"In another moment, down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again."

- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Justin

When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a hero.

I mean, who didn’t want to be a hero growing up, right? Every kid dreamed about it. The thing is, I never stopped wanting that dream, even in adulthood. Now, I know there are careers that are considered heroic, like police officer, firefighter, doctor, the military, stuff like that. But that’s not the kind of hero I dreamed of being.

The kind of hero I wanted to be was the kind you always see in movies and video games. The good-looking badass that defeats evil, has a love interest that falls head over heels for them, gets tons of praise and glory from everyone, and saves the world like it’s just another Tuesday.

Obviously, this is an unrealistic kind of hero, as well as an unrealistic dream. That’s why when I grew up, I stopped believing I would ever get to be that hero. That didn’t mean I stopped dreaming about it, though. I always wished I could get the chance to be like one of those heroes.

One day, I thought I’d gotten that chance. The chance to become a hero.

…But I had thought wrong.

…Oh, I should probably introduce myself, shouldn’t I? My name's Justin Baker, not to be confused with the several other people on Earth who have the same generic name as me. Now let's see, what are some fun facts about me? I'm 20 years old... my favorite pastimes include reading, video games, and anime...

...Oh, and I'm currently falling several dozen feet off a cliff and into an ocean, presumably to my death, with a hole in my chest where my heart should be. Did I forget to mention that part?

Yeah, it's been quite the eventful day for me.

I'm guessing you're going to want some context, so why don't I start at the beginning?

Well, it all started… when I went to sleep, surprisingly. My day had passed by normally, and I went to bed at a normal time just like I did every other night. Instead of waking up and being greeted with another normal day, however, I woke up to find myself standing in a white void.

Uh... am I dreaming?

I looked around me, seeing nothing else except the empty void in all directions. If this was a dream, then it was a weird one. What stood out to me was that I felt more... how do I put this... I felt more 'present' than I normally would in a dream, like I was more aware of what was going on.

You know how normally in dreams, you tend to feel like you're there, yet at the same time you aren't? This didn't feel like that. This time, I felt like I was completely in control of myself, like how I feel when I'm awake.

...Wait, is this what lucid dreaming feels like? I've always been curious as to what it was like to have a lucid dream. I wonder if I can control things with my mind?

"Negative. User: [Name Unknown] is not dreaming."

A voice suddenly spoke up, and I whirled my head around in an attempt to find the source. Despite my efforts, all I could see was the endless void. Before I could even think about calling out to whoever spoke, a blue, holographic screen popped up right in front of me. The sudden appearance nearly made me leap out of my skin.

What the heck!?

"Scanning User, please wait..." A full-body mirror appeared on the holographic screen, a progress bar that said 'Scanning...' sitting just above it. In the mirror, I could see the familiar sight of my reflection. A head of shaggy, dark brown hair, hazel eyes, a thin beard, and a tiny bit of acne here and there. Yup, that's me, alright. Not hideous, but nothing really special if you ask me.

I turned my gaze downwards to look at the rest of my reflection. I stood at about 5'7", and while I wasn't super fat or anything, I'll admit I did have a little bit of a pot belly on me. It was here that I also noticed what I was wearing. I recognized them as my clothes, but they weren't the same ones I'd been wearing when I went to bed. I was currently wearing an overgrown dark grey T-shirt with the PlayStation logo on it, black loose track pants, and a pair of black New Balance sneakers with grey soles. I wouldn't be winning any 'Most Fashionable Person' awards for my outfit, but it was comfortable, and that's all I really cared about.

"User identified. Now altering username. Please wait..." The mirror disappeared as the voice from earlier spoke again. I could now tell that the voice appeared to be coming from the blue screen in front of me. The voice itself sounded robotic and feminine, like one of those text-to-speech things.

"Username alteration complete. Hello, User: Justin. I am the Heads-Up Display, also known as the HUD. Please wait while I finish booting up the next phase of the startup process." The screen introduced itself.

I blinked, trying to process what it had just said. "I-...uh... wait, what? H-Hold on, time out for a sec. Where am I? What's going on?"

"User: Justin has been summoned to another world. As of this current moment, you are undergoing the HUD's startup process." The robotic voice explained.

"...I'm sorry, did you just say I was summoned to another world?"

"Affirmative."

"...Ok, yeah, this is definitely a dream." I chuckled.

"Negative. User: Justin is not dreaming."

"Uh huh, sure I'm not." I chuckled. "Listen, there's no way I of all people would actually get lucky enough to be sent to another world. I'll probably just wake up in a few minutes." I shrugged.

"[Observation]: User: Justin appears to be in denial and believes he is in a dream. Calculating solution..." The screen, or the 'HUD' as it called itself, remained silent for a few seconds before speaking up again. "Solution found. Activating pain stimulus."

"Activating wha- OW!" I felt a sudden sharp sting on my left forearm. It only lasted a second and didn't seem to linger, but it had been there. "What the-!? Hey, did you do that?! What was that!?"

"I have recreated the sensation of being pinched. It is commonly known that if one is pinched in a dream, they do not feel pain. User: Justin had felt pain in response to being pinched. [Conclusion]: User: Justin is not dreaming." The HUD explained. I couldn't help but scoff.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me. Listen, 'HUD', it's gonna take a lot more proof than that to convince me that I'm not dreaming, so unless you-"

"Understood. Activating multiple pain stimuli."

"Wait, wha- AGH! OW! HEY, WAIT- OW! STOP!" I suddenly felt the same pinching feeling in several parts of my body over and over again, and it showed no signs of letting up. "OK, OK, I GET THE PICTURE, WILL YOU STOP ALREADY!?"

"Acknowledged. Ceasing pain stimuli."

Almost immediately, the pinching stopped. I let out a sigh of relief knowing that it was now over.

"The HUD is right, you know. This isn't a dream." I quickly did a 180 when I heard an oddly familiar voice come from behind me. When I saw what, or rather who, the voice had belonged to, my eyes practically bulged out of their sockets.

The being in front of me was long and thin, reaching a height of about 12 feet, and his body was a mismatched jumble of different animal parts. He had a lion's paw for his right arm, an eagle's claw for his left arm, a lizard's foot for his right leg, and a goat hoof for his left leg. His head was that of a pony's, and on top of his head sat a deer antler and a goat horn. His eyes were yellow with red pupils, and neither of them were the same size. He had a reptilian looking tail and a pair of wings, one of which was a bat's while the other looked like an eagle's, only it was blue. Finally, a single fang hung from his mouth.

Standing right in front of me was none other than Discord, the Master of Chaos from My Little Pony.

...Okay, 'standing' might not have been the right word. He was actually hovering a few feet off the ground like he usually does.

"A pleasure to meet you... uh... sorry, what was your name again?" Discord asked. I didn't respond, however. I was currently in shock and found myself unable to put together a coherent reply.

