“Thanks for helping out with everything Rainbow,” Twilight said to Dash as they both stacked books back onto the shelves. The storm had really done quite the number on the library: books were strewn across the floor, shelves had fallen on the ground, widows were cracked, and everything was soaked. Twilight, with the help her friends and the “high and dry” spell, had managed to clean up most of the mess. Now she, Dash, and Spike were just re-sorting the books.
“Don’t worry about it.” Dash blushed a little. “I, um, kinda wanted a new Daring Do book anyway.”
“You already finished the last one?” Twilight left a book floating in midair to look up at her flying friend. “Didn’t I lend it to you just last week?”
“Well, it was a really good one.”
“Which one was it again?”
“Daring Do and the Treasure of Colte—”
The library’s door was busted open and a pony ran screaming into the room. “Twilight! Twilight! You have to help!”
“Fluttershy?” The book Twilight had been levitating fell to the ground as she rushed over to Fluttershy and put a hoof on her shoulder. “What’s going on?”
“Oh it’s terrible!” Fluttershy shivered as she spoke, “I was going to Zecora’s to get some medicine for Angel when I ran into this horrible monster!”
“Well it’s the Everfree,” Dash flew down and lightly thumped Fluttershy on the head, “of course there’s going to be monsters. But you tamed a manticore before, so why was this thing so scary?”
“Because,” Fluttershy explained, “it looked like a pony.”
“Then how do you know it wasn’t a pony?” Twilight asked.
“Because pony’s don’t—” the color started to drain from Fluttershy’s face, “don’t...”
“Don’t what?” Dash raised an eyebrow at Fluttershy.
“They don’t eat other animals!” Fluttershy cried out before falling into Twilight’s shoulder and sobbing.
“It’s okay.” Twilight patted her friend on the back to calm her down.
“Oh Twilight!” Fluttershy hiccupped, “It was terrible! It said it wanted to eat fish, and pigs, and even cows! What sort of monster eats cows?”
“But you said it looked like a pony?”
“Yes.” Fluttershy pulled her head out of Twilight’s shoulder and sniffled a little. “It even had a cutie mark and was talking to me and Ze—” Fluttershy’s pupils turned into pinpricks.
“What now?” Dash asked.
“Zecora!” Fluttershy summoned as loud a voice as she could.
“What?” Both of her friends replied.
“I left that terrible thing with Zecora! What if it’s eating her? Nooo!” With that, Fluttershy rushed out the door.
“Hey!” Dash called out. “Wait up!” Dash zoomed after Fluttershy.
“Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash!” Twilight yelled. “Don’t panic! I’m sure there’s a rational explanation for this! Ugh!” She turned around and looked up at Spike, who was currently precariously balanced atop a ladder. “Spike! I’m going to figure out what’s going on! I’m leaving the rest of the books up to you!”
“What?” Spike rapidly turned around to complain, but Twilight was already out the door, “That girl needs to relax a li—” Spike’s rapid turn had offset the balance of the ladder. “Whoawhoawhoa!” He fell down and sent a shelf-full of books with him.
“Fluttershy!” Dash chased after her friend. Ugh,how does that mare fly so fast sometimes? “Wait up!” By the time Dash caught up to Fluttershy, they were both already at the edge of the Everfree. Dash stretched out her hooves and pushed her wings faster to gain the last speed boost she need to tackle her friend to the ground. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m going to save Zecora!” Fluttershy said as she tried to get up.
“How are you going to do that?”
‘Well,” Fluttershy slowly looked at her friend, “I...I’ll give that monster a stern talking to!”
Dash facehoofed. “Look, it’s great that you want to help Zecora, but you can’t just go rushing off like that, what if whatever this thing is got you too?”
“I...I...”
‘Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it.” Dash smiled as a white flash of light appeared in front of her and Fluttershy. Suddenly, Twilight was standing by them.
Twilight quickly galloped over to the two pegasi. “Fluttershy! It’s great that you want to help Zecora, but you can’t just go rushing off like that!”
“Already covered that part Twilight,” Dash said.
“Oh, um,” Twilight stuttered as she helped her friends up, “well, let’s go to Zecora’s then!”
“And show this monster that nothing messes with Ponyville!” Dash smashed her hooves together as she quickly started heading off to Zecora’s.
“C’mon Fluttershy,” Twilight said as she galloped after Dash. “We don’t want her wrecking Zecora’s place.”
“O...okay,” Fluttershy replied before chasing after her other two friends.
The trio quickly made their way through the Everfree to Zecora’s hut. “Alright!” Dash boasted. “Let’s go save Zecor—huh?” Dash had been stopped from busting down Zecora’s door by a purple aura grabbing her tail. “Twilight, what the hay? We haven’t got time to waste!”
“I know that,” Twilight calmly replied, “but what if this thing is a wild animal or something? We can’t risk upsetting it.”
“S-s-so what do we do then?” Fluttershy quivered.
“We’ll move in slowly and take it by surprise!” Twilight stomped a hoof in determination. “Now Fluttershy, you open the door very slowly, then I’ll subdue it with my magic, and Dash,” Twilight looked up at her friend, “you’ll deliver the finishing blow, okay?”
“Got it!” Dash said with a smirk.
“Alright, Fluttershy,” Twilight gave her friend the signal to move out, “whenever you’re ready.”
“O-okay.” Fluttershy slowly trotted up to the hut’s door and barely cracked it open. “H-h-hello?”
“Oh my, if it isn’t Fluttershy,” Zecora greeted the visitor in her home.
“Zecora!” Fluttershy instantly hugged the zebra. “I was so worried! I left you here alone with that monster, and I thought it was going to eat you, a—” She was silenced by a hoof.
