Quite the Handful

Chapters

*Chapter I - Who Are You?
*Chapter II - Where Are You?
*Chapter III - How Are You?
*Chapter IV - When Are You Playing?
*Chapter V - Why Are You Doing This? Part I
*Chapter VI - Why Are You Doing This? Part II
Chapter VII - Answers.
Prologue - What Are You?

*Chapter I - Who Are You?

So here I sit, with what seems to be a small unicorn in my palm. It was panting and pushing its legs into my hand, as if trying to get as far away from me as possible. It was helpless, its eyes riddled with fear. It had cuts and bruises all over its body, likely from the wooden creature that lay in pieces behind me. It continued to squirm in my hand, making small grunts as it used up its last bit of strength.

"Calm down, I don't want to hurt you," I tried to console it. "There, there. Take it easy." I began stroking its back, at least what I assumed was its back. The creature resembled a small horse, but with a horn. Is it a unicorn of sorts? As I pet the small creature, it pondered my words, almost as if it understood. "You're in good hands," my voice grew quite. Calming down a bit, the fright on its face dissipated as it relaxed into my fleshy palm. I watched its face as it almost smiled at me, before drifting to unconsciousness. I got scared at first, thinking it had died, but it was still breathing so I assumed otherwise. Now, sitting alone against a tree in a supposedly dangerous forest, with a sleeping miniature version of a mythical creature in my hands, and a wound in my foot from another creature I've never seen before. How wonderful.

With this time alone, I began to consider my options.

This... thing needs my help!

But we don't know what it is!

But it can't help itself! It could die here!

What if it's some kind of Trojan Ho-

Before I could finish my thought, some rustling behind me broke the silence. I turned around, and before me were two creatures, both identical to the one I encountered not to long ago. They resembled wolves, but composed of sticks, roots, and leaves. I froze in fear before I followed their gaze. Where once stood the original wooden wolf was a pile of twigs, as I had left it. But now the pile was moving. The sticks began climbing on top of each other, like a dog-pile, before connecting themselves back together in the form of its companions. The sticks came together and before I knew it I was faced with three growling wolves made of simple sticks.

Their collaborative growling rumbled through my ears and into my brain. One of them was barely manageable, but now that there are three of them, I am going to need more legs to kick with. Glancing to the wall of plants I climbed over to get here, I noticed I was closer to it than the three predators in front of me. If I could get close enough, I might be able to climb over. As for the slumbering unicorn in my hand, I have to keep it safe.

Keeping eye contact with the wolves, I slowly placed the unicorn in my sweatshirt pocket. It should be wide enough to gently hold it, but I worry it might fall out as I climb the fence. The wolves stopped their growling, probably thinking they had me trapped. "Easy," I spoke to them. It may not have worked before but stalling is still stalling. "I assume you all are after me because your hungry?" I didn't expect an answer, but it did slow their movements. They were probably allowing me my final words.

I began scooting closer and closer to the fence, slowly as to not alert them of my plan. "I find it hard to believe you can get hungry. After all, if you were to eat me, where would I go? You don't have a solid throat. I'd slip through the sticks." As expected, all three of them were cornering me to the fence, licking their wooden lips in expectation. "Well if you really do want to eat me, perhaps you could let me go back to my home to fetch some salt. 'Cause I don't think I would taste very good." They were only a meter away, drooling, toying with their prey. Glancing behind me, I noticed the plants weren't as thick in a certain spot. Looking through the patch, I saw a hole through the chain link fence. It may not be big enough for me, but perhaps for my friend.

"Okay, hold on a minute," holding my hands out as I cringed. "Can I just say something before you eat me?" I didn't think it would work but they paused, all three of them simply watched and waited. I removed the unicorn from my pocket and slid her through to hole to the other side of the fence, guaranteeing its safety. "Now, you guys live in a forest, do you know what dirt tastes like?" I told them, earning confused faces. "Bet you do now." I hurled a handful of dirt at them, coating two faces in soil and effectively blinding them. They whined and rubbed their eyes in an attempt to remove the dirt. However, the third was barely affected, as the spread of my throw wasn't wide enough.

"Crap."

The third wolf lunged at me, the fierce look in its eyes reminding me of the original wolf when it jumped at me before. Almost as a reflex, I gave it a strong kick with my good foot. The wolf howled in pain and stepped back. I wasted no time jumping up to my feet and climbing the fence. A sharp sting tried to hold me back as I was reminded of my foot injury, but then again, looking down reminded me of the three rabid creatures threatening me. All three of them were occupied rubbing their faces while I was struggling to climb the fence with a throbbing pain in my foot. I had just thrown my leg over the top of the wall, but then the pain became to much to handle and I lost my grip. I crashed onto the pavement below, the wolfs barking in frustration on the other side of the wall. I sat up with a grunt and looked around.

The sky went back to normal above me, about three in the afternoon. Their at my feet was the pony I had slipped through the fence. I picked her up and examined it for any severe injuries, since I don't have to worry about rabid twigs attacking me. I found nothing besides smudges and small cuts among its frail body. It breathed silently in slumber, relaxing in my palm.

I stood up, only to cry out in pain through my teeth from my foot. The wound had stopped bleeding but it still looked nasty. I imagine getting inside my house will be difficult since not only will I be limping, the wound is also very noticeable. I can only hope I can make it up the stairs and into my apartment unseen. Clenching my teeth, I mentally prepared myself for a load of pain.

I limped my way to the outside wall of the complex, balancing myself on the cool brick wall. I limped my way to the end of the way and peeked around the edge. I never was good at stealth video games, but there is a first to everything. The only pedestrian was quite a way off, allowing me to enter the lobby unnoticed. The lobby was empty, perhaps the doorman was on break. I decided to skip the elevator and slowly climb the stairs to my floor.

At the peak of the stairs, I was almost Scott free, but an old woman in a blue robe and large, thick glasses using a walker noticed me, out of breath, and leaning against the wall.

"Oh, hello there honey," she said cheerfully, oblivious to my condition. "You must be the young man who moved into 4B. I'm delighted to meet you." She held out a shaky hand for me to shake. I was heaving from climbing a whole flight of stairs with a leg burning with pain and a passed out animal in my hands. "Oh, are you doing exercises? Ah, I wish I was young again when I could run laps around the block. Those were the days. Well, you ought to go take a shower. No offence but you smell like my five-year-old son after he plays in my petunia garden." She chuckled and slowly made her way to the elevator, while I just stood against the wall, blown away by how she didn't notice. I would say it's an eyesight problem, but if her lenses were any thicker, the bridge of her nose would cease to exist.

I walked into my apartment and stumbled into my bathroom, landing on the toilet with the seat down. I reached for a washcloth and laid it on the sink as a bed to hold the animal in my hand. I ever so gently placed it onto the cloth, where it continued to breath steadily. Before I tend to it, my foot needs a bandage.

I removed a bottle of rubbing alcohol, another washcloth, and some gauze. I removed my shoe and sock while moving over to the tub to keep things clean. Turning on the faucet, I ran some water over the wound, discovering how small the wound really was. The blood that oozed out of it had dried, hiding where it came from, but now that I had washed it away, I noticed three holes lined up in my foot. The holes were no bigger than a dime and weren't very deep. After washing it out, I dabbed some alcohol on the cloth and rubbed it into my wound. It stung like concentrated acid instead of simple alcohol, but I had gotten used t the pain from my trek here. After wiping my wound, I rolled some gauze around the holes and tied off the end. The pain was already beginning to subside as I gave it some weight to test it.

With my foot taken care of, I turned all of my focus on the unicorn on my sink. I pulled out some Q-tips and a third washcloth out of the cupboard. I turned on the sink and wet the washcloth, then wrung it out so it was damp and not soaking. I took the dank cloth in my hand and gently wiped the unicorn's wounds. I was as gentle as possible, yet somewhere deep down I was frightened of the alien creature. My cleaning removed all of the dirt and debris from its now gleaming white coat of fur. I had also cleaned up some of the dried blood from the small cuts, resulting in them to open again and release fresh crimson liquid. I took some Q-tips and dipped them in the alcohol. It will hurt so I figured I should get it done while it's knocked out.

As soon as I had touched the swab to a wound, the limb recoiled from contact. I tightened my grip as to make the job as quick as possible so it would be over with as quick as possible. After swabbing more wounds, the creature began to shriek from the sting of the alcohol. I felt hurt that I was causing such pain, but it had to be done.

"I know it hurts, but it's for the better. It'll keep the wounds clean while they heal. Don't worry, I don't intend on causing more harm than I have to," I whispered to the struggling ball of fur in my hand. I redoubled my efforts to speed up the process while I continued to console it. When I had double checked for any spots I may have missed, the wounds had also stopped bleeding. "Okay, I'm done, see. No more. Do you want some band-aids?" I looked down at the animal, it was crying out of pain, drilling a hole in my heart. I never wanted to give pain, but it was necessary for health concerns. Once it noticed I had stopped touching it, it looked up at me from my hand. Its eyes were large and red in color, staring into my face as it looked me up and down.

"Are you feeling any better?" I spoke to it, not expecting a response. I noticed tiny pointed ears sticking out from its mane so I assumed it could at least hear me. It took its eyes off of my face and observed its surroundings. After quick glances around it focused on the now clean wounds on its frail body. It stood up and walked in a circle before sitting back down and looking up at me, tilting its head to the side. "You don't remember? I found you in that forest. You were heavily injured, so I patched you up. I had to wipe alcohol to clean the wounds, hope it didn't hurt much. Feeling better?" I asked again. I felt like a kidnapper, even though it's probably worse out there in the forest than it is in here. I was about to speak again before...

It nodded.

Now it was my turn to tilt my head in confusion.

"Did you just nod?" I asked in bewilderment.

Another nod.

"So you understand me?"

Again, a nod.

"So you understand English?"

A fourth nod.

"And I'm asking too many questions right now, aren't I?"

A final nod, but more frantic and comical.

My expression was blank as I held the white and blue pony. An alien creature in my hands that understands me. Well, I wouldn't really call it an alien. With how friendly it's being, I'd call it something else.

"Okay. Can I ask a couple more questions, just to clear things up?" I asked. It plopped down in my palm and waited. "You're a unicorn, right?" That received a nod. So I have a real life tiny unicorn within my home. I really hope this isn't a dream or I will wake up very disappointed. "Okay. Now, are you a girl unicorn?" I asked more slowly, but if this thing has to use the restroom, I would need to remember to leave the seat down. She nodded.

"Now, last question. I bet you're hungry. Right?" I asked it. Before anything else happened, the quietest of rumbles sounded out from her chest. For a short period of time none of us moved. Then I smiled warmhearted while she blushed at me cutely. With all of the dirt gone, I can see just how cute this unicorn really is. A clean white coat of soft fur with a flashy neon blue mane. "I thought so." I booped her stomach with my free hand and placed all of the medical equipment back in the cabinet. She turned around in my hand and sat like she was in the Crow's Nest of a pirate ship.

After walking to the kitchen, I noticed the pain in my foot already fading. I placed her down on the counter before grabbing a plate. "So, what do you want? I have carrots if that's you're thing." She pondered the question before her eyes grew wide. I was about to question her before she began to panic and run in circles. I would call her antics adorable, but the look on her face got me concerned. "Something up or are you just being silly?" She stopped in her tracks and stared at me before jumping up and down. It surprised me how high she could jump despite her size. "What do you need? Is it food? Are you just that hungry?" I asked. With our situation, I'll have to play charades to find out what's wrong. She shook her head wildly. "I'm guessing it's something of dire importance?" I asked. She nodded, turning her head into a blue blur. "Give me a hint." She ran back and forth before stopping and pointing out the window. "Something outside?" It was getting late, if I was going to go outside, it should be now. She nodded once with a serious look on her face.

My face brightened as i hatched an idea.

"Okay, wait here, I need to get something." Not wasting time, I dashed into my bedroom and picked up my cell phone. I powered it on and walked back to the kitchen counter where the unicorn was panicking. "Here use this," I opened a notepad app and slid out the keyboard. After placing it in front of her, she gave me a quizzical look. "Oh, it's a keyboard. Just push the letters here and they show up on the screen. Use it to spell words and tell me what's wrong. Like this." I typed in H-E-L-L-O into the keyboard and the screen read hello. I gave her a minute to absorb the information while she examined the device. She slowly reached out a hoof and tapped the letter V. She was scared by the tack sound my phone makes when I type. After checking to see if she ended the world with the contraption, she went back to the keyboard.

It just read hellov.

She pressed enter and began typing, brushing off here cute reaction to the phone. I waited patiently before she looked up and pointed at the screen making a squeaking noise at me. I suppose she's trying to speak, but I couldn't understand. My eyes widened at the message realizing what the matter was.

The text read: We have to go back for my sister.

*Chapter II - Where Are You?

I never thought I'd say this but, "We're going back out there." The small pony's face brightened with excitement. She danced in place with impatience. If her sister is still out there, then I'll need to be quick. Looking outside, I noticed the sun beginning to set, painting the sky a dreamy purple. "Well, the day isn't getting any younger, but we should arm ourselves, for those wolf things."

First, I went to my bedroom to fetch a T-shirt that had a breast pocket. After slipping it on, I returned to the kitchen. "First off, we're gonna need some names. I assume you and your sister have names, right?" I asked.

She jumped back on my phone and booped away.

my name is Vinyl Scratch. my sister is called Octavia

She beamed at me and raised her hooves to present me the phone.

"Alright Vinyl, we're gonna save your sister," I said, slowly looking out the window into the forest. I stood there, staring out, feeling like a real hero. Isn't this what heroes did most of the time? Stare intently into the distance and look cool doing it?

A few seconds passed by while Vinyl was trying to jump up and see what I was looking at. Before to long, she squeaked very loudly and grabbed my attention. "Oh, right, sorry about that." She glared at me. "Okay look, we need something to defend ourselves in case those wolves come back. And do you know where your sister is, or are we going to search aimlessly?" I asked.

She began typing on the phone again.

yes. i was taking care of her in the forest. she was really hurt so i went looking for someone to help us.

"Well you're a good sister, and you succeeded. You found me," I chuckled softly. "So, I changed shirts because this one has a pocket right here to carry you in." I gestured at the small breast pocket of the collared shirt. "You can sit in here and point me in the right direction, okay?" She nodded her head and reared up on her hind legs. It looked like she was assuming a battle position, but because of her size, it was more amusing than threatening.

I held out my hand on the table, letting her jump back into my palm. As I slowly lifted my hand she leaped at my thumb and curled her fuzzy hooves around it, hugging it in a furry embrace. She gripped my thumb as hard as she could and nuzzled the tip of my finger. I guess this was as close to a hug I'd get from the small unicorn. "Don't thank me yet, we're still missing someone important," I said. I brought up my other hand to pat her head with my finger, when suddenly, my thumb felt wet. I brought it up to my face and noticed Vinyl was crying into my thumb as she hugged it. "Oh...." I muttered. She seemed so excited before, but now, her body was shuddering with sobs. "What's wrong?" I asked with no answer.

Then it hit me. Vinyl was trying her hardest to not show how scared she really is but she caved in. She was ripped away from her very own sister and I bet she really misses her sister. Like how I miss my dad. I brought her up closer to my face.

"Vinyl, look at me." I looked at her sternly while still petting her with my unoccupied hand, consoling her. Her head slowly tilted up, small tears crawling down her white cheeks. "When you left her to find help, you did a good job finding me. I know you might be scared, but I promise you, I will not stop searching out there until we find her. Everything will be okay," I whispered the last part to her, and her tiny, pointed ears perked up. the smallest of smiles grew on her face as she tightened her hug on my thumb.

I lowered my hand to the breast pocket and Vinyl jumped inside. I felt her curl up inside the cave of cloth as she pressed against me. I could imagine her listening to my heartbeat with her small ears, perhaps soothing her in this time of her's. Her head poked out of the top and looked around before looking up at me. I gave her a smile and put on my sweater, not zipping it up so Vinyl could see. Next, I required a weapon to fend off the wooden wolves with. I thought my lighter could be effective as light and as a weapon, so long as I don't start a forest fire. I placed it in my pocket, but I need a proper weapon. I thought about taping my kitchen knife to my broom to make a spear of sorts, but it would be too difficult to hide. I need something concealable or that won't attract attention when I walk outside. I suppose the kitchen knife on its own would be enough. Pulling the knife from the holder, I placed it blade first into my jeans pocket. I felt the knife poke a hole in the fabric, but it went no further. Only a little bit of the handle stuck out, but that is easily hidden by my shirt.

