Legend Slayer: A Survival Action Gamer Story

by GeekMaster101

Rating: mature
Tags: Non-consensual, Adventure, Violence, Princess Celestia, Sex, Twilight Sparkle, Anthro, Profanity, Discord, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Death, Alternate Universe, Human, Narcotics, Other, Thriller, Original Character, Fetish, Suicide / Self Harm
Length: 70081

Good News: My dream of being teleported to another world and getting the chance to be a hero has come true. Bad News: It's an apocalyptic version of Equestria, I have no powers, and I have to fight tooth and nail just to survive. Welcome to Hell, me.

Hey there, my name's Justin, and guess what? I got the chance to do what every other brony wants to do and was brought to Equestria! I should be living the dream, right? Well, I'm afraid I'm not so lucky. Unfortunately, the version of Equestria I was brought to happens to be in the middle of a semi-apocalypse. "Oh, don't worry, Justin!" I hear you say, "I'm sure you'll get some badass powers to help you get through it! It's a classic trope in all these isekai stories!" And to that I say, you’re only half-right.

I did get this thing called a HUD, which basically gives me stats and stuff and lets me level up like I'm in a video game, but it won't make me as powerful as a god or anything, even at max level. This becomes even worse when you consider the fact that there are people in this world known as "Legends", and they're strong enough to give Superman, the friggin' Man of Steel, a run for his money, without even needing kryptonite. There are literal Gods in this world that would kill me with a flick of their wrist if I crossed them. The worst part? I have to cross them if I want to get back home.

If you came looking for a happy-go-lucky story where the protagonist gets sent to Equestria, goes on a fun harmless adventure, falls in love with their favorite character, and lives happily ever after, you came to the wrong place. This place?

This place is Hell.

IMPORTANT NOTE PLEASE READ: This self-insert story is heavily inspired by the story of the video game Far Cry 3. However, you don't have to have played Far Cry 3 to enjoy this story. Those that have played it will probably notice some similar story beats, but that is where the connections end.

Now, I know you're probably wondering what "Survival Action" is, since it technically isn't an official video game genre. Well, it's pretty much the same as survival horror but with less focus on horror and a lot more focus on action. (I don't mean the slower-paced, puzzle solving kind of survival horror like old school Resident Evil or Silent Hill, though I do still love those. I mean the more intense 3rd person shooter survival horror with action elements like Resident Evil 4, Dead Space, and The Evil Within). In fact, some of the action will be just as over the top as games like Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Rising, and God of War.

I wanted this story to have action on par with those games, but I also didn't want to make Justin (myself) an overpowered Gary Sue, hence the survival horror part. Rather than having badass superpowers, Justin has to rely on managing his resources, upgrading his equipment, and getting strong enough to survive. He's a non-super-powered guy in a world of extremely super-powered people, so the odds are pretty heavily stacked against him.

While this story does have resource management and character progression like in the survival horror games I mentioned, this isn't a horror story (Though there are a few parts that will give off horror vibes). As such, it felt wrong to use "Survival Horror Gamer" in the title, so I instead went with the more accurate "Survival Action Gamer".

P.S. The HUD that was mentioned in the description borrows game mechanics from the Fallout series, Far Cry series, Resident Evil series, Dead Space, and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

The map I'll be using for reference was made by BootsDotEXE on DeviantArt for their AU comic and can be found here, so credit for the artwork goes to them. While my story does take place in a slight AU/Alternate Future and references this map, it is not the same AU as BootsDotEXE's, so please feel free to check them and their work out! Also note that several of the new locations I came up with for this story are not found on the map since, as previously established, I am not the creator of the map. I still chose to use this map because it was very detailed, well done, and seemed to be the most accurate one I could find. Again, credit to BootsDotEXE for making the map.

This story is a huge passion project for me, and I want to make it as great as it possibly can be. That being said, I'm still relatively new to writing, and I know I'm not perfect, so please feel free to provide criticism and help me improve on this story as much as possible! I hope you all enjoy the story!

Published 2023-03-14 16:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2023-11-16 17:50:30 UTC

Chapter 1: Down The Rabbit Hole... (Part 1)

"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.

Chapter 1: Down The Rabbit Hole... (Part 2)

Justin

Another Tartarus Guardian howled as it fell into the abyss below. The anime girl, whose name I still don't know, had been making short work of any Guardians we came across. We'd run into about a dozen other Guardians by now, and not a single one of the wolves lasted more than ten seconds. It was quite impressive to watch her dispose of them with barely any effort. The way she carried herself made it obvious she was the strongest person in the room, yet she wasn't boasting it or trying to show off. It was clear she didn't care what anyone else thought of her, whether it be praise or disapproval.

As for me, I was looking marginally less cool as I shuffled behind her like a lost child, just trying not to fall behind. I was still waiting for her to ask those questions she said she had, or at least introduce herself, or say literally anything. She hadn't said a word since we left the cell, and it left me feeling a bit awkward.

I wasn't sure if I should say something or if I should just keep waiting for her to say something. If it's me who should say something, what should I say? Should I ask her name? Should I introduce myself first? Should I ask if she still wanted to ask me those questions? Did she just forget about the questions? No, that's just stupid, why would she forget the questions? That begs the question, what's she thinking about? Maybe she was still thinking of what to ask first? Was she still trying to make heads or tails of me? Does she think I'm a loser? Oh God, don't tell me, is she thinking about whether or not she should ditch me!?

"Are you gonna keep staring at me like that?" She asked, barely looking back at me. It was then that I realized I'd been staring at her like an idiot the entire time.

"O-Oh! Uh, sorry. Didn't mean to stare." I apologized before quickly keeping my gaze glued to the ground.

Ugh, curse you, social anxiety and high-functioning autism. Why do you have to make every social interaction an inner panic attack for me?

"I-I was just wondering if you were gonna ask me those questions you said you had." I explained. She paid a glance at me over her shoulder before looking back ahead.

"...Sure, I don't see why not. I was planning to wait until we got out of Tartarus to ask them, but we don't have much else to do at the moment." She eventually shrugged after a few seconds. "First question: Who are you?"

"Me? My name's Justin, Justin Baker. I'm... well, I'm not really anybody special. And you? What's your name?"

"Name's Amber Aurora. That's all you need to know about me." She answered bluntly. "Now, my next question: What’s a human like you doing in Tartarus?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" I ask for clarification. I also made a mental note that she knows what a human is, meaning they most likely exist in this version of Equestria.

"You said you wanted to escape Tartarus, but you don't exactly seem like the kind of guy they would reserve a cell in Tartarus for. Well, as far as I can tell, anyway. Why were you thrown in here?"

"Oh. Well, I wasn't actually imprisoned here. I, uh, kinda sorta... teleported in here?" I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly, already knowing how unbelievable that sounded. The look Amber gave me made it clear she wasn't even trying to hide her skepticism.

"Really? Last I checked, humans can't use magic, and even if they could, there's only a select few people who can teleport into Tartarus."

"I'm not saying I teleported myself, someone else teleported me. I actually didn't get much say in the matter." I defended myself. She was clearly still skeptical but didn't press it further. "Now that you mention it, what exactly is a 'Legend'? I mean, I know the word and what the definition is, but the way you and the HUD say it, you make it sound like it's a kind of person."

That question managed to get her full attention as she stopped in her tracks and whirled her head around to face me. She looked at me like I'd just grown a second head. "You don't know what Legends are? You mean you've never once even heard of Legends?"

Uh oh. Are 'Legends' supposed to be common knowledge? If they are, then I might be making an implication of myself right now. I can't just tell her I'm not from this world, she'll think I'm insane!

"I'm, uh... let's just say I'm kinda new around here." I chuckle nervously. It was then that a HUD screen appeared in front of us, causing the two of us to stop in our tracks.

"Tutorial: Legends"

"Legends are people who have been gifted with special power and abilities attributed to one of four types of fighting styles. These four styles are as follows: Blade Dancers, Lead Slingers, Fist Strikers, and Magic Casters. Blade Dancers specialize in melee weaponry of any kind, Lead Slingers specialize in ranged weaponry of any kind, Fist Strikers specialize in any form of hand-to-hand combat, and Magic Casters specialize in any form of magic. The power of a Legend is classified by one of five tiers. From weakest to strongest, they are as follows: Basic, Intermediate, Ultimate, Epic, and Legendary."

"Okay, I... think I get it?" I said, though Amber could tell I was still pretty confused.

"That's a pretty bare-bones explanation of how Legends work." She chuckled as we started walking again. "It's a bit more complicated than how the... what'd you say it was called again?"

"The HUD?"

"Yeah, that." Amber continued walking again, and I picked up my pace so that we were walking side by side. "Legends are more complicated than how the HUD put it. For example, while a Blade Dancer might be good at using 'melee weaponry' as the HUD said, it's not like they can just pick up a stick and immediately be a master at using it in a fight. Some Blade Dancers are experts at using longswords, but they wouldn't be as good with something like a hammer or an axe. The same applies for Blade Dancers that are good with axes, they can't just pick up a sword and quickly master it. Everyone's good at their own thing."

"So... would that also apply to the other Legend types?"

"Yeah, a Lead Slinger might be great with a sniper rifle, but they probably wouldn't be much of a marksman with a pistol or a bow and arrows. A Magic Caster might be good at using fire magic, but not wind magic. You could also use me as an example. I'm a-" Before Amber finished her sentence, her ears flicked behind her and she shoved me down to the ground, catching me off guard. I looked up from the ground and was about to ask what the hell she did that for, only to see her throw a roundhouse kick at a Tartarus Guardian that had tried to sneak up on me, knocking it over the edge of the walkway. If she hadn't pushed me down, that thing would've sunk its teeth into my skull.

She offered me a hand up, and I took it. I dusted myself off, a little shaken by the close call, before facing her. "T-Thanks."

"No problem, but you've gotta be more aware of your surroundings." With that, we resumed our trek through Tartarus as Amber picked up where she left off. "So as I was saying, I'm a Fist Striker, and my style focuses on kickboxing, with a bit of street fighting thrown in. That doesn't mean I could just start doing kung fu or ninjitsu or whatever."

"Alright, I think I'm understanding it now..." I nodded along, only for a thought to quickly occur. "Wait, hold on, the names don't make sense!"

"What?" Amber tilted her head, unsure of what I was getting at.

"If there are Blade Dancers who are experts in weapons that don't have blades, then why call them 'Blade Dancers'? Same with Lead Slingers and Fist Strikers. The name 'Lead Slingers' implies that they use guns and bullets, since bullets are made of lead, but you just said that there are Lead Slingers who use bows and arrows. Heck, you said you were a Fist Striker, but I just saw you kick that Guardian! You aren't limited to just your fists!" I don't know why this was bothering me so much, but now that I realized it, it wouldn't stop bugging me.

"Huh... Never really thought about it, honestly. I guess whoever came up with the names was either too dumb to realize their mistake, or they couldn't think of anything better. Maybe they just thought those names sounded cooler." Amber shrugged.

"I guess..." I decided to let the matter go and move on to my next question. "So, what if you wanted to learn other fighting styles? Would you not be able to?"

"I could, but my hits wouldn't be as powerful. You saw how far my attacks send the Guardians. If I tried that with another martial art, it wouldn't have as much of an impact." She explained. "Again, the same applies to the other Legend types. A sword wielder can learn how to use an axe or a mace if they wanted to, but it will never be as strong or effective as using a sword. They can also learn how to use weapons and fighting styles outside of their Legend type. If I wanted, I could learn how to be a good shot with a gun, but again, not as effective as my fists. The only exception would be learning to use magic like a Magic Caster, since that Legend type is unique to unicorns. Then again, I’ve heard stories about non-unicorns that managed to learn magic, but they’re just rumors."

The fact that a punch from her bare fist would be more dangerous than a bullet is both badass and intimidating.

"Huh, I see..." I pondered if there were any other questions I had before one came to mind. "The HUD also mentioned something about 'tiers'. What were those again?"

"Basic, Intermediate, Ultimate, Epic, and Legendary." She listed them off. "They basically give you an idea of how strong a Legend is. For example, a Basic Lead Slinger could easily hit a bullseye from over 200 feet away, and could single-handedly take on about 10 to 20 other thugs in a fight alone. A Legendary Lead Slinger, on the other hand, could hit a bullseye from almost 100 miles away and defeat a small army of trained soldiers by themselves."

Hot damn! So Legendary Legends are OP, duly noted...Wait a sec...

"So, what tier are you then?" I asked, feeling a bit more hopeful. If Amber is strong enough, then Cerberus might not be a problem.

"Me? I'm an Epic Fist Striker." She shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

"So, would you be capable of, oh I don't know... defeating Cerberus?" I felt my hope gradually increasing.

"Yeah, I can. It would take a bit of effort, but I can definitely pull it off." She casually answered. She didn't even need to think about her answer, she knew immediately that victory was guaranteed.

"YES!!!" I leapt up and pumped a fist in the air, which caught Amber a bit off guard. I felt a little embarrassed by the look she was giving me and shrunk back a bit. "S-Sorry, just got a bit excited there."

She gave me a weird look before chuckling at my sheepishness as we continued on in silence. Though I was still a little embarrassed, it didn't stop me from being happy that getting out of Tartarus was practically guaranteed.

...Though, that happiness quickly dwindled as soon as I spotted four Tartarus Guardians running down the path, charging straight towards us.

Oh shit!

Amber was already running ahead and charging right back at them. Three of the four Guardians focused on her as they engaged in combat. Unluckily for me, the last Guardian decided I was easy pickings, and went straight for me. I summoned the Bowie knife from my inventory as I felt myself trembling. I barely managed to scramble out of the way as the Guardian lunged at me. I whipped my head back around, trying to keep my eyes on the creature while simultaneously trying to figure out how I was going to kill it.

Ok, let's see, where can I find a weakness? It's faster than me... It's stronger than me... It's more agile than me... It has acid drool... It looks super terrifying and bloodthirsty... I have nothing but a knife to defend myself...

...I'm not exactly boosting my confidence, am I?

The wolf-like creature circled around me, eyeing me like I was a piece of meat. I kept my grip on the knife firm in my left hand as I waited for it to strike. After a few tense moments, it lunged at me, baring its sharp fangs. I ducked under it, wildly slashing at it in a desperate attempt to do some damage. I managed to graze it a couple times, two new cuts visible on its body, but that was about it. The Guardian didn't give me any time to recover from the maneuver and was already lunging at me again.

The Guardian tackled me to the ground, and I managed to bring my right arm up in time to stop it from sinking its teeth into my head or throat. Unfortunately, that meant it was chomping into my arm instead, and boy did it hurt like hell.

-29 HP

Overall HP: 71/100

Right Arm: 57%

"AAAGH!!!" Blood splattered on both of us as the wolf wrestled my arm around in its maw, and I could feel its acid drool burning through my flesh. With the knife still in my left hand, I stabbed it straight into the Guardian's head. I expected that to kill it, or at the very least get it to let go of my arm.

Shockingly, the Guardian seemed to barely be phased by the giant knife plunged in its skull. It flinched a bit, but showed no other reaction and kept trying to tear my arm apart.

Desperation and fear took over as I began frantically stabbing the knife into the Guardian's head over and over, each stab wearing it down more and more. "FUCKING DIE ALREADY!!!"

Eventually, after a couple dozen stabs or so, the Guardian's body slumped over me and went limp before fading away into dust. I tried to scramble to my feet, only to flinch as pain shot up through my right arm. Blood gushed out from the several holes in my arm where the Guardian's teeth had been, and there were a few burn marks that I assumed had been caused by the Guardian's acid drool. I could feel tears starting to form in the corners of my eyes as my arm burned and sook from the pain. I wasn't even sure if I should put pressure on the wound due to the acid burns.

+10 XP

It was then that I remembered Amber and turned to where she and the other three Guardians had been. Instead of seeing her busy fighting off the wolves, I saw her just standing there with a relaxed posture, having already dealt with the Guardians a while ago. Given how she had been efficiently dispatching them so far, I honestly don't know why I expected anything else.

As she glanced over at me, it took her a second to realize I was hurt. As soon as she did, her eyes widened, and she rushed over to me. "Shit, you alright, man?"

"I-I've been better." I grimaced as I examined the injury. Before I knew it, another blue screen popped up as the HUD began to speak again.

"Tutorial: Healing"

"There are two ways to heal injuries. The first method is by using the Manual Healing Ability, which can only be acquired when the User's Medicine Perk reaches level 3. The second method is by using Health Stims. Health Stims are used to restore the User's HP and limb durability. There are five types of Health Stims: Small (+20% HP), Moderate (+40% HP), Large (+60% HP), Extra Large (+80% HP), and Full (+100% HP). Each type of Health Stim has a different level of effectiveness at restoring HP. However, no matter which type of Health Stim is used, all limb durability will be fully restored with the use of one Health Stim, no matter where it is injected."

Health Stims?... Oh right! That thing that was in the inventory!

I summoned one of the Moderate Health Stims from the inventory and it appeared in my hand. The needle was small, but still looked a little intimidating. "D-Do I need to inject it into a vein or something?"

"Negative. It does not matter where User: Justin injects the Health Stim."

So, I can just... stab it into my arm?... Alright, here goes nothing.

I winced as the needle pierced my skin and watched as the green liquid was automatically transferred from the syringe to my arm. My wincing was immediately replaced by wide eyes when the wounds on my arm began rapidly healing. The puncture wounds from the bite sealed shut, and the burn marks disappeared completely. There wasn't even a scar or anything, it was good as new. If my arm hadn't been covered in blood, you wouldn't even know I had been injured. I could still feel a slight pain in my arm, but that was quickly fading as well.

Whoa...

+29 HP

Overall HP: 100/100

Right Arm: 100%

"[Note]: For healing your first injury, User: Justin's Medicine Skill has increased to 2."

Oh hey! Progress! Hell yeah!

I did a mental fist pump as I turned to Amber. She didn't seem to be as in awe of the miracle of medicine like I was, but did look a little intrigued by it. "Neat trick. What kinda medicine is that? I've only seen healing spells fix up injuries well enough to not leave scars. Is that some sorta potion or something?"

"Uh... well, believe it or not, I know just as much as you do about it. This is the first time I used it."

Amber blinked a few times as she processed my answer. "...Wait, you've never used that stuff before, and you didn't know what kind of effects it would have, yet you injected a needle with some mystery liquid inside straight into your injured arm without question?"

"...Um...yes?" Amber just looked at me, trying to tell if I was crazy or just stupid. Honestly, it's probably a bit of both. After a few seconds, she rolled her eyes and helped me up off the ground. I dusted myself off and waited for her to take the lead again, only to see her still staring at me. "...What?"

"...You don't have much fighting experience, do you?" She asked me, folding her arms.

"Uh, w-well, I-...No, no I don't. This is the first time I've been in a fight. Outside of video games, at least." I admitted. Now that she knew I wasn't very helpful in a fight, I was worried she might leave me behind.

Amber let out a heavy sigh. "So much for 'Covering each other’s backs'." She muttered. "Look, just hang back and try to leave anything we come across to me, alright?"

I blinked, a little surprised by her answer. "Y-...You're not gonna ditch me for being useless?"

She raised an eyebrow, probably not expecting that response. "I said I owe you for breaking me out, didn't I? I don't break my promises. Now c'mon, we should almost be there."

Feeling a great amount of relief, I followed her as we continued our trek through Tartarus. According to the objective marker, we were indeed almost at the exit, and that also meant we were almost free.

As we got close to our objective, the path opened up into a very large stone platform, the size of it giving me 'boss fight arena' vibes. A pair of stone double doors were at the far end, standing at around 30 feet tall. The door itself had many intricate designs on it that give it a rather demonic presence. According to the objective marker, this was the exit. While I was glad that we finally made it, I was a little concerned about the lack of a certain three-headed dog. Either Cerberus was waiting somewhere to ambush us, or he had just up and disappeared. Either way, it was a bad sign.

Why would Cerberus disappearing also be a bad sign, you ask? Well, Tartarus is basically a hellish prison, and Cerberus was the main thing keeping all the evil stuff locked up in here. If all the prison guards in a prison filled with convicts suddenly up and vanished, would you consider that a good thing?

"Stay behind me." Amber ordered, also noticing the absence of Cerberus. I did as she said, and the two of us cautiously made our way towards the doors. As we got closer, I heard a rumbling from... above us?

Wait, wha-?

"LOOK OUT!!!" Amber shoved me back as something large crashed down to the ground from the ceiling, causing me to fall onto my back. I raised my arms to shield my face from the dust and pebbles that were sent flying by the impact. Once the dust had settled, the first thing I saw was Amber standing beside me, having managed to dodge whatever had ambushed us. The next thing I saw was the source of the crash, which was standing right in front of us.

What stood before us was a large, house-sized black bulldog with three heads, each one wearing a spiked collar. Each head glared at us with vicious eyes that matched the ghostly eyes of the Tartarus Guardians. They bore sharp and ferocious fangs, letting out loud growls. Before us was none other than the Warden of Tartarus...

Cerberus... he's a lot scarier looking than I remember.

"Stay back." Amber waved a hand back to me. The cool, stern look on her face showed no signs of fear or worry as she got into a fighting stance. She wasn't nervous, but she wasn't cocky, either. She stayed calm and collected, keeping her focus entirely on her opponent as they stared each other down.

The air was tense for several seconds as neither one of them made a move or a sound.

Cerberus glared at Amber.

Amber glared at Cerberus.

. . .

Cerberus moved first.

The giant canine lunged at Amber, the middle head opening its maw to chomp down on her. She rolled out of the way before throwing a straight punch to its nose. Normally, considering the difference in size, a punch from someone as small as Amber hitting something as big as Cerberus shouldn't even be enough to make the Warden of Tartarus flinch. However, Amber wasn't a normal person.

Her punch sent Cerberus flying a good 20 feet across the room and onto its back.

WHOA!!!

Shaking the dizziness out of its middle head, Cerberus rolled back onto its paws, all three heads growling angrily. Before it could react, Amber had run up to it and leapt feet first at the three-headed dog, dropkicking it. This time, her dropkick sent the dog flying 30 feet back before it crashed into the double doors behind it. The doors hadn't budged an inch, but the sound of the impact echoed throughout Tartarus.

Cerberus got back up and charged straight at Amber, all three of its heads chomping at her while simultaneously swiping its paws at her. Amber dodged, weaved, and rolled to avoid every single attack the large canine threw at her. It didn't even manage to get a single scratch on her before she threw an uppercut into the jaw of one of Cerberus' heads. The uppercut sent Cerberus soaring straight up into the air before crashing back down with a loud *THUD*, shaking the ground beneath it.

This time, before Cerberus could get back up, Amber ran up and wrapped her arms around its tail. As soon as she had a good grip, she actually managed to lift the house-sized dog up by the tail before slamming it back down into the ground. Then, still gripping the tail, Amber spun Cerberus around like she was performing a hammer throw in the Olympics before tossing it into the doors again, the impact once again echoing through Tartarus. Cerberus had a lot more trouble getting back up this time, its legs wobbling beneath it.

With a smirk, Amber tilted her head left and right to crack her neck before rolling her shoulders and getting back into a fighting stance. She hadn't even broken a sweat yet. The entire aura she gave off just screamed 'Badass'.

I'm not gonna lie... I think I was starting to fall in love. At the very least, I was starting to have a crush on her.

Amber paid a glance back at me, noticing that I was staring at her with my jaw dropped. "...What?"

"...Y-You're, uh... You're really cool." I fumbled the words out of my mouth like the graceless dork that I was.

"Uh... thanks?" She gave me an awkward look before returning her attention to Cerberus as it finally managed to get back up. The head in the center of the trio kept its gaze on Amber, sniffing at her. It studied and scrutinized her for a bit, as if trying to come to a decision. Then, it did something I never would have expected it to do.

Instead of attacking Amber again, the dog spoke.

"This one does not belong here." The middle head's deep voice echoed through the cavern, confusing Amber and leaving me in shock.

Cerberus can talk!? Since when was that a thing!? I sure as hell don't remember that from the show!

"What do you mean I don't belong here?" Amber kept her fighting stance, prepared for any sudden attacks. Instead of answering, the head on Cerberus' right looked over to me, giving me a sniff as well.

"Neither does this one." The right head addressed its fellow heads.

"Hey! I asked you a question." Amber called out, getting Cerberus' attention.

"You two are not creatures of ill will. You do not belong here in Tartarus." The left head answered as Cerberus... stepped aside?

Amber and I blinked in confusion as we exchanged glances. "You're letting us out? Just like that?"

"Only those that intend to bring harm to the innocent belong here. Neither of you carries the scent of those that would." The right head of the giant dog explained.

"Wha-!?...If that's the case, why the heck did you attack us?! Why did the Guardians attack us!?" I expressed my frustration. One of those things literally killed me, that's not something I'm just gonna shrug off!

"When we sensed someone killing the Tartarus Guardians and saw you two, we assumed you were prisoners trying to escape. As for the Tartarus Guardians, they do not possess sentience. They are merely tools to ensure order within Tartarus, and prevent any prisoners from escaping. We apologize for any harm they caused you."

Tell that to my arm, my throat, and my innocence, ya oversized mutt!

Obviously, I wasn't stupid enough to voice my complaint to the giant dog that could swallow me whole, so I kept it to myself. However, this brought up another question. "Wait, if you know we don't belong here, why was Amber in a cell? Shouldn't you have let her out?"

"We were not aware of her imprisonment. Whoever put the two of you in here did so without authorization." The middle head answered. I then shifted my gaze to Amber, hoping she could provide an answer. She remained silent for a few seconds, but eventually spoke up.

"Let's just say the guy that threw me in here is the one that belongs here, not the other way around. Not like this place would stop him, though..." Amber muttered something at the end that I couldn't quite catch. "Well, I guess we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."

After helping me up off the ground for the umpteenth time now, Amber and I walked past Cerberus and towards the giant doors. Amber remained wary of Cerberus in case the big canine tried anything, but it seemed to keep its word and let us pass without any fuss. I quickly went to push one of the doors open, only to find that it wouldn't budge. I kept pushing it with all my might, even putting my back into it, but they wouldn't move an inch. It then occurred to me that with the massive size of the doors, they most likely weighed a ton.

"Christ, these doors are heavy! How are we gonna-?" Before I could finish my sentence, Amber stepped past me and pushed the doors open, needing only a small bit of effort to do so, then casually strolled outside. "...Or you could just casually open two several hundred-pound doors by yourself. Yeah, that works too."

I paid one last glance back at Cerberus, as well as Tartarus itself, before following Amber outside. As soon as we were through, the doors slowly closed behind us as Tartarus sealed itself shut once more.

I'm not sure what kind of scenery I was expecting to see once we escaped Tartarus, maybe a forest or open fields or something visually appealing like that. What I didn't expect to see was some bland, grey, rocky terrain surrounded by cliffs and mountains. A few rocks and boulders were scattered about, and the only plant life was a few dead trees and bushes here and there, as well as the few dead vines on the door to Tartarus. Now that I thought about it, I do remember seeing what the outside of Tartarus looked like during the Season 8 finale, when the mane six had gone there to confront Tirek, and it looked a bit similar to this.

Looking up at the sky, I could see that the sun was up and directly above us, so I assumed it was around noon. In front of us was a dirt path that went to the left towards some forestry far off in the distance. It would take quite a long walk to get there.

"Alright, I'm pretty sure there's a train station not far from here." Amber said before fishing something out of her jacket's pocket. When she passed it over to me, I saw that she was giving me a handful of five gold coins. I assumed they were 'bits', the currency used in Equestria. "This should be enough for you to buy a ticket. Just follow the path to the station, then take the train to the nearest Haven. After that, you should be safe... Well, relatively safe, anyway."

I took the coins and stuffed them in my pocket, receiving a notification from the HUD as soon as I did.

$5

"What about you?" I asked, giving her a questioning look. A part of me had a feeling where this was going, and I didn't like it.

"I've got some personal stuff I need to take care of, so I'll be heading that way." She pointed to the direction opposite of the dirt road, confirming my suspicion.

She's leaving already!? But I could use her help! I wouldn't have gotten out of Tartarus if it wasn't for her!

"W-Wait, hold on! Would it be okay if I came with you? There's some stuff I have to do, and I could seriously use your help!"

"...What kind of stuff?" She looked a little suspicious of my sudden desperation.

"Well, uh... do you know anything about the Elemental Gods?" After I asked that, Amber reacted in a way I hadn't expected. She stiffened at the very mention of the Gods, and for the first time since I met her, I saw fear in her eyes. It made me a little hesitant to continue, but I did anyway. "I, uh, kinda need some help taking them down. I mean, clearly you're strong, like really strong, so I figured-"

"No."

I blinked. "...Huh?"

"I want nothing to do with them. If you want my advice, you shouldn't either." She quickly turned on her heel and started walking away, not even giving so much as a goodbye. I blinked again, still trying to process her sudden rejection. However, I was persistent, or just stubborn depending on who you ask, and chased after her.

"Wait! Hold on! Why not? You said you're an Epic Legend, right? And you just kicked Cerberus' ass! This shouldn't be a challenge for y-"

She immediately turned back around, giving me a sharp glare. "If you think all it takes to defeat those assholes is one Legend, then you're as good as dead." She jabbed a finger in my face. "Even a Legendary Legend wouldn't stand a chance against them, and after seeing the way you handled yourself back there, I can guarantee you wouldn't last 5 seconds against just one of them. Where the heck did you even get the idea to challenge the Elemental Gods of all people!? Why would you even dare to do something that stupid!?"

I'd been caught off guard by her sudden hostility, so it took me a second to form a coherent response. "W-Well, I, uh... I mean, they invaded and took over most of Equus a while back, right? Wouldn't stopping them be the right thing to do?"

Amber scrutinized me for a few seconds before a look of realization spread across her face. "...Oh, I see what's going on here. You're trying to play hero, aren't you?"

