Dale stands outside of Sugarcube Corner with a confused look on his face. Lights of multiple colours are bleeding out of the windows, illuminating the dark city. The music was being blasted at a really high volume, it almost hurt Dales' ears.
"Is this place a nightclub all of a sudden?" Dale thought to himself. Dale wasn't sure why there was a party going on at this hour, he thought that everyone went to sleep. Dale felt bad for the poor sucker that was trying to get some shut-eye before they worked in the morning, "If I'm here, I might as well look for Pinkie Pie. Hopefully, she doesn't run away again," Dale cautiously reached for the door handle.
The inside of Sugarcube Corner was decorated with plenty of streamers, balloons, and confetti. The detail would've been easy to miss since the only lights in the room were the strobe lights. The store was filled to the brim with ponies of all shapes and sizes, all of them were dancing to the electronic tune. Some of the pegasi were using their wings to hover off of the ground while the danced the night away. There was a big banner that stretched across the wall that said: "Welcome, Matthew!" with a little-posted note below that said, "And the other guy!"
"Matthew?" Dale thought to himself, he wondered if this is the guy who created this world. Dale suddenly felt a lot more hopeful than he did earlier. A loud beeping came from the arm brace.
Quest Log
Current Quest
"The Creator"
Find the creator of this reality to hopefully receive answers to why you're here.
Current Objective:
Talk to the ponies and find Matthew.
Rewards:
100 EXP
50 Bits
5 App Points
Dale closed his Quest Log and began to fulfil his objective. Dale knew that it would be too loud in this room to hold a conversation at all, so he decided to look around a bit to see if he could find a more quiet place to gather information. Dale thought it was a little strange that this Matthew guy got a party thrown for him, almost like he was expected. Dale didn't really know how this world worked too well, so it could just be something that would happen in the My Little Pony cartoon. Dale was never a fan of parties, even while he was attending college. He wasn't sure if it was the act itself that turned him off or the people that would attend. Dale would rather spend his nights either preparing for a test on screenwriting or staying up late browsing internet forums and talking to his friends; he just wanted to find Matthew and go somewhere to talk to him.
Dale had to push himself through different crowds of ponies, interrupting their dancing in the process. It didn't really matter to him since he wasn't planning on staying here long and it's not like they could hear him apologize anyway. Dale soon found himself in the back room, it looked like it was the spot where Sugarcube Corner employees did their baking. There were tables set up with a variety of snacks and drinks; Dale doubted that any of them were alcoholic, he could really go for something hard after a day like today.
"What even is the legal drinking age here?" Dale thought to himself, he was placing a lot of faith in a world based off of a children's show to have any kind of booze at all. Dale was having an easier time hearing his own thoughts as the doors muffled out the music a bit, he could try to talk to someone here to try to get a location on Matthew. Before Dale could do anything, Pinkie Pie jumped in front of him.
"Surprise! Did you like the party? Of course you did! I had a super secret special party planned for the new pony, Matty! I didn't have enough time to add your name to the banner, I don't even know your name come to think of it. My name is Pinkie Pie, the greatest party planner in all of Equestria!" Pinkie Pie shouted, her cheery attitude was almost too much to handle.
"Y-yeah! It's great," Dale said, he was bending the truth just a tiny bit.
"Sorry that I ran away from you like that earlier today, I was making preparations for tonight then I saw you and I knew I had to make even more preparations and it was exhausting!" Pinkie Pie responded in a single breath.
"Yeah..." Dale responded awkwardly, he wanted nothing to do with this and just wanted answers, "Anyways, you said something about Matthew? Can you tell me where he is? There's something I have to ask him"
"Matty went back to Fluttershy's cottage with her for some alone time," Pinkie Pie nudged Dale with her hoof. Dale doubted that there were any real connotations behind that and that Pinkie Pie was just fooling around. Dale decided not to think about that any more than he should.
