Proluge: And so the ride begins
Lightning arced through the grey clouds, a bright spark among the dark downpour from above. I glanced down at the path, already slick with mud from the downpour. I started on down the path, hoping to reach my destination before the cold set in, my current shirt and pants already soaked through.
I followed the same beaten track, past the old oak, through the playground and over the hill that had a gorgeous view of the ocean. I looked out, to get a glimpse of anything out on the water, but no luck. The rain surrounding me was so thick; I wouldn't have been able to see a tsunami.
The sound of footsteps reached my ears, guess someone followed me again. From the sound of , it was a group of at least two, maybe three. I glanced upwards, seeing if there would be a break in the downpour, or if I'd be forced to take action in wet conditions.
I sighed, guess it's another one of those days.I looked down to see three boys, around high school age, standing in front of me cracking their knuckles. I lay my school bag on the ground, careful to make sure it was out of harm’s way for what was about to happen.
"Alright boys," I shouted, "I'll give you one minute, that's all I can spare for you low-life's!"
They snarled at that. The tallest, stepped forward and pointed at me.
"Hey! Who are you calling a lowlife?" he shouted.
"And here I thought it was obvious," I sighed, "don't blame me when you get hurt."
I lowered myself into my usual stance, waiting for one of them to make the first move. I didn't have to wait long, the leader charged up the hill, ignoring the fact that he was at a disadvantage. I remained still, waiting until he was 1 meter away before striking. The boy’s face changed from smug to shock as my leg hit him straight in the stomach. The boy dropped to his knees, writhing in pain. Taking my eyes of the first one, I looked back at the other two, both with stunned looks on their face.
"Well then," I rubbed my hands together, "guess I won’t need a minute to finish this!"
The boys glared up at me. I took a second to readjust my stance before they charged me. I grabbed the one on the left's wrist, twisting it to the right, dragging the rest of him with it. The boy slammed into his friend, knocking both of them down for a little while. I turned back around, expecting the leader from earlier to still be on the ground, only to find nothing but grass.
Damn! Where did he go? Something fast in the corner of my eye. Acting from instinct alone, I raised my palm, stopping the fist a few centimeters short of my face.
"You really," I grunted, "don't know how to take a hint, do you?"
I drew my arm back, tensing for what was about to happen. He started to say something, the words barely formed in his mouth. I slammed my fist straight into his stomach; same spot as last time, a snarl of pain the boy’s only response.
I lifted up the hand, checking to see that the owner of it hadn't passed out. I grabbed his collar in my other hand, pulling him up to my eye level.
"Now tell me," I asked, "what was the reason this time?"
The boy tried not to make eye contact. "Those damn eyes," he panted, "always changing."
I scowled, always the eyes, they couldn't make fun of something I could change; it had to be them.
I lifted myself back to my full height, dragging the boy with me and pulled him by his collar so he was eye level with me.
"I'll say this once," my voice laced with hatred, "if you ever make fun of anyone about their appearance again, I swear you’re going to be thankful a beating is all you got off with! Understand?"
The boy nodded furiously, shaking with fear. I slackened my grip, allowing him to fall to the ground.
I walked over to where I had left my bag, still not a scratch on it, and began the slow trek back home.
She's going to murder me when I get home.
"What do you mean!?" the voice thundered, "You beat three people up!"
I tried to cup my hands over my ears, but my attempts to escape the bombardment of sound were destroyed quickly by a swift pair of hands. I looked up to see my mother looking at me with a glare so mean, it would probably make a lion cringe, directed straight at me.
"Don't you try and get out of this one!" she shouted, "You are going to tell me why you did it!"
"Mum..." I began, my lips trembling, "I-I'd prefer not to really talk about it..."
"Areos, I swear if I don't have an explanation within the next five minutes, something will be broken!" Mum's voice rose to an even higher level, "And it better be a damn good one!"
Sighing, I drew myself up to full height, just a few centimeters taller than Mum. You'd think talking down to someone taller than you would cause problems; Mum continued to glare daggers at me, despite the height difference.
