The Beginning: Where It All Starts

Chapters

Night's Friend - Cold Awakening
Night's Friend - Painful Acceptance
The Lost Boy - Forked Road
The Lost Boy - Dark Sentiments
The Lost Boy - Strange Discoveries
I Survived my First Day
Early Trouble

Night's Friend - Cold Awakening

(? POV)

Is it strange to wake up and watch trees move past me? I don't know if I am running. All I know is, the vegetation of this forest is…surreal. It's hard to describe, but this place has-wait! This place…is a forest? It is a forest. It looks like it, but it looks strange.

Not just the forest, but it's also me. I don't feel like I am running and that's the strange part. I don't feel my body at all. I am just…there, watching how everything moves. Only now I notice the black haze around my vision, as if I am watching it through something other than my own eyes.

A dream. It probably explains all of this. Why else would I feel so lightheaded? It would also explain why I am here. Dreams always have a strange effect on people's minds, so that would make this…normal.

Huh? I think I distracted myself for a few seconds. Because in front of me lies a large pond that glimmers slightly from the light. As for the light itself, I can't tell if it's from the sun or the moon. Why can't I… move my eyes? Dreams are difficult to control, that's a given, and I wasn't about to put the effort to change whatever is about to happen. Because it is also a given something is about appear out of thin air and scare me out of my sleep, I am used to it anyway.

For some unknown reason, my vision began turning around, and sure enough, something did appear in the end. However, it is something I never seen before. Something that doesn't even appear in horror movies or pop up videos. Genuinely speaking, it surprised me the enough to make me jump, move to the side or gasp and freeze from fear, but my vision remained the same.

I did absolutely nothing as a – the only way I can describe it – bright green laser approaching me from afar.

It grew bigger and closer with a passing second, and reached me within the next. It flashed green for a moment before becoming pitch black. Did I fall headfirst or remained standing with my eyes closed.

…It could have been either because I probably feel unconscious before I hit the ground, or lost consciousness the moment my senses were gonna come back. This raised a weird question befitting this strange dream. Is the dream going to continue, or am I about to wake up? Why was I thinking of this question, because whichever it is, I have no choice but to go along.

~*~

The faint sound of my breathing is the first thing that reaches my ears. I slowly open my eyes to start the daily routine: get out of bed, wash my teeth, check the day on my calendar, and change out of my night clothes before my brother teases me, once again, about being nocturnal. Not far from the truth. I preferred the night, since the only one awake at that time is me.

When my vision focused, I slowly thought something was odd. Instead of the near pitch blackness of the ceiling, I can see a dark-green high above me. Around it, there are things coming down and have great resemblance to pillars, but they are too dark to see their color or what they really are.

It might be me not believing what I am seeing, or that my brain is still asleep, but I am not thinking of anything. I am not scared or relaxed, only conscious.

I pushed myself up, and as I stood up, an unusual weight unbalanced my legs. I panicked. My hands darted to the sides to grab anything, and I fell on my knees first then chin second. I blame myself for this. I could have used my hands to soften the fall or something like that.

Without groaning from the hot pain on my chin or knees, I raised my head to see the same pond from my dream. Once again, I didn't give the oddity any thought. I crawled to it. Being the only thing that attracts my attention, and I also felt thirsty. Only imagining that cold-fresh water running down my throat made me lick my upper lips. It's a strange feeling, but-

My thoughts, and desire for water, got pushed aside by one of the rarest sights I seen in my entire life, and that is saying something considering the school I go to.

My head's reflection, or at least where it should be, has been replaced by an animal with round cheeks, black coat, eyes as dark as the night and a white uncombed fur covering its forehead.

I blinked a few times, and I assume it blinked with me. Now I did something I could actually see it do, tilt my head to the side. It did just that. I tilted it back to normal; it did the same. For the final test, I moved my head closer to the water; it moved along with me.

I stopped. My face hovering a few centimeters above the water. Whatever that foreign creature is, it is staring back at me, motionless like I am.

I can only suspect it is going to jump at me at any moment and drag me down the dark, bottomless waters that will mysteriously appear. I waited a few seconds, but nothing happened, so I dipped my mouth for a drink. It did the same.

After I finished, we both pulled back in complete sync. I must have done it subconsciously, because now I am standing up, but it's not the standing up I am used to. I looked underneath me to see the cylinder like legs of a black furred creature, and at a small distance behind them, an equal pair to the first two.

Something inside me turned on, and the idea worried me. I moved my gaze as fast as I could to scan my entire surroundings. At the least, I know where I am: a forest with celeste colored trees, grass all over the ground, and flowers growing from the bases of the tree that emit a soft, white glow from their long petals.

I noticed that the light reached halfway up the trees, but it was still enough for me to see the leaves covering the sky. Looking back down on the shallow waters, that creature with round cheeks, black colored eyes and coat, and a white messy mane that reaches down to its back is staring back at me with a flat expression.

"He…hehe." Its lips widened into a simple smile, "What did I eat last night? I had a lot of dreams before, but this," I turned to look at the endless amount of trees on my right "might actually be fun."

Curiosity or not, I grew excited over the surprises this dream may hold, and after one step forward into the unknown, a cold, merciless fear dug inside me.

Without apparent reason, the wind picked up and brought goosebumps to my body. With caution, I turned my head towards the lake, and as I did, I could tell how my eyes grow wider and my mouth becoming agape as the source of this terrifying nightmare comes into sight.

"I hope you enjoyed your freedom. Because your new cell will be closed off from your precious light." Her voice echoed inside my head as my eyes had to travel up to meet her piercing – teal colored – dragon-like eyes. "This is a first. Nopony has ever eluded me for this long, but" just when I thought I was imagining wrong spelling grammar, I heard wings flapping, and this horse, pony, or whatever it is takes the air "once you are mine, you can never escape, Nightmare Moon!"

She ends with a bone-chilling laugh as her chin is held up high with pride.

I don't know why I stood there. Was I waiting for her to finish her laughter so she could recapture me? Were my brain and body disconnected from the sheer pressure of the cold air? Is here presence that strong to paralyze me with fear?

It took a few moments for me to hear my breathing again, and only one thought crossed my mind, RUN!

I took in a mad dash towards-ANYWERE! Away from the pond! Away from her! I only have one goal now, and that is to escape!

I passed tree after tree, venturing myself into some unknown area in an already unknown forest, but as long as it creates distance between us, I wouldn't care if I ran into a monster-sized bear of some strange kind. *Pant* *Pant* *Pant* My body isn't made for running, yet, I am still going, probably from adrenaline.

After scanning the sides, I decided it was just best to keep running straight. Why exactly? Celeste colored tress as far as the eye could see, nothing else.

My mind is a complete blank for now; the sudden exercise is already taking one of its tolls on me, but one thing is clear, her laughter, the one that spurred a lingering fear into my body is gone.

A false sense of safety washes over my mind, but why is it false? One: an evil and possibly powerful crea – pony, a pony, appeared out of nowhere and incited the most horrible fear imaginable. Two: the white explosion on my right sends me flying in the opposite direction and then skidding into the hard grass.

A white light must be floating over my eyes because that is all I can see. I tried raising my head off the ground, and that's when my vision pulls through.

Up in the air, just under the limit the flower's light reaches, that black pony with wings, a horn on her head, and violet-blue armor is chuckling with a conceited smile. "If you are still trying to escape, at least try to make this amusing for me."

*Gulp* And without anything to say that could get rid of her smug, – like if I had anything that could do that – I managed to get on all fours and make another mad dash in a direction.

No time to process what is happening or why it's happening! No time to think of anything! All my focus is gathered on just running!

I could hear thunder raging down from the air, and explosion after explosion tore chunks of wood in random directions. My heart started beating faster as one of them got close enough for me to feel its power. It pushes me up into the air and to the direction where I am running to.

I still kept running even at the air; I acknowledged being up so high as I was dropping back down, "aaaaaAAAAAAAHHH!" I was able to place my hooves and legs firmly on the ground before skidding forward from the force; if I hadn't…it would've ended there for me.

As the momentum began to end, I used the leftover speed as the jump start to my running. They kept coming again, explosion after explosion; she clearly isn't going to give me a second to breathe.

"Is running all you can do? I expected more of a challenge from the pony who's made it this far."

Two sentences are all it takes to remind me of the fear I felt back at the pond, but there is something else that grabs my attention, something in the air itself.

Once I moved my gaze to the right, I felt how my body pulsed from within. It's the strangest thing indeed, to experience how a curtain of fear and death wraps itself around me like a cloak, and it happened the moment my eyes met her dragon eyes.

This pony named Nightmare Moon is flying close enough for me to feel a different kind of pressure from before. Instead of the cold void growing inside me, I feel empty, nonexistent, as if I lost everything and what remains is my consciousness. Her lips pull back into a grin, revealing sharp fangs that could chomp down any living creature.

I could feel a giant pulse coming once again from within, and before I knew it, my body has turned left on its own, venturing into another unknown part of the wilderness.

I kept my gaze up, looking ahead and never back. Trees everywhere, a white light coming from underneath my vision, darkness forward. Darkness, darkness, solid darkness everywhere.

I hadn't realized it until it was too late, for I am already rolling downwards out of control. The light from the flowers has left me a while ago and my sense of direction has been long gone when I first woke up, but now I can't tell where up and down is anymore. I am at least fortunate I haven't crashed against a tree or rolled over any rocks; the new bruises on my body and possible concussion are grave injuries on their own.

Then it ends. A dim light starts to brighten my vision; it's a hazy world I see. Everything has lost its shape, but as they came into focus, a new pair of hooves walked towards me.

Their brown coat is the last thing I saw before my eyes gave out.

~*~

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. I repeated this process as I laid over something warm and cozy; the same can be said of what's covering me from my neck to the toes, a bed and a blanket most probably. I can feel a patch and bandages over my body. One bandage around my left wright, another at my left shoulder, my right elbow, around my stomach, the last one is around most of my right leg, and the patch is on my right cheek. I find it ironic how I could tell where they all are; it must come from experience.

"He he, hehe. Hehehe." A girlish giggle filled the emptiness in my ears, and it was very close too.

My eyelids feel heavy as lead; I am struggling to do a simple task such as opening them. As I finally began to, the first thing to greet me is the smiling face of an unknown animal.

"I knew it. You are alive." In comparison to the other creature that tried hunting me down, this one looks like a smaller version of that pony, but her coat is brown, her eyes a sky blue and I see a little bit of a chocolate colored hair over her head. "I got a lot a lot a lot a lot a lot," she stops to take in a full pack of air through her mouth, "a lot of questions." Then her happy personality falls down as her eyes look to the side, "But mommy will get angry if I talk to you. She said 'don't bother the patient, even if she wakes up. Oh, and, you are grounded if you do.' So, yeah," her eyes met mine again, "I am grounded aren't I?"

She moves out of sight with a clear gloominess written over her.

At this point, the only option left for me is to sit up, or so I tried.

I put my hands firmly on the bed. My entire upper body trembles as my worn out muscles work beyond their limits.

At the end of this arduous task, I heard two bones from my back crack. A light dizziness soon takes over me, making my head wobble a few seconds. I closed my eyes to collect myself.

All that's happened, since I woke up, rushes into my mind as images. Her fangs – along with that grin – is the last image that flashes vividly like reality itself.

My eyes snap open, and I find myself breathing heavily again.

"I prayed to Celestia so the nightmare of Lostshine Forest leaves the sanctity of your dreams." I barely noticed what is in front of me, or should I say, the other side of this one-room house.

An older female pony – as I could tell from her voice – is standing on all fours next to a red bricked chimney, cooking something in one of those big old, black pots that hangs above the fire. One of the other differences to this one is her green coat, deep blue colored eyes, smooth forest green color mane combed down on one side, a horn on her head that matches the color of her coat, and some kind of tattoo on her behind – and I didn't notice it because I am some kind of pervert, but because it stands out – that looks like leaves, each with a different color, spinning around as if in a vortex. The ones closer on the edges of the 'vortex' are bigger than the ones in the center, making the whole act of spinning more lifelike.

The pony moves her hoof up to cover its mouth, but I can still hear her feminine laughter, "I might look young, but I am thirty five years old. Older than what you should be looking for." For a reason or another, she winks at me.

I, after what she implied and did, obviously become flustered. "No No No No No No No!" I kept repeating as I raised my hands up and shook them like my head.

"Mommy is only jokiiing~" I stop then look at my right. Apparently ponies have elbows, because she placed hers over the blue bed sheet and rested her chin on her hooves, "Momma looves teasing." Then she puffs her cheeks, and her eyes move in direction to her mother with a slight annoyance in them, "But Momma says I can't do it. She says 'it's bad playing with ponys' emotions.'"

"But you made a habit of teasing everypony you see." I sensed no hint of a mother's disapproval tone, but more of how a friend points out another friend's problems with a wholeheartedly laugh.

The little pony's jaw dropped as her eyes went wide as circles, "M-M-MOOOM!"

Once more, I look at the other Pony. She still has a hoof over her mouth, but her eyes are close as her shoulders tremble. Obviously from containing her laughter.

And once more, that light dizziness comes back. This time I held my forehead to keep it from moving.

When my mind stopped spinning on me, I slowly moved my hand away. My mind half-absent as I did. How did I know that about myself? Because instead of my mind driven to insanity, the circular black hoof near my face got me pondering. Where have I seen this before?

I didn't see the hoof of that black Pony, But this should be his… or hers. That was the only time I saw a black Pony. Who else's could it b-

I thought about everything that has happened, one final time, in detail. I suddenly woke up next to a pond. I never seen it before nor I have recollection of how I got there. Normal for a dream. Got chased around by a monster in a pony disguise that appeared out of thin air, and felt an inexplicable amount of fear that can only be felt after watching an M-rated horror movie. Normal for any kind of nightmare. It was the last portion I have a hard time figuring out; the part where I rolled down a hill. That hurt me all over. The bandages and the patch are proof of that. It was dark, but it felt like if the entire world was spinning.

My head did circles around it, thinking of an answer. That was until I noticed a peculiar, white thing under the hoof. Right around where I assume is the elbow, there is a white bandage wrapped tightly on it. Just like on my right elbow.

Pain, bandage on the same place as my right arm, a hoof where a hand should be, but most importantly, pain. A connection is slowly starting to be made. It's impossible. First of all, how-

"Is your hair a natural?" I am pulled out of my thoughts by the small brown pony. She is in the same position I first saw her in, "Mommy always trims mine, see?" By moving her head to the side, I can see the chocolate colored hair on her head has been combed back and tight neatly by a yellow hairband near the neck, and it keeps going as the shape of oval beads with yellow hairbands wrapped between each of them and ending with a ponytail that reaches her shoulder. "How do you do yours?"

"M-Mine?" There wasn't really anything special about it.

"Yeah! Like," Moving away from the bed, she lowers herself down and scans what's under it.
What's she looking for?

She shots right back up with an enthusiastic grin on both sides, "That's right, we have, as my mom calls it, 'Don't touch it or its gonna slip right on its back, sweetie. Oh, and, you are grounded if you do.'" After that extra information, she turns around to point at a rectangular mirror leaning on the wall.

As the chimney and the other Pony, this mirror is also on the other side of the house, but at least my vision is strong compared to the rest of me. At least, I thought it was.

Am I, seeing this right? It's undoubtedly the same pony from the pond. The same dark coat, dark eyes, and the same white, messy, spiky hair reaching to its back with the occasional rare smooth strands that found its way throughout that mess called hair. "I-It's…a natural."

"Aawww. I wanted wacky hair too." I could hear her sad tone, but I wasn't listening to it. The details on that black Pony got me entranced on it. It's sitting like I am, a bandage wrapped around it's stomach, a patch on its left cheek and another bandage wrapped on its left elbow. However, I knew better because that is supposed to be a reflection. A reflection of whoever is sitting on the bed with the blue blanket, and what's worse, they are all in the same place where I felt my patch and bandages.

Felt, again with that feeling. I felt thirst when I woke up. It shouldn't be too weird for a dream. It would have been odd if I looked like myself in a dream. Because the imaginary world is almost never in terms with normality, so I was bound to look different, but dreams themselves are always changing. They never stay the same for too long, and they are short lived for most people; it's no different for me. So why? Why am I still a Pony?

My body pulses again from within, but this time, it's warm. It clears away a certain weight off my mind, as if it's trying to reanimate a dead mind. I am not thinking straight, even if the answer is right in front of me.

I turn my attention at the black hoof in the air. No…it's impossible. But why is it impossible? A different voice in my mind objected, It just…it just is impossible.

"Hey miss," It was in such a low voice I almost didn't hear it, but the little brown Pony called my attention again. Her hooves are on the edge of the bed as she hides her face behind them. Just looking at her eyes, I can tell she's apprehensive about telling me whatever she wants to tell me, "I didn't wanna say, but," her eyes stop meeting my gaze, "do you, umm, sweat alot?"

"W-What do you mean?" I don't know when it happened, but I must have begun sweating when I thought of that possibility. The same possibility I am most frightened of being the truth.

I begin taking heavier breathes as the hoof in front of me trembles. Not willingly, but because of a natural reaction of my body when faced by a brutal, twisted reality.

