Evoker

Fluttershy was never a very heavy sleeper.  There was always the possibility that some nocturnal creature would need her help, and there was no way she would ever let any of her animal friends to be in trouble longer than they had to be.  Because of this she had been woken up by the sounds of crashing and howling from inside the Everfree Forest.

As she shrugged off the last vestiges of sleep she walked over to her window to see if she could find where the noise was coming from.  As her mind began waking up even more she realized that something was chasing another animal.

Not wanting any animal to get hurt she flew out her window and landed just outside her cottage and was about to head toward the forest when there was a bright flash of light and a loud bang from just inside the forest.  That alone almost made here run back into her house, had she not been frozen in place in fear.

‘Only a unicorn could have done something like that,’ Fluttershy thought, ‘I should go check to make sure nopony is hurt.’

Just as she was about to head into the forest a creature she had never seen before stumbled out of the trees.  Fluttershy had never even heard of a creature similar to the one that was near the edge of the forest.  It was a tall, lanky, relatively hairless creature that stood upright on two legs.  It had a head of short cut brown hair and it was clothed in short brown pants and a brown shirt with no sleeves.  Its clothes were ripped and torn in several places, and it had cuts and bruises all over its exposed skin.  It had a particularly bad gash on one shoulder that must have been the result of a fall.

But the most striking was its eyes.  It had bright blue eyes that seemed to hold so much intelligence.  More prevalent at the moment, however, was pain and fear.  This creature was suffering, Fluttershy noticed, and that was enough to spur her into action.  The creature collapsed as she got closer and Fluttershy feared the worst.  However, she was happy to find that her fears were unfounded.  As she examined the creatures face she realized it was examining her right back, until its eyes closed and it passed out.

The creature needed medical attention, and Fluttershy had a first aid kit back at her cottage.  She managed to get the creature onto her back, and was surprised at how heavy it was compared to how it looked.  She managed to get it back to her cottage though and began to set about taking care of it.

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When I awoke, I momentarily went through the disorienting experience of having no idea of where I was or how I got there.  I found myself lying on a couch in a strange room I had never seen before.  Slowly, the memories of the day before came back to me, and the weight of what had happened was beginning to dawn in my mind.

I had to get my mind of it, so I decided to take a look at my surroundings.  I was still too sore to consider getting up, but I was able to look around without much trouble.  It was moderately furnished, and most of the space was taken up by perches, cages, and holes for various animals to rest or live.  It was obvious that I had indeed managed to send myself to a world with intelligent beings.  ‘Now I just need to confirm that they have magic, and I may have a chance,’ I thought to myself.

Inevitably, the dull pain from my body led me to inspect my body and the various wounds I had no doubt gotten from the night before.  There were many little cuts and scraped on my arms and legs that had been meticulously cleaned.  However, I was most thankful that the gash on my shoulder had been cleaned and dressed by someone who at least had some basic medical training.

My entire body throbbed with pain, and there wasn’t much I could do besides waiting for everything to heal on its own.  Even if my magic wasn’t still drained, I didn’t have a spirit that could facilitate healing magic.  Even if I did, I had never been very good at it anyway.  I would just have to let everything heal the old fashioned way.

I began to shift my body into a more comfortable position.  This turned out to be a very bad idea because I stupidly put weight onto my injured arm.  The resulting yelp of pain followed by muffled curse words was very loud in the quiet cottage.  I was hoping that my outburst hadn’t bothered whoever had been kind enough to bring me into their home and take care of me when the creature from last night came in through a doorway.

“I remember you from last night.  What exactly are you?” I said aloud.  The last thing I expected to get was an answer.

“Well, I’m a pony.  A pegasus to be exact.  My name is Fluttershy,” she said softly enough that I could barely hear her.

I could only stare incredulously, not believing that this pony was talking.  I would have passed such a thing off as a dream, had I not had the constant, painful reminder that I was awake.  As I stared, the pony, Fluttershy, seemed to blush.  I decided I needed to say something, if only to be polite to what might be whoever saved me.

