Chapters Equestria's Other Monster
Life In The Everfree Forest
"Angel Bunny, there you are!" Once I heard that voice I leapt away from the white bunny and dove into a bush to the side, so I don't scare the source of the voice. Unfortunately the bunny was trying to follow me, which was bound to give away my hiding place.
"G-Go away! I gave you the berries; now go back to your owner!" I was going to shoo the bunny away, but it was too late, I saw a pair of yellow hooves and a long, pink lock of hair approach the bush, and a voice that sounded like silk chimed from above the hooves.
"Angel, you know the Everfree Forrest is dangerous! We should go home-"
I lost my balance and fell back even more into the bush, causing it to rustle. The voice gasped and stepped back, obviously surprised from my sound.
"U-um... H-hello...? W-Who are you...?" Her voice was shakier than a new born phoenix.
"... No one... You should go home."
"Wh-why are you hiding...?"
"... Because I don't want to scare you... Look, you said it yourself; the forest is a dangerous place."
"Th-then why are you here... If you don't mind my asking...?"
"... Because..." it never really occurred to me why I lived in the forest all this time. I just found a way to survive, and waited to find someone else like me to bring me home. I decided to say the most honest response I could; "Because I don't know where else to go..."
"You could always spend some time in Ponyville-"
"I can't go to Ponyville!"
"Wh-why not?"
"I can't bring myself to scare all those ponies."
"Nonsense, you just need some confidence, it all!" She stepped forward and went to poke her head in, but she was stopped by my hand.
"NO! Please, don't! I'm a monster, don't look at me!"
She went to move her muzzle around my hand but my fingers caught below her ear, and she snapped her eyes shut in pure bliss. Did I just scratch her favorite spot? She rubbed her head against my hand and fingers, trying to get more, so I kindly responded by gently rubbing and scratching that spot below her ears, trying not to cut her with my jagged and grown-out finger nails.
"Now, how could a 'monster' give such a good ear scratch like this-?" She turned her head and opened her eyes to see me, and gasped, jumping back a little in fear.
*****
I was gathering food from plants in the forest, just like any other day. The morning was bright and a little hot, causing me to sweat on my already ruined t-shirt. I would have given anything to get someone to make me a new set of clothes, but I was all alone, out here... Well, I take that back, I was not the only one here. Occasionally, I met a little pony or two, walking through the forest, but when I tried to approach them, they would see me, flick their ears back in fear and run off shouting out 'MONSTER!' It was sad to see these creatures get so scared by me. It just broke my heart that I was giving them such a fright, so I started hiding if I ever came across one. What was strange was that I never saw another human walk through this forest, and I lived there for a couple of years, I think... unless the seasons change differently around here or something. But I had no reason to complain, I survived this long, so any civilization would just be a luxury to me. So I finally got my food together, consisting of a pocket full of berries and an apple. It was not a feast fit for royalty, that would be my lucky day when I come across some timber wolves that were about to dine on their hunt, but it was enough to nourish me.
I was tall, and my build was wide and I had some muscle on myself, but I was a little skinny because of my rationing food. It was a decent life to live out here, but I always wondered what was beyond the comfort of the forest. I even decided to take a look down the path recently, and I saw a town, but it was a town full of more ponies. If I walked down there, I would just scare them all to death, and I couldn't bring myself to do that to them. I sat down beside a cave and sunk my teeth into the apple, sour, obviously it was not ripe, but it would have to do. As I ate, I started to think over my old question that still haunted me, and probably is bugging all of you as you read this; 'What am I doing here?'