"Can I ask another question?" She pulled me out of my thoughts again, and I see her wear a little smile after she rose up behind her hooves.

"S-Sure." This can't get any worse.

"Do you," her tone quickly changes from calm to enthusiastic, "do you wanna be my big sister!?"

I felt myself flinching; her words pierced right through me. "W-W-W-WHAT!?" If I wasn't shaking before, I am shaking now.

She leans closer to me with those eyes magically sparkling from excitement, "I promise it will be soooo much fun! I can take the role of the clumsy and energetic little sis, and you can be the big sis who acts like a young adult and scares ponies with the eye."

And as to emphasize her point, she closes one eye while widening the other one and pointing at it with a hoof.

T-That is actually a close description of me…for the most part. But SIS! I knew my physique gave people the wrong impression about me, but even HERE! My body changes into a pony, but that 'aspect' of me didn't?!

"What do you think?" She has backed away by now, and her hooves are up covering what I can surely assume is an energetic smile.

"I-I-I-I-I-I," I forgot how unmanly my voice sounded; it isn't entirely feminine, but it barely matches the pitch of a young boy's.

Her eyes close before letting out a loud, girlish squeal, "EEEEEEEEEEHH! This. Will. Be. Amazing!" She rises up on her hind legs and stretches her arms up high; then goes sitting back down while acting out what she says, "We can trim out hair together, pick up flowers together, grow older together like real sisters," she grabs a green quilt out of nowhere, wraps it around her like a blanket and poses like an old granny. She tosses it away before continuing, "And we can tell each other secrets like real sisters would."

I got plenty of secrets to tell you! Like this one: I'm a GUY! I can feel my head going in circles. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Never-ending.

What has happened to me this morning can cause anyone to freak out and act as a messed-up maniac! But This, this is my limit! No! I probably reached it after that little trip down the hill; this is causing unnecessary damage.

And just like that, a little fuse in me must have burned out. Because the next color I saw is pitch black, and the next sound, a loud *thud*, probably my head colliding with either the wood frame on the wall or the solid planks on the floor.

Author's Note

I don't have anything with the editor, but it could at least come with a few instructions. It took me at least 2 hours to get it how it looks now. Other than that, its surprisingly easy to use.

Night's Friend - Painful Acceptance

(??? POV)

I hated my life to some extent, but never did I want it to change. I got used to it, and learned to appreciate what I did have, so now…now that I am here…

That black pony in front of me is sitting with such a depressive look that only makes me feel gloomier. Its bandages and patch are on the opposite to where mine are, Again with that excuse? This is you, accept it.

I put my hoof over my eyes, wishing that when I uncovered them, I be in my bed and then receive a light scolding from my brother for sleeping too long. I have to accept reality. I have to! If I don’t…what would I do then? …That’s a silly question, I have no idea what to do even now.

When I was finally man enough to stop seeing the truth, I turned my attention to a plain, black saddlebag next to the mirror. Apparently, I been wearing that the moment Pebbles – the name of the little brown pony – found me unconscious in the forest. For a little girl, I am surprised she dragged me to her home.

Another thing I obliviously missed and now noticed, is the tail on my behind. A genuine tail; its white too, just like my hair. Comparing it to Pebbles, and her mother, Fauna - the green pony - , I got the idea they are supposed to resemble our mane.

Starting with Fauna for example, her mane is smooth and pulled down on one side; her tail has basically the same silky appearance with the end barely touching the ground.

Pebbles’ is combed as a braid with it ending as a short ponytail tight by a light blue bow.

As for mine…mine is exactly like my mane. Its messy, strands of hair combined to form triangular spikes on the edges, random smooth hair, and looks thick, as if I wouldn’t be able to pass my hoof between it even if I wanted to – even if it is made of hair.

I was never a morning person, and even when I do wash it, I…I – I flinched at the thought of it. Forget it! No! Not gonna remember that! That ‘life’ of me is ove-

I stopped myself, already figuring out where that train of thought was headed. The anger that spread in the pony’s black eyes died out faster than they appeared, leaving an almost unshakable look of depression in his eyes.

I…I better think of something that does make sense.

That brings my attention to the house I am in. I slept in their bed, their only bed, for a good six hours; on the opposite side to it, there is the mirror I am currently in front of. Next to it is the black saddlebag I carried – during that chase with Nightmare Moon – without noticing. The wall perpendicular to it, which also has the door, is adorned with a lot of frames with black and white pictures, I can check those later.

On the other side of the house, Pebbles and Fauna are in front of the chimney, cooking something in that giant old pot. That’s when I noticed a blue light being emitted by the tip of her horn, and the same surrounding spoon that is swirling in circles in the pot. To the right of them, is the other half of the kitchen; cabinets, plates, a round table and eight wooden stools.

That’s basically everything that makes sense. Its definitely not modern, but this house can still be called sweet home. My eyes went back to my reflection, and I can see a bit of sleepiness in my eyes, but that’s all there is in them.

Now what? I asked myself. I take notice of the bag again, Peebles said there is something in it. A book. I think she said it’s a book.

There is something in it. A clue to how I got here…maybe, but I am not ready. It’s hard to tell what it is, but I feel scared. Scared of what’s inside the book won’t help me at all.

I should take a look at the pictures. Who knows, maybe there is a clue there. I knew better, but anything to keep me occupied. And so, as I head towards them, that piece of false hope is what’s keeping me from emotionally sinking back down.

When I could finally take a good look at them, I can assume they are normal family pictures. They don’t grab most of my attention at first, – it’s just ponies replacing the spot of humans – but there is something I noticed from the pictures. Two things in fact.

One: male ponies have a slightly bulkier, and often bigger physique. Which is probably not true for most male ponies…not counting myself. Two: the pictures are not just in black and white, but they are old, really old. I can see wrinkles, some of the edges look torn, and now that I notice, the frames have cracks. Just how old are this?

Then one picture really catches my attention. What I see is Fauna, smiling gently alongside another pony that looks just like her while. In the background, I can see the grass on the ground and near them, the abundance of tall trees that seem to have no end; the trees’ height literally puts their leaves and branches out of sight.

At first, I thought it was a reflection, or that ponies tend to look like each other more than humans, but I quickly scratched that off. They look so much alike, but that is probably because the picture has no color. Is that…her t-

“My twin sister, Flora.”

I nearly jumped at hearing Fauna’s voice next to me, and as I began to control my heartbeat, I also listened.

“Flora…she was more than a sister, but a best friend as well.”

Did I…did I just hear…sadness?

“ha ha ha ha ha,” even her laugh lacked true emotion, but I kept my gaze on the picture with the two of them together, “we used to run out of home and play with the animals of Lostshine Forest. We did get lost here and there, but at least we always found our way back. Hehehe ha ha ha ha ha ha,” this time, her laugh is more genuine, *sigh* “Flora was always the oldest, but acted as the youngest. And when the time came for us to take charge, she had no problem with me leading the family in most occasions. She never showed it, but Flora cared the most for the safety of our family.”

I can hear her footsteps – or hoofsteps, considering the grammar they use, hoofsteps is probably right – walking away from me. I followed her and stopped in front of another picture.

It has ponies lined up in front of a house; by appearances (wrinkles, sizes, physique), I can tell some of them are kids, most of them are adults and a few are old ponies. It’s the very representation of what a family portrait is about: cheery smiles while standing in front of a house that can be called home, sweet home.

Home…a really distant, but distant, thing for me.

“This picture was taken when Flora and I were just fillies, but even then, our elders expected us to…outshine what the Brightwood family has accomplished so far. …I don’t believe I told you that name yet, have I? No, I don’t believe I have,” as Fauna answers her own question, my focus fall on the trees in the background, and find one similarity to the ones where Fauna and her sister took their picture. I can’t see the top of the trees. Not a branch or leaf is visible, only the bodies of the trees. But with one bigger difference is what’s growing at the base of the trees, the same long leaved flowers I saw after waking up.

“The Brightwood family is…was a given the self-appointed duty to discover, or rediscover, the secrets of nature magic. It was a silly concept for most ponies. They believed, since we can already aid and change the environment when the time calls, there is no need to research a natural force we can control. …But would you believe, when I say they were wrong?”

I move my gaze off the picture and on to her, and see her already looking at me back with a motherly smile, “There was somepony long ago – according to old legends – whose magic and cutie mark were one with nature. I can see why others thought of those legends as made up fairy tales for fillies, I was no different back then, but my grandparents knew better. And after every failure they made, only made them more eager to understand.”

Her eyes travel back to the family portrait, and mine do so as well, “They gathered every symbol from the legends, connected them to the real world, and saw what they were missing.” The more I listened, the more I realized how excited she has become, “My grandparents said that the legends called this pony, The Violent Gaia: a pony with magical prowess that matches an alicorn, and had a special connection with the earth. That’s why we came here, to this forest; it had everything they needed! Lostshine Forest had a strong connection to the nature, much like The Violent Gaia once had! Combined with their magic, it took them Months what it would have taken anypony Centuries without the strong connection!”

This is the second time I ever heard anyone truly passionate about what they are saying; the first time I heard anything similar came from my brother.

“Nopony expected this! When I saw it for myself, my first thoughts were ‘I’m probably dreaming.’ I believed it was impossible; everypony in Equestria thought the same, but they created it! They named it, Gaia’s Blossoms, as a tribute to the original creator!”

I could hear her breathe in a pack of air. After that nonstop monologue, it is only natural to be out of breath. This really means something for her. Whatever her grandparents invented, it must have been that important. But after I turned to face her, Fauna’s ecstatic personality had died out and replaced by a downcast look.

“F-Fauna, w-what’s wrong?” Greaaat choice of words, consider yourself a man now, the sarcasm I added actually hurt more than intended.

“I’m sorry.”

My eyes widened, What!? That wasn’t something I was expecting.

Fauna moves her hair to cover one of her deep-blue colored eyes, and turns her head to the side while doing so – completely blocking all view of me –, “Young ponies never want to listen to a sentimental story about the past; all they would ever spend their free time on is to play outside with other ponies their age, and exchange stories of ponies they admire. I’m sorry if I bored you; I never intended to ramble on if you weren’t interested.”

“I-I wasn’t bored. I promise.” It didn’t have that manly confidence, but I did mean it. Now that I think about it, I didn’t do those things she said young ponies do, even though I am a bit older from what she means of ‘young’. …Who knows, maybe it’s better I came to this strange world of equally strange unicorns. I can start a new li – who am I kidding. I just wanna go back home. That mental state I desperately fought back is returning, threatening me with its never-ending presence.

“I’m sorry.” That takes me by surprise. My mind refocuses on Fauna, and what I see is her smiling at me. In a way, it does make me feel better. Such a kind gesture, and it’s better than watching her depressed. But the way she sounded, it’s as if…as if she knew I was feeling like this.

“Every~pony with a growling belly, line up! IIIt’s su~pper TIIIIIME!” Pebble’s voice resonated loud and clear, and inside the small house with its close walls, the lasting echo it produced made me cringe by its volume alone. Fauna didn’t seem affected at all, That’s right. I’m just sensitive to this stuff.

She turns her head towards her daughter, “We will be over there in a minute.” Once done, she turns back to me, “Mind joining us?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Yes as to you will eat with us, or yes do you mind eating with us?” She finishes by moving a hoof over her mouth and failing to stifle back a lighthearted chuckle.

I won’t deny that it didn’t make me laugh, “Ha ha…” But it also got me embarrassed. I-It was fun, just like with my brother, then I got such an unpleasant foreboding feeling. It’s hard to tell what it is exactly, but it feels like I am forgetting something very important.

“You must uphold your status as a gentlecolt by not keeping two fillies waiting,” my mind refocused – yet again – and see Fauna looking at me with a taunting smile.

“Y-Yeah, after you,” as I tried to make a courteous bow (tried), I got a giggle out of her. Then we were finally heading towards the kitchen, but on the way, I spotted myself on the mirror. I still have those bandages and one patch.

A couple of seconds past before I gently pulled out the taped cloth off my cheek. Under it, is piece of my black coat that hardly looks different from the rest, …I am just sensitive everywhere. There was a bruise in there before, I am sure, but now it’s gone. Goes to show how much pain my body can handle, and how much I’m willing to. Not wanting to stare at my reflection any longer, I removed all the bandages, then took out the only item inside my saddlebag, and walked over to the table where the girls were waiting.

~*~

I figured eating wasn’t going to be completely normal, but there are a few things I can relate as a human.

First: we are sitting on the stools as a normal person would. Two: the food is – what I can guess – tomato soup in a bowl, like the ones I use for cereal, and there are actual utensils to use. Third: there isn’t really a third.

Teachers say that staring at a problem never solves it. If you know it, you do. If you don’t, you don’t. It is that simple. I move my gaze from the metal spoon I tried to pick up about 20 times, to the two ponies who are eating without any trouble.

Pebbles is – somehow – grabbing the spoon with her hoof, that has no fingers and looks impossible in every logical aspect. She is practically devouring the contents of her bowl, moving her spoon in and out of her little pony mouth before putting it down on the table, then picking up her bowl with her hooves and chucking down whatever was left.

Fauna’s horn was lighted in the color of blue, and the same light surrounded the spoon that floats into her mouth whenever she is ready to take another sip of her food. Compared to her daughter, she is taking her time to taste the ‘fruits’ of her work.

Then at last, my eyes traveled back to my untouched bowl. No option. Going with plan Pebbles. I picked up the bowl between my hooves, carefully as well so I wouldn’t spill, and chugged down at a slow space for the well-being of my tongue.

My absent-mindedness strikes back, for my stomach demanded furiously for me to keep going. This sudden hunger surprised me, but after all the running I did, it should have been the first thing in mind when I woke up. That is, if wasn’t chased in a forest by a monster in pony disguise, rolled down a cliff, have no idea where I am, and been turned into a pony that still matches one of my human characteristics I wished wouldn’t have carried over; all those other problems took priority over hunger.

One finished with the entire soup, I put down the empty bowl and exhaled in satisfaction. I have never been that hungry before. All that running really had a big effect on me.

I could feel my mind awakening from its deep slumber, and my senses returning back to normal. I can’t believe it. I wasn’t hungry, I was starving! This is the best I ever felt! Or maybe Fauna’s cooking is better than my brother’s chef skills! Calm down, you need to calm down. Focus on what’s important.

At the corner of my eye I spotted it, the black book that was in the saddlebag I carried. Is that…really my book? I don’t remember having that, and this book’s cover is difficult to forget.

I moved the bowl aside and put the book in its place. The front cover, the only side with anything on it, has been embroidered with a peculiar design to say the least.

It’s three, interlocked white ovals with a sharp edge each; one of them points up while the other two point downwards diagonally – appearing to be the legs of the first one. Another peculiar detail about the ovals are where they start and end…because I don’t see them; they look to be one and the same, but their shapes made me think they were only close together. The last figure that was stitched is of a white ring that travels under, then over the other side of the fused ovals.

This is a…this is a…a…a…? …Tri…triquetra something. A symbol that’s been made long ago, and…how I wish I were a real bookworm. I read books for school work and for personal fun, but I think I seen this once and that’s about it.

Grabbing the book by moving my hooves under it is easier than picking up a spoon. Once balanced on a hoof, I opened it with the other, and with my very eyes saw the unexpected.

…What!? Is this...a-are my eyes alright? T-The pages, they are…Blank!

I blinked a couple of times, convinced that my eyes are playing a sick trick on me. But the missing content remained the same, missing. Hmmm…missing. A book with this many pages can only serve for something like that.

A blue light manifests around the book, “Huh?” In a second, it levitates into the air and slowly drifts away from me, “What!?” W-What is happening!? Why is that book floating?

The answer came when I looked at who it is heading to: Fauna.

“F-F-Fauna, why?!”

Before giving a proper answer, she covered her mouth with a hoof again, but this time, I can see a glimpse of what – what I can only imagine – is a mischievous smile.

My body tensed and I became nervous of what she might say.

“What do we have here? A book. Could this maybe hold some personal embarrassing pictures you stole from your family album?”

I blinked twice. Surprised can’t begin to describe what I am feeling, especially when my cheeks burn as if they are on fire, W-w-w-w-w-what? What? S-she…She is scary, but at least those pictures are hidden inside my pillow, in the human world I mean. My mind thought back about them, especially in when they were taken.

“Maybe back to the time you were wearing dippers.”

WHAAAAAAT!? I flinched back as if a small, but venomous spider had appeared right in front of me. H-How did she know that!?

Once it stops next to her, the book opens on its own, and all it takes is for her eyes to fall on the invisible content for that creepy smile to disappear. What’s left is a clear look of confusion, “You seemed tensed at what you saw.” Part of that unsettling smile returns, “And here I felt it was something that could give us a glimpse to your past.”

You say it like if it’s actually going to help me with my other problem, but you were actually going to invade personal privacy! With that said in my head, – not that it will ever matter though – the temperature on my cheeks began cooling down.

She puffs her cheeks, turns her head to the side as the book floats back towards me, “You could have stopped me. I used the frailest magic to levitate your book. Poking it would have been enough to break the spell.”

