//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 - Time for some more plot ! // Story: Stranded away // by Pillow-pony //------------------------------// The Sun was starting to set over the horizon, its golden rays illuminating the trees, their shadows stretching and growing as the star continued its course. Already had the diurnal animals left the open to gather in their nests and homes. Soon, darkness would claim the lands of the living, and, with it, the nocturnal animals would come to take their turn prowling the forest. The sounds had dimmed to the whispers of the wind, the crackling of the branches. It was a moment where time seemed to have stopped, as if nothing in the world could brake the precious silence that covered the canopy. “Admit it!” the feminine voice echoed through the twilight. “There’s nothing to admit. I’m not a Zoidberg, I’m a human!” I answered the pestering pony flying next to me. “That’s exactly what a Zoidberg would say! We know who you are, though, you’re through!” the thestral began anew. I looked at her pegasus colleague in hopes of salvation, only to face a ‘you’re on your own there’ look as she continued to walk. “How do I argue against that?! That’s the kind of thing you can’t answer to!” “I knew it! You finally throw in the towel, Zoidberg!” the bat pony exclaimed triumphantly. “You know what? You can call whatever you want, I don’t care,” I conceded. “If I try to argue any further, I might have an aneurysm.” Though, as I finished my sentence, I started to realise something. “By the way, I don’t think we introduced us to each other,” I said, the two ponies stopping in their tracks as the idea sunk in. “My name is Peter. Nice to meet you.” I extended my hand towards them. The thestral approached me first. “I’m Nightshade! Nice to meet you, ‘human’,” she said, careful to emphasize the last word as she spoke. The blue pegasus mare was next and came up to me, nodding as she introduced herself. “My name is Highwind,” she said as she shook my hand, “nice to meet you...I guess, considering you’re technically our prisoner.” Hmm... At least we seem to have the same customs concerning the greetings. ‘I should really start to take notes’ I thought, completely ignoring the uneasy looks of the equines beside me as I pondered the many Nobel prizes I would receive for my work on communication between human and ponies. “Actually,” I snapped back to reality, looking at my escort. “Just by pure curiosity...do you lock your doors?” This seemed to puzzle the guards before the blue pegasus turned to look at me as if I just won the first place for the Darwin Award nomination. “Of course we do!” she answered irritatedly. “How would we protect our homes against potential robbers?” I simply nodded in response. Once again they gave me an answer to more than one question that I had. First, they had crime and were not as naive as the ponies depicted in the show. Interesting… “Mouhahahaha!!!” The midget horses jumped in surprise at my sudden outburst. “Why would you scream like that? Do you want every monster in this forest to know our position?!” the blue one lashed out at me. “Sorry, it’s just that sometimes I just have to remind myself that I’m not that good. Oh, and by the way, If there was any monster nearby I think they would have been onto us a long time ago.” I nodded towards Highwind, who glared at me in return. “What’s that supposed to mean?” “Nothing, nothing at all…I like your fur color you know? Real smooth…Purple mane and tail, blue coat…it’s definitely a color that wouldn’t be noticeable kilometers away…” The ponies looked at each other, realizing the painfully obvious truth. “Who gave you the permission to go into the forest like that? I mean, have you ever received training in the stealth department?” “Well, we’re not exactly scou-” Nightshade started before being loudly interrupted by a ‘coughing fit’ from her partner. “What she meant to say,” cut Highwind, “is that we’re...We’re only beginners. Yeah, Beginners! We’ve only started the second year of our training.” She ended the sentence with a big ‘please believe me’ smile. “You don’t have the authorization to be here, don’t you?” I deadpanned. The effect was immediate, as both ponies began to sweat profusely, the droplets clearly visible on their fur. Again, how was that possible? Fur should be absorbing the sweat and other liquids. Or maybe did these creatures had special fibers that had the same ability as bird’s feathers? It may be normal for pegasus who had to work with clouds, hence humidity and/or rain all the time. God, am I rambling again? I swear, one of these days my overthinking will be my