With no more time to lose, I glanced at Vinyl in the pocket. "Ready?" She nodded sternly, and with that, I was off. I left the apartment and locked the door behind me. I dashed down the flight of steps trying to not look suspicious. After a brisk walk out the door and around the corner, I approached the fence of plants again. Standing right before it, I flexed the muscles in my foot. The wound stung a bit, but it felt better having a bandage around it. I just relied more on my left foot for support. I looked down at Vinyl, who was making herself more comfortable in my breast pocket.

"I'm sorry, but if I climb the fence with you in there, you might fall out. Instead, I'll place you right here, before I jump over." I crouched and pointed at the hole in the fence from earlier, "When the coast is clear, just jump through and I'll put you back in my pocket, okay?" I explained. She nodded her head and prepared to jump out of my shirt. I raised my hand to catch her before lowering her to the concrete. "Alright. I'm going over." I stood back up and secured my grip on the miscellaneous plants curving through the fence. With caution, I scaled the wall and threw my legs over the top. Giving a last glance at the small unicorn, I made sure I wasn't tangled in any plants and climbed down on the other side.

Giving quick glances around, I whipped out my lighter and set it ablaze. The flame was small, but it shone through some of the lingering fog. The wolves from earlier were gone from sight. I moved slowly to the hole and looked through. Vinyl sat there on her rump and jumped in surprise when I reached out my hand and gestured for her to climb on. She obliged and I brought her back to my breast pocket, before plopping her back in the safe haven in front of my beating heart.

"Okay, do you recognize the area a bit?" I asked without removing my eyes from the path ahead of us. Her tiny head emerged from the opening and looked around. She glanced up at me and nodded. "You said your sister is out here, right? Do you know where she is from here?" I asked in a hushed tone. She nodded again, pointing into the darkness. Deeper into the forest. "Okay, just keep pointing me in the right direction."

I kept my lighter on all the while in front of us as I follow the direction Vinyl's tiny hoof showed me. The trees were holding their breath as I passed by. No sound besides my trudging feet as I tip-toed onward. After a handful of paces, a twig snapped under my foot at the same time a breeze blew out my lighter's flame. I froze, waiting to face my fate. Everything was quiet and Vinyl lowered her head until only her eyes peeked out. Nothing was happening. I flicked on my lighter again to emptiness in front of me as I risked another step. Confident I was fine, I continued onward, faster than before to hopefully make it out of here alive. I felt my pocket to reassure myself of the knife inside.

A sudden rustle in the bushes caught my attention. I stared at the spot, using my lighter to brighten the view. It looked like a pair of wild berry bushes huddled against the base of a tree. I heard the rustle again, but it was closer. I determined it was coming from the bushes. Glancing behind me first for any oncoming predators, I slowly approached the bush. I gulped and held my breath as I reached forward ever so slowly, and pulled back the bush.

The sight was relieving yet frightening. Lying at the base of the tree, deep within the bushes, was another small horse, surrounded by a trio of sparrows. The horse resembled Vinyl in shape, with the same length and height, yet it had a different color scheme. Its coat of fur was a smokey grey, matted with spots of mud and cut marks leaking thin streams of blood. Its ruffled mane and tail were an elegant black, with a scatter-plot of twigs among it. The birds were small and seemed to have cornered the poor thing. One of them was pecking at the idle body, pricking more wounds in the innocent creature.

"HEY," I shouted at the birds, "GET AWAY FROM HER!" I shoved my hand forward and swatted at the small birds. They jumped and fluttered about, frightened by the hand attempting to hurt them. They pecked at my fingers before flying out of the hole in the bushes I created. I ducked as they nearly crashed into my face before flying into the trees to roost. When they left, I returned my attention to the creature within the bushes. Without the abundance of feathers blocking my view, I noticed it was in worse condition than I thought. It suffered from multiple minor scratch marks scattered about its body, but it also had a long gash down its right hind-leg. The wound was open, and bleeding. I gently reached forward and scooped up the limp body. Bringing it closer to my face I noticed its mouth was open wide as it huffed air in and out of its mouth. "Is this your sister?" I looked down and whispered to Vinyl. She was reaching out of the pocket, trying to climb onto my hand. She then turned to face me and nodded with tears flowing down her cheeks. "Alright. She's still breathing, so that's a good sign. Don't climb out of there," I pushed her back into my pocket, "we still need to get out of here safe and sound." I moved my hand up and gently placed who I assumed was Octavia into the security of my pocket with Vinyl. Vinyl was sobbing and cuddling the limp body of her sister.

I stood up and looked around, checking my surroundings. "Let's get out of here," I whispered to Vinyl. I turned around and set foot to the opposite direction. I could feel the pair of ponies rustling against my chest. Don't you worry guys, I'll get you out of here, I thought to myself.

With my lighter in front of me, the fence was coming into view. I was about to sigh in relief when I heard the sound of sticks and twigs hitting each other. Before to long, a wolf turned from behind a tree ahead of me, separating me from the fence that was my escape. As I suspected, the wolf was made up of random twigs and sticks. It noticed me, and began to sneak toward me. It seemed to think it had me in a tight spot, and took its time closing in on me. Lucky for me, I had fire on my side.

"BACK! STAY BACK!" I jumped forward with my lighter in front of me, threatening to ignite the creature that crossed my path. I used my other hand to cover the pocket of my shirt. I need to make sure Vinyl and Octavia get away safely. I stepped close enough where the wolf began to feel the heat radiating from my lighter. It snarled at my hand and backed away from the fire while I pressed forward. I altered my advance so I was walking around the wolf. It was being cautious with the weapon I was carrying. The air was tense. We began circling each other, it oblivious to my goal of the fence.

Without breaking eye contact, I continued walking around the creature until the fence was behind me. "Vinyl, I want you to crawl through the hole again. I'll pass your sister after you and then meet you on the other side," I whispered to her, never taking my eyes off the wolf. It seemed to be advancing, but only as close as possible without being in range of my lighter. I scooped Vinyl And her sister out of my shirt pocket. I could feel Vinyl giving my thumb another hug as I blindly searched for the hole. Once my hand went through the opening in the fence, I carefully dropped the pair of horses on the concrete. Now that they were safe on the other side of the wall, all that was left was me and the wooden creature, locking eyes. Thinking hard on how I can escape, an idea popped into my head that might work.

Now standing up with my lighter ablaze, I slowly reached into my pocket and grabbed the hilt of the knife. Then, in a swift motion, I pulled it out of my pocket and chucked it at the opposing predator. "TAKE THIS!" I cried out. The knife escaped my hand, flying towards the creature. I stood with a confident face until I noticed, the knife flew over the wolf, doing absolutely nothing except crashing into some bushes in the distance. "Crap," I muttered. I began to step back in retreat, only to fall on my rear with just my lighter to defend me. My free hand was grasping at the ground, looking for some kind of way out. Then, feeling the texture of the ground, another idea formed in my head.

"You know, you guys never learn, do you?" My free hand reached behind me and grabbed a handful of dirt. The wolf observed my actions, and prepared itself. With a small grin tugging the corner of my mouth, I chucked the handful of dirt at the wolf, aiming for its eyes. As expected, it shut its eyes, having learned from earlier. With its eyes shut, the handful of dirt splashed against its face, and the wolf was unaffected. But that was its biggest mistake. Before it had the chance to open its eyes, my good foot had collided with its muzzle, sounding out a loud snap. The twigs and roots that made up its body collapsed to a lifeless pile of debris.

Making use of the cleared area, I stored my lighter in my pocket and took my time climbing over the fence, doing my best not to strain my injured foot. Once over, I noticed the sun setting in the distance. I looked to the side and noticed Vinyl looking up at me with bright eyes. I picked her and her sister up and held them close. "We're safe. We're safe," I panted.

I began making my way back to my apartment, concealing my passengers in my breast pocket to not cause a scene. Once in the safety of my home, I removed my shoes and went straight to the bathroom. Once inside, I placed a washcloth on the sink like before, and lowered Vinyl and her sister onto the soft surface. I prepared another washcloth to clean and tend to Octavia like I had with Vinyl. She was looking at Octavia's body, limp on the counter. I gently picked up the grey pony and began rubbing off spots of dirt and blood with the damp washcloth. Vinyl was watching me, making sure I didn't hurt Octavia.

Once she was clean, I put her down on the cloth again and Vinyl grasped her hoof. I reached in the cabinet for a clean Q-tip and alcohol. I also grabbed some gauze and a pair of scissors, figuring I'll tend to her leg wound first. I dabbed the swab in alcohol and pressed it against Octavia's wounds, cleaning them. I then focused more on the gash in her leg. After wiping the wound, I unrolled some gauze and laid the stripe flat. Using the scissors, I cut the strip thinner to fit a pony wound and wrapped the pony's injury with the thin gauze, tying it off at the end.

Vinyl looked at the body of her sister, then to me with a smile.

"Oh, you're welcome," I said while bringing down my finger to scratch behind her ear. She moved into my finger nuzzling it adorably, melting into the scratching. I chuckled to myself only to be cut off by my stomach rumbling. "Oh, right, We were about to eat."

I put away the miscellaneous toiletries and picked up the two sisters in my palm. Octavia was breathing steadily, a good sign, while Vinyl clung to the edge of my hand and looked out into the distance like an explorer. I grabbed my hat from the counter and placed Octavia into it, like a makeshift sleeping bag. With her nestled inside, I walked back into the kitchen, ponies in tow.

I set Vinyl and my hat on the counter and pulled out a can of tomato soup and a pot. "If I make soup, I can feed it to your sister easier, maybe getting some food into her system will help," I said. She may be out cold, but that doesn't mean she doesn't need nourishment. I opened the can and heated it in the pot. Vinyl found it entertaining chasing her tail down to hold it and attempt to make it less ruffled from our adventure, only to fail as it slips out of her hooves, and begin chasing her tail again. I chuckled at the cute act, waiting for the soup. As it reached a satisfying temperature, I transferred the warm tomato soup into a bowl and retrieved a spoon.

I took a spoonful of soup and brought it down to Vinyl. She looked at it before submerging her muzzle in the pool and drinking it whole. It surprised me how fast she ate it considering her size compared to the spoon. The liquid had left the utensil and Vinyl sat back licking her lips. I got another spoonful, slightly less as to not spill any, and brought it to the breathing pony in my hat. Vinyl ran to her and sat her up in her lap so Octavia was sitting upright. I focused hard on my dexterity as I slowly poured the soup into the mouth of the small pony. Octavia swallowed the fluid and breathed out. I'm glad that she seems to be recovering well.

I take a spoonful of the soup for myself, drenching my taste buds. I can tell it won't be enough to satisfy me, so I turned to my fridge and brought out some bread and cheese. It was simple, but I made a cheese sandwich to accompany the soup. I left so small chunks of bread to Vinyl as she stuffed the bites in her mouth, puffing her cheeks out to what I saw as unbelievable levels. I gave a hearty laugh as she gave me a big smile with her cheeks filled with bread. I ladled some soup to her as she swallowed the mouthful and washed it down.

Vinyl let out an adorable high-pitched burp and fell on her back with her belly bulging. She had had so much to eat, it's as if she hadn't had food all her life. All the of us were taking turns sipping on the red liquid and chewing on bread and cheese; a basic meal but satisfying. Octavia was breathing normally, but she still wasn't awake. Perhaps she needs some more rest.

Speaking of rest, a high-pitched yawn came from Vinyl, making me smile at how cute she is. "How about some rest? We had an intense day, didn't we?" I reached my finger to scratch behind her ear again as she sighed with a lazy nod. She joined her sister inside my hat and began to drift in their "sleeping bag".

I picked up the hat and moved into the bedroom, placing it on my nightstand. I left them there momentarily while I used the bathroom to prepare for sleep. After brushing my teeth and other chores, I crawled into bed with the lamp on. It was getting late, and Vinyl had already fallen asleep with her sister inside my hat.

A warm smile crawled onto my face, reminiscing everything that happened today. Things may have gotten dangerous, but I survived, and saved two lives as well. Best part of all, was that, besides them being a different species, I actually made new friends.

I'm glad.

*Chapter III - How Are You?

It was late, I knew that much. Glancing outside my window, I could make out the moon, so I should still be sleeping. But something woke me up as it tickled my face.

I slowly opened my eyes, wiping away the crud with one hand and blindly reaching for the lamp switch with the other. After struggling to grip the dangling chain, I yanked it and turned on the dim bedside lamp. Turning my head, I notice a blob of white fidgeting around with a fuzzy blue tail that must have brushed my face. I wiped my eyes a bit more to clear up my vision, to find a certain unicorn out of bed. I focused more on what Vinyl was doing as she was tugging on the hat she used as a sleeping bag with her mouth.

"Vinyl, what are you doing this late?" I ask drearily. She whips around and side-steps, revealing a sleeping Octavia curled up inside the hat. I focused more and noticed the unicorn's sibling was shivering. The hat was not warm enough to counter the Autumn winds pushing against the window. Vinyl had a frown from attempting to drag the hat to a warmer place so her sister could sleep in peace.

Vinyl must really care about her.

"Let me help you with that," I spoke to her as she moved out of my way so I could grab the garment with a sleeping pony inside. It felt weird since I didn't bother sitting up, instead looking at everything sideways and adjusting my grip to accommodate the sideways gravity. I moved my arms at an uncomfortable angle and gently placed the hat beside me on the bed. Vinyl, meanwhile, had scurried off the nightstand, jumped onto the edge of my bed, and is not taking the liberty to squander over my face.

"Warmer?" I asked, adjusting the hat so it was underneath the covers and close to me. The combination of being buried under my blanket and my body heat reaching the hat was enough to slowly watch Octavia settle in a comfortable position in her sleep. Vinyl was very close to my face, smiling a 'thank you' kind of smile. "Don't worry about it," I said, moving my hand to stroke her back and calm her. Her fur was ticklish to my fingers, and she was beginning to warm up with the difference in temperature of near a cold window on a wooden table to beside me on my bed. I seemed to find the act of petting such a small, soft creature relaxing, and Vinyl didn't seem to mind, since she was pushing herself up into my touch.

She yawned after a scratch behind her head before booping my nose with a hoof. The furry appendage was amazingly soft with fur, while the flat underside gently pressed against the cartilage of my nose. The gesture was calming before she pranced back to the hat to rejoin her sister in the warm embrace of sleep.

