Chapter 3

“Holy crap! Holy crap! HOLY CRAP!” I hyperventilated quietly as I hid behind a nearby tree.

As I was in the middle of a panic attack, I tried my best to contemplate my current situation. I somehow wound up in a creepy forest, I just found out that I supposedly died and was sent here for some special reason, and now there’s these weird ass anthro horse creatures I ran into while trying to escape from said creepy forest! I thought that maybe I was in the middle of some crazy fever dream, but unfortunately, I was very much awake and in mid-panic. Who or what are those things? Why do they have bodies like humans, but characteristics like horses? Why were they all so colorful? My mind spun like a top in my head that I almost felt dizzy due to all these questions. I peeked out from behind the tree to see the horse people had huddled up and were talking amongst themselves. They didn’t seem to notice me peeking, so it was a good opportunity to examine them visually. From what I could tell, they were all female due to their, shall we say, physical appearance.

One of them reminded me of someone who looked like they worked on a farm or ranch or something. She had orange fur with a blonde mane and tail tied at the end to make the hair look like a loop. She also had emerald green eyes and was wearing a brown stetson hat on her head. She wore a red and white checked shirt with a brown waistcoat and blue jeans that went well with her muscular figure.

Next to her was a girl who had cyan blue fur, a rainbow mane and tail, a pair of wings, and magenta coloured eyes. She was wearing a white tank top, blue jacket, and black pants that hugged her athletic curves. The wings, however, seemed to stand out of her appearance since only one of the others had wings like hers. If these girls were horse hybrids or something, then I can only assume that she’s some kind of pegasus.

Speaking of the other winged girl, this one had butter yellow fur with a long pink mane and tail. She has blue eyes and wore a green sweater and blue jeans. I noticed that she hid behind her mane a bit and had a bit of a shy look to her.

The next girl looked like she belonged in some cartoon. She had pink fur with a pink, puffy, curly mane and tail that looked like cotton candy. She has blue eyes and was wearing a pink skirt and top. For some reason, she seemed to be smiling constantly and hopped in place as she conversed with the others. The pink horse girl looked in my direction and waved to me, to which I just hid back behind the tree. I waited a bit before peeking out again to see she went back to talking to the others.

The girl standing next to her looked like she was all posh and elegant due to what she was wearing and how she styled her mane and tail. Her white fur seems to glisten more than the others and her curly mane and tail was purple. She has light blue eyes and was wearing a white button up shirt and a skirt that matched the colour of her mane and tail. I was confused as to why she had a horn, but like the pegasus girls, I surmised that she could only be a unicorn horse girl.

Lastly, another unicorn girl stood in the middle of the huddle. She had lavender fur with a purple and pink streaked mane and tail. Like the white furred girl, she also had a horn and magenta eyes, wearing a purple skirt with a white undershirt and lavender sweater. Her outfit made her look like she was some kind of school girl and seemed to be doing most of the talking. I hid back behind the tree and took a deep breath to calm my nerves.

Okay…okay, Will, calm yourself. Who or whatever these people are, they at least don’t look as hostile as you think. I mean, that pink girl seemed nice, right? Why else would she wave at you like that? Then again, you did just wake up from your supposed death, so this could all just be some illusion from blood loss. Argh! Why does my head have to hurt so damn much!? I thought as I held my head with both hands.

“Um…excuse me?”

I flinched at the sound of someone talking and gulped as I peeked around the tree once more. The lavender furred girl was standing just before the tree as the others stood close behind her.

“You don’t have to be scared,” she said softly.

She’s talking to me?

“How…how do I know that?” I asked. “You say not to be scared, but I have no idea who or what any of you even are.”

The lavender girl looked back to her friends and then back to me with a bit of a pleading look. “We promise, we mean you no harm. As for what we are, we’re ponies, and I can assure you that we’re anything but dangerous.”

Ponies? Wow, I sure was off.

“So, if I come out, you promise not to attack me or anything? Just so you know, I know martial arts. I’m trained to protect myself if need be,” I warned.

“Martial arts? What is that?” she wondered.

“In other words, hand to hand combat,” I added, making her and the others become wary. “I’m just letting you know, is all.”

“I see,” the girl said, clearing her throat. “Regardless, you have my word that no pony here will hurt you or try to attack you.”

“Uh, don’t you mean no one?” I questioned.

“No, I meant no pony.”

“But…actually, never mind,” I shook my head. “If you insist, then I’ll come out.”

The girl smiled and stepped back and waited for me. I took a few more deep breaths before stepping away from the tree and out in the open. I stepped more into the moon’s light so that they could get a good look at me. I hadn’t noticed before, but seeing them all up close put all my worries away since they were all not as intimidating as I thought. Although, I couldn’t really say the same when they saw me. Their expressions were a mix of interest, confusion, caution, slight fear, and curiosity.

“So…hi there,” I said with a mock wave. “It’s, uh…nice to meet you.”

“What exactly are you?” the lavender pony asked. “You don’t look like a pony, yet you have somewhat similar characteristics.”

“He looks kind of weird,” the rainbow-haired pony said.

“Rainbow Dash! Don’t be rude!” the white-furred pony snapped.

“What? I mean, look at him. He doesn’t even have a tail or hooves for that matter. It’s just weird. No offense.”

“None taken?” I shrugged.

“Well, if ya ain’t a pony, then what are ya?” the orange-furred pony asked in a southern accent.

“I…guess if you wanna call me something, I’m a human,” I said, making them all gasp.

“A human?!” the lavender girl yelped.

“No way! You can’t be a real live human!” the rainbow-haired pony accused.

“Oh my…a real human,” the butter yellow-furred pony whispered.

“WOWIE!”

All of a sudden, my vision was blurred by pink and a pair of blue eyes. “YOU’RE A HUMAN?! THAT’S SO COOL! HI, I’M PINKIE PIE! I LIKE PARTIES! DO YOU LIKE PARTIES?! WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?! WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FLAVOR OF CAKE?! DO YOU KNOW ANY FUNNY JOKES?! HERE’S ONE! WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?!”

“Uuuuhhhh…” I mumbled as my eyes spun in circles.

“Woah there, sugarcube,” the orange-furred girl said as she pulled the energetic pink pony away from me. “You’ll make him see stars with all them questions.”

“I…think I already am,” I half joked. “But I assure you all, I’m a pure-blooded human. The more scientific term would classify me as a Homosapien .”

“How extraordinary!” The lavender pony squealed as she pulled out a paper and quill from her pockets. “You must tell me everything about yourself! Like, where do humans come from? Why are your ears so small and on the sides of your head? Can you tell me what kind of diet humans have that might differ from ponies?”

For god’s sake, one hyperactive pony girl is enough!

