Strange Hooves

Chapters

Letters
Names
Books
Gems
Wings
Stories
Monstrosities
Travels I
Travels II
Finally Home
Warehouse Safehouse I
Warehouse Safehouse II
The Plan
The Trip
The Camp
First note
Stitches
Strange Ventures

Letters

Ow. Who would’ve thought that untreated, unbandaged bite wounds, combined with a few hours hike, two hooves to said injuries and finally nearly suffocating at the hands of a Pegasus would cause unconsciousness, eh? Heh…hehh…

The thing falls over backwards, releasing the now terrified Pegasus and lying down on the ground, and passes out to go greet the familiar nightmares of its memories.

Several hours later, inside of Fluttershy’s cottage, the thing lay on an improvised cot, pink blanket draped over it after hours of medical “care”,” with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash by its side, the rest going up to tend to their mutual friend, Twilight. Fluttershy hadn’t had to dress up this kind of injury before. She only had to cover up scrapes and small cuts before. She had already moved Twilight to her bed upstairs, where she fell asleep, when she saw Rainbow Dash try to strangle the thing.

How *dare** she do such a thing to a poor creature like that? Well, at least she apologized.*

She told off Rainbow Dash, than told her to apologize to the thing, which tried to hug back with its restraints, looking pretty awkward with that flabbergasted look on its face, which was kinda funny. Then it passed out.

Poor thing. It must be exhausted and hurt. It’s okay now, thank goodness. Whatever had bit it had bit it deep, but I took care of it as best I could.

Everypony was watching as Fluttershy desperately applied medicine and bandages to the poor thing’s wounds in its midsection, and Rarity was cleaning the wounds, as well as the areas around them because it was also covered in blood. After the first aid was administered, Rarity dragged an unwilling Fluttershy into the washroom to wash the blood off their respective hooves.

There was blood everywhere. I must get Spike here. He can send a letter to the Princess! She'll know what to do.

“Fluttershy? Rainbow Dash? Twilight’s awake.” comes Applejack’s voice from upstairs, causing the two ponies to leave the thing’s side and they flew upstairs to hear what had happened.

“So what happened, Twilight?” Rarity broke the silence.

“Well, I was waiting for it to arrive, and it did come from the Everfree Forest as I predicted, and… it was carrying rocks for some reason.”

“Why would it be carrying rocks?” even Pinkie Pie was confused at this behavior tilting her head at a comical angle.

“I don’t know. It was laying a trail of them from the edge of the forest to the cottage, but before it could get to Fluttershy’s door I tried saying ‘Hello’ to it. It froze up, dropped the rocks. It reared up to its full height, which was a bit scary because I didn’t know it could be so tall, then it bolted off into the Everfree forest. As you know, I chased after it. What happened next was that I chased it all the way into the Foggy Bottom Bog.”

A collective gasp was shared by the group as they remember the hydra that lives there. Nopony was allowed there since it was learned that such a dangerous creature from the deep Everfree forest would be living there.

“Yeah. We actually ran into it. It picked me up and tried to run away, but the terrain and the hydra’s feet making the ground shake made it drop me, which is how I hurt these legs. Anyway, after that, it charged the hydra, yelling at the hydra in the thing’s language. It then got swallowed by the hydra.”

This causes another gasp.

“ The hydra forgot all about me as it thrashed about in pain. I realized that the thing was doing something inside the hydra to hurt it. It fell over after quite some time. The thing broke out the back of the hydra, than it took me here. The rest you know.”

The room is silent, with everypony sharing a new respect for the new creature which had slain the hydra, something which could only be claimed by the greatest of warriors and heroes, all of which are now dead or part of the Royal Guard because they had accomplished such a feat. The silence is finally broken when stirring noises where heard downstairs.

Should’ve figured I would be in a pink blanket, considering all these things look like they walked outta kid’s show. Are these bandages? They sure know how to give first aid, I’ll give them that. Hmm. What now? I guess begin diplomacy? You idiot, you’re not an ambassador, you’re a refugee. What am I going to say, “Take me to your delicious leader, organic meatbags.”? I might actually say that, considering they don’t know a thing I’m saying, and I don’t know a thing they say, so this’ll be very awkward. At least I’m not restrained. Here they come.

The 5 ponies come downstairs to greet their “guest”. It doesn’t get up, but only acknowledges with a nod and something from its tongue. The ponies have no idea what it means, and when it realizes this, it gives out a hearty laugh.

Okay, that was pretty funny. Better not do something like that again.

The laugh should’ve lightened the situation some, but it just disturbs the ponies.

Hmm. Humor didn’t work. Let’s try empathy, which’ll be easy, since I’ve been hiding a ridiculous amount of pain.

It suddenly howls softly in pain, which causes Fluttershy to come to its side, obviously trying to help. The other ponies come closer more out of safety for their friend then to help the thing.

That's a little better.

Fluttershy hums to the thing softly while petting its head. This seems to have a profound effect on the creature, as it relaxes back into the pad, eyes closed. This causes all the ponies in the room to give a sigh of relief.

Whoa. That’s pretty good humming. I can see why she's an animal caretaker.

It cracks a smile, which eases the tension of the room a lot. It finally seems to go to sleep again, and Fluttershy’s eyes dart to the clock on the wall.

Almost midday. Better not keep the Princess busy.

Fluttershy turns her head to Rainbow Dash, whom makes eye-contact with a confused look.

“Rainbow, um, could you go get Spike for me? I’d like to send a letter to Princess Celestia.”

“Oh. Sure, Fluttershy.”

With more speed than what was really necessary, Rainbow Dash flies out the door and into the midday blue. She spots Spike walking around town, obviously looking for something.Or someone.

Spike looks up to see Rainbow Dash land next to him. “Ohey Rainbow! Have you seen Twilight anywhere? I haven’t seen her since yesterday when she told me that she’d be helping Fluttershy with the lizard.”

“It’s not a lizard, Spike. It is at Fluttershy's with Twilight and the girls, and she’s fine. Come, we need your help.”

A polite knocking on the door. Rarity opens it to admit Spike and Rainbow Dash in.

Spike looks around at all the ponies in the room looking quite serious. Even Pinkie Pie was had this look on her face.

This isn’t good, is it?

“Where’s Twilight? And for that matter, where’s the lizard?”

It can speak their language. Another dominant species, maybe?

Spike looked to his right and saw it under the pink blanket on the cot on the floor, looking right at him. Spike, with a curious look, went to the cot where the thing lay, Fluttershy lying by it, also solemn.

Man, that’s a pretty big pony.

“But where’s Twilight?”

“Upstairs, Spike.”

Rushing up the stairs to see Twilight, Spike gives a sigh of relief as she sees him come in. “Hi, Spike!” She seemed a bit cheerful to see him again, after what happened.

“What happened?”

“Well, Spike, after I left…”

The ponies downstairs continued to stare at the thing, as it continues to stare at them. It raises a strange paw/hoof to them, and they recoiled at the sight. It draws the arm back in, muttering something.

No handshakes yet. They’re still scared. I’m still scared.

Spike comes downstairs with a look of awe on his face.

So, this is the thing that took down a fully-grown hydra? That explains the moods.

“Spike, can you take a letter, please?”

“Oh. I don’t even have a paper and quill with me.”

“I have some.”

Fluttershy goes to get a piece of paper, and a quill from a dusty cupboard. Spike takes them in his claws, ready to scribe.

Fluttershy opens her mouth to speak, raising a hoof, but then she was stricken by her namesake, whimpering something about “not disturbing the princess”.

“Oh dear. Spike, could you scribe for me? I’d like to take the letter.” Rarity thinks for a while, but then speaks.

“ Dear Princess Celestia,

Something has arrived in Ponyville yesterday. We can’t actually name what it is, because we have never seen it before. It seems like a small bear with unusual paws, and it is clothed in from neck to hoof, but it seems to have the intelligence of a pony but not the language. It was chased by Twilight, but saved her life from a terrible Hydra, somehow slaying it in the process. It brought back Twilight, whom has sustained minor injuries, here at Flutterhy's house, and it is severely injured due to the fight, having several bite marks in its midsection, but it has been taken care of by Fluttershy. We await your wisdom and instruction concerning this.

Your faithful seamstress, Rarity.”

The letter is shot off into the air by green flames and it is off to its destination, Canterlot. Curious looks could be seen on the face of the thing.

What happens now?

Wait. Something’ s missing. Something very close to my heart, and it's something I can’t actually live without, hard as I try.

Where are my glasses?

The thing sits up and attempts to move to the door, surprising and shocking everypony. Even it seemed surprised at its newfound mobility hindrance. Fluttershy coaxes it back into the mat with a voice that tamed Manticores, the thing sitting back up on the mat. It mimes something across its face with an expression of frustration, repeating something in its language over and over again, and then points at the door.

Does it want to go outside?

How on earth or whatever this place is called do I get them to realize I’m practically blind without me glasses? I’ll try miming again.

It draws lines around its eyes, and then draws lines to its ears. It keeps making this pattern until Pinkie Pie, whom was as confused at this behavior as anyone else, suddenly whips back to her old behavior, though not as excited.

“I think it wants those glasses it dropped outside.”

“What glasses?” Rainbow Dash said, remembering now.

“Thoseonesthatflewoffhisfacewhenyoukickedit! Itwassocool!” Rainbow Dash lowers her head in shame as she remembers Fluttershy lecturing her while using the stare.

“I don’t see why it should be without its correctional lenses. I’ll go get them.” Rarity trots outside looking quite dignified to the world.

The thing stops these motions, seemingly giving up on the idea of telling everypony about its glasses.

Rarity comes back in, glasses flying in from behind her. The thing seems overjoyed to see its glasses again, not even minding the fact that they’re floating, but Rarity goes into the washroom with the glasses. The thing seems scared, but the sound of running water can be heard.

Oh.

Rarity comes back out with a smile on her face, glasses being returned to its owner with a visible shine and cleanness. It puts them on its face, then looks around with a gasp, being sure to look at everything and everypony around to take in the new visual details.

They are absolutely *adorable*. Not just the cartoon puppies and kittens and balloons and glittering that tastes like diabetes adorable, but the real life kittens and puppies making their little kittens and puppies sounds which is so adorable that you want to bury your face in them. These ponies are the latter. I was observing them from afar and it was dark when I rescued that one pony, but now that I see all this awesomeness… wait. I really did fall into a TV show, didn’t I? I must’ve fallen off the sane wagon. Oh well, Imma enjoy every second of it anyways. Better than dying at the claw and tooth of those post-people.

“Poor thing. It really couldn’t see without these glasses.”

Spike holds a claw to his mouth to indicate that a message is coming. He burps it out, and everypony comes around to read its contents.

That is a living, breathing e-mail system. *I’ve got to have one*.

Spike reads over the letter and what is inscribed in it, and everyone waits.

Spike looks up, clears his throat and starts.

“Dear Rarity,

The description of said animal is unfamiliar to me, and Luna has never heard of such a creature in her libraries, which is remarkable, considering that we have been around a very long time. I’ll be along to visit shortly. Stay where you are.

From,

Celestia.”

Everypony now has a question. What do we do?

Oh, boy. They’re all staring at me again. I’m still feeling lightheaded, which would explain my earlier mental rantings when my full sight was restored. Darkness creeps at the edge of my vision again.

It falls over backwards into a deep sleep.

That helps.

Spike runs upstairs, and a conversation can be heard between him and Twilight. All the ponies in the room look at the thing resting somewhat peacefully. They notice that what was once a deep dream sleep with a smile on its face is slowly but surely showing signs of a nightmare, a frown and contorted face, then twists and turns on the pad, a bit subtle at first but then it gets more and more obvious as sweat starts to show on its face. Fluttershy is the first to say something.

“Oh dear! He must be wakened.”

It taps the thing on the right shoulder, which causes it to wake up, screaming in terror as it sits up.

...Oh yeah. That’s why I don’t sleep so often. They come back. Theys n a back and theys afters me and theys a coming…

It shakes, holding its shoulders. It slowly rocks back and forth on the mat, looking ahead with a thousand-yard stare.

“Oh, poor, poor thing. Living in the Everfree forest is sure to give anypony nightmares.”

Nods from all around the room confirms the agreement of all in the room. Spike immediately comes down the stairs after the scream, and asks, “What happened?”

“I think it tried to sleep, but it had a nightmare. *Sigh* I hope Princess Celestia can help it.” Fluttershy attempts wraps her front hooves around it, but as she is hugging it from the side, she simply can’t reach all the way around it. She rests her head on its shoulder, doing what she does best.

Theys a coming theys after—huh?

It stops its rocking, expression changing from a terrified grimace to one of surprise as it is hugged again. It looks down on the mare, and then it looks around, meeting everypony else’s eyes, even Spike, who has stopped to observe. After a pause, it grabs Fluttershy and returns the hug, eyes closed and with tiny tears welling up, causing everyone else in the room to start to tear up as well.

Everypony wipes their eyes and Applejack and finally breaks the silence again to ask Spike “Well, what did you talk about with Twilight up there?”

“Well, Twilight wants to come downstairs.” Spike does his best to hide his respective tears, which causes Rarity to hide a giggle, albeit badly.

Fluttershy breaks the hug to sit down next to it, not willing to wander far from her very worst patient.

It wipes it eyes, and starts to pet Fluttershy with its front paws.

“See, everypony? It’s a really nice being. It never wants to hurt anyone. It was only protecting Twilight. Now let’s get her downstairs for Celestia.”

Canterlot grows ever and ever smaller in the distance as a white Alicorn makers her way from her royal palace to a very specific site that she rules over. It is in a place called Ponyville, and she can’t wait to see what the commotion could be about. The letter describes something that should be impossible. Sure, there were other species of intelligent creatures (well, intelligent enough to start their own kingdoms), but what Rarity was describing in her letter can only be a new species, originating from the Everfree forest as well. She carried a small saddlebag on her back, paper and quill within to take necessary notes.

Impressive that it survived this long in there enough to gain sentience.

She soon sees Fluttershy’s Cottage at the edge of town. Pleasant memories flood through Celestia’s head as she remembers the time that her phoenix was under Fluttershy’s a little more than a year ago. The cottage grows from a dot until it filled Celestia’s view as she landed on the front lawn. Celestia spots something in the grass. She lowers her head to inspect as to what it is. It seems to be a—she hadn’t seen anything like that since… She trots over to the door, the murderous piece of metal floating and sliding into the bag, but before she raises a hoof to knock, the door opens as an excited Pinkie Pie greets the Princess the only way she knows how.

“HeyaPrincesshasn’titbeenawhilewejustgotyourletterhow’djagetheresofast—“An orange hoof covers Pinkie’s mouth, ending her short-lived bout of excitedness. Another familiar face shoves itself in front of Pinkie Pie, the element of laughter, and Celestia smiles as she recognizes the face of Applejack.

“Oh howdy, Princess.” Applejack managed with a nervous smile. Both of them stepped further inside to allow the Princess entrance. She stepped inside, and looked around.

The living room of Fluttershy’s Cottage has not changed too much since her last visit, but there are a few differences. All the elements of harmony sat around the room, with various reactions to the Princess’s visit. Twilight was lying on the couch, obviously injured and scared. They were all looking at her, waiting for advice. They all looked to something on the floor and the princess followed suit. What she sees is… interesting. Fluttershy was lying next to a pink cot lies on the floor, barely able to contain the thing within. It seemed at first to be a pony with clothes, but immediately there are obvious differences. The lack of hair all over its white-skinned body, with only a short mane and slight, almost undetectable fuzz on its face, lacking a typical pony snout, but remaining a lot of the same features. 2 eyes, a nose and a mouth, but the ears are shaped differently, and are lower on the head then what pony ears would be. A most interesting aspect is that it was wearing some type of glasses that seemed to be fitted perfectly with its head. It seemed to wear some sorta coat of some sort of black fabric on its midsection, but it is obvious that it is lying on its back, its midsection itself flatter and less rounded than normal ponies. The forelegs (or arms) are tucked under the soft pink blanket that Fluttershy probably draped over it after helping its wounds. The legs are straighter and longer than what would normally be on ponies, and Celestia made a mental note to add these details to her notes.

She also noticed a slight blood stain on the cot that obviously was red and had originated from the thing. She also noticed that the color of the skin should be pale due to this. The most important thing about the creature right now is that it was looking directly back at her, finally making eye contact.

It’s got a tiara. I really did fall into a TV show. That, or this and the crisis didn’t happen and I’m just in a 6-month coma or something. It seems the former is looking more and more likely, though, as I really don’t have a reason to be in a coma.

It looks down at its midsection, obviously deep in thought. The fact that it’s going through a mental dialogue is both fascinating and scary, considering what others have been able to do with this level of intelligence.

I actually don’t know how the crisis happened. All I know is that it started in the spring, and I started to read these stories about riots in the major cities of the globe, and that the local populations started to go crazy from fear of the end. The fact that anonymous users from the internet keep posting “evidence” of the various “Armageddons” that was supposedly occurring. The level of work put into these forgeries is staggeringly high. People thought that they were zombies and started biting people. Those people go insane from the fear that they too would become zombies and bite other people. This was one of the types of riots that started to sweep the globe. Rouge states that were already showing signs of aggression before have taken the opportunity that was the riots to start WW3. That and the increasing number of natural disasters that happen to hit population centers start to make things very mad. I was in a very stable region, so the panic didn’t hit my town ‘til fall. I hid ‘til the nuclear winter blew over, and then ran to the wilderness. I spent a couple weeks there, surviving on rations and what I could find and hunt. Heh. I knew what I was doing. I’m an Eagle Scout. I could’ve never prepared for when the region suddenly changed one morning. There were now monsters and the forest seemed… darker. I thankfully lasted enough days to find this “city”. I never thought I’d find anything like this. I acted too quickly. Let’s see what happens now.

Iti looks up again, making eye contact with everypony in the room. It finally looks back at the Princess, and it spoke something in its fascinating tongue. After a pause, it looks down again.

Not even the one thing that’s bigger than me that doesn’t want to eat me knows what I’m saying.

It reaches up to scratch its head, which draws a curious gaze from the princess.

I’ve never seen such paws or claws. Is it claws, or is it paws? Is it both? I’ve got an idea.

Celestia’s horn begins to glow softly, and the thing looks on in curiosity. She abruptly brings it down on its forehead, and both their faces turned expressionless, eyes closed.

Bad! Bad! BAAD! My vision went black! What happened? Did I die?

No, you didn’t die.

BUWA?!

Calm yourself. It’s only a spell that allows me to communicate directly to you, no speaking nessesary.

Okay, if I haven’t gone completely nuts, prove it.

Celestia raises her head up, eyes open and the thing raises its head to re-establish eye contact. To everyone’s surprise, Celestia spoke something in its tongue. Then she lowered her head again, and the link is re-established, both their eyes closed again.

Okay, so you said “You’re not crazy.” That actually helps, considering all that I’ve been through.

I’ve only looked into your knowledge of the English language, though. This is why I can speak and think in English. Let’s have a look at what you know…

The silence goes on for several minutes, and it is obvious that both parties of the mind-meld are showing some exhaustion.

Why would they do *that** to each other?*

I haven’t a clue.

…

What was *that*? I feel weird.

I’m teaching you Equestiran. I’ve learned so much without having to use words… so many sad and horrible things. It’s only fair that you learn our language as well. I’ll leave the rest of your brain alone. I’ll also spare you the rest of equestrian knowledge. It’ll be better that you learn it firsthand from the girls here.

I thought they were girls. Shouldn’t assume anything, though. Thank you, (I think) Mrs…

Celestia. Thank you for saving her from that Hydra.

Celestia raises her head again, and looks at everypony in the room.

“Thank you for taking this gentlecolt in. He’ll fit right in. He just needs some time to digest our language.”

Everypony then turns to look at the thing, which seems to be staring off into the distance again, clearly trying to think about the language that was just transferred into its brain.

Celestia turns to leave the room. “Girls, keep taking care of him. I’ll see to it that he has a peaceful intergration into society as we know it.”

She turns to the thing, which causes it to look back.

“Welcome to Equestria.”

She takes off, leaving the ponies and the thing looking confused. They all turn back to the thing, waiting for something to happen.

It opens its mouth and says “That… awkward moment when you realize you absolutely have no idea what is going on.”

Notes: I don’t know if anyone is reading this but at this point I don’t even care if this is popular or not.. Even though I’m making it up as I go along, I want to see how this ends. Support is welcome, though.

Names

“I suppose you have a lot of questions for me.”

“Well, um. Are you okay?”

Well, this wasn't the question I was expecting.

“In a word….

maybe.”

It looks down at its injuries, obviously remembering something bad.

“What’s wrong? Maybe I can help.”

“Well…

it might help if I tell you a story…”

Everypony is now attentively listening, no longer caring about the fact that it is now talking in Equestrian.

“I… come from a far land. Far enough that no one (including me) has ever heard of this place, or its inhabitants.”

“If you don’t mind me asking…” Rainbow Dash interrupts, “What’s your name?”\

QUICK THINK

“My name is Mike Alpha.”

Close enough.

“And this… is the story about the time I ran away from everything I thought I knew. The deed would’ve been bad enough… if it wasn’t for the fact that I would die if I stayed.”

Music for the lulz

This entices a collective gasp from the group.

“Yes. Everything went from bad to worse as a panic crisis gripped the land, turning good, honorable citizens into horrible monsters. They were branded by a bunch of fantastic names such as bloodsuckers, vampires, werewolves…”

It paused for a bit.

“…zombies. The last bit was particularly popular. I refuse to believe such stories. They’re just crazy. I refuse.

It can’t be.”

It holds its arms again.

“They still came for blood, those crazy cannibals. They’re a coming. They’s aa c-coming. Yes. So, after a while… I ran. I ran from everything and fled into the wood. Several weeks of living (somewhat) off the land, nearly starving and freezing to death each night really wasn’t much of an improvement.”

The ponies gather closer.

“After a while, the wilderness changed. There were now monsters in there that make me miss the zom—crazies. They are crazies. They are not zombies.

…

After a few weeks of aimlessly fighting for my life yet again, I saw this town. I could not believe my eyes. Previously, equines in my land were little more than animals. Here, though…”

It looks to all the ponies, clearly confused and trying to wrap their heads around this prospect.

“*Sigh* I’m sorry if offended any of you.

My plan was to make a breadcrumb trail so that first contact would proceed without outside interference. I can honestly say that I thought I was being arrested when I heard you.”

It turns to Twilight Sparkle, still on the couch.

“Why would I be arresting you?”

“Well, I left a mysterious note with only my handprint on it. My deductions led me to believe that you thought it was a threat.

Also, it was fortunate that I was able to defeat the Hydra.”

Rainbow Dash now joined in. “How’ja do it, anyway?”

It turned to Rainbow Dash. “Sheer, dumb luck. Also, keep a respectable distance from me, please.”

Tears again can be seen in her eyes. “Look, I’m sorry for that.”

“Yes, I saw that when you hugged me, crying for all you’re worth.”

Rainbow Dash suddenly tenses up; trying her best to repair her image, but the damage had already been done in her friends’ eyes. Again, to everyone’s surprise, Rainbow Dash again tackled the thing in a hug, again, the thing goes wide-eyed in shock. Again surprising everyone present, the thing hugs back, speaking, but with a softer voice.

“Shh. I forgive you. It’s alright. No damage done, but it does make for an interesting story.”

Ha! If I tried telling this story to anybody back home, they’d accuse me of a lot of things.

“So you really do forgive me?”

“Of course.

How rude of me. I haven’t taken the time to let you all properly introduce yourselves.”

Here we go. Let’s see what kinda things cartoon ponies call themselves.

“I’m Rainbow Dash.” She back off in order to join the others.

Well, that’s rather obvio—wait.

A realization and familiarity comes across its eyes, jaws dropping in realization.

Why didn’t I recognize any of this? Is this a dream? *What. The. Dickens is My Little Pony doing, being real and all*?

It screams in terror, startling everypony.

Is there something terrible about rainbows where it comes from?

Twilight Sparkle covered her ears on reflex. It stopped screaming, and it collapsed to the floor.

It sprang into a sitting position again, and turns to Applejack.

“PUNCH ME. PUNCH ME IN THE FACE.”

“Well, what the hay would I do that for?”

“I WANT TO KNOW IF I’M REALLY AWAKE.”

“No.”

It shakes its head.

Just don’t think about it, and you won’t go batnonsense insane.

“Sorry. Just had a moment. Yeah letsmoveonkokay? Okay. What’s your name?”

It turns to Twilight Sparkle. She pauses for a moment, and…

“Oh! My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“Andmine’sPinkiePie!”

“You may address me as Rarity.”

“You can call me Applejack, sugahcube.”

“Oh, um. I’m Fluttershy.”

"*ahem* I'm Spike!"

Okay. Myth Confirmed.

Don’t let them know about this.

This could get awkward.

Must… not… freak out.

It takes a deep breath, and seems to settle down.

“Nice to meet you all. “

“So, um. Mike, could you tell me if you’re feeling okay?”

“Well, considering what happened…

Yes. I feel fine. Whoever patched me up definitely knows their craft.”

“Oh, thank goodness. I hoped I had done all I can.”

Rainbow Dash seems to be struck with a thought.

“Just… what are you, anyway?”

“What? You never see a human before?”

Everypony shakes their heads.

