Smoking Barrel wakes up in the hospital. His vision a bit blurry in one eye, the other eye… Well, it was pitch black still. His heart rate began to rise as he realised that he was seeing nothing in his left eye.

“Oh shit… AHHH WHAT THE HELL! WHY CAN’T I SEE PROPERLY?” He shouted to himself in the empty hospital room.

Barrel began to calm himself down after about a minute of hyperventilation and panicking. He then raised and looked at his brown hooves too only see his left one and not his right one. His vision was blocked in his right eye. He then moved his right hoof to his left eye to see it.

“Wheres a fucking mirror? I want to see how more ugly I have become. Not that I was good looking before.” He explained with an angry tone.

Barrel looked around the hospital room. There was just some water in a bowl for him next to the bed and his journal he had kept. Barrel had thought that Fluttershy had given it to him to write in after the incident. He layed back down and sighed with a bored look on his face.

“I could have a wank… But I don’t have any hands.” He mumbled to himself.

“If you wanna get up… You need a little revive.” He sung quietly to himself. “Yeah...Quick revive my ass… Probably been here for weeks maybe..” He thought.

After singing that little perk-a-cola jingle, Barrel begins to remember all those zombie sessions on Call of Duty Zombies. Especially on Origins. He smiled a little from the nostalgia and turned to his journal that was next to water bowl. He picked it up with his mouth and placed it in front of him. He pulled out the quill from the side of the journal with his mouth. He began to draw the perk-a-cola bottles along the side of the page. He drew every one of them, from Quick Revive to Vulture Aid.

“Huh.. I never knew I could draw that good…But lets get to writing I suppose.” He said to himself with a confused tone.

He picked up the quill with his mouth and he began to write his journal entry.

I didn’t think today was going to end up like today. Well, that is me ending up in the hospital, waking up to only see through only one eye and fearing probably something else missing too. Probably one of my lungs is gone for all I know. Anyways, today was just way out of my comfort zone with all the explosions, things hitting me and what not. Usually, back in my own human world, I would just be lazing at home, probably with the same part time job, barely any friends to hang out with, probably fatter, and having a heart attack at age twenty five or something. I didn’t really have much to do back in my own world to be honest. Yeah sure, I had my moments here and there but… I was just so god damn boring all the time. Not to mention being depressing twenty four seven. I was honestly thinking about quitting making videos since I just couldn’t get myself to making one like when I first started. It was when I hit 16 years of age, that was the beginning of my...

Barrel turned the page, drew a sad face on top of his page and continued to write.

Self destruction. In which i mean by that is... Well... I just turned into a pile of shit.. I just wasn't the same. Sure, some people may call it a 'phase' but I feel like it wasnt a phase. I felt myself getting sadder, lazier and more anti-social everyday. I lost quite a few friends due to this... All my friends now are just internet friends. Not saying thats bad but... I cant hang out with them since they are always on the other side of the world. And when I started to lose motivation to make videos... Thats when it hit me. I had that sudden realisation that I just wasn't the same anymore. I didn't have one of the greatest childhoods, yet it had its moments like playing the snes, n64 and all that other stereotypical shit. But, i used to live on this street with fairly large houses including mine. Well, lets just say everyone was... Against me. Let me tell you, it ain't fun being thrown into a thorn bush by at least 6 other kids and no one helping you get out of it. It happens quite frequently, my brother was also against me. Also, they would make fun of me, tease me, ditch me, prank me, laugh at me, etc. I had nightmares for a very long time.. I had countless sleepless nights. Sometimes, I just wondered outside, praying that things would get better.

Barrel paused for a moment. He felt his eye watering as a tear dropped from his left eye. The tear landed on the bottom of the page.

"This.." He cried. "This I need to not cry over..." He said in sadness.

Barrels lips began to wobble a bit as some memories came back to him. Two more tears dropped down on the page. He sniffed a few times and wiped the tears away. Barrel then took a deep breath, turned to a new page, and began to write again.

There was nothing really I could do about it. I was really young, my parents didn't believe me and that just made it worse. I should probably stop talking about that since it makes me sad everytime I think about it. I can guarantee that if I was a pony here, those things would have never happened to me. Everyone is really friendly, everyone smiling, having more of a positive outlook on life. I really do wish I was born in this dimension rather than ours to be honest. I believe that most humans tend to ruin or destroy most things. As far as I have seen, its more negativity with humans more than positivity. No one is really friendly either, you look at them and the next second, you are in a fight. Most likely you would either end up in hospital or 6 feet under. Well, now I am just ranting… I suppose I better get on track of what I am meant to write.

