The Arrival
Chapter 1
The Arrival
It was early morning, and Celestias’ sun was just rising over the canopy of the trees, shining a dazzling lightshow through the branches onto the sleeping form of a pony underneath. As the sun rose higher in the sky, the pony started to wake from its slumber. The young stallion looked around in astonishment and confusion.
Where in the world am I, and how did I get here, he thought to himself as he started to get up. As he groggily looked around, he saw a lake in the distance. Maybe I can get my bearings after a drink, he thought as he walked towards the water. But as he reached the bank of the lake and looked into the water, what he saw sent his mind into total chaos. Looking back at him was not the reflection of a pale skin covered human, but of a pony. He stepped back in pure shock, falling on his flank. “No way, that is not possible”, he exclaimed, “There is no way I am a pony”. As he sat there, stone faced, not wanting to look at himself again.
“Come on Slooth, you have got be dreaming”, he reassured himself. “Just one splash of that water and you will see your old self”. As he got back up and walked over to the water, he decided he might as stick his whole head in, just to make sure. When he reached the edge of the lake, he fully submerged his head into the water, feeling its’ icy stab as the water forced itself over every part of his head. After a few seconds, he pulled back, breathing heavily. As he checked his reflection again, his heart sank. Even through the rippling of the recently disturbed water, he could clearly see that he was no longer human. Realizing this, he decided to take stock of his appearance. He was definitely a weird looking pony if he had ever seen one. He was a bright cyan color, with a long white mane. Silver streaked through his mane, like highlights on steroids. The part that really freaked him out though, was his eyes; they were a dark red, like a big juicy Macintosh apple.
How in the world did this happen, I went to bed last night as a human and wake up as a colorful pony. I need to get out of here and get some help. As he checked his reflection one last time in the pool he heard something that sent chills down his spine. Directly behind him, a large bush started to shake. Cautiously turning around, he saw it. Peering out of a huge bush was a pair of neon green eyes. They were staring straight at him, and he knew that they were not friendly. Suddenly, there was a revolting smell of something rotten, followed by the creaking of old wood. As he tried to peer deeper into the shadows of the bush, the creature inside jumped out.
It looked like nothing he had ever seen before. It appeared to be a large wolf like creature, but its appendages where all composed of wood; stumps and twigs all combined together to make the legs and body of the creature, with sharpened wedges to form a very menacing set of teeth. Slooth did not have long to ponder the oddness of the creature however, because it started chasing after him. As Slooth turned and galloped away from the strange creature behind him, he didn’t realize how dark and thick the trees were becoming, or that he had no clue as to where he was. As he ran with all his might, he soon realized it was to no avail. The creature was gaining on him, and he could not shake him. As fear continued to cloud his mind, he saw the tiniest inkling of a path through the breaking trees. Having exhausted nearly all his energy, Slooth made one final rush onto the path, and saw nothing but trees. His heart sank, but he continued to run, determined to try and make it out alive. As Slooth fled down the path, he turned his head and saw that the distance between himself and wolf-like creature was slowly growing. “Hah, take that you… you thing” he shouted. No sooner though that he turned his head back, he slammed right into a tree, immediately knocking himself unconscious.
“Hah, take that you… you thing” a voice shouted through the trees, falling on the ears of a purple unicorn. “What in Celestias’ name was that?” She said as she cocked her head to the side, trying to make sure she wasn’t hearing things. Sure enough, there was the sound of multiple creatures rapidly approaching her location. She quickly hid behind a tree, unsure as to whether or not the approaching beings were friendly or not. However, no sooner that she had dove behind the tree, there was a loud thud. The tree she was hiding behind shook violently, causing the unicorn to jump. As she cautiously peeked around the corner, she saw the form of a bright blue pony. Why in Equestria is there a pony this far out in the Everfree Forest, I wouldn’t even be out this far if I didn’t need to visit Zecora. However, her pondering was interrupted by a familiar stench.
Timberwolf! She quickly turned around, and saw the foe that was rapidly approaching her. Suddenly, out of pure instincts, the unicorns’ horn started to glow with a deep lavender color. In the few seconds that it took the creature to traverse the space between them, the unicorn had created a circular shield, covering both her and the pony beneath. As the wolf came into contact with the shield there was a loud pop. Lightning swarmed over the creature, causing it to fall into a pile charred wood. However, no sooner had she lowered the shield, the wooden appendages started to replace themselves. Enveloping the new pony in her magic, the unicorn quickly retreats, heading back the way she came. Zecora can wait, she thought to herself, that Timberwolf is still on my tail, and this pony needs help!
