Chapters Chapter 1 - Dreams and a Shock
I woke up from my slumber covered in sweat like every morning. I lay there for a while thinking out loud.
“Just another boring day. Nothing to do, no one to hang out with.”
Ever since I graduated high school and aged out of the Army Cadets (turned 19 and was no longer able to be considered a cadet). I had hung out with my friends less and less. Often when I would lay in bed like this I would wonder if I ever had any friends to begin with or if they simply took pity on me. When I would start to think about things like this is was usually hard to stop. Things never went well for me. Every romantic relationship I ever had would end before it could properly start and sometimes the same for friendships. Then I would think about how I felt like I didn't belong in this world. I was always shy and preferred to stay inside and read, though when I was younger and more outgoing I would make a friend and every time I would promise myself that I would never give up on any of them. Eventually I had to move away and we became distant and since then I could never hold a sustained friendship. It wasn't until I discovered a television show that was targeted for little girls, but the one friend that I somehow kept and would lay my life down for, had assured me that behind the looks of the show the story line was good and it even had some life lessons that are enjoyable as well. I decided to give it a shot and I immediately fell in love with it. The world in the show looked to be perfect. The whole show was based on the “magic of friendship” and I clung to it like glue. Eventually I ended up watching all three seasons of the show and there were no more episodes to be watched. It was then that my friend had told me about a website where you can read stories that fans from around the world had written. Upon this discovery I found myself reading stories from the website on a daily basis.
I opened my eyes and thought about the dream I had last night. It was the same dream I had every night for a few months now, ever since my discovery of “My Little Pony”.
I was laying down in a field of flowers and everywhere around me was filled with bright colors that made me feel happy and warm. I would walk through the field for a little while then notice movement to my right. When I looked to my right I found nothing was there. I begin to look around for any indications that someone is with me. I turned back to the field and notice a silhouette in the distance, it's features unrecognizable in the glare of the sun. I walked towards the silhouette and it moved away as well. I then quickened my pace and then switched to an all out sprint. It seemed that I could go on for hours without any fatigue. As soon as I would think I was beginning to catch up everything would immediately shift to pitch black. I decided to continue walking in a random direction. It wasn't long before I could see a light at the end. As I was approaching the light, I immediately halted my movement and stared down at the same silhouette I saw in the field of flowers. I decided to call out to him/her to see if I could get any information.
“H-Hey! Where d-does that light go?! Do I-I know you?” I stuttered feeling uneasy. The silhouette didn't seem to hear me as it simply continued to stare at me. Finally it spoke albeit briefly.
“I will contact you shortly” The voice was obviously female and I could have sworn I had heard the voice from somewhere before. As I looked up from my thinking she was gone.
“Okay this is usually the part where I wake up now.” I would say the same thing every time and feel a tingling sensation all throughout my body. Afterwords I would wake up in a cold sweat.
I swung my legs over my bed and wiped my face of sweat with a towel I always kept by my bed and looked at the time. 8:30am. 'I might as well take a shower' I thought. I stood up and stretched my neck, arms, back, and legs cracking bones along the way and made my way over to the washroom. Looking in the mirror I noticed my short black hair was matted down on one side due to sweat, the earring on my left year had fallen out from my tossing and turning, but I would always find it somewhere in my bed. My hazel-brown eyes had slight bags underneath them and I fixed that by splashing cold water on my face. I stood up to my full height, at around 5'10, and I could see the bottom of my tattoo from under the sleeve of my shirt. Lifting it up I took a good look at the tattoo of a wolf howling at the moon on my right arm and sighed. I always felt like I could relate to wolves better than anything else and I took comfort in that.
Stripping myself of my clothes I stepped in the cold water of the shower and immediately felt the effects waking me up. After spending 10 minutes cleaning myself I dried myself off and went into my room and changed into a pair of blue jeans and a blue “Big Bang Theory” t-shirt. After a small breakfast of cereal and toast I went back to my room and sat in the chair on the other side and picked up my laptop. I turned it on and lit up a cigarette while a waited. Once I signed in I opened up the internet and went to FimFiction.net and continued to read the human in Equestria stories I liked so much. Those were usually the stories I would read because they were essentially just the author telling the readers what he thinks would happen should he ever go to Equestria. Although I knew it could never happen I couldn't help but think how my life would be different if I were to somehow go there. Just as I was about five minutes into reading the story and took the last drag from my cigarette I recieved a contact request on Skype. I looked at the profile name, Princess of Light, and didn't recognize it. None of my friends had a Skype name like that so I simply just ignored it and kept reading. The request came again and I ignored a second time. It wasn't until the third time that I thought 'What the hell I might as well see who she is and why she wants to talk to me so badly' . So I clicked accept and almost immediately got a message from the person. Her profile picture was the sun, sky and Princess Celestia from “My Little Pony”. My first thought was 'So this girl likes the show too?' . The message I got was.
'Do you watch My Little Pony?' I had never told anyone that I watched the show, but I never really did like lying to people, especially if this woman liked the show too.
'Yes, I do. But do I know you?' Was my reply. It wasn't long before I got another message.
'No, you do not know me personally but, I know you Jacob.' Okay, this creeped me out a little. I was too stunned to reply, but I didn't need to as the mystery girl sent me another message.
'You are 19 years of age and you live in Chatham Ontario, Canada – Earth. -I didn't know why she put “Earth” but the fact that she knew where I lived scared me a little.- You have friends but many of them do not make the effort to contact you, you often feel as if you do not belong here in this world and you relate most to that of a wolf and often stare at the moon.'
That message scared me out of my wits and all I could do was write a simple “Go away stalker” and promptly deleted her from my Skype contacts. I shut down my laptop, walked to the washroom downstairs and splashed cold water on my face. After I dried my face I began to pace about the living room to try to sort this out.
