Part 1View OnlineTrianglePart 1Travel across space and time. Alternate realities. Wormhole travel. These concepts as I'm sure most people know are, at least right now the work of science fiction. Sure you do have people who claim that these kinds of things are real, but I'm sure the majority just think it to be science fiction. I did find the concept interesting when I first read about it, but didn't really believe it to be true. Now? Well safe to say I now believe in it. And as unbelievable as it sounds I did experience it firsthand. I won't get to into my past because I don't like to talk about it, but lets just say that the situations that lead to each other landed me into better circumstances than most would have if they were in my shoes. If you ever read stories online about how someone travels to another reality, or universe or whatever you want to call it. They don't exactly get to pick where they end up most of the time. This how it started with me. I landed in a rather promising environment, if you knew how to survive in the wild, but I had limited knowledge when it came to that and if it wasn't for the supplies and the vehicle that was transported with me to this place I would have died from starvation. Since there were no roads I had to use my truck to traverse long distances. It was considered an all terrain vehicle, but, eventually fuel runs out. I honestly thought that was it, that once the rations wore out I would slowly die in the middle of nowhere. However as I'm sure you guessed that wasn't the case. The truck ran out of fuel near the boarder of a forest. I needed to find water, and I didn't see any rivers within range of my eyesight. Looking back it was kind of stupid on my part because you know, you can very easily get lost in a forest. But luck seemed to be on my side because I didn't have to go trekking miles in there before I found a stream. Sometimes I question if us meeting was pure coincidence or not, but either way when I saw her, and the two creatures that were encircling her, that was when the reality sunk in that I definitely wasn't in Kansas anymore. I didn't see them at first but it started with me hearing a sound. I froze when I heard it, setting down the metal pot onto the ground but not letting go of the handle. Minutes went by with no sound. Just when I was about to leave however I heard something else. A scream. And it was much closer. A part of me told me to run, while another told me to investigate. At first I decided to book it, but my altruistic side took over when I heard her again. It sounded like it was getting desperate. So leaving the pot and marking the trees with my survival knife I slowly crept closer to the last place where I heard her. As I kept going I started to think of even if I found her, what could I really do to help? She wasn't stuck, she was being chased by something. If it was a wild animal the best I could do is shoot a flare at it, but if it was other people. I just didn't know. After some searching, I managed to close in, and what I saw made me realize I wasn't in Kansas anymore. There was two of these huge wolves made out of tree bark. One was clawing at a crevice of what I assumed to be a hollowed out tree, and inside was her. With each attempt the wolves made to dig her out, I heard her. Either she lived somewhere that was close bye, or she was in the same situation I was in. I wanted to help but what could I do? The flare gun was my best option, but I only carried one flare with me. It switched to the other one taking a crack to see if it could succeed where its fellow beast couldn't. I reached for the gun in my pocket and took out a flare. Loading it in I took aim at the one who was clawing at the tree. Taking a few seconds before I pulled the trigger I inhaled once, and fired. The flare soared past the tree I hid behind and across the open area, hitting the shoulder of the beast, before it exploded. The loud sound making me flinch. Flames soon enveloped the creature, its horrible sounds echoing throughout the forest as it ran to the tree line ahead in an attempt to stop the flames from spreading. I stood there, wondering if I had either helped the woman, or hindered my own survival. My answer, which seemed to good to be true came to me as I watched the remaining creature with its glowing yellow eyes slowly back away from the tree and into the tree line. I waited for what seemed like forever, no sounds coming from the woman. Was she dead? Did she bleed out from a wound? Slowly I inched out from behind the tree, exposing myself. Thoughts of more of those things coming to investigate plagued my mind, but I kept going. When I got close enough to the tree I peeked inside. Expecting to see a human woman, I instead saw an equine creature that looked too cartoonish to be real. She had a cream colored coat, pink mane, and had wings, one of which was injured. It also had its eyes closed and was breathing, so that was a good sign I guess. If this was the first outlandish thing I've seen I would be in a deeper state of shock and confusion, but since I had seen wolves made of timber it wasn't as bizarre at it would have been. I crouched down. No reaction. I moved closer. Again no reaction. I took the chance at touching her withers. A bit of a reaction, but not by much. I checker her body which had cuts, bruises. By the look of the twigs and grime that was on her she must have been wandering in this place for a while. To my knowledge wild horses don't really live in forests, but seeing is how this was a Pegasus, I don't know if the same things regarding horses applied. Either way, I gently picked her up, which she emitted a groan. Which was strange. Now that I think about it she had made some pretty human sounding noises so does that mean she could speak? I heard a twig snap somewhere and I took that as a sign to get moving and to ask questions later. As I followed the marks I left I made my way back to my vehicle. The whole way I got this feeling of being watched, which wasn't a good sign. I had hope it was just my paranoia and nothing else. Either way I picked up the pace. Passing by the water I collected I came to the realization I would need to go back for it. Not looking forward to that, but I didn't have a spare pot. After arriving to the car, I gently set her down and made room in the back seat. I covered the seat with a towel before picking her up and setting her down. There was a lot of wounds. But they didn't look too deep. I guess that what did her in was exhaustion, or she was sick. Tending to her wounds I wrapped the bandages around any injury around her body. She winced in pain ever so often. Kind of heartbreaking to see, to be honest. When I got to her wing, however, her reactions got worse. As I started to wrap it as gently as I could she would cry out in pain. I don't know why but, in an attempt to calm her I rubbed her ears, which seemed to work. By the time I was done cleaning and dressing her wounds I rolled down the window and shut the door. I climbed in the drivers seat and sighed. I really didn't want to go back in there, but I needed the water. I stalled for twenty minutes or so before I got some more flares. Loading a new one into the gun I exited the car. It would be dark soon by the time I got back, if all went as planned. Shutting the door I made my way to the area. Stopping briefly at the edge of the woods I took a breath in then out before I walked in. I readied my gun, ready to shoot a flare at whatever jumped out at me. It took five minutes of walking before I found the pot undisturbed. Picking it up with one hand I speed walked back. I didn't feel safe while wandering that place because of what I had witnessed. I was in a strange land with creatures that shouldn't exist. I just hope the Pegasus isn't as if not more hostile as the wolves if and when she wakes up. Well, at least I made it back without incident. The sky was turning its orange and yellow colors indicating the sun was setting. Speaking of the sunset, it uh...set a lot quicker than I had hoped. And it wasn't like time had flown by, it literally took mere seconds for the light of day to disappear. I was shocked to say the least, just when I thought I had seen it all this happens. So not only is the fauna alien but the cycle of day and night are different as well. Seriously, where the hell am I?
Part 2View OnlineTrianglePart 2[Early Morning] Watching the night fade as quickly as the sun did I shook my head in disbelief. I didn't get any sleep that night. Partially because of what happened the day before and the fact that everything around me made question after question run through my mind. I guess another part of it was I was looking out for my new guest. I was somewhat glad she didn't wake up in the middle of the night, primarily because I didn't want to use the batteries in the lamp I had. I had recently tried to give her some of the water I boiled, to which she took. When I felt her head it was rather warm. But the rest of her body was just as warm. I noticed this when I first touched her. I didn't seem to get any better or worse. Whether or not she was warm because of a fever or that her kind is just naturally warm, I couldn't say. I hope it was the latter because of my limited medical supplies. It was pretty cold outside, so I covered her with the only blanket I had. While she was safe for now her time was limited. It was good she was taking water but, eventually she needed food. I would also need to change the bandages if it came to that, which I was also limited on. Shutting the door I turned around to look at the forest. Trying to think on what I could do. My options were not many. Best case scenario she wakes up, hopefully doesn't freak out too much, gets used to my presence, and we could share the food I had. It was non perishable, but I think I could feed her something. I hope. I traced the edge of the forest, slowly turning my gaze to the right. I noticed on how it almost seemed to curve left. I wasn't prepared to enter that forest unless I absolutely had to. It was also the landmark I could see. The rest was just hills and grass as far as I could see. If only I hadn't run out of gas I could see where that lead and keep an eye on my little friend