"What? N-No, I-"

Amber started walking towards me, forcing me to step back. Even then, she didn't stop, and I kept trying to put some distance between us as she continued her rant. "Oh, don't gimme that bullshit. I've seen that look in your eye before. You're thinking you can swoop in, beat the bad guy, get the girl, and save the day, right? Well, guess what? Real life doesn't work that way."

"I-I'm not...!" I stammered, unable to bring myself to deny her accusation, so I tried deflecting. "A-And what do you mean 'get the girl'? I wasn't-"

"Oh please, I saw the way you were eyeing me in there. I'm not an idiot." She rolled her eyes. "You need to get your head out of the clouds and stop thinking you're some 'chosen one'. This isn't some movie or video game, you're not a hero, and I'm not some damsel in distress for you to save!"

Before I knew it, I ran out of room to keep backing up as I felt my back bump into a giant rock the size of a boulder. "I don't know where you got the idea to try taking on the Gods, but I can tell you right now that it's a stupid idea, and it'll just get you killed. There's only one person on Equus who just barely managed to kill a God, and he's not exactly the friendly sort. I've seen this way of thinking before, believing you're some sort of destined hero when you really aren't. Trust me, it doesn't end well. If you value your life, then you should forget about the Gods."

I didn't say anything, too shocked by her outburst. I wanted to rebut her, I tried to think of some sort of argument, but I couldn't come up with anything. I found myself speechless due to the harshness of her words.

...Probably because deep down, I knew there was some truth to them.

After a few seconds, Amber took a deep breath to calm herself down. "...Look, you don't seem like that bad of a guy. Trust me, the Gods are at the top of my shit list, and they sure as hell have it coming. But neither of us would stand any chance against them. Whatever you hope to get by defeating them isn't worth it. It's nothing but a death wish, so just give up on it." She was about to turn to leave again, but I couldn't just give up on this. While the idea of being a hero was appealing to me, there really was more to it than that. As awesome as it is to explore another world, I still wanted to get back home. I had family and friends that I wanted to get back to. Stopping the Elemental Gods and saving Discord from whatever they did to him was the only way to do that.

I reached out a hand to stop her. "Come on, there's gotta be-"

I flinched when Amber threw a fist in my direction, only for the fist to sail past my head and slam into the rock behind me. That single punch had been powerful enough to destroy the entire rock, shattering it into a thousand pieces as it crumbled to the ground. Judging by the death glare she was giving me, punching the boulder hadn't hurt her hand at all. "I'm. Not. Helping. Got it?"

"...Y-Yes ma'am."

With that, she stormed off, leaving me alone once again. I was still trembling a bit from her show of strength, but I managed to take a shaky deep breath and calm myself down.

Welp, there goes the only potential ally I had in this world.

As upsetting as it was that Amber left me alone, her speech still lingered in my mind. If someone that strong was afraid of the Gods, it spoke volumes to how powerful they must be. The thought alone sent shivers down my spine. Seriously, how does Discord expect me to pull this off?

[Main Quest]: The Journey Begins

Objective 3: Make your way to the exit. (COMPLETED)
Objective 4: Head to the train station.

"[Note]: For enduring the harshness of Tartarus and experiencing death for the first time, User: Justin's Endurance Skill has increased to 5."

Another Skill leveled up already? Well, at least I have that as a silver lining.

"Hey HUD, are the Skills always going to be this quick and easy to level up?"

"Negative."

Of course they aren't.

With nothing better to do, I started along the dirt path to the train station. While things still didn't seem to be getting any better than when I started, I was sure it would all turn around in my favor soon. I might've had trouble dealing with the Tartarus Guardians, but it might not be the same with whatever else I encounter. Discord said that Tartarus was the only place he could start me off at, so maybe it was like throwing a new low-level player into an area with higher level enemies. Now that I was out of that area, I was sure the odds would be a lot more even for me...

...right?

A few minutes had passed since I began walking. With no one to talk to, I was left with nothing to do but stew in my own thoughts. I also had “Carry On” by Avenged Sevenfold stuck in my head to keep myself entertained, but that’s not important right now. What was important was the bomb Amber dropped during her outburst. Not the truth bomb about me 'playing hero', but something I think was much more important.

"There's only one person on Equus who just barely managed to kill a God, and he's not exactly the friendly sort."

Someone already killed one of the Gods. That makes my job just a tad easier, but that still left me with a few questions: Who killed a God? How did they do it? Which God did they kill? What did Amber mean when she said he wasn't the 'friendly sort'?

I didn't have any way to answer these questions at the moment, so I put them on hold for later and decided to think about something else. It was as I was thinking that I remembered a question I meant to ask the HUD sooner. Seeing a couple moderately sized rocks on the side of the path, I sat down on one of them and addressed the HUD. "Hey HUD, I almost forgot to ask; What's the Abilities screen? Discord mentioned it before he sent me to Tartarus, and you keep mentioning different Abilities, but I still don't know what they are." In response, another holographic screen appeared with a tutorial on Skills.

"Tutorial: Abilities"

"Abilities are techniques and passive traits that can provide new tactics, benefits, and opportunities to the User, primarily in terms of combat, stealth, and traversal. Abilities are tied to the User's Skills, and are unlocked naturally as the User's Skill Levels increase. To learn more about a specific Ability and what it does, select the specified Ability to read its description. [Note]: Certain Abilities, usually passive Abilities, will be replaced as soon as more effective versions of the Ability are unlocked. [Example]: Once the Ability 'Semi-Sturdy' is unlocked, it will replace the 'Slightly Sturdy' Ability."

Another screen replaced the tutorial, this screen being labeled “Abilities”.

Abilities
Strength Abilities (1):
- Flyweight

Endurance Abilities (1):
- Slightly Sturdy (NEW!)

Reflexes Abilities (0):
- None

Agility Abilities (0):
- None

Stealth Abilities (0):
- None

Guns Abilities (1):
- Hold Breath

Explosives Abilities (2):
- Cook Grenades
- Throwback

Melee Abilities (0):
- None

Unarmed Abilities (0):
- None

Medicine Abilities (0):
- None

Huh... Okay, guess I should see what each of these Abilities are.

I selected the first one, 'Flyweight', and a new screen appeared with a short description of the Ability.

Ability: Flyweight (Strength 7 Required)
Melee/Unarmed damage increased by 3%.

It was pretty straightforward, and I didn't see anything worth commenting on, so I moved on to the next Ability. This one was called 'Slightly Sturdy', and unlike the other Abilities, it had the word 'NEW' next to it.

Ability: Slightly Sturdy (Endurance 5 Required)
Blunt damage resistance increased by 3%.

Endurance 5 required? Guess that's why this Ability is 'new', since I just reached Endurance 5 a few minutes ago.

There were no Abilities for the Reflexes, Agility, or Stealth Skills, so I moved on to the Abilities for the Guns Skill. I selected the only Ability there, titled as 'Hold Breath', and began reading the description.

Ability: Hold Breath (Guns 2 Required)
Gain the ability to hold your breath while aiming down the sight of a ranged weapon, steadying your aim and greatly reducing weapon sway. [Note]: The User cannot hold their breath forever, so before holding their breath while aiming, they must be sure they are ready to take the shot.

I was familiar with the 'holding your breath while aiming' trick. I'd used it a number of times while playing first person shooters, and even a couple times in real life, though I often didn't need to rely on it. However, I still thought it was better than nothing. Next up was the Explosives Abilities, which actually had two Abilities instead of just one. They also appeared to be the last two Abilities on the list.

Abilitiy: Cook Grenades (Explosives 2 Required)
Instead of immediately throwing a grenade after pulling the safety pin, the User can cook the grenade by letting the 7-second countdown tick down before throwing it. [Warning]: Be careful not to hold the grenade for too long, or else it will explode in the User's hand, killing them.

Skill: Throwback (Explosives 2 Required)
When an enemy throws a grenade at the User, the User can throw the grenade back at the enemy before it explodes. [Warning]: Picking up an enemy's live grenade and throwing it back can be extremely dangerous, and the User will only have a short window of time to successfully do so. Sometimes it might be safer to just run away from the live grenade, so it is recommended that the User doesn't use this method unless they have no other choice.

Two more methods I was familiar with from video games. While the concept of cooking a grenade might sound suicidal, there's actually a bit of strategy behind it. If you throw a grenade towards an enemy immediately after pulling the pin, they still might have a few seconds to either run away from the grenade or throw it back at you. However, if you let the grenade countdown before throwing it, and time your throw just right, the grenade would explode just as it reaches the enemy. They wouldn't even have time to process that a grenade had been thrown at them, let alone avoid it.

The '7-second countdown' part of the description caught me off guard, though. I was fairly certain that, at least on Earth, grenades took somewhere between 2 to 6 seconds to explode. Perhaps the grenades in Equestria work differently than the ones on Earth?

I can't say I'm too surprised that grenades exist in Equestria now. I found out guns exist here earlier, so it makes sense that-

The sound of footsteps coming from behind me stirred me from my thoughts. I whipped my head around and nearly jumped from the rock I was sitting on out of surprise when I saw a stranger casually stroll past me. He just sat down on the rock across from me without a word. He didn't make a peep, didn't acknowledge me, he was just... there. As if him suddenly and nonchalantly showing up wasn't weird enough, his appearance made him stand out quite a bit.

He wore a black sleeveless hoodie with the zipper undone and the hood pulled over his head. He wore a bulletproof vest under the hoodie, and no shirt beneath that, showing off his moderately toned muscles. A pair of black tactical elbow pads were strapped to his arms, and I could see a tattoo of an eastern style dragon with red scales on his right forearm. Though his hood kept the top of his head hidden from view, I could see a few strands of brown hair peeking out. As for what shade of brown it was, I was unable to tell. Below, he wore a pair of dark grey cargo pants, black tactical knee pads, and black tactical combat boots.

He seemed to be about the same height as me from what I could tell, if not a couple inches taller. I also didn't see any pony ears on him, so I assumed he was human. It would be easier to tell if he was a pony or a human by looking at his face, but it was currently covered by a mask. Because of that, I couldn't tell if he had anime-esque features like Amber or normal human features like me. Speaking of the mask, it had to be the strangest part about him. His entire face was hidden behind a black mask with a full-face visor. Not even a speck of his face was visible through it.

As soon as the mysterious masked man sat down on the rock across from me, he pulled out a book and started reading, not even acknowledging my existence. I just sat there in confused silence, turning my head to look at the way he came from then back to him, trying to figure out if what I was seeing was real. After a bit, he looked up from his book to pay me a glance. When he did, his mask lit up as two glowing white dots and a wide, u-shaped curve appeared on the black visor. It took me a second to realize it was a cartoonish smiley face. It seemed the visor was more than just a regular visor.

"Sup." He nodded to me. The pitch of his voice was slightly deep and had a bit of distortion to it, a clear sign of a voice changer in use. The smiley face disappeared as he went back to his book.

"U-Uh..." I failed to come up with a response. I was too busy being in shock by his sudden appearance. Did he seriously see nothing weird about this? It's just the two of us in the middle of nowhere, he just walks by me and scares the absolute piss outta me, sits on a rock next to me, and just starts reading. And on top of all that, the only form of acknowledgement he gives me is a 'Sup'?

After a bit more silence, the stranger looked at me again. This time, no smiley face appeared on the mask, and I was left staring eye to eye with a blank visor. At least, I assumed we were staring eye to eye. I couldn't exactly see his eyes through the mask.

"...I don't like your face." He said out of nowhere.

I blinked. "I- uh...what?"

"...Oh! Sorry, I shoulda worded that better. I'm not saying I don't like you, I barely even know you, and I'm not one to judge based on appearances. I just don't like your face, that's all." He clarified.

"...Huh?" I responded as brilliantly as ever.

"Eh, you just look like someone I know. He was a real piece of shit, let me tell ya. Absolute fuckhole, that guy. I hate him with every fiber of my being. That's why your face is pissing me off. Nothing personal, I swear." He chuckled before turning back to his book. Despite what he said, the tone of his voice didn't sound 'pissed off'. If anything, he sounded pretty chill right now.

"...I-...wha-?"

"Have you ever heard the story of Alice in Wonderland?" He cut me off as he looked up from his book once more, changing the topic out of the blue.

"W-Wait, what? I-"

"And no, I don't mean that animated Disney one. It's a good movie, but it ain't what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about the live action one, either. I mean the original book. You ever read it?"

"Huh? Uh... no, I can't say I-"

"Oh, dude, you've gotta give it a try. I remember reading it for the first time, and I fuckin' loved it. It's not that long either, just a little over a hundred pages. Seriously, give it a shot, man." He then looked down at his book for a second before turning back to me, lifting it up. "Oh, uh, this isn't it, by the way. I'm sure you might've gotten the idea I'm reading it right now, but this is a different book entirely."

My brain was struggling and failing to figure out just what in the absolute hell was going on right now. To say I was confused would be an understatement. Who was this guy? Why did he just randomly show up? Why does talking with him feel like I'm having a conversation with an NPC from Oblivion? AND WHAT DOES ALICE IN WONDERLAND HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING!?

...Wait...

...Alice in Wonderland doesn't exist in Equus...

A new face appeared on the stranger's mask, but it wasn't the same smiley face I saw earlier. A pair of X's for eyes and a sharp-toothed smile appeared on the mask, creating a devilish grin. "Behind you, by the way."

It took me a second to process what he'd said, but as soon as I did, I turned around just in time to see someone smash the butt of their rifle into my face, knocking me out cold.

I slowly started to come to as I groggily opened my eyelids. It took a second before everything started to come back to me, going through Tartarus with Amber, meeting the stranger in the mask, then getting knocked out. As soon as I remembered everything, my eyes widened, and I began taking stock of my surroundings.

I was currently sitting... inside a dog cage of all things. A dog cage that was concerningly locked, judging by the padlock on the latch. I wasn't alone, either. Next to my cage, there were a few other cages, each with a person inside. Like Amber, they all had pony ears and looked like they jumped straight out of an anime, so I assumed they were ponies. Some looked downtrodden and hopeless while others were full on crying their eyes out. Definitely not a good sign.

Outside of the cages, we appeared to be in a small clearing in the middle of a forest, surrounded by trees. The sun had gone down completely, and moonlight was shining through the many branches and leaves. A single tent was nearby with a wooden chair in front of it. Sitting in that chair was a man wearing a dark red tank top, black balaclava, camo cargo pants, and combat boots, holding an AK-47 and looking like he was about to fall asleep. I assumed he was the guy in charge of guarding us.

You've gotta be kidding me. This couldn't possibly get any worse.

...

...Wait, shit, I shouldn't have said that. I probably just jinxed it.

It was then that I heard footsteps approaching off to the side. Over on the right side of the clearing opposite of the tent, I could see a path that led deeper into the forest. Emerging from that path was the masked stranger I met earlier, followed by another guy dressed similarly to the guard by the tent. The only notable differences were that he was wearing a red bandana over his face instead of a balaclava, and a red t-shirt instead of a tank top.

The masked stranger first looked at me, then turned his head to face the drowsy guard in the chair. The guard seemed so out of it that he hadn't noticed the new arrivals. The X-eyed, sharp toothed smile I saw earlier appeared on the stranger's mask as he turned his head back to me, raising a finger to the mouth of the smile and signaling me to be quiet. He reached down and picked up a rock from the ground, aimed, then threw the rock straight at the sleeping guard's crotch. The second the rock impacted, the guard jolted from his seat, clutching his groin in pain as he fell out of the chair.

"HA! Fuckin' nailed 'em! You see that?" He elbowed the thug standing beside him, who was also chuckling at the guard's pain. The devilish smile disappeared from the stranger's mask as he turned back to the guard. "Hey! Wake your ass up, will ya? I'm not paying you to sleep on the job."

Turning on his heel, the masked man casually strolled over to my cage. Once he was in front of it, he sat down with his legs crossed so that he was eye-level me, the devilish smile returning to his mask once more. "Hello there, little rabbit. Sleep well?"

"...Who are you?" I asked a bit hesitantly.

"...Ah! That's right, I haven't introduced myself, have I? Name's Jack. Pleasure to meet ya!" He stuck a hand through the bars of my cage to shake my own. I didn't return his gesture, and he retracted his hand after a few seconds. "Okay, okay, I get it, you're a bit shy. Plus, I haven't exactly given you the..." He looked around at the cages, "...greatest of first impressions. Completely understandable, don't worry about it. Could you at least tell me your name? I told you mine, so it's only fair, right?"

"...Justin. Justin Baker." After I gave him my name, Jack didn't respond for a few seconds. He just sat there... looking at me.

After those few seconds had passed, he spoke up again. "Cool, cool. So... Justin..." He said my name as if it left a bad taste in his mouth, "I've got a hunch about you, and my hunches are usually right. Let me ask you this..."

Jack leaned closer to the cage. "...You aren't from Equus, are you?" As if that question wasn't surprising enough, the next one really caught me off guard. "I'm also willing to bet you have a HUD, don't you?"

"...H-How did you...?"

"Well, let's just say we're cut from the same cloth, you and I." Just when I thought this man couldn't possibly surprise me further, he did something I never would've expected. "HUD, show General Stats and Skills."

Two red holographic screens appeared right next to him, ones that looked strikingly similar to my own HUD's screens. One screen was titled 'General Status' while the other was titled 'Skills'. On each, several stats were displayed in plain view.

General Status
User: [REDACTED]
Current Level: 13,758
Current XP: 14,090/50,000
Money: $144,296
Overall HP: 137,680/137,680
Head: 100%
Torso: 100%
Left Arm: 100%
Right Arm: 100%
Left Leg: 100%
Right Leg: 100%

Skills
Strength: 100/100
Endurance: 100/100
Reflexes: 100/100
Agility: 100/100
Stealth: 100/100
Guns: 100/100
Explosives: 100/100
Melee: 100/100
Unarmed: 100/100
Medicine: 100/100

"Pretty cool, huh? Spent years grinding for these stats." Jack said to me, either not noticing or not caring that I was staring slack-jawed and wide-eyed at the two red screens. "Listen kid, I don't know what Discord told you when he brought you here, I imagine he hid some stuff from you, but I can tell you this..."

"...You aren't the first person he summoned to Equestria."

Author's Note

And there's the second part of the first chapter, which we still aren't done with quite yet! Believe it or not, there's still one more part before we reach the end of the introduction. This intro is taking a lot longer to write than I originally thought it would. Next up will be "Down The Rabbit Hole... (Part 3)", where I finally wrap up the introduction.

I want to try and finish writing the third part before I officially publish this story for you guys to read, but I'm considering just publishing the first two parts as it is, since I'm eager to share this story with everyone. So, if you're reading this and the third part isn't available yet, then I guess that means I published the story early. If not, then just ignore this. Either way, stay tuned for more!

P.S. If you're wondering why I've been starting every chapter with "Justin" underlined at the top, that's because this story will occasionally shift between the perspectives of other characters, and the name at the top is to help let the reader know whose perspective they're currently reading the story from. Even though we haven’t shifted perspectives yet, I want to try and keep it consistent, so I’m starting each chapter with the name of whoever’s perspective the story is being told from.

P.P.S While I wasn't able to find a way to re-create Jack like I did with Amber, I was able to find a picture of a mask that should give you a better idea of what his mask looks like. Just imagine that the visor is tinted black rather than see-through.

Chapter 1: Down The Rabbit Hole… (Part 3)

Justin

I stared at the red holographic screen, unable to pry my eyes away from it. Not only did Jack have a HUD exactly like I did, but his stats were insane! He had to have been on Equus for a long time now. Plus, there was the shock that Discord had also summoned him from Earth like he did with me. Had Discord been lying to me? At the very least, he had definitely been keeping secrets from me, and this proves it. I know he said he didn't have much time to explain everything, but the fact that he neglected to tell me there was another HUD User on Equus is a pretty big deal.

"I... I have some questions." I said, finally recovering from my initial shock.

"I don't doubt it. Ask away, and I'll try to answer as best I can." He gestured for me to start.

"Okay, uh... where are we?" I glanced at the forestry that surrounded us.

Jack turned his head to the right as another red holographic screen appeared next to him, displaying the same map of Equestria and beyond that Discord had shown me. "Well, according to the map, we are right arooouund... here." He pointed to a spot of forestry just a short distance Southeast of where Tartarus was. Not too far away was the coastline between here and the South Luna Ocean. On the spot Jack pointed to, I could see a red dot with the words 'You Are Here' above it.

So we're not too far from where I was knocked out. That means the train station should still be close by. If I can escape, then that's my ticket out of here. I can free the other prisoners while I'm at it, too. We can all get on a train and get to wherever this 'Haven' thing is that Amber mentioned.

Speaking of the other prisoners, I shifted my glance over to them. A couple had noticed that Jack was talking to me and were staring at the both of us, but the rest of them were busy wallowing in their misery. Considering the current situation, I couldn't blame them. "And they are...?"

"Oh, they aren't anyone special. Just a few of the unlucky people that were at the train station nearby before we hijacked it." He explained.

...What?

"From what I overheard between you and that other girl, you were planning on taking the train to the nearest Haven, right? Well, I didn't want to make things too easy for you. Wouldn't be fun if there wasn't any challenge in the way, now would it? If you wanna get to a Haven, then you're gonna have to go through my guys."

Shit, so much for that idea... wait, he was listening in on me and Amber? Has he been stalking me this entire time!? And he hijacked an entire train station just so I wouldn't be able to use it?! The hell is wrong with this guy!?!

"...What do you want with me?" I asked. A few cages down, one of the other prisoners, a young woman with pony ears, started crying a bit louder.

Jack chuckled under his mask. "You want the honest answer? Alright, I'll tell you."

He stood up and looked down at me through the bars of my cage, leaning one arm on top of it. The woman's crying from a few cages down started getting even louder. "Y'see Justin, there's a lot of crazy people in this world, and I mean some real fuckin' whackos, let me tell ya. It can be pretty hard to find out which of those people you can trust. Believe me, I know that fact all too well." As Jack continued, the woman's crying was getting so loud that it was a little hard to hear what Jack was saying. "So that's why, out of the kindness of my heart, I- WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP PLEASE!?!"

Jack stormed over to the woman's cage and gave it a hard kick, rattling it. "WE'RE TRYING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION HERE, AND I CAN'T EVEN HEAR MYSELF OVER ALL YOUR FUCKING NOISE!!! DIDN'T YOUR PARENTS EVER TEACH YOU MANNERS!? HOW 'BOUT I CUT OUT THAT TONGUE OF YOURS?! HUH!?! GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO REALLY CRY ABOUT!!! SHUT YOUR GODDAMN FUCKING MOUTH!!!" He gave the cage another kick before casually strolling back over to my cage. "Sorry about her, some people are just born rude, know what I mean?"

I found myself trembling a bit as I looked up at him, a bit fearful of the masked man. He'd gone from calm and casual, to completely psycho, then back again. He didn't even take a breath to calm himself down or anything; he was absolutely pissed one second, then he was completely calm the next. it was as if a switch had been flipped on his personality.

This guy's a friggin' lunatic!

The woman had stopped crying like Jack ordered her to, though she looked like she wanted to cry even more now. The fear of what Jack might do to her was enough of a motivator for her to keep quiet.

"So what was I saying?...Oh yeah!" Jack leaned on my cage once more. "There's a lot of crazy people in this world, and it can be hard to tell the good from the bad, the sane from the insane, and the trustworthy from the untrustworthy. That's why, Justin ol' buddy ol' pal, I'm willing to be that person you can trust!" A smiley face appeared on his mask.

"...I think I'll take my chances with someone else." I answered, looking at him skeptically.

"Hey, suit yourself man, I'm not forcing you. you can trust whoever you want." He stopped leaning on the cage, raising his hands in surrender as he stepped away. "Just know that I'll always be here when you need me. Anyhoo, I've got some shit to do, so I'll catch you later. Don't have too much fun without me, alright buddy?" With that, he left through the path he'd arrived from, the other guard following him. The guard that had taken a rock to the nuts crawled back into his chair, and as soon as he was sure Jack had left, he returned to his nap.

"How do you know that guy?" I turned my head to my left when I heard a voice from the cage next to me. The voice belonged to one of those anime-looking people (who I assumed were ponies) like Amber, only this one was a guy instead of a girl. His hair was a forest green color, and he had brown pony ears, as well as pale green eyes. He was dressed pretty casually, wearing a dark blue t-shirt, denim jeans, and plain sneakers.

"Actually, I don't know him. I was just minding my own business when he walked up to me out of the blue and started spouting random stuff. Next thing I know, one of his thugs knocks me out from behind, and I wake up here." I explained to him.

"Seriously?" His eyes widened. "Why the heck was he so fixated on you?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. From what he just showed me, I know we both have this thing," With a thought, I brought up my stats screen for him to see, the blue screen popping up next to me. "But other than that, I can't think of a good explanation. Who are these guys, anyway?"

"I would assume they're marauders, since they had the balls to hijack a train station, but I'm not entirely sure. They don't dress like marauders, and they certainly don't act like them. Well, that guy in the weird mask is probably the only exception, but that doesn't explain the rest of them. They seem more like mercenaries." He hypothesized. I had no idea how 'marauders' dressed or acted in this world, so I couldn't confirm or deny what he was saying. I just nodded along with what he said.

My eyes landed back on my stats screen, and I quickly got an idea on how to escape the cage. I closed the screen and tried to summon my knife from the inventory... only for it to not show up.

Huh?

I opened the inventory screen and was surprised to find it completely empty. "What the-!? Where'd all my stuff go!?"

"The inventory is the User's own personal pocket dimension and normally cannot be accessed by other people. However, due to User: [REDACTED] being a fellow HUD User, User: [REDACTED] was able to access User: Justin's inventory while User: Justin was unconscious."

OH COME ON! THAT'S CHEATING!

"What's wrong?" The green-haired guy asked me.

"I was gonna try and bust the lock with my knife, but they took it." I sighed. The guy didn't respond, instead putting a hand on his chin in thought. He looked over at the guard napping in the chair, then to me, then back at the guard, then back to me.

"...Ok, here's the plan. The keys to the locks should be on that guard. Do you think you can lure him over here?" He asked. I thought about it for a second before spotting a rock sitting right outside of my cage. It looked to be about the same size as the one Jack had used earlier. A plan had already formed in my head, and I nodded. "Okay, you get his attention, and when he comes over to your cage, I'll take care of the rest."

"You sure he won't just shoot me?" I asked.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he won't. I overheard them talking, and that guy in the weird mask said he'd kill anyone who kills one of the hostages. Granted, he never said they couldn't hurt the hostages, but you won't have to worry about that. Once he's over here, I'll take care of him." He reassured me.

"If you say so..." I reached through the bars and grabbed the rock, aimed, then chucked it at the guard's crotch. The rock hit its intended target, and the guard was stirred from his nap again, clutching his groin. "OW! Goddamnit, not again!" He cried out in pain.

"HA! Suck it, asshole!" I yelled at him. He glared at me, stood up from his chair, and stomped over to me.

"You think that's funny, you little shit!? How 'bout I shove my boot up your-!" Before the guard could finish his threat, the green-haired guy reached through the bars, grabbed the guard by his tank top, and pulled the guard towards him. This resulted in the guard's head being smashed against the bars. That only dazed the guard, though, so the green-haired guy kept smashing the guard's head against the bars until he finally lost consciousness.

"Damn, nice one!" I complimented the green-haired man for his takedown.

"Thanks. My brother's in the royal guard, so he showed me a few tricks." The green-haired guy grabbed the keys off the unconscious guard and unlocked his own cage. After crawling out, He unlocked my cage, then moved on to the other cages, freeing the other prisoners. I crawled out of my own cage and stretched, and once the other prisoners were free, the green-haired guy had us all huddle up. I did a quick head count in my head and saw that, counting the green-haired guy and myself, there were six of us. "Ok, we're gonna have to move quickly and quietly if we want to get out of here. Everyone try to stay low and follow my lead, okay?"

Everyone nodded, except for one woman. I recognized her as the one that had been loudly crying. "W-Wait, but... what about-..." The woman hesitated. She seemed to be paying nervous glances towards... me?

"What's wrong? Don't be afraid to speak up." The green-haired guy gave her an encouraging smile.

"...Are-... are you sure we can trust him?" She gestured towards me.

Wait, what?

Green-haired guy paid a glance to me, then looked back at the woman with an eyebrow raised. "Why wouldn't we?"

"W-Well... he's a human! You know what they're like..." She said, and two other prisoners gave agreeing nods.

...Oh God, please don't tell me this is one of those versions of Equestria where ponies are racist against humans. I really don't wanna have to put up with that crap...

"I don't see what that has to do with anything. He's in the same boat as us." Green-haired guy stated firmly, and the other prisoner that hadn't nodded with the others gave them a small glare.

At least they don't have a problem with me being human. Come to think of it, Amber didn't have a problem with me being human either. I guess not all ponies have distrust towards humans, but some do.

"Alright, let's go. Remember, stay low and follow me." The green-haired guy crouched down and started making his way down the path Jack and the other guard had taken. The forestry around us was too dense to walk through, so this was the only way we could go. The rest of us all crouched down and followed him silently.

After following the path, we eventually arrived at another clearing in the forest, only this one was much larger than the one we were in before. There were several tents and a few campfires spread out amongst the clearing, and a wooden makeshift wall surrounded the entirety of the encampment. I could see a wooden gate on the far end, most likely our only exit out of here.

More thugs dressed similarly to the guards we'd seen before were wandering around the camp. Some of them were patrolling while most of them were just hanging out. I could see a couple groups with bottles of alcohol, clearly busy getting drunk. I also noticed that most of the camp's residence were humans. There were a few of those anime/pony people (one of which had a pair of wings, most likely a pegasus), and even a couple griffons, but the majority was made up of humans.

The green-haired guy gestured for us to follow him as he led us around the camp. We hugged the outer perimeter of the camp to avoid running into any patrolling guards, using the tents as cover. We occasionally stopped to wait for a patrolling guard to pass so they wouldn't see us, and stuck to the shadows as much as possible. I had to admit, the green-haired guy knew what he was doing. If you ask me, his brother in the royal guard taught him more than just 'a few tricks'.