“Twilight, darling, I believe you are going to stress the poor dear out,” the white-furred pony girl said.

The lavender pony girl soon realized how overwhelmed I was and smiled sheepishly as she backed away to give me space. “Sorry about that. Can you at least tell us your name?”

“That, I can actually answer at the moment,” I said, rubbing my head. “My name is William Saber. What about you all?”

“William Saber? That’s an interesting name. My name is Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight said with a polite bow.

“Name’s Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in Ponyville!” Rainbow boasted as she unfurled her wings.

“I’m Applejack, partner,” Applejack said, tipping her hat. “And ya already met Pinkie Pie.”

“Hi, Willy!” Pinkie chirped.

Willy?

“I am Rarity, darling,” Rarity said, batting her eyes. “Charmed.”

“Um…I’m Fluttershy,” Fluttershy whispered, still hiding behind her mane.

“Fluttershy? Huh, nice name,” I nodded, barely managing to hear her quiet voice. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you all. How come you’re all walking in this creepy forest?”

“Oh goodness! I almost forgot! Come on, girls, we need to get to the old castle right away!” Twilight said as she walked past me.

“Where are you all headed?” I wondered.

“We’re on a mission to save the world!” Rainbow said confidently.

“From who?”

“An evil mare who wants to plunge the world in eternal night,” Rarity said. “While I do enjoy stargazing, I would prefer to at least show off new designs for my summer collection.”

“Hey, Willy, why not come with us?” Pinkie chirped.

“Me? This seems like something you all should be handling on your own,” I said.

“Aw, come on, Willy! The Everfree Forest is no place for a group of young mares like us to roam around. We might need a strong, brave stallion like you to protect us!”

“Okay, first of all, I’m not a stallion,” I stated. “Second, I may know how to fight, but I don’t see how effective I can be against whatever’s lurking around here.”

“Well ya can’t exactly leave here if ya don’t got anywhere to go,” Applejack said. “Like Pinkie said, the Everfree ain’t no cakewalk, especially at night.”

“Cake? Where?” Pinkie asked.

Applejack did have a point. If I tried to leave the forest, I’d probably end up getting more lost than I would’ve wanted to. Not to mention I wouldn’t even know where to go if and when I managed to get out of the forest.

“Okay, I guess I can tag along,” I shrugged.

“Great! You might even help us save the world!” Pinkie said as she grabbed my arm and pulled me along.

What have I just gotten myself into?

My walk with these…mares, I guess I would call them, was all mostly quiet, excluding Pinkie Pie, who’d occasionally badger me with questions. I mostly hung back as we walked through the forest and kept to myself, mostly because I was still trying to contemplate how the hell I was even walking with bipedal, talking pony creatures in the first place. It wasn’t until the blue mare, Rainbow Dash I think her name was, paced back to walk near me and gave me a look.

“Uh, there something you need?” I asked.

“Yeah, you said you knew how to fight, right?” she questioned.

“I prefer the term self-defense, but yes, I do,” I nodded.

“What kind of fighting?”

“Karate. I’m an 8th level black belt.”

“Seriously?” Rainbow said, rather surprised. “How are you such a high rank?”

“Years of hard work and dedication, I guess,” I shrugged. “Plus my sensei always told me that I was a fast learner. Do you know karate?”

“Of course I do! I learned it as a hobby, but I’m only a red belt for now.”

“Wow, that’s pretty cool. You aiming to get a black belt?”

“You better believe I am,” Rainbow proclaimed proudly. “And don’t think you’re cooler than me just cause you’re a black belt. Once I get mine, I wanna challenge you to a bout!”

“Sure, I’ll be happy to accept your challenge,” I nodded.

“Hey, Will, was it?” Applejack asked, also hanging back as I glanced at her. “I’ve been meanin’ to ask. What’s the deal with yer eyes?”

That question seemed to grasp the attention of all the mares, making them stop for a moment to look at me. I had a feeling one of them would ask about it, which is understandable since my eyes seem to stand out more than the rest of me.

“Hey, she’s right. Your eyes are two different colors,” Rainbow said, pointing at me.

“Oh my, they look rather…alluring,” Rarity cooed.

“Uh, thanks, I guess?” I shrugged. “Never got called that before. Anyway, it’s not really anything conversation worthy. I have Heterochromia.”

“Herero-whata?” Pinkie asked, unable to pronounce the word.

“What the hay is that?” Rainbow asked.

“It’s as you said before; it’s when someone has two different eye colors. As you can see, my right eye is hazel and my left eye is light blue,” I explained, pointing to each of my eyes. “I’ve had it since I was born.”

“It ain’t anythin’ like a sickness, is it?” Applejack asked warily.

“Oh no no, far from it,” I shook my head. “The condition is completely benign, which means it’s harmless.”

“Do all humans have this condition?” Twilight asked as she scribbled on her paper.

“Not all humans, but there are some breeds of animals that are known to have it all the time.”

“What kind of animals?” Fluttershy wondered.

“Mostly dogs, cats, and a couple of other species. It actually isn’t as common with humans as it is with animals as you think.”

“How fascinating,” Twilight said. “And what are these other animals that may have it.”

“If I were to guess, I’d say-HOLY SHIT, WHAT’S THAT?!”

I pointed past the girls as a monster appeared before us. It had the body of a lion, the wings of a bat, and the tail of a scorpion. I was completely frozen at what I was bearing witness to; this thing was a goddamn Manticore from the stories of myth!

“A Manticore!” Twilight yelped. “We’ve gotta get past him!”

“Are you crazy?! That thing will tear us apart!” I said.

The Manticore roared at us, then leapt into the air and made a swipe at us. We all jumped out of the way and Rarity spun around and kicked the lion monster in the snout.

“Take that, you ruffian!” Rarity shouted. The Manticore just shook its head and roared in her face, making her mane blow back and get all frizzy. “My hair!” Rarity ran away from the beast as it gave chase. Before it could chase her any further, Applejack jumped on top of it and began riding it like a bull.

“YE HAW! Git along, little doggy!” she whooped as the Manticore tried to shake her off.

“Holy crap, that girl’s got guts,” I said astonished.

“Wait…” Fluttershy whispered.

“Wait for what?” I asked.

Before she could respond, the Manticore managed to throw Applejack off, who sailed through the air and saluted Rainbow Dash as if she was tagging her in to face the monster.

“Wait…!” Fluttershy said again.

She dashed at the Manticore with amazing speed and spun around the beast, creating a miniature rainbow hurricane. It looked like the Manticore was getting annoyed with the rainbow pegasus, so it used its tail to swat her away like she was a fly.

“Rainbow!” we all cried out as Rainbow Dash skidded to a stop across the ground in a daze from the spinning.

