The Ambassador

Savanna's head was spinning. The rear of her skull ached like she had fallen and struck her head particularly hard against a solid surface. Had that happened last night? She didn't remember much. She had been writing and sketching in her journal when all of a sudden the world went dark.

Her mouth was dry, and her stomach ached dully from being empty for so long. She groaned softly, feeling generally unwell.

"...a single unicorn who fought an entire platoon by herself. Glad I wasn't in one of those squads."

Sunlight was shining in Savanna's eyes. She blinked rapidly, squinting, but she couldn't see. A ray of sunlight was blinding her.

"So, it was an ambush?"

"Probably. But it was a massacre."

There were two voices, both male. Savanna's ears perked up to attention, swiveling.

"Shit."

"Yeah... Anyway, I got a pair."

"Two pairs."

The subtle sound of rustling playing cards could be heard.

Savanna made an attempt to stand, but encountered sudden, unanticipated resistance. She was confused at first, and her instinct was to try to move again. She was unsuccessful, and her ineffectual thrashing had managed to attract some unwanted attention.

"Hey, she's awake!"

A third pony hoisted Savanna up from behind like she weighed nothing. Whoever he was, he was strong. Burly and very tall.

She swayed, dizzy and unable to support her own weight. Her hooves were bound together tightly.

Savanna blinked. She shook her head thoroughly, trying to focus. Standing in front of her was a pegasus. He wore an angry expression, but Savanna didn't know why. She hadn't done anything to him...

"Hey! Look at me."

He stomped a hoof against the solid metal floor. The resounding bang had quite an effect on Savanna's hypersensitive hearing. She winced, laying her ears back.

"You're going to make me deaf." The second stallion complained, standing just on the edges of Savanna's peripherals. She gave him a sideways glance. He was grimacing, rubbing his ears. "She's just a kid. Leave her alone." His expression was neutral, not intimidating. He looked almost kind, but unfortunately, his benevolent request was ignored.

"What were you doing sneaking around in here last night?"

The aggressive one gave a hard poke with his hoof into the center of Savanna's chest. She gulped, trying to clear the lump out of her throat. "Ah - ah..."

"I - I - I." The aggressive one immediately caught onto her stammer, teasing her mockingly with it. He and the stallion holding her up shared a laugh at her misfortune, while a fourth stallion rounded the corner to see what the fuss was about.

Seeing another pony show up, Savanna realized the situation could end badly. Her body was stiffening as adrenaline flowed through her system. Her vision was sharpening, and she was on full alert. She was beginning to panic, trying to plan a method of escape... but nothing came to mind.

She licked her dry lips, swallowing and preparing to speak.

"Thirsty?"

Savanna blinked at the unanticipated question. Hesitantly, she raised her voice. "V - very."

While maintaining eye contact, the aggressive stallion reached for something on a nearby table. It was a metal canteen. Savanna heard liquid splash around inside. Her eyes widened. Could it be water? Maybe juice? She was so desperate, she would settle for anything, even something alcoholic.

"You want some?" He offered it forward, swinging it from side to side. The metal handles of the plastic stop at the tip jangled softly.

Savanna almost made an attempt to reach for the canteen, only to remember her hooves were bound. She frowned, disappointed.

"Well..." The stallion withdrew the canteen. "Maybe if you cooperate and tell us who you work for or what you're up to, I'll give you some."

Savanna swallowed dryly, her gaze darting between the canteen and the stallion's eyes. She didn't like his expression. It was indiscernible, but she was afraid he would lash out at any second. Maybe she was just panicking for no reason.

"Ah don't work for anypony. Ah came here alone," she spoke up.

The stallion nodded slowly, setting the canteen aside. With a wing, he reached for a bayonet on a nearby table. Savanna's eyes widened fearfully. "N - no..." Savanna finally managed to speak up. Her gaze was focused on the blade, voice weak and inconsequential.

Evidently, the burly one's voice was as low and intimidating as his outward appearance. "You aren't afraid she's going to start kicking?"