…That’s where Pebbles learned when to puff her cheeks. I still haven’t gotten over the weirdness of a world filled with ponies, and the concept of magic as well, to immediately realize what just occurred. …D-Did she just, did Fauna just-

“IIIT’S PACKING TIIIIME!!!”

Sensitive or not, this one was right in my ear, making both my heart and body jump from their place. My body ends up colliding with the ground, shoulder first (thankfully didn’t break any bones), and my heart is beating three times its normal pulse.

I rolled to my back to look at the little brown pony on the table. Pebbles is wearing a bright-blue celeste colored scarf. The same color as the trees in the only forest I ever ran for my life – and I pray for that experience to never happen again.

“Pack up! We are Leaaa~ving!” She finishes with a gingery smile; her eyes staring back at me expectantly.

First, I press a hoof down on my chest to keep my heart from bursting out. Second, I take a deep breath through my mouth to revive my voice. “What is this - ,” from the depths of my stomach, the once chugged soup is fighting its way up towards the exit. I managed to fight it midway in the throat and re-swallow it back down. Just to be on the safe side, I put a hoof – the one that was on my chest – on my mouth in case it tried to come up, but instead of coming back up, it left two things behind: an aftertaste that makes me want to puke willingly this time, and my least favorite of all, pain.

Pebbles is still looking at me, waiting, and unlike me, she has life in her eyes and a body that will get stronger with the years.

I was able to conquer the disgusting taste left behind to finally uncover my mouth, but still remained lying on the floor to repose better, “We are…leaving?” My pulse has nearly returned to normal.

She shakes her head excitedly while repeating “Yeah yeah yeah” for about two or three seconds. Then she continues without much physical movement, other than her mouth, “This is the day where we finally leave Lostshine Forest and go somewhere else.”

I was about to ask why they are leaving, but I remembered the reason, and experienced it, “Nightmare Moon.” I spoke the name as soon as I thought of it. “That’s the…pony we are trying to escape from.”

I don’t know when, but at some point after saying the name Nightmare Moon, Pebbles smile banished to reveal the grimmest, most serious expression I ever seen in someone so young. I thought I seen a lot, but her icy hollowed glare puts me on the edge of another mental breakdown – where I faint at cause of my inability to cope with the problems.

“What we are escaping…is this place.” I blinked in surprise, and that’s the only response I can do at this point, “The forest that reeks of death.”

People go through hell in occasions, that’s just life, but what I gone through in a few hours is not something life would normally use to torture someone. Why? Why is my life like this? Why can’t I wake up one time and say the day will turn out boring or normal?

Waking up in a foreign land can be fixed by finding a way back home – even being stuck in a different world, since there was a way to get in, then there is a way to get out. Being chased by someone means to run nonstop; to keep moving until you can’t run no more. But the unknown, I don’t know how to deal with that. Its unpredictable; one’s insecurities are easily revealed in the most hectic of situations. And what she just said I don’t understand. It’s impossible for me to handle something I don’t get.

Pebbles blinks, and in that short span of milliseconds, her gingerly smile returns with a lively tone in her eyes, “Get ready~. Leaving somepony behind is never good.” She closes her eyes and tilts her head, “For mine and mommy’s conscience, and for your well-being as well.”

~*~

It was almost a wasted struggle, but I finally managed to place a hoof on the table, and pull myself up from the ground.

Panting, and half-dazed after the experience with Pebbles, which could have given me a heart attack, I took on a resting position.

A cheek placed on the table with my han-hoofs on it as well. What other choice do I have? None, that’s the answer. I have to…I have no other choice but to go with them. They can…keep me safe. I am not ashamed to admit it, but there is no way I can survive on my own.

With that set in my mind, I pushed myself up to stand on my hind legs – with the support from the table, it wasn’t too difficult. I only did so to get my body active, lying down on the floor for so long made me want to sleep once more and not care what happens anymore. And standing on all fours feels…unnatural, like if I am a costume that was made for someone bigger than me.

Then I noticed it, after my attention shifted from the uncomfortableness of my body, to what is plainly lying in front of me. My book, opened.

…F-Fauna…she did put this after…Pebbles screamed at my ear. A cold shiver runs from my flickering ears down to my spine. If a single second of that memory made me tremble, I won’t dare to remember the rest.

I took notice of the pages, because all I have to do is glance to see that - …What? …When?

After I faced the nightmare of Sunshine Forest, I knew what to do next.

W-when did this…when did this get written? To make things even more odd, that’s the only text I can find out of all the pages. And I mean no matter how many pages I turn over, I am greeted by the same white surface.

The Lost Boy - Forked Road

(??? POV)

The forest’s breeze carries an aromatic scent that only unpolluted nature can provide. Its refreshing, intoxicating scent can pull anyone into a comforting nap, especially with the soft bed grass with its equally soft ground underneath it.

Tempting…just tempting… I kept my gaze forward, staring at the endless amount of blue celeste colored trees that reach over a six-story house. What do I do now? I may not show it, but at this moment, I am stressed over my incapability to decide, troubled at how this body reflects how I looked as a human, and scarred for God knows how long I will stay like this.

Why is it so hard to decide? The safest thing for me to do is go with Fauna and Pebbles. …I can’t…survive on my own.

After I faced the nightmare of Sunshine Forest, I knew what to do next.

Those words hadn’t left my mind when I read them. How did they even get there? Did Fauna…no, why would she…it doesn’t make sense!

A mental debate raged on inside my head. The existence of those words probably don’t even matter. They don’t make sense to begin with. the nightmare of Sunshine Forest. That part alone is the whole reason it doesn’t make sense.

This is Lostshine Forest! Fauna and Pebbles keep saying it is! …But…but then who wrote this. This book-

A sharp, long jolt of pain suddenly passes through my head; I lowered it immediately, pressed a hoof on it to suppress the pain and closed my eyes.

W-Why…why does it hurt So Much!? My hoof began to tremble, and so did my head. Then the book I been carrying in my left saddlebag feels heavier; its presence becoming more known.
Then, just as suddenly, it stops. I open my eyes with surprisingly no difficulty, and raise my head with equal ease. What? I pondered as I moved my hoof back down, That was…what was that? In any kind of headache, there is usually a small warning of it coming, and afterwards, leaves a small throbbing sensation as a remainder of the pain.

Why does this day have to keep getting weirder and weirder? I can feel my saddlebag weighting slightly more than usual. Before, when I was about to collapse on the ground and curl in a shameful fetal position, the book felt like rocks with more being added. I get a feeling that I should take one tiny peek inside, look at the text again and see if the words were made-up by my mind or not. Now I am becoming weird. Yet, I have this nudging sensation to check the book. It’s the only thing I can call a belonging. How did I get it? Why do I even have it in the first place? Question after question, and this book might have the answers if I-

My entire body shivers as a cold trail is left on my back after a sharp, rough point brushes by it.

W-what? Even my thoughts are quivering from whatever caused the sudden chill.

*Gulp* I turn my head as slowly as I possibly can, and shuddering while doing so. What greets me are giant white fangs with a purple mist hovering around it. My first thoughts were blank as the sound of my heartbeats intensified, and when its sharpened teeth grew, heartbeats are all that resonates in my ears.

I turn around in a single heartbeat and take more than ten steps back in the next few. *Pant* *Pant* *Pant* *Pant* H-h-h-h-hyperventilating, I am Hyperventilating!!! *Pant* *Pant* T-t-that thing! W-what is- *Pant* *Pant* Finishing thoughts became too arduous.

“I might have gone a bit too far on this one,” to the side of the floating monstrosity, the head of a green unicorn comes out into view with a gleeful smile.

There is a blue light surrounding her horn, and when it dims out, the phantom-like mouth dissipates as a black fog, revealing a broken, leafless brown branch that falls without much resistance. “Being a unicorn doesn’t mean I can use every type of magic, but a simple illusion spell is something even the youngest of the Brightwood family can perform.”

M-magic, s-s-spells, shouldn’t surprise me in a world with unicorns, but now-*PantPantPantPant* If that thing out there doesn’t kill me, I am probably going to die from fright instead.

As I continued the fight to lower my breathing, Fauna started walking towards me. And once she got close, the next thing she does is place a firm hoof on my chest.

Her smile never faltered, staying there as if to comfort me. *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* The sound of my heartbeats are still very strong, but its not racing like before, and my breathing has relaxed.

This…actually…feels nice. It’s hard to describe, but it’s almost like waking up after a long, restful nap. Like if now I can tackle any sort of problem, big and small, without much worry of failing, That’s a first one.

“It’s natural to be scared.” The way she spoke, so calm, in such a gentle tone that relaxes my tensed body – all this worrying is not good for someone like me. “You are here all alone, and I can tell it’s in a place you never been before.”

I immediately moved my gaze to the grass below, You don’t know how right you are. Of course, there is more than that, a lot more problems that I might never solve.

“You and I are very much alike; I, for one, am lucky to remember three names. As for the rest I hold dear, I cannot fathom why recalling them is impossible.” What she just said brought my wide-eyed gaze back to her.

“The world sure is cruel on us, don’t you think? We remember they exist, but we don’t know how to call those ponies that were once close to us. …Maybe…it’s a punishment for waiting and hoping time would fix everything.”

That smile and those words really don’t go together, but coming from her, it makes me feel better.

Fauna closes her eyes and lets out a small giggle, “Hehehe. In difficult times, Flora would go on yelling for everypony to remain strong, that as long as we have each other, we can always pull through.”

Each…other? Those words ring heavily in my mind, At least they had each other. Me… my eyes travel to the side this time. I always need someone to be strong.

“For someone who’s lost almost everything, what do you have left?” I lazily move my eyes to meet with hers.

“What?” I replied with the little enthusiasm I have. *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* The sound of my heartbeats makes my eyelids rise from their tired state.

“Where do you draw your strength? I have Pebbles with me. What do you have?”

Me? …All I have…is me. At the end of that thought, I lower my gaze to the grass beneath me. *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* Something is tugging at my chest, and surprisingly, it isn’t pain; it is the opposite. Every heartbeat is strong, loud and clear. My heart, that was frightened more than once in this already crazy day, is still beating; it’s still functioning.

“The answer is inside you, and in every other pony.” *Thump* My ears perked up a little, and by genuine interest, decided to meet her gaze again *Thump*. “Life,” one word, only one word to get my ears completely perked up and my eyes wide as circles (I must look dumb right now), “use that to move forward, and before you know it, you will find somepony else to draw your strength from.”

*Thump* *thump* *thump* Silence followed, but not the hollowed kind of sound, instead, it’s a peaceful emptiness. A rare occasion that will probably happen once in my lifetime. I…this is… I hardly know what to think, but right now that’s good. I want this inner peace to continue.

After a light nod she says “I will leave you with your peace now.” She then removes her hoof from my chest and heads back to her little home, which is only a few yards away from us.

I didn’t say anything, – I didn’t want to anyways – but I am curious about something. It isn’t bothering me like I have to know it no matter what, but it did have me thinking.

Fauna stops midway to her home. Instead of turning around to face me, she only turns her head. She speaks with a caring smile and a gentle light on her deep blue eye, “I had to get your heart beating faster. That’s all.”

“That’s why you scared me with the giant fangs, but couldn’t you have done something else?” As to why I asked that question, probably the peacefulness in my head is affecting me.

Her smile drops, and she stares at me in what I can assume is in deep thought. Fauna turns around and walks towards me in a few seconds of silence. She keeps a normal pace as she gets closer until she stops in front of me.

Our faces are a few inches apart as we continued to stare at one another. We blinked occasionally, but that was it.

Then her eyes close before she leans forward.

What is she- her nose brushes against mine, finally giving an obvious clue even an unexperienced man like myself can understand. !!!!???? No mental debate, no thought, only reaction.

I backpedaled at full speed, and when my rear touched a recognizable hard wood, I scurried on to my hind legs and placed my back firmly on the tree. My cheeks burn intensely, – first time I even use the word intensely – my mouth agape as my lips quiver, and eyes as wide open as they can be. Sh-sh-sh-sh-she almost-she almost! Loud and strong heartbeats echo in my eardrums, but it’s not beating as fast like when she used that…illusionary spell.

At least my eyes work to see Fauna’s small smile, “It’s not the same, but now I really need to get inside my home. Since we are not coming back, I want to make sure nothing with sentimental value gets left behind.”

With that said, she turns around and heads back to her home. It took her a few seconds to get to the door, but it took me a minute to slow down my heartbeat and for the hot sensation on my cheeks to banish. I…I will try to forget that ever happened. That little voice in my head sounded shaken.

“Over here! Helloo!?” I shifted my eyes from the house to a wagon not far on its left. Its carrying a mountain of small bags with an equally small brown pony on the top. She smiles giddily and waves a hoof at me, “Come and talk to me! I promise I will make it fun!”

*Gulp* I remember the last time Pebbles and I talked; from between a scary and horrifying experience, I say scarred for life is the best way to describe how I came out of that.

Still…I should go talk to her, I don’t know where those words came from really, but I hardly gave it any thought. Actually, the words just…manifested as gently as the breeze caressing my face – cheesiest simile I ever used, and hopefully the last in my life. ...I really have no idea what’s going on with me.

Following the suggestion I made for myself, I went back down on all fours and walked towards the primitive vehicle.

On the way, Pebbles jumps from the peak of bagged goods to land near the wagon’s edge,. Regardless, I had to look up to meet her sky blue eyes.

“Soooo, how did it go~?” Her cheerful tone is very pleasant to hear. Unlike before when I didn’t really appreciate it.

“You mean when she scared me or afterwards?”

“Both!” she presses her front hooves on the wooden rim and waits for a reply.

“You mean…both?” I raised an eyebrow, “She’s your-” the disrespect I showed made me flinch, and when I opened my eyes I corrected myself, “Fauna is your mother, so you should know about that…illusionary spell.” Spell, it sounds foreign, difficult to pronounce the first (second, third, etc.) time until it becomes familiar.

It might be some kind of magic, – or I am going nuts with all this inner peace – because I can see a small dazzle in her eyes when her smile widened. She looks like…one of those cheery kids in TV.

“But she never does the whole thing on me, only the illusion spell to scare me at night and put me to sleep.”

That smile and those words really don’t go together, …Like, her mother. I guess family resembles one another in some way. …Family. That word made me think back to that man – my brother. I…prefer not to be like him.

“Are…you okay?”

I found myself staring at the grass, so I quickly moved my gaze up to see Pebbles’ saddened expression.

Sh-she saw me like that! I shook those thoughts away and returned to my neutral demeanor. “Y-yeah, I-I am okay.” I wished to say I am okay with full confidence, but no matter how I looked at it-NO! I will be okay! A-as long as I stay strong, I will be okay.

My expression must have changed with how I am feeling, because Pebble’s smile, the one full of life, slowly came back, “Good. It’s not my talent to solve other ponies’ turmoils.”
“T-talent?”

After a nod and a “Yes,” a few seconds pass until her eyes widen and she gasps exaggeratedly, “Gaasp!” Hard to tell if she is seriously surprised or just playing with me, “Nooo, you sound like…you have no clue what a cutie mark is?” I shook my head in response. How she responds is with another overly-done gasp with a hoof on her mouth, “Gaaasp! I had like no idea!”

I could feel my left eye twitching, Is she…seriously talking to me like that? “So you heard Fauna and I talk.”

Pebbles looks away and scratches her cheek, “I don’t pry on others’ conversations. That’s not the kind of pony my mother raised me to be!” During the entire time she said it, she had an undeniable sheepish smile.

“So, how did you know.”

“Weeell,” her hoof moves back down to the wooden rim, “you know.” “Oh,” she moves her gaze on me, “Remember when you were trying to eat, you couldn’t lift that spoon no matter what. And when you said illusionary spell, its illusion spell. I-L-L-U-S-I-O-N spell.”

I…don’t care if I spell it wrong. …Did I seriously just make…God what has happened to me?

“And you forgot a lot of names, so I thought-”

“You did hear us!” I felt something odd in my left foreleg; I barely had to look down to see it’s been raised, with the hoof pointing at the brown pony. I moved it back down – even I have some manners.

Pebbles gives me her outmost nonchalant smile, “About that cutie mark,” I knew she was trying to change the subject, but I am curious about that…cutie mark she mentioned, so I let her go one with that cheerful tone. “A cutie mark represents the special talent of a pony. Each pony has one, at least when they discover what their special talent is.”

“So cutie mark is another word for…special talent.”

The shake from her head means I’m wrong, “There’s more to that.” She raises her head to have a straight vision at the sky, but when I tried following her gaze, I only see a dark green covering the stars or the bright sun – still have no clue what time it is. “Cutie marks are like the stars, don’t you think so too?”

Stars, the small lights that appear on every night sky. One of those simple things in life; they will always be there when the night comes, but now, they are probably blocked by all those leaves.

“Somepony can stare at the sky all they want, but they will never get to see all the stars. Because maybe some of them are hiding, waiting until it’s the right time to shine.”

It shouldn’t strike me as odd that Pebbles used the word shine like Fauna, I can use it too and that won’t make me like them. But it’s how she used it.

