My Little Monster Hunters: Hunting is Survivalby Unbound BassChaptersCh.1 As Fate Would Have ItCh.2 Quest PrepCh. 4 Seltas Pt. 2Ch.3 Seltas Pt. 1Ch.1 As Fate Would Have ItChapter 1: As Fate Would Have It The brown stallion opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of a dark red ceiling and the sounds of a bustling hub of...well...he had no idea. Dr. Whooves stood up and was greeted by the sight of three mares that were all in some kind of sleep state. He noticed the bustling ponies all around him. Every single one of them was clad in armor of all sorts and had some kind of weapon on their back. One of the other ponies began to stir. It was the golden one with the green hair that had pink streaks. She sat up on her haunches and rubbed her eyes. "What in the name of Celestia happened last night?" The golden mare said slowly. "Wait where the heck am I?" She noticed the Doctor. "Hello ma'am." The Doctor let out as the mare looked around some more. He noticed they all had some kind of clothing on. It wasn't armor like all of the ponies around them, but it was more some sort of undergarment. "Oh...um...Hi Dr. Whooves. Where are we?" The golden mare asked calmly. The Doctor was taken aback. "How did she know my name?" The Doctor was silent for a moment. He had a revelation when he recognized her. She was one of Derpy's friends. "Miss Bass?" The Doctor questioned. "Yep. That's me!" The mare said loudly. The other two mares began to wake. The Rainbow-haired one was the first to speak. "It's too early Applejack. Stop trying to wake me up." She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. "What...the...buck?!?!" Rainbow Dash looked around some more and noticed a certain pony with purple hair with mint streaks. "STARLIGHT GLIMMER!!! WHAT DID YOU DO!?!?" "Wha-!!!" The mentioned mare could only let out a partial word before she was tackled by the Pegasus. "WHERE IS APPLEJACK!?!?" Rainbow questioned aloud. She was beginning to draw a crowd. "I don't know!!! Get off me!!!" The unicorn yelled as she picked up the cyan mare with her magic. "What did you do?!?!" Rainbow screeched her question again. "I didn't DO anything..." The unicorn took in her surroundings. "where are we?" The Doctor took a turn to speak up. "I have no idea, and it isn't this Starlight Glimmer's fault...it's mine..." The stallion hung his head in shame. "What did you do Doc'?" Bass asked softly. "Let's just say I had a not-so happy accident..." The Doctor looked up at the three mares staring at him. "I do not know where we are or why you all are here. None of you were with me when it happened." A random pony in the crowd spoke up. "You're in the Guild Gathering Hall for Hunters." The crowd began to dissipate. "Hunters?" Rainbow Dash asked aloud. "What do they mean by that?" Starlight continued Dash's question. "Didn't you hear the Doc? We don't know what all this means." Bass said. She was currently surveying the surroundings more closely. She had approached a pony who seemed to be selling goods of all sorts. Around that time a group of four ponies walked in through the large doors to one side of the Gathering Hall. They all looked wounded. One of them had an entire foreleg missing, instead he had a bandage in its place. He seemed to be walking bipedal. The Doctor questioned how this was in his head then decided to test it for himself. He stood up and didn't seem to have trouble balancing. The two mares that were still with him followed suit. "Awesome!!!" Rainbow screeched. "Interesting..." Starlight said looking down and seemingly trying to figure out how this was. Bass came walking back to them, she was also on two hooves, she was carrying a book. "I don't think you're going to like this everypony..." Bass said with a worried expression. "this world is based on some kind of hunting business that sends expeditions into the wild to slay or capture dangerous or important monsters." "Intriguing..." The Doctor said. "That explains the weapons and armor, and the injured hunters over there." "Does that mean we get weapons and armor too!?!?" Rainbow asked practically jumping up and down. "Let's go see..." Starlight said. The group decided to stay together. They were all in the same boat, and it only made sense that they stuck together. The others followed Starlight out the door opposite to the one the injured came through. They were met with a desert city that was bustling with hunters and pony denizens alike. Starlight looked around then pointed to a sign that read... Val Haybar Armory! New Hunters Welcome! "Let's go get some equipment." Starlight said smiling. "Awww yeah!!!" Rainbow yelled. The Pegasus noticed that Starlight seemed different. Rainbow simply thought that maybe the unicorn knew how serious their predicament was. "Why do we need weapons and armor?" The Doctor questioned the unicorn mare. "Well, do you have a way back Doctor?" Starlight looked back at him. The Doc was silent. "That's what I thought. If we are going to live here for an extended period of time we need some way to sustain ourselves. Food isn't going to be free ya' know." "She's right Doc." Bass spoke up. The golden Pegasus had been reading more of the book. "We all have some money to start with I think." The whole group checked their pockets. Sure enough everypony had a bag with some golden coins in it. They continued to walk to the armory. When they entered they all took in the sheer size and amount of weapons and armor that it had inside its wooden walls. The pony behind the wooden counter shouted at them as soon as they walked in. "Welcome to the Val Haybar Armory!!! Fresh Hunters I assume?" The stallion asked. "Yes. Sir how much would it cost to get us the most basic equipment you have?" Starlight asked. "One set of Derring Armor and one starter weapon of choice on the house for every new hunter!!! Anything after that is paid for." "Then can you get us fitted for our equipment?" Starlight asked surprised slightly that something was free in this world. "Yes ma'am I can!!! May I ask each of you what kind of weapon you'd like?" "Ooooo!!!! Can I get that GIGANTIC sword???" Rainbow asked flying in circles. "Yes you can!" The stallion matched her volume exactly. He wrote it down. "May I get that staff there?" The Doc asked a bit more politely. "Yessir." The stallion wrote that down as well. "I'll take that sword there." Bass said. "Sorry ma'am those come in pairs." The stallion said. "Even better!!!" Bass yelled. It was almost as loud as Dash. "I'd like that bow sir." Starlight said lastly. "Of course." The stallion wrote the last one down. "Follow me." The group complied and he took them to the back and pointed each to a set of armor for each of them. "You can put those one while I get your weapons." The stallion trotted off. The group each began putting on their armor. The sets were identical except for which gender they were for and the special holes they had for either wings or a horn. The stallion came back and gave each pony the weapon they had requested. "Happy Hunting!!!" The stallion shouted as they left the armory. The group waved back. They noticed the bustle had died down. Rainbow was first to notice the bounty that was on the board near the Gathering Hall doors. It read... Seltas spotted in the Everfree!!! Hunters needed!!! BEWARE!!! This Seltas is as big as they come be prepared! "I think we have our first mission everypony." Dash said looking back at her new companions. Ch.2 Quest PrepChapter 2: Quest Prep Rainbow put on a cocky smile. The others looked at her with dumbfounded faces. "Rainbow Dash do you even know what a "Seltas" is?" Starlight asked incredulously. "Not a clue!!!" Rainbow said enthusiastically. She was hovering with a ridiculous smile on her face. The Doctor decided to find out what it was as the mares were squabbling over how to beat it. The Doctor found this ridiculous since they didn't know what "it" was. He trotted up to a pony selling basic goods. The unicorn merchant mare looked up at him and gave a greeting. "You wouldn't happen to have any information about the monster that is on that bounty there?" The Doctor asked politely. He watched as the mare turned around and used her magic to move some of the bags and boxes around. She did that for a few seconds and she turned back around with a book in her magical grasp. The cover read... Neopterons Volume 1. "Excuse me...that says Neopteron. That means insect. Surely no insect can be so dangerous." Confusion washed over the Doctor as he remembered the poster. It had said this one was as big as they come. "Do not underestimate a monster. You may be in for a nasty surprise." The mare's voice was low and had a sense of warning to it. "Okay ma'am...I'll take the book. How much do I owe you?" The Doctor was ready to share this newfound information with his companions. "100z." Her answer was short. Something happened that confused the Doctor even further. An interface had popped up directly in front of his face. It had a lot of items listed on it all with different prices. He moved it with a hoof. "Interesting..." The Doctor said slowly to himself as Bass strode up beside him. "You see this thing too?" She gestured to the interface in front of him. "It almost seems like it was meant for a virtual world." "It is fascinating that this happens even though we don't belong here." The Doctor's reply was monotone and short. He was enthralled with seeing all that he could do with the interface. He eventually found the same book that the mare had showed him and gave its name a tap with a hoof. The number at the top right of the interface went down by one hundred. "It is interesting, but you should hurry. I don't want Starlight and Rainbow to start testing those weapons on each other." Bass said worriedly. "Okay, I got the book let's see what we can learn." The Doctor said as he turned and strode back over to the two mares that were currently arguing who the leader of the group was. "I should be leader of the group!!! I'm obviously the most awesome!" Rainbow shouted at the face of the unicorn. "Why don't we just make him the leader?" Starlight said slowly gesturing to the returning Dr. Whooves. "Fine whatever. I'm done talking to you anyways." Rainbow huffed as she turned to the Doctor to see what he had learned. "Wow Rainbow Dash. That may have just been the quietest and least self-indulgent thing you've said all day." Starlight said with a smirk. "Whatever. What did ya' learn