Chapters I've always dreamed of becoming an astronaut. I was fascinated at the bravery one pony could have to risk their lives like that. They relied on technology that could fail at any moment to lift them into their dreams. How much more awesome can you get? I remember the tale of Neil Hoofstrong, the first stallion in space. I actually met him one time. I still have his autograph he gave me. It's an ancient relic to me, worth no money.
That autograph inspired me. There's no denying it, I wanted to be an astronaut. I wanted to see the beauty of space for myself. I chased that dream for a long time, and now I'm here. I wouldn't have thought that I, Twilight Sparkle, would make it into space. I don't believe it myself, sometimes. When I was told by Princess Celestia herself that I was chosen to press into our galaxy to find and extract alien objects, I thought I had reached heaven. I was given a small, agile ship. I named it the Dolphin for its bottle nose top. The liftoff was so nerve wracking I cried. When I was heading toward the sky, flying in a spaceship, I nearly fainted and squealed with joy.
Stars are all around me, and they have been for quite a while, A couple days to be precise. One thing that bothers me about being up here is... well... the space food. It is really nasty and I think I'd rather eat coral from a reef. It's the only thing keeping me alive, though. Ever since yesterday, I've had an odd planet in my sight. It gets bigger and bigger every hour of the day. It's green and blue from what I've seen.
I've spent my time wondering what's on that planet. Could there be life? What kind of life would there be? Would they be ponies like us, or would they be creatures with hands like Spike?
Spike. I wonder how he's doing, with me being gone and all. It must be hard for him. Heck, it's probably hard for all of my friends. I'm up here with no support but a small rocket. Celestia gave me a video camera to record my findings. I've taken several pointless pictures and video footage on stars and asteroids. However, when I found this planet, I just had to take a million pictures of it. I have to be careful, I may fill it up too fast.
I wonder how this planet will greet me? Will it be friendly or hostile? Will it be full of happy creatures, or will it be full of plants that want to latch on to my face? Will it be both? Will I leave alive? I've been sent out to space with a 31 day air support. It shouldn't be a problem, for I might not stay on the planet for more than a few days. Even then, my camera may be full of memory after the first hour, and there's 1,300 picture memory on this thing. “Pictographer 1,300”, gee wonder where it got its name.
I'm starting to notice that the closer I get to this planet, the more rocks start to surround me. I'm taking this thing off of auto drive, I don't feel like dying today. Putting my hooves on the wheel makes me think about a question I asked myself when I graduated collage. “Why did I spend 10 years of my life for a 31 day trip?” and to be frank, I do not know the answer. I said that I would find the answer on this trip and I expect that planet to have the answer.
This is starting to get dangerous. These asteroids aren't just getting bigger, they're moving all over the place. I'm swerving left and right, up and down to avoid these things. Asteroids aren't going to hold me back, though! I'm going to get to that planet! My determined face is now on me as I barrel roll the Dolphin left, right, up, down, diagonal, kerblashonal, any direction you can name. I feel my heart pounding. I finally know what it's like for my life to hang in a few dodges of a rock. I think I'm in a meteor shower. If I turn out to be right, then crud. The planet is covering almost all of the windshield now! There's no turning back. I'm starting to feel pressure on me, so I must be entering it's atmosphere. I wonder if--
CRASH!
I swing to the right violently as my lunch almost came up. Didn't taste any different coming up. The red alert button in my ship is flashing and a siren is going off. Oh no! The Dolphin's left flank has been hit! I'm unstable! The rocket isn't turning around! Nothing's working! Gravity is starting to pull me in! I'm getting sucked into the planet!
This isn't happening. Please, tell me this isn't happening! I'm pushing all of the buttons I can to try and stop this thing from completely exploding, taking me with it. All of the combos I've learned haven't helped me. I'm just swinging my arms in the air now, screaming like a filly. I don't know what good that will do me, since the nearest help is around 15 million miles away.