“This picture was taken when Flora and I were just fillies, but even then, our elders expected us to…outshine what the Brightwood family has accomplished so far.”

To shine…at the right time; maybe I am overthinking it. I wouldn’t put it past me to do that.

“Cutie Marks are like that; they are so many, and when you think you found them all, there will be another that pops up. Ponies are like that as well. Ponies, stars, cutie marks, there are so many of them sometimes I think they are endless. But how do you tell somepony apart from the other millions? All you have to do is look a bit closer. Imagine the stars.”

To make it easier for me, I did as she said. I began imagining, and like that, stars appeared one by one under the fake sky.

“By names alone, you can’t point a hoof at a star and say it’s that one. It’s the same as saying I know somepony because I know their name.” As if her words carried some sort of impact into my mind, the stars began spreading, giving each other some space that is filled with pitch blackness. “To know somepony, you have to spend time with them. You get to see their little quirks after a while and tease them about it. Like the stars, you get to see which one of them is the shyest by how much they shine.” Some stars gotten a white gleam as she spoke, while others had a brighter glow as she finished. “But cutie marks are the most obvious to see; it symbolizes our place in life. For us, the Brightwood family, that would be where the cosmos are the closest to each other. That is exactly where we would be.”

Cosmos, those lights in the sky other than the stars. I seen them in books, but why-

“One of the things we loved the most was staying connected to everything. Nature, ponies, the sky. Never favoring one over the other, always watching how everything grew before our eyes, and the lights around the cosmos are a good example. Even if it takes time, the lights change, but they are always beautiful, always bright, inspiring us to give new life to the wood. That’s where it all started, our family’s name Brightwood, and our duty.”

Without putting the slightest of efforts, oceans of different lights started to manifest behind the white lights. Soon, the new lights gathered into individual colors with some form of wavy shape, separated by a black, but now lively space, or hovering around the boundary of another color.

If I only had one to describe the perfect night sky, I say it’s breathtaking.

Is this…am I…Is this really in my imagination? Am I really seeing this? Fake and true, pictures and reality. For me, pictures are fake because they can never match to reality - the truth. All I seen are pictures, fakes, so why is all that there?

“My mom’s special talent is to perceive ponies’ emotions.” After minutes of staring at made up cosmos and stars, I lowered my head down to meet Pebble’s gaze. “Like a doctor’s job, she looks inside somepony and fixes them.” Her eyes avert to the side as her smile shrinks, “Mom mentioned it helps when the heart of a pony moves faster, something about the emotions becoming like a cascade coming from the soul.”

I understood the last part, about the soul/emotion stuff; not entirely explaining how that talent could read minds, like a few hours ago, but maybe Fauna is very…talented at what she does. But the simile she used, I don’t see how it’s the same. …A psychiatrist makes more sense.

“Sorry,” she smiles as if to lighten the mood, “starting with my mom’s cutie mark would have been better than talking about stars, ponies and cosmos, but mom and I don’t get many visitors, so even we get lonely at times.”

Again, that smile and those words don’t match; it is creepy if I think of it too much.
“So are you going or are you coming with us, mister?”

“What?” After all she said, I wasn’t sure if she was going to ask a question, “Um, well…I…I…” I thought this was settled, but…then…why do I feel… My eyes ventured to the side.

“You could go out there and face Nightmare Moon.” The moment my eyes widened, I instantly moved them back on Pebbles. “I tried guessing what you and mom were talking about, but what I am sure is that it sounded important.” She sits on one of the bags, but, unlike a human would or when we sat on the stools, she leans forward with her hooves placed on the bag. “And nothing is more important than escaping. You can always come with us,” she leaves a small pause, probably to add suspense, “ooor, go face Nightmare Moon.”

Who would go for the latter? Even if I hadn’t met…encountered Nightmare Moon, I wouldn’t go and face someone with the word Nightmare in their name. I calmed down knowing what the safest option is.

“Be sure of what you want, because there are no second chances.”

I stood still for a moment. From a statement like that, and coming from a little pony, it made me…weary of what I should say, “…If I go and face Nightmare Moon, I am not going to have a second chance at living.”

Her head bends down, but not the enough since I can see her eyes move to the side when she leans away from me, Is she…putting distance between us?

“You have to know. If you come with us, you might never learn anything of what you want.” The meaning in her words sent a quick jolt down my spine, “Where we are going, is for us to find the rest of our family. To see if they are okay. We never made plans for detours or include another pony.”

That’s the same as saying I came late to make the changes I wanted. Why does this sound like school and its deadlines? I can feel how a frown shapes my facial expression.

“Both options give you the same chances at finding what you want. I don’t know if you can survive against Nightmare Moon, but all mom and I are going to do is find the rest of our family. After that,” Her eyes move to meet mine while her head is still lowered, “we planned to rest for a long time.”

I simply didn’t understand the last part. Why couldn’t they just drop me off in a safe place after escaping? Why can’t they help me after they rest? Maybe this is their way of saying, You are a stranger to us, and BTW, do you think we believe your story of ‘I have no memory’. If I was in their shoe-hooves, I wouldn’t have believed the odd pony who I found on the woods.

“Want my advice?” the lively tone of Pebbles returned, along with that bright smile after she brought her head up. “Give it your best, because there are never second chances.”

How many times have these ponies said something that surprised me? And how many times have I stared and listened?

“Chances come and go like the pebbles you throw at a lake, so you want to make the best of it. To never hesitate even when it’s a small chance. I mean, that’s what life is. You can make your life whatever you want, but it starts when you pick a direction, and the rest comes from a good swing of enthusiasm.” She brings her hoof up, and swings it to the side with the strength to turn it into a brown blur for an instance.

What am I supposed to say? What am I supposed to even think at this point? These ponies just…the way they keep talking…only my brother talked to me like that, but when they do it, it’s like if I have a choice.

“AAAAAAHHH!” The scream alone made me jump, but seeing Pebbles holding her head with a hoof and her eyes shrouded with fear is a dreadful sight.

Author's Note

Friendly reminded, this was going to be one chapter entirely, but I had to divided into three parts instead. The next two should be up by tomorrow, but since I finished proofreading this one, I thought I should at least post something.

The Lost Boy - Dark Sentiments

(??? POV)

“W-W-W-W-What is it?!” You are a man, so act like one! I caught myself from shuddering, but the stuttering I did proved how unprepared I was.

“I-I can’t believe it. Why was I so blind? I…I…” she closes her eyes, as if bracing herself for the worst, “I am turning into my mother!”

I am surprised, yet again, but for a different reason, “…What?” A blunt question with a dull tone. Is it because they both talk for a long time?

Her panicked state becomes replaced by a calm demeanor as she plays with her tied hair, “Maybe this is good.” Her eyes move up to a corner, “Mommy’s hair is so smooth, like a foal’s hair. Sometimes, I see my reflection on her hair when the light is just right.”

“They say that becoming the leader, no matter the occupation, puts a hefty stress on the pony,” I stopped myself from jumping, - second time Fauna almost made me jump like a scaredy-cat – but still ended up standing on the tip of my hooves. “If you really want to become in any way similar to me, then you might find yourself standing up for other ponies that are in need. Are you truly ready to face those adversities of life?”

Only then did I lower myself down to stand normally, and finding Fauna was easy afterwards, since she was a few feet away from my left. But her eyes are fixed on the little brown pony that smiles back eagerly.

“Hahahaha, I will have to say no,” she raises a hoof up, then her eyes narrow with something I seen countless of times: determination, “But someday, I will be ready. I will make you and many other ponies proud!”

“Remember, its best when you are the first to value your own actions. Not the other way around.”

I could’ve listened in to more, but I remained staring at Pebble’s raised hoof. Just the way she is using it right now, it’s the same to how humans raise a fist.

My attention is drifted to whatever is pressing lightly on my shoulder, so when my gaze fell on the green hoof, I moved it up to a pair of gentle blue eyes, “Have you decided on where you will go?”

My eyes instinctively moved downwards, I decided to go with you and Pebbles. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t bring the words past the lump in my throat, Any person with any bit of sanity would say the same thing. ...But then why…why am I…

“How about finding a reason first?” Her voice alone managed to pull my eyes back up, “Even if it’s a simple reason, such as following your instincts, as long as there is something that guides you, the path forward will remain straight until it’s time to learn something new.”

Reason…learning…and a path, I never had any of those, and I won’t pretend I have them now.

After I faced the nightmare of Sunshine Forest, I knew what to do next.

The words appeared naturally in my head, as if I been reciting them all this time.

As naturally as the words came, my eyelids went down in a slow, fluent motion. A lot has happened to me. I turned into a pony, in a world that is full of ponies and God knows what else. I rolled down a hill…and it hurt the enough to make me faint. I can’t even remember the name of my brother or my own…do I have parents? How much do I still remember? Am I even a human?

I felt something press lightly on my chest, and then it came. *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* Every heartbeat becomes stronger than the previous one. Not because it is beating stronger, but because my ears are…focusing more on them somehow. It is strange, even to me.

“You are still alive,” Fauna’s tone, at least for me, is relaxing, “isn’t that enough reason to push forward?”

I forced my eyes open – surprised it was so difficult – and the first thing I see is not the hoof on my chest or her soft gaze, but her motherly smile.

“I said this before, but I will say it one last time.” Her hoof moves back down, then she walks past me with an intoxicating scent of nature entering my nose, “As long as you are alive, you have the enough reason to push forward. That’s, your first lesson. What you do next is for you to decide.”

“…” speechless, I am quite familiar with that word, but strangely, that has not been the case lately. …I am…still alive. What is living? To exist or to have a purpose…maybe both? …I am…still alive. The noises of footsteps echoing in a hallway buzz in my ears, and the shadowy images of male and female students walking in it appear in my mind. …I am…still alive. Does it have to do with having friends…or maybe-

“How long are you gonna keep me waiting?”

T-That voice! It was hard to believe, but when I looked up, I can see an eighteen year old teen in his school uniform – a brown buttoned shirt covering his athletic buildup as the rest of his attire are black slacks and black formal shoes. No matter how much I tried to look up, my vision can never get past the collar of his shirt. “B-Brother?” I can feel how my lips turn into a crooked smile – funny how when I express the most sincere of emotions, some part of my face contorts in a bizarre way.

“If you want to act all weird, it’s fine by me, but can you at least do it on the way to school?” He extends his arm towards me with an open hand, “You are hopeless, you know that?” I can almost see his grin at this point, “We have a long day ahead of us, and the only way to get the best of it is if we move soon.”

Like if strings are pulling my movements, my arm rises on its own and is pulled closer to my big brother’s hand. And when I thought it was impossible to get surprised for the hundred time this day, my own frail hand rises into sight, inching closer before finally hovering next to his.

And in a flash, quite literally, my hand turned back into the black foreleg of that pony, my brother is gone, and in his place is Fauna’s wagon with a mountain of bags on it. Everything has reverted back.

My twisted smile sank down before I recognized what just happened, …What…happened, Or at least I tried.

I looked at my hoof and everything that’s behind it; it genuinely looks slimmer compared to Fauna. I don’t blame them for thinking I was a girl; I blame myself actually. Its my body after all, I am responsible for how it looks.

What am I doing? I placed my hoof on the ground. What am I complaining about? I can feel my gaze narrowing as I stared forward instead of letting it go down. If he were here, he tell me to stop moping over my own weaknesses and start moving. If this was him, he would have already found an exit out of this forest. And what have I done? Redundant question, I done nothing; I waited for Fauna to take me out of this nightmarish forest. I am still alive! I don’t know how far I will get, but I…but I… This moment of epiphany is new to me. My heart races, – not because I am scared – and even if other memories are gone, I am sure this is the first time I experience this.

I closed my eyes tightly as my head hunched a little, then my body began to shake, I…I…I… “I WANT TO DO THIS ON MY OWN!!!” I screamed the words before my mind could even form them. I was…living in the moment.

*Pant* *Pant* *Pant* *Pant* I blinked a few times, just noticing I had my eyes open, and just noticing the dark green sky in the center of my vision.

“The last time I heard somepony screaming like that, was after he received treatment by mommy.” I lowered my head down to meet her eyes, “Mommy has that effect on ponies. Makes them feel different.”

Effect? I think I feel different. …No, I do feel different! My chest is more puffed out, my back has straightened and my eyes aren’t wandering to the ground like they usually do. I, I can do this. I – my eyes drifted off to the left – Maybe it’s better to start after Fauna drops me in some town or something. …I do want to stay alive.

I cringed at my own thoughts, closing my eyes then reopening them with my gaze focused forward, NO! I…I have a reason to go…I-

After I faced the nightmare of Sunshine Forest, I knew what to do next.

Yes, listen to a strange book that for a strange reason I have. In this strange world full of ponies with strange magic and God knows what else is strange in this place.

After I faced the nightmare of Sunshine Forest, I knew what to do next.

Those words have been engraved in my mind. Fauna and Pebbles didn’t write this…at least I think; they don’t look like the type to pull a joke like this and not tell me. …No, they aren’t those kind of peop-ponies, they aren’t those kind of ponies.

After solving that issue, everything else came together on its own, I had a reason to go all this time,…but I was too scared to admit I had one. I learned…that I am still alive; I have…someone waiting for me, and that maybe he…no, I am sure he wouldn’t have waited. I am not sure about that straight path, but all I have to do is walk, and eventually I will get out of this forest…and eventually…maybe, in some years…get back to my… I can almost see it in my mind’s eye; that red door of our house swings open, and there he is, standing with his eyes covered in pure disbelief as they begin to water. Then he pulls me into a brotherly embrace because for two reasons.

He hadn’t seen me for years, and he didn’t want me to see him cry, “Idiot! *Sob * You are back home. *Sob *…You are actually back home.” His voice is cracking for the first time.

Big brother…actually crying… It’s no exaggeration that image of him made me tremble. W-What am I doing?! I-I already decided what to do!

“Hehehehe,” I looked over the wagon and didn’t see Pebbles, “hehehehe.” But to my right…
“Hehe, I am sorry, but hehe,” her head is pointing to the side with a hoof over her snout, “its been an eternity when I last saw this. The internal struggle, the resolution to move on your own, and the light in your eyes.” She turns her head, her lively eyes staring at me with a bright smile to match it, “Go on already. You made a decision, right? Then go and see your brother.”

I can feel a small smile, an actual gentle smile, creeping up on me. After a nod, I turned around, but to what direction? Right now I know I have to get home, as to where that is, it can be anywhere, so I began running forward with an unshakable resolution.

That’s right, I have a brother to se- I pressed my front hooves down and skid to stop s-s-see? Sweat formed on my forehead as that crocked smile appeared again, “D-D-Did you sayyyy,” I managed to turn my head even when my neck stiffened, “I have to go meet my brother?” How did she knew that?!

“Yup! You were” she raised a hoof and extended it forward as if to reach something “…brother.”

My cheeks started to heat up faster than last time, up to the point where my entire face is on fire. And how am I so sure of this? Pebbles’ growing laugh is all I need.

“HahahaheheheHaHaHa” she falls to her side and clutches her stomach as if where to burst open “HahahaHaHa, forgive me, but Hehehe Haha, but it brings back so many good memories.” Tears of joy downpour her cheeks like none I seen before. “HeHeHeHeHeHeHe hahaha hahaha. I – hehehehe – I won’t forget you; I – hahahaha – I pro – hahahahaha – mise.”

“C-C-C-Can you do me one favor please. J-Just…don’t tell anybody about these.”

“D – hahaha – Don’t worry.” That laugh-fest she had ended, for the most part. Pebbles gets up and brushes tears off her cheeks, “I have no idea who anybody is, but we promise.” She added a strange emphasis on the ‘we’ part, and as if to clear her point, she moves her raised hoof forward and does a circular motion with it.

Simple enough gesture for me to understand; I turned around and almost meet eye-to-eye with Fauna, …at this point, I don’t care how she got behind me. Sounds rude, but she already done this before.

Her eyes close, and she leans in closer as her snout heads directly into mine.

Unlike before, I immediately felt a cold breeze before backpedaling in full speed. I zoomed past Pebbles, then felt the cold hard surface of the carriage. With my exit blocked, I scurried to my hind legs and leaned back on the carriage. *PantPantPantPant* “T-T-That is Getting Old!” third of it was shouted with anger, half of it with the embarrassment I am feeling, and the rest was utter exhaustion.

Fauna’s response is a light giggle as she tilts her head to the side.

“Mommy, no fair! Why do you get to tease him?” Pebbles points a hoof at me as she gives her mom a ‘menacing’ glare.

“Since he is about to leave, I might as well give him a proper goodbye.”

“Moooom!” she puffs her cheeks and gives her a pout, “It’s not fair you get to tease him when I can’t, and we both know you weren’t about to kiss him.”

Her words cause Fauna’s eyes to widen; her green hoof moves up to press against her lower lip, “Really?” An air of innocence is created around her as her words are softer than usual, “Maybe I am just feeling lonely and I –” She is cut off by her own sudden outburst of laughter.

I tried giving her my own ‘menacing’ glare, but my lips quivered, a few sweat-drops rolled down my face, and honestly, I am astonished by what I am seeing.

