I clearly mistook what you were going to ask, but I would still like to know what it was."
>Is she serious right now?
>Whatever, just roll with it.
>This flaming train wreck of a plan just got back on the rails.
"Oh, heh. I was just going to ask if you would consider entering the doubles tournament happening this weekend. I can reserve you a spot."
>God, that kiss makes this so awkward.
>Rarity blinks.
"Oh. Um. I suppose I could. I won't really know what I'm doing and I don't have a partner."
"I'm sure you can figure out a solution to both of those problems fairly easily."
>You start to back away, turning to walk down the street.
"I'll sign you up tomorrow when I get to work. See ya!"
>You don't look back to see her reaction.
>Your brain is swimming in questions.
>Why the fuck did Rarity kiss you?
>Why the hell did you turn her down?
>It's not like you're even dating Sweetie Belle
>Hell, she hasn't even visited you at the arcade.
>It's not like she'd actually listen to Rarity about that.
>Not if she actually liked you.
>She probably just did all that flirty stuff to keep you out longer and drive Rarity nuts.
>And it seems to have worked.
>That's probably why Rarity kissed you, really.
>To mend her own damaged ego.
>Sweetie Belle can't possibly have something she doesn't.
>Like a soul.
>You stop walking.
>You breathe deeply.
>You're losing it, Anonymous.
>You need to relax.
>Clear your head.
>You turn off from the route home.
>There's somewhere else you need to be right now.

>You walk a block before doubling back the way you came, avoiding Rarity's street.
>You head back to No Quarter Given.
>You reach into your pocket for your key and open the door.
>You step inside, closing and locking the door behind yourself.
>You walk through the darkened arcade, surrounded by powered down machines.
>The layout is familiar enough that you know where you're going in the dark.
>You head for the back of the room, to the practice cabinet.
>You kneel down and open it up to power it on, finding the switch with your fingers.
>The soft glow of the screen rewards your efforts.
"You're here awfully late."
>You nearly jump out of your skin at the sound of Boss Fight's voice.
>He steps into view from the shadows, sporting a shiny new black eye and holding a flask.
>You recoil instinctively, stammering to explain yourself.
"I uh, I was just..."
>He cuts you off.
"You're a hot mess of teenaged emotional confusion and wanted to collect your thoughts and blow off some steam in an environment where you feel comfort, agency and a sense of control. I get it."
>He opens the flask and takes a swig while you digest what he said.
>He wipes his mouth with his sleeve and points to the second player spot.
"May I?"
>You blink.
"Uh. Sure."
>He steps into position and leans over the controls.
"So, what are we playin'?"
"I... hadn't really thought about it yet. Any suggestions?"
>He smirks and starts moving down through the selections.
"Here's one I never get to play anymore."
>He loads up a game called Rise of the Incarnates.
"It's a team fighter. I'm too drunk and sore right now to give you a proper match. Let's just beat up some bots."
"Uh... sure thing, Boss."
>He glances over at you.
"You're 17, right?"
"18 in three months."
"Close enough. Set things up here, I'm gonna get you a drink."
>He steps down from the machine, heading into the back.

>You take a few minutes to skim the character bios, figure out what the game is about.
>Seems like a bunch of stereotypes fighting using the powers of various old gods.
>Neat.
>Boss Fight returns holding two bottles of hard lemonade and a mini bottle of vodka.
>He steps back up to the cabinet, setting the bottles down and raising an eyebrow towards you.
"You're not a cop, right?"
"Fuck the police."
>He smirks at your almost automatic response, opening the mini and handing it to you.
"Here renegade, down this and you get to drink your lemonade without me making fun of you."
>You lift the bottle to your lips and tilt it back.
>It tastes like liquid fire.
>You almost cough it out immediately, but manage to swallow instead.
>Your throat feels like the Vietnam jungle, circa 1966
>You down the entire bottle, flinching involuntarily as you finish.
>Boss Fight smirks and leans into the controls.
"Heh. Youth."
>You grimace and open your lemonade.
>Boss Fight does the same.
>You pick your character, Slayer
>Boss picks Zeus
>Of course he'd play as the President.
>You load into the ruins of a city.
>You start running off to one side, firing a stream of bullets from your wrist gun.
"So how'd you get the shiner?"
>Boss Fight chuckles as he unloads a blast of lightning towards the AI.
"Young buck down at the dojo caught me with a solid kick to the head. Saw it coming, but this body of mine has trouble keeping up with the brain."
>You close with and grab the enemy Odin, sealing his ability to make ranged attacks.
"So what are you doing here so late, anyway?"
>Boss fires a giant laser beam towards Odin, killing him.
"Officially I'm here doing overnight maintenance on the cabinets. Low-key, I've been sleeping in my office the past month and a half."
>You look over at Boss Fight with surprise as he finishes off the AI Red Dragon for the win.
"What do you mean you've been sleeping in your office?"

>Boss Fight takes a sip from his drink and looks around the darkened room.
"This place is my dream, Anonymous. I imagined it. I planned it. I made it real. This is what I've wanted to do with my life, what I wanted to create. I'm king in this castle. Within these walls, I am God."
>He glances back to you.
"Do you know depressing it is to leave that feeling for an empty one room apartment every night? Fuck that."
>He tips his bottle up and takes a drink.
>You follow suit.
"So how about you? What has my favourite minion all stressed out?"
"Girls. Sisters."
>You turn, resting your butt against the cabinet and looking toward the ceiling.
"And I can't figure out either of them."
>Boss nods.
"Frustrating for you, isn't it?"
>You nod.
"You're good at figuring people out, kid. You've got a quick mind and a sharp eye for spotting patterns. But you don't have all the information. You can't expect to know why everyone does every thing they do all the time."
>You sigh, looking down at your lemonade.
"I just wish I knew why Sweetie Belle stopped coming here."
>Boss Fight sets his drink on the control board.
"Hey, kid."
>You glance up at him.
>He catches you across the face with a hard slap, your head snapping to the side.
>You drop what's left of your drink, the fizzy liquid spilling onto the floor.
>You grab your face and glare at him.
"What the fuck man! Why'd you do that?!"
>His lips split into a grin and he laughs.
"See? Was it so hard to just ask?"
>He hands you his half finished lemonade.
"Here. Take this for the road, go home and get some sleep, and take the rest of the week off. I want you rested for Saturday. This place is going to be a madhouse because of your little tournament idea."
>He steps down from the cabinet, patting you on the shoulder as he walks by.
"And don't ever surprise me with something like that again. I like having you on the payroll."
>Boss Fight disappears into the back, leaving you alone in the dim glow of the practice cabinet.

>You stagger through the darkened arcade, using the light of the cabinet's screen to see where you're going.
>You're not falling down drunk, but you're surprised how much you can feel the alcohol's effects.
>You didn't think you drank that much.
>Maybe you're concussed.
>Maybe you're just a lightweight.
>Either way, you make it outside and start walking home.
>You finish the lemonade on the way, dropping the bottle in a neighbour's recycling bin.
>You head home and immediately go to bed.

>You wake up the next day feeling like death.
>Your head is fucking killing you.
>Yep.
>This is a sick day.

>You wake up again in the afternoon, feeling more alive.
>You crawl out of bed, get some water and brush your teeth.
>You think about everything that happened last night.
>Rarity kissing you.
>What Boss Fight said.
>You look in the mirror at the bruise he left below your eye.
>You check the time.
>4:36 p.m.
>You sigh and step out of the bathroom.
>You pick up the phone.

"Hello?"
"Hi Rarity."
"Oh! Anonymous, hello. You weren't at school today. Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a... thing. Is Sweetie Belle there?"
>A moment of silence, brief, but present.
"Sweetie Bell? Uh, no. She's at her piano lesson."
>Right.
>You knew that.
"Right. I forgot. I guess you were just about to leave to go meet up with her, then?"
>Another short pause.
"Actually, she was going to be spending the afternoon at a friend of hers' place. I was just going to start work on some of my latest designs."
"Oh."
>A longer silence.
"Are you sure you're alright, darling? You sound... off."
"Yeah. Yeah, actually, no. I think I'm going to go lie down again. Will I see you on Saturday?"
"Well, I can't promise I'll find a partner in such short notice, but I'll do my best."
"Why not go with Sweetie Belle?"
>Smooth.
>You hear Rarity inhale and sigh.
"I asked her darling, but she said she wasn't interested in going. If you only want me there to bring my sister along, then I guess I won't be showing up."
"No, no. I didn't mean it like that. Come. It will be a good time. Ask Rainbow or AJ if they know anyone looking for a partner, they probably know someone you could team up with. I really want you to take part, to see what it's like. I'm going to go now, I'll see you Saturday."
"Won't we see eachother in class tomorrow?"
"Nah. I'm not going to be in school the next few days. I... I have a thing. I'll see you Saturday."

>You hang up the phone and walk back into your room.
>You crawl into bed.
>You miss Sweetie Belle.

>You wake up early the next day.
>The sun isn't even up.
>You check the time.
>4:22 a.m.
>You lie in bed for a few minutes, trying to fall back to sleep.
>It's no use.
>You sit up in bed, throwing the covers off yourself.
>You get up and get dressed, and quietly step out of the house.
>You start walking.
>You miss Sweetie Belle.
>You start running.
>You run through streets devoid of traffic.
>The chill morning air fills your lungs with cold fire.
>You keep running.
>You run until your thoughts stop racing.
>You run until your head is no longer filled with images of her.
>Nightmare scenarios of why she doesn't want to see you anymore.
>You run until your lungs are screaming in your chest.
>Until your vision blurs at the edges.
>And you keep running.
>You run until you stumble, keeling forward and barely keeping your balance.
>Your heart is pounding
>Your chest is on fire.
>You feel like you're going to puke.
>You gradually catch your breath, leaning on your knees.
>You're seeing spots as the first rays of the dawn illuminate the street around you.
>You wander over to a tree, slump against it and sit down.
>You watch the sun rise, smiling to yourself.
>You still miss Sweetie Belle.
>You don't know why she won't visit the arcade.
>You don't know when you're going to see her again.
>But none of that matters.
>Your head is clear.
>The sunrise is beautiful.
>And you have a tournament to run.

>You grab a breakfast sandwich from Hey Burger and head to No Quarter Given.
>You open the door and start powering on the cabinets one by one.
>Boss Fight emerges from the back, rubbing his eyes with one hand and holding a cup of coffee in the other.
"Didn't I tell you to take the day off? And shouldn't you be in school regardless?"
"Yes and yes. Now wake up and help me with these. Tomorrow's the big day, have to make sure everything's running smoothly."
>He blinks, bleary eyed at you.
"Kid, this isn't..."
"One day."
>You look at Boss Fight, quiet desperation in your eyes.
"I just need one day."
>He looks at you, figuring out what you mean after a moment.
>He sighs and shakes his head.
"You need therapy, kid. That brain of yours goes too fast for your own good."
>He takes a sip from his mug.
"We're starting with Divekick. I am not awake enough to deal with directional input right now."
>The two of you walk over to the Divekick cabinet.
>You pick Kenny
>Boss picks S-Kill
>He proceeds to destroy you.
>You take a few games off of him, but never a whole round.
>You go ten rounds,as per Queensberry rules.
>Boss looks down at you as he completes his 10-0 victory.
"Mortal Kombat?"
>You look up at him and nod.
>The two of you go from cabinet to cabinet through the course of the day.
>Officially testing them for the tournament.
>Unofficially keeping you distracted.
>Leaving you frustrated.
>Focused on the games.
>Determined to get better than Boss at even one of them.
>Letting your mind analyze your play.
>Find weaknesses in your style.
>Forget about the way she made your heart pound as you kissed in her driveway.

>You and Boss rotate through the arcade for the entire day, only stopping for lunch.
>He treats you to pizza.
>The two of you eat in relative silence.
>There's not much talking over the games, either.
>You miss Sweetie Belle.
>Whenever you felt awkward or stressed out the surest cure was always going to the arcade.
>Now it just makes you wish Sweetie was with you.
>You focus on the games, trying to take a single one off the old man.
>You're sloppy, overly aggressive, and not thinking things through.
>You're on tilt, but you don't care.
>A few times Boss looks like he wants to say something.
>Offer his patented sage advice.
>But he thinks better of it.
>You don't need advice right now.
>You need an opponent.
>You need to fight something.
>The day passes with you walking into counterattack after counterattack, loss after loss, game after game, match after match.
>Your brain is turned off.
>You're not even playing on auto-pilot, you're just attacking in a mad rage.
>Finally you eat a thrown sword to the face and Boss runs across the final screen, leaping into the flying jaws of victory.
"Alright kid. I think that's enough for the day. You should head home."
>You glance around the empty arcade and realize it's gotten late.
>You check the time and see it's actually twenty minutes past closing time.
"Yeah. Yeah I should. Thanks for today, Boss."
>You step away from the machine and start heading for the door.
"Hey kid."
>You glance back at Boss Fight.
"Waste my time like that again and you're fired. Bringin' that weak-ass game into my house."
>You stifle a laugh as Boss swaggers towards the back and you leave the arcade.
>You step into the crisp night air.
>You sigh and start walking home.
>Alone.
>You miss Sweetie Belle.

>You wake up early the next morning.
>Saturday morning.
>The day of the doubles tournament.
>The doubles tournament that was your idea.
>The one you rushed into existence as part of a hair-brained scheme to get Rarity to come.
>The one you wanted her to bring Sweetie Belle to.
>You push yourself up from bed, running your hand over your eyes and through your hair.
>So much for that stupid idea.
>Sweetie Belle was pretty much the only person you knew wouldn't be showing up today.
>Well, other than Button Mash and Rainbow Dash
>Neither of them had shown up at No Quarter Given since you'd handed them their respective public beatings.
>You felt kind of bad about Rainbow.
>She was sacrificed as a pawn in your stupid, ill-conceived plan.
>Button Mash deserved it though.
>Little prick.
>You stagger out of your room and make yourself a big breakfast.
>You spend longer than usual in the shower.
>You make sure your hair, clothes, your smile are all on point.
>You close your eyes in front of the bathroom mirror, inhaling deeply.
>You miss Sweetie Belle, a lot.
>You know you wouldn't be seeing her today.
>But that doesn't matter.
>Not today.
>Today you aren't Anonymous, the awkward loser who hangs out with Sweetie Belle after her music lessons.
>You aren't even Anonymous, the tutor at No Quarter Given who single-handedly brought new life to the local arcade scene.
>You're Anonymous, host of the most prestigious and ambitious tournament No Quarter Given's ever put on.
>You're the idea man, you're the assistant manager, and you're in charge.
>Today, you're the king of Boss Fight's castle.
>Time to act like it.
>You open your eyes and see your reflection greet you with a cocky smirk.
"Showtime."

>You head to No Quarter Given and open the door.
>You go around the room, powering on cabinets.
>As the monitors light up you see that the games have already been changed over.
>Boss must've done that last night.
>That makes things easier.
>You hear the door open and turn to see Sunset Shimmer and Lemon Zest walk in carrying boxes.
>Well, you see Sunset carrying the box of decorations you'd asked her to get made.
>You hear Lemon Zest's headphones, and assume the figure carrying the large box of cables and sound equipment is her.
>The three of you get to work setting up the sound system and decorating the arcade before opening up to the public.
>You glance outside and see a crowd already forming.
>You walk to the back, signalling Sunset and Lemon and killing the lights.
>Sunset opens the door, silently gesturing for the crowd to enter the darkened arcade.
>Bodies file in slowly, Sunset guiding them between machines.
>Murmurs of confusion rise from the crowd, when suddenly the Arcade fills with sound. ( https://youtu.be/g4UemULXbY8 [Embed] )
"Ladies and gentlemen. My name is Anonymous."
>Your voice echoes through the sound system over the rising music.
"As master of ceremonies I'd like to welcome you all to No Quarter Given's first major tournament. Welcome..."
>You flip a switch and the lights go up, revealing the promotional banners and decorations for the event.
"...to Double or Nothing."
>All throughout the arcade, the typical bright colours of lights and posters have been replaced with shades of black and red.
>Banners emblazoned with card suits line the walls.
>Lemon stands between four huge speakers, each bearing a card suit, wearing a red and black outfit.
>You and Sunset stand near the back of the arcade wearing matching suits, hers black, yours red.

>The crowd cheers and applauds as they look around the arcade.
>The whole space has been transformed with a casino motif.
"Now, if everyone could please form an orderly line, the lovely Sunset Shimmer and I will finalize your registration and determine your place in the tournament bracket."
>There had been a lot of interest in this tournament.
>More than you'd expected, certainly more than you'd expected to turn up within a week.
>Instead of setting up formal brackets, you'd devised a system.
>Sunset would greet a pair of fighters, get their names and their team name, and you would hand them a playing card from a deck you were consistently shuffling.
>Each card corresponded to a spot on the 52 spot tournament bracket, with face cards granting a round one bye.
>You knew there wouldn't be enough teams to fill the bracket, but it would be close, and it helped make the necessary evils of logistics more exciting.
>Each quadrant of the arcade had a suit, for instance, on prominent display so people would know where they were going to play their matches.
>Hooray for organizational detail work.
>As you handed out cards you saw there were plenty of regulars who had formed natural duos.
>Snips and Snails, Aloe and Lotus Blossom, Blue Fuzz and Cherry Top.
>There were a few unexpected pairs arriving to compete, too.
>Trixie and Photo Finish were calling themselves "The Magic" and seemed more interesting in making Trixie look good for the camera than competing, but hey, they pulled the Jack of Spades so they were through to round 2 already.
>Pinkie Pie showed up clinging to the arm of a rather serious looking fellow in a brimmed hat and poncho.
>A story was happening there, but you didn't have time to ask about it before she snatched the card you dealt her and dragged her beau off to their designated section of machines.
>You continue shuffling and raise an eyebrow at the next pair of entrants.
>Bulk Biceps and Scootaloo.

"Hey Bulk. Hey squirt, what gives? I figured you'd be pairing up with Rainbow Dash today."
>Scootaloo's face sours.
"Rainbow Dash said she had something 'more important' to do. She never seems to want to hang out here anymore."
>You frown, the specter of guilt clawing at the back of your conscience.
>Scootaloo beams up at Bulk.
"Luckily I met Bulk here and we've been practicing together all week, and we're gonna destroy today, right big guy?"
"YEAH! Let's DO THIS!"
>You smile and hand the pair their card.
>Your smile drops as you see the next pair of fighters.
>Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
>Of course.
"Hey girls, glad to see you make it out here today."
>You couldn't stand Diamond Tiara, but her dad and Boss Fight were business partners and she always poured money into the cabinets whenever she came in, so you tried to maintain a courteous professional relationship.
"Of course it is. Hard to have a tournament without the winners, isn't it?"
>You choke down the urge to comment as you hand them a card.
>Diamond looks it over and grins, revealing the Queen of Spades.
"Really, Anonymous, you shouldn't have."
>She blows you a kiss before she and Silver Spoon do that stupid handshake-hip-bump thing they always do and walk off to the spade area.
>You immediately drop your fake smile as they turn around, replacing it with a genuine one as you greet the next competitors.
"Hey Applejack, Apple Bloom. Ready to kick in some teeth?"
"You know it, Anonymous."
"Me an' AJ are going to win this whole tournament, no sweat at all!"
>After them were Big Mac and Braeburn, dressed in black cowboy attire and billing themselves as the Cousins of Destruction.
>The Apple Sisters were wearing similar outfits, but with white shirts and blue jeans.
>Actually, most of the teams today seemed to be in some sort of paired outfit.
>Anytime there was any sort of event going on it seemed like everyone in town decided to dress up.
>But that still didn't prepare you for seeing Rarity.

>Rarity had her hair pinned back in a ponytail and was wearing a crisp, black business suit.
>She wasn't the confused, frustrated Rarity stuck outside of her element you saw the other day.
>She looked calm and confident.
>Cocky even.
>Of course, it was easy for you to see why.
>Standing just behind her was her partner, Coco Pommel.
>Or as she was known inside of No Quarter Given, K.O. Pummel.
>She was a regular, and she was good.
>She was damn good.
>Almost as good as Rarity looked in that suit.
"Hey Rarity. Good to see you found a teammate in time."
>She lets out a small laugh.
"Oh Anonymous, I didn't find a teammate. I found *the* teammate. I really must thank you. Before you asked me to participate, I'd had no idea my dear friend Coco even enjoyed spending her time here, let alone that she was even better than you."
>Your eye twitches.
>Coco shoots you a cocky smirk.
>She's wearing a black Buck Lesnar T-shirt.
>Rarity's suit suddenly makes sense.
>You deal the pair a card.
>Rarity takes it and flips it over.
>The Queen of Diamonds.
>Rarity beams and shows it to Coco.
"Well, that's one round down. I'm sure the rest will follow suit."
>Rarity leans in close to you, whispering into your ear and breaking kayfabe.
"Thanks for inviting me, Anonymous. Just seeing the excitement and the way you've transformed this place was well worth the price of admission."
>She pecks you on the cheek before leaning back and resuming her smug, villainous smirk.
"Sunset, Anonymous. We'll see you in the finals."
>Coco tilts her head from side to side, popping her neck twice before she and Rarity walk off to the diamond quarter of the arcade.
>You glance over to Sunset.
"Why are so many people we know completely nuts?"
"Don't ask me, I'm just a unicorn from another dimension who's doing my best to fit in."
>You roll your eyes.
"Again with the unicorn thing. Get some new material, sister."
>Sunset shoots you a big stupid grin.

>You and Sunset work through the thinning crowd.
>Good thing, too.
>You're almost out of cards.
>You glance up from your shuffling to see that there's only one team left to sign up.
>You raise an eyebrow.
>Both of them are wearing baggy black hoodies.
>One of them has a red bandanna wrapped around their face, and a pair of mirrored sunglasses obscuring their eyes.
>The other has a full face mask on.
>It looks vaguely familiar.
"Alright, what's the team name?"
>Sunset isn't phased.
>You've both seen weirder costumes today.
"[The Fallen]"
>Apparently the mask has one of those obnoxious voice change boxes.
>Lovely.
"And your handles?"
"Bloody Mess."
"[Shadow Slash]"
>Bandanna boy definitely sounded familiar.
>Neither of those names rang a bell, though.
>You deal the pair a card.
>The 3 of Hearts
>You glance at the match schedule as they walk off to the hearts section.
>Bulk and Scootaloo had gotten the 4 of Hearts.
>You pause a moment before walking over to the front of the arcade and slipping your headset on.
"Alright folks, it looks like you've all found your appropriate places. I want everyone to shake hands with their opponents, and have some great games."
>Your voice echoes through the arcade sound system as you activate the spectacle screen.
"As for those of you who've drawn face cards, you can enjoy the matches that will be broadcast onto the No Quarter Given Spectacle Screen while you await a worthy opponent. We'll start with, determined randomly, the 3 and 4 of hearts!"
>You slip over to Lemon Zest's DJ station, briefly abducting her laptop to set up the video feed.
>Bulk's Sentinel and Scootaloo's Orion stood in orange against The Fallen's Teros and Asuri, wearing black.
>The fight was brutally short.
>Shadow Slash isolated Scootaloo and forced her from the platform, repeatedly gimping her recovery while Bloody Mess brutalized Bulk Biceps, throwing him around like a ragdoll before smashing him off of the screen.
>They didn't lose one stock.