I'm getting unreal hot. The Dolphin is on a crash course for Planet X as a falling fireball of doom and sadness. The pressure is starting to hurt my head. I notice some kind of force pushing against the Dolphin, as the exterior parts are beginning to rattle. Suddenly, to my left, a sharp snap is heard as I notice a part is missing. Then to my right, snap! Bang! The ship is falling apart! I can see the ground. Its green portal to Tartarus greets me with pleasure. Suddenly, I start to think of regrets I have.
Why did I let myself get hit? Why did I kill Twilight Sparkle? Why did you make your friends mourn your death that you caused? Couldn't you at least have had kids before you died? Why do I still not know what chocolate milk tastes like?
Suddenly, the regrets stop. I can't hear, the siren turned quiet. I can't feel, the buttons are too far away. I can't move, the pressure is too much. I can't think, there is nothing to think about. I can see, but all that I can see... is my worst nightmare.
Pain. That is the best definition of my current state. Am I dead? Opening my eyes, I see a lot of green and hear buzzing sounds. If this is what it's like being dead, then being dead stinks. I'd much rather be sitting in a chair in Heaven watching the history channel. I can still feel, it seems. I have a raging headache and my legs feel like jelly. I've come to the scientific conclusion that I am alive. Right now, I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
Looking behind me, I see something that discourages me to breathe anymore. The Dolphin, or at least what was the Dolphin, is a mess. It's nose-dived into the ground and at least 30 parts are missing. This is just what I wanted to see, as I only have 30 more days to live. I must be the luckiest mare in the world. I'm probably the only mare in the world, actually.
I think fate is giving me a few more days to live. That being said, there's no use standing around a broken ship. I'm going around the area, feeling these huge plant like things. They are exactly like the ones back in Equestria. I feel like I'm in a jungle of sorts, with all of these gigantic leaves and trees. It's a very calm little place, and as of right now, I feel no danger. It's like the planet is welcoming me happily to my last month of life.
Strangely enough, my suit is completely in tact and the only thing that hurts is my horn. I can't use magic well in this suit anyway. The magic in my horn is transferred to a small antenna on the top of my helmet, then the magic is released with a strange whistle like noise. I was warned about using it around animals, for they have an odd reaction to it. However, I can't seem to find any animals, just a lot of trees and leaves.
Oh? What's this? The dirt on the ground here is making a strange pattern around a big black rock. Is it alive? I'm scared to touch it, I think it might eat me. Then again, I've been feeling all of these strange plants and my skin hasn't started to yellow yet, so it MIGHT be safe. Well, what do I know? This planet is very homey, but still, I know nothing about this planet. I can only take wild guesses at what's alive, what's inanimate, and what's going to kill me for good.
… No way. Laying next to the rock is... MY CAMERA? Of all of the things to make it... gosh, I swear sometimes I feel like a puppet playing out a play that some supernatural being set up for me. How am I suppose to get it? My head kills every time I try to use my magic, so the only way is to go get it. I'm afraid that... whatever it is... is going to kill me. I'm paranoid of the power of something that doesn't even seem to be alive. Hi, my name is Twilight Sparkle and you now think I'm a complete wimp.
I'm sneaking up on the black... rock... onion... looking thing. I'm in range of my camera now. Please don't bite my hoof off, please don't bite my hoof off! My hoof slowly reaches for the camera. I'm sweating like a farm worker. Almost... have... it!
Suddenly, the rock turns red and pops up into the air. I'm turned to stone, petrified of the flying red rock. It has a small flower on the top of it's head as it turns loose three legs. It gently lowers itself onto the ground and pops a red seed-like thing out of the top of it. For all I know, it could be a bomb.
The red blob plops into the ground and a tiny leaf buds out from the ground like a flower. I stand there for another half of a minute, making sure that it's not going to eat me. When I finally get the courage to move, I first check to see that I haven't wet myself in fear. … Nope, doesn't look like it, surprisingly. I'm walking around the three legged being, wondering what it is. I don't know the name for this thing, but for some reason it reminds me of... an onion. I'm calling it an Onion from now on Once I get over myself, I realize something.
This is incredible! An actual alien species of life rests before my very eyes! If only it could communicate or understand me, this would be the best moment of my life! I grab my camera quickly and take many pictures from all angles of the Onion. If only somepony could see these pictures. After totally going crazy over the onion, I turn my attention to the small being it spit out, which is still sticking out of the ground.