"I-... you-... wha-... y-you're...!?" I blinked a few times, wondering if what I was seeing was real.

"Oh, alright, fine. I figured you already knew who I am, but if you won't introduce yourself first, then I will." The draconequus cleared his throat. "My name is Discord, the Master of Chaos! And you are...?"

"U-Uh... Justin. Justin Baker." I managed to get out, doing my best to overcome the brain fart I was currently having. "Hold on a second. Are-... are you telling me this really isn't a dream?"

"I am indeed."

"...And that I'm actually standing in the middle of some void, face-to-face with Discord? The Discord?"

"Correct again."

I stood there, trying to fully process everything I'd heard so far, from both Discord and the HUD. Was it really happening? Were my dreams finally coming true? Was I getting the chance to explore another world just like every other nerd and geek in history has wanted to do? It was as these questions ran through my head that another thought popped into my head. "Wait, so if you're here... does that mean the world I'm getting sent to is...?"

"It is as you suspect! I'm sending you to Equestria, my dear boy!" He answered, and I couldn't stop the smile that began to spread across my face. I was actually getting to go to Equestria!

"However, there is one catch." Discord snapped me out of my thoughts. "Well, there's more than one catch, but we'll get to those later. You see, I'm not sending you to Equestria just for the fun of it, Justin. There's something I need you to take care of for me before I can send you back home."

While the smile on my face had faded after hearing this, my excitement wasn't completely gone. "Okay then, what is it?"

"Basically, I need you to save Equestria." He simply said. That answer put the smile right back onto my face. Not only do I get to go to Equestria, but I get to be a cool hero while I'm at it? Sign me up, please!

"Alright, sure, I can do that! That sounds awesome!" I accepted enthusiastically. Discord raised a confused eyebrow at my response. After a few seconds of looking at me skeptically, he burst out into uncontrollable laughter.

"AH HA HA HA HA HA!!! Oh my, that is rich!" He laughed. "Don't tell me you thought I specifically picked you for this assignment, did you? As if you were some sort of 'chosen one'? HA HA HA HA!!!"

I felt my shoulders slump a little. I know it may have been a bit self-absorbed of me to believe I was some sort of messiah as Discord said, but a guy can dream, right? "Ok, then why did you pick me?"

Finally having gotten his laughter under control, Discord wiped a tear from his eye before explaining. "I had several candidates to choose from for this, and like you, none of them were really special. I just picked a name from a jar, and it happened to be yours."

"Gee, you sure know how to make a guy feel special." I snarked.

"Why thank you, I do try." He bowed. "Anyways, it'll be a bit before the HUD finishes booting up, so how about I brief you on what you'll be doing?" Discord snapped his fingers, and I suddenly found myself sitting in an office chair. In front of me was a white board with a few scribbles and drawings on it. Discord was hovering beside the board, holding a finger pointer.

Whoa, was that what it feels like to teleport? I'm gonna have to get used to that.

"First, we will be going over your objectives. You have three main objectives in total." Discord flipped the white board over to the other side, revealing a drawing of six familiar looking gemstones. "Your first objective is to find and gather the Elements of Harmony. As you know, the Elements are Magic, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty, and Loyalty." Discord pointed at each Element with the finger pointer as he listed them off. Already, a couple of things stood out to me.

The first thing that I found odd was the shape of the Elements. Instead of resembling the mane six's cutie marks, the Elements looked like the regular old gemstones they had been before Twilight and her friends became the Element bearers. The only exception was Twilight Sparkle's Element, Magic, which still looked like the magenta six-pointed star it had always been. As for the second thing that stuck out to me, I decided to ask Discord about it myself. "Weren't the Elements of Harmony destroyed by King Sombra?"

"After certain... events occurred that I'll explain later, Twilight Sparkle managed to create a spell that could restore the Elements to their former glory. While she wouldn't be able to use the Elements themselves, fixing them would at least give Equestria a fighting chance. While the spell did fix the Elements, it had an unfortunate side effect of scattering them all across Equestria and beyond. Their current whereabouts are unknown, I'm afraid."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up! Did you say Equestria and beyond!? Equestria alone is an entire country, and I have to look even further beyond that to find the Elements!? That's gonna take forever!" I blanched.

"Oh? You seemed so eager to go on a world-saving adventure earlier. Getting cold feet, are we?" Discord challenged me, a smug grin present on his face. I just sighed in resignation before another question came to mind.

"Wait, what do you mean Twilight can't use the Elements? She represents the Element of Magic, doesn't she? And what about the other girls; Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy?" I asked Discord, understandably confused. Unexpectedly, He seemed to flinch at the mention of the girls, but collected himself almost immediately.

"They used to be the Element bearers, but that hasn't been the case for a long time. The Elements of Harmony don't have the same bearers forever. Over time, new ones need to be chosen. Your familiarity with Equestria came from a TV show in your world, correct? What's the last important thing you remember happening?" He asked me.

I was thrown off a little by this seemingly random question, but I answered him nonetheless. "...Well, that would be Twilight's coronation during the series finale, when she became the ruler of Equestria."

"You see, Justin, the version of Equestria I'm sending you to isn't the one you are familiar with. While Twilight's coronation did happen, it was a long time ago. Specifically, 500 years ago." After hearing that, it took me a second to truly digest what he was saying. It was slow, but I was beginning to piece together the meaning behind what he just said. Twilight was an alicorn, so she was immortal. It was no surprise that she would still be around after 500 years. The other girls though?

They most likely passed away from old age a long time ago.

I wondered if I should say something to Discord, since this was no doubt a sore subject for him. Discord was friends with all of them, Fluttershy most of all. Heck, he and Fluttershy may have been in a romantic relationship. Before I could even come up with a way to console him, he cleared his throat before turning back to the white board.

"Anyways, we're getting off track." The master of chaos cut me off. "If we sat here while I gave you a large exposition dump about every little detail, we'd be here all day. As much as I would love to fill you in on everything, I don't have enough time to do so. Once you get started in Equestria, you can be a big boy and figure it all out yourself, alright? For now, all you need to know is that Twilight is unable to use the Elements of Harmony. This leads us into your next objective..." He flipped the board back over, except what had originally been written on this side was now gone, replaced with six pictures of silhouettes with question marks in their center. "Find the six new Element bearers and bring them together!"

Doing my best not to think about how five of the mane six are most likely dead, I focused on the six pictures. The silhouettes alone didn't tell me anything about the new bearers, so I decided to ask for more info. "Ok, so, who are they supposed to be?"

"I don't know." He shrugged.

