Chapter One: A Rattling Discovery
He awoke. Sitting upright nearly instantly. The first things that came to his attention were that A: this place was cold, and B: there was a loud chattering... a constant rattling the echoed throughout the dark forest where he had awoken. He looked around the dark forest; feeling a little creeped out. The chatters grew in volume. He tried to call out, but not sound was heard over that wretched chattering. Clackity clickity clackity it rang into the area around. He looked around for a source of the chattering. He found nothing. He looked down at himself, and the volume of the chattering increased once more as he noticed his body. A long set of bony legs was the first thing to catch his eye the next was the swell of a dark purple cloud in the middle of his chest. Shaking violently in fear and confusion. He looked down at his chest and arms. Just as bare of skin and organs. He was confused and horrified by what he saw looking at himself. He sat there in shock. Unmoving save for the involuntary clacking of his body.
He sat in stunned disbelief for several more minutes before finally deciding to stand and check out his surroundings. Questioning a dark forest about his body would have to wait for later. He pushed himself to a stand with surprising ease for a figure with no muscles. As he looked around at the trees, the chattering seemed to dampen in volume. Being nothing more than the occasional spout of clacks as he calmed down. He began to examine his surroundings. Trees, tall grass, and a few pretty blue flowers that felt as though they almost glowed under the limited sunlight the forest canopy let through; sticking out especially well against all of the dark and light green of the forest floor. He approached one of the blue flowers, crouching down and looking at it. Reaching out a bony hand and plucking it from its spot in the ground, examining it. If he had the facial muscles to smile, he would have, as the flower was very calming to him. He felt a sensation of warmth run through him as he gazed at the flower.
After a few more seconds of staring at the flower, and eventually placing it between two of his ribs much like a corsage, he walked forward. Tempted to explore this new place to its fullest. He walked past much of the same blandly colored greenery for quite some time before he finally saw a bright light shining ahead. An exit to the forest at last! He increased the pace of his walking slightly, his body chittering quietly in excitement. As he got closer and closer, he could hear two voices speaking. He became even more excited. "People!" he thought, making his way to the edge of the brush. "Finally, someone who can me where I am!" He couldn't contain his excitement as he saw the green, plant-like roof of a beautiful cottage. His excitement turned to confusion as he ducked into a bush. The voices were not people, but two odd technicolor ponies. Both with sets of wings tucked at their side. One was a bright yellow, with brighter pink hair. She talked in a quiet tone and had a nervous demeanor about herself. The other was blue, with a mane and tail that was a beautiful spectrum of all of the colors of the rainbow. He could feel his chittering get more and move nervous, more and more volumous, as he sat in the bush, watching the two ponies talk with one another no more than twenty feet away.
He knew they could hear his chattering now. The yellow one ducked behind her rainbow-maned friend, who looked in annoyance at the bush. His shaking grew more violent as he sat, shaking the bush now. The rainbow pony drew closer to the bush with a slow pace. The yellow and pink one hiding behind her. Far behind her. As the blue-coated rainbow-haired pony drew closer still, he saw fit he should quite hiding. Poking his head nervously from the bush. His figure must have scared the blue winged pony, as she took a few steps back, gasping. The yellow pony behind her nearly fainted upon seeing him. He tried to greet them, but all the emerged from his mouth was a low, raspy hiss, and more chattering as his jaw clanked together. He stood from the bush now, and saw just how little the ponies were. They only stood at about waist height to him. He had no idea how tall he was, but he was still marginally taller than them. Though he figured if they stood on their hind legs, they could match his height, or get very close to it. He looked down at them and lifted a hand to wave. This must have provoked them, as both ponies looked terrified up at him. Both took off in flight screaming before he could wave hello, and soon he was left standing alone in the back yard of a cottage... alone and confused, and wishing he knew why he was here. He sit in the short grass, letting the midday sun shine on his bony body.
