Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Taking the first step

The roller coaster only last for a few moments as Preston's feet starts to again feel a solidness beneath them. His eyes are still closed but as the ground become a reality he flops to his knees in a faint. The ground he's flopped to is not the trash littered streets but instead before his eyes lush dark green blades of grass, "W....where are we?"

Matt and Damien stand around there keeled over friend as they all look around the new surroundings. The abandoned buildings and grey pot hole filled streets have disappeared. Tall rugged untamed trees now surround the three men.

"T...this is incredible." Matt spins himself around in complete amusement unaffected and not even holding the simplest of questions as to how this is possible.

"Incredible? Incredible?!" His dark haired brother's hot face and bellowing rage filled voice is brought down to the kid as Damien drops his bat to free his hands in a grab for Matt's jacket, "How is this incredible!?" His strength brings his puny brother from his feet, "We are in a fucking forest Matt! How the hell are we in a forest!"

Matt shutters a little at his older brother's voice, Damien rarely ever gets mad at the young kid and the sound and look of his flustered face snaps the young kid's mind back to a realism.

"Fuck!" Damien shoves his brother back to his feet as he turns back to his blonde haired friend still holding his face to the ground, "Are you alright?"

Preston shakes his head as he talks, "Ugh...no no n-horlagaaa!" His stomach has not settled from the roller coaster effects and inturn has now made him vomit, his exposed knees due to the gym shorts he’s wearing rub against the dirt ground with each body shake he gives trying to hold back from vomiting more.

Damien puts his heavy hands on Preston's back as he tries to calm his voice, "Just calm down."

The young kid is finally starting to come around as he frantically looks around again to the tall jagged trees and thick bushes that lay around the small clearing they stand in, "Where's the road?"

Damien calls back to him as he continues to try and comfort Preston, "Matt just keep your voice down we don't know what's in these woods."

The blond haired man slowly starts to bring his body up as he spits to the ground, he talks through a groan, "W-we were drugged...ya...we were drugged and then taken to a forest."

"No..." Damien looks around the trees for a minute as he pauses, "This doesn't look like any forest I've ever seen."

Matt shakes his head as he move back to the other two men, "No maybe Preston's right, maybe we just got like kidnapped or something you know? L-like we're still in New York and this is just an overgrown part of central park right?"

Before anyone of the two men could speak in response there's a loud rustling in the bushes around the clearing.

"What's that?" Preston sits himself up as his fearful voice springs Damien into action, "Matt stay behind me." Damien bends down to retrieve the wooden bat as Matt hurries over to him.

The rustling in the bushes grows a little louder as a faint animal like panting comes trailing after it. Damien’s blue eyes sharpen to the rushing as he tightens his hands around the bat. But no amount of preparing could have made him ready for the sleek black creature that springs from the underlying brush.

The tall fearless athletic man froze not knowing what to do as a small feeble looking Shepherd high animal blinks its huge blue eyes back to them frozen as well. The creature's chest puffs sporadically as it shifts its body to the strange looking thing in front of it.

"What is that a dog!" Preston backs himself away from the changeling as the sight of it finally registers in his mind.

But the confused helpless looking animal is not spooked for long as it bends its front legs down and gives out a loud demonic cat like hiss, the hair's on its back look like they flex out only its not hair as the changeling springs its wings forward in a frenzied attack to the unknown things in front of it.

Damien's reaction is quick as he swings the wooden bat to the changeling, landing the bat squarely to the animal's head sending a wood crack sound wave through the dense forest as the bat shatters to its target.

The changeling slides to a halt and rams against a tree base as it sits lifeless against it.

Damien swings himself around in a scream as he throws the no longer useful bat, "What was that!"

Matt and Preston both shake their heads as they stutter, "Its a fucking alien..."

"NO, no no Preston get your ass over there and figure out what it is!" Damien holds his shaking arm to the animal still resting against the tree as his demanding voice settles.

"W-why me?" Preston's eyes widen as he's brought to his feet by Damien,"Because you're trying to be a vet right! Well tell me that that's just a fucking dog with mange or something will ya!?"