“Who the hell was that and how did she know so much about me? It couldn't have been any of my friends because they wouldn't take the time to even talk to me besides Taylor but, he wouldn't do that. What does she want?” I thought out loud. I didn't have to worry that someone would hear me, because my mom, her boyfriend and the two of my siblings that lived with me had gone to visit my aunt and uncle. Leaving me to watch our two dogs. A few minutes later I got a text from an unknown number that read 'You will find that you do know me for, I did tell you that I would contact you.' I didn't send a text back because this person was really scaring me. How could this be the figure from my dream? It's impossible. I didn't have to think for long as I got another text from the same number. 'Will you answer one question for me?' I found that strange but I hadn't said one word to this woman other than that I watch ponies and for her to leave me alone. I figured that if I answered her question that she would leave me alone so I decided to answer.
'Yes, I will answer your question then I want you to leave me alone.' I wasn't 100% sure that she would leave me alone but I could always ignore her.
'Did everything I told you earlier apply to you?' I thought to what she said on Skype and realized she had me spot on. No matter who I talk to I pride myself on not lying so I steeled myself for what she was going to say next as I answered her question.
'Yes' I didn't know it at the time but, that one simple word would change my life forever.
I stared at my phone for a minute or two as I received a strange reply from the mystery girl.
'OK, hold on tight.' I sat down on the couch and tried to think about why she would send me a message like that. Not long after I had sat down did I notice my phone start to glow a blindingly yellow color and my house shook as if I was struck by an earthquake. I didn't know what was happening so I just held on as tight as I could to the couch and closed my eyes. My efforts to hold on were useless as the shaking grew in power and I fell off with a hard thud. I smacked my head against the coffee table's edge. I took one last look around the house and noticed that nothing changed in the house despite the sudden earthquake. And with that realization I passed out.
I woke up in that same field of flowers in my dream and I immediately felt like screaming. I knew what was going to happen, it wasn't scary or anything it was just annoying. So I just did what I would have done in the dream. I stood up and just like in my dream the bright colors brought with it a sense of happiness and peace. I walked through the field for a little while until I noticed movement to my right. When I looked I found nothing to be there. I began to look around for any indications that someone is with me. I turned back to the field and notice a silhouette in the distance, it's features unrecognizable in the glare of the sun. I knew I wouldn't catch it but, that didn't stop me from trying. I quickened my pace and switched to an all out sprint. It seemed that I could go on for hours without any fatigue. As soon as I would think I was beginning to catch up everything would immediately shift to pitch black. Knowing what came next I simply walked in the darkness until I could see the light I had seen many times before. It wasn't long before I could see the light at the end. As I was approaching the light, I immediately halted my movement and stared down at the same silhouette I saw in the field of flowers and my previous dreams. I decided to call out to him/her to see if I could get any information. But this time I wasn't afraid. I wanted answers.
“Hey! How do you know so much about me! Who are you!” I yelled with a surprising amount of anger in my tone. The silhouette didn't seem fazed by my anger though unlike from my dream the figure spoke softly and longer.
“You may call me a friend, I have watched you for many years. Not long ago I heard you say that you didn't belong in your world. So I have come to bring you to another.” The voice of the figure was calm and soothing, almost motherly. I recognized the voice now! But it's impossible! She's not real! Nonetheless I didn't say anything for fear of being wrong and looking like an idiot.
“This has to be another dream. You aren't real and it's not possible to jump worlds”
“Maybe not in your world alone but, with the help of magic from my world I can bring you to my world. And I can assure you Jacob that you are definitely not dreaming although this is the dream state and the only way I could contact you.”
“Do you honestly think that I would believe anything a dark silhouette says? I don't even know who you are.” That may have been a lie and I didn't like it but, there was enough confusion in my voice that made it believable.
As if what I said triggered something in the silhouette's mind she nodded and began to glow in a blindly white light. I had to shield my eyes from the light and when it was gone I stood there in complete shock. There standing in front of me with the tunnel of light behind her was Princess Celestia.
“Who, Wha- a- huh?” Was all I could manage. She had told me I wasn't dreaming so this should be impossible!
She only giggled a little and stepped closer to me. She looked better than she did in the show. Her white coat sparkled with the light from the tunnel and her cutie mark was noticeable from where I stood. Her head came up to my chest and her horn made the extra height so she was only slightly shorter than me.
“Relax Jacob. You are not hallucinating or dreaming. This is real.”
“So... What you are saying is... You are going to take me...” I couldn't form full sentences with the way my brain was right now but, Princess Celestia seemed to understand what I was trying to get out.
“Yes Jacob, I am going to take you to Equestria. You may already know of it from the television show you watch and all of the events that would take place, along with all my little ponies living there, but they do not know you. So before I am to take you from your world I am going to have to erase Equestria from your mind.” As if something clicked I realized that I am talking to my future Princess and something in my head told me to get my act together and be respectful.
“Yes, Princess I understand. If I may ask though what will I look like when we arrive?”
My behavior startled even myself. I had never spoken like that before.
“I cannot be certain what form you will take once you arrive, however, I am going to be sending you somewhere close to me, but I am not entirely sure where so you can be sure that you will take the form a pony.” Her words immediately made my heart race. I could meet Fluttershy! Or Applejack! Wait. She said she would erase my memory. Will she erase everything? Or just what I know of the show? I had to ask.
“Princess, when you erase my memory will I forget everything or just what I know of your world?”
