Redemption of Our Lives

Chapters

Prologue- Week 1, Monday
Chapter 1- Week 1, Tuesday
Chapter 2- Week 1, Wednesday

Prologue- Week 1, Monday

AN: It’s been, what, a few months since I last touched this? Anyway, I have lost all respect for myself and am once again working on this miserable excuse for a fanfic. But, if any of you out there even considered following this, I thank you so much for your support, unless you gave up on this, then I would say you did the right thing. But anyway, I took the liberty of rewriting this and am now presenting the Prologue: Shocking Twist!

(Actually, I am kidding about some parts of what I said. I lost faith in this fic after seeing the reception I had gotten, and sort of gave up, but then I remember I needed to finish what I started. Updates will be very slow, due to a horrible concoction of school, real life, and homework, and laziness. I still am grateful at the few supports I get, that much is true. Alright, enough taking, it’s time to get to the fic.)

Disclaimer: I do not own MLP: FIM as it is property of Hasbro, Inc and our queen, Lauren Faust. This was made for entertainment, not profit.

Now, onwards! ALLONS-Y!

Mondays.

This day was dreaded by the masses. Whether it is those with jobs or those with school, Mondays have an uncanny ability to piss people off. Some have gone as far as calling this day the devil’s favorite. All in all, everyone hated Monday. Well, almost everyone did. A certain teenager was sound asleep on this day, not worried about going anywhere, doing anything, or meeting anyone. It was just him and his peaceful rest.

Sadly, that peace did not stay long, as a blaring alarm clock echoed through that teen’s otherwise quiet neighborhood. Forcefully awakened, he found himself falling to the ground, letting out a loud curse as he landed with a *thud*. Slowly picking himself off his bedroom floor, he glared menacingly at the offending instrument that dared disturb his rest. This had no effect whatsoever, so he threw it at the wall before going off to complete his daily routine.

Approaching his mirror, his reflection showed a teen who looked to be of twenty, with messy black hair and tanned skin. He stared for a moment at his reflection. Satisfied, he brushed his teeth before stepping into the shower.

Stepping out of his shower, the teen dried himself off, humming a familiar tune as he went to his kitchen to make his breakfast. Caught up in pouring milk onto his applejacks, he was almost oblivious to the now ringing cell phone in his pocket. Finally realizing it was ringing, he put the milk back into the fridge and answered.

“Hello?” He said

“Hey buddy, how you doing?” Came a relaxed voice.

“Oh what’s up Thomas? And everything’s fine, thanks.”

“No prob on my side. Anyway, how about joining me and the boys for a drink tonight?” Thomas asked.

“Well, my schedule’s tight and I have to- Nope, I’m free!” Xiao never passed up a chance to be a smartass to Thomas; as lame as the attempts were, anyway.

“Ha-ha, good to hear! You know where to go, just be there at four, OK?”

“Cool, I ain’t drinking though.” Xiao said.

“Aww, why not? Is it that you have a date with imaginary Fluttershy and your hand again?” Xiao ignored Thomas as he heard howling laughter from the other end.

“Nope, ’Cuz I know I’m the one who’s gotta drag your drunk ass home right after!”

“Ouch” He replied in a mock hurt tone, “You wound me man, you wound me…”

“Well, I’ll buy you the first two rounds to make up for it, How’s that?”

“Apology accepted, see ya!”

“Alright, catch you later.”

Hanging up, he chuckled as he ate his breakfast, letting his thoughts wonder to the land of Equestria while he replayed last night’s recording.

Slamming the truck’s door, Xiao turned to face the local bar. He grimaced at the amount of punks, idiots, and drunks standing outside, but nevertheless went inside…only to get stopped by a trio of punks that Xiao recognized to be former classmates.

And here I thought I was gonna have a good time with some friends… He thought.

“Well ya look’t here, if it isn’t our little faggot from school?” One of the punks said.

“How’s the real world for ya, no ponies to fuck around here, huh?” Another taunted.

“Look guys, what do you want?” Xiao demanded.

“Oh, nothing special, just your car.” The third replied, bringing out a stiletto

Dammit, I just wanted to drink with some friends! Xiao thought angrily, already bringing himself into a defensive stance.

“Woah guys, look out, we got a badass over here!” The first taunted, making all three howl in laughter.

“Look guys, just leave me alone before you three embarrass yourselves.”

“Pft, We’ll take our chances!” the leader came right at Xiao, his fists clenched.

Xiao easily dodged his swinging haymaker and punched him in the gut hard. As the goon clenched his stomach painfully, he tripped him with a quick sweep kick and finished the job with an elbow to the face, dropping him like a sack of potatoes. Seeing their ‘leader’ groaning on the pavement, one of his goons decided to end this little game with his knife. He began to wildly swing the blade, getting a couple of good cuts and tears on Xiao’s clothes. The quick Asian tried to knock the blade from his hand, only to be interrupted when the last guy joined in with a knee to the ribs, downing Xiao.

Xiao clutched his chest in agony as he desperately tried to bring air back into his lungs. The ‘leader’ rose shakily to his feet again, this time pissed off. Walking over to the downed Asian, he began to relentlessly kick his victim in the gut.

“Not so tough now, huh, asshole?” The goon taunted before kicking him again.

Just as he was about to kick Xiao's teeth, a boot meet the leader’s face, sending him a good distance away from Xiao. The other two goons reacted immediately to face their leader’s assailant, who was now walking up to them.

“Oh, you’re fucked!” the goon with the blade said, already charging at the man, though only to be met with a fist to the face that disoriented the goon. The newcomer followed up with a punch to the goon’s throat, putting him down almost instantly. The last goon was smart enough to back away, leaving the mystery man and Xiao with two punks on the ground, one groaning and the other gagging uncontrollably.

“Thomas, is that you?” Xiao asked.

“Heyyyyy buddy!" Thomas hiccupped, his head swaying a bit, "man…why you not in the bar? I been waitin’ there fer..." he looked at his wrist as if he had a watch on. "…a while!" Thomas put his arm under Xiao’s and picked him up, "Come on man, we gots drinkin’ to dooo!" He said.

“Why weren’t there any cops? I almost got killed!” Xiao exclaimed.

“Ohhhh, that? Um….there was a rent-a-cop there in that car,” He slurred, pointing to a car a few yard down the parking lot, “Umm…but…he’s been sleepin’ ever since we came, and yeah…”

Talk about protecting the citizens, Xiao thought irritably.