“Well, I’ve never seen talking ponies before so we’re on the same page here.”

Liar.

Shut up, you.

**No you.

“Now, what can you tell me about those clothes you’re wearing, hmm?”

“Um. We Humans wear clothes, since we don’t have fur all over.”

Understandable, really. I just don’t like the color. I'll have to see about that.

“Very well… I see… That remind me, I need to get back to the Boutique. I do have my business to attend to.”

Rarity skips off with Spike, a dignified “ta!” as her exit, stage right, and leaves everyone else in the cottage.

Applejack also takes her leave with a respectful farewell, and leaves to go attend to the Apple Farm.

Pinkie Pie gasps, and then speeds off without her hooves even touching the ground, leaving 3 ponies and the human.

Rainbow Dash leans over to the thing, whispering,

“Rarity’s gonna try to sow you something, just so you know.”

“S-something, you say?”

“Well, yeah. They are pretty cool, though.”

“Okay, if you say so.”

“Gotta Dash!”

Rainbow Dash sped out of the house, undoubatly longing for the skies again after such an interesting day.

Twilight asked, “How did you just learn Equestrian?”

“Magic?” It shrugs with its shoulders and arms.

That is not the truth. There must be scientific reasons.

Well, what, then?

You do have a point.

Wait, am I thinking to myself?

Yes.

…okay.

“Oh, that must be it.” Twilight Sparkle pondered a bit about how this can occur.

It suddenly reaches for its stomach, expression changing from one of bewilderment to one of concern. Fluttershy squeaked and shoved it over, hooves searching for the bandages. Finding them unharmed, she gives a sigh of relief, and looks to the things face as it looks back with an eyebrow raised.

“I’m sorry if I startled you. I just can’t see anyone get hurt, including you. I was so worried about you.”

“Thanks, Fluttershy. I probably wouldn’t have made it if it weren’t for you.”

It grabs Fluttershy in another hug, and she seems to cheer up. It releases Fluttershy, and she goes to sit next to Twilight on the couch.

“What was the matter, then, Mike?”

“I just realized that I haven’t eaten in a day.”

Twilight snaps out of her thoughts. “What do you eat, anyway?”

“I am an omnivore.”

Twilight has heard of this term before, but not often. It means something eats both plants and animals.

“Twilight, are you okay?”

“Fluttershy, don’t you know what omnivore means?”

“Doesn’t it mean it can eat both plants and anima—”

They both look at Mike with scared expressions, and it just looks back with them with an annoyed look.

It brings its paws up into a hungry-looking pose, and it hisses.

“HSSSSSSSSSSSSS”

Both girls scream, holding onto each other.

“Stop! I don’t want to eat you. Probably get sick if I tried. I mostly eat baked goods and the like.”

“S-so you have eaten animals before?” Fluttershy turns a sick shade of yellow.

“Well…

yes.”

“Why would you eat poor, defenseless creatures?”

“To remain healthy, you gotta understand. I haven’t actually killed anything and eaten it. Before I came here, people would actually raise animals for this very purpose. To be eaten.”

The ponies hold onto each other a little bit tighter, and this causes Mike to scratch his head in shame.

“They are well taken care of. Before they die of natural age, the animals are put to sleep humanely. Then they are processed into food.

Yeah. What do you eat?”

Twilight now adds to this nervous conversation.

“Hay, vegetables and the l-like. Don’t hurt us.”

At this, Mike gets a little upset.

“Why would you assume this? If I had wanted to hurt any of you, I would’ve already done so. I wouldn’t have saved you. I—I’m sorry, ok? This is who I am.”

It looks down at the pink blanket it’s in. Both Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle seem to calm down, letting go of each other.

It laughed a bit.

“I guess I’m just a monster.”

“Ooh. Is that what you think I think? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

She hugged it again, hooves around its neck this time, with whispers only they can hear.

Tear again can be seen in its eyes, and it mutters,

“Thank you.”

“It’s no problem.” With a smile, Fluttershy pulls away and goes out of the room with

“I’ll be right back.”

This leaves Twilight with Mike, the thi—human.

“How did you do it? I mean, Hydras aren’t easy to kill.”

It tenses up, grimacing.

“Oh yeah. The hydra. I had a knife with me, and—my knife.”

It looks to the door, and tries to get up, stopping due to the pain in its chest.

“Ack—my knife.”

A curious gaze from Twilight.

“The metal thing.”

“Oh, that thing. Was that what you used to kill it? I mean, that isn’t easy to do.”

“Yeah.”

“I can't get it, but maybe Fluttershy can.Fluttershy?”

“Is there anything wrong, Twilight?”

“It would seem that Mike has left it—“

Another freeze-up from Twilight. She turns to Mike and asks,

“Are you a he or a she?”

“He.”

“Okay then. Mike wants his metal thingy back.”

“Okay, Twilight. I’m heading back, anyway.”

Fluttershy comes back into the front room, Basket full of apples in mouth. She sets it down, and asks,

“I hope you can eat apples.”

“I certainly can, Ms. Fluttershy. Thank you.”

With a hunger that rivals that of Spike’s desire for gems, Mike digs into the basket and hungrily eats.

Sweet, sweet stuff.

Fluttershy turns to Twilight.

“So he wants the thing back? It seems dangerous, doesn’t it?”

“Well, he did use it to save my life.”

“Um… fair enough. I’ll get it.”

Fluttershy leaves the cottage to the Unicorn and the Human, whom has finished.

“That’s my first real meal in weeks, if not months.”

“You don’t say?”

“Yeah, I don’t have a lot of opportunity to eat in the wilderness.”

Both had run out of things to say.

Fluttershy comes back in, looking down in disappointment.

“I couldn’t find it, Mike. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I probably wouldn’t need it anyway.”

Is that true? Have I really gone to the bananas? Only time will tell, man. Meanwhile… I have no idea about what I’m going to

do.

“I think I’m fine. Just let me get up.”

Fluttershy walks over to Mike as he slides the blanket off of himself, struggling to get up. It seems to try and use its hands as a means of stabilizing himself as he lifts his legs under. Finally up and standing at its full height, he seems truly to be something not to be trifled with.

“Thank you for your hospitality, but I do wish do leave. Good day.”

With a respectful bow, Mike staggers to the door.

“Wait, but… you’re hurt. You should really rest, just like Twilight.”

“I’ll be back, Ms. Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy somehow hides behind her hair and something is heard underneath.

“Just call me Fluttershy, please.”

“Okay, Fluttershy, Twilight.”

A nod towards the now-sleepy unicorn does little to reassure Fluttershy as Mike ducks under the door frame to get out. The door closes behind him as Fluttershy tries to decide what to do.

It seems he can take care of himself, but with Twilight here, I can’t go after him.

“Fluttershy, what’s wrong? Shouldn’t you, you know, go after him?”

“You’ll be fine, right?”

A nod from Twilight.

Fluttershy uncharacteristically shoots out the door in the search for Mike, her eyes searching from a new pegasi-eye view,

but something’s wrong.

He’s nowhere to be seen. I don’t understand this.

After several more minutes of fruitless search, fluttershy goes back inside her cottage to relay the news to her friend.

Meanwhile, outside, a bush rustles as Mike makes his way back into the Everfree forest, heart pounding. He steps lightly into the forest, unknowing of what’s in there, and uncaring, too, as there’s probably nothing bad in there. Probably.

“What do you mean, he just vanished? But I…

What?!”

“I’m so sorry, Twilight. Now that I think about it, he could’ve just hid under my porch or something.”

“Where could he go now?”

GASP

They both come to the same conclusion.

“Not the Everfree forest!”

Twilight speaks next.

“This could be bad. What do we do?”

Fluttershy seems to shift somehow, and a new change of tone of voice and expression, along with shrinking irises, scares Twilight.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get him.”

She calmly strides out the door, leaving Twilight to wonder just what’s going on.

Books

Okay. Item #2 to the list of reasons *not to anger Fluttershy*. I remember that time when I learned the first reason. Such unhinged anger. I must be too important to her to just simply let go, even for a little while. Thankfully, I know how to climb a tree.

Mike holds his breath, perched in a nook of the sanctuary that he took up, hood up, as Fluttershy gallops by with searching eyes with the hunger of a hawk. After she was out of earshot, he drops down, recoiling in pain as his tired legs impacted the ground.

Okay.

Stepping cautiously in the silent, dark, and dangerous woods, Mike makes his way through the forest, stopping every once in a while to rest, or to listen to the silent, afternoon air. After a while—actually, the passage of time was forgotten and minutes or hours could’ve passed. He comes to a creek, flowing downhill on its tireless journey to the sea, wherever that was. He looks for a tree in particular. Spotting it, he runs over, and crouches to look through the roots.

There you are.

“THERE YOU ARE!”

Oh. My. *Stars*.

Turning around, Mike sees the terrifying form of an impossibly angry Fluttershy, wings spread and ready to pounce.

“I’VE BEEN WORRYING MYSELF SICK FINDING YOU! YOU RAN OFF WHILE YOU STILL NEEDED TO REST FROM YOUR INJURIES! I—I…”

It seems that Fluttershy quickly goes from the attitude of a bear to that of a small foal. Her wings and head droop down as she starts to sob softly.

WHAT HAVE I DONE WHAT HAVE I DONE WHAT HAVE I DONE WHAT HAVE I DONE

“I—I’ve done so much to help you. I don’t want to see you hurt any more than you already have. You lost so much b-blood that I—I thought I would lose you. I don’t try to lose any of my friends, and I mourn every single animal friend that passes on, but… you.”

She raises her head to meet Mikes eyes, also filled with tears.

“I’ve never met anything like you, and I was reminded of a time when I thought I lost Philomena, the Phoenix. It would be terrible for somepony like you to …d-die, because I might not see anything like you again.”

“I’m so sorry, Fluttershy. I want to make it up to you anyway I can. I just need to make sure something of mine is safe.”

“*Sniff* Hmm?”

Mike pulls his worn and torn backpack from the root of the tree, and examines it. Green with black straps, this thing has been with Mike for most of his recent life, and the evidence has worn and stained itself into the fabric of the well-used backpack. He looked at it, and pulled at a strange tab that somehow opened the pack without use of buttons or straps, with a strange ripping sound.

He looked at the contents, and smiled.

It’s all here. Everything I needed to survive, and then some. I might be advancing the cause of progress here by several thousand years. Is this good… or bad?

Somehow closing the pouch with another rip from the tab, Mike looks back at Fluttershy and the corners of their mouths go up in warm smiles.

“You got your things, Mike?”

“Mmhm.”

“We might want to get back before dark, because of the monsters.”

A nod from the human as he noticed his surroundings and the dimming sunlight as the sun began to set.

They move through the Everfree forest as it shifts into its daytime almost pleasantness into a horrible nighttime nightmare. The pack now is resting on Mike’s back as he casts knowing eyes to the trees and quickens his pace. Mike remembers something in this forest that actually attacked him not too long ago.

“I hate them.”

“T-them?”

“Well, I don’t know what to call them, the weird things.”

“What are they?”

“These things seem to be mini-bears that hunt in packs. They’re slimmer than bears, and more agile. Best be careful.”

Fluttershy has heard of these monsters. She spoke it as she thought it.

“They’re called Beogs. Somepony long ago tried to breed dogs and bears with experimental magic, trying to create a war animal.”

“That’s terrible. Why?”

“He thought there should be no more soldiers, no more Guardsponies, but these animals tend to be a bit…”

“Violent?”

“*Squeak* Yes. They were deported to the Everfree forest, and they were expected to simply die out, ever since several broke out and killed a poor pony.”

“Who-who was that?”

“The one who started the whole thing.”

“Oh dear.”

“Yes. Everypony thinks that they died off, but, y-you actually saw one?”

“I have fought a few, yes. Maybe killed one, I don’t know.”

Fluttershy wanders closer to Mike, looking more scared because of this new revelation.

“So you actually killed one of them? That i-is hard to do, considering they were being bred for b-b-battle.”

“Hm.”

They walked in silence, the occasional wind breaking through the leaves of the trees. Mike and Fluttershy scanned the wilderness around them for any sign of movement for any sign of the foul beasts. Mike stops, hands reaching for something behind him with his head on a swivel. Fluttershy wonders what could be wrong, but she hears it, too. She turns her head to look at the undergrowth and sees one.

It has the general shape of a dog, but the size was slightly larger, slightly bigger than a pony, actually, and the jaws and paws were shaped like a bear’s. Brown-stained black fur covered the animal as it readies for a pounce. Fluttershy opens her mouth to warn Mike, but it is already in the air, its mouth generating an un-natural howl as it reaches for Mike and Fluttershy.

Eeep

She closes her eyes and covers her head with her hooves, hitting the dirt belly-down as she readies for the end. Mike yells, then a sickening sound can be heard. A thud is heard as a body hits the ground, as howls of pain courses through the air. It stops as another sickening sound of bone snapping is heard, then Fluttershy uncovers her face, wet from terrified tears to see Mike standing over her with a concerned look on his face, and something wet in his right hand. Fluttershy adjusts her head a bit to take a look at it.

It looks somewhat like the object Mike used in his escape attempt from Rainbow Dash and Applejack. It’s longer and broader, though, but it’s not straight at all. The elongated weapon curves inward at the end, somewhat giving the weapon a boomerang look, but she doubts that’s what it was used for, given the red that’s dripping from it. Fluttershy doesn’t hear Mike the first time he spoke, given how loudly her heart was pounding. She looks back up to his face, and he repeats his question.

“You okay? We need to move. Now.”

Fluttershy is hoisted by her midsection by Mike, who is now running. Howls and roars are heard thoughout the forest, as Mike races to get away, Fluttershy whimpering softly in his arms.

This is like the second time I’m in this crap, saving ponies from monsters. At least I won’t get swallowed whole again.

Ohmygoodnessohmygoodnessohmygoodness

The Beogs jump out of the bushes in order to get back at their losses, recent ones and earlier. Mike ducks, weaves, or attacks all those who stand in his way of escape. One even stands in the road, blocking the way. Mike stomps on its face, which causes it to scamper off, whimpering and shaking its snout. After some attacks dodged, divereted, ducked, or retaliated, the chase abruptly ends with the attacks. The howls silence themselves, and no more Beogs can be seen.

“Let’s get the Darwin outta here.”

Twilight Sparkle stirs restlessly on the couch, back at Fluttershy’s cottage, and has a few thoughts.

What happened to Mike and Fluttershy? Are they okay? It’s long after dark.

She scans the room.

Where’s Spike? …He must be trying to win over Rarity again. Or… he could be doing his chores with Owlicious like a good little assistant.

She doesn’t like to shift her weight or make sudden movements because her injuries were enough that she wasn’t going anywhere, not that that mattered.

The door opens, permitting a frightened Fluttershy and Mike in. Mike seems to be wearing a strange Pouch on his back, and they sit down on the couch next to Twilight and caught their individual breaths, Mike sneaking glances out of the windows every so often.

“What happened?”

“Sorry I’ve been so long, Twilight. There was these Beogs that attacked me and Mike. Mike was able to fight them off, though. “

Twilight looked first at Fluttershy, and then to Mike, who was actively looking out the window, searching for something in the far distance.

Twilight had researched intensely (she researches everything intensely) about Beogs for a while, curious as to what the possibilities are with biological manipulation spells, but they were far too dangerous to try to replicate.

“Beogs? That must’ve been a wild chase.” She tries to lighten the mood, but things were not as quite as they perhaps should be.

“Hah. The score is now Me: three, and baddies: zero.” Mike adopts a grin that would normally be a happy one, but his eyes betray the combat love that he was forced to adapt to.

“Would you two like something to eat?” Fluttershy, cheering up from recent events due to the opportunity to help, goes out of the room to prepare something.

“That would be nice, Fluttershy. Thanks!” Mike turns his head back to the window, as if he’s expecting something.

“What are you looking for?” Asks Twilight.

“I’m hoping none of these so-called Beogs followed us.”

“Animal attacks in Ponyville are rare, so I don’t think so.”

With silence, Mike turns around and faces Twilight again, on the same couch.

“Do you have any questions for me?”

Her face lit up with excitement as she pestered him with questions that he mostly found the answers to. It was a pleasant conversation until Fluttershy came in with a smile on her face.

“Anypony hungry?”

Mike carries Twilight to the dining table where there was an assortment of salads and some breads.

Mike seems to enjoy this meal, as he seems to have not eaten like this for a very long time.

After they finish, Mike carries Twilight back onto the couch with Fluttershy. They converse for a while into the night, sleep being forgotten in favor of chatting with their new-found friend. Mike seems to forget about his worries that have kept one of his eyes out the window, scanning the area for danger.

“So what’s in that backpack anyway, Mike?” Twilight gestures with a hoof to the pack on the floor.

“Oh, this?”

He opens it and takes out something that makes Twilight go nuts.

A book.

It is jerked from his hands and it is opened and laid in front of Twilight, seeing what creatures like him could write. There is one problem, though.

The letters are unrecognizable, and the strange markings don’t translate into Equestrian right off the bat.

“You can’t read that, can’t you? That’s written in English.” Mike used the English word for English because there is no word for English in Equestrian.

“It is? Oooh. Can you read it to me?” Twilight seems to be bursting from excitement.

“I don’t know if you’ll like it very much. It’s a wilderness survival manual.”

The book turns itself over and a picture of a human in some sort of uniform with pictures of a mountain wilderness behind him is printed into the front of it, accompanied by what can only be more English words.

“Can you tell me what the book’s called?!”

“It’s called the Boy Scout Handbook.”

“What’s a Boy Scout?!”

“He’s someone who learns a lot of things in groups with adult leaders, and—“

He’s cut off by sounds of howling and roaring in the distance.

Gems

Run.

Mike makes his way between the hallways and corridors that were once something that resembled civilization, running and fighting. They were everywhere. They were hungry. They were pale. They were coming.

Running towards him, arms outstretched and reaching, the post-people are locked in a seemingly endless battle between them and Mike. He was not happy about the current situation.

The screaming. THE SCREAMING. The blood. THE BLOOD.

There is plenty of both, echoing off the walls or splattered on the walls. There is also the sound of gunfire. The smell of discharged weapons lingers in the air, as does the sickly scent of blood and decay and smoke from the many fires that were ravaging the city.

This is a nightmare. I know it. I’ll wake up soon, and I’ll go back to learning about programming. Yes.

Swinging his newfound sweetheart, a kukri, at the infec—crazies did some to stem the tide. He still ran, his lungs burning and his legs hurting. Running from all the infected he can, and where he couldn’t run, he introduced his new-found companions his closest asset, which they are slain with.

What did the news say about them? That’s right. They’re infected with a freak virus that happens to be rabies. For humans.

The warm equator was the first to go, what with the warm-ness that probably bred the thing in the first place. NO. THEY ARE NOT INFECTED. THEY ARE NOT ZOMBIES.

Shaking his head at the insanity of it all, he hardly notices when he hears voices calling for him. Running towards help, he gave a sigh of relief.

Maybe this madness is over. We’ll be evacuated, and the insanity will end.

The group was firing on the post-people, which escalated the conflict as more of them were drawn into the fight from far off by gunfire and the general noise they make when attacking normal people. The attacks intensified, and the gunfire dwindled down to a few rifles. Then they ran out, and they were swarmed. Mike knew what happens next, so he took off again, running out of the building, and into the street, which, all things considered outside, was not an improvement. He sees the crazies outside notice him, and they rushed him from all directions, clambering over cars, diving out of windows, and running out of adjacent buildings all because of one man who dared to step outside. Mike readies his weapon…

===+===

And wakes up, breathing heavily, and with a cold sweat. It was the middle of the night, and he notices his improvement in health, but some stitches remain. He looked up from the covers to see a less familiar, orange face.

“You okay, Mike? You keep screaming and twisting and turning. I’m surprised you didn’t wake up half of Ponyville.”

Mike’s memories ebb back in, how he escaped with a little luck. How he grabbed everything he could before breaking for the woods. How he came here, to somewhere previously thought improbable.

“No. I’m sorry, Nurse. I just have these recurring nightmares. Before I came here, my race was dying violently, you see. I sometimes remember when I was forced to defend myself from a gruesome fate. I need… I don’t know.”

Mike grinds his teeth, holding his legs against his chest, shivering despite being perfectly warm.

“I just need water, is all. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe I’m safeI’msafeI’msafe.”

The Nurse obliges him by going outside to get the drink.

Mike’s memories flash again through his eyes.

===+===

Cutting. Pushing. Biting. Punching. Kicking. Yelling. Anything. He did not know how he made it, but he did. Safe inside a warehouse, he begins to study his surroundings.

Boxes. Boxes everywhere. I need to rest.

The screaming from outside enters his mind as he runs yet again from the oncoming horde.

I need help.

He was tackled by one of them, who raises its head and says,

“Would you like some water, Mike?”

===+===

Pulled back into “reality”, Mike sees his benefactor with a cup being suspended with an orange glow.

“Thanks.”

Taking the glass and eagerly drinking the soothing contents, Mike gives back the glass to the pony and lays back down, feeling some unknown effect take hold on him.

“I added something to ease your mind, Mike. Don’t worry. It’ll be all right.” When Mike hears the last word, the powerful, magical sedative takes hold and he falls asleep again, potion soothing his thoughts.

That’ll help him, the poor thing.

Nurse Orange Chapstick adjusts the blankets, mattress, and pillow with her magic. She may not be a fully-fledged doctor, she still helps however she can. She steps out to let Mike recover.

===+===

Mike finds himself in a field of green, ringed by trees and hills covered in trees. He remembers this place. This was camp. The best place to be. He sits down on the grass and enjoys the view.

These were the best times of my life. Learning about nature, about myself… too bad the apocalypse happened.

As he was thinking, he heard something behind him. Turning back, he sees not a forest of green and rolling hills, but charred and burnt forests with the inhabitants coming at him. He slaps his leg, realizing his absent weapon. As he braces for the first to hit him, a bright white flash filled his mind with an audible horn. He opened his eyes again, only to see another fond childhood memory, a birthday party. Instead of hearing the screams of the post-human, he hears the delighted screams of party guests as he opened his presents to reveal some expensive toys that he always wanted. A tapping on the glass interrupts him, and he looks up to see a horde outside. They break in, and before anything else happened, his vision whited out again with another horn sound. This time, he was in a movie theater, with his family and friends to see the latest in multi-million-dollar sci-fi movies. The effects were great, and the story was very enjoyable, but he heard screams coming from the bottom of the theatre. Post-people were munching on the bottom rows. The strange phenomenon happened again, and he found himself in his home, playing his favorite online game. He paused for a moment, and then he resumed his online combat. Racking in the kills and the glory, Mike seemed to be having a very good day, hopefully to be filled with hats. Then the glass shattered and he was swarmed with crazies. Another white transaction later and Mike sees himself at a graduation. Before the baddies came again, Mike grabs his diploma and reaches into it, somehow pulling out his kukri. They come, and he fights them to the very end, but the phenomenon happens again, and Mike is on his hospital bed. Wondering if this wasn’t in fact another dream, he looks around to see what was around. He looks outside to see daylight. The door opens to admit Twilight Sparkle. Mike is sure this is real, but when he sees the all-too-familiar hunger in her eyes and a signature snarl on her face. He braces himself when she throws herself at him with a horrifying scream. The whiteout happens, but a bigger horn is heard this time.

===+===

Mike opens his eyes. Back on the hospital bed. He looks to his left, and then his right. He sees a very concerned Fluttershy hovering over him.

“Are you okay, Mikey?”

Mike is still breathing heavily from the onrush of sudden nightmares.

“Yes. Now I am.”

It was legitimately calming to see Fluttershy instead of that cannibalistic Twilight Sparkle.

“I just have these terrible nightmares that warp my sense of reality. I’m not sure if I’m even awake.”

Fluttershy hugs mike, slightly nuzzling him.

MYTH FREAKING CONFIRMED.

“Thanks. That helps so much more than you probably realize.”

“I love all my friends, and you are no exception, Mikey.”

There are no words that can describe how cute that is. *My heart.***

Mike hugs back with a very, very warm smile.

“I love you, too.”

Another voice is heard.

“Aww, isn’t that the cutest thing?”

Mike releases Fluttershy to see Twilight Sparkle in the doorway, just like in the dream. Unlike the dream, though, is how she instead comes in with a notebook and pad.

“I’d just like to ask you a few questions about yourself. Do you mind?”

Mike snaps out of his daze and responds.

“No, not at all. What do you need to know?”

“Well, let’s start off with those hands of yours.”

Mike holds up his hands, while Twilight inspects them and makes notes. She keeps flipping pages to a drawing of his hands that she’s been doodling. She reaches up and grabs them, feeling the bones inside.

Her pen is telekinetically controlled to take notes all this while, and once Twilight was satisfied, she goes on with another question, but is interrupted by an unnatural amount of confetti and strings flying through the air, accompanied by party noises and an excited Pinkie Pie.

“Who’s ready to party? Oh yeah, me! You’re officially welcomed to our ‘Welcome to Equestria’ Party, courtesy of me, Pinkie

Pie! Isn’t this going to be so exciting?! I’ve never been so excited like this since I saw Twilight here for the first time, but I mean, really, who could top that?!”

Mike’s expression changes from surprise to skeptical.

“Aren’t I injured, though?”

“Nope! They’re releasing you right now! They’ve got all those nasty-wasty stitches outta you, and now you get to go to my

party!!”

