Exodus

Chapters

1 - Discovery
2 - Encounter
3 - Contact

1 - Discovery

Author's Note

Hey there! If you’re reading this (and plan on reading that nonsense below this), thanks! I appreciate you. This is my first big attempt at a fic like this, so feel free to leave any criticism below and I’ll try my best to adjust accordingly. Without further ado…

Edited April 12, 2021: Removed mention of Queen Novo for consistency

1 - Discovery

Chapter 1: Discovery

Ponyville, 7:55AM

“Dear Princess Celestia,

I hope this letter finds you well. We’ve had somewhat of an odd occurrence in Ponyville, which of course isn’t saying much given our history. Regardless, it was aberrant enough for Spike and I to worry. About 12 hours ago, a storm system formed over the Everfree as is that forest’s want. However, the lightning that we observed seemed to be green in colour, and struck very sporadically until it hammered the Everfree nearly 40 times in one area for an entire minute. I swear the thunder it produced shook the walls! Enclosed is the approximate sector of the Everfree Forest that this anomaly occurred. Should you find this of any interest, please let us know. We’re already planning on trekking out there to investigate soon. Our weather ponies are currently cleaning up the mess of clouds.

Also of note, we here in Ponyville have begun preparing for the annual Running of the Leaves and the town would be honoured if you could visit and be part of the festivities once again. We could even spend some time catching up! It’s been a while since we’ve just talked, you know?

Your friend, and faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”

With a satisfied smile, Princess Twilight Sparkle finished dictating her letter to her mentor and stowed her day planner in her saddlebags along with a few spare quills, ink, and other miscellaneous items. Her faithful dragon assistant, Spike, sat at a reading table as he finished transcribing Twilight’s letter to her lifelong mentor and friend, Princess Celestia. Shaking a small cramp building up in his writing claws, Spike read it over once more for any imperfections.

“Was it really 40 lightning strikes, Twilight? That sounds a lil’ crazy, even for the Everfree,” Spike doubted. Twilight mirthfully scoffed.

“Saw it with my own two eyes, telescope, and thaumometer, Spike. And if I recall correctly, you were watching with me, weren’t you?”

“W-Well I, uh — er, I mean I was kinda...”

Spike locked up, scouring his brain for the right words, while Twilight looked at him expectantly with a smirk.

“I dozed off. I had a long day, alright?,” Spike admitted defensively. As soon as his shoulders were up, they were down again at the thought of his big crush, “Rarity and I spent the whole day together yesterday shopping, and getting lunch, and then shopping again, and then getting ice cream, and...”

Spike let out a dreamy, contented sigh as he leaned his elbows on the table and propped his head up with his claws. His sigh morphed into a small yawn, as he still needed to catch up with the morning. Twilight chuckled as she floated over a file folder with her readings from the Everfree storm for Spike to send along with her letter, and he incinerated the mail with a puff of green flame. The ashes whisked away magically towards Canterlot.

The readings had been gathered out of boredom, really. A slow day in Ponyville came few and far between, and the storm was the perfect distraction on an otherwise boring day. Of course, Twilight was no meteorologist, but who didn’t dabble in a little storm-watching every now and again? Especially when the storm is completely unpredictable! And, of course, the lavender alicorn had the odd habit of dialling her interests to eleven, however minor they may be. It was just the telescope at first, and then she remembered the innate magic that Equestrian weather carried and broke out the long-range thaumometer. Oh, but what about actually locating where the lightning would strike? Better get the stopwatch and map to get the thunder timing down.

Before she knew it, Twilight had something of a miniature weather lab on her balcony looking out towards the Everfree Forest. And while odd and unmanaged weather above the Everfree wasn’t much of a spectacle to any Ponyvillian, the sudden and rapid bout of lightning that rattled the town near the end of the storm definitely was. Twilight planned to visit Rainbow Dash after she started planning the Running of the Leaves festival. If anypony would be interested in investigating a mystery like that, it would be her.

After giving her saddlebags a once-over, Twilight levitated them onto her back and cleared her throat to get Spike’s attention. The sudden noise made him jump, his chin slipping from his claws and clunking onto the reading table.

“Oh! Heh, sorry. Must’ve been daydreaming. Are we ready to roll?” Spike asked with a sheepish chuckle. Twilight nodded and motioned for him to follow her. Down the crystalline halls of Ponyville’s Castle of Friendship, Twilight ‘regaled’ Spike with her plans for the day.

“Yup! First stop is Sugarcube Corner. Like last year, Pinkie Pie and Applejack are helping out with the food stands so we’ll be meeting them there to work out the details. Then, we’re heading to Fluttershy’s to talk to her about making sure the wildlife near White Tail Woods steer clear of the circuit we’ve set aside for the Run. After that —“

She didn’t even hear Spike as he groaned, his claws making their way to his tired eyes to rub the sleep out of them.

‘This oughta be a long day...’

“Oh, that’s no problem at all Twilight. It should only take a few days to reach out to all the critters out there, i-if that’s alright with you.”

“Excellent! I can always count on you, Fluttershy. Just let me know if anything comes up, I’ll be happy to help.”

Twilight and Spike had found their way over to Fluttershy’s cottage not too long after their rendezvous at Sugarcube Corner. And they were making good time too! Applejack and Pinkie Pie both worked out what would be best to sell at the festival along with who they could reach out to to get help setting up their stands. A few upstanding mares and stallions came to mind, and after a fairly brief mosey through Ponyville they were able to secure some extra helping hooves. After a parting cupcake or three, Twilight set out to let Mayor Mare know of their plans for the confection stands and attractions for the festival, who was delighted by the initiative taken by Ponyville’s resident Princess.

“Of course, Twilight. O-Oh, and before you go, I was just about to settle down for some lunch. Would you like to join me? If you’re not busy, that is — n-no pressure.”

Before Twilight could respond, her stomach responded for her. The trio had a good laugh at that.

“Heh, I guess that’s your answer. A little break wouldn’t hurt. Thank you, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy, ever so kind, smiled in return. “It’s my pleasure, Twilight. Ooh, and I even kept the gemstones from our last sleepover, Spike! I-If you want them, I mean.”

Spike lit up, “Aww, thanks Fluttershy! You’re so thoughtful, I’d love to ha — URRRP”

In a flash of green flame, Spike belched out a rolled and sealed scroll, its seal bearing the mark of Equestria’s diarchs, Princesses Celestia and Luna. The young dragon cleared his throat sheepishly. Fluttershy, accustomed to Spike’s method of royal communication, was more interested in the scrolls themselves.

“Goodness, did you have business with the princesses today, Twilight?”

She nodded, “Mmhm, it’s about the storm that happened yesterday over the Everfree. I can tell you all about it inside, if you’d like?”

The three friends walked into the cozy cottage and out of the brisk autumn breeze to talk about Twilight’s findings and read the royal response.

And a confused stranger watched from the edge of the forest nearby.

Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,

After looking over your findings from that storm, I will admit that it does seem fairly strange. I am sure you’ve already caught this yourself, but the spikes in the thaumatic energy for each lightning strike is well beyond what is normal, even for Everfree Forest. As lightning in Equestrian weather serves to relieve excess magic in the air, I find it somewhat troublesome that this storm had so much magic to release given that there hasn’t been any notable thaumatic event nearby — at least, to my knowledge. I shall have a detachment of the Royal Guard and a survey team at the ready should anything arise once you follow through with investigating this anomaly. All you need to do is say the word.

As for the Running of the Leaves festival, I’ll be sure to attend this year. The leaves in Ponyville turn such a wonderful shade of vermillion! After missing the festival last year, I’m very excited to see the beautiful Autumn colours this year. Luna has already agreed to uptake my royal duties for that day, bless her. I look forward to seeing you and all my little ponies soon.

Your friend, and proud teacher,
Celestia

P.S. That’s another two bits for the ‘Princess’ bet, Twilight! You’ll break the habit soon enough.

Princess Celestia, Equestria’s co-ruler and Princess of the Sun, let out a satisfied sigh as she whisked her reply away to Ponyville with a green wispy flame. The shiny ashes pirouetted out of her balcony in little eddies on the wind towards the famous little Equestrian town, and danced between the birds fluttering by as they flew over the Equestrian capital of Canterlot. Raising from her cushions by the open vista, she receded back into her sunlit bedroom towards her door and out into the halls of Canterlot Castle. Her guards, as stoic and vigilant as ever, saluted their co-ruler as she made her way to the throne room and met their loyal gestures with her signature heartwarming smile.

A lot was on her mind since she read Twilight Sparkle’s letter. For one thing, the storm over the Everfree Forest somewhat defied magical logic — as tenuous and volatile as it seemed. Lightning was the world’s way of letting off excess magic, hence the weather ponies’s need to organize thunderstorms; had there been some sort of event or incident that caused a build-up of magic near the wild forest, the storm would’ve been a natural result of it. No such thing occurred however, which threatened to furrow Celestia's brow and ruin her serene and regal expression.

For another thing — and Celestia hoped this wasn’t the case — this meant that this time of relative calm and peace across Equestria might falter once again. Having lived for several millennia, she learned to see the predictability of life, as it were. History had a way of teaching such a thing. She recalled the shadows seeming darker and the starry nights seeming duller leading up to her sister’s banishment. The memory still made her heart ache, but it served as a reminder that everything had a tell, living or not.

Rounding another corner, Celestia made it to the throne room. Her sister and co-ruler of Equestria, Princess Luna, sat tall and proud on her throne with a patient smile. A rather nervous earth stallion stood before her holding a hard hat to his chest. Luna’s eyes flicked over to find Celestia approaching her throne and gave her a subtle wink.

“S-So you see, your highness —“ Celestia made it to her throne, making the stallion double-take “ — es — your highnesses, with the building being bought out by Ivory Towers, we can no longer follow through with the demolition. I’ve already spent so much out of pocket for the tools a-and equipment for such a big job, I-I don’t know how I’m gonna make it through the month.”

Luna took a beat as she mulled over the situation in her head, “You’ve already provided the necessary documents, so we see — er, I see no issue with compensating you for your loss.” The hardworking stallion let out the breath he was holding, the tension in his withers fading. Luna was not finished, however. “Tell me, Hard Hat... this Ivory Towers, what does he intend to do with the old building anyway?”

Hard Hat meekly shrugged, “Word around the bend says he plans on making it an inn a few weeks from now, though I don’t know with what company. What with Canterlot getting more and more tourists from Griffonstone and Trottingham and such, I can’t rightly blame him for wanting to provide such a service.”