Unfortunately, I could never figure out the answer to that question. the only thing I remembered was waking up to a bright moonlight with the sound of owls and crickets in the distance. Looking to my left, I saw a blade, and to my right, a bag of food and a medicines. Was I just dropped off? Was I on a camping trip? Did I fall into a coma and dream this up? Whatever this was did not matter, because I only had one thing to worry about from that moment on; survive. Starting that next morning, I began using my resources, knowledge, and fast learning to survive the forest's creatures and dangers. The ponies that came by sometimes dropped something they were traveling with, including some small clothing, little trinkets that I was surprised ponies could operate, and once in a blue moon, something helpful would be found on the trail, like food, or a new knife that could replace my old, dull one. What always amazed me, however, was the fact that these all somehow aided in my survival, and none of the ponies doubled back to reclaim their lost items. though, I didn't blame them, the forest was a little too dangerous for them to linger in. The nights in the forest were a beautiful sight to see. Fireflies danced by my legs, timber wolves howled in the distance, and the moon always lit my way. I adored the moonlight, and did my best to indulge in it every night, before I would go to sleep. the moon always provided me with a feeling of security, but I never understood why. I felt as though it watched over me every night so nothing would harm me in my sleep, but I knew that would be insanity. The moon couldn't protect me... But something always did. Something that I never could see.
Weeks passed after that first awakening and I began to adapt to life in the forest. I learned about the safe foods to eat, I gained the strength and stamina to outrun and outfight the animals that tried to make m their dinner, and I made myself a makeshift house; a hollow pile of sticks and mud. However, that was washed away after the first storm, so I decided that I would just make do with the trees. Over time my clothes became tattered and my arms and legs became covered with scars, but I kept my sanity together and was able to make it this many years. Until that day, when I met her. The pegasus that would save me from this two-year nightmare.
I finished my apple and tossed the core away from the path, then looked down and reached into my pocket to grab the berries, when I saw to my left that a bunny was staring at me. It watched me pull the berries out with focused eyes, and I figured out that it wanted my food. I thought over it, then placed the berries on the ground next to me. "Go on, eat up, I'm full, anyway." As the bunny hopped up and started eating, I heard some hoof falls approaching, and I stood up, walking away from the bunny.
*****
One second, I was just eating my breakfast, and fed some to a passing bunny. The next, I was stuck in a bush, about to be seen by another pony. It was probably the most eventful morning I've had in months, but I didn't want to strike fear into another pony.
"U-um... H-hello...? W-Who are you...?"
"... No one... You should go home." Yeah, that was a genius move. If it were a timber wolf, you'd be dead by now, use your brain, you idiot!
"Wh-why are you hiding...?"
"... Because I don't want to scare you... Look, you said it yourself; the forest is a dangerous place." I know I learned that part first hand. And if she stuck around something actually dangerous would probably get to her.
"Th-then why are you here... If you don't mind my asking...?"
"... Because... Because I don't know where else to go..."
"You could always spend some time in Ponyville-"
While going into civilization was my dream for years, I knew the correct answer was; "I can't go to Ponyville!"
"Wh-why not?"
"I can't bring myself to scare all those ponies."
"Nonsense, you just need some confidence, it all!" She stepped forward and went to poke her head in, but she was stopped by my hand.
"NO! Please, don't! I'm a monster, don't look at me!"
What went from me trying to keep her from seeing me turned into almost an hour of ear scratching. The pegasus had the time of her life, feeling my five digits grooming her fur and scratching her ear. And, I admit, I enjoyed seeing the pony smile, even after seeing me. It warmed my heart, and I felt happy. For the first time in two godforsaken years of surviving the forest, I was happy! But I soon realized that she was a sitting duck out here in the forest, so I had to send her off, posthaste.
"Is that enough...?"
She opened her eyes, and nodded gently, before backing up and blushing. "Y-yes, th-thank you..."
I wondered if she was lying and wanted more ear-scratching, but that was not important. "Now, please, go home before something happens. I don't want to see you get hurt." I soon got some distance from the two and stopped at a nearby pond, then splashed my face with water, before staring into my reflection. I didn't scare her...
How was that possible...?
Maybe I wasn't a monster after all...?
Author's Note
This is a story based off of "The Monster of Canterlot" and the author has given me permission to write this sequel to his story.
Equestria's Other Monster
I tried waking back to my camp, where my bag and medical supplies were, but my leg soon gave out, and I landed on my cut up arm. I knew I couldn't make the trip back.
"Y-you're hurt! Y-you got hurt for me...?"
