> Brothers
>  by tomer3392
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1) Every end is a beginning (the edited version)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brothers

Written by tomer3392
proofread by rhinotaz
edited by RussianRoflcopter

Every ending is a beginning of something new.

Rafael Gibson was a man at the age of 24 with blonde hair and green eyes, he was a normal person that could have been anyone of us, he went to work, talked with friends, payed taxes and searched for his place in the world.

That of course until the night came.
You see, from a very young age Rafael had spent his nights in nightmares that were always the same.

Rafael would wake up in a dark forest, he would wake up as a type of Equine, a Pegasus pony to be exact at the young age of a colt with a snow-white coat with a brown almost black mane but these were not the things that really frightened Rafael in his dreams it's not that he wakes up as a Pegasus pony but it is always that he would hear a terrible bone chilling scream "Aaarrrrrrrhhhhh!".
The scream followed him everywhere he would go, he continued to run until he would encounter a dark cave and immediately he would decide to go and try to hide from whoever made that horrifying scream.

There was a dark shimmering panel that was attached to the wall. It looked like someone had carved it, but the thing that caught his gaze more than anything was the image that was on the dark surface. With each step he would take the light of the cave diminished.

As he stood before the mirror what he would see was himself, sleeping in his bed. He was confused, scared and alone and it finally seemed he lost the thing that had followed him. 

He began to relax, he decided to investigate the reflective surface. At first he thought it was a kind of picture. He soon realised this was not the case, her could tell this from the subtle shifts in Rafael’s duvet. He stopped believing that it was a picture.

He then came to the conclusion it was some type of passage so he tried to go through the mirror but when he tried to go through the mirror he bumped his head on the mirror and received a headache for his troubles.

Suddenly he saw that the Rafael in the mirror was starting to wake up and right after that he heard the creature terrible scream in the cave entrench "Aaarrrhhhhh!".

Every second the shout came closer and because the mirror stole all the light from the enclosure he couldn't see anything. He feared again, tears slipped from his eyes.
"Please someone help me!" Rafael shouted in his dream but no one came and when he started to lose his hope he saw in the darkness two angry eyes looking straight at his little body.

------------- 6:00 AM ------------------------------------------------------------------------

"No!" Rafael shouted in his bed, he immediately ran to the bathroom to wash his face after his nightmare last night "I really need to talk to someone about these dreams" Rafael said to himself as he looked at himself in the mirror.

He looked at his watch and as always it was 6:00 am. "I have two hours until I have to go to work" thought Rafael.
He went to take a shower to wash the sweat off his body but most of all to remove the terrible dream that last night he dreamed out of his head.

After he washed, Rafael went to the kitchen that was also his living room.
In one corner of the room stood a small refrigerator. There was a counter which had a microwave and a sink placed beside each other. Under the sink was a generic dishwasher. In the middle of the room stood a dining table and a chair facing the TV. The table was made out of wood and the dining chair was made of a combination of MDF and plastic.

Rafael looked at his watch and saw he had an two hours before he needed to go to work so he sat in his chair, turned on the TV and started to change channels searching for something interesting to watch. He stopped on the news channel.

"Today we are facing a historical turning point in human history, here in the Tel Aviv university, scientists believe they have found a star about 100,000 light years from Earth.”

“Scientists claim the star - with time - will have the same conditions that we here on earth. Scientist’s predict if we achieve higher tear galactic travel, it will still take 1.7 billion bi-" Rafael turned off the TV after he looked at his watch and saw that it was 8:00 and that he needed to leave soon to arrive on time for work.

So he returned to his room and there he put on his uniform that included a white T-shirt, a black suit, a gray tie with black stripes and black pants that he took from his dresser, he then grabbed his car keys off his night stand.

After he started the engine he turned on the radio and started to drive to work 'As always in these hours there is nothing to hear' Rafael thought as he approached his destination 'I want something interesting to happen soon. I'm tired of this routine I'm tired of working all day long just so I get minimum wage' Rafael thought as he had reached his destination.

Rafael worked at a fancy restaurant. As a waiter; his job was walking between the tables and inquiring people’s orders. You are probably asking yourself why he works here if the job makes him miserable with what he does. Well there are two reasons for that.

The first reason is that than there was a recession, and even if he did quit his job, then finding a better job was next to impossible. He knew only one thing, he needed to pay his bills and bring food to the table.

The second and really important for him is that he always dreamed of becoming a gourmet chef.

Even from a young age he was always watching his mother cook and always tried to learn from her. In middle school he was the only boy that wanted to do cooking class. Even though he was not very popular with the boys he was very popular with the girls. At university he studied cooking in the day and he worked hard through the night in two different jobs and he got enough to finance his studies.

--------------------------------------The blue ruse-----------------------------------------

When he completed his studies he had the opportunity to work in a prestigious restaurant named "The blue rose", but even after he worked for a year they still didn't let him near the kitchen.

Rafael parked his car and went inside the restaurant. As he entered he saw his colleagues conversing with one another.
As Rafael came closer he heard Tommy talking about something "Hey want to know something?" Tommy said too Idan and Rafael "You will never believe what I got."

"So what did you get?" Idan asked as he started bouncing excitedly like a little kid in a candy store for the first time.

"Well you're never going to believe this, but I got tickets for a vacation in Hawaii for four days and I can invite two friends," Tommy answered happily.

Idan at that moment seemed like he was going to explode, he started bouncing so fast it gave Rafael and Tommy a headache just by looking at it "Why you don't have a headache from all this jumping?" asked Rafael.

Idan answered "What? Can't I jump in excitement." He remained happy and energetic.

"Not While were still working. you know what will happen to us if the boss catches us," answered the irritated Tommy.
Tommy and Idan were three years younger than Rafael, they were cousins and everyone could see it.

They were both short for their age and had similar faces and freckles and the same blue eyes. The only thing that distinguished them apart was that Idan was tanned with short black hair and Tommy had Pale skin with long red hair - that was held up by a ponytail.

For Rafael, they were one of the things except his family who helped him to continue with his dream that he would one day become a famous gourmet chef 'It would be great if these moments happened more often' thought Rafael.
"Tommy, Idan please stop arguing, we are about to open in a few more minutes and I do not want customers to see you like this," Rafael told Tommy and Idan in an angry tone.

Tommy and Idan calmed down and gave a look that showed that they were sorry. Rafael gave them a smile and moved up to the front door to watch customers come in.

Rafael then saw a group of people that he wished would not come in and as they entered the door he quickly got a bad feeling 'not them, please not them' It was a gang that belonged to the boss's son who loved to make life difficult for  the employees of the restaurant just because they could.

"Hey you come over here worker A and B!" Steven yelled at Tommy and Idan that hesitantly moved towards him while the gang members of Steven showed a menacing look towards them.

"y-ye-yea Steven," stammered Idan.

"You little shit, are you making fun of me? If so I'll tell my dad he should put an ad for new employees," said Steven too Idan while the gang members laughed.

Tommy started to get upset and he was not afraid to show it in his voice as he asked Steven "So what's your order punk?"

"Tickets to Hawaii of course worker A" Steven replied with a wicked smile.

"No way" Tommy replied and he immediately got punched in the face from one of the gang members.

"Wrong answer, so I'll ask again until you give me the answer I want," said Steven with the same smile as before.

Tommy Immediately came out of the shock of the punch and immediately replied, "You spoiled brat, you think that you will always get what you want, Fuck you!!!" replied Tommy, and immediately Steven's smile turned into a frown.

He rose from his chair and approached Tommy. He made a fist and he was ready to give Tommy a beating. Just before he had made contact with his fist, Rafael caught the fist in his hand and with the other punched Steven in the face in front of everyone in the restaurant. A stunned silence proceeded.

Tommy and Idan were terrified and afraid of what would happen now while the gang members rose from their chairs and helped Steven up to his feet "Are you alright boss?" They asked.

Rafael saw him rise from the floor and went all red from anger. He decided to run for the front door but he wasn't fast enough and one of the gang members caught him. Steven started to move closer to Rafael "look's like your dream is not to become a chef but punching bag?" Steven talked coldly.

This is bad, what am I going to do? Not only am I going to be fired, I'm going to go out of here on a stretcher' Rafael thought as Steven came closer raising his fists.
Suddenly throughout the city a terrible scream was heard that made everyone who heard it put their hands on their ears in an attempt to silence it. "Aaarrrhhh!".

Rafael could not move a muscle and the only thing going through his mind was 'This scream. This is the same scream from my dreams' Rafael immediately left the restaurant at a sprint while Steven started giving orders to his collaborators "I want him, you understand? But I do not want a scratch on him. He is mine, understand?" and immediately all the gang members started to run after Rafael.

"Idan did you hear that? We need to help! Rafael will be in trouble if these dicks of Steven catch him!" Shouted Tommy to Idan and immediately they began to run towards where Rafael had disappeared.
Rafael heard Steven's yells for him to stop, and the screams of his friends trying to help him. To him they were background noises and the only thing that interested Rafael was to find the source of the scream. 'I do not know who or what you are, but today I finally will find the source of this dream, that has haunted me all my life' thought Rafael as he was coming closer to his goal.

"Aaarrrhhh!" the scream was heard from the community park.

Rafael went into the park panting and was tired, he ran for 15 minutes without stopping. He arrived at the source of the scream, that had frightened most of the city. He came to a shallow pond and the scream stopped.

While he was looking tired and out of energy, he stopped a moment to catch his breath 'It's weird, the scream just stopped all of a sudden. I'm sure that the scream came from here' Rafael thought.

"Look at that, it looks like Rafael is finally out of air, what a shame" Rafael heard and all of a sudden he felt a kick to the head that caused him to fall to the ground. Steven looked down at Rafael.

"That's for the fist" said Steven as he took a knife from his left pocket" and this is for having the nerve to raise your hand from the first place!" Steven shouted while stabbing Rafael's side with his knife.

'Oh god, I'm going to die' Rafael thought to himself with tears in his eyes, he'd never felt pain like this in his life but he couldn't even let out a small cry for help as he winced.

While Rafael felt the excruciating pain roll over him, Steven started to smile, "Hey, it's not over." With a smile as he held something. Rafael opened his eyes for a moment to see what Steven was holding.

"No, no, no!" Cried Rafael as he saw Steven holding Tommy's flight tickets stamped with blood and at that moment Steven started to laugh mockingly.

Then something broke in Rafael, he never in his life felt so much hatred and rage. He was so angry that he felt no more pain.

As he got up with the last of his power, he started to walk slowly towards Steven and as he came close enough, he felt the pain come back. he looked downward towards his chest and he saw the same knife from before stuck in his chest and he felt the last of his strength leave him, he fell down and started rolling towards the shallow pond and as he fell into the pond. Instead of feeling the ground he simply continued to drown and as he began to lose his consciousness, he had only one thing in his mind 'Tommy, Idan, I'm sorry'.

------------------------ Five hours later ---------------------------------------------

"So what do you think, Twilight! Is he some kind of monkey or chimpanzee?"

Rafael heard an energetic and happy voice but he could not open his eyes.
'I had to have drowned or died from lack of blood. So why do I feel fine and why I can't open my eyes' he thought to himself. Suddenly he felt something soft like a cloud, and he realized he was on a bed. 'wait a moment what about Tommy and Idan? If they found me and I'm now in a hospital then maybe they're okay' He chose to ignore the voices around him until he felt something on him move. As he opened his eyes a great light blinded Rafael. A minute later and he got used to the light of the room and he could not believe what was in front of him.

"So you think he likes cakes?" asked the pink pony.
> 2) first encounter 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Written by: tomer3391
proofread by: rhinotaz 

"So you think he likes cakes?" asked the Pink pony.

Rafael couldn't believe his eyes, not only there were multicolored talking ponies standing in front of him, but the room itself looked like it was drawn by child's cartoon animator.