"Goodnight Vinyl. Goodnight Octavia," I whispered before pulling the chain again and shutting off the lights. The last thing I heard was another high-pitched yawn before I too, began a steady breathing in slumber.

~~~QTH~~~

The chirps of birds in a tree outside my window began to pull me from my dreams. I didn't remember what I was dreaming about, but I know it was comforting. I didn't want to wake up, but the sun's rays were sneaking through my blinds and striking my closed eyelids. I simply turned over so the sun would stop troubling me. I wouldn't fall back to sleep, but I just wanted to stay in bed a few more minutes. After a bit, I opened my eyes to the sunlight cascading in. The birds stopped chirping and I noticed a shadow zoom past my window. I carefully sat up as to not wake up my guests who were still peacefully sleeping in my hat.

After carefully leaving my bed, I grabbed some clothes for the day and prepared for a refreshing shower.

The water warmed up while I undressed and stepped inside. I gave my hair a good wash, accidentally using a bit more shampoo than needed. After the rinse, I washed my face and the rest of my body. Showers have always been a relaxing thing for me, which is the reason I liked doing it in the morning instead of the night. I shut off the water and stepped onto a towel I had set up on the floor. Drying myself off, I threw on the clothes I picked out and put the towel in the washbasin.

I began to make my way to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast, before I heard a high-pitched squeak come from my bedroom. I knew only one thing could have made that kind of noise, spurring me to rush into the room. As I walked inside, I noticed Vinyl on the edge of the mattress, inching forward on the surface with a somewhat scared look on her face as she readied a jump to the floor below. As soon as she spotted me, she jumped down and scurried to my sock covered foot. I knelt down to greet her with my open palm on the floor. She stepped into my hand sitting back and throwing her hooves up, asking for a lift. I complied, raising my hand to my face to look at her at eye level. As soon as I did, she lept at my face, grasping my nose in a warm hug. Her small body did no physical harm, apart from making my heart explode. I quickly caught her with my hand to make sure she didn’t slide off my face. I had a hunch hugs were going to become a common thing. And I would never get tired of them.

“Good morning to you, too!” I chuckled as she climbed off of me and back into the palm of my hand. She sat back on her rump and opened her mouth, pointing inside of it in the universal gesture for 'hungry'.

"I was about to go make some breakfast before you started calling out from here," I spoke calmly. "How's Octavia? Is she still out?" I crouched over my bed and examined the hat sitting near the center. The two inch tall pony was still huddled in the cloth, looking like a bear hibernating in a cave. "Still resting. Maybe she'll be up when breakfast is done. I bet she's had a rough time."

I stood up straight and returned on the path to the kitchen, Vinyl enjoying the ride in my palm. Once there, I placed Vinyl on the counter and went to the fridge for ingredients. "How does French toast sound?" I asked out loud. I could hear a 'boing' sound coming from behind me. I turned around to notice Vinyl jumping up and down. How she's making that sound with her legs, I'll never know. I wonder if she even knows what French toast is, oris she just happy that I'm making her food. "I'll just take that as a 'yes'," I spoke with a smile, turning back to the fridge to fetch some bread and other necessities.

Vinyl simply watched from afar as I whisked up some batter and heated a pan. Once the batter was done, I dipped the bread into it and moved it to the pan, cooking four at a time. Vinyl was sniffing the air and I could have sworn I heard a tiny tummy rumble emit from her direction. When I glanced at her, she was blushing and trying to hide her face behind her bangs. I mearly chuckled, extending my hand to pet her head, effectively calming her. "It's okay," I spoke, "I'm just as hungry as you are." It was so cute how she seemed to melt into my touch as I stroked her mane.

I flipped the bread when it was done, beginning to cook the other side. It didn't take long, at least it didn't feel like it since I occupied myself watching Vinyl play around. I had brought out a mug on the counter. With Vinyl's size, the whole world might as well be a playground for her. She was jumping through the handle of the mug like a circus animal and when she grew tired, she hopped inside the mug and curled up inside.

The bowl of batter emptied as the last slices of French toast were pulled out of the pan. I didn't make too much, just enough for me and the two alien creatures I housed. With breakfast piled on a plate, I carried it and the mug containing Vinyl to the dinner table. Once placed, Vinyl jumped out and began sniffing the slices in delight. I asked her to wait while I went back to the kitchen to grab two plates and some powdered sugar, then to my bedroom to retrieve Octavia. If she was hungry, maybe the smell of food could wake her up. I was carrying the hat ever so gently with me back to the table. I set down both plates and served a slice of French toast on each, sifting some powdered sugar on both. I then carefully cupped my hand and fished Octavia from her giant sleeping bag. I placed her on the table, next to a plate while Vinyl rushed to her side, awaiting a reaction.

Both Vinyl and I looked closely at the sleeping pony on the table. Octavia was breathing steadily, eyelids still shut. After a few seconds, I noticed her tiny nose twitch in reaction to the scent of food nearby. She sniffed the air a few times before her head slowly lifted from the surface of the table. Vinyl and I looked wide-eyed at the scene, Octavia slowly coming to her senses as her eyes lazily opened. The grey pony made a sound similar to a 'huh?' before she was tackled by Vinyl. Vinyl was squeezing with joy that her sister was still alive and well. The two of them rolled around in a ball of grey, white, and blue before they clunked themselves into one of the plates.

Now that the welcome from her sister was out of the way, Octavia began to observe her surroundings. She looked at the food on the plate before turning and seeing me. When she did, a look of fear struck her face, likely because she hasn't actually seen me before. She tried to stand up, but winced when she put pressure on her wounded leg. She glanced back and noticed the makeshift bandage covering her limb. She fell back and tried to scramble away before Vinyl stopped her. All I could hear were squeaks and improvised sound effects as Vinyl supposably explained the story to her frightened sister. I suppose she was speaking to her, but I didn't understand how her voice could only come out as a squeak. I couldn't figure out what she was saying, but her excessive gestures gave me an idea. She was flinging her hooves in the air, crouching and pouncing, and making little explosion sounds as she told the tale of how she got here. My question was when was there ever an explosion? I didn't ask it out loud, deciding I'd rather let Vinyl have her fun telling the story.

It eventually came to a point where Vinyl pointed at me with a smile. I waved meekly when Octavia gave me a look of curiosity. She looked back to Vinyl and asked something. Vinyl simply nodded and Octavia bowed to me.

"Aww, you're welcome," I spoke with a soothing tone. I slowly reached out to pet Octavia. She flinched with an 'eep', not knowing what to expect before her expression contorted. My finger was scratching her behind the ear and she chirped in happiness to the petting. To my surprise, her fur was somewhat softer than Vinyl's. Her face radiated joy as I move lower to rub her back. Something about petting these little ponies just blanketed me in wonder how such a creature could exist.

A small rumble broke me from the moment as Vinyl looked at me with a blush. Her hoof moved to her stomach as I rememberd the food in front of us. "Oh, right. Go ahead and dig in you two!" I exclaimed as Vinyl began to help her sister to her hooves. Octavia managed to strut onto the plate using only three legs to avoid the pain in her fourth. Her and Vinyl had hopped on the plate and pounced the breakfast treat.

When I said dig in, I meant the expression. But these two ponies took my words seriously. Both of them dove in head-first taking chomps into the bread. It was adorable how their cheeks stretched out with such big bites. Vinyl raised her head to swallow. After the big gulp, her face contorted in an odd way. I was about to question whether or not she was okay, until she sneezed in a puff of white from the powdered sugar and tumbled in a backwards summersault. Me and Octavia both paused our eating to crack up at Vinyl's powdered face. Her hair changed from its two-tone blue to a frosty white and her face was unchanged. She shook off the powder and began to laugh with us.

After our laughing fit, each of us continued eating normally. That is, if diving head-first into your meal is normal. Eventually, each of us finished, and I went to retrieve a plastic sandwich bag to keep the leftover pieces of French toast in. I could store them in the fridge, saving them for another time. When I came back, Vinyl and Octavia were leaning against each other with full bellies. They both looked very satisfied from the meal, both of them wearing a goofy grin. I approached the two of them. If they were going to be staying with me, I'm going to need some answers.

"Do you guys mind if I ask you some questions?" I asked to the both of them, gaining their attention.

They both looked at me, nodding and giving me their attention as I sat back down with my elbows on the table and my chin resting on my hands.

"Okay," I spoke while pulling out my phone. They might need it to speak with me. I opened up the notepad app and placed the device before the pair. "First of all, I know Vinyl can understand me, but can you understand me, Octavia?" I asked. She nodded. "Good. Now, do you guys know where you are?" I asked. Both of them shook their head. Vinyl started typing on my phone with her tiny hooves.

But the food was good. Is there more?

"Well, yes. I have some other foods, but I'll need to stop by the market soon to pick up more. If either of you ever get hungry, just let me know. I'll make you something. As for where you are, this is my apartment. It's nowhere near the best, but will suffice as a home. But do you know where you're from?" I asked.

Vinyl opened her mouth to speak, but paused with a face of pension. She turned to Octavia for help, but she just shrugged. Vinyl then turned to face me and shook her head. Then her head lowered and her ears went flat. Octavia mirrored the action. Octavia went to my phone, having picked up on what the contraption does when her sister used it.

I do remember being in a forest. It was where my leg got hurt. I know we dont live in the forest, but that's all I can remember...

It felt like an arrow to my chest. These two had no idea where they came from and neither did I. I hunched down to look them dead in the eyes.

"That may be so, but I will do what I can to get you guys back home. You both can live here with me as long as you like. I promise to do everything I can to keep you safe."

They both looked up to me, smiles crawling on their lips. It wasn't long before the two of them tackled my face. I laughed from their fur ticking my cheeks, each of their warm bodies gave me a reassuring feeling that I would always have friends, big and small, and I would never be alone. I will always be here for these two.

"You're welcome, guys," I spoke while they jumped back to the table, "but I should be thanking you two. Without you, I'd be living alone in this apartment like a bum." I stood up. "Anyways, I need to get the morning paper. You don't mind if I drop out really quick, do you? I'll be right back," I asked to the two of them. They both nodded and saw me off.

I left the apartment and went downstairs to the mailboxes. I opened mine and pulled out the newspaper. As I closed it up, a man approached me with a grin on his face.

"How you doing there?" He said. It was the landlord.

"I'm fine, just getting the paper. How have you been?" I asked, making small talk with the old man. He was likely in his forties, sporting a nice goatee.

"I'm fine, in fact, my niece is abo- wait. What is that on your face?" he pointed his finger in my face.

"What's what?" I asked nervously. His expression shifted quickly from jolly to suspicious.

"That, right there. Is that a hair?" He asked, still pointing his finger at me.

I reached up and touched my face. Sure enough, I felt something tickle my cheek. I pinched it, and brought it in front of me to see. In my hand before me, was a small, white hair. It looked like it came from Vinyl's coat.

"Is that a hair?" he asked again, "You know the rules kid, no pets allowed. If you have a pet of any kind, I'm gonna have to ask you to get rid of it," he said in a serious tone.

*Chapter IV - When Are You Playing?

"Don't worry, Sir, I know the rules. Of course I don't have a pet, I'm not really an animal person," I said. I began to panic, trying to think fast. "Maybe it's from a feather in my pillow," I bluffed. I was scared he might see right through me, but he just paused before continuing.

"Meh. It's not that big 'a deal. But if you have one, I will have to have you get rid of it. One way, or another," he said, flicking the thin hair away. His tone with that last comment made me nervous. Almost as if he was inferring something. And how is it not a big deal? I made a promise to protect Vinyl and Octavia. I would rather leave the complex than give them up.

I gave him a friendly goodbye before taking my mail and heading back to my apartment. When I walked inside I noticed a certain two ponies playing tag on the table. Octavia was running around in circles, weaving through the leftover empty plates, while Vinyl was right on her tail with her tongue sticking out, desperately trying to catch her sister. When I closed the door behind me, the noise made them turn to notice me. Octavia had made a complete stop, whereas Vinyl tried to skid to a stop. She was unsuccessful and ended up crashing into Octavia on the table, both of them rolling around in a ball of white and grey fur. When they stopped and untangled completely, Octavia took a chance and pounced her sister, tackling her and restarting the whole "tumbleweed made of small ponies" playing they were doing before, collaborating in a chorus of high-pitched giggling as they went. I found it very amusing how they both actually looked like a ball made of white, blue, and grey rolling around on my dining room table.

Suddenly, I noticed them both tumbling toward the edge of the tabletop. I took a quick step forward and reached out my hand, barely catching them both as they fell off the table. Both of them landed with an "oof" as they separated.

"You two need to be more careful," I playfully scolded while they giggled uncontrollably in my palm. "Here," I spoke softly, gently placing the pair on the floor. They both scampered off, weaving through furniture as they chased each other. I followed them to the living room so I could relax on the couch while I read the paper.

I walked past the window, glancing out before I plopped on the couch, only to stop suddenly at the sight of a young woman setting down boxes on a table across the street. The sign in front of her house read GIVING AWAY.

I pondered the idea of going out there to investigate while I moved to my couch with the paper. I opened it up and began reading about the typical politics, bickering about who knows what. After a few pages, I grew bored and settled for the comics section, only to have my mind return to what the woman could possibly be doing outside.

I was disturbed from my thinking by a light tug on my pant leg. I looked down and noticed a certain blue-haired pony trying to get my attention. She then lifted her hooves, asking wordlessly for a lift. I lowered my hand with a smile and laid my open palm on the floor. Vinyl jumped on and Octavia, who had been hiding around the corner behind my foot, decided to join her sister on the ride up to my couch cushion beside me.

Once they were on the couch, I returned to my paper, only to be interrupted again by the pair of ponies jumping into my lap. I looked down to see the two of them settle down together on the lower part of my shirt. I smiled to the both of them when they looked up to my eyes, moving one hand to scratch Octavia's ear while my other hand kept the newspaper open. Octavia pushed her head against my finger, humming in delight from my gentle touch. When I looked to Vinyl, I noticed she was pointing to the newspaper with her hoof with a questioning face.

"Oh, I'm not really paying attention to the paper. I'm thinking about a garage sale of sorts happening outside. Maybe I'll head over there to get some stuff," I spoke calmly. Vinyl's face lit up; I assume she thought this meant a shopping spree. "I don't know if you guys can come. It wouldn't be a good idea to let you be seen in public," I mumbled to them. Although it was true I did not think it would be a good idea, I still felt bad that they would be left out.

Vinyl's face drooped. Octavia went on her hind legs and pressed her tiny fore-hooves into my stomach, looking up to me with enlarged eyes and her lower lip out, pleading me to take her and Vinyl with me using a devastating puppy face. The face was very powerful; I was on the verge of breaking into it, but I did my best to hold on, as risking the two being found out worried me.

But then Vinyl caught on, noticing the effect Octavia's face was having on me. Both of them now had somehow made their eyes larger as they shimmered in the dull ceiling light as well as protrude their quivering lower lips.

The power was too strong. The combined pleading puppy faces of Octavia and Vinyl was too much for my heart to handle. It was only a few seconds before my heart exploded, forcing me to change my mind.

"Fine, fine, both of you can come with, just stop it with the faces, please!" I begged for mercy. Their expressions made a complete one-eighty, flipping their frowns upside-down and cheering in their high-pitched voices. The pair hopped out of my lap and onto the cushion beside me, beginning a happy dance where they pranced around, circling each other with big smiles on their faces.

"Tell you what," I spoke, gaining their attention, "let's go now while we can, unless you too had something planned for today.” Both of the scrambled toward me, nodding their heads uncontrollably. “Then it’s settled. Let me fetch a shirt with a pocket for you guys to ride in and we can go!” I gently poked their noses with a finger before standing up and walking to my bedroom, retrieving a similar shirt to the one I wore when I rescued Octavia. When I returned, the pair had disappeared from the couch cushion.

"W-what? Where did you two get off to?" I questioned to, apparently, nothing. I grew a bit worried, lifting the couch cushions and checking to make sure neither of them were hurt. I got down on my knees, crouching down to check under the couch. As soon as I caught a glimpse of what was down there, I received a face full of pony hugs.

I sat up straight on the floor, Vinyl desperately clutching my nose and Octavia dangling from my chin, holding on for dear life. Of course, I assumed they would be frightened of such a height, but all they did was laugh uncontrollably as they hung freely from my face. They either had no idea how dangerous it was, or they really trust me to catch them if they fall. And I would.

I bring my hand up and use my palm to act as a boarding platform, letting the two settle in my hand, relishing a few giggles together before they calmed down. "Come on you two. You guys know you're troublemakers, right?" I asked rhetorically. They both nodded with knowing grins plastered to their faces.

I then dumped the two into my pocket, letting the small shelter cradle them so it wasn't suspicious. Then after putting on my coat and grabbing my keys, I left the building.

Once I stepped outside, I stretched and took a big gulp of air. It was refreshing to get a bit of sunlight in your soul everyday, instead of staying cramped inside all day. Then looking both ways, I jogged across the street towards the house. The woman took note of my approach and flashed a quick smile.

She stood behind one of the tables, placing her hands on either side of her and leaning forward, showing the junk scattered across the table between us.

With a closer look, I took the opportunity to get a better look at her. She was tall, almost as tall as me, but taller than most women I see for sure. Her hair was long, most of it tied in a ponytail behind her head, but some strands escaped to cascade down her shoulders. But what struck me as most interesting was her face. She looked fairly young, but something about her gave me a weird vibe that she was older than she looked. Even her eyes seemed to be hiding something. Their color threw me off as well. I've never heard of someone having pinkish-violet colored eyes. Suddenly her irises shimmered ever so slightly before fading smoothly into a color similar to my own eye color. How odd I thought to myself. I mentally shrugged, brushing it off since my eyes tend to be sensitive to bright lights. Perhaps it was just the sun playing tricks on me. A sudden chilly breeze passed by, but instead of her hair whipping about, it almost swayed in sync with the wind, as if they were the same entity.

"Hello there! I live next door and I noticed you were setting up these tables out her. Do you mind if I ask why?" I asked.

She gave a warm smile before speaking. "Well, I plan on moving out of this place to move in with my fiancé. And well, since we'll be sharing a house and I already moved all the things I need, I don't really need this stuff, so I was going to have a garage sale of sorts," she replied, waving her hand gracefully over her merchandise.

"Oh," I mumbled, not knowing how to respond. I should have expected a garage sale.

"Tell you what," she spoke up, gaining my attention, "since you're my first customer, why don't you pick out a few things, and you can take them free of charge."

I was taken aback. For free? Really? "Are you sure?" I questioned. I could easily be being duped.

"Yes, I insist. Pick what you'd like. I don't need this stuff anyway."