Luna nearly let her contempt for such an opportunist show on her face, but she caught herself. A Princess should always exemplify serenity, she reminded herself. “I imagine you are just as proficient in renovation as you are in demolition, correct?” An eager nod from Hard Hat satisfied Luna’s query. She began drafting a royal order on some parchment she kept nearby. “Then by the behest of myself and my sister, we shall... recommend your services to Ivory Towers once renovations begin. Take this —“ the order floated over to Hard Hat, who took it graciously “— and present it to him. You’ll find that he’ll be quite eager to work with you.”

Hard Hat bowed eagerly and happily, his muzzle practically kissing the floor, “Oh, thank you Princess Luna! I won’t ever forget your generosity, thank you!”

Proud of her sister, Celestia chuckled as the elated construction pony trotted out of the throne room. “Nicely done, Lulu. I should take breaks more often! You seem to handle this very well.”

As soon as the throne room doors closed, Luna let out a long yawn and slouched in her azure throne. “If only it weren’t two in the afternoon. Just a little later in the day and a mite longer of rest, and I would be able to actually enjoy making our citizens happy.”

Celestia giggled, and nuzzled her sleepy sister, “Oh hush, Lulu. I know your heart soars seeing our little ponies happy.” A coy smile spread across Luna’s face.

“Indeed it does, Tia. Now, what did Twilight need from us?”

“The area that was struck the most must be in so much disarray! I mean, sure, the natural growth of the Everfree will regenerate the area in a few days, but there has to be adverse fallout there. All the more reason to investigate, right?”

Fluttershy nodded as she swallowed her last bit of rose petal salad. “Well, I’m sure it would be quite the sight.”

Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike all sat around the table in Fluttershy’s cottage shooting the breeze about recent Ponyville happenings. That is, until Twilight got started on talking about the storm. Spike had already felt a Sparkle-Certified gush-fest on the horizon. He was just happy she finished her sandwich beforehand, lest she forget about it entirely. And so began the Spike Space Out protocol, developed to protect himself from misplacing his marbles. He moseyed over to the couch near Fluttershy’s front window, climbed up, and gazed out to the great outdoors.

“I agree! Which is why we have to get out there soon. I’ve already determined the safest route to the afflicted area — it should only take a couple hours from here, all things considered. And — oh, gosh, you and your animal friends must’ve been so rattled being so close to the storm! How did you manage?”

Spike was on another planet by this point; his vacant stare and elbow on the back of the couch propping up his drowsy head would show anyone just how out of it he was. Twilight gushed over the aberrant storm, and while Spike was genuinely interested in whatever came of it, he couldn’t say the same about all the minute details that Twilight found so fascinating. And so the Spike Space Program reached new heights that day as he stared out to the Everfree Forest. Despite the dark unknown of the tree line, the sight was quite pretty. Looking out a window in Equestria was a great way to gain an appreciation for the great beautiful outdoors, second only to actually going outside.

“Oh, we were lucky to catch the storm early. Everyone was already safe and sound before the worst of it.”

Fluttershy, however, was simply content with talking to her good friend. She’d never admit that Twilight’s hyperfocus moments could get a little long-winded at times, and would rather just hear her out. Seeing her friends talk about their passions was one of her favourite things to do, all things considered; it was like being in school again! Learning new things from her friends was just lovely. And it came without all the awkwardness and tests, homework, deadlines, scary teachers, oral presentations, group projects, phys. ed—

“Uuuhh, girls?”

Spike had noticed something strange walk out from the tree line of the Everfree. It was tall, and... weird looking. Weird enough to snap Spike out of his daydream. Getting the two mares’ attention however...

“Oh, that’s a relief. Well, I’ve already got Pinkie and A.J. on board for the trip tomorrow. Once I get back to town and hash out the final designs for the runners’ jerseys with Rarity I’ll be sure to ask her too.”

Fluttershy finished her glass of apple juice with a small slurp emanating from her straw. “Rainbow Dash might be dealing with all those stray clouds until later today. I hope she isn’t too tired tomorrow...”

“Girls? Th-there’s something outside...” The odd creature seemed to be staring back at Spike. He noticed it was completely bi-pedal. And were those... clothes on its body? “It’s kinda creepy looking.”

“Well I’d hate to carry on without Dash — I guess it wouldn’t hurt to play it by ear and see if she’s up for it tomorrow morning. Either way, we should find something nice to do for the weather ponies for all their hard work.”

Spike fully turned around. “Girls!”

“Gah!” Both of the mares jumped a little in their seats at Spike’s shout.

“W-What’s wrong Spike? Is everything okay?” Twilight stammered. Spike gestured feverishly for one of them to see whatever it was he was seeing.

“There’s something out by the trees!” Spike explained. Twilight dropped off of her chair and trotted over to the window. Spike turned back towards the window to point towards the treeline.

“It’s right there! I-It — huh?”

“Uh, what should I be looking at, Spike? I don’t see anything...”

Spike blinked as he tried to find the mysterious stranger. All he saw was the same beautiful nature he was spacing out at a little while ago, save for some clouds that the weather team managed to wrangle up. Flustered, Spike turned to Twilight in a tizzy.

“It was there, I swear! I-It was tall, and it had some kinda outfit, a-and it stood on two legs like me!”

A raised eyebrow and a confused smirk from Twilight told Spike that she believed otherwise. This served only to get Spike a little more riled up.

“Are you sure you weren’t just daydreaming, Spike? I know that you space out someti—“

And a frustrated groan from Spike told Twilight just how serious he was.

“I wasn’t daydreaming, Twi. There was something watching the cottage. I-It must’ve noticed me watching it and ran off when I called for you.”

Fluttershy got up from her seat as well. She walked over to Spike and faced Twilight with a patient smile. “Why don’t we go take a look, Twilight? It was just right by the edge of the forest, right? It wouldn’t hurt to go check.”

Before Twilight could interject, Spike shot her a pleading look. “Come on, Twi! What if it had something to do with the storm?” She found that unlikely, but she didn’t want to invalidate her favourite dragon’s feelings. With a defeated sigh and smile, she nodded.

“Alright, lead the way, Spike. But we don’t have a lot of time; we still have to get to Rarity’s for more festival prep, okay?”

Spike was already halfway out the front door before Twilight could give him that reminder. Fluttershy followed suit, politely calling out to Spike for him to be careful and slow down. Twilight chuckled and followed an eager Spike down the hill and towards the forest.

To Twilight and Fluttershy’s surprise, Spike was quite eager to lead the search for this mystery creature. It was a short walk to the edge of the Everfree, and while they were barely five metres into the untamed forest, the group felt ill at ease. It was almost as if the Everfree was a different world entirely, and for all intents and purposes it was; not only did it produce its own weather, it had a vastly different ecosystem than other forests in Equestria — and a lot more dangerous too. Despite this, Spike was determined to find any kind of indication that the mystery creature was there.

It took five minutes for Twilight Sparkle to reconsider entertaining Spike’s little investigation. ‘I want to believe him,’ she thought, trying to justify her feelings, ‘but he can get so defensive and antsy over stuff like this. I hope he isn’t just crying timberwolf...’

As she stepped over a few odd looking shrubs, Twilight caught herself. What reason would Spike have to lie? Spike wasn’t so prideful as to lead them into the Everfree rather than admit that was daydreaming again. And what reason did she have to doubt him? Her disappointment in herself showed on her face as she scanned the short underbrush beneath her.

‘Maybe I should apologize later...’ Twilight considered.

A shout from Spike put a stop to her thoughts. “Girls! I found something over here! By this log!”

Fluttershy had already made it over by the time Twilight arrived at the scene. Spike was crouched over what looked to be a journal, already opened face down in the dirt. Luckily, it stayed out of the mud that it fell beside.

“Who do you think it belongs to? Is a name written in the cover?” Fluttershy wondered. Twilight levitated the journal closer to get a better look when she saw something very strange: a rough sketch of Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Whoever it belongs to, they’ve got some questions to answer,” Twilight muttered warily. She read aloud the entry on the left page.

“Day Zero, Night...”

“I’ve done it. After so much work, I’ve finally gotten away from the Queen’s insanity and escaped Astra.”

“Astra? Where’s Astra?” Spike wondered. Twilight shrugged, mulling it over as she tried to recall.

“I-I’m not sure Spike. Wherever it is, I don’t think it’s on the map. Here, let me continue.” Twilight refocused on the peculiar entry.

“I wish I could be happy about it, but the others... well, I can’t dwell on it now. What’s done is done. I can only hope that my partners made it out as well.”

“Goodness, it sounds like they got separated from their friends,” Fluttershy worried. Twilight continued, as her curiosity was completely captured by what followed.

“I’m not entirely sure where I am now. Judging by the ancient tome I ‘appropriated’ from the Queen’s archives, I shouldn’t be on Oris anymore. So far, that seems to be the case; the moon above me is massive compared to Hiria, and the stars... by the gods, the stars! I’ve never seen so many. I’ve got to thank Morren for reminding me to pack my old camera for the trip. That is, if I ever see him again...”

Twilight shook her head in an effort to slow down her thoughts. “Oris, Hiria — What are all these names? The way this is written...”

She trailed off, deep in thought. Spike and Fluttershy both shared a look waiting for Twilight to continue reading.

“O-Oh! Sorry, I’ll continue.”

“I’ve found a fairly habitable cave in the forest I’ve found myself in. Something about this place rubs me the wrong way. It feels as if something is always watching me out here, though I suppose it could be the nocturnal critters that I’ve no doubt spooked upon my arrival here. That, and it feels as if the air here makes me feel... tingly. As if the manaflow of wherever I am is stronger. I’ll have to use Marianne’s thaumatic reader thingy at some point, maybe it’ll answer this mystery for me. For now, though, I think I’ll put this bedroll to use and get some rest tonight. After that heist in the Queen’s archives, I’m sure I’ll be out like a light in no time.

“To Morren, Adrianne, Ilryneth, and Natlaia, wherever you are, I hope you’re all safe. I pray that we meet again soon.”

Twilight flipped through the pages past the entry and drawing, only seeing empty pages. A plethora of entries preceded the one she read, however. Spike spoke up. “Gosh, that sounds... creepy. I’ve never heard any names like those before. And that Queen — it didn’t sound like it was talking about Chrysalis, did it?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Not at all. By the sound of it, this pony comes from very far away.”

“And who knows if it even belongs to a pony! I’d bet my bottom bit that it belongs to that weird monster I saw,” Spike spoke with confidence. Twilight closed the journal with a newfound resolve.

“I think you may be right, Spike. This journal, the storm, that mystery creature — they might be connected. First thing tomorrow, we’re coming back to the Everfree. I get the feeling we’ll find whoever this diary belongs to.” Noticing that the sunlight leaking through the treetops above them was noticeably lower, Twilight rallied the group. “For now though, we should probably get back to Ponyville.”

Spike and Fluttershy agreed, and the trio headed back to safety. Remembering that Fluttershy said to check for a name, Twilight flipped to the inside of the front cover as they walked back to civilization. A short entry was written there, which she read aloud as well.