"Hi! Twilight, look, he's waking up. My name is Pinkie Pie and I'm a friend of everypony, hay ape, thingy can you talk?" the pink pony bounced all over the place so fast that she became a pink blur, until she stopped right in front of his face.

Rafael ignored the question. He started to freak out and not knowing what happened to his friends only made that worse. 'Where am I? And why before me stand ponies that resemble the one from my dreams? I need to get out of here!' Rafael thought.

As he tried to move he felt great pain and when he looked at himself, he felt a sense of dread not from the wounds themselves, but from his body. Like the world around him, he saw that his body was cartoonish, but a little different, unlike the world around him, he looked like he was out of an anime show.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, you lost a lot of blood and the wounds just closed" commented Twilight.

But Rafael didn’t listen and tried to get up anyway "Got to find my friends" Rafael mumbled to himself. Already starting to think irrationally from the pain and extreme emotions, Rafael tried to get up from bed and instantly the stitched stab wounds started to open up.

Twilight noticed that and instantly fired up her horn to pined Rafael to the bed.

"Let me go!" Rafael roared in desperation "I need to get out of here and find my friends!" he pleaded while Pinkie that, witnessed, it all brought up a dark blue cupcake out of thin air and shoved the cupcake in Rafael's mouth.

"I…need…to…help" Rafael started to quiet down, and after 10 seconds flat he fall asleep.

"Pinkie, what did you do?!" Twilight asked in a shout.

"What? I just gave him my super duper yummy sleeping cupcake" Pinkie said.

"Why do you carry with you a cupcake that put ponies to sleep?" Twilight asked, but quickly regretted that when Pinkie mane went straight and her smile became creepy.

"Do you really want to know the answer?" Pinkie asked.

"N-not really" Twilight answered, and Pinkie's mane became normal again.

"Oh good, I didn't know what would happen  if you kept asking. Probably the writer would turn you into a cupcake or something like that." Pinkie said.

"Wat?" Twilight asked.

--------------------------------------------A day latter------------------------------------

Rafael woke up. He tried to get up but felt that his legs and hands were tied to the bed 'What happened? One moment I'm screaming and kicking and the next I'm waking up like it never happened' Rafael tried to find order in his mind. As he looked again at his surroundings 'Seems like it's not a nightmare after all' Rafael thought to himself.

Rafael was in a hospital bed. His room consisted of a mirror on the left side of the room and on his right was a door that led to the bathroom. The walls were littered with paintings. Rafael knew from his surroundings that he was in the VIP room of a hospital.                 

He set back and started to relax. Until he started to hear some sort of argument beyond the door.  "Twilight, Pinkie why did you wake him? That creature lost a lot of blood and the wounds just close up". Rafael heard the new voice scolding Twilight and Pinkie.

"And I keep telling you it's not an animal but a human, and he is a he" Twilight retorted back to the other pony.

Suddenly the door opened and three ponies came in. Two of them he already encountered, and now that he was more relaxed, he could see that the ponies before him were different from the ones from his dream.

Two of them looked like a normal pony only cartoonish, but one of them had wings and a horn. The white pony started to talk about something, but Rafael just didn't care. He wanted only one thing and it was to get back home and find out what happened to his friends.

"And after one week you're good to go, mister hu-man" the white pony said and left the room. After the nurse pony left, Twilight approached Rafael and tapped Rafael side to get his attention.

Rafael quickly turned his head towards Twilight and looked at her with pleading eyes "Please don’t hurt me!" Rafael shouted scared out of his mind.  

"Hey, calm down, no one will hurt you, and I know how it feels to be thrown to another world that you don’t know anything about" Twilight tried to help Rafael calm down knowing that being at the state that he was would not help her understand why a human was in Equestria and still remained a human and not a pony.

"Maybe he needs another cupcake?" Pinkie said, which caused to Rafael to scream again.

"No Pinkie, no more cupcakes, I need to consult the princess about this". After Twilight said that, she looked at Rafael again and after a couple of seconds she started to notice the he looked different then the humans that she encountered.

After a couple of minutes Rafael settled down."I know we didn't give you the best first impressions, but could we start over?" Twilight asked Rafael and he stopped screaming completely.

'She's, right acting like a pussy will get me nowhere, if I want to get back home I need to befriend the ponies and see if they know what happened' Rafael thought.

"O-ok, if so can you please tell me where I am and how I got here?" Rafael asked Twilight and Pinkie with the idea that if the ponies knew how he came here they may also know how to get out.

"Well, we found you in the town plaza just laying there barely, breathing that's for your first question. For the second I don’t know you just came from thin air, but I do know what you are and where you came from…and" Twilight stopped talking for a moment thinking if she should drop the bomb shell or let him keep his hopes.

Rafael started to get agitated "well, what!?" Rafael already lost his patience. Not knowing what happen to his friends eating him inside.

"For you to get back you need to wait 30 full moons in other words 2 years and a half" Twilight said with regret.

After hearing the news Rafael broke down knowing that he would need to wait 2 and a half years to see his family, and not knowing what happened to his friends only made it worse. In the outside he looked pale like everything he ever knew just ended, he looked like he would break down and cry his eyes out at any moment Twilight and Pinkie wanted to calm him down but they both stop when they looked at his eyes.

His eyes showed sadness but the thing they showed most was anger and hatred 'Steven I will make you pay. I swear I will make you feel pain, I will make you suffer' Rafael thought to himself.  
> 3) introduction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Written by tomer3391
edited by Aphotic Hope

-------------------------------tal aviv Rafael age 10----------------------------
The young Rafael had been playing with his new basketball in the community park. “I can’t believe that Uncle Tomer got me this ball like he had promised! He usually forgets the promise and tells me that he’ll definitely remember next time…” Rafael dribbled the ball down the court and went in for a successful layup.

As Rafael continued balling, he lost all sense of time and the day was quickly transitioning to night. The athlete grabbed his ball and sat down on a nearby bench. He wiped away the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead and looked up at the sky. “Wow, night time already?” He got up and began his walk home, bouncing his ball as he went.He silently thought, ‘I better head home or I’ll miss supper.’

As Rafael edged closer to a nearby pond, he began to hear a random child calling for someone. "Big, where are you? BIG!!" Rafael pants slowly as he locates the source of the anxious screaming behind a cluster of bushes. He saw a little kid with black hair screaming and crying. Without thinking, Rafael asks the less-than-happy boy, “Hey there, what’s wrong?”

The little boy flinched, startled from the spontaneous voice, but quickly recovered and replied, “M-m-m d-dog” The kid sniffed and resumed, “We were playing fetch near this pond, but he went to get a stick and didn’t come back. I can’t find him now…” The child’s crying started up again.

Rafael quickly moved closer to the boy and patted his back. Rafael warmly assured the boy, "Hey, hey, hey. Don’t worry. There's no reason to cry. I’ll help you. That sound good?"

The boy hugged Rafael tightly and replied, “M-mhm.”
Rafael and the child both got up and started to search for the dog. It had been almost an hour before either of the people had heard a high-pitched bark.

Almost immediately, the black-haired kid started to run in the direction of the sound. “Hey! Kid, wait up for me!” Rafael stumbled, but followed after the kid without hesitation.

When Rafael arrived at the scene, the small boy was reaching for a sack of something. A tall boy, about the same age as Rafael was holding up the bag, just out of the kid’s reach. “GIVE BIG BACK!” the kid yelled, still trying to reach the sack.

The tall kid smirked evilly and pushed the kid down. “Big? Ha, I don’t know what you’re talking about. This here is Rex.”

Rafael crossed his arms and cleared his throat. Once he got the attention of the bully, he said firmly with the hardest glare, “Give the dog back to the kid. No one likes a bully.”

Spooked, the tall boy dropped the sack and stumbled backwards a little. He quickly recomposed himself. He threw the sack at the pleading boy on the ground and spat, “I’ll make you pay for that! My name is Steven! REMEMBER THE NAME!” The boy ran off into a nearby thicket of trees.

The small kid beneath Rafael pulled open the sack and a dog jumped out at the boy , lapping and licking his face. “Big!” the boy screamed as he hugged the dog.

“DYNAMIC ENTRY!!”

Rafael had barely any time to react when a sudden foot swung out of the same thicket that the boy ran into and smashed Rafael in the face. Rafael fell back and hit the ground hard. He grunted as the pain set in.

A wild red-haired kid descended from a vine and landed on the ground with perfect precision. He scoffed and said confidently, “No one messes with my family!”

Rafael picked himself up and rubbed the bruise on his left cheek. He stretched out his arms and yelled, “COME AT ME BRO!”
The kid with big hopped up and got between us. He looked over at the red-haired kid and pleaded, “No, Tommy! Don’t. This guy helped me get Big back.”

Tommy eyed me suspiciously, but eventually cleared his throat and stretched out an open hand. He grinned and said, “Sorry about that. I thought you were the one bullying my cousin.” 

I looked at my hand and back up to Tommy, whose hand was outstretched. I put my hand somewhere else though. Instead of into his hand, I connected my hand to his face, sending him to the ground.

Rafael dusted dirt off his shoulder and smirked, “Now, we’re even.

Tommy rolled back up and coughed. He wiped some spit from the corner of his mouth and said, “I like you.” He stretched his hand out again and introduced himself, “The name’s Tommy.”

The boy standing next to Tommy and Big quickly piped in, “My name’s Idan!”

-------------------------------Rafael age 24 Equestria day 6--------------------------

Rafael had just learned that he had to wait two years before he could return to his life on Earth. He fell into a deep depression and neglected any social contact, food, or drink. After a while, his decisions took their toll and Rafael began to suffer from malnutrition. He was frail and weak.

Even in his weakened state, Twilight and Pinkie continued with their daily check-ins with Rafael. Twilight had been talking to Rafael while Pinkie had gone God knows where.

Towards the end of a story, Twilight finished, “…and that’s how we turned my friend, Fluttershy, back into a pony!” Twilight had been hoping for a reaction, but Rafael was nodding off. Twilight wouldn’t get a reaction soon.

Twilight let out an agitated sigh. “Come on, Raf! It’s not like you’re never going to go home.” The purple pony tapped a hoof on her muzzle and offered, “Here, think of it like a long vacation! Somewhere that you never got to go.” Twilight smiled, hoping to cheer Rafael up. Rafael cracked a smile and sat up slightly straighter.

Rafael took a deep breath and finally responded to Twilight, “You know what? You’re right, But…” Rafael paused to sigh, “…why do you care about me so much? I’ve only been here for six days now and you’ve been coming ever since I woke up.” 

Twilight was slightly stunned that she actually got a reaction from Rafael, but quickly snapped out of it and thought, ‘If I tell him what happened to me in his world, then we’ll trust me. Then, we can start helping him get back to full health.’

Twilight ran a hoof through her mane and started slowly, “Well, it all happened a few months ago. I –.” At that moment, the door swung open and Pinkie hopped through with the rest of Twilight and Co. Twilight groaned silently and muttered, “Celestia damnit, Pinkie.”

A yellow pegasus hovered across the room and cradled Rafael’s head in her hooves. “Oh, you poor thing.” A few days back, Twilight had described her friends to Rafael. He assumed that this ping pegasus’ name was Fluttershy from the descriptions.

Rafael, slowly separated himself from the cradling and said weakly, “Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry.” Rafael needed his personal space, even from people who cared for him. Fluttershy backed up and blinked.

‘Maybe after a little bit he’ll get better.’ She then perked up slightly and continued her thought train, ‘Then, then I’ll have a new animal species to be friends with! Ooh, I wonder what he eats…’ Fluttershy was still deep in thought and hiding a blush behind her mane.