“Wait… how drunk are you?” Xiao asked.

“Not as drunk as I would be if you weren’t hanging out with your COOL NEW FRIENDS!!!” he yelled, pointing right at the three punks who were stumbling away from the two, saying things that neither the two bronies could hear.

“Heh. Well, thanks for saving me.”

“Ey! You still owe me a couple a’ drinks!” Thomas yelled out.

Damn as drunk as he is he still has a good memory. Xiao thought as the two went into the bar. The two were welcomed with surprisingly friendly faces from high school. Many of them cheered on the duo, giving Thomas a pat on the back, thanking him for getting rid of the assholes.

“Eh, no prob. guys!” he yelled out, “now who’s up fer some drinking?”

The group responded with a war-cry, holding their bottles and cups in the air.

“Oh boy, this is going to be a looooong night…” Xiao said, now taking a seat with Thomas who was now guzzling another bottle of beer down.

Within two hours, Thomas had plastered himself and was now lying on the couch, groaning from the amount of alcohol he drank. Xiao looked on with disdain, before turning back to the other designated driver for the night. The driver had his own fair share of drunks to drive home, as well as the bearer of bad news.

“Hey there, name’s Matt, we had a few classes back in high school, remember?”

Xiao pondered for a minute before his eyes lit with realization. “…Oh! You’re that Matt! Long time no see!”

“Well, it’s been only a year, but yeah, listen, Thomas didn’t want to tell you this, but I decided it would save you the confusion later on. With all the crap that you have to deal with from him all the time, this will probably hurt you bad in the long run if you didn’t know…” The suddenly serious air around Matt worried Xiao.

“What is it? Did he burn down a house again and put the blame on me? Was he involved in some sort of lawsuit….OH DEAR GOD, did he get a girl pregnant?”

“What? No, no, nothing like that. He just used a few hundred bucks from your savings to fund this party. He even snuck into your house yesterday to grab the pin number to your account hidden inside your, um, painting of ponies, was it? But yeah... Hope you’re not pissed…” Matt ended awkwardly, half-expecting Xiao to throw his friend into chokehold.

“…Matt, do you have any duct tape on you?”

“No…why?”

“Oh, no reason, just going to hang him upside down and whack him until candy comes out of him.”

“O-oh, um…no,” Matt stuttered, the response catching him by surprise, “But whatever floats your boat, man.” The two at this point reverted to small talk, chatting away about their lives and plans.

Without realizing, the two looked at the clock to see it was already past midnight.

“Time sure flies when you’re having fun…Well,” Matt said, already rising to shake awake his buddies, “I gotta run, these idiots won’t drive themselves.”

“Yeah, me too, got to drag this idiot home before he does something stupid.” Xiao answered, pointing to a passed out Thomas.

They both shared a laugh, before going their separate ways, dragging their assigned drunkards with them.

The truck ride home was silent, the two friends not saying a word to each other since one was somewhat dead while the other was thinking of how to get back at the former in the most painful way possible.

Well maybe I can get some bamboo and put them under his finger nails…but I don’t have any bamboo at the moment… I wonder if wood chips would work just as well… Xiao’s thought bubble was interrupted when Thomas suddenly spoke.

“Xiao! We there yet?”

“No, not yet, just wait a couple of minutes.”

“I don wanna.”

Xiao sighed. “Geez man, you’re acting like an 8 year old.”

“No I’m not… I’m 19 years old.” a mischievous grin spread around Thomas’ face, “get it right next time.”

“Whatever man, I’m not in the mood for your bullshit.” Thomas’ grin disappeared, now in a state of curiosity. “Well looks like someone put a dick up your ass again…” he began to giggle uncontrollably as if he was a little girl.

I swear to god if he keeps this up, I’ll unbuckle his seatbelt and throw him out of this car! Xiao thought angrily, taking a right into a neighborhood. The two knew each other for a pretty long time, since they both lived in the same neighborhood and watched MLP together sometimes. The two were pretty much like brothers, even if they fought constantly; they had each other’s backs when one was in a tight situation. Xiao finally got to the front of Thomas’ house after a couple of minutes and the constant barrage of insults his drunken friend kept dishing out.

“Damn my kindness,” Xiao said out loud, dragging Thomas onto his porch, “if I didn’t have that, I would’ve left you on the sidewalk.”

“T’ank’a buddy fer takin mi home,” Thomas hiccupped, his words coming out as nonsense again, “yer a gud sun ya know tha?”

“Heh, yeah, whatever.” Xiao shrugged, putting Thomas down in front of the door. The drunkard staggered to a nearby flower pot and took the key to the door from under it. He was in the middle of unlocking the door when he suddenly spoke out. “Sooooo, whatt you thinks gonna happen ta us now?” he slurred, still under the alcohol’s effects.

“Um…What are you talking about?” Xiao asked, having no idea why Thomas asked such a question.

“What I’m sayin’ is what we gonna do with the rest of our lives,” Thomas shakily sat down and leaned on the door. “I mean, look a’ us, it’s already been 5 years since we been friends! Just ‘cuz of a girls show, man! What’s gonna happen after college; both o’ us just go our separate ways, find a nice girl, pop out a family and then, ‘happy ever after’? It’s already been done man!” he fell on his back with a thud. “I want somethin’ new, I wanna live my life better than that before I die…” his finished as he fell silent again. For Xiao, the question actually surprised him. He really didn’t have anything else after college since he already had his life set. He would get a job in the medical field as a surgeon, and then get a big house filled with expensive crap and fancy cars. For the wife part… he was never the ladies’ man to begin with. He actually got scared at the fact that he would probably die alone.

“Damn, why does he have be right, even drunk no less… but what can I do to change?” he began to ponder it when suddenly Thomas spoke again.

“One more thing before ya throw me in…”

“And that would be…?” Xiao asked.

Thomas pointed to Xiao’s truck. “There’s a guitar case in the back, could ya get that fer me?”

“When did you put your guitar in the back of my truck?”

“Around the time you were getting yer ass handed to you by those goons.” Thomas jabbed at his friend, a grin spread across his face.

“Ugh, Fine…and for the record, it was an unfair fight!” Xiao said, walking up to his truck. He pressed the button on his key to unlock the door only to briefly see the Ford get slammed by another car.

