PAO: Pony Art Online

The first month on the first floor was the hardest on all the players. Over a thousand rushed for the floor boss, desperate to escape. In their frenzy most were trapped or lost in the dungeon's maze, ultimately perishing in it. Another thousand suffered the same fate simply leveling, or learning the game.

Aside from combat, most of the game remained the same, which gave beta testers the upper hand. Aside from Sunset's friends, most beta testers fled for the best exploits, hoarding what they could to prepare for the first boss. Weapons, experience, even gathering nodes, were all monopolized by the beta testers.

But they had their troubles too. There were fewer beta testers, most of them ending up solo players. Alone, many faced death when they became outnumbered by enemy monsters. PAO did not discriminate. On all sides of the community, there were losses.

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Ever since the day the apparition trapped everyone in PAO, Ponyville has never seen a crowd beyond a handful of people scattered around its streets. Until today, that is.

Gathered at the center of the city, the town hall, was a ready raid of dozens of players. For the whole week they had planned to organize the first unified raid on the first floor's boss. The excitement and tension was electric.

"Okay everyone, settle down," Sweetie Belle beckoned to the group. "As leader of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, I've taken responsibility for distributing our raid plan for tomorrow morning."

"You sure you're not scared, miss?" one player rudely shouted from the crowd. Sweetie pierced her glare into the crowd, but the stallion hid himself back into the group, afraid to take the spotlight.

She decided to ignore the asshole and continued her speech. "Two days ago, the Cutie Mark Crusaders finished mapping the boss dungeon, marking the quickest path to the final boss on the floor. Naturally, it means we have the the means to take our first step to our freedom from this game."

There was chatter all around. Most of the players were male, still unsure of a female player formulating such a crucial raid. But skepticism aside, many were excited to move forward and claim a solid victory for once.

Sweetie Belle pulled a book out of her inventory.  "According to what we've been told by scouts and the beta players, the boss is named the 'Lord of Diamond Dogs,' and is classified as a tank class boss, with spears and a shield. However," she opened to a page in the beginning, "it's not as simple at that. Beta players all seem to confirm that its attack pattern changes when two thirds of its health remains. It begins a barrage of ranged attacks by throwing multiple spears, followed by launching its own body into the area with the highest concentration of players. It will be dazed after each leap, so we'll have to attack it then."

The crowd whispered in awe. The boss's attacks focused on player positions, and weren't scripted or random like many other games. Reactions were mixed, some excited to be challenged and some nervous for their lives, but everyone understood the danger presented to them.

But a voice returned a complaint from the crowd. The same voice as before, Sweetie Belle noticed. "How can we trust the beta players? They're looking out only for themselves!" The stallion leaped up from the crowd this time, taking a spot next to Sweetie Belle to warn the crowd.

"This is not the time to-" Sweetie Belle began, but the stallion ignored her, shouting over her protests.

"They knew exactly what quests gave the best rewards, the best regions to level up in, and even hoarded crafting resources for their own gain! These could be lies, a trick to give the beta players an upper hand!" The stallion held up his book, an exact copy of Sweetie Belle's information. "They even dared to mock us by selling their 'special tips and tricks' two weeks after the game began. Two weeks after real people started dying!"

The group remained silent, some looking at their copy of the information booklet. A lot of it was useful information players had to learn themselves just before the book began to enter the player market. But whatever couldn't be confirmed by experience began to look suspicious to many players.

Sweetie Belle was loosing the crowd. But she wouldn't allow the infighting of beta testers and "regular" players to hinder the raid. Activating the first teleporter in Ponyville to the next dimension would give a huge moral boost that could speed up efforts to clear PAO. But a loss would certainly put spirits at an all time low.

But her rescue came as if on cue. "Beta testers or not, nothing in that book has been proven false so far," Applejack said from the crowd. "The chance that there's a trap in those pages are probably none. Just some paranoid thought y'all are using to place blame for the deaths. But if let those thoughts control us, then there will be more deaths, and it won't be the beta testers to blame."

She walked out of the crowd and confronted the stallion. She smirked. His avatar was a telltale sign of his real world age; he was just an upper class an in high school, probably just as big of a pain in class as he was in game.

"I was in that scouting party when we found the boss room," she said to him. "Reckon I got a good look in the Lord of Diamond Dogs' throne room, and as far as I can tell, the book's telling the truth."

The stallion scowled, but couldn't find words to spit back at Applejack. He simply grunted and stepped back into the crowd, avoiding the stares from all the other players.

