Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and Studio DHX. Manhunt and Grand Theft Auto are owned by Rockstar Games. I don't own either yadda yadda yadda, let's just get this story started
Princess' Hall, Canterlot
2231 Hours
Sleep. That's all Celestia's mind could respond with. She sat irritably on her throne staring at her typical comically large stack of paperwork, trying to place her signature for a law concerning the funding of a shelter for homeless ponies. Yet even after going through many nights on empty to address pressing matters concerning her kingdom, she could not find the strength tonight.
Feeling her eyelids demand to leave this for another time and sensing the gravity of her head shift as she nodded off, she placed in a quick spell to stimulate her nerves and hold herself upright.
She signed her approval as she had done endless times before, declaring a small victory over the exhausting demands of her duty as ruler. When she realized that about thrity five other papers needed filling out, Celestia gave out a prolonged grunt of annoyance and dropped her head on her chair with a muffled thud, resting herself right there so that she could address the bills later when her time came to raise the sun.
Just as consciousness was about to slip, the massive door to the throne opened quietly to find a shadow approaching the princess. Celestia opened her eyes once more to face the intruder. "Who goes there?", she proclaimed with authority. The figure simply replied nonchalantly: "Who do you think?", stepping out of the darkness to reveal her beloved sister, Luna.
Celestia cracked a smile towards the princess of the night who looked confused as to why her big sister was still working at this hour.
Luna casually walked to approach her sister. "I need to talk to you, dear sister, about this... project proposed by your military advisers. It concerns me a great deal that we are returning to a world we barely understand. Do we really want to risk the elements of Harmony for this? If we lose even one, the balance of Equestria could be severely upset, putting our subjects in danger."
The sun princess absorbed her sister's opinions and quietly contemplated the idea that had been proposed to both of them. Ever since the changeling attack on Canterlot during Cadence's wedding, Equestria's military brass became rather insecure over the whole ordeal and rushed to innovate national defense while pleading for more funding, as per typical of any bureaucracy. She had authorized a top secret project that should keep them occupied while she handled defense directly: a portal to explore the human world, as wasteful as it sounded.
Little to her knowledge, plans to such device were preserved within a top secret laboratory not too far from Canterlot for several years now. After some testing, the team came to the conclusion that an experienced team of ponies would be needed in order to adequately explore what's on the other side. Despite the fact that neither Princess had much knowledge about the human world, she decided that even her star pupil, Twilight, would not be sent alone again. This time, they would all go, including herself.
Luna did not like this one bit, but silently admitted to Celestia that she was also curious to what exactly lied ahead, what kind of advancements they could take home to benefit their kingdom. As Celestia abandoned her workload to get some rest for tomorrow's adventures, Luna still looked at her with doubt. "I hope you know what you're doing, sister", she spoke with silk to a tired ruler.
Celestia only responded with: "I hope so too" in-between yawns of blatant exhaustion. She headed to her bedchamber and crashed, finally allowing herself to acquire some much deserved rest.
...
Portland Beach, Liberty City
October 1997
One Year Ago
Salvatore Leone enjoyed coffee outside of his mansion looking over the beach on one side and sitting above the territory of the Leone Mafia on the other. He took a breath of the sweet ocean air (sweet for Liberty City standards, considering how the water was often polluted) as he closed his eyes as he absorbed the smells of the seagulls directly conflicting with the typical traffic noise of a Sunday morning at Saint Mark's. The ringing of his cell phone cut the moment like a meat cleaver, causing Salvatore to curse in frustration. After struggling to figure out how this thing works, he answered the phone to find one of his men on the other side.
Itching his mustache, the Don spoke in clear, annoyed voice: "Yeah, what do ya want?" The henchman responded in an almost monotone voice: "There's some guy who wants to see you. A filmmaker, by the looks of it. He said he has an appointment with you. Shall I throw him out?" Salvatore chuckled to himself for he knew who it was: Lionel Starkweather, a famed filmmaker from Vinewood now disgraced and looking for a job. "It's all right, let him in" the mafia boss spoke softly.
After finishing the rest of his coffee, a black Sentinel that was the signature four-door sedan for the family in its operations drove near the walkway. A fat man with messy brown hair, sunglasses, and a Hawaiian shirt stepped out of the backseat and limped his way up the concrete ramp to the mansion.
Leone greeted the broken soul as if he were an old friend: "Mister Starkweather, you're just in time. Meet me at my office to discuss your proposal." They entered the mansion with an automatic piano one typically sees in malls playing some piece typical of rich Italian bastards. Starkweather entered the office as Salvatore closed the door while two men with shotguns waited on each side of the door.