“HOLY SHIT!” he yelled, barely dodging the giant heap of metal screeching toward him. The two trucks collided with Thomas’ house with a huge crash, followed with a cloud of dust.

Xiao quickly picked himself up again, surveying the damage done. “Shit man, my fucking car!!! That thing cost me a arm and leg!!!” his personal problems disappeared when he remembered his friend was in the line of the giant heap of metal.

“Oh Shit, THOMAS!!!” He ran up to the new crater that used to be a side of Thomas’ house and saw the gruesome sight. His beloved car was crushed under a giant diesel truck, which seemed to have no passengers in it. Xiao paid no attention to it as he threw aside rubble, hoping that his friend was still alive underneath all the destruction.

“Come on man, where are you?” Xiao began to form tears in his eyes as he began to lose hope of his friend being alive.

“Awwwww, it looks like the little faggot here misses his boyfriend already.” A slurred voice said from behind.

Even though the voice was slurred, Xiao knew who the voice belonged to, as his sadness erupted into fury.

“YOU SONAVABITCH!” He screamed, turning around to face the three punks from before, all with wicked grins on their faces.

The leader started laugh, watching as tears rolled down Xiao’s face. “Heh, not so tough now, are you, since your friend isn’t here to protect you anymore.” the leader said.

“I’LL KILL YOU!!!” Xiao screamed, sprinting toward the punks, murderous intent in his eyes, ready to rip their throats out with his bare hands…only to stopped as he looked down the end of a Glock pointed at his chest.

“Oh, nonononono…I think you’re fucking dead!” He said, using the end to his pistol to knock Xiao to the ground. The other two punks began to wail on him with no mercy.

They stopped after a while, leaving Xiao bruised and bloodied. “Now, where were we…?” The leader asked, scratching his head with his gun, “Oh right, killing your sorry ass.” He said, pointing the gun at his victim’s head.

The brony staggered to his feet, backing away slowly, clutching his stomach as he coughed up blood. “Why-“ he began only to be interrupted when the sounds of moving rubble came from behind, as a dark figure crawled out from under the hunk of metal that used to be Xiao’s car.

“Oh, you have to be fucking with me!!!” one of the henchmen shouted, stumbling behind the gun wielder just in case anything happened like last time. The other punk backed away, rubbing his still sore neck from where he hit him.

“I saw you get ran over, how the fuck are you still alive!?” the leader yelled, now aiming at the new target.

“That, son… is a secret you won’t find out!” Thomas yelled triumphantly, stumbling next to his friend.

Xiao jumped for joy internally, relieved his best friend wasn’t dead. “Man I’m glad to see you!” Xiao said, getting into a fighting stance, “you ready for another fight?” Thomas didn’t answer the question, swaying side to side with a smile on his face. He held a black case up with his hand and began to laugh uncontrollably.

“I have acquired my guitar back, and everything’s now okay in Equestria…” he slurred just before falling face first into the dirt, followed with snoring. Xiao and the three punks just stared at Thomas, wondering what the fuck just happened.

“All right, fuck this, I don’t really give a shit anymore, FUCK YOU TWO FREAKS!!!” the leader yelled, now aiming his pistol at both of them. He squeezed off the first shot, cursing as it barely missed Xiao’s head. His next shot were even worse, missing the two by a long shot.

“Damn man, you fucking suck at this!!!” the punk to his right hollered, “You can’t even hit a fag that’s right in front of you!!!”

“Shut the fuck up man or you’ll be like these two after I’m done with them.” The leader yelled, putting more rounds right at Xiao and his unconscious comrade. Surprisingly, the bullets kept passing around the two bronies, somehow not wanting to hit their destined targets. This didn’t stop Xiao from dancing around like a maniac, frantically trying to dodge the lethal pieces of metal.

BUCKBUCKBUCKBUCKBUCKBUCK was all Xiao could think as he continued to dodge, hoping his luck would hold until police arrive. The shooting spree finally stopped when the slide of the Glock locked back and flung the last shell out of the chamber.

“Shit, I do suck at this,” the leader chuckled “well, that’s why I got two more clips with me.” He into his pocket, pulling out another magazine filled with 9mm rounds.

“Oh shit, not again.” Xiao mumbled, already priming himself to dodge another onslaught of metal.

Replacing the gun with a fresh clip, the punk put his sights on Xiao again, this time a smirk written across his face instead of a murderous scowl. “I think I got this now.”

“DUDE, FUCKIN' HURRY!” one of the punks yelled, “I can hear the cops!” the distant sound of multiple sirens began to get louder and louder.

The punk behind the leader was fidgeting, biting his nails as he listened intently to the approaching sirens until he finally snapped. “Fuck this, I’m outta here!” he shouted, already sprinting away from the group.

“What a pussy.” The leader said, before turning back to address the brony. “Hahaha,You’re not gonna dodge this one, horsefag…” He laughed manically, as thunder began to crash overhead.

Xiao cursed under his breath, hoping the cops would hurry. Heh, I was hoping for something cheesy like in the movies where the super hero comes and saves us… He smirked as another bolt of lightning nearly hit the ground far away. He averted his attention to the sky as he noted something strange about the lightning that struck near them. Wait...lightning is white, not purple…

“…Because, I’ll kill ‘Thomas the Train’ here first.” His attention swung back on the gun wielder as he suddenly pointed his gun towards Thomas. “I didn’t forget him breaking my nose at the bar.” he chuckled, squeezing the trigger.

NO! Xiao mentally screamed. Instinct acted for him and with all of his strength, he dove in front of the bullets path. Time seemed to slow down as he watched the bullet come closer and closer to him.

So this is it, then? Xiao thought. Well, Thomas was right about life; that it seems so repetitive and boring… I just wish I could redo mine the way I wanted to… As if mother nature had heard that simple wish, another bolt of purple lightning came down from the dark grim sky. Xiao saw the whole scene take place in slow motion as the bolt of electricity destroyed the bullet on contact and hit him right in the chest. He felt the electricity spread through his body along with the agonizing pain threatening to rip his mind apart. After what felt like an eternity of pain and torture, Xiao couldn’t take any more and began to slip into blissful unconsciousness, the last thing he saw was a bright light in the distance.