"We'll see." The aggressive one sat back on his haunches at Savanna's left side. "When I get your legs untied, you aren't gonna start kicking, are you, kid?"

Savanna had no clever or witty responses. "Please don't hurt me..."

"Weird accent," the burly one commented.

"Yeah. Foreign," the aggressive one replied, breaking eye contact with Savanna briefly before returning to gaze down at her once again. "You sound like you're from the south. You look like it too. West or east side of the train tracks?"

Naturally, Savanna didn't answer.

Seeing how he wouldn't get an answer, the aggressive one changed topics. "You haven't answered my question, kid. You going to kick?"

Savanna's ears laid back in despair. She feared that no matter what she said, she was going to get hurt, but maybe by going along with what they said, she could escape what she thought was coming.

"A - ah won't. Ya have mah word."

The aggressive one chuckled. "Ok. Sure..." He raised the bayonet. Savanna clenched her eyes shut, anticipating pain, but it was only used to cut the ropes binding her hooves together. The movement was so fluid and sudden she hardly had time to flinch, but it was unwarranted, since he hadn't harmed her. Suddenly free, Savanna flexed her muscles, feeling the blood beginning to flow at full strength again.

When the stallion supporting Savanna loosened his grip and let her stand on her own, she wobbled, struggling to balance. For a second, she glanced over at the hole in the factory wall in the other room and considered making a break for it. It was a clear shot...

"How far did you have to walk to get here? Cerise is, what, 30 miles away? 40? I'm assuming you're from there. Why did you come here from the city?" The aggressive one motioned with the bayonet at Savanna, then lowered it again. While waiting for an answer, he casually tossed it up into the air and caught it again with a wing, doing a little trick. Savanna nervously kept her eyes on the blade, still anticipating the moment he used it as a weapon.

"Ah didn't." She hesitated for a moment, knowing that her story would sound contrived—but it was all the truth. "Ah came from the south, looking for shelter. There was a cliff and ocean, ah think. Ah was teleported there."

"By who?" The response wasn't immediate. The stallions seemed confused—they hadn't immediately dismissed the claim as a lie, which was good.

"Not by somepony." Her ears lowered shamefully. "Ah did something really stupid. Messed with a magical artifact and sent myself here... somehow."

The stallions were thoroughly confused, now. They exchanged glances.

The aggressive one nimbly rolled the knife between the individual feathers at the tip of his wing, doing tricks with it as he thought. "Only museum I know of for magical shit like that is in Cerulia," he mused.

"That's the little island of unicorns off the coast, right? Where Queen Melody was exiled?" A stallion who had been silent this entire time now interjected, his interest clearly piqued. He was older than Savanna, but still had a younger, softer face.

"It's just plain Melody now, kid. No one cares how they're doing over there, or what they call her."

"Yeah." The younger grunt shrugged. He looked like he wanted to say more, but held his tongue.

The aggressive stallion extended his wing, using the handle of the bayonet to draw Savanna's chin upwards so she could focus on him. Her eyes had been directed at the floor as she thought, but now she met his gaze. "You're from Cerulia, then?"

"Ah don't even know where that is..." Feeling confused and frustrated, Savanna frowned, her ears laying back.

"Yeah." The aggressive one tossed the bayonet upwards, catching it. "Now that I think about it, you don't strike me as an islander. I still think you're from the south, even if you won't tell me."

Before Savanna could reply, a new voice firmly interrupted.

A stallion had entered the room. Everything about him was sharp and commanded attention, especially the way he moved. He was dressed in grey fatigues and a stiff jacket. The dress was unique, with colorful stripes on the shoulders indicative of an officer.

Everypony in the room was wearing those types of clothes, actually, but Savanna had been entirely focused on their faces and hadn't realized until then.

He stood in front of the aggressive stallion. Savanna recognized the posture. Clearly, he was the leader, and was staring down her interrogator in an act that showed dominance.