With no other option Preston reluctantly nods his head as he's shoved to the sleek black animal, "Uh...ok"

"What is it Press?" Matt and Damien move themselves behind the blond haired man as they look over his shoulder. Preston is quick to show his annoyance to the pressure as he looks back to them, "Give me some room would ya!?"

Preston hesitates to move his hands to the unknown animal so he looks over it as best he can, "A-alright look, its got...hooves like a horse right?"

The two men nod their heads as they wait for his words to finish, "uh its got canine teeth." Preston holds his arm to the sharp whitish grey bones sticking out of the things mouth as he continues, "...And it...its got wings..."

Damien nods his head a little fast as he talks, "So what is it a dog horse?"

Preston shakes his head, "To big for a horse...dog pony maybe?"

The young kid moves in between the two dumbfounded grown ups as he talks, "No its an experiment done by aliens!"

With a slight nudge Preston pushes him back, "Don't touch it could have some disease on it."

"So what do you thi...-" Matt's voice is cut off as a deep male voice is heard calling from the bushes the animal ran from, "It went this way sir!"

Preston and Matt both freeze at the voice but Damien takes the noise as a sign of good luck, "Alright!" As he starts to move towards the bushes Preston calls out, "Where are you going?"

The tall dark haired man stops as he turns back, "What alien knows English?" He nods his head as he cups his hands to his mouth, "YO! Over here!" As his deep voice resonates through the woods he turns back with a smile, "Now we can get out of here."

The three men listen to the sound of the bushes crunching towards them, but they can't see anything due to a thick layer of water vapor spreading from the dense trees and the tangle mass of vines that extend from each tree.

"Hello? Could the pony that called out please come to the road?"

Damien gives a little laugh as he holds his anxious hands to his hips. Matt and Preston both look to the tall man as they wait for an answer as to why the voice just said pony. Damien notices there wanting eyes as he rolls his hand in front of him, "You know uh like how how people say cat...this guy just says pony..." He holds his fading smile as he cups his hands to call back, "YA sure, one sec!"

"Lets go guys that voice doesn't seem to far, and if there's a road maybe all we did was get a little loopy from chemicals at the old warehouse or something you know?"

Matt inspects the answer as he walks to his so sure brother, Preston however looks over the animal he still kneels beside as he talks, "You two go, i'm going to drag this thing out in a minute..." He cocks a smile as he nods, "They said it ran so maybe this is the it."

Damien nods his head as he waves to Matt to follow, "Just don't get lost when we come back."

The two brothers push their way through the thicket of vines and shrubs as they start to where the voice called from. Damien lets out another call as he follows behind his younger brother, "A yo uh where you at dude?!"

As the two men continue to push into the layer of water vapor in front of them they come to a thin blue lay over light. Damien quickly stops his brother as he looks over the light, "Whoa...whats that?" The vapor that they have walked through seems to vanish on the other side of this very low gold glowing light and the forest on the other side is clear. A dirt path can be slightly seen but only a part of it as the thick trees grow all the way up to the edge of the road.

Matt slightly ignores his brother as he reaches his arm through the light, before his brother can speak up the young kid has moved himself through the wall like light that extends from the ground, "Its just fog probably lit up weird from the dim light."

Damien nods his head as he pushes through the light, but as the light travels past his ear's a low chime like the orb is heard. The tall man again calls out to the voice as he stands confused, "Where are you?"

As he does this the faceless voice calls back more clear and the sound of horse like walking can be heard, "Right here sir."

Matt doesn't stop his pace as he hops a small fallen log onto the street. Damien still stands in the cover of the forest as he looks over his younger brothers confused and now pale ghost colored face, "Matt!" He's snapped out of his freeze as he runs and hops onto the dirt path looking the same way his brother stares.

But the burst of brotherly protection leave the older man feeling sick as he looks over the face of the voice that has been calling out to him. Damien's heart races as he looks over the scene in front of him.

There is a large white carriage that's hitched to two large stallions, but unlike a normal horse theses animal's have large alien like eyes that are beaming on Matt and Damien in confusion. Beside the large white carriage there stands five white coated gold maned silver armored stallions only these are not normal horses like the ones hitched to the carriage these horses have horns that protrude through an opening in the silver medieval knight looking helmets

The moment of silent stares is over as the larger stallion who's helmet has a long red spike down the middle lowers his head and gives out a command, "I order you to identify yourselves!"

