Chapter 1: Meet Thy Neeeighbor
Ponyville
It was another bright and early morning for Twilight Sparkle. She woke up in her bedroom in the upper half of "The Golden Oak Library"; her home and, as the name would imply, Ponyville's local library. Looking to her left, where the doorway was facing, she noticed her purple and green scaled baby dragon assistant, Spike, walking into her bedroom, carrying a bag of fruits that she requested him to purchase in the market the day before... shortly after she reappeared in Ponyville with Rarity, of course.
"Good morning, Twilight! I brought you those fruits that you ordered!" He said in his usual cheerful voice.
Twilight giggled at him, before rubbing his scalp with her right hoof, and levitating the bag of fruit from his claws. "Thanks, Spike! I knew I could count on you to bag them up this morning!"
Spike waved his right hand dismissively. "Oh, it was nothing!" Then, after a small moment of silence, his smile turned into a serious expression. "After all... I was worried about you, yesterday... what in Equestria were you doing in the Everfree Forest, anyways?!"
At the mentioning of the name, Twilight's ears perked up, her eyes widened, and she let out a gasp. "Oh, no! I almost forgot! I have to go back in there for something, real quick-"
"Hold on!" Spike interjected, before blocking her path, as she tried running out of her room. "You want to go back in there?! What for?!"
Twilight sighed, before replying, "It's none of your business, Spike! Trust me, I'll be fine! It's not the first time that I've been in the Everfree Forest alone, after all!"
Spike deadpanned at her, before retorting, "You were turned to stone by a cockatrice."
Ignoring his expression, Twilight smiled at him, and lifted him with her magic, before placing him behind her on the ground. "I know, but now I'm prepared! Besides, why did you think I had you run to the market and get these fruits in the first place? In case I get sidetracked, I'll have this fruit to eat so I don't get hungry!"
Before she could step out of the door, however, Spike tugged on her tail, and said, "Twilight... the fruit isn't for you, is it?"
That statement caused her to gasp, before turning around to reply. Before she could, however, she saw his annoyed expression, and sighed, as her smile dropped. Spike's annoyed look turned to a concerned one again. "Listen, Twilight... I know it might seem like it's none of my business to know what went on in there, but... you've been like a sister to me, Twilight! And a mother, for that matter, since you did hatch my egg... so you're family to me, and as a family member, I feel like I deserve to know what happened... and don't give me that 'I won't believe you if I told you' nonsense, either! If I won't believe you, then what's there to worry about, anyways?"
Twilight pondered his words for a moment, before sighing. Her smile, since he began speaking, turned into a nervous and sad frown. "Alright, Spike... but only if you make a Pinkie Promise that you don't let anypony else know about this! Not even Princess Celestia or Princess Luna! Understood?"
Spike raised both eyebrows at that statement. "Wait... why shouldn't I-"
Twilight placed a hoof on his mouth, and squinted her eyes in a serious "If you don't, then I won't talk" type of manner. Silently, he nodded his head, and mumbled the words through her hoof; muffled, but understandable.
For another silent moment, Twilight thought of what to say, before smiling. "Alright then, Spike... if you want to know the truth, here it is... I was ambushed by timberwolves; that, you already know. Right?" Spike nodded his head, and motioned for her to go on. "But as you may also already know, I'm no athlete, nor am I capable of winning a fight for my life... especially when the odds are stacked against me."
Then she looked towards the Everfree Forest from her window. "In fact, I had a feeling I wasn't going to even make it... but it all changed when... when he rescued me."
Spike raised an eyebrow, and asked, "He?" Then, his curious expression turned into a shocked one. "Wait... so you're saying that... there's somepony else that lives in the Everfree Forest?!" Twilight nodded her head. "And it's a HE?!" Twilight's cheeks started to turn red, as a sudden realization of the image she just put herself in appeared in her mind. Nevertheless, she slowly nodded her head. Then Spike covered his mouth, and started to chuckle, before he burst into laughter, and yelled through hysterical laughter, "TWILIGHT HAS A COLTFRIEND!"
Twilight rolled her eyes, and then retorted with a groan, "Gr... I DO NOT! Besides... he isn't even a... pony, to be honest..."
That statement caused Spike's eyes to widen even more, and his laughter to cease at once. "Wait... so you don't have a coltfriend... is he a Zebra like Zecora?" Twilight shook her head. "A Gryphon like Gilda?" Twilight shook her head again; this time, with a look of disgust on her face. "Oh, thank Celestia! Okay, then... is he a Minotaur? I hear they can take on many timberwolves at once!"
With another annoyed groan, Twilight replied, "No! He isn't a pony, a gryphon, a minotaur, or even a dragon! No, he isn't an ox, he isn't a deer, and he certainly isn't a zebra!" Then she closed her eyes, and pinched her eyes together with her left hoof. Afterwards, she motioned for him to come closer. After placing his left ear close enough to her mouth, she finally whispered, "He's a human... who can speak Equestrian!"