I felt the blood rushing from my arm, and my leg went numb. "I-it was worth it... Thank you, Fluttershy..."
"F-for what...?"
"... You're so beautiful... Th-thank you for being my last sight in this terrible forest..." My vision was starting to blur, as the tears filled my eyes, but a smile grew on my face. I was going to make it out of this forest, even if it was not the way I hoped.
"H-HOLD ON! I-I'LL HEAL YOU UP! P-PLEASE JUST DON'T DIE!" She said as tears began to well up in her eyes.
As I started to slip away, I heard a thud behind me, and I heard Fluttershy gasp in surprise. Was it the timber wolves? Did they come finish the job? I blacked out.
*****
Weeks have passed since I had that visit from the pegasus, and things were still the same. A few days after the encounter, I tried to find any other ponies to befriend, but if I got close enough to try and scratch their ears, they would scream, buck me in the gut, and high-tail it out of the forest. I eventually gave up and went back to hiding. That one pony was the only one to give me a chance, but I had a feeling she was not going to return for a long time, so I knew it was a lost cause.
Nightfall came to the forest, and I had to start a fire soon, before the timber wolves began their scavenging. I got to my camp and put a batch of sticks over my fire pit, then added a few leaves to help start it. I pulled out my knife and a piece of flint that I found, and then started to strike it... and strike it again... and again... It was no good, the flint was probably damp, and I couldn't get my fire started! I struck the flint once more in frustration, but clipped my thumb in the process, causing myself to yelp in pain. I closed my eyes and put my thumb in my mouth to sterilize it, then got a cloth and wrapped it up to stop the bleeding. I saw a blue light shine from behind me for a second and when I turned around, I saw the fire was started. Did that last strike actually work? I didn't question it, however, because now the fire was started and the wolves were not going to get close to it. I smiled a little and started to warm up. I looked over my shoulder, feeling as though something was watching me, but brushed it off as just some paranoia. I still didn't know how the fire started, but it was definitely not the flint. I lay down and watched the stars, feeling secure with the moon, again, and as I drifted away, I saw something large fly past it. A pegasus? a griffon? Well, nothing that looked concerning. My eyes closed and I began to sleep.
My dreams began and the first thing to fill my vision was the yellow pegasus. Her pink mane was covering half of her face and the other half showed her trying to look away in embarrassment. My hands listed and began to scratch her ears again, and she started to smile and lean into the direction of my hands. To see a pony this happy really made my heart dance, even in my dreams. Looking down, however, I saw at her hooves that her shadow did not match up. The shadow was of a taller pony, I think it looked like a unicorn, with a nearly transparent mane, flowing without wind. The shadow had a white eye, staring at me. This was not the first time I saw this figure in my dreams, but this time it was staring right at me. The eye flashed and I woke up in surprise, and it was daybreak. The fire went out and it was time for me to gather breakfast.
*****
The day passed like any other, and the sun was starting to set, but the day was not over yet. I still had to gather firewood again. As I proceeded through the woods, I hard hooves waking up the path. I hid in some plants and looked out to watch the pony walk by, but as I watched, I realized it was the same pegasus from before.
"What are you doing back here?"
She jumped in surprise and looked my direction. “I-is that you?"
"Yes, it's me, and my question still stands, why are you here? The sun's almost down; the timber wolves will be out soon!"
"I-I'm sorry, b-but... you see... I-I was looking for you."
Me? Why me?
"I-I wanted to find out more about you, so I was looking through the forest all day!"
"I see... I’m glad to see you weren't hurt... look, I’ll meet you at the entrance to the forest in the morning, if you want, but tonight you need to get back to Ponyville."
"... F-Fluttershy..."
"What?"
"M-my name's F-Fluttershy..." Fluttershy blushed a little, and looked away. Her name really represented herself well.
"It's nice to meet you, Fluttershy."
"Wh-what's your name...?"
"I-it's nice to meet you, James... can you come out of the bush for a second? I-I mean, if you don't mind..."