The leaf has an odd red glow surrounding it. The red stem that the leads into the ground is odd as well. It's bobbing back and forth in rhythm, which is actually kind of cute. When I get in range of the small little leaf, it flinches straight up and freezes as it looks in my direction. Slowly, I start to reach for the being.
I quickly bump the leaf and it bends its stem over to me. It sticks up straight again, but this time it makes a noise. A little high pitched “mmm!” from below the surface. It points up with its stem a few times and makes more “mmm!” sounds. I'm starting to think it wants me to pull it up.
Unbelievable! The being can communicate! I shall do what it wishes, or at least what I think it wishes. I'm scared that I may kill it by pulling it up, but I have to take the chance. I wrap my hoof around the stem nervously as I start to pull. It's not coming up with such little force, so I put my other hoof on it and pull as hard as I can. I hear a “pop” and fall over on my back, carrying the force that I put into pulling that creature.
I look up and I see something magnificent. It's a small red being on two legs. It looks at me with curious eyes. It has a long, sharp nose and it has two other arms. It's physical body reminds me of Spike. The leaf and stem were merely a part of his head. The being jumps up and down as it rushes over to me. It grinds a halt beside me and stays. It's not acting hostile, but it's just staring curiously. I stupidly attempt to communicate.
“Umm... H- Hello?” I say. The being responds to me, surprisingly.
“Moo!” It says. Or at least that is the sound I hear coming from it. I need a name for this species of creatures. Considering how I discovered this being, I'm going to call it a “Pikmin”.
Day 1, Part 2: The Engine
Oh, golly, this is exciting! A seemingly friendly alien species stands right before me! The Pikmin doesn't seem to care that an endless stream of snapshots is attacking it. Once I'm done jumping around in excitement, the Pikmin points to his left.
“Moo!” He yells. I look over to see a gigantic flower with a red petal.
“You want to go over to that flower?” I ask, not having even the slightest clue what he's trying to say to me. He bounces up and down and starts to run over to the flower with more excitement than a Pinkie Pie with a balloon. I calmly walk over to him as he still points to the flower petal. He starts jumping to try and reach for it. I can't help but laugh a little at the adorable attempt inside.
I'm instantly reminded of Spike, when he used to jump for the candy on top of the fridge. It was hopeless, but he wanted it nonetheless. The Pikmin has the same courage as my little dragon friend and won't stop jumping until he reaches his destination.
The Pikmin suddenly starts to preform an action with his arms. He jumps as he arches his arms over his head in a throwing position, as if throwing a heavy ball in the air. I take it that he wants me to throw him up to the petal, so I pick him up and aim him for the flower's beautiful red center.
“Is this what you want me to do?” I ask the creature.
“Moo!” He responds. It's not like I expected him to say anything different.
With carefulness and persition, I toss the Pikmin in the air. I look up in time to see him flying like a rocket through the air, as though he could glide. He grabs on to the flower with force. I expected him to suck some kind of liquid out of the flower with that long, pointy nose, but something rather unexpected happens.
He slams the flower with his head a few times and the flower starts to wiggle. Suddenly, the flower retreats quickly into the ground, leaving it's red center behind, laying lifelessly on the ground.
Astounding! I would have never believed that this is how nature would work out on this planet! If gigantic flowers retreat into the ground after being attacked by midgets, who knows what anything else does! I'm excited to see the beautiful organisms on this planet react to each other in ways such as this!
The only problem is that I keep remembering that I have thirty days to live. My suit indicates that this planet is home to the alien molecule called “Oxygen”. If merely two breaths of Oxygen were breathed by a pony such as me... I shudder to think about it.
While lost in my train of thought, I've noticed that my little red friend is heftily carrying the red core of the flower back to the Onion Spaceship that he landed in. What could he possibly be doing with it? I'm deciding to name the core a “color pellet”.
The Pikmin lies the core directly below the Onion. The Onion lights up and starts making odd sounds, reminding me of a wa-wa machine that is used in... oh what did Vinyl call it... wubstep? Something along those lines. The onion forms a swirly light around the color pellet as the red Pikmin steps back and... ehem... “moos”.
