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// Living away from ponies 
// Story: My LITTLE ponies 
// by Snowy Flanks 
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Twilight began to cry. “I’m so sorry Alex, I looked and looked and looked, I contacted all the ponies I could think of, tried to track down every lead no matter how small but I just couldn’t do it, there is no way to safely shrink you down".

Alex got a solemn look on his face and nodded. He very gently patted Twilight on the head. “It’s Ok Twilight, I know you tried and, to be honest, I was expecting this. Do you have any ideas of what I can do?”

“I have a plan,” said a voice.

Alex turned his head to see Princess Celestia bathed in heavenly golden light. 

“I was hoping it would not come to this, that my student would be able to find a way to help you, but it seems I have no choice. I want you to travel west until you reach the ocean, then keep walking. If you keep traveling west you will come across an isolated island. There you will be able to find enough food and water to live". 

Alex kneeled down in an attempt to bow to Celestia when he felt a tingled around his head, when he looked up there was a compass rose floating in front of him.

“The spell will wear off in a week, you must hurry if you are to get to the island in time,” said Celestia as she pointed to the horizon.

“Thank you for all you have done, you are all truly kind ponies".

Alex began to walk quickly exiting the village following a westbound train track. Within an hour has was traveling through a wooded area. He looked for anything to eat but he couldn’t see through the thick canopy. After leaving the rails he went through a swamp hoping to find some vegetation. He managed to find a few cattails and some kudzu which he quickly ate, despite it being unpleasant. He even managed to find a rhubarb plant, which was a nice treat. By nightfall he had come to a valley wedged between two frosty mountains. The next three days he continued to walk through rivers, valleys, deserts and even climbed a mountain. Every time he found fresh water he made sure to drink his fill and he treasured the few bits of food he was able to find. 

Even with all the foraging he found himself getting weaker and weaker. Finally he reached the ocean, not knowing what to do he kept walking eventually submerging himself up to his armpits. Crossing the ocean was especially tough; he couldn’t drink the water, though he was able to eat a little better, dining mostly on squid and whale, as much as he didn’t want to. 

Two days later he was reaching physical and mental exhaustion. He had been burned by the sun, bitten several times by something in the water and was in a state of constant hunger and thirst. Twice he had thought he had seen the island, but both times it had been a mirage, so when the island showed up again he tried not to get excited. As he got closer the island became clearer and clearer until he reached the sandy shore. The first thing he did was drink from a nearby river until he could not drink any more, then he helped himself to a few wild bananas. After he had recovered from his trip he looked around the island. Everything here reminded him of home. The trees were taller than him, everything looked like it was the right size. As he searched the island he found that he was not alone. There were huge blue crabs, big white birds, he even saw a dinosaur. Luckily none of them seemed to be bothering him so he settled in. He had found a place to live, now he just needed a place to call home, perhaps he could claim a nearby cave. If he could learn how to live in harmony with the natives creatures, this island could be everything he was hoping for.