>The second round goes much like the first.
>Shadow Slash makes a beeline for Scootaloo
>Bloody Mess grabs Bulk and isolates him.
>Shadow throws out a blistering flurry of blows, sending Scootaloo into the sky and juggling her around, claws flashing in a dazzling display of speed.
>She's not just flailing wildly, though.
>There's precision in her attacks.
>Bloody Mess is just dodging all of Bulk's attacks and knocking him back, seemingly focused more on keeping him away from Scootaloo than actually fighting him.
>He predicts all of Bulk's approaches, like he knows exactly how he fights.
>While Shadow dominates Scootaloo, sending her crashing off the edge again and again, Bloody Mess just stands between Bulk and the others, refusing to let him help his teammate.
>Eventually Scootaloo is the only one to have lost any lives, and she'd lost all 3.
>Shadow lands her Asuri on the main platform.
"[Respawn.]"
>Scootaloo glances over at Bulk, who's gritting his teeth in frustration, neck muscles bulging out.
>Shadow's Asuri walks over to where Bulk is trying to land a blow against Teros and seamlessly slips in between attacks to begin comboing Bulk around in the air.
>She doesn't kill him though.
>She just juggles him with light attacks, dodging anything he throws out and flinching him into the air, over and over again.
>Scootaloo takes one of Bulk's extra lives and respawns.
>Shadow smacks Bulk downwards, sending him crashing off of the screen.
>She rushes Scootaloo, combos her with claws and sends her flying down for the fastest death Scoots had suffered all match.
>Bulk respawns with one life left.
>He doesn't stand a chance.
>The Fallen rip him apart, knocking his character's prone body back and forth between their attacks until Bloody Mess sends him exploding skyward with a massive hammer strike.
>The small crowd of teams who drew face cards applaud.
>You quickly switch the screen to another cabinet currently playing and head over to the Hearts section.

>You head over to where Scootaloo and Bulk are standing at their machine.
>Bulk is still tensed up.
>Scootaloo had her fists clenched at her sides, her face red with frustration.
>You knew how those two felt, and it wasn't a good feeling.
>You're about to say something when Bulk takes a deep breath and turns to Bloody Mess.
"Good Game."
>He extends a hand, despite clearly being upset by the crushing defeat.
>Bloody Mess glances down from behind his mirrored glasses.
"Tch. Not really."
>He leaves Bulk's handshake hanging in the air.
"What's your problem?"
>Scootaloo barks out from behind Bulk Biceps, stepping forward looking like she's either ready to fight or about to cry.
"It's one thing to beat us so badly, you don't have to be jerks about it too!"
>Bulk tries putting a hand on Scootaloo's shoulder but she swivels and glares up at him.
"And you! I thought we were a team! Rainbow Dash wouldn't have ever left me high and dry like that!"
>Bulk glares down at the purple haired girl.
"Oh yeah? Then where IS Rainbow Dash? At least I agreed to be your teammate."
"Well you shouldn't have bothered! At least then I wouldn't have been humiliated in front of everyone!"
>Scootaloo turns to storm off and slams directly into your chest.
>She stumbles back a step, rubbing her head and looking up at you.
>You can see tears starting to escape her eyes, eyes that quickly turn into a glare towards you.
"I hope you're happy, Anonymous. Now I know exactly why Rainbow Dash won't show her face in here again."
>She shoves past you and runs towards the entrance and out of the arcade.
>Bulk walks past you, shouldering you aside and shooting you a dirty look as he also leaves the arcade.
"I didn't think you really had it in you to do that to her, Slash."
>You turn hearing Bloody's nasally voice.
"[She had to learn what it's like to be humiliated.]"
>Shadow Slash seems to be staring at you from behind her helmet.
>You turn and walk back to join Sunset, feeling terrible.

>You glumly record the round 1 results.
>The Fallen went 2-0 over the High Flyers.
>You had a feeling that that team wouldn't be returning anytime soon.
>Sunset pokes you in the ribs.
"You okay there, Anon?"
>You sigh and rest your head on your hand.
"Bulk and Scoots seem really upset about me broadcasting their loss to everybody."
>Sunset puts a hand on your arm.
"Hey. It's not like you knew it'd happen."
"That's a shock."
>You hear Bloody Mess' familiar, grating voice.
"I thought knowing exactly what people were going to do next was your specialty, Anonymous."
>The Fallen are staring at you from behind their masks.
"[Hey, cut him some slack.]"
>Shadow Slash tilts her head and puts a hand to her chin.
"[After all, it would take a lot of, what was it... 'precision, dedication and focus' for Anon to realize how embarrassing it is to be beaten up on the big screen in front of a crowd of people.]"
>Bloody Mess snickers.
"Well, he'll learn first hand after we win this tournament and embarrass him in the show match afterward. He'll probably have to give up his stupid tutoring program too. After all, nobody will be coming to a loser to learn how to play."
"[Especially after we flatten everyone he mentored on our way to the top.]"
>Shadow Slash holds up a fist and Bloody Mess fist bumps it.
>The two of them turn and walk over to the rest of the crowd watching the Spectacle Screen.
>Sunset crosses her arms across her chest.
"Wow. What crawled up their butts and festered?"

>You smile in spite of feeling bad about Bulk and Scootaloo.
>Stupid Sunset.
>Always had such a way with words.
>You straighten yourself up and watch the spectacle screen cycle through random matches.
>Lemon Zest had the sound system blasting an eclectic mix of fighting game mash ups, remixes and chiptunes.
>Your playing card system made it easy for teams to find their opponents after they win, so things ran smoothly.
>People seemed to be having a good time.
>You start feeling better.
>You can apologize to Bulk and Scootaloo later, after they calm down.
>Still, Sunset was right.
>It wasn't your fault.
>You couldn't have predicted they'd get beaten so badly.
>You still didn't know who these Fallen guys were.
>You lose your train of thought as the spectacle screen switches to a match in progress.
>A black Teros and Asuri are against a green Ember and Scarlet.
>The Teros is flinging the Ember back and forth against the stage with his hammer while the Asuri juggles the Scarlet in the air with claws.
>You glance over at the hearts section and see the two hooded figures standing at a cabinet next to Lyra and Bon Bon.
>They glance up at the big screen.
>Suddenly they send Lyra and Bon Bon flying off in opposite directions, immediately killing them both.
>You look at the score.
>It was only the first stock from either of them.
>Those two had stalled until their match was on display for the whole arcade to witness.
>And it was a massacre.
>Lyra and Bon Bon couldn't mount an offense before The Fallen smashed one of them around and out of the screen, followed by the other.
>Again, they humiliate their opponents with a no fall victory in front of everyone.
>The crowd erupts in cheers.


>The second round follows suit.
>Shadow and Bloody each isolate a member of the opposing team and dismantle them.
>The crowd is fanatic.
>You glance over to Lyra and Bon Bon.
>They look crushed.
>You stand up and head over there.
>The Fallen leave the machine wordlessly, slipping back into the crowd which now consists primarily of the round one losers.
>Bon Bon looks upset, but Lyra looks furious.
>You're about to speak when Bon Bon lightly taps Lyra on the shoulder, and she responds by snapping her head around.
"Don't touch me! I thought we were supposed to be a team, Bon Bon. Why didn't you help me when I needed you? We looked like idiots up there!"
>She gestures to the big screen.
>Bon Bon flinches and looks downward.
"I... I tried, Lyra. I told you I wasn't any good at these types of games."
>Lyra pinches the bridge of her nose.
"Yeah, but I didn't think you'd be that bad. I didn't think anyone could be that bad!"
>She sighs and looks up at the ceiling.
"I should've just asked Minuette to be my partner."
>Bon Bon looks devastated for a moment before her face becomes a mask of pure anger.
"Right. Maybe you should have. And maybe you should ask her to be your new girlfriend, too!"
>Bon Bon turns and runs out of the arcade, almost making it to the door before the tears start streaming down her cheeks.
>Lyra blinks, going wide-eyed as she realizes what she said.
"Bon Bon, Bon Bon wait!"
>She runs out of the door after her friend.
>You awkwardly slink away, back to sit behind the change counter with Sunset.
>You turn to glance at her as she looks away from the door towards you as you sit down.
"So. A unicorn huh?"
"Yep."
"From another dimension?"
"Yep."
"Full of magic and monsters I presume."
"Yep."
"Is it less insane there?"
>Sunset wobbles her hand in the air.
"Ehh."

"Snails, come back here!"
>You blink and glance toward the source of the voice.
>Snails is walking towards you and Sunset with Snips following behind him.
>He has a serious look on his face.
>He slams his hands down on the counter, his voice filled with determination.
"Anonymous. Sunset Shimmer. We would like to forfeit."
"No we don't! Don't listen to him!"
>Snips grabs Snails around the waist and tries to pull him away from the counter, but he doesn't budge.
>You and Sunset glance at eachother.
>She steps up to bat.
"What's the issue here boys?"
>Snails points at the tournament schedule.
"That's the issue."
>You glance over, finding Snips and Snails' position.
>Oh.
"I don't feel like spending five minutes getting thrown around just to get beaten in record time in front of everybody else. I'd rather leave with my dignity in tact."
>Sunset raises an eyebrow.
"But, isn't just giving up even worse than being beaten?"
>Snips pops out from behind his friend, still awkwardly trying to drag him away from the counter.
"That's what I've been trying to tell him. If we give up, everyone will make fun of us. But what if we actually stand up to those guys? What if we do okay against them? What if we win?"
>He grabs Snail's cheeks and turns him around, looking him eye to eye.
"Just think of how impressed everybody here would be with us, Snails. We'd be heroes!"
>Snails looks apprehensive.
"We're not going to win, Snips."
>Snips sighs.
"I know. But we got this far. We have to try."
>Snails leans his head back and sighs.
"Alright. Let's go embarrass ourselves."
>You watch the two of them walk towards the heart quarter of the arcade.
>Those brave, doomed bastards.

>You glumly watch the spectacle screen.
>There are some close matches.
>Really solid play too.
>The competition is actually heating up.
>The crowd loves it.
>Especially now that it's composed primarily of people looking to improve for next time.
>You just wish Scootaloo and Bulk were in that crowd.
>Or Lyra and Bon Bon.
>Or Sweetie Belle.
>You sink onto the countertop and rest your chin on your arms, breathing a sigh.
>One day.
>Go one day without thinking about her, dammit.
>You try to focus on the big screen.
>It switches games.
>A Barazza and Lucien team in cyan are each at 2 stocks against a black Asuri and Teros, each at 1.
>You blink and look over at the hearts section.
>Sure enough, that's Snips and Snails.
>And they're actually winning.
>Bloody's Teros respawns and immediately flings Snails' Barazza out of play to shorten the gap, but then looks up at the screen when he hears the crowd react.
>You see him look at Shadow Slash.
>She nods.
>Bloody Mess walks himself off the side and leaves his partner alone with one stock left.
>Shadow starts cutting into Snips with ferocity.
>Snails hurries over to help his friend but Shadow dodges, jabbing at him as she flits past.
>Snips recovers and the two start pursuing Shadow across the stage.
>She dodges back and forth past the two, picking at them with light strikes, using her speed to her advantage.
>Eventually Snips and Snail's frustration begins to show and they start throwing out attacks recklessly.
>Shadow dodges between the attacks, taking advantage of the multiplayer friendly fire.
>Snails lands a heavy attack on Snips, firing him off the side of the screen.
>Shadow then lands a power attack of her own, eliminating Snails' last stock.
>Snips respawns and Shadow proceeds to dissect him, chaining fast light attacks together mercilessly, anticipating counterstrikes and punishing panicked attempts to dodge before finishing him off with a downward spike.

>You wince as Snips' character explodes off the bottom of the screen, ending the match.
>You glance over at their cabinet.
>Snips is leaning his head back, covering his face with his hands before banging his fists on his head in frustration.
>But Snails
>Snails is just standing there.
>Blank expression.
>The second round of the match begins.
>He steps back from the controls and turns to start walking to the door.
>Snips glances over at him.
>Bloody Mess walks over to nudge Snails off the edge.
>He falls without input.
>Snips looks between the screen and his friend before abandoning the cabinet.
>Shadow nudges him off the stage next.
>Snips catches up to Snails as he walks past the front counter.
>You hear two more explosions as their characters are unceremoniously dumped off stage.
>Snips grabs Snails by the arm.
>Snails wordlessly throws his body around, slamming Snips into a nearby cabinet.
>He shakes himself loose of Snips' now limp grasp and continues out the door without a sound.
>Snips climbs back up to his feet and staggers after him.
>Two more explosions, and a victory fanfare followed by muted applause.
>2-0 for The Fallen.
>They're in the Top Eight.

>You push yourself up from the countertop, straightening out your suit.
>You glance at Sunset and tilt your head towards center stage.
>The two of you step out from behind the counter and head over towards the crowd.
>You weave through bodies and make your way to the elevated stage below the big screen.
"Fillies and gentlecolts, may we have your attention please!"
>Oh Sunset.
>That girl can run with a joke.
"The smoke has cleared and on the battlefield stand sixteen competitors. Eight teams of two are all that remain."
"That's right, Sunset. These next four matches will determine the winners of each suit, the final four teams to be competing today. Victory is so close for these fighters, I'm sure some of them can almost taste it. Therefore we're going to slow things down, and let the crowd bear witness to each and every match left in the tournament."
>You make a sweeping motion towards the paired cabinets standing on the stage behind you.
>You then snap a deck of cards out of your sleeve and begin to shuffle.
"And the first suit to be decided shall be..."

>Lemon Zest lowers the volume of the music, fading it to nothing.
>She brings in a drumroll effect to add to the anticipation.
>You draw a card and look at it.
>You hold it up over your head, showing it to the crowd.
"Diamonds!"
>Lemon Zest switches tracks: https://youtu.be/svTuSRiFPoc
>The crowd parts as from the back of the room two figures start approaching the stage.
>One solemnly walking forward, wearing a wide brimmed hat that shadows his face.
>The other cheerful, excitedly jumping around and waving to the crowd, giddy with anticipation.
"Making their way to the stage, the first finalists in the diamond division... The Party Animals!"
>The crowd cheers and claps as Pinkie hops onto the stage, spinning and dancing from one foot to the other.
"Whooh! Thanks everybody, we're gonna kick serious butt!"
>Her friend somberly steps up and walks over to his place in front of their cabinet without saying a word or looking out over the crowd.
>Pinkie skips over to join him, clinging herself to his arm and kissing his cheek before taking her controls.
>Lemon lets the music fade.
"And their opponents..."
>Lemon swaps tracks: https://youtu.be/v6F9xEbXF1s
>The crowd again turns and parts as Rarity struts forward, hand on her hip.
>Behind her follows Coco, a look of focused determination on her face.
"The second pair of finalists in the Diamond division... Beauty and The Beast!"
>Rarity steps elegantly onto the stage, turning to give a short bow to the audience.
>Coco follows her up, throwing her fists in the air as the crowd applauds and cheers.
>The pair walk to their arcade cabinet and take their controls.
"Best of luck to you and your new beau, Miss Pie."
>Rarity smirks across the stage.
"You'll be needing it."
>Pinkie sticks her tongue out at Rarity.
>Her partner removes his hat, setting it on top of the arcade machine.
>His hair immediately poofs up into a frizzy mass.
>He narrows his eyes at Rarity.
"Hope you two are ready to dance."
>Coco growls in reply.

>The teams pick their characters.
>Koji and Thatch in pink against Gnash and Sir Roland in grey.
>The round begins and immediately Coco lunges forward, attacking both members of the other team by herself.
>Rarity hovers around the fight, poking in whenever Coco actually starts getting attacked but seemingly content to let her partner do the heavy lifting.
>The Party Animals move erratically, attacking from unorthodox directions.
>Coco weaves in and out of the thick of things, landing jabs, dodging backwards before lunging forward with big hammer strikes and spear thrusts.
>Rarity opportunistically strikes whenever an opponent is sent hurling near her, running whenever either of her opponents try to approach on their terms.
>She does get caught out by Pinkie Pie's Thatch once, who sends her crashing through the bottom of the screen.
>Coco's aggression costs her two stocks over the course of the round, but the chaotic friendly fire and big hits she lands are enough to send the Party Animals packing.
>The next round goes much the same way, although worse for the Partiers.
>Coco displays dominance for much of the match, keeping her opponents lumped tightly together with Rarity's assistance and landing ferocious power attacks against both of them at once.
>The Animals can never really mount an offense, only taking one stock from each of their opponents.
>With a sudden lance charge into the fray by Rarity and a flying strike from Coco, the party comes to a decisive end.
>Lemon Zest throws their music back up.
"Your winners, and champions of the Diamond division, Beauty and The Beast!"
>Rarity steps out from behind the cabinet and makes a sweeping bow before raising Coco's hand in victory.
>The crowd goes wild.
>Pinkie and her hair both look deflated.
>Her partner replaces his hat on his head, then links his arm around hers and smiles.
>Pinkie instantly puffs back up to her perky, somewhat insane self.
>The two walk down from the stage after their opponents.

>That went well.
>At least nobody stormed out of the arcade this time.
>Maybe the unpleasantness is finally over for the day.
>You step up onto the stage and speak out over the crowd.
"And now, the next suit to be decided..."
>You draw a card and glance down at it before holding it up to the crowd.
"Spades!"
>You glance at the tournament schedule to see who's the finalists in the Spade division even are.
>Oh no.
>Lemon Zest throws on a song as the room suddenly fills with thick blue smoke: https://youtu.be/aOEKu8L5UqQ?t=6s
>You cough and peer over the crowd.
>The smoke clears and a frenzy of brilliant flashes begins moving through the haze.
"The first pair of finalists in the Spade division, please welcome to the stage... The Magic!"
>The Great and Powerful Trixie makes her way to the stage, Photo Finish flitting around her, camera flashing like crazy.
>Trixie steps onto the stage and spins, striking pose after pose while Photo Finish proceeds to capture her from nearly every conceivable angle.
>The crowd politely applauds as the two first reach the stage, but the smoke proved to be a real buzzkill.
>The photography turns a lukewarm reception into an icy cold one.
>You decide to not wait for the two of them to finish before continuing with proceedings.
"And their opponents..."
>The silence of the crowd is broken as Lemon Zest starts another track: https://youtu.be/WNCiobkmUKI
>The crowd parts as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon make their way towards the stage calmly, a pair of confident smirks plastered across their faces.
"Finalists in the spades division... The Top Percentile!"
>Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon step up onto the stage.
>They move to either side of you before each one suddenly grabs one of your arms, tiptoes up and places a kiss on your cheek.
>They then shove you forward a bit, not enough to trip you but enough to make it look awkward if you don't just keep walking down the stage steps.
>You do so, confused and embarrased.

>You fume as you wade through the crowd and head back to join Sunset at the front counter.
>You couldn't stand those two.
>Silver Spoon was always such a willing follower to Diamond Tiara.
>And Diamond Tiara was so manipulative, so willing to hurt others to get what she wanted.
>Just like you.
>You try to shake the thought from your head.
>Those were missteps.
>Mistakes.
>You didn't mean to embarrass Rainbow Dash like you did.
>You just didn't think about how she'd react.
>You didn't care.
>You shake your head and look at the spectacle screen.
>Just focus on the match.
>The Magic had Queen Nai and Scarlet in purple.
>The Top Percentile had Lord Vraxx and Lucien in green.
>Silver Spoon immediately engages Trixie's Queen Nai while Diamond Tiara and Photo Finish scuffle near a ledge.
>Diamond Tiara lands a rocket lance charge followed by a downward slam onto Photo's Scarlet, sending her downward.
>She should be able to easily recover, but she gets herself stuck beneath the stage and falls.
>Trixie sends Silver Spoon flying with a power attack, but Diamond Tiara slips in behind her to land her second takedown of the match.
>When Photo Finish respawns she takes a slow, obviously telegraphed swing towards Diamond Tiara before suffering a brutal counterattack.
>Silver Spoon once again keeps Trixie isolated, and the fight between the two is fairly evenly matched.
>Diamond Tiara throws Photo Finish off the stage and once again, Photo should be easily able to recover but she fires herself below the lip of the stage and wastes her recovery jumps, falling off the screen.
>Silver Spoon sends Trixie flying towards Diamond Tiara, who reacts perfectly and sends Trixie flying off the top of the screen.
>The rest of the match plays out rather evenly, but the stock difference is too much to overcome for The Magic.
>Trixie looks furious.
>Diamond Tiara is grinning ear to ear.

>The second round is much closer.
>Fighters weave between eachother the whole match, the two teams going blow for blow.
>The stocks stay nearly even throughout the entire match.
>The round ends when Trixie dashes into the midst of everyone else, landing a down special to send everyone else flying out of the screen.
>The crowd erupts in cheers as The Magic tie up the series.
>Trixie is laughing maniacally.
>Diamond Tiara... is still smiling.
>That's odd.
>Diamond Tiara hates losing.
>One of the most annoying parts of your job at No Quarter Given was diplomatically dealing with her tantrums.
>Maybe she was keeping up appearances because she was on stage.
>Maybe she'd actually learned to deal with losing.
>Somehow you doubted either of those things were the case, however.
>The third round begins.
>Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara charge towards Trixie.
>Photo Finish takes her time coming over to help, charging up a lance charge attack.
>Diamond Tiara leaps out of the way, the attack slamming into Trixie and Silver Spoon and eliminating the heavily damaged Trixie.
>Diamond Tiara counterattacks Photo Finish and she just falls off the bottom of the stage, not even trying to recover.
>When Trixie respawns she is immediately beset by attackers, Photo Finish again dawdling to help her out.
>By the time Photo actually attacks, Trixie is sent catapulting through the top of the screen.
>Photo Finish is then disposed of quickly, again hardly making an attempt to recover to the stage.
>Trixie and Photo Finish start to mount a comeback, taking two stocks from Silver Spoon and one from Diamond Tiara before being defeated.
>You hand Sunset Shimmer the deck of cards you'd been idly shuffling.
"Here. You announce the winner and the next match. I have to take care of something."
>Sunset blinks and nods.
>You step out from behind the counter and move through the crowd, watching the teams descend from the stage.

>Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon confidently step down the stairs.
>Trixie looks absolutely crushed following behind them.
>Photo Finish looks somber as she follows behind Trixie.
>Trixie dejectedly finds a place to stand in the crowd, a few people coming up to congratulate her on doing as well as she did.
>Photo Finish just heads straight for the door of the arcade without a word to anyone.
>You slouch down a bit and turn to face the stage as Sunset gathers the crowd's attention.
"Alright, folks! It looks like the next round will be... Spades! Wait. Uh, sorry about that... It'll be... Diamonds! Oh... Uh..."
>Diamond Tiara looks around before slipping to the back of the crowd and out the door of the arcade.
"Spades, spades, diamond... alright, got a new one. The next suit to be decided will be... Hearts!"
>Lemon Zest cuts the prolonged drumroll and throws on Big Mac and Braeburn's theme: https://youtu.be/kptSdUOom5w
>You slip out the door behind Diamond Tiara before you can hear Sunset's introductions.
>You catch a glimpse of Diamond Tiara slipping around the corner of the arcade.
>You slide up against the wall and peek around the corner.
>Diamond Tiara and Photo Finish are standing in the alleyway.
"You could have made it a little less obvious, y'know."
>Photo Finish looks flustered.
"I am sorry. I did my best."
>Diamond Tiara closes her eyes and shakes her head.
"Well if that was your best I'm sincerely disappointed. I'm not sure I should even give this to you after that sorry display."
"What?! You can't do zat! I held my part of ze bargain!"
"Relax, relax. I'm feeling generous."
>Diamond Tiara reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out a wad of cash.
>She counts out sixty dollars and holds it out to Photo Finish.
>Photo takes the money, counts it herself and then beams.
>Diamond Tiara smirks.
"Pleasure doing business with you."
>She turns to head back into the arcade.
>You quickly duck your head out of sight and dash back into the door of the arcade.

>You need time to think.
>Diamond Tiara clearly cheated.
>You should publicly disqualify her.
>But her dad is Boss Fight's business partner.
>You know she'd have her father's ear if she wanted to get back at you.
>Or worse, get back at the arcade itself.
>You hear the door open behind you.
>No time for a plan.
>You'll have to think on your feet.
>You turn around and face Diamond Tiara with a smile.
"Welcome back."
>She blinks.
"Uh... thanks. I just needed to get some air. Cool down after my hard earned victory."
>She smirks, enjoying what she thinks is a personal joke.
>You nod.
"Understandable. I must say, I'm impressed the two of you have made it this far."
"Well, prepare to be even more impressed when we win the whole thing."
>Diamond moves to walk past you.
>You put an arm out against an arcade machine, blocking her path.
>You lower your voice.
"That would be impressive, considering I should disqualify you right now."
>Her face goes pale.
"Wha-what? Why? For what?"
"Bribing Photo Finish to throw her series. Do you think I'm so stupid as to not realize what was happening in that match?"
>You hear the crowd cheer and turn to look over your shoulder.
>A Black Teros and Asuri have taken the lead in the first round over a Red Teros and Cassidy.
>You turn back to Diamond Tiara.
>She looks absolutely mortified.
"Please don't disqualify us."
>Her voice is almost a whisper.
"It was just that one match. We weren't going to win against anybody else, I just... I just wanted us to win in one match."
>Diamond Tiara shrinks against the arcade cabinet and looks like she's about to cry.

>You blink in confusion.
>Diamond Tiara's team was in the top eight already.
>What was she talking about?
>You glance over at the tournament schedule.
>The Top Percentile had already beaten...
>Nobody.
>There was actually no one on their entire half of the Spades bracket.
>The King, Ace, 2, 3 and 4 of spades had all gone undrawn in placements.
>You couldn't have given them a stronger seeding if you'd tried.
>Their Spade finals match against The Magic had been their first match of the tournament.
"After seeing the brackets we were excited, until we started watching other people fighting on the big screen."
>Diamond Tiara glances over at the crowd and the ongoing match.
"Everyone advancing seemed so good at the game, especially as rounds progressed. Then I thought about what would happen when me and Spoon actually got to play."
>Diamond wraps her arms around herself, her eyes watering.
"We'd get flattened, and people would say the only reason we got so far was because we didn't face anybody at all. That we wouldn't have made it past the first round if we'd had any competition. That we probably paid off the organizers just to get so many byes in the first place."
>Diamond's teardrops start to slide down her cheeks as the crowd cheers.
>The Fallen just took round one.
"We had to win one match, just to show that where we were placed didn't matter. It doesn't matter who we go against at this point, everyone is way stronger than we are. But at least now we can say that we won the Spade division. And only three people know we cheated. Me, Photo Finish..."
>Diamond places a hand on your chest, looking up at you with pleading eyes.
"And you, Anonymous."
>You let out a sigh.
"I guess if I disqualified you I couldn't really reinstate Trixie and Photo Finish to your spot, either. It wouldn't really do much but make the rest of the tournament look bad..."
>You can feel your stomach turning.
>Diamond Tiara's eyes light up.
>She knows she's convinced you.

"Alright. You're off the hook, but only this one time. If you're caught cheating again it's a lifetime ban, the same as anybody else."
>Diamond Tiara beams.
"I promise it won't ever happen again. Thank you Anonymous!"
>She suddenly lunges forward and wraps her arms around you in a tight hug.
>You're caught off-guard and lose your balance a bit, leaning against the arcade cabinet with both hands to keep from falling over.
>Diamond's butt bumps off the control board and her hips push against yours
>Her hands shift to your chest as she lets out a quiet squeak of surprise.
>You straighten yourself up and open your mouth to apologize.
>Diamond Tiara suddenly leans forward and places her lips against yours.
>You go wide-eyed with surprise as she kisses you.
>She pulls back after a moment, blushing furiously.
"S-sorry. I just wanted to thank yo-"
>Her words are cut off as you capture her lips with your own.
>Her hands grasp your chest tightly, her grip loosening as she relaxes into the kiss.
>You press your tongue into her mouth, her lips parting for you.
>Her hands migrate to your back, gripping your shoulders firmly.
>Your hands shift to her hips, one daring to slip around behind her and cup her ass, eliciting a moan from the young girl.
>Your mind is racing with evil ideas.
>Sliding your hands down her tight pants and fingering her right now in front of the entire crowd.
>Bringing her here after hours and bending her over every single cabinet in the arcade.
>Blackmailing her into becoming your personal sex slave with the knowledge she cheated in the tournament.
>Taking revenge for every annoying afternoon in the arcade or snide remark in the hallway out on her tight little pussy.
>You finally break the kiss with Diamond.
>You're not sure if she hopped up onto the cabinet control board or you lifted her up but she sits there, panting softly with her legs wrapped around your waist.
>Suddenly the crowd goes ballistic.
>The Cousins of Destruction took round 2.

>The two of you just look at eachother for a moment.
>Diamond Tiara blushes as you grip her waist, lowering her from the arcade cabinet onto the floor.
>She leans into you a bit as she regains her balance.
>It felt good having something over her.
>To hear her beg you not to throw her out of the arcade.
>To be in control.
>Months of unsuccessfully trying to get Rarity's attention.
>Weeks of not hearing a single thing from Sweetie Belle.
>You were tired of trying to figure out what they wanted.
>What you wanted.
>Diamond Tiara circles a finger across your chest, blushing up at you.
"You look good in red."
>You were expecting a wave of guilt to crash over you any moment now.
>None came.
>You smirk.
"I look good in everything. Now go enjoy the show. I have to ringlead the rest of this circus."
>She grins up at you, turning to rejoin the crush of people watching the big screen.
>You watch her go, enjoying the swing of her hips as she walks.
>You slink over to rejoin Sunset behind the front counter.
>She raises an eyebrow at you.
"What?"
"You feeling alright, Anonymous?"
"Never better. Why do you ask?"
"You're ignoring the closest series of the entire day."
>She waves her hand towards the Spectacle Screen.
>The Fallen and The Cousins of Destruction were in game 3
>Everyone had one stock left.
>You shrug and duck beneath the counter, reaching for the store keyring you keep in your pocket.
"I had more important things to do."
>Sunset tilts her head watching you.
"More important than watching the best match of the entire tournament so far?"
"Yes."
>Sunset stares at you as you open a locked compartment beneath the counter and reach inside.
>You retrieve two mini bottles of vodka from below the counter.
>You hold one up to Sunset.
"Thirsty?"
>Her eyes widen and she shakes her head.
"Uh. I'll pass."
"More for me."
>You lock the compartment and pocket one bottle, unscrewing the other's top.
>You stand up and take a drink as The Fallen manage to eke out a win.

>It was a pretty great finish.
>Shadow Slash was dashing around furiously, throwing rapid fire attacks in every direction.
>Braeburn landed a solid hammerblow in midair and sent her flying offscreen.
>Bloody was caught between the Cousins of Destruction but managed to land a hammer grab onto Braeburn as Big Mac charged him.
>He leapt out of the way at the last moment, ending up behind Big Mac's charge.
>Big Mac eliminated his cousin before suffering a fatal blow from Bloody Mess.
>The crowd explodes with cheers.
>The Fallen descend from the stage almost immediately after the match.
>The Apple cousins move more slowly.
>You tip your head back and finish your drink before pocketing the bottle and heading towards the stage.
>Passing by the losing team you can hear the makings of a family squabble.
>You even think you overhear Big Mac use a pejorative term for homosexual.
>Bad form, Biggie Mac
>It's the current year, after all.
>You hop onto the stage and spin on your heel to face the crowd.
"What an astounding finish to a spectacular series. These next fighters will have their work cut out for them trying to follow that."
>Lemon Zest throws on the first team's theme: https://youtu.be/IStlBOX9F4o [Embed]
"With only one suit left undecided, I present the first finalists of the Clubs division... The Apple Sisters!"
>Applejack and Apple Bloom walk towards the stage looking uneasy.
>Apple Bloom heads for the arcade cabinet but Applejack moves towards you, pulling you aside on the stage.
"Sugarcube, could we get maybe a five minute time out? I'm a little worried about Big Mac and Braeburn. They seem kind of hot after their loss."
>You glance to the back of the crowd.
>Big Mac and Braeburn were engaged in a rather spirited debate.
>You turn back to Applejack.
>She looked good in white.
"Sorry AJ, leaving the stage at this point will result in a disqualification."
>The conflict was apparent on Applejack's face.
>You couldn't help but smile.
>It was good to be in control.

>Applejack glances over the crowd one last time before moving to take her controls.
>You smirk and look back over the crowd as Lemon Zest switches tracks: https://youtu.be/w_x7DFmgX8M
"And their opponents, fighting for dominion over the Clubs division... The Electric Fight Orchestra!"
>The crowd parts at the fanfare, Octavia and Vinyl Scratch stepping forward in rhythm, approaching the stage in sync.
>Octavia looks focused and determined while Vinyl is bobbing her head to the beat and glancing around at the crowd.
>They step onto the stage and take their position behind their cabinet.
>The teams pick their characters.
>Diana and Ada in brown against two Cassidys in white.
>Round one begins.
>The Apples mount an early offense, expertly chaining attacks together.
>Of all the teams you'd seen today none were as in sync as them.
>They easily take a stock from each of their opponents and pull Octavia in for another fall before Vinyl manages to punish them for it, sending Applejack flying offscreen.
>Suddenly a crash draws attention towards the back of the crowd.
>You look to see Big Mac pushing himself off of an arcade cabinet.
>He takes a swing at Braeburn.
>Braeburn ducks and charges him backwards into the cabinet again.
>Big Mac drops a fist over Braeburn's back and knees him in the stomach.
>Braeburn catches him in the jaw with a hook.
>The crowd is watching, some cheering them on, some trying to get them to stop.
>Sunset looks at you completely uncertain of what to do.
>You stare down at the fight from where you're standing on stage.
>You smile.

>You turn on your mouthpiece so your voice echoes through the sound system.
"Gentlemen, please, here at No Quarter Given we like to keep the fighting virtual."
>Anyone who hadn't turned to see the scuffle was now.
>Most importantly the competitors.
>Braeburn looks up at your voice and Big Mac catches him with a solid punch across the face, sending him crashing back into a cabinet.
>Applejack and Apple Bloom immediately rush down from the stage.
>Braeburn pushes himself upright and shakes his head, staggering a bit.
>He suddenly charges Big Mac, fists swinging.
>You begin walking down from the stage and through the crowd.
>Big Mac blocks the first punch but the second and third connect clean.
>Applejack forces her way through the crowd and grabs Braeburn's wrist, then slips her arms below his and pulls him away from Big Mac.
>Apple Bloom forces herself between the two.
>Big Mac's nose is bleeding like a faucet.
>You make your way to the front of the crowd.
"Gentlemen, what I said about fighting wasn't a suggestion. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
>You glance at Applejack.
"Will you two be able to see them home?"
>She nods and releases Braeburn's limbs.
>He shoots Big Mac a dirty look before storming out the door.
"But Sis, we still gotta play our match."
"Hush Apple Bloom."
>Apple Bloom frowns.
"But we were gonna win..."
>She takes Big Mac's hand and heads for the door.
>You turn off your mouthpiece and step closer to Applejack, speaking softly.
"Sorry this happened, AJ. Thanks for stepping in like that, I don't know what me and Sunset could have done to break them up."
"No problem sugarcube. You can't grow up around those two without learning how to lick 'em in a tussle."
>You nod.
"I'm going to have to tell Boss about this and that probably means they'll be banned from the arcade for a few months. I'll let you know when I find out, and you can tell them when things have cooled off between them."
>Applejack frowns and nods before turning to go.

>You watch Applejack go and turn around, quickly jogging up onto the stage.
>You turn your mouthpiece back on and address the crowd.
"Sorry about that unpleasantness, folks. I'm sure we can all relate to the heated rush of competition. Unfortunately, with the Apple Sisters unable to continue playing, that means that the Electric Fight Orchestra is the winner of the Clubs Division!"
>Some members of the crowd clap, but the announcement is mostly met with silence and a few people loudly booing.
>Octavia turns her nose up at the crowd reaction and walks down from the stage.
>Vinyl lifts her headphones onto her ears and grins, strutting behind her.
"Now, we're down to only four teams. We know which pair proved to be the strongest in each suit but now it's time to pair them off. Red Division, Black Division. Hearts against Diamonds, Clubs against Spades."
>Lemon Zest works quickly on her laptop, the image on the Spectacle Screen shifting from the idle video game feed to a roulette wheel.
"There will be only one team from each moving on to the finals. The first division to be decided will be..."
>The crowd watches in anticipation as the roulette wheel spins, Lemon Zest's now familiar drumroll accompanied with the clicking and clacking of a tiny white ball.
>The ball spins around the wheel before settling onto a square.
"...Red!"
>Lemon Zest immediately throws on a familiar track: https://youtu.be/v6F9xEbXF1s
>The crowd parts as Rarity and Coco head towards the stage.
"Making their way to the stage first, Champions of the Diamond Division... Beauty and The Beast!"
>Rarity ascends the stage and turns, making a sweeping bow before strutting off to join Coco at the controls.
"And their opponents..."
>Lemon switches tracks: https://youtu.be/YQZdyGXzoVM
"Champions of the Hearts Division... The Fallen!"
>The lights overhead suddenly flicker and dim.
>The Fallen suddenly appear near the front of the crowd as the lights come back up.

>The Fallen slowly ascend the steps onto the stage and take their controls.
>The teams choose their characters.
>Asuri and Teros in black.
>Gnash and Sir Roland in grey.
>The match begins.
>Bloody Mess goes straight for K.O. Pummel.
>Shadow Slash moves to isolate Rarity.
>K.O. holds her own, dodging and counterattacking Bloody Mess while Rarity dodges and eludes most of Shadow's offense.
>Shadow does catch up with Rarity, but K.O. breaks away from Bloody to send her flying with a sudden hammer strike.
>Rarity prevents Bloody's follow up on K.O. who then turns to send him flying off.
>The Fallen are down one stock apiece.
>They return and attempt to put their focus onto Coco, but Rarity flits around the periphery of the fight, throwing items and weaving in to disrupt and distract the pair.
>K.O. lands a few solid power attacks on both of The Fallen before finally getting sent offscreen.
>Rarity dodges as best she can but is also quickly disposed of.
>K.O. respawns and immediately takes out Shadow Slash's Asuri.
>Beauty and The Beast isolate Bloody Mess and start racking up damage on him before Asuri respawns, grabs a weapon and peels Rarity out of the fight.
>She stays focused on Rarity, comboing her off the stage and furiously spiking her downwards, but Rarity refuses to go down easily.
>Bloody Mess is sent flying offstage for the second time by K.O. Pummel
>The crowd goes wild.
>Shadow Slash finally catches Rarity with a solid ground pound attack, sending her flying downwards.
>As she returns to the platform she's struck with a flying hammer slam by K.O.'s Gnash and careens offstage after Rarity.
>Shadow Slash has been eliminated.
>Bloody Mess respawns and Rarity follows.
>There's not much Bloody Mess can do in the 2v1 situation.
>He falls quickly.
>The crowd goes ballistic.
>Rarity and Coco take round 1.

>You raise an eyebrow, watching round 2 begin from behind the front counter with Sunset.
>The teams start off apprehensive, neither willing to engage the other right away.
>You reach for the bottle in your pocket and unscrew the top, taking a drink.
>You notice Sunset cast you a dirty look.
>You let it slide.
>The Fallen make their move.
>Shadow Slash dashes past K.O. Pummel and grabs Rarity, isolating her.
>Bloody Mess hooks K.O. with his hammer, tossing her aside and dashing away from her, also focusing his attack towards Rarity.
>K.O. tries to move in to peel The Fallen off of her teammate but her efforts are rebuffed as The Fallen take turns running interference with thrown weapons and light attacks.
>The two make startlingly quick work of Rarity, sending her crashing through the bottom of the screen almost as soon as she's collapsed on.
>As soon as she falls, The Fallen disperse, avoiding confrontation with K.O. Pummel like the plague.
>When Rarity respawns, the crows descend once more, shredding her health bar down to red with combo'd attacks while dancing around her partner's efforts to assist her.
>Shadow leaps up to grab Rarity and hurl her offstage but is interrupted by Pummel's flying hammer strike, eliminating the both of them together.
>Rarity is down to her last stock, The Fallen have only suffered one fall so far.
>Bloody Mess turns on K.O. and the two trade blows, Hammer v. Axe with Pummel's Hammer eking out a kill just as Shadow respawns to avenge her fallen teammate.
>Shadow then turns on Rarity and, with the help of a respawned Bloody, massacres Rarity, sending her offstage before K.O. can even pick up a weapon.
>The Fallen finally turn their attention towards the ferocious K.O. Pummel, dodging strikes and moving in to poke with light attacks before dancing away, seemingly determined to bleed the monster dry.
>Suddenly, Rarity respawns.

>Rarity picks up a lance and charges in to valiantly rescue her teammate from the unfair situation, sending Bloody Mess careening out of the screen.
>K.O. smashes Shadow Slash offscreen as well, tying the score up at 1 stock apiece after Rarity used her teammate's stock to respawn.
>You glance from the screen to the players.
>Coco does not look happy.
>The Fallen respawn and immediately descend upon Rarity, ravaging her with furious attacks while once again taking turns blocking K.O. from helping.
>Shadow Slash sends her careening downwards with a slam dunk toss while Bloody Mess delivers an aerial axe swing to finish off Pummel.
>The Fallen take Round 2, tying the series up.
>You hear Coco's voice over the din of the crowd and glance back toward the stage.
>It appears she and Rarity are having an altercation.
>You can't make out what they're saying but Coco definitely sounds cross.
>Round 3 begins.
>The stage is Twilight Grove.
>Rarity immediately hops up onto the island on the right side of the screen.
>She then lets go of her controls and leaves the stage.
>The crowd boos her as she struts past.
>You watch her as she walks out of the arcade, leaving Coco to fend for herself.
>The Fallen descend on K.O. Pummel, chaining attacks back and forth before sending her flying offscreen.
>Shadow Slash hops up next to the idle Rarity and retrieves a weapon, but doesn't attack her, despite her being an easy kill.
>The Fallen repeat their actions four more times, devouring K.O. Pummel whole before sending her flying to her doom, the entire time never touching their idle opponent.
>Shadow Slash finally hops back up to the island and grabs the idle Sir Roland, hurling him downwards off the stage.
>The Fallen win Round 3 and the series.

>Coco kicks the arcade cabinet and storms off the stage and out of the arcade.
>The Fallen descend as you move back up to the stage and address the crowd.
"And with that The Fallen have proven themselves the champions of the entire Red Division and moved on to the final round! Now it's time to see which team will be joining them."
>Lemon Zest hits the first team's music: https://youtu.be/w_x7DFmgX8M [Embed]
"Approaching the stage, Champions of the Clubs Division... The Electric Fight Orchestra!"
>Octavia and Vinyl make their way through the parting crowd, Vinyl as outgoing and bouncy as Octavia is stonefaced and focused.
>The two make their way to their cabinet and take their controls as Lemon Zest switches tracks: https://youtu.be/WNCiobkmUKI [Embed]
>Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walk forward through the crowd, ascending the steps of the stage.
"And their opponents, Champions of the Spades Division... The Top Percentile!"
>The two girls move to either side of you and grip your arms, each one planting a warm kiss on your cheek.
>You feel Diamond squeeze your arm as the two girls bump their hips into yours, scooting you down the stairs of the stage.
>You briefly entertain the thought of grabbing her hair and throwing her off the stage, but you suppress it, as always.
>Besides, you now had superior avenues for revenge.
>You wonder the lengths you could get her to go to to keep her little secret.
>You retrieve the bottle from your pocket and finish it while your head swims with vile fantasies.
>Making her perform a striptease in your room.
>Slipping your hand down her pants while "tutoring" her in the back of the arcade.
>Her looking up at you while her mouth is full of your cock.
>Suddenly her blue eyes turn green as your fantasy girl transforms into an eager Sweetie Belle.
>You shake your head and stumble, hitting your side on the front counter as you move behind it.
>Round 1 begins.

>You curse under your breath and rub your side as you kneel down and begin unlocking the liquor compartment again.
>You reach in and take out another mini of vodka and fire it back.
>It burns going down and you cough, spilling a bit down the front of your chin and onto your suit.
>But it works.
>You stop thinking about Sweetie Belle.
>For a few moments, at least.
>You stand up and turn to look at the stage.
>You find yourself off balance and lean heavily onto the countertop.
>The crowd cheers.
>Sunset glares at you.
"Anonymous, what is going on?"
>You glance up at the screen.
"The Electric Fight Orchestra just took round one."
>Sunset narrows her eyes at you.
"That's not what I meant and you know it. What is with you? For days you've been talking nonstop about how amazing it'll be to run this tournament and now that it's happening you've been ignoring matches, wandering out of the arcade and getting wasted on mysterious coin box booze. It's like you don't even want to be here. Are you trying to get yourself fired?"
>You snort derisively.
"Boss can't fire me."
>Sunset raises an eyebrow and crosses her arms.
"He most certainly can. And he probably will when I tell him what happened with you today."
>You stand up from the countertop and step towards Sunset, looking down at her through half lidded eyes.
"Oh no, Sunset, please don't tell Boss Fight what I did. I'll do anything if you keep this a secret..."
>You drag a hand down the front of Sunset's black suit and lower your voice to a whisper.
"...Anything."
>Sunset reels back and punches you square in the face, sending you crashing backwards into the wall and slumping to the ground.
>The crowd erupts with another cheer.
>The Top Percentile just won round 2.