A white unicorn stepped up and in the most formal, but snobby tone, asked, “Oh my! Darling, what ever happened to your beautiful attire?” Rarity looked over the suit that Rafael had been wearing when he arrived in Equestria. Rarity turned and began poking at Rafael while humming quietly.

Rafael was getting annoyed and shouted, “Hey! Stop that!” Rarity backed up and shimmied back to her group with a hurt expression on her muzzle.

Rarity stamped a hoof on the floor. “Well, I never! That was uncalled for.” Rarity harrumphed and looked away. Rafael feels slightly bad, but Twilight stared at Rarity with annoyance.

Rainbow leaned in to inspect Rafael and concluded hastily, “I don’t trust him.” The sky blue pegasus with a multi-colored mane floated around Rafael to get a better look at him. Rafael only guess that she was inspecting him for any weapons or mind-controlling devices.

“Oh, come on now, Sugarcube.” Applejack trotted up to Rainbow Dash and yanked on her tail, “You don’t trust nopony. Give this here stallion a chance.” Dash looked at Applejack irritated, but reverted his gaze to Rafael.

Applejack nudged Rainbow aside and looked at Rafael closely. “Hm, I reckon Twilight here already told you are names?”

Rafael cleared his dry throat and replied, “Y-yes. I know your names and all the adventures. You saved your country multiple times. Twilight told me.” Rafael coughed deeply and held his throat. It was all raspy and dry from a lack of fluids.

Twilight held up a hoof to stop Rafael from talking, but Rafael needed to ask something urgent. Rafael sat up all the way in his bed and eyed the ponies. “So, when will I be released from the hospital? And what should I do?”

Twilight cleared her throat and replied readily, “Well, I’ve already received a message from the princess about this. They said that whenever you feel better, they want to meet you. Until then, you are to stay at the library.” Twilight smiled, but Rafael just stared at Twilight and nodded.
At some point, Pinkie must’ve went out, because she hopped through the door again and dropped a glass of water on the bed stand. Rafael reached eagerly for it and drank it with haste.

--------------------Equestria week 2 day 1------------------------
Today, Rafael got discharged from the hospital and he walked alongside Twilight to the library. The longer Rafael walked, the more aware he was of his surroundings. He had been walking through the streets and intersections, which were littered with multi-colored ponies. He massaged his head and thought, ‘Maybe I’m still in the hospital… probably in a coma or something.’

The two neared the tree, and when Rafael noticed that the tree was the destination, he began wondering. He thought that they were going to a castle or mansion. Twilight was a princess after all… Why were they heading straight for a tree?

Rafael didn’t have a chance to think about the dwelling because Twilight cut him off, “Welcome to Golden Oaks Library! It’s where I live.” As Twilight presented the library to Rafael, three small figures loomed in the shadows of a shrub.

A brash voice spoke first, “So what do you think, girls? Think we can get our cutie marks in monster hunting?”

A high-pitched voice spoke up second, “Monster hunting? I thought we were going to try and become the monster’s friends!"

Lastly, a cute country voice spoke up, “Well, whatever we’re doing, ahm sure it’s goin’ to be a monster-related cutie mark.”
> 4)They’re so Cute
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Written by tomer3391
Edited by Aphotic Hope

---------------Rafael dream--------------

Darkness was all there was. No light, no hope, just darkness. Rafael had woken up to this aggressive darkness. His sweaty palm continued to secrete the liquids of anxiety and fear as two red angry eyes opened and loomed overhead. There was a low growling as the eyes stared at Rafael, unblinking.

The creature above Rafael moved closer to him. Rafael’s heart began to beat harder, louder, faster. His heart was practically beating in his throat, threatening to murder Rafael’s hearing. The creature continued to edge closer and Rafael couldn’t take it anymore
“Why? Why do you hunt me in my dreams?! What did I ever do to you?!!” 
Rafael desperately called out into the darkness, half-expecting a reply from the monstrous beast.

As Rafael’s voice reached the monster’s ears, it stopped its descent and chuckled slowly. Out of the darkness, Rafael was able to make out the creature’s balled-up hand, appearing from the lightless wisp. The hand and arm looked of something mixed between human and reptile, an abomination. The hand opened slowly, revealing its contents and almost stopping Rafael’s heart completely. In its palm, the creature held three tickets that were stamped in blood. These tickets were the same tickets that one of his best friends, Tommy, had.

--------------- Equestria: Week 1, Day 4, Time: 4:00AM---------------

Rafael shot up from his mattress and kicked the covers off him screaming. The shrill yell echoed off throughout the room. Rafael’s breathing was labored and shaky as he rubbed his face with his hands. Rafael gulped and looked out the window, peering into the dark. This was the third night that Rafael had woken up screaming in the middle of the night.

Twilight had heard mumbling coming from Rafael’s room and came to check on him a little bit ago. Every time Twilight had attempted to wake Rafael’s sleeping form, the only reply would be a kick to the muzzle or an ear-piercing scream. She had given up and fallen asleep at the foot of the bed, but the recent scream woke her and made her jump.

Twilight began thinking to herself, ‘Rafael had told me that he had nightmares, even at a young age, but he never had any kind of unrest while he was in the hospital.’ Twilight quickly shot out a spell from her horn, sound-proofing Rafael’s room so that no other ponies would awaken because of him. Twilight sighed and said to herself, “This is getting out of hand. I’ll contact Princess Luna tomorrow and see if she can help Rafael out.”

Twilight had a last glance at Rafael before leaving his room and returning to hers. She lay on her pillow as the darkness of slumber overcame her. Her last thoughts were hopes that she could help Rafael get rid of his nightly terrors forever.

---------------3 hours later----------------

Rafael was in the shower, like always, trying to forget last night’s nightmare. He was a wreck, physically and emotionally. Rafael sighed and spoke to himself, “Even here I can’t get a peaceful night of sleep.” He rubbed his eyes and groaned lightly. “Well, time to welcome the new day…” Rafael finished rinsing himself off and shut the water off, dried himself, and donned the clothes he came to this land with.

After his morning routine, Rafael yawned and headed into the main room of the library, seeking a book to read while the rest of the residents of the tree happily slept.

“Ahh, what should I read today…” Rafael hummed and looked at the shelves that were organized by labels.

“Fantasy… Hmm, nah. I don’t feel like Da-Daring Do. Sci-fi? Nope. Hmm, what’s this?” Rafael pulled a hardcover book off of a shelf and peered at the cover. The cover was one that Rafael would depict to be magic. “Maybe I can do magic…” Rafael laughed as he said that, “No way…” But still, Rafael was gleeful at the possibility that he could become a super human. Not just any super human though, a super human that gets the girls. Human girls, mind you…

“Hmm, alright. Let’s see… I think I’ll start by trying a telekinesis spell. Here it says that even an infant can cast it. Ha, can’t be too hard for me.” Rafael shuffled over to a table and sat down, laying the book down to try magic on. Rafael closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before concentrating. He began grunting and groaning in concentration, and eventually frustration, as a purple alicorn follow by a small purple dragon began trotting down the stairs. Halfway down, the two stopped and looked at Rafael’s ordeal.

Rafael stopped with his sound effects and breathed coolly, nervous that nothing had happened. Like ripping a bandaid off, Rafael pulled his eyes open to look at the book. To his complete disappointment, nothing had happened. Rafael groaned in defeat, but heard a chorus of laughter emit from behind him. He swiveled his head and looked up the stairs to see Twilight and Spike sitting on them laughing hard.

“D-D-Did you *hehehe* see him?” Twilight asked Spike.

Spike, almost falling off the stairs, replied, “I *hehe* did. He looked like he *hehe* was trying to *hehehe* take a shit.”

The two continued to laugh at the embarrassed human with a pretty red-hot blush going.

“That’s me-me-mean *hehe* Spike!” Twilight and Spike began to break down as the laughter continued to consume them. Before long, the two tripped over their laughing and tumbled down the stairs and hit the ground with a loud thump. Unfortunately for Rafael, they were still laughing.
Rafael rolled his eyes and sighed, “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up now. Get it out of your system.” The irritated human tapped his foot for a few seconds as the pony and dragon began to recover, look back at the human, and break out into another hysterical laughing fit.

Before he knew it, Rafael was laughing at his stupidity as well. The laughing must’ve been contagious because all three of them were having a hard time breathing through it.

“Alright. So now that we’ve all had our share of laughs, let’s get serious for a second,” Twilight said firmly, “Spike, I need you to go down to Rarity’s so she can start making Rafael some actual clothes. He can’t walk around in that hospital gown.” Before Spike could take off, Twilight gave him a small sheet of paper that had some information regarding Rafael’s dimensions.

Twilight turned to Rafael and said, “Alright, so. I spoke with Princesses upstairs and I have two things to tell you. First, they said that they were happy to see you on your feet! Second, Princess Luna informed me that she will be coming to meet you in the evening.”

Temporarily ignoring the news from the princesses, Rafael asked, “Twilight, you didn’t have to send Spike out to do my dirty work. I’m sure that if Rarity and I talk again, she’ll understand my ordeal and look back on it as some silly tale. Also, who’s Princess Luna?”

“The Princess of the Night! Why do you ask?” Twilight answered and asked, hoping for a jovial first meeting between Rafael and Princess Luna.

“Er, no reason. No reason at all. I already know my lines for the princess. All I have to do is wait, and play them out.” Rafael got up and began walking over to the library’s front door. Without turning back, Rafael called, “I’ll be back home during the evening then.” Rafael waved a hand in the air and strolled out the low door.

Rafael was looking around, walking down random streets. “Let’s see, where is Rarity’s store thing?” Rafael asked to himself as he passed by the same house for the third time. Three young fillies also passed that same house for the third time, not too far behind Rafael.

Continuing to follow slowly, Applebloom turned to her orange pegasus crusader and asked, “Scootaloo, are ye sure that butterflah nets will be enough to catch that monster?”

Scootaloo snickered and replied, “Don’t worry! Even though he’s bigger than the nets, he’s a monster and we all know that monsters are stupid.” Scootaloo grinned while pacing next to Applebloom.

“Hey, wait a second.” Sweetie Belle looked beyond the monster and saw the Carousal Boutique. She cocked her head and asked quietly, “Umm, girls? Why’s the monster walking to my house?!”

Rafael looked up from the trail to find a finely decorated Carousal Boutique before him. “Aha! Found it!” He jogged on over to the structure and opened the door. Inside, were an elaborate array of outfits, donned on scattered pony-shaped mannequins. After vaguely looking over the outfits, Rafael raised his hands to his mouth and cupped them before yelling into the store, “Rarity! Could you come here for a sec?”

The white unicorn’s invisible voice called back, “Just a minute, darling!” A minute later, Rarity began descending the steps in the back and looked up at Rafael, recognizing him. She sighed and spat at him, “Oh, it’s you.”

Rafael heard the venom in her tone and tried a shot at diplomacy, “Look, Rarity. I know that we got off on the wrong foot –“

“Hoof.”

“Hoof… We got off on the wrong hoof, but all I want to do is start over and become friends.” Rafael braced himself for a counter-measure from Rarity.

Rarity took a deep breath and replied, “Very well. I was anticipating an apology. I accept your apology and the fact that all this bad blood was completely your fault.” Rarity’s face still bared a hint of irritation, but Rafael was willing to live with it.

Unfortunately, Rafael had to open his fat mouth open and say, “I wouldn’t snap at you if you were to invade my personal space and touch me all over.” Rarity gasped and her face went red with anger.

“Well, I never! That’s it! Get out of my shop and I don’t want to see you here again!” shouted Rarity and turned around to buck Rafael out.

Rafael dodged the buck with millimeters to spare and responded hotly, “Fine! I’ll never come back to this old dump again!” Rafael hurried out the door and slammed it behind him. There was a loud bang, probably something colliding with the shut door and an agitated scream emanated from the building behind him.

