> Life's a game. > by vaththecat > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > How it began > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Everything started out about a week ago I was just playing a game on my computer till my friends asked me, well more like forced me, to come to the convention in town knowing them I couldn't argue and I went. When we got there we went our separate ways and I started looking around the convention, I saw a lot of neat stuff but nothing really interested me. Walking around and looked at what the vendors are. Stopping at one of the tables there was a woman dressed up as a shaman. I went over and we started to talk, we had a nice conversation about video games and then it moved on to a web comic I enjoyed. One thing led to another and she sold me a metal baseball bat then a blue screen shows up in front of my face. "The next world has been unlocked. Do you want to enter?" YES NO My brain was trying to precess this, thinking back, I remembered that the news was talking about people disappearing from conventions and they believed it was some guy dressed up as the merchant in Resident Evil 4. Well at least I have a choice in the matter. If I stay here I have to deal with every day crap or I can press 'yes' and get taken away to where ever. Thinking for a a second. "Know what F*ck this!" I yelled and clicked 'yes' and lost my sight because of a bright flash of light. ________________________________________________________________ Waiting a few minutes my eyes finally adjusted after going blind from the bright light. I looked around and saw that I was in an open grassed field, I looked at my right hand (that changed into a hand that's covered in fur but didn't notice yet) and noticed I still had the bat I bought with me. Looking, well more like staring, at the bat. Then a blue screen shows up in front of me. A skill has been created through a special act. Through continuous observation, a skill to find the targets information, 'Observe', has been created. Anonomus_Unknown_brain.exe has stopped working. Would you like to reset? Slapping my self I tried to remember where I've seen this before. "Observe" I said looking at the bat and another blue screen shows up. MATTSTAR Aluminum bat, made by a company called RealTek Manufacturing. It's a bit stronger and lighter then a wooden bat. "Looks like you figured out how to use my abilities." A voice said with in my head. "What? Who said that and what do you mean 'your abilities'?" "Haven't figured it out? Let's see the Observe ability the company it was made from, does it ring any bells?" Thinking about it, it did sound familiar. "All of that... Are part of an manga called The Gamer. But that's all fiction." "Well yes and no. Yes because the the manga is a fictional manga and no because right now it's real, everything around you is real." He said "What do you mean everything around me is real? Where am I? And who are you!?" "Well... I'm Han Jee Han and you have all of my powers." He said "Han Jee Han the character from the manga?" "That's the one." "And I have all of your abilities correct?" "Yep every one of them." I wanted to test my new abilities. "open inventory" I said and a screen pops up, showing the inventory screen from the manga. I looked and was still holding the bat in my hand I decided to put my bat inside the weapons slot and I closed the inventory. I finally noticed my hand wasn't my hand. It had grey like colored fur covering it like one of those furry drawings you see online. "Let me guess I'm no longer human?" I asked "Yep, humans don't exist in this world." "So what now? What am I suppose to do?" I asked "Well... you might not like that but you are now a kid again, well here it's called 'colt' for a little boy." "Wait colt isn't that what you call a young male horse?" "Yep and now your an antro version of one. Let me explain what's happening, you are now a twelve year old colt in the country of Equestria." "Wait I have to become a kid again and so that means I have to go through puberty again!?" "Yea sorry man, you can't be your original age." "Fuck me," Smacking myself on the head head. "I guess it can't be helped this is my new life It's better to move on and not stand here." ________________________________________________________________ 5 Months later WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE NAME: LIGHTING SLASH AND HIS GROUP KNOWN RACE(S): ONE UNICORN, ONE GRIFFIN, ONE MINOTAUR AND ONE EARTH PONY. AGE: 20 TO 25. SEX: ALL MALE. WANTED FOR: THEFT, RAPE, DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY AND MURDER. DESCRIPTION: LIGHTING SLASH IS A BLUE UNICORN STALLION WITH A GOLDEN YELLOW MANE AND TAIL, THE GRIFFIN IS GREY USUALLY WEARING A METAL HELMET WITH A CROSS BOW. THE MINOTAUR IS BROWN AND CARRIES A MACE AND THE EARTH PONY IS GREEN WITH PURPLE MANE AND TAIL CARING A SINGLE HANDED AX. EACH MEMBER OF THE GROUP ARE HIGHLY DANGEROUS AND EASILY PROVOKED. REWARD: 5000 BITS At a tavern in PonyVille the bartender, a dark brown minotaur with white hair was talking to a green stallion with a red mane. "Did you hear the Lighting Slash and his gang were spotted some where in town." The stallion asked. "Yea I heard, those damn thugs all they want is more bits and power, but the Royal Guards can't seem to find them" The minotaur said. Then a mare with aqua blue coat and a darker blue mane and tail wearing an revealing medieval tavern waitress outfit that has a short skirt showing off her legs and her top showing off her cleavage, gets pushed to the ground. "Some one please help me, h-help me." The mare plead. Looking around everyone had there heads down trying to ignore the mares plea for help. They knew they couldn't help her after seeing who was at the door. "I can't believe what I am seeing', is there any one here willing to help this pretty young thing, my how chivalry has fallen pathetic." The pony is blue and