I stared at him blankly, hoping he was going to tell me he was joking. When he didn't, I massaged the bridge of my nose. "Ok, so, let me get this straight; You want me to search high and low across multiple countries, not only to find the six Elements of Harmony, but to also find out who the six new bearers are supposed to be? And I have to do this without any hints or leads as to where any of them might be?"

"Got it in one! And don't forget, there's still one more task after this!"

...This is gonna take a while, isn't it?

"I can at least give you some advice to keep in mind while looking for the bearers. Obviously, each bearer must have the respective trait of their element. The bearer for Generosity must actually be generous, and the bearer for Loyalty must actually be loyal, so on and so forth, but you already knew that. What you do need to remember is that you can't just grab the first generous or loyal person you find off of the street. What connects the Elements of Harmony is the friendship they share with each other. Soooo..." He gestured for me to pick up where he left off, and what he was getting at quickly clicked in my brain.

"They not only need to have the traits of the Elements, but they also have to share a bond with each other." I finished.

"Correct again, my dear boy! Glad we're on the same page. Now, onto the final objective. This one won't require as much searching, but I get the feeling you won't be able to complete it until you've finished the first two." Discord flipped the board over again, and the contents were different once more. This time, the board had four names listed on it, each one written in black sharpie. "Your third objective is to defeat these four individuals known as the Elemental Gods. The Fire God, The Earth God, The Water God, and The Storm God." He pointed at each name with the pointer from bottom to top.

"Gods!? You want me to defeat Gods!?" I exclaimed.

"Like I said, you most likely won't be able to complete this objective until you've completed the first two. The best strategy would be to use the Elements of Harmony against them, and since you can't do that yourself, you'll need the new Element bearers." He continued. "One of those 'events' I mentioned? That was when the Elemental Gods invaded Equestria about 300 years after Twilight's Coronation. Equus was already dealing with enough problems at the time, then they decided to take advantage of it. Now, they rule over most of the planet with an iron fist. There are some places that are out of their control, but they are very few and far between. Even fewer when you take into account the current state of Equus."

"The current state of Equus? What's that mean?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Well, I suppose you could say we're going through a bit of a... how should I put it..." Discord tapped his chin in thought. "Calling it an apocalypse feels a little exaggerated, but still not too far off. I suppose it's only slightly apocalyptic. You'll see what I mean when you get there."

A slightly apocalyptic version of Equestria... fan-freaking-tastic.

"Finding the Gods themselves will be easy, as they each usually stay within the borders of whatever portion of Equus they've taken over. You don't have to worry about knowing what they look like, as the HUD will be able to identify them when they are nearby. They'll also most likely come to you, since you're trying to put a stop to their rule." Discord flipped the board over once more, and this time it displayed a large map. "As you can see here, I have a map of Equestria, as well as the land beyond it. The HUD has a copy of it, and it will be available for you to use at any time during your little adventure."

I gave the map a once over, getting a good look at every location on it. It was a lot of ground to cover. I could tell it was gonna take months to find all the Elements and the new bearers, maybe even a year.

"The Storm God, the leader and strongest of the Gods, resides in the Frozen North. He’s taken over the Crystal Empire and usually stays in the castle." Discord pointed to the snowy mountains at the top of the map, where the Crystal Empire was located. "If I were you, I'd avoid this area while you're just starting out, as it is the most dangerous."

"Wait, taken over!? What happened to all the ponies living there?! They aren’t dead, are they!?" I asked, feeling a little worried about Cadence and Flurry Heart. I’d be worried about Shining Armor too, but like Discord said, it’s been 500 years. I doubt he’s still around.

"No need to worry, they are safe. The Storm God forced the royal family and the citizens of the Empire to flee when he and his army invaded, and they managed to find refuge in Canterlot. Obviously, Twilight didn't hesitate to let them stay, considering they're her family. Now if you're done interrupting me with questions, let's continue." Discord then moved the pointer down to the southern portion of the map. "The Water God dwells in the southern portion of Equestria, spending most of her time in the oceans and seas, since that's where she is most powerful. She's the second strongest of the Gods, so I would avoid her as well."

Discord then shifted the pointer over to the left side of the map. "The Earth God spends most of his time over in the Western region of Equus, specifically Zebrabwe and Saddle Arabia. He can usually be found in the Jackalope Slopes, the rocky mountains that border these two countries." Finally, Discord pointed the pointer at the right side of the map. "The Fire God stays in the Eastern region and can usually be found in the Dragon Lands, this area especially." He pointed at a volcano with the words 'Home of the Dragons & Wyverns' written next to it.

"Oh good, not only are the Gods spread out across the globe, but they're all in places with harsh environments. For a second, I was worried this was gonna be easy." I groaned. The draconequus ignored my complaining and moved on with his briefing.

"The last thing we'll cover is where you'll be starting your journey." He moved the pointer over to what looked like a cave in the side of a mountain located directly above the South Luna Ocean. When I read the name of the location, I immediately voiced my disbelief.

"TARTARUS!? You're starting me out in Equestria's equivalent of the Underworld?!" I gawked.

"I would've liked to start you off somewhere safer than that, but unfortunately, it's all I'm capable of at the moment. Just summoning you to Equestria alone was a chore on my part." He explained. "Thankfully, I've found something, or rather someone, that can help you escape from Tartarus. You'll need to free them from their cell first, but you should spawn fairly close. After that, you'll be free to start your adventure!"

With that, Discord snapped his fingers, and the white board disappeared. "That should just about cover everything. I will accept questions, as long as they are brief, related to your mission, and nothing else. We're on the clock and we don't have time for dilly dallying." He impatiently pointed to a comically large watch that had magically appeared on his wrist.

"... Alright, I do have one question. If Equestria is really going through so much right now, why haven't you fixed it? With your chaos magic, you're capable of just snapping your fingers and magically making everything ok again. What's stopping you?" I questioned him.

It seemed to take him a second to put together an explanation, most likely deciding on how best to phrase it. "Well, as of right now, I've been... taken out of the picture, at least temporarily. The Gods weren't foolish, and they recognized me as a threat. So, they took measures to make sure I wouldn't be a problem. That's why it took me so long just to summon you. I don't have much access to my powers in my current state."

"Oh... Well, is there any way to undo whatever it is they did to you?"

"Not without the Elements of Harmony, so I suggest you not worry about it until you've finished what you need to do." Just as he finished his sentence, I heard a beeping noise before a familiar blue holographic screen popped up in front of me.

"Phase Two preparations complete. Status screens now available." The HUD said in its monotone voice before a bunch of text and numbers appeared on the screen.

General Status
User: Justin Baker
Current Level: 1
Current XP: 0/100
Money: $0
Overall HP: 100/100
Head: 100%
Torso: 100%
Left Arm: 100%
Right Arm: 100%
Left Leg: 100%
Right Leg: 100%

"...What the heck is all this?" I asked Discord, not taking my eyes off the screen.