Rafael made his way back into the streets of Ponyville when he heard three small voices behind him. It wasn’t like he was in a bad mood or anything. Regardless, Rafael spun around and almost had a heart burnout from what he saw before him.

All Rafael could mutter was, “C-c-c-cu-cute.” The three fillies looked up at the monster before them in the most menacing pose that they could strike up. 

Unfortunately for them, Rafael saw it as the most adorable pose that they could’ve ever stricken up.

The three voices yelled out in unison, “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS MONSTER HUNTERS! YAY!” The three fillies leaped up at Rafael in an attempt to catch him in their nets.

Rafael let the little foals have their fun and played along saying, “Oh no! You got me!” Rafael said in fake worry. He got to his knees and began coughing and fell to the floor, pretending to be unconscious.

“Yes! We got it! Alright, let’s take the big thing over to Rainbow Dash now. She’ll kick this thing into next week!” Scootaloo cheered to her comrades.

Hearing Rainbow Dash’s name made Rafael’s blood run cold. Rafael and Rainbow Dash also held a grudge against each other and Rafael didn’t want to completely destroy his day so he quickly got up and pulled off the nets.

“Nope. None of that.” Rafael turned away from the Carousal Boutique and began fast-walking. The Cutie Mark Crusaders yelled as their convict attempted to flee and chased him. Looking back, Rafael told them, “It’s nothing personal. I’d rather just not meet Princess Luna with a black eye.”

The Crusaders continued to follow after Rafael. The yellow filly with a red bow looked at the orange filly and whispered, “I told you the nets wouldn’t work!”

“Sorry, kids. I’ll play with you another time! I’m actually kind of busy at the moment.” Rafael began to take his fast-walk into a jog, and then his jog into an outright sprint. The sprint completely left the CMC in the dust.

The clouds of dust behind Rafael slowed the CMC until they couldn’t keep up at all.

“Aw… Horse apples. We lost him.” Sweetie Belle looked down at the dirt between her hooves in defeat.

Applebloom put a hoof on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder and asked, “The nets didn’t work, so what do we do now?”

"The nets didn't work what do we do now?" Applebloom asked her friends.

Scootaloo adopted an evil smirk on her muzzle and looked at her friends. She asked, “Why not ask for some help from Rainbow Dash?”

“Now why in the world would Rainbow help us?” Applebloom asked Scootaloo as Sweetie nodded with similar logic.

Scootaloo stamped a hoof and asked, “Girls, do you want your cutie marks? Do you?!”

“Well, yes.” Sweetie replied.

Scootaloo chuckled to herself and replied, “Good. Alright, I’ve gotta plan to get us our cutie marks for sure! Hehehe, here it is. First, we have to tss tss tss ---.”

Scootaloo began to lay out her plan to her friends and after the discussion they all jumped up and clopped each other’s hooves, excited.

------------------Sweet apples acres---------------

After his escape from the three earnest fillies, he aimlessly walked up to Sweet Apple Acres where Applejack hired him. At first he wasn’t too keen on the idea, but after a glimpse at his miniscule muscles, he decided that it would help recompose his physique.

“So, uh, AJ. I think I met your sister today… I have to tell you, she’s real adorable.” Rafael began in an attempt to initiate small-talk.

Applejack replied friendly, “They sure are!” From the tone of voice, Rafael could easily tell that Applejack was quite proud of her sister.

Behind Rafael, he heard a rash voice yell, “I knew we shouldn’t trust you, you freak!” Rafael turned around to see Rainbow Dash floating a little ways up with her hooves crossed.

Rafael could only sigh. He asked, “What do –.” Before Rafael could even get half the question out, Rainbow had soared down and bucked Rafael into a tree. Before Rainbow could connect a second blow, Applejack got in the way.

“Now, you listen here, Rainbow. You didn’t have to go n’ do that. Whah in the hay would you even buck ‘im?”

“What? Applejack, why’re you take his side?!” Rainbow yelled at Applejack in disbelief, but Applejack ignored the question and looked back at Rafael. He had slid down the tree he made impact with and fell on his face. He was still eating dirt when Applejack looked back at him.

Applejack redirected her attention to the pegasus in front of her. “Alrighty then, you need to listen here, Sugarcube. Just tell me what Raf over there did to yeh that made you get yer clouds in a bunch.”

Rainbow harrumphed and crossed her hooves again. She blew some of her mane out of her eyes and shot, “Scootaloo said that he was tryin’ to hurt the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

“Alright, Rainbow. Look at ‘im. He wouldn’t even hurt a flah. I’ve been workin’ with him for a lil while now n’ he didn’t lie to me, not once.”

Rainbow simply growled, “Fine, but that doesn’t change anything!” Rainbow swiveled mid-air and just flapped away.

Once Rainbow was out of earshot, Applejack trotted over to Rafael’s motionless figure and asked, “You ‘kay there, Sugarcube?”

Rafael finally decided that it was a good time to pull his face out of the dirt. He chocked and coughed some dirt up and replied, “Yeah, I’m fine. The only thing hurt here was my pride.” Rafael slowly got up to his feet and brushed some dirt off clothes. Rafael sighed and continued, “Listen, Applejack, I’ve got an appointment in an hour, so I think I’ll be heading out now.”

Rafael looked up to the skies and flinched as a little pain in his ribs began to make itself known. Rafael shrugged it off and took note that the skies were showing hints of orange painted here and there. The sun was beginning to set.

“Alright, then. Seeya later Raf. Take care, yeh hear?” Applejack called to Rafael as he made his way to the gateway leaving SAA.

“Ugh, what a day. Maybe I should’ve just stayed at the library…” Ralph thought aloud. He was trudging down a trail, holding his ribs in a self-hug.

He found the library, but before he could make his way to it, three familiar voices spoke up behind him.

“Alright, girls! The monster is weak and tired. Let’s get him now!” Rafael turned around in time to catch the nets in his hands and yank them from the grip of the CMC.

“Hey! Give them back!” Scootaloo shouted at the monster and growled.

Without a hint of emotion, Rafael aligned the three nets in his hands and snapped them over his knee.

Raphael point his finger at all three of the fillies and shouted, “Because of you, I got bucked into a tree! Stay away from me!”

The three fillies’ eyes began to shimmer with wetness. Each one broke into a loud sob and began to flee from Raphael’s presence.

“Damnit, me and my big mouth. No, don’t go.” Raphael followed after the CMC but halted as he saw them run into the forest. That forest. The forest of his dreams. These weren’t just any dreams, these dreams were nightmares. Rafael broke into a panic and beads of sweat began to accumulate on his forehead. Rafael shook his head and made his decision. He kicked off and chased after the fillies.

-------------The Everfree-------------

Fearing that Rafael would catch them, the three fillies ran erratically through the trees. Finally, after they had galloped a while, they slowed their pace and caught their breaths.

Sweetie asked the posse between gulps for air, “Do… Do you think we-we lost him?”

After a little while, Applebloom finally answered, “Ah think so. I don’t hear any hoofsteps.”

Scootaloo nervously asked, “Uh, girls? Where are we?”

As a response, there was a sudden growl in the shrubs near Sweetie, well not anymore because she screamed, ran and hopped up onto Applebloom. All three fillies saw a pack of timberwolves materialize from the bush, the stench they secrete finally reaching the fillies’ noses.

Although, the odor was very disgusting, the fillies’ fear was more compelling on the mind than the odor was. There was a single alpha with five smaller timberwolves trailing behind it.

The wolves branched out and surrounded the fillies and slowly edged closer, seeking to secure an easy kill, or three.

A hungry wolf couldn’t wait anymore and leapt at the frightened prey, only to get its face smashed aside. The rest of its body shattered into disarray across the dirt. The five remaining timberwolves immediately directed their attention at the assaulter, to find an even better prey than the little fillies.

Rafael flew out of the shrubbery and landed a few feet away from the shaking fillies. He boldly held a stone in one hand, and a thick stick in the other.

“Stay away from the ponies!” Rafael shouted at the wooden wolves.

As the wolves charged him, Rafael let out a battle cry and threw his stone, knocking another wolf out of the fight. With a little more time, Rafael took hold of his stick with both hands, smashing another timberwolf’s head in. Unfortunately, two of the damned predators had snuck behind him.

Before he could react, the two attackers sunk their teeth in his left leg and his right arm, the arm with the stick.

There was an ear-piercing crack as Raphael’s arm snapped, bending it irregularly as he dropped the stick. Rafael’s leg was bleeding as the wooden teeth of the timberwolf punctured through the skin and muscle, heavily reducing Rafael’s dexterity.

"Hey! Leave him alone!” Scootaloo shouted at the wolves. They pulled off of Raphael and snarled at the fillies for intervening. This gave Raphael enough time to grab the wolf at his arm into a headlock and pull the wolf’s head off. With his other leg, Raphael kicked down and flattened the other wolf’s head.

The last wolf was the alpha. It snarled and growled at Raphael before charging. Raphael got up to his feat and picked up his stick with his left hand and holding it out in front of him like a spear. The alpha leapt at Raphael and got punctured by the stick, through where it’s heart would be. Raphael had stopped the wolf with his mass and pulled the stick upwards, ripping through the wolf’s chest and splitting the wolf’s back and head in two.

Raphael took in a deep breath and dropped his stick. He knew that he couldn’t feel the intense pain in his arm and leg yet because the adrenaline was telling his brain to ignore it, but he knew he’d be feeling it later. Three fillies trotted over and leapt onto Raphael, crying. Raphael took a glance at his arm and saw something puncturing it. He shook his head to clear his blurred vision to see his own bone, piercing the skin, causing blood to leak everywhere.

Before he knew it, Raphael fell over with the fillies atop him, and passed out due to the immense blood loss. The three fillies began to call for Raphael, but all he heard were muffled words. Without comprehension, Raphael was disconnected from reality.

One by one, the wolves began to glow in green magic and the sticks began to crunch back together, recreating the wolves. With no other hope, Scootaloo could only shout out for Rainbow Dash.

-------------Dream-------------     

Rafael woke up in an empty abyss. The only thing inhabiting this void was Rafael and a single mirror before him. Rafael advanced towards the mirror and put his hand on it. Instead of meeting a solid surface, Rafael’s hand flowed through the mirror as if it was liquid. Soon after, the rest of his body followed suit and passed through the mystical mirror.

-------------Reality-------------

Rafael’s body twitched and he shot up into a sitting position, shooting the fillies off of him like a catapult. Instead of just sitting up though, Rafael had shot completely up and began charging the reincarnated wolves at full throttle, all the while screaming. Before he could do anything though, a blue beam shot down from above the canopy and completely disintegrated one of the wolves.

The rest of the wolves whimpered and turned tail. Rafael still chased them to secure their complete destruction, but a dark blue pony fell from the skies and landed in front of him.

“Fear not, young ones! We have arrived to save thee!” Luna shouted with her Royal Canterlot Voice. Rafael wasn’t faltering though, he continued to charge towards Luna, who was about to shoot another beam at him. Unfortunately, Rafael made contact with Luna before she could and both of them fell over.

Rafael tumbled a little after the collision and tumbled straight into a nearby tree, attacking the tree trunk with his face. Rafael stopped moving and remained motionless.

Luna got up and shook her head. She looked backwards at Rafael and realized that he had never been awake whilst charging. He was simply acting upon instinct.

In front of her, Luna noticed the three fillies that were catapulted. They were on their haunches and balling their eyes out.

The fillies all shouted at the princess in unison, “PLEASE HELP HIM!”
> 5) Nightmares
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Writer: tomer3392
Editor: xsomeguyx
Proofreader: rhinotaz 

Luna galloped as fast as she could while Rafael was lying unconscious on her back, bleeding. 

‘I need to get him to a hospital fast. If not, he will perish,' Luna thought to herself as  the three fillies galloped quietly behind her.