Doc?" Rainbow asked with an excited grin. The Doctor flipped open the book as Bass walked over to stand by the other two mares. The Doctor flipped through pages of general information for a bit. "Seltas...Seltas...Seltas...Oh I've found it." The Doctor skimmed it silently for a moment. "It says that a Seltas is a neopteron that uses swift aerial and ground attacks to attack territory invaders." "That's cool and all...,but what's a neo...pteron?" Rainbow asked slowly. "It's an insect dim wit." Starlight said with a straight face. "What!!! I thought we got to hunt monsters not squash tiny bugs!!!" Rainbow yelled up at the sky as she fell to the ground. She had assumed a sitting position. "Miss Rainbow I don't think you'll be disappointed." The Doctor said as he turned the book around to show all three of them a large and detailed drawing of a Seltas. Three jaws dropped in unison. The picture showed the Seltas as a large insect creature with long claw-like arms and a large horn protruding from head/back. Rainbow jumped upward. "Yes!!! We do get to fight monsters here." Rainbow screeched as her previous enthusiasm returned. Starlight chuckled. "I think that drawing may be actual size." Starlight said back to being skeptical. "It says they can be anywhere from...542 cm to 770 cm." The Doctor had his jaw drop as he finished reading the size estimates. "That would mean the one described on the poster there is somewhere near 770 cm." Starlight was leaning against the board that had the bounty on it. "That breaks all the Equestrian laws of Biology. There is no plausible way for an insect to grow to sizes such as the ones you have described." Starlight said with a bored expression. "That's the thing I have been pondering since we arrived. What if we aren't in Equestria anymore? What if we aren't even in the same universe as Equus? This world seems too virtual to be real, yet all the inhabitants of it don't seem to notice. It's almost as if their entire lives are based in this world. Real or Not, these ponies have lives here and we may have to make ones for ourselves here as well." The Doctor took a breather. That had been a rather long-winded explanation of his thoughts. Starlight looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "Okay Mr. Doctor. Lead us to our new lives then." Starlight walked towards the Gathering Hall doors. "Where are you off to so fast Miss SmartyPants?" Rainbow asked childishly. "I don't know about you, but I haven't eaten since we arrived and I'm famished." Starlight said looking back at the rainbow mare. "I could go for some food too." Bass said as she trotted up beside Starlight. Rainbow's stomach let out a growl. "Heheh...I guess you're right." Rainbow said with a blush. "I suppose we should go get some food then?" The Doctor asked the group all at once. The three nodding heads signaled him that they should. They entered the Gathering Hall to find that even this place was seemingly deserted. Everypony must've been trying to beat that Seltas. The group approached a large round red table with four seats around it. The moment they sat down an interface appeared. "Whoa!!!" Rainbow yelped as the list of food items popped up in front of her face. She looked around, but found that it stayed in the center of her field of vision. "Interesting..." Starlight said slowly. She was examining how the interface worked. "I see what you mean now Doctor. No real world can create such an entity." The Doctor and Bass simply flipped through and found two ingredients that they wanted to put together for their dish and picked how they wanted it cooked. The pair finished eating, and as the two stood up they were engulfed in flashes of light. "Health and Defense Up?" Bass asked out loud. "How intriguing...it seems our choice of ingredients gives us a different outcome for some kind of passive effects. The only conclusion I can come to is that this will help us in combat." The Doctor said with a shrug. The Doctor finished his sentence as soon as his other two companions flashed with light. "Yeah!!! That felt awesome!" Rainbow shouted a little loud for Starlight's liking. "Please...just don't do that." Starlight asked with frown. "If we ever get home...I want to get there with at least one eardrum semi-functional." "OKAY!!!" Rainbow shouted as she hovered directly next to her. "Are we going to go?" Bass asked trying hard not to giggle at Starlight's ridiculous expression of anger. "I think we should be on our way now." Doc said with a smile. "Wait." Starlight said quickly. "If we're in a video-game...then what happens if we were to...die?" Starlight finished her question and the faces of everypony present went pale. "What's keeping us alive in combat anyways?" Bass asked trembling slightly at the thought of death. "I've played enough video-games back home to know that most games have a healing system." "I got it!" Doc yelled excitedly, and consequently the stallion earned a glare from Starlight. "The pony that sold me this book had some items that were named "Potion"." "So what?" Rainbow asked as she went to lie down on one of the benches. "Those are most likely healing items." Doc said as he trotted to the door. "Wait here." Bass and Starlight both sat down on the benches to the sides of Rainbow. "Hey Starlight?" Rainbow said slowly. "What? Going to yell in my ear again?" Starlight asked leaning her head on a hoof. "No I-I..." Rainbow stopped. "Well?" Starlight asked toying with an arrow she was holding in her magic. "I wanted to...say sorry about earlier." Rainbow said sitting up and looking straight at Starlight. "Well that's a surprise." Starlight looked at the rainbow Pegasus. "Apology accepted?" Rainbow asked with a nervous smile. "I suppose so..." Starlight pointed the arrow at Dash. "but I have a question for you. Why do you trust me? Have you forgiven me for what I tried to do to you and your friends in the past?" "No, but I am the element of Loyalty and I believe that the situation we are in right now is urgent enough to set aside what has happened between us and try to work together...because if we don't...we may all die here. Nopony will know what happened to us." Rainbow said with a serious expression. "Um....I don't know what happened between you before now, but...I'd like to say that I think it would be best if we put whatever our pasts with each other are behind us for now." Bass said as she looked between the other two mares at the table. "Yeah...Starlight?" Rainbow had a genuine smile on her face as she turned to look at the unicorn. "Okay Rainbow, but this doesn't mean we're friends...just allies." Starlight said as she hovered the arrow back to its quiver. At that same moment the Doctor returned. "I know the items we'll need now." The Doc said with a triumphant smile. Author's Note Thanks for reading!!! I am sincerely sorry for the wait I've had multiple Saturdays of Marching Band events or contests and on Sunday I'm just to exhausted to write. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter will surely be a RODEO. Ch. 4 Seltas Pt. 2Chapter 4: Seltas Pt. 2 The large insect-like creature hovered in place for a few moments. Its large eyes carefully examining its newfound prey. It let out a loud, high-pitched cry before flying swiftly forward. The entire group took a step back. ”No doubt it's predatory...” ”How 'bout we give it a nice greeting? Heheheh....” Rainbow had drawn her large sword. ”Let's do it.” Bass drew her dual blades while she took up a combat stance. Starlight had silently unfolded her bow from its compact form and used her magic to nock an arrow. An arrow that had a sticky, purple substance on the end. ”I think we should be cautious...we have no idea what this creature is capable of.” ”It's a bug...how tough could it be.” Rainbow slowly advanced her sword was obviously weighing her down quite a bit. The Seltas hovered and watched her move closer. Rainbow came within striking distance and her target still hadn't moved. ”Take some of th-!!!” As she swung her weapon the Seltas had swung its front two legs that doubled as claws and caught Rainbow in her side. She felt a large amount of blood come up her throat and felt it come out of her mouth. She heard it splatter on the ground as she rolled away. To her surprise the pain didn't near match what she was seeing. The pain she felt was much more minor. It was more like a sting than anything else. Her health bar however disagreed. It was significantly lower than it was before. One part was completely dark while the rest that was lost was once again red. Rainbow hadn't noticed Bass at her side trying to get her to move while Starlight and the Doctor were trying to fight off the large foe. Her hearing was slowly returning. She hadn't realized how out of it she was after that. ”-me on Rainbow! Get up! We need you to get up and we need you to do it now!” Bass frantically yelled as she was locked in combat with two small reptilian creatures. Rainbow slowly lifted herself up. She felt weak, but as she regained her senses she noticed her companions were all in combat. Each one of them battling either the smaller reptilian creatures or the Seltas. The scene before her gave her new vigor. She realized if she died here she'd be letting her companions down. She was the Element of Loyalty for Celestia's sake! She wouldn't allow a wound from her own ignorance get the best of her. She was Rainbow Dash! She began to glow a bright cyan. As this was happening Starlight and Whooves had taken out the few reptiles that were pestering them, but the larger foe remained practically unscathed. Whooves then noticed that it was stationary in mid-air, but its wings were speeding up. ”It's going to charge!!!” Whooves had just enough time to dodge the swift attack, but Starlight wasn't quick enough. She knew it wouldn't miss...all she could do was brace for impact and her possible demise. Her life flashed before her eyes...she muttered... ”...I'm sorry...” As the Seltas got with in ten feet of her she saw a cyan blue flash. It was followed by a blur and a loud ringing. When she opened her eyes a beat-up, but glowing Rainbow Dash stood in front of her. Her sword was raised up in front of her blocking her entire body. The Seltas hovered dazed in front of them as it had seemingly flown straight into Dash's sword. ”Hey bub...I got a promise...” Dash raised her sword behind her and it began to glow the same cyan color as she was. ”And