“Wha…how?” the two punks asked simultaneously, gaping at the scene before them. Shortly after the leader fired the shot, a huge bolt of lightning crashed down on his victim, creating a huge explosion that threw the two punks away. As they rose back up to their feet, they could not do anything but stare at the small crater in front of then, where no trace of the two bronies remained.

Finally, the other punk spoke. “W-w-what the hell happened, where did-” he began.

“DROP THE GUN AND PUT YOUR HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD!!!” The police had finally arrived, and noticing the destruction of property, quickly sought to apprehend the two remaining suspects at the scene. A few officers were confused at the explosion of lightning they had witnessed before, but ignored it as they threw the dazed punks to the ground.

As they were handcuffed, an officer began the necessary procedures. “You are under arrest. Anything you say or do will be used against you in a court of law…”

Chapter 1- Week 1, Tuesday

Disclaimer: I do not own MLP: FIM, as it is property of Hasbro, INC. and Lauren Faust. This Fic was made for entertainment purposes and nothing else.

As always, please give constructive criticism, and praise, if any. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.

Announcement: View now changed to third-person limited, and point of view switch between the two main characters if they are separated for whatever reason. Tell us what you think, so that we can improve!

That is all, on to the story! Allons-y!

Thomas finally woke up from his drunken sleep, finding himself on a soft bed. Oh God, It feels like someone hit me in the head with a fucking baseball bat, Thomas thought as he forced himself in a sitting position. As he looked around, he noticed he was in a miniature house containing various pots and vials on the counters and shelves. A visible green smoke rose from a black cauldron in the center of the room.

Where the hell am I, and why do I feel so light...? Thomas thought as he began to rub his aching head with his hooves…wait, “HOOVES!?! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!!” Thomas screamed as he freaked out and fell to the dirt ground with a thump. “Ow…OK, Thomas, calm down, don’t panic, and don’t yell, you must have drank yourself in a coma and are now in a made up world of ponies…” Thomas looked at himself for a second. “… Aaaannnnnd you have a red coat of fur, great.” as he began to relax, he heard a familiar voice from the doorway.

“Well, I really hope you were in a coma, because your drunken flank spent five hundred bucks on a bucking party using my savings.”

Thomas turned around to see an azure pony walk towards him with a basket of various herbs on his back and a saddle bag at his side. As the mysterious unicorn put down his basket, he spoke again.

“Afternoon, sleeping beauty, how’s that hangover treating you?

Thomas gaped as the pony talked.

“…D-did you just…talk?”

“No, I whinnied! Of course I talked!” Thomas winced at the sudden increase in volume.

“But ponies aren’t supposed to talk! Who the fuck are you, how do you know about the party, and where the hell am I!?!...ow…on the second thought, don’t answer me yet, head’s still ringing.”

The mysterious arrival snickered as he began to walk towards Thomas.

“Wow you really don’t know who I am? Or where we are, do you?” The pony spoke with a laugh, “Since you’re still hung over, I’ll go easy on you. It’s me, Xiao, and you’re in a brony’s fantasy. Welcome to Equestria, Thomas. I would have thought you knew enough MLP to figure out why a blue pony would be talking to you.”

The sudden turn of events hit Thomas like a ton of bricks, and he began to feel faint.

I Can't believe this is happening...“OK, I can probably deal with this situation…But tell me this…How the hell did we-“

“Ahhh, glad to see you are awake, I feared a special potion I would have to make.”

The two friends turned to see a zebra walk through the door, sporting what looked to be various tribal accessories. Xiao, greeting the zebra with a smile as if they were longtime friends was about to introduce Thomas to her when the red pony said, “Oh…wait, you’re Zec-“earning him hoof to the mouth as Xiao quickly shut him up.

“Excuse me Zecora; I need to talk to my friend for a second, IN PRIVATE.” The last two words had an edge to them as Xiao leered at Thomas.

“Please, take your time, when the meal is done, I will ring the chime.”

As Xiao dragged Thomas outside, he made sure to look if Zecora was watching. Once they were a fair distance away from the hut Satisfied they were not observed; Xiao leaned Thomas against a tree and took out a small bottle from his bag and slid it to him.

“Drink this; it should help with the hangover. It’ll taste horrible, so down it and try to keep it in.”

Even though Thomas’ head still felt like a jackhammer going off, he still eyed the concoction with a nauseous feeling in his stomach.

“Seriously, drink it; it will help tremendously, unless you rather be a soresaddle all day.”

“Are you sure th- wait…soresaddle?” Thomas was puzzled at Xiao’s interesting use of words.

“Just trying to blend in with society, and also it sounds cool, which bring us to our current situation. Now drink the stupid potion and listen.”

“Alright, fine, don’t be such a dick about it.” Thomas braced himself as he chugged the potion, tasting…rotten cabbage, though the taste disappeared instantly.

“OK… that actually wasn’t so bad…wow, no headache, this stuff actually works. I’ll thank Zecora later.”

“OK, now, you need to learn the rules I am about to say. Don’t you DARE forget these or we’re bucked, you got that?” the force behind Xiao’s voice would have made Nightmare Moon cringe. Thomas slowly nodded.

“Alright, let me give you some background as to what happened when we got here. Zecora was going through the woods locating herbs she needed for an unfortunate unicorn that got into the poison joke near her hut earlier. She found us in a still smothering crater near a clearing containing the poison joke remedy, and managed to drag us to her home. I have been unconscious for five hours, and for you, about eight. Before you woke up, I managed to convince Zecora we were research scientists from the Shanghay International Institution of Magic located in the Ib’ Xian Empire to the east of Equestria, telling her we got here through a failed long-distance teleportation spell. She ha-“

“Wait, Shanghay in the Ib’ Xian Empire? That fan made world map of Equestria is actually real?”

“Surprisingly, yes. Also, I gave us both pony names to reduce suspicion. Mine is Xiao Hu, and yours is-“

“I’m gonna go with my OC name, One Shot.”

“-Tom-tom.”

Thomas gave me a blank expression.

“…Are you kidding me?” he deadpanned. “Anyway, why didn’t you just tell Zecora the truth?”

That’s when Xiao burst out saying, “The truth? SHE CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH! NOR CAN ANYPONY ELSE! If they knew who we are, we’d be captured, we sent back to Earth, heck; bananas may even come into the question!” Xiao’s eye was twitching uncontrollably as he yelled.