"This is how the HUD works. It keeps track of your health and allows you to grow stronger. It actually works very similarly to a video game. I did a background check on you and found that you have quite a knack for video games, so I figured it would be right up your alley." He answered. "This screen shows you your current level, how much XP you need to reach the next level, and your overall health."

I get to go to Equestria, save the world, and treat real life like a video game. This day just keeps getting better!

"What do these ones on the bottom mean? The list of body parts with percentages, I mean." I pointed at the list in question.

"That's the durability of each of your body parts. As an example, if the one marked 'Left Arm' is at 0%, then that arm would be completely useless until it's healed. Anyway, now that you've gotten a good look at this screen, let's move on to the Skills screen. You should be able to control the HUD with nothing more than a thought, so just think that you want to look at the Skills screen, and the HUD will bring it up for you." Discord instructed, and I did just as he said. In less than a second, the General Status screen disappeared and was replaced with a new screen.

Skills
Strength: 10/100
Endurance: 4/100
Reflexes: 14/100
Agility: 1/100
Stealth: 4/100
Guns: 2/100
Explosives: 2/100
Melee: 1/100
Unarmed: 1/100
Medicine: 1/100

"So... what do all these mean?" I turned to look back at the draconequus. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, only to pause before coming up with an idea.

"I could tell you, but I think it would be better if the HUD did. It could serve as a nice introduction to Tutorials." He eventually responded. It was then that another blue screen appeared next to the Skills screen, and the HUD began to speak again.

"Tutorial: Skills"

"Skills are a measure of the User's proficiency in different skillsets that will be necessary in order to survive Equestria. How capable the User is in each field is determined by their Skill Level, which ranges between 1-100. There are two ways to increase Skill Levels: The first is by using these Skills repeatedly, allowing each Skill to slowly and naturally grow the more you use it. The second is by spending Skill Points on each Skill to increase their Skill Level. 1 Skill Point is earned every time the User earns enough XP to level up."

I took another look at the Skills, specifically each of the Skill Levels. I couldn't help but grimace at how low they were. "These are all a lot lower than I'm comfortable with. You sure I can't start out stronger than this?"

"These stats were made based off of your own capabilities. If you're upset that you're starting out so weak, then you only have yourself to blame for not preparing better." Discord shrugged.

"Oh yeah, sure, how could I have not been prepared for getting transported to another world? Surely anyone could've expected that!" I snarked. After the HUD finished its description of what Skills are, a new tutorial screen replaced the old one.

"Tutorial: Strength Skill"

"Strength determines the User's physical prowess, especially when it comes to heavy lifting. Increasing the Strength Skill will allow the User to lift and push heavier objects and increase the damage done with melee weapons and unarmed attacks. Regularly exercising the User's muscles by lifting or pushing heavy objects is a good way to help increase the Strength Skill."

Looking at the Strength Skill itself, I was surprised to see that it had the second highest Skill Level out of the bunch, sitting at 10 out of 100. The more I thought about it though, the less surprising it was. for about a year and a half, I've had a job pushing shopping carts in a Shop Rite parking lot. We never got those fancy machines you sometimes see cart pushers using to push several carts at once, so we had to push them all by hand. I remembered my highest number of carts pushed at once was 18.

Even before I got that job, my dad would always have my brother and I help out with a bunch of yardwork. We even helped build both a deck and a pool. Needless to say, I was no stranger to heavy lifting. I was actually a lot stronger than people would think at first glance.

The Strength tutorial screen disappeared, once again being replaced by a new one.

"Tutorial: Endurance Skill"

"Endurance determines how much punishment the User can take. Increasing the Endurance Skill will allow the User to take more damage, increase the resistance to poisons and diseases, and make it easier to withstand harsh environments. The only way to increase the Endurance Skill naturally is by suffering pain and afflictions. This will help build up more of a tolerance for the pain."

I looked back at the Endurance Skill to see that it was at 4 out of 100. I've received numerous cuts and scrapes over the course of my life, but never anything too serious. I've never broken a bone or anything like that. I can't say I've ever been poisoned, but I have been sick plenty of times in the past, and I've built up an incredibly strong immune system because of it.

As for 'withstanding harsh environments', my job pushing carts can again be used as an example. Since my job had me working outside, that meant I had to put up with the weather, no matter how much it sucked. Throughout the year, I'd had to work through pouring rain, snowstorms, and sweltering heat. Imagine having to be outside in weather like that while also pushing several shopping carts and trying to avoid oncoming cars for several hours. It wasn't easy, but I managed to pull it off.

Unfortunately, there was one drawback. I was much more sensitive than the average person when it came to... just about anything, really. Touch, sound, pain, pretty much anything physical. Certain feelings or noises were more noticeable and/or annoying to me than they were to other people, like being slapped on the back or hearing nails on a chalkboard. A recent example would be when the HUD used its 'pain stimulus' on me. Being pinched repeatedly like that probably hurt a tiny bit more for me than it would have for anyone else. I was fairly certain that was why my Endurance Skill wasn't higher than it currently was.

"Tutorial: Reflexes Skill"

"Reflexes determines the User's reaction time, hand-eye coordination, and overall dexterity. Increasing the Reflexes Skill will help the User react to attacks and certain events faster, increase the User's stamina, and improve the effectiveness of the Focus Ability. The Reflexes Skill can be increased by exercising your brain, reacting to attacks and events in time, and using the Focus Ability often."

According to the Skills screen, my Reflexes Skill was the highest, sitting at 14 out of 100. This was another Skill I wasn't too surprised to see higher than the others. Being an avid gamer, my reflexes and hand-eye coordination are constantly trained and tested in the games I play, especially since I enjoy playing shooters and character action games. That's not even mentioning the endless amounts of quick time events I've come across in my gaming career. However, one thing about the HUD's description stood out to me.

"Focus Ability? What's tha-?"

"No time, remember we're on the clock right now. Let's move on to the next tutorial." Discord interrupted me before I could finish my question, pointing back at the holographic screen.

"Alright, alright, jeez. Why are you in such a rush all of a sudden?"

"I already told you I don't have much power in my current state and it took a lot of effort for me just to summon you. We don't have much time left before it's all used up, so I'd prefer it if we got this done as fast as possible." He explained before the tutorial screen changed once more.

"Tutorial: Agility Skill"

"Agility determines the User's expertise in dodging, climbing, and free running. Increasing the Agility Skill will allow the User to move faster, avoid attacks with ease, and become a parkour master. Avoiding attacks, climbing steep surfaces, slipping through tight areas, and performing acrobatics will help increase the Agility Skill."

Unfortunately, my Agility Skill was down at a depressing 1 out of 100. Made sense, I wasn't exactly a paragon of nimbleness. I don't think I could climb up onto a ledge that's any higher than my chest. The HUD's description brought up another question for me, and I couldn't help but ask despite Discord's insistence on speedrunning this process. This time, I decided to ask the HUD instead of the draconequus.