Doctor Stable, an earth pony whom coat colors reminds Mike of someone on television, comes into the room and, with an amused laugh, says,

“Yes, you’ve made a full recovery, though you have some marks on you that’ll last a long time.”

He gestures to a nearby mirror, which Mike has a peek at.

Now I get to have 3 really cool scars on my face. *Worth it.***

Mike reaches up to touch the right of his face and over his right eye, where a Beog had clawed him.

“Alright, everypony. I’m standing up.”

He shifts his weight as to have his feet access to the floor, and he steadies himself after a day and night of inactivity.

“Not so bad. Now, where is this party?”

Pinkie Pie nearly exploded with excitement as she grabbed Mike by the hand and dragged him out of the room, with Fluttershy and Twilight following.

“Thanks, doctor, for taking care of Mike for us!”

“No problem, Twilight.”

Mike has never seen Ponyville up close before, nor had he seen it quite so empty before. They make their way to Sugarcube Corner for Pinkie’s party, with exited Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and Fluttershy . They make a mad dash for the place, and inside, and they close the door. Mike walks over to the door, and politely knocks on it.

It opens slowly to admit Mike into a very darkened room. One fully inside, the door closes, and the lights are turned on with everypony in the room yelling “Surprise!” Mike has never seen so many ponies in one room. They must’ve tried to put all of Ponyville in here. Mike takes a look around the room.

So many smiles. So many faces.

Pinkie Pie appears in Mike’s face, wearing a party hat.

“Well, were you surprised? Huh? Huh? Huh?”

Mike sees this and asks a question.

“What’s the occasion?”

“Well, you’re new in Ponyville, and you just got better! Isn’t that something worth celebrating?”

Mike studies this for a while, and drops to his knees. Pinkie Pie asks

“You okay?”

To everyone’s surprise, Mike giggles uncontrollably.

“YES I’M FINE! Thanks, Pinkie!”

Then the party begins in earnest, the treats delightful, and the music, wonderful. So many ponies came to Mike to ask him a question, or to introduce themselves and welcome him to Ponyville, but one caught his eye. A certain green Unicorn was asking so many questions about him that her friend, who was an earth pony with a tan coat with purple-black hair, sort of dragged her off so that the next pony in line would greet him to Ponyville.

After a while, Mike notices some carefully wrapped boxes in the corner.

“What are those?”

Ever present, Pinkie Pie bounces up and down whilst answering his question.

“Those are your presents, silly! Now go open them!”

What could be in there?

Mike sits down next to the pile and opens his first present. It seems to be a short rectangle box. He opens that box, and sees what’s inside. It appears to be a brown custom longcoat made just for him, the colors and patterns too intricate to detail. Never clashing, but never dull.

“That’s a little something I made myself just recently.”

Rarity seems proud of herself, and as Mike slips it on over his jacket, he seems to be quite happy with it, too.

“Thanks, Rarity!”

Mike hugs Rarity, whom is a little embarrassed.

Pinkie Pie interrupts with,

“Open mine! Open mine!”

Mike lets go of Rarity and reaches for the pink present with tons of ribbons on it, obviously being from Pinkie Pie. He opens it, bypassing all the ribbons on it, and is shocked by what he finds in there.

A plaque.

He holds it up, studying what’s engraved in the gold-wood wood award.

“To the bestest westest human Equestira has ever known! Mike Alpha!”

Tears unexpectedly form in his eyes, and he hugs Pinkie Pie, thanking her for this. Next comes Twilight Sparkle with some wrapped books in tow.

”I got these for you! Seeing as you’re new here, I thought I’d give you some reference guides to Equestria.”

Mike grabs the books and thanks Twilight with yet another hug. Twilight pulls away, and Fluttershy approaches behind Mike. She regrets not thinking of getting him anything, and so she doesn’t say anything.

“Thank you, Fluttershy, for saving my life. Twice.” Mike holds up two fingers.

“I guess I owe you two, then.”

“Oh, no. It was my pleasure. Besides, I never leave someone hurt.”

“And I’m very thankful.”

“Sugahcube?”

Mike turns around to see Applejack and Rainbow Dash behind him, slightly down, obviously remembering their clash.

“It’s okay. It was no problem. Nothing happened, remember?”

“We did get a little something for yeh.”

Rainbow Dash reaches for a sack of something on the table and presents it to Mike.

“We’ve set aside some bits for yeh. Hope it helps.”

Mike takes it with a “Thanks, this’ll help.”

Before Mike puts his gold away, Spike runs up to him and presents something to him.

THAT IS A GLORIOUS GREEN GEM.

“I guess this is a thank you for saving Twilight. I hope you like green!”

“Is my favorite color, actually. Thanks, little guy.”

He puts the gold and gem in his pocket and the party resumes.

Several hours later, Spike, Twilight, and Mike can be seen headed towards the library after dark.

“That was fun, wasn’t it, Mike?”

“It sure was, Twilight. I’ll have to read these, they look important.”

Suddenly, lighting strikes Mike. Several times. Twilight Sparkle and Spike look up to see a familiar, wall-eyed friend in a storm cloud above.

“My bad!”

Mike is on his knees, with eyes closed, obviously hurt.

I sense something. Something that’s always been there before. Like a muscle that’s never been used, or an eye never opened.

He flexes this new ability, and the wind picks up around the ponies and the visitor. He rises into the air without any magical help from Twilight, obviously focosuing on something with eyes closed. A white flash, and there is a dark-green field of energy surrounding Mike. He opens his eyes, and the mares and dragon gasp. His eyes were glowing.

Wings

The wind intensifies, and Mike floats higher. He flails his arms and legs around, trying to get grips with what’s going on.

“WHAT’S HAPPENING?!”

Mike surprised even himself with that enhanced voice. A flash of light blots out everyone’s vision, and the green energy field dissipates, and Mike lands on his feet, looking at himself.

What’s wrong with the trench coat?

Instead of a brown color with designs on it, the coat is a solid black with gold trimming on the collar, the edges of the sleeves, and the edges of the coat itself.

Did I do that?

Twilight Sparkle and Spike look on, slack-jawed. Derpy Hooves just stands next to them with a smile on her face.

“I didn’t know you had magical abilities, Mike!”

“I didn’t, either.”

He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out the emerald, which is glowing slightly.

Cool.

“Let’s get back to the library, ok? Ok.” Mike said with a nervous walk.

Derpy flew off, and Mike, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike head to the library at a quick pace.

Once inside, they set up several chairs and sit down, exchanging glances about what just happened.

Finally, Spike says,

“Do humans normally use magic?”

Mike laughs.

“No, no. Either magic doesn’t exist where I come from, or it was simply a lost art.”

“No magic??” Twilight blurts out.

Twilight seems stunned by this scenario. After all, it is what all unicorns use every day.

“We have these, instead.”

Mike waves his hands around.

“Also, I’d like to be alone with these books. Could I get some books on magic? I think I need to study this phenomenon further.”

Twilight hoof-picked out some books for Mike, and he began studying them.

Huh. This isn’t so bad. I must’ve learned to read Equestrian as well as speak it.

Mike studies throughout the night, putting even Twilight to shame in intensity. He sometimes paused to think about something, but goes back to the books. Having read a brief summary of Equestria and another brief summary of Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi, Mike eagerly dives into the basics of magic.

“Magic is the Science of manipulating your surroundings with nothing but your will.”

Interesting.

The sun makes its presence felt that morning, with the whole household asleep. Mike had finished his studies and had fallen asleep in the chair he was studying in. He wakes with a start, and looks around. Noticing the lack of immediate danger, he slips into the kitchen, and has breakfast. Some apples and a drink of water later, Mike wanders to the door, and leaves a note on it. Crouching under the top of the door frame, he exits.

...

Twilight Sparkle goes through her usual motions of waking up. Brush your hair, wake up Spike, check on the human… wait. There’s something wrong. Mike isn’t anywhere to be seen.

“SPIIIKE!”

Spike almost tumbles downstairs to see what the matter was. He finds Twilight pacing, and he looks for Mike, which he doesn’t see.

“Where’s Mike?”

“That’s the problem! Let’s go!”

They speed out the door, missing the note, only to see a surprised Fluttershy.

“Good morning, Twilight. What’s the matter? Where’s Mike?”

“He’s wandered off. We need to find him.”

Fluttershy gasps and takes off as Spike rides atop Twilight.

…

Standing in the middle of a green, vacant field, Mike takes a deep breath.

Time to apply this knowledge.

Mike rises above the ground again, under his own influence as he remembers what he read.

Let’s see. Let’s try this.

Mike raises his hand, palm up. He focuses on it for a second, and a flame bursts out above his hand. Raising his other hand and producing the same result, Mike decides to try something new. The flames shoot out and tower above him, but this wasn’t the result he was looking for. The flames shrink down in size, but increased in intensity. Soon they looked less like flames than an exhaust plume of a jet.

Here we go.

He lets himself go and turned his hands downward, applying more force. He shoots up into the air, flying at speeds even he didn’t imagine. He maneuvered his hands so that he was now flying level to the ground. He didn’t notice however, that he was fast approaching Ponyville.

...

Fluttershy worriedly flies all over, looking for Mike.

Where could he be?

She hears something peculiar, and looks at the source. There is a black dot in the sky in the distance, which was rapidly approaching. Fluttershy realizes that it’s Mike. He tears past her, yelling,

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…”

I didn’t know humans could fly.

She takes off after him, but he had already noticed her. Coming to a dead stop with a trick, Mike lowers himself back to the ground, Fluttershy landing close by.

Mike looks over to Fluttershy, holds his head with both hands and shouts,

“That! Was! AWESOME!”

He clears his throat and continues.

“I’ve never actually flown before, Fluttershy. It’s quite… liberating.”

Fire shoots from his hands again and he takes to the skies, leaving a bewildered Fluttershy behind. Twilight Sparkle and

Spike see her, staring blankly in the sky where she last saw Mike, and Twilight asks,

“Are you okay?”

Fluttershy awakens from her daze and simply points to the sky.

“Mike went that-a-way.”

“How?”

Fluttershy shrugs and takes to the air again, desperately trying to find Mike.

…

Rainbow Dash was not one for waking up, especially when she has her days off of weather duty. What happens next could be inexcusable if it wasn’t so sudden.

”BOO!”

Rainbow falls out of her bed to see a black figure shooting off into the sky. Not one to let pranksters get away this easily, she gives chase.

“I’ll get you!”

A high-speed chase ensues, with Mike and Rainbow Dash both going insane speeds. He pulls a hard right, and Rainbow

Dash realizes just who she was chasing.

“Huh?! You’ll not get away!”

The chase continues, and the duo flies over Ponyville, whom populace has become spectators to the unplanned airshow. Mike pulls off some stunts, with Rainbow Dash following the best she can. After a series of loop-de-loops and barrel rolls,

Mike pauses to look for Rainbow. He turns around, and he sees a blue blur tackle him which is shouting,

“Gotcha!”

The two tumble and hit the ground creating a lot of dust. Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy stand next to the cloud, waiting for any signs of life. To their surprise, laughter is heard from Mike and Rainbow Dash. She speaks first.

“Where… have you been… all my life? I… had a good time… keeping up with you!” The dust is clear enough that the 5 friends see Rainbow Dash and Mike sitting in an exhausted position, both panting.

Mike says,

“You… still… didn’t. So there!”

Rainbow Dash jokingly punches Mike in the shoulder.

“Wanna go again, Mike?”

Mike crosses his arms.

“CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.”

Both fly off into the sky, far away from Ponyville. Everyone present was very confused and they were trying to make sense of the situation.

“Twilight… what did he do to the coat I gave him?” Rarity said.

“I don’t know, either. He discovered a magical ability inside him after being struck by lightning from Derpy’s cloud.”

They all seemed to nod slowly, suspending disbelief in favor of not getting headaches.

…

After a day of flying around with many, many tricks, Rainbow Dash and Mike settle down on a hilltop overlooking Ponyville.

“You know, Mike. You aren’t so bad.”

“Neither are you, Dash. I still remember when you tried to pull me through the sound barrier with you.”

“Well, it could work!”

“…Right.”

“Better check up on our friends, then.” Rainbow Dash takes off, but to her surprise, Mike just starts walking.

“What’s the matter? Run out of steam?”

“It’s nice to walk.”

“I don’t think so. Come on!”

“…First one to the library wins!” Mike takes off, leaving Rainbow Dash to keep up.

…

Twilight Sparkle studies in the library, desperately looking for clues as to Mike’s existence.

What is he? Nothing in my books about anything shows anything like him. I’ve recently discovered that Ape-like animals share some of the same characteristics with Mike, but they aren’t sentient .Might as well look into the more theory-ish books, like the one that I should’ve used to cure the poison joke.

She hears a knock on the door. Tappy-tappy-tap.

She opens the door with her violet telekinesis, and she sees an exhausted Mike and Rainbow Dash come in. They seemed to have a pleasant conversation before they walked in. Twilight Sparkle is relieved by this.

That’s good. It was very unfortunate that Mike was attacked by Rainbow Dash. This could make a good letter.

Twilight Sparkle notices Mike and Rainbow Dash sitting down and chatting it up about aerial maneuvers.

“You should see our flying machines. They broke the speed of sound easily.”

“I don’t think so. Show us one of these so-called ‘airplanes’.”

“I don’t have one. They’re very expensive.”

“HA! So you don’t have one!”

If only she really knew…

“It’s just unfortunate that I can’t build one at the moment, is all. I need jet fuel, and aluminum and other materials.”

“Well, I just get by with these babies here.” Rainbow Dash flared her wings, displaying them out for Mike.

Mike then turns to Twilight.

“How rude of me. How do you do, Miss Twilight? I do hope you are feeling well after the Hydra confrontation.”

Twilight Sparkle sheepishly looks at her legs and remarks, “I’m fine, thanks Mike.”

Rainbow Dash notices Twilight’s sudden health and says,

“Didn’t you get hurt? You look just fine to me.”

“Healing spell.” Twilight responds.

“Right.” Rainbow is struck with a thought.

“Why didn’t you use one on Mike?” Rainbow asks.

“Because we know too little of him to mess about.” Mike nods silently, going into deep thought.

“I guess that makes sense.” Rainbow says with a hoof to her chin.

She notices a pen and scroll. She asks,

“What did you learn about friendship, Twilight?”

“Well, Rainbow, I learned that despite meeting Mike in a very awkward way, you still managed to be good friends.”

Mike shudders for a moment and remembers the rope.

“You can say that again.”

Twilight starts to repeat herself but catches a very annoyed glare from Rainbow Dash and Mike Alpha.

“Sorry, guys.” Twilight says sheepishly.

She continues with,

“I’ll just write that report to Princess Celestia.”

She trots over to her table and begins writing.

“Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I learned that despite a rough introduction and despite their differences, Mike Alpha (the human, and Rainbow Dash have become very good friends, their past being mostly forgotten. I hope that we will continue to be friends and that he can live peacefully in Equestria.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle.”

Spike, who is already in the room due to Twilight’s habit of saying the letter along with writing it, is ready to send. The letter is handed to Spike, who sends it with a puff of flame.

Twilight turns to Rainbow Dash and her newfangled friend and says,

“Princess Celestia would be proud of you.”

…

Meanwhile, in Canterlot, a very concerned Princess paces her quarters, having gone through everything she had seen in Mike Alpha’s head.

That’s not even his real name, though. Why would he lie to my little ponies?

The letter had come, and sure enough, she was calmed by the good news, but the new memories of the place called Earth flooded Celestia’s mind again, and she went back into a little cycle of worry.

It’ll be fine, you’ll see.

Luna apparently had noticed this change in behavior, best as she tried to hide it from the outside world. She had said to her,

“Mike Alpha simply changed his name so that he could forget his past, is all. Besides…”

She had trailed off and started mumbling. Celestia had given her sister a look, and she spoke up.

“I may have something to do with his being here.”

Stories

Celestia had been shocked by this revelation, and had responded,

“What do you mean, ‘I may have something to do with his being here.’?”

“Calm down, dear sister. It was an accident, I swear. Remember the Stargazer?”

Celestia thought of the project Stargazer. Using magic, a telescope’s sight could extend greatly. Stargazer was born from the idea that if one of these scopes was powered by a team of unicorns and an alicorn, not even the furthest reaches of the galaxy would be out of sight. The scope works great, and many observations have been made, seeing stars that were once invisible to conventional Magic Telescopes. Luna had been glued to the eye-piece of the telescope a lot lately, and Celestia thinks that she’ll find out why now. Luna continues.

“Well, instead of using the high-power to see tiny, distant stars, I used it to look at the closer ones, to see if there are others like us among them.”

Celestia stifled a giggle. Luna, looking for something ever present in fiction in Equestria?

”I did find something, Tia.”

Celestia is legitimately shocked by this.

“I saw a little green, blue, and white ball in space just like ours.” Luna fought tears, keeping composure as she continues.

“I zoomed in, using near maximum power, and to my surprise, the planet was filled with lizard creatures. These seemed different from our lizards, but then I used a spell that would draw recent light in, instead of the light that’s only now hitting us. To my surprise, I found a totally different planet. Instead of lizards, the planet was crawling with little mammals, just like us, Tia. They’ve built something resembling a civilization, but something was wrong. Big, dark clouds of smoke billowed out from all the major population centers. I zoomed in, at maximum power. I searched for any signs of intelligent life with a simple spell that strained even me and the unicorns. I saw one of them curled up in one of the forests that weren’t burning at the moment. I saw a fire raging in the distance, and I thought it best to try and save him.”

Celestia stood in shock. This matches exactly with what Mike knows of the planet from her mind-meld. She slowly nods, and Princess Luna continues.

“I thought that I teleported him to safety at one of the remaining cities filled with others, but I never saw him again. I guess I put too much power into the spell, because he was sent here. The telescope is slightly ruined now. We’ll have to fix it, but that’ll take time.”

Luna sees Celestia deep in thought, and asks,

“Not only did you find him, you used a mind-meld spell? Who knows what he knows?”

“I do now know, Luna. Before a crisis gripped the planet, his species was building a civilization greater than ours, Luna. Greater! They had flying machines that broke their speed of sound, and they had these electronics that make ours look like colored rocks. Their engines put our steam engines to shame. I think that this knowledge will greatly benefit us.”

Celestia stopped herself, finding something to be grateful for.

“Their knowledge of themselves was staggering, and the medical field of science was so advanced that they might’ve cured death if they had time. Even I don’t fully understand what exactly caused their disaster.”

Luna ponders for a moment, and then asks a simple question.

“Do you think I could have a chat with him?”

…

“What do you mean, you’ve never heard of fedoras?”

Mike’s statement echoed through the tree library, sending tiny shockwaves through Rarity, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash, and the dragon Spike.

Rarity had visited in hopes of talking to him about fashion. Sure enough, he had inevitably talked about hats, and Mike is particularly fond of ones called fedoras. Rarity had heard of these, but these were old fashioned hats.

“I didn’t mean to make you think that Equestria doesn’t have fedoras, dear Mike. They’re not as popular as they once were. You want one of these?”

“That would be pretty cool. What do you think this would cost?”

Rarity recoils at the thought of a potential client which was so… different. She shakes her head and says,

“Consider this a gift for saving Twilight and Fluttershy from those horrible beasts.”

She steps out, leaving Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike alone with Mike.

Twilight eagerly asks Mike something.

“How come nothing like you has ever been seen before? You’re the only one ponykind has ever seen.”

Mike shrugs.

“Guess I traveled further than I could’ve ever imagined, because where I come from, there were no Technicolor talking

ponies.”

Rainbow Dash raises an eyebrow, and asks

“What’s Technicolor?”

“Well, equines were just a shade of tan or brown where I come from. Not pink, purple, or blue or anything like that.”

“Oh… right. I better get going. See ya, Mike!”

Rainbow Dash characteristically flies out the door, leaving Mike, Twilight, and Spike. Mike glances between the two of them and raises a hand to his chin in deep thought.

“Are you two related somehow?”

Spike and Twilight look at each other very sheepishly, and then they turn back to Mike.

“I guess he’s my little brother.” Twilight said, rubbing Spike’s head, which causes him to stifle a giggle.

They see Mike’s eyes quiver in remembrance. He said with great emotion,

“I had a little brother once.”

He slumps down into a chair and stares at his boots. Twilight asks,

“I’m so sorry, Mike. Is he gone?”

“Yeah. He turned crazy, so I… killed him.”

Twilight Sparkle and Spike found themselves tearing up.

“I had to. Otherwise, he’d eat me.”

Mike buries his face in his hands, suppressing sobs. He looks up again, despair dripping from his eyes.

“And my father. He tried to eat me too. Same thing happened with my mother, and my sisters. Ones that I called family…”

Mike looks back at Twilght and Spike, who stood shocked.

“…and friends.”

Mike looks at his boots.

“They all turned into absolute animals. The ones who didn’t, like me… fought back. We didn’t want to die.”

Painful blood-filled memories filled Mike’s eyes and he starts to shake.

“ANNNND THEY’RE COMINGGGNGH—“

He bends forward, holding his hands to his gut while beathing heavily. Cold sweat forms on his brow, and he stares off, remembering.

===+===

Mike was running from everything he knew. Everything he thought he knew. Everyone he thought he knew. What was running after him, however, was the reality of the situation. Kukri in hand, he dispatched those who ran a little close to him. Recognizing faces was heartbreaking because that’s one less person who made it. Despair ruled the day.

===+===

Twilight Sparkle and Spike looked at each other, then back to Mike. He was still leaning forward in the chair, teeth clenched. He spoke slowly.

“I felt betrayed and… and everything. Everyone I knew was either dead, dying, or one of them. Even now, I don’t understand the cause of it. I also don’t understand how I’m here. The things here don’t exist where I’m from. I don’t understand.”

A letter materializes from Spike with his signature burp. Twilight opens it telekinetically and reads it out loud.

“ Dear Twilight Sparkle,

After some consideration, I have decided that it is best for me to talk to Mike in person regarding his origins and his future here. A carriage has been sent to your location. I look forward to our first meeting.

The Princess of the Night,

Luna.”

Mike raises an eyebrow, having calmed a bit. Twilight Sparkle and Spike calm down, too. Not having to hear the story anymore makes it easier on them. Mike finally speaks again.

“ Guess I gotta pack, huh?”

His eyes lit up in realization.

“My pack’s still at Fluttershy’s!”

Who knows what she’ll find in there?

Mike walks out the door cautiously, and then briskly strides towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

…

Fluttershy calmly takes care of her animals as she always does, having cleaned up the lawn and replaced the window. Things were different around here after Mike arrived. Something… troubling was underfoot. But that might just be Fluttershy’s paranoia. There is a knock on the door. She answers it, and finds Mike. He says,

“Do you still have my pack?”

“Yes, it’s right where you left it.”

Mike tests his newfound ability to levitate the backpack into his hand.

“Thanks. I gotta meet someone called Luna.”

“The Princess?”

“Yeah. See ya.”

“Oohkay.”

Fluttershy remembers the last time Luna was at Ponyville. Fluttershy had long given up her fear of her then, but still…. Mike waits back at Twilight’s library to await the carriage, but by the time he got there, he found the carriage waiting. Going inside, he found Twilight and a couple of ponies with dark armor and bat wings. He seems surprised to see these, but dismisses the notion that they could be dangerous. They say,

“Are you Mike?”

Mike responds with,

“The only one that I know of.”

“You’ll need to come with us. Good day, Twilight.”

Mike is escorted to the carriage, and it flies off to Canterlot in the sunset light.

…

Luna paces for what seems to be the thousandth time in the main hall. So many questions dancing in her head as she finally

sees something face to face that she’d been looking at for so long at so far the distance. A guard finally announces the arrival of Mike, so the Princess sits in the throne. After a few minutes of silence, the door opens to admit Mike and some Royal Guards. Mike looks around the spacy room, then looks towards Luna, who was looking at him in curiosity.

I’ve never seen one of them so close up before.

The guard to the right of Mike clears his throat and states,

“Princess Luna, this is Mike Alpha. He was spotted in Ponyville a few days ago. Reports from the Elements state that he has

slain a Hydra and a whole pack of Beogs.”

Mike shuffles his feet, and holds his hands behind his back, knowing now that a reputation precedes him. Luna responds,

“Indeed, Captain. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mike. My sister has told me much about you, but I want to learn more from the source.”

Mike returns Luna’s gaze and responds,

“It is also a pleasure to meet you. What do you want to know?”

Mike folds his arms, readying himself for a lengthy interview.

“First off, are these rumors true about your slaying a Hydra and a pack of Beogs?”, Luna asks.

“…Yes, though I do not take pleasure in the acts. It was in self-defense in both cases.” Mike seems defensive, as if he’s being accused of a crime.

“Perfectly alright, Mike. It also said that you defended Twilight from the Hydra, which is commendable. Now, I would like to share some information with you, but the nature of this information is very sensitive.”

The guards, catching on to Luna’s unspoken request, exit the hall and shut the big double doors, which make a loud banging sound when closed. Mike looks back to Luna, waiting for her story. She clears her throat and starts.

“I have been in charge of a project called Stargazer. An advanced telescope was enhanced with magic so that it can see deep into space. The point of it was to chart the skies, and we have done so very effectively. We exerted more power to see faraway stars, but I realized that we could instead use our focus on the nearer stars to see individual planets. That’s when I found yours.”