"Wow... Thank you," I said. All she had to offer were small trinkets and other miscellaneous items, so I'm not making very big deals, but still this was a chance of a lifetime.

The woman turned and walked back inside her home, probably to get more things to put outside. With no one in paying attention to me, two tiny, fluffy heads poked out from my pocket, two pairs of hooves straining against my chest to keep them up. My hand instinctively came up to scratch under Vinyl's chin, making her back hoof thump against my chest through my shirt.

"Well, you guys heard her. You want anything?" I asked them. Vinyl was obviously preoccupied with my petting whereas Octavia had a hoof to her chin while she scanned the tabletop. After a bit of thinking, she looked up to me with a smile, pointing her hoof toward something near the end of the table.

I moved toward the object I assumed she was pointing at and picked it up. "This?" I asked. Octavia nodded happily.

The object I had picked up was some kind of Ken doll knock off. It was a male doll wearing a formal tuxedo and a fedora of sorts atop his head. "Really?" I asked. What could a miniature horse want with a children's toy? Then again, the way they acted back home didn't really come off as 'we're not children!'. She nodded again without hesitation. "Alright then," I breathed. I don't necessarily know why she wanted such a thing, but if it was free, I'm not going to deny her her choice.

I moved my finger from Vinyl to Octavia, beginning to scratch under her chin while Vinyl glanced up at me with her cute little eyes. "Anything you want, Vinyl?" I asked her while Octavia's hoof was thumping away at my chest. Vinyl glanced around the table for a few seconds before immediately spotting something that struck her fancy. She pointed and shook her hoof, eager to receive her gift. "This?" I asked, a bit skeptically as I picked up the object. "What could you possibly want with this?" I exclaimed. I could have sworn these two were playing tricks on me considering the thing Vinyl wanted was yet another doll. This one was a female one with shopping bags attached to her hands. There were an assortment of doll clothes and accessories stuffed within each bag.

"Do you two plan on playing with these dolls?" I asked. This really was a shopping spree for them. But when I looked down questioning my to the pair, both of them shook their heads as if I was stupid for not knowing what they were planning.

"Wait, then what do you want with... Ohhhh," I finally realized what they wanted. I pulled out a pair of violet sunglasses from the shopping bag of the doll and held them up to Vinyl. Vinyl immediately took them and put them atop the bridge of her nose, crossing her hooves and smirking. I bet she felt really cool wearing them. It turned out the glasses were a perfect fit for her, she looked up to me and I gave her a smile of approval. "What about you Octavia?" I asked. She obviously wanted something from this suit. She pointed at the purple bow tie attached to the doll's neck. Putting down the other doll, I removed the tie from Octavia's doll before putting that one down as well. It turned out it was a real bow tie, but just miniature. "Alright, just hold still and..." I mumbled. The view was a bit awkward since I was looking directly downwards, but I still managed to see what I was doing as I tied the stylish bow tie around Octavia's neck. I was as gentle as possible, careful not to hurt her as I asked her if she was okay. When I was done, she grasped the edges of the tie and adjusted it while Vinyl continued posing for an imaginary audience. I picked up a nearby hand mirror on the table and held it up to the pair, letting them admire their new looks.

Suddenly, I heard the front door to the house close, snapping my attention to the woman returning with boxes of miscellaneous items. With the mirror covering my breast pocket, I glanced down to Vinyl and Octavia mouthing get down. They both reacted immediately, letting go of the edge of the pocket and nestling back in their original positions hidden from sight. Once I was sure they were tucked away, I placed the hand mirror back on the table and smiled inconspicuously at the woman as she approached an adjacent table.

I then began looking around for something I might like from what she offered. I eventually spotted a pair of bulky over-ear headphones underneath a wrinkled leather jacket. They were completely black, made with metal and it was a bit heavy when I picked it up. "Those still work perfectly fine. I'd say that's a perfect choice out of all this stuff. Take them, if you'd like," the woman spoke as she passed by, going back into her home to retrieve more things. I hope she caught the "Thank you" I shouted back.

When she went back indoors, the duo of ponies popped back out to look at the headphones in my grasp. Octavia didn't seem to have an opinion, but Vinyl was beaming at the large mechanism. "What do you think Vinyl, should I get 'em?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer. Vinyl looked up at me and nodded her head; she had to stop to keep her new glasses from falling off the bridge of her nose. "Alright then," I said, wrapping the headphones around the back of my neck and placing the jack into my pocket for now.

The rest of the time was spent looking around the tables and I even offered to help the woman bring things out while other people took their turn observing the garage sale.

At around half past four, I had decided to return home, not before bidding farewell to the generous woman who had given me the headphones.

I approached the front door into the main lobby and yanked the heavy door open. I stepped inside and turned around to close the door behind me. When I turned back around, I bumped chest-first into a familiar face. A tiny yelp could be heard from the pair of ponies in my pocket.

"Well, hey there, pal," the landlord spoke. He gave a curious glance to my breast pocket where the noise had come from. "What was that?"

Right when today was going good, things had to go south. I had to think fast. "Oh, you, uh, you heard that too," I said, trying not to stutter.

"Yeah, it was like a squeak or somethin'," he replied casually, giving me a suspicious look.

"Heh, maybe it was the door. Those hinges may be getting old," I responded. If I could just get past him and into my apartment, I'd be scott-free.

"I suppose so. Those are some mighty nice headphones you got there. They new?" He asked looking at the headphones around my neck, changing the topic to my relief.

"Oh, uh, yeah, just got 'em today."

"Well they look nice. Whelp, I suppose I should let you get home."

"Okaythanksbye," I spoke almost like it was all one word, gracious to get out of that situation without sweating.

"Oh, wait," his voice stopped me in my tracks, "mind if I ask what you got there in your pocket there?" He asked while pointing to the exact same pocket Vinyl and Octavia were huddled in.

My blood froze. Could he know? My mind is racing, thinking of a way out of this. "Umm, umm, they're just, uh, tissues. Yeah, tissues. I like to keep some spare ones around, especially during this time of year," I replied quickly, giving my best reassuring smile.

"...Yeah. It is getting chillier out there," he replied, oblivious to my lie. "Well, take it easy," was what he said just before walking off into the hallway.

I breathed a sigh of relief and dashed up the stairs before anyone else could spot me. Once inside, my hand dashed into my pocket to carefully remove the little ponies inside. Now in my palm, Vinyl sat up blinking in confusion while Octavia was sitting back and rubbing her forehead with a hoof. "You guys okay?" I asked concerned. Vinyl gave me a bright smile and Octavia weakly nodded her head. "Good. I'd hate to see you guys get hurt badly," I glanced at the clock, "Well, it's still a good while before dinnertime. You guys aren't hungry are you?"

They both shook their heads in response to the question. I walked into my bedroom to place the duo on the nearby desk so they wouldn't be restricted by the small space of my palm. "So, what should we do until then?" I asked, sitting down in a chair and scooting toward the table. Octavia glanced around at her surroundings and Vinyl pushed her shades up so they balanced atop her tiny head. Then, she made a squeaking sound to get my attention and point at me. I looked at Vinyl questioning me, before following her hoof to the headphones around my neck. "What, these?" Vinyl nodded as I removed the device. "Well, I do have music on my phone."

I pulled out my phone from my pocket and placed it and the headphones on the desk. I started to plug it in, only to be interrupted by Vinyl when she jumped in front of my fingers, though I doubt she knows how to work the device. "I already opened the folder for music, just pick one and it'll play," I told her while she dragged the headphones with surprising strength toward the center of the desk. I don't know if she heard me, being that she was moving the stuff around before she picked a song. Octavia had gone over to the edge of the desk and looked at me, requesting a pick up. She seemed to know what Vinyl was up to while I remained clueless. I placed my hand parallel to the desk and Octavia walking into my palm and settled down. I pulled her closer to my chest while she laid back, relaxing against me.

"Do you know what she's doing?" I whispered Octavia. Octavia just looked up to me with a sly smile that said just wait. I looked back up to see Vinyl arranging the items in a way that looked like a stage.

The lamp was turned on, acting like a spotlight on Vinyl. The headphones were laid down with the muffs bent forward to face the "audience". My phone was plugged into the headphones and it lay atop the headband. It really looked like a DJ setup with the earmuffs acting as speakers behind my phone which was the turntables. Vinyl just sat in the middle of the ring that was the headphones and leaned forward to start booping things on my phone. I caught on and hit the lightswitch behind me, the only light coming from the window and my lamp acting as a stage light. I leaned back in the chair and gently placed Octavia in my lap and let her get comfortable in the lower part of my shirt.

After Vinyl figured out how to work the music app, she picked a song and turned up the volume. It wasn't too loud, but the headphones must have been powerful that they were so loud from a distance. And almost instantly, I recognized the song.

[Optional Music]

'Gonna run away

Where the night is bright

Where I'll drown in the sound

And now I'm found

I will follow the light

To a lovely place

Go through open doors

Ohhhhh~

And we sing

Where the man sittin' up on the stage

with the shades,

will remind me

That my heart still beats

to the love in this place,

to the bass

I feel alive...

I feel alive... (where the man sittin' up on the stage-tage-tage-tage-tage)

I feel alive... (that my heart still beats to the love in this place, to the bass)

I feel alive-ive-ive-ive-iveiveiveiveive-

I Feel Alive ~

'Gonna find a way

To relive the time

When my father told me

"We're all the same"

And we sing

Where the man sittin' up on the stage

with the shades,

will remind me

That my heart still beats

to the love in this place,

to the bass

I feel alive...

I feel alive... (where the man sittin' up on the stage-tage-tage-tage-tage)

I feel alive... (that my heart still beats to the love in this place, to the bass)

I feel alive-ive-ive-ive-iveiveiveiveive-

I Feel Alive ~

(Instrumental)

(Where the man sittin' up on the stage

with the shades,

will remind me

That my heart still beats

to the love in this place,

to the bass)

I Feel Alive~

After the first song, Vinyl played more music until the sun fully set, The entire time, all three of us were having a blast. Octavia seemed to really enjoy the intricate melodies and I even caught her bobbing her head to the club music a few times. Then there was Vinyl. I couldn't help but smile ear to ear as I watched her dance on the desk. She was in her own world, fist-pumping (or hoof-pumping!), shouting out in a squeaky voice to her audience, spinning around dancing in what little space she had. She even lost her balance and fell over from trying to dance on only her hind hooves. I did grow a bit concerned, but I calmed down when she just laughed it off and kept dancing. It was an amazingly fun time for everyone and these ponies are just too cute, it has to be unhealthy.

But eventually, Vinyl faded out the music and stepped out of her spotlight. She was panting from the exercise that came with partying. Octavia and I clapped while she approached the edge of the desk and bowed. As we settled down, Vinyl jumped into my lap to join her sister as they huddled together.

After a minute or so to relax, I spoke up. "So, you guys hungry?" I asked. Surely after something like this, they must be hungry. Both of them nodded in sync. "Then it's settled. Let's find some food," I said, standing up with ponies in tow.

Upon walking into the kitchen, I opened the fridge and raised the duo so they could see what I had to offer. "It may not be much. We should go to the market tomorrow. Just pick what you want," I said using my free hand to scratch the back of my head.

The two of them scanned the contents of the cool refrigerator to find something appealing to them. Vinyl was the first to bring up a hoof and point it toward the lower section of shelves. I followed her hoof to a package of pre-made chocolate-chip cookie dough. "Really, Vinyl?" I asked with a deadpan look, "you want cookies for dinner?". She closed her eyes and beamed up at me having made her final decision. "You can't have cookies for dinner, silly pony," I commented. Vinyl looked up at me with a face that said who are you, my mom? She turned back around to get a surprising face from Octavia. Octavia seemed to agree with me that cookies weren't a suitable meal.

Now it was Octavia's turn to point her hoof at the middle shelf of the fridge. "Now that's more like it," I commented, pulling out the loaf of bread and a jar half-full of jelly. "PB&J sandwiches okay with you guys?" I asked. Octavia nodded, predictable since it was her choice, while Vinyl just shrugged and nodded with a smile, abandoning her frown from not getting cookies. In that moment, I came up with a plan to surprise the two ponies in my hand.

"Alrighty then," I closed the fridge and walked to the counter top to prepare the food, "how about I make the sandwiches for you guys, and you two can goof off until it's ready, yeah?" I asked. If I was going to go through with this plan, I'm going to need them both out of the kitchen. Vinyl smiled, happy to be free to play while Octavia gave me a questioning look, like she knew I was up to something.

I walked back to the desk with my headphones still there and placed them down. Vinyl rushed off to my phone again to do who knows what while Octavia followed her hoofsteps. Octavia stopped short to give me a questioning glance over her shoulder. I just smiled trying to look innocent. The wordless conversation we were having was interrupted when Vinyl turned the music back on, but on a high volume as well as right on the dub-step drop, the resulting noise startling me and Octavia. Vinyl was quick to turn it down to something more suitable while she gave us a sheepish smile. With that interruption, I took my chance and walked off back into the kitchen.

Going back to the fridge, I took out the cookie dough and set the oven to heat up to the correct temperature so I could put the tray of cookies in right after I've prepared the tray. I pulled out some parchment paper and laid it on the tray before putting the cookie dough on it evenly spaced. I set a timer and went to making the sandwiches. After putting two together, I returned to the desk where they ponies awaited.

I cut one sandwich in half for the siblings while I just picked up my own sandwich and scarfed it down. The two of them must have been surprisingly hungry, considering how fast they were eating. Octavia was taking small bites, eating like someone of higher class, but her hunger got the best of her as she ate at an accelerated pace. Vinyl on the other hand, did what she does best and just dove in head-first.

And as soon as all three of us swallowed our last bites, Vinyl licking the peanut butter off of her little snout, the timer went off in the kitchen. I wore a sly smile and said, "I'll be right back." I went into the kitchen and used an oven mitt to pull out the tray of warm golden-brown chocolate-chip cookies. I slid them off the tray and onto a platter. Bringing the platter to the desk, I noticed Vinyl take one whiff of the air, her mouth watering and her eyes widened in anticipation.

"Well, we can't have cookies for dinner, but we can have them for dessert!" I spoke to them as I placed the platter gently on the table before them. With the platter down, I laid my hands on the desk and sat down. I expected them both to infiltrate the bunker built with cookies straight away, but instead, both of them rushed to my fingers to give as much of my hand a hug of gratitude. "Aww, you're welcome, guys," I said, smiling down at them. "But let's finish them before they get cold!"

All it took was that sentence and both of them were off to the plate. Vinyl and Octavia approached the plate at the same time, mouths watering at the scent and sight. Vinyl was first to rip out a cookie from the bottom of the pile, taking a big bite from it, well that is if you consider a bite the size of a dime a big bite. I chuckled as she smiled happily as she ate, sitting back and taking another bite of the warm cookie.

However, what she didn't notice was that she took a cookie from the bottom, causing the pile to begin wobbling as it grew unstable. Octavia seemed completely oblivious, that is, until the cookies fell over and buried her in chocolate-chip goodness. Vinyl and I turned to focus at the scene, waiting silently for the outcome. A cookie began twitching on the side of the pile, just before Octavia burst through it with a bite from her tiny mouth and freeing herself. Vinyl and I exploded with laughter as Octavia began wrestling the cookie that held her captive, taking bites from it until nothing remained and she was brushing crumbs off of her bow tie, then trotting away from the scene with her head held high in victory.

We all continued munching on the cookies to our hearts' content. I was surprised that such tiny ponies could gobble up so much. The smiles on their face was plenty enough to spawn a similar grin on my own face as they both sat back and rubbed their full bellies. I reached out and booped Vinyl's stomach, making her fall over with an "oomf". I heard a giggle slip from Octavia before she let out a high-pitched burp. She was fast to cover her mouth with a hoof as she blushed. I just laughed it off, considering they did eat a lot of cookies.

After a while of resting, Octavia let out a drowsy, high-pitched yawn. "Is someone sleepy?" I asked playfully. Octavia just slumped down with a huff and a nod, closing her eyes and curling into a ball. "How about you, Vinyl? Bedtime?" Vinyl stood up and approached me, yawning and nodding. "Alright then."

I slowly used my hand to scoop up Octavia. When her eyes met mine, she raised her tiny head to smile before settling down again. I used my other hand to act as a platform for Vinyl to hitch a ride on.

I walked with the pair in tow to my bedroom. I placed them on the bed and took some more comfortable pants from my dresser. I left to the bathroom to change into the pants; I left my shirt on since it was comfy. I brushed my teeth and other did other business.

When I returned, Vinyl was trotting in place until she noticed me, perking up. I sat down on the bed and laid down, being careful not to accidentally crush the sleepy ponies. As I relaxed and melted into the mattress, turning to look at the ponies. "Good night, guys," I whispered as I lay on my back.

What happened next, I will never forget. Octavia and Vinyl looked at each other and nodded. I noticed they both got up and walked toward me. I raised an eyebrow as they both squared down and their tails shook in the air, similar to how a kitten prepared to leap. Just as I predicted, they both leaped at me, tackling my side. They both hung on, Octavia flailing her hind legs wildly against my shirt in an attempt to push herself up. I calmly reached my hand over to push them up to my stomach. Once on top, I was confused as to what they were doing. They both trotted forward, Vinyl giving off a high pitched yawn as she went. They walked forward, the wrinkles in my shirt made it seem like they were walking on sand, until they came upon the pocket of the shirt. Both of them turned and crawled inside, the pocket was the perfect sized sleeping bag to hold them both. I suppose the pocket kind of acts as their new home, the way they snuggled together inside. I slipped a finger inside to scratch under Vinyl's and Octavia's chins, giving them both a goofy grin as I felt their tails wagging against my clothed chest. They both lied down and huddled together, letting out a soft squeak before closing their eyes. The moment was so heartwarming, just how close I've grown to these random creatures in so little time, I've grown to call them friends. I laid my head back on the pillow, smiling happier than I ever have, the slow rising and falling of my chest as I breathed rocking the two little ponies to sleep, and my joyous heartbeat singing a soothing lullaby like it never had before.

*Chapter V - Why Are You Doing This? Part I

Everything was dark in the room. in fact, I don't think this is even a room. I felt weightless.

Be brave, A mysterious voice called out from seemingly no where.

"Pardon?" I called out to nothing. This had to be a dream of sorts.

Thou must be brave.

"Be brave? Why?" I asked confused.

We encourage thou to act bravely,

No matter how odd the plan,

If thou wish to find safety,

Go back to where thy journey began.

"What? What does that mean? This has to be a dream right?" I asked. I got no response and a sound emanated from in front of me. it sounded like when a child taps the glass of a fish tank. Suddenly, I was falling. Fast. The tapping came again, this time, it felt like a tap on my forehead.

"Who are you?" I ask the voice.

Be brave. We will meet again, we assure thou, the voice called out. It sounded in my mind, as though it were my own thoughts.

Then the tapping comes again as I emerge from sleep.