Eventually, we passed behind a larger tent, its size and shape akin to a hut, with a couple voices coming from within. One sounded like it belonged to a female, while the other was the unmistakable distorted voice of Jack. "-nyone tries to hurt her, or even considers hurting her, you make sure they suffer. Do you want to do this?" Jack's voice faded in as we got closer, sneaking past the tent.

"Of course. I will not fail you." The female voice spoke. I could hear footsteps as someone began to leave the tent.

"Wait." I heard Jack call out, and the footsteps ceased as the other person obeyed his command. I also stopped myself, my curiosity piqued. The green-haired guy and the other ex-prisoners looked back at me, wondering why I wasn't following before realizing I was listening in on the conversation. "I'm not sure if you heard me right." I heard Jack continue, "I asked you, 'Do you want to do this'. I didn't ask 'can you do this', I asked if you want to do this. So I'm going to ask you again, and I want you to answer me honestly, ok? Do you want to carry out this task?"

"...Do you want me to?" The female voice asked. Her voice sounded... empty, like she had no emotion. Not in a robotic, artificial way like the HUD, but more like someone who didn't know what emotions were, or just had them stripped away by someone or something else.

"Oh nonononono, don't you try to flip the question." Jack chuckled. "This isn't about what I want Tyra, this is about what you want. I want you to make the decision for yourself for once, ok? If you don't wanna do this, you can say no. So tell me, do you want to do this?"

The female voice was quiet for a time. After a few seconds of silence, she finally answered. "...Sure." It didn't sound like she was actually sure, it sounded more like she was just giving an answer because he asked her to.

After a few more seconds of silence, Jack let out an exasperated sigh. "Fuckin' Christ, gimme the strength to deal with this girl..." He muttered aloud. "Fine, whatever. Just go handle it then report back to m-" Jack stopped talking mid-sentence for some reason. I couldn't see inside the tent, so I had no idea what had caused him to stop, but it left me uneasy despite that.

"...Heh." I heard him give a single chuckle.

"Is something wrong?" The female voice asked.

"...Nah, it's nothing. Don't worry about it. Anyway, if you could take care of it, that'd be great." After that, I could hear footsteps again as someone, I assume the female, exited the tent. I looked to the green-haired guy and he gave me a shrug, just as unsure of what that was about as I was. He then turned back around and continued to lead us through the camp undetected.

The gate had unfortunately yet expectedly been guarded, so we had been forced to look for another exit. Fortunately, we had gotten lucky and found a hole in the makeshift wall we could crawl through. After we made sure everyone had gotten through, we started picking up the pace through the forest, though still remaining quiet enough to not attract attention. Once the green-haired guy believed we were far enough from the camp, we stopped and huddled up again.

"Alright, we need to figure out where we're going next. Anyone have a map by any chance?" The green-haired guy asked us.

"I do." I opened up the HUD's map and showed it to everyone. A blue dot with the words 'You Are Here' above it was located in the same area Jack had pointed to on his map earlier. The green-haired guy gave it a quizzical look, as if the map was alien to him. "Uh...is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, but... where did you get this map from?" He asked me.

"I, uh... an 'acquaintance' gave it to me, why?"

"There are a lot of landmarks missing from this map, and some of them look different. If I had to guess, this is an old map. I mean, like, centuries old." He explained.

...Did Discord give me an outdated map? Are you kidding me!?

"Well, it should be fine. We can probably still figure out where we're going from-" Whatever the green-haired guy was going to say next died in his throat as his eyes went wide, seeing something behind one of the ex-prisoners. "LOOK OUT!!!"

His warning came too late as the thing grabbed the ex-prisoner from behind and sunk its teeth into his neck. The creature looked like a human, only its eyes were cold and pale, its flesh was rotting, and there were several chunks torn out of it, dried blood leaking out. I was in shock at the scene, not only from seeing the ex-prisoner get a chunk of his neck bitten off, but also because I could immediately tell what the creature was. I wasn't even sure if what I was seeing was real or not, but there was no question that I was seeing it.

No matter what world I was in, I'd recognize a zombie anywhere.

The ex-prisoner let out a scream, but was soon gargling blood. He was clearly seconds away from death, and there was no chance of saving him. Behind him and the zombie, a few more rotting corpses emerged from behind the tries, stumbling towards us. "Shit, RUN!!!" The green-haired guy yelled, and we all followed him in the direction opposite of the zombies.

Zombies!? There's freaking zombies in Equestria now!?! That seems like a bit more than 'slightly' apocalyptic, Discord!!!

"CRAP CRAP CRAP!!! There are infected out here!? Fuck!!!" One of the other ex-prisoners cursed.

"WHAT DO WE DO!?!" The mare that had been crying earlier asked, looking to the green-haired guy for guidance.

"Just keep running! We’ve gotta find someplace to hide-" Before the green-haired guy could finish, something large came barreling through the trees and tackled him to the ground. Before he could yell, scream, or make any sort of noise, the large beast had sunken its teeth into his head before ripping it clean off. The large beast had dark brown fur with a few patches of it missing, sharp teeth, four paws, each with long black claws, and several chunks of flesh missing from its body. It let out a deep, loud roar after finishing off its prey.

The beast in question was a large grizzly bear, and judging by its missing flesh and fur, unnaturally large claws, and severe hostility, it was a grizzly bear that had been infected by whatever zombie virus had infected the other corpses.

"OH DEAR CELESTIA!!! RUN!!! RUN!!!" One of the ex-prisoners yelled in a panic. Everyone scattered in different directions through the forest except for me. The bear had picked up the green-haired guy's corpse in its mouth and tossed it at me, knocking me over and trapping me underneath the body. I fruitlessly struggled to push the body off me as the bear quickly inched closer and closer, snarling and growling. Before it could reach me, however, a gunshot rang out and a bullet hit the bear in the side of its head. That one shot had been enough to kill the zombie bear as it collapsed to the ground, motionless.

I turned my head to look in the direction of the gunshot and saw Jack standing there, holding a large magnum revolver. More specifically, it looked like a gold plated S&W500 with a long, thick barrel, a tactical grip, and a red dot scope attached to it. Smoke poured out of the barrel before it disappeared from his hand, most likely going back to his inventory. "Sheesh, things can never go the way you want them to, huh?"

As soon as he turned his attention from the bear to me, I quickly scrambled in an attempt to get out from underneath the green-haired guy's body. Jack made his way over to me and pulled the body off, tossing it aside. I frantically tried to crawl away, but Jack crouched down to my level and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Hey, hey, kid, calm down." I didn't listen to him, trying to struggle out of his grip. "Kid! Kid! LISTEN TO ME, GODDAMNIT!!!"

I froze in place when he yelled, ceasing my struggling. I hadn't even realized I was panting and hyperventilating until I'd stopped moving. I started taking deep breaths in order to calm myself down as beads of sweat formed on my forehead. Once he was sure I'd finished trying to get away, Jack released his grip on my shoulders and stood up, towering over me.

"Look, I get it. I've been in your shoes before. Equestria ain't exactly a wonderland of sunshine and rainbows like you remember." Jack was talking, but I was barely registering his words. Out of the corner of my eye, I'd noticed the green-haired guy's headless corpse. Upon seeing it, my mind started to finally process the fact that he was dead.

"Trust me, this isn't even the worst of it. That infected bear over there is actually pretty tame compared to the other shit this world has to offer." He chuckled, but I was still focused on the green-haired guy. He was dead, and he wasn't coming back. For some reason, that thought kept repeating in my head, as if I was still trying to get myself to believe it.

"It's rough, I know it is, but it's just something you're gonna have to get used to. If you wanna have any chance of surviving, you gotta get stronger than you are now. Like I said, I'm willing to be someone you can trust and take you under my wing. Maybe I can make things easier for you than they were for me." He continued. Blood was gushing out of the stump where the green-haired guy's head used to be. It had all happened so fast. One minute he was in front of me, alive and breathing, and the next... Christ, I didn't even know his name.

"HEY!" My eyes snapped back to Jack when he raised his voice again. "You listening to me? I'm talking to you, it's rude to ignore someone when they're talking to you." He then looked over his shoulder to see what had gotten my attention, and took a good look at the body for himself. "Ah, yeah, that. You're gonna wanna get used to that too. I can tell ya right now that you'll be seeing death a lot around here. Hell, you'll mostly be the one doing the killing."

"W-What?" Was all I managed to say.

"Don't worry about it. With enough training, I'm sure I'll have you in tip top-" I didn't let him finish as I scrambled to my feet, quickly running in the direction opposite of him and deeper into the forest. "...shape. OK THEN, FINE! BE THAT WAY! WE'LL SEE JUST HOW LONG YOU LAST OUT THERE ON YOUR OWN!" He called after me, not bothering to give chase.

I didn't look back as I sprinted through the trees, heavily breathing and with sweat dripping down my face. I didn't know where I was, where I was going, or how far I was from the camp, I just kept running like my life depended on it. I was running faster than I'd ever run before, adrenaline carrying me through most of it. I was stopped in my tracks when I bumped into something, causing me to fall backwards and onto my butt. I looked up to see I'd bumped into another zombie, which was slowly turning around to face me. It growled, and I quickly got up and ran in another direction. Thankfully, the zombie couldn't move any faster than a brisk shuffle, so I was easily outrunning it.

Shit, I don't even know where I'm going!

I weaved through endless amounts of trees with no clear direction or plan. I looked around as I ran, trying to find some sort of landmark or sign of civilization, but to no avail. I suddenly skidded to a stop when I saw three hungry looking wolves standing in front of me. They looked like normal wolves, unlike the Tartarus Guardians, but that didn’t make them any less threatening.

I started running again, this time away from the wolves. I could hear them getting closer and closer behind me, snarling and barking. I didn’t dare look back, worried that doing so would allow them to catch up. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been watching my footing, and one of my feet snagged on a loose tree root, causing me to trip and fall to the ground. I looked back from my place on the ground, dreading the fact that I was about to re-experience the feeling of a wolf ripping my throat out… only for something unexpected to happen.

Another wolf, similar to the first three, came running through the trees and leapt onto one of the other wolves, sinking its fangs into its neck. The other two wolves quickly ran away, whimpering in fear. Now that I got a better look at it, the fourth wolf had darker fur than the first three wolves, and its eyes were much more pale and primal, similar to the zombies I ran into earlier.

The darker-furred wolf seemed to grow annoyed by its prey writhing around in its jaw in an attempt to break free. Suddenly, the darker-furred wolf’s back split open, and a long, six-foot tendril sprouted out. Halfway up the tendril was an orange glowing bulge that acted as some sort of joint, and on the end of the tendril was a very sharp looking stinger.

WHAT THE SHIT IS THAT!?!

The tendril whipped around before stabbing its stinger straight into the other wolf’s side, piercing its heart. The wolf’s body went limp a second later, and the definitely-not-a-wolf continued to feast on it. Then, part way through its meal, the mutated wolf noticed me, and started growling.

Oh shit...

Before the wolf creature could stab me with its stinger though, another gunshot rang out, and a bullet from above pierced the bulge in the creature's tendril. As a result, the bulge exploded and orange puss splattered across the ground, the not-a-wolf letting out a howl of pain. Jack leapt down from the trees not a second later and landed on the creature, pinning it to the ground. He didn't waste any time as he quickly and efficiently wrapped his arms around the creature's neck and twisted it, causing the bone to crack and killing it instantly. With the not-a-wolf now dead, Jack stood up and turned to me. "Are you done yet?"

It was becoming clear that I wasn't going to be able to run away from Jack, so I instead decided to do something that was, in hindsight, incredibly stupid. I stumbled back up to my feet, let out my best battle cry as I ran over to Jack, and attempted to punch him. Extra emphasis on 'attempted'. He nonchalantly side-stepped me, sticking his leg out to trip me. I collided face first with the dirt, wincing in pain. "Seriously? You still see me as a threat?" He sighed.

Undeterred, I got back up and ran at him again, throwing several slow and easily telegraphed punches. Jack just lazily ducked, tilted and side-stepped to avoid each one. Going by his relaxed posture, it wasn't taking him much effort to dodge my attacks, if he was putting any effort in at all, that is.

"Kid..."

Another missed punch.

"Can you please stop?"

Another missed punch.

"This is getting old."

Another missed punch.

"You're not getting anywhere."

Another missed punch.

"This is starting to annoy me."

Another missed punch.

"Alright, that's it!"

This time, instead of dodging the attack, Jack grabbed my fist mid-punch, twisted my arm, then struck his palm into my elbow. A loud *crunch!* erupted from my arm, the palm strike causing it to bend the wrong way, breaking it completely.

-23 HP

Overall HP: 77/100

Left Arm: 0%

"AAAAGH!!!" Jack released my arm as I screamed in pain and fell to my knees. Tears quickly filled my eyes as I looked down at my broken arm in horror.

"See? It doesn't take much to put you down, which is why I want to help you. I'm trying to help you, but you won't let me! I show you my hospitality, and you spit in my face! And for what!? What could you possibly gain by not accepting my help!?" Jack voiced his frustration.

You have a funny definition of 'helping'!

Jack reached down and forcefully grasped by broken arm, getting a cry of pain out of me, before a health stim spawned into his hand, which he promptly injected into my arm. I've never had to experience having a bone get set back into place, but I am aware that it can be painful. Now, imagine if your entirely broken arm were set back into place at the speed of sound. That's how it felt when the health stim did its thing, healing my arm by whipping the bone back into place in an instant. "GAH!" I cried out, but the pain was thankfully subsiding rather quickly. Once the arm was fixed, Jack let go of it.

+29 HP

Overall HP: 100/100

Left Arm: 100%

"If you could just take a few minutes to calm down and think about what I'm offering you, we can-" Before Jack could finish his sentence, a loud *BOOM!* echoed throughout the forest, sounding like something big had just impacted the earth. Whatever it was, it caused the ground to shake and tremble beneath us.

"Shit, he's here..." Jack mumbled to himself, looking in the direction of the noise. He crouched down to my level and summoned a few items from his inventory. "You're gonna wanna take these. It won't do much against him, but I'd rather give you something instead of nothing." The first thing he handed me was five health stims, only these ones had an infinity symbol on them instead of the M I’d seen on the moderate health stims. According to the label in the inventory, they were Full Health Stims. The second thing he gave me was a semi-automatic handgun, specifically a Walther P22.

I took the pistol and put the stims in my inventory before asking the obvious question, "Who's 'him'?"

As if on cue, heavy footsteps could be heard approaching us. A man emerged from the trees, first spotting Jack, before laying his eyes on me. The smile that spread across his face upon seeing me gave me an uneasy feeling. He was a human standing at around 6' 0" with brown eyes, chestnut brown hair styled into a side swept undercut, and a thick goatee. He was shirtless, showing off his extremely well-built muscles and tribal tattoos across his body. The only article of clothing he seemed to be wearing was a pair of brown cargo pants. He wasn't even wearing shoes, instead choosing to walk barefoot. "Him." Jack answered.

It was at that moment that I received a notification from my HUD that made my blood run cold.

"Earth God identified. [WARNING]: User: Justin's stats are not nearly high enough to engage an Elemental God in combat. [Recommendation]: Run."

I am so fucked.

"Ajax... Been a while." Jack slowly and casually approached the Earth God.

"Hello, Jack. Can't say it's a pleasure seeing you again." 'Ajax' said as he started to approach Jack in return.

"Feeling's mutual. Tell me, what brings your sorry ass out here to the middle of nowhere?" Jack gestured to the forest around us.

"Oh, nothin' much. A little bird told me a second HUD user just showed up. Figured I'd give him a proper welcome to our world. I'm not surprised to find you here too. The two of you do have something in common, don't you?" Ajax gestured to me.

I could see Jack clenching his fists at the mention of a 'little bird', but he continued on with the conversation anyway. "Well, you don't need to worry about the welcome, I'm already taking care of it."

"And since when have I needed your permission to show a little courtesy?" Ajax and Jack reached each other as soon as the Earth God finished his sentence, the two of them standing only inches away from each other. Needless to say, the tension was high between them.

"Since now. This doesn't involve you, so I'm gonna give you ten seconds to leave before I-" Whatever Jack was going to say next was cut off when Ajax threw a backhanded fist at him. The strike had been powerful enough to send Jack flying through the trees, crashing through several of them and toppling many of them over. My eyes went wide seeing the long stretch of destroyed trees that went on for miles. Any normal person would've died from that instantly. I turned my attention back to Ajax and saw him stalking towards me, a sadistic grin on his face.

"So, let me guess; You were brought to this world with the delusion that you would 'become a hero' and 'stop those nasty evil gods', or something like that, right?" He said as he got closer. "Well, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to give you a wake up call, kid. That's nothing more than an idiotic fantasy." I quickly raised up the handgun, which was shaking in my grip, and pointed it at him. He just laughed at me. "Ha ha ha! Oh, that is just adorable. Alright then, come on. Give me your best shot!" He stood firmly in place and spread his arms out wide, waiting for me to make a move.

I held the gun with both hands to steady my aim and looked down the sight. My hands were still shaking, so I took a few deep breaths to calm myself as I focused my aim on his head. I've never killed anyone before, but at the moment, that wasn't my concern. I was about 99% certain that my life was at risk right now, so I was more focused on defending myself. Besides, a small part of me knew that if this guy really was a God, then this bullet probably wasn't going to do much. I squeezed the trigger and fired, a loud bang erupting from the gun. There was barely any recoil thanks to the caliber of the gun, but I could still feel the kick as it fired.

The bullet hit Ajax square in the forehead, causing his head to cock back from the impact. He didn't fall to the ground, though. He stood firmly in place, not moving an inch. After a few seconds, he raised his right hand up to his head, reached into the bullet hole, and ripped the bullet out before flicking it away, as if it were nothing more than a puny pebble. I watched in horror as the hole in his forehead sealed up, as if he'd never been shot in the first place. "That's it? Gotta say, I'm a little disappointed."

Before I knew it, Ajax grabbed me by my shirt and threw me into the air. I screamed in terror as I went soaring above the trees before plummeting back down to the ground, crashing through several tree branches before smacking against the dirt. My body skipped across the ground like a rock across a pond before I finally tumbled to a stop. My body ached all over, the impact having broken several of my bones.

-61 HP

Overall HP: 39/100

Head: 97%
Torso: 81%
Left Arm: 42%
Right Arm: 43%
Left Leg: 19%
Right Leg: 21%

With a weak, shaky arm, I summoned one of the health stims Jack had given me and injected it into myself.

+61 HP

Overall HP: 100/100

Head: 100%
Torso: 100%
Left Arm: 100%
Right Arm: 100%
Left Leg: 100%
Right Leg: 100%

I started to push myself off the ground, my strength slowly returning to me. I wasn't sure how far Ajax threw me, but I could tell I was still in the forest. Before I could run away or come up with some sort of plan, Ajax safely landed a few feet away, cracking the ground beneath his feet. If I had to guess, I assumed he had jumped from where he threw me all the way over to here in a single bound. Clearly, he didn't have the title of 'God' for nothing. He immediately noticed me trying to stand back up and strolled over.

"Oh no, please, don't get up on my account. Why don't you take a seat?" He made a fist with his hand as it became enveloped in dirt and rocks, forming a blunt gauntlet. Just as I managed to stand up, he threw a punch to my stomach with his rock gauntlet, and it felt like getting hit in the gut with a sledgehammer. I instantly buckled over and fell back to the ground, the wind having been completely knocked out of me.

-72 HP

Overall HP: 28/100

Torso: 49%

"Y'see kid, I don't know about the other Gods, but I don't take too kindly to guys who think they can play hero. Weaklings like you who think they're hot shit, believing they can do anything..." He threw a kick to my ribs when he saw me trying to get back up. "...They really piss me off."

-5 HP

Overall HP: 23/100

Torso: 47%

Despite my whole body aching from exhaustion, I tried to crawl away. Thankfully, the Earth God didn't stop me. Instead, he just laughed at me. "Ha ha! Alright then, go ahead. Run! I like a good ol' game of cat and mouse. Let's see how far you get." After crawling a few feet away from him, I summoned another stim and injected it to heal myself. I was already down to three left.

+77 HP

Overall HP: 100/100

Torso: 100%

Revitalized by the stim, I dared a look back at Ajax as I got back to my feet. He slammed a foot into the ground, causing a large chunk of the earth to break from the dirt and fly a few feet into the air. He punched the floating chunk of earth, sending it careening through the trees at high speed like a runaway cannonball. "RUN!!!" He yelled at me. He didn't have to tell me twice.

I sprinted through trees yet again, trying to get as far from the Earth God as possible. I could hear his laughter echoing throughout the forest behind me, and it only encouraged me to run faster. When I noticed I was approaching a clearing in the trees, I looked back over my shoulder as I ran. Ajax was nowhere in sight, as far as I could tell. I returned my gaze forward just as I broke through the clearing... Only to immediately stop in my tracks.

The clearing had led to a cliff with no other direction for me to go. Beyond the cliff was nothing but water as far as the eye can see. I remembered from the map that this forest was right next to the South Luna Ocean, so I assumed that's what I was looking at. Looking down below, there were thankfully no sharp or jagged rocks waiting for me at the bottom of the cliff. Still, it was a several dozen foot drop, and I wasn't sure if I could survive jumping into the water from that height.

A loud boom from behind me, sounding like someone had moved fast enough to break the sound barrier, drew my attention. As soon as I turned around, I saw Ajax bursting through the trees at sonic speed towards me before I could even react. The split second he reached me, I felt a severe pain in my chest, more agonizing than I could possibly describe. Seeing the sadistic smile on Ajax's face, I slowly looked down to my chest and was horrified by what I saw.

Ajax's arm was sticking through my chest, having punched a hole clean through.

I didn't scream or shout in pain. I just stared at it, wide eyed. I was too in shock to do or say anything. I looked back up at Ajax, who still had that smile on his face. He pulled his hand out of my chest, now caked in my blood as he held a still beating heart in it.

-99 HP

Overall HP: 1/100

Torso: 7%

"Don't take this too personally, kid. I just wanted to make sure an ant like you knows its place." With that, Ajax crushed the heart in his hand before giving me a light shove, sending me careening off the side of the cliff. Due to the tremendous blood loss, exhaustion, and lack of a heart, I lost consciousness before I even hit the water.

...And that's how I ended up in that position, falling several dozen feet off a cliff and into an ocean with a hole in my chest where my heart should be. I bet you're probably thinking, 'Damn, that sounds like a rough day. It must've been the worst day of his life!' Well, have I got a surprise for you: That day wasn't actually all that bad of a day for me. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely up there in my 'worst days ever' list, but it was far from the worst. It was just the beginning of a long, arduous, and painful journey that I would be embarking on. There were plenty of ups and downs that I would run into, but I can assure you that overall...

...It only got worse from there.

Author's Note

FINALLY!!!

Dear God, you have no idea how badly I've been wanting to get this story out for people to start reading! There were a couple times where I was very close to just saying "Fuck it" and publishing what I had. Thankfully, I persevered and managed to finish the first chapter split up into 3 parts!

There were numerous times where I found myself going back and rewriting certain parts so the dialogue wouldn't sound cringy and unnatural, I would add extra scenes that added more to the story, I even redesigned and/or renamed characters a couple times. Now, I believe the story is at a good enough level of quality for readers to enjoy! I sincerely hoped you guys enjoyed this long introduction to the story and that you'll keep reading! If you have any criticisms, please let me know what they are and I will do my best to rectify them.

Again, I hope you enjoyed, and I wish you the best!

Chapter 2: The First Step

Justin

As I fell down that cliff side and into the ocean below, I was certain I was dead, and that I would be loading my last checkpoint very soon. It was an understandable conclusion to come to, after all. Not only was I falling from a height that not many people could survive, but my still-beating heart had been ripped out of my chest. That’s pretty much a guaranteed death.

So when I found myself waking up in a completely new and unfamiliar location, I was a little surprised, to say the least.

I was in some sort of dimly lit, one-room log cabin, under the covers of a single person bed tucked in the corner. My shirt had been removed and was hanging on a wooden rocking chair off to the side. There were no windows in the cabin, not even one on the front door. The only sources of light were an old lantern hanging just above the front door, an oil lamp sitting on the nightstand next to the bed I was in, and a fire pit in the center of the floor with a cauldron hanging over it. Whatever was in the pot glowed a similar shade of blue as my HUD.

Standing in front of the cauldron was the silhouette of a person wearing some sort of robe and stirring the contents of the cauldron with a large stick. I noticed a pair of pony ears on the silhouette's head, making me think they were another anime/pony person. I made a mental note to eventually get confirmation about whether or not the anime people with pony ears were this Equestria's version of ponies, or if they were a separate species entirely. I’d been assuming they were ponies up until now, but I’d rather be 100% certain. The bed began to creak as I sat up, and the noise got the stranger's attention.

"Ah, I see you're finally awake." The stranger spoke with a sultry, feminine voice. After giving the cauldron a few more stirs, she released the stick and made her way over to me. As soon as the silhouette got closer, her appearance became clearer thanks to the light from the oil lamp. As I suspected, she was an anime/pony person. From what I could tell, she looked to be somewhere between her late twenties and early thirties. She had short black hair, dark green eyes, and dark grey pony ears. The thing that caught my eye the most however, was the small, 3-inch-long unicorn horn on her forehead that was the same color as her pony ears.

For her outfit, she wore a dark purple cloak with a pointed hood... and not much else. The only other thing she had on were some wrappings around her chest that thankfully covered her breasts. I was even more grateful that her cloak was doing a somewhat decent job at covering up her nudity. Unfortunately, it wasn't foolproof, as her nether regions were partially visible. I started blushing a bit as soon as noticed her lack of attire and directed my gaze anywhere other than the partially naked woman. "How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?" The woman asked me.

Well, you can put on some clothes, for starters...

"I-I'm fine, thanks." I eventually decided on staring up at the ceiling.

"Is that so? You don't sound fine to me. Sounds to me like something's making you uncomfortable. Also, it's a little rude not to look someone in the eye when you talk to them, is it not? I saved your life, after all. Showing a little courtesy is the least you could do to repay me." I couldn't see her expression due to my eyes being glued to the ceiling, but her voice sounded playfully accusatory.

"Uh, I don't mean to sound rude, but... could you maybe put some pants on?"

There was only silence for a couple seconds before the strange woman gave a hearty laugh. "Ah, my apologies! I hadn't even considered how my appearance would make you feel. One moment, please." I heard her snap her fingers, followed by a *poof* sound. When I looked back, I saw that she had, in fact, magically poofed some pants onto herself. Though she hadn't been wearing much before, the wizard cloak and chest wrappings, as well as the fact that she had been stirring a cauldron, had given her a medieval-fantasy-witch vibe. So, when I saw her wearing a pair of baggy grey sweatpants, I thought it looked kind of comedic, in a way. "There. Is that better?"

"Yeah, thanks." I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like I could finally look this woman in the eye without disrespecting her. "So, uh... I suppose I should get the basics out of the way. Who are you and where am I?"

"My name is Disarria, and this is my home." She gave a light bow as she introduced herself before gesturing to the rest of the cabin, showing off her abode. She then turned on her heel and went back to the cauldron, pulled a vile of a mysterious liquid out from under her cloak, poured it into the pot, and continued to stir. "You were lucky I found you when I did. It was quite a sight seeing you washed up on shore, profusely bleeding and missing a heart. I was able to cast a healing spell on you and restored your health before you bled out. I know you would've just loaded a checkpoint if you died, but who knows how far that would've set you back? Unfortunately, my spells aren't as effective as your health stims, so it didn't completely heal you. If you look down, you'll see you have quite the nasty scar on your chest."

Just as Disarria said, I finally noticed a large, starburst-shaped scar on my chest from where Ajax had punched me. A lot of the hair that used to be on my chest was gone, replaced by the not-fully healed skin. "Holy shit..." I muttered in disbelief. As I examined the scar, I started to fully process what Disarria had said before my eyes widened. "...How did you know I would load a checkpoint?"

"I'm fully aware of the HUD and its capabilities, Justin." She chuckled, surprising me again by somehow knowing my name. "I probably should've mentioned, but I was created by Discord to aid you in your quest."

"Oh. That's... convenient." I said, blinking in surprise. I started to think it wasn't a coincidence that she found me when she did. "So, uh... this might seem like a weird question, but... are you a pony?" I asked. She looked back at me, raising an eyebrow, and I quickly clarified, "I-I mean, you do have pony ears and a unicorn horn, but I didn't know if you're what ponies in this version of Equestria look like or if you're some sort of cousin species or something like that..." I chuckled nervously. Despite me fumbling with my words, Disarria seemed to catch on to what I was saying and smiled.

"Ah, that's right. The ponies you're familiar with look quite different than they do in this Equestria, don't they? To answer your question, yes, I am a pony. All ponies in this world look similar to me." She answered before returning to her stirring.

So, the anime people with pony ears are ponies. Glad I finally got that cleared up.

"Soooo... uh, what sort of 'aid' will you be providing?"

She looked back at me, giving me a comforting smile. "You can think of me as the shopkeeper or merchant that appears in those video games you play. I'll provide you with any weapons, equipment, and repairs you may need on your journey... for a price, of course. Vice versa, you can sell anything you don't need to me in exchange for money. For now, though, there's something we must take care of first." She stopped stirring and grabbed a ladle off of a hook hanging from the cauldron. Using the ladle, she scooped up a bit of the liquid inside the cauldron and brought it over to me. "Give me your left arm, please?"

I was a bit hesitant at first, wary of what she planned to do with that mysterious liquid, but I eventually complied. The front of my arms were a bit hairy, so she gently grasped my left arm and flipped it over. Seeing that the backside of my arm was much clearer, she poured the liquid onto the back of my left forearm. I watched in awe as the light blue liquid glowed brighter and started to shift and move around on my arm, as if it were alive. Something about the process made it look beautiful, almost like an elegant dance. Eventually, the liquid began to take shape and quickly dried on my arm. Once it was fully formed, it stopped glowing, revealing a light blue tattoo of a fish. Specifically, it looked like a koi, a Japanese fish.