"Mum….why are my eyes this way?"
Her gaze softened, toning down to loving caring mode.
"Honey," she began, a lot quieter now, "I know they make you stand out a lot, but that's no reason for you to get in fights."
I strode straight past Mum, reaching straight for the handle that lead to my room.
"Areos," Mum begged, "Please wait a minute-"
Whatever she was going to say was cut out as I slammed the door behind me. I locked it just in case, and then slowly flicked the lights on.
My room was pretty bare, a few decorations, a lamp, and my bed. I placed my bag in the corner, barely realizing I'd still had it on, and flopped down onto the bed.
Maybe she's right, maybe I shouldn't fight just because I'm different. True that my eyes are different, but the rest of me is the same as everyone else, I think.
Nothing left to do but hit call it a night I guess.
My eyes began to close, my mind breathing slowed. A light flared in the center of my room, I barely took any notice, must be the power playing up again.
My eyes opened slowly open; I hesitated at first because of a bright light... Wait a minute! My light isn’t that bright and it isn’t yellow either! I flung my eyes open drinking in all that surrounded me.
A small grove, trees that reached a few meters tall, covered me from all angles. A thick layer of dust coated the ground surrounding me.
"Wait a minute, what's going on here? Where am I!"
As soon as the words left my lips, something growled behind me. I turned, glancing left and right for any movement in the darkness.
A pair of red glowing eyes appeared out of the darkness, a glare so intense I felt it burn my skin. I stepped back on instinct; the eyes matched my movement, what was connected to them slowly emerged from the trees.
Whatever the thing was, it sure as hell wasn't from Earth, standing around 5 foot tall, the eyes were part of what appeared to be a lion’s head, complete with snarling fangs. Attached to the head was a normal lion’s body, normal so far, that's when something towards its rear caught my eye, a tail! Not just a normal lions tail, a 2 foot long scorpions tail. My eyes were drawn to its chest as it flared a pair of wings, bat wings to be precise. I'd heard myths about these things, a Manticore.
Keep calm it won't be able to hurt you, this is all probably just a dream. As soon as I had those thoughts, the growling stopped replaced instead by a thick silence.
I realized what the creature was up to; I turned back around, my heart pounding in my chest. I took off, , the beast following me.
"Someone please help me!!!" I screamed as I ran through the forest, somehow ahead the beast of nightmares.
An arc of pain raced down my back. I cried out in pain, almost stopping as blood poured through my shirt. I ignored the pain, continuing my mad dash through the trees.
A light appeared a head, growing closer by the second. I put the last of my energy into my sprint, bursting through the last of the trees, my feet dragging me a few meters before my body came to a halt
I dropped onto my hands and my knees, taking deep breaths to calm myself; I glanced around to see if anything else dangerous was around, only to be greeted by a field of daises.
After I caught my breath, I stumbled forward, dazed from the blood loss. Looking further right, I could see what appeared to be a village. My brain went into survival mode, focusing only on the problem at hand. I need to get this wound treated, I’m bleeding a lot.
I struggled out of the field, my feet moving from the soft flowers to the harder dirt track. I trudged down the path, reaching what appeared to be the edge of the town. The town appeared to be a bit strange, the houses weren’t made of bricks like the ones I was used to seeing, they were a cream coloured wood, darker oak support frames stuck out of the sides and hay covered roofs to top it all off. Almost like a medieval town. Better than nothing.
I limped past the first houses, looking down the streets for signs of anyone only to be greeted by silence. I continued like this for some time, empty streets, signs that people had been there. Great, of all the towns to find when I need help, it’s the empty one!
My head swirled, the blood loss finally catching up to me. I ran my hands down my back, trying to check how bad the injury was. My fingers worked down my back, over my shoulder blades, stopping just below my ribs. I sucked in breath, preparing for the pain that was coming. I brushed the edge of the wound; pain arced through my back, my legs giving way. I put out my hands to stop myself, ripping off a few layers of skin. Note to self, deep wounds are better left alone.