~~~QTH~~~

Tap tap.

I could feel something poking me on my face, something small and light. Speaking of light, I could feel the rays of sunshine cascading into my room onto my face.

Tap tap tap.

Whatever it was, it sure was persistent. I want to sleep a bit longer, but I don't think whoever was trying to wake me would stop until I was up.

Tap tap tap tap.

I groaned. The signal of my waking elicited a high-pitched gasp from above.

I peeked one eye open, my other eye had sunlight bleeding through my eyelid, so I'll keep that eye sheltered for now. Looking up, I spotted a blotch of white fur smiling at me from the brim of my forehead. Her little hooves were pressing into my head, tapping at me playfully a bit more for good measure.

My mind began to function properly now that I was waking up. My first thought, was that where one pony goes, her sister must be close behind. Sure enough, a tap on my chin caught my attention to the grey ball of fur pressing a pair of hooves on my chin. I could feel her rear hooves on my collarbone while she smiled semi-sleepily at me.

At this point, Vinyl was having a full-on drum solo on my forehead, banging away with her hooves. Except, given her size, it was more light tapping than banging.

"Alright, alright, I'm up!" I said with a grumble, giggling. My head was still groggy, but that didn't stop me from laughing along with the two ponies when Vinyl kept tapping.

"Oh, you think it's funny?" I asked playfully. I moved one hand up to scoop Vinyl up gently, the frost-white colored pony still giggling on her back in my palm. While she didn't suspect a thing, I turned my other hand into a weapon: a curved index finger. I brought my finger up and lined up with my target, Vinyl calming down and looking up, noticing my plan. She seemed confused, and it wasn't until the last moment she realized what I was doing. My finger came down to her belly and I began tickling her relentlessly. She cried out in high-pitched squeals, unable to do anything but break down in my palm. Octavia was still sitting on my chest, using her hoof to cover her mouth while she giggled at her sister.

Things seemed a bit unfair, so I planned on evening it out. I stopped tickling Vinyl for a moment to place her beside her sister on me. I then made both my hands into pointed fingers and brought them down to tickle both Vinyl and Octavia. Both of them were trying to push me away with their tiny hooves, but I just laughed along while they squealed simultaneously. They were both belly-up, trying to roll over and escape, but their smiles were too big and they were too weak from being tickled. I had to admit, their little squeals were adorable.

I didn't want to torture them, so I stopped after a bit and they just laid down out of breath. Both of them were panting while I just giggled at my actions. Just relaxing with them on my chest, sunlight intensifying through the blinds to illuminate the room. I felt like I could spend the whole day in bed, never getting up and just playing with the cute little ponies.

Octavia was readjusting her bow tie now that she had calmed down and Vinyl jumped down off of me to fetch her shades. The mattress made a little "pomf" as she landed on her face. Vinyl just sat up and laughed it off. She's such a little goofball.

I picked up Octavia and lifted her while I moved to sit up in bed. I placed her back down beside Vinyl so they could play while I got dressed.

As soon as I turned to go to the closet, I thought back to the dream I had with that odd voice. I would ponder it more, but Octavia began to call me in her high-pitched squeaks. I turned to see her at the edge of the bed. "What's up?" I ask while walking over.

Octavia sat back on her rump and began rubbing her legs and body. It took me a while but I think I know what she's miming.

"Do you want to take a bath?" I ask. Octavia nods and applauds as if we were playing charades. Vinyl walks up behind her and looks up to me. For some reason, she seems really interested in my response. "Uh, sure. We may need to improvise for your size though...." With them being so small, the shower is definitely a bad idea. The sink faucet might be nice, but they could easily slip on that material considering it didn't have any flat places to stand on since it was bowl-shaped.

Then, my brain hatched an idea. "Alright, come on."

My hand goes down to lay on the bed so the ponies could board. The only thing that seemed suspicious was Vinyl looking worried as she crawled on. With the two in my hand, I walked into the kitchen. I wouldn't need to change clothes yet, since it's likely I'll get wet in this process. Once in the kitchen, I grab a somewhat large cereal bowl, and then head to my final destination.

I walked in with the pair in tow, closing the bathroom door behind me. I left them on a counter while I turned on the sink and filled the bowl from the kitchen with water, testing it with a finger first to make sure it was just the right temperature before setting it down in my bathtub. It was a multi-purpose tub with a nozzle near the bottom and a shower head above. A metal lever could switch which end the water would come out when turned on. I then pivoted back to fetch the two ponies to move them to their improvised bathtub. Octavia had already removed her bow tie and hung it on the sink lever. Vinyl, on the other hand, still looked a bit nervous about something.

"Hey Vinyl. You okay?" I asked.

She nodded shakily and tried to play it off, but I knew there was something making her nervous. I moved my palm to lay on the sink counter, Octavia stepping onto my hand calmly while Vinyl hesitated before joining her sister. I lifted them up carefully and stepped into the tub which held the bowl of water.

I knelt and lowered my hand to meet the rim of the bowl, Octavia striding forward and diving in, making a small splash. The water was perfect height for her to stand up in the bowl so she wouldn't have to worry about staying afloat. Vinyl, still in my palm had her tail between her legs and she didn't move a muscle.

"Vinyl, are you sure you're okay ?" I ask. Vinyl was now lying in her stomach on the edge of my hand and poking the water with a hoof, as if testing it for piranhas. Then, my mind deduced a reason behind her demeanor. "Wait, Vinyl. Do you dislike taking-" I didn't get to finish my sentence when Octavia rushed forward, grabbing Vinyl's hoof and tugging her in the water. Vinyl slides in with Octavia, both of them squirming around in the water. Octavia separates herself from her sister and stands up in the bowl. Vinyl, on the other hand, was flailing-about with her head above the water. Her eyes were shut and she looked like she was about to drown. "Vinyl, just stand up!" I call to her, hopefully getting through to her. Vinyl's hoof meets the floor of their "tub" and her face freezes. She realigns her hooves and stands up properly in the bowl so her head was above the water. Her whole flailing about ordeal had removed some water from the bowl; just enough so Vinyl could actually sit on her rump to think about how silly she looked.

Octavia was laughing at her, while Vinyl's head craned down, eyes watering, and her lower lip stuck out in a pout. This was where I needed to step in. "Hey, Vinyl, are you okay?" I ask, my finger coming down to scratch under her chin, forcing her to lift her face to me as her expression brightened. I swear, she loves being scratched so much, it might be the reason behind her name. Her eyes looked into mine and she managed a slight nod through my petting, her eyes clearing. I smiled; knowing that she was okay made me feel better. "I guess you just don't like taking baths, huh?" I ask. My scratching stops for now as she nods admittedly. "Well then, let's just get this over with, okay?" As soon as I was sure I brought peace to the pair, Vinyl turns around and throws her arms forward, making a splash that hits an unsuspecting Octavia. Octavia's bangs are now stuck to her forehead as she processes what happened. Vinyl is giggling to herself and adapting a fighting stance, crouched and expecting a reaction.

In a few moments, Octavia’s expression contorts and she adopts a war face. With a war cry, which was just a high-pitched squeak, she began flinging her tiny hooves in circles, throwing water this way and that. Vinyl put up a hoof to block the incoming water and retaliated with splashes of her own. Octavia was easily hit, her face scrunching to prevent the water from getting into her eyes. She covered her face with a hoof and kept up her assault. They continued to giggle and cry out cutely, splashing each other in their tiny bath. I just laughed along with them, letting them have fun. Vinyl stopped suddenly, covering her face with both hooves. Octavia thought she had surrendered, but she should’ve thought better. Vinyl let out a high-pitched ‘rawr’ and dove forward, causing a miniature tidal wave to hit Octavia. This was followed up by more splashes from the two, throwing water all around.

Eventually, they both became tired, settling for lying down in the water. Wait. Lying down? Sure enough, the level of the water had lowered yet again, coming just up to their shoulders in their position. Outside the bowl was a lot of droplet of water, running to the drain at the other end of my bathtub. “You guys splashed all the water out!” I fake-scolded. Now I needed to fill it up again. Unless….

I turned around and turned on the tub faucet. I lifted the lever just a bit so the pressure of the water was a thin stream instead of a rushing flood. I turned back to the relaxing ponies and picked them up gently in the bowl. I then moved the bowl so it sat beneath the nozzle. The result was a bowl of water for them to relax in with a light waterfall in the corner of the bowl cascading from above. Octavia smiled and stood up, walking to the waterfall. She stepped into the water, letting it douse her hair and her tiny body. She chirped at the water, moving her head around and melting into the water pressure. She ruffled her mane with her hooves to rinse it out, ensuring it was soaked.

I wasn't sure if human shampoo would work for them, but what's a bath without soap to clean with? I popped the cap to a green bottle squirted a dime-sized drop onto my fingertip. I brought said finger in front of Octavia as she stepped out of the water. "It's shampoo," I stated simply. She sniffed the apple-scented goo before smiling and nodding pleasantly. She took out a fraction of the already small amount and began to scrub it into her hair. I turned and offered some to Vinyl so she could wash up. Vinyl looked at the substance and I told her what I told Octavia. Vinyl just stared and refused to take some. Octavia stepped in and took the rest of the shampoo on my finger and began scrubbing it into Vinyl’s hair. Vinyl was indeed surprised upon her movements, squealing a bit when Octavia covered her hair in suds. Vinyl just grumbled like an upset child and hunched over, accepting her fate. I decided to intervene, using my finger to help scrub in the shampoo into Vinyl’s hair. Octavia nodded in thanks before returning to her own mane. Vinyl’s face contorted into a goofy smile as my fingernail hit one of her favorite spots behind her ear. Her rear hoof began thumping under the water, making small ripples as I rub in the suds. At this point, Octavia had taken some leftover suds and looked to her tail. She tried to reach for her tail to clean it, but making that reach also pulled her body, making it spin. She spun in circles, getting aggravated that she couldn’t capture her tail. I found the little act adorable, watching her spin in circles while I help Vinyl with her mane. Octavia eventually caught her tail, grumbling as she lathered in the soap to her black hair. Vinyl was in her own world, her hoof still thumping as I scratched her head. I eventually moved to Vinyl's tail, soaping it up as well.

After they were covered in soap, I pushed Vinyl under the water to rinse the suds. I thought she'd be upset since she hated baths, but instead she squealed under the pressure of the water, cleaning herself off. When Vinyl was done, she stepped out of the waterfall to give Octavia a turn to rinse, not before shaking her head like a canine to throw water around. Octavia stepped elegantly into the shower and rinsed out her hair of shampoo, her mane lay matted against her head. It covered all of her face and she had to pull apart her charcoal curtain of hair to see.

Now that they were both done, it was time to turn off the water. I moved to twist the handle, but Vinyl squeaked out loud at me, running under the water and sitting under the water pressure.

Apparently, she didn't want to leave.

"Vinyl, I thought you didn't like baths?" I asked. She just beamed up at me. I shook my head and turned off the water, Vinyl pouting at me. "It's okay Vinyl, you can take another bath later," I assure her. She shrugs at trots around in the water, shaking water droplets from her mane next to Octavia, showering the grey pony in water. Octavia grumbled and tackled her playfully, the duo of ponies wrestling around again. "Guys, come on. It's time to dry off," I said, laughing with them as they played.

I brought my hand back down in the bowl and they both hopped on, Vinyl slipping and clinging to the edge of my hand before I used my other hand to catch her safely. She giggles, scrambling to the center of my palm next to her sister.

I pick up a towel from a rack and hold it flat in my empty palm. I then place my hands together and the two ponies hop onto the towel, wiping their hooves. Octavia grabs an edge of the towel and uses it to dry off her body, while Vinyl just knelt down and began rubbing her head on the towel. It was funny to me and Octavia, watching Vinyl roll around on in my hand like dogs roll in the grass. Although I couldn't really question her, given that she was dry before Octavia with her "methods".

Once Octavia was dry, she ran her hooves through her hair to readjust it, combing it to the side. Vinyl didn't seem to care much, her two tone hair a mess on her head. I set them both down on the counter so Octavia could put on her bow tie. I took this time to empty the bowl of water.

I looked down to the two ponies and noticed they were both ready for the next thing on our to-do list for today. I lowered my hand once again and they climbed on. I took the bowl in my other hand and walked back to the kitchen. After placing the bowl in the sink to wash later, it was time to announce my plan for the day.

"How about we go to the market today?" I ask the two. Octavia nodded calmly while Vinyl threw her hooves in the air, excited to go. Her excitement was short lived though, as a sudden rumble broke her cheer. She blushed and clutched her hooves together, embarrassed by her tummy rumble.

"Maybe we should have breakfast first, huh?" I ask, using my other hand to tickle Vinyl's belly. She laughed and squealed for a bit before I decided to start the food.

"Well, as you may already know, I'm a bit low on food, so breakfast will have to be simple," I told them, placing them down on the kitchen counter. I opened the fridge and pulled out some bread, placing it next to them. "How about sandwiches, like last night?" I ask.

Vinyl groans and slumps down dramatically while Octavia shakes her head. "Uh, okay. Here, why don't you take a look," I say, placing my hand down for them to climb on. They both trudge on and I lift the pair up and in front of the fridge, letting them pick something. I'm scanning the contents, trying to think of something before Vinyl squeals in my hand, jumping up and down. "Find something?" I ask, smiling at her cute actions. She nods furiously and points at the rack in the fridge door. I follow her hoof to a jar of Nutella. "What? This?" I ask, taking out the jar and holding it up to them. Vinyl nods and looks at me pleadingly. "You can eat chocolate?" I ask confused, only to get another excited nod not only from Vinyl, but from her sister too. I had only assumed chocolate would be poisonous to them, since it's poisonous to most animals, but if they know what it is and say it's okay, who am I to deny them? "You want it on the bread?" I ask, closing the fridge and bringing the jar to the counter. They give a final nod, confirming what we'd be having to eat.

I took out a plate and removed some bread slices. With knife in hand, I took out a good helping and spread the chocolate on the bread. I covered it up, forming a chocolate sandwich of sorts. I cut it in half for them to share. Vinyl was quick to dive in, munching away at the crust of the bread while Octavia slowly approached it.

"You were hungry, huh?" I ask the snow-colored pony. She sits on her rump and faces me, eyes closed and a wide smile covered in chocolate as she chewed her food and nodded at me. I chuckled as Octavia began eating her half slowly and carefully to not make crumbs.

I prepared my own meal while the two ate in relative silence. Vinyl was the first to finish, laying back on the cleaned plate with a bulge in her belly from the food. She was licking her lips, catching any Nutella she might have missed. Octavia was only halfway done when I finished my second sandwich, myself quite hungry as well.

"I'm going to change into some clean clothes, and then we can leave, okay?" I ask the two. Octavia nods once while Vinyl is still on her back, lazily lifting a hoof to wave me away. I smile at their antics.

My life took quite the turn when I stumbled upon these two. If I had the chance to go back in time, I would do nothing differently.