Sweetie Belle thanked Applejack with a nod before resuming her speech. "To prepare for this raid, the Cutie Mark Crusaders advises everyone present to form a party and restock on potions and scrolls, maybe buy new gear if you have to. Most importantly, find a party you can work well with and report to the CMC commanders to be assigned to a raid position. Going commando on this one's not an option, so don't try to act to macho. Boys won't impress any girls if they're dead."

There were some laughs from the the players, mostly from the female players, as many of the guys suddenly became more cautious with their choice of skills and attributes.

Sweetie Belle released a breath of relief. She had to be honest with herself, she wasn't sure if she could even get the other players to listen to her. But it turned out fine, and she could give her last words of encouragement. "And finally, good luck to all of you for stepping up to the call of valor. Working together, we're guaranteed to meet again in the real world. Good day."

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"You got guts AJ," Sweetie Belle said, taking another drink of ale. "They could've sniffed you out."

The game had no restrictions on drinking, and only simulated weak effects of intoxication. Sweetie Belle, being only sixteen, intended on taking full advantage of that fact and kept drinking.

Applejack shrugged. "Sure was lucky I'm not as showy as Rainbow. Nearly everyone knows she was a beta tester." She selected an apple pie from the restaurants menu, deducting twenty bits from her inventory. Immediately, an NPC waitress spawned in on the other side of the restaurant and brought the apple pie.

"Damn, I wish things were this fast in real life," she said, forking a peace of steaming hot pie into her mouth. It should have burned her tongue, but the Digisphere barely translated the pain of burning when characters were engulfed in flames, let alone a small hot pie.

Sweetie Belle put her cup down, sighing. Planning the attack had given her plenty of time to think. "I wonder what Rarity's doing right now."

Applejack stopped eating, sitting back in her chair. Most players considered it impolite to bring up anything from the real world, but among friends it was different. Applejack appreciated to have Applebloom with her, but she could sympathize with Sweetie Belle.

"You know how she is," Applejack said, looking into Sweetie Belle's eyes, "she doesn't always like to do hard work, but when she does, she'll stop at nothing to finish it. I reckon she's doing everything in her power to get you back. And, she'd be proud of the generosity the Crusaders have given to players."

"Thanks," Sweetie Belle said, "I guess I've been thinking a little too much lately. It's been nearly two months and we're only beginning to start making progress. With no news from the real world, I've just been worried I won't see Rarity again."

Applejack nodded. "I couldn't imagine what I'd do without Applebloom. I know how much a sister can mean to you."

For just a few seconds, the two shared a moment of silence to think. Sweetie Belle shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Well, we're doing our best, anyways. We should probably find the others and get the party ready." She swiped her hoof, opening her menu to the party screen. On Applejack's side, and invite prompt materialized in front of her. She accepted it.

Sweetie Belle opened the CMC guild page. "I'll send a guild message for Scootaloo and Applebloom, but where should we meet?"

"Fluttershy's grinding with Rainbow up north," Applejack said, checking her friends list. "And Pinkie Pie's outside the dungeon getting players ready for the raid. Food, potions, stuff like that."

"Since she's preparing the raid, we'll meet at Pinkie's location," Sweetie said, marking the location on her map.

Applejack added the rest of the pie to her inventory and got up from her seat. "I'll gallop over to Fluttershy and RD, we'll meet you and the gals at the dungeon as soon as we can."

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Phoenix couldn't believe the rush for the dungeon. Even with their life on the line, it was still a game to most players. They were excited, celebrating, as if they had already won. They thought they had a plan, but she knew they were going in blind. But no one would ever listen.

There was nothing that could be done about it.

The raid party was already on the move. Fluttershy had made use of the game's taming mechanics and found the best pets to heal everyone, but there was only one other player, a young colt, who bothered to play as a Support. The Tanks strode strong in the front as they entered the tunnels of the Lord of the Diamond Dogs. In the front, Applejack bravely drew the dungeon's NPC to her shield and spear, stunning them with a shield bash so the Damage players could finish them off.

Rainbow Dash was almost always the first to rush into the enemies, combining high attack speed with high damage and killing up to three diamond dogs in one go. But her stamina had limits. To recover, she'd switch places with Pinkie Pie, who's stamina found no parallel in the entire raid. Her damage wasn't outstanding but she kept her damage sustained, weakening enemies for the other players to finish off.

Fluttershy stood in the back, directing her pets to apply health and stamina regeneration buffs, but with the synergy of the Tanks and the Damages, there was little need for her three magical rabbits. They reached the boss room in record time, without any player dropping below ninety percent of their health. To the raid, it went better than they could have anticipated.

But that's where it stopped. The boss room would be an entirely different beast, Phoenix knew it.