"I think this has dragged on long enough."

The aggressive one slowly stood, maintaining eye contact. For once, his ugly maw was silenced.

"Get out of the way," the officer ordered.

The stallion nodded, stepping aside. "She refuses to say anything about herself, sir."

Savanna glanced toward the exit again, but the burly stallion had moved to block it. Even with her hooves free, Savanna wasn't going anywhere yet.

"Look, kid," the officer started, making lingering eye contact, "I was informed gunshots were heard last night—around the same time they found you sneaking around in here. And with all the shit that's been happening over in Cerise these past few months, I'm not letting you off the hook that easily. Do yourself a favor and tell us everything you know. You'll be held here for the time being." He moved to step out of the room.

"One of you, stay here and watch her," he ordered, taking his leave.

When the grunts cleared out, Savanna was left alone in the room with yet another new face. She locked eyes with him, retreating into a corner. She had no trust for anypony.

"Yer not gonna hurt me, are ya?"

The grunt leaned against the wall, breathing a sigh. "Don't intend to, yet."

"Really?"

"Yep."

Savanna still felt no trust for him. She glanced warily at the door. It would be easier to dodge one pony than several. If she escaped, though, where would she go? Back into the forest? With her revolver having been confiscated, she was virtually defenseless, and she wouldn't feel safe out there. Not to mention that all of her other belongings had been confiscated as well.

"So, where are you from, kid? I've never heard that kind of accent before."

"Maripony. It's a village in western Equestria."

"Yeah, never heard of the place. Lot of earth ponies down there?" Seeing how he wasn't going to get an answer, he changed the topic. "So, are you going to explain why you're out here yet, kid?"

Savanna sat back on her haunches. She knew she wasn't running, so there was no reason to be prepared to instantly take flight. "Ah already said... And mah name's not 'kid.' It's Savanna."

"Well, like I said, I've never heard of the place."

"Yeah, ah know ya haven't. Ah was teleported here. Ah dunno where ah am. All ah know is that ah don't live here. Ah don't live in this world. This isn't mah home." Tears welled up in Savanna's eyes at the mention of home. She lowered her head shamefully.

The grunt sighed impatiently. He shifted his weight. "You say a lot of wild shit. It's hard to believe.

"You shouldn't have been sneaking around in here. Why do you think we were so paranoid when we found you last night? You could have been a revolutionary."

Savanna scowled. "He could have been a little nicer with the interrogation, at least." She leaned back against the wall quietly, too tired to think of any witty responses.

From the belt around his waist, the stallion retrieved another canteen. Savanna, desensitized by this point, paid no mind—until it was thrown and landed in her lap. It was made of thin steel, and was heavy with liquid. She held it and looked up, confused.

"Don't give me that look. We have to keep you alive somehow. Just don't drink all of it."

"Thank you." She unscrewed the cap and tested the liquid inside with a small sip. It was pure, sweet water. She drank hastily, taking long gulps.

"Hey. That's enough." The stallion was insistent. Savanna obeyed, but she stayed cautious, not yet completely trusting him.

She was about to return the canteen when she froze, looking to the door and then back to the stallion. She breathed a soft sigh in an attempt to calm her nerves. The hole in the steel factory wall suddenly seemed so distant, but it was within reach. There was only one pony blocking her way.

"Give it here." Her guard held out a hoof for the canteen, frowning at her odd behavior. Savanna wouldn't have long—she needed to make the decision to escape then, not later.

In one swift motion, she hurled the canteen into the grunt's face and threw herself into a gallop, bursting through the door. On a table near the hole in the wall, she caught a glimpse of her satchel and revolver—but a pony was standing between her and her things. He was unarmed, and wasn't yet looking her way.

"Hey! She's getting away!"

"Stop! Or I'll shoot!"

Savanna heard stallions clamoring confusedly behind her. Now was her chance.