As Rainbow tried to pick herself up, the Manticore stalked over to the downed pegasus with its tail raised in the air. No one could do anything as they tried to figure out how to save her, and time was running out. I’m not sure what came over me. Maybe it was an act of pure stupidity, but I knew I had to do something or Rainbow Dash was a goner. I sprinted toward the monster, ignoring the shouts of protest from the others. I then did a cartwheel and began jumping off my hands and feet, leaping off the ground while maintaining the momentum of my spin and extended my leg. I brought my foot down on the Manticore’s head with a fierce ax kick, making it roar in pain as I backflipped in the air and landed right in front of Rainbow Dash.

“She’s not on the menu tonight, pussy cat,” I said as I spread my legs and raised my arms into a Front-Stance. The Manticore shook its head and growled at me, readying to come in for another attack. I prepared myself and waited for the monster lion to attack.

“WAIT!!”

Everyone froze as Fluttershy flew in between me and the Manticore. I was confused as to why she told everyone to wait, but she seemed serious in her request. We watched as the yellow pegasus went over to the Manticore and gently rubbed its paw.

“Fluttershy, get away from that thing! It’s pissed and will eat you alive!” I called out.

“No it won’t, look,” she said as she pointed to the Manticore’s paw. The beast turned its paw around to reveal a thorn stuck in the padding of its paw. “Oh you poor, poor little baby.”

“Little?” I questioned.

“Now this might hurt for just a second,” Fluttershy said as she pulled out the thorn. As soon as it was removed, the Manticore grabbed the mare and let out an ear-splitting roar.

“FLUTTERSHY!” we all shouted, but were more surprised at what the Manticore was actually doing. Instead of devouring her, the Manticore was grooming her while purring, and it looked like a mother cat grooming her kittens.

“The hell…?” I muttered to myself.

“Aw, you’re just a little baby kitty, aren’t you?” Fluttershy giggled. “Yes you are, yes you are~.”

Taking the opportunity while it was distracted, we all sneaked past the Manticore until we were a safe distance away. The Manticore eventually released Fluttershy and walked back into the forest and Fluttershy rejoined us.

“How did you know about the thorn?” Twilight wondered.

“I didn’t. Sometimes, we all just need to be shown a little kindness,” Fluttershy said.

“Huh, go figure,” I hummed as Twilight smiled.

“Hey…”

I looked over to Rainbow Dash, who was looking away bashfully and rubbing her arm. “That was…pretty cool. What you did back there.”

“No problem. You also had a pretty decent plan yourself,” I said. “I’m just glad you’re alright.”

“Yeah, well, don’t think you’re gonna be saving me again anytime soon,” Rainbow said, slugging my arm. “Next time, I’ll be the one saving your sorry flank.”

“I look forward to it,” I chuckled as we continued on.

The forest seemed to become more creepy and dank as we walked deeper in. I sometimes had to wipe the bottom of my shoes on a tree trunk to get the mud off and there always seemed to be a twig here and there getting stuck on my cloak. Regardless, we still carried on, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that there were eyes on us constantly.

“Igh, my eyes need a rest from all this icky muck,” Rarity complained. We soon came to a point where more foreboding trees loomed over us and the air became more musky. “Well, I didn’t mean that literally.”

“I can vouch for that,” I agreed. “Normally, I wouldn’t mind a hike through the woods, but this place kinda kills the whole vibe.”

“At least there ain’t no more cliffs to fall off of,” Applejack said, making Twilight shiver nervously.

“Please don’t remind me. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared,” Twilight said.

“At least I was truthful with ya,” Applejack said.

“Mind filling me in?”

“Oh. Well, before you showed up, we were on the edge of a cliff, and it collapsed from underneath us,” Twilight said.

“Oh damn. How’d you all get out of that?” I wondered.

“We saved everypony, that’s how!” Rainbow said proudly, wrapping an arm around Fluttershy, who blushed at the attention.

“It’s true. We were tumblin’ down the hill and were unable to stop when the cliff gave way,” Applejack described. “Ah managed to grab a thick root to stop mahself and caught Twilight just in time. Ah was about to pull her up, but Ah was afraid the cliff might collapse again. It wasn’t until Ah noticed Rainbow and Fluttershy flying back up in the air after makin’ sure Rarity and Pinkie were safe that I asked Twilight to let go of mah grip.”

“You asked her to let go? That seems pretty dangerous though,” I said, a little shocked.

“But I’m glad she did,” Twilight said. “She knew that Rainbow and Fluttershy would catch me and she even assured me she would never lie.”

“Looks like you put your trust in the right mare,” I commented and Twilight nodded.

“Shucks, you two. It weren’t nothin’,” Applejack said, rubbing the back of her head.

“On the contrary, trust is a two-way streak,” I said. “The fact you were able to convince Twilight to put her life in your hands speaks volumes. There aren’t many who are willing to do what you were able to do.”

“Well, thank ya kindly, Will,” Applejack smiled.

SQUISH

“Oh wait, I think I stepped in somethin’.” Suddenly, Fluttershy screamed in a panic, making me flinch at the sudden screaming. “It’s just mud.”

“Uh…I think she was screaming at that!” Rainbow said fearfully, pointing at the tree.

The tree in question had a very scary face on it, which sent a cold shiver down my spine. Soon, the rest of the girls started screaming as more of the trees seemed to have terrifying faces on them. It was like I was in some kind of messed up version of Alice in Wonderland. We all soon stopped screaming when the sound of laughter of all things grabbed our attention. Pinkie Pie was clutching her stomach, pointing at one of the trees and actually laughing at it despite it having a creepy face, and she was making her own funny faces.

“Pinkie, what are you doing?! Run!” Twilight cried out.

“Oh girls, and Willy, don’t you see?” Pinkie asked. Then out of nowhere, she began to sing of all things.

After she and the rest of the girls sang their little song, they all laid on the ground laughing up a fit like they had the best time. I couldn’t help myself but laugh along with them since it was so fun watching them make the faces disappear by just laughing and singing.

“Hahaha! Man, who knew breaking out in a musical number would lift spirits so much!” I said, wiping my eye.

“Of course! Laughing is always the best cure for anything!” Pinkie chirped as she hopped along and we followed after her.

The path led us out of the dank part of the forest and into a more open area. “I must say, William, your attire certainly is interesting. Especially your jacket. I’ve never seen such a design before,” Rarity said as she walked up next to me.

“You think so? It’s just something I wear on a regular basis,” I shrugged.

“Do you perhaps have any other clothing you can show me?”

“Unfortunately, this is all I’ve got at the moment.”

“Truly? How is that possible?”

“It’s…a long story, but what you see me wearing now are the only clothes I have on me.”

“I see. Then I suppose we will have to remedy that once all of this is over,” Rarity hummed.

We soon arrived at a raging river. The waves looked so violent that any one of us could be swept away if we even tried to cross.

