Tronanon 6

>Still on your light cycle, you close your eyes, and you embrace deresolution.
>... or at least that's what was supposed to happen.
>Instead, you hear the sound of an explosion, and the screech of a derezzed combat program.
>You decide it's about time to open your eyes, and when you do...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLZGbJ5QE8M
>Standing in front of you, facing down the single remaining red bike heading for you, is a single blue program.
>He is crouched down low, and in his hands he holds not one, but two Identity Disks.
>His helmets up, so there's no way to recognize him.
>The final bike is about to reach both of you, and the program runs right at it.
>He leaps into the air and brings his right hand disk down hard, derezzing the pilot.
>Not only this, but in a feat of acrobatics impossible for a normal program, he spins mid air and lands on the light cycle, pulling it to a grinding halt just as it's about to reach you.
>He locks gazes with you, but you still can't tell who he is behind that helmet.
>Before you can ask the intercom in the Arena flares to life, "ILLEGAL COMBATANT IN ARENA, ILLEGAL COMBATANT."
>Twilight's bike pulls up next to the two of you just as the orange soldiers start piling into the arena.
>There are so many of them. There's no way the three of you are making it out of here alive.
>You spot your ID a few feet away and roll up next to it, scooping it up from the ground and attaching it to your back.
>You hear the engines of Twilight and the mystery program behind you, and the three of you start riding towards the crowd of guards at full speed.
>Might as well go down fighting.
>That's always been your intention.
>To never let them take you as a virus.
>The mystery program pulls in front of you, giving you a hard nod as he does so.
>He reaches into the side of his light cycle for something, and he pulls it out and holds it above his head.
>It's some sort of cylinder, white in color, and nothing like you've ever seen on the grid before now.
>As the three of you speed towards the endless amount of guards the object in his hand lights up.
>There is a deep guttural sound, almost like the Grid itself is trying to compensate for something that it's not accustomed to. In fact, that's the only thing it could possibly be.
>Following this sound, there is an invisible shockwave.
>It does not topple you, but you can feel it pulse from the cylinder.
>The guards are frozen in place, and the crowd in the arena starts to panic.
>The three of you blaze through the frozen programs, those you hit shattering as they are derezzed from the impact.
>You can't help but grin like a maniac.
>Whoever this guy is, he just saved you and Twilight.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
>You feel ecstatic, elated even.
>You've never felt like this before, but you're pretty sure it's a good thing.
>The crowd is still going batshit.
>Another voice comes on over the intercom, "ATTENTION PROGRAMS, YOU ARE ENGAGED IN A HOSTILE ACTIVITY AGAINST THE GRID. CEASE AND DESIST, OR FACE DERESOLUTION."
>You ignore it completely, so far these guys hadn't exactly been true to their threats.
>The mystery program pulls something else from his seemingly endless arsenal, what looks like a small gun.
>It is then you notice you've almost made it through the endless crowd of guards, and are nearing the edge of the arena.
>The program fires the weapon, and it discharges a large blue sphere of energy.
>The sphere blazes through the remaining guards in your path, and cuts a hole right in the wall of the arena.
>The three of you drive right through it, landing on the streets below and peeling off just as the alarms in the sector start to blaze in the streets.
>You look behind you to see Twilight, and she smiles at you.
>You smile right back.