“Bananas? Don’t tell you’re talking about-“

“TO THE MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN, BBEE-YYEETTCHH!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”Xiao yelled, laughed hysterically.

“OK then… aren’t you gonna tell me about the rules?” I am a bit concerned right now, Xiao… Thomas was creeped out by his friend’s sudden hysteria, which reminded him of Twilight Sparkle when she went crazy.

Quickly recovering, Xiao began. “Alright, 1st rule, do not reveal our true identities unless we are truly trusted by the Princess herself. 2nd, do not let anypony know you know their names, unless you have a reasonable, thought-out lie to back it up. 3rd and possibly the most important rule, BE CAREFUL OF PINKIE."

“That’s it, then? Alright, let’s head back.”

As Thomas stood back up, he began to walk forward…tripping over his own hooves and falling flat on his place.

“Ow. Yeah…can you teach me how to walk?” He said as the last bits of his dignity faded away.

Xiao laughed. “Sure, I taught myself how to walk while Zecora was away, so I guess I can teach you. Let’s begin with the basics…”

After a hour of teaching Thomas basic equine joints (Thank God for all those anatomy classes Xiao learned.) and analogies to make the walk cycle understandable, Thomas learned the basics of walking, though running was another question altogether. It was then decided that the journey back would be a crash course on the subject. Unsurprisingly, it did not end well.

As the two dirt-covered ponies neared Zecora’s hut, the chime Zecora promised she’d ring sounded throughout the forest, waking the nearby animals.

“Huh, thought we’d be late, guess that running actually worked a little,” Xiao said, “Let’s brush ourselves off first though, there was a stream a couple of yards that way when Zecora and I were gathering herbs before you woke up.” He was pointing towards their crash-site.

“Ok, we’ll clean first, since I do need to wash up after all the alcohol and mud pies I've had.” Thomas winced at the putrid emitting from himself.

The short walk to the stream was peaceful, as the two ponies occasionally stopped to listen to the birds’ songs, or admire the beams of sunlight that penetrated through the canopy of the Everfree forest. As the two neared the flowing water, Thomas jumped into the water, creating a splash that drenched Xiao. The now wet pony just stared at him, his eyes full of venom, hiding the fact he that wanted to kick him square in the face. “What? we're supposed to be cleaning right now.” Thomas said, rolling in the water. He dropped the look after a while and gave a sigh, taking off his saddlebag and also jumping into the water. Xiao was just about to create an attack toward his friend, when suddenly a snap of a twig was heard.

Xiao snapped to the direction of the sound. “What was that?”

“What was what?” Thomas said, quickly washing himself.

“That noise, you didn’t hear it?”

“No, should I?”

Xiao felt the presence of something…unfriendly watching them. Not wanting to get himself into a state of paranoia, he said, “…Know what, it was probably just a bunny. Let’s clean up.” I seriously have a bad feeling about this… All that Amnesia I played two days ago doesn’t help either… Xiao thought as he began to clean himself also.

Thomas shrugged. “Whatever you say, captain.”

As both ponies rid themselves of the last patches of mud on their backs, Thomas suddenly gasped.

“SH- I mean horseapples! Don’t scare me like that! What’s wrong, are we being watched?”

“No, I just realized, we’re naked! I feel really awkward right now…”

Wow, he would care... “Really, all you care right now is that we’re technically naked and you feel kinda gay washing right now? I don’t even…” Suddenly another snap came, much louder than the last.

“Now I heard it.” Thomas said as he quickly shook himself dry and got into a battle stance. The snapping of twigs started to turn into snaps of trees as something barreled through the forest, heading closer toward where Xiao and Thomas were. “OK, something’s out there. Run Thomas, we don’t have enough experience to fight whatever’s out there.” Is it a manticore? Xiao thought as his paranoia returned. But we didn’t do anythi-Oh. Dear. God. This must be…

*Flashback*

Xiao and Zecora walked towards the smoldering crater, trying to scavenge ‘supplies’ he might have ‘teleported’ with them when he ‘messed up the teleportation spell’.

As Zecora went ahead to gather up some herbs near the crater, Xiao noticed two things. One, there was a black guitar case at the center…in perfect condition. How is that even possible, it should at least be covering in ash… Xiao pondered as he slung the case across his back. Wow, this is heavier than I expected, wonder what’s inside? Maybe Thomas knows something about it… The second thing Xiao noticed were small skulls along with charred bones all around the crash site. Interesting, there’s an assortment of herbivore and carnivore bones at this place, but some of these herbivores are as big as the carnivores…why though…? Pondering the question, he did not notice Zecora had returned and had been watching him for a while.

“It seems you know much about bones, as all I see are lives lost to a creature unknown.”

“Hubba-dubba-wah-?” Xiao stammered as he turned to see her leaning over his shoulder.

“My apologies dear friend, startling you was something I did not intend.”

“Oh, it’s fine Zecora, It just seems weird that these bones belong to plant-eaters, but are too big to be prey.”

Zecora eyed the bones suspiciously. “Strange indeed, it’s as if these animals are not meant to be feed.”

“Hmmm, yeah it does…oh well, I guess we should head back, my friend should be awake by now…” Xiao said as he got back up on his feet.

“Let’s us depart, as remaining here is not exactly smart.”

“Lead the way friend.”

*Flashback end

“Run Thomas, we can’t face whatever is out there like this!”

Thomas had no choice but to listen to Xiao since he was still learning to use this new ‘body’ of his. “Then let’s make like a tree…GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!” Thomas yelled, already galloping towards Zecora’s home. Xiao took one last glance at the direction of the snapping and followed Thomas back to the hut. The two friends galloped through forest, occasionally looking back for signs of the mysterious stalker. Nothing was seen, though the sound of snapping branches and crashing by something big was still evident.

“Crap, we can’t outrun this thing!” Xiao yelled as they got closer and closer to Zecora’s.

“Naw, really, we’ve only been here for a day, and we run like pros? SEEMS LEGIT, BRO!”

As the two doubled their efforts to outrun their chaser, the noise began to fade, until it stopped completely. Both ponies began to slow down, and stopping as they arrived at the door. Xiao and Thomas were out of breath, but not exhausted due to their stronger pony bodies.

“*huff* what was that?” Thomas panted, wincing as his head started ringing again.