Mike raises an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. Luna continues.

“I don’t know what happened. Could you explain this?”

Mike shrugs, arms still folded, and says,

“What happened is nothing short of a disaster. As to how it started, I’m completely stumped.”

Luna takes notes, compiling new information. She looks up from her notebook and asks,

“What kind of disaster?”

Mike responds,

“*Sigh* I give up. It’s a zombie apocalypse, okay? Not only that, humanity itself is split into political factions drawing imaginary lines on a map diving their lands, and their nations. This difference prevented any global action until it was too late. Enemies attacked each other after years of uncertain peace. People starting pointing fingers at each other. Climate Change was blamed. Scientists were blamed. Even Extra-Terrestrials were blamed. While people in their big international chambers were effectively yelling at each other, billions were dying in the street. I barely made it out of my own town alive. I inexplicably found this place, and you know the rest of the story.”

Luna was taking notes all the while, and she looks nervously to the right and to the left, then asks Mike,

“I’ve never told anyone about this, but I’ve seen dozens of big flashes of light in some of the burning cities. They left spots in my eyes for days. These events seem to destroy the city they happen in. Could you explain this phenomenon?”

Mike is stunned when he realizes what these “flashes” are. He stutters,

“N-Nuclear—d-devices?!“

Luna didn’t know what those were. She asks,

“Are those a recent invention?”

“They’ve been around for a while. But those things are basically outlawed to use because of their great and terrible destructive power.”

“This zombie epidemic, could you explain it?”

“Well, I’m not even sure if it is zombies. I keep telling myself that those cannibals are simply insane, and that that insanity is

contagious. I don’t know, I’m not a scientist.”

“Could you tell me about yourself? Maybe you can better explain the scenario that way.”

Mike raises a hand to his chin in deep thought, then clears his throat, and begins.

“At first… I was nothing but an idea. An idea bred of my parents. I would be born, and I would grow up to be a great man who would marry and have kids. Those kids would marry, and the cycle would continue. But when I was born, some problems presented themselves.”

Luna writes notes, intrigued.

“Some physical problems would become a problem later on, especially if untreated. The doctors saw this, though, and were able to minimize the effects of said problems. I was growing up, studying to work in a field of my choosing, which is technology. Then the crisis happened. My family went insane, and I found the strength to kill them before they killed me.”

Mike looks down when he said this, obviously regretting his actions. He continues.

“I found a weapon and lasted through what could be considered the end of civilization. I lasted long enough to flee into the wilderness with what I could grab, or steal. After several weeks in the wilderness, I noticed that several things changed. The geography did not match the map. The animals were much more violent, and I considered trying to go back, but I was utterly lost. Then I found Fluttershy’s cottage, and the rest you know.”

Luna finishes her notes, trying to suppress tears. She finally responds,

“Thanks *sniff* Mike. Thanks for the information. Also, when I found you, in the forest that was burning, I pulled you here to Equestria by accident. I meant to pull you into a safe place occupied by other humans, but… I put too much power into it.”

Mike is stunned by this. Wide-eyed, and with hands to his head, he says,

“ WAIT.

So I’m from space?

Space?

SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!!“

Monstrosities

ZEH THOUGHTS ARE NOW COLOR CODED THIS IS MIKE

ZIS IS TWILIGHT SPARKLE

ZIS IS LUNA OR CELESTIA, DEPENDING ON WHO IS PRESENT

OKAY?

OKAY.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEEEEEEE—“

Mike releases his head, and puts his hand to his heart, breathing heavily. Luna is taken aback at this behavior, but says,

“You okay, Mike? You just screamed for a solid 20 seconds.”

Mike looks back to Luna and responds,

“I’m okay. I just got pulled through space by a spell into Equestria, where I find talking ponies and somehow gained magical powers. If I wasn’t in this scenario, I’d swear that this is a poorly fabricated story.”

Take that, me.

Luna puts away her notes and sees Mike shuffle his feet, looking down. She says,

“I’m so sorry about what happened to you and your kind.”

“It was no fault of yours, Luna. Monsters will be monsters, and what monsters do is die.” Mike responded.

His sad expression was devolving into a sneer, hatred practically burning from his eyes. Hatred for whom or what is to be certain.

“You okay, Mike?” Luna asks.

Mike snaps out of his state and stands still.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

“You said that you learned magic. Is this true?”

“Well, yes. I was struck by lightning of all things, and I was carrying this.”

Mike pulls out the gem from a coat pocket, and shows it to Luna, who looks at it curiously.

That’s interesting. It glows a soft green. This is to be studied further.

“Well, Mike, you’ll just have to stay with me for a little while.”

Mike goes wide-eyed.

“What? Why?”

He twirls his fingers while biting his lower lip nervously.

“First, so that you can be taught magic by me and the professors here.

And second, I want to have the doctors keep some records on you. We do wish to learn more.”

Mike relaxes at the obvious answer.

“Oh. Okay. Let’s get started, then?”

…

Twilight Sparkle had not heard from Mike in several days. Rarity had visited Canterlot in order to deliver Mike’s hat, and had returned with greetings from him. Apparently, he was studying under Luna herself, the lucky dog. The letters he sent suggested that he was making quick progress with his knowledge. He even sent some translated copies of some books he had brought. These books are now at the center of Twilight’s studies.

First to be read was The Boy Scout Handbook. This concerned what a Boy Scout is, and what he does. Interestingly, the book also contained basic first aid instructions, basic wilderness survival skills, and it describes a number of high-physical human activities, such as sail-boating or hiking. There were also instructions on how to camp safely in any weather and in any condition. The second book that was sent back was a brief summary of human history. Too brief. Twilight wanted to learn so much more about human society. They were so diverse and rich. There is not enough in the book to fully expand Twilight’s understanding of them. The other books that he sent back did give Twilight a window into what was, and perhaps will be again, back at his earth. Mike had said he was coming back soon, but how soon is “soon”?

As if to answer her question, there is a knock on the door. She eagerly goes to answer it, overtaking spike. Opening it, she sees a smiling Pinkie Pie outside. She says,

“He’s coming, Twilight!”

“How do you know he’s coming?”

“Can’t you hear that? Come outside!”

Twilight follows Pinkie Pie to the outskirts of Ponyville, where she sees Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy

together. Twilight greets her friends with a flat,

“She dragged you out here too, right?”

They all nodded in silent agreement. Apparently, it was better not to question’s Pinkie’s instinct. Twilight remembers that day fondly, but winces involuntary when she remembers trying to decode Pinkie. Pinkie Pie was almost bursting with excitement. She practically screams,

“ISN’T THIS EXCITING I MEAN NOT AS EXCITED AS I WAS WHEN TWILIGHT FIRST CAME TO TOWN BUT REALLY HOW COULD YOU BEAT THAT? LOOK THERE HE COMES!”

She points a hoof to the sky, looking at something distant. The girls squint to spot whatever it is Pinkie’s pointing at, but all they see is blue sky.

Wait. Is that…?

As if to answer her question, a black dot can now be seen in the distance, ever growing bigger until it was unquestionable

that it was headed right for them. Rainbow Dash flies off to intercept, leaving the girls with a gust of wind. Shortly, Dash too became a spot in the sky, growing ever closer with Mike. They got close enough for Twilight to see the blue in his eyes as they executed a low-level high-speed fly-by. They landed, and Twilight got a better look.

He looked a lot better than he did when he first came here. For starts, his clothes weren’t all raggedy and torn from running. They were pristine and new, but he still wore the black-gold trench coat. Adoring his head was a black fedora with gold trimmings, to match the coat.

They must think I look pretty sharp for an *alien*.

“Hi.”

Mike waves a gloved hand to everypony.

They wave back, noticing the new gloves he wears. He looks at them, and says,

“Yeah, these black gloves here are for spell casting. I don’t want to get burnt or anything.”

Plus it just looks cool.

“What’s up, girls?”

Twilight responded with an excited,

“Nothing much, brony.”

His turns his head back, going wide-eyed and his irises shrunk at the simple expression.

HOW DO THEY KNOW ABOOT SUCH INTERNET THINGS

Twilight notices his rather unique reaction.

“Don’t worry. It’s just a thing the colts came up with that they call each other.”

He stammers,

“Y-yeah. You’ll have to ask me later about that. I have an interesting story to tell you. But first…”

He turns to the rest of the ponies.

“A thousand greetings, mien little ponies. Luna has sent me here to continue my studies of Equestria, much like the way Celestia sent you here, according to Luna.”

An eager Twilight starts asking Mike about his experiences at Canterlot. He has been studying hard and has learned so much about magic. Twilight notices how vague he’s being with the magical concepts that were self-drilled into Twilight’s brain, and she can’t stop but think that there’s something he’s not telling her. Heading back into town, everyone seems optimistic about the near future.

…

Mike meditates on his studies of the experimental arts of magic, having skimmed the other magics. He sits with his legs crossed, floating in the air. His arms rested on his knees, his eyes closed with thoughtful expression.

Now, according to this, there is a way to see without eyes, to hear without ears. Let’s try the techniques discussed.

Mike begins the spell, the coat pocket containing the gem glowing ever brighter as the user interacts with their new-found connection via lightning. His mind’s eye fills with visions of the library around him, though his eyes are closed. It was the pitch-black of night, and everyone in town is already asleep. He focuses, and his vision now is filled with an eye-level view of the town. His expression deepens with effort as he raises his view to cloud-level, looking down. The town is asleep, it would seem. Mike redoubles his efforts to zoom his mental camera towards the Everfree forest.

He weaves through the dark trees, observing the local nightlife. He sees bugs, beogs, bats…

Wait. Beogs?

His concentration shattered, Mike snaps open his eyes, crashing to the floor. He speeds out the door to intercept the incoming pack. Inside, Twilight Sparkle stirs, but does not waken.

Mike soars high in the sky above Ponyville, having only used some thrust to get off the ground. Now he soars in the big, dark

blue sky, gliding towards the last known location of the beasts. Closing his eyes, Mike focuses again.

There they are.

They seemed to be looking for something. Mike, perhaps. Mike adds several seconds of thrust to remain at speed. The reason he wasn't going full afterburner was because he didn’t want to wake everypony.

Wait. How do I fight them?

Mike thinks back to the books. None of them concerned fighting of any kind, but he knew enough to improvise.

He now is soaring above the trees of the vast Everfree forest. He uses his magic to land softly in a rocky clearing, and then looks around. The pack he saw wasn’t here no more.

Maybe they ran off—

An object pouncing Mike from behind interrupts his thoughts.

Here goes…

He uses his telekinesis to yank off the attacker, and then propels it towards a tree, giving a gratifying crack as it collides. Mike hears more rustling in the bushes. Mike smiles and readies for battle.

A test of my skills. Come at me, bros.

Lighting shot from Mike’s outstretched hand coursed through several monsters, leaving them without pulses, but still had electricity sparking all over their bodies. Mike next tosses a Beog into the air, and then launches a fireball at it. The battle continues as Mike uses several fireballs, lighting strikes, and once sprayed fire across several of them. He also used telekinesis to smash them against the ground, against trees, and against each other if they got too close. Several minutes later, the beogs all lay dead scattered among the rocks at Mike’s feet. Mike himself wasn’t uninjured, though. His suit was scratched in some places, and some new scars manifested themselves on his arms with some red bleeding through the suit. He took the time to heal himself using his new found abilities. He tried to not do anything too complicated. He just sealed the wounds and cleaned himself. He even managed to fix some of the rips in the fabric of the coat.

Satisfied at his work, he outstretches his hand, forcing all the beogs into a pile. Setting it on fire, he comes to a realization.

I’ve done it again, man. I’ve done it again. I murdered and I’m taking away my own innocence in favor of satisfying my bloodlust. Am I really gonna stay like this? Do I even have a bloodlust? Can I control it? Am I a monster, doomed to take away the innocence of my new friends? I must say goodbye, then. Hopefully I’ll die alone, having done no harm any…pony.

He glides off, the sun now manifesting itself over the hills.

Twilight Sparkle awakes to a new day, filled to the brim with possibilities. She goes through her morning procedures, brushing her hair, eating breakfast, and checking on her duties….

She enters the front room, the books there stacked all neatly on the shelves. In the middle, Mike sat on a chair, facing away from Twilight and towards the door. She goes around to see what might be the matter, and she sees something terrible. Mike had obviously been crying, but the evidence was barely there, dried tears being swept away. His expression remained serious, though, and he offers a quiet,

“Good morning, Miss Sparkle.”

“You okay, Mike? You look sad.”

“I did it again.”

“What?”

Mike stands up, towering above Twilight. He looks at the ceiling and shakes his fists above his head, he yells,

“I MURDERED AGAIN. MORE MONSTERS ARE DEAD NOW, THANKS TO MY ACTIONS THE NIGHT PREVIOUS. I’M NOTHING BUT A MONSTER. I SHOULD BE MORE LIKE FLUTTERSHY. SHE HELPS THEM, NOT KILL THEM.”

Shocked by this emotional outburst, Twilight tries to form words in her head. Mike continues.

“I AM A MONSTER SPAWNED OF DESPERATION AND NESSESITY, BUT…

…”

He slumps to the ground, knees brought up to his chin and his arms hugging them.

“I’m still a monster that has killed. No matter what state of innocence it may have had. Innocent or not, it makes no difference. I’ve got no excuse for trying harder to avoid conflict.”

Mike stays silent, his head resting on his knees. His hat hides his expression, so Twilight takes a chance.

“…So?”

Mike shoots his head up to meet Twilight’s gaze.

At least I got his attention, now.

“So what if you had a dark and troubled past? So what if the problem’s most obvious solution was violence? It doesn’t matter

who you were, Mike.”

Mike finishes the phrase.

“It just matters who you choose to be right now.”

Dear Princess Celestia…

Travels I

Herp derp crossover time

Mike closes his eyes, concentrating. The past few days have been nothing but paradise. He remembers baking with Pinkie Pie, studying with Twilight Sparkle, sowing with Rarity, working with Applejack, racing with Rainbow Dash, and caring with Fluttershy. It was an uneventful day as Mike pushes his new eyes to see even further than previous attempts. He sees beyond the thin atmosphere of the planet, and he begins anew his broadening of his vision.

Twilight Sparkle notices Mike meditating in the air like he usually does, eyes closed, legs crossed in a sitting posture with his hands on his knees. What seemed to be different, however, was the new intensity of concentration. Sweat now adorned his features, and effort was etched into his face. She decides to not disturb him and let him be, going to bed herself.

Mike had seen many beautiful things, but space, perhaps, was the most glorious. There is so much out there. Still, something was avoiding Mike’s vision. He suddenly felt as he if he was in a large hallway that runs for practically ever. He mentally probed the invisible walls of the universal hallway, and he was able to peer through it.

The hallway metaphor isn’t good enough. It’s more like a giant glass box.

Mike now sees other galaxy glass boxes next to his box, with walls that extend to other boxes, but Mike doesn't try to peer further into another box.Mike instead focuses on a little blue planet in particular. It was in the same place in space as where he came from, but this was a different universe altogether. He approaches the planet with his vision, and it is clear that life thrives on this green, blue, and white ball. His mental vision bursts through the cloud canopy, and Mike is surprised by what he sees. Ponyville.

This might be an alternate dimension. If what make my dimension unique is me, then perhaps the thing that makes this dimension unique is another human trapped in Equestria.

Mike quickly dismisses the “trapped” part, and continues his ponderings. Soon enough, he was fed up with not finding a human, but just about everything else, and he decides that Canterlot would be the next place to look. He struggles under the weight, but his concentration is unbroken. He soon finds this dimension’s Celestia, Luna, and the mane 6, with the human of this dimension. They’re in the courtyard of the palace, with the guard. But what’s troubling is the human. He seems to be fading, somehow. He’s obviously losing consciousness, and Mike wonders what’ll happen to him. Tagging the human with magic that Mike can track, Mike rests a little easier, pulling out of the atmosphere. The human whisks away through the wall of the dimension. Mike eagerly follows, somehow meeting the mental requirement if only because it’s the first human he’d seen in almost a year, so there’s motivation.

Twilight Sparkle re-enters the front room of the library, looking after the soft humming sound that had started a few minutes ago. She looks at Mike again sitting in the air, and his eyes were glowing under his eyelids. She backs out, leaving Mike to his meditation.

Mike now follows the human to the next dimension, and he follows him to the next Equestria. Mike shoots his vision ahead of his quarry, and searches for the uniqueness in this Equestria. Finding another human on a cloudhouse, Mike awaits the arrival of human #1. Before he can do that, however, he feels a strange sensation coming over him. He opens his eyes, and sees that his body is becoming transparent with transportation. Screaming, he quickly etches something on the wall before vanishing completely.

Twilight Sparkle was half-conscious when she heard the scream. Throwing herself off her bed, she races to the rescue of Mike. Almost to the verge of panic, she throws open the door to the front room. She looks around to find… nothing. Mike was nowhere to be seen, and there is something etched into her wall. She gallops to the window, and tries to spot him outside, but to no avail. She looks at the markings again. She figures that they must be a message for her just before he vanished. She writes it down on a scroll, then writes beneath it,

“ Dear Princess Celestia,

Mike has just vanished. I can’t find him. He seemed to have teleported somewhere. Above is what I found scribed on the wall, apparently left by Mike. Could you tell me what it is?

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle”

By this time, Spike had shuffled sleepily into the room. Twilight hoofs Spike the letter out of habit, and Spike sends it mindlessly. They sat down to wait a response. Spike was resting with his head in his hands, and he suddenly realizes something.

“Where’s Mike?”

“He’s vanished, Spike. See that on the wall?” She points a hoof, and Spike sees what’s there.

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, it must be an English note.”

A letter was burped out by Spike, whom passed out on the floor, tired as can be. Twilight unrolls it and looks at the letter.

“Dear Twilight Sparkle,

My understanding of the human language has led me to believe that the English letters BRB on the wall is a means of saying “Be right back.” I am sure he’ll be back soon. Don’t worry. Wherever he’ll be, I’m sure he’ll be fine, given his training at the hooves of both you and I.

Your Faithful *Princess of the Night,***

Luna.”

Seeing those words brought a bit of comfort to Twilight, however small a contribution it be. All she needs to do is wait, right? Right?

…

Mike opens his eyes. It’s apparent that he’s lying on his back, back inside the Everfree forest. Whichever dimension, that is, remains uncertain.

Limbs?

Check.

Coat and its contents?

Check, and check.

The All-Cool Hat?

That’s a check.

Autobots, roll out.

Mike sits up, groggily looking around. He stands up, and dusts himself off with his gloves. He closes his eyes for a second while he locates Ponyville, and he starts on his way.

Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all are walking down the road to their tree house. They stay far enough away from the Everfree forest to be safe, but they aren’t thinking about that at the moment. Their conversation was of cutie marks and possible futures, as well as the next crazy thing that they’re going to attempt to do. Scootaloo was the first to notice a strange black object on their path. She extends a hoof to hinder their progress, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom notice it as well.

It is a black fedora that has gold on the brim and the base of it. It’s just sitting there on the road, apparently having been abandoned by its owner. The three approach it, but the wind picked up. The hat drifts off, and the three chases after it. After a few minutes of this, however, they stop, seeing something even stranger then the hat. It must be the hats owner, because the thing just snatches the hat out of the air with its gloved hand. The girls stare as it puts its hat on.

The thing towers high above them, and it seemed to somewhat have the face of a pony, but the rest of its body is upright, which would explain the height of the thing. Its head is the only thing uncovered, the rest being shrouded in a mysterious black-gold trench coat. The fabric is torn in some places, but the face of the thing is also shrouded in scars of a violent past. It speaks.

“Hello. Are you lost?”

A pause.

“I must apologize. My name is Mike Alpha.”

Applebloom is the first to break the long silence that existed onward.

“Well, hi, Mike. My name is Applebloom and this is Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.”

She points her hoof to the respective ponies.

Mike is surprised at this friendly behavior. He gets an idea that he hopes will further help relationships with human #1’s Equestria.

This will be a better use for these things anyway.

Mike reaches into his coat pocket, and the sound of an opening bag can be heard within. Under Mike’s magical influence, 3 pink cupcakes with white frosting on them float out of Mike’s coat and they glide over to the girls. They seemed to calm down with this gift. The CMC takes their respective cupcakes and Applebloom says with a smile,

“Thanks, mister!”

Mike offers a return smile. He walks past them as they eagerly wolf down their sugary treats. Soon, they finish, and they look for Mike. They see him walking towards Ponyville, and they decide to accompany him. Catching up, they strike up a conversation with him, talking about what he is, why he’s standing up straight, and how he came to Equestria. Mike just says to that question,

“I’m just wandering around, and I happened to find this place.”

Applebloom asks,

“Well, where you from?”

“A faraway land. One you’ve probably never heard of.”

Sweetie Belle asks,

“What’s wrong with your coat?”

“Oh, I’ve just been attacked by monsters, no big deal.”

They seemed surprised by this and they simultaneously shout,

“NO BIG DEAL?”

Scootaloo asks the next question.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. These scars are here to stay, though. I think they’re pretty cool.”

Scootaloo replies,

“Now that you mention it, they are pretty sweet. We should totally introduce you to our friends!”

Sweetie Belle asks,

“Who, Scoots?”

“You know, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, those ponies.”

Mike says with an all-too-knowing smile undetected by anypony,

“These friends of yours sound very nice. Who’s first?”

Applebloom seems to burst with excitement.

“Sweet Apple Acres is close by! We should totally visit Applejack first!”

Mike looks forward to these new meetings to the ponies he was already fast friends with back at his Equestria, but he knows that these meetings will be just as great.

…

Applejack was working hard back at Sweet Apple Acres like the way it was before he came. That hooman. After all that followed and his sudden disappearance, Applejack was pleased at the opportunity to get her mind off things by working again, besides, the hay didn’t put itself in the barn, and she had a lot of work to catch up on. But the nagging feeling in her mind is still ever present, like something was about to go down.

As if on cue, she hears the friendly voice of Applebloom.

“Hey, big sis!”

Without looking behind her, Applejack replies,

“Hey. Thought you and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were off to do some crusading.”

Applebloom excitedly says,

“We found another one!”

Another one what? Ah. She must mean the other human.

Applejack turns around and pales at the sight of Mike. She slowly says,

“What in tarnation.”

Mike puts on an awkward smile. He says,

“Hay. I’m told you’re Applejack.”

Applebloom continues.

“His name is Mike Alpha, and he’s a really nice guy. He gave us some cupcakes!”

That sounds really, really bad.

Applejack finally makes eye contact with Applebloom.

“That sounds… nice of the human.”

Uh-oh. He must not have made a good impression the first time around. I should’ve investigated here before being pulled into Human #1’s Equestria.

“How’dja get here, anyway?”

Mike sees Applejack raise an eyebrow in curious questioning. Mike crosses his eyes and said in a goofy tone,

“I walked here.”

A giggle from the 3 fillies did nothing to amuse Applejack.

“I mean, how’d you get to Equestria?”

Mike forgoes his silly expression and spells out,

“W-a-l-k-e-d.”

Applejack tries to think of where he could’ve walked from, but these were humans she was thinking of. No reasoning with them. An idea forms in her head.

“We should go, Mike. Applebloom? Could you scurry off with your crusading? We’ve got human business to take care of. Again.”

The CMC at first gives an “Awww…”, but Applebloom knew the drill when Applejack speaks in that authoritative tone. They walked off, heads hung low. Applejack then turns to Mike.

“We best get going.”

Ok then.”

Travels II

In human #1's equestria, not mike's

Mike and Applejack make their way through Ponyville. Mike expected some weird glances but the looks he got told him that his contact with pony society was minimal at best. Eventually, Mike and Applejack arrived at Twilight’s house, and she tapped a hoof on the door. There was some noise, and Twilight opened the door.

“Hey, Applejack! What brings yo—“

She sees Mike standing behind Applejack, the coat slightly swaying in the breeze. She looks at his face, and then looks back at Applejack, expression turning sour.

Applejack says,

“Eeyup.”

Twilight facehoofs and quickly shows them inside. She closes the door, and closes the blinds on the windows. She quickly shows them both to a table, which they sit at. Mike sits at the end, with Applejack and Twilight Sparkle next to him, on the opposite sides of the table.

They eye each other, and then they eye Mike. He looks to the both of them and says,

“What?”

Twilight says,

“What did you do to Storm?”

“Who?”

Applejack cuts in,

“He might not be responsible for Storm’s leaving, Sugar cube.”

Twilight thinks.

“You might be right, Applejack.”

“My name is Mike, by the way.”

“Right. We’ll need to send him to Canterlot. Mike?”

Mike makes eye contact with Twilight.

“Can you please come with us to Canterlot so we can meet the princess?”

“I can manage.”

He gets up and starts walking to the door, and the ponies follow. Outside, Mike looks to the distance and spots Canterlot in the distance. He points at it.

“That it?”

Applejack and Twilight nod.

“Thanks. I’m good.”

Mike uses his jets to shoot off into the sky, unopposed as he was fading rapidly into the distance. Applejack and Twilight gawk at each other, and then they run back to the library to send word to Celestia.

Okay, Mike. You’ve just re-introduced yourself to some ponies that may very well not like humans. Let us see what happens next.

