Fantastic Ponies and Where They Liveby SpiritD3t3ctiv3ChaptersPrologue: What kind of Port Key is this?Chapter 1 An Unexpected GuideChapter 2 Tea TimeUpdatePrologue: What kind of Port Key is this?What is an adventure without curiosity? This is a concept that was held in high regards by Newt Scamander, Magizoologist, former student from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and past member of Hufflepuff House. A chaser; that’s what he had called himself. He had chased after knowledge, in the hopes of learning more about the amazing magical creatures of Earth and educating his fellow wizards about them as well. His travels led him to the deepest and darkest part of the Congo in Africa, where he planned on tracking down two of Africa’s most infamous legends, the Kongamato and Mokele-Mbembe. For a while, it was a quite enjoyable trip. Until, of course, he ran into some trouble with the locals. May 1926 With his suitcase gripped tightly in his hand, Newt ran down the vegetation covered path as arrows and long, stone tipped spears flew past him. His Bowtruckle, affectionately named Pickett, peeked out from beneath his coat’s lapel and started conversing with him in a serious of clicks and squeaks that only he understood. “It’s not MY fault”! He replied hastily in his British accent, “I knocked over ONE sacred monument and it’s all OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!! It seems like a bit of an overreaction if you ask me”. The young wizard let out a slight yelp as one of the arrows soared onto the side of his suitcase. After quickly removing it, he quickly started to pick up the pace. He came to a stop as he came upon a large river in front of him. As he heard the encroaching shouts and footsteps of the locals behind him, Newt started to his right. With the natives growing closer, and their aim beginning to improve, Newt put whatever energy he had into his legs. It was wasted as he came to the edge of a cliff and saw that the river ran down the edge, making a waterfall. There were rare moments in his life where Newt had to act quickly and act fast and this happened to be one of them. He knew he couldn’t hide in his suitcase because the natives would just take it back with them and where would that leave him? Back where he started, but in a much tighter spot than last time. He looked around to see what resources he had. He had his wand with him, but he doubted that even a wizard with much more experience than him would be up to the task of hexing and stunning over 50 angry natives. To add to that, Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment and the Quality Quidditch Supply shop were thousands of miles away and back in England, so there was no chance of there being any brooms or floo powder nearby. Just as he was on the verge of accepting his untimely, and somewhat grizzly, demise at the hands of a bunch of natives that had gone to spare, there was a bright glimmer that appeared in the corner of his eyes. Upon rotating his head ninety degrees, he saw there was something shining in the knot of a baobab tree. He quickly pulled out his wand and stuck the tip inside the knot. “Lumos”, he said, invoking the Wand-Light charm. As the tip of his wand glowed and the dark inside of the knot glowed, Newt saw the object inside; A silver horseshoe with two Alicorns, one of a light color and one of a darker color, circling the sun and moon. For a moment, Newt had no idea what a horseshoe would be doing in a tree in the middle of the African Congo. Suddenly, it dawned on him; the object before him was none other than a port key. As a warm feeling of relief swept over him, he quickly grabbed onto the portkey, hoping that it was the right time for its activation. Feeling the world around him begin to spin, he knew that fate was on his side. Within seconds, he was swirling around in a bright vortex, with Pickett squealing with fright from beneath his lapel. “Don’t worry, Pickett”! He exclaimed reassuringly, “Soon we’ll be…huh? What”??? His attention was directed to a strange sensation he felt in his free hand. As he looked at it, he saw his entire hand was beginning to glow. It gave him a strange tingling sensation as the strange glow travelled up his arm. Soon enough it spread all over his body until the bright light began to overtake his vision. Just as he was blinded by the light, everything suddenly went black. As the former member of Hufflepuff house slowly opened his eyes, he was greeted by the image of a shadowy canopy and the various sounds of strange creatures’ bellowing out mating calls and whatnot. His head was throbbing as if he had been run over by a Erumpent or worse, knocked out by a Nundu’s breath. As he rubbed his temples, he immediately noticed an odd sensation. Instead of the quintuple feeling of fingers running through his hair, he felt a singular point. In fact, he couldn’t even feel his fingers at all. Slowly, as he lifted what he had originally assumed to be his hands into view, he was shocked to find two light orange hooves had taken their place. Looking around, he saw a small pond nearby. Upon crawling over to the small body of water and peering down into it to see himself, his shock came into fruition as he saw himself. What he saw in his reflection was not a human, but a light orange furred unicorn in its place. “AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH”!!!!!!!!!!! As he screamed in terror, Pickett peeked out from behind Newt’s coat lapel and attempted to sooth his owner with words, or rather squeaks, of comfort. Newt stopped screaming as he heard his Bowtruckle speak to him. He nodded in reply as he took a deep breath and examined himself. Save for his pants and boots, he still had the rest of his clothes on, consisting of his blue coat, yellow vest, white shirt, and bowtie. Light orange fur had covered his skin and his hands and feet had been replaced with