Then the Onion did something I would have never expected. It surprised me so much I flinched! The Onion's bottom side opens up to reveal a hole that starts making a sucking sound effect. This Onion slurps up the color pellet as if it were a vacuum and makes a grinding sound effect. It reminds me of when I used to vacuum all of the candy pieces Pinkie Pie was too lazy to pick up.
Suddenly, the top of the Onion now opens up and makes a loud, annoying noise, kind of like a leaf-blower. Two more bulbs with leaves pop out and plop into the ground. The leaves pop up and start moving.
Pulling at the leaves, I see two more identical clones of the same exact species of organisms are right before my eyes. They moo in victory and happiness as they form a circle and start waving their leafy heads back and forth in simultaneous motion. It's like they are part of a marching band with their deadly accurate motions.
They suddenly all surround me and start to jump and... moo. I feel like a deity... either that or a mother. I can't really decide which one, both of them have a huge responsibility. I look around me and every 15 or so feet I see a color pellet flower. Hmm... maybe I can...
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Whew! That sure did take a while! I went around the forest clearing and got all of the pellets I could. I'm now surrounded by at least thirty of these magnificent beings. It's wonderful to see them work together for a lovely family cause. Seeing them all dance around me in joy makes my heart sink in adorableness. I've shed a tear at one point today I think... maybe two.
Suddenly, I realize there is a chugging sound hitting my left ear faintly. This is probably something I should have noticed before, but I guess I was too excited by the Pikmin and nature.
The plants here really fascinate me. I feel so small because I can see the plant's veins. If I squint down hard enough, I could probably see their stomata as well. They probably do, but I wonder if they preform photosynthesis as they do in Equestria. The thought puzzles me as I'm heading towards the sound.
I can hear the sound clearly now, but it's on the other side of this big wall I'm in front of. In closer inspection, a part of it really isn't a wall, but some kind of smooth, papery object that crackles if I bend it's edges too much.
The problem is that I can't move it. My magic's dead and my physical strength is not one thing to be proud of. Simply put, I can't do anything. However, the paper structure starts moving after a while. In total disbelief that I moved it, I open my eyes only to see something incredible.
The Pikmin are working together to move the object! They've all found a spot on the wall and are easily pushing it out of the way. The sure adorableness is making my eyes either water or melt, I can't tell which one. Maybe both.
I go around the corner to see something I'd never thought I'd see ever again. Of all things, the sound is coming from my ship's engine! It's perfectly fine and even running somehow! I'm in so much happiness and disbelief that I'm crying. Legitimately, I'm crying at the sight of my working engine.
Just like they had done before, the Pikmin surround my engine and lift it up. They grunt as they head toward me with the massive metal object, but if I was carrying that thing, I'd be making more sounds than grunting. Possibly even swearing at it to move an inch.
“Alright, guys. This way! Follow me!” I shout at them. As expected, the little plant specimens follow my every step. In no short of three minutes, we're back at the ship. The odd thing is, though is that it's up on it's tail like it should be. How could this be? I nose dived down, so there should be no reason it's standing up. Even some of the scratches have been patched up with leaves perfectly. Though it bothers me, I'll accept it. Thanks to whoever did that for me, I guess.
I open the hatch of the Dolphin as it sucks the engine right up into the main hold. Suddenly, the lights in the cockpit light up and the Dolphin begins to puff smoke from the bottom. I can't believe it! Because the engine is back in place, I can actually lift off for a while!
...Which I'm going to be taking advantage of quite soon, because who knows what lies in this wistful wild at night? I sure don't want to know. I guide the Pikmin back into their Onion safe and soundly and open my ship's cockpit.
It feels amazing to sit in this thing again. To my right, I see a paper and pencil. I think that I'm going to record my findings, for I have new found hope for returning to home with these Pikmin at my side. These beings willing to help me return home, I don't know how to express my gratitude yet. All I can do is lead them and help them survive.
On my way up into the dark, night sky, I see that the union is lifting up with me as well. As long as my engine holds up, I sincerely hope that the Pikmin and I have a good night's sleep, for we will need it for the upcoming journey.