“You can rest assured that you will remember everything about yourself.” As she said this there was a flicker and I raised my hand to see that it was transparent. Princess Celestia continued with a hint if urgency in her voice. “You must make a decision now. Will you come with me or stay behind. I know you will miss your family but, you will have a chance to contact them again. Make your choice quickly we do not have much time.” I could sense that she felt sorry that she was taking me away from my family, but she did say that I could contact them and maybe I could tell them that I am fine. I had made my decision.
“Princess, I will go with you.” And with that I felt a sudden lurch in my stomach and I doubled over. My entire body was now feeling like it was being stretched and pulled in every direction. As this was happening I noticed the princess pull something dark from behind her and drop it on my back. As soon as it landed the pain intensified and I passed out.
As I was gaining consciousness the first thing that came to me was pain. Lots and lots of pain. It started from my head and spread throughout my entire body. I tried to move but, that only resulted in more pain.
“Uggh, make it stop.” I said through clenched teeth. Slowly the pain started to go away and I decided to make a check of my body. I tried opening my eyes but, I immediately shut them from the intense light coming through the slight opening I made. I mentally told myself to try that again later and moved onto my arms and legs. They felt heavier for some reason and I moved them to rub my eyes but, all I felt was something hard come into contact with my eyes. Confused, I began to try to stand up on two feet, but instantly fell on my face. Groaning from the extra pain I just inadvertently given myself I tried opening my eyes again. I started slowly only allowing small amounts of light to filter through at a time. When I managed to open them without damaging my corneas again the first thing I noticed was the colors. They were more defined than I was used to, the second thing I noticed was that I was in a forest. 'Huh? I was just in my living room a second ago. How the hell did I get into a forest?' I thought. I was still lying down on the grass so I decided to try to stand up again to get my bearings. Big mistake. I fell down again, but this time I tried to break my fall with my hands and noticed that I didn't have them anymore. I had hooves.
'Hooves?! How do I have hooves?!' I looked at my legs and sure enough I had hooves there as well. Before my mind could shut down I looked at the rest of my body and saw that I was no longer a human. I was a horse. It was at this point that my mind couldn't process what my body was telling me so I did the only logical thing I could do in a moment such as this. I screamed.
“AAAAAAAAHH! What the hell happened to me! I am a fucking horse!” That's when I did a double take and realized that horses don't talk. “Wait a sec, how can I talk? Horses don't talk. Am I dreaming? I have to be dreaming.” With that said I decided that this was a dream and I could make the best of it. Since I had four legs it was obvious that I was a quadruped and had to walk with all four instead of two. I had to try several times before I could properly stand on four legs albeit, shakily. 'Alright now that I can stand, it's time to walk. Heh, easier said than done.' I thought to myself. I took slow tentative steps, keeping in mind that I had to coordinate my front and rear hooves properly. After walking, or is it trotting? Whatever. After trotting around the spot where I woke up a couple times, I decided I needed something to look at myself with. I began to trot (still feels weird to say that) through the forest. It wasn't long until I heard the sound of rushing water. 'Yes! Now I can get a drink and get a better look at myself.' I began to trot a little faster, while still looking at the ground so I don't trip. I made it to what looked like a small stream and lowered my head to the water and immediately my jaw dropped. Staring back at at me was a dark grey snout, looking higher I realized that my eyes had changed colour as well, they were now baby blue and stood out against my grey fur. My hair, or mane rather was a deep black and was quite short. Similar to how short it was as a human. That's when I noticed the horn on my head and thought 'A horse with a horn? A unicorn!' I turned to my side so I could get a look at my body in the water as well. I had the same dark grey fur on my body and I could make out a darker patch on my back. Taking a closer look I found it be a wing. 'A wing? Am I a pegasus? Or a unicorn? A pegacorn?' With that thought in mind I decided that I must be a pegacorn. Taking another look behind me I saw a mark on my.. flank? It was wolf howling at the moon. 'Hey that looks like the tattoo I had on my shoulder! Heh, well at least that came with me too.' I thought to myself with a chuckle. My tail was rather short as well, it was a little curly and came about 5 inches off the ground.
“Well now that I know what I look like, I need a name. It can't be my human name because I am not a human anymore. Hmm... Maybe if I ever meet anymore talking horses I can see the way they name themselves and think of something then.” It was after I had said that did I hear a rustling of a bush behind me. I slowly turned around and saw to my surprise three wolves made of... wood? They slowly came out of the bushes and made their way towards me. They were indeed made of wood and leaves, held together by what looks like tree sap. The one on the right had a slimmer build and a shorter snout, leading me to believe that this was a female. The one on the left was smaller but still came up to my chest in height. Leading me to believe that it was just a pup. Now, the one in the centre was obviously in charge. He was almost twice as big as the female and practically towered over me.
I was about to begin to step back when the larger wolf suddenly stopped, causing me to do so as well. He looked behind me and tilted his head in confusion. 'Huh?' I thought until I looked behind me to see the wolf tattoo on my flank. I turned my attention to the wolf and the look of confusion on it's face still remained. I felt a sudden urge to talk to it but, I didn't know what to say. I was shy enough around other people but, this is a wolf!
“Uhmm.. uh hi? Y-you w-wouldn't be able t-t-to show me to the n-nearest town would you?” I said to the wolf with fear clearly evident in my voice. I had read somewhere that wolves can sense fear and will attack if they had sensed it, but this one just continued to look at me. Maybe these wolves were different, I mean they sure do look different.
What happened next surprised me a great deal. I was not expecting the wolf to do what it would just now. It talked. Before it did though I felt a presence in my head.
“You have the mark of the elders. Who are you young one?”
Chapter 3 - History of the Mark
“You have the mark of the elders. Who are you young one?”
The wolf's voice was in my head and it sound deep and gruff. I was too shocked to speak, the thought of a wolf that can communicate with me telepathically was a bit too much to handle and eventually the wolf that spoke grew irritated.