hooves. There was a horn about six inches long protruding from his forehead. Finally, as the wacky cherry on top of the bizarre sundae, he had a tail; a long, bushy, orange tail the same color of his hair, which would technically now be his mane. Fortunately, he had studied unicorns enough to know their diet, biology, and basically everything else unicorn related. The only thing he didn’t know was his current location, except that it was nowhere on Earth. Everything he would need to know would soon be revealed to him. “Well, Pickett”, he said, standing up straight, “We won’t get anywhere if we stand here and dilly dally all day now, will we? What say we do some exploring”? Pickett nodded and chirped in reply. With a nod, Newt looked around and found his suitcase resting at the base of a tree. Slowly, Newt started over to it, doing his best to adjust to walking on all fours. It was one thing to walk on all four limbs when you were approaching an animal to gain its trust, it was different when you had to do it daily. Luckily, with a slow and steady approach, Newt managed to walk, or in this case trot, over to his case with no problem. As he reached over to grab it, there suddenly came a loud rustling from the bush nearby. Newt was a little scared at first, but only at first. Because as a Magizoologist, he knew had to keep a calm head when dealing with a new, and potentially hazardous, creature that was magic or otherwise. He soon realized he had nothing to fear as a little white rabbit hopped out from the bush and looked up at him with curiosity. “Hello there”, Newt said warmly, “What’s your name”? Chapter 1 An Unexpected GuideAuthor's Note I messaged my editor last Thursday. Haven't heard back from him, so I'm risking it. ENJOY! Chapter 1 An Unexpected Guide At a cottage that stood at the edge of the border to the Everfree Forest, a pink maned yellow Pegasus named Fluttershy, was humming a pleasant tune to herself, merrily enjoying her daily morning routine which consisted of feeding all of the animals that lived in and around her house. She had just gotten to the rabbits when she noticed that one particular rabbit was not at his usual spot. “Have any of you seen Angel Bunny”? She asked the other rabbits that she was feeding. Many of them shook their heads or shrugged as they nonchalantly munched on their own carrots. The kind mare flew over to the small house where Angel Bunny slept, wanting to make sure she hadn’t overlooked anything. Upon looking inside, she saw that her little friend was not there. This began to seriously worry Fluttershy. “Oh Angel, where could you be”??? She asked with tears creeping out from the corners of her eyes. Meanwhile, the unicorn formally known as the human wizard Newt Scamander, traipsed across the macabre landscape of the Everfree Forest. With his new friend, the little white rabbit he had met earlier, perched on his back, Newt navigated through the treacherous forest, all the while listening to the directions the bunny gave him. “Wait so, was it a left at the fork tree or a right”? Newt asked the rabbit. Angel Bunny lightly smacked his forehead as he tried to explain the way out of the forest to Newt once more. Having been known to understand animals better than his fellow wizards back at Hogwarts, Newt nodded his head as he listened to the small rabbit. “Alright, think I got it now, and by the way, there’s really no need for that kind of language”, Newt said. Angel Bunny blew a raspberry at Newt in reply. “Lovely”, Newt replied curtly. The young wizard kept walking, with the little rabbit in tow, until he came to a small clearing where a little cottage stood before him. As he looked around, he saw that there were thousands upon thousands of animals, ranging from rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, and all kinds of birds. Newt was rather impressed at this cornucopia of animal life. “So this is where you live, yeah”? He asked, turning to Angel. The little rabbit nodded his head as he hopped towards the cottage. “Well, very lively place, I’ll give you that”, Newt said, smiling as he looked around. As Newt and Angel Bunny approached the front door of the cottage, the auburn maned unicorn reached out and rapped his hoof against the door. Upon pulling back, he looked down at his hoof. “Hmm, feels a bit weird doing that with a hoof and not a fist”, he said to himself, “But I’m sure I’ll get used to it real soon”. What Newt didn’t notice was that as the front door opened, a big stack of flyers was rapidly heading right towards him. That is, until…. “Eeep”! “Ooof”! THUD! They collided. Both the unicorn wizard and the owner of the flyers found themselves on the ground, with some of the flyers floating down like fresh autumn leaves. “Ohhh, bugger”, Newt groaned rubbing his head. “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry”! shouted a voice. Out of the corner of his eye, Newt saw a pink maned yellow Pegasus with a depiction of three butterflies on her flank. He was a bit surprised as she rushed over to him and looked him over. “You’re not hurt, are you”?? She asked worriedly. “No, no, no, I’m quite alright, thanks”, Newt said with a chuckle. As she looked over him, she noticed something peeking out of his lapel. Pickett, curious about the mare in question, slowly peeked out of his hiding place on Newt’s coat. Being a lover of animals, and fascinated by whatever new ones she encountered, Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile. “Oh my goodness”! She softly exclaimed, “Who’s this little guy”??? “Hmm? Oh! This is Pickett, he’s my Bowtruckle”, Newt said. “I’ve never seen, or even heard of, a Bowtruckle before”, the yellow mare said while in awe of the new creature, “He’s so CUTE”. The little sentient plant giggled out of embarrassment, while Newt chuckled as the pink maned Pegasus fawned over his creature. “Do you want some help with those flyers, Miss”? He