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Day 2, Part 1: The Forest Of Hope... and Fear
I'm now awake after a rough night's sleep filled with nightmares. Those wretched dreams filled with memories of my beloved friends, I can't seem to get them out of my space-stranded head. The horrors keep revisiting me daily, reminding me that I most likely will never see my friends or my tutor again. The fate of ten years of training led to all of this; the most fantastic last adventure a hero could ever ask for.
I'm suddenly reminded that I do have friends with me when I look to my left. The Pikmin's union is floating along side me in the endless space, giving me a warm feeling. It proves that you can always have a friend, no matter what planet you're on.
The union is shaking, fighting its feeble way through the harsh, sucking current of gravity, as if begging me to land for the day and set off for another adventurous day. Acknowledging that, I look down to my opponent and see a glimmer on his big, round face.
“All, right! Let's go!” I see encouragingly to myself as I prepare to land back down on the planet. I put on a determined smile, kind of like awesome heroes do in movies.
But all of a sudden, something breaks my awesome smile and throws me off guard. No, not another bloody asteroid, for if another one of those hit me I'd give up and completely believe that I am a rock magnet in the span of two seconds. No, it was an union! The shape was exactly like one, except it was moving insanely fast! Some kind of boosters were on it's side, and now it's heading directly toward the Forest of Hope! There's no more time to waste! The Pikmin I have with me and I are chasing after that union to find out exactly what the Pikmin in there are up to.
I force the throttle on the Dolphin to full so hard it hurt my hoof. I'm now driving with one hoof and shaking the other in pain. Note to self: never try out as a totally epic actor, you would stink.
Bursting through the clouds, I can still see the speeding Onion, which is something I'd never thought I'd say, let alone see. It suddenly makes a sharp, almost ninety degree turn to level with the ground. With a “whoa!” shout, I pull the steering wheel with a flinch and slam the breaks. Once I am level, I hit full throttle again and continue chase of the odd union. I keep gaining and gaining on it, until fate decides to say “nope” and gives me and overheated warning. Thanks, fate, you're awesome.
I slam the breaks once again and turn the ship so it will land properly on the ground below me. I lower it to the ground gently and with precision. Once the Dolphin lands, I hop out of the cockpit and smile.
“Hey! That wasn't so bad! Catastrophe averted.” I say proudly.
Of course, the union that I had forgot about up in the atmosphere crash lands in front of me upside down, with burn marks, and then makes a “tsssss” sound when it stops moving completely. Whoops.
After sighing at my own stupidity, I walk over to the fried Onion, which is something I could really use right now, and I knock on the top of it. The door opens up and a poor, sweating, red stick figure pops out, falling face first into the dirt.
“Sorry.” I say shamefully.
“Mmm.” The red Pikmin muffles into the brown mush.
I look around to see thick trees. Big surprise, I know, but these are oddly bigger than the ones at The Impact Site. I must be smack dab in the middle of The Forest of Hope! Will I die today? Only one way to find out!
I use my whistling antenna... thingy... to call out the other 39 Pikmin from the Onion. I suddenly hear a lot of fidgeting noises from the inside of the Onion as it starts bouncing around. All the Pikmin suddenly pour out of the Onion like a stream of red coffee... eww.
It would be pointless to ask them all if they knew that Onion considering that they were born yesterday, so I discard the thought and begin my journey into the Forest of Hope. It's like a nice walk in the park of anxiety and futuristic death. Fun!
It kind of reminds me of when my friends and I dreaded the Everfree Forest, walking through it with the first time, acting as scared as Fluttershy when her animals get sick. Every snap of a twig is like a lightning strike, fierce and scary.
We all stop in our tracks as we are faced with another obstacle blocking our way, one that invokes the mightiest fear we've ever felt; a spotted bug on two legs and beanstalk eyes sniffing at the ground about the size of one of my Pikmin. We're wimpy and we know it!
Some of the Pikmin are sweating and trembling at their poor, stubby feet. This must be some kind of predator to them! How am I suppose worm my way around this one? Does it have a fourteen feet poisonous tongue I can't see!? WHAT DOES IT DO!?