I know...I'M GONNA KEEP IT!!!!” The sword flashed at a blindingly bright cyan and Rainbow brought it down full force on Seltas' horn. The horn busted into small fragments scattering everywhere around it, but as soon as Rainbow's sword hit the ground her glow disappeared instantly. Soon after her knees buckled and she hit the ground with a "thud". ”RAINBOW!!!” Dash's health bar signified she was alive, but it was very low. Her sword had also suffered visible damage. ”Get Rainbow Dash somewhere safe!” Starlight nocked another arrow, but this time it had a different substance on the end. Bass and the Doctor had moved to carry Rainbow Dash to a different area, Little did they know Starlight wouldn't be right behind them. The Seltas had just recovered from the blow it had taken and was now standing on the ground. It lifted off and shortly after flew somewhere else. The only indication of where it went was its shadow on the ground below it. ”We'll get you soon...be ready...” ”You're right we'll get it, but right now we have bigger problems!” Starlight then remembered the state Rainbow had been in. She turned around and rushed to the next area back towards camp. When she got there Rainbow was on her back her sword next to her. Bass was sitting on the opposite side of her. The Doctor was standing with his back turned to her with his weapon out watching for any threats. As Starlight approached she could hear two things. Rainbow repeating her name softly and Bass cooing gently into her ear. ”Starlight...Starlight...Starlight...” Rainbow droned. ”It's all okay now...she's right here...” Bass cooed gently. If you didn't know her you would think she was a mother. ”Hey Rainbow...” Starlight sat above Rainbow's head and looked down at her with a comforting smile. ”Oh thank Celestia...” Her eyes rolled back in her head and she lost consciousness once more, but she was still breathing. That meant she was at least alive. ”Maybe we should let her rest. There was that large bad back at base camp.” They made the short trek back to the base camp with Starlight levitating Rainbow while Doc and Bass killed a few smaller insect foes on the way there. Before too long they had returned to the camp they had started a mere fifteen minutes ago. ”Let's just set her on the bed. She needs to rest.” Starlight gingerly put her on the bed before using her magic to manipulate the blankets to cover her, but even with the blankets that the bed provided Rainbow still visibly shivered. The three left standing looked at each other. ”Why is she cold? It's not chilly in this area...add in the fact that she has blankets over her...” Starlight asked. Her face showing genuine worry. ”I don't think she's cold...” Bass said plainly. She had an epiphany. She trotted over to the bed and joined Rainbow under the blankets. ”She mentioned something about Applejack when we first arrived. I don't think the temperature is the issue. I think she feels alone...” ”Isn't that a bit weird to be sleeping with her?” ”I won't be sleeping. I'll be awake the whole time. I'm only here so that she feels somepony next to her...” She said shooting him a death glare. ”AND...are you questioning my sexuality and possibly our friend's as well?” ”No...of course not...that's your business...” He was turning red. At that same moment Rainbow rolled over and nuzzled into Bass' chest causing her to turn red as well. ”Speaking of business...shouldn't we get back to hunting our target?” Starlight had a determined expression on her face. ”What...you mean...just us?!?!?” He was obviously against fighting that thing again. They could barely stay alive before. With two hunters now? It seemed impossible. Not that it was anymore possible when Rainbow was out cold and Bass was screaming for her to get up. ”Yes...I do mean just us. Bass needs to stay here to watch over Rainbow and we need to settle the score with that piece of shit.” Starlight's expression stayed the same, but the Doctor was taken aback by the bluntness and the profane language she used. ”Are you sure we even have a chance? I mean Rainbow broke its horn, but that was pure luck paired with whatever she did to herself.” Though as much as he hated to say it...luck had a large part in the survival of the entire team. If Rainbow hadn't been able to do what she did they would most likely all be six feet under. ”I have a plan...” 15 minutes later... Starlight and Doc had found their target...it was sleeping half way up a cliff. They stood quietly below it. ”You know what to do?” She received a nod from the stallion next to her. She took a few steps away from the cliff and nocked an arrow. The arrow had a coating on the arrowhead. It was yellow in color and was freezing to the touch. Doc took his position, his back to the cliff, he then pointed up and to his right. Starlight got his signal and pulled back on the string. She held it for a moment and it flashed purple...then again brighter...and again at its brightest...she released it straight at the sleeping Seltas. As soon as it made contact the Seltas awoke, but as it did its nerves seized up and caused it to fall to the ground. It had bright streaks of yellow flashing around it...signifying that their luck held true and the paralysis coating had kicked in on contact with its body. ”Now!” The Doctor took his cue and slammed one end of his staff into the ground and pressed his button. He was thrown into the air and as he came down he brought his staff down with his full earth pony strength. There was a bright golden flash where the cut hit and was followed by the Seltas rolling over. Doc then lost control of all of his muscles for a short time. Before he knew it he was leaping onto the monster's back and a new bar had appeared on his HUD. He felt the need to pull out the standard issue carving knife given to all new hunters. He pulled it out and started stabbing rapidly. The paralysis had worn off as soon as he had mounted the creature. He wasn't ready for it to start thrashing around like a Pinkie Pie on a pure sugar high at a dance party. He held on for his life and waited for it to calm down. He started stabbing once it slowed its movements and when the lighter color in the bar reached the far right edge of it he was thrown off and the Seltas rolled onto its back once more. ”Good Work! I didn't see that coming. Neither did he!” ”I wonder if that did any good.” He said as he flipped the knife edge out of his staff and proceeded back towards the wounded creature. He started letting out a flurry of attacks with his staff. Starlight was also hitting it with multiple arrows. The Seltas rolled back over quickly as it recovered from its previous confusion, but instead of flying it walked...or more limped...over to the exit to Area 4. It got there and lifted off. It soon after flew to another area. ”Well...that went better than expected. I think we did some considerable damage.” ”I lost control of my muscles...I felt like I had a voice in my head screaming for me to stab that beast...again...and again...and again...” ”Are you okay? You did great. I dare say...better than I could have.” He was still shaking...even after Starlight's praise for his...actions. He felt like he wasn't in control of his own body...as if he was being controlled like a puppet. ”What happened? Did you get it?” Bass asked softly. They assumed she was being careful not to wake Rainbow. ”No. but I think we're close. How's Rainbow doing?” ”She's still out cold, but she's been mumbling the entire time you've been gone.” ”We're going to go finish this thing off so we can get her out of here. You ready Doctor?” Starlight looked back at the stallion behind her. ”I'm ready to finish this when you are...I'm also ready to write down the notes I've been mentally cataloguing this whole time.” Starlight and the Doctor followed the path that the Seltas had taken when it flew away. It was back in Area 4 where they first faced the deadly foe. Starlight nocked an arrow and estimated the distance between her and her target. She guessed at the angle she should raise her bow and released. It flew quickly and landed just a bit short of the intended target, but it still had the desired effect. The Seltas spun around quickly and faced the returning threats. It made a sluggish charge in Starlight's direction, but she had more than enough time to lunge to her right and have it miss by a country mile. She fired a few rapid, weak shots at the Seltas before dodging to her left once more. A few hit the target, but that wasn't the purpose. The true purpose was to distract it. Starlight was now under a natural rock bridge that spanned over the dip in the geography of the area. ”Not so smart are you?” The sound of fast hoofsteps drummed above Starlight before Doc leaped off the bridge's edge and brought his staff down in a similar way to before. The blow knocked it down, but this time he didn't feel the loss of his muscle control to leap onto the creature. He began to slash and club the Seltas with his staff. Starlight meanwhile had been charging up a shot at near point-blank range in front of the Seltas' head. She released. MAIN OBJECTIVE COMPLETED!!! Author's Note Thanks for reading! Action in this one...hope I did good with it. It was a bit different than the fights from FMYH, but I liked how it turned out. This story will go on hiatus as soon as I start the FMYH sequel though, so it may be a while before another one comes out then, but that only starts in December. I hope to get at least two more chapters in for you ponies!!! Bai Bai! Ch.3 Seltas Pt. 1Chapter 3: Seltas Pt. 1 "What do we need then Doc?" Bass asked with newfound enthusiasm. The Doctor looked at all the ponies present. He thought for a few moments before speaking. “Okay...Bass, Dash, and I will need…potions, whetstones, and steaks of some sort.” The Doctor stopped and looked back up at his companions. He noticed they had all shivered at the end. Their diets, including his own, had never really consisted of much meat. “That’s great and all, but why wasn’t I included in that?” Starlight asked feeling a bit left out. The Doctor looked at her. He stared at her for a few seconds. “Well?” Starlight asked with an increasing annoyed tone. “You need all the same things except for the whetstones.” The Doctor stopped once more. “What was it that kind fellow said you needed...hrmmmm… Oh yes! You also need coatings.” Whooves had regained his triumphant expression. “What do i