asked, remembering the scattered pieces of paper that lay around them. “Oh! Umm, yes please, I mean, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble for you”, Fluttershy said nervously. “No trouble at all, I’d be happy to help”, Newt replied. The yellow Pegasus smiled as she and Newt began to gather all the fallen flyers. After they had gathered them all up, both ponies stacked them up in a neat pile. “Well, that was certainly the most productive thing I’ve done since arriving here”, Newt said, dusting his hoofs, “Must do that more often”. “Oh, are you new here”? The yellow mare asked. “……Yeah, you could say that”, Newt said nervously, “Oh! Where are my manners?? I never got your name”. Still rather timid at heart, it was still hard for Fluttershy to introduce herself sometimes. “Ummm, I’m Fluttershy”, She said softly. “Pardon”? Newt said, unable to her here. “My name is Fluttershy”, She repeated in a much lower tone as she slowly backed away. “Come again”? Newt asked, STILL unable to hear her. “…….I’m Fluttershy”, She squeaked, turning away. With wide eyes, Newt scratched the back of his head. The situation had taken a turn for the surreal. Luckily, being able to hear the yellow Pegasus since he was so small, Pickett climbed Newt’s coat all the way up to his ear and whispered what he had heard. “Oh! You’re name is Fluttershy”, Newt said in realization, “Rather unusual name but, I kind of like it”. “You can understand what he says when he talks to you”?? Fluttershy asked, motioning over at Pickett. “Oh it’s easy to understand, as long as you’re willing to listen”, Newt said, glancing over at his little green friend, “Now allow me to introduce myself. I am Newton Artemis Fido Scamander”. The young wizard bowed slightly at Fluttershy, who in turned giggled at his formal greeting. “But you can call me Newt”, He said, straightening back up. “Well, Newt, it was very nice to make your acquaintance but I’m terribly busy”, Fluttershy said nervously, “I have to get all these flyers up. My bunny is lost you see and, umm, I don’t know where to find him”. “Oh you mean that bunny right there”?? Newt asked, pointing ahead of her. Fluttershy looked over to where Newt was pointing to and saw Angel Bunny sitting down on the ground, happily munching on a carrot. The yellow Pegasus quickly flew over and scooped him up in a big hug. “Oh ANGEL!!!! I was so worried!!! I thought something terrible had happened to you”!!!! She exclaimed through tear stained eyes. “Yeah, he found me in the forest and brought me here”, Newt said happily, “I’d would’ve been bloody well lost out there”. “I’m SO glad you brought him back safely”!! Fluttershy said gratefully as she turned around and flew at Newt, enveloping him in a hug, “Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU”!!! Fluttershy could feel her heart race as she hugged Newt. As she released him, she turned away, not wanting him to see her face which had turned a shade of bright pink. “No trouble at all”, Newt replied earnestly, scratching the back of his head. “Ummm….I’d like to invite you in but”, Fluttershy said turning around, “I don’t have that much to offer. That is of course, unless you’d like some tea”? “The local equines of this world drink tea? Well, at least there’s one thing we have in common”, Newt thought to himself, “Alrighty, I’ll have some tea, shoot the breeze, and perhaps find out more about this world I’m in”. “Mr. Scamander? Mr. Scamander”??? Fluttershy said softly, trying to get the stallion’s attention. Newt suddenly realized he had become lost in thought. He lightly shook himself free from his thoughts and turned his attention back to the mare in front of him. “Yes, lovely that. Love tea”, Newt replied quickly, “Uhhh, what say you show me where I’ll be sitting”? As the orange maned unicorn flashed her a smile, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel that something was particularly off about him. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being normal and 10 being Pinkie Pie, he was at about a 7. Regardless of that, however, she kindly showed him inside the cottage, and as Newt took off his blue coat, after waiting for Pickett to climb off it, and placed it on the rack conveniently located close to the doorway inside, he felt strangely at home, surrounded by all the animals that inhabited the inner dwellings of the cottage. Chapter 2 Tea TimeChapter 2 Tea Time Clang! During his time in the real world back on Earth, Newt had learned to adapt to many situations. He learned many skills from other wizards, as well as muggles, that no one at Hogwarts knew. However, nothing could have prepared him for the most difficult, and tedious, challenge he had ever faced since coming to Equestria; lifting a tea cup up to your mouth without any fingers or thumbs. So far, he had managed to drop his cup a total of 6 times and only spilled twice. “Do you need some help, Mr. Scamander”? Fluttershy asked, worried and slightly entertained at his struggle. “I’m quite alright”, Newt said stubbornly as he fumbled with the cup, “And it’s Newt”. Newt hissed as, once again, he felt the hot beverage splash onto his wrist, lightly staining the cuff of his white shirt. “Bugger”, Newt muttered, “Not again”. “Are you alright”?? Fluttershy asked, rushing over to his side and taking his hoof in hers. “Yes, yes, just a little stain”, Newt replied. As she held his hoof, Newt couldn’t help but take note of how soft hers were. They felt as soft as silk and were warm like bread from the oven. He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts as he remembered a Charm that would remedy the situation. After relinquishing his grasp from the yellow Pegasus, he trotted over to the coat rack, reached into one of the inner pockets, and slowly pulled out his wand. “What’s that”?? Fluttershy said, trotting over to where Newt was. “My wand”, Newt said, trying to hold it. “A wand? Oh, are