Pebbles blocks her own mouth with hoof, then her shoulders and head trouble until “Hahahahahahahaha!”

Her laughing-fit begins again, and where I stand at this? As a spectator witnessing a moment shared between a mother and daughter, Is a family supposed to act like this? ...If so, what about mine? How was I with mine? …Nothing came to mind to answer, only a cold blank.

My heartbeat has slowed down; I looked down at the grass for a moment before narrowing my gaze. I placed my hooves back on the ground and began to walk to them.

When Fauna caught sight of me, her laughter, and Pebbles, slowly died out, but their smiles still remained. “I see you came to a decision, but I hope Pebbles and I didn’t force you into it.”

I stopped close to her, – almost too close for my own good – “N-No, I…” My gaze naturally shifted to the grass, but I forced them to look straight into her eyes again, “I-I learned I have to make my own decisions; I can’t wait for some” I paused, thinking of the right word, “somepony to make that decision for me. I…I don’t know if it’s the right one, but I…I have to try. I…I want to see if I am wrong or not.”

“But is proving yourself right what’s motivating-”

I shook my head, then my gaze went down on its own, probably because I cut her sentence midway, “I…I have my reasons.” It’s because I am listening to this book that I don’t remember ever getting. That’s a ‘sane’ answer…but…but I have that with me for some reason, right? …Why else would I have it?

“He he he he he,” when I look at her again, she nods as if…approving of me! Actually approving! “I wouldn’t have believed you grown so much if I hadn’t seen it for myself, but it would be for the better.” She stops talking, but I didn’t understand why until I saw her hoof rise into my sight. It moved closer to my face, and then…I flinched. I flinched, the moment she touched my forehead; her hoof moved back, then slowly, cautious not to scare me like before, it inches closer.

…It took time, but finally, my eyes widened. It is as surreal as the moment I first opened my eyes in this forest, yet it feels too real, too warm and kind to the touch. Her caressing my unorderly bangs is like a rare dream I never want to wake from. “The next time we see each other, can you promise to show me how much you grown?”

I nodded without hesitation or even wondering if there is going to be a next time, but before I could question myself, I was pulled…into a hug.

My head rested comfortably on her neck, just under her head, as I could only stare dumbfounded at the trees.

“It’s all right,” I trembled under her soothing tone. “I am not letting you go until you say so.”

*THUMP* I could hear my heartbeat again, but this time is different. Its more than a sound, it is also…pain. That’s an understatement; it’s more like my emotions are running wild with anger, loneliness, desperation, and the last, what I can only describe as the cold hand of death. And the scariest part is I don’t know where it all came; it’s just there.

My chest rose up and down as my breathing quickened. *PantPantPant*

“Hey! I wanna join too.” Something pressed against my neck as – I am pretty sure – a hoof also pressed around it. I looked down to see Pebbles – the side of her head resting on my neck, and her other hoof around Fauna’s neck (a little under where my head is as she had to jump in order to do this, leaving her suspended in the air).

W…what are they doing? …Why are they acting so strange? …W-Why am I acting so strange? I bit my lower lip in a failed attempt to stop my jaw from trembling. W-Why? Why?! A hot tear rolled down my cheek, Why?! Why does it hurt so much?! My vision blurred by the water surrounding it.

Soon, I couldn’t contain it any longer. …I cried. I cried until it didn’t hurt any longer. …No, it wasn’t crying. I was…wailing, embarrassingly so.

~*~

I finally managed to wipe off the dry tears that accumulated on my cheeks and under my eyes, That…was embarrassing. I hope that never happens again. With drama and wailing done, I fixed my gaze to the trees ahead, I…wasted enough time. …Not wasted, but…I should have done this a long time ago.

“The longer you wait, the harder it will be to walk alone.” I turn around and see Fauna a few feet away – and Pebbles opening and closing some of the bags in the carriage.

“Y-Yeah, I was just…” Thinking of how I wasted my time here when you were the ones who saved me. That’s not what I want to say. I… My gaze momentarily shifted to the side, “I…I…”

“You’re welcome.”

I blinked once, “Huh? You…knew?” Shouldn’t be surprised anymore…but, she did surprise me with that second…‘kiss’.

After a nod, she continues, “I have two last things to tell you, but if you’re bored of constantly hearing me rambling, you are more than free to leave.”

I knew what she did there, even I am not that dumb. My lips turned into an awkward smile, T-That is not really fair. “Um…I was…still going to listen.”

A light giggle escapes her, “Relax. I won’t force you listen if you are not really interested.”

“B-B-But I am really interested! I-I promise!” Any kind of motivation is helpful.

I could feel her stare turning into a glare as her smile didn’t twitch nor falter, “…Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

Every single word stung deeper than the previous one, especially coming from a pony that never showed this kind of subtle anger. But that heavy atmosphere banished by Fauna’s calm tone.
“I want you to make a second promise to me.”

D-Did she just…what was all that? ‘Surprisingly’ enough, my question went unanswered, or ignored…

“Don’t ever, ever, go back against your word. Think you can do that?”

Not wanting to make her doubt me, I did a quick nod.

“As for the last, it’s a third promise, but this is the most important. Whatever you go through in your journey, and your encounters with the many ponies you will meet, don’t let any of it change who you are.”

“W…what?” That’s a weird promise, but “O-Okay. Well, thanks, for everything.” I was about to turn around, but was stopped by her voice.

“One last thing before you really leave.”

“What!” I could hear an exasperated sigh inside my mind as my ears perked up.

She closed her eyes followed by a light giggle, “This is more of a thank you gift.” Her horn started glowing blue, “Please, take it.” After she finished, a blue light appeared at the corner of my vision.

I turned my head to see the white flower that emanates a soft white light. Up close, I noticed the tip of its long petals curl downwards into a circle. I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it when the flower was placed in my jungle of hair.

Its natural white light is unbelievably delicate to my eyes even when it’s this close.

“Keep that with you,” I turned my head back, but I see her already walking towards her carriage, “may its light shine life when you lost yours. And if its meaning is too complicated to understand, then I will leave you this last remark.” She stops, then turns her head to show me a faithful smile and a small glint in her eye; her hair, glistening a pure emerald, surrounds her in a soft angelic radiance, even giving a mystical shine to her blue eyes.

I...I can’t believe I am saying this, but...she looks gorgeous. Now I know something is wrong with me. I focused on her - on her words - before she noticed I was...distracted.

“One act of bravery is paid by another.”

Her words are simple to understand, but I think they are wasted on someone like me. And being truthful to her word, she resumes her walking without saying anything else.

“Hey! Over here!” I moved my gaze up and see Pebbles checking over some of the bags. “Are you going to leave, oo~ooor” the moment she turns her head, a terrifyingly large grin and taunting eyes manifest too quickly, causing sweat on my face and shivers on my body “are you going to keep looking at my mommy’s buns?”

A very familiar heat gathers on my cheeks, If I get the metaphor right, she means- I look over to Fauna; she is about to put on those strap thingies…harness, that’s what they are called.

When she notices me, the first thing she does is wink, “You are a little too late.”

That’s all what’s needed to make a burning blush ignite so suddenly. I raised both hooves and shook them in protest, “N-N-N-No! No no no no! I-I just-I just” as this, what I like to call, most embarrassing moment (currently number one on the list) is transpiring, I noticed how both my hooves are off the ground. I lower my head down to see them better, Huh, I can actually – gravity soon did its work on me. Pulling my upper body down and crashing chin first. Ow…again, forgot to use my hooves… yet again.

I raised myself up and could already hear childish giggles. “You are too easy to tease. Has anypony told you that?”

“N-No, not really?” Wanting to end my embarrassment as soon as possible, I turned around and began walking to some unknown section of the forest. “Well, goodbye. See ya again, sometime later.”

“Best wishes on your journey,” I could easily recognize Fauna’s warm voice.

“Be good. Don’t be a stranger.” Will be a long time till I hear Pebble’s voice again. A…unique child, but…I will really miss her; she is so full of life.

As I passed the first of the many countless trees, I thought of what they last said, and…something was…odd.

I turned my head. Pebbles is still on top, talking to her mother about something as she began to pull the carriage.

Maybe I am just…never mind. I am just being dumb right now. With nothing left for me here, I gazed back at the mixed horizon of green, blue celeste and darkness.

*Sigh* Why do I feel…like I am actually doing the right choice? Deciding to leave that answer for later, I took the first step out of the many that will take me to get out of Lostshine Forest.

The Lost Boy - Strange Discoveries

(Third POV)

As the black pony walked silently into uncharted area, a violet mist – sparkling like the stars themselves – moves swiftly from the side of the house to a nearby tree. Then it floats from its base to the darkest section above.

(??? POV)

…Now’s the point where I realize there was one important question I should have asked Fauna, and it may as well meant the difference between life…and death.

I forgot to ask for directions! I can feel the tears worthy of a complete moron ready burst out. I can blame this on…me. There is no one else to blame but me.

The negative thoughts kept coming nonstop, but…there is something that happened to slip in. Why didn’t Fauna tell me where to go? That valid questions helped me pull out of my negative state, Fauna knew I have no idea where this place is, much less how to get out. So why didn’t she tell me where to go?

I don’t know them completely, but…I can’t deny this, I do trust them. This isn’t a matter of trust, but of why. …That just now, I actually sounded cool.

I continued on with these new thoughts in mind. Thoughts that relate to Fauna and why she didn’t give me directions, nothing else.

A distant crackling sound makes my legs stop. W-What was that? It was a sound I heard before, but I couldn’t put my…hoof on it (might as well practice with this new language). That was…fire crackers? Something like that, but… The sound was too similar to fire crackers …here, in a forest, where-

I had no chance to finish. A white sphere of light appears on the very distant. It becomes brighter in the blink of an eye as the crackling sound of thunder-THUNDER?! My eyes widened as the thunder became more recognizable, and its target is me.

I couldn’t dodge it; I couldn’t even move. I am scared, but I am not paralyzed from it. It’s…too late for me to save myself.

I closed my eyes and braced myself for a torrent of pain. Then it came, the roaring sound of thunder enclosing around my ears.

…Then nothing, the typical silence before the storm. Am I…dead? I opened my eyes, wary of what I might see, but after I did, I am worried of what I am not seeing.

The sight of trees with its never-changing background is a relieving view, but-A white sphere of light appears in the horizon. My heart skipped a beat as my body shivered, T-That’s-

It turned brighter, then I quickly tilted my head to the side as far as it would go. The crackling sound of thunder became obscured by the explosion as millions of volts passed within earshot.

Then it followed; a hollowed buzzing sound as my body felt a hollowed coldness. I could still feel how my chest moves up and down. And although my vision unfocused, I was at least able to straighten my head back. But my body began wobbling immediately.

I managed to make my body firm so it would stop moving, but just then, I felt a strange...separation from it. My body is there and it moves where I want, but it felt more like someone was pulling it with strings - like if I was some kind of puppet.

My head turns. Behind me stands a tree with an irregular hole burned through it; its giant enough for me to walk through, but the unscathed wood looks ready to split apart from the weight its now carrying.

That unbearable ringing nearly dies out, slowly replaced by a friendlier sound. *Thump* W-Whaaaat? My mind drew a lazy tone as my head turned back, I…I… *Thump* I…I was… *Thump*

My head shot upright, I almost died! I regained my senses as well as my vision, but that brought something else. A heavy throbbing manifested on the side of my head, forcing me to press a hoof on it. I also had to close my eyes for the gentle light from the flowers became too intense.

*Pant* W-Why did my eyes- I tried taking a peek, and I was able to see the green grass perfectly well. But as I raised my eyelids higher, the flower’s white light stung my eyes until they closed. Why are they sensitive? It’s my ears that are supposed to be like that!

As the headache subsided, I dared to take another peek. Unlike my previous attempt, the light is now soft on my eyes. I moved my hoof down, then searched left and right for that monster-in-disguise.

“Has my presence been reduced to that of this filthy forest?” My blood ran cold, hearing her harsh words paralyzed me for a moment, and when I finally gathered the courage to look at her in the eye, – which is something I should avoid doing – all sound died. My heartbeat, the breeze and my breathing, all those were gone in an instance. Her scowl slowly turned into a smirk, “This shall clear the problem.”

She aimed her horn at the sky, and white lightning sparked around it.

I took a small guess at what she was doing, but when I looked up, I hadn’t imagined she could take it to that scale.

The once covered skies turned pitch black with lightning clashing with one another as if for dominance. The sky flashed white, and I made the most logical decision anyone in my position would have done. Duck my head, cover my eyes and pray.

The earth shook violently as the only audible sound came to my ears: multiple trees tearing into pieces as a shower of lightning stormed my surroundings.

Only now I realize how dumb I was, Facing off against that nightmare?! I must have been delusional! But the truth is, I thought that maybe that this whole situation could have been avoided. That my godlike bad luck turned for the better, at least for a few hours.

A tree on top of me split in half. As to how I heard that, it was very, but very close. It is followed with the incessant explosion from lightning and the occasional sound of wood clashing against wood, and dirt bursting from its inert state.

It stopped, and once again, I am left in a dark silence. Then the unmistakable sound of hell’s fire with its scorching temperature reached me, and as I opened my eyes, I could hear the last bits of my sanity crumbling down.

A hue of red has taken over the entire field; multiple trees have fallen and become a large supply for the fire towering under half their original height. The worst part is that a clear path between me and that monster exist. A real grassy path remained after her display of Armageddon.

Desperately seeking for an exit, it is a stroke of luck there is a clear path behind me into the remaining forest.

*Cough* I covered my snout but was too late. *Coughcoughcoughcoughcoughcough*

“Quite the troublemaker you turned out to be.” With a hoof still over my nose, I turned my head to face her, but was reminded of the fear as I met her piercing gaze. “Will you finally stop cowering and fight me,” and with a bemused look she adds, “or are you going to seek out a new house to hide in?”

I froze in place, staring forward with round eyes while in the back of my head I could hear her mocking laugh. Run? Run where? She is going to find me again. This is never going to stop, but why me? Why is my life like this?

I am fed up with everything, tired how things never turn my way, not even once. Why do I have to go through this? I- A soothing warmth caresses my forehead. The tension that gathered inside my body gradually decreased, and I slowly released some air I didn’t know was holding.

My hoof moves on its own to a spot on my head. Once it got there, a gentle warmth extended to my entire foreleg, then rekindling life to my silent body. *Thump* *Thump* I could also hear my breathing again; a simple sound I will never take for granted again.

I took my gaze off the obvious death threat, and stared at the long curly petals on the edge of my vision. I feel a unique serenity that could even dispel the dark and fiery ambient that is crushing me. …Fauna, did you know something like this was going to happen?

“W-What is this?” My eyes went back to Nightmare Moon; who’s posture faltered as she took a step back. A scowl is now over her face, but in her eyes which were filled with an unbreakable confidence and icy glare, reveals a hind of worry. “When did you come in possession of…of that?!” That last part carried a feint growl that I may have imagined, but seeing her bare her fangs like an animal about to jump on its prey, I am not so sure anymore.

“You mean this flower?” I moved my hoof back down, and barely notice the smoke surrounding the field in its dark walls. Huh, I am not coughing anymore. Leaving that aside, I focused on the pegasus/unicorn (pegasus have wings, unicorns have horns, and...normal ponies don’t have any of that), “I got this from Fauna…” I became bold to say what I wanted to, “my…friend.”

Her eye and wing twitched with the last word, “That mare…hooved you that…that thing?”

I answered with a nod, despite the circumstance I am in.

Fire spontaneously grew larger as it narrowed the small path between us, yet, I am not scared, but I don’t feel safe either. It’s a rare mixture of the two; almost an…empty feeling.

“Nothing’s changed!” The dark pony with purple-blue armor stomped forward, anger visible on her features, “You won’t roam freely so long as I am here! Or did you honestly believe a miracle would come to save you?”

That’s…not far from what I hoped, but “But…” but I… “I have to…” I want to see him again “I need to get out of here…” so I can’t “I can’t back down!” I stomped my hoof forward, forgetting about the fire surrounding me and the hollow-like fear she made me feel.

The pony’s eyes widened before she retracted her step; can’t blame her, I was surprised as well, but for some reason, this…new energy inside me, is keeping me from sinking back into that depressed state. Almost like-

“ENOUGH!!!” She pulled me out of my thoughts, and I see her spreading some distance between her legs. Her eyes glaring as she bowed her head so her horn aims at me, but no lightning or any visible magic surrounds it.

I did the same with my legs. Then bowed my head and readied myself.

You know brother, you are right. I am an idiot. The King of Idiots even. My hoof instinctively scraped the ground as if trying to tear it off completely. But what else do I do? Running away is pointless. The wood inside the fire cracked, reminding me of the other present hazard, If I say I give up, what happens to me then? She nearly killed me with just being close. I don’t want to know what she do to me if she did capture me. Put me to work on some mine? Torture me to kill her boredom? Or hypnotize me to make me her jester or a dispensable soldier…I am thinking more of the former.

Whether already under or barely being eaten by the fire, another, but more resounding, sound of wood cracking makes my ears twitch. And by chance, we both sprint with all our might.