"Whoa..." I said breathlessly. Just as I did, a couple notifications from the HUD popped up.

"Ammo Count Unlocked"

"Clock Unlocked"

"Music Player Unlocked"

As if on cue, something appeared in the bottom right corner of my vision.

[No Weapon Equipped]
0 / 0

"Uh... What is this?" I asked as Disarria went over to the rocking chair and grabbed my shirt.

"Additional functions for your HUD. Do you see some numbers in the corner of your vision?" Disarria asked me, handing me my shirt.

"Yeah, there’s a pair of zeroes with a slash between them. It also says I don’t have a weapon equipped?" I raised an eyebrow.

"If you have a firearm or any other weapon that requires ammo, that will show how much of the required ammo type you’re carrying. The number on the left shows how much ammo is loaded into your weapon, while the number on the right shows how much you have left over in your inventory."

"Ah, so it’s the same as the ammo counter in every other shooter game. Gotcha." I nodded in understanding before getting out of the bed and putting my shirt back on. I noticed there wasn't a hole in the shirt from where Ajax had punched me. In fact, the shirt looked good as new. "How did you...?"

"Clothing is much easier to fix with magic than wounds." She answered, already knowing what I was going to ask.

Ah, right, magic. I'm not sure what else I was expecting.

"The next new feature should be the clock. This one’s rather simple and shouldn’t require much explanation. Open your map, please?" I did as she asked, and the outdated map appeared in front of me. This time, however, I noticed a clock in the top left corner that read '9:47'. I didn't see any a.m. or p.m., so I assumed it was using military time.

"It’s morning? I was out the whole night?" My eyes widened.

"Yes, you’ve been unconscious for a while. However, considering your injuries, it’s only natural."

"Actually, I’m surprised I wasn’t out for longer than that... Anyway, what was that last addition? Something about a music player?" As soon as I asked that, the HUD decided to take a turn at explaining the new additions.

"Tutorial: Music Player"

"The Music Player allows the User to enjoy whatever music they wish to listen to whenever they want. However, during certain events (Boss Battles, Specific Enemy Encounters, etc.), the music player will automatically choose a selection of music that fits the current situation."

"Soooo... what, it's like Spotify or something?"

"Affirmative."

"So you can play any song? Literally anything at all?"

"Affirmative."

"...Can you play Devil Trigger by Casey Edwards?"

[MUSIC START]

A smile made its way onto my face as I heard the familiar music begin to play, as if I were listening to the song through some high-quality headphones. I let the song play for about 30 seconds, nodding my head to the beat, before mentally commanding the music to stop.

[MUSIC END]

This is gonna come in handy keeping me entertained whenever I need to kill time.

"I take it the music player is to your liking?" Disarria smirked at me.

"Oh yeah, I'm definitely gonna enjoy using it." I gave a satisfied nod.

"Good. Now that that's all taken care of, it's just about time to send you on your way." She started making her way over to the front door, and my smile started to fade away.

"W-Wait, what? Hold on, I can't leave yet, I don't even know what I'm supposed to do now! You gotta give me some sorta game plan!"

She turned to look back at me, raising an eyebrow with a smug grin on her face. "Oh? Did you not already have an objective? I believe you were heading to the train station, were you not?"

"W-Well, that was before Jack said he hijacked it. There's no way I can use it now."

"And what about the civilians that are being kept hostage there? Do you plan to leave them to whatever fate has in store for them?" She rested a hand on her hip.

"N-No! Er- I mean... It's not like I want to, but..." My thoughts went to the events of yesterday. I was helpless in Tartarus, I was helpless in the forest, and I was helpless against Ajax. I literally died only 5 minutes after showing up here, and there were multiple occasions where I would’ve died again if Amber and Jack hadn’t been there to step in. Jack was right, I didn't stand a chance on my own. "Look, there's no way I can go up against those guys. They'll slaughter me."

"That's why you have the HUD." She walked back over to me and grasped my arm, showing me the tattoo again. "That's why you have this. With the HUD, you have a fighting chance." She released my arm and looked me dead in the eye. "I won't lie, your chances of survival in this world are very slim in your current state. That's why you need to become stronger, and you can't do that without taking the first step forward." She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Right now, the people in that train station are counting on you. With the quest Discord has given you, all of Equus is counting on you, even if they don't realize it. You can do this, Justin."

I looked at her for a bit, the doubt still swirling around in my mind. After a bit, I took a look at my inventory and spotted the Walther P22 handgun, as well as the three remaining health stims that Jack had given me. I equipped the handgun and checked the ammo count.

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
9 / 0

...All of Equus is counting on me, huh?...Gee, no pressure.

After a few seconds, I let out a heavy sigh. "...Alright, alright, not like I got much choice. I'm already locked into this until Discord sends me home, which won't be until I've finished the quest and the elements have freed him from whatever the gods did to him."

"That's the spirit!" She sauntered over to the door and placed her hand on the handle. "If it helps, there's a radio tower near here. Climbing it will help increase your Agility Skill, and you can use it to get a good view of the area."

A Radio tower? Did they have those in Equestria in the show? Eh, I can't remember, but it's a good place to start either way. My Agility Skill is in dire need of leveling up, now that I think about it...

"Thanks, I'll be sure to check it ou-"

"Oh! I almost forgot to give this to you!" She reached into her cloak and pulled out a knife. At least, I think it's supposed to be a knife. It looked more like a rusty, jagged piece of scrap metal shaped like a blade, with rope and duct tape wrapped over one end of it to create a makeshift handle. "This is only a makeshift knife and it does very little damage, but it has unlimited durability unlike other melee weapons, and it will allow you to perform stealth takedowns. Trust me, it's more useful than it looks."

"If you say so..." I eyed the makeshift knife with skepticism as Disarria handed it to me. It looked like it would fall apart after a single attack. Still, anything was better than nothing, so I stuck it in my inventory.

"I do say so. Now run along, you've got a long journey ahead of you." She said as she turned the knob and opened the door. Through the doorway, I could see we were on a small beach right next to the forest, the mid-morning sunlight shining into the cabin. I began to take my first steps out before stopping short, turning to face Disarria.

"Hey, Disarria?"

"Yes?'

"Thank you... for saving my life, I mean."

She smiled. "It was my pleasure. You can return the favor with your patronage."

Hearing that reminded me that Disarria was supposed to act as my merchant of sorts. As I stepped through the doorway, I asked her one last question, "Hey, if I ever want to buy something from you, how do I get in contact with y-" The words died in my throat as soon as I turned around and saw Disarria's cabin.

Or rather, a lack thereof.

All that sat on the beach was a singular wooden door with no house or building behind it. Despite that, I could clearly see the interior of a cabin through the doorway. It was like looking into a TARDIS from the outside. "Don't worry, I'll know when you need me." With that, she shut the door, and it proceeded to fade away like dust in the wind. Not a single trace of the door was left behind. All that remained was me, standing on the beach and staring in silent shock at where the door had been a second ago.

"...Huh." After a bit, I finally managed to shake away my surprise and take a look at my surroundings. As previously stated, I was on a small beach next to the tree line of the forest. A few feet away from me, I could see a spot of dried blood in the sand, though most of it had been washed away by the tide. Looking farther down the shoreline, I could see the cliffside I fell from not too far from the beach, maybe about half a quarter mile away.

So I fell from there, and the tide carried me until I washed up here, where Disarria found me...

After confirming where I'd come from, I opened up the map to see that the train station was a little ways North of where I was right now. Taking a few steps back from the tree line, I stood on my toes and gazed over the trees, trying to see if I could see the radio tower from here. Thankfully, I was in luck; I managed to spot the tip of the tower over a couple trees. It looked like it was a short walk from here, maybe about a five-minute walk if I had to guess.

Welp, guess I better get started. I should probably play some music to pass the time.

"Alexa, play Devil Trigger by Casey Edwards." I said aloud as I started my trek.

"My name is not Alexa."

"It's called sarcasm, HUD. Can you please play Devil Trigger?"

"Affirmative."

I let myself relax as the familiar tune began playing and started making my way towards the radio tower. My journey had officially started.

The song came to an end just as I reached the radio tower. A part of me had been worried I would run into more zombies or creatures on my way here, but my walk had thankfully been rather peaceful. The tower was surrounded by a 12-foot chain link fence, and the entrance gate was jammed shut by a rusted metal pipe that had been stuck between the handlebars. Luckily, a dead tree had fallen on one side of the fence a long time ago. I was able to balance myself on the tree's log and climb over to the other side. Once over, I walked over to the gate and removed the pipe before pushing it open.

"Nice job, me. Hey, thanks me! Don't mention it me." I said aloud to myself after successfully getting the gate unlocked. I looked down at the rusty pipe in my hands as a thought occurred to me. It was long enough for me to swing it with two hands like a baseball bat, so I couldn't help but wonder... "Hey HUD, can I take this pipe with me and use it as a weapon?"

"Affirmative. [Note]: Unlike the makeshift knife, the metal pipe has limited durability. Use it wisely."

"Noted." I nodded as I put the pipe in my inventory. Turning around, I took a look at the tower itself. It stood at around 60 feet tall and seemed... rather rickety, if I was being honest. The metal supports looked old and rusted, and the whole tower let out a metallic groan of protest as a light breeze blew by. I suddenly found my confidence dwindling and I took a nervous gulp.

There was a ladder along the side that went halfway up the tower before stopping at a platform that looped around the tower's base. On the opposite side of that platform was another ladder that continued to the top of the tower, where another platform sat. The platform at the top looped around the antenna and had a safety railing around it, as well as a switchboard that I assumed controlled the radio tower's... frequencies? Wavelengths? Are those the right terms? I dunno, I'm not an expert on how radio towers work.

The climb ahead of me looked intimidating, but I swallowed my initial fear and stepped up to the ladder, beginning to climb slowly and steadily. The ladder seemed to hold steady as I progressed further and further with each step.

Okay Justin, easy does it. One step at a time...

Eventually, I managed to reach the top with no issue. I pulled myself up onto the first platform and looked up at the rest of the tower, seeing how much farther I had to go. "Okay, alright, doing good so far. Halfway there now, just gotta keep- OH SWEET MOTHER OF JESUS!!!" After looking up at the second half of the tower, I made the mistake of looking down and seeing how high up I was, immediately hugging the base of the tower for dear life. I wasn't exactly afraid of heights, I was more so afraid of dying, and falling from a high place was an easy way to die.

"Holy fuck that's a long way down... okay, okay, deep breaths... deep breaths..." I closed my eyes and kept breathing in and out, over and over again until I managed to calm myself down somewhat. I opened my eyes again, this time making sure to not look down, and shuffled over to the second ladder on the other side of the platform. I was about to start climbing again, but hesitated as another breeze past by, causing the tower to give another metallic groan. After the breeze went away and the tower went quiet again, I began climbing. As I climbed the second ladder, I could tell it was slightly less sturdy than the first one, but I pushed ahead anyway. As I got closer to the top without any incidents, a little spark of hope flowed into me, thinking I might be able to make it.

Then, just before I reached the top, one of the steps broke underneath my left foot, causing me to lose my balance.

"OH SHIT!" I clung onto the bars of the ladder as tight as I could, attempting to find a new foothold. Thankfully, it didn't take long, and I managed to regain my balance before pulling myself up onto the top platform. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead as I let out several panicked breaths, calming myself down. Once I had my breathing under control again, I let it sink in that I had managed to reach the top of the tower. I started chuckling in relief, glad that it was over, before opening the map and taking a look around.

The forest stretched on for a while, with trees as far as the eye could see. Looking Northwest, I could see the mountainous terrain where Tartarus was, and I could see the South Luna Ocean in the... well, the South, as the name implied. According to the map, there should be more land past the ocean, but it was unfortunately invisible to the naked eye from where I was standing. Off in the distance, towards the North, I could see some sort of transparent dome beyond the trees. The HUD's objective marker was hovering over it, leading me to guess that's where the train station was. I checked the map and sure enough, the station was in that direction.

Okie dokie, then. Just gotta head for the weird dome thingy. Pretty straightforward.

With a game plan in mind, I closed the map and took out my handgun, checking the ammo count again.

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
9 / 0

Not a whole lot of ammo... I'm just gonna have to make do.

After returning the pistol to my inventory, I looked back down and felt a pit in my stomach as the realization hit me:

...Now I've gotta climb back down.

Mercifully, no more of the steps on the ladder broke on my way back down. As soon as I reached the bottom, I let the tension leave my body as I breathed a sigh of relief. After taking a breather for a few seconds, I exited through the gate, which was when I received a notification from the HUD.

"The Agility Skill has increased to 2."

Awesome! It might not be much, but a little bit can go a long wa-

*BANG!*

A flock of birds flew from the trees as soon as a gunshot rang out not far from where I was. I immediately crouched down, scanning the area where I heard the gunshot come from as my heartbeat quickened. I didn't see anyone, and whoever it was didn't fire again. I didn't think I was the one they were shooting at, so I made my way towards the direction of the gunshot, staying low so as to not draw attention to myself.

I pushed through bushes and weaved around some trees before I came across a clearing. There I saw three of Jack's men, all dressed in red and armed with handguns, standing over two ponies. I recognized them as two of the ponies that had been with me when we escaped the cages, one of which was the lady who distrusted me for being human. The lady was putting pressure on the other pony's leg, which had a bullet wound in it. I stayed hidden behind one of the trees, summoning the Walther P22 from my inventory.

"P-Please, just let us go!" The lady cried, tears streaming down her face.

"Like hell I'm doing that! When the six of you escaped, I was the one that got blamed for it! I'm getting my pay docked because of this, and it's all your fault!!!" The thug in the front spat. My eyes widened when I recognized him as the grunt that had been guarding us back in the camp, the same one Jack had hit in the nuts with a rock.

Before the grunt could do anything, the guy on his right put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back. "Are you crazy!? Jack told us not to hurt them!"

"To hell with Jack!!! That asshole can go fuck himself for all I care!!!" The first thug cursed.

"Do you have any idea what he'll do to you when he finds out about this!?! A docked paycheck will be the least of your worries, I'll tell you that much!"

The two of them continued to argue back and forth, the two ponies cried hopelessly on the ground, and the third grunt just stood there awkwardly as he watched his partners bicker between each other. I took my eyes off of them for a second to look at the gun in my hand as the reality of the situation started to sink in. I was ready to fight, but... was I ready to kill? Was I ready to take a life to save another? I'd killed countless enemy npc's in video games before, but that was different. This was real life. Those were real people. Was I really ready to end someone else's life?

"You can do this, Justin."

Disarria's words echoed in my head. I looked back at the clearing, seeing that the first grunt was getting antsy and ready to pull the trigger. It was becoming increasingly obvious that he was going to shoot them, no matter what the other grunt told him. If I was going to do this, it would be now or never. I was left with a choice: Get blood on my hands and save the innocent civilians’ lives, or keep my hands clean and leave the civilians to die.

It wasn’t a difficult choice to make.

I peeked out from behind the tree, lined up the sight of the gun with the first grunt's head, and held my breath.

Here goes nothing...

I pulled the trigger.

[MUSIC START]
["Interlude Combat" - Borderlands 2 OST]

The loud crack of the gunshot echoed through the forest, and the bullet hit the grunt in the side of the head. His body slumped to the ground, and the other two panicked, frantically moving for cover.

+10 XP

The thug that had been arguing with the first one blindly returned fire at me as he ran towards a nearby rock for cover, while the other one hid behind a tree. Two of the shots hit the trunk of the tree I was behind, and I recoiled back into cover. "YOU GOT A DEATH WISH, ASSHOLE!?! CUZ WE’LL GIVE IT TO YOU, FREE OF CHARGE!!!" One of them yelled at me, and a couple more shots hit the tree trunk.

"No thanks, I’m allergic to dying!" I called back. As a retort, he continued to blindly fire in my direction, despite the fact that I was still in cover. Once he stopped shooting, I spared a glance and saw the two ponies still in the middle of the clearing, cowering and staying as close to the ground as possible to avoid the gunfire.

Shit, that’s not good. There’s a chance a stray bullet might hit them, but there’s nothing I can really do about it now.

I then noticed the grunt behind the rock peeking his head out and quickly raised my pistol, firing two shots in his direction. Both shots missed and hit the rock, and the grunt ducked back down into cover. At the same time, the thug behind the tree saw an opportunity and fired at me, the bullets just barely whizzing by my head. Thankfully, I avoided getting hit and ducked back into cover.

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
6 / 0

Fuck! I can’t keep wasting ammo like that, I’ve gotta make my shots count!

"Hey, you got eyes on him!?" One of the grunts called out to the other.

"Nah, I can’t see ‘em, but he’s gotta be behind that tree!" The other responded.

So I’m out of their visibility, huh?

Looking around for something to give me an advantage, my gaze fell on the bushes around me. They were about waist length in height, and were spread out all around the perimeter of the clearing. An idea quickly formed in my head as I realized I could sneak through the bushes and use the trees for cover, allowing me to move undetected and get the flank on the grunts. However, before I could enact my plan, something unexpected happened.

"Fuck it, I’m going for it!" The grunt behind the tree said.

"What!? Wait, don’t-!!!" Before the thug behind the rock could warn him, the other thug ran out from behind the tree and charged towards the tree I was behind. I didn’t have any combat experience outside of video games, TV and anime, and even I could’ve told him that was a dumb idea. As soon as he got close, I peeked out, pointed my gun at him, not even bothering to aim down the sight, and pulled the trigger.

It was impossible for me to miss with how close he was, but my aim ended up being luckier than I thought it would as the bullet hit him square in the throat. He collapsed to the ground, writhing around and clutching his throat. I’m not sure if he died from blood loss or from choking on his own blood, but either way, he stopped moving after a few seconds.

+10 XP

"DAMNIT! YOU’RE DEAD, FUCKER!!!" The final remaining grunt yelled at me. He ran out from behind cover, but instead of charging towards me, he ran for the two ponies. Before I could do anything, he grabbed the lady and held her in front of him, aiming the gun at her head. The lady screamed and cried in protest, but the bastard ignored her. "GET OUT HERE, OR I BLOW THIS BITCH'S BRAINS OUT!!!"

Oh, fuck me...

Obviously, I didn't plan on surrendering, but I couldn't just let him shoot the lady, so I went with my original plan to sneak through the bushes. I crouched down into the bushes, moving slowly and quietly as I circled around the clearing and tried to get behind the grunt. I made it about 90 degrees around the clearing, now on the thug's left side, before he called out to where he thought I still was. "I'M GONNA GIVE YOU TO THE COUNT OF TEN TO GET OUT HERE, YA GOT THAT!?! ...ONE! ...TWO!"

Damnit, I don't have time to sneak all the way behind him! I've gotta take him out now!

"...THREE! ...FOUR!" He continued. I was just outside of his peripheral, so I peeked out from the bush and aimed my handgun. "...FIVE! ...SIX!" Despite being on a time limit, I took the time to carefully line up the sight with the grunt's head. If I missed, he would kill the hostage. Plus, I didn't want to accidentally hit the hostage by accident. "...SEVEN! ...EIGHT! ...NI-!"

*BANG!*

I fired and hit him directly in his left temple. The lady screamed as the grip on her was released and the thug's body fell to the ground.

+10 XP

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
4 / 0

[MUSIC END]

Once I was certain he wouldn't be getting back up, I let the tension leave my body, and the adrenaline faded away as I took several deep breaths, emerging from the bush. My eyes lingered on the bodies of Jack’s men. I could see their lifeless eyes staring at nothing, and it unsettled me. I just killed people for the first time in my life, and I got the feeling this wouldn’t be the last time, either. As I approached the two ponies, I received a notification from the HUD.

"After using a gun for the first time and getting into a gun fight with 3 hostiles, the Guns Skill has increased to 3."

"Are you two okay?" I asked the pair, though I felt like it was obvious they weren’t. One had a hole in his leg while the other had just been held at gunpoint.

"N-No, my leg feels like it’s on fire…" The guy with the bullet wound winced as he continued to apply pressure to it.

"Wait, a-aren’t you…?" The lady started to recognize me as soon as she saw me. I didn’t answer her, more concerned about finding a way to patch the guy’s leg. It was then that a thought occurred to me.

"HUD, can I use health stims on people other than myself?"

"Affirmative."

The gamer instincts inside of me hated the thought of using up supplies like this. I only had three health stims left, and they were all full heals. Saving large health items like these for when I’m near death is one of the most basic of basics in any video game with health items. Yet here I was, not only using it on someone other than myself, but I was using it for a mere single injury. Still, if it meant preventing this guy from bleeding out, it was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

"I’ve got something that can help. Hope you aren’t afraid of needles." I summoned a stim from my inventory and gently injected it into the man’s leg. The health stim started to do its thing as the wound sealed up.

"W-Whoa..." The man whispered breathlessly, both him and the lady staring wide-eyed as the injury disappeared completely. I was glad to have saved the two ponies from death and healed that guy's leg, but I couldn't help but feel lost as a single question entered my mind:

...Now what?

I couldn't just leave them here in the forest, so should I bring them with me? The train station wasn't exactly safe, either. There was no doubt it was crawling with Jack's men. However, I wasn't sure if there was any better option.

Hmm... Maybe I can have them come with me, but once we get close, I could have them hide and wait until-

"Seems you're off to a good start." I whirled my head around when I heard a familiar voice and spotted Disarria, standing in her magical doorway about 15 feet away from me.

I immediately turned my back to her, however, when I realized she wasn't wearing any pants again.

"Uh, Disarria? Your pants?" I said, keeping my eyes glued to the ground.

"...Ah, right! My bad!" I hear her fingers snap before I turned back around, seeing the same grey sweatpants on her as before.

"W-Where did she come from!?" The lady gawked, understandably confused.

"D-Don't worry, she's friendly." I quickly told the two ponies before turning my attention back to Disarria. "I... wasn't expecting to see you again so soon."

"Are you disappointed?" She raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk on her face.

"No, not at all, but... What are you doing here? I know you can't be here to trade, it's only been a few minutes since we last saw each other. I don't have enough money to buy anything, or anything to sell to you for that matter."

"Haven't you looted them yet?" She cocked her head in confusion.

"'Looted them?' What do you-?" It didn't take long for me to realize she was talking about the corpses of Jack's men. Looting enemies would normally be my first instinct in video games, but it hadn't even crossed my mind in real life.

...Well, if they have anything on them, I suppose they're not gonna need it anymore.

"...Gimme a second." I walked over to the body of the first grunt I'd killed. As soon as I approached, a small blue holographic screen appeared above the body. On the screen was a list of items I assumed was all the stuff the corpse had on him. All the stuff that was useful to me, anyway.

[Take All]
- x5 Handgun Ammo
- $200

Damn, that's a lotta moola compared to what Amber gave me. With that cash, I could buy a train ticket and then some.

I pressed the 'Take All' option, and immediately got a new notification.

x5 Handgun Ammo

$200

Well that makes looting a lot easier. With practice, I can probably get good at doing that mid-combat. I could press the 'Take All' button as I'm running by a body and boom: Instant looting on the go.

I went over to the two other bodies and did the same thing, pressing the take all button.

x5 Handgun ammo

$100

x5 Handgun Ammo

$200

I checked my inventory and sure enough, the ammo was there.

Inventory (All):
- Walther P22 (Handgun)
- Makeshift Knife
- Rusted Metal Pipe (100%)
- Full Health Stims (2)
- Handgun Ammo (15)
- $505

I noted that the handgun ammo wasn't a specific caliber. It wasn't .22 or 9mm, it was just 'Handgun Ammo', as if it applied to every handgun ever. That would often be the case in numerous games, especially survival horror games, but it wasn't how ammo worked in real life. At least, it's not how it worked back on Earth. Perhaps guns and ammo work differently here on Equus? Certainly, a question for another time.

I was ready to talk to Disarria now that I'd finished looting, but first I wanted to test out a theory. I ejected the magazine from my handgun, letting it fall to the ground, before inserting a new one and manually racking the slide, reloading the weapon. Once that was done, I checked the ammo counter.

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
10 +1 / 8

So, it's just like I thought.

When reloading a gun before emptying the magazine in video games, the magazine is filled with however many bullets are needed to completely fill the magazine, with no extra bullets getting lost. However, in reality, that's not how reloading works. Those four bullets that had still been in the magazine before I reloaded? Those should still be in the magazine currently on the ground, not in my inventory. Yet, when doing the math of how many bullets I currently had, that was not the case. Those four bullets were somehow still in my inventory.

"Well that completely defies the laws of physics. How does that work?" I asked the HUD.

"Video game logic."

"...But this isn't a video ga-"

"Video game logic."

"...But-"

"Video. Game. Logic."

"...Alright, whatever." I just shrugged and let the matter go. This defiance of reality worked to my advantage anyway. I also made note of the '+1' in the ammo count, which I was willing to bet meant there was a round in the chamber. With my theory confirmed, I approached Disarria. "So, how does this work, exactly? Buying stuff, I mean. Do you have a list of what you're selling, or maybe a catalogue or something?"

"No need for such things. It's as simple as this." She snapped her fingers, and a holographic screen similar to the HUD's appeared next to her doorframe.

DISARRIA'S SHOP
[BUY]
[UPGRADE]
[CRAFT/REPAIR]
[SELL]

Huh… it really is like a video game…

I tapped on the 'Buy' option first to see what was in stock.

[BUY]

Weapons:
- Luger P08 (Handgun) [$8,000]

Health:
- Health Stim (Small) [$2,500]

Ammo:
- Handgun Ammo [$50 per bullet]

Crafting Recipes:
- Small Health Stim Recipe [$5,000]
- Handgun Ammo Recipe [$10,000]

"Yeesh, these are pricey..." I winced at the prices listed next to the items.

"Oh, they aren't that expensive. You just don't have much money, that's all." She waved a dismissive hand. Rolling my eyes, I moved on to the next option, 'Upgrade'. The menu asked me to select a weapon to upgrade, and since the Walther P22 was the only option available, I chose it.

Walther P22 Upgrades:
- Damage: (Lvl 1) 0.90 -> (Lvl 2) 1.10 [$5,000]
- Ammo Capacity: (Lvl 1) 10 -> (Lvl 2) 11 [$4,000]
- Rate of Fire: (Lvl 1) 1.00 -> (Lvl 2) 1.10 [$5,000]

"This is it? No upgrades for recoil, accuracy, reload speed, anything like that? Just these three?" I looked to Disarria for an answer.

"Those traits cannot be modified; they depend entirely on what weapon you're using. However, leveling up your Guns Skill can help improve your overall handling of firearms." She explained. "I will say that while it can't be upgraded, accuracy is still listed among your weapon's stats. If you want to take a look at a weapon's stats, you should examine it in your inventory."

Heeding her advice, I opened the inventory screen and tapped the Walther P22 to examine it further.

Walther P22 (Handgun) Stats:
Damage: 0.90
Ammo Capacity: 10
Rate of Fire: 1.00
Accuracy: 4.00

Disarria folded her arms and leaned against the doorframe. "If you want my recommendation, don't bother upgrading the pistol you have now. Even when fully upgraded, it isn't very good compared to other handguns. You'd be better off saving up for the new handgun I have in stock now."

"Sure thing, not that I could afford the upgrades anyway." I nodded. For now, I decided to leave the 'Craft/Repair' and 'Sell' options for later, instead returning to the 'Buy' screen. Looking at the prices again, the only thing I had enough money for was handgun ammo, 10 bullets at the most. While ammo was definitely important, I didn't want to blow all of my money on it. The other items available in the shop would be extremely useful in the long run, so that meant saving up the cash to buy them. Still, I assumed there would be a lot more of Jack's men at the train station, and I would need to be prepared for them. I had to decide whether or not I was confident enough in the amount of ammo I had, and if not, how much ammo I should buy.

I stood there in silence as I racked my brain over how many bullets to buy, if any at all. This wasn't a simple, inconsequential decision. For all I know, this could be the difference on whether I live or die. Granted, there wasn't much consequence to me dying thanks to checkpoints, but it's not like I'm eager to experience death again. I went through it once already, and it sucked.

"I understand these decisions can be stressful, so take all the time you need." Disarria seemed to notice that I was struggling with my decision and reassured me. I took a deep breath and thought about it for another minute before making my choice. I selected the Handgun Ammo in the shop menu, and another menu popped up. The menu showed a number counter with two arrows next to it, one pointing up and one pointing down, and asked how many I wanted to purchase. I pressed the up arrow until the number reached 4, then confirmed my purchase.

$200

x4 Handgun Ammo

"Excellent! Will that be all?" A pleased smile appeared on Disarria's face.

"Yeah, I think that's everything for now." I nodded.

"Pleasure doing business with you, then. Until next time!" She waved goodbye before shutting the door, which proceeded to fade to dust and disappear just like on the beach. I gave my ammo counter another look, checking to see if the 4 bullets had been added.

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
10 +1 / 12

Ok, that leaves me with 23 bullets in total. I should be good to go now-

"W-What just happened...?" I turned my head when I heard one of the two ponies speak. Both of them looked equally shocked and confused after seeing the whole transaction between Disarria and myself, as well as the disappearance of her door.

Oh, right. I almost forgot they were here.

"U-Uh, that was a... she's an acquaintance of mine, I guess. She's a bit... strange, but you don't worry about it." I looked over at the stallion who's leg had previously been injured. "Do you think you'll be able to walk?"

"Y-Yeah, my leg doesn't hurt anymore. Actually, it feels great!" The stallion stood up and took a few steps to test his leg, and it seemed to work fine.

"Ok, good. It's not safe out here, so we're gonna have to make our way to the train station. Thankfully, it's not too far from here." I gave them the plan.

"The train station!? B-But it's been taken over by those-... those-... those brutes! It's too dangerous!" The lady protested.