need coatings for?” Starlight asked. The Doctor looked back at her. “You coat your arrows with them. They allow you to cause different status effects like poison or sleep.” He turned to leave once more, but this time he gestured for his companions to follow. Everypony got up and followed him back out into the Val Haybar square. It was still quite desolate. The group continued to follow him until they reached the same merchant mare that he had previously done business with. “Okay we all need to buy our own supplies then we can venture forth.” He was already in the interface and occupied with searching for the items he had listed for them. The rest of the group approached the merchant mare and found out they could shop simultaneously. They all began searching for the items that the Doc had listed. The group found most of them, but ran into issues when it came to finding the steaks. “Hey Doc...where are those steaks you mentioned?” Rainbow asked as she scrolled through the interface for the thousandth time. “We have to cook those in the field, but we should have been to get the rest correct?” Whooves asked with a excited grin, but at the same time the atmosphere around the group was filled with nervous tension. “Well let’s get going...i guess.” Rainbow said slowly. She had turned around and seen a group of four ponies. Two were walking, but the other two weren’t was was on the back of one of the able-bodied hunters. The other, or more like the half-pony, was being dragged by the other walking hunter. “H-how are his e-entrails not falling out?” Starlight asked doing her best not to expel all of the food she had just consumed not long before. The group got their answer soon. The pony no longer had any entrails. His carcass was cleaned out almost entirely. They all had troubles holding down their meals. The group was 75% successful. Bass emptied her meal out behind the equipment box. "Haha wimp!!!" Rainbow teased, but consequently she had looked over and seen Bass' expelled contents. This caused Rainbow to fly to the other her side and expel her own fluids. The stallion and the unicorn looked at each other. "Pegasi...am I right?" Starlight took a turn at the teasing, but the stallion was somehow still studying the gored pony as it was dragged down the street. "Oh...um...yes..." Whooves absentmindedly answered as he shuffled through his bag for a notepad. He began jotting down theories on the first page. "What are you doing?" Starlight asked looking over his shoulder as he wrote. "I'm taking notes on the state that pony was left in. If we're going into the field we may meet whatever caused that massive wound." He explained as he put his notepad away. "I really hope we don't." Bass interjected. "You said it." Rainbow said as she wiped her mouth with a forehoof and hovered over to the rest of the group. "I'm having second-thoughts about going into the field now. If we are in a video-game...and IF we can die here...wouldn't it be safer to just stay in this town?" Starlight asked, her expression was one of intense fear as she looked to each of the three other ponies, but what happened next was completely unexpected. Rainbow had put a hoof on her shoulder. "As long as we're here...together...nopony is dying. I know it may be a scary prospect. I mean the thought of death, but sometimes you have to stare danger and fear in the face. Trust me. No. Trust all of us." She gestured to the stallion and the other pegasus. "The only way to learn about this place is to go out as see it for what it is." Starlight looked up to find Rainbow had a ridiculous grin on her face, but it seemed like a genuine gesture. "I'm with you." Starlight said as she raised her head high. "As long as you're with me...I'm with you." She finished by returning a smile, but something felt...different...this one felt genuine as well. "May we be on our way now?" Whooves asked when he heard the pep talk had stopped. "I'm ready if you are." Rainbow answered. "Starlight?" "Let's go." Starlight put on the best determined expression she could muster, but she still felt the fear eating at her insides. The group reentered the gathering hall and found that there was slightly more ponies there, but the sight wasn't pretty. There were multiple groups of hunters that were sitting together. One or in some cases even all of the ponies in some groups had serious injuries. Some ranging from missing limbs to missing random chunks of flesh. "Wait for a moment will you please?" Whooves requested as he trotted over to one of the groups as he pulled out his notepad. Rainbow facehoofed as she realized that he was going to question ponies after a most likely extremely traumatizing experience. "Oh for Celestia's sake!" Starlight trotted over to him. When she reached him she bit down on his tail and proceeded to drag him back to the group. She used her magic to keep him quiet and as extra precaution if he tried to escape. When she returned to the group she let loose her magical hold on his muzzle and her vice-like bite. "Why would you do that!?!?" The stallion shouted in an obvious angry tone. "I don't think asking somepony who most likely developed post-traumatic stress disorder about what caused them to develop it." She replied with a glare straight at the "Doctor". "Can...can we just go? We're getting a lot of weird looks from some of the other hunters." Bass said as she took a look around the gathering hall. "I wonder what they think of us now." Rainbow added in. At the exact moment Pinkie hopped across the gathering hall. "They're probably thinking that Starlight is like Doc's mom or something. Maybe they think the author is trying to ship them!!! I don't know why she'd do that though. She would probably get a lot of hate for it!" Pinkie finished her random statement and ate a Strawberry Cinnamon Cilantro Cupcake. She jumped up and disappeared. "What?" Bass asked dumbfounded. "Don't question it. Just don't do it." Rainbow said with a frown. "Trust me...I've tried." "Who's the "author" anyways?" She had decided if she couldn't ask about Pinkie she'd ask about something she said. All she got in return were three simple shrugs. "Fine then. We might as well go already." Bass finished. She was obviously unsatisfied with the "answers" she was given. "Hmmm...maybe I should become an author whenever or if ever get back to Equestria." She thought happily. "HEY!!! Stop daydreaming we're leaving!" Rainbow shouted impatiently. "Oh my bad. Coming!!!" She replied as she snapped out of her thoughts. They all walked out the doors on the opposite side of the gathering hall, but everypony's vision turned black as soon as they tried to leave. LOADING... "Woah!!! What the buck just happened!?!?" "I don't know, but anypony else wondering what these are for?" Rainbow made a few gestures in the air in front of her face. "We can't see what you're gesturing to Dash, but if it's an interface that shows a green bar above a yellow one then yes we have them too." "I can see your green bars over here though." Rainbow made more hoof gestures. She hadn't realized that the Doctor had been next to her the entire time. He was busy inspecting his weapon. "Hmm...what does this do?" He pressed a little button he had on the side of the staff. The staff shot out a powerful puff of compressed air, but Doc had forgotten that he had a mare standing next to him. Rainbow was thrown across the encampment they had been dropped into. She smashed into a wagon that was parked on the opposite side of the camp. "Ouch..." Rainbow noticed her green bar had a miniscule portion turn red. "Did that hurt me?" "Oh my...that was...unexpected..." "Hahaha!!!" Bass was rolling in the dirt laughing her flank off at the scene she had just watched unfold before her. Rainbow was not so amused. "Hey...I wonder what mine does..." Rainbow said as she pulled out the oversized sword. "You do experiments right?" Rainbow looked at the poor stallion with an evil grin. "Oh...well I'm terribly sorry about that..." He stumbled over his words, but as he did he also realized what she meant. "No...oh no thank you... I think I know what happens..." He backed away slowly. "Okay fine...I won't totally annihilate with my awesome sword and equally awesome skills." Rainbow chuckled near the end. "Speaking of swords..." Bass piped up. "What's with the little sword thing in the top left of my HUD thing?" She finished her question with a hoof gesture in front of her face. "Who knows...and remember we can't see what exactly you're gesturing to." Rainbow added on the end. She in truth just wanted to get someone for what she had been doing earlier. "I wouldn't know what you meant in the slightest anyways due to my lack of having a sword in my field of vision." "WELL DUH!!! You don't have a sword. You decided to go with the bow and be all fancy." "I wouldn't exactly call what the Doctor has a sword either...it's more like a stick with an air cannon in it." *Hmph* "Hey Doc...do ya think you can make it shoot confetti? You'd have a pretty cool improvised party cannon if you did that." Starlight and Rainbow smiled at each other. Starlight felt...different again. "Maybe we can be friends... No one had noticed that there was an absence of a certain stallion of the group. ”Are you all done poking fun at me yet? I would really like some assistance in finding our target.” ”Doc...where are you?” ”In Area 4 on the map. I can still hear you talking even though I'm quite a distance away...no doubt we aren't in Equestria anymore now.” After coming to terms with the whole "Can hear each other over long distances." thing the rest of the group made their way to Area 4 where the Doc was waiting for them, but as soon as they got there a small tune played and a large shadow was eclipsing a small raised stone in the area. When it came into view there was no mistaking what it was. ”What...” ”The...” ”Buck...” *squee* Author's Note I want to apologize for the long wait. There has been a lot going on and it's just been really hard to get anything done. I can barely finish what I NEED to get done let alone what I WANT to get done. I decided to break this up into two parts. Why? Because I want to plan the fighting in the next chapter once that is taken care of we should be all good. I hope you enjoyed this chapter...boring as it may be...I tried to add a bit of comedy here and there... got a bit meta too. To clear anything up I am a dude IRL. Don't start thinking I'm a girl. Why is my OC a girl? Because reasons. I'm a horrible pony aren't I?
