Stranded away

by Pillow-pony

Chapter 7 - Action! Explosions! Michael Bay! Oh, and a snake too I guess...

Author's Note:

Hello again fellow readers!

Well, It's been nearly a month since the last upload, and I wanted to put an especially big chapter for the end of the month. I wanted it to be a small gift to read through your holidays, and despite the usual slow pace, the temptations of playing video games, here it is!

Thanks to the unwavering help and dedication to the story, we managed to post this within one month, something I never thought was possible. So Thanks a lot Stlat!

I hope the rest of your holidays are going well, and enjoy the new chapter of Stranded away!

At the beginning existed only darkness and silence. Stillness was the norm, and void covered the entirety of the world. Everything was immobile, nothing disturbing the primeval peace that reigned across the vast stretches of emptiness. The universe was eternally asleep. Nether was happy. Time had not yet began its course, space had no meaning. No measurement was needed at that perfect moment of stasis.

Things, however, were not meant to stay that way forever. In the very core of the void there began to shine a bright light, its radiant glow illuminating the dark world for the first time. Nether awoke from the sudden commotion. Who would dare break the sacred silence of the realm which he had been the guardian for eons?

Nether turned towards the intruder, his immortal glare setting on the white spot, the one stain on his beloved canevas. Looking closely, he observed the source of the disturbance and suddenly recognised the light, even though he never once met it in his entire life. It was the one unpredictable force that could manage to pierce through the strongest obstacle . The one whose chaotic nature could endure every hardship yet would still remain, as if spitting in the face of fate. It was the spark that would start it all. It was the spark of Life.

Nether lunged at the enemy, knowing full well that he could not stop what was going to happen. Before he could even reach the traitorous light, the sparkle suddenly grew, its glow brightening, to the point where Nether was forced to shield his eyes, or else be blinded by the pure white rays emanating from it. The orb grew exponentially, forcing him to retreat as Life began to fill the void around it.

The sphere stopped its expansion, and, for a moment, Nether foolishly thought the danger had passed. He was proven wrong as the orb suddenly cracked, burning light coming from the newly formed slits.

Nether backed away from the entity as more and more light came pouring out of it. The event that was bound to happen had arrived, as an energy never before seen discharged brutally from the broken orb, completely shattering it. At the same moment, the lethal light contained within the core escaped, filling the empty realm with the ashes of the object.

The original sparkle ceased to exist, but was replaced by millions of others in the form of stars, nebulae and heated gases . Life had taken roots on the world.

Nether’s broken body floated unmoving, defeated, as light shone throughout the universe, dots now covering his ruined canvas. Nether wept at the loss of his kingdom. He screamed at the usurper who had stolen all that he held dear. Then, when no one could hear, he laughed, tears streaming down his cheeks as he looked towards the heavens, now illuminated by an infinite amount of multicolored dots, as the irony suddenly struck him.

He looked at his adversary as a predatory smile formed on his lips. “Rejoice, Life. You have invaded this realm and defeated me, thus claiming my domain as your own. Rejoice, Life, while you still can. The day will come when your creations will wither and perish. All creatures will face the same fate. The mountains will crumble, your oceans will dry out. Your stars will stutter and vanish, and even you, oh purifying light, even one day you shall fade, and vanish from memory. For only I am truly immortal. You all came from the void, and to void you shall return. So rejoice, Life. Rejoice, while you still can.”

Such were the words written in the ancient tome, black ink inscriptions covering the fragile pages yellowed by time. Claws moved across the paper’s surface, caressing the leather cover, their owner revelling in the alien feeling. With a content sigh, the being closed the grimoire before looking back at its title with melancholy.

“Of the creation of the world, or the usurpation of Life,” the creature stated in a deep voice before chuckling to himself. The white feathers upon his head moved ever so slightly as he did so, a tinge of mirth appearing in his light grey eyes. Looking down at the book again, he shook his head.

“They always embellished the truth didn’t they?” he asked to no one in particular, his eyebrows rising slightly as he briefly surveyed the wooden shelves surrounding him. He waited a few seconds, then went back to the object of his thoughts.

“Not that I’m complaining though,” he added, leaning back against his chair, exhaling as silence answered him. He let his eyes wonder, temporarily focusing on the star carvings on the granite ceiling, the white and blue spots contrasting with the black background. To his shame, he never knew the name of the artist responsible for this masterpiece, but even he had to admit: the precision behind the sculpting of the night stars, and the color palette were both of a genius’ work. So much talent. Wasted.

The creature sighed, before looking at the sculpture of the moon, its craters perfectly placed and recognisable. A knowing smile began to form on his slightly curved beak.

“What are you planning now, my Lord?” the being asked to the empty space above him.

“Whatever it is…” his rictus changed, morphing into a cruel grin as his predatory eyes set back on the book.

“I hope you will allow me to witness it.”

I watched as the battle went on. The sound of deafening detonations was omnipresent, blinding flashes of light would randomly appear on some parts of the field, always followed by screams, as more souls rejoined the departed in the afterlife. Holes of varying sizes covered the darkened earth, ashes and cinders being the only remains of the old meadow. The sky had long since lost its blue tint, hundreds of fumes and smoke trails forming a thick layer that obscured even the sunlight. There was no telling what hour of the day it was.

I marched through the damaged ground, trying to avert my eyes from the unavoidable vision of the corpses of the pony-candies. Countless bodies littered the ground, no distinction between the marshmallows and the chewing-gums. The stench of burnt sugar filled the air, some lifeless soldiers partially consumed by the inferno raging not far away. The armor did nothing to prevent their fragile bodies from melting under the intense heat.

Both sides fought hard, each soldier running into the battlefield without an ounce of hesitation, weapons and shields clashing together, denting armors and slashing sugary flesh, crushing sugar cane bone along the way.

At first, the Marshmallows seemed to have the upper hand; their flexibility in battle allowed their soldiers to attack and dodge in quick succession, forcing the Gums to either stay with their shields up, or to die under the repeated assaults of the enemies’ blades. We believed the war was won.

Unfortunately, we had underestimated the cunning of the enemy general. As expected, the Chewing-Gum Equines retreated from the fight. As the other army followed suit to finish them off while they could, we failed to notice two small openings in the nearby cliffs. This is where our doom was sealed.

As soon as we set foot in the enemy territory, dozens of sweet-and-sour thestrals flew out of those holes, storming down on the Marshmallows in a deadly rain of steel and claws. We were unprepared and outnumbered. In the end, the talent and capacities of our soldiers didn’t matter. All were savagely slaughtered, caramel gushing out of the wounds and flowing onto the Earth, pools of sugary syrup forming around the bodies.

I stood at the precipice of the massacre, droves of fallen brothers and sisters lying at my feet, motionless. I couldn’t move, the nightmarish vision paralysing me.