"Earlier you said the Reflexes Skill would help me react to attacks. What makes it different from how Agility helps me avoid them?" As I asked my question, I could feel Discord giving me an annoyed glare from behind.

"Reacting to an attack and avoiding it are two different things. Even if a User's Reflexes Skill is high enough to see an attack coming in time to react to it, that doesn't mean they are agile enough to avoid being hit by the attack. [Example]: If an enemy fires a bullet at User: Justin while User: Justin has Reflexes 100, User: Justin will be able to see the bullet coming in time to react to it. However, if User: Justin does not have a high enough Agility Level, User: Justin will not be agile enough to dodge the bullet, meaning User: Justin will still be hit by the bullet."

Huh... I suppose that makes sense.

"Tutorial: Stealth Skill"

"Stealth determines how skilled the User is at remaining undetected. Increasing the Stealth Skill will make the User quieter and harder to detect, allow the User to blend in with the environment, increase the damage of attacks performed while undetected, improve the User's proficiency with the Lockpicking and Pickpocketing Abilities, and help the User craft items such as lockpicks and smoke bombs. The Stealth Skill can be increased by sneaking past enemies, performing attacks while undetected, successfully picking locks, and successfully picking pockets."

According to the Skills screen, my Stealth Skill was at 4 out of 100. Although it was pretty low, it was still higher than I thought it would be, considering I haven't ever had any proper stealth training. Thinking about it, I do recall being able to sneak up on people and scare the pants off of them more times than I can count. There were a few times where it had been on purpose, but a lot of the time it was just by accident. I'd just casually walk up to someone, say 'hey' or something, and they would practically jump out of their skin. Sometimes they wouldn't even notice me despite standing in their peripheral vision. I guess I'm just naturally a quiet person.

"Tutorial: Guns Skill"

"Guns determines the User's proficiency with firearms and other long-range weaponry. Increasing the Guns Skill will improve the User's handling and accuracy with long-range weapons. It will also allow the User to craft different types of ammunition. The Guns Skill can be increased by defeating enemies with firearms and regularly performing target practice."

I was a little disappointed to see my Guns Skill was only at 2 out of 100, but it made sense. While I have played plenty of shooters, I've never even held a gun before in my life. Well, not a real gun, anyway. I've used nerf guns and cap guns before, but that's pretty much it. I do know how to use a gun, flicking the safety on and off, how to reload the different kinds of guns, the proper way to hold the gun, all that jazz. However, I'm fully aware that knowing how to use a gun and actually using one are two very different things.

...Wait, why is 'Guns' a Skill? Since when did guns exist in Equestria? ...Well, it has been 500 years, maybe technology had advanced enough for ponies to invent them.

"Tutorial: Explosives Skill"

"Explosives determines the User's proficiency with things that go 'boom'. Increasing the Explosives Skill will allow the User to do more damage with weapons like rocket launchers and grenade launchers, as well as throwables like grenades, mines, C4, etc. The Explosives Skill also allows the User to craft certain explosive related items. The Explosives Skill can be increased by causing mass destruction, defeating enemies with explosive weaponry, and successfully crafting explosive related items."

Like the Guns Skill, the Explosives Skill was at 2 out of 100. I assumed the reason why was also the same story as the Guns Skill. I know how certain explosives and explosive weaponry worked, but I've never used them in real life.

"Tutorial: Melee Skill"

"Melee determines how experienced the User is when it comes to using melee weapons of any kind. Increasing the Melee Skill will allow the User to use different melee weapons with their peak potential and make the User more adept at martial arts related to melee weapons. The Melee Skill can be increased by defeating enemies with melee weapons and practicing with melee weapons in a gym or training dojo."

"Tutorial: Unarmed Skill"

"Unarmed determines the User's proficiency in hand-to-hand combat. Increasing the Unarmed Skill will improve the User's technique and make them more adept at different hand-to-hand fighting styles and martial arts. The Unarmed Skill can be increased by defeating enemies with unarmed attacks, as well as by practicing hand-to-hand in a gym or training dojo."

Sadly, both the Melee Skill and the Unarmed Skill were down at 1 out of 100, which was, again, not all that surprising. Do I seem like a Nunchuk-wielding kung fu master to you? After hearing the description, I realized both Skills seemed to be pretty similar to each other, which I thought made sense. They were both related to close range combat, after all.

"Tutorial: Medicine Skill"

"Medicine determines how well the User can treat their injuries. Increasing the Medicine Skill will increase the effectiveness of healing items/boosters, reduce the amount of ingredients required to craft healing items/boosters, and increase the effectiveness of the User's Manual Healing Ability. The Medicine Skill can be increased by repeatedly healing injuries by any means."

Yet another Skill that was at 1 out of 100. Yet again, no surprises there. I'm not a doctor, and I don't know the first thing about first aid or patching up wounds. I was about to ask the HUD what the 'Manual Healing Ability' was, but Discord spoke up before I could get a chance. "Alright, now that that's out of the way, it's time to begin your journey. I wanted to go over the Inventory and Abilities screen beforehand, but someone was too busy asking questions. I'm afraid we're out of time now. Just ask the HUD about it on your own time and it will give you a tutorial to explain it."

"Wait, what? Hold on, what's the Abilities scre-?"

"Ta ta, and good luck! I'll see you again once you've finished everything I asked you to do!" The draconequus cut me off once again before snapping his fingers. Suddenly, a bright light encompassed my vision, and I felt as if I was being lifted off of the ground. After that, there was nothing but darkness.

I woke up again with a gasp and found myself laying on the ground, staring up at the ceiling. The first thing I did was take in my surroundings. From the looks of it, I appeared to be in some sort of large spacious cavern. It was a bit dark, but not dark enough that I couldn't see. The cavern itself appeared to be illuminated by torches that lined the walls, each one having been lit with bright blue flames. I was currently on top of a natural stone walkway that appeared to lead deeper into the cavern. Below the walkway was a deep abyss with seemingly no bottom. I took a second to collect my thoughts and soon recalled my meeting with Discord.

Oh yeah, that's right. He said that he would be dropping me in Tartarus to start, didn't he? I guess that's where I am now...

I got to my feet and looked at both directions on the walkway. The path behind me led to a dead end, so the only way to go was ahead of me. Before I could take my first step, another HUD screen appeared in front of me.

"User: Justin's Starting Equipment has been registered in the Inventory. Please feel free to take stock."

Starting Equipment? Guess that's another thing Discord failed to mention in time.