Salvatore sat at his desk ready to hear this former big-shot's plan to make him rich, as the guy said over the phone all the way from Las Venturas. "All right, what's your big plan?" Starkweather took a deep breath and begun: "Okay, so I'm essentially no longer able to make films in Vinewood due to a... scandal, as you probably know. However, that doesn't mean I have to do movies for the mainstream audience. You might know that the Diablos often sell questionable entertainment in this city's red light district, but I want to do something that has much more appeal than donkey porn."
Salvatore nodded, impressed at the amount of homework this guy did. The director continued: "What is the main reasons people go to see action movies? To see carnage. To see people get shot. Why do morons flock to see horror flicks? To watch some idiot teenagers bone each other than get their heads chopped off. For these people, it is a catharsis. They desire to see others suffer. Being the most powerful nation in the free world can do that to you, apparently."
"No kidding." Salvatore acknowledged "So were you thinking of some cheap-ass Spaghetti Western or cheesy action flick that people will later use the Internet to make fun of?"
"There is a massive crowd willing to pay big bucks to see someone die on camera. For them, it is Nirvana. Heck, some of them even get off to it, if you can picture that. What I am proposing is that we take the worst of Liberty City's scum, have them kill each other, and get all of the action on tape. Then, I would oversee making it into a video that we can sell to the black market. This is a real opportunity, Don Salvatore, for you to be a serious contender in this town once more."
As Starkweather took a breath after giving his speech, Salvatore paused with one eyebrow raised as he contemplated what he just heard.
Then he generated his response. "I know very well who you are. My son loves your movies for some reason. You seemed like a pleasant guy over the phone. But you must think that my mother, God bless her soul, fucked an idiot instead of my dad. I've got enough trouble as it is without putting my public image at risk for something this crazy. I'm Don Fucking Salvatore Leone, I cater to drug addicts and lonely basement dwellers, not some sick fucks who actually want to see people get castrated. It's my job to want people to be beaten to a bloody pulp with a crowbar, and if you come anywhere near Saint Mark's again, I will personally make sure that's what will happen to you. NOW GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY OFFICE!!!!"
Hanging his head in defeat, Starkweather showed his own way out back to the mafia Sentinel waiting to take him back to his motel.
As the car exited, Salvatore confided to one his underlings "We need some good people back into this family. When is Toni Cipriani coming back?"
"Not for another year, boss. The gods up in Scotland have deemed it so."
"The gods are in Leeds this time around, you fucking moron."
Detention Party
A Crossover of Manhunt and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
By Bendita Locura
Author's Note
Whew. Finally finished that thing. Now I know what some of you might be thinking: why in the blue hell cross MLP with the creations of Rockstar Games, but especially Manhunt, a game infamous for its gruesome executions? The answer is this: because no one else seems to have. The original idea for this was just another short story about two idiot high schoolers who get trapped and eaten by Pinkamena, but that sounded stupid.
The idea for what I'm going for now actually came from when I was looking for images related to Luna Game. The image that acts as this fic's cover art is a screamer image used at the end of Luna Game 0 but with blood added on by someone on Derpibooru. I added the recording camera filter using a mobile app called HorrorCam. The filter I used resembled the video effect used in the first game for all of its execution cutscenes. The rest is history.
And for those who are wondering, I have not actually played the game. But I would like to and I have played three GTA games and Max Payne.
Many have considered Manhunt to be the A Clockwork Orange of video games, and so this might become the A Clockwork Orange of pony fics. It should be exciting.
In case anyone was wondering where all that gore you were promised is, don't worry. I'm only setting things up, it will get ugly.
"As a teenager you are at the last stage in your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you."
-Fran Lebowitz, Author and Actress
Mathers High School, Carcer City
November 12, 1998
0725 Hours
Dawn was now only breaking over the suburbs overlooking the inner city. A calm fog hangs above all visible areas in any direction. Despite the busy economy of Carcer, it was relatively quiet since people had settled back home from the night shifts at various manufacturing plants, though the plants themselves were being prepared for the morning shift to arrive in an hour. A flock of pigeons were scouring the yards and parks for worms while shitting on park benches.
Not that Thomas Schaffer was planning on sitting on them anyway, for he had places to be and a vision to achieve.
He did not share dreams of most middle class white male adolescents: get a job, married, laid, kids, dog, and fence. While he did consider these aspirations positive things for one to pursue, but just that someone else go for it (except the part about getting laid, though he doesn't tell anyone). What he truly wished to do was to be a real estate mogul so that not only could he acquire a piece of the American dream, he could help others do the same. Each day began with an inspiring quote from Avery Carrington with his daily calendar. He paused for a second, taking in the fresh air away from the industrial zone, then advanced towards his school.
Mathers High School had the most economically diverse student body in the entire state of Liberty, with a colorful range of wealthy and middle-class cleanly trimmed children as well as humble offspring of factory workers and generally poorer immigrants and minorities. Yet, they did not seem to mingle much. If anything, they rarely interacted at all, mostly keeping within social groups, though they almost never sparred with each other. For the most part, there are four prominent groups within the school a newcomer to MHS should probably choose one of.