“Guys.... I'm n-new at this.... wh-what do I do?” I whisper to my midget battalion. One pulls at my left arm shyly and gulps. I have a bad feeling about this.
He demonstrates a throw like when Pikmin number 1 wanted the Candy-Pop Bud from the flower, then proceeds to slam his face into his hands.
“You want me to... THROW you on to that thing!?” I exclaim loudly. A little too loudly, perhaps, for the Pikmin quickly put their hands under their nose, shushing me. I quickly glance over, but the bug hasn't taken notice. Is it deaf?
“....Are you all sure?” I ask once again. They all nervously nod their head at me. By their behavior, I can guess this can only end horribly.
“Alright... Let's... do... it.” I say, timing my whispers with my cautious hoofsteps. Pikmin in hand, I edge closer and closer to the bug, who is just sitting there like an orb, sniffing the ground. I've now decided to name these specimens Bulborbs.
My heart snaps as the tiny Bulborb looks up. I can see it's open beanstalk eyes staring at me and it's baby fangs dangling out of it's mouth. I never thought sheer terror could look so cute. We all stare at it as it does to us, not moving an inch. The Pikmin in my hoof is eager to be thrown at the tiny creature. All was calm until the creature opens its mouth.
“...Wah.”
“AAAAH! DIE, CRETIN!” I yell as I chuck the Pikmin out of my hoof with full force. Without looking where the Pikmin went, I immediately reach back, grab and throw another one, and another one, and another one. I end up chucking half of my little army over there before one moos at me to break my trance. He points over to where I threw them and I see them all staring at me, the Bulborb on the ground still.
“Oh. Eheh... Went a little overkill I guess.” I say as I start to walk over to the small beast. I poke it with my hoof and it makes a “squish” sound. Eww.
“Well,” I say with my battalion behind me, “that wasn't so bad! That could have been FAR worse!”
I suddenly hear a growling sound from behind me. Both the Pikmin and I freeze in place as we begin to hear heavy breathing mere inches behind us. Slowly, I begin to turn my head back toward the fear-inducing sounds, only to find that I've either shrunk more than I already have, or everything else grew.
Standing before me is another Bulborb. The only difference from the first one is that this one is about five times bigger... and angry. It's breathing so hard it sounds like it's panting. It's almost blazing red from the fury stored inside of it. What did I just say? “That wasn't so bad”?
“I just HAD to open my mouth. I just HAD to say it! As soon as I FINISH saying it!”
“WAAARGH!” The Bulborb roars. With a soiled space suit, the Pikmin and I take off running, me screaming like a banshee.
The only thing I can think right now is “GET AWAY”. The Pikmin are following me with the best of their ability. I can hear the Bulborb not too far behind though. I'm jumping over huge twigs and zooming past titanic leaves trying to make my escape, but I hear heavy footsteps and violent twig breaking still behind me.
I suddenly hear a high pitched scream. My heart suddenly sinks as I abruptly stop and turn around. I hate to see it, but a Pikmin has his foot stuck on a root sticking out of the ground. I'm whistling and whistling, but it's no use! He's stuck good on that branch!
The Bulborb suddenly breaks through the leaves and bushes. It looks down at the helpless being and growls. It suddenly starts to open it's gigantic mouth.
“NO!!”
“Weeh!”
The last thing I hear out of the creature was that squeal. I see it's crying eyes turning my soul to stone as I watch in horror the devouring of one of my heroic friends. The horrific beast growls at me, and turns around to leave as if to say “that's what you get”.
I'm crying and crying, unable to hold in the tears. For hours, it seems, I'm wandering back and forth, unable to get the image out of my head.
I'm lost in a hostile forest that rests on an unknown planet with ship parts scattered everywhere. Not to mention there are monsters that will eat my only ticket for survival in one bite. Suddenly, I begin to regret my decision of naming this place “The Forest of Hope”.
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Day 2, Part 2: Killer Bugs and Shiny, Green Memories
I might end up drowning in my own tears if I keep crying, but I can't stop. I've let my partners down. One of our comrades is dead. DEAD! Because of me! Since then, two more of my Pikmin have vanished, most likely abandoning my stupid flank. Just losing one Pikmin has caused me to lose all hope.