Ch.1 As Fate Would Have ItChapter 1: As Fate Would Have It The brown stallion opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of a dark red ceiling and the sounds of a bustling hub of...well...he had no idea. Dr. Whooves stood up and was greeted by the sight of three mares that were all in some kind of sleep state. He noticed the bustling ponies all around him. Every single one of them was clad in armor of all sorts and had some kind of weapon on their back. One of the other ponies began to stir. It was the golden one with the green hair that had pink streaks. She sat up on her haunches and rubbed her eyes. "What in the name of Celestia happened last night?" The golden mare said slowly. "Wait where the heck am I?" She noticed the Doctor. "Hello ma'am." The Doctor let out as the mare looked around some more. He noticed they all had some kind of clothing on. It wasn't armor like all of the ponies around them, but it was more some sort of undergarment. "Oh...um...Hi Dr. Whooves. Where are we?" The golden mare asked calmly. The Doctor was taken aback. "How did she know my name?" The Doctor was silent for a moment. He had a revelation when he recognized her. She was one of Derpy's friends. "Miss Bass?" The Doctor questioned. "Yep. That's me!" The mare said loudly. The other two mares began to wake. The Rainbow-haired one was the first to speak. "It's too early Applejack. Stop trying to wake me up." She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. "What...the...buck?!?!" Rainbow Dash looked around some more and noticed a certain pony with purple hair with mint streaks. "STARLIGHT GLIMMER!!! WHAT DID YOU DO!?!?" "Wha-!!!" The mentioned mare could only let out a partial word before she was tackled by the Pegasus. "WHERE IS APPLEJACK!?!?" Rainbow questioned aloud. She was beginning to draw a crowd. "I don't know!!! Get off me!!!" The unicorn yelled as she picked up the cyan mare with her magic. "What did you do?!?!" Rainbow screeched her question again. "I didn't DO anything..." The unicorn took in her surroundings. "where are we?" The Doctor took a turn to speak up. "I have no idea, and it isn't this Starlight Glimmer's fault...it's mine..." The stallion hung his head in shame. "What did you do Doc'?" Bass asked softly. "Let's just say I had a not-so happy accident..." The Doctor looked up at the three mares staring at him. "I do not know where we are or why you all are here. None of you were with me when it happened." A random pony in the crowd spoke up. "You're in the Guild Gathering Hall for Hunters." The crowd began to dissipate. "Hunters?" Rainbow Dash asked aloud. "What do they mean by that?" Starlight continued Dash's question. "Didn't you hear the Doc? We don't know what all this means." Bass said. She was currently surveying the surroundings more closely. She had approached a pony who seemed to be selling goods of all sorts. Around that time a group of four ponies walked in through the large doors to one side of the Gathering Hall. They all looked wounded. One of them had an entire foreleg missing, instead he had a bandage in its place. He seemed to be walking bipedal. The Doctor questioned how this was in his head then decided to test it for himself. He stood up and didn't seem to have trouble balancing. The two mares that were still with him followed suit. "Awesome!!!" Rainbow screeched. "Interesting..." Starlight said looking down and seemingly trying to figure out how this was. Bass came walking back to them, she was also on two hooves, she was carrying a book. "I don't think you're going to like this everypony..." Bass said with a worried expression. "this world is based on some kind of hunting business that sends expeditions into the wild to slay or capture dangerous or important monsters." "Intriguing..." The Doctor said. "That explains the weapons and armor, and the injured hunters over there." "Does that mean we get weapons and armor too!?!?" Rainbow asked practically jumping up and down. "Let's go see..." Starlight said. The group decided to stay together. They were all in the same boat, and it only made sense that they stuck together. The others followed Starlight out the door opposite to the one the injured came through. They were met with a desert city that was bustling with hunters and pony denizens alike. Starlight looked around then pointed to a sign that read... Val Haybar Armory! New Hunters Welcome! "Let's go get some equipment." Starlight said smiling. "Awww yeah!!!" Rainbow yelled. The Pegasus noticed that Starlight seemed different. Rainbow simply thought that maybe the unicorn knew how serious their predicament was. "Why do we need weapons and armor?" The Doctor questioned the unicorn mare. "Well, do you have a way back Doctor?" Starlight looked back at him. The Doc was silent. "That's what I thought. If we are going to live here for an extended period of time we need some way to sustain ourselves. Food isn't going to be free ya' know." "She's right Doc." Bass spoke up. The golden Pegasus had been reading more of the book. "We all have some money to start with I think." The whole group checked their pockets. Sure enough everypony had a bag with some golden coins in it. They continued to walk to the armory. When they entered they all took in the sheer size and amount of weapons and armor that it had inside its wooden walls. The pony behind the wooden counter shouted at them as soon as they walked in. "Welcome to the Val Haybar Armory!!! Fresh Hunters I assume?" The stallion asked. "Yes. Sir how much would it cost to get us the most basic equipment you have?" Starlight asked. "One set of Derring Armor and one starter weapon of choice on the house for every new hunter!!! Anything after that is paid for." "Then can you get us fitted for our equipment?" Starlight asked surprised slightly that something was free in this world. "Yes ma'am I can!!! May I ask each of you what kind of weapon you'd like?" "Ooooo!!!! Can I get that GIGANTIC sword???" Rainbow asked flying in circles. "Yes you can!" The stallion matched her volume exactly. He wrote it down. "May I get that staff there?" The Doc asked a bit more politely. "Yessir." The stallion wrote that down as well. "I'll take that sword there." Bass said. "Sorry ma'am those come in pairs." The stallion said. "Even better!!!" Bass yelled. It was almost as loud as Dash. "I'd like that bow sir." Starlight said lastly. "Of course." The stallion wrote the last one down. "Follow me." The group complied and he took them to the back and pointed each to a set of armor for each of them. "You can put those one while I get your weapons." The stallion trotted off. The group each began putting on their armor. The sets were identical except for which gender they were for and the special holes they had for either wings or a horn. The stallion came back and gave each pony the weapon they had requested. "Happy Hunting!!!" The stallion shouted as they left the armory. The group waved back. They noticed the bustle had died down. Rainbow was first to notice the bounty that was on the board near the Gathering Hall doors. It read... Seltas spotted in the Everfree!!! Hunters needed!!! BEWARE!!! This Seltas is as big as they come be prepared! "I think we have our first mission everypony." Dash said looking back at her new companions.
Ch.2 Quest PrepChapter 2: Quest Prep Rainbow put on a cocky smile. The others looked at her with dumbfounded faces. "Rainbow Dash do you even know what a "Seltas" is?" Starlight asked incredulously. "Not a clue!!!" Rainbow said enthusiastically. She was hovering with a ridiculous smile on her face. The Doctor decided to find out what it was as the mares were squabbling over how to beat it. The Doctor found this ridiculous since they didn't know what "it" was. He trotted up to a pony selling basic goods. The unicorn merchant mare looked up at him and gave a greeting. "You wouldn't happen to have any information about the monster that is on that bounty there?" The Doctor asked politely. He watched as the mare turned around and used her magic to move some of the bags and boxes around. She did that for a few seconds and she turned back around with a book in her magical grasp. The cover read... Neopterons Volume 1. "Excuse me...that says Neopteron. That means insect. Surely no insect can be so dangerous." Confusion washed over the Doctor as he remembered the poster. It had said this one was as big as they come. "Do not underestimate a monster. You may be in for a nasty surprise." The mare's voice was low and had a sense of warning to it. "Okay ma'am...I'll take the book. How much do I owe you?" The Doctor was ready to share this newfound information with his companions. "100z." Her answer was short. Something happened that confused the Doctor even further. An interface had popped up directly in front of his face. It had a lot of items listed on it all with different prices. He moved it with a hoof. "Interesting..." The Doctor said slowly to himself as Bass strode up beside him. "You see this thing too?" She gestured to the interface in front of him. "It almost seems like it was meant for a virtual world." "It is fascinating that this happens even though we don't belong here." The Doctor's reply was monotone and short. He was enthralled with seeing all that he could do with the interface. He eventually found the same book that the mare had showed him and gave its name a tap with a hoof. The number at the top right of the interface went down by one hundred. "It is interesting, but you should hurry. I don't want Starlight and Rainbow to start testing those weapons on each other." Bass said worriedly. "Okay, I got the book let's see what we can learn." The Doctor said as he turned and strode back over to the two mares that were currently arguing who the leader of the group was. "I should be leader of the group!!! I'm obviously the most awesome!" Rainbow shouted at the face of the unicorn. "Why don't we just make him the leader?" Starlight said slowly gesturing to the returning Dr. Whooves. "Fine whatever. I'm done talking to you anyways." Rainbow huffed as she turned to the Doctor to see what he had learned. "Wow Rainbow Dash. That may have just been the quietest and least self-indulgent thing you've said all day." Starlight said with a smirk. "Whatever. What did ya' learn Doc?" Rainbow asked with an excited grin. The Doctor flipped open the