I literally take the crown for thinking this, but brother – I closed my eyes, prepared for what’s coming – if you can actually hear this, I want you to know I tried my best. I could hear her steps becoming louder with every grass she crushed, I don’t regret doing it. Because…Because at least I tried my best this time! A single hot tear rolled down my cheek, and my lips quivered into a smile, At least…I wasn’t a coward in the end.

(Third POV)

The two ponies collide with one another, but instead of the predictable scenario to occur, the black pony keeps running through a dark haze where Nightmare Moon stood.

He comes out running from the other side, and opens his eyes with a confused look on them. I-I am alive!?

He was about to turn his head when, inattentive of his surroundings, trips with a small but sturdy rock.

What followed was an unenjoyable experience for the human.

(??? POV)

WHYYYYYYYYYY – this kept going as my insides moved up and down countless times. Seeing people roll uncontrollably in TV is funny, but experiencing it is…painfully dizzy. The end is unforgettable as I come to a stop with a chin-to-ground meet up. O-Ooooouch, I got a feeling I am going to use that word at least once a day.

I tried opening my eyes, but my mouth opened instead, letting out a long, low groan.

I don’t know…and right now I don’t care what happened, but if whatever that thing was is gone, then…I can sleep…for a few days. My body was the first to give in to the comfort of the ground, and as my mind followed, a red-orange light destroyed what could have been a peaceful nap.

I lazily moved a hoof in front of my eyelids, further blocking the sun’s warm rays-Warm? …Warm… It’s hard to explain, but in the back of my mind, there’s something I should be remembering. …FIRE!!!

I got on all fours and turned around in a heartbeat. What I see, makes my jaw hang open.

I managed to get out of Lostshine Forest; the same forest with celeste colored trees that seemed to reach the skies. The very same in which fire threatened to burn everything minutes ago, but in its place, stood a death forest.

Dull, beaten down brown trees remain over the barren soil, and as a light breeze passes by, the thin leafless branches on top quiver as if ready to snap loose.

Okay…what did just happen here? Better yet, what Happened to the forest I was in!? And then it hit me, Wait, that’s the same question. I shook my head, focusing on the giant mystery in my hooves.

I noticed something a little to the left where I exited, A…sign? I walked closer to the only source of information, a worn out wooden plank nailed to a tree.

Its state is bad, but at least the words are readable –for the most part, “For…bidden…entry to…Su…Sunshine Forest.” At least the last two words were-Huh? I looked over the words again, repeating them over and over to prove myself I haven’t gone crazy.

What did…that book say. And as if by second nature, my mind recites them perfectly.

After I faced the nightmare of Sunshine Forest, I knew what to do next.

It’s scary that I can remember everything written in a book, but not my name or anyone I knew. The sole thought made me tremble until a new thought came to mind. My eyes widen, *Gasp* “Fauna and Pebbles.”

Tired muscles or not, I dashed around the tree and took the linear path from where I came. Expecting my surroundings to repeat themselves, seeing the small image of a house so soon is…scary. Many inexplicable things transpired in a day, adding another one is going to make me grow a gray hair.

I soon had to skid to a halt, and in front of me, a simple, wooden house that somepony called home. “T-This…this is it.” There are plenty of changes done to it: holes on the roof, notable cracks on the front side, the wood itself looks tarnished, giving the place an eerie vibe.

*Gulp* I took a few steps, then hardly touched the door handle with my hoof. The door fell to the other side, uplifting dust that thankfully flew to the sides.

I am left wide-eyed to see the house’s conditions worse than I imagined, That’s…a bad start.

While trying to keep my emotions in check, I took two steps inside, and instantly regret doing so. The dark lighting is…foreboding; the creaky sound as I stepped on the fallen door made a chill creep on me from the surprise.

I took one more step, and a small light – probably from outside – illuminated the area for me to see familiar objects. On my left, at the corner of the house, is a bed; needless to say, it looks…decomposed. Most of the pillow’s fabric is now a dark moss; the bedding is…completely covered in dust. I can’t tell if it’s there or not anymore.

On the far end of the house, I see the chimney on the left corner with a black pot on the base – dirty, but not in such a deplorable state like the bed. As for the table, it’s still there, but...it doesn’t look better than the house.

What…happened here? This is all too much for anybody or anypony or whatever! Getting transported into a magical world filled with magical ponies sounds like a fun adventure, but what I went through…was HELL!

My legs began moving on their own, taking me around the right corner of the door to the pictures that are supposed to be there. It’s not like I tried to resist. In fact, I wanted to see something.

Once I got there, I stood in front of broken framed photographs. It took a few seconds, but I found the one I was looking for.

It is titled to the side, but I can clearly see two lookalike ponies standing next to each other. A kind smile on both their faces as their long hair is combed graciously to the side.

I kept staring, too scared to move and too shocked to think. I took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. I took small steps to the side, making my way closer to the door, Maybe some fresh air can help clear my mind.

As I proceeded to make a ‘calm’ escape, I stepped on something. An out of place softness grabbed my attention. I looked down to see the object, but all I could tell it’s a fabric of some kind. I lowered my head to take a better look, but just as I could see a shape, it fell.

The white flower Fauna gave me fell on the Pebble’ bright-blue celeste scarf.

*CRE-CREA-CREEEEEEEAK* I stumbled backwards, panting as my heart raced faster, “T-T-That is-that…that-” Get a hold of yourself! It’s just a flower! I tried to reassure myself on a lie, but it doesn’t take a genius to see this is beyond unexplainable. But…

I took a step forward, that flower…saved me. I closed the distance as I thought of more comforting words, If it wasn’t for that flower, I…I would have lost it. I looked down at it with curiosity, and…managed to pick it up…with my hoof.

With a flower in hoof, I looked down at the second item – a scarf. Should I? It’s not like anybody can tell me no. Before deciding to either leave it or take it with me, I placed the flower inside my saddlebag – opposite to where the book is of course, wouldn’t want it to get squashed. Well, if I were to leave it, theeeeen…no one else would use it… Why am I thinking about this? Simple logic decides it.

I picked it up, and even though it’s been in a house that’s had better days, it’s spotless. I took a good look at it, back and front, but only found bits of dust. A flower that saved my life, and a scarf that’s almost clean. I am guessing this is going to be the definition of normal around here.

Without much else, I wrapped the scarf around my neck. I can now see it was made for someone like Pebble’s height, since it only covers half my neck, but still, it’s nice to have something from…a friend. Never really got a chance to ask…it would have been dumb to ask that anyway.

The creaky sounds from the floor didn’t affect as I took my leave and headed from where I came. A question did, however, What do I do now? That pony – Nightmare Moon – is gone…I shouldn’t think of it too hard. I am alone in this world of ponies, but who says it’s only ponies, and who says I am alone? Wait…I am the only one saying this is a world of only ponies, but anyone looking at me can see I am alone… *Mental Slap* Which actually made my head turn to the side, I am being overdramatic here.

I hung my head low, getting mournful by my stupidity, Seriously though, what do I do now?

A yellow, bright light from above answered my prayers. I stopped, then moved my head up to gaze at the horizon. What I saw, even if ordinary for anyone who lives here, is…just wow.

I kept staring at a town that has a western look to it – like if stripped out from one of the history books I read!

I am far from it, a good one to two hour walk probably. But it’s so perfectly placed inside the barren environment! And the houses don’t look that big either! Plus, it is the only thing I see - aside from the death forest behind me. So simple logic wins again!

…That book was right. I turned my head to the left, looking at the saddlebag on my side, If I only knew where that book came from, I bet I could find a way back home. *Sigh* No point in ‘if’ scenarios. I shifted my gaze to the town on the distance, I do know what I need to do, but…what do I do afterwards?

I narrowed my gaze, held my head up high and took the first step into the unknown. Facing it with an unfamiliar determination.

I Survived my First Day

Author's Note

How long has it been? Technically it would be half a year since I last updated, but that's just because I deleted some chapters, and it's because that ark itself was going to take too long to finish, and - I think this counts as a run-on sentence, oh well - I wanted to get to other shorter, but still fun arks.

I got no good excuse for not updating earlier. So I will spare everyone the details.

One thing I will guarantee though, is that I will focus on only writing on this story. Writing the other stories was fun, but I missed writing on this one.

That's all I have to say after being absent for so long. I know it's irony somehow, problem is, I don't know what type.

But please, write a comment, and tell me how bad or good I did in this chapter. Remember, criticism helps writers improve.

I Survived my First Day

* ??? POV *

If I had to say how my first day in this pony world was, it would be something like this: Longest day of my life. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’m both physically and mentally exhausted.

The long walk to Blackwood – the name of the town I went to – was a-lot longer than I thought. My coat was sweaty all over. I was hungry, and I had no idea who to ask for help. Problem after problem kept emerging ever since I set foot – or hoof – in that town, and I, unintentionally, managed to become a suspect in a theft case of a highly valuable gem of some King. Looking back, I had it coming; I was an outsider – an outlander, like they said – so they had every reason to suspect me after something like that happened.

With that said, I never, ever, want to go through something like that again. …But maybe she would like to. It’s hard to tell by her size, but every time she talked, and the look in her eyes, it was like watching one of those cold detectives from TV in real life.

The thought of a cute little pony sitting on a leather chair behind an office desk, elbows right at the edge, hooves tapping each other, and to complete the picture, she’s wearing a sinister grin. Typical cartoon villain, but it’s still funny, “Heh,” that got a small smile out of me.

“Why are you laughing?” The sound of a girl made me yelp and jump back.

Had I been paying attention, I would have noticed Flash Cache – a yellow pony that only reaches my shoulders, white short mane and tail with a gray streak on both, sky-blue eyes and a cutie mark of a square-shaped camera in mid-flash – walking out of the dead forest – with its tall, withered trees that appear more like wrinkled rocks – from earlier today.

“Your answer?” I flinched lightly, but I bet she noticed. Those eyes of hers make me feel like a mouse under a hawk’s gaze.

“W-Well I… I,” I just noticed it, but I raised my hoof in reflex.

“Never mind,” she closes her eyes; I’m not really sure why. “Ten minutes.”

“Huh?” All I had to say.

She opened her eyes, but they seemed less threatening than before, “It took around ten minutes to get to the cottage you mentioned.”

It’s true that I didn’t go back into the forest where I nearly die, faced off a living nightmare and met ghosts… did I mention I nearly died?

“I-I really don’t get it,” I pressed my hooves around my head, afraid it’s going to break from all the craziness I had to survive. “T-This place, was, like, alive when I woke up! There were big trees a-and everything. They were so big t-that I couldn’t even see the s-sky, a-and they were glowing celeste too! I’m sure!”

“The color matches the one in the investigation.”

“Huh?” I removed my hooves from my ears.

Flash walked towards the side of an aged sign that – with much difficulty – says ‘Forbidden entry to Sunshine Forest’.

“How do you know the trees’ color were celeste?” She asked without looking at me.

“L-Like I said, they were when I woke up, b-but then…” I swallowed the lump in my throat, and hoped that by saying her name she wouldn’t appear, “Nightm-mare Moon c-came, and after she became a… p-p-puff of smoke, the forest… was d-death like this.”

“…I believe you.”

“B-But it’s true!” I know I’m not crazy! “The t-trees were Celeste a-and then I-I meet met this family. A m-mother and a-a child,” I took a breath so I wouldn’t stutter, “I’m still a-alive because of them. P-Please believe me, I’m n-not crazy!”

She snapped her head in my direction, “I said I believe you!”

I flinched back.

*Sigh* The little pony rubs her temple, “Is there anything else you haven’t told me?”

R-Right, all I told her was that I woke up in this place. Thinking back, that’s what made her decided to take me here. …A little bit against my will, but that doesn’t really matter now, “T-That’s all.”

“Then let me get this straight,” Flash moves her gaze over mine, “You woke up in this forest, encountered Nightmare Moon, was rescued by a mother and her daughter, then the forest returned to its ‘death’ state – as you mentioned – after the Mare on the Moon turned into a puff of dust.”

“S-Sounds crazy, I know.”

Her unreadable expression isn’t helping my nerves, “I did say I believe you.”

“Oh, right.” I rubbed my foreleg while moving my gaze elsewhere, “C-Can… I ask something.”

“Go ahead. It’s only fair.”

“W-What happened here?”

I figured it’s something bad since she’s taking her time. I dared meet her gaze again, but she has closed her eyes, as if thinking. “Let me tell you a story.

“Around three years ago, there once lived a family recognized as Goldenwood, and with the power of all three tribes, they were able to restore forest, grow plants where the ground was barren, and were one of the first publically known families to manipulate magic found in nature.”

Her eyes opened, looking intently at mine, “Do you understand so far?”

“Y-Yeah,” ‘Somewhat’.

Her stare makes me quiver on the spot, “…Due to them always being on the move and having no affiliation to any group, the ponies that caught sight of them always asked for their skills. They complied, but after asking for a fair exchange in return.”

Curiosity got the better of me, “W-What kind of exchange?”

She smirks, “Information, bits, food, whatever they can offer.” Her lips returned to a thin line; her eyes however, remained serious, “But, they got greedy. One day they got the idea of strengthening their magical ties with Animus.”

“A-Animus?”

Now, I know I stutter a lot, but I still got good eyes, and I’m sure I saw a scowl that lasted a moment, “…My mistake. I forgot I was speaking to an amnesic.”

That last word was a little higher than the rest… was it anger?

“Animus is the continent you’re in. Let’s first get back on topic before discussing anything else.” Her expression filled with some irritation, “I haven’t finished telling you Goldenwood’s history, and we’re already delving into basic geography.”

“R-right, sorry.”

It was small, but I noticed when her nose flared, “One day they got the idea of strengthening their magical ties Animus. They could only accomplish it by finding an area soaked from ground to earth with magic. Being practical, they could’ve settled in a town or even in a dessert since magic is contained in our every surrounding. But realistically, Sunshine Forest was the perfect choice. It existed for over 800 years, one of the oldest – and one of the three – forests to remain intact.”

Her gaze delves back to the forest long enough for her to say, “Until three years ago.”

I understand magic is valuable in this world, just like air would be – maybe even more - and the way she’s making it sound, this place seemed very valuable.

“Theories come and go. Varying from the simplest as group of bandits assaulting them one night and setting the forest in fire to eliminate all traces of evidence. Then to the most craziest as Animus transforming the forest’s air into fire, burning down Goldenwood’s research and the ponies that tried to tap into arcane magic, leaving-” she motions at the forest with a hoof, “this behind as a sign for us not to pass our natural boundaries.”

I stared at her slack-jawed. To which she quickly rolls her eyes.

“You have to be a special kind of dumb to believe that.” My cheeks reddened from embarrassment, but thankfully Flash went back into the previous topic as a grin becomes present, “But my theory falls under theirs. The Goldenwood family were no pushovers. They had the magic to revitalize forsaken orchards. I have little doubt they managed to accomplish something, but it must’ve had an adverse affect on the forest. I have no doubt that much is true.”

“B-But how are you sure?” Curious…again.

With an unamused look, she taps at her throat twice.

It took me a moment to realize what she was insinuating. I held a gasp as my hoof shot up to the scarf around my neck. “T-This-”

She raises a hoof for me to stop, “This once, I will pretend you ‘forgot’ to tell me such valuable information,” her eyes move to the side while her eyes opened up slightly, “and to be fair, I didn’t form the connection until thirty minutes after our encounter. I was handling a different case at the time, so a miniscule detail like this forest’s trees glowing celeste was not a priority to remember.”

‘Most of that sounded like an excuse.’ A terrifying thought crossed my mind, ‘it’s a good thing she can’t read minds.’

“I digress.” Her eyes shift back to mine, and they went back to their unreadable stern gaze, “That scarf you have matches the same light that was written in an old report. Mind you, that report didn’t mention an item with a sheen of celeste, and even going off the assumption that somepony omitted such information, I doubt it would have been left behind for some random pony to find.” She walks over to me, and without asking, she places a hoof over my scarf. My body becomes stiff for an odd reason, but I feel a steady pressure where her hoof is at,

“W-What are you-”

“If you stay quiet, I might tell you.”

I did as she… ordered. Seconds passed by as that pressure surrounded the parts underneath the scarf.

“I was right. The Goldenwood Family managed to transfer raw magic into an item composed of wool.”

I gulped, not sure she really noticed, “R-Raw magic?” Hopefully a conversation might get her to step away – I don’t have the guts to tell her to back off, especially a girl.

“Raw magic comes directly from the land. It’s unfiltered. Primal to its core. It’s the densest magic known to ponykind, and if the process wasn’t already difficult, they used a scarf – a soft material – as a container for high density magic.”

“I…Is that really so though?”

“Let me bring it into perspective.” She says while her hoof is on my scarf for… whatever reason, “It’s much easier for the common unicorn to enchant an item directly from their own magic - using a water infused magic solution also works – and the success rate are always – if not mostly – one-hundred when combined with a hard object like swords, armor, spears, etc.”