Before I could even blink, a large shadow loomed over me, and a sudden weight pressed me down, my jaw painfully hitting the ground. I shook the dizziness away, only to hear my attacker speak into my ear.

“Did you call your parents?”

“Noooooooooooooooooo!”

“Hey… Hey!” I jolted awake as I suddenly registered the voice coming from my right. My eyes opened and started to focus on the bleary surroundings. My eyes wandered about, discerning the outlines of some furniture. I recognised the bed I was in as the one I went to sleep in last night. Right next to me were two fuzzy plushies, one blue and another one being dark grey. Intrigued by the presence of kid toys in an adult room, I moved to grab one, which strangely squeaked as I touched it.

“Huh?”

“P-Peter?! W-what are you doing?!” The plushie said in alarm, withdrawing from my hand.

“Aaaaah! Plushie talks!” I screamed, instinctively backing away and proceeded to fall off the bed, some covers accompanying me in my extremely dignified descent. I immediately tried to scan the room in hopes to locate the one who caused my fright. Unfortunately, the very covers that fell with me were now on my head, obscuring my view.

‘Dammit! They planned it all!’ I squirmed in distress as I heard giggling. ‘Laugh it up, evil piece of fabric! Just you wait until I’m out of this mess. I will get out of this and probably will run off screaming like a little girl!’

My thoughts were interrupted by the layer above me being suddenly lifted, revealing the familiar faces of two ponies, one blue and...ohhh.

“There were no plushies of doom?” I asked the two, already knowing the answer. Both shook their head, a large smile etched on each face. I stood up, dusting myself up.

“I trust we can agree that nothing happened here?” I asked them, my fears slowly increasing as their smiles only widened. Highwind and Nightshade looked at each other, before staring back at me innocently.

“Well, I don’t know…” the pegasus said, scratching her jaw in an exaggerated manner. “It is pretty hard to forget such a terrified face.” She looked at her partner in crime, looking for confirmation.

“Indeed it is,” the thestral nodded. “I don’t know how I possibly could forget such a thing…” the mare looked at me pensively. I sighed internally as I knew what was coming.

Ten ear-scratching and three stomach rubs later—no way in hell am I calling it ‘tummy rubs’—, the three of us left the hotel and walked back towards what I think is the main street.

“Say,” I turned towards the two equines. “I don’t remember much of last night. Can you fill me in in what happened?” I asked as we walked past a vegetable stand.

A devilish smile formed on the lips of Highwind, as she let her eyes close halfway in what I think was supposed to be a seductive look.

“How can you not remember all the things we did together?” She paused dramatically, resting her hoof against her forehead, “As soon as you undressed, you jumped on us and—”

“What really happened?” I asked with a flat look, ignoring the blushes and looks from the crowd around us. Highwind turned back towards me.

“You’re not even slightly falling for it?” she asked, eyes brimming with hope. Oh god, was she really trying? I thought she was just teasing me with some unbelievable story. These ponies, I swear…

“Nope,” I answered, beginning to show concern for the mental health of this country’s inhabitants.

“Aaaaw…” her ears dropped slightly. “How am I supposed to tease you if you’re not even flustered when I tell you things like that?” she added with a frown, her muzzle scrunching up in a pout. I gently patted the pony on the head.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll succeed one day,” I said as I walked past her with Nightshade. We went through the marketplace, which, oddly enough, was completely void of stalls. I checked my watch: eleven forty. Hmm. Maybe it ended sooner today?

We proceeded down another residential area. I had to say: even if their architecture was a bit strange, they really had a knack for gardening and decoration. Creeping vines grew on walls, some of them even in bloom, allowing the honeyed scent to greet anyone who would happen to pass by the beautiful foliage. Perfectly square bushes formed the barrier in-between houses, and a small paved way would cross the neatly cut grass and create a direct road linking the entrance and the street.

We met some ponies along the way with even weirder fur and eye colors. Fortunately, they didn’t pay much attention to the giant creature walking past them. Which was fine by me, as it allowed me to observe the inhabitants going about their daily life without having to deal with a mob such as yesterday’s.

My eyes were suddenly attracted to by a small, shiny metal object on the ground. It looked like some kind of battle cap, some drawings etched on the surface. If what I thought was true, it would reveal yet another difference between the show and this world. I picked it up. Yep. Ponies had industries, even more, industries that were specialised in making refined goods.

“Minoean source water?” I read out loud as I turned the small object in my hands, marveling at the details of the small horned emblem in the center of the bottle cap. I walked towards a nearby bin to drop the item. Nightshade came up to me.

“I suppose if you used to live in the everfree before, you wouldn’t know about things like that. Minoean source water, or MSW for short, is a very well know brand of mineral water from Minos Industries,” she said looking at the shiny cap. Highwind walked up to me.

“It’s mainly due to the fact that the Minoean territories are located on a large cluster of hot springs, thanks to the large volcanic activity near the badlands,” the pegasus helpfully added before realising that both Night and I were staring at her, astonished looks on our faces. A small blush formed on her cheeks.

“Hey, stop with that you two! And you…” She pointed at the Thestral, “You should know it too. It was part of the classes of geography when we were still training for the Royal guards!” Nightshade just shrugged nonchalantly. Highwind sighed, shaking her head slowly. It’s a wonder how the mare managed to succeed in her exams. Or maybe the acceptance level for the Guards was extremely low…

Once again, I had gained precious information about another species. To be fair, I wanted to meet the minotaurs for a long time, but wasn’t sure whether or not they existed in this world or not. ‘I should really begin to write down those information somewhere.’

I snapped back to reality as I felt a brutal rise of temperature uncomfortably close to the back of my head, followed by a loud cracking sound coming from the wall on my right. Turning in alarm to look at what made that noise, I spotted a large black scorch mark at least ten centimeters wide, its center still fuming.

Turning the opposite way, I saw standing in the middle of a crossing street at least eight Royal Guards, all clad in their pimp golden armor. At the head of the small squad was a familiar unicorn sporting an also familiar silver and black armor. The detail that I focused on however was the horn on his forehead, which was glowing in a dark grey aura. Quickly connecting the dots, I decided to address the offending pony with all the necessary etiquette and courtesy needed when talking to a military officer.

“What the fuck?!” I yelled as both Highwind and Nightshade stood in front of me.

“Captain!” the blue mare asked her superior, distress and anger evident in her voice. “What’s the meaning of this?!” The Captain in question huffed in annoyance.

“Following the orders of her majesty, Princess Celestia of Equestria, you,” he jabbed an accusing foreleg at me,” are under arrest! You are considered a threat to the lives of the citizens of this nation, and we will not hesitate to put you down should you try to escape!” He stated as the other guards stood at the ready, all eyes locked on me. Before I could even muster the will to talk back, Nightshade took a step forward.