Mike senses something amiss and looks behind him. A familiar, blue-rainbow Pegasus was making chase, along with another yellow-pink one. He adjusts himself so that he stops dead in the air, the jet wash keeping him afloat. The blurs speed past then circle around. He waits as they come into recognizable view. They come to a stop, panting as they maintain their altitude. Rainbow Dash says,

“What-what are you… doing here?”

“…Flying.”

He shoots off again, the sudden movement causing the pair of pegasai to spin around in circles. He was already gone by the time they recovered. They look at each other, and they decide that it was better to see Twilight.

Mike’s vision was blurred by the sheer speed of his journey. The green hills, valleys, and forests whoosh by without a thought given to their existence other than to recognize it. The castle grows bigger as it becomes closer.

Princess Celestia had not been in a very normal situation lately. Not only had she lost the human in a mysterious teleportation, but she had just received a letter from Twilight that there apparently had been another human sighted. Was there no end to this? She waits on her balcony with Luna, both looking to the sky. They were curious as to why exactly one would arrive at another’s departure. Sure enough, a black dot manifested itself on the horizon. Luna panics a bit and tries to remember what Twilight had said anything about its intentions. She didn’t. So that was worrisome. Luna looks up at her bigger sister, and she was looking at the black dot on the horizon absent-minded. Luna finally says

“Shouldn’t we get some guards?”

Celestia seems surprised at this simple question. She turns to her younger sister and says,

“Don’t worry little sister. I’m sure if he had bad intentions, then he would’ve done something bad already.”

“Whatever you say, Celly.”

Mike makes out the royal sisters perching on their balcony above their courtyard.

This is where Human #1 disappeared.

Mike lands carefully as to not disturb either of the princesses. The three stand there, each not knowing what to say to each other despite the need to communicate if there is to be any interactivity besides them staring at each other. Mike raises his hand in a strange salute.

“Hello, Celestia and Luna. My name is Mike Alpha. I have come from a world not unlike yours. In fact, they’re nearly the same. The only difference being the lone human who arrived there.”

They seemed stunned by this revelation, but Mike takes this opportunity to continue.

“Yes. I am from another Equestria. I’ve made friends with Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, and have saved their lives from several monsters. I have been observing this Equestria as the human here whisked himself off to the Equestria next door. I tried to sense where he was going, but I had outstretched myself too far. I have fallen into this Equestria, and now I humbly request that you help me find this human.”

Luna is the first to speak again.

“What do you require of this human?”

Mike shrugs.

“I haven’t seen many healthy, passive humans in a long, long time. Those I know who were kind are all dead now.”

Celestia did not expect this.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that my civilization was destroyed by forces still not understood. I was forced to kill my family, friends, and everyone I thought I knew in order to survive.”

The two digest this idea, and they attempt to imagine what that must’ve been like.

“If you like, I can try looking for him again. I just need some space.”

They lead him into the main hall, where they dismiss all the guards currently holding duty there. Mike takes up a meditative position in the center of the hall, facing the thrones. Legs crossed, and with his hands on his knees, Mike begins. He closes his eyes in concentration, and he lifts into the air. Luna and Celestia sit down on the throne, curious as to the nature of the magic being used here and how much is really being used at the moment.

Mike’s mental image of the world around him seemingly detach themselves from his head, no longer corporeal and no longer constrained by the physical body he resides in, his focus turns to outside the blue shell of the atmosphere. Fields of stars fill his mind, and the invisible boundaries of this dimension are in view. The walls of the dimension end where there are no more stars and universes. Mike looks for the tiny, unique trace he had placed on Human #1. He sees it, and it resides on a little blue ball much like the ones he had visited. When the cloud cover broke away before his vision, he looks around. The vision that filled his mind was that of the Everfree forest. He tries to sense the trace, and he succeeds. Finding it between the edge of the forest and the edge of town, he zooms in. Human #1 was conversing with another—

Why does this human have blue hair?

Luna and Celestia become increasingly worried about Mike, as his eyes were glowing behind his eyelids and the sounds he made indicate an excruciating amount of concentration required for this spell to be a success.

Mike observes the pony lying around Human #1 and Human #2. They seemed to be talking about something. Mike so dearly wishes to hear what they’re saying. He only hears the somewhat quiet breathing of himself, Luna, and Celestia back in Human #1’s universe. An unsettling feeling comes across Mike, but he doesn’t have to wonder why for long. Mike was being looked at by Human #1. This was disturbing, to question wither or not he could actually see me. The human’s eyes fixed on my point of vision no matter where I shift it.

Oh boy.

Get over here.

Mike feels himself being seized by a force more powerful than his untrained self, and his vision breaks to his normal eyesight. He sees some concerned Princesses approaching him, using their respective magic to attempt to anchor him to their world. Mike looks down at himself, and he sees several magic forces clashing around himself. Two of these forces were attempting to interfere with the third’s attempt to teleport Mike. He starts to panic, screaming as he fades away from the princesses. They stand in the chamber, aghast at their failure. They were perhaps the most powerful beings they knew of, other than Storm. They don’t know about Mike, and they quickly decide that he was teleported just like Storm was. Celestia at last breaks the long silence.

“At least nopony died this time.”

“What happens now?”

“We move on.”

…

Mike wakes up on the ground. His head hurts, and so he concludes that he’s in another Equestria. Human #2’s, perhaps? Mike gets up, and starts walking.

At least it’s peaceful this time of day.

Mike thought too soon, as he sees a lighting storm high above his head. He also heard the deep growl of an approaching predator. Mike spun around, and he gasped. Before him was the biggest monster he had ever seen. It looked to be a purple bear made of stars, towering above him and the forest. It roars, and attacks.

Mike was forced into the air, where it was just as dangerous as the ground. Lightning arced all around Mike, and he was forced to the ground, where the jaws and paws of the Ursa Major were waiting. Several fireballs, lightning strikes, and even a few scratches from his Kukri did nothing to slow the beast. Mike keeps dodging the repeated attacks of the monster.

More and more attacks hit the thing in the head and body repeatedly, but the thing seems to not care. It could be half-dead and it was still fighting as if it was in the best shape of its life. Mike was considering running altogether, when it roared loud enough to stun him. Mike fell on his face, turns over to see the big star bear raise a paw to end it.

The big bear stumbles as it gets hit with several loud attacks from behind. It seemed to be a human with a grenade launcher. It turns to see its new attacker, and Mike stands up to fight again. He’s going to try something new. Instead of an instantaneous lightning strike that arcs from his hands to his target, Mike instead goes Emperor Palpatine on the monster. A blanket of lightning covers the bear with volts that even it wasn’t expecting. Mike’s eyes were glowing with powerful energy.

Even Mike is surprised at how much focus and magic is required for this attack, but continues it. Electricity courses all over the body of the purple ursa, and it stands up with a painful roar. The other human keeps attacking it with his grenade launcher. Mike drops his hands, electricity still arcing between his fingers. He reaches to the sky and waits. A lightning bolt is seized by Mike and is redirected towards the beast.

It vaporizes through the skull of the Ursa and continues down the spine, vaporizing as it descends towards the ground. It leaves the ursa dead, and it falls over. Mike walks around the corpse,

inspecting it. He’s walking alongside the other human that had assisted him. They eye each other, and they introduce

themselves.

“Name’s Storm.”

“Name’s Mike.”

"Well it certainly looks dead at least..."

"Thanks for the assist, man."

"No problem, always willing to help one in need."

"I guess I owe you one."

“Nah, for now, are you injured? I can patch you up right quick."

"Nothing I can't walk off."

"You would not believe what a relief it is to see a human that doesn't want to eat me or kill me for my loot."

“Well I've been through that before... Why I chose to visit a 'Dead Rising' alternate universe, I'll never know..."

"Eh?"

"Long story, let me just say I can travel to any universe I choose, video games included."

"Ah. I've been through two dimensions myself. They're only Equestria universes. I was looking for you 'cuz I needed human

interaction."

"I understand... I left a friend back at our campsite, let's head back shall we?"

"Yes. I'll have to return to my Equestria later. Do you have bacon?"

"Why sure, let me just conjure some up..."

Mike raises an eyebrow, wondering what Storm means by that.

Storm cups his hands together tightly, before gently bringing them apart. In the previous spot, there is a plate of some bacon strips. Mike practically squees at this, and shouts,

"BY NOTCHES’ BEARD! ACTUAL BACON!”

"Bon appetite!"

Mike takes the bacon strips off of the plate, eager to satisfy the craving he’d had for so long. After he is done, he inspects the plate still in Storm's hands. He says,

"What about the plate?”

Storm throws the plate like a Frisbee, letting it ricochet off several trees before disappearing into a puff of smoke. He says

"What plate?"

"Never mind." Mike says with rolling eyes.

"So then, should we just stand around here, or what?"

"Bah. I hope you don't mind the tracker I put on you. It’s how I found you here."

They walk alongside each other in the forest, cape and coat trailing behind them. Storm says,

"Wait, so you're the disturbance I felt that was watching me a while ago?"

“Sorry. Like I said, I wanted human interaction. All these different sentients have me homesick."

Storm gave a short nod. He replies,

"I understand that, in my sixteen million years of life, I've encountered far more sentients beings other than humans... at least some are more innocent, like these ponies."

"I've met only the humans and ponies-- you're how old now?"

"Ya heard me, sixteen million years. Yeah I know I look 15, but the Editor helped keep my youth."

"Who's Editor?"

"Mine. To explain it, it's a pain. To put it simply, it's a piece of alien technology that basically makes me both a God and an

Inter-dimensional Traveler."

"If you can read my mind, then I won't need to tell you my story, then."

"The Editor basically alters these strands that basically allow me to bend the laws and fabrics of any universe to my will....

mostly."

"So you could send me back to where I came from?"

"Sure. Would you like to depart now?"

"Yeah. I'm sure to be missed. If you need me, you'll know where to find me."

They shake hands with warm smiles on their faces. Storm says,

"I'll keep an eye out on you. Like a guardian Angel I suppose. Arreviderci my friend!"

And with that, Storm snaps his fingers and warps Mike away.

Finally Home

Spike runs a wet cloth over the wall where Mike had apparently scorched the human letters “BRB” into it. While he was glad to be Twilight’s number one assistant, Spike does not want to also have to be Mike’s number one assistant. Spike ponders this for a bit, but goes back to work. A ball of bright light appeared behind him. Spike didn’t notice until lightning arched out randomly from it and struck him in the back.

“Ow!”

Spike dropped the cloth and turned around, staring at it. It grew brighter until it suddenly popped like a balloon, with a blinding flash that hurt Spike’s eyes. When he opened them again, he saw Mike standing there. He was looking right at

Spike. Spike asks,

“Where have you been?”

Mike, instead of answering, asks,

“How long have I been gone?”

Spike thinks and answers,

“12 minutes.”

This causes Mike to adopt a silly expression as if he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world. Spike asks cautiously,

“What’s so funny?”

Mike laughs,

“Heehee—It cost four hundred thousand dollars to travel through alternate dimensions… *for twelve seconds*.”

Mike nearly falls over backwards at his own joke with laughter, which Spike is a little annoyed at, because, clearly, this was something to be explained. Mike apologizes. Twilight, who had been drawn into the room by the familiar voices, stares at Mike. She seems relieved. She says,

“Well, you were back soon.”

Mike remembers the note he had left, and stares at it on the wall, looking a little guilty. He mumbles,

“I should clean that up.”

The wet cloth is picked up with Mike’s green telekinesis and is rubbed vigorously against the blackened area, revealing the

wooden wall beneath. She says,

“Well, it is nice to see you again.”

Mike absently replies,

“Good to be seen again. Interdimensional travel is not for the faint of heart.”

Twilight goes slack-jawed, eyes staring off. Mike finishes and disposes of the towel, and sits down in his chair. He looks over

to Twilight, who was still stuck in that flabbergasted position and says,

“Hello?”

Twilight seemed to regain consciousness and shakes her head. She stares over to Mike and starts to fire off questions like a

machinegun would bullets. Mike takes his time and answers as many as he can, reciting the story of how he entered several different versions of Equestria with their own inhabitants identical to the one they were in now, and he explains the glass box metaphor he came up with, but stops himself and raises a hand to his chin, contemplating.

“Actually, it’s not endless stacks of glass boxes at all. That would assume that giant invisible boxes can actually define where

a dimension ends and another one begins. It’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly, dimensional-wensional… stuff.”

That was perhaps the worst metaphor, but it’s the closest one I can think of.

“Anywhoo, I was trying to track down the human of that Equestria…”

“What? There were humans in that Equestria too?”

“That’s where our universes branch off from your standard Equestria with no problems or humans in it. A human is put in Equestria for any number of reasons, but the human in question is different every time, so I was trying to find the one of that dimension, and I ran into another you.”

Twilight seems to absorb this somehow. Mike continues.

“I ran into Celestia and Luna of that dimension, and they asked me to find the human. Apparantly he had left the dimension, and had gone to another HIE dimension.”

Twilight interjects.

“HIE?”

Mike explains.

“Human in Equestria. Now, I used my outside vision spell to track him down again, and I saw him in the Everfree forest of the

dimension he went to. So I looked closer, and saw the other human. They were conversing with Lyra, but I noticed something.”

Twilight listens to his every word. Mike says,

“The human that had left the Equestria I was in was looking directly at my point of view. I had thought this was a coincidence at first, but as I shifted my view, he keeps staring at it. I felt myself getting pulled into the dimension he was in, but something interfered. Instead of ending up next to the human, I was in deeper in the Everfree forest.”

Mike pauses, thinking. He continues.

“I was attacked by an Ursa Major.”

Mike has Twilight’s full attention.

“I fought back, but the big bear almost killed me. Luckily, there was the human that pulled me in. He attacked it with a human

weapon, and we joined forces to vanquish the ursa. We succeeded, and we conversed. After that, he sent me here back to this Equestria…”

Mike reels back and forth, obviously queasy. He mutters,

“HeyTwilightIdon’tfeelsogood…” Mike feels himself fall forward and…*WHUNK*

Curse you, fragile consciousness.

…

Mike is back in his chair, his hat and coat removed. He was wearing a grey, collared t-shirt beneath. Blue jeans were covering his legs, and both Twilight and Spike were hovering over Mike with buckets of water. Twilight asks,

“Should we do it? I mean, it might not work…”

Spike has already dumped the contents of his bucket onto Mike, waking him. He sits perfectly still in the chair, wetted eyes trying to see.

“BUAGRH—“

Twilight had already dumped her bucket, again Mike has to endure these sensations of water wetting him up.

“ENOUGH! THAT’S ENOUGH!”

Mike’s face contorts, trying to move. He sits, there, confused. He suddenly freaks out, saying,

“I CAN’T MOVE. I FEEL LIKE LEAD.”

Mike contorts just a little, but settles down again when his strength fails him. His eyes dart to and fro from Twilight and Spike, and Mike says,

“WHAT DID YOU DO?”

They shake their heads, both saying something along the lines of,

“Nononono We didn’t do anything!”

Spike is struck with inspiration.

“I’ll get Fluttershy! She can help!”

He dashes out the door, glad to not have to see an angry, scared Mike. Mike’s face is wearing an expression of confusion,

frustration, panic, and anger all at once somehow. He seems to calm down a little, and looks over to Twilight, who was trying to absorb the situation. She goes over to Mike, whom is completely relaxed into the chair, and his head leans back into the back of the chair, eyes looking to Twilight as if they cried “Help! Help! I’m unable to move and it doesn’t even make seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeense—“.

Mike instead says,

“Twilight?”

Somehow, he was eerily calm now.

“Yes, Mike?”

Twilight leans in. Mike’s face scrunches up and he says,

“I need a towel.”

…

Fluttershy and Spike walked fast to where Mike and Twilight was. Spike had found Fluttershy reclining on a bench in the park, told her the scenario, and they were headed back to the library. They came to the door, and Spike knocked on it. A half-minute later, Twilight answers it, and sees the two.

“Hello, guys! Mike hasn’t gone anywhere.”

From inside could be heard the sound of sarcastic laughter.

“Ha. Ha. Ha. HahahahhahHAHAHAAH!” Somehow this sarcastic laughter had changed into real laughter as Mike found hilarity in the situation. So there was that.

Spike and Fluttershy enter the tree, and they step over to Mike. Mike weakly looks back with whatever strength he still had. Fluttershy says,

“Hello there, Mikey.”

Mike mentally cringed. He responds,

“Help, Fluttershy.”

“What’s wrong?”

“My arms and legs won’t move.”

“Let’s see. Twilight, could you gently move him to the floor?”

Twilight gently lifts Mike with her magic and lowers him to the floor, face down. Fluttershy goes then to inspect what possibly

could be the matter and asks,

“Did you get stung by anything recently?”

“No.”

Fluttershy runs a hoof over Mike’s spine and discovers something very wrong.

“Um... Your spine is all twisted up and out of place. This calls for a medical massage.”

Cautiously, Fluttershy presses her hooves on Mike, seeing how he’ll react. He doesn’t, so that gives her reason enough to continue. She did chiropractor work for animals, and that knowledge came useful in this scenario. This, however, was more severe. The spine was way too twisted and warped to be from a natural injury. Still, she started. After one spine *CRACK*ed into place, Mike gives a gasp, then sighs. He mutters something like,

“I can feel my legs now.” His face is calm, but it seemed that he likes this physical treatment, but tries to hide his blushing face by turning away from everypony. He wiggles his legs to show his point. Fluttershy continues, smoothing spines into place, unaware of Mike’s flustered expression. Twilight walks around to make eye contact, but sees the blush. She tries her best to contain her laugh, but she falls over backwards in a laugh that turns her face red, too. She raises her head to see Fluttershy, with her front hooves still on Mike, with Spike behind her, both staring at her. Mike was also staring, with a look that seemed to scream “Don’t tell ‘em whatever you do!”

Twilight sees the message in his eyes and wipes away a tear. She says,

“It’s nothing. Spike, come here. I need you to help me with some chores.”

Spike follows Twilight into the kitchen to start chores, but he steals a look and makes eye contact with Mike, but is gagged and dragged by a purple aura into the kitchen before he could reveal just how funny he finds Mike’s expression and blush to be. Fluttershy shrugs off the recent events and continues, popping and cracking associated with her efforts to repair Mike’s spine. She continues upwards, correcting mistakes until reaching the neck. She then retrieves her hooves. Mike wonders what will happen next until Fluttershy reaches and grabs Mike’s head, twisting it in order to correct the neck, making several disgusting noises.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH”

This yell brings Twilight and Spike back into the front room, where they see Mike scooting away from Fluttershy, clutching at his neck in horror. To his relief, he was fine, and he’s moving again. So there was that. Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hooves, thinking she’d done something wrong.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did it hurt? I can—“

She was interrupted by Mike hugging Fluttershy. She seems to calm down a little, and returns the hug. He lets go, and raises two fingers on his left hand.

“That’s two I owe you, Shy.”

Fluttershy asked,

“Owe me two what?”

Mike realized what he said, and he replied, scratching the back of his head,

“You saved my skin twice, so I am indebted to you. Twice.”

Fluttershy seems to understand. She says,

“Well, you don’t owe me anything, so there.”

The surprised expression on Mike’s face makes Fluttershy continue.

“Well, I’d do it for anypony, big or small. I just hate to see anypony in pain or unable to move themselves…”

She trails off, looking saddened at the mere thought of it. Mike clutches his chest and says,

“My heart has shattered into three different pieces now, you’re so adorable.”

Now Fluttershy attempts to hide her face from the world, trying desperately to conceal her emerging blush. She quietly says,

“You’re just saying that to be nice.”

Mike shakes his head, and says,

“Eeynope.”

Laughter is heard because of a close imitation to Big Macintosh, but Fluttershy realizes just what Mike said. She says,

“You really mean to say that you think…”

Mike says,

“In a word, yes.”

Twilight and Spike giggled at this, seeing the flustered Fluttershy and meek Mike. They look to each other, appendages to

their respective chins, looking thoughtful, almost sharing the same thought.

Are you pondering what I’m pondering?

Fluttershy dismisses herself saying something along the lines of,

“I need to check on my animal friends.”

Mike sits back in his chair, reading a new Daring Doo book. His thoughts were obviously elsewhere. He’s obviously thinking

about current events. Spike leaves the room, as he guesses Twilight’ll try to talk to Mike about namby-pampy-girly stuff. Sure enough, Twilight pulls up a chair and sits next to Mike, whom despairs a little inside for the upcoming discussion. Twilight adjusts in the chair so she’s facing Mike’s left on her belly, and begins by saying,

“So, Mike.”

Mike reluctantly lowers the book, avoiding eye contact, and says,

“Yes, Twilight?”

She responds,

“Well, I just wanted to know a little more about human-to-human interaction, and I’d also like to see if there are comparisons

between the two, including what I saw between you and Fluttershy.”

Mike gulps.

Nother day nother chapter just comment plz k tnx bai

Warehouse Safehouse I

“… and this comfort allows man to be complacent in his security.”

Mike had been talking, well… talking means that the other party would talk back. Mike was just relaying information about Man to Twilight, who was listening to every detail.

“This means that man now had a capacity for many, many things, now that he was secure in life. Technological creations keep outdoing each other as they came. Cars with engines that ran on refined oil almost replaced trains as a mode of transport. Luckily, it was still easier to use trains to carry a lot of stuff around. Wonderful and great advances of medical science meant that man could be brought back from the brink of death… it would seem that with enough time, we would cure death itself.”

Mike thought about that for a moment, but continued.

“But, the capacity for good means that there is also a terrible but vast capacity for evil. Weapons keep improving in their ways to kill people. The firearm is the most deadly hand-held weapon in existence. Our wars become terrible tragedies that sometimes are necessary, but other times, it is a worthless waste of lives. Our cars were built to take bullets and they became tanks, replacing wheels with tracks with added armor on it, and a big gun. Sometimes these big guns were used outside of these tanks, as artillery pieces that sent death over the horizon.”

Mike gestured his hand in a semi-circle.

“Our knowledge has also granted us bombs that we throw or shoot or drop at each other. Some of these devices were used in the most terrible weapon man has ever conceived.”

Twilight listens intently, not knowing how more terrible these weapons could get.

“These bigger bombs were built with the capacity to destroy entire cities, Twilight. We built enough of these bombs to destroy our planet several times over. Thankfully, they were used only twice in war, by my nation.”

Twilight seems stunned that these weapons were even used at all. She asks,

“Isn’t there a better way to end conflicts other than killing the other side?”

Mike thinks for a second, but says sadly,

“There wasn’t, Twi. We used these weapons to kill thousands, but an invasion of the opposing nation would have taken the lives of millions. Millions.”

Twilight thinks again, and asks,

“B-but why?”

“These men who were driving their nations to war were greedy with their plans for subjecting the world to their whims, including slavery. Other nations with good intent saw this, and they formed the Allies. The enemy was called the Axis. Our nation was kept an ocean away from these conflicts, so we saw no need to interfere. We were wrong. One of our islands on the pacific coast, west of the mainland was attacked by one of the members of the Axis, a nation called Japan. This is the country which we used the 2 bombs on. We declared war on Japan shortly after, and the rest of the Axis declared war on us, so we declared war on them, too. We joined the Allies, and we defeated the Axis, but at a terrible cost.”

Mike seems saddened by this, but has a thought. He says,

“A shaky peace was to be had hereafter. Conflicts with smaller nations did arise from time to time, but nothing on the scale of this Second World War was ever seen again.”

Twilight thinks about that and asks,

“Was there a first?”

Mike states flatly,

“Yes. That was also a terrible fight between the greedy Axis and the Allies. A few decades after this second world war, was when my story begins as I was born.”

Twilight would want to hear this. Mike closes his eyes and says,

“I was growing up happily with no major conflict in my region, and I was growing up to use technology that would blow your mind. Unfortunately, there began a plague. The Green Flu was making people sick and turning them into monsters. We did not know how it began, or how it worked, and there was no cure for this unnatural cannibalism, save for death. The first reports I heard came from the East Coast of the United States. This seemed almost unopposed by the military, which was overwhelmed by the need for survival and the need to protect innocents. That was the military’s job. A blockade was made at the mountains, and we thought we were safe, and that we would build more tanks and guns to take back what was lost. The infected broke through, and all chaos broke loose inside the quarantine.”

Mike thinks for a little while longer, but continues.

“Everyone was evacuating to cities, by car, plane, boat…

anything.

But they came and the cities started to fall. I was in one of those cities. Chaos in the streets. People starting writing the

weirdest things on the walls, like ‘NONE OF YOU WILL SURVIVE’, ‘WHERE IS THE MILITARY THEY LEFT US TO DIE’, ‘GOD IS DEAD’, ‘CEDA SUCKS’, and other scary things. We fended for ourselves against the onslaught. I bought this before the crisis.”

Mike pulls out his knife. Twilight recognized it as the one he used to kill the hydra.

“This is a KA-BAR used by the military. I bought it off of a surplus store. This, on the other hand…”

Mike pulls out his Kukri.

“I found it in an exotic store for blade enthusiasts.”

He puts them away so he can continue his story.