“This journal belongs to Ezra Stoutbrook, the greatest thief Astra has never known.”

2 - Encounter

Author's Note

It's HERE!! So sorry for the delay y'all. As soon as I put up that first chapter, I was kinda torn about the quality of the second one. Soooo I ended up rewriting the whole thing until I was satisfied with it. Hopefully you're all satisfied with it too! It's alright if you aren't though, no worries. :^]

Also, I figured out exactly where In the show's canon I wanna place this story. I'm placing it before the movie. As such, I fixed up the first chapter to reflect that. Kind of arbitrary, but that's where I want it to be at.

Now -- without further ado...

2 - Encounter

Chapter 2: Encounter

“This journal belongs to Ezra Stoutbrook, the greatest thief Astra has never known.”

With those words trailing off and out of the Everfree, the area fell back into silence after the two ponies and dragon left its edge. Well, relative silence anyway. The chirps and calls of birds and the chattering of squirrels kept the forest abustle with ambience. That is, until a stranger to Equestria dropped back down from the tree he was hiding in. With a thud and a grunt, he dusted himself off and watched the three creatures he was watching leave. With a deep breath, he relinquished his invisibility spell. His name was Ezra Stoutbrook.

“Ugh, for the love of... UGH!”

And he was not happy about losing his journal.

Ezra Stoutbrook was what many denizens of his world would call average; human, in his twenties, with short, curly dark auburn hair. His outfit was typical of his sort — cotton shirt, black pants, tough boots — with padded leather armour that he wore over his clothes. He carried an enchanted light backpack that he “appropriated” many years ago, which he used to carry the essentials. Sleeping bag, oil lantern, first aid kit...

His journal.

Ezra cussed and kicked a fallen branch in frustration. He had been watching what he assumed to be some person’s pets enter a cottage from the edge of the forest. Wanting to keep track of his surroundings (and commit such a pretty looking house to paper), he spent some time admiring the cottage before he noticed the baby dragon watching by him. He then realized just how creepy he was acting, and promptly left to return to the cave he arrived in, setting down his journal for just a moment to re-tie his boots.

But of course, Ezra wouldn’t be Ezra if he didn’t forget something. He wouldn’t ever admit he was forgetful, mind you. He’d describe himself as “easily intrigued” or “reactively curious”. Ezra’s friends, however, would call him “easily distracted” and “reactively an idiot”, much to the ambitious adventurer’s chagrin. His tentative attention span turned out to be the reason he had left his journal behind. Ezra had gotten a fair distance towards his cave before he realized his mistake.

You could imagine his surprise when he found that baby dragon holding his journal up for the polychromatic ponies he saw earlier. Hearing the dragon speak Common — his native language — was not as big of a surprise to Ezra than seeing a dragon in general. They were rare back home, mostly wiped out by a war between dragons and his kingdom. Even then, it was well documented that they were some of the smartest beings to ever live. What was an even bigger surprise was hearing the ponies speak Common as well. He wanted — needed — to meet the wizard or druid that managed to figure that spell out, as well as ask them what the hell those markings were on their flanks.

But then, it dawned on him. The lavender pony had called him a “mystery creature,” and the dragon — Ezra remembered his name being Spike — called him a “weird monster.” Had they never met a human before? Were they hostile? Did the purple horse read his secret love poems for Adrianne? The questions that Ezra had gnawed at him as he stood awkwardly in the forest.

“Well, they said they were coming back tomorrow...” Ezra mumbled to himself. The only way he’d get answers is if he asked questions. So, with a newfound resolve, Ezra retreated back to his cave in the Everfree to plan what would be his proper first contact with the natives.

It was fairly late in the day, a few hours after Twilight and Spike returned from Carousel Boutique to speak to Rarity. They had run into Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack on their way home, which led to Pinkie Pie calling for a Girls’ Night at the castle. After a long day of running errands, Twilight couldn’t say no to relaxing with her best friends at home, so Rainbow Dash quickly flew out to Fluttershy and Rarity to extend the invitation. After settling affairs at their homes and feeding their pets, the gang met up later that evening. With some of Pinkie Pie’s wonderful baked goods in tow, the gang eagerly made their way to the castle. So far, the evening was spent shooting the breeze and relaxing after a long day.

That is, until Spike mentioned the mystery creature again. Twilight divulged more information about the first journal entry she read, and just what — or rather, who — they were looking for in the Everfree Forest tomorrow.

“So you find some cool adventurer’s journal in the Everfree and you—“ Rainbow Dash waved her hooves in an annoyed manner on her bed. “—DON’T read the whole thing?!”

Twilight Sparkle groaned as she idly filed a hoof and read an Equestrian meteorology academic journal. A few books were strewn across her mattress where she was laying down. Rarity scoffed as she reentered Twilight’s bedroom with a fresh, warm blue duvet.

“Rainbow, darling, don’t you know the value of privacy? You wouldn’t want somepony reading your diary, would you?”

“Well, that’s different. I-I mean, not that I actually have a diary or anyth— That’s not the point!” Rainbow Dash sprung off of her bed, her excitement uncontainable by its soft, warm comfort. “Twi, you said the journal’s owner could be from some far away land. Isn’t that awesome enough to at least let us take a peak?”

Spike waltzed into the room as well, chewing on a bit of sapphire as he helped bring in more blankets as well. “Wait wait wait, Twi, didn’t you say they could be from another world? Something about —“

A bubble of Twilight’s magic surrounded Spike’s head, effectively muting his speech. It took him a moment to realize just what was happening once the bubble popped and he was on the receiving end of Twilight’s stern glare. “I-I’m gonna go check up on Starlight, heheh.” He sheepishly scurried out of Twilight’s bedroom.

“Another world?! Twi, come ooooon, at least one page! Just one.”

Twilight sighed as she set aside her book and removed the pile of literature from her mattress. They floated aside neatly into a bookshelf near the headboard of her bed. “As curious as I am too, Dash, I just... I don’t feel comfortable doing so. If I’m going to be honest, I’ve already had a peek at another entry. This ‘Ezra Stoutbrook’? He’s been through quite a lot. Having somepony creep through his personal life isn’t something I’d want to add to his list of woes.”

Rainbow Dash quieted down with a slight twinge of regret on her face, climbing back onto her bed. “Well, when you put it that way...”

“Besides,” Twilight continued, eager to bring the spirit up again, “I’m sure once we actually meet him, we’ll have a chance to learn more the right way.”

Fluttershy walked in now, wearing a borrowed bath robe and a towel wrapped around her hair. She hopped onto her bed and settled down to relax.

“I just hope we don’t scare the poor thing. All alone in the Everfree Forest — he must be terrified.”

“I wouldn’t be so worried, Fluttershy. He seems to be very capable of defending himself, if his journal is any indication.” Fluffing her pillow, Twilight settled into her comforter and various blankets. “Which, by the way, is why we have to be careful tomorrow as well.”

Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a sly, knowing smile. “Oh, and you got that from just another entry?”

With a blush, Twilight chuckled. “A-Alright, maybe I read a few more.” This earned her a disappointed glance from Rarity, which she awkwardly laughed off. “Still! I refuse to read any more. I’d like to hear it from Ezra himself.”

“Ugh, fiiine,” Rainbow conceded. Just then, a big yawn escaped her, her wings and legs flexing in a much needed stretch. “Well, I’m beat. I gotta say, though, this girls’ night thing was a good idea! I’m just glad we’re using these beds for something other than that Tantabus business.”

“Thanks, Dashie!”

“GAH!”

Pinkie Pie’s upside-down bright and cheery face filled Rainbow’s vision for a moment. She plopped down from... wherever she was hanging from — It was anyone’s guess, really, and no one cared/dared to try — and leapt onto her bed with a resounding FLUMP.

“I just can’t wait for tomorrow! I mean, sure, we gotta go through that murky Everfree, but meeting somepony from an entirely different world?! We gotta throw the bestest, most memorable welcome-to-Ponyville — nonono — Welcome-to-Equestria party ever!”

Applejack trotted in, her mane and tail free of their hairbands. She, too, flopped onto her bed with a long satisfied sigh. The tension in her withers after a long day melted away, yet a new source of worry stayed in her mind.

“Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Pinkie. We can’t even be sure the fella’s friendly, let alone actually a pony.”

“Unfortunately, A.J.‘s right,” Twilight chimed in, “We should approach this Ezra Stoutbrook as nicely as we can, but I need you all to be ready for the worst should it come to pass.”

The girls all agreed, though mostly reluctantly. With every pony mostly relaxed and comfortable in their beds, Twilight decided to dim the lights and draw the bedroom’s curtains closed. After a small bout of silence while the mares settled down for the day, Rainbow Dash had a pertinent question.

“Hey Twi, you mentioned you read a few more entries in that journal, right?”

Twilight squirmed in her sheets a little. “Y-Yeah, but... it’s not the nicest read, I’ll tell you that, Dash.”

Unsatisfied, Rainbow continued as she sat up on her haunches in bed. “Well, do you think maybe you could at least hear one of them?” Before Twilight could protest, Rainbow Dash reassured her. “J-Just so we know who we’re talking to tomorrow!”

As Twilight mulled it over, Rarity shared her two bits. “This is his private journal we’re talking about here, Rainbow.” She paused for a moment, then sighed “But... as loathe as I am to admit it, reading more of that journal may help us determine the best way to approach our, er, visitor, so to speak.”

With various mutters of agreement from the rest of the girls, Twilight conceded. “Well... ugh, fine. But just from entries that I already read, and no more!” She levitated Ezra’s journal from her reading table over to her bed as she made herself comfortable to read out loud. Flipping to a bookmarked page in the middle, she cleared her throat and began to narrate the entry.

“55th of Winter, 1022 A.C...

“I feel like my days here at the Institute are numbered. I’m really giving my all, but my classmates... they all seem to have it out for me. Guess they’re not used to ‘commoners’ showing them up. Almost all of them are some rich snob’s kid. The only ones who aren’t — or rather weren’t, already dropped out.”

“Something about that last written exam didn’t feel right. I’m not the most attentive guy in class but I definitely saw some stuff on there that wasn’t ‘required material.’ Everyone else seemed to finish before me too. I hope it isn’t the case, but... it feels like it was rigged. I’m probably being paranoid, but I wouldn’t put it past my teachers, the way to speak to me sometimes.”

“You probably are being paranoid, Ez.” Adrianne was peeking over the mage initiate’s shoulder at his journal. Ezra snapped it shut, flustered.

“Adri, you know I don’t like it when you do that,” Ezra groaned, “My book. My thoughts. My eyes only.”