“Well, it is very nice to meet you Fluttershy.  Were you the one who saved me?”

She seemed to shrink back a little when I addressed her.  I can only assume that I was not a common sight here.

After what seemed like a long, awkward silence, she quietly said, “You were hurt and I just couldn’t let another creature be in pain.  Umm…If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are you?  I have never heard of a creature like you anywhere in Equestria.”

“I am a human, and to be fair, I have never seen a creature quite like you where I am from either.  At least, not one that could talk.”

She got an odd look on her face, as if trying to imagine a pony that was unable to talk.  The thought must have unnerved her because she quickly spoke up again.

“How are your injuries?” she asked, changing the subject.  “I didn’t exactly know what I needed to do, so I kept to the basics and cleaned your wounds and dressed the most serious one.”

“You did a great job.  I am still a little sore, but I didn’t have anything too serious.  I should be all better in a few days, maybe more,” I answered truthfully.

“Oh that’s good.  How exactly did you end up in the Everfree Forest in the first place?  Most ponies avoid going there.  It’s dangerous.”

“I actually didn’t have much of a choice.  I just sort of ended up there.  Trust me, if I could have avoided ending up in there I would have.  I am not in a very good shape to defend myself.  Even before finding myself in the forest,” I said quietly.

I didn’t like the direction the conversation was going.  If she kept asking questions I might have to tell the whole story of why I ended up in her world.  She was the first being I met on this world, and she had already gone out of her way to help me more than anyone from my world would have.  ‘I don’t want her to feel scared of me or betrayed,’ I realized.  ‘I know I will have to explain why I ended up here eventually, but I would really like to avoid it for as long as possible.’

Following that train of thought, I quickly said, “I am feeling a little tired.  Maybe we can talk a little more after I rest.”  It wasn’t exactly a lie.  I was still tired from my low magic reserves, and a good rest would help restore them.  I just didn’t exactly need to sleep to get that rest.  Sitting around and talking would have the same effect.  I just didn’t want to keep talking, at least not yet.

Luckily, she didn’t decide to press the issue of my appearance in the forest.  “I’ll let you rest then.  If you need anything, just ask.”

“Don’t worry, you have already done more than I would have expected,” I assured her.  Then something occurred to me, “I do have one question though.  Earlier, did you say you were a pegasus?”

“Yes, I did,” she said, stretching her wings, which I hadn’t noticed before, to their full extent.

I was amazed, to say the least.  A mythological creature had saved my life and taken care of me.  I was shocked, but I still had one more question, “Do all ponies have wings, or are there other kinds?”

“Not all ponies have wings.  There are unicorns that have horns and work magic, and there are earth ponies who don’t have a horn or wings.  There are also the princesses that have both wings and a horn and they have powerful magic,” she explained.

“Thank you for the information Fluttershy.  I think I should get some rest now.”

She started to leave the room, but stopped as something occurred to her.  “I forgot to ask this earlier, but if it isn’t too much trouble, could you tell me your name?”

While I honestly should have been expecting it, the question took me by surprise.  I gave it a bit of thought.  Do I give her my true name?  True names have power, and although I have no reason to think she would do me harm, there are others who may try to get that information.  But another thought occurred to me, ‘Do I really want to give her a name that has been wrongfully soaked in the blood of innocents and dragged through the mud?’  I thought back to my conversation with Aria, and I made my decision.

I turned to her and said, “I am called Evoker, and once again, I thank you for your help.”

Fluttershy gave a shallow nod and left me alone with my thoughts.  As I attempted to drift off to sleep I began to process the information I had been given.  There were unicorns here as well, which was amazing.  Two mythical creatures from my home are common here.  Even more important was the fact that there were beings who could do magic, including two who have more power than the normal magic users.  ‘I just may be able to track down my spirits, get home, and prove my innocence,’ I thought as I finally drifted off to sleep.