>Sunset glares down at you through gritted teeth as she rubs her knuckles.
>Your head is pounding.
>Your ears are ringing.
>Your nose is bleeding.
>You look up at Sunset.
>You want to apologize.
>You want to explain what's wrong with you.
>You want more than anything to be able to tell her that you were just so sick of the constant, gnawing agony of not seeing Sweetie Belle
>Not knowing why she was avoiding you
>Not speaking to her
>You'd do anything to get rid of it.
>Stealing Boss' booze.
>Making out with Diamond Tiara.
>Generally being a prick.
>They'd all worked.
>At least a little.
>But your mind would always snap right back to her.
>You want to explain that this whole tournament was just a failed plot to get Rarity to bring Sweetie Belle to the arcade again.
>You want to tell her that every minute you were hosting this event felt like torture, your stomach twisting in knots as you were running a tournament that had the makings of an unmitigated success, save that it was born of an intimate personal failure.
>But no words emerge to translate your thoughts into explanation.
>Just tears.
>The combination of physical and emotional pain culminates with you breaking down, sobbing with your head resting against the closed door of Boss' secret liquor cabinet.
>Sunset's eyes soften as your shoulders shake, warm blood and saltwater streaming down your face.
>She looks around awkwardly.
>Nobody's noticed the two of you.
>They're engrossed with the final match taking place on the big screen.
>Sunset grabs a box of tissues from the back of the countertop and kneels down to pass them to you.
"Here. Clean yourself up, you big dumb idiot."
>Across the arcade the crowd goes crazy.
>You glance up at the screen.
>The Top Percentile won round 3

>You tug out some tissues and put them over your nose and mouth to catch the bleeding.
>Sunset bites her lip, awkwardly glancing over her shoulder at the commotion.
"I should probably go announce the finals match."
>She stands up and turns to go before glancing down at you, concerned.
"You'll be okay for a few minutes, right? I didn't hit you that hard did I?"
>You nod and wave her off, doing your best to look incredulous while your face pours various fluids into the wad of tissues in your hand.
>Sunset nods and jogs up to the stage.
>The show must go on.
>Otherwise everyone will find out Sunset hit you and you'll both probably get fired.
>No sense dragging her down with you.
>You pull out some more tissues and straighten yourself up, resting with your back against the wall.
>Sunset's voice echoes throughout the arcade.
"Alright folks, it's the moment you've all been waiting for. The Champions of the Black Division, The Queens of Spades, already joining me on stage, give it up for The Top Percentile!"
>Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon step out from their controls and take a bow as Lemon Zest plays their music again, the crowd cheering them.
"And their opponents... Champions of the Red Division, climbing the ranks all the way from the humble Two of Hearts... The Fallen!"
>Lemon switches tracks: https://youtu.be/YQZdyGXzoVM [Embed]
>The lights overhead flicker, one of the bulbs actually shattering in a shower of sparks.
>The crowd scatters apart with startled cries.
>Sunset checks that nobody got hurt and grabs a broom to clear away the broken glass.
>At some point in the confusion The Fallen made it onto the stage.
>The lights return to normal, minus one overhead bulb.
>The teams take their controls.
"This is the Grand Final of the Double or Nothing tournament. It will be a best of five contest, with the winning team crowned the No Quarter Given champions. Best of luck to both teams."
>Round 1 Begins.

>Sunset quickly weaves through the crowd and jogs over to you.
>She kneels down and gently pries your hand from your face
>Your nosebleed's stopped.
>You're finished crying.
>You're just holding a disastrous looking wad of tissue to your face while watching the big screen.
>The Fallen are destroying the Top Percentile.
>It's not a close match.
>It's not even close to a close match.
>It's a slaughter.
>Sunset heads back to the staff room and returns with a cup of warm water and some paper towel.
>She sets them on the countertop and reaches down to help you up to your feet.
>You accept her help and lean on the counter, tearing a piece of paper towel and dipping it into the water to clean the dried blood from your face.
>After the paper towels stop coming away pink you sigh.
"I'm sorry, Sunset."
>Her eyes soften a bit.
"I'm a mess. I should have let you and Zest handle the tournament by yourselves. I should have cancelled the whole thing days ago. I should have never accepted a job working here."
>Sunset tilts her head and looks at you with an eyebrow raised.
"What are you talking about, Anonymous? I thought you loved working here."
"I love Sweetie Belle."
>Sunset blinks in confusion.
"Rarity's little sister?"
>You nod.
"I figured she'd show up here one day and see me working here. When she never came I thought Rarity was keeping her away somehow. But even Rarity showed up for this tournament, and Sweetie Belle..."
>You sigh and look away from Sunset, grabbing another tissue.
"Pretty much the only person who didn't show up today is the only one I wanted to see."
>You wipe your eyes before continuing.
"I always have to try and be so fucking clever. I just wanted to impress Sweetie Belle by working where we used to hang out all the time, but I didn't need to impress her. I needed to stand up to her sister. I needed to pick her up after her music lessons. I needed to tell her how I felt."
>The crowd goes wild.
>The Fallen just won Round 2.

>Sunset frowns and puts her hands on your shoulders, turning you to face her again.
"You don't just try to be clever, Anonymous. You are clever. You find patterns in people within a few minutes of fighting them, and you use that talent to help people improve. You helped turned this place from Boss Fight's failing passion project into a thriving business. You even took this tournament from just an idea all the way to execution within just a week, all while apparently suffering from some sort of emotional breakdown."
>Sunset gives you a warm smile.
"I know it probably doesn't mean much to you right now, but you help people, Anonymous. This place used to be miserable. Maybe not for you, but for anyone who wasn't able to keep up with the big names... Button Mash, Coco, Lyra, Braeburn... They weren't interested in helping people get better. They'd just squash people over and over again, people crowding around to watch the carnage. Rainbow Dash and Applejack would drag me here sometimes on weekends and we'd flail at eachother until someone strolled over and forced us off our machines just because they could."
>She gestures to the crowd of people gathered to watch the finals.
"Look at those people, Anonymous. You've made each and every one of them at least a little happier. This place changed from a cutthroat kill or be killed arcade to a community where people actively try to help eachother improve. People want to elevate eachother and see eachother succeed, not just beat eachother down. You helped make that happen, Anonymous. Whether you intended to or not."
>Your eyes drift from Sunset's eyes, to the crowd, to the spectacle screen and back to Sunset.
"You're right. It really doesn't mean much right now."
>You reach up and take Sunset's hands from your shoulders, holding on to them.
"But it will. I don't know when, but it will matter to me. A lot. So thank you for saying it."
>Sunset squeezes your hands.
>The crowd erupts.
>The Fallen take Round 3.

"So. Still want to go through with the finale as planned?"
>You smile a bit at Sunset's question.
"Absolutely not."
>You glance over at the crowd, cheering in celebration of the new champions.
"But I will. These people came to see a show. I owe it to them to make sure they get a good one."
>You squeeze Sunset's hands.
"And I owe it to my teammate to carry her through our match."
>Sunset smirks and punches you in the arm.
>You turn and weave through the crush of people gathered around the stage, Sunset following behind you.
>When you get onto the stage you realize Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara have already left.
>You glance throughout the crowd but you don't see either of them.
>The Fallen move out from behind their controls and stand in the center of the stage while you and Sunset stand on either side of them.
>Your flick on your mouthpiece and address the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the winners of Double or Nothing and your new No Quarter Given 2v2 champions, Shadow Slash and Bloody Mess, The Fallen!"
>Lemon Zest hits their music again and the crowd erupts in cheers and applause.
>You let the noise quiet down a bit before speaking again.
"Yes, they performed admirably, defeating all challengers standing in their way. They drew the Two of Hearts, and proceeded to trump every other card in the deck."
>The crowd gasps as the lights suddenly go out completely, the music coming to a halt.
>Even the spectacle screen goes black.
>Then, music starts seeping through the sound system: https://youtu.be/E-u3-TDm31E [Embed]
"Well. Almost."
>The Spectacle Screen flashes back on, displaying a graphic of the tournament results with the Two of Hearts at the top of the bracket.
>Above them hovers a face down playing card.
"After all, every deck of cards has a couple of Jokers."
>The card on the screen flips over to reveal itself to be a joker as spotlights above you and Sunset come to life.
>The crowd gasps.

>The spotlights reveal your and Sunset's transformations.
>You had thrown off your red suit jacket and tie in the darkness.
>Beneath it you wore a white shirt, but below the collar the entire thing was made to looked bloodstained.
>The collar actually was, thanks to Sunset.
>You'd also retrieved a stick of red lipstick from your pocket, covering your lips with an intentionally hideous clown grin, one side streaking haphazardly across your cheek.
>Sunset had discarded her suit jacket and tie and was wearing a plain black tank top.
>Her face was a mask of white, save the black she wore around her eyes and on her lips.
>You had no idea how she managed to throw that on in the dark, let alone so quickly.
>Probably unicorn magic.
>You both put on your widest manic grin as Sunset speaks over the crowd.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, our final match of the day will be between newly crowned champions The Fallen, and No Quarter Given's very own house team, The Wildcards."
"That's right, folks. And you all know the saying in Vegas... The house always wins."
>Fuck that was corny.
>The crowd cheers regardless.
>They're expecting one hell of a match.
>But you hear something else.
>It's difficult to identify at first, but you realize it's laughter.
>Laughter modified by a voice changer.
>You turn to see Shadow Slash bent over laughing.
"[Hahaha, oh wow. That's rich. You two, beating us. You really are fantastic clowns.]"
>Your expression sours on your face.
"At least we aren't hiding behind a couple stupid masks."
>Your voice echoes through the arcade and you realize you forgot to turn off your mouthpiece.
>Whatever.
>You're emotionally spent.
>You don't care about being polite to the only two people in the entire arcade who might have been bigger dicks today than you were.
"[Hiding? Is that what you think, Anonymous?]"
>Shadow Slash looks at Bloody Mess, then back to you.
"[We'll take our masks off right here and now. Announce it.]"

>You glance at Sunset for a moment before turning back to the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, The Fallen have something they've asked me to announce to you. It appears your new No Quarter Given champions have decided to unmask, and reveal their true identities!"
>The crowd cheers.
>Bloody Mess steps forward, pulling his hood down to reveal a shock of spiky, orange-brown hair.
>He pulls his bandanna down to his neck and takes his mirrored sunglasses off.
>It's Button Mash.
>Literally no one is surprised.
>It's not like his disguise was very convincing.
>Bloody Mess and Button Mash have the same initials.
>He didn't even try to change his voice.
>He raises his arms expecting a big crowd reaction.
>Silence, save a quiet cough.
>He sneers and puts his hands in his pockets, storming over to the arcade cabinet.
>Shadow Slash steps to the front of the stage.
>She pulls her hood down.
>It doesn't reveal anything, except that her mask is actually a full helmet.
>She reaches up to her head, unfastening some straps beneath her chin and in the back of her helmet.
>The helmet shifts, loosening on her head.
>The crowd leans forward, collectively holding their breath.
>You fold your arms and roll your eyes.
>You already knew who was under the mask.
>Someone who cared more about winning than other people's feelings.
>Someone who wanted to make people know what it was like to be humiliated.
>And probably the only person who'd actually team up with Button Mash, just because it would help her get back at you.
>The crowd gasps as Shadow Slash takes off her helmet, revealing that she is actually Rainbow Dash.

>You and Sunset take the controls.
>Orion and Sentinel in red vs Teros and Asuri in black.
"Anonymous?"
>It's a close series, but in the end you and Sunset manage to barely defeat The Fallen.
>Button has an ugly meltdown and storms out of the arcade.
"Anonymous?"
>Rainbow Dash is upset, but you and Sunset offer her a postgame handshake and she accepts.
>In the end, everybody learns that winning isn't as important as personal improvement and having a good ti-
"Anonymous? Are you okay?"
>Sunset's hand on your shoulder snaps you out of your imagined timeline and back into reality.
>A reality where you've been standing on stage, staring off into space for what you hope was only a minute or so.
>A reality where a pair of beautiful, familiar green eyes were staring into your soul with an unfamiliar fury.
>You mutter something to Sunset.
>Well.
>You try to.
>You're pretty sure you just make a soft grunting sound.
>You turn awkwardly and walk to the arcade cabinet.
>You go through the motions of playing the match.
>Honestly, you're complete rubbish.
>It's like you've never played the game before.
>Snips and Snails put up a better fight than you two manage to.
>As The Fallen beat you for the third time, you mutter something to Sunset.
>You meant to say "Finish things up, I have to go."
>You're pretty sure you just made an awkward choked noise before moving down from the stage and heading into the back.
>You wash your face off in the staff room sink.
>You're not crying.
>Not here.
>You change out of your ruined dress shirt and into a regular black t-shirt.
>You throw your suit pieces into your backpack and slip out through the back door.
>You head home, trying not to think about anything.
>Just trying to keep yourself together.
>You step inside, throwing your backpack on the floor and heading for your room.
>You toss your clothes off and crawl into bed.
>You bury your face into your pillow and start sobbing.
>You don't stop until you pass out from exhaustion.

>You spend the next day and a half in bed, only leaving when the call of nature makes it necessary.
>During one of these trips you keel over and vomit into the tub.
>You stand up and turn the tap on to wash the watery bile down the drain.
>Right.
>Food is important.
>You go into the kitchen and make yourself some ramen.
>The phone rings.
>You don't answer it.
>You get through half the pack of instant noodles before putting the bowl in the fridge and crawling back into bed.

>The next day is much the same.
>You crawl out of bed around 1:30 and reheat the ramen from yesterday.
>The phone rings a few times throughout the day but you don't answer it.
>You're hungry later on so you make yourself a single slice of bread folded over with some butter in the evening.
>You force yourself to drink a glass of water with it.
>You crawl into bed and cry yourself to sleep.

>The next week and a half is mostly the same.
>Some days you eat something.
>Some days you forget entirely.
>The phone rings periodically, but you never answer it.
>Sometimes you cry.
>Most of the time you just lie in bed feeling numb.
>Your bedsheets stink.
>You haven't showered in days.
>You brushed your teeth once when your mouth felt too gross to ignore any longer.
>It's almost to that point again.
>You're going to put it off longer though.
>Last time you thought about choking yourself with the toothbrush.
>Your face is an unkempt mess.
>You don't trust yourself to shave.
>Some rational part of your brain knows that you're only hurting yourself by behaving this way.
>But that part isn't in charge right now.
>That part is relegated to doing it's best to make sure you don't starve to death or kill yourself with a toothbrush.
>The rest of you misses Sweetie Belle.
>You feel a terrible constriction in your chest and bury your face into your pillow.
>She hates you.

>Days pass.
>You aren't even sure how long it's been since the tournament.
>Since you saw Sweetie Belle.
>You force yourself to brush your teeth today.
>Dark thoughts fill your head as the blood from your gums swirl down the drain.
>You don't shave.
>You turn the shower on and sit in the tub beneath the falling water.
>You sit there for maybe and hour and a half.
>It could have been longer, but the phone rings.
>You think about answering it, but you're in the shower.
>Oh well
>Next time.
>Next time you'll answer the phone.
>You decide you've been in the shower long enough.
>You turn off the water and step out of the shower, drying off.
>You hear a knock on the front door.
>You freeze.
>No, that doesn't make sense.
>You just imagined it.
>You continue drying yourself off.
>You hear it again.
>Someone is knocking on your door.
>Whatever.
>You don't want to see anybody.
>They'll leave.
>They knock again.
>You go into your room and put on some clean underwear.
>The knocking happens again, this time louder.
>You sigh and put on some pants.
>It's the first time you've bothered dressing in weeks.
>The knocking becomes insistent.
>You don't bother with a shirt and head towards the source of the noise.
>The knocking has become a steady banging on your front door as you approach and fling it open.
>Standing in front of your house, pounding on your front door like she's being hunted by wolves, is Rainbow Dash.

>Rainbow goes a bit wide-eyed as she sees you, her hand hanging mid-knock.
>You stare at her for a moment.
"What do you want?"
>Rainbow blinks and lowers her hand to her side.
"Hi Anon, I just, uh... You haven't been in school recently and I just wanted to see if you were doing okay."
>You narrow your eyes at her.
"Bullshit."
>You start to close the door.
>Rainbow leans forward and holds the door open.
"Wait! I... I wanted to apologize. F-For punching you, that day in the arcade."
>You look at her for a moment, expressionless, before closing the door in her face.
>You walk away from the door and towards your room.
>After a moment she knocks.
>You ignore her and keep walking.
>She knocks again.
>You walk into your room, look through your closet and find a shirt.
>The knocking persist as you choose a shirt, put it on and walk back to the front door.
>You swing it open.
>Miss Dash is still there.
"What do you want?"
>Rainbow Dash bites her lip and seems to screw up all of her courage.
"I want you to teach me to be good at fighting games."
>You frown.
"I don't do that anymore."
>You close the door in her face, interrupting her objection.
>You walk back into your room, ignoring the knocking on your front door.
>You tear the sheets and blankets off of your mattress and crawl into bed.
>You'll wash those tomorrow.
>After a few minutes the knocking stops.
>You close your eyes and fall asleep.

>You wake up early the next day.
>You ball up your bedclothes and carry them to the washing machine.
>You pour in the soap, start the machine up and then head into the kitchen.
>You pour yourself some cereal.
>You hear a knock on your door.
>You ignore it and look inside the fridge.
>The milk's gone bad.
>That makes sense.
>You haven't left the house in-
>You hear a knock on your door.
>You sigh and storm over to the front door, swinging it open.
>Rainbow Dash is standing there.
"What do you want?"
"I want you to teach me how to be good at fighting games."
"No."
>You close the door in her face.
>She knocks again.
>You open the door.
"This is important, Anonymous. I won't take no for an answer."
>You shrug and close the door in her face wordlessly.
>You ignore the knocking that quickly turns to banging on your door and carry your bowl of dry cereal into your room.
>You turn on the TV and turn it up to drown out the noise coming from the front door, wasting the day watching daytime game shows and Chinese cartoons.
>After a couple hours you remember to throw your bedding into the dryer.
>You do so and head back into the kitchen to make yourself a peanut butter sandwich.
>A curious thought enters your mind.
>You try to shake it off as ridiculous, but it lingers.
>Sighing, you head to the front door and open it.
>Rainbow Dash is still standing there.
>You stare in disbelief for a moment before speaking.
"I don't tutor people anymore, Dash. You're wasting your time."
"I won't take no for an answer, Anonymous. You're the only person who can help me, and I don't care how long I have to wait here."
>Rainbow folds her arms to emphasize her point.
>You sigh and rub a hand down your face.
"Go home, Rainbow Dash. You can come back tomorrow if you have nothing better to do than stand around on my doorstep making demands."
"Fine. I wil-"
>You close the door while she's mid-sentence and go back into your room to eat your sandwich and watch TV.

>You finish eating and watch TV for a while longer before deciding to sleep.
>You forgot your bedclothes in the dryer.
>Whatever.
>You can make your bed tomorrow.
>You should also get some groceries.
>You fall asleep in your clothes on your mattress.
>You wake up late into the next day to the sound of something banging on your house.
>For a moment you think it's Rainbow Dash again before you realize it's just the rain.
>It's a heavy summer rain.
>A thunderstorm.
>You glance out the window at the downpour.
>Guess you aren't going out to get milk today after all.
>You roll out of bed and trudge down the hall to the laundry room.
>You pull your bedclothes out of the dryer and lug them back into your room.
>You throw them on your bed in a pile.
>You should make your bed.
>You won't want to when you're tired.
>You don't really want to now, either.
>You sigh and flop forward into the pile of blankets, feeling like garbage for a while.
>You decide to take a shower.
>No point in cleaning the sheets if you're just going to let yourself get gross again.
>You strip down, step into the shower and turn the water on.
>You let it run hot.
>Too hot.
>You stand in the hot stream of water, soaping your skin and shampooing your hair while clenching your teeth, forcing yourself to withstand the pain.
>You rinse yourself off and turn off the water, panting in the shower for a few minutes while your body cools down.
>You think about killing yourself.
>You step out from the shower and dry yourself off.
>The cool towel is a relief against your still too hot skin.
>You head into your room and throw on some pajamas.
>You won't be leaving the house anytime today, and it's not like you're expecting to have any visitors.
>You pause.
>A thought crosses your mind.
>It's crazy.
>She wouldn't do that.
>But still, you find yourself walking across the house to the front door.
>You open it up.
>Standing there in the pouring rain, drenched and quivering, is Rainbow Dash.

>You stare at her in disbelief for a minute before speaking.
"Dash, it's pouring out, what are you doing here?"
>Rainbow sniffles before answering.
"Y-you said to come back tomorrow, s-so h-here..."
>She cuts herself off, turning her head to the side to sneeze.
>She's shaking as she looks back to you.
"So here I am."
>The sound of thunder echoes through the air.
"Well, come inside and dry off until it stops raining."
>You step aside and hold the door open.
>She doesn't budge.
"Rainbow Dash?"
>Lightning flashes across the sky.
"I want you... to t-teach me..."
>You frown.
"I told you, I don't do that anymore, Dash."
"Then close the door."
>You blink in surprise.
>Dash glares at you and folds her arms.
"Just close the door, go back inside and leave me here. I told you I wasn't taking no for an answer."
"Dash you can't just stand out here in the pouring rain."
"Why not? You can st-stay hidden in your house for weeks j-just because you lost."
>Something inside you snaps.
"Fine. Stay out here all night for all I care."
>You slam the door in her face and storm off.
>You head into your bedroom and throw your blankets to the floor, angrily sorting between them.
>You start putting your bed together, trying to occupy your mind with the task at hand instead of thinking about Rainbow Dash.
>Who does she think she is to come here and make demands of you?
>Why should you even tutor her in the first place?
>Why is getting better suddenly a big deal to her?
>Why would she wait all day in the rain?
>Why are you just leaving her out there?
>You sigh as you finish putting your bed together.
>You walk back to the front door and open it.
>Rainbow is still standing there, shivering.
"Why do you want me to teach you?"
>She hesitates for a moment.
"I want to help my frien-"
>She pauses and looks down at a clenched fist.
"No. I want to knock that stupid grin off of Button Mash's stupid face."
>You blink.
>You then smile for the first time in weeks.
"Come inside, Rainbow Dash."