“How can you attack somepony without even trying to reason with him?! And should you have reasons to arrest him, at least tell him what charges are held against him!” Had I been allowed to move without having another bolt of magic shot at me, I would have hugged the life out of her. The situation being what it was, I settled for a silent ‘thank you’. Captain Sharpsteel exhaled, before looking back at us with determination burning in his eyes.

“I am not at liberty to say what crimes he is guilty of… However!” he said as Nightshade drew breath to retort, “the crown itself has recognised him as an enemy of the nation, and he is to be brought back at all costs. If you try to protect this creature…” the guards around him lowered their heads, their horns beginning to glow. “We will have no other choice but to consider you two as accomplices and treat you the same way as criminals guilty of high treason.”

All three of us were left speechless as the guards began to move towards our little group. What could one do in such a predicament? In the case of a surrender, I would end up in jail without a doubt for who-knows how many years. If I tried to resist arrest, I would be killed. Great options.

The guards were still advancing towards us. I needed to think of something quickly. Anything! ‘Dishwasher!’ …. No, thinking of anything randomly won’t probably do any good. When only fifteen meters separated us, an idea struck me.

“Nightshade, Highwind,” I whispered to them while maintaining eye contact with the potential death squad. Both their heads turned to look at me. “Faint.”

“What?” they both whispered back with strained voice, eyes darting between me and the approaching Royal Guardsmen.

My eyes hardened as I had to focus not to let an eye twitch. “Pretend you faint. When the guards ‘wake you up’, you will tell them you were under my control, thus not consciously helping me.” Still under the shock of Sharpsteel’s declaration, they weakly nodded. I smiled.

“Good.”I prepared myself, reaching deep in my vest pockets, retrieving what I wanted, then looked behind me to make sure I was in front of an alleyway. The Captain must have seen it, as his eyes immediately widened as he began to charge a spell within his horn. ‘Too late!’ I smiled devilishly as I took a handful of the unfamous flowers and threw them in a ball at the advancing guards. I quickly turned around, not wanting to see the horrors of the poison joke on living ponies, and rushed down the alley.

“Stop!” I looked back to see Captain Sharpsteel, who was barely recognizable with his bright pink and fluffy fur coat now following me.

“Bwahahahaha!”

“And stop laughing!”

“Never!” I yelled back as I dodged yet another volley of harmful spells. Bricks and paint exploded around me as the magic missiles collided with the walls and pavement, showering me in dust and powdered cement. Sharpsteel was remarkably fit for something his size; even though I was much faster on my two legs than most ponies, he managed to keep up with me and even, much to my horror, to gain some ground on me.

Every turn I’d take, the Captain would follow, slowly getting closer. I swear, I had an easier time losing the cops in GTA V with five stars! More spells crashed against the ground, missing me by mere centimeters this time. I couldn’t hope to outrun him. The only way to escape was to either slow him down or to hide. The latter was not an option considering the distance between us.

The answer came, as we crossed another street, in the form of a steel ladder on the back of a tall round tower, which I believed to be the town hall from the show. I quickly latched onto it, climbing as fast as I could to escape the mortar shells from Sharpsteel. Some missiles reached the ladder, but, thankfully, none were powerful enough to burn through the metal.

I quickly climbed the last few meters, and immediately rolled over to get away from the captain’s sight. Fortunately for me, pony anatomy doesn’t mix well with ladders. After a few fruitless tries, the guards that had joined the pink fluffy unicorn moved away from the metallic object. ‘Take that ponies! Humans are superior! Or at least when it comes to ladder-climbing…’

While I was busy trying to breath in the sweet oxygen to fill my lungs once again, I heard Sharpsteel yell something to his colleagues, which was soon followed by a collective answer. ‘Not good.’ He probably ordered them to circle the tower. I had to find an exit. Judging from the distance that separated me from the ground, I supposed I was on the second floor of the building. I could still go back down the way i came, but I doubted the guards would leave the ladder out of their sight for a second.

Standing up, I walked on the balcony I was on, looking for an entrance back inside the tower. While the main structure was made out of bricks and wooden beams, the railing and balcony seemed to be made out of some white sedimentary stone. Perhaps some limestone? No, no, no. Focus, Peter.

I eventually found a small doorway leading inside the tower to an overly decorated room: dozens of masks and costumes were stacked in neat little piles. Covers made of hundreds of different fabrics and luxurious curtains were hung on high poles in a corner, their soft texture reflecting the weak lightning originating from the small crystals placed on the walls. Had I not been pressed by the time, I would certainly have marvelled at the mechanism behind these stones.

The only exits that I could see were that ladder I used to enter the building and the one leading to what were most likely a set of stairs going down. The former was out of the question, as all the guards probably saw me going through it. It would only be a question of time until they sent pegasi to hunt me down. My best chance yet was to escape by the second exit.

I grabbed a medium sized cloak and put it over my shoulders, letting the textile fall over my face. I ran to a dark corner of the room and stopped moving. Soon, I heard the sounds of hooves hitting wood quickly growing closer, the creaking of the stairs the only warning before the door to the staircase burst open, several Royal Guards running in the room, horns glowing. ‘Now let’s see if you know how to play prop hunt.’

They began to walk in different direction, methodically moving the drapes and boxes out of their way as they progressed further in. One of them arrived near my position. For a moment, the guard’s eyes set on me, and, for a second, I thought my cover had been blown. After some time, he turned his head away to look at a wardrobe and started to move towards it, alleviating my fears while he was at it.

I dared not move to look at the rest of the guards, as the slightest disturbance in the fabric may alert them of my position. I tried as I could to spot a potential escape route; two ponies were standing in front of the exit, and two other were searching the room for me. ‘Damn. They know how to play.’

As I thought I couldn’t be in a worse position, I heard yet another pair of hooves coming up the stairs, soon revealing to be Sharpsteel’s. I resisted the urge to groan. ‘Come on! I’m one guy against seven trained guards?! While you’re at it, why don’t you bring Celestia, Discord and the main six in here?’

I looked at the silver-armored equine as he walked in. However, instead of joining the search like his fellow pony guards, he went in the middle of the room and lowered his head, apparently preparing a spell, magic slowly circling the length of his horn. Oh, this I did not like at all. If he was casting an AOE attack, it could either mean he was casting an offensive spell—which was very unlikely considering all his friends were in the same room as him—or, most likely, he was preparing a scanning spell. I couldn’t really tell which one was worse as I watched him slowly charge his horn.

I looked around, quickly spotting several small object of varying sizes on the ground near me. Trying to minimize the movement of the fabric on me, I, very slowly and carefully, crouched to grab the nearest one. I brought it back to me and immediately aimed at the stairs.

I waited to make sure no pony was looking in my direction, and, in one swift movement of my wrist, threw the small piece of wood over the two Royal Guards’ head. The object then bounced in the staircase noisily, the sound gathering the attention of the equines.