undoing. What’s that sound? I turned towards the noise, realising the sweaty equines were speaking to me. “...and I never wanted the pie to end up on the ground! It wasn’t my fault!” babled the downtrodden pegasus. Okay, how much of the conversation had I missed?! The thestral beside her was patting the sniffling pony on her back, muttering apologies to her for some reason. “Okay. So, basically, you’re not scouts, and you shouldn’t be here right now. Is that right?” I said while taking Highwind in my arms as would a child with a plushie, surprising the teary-eyed mare as I hugged her tightly to my chest. “Yeah…” Nightshade answered shyly, her left hoof scraping against the ground. “As royal guards, our duty should be to guard the palace of her highness Princess Celestia.” I nodded, the blue pony in my arms trying to wiggle herself free of my grip, but to no avail. “I might not know a lot about your system, but isn’t the fact of deserting one’s post considered a felony?” I said as I caressed the pegasus’ mane, who immediately stopped thrashing around, a soft moan escaping her lips before she slumped into my arms. The thestral looked at me, horrified. “No, of course not! Thankfully, crimes that grave rarely happen within the boundaries of Equestria.” Hmm...at least, there are some common points with the show. I couldn’t believe how easily I could get information out of these ponies. Maybe if I waited long enough, they would reveal me state secrets. “Um...Peter? Is there something wrong?” Nightshade asked me, casting a worried glance my way. “I am Hermaeus Mora, daedric god and knower of the unknown. I will soon gather all knowledge of your world and become an invincible being with unmatched power,” I said in an imperious voice, continuing to stroke the fur of my new plushie-pony. “What?” “Nothing, nevermind,” I sighed. “So, shall we go now? Or are we waiting for the nearest monster to spot our beautiful blue pegasus here and decide to have us as its next meal?” I said straightening my back slightly. “Shut up and caress me, you criminal scum.” said the content ball of fur nestled in my arms, who was surprisingly light for her size. “I wouldn’t dream of doing otherwise, ma’am,” I said, chuckling at the antics of the guard. We resumed our walk towards the little town, the daylight guiding our path through the woods. Now that I paid more attention, I noticed that the amount of vegetation was beginning to slowly lessen. The space between each tree was growing, and the sunlight finally began to break through the canopies more openly, creating large patches of gold on the grass. The entire atmosphere of the forest had changed from oppressing to actually welcoming. The scents of grass and pollen were merging with the usual smell of bark and the humid odor of moss, effectively reminding me of the woods my family and I used to got to on Sundays. A smile crept up on my face as I took in the sweet ambiance around. I moved Highwind slightly to the left as my right hand went in my pocket to pick grab my phone. I completely forgot to call my parents the last two days. I wanted to slap myself so bad right now. Your son is in a hostile environment, promises to call you everyday to tell you he’s doing alright, and suddenly stops giving any sign for more than forty eight hours. Anyone would begin to worry! Knowing my mom, she’s probably already having a panic attack. I quickly dialed the number of the family’s house, hoping to at least prevent further damage to the nerves of my parents and sister. The pegasus looked curiously at the device I was holding, wondering just what was standing in-between her and her beloved petting. The ponies nearly jumped when they heard the ringing sound that my phone made while trying to contact its target. “What happened?” asked a slightly disturbed Highwind, who was now trying to put as much distance as she could between herself and the noisy contraption. It’s amazing how much power technology can give someone. I could now clearly see how the Spanish Conquistadors were able to defeat the Aztec. I shook my head. If humans were to make contact with extraterrestrial beings one day, I dearly hoped for our race that they would be less technologically advanced than us, lest humanity face a brief and spontaneous extinction. “Peter, what is that?” Highwind pressed, her anxiety increased with my lack of answer, with her eyes locked on the strange black object. “This?” I said, holding the phone closer to Highwind’s face. She nodded weakly, paddling the air as if to get away from the device. I chuckled. So much for fearless guards. “This is a device my race uses to contact each other