“I did find some guns to fight the infected with, and I was wandering from street to street trying to find shelter and safety…”

Mike’s sleep deprivation, combined with the tiredness of recent events, finally overcomes him as he slumps in his chair. Twilight, not wanting to put too much on him, simply moves him from his chair to her bed using her telekinesis. She has a lot to think about, and she should share this with the princess…

…

Mike ran into the Warehouse, and barricaded the entrance. His safety temporarily secured, he runs through the aisles of stored provisions. He’s tackled before long, a woman in her 20s. He looks in her face and sees… a human face. Not a zombie or a crazy, but a living, breathing human. She gets off of him, and they sit up and lean against some crates. Mike looks over to take in some details, possibly tell if she’s been infected but not succumbed or not. She doesn’t look compromised, and she’s carrying some weapons, including several guns and a… samurai sword? She’s wearing a brown, worn, torn t-shirt with a white, faded dove on it, and some jeans that could use a little cleaning. He looks at her black, straight hair, and he recognizes her.

“Megan?”

She looks back, recognizing his glasses, but not the scars and injuries.

“Mike?”

Megan was a girl Mike had met in high school. She’d made it this far, apparently. She looks like she’d been through a lot, too. So now they had something in common they could perhaps build a companionship on as they found more and more similarities. So there was that. Both of them, at the same time and without hesitation, put their arms around each other and they both started to cry. Megan rests her head on Mike’s shoulder, and Mike rests his head on her head. Neither of them were this close to a member of the opposite sex, but neither of them were in a zombie survival scenario, either. They were sort of friends before the outbreak, but because of high school ending, they hadn’t seen each other since. Now, though, they knew they could depend on each other. They forged a bond, right then and there, a bond of true friendship, and a mutual agreement of trust and responsibility. They let go of each other and wipe their eyes. They look to each other, scratching the back of their heads.

“So…”

They had said it at the same time, and they both were surprised by this. They laugh, the tension in the big and open area dissolving. Megan says,

“You made it so far, huh, Mikey?”

“Yeah, Megs.”

“Wanna meet the others?”

“Others?”

“Come on, they’re in the offices. I was just barricading the entrances when you arrived through the last entrance to be barred. It looks like you did that already, though.”

Mike looks to the barricade he had made, several crates and chairs stacked against a wooden door.

“I guess. Let’s go meet the others.”

…

Mike wakes with a start, sitting up in Twilight’s bed. He’s confused for a second, but memories flash back to him. He curls up and looks outside. It looks to be dusk. Mike remembers what happens, and he starts to despair again. He mutters to himself,

“They would’ve liked to see this place.”

He remembers the others dying the siege, everyone but him and Megan. It would seem that they would last the siege indefinitely. They were best-buds-for-life, and they were inseparable. He suddenly remembers her face when he failed to protect her during a lengthy, intense breach. Her dying smile broke his heart, and she urged him to live on without her. He had done so, and the Warehouse Safehouse was no more. Sorrow and tragedy etched on Mike’s face as he shivers. He had failed her, and she is dead now. Soon, Mike whispers to himself over and over again,

“Ifailedherandnowshe’sgoneIfailedherandnowshe’sgoneIfailedherandnowshe’sgone”

Sorrow and volume were added to his voice every time he said it until Twilight entered, intrigued by the sounds coming from upstairs. Mike doesn’t seem to notice her, however, and he continues with his sorrowful mantra.

“Ifailedherandnowshe’sgoneIfailedherandnowshe’sgoneIFAILEDHERANDNOWSHE’S*GONE*!”

Mike breaks down in his arms and hides his crying from the world. Twilight has several thoughts, including those of the ‘her’ Mike keeps mentioning before he broke down. She approaches Mike, whom is unaware of the world around him. Only despair can he feel right then and there. She taps him on his shoulder with a hoof, and he snaps his head up, looking at her with puffy, red eyes, and a teary face.

“Twilight, I-I-I FAILED her, Twilight. I failed to protect her from them and now she’s gone. GONE, TWILIGHT, GONE!”

The words in his voice indicate to Twilight that further research had to be done in order to make sense of his words. She asks,

“Who, Mike?”

He said through sobs,

“M-M-Megan! She was the prettiest girl I had ever known, and was the only thing left in the world that was sane anymore! AND I FAILED TO PROTECT HEEEEEEEER….”

Mike breaks down again, his very being flooded with grief and sorrow. Twilight felt a pang of sorrow for Mike. Loss was something nopony should have to deal with, and Mike seems convinced that he’s the reason that he lost this ‘Megan’. Guilt is also a terrible thing to have, especially if it isn’t warranted at all. Twilight stands there, trying to think of something to do for poor Mike, when Spike enters the room. He takes a look around, seeing a shriveled up Mike and a dumbfounded Twilight, and he promptly exits the room, making a mental note to get somepony to help. Spike’s mind scans through Twilight’s closest friends who could help. No, not Rainbow Dash. No, not Applejack, or Rarity, even though Spike wouldn’t mind seeing her again. Pinkie Pie might be able to cheer him up, but that’s probably the wrong way of going about it, considering what Spike saw. Fluttershy it is. He walks to the door to get her, but the door opens and he sees Fluttershy with a raised hoof about to knock. She looked confused for a second, but is happy to see Spike again.

“Hi, Spike! Is Mike here?”

Spike’s first thought that this was awful convenient, and his second thought was to not look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Thank goodness you’re here, Fluttershy! Mike had a nightmare and has broken down!”

Fluttershy swoops over Spike and up the stairs. Spike knew that it pained Fluttershy to see anypony else in pain. He closes the door and runs up the stairs after Fluttershy, a little comfort growing in his heart because she’d know what to do.

Author's notes- In which an Author places his notes

Hey, everybody. This is my first formal Author's notes, and earlier ones don't count because they were just silly sayings. Life is great here on the IRL front and I hope you've been enjoying my tale so far. I promise more chapters on the way and I hope you'll comment on them because other than tracking, that is the only way I know that you're actually reading this. So this became necessary so I can beg for petty comments. If you comment, I can know better that you are in fact reading this and appreciating this. So then I have more reason to continue other than "I want to see how it ends." So rate, comment, and fav, my fans. That is, if I have any. Thanks for reading. That is, if anypony are reading this. *squeak*

Warehouse Safehouse II

Mike shivers as a new memory floods his senses.

…

When news of the infection hit, Mike didn’t know what to believe. Wither it was the new H1N1 or some other hyped disease not to be worried about, or something to be concerned about was left to be decided. But when the evacuations to the big cities started, Mike knew something was up. The area was to be a safe haven from the Green flu for a while. He had even taken the time to get back together with his family, of all things. They had been given the keys to a house in the suburban area in the city, with other folks telling same stories.

Houses that were on sale but were never bought are now full of families that were forced from their earlier homes. Some of these houses were even nicer than the previous homes, actually. There were plenty of opportunities to be grateful for things in the city. The fences and the concrete wall the military put up in ridiculously short amount of time kept the infected at bay long enough for the military-militia coalition to dispatch them with rifle fire.

Apparently, the military, or whatever’s left of it, has been put under severe threat by the infection. Some folks claim that these were just rumors, but I don’t know. If they were at full strength, the infection would’ve been quelled easily and the need for the coalition would not exist. There was plenty to do. Civilian training for the Militia was commonplace, with wilderness survival and technical training by the former civilian Militia, and combat and physical training by the Army. Everyone ran the courses, read the books, spent time at the firing line, and all of us have graduated these academies by taking part in a zombie hunt. It seemed that the siege would be a somewhat peaceful one. The city… what was its name again? It was something, but they renamed it. What was it again? Ah, yes, New Olympia, Washington.

Everyone thought that good ‘ol Eagleland could be rebuilt after the swarms faded. Well, they didn’t fade. They intensified, with more swarms of Tanks. Freaking hulk-zombies tore right through the wall like paper. Most of us didn’t go through complete training yet, so the city started to fall after the Coalition fell… that was a terrible time.

Mike’s family was readying themselves for a fight by the time the zombies arrived. They were not prepared for this even they had trained for years on the most Spartan of regimes. Mike was the only one left.

Mike stood outside of what once was his home and haven come good weather or ill. The zombies that broke in the back were now scraping against the insides of the front, hungering after Mike. He sees the post-human faces of his family. His father, whom was a good man and always showed him the path of good, his mother, whom loved him and cared for him unconditionally, his brother, whom he always pulled out of trouble, and then got into trouble again later with, and his sisters, whom he loved, even if they were annoying at times. Now, they were anything but lovable and human. Their skin was greyed, their eyes soulless and locked onto Mike’s figure. He had a Molotov cocktail in his hand, match at the ready. He had other weapons, such as his kukri, knife, and a standard issue M1 carbine issued by the coalition. Thing looked like it came right off a WW2 propaganda poster, but it was empty now. Mike dropped the useless weapon and lit the fuse on the molotov. He threw it.

The instrument of fire crashed into the window, shattering the bottle in the process. The fire inside expanded into a fireball, which blotted out the view of the infected inside for just a few moments. The zombies flew out of the window, dying as they stumbled mindlessly, grabbing at the flames. Mike felt a pang of guilt, but he saw his family. Dying because of his actions. In a sense, they were already dead, but that did nothing to comfort Mike as the infected burned up at his feet. He will never forget that smell of burning, rotting human flesh.

He stood there for a second after that, wondering what he’ll do now, until a hooded zombie somehow flew over to him and tackled him. Mike was surprised, but his sadness was easily transformed into anger and adrenaline again surged through his body. He drew his knife and the hooded zombie was dispatched with a quick slash across the throat. He got up and looked at the city, now inflamed with battle. He hears screams coming from it, and Mike decides that people needed his help. He runs.

…

Mike unwittingly skips over the memory after that, as it was only conflict and death. He thinks about after what happened when he met up with Megan in the Warehouse Safehouse…

…

Mike was led by the hand by Megan to the offices of the warehouse. She opens a door, and pokes her head inside, yelling,

“Barbossa! Guys! Look who I found!”

Mike keeps up with Megan’s quick pace, and raises an eyebrow, but they’re not the weirdest names he’d heard. Not by a long shot.

She ducks into the hallway beyond, and Mike follows. The hallway was filled with doors with blinds on them, but a door to the

right was open, and a gruff, tired voice responded,

“I swear to goodness, Megan, if it’s another kitten….”

Megan runs and goes around the door, and says,

“It’s not a puppy, dudes. It’s Mike!”

Another voice answers, stuffy and very, very British.

“Darling, whoever is this Mike? A puppy you found?”

Megan facepalms, but enters the room. Mike pokes his head around the door, and finds two men sitting on office chairs with

shotguns on their laps. The one on the left could look like he could still be a wrestling champion even at his age, considering his greyed hair, his muscles bound only by a black t-shirt and brown khakis. The man on the left… well, he could be called a gentleman, was very obviously British with his white shirt under his pompous red vest and grey dress pants, and oiled blonde hair that he combed backwards. The two see Mike, and what happens next shocks everybody in the room. Styx and

Barbossa stand up, shotguns aimed at Mike. They both ask,

“Who are you, and (what are you doing here?)”

They look at each other curiously, as their similar sentences had branched off. They glance at each other, shrug, and

resume the standoff. Megan steps in front of the line of fire and puts her hands on her hips.

“His name is Mike, and he’s a good friend of mine. I can vouch for him.”

Mike enters, standing closer for everyone to see. Styx and Barbossa lower their weapons slowly, and then Barbossa sits down, while Styx offers a hand to Mike, saying,

“You made it outta this mess too, huh? Good on you. The name’s Styx. I was one of the lieutenants in the Militia. Barbs here was one of my recruits.”

Styx gestures to Barbossa, who absent-mindedly waves a hand over to Mike, trying to distract himself. Mike gets a thought and says,

“Why don’t you guys have uniforms?”

Barbossa chuckles heartedly and says,

“We don’t need those here. Besides, we’re all nothing but survivors now.”

Styx nods and says to Megan,

“Did you barricade that last entrance?”

She salutes with a valiant,

“No, sir! Mike did that for us!”

Styx seems surprised by Mike’s actions, but pats his shoulder nonetheless. He says,

“We can use you, man. We most certainly can use you. Welcome aboard.”

Mike awkwardly salutes and says,

“Aye, aye, dude!”

Styx looked ready to reprimand Mike, but he let go with a booming laugh only usually reserved for Santa Clauses. Mike’s impression of the guy was that if he were to have a chainsword and some spess mehreen armor, then even he’d be calling him the gahd emprah. Or something. Mike’s vision fades to his normal vision as he notices he’s being shaken. Mike realizes he’s only in a vision of his past, but he’s in too muddled a mind-state to resume with the real world. He tries to remember why he would be re-visiting a memory in the first place, but something strikes him square across the face, following somebody- no, somepony saying,

“Snap out of it!”

Mike is fully aware now. Fully awake. Very aware of the eyes watching him.

He turns his head to see Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike, all having tried to snap him out of his despair. Mike says in a weak voice,

“Who hit me?”

Twilight raises a hoof guiltily. Everyone in the room is shocked to hear what Mike said next.

“Thanks, Twi. I needed that. I… I just had a very vivid memory of… before I came here. The details would scar you forever,

so I really don’t want to say the story. But I can say this.”

Everypony gathers ‘round the human.

“I barricaded myself into a safe area with people named Megan, Styx, and Barbossa.”

Fluttershy quips,

“Megan’s the one you kept mentioning. Who’s Megan?”

“Megan was an old friend of mine. She’s one incredible girl. We knew each other forever, and we very nearly stayed together forever. Everyone who knew how close we were keep joking that we’d get married and have 10 children if we'd just man up… wonder if that would’ve happened….”

Mike thinks for a while until Spike clears his throat.

“Right. Styx was lieutenant of the self-trained Militia that, along with whatever remained of the military, kept the city, New Olympia, safe. Then the infected came and I was forced to flee. I was wandering and fighting until I saw Megan again, with Styx and Barbossa. Barbossa… was kinda of a jerk. A jerk with a heart of gold, but his actions can’t really be justified. I remember the day that he tried taking on too many zombies for himself to handle, and we had to bury him.”

Mike lowers his head in a moment of silence, but continues.

“Styx died of a combination of old age and battle-weariness. It was just me… and Megan. We maintained our new home, and it would seem that we could last ‘til the end of time, perhaps have a family, too. We joked about starting our new Terran Empire that will take back Earth and start the space program again, with us as King Adam and Queen Eve. We never got the chance to start a family, though. During a break-in by the zombies… she got bit.”

Mike has to hold back a twisting bout of despair, but continues..

“She got sick, and I lost all hope. I tucked her into bed one night, when it would seem that she would die peacefully in her sleep, and I… I ran. I ran because I couldn’t bear to see her dead. I failed her, and now… she’s dead.”

Fluttershy hugs Mike’s neck, and he relaxes into her embrace. He says, but with a steadier voice,

“Thanks, Fluttershy. I really needed to get that off my chest.”

“Oh, Mike. It’s so good to see you feeling good again after all you’ve been through. I should get going. I need to feed my

animal friends.”

With that, Fluttershy was escorted to the door by everyone and was bidden farewell. Mike sits back in his chair, and contemplates as to what he should do now. He realizes something, and accidently says it out loud.

“What should I do now?”

Twilight turns to Mike, perplexed at this simple question. He continues.

“I mean, I wasn’t born here, I wasn’t raised here, and I’m just an immigrant on this alien world. But to you, I’m the alien. My

only purpose here is to endlessly fight these monsters inside me, and the monsters in the forest that you ponies seem to keep forgetting to exterminate.”

Twilight says,

“We don’t need to hurt these creatures of the forest, Mike. They’re not really a danger to us, unless we go into there…”

Mike thinks, but says,

“Mankind didn’t crawl and claw their way to the top of the food chain by being nice, Twi. We harnessed fire, which kept our natural predators at bay.”

Twilight says back,

“You don’t need to fight everypony that crosses your path.”

Mike surprises Twilight by saying,

“Of course not. We also invented Agriculture, which somewhat alleviated our need to hunt and gather. We also invented animal domestication.”

Twilight does not seem to understand this concept. Dom-es-ti-cation?

Mike continues.

“Wild animals are driven only by their biological wants and needs back on my world, and as such are incapable of free will and thought.”

Mike is struck with a thought.

“In fact, the domestication of wild horses back on my world has perhaps been the greatest thing since the use of fire. We would treat them to food, warmth, comfort, and safety, and then we get to ride around on their backs and carry our heavier loads. They didn’t mind a bit.”

Twilight tries to imagine Mike sitting atop a pony, but it doesn’t make sense. She asks,

“Ponies are too small, though.”

Mike stifles a laugh and retorts,

“Horses are bigger than we are. Ponies on my world are still wild, but we tamed them, too. Our march to the top was set, but we weren’t finished yet. Oh, no. We experimented with fire, and invented metalworking. We used metal to further the human

civilization. Most things invented by humans in fact have something to do with fire, one way or another. Electricity, even, can depend on fire if it’s power source is something fueling a flame. We invented cars, boats, planes, modern medicine, Nutella, and even a network of electronic systems called the internet. Twilight, picture all these books here.”

Twilight looks around, seeing all the information scattered on the walls of her home. She looks back to Mike.

“Now picture all of these words stored electronically for anyone to access. Actually, you can fit everything into the Internet, and still have room for more knowledge.”

Twilight is stunned by this idea. The library of the world at her hoof tips? Unbelievable. Mike interrupts Twilight’s train of

thoughts by saying,

“We even made rockets to go to the moon. The moon! Too bad it was too difficult to do more than a few times. It would be cool for us to establish a moon colony.”

Twilight’s mind fills with the view of Ponyville, but on the moon. This seems so fantastic, but so far-fetched. She says,

“Can you make any of these things? Do you have more books with you?”

Mike scratches his head, and says,

“I’d have to learn how to make those things and make them safe to use, Twilight. I’d need to go… back.”

Mike is struck with an idea, and Twilight catches on. She says,

“If you can go back and get these books, we can go to the moon, too! It’ll be so fun! Wait, where are you going?”

Mike had gotten up and had retrieved his coat, hat, and was preparing to go out. He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out his gloves and put them on. He flexes it, mentally readying himself for the mission ahead. He checks his pocket, and there was the conductor gem that allowed him to harness magic. He checked somewhere else on his coat, and finds his knife in its holster, ready for use. He checks his belt, and his Kukri was at the ready.

“I’m going to Earth, Twilight. I need to retrieve whoever’s left in that blasted wasteland.”

After a pause, Mike catches Twilight's gaze and says,

"I'll get those math, science, and engineering books too."

AUTHOR'S NOSE

WELL HI

COMMENT

THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY

GOODBYE UNTIL NEXT TIME.

The Plan

It is not every day Luna gets a visitor in her throne room. The throne of the night seems lonely at times without her advisors. Mike had recently been with Luna to seek magical training, but he had gone off for several days. Luna is delightedly surprised to see Mike come into her courtroom again, even if he wasn’t announced. Mike seems to be nervous about something. He walks into the middle of the courtroom, and waves a hand, saying,

“'Sup?”

Luna isn’t familiar with this new slang, and so she nervously smiles and answers,

“Not much, how are you?”

Mike inhales, obviously having rehearsed these lines.

“I’d like to return to Earth on a rescue mission.”

Luna is stunned by the bluntness of Mike’s request, but shrugs it off, and thinks of the implications of Mike’s request. How does one easily transit from Equestria to Earth?

Mike sees Luna stare off into space, a blank look glued on her face as she thinks. He clears his throat, and it disturbs her train of thought. She says,

“Ah, yes, Mike. Your request is most… unusual. What do you want to rescue from Earth?”

Mike says,

“Whoever and whatever is left. Men, material, knowledge, anything, really.”

Luna’s previous prediction of what Mike wanted to rescue from Earth had only been correct, and she doesn’t know whenever

to be glad to be seeing and helping other humans, or cautious of the dangers of Earth, according to what Mike had told her so far. Luna says,

“How will we get there and back with whatever we find?”

Mike says back,

“We’ll find a way. An advanced spell, a gate of sorts, anything. I can’t leave anyone behind.”

“Okay, we can look into it. Don’t worry; the royal magicians will take care of it. We’ll send a scouting party…”

“Actually, I should go. I’m human and so a more familiar sight on my world. That and I can defend myself.”

“You do raise a point. Shall we call Shining Armor here to help plan this?”

“Who?”

“Captain of the guard and chief magician. He’s one very powerful pony. He’s even Twilight’s brother!”

Mike raises an eyebrow and says,

"Funny. She didn’t mention anything like that earlier.”

Luna shrugs, and says,

“Shall we begin?”

Mike nods, and Luna casts a summoning spell. A white unicorn with hair 2 shades of blue enters the royal courts to bow to

Luna when he notices Mike standing next to her. Shining Armor has heard the stories about Mike’s exploits, but he has never seen the human before. He finishes the bow and says,

“What is it, milady?”

Luna clears her throat and then decrees,

“WE SHALL BE HONORED IF THOU SHALT RENDER ASSISTANCE TO US IN THIS DIRE TIME.”

Both Mike and Armor is too stunned to say anything, but Luna doesn’t notice and continues.

“WE SHALL NEED THE HELP OF THE COURT MAGICIANS IN ORDER TO CONTRUCT A GATE IN WHICH TRAVEL BETWEEN OUR WORLD AND MIKE’S WORLD SHALL BE MADE EFFORTLESS AND WE SHALL USE THIS GATE TO RESCUE THE REMAINS OF MANKIND. WE SHALL PROCEED TO THE LIBRARY IMMEDIATELY!”

Luna walks out of the court, oblivious to Mike and Armor’s condition, both trying to recover from the ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE. They see that Luna is gone, however, and they cast looks at each other before sprinting after Luna.

…

In the royal library, Mike, Luna, and Shining Armor all are standing over a table, books and papers splayed everywhere. They had thought of using spells for the trips, but soon, they thought of using gates instead. A gate was stationary and you need to expend a lot of resources to make one, but once a portal gate was made, it could be a powerful tool for traveling between worlds. This would be one of the biggest projects that magicians would ever undertake. Thankfully, they were being overseen by these 3 individuals. A princess, a capable guard, and an alien with an eerie body of knowledge about his home planet.

Sometimes, during planning sessions, Mike would disengage himself from the discussion at hand to meditate. He would assume a sitting posture on the ground, but he lifted into the air by his own power, and he used his magical vision to peer back at his home world to inspect what elements of humanity could be recycled. He would offer some Intel about the infected that still remain, and the information would be added.

Mike awoke one Tuesday morning and started to go to the library for some morning research when he stumbles into none other than Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Spike all in cat suits looking like they were infiltrating the place. Laughs were to be had at their appearance. Twilight fills Mike in on recent events, ending with,

“… and in summary, I visited myself in the past to warn myself not to flip out because nothing was going to happen, but when

I said, ‘whatever you do, don’t…’ the spell wore off.”

Mike notes this, saying,

“Oh, man. You flipped out about the vague warning, didn’t you?”

Twilight chuckles a bit and responds,

“Yes, I sure did. And when today came around and nothing had happened, I thought of traveling back in time to warn myself

of the not-disaster.”

Mike laughs at the folly, but says,

“Cool. Wish I could do such a thing…”

He unexpectedly turns around to see a big white ball appear in the air similar to the one that Twilight saw when she traveled into the past. It burst, and it is revealed to be none other than Mike. Mike stared at his future self and says,

“Um, hi?”

Future Mike had blackened hair and he had obviously been in battle, which worries Past Mike. Future Mike says,

“There’s no time to explain, Mike. A Skiá (which is a horrible shadow monster) has escaped Tartarus. I have killed it by

absorbing it into my own body when I stunned it with fire, which also grants me it’s power. The spell needed for this is in the book called Advanced Spells and Magic, page 39. The Skiá is in the cave in the mountain overlooking Ponyville. Good luck, have fu—“

Future Mike is cut off by the time-warping spell ending, sending Future Mike back to the future. The Mike that remains turns around to look for a copy of Advanced Spells and Magic.

…

The Skiá is most… pleased. Oh, yes. Its escape from Tartarus had gone unnoticed and now, it will have a town to feast. Oh, yes. The night shall be in its possession once again. The pony princesses will pay—what is that entering its cave? Oh, no.

It was a cinch learning the absorption spell required to kill it, and Mike has quickly made his way to the cave. It was also a cinch to find the thing, as the shadow squid was plain in sight. Hideous thing. It seemed to be a sleek, dark body connected with many thick, dark, and sleek tentacles. Mike didn’t bother to count how many there are, but has made a mental note to be careful. A black pit in the Skiá rotates, and Mike guesses that the pit is the thing’s eye. Mike warms up his fire spells.

The first fireballs to reach the creature hit it squarely in the center mass, causing it to give a screech off that puts even Ponyville in a shiver or terror. Mike, however, was unfazed, and the fireballs kept coming. It writhed and climbed deeper and deeper into the cave, and away from Mike. This, however, was not outside Mike’s fireball range. Once Mike had fired several more fireballs into the thing, Mike felt that the thing was actually dying. Future Mike had wanted Mike to absorb the shadow power, but Mike had not understood at first, but then again, who was he to question himself?

As it turns out, Skiá are very powerful creatures. In order to defeat one, you have to take away their influence of the dark. This is why Mike told Mike to absorb the Skiá’s power. Or something. Mike decides not to question his own methods and begins the spell. The thing shrieks again when it finds itself under Mike’s influence, its own draining away. It was caught by surprise, and so had no opportunity to show this puny… whatever it was just how powerful it really was. Then the Skiá started to hurt, but the intruder continued his spell on the Skiá. Mike almost feels poor for the thing, but shrugs off the guiltiness and finishes it. The now dead Skiá drops the ground in a dry husk of its former self. It actually turned to ashes, which floated away.