you some sort of magician”?? Fluttershy asked. “Heheheh, not exactly”, Newt said with a chuckle, “I’m a wizard”. “Ohhh, I’ve never really met a wizard before”, Fluttershy said in fascination, “Well, umm, except for maybe Twilight but she’s not really a wizard, per se, she’s just talented with magic”. “Interesting”, Newt thought, “The beings here practice magic as well. Maybe there’s more to learn from this place than I thought”. Newt brought his wand back over to the table and then aimed it at his cup. “Wingardium Leviosa”, He said, waving his wand over the cup. To the young wizard’s surprise, nothing happened. “Maybe my voice wasn’t clear enough”, he said, clearing his throat, “Ahem! Wingardium Leviosa”. Once again, nothing happened. “Bollocks! Why isn’t this working”?!?! Newt shouted, shaking his wand. “Um, I hate to break your concentration but, might I make a suggestion”? Fluttershy interjected. “Yeah, what is it”?? Newt asked in a frustrated tone. The young Hufflepuff suddenly realized his folly as he saw Fluttershy’s hurt expression. “Sorry about that”, He said, bowing his head, “Go on, luv. What were you going to say”? “Well, I was just going to suggest that, since you’re a unicorn and all, then why not use your horn”? “My horn”? Newt repeated out of confusion. Newt casted his gaze up at the horn protruding out of his cranium. “So the unicorns can harness magic with their horns”, Newt thought, “Fascinating. I just may write a new book if I ever get back to my world”. “Uhhh, Mr. Sca….I mean, Newt”? Newt soon realized that he had become lost in his thoughts again. “Hmm? Oh, sorry. Did it again, didn’t I”? Newt cleared his throat and put his wand away. As he aimed his horn at the cup, he remembered one of the key traits to performing magic; discipline and concentration. Putting all his energy and focus into it, he took a deep breath and then slowly let out a long sigh as he pointed his horn towards the cup once more. “Wingardium Leviosa”, He muttered with an ample amount of conviction. Instantly, his horn emitted a bright purple glow. Newt’s tea cup also glowed purple as it slowly levitated up to his mouth. With the spell properly cast, Newt smiled confidently as he took a long sip from his cup. “I’ve never seen a levitation spell like that before”, Fluttershy said in amazement, “Well, then again I’m not really too familiar with magic as my friend Twilight is”. “I’m no ordinary unicorn”, Newt said plainly, “I must say, this tea’s splendid”. “Oh, thank you. I’m glad you like it”, Fluttershy said. Newt smiled at his hostess. As he looked at her, he felt as if there was something between them, like a bond of sorts. He certainly admired her affinity for animals. Something he related to through the bonds he shared with his creatures. He lost his train of thought as he felt a nudge against his leg. The young wizard looked down to see the same snow-white rabbit, poking at him. “Yes? What is it”? Newt asked. The rabbit, also known as Angel, pointed up towards the table. Newt looked to where Angel was pointing at and saw a bowl of salad sitting next to his cup. “Oh is that it? Time for your Luncheon”? Newt asked Angel. The little rabbit nodded his head and then rubbed his belly clockwise. Newt lifted the bowl off the table and set it down in front of Angel, who smiled gratefully as he dug into his meal. “There you are”, Newt said with a smile. “Wow, you caught onto what he wanted quite quickly”, Fluttershy said, genuinely impressed. Pickett peeked out from his place behind the napkins and scurried up to Newt. The stallion in question chuckled as he dug into his vest pocket and produced a cluster of small stone like items. “Looks like it was time for somebody else’s lunch too”, Fluttershy said with a chuckle. “Yeah, he can never really get enough of these”, Newt said shaking his head, “Then again, that’s the case for every Bowtruckle”. “How is it that you can talk to animals, Newt”? Fluttershy inquired, “Oh, um, I know I already asked that but, your previous answer seemed a bit vague”. “I can see why you’d think that”, Newt said with a chuckle, “But no, I don’t really talk to them. I just, I understand them”. “That’s lovely”, Fluttershy said with genuine interest. “I guess you could say I feel closer to them than I do with others”, Newt said, fiddling with his teacup. “Oh, I feel exactly the same way”, Fluttershy said, “I mean, of course I care about all my other friends but, it’s different with my animal friends”. “You can tell them whatever’s on your mind and they just listen”. “Oh yes, and there’s also the extra special warmth of their hugs, especially the ones that have fur”. “And best of all…”. “They always accept you for who you are”, they both said in unison. Both ponies looked at each other in surprise before exchanging a smile with one another. “Oh my, I never thought I’d have so much in common with somepony before”, Fluttershy thought, “And he’s so well-mannered too”. “Mrs. Fluttershy”? The yellow mare gasped as she was pulled from her thoughts. “Lost in your thoughts, were you”? Newt asked, tilting his heads. “Oh! Um, yes?” Fluttershy said nervously. “Happens to me all the time, no worries”, Newt said with a smile. “Umm……Newt”? “Yes”? “…Would you umm….”