here. Maybe I'll just take a little trip. I loaded up on some flares and took a hatchet from the bed of the truck, I strapped it to my belt and put the flare gun in my pocket and followed the trees. [Fluttershy POV:] Warmth. Comfortable. Pain. I don't think I was still in that hollowed out tree anymore. Zecora's hut maybe? Opening my eyes I found out I was wrong. Instead of the wooden walls of her abode I was greeted with this dark grey, leather? Moving my head and shifting my gaze I found I was in a strange confined space. I didn't know how I could describe it, but there was two seats with something in between them. I was laying on what was either a bed or another strange seat. I took up about half of it while the rest was taken up by containers and other strange items. There was more stuff on the floor of the small space that separated the front chairs from the bed I was on. There were also windows on each of the walls. Looking to my right I saw a small opening along the top of one of the windows letting in chilly air. I tried moving but I felt a surge of pain as I moved my right wing. Wincing from the pain i waited for it to die down before I carefully rolled onto my stomach and slowly pushed myself up to see outside the window to my right. There was a flat black piece, of...flooring? Almost like a mini stage. Looking to my left I saw another piece of this strange home. More storage maybe? Slowly turning around I looked out of the window that had the small opening. Seeing the edge of the Everfree my latest memories now replaying in my mind. I was on my way to Zecora's place when a pack of timber wolves found me. After I had managed to lose them I couldn't find my way back to the pathway. I wandered for several days before they found me again and chased me to that hollowed out tree. I thought I was done for, but the last thing I remember was hearing a loud bang followed by one of them being set on fire. Then I passed out. Now I'm here. So who saved me? Wait... Oh no... Oh I hope some pony is taking care of my animals... [Protagonist POV] I turned around and started to walk back. My feet started to hurt and I couldn't leave for too long. I had already went further than I had intended. The trees seemed to never end. It took me at least fifteen minutes to get back. By the time I was able to see the truck again everything looked normal. I kept walking until I noticed something. I didn't think anything of it at first but, I swore I saw movement inside the truck. I think she is awake. Walking closer to the point where I could see inside the truck I saw that she was indeed awake. She moved from the back seat to the drivers seat. She was staring at me, her ears up and alert. Never looking away, constant eye on my every movement. Though if I'm being honest, she did have a tired look about her. We just stared at each other for the longest time, neither of us making a move. Eventually, however I was the one to first move. Her ear twitched once, before she turned her head to look at me as I slowly reached to open the door. To find it locked. Great, she must have hit the lock button. Now what am I going to do? I really didn't want to break the windows, but if it came to that I would have to. All of the sudden she moved back to her original spot and hid under the blanket. Adorable, but not going to unlock the door. Seeing is how she doesn't want to come out of hiding I just sat down against the front of my car. I moved my knees up to my chest and rested my head on my crossed arms. For awhile I just sat there, contemplating my choices. Aside from the occasional small gust of wind it was dead silent, which really wasn't a good sign. I think about a half and hour went bye before I stopped looking at the ground in front of me and to the forest. Getting up and walking over there I stuck to the edge to gather some things needed to make a fire. Walking back I started a fire and took one of the rations. Bringing the water to a boil in the smaller container I ate from I put the rice in and waited for it to finish. When I was about half way done, I paused as I was sure I was hearing things. Slowly turning to my left, I kept a grip on the spoon that was still in my mouth. For a minute or so I heard nothing, but as I heard the sound of the car door opening, then a small grunt from her as she pushed it further open, followed by the sounds of her climbing down. I was bewildered as she slowly came into view. At first I thought she was staring at me, but turns out it was the rice. Hearing a loud grumble come from her I slowly set the bowl down in front of her. She hesitates as she crept forward towards it. When she was within reaching distance she looked at me once more before she started to eat. I just slowly let go of the spoon still in my mouth, watching her. I was still trying to get over the fact that she was able to unlock and open the car door. She clearly had enough intelligence to perform tasks like that. How much intelligence she had was still a mystery. I still was questioning if she could speak or was just able to mimic human sounds. When she finished she looked up at me. I blinked, to which she responded with a blink. I slowly got up and poured some water from the pot into the bowl, to which she drank from. As she was preoccupied I slowly got up, taking the cooking grate I walked around to the side opposite the drivers side and put it back into the bed of the truck. Taking the spoon out of my mouth I stored that before taking out my water canteen. Slowly walking back I peeked to see she was now staring at me, that same alert expression. I slowly walked and sat down in my previous spot and filled the canteen with the remainder of the water. Taking a sip from it I put the cap back on and set it down. I looked over to her to see she had softened her expression and sat down on her haunches. "So, what's your story?" I asked. Not really expecting a response. [Rainbow Dash POV] Last time I saw her she said she was heading to Zecora's hut to pick up something. However when I arrived Zecora said she had never arrived. Something happened to her. The fact that she would leave her animals for this long without getting some pony to watch them wasn't like her. No something happened. I must have scoured the pathway leading from her house to Zecora's hut a dozen times before I noticed something. Disturbances in the bushes, broken twigs. This lead me to find hoof prints in the dirt. It was the dried blood I saw against the bark of a tree that made my heart skip a beat. She was in danger, or- No I can't think about that. I won't. She had to still be alive. Besides it probably wasn't her blood, right? I followed any other clues I could find. Hoof prints, and broken twigs, as well as more blood. I had to stop myself from following the trail in fear of being lost myself. I went back to my friends to get help. When we picked up the trail from where I left off it just cut off. We searched and searched, but Twilight suggested we pick up the search in the morning. I protested the idea, but she told me that if we put ourselves in danger we wouldn't be able to help her, or find out what happened to her. The last part made my blood boil. Even though I knew where she was coming from how could she say that? How could she think of the possibility of her being dead? One thing that played a part was how she said it. I didn't push it further, I just accepted what she said. One thing about Twilight I learned over my time I knew her was that once she made a decision she wouldn't budge unless there was some logical alternative. I stayed over at Fluttershy's place to watch over her animals. I got an hour or sleep that night. I know Fluttershy wasn't weak, but surviving the Everfree? There was a reason most avoided that place. There was stories of creatures more hardy than ponies like griffons and minotaur's going missing and never returning. She couldn't be dead, she just couldn't. I refuse to believe it. I'll pick up the search where it left off, I can't keep waiting like this. [Protagonist POV] I stared as I watched as her mouth moved. I didn't understand what she was saying, but it definitely looked like she was speaking. It started when I spoke, her ears perked up and she stared at me. That's when she started to make those noises. She looked like she was trying to tell me something. I just shook my head when she stopped talking. Then that was it. No more talking from her. So for the rest of the day she rested in the back seat while I tried to make a plan. I was able to carry some equipment, plus a tent and maybe three days of rations if I packed it right. The best thing I could come up with was following the trees. Keeping a safe distance. Those things haven't shown themselves but if they caught wind of easy prey lurking not too far from the forests border, we would be screwed. I walked back and looked into the window to see the Pegasus sleeping under her blanket. I put everything I got out away, afterwards I entered the drivers seat as quietly as I could and got comfortable. Locking the doors I put the flare gun within reaching distance just in case. Closing my eyes I slowly but surely drifted off to sleep soon after it switched from day, to night.