There was silence after her revelation... unnerving silence, in fact. Spike just stared directly in front; almost lost in his own space. His pupils were completely shrunk, and his smile was no longer present.
Finally, after what felt like five minutes of silence, Spike weakly chuckled, cleared his throat, and then stated, "Gee, Twilight... if you didn't want to tell me what he is, you should've just said so!" He looked up at Twilight's expression, and realized that her expression didn't appear to be happy in any way. "You're... not joking... are you?"
Twilight sighed, before shaking her head. "I know it might sound crazy, but... come with me, and I'll show you that he means us no harm!"
Spike hummed to himself, before shrugging his shoulders. "Well... considering you're here, and not out there... I guess I'll have to take your word for it... but be careful around him, Twilight!"
Twilight nodded her head. "I am... though I'm telling you, he isn't as bad as you might think! And remember!" She leaned closer to him, and whispered, "Nopony must know!"
Spike gulped, before nodding his head. "A-alright, Twi! You have my word!"
Twilight smiled at him, and stood upright. "Good! Now, then... we've wasted enough time talking! I'm sure you'd like to meet the one who saved your sister, right?"
Spike, though nervous deep inside, put on a smile and replied, "Y-yeah! ...Right!" As he said that, he soon felt himself go light, and before he knew it, he was levitated on Twilight's back.
"Great! Then let's go!" Twilight said enthusiastically. After levitating the bag of fruit from the ground to her snout, she slipped her saddlebag on her shoulders, and burst out of the library door; ignoring any bystanders that wanted to talk with her.
Everfree Forest
Justin's Shelter
Justin didn't know how long he's been asleep. After the fights with the timberwolves that he endured the previous night, however, he felt like he was far more drained than he would normally be on an average day... or night, for that matter. Even so, he felt slightly renewed with energy, as he slowly stood up, and popped his neck a few times. Then he reached his right hand towards the doorway (or at least, he did once he could find it), and slowly started to crack it open.
The second that the door cracked open, the sudden flash of light from the sun made his eyes squint, and his left hand to instinctively hover over his forehead; spread out to keep his eyes safe from the rays of the sudden light.
Once the door was fully open, he crouched down stealthily, and peeked his head out, hoping nobody saw him. Then, once the coast was clear, he silently tiptoed towards a tall tree, and hummed to himself. "The branches on this one seems like it could be easy to climb... perhaps I should see what all's around me..."
As soon as he climbed three branches, however, his mind started to fill with his natural fears. In a split second, his mind was fully aware of what he was doing, and a childhood fear that he had was coming back... he was afraid of heights.
"Damn it! What am I thinking?!" Justin murmured to himself, before climbing back down from the tree. "If I were to fall down, I'd have no way of getting medical attention!"
Once his feet were on the ground level again, he stopped moving, and listened around his location. Sure enough, from the front-right corner, he could hear the sound of leaves rattling and twigs snapping. Not taking any chances, he crouched down lower, and silently made his way back to his tree which, thankfully, wasn't but a few steps away. Slowly pulling the door shut, he kept his head close to the doorway, and listened for any voices.
After a minute of waiting, he heard a familiar voice getting closer... Twilight Sparkle. As for why she was talking, it didn't really matter to him... until he heard an unfamiliar voice reply to her... the voice of, what sounded like, a little boy.
"I'm telling you, Twilight, we probably shouldn't keep this guy a secret from Princess Celestia! I mean, we've already got Ponyville curious about why we're headed into the Everfree Forest... especially our friends!"
Twilight's voice, however, replied, "No, Spike! I'm telling you, it would be bad if anypony else knew!"
"Any... PONY? So is this guy a pony as well, or something?" Justin thought to himself.
Twilight then added, "Besides... if the others did something hostile, which I'm sure they would, then you would most likely miss out on the chance to make a friend who's just like you!"
"Just like me? Wait, is this 'Spike' guy another Human, or something?!"
There was a small moment of silence, before Spike replied, "I thought you said he wasn't a dragon, though!"
"What the Hell?! HE'S A FREAKIN' DRAGON?!" Justin thought, as his mind began to race with countless dangerous thoughts. "Oh, crap... if I piss him off, he might be able to burn me to a crisp! I'd better be careful with what I say, then..."
"I'm not talking about race, Spike! I'm talking about anatomy! He's definitely a lot taller than you, since you're just a baby dragon... but believe me when I say this; he's a lot nicer than he looks! Like, almost 'Fluttershy'-leveled nice!" Twilight's voice replied. At this point, she sounded like she was just a couple meters away from the door.
Finally, after a few muffled whispers, the door began to knock. Out of security reasons, Justin merely sat there, and waited for the "password" to be given... but it didn't come.
After what felt like a minute, Twilight said, "Good work, Justin! I'm glad to know you remembered to remain silent until the password was given!"
With a smug smile, Justin replied, "Well, what can I say? I learned from the best... ah, crap..."