had a blond mullet like mane cut while and has a sword on his left hip said. He was with 3 others, a brown minotaur with a mace, a grey griffon wearing a round metal helmet that exposes his chin holding a crossbow and an hairy over weight green earth pony stallion with a purple mane and tail with a single handed ax. All of them wearing beat up iron armor. The pony with the mullet, believed to be the leader, walks over to a table with two stallions sitting there. He slammed his hand on the wooden table "look these nice ponies left this table for us." The stallions at the table left money for the food and drinks and left. The group of thugs sat down, "bartender bring us some drinks!" "And be quick about it!" the minotaur was squeezing the mares head while she was pouring trying to keep her hands steedy. Any one can easily tell that she was scared. "Now baby you don't want to spill any of my expensive wine you hear." The leader said holding the mug while she pureed the wine inside his mug. "Yea if you spill any I'll make you lick it up." The minotaur said. The group of guards laughed watching her. "Please let her go." The group looked over and saw an old blue stallion with a brown mane with grey in it wearing a black robe. The old stallion could barley walk with his cane, he looked like he was using it to keep his body steedy. Walking over the green stallion put his leg out tripping the old stallion when he stepped by. He fell to the ground, the green stallion walked up to the old stallion and kicked him in the ribs. "Grandpa!" The mare screamed being held back by the griffin and minotaur . "Settle down little mare remember now, your the one who bumped into us I don't think you can just get away with just an apology. Hey old stallion! Were going to discipline this filly for you, right." He said looking at the others at his table, the group laughed at that. "Come on baby how about you pour me a little more?" The minotaur said. She started to pour more wine into his mug. "Whoops." He said moving he mug away making her spill some wine on the table. "Ah now look at what you gone and done. Didn't your parents teach you any manners at all?" The leader said in a mocking tone. "You know what that means." The minotaur said grabbing the back of the mares head pulling her head down towards the spilled wine, "Looks like you have to put that pretty little mouth of yours to work." The group continued to laugh "I want to see that tongue filly." At this point the mare was in the verge of tears. The minotaur used his strength to smacked her head on the table. "Aww looks like she was just thirsty." "You might want to clean it up quick before it sinks into the table." "Yea clean it up quick or no dessert for you tonight." "I want to see my face in it." Then the green stallion was sent flying into the supporter with a metal knife through the side of his head holding him in place. Looking at his body they turned around to find who the one who did it, they saw a grey colt with a black mane and tail with red eyes standing near the open door. The colt is wearing baggy brown pants and a white long sleeve shirt with the sleeves folded up stopping right before the elbow with pouches on his hips that looked like they were filled with stuff and a throwing knife belt on is right leg holding several throwing knifes and a pair of brown boots. "Who are you!" "We'll make you pay for that you hear!" "Do you know who we are!?" "Of course I do." The young colt said, "the one I just killed his name is Forest River." Lifting his hand up he pointed at the griffon, "the griffins name is Iron Beak," now pointing at the minotaur. "The minotaurs name is Strong Horn, and finally your name is Lighting Slash, all of you are wanted criminals with a bounty on your heads and I'm here to claim it." Each of the thugs laughed looking at the young colt. Then a knife hit each of the thugs, expect the leader, in the heart area killing them in a second. There bodies dropped to the floor, the final thug looked at his friends. In a panic stat he grabbed the mare and held his sword a few inches from her throat. "Now who do you think your ar-" he was cut off when a knife was thrown into his shoulder opposite from where the mare was being held. He lost his grip of the mare and she fell to the ground, as soon as the mare got some distance another knife meet the leaders throat. His body fell to the ground. The colt start rubbing the back of his head, "man these guys were a joke. Why didn't the local guards deal with these weak thugs?" He said. The colt looked over to the old stallion that was being nursed by the mare and walked over. He pulled out two red potions from his one of his pouches and handed both over to them. "Here you both need these, I'm not an healer but you both took a nasty hit." The two couldn't understand this young colt, he was handing over healing potions doesn't he know how much a single potion is worth over three hundred bits and he's just giving this old stallion and myself both one. "Well... do you want to take them or not?" He asked. They both took one and started drinking it, there bodies healed all most instantly, they looked at the colt to see that he was on top of one of the thugs pulling out his knife from his chest. He wiped the blood off the knife by using the thugs cloths as a cloth and put the knife away, after he got all of his knifes back he started to dig through there pockets grabbing anything worth of value. After he was done he walked towards the door, but when he reached it he turned around looking at the two. "You two can have there bounty, you both deserve it after what happened." He looked around the tavern, "the rest of you make me sick! Not even one of you even tried to stop those guys! All of you have a weapon of some short why not use it, theres like twenty in this room alone even if you guys split the reward it's till like two hundred fifty bits each." He