>Rainbow steps inside and you close the door.
>She takes her shoes off while you head to the bathroom and grab her a towel.
>She dries her hair and wraps the towel around herself, shivering.
"You should get out of those clothes."
>Rainbow Dash raises an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
"You're soaking wet. Here, one second."
>You jog into your room and rummage through your dresser.
>You find and some shorts with a drawstring and a baggy t-shirt.
>You come back out with the clothes in hand.
"Here. I definitely don't have anything in your size but this should serve while your clothes are in the dryer."
>Rainbow Dash takes the clothes and stares awkwardly at you, glancing around.
"Uh..."
>You blink, your brain suddenly realizing the source of her discomfort.
"Oh! Uh, bathroom's over there. You can change in there."
"Thanks."
>She shuffles towards the bathroom and closes the door behind herself.
>Well that was awkward.
>Come inside and get naked, then I'll teach you video games.
>Idiot.
>At least you can confirm your retreat from society has done nothing to degrade your social skills.
>You run your fingers through your hair and sigh.
>Your hair is getting long.
>You'll have to cut it soon.
>The bathroom door opens and Rainbow Dash steps out.
>She's wearing a baggy Hawaiian t-shirt that you got as a present from your uncle.
>It's too big for you, but you're taller than Rainbow Dash.
>On her it's practically a housecoat.
>Which is good, because you don't entirely trust your shorts to stay on her.
>That girl has no hips.
>Rainbow glances around your house.
"Uh, what should I do with these?"
>She holds up the dripping pile of clothes in her hands.
"Oh, here, I'll throw those in the laundry for you. My room's down the hall, go in and set up whatever you want to play.
>You step forward and let Rainbow drop the wet mess into your arms and carry it off to deposit into the washing machine.
>You start the wash cycle and then head down the hallway towards your room.

>You step inside your room and glance at Rainbow Dash.
>She's standing in your room, staring at the far wall.
>You follow her eyes to your shelved collection of video games and systems.
>It's impressive to behold, although you forget that easily enough.
>You've never shown it to anyone before today.
"Figure out what you want to play?"
>Rainbow Dash jumps a bit, your shorts dropping to her ankles from somewhere beneath your shirt.
>You smirk and step back out of the room for a minute while she composes herself, closing the door behind you.
>Predictable.
>After a moment she lets you know she's decent and you step back inside.
>Rainbow's face is beet red.
"Relax. I didn't see anything, that's why I gave you my biggest shirt."
>Rainbow rolls her eyes.
"Well aren't you just so clever, predicting everything that will happen."
"Yes. I am."
>You glare at Rainbow Dash coldly.
"That's why you've been waiting outside my house and bothering me for days, is it not?"
>Rainbow's jaw drops for a second before she casts her eyes downwards and rubs her elbow awkwardly.
"Yeah. Sorry."
"What game do you want to learn?"
>Rainbow Dash turns her eyes back towards your collection, frowning.
"Uhh... I... all of them?"
>You blink at her.
"All of them?"
>She looks up at you with an awkward smile.
"Most of them? I guess? Heh heh."
>You are not amused.
>Rainbow sighs.
"Look, I have to beat Button Mash and his cronies in some sort of gauntlet and they aren't letting anyone know what games they're playing. But I know I have to get better if I'm going to even stand a chance. That's why I came to you."
>Rainbow Dash rubs her arm awkwardly again.
"I don't want you to teach me to play a fighting game. I need you to teach me to play fighting games in general. All I ever do is pick fast characters and mash buttons. That won't cut it this time. Not even close."
>Rainbow's shorts drop down to her ankles again.
"God dammit."
>You smirk and turn towards the wall while Dash pulls them back up.

>After Rainbow fixes her wardrobe malfunction for the second time you walk over to your collection.
"Well. If you're going to need a full education, there's only one place to start."
>You pick up two controllers from a shelf and kneel down to power on your computer and TV.
>You toss a controller to Rainbow Dash.
"You can sit on the bed, or I can grab you a chair if you prefer."
>Rainbow flops herself onto the foot of your bed.
"This is fine. What game are we playing?"
"A game that embodies the fundamental principles of fighting games in their purest form, and one of the greatest fighting games ever made."
>You grab your beanbag chair from against the wall and drop yourself into it as the title screen appears.
>Rainbow Dash raises an eyebrow.
"Divekick?"
"Divekick."
"Never heard of it."
"You'll pick it up quickly enough. It only uses two buttons."
>You select Uncle Sensei.
>Rainbow Dash picks Johnny Gat.
>Round 1 begins.
>You immediately kick backwards to create space between the two of you.
"Hey, what gives? I can't move. This joystick is busted. The D-pad isn't working either."
"The game only uses two buttons."
>You stand up and lean over her shoulder, pointing the two relevant buttons on the controller.
"Dive. Kick. Dive is jump. Kicking in the air kicks you forward and down, kicking on the ground jumps you backwards."
>Rainbow Dash jumps up experimentally, kicking downwards then backwards.
"Huh. That's... weird."
>You sit back down as the timer runs out and Rainbow Dash is declared the winner.
"Huh? What happened?"
"You were closest to the center when time ran out. Each round is only 20 seconds long because one hit in this game is a knock out."
>You point at the bottom of the screen.
"Those meters are built up by kicking, and you use specials by hitting both buttons on the ground or in the air. Yours are hitting me with a taxi on the ground and firing a mini black hole in the air."
>You kick back as the second round times out.
"So. Ready to play?"

>Rainbow Dash nods.
>You proceed to beat her five times in a row.
>It isn't hard.
"Rainbow Dash."
>You stand up and lean over her shoulder again, pointing out the two buttons.
"Dive. Kick. There is no six button turbo attack that you can unlock by mashing the buttons and hoping for the best. You can dive. And you can kick."
>Rainbow Dash sinks into your oversized shirt at your admonishment.
"Heh. Sorry. I guess I just..."
"You panic and you try to attack as quickly as possible to create space and gain control of a situation. Your panic is presumably caused by a lack of understanding basic fighting game concepts coupled with an intense fear of looking vulnerable, but you're not here to be psychoanalyzed. You're here to get good."
>You drop back into your chair, switch your character to Johnny Gat.
"And getting good begins when you understand that you are in control of your destiny. Fighting games aren't about randomly hitting buttons and hoping to come out on top. They are about making decisions. Every attack, every movement is a choice that you make. Victory is achieved by whichever player made better choices."
>You set your gem to match Rainbow's dive gem.
"That's why I love this game. It boils that idea down to its very core. Every decision you make in the game comes down to two buttons. Two choices of what to do at any given instant. Dive, or Kick."
>You begin the next round.
"Now. We have identical characters and set ups. You know the height I jump, the speed and angle I kick at. You already have all the information you need. We're going to play until you decide to beat me."
>Round 1 begins.

>You win round 1.
>You win the first match.
>You win and win and win, but you're watching Rainbow Dash.
>She stops mashing buttons randomly.
>You can see she's trying to think.
>Figure out how to approach.
>Trying to lure you into making mistakes.
>She even starts winning rounds here and there.
>Nowhere near enough to win a match, but enough to quash the endless fraud detection.
>Half an hour goes by and Rainbow still hasn't taken a match off you.
"Ok. I think it's time for a break. I have to throw your clothes in the dryer."
>You stand up and stretch, glancing at her.
"Do you want anything to eat? The house is kind of bare right now but I think there's some pizza pockets in the freezer."
>Dash is sitting cross legged on your bed and pouting.
"Yeah, that sounds good."
>You leave the room and go to the fridge, opening the freezer.
>You retrieve the pizza filled pastries, plate them and put them in the microwave.
>You head into the laundry room and take Rainbow's clothes out of the washer.
>Your eye is caught by something pink and lacy in the bundle.
>You blush as you realize what you're holding and quickly toss the clothes into the dryer.
>You breathe for a moment before turning the dryer on.
>You sigh and turn around, trying to expel the image of Rainbow laying back on your bed, wearing nothing but those panties and your shirt, inviting you to unbutto-
>The microwave beeps, freeing you from your fantasy.
>You dash into the kitchen, removing the plate from the microwave.
>You swap your pockets onto a separate plate and carry them both back into your room.
>You hand Dash her plate and sit back down in your beanbag chair.
>The two of you eat in relative silence for a few minutes.
>You try to focus on your food instead of Rainbow's crossed legs.
>Luckily, Dash saves you from yourself.
"So, are your parents like, out of town or what?"
>Innocent enough.
"No. My parents are dead."
>You finish eating while watching Dash's expression from the corner of your eye.

>Rainbow Dash looks at you in shock for a moment.
>The her face breaks into a smile and she laughs.
"Ha. Wow, you actually had me going there for a second, Anon. So really, where are they? Business trip?"
>You blink and look up at her.
"They're actually dead."
"Bullshit Anon. I remember seeing you with your parents after last year's graduation ceremony. They were fine."
"Yeah, and a month after that my Dad was killed in a car accident."
>Rainbow goes a bit pale.
"Oh. Was your mom also..."
"My mom died shortly after I was born. That woman was just my Dad's girlfriend at the time."
"Oh..."
>Rainbow Dash frowns and lowers her head.
"I'm sorry dude. I didn't think you were serious."
>You let her stew in the awkward silence for a few minutes.
"So... you just live here all alone?"
"Yeah. My aunt and uncle are out in Manehattan. My aunt came down when Dad died to take care of me for a while, but I was basically taking care of myself by that point anyway. Dad was working most of the time and I didn't exactly depend on the women he'd bring home. Most of them didn't stick around for long."
>You shrug and lie back over your beanbag chair.
"We all figured moving me all the way out there for one year of high school would be more disruptive for everybody than just letting me continue living here on my own. They took on all the bills for the place and pay it off with Dad's life insurance money. They transfer an allowance to my bank account every month so I can take care of myself but can't blow all my money on drugs and sports cars."
"Sounds like you have a pretty sweet deal."
>Rainbow Dash claps her hands over her mouth as she realizes what she just said.
"I mean, oh God, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
"It's fine."
>You sink into the beanbag chair and sigh.
"Me and Dad... I mean, we loved eachother, but we were never really... close. He... Part of him, at least..."
>You sit up and look downwards while you try to stop your eyes watering.
"He blamed me for Mom dying."

"He never told me, of course. But I could tell."
>You reach up and rub your eyes, cursing internally.
"I've always been good at knowing what people are thinking."
>You were six the first time it happened.
>You came home from school, opened the front door and heard a woman's voice in the kitchen.
>You don't remember her name.
>She had a pretty smile and long, curly blond hair.
>She and your father were talking at the table over coffee.
>Dad introduced you two, you shyly said hello, and he told you that she was going to be your new mommy.
>You said okay and went to your room to play video games.
>You were six, you didn't comprehend what having a mommy even meant.
>You eventually got used to her being around the house.
>Just enough to notice when she wasn't anymore.
>A few months later there was a different woman around the house for a while.
>She didn't stay as long.
>Your entire life was pretty much the same.
>Periods where it was just you and Dad.
>Periods where there was someone else for a while.
>You never let yourself get particularly attached to any of them.
>You never expected any of them to stick around for very long.
>But you got to know them.
>Whether they wanted you to or not.
>So many strangers moving in and out of your life, you got good at reading people.
>Their breathing.
>The way they carried themselves.
>Their eyes.
>It was your father's eyes that betrayed him.
>He came into your room to let you know he and his latest fling had split up.
>You mumbled an okay, hardly looking up from your game.
>Hardly, but you did.
>And you saw the resentment in his eyes flash for just a fraction of a second.
>You'd notice it other times before he died.
>Whenever you and one of his girlfriends didn't get along.
>Whenever you reminded him of your mom.
>You were the reason she was gone.
>You were the reason he couldn't move on and find someone else to be happy with.
>He loved you, and you knew that.
>But part of each of you knew he'd be happier if you'd never been born.

"You okay there, Anonymous?"
>Rainbow's voice dredges you out of your memories.
>You turn away and wipe your eyes on the shoulders of your t-shirt.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
>Idiot.
>You're better than that.
>Getting so worked up over nothing.
>In front of someone you hardly even know, no less.
>You clear your throat.
"C'mon. Let's play."
>You set up another round of Divekick.
>Rainbow looks like she wants to say something but instead just turns forward and locks in her character.
>Great, you've made her uncomfortable.
>She probably pities you now, too.
>Idiot.
>Some teacher you turned out to be.
>Not even one day in and you've already lost the respect of your only pupil.
"Anonymous."
>Rainbow's voice once again pulls you out of the sinkhole of your thoughts.
"Huh?"
"Are you letting me win?"
>You blink.
>Rainbow is 4-0 against you.
>The Fraud Detection Warning is going off.
>That's you.
>A fraud.
>You hang your head and sigh in frustration.
"No. I'm just..."
>Just what?
>Just an emotionally stunted orphan who's spent the past two weeks in bed because the girl he likes found someone slightly less autistic?
>You grip your head and squeeze your eyes shut, sighing again.
"I just... I'm... tired. I'm having trouble concentrating. And my head hurts a little. Sorry."
>Rainbow Dash blinks and looks down at you.
>She sets her controller down on the bed.
"It's alright. I wasn't going to learn everything in one night, anyway. Even I'm not THAT awesome."
>Idiot.
>Fucking worthless stupid idiot.
>You're a failure as a teacher and a human being.
"I should probably lie down for a while."
>You stand up shakily as Rainbow slips off of your bed.


"Your clothes should be done in the dryer soon. It's still raining pretty heavily, so if you want to just stay the night there's a guest room down the hall. You can help yourself to anything you find in the kitchen."
>You move to crawl into bed.
>You nearly bump into Rainbow Dash as she moves into your way.
>You try to move around her and she steps in your way again.
>You sigh.
"What are you doing, Dash?"
"Not letting you off that easy."
>Rainbow pushes you, not hard but enough to make you step backwards, and widens her stance.
"I didn't stand outside your house for two days and get drenched in a rainstorm for you to just crawl back into bed after a few games of divekick. Even if you don't feel like playing, you can teach me something else. Strategy or theory or whatever you call it. Rarity told me about that card game, you could teach me with that."
>You lean your head back and rub your hand over your eyes.
"Rainbow Dash, I told you. I have a headache. I can't concentrate on teaching you anything correctly right now. Please get out of my way so I can lie down."
>You step forward and Dash moves aside slightly, but grabs you by the arm and shoulder and forces you backwards.
>You stagger a bit before regaining your footing.
"What the hell, Dash?"
"If you just want to lie down until your headache goes away, you can do it in the guestroom while I stay here and play your games in single player mode to practice. That way I can at least familiarize myself with the controls and characters."
"Or you could get the hell out of my way and let me sleep in my own bed."
"You mean like you have been for the past two weeks? That must have been one hell of a headache you got from that tournament. I didn't think Button Mash could even reach that high, much less hit you that hard."
>Rainbow smirks at you.
"Or was it Sweetie Belle?"
>Something inside you snaps.
>You take a swing at Rainbow Dash

>Rainbow ducks to the side and pushes her forearm against your chest, shoving you backwards.
>You stagger back a bit before swinging wildly with your other fist.
>Dash moves under your swing easily and strikes your chest and side hard in rapid succession.
>You feel the air escape your lungs and you double over.
>Dash grabs your wrist and shoulder, turning you around and holding your arm behind your back.
>You try to elbow her with your free arm but she kicks your feet out from beneath you, shoving you face first into your bed and holding your other arm down at the wrist.
"You're fast, I'll give you that, but you lack technique. Finesse. Discipline."
>You struggle to free your limbs to no avail.
"Let me go you crazy bitch!"
>Dash continues holding you firmly against the bed.
"Not happening. You need to calm down before I even think about letting you up."
>You stop squirming, glaring impotently into your bedsheets.
"I should have never agreed to teach you anything. You're insane."
>Dash lets out a sharp laugh above you.
"You're right. I must have been insane for coming here and expecting to learn anything from a washed up crybaby who doesn't leave the house for two weeks just because he lost a game in front of everybody."
>A few minutes pass.
>Rainbow breaks the silence.
"Y'know, I figured you going through that would let you know how I felt, and why I hit you, so you'd be more willing to forgive me. But I see now you're too busy with your personal pity party to give a shit about anybody else anyway. No wonder you never answered whenever Sunset or Rarity tried to call you. You were probably lying in bed feeling sorry for yourself like a loser."
>You suddenly try to escape Rainbow Dash's hold on you and rise up to your feet.
>Dash slips her leg between yours, turns your upper body around and you fall easily on your back atop the bed.
>She pins your arms above your head and crawls on top of you, straddling you and pressing her weight against your stomach.

>You struggle uselessly against Rainbow Dash's pin.
"I don't care that I lost a stupid game in front of everybody. My ego isn't that fragile. I'm not you."
>You see Dash flinch at that.
>You lurch to one side to try and free your arm but she forces you back down against the bed.
"Well then, mister high and mighty, why did you suddenly become a hermit as soon as Button Mash and Sweetie Belle showed you up, huh?"
>Rainbow is almost shouting, her voice cracking towards the end of her sentence.
>You must have really made her mad.
"Because the only person I've ever let get close to me hates my fucking guts!"
>You're screaming up at Dash as tears start to escape your eyes.
>Looks like she won that exchange.
>You don't care.
>It doesn't matter.
>Nothing fucking matters.
>You're being held down against your bed by a crazy girl, openly crying because the little sister of your unrequited crush doesn't like you any more.
>You'll just transfer schools.
>Do this year over in Manehattan.
>Never speak to anyone from this town again.
>Maybe just kill yourself.
>It'll be easier.
>You could really use a shave.
"What do you mean?"
>Rainbow Dash, oblivious as ever.
"Sweetie Belle. She was the only real friend I ever made, up until she stopped hanging out at the arcade. Until the stupid tournament."
>You turn your head to the side and blink, trying to drain the stinging tears from your eyes.
"So she beat you. That doesn't mean-"
"She hates me, Dash. I could see it in her eyes."
>You wipe your eyes with your palm before you even register that Dash has let go of your arms.
>The next few minutes pass in relative silence, the only sounds are you trying to catch your breath and get a hold of yourself.
>Regain control.
>Stop crying.
>You spent years learning how to read people.
>Decipher their mental state from minute details in their physical behaviour.
>And in doing so learned how to mask your own.
>Stop throwing that all away by crying.

"Why?"
>You blink, looking up at Rainbow Dash through tears.
"Why what?"
"Why would she hate you?"
"I don't know. Probably tons of reasons."
"Like what?"
>You glare up at Rainbow Dash.
"I dunno, maybe because I'm a washed up crybaby who never leaves the house."
>Dash smirks down at you.
"That doesn't count, she hated your guts long before that."
"I don't know then!"
>You turn away as much as you can and shut your eyes tight, wishing you weren't here and weren't having this conversation and weren't alive.
"Does she even need a reason? Why shouldn't she hate me?"
>Your eyes dart open as you feel Rainbow's hand slide across your cheek and lift your head back up to look at her, her other hand moving across the other side of your face.
"Because you're patient. And kind. And you help people have fun."
>You feel your cheeks heat up as Rainbow Dash looks you in the eye, not letting you turn away.
"You helped so many people, Anonymous. You are so much better at games than pretty much everybody else in that arcade, but you always used that to help them get better. You didn't brag about being the best, or bully people off of machines. You taught people what they were doing wrong, how to look at what they were doing and how to get better on their own, and you brought people together. Since you stopped showing up a lot of people have missed you. Sunset and Lemon Zest miss you. I missed you."
>Dash removes her hands from your face, resting them lightly on your chest.
>You frown and turn your head aside again.
"Sweetie Belle hasn't missed me."
>Dash grits her teeth and clenches her fists into your shirt.
>You tense up, expecting her to punch you.
>Instead she pushes herself off of you and off of the bed roughly.
"Fine. If you want to lie in bed and be miserable for the rest of your life, so be it. I should have never wasted my time here."

>Dash storms out of your room and down the hall.
>You hear her slam the dryer door as she opens it.
>She stomps her way back towards the bathroom and slams the door there too.
>After a few minutes you hear her open the door.
>You hear her talking as she heads towards the front door.
>She says your address.
>Probably getting a ride home.
>You lie in bed staring towards the ceiling.
>You should kill yourself.
>After a few minutes you see headlights cross your window and hear a vehicle pull up outside.
>Dash's phone goes off and she answers it, saying she'll be right out.
>She opens the door and shuts it hard behind herself.
>You sit up in your bed, listening as the car pulls away.
>After a few seconds the only sound is the constant rainfall.
>You stand up and walk over to your light switch, turning it off.
>You head down the darkened hallway towards the bathroom and turn on the light.
>The clothes you let Rainbow Dash wear are lying in a pile thrown angrily against the side of the tub.
>You glance at your reflection in the mirror.
>Bloodshot eyes.
>Patchy unkempt beard.
>Too long hair.
>Wet lines down your face.
>You run the tap, cup water in your hands and lift it up as you lower your face into it.
>You look at yourself again in the mirror.
>You were supposed to be graduating this year.
>You pick up your razor and pop the blade out.

>You look at the blade between your fingers.
>You trail your thumb across the corner, sliding it along the edge of the blade.
>It's dull.
>Do it anyway.
>You press your thumb into the blade.
>It stings as you draw blood.
>Sharp enough.
>Fucking do it.
>You grit your teeth and press harder, accidentally forcing the corner of the blade into the flesh of your thumb.
>You cry out and drop the blade into the sink, tears rolling down your cheeks as blood flows into the sink.
>Fucking idiot.
>Use your wrist.
>You watch your blood pour and drip into the sink and onto the razor blade lying flat across the drain.
>You're shaking as you look up to see yourself crying in the mirror.
>Pathetic.
>No wonder she hates you.
>No wonder Rainbow Dash and and Rarity and Sunset and Boss Fight all hate you.
>You're pathetic.
>So many people showed up at that tournament just to see how cringey and awkward you would make it.
>The only reason anyone ever asked to be tutored by you was because they found it hilarious how seriously you took it.
>Fucking weirdo.
>You reach into the sink and pick up the razor blade with your other hand.
>It's covered in blood.
>Without thinking you turn on the tap to rinse it off.
>Fucking idiot.
>You leave the tap running.
>That's what you're supposed to do, you think.
>You should probably run a bath.
>Stop overthinking this.
>You overthink every fucking thing and look what it got you.
>Just do it.
>Do one fucking thing without thinking it to death.
>You balance the razor blade lengthwise along your arm.
>She hates you.
>You take a deep breath.
>She hates you.
>You close your eyes.
>You think about Sweetie Belle.
>She hates you.
>You think about her eyes when she took off her mask at the tournament.
>You push the razor into your arm.


>It hurts.
>You wince at the pain and grit your teeth.
>You pull your arm upwards, trying to slide the razor's edge down your vein.
>You end up losing grip on the wet razor blade and dropping it to the floor.
>You curse and exhale, pain screaming through your arm as you look to the floor to see where the blade fell.
>It doesn't matter.
>You aren't going to pick it up and start again.
>You had one shot and you blew it.
>You look at your arm.
>You're bleeding, but not nearly enough.
>You definitely aren't going to die.
>Idiot.
>Can't even kill yourself properly.
>Should have thought things through.
>Should have at least run a bath.
>That way when you fucked up the razor blade you could have plugged in some game systems and pulled them in with you.
>You still could, you suppose.
>You stick your bloody arm under the running water.
>After a few minutes you sigh and open the medicine cabinet with your good hand.
>You take out some band-aids.
>You take your arm out from below the water and apply them sideways over the gash in your arm to hold the wound together.
>It takes four to cover up completely.
>A fifth to go on your thumb.
>Why would you cut your thumb?
>You need that to game.
>Idiot.
>You feel lightheaded.
>You stagger backwards, hitting the wall and sliding down to the floor.
>You lie down on the bathroom floor using Dash's discarded clothes as a makeshift pillow.
>You miss Sweetie Belle.
>You'll try again tomorrow.