Then Twilight's voice sounded like she was... laughing. "But you kinda blew it at the last second!" After she said that, the door started to glow a lavender color. "There! Now I think I sound-proofed the inside of the door, so you can be as loud as you want in there!"
"Great! Thanks, Twilight!" He said, before waiting for a good while to hear her response... only to pop himself in the forehead. "Sound-proof, dumbass..." He thought to himself before pressing his ear closer to the door.
"We're here to help you!" Twilight said, causing Justin to shrug his shoulders, before reaching his hand out to open the door... but then, he stopped himself, and thought out the words carefully.
"The password is 'I'm here to help you', though!" With that in mind, he slowly pulled his hand away, and crossed his arms.
After another moment of silence, Spike's voice asked, "Twilight... are you sure he heard you?"
Twilight giggled, before replying, "Well, at least you got that one right!" Then she said, "I'm here to help you!"
With the correct password spoken, Justin reached towards the door handle, and slowly opened it up; shielding the sudden flash of sunlight from his eyes in the process.
It took his mind a few moments to ponder the fact that Twilight was less than half his height, so at first, he was looking straight forward. Then, once he looked down, he noticed the second sentient being that he saw in this strange land... a small bipedal dragon with purple scales and green spikes; a green turtle shell-like stomach, and green fins on the sides of his head.
The two bipeds just stared at each other for a moment; unsure of what to say to the other. Twilight, of course, held her snout with her hooves, and silenced a chuckle that she felt coming up.
Finally, after a long moment of awkward silence, Justin raised his right hand, and said, "...Hi?"
The sudden use of the "Equestrian" language caused Spike to jump back, point his right finger at Justin's face, and yell, "SWEET CELESTIA! A HUMAN WHO CAN SPEAK EQUESTRIAN?!"
Justin, out of his playful nature, widened his eyes, pointed at Spike's face in response, and retorted, "HOLY CRAP! A REAL-LIVE DRAGON?!" Of course, not all of it was out of his playful nature, as he, too, was just as confused.
"Well... that escalated quickly!" Twilight said, before stepping between the two bipeds. "Alright, you two. Listen up! We're just here to talk to each other, and show one-another that we aren't here to hurt anypony- err... anyone! Alright?"
Justin and Spike still merely stared wide-eyed at each other, but soon slowly nodded their heads; still slightly unable to speak.
"Alright, then! Justin, can you please step into the tree again, so we can all speak to each other without the risk of unwanted attention?"
Justin nodded his head, before opening the door, and motioning for Twilight to step in. She, at first, looked confusedly at him, before he smiled, and added, "Ladies first."
Her cheeks suddenly felt warmer, before she weakly smiled. "Oh... well, thank you!" Then she and Spike stepped into the tree; Spike still staring at him wide-eyed, and slack-jawed. After giving the local area another scan, Justin stepped into the small round room, and closed the door, while Twilight's horn projected a light for the three to see each other with.
From inside the tree, Twilight levitated a scroll, a quill, and a small pot of ink from her saddlebag, and dipped the quill in the ink. Then, after levitating the quill over the notepad, she asked, "Alright, Justin... so, first of all, I need to ask you this... what do the humans that you're from eat? From over here, they only eat meat... is there a difference between the two?"
Justin thought for a moment, and decided to be honest with her. "Actually, yeah... there is a difference... but it might not be something you'll agree with entirely."
Twilight stared at him uneasily and asked, "Don't tell me... you eat meat, too?!"
With a sigh, Justin replied, "Well... not pony meat, if that's what you're implying. I also don't eat dragon meat, so there's no need to worry about Spike over there."
Spike's eyes shot open when he heard his name being called out. "Wait... how do you know my name?!"
"I heard Twilight mention your name while you both were headed this way." Justin replied, causing Spike to sigh in relief. "Anyways, I don't necessarily have to eat meat, though... just simply something that can provide protein for my body. That's one of the downfalls that us humans have. Our bodies can't produce it, but it requires it to function properly."
"Protein... so you can eat 'whole grains' and 'legumes', right?" Twilight asked, as she jotted down a few notes on the scroll.
Justin rubbed his chin with his right hand. "Yeah... I know what whole grains are. They're like rice, bread, and other stuff like that, right?"
Twilight nodded her head. "And legumes are things like beans, peanuts, and black-eyed peas! There's actually quite a few more than that, but I'm just giving you examples." Then she paused for a moment, and tilted her head. "I'm sorry... you probably don't know what any of those are, do you?"
Justin chuckled at that statement, and shook his head. "On the contrary," he then nodded his head, "I practically grew up eating those three that you mentioned!"
That statement caused Twilight's eyes to sparkle with glee. "Really?! Okay, then! So... would you be willing to adapt to a life without meat, if we can't find a way to send you back to... wherever it is that you came from?"
Rubbing his chin in thought once more, Justin shrugged his shoulders, before nodding his head. "Sure, as long as that life isn't taken out early by some crazed pony who acts before they think!"