yelled and left the tavern. Every one just looked at the door dumb-folded. ________________________________________________________________ Walking out of the tavern I headed towards the school house. "Why did you give them the bounty?" Han Jee-Han asks me. "I saw how defenseless she was and not a single one of them would try to help expect for the old stallion. And I thought for a second 'do I really need these bits because of what they went through today' so I gave it to them and it's not like we can't five thousand bits in the Illusion barrier." "True, do you have any plans for your future here?" "Don't really have any plans, right now get through school while working on my 'Crafting' skill at the towns black smith to have some better weapons and armor and just keep doing what I'm doing I guess." "Not really much of a plan is it?" "I don't really like to plan ahead, in my experience nothing really goes as plan any way." "I'll take your word for it." Being in this new world was strange to say the least, all most everything here is something you would see in Fable or in the Elder Scrolls by looking at it. But by using magic crystals there able to have modern every appliances. Stuff like refrigerators, ovens, stoves, A/C and heaters in homes, you know stuff like that. They don't have computers or phones, they use letters to get information across the country. I learned some new stuff about this world. The Earth Ponies, like my self, mainly do farming and labor type jobs and are 'Heavy Hitters' in combat. The Pegasi, there the ones with wings on there back, control the weather. Which to me was weird but I'm in a different world it's better to just roll with it, and are mainly 'Archers' and 'Speed Fighters' in combat. The unicorns can use magic, which with my 'Gamers" ability I can use as well, most of them go to a magic school some where to learn more about there magic and how to control it. And if it wasn't obvious there 'Mages' and 'Healers' in combat. The minotaurs are good at black smiting and are naturally strong. I don't really know what they do expect being 'Tanks' and 'Heavy Hitters' in combat. There are also Griffins here, yes the lion eagle hybrid but, the griffins are not just lions and eagles put together, there can also be other types of animals from the cat family mixed in with different types of birds. They also control the weather like the Pegasi. They have sharp claws and good hunting instants. There the 'Heavy hitters' 'Hunters' and 'Speed Fighters in combat. Finally getting to the school house I arrived in time before class started. The schools here are different, unlike back home they don't have elementary, middle and high schools. Here they have the towns schools houses that teach the children of different races that live in the town the basic like reading, writing, math and history. Then after they graduate from that they can move on to other schools like Pegasi and griffins go to a weather school. Unicorns go to magic school but I'm not sure about the others go. Moving on it's been about an hour since class started. Ms Cheerilee was talking about history of the three pony tribes till a group of Royal Guards came in though the door. They didn't bother knocking They looked around the room and spotted me then one of them walked up to Ms. Cheerilee and whispered something in her ear, I guess she was surprised at what she heard. She turned to me and said, "Silver can you go with these guards they want to talk to you about something that happened earlier?" "Sure Ms. Cheerilee." I said getting up and started walking towards the door with the guards in tow till I heard the little pink brat talk. "Ms. Cheerilee why does that freak Silver Blade get to leave early with the Royal Guards?" She asked with that whinny sounding voice. "How many times have I told you. A pony having red eyes are just rare to have and if you must know Diamond Tiara, Silver did something earlier today that the guards need to discuses with him about. Now lets continue with our lesson." After leaving the school house, we were walking down the road with the guards surounding me in complete silence. I decided to break the silence. "Is this is about what happened at the tavern in town I told the waitress and the old stallion they could have the reward for those thugs." "Wait, you mean you really killed those bandits?" A female guard asked. Turning around I looked at the guard that said that and said, "Yea, I mean they weren't that tough. One of them was even over weight how hard could they be?" "And you handed both of them a healing potion and left?" Another guard asks this one male. "I had those potions on me for a while, but never used them and since they both got injured. So why not give them both one to help them out." I said. "OK then... That's what we wanted to know sorry to disturb you. You can head back to the towns school house now. Sorry for wasting your time then." "Don't worry about it besides I have to thank you. History to me is boring and all of you got me out of it. I'll just get something to eat and head back home." "OK, them we're tell the other guards at the tavern that they were speaking the truth and give them the reward. To be honest we thought it was just some made up story that a young colt took down several bandits by him self was just crazy but I guess it's true. By the way what's your name any way?" "It's Sliver Blade and I guess we got everything settled. I will see you guys some time later." With that said we went are separate ways. I headed towards the towns library and checked out a couple of books about magic and fictional books. I was asked my the Liberian, Twilight Sparkle, why an Earth pony was checking out several books about magic, but I told her that I was checking them out for an unicorn friend of mine. When I left I put the books in my 'inventory' without any one looking. After leaving there I went to the Hay Burger Shack