First are the Athletes, which is straightforward. They love sports. Though many try for different games, football seems to be the largest sub-sector, with many players going with the mentality that it is how they will make their bread and butter. They are generally strong, swift, somewhere in between, but always great in bed (at least that what the ladies in two-week relationships say). Those who decide not to take risks in the professional athletics arena often took positions in the factories, did work logging or mining, or, if they were smart enough to take advantage of sensationalist crowds, they will end up selling exercise tapes in Liberty City.
Fashonistas live, breathe, eat, and secretly sleep with the latest trends. They are predominantly female as per societal expectations of gender roles and generally don't work in factories. Sleepovers in Carcer City have the distinct characteristic of involving various young girls drawing new and outrageous designs for flavor-of-the-week celebrities to wear in style or to fall over in. They are often unfairly characterized as delicate flowers that break easy, but they pride in that one event in 1986 when a group of them were kidnapped by members of the CIA posing as Communist spies in order to maintain fear of the crumbling Soviet Union, but managed to break out and expose the Iran-Contra Affair that tarnished Reagan's administration, which gave the nation something to laugh about. As one might guess, they usually get into the fashion industry, but some have entered child protective services because of their gentle nature towards children and ability to manipulate perverts. Some have even acted in plays or movies, but others end up serving burgers to drunk rednecks looking to blow shit up. Another thing to notice is that fashonistas have a soft spot for male heartthrobs (and its not just the women).
Geeks are constantly going to the ends of the earth (but mostly to the edge of the state) to search for the latest technological innovations, which in the 1990's, was being churned out in the midst of the dot com boom. Oddly enough, some were taking advantage of this economic trend with one even planning to build a social network where people can stalk each other, parade injured animals and deformed children for attention, and argue over the latest sci-fi flicks such as The Mainframe. Many of them can be found hiding within basements, playing Grottos and Gremlins while listening to the Electron Zone. They believe they are riding a technology revolution, and they seem to be right so far. They usually can be found in internet cafes chatting with the guy they sit across from, but they are promising to develop a cure for AIDS.
Mathers High School was quite a melting pot for America's youth to travel to find their purpose in life, which is why Thomas Schaffer, given a second chance by being adopted by Carcer City's most prominent police chief, Gary Schaffer, walked with confidence while walking towards his first class as the sun rose with an orange glow.
...
Top Secret Facility, 25 miles West of Canterlot
1828 Hours
Twilight Sparkle led her friends to the spot Celestia specified in the letter Spike burped out in the middle of the night (it's a miracle his bed survived). She stood in what seemed to be in the middle of the woods west of Canterlot with a confused look on her face while Applejack checked all around them for something off. The setting sun held over the mountain holding Equestria's capital city and shone through the woods behind the six ponies. The group, looking confused, kept their eyes peeled. Rainbow Dash could hardly take the waiting: "So what exactly are we doing here? Does the Princess always have us going into some secret plan?"
With some bizarre timing, two stallions in black suits, sunglasses, and earpieces emerged from the woods to approach the mares. They stood in front of Twilight and nodded to each other. The one with the blonde mane raised his left hoof to his earpiece and it started beeping while red, green, and blue lights cycled through the device. Twilight noticed flashing numbers on the sunglasses of the other supposed guard. Everypony remained relatively silent, and Twilight's friends simply savored the beauty of untouched wilderness.
The blonde guard broke the silence by declaring that they were now free to pass.
"Where are we going exactly?" Twilight inquired.
A door behind the two guards became transparent and opened to reveal the lobby to some kind of research facility. Concrete walls were decorated with paintings of the princesses fighting Discord, various battles throughout Equestria's history, and three official portraits of Celestia, Luna, and Twilight surrounding the Equestrian flag, which they recognized as the same one from the Hearth's Warming Eve play they were involved in some time ago.
A older stallion with a general's uniform and a graying mane rose from his chair to greet his new visitors, shaking each one of their hooves. "It is certainly lovely to meet you and your famed friends, your Majesty. I am Burning Bush, and I am the head of the military research conducted in this facility."
"The pleasure's all ours" Twilight responded as she cued her curious friends to follow the general through the building. It was surprisingly large, with various weapons and spells being tested and observed by scientist unicorns constantly taking notes. Two unicorns wearing body armor were firing an anti-air cannon at staged targets, with red balls of electricity reaching targets at breakneck speed creating a web of colorful currents arcing around like a disjointed nerve center. Experimental stun guns built for riot police were being tested on volunteers among those working there, and it seemed good fun was had by all.
Burning Bush turned to the purple alicorn and smiled, "This, Princess Twilight, is where progress in our society is made. We are history's actors." She could clearly see that he was proud of the work being conducted within this secret base.