She doesn’t try to hide the gleam in her eyes, and to be honest, it makes her look more terrifying, more-so by the close distance, “Unicorns, by natural law, are considered to be the superior species, yet what do they have to show. The only unicorn that’s globally known is Star Swirl the Bearded. Each new generation of pegasi keep exceeding the limits set by the previous ones, and earth ponies expand on what their ancestors left them. The average unicorn, is capable of simple magic shot and levitation, and aside from being talented at a certain area, less than one percent is capable of using Arcane magic.”

I forced a smile, “Um, F-Flash, I think… you got sidetracked.”

A frown quickly overtakes her expression. I worried I angered her because of the obvious ‘pissed off’ look on her. Then as quickly as her emotions shift, now it’s back to her serious-self that scares me, “The point I was trying to make. It’s hazardous to infuse nature magic into something that can be ripped apart by hooves. The fabric can very well explode by pulling a loose thread.”

I dared not move as a sudden cold took over my body.

“Relax, you’re safe.” If the voice was soothing in any way – or at least friendly – I might have… but something else does. My body loosens up as a sense of safety puts me at ease. “If not, you would have turned into fragments hours ago.” That’s… good to hear.

The following seconds are spend in silence, but it ends after she removes her hoof and steps back, “So that’s how they kept it from breaking apart. Aside from being a complicated process, the scarf is now acting as a beacon. Radiating the excess magic to create a ward around the user – for what purpose? I don’t know – then for that magic to return to Animus, and absorb the magic naturally found in the air. It’s very similar to the water cycle, much like...” Flash’s brows furrow, “Like a providence.”

I feel dumb not knowing a lot of the words she’s using. I…I feel like a kid, and worse of all, an outsider, or – using the right words – an outlander.

“Judging the dumb look on your face, I should explain what a providence is, and the type of magic of surrounding your scarf.” I lowered my head with some embarrassment showing on my red cheeks, “But it will be short, or we will be standing here all day.”

I further lowered my head, hiding my eyes behind the mess of my hair. Mane actually. “It’s not easy for me too.”

“…Right. Sorry. Force of habit.” Her tone makes it hard to know if she’s genuinely sorry or not, but I do feel better if I pretend she is. “Think of a providence as a private property: can be the size of a town, or can have the length of a mountain. And spare me the skepticism look, count yourself lucky I’m telling you this. Outl…tourists, aren’t even told about this for two reasons. The first reason is simple, they aren’t native to this land, so we have no obligation to share anything with them unless it’s convenient. The second coexists with the first: there’s no need for them to know.”

I’m sure my concern shows, “But… isn’t that… like mean.”

Flash rolls her eyes, “Think – for instance – you live in a nation that no one wants to enter because it is considered dangerous. While other nations commence on trade, we weren’t given a damn. I bet the locals in those lands don’t know we exist, and if they do, they must have heard of the most hideous crimes that only takes place in these lands, or the cults that threaten the wellbeing of thousands, or maybe the inside wars that elders face in order to remain in power! For the choice of thousands of imbeciles, the entire populace of Animus is deemed too dangerous to interact! So excuse us for not caring back in return!”

I could feel my ears fold down as I tried to make myself a little smaller, “I-I’m sorry. I d-didn’t-”

“Know? Of course you didn’t.” *Sigh* Her gaze lowered to the dry, cracked ground, “I do mean when I apologize for… snapping at you. That was my screw-up. Should have remembered you’re amnesic.”

She mumbled a few words, but I managed to hear the word “idiot”.

Is she… scolding herself?

Her gaze went back to mine, “That scarf you are wearing. I know it’s a ward, but I can’t tell what it is for. It’s powerful, that much I’m confident of.” She raises a hoof, stopping me from asking, “Ward is a form of protection, but not necessarily a barrier – a magical construct acting as a shield. Think in the lines of repelling an intangible force, such as bad luck, hexes, and some dark magic.” There’s a slight change in her gaze, but I noticed it as a sinister glint “What you possess, could as well be sold for hundreds, maybe even thousands of bits. Just about anypony would sell such an item without second thoughts.”

I grew sick from the thought. Doing something like that felt wrong. I shook my head, “I-I don’t feel comfortable doing something like that. I… I just can’t sell a gift.”

She raises an eyebrow at the word gift, but lowers it before saying “Shame, I know a stallion that would’ve given us a great price for this.”

I swallowed the distaste that gathered in my throat, then a small thought came to mind, “What about t-the thing. T-the thing with the, um, hoof.”

“Heh,” she laughs! And smirks at me! That’s unnerving, “You remembered. Maybe that head is not as empty as I thought.”

Unsure whether to take it as a compliment or an insult, I opted with a “T-Thank you?”

“For nothing.” Her lips turn into a thin line, “…All I can tell you, is that it’s a Specialty from my tribe. Understand that telling you more would be divulging secrets, and I won’t become the first pony from our tribe to leak three generations worth of information.”

“Oh, okay,” I admit I was a little sad, she basically meant I can’t be trusted, but I understand her reasons. We barely know each other as is.

…I think... that’s the end of our business here. That leaves one more thing, “S-So… now what?”

She looks at me with an arched eyebrow, “What will happen, is that you’re coming with me.”

I blinked, “E-Excuse me?”

She responds to my soft tone with a snort, “You walked out where the biggest, unsolved anomaly ever took place in Animus, and that’s not taking into account your experience in this forest. As of right now, you’re my prime lead in this mystery.”

My eyes couldn’t have gone wider if I wanted them to, “Me… a lead?”

“Don’t know how, don’t know yet, but you’re involved, but in the strangest case you aren’t.” Her smirk sends a shiver down my spine, “You’re a walking mystery with a common case of amnesia, but giving your circumstances, your case is far from normal. So I’m going to help you.”

“Help me?”

“Of course. Think of it as a mutual relationship. In fact, it is one. It’s no secret you’re alone and got nowhere else to go.” I nodded meekly, “You can travel with me, and in return, I can research you using any means I see fit.”

I gulped, “For e-example?”

Flash waves a hoof in dismissal, “No need to worry, but I’m going to have to use unconventional methods if I plan on finding some answers. I wouldn’t be using them if I had no other choice. Understand, I doubt we will find a relative of yours any time soon.”

“T-True,” I survived my first day in this world, but all I did was get exhausted and almost got myself arrested. …Aren’t I forgetting something?

“Night is coming,” she stated, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I looked up, and the orange sky has become several shades darker, slightly brighter where the sun is about to set. I stiffened as realization hit me, ‘I was supposed to meet him!’

I snapped my gaze back to her, but she has her head turned, glare focused on the dead forest. It looks like she focused on something. I thought of leaving her be because she looked deep in thought, but I’m in a rush at the moment, “S-Sorry, but I was-you, see-I was supposed to-”
“Quit stuttering for a minute!” She interrupted harshly. Her eyes never leaving the forest, “Take a deep breath and form the words in your mind before speaking.”

I moved my lips to form some kind of reply, but failed. So I followed her suggestion – sounded more like an order actually.

“I… was supposed to meet with someone at a hotel because… because he was going to take me to a place where I could get help. I-I think he said Creepyparlor.” Her little ear twitched. I’m sure I saw that.

“…”

“Um, F-Flash, what’s wrong?”

“…I doubt he will be there.”

“But… why you say that?”

“At what time did you agreed to meet?”

I looked to the side, to see that the sun is half-hidden under the horizon, “Before the day ended.”

“…It’s around an hour and forty minutes if you trot to Blackwood. Assuming he’s there in the next thirty minutes, how long do you think he’s going to wait there? Ten minutes? Twenty? Thirty? Perhaps an hour if you’re lucky, but you can be sure he will leave before you make it.”

“That… you may be right.” How could I forget something like that? …Well, I don’t want to shift the blame around, but it was a hectic day, so… I’m kinda allowed to forget some stuff. …That was a terrible excuse.

“Think of it this way. You don’t have to explain to him that you’re a pretty-colt.”

I blinked. My body turned rigid as a heat gathers on my cheeks. The embarrassment died a little since she’s still not facing me, “H… How did you-.”

She cuts in with a neutral tone, “With this height, whether I want to or not, I can often see the… package, or lack thereof on certain ponies.”

I can’t tell how red my face is at the moment, but the heat extended throughout my face, and my tail shifted to cover my… package, on its own.

To tell the truth, I don’t know how much time passed. In truth, it had to be minutes, but my mind run with dozens of scenarios of what exactly she saw, and for how long. The thought of buying pants was also there.

When the excess of blood from my head starts receding back where it belongs, the first thing I notice is Flash is walking towards me, “We’re leaving. Our business is done here.”

“Huh?” Is all I get out. She doesn’t look at me in the eye, even as she walks past me. I turn, but before taking my first step, she stops.

“Now that you’re with me, you will need to get used to be constantly on the move. I normally spend my time traveling, but often stop at town or cities for supplies, and – if it’s needed – offer my skills for payment.”

“O-Okay. But… does that mean w-we have to g-go now?”

“Yes, there is nothing else to gain from this place, your story was the only piece of information that exists. Let’s go.”

She resumes walking, and I follow behind. Should I tell her? A little weak voice in my head asked.

She will think I’m crazy, another voice countered. This one sounded more confident, strong, but comforting. I became lenient to listen to this little voice instead. But… it’s better to tell her now than later.

W-What if she thinks I’m crazy! Fear entered the voice that suggested I should tell Flash.
Think of what she may know, or what she could investigate. She’s going to help us, so she has to know. Logic, something I never fought against.

“Um… Flash.” My low voice actually got her attention.

She stops before turning her head. One eye looking at me, but I mean looking at me as if I were a book, “…Will you tell me, or are we wasting time.”

I looked away, but forced it to return back to her, Be brave. Be brave. Be brave. My inner voice sure didn’t sound brave, but the mantra did help, “I… I-I want…to say… something.”
She raised an eyebrow, but waits for me to continue.

“I… I want to say… I want to say that,” I’m human, the words got stuck in my throat in the form of a lump. I swallowed, hard, “I… I wanted to tell you.” It becomes difficult to maintain my gaze on hers. Instincts tell me to look away from the issue, and hope it forgets about me.

A soothing warmth develops in my chest. I felt the tension in my muscles loosen up; my heartbeat slowed down, letting me think of the situation more clearly. I’m alone. I need help, and… honesty is the best policy to gain trust. …Bad excuse, again, but I need something to keep me going.

“I… I’m human.”

I stood my ground. Waiting for the mock laughter or pure disbelieve she-

“Is that all?” She asks with an unchanged expression.

I blinked. Took the next seconds to process what just happened, “…Y-Yes, that’s it.”

“Then let’s resume clopping. We have too much ground to cover if we want to reach Jacktown by noon.”

She turned her head back, but only got one hoof forward as I shouted “Wait!” What compelled me to do that? I got no idea.

She seemed to freeze in place. No words, no twitch from her ear or tail. I felt incredibly nervous, and… afraid something will happen to me physically.

“Three times,” a shiver ran down my spine from her steel tone, “three times you forgot to tell me something vital. Let’s move.”

“W-Wait!” Seriously, what’s with me today?!

She stopped in mid-step and had to put the hoof down, “What is it this time?” Her voice was strained as anger boiled underneath it.

Worse of all, I was the one who caused her to be angry, “I-It’s that-” Don’t stutter. Talk slow. “I-It’s that… you don’t think… I’m crazy or a-anything.”

Only a light breeze answers me. I could feel the heartbeats through my chest. It only got worse as Flash turned her head the enough for me to see her sharp glare, “Without that scarf, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, and for your own safety, don’t mention the word human in public. In myths and folklore, that word is often associated with the occult and dark magic, so whenever a large tragedy ensues for unknown reasons, most will think it’s the work of a human. As if it’s a force rather than a living being.” Her eyes flickered to the side for a moment, looking at something behind me, “Maybe it’s both.”

She resumes her trotting without me interrupting this time. I took one final look behind.
Even with the short distance now between us, the decayed forest still has an intimidating presence, but I also remember how beautiful and mysterious it looked. It’s just too much of a contrast from the real thing, that the image in my mind took over, but after a blink of my eyes, reality focused back in.

I don’t know what caused it, but it’s true that me – a human – appeared in unexplained circumstances. Whatever happened to this forest, was the same thing that brought me there?

Knowing that it’s impossible to answer it now, I gallop my way to Flash to make up for the seconds I spent standing still.

All I can hope now is for me to avoid trouble and let Flash on her own when she works, but knowing my luck so far, I can only pray to come out with a few scratches.

*??? POV*

Tonight’s black sky looked especially brighter. Could it be the stars? None look any more special than yesterday. Is it the blue and purple nebula with their radiant colors? That’s not it either. They are certainly lively with their different shades, but it doesn’t strike as… eye-catcher today.

“Hmmm, perhaps it’s the air. It’s… lighter. Maybe Animus recycled its bad chi.” His voice, no doubt its of a grown stallion, its also soft with a hint of natural playfulness. “Not bad timing! Good karma come my way!”

Coins jingle as he shuffles on his makeshift bed of coin bags.

His coat color is that of a dark leaf, baby blue mane that ends below his ears, sky blue eyes, and a cutie mark of a cat print with the color of soil.

He’s wearing a lazy smile, hooves behind his head as he lies over his earnings. Tom Trace knew he picked the right place to sell his chi harvest. To most, the plants he sold to the ponies would look exotic for their glowing petals, but for those who know, they’re a great source for restoring nutrients. However, if the soil doesn’t lack them, it can be used for… modification on the land itself.

“I should feel bad for myself. These good ponies gone through enough these last three years without their main chi supplier. But hey, have to make it worth for my Elder or she’s going to skin my hide. …I might want to stop talking out loud. That ain’t healthy.”

He lets his thoughts wonder to distract himself, but then remembers the reason why he’s trying to eat time.

His smile now gone. Tom raises to a sitting position. He looks around. His cart, which he’s on currently, is in front of a two story building that was a popular hotel for tourists because of its neutrality in tribal warfare – was – but the family that owns the mini-mansion was happy enough to give him a seat at their dinner table, with payment of course.

He shrugs, “Five more minutes are no big deal.” Five more minutes turned to thirty, and low snores filled the silent air.

Early Trouble

~Third POV~

The night sky illuminates the rocky landscape below, offering any night travelers a peaceful scenery.

“Dagnabbit, let go!” After a mighty pull, the earth pony, trapped by a lasso around her foreleg, is moved an inch as she stands her ground.

Another lasso travels down her head and ends around the base of her neck. It pulls back a moment later, pushing her a few inches in that direction, and causing her head to jerk back for a second. Prompting the fall of her stetson hat.

The ponies holding her tight are also earth ponies, but wear a bandana that covers their mouths, “Somepony put the shackles on her!”

Metallic chains rattle as a pony on the side, flanked by two more, pulls the shackles from his saddlebag with his snout.

The trapped pony does bare her teeth, trying to look as intimidating as possible, but draws a short gasp of pain as both ropes pull simultaneously.

Her limp is stretched painfully, added with the shortage of air, all she can do is clench her teeth, while pulling her foreleg back so the bone doesn’t pop.

The pony holding the rope to her foreleg smirks underneath the bandana, “First catch of the year is a succe-AAAAAAA-” A terrible chomp on his tail leaves the stallion screaming while leaping in the air in a cat-like fashion. Inadvertently letting the rope go as his hooves flail frantically.

The rest of his gang watch him with wide eyes as he reaches a 10 foot height – along with the animal still biting his tail - before he plummets down with an audible thud. While the very animal that bit him lands on his back.

*Bark bark* A dog – brown fur, white underbelly, chest and tail, and a red collar with a golden tag – barks at them angrily at the remaining four ponies.

Temporarily distracted, they didn’t notice the orange coated pony regain her breath. She glares at the pony holding the rope to her throat. Seeing her opportunity, she pulls at the rope with only one hoof, but the bandit, holding on tightly, is forcibly pulled in her direction.
He ends up lying flat on the ground, unaware he’s next to the one they tried to capture. Worse is that the crash left him with his eyes closed as he endures the pain, but upon opening them, is greeted by the sight of two hind legs bucking him on his face. His last image is his vision flashing white before blackness consumes him.

She sighs heavily. Releases herself from both ropes, and grabs her hat to place delicately on her head, “Ya know,” she turns in their direction with the front of her stetson bend down to cover her eyes, “I was supposed to be on my way to my cousin’s town,” she tips the hat back in normal position, her emerald eyes glaring at the three, “but I will gladly take five minutes to take ya vermin out of his property.”

*Bark Bark* Winona went to Applejack’s side and barked angrily at them.

The three are still stunned over what happened. The shackles forgotten as the pony couldn’t help but gape, but he snaps out of it and breaks into a gallop.

He clears half the distance while Applejack stays her ground.

But when the distance turns to feet, the bandit spins and slides the rest of the way on his forelegs. Hindlegs up and ready to buck the ‘uncooperative’ mare on her face.

She ducks under it – the same can’t be said by her hat as it’s kicked onto the dirt.

Applejack then delivers a swift punch on his gut. Knocking the wind out of him before his hindlegs reconnect with the ground. He heaves, eyes wide while clutching his stomach as he collapses in a fetal position.

She kept her eyes on the remaining duo, who are matching her glare with their own. Suddenly, two hooves travel around her neck, trapping her in a choke lock, and the one responsible has his tail hair ruffled with evident bite marks on her.