“Speak, pony!” His voice sounded louder in my head and I winced. I snapped myself out of my thoughts and noted that the wolf wanted an answer. I was thinking clearly enough to think of way I could answer him. After a couple seconds I decided to go with amnesia.
“ Oh, s-sorry. I was j-just trying to think. I can't seem t-to remember my n-name.” I said with the ever present fear rolling off my tongue with ease as I kept my vision on the sharp teeth and claws.
How I was able to tell I do not know but, the wolf had a look of understanding on his face which made me believe he thought I was telling the truth.
“Where did you come from?” I noticed the irritation in his voice was all but gone and I could relax enough to stop stuttering.
“From over there in that clearing through those trees. I woke up there with no knowledge of how I got there.”
“I see. My name is Hollow Oak, I am the Alpha of the timber wolves.” - He gestured to his left (my right) - “This is my mate Maple Berry and – He gestured to his right (my left) – Spruce Sapling, my pup.” As he introduced himself and his family I could feel myself visibly relax and comfortable enough to ask a couple questions that have been on my mind since he began talking to me.
“It is a pleasure to meet you Hollow Oak, as well as your mate and your pup.” I gave a slight bow to ensure they could trust me. And as I raised myself I asked what was on my mind. “If I may ask Hollow Oak, why is it that you did not simply attack me earlier and still are not right now? Also how are we able to understand one another?”
Hollow Oak seemed to know this question was coming as he gave a large toothy smile and answered my question with ease.
“I was going to attack, however, I noticed that you hold the mark of the elders on your backside which stopped me from doing so. That same mark allows me to communicate with you the same way we timber wolves do, through telepathy.”
His answer confused me. One mark can do all that? I needed more information.
“What is the mark of the elders and why do I have it?”
“Follow me young pony.” Hollow Oak answered before he turned around and started to walk away. I was hesitant to follow but, something in my heart told me to and I did so.
We walked through the bushes that wolves had originally emerged from and walked for about 30 minutes, going through thorn bushes, low hanging branches and the occasional bee's nest. By the time we arrived at the cave where these timber wolves lived I had gathered myself a fair number of scratches, stings and bruises. As we entered Maple Berry ran ahead, no doubt to tell the others that I was on my way in. When we walked a little further in Hollow had stopped causing me to stop before I bumped into him. There in front of me looked to be about 20-30 timber wolves of various sizes. Hollow Oak stepped forward and addressed the crowd.
“My fellow timber wolves! The pony who bears the mark of the elders has returned!” To my surprise all of the timber wolves in the crowd cheered and my head was beginning to hurt from all the voices. Hollow Oak calmed the crowd down again and spoke with more authority. “He does not know who he is as of right now but, he has requested of us to help him find the nearest village. He will stay but, not for long. I do not wish for him to be pestered with the various questions you may have. There will be time for that when he settles down in the Base.” I didn't know what he meant by the Base, but I had a good feeling about it.
Hollow Oak gestured for me to follow him again and I did without hesitation. Deeper inside the cave was an amazing sight. The cavern was humongous with many dens on either side and even through the middle. The timber wolves had built themselves a village! 'Woah! This is incredible!' I thought to myself. Hollow must have seen the silent amazement on my face and did what I assumed was the wolf version of a chuckle.
“Amazing isn't it? We have managed to hide our village from the ponies for many years.”
“Yeah, it sure is.” Was all I managed to say.
Hollow Oak led to the centre of the village to a statue of a pony with the same tattoo on its flank that I had on mine. He stood staring at it for a moment before turning to me and giving me the explanation I asked for back at the stream.
“The mark of the elders, was given to a pony many, many years ago by the Elder Wolves. The pony who was given the mark understood the qualities of the wolf far better than any other pony who stepped into the Everfree Forest before him. He was of the age of maturity but, did not have the mark on his backside to prove it. Saddened by this, he ventured into the forest and was found by the Elder Wolves. Scared of the Elders as he was, he tried to talk to them, in much the same way you did to me.” I was amazed by this story. The pony in the story sounded so much like me as a human. “The Elder Wolves were surprised that they could understand this pony and they decided to talk to him. They asked him why he was wandering in their territory in the Everfree and he told them his story. He was saddened that he did not receive his mark upon reaching maturity, so he ventured into the forest to think. The pony explained that he was always different. He had the qualities that most ponies didn't have. He was loyal, caring of his loved ones, protective, and at times aggressive. The Elder Wolves were surprised that this young pony not only could understand us but, described himself as one of us as well. The Elder Wolves then invited the young pony into this village and show him the same statue that I am showing you. He asked the pony if he would care to have the mark on the statue as his mark of maturity. The pony accepted and from this day on once every generation a pony who understands the qualities of a wolf gains the mark of the elders on their backside and gains the ability to not only communicate with us but, also be accepted into the pack as family. The pony who receives this mark is chosen to be the one who we go to when we must speak with the ponies. You are the first in over 1000 years to be chosen to bear the mark of the elders.” As Hollow finished his speech I was stunned, that was a great story and made me think of my life as a human and I could definitely relate to the pony in the story. I decided I had been silent long enough so I gave him my thanks for the explanation.
“Thank you Hollow Oak. That was quite the explanation. I feel that I am beginning to understand who I am now.”
“That is good to hear, pony. Come it is time you settled in to the Base.”
'Hmm, pony. So that's what I am, I guess I am kinda short to be a horse.' I thought and without another word Hollow Oak led me through his village back the way we came. It was when we were about halfway back to the entrance that I noticed a commotion up ahead. Four timber wolves were surrounding what looked like a female pup that was significantly smaller than the others. Feeling my anger rise I turned to Hollow Oak.