I walk off into my bedroom, pulling out a fresh shirt, double-checking the front so I knew it had a breast pocket. Upon changing out, I also switched my pants into some jeans, dressing comfortably for a nice walk to the local store. Checking the weather out the window, I concluded that today was a good day to head to the market; the sun was out, so it was a great day for a walk too.

I left my room and returned to the kitchen, Octavia was dabbing her mouth with a scrap ripped off a paper towel roll on the counter. Vinyl, on the other hand, fell asleep on the plate. I know I feel the same way after a big meal, even though to me, she only ate a mere half a sandwich.

"C'mon Vinyl, you can go back to sleep in my pocket," I whispered, my finger coming down to scratch her head, right behind her ear. It twitched in response, Vinyl letting out a cute yawn before chirping under my finger. I continued scratching her until she stood up and stretched.

"Alright, c'mon girls," I say, laying my hand on the counter. Octavia steps on while Vinyl trudges on. I lift my hand up to my shirt pocket, letting the two hop inside my breast pocket. I could feel Vinyl curl into a ball at the bottom, her tiny body against my heart. Octavia was hanging on to the edge of the pocket, poking her head up at me. She was rubbing her hoof in her hair and looking at me, squeaking. I got the message and gave her a turn of scratching behind the ears while I gathered my keys, wallet, phone, and anything else I would need when I'm out of the house. I also took a shoulder bag to hold the groceries since we'd be walking there and back.

With the bag over my head and shoulder, I had to stop scratching Octavia's chin, her hoof settling after thumping against me from my scratching. She looked up at me questioningly to which I replied, "You have to get down. I don't want you guys to be seen when I'm in the lobby. Who knows what the landlord would do if he found out about you guys?" Octavia nodded and huddled in with her sister while I opened the door to leave the house.

All seemed to be going well, until just as I predicted, the landlord was in the lobby. I tried to act natural, cruising by and not making eye-contact. But to my bad luck, he noticed me and spoke up.

"Hey, bud. Where ya headed?" He asked.

"Just the market to pick up some groceries," I answered, not stopping to keep up a conversation.