Part 3View OnlineTrianglePart 3[Several days later] I think the wounds on her body were starting to heal up. She could now walk in a mostly normal way without having a slight limp in her step. I changed some of the dirty bandages but I only had enough left to change once before I was completely out. My main concern regarding her injuries was her wing. While her other wounds were healing her wing hasn't gotten any better, as she would wince in pain whenever she would accidently move it or bump it into something. I was willing to change the bandages but she wouldn't let me touch her wing, so I just left it for now. Another concern was food. I had tried to make it work but with both of us eating from the rations the time it would have lasted me was shortened. I have been trying to survey the area to see if I could find something, anything that could help us. No such luck, of course. I think it was the fact that our time was limited that caused me a lot of the distress I was feeling. I wasn't ready to die yet. And dying from starvation or getting torn to shreds from one of those wooden wolves didn't exactly help with that feeling. Not only that but if I didn't find a way to survive then she would probably die as well. Overall the future didn't look bright. I mean it could be much worse. I try not to focus on the negative but sometimes focusing on it can be healthier than denying the facts. As I put the top of the metal pot I used to gather water I carried it back. One hand in my right pocket gripping the loaded flare gun. I was always trying to be ready for either those wolves or some other unnatural predator to spring up from a bush or from behind a tree. I never felt safe until I was far enough away from the edge and into the open area. When I got back and close enough, I saw Butterfly, the name I gave the Pegasus because of the two butterfly marks on both her flanks, open the back car door and hop out. She trotted up to me and greeted me. I knelt down and scratched her ears, to which she hummed in enjoyment. It was adorable. I guess that was one thing that kept me calm. Moments like this. When I stopped giving her ear scritches, she followed me to the front of the truck. It was about that time again. After we were done eating I saw the colors in the sky indicating the switch was about to take place. I took one last glance to the forest. Each time I did I didn't see anything but...well this time I wasn't sure if I was imagining things, or if I really did see something glowing, and yellow dart behind a tree. I kept an eye on that tree for a good few minutes before I got up, put everything away and got in my spot to hunker down for the night. I stayed up for a few hours listening to absolute silence. Eventually, however I drifted off to sleep. ... The sound came from outside. It startled me awake. Grabbing the flare gun I heard the Pegasus shift in her sleep. It sounded like someone took something sharp and ran it alongside the car. I listened carefully for anything else, half expecting a wooden wolf paw or snout to burst through one of the windows. I was put in a tricky position. The flares explosion would be deadly to them but it would also be deadly to us as well. I had left my axe in the bed of the truck, so I didn't have much else to fight with. I tried my best to hunker down even more so that I wasn't so visible from the outside. I don't know how these things vision worked, but I'd imagine they evolved to see pretty well in the dark. I heard the sound of Butterfly moving to the floor and the sounds of her whimpering. I was freaked out as well, the car and myself were her only line of defense. Hours of sitting still and listening to the pounding of my heart went bye, but nothing happened. No more metallic scraping sounds, no yellow eyes peering at me from the pitch blackness outside. I had thought it moved on so my pounding heartrate started to slow down. Until it instantly picked back up. It just came out of nowhere, instantly breaking the silence. The sound of the passenger window behind me shattering broke the silence followed by the familiar growls and snarls. I felt the truck shake under the weight of the beast. The sounds of its wooden maw reaching into the window snapping to get at whatever was inside. It didn't take long before it moved to my side to shatter the window on that side. I ha moved over, getting cut by pieces of broken glass. This time the beast caught on to my little strategy, because as soon as I moved to the other side, it moved to its previous spot. I kept moving to each side, trying my best to keep up with the things momentum. Eventually, however, when it saw that its current plan wasn't working it moved to the front window. I had to get away, otherwise it would succeed in pulling me through the window. I grabbed the car keys and turned on the trucks lights, which illuminated the monster in its entirety. This combined with the fact that the car alarm decided to go off seemed to startled the beast enough to give me the opportunity I needed. Opening the drivers seat door I got out, shut the door, and got under the truck. The thing didn't seem to appreciate the loud noises as is started to attack the car in attempts to make it stop. While it was preoccupied I rolled out the opposite side. I crawled to move to the back of the truck to open the tailgate. I grasped the release mechanism and pulled it open. I rummaged through for the axe. Getting it out I looked under the truck to see it had moved slightly more to where Butterfly was. As much as I just wanted to run away I couldn't leave her to be devoured by this thing. I needed to get it away from the truck. Getting the axe ready I moved from the back of the truck, axe raised and with all my might I brought it down, lodging it in the beasts wooden hide. Guess I should have aimed for a more vital spot like the neck, because this didn't seem to faze it much. In one swift motion it turned and swiped me with its paw, knocking the wind out of me and causing me to lose my flare gun. I watched as it pulled the axe from its body with its teeth and throw it to the side. I tired to get up and move towards the flare gun but the thing was quicker than me. I was just out of arms length from it before it pounced on me. It planted a paw on my torso to prevent me from moving as it stood over me, slowly lowering its maw closer to my face. It raised its head back up with its maw wide open ready to chomp down onto my neck. I used my arm to shield my neck, its wooden teeth latched into my left arm digging into the flesh causing excruciating pain. I wrestled with the thing for several minutes. It opened its maw back up to try again, but just as soon as it started to lift its head something collided with the side of it causing it to reel to the side. Looking to my right I saw butterfly, who bucked the wolf's head. I stared at her for a few seconds before I realized I now had an opportunity. Sitting up I tried to look around for the flare gun, but I couldn't find it, it was too dark to see anything. I started to search more frantically as the thing drew closer to her with each glance back I took. I slowly started to realize I wasn't going to get it in time. Come on... Where the fuck is it?! Fuck! I looked back at the wolf, then to Butterfly, I could barely see her trying to get under the truck for safety. I was no match for that thing but I could at least try to distract it so that she could get away. Honestly why was I even doing this? I had only met her less than a week, yet I was willing to risk my life for her? Was I truly ready to give up my life now? You ever read about how in stressful moments you get that illusion that time seems to slow down? Yeah, it was one of those moments. Never got anything like that until now. Why couldn't I move? Was I really rejecting the idea of trying to help her? Did I really not care? Was I really willing to flee while she got devoured? No. I refuse to believe that. Come on, MOVE DAMNIT! MOVE! I was starting to get up from the ground and onto my feet, but something knocked me back down. I couldn't process it right away, but when I did I swore. I swore I just saw lightning strike that wolf. I was about to believe that it was either by incredible luck or by some kind of intervention by some unknown force, but when I saw a second lightning strike I looked up to see between the flashes of light that there was something up there. I took my eyes off the thing as I looked back at the wolf that was now burning. It was then I first witnessed what happened when these things died. It was like whatever was keeping its body together just shut off, and it collapsed into a huge pile of burning pyre. My attention was shifted back to the truck. There was a form looking under it, no doubt whoever, or whatever saved us. I think I saw Butterfly emerge from under the truck to greet, or embrace whoever this was. Now that I had a moment to pause, I realized that my arm was in a lot of pain. I don't know if it was broken or not, but I had to get this cleaned and bandaged up. Getting to my feet I started to slowly walk over. The newcomer noticed me when I got close enough and immediately went into a defensive stance in front of Butterfly. Butterfly seemed to speak to them, but they didn't really budge, just stared at me with the intensity of a mother protecting her baby. I didn't attempt to get any closer to them, I made my way around and shut off the car alarm before I walked to the tailgate and got out the stuff I needed. After I cleaned the wound the best I could, I took to wrapping it. I don't think it was broken, just more or less torn to shreds. I sat down on the tailgate and proceeded to clean and dressed the wound. I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I almost didn't notice Butterfly rounding the corner to look up at me. I just finished up before I looked in her direction. Following her was the newcomer, whom I now got a better look at. Light blue coat, a rainbow mane of all things and...I think red? Magenta eyes? I couldn't tell because of the red light. We just stared at each other for the longest time before the rainbow one turned to speak to Butterfly. [Rainbow Dash POV] I had decided to get a head start at searching for Fluttershy. Taking a lamp I begun my search in the dark. Looking back that wasn't really the smartest thing to do but I was confident enough that I would be able to take care of myself if the situation called for it. However this confidence slowly evaporated as I took my first steps in. I growled in frustration for being a coward as I went back to the cottage and set the lamp down near the door. I wouldn't be able to get sleep if I tried. But one thing that made me feel better was flying, so I did just that. I went for a very early morning flight. Ever since I was a filly flying just felt right. It made me feel free, shaking off any stress of life. Normally I only focus on the beauty of the clouds or the sky. But when the sun wasn't out I found myself appreciating the street lights of Ponyville. When I got bored of looking down at the lights I decided to fly over the Everfree. The pitch blackness below was unnerving, like I was flying over some weird abyss with the night sky above me. I was about to head back but I took