Wish Gone Awry. Enter Equestria! Enter New Life!

It was a long, peaceful, restful sleep the group had. Sure they were over the blankets, but the herd sleeping was warm and comfy enough.

*Mhhhp, mmmph* A raspy feminine moaning caressed Julius' ears, slowly dragging him awake. Pulling a hand to his face Julius slowly rubs the sleep from his eyes as they flutter open.

"About time," the same voice says as Julius's arm and hand move. "I like to sleep in and all, but seriously this is late," the voice jokingly complains as Julius looks down. Looking back at him, Rainbow Dash grins and chuckles softly. "Morning, sleepyhead," Rainbow Dash coyly says before lightly booping Julius.

"Did you just boop me?" Julius almost recoils in surprise as Rainbow Dash gets out of bed.

"Yup, I did" Rainbow Dash chuckles while she stretches her wings. "Ah, still tender" Rainbow Dash lightly yelps as she stretches her injured wing.

"Well, it is still injured; give it some time," Julius tells Rainbow Dash before leaning his head back. While leaning back, Julius's head gets softly pressed against a soft tuff of fur. Looking back, Julius looks up at Luna. "Oh, good morning Luna," Julius greets Luna before looking around the room "where's Twilight and Zecora?" Julius asks, not spotting either.

"They woke up a few hours ago. Zecora took Twilight out to learn about the herbs she has and the potions she can make," Luna tells Julius as she shifts slightly in bed.

"Wait, have you been awake in bed since then?" Julius asks, almost in disbelief.

"I was comfy, besides I fell back asleep," Luna says, Julius making Rainbow Dash chuckle.

"Well, fair enough, I suppose," Julius comments while sitting up. "I've had much worse excuses to sleep in," Julius dryly chuckles while lazily getting out of bed.

"So, what do you have planned for today?" Luna asked Julius as she followed his lead.

"I was planning on getting in a light exercise through the forest, then to go see Fluttershy," Julius told Luna as he stretched out his body. "Gotta get all the friends in the herd besides," Julius started to chuckle as he began to do some light calisthenics and stretches. "If you believe the magical mystery that is Pinkie Pie, I'm going to do it," Julius laughed while waking his body up.

"Just wait until you see her Pinkie sense; it warns her of the future," Rainbow Dash chirped while lightly slapping Julius' behind with her good wing. "If you ever see her tail twitching take cover," Rainbow Dash warned while looking Julius over while he went through his morning routine.

"Are you sure she isn't a unicorn or that her cutie mark lets her see the future? Is she a Doctor here to save the universe from forces beyond our understanding?" Julius asked, half-seriously half-mockingly.

"Nope, she's just Pinkie Pie; besides, how would a doctor save the universe?" Rainbow Dash told and asked Julius.

"With a Tardis and science fiction technobabble," Julius flatly said while Luna and Rainbow Dash gave him an odd look. "Oh, never mind, I was referencing something from my world," Julius softly chuckled while shaking his head. "After I've finished my routine, I'm going to clean up then go out for a light workout in the forest; either of you wanna join?" Julius offers the mares.

"I would, but I have to help AJ today," Rainbow Dash tells Julius. "I'll need a big breakfast for that," Rainbow Dash followed up before heading out. "I know the way, and I'll eat at AJ's, see you both later today," Rainbow Dash quickly tells the pair before rushing out to AJ's.

"Fair enough, AJ will work her hard. What about you, Luna?" Julius asked, looking at Luna.

"Zebrican herbs and potions are somewhat of a blank spot in my knowledge. If it's all the same to you, I would like to stay here and learn," Luna regretfully tells Julius.

"It's ok, I understand; prepare to hear a bunch of weird names, smell some interesting smells, and learn some interesting recipes for both potions and food," Julius chuckles while reminiscing about his learning. "Oh, if she tells you to try moto mkali, don't, just don't trust me," Julius warns Luna before gathering his clothes to get dressed.

"Moto mkali, I take it that it tastes unique," Luna remarks while watching Julius get dressed.