Twilight chuckled nervously, before nodding her head. "Yeah... so you might wanna avoid Rainbow Dash, then..."
"Who?" Justin asked, before receiving a deadpanned stare from Twilight. "Eh, it doesn't matter. Probably just another one of your friends. Anyways, next question, please!"
His request caused Twilight to raise an eyebrow. "You mean you don't mind me asking you questions like this? Normally, everypony would feel like I'm interrogating them, and would ask me to end it after the first few questions!"
With a light chuckle, Justin replied, "I consider myself to be an optimistic individual... I view the positive side of things more than the negative. It's just who I am. And when you ask me countless questions, I will always think the same thing as the past few questions! 'It's just simple, easy-to-understand, and completely relatable curiosity!' I would tell myself, before answering the questions with an honest smile!"
Twilight lightly giggled at his statement, before nodding her head. "Wow... you really aren't like the other humans! They normally just shoot first, and think later... or never, for that matter!"
For a moment, Justin noticed that her expression seemed to show a hint of sadness. "I'm... sorry if I brought that up..."
Suddenly, Twilight's eyes shot open. "Oh, no! It's not you! It's just that... well..." Then she hummed for another moment; trying to find the right things to say. "I just... haven't really met any stallions that think that way." Her cheeks then turned redder. "N-no! I didn't mean it like that! It's just that... well..."
Justin lightly chuckled, before finishing for her. "If I were a stallion, you'd ask me out in a heartbeat?"
With a shocked expression, Twilight asked, "H-how did you know that?!"
Justin shrugged his shoulders, before replying, "It's just common sense." Then his expression darkened. "But let me tell you something out of personal experience, though... if you find someone who's completely like you, then don't try to be their lover."
That statement, plus the sudden mood change, caused Twilight to gasp. "What? Why?!"
Then Justin crossed his arms and replied, "Trust me... never jump to conclusions just by how that person seems on the outside. Learn about their history, first. Befriend them. Make them open up to you. Then decide if they are worth your love, or not." With a sigh, he then said, "I learned that one the hard way."
Twilight's expression changed from shocked to concerned. "I'm... sorry about that."
Justin shook his head, and weakly replied, "Don't be. It wasn't you who broke up with me that day." Suddenly, Justin clapped his hands together and put on a smile again, almost as if the past few seconds didn't even happen. "Anyways, moving on! Next question, please!"
At first Twilight stared at him confusedly, until she thought to herself, "Maybe he's trying to forget that moment... okay, then!" Then she asked him, "Alright, then! What do you do for a living?"
Justin chuckled lightly before replying, "I'm a mechanic, of course! I build things for a living."
That statement caused Twilight's ears to perk up. "Wow! So you're a mechanic?! Ooh, does that mean you like to read?!"
His next answer, however, caught her by surprise. "Nope!"
"Wait... what?!" Then she stood up on all fours, and asked; her eyes wide with disbelief, "What do you mean you don't like reading?! Don't you know that things work correctly if you follow the instructions?!"
Her sudden outburst in the small encased area caused Justin to cover his ears. "Chill out, Twilight! I'm right here!" He shouted over her.
She then sighed before sitting back down. "Well, I guess you don't really seem like the perfect match for me, then!"
Justin raised an eyebrow out of confusion. "I beg your pardon?"
Suddenly Twilight's cheeks burnt red while she slapped her forehooves over her mouth. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean it like that! I mean that we aren't exactly the same!"
After pondering the thoughts of her statement for a few seconds, Justin decided to brush it off, before asking, "Alright, then... should we move on to the next question, or would you like to take a break?"
Twilight was about to freak out about there still being more questions she needs answered, until Spike nudged her on the left shoulder. "Twilight, we really need to get going!"
With a sigh, Twilight nodded her head. "Alright, Spike..." then she turned to Justin and smiled. "Thank you for answering these questions for me... same time next week?"
Justin tilted his head out of confusion, before asking, "Um... sure, but why next week?"
Twilight's cheeks turned red once more, before she replied, "I'll... explain it then." Then she turned to Spike and asked, "Hey, Spike! Can you do me a favor during that week?"
Spike nodded his head before replying, "Sure thing, Twi! What can I do for you?"
Twilight then turned towards Justin and said, "I need you to deliver some food to Justin during the week I'm not here. If it's okay with him, could you also ask him some questions as well?" Spike was about to decline, until she patted him on the forehead. "Great! Thank you, Spike! Don't worry, though! I'm sure Rarity will love to hear how her Spikey-Wikey managed to roam through the Everfree Forest on his own!"
At the mentioning of the name "Rarity", Justin noticed Spikes eyes literally shape-shifted into the forms of cartoon-like hearts. "Where the Hell did I end up in? The real-live Disney World, or something?" Justin thought to himself before shrugging his shoulders.