notice in something that I hadn't expected to see. Amongst the black inky look from below, there was something I couldn't believe I was seeing. Near the south east border of the Everfree I saw lights. My first thought was maybe it was a caravan taking a shortcut. As I got closer I took notice on how odd this caravan cart was. Its lights were something like I've never seen before. There was only two sets of them. Each set facing the opposite direction. Two seemed to be very powerful lights reaching out farther than any other light source I've ever seen. The other two were an ominous red, and not nearly as powerful as the others. The closer I got the more a realized that the familiar glowing eyes of one of Equiestria's most fearsome predators, the more my stomach dropped. Whoever this was was under attack by timber wolves. Coming up with an idea, I searched the nearby clouds. At first they all looked the same, but the higher I got the moonlight provided just enough light for me to spot a cloud that was darker than the rest. Grasping it and flying back down I closed in on the scene happening before me. The two sets of lights provided just enough light to where I thought I caught a glimpse of something, or some pony backing up and crawling underneath the caravan cart for safety. Taking this opportunity I set the cloud in the best position I could before I bucked it. Twice. When the dust settled after giving that timber wolf two good lightning strikes I saw something from the flashes of lighting. I don't know if I was seeing things at first, but it looked like something I never had seen before. I had chalked it up to me just seeing things from the pent up stress from what's been happening for these last several days. Looking back at where the timber wolf was, I saw it turned into a giant smoking pile of wood. Landing near the noisy caravan cart I looked underneath to see the outline of a pony. Getting closer I called out. "Hey, its alright now. The timber wolf is gone." Whoever they were they froze, before they started to crawl out from under there. When I heard who the pony was, if just barely because of that loud alarm, I was overcome with relief, joy, and a mix of other emotions. I almost couldn't believe it, It was her, Fluttershy was alive! Our reunion was cut short however as her focus shifted. She looked like she was about to start running off somewhere but I stopped her. "Woah woah, hey take it easy, what's-" It looked like she was looking at something behind us. I turned around to see something from the dark walking towards us. The closer it got the more I realized it was the thing I briefly saw. It was bipedal like a minotaur, covered in something. Fur? I couldn't tell. I got ready to attack but Fluttershy stopped me. Now I wasn't sure what to do, so I just kept my defensive stance in front of her. Whatever it was stopped at a certain distance from us, before it changed course and moved to one of the sides of the caravan cart. As I watched it I saw its features get illuminated by the red light. It had no fur save for the top of its head, it was wearing some strange clothing. It had small eyes, nose and mouth. Shortly after it disappeared from my sight the alarm shut off. Fluttershy started to walk towards the red light. I heard something before she stopped and sat down looking at it. It was also I discovered that she was wrapped in bandages. I followed shortly after and saw the thing sitting on the end cleaning then wrapping its left arm. We just stared before I asked. "What, is that?" "I don't know, but he's been helping me for these past few days." I looked to her in disbelief. "Seriously?" "Yes." She said. Never taking her eyes off him. Looking back I could see it was now looking at us. "Ok, sooo that's nice and all but we need to get you to the hospital." "And leave him behind? HIs home is destroyed." Fluttershy looked at me. "You seriously aren't thinking of bringing it home with us, are you?" She just stared at me. "You are, aren't you." She said nothing. I just sighed in defeat. "Can that thing even understand you?" I asked. "No I don't think so, but it is clearly intelligent. It speaks, just in a language I can't understand." I didn't say anything this time, just looked at it who was now covering its face with its good arm. We sat there until dawn came. When Fluttershy somehow got through to it that we were moving it started to pack up many different items into two odd looking packs. While it was doing this I took the opportunity to look over its strange abode. From the outside of course. Honestly I was impressed something like this could be made. It looked to be made out of metal instead of wood, and the wooden wheels were replaced with, leather I think. After it was done packing it started to follow us again. It took one last look at its small abode, before it turned and followed us. A slightly sad look on its face. Guess it wasn't just ponies who got sad with leaving a home behind.
Part 4View OnlineTrianglePart 4While it really sucked that I had to leave it behind I knew I couldn't stay there anymore. I am still questioning whether or not wherever I am going next is any safer or not but at this point I had little choice. Over the past several days I've been walking with these two. Or rather, Butterfly and I were walking while the other flew most of the time, every now and again taking to the sky to make sure we were going in the right direction. We mostly stuck to the outskirts of the forest. Taking the same path that I had tried before. I decided to name the rainbow maned Pegasus Prism, who was both fascinating, and scary to be around. I had thought Butterfly's coat and mane color were unnatural, but she took it to a whole new level. So far I had witnessed her showing the ability to weaponize lighting, the ability to manipulate clouds at will and move at very fast speeds. Were these traits all Pegasus possessed and Butterfly was just unable to do these things because of her wing injury? Maybe only a select few could? Or was it unique to her? I don't know. All I know is I was trying my best to not piss her off. To which I wasn't doing a very good job at because whenever she looked at me she had these expressions ranging from resting bitch face to flat out scowling in annoyance. Despite this she has yet to do anything harmful to me. Currently I had just finished packing up from the resting place we used last night and started to follow her. Up until this point we only went so far into the forest just to gather wood. It was kind of funny to witness Prism's first impression of me using my lighter. It also gave me more insight on how intelligent they really were as they knew the concepts of a campfire, sense of direction and destination, and language. Back to the present, it looked like we were heading into the forest this time, following the river that was close to its edge. Now that Prism was with us I felt more confident of us surviving an encounter, as long as there aren't like 20 or so of those damn wolves. I just hope there isn't anything worse lurking within these woods. I was a bit worried about being weighed down by all the equipment I was carrying, but if it came down to it I could just ditch it. I didn't really say this before, but something about the dark creepy trees, the lack of normal forest noises and the occasional twig snapping in the distance, combined with the fact that it houses deadly mythical fauna, it really gave off a "You shouldn't be here, get out ASAP." feeling. Safe to say I was on edge, and I think my companions were too. Butterfly was paying very close attention to her surroundings, looking around in multiple directions, flinching at every little sound, while Prism looked like she was about to throw hands, or hooves in this case, at anything that decided to jump out at us. Despite the tension in the air, nothing happened. After what felt like hours we finally made it out. However, if I may use this term literally. "We weren't out of the woods yet." Unlike the previous environment however, these woods brought a welcome change. The dark trees were replaced with oak ones, birds were chirping when we got further in, and thanks to it resembling something natural and familiar, it was a hell of a lot better place to be. Anyway, time passed as we followed the river. It wasn't until we made it into a more or less open area that I saw where we have been going to and to be honest at this point I wasn't as shocked as much as I was relieved to see a cozy little cottage resting near the border to the woods we just emerged from. Either there was a person living there, or that these Pegasus somehow managed to wield tools without opposable thumbs. This cottage looked like a nature lovers dream home. The top and first floor was covered in grass while the house that it was resting on was made of some light tan stone material. There was an arch that went over a smaller river. Bird feeders in the surrounding trees and house exterior with many different types of birds that I never seen before. I think there were also rabbits on the front lawn. It really was a sight to behold. However when we got close enough they all stopped and acknowledged our presence by staring at us, or more specifically, me. When I got close enough it went from happy, lively, peaceful to just dead silent. I started to back away as I was starting to feel uncomfortable at the situation. I saw Prism take Butterfly aside to converse with her. [Fluttershy POV] "Maybe this isn't a good idea keeping him around. I mean look at what happened with your animals." I looked at the silent crowd before looking back at him. What I saw for the most part was uncertainty. I think it would just take time for them to adjust to him. I stated this to Rainbow to which she responded. "Alright, that can come AFTER you get back from the hospital." Rainbow Dash urged. I sighed before I responded with. "I know that, I just need to see them before we go." She groaned. "You can clearly see they were doing fine." I gave her a deadpan look before I said. "All of them." To which she responded with. "Ok ok fine, just hurry. You need to get that wing injury treated and the rest of your wounds checked for infection." I nodded before I looked at our new