Alternate Anon Adventures 1 - Pokémon Vapour Part 2

>Day after day, you and Twilight walked from one town to the next. The unicorn had the bright idea of forming a report network in each settlement so that she would be notified any time a bug pony was spotted in the area.
>When you weren't playing, you were helping Twilight draw and fill out a map of the game world. Such a nostalgic feeling.
>Anytime a sighting was reported, a thumbtack was stuck on with a note including the time and date in Equestria and the time in the gameworld.
>Weeks passed.
>A crash from the library in the early hours of one morning awoke you. Rushing to see what the source of the noise was, You found Twilight tangled up in a mess of string.
"What are you doing?" You asked.
>"Triangulating." She replied.
>She explained that there had to be a pattern in the attacks by the Changelings. Logically, they had to have a base somewhere not yet discovered by other players from where they were striking.
>For the next week, you and her rearranged pieces of string into different patterns.
>Every now and then, a majority of them would cross over. Calling in volunteers, you would lead teams to investigate possible Changeling strongholds.

>Each time you raided a point of interest, it only turned out to be an outpost inhabited by on average ten Changelings rather than the virtual fortress you were hoping for, if not that then one that had recently been abandoned.
>After the seventeenth attack, all it felt like you were doing was running in circles. Everytime you flushed out one insurgent group, another two popped up elsewhere in its place.
"We can't keep this up." You tell Twilight over dinner.
>"We have to." She replied tiredly, "If we don't, they're going to spoil the game for everyp0ny."
"I know. I haven't forgotten about what that one griefer did to Spike."
>Twilight looked at you confused, "A what?"
"A griefer. They make their job to cause trouble for other players."
>"Why?"
You shrug, "For fun, no other reason."

>After explaining why someone would purposely ruin the spirit of a game for shits and giggles, Twilight told you why that didn't make any sense to her.
>"The Changelings need to feed on other p0nies' emotions. Doing this would be counter-productive for them."
>You sigh as one does when a discovering a close relative doesn't believe that humans didn't go to the Moon.
"Tell me Twilight, how do you feel about this whole situation?"
>"I don't know. Annoyed, frustrated, exasperated."
"Right. What about when Spike came running for us when he had his Dratini stolen from him?"
>She narrowed her eyes, "Angry, very angry."
"Full of rage right?"
>She nodded.
"Trust me, that feeling runs stronger than any other. If these Changelings want us angry, then we're doing exactly what they want us to."
>"Well if we're providing the emotions they want through the game's network, how do we stop them?"
>You thought deeply for a minute.
>"The only winning move is..." You answered in your best computer-synthesised voice.

>The next day, you asked Twilight to write a letter to Celestia to request an audience with her.
>The reply came back in three minutes, saying your request was warmly accepted.
>It took you and the unicorn an hour to get to Canterlot. As you walked through the metropolis to the castle, you noticed almost every p0ny with their own Game Boy playing Pokémon Vapour. You hoped they had all gotten their fill of the game. What you were about to do was going to send shockwaves through the community.
>Ushered into the throne room, you were treated to the sight of the most powerful being you knew of having trouble with something. To no-one's great surprise, she gently placed her pearl whith Game Boy onto a pedastal next to her throne before descending down to met you and her star pupil.
>"Twilight Sparkle, how good it is to see you." She said as she embraced the unicorn, "And of course our dear guest, how are you Anonymous?"
>She gave you one of her patented majestic hugs that left you feeling all warm and cozy inside.
"Eh, can't complain." You under-exaggerate.
>"I have to say, this is an unexpected visit." The alicorn stated, "Twilight said you had something urgent to discuss with me."
"I do your majesty and I'm afraid it's nothing good."

>You spent the next quarter of an hour going over your theory with the Princess. Her perma-smile disappeared when you revealed what it was you wanted to do.
>"You're asking for everyp0ny to stop playing this wonderful game?"
"Yes your Highness. It's the only way to halt the damage these Changelings are causing." You stated matter-of-factly.
>"But even if I ask everyp0ny to stop, that's no guarantee that they will."
"Then I'm afraid you might have to ask everyone to turn in their Game Boys. A fire needs heat, fuel and oxygen to burn. Take one a way and the fire dies. If the Changelings need emotions to survive, cutting them off from the rest of you will sort the whole bunch out in no time."
>"I feel it prudent to point out that other beings who aren't p0nies play this... Pokémon game as well."
"True, but all of you make up the vast majority. The remainder won't be enough to sustain the Changeling horde."
>"But that may drive them to seek out other sources!" She said with concern.
"Or it may force them to negotiate with us in some way. When you're starving you'll do anything for food."
>"There's no guarantee that will work."
"Well we can't just sit around and do nothing. We're talking about the wellbeing of every p0ny in Equestria, not to mention all the non-p0nies as well."
>Celestia trotted over to a window overlooking Canterlot.
>"Princess?" Twilight called out.
>The alicorn turned back to face you.
>"Tell me what I need to do." She asked.