. Fluttershy was becoming unusually flustered as she tried to find the words. “Would you…..liketomeettherestofmyfriends”??? She asked rather quickly. “Oh”! Newt said in surprise, “Well, I….sure”. “Oh wonderful”! Fluttershy said getting up from her seat, “They’re going to love you, I just know it. I’ll let you get your things while I put everything away”. Fluttershy picked up the tea tray and carried it with her to the kitchen while Newt went to go and fetch his jacket from the hanger. As Fluttershy set the saucers, cups, and finally the teapot down into the sink, she held a hoof to her chest. “Why is my heart beating so fast”??? She said to herself, “And why does it seem to go faster every time that……I look at him”?? UpdateSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Prologue: What kind of Port Key is this?What is an adventure without curiosity? This is a concept that was held in high regards by Newt Scamander, Magizoologist, former student from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and past member of Hufflepuff House. A chaser; that’s what he had called himself. He had chased after knowledge, in the hopes of learning more about the amazing magical creatures of Earth and educating his fellow wizards about them as well. His travels led him to the deepest and darkest part of the Congo in Africa, where he planned on tracking down two of Africa’s most infamous legends, the Kongamato and Mokele-Mbembe. For a while, it was a quite enjoyable trip. Until, of course, he ran into some trouble with the locals. May 1926 With his suitcase gripped tightly in his hand, Newt ran down the vegetation covered path as arrows and long, stone tipped spears flew past him. His Bowtruckle, affectionately named Pickett, peeked out from beneath his coat’s lapel and started conversing with him in a serious of clicks and squeaks that only he understood. “It’s not MY fault”! He replied hastily in his British accent, “I knocked over ONE sacred monument and it’s all OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!! It seems like a bit of an overreaction if you ask me”. The young wizard let out a slight yelp as one of the arrows soared onto the side of his suitcase. After quickly removing it, he quickly started to pick up the pace. He came to a stop as he came upon a large river in front of him. As he heard the encroaching shouts and footsteps of the locals behind him, Newt started to his right. With the natives growing closer, and their aim beginning to improve, Newt put whatever energy he had into his legs. It was wasted as he came to the edge of a cliff and saw that the river ran down the edge, making a waterfall. There were rare moments in his life where Newt had to act quickly and act fast and this happened to be one of them. He knew he couldn’t hide in his suitcase because the natives would just take it back with them and where would that leave him? Back where he started, but in a much tighter spot than last time. He looked around to see what resources he had. He had his wand with him, but he doubted that even a wizard with much more experience than him would be up to the task of hexing and stunning over 50 angry natives. To add to that, Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment and the Quality Quidditch Supply shop were thousands of miles away and back in England, so there was no chance of there being any brooms or floo powder nearby. Just as he was on the verge of accepting his untimely, and somewhat grizzly, demise at the hands of a bunch of natives that had gone to spare, there was a bright glimmer that appeared in the corner of his eyes. Upon rotating his head ninety degrees, he saw there was something shining in the knot of a baobab tree. He quickly pulled out his wand and stuck the tip inside the knot. “Lumos”, he said, invoking the Wand-Light charm. As the tip of his wand glowed and the dark inside of the knot glowed, Newt saw the object inside; A silver horseshoe with two Alicorns, one of a light color and one of a darker color, circling the sun and moon. For a moment, Newt had no idea what a horseshoe would be doing in a tree in the middle of the African Congo. Suddenly, it dawned on him; the object before him was none other than a port key. As a warm feeling of relief swept over him, he quickly grabbed onto the portkey, hoping that it was the right time for its activation. Feeling the world around him begin to spin, he knew that fate was on his side. Within seconds, he was swirling around in a bright vortex, with Pickett squealing with fright from beneath his lapel. “Don’t worry, Pickett”! He exclaimed reassuringly, “Soon we’ll be…huh? What”??? His attention was directed to a strange sensation he felt in his free hand. As he looked at it, he saw his entire hand was beginning to glow. It gave him a strange tingling sensation as the strange glow travelled up his arm. Soon enough it spread all over his body until the bright light began to overtake his vision. Just as he was blinded by the light, everything suddenly went black. As the former member of Hufflepuff house slowly opened his eyes, he was greeted by the image of a shadowy canopy and the various sounds of strange creatures’ bellowing out mating calls and whatnot. His head was throbbing as if he had been run over by a Erumpent or worse, knocked out by a Nundu’s breath. As he rubbed his temples, he immediately noticed an odd sensation. Instead of the quintuple feeling of fingers running through his hair, he felt a singular point. In fact, he couldn’t even feel his fingers at all. Slowly, as he lifted what he had originally assumed to be his hands into view, he was shocked to find two light orange hooves had taken their place. Looking around, he saw a small pond nearby. Upon crawling over to the small body of water and peering down into it to see himself, his shock came into fruition as he saw himself. What he saw in his reflection was not a human, but a light orange furred unicorn in its place. “AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH”!!!!!!!!!!! As he screamed in terror, Pickett peeked out from behind Newt’s coat lapel and attempted to sooth his owner with words, or rather squeaks, of comfort. Newt stopped screaming as he heard his Bowtruckle speak to him. He nodded in reply as he took a deep breath and examined himself. Save for his pants and boots, he still had the rest of his clothes on, consisting of his blue coat, yellow vest, white shirt, and bowtie. Light orange fur had covered his skin and his hands and feet had been replaced with hooves. There was a horn about six inches long protruding