Then Twilight's eyes squinted, as a now completely serious expression appeared on her face. "Justin! I know that you're aware of what the ponies would do to you if you're ever seen, but... can you please do me a favor, as well?"
Justin gulped and nodded his head. "S-sure thing, Twi! What can I do for you?"
Twilight then turned towards Spike, and asked, "I need you to protect Spike when he's here by himself. You can already see that he won't be able to stand a fight against a timberwolf... and I saw you take three on at once!"
That last statement caused Spike to gasp. "W-wait! Did you say... timberwolves?!"
Twilight nodded her head and replied, "Yep!"
Spike then pointed at Justin and asked, "And you took on three?!"
With a shrug, Justin replied, "Well... if you're not counting the five other ones that tried to join them before Twilight collapsed out of exhaustion."
Silence followed his last statement, before he focused back on them; now noticing that both of their eyes were almost wider than saucers. "What?" He finally asked.
Twilight was the first to ask. "H-how... how in Equestria did you manage to do that?!"
Spike nodded his head in agreement; now feeling much more impressed about this human. "Y-yeah! Do you, like, have some kind of superpower, or something?!"
Justin stared at them blankly for a moment, before bursting out in a fit of laughter. His laughter lasted about a minute, until Twilight and Spike started getting slightly annoyed.
Finally, after catching his breath, Justin replied, "Good gosh, no! I don't have any kinds of powers! In fact, the only thing I do have is either my strength, or my brain... and the first one isn't really that great, either!"
Now Twilight started getting even more confused. "Wait... if you aren't that strong, then how did you take on five timberwolves at once?!"
Justin raised his right finger up in a declarative manner, before replying, "Simple!" Then he pointed at Twilight and told his side of the story.
So I saw you were headed my way, and noticed the timberwolf chasing you down. Instantly, I knew that you were in trouble by the look on your face... and considering you are a unicorn... a creature of mythology according to those in my homeland... I didn't entirely believe that any of this was real. But even then, I wouldn't ignore a cry for help, even if it were just a figment of my imagination... so I checked my surroundings, and guessed which path you were about to take... though considering you were running on a straight path, it was clear you were on a collision course with me.
With that in mind, I quickly hid behind a bush that rested below a tree, and stretched its branch out. When you passed by its swinging range, I released it; sending the five timberwolves flying. Considering how frightened you were, however, it was clear that you weren't gonna stop any time soon. With that in mind, I followed you to where you fell over. Along the way, however, I got in a scrap with two of them out of the five that I hit with the branch... they were kinda the reason why my clothes are all torn.
Anyways, one of them started clawing and biting at my legs. Thankfully, I wear long pants, so it couldn't tear deep into my flesh before I stomped its head into the ground. Then the second one jumped onto my back and started biting and clawing my chest and stomach. That one had to be taken care of in a more... painful manner.
You see, it had its teeth in a pretty bad spot that, if removed under normal methods, would've been fatal for me. So instead of merely pulling it off of my back, I jumped up, angled my back to the ground, and crushed it through my own weight... though it hurt like Hell in the end.
So when that one was down, I didn't bother checking for a pulse, because I noticed three more chase you down. When you fell over, I picked up the nearest rock... I think you saw where it went.
"And the rest, as they say, is history!" Justin concluded with a smile.
Twilight and Spike, however, still stared wide-eyed at him. "What's wrong?"
"So, wait..." Twilight began, before her ears flopped down nervously, "you mean to tell me that... you intended to kill them?!"
Justin shook his head before replying, "My intentions weren't to kill them... but I won't hesitate to do so, if the creatures are trying to harm the innocent... but even then, it would only be as a last resort."
Twilight and Spike then sighed with relief, before Twilight replied, "Thank Celestia! I was worried you would've been willing to kill us if we wronged you... because I can already tell that you will be looked at differently when we find a way to get the others to trust you."
Then Justin raised a dismissive hand, before replying, "Eh, nonsense! Truth be told, if all ponies looked like you, I wouldn't even have the gut to kill y'all... I don't know why. Might be something to do with y'alls huge eyes."
Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "Huge eyes? What's that supposed to-" then she noticed that his eyes weren't quite as tall as hers... in fact, his eye sockets would've merely covered the pupils of her eyes. "Oh... never mind!" Then she looked at Spike and said, "Well, I think we've taken up enough of Justin's time, Spike. Let's go." She turned to Justin again, and smiled. "Thank you again for answering these questions, Justin! It's been great talking to you; getting to know you better!"
Justin then smiled and nodded his head. "Likewise! I'll see you in a week, Twi... Twilight? Why are you leaning towards me?"
Suddenly Twilight's mind snapped back to reality. "Oh my gosh! I'm so-so sorry! Please don't hate me, I'll explain it in a week, I promise!"
While tilting his head out of confusion, Justin replied, "Um... okay, then... have a good one!"
With that, Twilight and Spike both exited the tree; waving goodbye to the human who, in turn, waved back with smiles on all their faces.