Barrel turned to a fresh page in his journal. “Jeez, this is the most I have ever written in my entire miserable life.” He said. “But I got nothing else to do… No guns, no booze, no video games. Ahh… this is going to drive me nuts.” He continued in a deep voice.

Barrel began to slowly draw the ice staff from call of duty zombies along the side of the page. It looked quite bad but he was happy with it. He continued to write in his journal.

You know what? I think I could actually do something with my life here… Not be a nobody anymore, not hiding in the shadows… Perhaps… I was meant to come here for a reason. Maybe I can achieve things here that I could never do back in my own world. Because lets face it. I was a dead man anyways… Well, besides me almost dying here. I remember I had a prop ice staff I made back in my own house. It’s probably still there….. Along with my Nikolai Belinski cosplay that I made myself. It cost a fair amount to make both of those things. But it was worth it in the long run. It was funny how I wore it to ponycon in Queensland, I got a lot of weird stares but got a lot of photos and stuff by people who were wearing pony cosplays. Anyways, I guess what I am trying to say is… I could make the ice staff, perk-a-cola bottles with equestrian magic. But I gotta figure that out somehow. But the main point here is that: I know I can achieve so much more here than what I can back in my own world. Hey who knows, I could perhaps find a “mare friend” here while I am at it. I would have a better chance with that here rather than being my human self. I was quite the ugly bloke mind you. Not fat... but face ugly.

Barrel turned to a new page.

What happened today was amazing. Although I almost died (in which I couldn’t care less if I did die.) I actually had… fun. Its something I never do. Actually hanging out with the lads and having a good time. Well, except for those two arguing. But boys will be boys I suppose. Lads fight all the time. But one thing still bugs me… How long will it be before we return home? When will we see our families again? I will admit, I miss my family alot… I miss the sound of my dogs whining for food every morning. I miss the ps3, xbox, shooting the shotgun with my dad on the weekends, new ytps in my sub box, skype calls with the lads, etc. Although what I dont miss… Is other people at school and those kinds of things.

Barrel took a deep breath and closed his journal. He put the quill back in the side of the book and placed the journal back next to the water bowl. Barrel then drank some water and laid back down staring at the hospital ceiling, reflecting on what he just wrote in his journal. About ten minutes passed by, he began to sing  to a tune he remembered way back in the day.

“I was totin my staff along the shiny wizards tower road. When along came a nooby with a bright, greenish coloured toad. If you’re going to Wizards Tower, come with me, we can striiiiide. So I followed that young noob. And then we settled down inside. He asked me, if seen i have seen a road.. with so much dust and sand? And I said listen noob. I’ve traveled every road in this here land…” He sung proudly. Then he continued louder and prouder.

“I’ve been everywhere noob. I’ve been everywhere noob. Crossed the deserts bare noob. I’ve breathed the mountain air noob. Of travel, I’ve had my share noob. I’ve been everywhere! I’ve been to Tree Gnome, Karamja, Shilo, Bounty Hunter, Ape Atoll, Falador, God Wars, Chaos Temple, Rellekka, Digsite, Taverly, Slayer Tower, Kalphite, Camelot, Catherby, Draynor Village, Artoogan..? Adorgner..? Ardougne…?” He sang loudly. And he continued to sing loudly.

“I’ve owned everything noob. I’ve owned everything noob. I’ve killed the biggest bear noob. I’ve shot the bolts of air noob. Fightin, I’ve had my share noob. I’ve owned everything! I’ve owned small noobs, big noobs, short noobs, tall noobs, stinky noobs, stupid noobs, fast noobs, slow noobs, hot noobs, cold noobs, green noobs, blue noobs, bald noobs, king noobs, high noobs, holy crap that is one big noob. I will kill him too…” He sang. He picked up his journal and looked at it. “So you see young noob.. I have been everywhere. I’ve killed everything. I… I’m better than yooooooouu!”

But then Barrel stopped due to the other four doctor and nurse ponies giving him a weird stare as to what just happend. But he just gave a blank expression and pretended to write in his journal. The two nurses giggled at him. Barrel’s face went red and then they went away.

“Note. Don’t break into song when you bored.” He said to himself as his stuffed his face into his journal.

He checked the door to see if they had gone away. One nurse pony had come into the room, with a smile on her face. She was standing next to the hospital bed, scaring Barrel.

“Ahh!” He shouted. “Oh.. Hello! hehe…” He said with nervousness.

“That was quite some injury you had.” The mare replied. “There were so many shards we had to remove, not to mention the blood loss you had. “ She continued.

“Yeah, all I could remember was just a big.. blast.” Barrel replied.

“So what was that song you were singing just moments ago?” The nurse asked.

“Oh… just a song that I used to know.” Barrel replied with a smile.

Next Chapter: Fallout & Unification Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 46 Minutes