book as Bass walked over to stand by the other two mares. The Doctor flipped through pages of general information for a bit. "Seltas...Seltas...Seltas...Oh I've found it." The Doctor skimmed it silently for a moment. "It says that a Seltas is a neopteron that uses swift aerial and ground attacks to attack territory invaders." "That's cool and all...,but what's a neo...pteron?" Rainbow asked slowly. "It's an insect dim wit." Starlight said with a straight face. "What!!! I thought we got to hunt monsters not squash tiny bugs!!!" Rainbow yelled up at the sky as she fell to the ground. She had assumed a sitting position. "Miss Rainbow I don't think you'll be disappointed." The Doctor said as he turned the book around to show all three of them a large and detailed drawing of a Seltas. Three jaws dropped in unison. The picture showed the Seltas as a large insect creature with long claw-like arms and a large horn protruding from head/back. Rainbow jumped upward. "Yes!!! We do get to fight monsters here." Rainbow screeched as her previous enthusiasm returned. Starlight chuckled. "I think that drawing may be actual size." Starlight said back to being skeptical. "It says they can be anywhere from...542 cm to 770 cm." The Doctor had his jaw drop as he finished reading the size estimates. "That would mean the one described on the poster there is somewhere near 770 cm." Starlight was leaning against the board that had the bounty on it. "That breaks all the Equestrian laws of Biology. There is no plausible way for an insect to grow to sizes such as the ones you have described." Starlight said with a bored expression. "That's the thing I have been pondering since we arrived. What if we aren't in Equestria anymore? What if we aren't even in the same universe as Equus? This world seems too virtual to be real, yet all the inhabitants of it don't seem to notice. It's almost as if their entire lives are based in this world. Real or Not, these ponies have lives here and we may have to make ones for ourselves here as well." The Doctor took a breather. That had been a rather long-winded explanation of his thoughts. Starlight looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "Okay Mr. Doctor. Lead us to our new lives then." Starlight walked towards the Gathering Hall doors. "Where are you off to so fast Miss SmartyPants?" Rainbow asked childishly. "I don't know about you, but I haven't eaten since we arrived and I'm famished." Starlight said looking back at the rainbow mare. "I could go for some food too." Bass said as she trotted up beside Starlight. Rainbow's stomach let out a growl. "Heheh...I guess you're right." Rainbow said with a blush. "I suppose we should go get some food then?" The Doctor asked the group all at once. The three nodding heads signaled him that they should. They entered the Gathering Hall to find that even this place was seemingly deserted. Everypony must've been trying to beat that Seltas. The group approached a large round red table with four seats around it. The moment they sat down an interface appeared. "Whoa!!!" Rainbow yelped as the list of food items popped up in front of her face. She looked around, but found that it stayed in the center of her field of vision. "Interesting..." Starlight said slowly. She was examining how the interface worked. "I see what you mean now Doctor. No real world can create such an entity." The Doctor and Bass simply flipped through and found two ingredients that they wanted to put together for their dish and picked how they wanted it cooked. The pair finished eating, and as the two stood up they were engulfed in flashes of light. "Health and Defense Up?" Bass asked out loud. "How intriguing...it seems our choice of ingredients gives us a different outcome for some kind of passive effects. The only conclusion I can come to is that this will help us in combat." The Doctor said with a shrug. The Doctor finished his sentence as soon as his other two companions flashed with light. "Yeah!!! That felt awesome!" Rainbow shouted a little loud for Starlight's liking. "Please...just don't do that." Starlight asked with frown. "If we ever get home...I want to get there with at least one eardrum semi-functional." "OKAY!!!" Rainbow shouted as she hovered directly next to her. "Are we going to go?" Bass asked trying hard not to giggle at Starlight's ridiculous expression of anger. "I think we should be on our way now." Doc said with a smile. "Wait." Starlight said quickly. "If we're in a video-game...then what happens if we were to...die?" Starlight finished her question and the faces of everypony present went pale. "What's keeping us alive in combat anyways?" Bass asked trembling slightly at the thought of death. "I've played enough video-games back home to know that most games have a healing system." "I got it!" Doc yelled excitedly, and consequently the stallion earned a glare from Starlight. "The pony that sold me this book had some items that were named "Potion"." "So what?" Rainbow asked as she went to lie down on one of the benches. "Those are most likely healing items." Doc said as he trotted to the door. "Wait here." Bass and Starlight both sat down on the benches to the sides of Rainbow. "Hey Starlight?" Rainbow said slowly. "What? Going to yell in my ear again?" Starlight asked leaning her head on a hoof. "No I-I..." Rainbow stopped. "Well?" Starlight asked toying with an arrow she was holding in her magic. "I wanted to...say sorry about earlier." Rainbow said sitting up and looking straight at Starlight. "Well that's a surprise." Starlight looked at the rainbow Pegasus. "Apology accepted?" Rainbow asked with a nervous smile. "I suppose so..." Starlight pointed the arrow at Dash. "but I have a question for you. Why do you trust me? Have you forgiven me for what I tried to do to you and your friends in the past?" "No, but I am the element of Loyalty and I believe that the situation we are in right now is urgent enough to set aside what has happened between us and try to work together...because if we don't...we may all die here. Nopony will know what happened to us." Rainbow said with a serious expression. "Um....I don't know what happened between you before now, but...I'd like to say that I think it would be best if we put whatever our pasts with each other are behind us for now." Bass said as she looked between the other two mares at the table. "Yeah...Starlight?" Rainbow had a genuine smile on her face as she turned to look at the unicorn. "Okay Rainbow, but this doesn't mean we're friends...just allies." Starlight said as she hovered the arrow back to its quiver. At that same moment the Doctor returned. "I know the items we'll need now." The Doc said with a triumphant smile. Author's Note Thanks for reading!!! I am sincerely sorry for the wait I've had multiple Saturdays of Marching Band events or contests and on Sunday I'm just to exhausted to write. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter will surely be a RODEO.
Ch. 4 Seltas Pt. 2Chapter 4: Seltas Pt. 2 The large insect-like creature hovered in place for a few moments. Its large eyes carefully examining its newfound prey. It let out a loud, high-pitched cry before flying swiftly forward. The entire group took a step back. ”No doubt it's predatory...” ”How 'bout we give it a nice greeting? Heheheh....” Rainbow had drawn her large sword. ”Let's do it.” Bass drew her dual blades while she took up a combat stance. Starlight had silently unfolded her bow from its compact form and used her magic to nock an arrow. An arrow that had a sticky, purple substance on the end. ”I think we should be cautious...we have no idea what this creature is capable of.” ”It's a bug...how tough could it be.” Rainbow slowly advanced her sword was obviously weighing her down quite a bit. The Seltas hovered and watched her move closer. Rainbow came within striking distance and her target still hadn't moved. ”Take some of th-!!!” As she swung her weapon the Seltas had swung its front two legs that doubled as claws and caught Rainbow in her side. She felt a large amount of blood come up her throat and felt it come out of her mouth. She heard it splatter on the ground as she rolled away. To her surprise the pain didn't near match what she was seeing. The pain she felt was much more minor. It was more like a sting than anything else. Her health bar however disagreed. It was significantly lower than it was before. One part was completely dark while the rest that was lost was once again red. Rainbow hadn't noticed Bass at her side trying to get her to move while Starlight and the Doctor were trying to fight off the large foe. Her hearing was slowly returning. She hadn't realized how out of it she was after that. ”-me on Rainbow! Get up! We need you to get up and we need you to do it now!” Bass frantically yelled as she was locked in combat with two small reptilian creatures. Rainbow slowly lifted herself up. She felt weak, but as she regained her senses she noticed her companions were all in combat. Each one of them battling either the smaller reptilian creatures or the Seltas. The scene before her gave her new vigor. She realized if she died here she'd be letting her companions down. She was the Element of Loyalty for Celestia's sake! She wouldn't allow a wound from her own ignorance get the best of her. She was Rainbow Dash! She began to glow a bright cyan. As this was happening Starlight and Whooves had taken out the few reptiles that were pestering them, but the larger foe remained practically unscathed. Whooves then noticed that it was stationary in mid-air, but its wings were speeding up. ”It's going to charge!!!” Whooves had just enough time to dodge the swift attack, but Starlight wasn't quick enough. She knew it wouldn't miss...all she could do was brace for impact and her possible demise. Her life flashed before her eyes...she muttered... ”...I'm sorry...” As the Seltas got with in ten feet of her she saw a cyan blue flash. It was followed by a blur and a loud ringing. When she opened her eyes a beat-up, but glowing Rainbow Dash stood in front of her. Her sword was raised up in front of her blocking her entire body. The Seltas hovered dazed in front of them as it had seemingly flown straight into Dash's sword. ”Hey bub...I got a promise...” Dash raised her sword behind her and it began to glow the same cyan color as she was. ”And I know...I'M GONNA KEEP IT!!!!” The sword flashed at a blindingly bright