"But does it all have to be for the military as opposed to, say, making lives of other ponies better, Mister Burnin' Bush?" Applejack's question came seemingly out of nowhere.
Burning Bush just chuckled. "Don't you worry there, little lady. We'll get around to it. We don't just build weapons, ya know."
Seemingly in sync with his comment, a door opened revealing some mysterious device being supplied power through various cords placed all over. Engineer Ponies seemed to be running around making sure everything was in shape for whatever they were working on, staring at various lights and meters to make sure whatever experiment they were working on did so according to plan. Within Twilight's peripheral vision was Princess Celestia and Luna walking in to presumably inspect the room.
"Greetings, yer Majesties. Everything is just about ready to begin." Burning Bush proudly trumpeted.
"Oh, my... what exactly is about to begin?" Fluttershy whimpered.
Burning Bush raised an eyebrow "Y'all never told them?"
Celestia nodded to the general and turned to explain: "You all remember the incident with Sunset Shimmer and the portal to the human world in the Crystal Empire currently closed. The engineers have built a working portal to said world that does not require the assistance of the moon, but can be entered any time as long as adequate power is supplied. Early reports suggest an experienced team would be required to properly explore this world, since it is rarely tread by our kind and therefore we know little about it. You six have shown great courage and Twilight is the only one who has ever set foot in the human world, making you ideal candidates. However, we are not willing to take any chances with this operation, so Luna and I are going with you. Any questions?"
The Elements of Harmony simply stood dumbfounded, with Rainbow Dash and Rarity holding their jaws open in surprise. Twilight took a deep breath and spoke clearly "I understand the reasoning behind this endeavor you have called us upon, and I believe that my friends and I should be able to complete this task without problems. But I must ask... ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND WHEN YOU SPEAK OF ALL OF US GOING IN THERE RELYING ON A MACHINE THAT COULD GIVE OUT ON US?! If all of us go and something bad happens, who's going to run the country. I'm sorry, Celestia. I just don't think its a good idea for either of you to go."
The sun princess sighed and knelt to get on the same level as her student. "I know very well that this is a risky decision, but its one I have to go forward with because even though you are now a princess and have come so far, there is still much for you to learn. You and your friends would be much safer going with us. Besides, if I wish to understand this world for the betterment of Equestria, I have to go myself to know for sure. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
Burning Bush reported with optimism "Princesses, this might be the best time to get going today. We have enough power for five hours, but for this first visit, I'd recommend staying for only one hour and staying close to the exit."
Luna responded for all of them, "Excellent work, General. Let us know when we can begin."
Some time passed as the portal charged up with the constant flashing of lights and a loud humming noise spreading from both the device itself and the generators powering it. As the meters inched closer to 100%, a colorful vortex started to form within the ring structure of the device. A group of unicorns similar to the guards from earlier came into the room to place earpieces on each of them in order to keep communications with the engineers in Equestria. While the Princesses were able to have them secure and comfortable with no problems, the rest of the ponies needed help with theirs.
At long last, the power levels reached what they needed to be and the portal was activated. A blinding, yet heavenly light burst through the constantly cycled air of the facility, inviting them all closer.
Twilight was the first to step forward and go in, considering how it wasn't her first time. She looked back at her friends and mentor, calmly smiled, and stepped inside, leaving a trail of lightning crackling around where she once was.
Carcer City Limits
November 12, 1998
1950 Hours
When Twilight Sparkle emerged to the other side, the first two things she noticed is that she was somewhere in a forest and she did not turn into her human form this time. The colors of this world were not as bright as she experienced when pursuing Sunset Shimmer. She took her first steps forward in this place, cracking the fallen leaves with her hooves as she examined this forest.
The trees slightly swayed with the fall air, though most of them were not giving up their leaves quite yet. Birds trafficked by looking for the next objective to their survival while various other creatures scurried around in their daily commutes. The November sun was only peeking above the mountainous area that surrounded what seemed to Twilight a much larger city than the town housing Canterlot High. She stopped near a rock to notice a road running along the edge of the forest, with a guardrail defending vehicles from what seemed like a steep drop into the city. Surprisingly, there didn't seem to be much traffic, but Twilight assumed that was because it was getting late and that the roads were not that well maintained. She turned back to find that the portal was fluctuating again and more of her friends started to arrive.
Rarity was the first, and she was a bit disappointed that there wasn't much beyond animals. "Twilight, darling. Are you sure we're in the right place? As much as I try to appreciate nature, I wasn't particularly interested in messing up my mane."
"Well, there is a city not to far up north, so we might be close."
Applejack laughed as she met up with them: "Ah don't know. This place seems pretty similar to our world considering all the critters I've seen. Though the air seems to be kinda funny. Somepony must be a really bad cook because somethin's burnin'."
