Justin

After approaching the red barn-shaped building, I started with the sliding door off to the right side, only to find a padlock and chain keeping it shut. Probably for the best, now that I think about it. Even if it weren't locked, barging through the front door would be a bad idea. Who knows what kind of trap or ambush the prowlers have waiting for me in there? With that in mind, I decided to check out the platform on the left side. It was too high for me to reach as is, but after doing a lap around the wooden structure, I found an extension ladder propped up against the back wall of the building. I carried it over to the platform, positioned it at a sturdy angle, and climbed up.

While I didn't exactly find a conventional entrance into the building, I did find a large open window that I could very easily climb through. This was also when I noticed a black cable coming from inside the window, leading outside and down to the ground, trailing over to the electric fence. I was willing to bet a million bucks that whatever is powering the fence is at the other end of this cable. Before I entered, I peeked through the window to check for any hostiles, only to see that the second floor was completely devoid of any prowlers.

Huh...better keep my guard up anyway just in case...

I vaulted through the window and landed on the old wooden floor, disturbing the thick layer of dust that covered the entire room. Clearly, no one had been in here for a long time. A few tables were spread out across the room, a few things having been left behind on them. Most of it was rotten food, but there were also a couple old books, some abandoned personal effects, mostly stuff that wasn't of any use to me. There was even a whole poker game left behind with playing cards and chips, the whole shebang. I could see steps leading down to the lower floor off to one side of the room, and on the other was a wooden ladder that led up to a trap door on the roof.

This must have been some sort of break room or something.

I followed the cable to the other end of the room and saw what I was looking for: a generator. It looked to be one of those large towable generators, which makes me wonder how they got it up to the second floor. Must've been hell trying to carry it up the steps if that's what they did. The generator rumbled a bit as a low humming sound came from it, signifying that it was currently running.

I fast-walked over to the generator and examined it. The switch to shut it off was hidden inside a built-in compartment containing a few other switches and knobs that did who knows what, as well as the hole where the fuel would be poured into. Unfortunately, the little door to the compartment was held shut by yet another padlock. There was an old note sitting on top of the generator, and it was thankfully still legible, so I gave it a read in hopes that it would point me towards the key.

To all workers,

Someone has been repeatedly turning off the generator in the middle of work as an attempt at a prank (you know who you are). Therefore, we are locking up the generator switchboard and only allowing access to those with permission. Both Tungsten and I each have a copy of the key, so if you ever need access to the generator for any reason, whether it be for a reason related to work, for refueling the generator, or for an emergency, come see one of us.

-Woodchip

Judging by the contents of the note, I assumed it had been written before this place was abandoned. Well then, if either 'Tungsten' or 'Woodchip' left this place before it was taken over by prowlers, let's hope they didn't take the keys with them.

[Side Quest]: Logging Camp Ambush

Objective 1: Find a way to shut off the electric fence. (COMPLETED)
Objective 2: Find one of the two keys to the generator.

I left the note where I found it and turned towards the stairs. I still needed to search the bottom floor, so hopefully the key was down there somewhere. If not, I'd have to search every nook and cranny of the logging camp. Just as I started heading for the stairs, I caught something in the corner of my eye, glanced at it, then immediately did a double take to make sure I wasn't seeing things. My jaw went slack as I stared at the beauty I'd just found decoratively mounted on the far wall, somehow not having noticed it until now:

A Remington 870 shotgun.

I practically sprinted over to the gun in excitement, not even considering if it might have a weapon-binding spell applied to it. Thankfully it didn't, as I gently took it off of its mount, admiring the weapon. It was covered in a small bit of dust, but looked to be in good condition besides that.

[Remington 870 (Shotgun)]
5 / 0

Remington 870 (Shotgun) Stats:
Damage: 5.60
Ammo Capacity: 5
Rate of Fire: 0.45
Accuracy: 2.80

"Well hey there, sexy. What's a gorgeous thing like yourself doing in a place like this?" After I finished adoring the shotty with a body, I placed it in the inventory before heading for the stairs again. Reaching the bottom, I took a look around the room to see it was covered in dust just like the floor above. A couple of old machines sat in the middle of the room, rusted saw blades sticking out of each. A few small stacks of freshly cut logs had been left on one side of the room, along with several neat piles of wooden planks, all evenly cut. Using my ever so brilliant powers of deduction, I concluded that this floor had been used as a sawmill.