----------
>The city guard is slow to wake.
>The three of you ditched the bikes and weaved in and out of alleyways, avoiding checkpoints and guard posts.
>Your mystery helper is leading and Twilight is keeping pace next to you.
>It was easy enough to get away, and you're starting to relax.
>It's as you're all walking into yet another alley that you finally pipe up.
"Who are you?"
>The program freezes and turns to face you both, "Are you sure you want to know?"
>His voice seems to be slightly corrupted, as if his nature has been changed somehow; it has a slight rasp to it and echoes like a guard program's voice.
>Twilight smiles, "You saved us. It would be nice if we knew who you were."
>"I see," he says. With those two words his helmet retracts.
>You are shocked by what you see.
>A narrow and pale face with completely black eyes. There are lines of corrupted data running through his face, and his short hair is stark white.
>Despite all this you still recognize him.
>Anyone would.
"T... Tron?"
>He nods, "I try not to show my face, at least until I can finish reprogramming myself."
"Wait, where have you been all this time? There's a civil war brewing. The city's been divided."
>"One program can only do so much. I've been looking for you Anonymous."
"Whoa whoa whoa. Why are you looking for me? I'm just a virus."
>Tron scoffs and shakes his head, "You really believe that? Those guards that have been chasing you are Trell's guards. He tells the public that you're a virus. The last thing he wants is you running around."
"And why is that?"
>"Hahaha, you really have no idea, do you?" He turns to Twilight and smiles, "You're a User I presume? Not really cut from the same cloth as Flynn, but you'll do."
>Twilight tilts her head, "I'm... not really a user. I don't know how most of this stuff works."
>"That doesn't matter, you're from outside the Grid. I can tell just by looking at you. Tell me User, what do you think of this program?" he asks, pointing to you.
>Twilight looks up at you and smiles, "He's very nice. He's shown me a lot and I would consider him a friend."
>"Very good." Tron turns back to you, "Viruses are not capable of higher cognitive thinking. They don't do friendship. They are base programs used to destroy and corrupt. The only reason you thought you were one is because that's all you've been hearing since your creation."
"My creation? What the hell are you talking about."
>"My... friend... when he absorbed CLU they were both destroyed, correct?"
"So far as I heard."
>Tron nods, "I remember swimming back to shore. It took many cycles."
"What does this have to do with me?"
>"When CLU and Flynn merged they..."
>"PROGRAM, HALT."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4dUiBfMQVU
>Tron whips around faster than you can blink, detaching his disks from his back and tossing one right at the neck of the guard entering the alley.
>Another guard comes running in.
>Twilight picks him up with her magic and slams him into the ground with a dull thud.
>"We have to move!" shouts Tron.
>Another guard comes running, and another.
"Shit, how many mooks does this guy have?!"
>The three of you turn and high-tail it from the alley.
>You spin and toss your disk, cutting off a guard's head and catching it on the rebound.
>Twilight takes your place when you turn to run again, lashing out with her disk and surrounded in an aura of magic.
>You round the corner, but the guards are catching up.
>Taking the chase to the busy street, you weave in and out of traffic, causing minor programs to scream and holler at your reckless behavior.
>There's three on your tail now, and these guys look a lot tougher and faster than the ones you've been dealing with.
>You make it across the street, Twilight and Tron with you the entire way.
"Tron! I think they've got elites after us."
>"Then they want us dead. Keep moving."
>You have no choice but to keep running.
>You've never faced an elite before, and Twilight may be a user, but she's exhausted from the constant fighting.
>Then, an idea strikes. You stop and turn to Twilight, catching her mid stride and kneeling down to her.
"Twilight, get us out of the Grid."
>Her eyes widen, "Bu... but I'm not sure if I can. I would have done it in the arena but I'm just so tired."
>Tron stops running and turns, giving you both a frown, "What's happening?"
"Get out of here, we'll get away and find you again soon, I promise."
>He gives a firm nod and starts sprinting full speed in the opposite direction.
>You turn back to Twilight.
"Twilight, you're a smart girl, you can do this."
>"But..."
"Come on. One more spell."
>She takes a deep breath and nods, "Okay. Alright, I can do this. Hang on, Anon."
>You keep your hands on her shoulders.
>She squints her eyes and her horn starts to flicker.
"PROGRAM, HALT."
>She starts to grit her teeth.
"YOU ARE HEREBY DETAINED FOR DEATH."
>Her horn flashes to life, and the world around you turns white.

>Just as quickly as the Grid vanished, a new world takes its place.
>Twilight's library.
>Twilight is still with you, but you're the only one with a light suit, depowered now.
>You breathe a sigh of relief, "That was a close one."
>"... Anoon."
>Oh boy she doesn't look too hot.
>Her horn flickers one last time, surrounding the small SD card you had emerged from in a faint aura of magic.
>You catch her as she faints.
>Still breathing, good.
>She just needs rest.
>Lots and lots of rest.
>You're about to start looking for her bed so you can put her in it, but her door opens, ruining any plans you had.
>In the doorway is another pony, cyan in color with a rainbow mane.
>"Hey Twi I came to get the new..."
>She freezes when she sees you.
>Then she glares and her wings flare up, "Who the hay are you, and what did you do to twilight?!"
>This isn't good.