Mike hears something behind him, and he turns around to see Future Mike again. Future Mike approaches Past Mike and presses his hand to Past Mike’s forehead. Mike feels memories being poured into his head. No, not memories. These were lessons on how to use his new abilities. Mike finds himself learning about his new dark abilities such as life-leeching from enemies, to... imagination powers? Future Mike says,

“Imagination power is only one name for it. You could also call it summoning, spawning, etc. Pretty cool shadow stuff. Mind your thoughts. Put too much effort in, and you'll manifest it."

With a wink, Future Mike disappears. Wait, what did Future Mike say?

Mike thinks back to what he had said, and tried to summon a sandvich. A puff of smoke, and lo and behold, a sandvich appears in his hands. Conventional thought flew out the window as Mike ate it excitedly and thought about something else to summon. Mike wipes the crumbs off of his shirt, and thinks. He better not try again.

...

Oh what was he kidding? He always liked jets.

The Trip

Today is the day.

After fighting the shadow, Mike had returned to Canterlot to finish the Arch-portal. Surprisingly, the trip went without interruption or attack, which is why Mike's wary mood swelled as the portal neared completion. Today was the day he'd return to what was left of his home-world.

In a quiet, often empty part of the Canterlot gardens, Mike stood next to the completed project. The stone archway stood in a crossroads, which, if only it was a cosmetic feature, would've made a nice feature to the garden. However, this is not the case. The specially carved and placed stone allowed a stable portal to be created inside it's perimeter.

He jumped a few feet when Luna came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

He blinked, then said,

"You should really stop doing that, Princess."

Mike punches Luna lightly in the shoulder as she smiles. Their shenanigans were well-known in the castle, but nothing was done about it. Officially, and most of the time, Luna was the teacher, and Mike, her student. When not in the classroom, however, you would never have seen that. Because Mike and Luna had too much time on their hands, and when they're taking a break from the construction of the arch-portal, they would, to everypony's confusion and annoyance, play tricks on the snobby royals in the castle, or, when they're feeling bold, play pranks on Celestia herself.

The best prank they ever pulled was when they used magic to completely flip the throne room upside down, so when Celestia walked in through the top of the door into the throne room, she fell to the ceiling, confused as to how and why the chandelier was hanging up from the ground. Hiding magic or a good hiding spot was always useful, but sometimes, like this time, The two would become too overcome to keep hiding, and they blinked into existence, laughing so hard their sides hurt and they had to stop to wipe their eyes. Even Celestia couldn't help but laugh, too. She then abruptly stopped laughing and told them to undo this before anyone else came in. Of course, a servant was walking in just then, so he fell onto Celestia.

Another round of laughter later, the magic was undone in a flash of light that reverted everything back to normal. Of course, Mike and Luna were nowhere to be found after the flash, but Celestia had more importaint things to do that day instead of chasing two silly fillies.

Today, the mood was serious, and for good reason.

Mike and Luna looked to the arch, looked at each other, then both nodded. They both applied their magic, and a field of magic was created in the confines of the arch. The colors swirled, but slowly, they stopped their movements, and it seemed to the both of them that this had succeeded. Suddenly a thought came to Mike.

"It seems we've forgotton something."

Luna looks back, confused. Mike says with a nervous look,

"I don't know where to go on earth to start evacuating people."

Luna sighs, and pulls out a map. She hands it to Mike. He sees a map of earth, marked with several X-es. Mike's eyes widen slightly, then he grins sheepishly.

"Yeah, thanks."

He looks on the map for awhile, then decides on a destination.

The Florida keys.

He points to it, and he says to Luna,

"How many survivors have you seen there?"

She looks at it, then says,

"I don't know. I can only see a camp on an island, but there's a fairly large ship wandering aimlessly through the surrounding sea."

A cruise ship, or military?

Mike asks,

"What color is it?"

Luna replies,

"White."

I think Cruise ships are generally white, and military vessels tend to be grey.

Mike nods, and says.

"I'll set off there, then."

Luna smiles, then says,

"You remember how to set destinations with this mid-teleport, right?"

Mike rolls his eyes and remembers his videogame tutorial esque session where Luna made sure he knew how to get to where he wanted to go. He also remembers the recall feature he would use to return any survivors gathered from wherever he would go. He says sarcastically,

"Yes, mom."

Luna rolls her eyes and gestures to the portal, saying,

"Get going, space monkey."

Mike nods and runs at the portal at a full sprint screaming something while disappearing into the portal, the sound cut off as the portal winds down.

Luna shakes her head at Mike's antics, and goes off to report to Celestia that Mike had gone off.

Mike was skydiving over a seemingly endless sea, white and blue, with spots of green surrounded by tan here and there. Mike pointed himself at one of these tan spots. And subsequently forgot to slow down, resulting in a man-sized crater courtesy of Mike. After laughing and getting up, Mike tries to enjoy his peace and quiet by surveying the area, looking for anything that would indicate a human presence, whether it be a tall thin smoke stack rising above an island or a ‘V’ wake left by the cruise ship he’d been told was here.

He was too busy looking around to notice the sea of blue rapidly approaching.

After coming up to surface and making sure he hadn’t lost anything, Mike again looks around for any sign of the shi—

*CLANG*

The steel hull send Mike’s mind ringing, as well as knocking off his hat. He picked it up drunkenly, and set the already wet hat back on his head. He started looking for a something other than smooth hull to climb up. The ship raced past Mike, so he swam faster in an effort to catch up to it before remembering his magic. He face-palmed and flew up to the ship with his flying…jet…hand spell thingy. After landing, he dried himself off with a fire spell. Then he looked around the deck of the ship, thinking that people would still be on it.

He was wrong. Fresh corpses, human and zombie alike, littered the scene, and a new smell decided to introduce itself to Mike at that moment, causing him to almost lose his stomach. Making an effort to not sniff in that putrid stink by blocking his nose with his left hand, Mike drew out his kukri with his right hand, and proceeded to cautiously scour the ship for anyone or anything left.

Supply crates and guns littered the scene, though Mike didn't feel a need to pick one up at the moment, as they were all covered in gore. The ship, originally designed to be a place of relaxation and recreation, had now become a militaristic crime scene of zombies, former military personnel, and civilians. The only sound Mike hears is the creaking of the ship and the wash of the ocean. It seemed deserted. It seemed too late.

“Man, this place is too empty. Even zombies would be welcome.”

A chorus of unholy howling of what sounds like hundreds of zombies, if not thousands, answered Mike.

“Well, screw you too, fate.”

Almost immediately, Mike was assaulted by one of the infected, grabbing his left arm in an attempt to bite it. Mike simply regards the creature with a slash to the neck. The head pops clean off, the rest of the corpse joining the bodies on the floor.

But that was just the first.

Mike sees a new horde incoming, hands and teeth ready to maim, but Mike instead makes an amused expression and summons a force field in front of the zombies, causing them to crash into it, the latecomers crushing the first ones into the wall. Mike then threw the force field forward rapidly, causing zombies to fly off the ship. He laughed openly, pointing at the flying zombies as they crashed into the Atlantic. He was interrupted by a long tongue wrapping itself around his midsection and arms, trying to drag him off. Mike looked to the source, a zombie the news referred to as the "Smoker", but he just calls it "Tounger", because, well, that's basically what it does. Mike uses his magic to rip off the zombie's head, leaving him to uncoil himself before being hounded by other zombies of different shapes and sizes.

"Well, here we go again. Ready to meet sharpie?"

Mike swings his kukri, scoring an instakill as a head flew off the deadhead's shoulders, leaving the rest to fall down. Mike warms up his fireball spells and lightning spells, ready to kill anything and everything that comes at him. And so he does. Tanks, Chargers, nothing could now touch him. Horde after horde came after him with intent to kill, but Mike waves his hand and a fireball or a lightning strike end the collective zombie horde's lives. It becomes a very lopsided battle, with losses on only one side, and the only gains the infected had made was making mike exert himself very slightly. After a wave, Mike observes the carnage and chuckles to himself.

He hears the next wave inbound, and the chuckle becomes a full-blown laugh as he attacks the horde with greater fervor.

...

Several hours later, Mike rests on a chair next to a pool on the cruise ship, bent over with his elbows on his knees, panting at his exertion with the zombies. Then he hears a southern voice say somewhere,

"Hey 'Ro, where'd all the zombies go?"

This story and I aren't quite dead yet.

The Camp

Mike was astounded someone as still alive on this boat, but had interrupted his thought as he shouted,

“Hello?!”

Everything went still for a second save the waves before another voice answered,

“Hello! Where are you?”

Mike shouts back,

“Up top! It’s clear up here!”

Mike looks around, but only sees corpses and the ship. The voice responds,

“How?”

Mike scoffs and says,

“Well? I’m the last one standing, obviously.”

Another voice with a southern accent shouts,

“Alright! We’re coming up!”

A door opens, andfour individuals walk out.

Mike looks over the sorry conditions of the survivors, and the very same look over mike and his attire.

The one in the white suit says,

“Are you from the government or something?”

Mike looks over his suit and then raises his hands and replies,

“Eh. It’s the fashion. Are you all that’s on board?”

The girl in the tee says,

“Yeah... I think.”

Mike points to the group and says,

“What are your names?”

The black guy with a purple tee says,

Yellow shirt guys says pointing to the girl,

“Shoot, my name’s Ellis. That’s Rochelle, there.”

Snooty guy in the suit says,

“Nick. Name’s Nick. What’s your name?”

Mike takes off his hat and does an exaggerated bow.

“The name’s Mike. Mike Alpha. I’m here to take you to safety.”

Straightening out and putting on his trusty fedora, Mike sees the unamused reactions of the survivors.

Grinning nervously, he says,

“Right. Let me get a message out to my... associates, and I’ll be right with you.”

Mike rolls out a scroll from his suit, writes in a message to Luna saying something along the lines of Found three dudes and a chick on the boat. Please advise course of action, before using a magic lighter to shoot it off, much to the confused expressions of the other occupants of the boat.

Rochelle says,

“So... you’re going to burn paper?”

The others look at each other, seemingly thinking at the same time, surely this guy doesn’t all have his marbles.

Mike claps his hands together, still grinning, says,

The survivors look at Mike like he’s crazy until a green flash whites out everybody’s vision for a second before seeing Mike with a scroll. He reads aloud,

“Dearest Mike,

There are at least 3 other hu-- *cough cough* survivors, presumably on an island somewhere. From the look of things, you’re near their position. Please build the por *cough cough* escape vehiclethere, and escort these poor souls here.

Lots of lov *cough cough* luck,

Luna.”

Ellis states flatly,

“Well, shoot, Mike. That’s nice t’ meetcha. Just one question; are you immune?”

“I don’t think I’m infected, guys. Anyway, let’s go--”

*Crash*

The ship had run ashore on an island.

“Oh.”

Dropping the anchor and using that to climb to the sand, Mike and the survivors check out the island. Everybody seems to have cautious eyes on Mike as much as the rest of the island, as if he’s just as mysterious and potentially dangerous as the rest of the island. That couldn’t be right? Right? Right.

The sounds of feet on sand change to the sounds of footfalls on dirt and vegetation as the group checks around. The wildlife are apprehensive of their guests, as they scurry or fly off. Rochelle suddenly points to the sky and says,

“Guys, isn’t that smoke?”

Everyone looks, and sure enough, there is a smoke stack rising above the trees. Without a word, the group headed for that. The sound of of a camp reach the party’s ears. The survivors raise their weapons and slow their walk to a cautious pace, but Mike didn’t notice this and swiftly cuts through the tropical environment to their destination.

Mike abruptly stumbles into a clearing. He looks around and sees a campsite with several primitive tents, mismatched with supplies and guns. Lots of guns. These were all ringing a campfire in the middle of the camp. Mike noticed that his movement wasn’t unnoticed. Drat twigs giving away positions. Mike froze.

Someone’s head poked out of a tent. She was in her 20’s (or so Mike guesses), and she notices Mike with wide eyes. Mike’s eyes dart side to side, then focuses on on the girl again.

Coach, Ellis, Rochelle, and Nick break into the clearing, next to Mike. They spot the camp and the survivor and all shout,

“Zoey!”

A tall man rushes from the edge of the forest, covered in tattoos and a biker’s jacket. He stares wide-eyed at the group as they all shout,

Another guy pokes his head out of a tent, and the group shouts,

“Louis!”

Everyone runs to each other and greetings are washed in each other, albeit excitedly, and Mike notices how Louis limps to the apparent reunion. Mike stands off as everyone else talks over each other, stating things like,

“Thought I’d never see you guys again!”

“We made it, man!”

or,

“Zombies ain’t no thing!”

But then the biker asked,

“Who’s that guy?”

Everyone turns to Mike, who waves back at them.

“Name’s Mike. Survivor, wizard, and the guy who’s gonna get us out of here.”

Ellis seemed to get excited for some reason. He yelps,

“Dude, toldja wizards are real!”

Everyone else looks on with a “no way” expression. They ignore him, and chat some more.

Mike then goes off to find something to build an archway with as the survivors socialize. After half an hour, the group notices Mike’s dissapearance, everyone but Nick and Louis goes out to find him.

They find Mike at the coast walking around, surveying the rocks that wash up on shore. He’s looking over one the size of a small bus. They get within earshot as he’s saying,

Rochelle retorts,

“What do you need an archway for?”

“So we can get outta this place and get to safety.”

Rochelle retorts,

“Riiight.”

Mike looks back, and his expression says, “No, seriously.”

Mike pulls out a hammer and chisel he’d been saving for this task ,and everyone just rolls their eyes and walk back to camp, presumably to move into camp. Mike keeps chiseling.

By dusk, Mike had roughly chiseled something resembling an arch and was preparing to cast the archway portal spell on it when Ellis came along with some rations. Mike sees Ellis and quickly puts away his power gem and faces him. Ellis hands Mike his half of the rations while saying,

“So this is what you’ve been up to?”

“Yeah. I’m just about done, and we can get out.”

Ellis gives a bemused sigh and said,

“And an archway is gonna get us out of here how?”

Mike throws his hands up and said,

Ellis finishes his rations and gives a laugh.

“Man, Nick keeps telling me you’re no wizard, but you certainly dress fancy.”

Mike eats the rest of his rations and pulls his gem out, ready to start the spell.

Ellis sees the gem and says,

“Whoa, man. That’s a gem.”

Mike traces the inside of the archway with the gem, and then steps back, ready to begin the main segment of the spell. Mike starts humming to himself while Ellis sits on the sand and watches the sunset. Mike suddenly says, drawing Ellis’s attention,

“Okay, here we go...”

Mike hesitates for a moment, looking around him. Ellis does the same then asks Mike,

“What?”

Mike replies,

“I, uh was expecting to be attacked right about now. Just that this is going too well.”

Ellis runs back to camp, shouting to his associates, while Mike trails with a calm pace. Little did they both know, they were being followed. A filly or three had entered the portal from the other side, and were now wondering where they were. This certainly wasn’t their intentions when they said they wanted their “portal exploration cutie marks”.

First note

There is a knock on the door. Tap. Tap. Tap. That is enough to rouse one from one’s dreams.

Who could that be? It’s the middle of the night… I hope everything's okay.

Slipping off the couch, a pink-maned yellow pegasus makes her way across the room to her front door of her house, pushing the door out gently into the cool night. She looks around, trying to identify the cause of the knock.

Nothing but the pegasus and the night.

Was I just imagining things? Fluttershy steps tentatively onto the porch, only to find that a curious piece of paper had been left on the porch. Looking down, markings could be made on the worn, faded slip of slightly yellowed paper. Gently bringing it inside and closing the door behind her, Fluttershy tries to read what was on the paper on her table, only it was still dark in here. Setting down the paper on her couch, Fluttershy turns to turn on the light.

That’s better. Now let’s see what this secret message is all abou—

That’s not writing. This is a hoofmark.

Fluttershy had not seen anything like this before. It did not look like a pony hoofmark. It did not look like anything she had ever seen. Was it from the “Eep” Everfree forest?

I wonder if Twilight would know what this is? She knows an awful lot from reading those books. Maybe she can help me. This can wait ‘til morning, though.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

A soft tapping at the door. Tap tap tap. There is a curious gaze from a violet-colored unicorn as she goes to open the door of her library home. Who could be up so early?

“Oh, hello Fluttershy. What brings you here so early?”

Fluttershy had something in her mouth, so she only responded with an awkward smile. It suddenly lifted from her mouth with aid from her friend.

“Um, thanks, Twilight. Can I come in?”

“Of course.”

The door is shut behind them, the cool morning breeze passing by the house without interruption, flowing over and around every obstacle in its path.

The paper with the hoofmark is unfurled onto the table. It seems to be the hoofmark of a—Placing her front right hoof over her chin in deep thought as she tries to identify what kind of animal this could belong to.

“Fluttershy, where did you find this?”

“I uh found it outside on my doorstep.”

“Really? Did you see whatever put it there?”

“That’s just it. It knocked on my door, then it must’ve ran off. I couldn’t see it. Sorry, Twilight.”

“That’s alright. No need to apologize. Let me get something.”

Several books slide off the shelves, float in the air while Twilight studies their covers, then they slide back in as easily as they slid out. One book is an exception, though. It flies towards the table, and it opens as it lands. The books stop sliding off the shelves as Twilight and Fluttershy study the book, looking for a match to this curious hoofprint.

The book closes and flies back to its place in the library, leaving both the ponies at the table in mixed feelings.

Why didn’t my book have this creature in it? Is the list incomplete? I thought this said all the observed animals in Equestria.

Oh, my. Is this a new animal? That’s just so wonderful and mysterious how it decided to reveal itself to me first. Can it talk? Can it fly? Run? Oh, the possibilities are endless.

Fluttershy had a smile of curiosity on her face, while Twilight looks at the table in a blank face of frustration.

“Oh dear, Twilight. Are you feeling okay?”

“This makes no sense. The book said A Guide to Animals in Equestria, but this is something that isn’t in there. I just must have an older version.”

“I wonder if it could be a new animal? You know, that can happen. We don’t know about everything in the Everfree forest.”

Twilight seemed to jump up at the potential of this encounter, and a cheerful curiosity seemed to replace what was frustration.

“You know what? You could be right! We should see if we can study it, or catch it, or—“

Twilight noticed how Fluttershy frowned at the word “catch”.

“Oh. We don’t have to catch it. We can just try to observe it.”

Fluttershy seemed to cheer up. Oh good. That was a near-disaster.

“Twilight, where should we begin looking for this—oh dear. What should we call it?”

The thought intrigued Twilight Sparkle, for the prospect of naming an entire species was one for the books.

“Let me think about that.”

I really hope that making contact with the things was a wise decision.

Okay. Calm down. Breathe.

…

That’s better.

Better get my story straight for when the language barrier is no longer there. It was but a few days ago that I started my trek from civilization—or the end thereof. *Sigh* I had brought everything I could ever have wanted. Food, water, and other critical supplies to acquire food and water in the wilderness. I had also brought some of the now useless junk with me, but I thought I could get power back to them somehow. Wonder if that’ll change now that I’m here. Wait, where is “here”? Alright, after my 4th night stuck in a tree, I felt… lost. Not just because I was wandering aimlessly through what would be my home and perhaps tomb. But the mountains and hills have changed. The valleys and rivers are inconsistent with the maps and books I brought to help me survive.

Then I saw them. In their **town with houses and beds. I don’t know if they’ll take kindly to something as strange (what a concept) as me. They might seek to destroy me.**

I still don’t know what’s going on. Am I thinking to myself here? … yes. Oh well, at least I haven’t adopted a pet rock or something crazy like that. What would I name a pet rock? Oh forget that. I should’ve handled this first contact thing a little more smoothly. Now what am I going to do, waltz in on them? Say “I come in peace, take me to your leader?” I’ve only been here 2 days and I still can’t figure out their language.

That’s another thing. Language? Not only are these… tiny horses—wait, wouldn’t that technically be ponies, then? (Argh! I must be going mad from that filtered water.) Any who, not only are these ponies living in comparative comfort, they seem to have carved themselves a little piece of home for themselves with their own culture and language. If I wasn’t in this scenario already, I’d swear this wasn’t real. Oh well. Nothing else for me to do but wait to die. I miss the internet. No. That better not be missed. I don’t miss the hate, the lies and slander. I do miss warm food, though. Ever since the 2012 panic actually started to end civilization, the internet was no place to be. Too many “stories” and “apocalypse” pictures that any other voice was simply muted compared to these forgeries.

But I must not focus on the past. What do I do now that I’ve announced myself to… what is effectively a Pegasus with pink hair. I thought it best to reveal myself to that first, since it does seem to like animals, considering all the ones in close proximity to it. Wait a minute,” it”? It seemed feminine to me. I must not assume this, though.

Hmm. A rendezvous in this forest would ease relations, I think. Lemme think about how I can arrange this…

...

Okay. I’ve got an inkling of what I’m going to try to do.

I need to lure—wait, no. “Lure” is not the word. Or is it? I don’t know. Alright, alright. I need to draw one of them away from the town, so that our little meeting shall be private. No need to be on the front page. (I’ve always wanted to be in the news, but not that way.) And… and, and, and…

We’ll shake appendages? Meh, good a plan as any. How do I get one to come away without drawing attention of the others? Middle of the night, I suppose. I need it to trail me to a secluded location of this forest, then—

Wait. Intimidation might be a problem. I think I gotta stay eye level with it, to avoid looking like a predator. Think… think… and alright. I should stay at the edge of the forest to avoid scaring it by drawing it in. I know they don’t like this forest. Neither do I. Scary stuff in here. Here’s an idea. I’ll leave a bread-crumb trail of stones that lead from that house to the edge of the forest. I’ll have to collect some rocks first, but I think it’ll be worth it. Do I look presentable? Wait, here’s another thought. Have they encountered humans yet? If so, then this’ll be eas—if they did and those encounters were peaceful, this’ll be easy. But if not, my actions will dictate their mood towards me and the rest of my species. What… would Kirk do—no not that. I don’t think they’ll appreciate that attitude towards them. Ew. Why’d I even think of that? Okay, stop overthinking. You’ll just worry yourself, and this’ll not end well.

Time to put my plan to action…

“I got nothing. What do you think we should call this thing, Fluttershy?”

“I think that if it talks, we should give it an opportunity to tell us what it’s called. It’s smart enough to leave a note. Maybe it can talk to us.”

“Huh. Do you think it even knows our language?”

“I don’t know. The only way to find out is ask it ourselves.”

Laughter filled the room, causing a certain purple and green dragon to enter.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing, Spike. Me and Fluttershy was just discussing what to call the creature that left this hoofmark.”

Twilight pointed to the paper with the print on it. Spike took his claw and pressed it into the paper, seeing that the print is larger.

“Some sort of weird lizard thing, if you ask me. It doesn’t even have claws on the end of its fingers.”

“That’s not a claw mark, spike. It’s probably mammalian.”

“How do you know that, Twi?”

Twilight paused. “Actually, at this point, I’m just guessing. What do you think it looks like, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy, who had been looking at the note and thinking of what kind of wonderful creature it would look like, looked up, smiled one of her smiles, and said “Something wonderful.”

Spike left, as he has chores to do, and he leaves the room to leave Fluttershy and Twilight at the table to keep wondering about it.

Fluttershy seemed to shake with a thought.

“What if it comes back tonight? We should probably wait for it back at my place.”

Twilight gave a small gasp. “I’d wait outside for it, and see what it looks like, and maybe even try to talk to it.”

“Should we tell anypony else about this?” Fluttershy gestured to the paper on the table.

“Let’s keep this between ourselves for now, Fluttershy. I don’t think that news of a strange new animal would sit well if it got out in public.”

“Well, um. Okay. Shall we go, then?”

Later that day, after Fluttershy and Twilight got to Fluttershy’s house, they prepared for the expected arrival by setting up a watch on the opposite side of the street that leads to the house. Twilight could fit in the bush nicely with a book and quill, not to mention her binoculars and Twilight had even brought her pith helmet. It wasn’t so often that she got an opportunity to wear the helmet. Fluttershy and Twilight looked over the simple look-out that Twilight would use tonight, and thought if they needed one more thing, and Fluttershy suddenly let out a “Oh!” and sped inside her hill home. Twilight looked confused for a second until Fluttershy sped back outside with a blanket in mouth.

“Hehe. Thanks, Fluttershy.” The blanket floated from Fluttershy’s mouth and into the bush. It was now a good lookout.

“I didn’t think you would like being cold, so I brought that.”

“That’s fine. Let’s go inside and wait ‘til sundown.”

The two mares walked inside the home and spent the remainder of the day theorizing and laughing about the note and what the creature looked like and if it had 2 eyes or more, if it breathed fire, and so if it really was alone or if it was part of an expedition that would end with a diplomatic meeting between two nations. Laughter and ideas were shared over Fluttershy’s dinner table, as the day gave away to night in equestria.

This really was a good idea of Fluttershy to give me this blanket. This is growing to be a cold night, alright.

Twilight Sparkle scanned the trees with her telescope and hoped for an appearance. The quill and book stood still, for there was no information to be known about the animal, other than a drawing of the note and the story of how she learned about the new animal.