“How are we gonna cross this?” Pinkie wondered.

“Anyone got a zipline handy?” I asked, but they all just stared at me.

Downstream, we heard what sounded like someone crying their eyes out. We followed the noise and saw a large purple sea serpent creature with nicely styled hair and a moustache, only half his moustache was cut off. The guy was thrashing around in the water, which explained why the water was so crazy.

“What a world! What a world!” he cried as he smashed his fists in the river.

“Man, that guy needs to chill,” I mumbled.

“Excuse me, sir, why are you crying?” Twilight asked.

“Well, I don’t know! I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this tacky little cloud of purple smoke just whisked past me and tore half of my beloved moustache clean off!” the serpent said sadly as he pointed to his face. “And now, I look simply horrid!” He flailed around dramatically and made a big wave of water splash on us.

“Hey! What the hell, dude?!” I snapped as my clothes were drenched.

“Oh, give me a break…” Rainbow grumbled.

“That’s what all the fuss is about?” Applejack asked.

“Anyone got a towel?” I asked as I tried to wring my cloak dry.

“Why, of course it is!” Rarity said. “How can you be so insensitive? Oh, just look at him. Such lovely, luminescent scales!”

“I know!” the serpent sniffled.

“Your expertly quaffed mane!”

“Oh, I know, I know!”

“Your fabulous manicure!”

“It’s so true!”

“Good god, is she always like this?” I groaned to the others as I tried to dry the rest of my clothes.

“More than she cares to admit, partner,” Applejack sighed, the others nodding in agreement.

“All ruined without your beautiful moustache,” Rarity frowned.

“It’s true! I’m hideous!” the serpent cried out dramatically.

“I simply cannot let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected!” Rarity proclaimed.

She reached over and pulled a scale out from the serpent’s body, making him yelp in pain. Rarity raised the scale up high and swiped it behind her, cutting her tail off completely and the serpent fell over on the shore in a dramatic fashion.

“Oh damn, that was unexpected,” I said.

Rarity’s horn sparkled and glowed a light blue glow as the rest of her tail she cut off levitated off the ground. It floated toward the cut off part of the serpent’s moustache and tied around it so it could replace what was cut off.

“Oh ho ho ho! My moustache! How wonderful!” he cheered gleefully.

“You look smashing!” Rarity complimented.

“Oh Rarity, your beautiful tail,” Twilight said pityingly.

“That was a gutsy move you pulled,” I said. “Sacrificing your own tail to fix his moustache?”

“Oh, it’s fine, my dears. Short tails are in this season,” Rarity said with a wave of her hand. “Besides, it’ll grow back.”

“So would the moustache,” Rainbow whispered.

“Don’t ruin the moment,” I chided, giving her a light elbow. “And check it out. We can cross the river now.”

“Allow me,” the serpent said as he used his body as a platform for us to hop on to the other side.

“Thanks for the lift, big guy,” I said to him.

“Oh, anytime, my new friends! I wish you luck on the rest of your journey!” the serpent beamed.

Heh, interesting guy.

“So, remind me again what it is you’re all looking for?” I asked as we continued our trek.

“We’re supposed to find the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters,” Twilight said. “It is supposed to be the last known location of the Elements of Harmony.”

“Uh huh, and these element things are what exactly?” I asked, still unclear what she was talking about.

“All you need to know is that they’re what we need to save the world,” Rainbow said.

Our walking soon led us to a gorge with a rickety looking bridge hanging in between. On the other side, I could see what looked like the ruins of an old castle.

“There it is! The ruin that holds the Elements of Harmony! We made it!” Twilight said happily as she ran ahead of us and we ran after her.

“Twilight, wait for us!” Applejack called out.

“We’re almost there!”

I soon saw that the bridge was out, making my eyes widen. “TWILIGHT, STOP! THE BRIDGE!”

Twilight had stopped just in time before she fell off the edge. Rainbow was able to grab her tail and pull her back before she fell forward.

“What’s with you and falling off cliffs today?” Rainbow teased.

“Sweet jeezus, I thought I was gonna have a heart attack,” I exhaled.

“Now what?” Pinkie whined, gesturing to the broken bridge.

“Duh?” Rainbow said, unfurling her wings and flew off. She flew down, diving into the gorge to retrieve the fallen rope bridge. She flew out of the gorge with the bridge in hand and disappeared into the fog to reach the other side. We waited for a few minutes, but hadn’t heard anything back yet.

“You think she’s okay?” I wondered. “It shouldn’t be that hard to tie a rope.”

“Rainbow Dash! What’s taking so long?!” Twilight called out. Through the fog, we saw more ponies talking with Rainbow, and Twilight became fearful at the sight of them. “Oh no…Rainbow Dash, don’t listen to them!” As she tried to call out to Rainbow Dash, the fog mysteriously moved in and blocked our vision from seeing her. We all then grew worried for her until she eventually came flying back with a proud smile.

“See? I never leave my friends hanging,” Rainbow said as we crossed the bridge.

“It’s good to see you Rainbow. Now we-”

CRACK!

I was cut off when one of the wooden boards broke and my leg fell through. All the girls snapped their heads to me as I desperately tried to hang on to the board in front of me. Rainbow gasped and flew toward me to catch me, but my grip slipped too soon and I began plummeting down below.

“OH FUCK!!!” I screamed.

“WILLIAM!!!” they all cried.

I was in a complete panic as I plummeted down in the gorge. I spun around to see that I was nearing the bottom at a rapid pace. It was all so soon. I had just returned to life, and I’m now about to die again. But…I didn’t want to die! I wanted to keep living! I wanted to know why I was sent here!

“I WANT TO LIVE!!!” I screamed as I shut my eyes and focused with all my might.

I waited for my untimely end, but it seemed like I was waiting longer than expected. Daring to open my eyes, I looked around and saw that I was still alive and well. Only thing about my current situation is that I was frozen in place as my face was mere inches from the ground. I slowly looked down and my eyes widened in total disbelief. Not only was I still alive, but I also was somehow floating in midair. More to the point, I felt a very strange sensation within me, like an unknown force was keeping me in the air. My body soon relaxed, but I kept hovering in the air and looked at my hands. I was completely unscathed and there wasn’t a scratch on me, yet I was still completely baffled by what was happening.

“How…how is this possible?” I wondered. I looked up to the bridge and thought about the others. They probably think I’m dead right now, and I’d very much prefer to ease their minds. “Okay, Will, just focus.” I inhaled and exhaled as I concentrated to make myself go up. “Easy does it.” As I had hoped, I began floating upwards and back to the bridge. I almost had a few close calls when I fell a little, but I kept flying upwards. “I’m flying. I’m actually flying on my own. This is such an incredible feeling.”