She ran up beside him and gave him a hard shove, knocking him against a metal pole. Before he could recover, she tossed her gun into her bag, threw the strap over her shoulder and jumped out of the hole in the wall onto the grass outside. She landed at full gallop, heading straight for a hill to escape the valley. Once she crested it, she would break line of sight and be relatively safe.

Savanna yelped when she heard a gunshot and saw the bullet bury itself in the dirt in front of her.

"That was a warning shot! Stop!"

Ignoring the voice, Savanna vaulted over one of the many carcasses of the destroyed, ivory windmills. A bullet hit and buried into the steel to her right, missing her by a mere hoof-length or less.

Savanna's momentum caused her to lose her balance, and she went tumbling down the other side of the hill head first. Her satchel's clasp loosened, and its contents were thrown to the ground as she hit the ground.

When she finally came to a rest at the base of the slope, she was breathless for a moment. She quickly rolled over, moving to gather her things.

As Savanna sat and lifted the revolver from the ground, preparing to store it in her satchel, she hesitated. She tilted it and watched sunlight reflect off the cylinder, gleaming. Only a minute ago, she had almost been shot in the back. She could have died. She frowned, troubled.

Savanna pressed the release button and swung the cylinder out. Those pegasi had emptied it when they confiscated the gun. She loaded six rounds and closed the cylinder until it clicked, slipping it into her bag.

Savanna glanced back, worried she was being followed, but she couldn't see over the hill. Regardless, she needed to get as much distance between her and the ponies as possible. The buildings on the horizon were promising. They were probably within the city the grunts had mentioned.

Savanna had only taken a few steps before she heard the distinct sound of hoofsteps crunching onto grass and dirt behind her. She jumped, spotting a nearby bridge and identifying it as adequate cover. She trotted over, trying to make as little noise as possible, and snuck beneath it into a small ditch. Lying in the shelter of some tall weeds, she stayed perfectly still and waited.

Eventually, a pair of ponies came trotting over the hill. Their eyes scanned the trees just past the dirt road, only briefly glancing to where Savanna was hiding. Her position had given her enough cover.

She was close enough to hear their voices. Her ears swiveled into position as she eavesdropped.

"This is a waste of time," one spoke, shaking his head. "She could be anywhere by now."

"Yeah," his partner agreed.

They lingered for a few more moments, standing still as they focused, looking up and down the line of trees for any sign of movement.

Savanna's ears perked up and swiveled in a different direction as she detected a sound. It was a dull rumbling, coming from the east, up the road. Accompanying the noise were several large, unidentified objects. They were definitely artificial, with hard edges and the sheen of metal. Savanna estimated they were about seven or eight feet tall in some places, and they were approaching steadily, traveling along the road about as fast as an average pegasus could fly.

The repetitive drone grew louder as the vehicles drew close. The sound was almost like what a train's coal engine made. They were as large as she had guessed—maybe even bigger. They had wide, rectangular rear ends covered in hessian fabric for protection against the elements. The rough shape of the vehicles reminded Savanna of a spider, the thin perturbance at the front being the spider's head and the wide, rectangular base at the rear being the spider's abdomen, where its silk would be produced.

One of the vehicles in the convoy stopped on the bridge, and the wood creaked dramatically under the weight. Savanna flinched, wondering if the supports would collapse on top of her. Powerful, choking exhaust fumes wafted down to her level, and she resisted the urge to cough by holding her breath.

"Hello," one of the grunts greeted a driver. "Did you see an earth pony down that way while you were driving? She's probably a revolutionary. Looked young, couldn't have been older than 17. Orange coat and mane. You'd recognize her if you saw her."

"No sir, can't say I have. We'll keep an eye out, though. We're heading to Cerise, anyway. She's probably on her way there now."

"She's armed," the grunt warned. "Watch yourself."

"Aren't they always?"

After this little exchange, the convoy of vehicles drove off, tearing up a storm of pebbles and dirt that rained down onto Savanna through the cracks in wooden planks. She grimaced in discomfort, forcing herself to stay still and quiet.

