//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Human Hunt Day // Story: Equestria University Adventures // by Freewillornot //------------------------------// Chapter 7: Human Hunt Day "Oh wow, geez, how do I keep getting into these situations?" I muttered to myself as I made an attempt to maintain my current speed or at least not trip over myself. Pushing past the front doors of the building, I scanned my surroundings, searching for any escape route. Spotting an alleyway up ahead, I dove in, finally managing to shake off my pursuers. “Why are they running after me?” I wondered aloud. A chuckle emerged from the shadows. “Do you not read up on anything?” a voice teased. I turned to face my new challenger, finding Mark leaning against a wall, his expression amused. “It’s Human Hunt Day, a tradition for the first years. It’s like hazing of sorts.” “Hazing? They just made me run a freaking marathon in sandals!” Observing Mark's drenched appearance, I couldn't help but inquire, “Why are you soaked, Mark?” “You lucked out, man. Remember who I have as a guidance buddy? As soon as I woke up, she gave me a one-minute head start before she came after me with water balloons.” “Dang.” “Anyways, it all stops at 3 pm. It's 11 am now, we've got four hours to go. Do you have any other classes today? In class is the only safe zone.” “No, I’m done for the day. But I am getting pretty hungry.” “How nice for you. I've got a class at 2. Forget about eating they have the whole campus surrounded.” “How’s everyone else doing?” Mark shrugged. “I don’t know, I haven’t run into anyone else yet. I’m going to stay here until my class.” “Come on, Mark, where is your sense of adventure?” “My adventure died when I got paired with Pink Death.” “We’ll stick to the shadows. If anyone even looks in our direction, we’ll make a run for it back here. This seems to be some kind of dead zone for them.” It didn’t take us long to find Jake; he was partying with the lot of them, paint splattered all over himself. He was handling it well, seeming unfazed. That traitor—how could he just be getting along with the enemies? Next, we stumbled upon Thomas, stuck in the middle of a gum-mined field. On the other side, Rarity was trying to help him with her magic, slowly moving the gum wads out of the way so he could pass. We wanted to help him, but we kind of didn't know how to go about it and wondered how he even got into that situation. A voice interrupted our observations. “What are you guys doing?!” Startled, we turned to find Emily hiding in a bush. “Emily, what are you doing here?” She sighed before answering, “What does it look like? I’m hiding and waiting for this nonsense to be over.” “In a bush?” We said in unison . “Inspiration from Fluttershy, which seems to be working.” “Have you seen anyone else?” “No, but look, there’s Maximus.” The three looked on as Maximus was ambushed, each of them readying their water balloons for an assault. One pony lurked from behind, another positioned in front of Maximus, while a third descended from above, armed with a barrage of water balloons. Without missing a beat, the first pony launched his balloon towards Maximus as he approached, but Maximus, displaying lightning-fast reflexes, instinctively ducked, narrowly evading the projectile. The balloon sailed past him, striking the pony behind him squarely in the face. Reacting with astonishing speed, Maximus seized the opportunity, snatching up the dropped balloon and hurling it back towards the pony who had just missed him. The startled pony's expression morphed into one of disbelief as the balloon connected with unerring accuracy, drenching him thoroughly. Meanwhile, the airborne pony unleashed a volley of water balloons aimed directly at Maximus. Rather than dodging or deflecting them conventionally, Maximus tapped into an instinctual power, his movements becoming fluid and almost preternatural. With uncanny precision, he punched one balloon after another out of the air, each strike sending the balloons ricocheting harmlessly away. In a display of unparalleled strength and agility, Maximus effortlessly dispatched all three ponies in a matter of moments. The onlookers could only watch in awe as Maximus emerged unscathed from the ambush, his aura exuding an aura of invincibility. With his foes defeated, Maximus stood tall, a testament to his unmatched prowess and resilience. In a slit second the 3 found themselves around Maximus. “What are you guys doing?” Maximus was surprised to see us. “Oh, nothing, just walking,” Greg said. “Why are you guys walking next to me?” Mark was quick to reply, “Main reason, survival. No one is messing with you after you just obliterated three ponies in one go.” “I guess you’re not paying attention then.” “why do you say that?” I turned to face him. Greg felt a tap on his shoulder from Mark. “Um, because we’re surrounded.” The head honcho, Riker, stood in front, while his goons surrounded us. “Well, well, well, it must be my lucky day. Four humans with none of their annoying guidance buddies to get in the way of the fun.” “We’re screwed,” I muttered under my breath. Maximus got into his fighting stance again. “Everyone, Fire!!” Riker shouted, laughing. There had to be dozens of balloons coming our way. We all braced for impact, but it never came. The balloons had magically stopped in midair. Riker and his goons were in shock at what was happening when a familiar face teleported herself in front of Riker. “Riker, I take my job seriously, and if you think for two seconds you can bully my guidance buddy along with his friends, you will be sadly mistaken.” She said this while taking all the water balloons in her magic grasp and holding them over Riker. Everyone knew the power that Twilight held; she was the protege of none other than Princess Celestia herself. Riker took a step back upon seeing Twilight teleport in front of him. He knew nothing good would come from starting a fight with Twilight with so many witnesses around. “You four consider yourselves lucky Twilight came to your rescue this time, but she won’t always be around. Let’s go, guys.” With that, Riker flew away into the sky. “Oh, thank you, Twilight,” Mark was quick to say, relieved to avoid being soaked for the rest of the day. Twilight, preoccupied with ensuring everyone was okay, didn’t notice his gratitude as she made her way to Greg. “Are you okay?” she asked him. “Yeah, thanks for the save. I know it’s just water, but that one would have hurt.” Maximus started to walk off by himself. “Where are you going?” Greg called out. Maximus just replied, “I work better alone,” before disappearing into the distance. He always had to be the cool loner. Twilight was kind enough to stay around for the rest of the day, with her around we made it to the cafeteria I could finally eat something and then we escorted Mark to his class so he wouldn’t have any more trouble. By the time we got back to the dorms, it was pretty late. I started to have pain in my back for some reason, I just wanted to go to bed; I was tired from all the running today. I passed out as soon as my head touched the pillow.