"Unique sure, let's go with that," Julius lightly laughs while slipping on his shirt. "Take that as a general rule; most of her herbs by themselves taste unique. Moto mkali is just a stand out" Julius reaffirmed, looking himself over.

"I'll keep that in mind," Luna assures Julius before heading to the kitchen. "Come, it sounds like we both have a busy day, and breakfast won't wait," Luna tells Julius while waiting at the doorway. Finishing getting ready, Julius leads Luna to the kitchen. Walking into the kitchen, Julius scraps together a modest breakfast. Some pre-made Harcha with honey and whumpa fruit. With some extra strong earl gray tea for both.

"Here, it's a fruit from the Everfree. It tastes a bit like watermelon mixed with grapefruit; Zecora calls it whumpa," Julius tells Luna while making up a plate for both of them.

"Sounds interesting," Luna said while accepting the plate. Taking a bite of the whumpa fruit, Luna chewed it over. A mild sweetness, with a pleasant sourness following. "Quite an interesting taste" Luna nodded while trying the harcha. Tasting like a fluffy, bready pancake, a hint of mint followed. Mixed with the honey, it was a nice filling meal. "This is very nice; I take it this is a normal breakfast for you?" Luna asked after trying the harcha.

"More or less. Zecora likes to wake up early; I prefer to sleep in, so we usually eat breakfast separately. Lunch and supper we eat together, though," Julius told Luna while eating his breakfast.

"I see; I know what that's like," Luna remarked while eating her breakfast. The harcha tasted somewhat similar to Celestia's pancakes, though a bit heavier, they're still fluffy and rich. The whumpa broke up the taste and refreshed her mouth quite nicely. Trying the tea Luna was taken slightly aback. "How did you know I like my earl gray strong?" Luna asked, mildly shocked.

"Lucky guess. Honestly, I prefer coffee, but I haven't found any here. The closest to it is earl gray. I guessed you would be the same" Julius chuckled while sipping his tea. "Most people have theirs with cream and sugar; I'm one of those people," Julius told Luna before drinking his tea.

"Good guess. We do have coffee here; I'll have to get some coffee beans for you," Luna offered, much to Julius' delight. After finishing up their mid-morning breakfasts, the pair step outside.

"Well, I'm off. There's a small path behind the tree; it leads to a herb garden. Twilight and Zecora should be there," Julius tells Luna as he gets ready for a brisk, quick after-meal exercise.

"Alright, thank you for telling me. Have a good run," Luna thanks as Julius starts off into the Everfree.

Starting at a light jog, Julius breaths in deeply. It was only a few days; that's all he was away for, and yet those few days away made the scent of the Everfree seem more vibrant. The flowers, the different saps, the trees, and their leaves. All their aromas combined in a way that was absent in his world, and even in Ponyville, this was nothing short of the scent of nature, pure, raw, and unfettered; it was a relaxing scent. Jogging through the Everfree on paths he'd established, Julius let his mind wander. The few days he was away were eventful, with barely anytime to think or let his mind rest.

"It's good to relax your mind," Julius reminded himself as he navigated the path. "Nature is good for it," Julius said out loud; as he hopped onto a log flipping off the log, Julius continued down the path. The sound of the Everfree was a nice one; a choir of birds seemed to be omnipresent, the scuttling of the small animals made a pleasant rustling, even the occasional wolf howl spoke volumes of the life of the Everfree.

Going further and further down the path, over fallen logs, over mild ditches, under low hanging branches, and through some uneven ground, Julius sighted a lovely small hidden pond in a tucked away clearing. Slowing his jog and getting ready to take a quick refreshing dip, Julius completely stopped before entering the clearing.

"Something's not right," Julius quietly murmured, the hairs on the back of his neck raised. Sure the scent of the Everfree was still there, but the sound was gone. It was as if all life in the Everfree came to a sudden halt. Looking around himself and the clearing, he saw nothing out of the usual. Carefully taking a few cautious steps into the clearing, nothing happened. Step by step, Julius slowly approached the pond, all the while nothing was happening, while the Everfree was impossibly quiet. Picking up a nearby stick on his way to the pond, Julius felt it over a few times in his hand. Breathing heavily, expecting something, Julius worked to calm his breathing as he looked into the calm water of the pond. For a good minute, he just looked into those clear waters, letting the moment happen, letting the silence be. Swiftly and deftly, Julius turned around and chucked the stick right into the trees. A few snaps and cracks could be heard, but nothing else. For a moment, all was still; then the sound came back to the Everfree.