“I don’t know, man, *huff* but I have a feeling it’s related to our landing.” I have a feeling we’ll meet that thing again…

“Well, *huff* it doesn’t seem to be interested in us anymore…”

“Yeah, or else we coulda dragged Zecora into this.”

“Ha-ha, sounds like a certain ‘somepony’ has feelings for a zebra, ohhh…” Thomas cooed.

“Thomas, who did I tell you was my favorite pony?”

“Fluttershy, I think…why?” I think he mentioned Pinkie Pie sometimes, too…

“Exactly, so shut the buck up.” Xiao said as he pulled a Yao Ming face on him.

“Pfft, and you call me a soresaddle. Come on, let’s head inside.”

With that, Xiao and Thomas walked into the hut, failing to notice the inedible-looking dishes that Zecora had placed on the table.

Chapter 2- Week 1, Wednesday

Disclaimer: I do not own MLP: FIM, as they belong to Hasbro, Inc. and Lauren Faust. This fanfic was made for the purpose of entertainment and nothing more, except improvement.

As always, Constructive Criticism and Praise are welcome, if you have any, as it will help me help you to enjoy the story. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.

ON TO THE STORY THEN! ALLONS-Y!

Xiao and Thomas stared at their food with mixed expressions, ranging from confusion to pure horror. The exotic dishes Zecora prepared had ingredients that they didn’t even know existed.

“Zecora, what is this?” Xiao was eyeing his food as if it had maggots in it.

“Oh, I don’t usually make meals for guests, I sincerely hope it is as good as the recipe suggests.”

“I’m sure it’s fine Zecora, it’s just that we’re not…really hungry, getting chased by something and all that…” Thomas was trying not to stare at his food as he said this.

“Yeah…about that, I have a feeling that whatever that thing was, we haven’t seen the last of ‘em, so we probably leave for Ponyville after this, I don’t want to put anyb-pony in a dangerous situation.”

“…though you are right, it saddens me as you two are quite a sight.”

Knowing Thomas, Xiao quickly kicked him as soon as he opened his mouth, presumably to make some stupid joke. “Ow. Haha, knew you would do that.” He laughed as he rubbed his hind leg.

“What he was about to say, Zecora, was that we really appreciate your hospitality and the meal.” Xiao stated as he grabbed a few tentative bites from his plate, contemplating the flavor a bit before swallowing.

“How does it taste, I hope I did not create a meal that’s a waste.”

“Hmm…I think it tastes…kinda like soy beans.”

“Well, I think it has…many flavors.” Thomas spoke in a mock snobbish voice.

Oh dear God… Xiao facehoofed so hard, he swore he heard his skull crack. “Really, Thomas, really.”

Zecora merely chuckled at our displays. "It seems you two are having disagreements, but your meal will not become any warmer with your continuous statements."

"Thanks, but no thanks Zecora, I'm not hungry." Thomas insisted, hiding the fact he thought the meal looked horrible. "Thomas, eat. Eat the food,” Xiao commanded, which he responded by simply grunting and continued to pick at his meal. “...EAT THE FOOD!"

While Zecora looked on in shock at his sudden 'aggressiveness', Thomas merely snickered. "Alright, alright, I'll try it out, but only because of that reference, Xiao." Seeing Zecora's face, he quickly replied, "Don't worry about it Zecora, it's just an inside joke between two friends." Zecora seemed to relax as he said this.

After the awkward moment, Thomas willingly took a couple of bites of the food. Xiao and Zecora looked at his face, waiting for his reaction. "So...Thomas," Xiao said, worried that the food put him in a state of shock. "How was-" "SWEET JESUS, THIS IS AMAZING!!!" Thomas exclaimed before diving into the delicacy with reckless abandon.

After Thomas finally stopped eating, he managed to reply through his stuffed face. "Wel, a firut, ie wus so bttur, I jus wunte hu sipuit ie oue ol over the floor, bu den, taher wus a esploushin of fuavur.” Thomas spoke through his overfilled mouth.

“Come again?” Xiao asked, confused at what he had tried to say.

Thomas swallowed. “What I said was, it was so bitter at first, I just wanted to spit it all out, no offense, but then, there was a huge explosion of flavor on my taste buds, and it was AMAZING.” With that, he dove back into his meal.

Zecora chuckled at the two’s antics, before having a face of sudden realization about something. "Thomas, I’m sorry to bother you during your meal, but do you know of anything about this case with a mysterious seal?" Thomas' head shot up in surprise when she brought in the guitar case next to the table. He immediately jumped from his seat and rushed to the case as if his life depended on it, and began to examine the case closer and found that there was a seal of a phoenix on it, with letters that too worn out to read. Realizing what it was, His face suddenly turned from a surprised look to a disturbing smile that reached from ear to ear, chuckling like a manic as did so.

OK, seriously, what is in that case? “Thomas, are you…ok?” Xiao said, looking at him apprehensively while finishing the rest of his meal. “And what is in that case?”

“OH! Um…well…it’s…it’s...my…GUITAR! Yeah, that’s it, my guitar!” Thomas’ face immediately changed from a look of insanity to a look of embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I’m just really fond of my guitar and I thought we lost it during the spell…So, um…thanks for finding it.”

“No Problem…” Xiao was extremely suspicious of that case, but decided to not press the issue. “What type of guitar is it, anyway?” Well, maybe just that ONCE.

“Oh, just some weird Latin brand, I don’t even know how to pronounce it, so…yeah.” Thomas said nervously, taking the strap in his mouth and throwing the case on his back, securing the buckles it had.

‘SURE it is…’ Xiao muttered as he walked up to Thomas. ‘If whatever in that case is NOT a guitar, I will personally rip off your horn and shove it up your flank.’ He hissed.

‘Don’t worry, it won’t hurt anypony.’ Thomas whispered. But just in case…wait, horn? “I’m a unicorn?” he said, reaching up to feel his forehead. Sure enough, he felt a horn on his head, sending a tremor down his body. “YAY, I can do magical stuff, YAHOO!”

Xiao demeanor changed back to a cheerful one. “Wow, you’re an idiot,” He laughed as he trotted off to help Zecora clean up. “Oh, and also, I just got you to say anypony.”

“…DAMMIT, XIAO!”

After tiding the hut, the two Unicorns stood at the doorway, packed, while reviewing Xiao’s impromptu checklist.

“Temporary food supply?”