“What was that?!” the captain shouted, interrupting his spell casting.

“I don’t know, sir!” one of the guards posted near the entrance said. “ I think I saw something move towards the first floor, but I’m not completely sure!” I had to bite my lips to prevent myself from laughing. I looked at the conflicted Captain. Now all that was left was to see whether Sharpsteel would take the bait or not.

The pony in question wore an unreadable mask, his eyes looking down, as if deep in thought. Eventually, he looked back up and charged his horn once again. ‘Shit!’ My eyes widened as a cold droplet of sweat ran down my brow. I clenched my teeth, my muscles tensing up in anticipation. If it came down to that, I would have to sprint straight towards the staircase, and hope that the highly trained Royal Guards had the aim of Stormtroopers.

A few tense seconds passed before Sharpsteel unleashed the spell. There came a deafening bang as a grey shockwave shot from his horn and immediately covered the entirety of the room, leaving me no time to react as the magic washed over me.

You know, if someone had asked before how magic could feel, I would have answered something akin to being electrocuted, or some very specific sensation, which would be too complex to convey into words. You know, the usual description. Now that I discovered what being washed in a flow of magic truly felt like, I realised how wrong I’ve been. I could now describe with absolute certainty that this wave of energy felt like pure Jack shit. No, seriously though? I didn’t feel anything as the magic touched me. Disappointed wasn’t even beginning to approach my profound dejection right now.

I was cut off of my musings by an angry yell from the captain, which had turned towards his troops during my depressed thoughts.

“There’s nothing there!” he said, disbelief showing in his voice. Huh? So humans were detection spell-proof…? I don’t get it.

After one last look, Sharpsteel ran towards the staircase, his underlings in tow.

“To the first floor! Quickly! We must stop it before it escapes!”

Soon, all the guards had emptied the room, leaving me the sole living soul in there. Standing up, I threw my precious cover aside. I walked back outside and onto the balcony. As expected, the ponies guarding the ladder had gone to help the soldiers inside the building, leaving the area completely unoccupied. Not letting this opportunity go to waste, I proceeded to climb down the ladder, careful not to cause too much noise. If I was lucky, they would spend a few minutes before going back outside, which would leave me enough time to prepare my escape.

I quickly ran towards the other end of the street and turned at the first corner. I kept to the shadows as I stalked back into the marketplace. It was like being in assassin’s creed, but way more lame. I looked like a drunkard in a back alley trying to look for a bottle of booze.

I needed to get out of this town. That much was certain. But to go where? If Princess Sunbutt—don’t ever expect me to treat her respectfully after that—wanted to get me, I don’t think any place in Equestria would be safe enough to stay in. I could try to move to another country and wait for the witch hunt to cool off before trying another approach. However, there was no telling which nations were allied to Equestria. Even if I ended up in a rogue nation, would they hesitate to sell me to Sunburnt if it meant getting back in her good graces?

I stopped, a sudden tremor running through me. There was no place in this world where I could truly be safe from Sunscreen. I let myself fall onto a cardboard box with a sigh. Yes, I had escaped, but for how long? As Saruman once said, ‘the eye sees everything from her fucking alabaster tower!’ My eyes widened as the realisation hit me, and a plan formed in my mind. It was dumb, dangerous, and had more chances of failing than being anything close to successful, but for now, it was the best plan I had.

“To the station then!” I said out loud, before remembering the situation I was in and facepalming. ‘Remember Peter, you’re infiltrating right now.’ I thought while I walked. ‘You’re infilt--’ I cut my train of thoughts as I turned back in the alley I came in, a smile slowing creeping on my face.

It was a normal day for the ponies of Ponyville. Birds were singing, trees were blooming and the sun was shining. Today was a market day, and as such, everypony knew what it meant: the Apple family stand and it’s delicious fruits. Already a small crowd had gathered around it.

Behind the wooden counter were two cowponies; the first one, the youngest, had an orange coat, its color only broken by the few freckles on its owner’s muzzle, and trio of red apples on her flanks. Her mane and tail were a hay yellow, and both were tied in a sort of ponytail, small red ribbons keeping the form in place. A weathered cowboy hat sat on the earth pony head, leaving just enough room for her ears to come out. The mare’s lime green eyes looked at the assembled ponies with calm and patience, trying not to let her giddiness seep into her behavior too much. A bright and sincere smile adorned her features as she moved to serve the next client in line.

Next to her was another pony, whose only similarity with her was the freckles on his cheeks and the big green apple on his flank. His tall and muscled body was the one thing that made the hard working pony stand out: when most rarely reached beyond ninety centimeters, the stallion easily went over one hundred and twenty, making him one of the tallest ponies alive. His deep red coat contrasted with the orange of his mane and tail. On the contrary to his counterpart, he wore a massive yoke around his neck. His eyes were half closed as always, a satisfied smile omnipresent on his face as he proceeded to unload the cart of apples.

As they went about their business, they failed to notice a large box of diapers slowly crawling towards them, slightly stopping when a pony would come too close. The box knew its fight was already over. The equine would not notice its presence until it would be too late. When the box arrived a few centimeters away from the largest pony, the front part of the bow rose slightly, a foreboding finger slowly appearing from underneath it, and moving towards the unsuspecting creature’s leg.

Finally, it closed the gap between the two and in a dramatic false slow-motion, tapped onto the appendage mercilessly.

“Hmm?” The red pony turned towards the box.

“Why hello, Mr. Apple!” the cardboard object said.

“Morning,” the pony answered in a deep, laid-back voice, looking at the diaper picture on the box. The stallion’s accent had a thick rural twang that only a hard working farmpony like him could speak. There was a moment of silence, before the box spoke again.

“I wouldn’t want to impose, but, as you can see, I am in a bit of a pickle. You see, I am a traveling box, and, as such, I need to take the train to my next destination. However, I do not know where the train station is. Could you point me in the direction of the nearest one, my good sir?”

Without a word, the large pony rose his foreleg and held it towards a crossing road. The cardboard box lifted itself slightly, as if to better look at what the pony was showing, before settling back .

“Thank you, sir. I am forever in your debt,” the box said, before crawling quietly in the direction the farm pony indicated. The equine nodded.

“Think nothing of it,” he said, looking at the object slowly inching away. He watched as the box turned around the corner before going back to unload his cart. As he returned, his sister turned towards him.

“Oh, there you are, Mac! I was beginning to wonder where you’d gone?”

“I was just by the corner talking to a diaper box,” he said nonchalantly while continuing to put the crates of apple on the counter.

“Ah, ah see. You were just…Wha?”

