On the open, African plains we see a cheetah with cream colored fur and three black stripes across his back. He’s crouching low, his fur color helping him blend in with the tall, dry brown grass that covers the savanna plains. He’s been tracking a particular gazelle that’s been limping for the past few hours. This is a sign of weakness. He has no idea how it’s lasted this long, but it looks like easy prey to him..

He slinks forward, keeping his belly low to the ground. The hot, dry wind was still, giving him the advantage. He gets into position, the muscles of his hind quarters tightening like massive springs, ready to spring with the force of a catapult should he need to run.

Today though, luck was not with him.. A slight, upwind breeze puffed past and along with it his scent, right to where his prey was grazing. The gazelle tensed as it’s nostrils flared, the scent of a predator on the breeze. It glanced left, then right, trying to locate the forthcoming danger. The cheetah made ready, about to start a sprint.

One, eyes on the prize. Two, adjust to get a better start. Three! And he's off! He begins at a rapid pace, building up speed attempting to reach the food he so desperately needs. He’s skinnier than most cheetahs. The gazelle quickly learns of the cheetah’s approach and begins to flee. The cheetah is gaining quickly, his empty belly driving him to move faster, he can almost taste the sweet taste of meat as he closes in.

Again, fate seemed to have it out for him, for in his haste to claim the food he needs to eat, he doesn’t see the small pile of rocks and stumbles. The gazelle takes this chance to get away and runs as fast as it can with its limp.. The cheetah gets his feet under him and gives chase, only to chase his prey back into the midst of its herd.

His chest heaves, breath coming in short, quick gasps. He watched the herd bounce away, as his last meal get’s away. His stomach groans in protest of losing its meal. The cheetah slowly walks away, heading in the direction of his den.

That's the third one lost in the past 2 days. He stops to rest. In his mind his instincts remind him ‘How much more can you take?’ That’s when he sees it. A very strange sight. Out of nowhere, a weird mismatched being appears.

“Why hello there stranger! I have been watching you for, oh, so long and I couldn’t help but see that you’ve been down on your luck. Perhaps I could change that!” Said the strange creature, closing his hand before reopening it to reveal a single black hat with red stripes around the exterior, “What if I said I could flip your world upside down but with, upsides.” He chuckled at his own joke. The large creature produced a single cane and ripped a hole in reality with it, he waved his claw at the portal, “Will you join me?”

He tenses up hearing this strange thing talking to him. “This thing claims it can help me. But I feel like prey in this. Should I?” he thinks. “But I won't last long without a change. Might as well give this a shot.” After what seems like half an hour, he nods his head..

“I was hoping you’d say yes. Now then, when you arrive you will be different than before. So don't be surprised when you feel a few some new addons to your body. Sokudo.” He opens a big orange portal. The cheetah decides to walk through. When he gets inside, he becomes surrounded in blue flame. Walking forward, he feels pain as the fire enters him and begins to change him..

As he exits the portal, he sees that he is in a forest. His ears ring with new sounds he hasn’t ever heard before and he can’t help but pick up so many strange scents. Before the young cheetah can look around, he hears a loud “HELP!!! SOME PONY!” Confused, he dashes to find the source. He dashes past strange plants dodging roots and vines. He also caught sight of some strange animals, but decides against chasing them.

What he finds confuses him greatly. He see’s a zebra like animal being attacked by a very strange dog made out of wood?
Without thinking, he feels like helping the zebra. Conflicting thoughts of ‘maybe i should eat her myself’ ran through his head. Pondering it, the strange dog moved. It was then that he decided to act.. As the strange dog moves up to the strange zebra he stalks behind her. Just before he would be in range to he grabs her by the mouth and races off.