When Twilight and Spike were halfway between Ponyville and The Everfree Forest, Spike asked, "Okay, Twilight. What has gotten into you?!"
Twilight sighed, before turning around. "Sorry, Spike... it's just that, well..." She then tried to think of the proper things to say. "You remember last summer, when I had to lock myself in my room for a week?"
Spike nodded his head, before the realization hit him. "Oh! You're..." then he whispered, "under your estrus period, aren't you?"
Twilight's cheeks started to burn redder, before she nodded her head. "Yeah... that's mostly why I need you to go to him, and cover for me while I... tend to my... y'know."
Spike nodded his head. "I understand, Twilight... though you do know that you're gonna need to tell Princess Celestia at some point, don't you?"
Twilight's ears perked up. "What? Why should I tell my mentor about my estrus?!"
Then Spike rolled his eyes, before replying, "So that you can have your friendship report delayed! You don't want one of your reports to eventually be about what you learned when you took a stallion and-"
"SPIKE!" Twilight shouted, before covering his mouth with one of her hooves. "Okay, I get it!" Then she sighed, before adding, "I just hope she'll understand..."
Spike waved a dismissive claw in response. "Twilight, she's been around for well over a thousand years! What's there for her not to understand?"
"Not the estrus, Spike!" Twilight retorted. "I'm talking about... Justin."
Then Spike's worry-free expression turned to a concerned one. "Yeah... he seems nice! Plus, he could be a big help when it comes to learning new things... but since he's a human, he... won't be able to even get past the gates without being arrested!"
Twilight looked up at the sky and sighed. "Yeah... it seems to me that we have no other choice but to read up on... humans..." suddenly, her ears perked up, and a small grin formed on her mouth, "... and I know just the mare to ask!" With that, the two of them began rushing out of the Everfree Forest, and were now on their way to Ponyville; searching for a certain household that could, without a doubt, be the right one to trust in these desperate times.
To Be Continued
The Everfree Forest
Twilight Sparkle, the faithful student of Princess Celestia, herself, was lost in the Everfree Forest. That fact always ran through her mind for the past few hours, as she continued to gallop through the wooded areas; trying to escape certain doom.
At first, she thought she was just hearing things thirty minutes prior, but after turning around, she noticed a hungry timberwolf prowling towards her. Not sparing a second to see if there were more with it, she had no other choice but to gallop her way through the forest; hoping and praying that help would come and save her.
...But alas, that was thirty minutes ago...
There was only so much that her lungs could take. Losing the energy to run any further, Twilight stumbled, before collapsing on the ground; panting heavily, and looking around for any signs of danger. Sure enough, as the running went on, three more joined the first of the timberwolves; each of which gazing down at their fatigued victim; their wooden fangs already piercing into her mind with their sight. Had she known that they travel in packs, she would've been more aware earlier, and perhaps would've pushed her limits even sooner... but she never did study on timberwolves, yet. Even so, pushing her limits earlier would've only make her collapse around fifteen minutes ago or more... at least, that's what her books about running said.
Tears quickly began to fall from her eyes in the form of small, thin streams, as she lowered her head, and braced for impact; her life flashing before her.
Her first spell... she remembered it well. Being able to levitate objects was one of the things she always enjoyed doing since she was a filly. She also felt slightly envious that her friend Rarity was able to cast that spell as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
Her first Magic Exam... that was the day she met Princess Celestia. Her parents and older brother have never been more proud of her in her short life that day.
Her invitation from Princess Celestia... she was unable to sleep the night prior to the day she moved to the castle for her first major lessons... not only because she was excited, but also because that was the day she studied the hardest. She was surprised that the princess allowed her to spend a whole day to sleep in... perhaps because her mother and father told Princess Celestia about her habits of staying up all night studying.
The day she got her Cutie Mark... it was during the exam. It, too, was a reason why it was difficult for her to sleep that night.
The day she first arrived in Ponyville... at first, she didn't think much about it, but if she never moved there, then Princess Luna would've never been stopped... and she would never have met her friends; the Elements of Harmony.
Her friends she made... the pinkest party-mare around, Pinkie Pie; the pony of the Wild West, Applejack; the fastest flier in Equestria, and potential future Wonderbolt, Rainbow Dash; the pony of fashion herself, Rarity; and the kindest pony to ever live, Fluttershy. Twilight could already see the look on her friends' faces when they find her lying in the Everfree Forest... and it brought even more tears out of her eyes.
Her brother's wedding to her foalsitter... her brother... he would probably get hit the hardest with the news... and next to him, her sister-in-law, Princess Cadence.
The memories continued to run through her mind, as her gaze focused on the ground; completely unresponsive to the timberwolf that stood just a few feet away from her neck; prepared to make a lunge for the right half of her neck.
As soon as its fangs were mere inches away from her neck, however, the timberwolf flew further in front of her; giving out a loud whine as a large rock clung to its skull from its left side. The impact of the landing caused the timberwolf's movement to cease at once, with the rock loosely rolling off of its now half-opened face.