I began to search the room, finding some extra ammo for me to use hidden away in one corner of the room. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything else for me to use, nor did I find a key for the generator.

• x5 Handgun Ammo
  
• x4 Shotgun Shells

Well shit, guess I'm gonna have to backtrack. Maybe the key is in one of the cabi-?

Remember that large sliding door I mentioned earlier? The one that served as the building's main entrance? Well, before I could even finish my thought, something from outside started banging on that door, hard, causing it to shake. On top of the loud banging, I could hear muffled, monstrous roaring coming from the other side.

That can't be good...

Whatever was trying to break through was succeeding, because the wooden door was beginning to crack under the force of its assault. I brought out my handgun and braced myself for whatever was on the other side, my palms growing sweaty from the anticipation. It didn't take long for the mystery creature to smash a hole through the door, and when I saw what it was, I regretted not equipping the shotgun instead of the pistol.

A muscular, seven and a half foot tall, very pissed off minotaur stood before me. The rotting flesh and fur, as well as the pure red eyes, signified that it was most likely an advanced infected. Hot air blew from its nostrils as it angrily heaved, its eyes searching the room before landing on me. The most notable thing about the minotaur was that it was wearing coveralls with a nametag on the chest. Wanna guess what the nametag said?

Written on the nametag, clear as day, was the name 'Tungsten'.

I've got a feeling I know where the key is...

[MUSIC START]
["Vorarephilia" - Lost Judgement OST]

The minotaur charged at me horns first, and I rolled out of the way. Having missed me, it smashed headfirst into the wall, getting its horns stuck. I got to my feet and equipped the shotgun just as the minotaur ripped its horns out of the wall, turning around to face me again. Filled with pure rage, the beast let out a mighty, primal roar.

INFECTED MINOTAUR
LEGEND TYPE: N/A

I aimed the shotgun at the minotaur and fired, the shrapnel shredding into his flesh. Unfortunately, I was not prepared for the shotgun's recoil, and I ended up stumbling backwards before falling on my ass.

[Remington 870 (Shotgun)]
4 / 4

Boss HP: 92%

Ow...

I groaned as I started to get back up, only for my eyes to widen as the minotaur charged me again. I just barely managed to roll out of the way as the monster slammed into another wall, causing the building to shake a little bit. I pumped the shotgun and was about to fire again, but the minotaur stopped me by throwing a wild haymaker at my head, sending me tumbling backwards.

-25 HP

Overall HP: 85/110

Head: 88%

Oh sweet Jesus, my head...

I clutched my head as it pounded, a light ringing noise filling my ears. I managed to get back to my feet as the minotaur prepared to attack again, throwing another swing of its meaty arm. I rolled again to avoid it, this time running in the opposite direction to put some distance between us.

Even if I use all the shells I have for the shotgun, it wouldn't be enough to take him down. There's gotta be something else I can use!

My eyes searched the room as I ran from Tungsten before they landed on the machines with the rusted saw blades. They were old, and it would be a miracle if they even still worked, but it was worth a shot. The generator upstairs was still running, so they at least have power; The main concern was if the machines themselves were still in working condition after being abandoned for years.

I rolled out of the way from another charge, and the minotaur got his horns stuck in the wall again. I fired another blast with the shotgun before turning my attention to one of the machines.

[Remington 870 (Shotgun)]
3 / 4

Boss HP: 84%

While Tungsten was still stuck in the wall, I scanned the machine from top to bottom, looking for something, anything, that might activate the saw blade.

C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! Where's the damn 'on' button!?!

I eventually found what looked like an on/off switch on the left side of the machine, the top button being green and the bottom red. The minotaur was almost free from the wall, so I basically said 'fuck it' and pressed the green one without knowing if it would work or not. The machine made a loud, grating noise that I assumed it wasn't supposed to make, but after a few seconds, the blade started spinning. It was slow at first, but was picking up speed quickly.

Holy crap, this thing still works!