>You wake up lying on the bathroom floor in pain.
>Your arm aches from cutting it yesterday.
>Your other arm hurts more from falling asleep on it.
>Your head is pounding and looking up at the light overhead doesn't make it better.
>You push yourself up to your knees and crawl up to your feet.
>You look at the open medicine cabinet.
>Good.
>You don't need to see him right now.
>You stretch your neck and step up to the sink.
>You grab your toothbrush and brush your teeth.
>You head into your room and change into new clothes.
>It feels warm enough for a T-shirt and shorts.
>You look out the window.
>It's kind of a beautiful day outside.
>Birds are singing.
>You put your shoes on and step outside.
>You walk down the street with your hands in your pockets.
>Somewhere in the back of your mind you tell yourself you're going out to buy groceries.
>You know it's a lie, but it gets you out of the house.
>The sunlight is warm on your skin.
>You notice a pale blue butterfly flitting between the flowers of a neighbour's garden as you walk by.
>You smile in spite of yourself and lift your head a bit while you walk.
>You find yourself at your surprise destination.
>You were out getting groceries.
>Just happened to be in the neighborhood and decided to step in.
>Doesn't matter that the store's the other direction.
>You push the door open and look around the arcade.
>It's quiet.
>You scan the machines, seeing most of them are empty.
>The few that are being played are mostly people playing single player.
>You notice one such solo player pressing away at a familiar machine.
>You walk over, bringing a hand out of your pocket.
>You step up behind the girl and place a quarter on the cabinet to reserve the second player spot.
>She glances at you, her look transitioning rapidly from surprise to anger.
>You step back and stand patiently, watching.
>After a few minutes she beats the campaign mode.
>It doesn't take long.
>Every round is one hit after all.

>You step up to the second player controls and insert your quarter.
>You lock in Johnny Gat.
>She picks Dive.
"Trying someone new, I see."
"Shut up."
>Rainbow Dash, as charming as ever.
>She locks in a kick gem, you select a dive gem.
>Round 1
>Divekick!
>Dash and you dance around a bit before she catches you with a headshot.
>Round 2
>Dash makes sure to capitalize on the headshot, putting you down quickly.
"Did you crawl out of bed and come down here just to throw, Anonymous, or are you actually this bad?"
>You bite your tongue and focus on the screen.
>Round 3
>You anticipate Rainbow's parabolic arc and punish her with a kick to the chest.
"Hmph. Lucky shot."
>Round 4
>You win.
>Round 5
>You win.
>You win rounds 6 and 7 to take the match.
>Rainbow scowls and puts another quarter in the machine.
>The next match is closer.
>You win 5-3 in round 9 after a round 7 double K.O.
>Dash sighs and moves to leave the arcade cabinet.
"Where are you going?"
"Home. I'm not wasting my money sitting here all day while you beat me over and over."
"So don't. I didn't come here to beat you over and over."
>You reach into your pocket and take out a quarter, placing it on her side of the controls.
"I came here to apologize for how I've behaved lately. And to teach you again, if you'll let me."
>Rainbow pauses and steps back up to the controls, sliding your quarter into the machine.
"I mean, it's your quarter anyway. I might as well."
>You smile a little as the next match starts.
>You win 5-3.
>The next match you and Rainbow go 11 rounds, you win 5-4 after two double knockouts.
>Rainbow finally beats you after that, a clean 5-3 win of her own.
>You catch the look of pride and accomplishment on her face as she finally defeats you.
>Memories.
>She quickly recomposes herself.
"Hah. Knew I'd beat you eventually."
>You extend a hand in congratulations.
>She shakes it before glancing at your arm.
"What happened there?"
>You look away.
"I did something stupid after you left."

>Dash steps closer to you.
>You can't tell if she's furious or concerned.
>She's about to speak when...
https://youtu.be/iU9YM1Lfvt8 [Embed]
>Music played at a volume too loud to think at starts blaring through the arcade's sound system.
>You glance back at the counter to see Lemon Zest rolling her eyes from behind her laptop and glumly glancing towards the door.
>Suddenly the doors swing open and a crush of people enter the arcade.
>They're surrounding a familiar figure who's wearing black sunglasses and a propeller beanie and drinking a Hey Burger milkshake.
>He glances around the nearly empty arcade before lowering his sunglasses as he spies you and Rainbow Dash.
"Well well, gang, look what we have here. Looks like the local loser actually got that joke Anonymous to come out of retirement. What's the matter Dash, tired of being the absolute worst player in the entire arcade every day so you had to find someone even more garbage than you are?"
>You see Rainbow clench her fists together and can tell she's struggling to keep herself under control.
>Button Mash laughs and continues.
"How fitting. The Nobody and Rainbow Trash, playing games together. Bonding over something they both enjoy: Being absolutely worthless."
"I'll show you who's worthless you little punk!"
>You move faster than you even thought you could to grab Rainbow by the arms and pull her back, tripping her over your leg to throw her off balance.
"Calm down, Dash. He's not worth it."
>She struggles in your grip to regain her footing, murder in her eyes.
>Your arm really hurt doing that.
"Listen to your boyfriend, Dash. I'd hate to see you banned from the arcade. You probably pay for the lights in this place with how many quarters you lose every day."
>You help Dash get back to her feet and she shoves herself free of your grip, storming past the crowd of people.
>Button Mash smirks as she walks past.
"Good luck in the Gauntlet! If you bother to show up, that is."

"Gauntlet?"
>Button Mash rolls his eyes and turns to you.
"Geez, you really have been living under a rock lately haven't you?"
>He takes a sip from his drink, making an obnoxious smacking with his lips as he finishes.
"Trash and some other people don't like how the arcade's been run since I replaced you as assistant manager."
>You blink as you only now notice that beneath his windbreaker Button Mash is wearing a NQG uniform.
"So I declared an open challenge. If anyone can beat me and my crew then I'll gladly step down and leave the position open. Boss Fight signed off on it and everything."
>That explains why Rainbow Dash wanted your help so badly.
"Of course, I don't waste my time with losers, so anybody who lost in your little tournament is ineligible to compete. Sorry about that, Anonymous."
>He smirks at you and sips on his straw again.
"No food or drink is permitted in the arcade area, dipshit."
>You shove his cup forward into his chest, spilling the remaining milkshake all over his shirt.
>He stumbles backwards and you push past the crowd of gawkers who step away from him and head for the door of the arcade.
>You notice Lemon Zest trying to cover her laughter while Button Mash screams something about cleaning up the mess.
>You step outside and head down the street.
>You head to the grocery store, grabbing milk and some other things for the next week or so.
>You go home, putting things away before moving to sit by the phone.
>You run through a list of names in your head before picking it up and dialing the first number.
>First you call the school.
>You tell Vice-Principal Luna that you aren't going to be able to make up the time you've missed before the year is over, and you're going to miss more.
>You arrange a meeting with her to discuss enrolling in a summer program or just completing a semester in the fall to graduate.
>She thanks you for calling, several of your teachers were worried about you.
>You tell her things are fine.

>You say goodbye and hang up.
>You dial the next number.
>After a few rings your aunt picks up.
>You say hello and hear the relief in her voice as she replies.
>She had no idea why you weren't answering the phone the past week.
>She always calls to check on you towards the end of the month.
>You tell her you haven't been feeling well lately.
>It's probably just because you've been busy with finals and things are picking up at the arcade.
>You explain that because you've missed so much time due to sickness this month and work is getting kind of hectic you're just going to not graduate this year, and that you're already working things out with the school that you'll attend a semester in the fall to make up for it.
>She's disappointed that she won't be able to come see you in a big ceremony but you assure her that working at the arcade is basically your dream job and worth spending the extra few months in high school.
>You spend a few minutes catching up and promise her you'll take better care of yourself as you let her go.
>You hang up and dial Sunset Shimmer's phone number.
>You apologize for not picking up her calls, and how you've completely disappeared.
>You tell her you want to hang out sometime soon.
>You ask if she's going to be working whenever the Gauntlet is happening.
>She tells you she quit shortly after you stopped showing up to work.
>You tell her you plan on going and it'd be nice to see her there.
>She says she probably will.
>You let her go and dial the next number.
>It rings.
>It keeps ringing.
>You wait.
>It keeps ringing.
>You sigh and hang up.
>You dial the last number on your mental list.
>Rainbow Dash picks up the phone.
>You tell her to come over later and bring an overnight bag.
>You're going to make sure she's as ready for the Gauntlet as possible.
>After a momentary silence she agrees and you hang up.
>You head into the bathroom.
>You close the medicine cabinet and look in the mirror.
>You could really use a shave.

>Hours pass.
>You hear a knock on your door.
>You dash over to answer it.
>Rainbow Dash is standing there with a backpack slung over her shoulder.
>Her sour expression changes to surprise as she sees you.
>You're washed up and clean shaven.
>You've cut and styled your hair for the first time in weeks.
>The slapdash line of band-aids down your arm is gone, replaced with a taped strip of gauze.
>You're wearing something other than whatever you fell asleep in last night, a black dress shirt and jeans.
"Hi Rainbow Dash."
"Uhh. Hi Anonymous."
"Come in. I have everything set up, lessons planned out for tonight and tomorrow with a tentative schedule for the rest of the month, depending on your progress. You're going to get the most intense training program of anyone I've ever taught, but first, are you hungry? I'm making spaghetti."
>Dash blinks and slowly steps inside.
"Uh, sure. Yeah. That sounds great."
"Cool, you can drop your bag in the guest room and head to my room to set up something to watch while we eat. It will just be a few minutes."
>You turn and quickly run back into the kitchen to check on the pot of boiling pasta.
>After a few minutes you plate the spaghetti and carry it in to your room.
>Dash is watching some Let's Player on YouTube.
>Not what you expected.
>This guy really hates FF3.
>The two of you finish your spaghetti as the playlist ends and you stretch back in your beanbag chair, picking up your controller.
"Alright Dash. We only have so much time before the Gauntlet. I am willing to do whatever I can to get you ready to beat Button Mash's cronies."
>You look up at her sitting on the foot of your bed.
>She meets your eyes with a look of determination.
"So. Ready to play?"

>You and Rainbow Dash start off with some more Divekick to warm up.
>You move on to Skullgirls next.
>It's close enough to Them's Fighting Herds for Dash to be familiar with it but different enough to let her not crutch on bad habits.
>You don't really play so much as try to explain concepts like positioning, pressure, punishing opponents mistakes.
>Dash gets bored quickly and tries to sneak attack you when she thinks you're too busy explaining something to defend yourself.
>You block, counterattack and chain combos together until she dies.
>You glance over your shoulder and see she's clearly frustrated.
>You decide it's time for a break from video games and stand up, retrieving a couple of Yomi decks.
>You take Onimaru's deck again and hand Rainbow Dash Setsuki's
>Since she's so impatient it should be a natural fit.
>It is.
>Even though she only listens to half the rules she loves trying to burn through her hand every turn.
>So much so that it makes her incredibly predictable.
>Even Rarity was better at this.
>You throw a few plays just to keep her from getting discouraged but you beat her handily each match.
>You aren't sure if your yawn is brought on by fatigue or boredom but you use it as an excuse for the two of you to sleep.
>You have all day to practice tomorrow.
>Dash grabs her bag and heads into the bathroom to brush her teeth and change into her pajamas.
>You idly glance at the date on your screen as you shut down your gaming station.
>You calculate how much time you have left to teach Rainbow, and how much progress she's made.
>You're a good teacher, but you're not a miracle worker.
>There's no way in hell she's beating that Gauntlet.

>The next morning you roll out of bed, throw some clothes on and go into the kitchen to make breakfast.
>While cooking you mull over last night's conundrum
>You decide to switch your approach.
>Less explanation, more experimentation.
>Since you and Dash have no idea what games Button's crew will be playing you're going to have to give her at least a basic education in as wide a variety of games as possible in a very limited amount of time.
>Maybe seeing and experiencing some common elements of gameplay throughout the genre will help her understand why "always attack" might be fun, but isn't typically the best course of action.
>You walk over to the guest room door and knock.
"Rainbow, wake up. Breakfast's almost ready."
>A muffled groan is her only response.
"Daylight's burning, Dash, and if you don't get up your eggs will be too."
>You walk back to the stove and finish cooking and plating your breakfasts.
>Sausage and eggs.
>Breakfast of champions.
>You taste a bite of the eggs and listen for movement from within the guest room.
>You don't hear anything.
>You knock on the door again.
"Okay lazybones, time to wake up and carpe that diem."
>Still nothing.
>You roll your eyes and open the door, looking inside.
"C'mon Dash, it's already past noo- oh woah, ohmygod, sorry!"
>Dash's PJs are in a crumpled pile on the floor.
>Her blankets are pushed aside, only covering her feet.
>The only thing she's wearing is a pink thong.
>She has one hand laying above her head.
>The other rests just down the front of her panties.
>You can't help but stare for a moment before you immediately slam the door shut and step back.
>You hear her stirring around now.
"Hrm. Anonymous?"

>Her morning voice is husky.
>Your brain can't help but imagine making her say your name like that for reasons other than confusion.
>You're going to die.
>Dash kicked your ass before you when you had two good arms and hadn't just seen her tits.
>Two slight, sky blue mounds with dark, perky nipples.
>You wondered if they tasted like blueberries.
>You try to shake the image from your head as you hear Rainbow Dash shuffle around inside the guest room.
>The doorknob turns.
>You've wasted your chance for escape.
>You can't even hide what happened.
>Your heart is pounding, forcing blood to warm up your face.
>And other regions of your body.
>The door swings open.
>This is it.
>This is how you die.
>Murdered by a psychotic amazon for peeking at her nipples.
>You recoil from the door, hitting your hips on the kitchen table that's gone unused since the last night your Aunt stayed.
>Dash stands in the doorway, wearing her pajama top and rubbing sleep from her eyes.
>Your eyes can't help but be drawn to her nude, athletic thighs or the pink undergarment she wears just above them.
"Hot."
>You blink as Rainbow Dash stretches and then elaborates on her thought.
"It's too hot today. Too hot last night. Blegh."
>She reaches up underneath her shirt to scratch her chest, the pajama top following her wrist nearly the whole way, exposing her flat tummy.
"Where's breakfast?"
>You blink and wordlessly nod over to the counter where the two plates of food are sitting.
>Dash turns and walks over, casually tugging at the back of her shirt so it uncrumples and actually covers her butt.
"Heh. This looks awesome."
>She picks up her plate and smiles at you.
"So. Did you enjoy the show?"

>Your face feels like it's on fire.
>She could not have just said what you thought she said.
"E-Excuse me?"
>Dash turns around and groggily raises an eyebrow.
"From last night?"
>Wat
"If not we could watch something else, I don't care."
>What in the fu-
>Oh
"Oh. Uh, yeah, it was fine. I just like background noise while I eat."
>Dash nods, still bleary eyed as she walks into your bedroom with her breakfast.
>Your eyes can't help but follow her ass as she walks away from you, setting her plate on your bed before crawling up after it.
>Rainbow Dash might be impatient, arrogant and downright insufferable at times, but by God she has a nice butt.
>You start to follow her into your room when your brain reminds you to grab your breakfast first.
>You bring the plate in and deposit yourself in your bean bag chair.
>You focus towards the screen as Rainbow Dash navigates her way through YouTube.
>You try not to think about her ass.
>You try to ignore the fact she's sitting half naked on your bed right now.
>You try to forget the sight of her perky blue nipples.
>You try not to imagine how they're brushing up against her pajama top.
>You try to keep yourself from daydreaming about capturing one between your lips, wondering what lewd sounds you could illicit from her.
>You try not to think about turning around, grabbing her ankles, spreading her legs and burying your face between her thighs.
"Hungry, Anonymous?"
>You nearly break your neck with how quickly your head snaps around.
"Huhwhut?!"
>Rainbow Dash blinks in confusion.
"I said, aren't you hungry? You haven't touched your food."
>You glance down and realize she's right.
>You also realize you didn't even remember to bring a fork.
>Your face is nearly boiling with a potent mixture of embarrassment and lust.
"Oh. Uh. Right. I was just... lost in thought."
>Rainbow Dash grins, dangling one leg over the edge of your bed.
"Thinking about me, weren't ya?"

>You blink, your jaw dropping a little as you hurriedly try to piece words together in your head.
>Rainbow Dash shrugs, swinging her leg back and forth playfully.
"I mean, it's not surprising. I am pretty awesome, after all."
>Dash leans back on her arms, her pajama top lifting up a little bit to expose her bellybutton.
"So. What did you have planned?"
>Your eyes scan her face for any sign that this was some joke, but it's not long before they wander down to her thighs.
"Uh. Planned?"
"Oh come on, Anonymous. I know what you're like. You've probably had everything scheduled out since before you even called to invite me over."
>Dash leans forward and taps you teasingly on the forehead.
"I bet that brilliant brain of yours has every single thing we're going to do together planned out down to the minute."
>Rainbow sits back up and grins.
"So let's hear it. You're in charge, and I'm going to do my absolute best to follow your every instruction."
>You can feel your heartbeat pounding in your ears as your blood rushes through your extremities.
"I'm going to be the best student you've ever taken on. We're going to absolutely flatten Button Mash and his goon squad."
>Rainbow Dash emphasizes her point by slamming a fist into her palm, the noise snapping you out of your reverie.
>Right
>Of course
>She meant a lesson plan
>You're helping her get good at fighting games
>She's not interested in you, she's just too lazy and warm to bother dressing properly.
>You turn back around, your face red hot with embarrassment as you sink into your beanbag chair.
"Oh. Well. Um. I actually don't. Have everything planned out, I mean. I wanted to get a better sense of your play, so I was just going to wing it today."
>Suddenly you feel Rainbow Dash rest her heel on your shoulder, brushing her big toe across your cheek.
>You feel her warm breath down the back of your neck as she whispers into your ear.
"Winging it, huh? Is that what you call it when you make out with your students?"

>You stiffen up and half turn around, half pull yourself away, resulting in losing your balance and falling off your beanbag chair onto your back.
>Rainbow Dash lets out a yell as she loses her balance, slipping from the edge of your bed and falling onto her hands and knees.
>You maneuver yourself into a sitting position with the beanbag chair between the two of you.
"Wh-what? What are you talking about?"
>Dash looks annoyed.
"Oh drop it, Anonymous. It's not like everyone doesn't already know about your little game."
>What?
"What are you talking about?"
>She rolls her eyes.
"Come on, Anonymous. Did you really think Rarity wasn't going to tell everyone about how you two stayed after hours in the arcade so you could give her a 'private lesson?' I mean, we're friends and all, but you can't trust her to keep something like that a secret."
>You feel your skin crawl.
>Dash grins and leans back on her knees.
"And it's not like everybody doesn't already know you were banging her sister. Word around the arcade is your gaming skills must be sexually transmitted, she's so good now."
>Your eye twitches and you unconsciously clench your fists against the ground.
"Still, I can't believe you had the balls to actually charge people for your 'lessons.' How much did Diamond Tiara pay for that make out session the day of the tournament? It seemed like a pretty hands on lesson from what I hear."
>She leans forward, smirking deviously.
"You must really like 'em young, eh Anonymous? That's okay, I'm flat enough that you can pretend whatever you like."
>You push yourself to your feet and glare down at Rainbow Dash.
"Get out."
>She looks up at you, confused.
"What?"
"I want you to get dressed, get your things together and go home."
>She raises an eyebrow.
"You're kidding, right?"
"No. I don't know what you thought I invited you over for, but it wasn't that. Not anything close to that."

>You turn to walk out of your room.
>Rainbow hops up to her feet and runs after you.
"Anonymous, wait."
>She moves in front of you and puts her hands on your shoulders.
"Okay, so this isn't what I thought, fine. I just didn't expect you to actually want to help me beat Button Mash without some sort of compensation. I didn't mean to come on so strong, and I'm sorry. I still want your help, if you're willing to teach me."
"I'm not."
>You put your arms up and push her hands off of you.
"Rainbow Dash, out of everyone I've tried teaching, you are the absolute worst student I've ever had. Even when I tried to explain things to you, you'd sneak attack me to try getting a cheap win. You care more about winning than actually getting better, you want to win without putting in the thought or effort necessary to analyze a situation or respond in any way to your opponent, and you have no respect for the time and effort that goes into actually improving at these games. Nobody knows who Button Mash will have helping him or what games will even be part of his Gauntlet, and there's no way I can just magically make you good enough at all fighting games to beat anyone at anything within just a couple of weeks. It's impossible."
>Dash looks upset, but you don't care right now.
"The Gauntlet is rigged, Button Mash will keep ruining the arcade and nobody will want to play fighting games anymore anyway, so you can stop worrying about trying to beat people at them and go back to feeding your massive ego with sports. Now please, just get dressed and get out."
>Dash glares at you, tears forming in her eyes.
"Anonymous, you have got to be the most autistic faggot to ever live."
>She turns and storms into the guest room, slamming the door.
>You hear her moving around and assume she's getting dressed.
>You sigh and walk over to your phone.
>You dial Rarity's cell number.
>You have some questions.
>It rings for a while before a familiar voice answers.
"Hello?"
>It's Sweetie Belle.

>Your heart leaps into your throat.
"Hello? Hellooo?"
>Say something, idiot.
"Hi Sweetie Belle."
>Silence fills the air.
>Sweetie Belle breaks it after a moment.
"Rarity is in the shower. Is there something important you wanted me to tell her?"
>Right, you called Rarity
>To figure out why she was lying about you.
>Why was Sweetie Belle answering Rarity's cell phone?
"Oh, uh. No. Not really. It can wait."
"Good. I hope you two have a good time on your date tonight."
>Date?
"What?"
>The dial tone doesn't explain what she meant.
>You call back immediately, but nobody picks up.
>You try calling their house phone but again, no answer.
>You hang up the phone and sigh in frustration, cursing under your breath.
>The guest room door swings open and Rainbow Dash storms out dressed in what she wore yesterday, backpack slung over her shoulder.
>She angrily puts on her shoes, steps outside and slams the door.
>Silence once more.
>You close your eyes.
>You breathe, slowly, and let yourself think.
>You open your eyes, grab your wallet and put your shoes on.
>You step outside and start walking down the street.
>You find yourself outside of Hey Burger.
>You walk inside, order a large drink, walk over to the soda fountain and fill it.
>You take a straw and make the familiar journey to a table next to the window.
>There's a girl sitting there.
>She's staring outside while absently stirring what's left of her vanilla milkshake with a straw.
>You clear your throat to get her attention.
"Excuse me,"
>She looks up at you with familiar green eyes and an expression of surprise.
"Is this seat taken?"
>Her eyes betray an internal conflict.
"I'm waiting for someone."
"I can leave when they show up."
>Her features soften for a split second before she turns sharply to look back out the window.
"Fine. Whatever."
>You pull out the chair and sit down.
>The two of you sit together in silence for a few minutes.
>Her looking out the window.
>You looking at her.
"I like you, Sweetie Belle."