over great distances.” ‘Sadly overused today when people could simply meet outside’ I mentally added. “The ringing sound indicates that the phone is trying to connect to another one.” The ponies ‘ooed’, their fear completely forgotten in the face of this discovery. “This little box can contact anypony?” Nightshade asked, looking at me with wonder filled eyes. “Provided that the person or pony you’re trying to call has one, then yes.” Another ‘ohh’ escaped the marvelled equine’s mouth. I silently laughed, nearly missing the ending of the ringing loop. “Hello?” the familiar voice asked, causing another involuntary jump from the nearby ponies. “It’s alive! Alive!” The thestral yelled as the pegasus was trying her best to make her head disappear in between her shoulders. “Mom?” I answered, putting the phone against my right ear. “Oh god, Peter!?” the anxious voice of my mother replied, before pressing on without giving me the chance to reply. “Are you alright!? We you hurt by something venomous?!” “No, don’t worry mom,” I said, trying to lower the blood pressure of my parent. “I’m being escorted to the nearest village to be taken in custody.” A few seconds passed during which no one said anything, allowing me to reflect on the monumental mistake I just made. I heard the poorly restrained sniggers coming from the pegasus’ mouth as she was trying to hold her laughter in. “WHAT?!” The phone fell from my hand as all three of us spasmed from the surprise of discovering the true power of my mother’s vocal chords. Letting the slightly upset pegasus go, I crouched to take the device off the ground. “Mom, wait I can explain…” I started. “What. Have you. Done.” The terrifyingly slow voice of my beloved mom echoed through my brain as I racked it for the least dangerous answer to give the silent fury on the other end of the phone. “Well, you see, I had survived a zombie attack in phantom town when I heard two things talking to each other. No wanting to be ambushed, I decided to strike first. Turns out the two creatures I was pointing my crossbow at were guards, and threatening officers is also a crime here. Weird huh?” I explained, chuckling awkwardly at the end, knowing the end would come blazing. I waited with bated breath as the only sounds coming from the device’s speaker were the shallow breaths of my mother. “Is it true?” she simply said. I quickly looked at the assembled equines in front of me, and handing the device to the blue mare, I motioned her to talk in the mic incorporated. “Uhm…Hello, madam?” Highwind said, listening for a few seconds, before nodding. “Yes, he is with us…Yes…...Yes he is.” She nodded a few more times, her face changing from serious to surprised a few times, making my heart jump each time. After two minutes, she looked up from the phone and signaled for me to pick it up. Upon crouching, Highwind approached from me, and lowering her head to align her mouth with my ear, whispered the words that caused my pupils to shrink. “She said that whenever you’re coming home, you’re gonna get it,” She said, causing me to froze in place as blood went as cold as ice in my veins. Our little group walked on through the forest, the agreeable temperature greeting our bodies as does a friendly embrace. “I still can’t believe I was able to talk to someone that wasn’t even here with this small weird black rectangle!” the pegasus happily said as she trotted alongside me. “And I still can’t believe you didn’t let me talk to his mom with it,” pouted the thestral, floating on my right. I sighed. “Don’t worry. Next time my mother wants to scold me severely through the phone, I swear I will let you take my place anytime,” I said, grumpy from the scene of my mother yelling at me in front of the ponies. “By the way, how long before we get there?” “Hm? Oh, not more than ten minutes or so,” Nightshade said happily. “That’s what you said ten minutes ago,” I pointed out, my eyebrows rising slightly. “Yeah, but this time I’m really sure!” she said, puffing out her chest before patting a spot on her barrel. “That’s exactly what you said twenty minutes ago,” her colleague added, snickering as the thestral huffed in frustration. “All jokes aside, we’ve been walking for a while now. I wonder if we’re any close to civilisation. That, and we haven’t met any twisted animal from the forest in a while. I’m starting to worry a bit, to be frank,” I said before moving a branch that was blocking my field of vision. “Well, it’s only normal we’d encounter less monsters the further away we get from the center of the forest. This is where…well, we suppose that’s where Nightmare’s influence is strongest,” Highwind