"Can you tell me where that is? It's really important that I see him now."
"You're leaving already? But I spent so much time getting this party ready for you," Pinkie Pie's eyes grew big and began to water a bit. Dale was a little unsettled at the cartoon physics happening in front of him. His arm brace began to beep.
Name: Dale Stevens
Level: 3
HP: 55/55
MP: 20/20
Status
Strength: 4
Magic: 2
Vitality: 6
Agility: 5
Luck: 2
EXP: 27/70
App Points: 0
Current Alignment: Neutral
(Your alignment will change depending on what actions you take in battle and outside of battle. How you speak to people, the people who fight in your party, what you say, and choices you make will all affect the way your alignment may shift. Your alignment will define who you are and the way your journey will end.)
Dale didn't like the way that looked, not one bit. How could staying or leaving a party early affect this stat? Would leaving the party make him evil? Dale thought that would be ridiculous, maybe it was a bit more complex than that? Dale looked back at Pinkie Pie who was still giving a puppy dog look at him, this caused him to break down.
"Alright... I'll stay for a bit..." Dale crossed his arms in annoyance. Pinkie Pie's face lit up in glee and she began to bounce around Dale in circles.
"This is going to be so much fun! We'll play games and watch movies and talk and eat cupcakes and..." Pinkie Pie continued to list off different activities she had planned. Dale sighed now being trapped in the situation, at least he'll get some time to relax.
Dale had been telling Pinkie Pie how he suddenly woke up in the castle and made his way over to Ponyville, he left out some details like how his world was destroyed and everything to do with his stat screen. He wasn't sure if Matthew had the same arm brace as him and even if he did, Dale wasn't sure if Matthew told the ponies about the RPG stat screen. Dale was making sure to choose his words carefully, the last thing he wants is to slip up and say something that he isn't supposed to say.
"Matty said he was from this strange cool place called Earth. I thought it was funny because I'm an earth pony," Pinkie Pie giggled.
"Oh yeah? Did he say how he got here?" Dale took a sip out of the fruit punch on the table, he wanted to know what Matthew had to say about how he got here so Dale could try to play off of it.
"Hmm," Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin with her hoof, "He said that there were a bunch of loud noises going on from outside of his house and before he could see what it was he fell asleep."
"So he never saw the black sun. I don't think he knows that the Earth was destroyed," Dale thought to himself. Dale stood up from his seat and adjusted his jacket, "I think I should get going now."
"Fine..." Pinkie Pie says glumly before perking up, "We can have another party soon and you'll be invited for sure because I invite everypony!" Dale chuckled a little, she really is something.
Dale ran down the path that Pinkie Pie told him to, he was becoming really excited that he'll finally find another human after all this time. Dale wondered if Matthew had any answers to what was going on, he wanted to know if Matthew experienced anything before coming to Equestria and if he was holding part of the truth back. Since Dale was going to a pretty secluded area just outside of town, the two will have all the privacy they'll need to discuss the situation.
Quest Log
Current Quest
"The Creator"
Find the creator of this reality to hopefully receive answers to why you're here.
Current Objective:
Go to Fluttershy's cottage to find Matthew.
Rewards:
100 EXP
50 Bits
5 App Points
Dale reached a bridge that would cross over a small pond to get to the cottage. There were multiple birdhouses strung along the trees as well as burrows in the dirt. The cottage itself looked more organic than the houses in Ponyville did. The lights in the cottage were on so Dale assumed at least someone was there. Dale ran up to the door and knocked three times. He waited awkwardly for a few seconds only to get no response. Dale knocked another three times just to be safe. There was still no response.
"Uhh, hello? I'm looking for Matthew, is he there?" Dale called out; there was still no response. At this point, Dale thought that he was just bamboozled by Pinkie Pie and began to walk across the bridge once again, "This is just great..."