With a shocked expression, Twilight looked towards the source of the thrown rock; directly behind her. Then her expression showed even more shock, and a greater sense of fear to kick in, as her eyes focused on a tall bipedal creature with a pale coat of skin covered in brown hair; a short, dark brown mane that was combed to the creature's right, and blue-green colored eyes. The creature wore a torn sleeveless white shirt, blue denim jeans, and a pair of dark brown hiking boots. The jeans had a few small holes on it in the front, and a couple on the back of the right calf of the creature's legs.
It took her a moment to process what this creature was, until the realization hit her. This was a human... a race banished from Equestria for their violent nature, and their cruel intentions with the ponies. She was informed by Princess Celestia to keep away from any humans at all costs, and that they are not to be trusted, under any circumstances. Regardless, she still felt confused at why this human just rescued her... but then again, with the amount of fear that she felt, she knew she had to be defensive, in case it was aiming that rock at her, instead.
She quickly stood up and lowered her horn; prepared to fight the human... until the human spoke to her in her language, which caught her attention quickly, since humans couldn't speak Equestrian.
In a masculine voice, the human loudly stated, "What in the world are you doing?! Run away while they're focused on me! I'll distract 'em!" Then he looked closer at her, and sighed. "Oh, wait... you look tired... here, let me help you." With that, he started walking towards her, until he noticed her gasp, stand back up, and back away from him.
Then she asked, "W-wait, you can speak Equestrian?!"
The human stopped in his tracks, raised both of his eyebrows at her in shock, and then counter-asked, "Wait... you can talk?! And what the heck is 'Equestrian'?"
Before they could continue with their conversation, the human pointed behind Twilight, and shouted, "DUCK!"
Twilight didn't hesitate to listen to his order at that point. In one fluid motion, she dropped to the ground while a timberwolf flew over her back, and in-between the human and her. Then the human ran up to the timberwolf as it turned its head towards Twilight again, and jumped onto its back. As soon as his feet landed on its back, however, he jumped again, where both of his feet hovered over its head. Then, as soon as he fell towards the ground again, both of his feet pushed the timberwolf's head into the ground, where its head burst into splinters on the ground with a loud whine, and a crunch to soon follow.
When the human finished that move, however, he didn't stop moving, as he quickly picked Twilight up, and cradled her into his arms; much to her confusion and displeasure. "H-hey! Put me down!"
"Listen, you're way too fatigued to run anymore, so let me at least help you get out of here!" Then he looked around, and saw the third timberwolf rushing towards him and Twilight at a fast pace. When it was within his reach, however, he lifted his right foot and kicked the center of his boot into its wooden skull; causing its neck to make a "snapping" noise to go with its whine, before the timberwolf fell to the ground motionless.
Twilight quickly nodded her head, and then said, "Alright, then!" Then she pointed over the human's right shoulder with her right hoof, and added, "If you go that way, then it should take us to Ponyville! I'll tell you when we get close!"
The human nodded his head, and then replied, "Ponyville, huh? Never heard of that place before, but... okay!" Then he began walking towards the direction that Twilight pointed, only to be stopped by the sound of rustling in the leaves. When he turned around, both his and Twilight's eyes widened at the new sighting.
The splinters, the planks, and every other part of the timberwolves that were slaughtered, were all moving towards the center of the area; slowly starting to form into a pile on the ground that started to slowly rise up; beginning to get ominously taller than the human.
"Nope!" The human stated before turning around; ignoring the situation that was going behind them. Then he made a mad dash towards where Twilight motioned for him to run.
After thirty minutes of non-stop running, the human panted for breath, before asking the mare in his arms, "Well... I... think... we lost 'em..."
Twilight looked over his shoulder, and smiled. "You're right... we did!" Then she looked at the tears in his shirt, and gasped, as she noticed, for the first time, that the human was already in a fight before he even met her, and was injured with several cuts and bruises on his torso.
"Oh, no! You're hurt!" Then she jumped out of his arms, and examined him closely, as he sat on the ground. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
"Eh, it's just a flesh wound... nothing too major." He tried to reason with her. For some reason, though, she seemed to refuse to believe him.
"No it isn't! I shouldn't just let the only nice human hurt himself to save me!" That statement caused the man's eyes to widen in surprise.
"Wait... there's more humans here?" He asked, only to receive a glare from Twilight; silencing his questions immediately.
"Yes, but our kinds don't really see eye-to-eye, if you know what I mean?" She retorted. This made the human tilt his head in confusion.
"Okay, now... I know that the president of the United States is most likely serious when it comes to avoiding war, but... I don't think that he'd add an oddly-colored alien pony-like thing in the list of enemies... no offense."
Twilight raised an eyebrow at the human. "President of the United States? I'm not sure what you mean by that, but... would that happen to be the humans' leader?"