I may have gotten the machine running, but I still had to lure the minotaur near it, bait the monster into charging me, dodge at the last second, then hope he's dumb enough to run straight into a spinning saw blade. I looked back at Tungsten, who had just gotten free from the wall and turned to face me yet again. With primal rage in his eyes, he scraped his right hoof leg against the floor as he prepared to charge again.

It was at about that time that the grating noise from the machine started getting even louder. I paid it a glance and saw that the saw blade was spinning fast, dangerously fast, enough so that numerous sparks were being produced and flying everywhere. I could clearly see smoke seeping out of every crevice on the machine as it struggled to function. Apparently, the machine wasn't working properly after many years of neglect.

Something in the machine broke, and the saw blade shot out of it like a bullet, whizzing right by me and ricocheting off of every surface in the room. I instinctively ducked down close to the ground, praying that the spinning blade of death didn't hit me as it violently and chaotically bounced around. Surprisingly, in a huge stroke of good luck, the blade continued its ricocheting spree until it rocketed straight into Tungsten, embedding itself deep into his chest. The minotaur growled in pain, stumbling a bit from the impact.

Boss HP: 69%

Ok, not what I had in mind, but I'll take it!

With the minotaur stunned by the saw blade, I took the chance to fire another shell at him, peppering him with shrapnel.

[Remington 870 (Shotgun)]
2 / 4

Boss HP: 61%

Taking a peek at my ammo count, I realized I was almost empty and started reloading. I inserted three more shotgun shells into the chamber and pumped it once I'd gotten the last shell in. I was about to level the gun at the minotaur again, only to see he'd closed the distance between us and threw a heavy punch at me, sending me flying across the room. I tumbled across the ground before landing on my back, mewling in pain.

[Remington 870 (Shotgun)]
5 / 1

-25 HP

Overall HP: 60/110

Head: 76%

"Ooooww... God, you hit hard, dude." I groaned as I got back up. The minotaur roared in response before trying to charge me yet again. Just like the previous attempts, I rolled out of the way and avoided it, and he hit the wall. This time though, his impact with the wall caused the building to shake even more than before.

Shit, he's gonna bring the whole building down at this rate! Gonna have to take this outside.

"Hey big guy! Over here, this way!" I called out to the minotaur as I ran through the hole in the sliding door it created. Once I was outside, the first thing I saw was the electric fence, electricity still fiercely sparking off of it. Immediately getting an idea, I moved in front of the fence and faced my back to it, focusing solely on the minotaur as it followed me out of the building. We stared each other down, and I taunted it. "C'MON YOU BIG UGLY BITCH!!! I'M RIGHT HERE!!!"

Tungsten roared louder than ever before charging straight at me with his horns. I waited until the last second to roll out of the way, and the infected minotaur ran straight through where I'd been a second ago, ramming straight into the electric fence. With his horns stuck in it, the electricity arced through the beast's body, causing him to cry out in pain as he was electrocuted.

Boss HP: 41%

As the minotaur writhed in agony, I used the opportunity to get some shots in with the shotgun, hitting him twice before he managed to finally free himself.

[Remington 870 (Shotgun)]
3 / 1

Boss HP: 25%

Almost there!

I quickly loaded my last spare shell into the shotgun, but before I could fire off another shot, the minotaur charged me with his horns. Unfortunately, I hadn't been able to roll out of the way in time, and one of his horns pierced through my chest, splattering us both with my blood. He shook his head back and forth until I fell off of his horn, tossing me aside like a ragdoll. I immediately started coughing up blood when I impacted the ground, and breathing was becoming a chore thanks to the brand new hole in my chest.

[Remington 870 (Shotgun)]
4 / 0

-50 HP

Overall HP: 10/110

Torso: 66%

Without any hesitation, I pulled out my last health stim and injected it into myself, letting the miracle medicine do its work as my fatal wounds healed in a matter of seconds.

+100 HP

Overall HP: 110/110

I spit the last of the blood out of my mouth before returning my attention to Tungsten. He let out another furious roar before trying to charge me again. This time I had been ready, and after successfully dodging the attack, I raised the shotgun at the beast and fired yet again.

[Remington 870 (Shotgun)]
3 / 0

Boss HP: 17%

In an attempt to conserve ammo, I swapped out the shotgun for the rusty metal pipe and prepared to get up close and personal with the minotaur. The beast ran up and threw a punch at me, which I avoided and countered with a swing of the pipe, hitting him in the hip.