Phoenix gripped her weapon with her magic, waiting in the back, even behind Fluttershy. Among the few other solo players, she was the only one prepared to fight on her own. She had her teleport scrolls equipped in her auxiliary item 1, and healing potions in the second slot. Her armor was heavy reinforced cloak, but she balanced her build with a light broadsword. The hood on her cloak also replaced a helmet slot without adding additional weight, giving her additional speed.

"Alright everyone," she heard Sweetie Belle announce to the raid. "We've made it this far but don't think it'll stay easy. Keep your guard up, and if the fight gets hard, then remember to fight harder!"

The other players cheered, their blood rushing from the ecstasy of battle. They were strong willed and lively, yet their raid lacked a strict formation. Phoenix hoped their determination alone would carry them through.

The final room was not how anyone expected. From the outside, it had the look of a dark and sinister palace, but the reality was that the Lord of Diamond Dogs lived in a lavish throne room, with pristine polished marble and fountains of water and wine. But the throne was empty.

"Fan out around the center," Sweetie Belle commanded, directing different parties to their position. "The Lord won't spawn if we stick to the edges, so take the time to get into position."

As planned, the Tanks circled the Lord of Diamond Dogs' spawning area, creating a barrier between it and the Damages. Fluttershy and the colt positioned themselves on opposite sides of the room, maximizing the range of their pets' healing.

From what she saw, Phoenix anticipated Applejack to be the first Tank to Pull the Lord, so she positioned herself just behind her, ready to attack immediately. Every other Tank stood with their shields up and their spears forward, waiting for the first move.

Applejack stepped forward. The tension in the air did not last long. Only after five steps, the whole room shuddered, drawing shards of light toward the center. Only moments after Lord of Diamond Dogs materialized. It stood nearly four times as tall as any of the players, and its spear was just as tall. To add to the appearance, the Lord's shield, while technically a buckler, was an enormous steel wall compared to the players.

Regardless, Applejack laid the first blow. With her strength, she leaped and swung her shield at its head, cracking its nose with the impact. The combination of her movements and target area activated the Shield Slam skill, stunning the Lord of Diamond Dogs before it could offer the first strike.

Phoenix burst forward, striking the Lord in the eye with two-slash ability, adding a blindness debuff on top of the stun. Rainbow Dash followed immediately after, lacerating the boss with a flury of rapid strikes.

The attack was an impressive rush, but the boss retaliated from the stun while the raid was distracted with its attack, slamming its shield into the mob of players. The attack flung back everyone, giving the boss room to attack with its spear.

The first strike damaged a whole party, but their tank absorbed most of the force. The Lord lowered his spear parallel to the ground, and the second strike charged forward into the dungeon's locked doors, crashing into nearly a quarter of the raid before they could evade.

Fluttershy's pets, her three magic rabbits, went to work buffing the raid with health regeneration, bolstering the players' confidence for a second attack. All the Tanks lined up, shields locked together, and pressed forward a charge into the boss. Their shields clashed with its shield,  pinning the boss to the wall. With its attention on them, the Damages lined up to skewer the Lord of Diamond Dogs, plummeting it health to sixty percent.

While players cheered, the boss roared, sending the player skidding across the throne room. They tried to retaliate but none of them could move. The Lord had stunned the entire raid party as its roar signaled its attack changed.

Spears flew through the air like arrows, penetrating and crippling players as they laid on the floor helplessly. Before Fluttershy could regenerate their health, the boos leaped, crashing its massive weight onto the marble floor, cracking the white tiles and painting the floor with blood pixels. Everyone looked to their raid roster as five names suddenly vanished, completely removing a part from the raid.

The first to react was Rainbow Dash, rapidly outflanking the Lord's defense with her speed and plunging her sword into its spine. It only managed to shake her off before Applejack the remaining Tanks launched their spears into the right leg of the boss, tripping it over. Above its massive health bar the crippled icon appeared, giving the signal to attack.

Phoenix kept to the edges of the fray, taking light, rapid stabs at the Lord's limbs, refreshing the crippled debuff while the others went for the torso, where the most damage would be dealt.

It was nearly over. The boss was helpless, flailing around as its health dropped below fifty percent, and then forty percent. Finally, Phoenix could smile. The boss was nearly dead, and her paranoia proved to be for nothing. The Crusaders were indeed capable after all, especially with the help of their friends.

They enjoyed the challenge, which Phoenix still couldn't understand, but she appreciated the confidence Pinkie Pie had as she leaped side to side, sticking her sword into the boss with each landing. Twenty-five percent health left to go. Phoenix raised her blade and went in for a charge, impaling a toe with her broadsword. It was a good way to relieve the stress of being trapped in a video game.