“Hollow Oak what is going on over there?” I gestured to the group of timber wolves to my right.
Hollow looked at the group for a moment and turned back to me as he said with pain evident on his face “That group must be terrorizing that pup for being the runt of the litter. In a pack the runt is considered merely another mouth to feed, which I find to be absurd. But, as the Alpha I must follow pack rules as well.” He then turned to me and must have seen the look on my face as he said “You may intervene if you must, but their may be consequences.”
That was all I needed as I trotted right up to them with a bold determination and a scowl on my face.
“Hey! What the hell are you doing?!” The four timber wolves stopped beating the smaller one and looked at me with irritated expressions.
“You stay out of this pony! You wouldn't want to get hurt!” Snarled a wolf with leaves going down his head and back looking like a crude mohawk whom I assumed was the leader of the four. Going back to what I heard about school yard bullies I remembered the fastest way to break up a band of bullies was to confront the leader who was essentially the biggest and the toughest. With that in mind I trotted right up to the one with the mohawk and looked him in the eyes with the same scowl on my face and a slight growl emanating from from my throat.
“Why don't you pick on someone more your size hmm? Or are you too afraid that you can't take on anything that isn't the size a pup?” I could tell he wasn't expecting an act of such aggression to come from a pony by the look of slight shock on his face.
The leader of the bullies stepped back and with no more than a growl readied himself in a position to attack. At the exact moment he leaped at me something in my mind clicked and I instantly knew that one of the most sensitive spots on a canine was the nose. As the wolf closed the distance I easily sidestepped him and swept his front paw from under him, grabbed his snout and forcefully slammed it into the ground. The reaction was immediate. I heard a slight crack and a yelp and the wolf was unconscious. I looked at the other three wolves with fury easily read on my face and they backed away then turned and ran with their tails between their legs. As I turned to the spot where the pup had been laying on the ground. I found she wasn't there and then I felt I slight pressure on my right foreleg. Looking down I noticed it was the pup clutching my leg in a fierce hug. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes.
“T-Thank you, pony.” She said with a small smile and a slight stutter from her crying.
I looked down and removed the look of aggression from my face and gave a smile of my own.
“You are welcome pup. Tell me what is your name?” I asked with the softest voice I could muster.
“R-Rose P-petal” She answered weakly.
Just as I was about to say something else Hollow Oak had joined me by my side and spoke before I could.
“Impressive, that was a great display of compassion and agility you have shown me. And it seems this runt has grown a bond of sorts with you. Congratulations she will now accompany us to the Base.” What he said both surprised and confused me as the three of us began to walk out of the cave and back into the forest. Unfortunately meaning more scratches and bruises for me.
“What do you mean bond? And why does she have to come with us?” I questioned trying not to sound rude.
“Wolf pups are very impressionable and will usually cling to any who show them their first sign of compassion and caring, just from that small act of courage you showed her that you are willing to protect her from harm. Thus she will not leave your side and is now your responsibility.” Hollow Oak answered quite bluntly.
I looked back at the pup following behind us and noticed she now held her head up with a toothy smile planted firmly in place. I had to smile at the sight.
“Thank you for explaining that to me Hollow Oak. I will do my best for her.” I stated and we continued walking through the forest that Hollow Oak called the Everfree, in silence.
We walked for a good 45 minutes when we came upon a hill. We climbed over it and as we stood on the top of the hill I noticed a small cottage with many homes for animals surrounding it. I looked to the left a ways and saw another slightly larger cottage almost directly inside the forest with trees on every side other than the front. There was a path that lead to an enormous apple orchard and veered off to what I assumed was the path to the village. When we stopped Hollow Oak turned to me again.
“Well, pony it was interesting to meet the new bearer of the mark, but this is where I leave you and your pup. I am sure you can make your way to the Base safely on your own. If you follow that path it will lead you to the village. Farewell.” He finished and before I could say anything he turned and bolted back into the Everfree.
I turned to Rose Petal and smiled. “Come on Rose, I am sure we are both very tired after today. Let's head inside.” She looked up at me and nodded.
We walked down the hill and past the cottage with the many animal homes and I wondered who lived there. 'Must be an animal caretaker, with that many animal homes' I thought to myself as I reached my own cottage. The place seemed like it had been abandoned for some time. The wood looked old and the door looked flimsy. Other than that the cottage looked pretty good. There were three windows at the front. I assumed one was on the main floor and the other two were bedrooms. As I stepped inside I made the mistake of not watching where I was walking and didn't notice the stairs that led to the basement as I stepped aside to allow Rose Petal inside. This resulted in me losing my footing and tumbling down the stairs reaching the bottom landing head first. The last thing I saw before I passed out, again, was the sight of Rose Petal bolting out the front door.
Chapter 4 - Civilization!
Inside a cottage situated on the edge of the Everfree Forest lived a yellow pegasus with a pink mane. The cottage was built to look like the top of a large tree and was covered in homes and dens for all sorts of critters. Vines and flowers grew on the outer walls of the cottage which made the home look as if it were living. The pegasus was a shy mare who didn't leave her home much. The few times she would were only when she would be visiting her friends, feeding her many animal friends that lived outside or when she needed to go to the market. The pegasus was very shy but, also extremely kind. She had woken up several hours ago and had just came back from her weekly spa visit with one of her closest friends. Now she was feeding the many critters that she housed in her cottage. As she was feeding them she noticed a certain bunny was nowhere to be seen and he never missed his meals. Beginning to worry the shy mare searched her home in hopes to find her bunny friend.