cyan and Rainbow brought it down full force on Seltas' horn. The horn busted into small fragments scattering everywhere around it, but as soon as Rainbow's sword hit the ground her glow disappeared instantly. Soon after her knees buckled and she hit the ground with a "thud". ”RAINBOW!!!” Dash's health bar signified she was alive, but it was very low. Her sword had also suffered visible damage. ”Get Rainbow Dash somewhere safe!” Starlight nocked another arrow, but this time it had a different substance on the end. Bass and the Doctor had moved to carry Rainbow Dash to a different area, Little did they know Starlight wouldn't be right behind them. The Seltas had just recovered from the blow it had taken and was now standing on the ground. It lifted off and shortly after flew somewhere else. The only indication of where it went was its shadow on the ground below it. ”We'll get you soon...be ready...” ”You're right we'll get it, but right now we have bigger problems!” Starlight then remembered the state Rainbow had been in. She turned around and rushed to the next area back towards camp. When she got there Rainbow was on her back her sword next to her. Bass was sitting on the opposite side of her. The Doctor was standing with his back turned to her with his weapon out watching for any threats. As Starlight approached she could hear two things. Rainbow repeating her name softly and Bass cooing gently into her ear. ”Starlight...Starlight...Starlight...” Rainbow droned. ”It's all okay now...she's right here...” Bass cooed gently. If you didn't know her you would think she was a mother. ”Hey Rainbow...” Starlight sat above Rainbow's head and looked down at her with a comforting smile. ”Oh thank Celestia...” Her eyes rolled back in her head and she lost consciousness once more, but she was still breathing. That meant she was at least alive. ”Maybe we should let her rest. There was that large bad back at base camp.” They made the short trek back to the base camp with Starlight levitating Rainbow while Doc and Bass killed a few smaller insect foes on the way there. Before too long they had returned to the camp they had started a mere fifteen minutes ago. ”Let's just set her on the bed. She needs to rest.” Starlight gingerly put her on the bed before using her magic to manipulate the blankets to cover her, but even with the blankets that the bed provided Rainbow still visibly shivered. The three left standing looked at each other. ”Why is she cold? It's not chilly in this area...add in the fact that she has blankets over her...” Starlight asked. Her face showing genuine worry. ”I don't think she's cold...” Bass said plainly. She had an epiphany. She trotted over to the bed and joined Rainbow under the blankets. ”She mentioned something about Applejack when we first arrived. I don't think the temperature is the issue. I think she feels alone...” ”Isn't that a bit weird to be sleeping with her?” ”I won't be sleeping. I'll be awake the whole time. I'm only here so that she feels somepony next to her...” She said shooting him a death glare. ”AND...are you questioning my sexuality and possibly our friend's as well?” ”No...of course not...that's your business...” He was turning red. At that same moment Rainbow rolled over and nuzzled into Bass' chest causing her to turn red as well. ”Speaking of business...shouldn't we get back to hunting our target?” Starlight had a determined expression on her face. ”What...you mean...just us?!?!?” He was obviously against fighting that thing again. They could barely stay alive before. With two hunters now? It seemed impossible. Not that it was anymore possible when Rainbow was out cold and Bass was screaming for her to get up. ”Yes...I do mean just us. Bass needs to stay here to watch over Rainbow and we need to settle the score with that piece of shit.” Starlight's expression stayed the same, but the Doctor was taken aback by the bluntness and the profane language she used. ”Are you sure we even have a chance? I mean Rainbow broke its horn, but that was pure luck paired with whatever she did to herself.” Though as much as he hated to say it...luck had a large part in the survival of the entire team. If Rainbow hadn't been able to do what she did they would most likely all be six feet under. ”I have a plan...” 15 minutes later... Starlight and Doc had found their target...it was sleeping half way up a cliff. They stood quietly below it. ”You know what to do?” She received a nod from the stallion next to her. She took a few steps away from the cliff and nocked an arrow. The arrow had a coating on the arrowhead. It was yellow in color and was freezing to the touch. Doc took his position, his back to the cliff, he then pointed up and to his right. Starlight got his signal and pulled back on the string. She held it for a moment and it flashed purple...then again brighter...and again at its brightest...she released it straight at the sleeping Seltas. As soon as it made contact the Seltas awoke, but as it did its nerves seized up and caused it to fall to the ground. It had bright streaks of yellow flashing around it...signifying that their luck held true and the paralysis coating had kicked in on contact with its body. ”Now!” The Doctor took his cue and slammed one end of his staff into the ground and pressed his button. He was thrown into the air and as he came down he brought his staff down with his full earth pony strength. There was a bright golden flash where the cut hit and was followed by the Seltas rolling over. Doc then lost control of all of his muscles for a short time. Before he knew it he was leaping onto the monster's back and a new bar had appeared on his HUD. He felt the need to pull out the standard issue carving knife given to all new hunters. He pulled it out and started stabbing rapidly. The paralysis had worn off as soon as he had mounted the creature. He wasn't ready for it to start thrashing around like a Pinkie Pie on a pure sugar high at a dance party. He held on for his life and waited for it to calm down. He started stabbing once it slowed its movements and when the lighter color in the bar reached the far right edge of it he was thrown off and the Seltas rolled onto its back once more. ”Good Work! I didn't see that coming. Neither did he!” ”I wonder if that did any good.” He said as he flipped the knife edge out of his staff and proceeded back towards the wounded creature. He started letting out a flurry of attacks with his staff. Starlight was also hitting it with multiple arrows. The Seltas rolled back over quickly as it recovered from its previous confusion, but instead of flying it walked...or more limped...over to the exit to Area 4. It got there and lifted off. It soon after flew to another area. ”Well...that went better than expected. I think we did some considerable damage.” ”I lost control of my muscles...I felt like I had a voice in my head screaming for me to stab that beast...again...and again...and again...” ”Are you okay? You did great. I dare say...better than I could have.” He was still shaking...even after Starlight's praise for his...actions. He felt like he wasn't in control of his own body...as if he was being controlled like a puppet. ”What happened? Did you get it?” Bass asked softly. They assumed she was being careful not to wake Rainbow. ”No. but I think we're close. How's Rainbow doing?” ”She's still out cold, but she's been mumbling the entire time you've been gone.” ”We're going to go finish this thing off so we can get her out of here. You ready Doctor?” Starlight looked back at the stallion behind her. ”I'm ready to finish this when you are...I'm also ready to write down the notes I've been mentally cataloguing this whole time.” Starlight and the Doctor followed the path that the Seltas had taken when it flew away. It was back in Area 4 where they first faced the deadly foe. Starlight nocked an arrow and estimated the distance between her and her target. She guessed at the angle she should raise her bow and released. It flew quickly and landed just a bit short of the intended target, but it still had the desired effect. The Seltas spun around quickly and faced the returning threats. It made a sluggish charge in Starlight's direction, but she had more than enough time to lunge to her right and have it miss by a country mile. She fired a few rapid, weak shots at the Seltas before dodging to her left once more. A few hit the target, but that wasn't the purpose. The true purpose was to distract it. Starlight was now under a natural rock bridge that spanned over the dip in the geography of the area. ”Not so smart are you?” The sound of fast hoofsteps drummed above Starlight before Doc leaped off the bridge's edge and brought his staff down in a similar way to before. The blow knocked it down, but this time he didn't feel the loss of his muscle control to leap onto the creature. He began to slash and club the Seltas with his staff. Starlight meanwhile had been charging up a shot at near point-blank range in front of the Seltas' head. She released. MAIN OBJECTIVE COMPLETED!!! Author's Note Thanks for reading! Action in this one...hope I did good with it. It was a bit different than the fights from FMYH, but I liked how it turned out. This story will go on hiatus as soon as I start the FMYH sequel though, so it may be a while before another one comes out then, but that only starts in December. I hope to get at least two more chapters in for you ponies!!! Bai Bai!