"Girls! I need you to do something important for me. Go to Twilight’s library and get her to the hospital as fast as you can. Do you understand?" Luna asked the girls, knowing that there was a big chance that Twilight would lose a friend.

"O-ok, will he be all right?" the girls asked Luna, fearing that Rafael died because of their actions.

"I don't know girls, I can't say. But you need to go get Twilight! This is the least that you can do," Luna told them.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders quickly began their run to Golden Oaks, leaving Luna to take Rafael the rest of the way on her own.

--------------Golden oaks-------------

Twilight and Spike started to clean the library in preparation for the visit of the Princess of the Night.

"Where is he? The sun has already set, he was supposed to be here by now," Twilight mumbled in frustration to herself.

"Maybe he lost track of time. I mean, it happens to all of us once in a while," Spike tried to help Twilight calm down, but he know that when she starts, there is no stopping that train.

"Spike! I need you to get me ‘Telepathy 101’ from my room. I will try to contact him and bring him home," Twilight ordered her dragon assistant and he had no say in the matter.

"Ok, ok! No need to be so bossy about it!" Spike said and left to look for the book in her room.

"Oh Rafael, you never disappointed me! Please don't start now!" Twilight said to herself. As she got back to cleaning the library, she heard loud knocks on her door.

"I don't know what you want in this hour, but the library is closed," Twilight started opening the door to turn the visitor away.

As she opened the door, three distress fillies barged in, all trying to deliver an important  message to the confused princess. 

"One at a time, girls I won’t be able to understand what you’re saying if you keep screaming and crying together," Twilight told them.

A moment later, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle dropped to the floor and started repeating, “We’re sorry! We’re sorry!"

"Twilight, Mr. Monster is in the hospital!" screamed Scootaloo as fresh tears began to fall to the floor, remembering what she had done to him, from making Rainbow beat him up to seeing the Timberwolves tear him apart in front of her eyes. She fell to the floor, weeping, joining her friends in the pile of crying fillies.

'Mr. Monster?' Twilight thought to herself, not knowing that the “monster” the fillies were crying about was in fact her friend Rafael until she put two and two together. It dawned on her that Rafael was in mortal danger. 

"No," that was the only word she could let out as she felt her throat tighten and tears starting to come out.

Twilight wanted to call Spike. She knew that he and Rafael became friends, and he had the right to see him. 

"Spike come down fast!" Twilight screamed.

"I'm coming, Twilight. You don’t need to yell I-" Spike didn't finish that statement as Twilight teleported them both to the entrance of the hospital. 

"Have the book," Spike looked at his surroundings and give a stare that asked: ‘Why are we in front of the hospital?’

"No time to explain Spike, follow me!" Twilight and Spike entered the hospital, on their way to find out what had happened to Rafael.

----------Rafael's dream------------

Rafael woke up in the Everfree Forest, but unlike the previous times, he was in his own body. As he ventured, he heard that same scream that had haunted him. Rafael had had enough, he wanted to face the creature. Now that he was in his own body, he knew that fighting back would be easier. He started to search for a weapon, a stick, a big rock or something, until he found a big, sharp stick.

"Come, you ugly fucker! I have a present for you!" Rafael screamed as he got closer and closer to the creature. What started as a fast walk turned into a jog and from a jog to full on sprinting. As the minutes flew by, the screams became quieter and quieter until they stopped completely.

Soon, he couldn't run anymore. He stopped and screamed to the heavens. Leaning against an old, dead tree to catch his breath, the ground beneath him suddenly turned into a hole. He started to fall for what felt like hours. He eventually hit the ground and only darkness surrounded him. 

"Shit! What now?" Rafael asked himself, trying to find a way out of the hole until suddenly a blinding light caused him to close his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a huge, beautiful, ivory colored castle. It looked like something from a child’s picture book.

Rafael began hearing sniffling and sobbing coming from inside the castle and he chose to follow it. Oddly enough, the sniffling voice sounded familiar, but he just couldn’t recall from where he heard it.

When he entered the castle, he found that it was hollow. Nothing was inside, only a large spiral staircase that was connected to hundreds of room. He heard the strange sound coming from the last room at the top. So he went up the staircase and began noticing that in every room there was a mirror placed on the wall and every mirror had a unique shape and color.

As he reached the last room, he was surprised to find the same colt that he was walking as every time in his dreams, sitting on the ground, crying his eyes out. Behind him was a black mirror.

Rafael didn't know what to think at that moment. He knew he was in his dream world, but it still didn't change the fact he was standing in front of the pony that he was controlling in his dreams.

Suddenly, the colt raised his head and looked at Rafael with his piercing, cold, blue eyes. Rafael never saw the colt’s eyes before, he felt like screaming as he looked into them, seeing every sinful action or thought he could possibly imagine. The colt suddenly rose up and started to run to Rafael’s direction and locked him in a hug. 

"Daddy, I was so scared, don't ever leave me again," the colt started to cry in Rafael's arm.

'Did he just call me ‘daddy’?’ Rafael thought as he heard the creator's scream again. 

No, this was a different scream. It sounded more human than that creature. Coming from the bottom floor, Rafael remembered what he was doing before he found the castle. 

"Please don't go! He is waiting for you down there!" the colt screamed.

"Who is there?" Rafael saw the colt hesitating.

The colt stopped and looked Rafael straight in the eyes, saying something that froze Rafael in the very spot he stood: "Death.”

-------------Hospital room---------------

Rainbow Dash found herself in her usual room after she collided with the wall of Rarity's boutique and her confrontation with Rafael. Rarity, on the other Hoof, still was fuming after her fight with Rafael and poor Rainbow had to sit through it and listen for the hundredth time why he was a dick.

"Oh and then he had the nerve to say my precious boutique was an old dump! Can you believe that? Honestly, Rainbow, a stallion his age should already start a herd and learn how to speak to a lady…" 

Rainbow lost her will to argue with her after the 58th time she explained what had happened. If somepony would have walked into the room, he or she would think that she was suffering from brain damage at that point. Both suddenly heard a voice that resembles Twilight in distress from across the hall. Rainbow quickly jumped from her bed.

When Rainbow looked across the hall, she found her friend Twilight trying, with all her might, to break Princess Luna's magic field. 

Spike was curled up in a ball crying and muttering, “It's not fair...”

"Spike, what's happening with Twilight and why did Princess Luna put up a magic field around that room?" Rainbow asked the weeping drake, only to see him cry harder and louder like one expect from a small child.

“Luna, let me in right now!" screamed Twilight at the locked door. She had had enough and began casting a counter-spell that would make the field allow ponies in but not out.

“Twilight, what’s happening and what happened to Princess Luna that she won't let you check in on her?" Rainbow walked in front of Twilight, not moving from the spot until she would spill the beans.

"Rainbow, I don’t have time for that! Right now, Rafael is fighting for his life in the operation room!" Twilight shouted at Rainbow Dash and moved her with a levitation spell. Rarity heard everything and walked to Spike, nuzzling him so he would calm down.

When Twilight came inside the room, she saw the Princess having an argument with a doctor while the other doctors tried to repair Rafael's body and save his life.

"And I told you I don’t care that you are the Princess of the Night! The poor stallion needs us, the ponies that can really help heal his body and after that, his mind!" the doctor shouted at Luna.

"And we told you that there is a dark entity in his mind and if we don't do something, his mind will be forever lost!" Luna shouted back.

Twilight approached them and joined the argument until, suddenly, the rest of the doctors all started to scream and panic. Rafael’s body began spasming and foam came out of his mouth while tears of blood came out of his eyes. Luna quickly came to Rafael and started chanting an old forbidden spell.

"Whatever you're doing, get away from him! I told you we…" the doctor was silenced by Twilight with a stern look.

When Luna finished with the spell, she turned into mist and entered Rafael through his ears.

-------------------- Rafael's dream--------------------

"What did you say?" Rafael asked the small colt, looking at him like he just kicked a puppy.

"Please dad, don't go there. There’s still a way, just please don't…" and before the colt could finish a scaly hand came out of the mirror, caught the colt and dragged him inside. 

"Hey, wait!" Rafael screamed. 

But it was pointless,the colt had already passed through the mirror. When Rafael tried to follow him, he found that he was denied access. 

“Looks like I need to get back down," Rafael said.

However, as he came out of the room, he noticed that all the rooms were gone and were replace by the mirrors that were in them. When he looked back, he saw that the room he was in became a window that showed that day had suddenly turned to night. As Rafael looked down the staircase, he saw that the lobby's floor was replaced with a huge mouth. The tongue was the staircase. 

From the mouth, Rafael could hear a dark, bone-chilling voice that reminded him the siren that took control of his body, "Come over here..."

'Damn it, stop,' Rafael lost the ability to speak and could only mentally scream.

When he reached the mouth and passed through it, the mouth closed and sealed Rafael within. At first. Rafael couldn't see what was in front of him. He started walking in a straight line, going deeper and deeper towards the darkness while the same voice called to him.

As Rafael's sense of time went and his fear started to take over, he became paranoid. He started to see things in the darkness, to hear other voices. He suddenly stop and for the first time in what seemed like ages, he saw light from above.

At first, he had to cover his eyes from the blinding light. but as time went on, his eyes adjusted to the light. He could see what stood in the middle of it and what he saw surprised him. Above him, wearing a golden dress, was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She descended to the floor and reached out towards Rafael. He could feel his heart begin to beat faster and faster as he looked at her enchanting brown eyes, her silky smooth brown hair and her perfect curves. 

"Come over here," she said with a gentle voice, making Rafael forget the colt's warning.

As she and him came closer to each other, he instinctively brought his lips to hers, not noticing as the lights began going dim. As their lips came to only an inch away, a blue beam separated them. Luna suddenly emerged from the darkness.

"Stay away from him, foul creature!" Luna screamed, shooting a blue beam from her horn at the girl, revealing her true self.

Rafael saw as the girl’s silky smooth skin started to decay. Her hair began falling off. Her beautiful brown eyes replaced with empty blood oozing sockets.  Finally, her golden dress turned into shredded white dress with blood stains. In her hands, a bloody ax emerged. The once beautiful girl was now a demon and began swinging her ax at Rafael.

In a deep voice, she shouted, "HIS TIME HAS COME! DON’T INTERFERE!" 

Seeing the creatures true form shocked Rafael back to his senses, regaining control of himself and dodging her swing in the last moment.

"What happened? What happened to me?!" Rafael panicked while Luna started charging another spell.

The demon knew what Luna was trying to do and began focusing on her. 

"YOU WILL NOT CHEAT DEATH!" the demon shouted as Luna teleported herself and Rafael out of the castle.

"Why didn't you get us out of here?" Rafael asked Luna.

"It does only take one touch for her to get us."

"What do you mean us?"

"Here we are linked. If one of us meets their end, the other suffer for that. Usually we can go into dreams and come out with no problem, but when the one dreaming is fighting Death, the caster of the dream spell becomes linked," Luna explained as the demon emerged from the castle.

Suddenly the moon started to glow crimson and the dark skies became blood red.

"I WILL NOT ALLOW SUCH INSOLENCE!" the demon said as she flew through the sky, her ax now replaced by a staff. 

As she pointed the staff at Rafael and Luna, it started to glow a dark color as green lightning bolts ran through it. 

"SCATTER!" the demon shouted and from the clouds dozens upon dozens of spears rained down upon them.

"Stallion, don’t move!" Luna screamed as she put on a shield around them that incinerated every spear that came close. 

"Listen young one, if you want to see the moon another day, you have to slay the demon" Luna said to Rafael.

"Why me? You have magic!" 

"Because only the dreamer can beat Death!" Luna screamed as she teleported away before Death could touch them.

"So how exactly do I do that? it's not like I can shoot magic beams like you! I don't have any experience in fighting like that!"