“Angel? Where are you Angel? It's dinner time.” She asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
Hearing nothing she decided she should check outside. Trotting out the door she began her search outside her cottage and if needed she would search inside the dreaded Everfree Forest. She shuddered at the thought, but continued her search. As she entered her backyard she couldn't help, but notice the cottage that stood not too far away from her home. It had been abandoned long before she moved into her cottage. She would eventually get frightened by the look of the cottage if she stared long enough. It was partially hidden by the Everfree with it's trees surrounding it on every side other than the front. Just as she was about to walk towards the strange cottage she saw a white bunny running toward her very quickly.
“Angel! There you are! Why are you in such a hu-” She was cut off as the bunny ran past her like a bullet and made it's way inside. It was then that she noticed a small timber wolf sprinting in her direction from the cottage in the forest. Frightened, she gave an almost inaudible squeak and and rushed inside her home much in the same way Angel Bunny had. The yellow pegasus huddled on her sofa terrified of the small timberwolf making it's way to her home. It wasn't long until she heard a soft scratching at her door following by a high pitched whine. She huddled into herself further but, stopped and stood when she recognized the sounds it was making as crying and not aggression. Hesitantly she made her way to the door and opened it just a crack so she could see the small wolf. It was very small the yellow pegasus didn't know timber wolves could ever be so small. It continued to whine and the animal caretaker opened her door a little further to see if it would attack. When it didn't she opened it fully and the wolf gave a pitiful bark and ran off behind her cottage. Realizing that the wolf wanted her to follow, she flew at a reasonable pace to find that the wolf was leading her to the cottage she had just seen it come from not too long ago. Thinking there may be an animal in danger, the pegasus mare steeled her nerves and followed the small wolf into the cottage where it stood at the top of a set of stairs and waited for her.
“What it is girl? Is something wrong?” The wolf pup nodded her head and gestured down the stairs. The pegasus slowly crept to the edge of the stairs and her face turned from one of fear to one of surprise. There lying at the bottom of the stairs was a dark grey alicorn laying unconscious.
“Oh my, thank you for leading me here girl” The pegasus whispered.
She quickly flew down the stairs and examined the alicorn for injuries. She noticed he had plenty cuts and bruises along is face and body and more than a few bee stings, nothing that would leave scar tissue though. She then examined his head to find a large bump on the side he most likely landed on and gasped. She noticed Angel Bunny standing at the top of the stairs looking worried.
“Angel quick! Go get Applejack!” The yellow mare shouted in a quiet voice.
The white bunny gave a salute and hopped off quickly in the direction of the apple orchards.
The pegasus mare raised his head onto one of her forelegs and waited for her friend to show up.
Not five minutes later did an orange earth pony mare with a blonde mane and tail both tied with an elastic, wearing a cowpony hat appear at the top the stairs looking down at her friend holding the head of a dark grey alicorn.
“Fluttershy! What in tarnation happened and who is that? Is he an alicorn?” She shouted in a panic.
“Yes, Applejack. It looks like he fell and hit his head at the bottom here” Fluttershy told her. “Can you help me get him back to my cottage so I can clean and wrap his injuries?”
“Sure thang Fluttershy” Answered the cowpony as she trotted down the stairs and with Fluttershy's help got the alicorn stallion on her back. They quickly made their way to Fluttershy's cottage wanting to help the grey alicorn as fast as they could. They made it inside the cottage and Fluttershy directed Applejack to her bedroom on the second floor. Applejack gently laid the stallion on the bed and stepped aside to allow her friend to attend to his injuries. Applejack went downstairs as Fluttershy quickly went to work. When she was done Fluttershy went into the kitchen and made a pot of tea.
“Is he gonna be alrigh' Fluttershy?” The orange earth pony asked.
“Yes, I think so. He has a big bump on his head from where he hit it and he has many minor cuts and bruises and bee stings. It looks like he may have been galloping through the -shudder- Everfree Forest.”
As they continued their conversation in the living room, upstairs the alicorn stallion was waking up.
“Ow my head” I said as I lifted a hoof to it. When I did I felt a cloth wrapped around my head. Confused, I opened my eyes and looked around.
I was in a room that looked to belong to a girl so I automatically figured that I was not in fact in my cottage and someone must have found me after I fell down the stairs. After a while of taking in my surroundings and noticing the other plethora of bandages on my body I heard hoofsteps coming up the stairs. They stopped outside the door and I heard two voices talking about me.
“What do ya think he was doin in the Everfree Forest Fluttershy?” Said a female voice with a country accent.
“I don't know Applejack but I am sure his injuries will heal in no time” Answered a second female voice in almost a whisper.
'Those must be the ponies that brought me here and fixed me up.' I thought.
As they came inside I got a good look at just who found me and brought me here. The first to step inside was a yellow pegasus with a pink mane and tail and she seemed to hide behind a part of her mane that covered her eyes. 'Hmm, she must be shy like me.'
The second pony to walk in was an orange pony with no wings or horn and a blonde mane and tail. The pegasus that I assumed to be Fluttershy had a mark of three butterflies on her flank and the other pony who must be Applejack had a mark of a trio of red apples. As they fully stepped into the room I sat up and they noticed I was awake.
“Oh thank goodness your alright. What happened?” Fluttershy asked.
“W-well I walked i-into my cottage, a-and I fell d-down the stairs”I weakly answered as I turned my head away, my shyness kicking in.
“Oh, are you cold? Do you need a blanket?” She asked, but before I could answer Applejack answered for me.
“Ah don't think he's gonna need a blanket Fluttershy. Ah think he's just shy.” Applejack stated.
As she said that Fluttershy slowly walked toward the bed and sat down on it, placing a hoof on my shoulder.
“There is no need to be shy. We just want to make sure you are alright” She said in a very caring voice that relaxed me a great deal. She removed her hoof from my shoulder as I tried to speak again without the stutter.
