Everfree Survival

by Hrafn (and his various pseudonyms)

Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fanmade piece of fiction based on the story “Wake up. See This. What do?” by RazortheAwesome, with his permission. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is property of Hasbro, no copyright infringement is intended. Please support the official release.

Chapter 1: Wake up in the forest

You groan as something bright wakes you up. Shielding your face with your arm, you curse whichever deity decided to make the sun so radiant. You sit up and rub your eyes, before trying to step out of bed, and fail completely.

Wait…

This isn’t your bed. In fact, it’s not a bed at all. It looks like grass, if a bit cartoonish. You look around, trying to figure out where you are.

You are in a vaguely circular clearing surrounded by a dense forest of unidentifiable trees.  Under you there’s grass, and there are some fungi on one of the trees. You can hear birds twittering further up. Some of the trees have low branches, while other trees are tall with almost no branches at all. You’re confused by this, because this would normally indicate different types of tree, yet they all look the same other than branch amount and grouping.

“Where am I?”  You ask. It being a rhetorical question, you do not get an answer, not that there’s anyone around to answer. You try to recall how you ended up in a forest, but come up blank. You remember playing a few games on your computer like the baws you are last night, checking for updates on a story you’re following like a baws, having a nightcap like a baws, and then going to bed like a tired baws. This does not, however, explain how you got here, only that you’re a baws. Because, honestly, you’d have to be a baws to do those things.

You idly wonder if there are any dangerous predators in this forest. Probably not, seeing as you didn't get attacked in your sleep, but it might be a good idea to be careful anyway.

Trying out something you remember from playing Zork, you think ‘inventory’ and… Feel a list in your head. You didn’t expect that to work, but apparently it did. Strange. You wonder why you tried it if you didn't expect it to work, but get distracted by the list.

* Backpack (open) containing:

* Refillable butane lighter

* Butane for refilling lighter (unlimited)

* Pouch of tobacco (full)

* Pack of cigarette papers (50 papers)

* Bottle of vodka (500ml)

* Coil of rope (20m)

* Hatchet

* Swiss Army Knife

* MRE packs (3 days’ worth)

* Bottle of water (1l)

* First-aid kit (closed)

* Sewing kit (closed)

* Thermos filled with your favorite hot beverage

You don’t know how this works, but decide to just roll with it. It worked, so there’s no reason to complain. Looking around again, you notice that there is indeed a backpack with those items inside beside you. You have no idea how that got here, but you do know you’ve never owned this backpack or the items inside. Given the circumstances, though, you figure you might as well hold on to it, the stuff inside might be useful. You close the backpack and sling it over your shoulder, securing it safely to your back.

Standing up, you stretch your legs and take a short walk to get a feel for the area. You're pretty sure you could climb some of these trees, and some of the local plants look edible if you need food. Some, such as a bush of blueberries, look familiar. Others are completely alien to you. You note that blueberries mean it's probably late summer or fall. None of the trees around you seem to bear fruit. You can hear a stream nearby, and could probably get water there.

You can see a few suitable locations you could use to set up a primitive camp. There's a tree with branches forming a makeshift ceiling. There are some rocks and pebbles around you could use to make a fire pit. Not knowing the local wildlife, you postpone a decision for where to settle.

You decide not to leave the clearing until you've had some time to think about things. Sitting down, you get the water bottle and have a sip. As you do so, you see something in the corner of your eye. You turn your head and see a note on the ground.

'Welcome to the Everfree Survival Challenge.

You have been randomly selected from a group of potential subjects. You are in the Everfree Forest, and your task is to survive. Your current body is a copy of your real one, if it dies you will start over at the last safe point. If you survive for 6 months or escape the forest, you will be rewarded. Prizes may vary depending on your actions in the forest.

Because of certain restrictions, not everything will be realistic. If any bugs are discovered, please notify an admin or moderator at earliest convenience.

Finally, your first course of action should be seeking out Zecora, a zebra living somewhere in this forest. She will help you get started on the challenge, and can teach you about the local flora and fauna.

Good luck,

Admin Celestia

Admin Luna'

The message is strange, and confusing as hell. [You have gained status effect: Confused. You have received quest: Find the Zebra.] Sure, it does answer a few questions, but now you have even more of them. The part about bugs is especially confusing. And who the hell are these admins anyway?

According to your biological clock, this would normally be when you eat breakfast. Of course, seeing as you're not in your home, you have yet to get into your usual morning routine.

You are wearing blue jeans, a white t-shirt, sturdy shoes, and a black leather jacket with many pockets. On your back is the backpack you found with you when you woke up. You are not tired. You are slightly hungry. You are not thirsty.

You currently have the following skills and abilities:

* Basic survival

* Basic cooking

* Basic construction

* Basic sewing

You currently have the following positive status effects:

* Noob protection

You currently have the following negative status effects:

* Nicotine addiction (minor)

* Confused

Current quest: Find the Zebra

Search for a water source, some food and supplies to make camp.

You head towards the sound of the stream. On the way, you notice a plant that reminds you of hemlock. Mentally noting down it's location, you keep moving towards the stream.

You ponder for a moment whether its even possible to swap out one's body for a copy like these "admins" claim they did with you, but that thought leaves your head as soon as it enters. You have more pressing matters to attend to at the moment.

You see a river. Not deep enough for swimming, you think you could wade over with little difficulty. The water is mostly clear. It may contain fish, but you don't see any. The trees have thinned out a bit. When you look up, you see there's a small mountain on the other side of the river, an estimated three hundred meters away. With your basic knowledge of wilderness survival, you realize you should make your camp close to the water.

You don't have anything in which to carry water, but you're pretty sure you can refill your bottle here if needed.

What do you do?