"It's not any safer wandering around the forest. Once we get there, you two are going to hide nearby while I clear the place out and free the other hostages. Sound like a plan?" They both looked between each other before turning back to me and nodding nervously. It seemed neither of them were eager to help and were okay with letting me go into the fray alone. Honestly, I didn't blame them. I wasn't feeling too sure about the chances of winning myself, but I had to try. "Alright, let's get going."

I began to lead them through the forest and towards the train station. When I told the two of them the plan, I had been acting like I knew what I was doing. However, that couldn't be farther from the truth. In reality, I was feeling extremely nervous, and I was pretty much just figuring this crap out as I went. The only reason I took out those three guys back there was sheer luck. I got the jump on the first one, the second one stupidly ran towards me, and I just barely killed the last one before he executed the lady.

I didn't even have a plan for how I was going to take on the rest of Jack's men. I didn't know how many I would have to deal with, how well-armed they were, or if there was anything I could take advantage of. On top of that, all I had to defend myself was a crappy handgun, a rusty metal pipe, a 'knife' that looked ready to fall apart, and combat experience that was practically non-existent. I was super unqualified to be dealing with this whole situation, what was Discord thinking when he summoned me of all people to save Equus!?!

I've got a long way to go before I'm ready... but like Disarria said, if I want to get stronger, I need to take the first step.

Author's Note

General Status
User: Justin Baker
Current Level: 1
Current XP: 40/100
Money: $305
Overall HP: 100/100
Head: 100%
Torso: 100%
Left Arm: 100%
Right Arm: 100%
Left Leg: 100%
Right Leg: 100%

Skills
Strength: 10/100
Endurance: 5/100
Reflexes: 14/100
Agility: 2/100
Stealth: 4/100
Guns: 3/100
Explosives: 2/100
Melee: 1/100
Unarmed: 1/100
Medicine: 2/100

Howdy, y'all! I'm very sorry this chapter took a while. I've been having a blast playing the Resident Evil 4 remake (I've beaten the game at least 9 times since it came out and I've gotten S+ rank on all difficulties except Professional, I think I might be addicted), plus I've got finals next week. Throw my job into the mix, and you can tell that I've been extremely busy. Thankfully, it's finally finished for everyone to enjoy. As you can see above, I'll be posting Justin's current status and skills in the author's notes from now on to help readers keep track of it.

I'm sure some of you already noticed, but the shop system is heavily based on RE4's shop system. There isn't much in stock at the moment, but that will change in time. As for the tattoo of a koi on Justin's arm, I got the inspiration for that from a Chinese legend about how a koi becomes a dragon through perseverance and determination (Those that have played the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series might be familiar with this legend). If you want to learn more about the legend, you can check it out by clicking here.

That's all for now. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and are excited for the next one. Stay tuned!!!

Chapter 3: The Best It’s Gonna Get

Justin

Our trek to the train station had, by some miracle, been mostly uneventful. We hadn’t come across anything hostile as we made our way through the forest. The only thing of note to happen was that partway there, a deer had suddenly burst through some bushes and ran past us. It scared the shit out of me with how on edge I was, but I thankfully didn’t pull the trigger of my handgun out of panic. Eventually, we reached the large clearing in the trees where the train station was supposed to be. I told the two ponies to hang back and stay hidden as I approached the tree line, peering out from behind one of the trees.

The train station was made up of two buildings connected to each other, both sitting on the side of the train tracks opposite of the side I was on, with a wooden platform built about 3 feet off the ground in front of them. The building on the right was a two-story brick building lined with windows and topped with a pointed roof. In front was a pair of wooden double doors with a sign above them that read 'White Tail Woods Train Station'. Obviously, I concluded that this building was the actual train station.

The building on the left appeared to be some sort of motel. It was made out of pale yellow concrete, and like the building on the right, it had two floors. The lower floor had 4 doors in front of it, each with its own room number labeled on it. The second floor had a balcony with 4 more doors, making a total of 8 rooms. Another door was located on the right side of the balcony that connected it to the building on the right. Finally, there was a staircase on the far left of the motel building that allowed people to go up and down between the two floors. The base of the stairs started at the front before reaching a landing halfway up, then continued up in the opposite direction and reached the balcony.

So it’s a train station that doubles as a motel? Huh, fancy.

Surrounding the entire station platform was the transparent dome that I’d seen earlier. I wasn’t sure what it was, what it did, or what was the source of it, but as far as I could tell, it seemed to be harmless. However, I didn’t have any way of knowing that for sure just by looking at it. I decided I would ask the two ponies about it after I finish observing the area.

An old-fashioned steam locomotive sat motionless on the tracks next to the platform. What stood out about it was that there was some sort of transparent field surrounding the train similar to the dome surrounding the station. Again, I knew nothing about this transparent field, but I could immediately tell that the train would serve as good cover, and allow me to approach the station platform without immediately being spotted.

From where I was, I could see a few of Jack's men patrolling the station. I first spotted two on the platform, each armed with Walther P22 handguns, leaning against the wall next to the double doors. I imagine they were supposed to be keeping an eye out on the platform, but they seemed to be busy chatting with each other. Another one was standing on the staircase landing on the far left, leaning over the railing and smoking a cigarette. His weapon was most likely the AK-47 that was propped against the railing next to him. A fourth and final guard was patrolling in front of the doors on the motel balcony. Each of the doors on the second floor, excluding the one leading to the station building, had a plank of wood nailed in front of them, barring the doors shut.

I didn’t need to be a genius to figure out that’s probably where they were keeping the hostages.

I could see movement in the windows of the station building, so there were definitely more inside, though I couldn't tell how many. Probably at least one or two, if I had to guess. On the one hand, seeing how many guards there were and where they were located was helpful in coming up with a strategy to take them all down. On the other hand, it was a reminder that I was outnumbered and outgunned, which didn’t exactly do much for my morale. Either way, I was just gonna have to suck it up and deal with it.

At the very least, I knew I had one advantage: the element of surprise. They didn’t know I was here, which meant I could try and be stealthy about this. Quietly taking out the two by the front entrance would be difficult, if not impossible, since they were grouped up. I could probably get the one all alone on the staircase, take out the one on the balcony, then make my way inside the station building and figure it out from there.

Yeah, okay, that might work. But first…

I stepped away from the tree I was hiding behind and moved back towards where the two ponies were hiding. The pair were sitting behind a waist-height rock about 10 feet behind the tree line, looking incredibly anxious. "Hey, that dome around the train station; what is that? It isn't harmful, is it?"

Both of them gave me a questioning look, as if they were wondering if I was being serious. "You... don't know about Haven Fields?"

Oh crap. I think I'm making an implication about myself, just like I did with Amber when I asked about Legends...

"U-Uh, let's just say I'm new around these parts and I'm still learning how things work here. So, can you tell me about these 'Haven Fields'?"

The two of them shared a glance before turning back to me, the lady speaking up first. "O-Okay, um... I've never really needed to explain this before..." I waited patiently, letting the lady collect her thoughts. Honestly, I understood her perspective right now. I was getting the feeling that these 'Haven Fields' are supposed to be common knowledge, so having to explain it must feel weird. If someone came up to me and asked, 'What is food?', I'd need a second to think of a good explanation, too. It's such a common part of life for most people that you never have an explanation ready. You just kinda expect that anyone with a functioning brain would already understand it, or understand the basic idea of it at the very least.

"Alright, uh... Haven Fields are... well, they're basically magic force fields, only much more powerful than normal shield spells. They're practically indestructible."

"So... I can't get through it at all, then?" Well shit, that's one hell of a wrench to get thrown into my plans.

"N-No, you can. That's what makes Haven Fields special, actually. They only prevent things like monsters or infected from getting in, while people can pass through without any trouble." She clarified.

"Y-Yeah, that's why they're used around Havens and other public areas like the train station. It keeps them from getting overrun." The stallion chimed in. "It takes a lot of magical energy to create one. Only Alicorns, Legendary Magic Casters, and some incredibly powerful unicorns are capable of casting the spell to conjure one. Even then, it can be pretty draining for them depending on the size of the field."

"Huh... I see." I nodded in understanding. That would explain why there was one around the train as well. It wouldn't make for good transportation if it could get attacked by a horde of zombies at any time, would it?

After hearing the explanation, a couple other questions that had been lingering in my mind were getting cleared up. I assumed the 'Havens' that Amber had mentioned were towns and cities that were surrounded by Haven Fields. This would also explain what Discord meant by 'slightly' apocalyptic. Monsters and zombies had shown up in waves and were roaming around the outside world just like an apocalypse, but thanks to Haven Fields, society was able to keep functioning properly and not fall apart. People could even take the train and travel across the world no problem. Heck, the train might not even be the only mode of transportation protected by Haven Fields. For all I know, boats might be an option, too.

"...Alright, thanks for the explanation. Now wait here and stay hidden, got it?" They both nodded in response, and I made my way back to the tree I'd been behind earlier. I took one last look at the place to get an idea of where I should go before making my move. The caboose of the train was next to the left side of the platform, the same side the staircase with the smoking grunt was on, so I approached it and peeked out from behind it. Like I'd mentioned earlier, the platform was built on supports and stood about three feet off the ground. As long as I stayed crouched down, I could sneak around the side of it to avoid being spotted by the guards near the double doors. With that plan in mind, I approached the platform.

Moving through the Haven Field felt...weird. It was kind of like feeling a breeze pass by you, only not as chilly and somehow more... solid, I guess? I wasn't really sure how to describe it. Anyway, I moved slowly and quietly while staying low to the ground, using the side of the platform as cover. Once I reached the end of the platform where the base of the stairs was, I took a quick peek.

The two chatting guards seemed pretty preoccupied with their conversation. It seemed like they wouldn't notice me if I climbed onto the platform and up the stairs, as long as I didn't draw attention to myself. Staying low, I lifted myself up onto the platform and started creeping up the stairs. The smoking guard was still leaning on the railing, his back turned towards me. I made sure to move extra slowly, taking each step with great caution. I could feel beads of sweat forming on my forehead as I got closer. I held my breath as I summoned the makeshift knife from the inventory. It appeared in my left hand, and I gripped it tight.

Closer... Closer...

Finally, I made it to the landing and found myself standing inches away from the guard. He had no idea I was there, blowing a puff of smoke from his cigarette as he stood there none the wiser. At that moment, I felt less like the main character in a stealth game sneaking up on an enemy npc, and more like a serial killer stalking his prey. I ignored that unnerving thought and readied my knife.

Ok Justin, you've seen this done in plenty of movies and video games, you can do this no problem...

I wrapped one arm around the thug to hold him steady while simultaneously thrusting my knife into his neck. Before he could react, make a noise, or even fully process what was happening, the makeshift blade pierced his throat, causing him to gurgle and choke on blood. He struggled in my grip, but his strength faded away quickly before he stopped moving entirely, his body going limp.

+10 XP

I gently and quietly laid his body down on the ground, then released the breath I was holding. So far, so good. That's one down, and at least 4 or 5 more to go. While I had the chance, I decided to loot the dead guard for items. A holographic screen with the list of items appeared above his body, and I pressed 'Take all'.

x15 Assault Rifle Ammo

$400

Assault rifle ammo, huh?

My gaze shifted to the dead grunt's AK, which was still propped up against the railing. Being armed with an assault rifle on top of my handgun would give me a much better advantage over these guys. With a smirk, a reached out and grabbed the AK-47, intending on making good use of it.

My smirk disappeared when I received an electric shock the second I touched the weapon.

"OW, FUCK!" I was unable to bite back the reflexive yell of pain.

-1 HP

Overall HP: 99/100

"Hey, what the hell was that!?" I heard the guard on the balcony shout, quickly realizing my mistake. It seemed stealth was no longer an option, nor was taking the AK with me. As weird of an occurrence as it was, I'd have to wonder what the hell caused that electric shock later. Right now, I was about to be in for a fight.

Here we go...

[MUSIC START]
["We've Got Hostiles" - Black Mesa OST]

I brought out the Walther P22 from my inventory and aimed it at the top of the stairs, ready for when the guard rounded the corner. As soon as he did, immediately spotting me, I pulled the trigger before he could even lift his gun. The bullet hit him in the chest, causing him to stumble back, and I fired again. This time, I hit him in the head, and his lifeless body slumped to the ground.

+10 XP

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
9 / 12

With the balcony guard now dead, I ran up the stairs and onto the balcony, quickly pressing the 'Take All' button on the list of items above his body.

x6 Handgun Ammo

$300

I peered over the balcony railing and saw the two that had been chatting by the door, now running over to the stairs after hearing the gunfire. Leaning over the balcony railing, I aimed and fired at one of them just as they reached the base of the stairs, hitting him in the head. His body fell forward mid-run and landed at the base of the steps, motionless.

+10 XP

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
8 / 18

"SHIT!!!" The other grunt cursed as he sprinted up the stairs. He fired his handgun at me, the bullets whizzing by my head and hitting the concrete wall. I stayed in cover behind the corner, and just as the thug reached the landing, I peeked out and fired at him three times. All three bullets hit him in the torso, and he started coughing up blood before collapsing.

+10 XP

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
5 / 18

Alright, that's everyone on the outside taken care of. Now to-

Before I could finish my thought, a gunshot rang out behind me, followed by a sharp pain in the back of my left shoulder, causing me to cry out in pain. "AGH!"

-21 HP

Overall HP: 78/100

Left Arm: 87%

I whipped my head around and saw that one of the guards that was inside had come through the door connecting the balcony to the station building and fired his handgun at me. I ducked out of the way from a couple more shots, running back down the stairs. The back of my shoulder felt like it was on fire, and I could feel the blood leaking from the wound, but the adrenaline helped me work through the pain. As much as I wanted to heal myself right now, I held off from doing so, choosing to wait until my health was lower so that I wouldn't waste it. As I made my way down the stairs, I made sure to hit the 'Take All' buttons by the corpses of the two thugs I'd killed as I ran past.

x4 Handgun Ammo

$300

x5 Handgun Ammo

$200

Thinking fast, I burst through the guest room door closest to the stairs before shutting it behind me. The room itself wasn't anything special, just an average motel guest room with a bed, some dressers, a chair in the corner, and a bathroom in the back. The decor wasn't my biggest concern at the moment, though. While I had a second to breathe before the remaining grunts came charging into the room, I hid next to the doorframe and reloaded my handgun.

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
10 +1 / 21

Doing a lot better on ammo now than I was before.

I heard heavy footsteps approaching as the thug that shot me earlier got closer and closer to the door. If I were in his position, I would remember the wise advice of Captain Price, opening the door slowly while checking the corners. Unfortunately for the grunt, he was not as smart. Instead, he chose to kick in the door without hesitation and charge straight in, not even bothering to check if I was hiding behind the corner. As soon as he walked in, I fired and hit him in the side of the head. His body slumped against the door before falling to the ground.

+10 XP

I took a peek through the doorway, not making the same mistake as the guy I'd just killed, and saw another guard bursting through the double doors and out onto the platform before charging in my direction. He fired off a few rounds from his handgun as he approached, and I ducked back into the room. I had a feeling the same trick wasn't going to work twice, so I looked around the room for something I could use to my advantage. I got an idea when I spotted one of the pillows on the bed.

I ran over and grabbed it before running back to the doorway just as the thug stepped in. He had only managed to raise his gun halfway before I bum rushed him with the pillow, shoving him against the wall and pressing the pillow against his face. He managed to pull the trigger, but because the pillow attack had caught him off guard, it threw off his aim and he missed me. Before he could shove the pillow away and try to attack me again, I pressed the barrel of my handgun against the pillow and pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced through the pillow, the gunshot being muffled as a result, and hit the grunt in the head, his blood soaking up the pillow.

+10 XP

[MUSIC END]

When the background music came to an end, I took it as the cue that the fight was over. The tension and adrenaline I'd been feeling during the fight started to fade away. Unfortunately, that meant the pain from the bullet wound in my shoulder became incredibly noticeable again. I released the pillow, letting both it and the thug's body fall to the ground, before sauntering over to the bed, clutching my wound. I plopped myself down onto the bed, taking heavy breaths as I wiped away some of the sweat from my brow.

Christ almighty... that was intense...

I was jolted out of my exhausted reverie by a notification from the HUD.

LEVEL UP!!!
Current Level: 2
Maximum Health Increased
+1 Skill Point

Suddenly, the pain in the back of my shoulder disappeared. I felt at where the bullet hit, only to find that the wound had been completely healed. Even the hole in my shirt where the bullet had pierced through was completely restored, good as new.

What the hell? But... I didn't use a health stim...

Confused, I took a look at both my left arm durability and my overall HP. That's where I noticed something a bit different.

Overall HP: 110/110

Left Arm: 100%

I knew that in some video games, when the player's max health is increased from either leveling up or unlocking an upgrade, they would also fully restore the player's health as an extra bonus. It seemed that the same thing was happening here, which worked in my favor. It was also good to know that healing myself also meant my clothes would be restored. It would've sucked if I had to get a new shirt every single time I got shot.

On top of that, it appeared I had earned a Skill Point for leveling up. I'd have to be an idiot to not spend it, so I opened up the Skills menu.

Skills
Strength: 10/100
Endurance: 5/100
Reflexes: 14/100
Agility: 2/100
Stealth: 4/100
Guns: 3/100
Explosives: 2/100
Melee: 1/100
Unarmed: 1/100
Medicine: 2/100

So... which Skill am I going to spend it on?

I was leaning towards upgrading either Agility or Medicine. They weren't the lowest Skills at the moment, but they both seemed extremely important to my survival. Medicine would obviously let me heal my wounds better, while Agility would make me better at avoiding taking damage in the first place. I couldn't decide between the two, so I needed something that would tip the scale in one Skill's favor.

"...Hey HUD, do I get any Abilities from the Agility or Medicine Skills when they're at level 3?" I asked aloud.

"Affirmative."

"...Okay, which one?"

"Both."

Well that doesn't make my decision any easier.

I let out a sigh as I went back to wrestling with my brain over which Skill I should choose. Surprisingly though, I didn't have to wrestle with it for much longer. As if it understood my internal struggle, the HUD spoke up again. "If it helps, the Ability that is unlocked at Medicine 3 cannot be used by itself."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"The Ability that is unlocked at Medicine 3 allows User: Justin to craft Small Health Stims. However, User: Justin also requires the Small Health Stim Crafting Recipe in order to craft Small Health Stims."

I remembered seeing the recipe available for purchase in Disarria's shop. If I was remembering correctly, it was worth $5,000 bits. Even with all the money I collected off of all the thugs I killed, I didn't have nearly enough cash to buy it. As beneficial as it would be to have the ability to craft health stims, if only small ones, I decided it wasn't worth getting right this second. I'd rather have an ability I could use now instead of after I saved up $5,000 bits and then spending those bits on a crafting recipe. "That actually does help. Thanks, HUD."

"You are welcome."

I tapped on the Agility Skill to upgrade it.

"The Agility Skill is now at Level 3."

Once I got confirmation from the HUD that the Skill had been leveled up, I flipped over to the Abilities screen. Sure enough, I had a new Ability.

Ability: Basic Dodge (Agility 3 Required)
Instead of clumsily scrambling out of the way to avoid an attack, the User can perform a dodge roll and roll out of the way to avoid taking damage. This makes dodging easier and more effective.

Sweet! I'm not a big Dark Souls player, but I know rolling is an effective strategy in that game, so this'll come in handy!

I sat there for a few more seconds to catch my breath before standing back up. As much as I wanted to take a breather right now, I still needed to free the hostages. I doubt they wanted to stay trapped in those rooms any longer than necessary. As I exited the guest room, I looted the two dead enemies and reloaded my gun.

x5 Handgun Ammo

$200

x4 Handgun Ammo

$300

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
10 +1 / 28

I started to make my way over to the double doors in front of the station building. I doubted I could remove those planks of wood blocking the balcony doors with my bare hands. I was gonna need something to either pry or break them off, so I figured I would search the station building for something that might work. Meanwhile, I was starting to feel a lot more confident in myself after my recent escapade. Not only did I defeat all those guards on my own despite the odds, but I managed to level up for the first time and I got a sweet new dodge roll as a bonus!

Y'know what? I think I handled that pretty well. Maybe Disarria's right; maybe I can do this!

It was then that I received a tutorial from the HUD that made my heart drop.

"Tutorial: Boss Fights"

"Boss Fights are battles against powerful foes that will put the User's Skills and Abilities to the test. At the beginning of a Boss Fight, the Boss' name and Legend Type (if applicable) will be shown to the User, and appropriate background music will be chosen using the music player. During the fight, the Boss' HP will be visible to the User, allowing them to gauge how much progress they have made in defeating the Boss."

Now, it was certainly helpful to know this information and all, but reading this tutorial prompt still left a pit in my stomach. Why, you ask? Well, it's the same reason you feel a sense of dread when a horror game gives you the tutorial on how to run, because it usually means you're about to get chased by a monster and need to run. There was only one reason I could think of why the HUD was giving me a tutorial on boss fights now of all times:

I was about to have a boss fight.

Suddenly feeling tense again, I readied my pistol as I approached the entrance to the station building. Slowly, I pushed open one of the double doors and peered inside. The interior was a wide-open space with numerous benches around the room for people waiting on their train to arrive. A bunch of luggage that I assumed belonged to the hostages was scattered about chaotically, probably from when Jack's men first showed up to hijack the place. Among the scattered luggage, I was surprised to see a few smartphones of all things. I guess on top of inventing guns, Equestria's technology advanced enough to make smartphones, too.

There was also a staircase in the corner leading up to the second floor, and a ticket booth in the center with a couple windows. One window was labeled 'Train Tickets' while the other was labeled 'Motel Rooms'. Finally, there was a pair of doors off to the side with a sign that said 'Restrooms' above them.

There didn't appear to be anything threatening at first glance, but for all I knew, the 'boss' could be hiding somewhere and waiting to get the jump on me. After a few seconds of mental debating, I decided to check out the ticket booth first. Looking through the windows, I didn't see anyone or anything inside, but I couldn't tell for certain. Cautiously, I approached the booth and slowly pushed the 'Employees Only' door open. It turned out there wasn't anything inside that was interested in killing me, thank God. Instead, I found a small compartment built into the wall near the ground. Inside were a few tools for emergencies such as a fire extinguisher, a few flares, a medkit, a heavy-duty flashlight, and the exact thing I needed right now: a crowbar.

This'll help get those boards off the guest room doors on the balcony.

I took the crowbar and left the rest inside. I was tempted to permanently keep the crowbar as a weapon and a tool since it would be incredibly useful, but just like the rest of the stuff in the compartment, the train station would need it in case of emergencies. The hijacking certainly qualified as an emergency, so holding onto it for now seemed fine. However, I reluctantly concluded that giving it back once everything was resolved and under control again would be the right thing to do.

My gamer instincts had also made me want to grab the medkit, but I decided against it for a few reasons. First, the train station would need it for emergencies, as previously stated. Second, I already have the health stims, which heal wounds better than any normal medical supplies. Third, I wouldn't know how to use any of the medical supplies anyway, since I have literally zero medical experience or know-how. Well, technically my Medicine Skill was currently at 2 instead of 1, but that didn't change the fact that I had no idea how to use the stuff. I closed the compartment and left the booth, scanning the area one more time.

I don't see anything that looks like a boss... maybe I was just overthinking thi-?

My thought was cut off when I heard the sound of a toilet flushing come from one of the restrooms. Shortly after, one of the restroom doors burst open, and a tall figure stepped out. He was a large man in black coveralls, clad in armor and standing over six feet tall. He wore a welder's helmet and some sort of metal backpack on his back. While I did say he was clad in armor, it didn't actually look like armor. It looked more like a bunch of scrap metal strapped to his body in order to act as some sort of makeshift armor. Even his backpack was covered in some of the metal plating.

[MUSIC START]
["The Best It's Gonna Get" - Celldweller]

The HUD started playing some familiar music. It started slow and quiet, but was beginning to build up towards something over time.

"Heh, so you're the asshole that's been shooting up the place, huh? Gotta be honest, I was expecting someone competent, not some random little shit." He addressed me, his voice rough like a heavy smoker's. "So, you think you're hot shit, eh? Think you can just come on up in here and take out all my guys? Trust me, you ain't even seen 'hot' yet... but I'd be happy to show you."

He reached behind him and grabbed something that had been attached to his backpack before bringing it out in front of him. It appeared to be some sort of two-handed gun with a nozzle on the end and a tube on the back that connected it to his backpack. It took me a second to realize the backpack on his back wasn't just a regular backpack, it was a fuel tank; and the gun in his hands wasn't just a regular gun...

It was a flamethrower.

"Hope you like barbeque..." He chuckled sadistically before aiming his flamethrower into the air and pulling the trigger, letting out a spurt of flames. The music reached the climax of its build up and the beat dropped just as the big guy yelled out, "CUZ I'M GONNA ROAST YOU ALIVE!!!"

FLAMETHROWER MAN
LEGEND TYPE: N/A

OH SHIT!!!

A geyser of flames erupted from the nozzle of his flamethrower, aimed right at me, and I sprinted out of the way in a panic, finding cover behind the ticket booth.

"YOU CAN RUN LITTLE PIG, BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE! I'LL BE MAKIN' BACON OUT YOU SOON ENOUGH! HA HA HA!!!" He cackled like a madman.

Fuck fuck fuck! Ok ok ok, just calm down, me. He's a big guy in armor, he's got a friggin' flamethrower, and he's most likely insane, but he's gotta have some sort of weakness, right? I just gotta find one!

I peeked out from behind cover, only to immediately duck back when another burst of flames came in my direction. I could here the big guy's heavy footsteps getting closer as he approached the ticket booth.

Damnit, I'm a sitting duck here! I can't take him on head-to-head, I've gotta be smart about this!

Seeing the stairs leading to the upper floor, I ran from cover and made a beeline for them. The flames from the armored man's flamethrower followed mere inches behind me, just barely out of reach. I ran up two steps at a time before reaching the top and saw that the second floor appeared to be some sort of small food court. Other than the several tables and chairs, there was a buffet towards the back with a cash register next to it. I also spotted the door that connected this building to the motel balcony.

I could hear the flamethrower guy's heavy footsteps behind me as he approached the staircase. Thinking quickly, I ran over to the buffet counter and hid behind it just as the big brute reached the top of the stairs. The heavy armor he wore, plus the fuel tank on his back, as well as his massive size in general, seemed to slow him down, so I at least had that working to my advantage. He glanced around the floor in search of me, not having seen where I ran to, and began stalking around the room. "Where'd you go, little pig? Heh heh heh!"

I subtly peeked out from behind the buffet counter to get a better look at him, trying to see if I could find any weaknesses. As I mentioned before, his 'armor' was basically a bunch of scrap metal strapped to his body. I could see small spaces between each sheet of metal that left an opening in his armor. My aim wasn't that great, so I doubt I could land a bullet in between those gaps from afar. However, If I got close enough, I could probably stab my knife through them. I would just need to be stealthy about it.

That's a good start, but it's probably going to take more than that to bring him down. There's gotta be something else...

As the big guy looked behind one of the tables, he turned his back to me, and my gaze landed on the fuel tank sitting on his back. I mentally face palmed, feeling like an idiot for not figuring this out sooner. He literally has a giant weak point right on his back! If I shot the fuel tank until it explodes, he'd be done for! Unfortunately, there was one problem: The fuel tank was also protected by metal plating. My bullets weren't going to get through that.

It looks pretty flimsy though... maybe I can pry it off with the crowbar? It's worth a shot, I guess.

With a plan in mind, I brought out the makeshift knife from my inventory and waited for the flamethrower man to turn his back again. "Damnit, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!?!" He growled, growing frustrated with his search. Eventually, he started making his way towards the door to the balcony, and I saw my chance. Staying crouched low, I quietly approached him with my knife at the ready. As I got closer, I could see one of the gaps in his armor was right around the back of his knee, the perfect place to strike for my plan of attack. Before he reached the door, I snuck up behind him and thrust the knife into the back of his knee, twisting it to do further damage. He let out a growl of pain as he staggered, collapsing to his hands and knees.

Boss HP: 97%

With the big bastard downed for the moment, I quickly and frantically brought out the crowbar from my inventory and wedged it between the fuel tank and the armor protecting it. I pulled with all my strength, prying off the metal sheet until it came loose. I even planted one foot onto the flamethrower guy's back for a foothold. Eventually, the plating gave way and snapped off, causing me to fall onto my back and nearly drop the crowbar in the process.

[Crowbar (99%)]

The big guy snarled in anger and finally recovered from my attack, getting back to his feet just as I scrambled to my own. "YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!!"

I didn't have time to shoot the tank, so I retreated and sprinted for the stairs. The brute ignited his flamethrower, and the fire that erupted from it just barely managed to catch the lower left part of my shirt, plus a bit of my left arm, as I bolted down the stairs. I felt the burn on my skin, and my eyes widened as soon as I noticed the flames. "Whoa WHOA WHOA!!! FUCK, HOT HOT HOT!!!" I cursed and frantically pat the fire out before it could spread anymore. A bit of the flesh on my arm showed clear signs of burn damage, and the hairs on my arm had been completely singed. As for my shirt, only the left part of the hem had been burned off while the rest was intact.

-4 HP

Overall HP: 106/110

Left Arm: 91%

It burned like hell, but I grit my teeth and pushed on. I burst out through the front doors and onto the platform, looking for a place to hide. While the fuel tank on the guy's back may have been exposed now, I wouldn't be able to shoot it unless I get behind him, and I couldn’t do that while he was chasing me. Thanks to his slow mobility, I had a little bit of time before he would catch up with me. Thinking fast, I partially opened one of the guest room doors before running to the side of the platform, hopping down onto the grass, and using the side as cover, just like I'd done when I first approached the train station.

The flamethrower-wielding brute came charging out from the station building entrance a second later, fuming with anger. He took a quick glance around to look for me before he saw the guest room door partially open. Thinking I had gone inside, he stomped towards it and kicked it open hard enough to break off one of the hinges, then poked his head inside. With my distraction having worked and the brute's back now turned to me, I climbed out from cover and back onto the platform before aiming my handgun at the tank on his back. I pulled the trigger twice, both shots connecting with the fuel tank.