I should really come up a name for this thing. Talkative or not, there has got to be a—

*GASP* Contact.

Twilight saw it come from the trees in a manner that suggested a sneaky behaviour.

The quill floated to the book and took notes of what it looked like.

Upright, bipedal, and clothed with strange materials. Hooded, I can't see face or head. Stubby front legs but thicker back legs.

Twilight noticed that the thing seemed to be carrying something.

Are those rocks? What would it do with those?

It stooped to the ground to drop one, then moved forward to the house. Wait, it stopped again and was dropping another rock. It kept moving forward with the rocks, dropping one and then moving forward in this pattern which drew it closer to the house by going along the road. It passed by the lookout and continued its bread-crumb pattern to the doorstep of Fluttershy’s house.

*Time to make my move, Twilight Sparkle.*

Twilight steps out of the bush, and in her calmest, most Fluttershy-like voice she can manage, she said,

“Hello?”

Idiot. You left the note at the house and now they think you’re threatening them.

Run.

The thing freezes at the greeting, obviously not expecting to be greeted like this.

“What’s your name? Don’t be afraid.”

It suddenly stretches up, seemingly twice the height now of Twilight Sparkle, and drops the stones as it bolts away in a sprint, yelling something incoherent.

It really can talk. I can try to reason with it.

“Wait! Come back!” Twilight runs after him, struggling to keep up after hours of inactivity.

You’re under arrest man keep going keep going run don’t stop now or they’ll lynch you.

The two sprint into the Everfree forest, both knowing well enough to keep their heads on a swivel. The forest seems to race past the two as the now giant creature tries desperately to get away from the violet-colored unicorn. Lungs burning, hearts pounding, legs moving. The hooded figure weaves between trees at any opportunity to break eye-contact. Twilight keeps yelling at it, but that just seems to add more fuel to the engine.

Ooh, if only I could see enough to hold it down with a quick spell.

The darkness is shuffled by the sound of the thing and the chasing unicorn. In her haste, Twilight doesn’t notice the sloshing of their feet in swampy mud as they race into the swamp.

Ooh no. This swamp’ll slow me down. Gotta double my efforts. Is it still after me? Yes. At least it stopped yelling.

At least there are fewer trees around. Maybe I can use a spell now.

The figure goes into a clearing, where it suddenly stops, seemingly staring at some faraway object and with its chest heaving with weariness. Twilight stops, still keeping a respectable distance away from it.

“Okay, that was a good chase, but you gotta stop now before you hurt yourself. Now if you don’t mind...”

She sees it too. Four heads peer at them above the ground at the other side of the clearing.

I’d hoped I’d never see that again.

What is that? **What is that?* Seriously? I can’t just run and leave the pony behind. Oh *bugger.

It turns around and makes a dash for Twilight Sparkle, the Hydra heads starting to raise themselves through the layer of trees above it.

It’s getting closer! What do I do—It’s coming right at meeee—

Scooping up the pony in its upper legs, the thing sprints away from the hydra with added difficulty of holding the terrified mare. She can finally see inside the hood that had veiled the head and face of the thing itself. It looked somewhat like the face of a pony, but it was obvious that its mane is shorter than what is normally worn by colts. The eyes had something in front of them.

Glasses? This thing’s vision is somehow impaired. Twilight Sparkle, What have you gotten yourself into?

The ground shakes as the hydra finally gets itself upright enough to give chase, causing the thing to trip, dropping twilight and falling over.

Well, that didn’t work. Think think think THINK. Uh oh. I thought of something, but it’s insane and dangerous but if it works, it should buy the pony time to get away.

The thing got up and started walking calmly towards the hydra, which has gotten close enough to lower its head to attack, but the thing started shouting in its language, flailing its arms around. The heads of the hydra didn’t look amused, but Twilight recovered from the fall and looked up just in time to see the right-most hydra head lower itself over the thing, biting down around its midsection, and with an audible scream coming from the mouth, the head reared itself up and swallowed it whole.

Oh no. I should get away before it eats me.

Twilight tries to get up, but pain registered her new inability to walk. She lies back down, wincing in pain and closes her eyes, preparing for the worst.

A piercing screech from a hydra head caused Twilight to open an eye. The right-most hydra head was howling in pain as it swings from side to side. A bulge in the throat that could only be the thing’s heroic attempt to save Twilight from doom was pressing something against the inside of the neck, and it came closer to the midsection of the hydra, where the heads intersect and the main body begins. The 3 other heads turned to see its fellow head thrashing about in pain and they all shared similar expressions on their faces.

What could it be doing to the hydras to make them act that way?

The moment the bulge disappeared from the neck, all four heads started to share similar screeches of pain, the hydra stumbles over, and the heads all start thrashing about and roaring.

After a minute of this, the heads drooped down and hit the ground, ceasing their pain-filled roars and lying still on the ground.

The only noise left is the terrified breathing of Twilight Sparkle, whom is still confused as to what exactly happened. Something shifts inside the hydra, and tapping noises can be heard.

Did it let itself get eaten so that it could kill it on the inside? I suppose the insides are a lot softer than its outsides.

An object finally pokes through the armor of the now-dead hydra, and it recedes back into the hydra, and the thing’s head pokes itself out of the hole that it had created. Twilight noticed that it was not wearing the hood this time. It somehow forced itself from the body, stopping just before it pulled its legs free, and sat down to look at itself.

I am completely covered and drenched in blood. At least it’s not my blood. Well, most of it. Sure was dark and wet in there, but I am now more thankful for that survival knife than ever. It might be dulled from piercing the heart of this… hydra. Wait. I just killed a mythological monster that is bigger than me, stronger than me, and probably lived longer than I did.

It stood to its feet and started to move in a way that can only be described as dancing, and giving whoops out into the cold, dark air.

It must’ve gotten a kick out of killing that thing. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

It finally stopped to notice Twilight lying on the ground, still unable to move. It slides off the giant body of the hydra, obviously dazed from being swallowed by it. It stoops to look over a terrified mare, checking to see if there are any cuts or bruises.

Okay, good news. This thing’s fine, except for the legs, and I’m fine, considering I just survived being swallowed by something that only exists in fairy tales. I really have must’ve gone crazy. Oh well. At least it can’t chase me anymore. What to do… obviously take it back.

It reached down to pick up Twilight again, and she gave a squeak that caused it to back away. Twilight stared at it while it stared at her.

This is awkward. I must look terrifying to it, covered in bits of hydra that I spilled on myself. It sure looks femimine, with big, soft eyes, and that hairstyle... **Boy, don’t you go Captain Kirk on me.**

It shakes its head, pain now registering from the several puncture wounds in its stomach and back as adrenaline wears off.

Here’s an idea. If the purple pony can’t understand spoken words, hopefully it’ll understand gestures.

It gestured to itself, then to twilight, made a scooping motion, then pointed in the general direction of Ponyville. Twilight nods in acknowledgement and hopes for the best.

I hope that means what I think it means. Oh well. I’m taking it/her back anyway.

Generating another squeak from Twilight as the thing raises her back up into its arms, the two slowly make their way back, every pain-filled footsteps of the thing becoming more and more apparent that it was becoming harder to walk.

Gotta get her back. She'll be missed soon.

...

It is getting terribly hard to walk through this forsaken forest. I should take less breaks and keep moving. I keep hearing thing moving in here. At least I dried a while ago. That seemed to calm my pursuer down. It kept talking, but I honestly don’t have a clue as to what it’s saying. It might be thanking me and promising to introduce me to its society peacefully or calmly threatening me.

The thing looks down at Twilight, whom looks back at it with curiosity and a bit of fright.

I think it’s the former, then. Or that is the best poker face I’ve ever seen.

The two continue on their journey back to Ponyville in the dark forest, and in a new silence as Twilight stops trying to tell it about herself and her friends, now sure of the language barrier that exists between them.

After some time, the lights of Fluttershy’s cottage can be seen beyond the edge of the dark forest.

I wonder what my friends are doing right now.

“Um, is everypony here?” Fluttershy looks about her front room nervously as she makes a quick headcount. It is still in the morning, and everyone there is still fighting off sleep but is listening.

“What is the matter, Fluttershy?” a white and purple unicorn asks the nervous pony with 3 diamonds on her back legs.

“Yeah, and where’s Twilight? I haven’t seen her since yesterday.” asks another Pegasus with cyan and rainbow colors with a rainbolt on her flank.

“ISTHISAHIDEANDSEEKGAMEOOHILOVEHIDEANDSEEKGAMES” inquires a certain pink earth pony with balloons as her mark, bouncing on all fours in excitement.

“Sugar cube, I don’t think this is a hide-and-seek game. Also, why do you need rope for?” The last pony in the room responds to the pink ones query. She wears a hat and is orange, save for 3 red apples on her hind legs.

“Well, um.” Fluttershy whispers as she gets the note out of the drawer and places it on the table.

“This was left on my doorstep yesterday morning. Twilight couldn’t identify what it came from, and we waited for it to come back just a few hours ago.”

All the ponies in the room stared at the paper in curiosity save for one pink pony which has gotten even more excited because of the unknown nature of the print.

“THISISSOOMYSTERIOUSILOVEMYSTERIES”

“Calm down, dear Pinkie Pie.”

“But where’s Twilight?”

“She was waiting outside for it, and it came, and then she tried to talk to it, but it ran away and she chased after it into the Everfree Forest.”

Even Pinkie Pie was scared now for Twilight. What could be in there that could threaten them, nopony knew. After a pause, the orange one spoke up

“Let’s get going naw and let’s save Twilight.”

The orange one turns around with intent to go to the door, but there is a knock on the door. *Tap, tap, tap.*

Fluttershy leaps at the door and pulls on it. A collective gasp comes from the occupants as they see what’s there. The thing, rearing up like a bear, was covered in brown blood and seemed to be wearing clothes that covered everything but its front paws and its head. A second gasp comes from the group as they see the limp form of Twilight Sparkle in its arms.

“Hello, girls.” Twilight says weakly.

“Twilight!”

The thing puts down Twilight slowly, and once the thing backs off the pony, her friends surround her as they check her physical condition and drag her inside. It keeps backing off so that it comes off the porch, and it turns around to get away, and—

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing here?” The cyan Pegasus now eye-level with the thing due to flying around to face it.

“Rainbow! What do you think you’re doing?” said the brown pony.

“Getting answers, Applejack. Now get your rope so that we can lasso this thing.” replied Rainbow Dash.

“...Ah hate to agree with you, but this thing could be dangerous. Lemme get the rope.”

I’m dead. Run and hide. Run and hide.

It bolts past Dash as it tries to get back in the forest, but is chased again by the protective Pegasus.

Applejack bolts back out with rope in mouth, ready to restrain the thing, and sees Rainbow Dash tackle it from the back and attempt to pin it down in the grass.

Brave and flattering, but at the end of the day, I’m much bigger.

It stands back up to run again, causing Rainbow to fall off and hit the dirt before getting up again to try kicking it, but it screamed as a lasso secured itself around its neck, courtesy of Applejack. It reached to its hip and pulled an object from a pocket; cutting the rope off of the lasso and preparing to run again but Rainbow had other plans. She turned around and bucked it in the gut.

That smarts.

It fell to its knees, dropping the object, forearms wrapped around where it had been kicked, and a new lasso secured itself around the waist of the thing, trapping its arms around the elbows to its sides, with a new roar it fought back against the trained pony.

“hld ths!” Applejack told Rainbow.

“On it!” Rainbow took the rope in her mouth and she goes airborne, wings unleashed in order to restrain the thing. It fell to the ground and struggled to get back up as another lasso was put around its neck, next to the lasso that had tried to restrain it before.

How very **ironic. Any other human observer would enjoy the irony of this situation. I don’t, however, as I’m the one being lassoed like a horse would back where I come from.**

It seems to gain new strength enough to free itself from the determined grips of Applejack and Rainbow, yelling as it runs away, ropes trailing behind it. Rainbow is the first to grab a rope, and it’s the one around its neck. She flies up, the rope now constricting tighter around its neck, which in turn makes the thing make terrified and constricted noises.

Gotcha now.

“Rainbow! What are you doing?” Applejack pleads Rainbow as it obviously can’t breathe anymore, and it even is hoisted off the ground a few inches.

*They really are lynching me. Help.*

A yellow blur tackles Rainbow Dash, causing Rainbow to drop the rope, and by extension, the thing.

Oof. Oh, blessed oxygen. The orange one looks horrified. What is it looking at—it would seem that the yellow, kind natured one from earlier is pinning down my would-be murderer and is **yelling at it. That thing is scary when mad. Is that blue one crying?**

“I’m so sorry, Fluttershy. Please forgive me.” Rainbow Dash says between sobs.

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.” Fluttershy gestures to the thing, obviously terrified in more ways than one and confused in more ways than one.

To everyponys surprise, Rainbow tackles the thing again, and to its surprise, she just hugs it instead of attempting to pin it down.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED? Umm... Better return the gesture as an act of good faith.

Another surprise is when the thing awkwardly hugs Rainbow Dash back even through its restraints, letting her cry into its shoulder, but its face remained one of complete horror.

Stitches

Drownit.

A Beog crashes through the window, sending glass shards everywhere along the floor and couch. Screaming can be heard from both mares as it lands on the table. It turns around and charges at Mike, but Mike has drawn his boomerang weapon again and strikes the Beog in the face, but it had already pinned Mike. It was shoved off, and Mike races out the now-open window with a sound he keeps making even though he most likely shouldn’t be able to.

COME AT ME BROS

Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy sit still on the couch in stunned silence, eyes searching the now-dead monster crumpled on the floor. Sounds of conflict bombarded their ears. A somewhat unknown chorus of noise wafted in from the window, as curiosity got the better of them. They look over the couch and what they can see they will remember for a very long time.

Mike was standing outside in Fluttershys yard, surrounded by the dark shadows of the beasts as they attacked him seemingly all at once. What he could not dodge, he slashed, yelling all the while.

Poor thing, Fluttershy thought. It must be terrified.

Beogs? That’s not cool enough. Wolfers? No. Wozzlies? No. Beawulves? Maybe. Grizzwolves? Drears? Hahahahahahha

Mike keeps fighting like this for a while, the dark night somewhat concealing the conflict. Mike’s strength began to wane, however, as multiple bite marks and scratches adorned his already hurt body.

The last one.

It pounces him, Mike being too tired to do anything now. He looks into the face of the abomination, and shows his teeth in a snarl. The beast rears its head to bite, but that’s as far as it got. With an almost invisible violet influence, the would-be murderer lifts up into the air, and is slammed down again with a satisfying crunch. It is then raised into the air again, and is slammed down again. This keeps happening as Mike wonders what’s going on. It finally is laid to rest long after all signs of struggling have ceased, and Mike looks to his left to see a scared, exhausted Twilight leaning on the back of the couch, along with Fluttershy. She spoke first.

“Mike, are you okay? You seem to be hurt again.”

Mike raises himself to his knees, and looks at himself. Then, he scans the immediate area around him.

I just killed again. I must stop this. I’m not a monster. I’m not. I’m not.

It covers its face with its hands, sorrow being contained with a huge amount of effort.

“You okay, Mike?”

With a sniff, Mike replied. “Yeah, Fluttershy. I’m fine. I’ve been through worse, believe me. “

Liar.

Shut up, you. Remember the Warehouse Safehouse?

Oh yeah.

It somehow lifts itself to its feet, limping back to the cottage. Walking in through the door this time, he sits back down on the pink cot and looks at the two ponies staring back.

“I’d hate to impose, but I need medical assistan—“

Collapsing yet again, Mike curses himself for lack of control over these sorts of things before blacking out yet again.

Fluttershy works tirelessly yet again to bandage up Mike as best she could, but she’s not a human doctor. She doesn’t even have the necessary supplies to stitch up some of these more serious wounds. As Fluttershy works, Twilight comes up with something.

“Shouldn’t we get an ambulance?”

Fluttershy hadn’t even thought of that, considering how she was single-hoofedly taking care of Mike so far.

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt. Could you take care of him while I run for help?”

Twilight beams with excitement with the opportunity to do more than watch. The table is nudged closer to the couch with a little magic, with Mike and his cot gently moved over and onto it.

“You do know first aid, right?”

“Yeah! I read all about pony medicine!”

Of course she did. How silly of me.

“I’ll be on my way, then. Also, he isn’t a pony.”

Twilight beams with excitement.

“I know! I get to practice medicine on a human! I don’t even know what they are, but this is exciting!”

Twilight continues to telekinetically apply aid for Mike, her smile drooping as the reality of this poor, innocent pony—human’s life in the balance. Fluttershy is already out the door, flying into the cool, blue sky.

After what felt like hours to Twilight but only 20 minutes passes on by before Fluttershy admits herself in again, escorted by two paramedic ponies with a stretcher. They stop to see the sorry state of Mike before going out to get a bigger stretcher. Fluttershy hovers over Mike with a new-found fondness that comes with him saving her life. Twilight notices this and asks

“He saved you from them in the woods, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“Ahh, I remember when he saved my life. It seems like it was yesterday.”

A shared giggle lightens the tension as the medical team now moves to move mike onto the new stretcher, straining to move him quickly to the carriage. As soon as he was loaded up, the ponies strap themselves into the carriage and made for the hospital, Leaving Fluttershy alone on her porch.

Should I have told them about Twilight? She’s got several sprains, but no broken bones. It’ll be alright.

She steps back into the cottage, door closing behind her.

“Fluttershy, don’t worry. Mike will be okay, you’ll see.”

“What about you? I’m so sorry for not letting them know how hurt you are.”

“It’s fine. I’m just about ready to start walking again anyway. Could you help me with that?”

She seems pretty confident she can walk again. Is she trying healing spells on herself?

Twilight readies herself, but the tension that creates is shattered when she simply steps off the couch and walks around, testing her legs. She seems to be stable, which surprises her.

“Couldn’t you try a healing spell on Mike?”

“We don’t know much about him, and I’d rather not mess about.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

Okay. This has got to be the strangest call I’ve ever taken. First it was Fluttershy of all ponies that reported it in, and when we got to her cottage, it wasn’t the pile of animals that was in the front yard that needed our help, it was the strange thing inside. We had to get a bigger stretcher just for cases like him. Is it even a him? Must concentrate.

The hospital fills view as the carriage nears their destination. They go through the motions that they regularly do, Nurses Orange Chapstick and Glass Thermometer aid the “human” as Fluttershy puts it. They quickly learn several things, along with Doctor Stable.

One, he’s a he.

Two, he’s a mammal.

Three, he’s bleeding out.

They use all of their efforts and hard-learned knowledge to seal, stitch, and otherwise mend the skin organ that was obviously in some sort of fighting.

Was he fighting those things outside?

It does make sense, really. Covered in bite marks and scratches, the human—wait. Fluttershy called him Mike. Better refer to him as that. Mike was covered in many injuries that would be easily mended with magic, but Doctor Stethoscope suggested that since they know too little about him, it’s probably safer not to mess around with his system with magic. There was one strange bite mark that was bigger than the others, though. Severely larger. The Doctor almost thought he’d lost him by that point. He did decide to take the risk and administer plasma to him.

After a few hours, their work was complete. Below, Mike looked like something from a horror story. To be fair, it was only because of the mass amount of stitching used. Still, he was a new sight in Equestria, that’s for sure.

Nurse Orange looked up and out of the emergency room, seeing the familiar faces peering in to see their friend.

Was he their friend? I remember these ponies from when a certain Rainbow Dash was treated for a broken wing here.

She shakes her head. Everypony know how that went down. She steps outside to debrief the 6 ponies—

Weren't there only 2 ponies earlier?

Outside the ER, she has an opportunity to talk, but then Pinkie Pie interrupts with her usual banter.

“OhmygoshishegoingtobeokayhelookslikesomethingoutofFrankenstallionwillbeabletoplaythepianoagain—“

Her mouth is occupied by an orange hoof that belongs to a slightly embarrassed but used to this business Applejack, whom says,

“Heheh. Go on, Nurse.”

“Well, Mike is going to be okay. How he got those injuries is beyond me, but we have stabilized him. With a little careful magic, he’ll be okay in a couple of days.”

This is Mission Control.

Mission Control, go ahead.

Begin diagnostic inspection.

Roger. Beginning inspection of vital systems… we are green on vital organs.

Roger. Begin startup of limbs.

Limbs… check. We have 2 arms and legs that are fully functional, fingers and toes intact.

That is an affirmative on the limbs. Begin optical scan… now.

Mike’s eyes crack open, letting in light that at first stung, but was quickly subsided as necessary adjustments were made. He also noticed that he could hear the presence of several beings hovering around him. His eyes opened up a little more, and he saw some familiar concerned faces hovering over him.

Begin vocal tests.

“Hay.”

What surprised Mike next was the reaction of these ponies. They varied, from a simple sigh of relief, to a Pinkie Pie breakdown which somehow generated confetti.

***Skin anomalies detected.

---***

Mike raises his hands to his scarred face, and lightly brushes one of the stitches. Fluttershy is quick to react.

“Please don’t touch that, Mike. It’ll slow your recovery slightly.”

“Un..under..stood. How… long…wa..was I out?”

Twilight responds with a cheery voice.

“I’d say several hours, now that it’s light out. Ponies are very good at medicine, after all.”

Bowel vacancy detected.

“How’s the hospital food?”

Regular speech pattern re-instated.

Check the neck.

Roger.

Mike, with some difficulty, turns his neck to look around. The 6 ponies from earlier surround him, and he appeared to be in a bed in a hospital.

Further skin anomalies detected along body.

Mike gets his bearings as he counts his many lacerations.

”How long am I in here?”

Fluttershy responds with a soft,

“Thankfully, only several days.”

“Now the doctors will probably tell me I need sleep. I can’t sleep. Too many nightmares.”

“I’m so sorry, Mike. Why do you have nightmares?”

“The zo—crazies. They brought about the end of humanity as I knew it, and they either consume everyone I knew, or they became crazies themselves.”

Fluttershy notices the memories flashing before Mike’s eyes, and she only wishes she knows what’s really going on in his head. She nuzzles him, and he turns his head to talk to her.

“Sorry, Fluttershy. I guess I’m safe now, but the memories remain. I’ve got my story to tell, though I already told you it, I don’t want to spare any more heartbreaking details. I’ve…”

Tears form in his eyes.

“I’ve murdered… both then and now. Doesn’t matter what it is. I’ve ended lives. It isn’t fair that I’ve had to kill or be killed.”

He closes his eyes, desperately trying to will away the horror.

“I’m a monster, I tell you. I done things that no one should. I’m paying the consequences for conflict right now. Look at these st-stitches. I’m a monster like the monsters that have died at my hands.”

“Um, girls? Is it alright if I can be alone with him for a while?”

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash vacate the room, all knowing how good Fluttershy is with these scenarios. Fluttershy expertly snuggles up to the human, blushing a bit as she did so as he is bigger than she is, and she calmly sings to Mike, which suprises him.

Music. She’s singing to me, with accompanying instruments, somehow.

“Now, Mikey, it doesn’t matter who you were.

Now, Mikey, it only matters who you are.

Now, Mikey, you just lay your little head.

Now, Mikey, you just go to bed.

Now, Mikey, don’t you worry now.

Now ,Mikey, you’ll love our town.”

Fluttershy then hums to Mike as he falls asleep, into the past memories, where the nightmares remain.

Strange Ventures

The far-flung fillies ran off to discover the island, giggling all the way. A short time later, a certain blue alicorn ran through the portal, panic in her eyes, which were searching her environment. She pauses to take a look at the moon, before running off, following three distinct hoof-prints.

Meanwhile...

“I told you about Mike, Francis! I told you, bro!”

Ellis was shaking an unimpressed Nick by the shoulders, everyone watching the transpiring events. Nick shoved Ellis away, pinched his nose in frustration and said,

“Ellis. Did Mike impress you with a simple card trick, or...”

This is when Mike walks into the camp.

“What did you do, Mike?”

Mike opened his mouth to speak, but was pounced. By three giggling fillies.

All tartarus broke loose.

Ellis squee’d.

Everybody else freaked out.

“What’s that on him!?”

“Are they ponies?!”

“Ponies?!”

“What the heck?!”

“Wha?!”

“Should we shoot it?!”

Everyone froze when the howl of the dead sounded. A voice cried out,

“Foul Undead Fiends!”

MIke and the ponies ran off towards the sound, while everyone else grabbed their guns. As they did, the absurdity of the situation finally dawned on them, but they ran off to see what the heck’s going on.

Tearing through the vegetation, they found the princess of the night combating the infected, stomping, blasting, and just causing re-death in the zombie ranks. Mike freaked out, and ran off to the beach, carving a path through the forest and hands and teeth. Sure enough, at the beach, was the horde, and they were rushing into the portal. Mike cut through to the portal, and stepped into the threshold.

What he saw on the other side was a warzone. A third faction had entered the fray, these strange bug-like ponies with bug-eyes, wings, and fangs. They seemed to be invading Canterlot. The Royal Guard was fighting off these bugs and the horde. The infected were fighting everyone. Screaming, gunshots, and bolts of magical energy could be heard.

Mike facepalmed, and muttered,

“Good grief. So this is how it’s going to be.”

Thus it was. Mike realized that this was just in fact the first day of the rest of his life, of hijinks and never-ending conflict.

He was just fine with that.