[Rusted Metal Pipe (45%)]

Boss HP: 16%

I repeated this process several times, dodging a punch and countering with the pipe. I continued to chip away at the minotaur's health bit by bit, slowly but surely getting closer to victory.

[Rusted Metal Pipe (10%)]

Boss HP: 9%

Just as I went for another swing, the minotaur stopped me when instead of throwing another punch, it grabbed me by the throat and hoisted me up. I coughed and sputtered as I tried to breathe, finding no success as the minotaur continued to squeeze. In a desperate attempt to save myself, I brought out the makeshift knife and stabbed it directly into the minotaur's eye, causing him to release me and clutch his eye in pain.

Boss HP: 7%

After Tungsten dropped me, I landed on my back. I didn't even bother getting up, bringing the shotgun out one last time and firing it at the minotaur to finish it off. The minotaur stumbled from the impact of the shrapnel, trying and failing to keep his footing, before collapsing to the ground, motionless.

[Remington 870 (Shotgun)]
2 / 0

Boss HP: 0%

[MUSIC END]

+100 XP

I laid there on the ground, panting heavily as the adrenaline wore off and sweat dripped down my face. I stayed like that for a little bit, letting myself rest and recover some energy.

Jesus Christ... are all boss fights going to be this exhausting?

"Most likely, yes." The HUD answered my rhetorical question. I let out a dry chuckle at its response before finally getting back to my feet. Once I did, I received multiple notifications.

The Endurance Skill has increased to 6.
The Melee Skill has increased to 3.

LEVEL UP!!!
Current Level: 3
Maximum Health Increased
+1 Skill Point

Awesome!

After looking over the notifications, I decided I would spend the skill point later. Right now, I wanted to focus on getting the hell out of this logging camp first. With that in mind, I walked over to Tungsten's body and looted it. As always, the loot screen appeared above the body, and I pressed 'take all'.

• $5,000
  
• 4 Cloth

This is a nice amount of money, but there's still no key...

"Have you tried manually searching his pockets?"

"Huh?"

"Key items do not always appear in the HUD's loot menu. Sometimes, the User must search the body themselves."

Taking the HUD's advice, I bent down and started rooting through the pockets on the minotaur's coveralls. It didn't take long before I felt something in one of the pockets and pulled it out, revealing the key I was looking for.

[Side Quest]: Logging Camp Ambush

Objective 2: Find one of the two keys to the generator. (COMPLETED)
Objective 3: Turn off the generator.

Yes! Finally!

I ran back into the building, sprinted up the stairs, and reached the generator. After unlocking the compartment, I pressed the switch to shut off the generator, and the low humming noise it was making quickly ceased. I poked my head through the window and watched as the electric fence outside powered down.

[Side Quest]: Logging Camp Ambush

Objective 3: Turn off the generator. (COMPLETED)
Objective 4: Escape the Logging Camp.

And now it's time to skedaddle on outta here!

As a precaution, I quickly locked the generator up again before pocketing the key. That way, the prowlers wouldn't be able to turn it back on again. Just as I was about to head back downstairs, I heard the familiar sound of prowlers screeching. I peeked through the window again, this time looking towards the log maze I came from, and saw a small hoard of prowlers all heading towards the building I was currently in. The fire that had been blocking them off before had died out, meaning they were free to pass now. There were a lot of them, too many to fight through, which meant I wasn't going back the way I came.

Shit! Where the hell else am I supposed to-!?!

It was then that I looked up and saw something that caught my eye. A long cable, similar to the one connected to the generator, ran from the roof of the building I was in all the way to the entrance gate. Seeing the cable caused a lightbulb to go off in my head as a plan began to form. In video games, I'd seen characters use their weapons to zipline down cables and wires before. It was a longshot, but I might be able to do the same with the cable on the roof. With that plan in mind, I ran over to the ladder leading up to the roof and climbed it.

After pushing the trap door to the roof open and climbing up, it didn't take me long to spot where the cable started, and I made my way towards it. However, seeing movement in the corner of my eye triggered my reflexes, and I ducked down just in time to avoid being hit by something as it flew by. I looked up at my assailant to see it was a pony with wings, a pegasus. The sight of their pale, dead eyes and rotting flesh was enough to tell me they were an infected.