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
9 / 28

Before the flamethrower guy could turn around to face me, the gas in the tank ignited, and the tank itself exploded on his back. I raised my arms in front of my face to shield my eyes from the explosion as the big guy let out a loud scream of agony, becoming consumed by flames. Though the explosion hadn't been close enough to hurt or injure me, I could feel the force of it from where I was standing, enough to make me stumble a bit. For a second, I thought I'd done it and actually managed to defeat the big bastard.

...Then I realized the boss music was still playing.

The smoke from the explosion started to clear away, revealing what was left of the brute. Almost all of his armor had been blasted off in the explosion, and the top half of his coveralls had been completely burned off, revealing a bare upper body covered in ash and burn scars. Some small bits of his flesh still had tiny flames chewing threw them. His back had clearly taken the brunt of the damage, a large chunk of it missing and profusely bleeding, but the wound wasn't deep enough to expose any bone. His welding helmet had remained mostly intact, but the visor was completely smashed, allowing his rage-filled eyes to be fully visible. He slowly and shakily got to his feet before slowly turning to look at me.

Boss HP: 35%

The big sonuvabitch was still alive.

You're sure he isn't a Legend, right!?

"Affirmative."

The now-really-pissed-off big guy started stomping towards me, his shoulders heaving up and down as he sucked in angry breaths. I imagine I'd just skyrocketed to the top of his shit list. I started firing at him in a panic as he got closer and closer, stalking towards me like a Tyrant in a Resident Evil game. The bullets were hitting him and filling him up with bloody bullet holes, but they didn't dissuade him for even a second. After I fired 5 bullets into him, he reached me and threw a strong right hook, hitting me in the side of the head and knocking me to the side.

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
4 / 28

-12 HP

Overall HP: 94/110

Head: 93%

Boss HP: 25%

He attempted to curb stomp me while I was still on the ground, but I managed to roll out of the way just in time. I quickly got back to my feet and took a few steps back, trying to put some distance between us again.

"Stay...STILL!" He yelled. He then reached into his pockets from what remained of his coveralls and pulled out two things. The first was a glass bottle filled with liquid and a piece of cloth stuffed inside it, and the second was a flip lighter. I realized what it was immediately and started running in the opposite direction as he lit the cloth using the lighter. He chucked the molotov cocktail in my direction and it hit the ground behind me, the bottle shattering and a splash of flames erupting from it. The fire just barely nicked at my heels as I ran back through the station building entrance, looking for a place to hide yet again.

Christ, does this guy do anything that isn't related to fire!?

I hid behind the ticket booth and reloaded my gun just as the beast kicked the entrance doors open.

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
10 +1 / 21

As he searched for me, I tried to think of a new plan. Although they didn't exactly stop him in his tracks, my knife and bullets had been doing some damage. I couldn't take him head on before, but maybe I could now? His flamethrower had been my main threat, and that was out of the picture now. If he had more molotovs on him, they would be an issue, but not as much as the flamethrower had been. I could at least dodge his molotovs while still getting close.

Guess I'm just gonna have to wing it and hope for the best!

The big bastard started to approach one side of the ticket booth, so I hugged the wall and maneuvered myself in the opposite direction, circling around the booth and getting behind him. I brought out my knife, and instead of stabbing him in the leg again, I rammed and twisted the blade right into his side, hopefully hitting his kidney. He let out a cry of pain as he clutched the wound with one hand and threw a wild swing back at me with the other.

Boss HP: 22%

I narrowly avoided his swing by leaning away from it and simultaneously taking a few steps back. He turned to face me, pure rage evident in his glaring eyes. If looks could kill, I'd be dead a hundred times over. Not wanting to use up anymore ammo, I summoned the rusty pipe I got earlier and prepared myself to fight. I would've used the crowbar, since it's a more effective weapon, but I still needed it to free the hostages, so I didn't want to risk wearing down its durability.

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!" He screamed as he charged me. I rolled out of the way, avoiding his bum rush as he slammed into the wall of the ticket booth. Seeing an opportunity, I swung the pipe straight at the large injury on his back, emitting a loud howl of pain from him.

[Rusted Metal Pipe (95%)]

Boss HP: 19%

I was about to swing again, only for him to do a 180 and throw a fist right at my face, knocking me back.

-10 HP

Overall HP: 84/110

Head: 88%

He threw another hook, but I ducked and rolled towards his side. Once on my feet, I swung at his leg, specifically the area where I'd stabbed him earlier, causing him to buckle. I then raised the pipe above my head and swung downward onto his back twice.

[Rusted Metal Pipe (80%)]

Boss HP: 11%

He shoved me away before I could swing again and stood back up. I went to swing again, but he grabbed the pipe mid-swing, pulled both it and me towards him, then threw a gut punch to my stomach. The blow had completely knocked the wind out of me, and I collapsed to the floor, attempting to get air back into my lungs. The big guy tossed the pipe away before throwing another kick to my stomach.

-25 HP

Overall HP: 59/110

Torso: 74%

I started to crawl away, though I wasn't getting very far very quickly. Thankfully, the big guy didn't follow. Instead, he stood there and watched, enjoying my suffering. "Did you really think you could kill me? Huh!? Well I've got some news for ya, you little shit. I don't plan on going out that easy!"

I managed to crawl a few feet away from him and turned to see him pulling out another molotov. "No way am I dying some half-assed death at the hands of a little weasel like you! If I'm going out, it won't be today. And if I do go out one day..." He lit the cloth on the molotov and raised the bottle above his head, "I WON'T SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS THAN A BLAZE OF GLORY!!!"

Before he could throw the molotov at me, I instantly summoned my handgun from the inventory and fired a shot straight at the molotov. The bullet shattered the glass bottle, causing the flames to splash down onto the big guy. He started screaming as the flames spread across his whole body, lighting him up like a Christmas tree. I scrambled backwards and stayed as far away from him as possible as he flailed his arms around wildly, blood curdling screams of agony echoing throughout the room. Eventually, he collapsed to the floor, still writhing around for a bit as his screams started to die out before he stopped moving at all. The screams subsided, and the only noise left was the light crackling of the flames on his body.

Boss HP: 0%

[MUSIC END]

+100 XP

"That a good enough 'blaze' for you?" I quipped from my place on the floor, a smirk on my face. A smirk that quickly disappeared once the adrenaline wore off, and the pain from the beating I'd taken came at me in full force. I let myself gently fall backwards and laid on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. "Fucking ooooowwww..." I groaned. My HP wasn't close to zero yet, but it hurt so damn much that I couldn't help it. I gave in and used one of my only two full health stims on myself, the pain quickly subsiding as the burns and bruises faded away, and my clothes were restored to brand-new status. I then reloaded my gun, just to be on the safe side.

+51 HP

Overall HP: 110/110

Left Arm: 100%
Head: 100%
Torso: 100%

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
10 +1 / 20

I then received another notification from the HUD.

"The Melee Skill has increased to 2, and the Guns Skill has increased to 4."

Yippee...

I tiredly and lazily pumped a fist into the air. After about a couple more minutes of lying there and resting, I reluctantly stood up, remembering that I still had work to do. First, I went over to where the big guy had chucked my rusty pipe and returned it to the inventory. Then, I went over to the big guy's dead body. It was completely charred, but the fire had died out by now. A screen with a list of items appeared above him, and I pressed 'Take All'.

Molotov Cocktail Recipe

3 Molotov Cocktails

2 Cloth

2 Alcohol

$3,000

Hell yeah! I just hit the jackpot! Good to know all that effort was worth it.

"So, I can craft molotovs with this recipe, right? How do I do that?" I asked the HUD.

"Tutorial: Crafting"

"To craft items, simply open the crafting menu and select a recipe you wish to craft. Then, select the amount you wish to have crafted. The HUD will automatically take the required ingredients from the inventory and craft them into the desired item(s), which will be placed in the inventory."

I did as the HUD said and was met with a new menu.

Crafting Menu:
- Molotov Cocktail (1 Cloth + 1 Alcohol)

Remembering I had just gotten 2 cloth and 2 alcohol, I selected the molotov recipe and chose to make two. Three seconds later, the menu said the crafting was completed, so I checked my inventory.

Inventory (All):
- Walther P22 (Handgun)
- Makeshift Knife
- Rusted Metal Pipe (80%)
- Crowbar (99%)
- Full Health Stims (1)
- Handgun Ammo (20)
- Molotov Cocktails (5)
- $5,005

My inventory's starting to get a little cluttered...

I shook the thought out of my head. I'd worry about it later; right now, I had some hostages to free. I brought the crowbar out of the inventory and made my way upstairs, headed towards the balcony. As I did, I did a mental recap of all the events that led up to this point:

I was given a cool video game power in the form of the HUD by Discord, he sent me to Equestria, I died 5 minutes after showing up, came back to life, ran into a literal anime girl who can kick ass and take names, we escaped Tartarus together, she ditched me, I got captured by another HUD User from Earth, escaped his camp, ran into a god, got my heart ripped out by him, was then saved by Disarria, climbed a tall radio tower, fought off some bad dudes and killed for the first time in my life, fought off more bad dudes, then defeated a giant crazy man with a flamethrower who was capable of surviving an explosion on is back, all in the span of... how long has it been now? I think it's been about 24 hours since I first showed up here, if I had to guess.

Some people would say that's way too much action for them to have in a single day. Some might even say it's too much for a single lifetime. As for me? Well, I'd be lying if I said going on an adventure is exactly like I dreamed it would be. It's honestly a lot harder and more painful than I imagined, and is by no means perfect... However, I'd also be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying myself. Despite the trials and tribulations I was going through, I still found the whole thing exhilarating, and I loved it!

Though, I would be lying yet again if I said I wasn't nervous about what's to come. It took a lot out of me just to fight a few guys and one big guy, and they were just normal enemies. None of them were infected or Legends, these guys were probably the weakest obstacle I would have to deal with. I'd already experienced firsthand what it was like trying to fight one of the gods, and it didn't end well. Clearly, things were only gonna get harder from here.

Thinking about the events that led up to now resulted in a certain blonde brawler entering my thoughts...

I wonder how Amber's doing right now?

Amber

I took another bite out of the burger, savoring the juicy flavor of the meat, then topped it off with a sip of my soda. "Mmph! Oh yeah, that's the good stuff."

I was currently enjoying a meal at a local pub in Hope Hollow, a small town not too far from where I split up with that guy, Justin. I'm not a local of the town myself; I only planned on staying for a little bit, since I was supposed to be meeting somepony here. I've heard that this town is known for being very neighborly, kinda like Ponyville but smaller. I've also heard they have some sort of annual 'Rainbow Festival' or something like that, but I didn't look into it much. Like I said, I didn't plan on staying long.

The pub I was in had a homey atmosphere, making anyone who entered feel welcome. Most of the pub was filled with tables and chairs for patrons, and on one side was the bar lined with bar stools. The walls were decorated with photos of the town's history, as well as a few rainbow-related decorations. The bars I'm used to visiting were usually a lot seedier than this one, so it felt a little odd seeing such a friendly looking bar at first. I quickly warmed up to it though; It made for a nice change of pace.

I was sitting at a table in the far corner, close to the rear exit. I wanted to be ready to bolt, if necessary, but I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. I kept an ear out for the front door of the pub as I enjoyed my food, occasionally paying glances to it. The pony I'm supposed to be meeting should be here by now, where the heck are they?

After a bit, I heard the front door open and paid another glance. The person that stepped in was a pony, a stallion to be specific. He had long, messy, neck-length, navy blue hair with a light blue streak in it, a thin stubble, light blue eyes, white pony ears, and a white unicorn horn. He wore an unzipped black leather biker jacket with the sleeves rolled up, as well as a wrinkled dark blue button-up shirt under that, the top couple buttons undone to show off a small bit of his chest. Below that, he wore a pair of blue jeans, black fingerless combat gloves, and black tactical combat boots. The thing that caught my eye though was the holster on the right side of his hip, a Glock 17 resting inside. He strolled inside and turned to the bar, revealing the second holster on the back of his hip, this one carrying a Desert Eagle.

Definitely not a civilian.

The stallion didn't bother taking a seat at one of the stools and got the bartender's attention. The stallion asked something that I was too far away to hear, and the bartender pointed in my direction. The stallion turned to where the bartender pointed and locked eyes with me, smirking. I was immediately on edge, my eyes shifting to the rear exit before locking back on to the stallion as I prepared myself for the worst case scenario. Remember how I said I was waiting for somepony? Well, I know that somepony personally, and would recognize them at first glance.

This guy was not that pony.

The stallion thanked the bartender before approaching my table. As he did, I came up with a quick plan of escape: If things go south, I throw the half-eaten burger at his face, then book it out the back door and figure it out from there. It wasn't a solid plan, but it was the best I could come up with on short notice.

"You Amber Aurora?" He asked once he reached my table.

"Who's asking?" I glared up at him.

"Shining Armor, member of the Canterlot Royal Guard. A friend of mine said she was supposed to meet you here, but she got caught up with something. Said she would be a little late." He introduced himself as he sat down in the seat across from me.

"Royal Guard, huh? You sure as hell don't look like one. What rank are you?" I didn't bother hiding my suspicion.

"Technically I don't have one anymore. I'm supposed to be retired, but I get called on to handle stuff often. If it makes you feel better, I used to be the captain." He explained, leaning back in his chair and kicking his legs up onto the table.

Retired? This guy looks like he's in his late twenties, early thirties at the oldest. How could he be retired already? And 'Captain'? Does he really expect me to believe the ex-captain of the royal guard came all this way just to meet up with me in my friend's place?

"Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me." I called him out.

"Well, it's the truth. If you don't believe me, you can look up my name." He shrugged. "I was asked to keep you company until our mutual friend shows up. How'd you meet her, by the way?"

"I'm not saying anything until she gets here. To be frank, I don't trust you."

"...That's fair, considering the circumstances." He nodded before standing up. "I'm gonna go grab a drink while we wait, then."

I didn't respond, only watching him as he left the table and went over to the bar. I didn't take my eyes off of him until he was at the bar with his back turned. As soon as he was, I pulled out my phone and quickly searched the name 'Shining Armor'. I was actually surprised to find that the results lined up with what he was saying. I found a few old news articles about the Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor, officially retiring. The odd thing was that these articles were dated back about a hundred years ago. At first, I thought the guy at the bar might be using his name as a cover, but then I saw some pictures in the articles of the Royal Guard Captain, and it was a perfect match with the stallion. He looked a bit more well put together in the pictures, but there was no doubt they were the same pony. The article also mentioned that he had been serving the Royal Guard for a few centuries, so he was obviously older than the average pony.

I know a lot of the stronger Legends on Equus are functionally immortal... maybe this guy is one of them?

'Shining Armor' returned to the table, a beer bottle in his hand, and sat down. "So? What are the results?"

"...Ok, so your story checks out." I sighed as I pocketed my phone.

"See? What'd I tell you?" Shining took a swig of his drink. "So, you're here to ask for... witness protection? Was that it?"

"...Yeah, something like that." I answered him.

"Can't say I'm surprised one of the Storm God's own soldiers is trying to go AWOL. He's not exactly a saint."

"Tell me about it..." I grumbled. I wanted to get as far away from that asshole as possible. Unfortunately, they caught me trying to escape and threw me in Tartarus. I may not have expressed it much during our last conversation, but I was thankful to Justin for showing up when he did. It seemed a little too coincidental that he showed up not long after I got thrown in that cell, but he didn't seem to have any ulterior motives, as far as I could tell anyway.

A couple more minutes passed before the door to the pub burst open, a pegasus flying through. It wasn't often you see a pegasus flying indoors, but for her, it was normal. She had long messy hair, magenta eyes, two cyan-colored pony ears on her head, and a pair of cyan-colored wings on her back. What stood out most about her though, was that her hair had all the colors of the rainbow in it.

Rainbow Dash was currently wearing the uniform of the Wonderbolts: A blue jumpsuit with yellow lightning bolt decals and a pair of black, calf-high, lace-up boots. The hood of the jumpsuit was currently off, and a pair of flight goggles rested on her head above her eyes. She also had some black body armor on with lightning bolt decals that matched the jumpsuit, seemingly prepared for combat. "Yo, Amber! How's it hangin'?"

Rainbow flew over to our table and gave me a fist bump before taking a seat. "I've been better." I told her.

"You showed up faster than I thought you would." Shining commented, and Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, of course I showed up fast. This is me we're talking about, remember? Fastest flyer in all of Equestria? Ring any bells?" She smirked.

Shining rolled his eyes with a smirk of his own. "What I meant was, you finished up with that situation faster than I thought. Didn't you say there was a train hijacking?"

"Train station hijacking, and yeah, there was." After I heard Rainbow say that, I felt a small pit in my stomach.

"A station hijacking? Which one?" I asked.

Please don't be the same one, please don't be-

"The one over by White Tail Woods. Y'know, that one that doubles as a motel?" She answered.

"...Oh fuck." The pit in my stomach grew larger as I realized that was the same train station I told Justin to go to.

"What? What is it?" RD immediately noticed my concern. I decided to tell them everything that happened; How I got caught trying to escape, how I met Justin, and then how we parted ways, with me telling him to go to that same train station.

After I'd finished filling them in, they seemed to understand my cause for concern. "I see… Well, if it makes you feel better, the whole situation’s been taken care of already." Rainbow tried to reassure me. "That's why I was able to get here sooner than I thought. I was on my way there to help, but halfway there I got a call on my radio from the royal guardsmen that showed up first. Apparently, a civilian managed to single-handedly take down all the hijackers and free the hostages before they arrived. There were a couple casualties in the forest from infected, but other than that, the rest of the hostages are alive and healthy."

"Well, that's a bit of a relief." I leaned back in my seat and took a sip of my drink. I just hoped one of those casualties wasn't Justin. We may not have parted on a good note, but it's not like I wished death on the guy. He just had some childish delusions about being a hero. His heart was in the right place, but a mindset like that was just gonna get him killed. Not only that, but he couldn't fight for shit. There was no way he stood a chance against-

"This 'civilian' got a name?" Shining asked.

"The name he gave them was 'Justin Baker'. Not a name I'm familiar wi-"

Upon hearing the name, I couldn't stop myself from doing a spit take, getting my soda all over the table. Rainbow and Shining both looked at me with wide eyes, a look I mirrored to Rainbow. "What was his name again!?"

"U-Uh, Justin. Justin Baker... Why?" Rainbow was still pretty confused by my reaction. Judging by the look on Shining's face though, I'd say he put two and two together.

"Wait... is this 'Justin' the same guy that let you out of Tartarus?" He asked.

"Yeah... Yeah, that's him." I nodded, still trying to process it. That guy managed to fight a whole group of hijackers? He didn't even seem like he knew what he was doing when I first met him! I shook the thought out of my head, deciding that I would dwell on it later. There was something more important to me that needed taking care of. "We're getting off track. We're meeting here for a reason, remember?"

"Right, sorry. Let's get down to business." Rainbow nodded. "We have a place you can stay in Ponyville, outside the Jurisdiction of all four Gods. Even if they somehow found out you're there, they won't be able to go near you. Sending any of their soldiers into Equestrian territory would be a breach of the peace treaty we made, and I doubt they would be willing to start another war over a single pony going AWOL."

"...Seriously?" I blinked in disbelief. Was this really happening? Was I finally gonna get away from the Gods? I wouldn't have anything to do with them anymore?

"Seriously." Rainbow gave me a smile and a nod.

"So, what are we getting in exchange for putting her into witness protection?" Shining butted in.

"Nothing." Rainbow answered for me. I saw the ex-Royal Guard Captain blink a few times in confusion, unsure if he heard that right.

"...Nothing?"

"Nothing. This is me repaying a favor I owe her." She explained before turning to look at me. "I owe her my life."

Shining raised an eyebrow. "She saved your life? When did this happen?"

"Remember that recon mission at Galloping Gorge I went on a couple weeks ago?"

"Yeah, you were missing for over four days. Twilight and the others were worried sick the whole time; Applejack especially, even though she didn't want to admit it. You said you got ambushed by some marauders, and they shot you down mid-flight, right?"

"Yeah, but I, uh... left out a few details, one of which being that Amber here came to my rescue." She gestured to me. "She didn't know a whole lot about first aid, but she was able to get some potions to help heal my wing. She gave me a place to rest until it was good enough for me to fly back to Canterlot, and we hit it off in the meantime. That's when she told me she was in the Storm King's army, and she wanted out, so I promised I'd do this to pay her back for saving me."

"I see... Well then, that's a good enough reason for me." Shining nodded in approval.

"Thanks Rainbow. This... this means a lot." I expressed my gratitude.

"No problem. I'm always loyal to my friends!" She beat a fist against her chest, a proud smile on her face. I had a smile on my face, too. It was finally happening...

I was finally going to be free.

Author's Note

General Status
User: Justin Baker
Current Level: 2
Current XP: 100/200
Money: $5,005
Overall HP: 110/110
Head: 100%
Torso: 100%
Left Arm: 100%
Right Arm: 100%
Left Leg: 100%
Right Leg: 100%

Skills
Strength: 10/100
Endurance: 5/100
Reflexes: 14/100
Agility: 3/100
Stealth: 4/100
Guns: 4/100
Explosives: 2/100
Melee: 2/100
Unarmed: 1/100
Medicine: 2/100

Got a bit of a long chapter here for you guys, and boy is there quite a bit to unpack here! Got some lore in the form of Haven Fields, smartphones existing, and the mention of a peace treaty between Equestria and the Gods! On top of that we get to see what it's like for Justin to level up and we saw a boss fight for the first time! Finally, we saw what Amber was up to and- oh!? What's this!? Shining Armor and Rainbow Dash are alive despite 500 years having passed!?! And it sounds like Applejack is around as well!!! What sorcery is this!?! How could they possibly still be alive after all this time!? Are there more familiar faces still around as well!? Welp, I guess you're just gonna have to keep reading to find out!

Hope you guys liked the boss fight, by the way! For the intro, I tried doing something similar to the dynamic intros you see in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series; I even tried to sync the music with it, though that's incredibly difficult to do with text. I also didn't just pick a random song to go with the fight. If you pay close attention to the lyrics, you'll see that they fit Justin's current situation pretty well. To top it all off, I ended the fight with a one-liner. Not my best one-liner material, but I think it did the trick well enough. I have plenty more planned for the future, don't you worry!

For now though, I'm gonna be swapping back to my other fic, Devil May Cry: Demons in Equestria. I wanna get another chapter out for that before coming back to this one, so it'll be a little bit before the next chapter.

That's all for now. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and stay tuned for more!

Chapter 4: The Elemental Gods

Justin

It didn't take long for me to free the hostages. In order to avoid having them confuse me for one of their captors, I had called through the door to let them know the thugs were dealt with, and that I was here to help, before removing the planks with the crowbar. Both ordinary pedestrians and the train station's staff came flooding out of the rooms, scared out of their wits after having gone through such an ordeal. A few of them even thanked me as they passed by, which made me feel better about myself. After that was done, I went and gave the all-clear to the two ponies I'd left hiding just outside the station's perimeter.

[Main Quest]: The Journey Begins

Objective 4: Head to the train station. (COMPLETED)
Objective 5: Defeat the hijackers and free the hostages (COMPLETED)

QUEST COMPLETED! +50 XP

"The Main Quest will be updated once a new lead on the Elements of Harmony, as well as their new bearers, is found."

Not long after, and by that I mean only a couple minutes later, a squad of royal guardsponies showed up from Canterlot, ready to handle the hijacking situation, only to find out I'd already done their job for them. Quite the coincidence they only showed up after the dust had settled.

Gee, thanks guys. It's not like I could've used your help a few minutes ago... or several hours ago...

After they questioned the hostages and I, one of the questions being what my name was, the guards helped the staff get the train station organized and running again. It took about an hour, but they managed to get everything cleaned up and back in order. This included me returning the crowbar, much to my dismay. Soon, the station was back to normal, and the train was ready to run again.

As for me, a growl emanating from my stomach reminded me I hadn't eaten anything since before I even showed up in Equestria. Not to mention the fact that I was fucking exhausted after single-handedly fighting several guys with guns, as well as a giant beast with a flamethrower. Considering all this, I decided I'd earned myself a lunch break.

Which led to where I was now: standing in the food court and looking over the menu above the service counter.

I'm surprised they have burgers and fried chicken on the menu, considering ponies are herbivores. Then again, they aren't the only race in Equestria. Griffons and humans both eat meat, to name a couple.

I didn't want to hold up the line, so I stood off to the side as I decided on what I wanted. Just as I was about to come to a decision, a familiar voice startled me from behind, "Feeling hungry?"

"GAH!!!" I definitely didn't scream like a little girl before turning around to see Disarria standing in her teleporting doorway, just a few feet away from me. Several other people stopped and stared, partially due to the door that had appeared out of thin air, but mostly due to the pantsless women standing inside it. "Disarria! Pants! Please!"

It took her a couple seconds to realize what was wrong before nonchalantly apologizing. "...Ah, forgive me. I'll only be a moment."

She retreated into her room, closing the door behind her. True to her word, she had literally only taken a moment, because barely even a second later, she opened it again, this time while wearing her trademark sweatpants. I cleared my throat, trying to ignore the constant stares. "U-Uh, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to congratulate you on defeating your first boss. Granted, when compared to the kinds of foes you'll encounter in the future, he was more of a mini-boss than an actual boss, but I still think it's an achievement worth celebrating. Why do you ask? Is now a bad time?" She cocked her head to the side in confusion. She wasn't having as much trouble ignoring the other onlookers as I was. Either she didn't notice them, or she didn't care.

"N-No, it's just that..." I leaned in and whispered to her, "...a lot of people are staring."

"Oh, pay them no mind, they'll move on eventually. While my doorway may be a bizarre sight, magic isn't an uncommon occurrence in Equestria. Plus, some of them are too busy to keep watching. We are in a train station after all, they all have somewhere to be."

After she gave her reassurance, I paid a subtle glance to the small crowd around us, and sure enough, some of the bystanders were walking away and moving on. "Huh..."

"Now, on to business. I believe you are looking for something to eat, are you not?" Before I could say anything, my stomach answered first when it let out a growl. Disarria chuckled upon hearing it. "So it would seem. Not to worry, I can provide you with whatever meal you wish whenever you so desire, free of charge."

"Anything I want, for free!? Seriously?!"

"Of course. I may sell you weaponry and equipment for a price, but basic necessities are a different story. I can't have you dying of starvation now can I? I wouldn't get much business if that happened. So, what would you like?"

I turned my attention away from Disarria and examined the menu above the service counter again. I looked down the list until I settled on what I wanted. "I could go for a-" As soon as I turned back around, I saw Disarria holding a plate with a slice of pizza and meatball toppings on it, as well as a bottle of root beer. Not even going into how she got the meal out of nowhere, she also knew exactly what I wanted before I'd even told her. I blinked, my brain still registering that what I was seeing was real. Disarria had a smug grin on her face, as if she was reveling in the fact that she was blowing my mind right now. "U-Uh...thanks."

"It was my pleasure. Is there any other business you would like to take care of?"

"Uh... well, there was one question I had." I accepted the food and drink from her, still staring at them in bewilderment. "Earlier, I tried to pick up an AK-47, but I just got electrocuted instead. Do you know what that was about?"

"Hmm... If I had to guess, that sounds like a weapon-binding spell to me." I didn't even need to ask what that was before Disarria continued to explain. "A weapon-binding spell, as the name implies, is a security spell that metaphysically binds a weapon to its owner, preventing anyone other than the owner from using it. That kind of spell is especially common amongst weaponry belonging to soldiers in the military or mercenary groups, though it's still possible for anyone who owns a gun to have this spell applied to their weapon. I imagine the AK-47 you tried to pick up had this spell applied to it."

"So, in other words, I shouldn't bank on getting new weapons from dead enemies." I sighed.

"Precisely, though I wouldn't say it's impossible to find weapons out in the wild; You never know what you might find. Now, was there anything else you needed, or will that be all?"

"I believe that's everything, thanks." I gave her a nod.

"Until next time, then." She closed the door behind her, and it proceeded to fade to dust as usual, flying through the air and out through a nearby window. After watching her leave, I looked back down at the meal in my hands, still shocked at how she did that.

"Huh... Well, bon appetit, I guess." I carried the food over to a nearby table and sat down, then started to dig in. Partway through my meal, a few royal guards sat down at a table not far from me, two stallions and a mare. I normally don't try to eavesdrop on people intentionally, but as a quiet introvert that mostly keeps to himself, I tend to overhear other people's conversations quite often without meaning to.

"Man, I was kinda hoping we'd get to see some action. I still can't believe a single kid handled everything before we showed up. Don't get me wrong, I think he did the right thing by helping these people, but I kinda wish he'd left some for us, know what I mean?" One of the stallions said. I'm guessing they either didn't see me sitting not too far away from them, or they didn't realize I was that same 'kid' they were talking about. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't be gossiping about me behind my back.

"Heh, yeah, tell me about it. Speaking of, the poor guy's probably not gonna get any recognition for what he did." I heard the mare say, which caused me to raise an eyebrow, wondering what she meant by that.

I wasn't the only one wondering, as the other stallion at the table asked the same question. "Whaddya mean?"

"I mean, there's so many newspapers and articles out there trying to paint humans in a bad light, I wouldn't be surprised if they did the same thing here. Y'know, like that guy with the news podcast, uh... damn, what was his name again?" The mare snapped her fingers, the name on the tip of her tongue.

"You mean Silver Voice?" One of the stallions asked. Judging by the disdain in his voice, it sounded like they didn't have a very high opinion of this 'Silver Voice' guy.

"Yeah, that's the one. Dear Celestia, that guy's a douche. He'll probably say this whole situation was 'another violent shootout between bloodthirsty humans' or something like that. That kid saved lives, and greedy reporters looking for drama are gonna make him look like just another 'violence-loving human' for ratings." The other guards nodded in agreement, sharing the same opinion as the mare.