Near the market, two guards were rescuing the ‘fallen’ Highwind and Nightshade. As they ‘awoke’, the guards bombarded them with questions. After assuring them—several times— that they felt alright, the intense questioning subsided. Soon after, the rest of Sharpsteel’s squad returned, a furious pink captain at the spearhead, stomping his armored hooves loudly on the pavement. When he noticed their presence, Sharpsteel slowed his pace and did his best to put on a comforting smile, obviously trying to put them at ease.

He undid the straps holding his helmet together and hooked it on to a small patch hanging from the flank on his armor. He then gathered his men and dispatched them all over the district. ‘If it wants to leave, it’ll either have to go to the station or to try the other town entrances. And we’ll be there to welcome him!’ Sharpsteel thought as he faced the two renegade Royal Guards.

“I know it might seem cruel to ask that of you, considering you thought him as you friend before. However, it is thinking of the best interest of Equestria that I ask that you tell everything that this creature—”

“Human,” Nightshade answered with a snarl.

“...Human might have told you. We do not know what is this being planning on doing right now. Anything he said might be of help to locate him before something irreparable happens.” Both ponies looked at each other uncomfortably. Of course, they had received order from a superior under the authority of the princess, and answering truthfully was expected. Even though they had known Peter for barely more than thirty six hours, they still didn’t learn much about him other than his name and species.

“Night,” the thestral heard on her right, snapping her back to reality. She looked at her partner, who smiled confidently back at her. “Peter’s gonna be alright, he knows what he’s doing. I’m sure he’ll be okay.”

“I have no idea where I’m going…” the voice from the moving box said as the cardboard continued his slow journey towards the unknown.

It was around noon, one of the busiest hours in Ponyville. Ponies went in every direction, either going to their workplaces, to take a moment of rest, or to just relax inside the sunlit parks. This was also true for another part of the town. Ponyville was, despite its rather humble looks, one of the important relays for the trains in destination of Canterlot. The question you might be asking is: how could such an important town not be crushed under the important and constant flow of travelers going through it everyday?

Then answer was easy: year after year, the population of Ponyville has steadily decreased. Due to its proximity to the unfamous Everfree forest, home of monstrosities beyond imagination, the town rarely had the opportunity to welcome any guest for any longer than a day or two. Most of the passengers of the trains would never leave the wagons they were in, and when forced to change trains, would always stay within the boundaries of the station.

While some merchants despaired at the lack of new customers, there was one pony who, on the contrary, wished he could have had much less. The dirty ebony mane that fell in front of his tired eyes contrasted with the grey-white of his fur, overlapped by his worn out black and red coat. A greasy cap hastily dropped on his head was threatening to fall on the side at any moment. A small plastic card on his vest read in silver letters the name ‘Clear Whistle’, the words barely visible through the thick layer of dust and grime the years had added to the oeuvre. Perched atop of a thin oak stall, the brooding pony looked over several sheets of paper, displaying reports of schedule and train references.

His eyes stopped, however, when he reached a specific line. The crayon held in his mouth moved slightly as the equine realised the absence of another worker.

“Dammit! Another one’s calling in sick today!” the pony grumbled. “That’s the fifth one this week!” he quickly gathered three other sheets, frantically comparing hours, dates and names. “With this one, and the Canterlot express coming at twelve thirty, we’ll be…” He trailed off, the cap falling off of his head.

“Late…” the word painfully escaped his lips as the troubled pony tried in vain to recalculate the amount of time lost. The Whistle family had managed the train schedules for decades, and had always succeeded at keeping them on time. Clear Whistle took his head in his hooves, not noticing the large diaper box at the door of his office. What would his grandfather, Loud Whistle, think of him?

“Oohh… If only I had a spare coal shoveler, then everything would be perfect…” he lamented. The box behind him was suddenly launched in the air, as a tall creature with a diaper falling over his right eye emerged from within, his hand on his hips and a smug smile written over his face.

“Kept you waiting huh?”

“...What are you?” the pony before me finally said, his eyes wandering over every inch of my body. The large teal eyes had large bags under them, showing the great fatigue of the equine. ‘Just how many hours does this guys sleeps per night?!’

“Well...” I started as the diaper fell from my head. “I am what you may call a freelance worker and, from what I heard, I might just be what you need,” I stated. The pony walked towards me, squinting his eyes as he observed my arms and legs.

“Mmm…yes…yes! Yes!” the equine smiled, all his worries vanishing like snow under the sun. “You might just save me! Come on, follow me outside!” he exclaimed, trotting past me out of the office. I followed suit and stepped out, and was immediately taken aback by the beauty of the station.

To simplify it: try to imagine platform nine and three quarters, and add more precious materials in it. A large glass roof covered the entire area, golden beams supporting the incredible weight of it all, which formed large arches which were dozen of meters across. Sculpted black and white floor tiles represented starry nights and blazing suns, the blue-greenish hue of the roof giving an underwater impression for anyone walking under it.

Large statues of unicorns were standing at attention on either sides of the entrance, welcoming the visitors in a cold stare, the stone poneys immortalized in their heroic actions. Wine red banners hung from the ceiling, the stylised emblem of Princess Celery’s cutie mark on each. The yellow rays were slightly more orange than the core, and the motto of the country was etched in the fabric: Harmony, Peace, and Tolerance. My left eye twitched. ‘Didn’t see much of that recently…’

Marble walls circled the station, their white and rose veins contrasting with the gold of the beams. Large brass lanterns protruded from the beams, the crystals within the lamps not yet activated. Panels and signs of all sizes and color indicated various directions—though most of them pointed towards Canterlot—and travel times.

Though the most impressive feature of the station were the trains it hosted. Immense steam-powered locomotives, proudly displaying their red and brown chimney atop of the machine. Large sets of shimmering steel wheels adorned each side, series numbers glistening in the daylight.

The wagons behind it were mainly comprised of large wooden panels, the color and size perfectly fitting the form of the chariots. Small golden leaves and vines were adorning the sides of the train while the top was mainly made out of small silver metal plates aligned in an aerodynamic position. The slightly tinted greenish glass panes and the red cushioned seats that I could see inside gave a kind of ‘boudoir’ vibe off of the wagons.

“These trains are beautiful,” I said as I looked at the machinerie in wonderment. Next to me, the pony nodded while a proud grin made its way onto his face.

“These are the best of the best. Since a lot of the travelers going to the capital of Equestria are dignitaries or politicians from foreign nations, we cannot afford to make a bad impression on the way there. These engines can go up to one two hundred kilohooves per hour without breaking a sweat.”

I nodded along. For a steam engine, going as fast as two hundred kilo…huh?

“Kilo…hoovers?” I asked him, dumbfounded.

“Hm? Yes, why do...oh, that’s right. Kilohooves might be a tad difficult to understand for an outsider like yourself. To simplify it, a hoof is, well, just that.” He then sat on his rump, rising his forelegs in the air and showed me the space in between them. From briefly looking at it, the space looked like it was barely more than thirty centimeters.