Fluttershy squeaked by to meet up with the rest of them: "I kind of like this. It's very peaceful in this forest and there seem to be a lot of animals to get to know. But you are right, Applejack. We will have to address the smell."
"OOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!!! I'd like to help them bake so they don't burn everything, that sounds so nervousciting!" Pinkie Pie leaped in excitement of interacting with these new creatures.
Twilight cautioned the pink baking expert: "Let's just make sure that these humans are open to that kind of thing, first."
"Oh, I'm sure they will. From what you said Twilight, they seem really nice once you get to know them." Fluttershy recalled.
The alicorn smiled awkwardly "I did, didn't I?"
Rainbow Dash rushed in on the conversation: "Well, let's just see if their best athletes can keep up with me. They might be as good at sports as you say, Twilight, but I want to know for myself."
"You might beat them in a race, Rainbow, but hoof wrestling is a whole other story." Twilight smirked as she playfully mocked her friend's overconfidence.
They all giggled at her remark as the two princess arrived to survey this new world. Celestia knelt behind a rock next to Twilight in order to observe the fruits of the relatively wasteful project she authorized just to shut her brass up.
"The human world seems very different from what I knew about it and from what you described."
"That's just it, Princess, this isn't what I visited when I stepped through that mirror in the Crystal Empire. It's not as colorful or inviting as Canterlot High and Fluttershy is definitely right about the air."
"To be honest, Twilight, as much as I wish to be optimistic of approaching humans peacefully, as princesses, we must be prepared for the possibility that the air quality will be the least of our problems."
"That's what has me worried."
"Prepared, not worried, Twilight. The many years I've served Equestria have taught me all too clear the difference between the two."
They both looked back at the others who seemed to be interacting with and studying the forest. Fluttershy was attempting to talk to the local birds, though it was anypony's guess on how successful she would be in doing so. "They seem really nervous" she reported to Luna.
"I suppose that is to be expected, considering how our kind is rarely seen around these lands."
Rainbow Dash placed her hoof over the yellow pegasus and reassured her friend from Cloudsdale: "I wouldn't worry about. They'll know we won't mean them any harm."
"I'm not sure if that's the reason they seem so nervous."
Applejack twisted her head to the right and whispered to Luna: "Yer Majesty, Ah think we might have our chance to make our first impression."
Luna turned to notice a single bipedal figure walking near the edge of the road along the guardrail and signaled to the others that it was coming their way.
"Everypony get down!" Twilight ordered, "We should first observe their natural behavior before making contact."
All eight ponies hid themselves behind various trees and bushes spread out alongside of the broken road circling the city as a young teenager was enjoying a walk, humming to some tune nopony recognized. He then broke into singing: "Come on, Come on, let's take this train. We're moving out of here, but we'll soon be back again."
Rainbow Dash noticed Fluttershy seemed excited that her assumption would be proven correct, but was distracted by some awful smell that she could not pinpoint. Twilight raised her head slightly and noticed the boy had some kind of earplug attached to both of his ears which connected to a device the alicorn deduced played music. This is so exciting, I can't imagine the applications in Equestria, she thought.
Rainbow Dash was still trying to trace the odor that so bothered her. It made her think of Applejack's dog, Winona, during those times she refused to take a bath. This, however, was different.
Twilight decided that she would be the first to approach since it would be easier for her to assure him that they wouldn't hurt him and that he wasn't dreaming. But before she could even say a word, a figure leaped out of the bushes towards the oblivious teenager, giving an apelike howl as he charged. The boy fought to defend himself, dropping his music player and putting up a fighting stance. But the similarly aged figure (at least, from what Twilight could observe of his features) pulled out a glass shard and repeatedly stabbed him with it. It kneed him in the face and then pushed him over the guardrail down the cliff leading to the city before jumping down himself after beating his chest repeatedly while howling.
All eight ponies stood near the edge of the woods wide eyed and horrified of what they saw. Fluttershy was on the edge of crying, if not for Rainbow Dash being there. Twilight looked nervously to Celestia to see what she thought.
"And I thought I saw everything in my life." the wise alicorn only sighed and held her head down in memory for this seemingly nice human.
Rarity seemed to be no mood for experiencing murder: "I'd like to go home now, thank you very much."
"Rar's onto something, How can we trust that the same thing won't happen to us if we show our faces?" Applejack concurred.
"I don't like this at all. IdontlikethisatallIdontlikethisatallIdontlikethisatall..." Pinkie rambled while curled into a ball and rocking herself in fear.
Fluttershy whimpered while holding back tears: "I'm not sure what to make of this. They can't all be like this, can they?"
Rainbow Dash protested the other's assumptions: "Come on, girls. Are we really supposed to assume that all humans are like this? Besides, are we really that perfect? Of course not. I'd say give them a chance. We haven't even talked to them yet."
Luna whispered to her sister: "We have fifty minutes left. Besides, this is only a trial run of the device. I'd recommend we continue examining the flora and fauna and collecting samples for the scientists to examine."