Dale heard something come from his left side, it was the faint sound of people talking. When he looked over to see what it was, he saw the Everfree forest. Dale wasn't sure if he should investigate or not, considering how dark it is. It's not like he had anything else he could do.
Before Dale could even realise it, he was running back into the Everfree Forest in hopes of locating the voices he heard before. He was starting to think he was going insane at this point, only following something he thought he heard rather than using common sense. It was beginning to get really dark, the feeling of unnerving began to rise in Dales' stomach. Dale had been taking shortcuts through different bushes while trying to listen for any voices only to turn up with nothing.
"This is stupid," Dale said aloud, "I should just go back..." Dale slowly turned around before his arm brace began to beep and flash red. Dale quickly looked around to see what it was. The slurping and crunching sounds of something being eaten were heard from the darkness followed by booming thumps. Each thump shook the ground as something emerged from the darkness; the yellow eyes pierced Dales' soul.
The monster emerged from the darkness with blood dripping from its mouth as it chewed something. The monster had the head and body of a lion with razor sharp teeth, a scorpions tail elegantly swayed behind the beast, and bat wings outstretched from the creatures back while it stood on all fours. The monster was massive, it was much bigger than anything Dale has come across so far. It was bigger than the truck that his dad used to drive. The monster swallowed whatever it was eating and began to eye Dale up while snarling. Dale checked his arm brace to see what that thing even is.
Manticore
HP: (Unknown)
MP: (Unknown)
Skills
(Unknown)
Actions
Fight
"What the FUCK!" Dale yelled in fear, he was too scared to even do anything. The Manticore's HP and MP didn't even show up on his arm brace and the only action he could do is fight it. The Manticore let out a mighty roar sending a shockwave through the forest. The roar almost blasted Dale back from sheer force alone, some leftover blood splattered on his clothes, "Alex!" Dale screamed, "I'm going to need your help, now!"
"How can I assist you, Master Dale?" Alex responded.
"Tell me all of my options!" Dale shouted. The Manticore lunged at Dale, its sharp claws going for a slash. The creature was surprisingly nimble for its size, but Dale managed to dodge the attack before it could connect. He was grateful for putting some points into Agility.
Skills
Zio (Light Electic damage to one foe, low chance of shock) -4MP
(To use magic, move your hand forward and shout the spell name)
Dale put in faith that this was going to work, the arm brace hasn't lied to him yet. Dale shoved his left hand forward and yelled, "Zio!" Suddenly, a lightning arc shot out of Dales' hand and struck the Manticore, the lightning illuminated the forest with a loud crackling noise. The Manticore roared in pain.
-30HP
Dale stood there in shock, he did something that was supposed to be impossible. He just did magic, if only he would've been able to do this as a kid, then his mind would've been even more blown. Dale was too caught up in what happened to not notice the Manticore swipe at Dale with its tail. The trunk of the tail struck Dale with a force strong enough to send him flying backwards and roll across the dirt.
-18HP
Dale slowly stood up while the Manticore began to charge at him, "Zio!" Dale shouted as another lightning bolt fired at the Manticore, causing it to stop in its tracks as it was hit.
-30HP
While the Manticore was stunned, Dale ran up and punched it as hard as he could in its face.
-19HP
The Manticore then swiped at Dale with his claw, he wasn't fast enough to dodge it this time. Dale was sent falling to the ground with a huge slash going across his chest. Dale felt a sharp pain before it became numb, he was having trouble breathing at this point. Blood began to pour out of his chest, he couldn't believe what was happening.
-27HP Critical!
"Master Dale, your HP is at a critical level!" Alex's voice shouted over the arm brace. Dale couldn't do anything about it, he had no items to use and no healing magic. Tears began to overwhelm him as he realized that he blew his second chance at life due to his stupidity. Despite the amount of MP Dale had left, he had no strength to lift his arm. The Manticore opened its mouth, its sharp teeth frightened Dale to the core. He closed his eyes in fear as the Manticore was about to feast on him.