said, shivering as she pronounced the name. I stopped. This couldn’t be correct. Wasn’t the forest’s corruption something that had to do with Discord? I turned towards the pegasus mare. “Wait, isn’t it Discord’s fault?” “Who?” I looked at both ponies incredulously. Could it be these ponies had never heard of Discord? No, it couldn’t be right. When Discord arrived, everything got turned upside down. Everyone knew about him. Or was this a timeline where Discord never appeared? Then how could the Nightmare be still implanted here? Does that mean that the entity had always been in Equestria? Or did the fight with Nightmare Moon already happened and those are the aftermath of the confrontation between the two alicorns? “Quick, History quiz! Who are the current rulers of Equestria as of now?” I exclaimed, surprise evident on the faces of the two guards yet again. Nightshade recovered faster than her partner. “Well, if you don’t count the noble houses and ministers, there’s Princess Celestia…” she started. I nodded, looking in the distance while waiting for the others to come. Probably the next one should be- “That’s it!” she said with a satisfied smile plastered on her face. I swear I heard my neck crack as I slowly turned my head back to look at the unsuspecting ponies. “That’s it? But what of Luna?” I asked, dreading what was going to come up. I could live in a world without Discord, who is my all time favorite character in this show, but come on! Luna is like the little sister we all had! You can’t just take that away from me, world! Have some damn respect! “Who’s Luna?” …..Fuck you. “Oh, no one, I just wanted to see if the name was spread in your country too.” I said, changing the topic. Highwind looked at me strangely. “You’re asking an awful lot of questions there.” She flew a little too close to my face with a suspicious glint in her eye before all but shouting, “Are you a SPY?” Oh god, not another Rainbow Dash. The world is not ready for this! Also, congrats for noticing after my fourteenth question! “Well, as you may have noticed, I’m not from around here and I’m at a complete loss about the lay of the land.The more I know, the better.” I saw the intensity from her glare lessen briefly before she went back to the ground. “Alright, but know that I have my eyes on you.” “Well, I’m your prisoner. You should have your eyes on me. That, and you and I know the real reason why you should have your eyes on me…” I seductively whispered the last part into her ears. I could see the furious blush forming over the fur. So the fur changes color just like the skin. Interesting function. “Wh-what do you mean by that?” a red-faced Highwind asked while backing away from me. I smiled evily. “Oh…you know what I’m talking about, don’tcha?” I said, wiggling my fingers in the air. “D-don’t approach me! I-I can protect myself…” She said as her back pressed against one of the trees, cutting her only exit. I chuckled. “No one escapes…” I paused dramatically, my hands stopping in mid-air above her head, “from this!” before suddenly unleashing a torrent of scratches upon her sensitives ears. “NoooOOoooohoooo…oohhhh…yeah…right here…” the blue pegasus moaned, immediately melting in my hands as I worked my way around the base of her ears, eliciting more satisfied sounds from her. I stopped the scratching, allowing her to regain her footing—hoofing?—and stand back up. She looked at me, the blush still present on her cheeks. “You’re a horrible creature, you know that?” she scowled at me, although I could sense no anger in the sentence at all. I chuckled good heartedly. “I know I am. And I love it!” I said, scratching behind the ear of a now very happy thestral. We resumed our march towards the safety of Ponyville —or is it even named that way in this world?—the light noises of hooves and shoes crushing dried leaves and branches building an ambiance as the sun continued its course through the sky. The afternoon had already begun when the first breeze came to cool the previously humid air. I couldn’t help but feel anxious at the idea of seeing the first alien settlement in the history of mankind. I wondered about their culture, technology and art, among countless other things, as we continued onwards. Being deep in thought, I missed the sudden appearance of a feral root and inevitably tripped on it which caused my entire body weight to shift from perfect center to headless chicken. I quickly toppled over and fell face first into the dirt. I rose up, my trimmed beard now more bush-like than ever thanks to the carpet of leaves I landed in. Soon enough laughter erupted from my companions’ mouths, which only increased