I struggled back to my feet, trying not to cry out from the pain. My legs carried me through the next few streets, my eyes searching for any sign of help. After a minute of nothing, I stopped, leaning on the wall, calming myself.
A flash of pink caught my attention. I turned; I expected to see a person, someone that could help me. What I found wasn’t a person, just a horse, a very small one at that, it barely reached my waist height. The horse was a light cream, almost the same colour as the houses. A pink mane ran down its neck, part of it hiding the left side of her face, its face was full of worry.
“Um…” a small voice squeaked, “Are you okay? Oh my, you’re bleeding a lot. Let me help you.”
That… That horse just talked… No time to question that, I need a doctor “I...” I started coughing, raising my hand to my mouth, feeling something wet hit it, “I need help… Please…”
My legs buckled, unable to support my weight any longer. My head smashed into the ground, my vision fading to a small circle before fading completely.
Author's Note
Well, this is probably going to be the last time I remake it, though knowing my brain, I may decide to redo it again. I've slowed the story down a little, it felt a bit rushed when I had a look back on it. I also felt the intro needed a little bit of improvement.
Chapter 1: Hospitals and horses
My eyes flashed open, flicking left and right, drinking in the surrounding area. I was in a room, a clean white room with a single light in the middle of the ceiling. I was lying in a bed made of what I assumed to be steel, a rail lining the edge. A small table lay to my left; a window covered by curtains lay on my right, a door to the left of it. I looked down to see a few IV’s stuck in my arm, a heartbeat monitor beeping in the background. Great, a hospital. I guess it’s what I needed but still. Damn doctors, thinking they know what the perfect cure is, thinking that everything that’s different from normal is a disease!
Voices outside my door caught my attention. I strained to hear what they were saying, struggling to hear what they were saying over the beeping.
“-you can’t go in there miss! There is a chance that thing could be dangerous.” A male voice shouted.
“Come on,” another voice pleaded, female by my guess, “aren’t I allowed in even for a minute?”
“No one is allowed to enter until that…. Thing, is awake and unable to cause anypony any damage.” The male voice again. Did he just say anypony? Maybe that’s something they do here.
“But it’s already restrained!” I glanced down, finding my wrists strapped to the bed, I guessed that my legs were being restrained the same way, “It can’t possibly cause me any harm, and even if it tries to, you’ll be there to stop it. So please can I go in?”
The male voice sighed, “Fine, you can go in for now, but if it attempts to do anything while your examining it, then you’re out of that room in a flash. Understand?”
A moment of silence passed before the door was flung open. Prepared for anything my brain still struggled with what I say. A horse, around 4 feet tall, trotted through the door. It was a dull grey in colour, it’s mane a dash of black against the grey of its coat, its tail matching its mane. The horse walked past the window, its eyes locked with mine, body tensed for any sudden movement. It stood there in the corner, watching me with eyes like a hawk.
I glanced back at the door to see another horse trot in, this one a little shorter. Coloured purple, this one stood out a lot more. Its mane and tail were a much darker purple, almost navy blue, with two streaks running down it’s mane as well as its tail. Its eyes, dark lavender, held a much softer look, less cold and calculating, and more curious. The feature that caught my attention was the horn sticking out of its head
I took a deep breath, attempting to calm myself. Okay Areos, calm down. Things can’t possibly get any worse than they already have.
“Um,” The purple horse spoke, my jaw dropping, “oh good you can respond to noise at least. Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle; I’m the student of Princess Celestia. Would you please tell me what you’re doing here?”
Brain, why did you have to push our luck? I licked my lips, a little nervous, “Um, hello Miss Sprakle. My name is Areos.” The horse’s mouth dropped, almost reaching the floor, “Um Miss? Are you okay?”