from his forehead. Finally, as the wacky cherry on top of the bizarre sundae, he had a tail; a long, bushy, orange tail the same color of his hair, which would technically now be his mane. Fortunately, he had studied unicorns enough to know their diet, biology, and basically everything else unicorn related. The only thing he didn’t know was his current location, except that it was nowhere on Earth. Everything he would need to know would soon be revealed to him. “Well, Pickett”, he said, standing up straight, “We won’t get anywhere if we stand here and dilly dally all day now, will we? What say we do some exploring”? Pickett nodded and chirped in reply. With a nod, Newt looked around and found his suitcase resting at the base of a tree. Slowly, Newt started over to it, doing his best to adjust to walking on all fours. It was one thing to walk on all four limbs when you were approaching an animal to gain its trust, it was different when you had to do it daily. Luckily, with a slow and steady approach, Newt managed to walk, or in this case trot, over to his case with no problem. As he reached over to grab it, there suddenly came a loud rustling from the bush nearby. Newt was a little scared at first, but only at first. Because as a Magizoologist, he knew had to keep a calm head when dealing with a new, and potentially hazardous, creature that was magic or otherwise. He soon realized he had nothing to fear as a little white rabbit hopped out from the bush and looked up at him with curiosity. “Hello there”, Newt said warmly, “What’s your name”?
Chapter 1 An Unexpected GuideAuthor's Note I messaged my editor last Thursday. Haven't heard back from him, so I'm risking it. ENJOY! Chapter 1 An Unexpected Guide At a cottage that stood at the edge of the border to the Everfree Forest, a pink maned yellow Pegasus named Fluttershy, was humming a pleasant tune to herself, merrily enjoying her daily morning routine which consisted of feeding all of the animals that lived in and around her house. She had just gotten to the rabbits when she noticed that one particular rabbit was not at his usual spot. “Have any of you seen Angel Bunny”? She asked the other rabbits that she was feeding. Many of them shook their heads or shrugged as they nonchalantly munched on their own carrots. The kind mare flew over to the small house where Angel Bunny slept, wanting to make sure she hadn’t overlooked anything. Upon looking inside, she saw that her little friend was not there. This began to seriously worry Fluttershy. “Oh Angel, where could you be”??? She asked with tears creeping out from the corners of her eyes. Meanwhile, the unicorn formally known as the human wizard Newt Scamander, traipsed across the macabre landscape of the Everfree Forest. With his new friend, the little white rabbit he had met earlier, perched on his back, Newt navigated through the treacherous forest, all the while listening to the directions the bunny gave him. “Wait so, was it a left at the fork tree or a right”? Newt asked the rabbit. Angel Bunny lightly smacked his forehead as he tried to explain the way out of the forest to Newt once more. Having been known to understand animals better than his fellow wizards back at Hogwarts, Newt nodded his head as he listened to the small rabbit. “Alright, think I got it now, and by the way, there’s really no need for that kind of language”, Newt said. Angel Bunny blew a raspberry at Newt in reply. “Lovely”, Newt replied curtly. The young wizard kept walking, with the little rabbit in tow, until he came to a small clearing where a little cottage stood before him. As he looked around, he saw that there were thousands upon thousands of animals, ranging from rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, and all kinds of birds. Newt was rather impressed at this cornucopia of animal life. “So this is where you live, yeah”? He asked, turning to Angel. The little rabbit nodded his head as he hopped towards the cottage. “Well, very lively place, I’ll give you that”, Newt said, smiling as he looked around. As Newt and Angel Bunny approached the front door of the cottage, the auburn maned unicorn reached out and rapped his hoof against the door. Upon pulling back, he looked down at his hoof. “Hmm, feels a bit weird doing that with a hoof and not a fist”, he said to himself, “But I’m sure I’ll get used to it real soon”. What Newt didn’t notice was that as the front door opened, a big stack of flyers was rapidly heading right towards him. That is, until…. “Eeep”! “Ooof”! THUD! They collided. Both the unicorn wizard and the owner of the flyers found themselves on the ground, with some of the flyers floating down like fresh autumn leaves. “Ohhh, bugger”, Newt groaned rubbing his head. “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry”! shouted a voice. Out of the corner of his eye, Newt saw a pink maned yellow Pegasus with a depiction of three butterflies on her flank. He was a bit surprised as she rushed over to him and looked him over. “You’re not hurt, are you”?? She asked worriedly. “No, no, no, I’m quite alright, thanks”, Newt said with a chuckle. As she looked over him, she noticed something peeking out of his lapel. Pickett, curious about the mare in question, slowly peeked out of his hiding place on Newt’s coat. Being a lover of animals, and fascinated by whatever new ones she encountered, Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile. “Oh my goodness”! She softly exclaimed, “Who’s this little guy”??? “Hmm? Oh! This is Pickett, he’s my Bowtruckle”, Newt said. “I’ve never seen, or even heard of, a Bowtruckle before”, the yellow mare said while in awe of the new creature, “He’s so CUTE”. The little sentient plant giggled out of embarrassment, while Newt chuckled as the pink maned Pegasus fawned over his creature. “Do you want some help with those flyers, Miss”? He asked, remembering the scattered pieces of paper that