Adrianne simply giggled and tousled Ezra’s dark auburn hair before flopping back down onto his dormitory bed. “You know I’d never divulge your ‘life secrets’ to anyone. Even the embarrassing ones, as tempting as it is.” She had come to visit Ezra after his exams were over, content to just hang out with him.

“Pfft, sure you wouldn’t,” Ezra mumbled with a smirk. He flipped the journal open again and idly spun his pen between his fingers. After the gruelling study sessions and wide array of written and practical exams, Ezra was thankful for Adrianne’s company.

Adrianne Lowry was atypical for a young woman in Astra. For one, she immigrated from a fairly distant nation, Mesa, at the age of 2. People from Mesa were on average taller than most, and Adrianne was no exception. At 6’2”, she was able to see over the head of the 5’7” Ezra. Even though Ezra was a year older, many people believed her to be his older sister whenever they’d walk around, much to Ezra's chagrin.

He had known Adrianne basically all his life. From the orphanage they were raised in and well into young adulthood, Ezra was able to depend on Adrianne through good and bad, and she on him as well. They’d both argue about who does more ‘depending on’, but it was never something they were reluctant to do.

“Still though, do you really think your teachers would rig your exam? Even for them, that’s kinda evil.” Adrianne did have a point. Beyond the insensitivity and slight contempt for the lower class, the instructors at the Royal Astran Mage’s Collegiate Institute hadn’t done much to slight Ezra. A few of them actually liked him, believe it or not.

“W-Well, no. I-I mean... I don’t know...” Ezra couldn’t answer. With a sigh, he vented for a little longer in his journal about his ‘noble’ classmates.

His classmates...

It was his classmates he was worried about. They were relentlessly cliquey, only willing to speak to people of their calibre. Even amongst themselves, they weren’t very good friends with each other. Ezra could see through the backhanded compliments and petty feuds they had for/with each other. On a good day, the biggest thing unifying them was their unwillingness to work with — let alone interact with, in general — those they considered beneath them.

“Besides, wouldn’t it be kind of hard to sneak past the ‘dean’ or whatever she’s called?” Adrianne wondered. She started idly running her fingers through her jet-black hair.

Ezra scoffed and shook his head, turning in his seat to face his childhood friend. “She’s exactly the kind of person that’d allow it. Always going on and on about the prestige and honour” - Ezra annunciated the two words in a posh accent while gesticulating fancifully, netting another giggle from Adrianne - “of this institute. If it’s anyone who wants a low-class orphan with an attitude out of her school, it’s her.”

“Hah! You’ll have to introduce me to her. She could learn a thing or two about trying to pick on my best friend.” Adrianne didn’t notice it (as she was flipping through one of Ezra’s study notebook) but Ezra smiled warmly at her. He didn’t say it much, but he loved how protective she’d get over him.

“Oh, we’re best friends? I just thought we were acquaintances,” Ezra joked. Adrianne reached over and playfully bumped him on his arm with his study book. They shared a laugh for a moment until Ezra settled down into a sigh.

“I just... I wish there was a way I could be sure that they didn’t actually rig it,” Ezra lamented. A moment passed before Adrianne sat up on the bed.

“Ez, if they really are making things harder for you, so be it. It’ll just show ‘em how smart you are when you still pass with aces.” Adrianne reached a hand over to Ezra’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “For all you know, they probably want you to go snooping around. It’d be the perfect excuse to chew you out. You can’t give them the satisfaction, y’know what I mean?”

Ezra simply nodded, lost in thought. Adrianne picked up on his occupied look.

“I mean it, Ezra. This is your chance to show them who you are, who you can be. Don’t waste it by showing them that you’re what they assume you are.” Adrianne leaned forward to give Ezra a hug, which he returned tightly. Breaking away, she lifted her pack onto her shoulder and turned towards the door to leave. “I gotta get back to the smithy, my boss still needs some help filling some orders for the city guard. I’ll see you soon, Ez.”

“Later, Adri. And thanks for coming to talk.”

She turned at the door and gave Ezra a big smile before walking out. “Anytime!”

Ezra turned back towards his opened journal, his pen sitting by the last sentence of his entry. His thoughts poked and prodded at his brain like mosquitoes. Adrianne had a point: if the instructors thought Ezra knew about the rigged test, they’d be waiting for him to act out somehow. But if he didn’t do anything about it, they’d just keep trying to screw him over. He blinked, and began writing once more.

“Adrianne assured me that there’s nothing fishy going on, but... how can I really be sure? I can’t just walk up and ask Preceptor Whitestone about it, he’d just deny it, or worse, get mad about it. And Goddess knows none of my classmates would fess up to such a thing. Adri said this is a good way to prove that I’m smarter than they think, but... how is that fair? Why should I have to put up with it?”

Ezra’s grip tightened on his pen, his words reflecting his frustration with the whole situation. At that moment, an idea popped into his head.

“There’s only one way I can be sure. I know where to look. I just hope I can get it done. I just can’t let this stay up in the air. Not after all the work I’ve done so far.”

He took a deep breath before putting away his journal and standing up. After closing his door and locking it, he dressed himself in dark clothes and a black hooded cowl, turned off the lights, and quietly opened his window. Living on the bottom floor had its perks; it was easy to sneak out at night.

“Wait wait wait — So he said the teachers were trying to get him to fail? What sense does that make?” Rainbow Dash was sprawled out across her bed, her head hanging from the edge as she looked at Twilight Sparkle. Twilight’s brow furrowed at the idea. Even on her second reading of the entry, she still couldn’t wrap her head around such an idea.

“I wish I knew, Dash. Ezra’s world sounds very different from ours, wrought with disharmony and distrust, judging by the other entries.” Twilight turned the page to the next entry.

“But t’just rig a test like that? They might as well tell ‘im that he ain’t welcome there!” Applejack asked in irritation. Rarity hesitated to answer for a brief moment.

“Maybe that world isn’t so dissimilar to ours, darling.” Rarity received a few intrigued glances from her friends. “Remember Prince Blueblood’s abhorrent behaviour at the Gala?”

Picking up on Rarity's message, Fluttershy tuned in. "Or when Suri Polomare copied Rarity's dress designs?"

After a round of nods and motes of agreement from the girls, Rarity continued. “It seems the upper class of this — Astra, was it?” Twilight confirmed with a hum and a nod. “Thank you, dear — It seems they are not so different from our own upper class, such as it is. Looking out for themselves, going behind ponies' backs, and keeping others down to stay ahead -- among other underhoofed deeds." Applejack tilted her head with a squint, mulling over the idea in her head.

"Well... Ah s'pose that makes some sense, but... just rubs me the wrong way, is all.” Applejack squirmed a little. It’s not that she didn’t understand why ponies — or people in this case — put others down for their own gains. Quite the opposite, actually; Applejack knew all too well how tempting it could be to just put herself first. But it was only that: tempting. She was happier doing what she could to help others who needed uplifting, since she knew they’d do the same for her if she needed it. At least, she believed they would. And that was good enough for her.

“Does it end there?”

Twilight looked over to see Rainbow Dash looking back expectantly. While her excitement had definitely faded some, her perked-up ears and shining magenta eyes were enough to show she still wanted more. Twilight shook her head. As she turned to the next page, a bundle of folded papers sat tucked into the inner spine.

“It doesn’t. I-I’m... the next entry still troubles me, but... here.”

She cleared her voice, and continued on.

“Adrianne was right.”

A few smiles reached some of the mares’ faces.

“I should’ve just left it alone. The test... I found it. Rigged, like I thought. And I was caught.”

The smiles dissipated.

Earlier

After dispelling the Alarm ward, Ezra slid the office window open as silently as possible. He was no stranger to heights, so scaling the outside of the Arcane Faculty Building to the 10th floor was no issue. It also helped that the building was built alongside the cliff side overlooking the capital. It was a sight that, despite his troubled life spent there, still took his breath away. Seeing the lights flicker across the streets, the arcanotech plant churning out billowing clouds of smoke to bring electricity to the kingdom, and even Castle Astra looming over the city; it was a sight to behold.

Shaking himself out of his vista-induced reverie, Ezra crawled into the office of Preceptor Whitestone. Ezra had been there before when he thought making nice with Whitestone was worth his time. He soon found out that, beyond teaching him during class, he had no intention of actually interacting with Ezra. He chalked it up to Whitestone just being aloof... until he saw just how well he got along with his more well-off classmates. And so the chip on Ezra’s shoulder grew.

Ezra knelt down and touched his hand to the ground. A pulse, invisible to the naked eye, spread out from his palm and throughout the old dusty office. The pulse hitched onto anything holding a magical charge, which was exactly what Ezra was hoping for. The drawers in Preceptor Whitestone’s oak bureau lit up in clusters, signifying some kind of protection spell. The same occurred with the wall-high cabinets on the left side of the room, with only certain drawers highlighted by Ezra’s detection spell.

He quietly stepped towards the desk first, placing a hand on the drawer and using up more of his energy to dispel what was surely an arcane lock and alarm. From Ezra’s point of view, the wards dissipated in wispy swirls of blue dust. With a deep breath, he began rifling through its contents. Peer reviews, student dossiers, class schedules...

“Bullseye,” Ezra muttered. In the lowest shelf sat rows of test results from Whitestone’s different classes. Finding the latest tests from his class, he pulled out a few random students’ tests to confirm his theory.

Ezra nearly tore the papers to shreds.

The questions on them were completely unfamiliar to him, not to mention more simple than the ones he was given. After a quick search through the rest of the tests, he discovered that no other exam looked like his. In his newfound frustration, he scrolled through each given name, getting to the S’s. Sanuthan, Small, Sparrow, Sullivan...

“Wait a second...” Ezra looked closer, picking apart each test in the S category to find ‘Stoutbrook’. It was missing. Ezra was about to search elsewhere when he heard something peculiar. It sounded like a snap, and a brief rush of air, then...

“Ahem.”

He froze, and his stomach sunk like a sack of bricks in a lake. The voice didn’t belong to Preceptor Whitestone; it lacked that middle-pitched nasally droning quality that he grew to resent. It was deep, bass-y even. And it spoke to Ezra again.

“I hoped we could have met under better circumstances, Mr. Stoutbrook.” Ezra finally stood up to see the person addressing him. It was a middle-aged (by human standards, at least) looking elf, with swept-back, grey-streaked black hair and a short beard. He wore square rimless glasses, and the standard attire for male faculty members of the Institute; a black suit vest, grey dress shirt, and black slacks. Even with his sleeves casually rolled up, he looked very professional. With his hands behind his back, he stood with an air of relaxed authority.

Ezra’s eyes flicked between the elf and the door behind him. It had stayed closed the whole time Ezra was in the room, he was sure of it. Cautiously, he rose his hands up to show he was unarmed as he panicked to find something to say. Before Ezra could stammer out an excuse, the elf staff member halted him with a hand and spoke first.