“You…You can talk?” she spat, still reeling from me talking. I glanced over at the other horse to see him, he must be the male if Twilight was the other voice outside, having a very different response. He had his back arched, legs stretched evenly apart, a snarl stretched on his face. He looked ready to strike at a moment’s notice. I turned back to Twilight, still open mouthed.
“Um, can you please tell me where I am, Twilight was it?” She closed her mouth, still looking at me with a shocked expression. I sighed, going to move my hand to my head, before realizing it was still strapped to the bed.
“Oh, you’re in Equestria,” I stared at her blankly, waiting for her to continue, “To be more precise you’re in Ponyville, my home town, ever heard of it?”
“Equestria, Ponyville, those all sound like pretty ridiculous names, all based off horses,” I glanced between Twilight and the guard, “which is what I’m guessing you are?”
“We’re ponies to be exact,” Twilight said, “I’m a unicorn, born with a horn and the ability to use magic,” she gestured at the other pony, “and Shadow Strike over there is an earthpony, no wings or horn, but incredible physical strength compared to unicorn and pegasi.”
“Pegasi,” I glanced towards the window, “you mean horses with wings? Those exist?”
“Sure do!” Twilight moved a little closer to the end of the bed, “I have a couple pegasi friends if you would like to meet them. You should be able to leave the hospital in a few days; your injuries weren’t too severe.”
“Injuries…” the memories of yesterday came flooding back to me, “oh crap, I forgot about the Manticore. Did I make it to a doctor? Wait I’m in a hospital so that was kind of an obvious answer, but still, who was that horse, pony, whatever, same dog different legs.” Twilight turned her head, a puzzled look on her face, “one of my dad’s sayings, but anyway, what happened when I passed out.”
“Well, Areos,” started Twilight, “I don’t know the full details yet of what happened, but supposedly somepony found you passed out near the centre of town. That pony was kind enough to take you to the hospital, where our doctors treated you. You’re pretty lucky you got here when you did, a moment later and you would've died from blood loss.”
“So,” I glanced down at my wrists, “how long do I have to stay chained up here?”
“Well, now that we know that you aren’t really dangerous, then there shouldn’t be any problems with letting you out of the hospital in a few days’ time.” Twilight’s gaze turned out towards the window, “You’ll probably be lonely in here for a few days by yourself, so I’ll visit you if I get some time in my schedule, maybe ask if a few of my friends can visit as well. Would that be ok?”
I nodded, a silence filling the air as the three of us stood there in silence before a low growling rumbled through the air. Twilight looked at me curiously, I blushed looking away.
“Um, do you have anything that I could eat around here,” Twilight grinned back at me, starting to move towards the door, “and unless you want to force feed me, could you please untie at least one of my hands?”
Twilight grinned sheepishly; her horn became enveloped in a purple aura, the restraints around my right arm loosening. I tugged my right hand free, glancing over at Shadow Strike to see him still watching me. I waited until Twilight had left before speaking.
“Well, now that you know I’m not that much of a threat, will you still watch me all day,” I snapped, “or don’t you have anything better to do?”
He snarled back at me, “You may not appear to be a threat for now, but I have my eye on you… whatever you.”
“I’m a human,” I replied, “and probably the only one that you’ll ever see!”
Shadow Strike glared at me one more time before making his way out the door. I sighed out of relief, wasn’t sure how much longer I could stand him, I glanced back towards the door, waiting patiently for Twilight to return, before realizing that I was still partially restrained. With one hand free I made quick work on the strap on my right hand, before removing both the restraints on my legs. Oh fingers, how useful you are.
I pulled myself out of the bed, stretching myself out, getting rid of all the kinks that had gathered up while I was unconscious. I finished working a really annoying one out of my neck when Twilight came in levitating a tray.
“Oh, Shadow Strike, undid all the restraints?” she glanced around the room, looking to see where the grey stallion had gone, “He must have left, probably had more work to do. So, do you want some lunch?”