lay around them. “Oh! Umm, yes please, I mean, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble for you”, Fluttershy said nervously. “No trouble at all, I’d be happy to help”, Newt replied. The yellow Pegasus smiled as she and Newt began to gather all the fallen flyers. After they had gathered them all up, both ponies stacked them up in a neat pile. “Well, that was certainly the most productive thing I’ve done since arriving here”, Newt said, dusting his hoofs, “Must do that more often”. “Oh, are you new here”? The yellow mare asked. “……Yeah, you could say that”, Newt said nervously, “Oh! Where are my manners?? I never got your name”. Still rather timid at heart, it was still hard for Fluttershy to introduce herself sometimes. “Ummm, I’m Fluttershy”, She said softly. “Pardon”? Newt said, unable to her here. “My name is Fluttershy”, She repeated in a much lower tone as she slowly backed away. “Come again”? Newt asked, STILL unable to hear her. “…….I’m Fluttershy”, She squeaked, turning away. With wide eyes, Newt scratched the back of his head. The situation had taken a turn for the surreal. Luckily, being able to hear the yellow Pegasus since he was so small, Pickett climbed Newt’s coat all the way up to his ear and whispered what he had heard. “Oh! You’re name is Fluttershy”, Newt said in realization, “Rather unusual name but, I kind of like it”. “You can understand what he says when he talks to you”?? Fluttershy asked, motioning over at Pickett. “Oh it’s easy to understand, as long as you’re willing to listen”, Newt said, glancing over at his little green friend, “Now allow me to introduce myself. I am Newton Artemis Fido Scamander”. The young wizard bowed slightly at Fluttershy, who in turned giggled at his formal greeting. “But you can call me Newt”, He said, straightening back up. “Well, Newt, it was very nice to make your acquaintance but I’m terribly busy”, Fluttershy said nervously, “I have to get all these flyers up. My bunny is lost you see and, umm, I don’t know where to find him”. “Oh you mean that bunny right there”?? Newt asked, pointing ahead of her. Fluttershy looked over to where Newt was pointing to and saw Angel Bunny sitting down on the ground, happily munching on a carrot. The yellow Pegasus quickly flew over and scooped him up in a big hug. “Oh ANGEL!!!! I was so worried!!! I thought something terrible had happened to you”!!!! She exclaimed through tear stained eyes. “Yeah, he found me in the forest and brought me here”, Newt said happily, “I’d would’ve been bloody well lost out there”. “I’m SO glad you brought him back safely”!! Fluttershy said gratefully as she turned around and flew at Newt, enveloping him in a hug, “Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU”!!! Fluttershy could feel her heart race as she hugged Newt. As she released him, she turned away, not wanting him to see her face which had turned a shade of bright pink. “No trouble at all”, Newt replied earnestly, scratching the back of his head. “Ummm….I’d like to invite you in but”, Fluttershy said turning around, “I don’t have that much to offer. That is of course, unless you’d like some tea”? “The local equines of this world drink tea? Well, at least there’s one thing we have in common”, Newt thought to himself, “Alrighty, I’ll have some tea, shoot the breeze, and perhaps find out more about this world I’m in”. “Mr. Scamander? Mr. Scamander”??? Fluttershy said softly, trying to get the stallion’s attention. Newt suddenly realized he had become lost in thought. He lightly shook himself free from his thoughts and turned his attention back to the mare in front of him. “Yes, lovely that. Love tea”, Newt replied quickly, “Uhhh, what say you show me where I’ll be sitting”? As the orange maned unicorn flashed her a smile, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel that something was particularly off about him. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being normal and 10 being Pinkie Pie, he was at about a 7. Regardless of that, however, she kindly showed him inside the cottage, and as Newt took off his blue coat, after waiting for Pickett to climb off it, and placed it on the rack conveniently located close to the doorway inside, he felt strangely at home, surrounded by all the animals that inhabited the inner dwellings of the cottage.
Chapter 2 Tea TimeChapter 2 Tea Time Clang! During his time in the real world back on Earth, Newt had learned to adapt to many situations. He learned many skills from other wizards, as well as muggles, that no one at Hogwarts knew. However, nothing could have prepared him for the most difficult, and tedious, challenge he had ever faced since coming to Equestria; lifting a tea cup up to your mouth without any fingers or thumbs. So far, he had managed to drop his cup a total of 6 times and only spilled twice. “Do you need some help, Mr. Scamander”? Fluttershy asked, worried and slightly entertained at his struggle. “I’m quite alright”, Newt said stubbornly as he fumbled with the cup, “And it’s Newt”. Newt hissed as, once again, he felt the hot beverage splash onto his wrist, lightly staining the cuff of his white shirt. “Bugger”, Newt muttered, “Not again”. “Are you alright”?? Fluttershy asked, rushing over to his side and taking his hoof in hers. “Yes, yes, just a little stain”, Newt replied. As she held his hoof, Newt couldn’t help but take note of how soft hers were. They felt as soft as silk and were warm like bread from the oven. He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts as he remembered a Charm that would remedy the situation. After relinquishing his grasp from the yellow Pegasus, he trotted over to the coat rack, reached into one of the inner pockets, and slowly pulled out his wand. “What’s that”?? Fluttershy said, trotting over to where Newt was. “My wand”, Newt said, trying to hold it. “A wand? Oh, are you some sort of magician”?? Fluttershy