“I assure you and your friends that I am alright, but now there are many mysteries I wish to bring to light.”
“Fluttershy,” Twilight scolded her friend, “you said Zecora was in danger, but she seems fine to me.”
“But... but... that thing—Eep!” Fluttershy rushed behind Twilight and shivered.
“Now what?” Dash complained.
“T-t-the monster!” Fluttershy pointed a hoof at a sleeping figure in the back of the hut, “I-i-it’s still here!”
“He looks like a pony to me,” Twilight said as she trotted over to the sleeping figure. “I had my suspicions when you said it had a cutie mark, but I wanted to see for myself. Now I’m sure, this is just a pony. After all, only ponies get cutie marks.”
“But it said it wanted to eat animals!” Fluttershy pleaded.
“Maybe you misheard him, was there anything else odd that he mentioned?”
“Um, I think he might have hit his head too. He didn’t even think he was a pony.”
“Ah-ha!” Twilight flashed her friends a triumphant smile. “That explains everything.”
“It does?” Dash asked.
“Yes,” Twilight replied, “he must have hit his head or something, and now he thinks he’s a dragon or another carnivorous creature. See Fluttershy, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“O-okay,” Fluttershy meekly replied, “I should probably apologize then when he gets up.”
“Why? You didn’t do anything wrong, it was just a simple misunderstanding.” Twilight noticed the pony shift around a little. “But I think you’ll get your chance in a second.”
“Mugah,” the pony groaned.
“Wonder who he is.” Dash looked over the slowly awakening pony.
“Mphh,” Luffy grumbled and sat up. “Ugh, what a horrible dream, I was a horse and there wasn’t any meat.”
“Yep, looks like a bad case of amnesia.” Twilight looked over at Luffy.
“Woah! A unicorn! I haven’t seen one since Thriller Bark!”
“Um, yes, sorry about the commotion earlier.” Twilight held out a hoof to Luffy. “My name is Twilight Sparkle and these are my friends: Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Zecora.”
“Whoa! Another flying horse! That is so cool!” Luffy jumped up and down on the bed to get a better look at Dash.
“Well,” Dash smiled, “at least he knows awesome when he sees it.”
“Wait,” Luffy stopped bouncing, “if you’re all talking horses then...” his face drained of color, “That wasn’t a dream! Ahh! The meat thing was a joke right?!” His eyes went wide as he stared at the ponies.
“Just calm down okay?” Twilight asked Luffy nicely. “I think you’re having a bit of memory loss. See, ponies don’t eat meat, or rather we can’t, our digestive system only really allows eggs at most to be eaten.”
“Hmm, well anything sounds really good to eat right now, guess I’ll just get meat later.”
“Bit of an oddball isn’t he?” Dash commented.
“Rainbow,” Twilight replied, “be nice! I mean, aside from the whole ‘identity confusion’ thing, he seems like a perfectly normal pony.”
Luffy then realized that his head felt lighter. “Hey, I didn’t drop a hat anywhere, did I?”
“Oh,” Fluttershy replied and gestured to a hat that was sitting on a stool on the other side of the hut, “it’s, um, over there.”
“Thanks.” Luffy stretched out two of his hooves to grab his hat. Fluttershy and Twilight screamed, Zecora’s eyes went wide, and Dash’s mouth gaped open in amazement.
“Ahhhh!” Twilight screamed, “How... how are you doing that?”
“S-s-see? I told you!” Fluttershy cowered behind Zecora. “It’s some horrible animal-eating stretchy pony monster!” She quickly backed away from Luffy.
“Man,” Luffy sighed, “talking horses are weird.”
“We’re weird?” Dash flew up and eyed Luffy in the face, “You’re the pony that’s stretching and wanting to eat other animals!”
“Whatever,” Luffy used a hoof to push Dash out of his face. He then got up and started walking for the door. “I’m hungry, so I’m gonna go find something to e—huh?” Luffy was stopped from exiting by a lavender energy shield. “What the heck is this?”
“I’m sorry,” Twilight apologized as her horn glowed the same color as the translucent wall that sealed the hut off from the outside, “but I can’t let you run around eating animals and, er, stretching like that!”
“But I have to get back to my friends! Now, Gum-Gum...” Luffy extended his right fore-hoof back and then sent it flying at the shield.
“Wait! What’s wrong with your fri—” Twilight barely had time to reply before Luffy’s attack met the wall.
“Bullet!” Luffy’s hoof smacked into the force field and shattered it into pieces. The magical backlash sent Twilight flying.
“Twilight!” Dash and Fluttershy called out to their friend.
“Sorry,” Luffy looked back at the ponies for a second, “but I gotta get back to the Archipelago!” With that, Luffy dashed out of the hut and back into the Everfree.
“Twilight!” Dash shook her friend. “C’mon say something!”
“I am the best student!” Twilight said in a dizzy voice, “I’m never tardy!”
“Oh for pete’s sake!” Dash shifted Twilight over to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, you take care of her, while I take care of him!” Dash zoomed out of the hut and gave to chase to Luffy.
Celestia sat in her throne room in Canterlot Castle, admiring the light that filtered through the windows that dotted the room. Probably one of the best suns I’ve made in the past 200 years. Celestia looked up at the stained glass window that showed six ponies firing beams at a strange monster. I wonder how Twilight is doing? Celestia’s musings were cut short when she noticed a strange creature enter the throne room. It was a small black bat and it was carrying a letter.
“This does not bode well.” A golden aura surrounded her horn as an identical aura encased the letter the bat was holding. Celestia levitated the letter down and read it. Her eyes shrunk into the back of her head as she scanned the letter. “This... this is!”