friend, who was now looking at us. "What about him?" I asked. Rainbow looked at him before she looked back at me. "What? What about him?" "You think he'll be ok by himself here?" Rainbow didn't say anything before she went over to him. She pointed her hoof at him before she pointed to the ground. I stared as he slowly nodded his head. Rainbow landed in front of me. [Protagonist POV] I'm not sure what was happening with these two but Prism just gestured something to me. By the pointing I assumed it meant to stay put. So that's what I did. Shortly after Prism landed on the ground Butterfly walked towards the cottage, and I swear literally every animal in the vicinity flocked towards her when she got close enough, completely forgetting about my presence. She looked like she was speaking to them and what was even more bizarre was that they seemed to be understanding whatever she's been saying. Whenever she would speak the animal she was addressing responded with either nods or shaking their head. After this she went inside for some time before she came back out. The two of them started to make their way down the path and crossed over an arch bridge that was built over the river we had been following. Prism made sure to repeat the same gesture with a much more stern look before they left. When I couldn't see them anymore I waited for awhile, taking off the backpack and setting the duffel bag down before I walked over to the wooden arch bridge. It was nice to have all that weight off my shoulders. Once I was done stretching my back and right arm I walked over to the wooden arch bridge and saw that the path branched to the left and right. I walked across and peeked around the trees that obstructed my view. To my left I saw the path went on for a long time before curving out of sight behind trees. The same wasn't fully the case for the right. I could see houses in the distance but my view was blocked by more trees. I wanted to go have a closer look but I remembered what Prism had instructed me to do. On one hand debated whether or not I should just go have a peek since it wasn't too far away. On the other hand, I didn't know how long Prism and Butterfly will be gone for. After many minutes the former choice won me over, and I went down the right path. Despite my expectations to see these were houses someone lived in they were all run down and abandoned. The path ended at the edge of the woods. Four houses on the left, and one plus a clock tower to my right. Checking each house I saw they were all empty. There layout was mostly the same. Each one had an upstairs, which I didn't go up since the floors were made of wood that looked almost rotted. What really grabbed my attention was the clock tower. I walked up to the door and tried the handle. The metal was rusted. I didn't want to chance cutting myself so I left it alone. Seeing is how there wasn't much else to explore in the area I went back to waiting on the grass in front of the cottage. Once I got back I used the duffel bag as a pillow. Closing my eyes I tried to empty my mind. As I was doing this I found that the gentle warmth of the sun combined with the occasional soft breeze I found myself slowly but surely drifting off to sleep. I never really looked too into dreams, like studies of it, dream interpretations and the like. But recently I have taken an interest and found myself thinking about it when I could. Mainly because my dreams have been pretty much the same thing over and over up until a certain point. It mostly went like this. I would be still in a black void with the sound of a steady wind coming from somewhere I couldn't locate. Some time would pass before I would look towards something just before it ended. There was a bright full moon. The strangest part about it though was the indescribable feeling I got from the brief time I looked at it. This time however the dream lasted longer, and I didn't see the moon this time. Instead I saw something tall. so tall I couldn't see the top or bottom of it. It just stretched indefinitely It was hard to see at first but after some time I saw it was getting closer. It was when it got close enough that I realized it was a tornado. Something else that was present was the feeling of how real it seemed. Like I really was about to get sucked up into a tornado. I could feel wind getting stronger the closer it got. My body wouldn't move I just looked up as it drew closer. The wind got so strong it felt like I was going to be knocked down by it despite remaining rooted on the spot. The freight sound a tornado makes got so loud it was deafening. I mentally prepared myself as best I could. I don't know what to expect since it was a dream. I think I did it mostly out of reflex. Just before the tornado got to me, however I felt that same feeling I got from looking at the moon. The tornado dispersed before it went quiet. When I woke up I my breathing was labored and I was quivering. I rolled to my side and slowly opened my eyes. When they were fully adjusted I sat up. I switched from breathing through my mouth to breathing through my nose when it felt comfortable enough to do so. I had never experienced a dream THAT lucid before. It would be one thing if it was just a normal dream, but that wasn't normal. It felt WAY too real. I got my breathing under control after awhile but the quivering wouldn't go away. I walked over to the river to wash my face but it didn't help much. When I was walking back I took a look and saw the sun was on its way to setting. Maybe an hour or two before it was night. An hour passed before I saw them return. I was about to start pitching the tent but they got back before I started. Butterfly's bandages were changed and she looked cleaner. No more twigs in her mane and she was less grimy looking. After they returned we attempted to go into the cottage. Like before all the animals paused and started to stare directly at me. As nervous as I felt at the situation I took slow steps forward. Butterfly stuck close to me which I think really helped. I got pretty close to some rabbits which moved to make room as I walked closer to the house. Reaching the front door we stepped inside. There was more animals within. The interior was cozy. Butterfly showed me around both the ground and second floor. Now most animals in her home were smaller ones like birds, rabbits and the like but there was two animals that stood out to me. First one that I came across was a white rabbit. This little guy gave off an aura that set him a part from the rest of the critters. I don't know what it was, but he looked mean. I think he would have bitten me if I had tried to pet him. The second one stood out less because of the vibe he gave off and more of his physical appearance. By far the largest animal I've seen at this house was a brown bear. Understandably my natural instincts kicked in. My body was telling me to run but I tried my best to keep calm. To not show weakness. Luckily the brown bear didn't really seem to see me as a threat. After it stared at me for a good few more minutes it went back to whatever it was doing before. Other than that things went a lot better than I had hoped. The last thing butterfly showed me was a bedroom on the second floor in the same hallway as the bathroom and the master bedroom. I looked at her as she smiled at me. I honestly wasn't expecting her to allow me to stay in the house. How long was I allowed to stay? A night? A week? Either way this was a gesture I really appreciated. I tried to show my appreciation the best way I knew how. I bowed to her. This caught her off guard, blushing slightly at my gesture before hiding her face behind her mane. I could see her smiling, which reassured me she got what I was trying to say. After thanks were given, one more surprise awaited me. She allowed me to use the shower. God knows I was LONG overdue for one. I must have spent almost a half an hour in there scrubbing off the dirt and grime from my body before I turned my attention to my bandaged left arm. "Now comes the fun part." I thought. Slowly removing the bandage was painful but not as bad as when that wolf chomped down on it. After I removed it I looked at the damage under running water. The only reason why I think my arm wasn't broken was because the wolf wasn't really trying to break it. Now that I think about it, It was more like me trying to get me arm free while it just effortlessly held on watching me struggle. Toying with its prey. I didn't think farther into it than that. I was lucky and should be thankful it didn't end up being worse. Taking the soap I washed it before I turned off the water. After I got out I put back on the clothes I had on before I got my bags situated. I replaced the bandages before I noticed a knock at the door. Looking towards the doorway I saw Prism. She gestured for me to follow her. She guided me towards the living room. Sitting down I waited as I smelled something cooking. When food came out I saw it was an assortment of steamed vegetable's. After the others begun to eat I picked up the plate and quickly finished it. After I was done I sat the plate down on the coffee table before stared at the floor. Not much else was done. Prism left after talking to Butterfly for awhile. I went to my room and got settled in for the night. I stayed awake for several hours after I climbed into bed. I was now dreading going to sleep because of what happened from before. Sleep eventually overtook me. After awhile I started to hear the wind, but it never picked up or stopped. Just steady and constant. I didn't see any tornadoes approaching from the void to come and suck me into oblivion. As time passed I became more comfortable as I drifted in the void. And all with not a single moon in sight.