"No. I don't want to scare you... go home, Fluttershy, please."
she tried to respond, but I moved on. As she walked down the path I followed her through the trees and plants, making sure she found her way, but once twilight struck, disaster soon followed. Fluttershy hit a dead end and looked around, soon realizing that timber wolves were starting to approach her from all sides. "O-oh dear!" she screamed as a wolf leapt at her.
That was when I had to blow my cover. I jumped out of a tree, holding a branch with fire burning the end of it, and swung it at the wolves, trying to scare them away. "Get back! I said get back!" Two wolves tried to pounce at Fluttershy from behind, but were met with my fire branch, causing them to run away with some of their sticks still on fire. My fight was short lives, however, when one wolf attacked my arm and sunk its jagged wooden teeth into my arm, causing me to drop my torch to the ground. That did not stop me, however, for as soon as it bit my arm, I swung the wolf to the ground and caused it to shatter into a pile of sticks. That provided some fuel to my fire, and the fire began to grow. Before I could celebrate, however, one last wolf ran up and bit me in the back of my right leg, causing me to stumble, and fall, but the wolves all soon retreated when the fire grew.
Fluttershy watched in fear as she saw my injured body try to get up and walk. "J-James? D-Did you-?"
I tried to make it onto my feet, ignoring the pain. "My bag's back at camp... I just need to-" I took a second step, but it was on my right leg, the pain felt like an intense shot, like a lightning bolt had hit me, and i soon fell over, landing on my torn up arm. The blood was leaving my body quickly, and i had no way to stop it.
"Y-you're hurt! Y-you got hurt for me...?" She was scared to think that she was the cause of all this pain. I understood her heartbreak, seeing as how i always hated scaring the ponies way, she hated the thought that she caused this to happen. I had to release the burden on her somehow, but how?
"... It was worth it... Thank you, Fluttershy..."
"F-for what...?"
"... You're so beautiful... Th-thank you for being my last sight in this terrible forest..." I knew that my time was drawing short, and the pain was unbearable. Despite that, however, I had to smile through the tears. my last seconds were going to show that i was not a monster to the ponies. That i was capable of good, after all.
"H-HOLD ON! I-I'LL HEAL YOU UP! P-PLEASE JUST DON'T DIE!" She said as tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Fluttershy... Stay near the fire... until daybreak... Nothing will harm you..." And with that, my eyes closed, and i began to lose consciousness.
"NO! JAMES!" Fluttershy cried for a moment, then looked up to see an alicorn land behind my body, obviously scared that I was going to die. "P-Princess Luna?" Fluttershy stopped crying eventually and she saw Luna had used her magic to bring my bag over.
"He is alive... But not for long if we do not hurry!"
Author's Note
There more chapters to come, and don't worry, the foreshadow part will only happen on the most important and/or emotional chapters!
Equestria's Other Monster
I opened my eyes slowly and my vision was blurred. I was laying on something soft, as if I were lying on a cloud. Was I in heaven?
"... I watched over him for two years, because I didn’t want to see him killed..." who was that voice...?
"... Mean he was in the forest for two years, princess?" Fluttershy? Was that Fluttershy? My vision soon adjusted and I found myself in a bed with blankets over my body and bandages wrapped around my arm. Whoever the doctor was, I really need to thank them for their excellent job, and it already felt a little healed. My leg was still weak, but it was still working. Looking around, I noticed the room was well decorated and was someone's bedroom, though they were generous enough to share.
"... Prince Chris is already too much for my sister, so I had to hide him from her... I just wish I was more of a mother to him than a guard..." Who was that? Was it a human voice?
"... Don't worry about that, princess Luna; you just need to spend some quality time with him..." That was definitely Fluttershy's voice, so she probably had something to do with it. The door slowly opened and I saw the familiar pink mane start to peek through, and in a natural response, I swung the blankets over my head and averted my eyes.
"Good morning, James! How’s your arm and leg?"
"… They’re fine... give it a few days and my leg will be working again."
"U-Uh, why are you covering your head? I already saw you, there's no need to hide anymore..." she was right, she was not scared of me anymore, but I still didn't want her to see me.
