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Report 7162 A
Section 2, Subsection V
Date: **/**/****
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It's been a couple of weeks and way more than a couple of games since Pinkie Pie introduced the Mane Six to the joys of playing the classic real-time strategy title, Age of Empires II. Unanswered questions surround this mysterious game: where did it come from? Who made it? Why is there so much killing?

Never mind all that - Twilight Sparkle and her friends have a game to play!

NOTE: Though I've tried to make the story more about the relationships between the four gamers (no Rarity or Fluttershy, sorry!) than about the game itself, some rudimentary knowledge about Age of Empires II is required if you want to understand what is going on. I wrote this as a short-ish story so I'm not really going to go into technical details much.

=====INFO AFTER BREAK=====
References consulted while writing story:
ZeroEmpires (Commentary on Competitive AoE II matches)
wikiHow (5 Ways to Make Your Economy Boom in Age of Empires II)
Wikipedia (for info on Byzantines, Moon & Vikings)
Luttwak, E. "The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire" (Harvard University Press, USA), 2009 (Byzantine military strategy)

Youtube links:
Prologue - PakAttack95 (Youtube Channel)
Main Menu and Victory Music - mikec1000 Civilization Themes

Cover Image:
Wikipedia
Age of Empires II
Cutie Mark Vectors by Hawk9mm (deviantART page)

Pinkie shows her friend Twilight the joys of Cookie Clicker, who is less than enthusiastic when Pinkie takes over her computer in an attempt to click the most cookies. Twilight is even less enthusiastic when Pinkie brings the world of Cookie Clicker to life. Never mind friendship, the antics of a particular Pink Pony, and her desire to bake digital cookies will change the world of Equestria forever.

Some Ponies just want to watch the world bake.

(If this has been done already, someone give me a heads up. I don't mean to steal someone else's work.

What's this? An entire world inhabited by talking equines? This inner dimensional portal full of bees outta put a stop to that.

A strange alien finds himself in a paradise greater than the home he left behind.

~~~

Note: Basic knowledge of Metroid is helpful, but not required.
Some liberties taken with the Metroid canon. I think.

Finally done with Cloudsdale, Fluttershy decides that the quiet and nature of Ponyville is where she will be happy to live her life. That peace may have to wait however when her pet Angel leads her to an injured stranger and a shocking discovery.

I need a better picture...

Ten years ago, the Bearers of the Elements were preparing for the Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot. Ten years ago, a guard disrupted the ceremony. Ten years ago, Ponyville vanished in a flash of purple light.

One week later, Ponyville was found.

Now approved by Twilight's Library!

Schnitzel hated his lot in life, but carried on every day, knowing tomorrow could always be better, provided Chowder didn't eat all the food again or set the kitchen on fire.

Then he woke up in a magical place after accidentally inhaling too much Pizazz.

(I loved this show, by the way. Also, I know the way he's spelled in the picture is different from how I've spelled it, but come on; his name is based on a real food.)

Something has happened and Twilight finds herself in a strange and dark new world. The Bipeds here have strange magic, advanced technology, and a lot of problems. She needs a few friends, and they just might need her. WORM crossover. Deadpan29 has created some great supplementary material that is canon to the story.

The warrior Samurai Jack is locked in a death battle with his people's mortal enemy, the dark wizard Aku. However, before Jack can vanquish this scourge once and for all, Aku tears the fabric of reality and sends Jack into the void. However, instead of going into the future as Aku had planned, Jack crosses into a different dimension entirely, and ends up in a peaceful world inhabited by strange horse-like creatures.
When the evil Jack had fought to destroy follows him to this new world and threatens the peace of this tranquil society, Jack must once again battle the forces of darkness to end the threat of Aku, and get back to his home, where his own desperate people, and the villainous Aku, await.

Officially on hiatus until the strike of further creative impulse. Apologies!