Part 5View OnlineTrianglePart 5This is... Twenty six letters in the English Alphabet. Twenty seven in the Spanish one. Then there was this... Flipping to a page that contained the image of a house I saw it had three characters. I went to another to find a picture of a park. Two characters. Went to a picture of a book. Four characters. I know how to speak two languages. English and Spanish. At least with those two the letters were pretty much the same. But this? It was like reading Kanji! Ok maybe it won't be THAT bad. Just learn how to say each letter and work your way up to speaking sentences. But what if it didn't work like that? What if everything I knew about language didn't apply here? Sure it sounded easier said than done but I need to learn this. I can't keep using gestures to communicate forever. If I can learn to understand, write and say basic things I should be ok for a good while. Currently I was waiting for Butterfly to finish up on something. She went ahead and either bought these books or checked them out from a library. I really hope it was the latter because it was already enough that she was letting me stay, eat and shower here. I mean, yeah I pretty much saved her life but still, I didn't want to use that as an excuse to mooch off her. I didn't really know what I would be doing in the future but the first and one of the most crucial steps towards making a new life for myself in whatever type of society these equines have was learning to read write and speak their language. Looking back down I flipped the page to see an image of a mountain. A word with six characters. Before I had the chance to see what was on the next page was interrupted by the feeling of the bed shift. Looking to the left side of the bed I saw Butterfly hoist herself up on the bed. She got comfortable before she looked at me and said something. Now that I was staring at her she repeated the phrase. Seeing that I wasn't getting it she tried a waving gesture with her hoof while saying it again. Ok, so that phrase meant hello, I think. I did my own wave with my hand before I said the same thing, which caused her to smile and nod. With that she said something else. The same word followed by a sentence. She paused briefly before she gestured to herself and said her name. I repeated the last word she said, which I assumed was her name. Sadly I wasn't able to translate that into English or Spanish, so for now I made a note of memorizing how to say her name. Fluttershy. With that she looked at me expectantly. I guess she wanted me to introduce myself. So I repeated what she said and said my name. When I said my name she paused and looked like she was thinking about something. She was quick to come back though and focused more on the task at hand. After that we went over the Alphabet, with each letter I learned one way to say them. I wasn't sure if this language had homographs or not. I guess I would have to find out when we get to it. That would have to wait, because we were interrupted by something. I couldn't hear it but she could. Fluttershy's ears stood at attention before she folded her ears and looked at me with a meek expression. I just smiled and shrugged. She sighed before she got off the bed and walked out of the room and down the hall. I waited until I was sure she started to descended the stairs before I followed her. I waited by the top of the stairs. I listened to Fluttershy and someone else converse. I realized the familiar sounds of when Prism spoke, so I made my way down the stairs. I made it to the bottom step as Prism walked in. She paused for a moment and gave a quick nod at my presence. Her and Fluttershy sat down on the couch. I sat down somewhere before I waited for an opportunity. When it presented itself by a pause in their conversation I repeated the word for "Hello." She paused as her ears turned in my direction. Her eyes slightly wide as she slowly looked towards me. [Rainbow Dash POV] As I heard somepony speak my ears turned in the direction of the sound. No, there's no way that he- I slowly turned my head to face where he was sitting. I stared at him thinking I was just hearing things. That was until I saw his mouth move and the word "Hello" came out. After this he asked for my name. I hesitantly offered mine. He paused for a moment before he placed one of his hands on his chest and spoke his name, which sounded as alien as he looked. That thing was learning to speak? "Ok Fluttershy what's going on?" I asked. "He wanted to learn. I could see why. It was getting kind of tiresome using gestures to communicate." She said. "Seriously? I didn't think it could learn to speak." "Well I heard him a few times speaking to himself. His language is so strange but it sounded similar to Ponish." "Well the way he sounds when he speaks Ponish is kind of freaky." "It sounded like that when he spoke in his language too. Almost like a low rumble." We both looked at him. He was stretching his neck backwards. Seeing is how his species is smart enough to form their own language and learn others, I wonder why nopony has heard of his kind before? "Ok, so freaky sounds aside what's it like living with him so far?" "Oh he's not difficult at all. In fact he helps out around here and he's so considerate to those around him. He makes sure to move slowly as to not scare any of the animals." He lifted his head back upright before he yawned. I took notice at the two canines on his top and bottom row of teeth, which caused a chill to run up my spine. "Is he a carnivore?" I asked, slightly uneasy. "I don't think so. I only served him vegetable's and fruits. He does have canines so maybe an omnivore. I was thinking of trying to feed him fish at some point." Looking back at her I tried to remember something she taught me awhile back. "Aren't omnivores kind of rare?" "Mhm." She hummed. After that there was a long silence. [Protagonist POV] Rainbow Dash. Well at least I knew how to say her real name. Again I had no idea what that meant in English or Spanish. I sat there and watched the two go back and forth before a long silence washed over the room. I thought that was going to be it but Rainbow Dash started it up again. Before she did she glanced at me, and they continued to converse about something. Whatever the topic was made Fluttershy's expression change to slight worry. As curious as I was I soon found out what it was. Once they were done they both got up. Rainbow waited by the front door while Fluttershy walked off somewhere. When she came back I watched as she nodded to Rainbow, who then looked to me and gestured with her hoof to follow her. Now curious I got up and walked towards the front door. Once they opened it I went through and shut it behind me. Following them all the way to the bridge my sense of curiosity kept growing as we went left once we crossed. After a bit of walking we came across a barn off the left side of the road. The continued walking of my two travel buddies indicated that wasn't our destination. Shortly after the path moved to the right I saw something that made got my full attention. In the distance I could see buildings, many buildings. The design were like the ones I saw at the windmill area, but not run down. There was also another building larger than others, it had a balcony that wrapped around the second floor and a design that made it stand out from the rest. At this point I stopped walking and just stared at the sight. I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard a whistle from Rainbow, who jerked her head in the direction Fluttershy was walking. Taking one last look at the town I follow them both to a park. Crossing another arch bridge we walked into the park that had a fountain with our path encircling around it. There were other types equines here. So far up until this point I had only seen Pegasus. There was two Pegasus, one male, one female sitting on a bench keeping an eye on a foal that was no doubt there's that was some distance away. The unicorn was sitting on the ground reading a book, his horn glowing a pale green, with the book enveloped in the same glow, floating. Violation of physics aside, the last was three males that lacked both a horn and wings. The first one to notice me was the unicorn, who's eyes widened as the glow around his horn vanished, which caused the book to drop. Next was the Pegasus couple, last was the three males, one who was facing my direction alerted his two friends who turned to face me. The filly was still unaware of me, chasing a butterfly around. They all had the same expression, eyes wide and still as stone. Fluttershy hid her face behind her hair from all the stares we were receiving, while Rainbow occasionally looked back at me then to the still crowd with a slightly worried expression. I just did the best thing I could come up with, I slowly backed up one step and sat on the edge of the fountains basin. Fluttershy laid in the grass near me. When it seemed like it calmed down enough, Rainbow said something to Flutter, to which she nodded and flew off somewhere. Some time passed, the unicorn left, giving me and Flutter a wide berth as he made his exit. The three males kept looking in our direction every now and again. The Pegasus mother kept eying her foal more frequently while the father kept an eye on me almost constantly. For the most part I just kept still my hands folded. Shutting my eyes I listened to the sound of the water falling. It was relaxing until I started to remind me of the wind I knew all to well. I heard the swooshing sound of Dash landing and approaching Fluttershy and I. Opening my eyes I saw them exchange words before Flutter looked at me before she got up and walked over to Dash, who then stared at me and did the same "stay here" gesture she did from before. I just nodded, to which she smiled and walked off with Fluttershy somewhere. Seeing is how I was alone I closed my eyes again. Somewhere in between the sounds of streaming water I heard a male gasp, followed by a feminine one. Opening my eyes I looked over to see the two parents hop off the bench and gallop over to me before stopping. Their expressions were that of worry. If they reacted like that then did that mean... Slowly looking to my left I saw the little foal, her left front leg raised looking up at me curiously. I just slowly blinked, shortly after she mimicked the movement. I heard her parents call her several times, to which she ignored after the first three times. When I thought the situation couldn't get any worse she took a step forward, then another, then another until she was in front of my left leg, her head reaching past my knee. She thankfully didn't attempt to jump up and just sat in that spot, staring up at me. This foal has a blue coat with a