“Do not be alarmed, Mr. Stoutbrook. I believe we are here for the same reason.” He walked around the sizable desk, which prompted Ezra to keep his distance; he walked opposite, and kept the desk between them. The elf sighed.

“I’m not asking you to trust me. I’m only asking that you cooperate.”

Ezra was irked. “Well I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?”

“While I have no incentive to turn you in... no, I suppose you do not.” He motioned for Ezra to sit down at the chair in front of the desk. Ezra complied, but only after hesitating for a moment. In the few instances where Ezra was caught where he shouldn’t be, the person catching him wasn’t usually as... diplomatic as this man.

“My name is Morren Ambersong,” he began. Morren produced an envelope from a back pocket and placed it onto the desk. “I believe you’re looking for this.” Ezra eyed the envelope, then looked askance at a now-seated Morren. Morren simply rested his elbows on the desk and propped his chin up, waiting. Ezra looked back down at the envelope for a moment, then lifted it from the desk and tore it open.

There they were in front of him. His exam papers, fully graded.

Ezra flipped through the three papers in his hands. He hadn’t made many mistakes, no doubt thanks to his habit of studying ahead. He had received a passing grade as well; 90 percent, marked by the initials M.A.

“I took the liberty of grading it myself. Kudos for delving into the Applied Abjuration material ahead of time,” Morren praised, a small smile spreading across his lips, “Your classmates would have lost their minds trying to stu—“

“Who are you, really? What do you know?” Ezra suddenly demanded. Morren’s smirk was replaced by a frown.

“Sorry. I suppose now isn’t the time for such... lightheartedness. I work as a counsellor here, Ezra. I help guide students onto the right track upon their graduation. A few days ago, I noticed an issue amongst the staff. There’s been some discussions between your teachers and a few - erm... — less than pleasant parents of your classmates.”

He looked back to Ezra, who’s ireful gaze stared back at him. Morren bit his lip for a moment as he felt some guilt over what he had to say next.

“Word got around that a ‘troubled youth’” — Morren punctuated the phrase with air quotes, and looked Ezra right in the eyes as he did so — “was accepted into the program through a sponsorship. Despite your benefactor’s high status amongst the nobles of Astra, they felt as if something was afoot.”

Ezra kissed his teeth in irritation. “And I suppose they know about what I used to do too, huh?”

“Quite. I know it may not sound like much, coming from me, but you did what you had to do to get by. How they cannot see that... Well, frankly, it’s ignorant.” Morren leaned forward, elbows on the desk and hands clasped together. “Your history as a... thief, shall we say, should have no bearing on your magical potential. And yet...”

Ezra began sinking into his chair. It seemed his past was still haunting him, despite his best efforts to better himself. After living so long in an orphanage, being passed around from home to home, he had taken it upon himself to search for something better. It just so happened that ‘something better’ was always out of reach. He took to working odd jobs just fine, but he longed for the nice clothes and warm homes he saw on every other corner of Astra.

And so, like many of the impoverished youth of Astra, Ezra turned to more illicit deeds to live more comfortably. It was only pickpocketing at first, finding easy marks in bustling markets who looked like they could afford to lose some coin. Then it was shoplifting when he realized just how much coin he’d need to make it out of poverty in Astra. The misdeeds had piled up on him over time until he realized he was neck-deep in them.

And it scared him. So much so that he wanted to quit that life, lest he finally get caught.

Morren cleared his throat, bringing the conversation back up to pace. “Some thought you were cheating your way through the curriculum, given your upbringing. Some even thought you somehow got in by a fluke... But... all of them believe the same thing.”

Morren’s eyes met Ezra’s in a sombre glare.

“They believe you don’t belong here. Hence, your altered exam. It was to serve two purposes; to ensure you weren’t cheating, and... to pressure you out of the program, should your skills not be up to par.”

“So I was screwed either way? What sense does that make?!” Ezra fumed.

For a moment, there was nary a word spoken. Ezra silently slumped further into his chair, letting his exam papers fall from his hands. He could only evoke aloud the one thing on his mind.

“I should’ve listened to Adrianne...” Ezra held his head in his hands. Morren struggled to find the right words as he watched the young man in front of him sink into turmoil. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you have a right to know,” Morren retorted. Ezra scoffed.

“Yeah, right. Like you actually believe that.”

It took a good deal of effort for Morren to not lose his cool. He let his irritation ball up into his hands as he clasped them together harder. “I do, Mr. Stoutbrook. I work here not to uphold the status quo, but to ensure the very best is put forth for this nation to utilize.”

With a deep breath, Morren let his brief anger go. Ezra was upset, he was entitled to a little cynicism.

“So... what do I do, now?” Ezra asked. He rose from his chair to walk towards the window he snuck in through.

“Now,” Morren grunted as he rose from his seat, “I replace the wards in this room, and confront Ennius Whitestone about this myself in the morning. And until then, you’ll keep your head down until tomorrow afternoon. Meet me at my office in this building. Ask for me at the front desk.”

Ezra stopped in front of the window and rested his hands on the sill. The view of the city still held him in awe, but something about it all just... seemed different. He wondered how many citizens out there were going through what he was. How many of them felt the way he was feeling.

“Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?” Ezra nearly whispered. He didn’t look back at Morren. He couldn’t let him see him cry.

“Because I know what it feels like to be vilified solely for who you are.” Morren confided. He squeezed Ezra’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, letting go when he saw the young man barely react. “I shall see you tomorrow.”

Morren left the same way he came: in a snap and a rush of air. Ezra left through the window carefully as closed it behind him and climbed back down. He wouldn’t get much sleep that night.

After Ezra’s fairly detailed written recounting of his encounter with Morren, Twilight Sparkle reached the final paragraph of the entry.

“I don’t know if I can trust Morren, but I don’t have much choice. Right now, he’s the only person who knows what I’m going through right now... At least, he says so. I guess we’ll see tomorrow.”

The Elements of Harmony all sat in silence after Twilight finished the entry. Even Pinkie Pie, rambunctious and upbeat as she was, was lost in quiet contemplation over Ezra’s trials. Rainbow Dash spoke first in an effort to settle the feeling of unease the six of them were feeling.

“Wow...” was what she could muster at first.

“Yeah...” was what Twilight could retort with. “I-If it’s anything that has me worried about tomorrow, it’s this. I don’t know how trusting he’ll be. Such distrust seems to be the norm in Ezra’s world.”

“Well, can ya blame ‘im?” Applejack scoffed, “Workin’ so hard just to get a decent job and some high ‘n mighty nobles think he doesn’t deserve it?”

“I know all too well how that can feel,” Rarity added with a sigh, “The upper crust isn’t as gilded and shiny as they make it out to be.”

Twilight hadn’t heard much of the conversation between the girls after her reading of the entry. Ezra’s exam caught her attention first. While the questions weren’t much of a challenge to her, given her genius, they certainly weren’t easy either.

Pinkie Pie's signature smile finally returned to her muzzle, along with her excitement. “All the more reason to make sure he feels welcome! I mean, he must’ve gone through some trouble to get here right?”

Twilight nodded. “He did, if his last entry is any indication. He didn’t say that he just left his world, he escaped it. Something about a mad Queen, and getting separated from his friends...”

Pinkie Pie sprung up in her bed with a triumphant pose, flinging aside a pillow onto Applejack’s head. “Then that settles it! Ezzy-Wezzy’s out there with no friends in that scary forest. We gotta make tomorrow his best day in Equestria ever!”

“Ezzy-Wez—?”

“Wait, maybe not the best day ever, cuz then everything else wouldn’t be the best! What if his Welcome-To-Equestria party isn’t on his actual best day in Equestria ever?”

“Pinkie Pie—“

“Wait, but what if something AMAZING happens, like, two weeks and four days from now and it’s totally better than his Welcome-To-Equestria party day but he has to choose which one was the best day ever?”

“Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash finally halted the pink pony’s hype train.

“Huh? What’s up, bestie?”

“Where are you going with this?” Rainbow Dash asked bemusedly. Pinkie Pie let out a giggle as she sat back down on her haunches.

“Well, I was getting to that, Dashie! What I’m saying is, we have a chance to greet a whole new kind of pony—“

“Person,” Twilight politely interjected.

“Thanks, Twi’ — Pony-Person to Equestria and we’re already getting jumbly-wumbly about him. We haven’t even met him yet! What we should do is greet Ezra like any other Equestrian: with smiles! And kindness. Maybe some sweets. But most importantly, smiles and kindness!”

A round of smiles spread throughout the Elements as Pinkie finished her speech. As sensitive as the situation was, she had a point. They all agreed that it wouldn’t be right to treat a new species to Equestria like a potential problem right away. The best they could do is put their best hoof forward and make Ezra feel at home. For the rest of the night, as the girls went to sleep one by one, they came up with different ideas to make their otherworldly visitor feel at home.

As the conversation stretched on into the night, their worries about the trip to the Everfree melted away, replaced by an assurance that things would work out just fine.

3 - Contact

Author's Note

It’s been a hot minute, huh? Thanks for your patience, y’all. Hope you enjoy the chapter. Feel free to leave any comments, questions, and criticisms below. :twilightsmile:

3 - Contact

Chapter 3 - Contact

A cacophony filled Ezra’s ears. A harrowed wail of screeching metal and rushing whirlwinds, accompanied by a deep, ear-pounding thrum. The air around him couldn’t decide between hot or cold. One second it settled on searing hot, threatening to boil him from the inside out, and the next he was as freezing to death. Though, his understanding of each ‘second’ was tenuous; how long he felt this way, he didn’t know for sure. All he knew is that after a while, he felt as if he’d never escape this inky-black limbo he found himself in. And as soon as the thought crossed his mind—

Ezra woke up.

An unfamiliar birdsong echoed into Ezra’s temporary home. He took a deep breath as a brisk autumn wind crept past the tarpaulin cover of the cave mouth and underneath his thick duvet. It was a decent sized cave in the side of a sharp cliffside, and mostly featureless save for a few stalagmites and stalactites. He had kept it well lit thanks to some magical torches, and used a fairly simple ‘Stone Shape’ spell to mold torch sconces and hooks onto the cave walls. From the hooks, he hung whatever he needed to hang; wet clothes, his boots, his enchanted backpack, anything he needed to keep dry should the cave floor get flooded.

With a long groan and a stretch, he sat up in his creaky camping cot and stretched. Bit by bit, he carried out his (slightly altered) morning routine.

Brush teeth.

Comb hair.

Do some stretches.

Check supplies...

