Okay, people. Let's start from the beginning of the story so you know what's going on.

My name is Desti Octavio, but you can just call me Desti. And for the first decade-and-a-half of my life, I was an Octoling from Octo-Valley and, later, the city of Inkopolis where you can find other Octolings, which was made possible because of the Squid Sisters' famous hit song, the Calamari Inkantation.

When I was old enough, I founded Team Octoposse with Octilla, Octara, and Octria, and we made a name for ourselves as we competed in Turf War events. After that, I met the "upcoming star" Meggy Spletzer, and we became fast-rivals, giving each other all sorts of crap. And, uh, I trained a guy named Waluigi.

Yeah, the dude who unleashed a T-Pose apocalypse on the Mushroom Kingdom, but we don't need to be reminded of that.

Meggy and I eventually developed a sense of respect for each other, we got kidnapped by a wacko named Francis, our friends launched a raid on his Anime Island base and, during the battle, we lost Meggy. Oh, and I got drained of my ink and turned into a human.

As for Francis, we whooped his ass, and he is not coming back. His island got blown up, I resigned from my post as leader of the Octoposse to lead Meggy's old team, and started hanging out with Mario and the SMG4 Crew while I adjusted to being human. Before I forget, I learned to wield blades.

Several months passed, I dealt with challenges relating to being a human while training for Splatfest in Meggy's honor, and, under my leadership and after enough training time, Team SplatSquad consisting of me, Mario, Luigi, and Tari entered the World Peace vs. World Chaos Splatfest, which was set to be the final one, and, long story short, we kicked ass.

I made peace with what happened to Meggy, moved out of Inkopolis, had some more adventures with the gang, and I got a new voice when SMG3 stole the YouTube remote and we confronted him, which makes me fully human now. Super!

And after all that, after having so many adventures, and helping save the world a couple times, I feel more motivated than I ever have before. Honestly, who knows what the universe, or the multiverse, will have in store for this Octoling-turned human.

But I'll say this now, bring on the next adventure...

A chilly wind cut through the trees, and an owl hooted in the distance. Leaves crunched and rustled upon the ground, accompanying the sound of boot-heavy footsteps. A bird flew into the sky, and a shadow danced over a rock as a tall, brown-skinned female with dark-purple emo-like hair emerged from the bushes, wearing black shorts and an octopus sweater.

Desti breathed in the twilight air, and she studied the sky, then she returned her focus to the earth and surveyed the mysterious building ahead. Lights flickered on and off every couple seconds, and an odd TV symbol lit up to illuminate the growing darkness.

'We know why that looks familiar.' Desti reached into her pocket, and pulled out the envelope, looking at the TV symbol that was also etched onto it.

The former Octoling had been exploring this world for some time, and that symbol had caught her attention within the hour of her arrival in this very universe. Desti didn't think she'd be dealing with this mystery, she was on her way home after teaming up with Meggy to put a stop to Dark Squid's dimension-hopping antics. This was not her idea of a pit stop.

Nonetheless, her curiosity had been tickled, and she didn't have much of a choice.

Desti walked around a fallen branch, and moved closer towards the entrance of the mysterious facility, unaware that a camera was observing her movements. A steel door rolled open, allowing the Octoling-turned human Splatfest champion to set foot within the facility's mysterious halls.

Music blared out through a loudspeaker, an oddly upbeat sort of music. Desti couldn't make out what the song was meant to be, but an ominous facility playing a tune like that had to be a way of luring one into a false sense of security.

Acting cautiously, the ex-Octoling pulled out her Splat-Blaster, and kept alert for a sign of trouble. She noticed the security cameras mounted upon the wall, following her every movement, and a couple red lights blinked every now and then. Desti heard a thunking sound, and a chill went up her back. She wheeled around, holding her weapon steadily...

...but no one was there.

However, the faint music seemed to get louder. Desti kept walking forward, and continued surveying the halls. Just then, a hissing sound flooded her ears, and her nose twitched. A moment later, her grip upon the handle of her Splat-weapon slackened as a sense of drowsiness overtook her.

"Wh-What...?" Desti muttered.

Her knees began to shake, and her eyesight started to blur. She dropped to the floor, groaning as the hissing got louder. Desti held her head, and fought to stay awake, realizing that she was breathing in a type of gas. Someone knew she was here, and was pumping a type of vapor into her area to subdue the former Octoling.

"T-Tired..." Desti said incoherently, "What is even... going on...? So tired. N-No, I have to stay awa... Uhnnnnn..."

She fell over, and rolled onto her back. Her eyes were heavy now, and she could barely see. And yet, the last sound to fill Desti's ears were incoming footsteps, and she caught a glimpse of someone approaching. They looked tall, and their head looked... funny.

Blackness overcame her, and Desti was out like a light.

Oddly upbeat music drew her back into the world. Desti groaned, and made an effort to awaken once more. A light filtered through her eyelids, and she slowly opened her once-heavy eyes to see herself in an ominous room, likely some type of lab, full of machinery. Desti looked down, seeing herself strapped to a table, her wrists cuffed and bound.

"You made quite the entrance, I say."

She turned her head, following the sound of the voice, and watched as a tall robotic being with white gloved hands, a tie, and a TV for a head emerged from the shadows, approaching the Octoling-turned human with an ominous smile on his screen for a face. Desti saw a word above the entity's screen, and was able to spell-out "Puzzlevision". How peculiar...

The mysterious TV-headed entity leaned over the table, staring at Desti with the creepiest smile that she'd ever seen. "How are you right now?" He asked, "You must still be waking up after that. Oh, my apologies, I should introduce myself..."