I let out a small sigh after hearing that. It sounded like I wasn't gonna get much thanks for helping these people, which obviously sucked. Still, I wasn't too beat up about it. I didn't help them for fame or credit, I helped them because it was the right thing to do. I'll admit, I love getting praise and can be a bit egotistical at times, but I always try to put others before myself, even if I don't get anything out of it. There are a number of video game protagonists and comic book heroes that I look up to as role models, and they always put others first and themselves second. I take their example to heart and I always try to do what I can when I see someone in need. Those few people that thanked me when I freed them was a good enough ego boost for me, I didn't need anymore than that. Heck, even if they didn't thank me, I'd be a pretty upset, but I wouldn't regret what I did.

Switching topics, what's with the 'violence-loving human' thing the guards mentioned? I already found out some people have low opinions on humans, but is that the reason why? Because humans are more violent by nature? Now that I think about it, Equestria was an incredibly peaceful place in the show. Death was an extremely rare occurrence outside of old age, and ponies hadn't gone to war in several millennia, maybe longer. Meanwhile, back on earth, murder is much more common than it should be, and humans have had God knows how many wars amongst each other throughout our history. I guess it would make sense if that's why ponies and humans don't always see eye to eye.

Hmm... I should try looking into this later.

The guards continued to chat for a bit before they brought up another topic that piqued my interest. "By the way, has there been any word on the missing VIP?" One of the stallions asked.

The mare shook her head. "No, unfortunately not. I hope she's alright..."

"I heard she went missing, but that's about it. Was she kidnapped?" The other stallion asked.

"Surprisingly, no, nothing like that. Apparently, she ran away from home."

"What!? Why in Equestria would she do that!?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. There's rumors of family drama being the cause, but nothing concrete." The guards then paid a glance to a clock hanging on the wall. "It's almost time for us to move out. Let's go meet up with the others." The guards all nodded, got up from their table, and headed downstairs. Meanwhile, I was left thinking about what they had said.

A missing VIP from Canterlot, huh? I should keep an eye out, maybe make sure they get back to Canterlot safely...

I checked the clock on the HUD's map and saw that I should get going soon myself, if I wanted to get on a train as soon as possible that is. However, even if I took the train, I didn't have any destination in mind. To be honest, I wasn't sure where to go or what my game plan was right now. The HUD didn't give me any knew objective marker; All it said was that I have to find more leads on the Elements of Harmony and the new bearers before it would give me any updates on the quest. That left me with one question...

...What do I do now?

Maybe I should make my way to Canterlot and try to track down Twilight? She would probably be eager to help. I doubt it would take much convincing; Discord said Twilight went to the trouble of using a spell to restore the Elements, so she's probably already looking for them herself. Plus, getting to meet Twilight Sparkle in person would be awesome! ...Then again, she's the current ruler of Equestria, so I doubt getting an audience with her would be easy, if at all possible. You wouldn't be able to just stroll up to the White House and ask to speak with the president back on Earth. I imagine it would be just as difficult to speak with Twilight here in Equestria.

Either way, heading in the direction of Canterlot would be my best bet. Discord had already explained that the Elemental Gods controlled the Northern, Southern, Western, and Eastern parts of Equus, and I learned the hard way that I'm no match for any of them. Staying within the region that Twilight still has control over would keep me out of their sights for now, as well as give me a chance to improve my Skills before butting heads with them. "HUD, are we currently in territory controlled by Twilight Sparkle?"

"Negative. User: Justin is currently in a wild region."

"A 'wild' region? What's that mean?"

"A wild region is territory that has not been claimed by either the Elemental Gods or the Equestrian Government. Wild regions are named as such due to having a higher number of hostile creatures and infected. This is also the reason why the territory is not highly populated, as well as why it has not been claimed."

Huh, the presence of Canterlot royal guards made me think we were already in Twilight's territory, but I guess not. Either way, that's all the more reason to hightail it outta here.

"What's the nearest safe place within Twilight's- er, the Equestrian Government's control?"

"The nearest Haven under the Equestrian Government's jurisdiction is Las Pegasus."

While I did say heading for Canterlot was the best course of action, I didn’t want to immediately go straight there. My Skills are still very low, and I need time to level them up. So, why not take the scenic route? I can improve my Skills as I slowly make my way towards Canterlot, find ways to earn more money, get better equipment from Disarria, maybe learn more about this version of Equestria I find myself in, and become more prepared overall to face whatever lies ahead. Visiting familiar locations from the show would also be really cool, maybe I could make a road trip out of it. As far as I was aware, I wasn't in any rush or on a time limit, so it should be fine if I took my time with this. It sounded like a solid plan to me.

"Then that's where we're headed. Las Pegasus, here we come!" Quickly finishing the last of my pizza and root beer, I threw the empty plate and bottle in a nearby trash can before heading downstairs to buy a ticket. Had I been paying more attention, I might've noticed the person sitting at a table in the corner of the room, spying on me.

???

The spy watched the young HUD user as he went downstairs, presumably to get on a train to Las Pegasus. He'd already snapped a picture of the boy and was sending it to his handlers now. Once that was done, he pulled out a small two-way radio. He inputted the code that allowed him to contact his handlers before bringing it to his ear.

"Report." The voice on the other end said.

"I've found the new HUD user, you should have received a photo of him just now. He's at the White Tail Woods Train Station, and it sounds like he's headed for Las Pegasus." The spy relayed his observation.

"Understood. We'll send some soldiers to intercept his train before he crosses the border. Good work." With that, the communication ended, and the spy stood up from his table, leaving the station. His work was done for now.

Justin

After purchasing a ticket for Las Pegasus, I got on the train and saw that it looked exactly how I remembered it from the show. Each passenger car had rows of cushioned benches rather than normal seats, unlike the trains back on earth. Each bench had a window next to it, with a pull-down curtain in front of them. I took a seat at an empty bench located in the rear corner of the car, trying to isolate myself as much as I could. It wasn't that I didn't like people, it's just that interacting with strangers is always nerve wracking to me, so I try to avoid it when I can. Plus, if I got the bench all to myself, I could lay down and use it as a bed. It would probably be a while before we reach Las Pegasus, and what better way to pass the time than with a nap?

After a few minutes, the conductor announced that we were departing, and the train began to move. On cue, I laid down on the bench, making myself as comfortable as I could. "Hey HUD, can you wake me up when we arrive?"

"Affirmative."

With that, I closed my eyes and passed out a few minutes later. For a while, I slept peacefully without any interruptions.

. . .

. . .

. . .

Then the train came to a sudden stop, jolting me awake. I nearly fell off the bench when it happened and quickly sat up. "A-Are we there already?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Negative. The train appears to have made an emergency stop."

Opening the HUD's map, I saw that we were just shy of the Equestrian Government's region. In front of the train should be a bridge that passes over a river and crosses the border into the region. Not much farther past the bridge was the city of Las Pegasus, and my destination. That begged the question: Why did we stop?

The other passengers were equally confused, murmuring amongst each other. Some of them had their attention drawn to the windows, looking outside. I followed their example and tried to see if I could spot the reason for our sudden stop. Up ahead, I could see the bridge that we were supposed to cross, held together by sturdy metal supports. Sitting on the tracks in front of the bridge was most likely the reason why we stopped: a pair of military Humvees.

I've got a bad feeling about this...

I watched as a couple soldiers stepped out of one of the Humvees and approached the train. They wore tan-colored fatigues under light body armor, brown berets on top of their heads, and carried M4A1 assault rifles in their hands. The train conductor stepped off the train to meet them, and one of the soldiers spoke with him. After a little bit, the conductor stepped aside and allowed the soldiers onto the train.

I've got a very bad feeling about this...

"Hey, aren't those soldiers from the Earth God's army?" One of the other passengers whispered.

"Yeah, I recognize their fatigues." Another passenger replied.

The memory of the Earth God, Ajax, ripping my heart out and letting me fall off a cliff entered the forefront of my mind as I immediately tensed up.

I've got a veeeeeeery bad feeling about this...

After a few minutes, the pair of soldiers reached our train car. One of them was holding what looked like a photograph as he scanned each of the passengers, slowly moving from row to row. Eventually, he reached the end of the car and stood in front of my bench. He looked at the photo in his hand, then at me, then back to the photo, then back to me. He turned to his partner and nodded as he pocketed the photo.

"Uh... can I help y-?" I didn't get to finish my sentence as the soldier turned his rifle around and smacked me in the face with the rifle butt, knocking me out cold.

I was starting to get tired of being knocked unconscious.

I slowly regained consciousness and took in my new surroundings yet again, only to find they were surprisingly familiar. I was sitting in what appeared to be a large throne room with tall open windows lining the walls on all sides, a large throne made of crystals sitting imposingly against the far wall. In fact, the whole room looked like it was made out of crystals. The white walls, the jagged columns, the polished floor, all of it. The one thing I didn't recognize was the table I was sitting at. It was a fancy dining table carved out of, what else, crystals. There was a chair on each end of the table, as well as two chairs on the left and right sides each. Empty plates and expensive-looking silverware had been placed in front of each chair, including my own, while the rest of the table was lined with freshly prepared food. I was sitting at the end of the table farthest from the throne, looking confused as all hell.

Wait a sec... is this...?

"Finally awake, are you?" A voice to my left drew my attention.

On the left side of the table, sitting in the seat closest to me, was a human man reading a leather-bound book. He had had long, straight, jet black hair that reached past his shoulders, and while his skin was pale, his face was very defined and handsome. The scarlet red eyes that perused the book in his hand were highlighted by the black eye shadow surrounding them. He wore a formal suit jacket that was as black as his hair, a wine-red vest, a black dress shirt buttoned up to the collar, and a velvet red bowtie. Below that, he had on a pair of suit pants that matched his jacket, as well as two polished dress shoes. A fancy-looking cane was propped up against the table next to him, and a black top hat with a dark red rose in it hung on the back of the chair behind him.

If I had to describe him in one word, 'Gothic' would be the first that comes to mind.

"U-Uh... hi, uh...who are you? Where am I?" I asked, though I had a feeling I already knew the latter.

"Ah, where are my manners? My name is Agni. Amongst the other Elemental Gods, I am the Fire God." With his free hand, he snapped his fingers, lighting a small flame on his fingertips to show off a tiny bit of his power. "As for the where, you are currently in the Storm God's castle, found in the heart of the Crystal Empire." The man explained, confirming my suspicions and fears. I remembered this throne room from the show as the same one that belonged to Princess Cadance. However, the part about it belonging to the Storm God was new.

"Ah, I see...right in the heart of the lion's den..." I chuckled nervously.

"Yes, that is an apt metaphor for it." Agni also got a chuckle out of what I said, only his didn't have the same nervousness as mine. "It will be a bit of time before the others arrive, and I imagine you're a bit disoriented after being brought here so suddenly. Feel free to walk around and take in your surroundings."

"'Others'? Wha-?"

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, and I can assure you they will be answered, but they will have to wait until everyone else arrives. Like I said, feel free to stretch your legs and get your bearings. Oh, but I wouldn't recommend leaving the room. The guards outside have orders to shoot you on sight if you step through that door." He gestured to the large double doors behind me before returning to his book.

"...Thanks for the tip." I said sarcastically. It seemed I wouldn't be getting any answers just yet, so I took the man's advice and walked around the room. There wasn't much to look at in the throne room itself. The throne and the dining table were the only things worth noting. Instead, I took a look outside the window and gazed out across the rest of the Crystal Empire. Just like I remembered, the streets were laid out into the shape of a snowflake, and all the buildings were made of Crystal. The entire thing looked a lot bigger than I remembered, though. Unfortunately, we were too high up for me to get a good view of the streets below, so all the residents looked like tiny specks from here. I leaned forward and squinted to try and get a closer view, but to no avail.

Damnit, if only I could-

A *squawk!* from behind caught me off guard, and I whirled around to see a phoenix of all things flying in front of me. In its claws, it held an antique telescope.

"You looked like you wanted a better look, so I had one of my birds fetch something for you." Agni commented, not even bothering to look up from his book.

Figures the Fire God would have fire birds.

"Uh, thanks." I took the telescope from the phoenix, and it flew back over to its master. Agni raised a hand, and the bird proceeded to dissolve into dust midair. The dust was pulled by an invisible force as it was absorbed into Agni's hand, no trace of the bird to be found.

Freaky... and really cool...

Turning my attention away from the scene, I raised the telescope and looked through it. The city itself looked like it was under martial law, with security checkpoints set up all over, military vehicles driving around, and small squads of soldiers patrolling the streets. The 'soldiers' that I saw caught my eye in particular, mainly because they weren't normal soldiers.

They were robots.

I actually had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't seeing things. The robots looked like T-800 Terminators, only instead of skull-shaped heads, they had heads that resembled security cameras, a glowing red lens taking up the majority of their faces. They were also packing some serious heat, carrying weapons like AR-15's, LMG's, M32 grenade launchers, and more. There was something ominous about them in a 'big brother is always watching' kinda way, the red glow of their lens faces boring down on any passersby like a spotlight.

Speaking of, the civilians looked absolutely miserable. There was a mixture of humans, crystal ponies, and normal ponies all walking about, trying to mind their own business and avoid the gaze of the robot soldiers. I couldn't see a single person that didn't look uncomfortable or fearful. Definitely not a good sign.

Think I'm gonna add this stuff to my list of questions for when 'everyone else' arrives, whoever they may be.

My attention was pulled away from the city when I heard the doors to the throne room opening. I turned to see who had just walked in, and I felt my blood run cold upon seeing them.

"Well well well, look who it is. You're looking a bit better than the last time I saw you." Ajax, the Earth God that put a hole in my chest, strolled into the throne room. I could feel the scar on my chest burning from the mere sight of him. Out of both instinct and fear, I dropped the telescope and brought out my handgun from the inventory, shakily pointing it at him. All that did was make him laugh. "Relax will ya? As long as you remember your place, we won't have a problem. Unless, of course, you really insist on going for round two?"

I was too panicked to come up with a response, just trying to keep my aim focused on him. It turned out I didn't need to say anything, as Agni spoke for me. "That's enough, Ajax. He is a guest here, and you are to treat him as such. You're already in enough trouble with the little 'welcome' you gave him last night."

Ajax looked between Agni and myself before reluctantly backing off. "Tch, whatever..." he mumbled as he swaggered over to the dining table, taking a seat in the chair on the right side farthest from where I sat.

Agni turned in his seat to face me, "My apologies for Ajax's behavior. He has a bit of a superiority complex, but he's also one of the weakest among the Gods."

"Oh, fuck you!" Ajax cut in, but Agni ignored him and continued.

"As a result, he has a tendency to 'pick on the little guy' as it were, to make himself feel bigger."

"You say that, but you aren't much stronger than I am!" Ajax shot back.

"Yes, but I do not let that affect my ego, nor do I act out in the same childish manner as a schoolyard bully." Agni roasted Ajax, pun entirely intended. Ajax ground his teeth in anger, and looked like he was about to retort, only for the throne room doors to open again. This time, two people entered the room, one a human woman and the other a stallion.

The woman was well built and muscular, standing at almost seven feet tall. She had long ginger hair with a crown braid, green eyes, and a slight bit of blue tribal face paint around her eyes and chin. She was decked out in brown and blue Nordic armor lined with fur, an animal pelt cape hanging off the shoulders. A Viking shield, a thick broadsword, a large war hammer, and a giant battle axe all hung on her back while a pair of tomahawks hung from the leather belt around her waist. Despite being completely dry, her boots seemed to leave wet footprints behind with every step she took. If I had to guess, I assumed she was the Water God.

The stallion next to her was incredibly familiar. He had spiky yellow hair, pony ears of the same color, and amber-colored eyes, sharing a distinct resemblance with Amber. A part of me felt like that wasn't a coincidence. As for the rest of his outfit, he wore a studded denim vest with patches over a tight red t-shirt that hugged his abs. A pair of dog tags hung from a thin chain around his neck, and a studded leather bracelet was wrapped around his right wrist. Below, he wore ripped black cargo pants and work boots.

"Hello, my friends! It has been a long while since we have convened like this!" The Viking lady heartily greeted the others as she entered before turning her attention to me. "Ah, this must be the new HUD user! Greetings! I am Atla, The Water God! A pleasure to make your acquaintance!" She made her way over to me as she spoke before offering her hand, towering over me in height. I looked at her hand for a second, baffled by her friendliness towards me. Aren't these people supposed to be interested in killing me? What's with all the hospitality?

Either way, I accepted her handshake, still a little offput by her amiable attitude. As soon we grasped each other's hands, I felt her incredibly strong grip. She definitely lifts in her spare time. "U-Uh, nice to meet you too."

"HA HA HA! Do not be so tense, my friend! We are here to merely converse with you, nothing more! Though, I would not mind doing battle with you in the future! As a warrior, I have always wanted to test the power of the HUD in battle! Perhaps some other time, if you are interested!" Atla gave me a pat on the back before taking a seat at the table next to Agni. My hand felt damp, so I looked down to see that the handshake had left it soaking wet. I wiped my hand on my shirt to dry it, then shifted my gaze over to the stallion that had entered with Atla. He scrutinized me with a glare before making his own way over to the table, not a single word spoken the entire time.

With the table nearly filled, I decided to return to my own seat. "So, uh... is that everyone?"

"Not quite yet. We are still waiting on one mor-"

*BOOM!!!*

A blinding flash of light and a loud deafening explosion erupted as lighting struck at the base of the throne. Everyone present at the table was taken off guard, especially me. I could feel the ringing in my ears, though it thankfully hadn't been loud enough to make me go completely deaf. Everyone else turned to the source of the lightning as I tried to get my bearings, shaking the disorientation out of my head. Once my head was clear again, I looked to the throne and immediately felt a sense of dread; one that was matched by everyone else at the table.

A man clad in black, demonic armor sat on the throne, giving off an aura of cold foreboding, his mere presence striking fear into everyone nearby. A creepy helmet with metal demon horns rested on top of his head, completely hiding his face, save for the emissive, glowing eyes peeking through the eye holes. While I couldn't tell what his height was due to him sitting down, he had to be somewhere over ten feet tall with broad shoulders. In front of him, he held an abnormally large great sword that only someone of his size could wield, the sword itself looking just as demonic as his armor. Small sparks of electricity flickered across his body, which didn't seem to phase him in the slightest as he remained unmoving.

The guy was doing his best Sauron impersonation, and he was doing a damn good job of it.

No one at the table dared to speak, the mood having changed completely. Silence blanketed the entire throne room until the armored beast on the throne spoke, his voice deep and cold. "...You may eat."

At the big guy's word, everyone started filling their plates with food. I was the only exception, looking at the man on the throne while trying to avoid making eye contact. Logic and process of elimination told me he was the Storm God, the strongest of all the gods and the one in charge. I hadn't really thought about what to expect when I eventually met him, but I'd never even considered he would be so... menacing.

"...You are the new HUD User, correct?" He suddenly spoke up, catching me off guard.

"H-Huh? Oh! Uh, y-yeah, that's me." I nodded. He didn't respond immediately, seemingly studying me as his eyes bore into my soul.

"...We are aware you seek to overthrow us." He said.

"U-Um, well, I, uh..." I stammered and gulped nervously.

"We do not wish to start a war with you. If you force our hand, then we will. However, we would prefer a mutual peace."

I blinked, taking a second to process what he said. "W-Wait, you... don't want to fight me?"

"A war between us would lead to havoc unfolding, something we would like to avoid." Agni jumped into the conversation. "Our goal is to preserve order in our kingdoms, so obviously, unnecessary violence would conflict with that. Any attempts you make to disrupt our regime will be taken as a declaration of war, and we will be left with no choice but to retaliate. Actions such as searching for the Elements of Harmony would also be seen as a declaration of war, considering the threat that they pose for us, so we must also ask that you don't try to look for them."

"Basically, you don't fuck with us, and we won't fuck with you." Ajax added, though he didn't seem happy about it. While it seemed like a simple deal, I could tell there was an underlying catch to it. According to Discord, if I didn't find the Elements, then I wouldn't be able to get back home. As cool as it was to be in another world, I didn't intend on staying here, so giving up my search for the Elements was out of the question. Obviously, I kept that fact to myself; I'd rather avoid being targeted by the Gods for as long as possible. So for now, the best option was to play along.

"Ok, sounds simple enough." I shrugged. "So, uh, I still have some other questions I wanted to ask. Can I still ask them, or...?"

"You may ask what you wish." The Storm God gestured for me to continue, so I did.

"Okay then, first question: Those robots outside with security cameras for heads, what are they?"

"Those androids are the soldiers of my army." The Storm God answered. "Unlike the other Gods and their armies, I prefer a more... artificial infantry. They are more accurate, strong, and durable than the average soldier. More importantly, they are much more obedient. They would have no qualms sacrificing themselves to carry out their mission."

"Oh...I see..." I shuddered uncomfortably. That was certainly a... unique perspective. "A-Anyway, next question. I've been wondering about this for a while now... what did you guys do to Discord?"

"Did he not tell you when he summoned you?" Atla's eyebrow raised slightly in surprise.

"Nah, he kinda sped through his briefing on why he summoned me here. He was pretty vague about some things and completely left out others." I explained. With a wave of his hand, the Storm God produced a small storm cloud in front of him out of thin air. Within the storm cloud, I could see an image showing the base of the Crystal Castle we were currently in, the same area where the Crytal Heart would normally be. However, the Crystal Heart was nowhere to be found.

In its place was a stone statue of a familiar draconequus, the expression of shock on his face frozen in time.

Damn...that makes this the third time Discord has been turned to stone. Now I get why I need the Elements to free him.

"Wait, isn't that where the Crystal Heart should be? I thought it was needed to protect the Empire from outside threats?" I asked.

The Storm God waved away the storm cloud before answering. "Princess Cadence took the Heart with her when she fled to Canterlot, but we did not need it. A simple Haven Field, alongside my own power, is enough to keep the Empire safe."

I took a few seconds to collect my thoughts, trying to think of any other questions I had. Just as I opened my mouth to ask another one, the spiky-haired guy that resembled Amber spoke first. "Okay, is no one gonna talk about how he looks almost identical to Jason?"

The whole table was silent, everyone looking between themselves and at me. After a few seconds, Agni was the one to break the silence.

"Ash, that's not something you need to bring up right now-"

"I can't be the only one thinkin' about it! You all had to have noticed, right?" The Amber look-a-like, 'Ash', cut him off.

"...Who's Jason?" I asked the obvious question.

"Wait, he doesn't even know?" Ajax looked like he was about to start laughing at a joke I clearly wasn't getting.

"We will discuss it amongst ourselves. Later." The Storm God stated firmly before focusing on me. "It is not of importance. Continue with your questions." His tone implied it wasn't a suggestion.

Technically, that just became one of my questions, but apparently it's gonna go unanswered.

Hearing that I looked exactly like someone else they knew triggered a memory. I thought back to when I first met Jack in the White Tail Woods. At first, all the stuff he said to me seemed like random, insane ramblings, so I didn't think about it too much. Now though, one thing in particular stood out to me.

"Eh, you just look like someone I know. He was a real piece of shit, let me tell ya. Absolute fuckhole, that guy. I hate him with every fiber of my being. That's why your face is pissing me off. Nothing personal, I swear."

I wonder... was Jack talking about whoever this 'Jason' is?

"Okay, uh... let's see…" I tried to ignore the lingering thought of who 'Jason' is and move on to the question I was going to ask beforehand. "So, you mentioned that you don't want a war, and you're trying to keep order. Does that mean you aren't at war with Princess Twilight and her army?"

"About two centuries ago, we were, but we ended that quickly. They soon realized they were no match for us, and we came to a peaceful resolution. After signing an official peace treaty, it was agreed that Princess Twilight and the Equestrian Government would continue to rule the central territory of Equus, while we would rule over the rest of the world." The Storm God explained.

"Heh, the war didn't even last a month. We had 'em by the balls in no time!" Ajax chuckled.

So the Gods easily backed them into a corner. I'm not liking my odds here...

"One last question... I heard that there was someone who just barely managed to kill one of the Gods, but it looks like you're all still alive and kicking. Was that not true, or...?"

Ajax, Alta, and Ash all looked at each other, seemingly confused by what I just said. Agni on the other hand had a smirk on his face, seeming to have understood what the others missed. "I'm assuming this is another detail Discord neglected to mention to you." He said, "An Elemental God was indeed killed, but it wasn't any of us. It was the fifth God, known as the Wind God."

Wait, there were five Gods!? How much did Discord not tell me!?!

"S-So, who did it, then? Who managed to kill a God?"

"That would be your predecessor, the first HUD user." The Storm God answered. I let the information sink in as the realization hit me: Jack, that absolute lunatic, was the one person in all of Equus who managed to kill a God. Not only that, but if he managed to kill a God, then does that mean...

...Would I be capable of killing a God?

Obviously, I wouldn't have a chance in my current state, but if I continued to level up and grow stronger, maxing out all my skills until they're at 100, then maybe, just maybe... Well, then again, Jack only killed one of five Gods, and it was only just barely. If I had to guess, the Wind God probably wasn't one of the stronger Gods, either. I might be able to take on Agni or Ajax once I've maxed out my skills, but Atla and the Storm God would most likely be a different story. According to Discord, they're stronger than the rest of the Gods, so I probably won't stand a chance against them.

"Okay... other than the 'Jason' thing, I think that's all the questions I have."

"Hold on a sec." Ash spoke up again. "I've actually got a question I wanted to ask you myself. That's why I insisted on being here to meet you."

I raised an eyebrow, curious. "Uh...Okay, lay it on me."

"Tell me, did you happen to help Amber escape Tartarus?"

My eyes widened in shock. "How did you-...?"

"Just a hunch. I found out this morning that she escaped yesterday with the help of someone, a human." He shrugged, taking a bite of his food.

"W-Well, uh, yeah, I helped her. How do you know her?"

"I'm her brother, Ash Aurora, but I get the feeling you figured as much."

I nodded. "I thought it was something like that, but I wasn't 100% certain... she didn't mention she had a brother." While the revelation that Ash was her brother didn't surprise me too much, the next thing he said certainly did.

"I'm guessing she also didn't mention she was a soldier for the Storm God's army?" Ash added, and to say he caught me off guard with that would be an understatement. "Oh, and I don't mean a normal rank and file soldier like those walking tin cans outside. She was part of a special ops unit alongside me. She tried to bail and go AWOL though, so I had her thrown in Tartarus. Unfortunately, you fucked that up. She's probably running to her 'friends' in Canterlot now..."

"She is of no concern to us." The Storm God jumped in. "She does not pose any threat, and pursuing her into Equestrian territory would be a breach of the peace treaty. If she wishes to be a coward and flee, then let her."

"She isn't a coward!" I blurted out before my brain caught up, jumping at the chance to defend Amber. All eyes turned to me, and I clamped my mouth shut, immediately regretting my actions.

"Pffft! Yeah, sure. whatever you say, kid." Ash chuckled. I'm guessing by the look he was giving me, he could tell (or at least was theorizing) that I had a bit of a crush on Amber.

"If that is all for your questions, then it would seem our business is finished. Remember, do not attempt to interfere with our reign, and we will not target you." The Storm God snapped his fingers, and the doors behind me opened yet again. Two of those android soldiers, both carrying AR-15 rifles, stepped into the throne room and approached my seat. As soon as I saw one of them raise the butt of their rifle, I could tell what was about to happen.

"H-Hold on, can't you just-!?"

The rifle butt smacked me in the head before I could finish, sending me into unconsciousness once more.

This 'getting knocked out' thing is starting to become a bad habit...

That was the first thought on my mind as I started to come to. I found myself laying in the grass several feet away from some train tracks. Looking around to get my bearings, I quickly spotted a familiar bridge that crossed over a river and immediately recognized where I was. I'd been dropped off in the exact same spot where Ajax's soldiers had found me, the only difference being that the train I'd been riding in was long gone.

Great. Now I'm gonna have to walk the rest of the way to Las Pegasus.

I took a second to think about the 'meeting' I just had. I never would've expected to meet all the Elemental Gods so soon. After getting to know them, I could say for certain that they were an...eccentric bunch. Clearly, the Storm God lived up to being the strongest of the Gods, and the most intimidating. He even had the other Gods feeling nervous just by being in the same room! The revelation that there were actually five gods was also pretty shocking. Seriously, why did Discord keep so much stuff from me?

Looking up at the sky, I could see the sun setting over the horizon as nighttime approached. As I watched the sun, a part of me thought about how miles away from here, one of the alicorn princesses was currently using their magic to lower the sun. If I had to guess, it would probably be Twilight, since she took on that responsibility when she became the Princess of Equestria, but there's still the possibility it could be any four of them. Twilight, Celestia, Luna, Cadence... Actually, it would be any five of them now, right? It's been 500 years, Flurry Heart isn't a baby anymore. God, it would be weird to see her all grown up now...

I don't know why I was dwelling on the thought of the princesses so much. I guess it was just now setting in that the characters I'd grown to understand and care about were actually out there, miles away from where I was. They were real, and I had a chance to meet them in person. Would they be just like how I remember, or have they changed in the past 500 years? How are they doing right now? Were they doing okay mentally? I didn't have the full scoop of what happened in the 500 years since Twilight's coronation, but from what parts I've heard, it was one shitstorm after another. I can't imagine it's been having a good effect on them.

I shook the thought of them out of my head. Standing around and feeling concerned for them wasn't going to accomplish anything. If I wanted to change things for the better, I needed to get going. With a deep breath, I started making my way towards the bridge and in the direction of Las Pegasus. Hopefully, there would be some sort of lead I could use there to track down the Elements of Harmony.