>Sweetie Belle turns back towards you.
>You keep talking before she can respond, worried your courage will escape.
"I like you a lot. And I miss you. I miss hanging out with you after school. I miss walking you home. I miss playing games with you at the arcade."
>You cast your eyes down at your hands, awkwardly cupped around your drink.
"I'm not going on a date with Rarity tonight. I don't know what rumours you've heard about me, but I'm not dating Rarity. I'm not dating anybody."
>You feel your heartbeat in your ears.
>You try to keep your breathing steady as you look back up at Sweetie Belle.
"The only person I want to go out with is you, Sweetie Belle."
>Silence fills the space between you.
>Her beautiful green eyes kidnap your stare.
>You watch her face, trying to read her reaction.
>You can't.
>All you can tell is that she's beautiful.
>She looks like she's about to say something when her gaze shifts from you to something behind you.
>You turn to see Button Mash approaching, drink in hand, straw in mouth, followers missing in action.
>Right.
>She was meeting someone.
>Of course.
>You are an idiot.
"Hey dickhead, pretty sure that's my chair."
>You turn back towards Sweetie Belle for a moment before standing up.
"Sorry Mash. I was just leaving."
"Oh yeah? Good. A nobody like you probably has better things to do anyway, right? Like wanking off at home to virtual girls doing high kicks."
>Button Mash smirks at you as he sips on his drink.
>You think about taking a swing at him, trying your damnedest to break his fucking skull into a thousand tiny pieces.
>You think about hitting the bottom of his cup into his face, shoving his straw down the back of his throat.
>You think about pouring what's left of your drink over top of him.
>But you don't do any of those things.
>Instead you silently push past him and head for the door of the Hey Burger without another word.

>You step outside and start walking home.
>After a minute or so you realize you left your drink on the table.
>Whatever.
>You weren't even thirsty.
>Idiot.
>You should have...
>Should have what, assaulted Sweetie Belle's date?
>That would definitely win her back, caveman.
>Idiot.
>Still
>It would have been better than just giving up and going home.
>Anything had to be.
>You sigh and slump, slipping your hands into your pockets.
>You don't know what to do.
>You don't even know if there's anything you can do.
>Maybe you should just give up.
>Buy some bleach on the way home.
>Or maybe adopt the undeserved reputation you've acquired according to Rainbow Dash.
>Everyone thinks you're a whore anyway
>May as well get laid.
>Maybe it'll help, you lie to yourself.
>It won't.
>Making out with Diamond Tiara didn't help.
>It just made you wish she was Sweetie Belle.
>Oh god.
>It wasn't the rumors.
>She was there that day.
>No wonder she hates your guts.
>You cup your hands over your face and curse into them in powerless frustration.
>Idiot.
>Stupid moron idiot.
>You should buy that bleach.
>Tomorrow.
>You're already home now.
>You reach to open the door and notice a piece of folded up paper taped to door.
>It says "To Anon"
>You yank it down and open it up.
>It's a list of video games.
>Beneath that is some writing:

"These are the games the shortstack requested be set up for the gauntlet. Make sure somebody can kick his ass by then. ~Lemon Zest"

>You find yourself smiling, in spite of everything that happened today.
>You step inside and set the note on the table.
>You pace for a minute, thinking.
>You walk over to the phone and dial a number.
>After half an hour or so of conversation you manage to convince her to come over.
>You hang up and find yourself still smiling.
>You don't have a clue how to get Sweetie Belle to forgive you.
>You doubt you even can.
>But it doesn't matter now.
>You can kill yourself later, when it does.
>First, you'll exact some revenge.

>An hour passes before she arrives.
>You set up your gaming system and make yourself dinner while you wait.
>You hear a knock on your door.
>You open it.
>She glares at you.
>Despite this, she moves to step inside.
>You block her way.
>You establish ground rules.
>You are not friends.
>You are not interested in dating.
>You are not doing this to get into eachother's pants.
>She wants to show up that little shithead for being awful to her friends.
>You want to see the one thing he cares about more than anything taken away from him.
>You can teach her what you know, and know exactly what to teach her.
>She will be your sword, the instrument of your revenge.
>She will listen to your instructions or you will throw her out and find a replacement for her.
>She accepts your terms and you let her inside.
>She steps in and follows you into your room.
>You load up the first game, suggest a character for her to play, and start explaining the mechanics of the game and how to play various match ups.
>You play mirror matches for a while so she can learn by watching what you do to beat her.
>You let her practice moves in training mode and then play against the AI for a while.
>You then switch games.
>Your lesson continues in similar fashion until you touch on all of the games on Lemon Zest's list.
>You decide that's enough for the evening.
>You walk her home, discussing a schedule for regular practice and fighting game theory along the way.
>After you drop her off you begin to head home, but you take a detour.
>You find yourself standing outside No Quarter Given.
>It's closed, and the door is locked.
>You reach into your pocket for the keys you never returned and unlock the door to the arcade.

>You step inside, closing and locking the door behind yourself.
>You walk through the darkened arcade, surrounded by powered down machines.
>The layout is familiar enough that you know where you're going in the dark.
>You head for the back of the room, to the practice cabinet.
>You approach the glowing screen and step up to the player one position.
>The figure standing there glances down at you.
>You don't meet his gaze.
>Instead, you reach into your pocket and retrieve a quarter, placing it on the control board.
>You then step back and watch in silence.
>The first round of a set of three is about to begin.
>Pikachu vs Shadow Mewtwo.
>The Pikachu player is good.
>The Shadow Mewtwo player is better.
>They aren't perfect victories but Shadow Mewtwo takes two solid wins from the electric rat.
>Boss Fight turns his head to you and motions towards the second player spot.
>You step up and select your character and your supports in silence.
>Gardevoir, backed up by Espeon and Umbreon.
>Boss Fight sets the stage.
>Magikarp Festival.
>Tournament legal size with amazing music: https://youtu.be/vzPpAYBy4AY [Embed]
>The round begins and he rushes towards you.
>You surprise him by rushing into melee yourself, launching an attack before he does by better anticipating when you'd be in range.
>You get a few quick shots in before knocking him away and dashing backwards to a more comfortable distance.
>You pepper Boss Fight with projectiles while he reflects and counters with projectiles of his own.
>Neither of you really come out ahead of the other in the volleys.
>Suddenly he catches you off guard with a mix up and creates an opening.
>He calls in Victini, looking to cause some serious bodily harm to you.
>You bring in Umbreon, creating some space and negating Victini's critical hit bonus.
>You dance away, defending yourself and tossing out spacing projectiles until the clock runs out.
>Your early salvo was the only hits either of you really landed.
>You take round 1

>Round 2 begins
>This time you both keep your distance from eachother, playing the projectile game.
>Neither of you can really land anything significant against the other.
>You call in Espeon to heal up the minor damage you've sustained.
>Boss Fight takes the opportunity to enter Burst Mode.
>You follow suit.
>Boss Fight charges at you but recoils, expecting a strike.
>You don't fall for his feint and dash forward before landing Fairy Tempest.
>Boss Fight gets up from the attack and dashes back into close range, trying to use his remaining burst mode to even the score, but you dodge and evade until his time runs out.
>You dance backwards and try to create distance while Boss Fight tries to close distance and strike you down.
>He lands a few hits, but you create some space with a counter and bring Espeon in to heal up again in the final seconds of the round.
>Your health is higher as time runs out.
>You win round 2 and the match.
>Boss Fight stares at the screen in disbelief.
>You step down from the player 2 position and retrieve the quarter you left on the control board.
>The practice cabinet doesn't take quarters, after all.
>You slip it into your pocket and retrieve your keychain as you do.
>You slide the door and cabinet keys to No Quarter Given off of the ring and place them on the control board.
>Boss Fight glances down at them, then looks to you.
>You look away, turning to start walking towards the door in silence.
"What happened to your arm?"
>You stop.
>You sigh.
"I did something stupid."
"You stole from your employer, you drank while hosting a public event, you walked away from a dream job doing the thing you do better than anyone else and left me to hire that dipshit Button Mash to replace you, and you cut a gash in your arm because you miss your not girlfriend. You've done a lot of stupid things lately, kid."
>You turn around in time to see Boss throw something towards you.
>You see the glint of reflected light and react in time to catch it.

>It's your door key to No Quarter Given.
>You look up at Boss Fight, confused.
"Any time that you want to talk, or game, or distract yourself, just come in. You know I'm here most nights. You know how everything works if I'm not."
>Boss Fight steps down from the practice cabinet and walks over to you.
>He places a hand on your shoulder.
"Just don't do any more stupid shit, okay kid? If someone besides you did something like that..."
>He points at your bandaged arm.
"...to one of my friends I'd break every bone in their goddamn body as payback. And I don't want to have to put you in a body cast, Anonymous. It'd be hard to explain. Now go home and get some sleep. You've got a lot of training to do."
>He turns to head towards the back of the arcade.
>You turn to head out the door.
>You lock the door to the arcade and put the key you never have to return back into your pocket.
>You head home, your mind swimming with thoughts.
>The games on Lemon Zest's list.
>How to best train Rainbow Dash in each one.
>Boss Fight calling you his friend.
>Sweetie Belle.
>No matter the happiness or confidence your other thoughts bring, your mind invariably wanders back to her.
>You want so badly to make things right between the two of you.
>But after seeing her earlier you aren't sure you even can.
>You think about the night you kissed her.
>It was barely anything, really.
>A grazing of lips.
>But it meant the world to you.
>Now that world has completely fallen apart.
>Below whatever momentary distractions you experience, all you really feel deep down inside is cold.
>The kind of cold that makes you want to burn down the entire goddamn world, just to feel some warmth.
>You start to envision terrible things.
>Awful things happening to people you hate.
>Awful things happening to people you love.
>And as you imagine these scenes of violence and agony, you smile.
>You step inside your front door, take off your shoes and head to your bedroom.
>You fall asleep, smiling and cold.

>You wake up in the afternoon, scowling.
>Accursed life, continuing.
>You get out of bed and make yourself something to eat.
>A granola bar and juice, that's breakfast, sure.
>You check your watch.
>School's out.
>She should be here any minute.
>A knock on your door confirms your theory.
>You open the door, glaring at her.
>She glares back and steps inside.
>You won't be friends after this experience.
>But that's fine.
>You don't need more friends.
>You need vengeance.
>You need to see that piece of shit as broken and hollow inside as you are.
>The thought makes you smile.
>You instruct her on the ins and outs of her character, on certain match ups, you spar with her.
>You act as though you aren't planning to die soon.
>As though helping her get better at a video game actually matters.
>Because it does.
>Not because you care about helping her.
>But because she can hurt him.
>She is your sword.
>She will take from him everything he's ever held dear.
>You were never one to tolerate the adoring crowd of onlookers.
>But her?
>She would revel in such attention.
>Where you would raise them up to become equals, participants, rivals, she would treat them as he does.
>Fans.
>Worshipers.
>Idolaters of a False God.
>But that's fine.
>You'd be dead soon anyway.
>You won't have to put up with how obnoxious it would all be.
>You show her some mix ups, ways to effectively approach certain enemies, ways to keep others at a safe distance.
>Hours pass, night falls.
>You tell her that it's time for her to go.
>Tomorrow she will return at the same time and practice more.
>She hates depending on you.
>She probably hates you.
>But she agrees and puts her shoes on in silence, leaving in silence.
>Leaving you in silence.
>A silence that soon fills with a cacophony of doubts and fears and foolish thoughts.
>You put your shoes on and leave.
>You go to the arcade.
>You kill hours in the darkened facility.
>You walk home as the sun rises.
>You fall asleep, smiling and cold.

>You wake up in the afternoon, scowling.
>Accursed life, continuing still.
>Not for much longer.
>You make yourself a functional breakfast.
>You don't taste it, and you hate eating.
>It's just necessary.
>She arrives on time and you spend the next few hours training her.
>Teaching her everything you can about the next game on the list.
>Night falls, you end the session.
>After she leaves you throw your shoes on, grab your keys and head to the closed down arcade.
>You hop onto the practice cabinet and load up a game.
>Boss Fight joins you, the two of you playing in silence.
>He leaves to go sleep in his office after a few hours.
>You spend the rest of the night there, distracting yourself.
>You walk home with the dawn and crawl into bed.
>You fall asleep, shivering.
>The next few days pass the same way.
>You wake up as the school you no longer attend comes to a close.
>You teach your sword as best you can in one of the games on the list you were given until night falls.
>You go to the arcade to kill time until your body is ready to pass out.
>You sleep, and do it all again the next day.
>Soon enough, you find yourself out of time.
>The day of The Gauntlet is upon you.
>She isn't ready.
>She thinks she is, and she'll do better if you feign confidence in her ability, so you do.
>But she will fail you.
>You curse yourself for wasting time.
>With some more time you might have been able to have the revenge you sought.
>No matter.
>Maybe some unknown challenger will show up and break his spirit for you.
>With that half-hearted hope to fuel you, you get dressed and head for No Quarter Given, ostensibly to show your support for your pupil.

>You walk towards the arcade, hands in your pockets, scowling.
>You think back to the day of Double or Nothing.
>The naivete and optimism that led you to create the event.
>The showmanship that led you to dressing up, decorating the arcade the night before, making sure everything was ready.
>The hope that somehow things would work out for you in the end.
>You look skyward, staring at the burning summer sun.
>They're dead now.
>Those parts of you died one by one on that day, and you will follow them soon.
>You approach the door to No Quarter Given alone and step inside.
>There is a crowd gathered, but it's sparse.
>There are no decorations.
>No fanfare.
>Just a few printed out black and white sheets of paper on the doors and around the arcade advertise any event happening at all.
>It carries the vibe of a local scene's weekly tournament more than a special event that will change the management structure of the arcade.
>The only telltale sign anything special is going on at all is the line of five arcade cabinets positioned on the raised center stage.
>You glance around the crowd, looking for potential.
>You don't find much.
>Most of them are regulars, eliminated from the Double or Nothing tournament and ineligible to compete.
>They're just here to watch.
>Like you are.
>You sigh and partly lower the zipper of your windbreaker.
>You don't know why you had it zipped up all the way.
>You don't know why you even wore it today.
>It's the hottest day so far this year and there isn't even a breeze.
>I guess it keeps people from asking about your arm.
>You really don't need that today.
>Not today.
>Not ever.
>A few people notice when you walk in.
>You know they recognize you.
>You know their murmured whispers are about you.
>You don't care what they're saying.
>Probably more stupid and baseless rumours.
>So long as they don't approach you, you'll be fine.
"Hey Anonymous!"

>You close your eyes and grit your teeth, exhaling in annoyance.
>It's Snips.
"Oh wow, Anonymous, hey! You're actually here. In the flesh! Back amongst the world of the living! I bet you're gonna whoop Button Mash's butt today, huh?"
"No Snips."
"Huh? What do you mea-"
"I'm not going to enter The Gauntlet, Snips. I lost at Double or Nothing."
>Snips looks crestfallen.
"But... but that was just the exhibition match, right? You didn't lose in the tournament itself, you could stil-"
"Drop it, Snips. I'm not here to play. I'm here to watch and show my support for Rainbow Dash. That's it."
>Snips frowns, nodding in silence.
>You look around.
"Where's Snails?"
>Snips visibly flinches, like your words struck him.
"I... I don't know, and I don't care. Me and him don't talk no more. Not since Double or Nothing."
"Oh. Sorry. I didn't realize."
>Silence hangs in the air for a few minutes before Snips mumbles something and wanders off, head hanging low and hands in his pockets.
>You sigh and look at the ceiling.
>Well that was awkward.
>You feel a tug on your arm.
>You look down and see Scootaloo.
"H-hey Anon, sorry to bother you but... you said Rainbow Dash was coming?"
>Of course.
"Yes Scootaloo. Why, didn't she tell you?"
"Nah. Me and Rainbow Dash... haven't really hung out in a while."
"Huh. I figured she would have been talking about it all over the arcade."
>Scootaloo shrinks down.
"Yeah, well. I haven't really been hanging around this place much either. The last time I came in here was actually back at Double or Nothing."
>Scootaloo glances scornfully at a hulking figure standing off to the side of the arcade, playing at a cabinet by himself.
"I was just here to cheer on Apple Bloom's cousin, but if Rainbow Dash is entering I'll definitely stick around for that, too."
>Scootaloo grins and bounces off to join Apple Bloom and the short haired girl who must be her cousin.
>Sweetie Belle isn't with them.
>You sigh and zip up your jacket.
>You feel cold.

>You don't know why you even came today.
>Rainbow Dash wouldn't care if you didn't show up.
>Even if she did, she won't win anyway, so it makes no difference.
>You should just go.
>Let this be the last time anybody sees you.
>When they find your corpse in a few weeks, nobody will be able to say for sure if you were really here, or if you'd taken to haunting the place.
>That will be your legacy.
>A ghost story that will fade into obscurity with the arcade itself.
>Suddenly the lights go out and the sound system turns on.
>An awful electronic screech fills the air, causing most of the others to cover their ears.
>It lasts only a moment before Lemon Zest fixes it and familiar music fills the arcade: https://youtu.be/iU9YM1Lfvt8
>Button Mash ascends the still lit up stage, holding his arms out to bask in the glory of his applauding posse, oblivious to the silent stares of most of the spectators.
"Thank you, thank you, you are all too kind. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am the one and only Button Mash, assistant manager and undisputed champion of No Quarter Given!"
>He waits for a beat, expecting applause that never comes.
"And today, on this most auspicious of occasions, I will be putting both of those titles on the line. I've heard the haters, the naysayers, the whiners who think that everything wrong with this arcade is entirely my fault. Well to you I say, if you can do any better, prove it! Enter... The Gauntlet!"
>Button throws his arm up and spotlights illuminate the five arcade cabinets to be played in this challenge.
"Yes, anyone who can brave this daunting challenge and succeed will not only be able to call themselves the best fighter in Canterlot, but the owner has agreed to hire them on to take my place as Assistant Manager. After all, here at No Quarter Given, we only want the best."
>That actually draws murmurs from the crowd.
"Of course, I don't expect many of you to even make it past the first round."
>With that, the lights go out.

>The crowd murmurs again and you glance knowingly over to Lemon Zest.
>You can see her bored expression in the dim glow of her laptop screen as she presses a key.
>As she does, music fills the arcade once again: https://youtu.be/UFjNTkY_KnU
>A spotlight shines down over the first machine in line to be used in the Gauntlet, a lone female figure standing next to it.
>The game is Street Fighter V
>The fighter stands wearing a black Buck Lesnar t-shirt, spiked collar and matching spiked wristbands.
>It would look ridiculous on anyone else, but Coco always knows just how close to ridiculous to get without going too far.
>She smiles menacingly over the crowd as Button announces her name to an arcade full of people who already know who she is.
"That's right folks, the first round of the gauntlet will be a Street Fight against the one, the only, the animal, KO Pummel!"
>The crowd cheers, and it's no wonder why.
>Coco was good, sure, but more than that she was exciting to watch.
>She was an aggressive player, and could usually draw a crowd whenever she decided to take over a machine.
>You're fairly certain Coco burned people through quarters more than anyone else in the arcade, just because her matches were always so fast paced.
>It annoyed you to see her playing the role of Button's minion, but you understand why she'd do it.
>She's one of the best players around, and as the first match, she's the benchmark.
>If you can't handle her aggression, you don't get to advance.
>Plus she'd love any excuse to carve a path through as many opponents as possible.
"You seem to have perked up a bit."
>You jump a bit at the voice and turn to see Sunset Shimmer standing beside you.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Don't go into hiding again."
>You roll your eyes, turning back to face the stage.
"Funny."
"You did get a lot more interested when you saw Coco was involved. Planning to compete?"
"No. I just like watching her fight. And her name is KO Pummel. Respect the tag."

>You thought back to first meeting Coco back when No Quarter Given first opened.
>You'd seen her around school before, but didn't share any classes.
>You didn't have any reason to talk to her the few times you passed in the hallway.
>But here she was, that quiet girl with the blue hair from the grade below yours, stepping up to play against you in Street Fighter IV.
"Hey. Name's Anonymous."
>You extended a hand.
>She didn't take it.
>You smirked.
"Nervous? Don't worry, I'll go easy on ya."
>You meant it.
>You'd planned to go easy on her.
>But you didn't after the first round.
>And she still sent you packing to the back of the line.
"Tch. I went too easy on you, I guess."
>You did your best to save face in front of the crowd that had gathered to watch you take on all comers.
>And watched you lose to some girl from school.
>Whatever, you'd get back to the front of the line and start trashing kids again
>She was still there when you got to the front.
>And she beat you even faster than before.
>Two more times she beat you, the line to face her growing shorter and shorter.
>Eventually it was just the two of you playing.
>You hemorrhaging pride and quarters with every game.
>Finally you ran out of both.
>The crowd had dispersed, it was nearly closing time.
"You're really good. I've seen you around school before, what's your name?"
"My name doesn't matter to you. The only reason I matter to you at all is because I beat you."
>She glared at you with an intensity you'd grow to recognize in her eyes.
"And I'll keep beating you and everyone else here until they stop trying to go easy on me."
>With that she turned and walked out of the arcade.
>She'd never told you her name.
>You learned it eventually, of course.
>But she didn't go by Coco in the arcade.
>She was K.O. Pummel.
>And nobody went easy on her anymore.
>Button's obnoxious voice interrupts your reminiscing.
"So. Who will be The Gauntlet's first challenger?"

