//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Release day // Story: Legends of Equestria online // by tut895 //------------------------------// I burst through the door leading to my room, game box in hand, and sprint to the other side where my computer is. I pull out my chair and sit in it, as I hastily open the box that holds the Virtual Reality helmet and game software disc in it. I turn on my monitor and computer, and while waiting for Windows to load, put on the helmet to make sure it works. Other people have already stated that sometimes the helmet doesn't work, and have had to get a refund at the store. I press theOn button that's parallel with my right ear, and the time and a battery bar show up, indicating that it works. Once Windows is loaded, I quickly type in my password to my computer, and press the button that opens the disk tray once my desktop appears on the monitor. I put the software download into my computer, and wait for the download to finish. After around thirty minutes of waiting, the game is finally downloaded and I can play. I lay on my bed as the game manual instructed for when I go into the game world. Yes I'm one of those weird people who actually read the game manuals. I put on my helmet again, and say the code words that put me into the game. "Play: Equestria online." My vision fades to black, and comes back a second later filled with color on the main menu. The button in front of me says 'Log in', and the background is an overview of Canterlot from a distance. The castle looks stunning in this game with how good the graphics are, it looks like the real world, but with tidbits of fake looking things. I put three of my fingers on the button gracefully, and the button flashes white before disappearing. I input my user name and password, and Canterlot disappears from my vision. I am put in a grey room with a small menu opened in front of me, with the words 'Character Creation' at the top. Once done creating my character, a green Earth Pony with a slicked black mane and a cutie mark showing off a cloud since I was always a fan of irony, A new menu pops up displaying the two possible classes for my race. The class system is similar to other RPGs where your class choices depend on your race. For earth ponies there is Tank and Archer, for the Pegasi there's Thief and Beast tamer, and for Unicorns there are Mages and Clerics. I push the button on the tank class, and a warning presents itself. "Warning! upon entering this game you will become an anthropomorphic version of your character." this is followed by two buttons; one saying OK and another saying NOT OK. I hit the OK button since it's easier to just agree with the game. My vision flashes white and then returns, as I'm put in the town square of Ponyville, which is the starting point for all races. The town hall in front of me, big and white as it was in the show, and houses line the curbs of the streets around me. I look around for any of my other friends who would be signing up and playing today. Then, i hear a voice from behind me "Oi Jacob, you gonna come over here and get in our party or are you just gonna stand there like the inattentive prick you usually are?" The unmistakeable Australian accent of Will's voice puts a smile on my face as I turn around and greet my friends. Will, who chose the Unicorn Cleric class since he's most skilled in focusing on the team instead of the enemy, steps towards me and we shake hands. His coat is blue and his spiky mane white, probably to signify a flip flop version of Vinyl Scratch. His cutie mark a holy cross coated in light. "Kinda weird not being actual ponies, and Anthro ones instead eh?" William asks me. "I'm guessing they had it like that so it'd be easier for us to learn how to use it." I say, trying horribly to provide an answer. Matt, who chose the Pegasus Thief since he's by far the best with stealth, comes up and just slaps my hand as his way of greeting me, his black fur and gray mullet like mane showing him as a character whose main focus would be stealth, with a cutie mark of a white ninja mask to compliment it. "Well I for one am loving these wings." Matt says, glaring at his wings as if he was looking at his first pair of boobs. Ed, who chose the Earth Pony Archer since in the real world he could probably pin a fly to a tree using a bow and arrow from ten feet away without killing it, walks up staring at his bow, his grass green fur and dark green mane imitating a Ghillie suit, and a sniper scope crosshair as his cutie mark, probably to indicate marksmanship. "Your wings may be great but this bow is so lightweight, it's as if it were made with feathers." Ed says, making Matt retract his wings and go back to being on the ground, hoping what Ed said wasn't what his bow was actually made of. Xavier, who chose the Unicorn Mage since he's a part time magician, steps up and casts a Fireball spell Ed's way, making Ed jump and scream in his girly way, causing Xavier to laugh a hearty laugh, his curly brown mane bouncing up and down, and sometimes hitting his tan fur. His cutie mark is a Fireball, probably indicating his skill with fire spells. "Man, that never gets old at all." Xavier says, after a few seconds of laughing at Ed's scream. "Well at least I'm not a stump!" Ed retorts, looking at Xavier's tree stump shaped body. Steven, who chose the Pegasus Beast Tamer because