“What are ya waiting?” He spats at his gang, “At her!”

With a notable glee in their eyes, they rush towards the struggling mare.

On her end, she has grabbed onto one of his forelegs to pull it loose as she shakes and squirms against the lock. But the bandit tightens his grip, halting any progress and choking air out of her.

“Relax will ya,” he orders. “We won’t beat ya up too badly, or ya end up as a useless mare.”

What came out of him next is a screech of pain as the dog – which he forgotten because the mare was fully oblivious to his presence before – has bitten his tail once again.

Applejack feels his grip weakening, but not enough to pull her head loose, so she acts fast.
Bending her head forward as much as possible, then swinging it back and striking the stallion on the snout.

She’s released as the bandit hobbles back with a hoof on his bloody nose. She catches her breath, and scowls when realizing her hat has been kicked off, “That’s it!”

She grabs one of the falling lassos with her teeth, and swings the end onto the retreating bandit. She traps him with the end circling under his armpit and across her back. He looks fearful, silently begging her not to do whatever she had in mind.

With a flare of her nostrils, and shortly after Winona let the bandit go, she swings the stallion of his feet and crashing onto the oncoming bandits.

They’re send flying for meters before rolling onto the ground, and stopping either on their backs or sides. None of them show any signs of moving, suggesting they were knocked out from how much force she used.

“There! Good riddance!” She grabs her hat and (once again) places the hat delicately on her head. Her features relaxing just a bit.

*Bark Bark* She looks to the side and finds Winona barking at the stallion – which she hit in the gut – attempting to crawl away with one hoof. He only got a few feet away.

He stops as a hoof presses on his back. He whimpers and shakily looks behind him. His gaze locks onto the cowgirl’s hardened one, “You’re gonna tell me what in tarnation’s ya all are doing here, or I will buck ya in the face like your pal over there.” She points behind her, and he can clearly see the bruise forming on the stallion’s forehead. Though the eyes of the mare is a more terrifying sight, “Well?” She demands.

He whimpers some more, keeping in mind she took down all five with a dog as her helper, not to mention swinging a full grown stallion as if it was nothing.

What happened next surprised Applejack and even Winona. The stallion, helpless in the situation, fainted.

Pony and dog look other before the pony asks “I mighta gone a bit far, don’t ya think?

Winona barks in agreement.

~*~

Heartbeat racing, deep-quick breaths through his mouth, and finally, wing rushing so fast that his white-bushy mane is dragging him down.

“Run faster!” Flash yelled at him over her shoulder. Surprising him because despite the size difference, she’s ten feet ahead of him, and slowly gaining more distance.

He looks over his shoulder, six ponies, all male from what he can see, are slowly gaining on them, but for the moment, he’s still at a relative safe distance.

Why? Why is this happening to me?! The nameless pony blinks away the tears before a sharp pain cut through his thoughts.

It was shortly after we woke up – does a six hour nap count? – and the clear red-orange of the sun was becoming present.

We been walking for a few minutes, when Flash suddenly told me “If I tell you to run, you do it.”

“W-What?” To say I was a little unease would be an understatement. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and the foreboding feeling of somebody watching us.

I looked around, but only see the rocky ground that stretches for miles. I gulp, “Um, F-Flash-”

“Do what I say.” Without raising her voice much, her commanding tone makes up for it.

“O-Okay.” I wanted to ask what was going to happen. Since we’re going to this Jacktown place, Flash has to know about the dangers surrounding it, but asking might be worse.

The danger might happen right when I’m asking, and I will react slowly. So it’s best if I-

“Run!” She bolted to a full gallop. I was confused for a brief second before my body responded.

I sprinted, doing my best to catch up as I heard a mini-explosion somewhere behind me. I looked behind.

A pile of dirt was falling back to the ground, and once it settled, I could see the hole it made. A pony jumped out, and once it landed, I noticed the bandana he’s using to cover its…what was the word again, snout?

*Boom* *Boom* *Boom* *Boom* *Boom*

Five more spots where the dirt flew up, and five more ponies jumped out as well. All wearing different colored bandanas to cover their snouts.

“Hurry!” Her shout brought my attention to my body, forcing it to go faster despite woken up not even thirty minutes ago.

T-That was odd… and livid.

“Hey! Focus!” She snaps out of his thoughts. Her glare meets his wide-eyed scared gaze before looking ahead again. The ex-human doubles his efforts in an attempt to catch up.

When that didn’t work, he closes his eyes and bends his head forwards. He redoubles his efforts and makes a bit of progress than before, but with his vision closed, he didn’t see Flash slowing down, nor what lies ahead.

Flash skids to a stop, but hears the continuous beats of hoofsteps close behind her. Knowing what’s about to happen, she prepares her magic, and when he passes her, she traps his tail in her snout. Careful not to bite too hard, but strong enough to stop his momentum.

He yelps in pain as his tail is stretched to a point he thought it would pop off. He hovers in the air for a second before his body lands splayed out on the ground.

Although the pain on his rear lingers as a painful reminder. Exhaustion and lack of sleep takes a stronger hold. His eyelids sway to a close, but as they come to a close, the sense of perception returns to him, and notices his forelegs – from the elbow to his hooves – are bent downwards.

He groans, not wishing to remain in the waking world, but confusion and curiosity make him lift an eyelid very slowly. He sees a cliff on the horizon, but a-lot of nothing on his vision. His gaze sways down, and sees another cliff with a notable sandy surface, traveling down in a slope.

Pain and fatigue were soon replaced by fear. Prompting him to get up and a few tentative steps back, “W-Why, another c-cliff.” The taste of metal comes to his mouth, so does the memory of his near-death experience with the cliff from the forest.

Unknown to him, Flash is next to him, but turned to face the opposite end and wears a stern expression, “It would be useful if you turned around.”

He trembles at Flash’s impassive tone, but does as she ordered.

“Eck!” The dark stallion takes a step back. The six ponies stopped as well and formed a half-a-circle around them, blocking their exits.

The pony at the center of the formation steps forward, “How about we make a deal. Don’t resist, and we won’t be more rough than what we’re supposed to.”

The nameless pony looks at Flash, and despite her expression being its usual (in nicer term) unfriendly, he can tell she looks… unamused, “Why not let us go? For a bandit, you sure don’t act the part.”

The man brings a hoof to his temple and starts rubbing it, “Look. It’s too early in the morning for this. If this were my choice, I had you two lass walk free, but if the boss hears I let two fillies walk by for free, it will be my flank on fire. So no! N. O. You mares are coming with us!”

He dashes forward. The ex-human instinctively raises a hoof to his chest before stepping back. Flash, however, doesn’t seem bothered that a pony over twice her size is approaching them. Instead, her lips curve into a small grin.

When the bandit got in close range, her hoof bolts into her saddlebag, and pulls it out as fast with a black weapon in her hoof. She uses the momentum to swing in a vertical arc. Striking the stallion on the head, causing him to collapse unconscious immediately.

Her companion stares in awe, mouth agape and eyes wide. His gaze wanders over the weapon on her right hoof: a black police baton with a shaft over a foot-and-a-half, like the ones he seen on TV or in school.

Once he shakes his head, he sees the other five bandits are also staring in awe like he did.

Flash looks at them with amusement in her eye, “Who volunteers to be next. Or should I make this easier and decide?”

They all looked at each other, no doubt wanting to confirm if they all saw the same thing.

She can definitely take care of herself, the ex-human thinks to myself, but… I doubt she can protect me and fight at the same time. “Um, F-Flash-”

Her expression turns grim as she glares at him from the corner of her eye, “I know. I’m trying to think of a way to get you out of here so I can deal with them alone.”

His gaze goes back to the bandits, and gulps as they’re now glaring at them while taking slow, tentative steps forward.

His legs begin to shake, Why? Why is this happening? Not a day passed and I’m already a liability. Why can’t I be useful for once?

He looks behind, or more specifically, down at the cliff. He can just see himself ready to jump, ...W-What? There he is at his side, a see-through version of himself, but with clear features visible: desperate look in his eyes while biting his lower lip, looking down at the sandy cliff.

He blinks and the image is gone, replaced by a painful throbbing between my eyes. He applies pressure with a hoof, but it didn’t ease the pain in the slightest. Why now?! He cringes, even thinking hurts.

One step back, but pulls the back the instant he felt the sand.

One step back, but lost my balance as my hoof slides downwards because of the sand. My other hindleg slides as a result, but prevented the rest of my body to follow by pressing my front hooves on the firm ground.

Flash notices. Half turned while keeping an eye on the bandits and giving occasional glances to me. I can see the deep concentration in her eyes, as well as her scowl, “Buck!” She flips the baton, and shortens the pole by pressing against the ground. After securing it inside her saddlebag, she rushes over to me.

Her hooves surround my neck before pushing us both onto the sandy slide.

With wide eyes, I let out a small scream, and an *eck!* as my bushy hair softened the impact on my head.

On my side, Flash is keeping her balance on all fours, but shows signs of struggling as she bares her teeth.

I look back at the ledge, only four of the bandits watch us before they step back out of side. Then they reappear before jumping. I watch in confusion, but when they land, wooden planks are released from the sand.

My mouth gapes in awe and fear as they surf their way towards us.

The pain subsides immediately, and his vision is greeted by a shadow of some kind. He realizes it’s his hoof and lowers it, but almost jumps back at the sight of the approaching bandits. Although a different concern crosses his mind, W-What did I see exactly?

He looks back but with a scrutinizing gaze. It takes a few seconds, but he spots multiple oval indentations meters below. They’re all spread throughout in a line, but with wide enough gaps so no one gets on by mistake.

What if… He bites his lower lip. Then moves his gaze back to Flash who’s keeping a stern gaze on the bandits.

She glances at him, “Whatever it is, save it for later.”

Can she really tell by looking at my face? He shakes those thoughts away as fear urges him to do something he could never dream of, “I… I’m sorry.”

Her reaction is something he sees daily when correcting someone that the most popular guy in school is his big brother, and that’s often the rare mixture of skepticism, and somewhere along the lines of ‘what the fuck did you just say?’.

Must’ve been too surprised to hide her emotions, he thought before wrapping his foreleg around her smaller body, and jumping back in the direction of the surfboards. All while trying to ignore her protests.

“What the bloody buck are you doing!?”

And curses, can’t forget about the curses.

He yelps as his bushy hair softens the landing for his head. Flash struggles in his weak grip, but notices his leg is moving off slowly, as if her strength is increasing.

The sand soon becomes sturdier; a bit of it splashes off as he takes the wooden surfboard down with them. Picking up the speed and the wind as a result.

“It-It actually worked!”

“WHAT!” Flash broke out of his grasp and rolled onto the board on her stomach. She glares at him, but soon turns into confusion as she looks below her.

While she tries to make sense of what and how it happened, the ex-human does as well. At least he does before he remembers the end of his… vision. He looks up in time to see the exact thing happen. Four bandits jump off in almost the exact same way – one jumped farther to the side – but all land on a circular indentation and slide down with a surfboard.

“Get up!” To his side, Flash is already up. Impatience displayed on her eyes as she says “I said get up!” She grabs his shoulder, and with strength close to what was applied on his tail, he’s raised off the board, flips him, and forces him onto the board before velocity leaves him behind.

His only complain is that she could’ve been softer. The burning mark on his shoulder is prove of that. Shakily, he raises up, stopping halfway before gathering some courage. As he fully stands, he begins to regret his decision as he feels the wind brush all around him, and the fact that he’s surfing for the first time with no real experience.

“F-Flash?” Worry taints his voice, and his mind draws a blank. Unlike Flash.

“Shift your weight forward! The more speed we gain, the sooner we will reach flat land.”

He followed her order without hesitation, focusing his weight forward and leaning in hopes it helps somewhat.

“You fillies got lucky in finding our sandboards,” Out of the two, the ex-human is the only one who shivers while Flash rolls her eyes, but out of the need to know how far behind their pursuers are, he whimpers lightly at seeing closest one is only meters away. The rest are following close behind, almost in line as they swish to the sides in expert motions, picking up speed and ground faster than the duo, “but you sure don’t know how to use them!”

He, and the rest of his gang, laugh at their short-sighted attempt at escaping.

The nameless pony faces forward again; eyes wide in fear and biting his lower lip to stop it from trembling.

The leading bandit raises a hoof and points to his ride. As he surfs to the left, instead of taking a small turn to travel right, he takes a slight curve so he’s moving forward. He glances back, and sees one of his partners approaching from behind. He shifts his weight back, slowing down the enough so the other bandit is right at his side.

The one who slowed raises his hoof, the other grabs it and hurls him. It got him the desired result as he’s quickly catching up to the (in their view) mares. On the right side, the other two bandits did the same, so now they have the pair trapped on both sides.

“End of the road fillies!” The one on the right said with a sneer.

The dark earth pony panics by looking at the bandit and back down at the path in front of him. The smaller pony only glanced at him with a studious gaze, before focusing it down the path. Several meters ahead, she notices it, a circular indentation on the sand, but unlike the previous ones, this one is several meters wider, and they’re heading straight at it.

Flash’s eyes widen in alarm, before narrowing back into focus, “Get ready. We will jump.”

Her companion looks at her with panic, “What?!”

Without waiting for permission, Flash grabs his foreleg, crouches lower, then jumps with the enough force to cause splinters on the board. Which, when it was on the circular dent, it caved down with the sand, revealing a diagonal tunnel with an impressive, smooth surface.

Flash took notice of how the four bandits inside without waste, but what surprised her was the similar indentations meters away from the first. They were scattered to the side, a small gap between them, and there are plentiful. Her attention shifts forward, and sees the only source of good news: flat land.

That is until she remembered one crucial fact, “A-AAAAHH! We-We’re FALLING!”

I will have to improvise, she thought grumpily. Redirecting her magic to her forelegs, she gets a good grip on his shoulder before tossing him higher. His girlish scream doesn’t bother her as she lands on all fours without problem.

She bends her head back to look up, and trots forward, but soon stops as the image of the falling pony is overhead. Flash bends her legs, waits a few seconds. The girlish scream intensifies, but the distance shortens.

Not overdoing it, Flash jumps, and grasps the body about a dozen meters off the ground. Just as she thought, they hovered for a moment as she canceled his velocity.

“Uh?” was all the ex-human muttered before gravity brought the two of them down.

“Oof,” he grunted a bit, but thankfully landed on something soft, but as his fatigue drifts him to a relaxing slumber (again), said softness pushes him off, making land on his side.

After a low groan from him, Flash raises to her hooves with a mild backache that quickly fades. Once it does, she turns around and scans the surroundings.

Flash realizes the sandy cliff extends far off to the sides. In fact, she can tell it curves… Is it possible? Slowly turns in place. She notices circular dents dozens of meters off the ground, but only glances at the half-mile length of the cliff.

She does, however, takes into account how far it stretches. Encircling the lands of Jacktown most likely, perhaps the entire providence. From where she stands, the small image of the town is about 1 hour at leisure pace, the other end of the cliff past the town: about 4 hours of nonstop galloping.

Magic was obviously involved, but it couldn’t have been unicorn magic. I was here a few days ago, so somepony has to be manipulating this sector’s Haven.

Her eyes spot something on the ground, but frowns as she realizes it’s just her companion. Her face scrunches as a pondering thought emerges, He fits the general definition of companion, but on a realistic approach, I can hardly call him an acquaintance. …The Amnesic would be a crude, but appropriate term.

The Amnesic is lying on his back, eyes closed and breathing slowly in his peaceful sleep. She steps next to him, and jabs him on the ribs with the enough strength to snap him awake.

“Huh-wha-AAH!” He brings a foreleg up to shield his eyes from the sun, slowly bringing it down as his eyes adjust. He blinks a few times before meeting Flash’s stern gaze.

“Get up. Jacktown is an hour away, and beds make for a better resting point.”

He blinks first, and replies with a groggily, “C-Can it be five more minutes?”

To which Flash rolls her eyes, “But after the five minutes pass, don’t start complaining because of a burnt back.”

She trots over to the inclined sandy cliff to inspect some more. While the dark pony flops one of the loose ends of his scarf over his face. He sighs as its natural coolness takes immediate effect. Letting out a satisfied sigh, the nameless pony closes his eyes and drifts to sleep.

~*~

Unbeknown to the two ponies, the bandit that stayed behind is pulling his fallen comrade by his tail. It’s a painfully slow process under the unrelenting sun.

Even though he’s already accustomed to such heat, it’s usually with the help of a cloak; which he left behind since he thought it would be a quick job.

Instead, he’s moving backwards at a turtle’s speed while using his teeth to pull his friend. He lets him go, spits a strand or two of hair out, and looks behind.

The holes they made are nowhere in sight.

*Sigh* He shakes his head, “Those damn fillies just made my day.” His voice leaks of sarcasm.

He holds onto his tail again, and resumes pulling.

Author's Note

I would've had this chapter up days ago, but I had to do some changes to it, and I got to say, I am happy with this chapter.

So now, all I can ask is for a review. Remember that those motivate me to write faster, and I just feel lonely over here :fluttercry:

But seriously, I just want to know what to know what everybody thinks of this chapter.