The demon found them and ran towards them, shouting, "YOU CANNOT ESCAPE DEATH!"

"I have an idea! You will use your magic to take most of the heat, while I start to try to stab her with one of those spears! What do you think?"

"Sounds fine to me," Luna said as she used a fireball spell at the demon only to cast it aside with the back of its hand.

"YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONGER THAN DEATH?!" the demon began going after Luna, bringing back the ax and swinging at her only to be countered with an earth shield that came from the ground.

The demon then made a tornado that sucked most of the spears and directed it at Luna. Luna couldn't move. She had put herself under a gravity spell so she wouldn't get sucked into the tornado.

"NO FORCE IN THE WORLD IS STRONGER THAN DEATH! JUST GIVE IN!" the demon laughed at Luna, not noticing the spear that flew at her, piercing her heart.

"You’re right. There is no force stronger than Death," Rafael said as the demon spat black blood on the ground and collapsed.

-------------Operation room week 2 day 4----------

Twilight and Spike couldn't believe it. After 3 days of fighting for his life, he finally started to awaken.

"W-where am I?" Rafael asked as the purple dragon jumped to his lap and hugged him and the pony princess.

"You are in Ponyville’s hospital" Twilight told him and just began sobbing into his chest as he resisted giving an adorable moan.

-----------------Ever free forest------------

"So death failed me," a sinister voice said from the shadows.
"Well, no matter. The boy will be mine, right, my pets?" six Timberwolves cried in pain as their bodies began to deform  and a dark, sinister laughter echoed through the woods. 
> 6) Broken Spirit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

writer: tomer3392
proofreader:rhinotaz

-------------Operation room-week 2, day 4----------

Twilight and Spike couldn't believe it. After 3 days of fighting for his life, he finally started to awaken, when he opened his eyes the first thing he saw was the pony and dragon that took him in and treated him as their own.

"W-where am I?" Rafael asked as the purple dragon jumped to his lap and hugged him, and so did the pony princess.

"You are in Ponyville’s hospital" Twilight told him and just began sobbing into his chest as he resisted giving an adorable moan.

Rafael wanted to return the hug to his close friends that stayed by his side, he wanted to stand and walk back to the library and start everything fresh.

But there was one problem that stopped him from doing all that, his left leg wasn't responding and his right one brought him massive pain when he tried to move it.

Rafael started to freak out, every time he started to crane his neck to see the damage his vision got blocked off by Twilight with the help of Spike, "Twilight, why is my right hand hurting so much, and what happened to my leg? I can't move it!!"

Twilight feared that moment, the moment she had to tell the truth, the moment everything would change, "Rafael, I am so sorry, It’s a miracle by itself that you are alive, but…"

"No, Twilight, please don’t say what I think you’re going to say", Spike still holding his body down in an attempt to block his vision.

"When the wolves bit you, their jaws punctured your bones and relished a powerful venom that makes the bones fragile and as time pass on they will eventually become useless , I'm sorry" Twilight only could imagine what was running in Rafael's head.

After Rafael heard Twilight's explanation, he felt the same as when he got to Equestria, he felt that all his world was coming down in flames, only this time he couldn't hide it like last time.

Pretty soon he started to tear up, and as much as he wanted to hide that, he couldn't "Twilight, Spike, please leave me some space, I want to be alone right now" Rafael said with a raspy voice, as he felt his throat ache.

"Rafael please don't …" Spike didn't get his chance to finish as Twilight and him teleported back to the library.

Rafael broke down completely after his friends left, it was too much for him. 

Everything was going too fast, first there was the possibility that his good friends were hurt or worse, he was stuck in a strange land that looked and felt like a children cartoon, he looked like he got out from the show "Attack On Titan" (his eyes took about 20% of his face, his hair resembled a coconut hair cut and his forehead took more space on his face) he was almost killed by a savage mutant wolf. And now he lost the ability to walk.

-----------------Golden oaks-------------------

"Twilight, what was that for? Right now Rafael need us more than ever!!" Spike yelled at Twilight, angry at her for leaving Rafael at that state, "Hay, are you listening to me?".

Twilight wasn't listening to Spike, she was too busy writing seven letters,  "Spike! I want you to send this to all the Elements of Harmony to look after Rafael".

"And the last one?" Spike stopped yelling at Twilight, after he understood that Twilight had a plan.

"For the princess of course, pack your things Spike, we’re going to find a cure for Rafael's body!" Twilight said as she put her saddlebag on, and Spike started to fill up a suitcase with Twilight's unfinished book and also a "Naughty book" in a secret compartment for his "me time".

And so, Twilight and her number one assistant went on a quest to save their new friend.

------------Ponyville’s hospital - week 3, day 5-------------

It had been eight days since Rafael's break down, and with the help of the best doctors Ponyville had to offer, he was on his way to discharge from the hospital in a wheelchair.

Rafael didn't speak to anypony, his face didn't show pain or sadness, to a stranger it would have seemed that Rafael accepted his predicament and looked normal but to somepony that knew him a little, what he showed was the opposite.

As Rafael moved the wheelchairs with its magic crystal controller to the library. On his way he saw how the ponies of Ponyville all looked at him with pity and sadness he started to feel angry but most of all he felt worthless.

As he came closer to the library, Confidence was already crushed, and he felt as fragile as a newborn on his first day.

When he got to the library he lifted his left hand to knock on the door so Twilight would open the door for him, but before he got the chance to the door opened for him, and the last pony he wanted to see at that moment was standing before him.

"What's up?" Rainbow asked Rafael with a look he never thought he would see from her: gratitude.

Rafael didn't answer her, he just rolled in without even giving her a glance.

"So I heard what you did for the CMC, it…was…awesome, I…"

"Why are you here?" Rafael didn't have patience for anyone, especially not her.

"Well, Twilight is off to do something concerning the princess, and she asked me to watch over the house until she gets back, and also I'm sorry for how I treated you”.

"So when will she get back?"

"I don't know" Rainbow could still hear the venom in his voice, even after she apologized.

"I said I'm sorry, didn't you hear that?" Rainbow asked Rafael, as he started to roll out of the house.

"Yes" was all Rafael said as he still was getting out of the house.

"So, we're cool?" Rainbow asked and Rafael turned around to answer her.

"No Rainbow were not cool" Rafael said in a cold voice without hesitation.

"But why not?" Rainbow was hurt, and she wanted an explanation from him.

"Why should I? Give one good reason to forgive you, because until now, you did nothing except accuse me, and beat me up" Rafael said to her, as he started to heat up.

Rainbow was in shock, she didn't have a comeback for his answer, and without noticing Rafael was already out of the house.

As he rolled down the street his mind was riddled with thoughts about his situation, not noticing the little pink perky pony walking beside him with a wide smile.

"Hi! So, why the long face?" Pinkie surprised Rafael and started to bounce around him asking questions about some sort of welcome party, and as she went on her voice only Irritated Rafael more and more.

"Pinkie, I would appreciate it if you didn’t make me a party, now it's not the time for that" Rafael said to her, trying his best to not show her or the town people that he was suffering physically and emotionally.

"Ha, you’re right, it's too late for a party right now, but I know what is appropriate right now" Pinkie with her happy voice said as she started to gallop towards Sugar Cube Corner.

Rafael continued to roll without a distention throughout Ponyville, he just wanted to go back to the days when his friends and him would hang out, when he could trust them to help him in his time of need, he wanted to go back home to his family but most of all he wanted to stop being alone.

------------Sugar Cube Corner---------------

Pinkie started to bounce in excitement all over the bakery hanging decorations and making snacks and beverages all over the place 'he must like surprise parties, I mean there’s no way that somepony doesn’t want a Pinkie party' Pinkie thought to herself as Rainbow sat depressed in the corner with a milkshake.

"Rainbow why so blue?" Pinkie asked Rainbow.

Rainbow tried to remain calm but it was all for naught, Pinkies infectious smile and her bubbly voice and on top of all that her question couldn't stop her from snickering a little.

"Ok Pinkie I will tell you, me and Rafael had a fight in the morning, and he won't forgive me even after I apologize" Rainbow said with a sad voice.

“Oh silly Rainbow, of course he will forgive, he forgave me didn't he?" Pinkie told Rainbow eight days after she met him of how she and Rafael started on the wrong hoof, how Rafael accused her of giving him a rape drug  and after she explained that was for his own good so he wouldn't damage his body any further.

"Anyway, why did you have that cupcake from the first place?" Rainbow asked and suddenly she started to shiver and she saw the most disturbing smile in front of her.

"Why is every pony always asking that? Anyway I will ask you what I ask the others, do you really want to know?"

"N-no" Rainbow stammered in fear. For some reason she felt like she just was saved from a fate worse from death "Anyway my situation is different. Unlike you Pinkie I hurt him accused him, and ruined every chance I got to make amends, and now I fear that it is too late to fix the damage that I did" Rainbow said as tears started to fall from her and Pinkie.

"Rainbow, it's true that you hurt him but I think that Rafael will forgive you. I mean you did apologize and never in Equestria history somepony held a grudge, because there is always a happy ending, maybe today he is angry, but some day, if you give him more time I'm sure he will forgive you, now if you excuse me I have a party to plan. 

---------------Carousel Boutique---------------

Rarity was working in her work room trying to make the next big thing in fashion but no matter how many times she tried the clothes always came out in a form that only was useable to a diamond dog, a minotaur or a human.

After what happened to her sister and her friends Rarity didn't know what to think, on one side Rafael was the same brute that culled her precious home a dump and was rude from the beginning.

And on another side he saved her only sister. She was confused, as a mare it was her job to apologize to the stallion, and she wanted to start over but she still felt that he held resentment towards her.

She wanted to take her mind off of him, even when he wasn't beside her making her go over the deep end he still found a way to disturb her rotting.

She started to look out the window, looking at the crowd below walking between the many stalls of products Ponyville had to offer, and as luck would have it she saw him in his dreaded hospital dress rolling aimlessly between the crowd and she had an idea.

'If I give him all the clothes I made he will forgive me, I mean those are the kind of things that always worked on Spike, then we will be friends, and I won't need to feel bad for how I acted, and I could go back to make the clothes I was destined to make, Rarity you're a genius!' Rarity thought to herself not knowing that right now was the worst time to try to make amends.

As she approach him she started to regret coming to him at that moment but her pride as a mare didn't let her return because it's the mare's reasonability to protect the stallion and she still needed to apologize to him.

When she got to him she wanted to start apologizing but the moment he looked at her she wanted to go back to her bed and hide under the covers, his stare was enough to kill a lesser mare. 

"What do you want?" Rafael asked in a static voice, not showing his true emotions.

"I want to apologize and to thank you for saving my little sister" It took every ounce of courage just to make that sentence and she didn’t know how she would took her plan into action if she was too afraid to speak to him like another pony.

"Take a number" Rafael said and again started to go without direction.

"No, wait!" Rarity spoke, she knew the moment he disappeared from her sight she would never have the courage to speak with him again.

"What?!" Rafael screamed back, for a moment showing his true feelings.

"Look, Rafael. I know that we got off on the wrong hoof –"

"Foot"

"Foot… We got off on the wrong foot, but all I want to do is start over and become friends." Rarities simply said and showed him the clothes she make for him.

"Just drop them in the library" he returned to his static voice "and… I will think about it" he said as he again started to go in a random direction.

That wasn't the answer she was expecting, usually when a pony apologized they get forgiveness and forget that the incident ever happened, but this? This was something else she never encountered, but deep down she know that Rafael had something else on his mind, and it would not be wise to pursue him any further.

So she went back to her boutique to get the rest of the clothes for Rafael.

-----------Applejack Apple stand------------

As Applejack was selling Apples she tried to find in the crowd a special pony, or more exactly a special human, she knew that today Rafael would be discharged from the hospital.
As much as she wanted to visit him and thank him for what he did it was apple bucking season and she couldn't just leave the farm no matter what she felt.