it was the only one that didn't get an immediate dibs, just steps up and eyes his parrot, and his broadsword. His pale purple fur and crew cut electric green mane clashing indefinitely, and making him pop out more than a guy in the girl's bathroom. His cutie mark is three butterflies, very original for somebody who's good with animals right? "Well I hope you guys are happy with your equipment, all I got is this parrot. I mean it's only skill is to attract the enemy's attention to it for less than three seconds! This is more underpowered than the F2000 from Modern WarFare 2." I can't help but snicker at Steven's clearly undesirable state with his pet, and almost laugh at Ed when Xavier chucks another Fireball his way. "So, are ya gonna join our party or do we have to drag you along with us until you learn that the tank isn't always a good solo role." Will asks me, since he didn't get an answer last time. "Yea yea I'll tag along, but remember our drop rules, If you get it but it's specific to another class, you have to give it to them." I say, giving Ed a glare as I remember the hoarding problem he had when we played Eden Eternal. "Hey, that game allowed us to change classes whenever we wanted. So, every weapon, armor, and whatnot was fair game." Ed retorts, remembering the incident as well and dodging Fireballs the whole time. "Anyways that's in the past," Will says, sending me an invite. "Here." A small hologram like screen appears infront of me. It says: William wants you to join a party. this is followed by a circle and an X, which I'm guessing indicates accept or decline. I hit the circle, and five other health bars show up under mine, each with the corresponding names of our party to show who's who. It also shows if the have any status effects, such as paralysis or speed (not the drug.) or something similar, and magic bars that indicate how much more magic we can use before we need to wait for it to recharge. "Oh come on Ed," Xavier says, "You know we're in a safe zone so you can't get hurt right?" Ed recomposes himself, and I notice Xavier's already half empty magic bar drains a little bit more as I watch him throw another Fireball Ed's way. This one hits Ed square in the chest and gives him a bit of knock back, making him fall. "Dick." Ed mutters as he gets back up and brushes himself off. "Well you still weren't hurt now were you?" Xavier says, pointing out what he said was right. Ed just mutters something about him pushing Xavier off a cliff while he's strapped to a Refrigerator, which is a common threat for him. "So, should we go hunting so we can level, or should we just walk around Ponyville like a bunch of asshats?" Will says, bringing his Mace up to his chest, battle ready. We all ready our weapons, and nod in agreement. I twirl my battle axe in my hand to weigh it, which it's surprisingly light for a usually 50 pound two handed axe, but it's best to never question game logic. I look to see what weapons my other friends have. Matt has two daggers, one in each hand and seems rather proficient with them, and Xavier has a stick, which looks more like a twig. I laugh and everybody stares at me awkwardly. Once I stop laughing I just stare at Xavier with the stupidest grin. Xavier just looks at me more quizzically than the rest. "What's so funny?" Xavier asks after two minutes of me looking at him like I just saw him shitting in his own mouth. "The fact that we all have a bunch of serious weapons, and your running around with a twig." I say, maintaining my shit-eating grin. Everybody else starts laughing while Xavier just looks at the twig, and after a few minutes begins to retort. "Twigs are awesome man! Don't you be dissing on my murder stick" Xavier replied, brining back to my memorythe picture he found online two days ago about how to fight with a twig. "Oi idiots," Will says, jumping in, "Let's stick to our plan of trying to level up shall we?" "All right," I say hoping to discover how great this class could be, "I need to see how to activate my skills anyways." As my axe delivers a final heavy blow on the Parasprite, a rush of power fills me. I look at the menu that shows the loot I've received and notice that I leveled up again. "Alright level four." I say enthusiastically. We had been farming the Parasprites at Sweet Apple Acres' northern Orchard for the last few hours hoping to get some leveling in before we start any story missions that could involve us dealing with more than a flying ball with an eating disorder. A new skill also pops up showing the name, effects, stats, and how to activate. I take a look at it out of curiosity. Flair: using Flair will stun enemies within a 5 meter radius of you, and dramatically increases malice towards you. To activate, lower your weapon in a position where you will be able to easily preform a spin attack. Once your power has charged, preform a spin attack and the skill will activate automatically I decide to test it out now, by getting into the position. After a few seconds of standing in this position, my axe glows red and I preform the spin. Unfortunately a Parasprite was in the vicinity of the attack and got stunned. We very quickly disposed of the fly like enemy with a paralyzing shot from Ed's bow, followed by Xavier's now signature Fireball, and finished with me using Bash. "Alright, this is going great and all but I need to get something to