“T-thank- I mean thank you. I am fine” I said getting rid of the stuttering caused from being shy. I thought for a moment and came up with a name for myself. I have a dark grey coat and mark with a moon. I thought for a little while and finally came up with a suitable name. “I am Cobalt Shadow.”
“Well howdy there Cobalt, mah name is Applejack and this here is my friend Fluttershy” Applejack introduced. “She can be a might shy too sometimes” Applejack finished as Fluttershy blushed a little and turned away. She looked back to me as the redness left her cheeks.
“Why don't we go downstairs and have a cup of tea?” She asked.
I nodded. “Sure, that sounds nice.”
Fluttershy and I stood up and the three of us went downstairs. Applejack and I sat at the table as Fluttershy got us our tea. When she brought the cups to the table the three of us sipped our drinks in silence, it was great. The tea was sweet and warmed my body to the bone. Just as I finished my tea Fluttershy looked as if she was going to say something but, Applejack beat her to the punch.
“Well, ah would love ta hear all about how you got them there scratches but, Fluttershy and ah were just about ta head on down ta Sugarcube Corner ta meet our friends. Maybe y'all could come with us and tell everypony what happened?” Applejack asked as Fluttershy smiled and nodded.
“Sure, it would be easier to tell it only once.” I answered.
“Well alrigh' let's get a move on then!” She exclaimed and lead us out of Fluttershy's cottage.
As we walked along the path and over a small bridge that lead out of Fluttershy's property I noticed all the animals around the place that I hadn't noticed when I came out of the Everfree Forest. There were many different animals bears, squirrels, bunnies, deer and many others playing on her front lawn. I had never seen so many different animal species play together before and it was amazing. We made it into the main part of the village that Hollow Oak told me was here and I have to say that I could see myself living here even if this turned out not to be a dream. I already started having my doubts that is was. As we walked I decided to ask what the name of the village was.
“Hey, Applejack?” I called to her.
“Yeah, sugarcube?” She answered.
“What is the name of the place we are in?”
“Oh, this is Ponyville, Cobalt. You never heard of Ponyville before?”
“No, this is the first time I stepped into anywhere that wasn't the Everfree”
“You mean ta tell me that y'all lived in the Everfree?” She asked her curiosity piqued.
“No, thats just where I woke up today and I had no idea where I was”
“Well shoo'! Now ah gotta here yer story!” She exclaimed as we approached a building that looked like a giant pastry with frosting as the roof. The place actually looked like it was edible!
“Well this here's Sugarcube Corner, Cobalt. The best darn bakery on this side of Equestria.” Applejack told me as we entered the bakery. I had no time to ask what “Equestria” was when my vision was clouded by pink. As it backed away I noticed it was a bright pink pony with a hot pink mane and tail. Her hair was extremely poofy and she seemed to be an endless ball of energy.
“Hiya! I'm Pinkie Pie!” She all but screamed in my face. I was just about to announce my own greeting when she released a loud gasp and began talking really fast and in one breath. “gasp Ohmygosh!Ihaven'tseenyouaroundPonyvillebefore!
ThatmeansyoumustbenewbecauseIknoweveryponyinPonyvilleandIdon'tknowyou!”Afterwords she zipped past me and up the stairs.
“Uhmm...” Is all I could manage to say.
“Oh, don't you worry about her darling. She will calm down once you attend the party she is no doubt planning for you. My name is Rarity and I must say darling your eyes match your coat perfectly” Said a white unicorn with a purple mane and tail both curled up into a complex mane style. Her mark was a trio of gems.
As I took a look at her I instantly went into friend making mode and instantly knew that she would be the type of mare to enjoy a compliment or two.
“Why, thank you miss Rarity and I must say you are very beautiful” I answered shocking myself again on how I managed to speak. Sometimes when I am making friends I try to make the best impression and it usually ends me using the perfect personality to make the best impression. Back home it was hard to do so, but here it came easy as if I already had these personalities. With Fluttershy I would be shy, Applejack I would be hard-working and down right country, without the accent and with Rarity I would be the perfect gentleman. After my compliment I lifted her hoof, planted a kiss on it and looked her in the eyes. “My name is Cobalt Shadow.”
As if I planned it, Rarity smiled and blushed a little but, quickly regained her composure after a slight giggle. “My, my what a gentlecolt.”
It was at this time that I heard a loud laugh coming from a booth to my right and noticed a cyan pegasus with a short rainbow colored mane and tail almost rolling in her seat laughing. She stopped after awhile but, immediately started again and tried to talk as she tried to get her laughter under control.
“T-that aha was so aha funny!” She managed to get out as she finally calmed down. Rarity huffed and sat down in the booth as the cyan pegasus made her way towards me.
“Hey man, I'm Rainbow Dash. The fastest pegasus in all of Equestria!” She exclaimed in a slightly rough voice as she struck a pose. I could tell she was a very proud and stubborn pegasus and I knew just how to act around her. As she noticed my wings she gave a loud gasp and stopped her posing to get a look at them. “Holy moly! Look at those wings, they must be almost as big as Princess Celestia's. And he has a horn too! Maybe he is a long lost brother to the Princess. You gotta race me sometime bro!” She finally finished.
I didn't exactly like how she spoke as if I wasn't there but, I figured it was just part of her personality and I looked her in the eye and said, “And as soon as I learn how to use these babies I am so gonna beat you in that race!” When I finished she looked like she was going to race me right then and there but, then she stopped.
“I doubt it! I am the fastes-wait a second! You don't know how to fly?” she asked shocked. I nodded and she burst out laughing. Mumbling something about alicorns and not being able to fly. 'Hmm so I must be an alicorn and not a pegacorn makes se-' I was brought out of thoughts as Applejack addressed Rainbow.