in town and grabbed my self an hay burger with a couple large orders of hay fries with something to drink and headed to the hotel I stay at. I also put the food and drink in my 'inventory', in the manga it never showed how long something can last in it. But I discovered that when ever something goes in the 'inventory' it stays fresh. I found this out when I got a fresh batch of cupcakes at Sugar Cube Corner and put the uneaten ones in my 'inventory' and forgot about them. Three days later I remembered them and took them out. I was expecting them to be old or something but they still fresh just like when I put them in. Any way when I entered the hotel I was stopped by the door man, he was a blue unicorn with a green mane and tail with purple eyes. "Oh hey Silver glad I caught ya. I need you to pay if your going to stay here longer." "Oh sure, how much is it for the next two weeks?" I asked "Let's see here... that would be seventy bits." "Sure I have a gold bit right here." I said, pulling out a gold bit from my pocket. "And I have a three silver bits for you Silver." I took the bits and headed to my hotel room. The room was just a typical hotel room Full sized bed, dresser, a small desk in the corner, closet and a bathroom with shower, sink and a toilet. It doesn't have a bathtub, not like I was ever going to use it. After sitting down behind the desk, I ate my food and entered the 'Illusion Barrier' after I finished eating. I started killing monsters inside, making money and leveling up several of my spells as I go. I found out since this world has magic that I can use mine out side the barrier with no concurrences, but I didn't want the town chasing me with pitchforks and torches yelling, "burn the witch!" or something because an earth pony could use magic. So I learned some close range combat skills and with my throwing knives, I can add a 'homing' spell to them that way when I throw them I all ways hit my target. That's how I was able to kill those thugs so easily. I stayed inside for a few hours till around school ended and exited the Illusion Barrier. I left the hotel after locking my door and headed towards the towns black smithy where I work. I starting working there two months after I arrived. She was looking for some help with the forge and I needed a way to make it look like I had a job. It would look weird if a colt my age with no parents is able to avoid staying at a good hotel without job of some kind. When I got in there I walked through the front door and saw a brown earth pony mare standing behind the counter. She had a white mane and tail with light copper colored eyes and a quarter the way down her arms and legs her coat changed color from brown to white. She was wearing a white button up shirt that was tied below her breasts with the buttons on top of the shirt unbuttoned showing off the top of her large cleavage. By human standards I would guess that she was about seventeen years of age. "Hey Silver you're here early." She said bending over the counter showing more of her cleavage. 'Would it kill the mares around here to button up. I know that we have fur and all, but would it kill them to put some more clothes on.' I thought "Yea got off school early today due to the Royal Guards coming in and getting me." "Oooo what happened, wait let me guess someone got in trouble because they slept with you last night, am I right? Please tell me I'm right!" She acted like one of those school girls that love gossip. "No I didn't sleep with anyone last night or going to tonight or any other night, besides what female of any species in their right mind would even think about sleeping under the same roof as me." I said with a serious tone. Her ears folded back and looked kinda sad hearing that. "Well my mother is in the back you should get started." She said. "The guards just came by because they wanted to know if I did took care of the group of wanted thugs that were causing trouble in the Twin Moons Tavern this morning." I said, leaving her at the counter. I went behind the counter and headed outside through their rear exit door and found a pile of old beat up iron armor and weapons. They look oddly familiar to me for some reason. "Hey Hammer where did you get pile of weapons and armor from?" I asked. Hammer is a very light peach coated earth pony with a dark brown mane and tail. She was wearing the same thing that her daughter has on, but she also a leather apron with leather gloves and a pair of goggles on. "Oh that a group of guards came by earlier and dropped all that off. They said that a young grey colt took down several thugs in the middle of a crowded tavern and gave the reward money to someone else." She turned to me with an expression I can't place, it was worried with a bit of anger mixed it. "Let me guess that was you." I nodded and she sighed. "How many times have I told you that you should be more careful. The females outnumber the males of any species. It's a female's job to protect the males from harm." "And how many times have I told you that if someone was in trouble that I would help. I'm not the type of colt that would stand by and watch as thugs beat up the weak just to feel good about them self's." "Fine, I can't talk you out of it anyway." She sighed in defeat knowing that I won't change my mind. "Today we have to make a new iron plow blade for Sweet Apple Acres." I got my equipment in and started to De-construct the weapons and armor. Removing the leather and metal from each of them and melted down the iron. Then we molded (I guess is the word I'm am looking for) the metal and hammered it down to make the plow blade, the whole process took around five hours or so. We we were done, Hammer paid me for the day's work (50 bits) and I headed back to my hotel room. When I got there I stripped down and threw them in the dirty laundry pile. I stepped into the shower cleaning myself of, after I was done I went to bed.