"Encyclopedia: Infected Pegasi"

"More commonly referred to as 'flying shamblers', infected pegasi are essentially the same mindless zombies as basic infected (a.k.a shamblers), with the only difference being that infected pegasi are capable of flight. They are not nearly as common as basic infected, but they are about as easy to kill, if only slightly more difficult."

Oh great, flying zombies. As if I didn't have enough on my plate as it is...

I wasn't gonna be able to use the cable with that thing dive bombing me, so I would have to kill it first. I readied the metal pipe as the flying shambler attempted to attack me a second time. I waited until it was close enough before smacking it with the pipe, knocking it out of the air. It tumbled across the roof before falling off the edge and hitting the ground with a *thud*, dying on impact.

[Rusted Metal Pipe (5%)]

+5 XP

After killing the flying shambler, I could hear the growls of prowlers behind me. I turned my head and saw them starting to climb onto the roof, eyeing me with murderous intent.

Damnit, time to go!

I quickly summoned the shotgun from my inventory and hooked it around the cable, bracing myself.

Okay Justin, you got this. If Nathan Drake can do it, then so can you.

I pushed off of the roof while keeping a tight grip on the shotgun, riding the wire like a zipline. I could feel it bending from my weight, but it thankfully held strong the whole trip down. Didn't stop me from screaming in terror the entire time.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAGHH!!!"

Hey, can you really blame me? I'd never been on a zipline before, and I didn't have any safety straps in case my grip slipped. I was terrified!

Anyway, I rode the cable all the way back to the entrance gate. Once I was close enough to the ground, I released my grip on one side of the shotgun and let myself fall. I tried to roll with the landing and ended up clumsily tumbling instead, but I kept myself from getting seriously injured or hurt in any way, so I'd say it was good enough. As soon as I was back on my feet, I ran for the gate, pushing it open and sliding through before slamming it shut. Finally free, I let myself take a breath as bent over with my hands on my knees, absolutely exhausted.

"H-Holy...fucking...shit..." I wheezed. I could scarcely believe I made it out of there.

[Side Quest]: Logging Camp Ambush

Objective 4: Escape the Logging Camp. (COMPLETED)

QUEST COMPLETED! +100 XP

As I gave myself a minute to catch my breath, I took in my surroundings again, seeing that nothing outside of the logging camp had changed. The only thing that stood out was the body of the shambler I'd killed when I first showed up here. Now that I got a good look at it, I noticed something peculiar; the shambler was wearing coveralls similar to the ones Tungsten had been wearing. Curiosity got the better of me, and I approached the body.

The corpse was lying face down in the dirt, just as it had been before I entered the logging camp. I flipped the body over and checked the name tag on the chest.

On it was the name 'Woodchip'.

...No fucking way.

I immediately started searching each pocket on the corpse's coveralls. Eventually, I pulled out a key from one of the pockets. It wasn't just any old key, though. This key was identical to the one I found on Tungsten.

You gotta be kidding me...

Half of me was annoyed at the realization that I wouldn't have had to fight Tungsten if I had just searched this body earlier. The other half couldn't help but laugh at the irony. Either way, I tossed both keys aside since they weren't of any use to me now.

Well, while I would have preferred not dying for a second time, I can't say this little side journey was a waste of time and effort. Sure, I didn't find a place to sleep like originally intended, but there were plenty of other benefits to exploring the logging camp. I got two new weapons, found a bunch of money and supplies, and I earned enough XP to level up. I call that a win in my book! ...Though that doesn't change the fact that I still need somewhere to sleep. "Guess we'd better keep looking, eh HUD?"

"Affirmative."

With that, I left the logging camp behind me and continued on with my trek. On the bright side, with how exhausted I now was, I wouldn't have any trouble falling asleep.

Twilight Sparkle

I was having trouble falling asleep.

I was standing on a balcony in Canterlot Castle, the same balcony where I had been coronated as the princess of Equestria centuries ago. Looking down, I could see the rest of the city, which was much less active now than it was during the daytime. Everypony was peacefully sleeping in their homes, with only a few still wandering about either for work or for a simple late-night stroll. The only other exception was the royal guards patrolling the streets, keeping an eye out for any trouble.