Ch.3 Seltas Pt. 1Chapter 3: Seltas Pt. 1 "What do we need then Doc?" Bass asked with newfound enthusiasm. The Doctor looked at all the ponies present. He thought for a few moments before speaking. “Okay...Bass, Dash, and I will need…potions, whetstones, and steaks of some sort.” The Doctor stopped and looked back up at his companions. He noticed they had all shivered at the end. Their diets, including his own, had never really consisted of much meat. “That’s great and all, but why wasn’t I included in that?” Starlight asked feeling a bit left out. The Doctor looked at her. He stared at her for a few seconds. “Well?” Starlight asked with an increasing annoyed tone. “You need all the same things except for the whetstones.” The Doctor stopped once more. “What was it that kind fellow said you needed...hrmmmm… Oh yes! You also need coatings.” Whooves had regained his triumphant expression. “What do i need coatings for?” Starlight asked. The Doctor looked back at her. “You coat your arrows with them. They allow you to cause different status effects like poison or sleep.” He turned to leave once more, but this time he gestured for his companions to follow. Everypony got up and followed him back out into the Val Haybar square. It was still quite desolate. The group continued to follow him until they reached the same merchant mare that he had previously done business with. “Okay we all need to buy our own supplies then we can venture forth.” He was already in the interface and occupied with searching for the items he had listed for them. The rest of the group approached the merchant mare and found out they could shop simultaneously. They all began searching for the items that the Doc had listed. The group found most of them, but ran into issues when it came to finding the steaks. “Hey Doc...where are those steaks you mentioned?” Rainbow asked as she scrolled through the interface for the thousandth time. “We have to cook those in the field, but we should have been to get the rest correct?” Whooves asked with a excited grin, but at the same time the atmosphere around the group was filled with nervous tension. “Well let’s get going...i guess.” Rainbow said slowly. She had turned around and seen a group of four ponies. Two were walking, but the other two weren’t was was on the back of one of the able-bodied hunters. The other, or more like the half-pony, was being dragged by the other walking hunter. “H-how are his e-entrails not falling out?” Starlight asked doing her best not to expel all of the food she had just consumed not long before. The group got their answer soon. The pony no longer had any entrails. His carcass was cleaned out almost entirely. They all had troubles holding down their meals. The group was 75% successful. Bass emptied her meal out behind the equipment box. "Haha wimp!!!" Rainbow teased, but consequently she had looked over and seen Bass' expelled contents. This caused Rainbow to fly to the other her side and expel her own fluids. The stallion and the unicorn looked at each other. "Pegasi...am I right?" Starlight took a turn at the teasing, but the stallion was somehow still studying the gored pony as it was dragged down the street. "Oh...um...yes..." Whooves absentmindedly answered as he shuffled through his bag for a notepad. He began jotting down theories on the first page. "What are you doing?" Starlight asked looking over his shoulder as he wrote. "I'm taking notes on the state that pony was left in. If we're going into the field we may meet whatever caused that massive wound." He explained as he put his notepad away. "I really hope we don't." Bass interjected. "You said it." Rainbow said as she wiped her mouth with a forehoof and hovered over to the rest of the group. "I'm having second-thoughts about going into the field now. If we are in a video-game...and IF we can die here...wouldn't it be safer to just stay in this town?" Starlight asked, her expression was one of intense fear as she looked to each of the three other ponies, but what happened next was completely unexpected. Rainbow had put a hoof on her shoulder. "As long as we're here...together...nopony is dying. I know it may be a scary prospect. I mean the thought of death, but sometimes you have to stare danger and fear in the face. Trust me. No. Trust all of us." She gestured to the stallion and the other pegasus. "The only way to learn about this place is to go out as see it for what it is." Starlight looked up to find Rainbow had a ridiculous grin on her face, but it seemed like a genuine gesture. "I'm with you." Starlight said as she raised her head high. "As long as you're with me...I'm with you." She finished by returning a smile, but something felt...different...this one felt genuine as well. "May we be on our way now?" Whooves asked when he heard the pep talk had stopped. "I'm ready if you are." Rainbow answered. "Starlight?" "Let's go." Starlight put on the best determined expression she could muster, but she still felt the fear eating at her insides. The group reentered the gathering hall and found that there was slightly more ponies there, but the sight wasn't pretty. There were multiple groups of hunters that were sitting together. One or in some cases even all of the ponies in some groups had serious injuries. Some ranging from missing limbs to missing random chunks of flesh. "Wait for a moment will you please?" Whooves requested as he trotted over to one of the groups as he pulled out his notepad. Rainbow facehoofed as she realized that he was going to question ponies after a most likely extremely traumatizing experience. "Oh for Celestia's sake!" Starlight trotted over to him. When she reached him she bit down on his tail and proceeded to drag him back to the group. She used her magic to keep him quiet and as extra precaution if he tried to escape. When she returned to the group she let loose her magical hold on his muzzle and her vice-like bite. "Why would you do that!?!?" The stallion shouted in an obvious angry tone. "I don't think asking somepony who most likely developed post-traumatic stress disorder about what caused them to develop it." She replied with a glare straight at the "Doctor". "Can...can we just go? We're getting a lot of weird looks from some of the other hunters." Bass said as she took a look around the gathering hall. "I wonder what they think of us now." Rainbow added in. At the exact moment Pinkie hopped across the gathering hall. "They're probably thinking that Starlight is like Doc's mom or something. Maybe they think the author is trying to ship them!!! I don't know why she'd do that though. She would probably get a lot of hate for it!" Pinkie finished her random statement and ate a Strawberry Cinnamon Cilantro Cupcake. She jumped up and disappeared. "What?" Bass asked dumbfounded. "Don't question it. Just don't do it." Rainbow said with a frown. "Trust me...I've tried." "Who's the "author" anyways?" She had decided if she couldn't ask about Pinkie she'd ask about something she said. All she got in return were three simple shrugs. "Fine then. We might as well go already." Bass finished. She was obviously unsatisfied with the "answers" she was given. "Hmmm...maybe I should become an author whenever or if ever get back to Equestria." She thought happily. "HEY!!! Stop daydreaming we're leaving!" Rainbow shouted impatiently. "Oh my bad. Coming!!!" She replied as she snapped out of her thoughts. They all walked out the doors on the opposite side of the gathering hall, but everypony's vision turned black as soon as they tried to leave. LOADING... "Woah!!! What the buck just happened!?!?" "I don't know, but anypony else wondering what these are for?" Rainbow made a few gestures in the air in front of her face. "We can't see what you're gesturing to Dash, but if it's an interface that shows a green bar above a yellow one then yes we have them too." "I can see your green bars over here though." Rainbow made more hoof gestures. She hadn't realized that the Doctor had been next to her the entire time. He was busy inspecting his weapon. "Hmm...what does this do?" He pressed a little button he had on the side of the staff. The staff shot out a powerful puff of compressed air, but Doc had forgotten that he had a mare standing next to him. Rainbow was thrown across the encampment they had been dropped into. She smashed into a wagon that was parked on the opposite side of the camp. "Ouch..." Rainbow noticed her green bar had a miniscule portion turn red. "Did that hurt me?" "Oh my...that was...unexpected..." "Hahaha!!!" Bass was rolling in the dirt laughing her flank off at the scene she had just watched unfold before her. Rainbow was not so amused. "Hey...I wonder what mine does..." Rainbow said as she pulled out the oversized sword. "You do experiments right?" Rainbow looked at the poor stallion with an evil grin. "Oh...well I'm terribly sorry about that..." He stumbled over his words, but as he did he also realized what she meant. "No...oh no thank you... I think I know what happens..." He backed away slowly. "Okay fine...I won't totally annihilate with my awesome sword and equally awesome skills." Rainbow chuckled near the end. "Speaking of swords..." Bass piped up. "What's with the little sword thing in the top left of my HUD thing?" She finished her question with a hoof gesture in front of her face. "Who knows...and remember we can't see what exactly you're gesturing to." Rainbow added on the end. She in truth just wanted to get someone for what she had been doing earlier. "I wouldn't know what you meant in the slightest anyways due to my lack of having a sword in my field of vision." "WELL DUH!!! You don't have a sword. You decided to go with the bow and be all fancy." "I wouldn't exactly call what the Doctor has a sword either...it's more like a stick with an air cannon in it." *Hmph* "Hey Doc...do ya think you can make it shoot confetti? You'd have a pretty cool improvised party cannon if you did that." Starlight and Rainbow smiled at each other. Starlight felt...different again. "Maybe we can be friends... No one had noticed that there was an absence of a certain stallion of the group. ”Are you all done poking fun at me yet? I would really like some assistance in finding our target.” ”Doc...where are you?” ”In Area 4 on the map. I can still hear you talking even though I'm quite a distance away...no doubt we aren't in Equestria anymore now.” After coming to terms with the whole "Can hear each other over long distances." thing the rest of the group made their way to Area 4 where the Doc was waiting for them, but as soon as they got there a small tune played and a large shadow was eclipsing a small raised stone in the area. When it came into view there was no mistaking what it was. ”What...” ”The...” ”Buck...” *squee* Author's Note I want to apologize for the long wait. There has been a lot going on and it's just been really hard to get anything done. I can barely finish what I NEED to get done let alone what I WANT to get done. I decided to break this up into two parts. Why? Because I want to plan the fighting in the next chapter once that is taken care of we should be all good. I hope you enjoyed this chapter...boring as it may be...I tried to add a bit of comedy here and there... got a bit meta too. To clear anything up I am a dude IRL. Don't start thinking I'm a girl. Why is my OC a girl? Because reasons. I'm a horrible pony aren't I?