“And a kilohoof is a thousand time that of a hoof,” he then ended the explanation. Oh. So the train goes barely faster than sixty kph. That’s not fast at all! I involuntarily shuddered while thinking about the speed of earlier models.

“But that’s irrelevant for you. Your job…” he said as we neared the locomotive, “is to put a constant supply of coal inside the burner. The steam will do the rest.” I nodded at that. It sounded easy enough, and… Erm…

“Where’s the driver?” I said as I looked inside the small cabin to find it empty.

“Hm? Oh, don’t worry about that. There are spells that control the direction and movements of the train.” He said, waving his foreleg placatingly.

I looked back at the train. So basically, there was no risk of accident? ‘That’s awesome!’ I moved inside the locomotive, observing the different buttons and lever. Some had weird labels, like ‘cycle engram’, and ‘force magical conduct’.

“Oh, and before I forget, never touch these levers. They control the glyphs around the train. The last one who messed with them...let’s just say that being late was the last of his concerns.” He then tipped his cap slightly, before going back to his post, leaving me to my potential death. I shook my head. ‘Focus on your escape first, Peter’.

While observing my surroundings, my eyes locked onto a small, half-open chest. Curiosity getting the better of me, I moved and took a peek inside. I shoved my hand to get what seemed like a pile of dusty towels, before realising that these were actually clothing.

There was a vest, much too small for me and a train worker cap. I grabbed both and moved them out of the chest.I put the cap on my head, and hastily opened that burner metal door, and began shoveling some coal inside. That way, I’d get a good head start with the steam.

Soon, I heard a whistle which, I guess, signaled for my train to depart, and without the need to do anything, the locomotive began to slowly churn its wheels, bringing the wagons with it. Just in time, though, as I saw a whole squad of pegasi beginning their sweep over the airspace above the train station. I lowered the cap onto my head as a smug grin made its way onto my face, ‘Too slow, friends. Better luck next time.’

The train left the station and began its course towards my last destination.

“Oh god…It’s finally over!” I would have cheered out the words if my body wasn’t completely exhausted after the day’s extremely taxing work. I wobbled in place, a goofy smile plastered on my face as I had actually passed the seemingly endless work hour. The train took six, heavily taxing—my sweat drenched clothes could attest to that fact—, hours to reach Canterlot Train Station. I had discovered a newfound respect for coal shovelers; these guys had it rough! I had never worked so hard in my all my life as I did those six grueling hours!

While I was busy regaining my breath, I heard some steadily approaching hoofsteps from just behind the door leading to the burner room, also known as hell.

“Hoy mate! You okay in there?” said whoever was just behind the door, his voice practically dripping with a thick, and obviously forced, Irish accent. I glanced from the hot coals to the door to see a horned head peek its way through a crack in the now open door.

A broad and muscled chest followed suit, which was followed by a set of toned goat legs… My mouth involuntarily opened as the titan stepped inside the locomotive.

“You okay?”

“Huh?” I mumbled as I went back to my thoughts. This beast must have had at least a good thirty centimeters over me, if that. The color of his skin was a deep brown, spotted with some white chest hair contrasting a bit with it, and reminded me—strangely enough—of a vanilla-chocolate cake I ate recently. His limbs were more akin to logs of pure muscle rather than actual appendages, and an ornate bracelet depicting two snakes biting each other’s tail clung loosely onto his right wrist.

His beard was put into two large braids, the same going on with his long, jet black hair. The horns seemed extremely sharp and long compared to the lone minotaur of the show.

Seeing my lack of response, the behemoth of a minotaur grabbed me by my shoulders and began shaking me slowly.

“Hey… Hey!”

“Uh?” I snapped back into reality, only to see myself hauled up ten centimeters in the air, the gigantic creature still towering over me. I looked at him for a second, before realising he was talking to me.

“Oh, sorry. I tend to do that. I didn’t want to worry you... Could you put me down now please? I’m beginning to form and inferiority complex.” the minotaur dropped me back on my feet.

“I’m sorry, hope I didn’t shake you too hard?” he apologized before extending a hand, which was at least two times as big as my own, towards me. “The name’s Golden axe,” he said, smiling gently at me.

“My name’s Peter, but you can call me Pete,” I said with as much amicability as I could muster. My smile faltered as I grumbled to myself, “My friends always end up calling me that anyway…” I shook his hand, quickly discovering the strength of this monster as My appendage was completely swallowed in the vice grip of his/

“Well, it’s certainly good to meet you, Peter. I trust you are new here?” he asked as I looked at my now pulsing red hand, pretty sure some of my bones were now powdered. I stepped out of the locomotive locomotive, Axe in tow. “I mean, I’ve been shovelin’ coal in these trains for years, and I’ve never seen you before,” he said with a wide, sweeping gesture towards the trains around us.

“Yes. to be honest, that’s my first time doing this job,” I said, looking around Canterlot Train Station, amazed at the difference with Ponyville’s. If the one I left seemed luxurious, then this one was a palace. Dozens of statues of different species and pony tribes were posted every thirty meters, the glistening golden figures standing proud and their perfectly cut gems for eyes nearly blinding those not accustomed to their magnificent radiance. Immense marble columns held the roof together, each of them sculpted in a different manner, ranging from the vines to the more simple templates and geometric

Contrarily to the one in Ponyville, the roof here wasn’t made entirely of glass and only had one large opening in the center. The rest of the large ceiling was either painted or sculpted. Images of peace and heroic fighters adorned the walls, their poses frozen in time. Enormous chandeliers hung from the ceiling, bathing the entire station in a warm and clear light.

There one thing that bothered me, however, was the number of guards that were stationed on each exit. Each of them wore a silver and black armor. ‘Officers huh? La crème de la crème for me? Oh, you shouldn’t have, Celery.’

“Well,” the minotaur said, “if you need anything, I’ll be around here.” Golden Axe gave me one last friendly look before nodding and turning to leave into the passenger cars.

“Wait!” I blurted out to Golden Axe as soon as my brain comprehended what he’d just said. The minotaur in question merely stopped mid-stride and looked at me from over one of his broad his shoulders, “Do you know why there are so many guards here? Is it normal for this train station to be so heavily guarded?”

The minotaur then looked around, stroking his beard as his thought. “Uh… I never really paid attention to that before, but I must say that the number of the guards is rather unusual.” He then shrugged, “Probably another group of foreign aristocrats coming in today and princess wants to impress them, I suppose?”

“Yeah, I guess,” I said, trying to feign ignorance. An idea then sparked in my mind.

I stomped my foot on the vestibule floor with a pained grimace, “Dammit! With all these guards everywhere, there’s no way I’ll make it in time!”

“Be in time for what?”the minotaur asked. I sighed, trying not to let a smile form on my lying lips.