I figured accessing the Inventory worked the same way as accessing my General Status and Skills screens, so I just thought to bring up the inventory. Lo and behold, a new screen appeared with several different tabs at the top. The tabs were labeled as 'All', 'Melee Weapons', 'Guns', 'Throwables', 'Ammo', 'Healing/Boosters', 'Important', and 'Other'. I was currently on the 'All' tab, which currently had a list of only two items.

Inventory (All):
- Bowie Knife
- Moderate Health Stim (3)

The first item that caught my eye was labeled as a Bowie Knife, with a picture of said knife next to it. The next item down was labeled as a 'Moderate Health Stim', and the image next to it was of a small syringe with some sort of green substance inside of it. The syringe also had an 'M' printed on the side of it, which I assumed stood for moderate, judging by the item's name. The item name also had a number 3 next to it in parenthesis, which I figured meant I had three of them.

"Tutorial: Equipping Items"

"Equipping items works the same way as interacting with the User's Status screens. Simply command to equip the item you want from your inventory with the User's mind, and it will appear in the User's hands."

I did as the HUD said, and quickly found a Bowie knife atomizing into my hand. My eyes went wide as I watched the process, even if it lasted only less than a second. Watching something just... spawn into existence was quite bizarre to see in real life. I gave the knife a few swings to get a feel for it before being satisfied. I returned the knife to the inventory for now before taking my first steps forward through Tartarus. As I did, I could barely contain my excitement. It was really happening! I get to go on an isekai adventure! This had to be the greatest day of my life!

...At least, that's what I was thinking right now. Remember that whole 'falling several dozen feet off a cliff and to my death' thing at the beginning? Yeah, anyone who's been paying attention can tell that things are going to go downhill soon.

I followed the walkway for about another minute before the cavern opened up into a much wider area. I could see the walkway split off into several other paths winding around the cavern like a maze, each leading to a different part of the cavern. Some went into different tunnels that most likely led to other parts of Tartarus, but most of them appeared to lead to cages and cells that were spread out amongst the cavern. Some of the cages had iron bars on them, allowing me to see through them, while others were made of solid metal walls and gave no visibility to whatever was inside. I recognized some of the creatures like manticores and cockatrices, while also seeing some new creatures I didn't recognize. Another HUD screen appeared next to me, catching my eye.

[Main Quest]: The Journey Begins

Objective 1: Free the imprisoned Legend to help escape from Tartarus.

A blip appeared in the corner of my vision, so I turned my gaze towards it and saw that it was a light blue dot with the numbers "97m" above it. The dot itself was sitting right in front of a cell not too far from where I was, specifically one of the cells with the metal walls. Using my totally expert gamer instincts and knowledge, I came to the conclusion that the dot was an objective marker, and that it was about 97 meters away from my current position. I wasn't super familiar with the metric system, but I could tell it wasn't too far of a distance.

"'Free the imprisoned Legend?' Is freeing anything from Tartarus really a good idea? Last I checked, this is the place they throw all the villains in after they're defeated." I ask the HUD.

"Negative. According to intel provided by Discord, the Legend currently in that cell was imprisoned here unjustly and does not belong in Tartarus. There is a 99.9% chance that the Legend will help User: Justin escape from Tartarus."

"If you say so..." I shrugged, still feeling a little unsure about this plan. I started making my way towards the marker by following the path. Unfortunately, this became difficult pretty quickly since the path to the cell wasn't exactly straight forward. I ended up getting turned around a few times trying to figure out which path led where and which route would be the fastest. I wasn't lost or anything, I could still see where the cell was no matter where I stood, but the path's many twists, turns, and junctures made it difficult to navigate.

"Jeez, this is taking longer than it should. Is there any chance we could find a shortcut or somethi-?" My question to the HUD was cut short when I heard a low growling sound coming from behind me. My heartbeat quickened as I slowly turned around to face the source of the noise. To say I was shocked (and admittedly a little scared) of what I saw would be an understatement.

The source of the noise was a black wolf-like creature with ghostly, pale blue, emissive eyes staring right into my soul. A smoky trail of light seemed to leak from the corners of its eyes as it moved. The wolf creature snarled viciously at me, baring its sharp fangs as drool dripped down from its maw. As if the wolf thing wasn't creepy enough, the drops of drool seemed to burn and melt into the stone walkway as soon as they hit the ground. I heard more growling coming from the direction I'd originally been facing, so I turned around and found another wolf, this one completely identical to the first. It also looked just as angry as the first wolf.

I looked back and forth between the two wolves as they inched closer to me, quickly realizing I had nowhere to go with them cutting both directions off. I quickly equipped the Bowie knife, feeling beads of sweat forming on my forehead as the tension between us grew. "Uh...hi?"

Before I could do or say anything else, one of them leapt at me, swiping its claws at my chest. The hit knocked me to the ground, and I cried out as a burning pain quickly spread across my chest. I looked down at myself to see a giant claw mark across my chest, having torn through my shirt and into my skin, blood quickly seeping out of the wound. I was too in shock to say anything, or even make a single noise, watching as drops of blood rolled down my chest and soaked my shirt. It hurt more than any cut or injury I've ever gotten in my life.

-68 HP

Overall HP: 32/100

Torso: 67%

T-That's... that's my blood... Holy shit, that's my blood! T-There's so much of it! I-I don't-... wha-!?

The wolves didn't waste any time, and before I knew it, one of them had sunk their teeth into my neck. I tried to scream and fruitlessly struggled in its grip, but it hadn't even taken five seconds for it to rip my throat out, tons of blood gushing from the gaping wound in my neck. I choked and gargled on blood, attempting to get air into my lungs to no avail. Before my brain even had time to register what was happening, my body shut down as the life seeped away from me.

...And just like that, I was dead.

GAME OVER

Load Checkpoint?

Yes >No

"AAAAAAGHH!!!"

I woke up screaming and clutching my neck where I'd been bitten. I began hyperventilating as I frantically looked around, trying to figure out where I was and what just happened. It took my brain some time to calm down enough to process my current location, that being the same place I first woke up in.

"W-Wha-!? Huh!?! What the fuck just happened!?!" My mind was racing in an attempt to calm down and assess the situation, but it was struggling quite a bit. After asking my question to no one in particular, the HUD appeared in front of me once again to explain.

"User: Justin received a Game Over and was forced to restart at the most recent checkpoint."

"C-Checkpoint? Hold on, w-what do you mean?" I started to get my breathing under control, the adrenaline and panic beginning to wear off.

"User: Justin was killed by the Tartarus Guardians and received a Game Over. This resulted in User: Justin needing to restart at the most recent checkpoint."

It took me a few seconds to truly digest what the HUD had said.

I was killed.

I actually died.

Jesus Christ... I never want to go through that again. That-... That was painful, and fucking terrifying.