"That's probably for the best. We've seen plenty enough for today."
"Shall I inform them of your decision?"
The normally confident alicorn princess only gave a weak yes as one tear formed, flowing freely onto the ground.
...
Mathers High School, Carcer City
November 13, 1998
1945 Hours
After stepping out of his adopted father's police cruiser, Thomas Schaffer headed across the street to reach the edge of the campus. By this time, the sun was already in the final stages of setting, with the stars emerging out of their slumber. The trees were swaying and bending to the will of the cold fall air, while using their leaves to guide Thomas towards his destination: the homecoming dance. It would officially start in fifteen minutes, but he wanted to meet up with his group who he told to meet him five minutes ago. He tried his best to run but was forced to fight his tuxedo, slowing him to a jog. As he progressed towards the back of the school where the entrance to the dance was designated, the groove of 80's disco rang like church bells, getting louder and louder with each constrained step Tom took.
Staying aware of his surroundings, Thomas noticed three black limousines parked against the the white portables outside the student parking lot. Considering how there were groups of gossiping Fashionistas with rich dads in his neighborhood, this was hardly surprising. As he got closer to the extending line to enter, a blonde girl was conversing with a dark-haired freshman and Thomas' best friend, turning to wave at their approaching comrade. Thomas pranced his way to confirm that he was going to this dance with them (trying his best not to trip, of course). The dark-haired freshman named Tyra gave him a big hug: "Tom!!! Why are you dressed so fancy?!"
""Why not? After all, aren't we always trying to make a good impression for potential employers?"
"I don't know, Tom. It just seems like a bit much. I mean, I know many politicians in Vice City are calling for a reversal on child labor laws, but should we just assume they are right and that they will win?"
Thomas' best friend, a thin, blonde Junior named Daniel Jason, chimed in: "Wasn't it Alex Shrub who introduced that in '86?"
"I think it was, Jason. But someone else took it up after the puritan vote in Florida kicked Shrub out because he wasn't loyal enough or something. Say, Aliyah? You traveled to Vice City last year. Did you hear about how that campaign is going?"
The petite blonde in a purple dress returned from zoning out to answer: "I don't know. I didn't pay attention to the politics. I was far too busy partying at the Malibu and the Pole Position clubs. I gotta tell you, Vice City has a very unique flour that they use, only its better if you don't use it to cook but eat it straight. It's quite a rush of flavor!!!" Her eyes widened as she stared at the three of them.
Thomas cleared his throat and the group remained silent as they inched through the line to enter. Various students of the four groups were conversing, dancing, and drinking inside. After paying for the four of them, Thomas entered the lunchroom that had been converted into a dance-floor with lights, various soft drinks, and Guns N' Roses being played out of speakers spread around the square perimeter of the room. All but three of the lunch tables were folded up to the side to platform various food and drink, with many students actively swarming them. Several were already dancing and/or standing around. But the most prominent were members of most mysterious social group in Mathers High School: The Partakers.
Because even narrators can forget, the Partakers are a bit more difficult to explain than the last three partially because they are often rather secretive and underground. But what the citizens of Carcer City know about them is that they love to be festive, that is, they partake in raves and other sorts of parties. They are arguably the biggest thrill-seekers, even more than the Athletes. Many are known to be involved in Parkour, martial arts, and skydiving. They have various secret spots with the nickname "Parstakes" spread all over various zones of the city where they can meet to do whatever they do. We do know that their parties have on occasion involved illegal narcotics (with rumors that the group had connections with the Colombian Cartel, though this was later dismissed). They are hard to tell since they are not as obvious as Athletes, Fashionistas, or Geeks, thereby fairly hard for the CCPD to catch when they try. Though, to their credit, they are surprisingly tidy.
Thomas sat down to many dinners with Gary telling stories of kids holding raves with precision and then breaking into the shadows before any of the officers could reach the site. Thomas had not seen these things personally, but he hardly gave a rat's ass about any of that because he was slow-dancing with Aliyah to "Witchcraft" by Frank Sinatra. Savoring moments like that tend to make one oblivious to surroundings and Thomas Schaffer was no exception. However, at the last minute, he saw out of his peripheral vision an Athlete named Timothy Tbone, who did not want Aliyah to associate herself with Tom under the guise she should stick with her own kind, but it was really because he wanted her all to himself so that he could indoctrinate her into the Epsilon program. Tim grabbed her by the shoulder, which Tom assumed was to pull her away from him. He turned to confront the egotisitcal fundamentalist.