The bridge and the girls then came into view on the other side of the gorge, and every single one of them were crying their eyes out. Twilight’s head hung low, Applejack had taken her hat off her head as Fluttershy hugged her and cried into her shoulder, Rarity buried her face in her hands, Rainbow was on her knees and punching the ground, and Pinkie was crying harder than the others as her mane and tail had deflated. I hovered in the air just above the girls and cleared my throat, gaining their attention. Once they all saw me, none of them were able to form words they were so surprised.

“Hey, girls,” I said with a weak smile.

“WILLIAM?!?”

“Bu-ho-yo-” Twilight tried to speak.

“You’re alive!” Rainbow said as she flew up to meet me in the air and wiped her eyes. “And…holy hay, you’re flying!”

“That I am,” I nodded.

“But how?! You never told us you could fly!”

“Honestly, I figured it out not two minutes ago,” I shrugged. I then attempted to land back on the ground, but I ended up falling on my ass on the dirt with a loud thump. “Ouch! Damn, that hurt…”

Suddenly, I was swarmed by the girls, who all embraced me in a big group hug and they continued to cry.

“Sweet stars above! We thought you died!” Twilight cried.

“Don’t you ever scare us like that again!” Rarity shrieked.

“I’m so happy you’re ok!” Fluttershy wept.

“You still owe me that bout, you jerk!” Rainbow snapped.

“Consarnit, ya nearly gave us a heart attack!” Applejack barked.

“WAAAAHHHH! I WAS SO SAD! BUT NOW I’M HAPPY YOU’RE OKAY!” Pinkie bawled.

I was taken aback as to why they were so happy to see me again. But as they hugged me, a warm feeling washed over me. They were genuinely sad when they thought I had died after I fell. It was a comforting feeling, being cared for by others this much, even if we had all just met tonight.

“I told you, I don’t know. It just happened.”

“How can flying on your own without wings be something that just happened? You were literally in the air and we saw no wings!”

“For god’s sake, Twilight, if I knew, I’d know, but I don’t!”

As we approached the castle ruins, Twilight took it upon herself to badger me with questions about how I was able to fly on my own without wings. I had told her many times before I had no clue as to how I was able to do it in the first place. It was all just in the spur of the moment as I fell, and it just happened when I needed it most. I at least recall what it felt like while I was flying. It was as if a feeling of unknown energy from within allowed me to gain the ability of flight, like a warm flame in the center of my body.

Ignoring Twilight’s constant questions, we opened the doors of the old castle. The inside looked like no one had been here in a very long time. Old tapestries were rotting away with age while stone bricks were falling out of the walls. Large stone pillars towered over us and were covered in both vines and moss, and glass windows were either cracked or shattered. In the center of the room sat a large pedestal with five stone orbs resting on it.

“Wow, what a view,” I said.

“Come on, Twilight, isn’t this what you’ve been waitin’ for?” Applejack asked.

“The Elements of Harmony! We found them!” Twilight cheered.

Rainbow and Fluttershy flew up to pick them up and set them on the ground. Not wanting to be left out, I decided to help out and tried to fly up myself. I focused on the feeling from before and concentrated as much as I could. Slowly but surely, I lifted off the ground and into the air. Still keeping my focus, I floated over to the pedestal and gently grabbed a stone orb to bring it back down to the floor.

“Careful…careful,” Twilight said. I almost dropped the orb when I landed, but managed to catch myself when I set the orb down on the floor.

“One, two, three, four…there’s only five,” Pinkie said.

“Where’s the sixth?” Rainbow wondered.

“The book said when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth element to be revealed,” Twilight said as she examined the orbs.

“What in the hay is that supposed to mean?” Applejack asked.

“Maybe it’s a riddle?” I guessed.

“Sounds like a dumb riddle,” Rainbow said.

“I’m not sure, but I have an idea,” Twilight said. “Stand back, I don’t know what will happen.”

We all did as instructed and took a few steps backwards. Twilight then closed her eyes as her horn began to shine a light lavender glow.

“Come on now, y’all, she needs to concentrate,” Applejack said as she led the others out. I was about to follow her when my eye caught the sight of something behind one of the pillars. I thought I saw what looked like a purple mist-like substance, but it soon disappeared when I looked over to it. “Will? Are ya comin’?”

“Yeah, I’m right behind you,” I said as I followed.

We stepped back outside and waited for Twilight to finish whatever it is she was doing. Meanwhile, I was off to the side and left to my thoughts as I looked down at my hands. I wasn’t sure why, but I somehow got the impression that I had seen this somewhere before. Why was I able to fly without wings? Is it due to that warm feeling I had earlier when I flew? To test a theory, I began to focus that feeling in my hands instead of for when I fly. As expected, the feeling in my chest returned and I tried to make it so it went into my hands. My hands soon began to glow faintly, which only drove me to concentrate more. My hands glowed more and more until a small orb of light appeared in front of me. It was a little bright and glowed a yellow hue as it illuminated my face. I was astounded by the results. It was as if I somehow manifested my own energy into a ball of light, and I’m now holding it in my hands. As soon as I had that thought, a realization hit me.

“Wait a sec. Energy, being able to fly, the warm sensation within,” I mumbled to myself. “Is…is this Ki?”

Suddenly, I heard Twilight yelp in a panic, making me break my concentration and the orb dissipated from my hands.

“Twilight!” we all shouted as we ran back to the castle. We pushed open the doors to see Twilight in a panic. In front of her was some kind of large purple whirlwind and the element orbs were flying around in the air.

“The Elements!” Twilight cried and jumped into the whirlwind.

“Twilight, wait!” I called out, but it was too late. Both she and the orbs disappeared in a flash before any of us could join in. “Shit!”

“Twilight, where are you?!” Applejack called out.

“Where could she have gone?! What the hell was that whirlwind?” I wondered as we all ran around looking for Twilight.

“Look!” Rarity called out,pointing out a window. We all looked out to see another tower and flashing lights from inside.

“She’s gotta be in there!” I said.

“Come on!” Applejack said and we ran out of the room.

We followed the path toward the tower as fast as we could. Before we could reach the tower, the same purple mist swirled in front of us, making us stop in our tracks. From the mist, a pack of wolf-like creatures that looked like they were made of pieces of wood growled as they blocked our path.

“What the hell?!” I shouted.

“Timber wolves!” Rarity shrieked.

One of the wolves crouched down and leapt at Rarity with its fangs bared. Thinking fast, I jumped in front of Rarity, raised my hands in front of me, and concentrated as hard as I could. A bright orb of energy quickly formed in my hands and I thrust them forward, making the orb shoot from my hands and blast into the timber wolf. The orb blew the creature up into pieces as they fell to the ground.

“What the hay?!” Rainbow cried.