This is where I die; lost and hopeless in a forsaken alien forest. All I can see are the scarred faces of my cute little army. I'm lost in darkness, figuratively at the moment, but soon I'll be lost in the darkness literally and with no way out but death.
Breath escapes my body, carrying my precious time with it. The air tank on my back pesters me to move, but budge I do not. I simply stand in my own depression, horribly awaiting a bulborb or other alien creature to come along and eat me.
Suddenly, a red Pikmin tugs at my side frantically. I can feel his eager heartbeat through my suit as he touches me. A strange sensation, the feeling is. Perhaps he has found something?
The Pikmin pesters me to follow him with tugs on my space suit and odd noises. I can see sweat running down his face. When I finally decide to get up, the others are instantly alerted and rush to me. After mere feet, the Pikmin points into the woods. I peer into the woods and to my knowledge, it seems to be going slightly downhill. I almost question the Pikmin before I see a sparkle in the corner of my eye. Insane I may be, but imagine that I did not. That was real and I intend to find out what. Perhaps there is still hope? Most likely not, but it doesn't hurt to try.
I whistle to grab the Pikmin's attention. Pikmin's? Pikmins'? It appears I haven't discovered a possessive plural version of my new word yet. Anyway, they all jump to an military-like attention stance and await my next move. For the first time in hours, I smile. Smiling never felt so amazing.
The thick forest in front of me is more intimidating than a full grown dragon, but I must push through. I can't let this chance to return slip away! As soon as I take a step into the dark part of the forest, I hear unfamiliar sounds. I shake my head, gulp, and press on into the dark green portal leading to my worst fears with utmost difficulty.
Those same sounds I hear keep getting louder and louder, creating a reaction of my heart beating faster and faster. I flinch at every sound, every twitch of a leaf that my radar ears and eyes can process. Suddenly, a Pikmin makes a pipsqueak sound to my left and nearly makes me jump a foot. Then, I hear more and more of the same sound. I turn around to see what has grabbed my little troopers' attention, and to my very big surprise, they are climbing a plant stalk. It must be the pink spheres that attracted their attention. What could it hold, I wonder?
Once they reach the top of the stalk, they begin to ruthlessly beat the pink sphere with the leaves on their head. It's as if they're hypnotized by it, never stopping until it cracks and breaks. Suddenly, they all fall off of the red sphere, which actually turned out to be a berry, with sticky yellow fluid following them down in clumps. I stand like a clueless rock, staring at the Pikmin as they begin to slurp up the liquid with an unpleasant sound. The liquid is very sticky, yellow and edible, so I've decided to name it nectar after the similar substance back home. Then, something odd happens; the leaves on their heads turn into flowers! This is an incredible discovery! It is as if the nectar is a type of steroid to Pikmin! If only I had something to write it down on.
Once the nectar becomes completely sucked up, the Pikmin race back to me, jumping with energy and excitement. I suddenly feel… confident. My little troopers show that they’re ready for anything. I grow a determined face as I whip my head toward the thick woods. I still see the sparkle that I saw earlier, except a lot closer. I turn toward my Pikmin fearlessly.
“Alright, guys, we’re making a run for it. Are you all ready?” I ask to my battalion of little red plants. They jump in the air, probably signaling that they are prepared.
I flinch back at the sparkle with a smile and charge. I hear noises from all around me, but I ignore them. I’m leaping over huge branches and leaves fearlessly and I hear my Pikmin behind me with their tip-toe steps covering every fraction of a second. As the sparkle gets to be put mere feet in front of me, I take a leap of faith into it. I soon find myself sliding down a dirt hill, constantly staining the perfectly white suit I wear on my body. I stop sliding when I hit a hard object. Looking up to see what it is, I can’t believe my eyes.
Its green glow cannot be mistaken, this is the Sagittarius! Before I left, Spike gave it to me as a present. Looking down at it, my heart fills with sadness. Spike’s reflection appears on the shiny, green dome as I once again shed a tear for the second time today.