exponentially upon seeing the autumnal style of my facial hair. Their obvious satisfaction at seeing my degraded self did not reach me, as another sight had gathered all my attention. I stood, unmoving, beholding every single aspect of the lands that were displayed in front of me. Today, if anyone asks me what I think paradise looks like, I would probably have shown them this. Radiant green hills, the fields of some crops in the horizon reflected the light as would pure gold. The small flowers that managed their way through the thickness of the grass added with their pastel colors a small touch of heaven to this already perfect sight. The only trees that seemed to grow there were either fruit bearing ones, most certainly apples, or beautiful century-old trees, casting large shadows beneath their majestic canopy. On the far west could be spotted a few mountains, their snow-covered top glistening in the early afternoon light. On the far east stretched the immense Everfree Forest we just got out of, its twisted trees growing towards the meadow as if trying to swallow the whole world in its expansion. A warm feeling was spreading through my chest at the realization that we just gotten out of the accursed place. In front of me stood the tall, lonely mountain I saw the day of my arrival, the twin golden spires of the alabaster castle towering the rest of the valley. Upon looking at it, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. The castle always appeared like a beacon of hope and justice in the show. It was the very place where the princesses lived, a place of incredible influence, radiating its political imprint throughout the world. This very same building was now in front of me. So why wasn’t I happy when looking at it? My reverie was abruptly cut short by a small stinging sensation in my chest. Curious as to what was causing this uncomfortable feeling, I pried my shirt off, only to look at a pair a bandages. ‘Oh, of course. I had nearly forgotten about this one’ I thought, undoing the now sticky pieces of gauze, revealing several patches of half healed burn wounds. “So, Peter? How do you find Equestri-eugh!” Highwind approached me, before stepping back in slight disgust. “What happened to you?!” she asked, morbid curiosity pushing her to look at the wound. “That’s what I would like to know…” I added as I fumbled through my backpack, quickly unrolling a new gauze band, before applying it over my chest. “But I have to admit…” I rose back to my full height, “this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” I said in awe, my hand patting the head of the mare. “Welcome to Equestria, Peter!” Nightshade said while hovering above me. “Though our first meeting was...a bit awkward, to say the least…” She chuckled a bit, scratching her neck a bit. I couldn’t help but feel anxious at the idea of standing in trial for the first time, and in front of an unknown species I might add. Did they even have the same laws as we do? “Well, no time like the present I suppose…” I said while walking through the meadow, the smooth tall grass brushing against my pants as I did. The ponies smiled and trotted alongside me. “Lead the way then,” I said, letting Highwind and Nightshade go forth, soon joining behind, all the while taking in the sights of the alien world. It took less than ten minutes to reach the entrance of the village. Sure enough, the global form of the little hamlet was quite identical to what the show had depicted us. The main entrance was indeed a small cobblestone bridge, no more than three meters wide. The small river going under it casted small moving waves on the sides of the stone surface, creating a beautiful underwater illusion. The polished wooden sign at the entrance of the small town indeed read in big brown letters ‘PONYVILLE’, the words etched deep within the panel. Behind it were what I could best describe as what a six year old thought what a european house was. High stone carved walls, sometimes with the addition of bricks here and there, a protruding balcony on most. Wood beams were crossing on some walls, and thatch roofs were a staple among them all. Also, some deranged engineer must have decided to overthrow the architect in charge of the design, as all houses had most of their windows and doorways tinted pink. Who thought having pink tinted windows in your house was okay?! Seriously, most of the daylight in a house comes from the windows. Do ponies find living in a pink room fun? Though maybe prolonged exposure to a pink colored room might cause brain damage, which would explain some of the lack of forethought and general incoherences in ponies behavior. As expected by this hour of the day, a lot of ponies were out, meeting with friends who were going to shops or simply lollygagging. ‘Where are the skyrim guards when you need them?’ I thought, observing the human-like behavior of those equines going about their daily lives. Each of them had a different coat and mane color, going from the pale and almost normal brown grayish fur to the flashy retina-melting neon green or blue. Some even had small accessories, such as saddlebags, hats, sunglasses or small jewelry. Again, as in the show, nopony seemed to be bothered by the fact no one wore clothing, and were going completely naked outside. Was it a social norm, that ponies had to be naked or something? And when ponies had to take an interview for a job, were they forced to wear clothing? Or was nudity an absolute necessity when talking to your future employer? The sounds of hooves clicking on the paved way suddenly stopped, some ponies suddenly taking notice of the giant among them, their already big colorful eyes widening as they set on me. I felt my anxiousness level spiking as dozens of equines began to form a crowd all around me, nearly all of them whispering amongst themselves, some going as far as to try prodding me. Thankfully for me and my personal space, Highwind decided to act by stepping in front of me and walking towards the ponies assembled. “Royal Guard Highwind escorting a dangerous criminal to the guard station. Please move aside citizens!” she announced with authority, surprising me by the strength in her voice. The effect was immediate: ponies quickly scampered off, quickly returning to their previous activities, only casting apprehensive glances at me from time to time. Whether it was thanks to the respect ponies had to Royal Guards or the realization that they were close to a tall criminal monster, I didn’t know. We resumed our walk, passing by even more weirdly shaped houses, more strangely colored ponies, and unexplainable shops. No, seriously, I think I saw a shop that was selling quills and sofas on the way. What kind of pony would think of buying those two articles simultaneously?! We finally arrived in front of the guards post, which probably was the most ‘normal’ building of the whole town. It was a medieval styled structure, with small vertical windows, thick brick walls and a smooth tile roof. Two guards clad in golden armor were standing on either sides of the door, their eyes staring straight ahead, stone cold expressions plastered on their faces. Above us hung what I assumed was an Equestrian flag, a monumental stylized sun standing in the center of a white background, slightly wavy rays coming out of it and reaching towards the extremities of the painting. ‘Mmm, wonder who’s the ruling princess…’ I rolled my eyes as we walked towards the entrance. Even as we passed them, their eyes remained locked towards a distant point of the horizon, their posture upright. Nightshade entered first, soon followed by her friend. I took a small breath, calming my nerves a bit, before following suit and walking through the door. The inside of the building was the stereotypical eighties’ police station: wooden varnished flooring, oak desks and large hardwood beams supporting the upper levels. Pale beige walls bordered the main hall. Even though the windows were extremely small for a building people—or ponies in that case—were supposed to live in, the lightning inside was quite decent despite the lack of candles or other source of artificial lights. Directly in front of us stood a tall and bulky unicorn stallion clad in a silver and ebony armor save for his helmet, which laid on the table next to him. He sat at the front desk, which was positioned at the far side of the room. Highwind walked up to him, but failed to get his attention as the pony seemed to be lost in a pile of administrative sheets. “Uhum!” this seemed to snap the stallion back into reality. He looked around, his eyes settling on me at first, slightly widening, before looking back at Highwind and rising from his chair. The pony walked up to us, his eyes never leaving me as he doing so. Now that he was closer, I could really see the subtlety of the armor he was wearing: while Highwind and Nightshade’s armor was golden with a simple grey lining, revealing half of their bodies, this one covered the entire body. The only thing that made him identifiable at all was the fact that he didn’t put his helmet on. The chestplate on his chest had a sun carved on it, a decorative black border highlighting the form. His face had a serious expression written on it, his blue eyes contrasting with the snow-white fur that formed a