dark blue mane with green eyes. Her parents both shared traits of her. The father had a brown coat and mane with the same green eyes while the mother had a lighter shade of blue for her coat while her mane was pale blue. Unlike her parents however, there wasn't any hint of fear. I guess like human kids, there are some who have a lot of curiosity about the world around them caused them to do stuff like this. Minutes went by, every now and again I looked back at the parents who looked ready to charge at this point. I had thought of moving away from her but I didn't want to move in fear of retaliation. I could see the three males walk over towards where the parents were. They were talking about something with the mother and father. One of the three males was giving me a nasty looking expression that made me nervous. I honestly thought at any moment things could turn bad, but it never did because I was saved just in the nick of time by Rainbow and Fluttershy. The filly seemed to take a newfound interest in Rainbow when she noticed them approach. The reaction from the foal was interesting to say the least. It seems Rainbow held some degree of popularity amongst the locals. She used this leverage to lure the foal away from me and to her parents. Letting out a breath I was holding I saw Fluttershy walk over to me with a worried expression. After I reassured her I was ok by giving a nod I looked over to see the parents moods changed from worry to relief with the return of their foal. Rainbow, in a confident looking manner spoke to the small crowd. About what I could only guess. After the interaction the parents left in a bit of a hurry with their foal giving me a wide berth like the unicorn did. After they disappeared and went in the direction of town, I could see Rainbow conversing with the three males. I also took notice on how Fluttershy was hiding her face with her hair as she sat near me. At first I was confused as I didn't see what could be causing this, but when I saw that she was taking glances at one of the guys Rainbow was talking to, I pieced together she must be into one of them. Before I could guess who I felt Fluttershy nudge my leg with her nose. She looked up at me before she pointed a hoof towards her cottage. Nodding at her gesture I watched as Fluttershy said her goodbye to Rainbow. After standing up I saw the one pony who was giving me the stink eye earlier still looking at me. He had a tan coat with his mane being green with matching green eyes. His expression was a mix of contempt and slight disgust, whereas before it was just a glare. He did have one of those tattoos on his flank like his friends had, but I didn't get to see what it was. Seeing is how Fluttershy was already making her way back home I followed. I guess I should have known some would take offence to my presence. As long as it remained a minority amongst the population I could deal with a few nasty looks my way. [Later that night, Golden Oaks Library] Twilight was pacing back and forth across the first floor of the library. Normally she would have been in bed hours ago but something was keeping her awake. Ever since Fluttershy had returned from the Everfree her minds been constantly running non-stop. She was still trying to figure out how Fluttershy managed to survive for that long and still manage to get back alive. While she had confidence in her friend, surviving the Everfree for a little over a week was no small feat. There had been tales of species hardened by war going through that place and never coming out. What adds to this mystery is the fact that she came back in bandages. Until recently Rainbow Dash had been too busy to talk, so she was still unsure about a lot of things. Stopping to look over the notes she had made about this there was also the question of her recent checking out of certain books. The books in question were the kind that you would have at a school. For foals just learning to read. I knew Fluttershy was more literate than that. She ruled out the possibility of Fluttershy watching over someponies foals. For one almost everypony in town had heard of what happened and I doubt anypony would be willing to just shove that responsibility on her so soon after going through that. From what I managed to get from Rainbow she found her outside the forests southeast border. She didn't elaborate as during that moment all were too focused on the fact that Fluttershy was alive. However, a few days before her return we had to get one of the girls to occasionally visit the cottage to feed the animals and to make sure everything was ok there because Rainbow was absent during that length of time. When I have the free time I am going to go visit that area and see if there is anything to see before I go visit Fluttershy. [Some days later] Picking up the saddle bag and putting it on I said goodbye to spike. At most I was going to be gone for a day, so he should be fine. Walking out of the front door and locking it with the key I pulled out the map and looked at the area I circled. Putting the map away I closed my eyes and focused my magic. Upon casting the spell I felt the familiar sensation as I warped from the front of the library to an open grass field. After I spotted the sea of dark colored trees I made my way over to them. I had originally thought I would find something small. Like signs of a struggle, signs of Timberwolves. But no. I found something much more. When I had started to descend the hill that was closest to the forests edge, I found something I couldn't explain. The best thing I could compare it to would be a caravan cart. This thing had wheels, it looked to be made of some type of dark grey metal with strange shaped windows. It was so different than anything I had ever seen. Moving closer I was on high alert for anything that could be nearby or even inside this thing. Getting closer I took notice of how the windows on the thing were broken. I moved carefully as I levitated any broken pieces of glass I could find. Turning to get a look at the other side I saw it was identical. I couldn't really tell which was the front or back, but when I was able to peek inside to see seats made of some kind of leathery material I noticed that all of them seem to be facing the same direction. I don't like to make any assumptions of course but for now I'll identify what is the front and back based on which direction the chairs were facing. After I levitated more glass off the ground I examined one of the four doors. The handle, like the rest of whatever this is, it looked just as alien as everything else. I tried pulling with my magic up and down, side to side, but it didn't budge. It was only when I pulled towards me that the handle moved, but the door remained shut. I didn't want to have to crawl in through the window, so for now I took to examining the "back". Like the "front" there was two glass looking objects near the edges. Unlike the front however these were red. There was a metal plate written in a language I couldn't read. There was also what looked to be some kind of handle. Again, pulling on it with my magic I tried different directions of pulling before I managed to once again pull it towards me. The handle went upwards and the top of the whole back end swung down and landed with a loud boom. The whole thing scared the crap out of me. It was hard to see since there was a thin black surface covering the top of this space blocking most natural lighting. With my heart pounding twice as fast I illuminated the dark space, half expecting to see some kind of freaky looking alien creature, but to my relief it was a few metal boxes and a couple of bags. I examined some of the objects within. Tools, canned goods with writing I again couldn't read, and some objects I had no idea what purpose they served. After I was done I levitated it all back into the space I used my magic to see if I could shut the door that I opened. It was a little heavy but when I set the door back to its original position I heard a click. After loosening my magic grip it stayed in place. Going back to the side I looked at the broken window next to the one that was still in tact. After I cast a life detection spell I saw that there was nothing living nearby save for the nearby bugs in the grass. I thought about what my next step should be, should I contact Celestia? Should I keep this a secret for now and study it further on my own time? After I had contemplated on whether or not to pursue the latter option I decided against it. The last thing I needed was to get in trouble with the authorities. Or Celestia forbid, The Council. Now of course the question concerning Rainbow and Fluttershy, why would they keep this a secret? The only way I could get clarity was to ask them myself. I needed to be careful on who I choose to reveal this information to as to not spread panic. For now I won't bring the rest of the girls into this, but I needed to get answers. Starting with Fluttershy.