“William, how did you-?” Rarity tried to say.

“No time to explain! Get to the tower, I’ll hold them all off!” I said as I got into my stance.

“By yourself?! That’s crazy talk!” Applejack argued.

“And I said there’s no time! Twilight needs you all right now!”

They were hesitant at first, but nodded anyway as they ran past me. Rarity looked over her shoulder, but continued onwards to the tower with the others. The timber wolves were about to run after them, but I stood in their way and glared at them.

“Not another step, you freaks of nature!” I growled.

The wolves all barked and gnashed their wooden fangs at me as they advanced. I ran toward them and jumped forward to deliver a flying kick to the closest one. My foot smashed into its face, making it yelp in pain, but I was far from done. I reeled back and punched its muzzle upwards and spun my body around to kick it in the side. The force of my kick sent the wooden wolf flying as it burst into pieces upon impact on the ground. Another wolf tried to pounce behind me, but I managed to duck just in time. It turned around and tried to bite my arm, but I raised my hand and pointed it at its open jaw.

“Eat this, Fido!”

I managed to fire another orb of energy straight down its throat, which caused it to explode from the inside and into pieces. I looked around to see that there were still a few more of these creepy ass wolves left, and they had surrounded me. The lights from the tower looked like they were shining a bit brighter than before, and I could only guess what was happening with Twilight and the rest of the girls. I was brought out of my thoughts when all three timber wolves jumped at me at the same time. I reacted quickly by jumping in the air and flying upwards, making the wolves crash into each other. I decided to finally put an end to this as I raised my hands in the sky and focused all my energy. This time, the orb of energy I was building was much larger than the normal ones I’ve been firing off so far. Once I was satisfied with its size, which was the size of a large beach ball, I swung my arms downwards toward the pile of wooden creatures. There was a large explosion beneath me as the orb exploded, making me cover my face as dust and debris flew everywhere. When I lowered my arm, I saw that I had made a small crater from my attack, which made me smirk a little at my efforts. Though my little victory was short-lived when I lost focus a little and fell out of the air and on my ass again.

“Ouch! Damnit, this shit’s gonna get old real quick,” I grumbled as I picked myself up. Only once I stood up straight, I staggered a bit and my head spun a little. I shook my head and I soon felt very exhausted, like I had run a mile or two nonstop and I could feel my heart beating rapidly. “Ugh, guess I overdid it with that last attack.” I looked to the tower and remembered that the others were still in there. “Come on, Will, no throwing in the towel just yet.” I shook my head and slapped my cheeks as I jogged up toward the tower. Whatever was waiting for me, I could only guess at this point.

I wiped my brow for the upteenth time as I neared the tower. I felt like my body was on the verge of collapsing due to the fatigue and overexertion of power I unleashed back with my fight with those timber wolves. Part of me wanted to rest and catch my breath, or at least conserve a little more energy, but I wasn’t in a situation where that would be possible. I had no choice. I had to press on and help the others as best I could with whatever it is they were facing. I finally made it to the tower and saw the girls standing together, and in front of them was a taller mare. Her fur was black with a hint of blue, and her mane and tail was a misty purple that had little specks of light that twinkled like the stars in the sky. What caught my attention was the fact that this mare seemed to have both a horn and wings. Her eyes were cyan with her pupils slitted like a cat’s, and her teeth had two sharp fangs that protruded from her lips. She wore some kind of blue battle armor and stood about a full head taller than the girls. The mere sight of her set a bad feeling in my gut. It was only confirmed when I saw shards of stone that littered the ground.

“Fuck! The element things, they’re completely busted!” I cursed.

“You little foals!” the dark mare laughed. “Thinking you could all defeat me?! Now you will never see your Princess or your sun! The night will last forever!” She laughed out loud as her mane seemed to swirl above her like a vortex. “And just so my rein will be eternal, I shall make sure to wound my sister further by snuffing out the life that is her precious pupil!”

I watched as the mare raised her hand and a spear appeared in her grip. It was dark blue with a crescent moon. Under the tip, the two points were facing upward to help stab or slice. She raised the spear and prepared to throw it, but I wasn’t gonna have any of it.

“Come on, body! Just a little more juice!” I said. I concentrated hard and lifted in the air. I then shot forward as fast as I could just as the dark mare threw the spear at Twilight. Time slowed down as I outstretched my arms toward Twilight. My arms slid under her legs and back as I scooped her up and time started to move normally again as the spear impacted the ground.

“TWILIGHT!” the girls cried out. When the dust settled, all they saw was the spear, which shocked everyone, and soon turned to me. I held Twilight in my arms as she slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She then looked up at me and I gave her a tired smile.

“William?”

“Hey, you okay?” I asked as I set her down.

“Yes. Thank you, but all is lost,” Twilight frowned. “The elements are destroyed.”

“Don’t give up just yet, Twilight.”

“But they were the only chance of defeating Nightmare Moon! How can we win when our best chance has been lost?”

“Twilight, look at me,” I said, grabbing her shoulders and she looked me in the eye. “We may have only just met, but I can tell you’re as smart as you look. I may not know the full details why those elements were so important, but something tells me there’s more to it than that.”

“How can you be so sure? They’re all shattered to pieces.”

“What was it you said? That the elements needed some kind of spark?” I asked, to which she nodded in response. “Think of it this way. It’s like I said before: this whole thing is one big riddle, and it has yet to be solved. You’re so close, Twilight. If anyone can figure this ordeal out, it’s you.”

Twilight clung to my words and looked away for a moment, but then looked back to me with a more confident expression and nodded.

“Good. Now hurry back to your friends,” I said as I turned to the dark mare. “I’ll handle her.”

“What?! That’s crazy! She’s way too powerful! And you look like you’re about to collapse from exhaustion!”

“I’ll handle it. You focus on figuring this mess out,” I said as I approached the dark mare. I stood just before her as the wind blew past us, making my cloak billow in the wind and her mane and tail blow off to the side.

“Well, well,” the dark mare hummed with a sadistic grin. “A little colt stands to face me. How amusing.”

“Yeah, well, considering how you nearly shishkebabed my friend back there, I didn’t really see an opinion not to intervene.”

“Do you have any idea who I am?” she accused, unfurling her wings out wide.

“Nope, but I have a feeling you’re gonna tell me anyway.”

“I am Nightmare Moon! Ruler of the night, and eternal Princess of Equestria!”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m William Saber,” I nodded. “No fancy titles, just the name is all I have on me.”

“And just what kind of creature are you, William Saber?” Nightmare demanded.

“I’m a human,” I replied, making her arch a brow.

“Human? Truly?” She then smiled a wicked grin and started sauntering toward me with a slight sway in her step. “How intriguing. I never believed to encounter a human of all creatures. Especially one with unique abilities.”