Phoenix almost didn't notice the scream that came from her right. By the time she lifted her head to see the cause, two more screams began to come out from the raid. They were player screams, and they were in pain. Her paranoia flooded back in a violent wave, and by instinct she whirled around to block the attack from an enemy behind her.

Diamond Dog Assassin its name plate read.

"Shit, this was the room's trap?" she cursed out loud, parrying the assassin's blade and finishing it with a riposte to the neck. "Tanks, pull them away from the Lord or they'll heal him!"

Applejack whirled around to find the voice. It wasn't a command from Sweetie Belle, and the fighting was too wild to tell where it came from. But she knew that it was the truth, and if she followed the advise the other Tanks would too.

One by one the tanks linked their shields around the boss, slamming their shields into the assassins whenever they drew near. But their defense was far form solid. Already the assassins removed three Tanks from the raid, leaving gaps in the shield wall for them to sneak through.

Damage players teamed up to fill the shield gaps, but they couldn't keep the boss down as well. Phoenix raced for the Lord, aiming her sword tip at the eye of the boss as she charged through a pack of assassins. They struck her on both sides, but she ignored their effects, even as her health hit fifty percent. She thrust her blade forward with her Fleche skill, catapulting herself into the Lord, splattering its eye with the attack.

It cost much of her stamina put it was worth taking down the Lord's health to eight percent. Yet around the boss more assassins just spawned and rushed to the aid of their lord. Two more screams were heard. Two more deaths. Phoenix tried desperately, but a depleted stamina bar reduced her attacks to barely no damage.

"Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, the boss is almost down!" she called out, but there was no use. Rainbow Dash was pinned down with Applejack, both of them losing stamina fast. On the other side of the room, Pinkie Pie was preoccupied with rescuing a small party from a pack of assassins.

Phoenix lifted her broadsword and rammed it as hard as she could into the Lord of Diamond Dogs' throat, piercing into its windpipe and slicing its jugular veins. But the boss was made only of data, and her own limits were set by the number on her stamina. Despite the gruesome effect of her strike, it dealt an insignificant amount of damage.

She grew even more desperate as another player vanished from the raid roster, screaming out for his life. It was the young colt playing Support, overwhelmed by an assassin.

"Dammit, no!" she yelled, but it fell on deaf ears. By the time her stamina regenerated the entire raid would be nearly wiped out. She turned to the Lord, her eyes blurred from tears, and stabbed at its face. Attack after attack, she tore a red gash in the Lord's face, but its health bar only inched down to seven percent.

"Not another life, you won't take another life, you fucked up game!" she screamed with every hit, seeing nothing but blurred red pixels. She couldn't see much, but she could tell the boss had enough of her. Something, presumably its shield, swatted her into the thick fight between the assassins and players.

She struggled up, but paws and hooves tread over her in the fight. She could barely make out a figure standing on top of the boss. Her character was a young mare with a white coat, but she couldn't make out the name plate over her head. But Phoenix could make out the death animation when she plunged her sword into the Lord's chest, depleting its health to nothing.

Then, there was nothing. The assassins the Lord of Diamond Dogs spawned shattered into pieces of light, and the fighting stopped as fast as it began. Eleven players were dead, nearly a quarter of the raid when they entered.

Phoenix shook her head and wiped blood pixels from her face. Her legs felt like jello and each heart beat felt like a punch to the chest, but she was glad it was over. She looked up at Sweetie Belle, standing over the dead boss with a Killing Blow reward on her menu screen. Along with the head of the boss, she got a unique tier item, the highest tier available, with one of a kind attributes and special effects.

Figured it'd end up being one of them, Phoenix thought to herself.

The door at the end of the dungeon opened up, exposing a shortcut to the dungeon's exit. Phoenix tightened her hood around her face and headed for the exit while everyone else was busy sorting out their loot.

But no one was. In fact, no one, not even Sweetie Belle, was doing anything; they just stared at her.

Pinkie Pie was the first to speak up. "Hey Sunset Shimmer! Over here, it's your friend Pinkie Pie! Long time no see!"

Phoenix froze up. No one needed to say a thing to her, she knew what they were thinking. The looks of either fear or disgust came from nearly every player around her. But not her friends. Rainbow Dash was limping with Applejack, but both of them still smiled and waved to her. Fluttershy was speechless, but her tears were definitely of joy.

That was the worse part. Her friends forgave her for bringing them into a death trap, even when she could not. The other players were right to draw their blades at her, she didn't deserve forgiveness. She deserved exile.

And once again, Sunset ran. She ran for the exit, she ran for her freedom, she ran for the edges of the map, where no one but the monsters of her own world could haunt her. They did not judge with viscous eyes.