Slowly and shakily, I got to my feet. I looked down at my chest to see that the giant claw mark that had been there had disappeared. My shirt was once again intact, and there wasn't even a single scar left behind. It was like the whole thing had never happened.

After taking some time to let myself process the entire situation, I came to a realization. Those wolves, the 'Tartarus Guardians' as the HUD had called them, were still out there. I couldn't just stroll back in and try the same thing again. I needed a plan. "Okay, let's think about this... hey HUD, do you uh... you got any ideas on how to avoid... dying again?" I asked, the thought of dying again sending shivers down my spine.

"[Recommendation]: I believe stealth would be the best course of action. User: Justin should move slowly and quietly to reach the objective while avoiding the Tartarus Guardians."

"R-Right, right, yeah. That sounds like a good plan..." I nodded. After finally calming my nerves, I trudged forward, returning to the large open area I was in before. Instead of immediately following the path to the objective marker, I stayed where I was and kept low to the ground, paying close attention to the maze of pathways as I tried to spot the Tartarus Guardians. I also used the time to get a better idea of which path went where, mapping out the area as best as I could. The fact that I had walked through it once before helped me tell each of the paths apart.

"Hey HUD, you seemed to know what these things are. Is there anything you can tell me about them?" In response to my question, the HUD brought up a screen labeled as 'Encyclopedia'.

"Tartarus Guardians are rank-and-file guard dogs created by Tartarus' main protector, Cerberus. They are much stronger and more durable than the average wolf, and their drool is made out of a very corrosive acid. When a Tartarus Guardian is killed, it's body fades away into dust before reassembling itself after 1-3 hours. They are ordered to kill intruders on sight, so extreme caution is advised when a Tartarus Guardian is spotted."

Gee, they sure sound like a friendly bunch. It seems they don't stay dead forever, either.

The HUD's encyclopedia about the Guardians also reminded me of one very big problem: Cerberus, the house-sized, three-headed dog that keeps anything and everything in Tartarus from escaping. These Guardians were already enough of a problem, and if they're willing to kill me without question, I doubt the big canine will be willing to let me leave either. Especially since I'm technically trying to leave with one of the prisoners being held here.

I'll worry about that later. Right now, I should focus on reaching the cell, this time with my throat intact.

After a couple minutes of waiting, I finally spotted one of the Guardians patrolling on the walkways, as well as couple more following behind it soon after. I already made a note to stay on the paths farthest away from the guardians, even if it meant it would take longer to get to the cell.

"[Observation]: I do not detect any more hostiles nearby. I believe those three are the only ones in the current area. [Warning]: This does not mean there aren't more Tartarus Guardians throughout Tartarus. Extreme Caution is advised."

"Alright, thanks for the tip." I nodded as I finally picked the route I would follow to avoid the Guardians. Staying low to the ground, I began slowly and quietly making my way through the maze of pathways, trying not to draw attention to myself.

Whoever this 'Legend' is, they better be worth all this trouble.

It took me a little over half an hour to finally reach the cell. This was due to the fact that I was moving extremely slowly to avoid making noise, as well as taking several detours and alternate paths to avoid the Guardians. Granted, I was probably moving slower than I needed to stay quiet, but I wasn't taking any risks.

Like I'd mentioned before, the cell was entirely made up of metal, without a single crack to peek through. If I had to guess, it was some sort of solitary cell. There was some sort of magical pale blue sigil hovering in front of the door, which I assumed was the thing keeping the cell locked. As for whoever or whatever was in the cell, I assumed they weren't happy with their imprisonment. How do I know this when I can't even see the inside of the cell? Well, the person or thing inside was banging against the door hard enough to make the entire cell shake. I could also just barely hear some muffled angry screaming coming from within.

Clearly, whoever was in there had a bit of a temper.

"Sooooo... how do I get it open?" I whispered to the HUD.

"User: Justin should be able to destroy the lock sigil with User: Justin's knife. [Recommendation]: Inform the prisoner inside that User: Justin is going to break the sigil before doing so. That way, they won't accidentally knock the door down on top of User: Justin."

Considering how hard whoever or whatever’s in there is banging on the door, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were capable of knocking it down.

"That certainly sounds like something I want to avoid. Good idea." I chuckled before stepping up to the cell door. I was a bit hesitant since I still had no idea who or what was on the other side, but I managed to gather up enough courage to knock on the door. After giving three knocks, the banging on the door came to a stop. The prisoner inside didn't make any noise, so I took the initiative to say something first. "Hey, uh... I don't know if you can hear me in there, but I'm gonna let you out, okay? I'm not your enemy or anything so just, y'know, don't kill me once I let you out or anything like that. Deal?"

I got no response from the prisoner inside, so I had no idea if they actually heard me. I would've been even more hesitant to open the door under normal circumstances because of that, since there was still a risk that whatever was in there still might try to kill me. These weren't exactly normal circumstances, though, since as I learned before, there wasn't really much consequence if I died. Sure, it would be extremely painful and traumatic, but I would just load a checkpoint immediately after.

I summoned the Bowie knife from my inventory and examined the sigil, still not entirely sure how I was supposed to use the knife to destroy it. "So, uh... do I just slice at it, or...?"

"Stab the knife into the center of the sigil, and it should fall apart."

"Okie dokie then..." I steadily shoved the knife blade first into the center of the sigil, watching as the blade was absorbed in a pale blue glow. The sigil rumbled and vibrated, making weird noises I couldn't even begin to describe, before it shattered like glass. The shards of the sigil phased through the knife as they fell to the ground before completely fading away from existence, not a single trace of it to be found.

...Did that do it?

I returned the knife to the inventory before checking the handle on the metal door, and I found that it turned without any resistance. I pushed it open and peered in, hoping to finally see who this mystery prisoner was that the HUD had referred to as a 'Legend'.

...Only to see the inside of the cell was empty.

I took a single step into the cell and stood in the doorway, hoping to get a better look at the inside. "Uh...Hello-?"

Before I could react, a pair of hands reached out from the side, grabbed me by the collar, and threw me against the wall.

My assailant lifted me up and turned me around to face them before pinning me against the cold metal wall. Now that I got a good look at my attacker, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The prisoner hadn't been a monster like everything else locked up in Tartarus, nor was it a pony or any other species I would've expected. The person in front of me was a species I least expected to see on Equus.

They, or rather she, looked like a human. She wasn't just any old human though, oh no sirree. The weirdness of the situation just couldn't stop there. The reason I was in such disbelief about what I was seeing was because of what she looked like.

She looked like an anime character.

Now, when I say she looks like an anime character, I don't mean she looks like a normal human but with big eyes, like in that awesome Alita: Battle Angel movie, I mean she actually looked like she jumped straight out of an anime and into the real world.