small tuft under his chin. His dark grey mane was cut short, a few strands slightly longer than the rest were falling on the side of his head. Both guards seemed reluctant to talk to him. That and the difference in the armor color probably meant a significant gap of rank between them. A few seconds passed, none of us saying anything. Finally, the awkward silence was broken when the guard turned towards Highwind. “I trust you have an explanation for this, sergeant?” he said in a low and calm voice, turning his attention back at me for a split second. I looked back at Highwind, who was now fidgeting, who was looking for something to focus on. Something other than her superior. “Well, sir…We were patrolling over the Everfree-” “Who gave you the permission to do so?” the white furred stallion cut her off suddenly. “Patrolling duty is reserved to experienced scouts with at least five years of intense recon training. No captain would have given his approval if you truly went to one before departing.” His words were precise and straightforward as a deadly silence followed his cutting words. “I won’t ask the reasons why you two did that. That’s something you’ll have to solve with your division captain.” His blue eyes were once again directed at me, “I would, however, like to know what kind of creature this is and why it’s wearing clothing.” I looked at him incredulously. Really? You’re living in a world where there are tons of sapient species that live together, and you’re not even assuming I could be one of them? Talk about love and tolerance… “This creature has a name and would like to be addressed by it, if that’s not too much to ask,” I said, not bothering to hide the venom dripping from every word. The pony jumped back at the sound of my voice, yet quickly regained his composure before straightening his back. “Pardon me if I sounded impertinent. I never saw or heard of a sapient species looking even remotely like you. I offer my deepest apologies,” he said, bowing his head slightly. Okay, he may not be a douche after all. “It’s okay, I understand. My name’s Peter,” I said while extending my hand. “A pleasure. I’m Captain Sharpsteel,” he said while shaking it. “Now, was there a reason why you accompanied those two…” he paused, looking pointedly at Highwind and Nightshade, who cringed as they saw his glare, “....guards here?” “Well…yes there is,” I said, trying to think about the best to bring out the fact that I threatened a Royal Guard with a loaded crossbow and manage to not be imprisoned for ten years. I quickly proceed to explain the circumstances that brought forth the encounter between the ponies and me. The Captain listened politely, nodding at some points of my tale, Nightshade and Highwind adding some details when needed. When I stopped recalling the facts, Sharpsteel looked at me before sighing. “Well from what you’ve told me, you were in an extremely stressful situation at the moment of the facts. That and the fact that Sergeants Nightshade and Highwind were apparently spying on you, and had not approbation of the local authorities…” “Even though the use of a weapon is somewhat more than questionable, I don’t think it would justify any kind of penal sanction.” I could not help but let out a breath of relief hearing the news. He then looked at the guards on both sides of me. “Do not think I will let this matter slide though. A letter concerning you two is going to Canterlot tonight.” both nodded resignedly. “Now, I know it might seem a bit cold of me, but I have lot of work to finish today, so…” “Of course!” Nightshade answered, albeit a tad too fast to seem natural. “We wouldn’t want to impose.” We all said our thanks before heading out. As soon as we arrived outside, we were stopped by a mass of ponies, torches and pitchforks at hoof. “What’s the matter?” Highwind asked the crowd. “Why is this monster still able to be outside? How many has he eaten?!” A pony in the mass yelled, soon followed by several ‘yeah!’ erupting from the rest. “Excuse-me...how many what?” I asked the pony who had just spoken. A magenta colored mare with yellow mane. The whole crowd jumped back. “Yes, I can talk.” I added before anyone could ask the obvious question. “S-s-so...How many did you eat?” “How many...ponies?” She nodded, her fearful eyes trying to avoid my sight. “um...Well, I don’t really eat ponies.” I added. It was only half true. I ate horse once, and it wasn’t that bad to be frank. Nonetheless, I would never think of eating anything close to being sapient. “Oh...erm...really?” I nodded. “Oh...Okay then. I suppose we should be going then…” I nodded again. The crowd quickly dispersed into