Thomas slung the filled saddlebags onto Xiao’s back. “Check.”

“Bag of bits Zecora offered us?”

“Already in the bags.”

“Your guitar case?”

“*Sigh* on my back, and can you drop that tone?”

“Fine…um, some herbs for Fluttershy?

“In the glove compartments.”

“And your sanity?”

“In th-…very funny, Xiao.”

He snickered. “Can’t blame me for trying.”

Thomas rolled his eyes. “Come on then, let’s get a move on.”

“We got to wait for Zecora, dimwit.”

“Um, I knew that.”

While the two friends continued to bicker pointlessly, Zecora had been waiting outside, amused at the two’s antics. “Come friends, and let us depart; when the sun sets, it will be easier for us to drift apart.”

“Ok.”

“Fine.”

With that, the trio departed, all the while oblivious to the two pairs of eyes staring at them from the thick bushes near Zecora’s hut. “Should we kill them now brother? I am dying for blood to be spilled.” A raspy voice hissed.

“No…not yet sister, we shall find what is dear to them, and rip it apart, as they had done to us.” A much deeper voice said.

“How much longer brother? We are hungry and our minds scream for vengeance.”

“Patience sister, we shall see where they settle, and destroy it.”

“Aye brother, they will pay for their actions, with their precious friends and lives.”

The journey out of the Everfree forest was quite easily since the two had Zecora, who had been living here most of her life. Even though there were multiple paths branching out at every turn, she would always know where to go, which was quite impressive to the two stallions. After what seemed like a couple of minutes, they emerged of the ever free forest.

“DAYYYYYYYUUUMMMMMMMMMMM,” Thomas whistled as they stepped into the sunlight. “Didn’t think we would make it out this fast.”

“Indeed.” Xiao said in a fake accent, somehow acquiring a top hat and a monocle.

“Uh, Xiao? Wh-where did you get those?”

He shrugged. “I DUNNO, LOL.”

Thomas stared at him blankly. “Know what, I don’t even care anymore.”

Zecora snickered, but then turned serious. “This is where I must leave you, good luck in Ponyville, my friends, as I bid you adieu.”

“What, you’re not coming with us?” Xiao asked.

“I am afraid I cannot, as there are personal matters that requires no outside thought.”

“Alright then, it was nice to see you. Good bye Zecora.” Thomas said, though there was a sad undertone to his voice.

“Thomas, you make it sound like we’re never seeing her again,” Xiao scowled at Thomas, before turning to the zebra. “Thank you for your hospitality, Zecora, we’ll visit you some other time, alright?”

“Do not mention it, for you do not need to remit. I must depart, while for you a new beginning is about to start.” With that, she trotted back inside the forest, leaving the two ponies to ponder what she said.

“Why does it feel like she knows about us more than what we’ve told her?” Xiao said, turning to Thomas.

“I don’t know, man, but I do know we need to go to Fluttershy’s” He said in a mischievous tone, earning him a hoof to back of the head. “What the hell man? I didn’t do anything!”

“Hey now, don’t mention my crush on Fluttershy, she’s already shy enough, I don’t want her to think I’m some kind of crazy stalker, like you.” Xiao said in a threatening tone.

Rolling his eyes, Thomas said, “Arggh, fine. Why do you like Fluttershy so much anyway?” He always knew Xiao did like her, but he never cared to ask him why.

“Hmmmm, let’s see…She is so innocent, so naïve, her kindness is so radiant, as is her smile. She looks so adorable, so beautiful, and heart attacks ensure when she squeaks. I feel so at peace around her…well, when I watch her, but that not the point.” Xiao sighed dreamily as he finished.

“Cool it Romeo, we got herbs to deliver, so let’s go say hi and move on. And one more thing, don’t you dare get diabetes every time she does one of those squeaks while we’re there.”

“OK, but I won’t promise anything.”

“…Fair enough, let’s go.”

The two trotted off to the cottage. As they drew near, they heard someone singing. Already knowing who it was, the unicorns rushed to the source. Behind the cottage, there was a beautiful clearing, filled with flowers with every possible color. A yellow pegasus sat in a circle of animals, her voice hypnotic as the animals listened intently, as did the two unicorns. The pink-maned pony continued to sing, unaware that Xiao had gently parted the animals and stood a few feet away from her as he took out the herbs she had requested out of his saddlebags. The animals saw no danger in the newcomer, and only watched with curiosity as he laid down the herbs before backing away and sitting down next to the animals. As for Thomas, he had laid his guitar case near the animals and sat down beside it, chuckling softly as he watched him lay down the herbs.

After a few minutes, the pegasus ended her song, opening her eyes, finally noticing the two stallions who were listening. “Ahhhh!” She squeaked before diving behind the nearest rock.

“Oh, sorry for startling you! We didn’t mean to disturb you!” Xiao desperately said, trotting over to the terrified pony, trying to calm her down.

The shy pegasus cautiously crawled out from behind the rock, trotting over him. “Oh…um…it’s alright…I guess…” she murmured, averting her eyes and dragging her hoof across the grass.

“Glad to hear that, you’re Fluttershy, I presume?” Xiao was trying to be as soothing as possible so he would not startle her.

“Um…yes…its Fluttershy…” She said.

“Oh, I didn’t quite catch that, could you repeat that?”

“It’s…flutter…” She said, less audibly then before.

“Could…you please repeat that?”

She merely responded with a squeak.

OH MY GOD. SHE’S MORE ADORABLE IN PERSO- I MEAN, PONY!!! Xiao was trying not to clutch his chest as he tried to get Fluttershy to speak up. Thomas had realized the situation, however, and came to his rescue so he wouldn’t say anything stupid. “Uh, Fluttershy, Zecora sent us to give you some herbs, since we are trying to get to Ponyville. They’re lying where you were singing, just in case you were wondering.”

“But I haven’t seen you around here before, could you tell me your names?” she said, before realizing the sudden boldness in her voice, causing her to blush and hide behind her mane. “That is…if you want to…I mean…”

SWEET. BABY. JESUS. MUST NOT HAVE DIABEETUS. Xiao tried to contain the HNNNNNGGGG rising inside of him, and managed to answer. “Of course we will. My name is Xiao Hu, but Xiao will do, and that there is Tom-tom, though he likes to be called Thomas.” Thomas cringed slightly at the nickname.