"I-I.."
she walked over to the side of the bed and bit the corner of the blanket gently, tugged it off of my head, then took a good look at me. My face had some small scars and was patched with dirt, my hair was in locks with dirt laced in them, and my eyes fixed on hers. "s-sorry I don't look decent,"
"Oh, nonsense, you just need a little bath and that's all."
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
"Here, let's go get you cleaned up," she let me sit up, and then reached her head under my right arm, giving me some support.
"Thank you, Fluttershy, that's really kind of you."
She blushed a little and smiled. "you're welcome, James." she led me to the bathroom and I sat on the edge of the tub, getting ready to get my shirt off, but found that she was still standing there.
"Uh, can I have some privacy, please?"
"O-OH! I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you were not comfortable, I-I was just waiting to see if you needed any more help-"
"It’s fine, Fluttershy, you've done more than enough. Thank you."
She blushed and walked out.
I had my clothes set next to the door and was lying in the warm water, realizing just how relaxing a real bath was. What I did not realize was that while I was washing myself up, Fluttershy got my clothes and walked into town. She walked into the carousel boutique and talked to her friend Rarity.
"Um, excuse me, rarity?"
"Yes, Fluttershy? What can I do for you?"
"I, um, was wondering if you could help me with something... Can you fix up these clothes?" she showed the clothes in her bag and rarity turned a pale green from the sight. "Oh my word! Why are these clothes so dirty? And torn?"
"They, uh... are very old clothes."
"Wait, are these clothes Prince Chris's?" "Um... well..."
"I’ll have them in mint condition in a jiffy!" she went right away to her sewing machine without letting Fluttershy finish what she was saying. in almost half an hour, Rarity had finished fixing up the clothes and had them all in a beautiful box, as if it were to be sent to royalty and placed it in Fluttershy’s bag. "I hope the prince finds it to his liking!"
"I-I'm sure he will. Thank you, rarity" Fluttershy walked off without saying another word.
I soon realized my fingers and toes began to prune up, obviously showing that I was in there long enough, so I stepped out and grabbed a towel, wiping myself off quickly, trying not to put too much weight on my right leg. Once I was finished I went to grab my clothes I saw they were missing and I looked around for them. "... Fluttershy, where are my clothes?" there was no answer. "Fluttershy?" since she did not answer the second time, I limped over to the door and peeked out. She was nowhere to be seen and neither were my clothes. I started to wander the room and turned to see a figure in front of me. The surprise made me yelp, but I soon noticed that I was looking into a mirror, and I was seeing myself. My torso had a number of scars on it and I looked like I had not had a decent meal in days. I usually collected enough food to keep myself sustained, but I had the foolish tendency to offer some to the woodland animals that I came across. I couldn't allow myself to see these animals go without the food, considering I was on their territory. I couldn't bring myself to kill any animal either, but I knew my need for meat was crucial to my survival. The timber wolves were not real animals in my book, so I was able to fight them off all the time. Afterward, I would find their hunt and somehow manage to cook and eat whatever unfortunate creature they caught. That was the only way I could get any meat, because I couldn't kill any animal.
My thoughts were suddenly cut short when I heard Fluttershy come through the door to the room.
"O-oh! I-I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?"
"No, I was just looking for my clothes, and-"
"O-oh! I’m sorry, b-but you see... I-I had my friend Rarity fix them up for you..."
"You what?"
she reached into her bag and took out a box, decorated beautifully and held together with a bow.
"Are you sure that's for me? It looks like it's made for a prince, not something like me."
"w-well, you see..." she spoke so softly that I did not even notice as I gently opened the box and saw my olive green shorts and bright red shirt, both washed and sewn up, without a single tear or hole to be seen. "This is amazing...! I’ve never seen my clothes this good condition since I woke up under the Everfree shade.
"This... this is amazing...! Thank you, Fluttershy!"
she blushed lightly and looked away. "It-it’s not me you should be thanking... it's my friend Rarity who fixed them for you."