“Quit yer yammerin Rainbow, Cobalt here told Fluttershy and ah that he has a mighty fine story he wanted to tell us.” As Applejack finished scolding Rainbow she immediately stopped laughing and waiting for me to say something.
“Uhmm.. Uh yeah I did say that” I agreed.
“Well go on darling, tell us!” Rarity exclaimed in a very ladylike manner.
I took a breath as I was about to start my tale, but I had to let it out as a lavender unicorn with a purple mane and tail with a pink stripe running through it trotted up to us with a baby dragon on her back carrying a clipboard and and odd pen in its claws.
“Umm.. Excuse me. Could any of you tell me where I can find Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie?” She asked us.
“That would be us darling. I am Rarity and this is Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and this gentlecolt is Cobalt Shadow. Pinkie is away at the moment. Whatever do you need us for?” Rarity introduced gesturing to each of us as she did.
Just as Rarity finished, Pinkie came down the stairs. She stopped when she reached the bottom she took one look at the lavender unicorn, gasped and ran off.
“Uhmm, OK. Well I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's faithful student. I am here in Ponyville to oversee the decorating of Town Hall to celebrate the Summer Sun Celebration and Princess Celestia coming to Ponyville.” She stated after Pinkie Pie's sudden appearance and then disappearance.
“Well howdy Twilight, Cobalt here is new to Ponyville too and he was just about to tell us a story. Why don't y'all sit down next to Rare and he can get started.” Applejack stated anxious to hear my story.
“Well OK, sure. Do we have time for a story Spike?” She asked the dragon on her back as he jumped off so she could sit down next to Rarity.
“Yes, Twilight we are ahead of schedule so we have time for a story” he answered.
“Well I guess I better start from the beginning.” I said starting my tale. “My real name isn't Cobalt Shadow, it is Jacob and I am not from this planet I am from a planet called Earth.” After I began with that, everyone gasped and either didn't believe me or were asking me questions about Earth.
Finally Twilight coughed and began to address the group. “Excuse me but his story is very interesting could you all please be quiet so I can listen and take notes?” When she finished I gave her a smile and heard Applejack and Rainbow dash snickering when she said she was taking notes.
I told them what happened before I came here and started with that. “I was at home on Earth and I was sitting on my couch when an earthquake came out of nowhere and brought into the Everfree Forest.” I decided not to tell them about my dreams, the figure and the messages. “I woke up in the Everfree Forest as a pony, but before I came here I was human. A human is basically a tall, hairless, monkey.” I explained. “I walked over to a stream to get a good look at myself and noticed I was a pony with both a horn and wings.” As I said that Twilight snapped her gaze at me and noticed the horn and wings and furiously scribbled something on her notepad. “As I was looking myself over I turned around and saw three timber wolves in front of me.” They all gasped when they heard this and Rainbow made sure I knew she didn't believe me. “I thought they were going to attack me until the bigger one looked at the mark on my flank and stopped with a confused look on his face. I was really scared and didn't know what to do so I asked him if he could take me to the nearest town. What he did surprised me very much. He answered me. He told me that I had the mark of the Elders on my flank and asked me who I was.” Now Rainbow Dash had, had enough.
“Now, I know your lying! Nopony can talk to a timber wolf!” For some reason after she said that she looked over at Applejack who was staring into my eyes as if she could stare into my soul.
Applejack said four words that made everyone gasp besides Twilight and Spike. “He's telling the truth.”
Twilight made a motion with her hoof signalling for me to go on. “Well I was still terrified of them so I lied and told them I didn't know who I was or how I got there. He told me his name was Hollow Oak and his mate's and son's names were Maple Berry and Spruce Sapling. Afterwords I asked him why didn't attack me and how I could understand him.” I took a deep breath and continued. “He told me that he saw the mark on my flank which stopped him and allowed us to speak to one another through telepathy. Afterwords I asked what my mark was and he told me to follow him. He lead me into a cave which held a timber wolf village, and no I cannot tell you where it is.” There was a collective of “awwe” from the group and I continued. “There he explained to me what the mark was and why I have it.” I told the group everything that Hollow Oak had told me about the mark and about sticking up for the baby timber wolf Rose Petal as everyone was hanging onto my every word. “Then Hollow Oak led me to the cottage where I entered and as I stepped aside to let Rose Petal in I slipped and fell down the stairs.” As I finished there was complete silence until Rainbow Dash broke it by yelling out in excitement.
“That. Was. Awesome! Your life story is much cooler than mine! Awesome!” When she said that everyone else said something similar until Twilight coughed and caught everyone's attention.
“That was a very interesting story Cobalt, but now I must ask the five you to get back to work. It is almost four o'clock and the town isn't ready for the Summer Sun Celebration. Applejack you are in charge of food so I will be by shortly to see how you have been coming along, Rarity you are in charge of making the banners to hang up in the Town Hall, Rainbow Dash you are in charge of the weather, we need the skies cleared in a hurry. Fluttershy you are in charge of the bird choir and Pinkie Pie is in charge of the party after the celebration.” Pinkie Pie managed to show up to hear Twilights speech and and all five of them ran off to do what their jobs.
Now it was only myself, Twilight and Spike in the sweet shop. Twilight checked her notepad and called Spike as she walked out the door. Before he left to follow her he came up to me.
“Cool story. I really liked the part where you beat up that timber wolf!” He exclaimed.
I gave him my thanks and he quickly sped off as Twilight called him again.
“Coming!” He called as I chuckled.
Now it was just me in Sugarcube Corner, wondering how the six of them would act around me now that I told them I was an alien and can talk to something that can eat them. Would they still count me as a friend? Time would only tell.