"Agi!" A voice yelled from the distance. A burst of fire blasted the Manticore away from Dale just before he would meet his demise.
-50HP Weak!
Dale looked up at the voice that saved him, he was greeted by a human figure. He had blonde hair, brown eyes, and a light blue jacket with a white arm brace on his left arm; The jacket was unzipped to reveal a white shirt. Dale was shocked to see another human out here, was this Matthew? The man in the blue jacket opened his status menu and tapped a button on his display, he then thrust his hand at Dale. Suddenly, a Parasprite appeared in front of him but it didn't attack.
"Use Dia on that guy!" The young man commanded his Parasprite. The summoned Parasprite then cast a spell on Dale that slowly began to heal the wounds that he had gotten. Dales' body was engulfed with a green aroura as it was happening, soon he felt better than he did before.
+50HP
Dale slowly stood up while looking at his chest, his bleeding had stopped completely. His chest looked unscathed now. Dale placed his hand on his chest to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Dale's thoughts were then interrupted, "Hey, buddy! Get over here!" Dale quickly ran to the young man, making sure the Manticore wasn't chasing him.
"Holy shit! You just saved my life. How'd you do that with the monster?" Dale wanted to ask this guy all the questions on his mind.
"I'll tell you after... Dale?" The young man looked at his arm brace, looking at the status screen that was brought up for him, "By the way, the name's Matthew, but call me Matt," He said coolly. Dale took a stand with Matt as they both eyed the Manticore, "He's weak to fire skills, so I'll be the main damage dealer. What skills do you have?"
"I've only got lightning damage, and not a lot of MP left. I'm only good for three more Zios" Dale opened his status screen to double check.
"Don't worry about saving MP, we'll be leaving after this fight. My Parasprite will be our healer if something goes wrong," Matt replied. Dale was really impressed that this guy knew what he was doing, he kept a level head the entire time. Dale knew that he had to ask him questions once they were safe, but for now they had something to do.
The Manticore used his wings to fly up into the sky, it was preparing an attack. The beast slammed down on the ground, causing a shockwave to knock the boys backwards. This Parasprite was unaffected because it was hovering above the ground.
-20HP
Both of them stood up, Dale checked the stats for Matt to make sure he was okay.
Name: Matthew Greene
Level: 5
HP: 50/70
MP: 46/50
Status
Strength: 3
Magic: 6
Vitality: 8
Agility: 3
Luck: 5
Current Alignment: Law
Class
Summoner: Has an easier time recruiting monsters as well as having the ability to fuse monsters together outside of battle. (Learns fire magic)
"Shit, are you alright?" Matt asked Dale, he nodded in response, "Good, let's roast this bastard. Agi!" Matt shot another blast of fire at the Manticore but the creature managed to dodge it this time, "Damnit!"
"Zio!" Dale zapped the beast with another lightning spell, luck was on his side because the Manticore became shocked.
-35HP
Matt quickly ran up to the Manticore and punched it in the face dealing massive damage! The Manticore flew backwards, crashing into a tree in the process.
-30HP Enemy Defeated!
You gained 80 EXP
Current EXP: 30
Level Up!
EXP 37/120
You've earned 3 stat points! Please chose what stats you wish to improve!
App Points: 10
Dale was trying to catch his breath after the fight, he was happy to be alive. It was because of Matt that he won the fight, he definitely owes him one. Dale placed two points into luck and one into magic. Dale quickly pulled up his stat screen to review where he was at.
Name: Dale Stevens
Level: 4
HP: 55/55
MP: 25/25
Status
Strength: 4
Magic: 3
Vitality: 6
Agility: 3
Luck: 4
Current Alignment: Neutral
The Parasprite returned into Matt's arm brace while he was trying to catch his breath. Dale got lucky tonight, not only did he survive the fight but he found the person he was looking for. Hopefully, Matt didn't mind being asked a lot of questions...