The human shrugged his shoulders, before replying, "I don't think I'd call him my leader. I mean sure, he runs a lot of political nonsense that I don't know crap about, but to be fair, I'd say us humans tend to be our own leaders, nowadays."
Twilight hummed to herself, before replying, "Well, the humans of Earth tend to be more hostile in nature, but even they have a leader somewhere." Then her eyes widened with excitement. "W-wait... now that I mention it, you don't have the same armor that they wear on! Are you from another planet?!"
The human shrugged his shoulders again, before replying, "Well, unless there's another Earth out there, then... I don't know."
Twilight nodded her head. "Okay, then... but if you're from this same planet, then... why are you so different from the other humans?"
The human shrugged his shoulders, before replying, "Your guess is as good as mine... though I doubt if I'm in the same Earth, since the one that I'm from didn't have talking Unicorns, or lavender horses, for that matter."
This comment caused Twilight to gasp, and glare at him. "H-hey! Don't call me that!"
The human jumped a little at her sudden outburst. "What?" He asked innocently.
Twilight retorted, "Horse! Don't call me a horse! That's a rude thing to call a pony!"
The human waved his hands defensively. "S-sorry! I didn't know! Honest!"
Twilight continued to glare at him for a moment, before she sighed, and nodded her head; her expression showing a little more guilt. "Sorry for the outburst... I forgot that you're new here..." Then her eyes widened at the sound of a voice in the distance... a posh-like voice calling her name. "Oh, no! That sounds like Rarity!"
The human tilted his head, before asking, "Twilight? That's your name?" Twilight nodded her head, which made the human smile and hum to himself. With an approving nod, the human added, "That's a nice name... it suits you."
Twilight's face suddenly started to feel warm at that statement. Nopony ever complimented her name before. "Well... thank you, Mr. Human."
"Justin." The human replied, before stretching his right hand out. "Justin Daniels. It's nice to meet you, Miss Twilight."
Twilight eyed his hand for another moment, before stretching her right hoof out, and shaking his hand. "Please... just call me Twilight... or Twilight Sparkle, if you'd like."
Justin nodded his head, and then looked towards the source of the voice and the sounds of the movement. "Alright, then... so why did you say 'uh-oh' when you heard that Rarity person? You and her not getting along?"
Twilight shook her head, and then replied, "No, it's not that! She's one of my best friends! The problem is that our races are at war! If they see you, then it could be a disaster!" Then she looked around, and spotted a thick tree. Then her horn glowed, and in the blink of an eye, a door knob appeared on the tree, with a crack that resembled a door. Just the sight of the sudden use of magic caught Justin by surprise.
"Whoa... what was that?!" He asked; his eyes glued to the tree.
Twilight giggled at the confused human, before replying, "It was just magic... another reason why you should hide, since Rarity's also a Unicorn like me!"
Justin looked towards the source of the hoof-steps, and nodded his head. "Alright, then... thanks for the heads-up, but... will I ever see you again?"
Twilight looked at him with a concerned expression. She knew she couldn't just leave him there with nopony to talk to, or at least help him figure out where he came from. She could tell that he wasn't from Equestria, or the human's territory in the far-eastern island outside of Equestria. If anything, his personality seemed to resemble ponies over humans, so perhaps that could be a potential clue to help her prove him to be... different from the rest of the humans.
With that in mind, she smiled at him, before nodding her head. "Of course! That tree will be your shelter for now... don't answer the door to anypony that doesn't say 'I'm here to help you'... okay?"
Justin nodded his head, and then smiled at her. "Alright, then... thanks, Twilight. This means a lot to me."
Twilight shrugged her shoulders. "It was the least I could do."
"Twilight?" Rarity's voice echoed. The voice sounded ominously close.
After motioning for Justin to hurry to the tree, Twilight turned around, and said, "Oh, Rarity? What're you doing here?"
Justin, at this point, managed to open the door to the tree, and step inside; gently closing it in time to hear the voices on the other side of the door.
"TWILIGHT! OH, THANK CELESTIA YOU'RE ALRIGHT! YOU HAD US ALL WORRIED SICK! WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN THE EVERFREE FOREST, DARLING?!" Rarity's voice practically echoed as if she were standing there next to him.
Twilight's voice replied, "It's okay, Rarity! I was just going to get some tea from Zecora, when I was ambushed by a small pack of timberwolves."
Rarity gasped. "TIMBERWOLVES?! HOW IN EQUESTRIA DID YOU SURVIVE?!"
As both of their voices grew quieter, the last thing Justin could hear Twilight say was, "Well... you might not believe me if I told you, so let's not worry about it."
With a smile, Justin commented to himself, "Thanks, Twi... at least now I know to keep quiet around here." Then he sat there in the pitch-black tree, thinking of the events that just transpired. "I just hope I don't snore tonight..." With that, he curled into a ball, and slowly closed his eyes, as the sounds of the forest grew increasingly silent.
To Be Continued