Savanna waited until the grunts had crested the hill before she emerged from beneath the bridge. She was filthy with dirt, and her legs were splattered with mud. Still, she hadn't been spotted, and for that she was grateful.

Brushing herself off to the best of her ability, she consulted her compass to assure she was northbound and began to trot.

She hesitated to think it, knowing danger could potentially be lurking, but the open field before her seemed peaceful compared to the dangerous, rocky cliff. There was gorgeous, green grass, blooming flowers and stalks of wild grain. Everything was in constant motion as a gentle breeze blew.

Savanna reached out and brushed a foreleg through some stalks of barley. The newly germinating stalks were soft and delicate. She was away from the wind farm and the ponies with their guns, and she almost felt at peace, connected with nature again—like how all earth ponies should be.

Savanna's eyes swept the horizon as she walked, looking for any signs of danger. So far, it was a peaceful walk. The wild barley was growing, stretching upwards, and the flowers were blooming around her. Savanna stopped to sit down and get a closer look. Below her was a patch of the tiniest, most innocent-looking blue flowers. Bluebells. She identified them solely because of reading, not from common knowledge. Her little village in the open savannas of western Equestria had little floral diversity, but plenty of books.

She didn't linger for too long.

When Savanna climbed a nearby hill, she laid eyes on a body of water. It wasn't just any common body of water, but a secluded lake, rimmed with reeds and the slender stalks and characteristic brown, cylindrical seedpods of herbaceous Typha. The water was clear, blue and inviting. Below the surface, undulating, submerged plants like Elodia and hornwort swayed in the gentle current. As Savanna drew near, she noticed a deer across the lake from her on the bank. His head was dipped low to the water as he drank. The buck didn't seem especially concerned by her presence.

The place had a peaceful atmosphere. Encircled by trees, it was private, sheltered from the outside world. If the grunts
really were looking for her, they probably wouldn't find her there. The lake was far from any roads. It would be a safe spot to spend the night.

In imitation of the buck, Savanna stepped onto the shore and lowered her head to drink. She was still thirsty, and the refreshing water filled her stomach, staving off her hunger. When she lifted her head, the deer had retreated beyond the lake's ring of trees, leaving a trail of cloven hoofprints in the mud.

Savanna left her cumbersome satchel on the shore and breached the lake's surface with a foreleg. The water was tepid; it was the perfect temperature for a dip. This was an opportunity to clean herself that she was not about to reject.

Taking several strides forward, Savanna sank up to her flank into the water. She began with her forelegs, scrubbing away several days' worth of grime and sweat. Her peach-colored fur immediately appeared brighter and fluffier. She immersed her entire body below the surface and scrubbed her mane, removing dirt and little pebbles.

Savanna paddled farther out into the lake, swimming just for fun at that point. As she treaded water and held her position, her hooves no longer touched the mud of the lake bed. Despite the fact she was struggling to keep her head above the surface, it was an enjoyable experience, as always. The last time she had gone swimming had been years into the past, and she almost forgotten how.

When Savanna looked down, she saw only murky darkness and the grasping tendrils of aquatic plants on the lake bed stretching upwards towards the sun. A curious pike slithered close, then disappeared into the depths. Sunlight only penetrated so far into the inky blackness. The lake appeared impossibly deep. It was a little frightening. She had never swam in such a large body of water.

Savanna breathed a gentle sigh. Her mind began wandering to Equestria once again. Her poor parents, her friends... It had been longer than a day since her disappearance, and they haven't left her mind. Was anypony looking for her? Did they have any idea of where she might be? Surely somepony would come to her rescue. But... where even was she? Had she traveled back in time? Forward in time? She had heard stories of unicorns who casted the wrong spell and accidently sent themselves to the wrong time, never to be seen again.

Savanna didn't understand how difficult teleportation was, or how complicated locating specific objects on different continents or worlds was. She was an earth pony. No matter how long she studied it, she would never experience unicorn magic firsthand. She accepted this, of course. She was born an earth pony, and she had duties outside of controlling unicorn magic—like influencing nature and animals. Earth ponies were intuitively harmonious with those things, it was their inherent magical talent.