“Well, I was going to visit the castle and I needed to be there in exactly ten minutes. With the military checkpoints at the exit, there’s no way I’ll make it in time! These douches really chose their moments!” I grumbled half-heartedly, waiting to hear the reaction of my bipedal friend. A large hand dropped on my shoulder. I looked up to see the minotaur smiling good-naturedly at me.

“Come with me,” he said, motioning for me to follow. We went through a door in a corner of the station, which led a some kind of locker room. I could not help but feel bad at the thought of lying to such a nice person. I mean, I lied in my life, like everyone. Tons of times, in fact, but only for trivial matters, like pretentding you don’t know who forgot to put on the new roll of paper—oh come on, you’ve all done it at least once—.

We progressed through the room full of sweaty bags and towels, filling the air with a gag-inducing smell, and arrived in front what I thought was a backdoor. Axe then turned to look at me, “This way leads outside.” Before I could even voice my thanks, however, he stopped me by rising his hands placatingly.

“Listen. I don’t know what you want to do at the castle, but going there would be suicide. Or at least, if you absolutely need to, try and enter through the gardens. There always are fewer guards around that area.” I opened and closed my mouth a few times, a hundred questions rising in my mind at the same time.

“H-how?”

“They don’t allow visitors to come inside the castle unless they have business with the court. If you had been planning on visiting Canterlot Castle, they would have known. That, and the fact that guards have shown everyone your portrait.”

“I…I uh…Thanks,” I said, still a bit dazed by the goodwill of Axe. “I can’t say how much this means—” once again, the silencing hand rose.

“Don’t mention it. You seem to be an alright guy, and, not to be immodest, I’ve always had a knack for judging people. Now go, they might come barging in at any moment. Quickly now,” he said, pushing me gently towards the exit. Nodding and giving my thanks once again, I quickly stepped out and walked on, careful to stay away from the main roads.

The minotaur watched as the human went away, his small smile wavering for a second. As soon as the creature was out of sight, Axe burst out laughing, tears streaming down his cheeks, his body spasming from the fit. After a minute or so, he managed to regain his composure, and dried away a small salt deposit on the corner of his eye.

“I can’t believe he fell for something so obvious…” he shook his head. Well, no matter, a contract’s a contract, as dumb as it may be. He opened the locker with his name on it and took out a small dark blue crystal. He tapped three times on the translucent surface and then waited patiently. After exactly three seconds, the gem emitted a soft glow, to which the minotaur then put the object against his ear.

“So?” a voice as cold as ice coming from the crystal asked imperiously.

“It’s done,” Golden Axe answered evenly, “he’s all yours.”

Let me tell you something. Canterlot is huge! What I saw on the show was nothing compared to the impression you had when in Canterlot. First: All the houses had columns, sculptures or precious metal on it, no exceptions. The material used for their construction was either marble or large granite blocks. Man, these ponies had money. It was as if there was no poor or middle-class ponies in the capital!

Half of the houses had monstrously large gardens, most of which had statues—again, though these ones were obviously smaller in stature and quality—in it, or fountains, or both. There wasn’t a marketplace, but instead, large shops and boutiques selling various high-end goods. The roads literally glistened from how polished the pavement was.

The ponies in the streets fared not much better: Most of them had their muzzles so high in the air that some nearly bumped into each other. The clothing they wore was either ridiculously simple, or unnecessarily complex; I saw a mare walking down the road with three hats on her head, for pete’s sake!

This whole town was nauseating to be in, nearly to the point where I was relieved when I saw the large white gates of the unmistakable castle with its white alabaster towers… White! I think I went blind for a second due to how white everything was. When my retina stopped melting, I looked back at the large white and gold castle gates, guarded of course. then , a bit on the right, I could see the edge of the bushes forming the maze I saw in the season two of the show. My heart stopped beating for a second. Wait a minute… If nobody heard of the King of Chaos, then there may be a chance that he still is in the garden! Just you wait, best character of the show, I’m coming!

I quickly made a detour around the castle’s walls, until I found a small vine of one of the bushes that the gardeners had probably forgot about, and had grown over the metal poles, creating a natural ladder. Thanks, Deus ex Machina!

I climbed and jumped over the pointy ends of the metallic bars, careful not leave a piece of myself on those. The grass made a soft ‘pomf’ as I landed on it. I glanced about with starry eyes at my surroundings. If the ambiance in the center of the town was giving me a rash, the atmosphere in this place was its very opposite.

Large trees loomed over me, projecting their shadows on the ground. Exotic birds would sing and chirp in-between and among them, their colors ranging from the blood red to neon blue. Lilies, roses and tulips would grow and meet the visitors’ vision at every turn. The expertly cut bushes and plants would form and intuitive way for anyone to follow, leading into a small pond of serenity and beauty, several benches arranged in a circle in the shadows of the lush trees to shield its users from the potentially harsh sun.

Anyone would already have stopped to enjoy—at least for a second—this beautiful scenery, letting the worries of their mind slip away. But I wasn’t anybody. I was a dumbass. But more importantly, I was a man on a mission. I went through the maze, using the special technique of always-stay-on-the-right-and-you’ll-end-up finding-an-exit. Not so surprisingly enough, I ended up getting out of it quickly enough and arrived at the small tea garden where all the statues sat.

“Unicorn statue, pegasus statue, another unicorn statue…” I walked on, scanning every square centimeter to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. “ I don’t care about those! Just give me…” I trailed off as I turned a corner, the object of my thoughts appearing to my right, rigid as a boner.

“Discoooord!” I said, fangirling at the statue in a dramatic laughing position. Take that alternate universe! Discord will always be there, always! I fist-pumped, because Discord. Some noise arose from a few bushes behind me, reminding me that I was in enemy territory. It tore my heart that I couldn’t spend more time with my favourite character of the show, but I needed to focus on my primary objective. Before I went away, though, I turned briefly towards the draconequus.

“Alright, I don’t know if you can hear me, but whatever anyone tells you, you’re the best. Okay? Never forget that. You’re the best!” I said in a whisper, barely containing my overwhelming joy for being in the presence of best pony that wasn’t a pony, before scattering in the opposite direction of the sounds with the hope nobody had seen me.

I then stalked around the castle, before finding what I had been looking for: A small cellar window, which, from what I could spy from my position, lead to a small junk room. Exactly what I needed. Carefully approaching the opening, I looked inside. ‘Good, not a soul in sight.’

Verifying one last time nopony saw me, I went through the open window, legs first. This was indeed a junk room. Boxes, broken tools and various dusty antiques mixed with random bits of furniture were randomly scattered about the room. Navigating through this mess was painful, but I managed to get to the other end without making too much noise.

I slowly opened the door, which creaked every single centimeter it took to move! Yes, please make even more noise! Even better, yet, let us bash every door in our sight so that everyone knows we’re being stealthy!