Matt's mouth quivers not able to speak as Damien shouts back to the talking animal, "How can you talk your a fucking horse!"

The unicorn's horn glows a bright blue as he calls back, "Identify yourselves!!"

Damien again screams back in disbelief as he balled his fist, "What the fuck are!"

“Dragon you will identify yourself or you will be apprehended by the royal unicorn federation!"The stallion's hooves dig to the ground as his voice calls back out.

Damien's mind has still not grasped anything the horse says as he calls back again, "What are y..-" His voice is cut off as the unicorn sends a bolt of light towards him. Damien's reflexes allow him to step aside but as he does this Matt who was standing a little behind him is hit with the full force of the blast and is dropped like dead weight to his back.

Damien's body plays on pure primal instinct of self preservation as he brings himself to a full run into the forest he and Matt left.

The large stallion brings his fully armored left leg up a little as he calls to the unions behind him, "Find that dragon! We can not have it causing an ambushed down the road!"

Two small unicorns break away from their positions around the white carriage as they start up in a gallop with their horns glowing bright.

The large stallion looks over the still petrified kid as he calls back, "Sargent, detain this dragon until we can bring him to the capi...-"

"What is with all of this noise!" A sharp feminine voice springs from the side of the chair as a white mare pokes her head out of it, her mane is a slick perfectly brushed pink color and a regal gold and purple gem encrusted crown sits on top her head.

The large stallion quickly turns back to the voice as he gives a bow, "Princess...we did not mean to disturb you, ...but we had a run in with dragons."

The mare's eyes shrink with shock as she brings her hoof to her mouth, "Dragons? This close to the capital? How is that possible general Stone Hooves?"

The stallion shakes his head as he straightens up his posture, "Never the less Princess you have nothing to fear, we have captured one of the dragons and are preparing to do away with it now."

The mare places her front hooves to the window as she pushes her body out a little more to see the creature still laying on the ground. The Princess shakes her head as her royal proper voice calls to the stallions around the chariot, "Oh no no no, we will take this dragon to the capital, it will be much use to us there."

Stone Hooves cocks his head as he tries to understand the mare's request, "But..."

His voice is cut off as the mare beams her green eyes to him, "No buts, how do we intend to reunite this land if we don't show compassion to its beast?"

The stallion tightens up as he nods, "Yes your majesty."

"Good." The mare takes her head back into the carriage as her words leave her lips.

Stone Hooves turns back his sergeant that still stands above Matt as he talks, "You heard her Sargent stand this dragon up and lets get a move on."

The armor suited pony over Matt nods as his horn takes on a low glow.

Matt's body that was paralyzed by Stone Hooves magic now comes back to his control as he rolls himself to face the talking animals.

"You are now here by in the custody of the royal unicorn empire, how say you?"

Matt's blue-green eyes are a little watery from watching his brother abandoning him and his body, mind and stomach have a slight burning pain to them, but he nods his head unable to scream or bring himself to run away.

"A wise choice dragon, that spell should have drained your body so running would had proved no use to you. Sergeant! You will look after the dragon until we reach the city understood?"

The pony blinks over Matt's sad and confused face for a moment before he nods, "Yes sir."

Stone Hooves looks back to the earth ponies that are hitched to the carriage as he talks, "Let's move mud ponies we want to get back before nightfall."

The ponies give a quick gallop as they bring the carriage to a wheel turning move.

Matt stares at it as it rolls past where he still sits, there are four purple flags on each side of the carriage that have an emblem of a unicorn head on it, "W-where am I?"

The pony next to Matt flicks his ear as he talks to Matt in a low but stern voice, "You are in Equestria dragon...now get up or I will have to spell bond your legs."

Matt stands from the road as he's motioned to follow the carriage, he wants to bring himself to a full run but at the moment his body is still trying to pull itself from the strange tingling feelings that linger in his body from the unicorn's spell.

End of chapter 2