He gave his sizable water carrier a shake, feeling it’s lightness. He’d have to find some clean water eventually, but he was doing fine on food. His stock of beef jerky and dried fruit barely had a dent in it, though that was more because wasn’t a fan of such bland food and less because he was good at actually conserving food. He’d have to explore the area for a more attractive source of sustenance, lest he actually get used to eating the food equivalent of cardboard.

“Eugh...” Ezra shuddered at the idea of such a boring habit. Other than his food supply, his toiletries were still fresh and usable and his camp equipment was mostly unscathed. All in all, he was in good shape for someone living in an entirely new world.

An entirely new world...

Ezra couldn’t help but grin to himself. An entirely new world! He still couldn’t believe he had made it. It was something he once dreamed about, something he had almost given up on time and time again. The fact that he actually pulled it off still hadn’t set in for him. Of course, he didn’t do it alone, and he made sure he didn’t forget that. The first chance he had, he’d commit his time to finding his friends. Without them, he wouldn’t have made it here. Wherever ‘here’ was...

Ezra sighed as he pushed his worries aside. He continued his routine, setting out the clothes he’d wear for the day. Judging by the chilly air creeping into his temporary abode, he went for an outfit to protect him from the elements — cotton shirt, light flannel, cotton pants, heavy boots, and a long black peacoat. As he slipped his arms into his coat, he took a good look at his armour segments. Did he really need them? He imagined that Adrianne would probably put him on blast for getting caught in a skirmish without them. A wry smile reached Ezra’s face as he imagined her reprimanding him about it. On the other hand, Morren would’ve probably told him to leave them behind, lest he give those ponies the wrong idea.

“Wait a sec...” Ezra mumbled. His train of thought screeched to a halt. Ponies? Ponies...

‘...the ponies! I forgot!’

Ezra let out a frustrated groan as he bonked himself on the head with a palm. He forgot! How could he forget talking ponies? One of them was purple, for Goddess’ sake! He definitely couldn’t show up dressed to kill with talking ponies, least of all during his first proper encounter with them. He tucked away his armour pieces into his backpack along with the rest of his pertinent exploration equipment, and tied his quarterstaff to its side. After that, he donned his arcane focus — a shard of crystal tied to a simple necklace, given to him by his late mother. Hastily, he reviewed his trusty haggard spellbook, committing to memory a group of spells he thought would be important throughout the day.

Fully dressed, hair coiffed, and spells prepared, Ezra pushed aside the tarp covering the cave’s mouth and took a deep breath of fresh air. The chilly wind lightly passed him by as he took in the scenery. Tall trees weaved together a leafy canopy above him, letting the bright blue sky and vibrant sun peek through the tiny holes made by leaves and branches. Past the outcropping of the cliff and down a slope lay the underbrush, rustling and waving with the ever present breeze. The same birdsong carried through the air and led the symphony of forest sounds that reached Ezra’s ears. It was a pretty scene, all in all.

Ezra rolled his shoulders and began retracing his steps to the edge of the forest.

It was an unusually busy day in Canterlot.

Well, not for anypony on the ground. For the ponies moving through the streets and going about their day below cloud level, their day was as regular as they come. Up above, however, Canterlot’s weather team was hard at work cleaning up an unprecedented mess of clouds.

“They just — ugh! — won’t stay put!” Rain Dancer fumed. She took a moment to brush her azure mane out of the way of her eyes. Stray tufts of cloud stuck to her coat and weather team uniform like burrs from a bush. Her friend and co-worker Maverick, upbeat and boisterous as he was, couldn’t stifle a laugh at the sight of Rain Dancer covered in bits and tufts of cloud. The white wisps clung to her like wool.

“Snrk — Did you get separated from your herd, lil’ lamb?”

Rain Dancer didn’t find it amusing, however. She shook off the stubborn cloud bits, carefully ruffling her wings free of the semi-magical aerosol clinging to them. “Ugh, zip it, Mav. And look alive! Your herd of clouds is drifting!”

Maverick’s playful smirk slid off his face as he turned around to see his clouds merging and drifting away. “How the hay do they keep doing that?!” As quick as a whip, he flew after them as a few more weather ponies glided over to give him a hoof. Slowly but surely, they were able to group the clouds up once again, though keeping them grouped would’ve been a whole new ordeal.

It had all happened so quickly, and early in the morning to boot. The early risers of Canterlot had been enjoying the cool gentle breeze of autumn and appreciating Princess Celestia‘s work in raising the sun, though it didn’t take long for an unexpected cloud front to blot it out. Unchecked weather clouds weren’t uncommon in Equestria; the weather teams couldn’t always be on the ball.

The sheer mass of rain clouds approaching the capital that morning, however, was definitely more than just a scheduling error or two. It took the combined effort of every weather pony in Canterlot — even some of the reserves — to break apart the incoming clouds before that gentle autumn breeze turned into a cold, boisterous rainstorm.

As Rain Dancer and her crew finished up herding another group of rain clouds, she saw her supervisor, Azure Flow, approaching with a pair of Royal guards. Her crew’s work slowed to a halt as they noticed the trio approaching as well.

“This can’t be good...” Rain Dancer muttered. Maverick fluttered over next to Dancer, sharing a wary glance with her before looking back to their boss. Azure Flow chose to land on a nearby cloud, the two guards landing beside her.

“Attention, weather ponies!” Azure bellowed out. Her commanding voice was enough to get her workers’ attention easily. “I can’t thank you enough for responding on such short notice. Had we not had the resilience and unity of this weather team, Canterlot would have surely suffered quite a rainy day. Rest assured, and by order of Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia, you will all be well compensated for your hard work.”

A good deal of whoops and cheers resonated from the groups of weather ponies listening to Azure Flow. She allowed herself to smile, her pride shining through, but only for a moment. “Now, now! Our work isn’t over yet. Since this has all happened so suddenly, we’ve been tasked with returning a cluster of clouds to the weather factory in Cloudsdale for analysis. For this, I need team leaders Rain Dancer and Maverick, front and centre!”

Maverick let out a groan as he and Rain Dancer approached their supervisor. “Bluuuuugh. And here I was hoping to get the rest of the day off early.” Rain Dancer nudged his ribs with a hoof, eliciting a small grunt of annoyance.

“Not so loud!” Rain Dancer hissed, “You know Flow’s got ears like a thestral. And besides, this could be fun. I’ve never been to the cloud factory before!”

Maverick snickered, “Ooh yeah, it’s a real treat, alright. Once you get over the smell of ozone and sulphur.” It was Rain Dancer’s turn to groan, as she grew tired of her friend’s antics. They plopped down onto Azure Flow’s cloud, ready for their orders.

“Alright, you two,” she began, “I chose you because I can trust you on this. I know you won’t let me down. Your duty is as I said. I want you to select a sample of clouds to bring back to Cloudsdale. Once the sample is delivered to the weather factory, you’ll both be free of duty for the day. Any questions?”

Rain Dancer nodded and stepped forward. “Actually, yes. Was anypony able to find out where this storm came from? From what I could gather, it went completely undetected until this morning.” Maverick rolled his eyes, eager to get on with his work so he could get home. Lucky for him, Azure Flow decided to ignore his impatience.

“You heard right, Dancer. The storm passed right by our weather posts at Foal Mountain. We’re currently going over the events of last night to confirm it, but we believe the storm formed between the mountains and Canterlot.”

This caught Maverick’s waning attention. “Wait, but wouldn’t that mean somepony made the storm without permission?”

Before Azure Flow could reply, the Royal guard to her left suddenly interrupted. “As per Her Royal Majesty’s command, we cannot confirm or deny that notion, nor divulge any further information about it.”

A moment of silence passed between the five of them. Rain Dancer could’ve sworn Azure Flow looked... nervous, for a moment.

“Uhh... okay? No worries,” Maverick continued, hoping to pass the awkwardness by. “Just one more question, actually. There any reason as to why the clouds were so tough to control? A bad batch, or somethin’?”

Azure Flow shook her head. “That’s what we’re hoping to achieve by analyzing a sample of the clouds. Whether or not the factory had a hoof in their manufacturing isn’t entirely clear—“

The same Royal guard cleared his throat quite loudly, cutting Azure Flow’s thought short. She hastily moved on, her apprehension showing in the tightness of her jaw. “A-At any rate, you know your orders. You’ll be accompanied by Aircolt Sapphire Bolt to the factory. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must oversee the rest of this cleanup.” With a polite nod, Azure Flow flew off to speak to the weather ponies hard at work nearby. One of the Royal guard pegasi followed her closely, while the other — Sapphire Bolt, by elimination — stayed with Maverick and Rain Dancer.

Who stood in another uncomfortable silence.

Sapphire Bolt simply stood by, alert and unbothered. It was Rain Dancer who broke the silence, clearing her throat and fluttering up off the cloud they stood on.

“H-Heh, well, no time like the present, right? We should probably take a chunk from the messy area.” Rain Dancer pointed a hoof towards the mass of clouds being broken apart by the weather team. Sapphire Bolt nodded with a flap of his wings, and Maverick followed suit.

“That would be ideal, Ms. Dancer. Please, with haste.”

Maverick and Rain Dancer shared a tentative glance before setting off towards the crowd of clouds. What could all this mean, they wondered?

“Sooooo...”

“Still got a ways to go, Dash,” Twilight Sparkle deadpanned.

It had only been ten minutes of walking in the Everfree Forest and she could tell Rainbow Dash had already run out of things to talk about. Twilight, personally, was keen on trekking through the eerie woods in as much silence as possible. Not only did she want to stay alert and undistracted so she could listen for potential danger, she also somewhat enjoyed the sounds of nature that the Everfree brought to her ears. Of course, such sounds were occasionally interjected with a far-off howl or other such worrisome noises. Noises that the other mares were keen on distracting themselves from.

“I know, I know,” Dash relented, “it’s just... We have a chance to meet somepony from a different world today. Like, an actual alien! I’m excited, but I’m also kinda antsy, y’know?”

Applejack snorted as she picked up her pace to match Twilight and Rainbow. “Oh, is that what’s got ya antsy, sugarcube?”

Rainbow Dash snorted and flipped her hair in irritation. “I’m not scared of this dumb forest, if that’s what you’re getting at,” she replied brusquely. Applejack snickered. “I’m not! We’ve been here like, what, ten times already? Twenty? There ain’t anything in this forest we haven’t seen before.”

“Pay her no mind, darling,” Rarity chimed in from behind, “She’s just trying to distract you from the fact that she’s just as on edge as all of us.” Rarity shot Applejack a smug look, which A.J returned with a roll of her eyes and a smirk.

“I’m not on ed—!“ Dash started. Pinkie Pie sprung up beside her, wrapping a comforting foreleg over Dash’s withers.

“Even if you are scared, you’ve got your friends right beside you, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie cheerily declared. Rainbow Dash’s jaw clenched even harder as she stewed in her irritation. Rarity and Applejack snickered away as Twilight and Fluttershy were content to listen to their best friends’ antics.