Savanna frowned. The cogs in her brain were turning. Maybe the reason she felt like a stranger in the world was not the fact she was a literal stranger. Earth ponies were supposed to be naturally harmonious and in-tune with nature, yet Savanna felt nothing special. The world felt physically empty, as if it were drawing its final, desperate breaths before something terrible happened. That, or something terrible had already happened, and the world was missing something vital, as if it had been forcefully stolen. Savanna really hoped the former was not the case. But if it was the latter, than what was missing?

She looked over her shoulder and back at her cutie mark. Through the churning water produced from her constant paddling to keep herself afloat, her mark was visible. It was a bundle of freshly harvested, golden wheat. She was a farming pony at heart. If anypony should feel a natural connection with the world, it would be somepony like her.

Savanna's legs were beginning to stiffen, and she was growing weary from the constant exercise of treading water. She decided to return to shore and get herself dry.

She began paddling, driving her forelegs through the water and kicking with her rear legs in a clumsy and inexperienced manner.

On the shore, Savanna shook herself vigorously, spraying water everywhere. Her long, wet mane clung to her neck and jaw. A lock hung in front of her eyes, which she promptly brushed away. Now that it was clean, her hair's natural, tan color had reemerged. Her earthy tones would be perfect camouflage in the dry plains of western Equestria, but in the lush, green fields and forests she now found herself in, she stood out like a broken wing.

The overcast of clouds above had parted during her swim. Sunlight was now shining through. The sun wasn't as scorching as back home, but it still provided a revitalizing warmth. Savanna laid down on the soft grass, basking in the golden glow.

The little oasis in the middle of nowhere between the wind farm and the city offered some pretty views. The flora and fauna was similar, yet distinct from Equestria's. Savanna had identified many familiar submerged and above-water plants, but, at the same time, she spotted plants she had never seen before. Some of the trees rimming the lake were thin, with smooth bark and waxy, spiked leaves. A portion of their branches were flowering, while some were entirely vacant of flowers. Others still hosted a few bulbous, hanging growths that may have been fruits. They resembled immature pineapples, with a jagged, brown husk. They grew fairly high off the ground, and their spiky armor and small size made them appear particularly unappetizing.

Some tree branches hung lower than others, where larger, swelled and pale-yellow fruit dragged them downwards toward the ground due to gravity. They must have be ripe.

Savanna had eaten pineapple once in her life. The opportunity had arisen less than a year ago, when an expensive import of exotic, tropical fruit reached her tiny village.

Were the fake-pineapples surrounding her edible?

Savanna stood and trotted to one of the nearby, low-hanging branches. She carefully plucked one of the spiky, yellow fruits from the branch, careful not to get any thorns lodged in her hooves. She examined it, rotating it slowly. The spikes covered the entire spherical fruit.

She needed a tool to break the fruit's hard armor. There wasn't anything useful in her satchel. A sharp stone could do the job.

Savanna left the fruit on the ground for the time being and wandered away from the lake, moving further into the surrounding line of trees. Her eyes were fixed on the ground as she trotted, searching.

Her mind drifted off. Savanna saw herself napping atop the hill overlooking her little farmhouse and her family's acreage of farmland, her hat tipped over her eyes as she napped at the foot of the old acacia tree. That same night, she and Night Owl had snuck to the old widow's mansion through her neighbor's cornfields. Savanna recalled Night Owl's expressive, sapphire eyes with the thin, vertical pupils all thestrals had. He had shown such concern for her well-being that night, when she had been exhausted and threatening to pass out. He was such a genuine pony. He didn't try to hide his emotions, either by choice or from inability. He and Spotlight were two of her most trusted friends. She had known them for years. Spotlight had been in her life since the two were foals.