I nodded as she set down the tray on the bed. I walked over, carefully sitting down, before turning to see what was there to fill my stomach. To my dismay, there wasn't much, an apple, a banana, what looked like a salad sandwich, and a few berries. I sighed; guess I gotta work with what I've got. I devoured the sandwich in an instant, the flavor barely starting to leave my mouth before I had started on the banana. The food was delicious, much better than the chemical stuff we have at home. I finished the banana, finally moving on to the apple. I took a giant bite out of before the flavors exploded in my mouth, it was sweet but not too sugary, sour but not overpowering, it was what I would call a perfect apple. I devoured it, core and all, licking my lips for more, only to find an empty tray.
Twilight’s giggles caught my attention. I turned to see her trying to hold back laughter, a smile covering her face.
“Is something funny?” She shook her head, still smirking, “Well, I guess that should fill me for now, I’m guessing you have to leave, by the sounds of it you have a busy schedule, so I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Twilight nodded, turned at walked through the door. I stretched out my arms, testing to see if I still had my normal mobility. Guess if I’m stuck here for a few days may as well do something.
Damn its boring here, I really wish Twilight would come back, at least when she was here I had someone to talk to, being alone is just boring.” I glanced at the door, a thought popping into my head. I walked over, my fingers wrapping around the handle. I twisted hoping to find it open, only to find it was dead bolted shut.
I turned to the window, weighing my options, I could stay here and wait for another couple of days, or I could try and get out the window, with the possibility of breaking a few body parts. I think I’ll take my chances with the second option. I flung the window open, glancing down to be met by a 10 foot drop. I swallowed, guess it’s a little too far to jump, I looked left and right, searching for anything that could help me, my eyes lighting up at a tree only a few meters away.
I inhaled, gathering my strength for the jump. I leapt from the windowsill, my arms outstretched towards the branches. My body stayed suspended in mid-air for a few seconds, defying gravity, before physics decided to kick in. My right hand grazed the branch, my fingers struggling for a grip. I flung my other arm around, steadying myself.
I stayed there for a few seconds, waiting to see if the branch would break. I scrambled down the tree, getting a few splinters stuck in my hands on the way down. My feet thumped into the ground, barely able to handle my weight, I leant on the tree for a minute, catching my breath. I glanced around, checking if anyone had seen me, only houses met my eyes.
I sighed, walking around the side of the building until the sound of heavy breathing reached my ears. I looked back to see three ponies, sprinting at me. I turned back and tried to bolt off, only to trip over my own feet, landing face first on the ground.
My body refused to move, forcing me to wait for whatever was going to happen to me at the hooves of the cruel horses, until my whole body suddenly felt weightless. I glanced down to see an aura covering my body, similar to the one Twilight had used, except this one was pink. I looked around, my eyes darting all over the place.
I floated past the corner of the hospital, my senses assaulted by an array of colors and sounds. Everywhere I looked, multi-colored horses were everywhere, most of them looking at me. Some of them looked scared, a few were curious; others had expressions of pure shock.
My body turned to the left, a door in front of me. The door handle covered in the same aura I was. I floated through the doorway, waiting for whatever punishment was awaiting me. After a few minutes of floating down hallways, we reached what I assumed to be my room. The door flung open before I was thrown onto the bed, the aura finally disappearing. I glanced back, expecting to see someone, only to see the door slammed shut, before the sound of the door locking made me realize my situation.
I looked around the room again, noticing that the window was covered in bars, probably to prevent me from escaping again. I sighed; guess I’m stuck here until tomorrow at least. I adjusted my legs, getting myself comfortable for a short nap, my mind drifting back to sleep.
Author's Note
Well this one was longer then I thought, I may gone a bit too in detail, but oh well.
Next chapter will be more explaining, and more getting to know the ponies around.
And if you found errors, no matter how small, could you please tell me. I would like to work out the kinks in this story, and as you can tell, I'm not the best editor. Hope you enjoy it! Sincerely Wade.
The next chapter will probably be in a week or two, maybe more depending on how long it takes to make it the standard I want.
P.S The next chapter may explain a bit more about Areos