She seemed to be the same height as me, and had long, yellow, hip-length hair with bangs so long that her right eye was hidden underneath them. While I did say she looked like a human, I noticed she had a pair of pony ears on top of her head, both of them the same color as her hair. This made me suspect she wasn't human like I initially thought. Well, that and the fact that she's a literal anime girl.

As for her outfit, she wore a black, unzipped, hooded leather jacket, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and a yellow cropped tank top under that, showing off her slightly toned muscles. The hands currently holding me by the collar of my shirt were covered in black leather fingerless gloves. Below, she wore black cargo short shorts and a pair of black, knee-high, laced biker boots.

At the moment though, the most noticeable aspect about her were the amber eyes glaring directly at me.

"Who the hell are you?" She growled. I struggled to come up with a response, finding myself speechless for several reasons. The first was the shock of being thrown against the wall so suddenly. The second was the shock of seeing an honest to God anime girl with pony ears and a tail standing in front of me and pinning me to the wall. The third was the shock of... well... immediately realizing just how attractive she was.

...Oh come on, don't look at me like that. I know I shouldn't have my mind in the gutter given the current situation, but can you blame me? Her outfit was showing off a lot of skin, and she also happened to be rather...well-endowed. They weren't cartoonishly huge or anything, but they were noticeably big. Add her close proximity into the mix, and it suddenly became hard to pay attention.

"I-I...uh..." Was all I managed to say.

"Subject: [Name Unknown], User: Justin requires your assistance." A blue holographic screen appeared next to the girl as the HUD intervened.

"What the hell!?" The girl quickly released me and took a few steps back from the screen, her fists curled up and ready for a fight.

"Please do not be alarmed, Subject: [Name Unknown]. User: Justin is not a threat and simply requires your assistance." The HUD repeated. I watched as the girl's eyes flicked between the screen and myself. A glare was present on her face as she tried to ascertain which of us was the bigger threat. Spoiler alert: Neither of us were. I finally managed to gather my thoughts well enough to say something.

I swallowed before getting her attention. "L-Look, I'm not looking for trouble or anything. I'm trying to get out of Tartarus, but I can't do it on my own."

A fact that I learned the hard way.

"From what I've heard, you're the only one locked up here who doesn't want to terrorize, kill, or enslave innocent people, so I came to you for help. So... uh... can you help me escape?" Quickly realizing how pathetic and one-sided that sounded, I added, "W-We can help each other! Cover each other's backs and stuff to get out of here."

She raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. She continued to look back and forth between me and the HUD, thinking about what her decision would be. Eventually, she let out a sigh. "...Fine. I guess I do owe you for freeing me. But I've got some questions for you, and you'd better answer them. Got it?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am." I nodded.

"Good. I'll ask them as we walk. C'mon." The girl made her way to the door, leaving the cell. I quickly followed after her as I got a new notification from the HUD.

[Main Quest]: The Journey Begins

Objective 1: Free the imprisoned Legend to help escape from Tartarus. (COMPLETED)
Objective 2: Survive the ambush.

Oh hey, I completed my first objective. Sweet!

...

Wait, what do you mean survive the-!?

The familiar sound of growling halted me in my tracks. Just ahead of us outside the cell, the three Tartarus Guardians that had been patrolling this part of the cavern approached us. While I was practically shitting myself at the mere sight of the Guardians, the girl remained calm. Her glare hardened as she balled up her fists, getting into what looked like an orthodox boxing stance. I braced myself for pain as the first Guardian lunged at us.

...Only the pain never came.

Instead, the girl weaved under the lunging Guardian and threw a punch straight into its side. The punch had been powerful enough to send the Guardian flying off the walkway and into the abyss below. Having seen this, the other two lunged at the same time, both aiming for the girl. She dodged one and sent a straight jab into the other's face, sending it flying over the edge as well. She turned back to the other one just in time to catch it mid-lunge with her bare hands, then slammed it straight into the ground, a loud crunch coming from the Guardian's bones. She finished it off by stomping on its head, crushing it like a grape. The grey-colored blood on her boot faded away into dust, along with the Guardian's corpse.

HOLY SHIT!!!

I stood there, gaping in awe at the girl's badass display. The Guardians didn't even stand a chance against her. She didn't even look winded after that! How strong was this girl!?

She looked back at me with a raised eyebrow. "You coming or not?"

"Huh? O-Oh, yeah!" I picked up the pace and followed her lead as we began traversing the walkways once again, this time with them being Tartarus Guardian-free.

"I'm not sure which way the exit is, so we might have to search a bit. Unless you've got any way to tell where it is?" She paid me a glance over her shoulder as she walked. as if on cue, the HUD gave me another notification.

[Main Quest]: The Journey Begins

Objective 2: Survive the ambush. (COMPLETED)
Objective 3: Make your way to the exit.

"Actually, I think I do." I told her as another objective marker appeared in my vision. According to the marker, the exit was 507 meters from where I was standing. I couldn't see it from where we were, so I assumed it was in another part of Tartarus that we would have to walk to. "The marker the HUD gave me says it's in that direction. Unfortunately, I can't say exactly what path we need to take to get there, but I can at least tell you it's in that general direction, 507 meters from where we are now." I pointed in the direction of the marker.

"The HUD?" She gave me a confused look.

"Oh, uh, the HUD is that blue screen thing you saw in the cell. It kinda... helps me, I guess is the way to put it? It's like a computer or AI or something, if I had to guess."

She looked between me and the direction I had pointed before shrugging. "Better than nothing, I guess."

With that, we proceeded forward through Tartarus. As we walked, I couldn't help but recount the events that led up to now. I had gotten transported to another world, something I had only dreamed of before, but so far it hasn't turned out the way I expected. Not only did I start off in Equestria's version of Hell, but I managed to actually die only five minutes after starting. Clearly, I wasn't off to a great start. But you know what? That didn't bother me too much. Not everything has a perfect beginning. I'm sure things will get better from here...

...right?

Author's Note

Spoiler Alert: Things most certainly don't get better from here.

The first part of the first chapter, ladies and gentlemen! I hoped you enjoyed it, even if not that much happened. I was hoping to get farther into the story than this for the first chapter, but the word count ended up being a lot more than I expected. I don't want the chapter to be super long and overwhelming, so I'm gonna try and break it up into parts. If I stuck to my plan, then I should've published this story with "Down The Rabbit Hole… (Part 2)" already available, so you shouldn't have to worry about being left on a cliffhanger just yet.

I feel like I might have been a bit vague with describing Tartarus, so please let me know if you had a hard time picturing what it looked like. If so, then I'll try to add more detail to the description as best I can. Any other criticisms you can think of would be both welcome and helpful! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter enough to keep reading!

P.S. I managed to re-create the anime girl in VRoid studio, here's a picture to help you guys get a better idea of what she looks like. Just, uh, ignore the fact that her jacket is clipping through her hair.