Tim pulled out a hunting knife and held her near it, causing her to freeze in terror. The jagged blade glistened in the bath of disco lights. Tim's eyes darted around the room in order to defend himself from invisible enemies. Thomas looked for an opening to strike, but could not find any that he could pull off without harming either of them. Tim slowly lowered his hand down the curves of Aliyah's body, then looping back up her dress, all while keeping the knife at her throat. No one moved or made a sound, but remained fixated at the knife edging closer to her throat. At this time, Sinatra's love ballad was the only source of noise present, and the room remained in torturous silence as Aliyah was groped for a few good minutes.
As soon as someone took a step towards calling 911, Tim's arms switched positions immediately, with his left arm now holding her in a chokehold and his right arm digging the knife directly into her vagina, Aliyah only let out a scream of agony as blood dripped from her dress to the floor, aiming pleading eyes at a helpless Tom. Tim removed the knife with a jerk and threw the slowly paling girl to the nearby wall, proceeding to kick her repeatedly in random parts of her slowly body, shouting incoherent slurs in some pent-up rage that Tom suspected was building up over the years. But why now? What compelled him to act like this in front of the entire student body? he thought.
Then he noticed the earpiece hiding on Tim's person, which obviously caused even more questions to attack his brain as if they were the dying voices of thousands. But before he could address even one, more screams erupted to his right. Several Fashionistas were assaulted by Geeks wielding metal pipes, swinging them with a surprisingly injurious force despite being characterized as physically feeble (though, arguably, that could easily be another unfair generalization). Soon the rage spread wildly and the whole scene devolved from a school dance to a bar brawl from hell. Two Athletes grabbed some girl wearing glasses and forced her head against the elaborate punch bowl, shattering the glass. They then proceeded to grind her face against the fragments in order to scratch her face while kneeing her in the stomach. Partakers were fighting off some football players in the bathroom, wrestling and slipping in various pools of blood and urine.
Knowing a lost cause when he sees it , Thomas signaled to Daniel in order to make a break for it. Tyra also was ready to run, but before she could, gunshots shattered the windows of the school provoking her to scream and dodge the incoming bullets. Several Partakers came in wielding pistols and shotguns and began firing mindlessly into the already hysterical crowd. Tom and Daniel fled into the shadows as students either fought back or cowered only to be slain by Athletes wielding pocket knives. Daniel motioned to Tyra, but she was overpowered by two gun-toting students, who pulled her by her hair and opened fire while howling like monkeys defending their territory from rivals. Blood flowed from her various wounds
Daniel urged: "Dude, we have to go now, or we'll be just a bloody statistic on the six o'clock news."
Thomas nodded and followed his friend through the teeming battlefield that had erupted and escalated to unlike anything Tom had ever anticipated. Many lied dead while their killers limped in pain, only being fueled by the opportunity of revenge against those who they've hated for so long. Thomas recognized one girl who stood above the body of her rival in cheerleading, moving the largest glass shard around the wound among many embedded in her corpse. A sophomore, who Thomas saw got rejected by his crush to go to the dance yesterday, kindly borrowed a gun from a Partaker's corpse and pulled the trigger while holding it near his head. He fell on the side of his head towards the normally cheery ASB officer who was far too injured by stab and bullet wounds to move. The poor boy's life flowed slowly like syrup as his eyes flickered in relief and his body quit on him. A shy computer nerd who Tom noticed seemed rather sheltered by his single mother showed very little remorse when he pounced on her, repeatedly punching her in the face with the strength only long-seated hatred could provide for someone of his stature.
Daniel interrupted Tom's thoughts on these poor souls: "Hey, I think I can lock the small gym and that will allow us to properly figure out how we're getting out of this mess."
"Sounds good. Need any help?"
"Just watch my back."
Thomas kept a look out for anyone approaching for a kill, though the fighting seemed to have flushed out of the commons and probably is spreading to the rest of Carcer City's residential zones, where hopefully the police will be able to address it. Out of the corner of his eye, however, he saw movement in the nearby office, with the computer showing all of the feed from security cameras in the school, many of which were filming carnage. He could only make out a stout figure sitting on the dean's chair while two others stood near the door, presumably guarding it.
"Hey, Tom. I think I figured it out. Get in here and help me secure the door."
Just as Tom started to do so, he was spotted by a roaming Partaker carrying a sawed-off shotgun who charged them with some sort of squealing noise while attempting to reload his weapon. Thomas and Daniel struggled to bar up the door as their assailant resorted to using his weapon as a blunt instrument of death when he realized he had no ammunition left.
"Come on! Pull!" Daniel encouraged. They closed the door as Sinatra finished his song to introduce the night's next singer: the screams and wails of both victim and murderer. The Partaker repeatedly banged on the door, screaming to get in. The two friends had their fingers crossed that their hasty fortification job would work. They waited in the dark for a sign that they would be safe. The Partaker's scream was cut off by gunfire that presumably mowed him down. Putting his ear to the door, Thomas could infer that a group had been patrolling the area looking for targets by the clamor of cheers and someone ordering "This way!" The noise gradually got fainter until all was silent.