Applejack gave Rainbow Dash a friendly bump and a slightly rueful smile. “Still, Ah get what’cha mean, Dash. It’s just... One thing’s still buggin’ me about that journal, though. W-Well, I mean the whole thing’s buggin’ me — those stories sounded as sad as a bad harvest — but...”

The six mares reached a steep decline. Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Twilight all decided to float down and wait for their friends at the bottom as Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity carefully descended the bumpy hill.

“I imagine we share the same concern, darling. Before all else in that journal — oop, watch your step there —“ Rarity pointed out a stray rock sticking out of the dirt, which Applejack and Pinkie Pie carefully circumvented “— Ezra called himself a thief.”

“Exactly. Ah’m sure things’re a lot different where Ezra’s from but — hup — but a thief’s a thief, right? Can we trust ‘im?”

Twilight chimed in as the rest of the girls caught up and continued their walk. “I’ll admit, that part troubles me too. I think the best thing we can do is at least ask him about it.” Twilight ducked under a tree trunk that had fallen onto another massive tree, and her friends followed suit. “For all we know, ‘thief’ could mean something good where Ezra comes from.”

Applejack let out a snort. “Pfft, yeah, and ‘Celestia’ could be a cuss word.”

The group shared a laugh at the idea as they moved further into the forest and down the steep hill, listening to the water flow of the mountain stream alongside them. The water cascaded down in rocky steps into the densely forested valley until they flattened out into a stream in an opening. It was the first time in a while that they were able to see the shining sun above them, albeit through little holes in the Everfree’s canopy. It was then that Twilight was able to see something odd in the dirt alongside the stream

Tracks.

“Hold on, girls...” Twilight absentmindedly waved a hoof, and her friends complied. The irregular shape of the tracks became more apparent as she got closer to them. They were oblong, vaguely oval-ish in shape. And they were a pair, matching Spike’s description of a bipedal creature. Even weirder was the patterns in the tracks. An array of rectangular indents filled each print. Twilight surmised that these would aid with gripping the dirt with each step. Before she could get lost in thought about how a creature’s... — Paw? Hoof? Foot? Questions for later — evolved to be textured in such a way, Fluttershy grabbed her attention with a small nudge from her hoof.

“Twilight, I think we found something important. It looks like some sort of flag.” Fluttershy pointed towards a break in the clearing where a tall branch stuck out of the ground. A length of white fabric was tied to the top of the makeshift pole, fluttering gently in the breeze.

“Y’think Ezra left it there?” Applejack wondered aloud. Twilight nodded. Judging by the tracks leading towards the marker and the trampled underbrush of the treeline opening near it, it made sense.

“The marker and tracks are leading towards the approximate area too. I may have a hunch as to how Ezra got here...” Twilight mused, “Come on girls, we’re nea—“

“Uh, girls? W-We’ve got company!” Rainbow Dash called out from behind Twilight. She spun around to see Rainbow backing away from an edge of the clearing. For a moment, the ‘company’ she spoke of eluded her, only seeing the branches of gnarled underbrush and leaves in front of Rainbow. But only for a moment. A pair of familiar glowing green eyes appeared. Then more, seemingly from nowhere, flickered into view as they broke from the treeline and paced towards the Elements of Harmony.

Timberwolves. And a lot of them too. Ten, to be exact. Though something was... off, about them.

Parts of their wooded bodies were a sickly pale beige, as if the deep brown bark of their branches were sapped of their colour. Their once-verdant leaves were grey and speckled with splotches of their original shade of green. They twitched and snarled as they approached the six ponies, their green eyes flickering like candles in the breeze, fixated on their prey. But just as the biggest timberwolf of the pack began its signature howl — no doubt to call more of its pack to the clearing — an unfamiliar sound emanated from its ligneous throat. It was as if the alpha had used its very own ‘Royal Canterlot Voice’, its stormy and atonal call shaking the Elements of Harmony to their cores. The creaking and crackling of shifting tree bark filled their ears as they noticed the plant life around them becoming gnarled and overgrown, and what little sunlight they had in the opening was blotted out by the newly formed tree branches above them. Vines and branches bursted out of the sides of the trees around then, weaving together to form a thorny wall around them.

“We’re surrounded! T-The trees — !“ Rarity yelped as a timberwolf snapped its teeth at her. “We’re trapped!”

“Get ready, girls! We have to defend ourselves!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. Her horn glowed with an intense magenta light, brow furrowed as she focused her energy, ready to let loose whatever spells she needed to defend her friends. Rarity, with a shaky resolve, opted to levitate stones out from the nearby stream, taking aim at the altered timberwolves before her. Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash pawed at the dirt, ready to charge, buck, or tackle their assailants at the drop of a hat. Pinkie Pie stayed beside a trembling Fluttershy, her signature smile barely moving an inch as she created her own plan to attack.

For a moment, the six mares and the ten timberwolves stared at each other in a tense silence, daring each other to make the first move.

Until one of the wooded canines let out a sickening snarl and rushed forward.

“Here they come!”

The harrowing howl of... something reached Ezra’s ears as he descended a steep hill, using a fallen tree as leverage. For a moment, he looked around to discern which direction it came from, kissing his teeth in mild concern as he determined it was dead ahead of him.

“Of course, something’s gotta go wrong,” Ezra groaned to himself.

He continued on, reaching the bottom of the hill and following a familiar stream when he noticed something else that seemed off. The forest was darker than it should’ve been. The air seemed colder, tingly even, and... that tree wasn’t that big before, was it?

“Something’s not right...”

As if on queue, Ezra heard yelling ahead of him.

“...et ready girls! We have to defend ourselves!”

‘That voice!’ Ezra recognized it right away. ‘That pegasus unicorn thing that read my journal... is she in trouble?’

Ezra didn’t like thinking about the answer. He broke out into a sprint towards the commotion in the forest, vaulting over fallen trees and through the thick underbrush. As he approached, he could hear even more voices, calling out to their friends with warnings and grunting in exertion as they fought off their assailants. Finally made it to his marker, although he could barely see it in all the tangled vines and thorns that buried it. The clearing seemed to have been blocked off by this newly formed flora, trapping the alicorn and her friends inside.

“Alright, time to play hero...” Ezra muttered. He reached a hand back as the crystal tied to his necklace glowed intensely, and his brow furrowed in concentration. His arcane energy coalesced into a deep red orb in his palm, from which cinders fell and singed the underbrush at his feet. He hurled this chromatic orb at the wall of thorns in front of him, setting it aflame and blasting a sizable hole in it. With a roll of his shoulders and a deep breath, Ezra ran through the opening and into the clearing. The smoke of the fire clung to him as he nearly slid to a halt before the scene.

The first thing he noticed were the ponies, two of which he recognized from the day before. The whole group stared at Ezra with bewildered awe. The second thing he noticed was the sheer amount of monsters around them. He had never seen anything like a timberwolf before, and it showed on his confused visage. Whereas the ponies gawked with bemusement, the timberwolves leered with pure hostility, evident by their bared fangs and sinister snarls. Without hesitation, Ezra pulled his quarterstaff from his pack, pointing its steel ferrule towards the timberwolf closest to him.

And the pack of wolves took exception to that.

A timberwolf lurched forward and bounded towards Ezra, focused directly on his neck. It only managed to chomp down onto Ezra’s quarterstaff, which he swung to his left. The timberwolf lost its grip and crashed into the ground, leaving splinters in the dirt as it tumbled away. The second timberwolf to attack him didn’t fare much better; its face caught the hard heel of Ezra’s boot before it could get any closer to him. The force of his kick was enough to defeat the timberwolf, its fiery green eyes dissipating into little wisps as its wooden body scattered into pieces across the darkened clearing.

Ezra’s luck would run out, however. A third timberwolf caught him from behind and latched onto his thigh with a gnarly bite. With a yell of pain and exertion, he managed to fling the wooden wolf aside before another could gang up on him. Before he could wonder why he was fighting alone, the timberwolf burst apart after being struck centre-mass by a bolt of magic. Ezra turned to see the horn of the purple alicorn aglow with a burning pink glow, her expression one of determination.

“Come on, girls — We have to help!”

The scene burst into action as the six mares and one human flipped the offensive on the pack of timberwolves. One by one, they were able to pick off their wooden assailants. Whereas the magic users flung bolts of magic and rocks to keep the timberwolves at bay, the other ponies used their sheer strength and speed to kick them into pieces or run them in circles. The only pony not fighting was the yellow pegasus Ezra had seen the day prior, who opted to hide behind her friends’ bravery. That is, until a timberwolf found its way past Ezra’s defences and towards her.

“FLUTTERSHY, LOOK OUT!” the purple one cried. The urgency and absolute fear in her voice… it shook Ezra into action. Nobody — or no pony — was getting hurt on his watch.

Just as the timberwolf lunged past Ezra, he spun around and dived towards it, effectively tackling it to the ground before it could bite down on Fluttershy’s neck. Instead, its fangs found purchase around Ezra’s forearm. The force of the bite was just enough to get through the sleeve of his peacoat and break skin, and it took all of his might to pry its jaws off of his arm. The rush of adrenaline from the pain was enough for him to essentially yank the timberwolf’s head off. Long vines trailed from the timberwolf’s head like the cord of a spine. In a fit of rage, he hopped back onto his feet and hurled the head towards the remaining timberwolves, who all looked on in horror as their packmate’s lifeless head rolled towards them.

The timberwolves then decided they had enough.

With a more resigned howl, the alpha signalled their retreat back into the woods. Slowly, the gnarled wood and thorny vines regressed back into their original forms, unblocking the clearing and allowing the sun to once again shine down on them. One by one, they scampered away.

“Yeah! You better run, you... uh — weird leaf dog things!” Ezra shouted out to the timberwolves. He let his quarterstaff stand and rest on his shoulder as he took a moment to catch his breath. The forest was filled with the yowls and whines of the Everfree’s wooden wolves as they retreated into the thick of the forest.

After their very brief moment of respite, Ezra turned towards the ponies he had fought for. ‘Fluttershy’ slowly rose out of her jittery prone position, her hooves still shaking from the adrenaline of the encounter. Her friends ran over after collecting themselves to check on her. With a sigh of relief, he stepped forward.

“Well then! That was horrifying!” Ezra joked, hoping to relieve the tension. He knelt down to tie his quarterstaff to his haversack before offering a hand to the yellow pegasus. “Are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“N-No, I-I think I’m alright,” she stammered. She used his hand as leverage with a foreleg as she shakily stood back up. It was then that she noticed Ezra’s injuries.

“Y-You’re bleeding!”