asked. “Heheheh, not exactly”, Newt said with a chuckle, “I’m a wizard”. “Ohhh, I’ve never really met a wizard before”, Fluttershy said in fascination, “Well, umm, except for maybe Twilight but she’s not really a wizard, per se, she’s just talented with magic”. “Interesting”, Newt thought, “The beings here practice magic as well. Maybe there’s more to learn from this place than I thought”. Newt brought his wand back over to the table and then aimed it at his cup. “Wingardium Leviosa”, He said, waving his wand over the cup. To the young wizard’s surprise, nothing happened. “Maybe my voice wasn’t clear enough”, he said, clearing his throat, “Ahem! Wingardium Leviosa”. Once again, nothing happened. “Bollocks! Why isn’t this working”?!?! Newt shouted, shaking his wand. “Um, I hate to break your concentration but, might I make a suggestion”? Fluttershy interjected. “Yeah, what is it”?? Newt asked in a frustrated tone. The young Hufflepuff suddenly realized his folly as he saw Fluttershy’s hurt expression. “Sorry about that”, He said, bowing his head, “Go on, luv. What were you going to say”? “Well, I was just going to suggest that, since you’re a unicorn and all, then why not use your horn”? “My horn”? Newt repeated out of confusion. Newt casted his gaze up at the horn protruding out of his cranium. “So the unicorns can harness magic with their horns”, Newt thought, “Fascinating. I just may write a new book if I ever get back to my world”. “Uhhh, Mr. Sca….I mean, Newt”? Newt soon realized that he had become lost in his thoughts again. “Hmm? Oh, sorry. Did it again, didn’t I”? Newt cleared his throat and put his wand away. As he aimed his horn at the cup, he remembered one of the key traits to performing magic; discipline and concentration. Putting all his energy and focus into it, he took a deep breath and then slowly let out a long sigh as he pointed his horn towards the cup once more. “Wingardium Leviosa”, He muttered with an ample amount of conviction. Instantly, his horn emitted a bright purple glow. Newt’s tea cup also glowed purple as it slowly levitated up to his mouth. With the spell properly cast, Newt smiled confidently as he took a long sip from his cup. “I’ve never seen a levitation spell like that before”, Fluttershy said in amazement, “Well, then again I’m not really too familiar with magic as my friend Twilight is”. “I’m no ordinary unicorn”, Newt said plainly, “I must say, this tea’s splendid”. “Oh, thank you. I’m glad you like it”, Fluttershy said. Newt smiled at his hostess. As he looked at her, he felt as if there was something between them, like a bond of sorts. He certainly admired her affinity for animals. Something he related to through the bonds he shared with his creatures. He lost his train of thought as he felt a nudge against his leg. The young wizard looked down to see the same snow-white rabbit, poking at him. “Yes? What is it”? Newt asked. The rabbit, also known as Angel, pointed up towards the table. Newt looked to where Angel was pointing at and saw a bowl of salad sitting next to his cup. “Oh is that it? Time for your Luncheon”? Newt asked Angel. The little rabbit nodded his head and then rubbed his belly clockwise. Newt lifted the bowl off the table and set it down in front of Angel, who smiled gratefully as he dug into his meal. “There you are”, Newt said with a smile. “Wow, you caught onto what he wanted quite quickly”, Fluttershy said, genuinely impressed. Pickett peeked out from his place behind the napkins and scurried up to Newt. The stallion in question chuckled as he dug into his vest pocket and produced a cluster of small stone like items. “Looks like it was time for somebody else’s lunch too”, Fluttershy said with a chuckle. “Yeah, he can never really get enough of these”, Newt said shaking his head, “Then again, that’s the case for every Bowtruckle”. “How is it that you can talk to animals, Newt”? Fluttershy inquired, “Oh, um, I know I already asked that but, your previous answer seemed a bit vague”. “I can see why you’d think that”, Newt said with a chuckle, “But no, I don’t really talk to them. I just, I understand them”. “That’s lovely”, Fluttershy said with genuine interest. “I guess you could say I feel closer to them than I do with others”, Newt said, fiddling with his teacup. “Oh, I feel exactly the same way”, Fluttershy said, “I mean, of course I care about all my other friends but, it’s different with my animal friends”. “You can tell them whatever’s on your mind and they just listen”. “Oh yes, and there’s also the extra special warmth of their hugs, especially the ones that have fur”. “And best of all…”. “They always accept you for who you are”, they both said in unison. Both ponies looked at each other in surprise before exchanging a smile with one another. “Oh my, I never thought I’d have so much in common with somepony before”, Fluttershy thought, “And he’s so well-mannered too”. “Mrs. Fluttershy”? The yellow mare gasped as she was pulled from her thoughts. “Lost in your thoughts, were you”? Newt asked, tilting his heads. “Oh! Um, yes?” Fluttershy said nervously. “Happens to me all the time, no worries”, Newt said with a smile. “Umm……Newt”? “Yes”? “…Would you umm….”. Fluttershy was becoming unusually flustered as she tried to find the words. “Would you…..liketomeettherestofmyfriends”??? She asked rather quickly. “Oh”! Newt said in surprise, “Well, I….sure”. “Oh wonderful”! Fluttershy said getting up from her seat, “They’re going to love you, I just know it. I’ll let you get your things while I put everything away”. Fluttershy picked up the tea tray and carried it with her to the kitchen while Newt went to go and fetch his jacket from the hanger. As Fluttershy set the saucers, cups, and finally the teapot down into the sink, she held a hoof to her chest. “Why is my heart beating so fast”??? She said to herself, “And why does it seem to go faster every time that……I look at him”??