They both sat on the cold, dirty gym floor in exhaustion as the occasional scream and gunfight raged outside of the room's pitch black embrace. Thomas only sighed and held his head down as he thought back to why any of this happened to begin with. The only real observation he made during these moments that he could link to what was happening were whoever was operating the cameras in the dean's office. Even then, there wasn't a whole lot that could do to piece together why a perfectly normal American high school would devolve into some kind of war zone.
Daniel was the first to speak his mind: "So now what?"
"Simple: We get the hell out."
"That's definitely easier said the done. Besides, where would we go?"
"Considering how I was adopted by the head chief of the Carcer City Police Department, that might be a good start. He probably will know a great deal about what went wrong."
"We'd also probably be protected like any other survivors the CCPD came across. But the question is how do we reach them? Can we be certain they'll look here first?"
"We can rely on the fact they probably will be checking this place for bodies at some point. So unless our barricades fail us, it might be better to stay put."
Daniel sighed: "So what do we do to survive, because it could be a while."
"I don't know about you, Daniel, but I don't think I want to eat for a few good hours." Thomas acknowledged as he held his hand over his mouth. "Say, you don't mind, do you buddy?
Daniel simply replied "Considering this place is already a mess, I don't think it matters."
Tom smiled and walked to the corner to vomit. He later returned and sat across from his best friend in complete silence. Realizing that it was past his scheduled bedtime, he lied his head down on the laminate floor and tried to sleep.
Author's Note
For all the reasons that I joined FimFiction, I have to say that I did not anticipate that one of those would be to have a genuine learning experience of what it means to be a good writer. So far, I've learned three important lessons while on here writing:
It's always important to break up your paragraphs to prevent your story from becoming a giant wall of text. You're not writing an essay, and it is preferable that it doesn't resemble one.
Always be in the right state of mind when writing, because that is when your creativity shines the most.
People who join the sites with the intention of writing and finding good fanfiction are more patient than one might give credit for.
The first I learned when I was trying to submit Detention Party since the moderator was very specific on that. It makes sense for similar reasons why shots in movies only last a few seconds: to keep your reader engaged as opposed to having them sit through long paragraphs (Though I am waiting to see the fanfiction equivalent of Stanley Kubrick. Then again, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense when I think about it.).
The other two I learned happened when writing this chapter.
This was a difficult chapter for me to formulate since the first two were only building up to the real crux of the story: Ponies in Carcer City. I was establishing the character Thomas Schaffer and the world he lived in, which was in the same universe that Grand Theft Auto takes place. Establishing that Carcer was part of that world, which outside city limits, was characterized by over the top violence and dark slapstick, was relatively easy since I was writing during a time where Carcer City was in its heyday, and therefore, more resemble places like Liberty City or San Andreas. I, having played GTA III and Vice City, was familiar with this world and how it was set up. Sadly, I had never been able to play Manhunt, but I knew what it was about, what it was famous for, and why it stands out as a significant moment in the history of the video game industry. I have done and will continue to do research on what makes a game like this tick, so that I can represent it properly.
With that in mind, the second lesson comes from the fact that I was trying to write this chapter during a fairly stressful day with a lot of different stuff going on, which, I will admit, turned out to be a really stupid idea. I was kind of upset that people wouldn't leave me be which put me out of the proper state of mind, which is a really bad time to write. I was also a bit pissed that I faked out people who favorited my story by accidentally publishing the chapter before it was ready, which didn't help.
The third lesson was that I tried to rush something this delicate, considering I knew a lot about one thing (MLP, obviously) and not so much about the other (Manhunt, despite the research I've done) and it turned out to be terrible. Rushing the creative process is never a good idea. Why do you think modern parody movies i.e. Epic Movie and Disaster Movie) are such atrocities? The first two chapters were put out in rapid fashion with people warming up to it. I thought I could do the same with this one but I only pissed people off.
Thus the result of these two sins of writing resulted in something not up to par with my own expectations. In fact, it could be considered downright insulting to either franchise (which was never my intention). I hold myself accountable for those mistakes and sincerely apologize to those who were enjoying my story only to be disappointed.
In order provide only the best quality of storytelling that I can give, I will be posting a new chapter once every week or two. Believe me when I say I want to make the wait worth it. Granted, it will be difficult to cram writing fanfiction into my schedule involving summer homework and it will only get harder as the school year starts again (considering how writing these chapters can take me an entire day), but I want to know that each entry is consistent and high quality.
It has been a privilege to be able to share my love of MLP and the potential of video games to tell great stories with all of you, and I am grateful that people are willing to take time in their day to support an aspiring writer who hopes to one day take these skills and write games that people will hold high.
I know that I'm not perfect, and that I am not above criticism. But I am grateful for the bronies that have been willing to support me and my stories.
With the most sincerity,
Bendita Locura