Suddenly, I hear that same grumbling noise I heard throughout the run through the thick forest again, coming from all around. What could it be that is stalking me? I look around but I see nothing! I feel most unnerved, staring into the forest, hearing fear but not seeing it. And then, a scream hurt my heart. The same scream that pierced my soul earlier this day. I look back to my battalion of little red soldiers to see one struggling for his life. I gasp as my heart begins to beat faster than a rock-band drummer solo and I whistle at them as loud as I can. The struggling soldier breaks free from the invisible monster, revealing its true identity. I am in shock to see that the enemy is no more than a bug with fangs. A mere bug shall not disrupt my quest for home! I grow a mean face as I grab a Pikmin from my army.
“Stupid bug,” I shout, “I will see to it that you will not best me! EAT MIDGET PLANT THING!”
I throw the Pikmin harder than I’ve ever thrown anything in my life, and since I’m Twilight Sparkle, that’s not saying much. I’m a bookworm nerd, not a baseball player, which is likely the worst possible physique for a survival situation ever. The Pikmin I threw flies through the air like a rocket and lands directly on top of the bug and slams it hard with its flower. The bug immediately flips over and stops moving and the Pikmin comes rushing back to me.
“YES!” I cheer, “I win! That wasn’t threatening at all!”
Suddenly, I hear the same sound again and my courage level drops to zero. I hear a scream to my left, then to my right, then two behind me, basically spinning me in circles. I shout and begin to run away from the scene, the free Pikmin following me quickly. After I travel a few yards, I turn around in horror as I see at least four of my best friends getting leisurely munching on by these demon spawned bugs.
“Hey! Stop munching on my friends, you wretched, single-minded bug-thingy!” I yell as I begin to catapult Pikmin from my hooves. At least ten Pikmin rain down on the bugs. I hear clicks, clacks, squeaks and squeals from the mini battlefield before me. I’m sweating up buckets as the battle rages on. After seconds that seemed like days, the horrible sounds came to a stop. The Pikmin rush back to me happily as though nothing happened. I’m astonished by how quickly these creatures’ moods can change.
I stare out into the place of which the battle was held, seeing six total purple bugs on the ground, not moving an inch. I slowly tip-hoof over to the corpses that lay on the ground to get a better look at my enemy. I see that their gigantic pincher-like fangs were not just used for attacking, but for digging. They had been stalking me from underneath the ground. Could this be why Pikmin do not sprout on their own? This is most likely the case, and because of this assumption, I have named the bugs “Shear Grubs”.
While not a threat to my physical body, these Shear Grubs are a threat to the Pikmin, so I must be on my guard. My attention wanes from the dead grubs and shifts to the Sagittarius, still sitting where it was before and just as battle-clean. It is as if it had a shield around it the entire time that protected it from any damage.
The Pikmin surround the Sagittarius and pop it up off of the ground with ease. They carry it over to me and stare at me. I still see little Spike’s reflection in the shiny dome. I know he would want me to not give up, so I must prevail! Equestria cannot do without its element of magic! The problem still remains, however; how will I get back to my ship before sunset?
Author's Note
I apologize for the wait, readers! I've been distracted by a lot of things (School, depression, etc.). I will upload more than once a month, I swear. Also unedited because my editor's computer is brokeded.
It's been one day since impact, and I've already found hope of returning. However, my hope is not high, for I've learned that this planet contains the deadly gas “oxygen”. This limits my survival horrendously. I have not but another 29 days to live with that gas around. In total, I also have 29 ship parts missing with the reunion with my engine. If I can somehow get those 29 ship parts in 29 days, I'll be set for home. But, if I can't get them... I shudder to think of the outcome.
So far I've only explored a small clearing in this forest; the place I crashed at. So, the name of that clearing shall be “The Impact Site”. I bet it's chock full of pellets and Pikmin creating material I haven't found yet, but I feel safe with my number of Pikmin currently, so I shall be heading out to a thicker part of the woods. Because of my new found hope for returning hope, I shall name this forest “The Forest of Hope”. I shall be landing there tomorrow morning and hopefully, oh so hopefully, regaining more ship parts.