Fluttershy was just going around picking herbs for a medicine for her animal friends when she got attacked by a timberwolf. Just when it seemed like she was going to be badly hurt she feels somepony lift her off the ground with their teeth? “Wh-who are you?” she muttered as she felt the wind rush past her. Shortly after the stranger ran with her out of the forest. When she saw her savior, she gasped! It was an animal she had never seen before! “Is this the one discord told me about?” she thinks as the animal runs.

When he exits the strange forest he see a weird hut in the distance. With great care he drops his cargo and is shocked.He just went top speed for at least 5 minutes and he wasn’t even tired! When he goes to open his mouth he is shocked when he hears not a chirp but a voice! “Why am i not tired?” he asks. His eyes darted around in paranoia. It was clear he was still on edge from that scene he ran.

Hearing her savior talk Fluttershy quietly squealed. “Oh my gosh! What type of animal can run so fast? Who- no what kind of animal are you!?”

“My kind are called cheetah’s. As for a name.” he thinks till he remembers that word he heard before.

“My name is Sokudo. Now what are you?” he says confused look across his face.

“I've never seen a zebra without stripes before.” he says in puzzlement.

She is so excited logic takes its time to kick in.

“I’ve never heard of a cheetah before, do your kind talk often? Wait. Zebra? I'm not a zebra, I'm a pegasus pony, my friend Zecora is a zebra. My name is fluttershy, it’s nice to meet you Sokudo.” She smiles warmly at him, barely hiding her excitement at talking with not only an animal but a whole new species.

“Well I have no idea if my kind talks often. Wish my mom was here to see this.” he says with a frown.

Fluttershy is confused about the lack of intense feeling. “Is everything okay?” she asked with a concerned look on her face. He seemed to be sad.

“Sorry it's just that, I was thinking of my dead mom. I've been alone for so long.” He says with a look of pain in his eyes. “You see my mom was killed trying to feed my brother and sister.”

Fluttershy’s heart broke for this creature. With tears she moved forward, trying to wrap her hooves around him, comfort him and try to make his pain go away, if only for a short while “Oh you poor thing!” She sniffled and kept trying to hug him but only to have him shift out of her reach with each attempt.

He kept tapping his paw on the ground, trying to get the thought of his dead mom out of his mind.

“Uh i'm good.” he says not wanting her to touch him, an uncomfortable look on his face.

“I just got here so I don't know where I can stay. I guess I'll head back to the forest.” he says and starts to walk off.

“WAIT!” She yells, surprised with her boldness.

“You can stay in my cottage. It’s not much, but it’s warm and dry.” She said, drawing small circles on the ground with her hoof in a slightly nervous manner.

“What? Why would you let an unknown beast live with you in your den?” He asks.

“I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t help an animal in need of it. Besides, I have room since I look after other animals, there’s plenty of space.” She offered, giving him a welcoming smile and gesturing with her hoof towards a strange looking hill not far in the distance.

“Alright I’ll stay but i’m on guard with you. This is all so strange.”

That night our cheetah experienced his first nightmare. He sees his mom trying to steal food from a lion pride when she gets mauled, she’s not dead but he knows that she’ll die from the wounds. Then he sees fluttershy looking at him in horror when she learns he eats meat.
His mother’s death combined with his new friends fear of him didn’t help his shaken sate. The horrors, the fears, they began to make him sweat. He wanted it to end... Why wouldn’t it end?

Then, like a star from the heavens, a powerful voice boomed straight through the visions with authority as it shouted; “ENOUGH!”

At the command, the visions that tormented Sokudo vanished almost instantly, leaving nothing but the fields of his home before him. He paid it no mind though as he stared at wonder from where the voice came from.

Descending toward him, Princess Luna offered a warm smile whilst Sokudo was perplexed at the being before him.

As she landed gently on the grassland and greeted Sokudo warmly, “Greetings, creature.”

Author's Note

special thanks to quirky gallade and the spirit wolf for their help on this. annd special thanks to shadowgohstlex for his work on edting and proofreadin this newly edited chatper. and a supre thanks to darkstone for his help.