“Oh…um, nice to meet you both...I guess...” She said, gaining a little more confidence in her voice. Xiao then took this opportunity to strike up a conversation. “So what did you do for a living?” At this, Fluttershy visibly brightened, enthusiastically telling Xiao about all the animals, her duties, her daily life. This topic somehow went into a tale about her life story, from where she was born to how she got her cutie mark. Thomas had grown uninterested by the continuously expanding topic and had fallen asleep.

"Oh, speaking of cutie marks," Fluttershy said, "You two don’t have your cutie marks, haven’t you two found your special talents yet?" I don’t? Xiao peered down to his side to find just a patch of light blue fur. The same went for Thomas, who awoke from the mention of cutie marks.

Hmmm…why don’t we have them? Xiao pondered, before realizing it was getting late and that he didn’t want to burden Fluttershy by staying at her house for the night. Guess we’ll figure it out once we get to an inn in Ponyvillle. “Sorry Fluttershy, I’ll have to tell you later, right now, we still have important business in Ponyville, and we don’t want to bother you.” He said, standing up and stretching his legs, as did Thomas.

"Oh it’s ok, it was very fun talking with you... I hope you come back soon." she blushed lightly after what she said. Her statement froze Xiao like a popsicle, who could do nothing but repeat what she had said over and over in his head. Thomas sighed. “Thank you for the beautiful song you sang earlier.” He said, beginning to drag his brain-dead friend by the tail.

“Oh, no problem at all,” Fluttershy said, still blushing. “I’ll see you two later…if that’s OK with you two…”

“No problem at all, we’ll visit again soon.” Thomas said, slinging his guitar case back onto his back, along with a still stoned Xiao.

“Um…is he alright? I think he’s hurt.” Fluttershy said, walking closer towards Thomas.

“Oh he’s fine; this happens regularly, just one of his ‘episodes’.” Thomas strained out at the new weight placed on his back.

“Oh…well, ok then…oh, good luck getting to Ponyville!” she said cheerfully, waving to the two ponies…well, one pony who was carrying another one on his back.

As the two stallions neared the entrance to Ponyville, Thomas grew tired of carrying Xiao, dropping him on the ground, finally snapping him out of his daze.

“Huh? What happened, where are we?” Xiao said as he frantically regained his bearings.

“Well, first, I hauled your ass for half an hour because of your episode, and second, we’re at Ponyville, smart one,” He really wasn’t in the mood right now. “Come on, I want to find an inn, I’m pretty tired right now.”

Xiao, sensing his annoyance, nodded. “Agreed, let’s get a move on.”

The two entered the settlement in a hurry to find a place to stay, as the moon started to rise. They were occasionally greeted by the ponies that were up at this hour, getting the occasional wave, or a few *HI’s* or *good evening’s*. After a few minutes of searching, they managed to find one of the few, if not THE only motel in the village. It was a quaint little building, somewhat smaller than the hospital the two passed along the way. A rustic feeling emanated from the establishment, seemingly telling of it age. A beautiful, slightly worn-out sign, depicting the moon and stars, rested above the doors.

The two entered the building. They walked up to the front desk, where a slightly aged mare had fallen asleep at her post. Her grey coat seemed to shine softly in the moonlight, while her white mane fluttered slightly every time she breathed. Although the unicorns hated to disturb her somewhat-peaceful rest, they themselves were tired, and needed rest.

“Ma’am? Wake up, ma’am; we would like to rent a room for the night.” Xiao said, trying to wake her up gently.

“Hmmm…?” was her only response.

“Your being way too soft, here, let me do it.” Thomas looked around, finding a bell, and ranged it loudly, waking the mare abruptly from her nap.

“What is it, is the motel on fire!?!” She frantically yelled, jerking her head in order to locate the ‘fire’.

“No, ma’am, we would like to rent a room. For two please.”

“OH! Um…prices for those rooms are 30 bits per night, which includes breakfast. I am afraid lunch and dinner are not included, as there is already a restaurant across the street. Is that Ok?”

“Umm…how much for single?”

“Those run for 20 bits, same standards apply.”

“Hmmmm…” Xiao was contemplating whether he should sleep on the floor to save money or not.

“*Sigh* I may be pissed Xiao, but I’m sure as hell I ain’t waiting for you to make up your damn mind.” Thomas stated before turning to the mare and giving her their sack of bits. “Single room please.”

The mare chuckled, amused at their display. “Here, take some bits backs, you’re gonna need them for lunch and dinner.” She said, handing a hoof-full of bits back.

“But would that be enough for our stay?” Xiao asked, hesitant that she was dropping the price for them.

“Oh it’s fine, you still have enough for a couple of days.”

“But-“

“You heard the mare; we’re good, so let’s get some shut eye. Besides, we’ll pay her back once we get settled and you find a part-time job.” Thomas had already grabbed the key and was waiting impatiently at the stairs, ignoring his last sentence.

Xiao was hesitant, but followed him anyway, looking for their room. The two walked down the hall, looking left and right for their rooms. Locating their room, they unlocked the door and entered. The room itself was small, having only a couch and a bed, along with a table and chair. A bathroom was located next to the couch.

“Dibs on couch.” Thomas said, quickly removing his guitar and diving onto the couch.

“Don’t you think the bed would be more comfortable?” Xiao said, laying down his saddle bags and climbing onto the bed.

“Well, two things. One, I’m used to sleeping on a couch. Two…I really don’t trust that bed.”

You’re just over reacting… Xiao thought as he tried to plan out the next day. “So, one, we’re going to have to find some jobs for the motel payment. Two, we need to go to twilight’s to learn basic unicorn magic and somehow convince her to do another inter-dimensional portal…”

“So we’re going to Twilight’s?” Thomas said with a sly grin.

“*Sigh* Not like that, you bucking hayseed.”

“Haha, I know, but we are gonna have to wait till tomorrow to visit. By the way, how do you know ‘bronyspeak’ and how do we even know if it is a portal?”

“Well, before we got here, I think I saw a flash of purple lightning in the sky, while we were driving, and as for bronyspeak, a brony dictionary always helps.”

“Huh. OK then, goodnight, we got a long day ahead of us.”

“Night.” Xiao said before he turned off the lamp on the table.

As the two laid on their beds, thinking of tomorrow, sleep started to overwhelm them, their eyelids began to droop, before they fell sleep.