"But you're the one who took them to be fixed." I reached out and scratched her ear gently, then watched her smile and rub her head into my hand, enjoying the feeling. I continued to scratch her ear, for a while, until I realized I was still standing there in my towel. "U-uh... I should probably get dressed, now."
"O-oh! Okay! I’ll just wait out here..."
once she walked out of the room, I threw on my clothes and looked in the mirror, seeing my hair, face, and now my clothes cleaned up and looking more presentable, I felt a little more human than I've felt in years.
"y-you look great, James..."
"Thank you, Fluttershy... Thank you very much.
Author's Note
Not to worry, your remaining questions will be answered in future chapters!
Equestria's Other Monster
That night, I slept on the couch, because I insisted Fluttershy would take her bed that night. it was the least I could do, in return for all that she'd done for me already. Up until now she became my only friend, healed my wounds, and allowed me to live with her while I recovered fully. I could not believe just how quickly the events unraveled, but this was a wonderful turnaround for me. But things got much more interesting, even in my dreams. That night, I slowly slipped into my slumber and began to dream about the forest. Gazing into the sky and seeing the stars, as my fire would keep me warm. I was not alone, however. I noticed that there was an alicorn beside me, staring up with me. Her mane and tail were formed of the dark blue night with stars just as bright as they were in the sky. I thought I recognized her from somewhere, but I could not remember why.
"Greetings, James. Are your injuries recovering well?" she spoke with a strange tone, a little loud, but still gentle, almost motherly.
"Yes... thanks, but... who are you?"
She walked toward me and I saw that we were about the same height. "My name is Princess Luna. I am the one who raises the moon and stars in the night, and I am the one who watches over the dreams of everypony."
"And you are not afraid of me? Lots of ponies that saw me ran away, so why aren't you afraid?"
"That is because I have known you for two years, and I have watched over you all this time."
"Why would you-?"
Without allowing me to finish, I saw her sapphire eyes glow a bright white and everything in sight flashed, as we appeared in a room of a castle. At the very end of the room was a mirror, where I saw myself fall out of and hit myself on the head. The sight of that blow to the head made me cringe. "That must've hurt. Glad I don't remember that part." I then saw the princess walking into the room, and when she saw me knocked unconscious on the floor, she gasped and ran over to me. I saw her look over myself without any sign of fear. She then used magic to lift my body and carry it out the window into the woods. "That explains how I got there, but why?"
My question was put aside for now however, when the area flashed again and I saw myself earlier in my time in the forest. I watched as I saw myself try to communicate with the ponies, only to scare them away. I saw the cart they were pulling had lots of materials in them, and one of the bags fell out. I always assumed it was an accident, but when I watched carefully, it was covered with a blue aura and it levitated off of the cart. Looking around, I soon saw Luna in the distance, as she quickly placed a blade and a few other necessities into the bag. "All this time, I thought they were just accidents..."
The area flashed again to another scene. This was much more recently, when I began to start my camp fire, but instead, I cut my thumb. I saw myself turn away, but when I watched the fire, the same blue aura covered the firewood and ignited it. Then I looked into the sky and saw the princess flying over the area.
"... you were the one who watched over me all this time." the area flashed once more and I saw the campsite empty, and Princess Luna and I were standing face to face once again.
"I apologize for not revealing myself to you."
"It’s okay, I’m not upset... but I have one question... why did you bring me out to the forest?"
The princess lowered her head. "My sister adopted a son many years ago. I watched the pain, sorrow, and stress that she endured as she raised him. I did not wish to see her undergo more with another child. Instead, I made the mistake of bringing you to this place. I did not wish to stand idly by as you struggled to survive, so I began to watch over you and assist you from the shadows."
"You have a wonderful heart, princess. I’m thankful for everything that you have done for me."
She smiled at my words and nodded. "It is time you raised from your slumber, my child. It is almost morning, and your host, Fluttershy, will be happy to see you."
Then the dream faded to dark, as my eyes slowly opened to the first light of the morning. so many questions were answered, but new ones took root.