eat," Steven says, holding his stomach and looking rather uncomfortable. "I'm absolutely starving." "Yea I think we should all sign out and come back tomorrow." Will says, stretching out his arm which has probably tired from wielding his mace for so long. After we all agree to this, I put my two index fingers side by side, then separate them in a diagonal angle, which opens up the main menu. I press the options button where you would usually find the Log out button. After pressing it and going to the bottom, I notice something strange. "Oi, anybody else not seeing a Log out button?" Will asks quizzically, "No, it's as if it never existed." Steven responds, which surprises us. Over the past few months, Steven kinda grew more and more distant from us, and therefore more quiet around us. If he does speak it means something really bad has happened. I type in Will's question into the world chat, and after a few seconds everybody responds with the same answer: no. At this time, everybody has started panicking and some have gone caps rage into the world chat. A bell sounds, probably the Ponyville school bell, and we're all teleported to the school yard, along with what could very easily be the other 200,000 Bronies who had gotten this game within it's first week of being out. "Why was there just a forced teleport of everybody who's online right now?" Matt asks, making us wonder the same thing, until somebody points in front of himself, making us do the same. What I see puzzles me The word announcement pops up in a screen in front of everybody, and I decide to read the announcement. Welcome everybody, to the amazing world that is Legends of Equestria Online. By now you have discovered the lack of a Log Out button. That is because you won't be leaving this game. You may be wondering who is the horrible person behind this. Well, for now you may call me Despair, but if you truly wish to discover my identity, with every major dungeon you complete you will receive a hint to who i really am. If you are worried about starving to death, or some real world thing don't worry, If you eat in this world you will be fine, just as if you were to drink water. Disease will only affect you if it has come from the game. Now, a lot of you are thinking you could just remove the V.R. helmets. If this is done, your body will still be in the lockdown mode it is in now, essentially turning your body into a potato, so it'd be best not to try that Many of you are probably thinking of blaming the Moderators for this; however, as you Moderators know, they are trapped in here with you, and will be under the exact same situations as you. Have a good night in Ponyville everybody, and I sincerely hope you don't die within the first week. -Despair "Oi! Despair, what's the big idea trying to trap us in a virtual Equestria like this?" Will shouts at the sky. Which is followed by him receiving a P.M. from a Despair. If you truly wish to know William, then find the hints in the major dungeons of this version of our beloved Cartoon world, and find me. All of your answers will be there, as I shall explain everything to the first group to confront me. If any of you live to tell the rest of the players, is strictly up to your skill when it comes to this thing. "Oi guys," Will says to get our attention, "Follow me wouldja?" After following Will for two minutes, he stops in a back alley and turns around. Looking more serious than I've ever seen him. He's usually a very laid back individual who cares about others more than himself. "Listen boys, We need to be the first ones out of this town, now that We've leveled ourselves we should be able to do our main quests, move into the Everfree forest, and be the first to make it to the Old Castle major dungeon. This will allow us to become the only people to know the first hint to Despair's true identity." Will says in the most 'no-bullshit' tone I've ever heard. "Why would we keep vital information from the rest of Legends of Equestria's players?" Xavier asks quizzically. "You idiot," Will says maliciously, "We all know information is power, and if we can figure out who our enemy is, we can prepare for his movements and attacks before anybody else manages to even know his motive for doing this to all of us." "All right," Xavier responds disappointed, "But if anybody asks for the information I'm giving it to them." Will just waves off his warning and heads over to where the first mission N.P.C. is. He goes to Applejack and begins the dialogue that usually leads to a quest acceptance. "Hey there pardner," Applejack says, "I need yer' help with a little problem we're having back at the farm." "All right," Will says, probably forcing us to get ready for an actual mission, "What do we need to do?" Applejack responds by putting a menu in front of us with the mission and it's objectives. Saving the Acres Kill Parasprites [ ] Do what must be done [ ] Will accepts the mission, which forces us all to accept it, and nods at Applejack with a look of pure determination in his eyes. "Listen," Will says as he comes back to us. "No matter how bad things may seem, we are the best and most competitive party in this game. We leave those behind who are too slow to keep up, we kill those who attack us, and we will survive. No matter the cost." This side of Will that's filled with contemptment for everybody except us is starting to scare me.