“Huh?” Ezra looked down to where she pointed her hoof; his right thigh had a sizeable bite mark where one of the timberwolves latched onto, his pant leg darkened by the blood leaking from the bite wound. He reached down to feel if he had lost sensation when he noticed another similar bite on his right forearm that had gotten through his peacoat. “Shit, you’re right. I barely even feel—“

It was then that Ezra’s adrenaline from the fight began to wear off, and was made very apparent by the pain he felt. “Oww ow ow. Yeah, I feel it now.”

“We need to get you to a doctor,” the lavender alicorn urged, “if those wounds get any worse you could develop an infection!” Through gritted teeth, Ezra waved dismissively and knelt down to rummage through his pack. He quickly produced a plain wooden box which he opened to reveal a variety of first aid supplies.

“Nah nah, i-it’s not that bad, I can take care of it.” Ezra took a few deep breaths before pouring a flask of clear liquid over the wound on his thigh. Almost immediately, it began to fizzle over the holes in his leg and he barely held back a yelp of pain, opting to bite down on a knuckle instead. After a few moments, he pulled out some gauze from the box and began wrapping his leg.

After a few more moments, Ezra realized he was being stared at by six technicolor ponies. He scrambled for something to say.

“For the record — Ow! Ugh-“ — Ezra pulled the gauze tightly, grunting in pain — “I was worried I might have spooked your lil’ dragon friend yesterday, so I took off. Sorry ‘bout that, by the way.” After tying off the bandaging, he began carefully removing his coat. As soon as he winced from the fabric jostling against his bitten forearm, Fluttershy offered a hand — or rather, a hoof.

“L-Let me help,” she said with determination. She slowly pulled his sleeve with her teeth to help him remove the sleeve over his injured arm.

“Thanks for the help, miss...?”

“Oh, my name is Fluttershy.” She smiled at Ezra before hiding a little behind her wavy pink mane. “Just Fluttershy is fine, though.” Ezra returned her warm, friendly smile with one of his own.

“Huh,” Ezra smirked with small amusement. “Fitting.” Reaching for the same flask of clear fluid, he was surprised to see Fluttershy already handling the flask to help dress his wound, with one of her hooves no less. Rather than pour it onto his arm, she helped herself to a clean rag from Ezra’s first aid box and doused it with the fluid. In a practiced manner, she wiped away the small bits of detritus from the wound before cleaning it. Nonplussed, Ezra could only watch, and wonder how she could handle everything so dexterously without any hands. “Uh, wow, thanks.”

As Fluttershy continued dressing Ezra’s injured forearm, the lavender alicorn took a few steps closer. “While I wish it were under better circumstances, it’s nice to finally meet you, Ezra Stoutbrook. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I believe” - She levitated Ezra’s journal out of her saddlebags and over to Ezra, who accepted it with a dumbfounded expression - “this belongs to you.”

“How’d you just... never mind. Thanks for giving it back.” Ezra winced a little as Fluttershy deftly tied the bandaging. He offered his thanks to her before turning back towards Twilight. “I guess you, uh, took a look at the journal, then?”

Twilight hesitated for a moment, and Ezra couldn’t help but notice the quick and sharp glance she got from her behatted orange friend. “We... did, yes. I’m sorry, Ezra, we just needed more information before we could deem you as approachable.”

Ezra had almost let his disdain known before he thought about the whole situation. He bit his lip slightly and fell into his thoughts before deciding on what to say. On one hand, not only was it a big breach of his privacy, it was also only one side of his story. Well, granted, it was still his side, but...

‘Well... but, nothing. Can’t really put my journal in any other context,’ Ezra thought to himself. He couldn’t lie and say he regretted anything he wrote about. He did what he had to do to get by in Astra, all the way down to leaving it. He stood up from his knees, still organizing his thoughts.

On the other hand, it was his own fault for losing his journal — if he didn’t want people (or ponies) snooping through his business, he should’ve kept it his business. He’d even admit that, were it him in Twilight’s shoes — ‘Horseshoes? Snrk - that’s rich,’ Ezra thought — he would’ve snooped through the journal too.

“Well... I can’t say I’m not upset about it, but... I understand. I just wish I could have introduced myself properly, y’know?” Ezra laughed sheepishly, “You all already know so much about me.”

“Ooh ooh! I know!” The vibrant pink pony left of Twilight hopped forward, startling Ezra a little with her massive eager smile. “Why don’t we just start over?”

“Uh... start over?” Ezra repeated.

“What do you mean, Pinkie?” Twilight asked, with an eyebrow raised.

“I mean, just—“ Pinkie pretended to pull something out of her forehead with her hooves, then suddenly flung them apart with a mock explosion sound “—y’know? Forget about Ezzy Wezzy’s journal and just start over! It’s only fair, right? That way he can introduce himself, and not have the Ghost of Ezra Past speak for him!”

Ezra hesitated to speak for a moment. He would gladly take the chance to start over and get on the good side of the locals, but would they really give him that chance?

“Well, I’m not opposed to the idea,” Twilight Sparkle began, “but... I would like to know more about what you’ve written about, Ezra. I-If you’re comfortable sharing, that is.”

An incredulous look reached Ezra’s face. “Wait, seriously? Those are your terms?”

Twilight looked confused for a moment before breathing out a disappointed sigh. “I-I understand, Ezra. Again, we’re sorry for going through —“

Ezra panicked, hurriedly waving his hands to stop Twilight’s train of thought. “No no, that’s not what I meant! It’s just” — Ezra scratched the back of his head - a nervous habit — “I guess I’m not used to people giving me a chance when they learn about my, uh, deeds. If those are your terms, I gladly accept.”

“Oh, thank Celestia! For a moment, I thought we messed things up,” Twilight said, her stature visibly relaxing. “If the plan is to start over, then... how about this.”

Twilight Sparkle stepped towards Ezra and held a hoof to her chest, her head held high in confidence. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, a princess of this land of Equestria. I look forward to learning more about you and your history, Ezra.”

Ezra tensed up, but only for a moment. ‘Wait, she’s royalty? This place has horses as royalty?!’

“Ooh, ooh, me next!” Pinkie hopped in place, getting Ezra’s attention. “My name’s Pinkie Pie! I like baking, parties, balloons, and making friends! You wanna be my friend?” Pinkie Pie gave Ezra a wide smile, which he couldn’t help but chuckle at. She was just so friendly!

“Heh, sure, I’ll be your friend, Pinkie Pie.”

“Yay! Then I like you too!”

The behatted orange pony stepped forward next with a tip of her Stetson hat. “The name’s Applejack, and I live down at Sweet Apple Acres. Ah won’t lie to ya, Ezra, you had me a little wary with that journal of yer’s.” Her accent was completely unfamiliar to Ezra, which took him a little more attention to understand.

“C’mon, A.J!” Pinkie whined, bumping Applejack on the shoulder. “We’re starting over, remember?”

“Ah know, Ah know,” Applejack conceded, “With you helping us with them timberwolves and savin’ Fluttershy ‘n all, Ah can see Ah was gettin’ ahead of m’self. It’s nice to meet’cha, Ezra.” Applejack held out a hoof, which Ezra shook with a firm grip. For a split second, he could’ve sworn he felt a grip on his hand too.

“Nice to meet you too, Applejack.” Ezra could see the apprehension in her eyes, but he ignored it. He was a thief, after all; if he didn’t want people to be nervous around him, he chose the wrong profession.

“Quite the heroic act, by the by,” the white unicorn added. Her intonation reminded Ezra of the few Astran nobles he had the misfortune of meeting, though he tried his best not to let his irritation for it show. “I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say we are deeply grateful for your help. My name is Rarity, seamstress and owner of Ponyville’s Carousel Boutique.” She also held out a hoof, which Ezra shook with a lighter grip.

“Charmed, I’m sure,” Ezra replied with practiced measure. Rarity giggled.

“Such manners! Oh, we’ll get along just swell, dear. I’ll have to insist you drop by the boutique later on. I’d love to hear more about your home’s fashion!”

“Just don’t let her pull you into the back room,” the cyan pegasus said, smirking, “or she’ll have you posing for new clothes for hours.” Rarity let out an exasperated huff, which earned a snort of laughter from the pegasus.

“Name’s Rainbow Dash. I gotta say, you’ve got some pretty cool moves beating up those timberwolves like that. You gotta show me more sometime!”

Ezra blushed a little as he shook his head. “It was just some basic stuff. My friend Adrianne knows way more about fighting than I do.” A twang of worry hit his heart. It only occurred to him then that he still didn’t know where his friends ended up. He let it pass the best he could. ‘We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.’

The last pony to (re)introduce herself was Fluttershy, who meekly smiled at Ezra. “A-And, well, it’s already been said, but my name’s Fluttershy. I help look after the wildlife around Ponyville. I’d love to hear about your home too, Ezra. I-If you’d like to share, that is.”

“For sure, Fluttershy. And thanks again for helping me with this bite.” Ezra took a deep breath and slid his hands into his coat pockets. How would he introduce himself? Everyone around him seemed so pleasant and honest, and he felt so... coarse and checkered, in comparison. “Uh, heh, I guess that just leaves me, huh?” With six sets of eager, friendly eyes on him, Ezra made his choice.

“My name is Ezra Stoutbrook. I’m a really long way from Astra, I’m quite happy to be that way, and I’m just looking for someplace I can call home. Thank you, all of you, for giving me a chance here.” Ezra held his hand to his chest and bowed, a sign of gratitude from his home world. “I won’t let my past define me, I promise.”

With a smile, Twilight approached Ezra and gave him a hug. He was caught by surprise, but only for a moment, before he returned her hug. After a few moments, she dropped back down onto her front hooves. “Welcome to Equestria, Ezra Stoutbrook,” Twilight said warmly.

“Heh, thanks,” Ezra blushed.

“Well then! Now that we’ve found you,” Twilight continued on, “maybe you could help us? There was a storm over this forest not too long ago, and we’ve been tasked with investigating the effects it had locally. Have you seen any… strange things in the forest as of late?”

Ezra nodded as he readjusted and tested his full weight on his injured leg. Walkable, but still miserable. “Erm, other than that old abandoned castle I arrived in—“

“Wait, you arrived in the Castle of the Two Sisters?” Twilight interrupted.

“Uh, sure? If that’s what that castle is called, then yeah. Something about that area felt off though. Kinda like… like staticky, or something like that. I got out of there pretty quick.” Ezra watched as the six ponies exchanged some mixed glances — some of curiosity, some of worry. “I can show you the way, if you’d like? I just gotta make a stop at my camp first.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded with determination. “Lead the way, Ezra. And quickly, please.”

With a turn of his heels, Ezra moved past the marker he left in the clearing and towards his camp. As they trekked over fallen logs and through the underbrush, he couldn’t help but wonder what he had got himself into.