“How do you know I have powers?” I questioned as she began to circle and examine me.

“I have been observing those mares since my return, even their trek through the Everfree Forest,” Nightmare said as she ran her hand along my cloak. “I thought I would be rid of them by placing obstacles in their path, but they seemed to overcome each one. I also took notice when you appeared. You have skill, for somepony so young, and your power is unlike any I have seen.”

“Is there a point to this flattery?” I asked as she stood right in front of me. I was just as tall as her, but it looked like I was about a few inches taller.

“Indeed. You show potential. More potential than any pony with combat experience, which is impressive, to say the least. Why waste your skills trying to bring back the day when you could put them to more of a good use?” Nightmare pointed out.

“Such as?” I asked.

Nightmare’s smile widened and her eyes lidded a bit as she gently cupped my chin. “Serve me,” she purred, rubbing my chin. “Use your power for a greater purpose and become my personal champion. With your power and my authority, we shall invoke a new world order the likes of which Equestria has never seen.”

“Hmm. You know, I’d be lying if I said that idea didn’t sound half bad,” I hummed, making her giggle. “But, it’s too bad for you that I prefer to tell the truth.” I backed away and she narrowed her eyes. “That’s a terrible idea. And I want no part of your tyrannical plan to take over. The world needs the sun just as much as it needs the night. If you can’t see that, that’s your problem.”

“A pity,” Nightmare sighed. “I would’ve liked an alluring warrior such as yourself to serve me, but your discolored eyes say otherwise. I suppose I have no choice but to dispatch you from this world.”

I tried to fake her out by throwing a swift punch, but she managed to block my strike with ease. I quickly stepped back and spun my body around to deliver a roundhouse kick, but she weaved her body to dodge. Punch after punch, kick after kick, I tried so many times to land hit, but to no avail. She just kept dodging or blocking my attacks, and moved around as if she was dancing. It’s like she was toying with me, and it pissed me off just how outmatched I was than I thought. I jumped back and leapt into the air in a front flip and tried to hit her with an ax kick. Nightmare’s horn glowed and she disappeared as my foot slammed into the ground, cracking the stone beneath a little. I looked around for the dark mare until I felt something hard hit my back, making me fall forward onto the ground. I grunted as I turned to see Nightmare smirk at me and I was back on my feet. I then summoned an orb of Ki in my hands and fired it at her. Nightmare stood there for a moment until she raised her hand and swatted it aside like a ball.

“Shit…!” I cursed.

Before I could try something else, she teleported again and appeared right in front of me. She shot her hand to my throat, choking me and lifting me in the air. I tried to pry her hand away, but her hand was like a vice grip, crushing my throat.

“Any last words before you meet your demise?” Nightmare said with that sadistic grin. I glared at her for a moment until I glanced behind her and smirked.

“Gak! Y-Yeah…” I gasped. “Y-You should really l-learn to not g-get so caught-up in a c-conversation!”

Nightmare arched a brow until there was a shining light behind her. She turned around to see Twilight and her friends all standing together, and the shards of the stone orbs circling around them.

“What is the meaning of this?! The elements were supposed to be destroyed!” Nightmare snapped.

“Guess you miscalculated,” I said mockingly.

Nightmare seethed at me before throwing me across the room. I slammed into a stone column and hit my head on impact as I fell to the ground. My vision was blurred and my body ached in pain from being thrown. I didn’t expect her to be so strong with just a throw. I shakily picked myself up on my hands to see Twilight and the others now floating in the air, and above them was another stone orb shining brightly. I could barely hear what they were saying due to my ears ringing, but Nightmare seemed to be in a state of panic. I watched through my blurry vision as the light surrounding the girls became a rainbow and swirled above them. Before I lost consciousness, the rainbow shot down toward Nightmare. She screamed as the beam completely enveloped her before I collapsed and everything went black.

I opened my eyes and noticed I was surrounded in some kind of void of light. I looked around and noticed I was floating in midair, but I couldn’t move my body. I even tried to speak, but nothing came out, which left me a little more confused. Suddenly, a bright light shined in front of me, forcing my eyes to close tightly until it died down somewhat. When I opened my eyes, the light continued to shine in front of me, and I swore I thought I saw something from within the light.

Is…someone there?

“Your journey…” I heard a voice say. “Has only begun…”

What…?

Before I could hear any more, I started to faintly hear more voices all around me. The light then disappeared and my vision began to blur again.

Wait…what are you?

“William…”

My consciousness was returning, as well as movement throughout my body, and the voices from before were heard again.

“William…!”

“Come on, big guy, wake up…”

“You think he’s alright…?”

“She threw him quite hard, the poor dear…”

Soon, I was fully awake as I groaned and opened my eyes. Though blurry at first, it soon cleared up quickly, and I saw the girls surrounding me as I lay on my back. The first thing I noticed about them was that they each were wearing some kind of necklace, excluding Twilight. Fluttershy’s necklace had a pink butterfly gem, Rainbow’s had a red lighting bolt, Pinkie’s was a blue balloon, Applejack’s had an orange apple gem, Rarity’s was a purple diamond, and Twilight wore a tiara with a magenta-colored six-pointed star on it. Once they met eyes with me, they all smiled as I tried to pick myself up on my elbows.

“Steady there, partner. Ya got tossed around pretty hard back there,” Applejack said as I sat up.

“Ugh…I feel like someone hit my head with a hammer.”

“Goodness, darling, are you alright?” Rarity asked.

“I’ll live. I’ve had worse.”

“You sure got some serious guts,” Rainbow smirked. “Taking on Nightmare Moon? You must be a special kind of crazy!”

“I agree. That was very reckless of you, William,” Twilight scolded. “She could’ve killed you!”

“Hey, I’ll admit it wasn’t the best idea, but if it’s any consolation, I knew I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Then why the hay did you do it anyway?!” Twilight demanded.

“To buy you all time,” I said as I slowly stood up. “You needed a way to do what you needed to do without Nightmare getting in the way. That crazy mare was bent on preventing anything from stopping her, and she was willing to cross a line. It was a gamble, but I’m glad it worked out in the end.”

“Be that as it may, it was still very foolish of you to challenge Nightmare Moon,” Twilight said.

“Well Ah for one am glad that it’s all over,” Applejack said with a smile. “Ah thought you were spoutin’ a lot of hooey, Twilight, but I reckon we really do represent the Elements of Friendship.”

“I’ll say. Those necklaces suit you all,” I said.

“Indeed, they do.”