Author's Note

General Status
User: Justin Baker
Current Level: 2
Current XP: 150/200
Money: $5,000
Overall HP: 110/110
Head: 100%
Torso: 100%
Left Arm: 100%
Right Arm: 100%
Left Leg: 100%
Right Leg: 100%

Skills
Strength: 10/100
Endurance: 5/100
Reflexes: 14/100
Agility: 3/100
Stealth: 4/100
Guns: 4/100
Explosives: 2/100
Melee: 2/100
Unarmed: 1/100
Medicine: 2/100

Finally got this chapter finished! Sorry it took so long, but I've been working on the next chapter for another fic I'm writing, Devil May Cry: Demons in Equestria, at the same time as this one (For those following that story, don't worry, it's almost finished!). On top of that, I've been busy with work and other personal hobbies while occasionally having a day where I just feel too lazy to do anything productive (Obviously, that last one isn't a good excuse and I know I should do better).

We learned quite a bit in this chapter; we got to meet the rest of the Elemental Gods (Plus Amber's brother), found out what exactly happened to Discord, learned that there were actually five gods instead of four, and found out that Jack of all people managed to kill the Wind God. However, with these answers came more questions: Who is Jason? Does he truly share a resemblance to Justin? If so, why? What importance does he hold? All will be revealed eventually, but for now, it shall remain another mystery...

This chapter was much more story-focused and had a lack of action unlike the previous chapters. However, that will change in the next chapter, which will be mostly action-focused. Hope you guys enjoyed it nonetheless, and stay tuned for more!

Chapter 5: The Infected (Part 1)

Justin

As I followed the train tracks to Las Pegasus, I bobbed my head up and down to the beat of the song I'd asked the HUD to play, the song in question being Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer". One might think it's both distracting and tactically disadvantageous to be listening to music when things like zombies, monsters, hostile wildlife, and other post-apocalyptic threats could be roaming around. However, my hearing wasn't being sacrificed for the sake of listening to music. The HUD's music player was unique in that I could hear the music as if I were listening to it through high quality headphones, yet it didn't cancel out any other noises. I could still hear the ambient noises of the night around me perfectly fine, so I was able to remain aware of any possible danger.

The sun had gone down completely by this point, the moon having taken its place. Luckily, I wasn't left in total darkness thanks in part to the moon itself, as well as the numerous stars, serving as a light source. The sounds of owls hooting and crickets chirping echoed through the night in tandem with my music. After crossing the bridge, the trees I'd been surrounded by before became more sparse, but they hadn't disappeared entirely. Still, the more open terrain made it easier to keep an eye out for potential threats. I wouldn't have needed to keep an eye out for threats in the first place if the four gods hadn't sent their soldiers to kidnap me from the train, but hey, what can ya do.

"Hey HUD, any idea how long it'll take me to reach Las Pegasus?"

"If User: Justin continues at this pace, then User: Justin will most likely reach Las Pegasus by tomorrow morning at the earliest."

"Great…" I groaned. I was gonna have a long walk ahead of me.

"Warning: The area outside of Havens can be more dangerous at night. Recommendation: User: Justin should find shelter to rest until tomorrow before continuing on."

I wasn't feeling tired enough for sleep, thanks to the fact that I'd just woken up less than an hour ago after being knocked unconscious. Still, I thought it might be a good idea to heed the HUD's advice if it meant avoiding unnecessary danger. "If you say so, but I can't say I'm a fan of camping out, especially in the middle of nowhere."

"Negative. User: Justin should avoid camping in the wilderness. Not only does User: Justin lack the necessary supplies, but the risk of potential threats attacking the User while sleeping is too high. User: Justin should find somewhere secure to stay."

"Alright then, any recommendations? As far as I can tell, there isn't anything near-"

"Scans indicate that there is an abandoned logging camp not far from here. It should suffice as a secure place to rest."

"Wait, really?" I opened up my map to check, but I didn't see anything like that. "Are you sure? There's nothing on here."

"Reminder: the map that User: Justin was given is unfortunately outdated."

"Ah, right. Another example of Discord not properly preparing me for this."

"To be fair, Subject: Discord has been trapped in stone for over 200 years. His knowledge of the world's current state is limited, so preparing a more recent map would be difficult."

"…Yeah, I guess that's true. Anyway, where's this logging camp at?" I asked. In response, an objective marker appeared for me to follow, pointing Southwest from where I was. It would be a bit of a detour and take me away from the train tracks, but it wouldn't cause me to stray too far off course. Besides, it wasn't like I needed to follow the tracks. I still had a map I could use, even if it was outdated. "Alrighty then, to the logging camp we go. Hopefully I'll find somewhere comfortable enough to sleep there..." I altered my course and started walking in the direction of the objective marker, unaware of what I might find at the logging camp.

It didn't take too long to reach the logging camp, where I found the entire perimeter was surrounded by a tall chain link fence. What stood out to me was that, for some odd reason, the fence was reinforced with rusted sheet metal, and barbed wire was lined across the top. The sheet metal made it impossible to peek through the fence and get a glimpse at the camp, and there was no chance in hell I was climbing over with the barbed wire on the top, even if I was agile enough to climb it in the first place.

A large wide-open gate served as the only entrance, an empty security booth sitting right next to it. Not far away was an old train stop, much smaller than the station I'd fought at earlier. According to the HUD, had I kept following the train tracks, I would've found a railroad switch that led to this stop. Breaking away from the tracks and heading straight for the logging camp was the faster route, though. I imagine before this place was abandoned, the train would make a stop here for the people that worked at the logging camp, whether they were coming or going.

I started to approach the entrance gate, only to stop when I saw a humanoid creature shamble through, heading in my direction. Rotting flesh, pale eyes, sluggish movements, and growling; all the telltale signs of a zombie. Judging by the pony ears on its head and lack of anything else, I'd say it used to be an earth pony. I brought out the Walther P22 from my inventory in a flash, already aimed at the zombie. It took notice of me and started shuffling its legs to try and reach me. It was still several feet away and moving very slowly, so I didn't need to worry about it getting too close as I took aim and fired. The first shot hit it in the head, and I was surprised to see that was all it took as the zombie collapsed to the ground, unmoving. For a second, I wondered if it was just playing dead, as I'd seen that happen numerous times in zombie games before. However, the worries were quickly washed away as an XP notification confirmed the kill.

+2 XP

"That's...not a whole lot of XP, is it?" I commented.

"Basic infected are extremely easy to defeat by themselves, so they do not yield much XP."

"'Basic' infected? Are there other kinds?" In response, the HUD brought up an 'Encyclopedia', similar to when I asked her about the Tartarus Guardians.

"Encyclopedia: Basic Infected"

"Basic infected, or 'Shamblers' as most people call them, are the simplest form of those infected with the Expiron Virus. They are slow, unintelligent, and can be defeated with minimal effort. However, basic infected make up for their shortcomings by often traveling in large groups to overwhelm their prey. While a single basic infected can be taken care of with ease, the same can't be said for an entire horde."

'Expiron Virus', huh? Guess that's the name for Equestria's zombie virus. Also, 'Shambler' sounds like a much better name than 'basic infected', so I'll just call them shamblers from now on.

After hearing the encyclopedia on shamblers, a concerning question dawned on me. "Hey HUD? What would happen if I were to get bit by an infected? Would I turn into one?"

"If User: Justin is bitten by an infected, he will be infected with the Expiron Virus. However, User: Justin will not turn into an infected himself."

"Wait, what? So... you're saying I'd be infected and... not infected at the same time?"

"When someone is infected with the Expiron virus, they do not turn immediately or within a set time limit. Those infected with the Expiron Virus will only turn into an infected themselves after they have perished."

"So even if I do get infected, I won't become a zombie unless I die... and since death isn't permanent for me... I basically don't have anything to worry about."

"Affirmative."

"Alright, well that's a relief!" I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. For a second, I was worried fighting zombies would be extremely risky if all it took to kill me was a single bite. This makes things way easier! With this in mind, I reloaded my handgun and looted the shambler's body.

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
10 +1 / 19

$100

Once that was done, I nonchalantly strolled through the gate and entered the logging camp. The first thing I saw was a few rows of small, single-room log cabins that the workers must have stayed in. Beyond the rows of cabins, I could see countless stacks of cut logs standing at more than twice my height. Finally, way in the back, I could see a large, wooden, two-story building painted red. I didn't see any equipment for cutting up the logs sitting around, so if I had to guess, it was all being kept in that building.

Before I could even think about where to go next, the gate suddenly shut behind me, locking in place.

What the-!?

The entire fence lit up, sparks of electricity violently flickering from it. I didn't need to be a genius to know that touching it would fry me to a crisp. A screeching noise coming from one of the cabins near me stole my attention away from the fence, and I saw six more zombies exiting some of the cabins, charging straight at me. Right off the bat, I could tell there was something different about these zombies compared to the shambler I'd just killed. First off, their eyes were pure red, unlike the pale grey I saw in the shambler's eyes earlier. Secondly, they were able to move faster than the shambler, capable of running at me but not quite a full-on sprint. Finally, three of the six zombies were armed with weapons; A claw hammer, a fire axe, and a shovel.

Not good, NOT GOOD!

I raised my gun at them to attack, but I didn't expect them to respond to it. To my surprise, they actually did react to it as they slowed their approach, choosing to stalk towards me and try to circle around me. They already had me cornered, so surrounding me wasn't exactly difficult for them. They started grunting and growling at each other, one would growl to another and it would growl back in response. If I didn't know any better, it kind of looked like they were communicating. I lined up the sight with one of the zombie's heads, but the split second before I pulled the trigger, it ducked down and avoided my shot, causing me to miss. I aimed at another zombie, this time without pulling the trigger, and it made similar movements, ducking down and taking a step to the left.

Are-... are they trying to throw my aim off?

That was another difference between these zombies and the shambler at the gate: These zombies had intelligence. They weren't just mindlessly coming towards me, they were strategizing. For some odd reason, seeing this behavior actually gave me a feeling of deja vu, like I'd seen it before. Unfortunately, I was too panicked at the moment to think about where I'd seen it.

I opened fire again, two shots going into the chest of one of the approaching zombies. It was enough to make the zombie flinch, but it didn't stop it in its tracks. I kept firing, but it was fruitless as one of the bare-handed zombies got close enough to grab me. He wrapped his hands around my throat and started squeezing, and I struggled in his grip. Thinking fast, I pulled out my makeshift knife and stabbed it in the zombie's throat, causing it to loosen its grip before I kicked it away from me. After having freed myself, I turned to my left just a second too late as the zombie holding the claw hammer swung his weapon at my head, smacking me in the left temple.

-11 HP

Overall HP: 99/110

Head: 91%

I was dazed from the hit and had to shake the dizziness away. As soon as I did, I saw the zombie with the fire axe swing his weapon down into my right shoulder.

-24 HP

Overall HP: 75/110

Right Arm: 87%

"AAGH!!!" I cried out as the axe sank into my flesh. I fell to my knees as the zombie ripped the axe out of the fresh gash. I looked up again just in time to see the zombie swing the axe down into my skull, hitting my brain and killing me instantly. After the zombie ripped the axe out again, my body slumped to the ground as blood poured from the gaping wound in my head.

GAME OVER

Load Checkpoint?

Yes >No

I woke up with a gasp before frantically looking around, trying to get my bearings. The first thing I noticed was that I was standing inside the logging camp already, the electrified fence having just been activated. My attention was drawn to the sound of screeching as I saw the six zombies that just killed me exiting the cabins and running straight towards me.

"User: Justin is currently outnumbered and in a disadvantageous position. Recommendation: Fall back and retreat."

Considering what just happened when I tried staying and fighting, The HUD didn't have to tell me twice. Going back the way I came was out of the question thanks to the electrified gate, so I decided to make a break for one of the cabins. I fired a round at one of the zombies, hitting it square in the face and stunning it, while also creating an opening for me to run between the zombies. I dashed through, ducking as the zombie with the hammer swung at me, narrowly missing my head. Luckily, despite them being faster than the first zombie, they weren't as fast as me at a full adrenaline-fueled sprint, so I easily outran them. I burst into the closest cabin and slammed the door behind me. Frantically looking around, I spotted a dresser and quickly pushed it in front of the door to barricade it. Once finished, I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"The logging camp does not appear to be a secure place for User: Justin to stay. It would seem I have made a miscalculation."

"Gee, no shit!" I said out of frustration, panting to catch my breath. I took a quick look around the cabin I found myself in. It was pretty barren, the only inclusions to the interior being the dresser I just pushed and a bed in the far corner. The cabin had two windows, one on the left wall and one on the right. "HUD, what the fuck were those things!? Those weren't normal zombies!" I exclaimed. A second later, another Encyclopedia appeared before me.

"Encyclopedia: Advanced Infected"

"Advanced infected, or 'Prowlers' as most people call them, are tougher and more intelligent than basic infected. They are capable of strategizing, using weapons, and laying traps. Studies have shown that they are somehow capable of communicating with each other, but no one has been able to decipher their seemingly unintelligible growls, grunts, and screeches. While they aren't as numerous as basic infected, there are still plenty of advanced infected roaming around Equus. They can be extremely dangerous and overwhelming in numbers, so caution is advised."

Why the hell does this feel familiar? I swear I've seen zombies act like this somewhere before, but where have I-?

...And that's when it hit me:

Ganados.

For those that haven't played Resident Evil 4 and don't know what 'Ganados' are... well, first of all you should play Resident Evil 4, because it's one of the best games ever made. Secondly, Ganados, which is Spanish for Cattle or Livestock, are what the enemies are called in that game. Unlike the zombies seen in the series prior to Resident Evil 4, the Ganados were unique in that they weren't just mindless zombies. They would communicate with each other in Spanish, use a variety of weapons to attack the player, set traps like dynamite tripwires or bear traps, and try to throw off the player's aim by either raising their arms and shielding their face to make headshots difficult, or ducking and sidestepping to try and dodge the player's bullets.

The zombies, or 'Prowlers' as the HUD said, that just ambushed me earlier showed a lot of the same traits, making me wonder if they were exactly like the Ganados. If they were, then I wouldn't be completely clueless on how to deal with them, having fought off hordes of Ganados in RE4. Granted, that was a video game and this was real life, but it was something. At the same time, it also made me fully aware of how much of a threat these prowlers are, and how much danger I was currently in, as if them successfully killing me wasn't enough of a warning. I needed to find a way out of this place, and fast. "HUD, do you know if there are any other entrances or exits besides the one we just came through?"

"Negative. That gate is the only way in and out of the logging camp. User: Justin will need to find a way to shut off the electricity and open the gate in order to escape."

The HUD then gave me a new notification.

[Side Quest]: Logging Camp Ambush

Objective 1: Find a way to shut off the electric fence.

My attention was pulled away from the objective when I heard the sound of... an engine running?

What's making that noise?

It sounded like it was coming from outside on the cabin's left side, so I peeked through the left window to see what was going on. My eyes went wide when I saw what the source of the noise was. The 'engine' noise I heard? It was coming from a big rig making its way over from where the log stacks were, and sitting in the driver's seat was one of the prowlers. I'm guessing the truck was used to transport logs or other large cargo back in the day, but right now, the infected were using it for another purpose. Once the rig was facing the cabin I was in, the prowler hit the gas, and the big rig started speeding towards it.

They were gonna ram the building, with me inside it.

OH SHIT!!!

Thinking quickly, I did a 180 and went for the window on the opposite wall. I opened it and climbed through, tumbling to the ground before booking it as fast as I could away from the cabin. I looked back to see the truck hit the cabin with full force, causing the small building to collapse. The truck appeared to be trapped under the debris, so I hopefully wouldn't need to worry about it anymore.

Jesus Christ, that was close!

The sound of screeching came from far behind me, and I looked to see more prowlers running towards me. A few of them were unarmed, but most of them were wielding all kinds of tools that could easily be used as lethal weapons.

Shit, time to go!

I started running in the opposite direction, unsure of where my goal was. For now, all I was worried about was getting away and living.

I eventually managed to lose the group of prowlers that was chasing me and hid in another cabin, which had the same layout as the cabin I was in earlier. I peeked through the windows to make sure I hadn't been followed, and once I was certain I was safe, I let myself relax. I bent over with my hands on my knees, panting heavily as sweat dripped from my forehead.

Good lord, those guys can put up a chase...

Once I'd managed to catch my breath, I stood up straight and gave the room a once over, looking for any supplies that might help me. There wasn't anything but old worn-out work clothes in the dresser, so nothing of value there. However, I did manage to find a small chest tucked underneath the bed and pulled it out. Inside, I found a piece of cloth, a bottle of alcohol, some extra bits, and some more handgun ammo.

1 Cloth

1 Alcohol

$100

x8 Handgun Ammo

I immediately used the supplies to craft a molotov and, remembering I'd used up a bullet earlier, reloaded my gun.

1 Cloth

1 Alcohol

1 Molotov Cocktail

[Walther P22 (Handgun)]
10 +1 / 26

Good to have more ammo, but I doubt it's nearly enough to deal with all those things.

Now that I had time for a quick breather, I started brainstorming how I was going to get out of this place. Obviously, the electric fence was being powered by something, and I just needed to turn it off. Maybe they're using a generator? If so, where would it be? Maybe that large red building I saw towards the back of the camp? It's as good a place as any to start searching. The problem was, that building wasn't exactly close, and this place was crawling with infected. Who knows what kinds of traps or ambushes they might have set up?

No sense dwelling on it. If I don't do something, I'll be stuck here.

"Looks like you're in a bit of a pickle, hmm?" I turned around when I heard the familiar sound of Dissaria's voice. She stood in her doorway, thankfully wearing pants for once.

"That's putting it lightly." I chuckled as I approached her. "Any chance I can take a look at what you're selling? I get the feeling I'm gonna need to gear up."

"Be my guest." She obliged, and the shop menu showed up next to her.

DISARRIA'S SHOP
[BUY]
[UPGRADE]
[CRAFT/REPAIR]
[SELL]

I was about to tap on the 'buy' option, but a glance at the 'sell' option changed my mind. I recalled that my inventory was starting to feel a bit cluttered, and I wanted to see if there was anything I didn't need that I could exchange for more cash.

[SELL]

Walther P22 (Handgun) [$2,000]

Makeshift Knife [Can't Sell]

Rusted Metal Pipe (80%) [$400]

Full Health Stims (1) [$10,000 per stim]

Handgun Ammo (26) [$25 per bullet]

Assault Rifle Ammo (15) [$30 per bullet]

Molotov Cocktails (6) [$1,000 per cocktail]

I remembered that the price to buy handgun ammo from Disarria was $50 per bullet, so it seemed that just like in video games, selling items to a shop always earns less money than what it cost to buy it. Also, holy shit, the Full Health Stim is worth a lot of money.

Hmm...I think I can keep everything here except for the assault rifle ammo. I don't have a rifle, and I doubt I'll find one in this place.

x15 Assault Rifle Ammo

$450

Once that was done, I swapped over to the 'Buy' screen.

[BUY]

Weapons:
- Luger P08 (Handgun) [$8,000]

Health:
- Health Stim (Small) [$2,500]

Ammo:
- Handgun Ammo [$50 per bullet]

Crafting Recipes:
- Small Health Stim Recipe [$5,000]
- Handgun Ammo Recipe [$10,000]

Doesn't seem like there's anything new available, and they're still just as pricey. I could buy more Health Stims... but I really wanna save up for the Luger. I could use a better handgun than what I have now. At the very least, I can use the money I got from the assault rifle ammo and buy some more handgun ammo.

$450

x9 Handgun Ammo

As soon as I was done, I turned to Disarria. "Alrighty, I think that'll be all for now."

"If you say so. If you decide you need me again, come looking for me in one of these cabins. Best of luck to you!" Disarria closed her door behind her, and it proceeded to fade away as usual. Once she was gone, I took a peek through one of the cabin's windows and saw the big red building beyond the stacks of logs. It didn't look too far away, but it felt farther due to the fact that there were God knows how many infected wandering around trying to kill me. I didn't have any other options though, so I was just gonna have to bite the bullet.

"Here goes nothing..." I muttered to myself as I exited the cabin.

It took some sneaking on my part to avoid the prowlers roaming about, but I eventually managed to reach the log stacks. Now that I was closer, I could see they were all arranged in a maze-like formation, and there wasn't any way around them. I'm not sure if the prowlers had set the logs up this way on purpose or not, but it didn't matter either way. If I wanted to reach the red building, I was gonna have to wander through the maze until I found the end.

Sitting just outside the entrance of this improvised maze was a rotting corpse, its back laying against the logs. The body belonged to a male earth pony, his stomach having been torn open and his intestines spilled out across the grass, a few flies swarming around the gore. A bullet hole could be seen in his right temple, and an empty snub-nosed revolver lay dormant in his limp right hand. I wasn't a detective, but I was intuitive enough to figure out that he must have been infected and knew he wasn't going to survive that wound, so he did himself in to spare himself from turning.

Jesus...

"It would appear that User: Justin is not the first survivor to come across this logging camp and fall victim to the infected."

"It would appear so..." I agreed with the HUD, grimacing as I approached the body. I could see the corpse was wearing a backpack and, as disrespectful as it may be, I wanted to see if there was any supplies I could use inside of it. I didn't want to loot the poor guy, but it would be better if any supplies he might have didn't go to waste. First, I picked up a nearby stick and poked the revolver to see if it would shock me. Sure enough, a small spark came off of the revolver the second the stick made contact with it, meaning it had a weapon-binding spell applied to it. I wouldn't be getting any use out of it, unfortunately.

After swatting a few of the flies away, I moved on to the backpack next, pulling it off of the corpse. Inside the bag was a few different things, mostly old clothes and spoiled food. The first thing of note that I found was some extra handgun ammo, which I imagine had been for the revolver.

x6 Handgun Ammo

After digging through some more spoiled food, my eyes widened upon seeing a compound crossbow in the backpack, along with a few arrows right next to it. I quickly grabbed the stick I used earlier and poked the crossbow, praying that I wouldn't get the same result as the revolver. Thankfully, my prayers had been answered, as when the stick touched the crossbow, nothing happened. With some excitement, I pulled the crossbow and arrows out of the bag and inspected the weapon.

[Crossbow]
0 / 4

Crossbow Stats:
Damage: 1.20
Ammo Capacity: 1
Rate of Fire: N/A
Accuracy: 3.50
Bonus: Silenced Weapon

Hell yeah! New weapon!

I grabbed one of the arrows and placed it onto the crossbow's rail before pulling back the bowstring to finish loading it. Unfortunately, it took a decent amount of muscle and effort to do so, and I didn't have the arrow loaded for a good few seconds.

The crossbow does slightly more damage than the Walther P22, but it only fires one arrow at a time, and it takes a while to reload. That'd definitely be a hindrance if I used it in the middle of a fight. It doesn't make any noise when fired though, so it'll definitely come in handy for stealth.

I placed the crossbow in my inventory and turned to look at the corpse. "I'll put it to good use, I promise." I then turn my attention to the maze's entrance, take a deep breath, and step inwards. I moved slowly and cautiously through the maze, peeking around each corner and fearing what might be around them. When I peeked around the third corner I came across, I spotted a prowler holding a hatchet walking up and down the path, patrolling. I pressed my back against the logs and stayed hidden, not daring to step out from around the corner until the prowler had turned his back to me. As I waited, I retrieved the crossbow from my inventory.

Time to give this baby a whirl.

The second the prowler had turned around and started patrolling the other way, I stepped out from my cover and aimed the crossbow at it. I took a deep breath, held it, and pulled the trigger. The arrow cut threw the air, my intended target being the prowler's head.

Instead, the arrow dipped and hit the prowler in the upper back.

SHIT!

I quickly ducked back into cover before the prowler could see me. It looked around angrily in an attempt to find out what had hit it. After about ten seconds, he gave up and resumed his patrol, uncaring about the arrow still plunged in his back. It seemed that while prowlers were smarter than the average zombie, they weren't exactly brainiacs either, which worked in my favor. Speaking of a lack of intelligence...

Goddamnit, I forgot to compensate for the arrow drop. Nice job, idiot.

I loaded another arrow onto the crossbow and took aim again once the prowler's back was turned...again. This time, I aimed the crossbow slightly upwards to compensate for the drop before pulling the trigger.

The arrow whizzed by the prowler's head, missing it by about an inch, before hitting the ground.

GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!!!

I ducked back into cover again, loaded an arrow onto the crossbow again, waited for the prowler to no longer be suspicious again, before I stepped out, aimed, and fired yet again. This time, I finally managed to hit my target as the arrow pierced the prowler's head, its body slumping to the ground.

+10 XP

Darryl Dixon makes this look easier than it actually is. Using the crossbow effectively is gonna take a lot of practice...

I walked over to the prowler's corpse and was just about to loot it when I noticed something; the arrows that were plunged into the prowler were still intact. I glanced over at the arrow in the ground, and it was still perfectly fine as well. It seemed arrows don't break and can be re-used. Definitely handy for conserving ammo. I collected all three and reloaded the crossbow before moving on to the corpse, which didn't have anything I haven't seen before.

$400

x2 Handgun Ammo

I tried picking up the hatchet the prowler was holding, but as soon as I did, the head of the hatchet fell off and into the dirt, rendering the weapon broken and useless. I shrugged and dropped the handle before continuing on through the maze.

It didn't take me long to arrive at a crossroads, with my options being left or straight. After a few seconds, I decided on turning left, which led me to another turn that led to... a dead end. With a sigh, I turned back around and was about to head back the way I came, only to be cut off by a prowler holding a sledgehammer, who jumped out from around the corner and took a swing at me. I just barely managed to avoid the attack by leaping back away from it, falling onto my back. I scrambled away to put some distance between us before getting back to my feet, bringing out the rusted metal pipe from my inventory. Before the prowler could swing the hammer at me again, I swung the pipe first, hitting it in the face.

[Rusted Metal Pipe (75%)]

The stunned prowler clutched its face in pain as it stumbled, and I took the opportunity to swing at one of its legs, bringing it to its knees. With an overhead swing, I brought the pipe down onto the prowler's head, causing it to fall to the ground completely. When it continued to move, I smashed the pipe over the prowler's head once, twice, and finally a third time before it stopped moving.

[Rusted Metal Pipe (50%)]

+10 XP

Jesus, he nearly gave me a heart attack...

After taking a breath, I looted its body.

$500

x2 Handgun Ammo

Just as I finished, my gaze whipped from the prowler's body to the path I'd just taken when I heard the screeches of more prowlers. I quickly ran back to the crossroads and looked back the way I came, seeing at least 10 more prowlers running towards me, half of them carrying improvised weapons.

No way am I taking them all on, time to run!

I started running down the straight path I avoided earlier, making a couple more turns before I slipped on a puddle of some sort of liquid and fell face first into the ground. I pushed myself up, spitting out some of the liquid I'd fallen into, only to finally notice what the liquid in question was just as I got to my hands and knees.

Is this... kerosene?

The puddle of kerosene was spread out along the path all the way to the end, where I saw the exit to the maze. When I heard a prowler's growl come from above, I looked up at the top of the log stacks and saw several tipped-over metal barrels sitting on the edge, most likely having been filled with kerosene prior to being dumped into the path. Standing next to the barrels was a prowler holding a lit torch and looking down at me, and it only took me a second to put two and two together.

OH SWEET FUCKIN' CHRIST!!!

I immediately made a beeline for the exit, but that was made difficult due to the kerosene being so slippery, and I could barely keep my balance. Behind me, I could hear the prowlers that were chasing me getting closer and closer. With desperation and panic in my heart, I kept moving forward as the prowler dropped the torch and let it fall down into the path. The puddle lit up and the flames raced after me as I continued to slip and stumble towards the exit. I finally, and just barely, managed to reach it and dived forward, once again landing face first on the ground. I looked back at the flame-filled path and saw a few of the prowlers that were behind me ended up getting caught in the fire, their bodies getting lit up like candles. Unfortunately, since I wasn't the one that set them on fire, I didn't get any XP when their burnt corpses fell to the ground. The prowlers that hadn't gotten caught in the fire watched me from across the path, unable to reach me with the flaming obstacle in front of them.

"HA! You snooze you lose, morons!" I called out to them before getting back to my feet. The front part of me was damp from falling in the kerosene, which sucked ass, but there wasn't much I could do about it. I turned back around and faced my destination: The red building. It looked to be about two stories high, just as I'd already observed from when I first entered the logging camp, and appeared to resemble a barn. The red-painted wood was old and worn, a decent amount of the paint flaking off. I could see a large sliding door on the right side that served as the entrance, and an unpainted wooden platform on the left side of the second floor. Unfortunately, I couldn't tell whether or not there was another entrance on the platform from where I was standing.

About damn time I made it here. This better have been worth the trouble...

With that, I took my first steps towards the red building in hopes of finding a way to turn off the electric fence, whatever dangers might be lurking inside being a complete mystery to me.

Author's Note

General Status
User: Justin Baker
Current Level: 2
Current XP: 172/200
Money: $6,100
Overall HP: 110/110
Head: 100%
Torso: 100%
Left Arm: 100%
Right Arm: 100%
Left Leg: 100%
Right Leg: 100%

Skills
Strength: 10/100
Endurance: 5/100
Reflexes: 14/100
Agility: 3/100
Stealth: 4/100
Guns: 4/100
Explosives: 2/100
Melee: 2/100
Unarmed: 1/100
Medicine: 2/100

Happy early Halloween, everybody! This chapter wasn't originally intended to be a two-parter, but I wanted to give an update on the story as soon as possible since I hate making you guys wait so long for a new chapter. I might have gotten it up a few days earlier if I hadn't been preoccupied with starting, beating, and getting the platinum trophy for Spider-Man 2 on the PS5 these past few days. (The game was awesome btw, this has been a fantastic year for video games.)

This chapter is much less story focused and mostly serves as a proper introduction for the infected. There are several different types of infected, but for now, I've just shown you guys what will be the most commonly seen kinds of infected: shamblers and prowlers. Don't worry though, more will appear in the second part. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are still interested enough to keep reading. Until next time, stay tuned for more!

(P.S. Would you guys mind if I included Justin's current abilities and inventory in the Author's Notes alongside the current stats that are already there? I want to make it easier for everyone reading to keep track of all his stats and equipment, so I felt that logging them in the Author's Notes would be a good way to keep track of it. Please let me know what you think in the comments!)

Chapter 5: The Infected (Part 2)

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.