Overlooking the rest of Canterlot like this brought back memories; happier memories of simpler times. So much has happened in these past 500 years...where did things go wrong?

"Twilight...?"

I heard a familiar voice call my name behind me. I didn't turn around to face them, but I did glance over my shoulder to see my sister-in-law, Cadence, standing there. She had a look of concern on her face, probably worried about me not getting enough sleep. I didn't say anything to her, returning my attention back to the city. She didn't ask why I was still up, as I'm sure she already knew the answer.

I heard her let out a tired sigh before she spoke again, "...Twilight, you shouldn't be out here this late at night. You need to get some sleep."

"I'll be fine." I curtly replied.

Cadence let out another sigh. "I know you're worried about them, but standing out here all night isn't going to help-"

"What else can I do!?" I rounded on Cadence as I started raising my voice out of anger, "I can't just pretend like nothing's wrong! My daughters are out there somewhere, and I have no way of knowing if they might be hurt or worse, and-!" I stopped myself as I realized what I was doing. Cadence was just worried about me; she didn't deserve to be shouted at. "...I'm sorry, I-...I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Surprisingly, Cadence simply shrugged it off, giving me an empathetic smile. "Twilight, I understand how you feel. I'm worried about Camellia and Iris too. We're all worried. The Royal Guard have made it their top priority and are doing everything they can to find them." She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, "I'm sure they'll be fine. They can take care of themselves."

"I know, it's just...it was bad enough when Camellia ran away, but when Iris left to go look for her? I just..." I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. I wanted so badly to just fly out of Canterlot and search every corner of Equestria for them. I would have if the new Royal Guard Captain hadn't insisted I stay in Canterlot for my own safety.

"Trust me, I know how you feel. Remember, I'm a mother, too. I can't even count how many times I've stayed up worrying about Flurry Heart. Neglecting your own health isn't going to help them, though. I'm sure if they were here, they would both say the same thing." She gently grasped my hand with her own. "At least try to get some sleep...please?"

After a brief moment of silence, I nodded and followed her back inside. I paid once last glance at the city before entering with a single thought on my mind.

I just hope Jason doesn't find them first...

Author's Note

General Status
User: Justin Baker
Current Level: 3
Current XP: 177/300
Money: $11,100
Overall HP: 120/120
Head: 100%
Torso: 100%
Left Arm: 100%
Right Arm: 100%
Left Leg: 100%
Right Leg: 100%

Skills
Strength: 10/100
Endurance: 6/100
Reflexes: 14/100
Agility: 3/100
Stealth: 4/100
Guns: 4/100
Explosives: 2/100
Melee: 3/100
Unarmed: 1/100
Medicine: 2/100

Alrighty, second half of Chapter 5 done and dusted. Both halves were originally supposed to just be one chapter, but it had already been over a month since I published chapter 4, so I wanted to get a new update as soon as possible.

So, to recap, Justin got a brand new boomstick, fought a zombie minotaur (which I knew sounded metal as fuck when I came up with the idea), and finally escaped the logging camp. Meanwhile, we got a glimpse of what Twilight's doing and, surprise! Twilight is the mother of two daughters now! Guess we now know who the missing VIP from Canterlot is that those Royal Guards mentioned in chapter 4. Twilight also seems to know about this mysterious 'Jason' character the elemental gods had talked about. Who on earth could he be?

In the next chapter, we'll finally get to see Las Pegasus in all its glory. Hope you're looking forward to it! Until next time, stay tuned!

EDIT: So, the YouTube video I used for the boss battle music got removed since the person that uploaded it deleted their entire account. Thankfully, I was able to find another video with the same song to replace it. If this happens again with any of the other fight music I use, please let me know in the comments and I will try to find an alternative as soon as possible.

This does have me worried that it might happen again, so I'm going to start including the name of the song under the "Music Start" thing from now on. That way, if the YouTube video is inaccessible, readers can still know what song is supposed to play, and if they want to hear it, they can search for it through other means outside of YouTube (like Spotify or something). It's not a perfect solution, but it's the best one I can come up with.