the streets, some seemingly disappointed by the lack of witch hunt in the village. “Well,” I said, looking at my pony friends. “What do we do now? I don’t think we can go back to my house right now. Do you have somewhere you can tonight?” I asked them. “I suppose we can go and buy a room for the night, before taking the train for Canterlot tomorrow.” highwind said, before looking at me. “But you don’t seem to have money on you. Where will you sleep tonight?” I shrugged. “I’ve already slept on the ground in the middle of the forest. I think I will survive a night under the stars.” they looked at each other, before turning back at me. “You know, we could take a room with three beds.” “Wouldn’t that cost a lot more than needed?” I asked, definitely not wanting to abuse of the mares’ hospitality. “Are you kidding? In this backwater town, the price of the hotels are ridiculously low! With my pay as a guard I could buy a room for the entire year and still be able to afford the rest.” She said with a laugh. “Come on now big guy.” She said, pushing me with her wing. “We have several hours before the sunset. How about we visit a bit together?” I smiled and nodded, before joining them. Maybe living here wouldn’t be so bad after all. The last rays of the sun were illuminating the great decorated room. Even though its owner never liked displaying her wealth, she still appreciated the small trinkets she had amassed over the years. Most of which were put on the massive fireplace mantel, where her arms were etched in gold. Seated at her desk, she was contemplating the Sunset with melancholy. Soon would come the Night, and the Moon. A small shiver ran down her spine. She pried her eyes away from the scene and looked back at the monstrous pile of papers and letters still unread on her right. An involuntary sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes, letting her chin rest on the cool wooden surface. She lifted her regalia off of her chest and head, looking as it floated across the room to finally settle on a pony mannequin. Extending her wings she groaned as the joints cracked a bit as the relaxed from their strain of the day. The soft glow of the rising moon was beginning to bathe the room and a soft white light. As she looked at her bed, she let a small -some would go as far as calling it unlady-like- snort as a childish idea popped up in her mind. Taking a running start, she jumped on her queen-sized bed, falling down on it in a loud ‘thump!’, the poor iron structure of the bed creaking at the sudden weight being brutally added to it. She moved around, revelling in the feeling of the covers and sheets caressing her furred body. The white alicorn was slowly dozing off when a sudden surge of magic snapped her awake. Looking around, she saw the fire in the fireplace turning blue, the only warning she received before the flames rushed out of the hearth, taking the form of a small sealed letter. She caught in in her magic before the priority message could touch the ground and opened it up. “Priority message sent by Cpt. Sharpsteel of the 12th division in Ponyville. Greetings your majesty. I hope this message reaches you in good health. As per your request, we were to report any strange event that would take place around the Everfree Forest. Since the uncommon happened around Ponyville, I was rather reluctant to report it to you. However, considering what the being told me, I decided it might be worth sending this to you. This very day, a few hours earlier, two guards reported to the Ponyville guard station with a creture they had found wandering in the sector three of the Everfree. The being was surprisingly intelligent, but its most interesting feature was his appearance: he - I took an educated guess considering his stature and voice - was bipedal, standing at approximately one hundred and eighty centimeters. His eyes were small and his snout shaped in a very thin manner. In many way, he reminds me of a standing ape. He did not seem hostile, a,d can be seen accompanied by the two guards I mentionned earlier. I hope this can help you in any way.” The letter lazily fell onto the bed as the alicorn canceled her magical grasp on the object. She stood up before slowly walking towards the opened balcony. She looked over the stone railing, towards the valley where a small town was falling asleep, the last streetlights outside extinguishing one by one. “So…” her voice came out tired and emotionless. “You came back...After all this time...” She said, her eyes closing as hot tears trickled down her cheeks. The peaceful smile changed into a snarl as reddened eyes focused onto the Moon. “Nightmare”