"Alright. Well, have fun," he said. Something about his tone worried me. But that will have to wait. The more I'm in his line of sight, the more I endangered my fuzzy friends. So I just kept walking, leaving the building and walking toward the market.

~~~QTH~~~

The sun beat down on me from above, relieving the chilly Autumn breezes for the moment. The bag over my shoulder was full of a variety of things. Bread, milk, eggs-which were tightly sealed in the container so they wouldn't shake around in my bag-, and other necessities. Vinyl had reminded me to get more cookie dough, so that was somewhere in there. Octavia hadn't asked for anything until she noticed the store sold vanilla pudding cups. That was when she was tugging against my shirt and begging me to get some for her. I was careful to keep in next to the milk to keep them cold. We had enough goods to last us a week, maybe even longer if preference over what we had to eat didn't matter.

The ponies were holding onto the rim of the pocket, observing their surroundings in quiet. No one was around, so no one could see them. I could feel Vinyl's tiny hooves gently tapping against me to some song that must be stuck in her head. It must be the one she listened to last night during her moment of being a DJ. Octavia was nodding her tiny head to a song of her own. I smiled down at the pair, as they occupied their own worlds.

Things were going smooth, nothing unusual. Until I turned the last corner to the apartment.

"Guys, get down," my tone went stern as they looked up to me. "Now." They obeyed, scared by my tone, but I had a reason.

Outside of the building, two police cars were parked, lights flashing. There was also a large truck, the words "Animal Control" painted on the side.

Something was going on, and I felt like I should run away, as they had to be at my apartment for a reason.

Upon focusing more, I could see a cop looking at me from afar. It was at that moment that I was stuck. If I bolted, it would be suspicious. I had to gather my confidence, and get into my apartment as fast as I can. If I can just make it inside, I could hide Vinyl and Octavia somewhere before I get questions.

I walked casually past the officer into the building, giving a nod to him as I passed. He smiled and nodded back, hopefully not suspecting anything. I hunched over a bit, trying to hide my breast pocket from sight as I walked into the lobby. Everything was clear. I noticed a pair of police men and the animal control person in the landlord's office, their backs to me as they discussed something. I kept my sight on that room, assuring myself they weren't watching me as I took a step up the stairs. Once they're out of sight, I was home free.

Then something struck me. Don't policemen usually travel in pairs? There were two cars outside, meaning four cops total. Two were in the office and one was posted outside.

Then something struck me. Literally this time. I had walked into a person on the stairs, knocking me back as I fell down a few steps onto my back. My eyes shut as I hear a cracking sound out. I wasn't hurt, so it must have been the eggs. But that wasn't the problem.

The person I had knocked in to was the fourth policeman. And my fall had gathered some attention, the landlord coming out followed by the whole group of people in there with him.

"THAT'S HIM! THAT'S THE GUY WITH THE ALIENS!" the landlord shouted, pointing at me.

Next thing I knew, I was on my feet, my arms held fast by two cops. Worry bit me hard as I struggled, trying to escape their grip but it was hopeless.

“LET ME GO!” I shouted, squirming as their hands remained on my arms, holding me back.

“THEY’RE IN HIS POCKET! CHECK ‘EM!” he shouted. My eyes dilated as the animal control person put on a rubber glove and reached into my breast pocket. I could hear squeals as he pulled out his hand, Vinyl and Octavia in his grip. He took them and threw them into a small container, something you’d use to carry a hamster or something in. My heart wretched as the two ponies cried out from being handled by someone who wasn’t me. When they fell in the container, they scampered to the plastic wall, Vinyl banging her head on the window and Octavia rearing up to place her hooves on the glass, staring at me and banging the window.

“NO!” I shouted, giving a final tug at my limbs, breaking free of their grip. I don’t know how, but a sudden burst of adrenaline flowed through my veins as I ran forward. I had it. I was going to punch the animal control and take the container, jump into his truck, and escape. Everything came into place as my plan formed. I don’t know where I’d go, but as long as I had the ponies, I’d be fine. I made a promise to protect them, and I was not about to let them down.

Until I was hit with a blunt object on the back of my head. My mind blanked as I collapsed mid-step, my face hitting the cold floor. I looked up to see a policeman stow his baton. I felt handcuffs on my wrists and something prevented me from struggling. I felt my consciousness slip.

"...No...," I muttered, my voice drifting into nonexistence, "why are you doing this...?"

I heard no response. The last thing I saw, was a pair of purple plastic shades and a pink and white ribbon on the ground in front of me.

*Chapter VI - Why Are You Doing This? Part II

Headache.

The first thing I notice is my throbbing headache as my body boots up. Senses shake themselves awake and I attempt to open my eyes. Sights are blurred but a good few blinks clears it up.

I’m on… a bed? Feeling around, it feels like an old mattress and a pillow beneath my body. Looking to the side, my thoughts are confirmed as I sit up on the rugged thing. I look down and notice I still have on the same clothes. The room around me looks like a prison cell. Two walls of iron bars form the small quarter in the corner of the room and a police officer sits at a desk reading a newspaper outside the locked door. Two hallways connect to this room, one headed to what looks like more offices and the other probably leads to an entrance to this building.

I pick myself up from the bed and walk up to the barred wall, getting close to the officer.

"Excuse me, Sir?" I ask, my mind still a bit groggy. He looks up from the paper, a rather annoyed look on his face. "Where am I?"

He sighs and turns back to his paper. "This is the local police station in town. There isn't a prison for miles and you're about to get some special guests, so we're keeping you here for now," he snorts.

"Guests?" I ask.

"Yeah. The FBI want a word with you, so they're on their way. Ain't you special, Alien Boy."

Alien Boy? The pet name he gave me shocks a thought into my head. "Wait, where are they?" I ask, growing angry in concern. I needed to know what they did with Vinyl and Octavia.

"Calm down. The FBI want your little pets alive, so we're just gonna keep them in the back until they get here. I think they want to experiment on them or something."

Experiment? I slowly recoil from the bars in shock. They were going to experiment on them? My heart began to crumble. This can't be happening. I had promised to take care of them, yet here I was, helpless while the FBI were on their way to torture them or something. I stumble back on the bed and the officer chuckles at me behind his newspaper. But there has to be something I can do.

"Excuse me," a tapping comes from the barred door. In my mental breakdown, I didn't notice the policewoman walk into the room to my cell.

"Hey! Newbie! What do you think you're doing?" The officer snarls at the woman.

"It seems the prisoner has a letter from someone and Officer Aidan told me to bring it to him. I already checked it for anything, turns out to be a simple letter, from a close friend it seems." The officer had yelled, yet the policewoman remained calm.

"As long as you checked it for anything suspicious," the officer grumbles, getting back to his paper before snorting again.

The woman walks away from the cell, not without handing me the letter with a soft smile.

"What?" The officer asks, irritation rising as the policewoman walks right up to him.

"I was also asked to inform you that David got the photocopier stuck and he needs your help," the woman replies, rather calm in contrast to the officer's attitude.

"Again!? Son of a-," he clears his throat and rises from his chair, grumbling as he left down the hallway deeper into the police station. The policewoman winks at me before following the officer. It wasn't until then I noticed her eyes flash violet momentarily. Of course, that must be a trick of my mind as I just came back to consciousness not too long ago. Regardless, I open the letter, completely confused as to who would send mail to me in a police station.

My eyes widen as I unfold the paper inside and notice the intricate cursive handwriting.

Hello Son,

I hope you're doing well out on your own. I hear that neighborhood has a really interesting myth with the forest behind your building. I always knew you were fascinated by that kind of stuff, so I'm sure you're enjoying the community. Well, I'll come and visit soon. I'd like to see how you're coming along. Hope to see you soon.

Love,

Dad

Ps: I was told in a dream by some weird voice to send you a plan to one of the buildings I designed. I don't know why, but the voice was really insistent. I know it seems weird, but the dream was so realistic. I was told it's important to send it to you and that you would know why. I hope you're not in trouble.

I finish the letter and my jaw hangs open. On the back of the letter is the blueprint to the police station. It included the names of rooms and some routes are highlighted. On closer inspection, it looks like it's the air vent system. According to the map, a vent opening should be right behind the officer's desk.

Sure enough, behind the empty desk was an air duct, covered by a steel lid bolted to the wall. It looked big enough to crawl through, but first I need to get the door unlocked. I might actually have a chance to save my friends.

Upon walking up to the door to the cell, I grasped a bar and shook it. Not two seconds after doing so, the lock glistened. Almost in a wave, a sparkling golden sheen grazed over the metal box. I recoiled at the unexpected sight and grew curious. I reached out a finger and poked the box, only to have the door ease open, as if it wasn't even locked to begin with.

I don't know how all these things keep happening, but now was a time to act, not question. I ease the door open further, carefully stepping out of the cell and towards the air vent. I wasn't sure how I was going to pry it off the wall, I may be able to find a tool of sorts.

As soon as I approached it, the screws keeping it held to the wall became encased is a similar golden glow as the lock on the cell. It was almost as if I became capable of magic or sorcery, but it didn't feel like I was doing anything special. At the moment, there wasn't any time to waste. I had to get to the ponies and escape. I don't know where to, but as long as it's away from here, I'm sure I can keep my promise.

I gently remove the air duct lid and place it aside, wanting to make as little noise as possible. The passage was just large enough for me to crawl through, so with my head ducked, I slowly worked my way inside, placing the lid back on behind me.

The metal was cold against my palm as I took a look at the map inside the tunnel. There was sufficient light coming from other openings, providing a dim glow that reflected around the sides of the metal vent. Following the layout on the building plans, I crawl around and come across another lid. Peeking through the thin lines, I notice the room is an average office; nothing special and no sign of Vinyl or Octavia.

Turning about and following the path on my hands and knees, I find a fork in the vents. One direction leads to a larger office and the other leads outside on a slant. Taking a right to the office, I take care to check for policemen inside. Looking through the vent lid, I see two officers standing facing a desk. Their attention lies on a small box on the edge of the desk. The box looks a lot like the small holding cage Animal Control used to capture my friends. If only there was a way to get the cops out of the room.

"They're kinda cute when ya look at 'em," one says to the other.

"Yeah. Cute, but boring." A hard thumping sounds out as the second person taps the walls of the box. "C'mon ya stupid things. Do something!"

Without a noticeable response from whatever's in the box, he grumbles, sipping his mug of liquid.

"Hey! He's gone!" a shout echoes through the vent, coming from behind me. Apparently a guard noticed my absence, but hopefully he didn't notice where I went. I begin to panic, getting paranoid if I left the air lid on straight to cover my escape. But now was a time to focus.

The shout from the officer draws the attention of the two policemen, making them look toward the door momentarily before dashing out.

Now certain the coast was clear, I place my hand on the air vent lid. It's bolted like the one before, but that golden aura comes back at my touch. The bolts come out and the lid falls to the ground, caught in the magic so it didn't make a sound. I jump through and stand up, going straight to the door. I lock it to keep out the others before turning to the box, ignoring the buzzing voices of cops yelling to each other through their walkie talkies.

There they are; Vinyl and Octavia huddled together in the corner of the plastic container. Vinyl was missing her shades and Octavia lacked her bow tie. The box was well kept though, not a scratch. The only thing that caught my eye was how the two creatures inside were lying down, barely breathing.

My first instinct was to worry, panic rising in my throat as they both laid there with eyes closed.

"Guys...?" I let out weakly, opening the top of the box. Vinyl's ear twitched suddenly and her frightened eyes peeked open, a sad frown on her face. Her head lifted up to look at her sister, making sure she was devoid of injuries.

Then the unicorn's eyes whipped to me when she put the pieces together and found her sister had not made the noise which woke her. She brightened immediately, jumping up and scrambling to the wall of the cube. With forehooves propped against the plastic, she stared into my eyes and squeaked multiple times.

It was then I noticed an officer right outside the room overhear us. The doorknob jiggled violently and the eyes of the officer who was behind the desk earlier met mine through the glass.

"In here!" He bellowed, furiously pulling the knob and bashing the door with his shoulder.

My focus came back to the ponies in the box. Octavia was startled awake by the booming voice, a worried look on her face as Vinyl looked at the officer. The expression on her equine face told me enough; I should not let that man near either of them.

There wasn't enough time to close the lid behind me as I dived back into the vents, friends in tow. Thankfully, I was able to keep my pocketed shirt, depositing the cute creatures inside where it was safe. Just like human instinct to protect the heart, my instinct would protect these two no matter the circumstances.

Vinyl hugs her sister inside, relishing in the safety that was my heartbeat, despite it's racing pace. "Guys, you may want to hold on. And stay inside, where it's safe," I shouted. I was going to be sprinting upon getting out of here.

Checking the map, a passage in the vent system led outside, where an air conditioner would be installed during the summer. It was my immediate path as policemen yelled at each other in the building. My movements were quick; I had abandoned stealth now that I had what I needed, loud thumping resounds in the metal tunnels as I crawl away.

One final vent lid is spotted, this time sunlight breaks through the grid. Turning, I gave a strong kick to the lid, breaking it open. I didn't want to rely in the ominous golden magic to do things, so I could escape with the precious cargo. As soon as I step out of the vent and into the outside air, my thoughts focus on the one thing I hadn't planned.

Where do we go?

Panic builds in my chest. I begin pacing frantically, worrying about worst case scenarios. The police would realize where I am any minute and I'd be back in that cell, the weight of my punishment increased for attempting escape. My apartment isn't safe, and I'm new to the neighborhood, who would harbor a fugitive?

Then, it hit me like a watermelon fired by a trebuchet.

The dream I had this morning told me about going to where my journey began. It may be skeptical, but my father trusted his dream as well, thus giving me this chance to escape. And besides, an odd plan is better than no plan. But what did that mean, "where my journey began?"

"The forest..."

I whip my body around, a voice coming from behind me. There happened to be no one there, and my mind was racing in confusion and panic. I play it off as my brain playing tricks, and I continue to pace rapidly.

"Wait, what did you say?" I ask no one in particular. I was fully aware what the voice said, but the realization took time to settle.

The forest.

That's where I first met these two. Perhaps it's where my journey began.

With a newfound vigor, my legs fly through the wind. I felt like a cartoon character, the way their legs spin in full circles when they run fast though obstacles. I didn't even know I could move this quickly, but the cries from officers behind me only drove my acceleration.

My heart beat just as fast. I barely recognized the streets and I ran where things became more familiar. Sirens could be heard behind me and I felt a smidge of doubt in my mind.

Surely the police had more important things to do than chase some random kid? Of course, this was a cozy neighborhood; I'd believe it if I was told crime was at a minimal around here. Apparently, any action was enough to warrant a full-blown cinematic police chase.

I shouldn't hold onto that thought, I should focus on where I'm going. Taking a hard left at the upcoming corner, the apartment building came into view. Running past that, I came across the empty lot.

Where my journey began.

Sirens grew closer and second thoughts were left in the dust as I hurl my body forward. With all the strength I could muster, my body is flung over the chain fence, landing on my butt with a thud.

"Dang it! He went in the forest!"

"Well, he won't be coming out!"

More arguments and some bribes to surrender myself were thrown over the fence, none of them affecting me.

My legs are so sore from running, it's a bit hard to stand, but at least I was safe. Well, safer. With the time to calm down, I gather in my surroundings. Same as last time; creepy foliage and a thick fog carpeting the ground. No wood wolves this time, nor any sign of them. Now that I was here, one question remains.

"Well, now what do we do?" I ask, the two sisters still holding on to each other for dear life after the shaky ride. They both have time to compose themselves before peeking out of my breast pocket. Despite the danger and panic from what was only minutes ago, I still found it in my heart to notice how cute they both looked, back where they belonged; in safe hands.

They both shrug at me in silence, Octavia lowering herself deeper into my pocket, likely frightened of being here again. Almost by instinct, my finger comes down to scratch her ear, the gray pony's expression instantly converting from that of fear to one of bliss. I was only interrupted by a jealous Vinyl scowling at me.

They were both so cute.

My other hand tends to Vinyl, making two hooves thump against my chest. Despite the eerie ambience, it was comforting having the two back in my possession. Not that they were objects to me, I more just felt like a guardian for them. They had no idea where they were, so it was my job to keep them safe.

I had begun walking, going slow and heightening my senses in case of danger. There was no use in standing idly; as long as we kept moving in the same direction, we were bound to run into something.

Right?

I've lost track of how long we've been walking. It feels like I've passed the same trees multiple times, and all I was doing was walking straight. My head feels funny and the fog has gotten thicker, Vinyl and Octavia look worriedly at me. I trucked on, slow steps regardless of the building pain. It took a lot of strength, and some luck, but I notice the fog clearing up. I squint and I almost want to believe it's a mirage, but a clear, open field of grass appears in the breaking of the thick trees. I wanted to jump for joy that we made it.

Then, it happened.

My foot was caught in a tree root, tripping me. I happened to be fast enough to cup my breast and save the ponies from being crushed. They tumble out of my pocket, landing on the grass in front of me. Something cold drizzles down the side of my head and the sisters bear grim expressions. One conclusion can be made as a particularly jagged rock painted red can be made out when my eyes focus. Things are happening so fast; Vinyl barks a squeak at Tavi, tears streaming from their eyes and I can't help but feel like I let them down again. I wanted to get back up, but my sore muscles and the random leaking fluid from my head made me weary. Vinyl sprints in the direction we were walking, Tavi hesitating before following close behind. I felt like I would pass out, as things began to fade once again.

But instead of letting them down, I actually felt a feeling of accomplishment. I had fulfilled my promise, doing everything I could to protect them. I could only hope that they would find a safe place on this other side of the "forest of no return."

Chapter VII - Answers.

A steady beeping with an occasional hiss are the first things I register. It wouldn't take a genius to know I was in a hospital, probably on a bed. My assumptions tell me it's a really comfortable bed the way I sink into it when I exhale.

This was the second time I've woken from unconsciousness, and it never changes. Typical headache and weak muscles make themselves known and I groan.

"Oh, you're awake," some voice calls out from beside me. The voice is feminine, that much I know. It's also soft, comforting even, despite my throbbing head.

Trying to open my eyes, the bright light makes it impossible and I keep them shut, accompanied with another groan.

"Please, try to relax. You're still recovering," the voice says again. My lips and throat feel really dry and trying to speak only led to croaks. "Hold on. Here. It's water." The rim of a cup is felt on my lips and a hand lifts my head from the pillow. Except, it wasn't a hand, it was more like a solid cylinder. Parting my lips to allow the water entrance, I'm rewarded with the purest water I've tasted in ages. I take one more sip and relax, the cup leaving my presence and my head laid back on the bed. "Tell me if you need more."

"Am I dead?" I knew it was an odd question, but after what happened, I wouldn't be surprised.

"H-Hmm, Celestia, no. I'm pretty sure the heart monitor is still going, so you're alive as far as I know," the woman giggles.

"Celestia?"

"Ahh, that's right. You're not from here. I've tended to your kind before, even though it's only been twice in the past. Gotta say, I loved helping those ponies. They were all so nice." She only gives me more questions than answers, but I still feel weak and let her continue. "You're actually very lucky. Had you been brought in any later than you were, your earlier question may have had a different answer."

"What are you talking about? Where am I?" I try to open my eyes again, but it's still difficult and this nurse is only making me frustrated.

"Oh, forgive me. I tend to do that. Here, maybe somepony else can explain it better." I hear the nurse walk away, but her shoes leave clopping sounds on the floor.

I didn't know nurses were allowed to work in high heels.

"He's awake," the nurse calls out the door. My eyes are fully open after the time to adjust, but it's so blurry. I can make out the nurse. She's short, in fact, she's really short. I can make out her white outfit, and she has pink hair tied in a bun.

"What's going on-"

"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Vinyl! Slow down! Whatever you do, don't-"

"OOFH!" Air is pushed out of my lungs as a large blob of white and blue tackles my chest like a bolt of lightning.

If anything could wake me up, it was this.

"I knew you were alive! I knew it! The nurse kept talking about some 'critical condition' nonsense, but I knew you were stronger than that!" I'm wrapped in the tightest hug I've ever gotten as a ball of fur rubs my face.

"Vinyl! Be careful!" I hear a new voice enter the room, but my brain was focused on something completely different.

Vinyl. I knew that name from somewhere. That single word triggers my memory and I jump up, the white fluff still clinging to my face.

"Nurse! This is going to sound really weird, but I need to know! Did you see some tiny animals with me? Like, they're really small horses, one with a white coat, blue mane and her sister with a gray coat, and black mane? Answers to the name Vinyl and Octavia?"

"We're right here you knucklehead!" the thing clinging to my face states bluntly. "Tavi, did we save the wrong guy?"

"Well, Vinyl, maybe if you let go of his face, he could see us!"

"What if he doesn't remember me?" The voice tells the other, completely ignoring what she was saying. "Tavi? Why doesn't he remember me?"

"Oh, will you just get off him already!" Tavi yells, ripping the thing off my face so it tumbles to the end of the bed. "Goodness. Well, glad to see you're awake," she says in a much calmer voice.

My eyes clear up for once without that white blob blocking me, letting me see everything relatively clear. A glance to the door shows the nurse giggling to herself before leaving the room again. This leaves me alone with the two strangers, one of which tried to suffocate me.

When my eyes come into focus on the thing at my feet, they go wide in realization. "Vinyl...?"

"Yay! He does remember me!"

"Octavia...?" I glance to the being standing beside my bed.

"Yes, it's us. You do remember us, don't you?"

I was dumbfounded. "How are you so... So much bigger?" Sure enough, the two creatures in the room with me were the exact same Vinyl and Octavia I met in that forest back when I first moved in to my new apartment. But they were bigger. They were at least the size of an adult Labrador. Bigger even. Octavia was just standing by my side and she could look at me eye-level.

"That's a bit complicated to explain..." Octavia trails off.

"No it's not. It's magic. Simple as that," Vinyl starts. "We just ran through that weird forest and came out this size. But the confusing part is, did you get smaller, or did we get bigger?" Vinyl puts her hoof to her chin.

"How can I understand you?" I question. "You only used to talk in squeaks."

"I'm told it's because we returned to our original size. When we were small, our voices were too high-pitched for you to detect and comprehend. But now that we're back to normal, it's only right that you can understand us better," Octavia explains. Vinyl is just dancing and talking to herself on her own at the foot of the hospital bed, stepping on me most of the time.

"But how did all this happen?" I ask again.

"Well, we weren't given such a good explanation. We were just told to wait until Princess Celestia arrives to inspect the situation," Octavia says.

There's that name again.

"Princess Celestia?"

"Yes, Princess Celestia. She's the ruler of Equestria. This reminds me, we got our memory back! I don't know what you did, but thanks to you saving us back there, we got our memories back!" Octavia says, coming closer to the bed with a cheerful smile.

"So I'm in your world?" I ask, getting a nod. "This is so much to take in. I'm glad you guys are okay, but none of this makes any sense," I mutter. "Did I die?" I ask again.

"No. We're all alive. And it's all thanks to you," Octavia says softly, lifting her front hooves to the bed to get closer to me.

"Yeah big guy! You're our hero!" Vinyl stops dancing in joy to walk closer to me on the bed. Her yelling only revives my headache.

"Ow. I'm glad you're happy, but can we keep our voices down?" I ask, clutching my head.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry," Vinyl's ears go flat as she apologizes.

"It's fine. Just relax until princess whoever comes to tell us what the heck happened." My hand reaches out to scratch Vinyl's ear, making it perk back up at my touch.

"This may sound weird, but may I sit with you on the bed?" Octavia asks hesitantly.

"Sure." The gray mare takes action immediately, hoisting herself up onto the bed and snuggling up to me. With Vinyl on the other side, it was already a crowded bed, but we managed. Octavia curled up on my side with her upper body across my lap, making an impromptu armrest for me. My tired muscles may have still been drained of energy, but that didn't stop me from lazily lining my forearm on her back with her ears in perfect reach of my hand. The little-but-not-so-little-anymore pony sighs quietly as I scratch her head. Vinyl looks to her sister's position and almost with a sense of envy, copies her completely, shuffling about until she became an armrest for my other arm.