As her hopes to see him that day disappeared and left big guilt in her heart, suddenly between the crowds she saw him, but she never imagined him in that condition.

It only took her one glance towards his eyes to see his real feelings, and all she wanted to say to him at that time was gone, there wasn't anything to say, his eyes said it all, and as he passed her without even giving her a glance, tears came to her eyes, and now she felt guilt for another reason completely.

-----------Fluttershy cottage---------

Rafael drove through the streets of Ponyville for hours in the dark, without a destination. Alone with only his thoughts of better times, as he stopped in front of the same forest that took everything from him.

He felt his emptiness and rage inside his heart turn into great sadness, and no matter how much he fought it he started weeping again.

"R-Rafael is that you?" a gentle and kind voice spoke to Rafael instantly making him look at the direction of the voice only to find Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy, why are you so close to this forest, it's dangerous here" Rafael said, acting like he didn't just cry.

It would have worked if the fresh streaks of tears were wiped from his face and his voice sounded like he didn’t had a drink in days.

Fluttershy quickly without warning started to hug Rafael and whisper to him like a mother would for her child.

At first he wanted to push her away, but for some reason he felt safe, he felt like it would all be okay in the end. He was confused, it was like she could talk to him in a language he never heard before but somehow he knew that language was universal, that it didn't matter if you never in your life listened or heard of it.

As he returned the hug back the only words he could make were "thank you".

"So, now that you are feeling better do you want to talk to me? What's bothering you?" Fluttershy asked, already knowing from looking at him that it was a big part of his distress.

"What’s there to say? I was thrown to a strange different world and possibly another dimension altogether, not knowing if the guys that I would call brothers are okay, or not, getting into a life threatening situation one after the next, my body is broken, and I feel more alone then I ever felt in my life!"

Rafael lost himself as he for some reason told that to Fluttershy, a pony that to him was just like all the others - complete strangers. Yet he felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders too, it didn't change his situation but he felt a lot better.

"You are not alone" Fluttershy said in the same kind and gentle voice as before.

"Wh- What do you mean I'm not alone?" Rafael was confused and it didn't help him with his mental state.

"You are not alone Rafael, we are your friends, for better and for worse, and before you talk hear me out. I don't know how it is in your world but here we trust one another. Even if we know each other for less than a day we can already call ourselves friends, and even if you don’t see that, you already did what many won't, you protected us and the ones important to us, you helped us work and you know almost everything about us. And if that means we are not friends I don't know what it does" 

After Fluttershy finished her speech Rafael was lost for words, he did protect the kids when they were in trouble, he did help Applejack with her farm, and he knew about the adventures of all of them.

And that's not all, they helped him regain his strength, when he was broken they picked up the pieces, and even now they tried to help him.

He was not alone from the start, the ponies helped him and stood by his side when he needed them most.

"Thank you. You're right, I'm not alone" Rafael said as he broke the hug "Fluttershy, I'm going back and I would appreciate it if you helped me, you see I'm too tired to go back to the library and the Crystal moves on solar energy"

"Of course I will help you" Fluttershy said as she and Rafael started to come back to town.

----------Golden oaks------------

As Rafael and Fluttershy went throughout  Ponyville they talked about themselves, well mostly Fluttershy when he touched the subject of animals.

As they got closer to the library, Fluttershy saw that the library was dark and she knew what was coming next, she wanted to tell Rafael but she didn't want to ruin the surprise.

As she opened the door for Rafael she heard and saw exactly what she expected, it was a "SURPRISE!!!"

Rafael almost jumped from his wheelchair, he wanted to strangle the pink menace, until he saw what happened to the library. 

The place was decorated with balloons and streamers, where once stood the living room table with the wired horse head was now a giant snack bar, filled with pastries, and in the background was a happy party music, finally when he looked up he saw a giant colorful banner that said "WELCOME TO PONYVILLE/HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER PART"

His eyes started to sting and for the first time in weeks he felt truly happy.

"What's the matter with the banner? I know it isn't complete but they ran out of room to write it" Pinkie’s hair deflated and all the five ponies' ears fell down flat against their heads.

When Rafael noticed that he started to chuckle "No Pinkie, nothing is wrong, in fact I don’t remember when I ever cried from joy" Rafael said and in an instant, everypony in the room smiled again.

'Seems like I'm really not alone. Guys I know it will take a while, but I promise I will return, and don’t worry, it’s not so bad here' Rafael thought to himself as he and the rest started to enjoy the party.
> 7) Cantarlot part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

writer: tomer3392
proofreader:rhinotaz

-----------Negev desert, Rafael age 15, 2:00 AM----------

It was the Gibson's annual family camping.

Rafael, his friends and family decided that that year they would camp in the desert.

Rafael woke up from his nightmare needing a drink, he got out of his tent to the food container to get a soft drink, and there he found his close friends laying on the ground and gazing at the beautiful night sky.

"What are you doing out here?" Rafael asked as Tommy gave Rafael a hand signal to come sit with them.

"Not much. just looking at the sky" Idan answered with his juvenile happy voice.

"what is so interesting about the…" Rafael didn't finish his sentence as he looked at god's endless canvas, not like back home where the lights of Tel-Aviv didn’t block the stars, what resulted in one of the most beautiful sights one could ever witness.

"Come, sit with us" Tommy said as Rafael sat between them, still mesmerized looking straight at the night sky.

Rafael felt at peace, he felt happy, he and his friends just laid there not uttering a word because none was needed, the sight before the boys said it all.

"Tommy… I think it's the time to tell him" Idan said to Tommy, as they both shared a glance.

"you're right the time has come" said Tommy.

"What time?" asked Rafael confused from the quick shift of atmosphere, starting to think that his friends were moving away or god forbid sick.

"Me and Tommy will move away, in the end of this summer and I and Tommy thought that right now it is the time for us to tell you " Idan said, it took the eleven year old everything to not start crying while Tommy hid his expression by looking at the sky above.

"So this is our last trip together?" Rafael half asked half declared.

But a moment after that Tommy brought out something unexpected it was a knife and said "Let's make a blood pact, that from this day on no matter what happen, we will look out for each other, and until the end of time we will be brothers" Tommy said as he looked at the surprised faces of his friends.

"Ok I agree, let's do this" Rafael said as Idan nodded his head up and down as a sign of agreement.

First Tommy cut the tip of his thumb and showed it to his comrades, and after a couple of seconds the others did the same "Brothers?" Tommy said as he and the others pressed their bleeding thumbs against each other.

"Brothers!" they all screamed together.

-----------Equestria, week 3, day 2-----------

"Aaaarrrrrrhhhhhh!" Rafael screamed at the top of his lungs, as he felt massive pain all over his body, every day it only got worse. 

As of now he got to the last stage of the venom, where all the bones in his body would start to decay, his muscles felt heavy and his nerves were all fired up, it was a miracle he was even conscious.

The only thing that helped him go through the day were the pills that were given to him by the hospital, that were supposed to help deal with his pain.

One of the five ponies that were starting to become more than strangers to him came every morning to give him his pills, and help him do things that at the time with his broken body he  couldn't.

That day it was Rarity's turn to help Rafael, but unlike the others she had a letter with her, as she entered Rafael's room she could hear his screams of pain.

Rafael settled down, “screaming in agony is bad to the skin” Rarity said with her stuck up voice, "now, where did pinkie leave the pills, I remember one time…"

"S-shut up!!!  Just give me the goddamn pills!!!"  Rafael screamed, he didn't have the patience to deal with her at that moment the only thing that he could hear was himself scream from agonizing pain "Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrhhhhhhh".

"Rafael I know that right now you are filed with mind numbing pain darling, but you don't need to be that rude" Rarity said as she started to search the piles in his cabinet near his bed "ha, found it!" Rarity shouted as she lifted a comically large pill in her hooves, "Now open up wide".

As Rafael swallowed the bitter pill he started to feel the effect of the pile starting to kick in, Rarity could only look in wonder as the once angry and bitter man, transformed into a blabbering mass of droll and laughter, in short Rafael became high out of his ass.

'oh, I almost forget about the letter' Rarity quickly brought it to Rafael to read but instantly regretted that choice as he would most likely chew the letter to a ball of muss 'Yeah not, my brightest moment, maybe it will be better if I read it to him'

"Dear Rafael, if you read this letter that means that I'm close to the cure or we are running out of time, anyway I put a spell on this letter that will show up if one of those occurrences comes to pass, I must implore you to not lose fate, and start to head to Canterlot where I currently reside"

After Rarity finished reading the letter, she brought out six tickets for the Friendship Express, showing it to Rafael, hoping to get some sort of reaction from him, but unfortunately or fortunately depending on how one saw it, he was too far at that moment to be reached, because if he could have reacted, the letter would have brought him hope, hope that would have broke him completely if that last resort would have failed.

Rarity started gently levitating Rafael to his wheelchair, to collect the rest of the girls, so they all could be able to share the happiness of their friend, or once again they would have to see him broken down, only this time for good.

---------------- Friendship Express station, 9 hours later------------

The girls waited patiently for the train to arrive, almost all of them discussing their plans while Applejack watched from the side lines, how once the proud human that vowed to return to his home one day, became nothing more than an empty shell, and in her heart she blamed herself for that.

As she started to move towards him she heard Pinkie call for her "Applejack! Why are you so quiet and not happy for Rafael, he will get his body back to what it was" she said happily, trying to hide her fear for what the rest of the letter said.

"Ah just can't Pinkie, the one that was suppose to be there is me not him, Ah wasn’t suppose to be the one too…" Applejack didn't have the chance to finish the sentence, as she and rest heard the loud whistle of the train coming from the distance.

"All aboard!!!" the train's conductor yelled as the serenading ponies started to gather in a straight line giving him the train tickets.

As the group entered the train with the rest of the crowd, six shadows came out of the darkness and with a blinding speed fused with the wood of the train, waiting for the right time to strike.

The pills started to wear off and Rafael started to feel clearly again, but unfortunately the pain gradually comes with it and in a couple of hours Rafael would need to take them again.

As he started to look at his surroundings, he started to understand that he was not in the library anymore but inside a train for some reason.

It would have seemed that he was in the business class cart, because of the fancy surroundings, the decorative bunks with the carving of the princesses cutie marks, the golden framed windows and a mirror beside every bunk bed, so the nobles could flatter themselves by telling themselves they are above anypony around them, and please don’t forget the classical music that was heard true out the cabin, and the way ponies acted and looked.  

And when he looked at the other passengers hoping to see a familiar face, he saw no one. Only the nobles that stared at him with disgusted looks, not known to him that all his friends at that time were staying in the back with all the other commoners.

Rafael was confused and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't remember because he was too wasted at the time ‘Damn it! Blasted pills, no matter now it's not the time to get angry, I need to find the others and get away from this snobs fast before I blow my brain’s out’ Rafael hands started to shake and he knew that it was the first Sign to the pain to come 'I don't have much time, I need another pill. No I want it!' Rafael screamed in his mind as he started to sweat like a pig.

As Rafael moved with his wheelchair towards the door to the other cabin he started to hear bit and pieces of the discussing of his friends "You sure that Twilight…can't help him?" said a voice that most likely was Fluttershy's.

"Darling, all I know from the letter is…there is a big chance he will never be the same again" After Rafael heard what Rarity said he started to feel sick, and the feelings of dread started to come out of him, he started to push the door with his wheelchair a bit so he could hear their talk more clearly.

"Then we will help him, even if he can't wipe his own ass, we will help him go through this!" Rafael heard the brash voice of Rainbow and her words were like Steven knife riddling him with holes again.