He stood straight, and an eerie fanfare played over the loudspeaker. "I am the enigmatic, the astonishing, the generous, Mr. Puzzle!" Mr. Puzzle declared, "Host of entertainment, benefactor to those in need, and the greatest showman in this side of the world. And what would your name be, my friend? Your outfit looks... familiar."

"I'm... Desti." Desti said, not feeling confident.

"Desti? As in, Ms. Spletzer's deceased former rival, Desti? The unstoppable leader of the Octoposse?!" Mr. Puzzle did a little dance, laughing with surprise, "Aren't we supposed to be dead?"

"I guess this is another one of those universes where I'm the one who didn't survive and Meggy's the one who turned human." Desti remarked, "Yes, that's me, the once unstoppable leader of the Octoposse."

"This is interesting..." Mr. Puzzle hissed, "Are we feeling lost at this stage in your life? Fear not, I can help with that. In fact, I have a special customer who can assist with that. We're going to have quite the show, and you're my latest attraction! Today is your lucky day, Miss Desti! We'll start right away, if you'll be so kind to follow me..."

Mr. Puzzle uncuffed Desti, then he lifted her off the table, and hauled her towards what looked like a pod. The inviting, but sinister TV man laughed as he thrusted the ex-Octoling inside the terminal, and he placed an odd-looking VR helmet upon Desti's head. As she glimpsed it, she was reminded of the devices that the villain of Saw placed on his victims heads.

She turned, seeing a large vat in the middle of the room, and just managed to make out the sight of someone floating inside the tank. It looked like an Inkling, but who was it in there...?

"LET THE SHOW BEGIN!" Mr. Puzzle proclaimed, and he flipped a lever.

The device on Desti's head vibrated to life, and she gasped as she felt a surge of power enter her mind and body. Something slammed onto her wrist, and she noticed clamps closing around her wrists, again, and Desti lay helplessly in the pod as she felt her mind slipping away...

And when the noises settled, and she came back to her senses again, the former Octoposse leader gasped when she saw her new surroundings. She stood in an old wild west town, and she was wearing some type of cowboy outfit. Desti reached up to touch her head, and found that she had a cowboy hat on.

She didn't know what to think. Was that some sort of teleporter?

Desti looked around, seeing the various cowboy outfit-clad people roaming around the town. And then, she saw him, an Inkling male with dark hair and teal eyes clad in a dark cowboy outfit, standing by a barrel and staring at her.

No sooner than when she'd made eye contact with him, Desti's face lit up as she recognized the Inkling. It was him, the famous former Splatfest legend himself; Oneshot Wren, the guy who'd gifted his beanie to Meggy. She'd met him in her universe after coming out on top in Splatfest one night, and he'd been drinking at a pub that evening.

Oneshot Wren stepped towards Desti, and waved his hand, gesturing for her to follow him. Desti looked around, then she followed after the Inkling, following Oneshot Wren away from the crowded area. Wren led Desti to a wagon outside the town, then he turned around, and she saw the eerie smirk on his face.

"I know you." Desti said, "You're Oneshot Wren."

"You're damn right." Wren replied, "And you're... Desti. It's funny to see you alive and well, especially when you weren't the one who turned into a human. If I didn't know any better, I'd say someone decided to bring you back from the grave and drain the ink from that body of yours."

"Actually, I'm from another universe... and I came out on top in Splatfest in Meggy's honor." Desti told him.

"So, you're a Splatfest champion like I was?" Wren chuckled, "This makes it all the more fun, and looks like we're about to have an amazing time here. We're going to have so much fun, you won't even want to leave."

"Okay. Wren? What is really going on here?" Desti asked.

"First, you're in Western Spaghetti." Wren explained, "Secondly... draw!"

'Draw?'

Before Desti could react, Wren whipped out a gun akin to the ones used by cowboys, and a gunshot rang out. Desti felt a sharp pain in her gut, and she winced as she placed a hand over the spot where the bullet hit her. The former Octoling felt something wet upon her palm, and looked down, seeing streaks of blood on her fingers.

"Don't worry there, Desti..." Wren said in a half-assuring manner, "We were just getting started. The show has to go on, and you'll get better soon, before we have another go. By the time we're done, you'll never want to leave. We got ALL eternity to play..."

Desti dropped to her knees, and collapsed on her side as blood tainted her shirt. She coughed and Wren stood over her with a smirk, then he raised the gun towards Desti's head.

BLAM!

It was quick, and almost painless. The world around Desti went black. She thought it was the end, that Wren was lying... somehow. Soon, light flooded her eyes again, and she woke up to find herself in a bedroom. Desti lay upon a bed as she awakened, then she saw the gun on her bedside and picked it up.

She recalled what had happened before meeting Wren, she thought about the machinery that she'd been exposed to. Desti quickly realized what was happening, she was in a simulation, a wild west simulation.

And one didn't die for real in simulations. Wren said they had all eternity, that meant he could keep shooting her, and she'd keep coming back.

Desti headed outside, holding the gun cautiously. When she looked around the town, nobody else was there. The former Octoling stepped out into the streets, breathing the simulated fresh air, and wondered what trick this world was going to pull on her. And then, she turned to see Wren standing by the saloon.

"Draw!" He said.

This time, she was prepared. Desti raised her gun, ready to fight back against Wren. The former champion pulled out his gun, and aimed right at the former Octoling...

BLAM!

The End

(Desti will return in WESTERN FRONTIER Part 2 by RusSniper45)