>The crowd parts as music fills the arcade: https://youtu.be/j_qpRaWjKsQ
>A pink haired girl with a punk haircut steps forward, flanked by Scootaloo and Apple Bloom.
>She rests her hands on her hips, blows the hair out of her eyes and smirks.
"That'd be me, Babs Seed. And I'll be the last challenger, too, because I'm gonna wipe the floor with you and your goons, Button Trash!"
>Apple Bloom and Scootaloo cheer while Babs ascends the steps to the stage.
>As if it would matter.
>Babs selects Balrog.
>KO chooses Necalli.
>Babs comes out of the gate swinging and manages to wrest round one from KO
>Unfortunately for her the next two rounds aren't even close.
>KO destroys her.
>Babs takes round 4, but even if she advances she'd have to flawlessly beat the rest of the gauntlet.
>KO removes that worry from her mind, however, by simply beating her in round 5.
>The audience applauds while Scootaloo and Apple Bloom head to the stage steps to console their friend.
>A few more challengers appear, but nobody does nearly as well as Babs.
>KO destroys them one by one, not even giving up a decent amount of health much less an entire round to anybody.
>It's just like the first day you met her.
>And like that day, the list of challengers left to face her grows shorter and shorter.
>Button Mash speaks out over the crowd.
"Alright, which one of you losers is next for the meat grinder?"
>You look around the room and wonder if anyone here stands a chance of beating KO Pummel.
>Well, other than Rainbow Dash.
>Wait a minute.
>Where is Rainbow Dash?
>You look around again but you don't see her in the arcade.
"Aw, c'mon. Is there really no one else willing to challenge the gauntlet?"
>Suddenly the door of the arcade swings open and music fills the arcade: https://youtu.be/IStlBOX9F4o

>Applejack stands in the doorway, glaring up at the stage.
>She's wearing the same white outfit she had on at Double or Nothing.
>Button Mash blinks and then shrugs.
"Looks like someone didn't read the rules. Anyone who scrubbed out at Double or Nothing is ineligible to compete in today's event."
"And I say that's bullcrap! Me an' Apple Bloom didn't lose in that tournament, we had to leave the arena. I want my fair shake at taking you on."
"Sorry, sister. Rules are rules."
>Applejack grits her teeth and clenches a fist as the crowd unloads a near deafening chorus of boos at Button Mash.
"Oh alright alright alright! Fine! You can have your shot. It's not like you stand a chance anyway."
>The crowd cheers as Applejack ascends the stairs and takes her place at the challenger's cabinet.
>She selects Chun-Li.
>Applejack is one of the best players at traditional fighters in the arcade.
>The fighting between her and KO's Necalli is fast and fierce.
>Every round is close, with AJ taking the first and third and KO taking the second and fourth.
>The final round comes down to the wire, but Applejack manages to land the final blow she needs to defeat KO and advance to the next round of The Gauntlet.
>The crowd goes wild.
>Button Mash steps forward, clapping sarcastically.
"Congratulations, Applejack, you've made it past the first round. I was getting worried that nobody would even get that far."
>Button waves towards the second cabinet on stage and a spotlight illuminates it.
>Mortal Kombat X
>Music begins to play through the arcade: https://youtu.be/F3HD-OFy0lg [Embed]
"Of course, now you'll have to face the second round of The Gauntlet..."
>As Button speaks a figure emerges from the darkness, clad entirely in black.
"...which means you'll be facing the one and only Braeburn in Mortal Kombat!"
>Braeburn steps into the spotlight, the shadow of his black hat covering half of his face.
>AJ glares at him.
>He smirks at her.
"Ready, cuz?"
>The two step up to the MKX cabinet.
>Both select Erron Black.
>Applejack's Gunslinger against Braeburn's Outlaw.
>Applejack takes the first two rounds off of her cousin, but Braeburn takes round 3.
>And Applejack only had one stock left.

>Applejack slams her fists on the control board and curses.
"This ain't hardly fair! How in tarnation do you expect anyone to beat everyone in this Gauntlet of yours without losing three rounds across the whole dang blasted thing?!"
>Button Mash flashes that cocky, shit eating grin at her.
"Simple, Applejack. I don't. Now get off the stage, loser."
>Applejack clenches her fists and heads down the stage steps and is nearly bowled over by her little sister running up them.
"If Applejack gets to try, then I'd be able to take a shot too!"
>Button Mash shrugs.
"Fine."
>KO Pummel destroys Apple Bloom while barely taking a hit.
>She glumly retreats back down the stage steps as Button moves to center stage to gloat.
>You still don't see Rainbow Dash anywhere.
"And with those two taken care of, it looks like there simply aren't any challengers left to face the perils of The Gauntlet."
>You look around the room, making sure she isn't waiting in the wings somewhere.
"Unless there's somebody else out there who's willing to step up to the challenge?"
>You curse under your breath.
>All that time you wasted and she didn't even show up.
>Maybe she knew she'd crash and burn and wanted to save herself the embarrassment.
"Anybody? Anyone at all willing to give it a try?"
>You step away from the cabinet you'd been leaning against and and slip your hands into your pockets.
>She could have at least let you know.
>You could have not bothered coming.
>Maybe did some laundry.
>Maybe drank some bleach.
"Oh, is that a challenger I see moving through the crowd?"
>All eyes turn towards you as Button's mocking voice follows you to the door of the arcade.
"Oh, silly me, that's just a washed up nobody who doesn't have what it takes to run this arcade."
>You ignore him.
>You pretend you're ignoring him.
>Your grip on the exit door is too tight to be ignoring him as you swing it open and step into the street.
>You pause, standing in the open doorway.

"Well folks, it looks like there are no more challengers left."
>Button Mash's gloating voice carries through the open door.
"So it looks like the Gauntlet stands undefeated. Unscratched, really, by the myriad of fine challengers who dared step up to face it."
>You watch impassively as she runs towards you.
"I didn't expect anyone to beat my challenge, but I definitely expected stronger competition than this."
>You can see her sweating, hear her panting as she runs towards you at full tilt.
"Frankly, if this is the best you have to offer, you should all be ashamed of yourselves."
>You see her eyes pleading with you as she gets closer, silently begging you to tell her it's not too late.
"I guess it can't be helped. It's my fault, really, for expecting too much of this arcade's population of casuals and scrublords."
>You stand, still holding the door open, watching her run as fast as her athletic blue body can manage just to make sure she gets to attempt the impossible.
>And she'll be too late.
"But it looks like the Gauntlet..."
>You step back into the doorway.
"...is officially..."
>You signal Lemon Zest.
"...clo-"
>The lights go out and Button Mash's mic gets cut off.
>Suddenly the arcade begins pulsing with a rainbow pattern of lights and music begins to play: https://youtu.be/nZV5kQQ6hms [Embed]
>The crowd looks around, confused and expecting a new challenger to emerge.
>After half a minute Rainbow Dash appears in the doorway, doubled over and panting.
>She looks up at you apologetically, trying to catch her breath.
"Slept through... my alarm... did I... am I... too late?"
>You stare down at her coldly.
>She looks so upset.
>Upset that she'd missed her chance to make a fool of herself failing this impossible challenge.
>Upset that she'd waste your useless training.
>Upset that she'd go down without a fight.
>She rests her hands on her knees and breathes heavily as Button's microphone blares back to the life and the lights in the arcade revert to normal.

"Well. That was fun, but seeing as nobody stepped forward, I'll chalk that up to a glitch in our music system."
>He pointedly glares over at Lemon Zest, who flips him off.
"Right. As I was saying, the Gauntlet is now officially..."
"Going to be beaten!"
>Button Mash and the crowd both turn to look at the source of the outburst.
>You find them staring at you.
>You lick your lips, suddenly noticing how dry your mouth is.
>Part of you wants to die, but instead you resume talking.
"That's right, amateur hour at the comedy club is over. Things are about to get serious here at No Quarter Given."
>You step through the crowd, keeping their attention as they part to give you room.
>You want to flee the crowd, run home and just kill yourself already, but you don't.
"I'd say it's high time this Gauntlet had it's first REAL challenger... And since she's going to beat it, it'll be the last one, too!"
>The crowd murmurs all around you, you can feel their genuine excitement and anticipation as electricity in the air.
>Button Mash glares death down at you from atop the stage, and you understand why.
>You both know you belong up there instead of him.
>You find yourself smirking in spite of yourself as you turn your back to the stage and extend an arm towards your protege.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Gauntlet's next challenger, the one, the only, the awesome- Rainbow Dash!"
>Lemon Zest fires up Dash's music again and the crowd goes crazy as she jogs through the gap you've left in your wake and up the stairs to the stage.
>She hops around excitedly, throwing her arms in the air and absorbing the crowd reaction before grinning and taking her controls at the first cabinet.
>Button looks furious, having lost control over his own event so easily.
>You keep smirking as you fade away into the crowd, backing up until you resume leaning against a support beam.
>She's going to lose.
>She can't win.
>You know that.
>But winning isn't everything.

>KO Pummel selects Necalli.
>Rainbow Dash locks in Cammy.
>Round 1 begins.
>KO charges furiously, tearing into Rainbow Dash immediately.
>Dash tries to defend herself but KO is relentless in her assault, quickly taking Rainbow Dash's first stock.
>A hush falls over the crowd.
>You can see Rainbow Dash is upset with herself.
>She's standing rigid at the controls.
>Suddenly she breathes out and throws up a thumbs up to the audience.
"No worries, I'm just getting started!"
>The crowd cheers as round 2 begins.
>It's almost a beat for beat replay of round one.
>KO's Necalli starts off strong, taking off huge chunks of Rainbow Dash's health bar.
>Dash is down to a sliver of health when she reads an incoming strike and counters with a kick of her own.
>KO tries to land a heavy blow to finish Dash off but again Rainbow counters, leading into a powerful combination of her own.
>Dash keeps up the pressure, keeping KO on the backfoot until her health bar is fully depleted, Rainbow's still at the same sliver.
>The crowd goes insane.
>Dash rides her own momentum through rounds 2 and 3, KO playing much more aggressively and carelessly than she usually does and Rainbow Dash taking full advantage to bury her in deadly combinations.
>KO slams her hands on the cabinet in frustration as she loses round 3 after only taking one of Rainbow's precious lives.
>Dash raises her arms in victory and the crowd cheers.
>Button looks annoyed.
>Rainbow moves to the second cabinet, selecting Johnny Cage.
>She starts off strong, taking the first two games off Braeburn.
>Just like Applejack, however, Braeburn's outlaw secures round three.
>Unlike Applejack, Rainbow Dash still had another stock and defeats Braeburn in round four to proceed.
>The crowd goes ballistic.
>Nobody has made it this far all day.
>Suddenly the lights in the arcade go out, and a spotlight falls upon the third cabinet on stage.
>Nidhogg.
>Music begins playing through the sound system: https://youtu.be/HqzApt0Ii6c

"Alright Dash, time for you to face the third round fighter of The Gauntlet... Silver Spoon!"
>Silver Spoon struts out of the shadows and into the spotlight.
>She's wearing a sparkling silver ball gown with a purple feather boa around her neck.
>She twirls on stage and blows a kiss out over the crowd before moving to take her controls.
>Rainbow Dash walks over to join her at the Nidhogg cabinet.
>The crowd is buzzing with anticipation.
>Round 1
>Castle
>The fighters fall into the chandelier room and immediately Rainbow Dash runs forward, leaping into the air and landing a divekick into Silver Spoon.
>She kneels down and snaps Silver's neck in a shower of pixelated orange blood before following the flashing arrow to the right.
>Silver Spoon respawns ahead of Rainbow Dash and raises her blade, expecting another dive kick, but Dash rolls underneath of her and kicks her feet out, once again snapping her neck.
>Rainbow Dash continues this pattern of attack, pressing through the end of the first screen as well as the second.
>On the final screen Dash leaps over Silver Spoon entirely, not even securing a kill before running past her two times and into the Nidhogg's waiting jaws.
>The crowd cheers as she's devoured, signalling victory.
>Silver stares at the screen, mouth agape.
>Button Mash looks absolutely gobsmacked.
>Rainbow Dash smirks at him.
"What's the matter, didn't expect me to know how to play this one?"
>Silver collects herself as Round 2 begins.
>Clouds
>Rainbow Dash opens by throwing her sword immediately.
>Silver Spoon blocks it without issue and approaches.
>Rainbow Dash moves erratically before landing a divekick on Spoon
>Spoon is left prone on the dissolving clouds in the middle of the stage before plummeting through to her death.
>Dash runs and jumps through the rest of the stage, kicking and dodge rolling past Spoon at every opportunity.
>She quickly finds herself running into the jaws of the Nidhogg and victory.
>Silver Spoon is shaking.

>Rainbow Dash is 2-0 against Silver Spoon and not only had Spoon not won a round, she hadn't landed a single kill on Rainbow Dash.
>She's been made to look foolish after being positioned as Button Mash's ace in the hole.
>Silver Spoon was supposed to step onto the stage against whoever was good enough at arcade fighters to eliminate KO and Braeburn and finish their last stock in an unorthodox sword fighting game, looking like a star while she did so.
>As you watch her grip the side of the cabinet control board and grit her teeth you can see she's clearly been thrown off her game.
>You wonder if she's actually been tilted enough to lose to Rainbow Dash.
>That was your plan, after all.
>You didn't believe it would work when you were training Rainbow Dash in how to play Nidhogg, but it was her only chance.
>Round 3
>Mines
>And this was why.
>Rainbow once again starts strong, landing a dive kick into a snapped neck to open the match in control of the camera and running offscreen.
>The first side screen of the mines is a tunnel.
>There is no room to jump past an opponent
>No room to divekick.
>No room to even throw a sword.
>It forces a sword fight, pure and simple.
>And Silver Spoon handily crushes Rainbow Dash as they engage in their set's first real clash of steel on steel.
>Rainbow is disarmed and impaled by Silver Spoon in a shower of yellow gore, while Spoon takes the time to wiggle her blade up and down inside of Dash's limp body, relishing her first kill.
>Silver Spoon leaves the tunnel, returning to the center screen and controls the pace of the fight, advancing on her terms, methodically disarming and skewering Rainbow Dash with calculated cruelty.
>Rainbow Dash proves a difficult obstacle on the final screen, her acrobatic offense allowing her to seize control of the fight on the conveyor belt multiple times, but it isn't enough.
>The conveyor belt leads back into the tunnel, and in the tunnel Silver Spoon dominates Rainbow Dash without exception.

>Eventually Silver Spoon manages to make it past Rainbow on the final screen.
>She walks slowly into the jaws of the Nidhogg, absorbing the boos and jeers from the crowd.
>Rainbow Dash is done.
>She went 3-1, 3-1 and 2-1, much better than you or anyone else could have expected.
>But she's out.
>Eliminated.
>And there isn't anybody else left who's going to challenge The Gauntlet.
>Nobody who's willing to step up and face Button Mash's insane challenge and kick him out of No Quarter Given.
>Nobody who can take his place and bring back the passion and excitement that had been drained from the arcade community.
>There are no heroes left in man.
>Button Mash begins to clap amidst the boos of the crowd.
>You push yourself off of the pillar you'd been leaning against and head for the door.
>You don't need to hear this.
>You don't need to hear anything anymore.
>You supported your protege.
>She failed.
>You knew she'd fail
>it was an impossible task.
>But despite that, you showed up for her sake.
>Yeah.
>That was why you came.
>Lemon Zest's frown catches your attention as you open the door to the outside.
>You pause for only a moment before stepping outside and starting to head towards home.
>Towards your end.
>You don't have time to care about some silly arcade.
>You have to kill yourself over a girl.
>You stop, standing in the street, wearing a windbreaker zipped all the way up past your lips in the middle of summer.
>You turn around and take a step, knocking on the arcade's window.
>Zest looks up at you.
>You give her the signal.
>She blinks, not understanding for a moment, then her face lights up.
>You see the lights inside the arcade go dark.
>You unzip your windbreaker as you approach the door to the arcade, revealing a red suit jacket underneath.
>You swing the door open, drawing all eyes to your silhouette cast by the setting sun filtering in through the open door.
>The song you'd given Lemon Zest to play fills the arcade: https://youtu.be/HDoDub9Mec4

>The crowd parts for you as you walk forward, staring a hole through Button Mash's head.
>You jump halfway up the steps to the stage and jump again onto the stage itself, walking right up into Button Mash's face.
>Button looks up at you in fear before backing away, nearly tripping over some wiring behind the assorted cabinets.
>You turn to scan the crowd and then motion to Lemon Zest.
>She tosses you the second headset and you turn it on, holding the mouthpiece like a microphone.
"So earlier, when I said to some of you I was only here to watch... That may have been a bit of a lie."
>The crowd cheers and applauds as Button Mash stomps forward, looking furious.
"You're not eligible to compete, you lost at Double or Nothing, I already beat you then and there!"
>The crowd boos furiously, quieting down only as you wave your hands downwards for them to do so.
"I didn't participate in Double or Nothing, I was the administrator. You beat me in a post-tournament exhibition match."
>You step forward, grabbing Button Mash's shirt and staring into his eyes.
"But if you insist that I don't qualify to run your little gauntlet, I can always wait for you outside."
>The crowd reacts quite strongly in favour of that proposal, and Button pales as he learns what it's like to have a crowd baying for his blood.
"Alright, fine. You can run The Gauntlet. You'll fail just like everybody else has."
>You smirk as you turn off your headset and whisper to Button Mash
"No, I won't."
>You release his shirt with a shove and toss the headset across the arcade to Lemon Zest before moving to the first cabinet.
>KO selects Necalli.
>You select Vega.
>Every round is blistering fast.
>Every round KO's Necalli gives you a challenge.
>But you win every single round to go 3-0.
>The crowd cheers.
>You move on to the second cabinet.
>Braeburn selects Erron Black.
>You select Triborg.
>You dissect the outlaw with precision and once again go 3-0.
>The crowd goes wild.

>You walk over to the Nidhogg cabinet and grip the controls.
>You beat Silver Spoon in the Castle and the Clouds, using similar tactics to Rainbow Dash.
>After all, they're the ones you taught her.
>The two of you head underground into the Mines.
>Silver scrunches up her face.
>She's filled with determination.
>But this isn't Undertale, and you aren't a flower.
>You meet her skillful swordplay with your own mastery of cold steel, and paint the underground in her pixelated blood.
>You drop her with a divekick on the final screen.
>The conveyor belt dumps her limp body into a pit like so much garbage.
>You enter the final doorway and leap into the jaws of victory.
>The crowd cheers and Silver Spoon looks on the verge of tears.
>You turn to glare at Button Mash.
"Who's next? Or are you out of henchmen?"
>The lights go out and darkness covers the stage.
>A hushed murmur falls over the crowd as music fills the air: https://youtu.be/14OqJSE1J_w [Embed]
>The lights turn on entirely after a moment, forgoing the spotlit theatrics of the previous rounds.
>They reveal a fourth arcade cabinet on the stage.
>Brawlhalla.
>There is a figure standing next to it, wearing a black cloak, but there is no mystery as to who it is.
>Her hood is down, and her beautiful green eyes are burning a hole straight through you.
>You inhale, walk over to the controls and select Orion.
>Green as always.
>She selects Asuri, in black.
>You aren't sure if the crowd has fallen silent or if you just can't hear them.
>You don't hear anything but the in-game announcer.
>You don't see anything but the screen ahead of you.
>You don't think about what will happen after this fight.
>This is why you came here today.
>It wasn't to support Rainbow Dash.
>It wasn't even to beat Button Mash's Gauntlet.
>It was this round, the penultimate level, that really mattered to you.
>You knew it had to be her waiting here.
>That this is what would happen if you came her.
>You wanted this fight.
>3
>2
>1

>You and Sweetie Belle leap towards eachother, not bothering with weapons.
>Anything and everything either of you pick up becomes a hastily thrown projectile.
>You're each trying to eke out any bit of hit stun that will lead to a combo chain, which will in turn lead to a small advantage.
>It's the game she plays when she's tilted.
>It's the game you came here to play.
>You sense her aggression, and while you appear to be matching it, your spacing always seems to be just out of her reach, you're getting to the bombs and spike balls just before she can react to your throws.
>It's infuriating for her.
>Finally, she's down to one stock, heavily damaged.
>You have two lives left, and you're in the yellow.
>She's offstage, and you pick up a lance...

>You awaken with a start, as though an entire year has passed while you were sleeping.
>You are Anonymous.
>The autistic shut in who thought losing on purpose to the girl he liked would be this big redemption moment.
>It didn't work out that way.
>You stopped going into work at your dream job.
>You stopped taking care of yourself.
>You eat almost exclusively junk food now.
>The only reason you haven't totally ballooned up in weight is that plenty of days you forget to eat anything at all.
>You look to your bedside table and see half of last night's dinner, a bottle of dark spiced rum.
>Guess it's breakfast now.
>You drink deeply, remembering every little detail about the girl you're trying to forget.
>It's been nearly a month since the Gauntlet.
>A month since you made a fool of yourself in front of everybody.
>The only reason you haven't killed yourself yet is that your life isn't worth taking.
>Your miserable lifestyle will do you in soon enough, you're sure.
>You sit in bed, wrapped in a blanket, drinking rum and eating a bowl of soggy cereal in milk watching old cartoons and pro wrestling for hours, trying to distract yourself, trying to be numb.
>It works most days.
>It's not working so well today.
>Today, it hurts.

>You cough after taking a swig of booze and end up spilling some milk on your bed.
>You set the nearly empty bottle down on your bedside table, do your best to soak up the spilled milk with your sock and then set your half-empty cereal bowl aside as well.
>You turn your TV off and crawl into bed.
>You lie there for hours, tracing your arm over the spot next to you, imagining her in that space.
>It's not even a memory, it's a fiction.
>You're sick, and delusional, and you need to move on.
>But you can't.
>She was perfect and you were utterly blind to it.
>Completely and totally unaware of every aspect of the situation until it was too late.
>Now there's no point in going forward.
>Every outcome from here on out is a Bad End.
>You don't get to load an earlier save or restart.
>She's gone.
>Mistakes were made.
>Consequences have occurred.
>You didn't adapt in time, and now you've lost.
>You can curse against reality all you want, but it's the game you're stuck playing.
>You reach over, grab the bottle and down the rest of the burning liquid.
>You drop the empty bottle beside your bed and slowly fade into oblivion.

>You wake up the next morning and force yourself to crawl out of bed.
>You drag yourself into the shower and start the water running.
>After a couple of minutes you switch it from the tap to the showerhead.
>You sit there, letting water rush over you for a few minutes before halfheartedly scrubbing yourself clean.
>You need to be somewhat presentable.
>Today is a very important day.
>Today you have to go outside and pick up groceries and booze.
>Eventually the shower starts to run cold and you're forced to get out and dry yourself off.
>You slowly get dressed, lying on your bed and staring at the ceiling for a while before forcing yourself to stand up and go to the door.
>You slip your shoes on and step outside.
>The sun hurts your eyes.
>You start walking to the grocery store.
>You miss Sweetie Belle.
>You want to die.
>Something has to change.

>You wander aimlessly through the aisles of the grocery store.
>Like a lost soul roaming the valley of the kings.
>You have no purpose here.
>You purchase to consume, you consume to live, you live to suffer.
>You look down at your shopping basket.
>Pizza Pockets and whiskey.
>You've gone up and down the pasta aisle 3 times looking for cookies because you aren't paying attention.
>Why should you pay attention.
>All is lost.
"Anonymous?"
>You hear your name but you don't react.
>After a moment you sluggishly turn around to see Sunset Shimmer staring at you.
"Anonymous, are you alright? Nobody's seen you in weeks. You look terrible."
>Good.
>You feel terrible.
"I'm... sick."
>You wish you were dead.
"Uh...huh..."
>Sunset looks at your basket, then back up to you.
>She steps forward, taking the booze from your basket and setting it on a nearby shelf.
>She grabs some quick to make pasta from the same shelf, drops it into your bag and slips an arm around your shoulders.
"Come on Anonymous. Let's go pay for this stuff, then we can go to your place and play some video games."
>Fuck you Sunset.
>Why did you have to be here?
>Can't a man just gradually kill himself with alcoholism in peace?
>And now she's going to follow you home?
>And make you dust off your game systems and play?
>After she saw everything that happened?
>Fuck her.
>Fuck you, Sunset.
"Thanks, Sunset."
>She smiles reassuringly.
"Anytime, Anon."