Suddenly, a light shone in the room through a window to reveal that the sun had finally risen over the horizon. From the sun, an orb of light entered the room and hoverd just in front of us as a silhouette began to form from within the light. When the light died down, I was awestruck at who was standing before us. A tall alabaster white mare with a horn and wings with a green, blue, and pink mane and tail that billowed in a non-existent breeze, wearing a white dress with gold trimmings, and a picture of the sun on it stood before us with her wings unfurled out wide. She also wore a thick gold necklace with a purple gem in the middle and a gold tiara that also had a gold gem. The girls all immediately left my side and all bowed on their knees to the new mare as she gracefully landed on her hooves with a warm smile.

Holy crap, who’s this?

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight said gleefully as she ran up to her.

“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student,” the mare said in a motherly tone as she hugged Twilight.

Hold up, Princess?!

“I knew you could do it,” she said proudly.

“But you told me it was all an old pony tail,” Twilight said.

“I told you that you needed to make some friends,” Celestia corrected. “Nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon’s return and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her. But you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart.”

Twilight smiled at her friends and I smiled as well as I held my bruised side. I then noticed that there was another mare in the room off to the side that caught my eye. She was starting to wake up, and I noticed some different characteristics about her than Nightmare Moon. She had blue fur and a light blue mane and tail. She also had a horn and wings and cyan eyes, but her pupils were more rounded instead of slitted. She was wearing a blue dress with black trimmings and her dress had a picture of a crescent moon on it.

What happened to her? She looks nothing like Nightmare Moon.

“Now if only another will as well,” Celestia said as she approached the mare, who gasped and sat up. “Princess Luna, it has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this. It is time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister.”

“Sister?!” some of the girls gasped.

How unexpected.

“Will you accept my friendship?” Celestia asked. We were all silent as we waited for her response until she stood up on her hooves and wrapped her arms around Celestia.

“I’m so sorry!” she cried. “I missed you so much, big sister!”

“I missed you too!” Celestia said as she hugged her close as she cried happy tears.

My smile only widened at their reunion, and even felt my eyes moisten a bit, making me wipe my eyes. Pinkie began bawling her eyes out and literally cried a fountain of tears. I was about to walk over and join the others, but then my head started spinning again and my body ached. I staggered a bit before leaning myself on the column, still clutching my side as I closed my eyes to clear my thoughts.

That all really did a number on me. I might have used too much of my energy tonight, not to mention I stayed awake without any sleep. I looked at my hands and tried to summon more Ki, but nothing came out. Not sure why I have these powers, but I guess I’ll eventually find out while I’m here.

“William?”

I looked up to see Twilight and the girls approaching me. I gave them another tired wave.

“Hey, sorry, but I’m having a little trouble standing at the moment. I think the adrenaline is starting to wear off.”

“Will you be okay?” Twilight asked.

“I might have a few bruised ribs here and there, but nothing too serious.”

“And who might this be?”

The two princesses made themselves known as the girls stepped to the side so they could stand in front of me. If I were standing up straight right now, I’d say I was about a few inches taller than this Celestia mare, and I was half a foot taller than her sister.

“It’s, uh…a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesties,” I said politely with a curt nod. “I’m William Saber.”

“An equal pleasure to meet you as well,” Celestia said. “Why are you clutching your side like that? Are you in some kind of pain?”

“Yeah, kinda, but I guess that’s what happens when you try to go toe-to-toe with an all powerful being like Nightmare Moon.”

“Oh my stars! You’re the one who faced me on your own!” Luna finally recalled. “I am so deeply sorry for hurting you!”

“Hey, come on now, no need to get all frantic about it,” I said with a mock wave. “I don’t blame you or anyone for what happened. You obviously weren’t in control, so how could I blame you anyway?”

“But you’re injured!”

“Bruises. Nothing but bruises. I’ll live,” I argued.

“Perhaps I may be able to help you with that?” Celeista said as she made her horn glow. I was soon covered in some kind of golden aura and felt a very soothing feeling wash over me. It was as if my strength was returning to me, and I felt more rejuvenated than before. Her horn soon stopped glowing and I stopped leaning on the column to stand at my full height.

“I…feel much better now,” I said in awe. “Thank you, Princess.”

“I’m happy to help. My name is Princess Celestia, now co-ruler of Equestria,” Celestia said.

“And…I am Princess Luna,” Luna said shyly. “I am sorry again for hurting you.”

“Really, it’s nothing to worry about,” I insisted.

“So tell us, William Saber, what exactly are you? I cannot place it, but I feel as though I’ve seen your type of face before,” Celestia hummed.

“Now that you mention it, sister, he does look familiar in a way,” Luna added.

“Not sure how that’s possible, considering I’m human and all,” I said.

Both Princesses’ eyes widened as they looked to each other, then back to me.

“I’m sorry, but did you say you are a human?” Celesita asked.

“Yes,” I nodded.

“Like an actual human? Truly?” Luna asked.

“Uh…yes?” I shrugged. “I had just arrived in this world last night, but I have no idea how.”

There was a brief pause before they both composed themselves. “I see. It seems that we have much to discuss, William Saber, but for now, it is time for you all to rest. The night has been long and I would like to also return home with my little sister.” Celestia wrapped an arm around Luna as she snuggled into her embrace. “May we invite you to the capital some time? What we have to say is quite important, I assure you, but we must verify something first.”

“That works for me, I guess, since my schedule’s pretty much nonexistent,” I shrugged. “Slight hiccup though. I don’t exactly have anywhere to stay.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Celestia said and turned to Twilight. “My faithful student, from what I understand, you have taken up residence in the local library of Ponyville, correct?”

“Yes, Princess. Spike and I have become very comfortable at the Golden Oak Library,” Twilight said.

Spike?

“Then I must ask for a request. May you please allow William Saber to stay with you in your new home until further notice?”

Twilight looked at me and I only shrugged in response, but she smiled and nodded to Celestia. “Of course, Princess, I can do that no problem.”

“Wow, seriously?”

“Yes. I also feel it is appropriate since you saved my life,” Twilight said. “Consider this my thank you.”

“Huh, well, when you put it that way, I’ll just have to accept,” I said.

“Then it is agreed,” Celestia said. “Let us now return to Ponyville for the time being before my sister and I return home.”

We then left the old castle and made it through the forest until we arrived at a small town that was filled with more technicolor anthro ponies. They were all waiting for us, and they ended up having a big party for the girls’ success in stopping Nightmare Moon and saving Luna. I mostly kept to myself and away from all the excitement since I wasn’t all that ready to mingle with anyone at the moment. I sat under a tree and relaxed from all that had transpired and looked up to the leaves covering me. So much had happened this night, and I could only begin to imagine what else was in store for me. My eyes then unintentionally got heavy and soon closed all the way. Before I knew it, I was out like a light and slept for the rest of the day.

Author's Note

His first act of heroism, but he has a long way to go.

Side Note: This chapter and revamp would not have been possible without my co-writer The Saiyan Brony.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…