"Something was stalking me; I know it," Julius said with mild irritation. Cautiously slipping off his light clothing Julius stepped into the pond. "It seems to be gone now," Julius speculated while relaxing in the cool pond water "hopefully, it wasn't anything too dangerous, or persistent" Julius said while the pond water refreshed his body. Swimming over to the other side of the pond, Julius reached up to a low hanging branch and picked off a curious-looking fruit. Green skin, orange stripes, and blue flesh made for an interesting-looking fruit. Julius bit into the fruit; a salty sweetness filled Julius's mouth as the juices poured in, a tangy sourness followed as the fruit's flesh followed. Finishing the fruit, Julius took a quick dunk under the water before getting out of the pond.

"Love this pond," Julius contently smiles while he dries himself off with the large leaves of a nearby plant. Not fully dry, but dry enough, Julius gets back into his clothes. Leaving the pond and the clearing, Julius made his way back to Zecora's tree. Heading out, Julius didn't jog but instead walked. While he was left alone in the pond, the feeling, he was being stalked still stuck with Julius. Making his way through well-navigated obstacles, it started again. At first, only a few animals went silent, but more animals went quiet with each step until complete silence. Halting his walk, Julius looked around. The Everfree seemed no different; the only movement and sound seemed to come from Julius. Every hair on Julius's body was raised, his muscles tensed, readying for a fight, his mind preparing for some odd fantastical creature. At first, a few seconds passed, then a minute, then two minutes passed as nothing happened. Julius stood alone in the Everfree; the silence was his only companion.

Slowly stepping away, Julius cautiously walked away, his guard fully raised. Each step measured as Julius' mind started to play out different scenarios, different animal attacks, a possible hostile pony maybe, or perhaps another sentient being he'd yet to meet. Julius' mind raised through a million different thoughts all at once. Julius expected something to happen; eerily, nothing did. Despite his mind racing through his thoughts, Julius was able to keep a veneer of calm. It helped that he was getting closer to Zecora's tree and the ponies. Recognizing several signs, Julius knew he was close to Zecora's.

"Hey, Luna, you here!" Julius shouted, figuring he'd call for the most experienced pony before calling for the others. Julius's head almost snapped right back as he heard a snapping sound from behind him. It was the only sound he heard that he hasn't made in the past forty-five minutes. That thing did follow him, and that thing just screwed up. Julius' eyes locked onto the spot where the sound came from, but he saw nothing. Julius narrowed his eyes, focused hard, and he saw nothing. Hoof steps from behind casually sounded.

"I am Julius," Luna's voice called out. She was close, but Julius didn't turn his head, not wanting to take his eyes off the spot. "Julius, is something wrong?" Luna asked as she nudged him lightly.

"Yes," Julius flatly responded. "Something or someone has been stalking me," Julius told Luna as one of his hands found Luna's head. Lightly petting her, Julius started to calm down. "Just a few minutes ago, it finally made a sound, but it seemed to have just vanished," Julius told Luna. Luna's ears went stiff, almost pointing in front of them. A rush of magical energy raced through Luna's body as she nearly instantly cast a spell. A blue orb emanated from Luna's horn, going out for quite a distance, maybe a hundred or so feet if Julius had to guess.

"It's gone now. I cast the spell to sense for creatures. I sensed nothing out of the ordinary," Luna explained to Julius. "Still though there was something there, we should get back to Zecora's," Luna suggested to Julius, her head nuzzling softly into the palm of his hand.

"No arguments here, lead on Luna," Julius agreed eagerly. Following Luna's lead, the two made their way back to Zecora's. As thoughts of his stalker possessed Julius' mind, a different thought took hold of Luna's.