Did her parents miss her? Did they think of her? Her relationship with them hadn't been the healthiest at the time of her disappearance—mostly her father—but she still felt love for them. If the days before her were going to be her last, and she would never return home to Equestria alive after her long adventure, Savanna hoped her parents and friends knew she loved them. She loved them with all her heart. She loved them and she missed them.

Meanwhile, in present times, Savanna held a fruit steady with one hoof and bashed it with a sharp rock with the other. Whatever the reason, her technique being inefficient or the rock not being sharp enough, the fruit's armor was unyielding. Savanna gave a final grunt of effort and slammed the sharp rock against the its husk. She was getting frustrated by her lack of progress. Panting from exertion and annoyance, she lifted the fruit to check for damages. There was a tiny crack in the fruit's husk, exposing a slit of dull-yellow flesh.

Savanna lifted the sharp stone and wedged it into the crack. She lifted a foreleg and placed a hoof on the stone, leaning with all her weight—which wasn't a whole lot for a pony her size.

The fruit's husk succumbed to her assault and split apart. Fresh juice oozed from the opening. The revolting odor emanating from the fruit made Savanna gag. She scrunched up her muzzle and tore open the fruit until it was completely halved. The flesh was a healthy yellow. Little, black seeds were dotted everywhere.

Savanna held a spiney-fruit half in her hooves after plucking out all the seeds immediately visible. She lied to herself, imagining it was just pineapple.

A heavy drop of thick nectar slowly dripped from the half she held, plopping onto the ground.

Savanna breathed, taking an intrepid bite. Viscous juice overwhelmed her and oozed down her chin.

Bon appétit.

It wasn't like pinapple.

Savanna retrieved her satchel from the shore of the lake and trotted to the surrounding line of spikey-fruit trees. She laid down in the soft grass near the roots of one of the trees, kicking aside the shell of the fruit she had picked clean to create free space.

She opened her satchel and retrieved her journal. She brushed its stiff, pleather cover with a hoof absentmindedly, then opened it to a free page. She clicked one of her ballpoint pens and lifted it in her mouth, preparing to sketch. She hesitated, staring down at the blank pages and recalling everything that had happened that day.

She began by sketching the buck from across the lake, the curious pike, a patch of bluebells, some wild barley and stalks of Typha. She began sketching one of the ponies who had participated in her interrogation, but stopped and left the drawing unfinished, having not completely remembered his face. She paused, gazing up at the evening sky. There was room left for one more drawing on the page, and she was searching for inspiration.

She began drawing the town square of her home town, Maripony, along with several Equestrian ponies.

Midway through drawing her sketch, tears began welling in Savanna's eyes. She dropped her journal and blue-inked pen onto the grass below and lowered her head, crestfallen. The unfairness of her situation was striking her, yet again. It was because of her actions that she was stuck in a foreign world.

She was inexpressibly alone. Ponies shouldn't ever be forced to be isolated.

Savanna raised a foreleg to swipe away her tears. She reached for her pen and began a new journal entry.

I've eaten a wild fruit to keep my energy up. Its armor is brown and spiked. The actual fruit part was yellow and tough. Not exactly the sweet treat I had hoped for. Its juice was thick as honey.

Next to this paragraph, Savanna sketched a spiney-fruit and its tree.

The factory I had been taking refuge in was full of pegasi. Soldiers? Most were repulsive, except for one. He was reasonable, and actually had a lick of sense. He gave me some water to drink, but I eventually had to betray his trust to escape. I doubt he would have let me leave freely.

He mentioned an isolated society of unicorn ponies operating under a "Queen Melody" on an island called Cerulia (?) off the coast. If she truly is a queen, her magic may be powerful enough to return me home. Now, I just need to get there. Surely it's too far to swim.

Savanna clicked her pen and closed her journal with a prompt yawn. The sun had almost set below the horizon, and she was becoming weary. She tucked her journal and pen into her satchel, closed it and then curled up into a ball.

Her thoughts while attempting to rest were of home and fear. Fear was the strongest emotion.