Part 6View OnlineTrianglePart 6Stepping out of the shower and onto the towel I set on the floor I turn to the mirror. Kneeling down a bit I wiped the mirror to see my face. I would have liked to shave the beard that had grown over the course of several months, but I didn't have the right tools or shaving cream to do so. I would have to resort to more primitive methods if those two things didn't exist here. Taking the towel that rested near the sink I dried myself off before hanging up both towels to dry. Reaching for my underwear I slipped them back on and reached for my clothes next. Only to realize that I had forgotten them in my room. Oh well. Opening the bathroom door into a dark hallway I crept out into the hallway. Shutting off the bathroom light I went slowly down the chilly corridor to my room. The shift from day to night must have happened while I was in there. That aside, it has been a lot more spacious around here lately. I was honestly glad that some of the animals that dwelled in Fluttershy's cottage have left. I had originally thought that they lived here, but turns out that they just come here occasionally if they needed a place to stay, mostly for injuries or if they were sick or something like that. Reaching the door to my room I reached for the handle, opened the door, went inside, and flipped the light switch. After I was done clothing myself in a comfortable shirt and pants, I grabbed one of the books that was left undisturbed on the bed and flipped through it as I sat down on the floor. I took note how the closer to the end you got the harder the words were. Once I reached the end I shut the book and set it on the nightstand. Resting my chin on my right hand I stared at the floor and let my thoughts wander. The room was so quiet that I started to hear my own heartbeat with the occasional creak from the house. I was staring at one spot on the floor for the longest time, unblinking. That was until I heard something else. A new sound. Blinking I turned my gaze and concentrated to see if I could hear it again. Minutes passed after not hearing it for the second time. I was about to chalk it up to me just hearing things. Until I heard it again. Now curious I got up and started moving slowly over to the door I opened it. I could now hear it more clearly than before. Creeping out of the door and into the hallway I made my way to the head of the stares. About halfway I heard it and realized what, or rather who one of them were. Fluttershy was conversing with someone I didn't recognize. I took one more step, causing the floor to creek. This caused a pause in their speaking. I waited for the talking to start up again, but it never did. The only thing I heard after they stopped was the sounds of hooves against wood. Slowly I saw Fluttershy come into view. I heard the stranger speak her name as they too walked towards her. As I watched the stranger walk into view and stand next to her, she slowly followed Fluttershy's gaze. Her eyes widened as she laid eyes on me. She was a purple unicorn with a dark purple mane with purple and hot pink stripes. We stared at each other for the longest time. I felt like hours passed. The downstairs light was on but it was still dark upstairs. The switch to flip the light near the stairs was down there, so I was unable to, which wasn't good because the newcomer didn't exactly look like she wanted to say hello. The first one to make a move was the purple unicorn. Who slowly moved her left forearm in front of Fluttershy and started to back away. Fluttershy kept uttering a single word, presumably the unicorns name but she wasn't listening, she just kept backing up until she was out of sight. Upon hearing the front door opening and shutting I walked downstairs. I was just able to make it to the foot of the stairs to witness a flash of light from outside. Walking up to the front window I saw nothing but the fading purple glow of the unicorns horn. Opening the front door and stepping outside I got maybe five feet from the doorway before I knocked into something. Seeing a clear purple surface appear where my body had made contact, I watched as it slowly faded away into thin air. Extending my arm I felt and saw the same surface as before. It was some kind of force field. I was able to make out in the dark the unicorn speaking to Fluttershy, but I heard no sound. I don't know what the unicorn was telling her but she was lowering herself to the ground with every sentence the unicorn spoke. I was nervous before, but now my heart beat was starting to increase. I don't know who this is but I was beginning to get concerned not only for my safety, but for Fluttershy's as well. The unicorn kept scolding her until I thought she would start sinking into the ground. I don't know what was considered impressive when it came to whatever sorcery this was, but whatever powers this unicorn may have yet to display put me on edge. For all I knew she could cause me to explode by simply staring at me. Or turn me into god knows what by a simple flash of her horn. I saw the unicorn light up her horn again, which caused me to start banging on the surface with the palms of my hands. When I saw Fluttershy disappear in a flash of purple light. I froze. Did she just make her disappear? Did she vaporize her? Was she dead??? The purple unicorn walked up to me and stared at me, her expression a look of both frustration and unease. I don't know what she had in store for me but I imagined the worst. I started to try different areas, trying to see if there was a way out, but this force field surrounded the whole house and no matter how hard I pounded on it, it didn't break or crack, it just kept absorbing my blows. She just stood there, watching me struggle to get out of her cage. My rising stress and anxiety compelled me to keep trying. But it did nothing. Some time passed before I was able to notice another flash of purple where I last saw her standing. Noticing she was gone did little to calm my nerves. I just started to pace since force was doing nothing. Awhile passed before I went back into the house and sat down on the couch. I bounced my leg trying to calm myself. I didn't know what was going to happen, but other than being trapped, nothing seemed to be going on. Some of the birds in the bird houses came out along with some other smaller critters. I didn't pay them much mind, but it was somewhat comforting that I wasn't alone in here. Every so often I would look out the windows to check for anything, but nothing ever came. This went on for the rest of the night. It wasn't until several hours after the sun had rose what I noticed something outside. [Twilight POV, Several hours ago] I found myself pacing across the first floor of the library yet again awaiting their arrival. There was no way that thing in Fluttershy's house and that strange metal vehicle weren't connected. I was keeping Fluttershy here with me. I don't know what they royal guard would do to her when they found out an alien was staying in her house. I hope it won't be anything severe. I'm sure Fluttershy's heart was in the right place but it would be one thing if it was a pony, or even a gryphon or minotaur. But this? This thing was not something that was native to Equiestria, or any other foreign land I knew of. A part of the world that had yet to be explored? Maybe. Even so we don't know what this thing is capable of, or what it wants. I didn't pick up on any type of mind control lingering in her mind, but I was in a hurry, so further testing might be needed to make sure. It wasn't able to break free of the shield so no immediate signs of magical ability. Stopping to focus I felt that the shield was still up and undamaged, which was a relief. I wonder if- *Knock Knock Knock* Immediately rushing over to the door I opened it to see three royal guards. Two Pegasus and one unicorn. Three... THREE?! ALL THIS TIME IT TOOK AND THEY SEND THREE?! "Ms. Sparkle?" The unicorn asked. "Yesss?" I could feel my left eye twitch. This can't be it. "Were here responding to your message. We came as soon as we could." "I'm sorry. But is this...all?" I asked. Hoping that there were more waiting somewhere nearby. After clearing his throat he responded with. "Yes, we were the only ones available to be dispatched to Ponyville." I could feel my eye twitch again. "I- I see. Right. Shall I direct you to the scene of the disturbance?" With a nod from him, the unicorn and his two squad members followed me. With the sun rising about half way to Fluttershy's house, it brought a sense of comfort in this stressful situation. After arriving on scene I saw that the lights had been shut off. Getting closer I noticed that one of the windows that had been open before was now shut. I tried to voice my concern to him but he stopped me mid sentence. "Ma'am, I understand your concern. However we have been trained to deal with situations like these. Whoever is inside I'm sure we are capable of handling them." That would be true if the fugitive was a pony, but we don't know the full extent of what this thing is capable of doing. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe I should have been more truthful. But if I told them that an alien was in Fluttershy's house who would believe me? "You said that you erected a barrier correct? If you wish to help us allow us to pass through while keeping it active." Understanding what he meant, I cast another spell concentrated on the three of them. With a quick flash of my horn I said they were clear to pass. With that, all three of them made their way to the house. Sitting down I waited and watched the royal guard made their way up to the house. [POV: Sargent Gem Dust] Walking closer to the house I took notice in all the windows that I could see had curtains shut. No lights were on as far as I could tell. I had Swift Cloud and Violet Rain flanking me, ready to receive my orders. Even though the odds seemed to be in our favor with the shield, Ms. Sparkles lack of description of the intruder plus the earlier known fact that the windows curtains were shut left me a bit uneasy. She claimed she couldn't get a good look at whoever it was, only that it "Looked vaguely like a pony standing on there hind legs." Slightly slowing my pace I felt the familiar tingly sensation of passing through a magical shield. My two squad members followed suit. Approaching the door I raised a hoof to knock on it. After I announced my presence I waited to see if somepony would answer. Unsurprisingly after twenty seconds later, I tried again. Then a third time after nothing happening. When I waited for a good minute I used my magic to grip the door to find it locked. Taking in some air then letting it out I reached with my magic to pull out the keyring. For the most part Ponyville's locks were made by the same manufacturer and have the same pinning system. After trying several master keys I found the right one. Turning the lock with my magic I tested to see that it worked. After putting away the keys I twisted the knob again and pushed, but it only got so far before it was stopped by something. Pushing with my front hooves didn't do much of anything. Looking back at Swift and Violet I motioned with my head to the door and they both joined in with pushing. It took effort and time, but we got it to where the door was wide open enough for us to slip in. As I suspected, it was pitch black in there, causing the uneasy feeling in my stomach to grow. Lighting up my horn I once again called out. "This is the royal guard, make your presence known!"