I grumbled as I walked on, hiding against one of the large stone columns when a guard would pass by. ‘This will never work. I’ll be spotted if I keep on like this,’ I thought as I progressed through the main halls. As expected, the interiors were richly decorate, white walls flanking me wherever I went with a profusion of paintings, busts of ponies, gryphons and minotaurs. Pillars were pressed against the sides of the lavishly decorated halls, helping in maintaining the ceiling, heavy with the large lanterns hanging from it.

I should have gone to the library back in Ponyville. I should have gone there. Oh, right. The library’s under Celly’s student control, so probably no. I shook my head. I should face my problems for once and be an adult. I’m going to surrender to the guards and ask to talk to the princess. I will explain to her that everything’s a big misunderstanding, and all will be alright.

“Hey, you heard?” one of the guards said to the other while passing near me. “The orders have changed. We must locate the creature and shoot at sight. It’s the first time I saw the princess this angry about something.” They walked past me and disappeared at the corner.

…Off to the library I’ll go then.

I went to several rooms, discovering several other unused rooms, some bedrooms, but not what I was looking for. ‘Come on, if I was the room where thousands of books would be in, where would I be?’ Another pair of hooves interrupted my search. I stopped and observed as the newcomer. She didn’t seem to be anything remotely close to a guard. The mare wore thick rectangular glasses, had a scarf around her neck and seemed to be completely oblivious to the presence of the guards.

If I followed the codes of caricature instaured by the show, she should be the librarian of the Castle! Unbeknownst to the pony, I followed her in the shadows, in the corridors strangely devoid of Royal guards. Eventually, she stopped in front of a massive wooden door and stepped in. Before the door closed, however, I slipped in just before the giant wooden doors shut. After taking one step and cringing at the slight creak the seemingly ancient, wooden floorboards made, I undid my shoes and held them by my side to reduce the amount of noise I made as I moved.

I let the mare go away first, and then went on my own way, wandering deep through the maze of bookshelves. ‘Transformation? No…piano enchanting and the three thousands uses for snails? No…Penis growth potion?! Who on earth put that thing here? What kind of weirdo would—I’ll take it.’

The search continued for a time, yet nothing interesting came up. Most books were rather mundane, and even fewer were talking about magic. I eventually came at a closed corner of the library, a big sign reading ‘Forbidden’ in bold red letters. ‘Hum...If it’s forbidden, it means there’s something bad inside. But I am also considered bad. Thus, It’s okay for me to go in!’

As soon as I stepped in, I felt as if a powerful and dark aura hover over me like a thick, wet blanket. Or maybe it was because of the fact that there was no lightning source in the area. As I walked further in, I noticed an immediate change in the environment around me. Weirdly shaped black crystals and artifacts. Some thick books were put on pedestals. ‘Wonder if I’ll find my Oghma Infinium here.’ After a fair bit of casually browsing the darker magics and a few relics that whispered to me as I walked by, I eventually arrived at some sort of stone platform.

Upon looking closer, I noticed several white, large objects of varying sizes sitting in the middle of it. Remains? Oh, don’t make it a redux version of Sunny Town, please! I cautiously moved the bones, before one of them in particular gathered my attention. It looked like a human skull, both in form and size. Could it be a human skeleton? But why would there be a dead human here…?

Before I could move to grab one of the bones, a loud detonation reached my ears, soon followed by a cold sensation in my back, liquid soon drenching my vest. Numbness quickly spread to my whole body as I fell on my side, unable to move. A white pair of legs with golden hoof shoes stepped into my field of view as I found much more trouble breathing each passing second.

“I do not know how you managed to fool my detection spells, but I can assure you that this time, you will not escape,” the motherly voice was filled to the brim with hatred, making a chill run down my paralyzed spine. Before I could do anything, another detonation happened, and I knew no more.

Comments

[BrowBurd]

Fuck the what duck?

[deathcombo99]

Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnn

[Pillow-pony]

7459660

Mouahahahaha!

You never thought I could add even more plot did you now?
Don't worry though, I think I've installed enough for a few other chapters without needing another Deus ex machina intervention.

Ps: Stlat and I are currently working on redoing the description of the story to make it more fitting and a bit less goofy. I don't know yet how we will change it, but I hope it will be pleasing to your eyes guys.
Thanks again for reading and giving a bit of your time for this story, and I'll see you in another chapter, comment or update!

[deathcombo99]

7460209 (takes breath looks all over house for celestia sighs in relief and presses enter)
not you but celestia could by stressing over Peter (WHAT happens next you decide)

[Pillow-pony]

7460697

That might be nice indeed. Right now I'm chilling, but I'll soon go back to writing next's chapter's storyboard. I gotta make all those characters and plot twists work somehow. Gahhh! My brain's melting!!!!

[Nonameknight]

Ooooooh, he in trouble now!

Besides the obvious question of 'how did Celestia find him?' Im on the edge of my seat! I hope this ends without any more violence, but that doesn't seem likely, considering Celestia's behaviour and the fact that she gave her guards a shoot to kill on sight order.

Cant wait until the next chapter! Im really enjoying this story!

[Pillow-pony]

7501985

I'm glad you like the last chapter . It was fun to write and I had a blast creating the cliffhanger.
I'm currently writing the next one, which should bring more answers about the world around the protagonist.
Thanks again for your support, and I'll see you in another comment!

Edit: I modified the number before each chapter so that the first chapter isn't "Chapter 0" but "Chapter 1".

Edit: Wooohoo! Guys, Stranded Away has gathered 50 likes! Thank you for your awesome support, and I hope this story will continue to be pleasing to read in the future. Thanks again !

[starship55]

AND SSOOOO IT TAKES A TURN FOR THE WORSE !!! So...Luna is not in the picture...YET. And the Elements aren't united...YET. So he will probably run into Twilight in the castle at some point. He knows a great deal about their futures, but can he TALK about it to them ?

[starship55]

How close is he to Nightmare Moon's return ? Did humans show up from time to time, before Luna's banishment ? I was expecting the night guards to be batponies, but given the timeline, they wouldn't be in the story. I see a finger addict in the making. Also an addict to belly rubs. I hope there is more adorableness in the future for him.

[Pillow-pony]

7651096
Hi!

Thanks for your comment and your interest in the story !
I cannot answer your questions hence I reveal part of the plot, but rest assured: the next chapter should bring you a bit of respite.

I am currently working on the seventeenth page of the new chapter, and I plan to answer at least 50% Of your questions in it.
I am sorry for the delay, I know it's been more than two months since the last chapter, and to answer a question that might pop up if I don't upload anything in the next week or so: I will never abandon this story! It will never go on hiatus or be cancelled! Even if I have to take three months to publish a chapter, I will take them.

I hope you are all having a nice day/night depending on where you live, and i'll see you soon!

[Pillow-pony]

7736763
That would explain so many things ! XD