As if I were sitting on a throne, I relax myself and lean back, scratching my two armrests' heads as silence falls in the room. Nothing but the constant beeps and clicking of the machines beside me linger in the air as hooves approach our room once again.

"Sir?" the nurse from before - who happens to be a pony just like the ones at my sides - pokes her head in the doorway. "The princess is here."

"Hello there little one," a new pony says as she comes into view. "May I enter?" I nod. She was very tall, much like the size of an actual horse, but with a crown and a really long horn. The princess had on other pieces of regalia about her large form, but it was her billowing multi-color mane and soft, motherly eyes that soothed me along with her sweet voice.

Octavia shuffles to try and stand on the bed and bow before the new pony raises a hoof.

"Sit, little pony. You three look too relaxed to have to fret about formalities."

"Yes, th-thank you, P-Princess," Octavia stutters with nervousness.

"Hey PC!" Vinyl calls, her hind leg thumping against the hospital bed while I continue scratching.

"Hmhmm. Hello to you too, Miss Scratch," the Princess replies.

"Oh c'mon, you know you can just call me Vinyl. Oh, right there~..." Vinyl seems to be half paying attention and half enjoying her head-scratchies.

"Of course, Vinyl. Now, I know you and your sister, but who is this pony I have the pleasure of meeting?"

"H-He's our friend. He saved us f-from the Timberwolves, y-your highness."

"Octavia. Please relax. I'm not here to administer punishment. You have no reason to be so nervous."

"S-Sorry Princess. I suppose I'm just... nervous, here before royalty."

"It's alright."

I try to help Octavia relax by paying more attention to her ears, scratching that spot right at the base that gets her hind leg idly thumping on the bed along with Vinyl's.

"So you're the one who saved my two little subjects?"

"Yeah he is! He was fighting off those badies like it was nothin'!" Vinyl says.

"He really cared for us. He fed us and gave us a place to sleep." The gray mare melts into my hand and gives me a grateful look. "He protected us."

"Then you have my thanks, brave pony." The Princess bows before me and I blush at the attention.

"It was really my pleasure. I made good friends with these two and I only want to protect them. But I must ask. How did we get here? The last thing I remember was tripping and falling down somewhere in a forest."

Celestia glances behind herself and nods to the nurse leaning on the doorway. Without a word, the nurse leaves and shuts the door behind her.

"What I am about to tell you is a secret that I trust you will keep to yourself under all circumstances. Can I trust you with it?"

"I suppose so. If it's really this important then you have my word," I reply to the tall pony.

"You have my word as well," Octavia replies.

"You got it," Vinyl says.

"Now, the story starts with the forest; Everfree forest, as we call it. It isn't a normal forest, but more a portal between dimensions."

"Huh?" The white pony under my arm asks flatly.

"I know it may sound odd, but we don't know anything about it either. All that can be understood is that it acts as a gateway between our world and your world." Celestia points to me. "What seems like a small woodland area in your world will actually transport anypony into our world; the land of Equestria."

"Alright. So this whole other world just happens to be within a forest on Earth?"

"Correct."

"But why were Vinyl and Octavia so small when I met them?" I ask.

"I am going to get to that. You see, as you may or may not know, your world is a dangerous place. I've seen it for myself and I fear for the worst if one of my little ponies were to wander away. As a natural environment, I cannot stop my subjects from exploring such a place, and to ask them to avoid it would only spawn more questions and curiosity."

The royal Princess pauses and begins to pace. "So I knew I had to do something to protect my subjects. I developed rumors about the forest. I banished vile creatures to the area like Timberwolves and Manticores, in hopes that it would keep ponies from venturing in."

"So that's what those things were? Timberwolves?" I ask.

"Yup," Vinyl answers, letting the princess continue with her story.

"As fierce as those creatures are, it was still not enough. Ponies would still venture in as a challenge of sorts, wanting to explore the wilderness despite the dangers I'd warned them about. And so I had to cast spells on the forest."

Celestia halts and looks out the only window in the room. "First, was a shrinking spell. Should any pony traverse into your world, they could very easily be spotted in a crowd. By shrinking anything that passes through, it becomes a sort of defense for them; making it more difficult to be caught. This is why the two ponies on either side of you were so small, as well as the Timberwolf." Celestia clears her throat once. "Of course, it's only a one-way spell, so you didn't shrink when you walked in to our world. This is because we don't pose a threat to your kind. We welcome you."

The white pony almost refuses to make eye contact with us while we listen. "Then comes the other spell; a memory spell."

There's a sudden pause in the air, Celestia's mane waving like a shirt drying on a clothesline on a windy day.

"I knew that I had to protect our world, so by erasing the memories of anypony who ends up on the other side, no one can discover where they came from."

"Erase? Then how did they get their memories back?" I ask.

"Well, I thought of that. The spell was very difficult to conjure, but I think 'erase' is the wrong term. It's more like their memories are stored in the world they leave. Every memory is simply left behind and they start fresh in the other world. Their old memories will still be here when they return."

"So it's like a save file on a video game. Their memories were saved on one file, but going to the other world is like starting a new game. Their memories will still be there when they return," I deduct.

"If it helps, you can think of it that way. I'm afraid I don't know what those are," the princess retorts.

"Oh. My bad." Something was still a bit unsettling about the whole ordeal. "Princess?"

"Yes?"

"I do have a question though. I don't mean any offense, but why would you do this? You just cast these spells and leave your subjects to wander on their own? What if something happens to them?" My voice goes heavy with more and more concern. I can't imagine what I would do if something dreadful were to happen to the two ponies while they were with me.

"Now, I never said I would do that. You may find that, in a way, I've always been there." The princess then chooses to face us, slowly trotting toward me without blinking.

It was her eyes that held my attention. They were a deep violet, glimmering in the dim light with a softness seen only in that of a beautiful princess from a fairy tale.

They seemed so familiar. As if I've seen them before...

"You..." I trail off. "You.... You were there. You were there. You were there! The sales lady in the shop! The garage sale woman! The police officer! That was all you!"

The edges of her lips tilt up, fighting a smile to keep her demeanor in check, all while watching my baffled face contort as I made sense of what was going on. "Indeed I was. I had to protect these little ponies while they journeyed away. So I led them to the only person trustworthy enough to keep them away from harm. Somepony who would stand by their promise to keep them safe. Somepony like you."

My mind lingers on those very words. The princess of this world had been watching over us the whole time. And she led me to the very friends at my sides. But one part of her explanation confused me. "How would you know I could be trusted?"

"Because I told her."

There he was. A new voice, of the one person I least expected who just walked in the room.

"...Dad?"

"Hey kiddo," he says with a smile, walking up to the bed to give me a hug over the pony at my side. This moment is what breaks Celestia's wall, making her smile at the sight.

"But... How did you... What's going on?"

"It's a long story, but let's let Celly here finish it for us," he responds, taking a seat in a spare chair off to the side. I have so many questions but I suppose they will be answered if I let the princess speak.

"Thank you. Now, in case this is too much to put together, you aren't the first human to stumble into our world. The story about the forest is that humans never come back once they enter the forest. This is because they choose to stay with us rather than go back. From the top of my head, I know of a human named Peter who has taken a fancy for my sister and her starry sky. There's also a handsome man by the name of Jeff who lives with a fashionista not too far from here. There's also Darisson and Sebastian who chose to live up in Manehattan on their own. But most importantly, your father here wandered in some time ago. We had asked him if he wanted to stay, but he objected. He said that he wanted to make sure his son was with him before he chose to stay with us in Equestria."

"And so I came back, not without making sure I had contact with Celly from our world," my father says. "And I sent you to that apartment. Instead of making you think I was a lunatic believing in magic horses, I thought it would be better if you experienced it for yourself. I didn't think you would run into them so fast or even get in trouble with the police." He motions at the ponies to my sides, who've chosen to relax and listen to what was going on. "I just figured you'd stumble in like I did, and make some new friends. I guess I was right about one thing."

"Uh huh. He's such a cool guy," Vinyl mutters, nuzzling into my chest.

"He does have a big heart," Octavia says.

"Well, I do have but one more question for you," Celestia asks, walking past my father.

"Yeah?"

"Now that you're here, would you like to stay with us?"

The question hits me hard. I knew what I wanted to answer, but still. The princess of an entire kingdom invited me to stay in her world. "I would love to."

"Can he stay with us?" Vinyl interrupts, assuming the princess meant I'd stay with her.

"Of course. He can live wherever he chooses." Celestia replies.

"Sure. How could I ever leave you two?" I say with a smile, tussling the ponys' manes. "But what about you Dad? Don't you have someone to go back to?"

"Nope. I let her go. From now on, it's just you and me kiddo."

With that, I'm left smiling. My dad and I have been reunited and I get to stay with Vinyl and Octavia in a whole new world filled with so many ponies to befriend. I couldn't be happier.

"I must ask though," Celestia suddenly interrupts my thoughts, her face cracking a smile. "My little subjects weren't too much of a bother to you, were they?"

"Oh, they were quite the handful."

Prologue - What Are You?

That's another one down.

With yet another box unpacked, I open up the bottom side and flatten it, folding it up to take up less space when it goes in the trash. I take the cardboard outside to the trash bin for the garbage truck to pick up later, retreating back inside of my new home. The movers left all of the boxes right beside the door, leaving the last of the work to me. I remember the taller one giving me a look when I tipped him. The thought brought a scowl to my face; I hope he knows I didn't have to tip him at all. I brush the thought away; It wasn't that big of a deal since I had spent plenty of money on some new furniture.

Once I return to the decently furnished apartment - tucking away my shiny new key - I figure it's time I take a step back from all the stress and admire the place.

It's a simple apartment complex, on the second of three floors, five apartments per floor, and a basement for washing clothes. The air is dry, which is beginning to give me a sore throat even though I already cleaned the place prior to moving in boxes. But even some quick vacuuming, mopping, and wiping didn't get rid of all of the dirt. The rest of the boxes waiting to be unpacked almost taunt me from their spot, but I wanted to take a rest.

I kick off my sneakers beside the door, setting them to the side before stepping onto something squishy. I had bought a huge carpet to cover most of the dusty hardwood floor, a soft and fuzzy feeling under my socks. It kind of tickles me too since my left sock has a sizeable hole in it. The front door opens immediately to the living room; the only furniture so far being a sofa with a single matching recliner along the walls, a small wooden coffee table, and an empty cabinet designed to hold CDs and DVDs. The previous owner must have taken the television but I'm sure I can live without one until I get my own.

Past the living room is a kitchen with a large table near the center, letting it double as a dining room. It has a working refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, and oven. A dozen cupboards line the wall above a counter with a sink built into it, fitting with the machinery to cover the walls. I already unpacked some plates, utensils, and plenty of other things, and I even found a toaster earlier that was left unplugged. I had to throw it away since the plug had only one prong, rendering it useless. The table was still in good condition, built into the floor, but two of the four chairs were crooked and wobbly. I'll have to either replace them or fix them.

The next room is a bathroom. It's a bit larger than I expected, but that isn't a complaint. There's an enormous cabinet where I unpacked a multitude of toiletries, plenty of space still left over.

Then there's the two bedrooms. One bedroom was pretty well kept, but it's smaller than the other. I know that if I'm going to be staying here, I want the bigger bedroom. It was quite the hassle being the hardest place to clean. The bed was filthy; I had already gone through the trouble of ridding the old mattress and putting in one I bought. I ended up leaving the old one in an alley outside, so someone else could use it. I expected the room to have a dresser of sorts, but there wasn't, so I had to move one from the smaller bedroom. There was, however, a large desk left behind with a lamp, which didn't have a light-bulb. I thought about using it for a computer to work on, but I only have a handful of money with me, so that will have to come later.

One thing I did notice was a window right beside the bed, left open from when I was cleaning the place. I never really noticed the empty lot right outside.

The lot must be some sort of unoccupied space, filled with an abundance of grass and weeds growing from the cracks in the gravel and concrete. One area seemed to be just a clearing in the plants that meshed with a forest beyond the complex. There's a tall and thick hedge that really needed a trim encasing the area, making the place secluded from the neighborhood. I don't think anyone would know about it unless they went adventuring. If I could find a way in there, I could have the huge isolated area all to myself. Just a little place to relax, like a secret garden.

My smile fades a bit as I imagine my dad hanging out with me in there. I miss him already.

Ever since Mom passed away I've grown much closer with my dad. He was a wise man, and he raised me for most of my life. As an only child he gave me all of his attention, helping me through school and most of the stresses that came with it. He was all I had.

But that was all before he found someone. Someone I grew to dislike.

She would be known as his new girlfriend. I'll admit I was happy for him; since Mom left us, his chance to grow old with someone was snapped and broken, but with someone new in his life, he had the chance again. And I didn't want to ruin it for him. I tried to get along with her, but it wouldn't work out. She hated me. My dad knew she hated me, but he liked her, and that couldn't be changed.

So my dad decided to help me by doing something in which everyone would win in some way; he found me this house. He told me to move here, on my own. At first I felt betrayed, but he promised me that he would visit. He supplied the money to pay rent for the first few months. He wanted me to be happy. He told me to make new friends. He told me that everything would be okay. I wanted to disagree and believe that he was selfish. But really, I would be the selfish one to hold him back from what he wanted to do. He was my only friend, and I had to say goodbye.

It wouldn't be difficult to tell, but he could always read me like a book. He knew that I was scared, and I was.

I was scared of being alone.

I knew I wasn't leaving for good, but it still left an emptiness inside me. I still remember that moment the last time I saw him; he looked me in the eyes and promised me, that I would never be alone.

Sometimes I think he had no idea what he was doing. He told me to make friends with new people. He promised me I would never be alone. So why am I sitting in this empty apartment? I haven't seen any other tenants, this little town is countless miles away from him, and I've only been here a few hours.

I can only sit with my head in my hands, thinking back to those times when we used to live in the city where there was plenty of people. Now I live on the edge of town.

How am I supposed to live on my own?

Sometimes I just get so frustrated, and I know it's childish. I'm just not used to being without my dad. I have no idea what my future holds. I literally don't even have an idea. My future is blank in my mind and I don't know what to do. I'll probably rot out here, like an old banana peel. Just grow old and end up with Mom.

It's times like these I would go to my dad. Whenever I get frustrated, I would go to him. I didn't have to talk about it if I didn't want to, but just telling him that I'm upset was enough. All he would do is take me out for a walk in the city. Those walks with him were always so enlightening. Even if I wasn't upset, I could still ask to go for a walk with him, and he'd take me.

He was an architect, and he loved his work. On our walks, he would show me all of the buildings downtown. When I was younger, I would just stare in awe at the tall structures and pretend I knew what he was babbling about. The way they reached for the clouds was amazing. He'd even lift me on his shoulders and I felt like I could reach higher than any of the buildings, just from his shoulders. As I grew older, I took an interest to the skyscrapers. I became smart enough to understand what he was saying. I learned about different materials and small things I never noticed that really made a difference. Like how one small support beam seemed insignificant, but without it, the building would crumble. Of course I never saw myself as an architect, but just being able to share something with him was all I wanted.

Maybe that's what I need right now; a walk to calm me down. The dry air in here is starting to affect me anyway. I'll just go out for a walk in the afternoon. It's only a weekday so it can't be too busy. I did notice some shops around here when I came by, so maybe I'll just go window shopping for a while. I hop off the couch, grabbing a hooded sweater and my new room key from the dresser in my bedroom. I zip up the sweater and pull on my shoes as I leave the apartment.

Once outside, I take a deep breath, finally free of that dusty air. It was sort of better. The air in my apartment was dry with dust, whereas the air outside was dry because it was getting cold. Too cold. There wasn't snow, but it was Autumn and wind chill is a pain. Maybe I could get a hat from a store. Not knowing which direction to start, I just begin walking down the sidewalk. This street is full of normal houses, and not so many apartment buildings like the one I came from. A dog starts barking at me as I walk past his owner's yard, and he would have come at me if he wasn't chained to a stake.

After crossing the street I begin to feel better. I just think about how my dad would like this neighborhood, with all the buildings looking so simple yet intricate in design. Turning a corner, I find a supermarket not too far away. I didn't see it when I first came down here, so I was glad to know I didn't have to go far to get food. Across from the supermarket is an assortment of shops; a barbershop, Chinese restaurant, secondhand store, and even a tattoo parlor. I don't plan on getting a tattoo anytime soon, but maybe the secondhand shop has a hat they can sell me. It is getting pretty chilly to where my face is beginning to sting.

I dash across the street and open the door, a bell above me ringing to signal a customer. The first thing I notice is the woman behind the counter. She looks like the kind of woman to obsess over cats or something. The jingle of the bell alerts her, making her head swivel like an owl to give me an intriguing stare as I help myself through the aisles. It's almost as if I'm the first customer she had in ages, even though the store has a good number of people walking about.

The place is full of random things, from D cell batteries to cheap children's toys. I find a spot with a bunch of winter clothes like hats and ear muffs. And just like it was meant for me, a special hat - the kind with fluffy balls on thick strings on each side, a third ball on top - sits on the shelf. The hat itself has gray and charcoal stripes while the strings are a braid of black and white. It doesn't look so bad, and it's dirt cheap. I nervously stroll up to the counter and put on the hat I picked out. I hand the woman some cash and tell her I don't want a receipt. I'm hoping to avoid conversing with her since she's kinda creepy, but she raises her voice right as I turn for the exit.

"You're not from around here are you?" Her voice is surprisingly smooth. From the way she looked, I expected her to have a much more raspy tone, like a witch from a cartoon.

"Uhhh, yeah, I just moved in to the apartment around the corner," I reply confused and a bit creeped out.

She chuckles warmly before speaking again. "So I suppose you've seen the forest out there." I move to reply but she cuts me off. "There have been stories of people who head into that forest. Whether it's a happy couple going picnicking or a strapping young man claiming to be an adventurer... they never come back. You should stay away from there if you value your life."

At first I thought this would just be some town myth, but the look she gives me throws me off. Almost as if she's concerned, yet tempting me. I look into her eyes and notice the aqua blue tint. But they gleam in the light, making them look more violet.

I just give her a simple "okay" and leave, hoping to dispel the craziness. What does she mean? It's just a forest. The more I thought on it the more I wanted to investigate. I just grew curious. Is there wild animals? Is there a ghost or something? The woman told me it's dangerous, but that doesn't scare me. I want to know more about this "Forest of No Return".

Heh. I kind of like that name.

I stroll back to my street and approach the apartment, hoping to sate my curiosity with a quick and simple investigation. Adjacent to the apartment is the open lot I saw before; plenty of gravel, dirt, and debris scattered among clumps of grass. It looks like a building used to be here, but was torn down. Besides some scattered trash and some large chunks of cement, the area looks natural. Grass grows in patches, similar to wheat plants that reach my knees and sway in the occasional breeze. Beyond the area is a wall of plants and such. I approach the wall, and a closer look reveals a very loose chain link fence, plants having attacked it. The foliage grows up and along the metal, creating a wall of green leaves like ivy. And sure enough, beyond the plants is a thick forest.

I don't see any break or opening in the wall, so I guess I'll have to climb over it. I'm careful with my footing as I grab a handful of vines and heave myself over. My foot gets tangled on the jump down, causing me to swing and land on my back. I don't think I hurt my back, but a small sting on my arm makes itself known when I try to help myself up. Still on my back, I look over and see a jagged stone which must have cut my arm when I fell. It cut right through my sweatshirt and my shirt underneath, leaving an inch long slit on my forearm that already began forming blood. I ignore it and figure I'll bandage it up later.

Getting up and turning around greets me with the forest. It's definitely not what I expected. From what I can see, the trees resemble weeping willows, but compressed. And beyond that is fog; dense and thick white. I could have sworn it was the middle of the afternoon when I hopped the fence, but the sky resembles night. I was only curious, but this forest is starting to frighten me. I never planned on entering it, just getting a look. The fence is still behind me so I could just jump back over.

But then I hear it. From my left.

A bark. Like a dog.

Followed by a thud and a sharp squeak.

Glancing over, the fog clears a bit to reveal the same opening I could see from my bedroom. My curiosity gets the best of me again as I take a small step forward. A leaf begins to crunch under my foot, so I slow my step to dampen the sound. Then another step. I step again, this time into the clearing and I begin to pick up a faint growl. Shuffling closer, my foot snaps a twig and I freeze, the growling stopping immediately and my eyes widen as a creature comes into the clearing.

It resembles a wolf, about the size of a household dog, but made out of twigs and wood. And it's prowling towards me, snarling; taking me as a threat.

"Easy... easy... I don't mean harm," I stutter.

And with that, it leaps, wooden claws and fangs sharp and ready to tear through whatever stands in its way. At the moment, I’m standing in its way. I crouch and hold my arms out, bracing for impact with the creature. It crashes into me, knocking me over so I was pinned beneath snapping jaws. For something made of wood and twigs, it catches me off guard when drops of spittle splash on my face from its drooling maw. My folded arms are the only thing keeping those sharp fangs at bay, only centimeters from my nose.

A downside to being made of wood is that the wolf is fairly lightweight. With some force, I chuck it to the side, a deep thud ringing out as it hits a tree. Taking advantage of the time, I scramble to my feet, keeping my eyes on the creature to watch as it does the same. We’re both on our feet at the same time, some fog clearing for me to get a better look at the thing.

It limps toward me, the fury in its eyes flaring tenfold. I've injured the thing; a good sign. I am not afraid to defend myself, but I wouldn't want to kill a living creature.

I don't have time to decide as it bounds toward me. Thinking quickly, I rear my back leg, waiting for it to get close. Almost in slow motion, it leaps, the injury obvious in its weak jump. Timing it carefully, I shut my eyes and throw all of my strength into the single kick, hoping I at least know out the creature.

My foot hits the wooden log of its neck, connecting with a loud crunch. The weight of my kick flows through like water, sending the thing flying away as I regain my footing. But instead of flying away, it explodes at the contact. Whatever was holding its body together must have lost its strength, a flurry of sticks, wood chips, leaves, and other foliage flying in all directions. As soon as my senses come to, a smile dawns on my face in victory.

Although, it’s short-lived; before I can stand in triumph, a stinging pain comes from my foot, leaving me to collapse in pain from putting so much pressure on it. A single, deep bite mark on my shoe that reaches my skin makes itself known as I try to soothe the pain, every touch only making it worse.

I let out a whine in pain to no one in particular before listening closely. Without the wolf-creature growling, I can actually listen to my surroundings. I can hear whimpering, high pitched whimpering interrupted by little shudders. Instead of standing, I crawl towards the noise, leading me to the base of one of the trees.

There’s a hole, a lot like a rabbit burrow, with what sounds like crying coming from inside. This must be what the creature was after, whatever was inside.

I take a peek inside and see something. Something that really baffles me. The creature I had seen before was odd enough; a wolf made of foliage, but this other creature is nothing short of a mystery.

Inside is a small animal, whimpering and shaking with some red stains on its coat. Very carefully, I reach inside and scoop up the poor thing into my hands. Cupping my hands to keep it from falling, I adjust myself to lean against the tree trunk, feeling the cold body in my palm.

Taking a deep breath, I open my hands.

What strikes me first is that it’s very small; the same length and height as my thumb, more or less. It has a coat of fur, originally frost white in color, but the endless onslaught of whatever the wood-wolf was left it covered in dirt and wounds. It suddenly breathes heavily in my hand and shudders uncontrollably, letting fate know it’s still alive. I can make out four legs, a neck, and a face; all in all, it resembles an extremely tiny horse. What I assume is its mane and tail is made up of two shades of blue: one navy and the other a fluorescent blue.

But the most interesting part is the tinier horn poking from its head.