'It can't be I will be strapped to this fucking chair all my life?! Will I be so useless that I need help just to live?! Did I do something to deserve this?!' Rafael mind was riddled with questions and none of them were good, and as time went on, he felt himself falling again to depression and doubts.

"No, I can't let myself think like that, I'm sure Twilight will find a solution, I'm sure of it "He started to roll back to where he waked up, not having the courage to face anyone of his friends, he just looked at the floor not blinking. Hunted by the things to come.

----------Canterlot Castle a day before-------

Twilight looked everywhere, she went to the library reading the old tomes and scrolls in hope of finding a cure but it was only a waste of time, when she started to work on a solution of her own she found that the venom itself was not responding to unicorn magic, and even if at that moment she was an alicorn, her body still didn't adept to her new abilities.

As she felt the time ticking away and her choices limited she had only one more thing for her to try, asking help from the Princess.

At that moment she stood at the throne room with her old mentor hoping that she would help her find a solution.

"Princess I…"

"Twilight, you know that as of your ascension we are equals, you don't need to keep formal with me" Celestia said with her trademark kind and knowing smile to her old student.

"Sorry Celestia. It's still hard for me to see you more than a teacher, not that I only think of you that way" Twilight said, as Celestia laughed a little, showing that it was alright and she understood that it would take time for Twilight to cast aside her old habits.

"So Twilight, I take it you want to ask me of a favor?"

"Oh yes it's very important! You see there is someone very important to me that needs my help and I…"

"Wait, some-one?" Celestia never heard of that term, usually ponies and other beings regard themselves as somepony, griffon and even monkey, but she had never heard of the term someone.

At that moment thoughts of why Luna knew about Rafael's existence and not Celestia came to her mind, she did send two letters for both princesses so Why didn't Celestia know about Rafael?

"Yes. About that, for the past three weeks I befriended an alien from another dimension named Rafael, that found himself stranded on Equis for two years, and now his life is in danger because he was beaten by Timberwolves in the process of saving three school fillies with his bare hands alone" Twilight explained to her mentor as her face only showed confusion "And… he is a nice guy?" Twilight said in a shy voice that would make Fluttershy proud.

At that moment the throne room became quiet as both parties stared in to each other's eyes waiting for a reaction to come from any of them.

"Twilight you know our rules when it comes to stallion's right?" Celestia's voice was filled with sorrow is she still wore her trademark smile, nothing of Twilight's story seemed to faze her and the way she talked now was like she had been told the same story again and again.

"But he’s not even from Equis! You can't let him die!" Twilight shouted at Celestia.

"Hold your tongue Twilight, because I never said anything about letting him die" Celestia raised her voice at Twilight and after Twilight calmed down she continued with her speech.

"Even if he’s not a pony he is still a male, and males are something we are severely lacking right now, I will cure him enough that he can do basic movement and walk again" Celestia tried to find the right words to sugar coat what she wanted to say but she couldn't find any so she told Twilight the truth "but not enough to run and work on his own, he like all the males of this kingdom will stay and raise a family, and even when his time to returns come I will not let it, it is for his own good because if I give him full control over his body he will hurt himself"

"Who are you to alter his life like that, he is my friend and I will never allow this" Twilight again screamed at her old mentor.

At that point Celestia patience grew  thin and out from nowhere all the windows in the room shattered, her eyes glowing with unnatural orange and her hair no more was in the colors of the rainbow but a blue flames, and where her hooves touched started to burn and go up in flames.

"I'm the raiser of the sun!!! I for generations watched over Equestria, keeping it safe like it was my own child, and even if I need to destroy the life of one individual, I know that by that I help keeping countless others safe, this is the rule of the Princess to keep Equestria safe at all cost" Celestia used the Canterlot voice with tears in her eyes "Even if I hate myself afterwards" she said in a half whisper.

Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing, even if the justice was on her side she knew that Celestia was right, she for over a thousand years had to rule alone, she had to carry the weight of millions of fates on her shoulders, and it wasn't or would be the last time she would need to make a heart breaking decision.

"I'm sorry, I'm sure he will understand and see it from your point of view”.

As Twilight started on her walk back to her chambers, a diamond dog entered the throne room.

Celestia had to get out of her depression and go back to her usual self as the representative of the Abyss kingdom entered with great news.

As he bowed before her he took a scroll from his backpack and started to read "Oh great ruler of the sun. It is I, King Aizan, with news regarding the annual peace talks we do every one hundred years, unfortunately I will not take part of it tomorrow for reasons I can't tell but my son will come to visit your beautiful land, he is a little cocky and he has yet lots to learn but I'm sure he will accomplish the job as I would if not better" as the messenger finish reading his king’s words he waited for Celestia's response.

"Very well, tomorrow peace talks will be continued by King Aizan's son" Celestia declared, and the messenger started to head back.

It took Celestia a couple of seconds to notice she didn't take the Prince’s name "for the love of mother!" it wasn't Celestia's day, that was for sure.

------------- Equestria, Canterlot, week 3, day 2----------

Rafael woke up from his slumber when he heard the whistle of the train, he knew that meant that the train would stop soon.

'That's strange, I didn't have a nightmare, why is that?' When he looked at the rest of the cabin he saw that the rest of the passengers still slept peacefully.

He looked out of the window to see a new environment, no more the great plains and forests were before him, but a giant city that was built on the side of a mountain, reaching to the heavens with golden spiraling towers.

Three weeks ago he would have believe that a sight like that only belonged in wondrous fairy tales and legends, but at that moment he knew that what was impossible before now, before his eyes, was actually reality. 

"Beautiful, isn’t it?" Rafael would have jumped out of his chair if he could, when he looked back to see who spoke him he saw five kind smiles before him.

"Welcome to Canterlot Rafael!!!" Pinkie with her go lucky voice said to Rafael and the only thing he could do was smile back and look at the top of the city with determination. Straight at the castle that held his very fate. 
> Cantarlot part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Written by tomer3392
proofread by rhinotaz

As Rafael waited for all the ponies to get their luggage, he started to think about the conversation he overheard the day before ‘What if I am really stuck like that? Not even a month has passed and I'm already one foot in the grave, this trip has to work! It just haves to!!!’ Rafael thought to himself, as Pinkie started to head his way with a glass of water and a pill.

"Here you go!!!" Pinkie watched as Rafael swallowed the pills and before the effect started to surface she wanted to say something to him "Oh and this pill is weaker, the effect will start to weaken in four to five hours, so don't worry. When we reach the castle talking to the princesses will not be a problem, okay?" Pinkie said as Rafael started to drool all over the floor with a goofy smile 'I’ll take that as a yes', she thought.

Pinkie returned to the group, discussing the plan for that day.

"So the pill’s effect will wear off in four hours, and we can't take the carriage because it's dangerous to Rafael" Pinkie said as all of her friend stared at her, this was one of those rare times Pinkie actually acted rationally, almost as much as the lavender member of the group.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's move out of here and find a cure for Rafael" Rainbow’s brash voice was heard, as she and the rest started to move, Rafael’s chair being pushed along by Applejack.

Not known to them, six figures watched from the shadows of an alley near the train station forming a sinister plan "Seems like it will be easier than I thought" the voice came from a bipedal form, to the agreement of five large wolf like shapes, that waited in the shadows for their right time to strike.

"ggggrrrrrr!" one of the figures started to snarl and growl as he saw a guard and a little Pegasus colt walking beside her, coming close to a point they could spot them, and instantly all the five did the same.

"I agree, we haven’t had the chance to enjoy the succulent flesh of a pony in a long time, so what are you waiting for my friends? Dig in". Said the creature as he watched as his five companions got out from the shadows onto the empty streets.

It was a fine day to spend time with the kids, seldom do a guardspony get a day off, but she had finally gotten one, and she couldn't be happier, Flavor Happy and her son Chocolate Happy, decided to visit the community park, while her husband stayed at home in the kitchen making her a sandwich.

"So mom, can I go to Loving Book’s party tomorrow? I heard her mom got her a clown for her birthday!" the excited colt happily bounced around his mother, as she wore a kind smile just happy to spend some time with her precious son.

"Of course not" Flavor happily said as her son stopped bouncing with a heart broken face, and tears already starting to well up in his eyes, only for the look to turn into one of confusion at seeing his mother start laughing like a mad mare "N-not without a present of course"

It took Chocolate a couple of seconds to figure out that his mother was only messing with him, but when he understood he and his mother started to laugh together, until out of nowhere a dark and sinister voice was heard from the shadows "mind if my friends share the moment?" as noises that oddly were like of a wolf were heard.

"Chocolate, stay back!!" the mother shouted at her son as she drew her sword and flexed her earth pony muscles, as her son used his wings to get to a fair distance from the ground.

"Oh, how rude of me I didn't introduce them, you know what I'll let them introduce themselves, you can come out now!!!" the voice said, as moments later five wolves came out of the shadows, as Flavor started to feel herself tense and sweat as she looked upon her attackers.

"What kind of unholy creation are you?" she said, as she looked upon the features of the wolves, all five of them were as big as an alpha and rose one head taller than her, their wood was blacker than the night, and their fangs not like the rest of their kind was out of sharp rocks, as their drool was like acid and melted everything the substance landed upon, but their most terrifying and shocking feature was their eyes, not like the rest of their kind they had normal pony eyes, and the only thing she could read from them was rage and hatred.

It was like time had stopped, neither the opposing parties moved from their place waiting until the others would make the first move, the Timber wolves just stared with a sadistic look in their faces, while Flavor started to think of a plan, barely breathing as the standoff continued for a couple of moment's.

Suddenly the alley was filled with the whistling of the train, a couple of blocks behind them, and in a blink of an eye both sides engage one another in battle, the five wolves moved as a group while Flavor used all her experience from the royal guard and her natural earth pony strength to cause a miniature tremor by slamming her hooves at the ground, which caused three Timberwolves to lose balance and fall to the ground.

"Good, now follow the birdy!" Flavored taunted them, as she started to run from alley to alley to a place she knew she could have an advantage, and also to separate the wolves to a smaller group so the battle would go easier for her, as she went near the place that would turn into the battle ground, she started to form a smile 'good, almost there' she thought as she entered a construction site and entered a half-finished building as two of the Timber wolves were snarling and howling to pinpoint their location to the other three.

The inside of the building was filled with pipes that were meant for sewage and drinking water, and in the four corners of the building and in the middle, stood pillars that were meant to hold the structure, and cans of paint were spread everywhere. 

As she looked behind she saw the howling wolves and started forming a plan 'this is bad, if the rest of the pack catches up I'm done for' so she started running head first toward one of the howling wolves and screamed "Come get some!"  With her blade, being held from her mouth, and with one thrust she cut one of the surprised wolf’s head right off while dodging the other.

The second wolf was enraged to say the least, how dare a puny pony hurt his pack member, the wolf like a shark started circling her in the shadows and attacked Flavor in surprise attacks, by ramming in to her with the intention to get a bite, and when she moved he reentered to the circle of shadows, but none would hit because she blocked him, and most of the times she dodged in the last second hoping to do the same and cut his head too, every time as she stood in the middle of the room.

Suddenly she heard howls coming closer with every second and Flavor knew she had to finish the wolf before he got his backup, so this time when he ran at her she started to run straight at him while using her sword thrusting the sword downwards as she was close enough cutting the wolf in half, and running through him, as splinters and blood red gunk was splattered everywhere.

Flavor started to get tired, she needed to catch her breath and in the short time she had to form a plan on how to get out of that mess "Damn, seems like I'm not as young anymore" Flavor talked to no one but to herself, to cool her nerves as she started to look at her surroundings.

'That's weird, usually Timberwolves revive themselves by now, and this is not the only thing that stinks here, their appearance and size is all wrong. And what about this goo?' she thought as she saw the remains of the Timberwolves start to slowly reform.

Suddenly she started to hear angry growls from behind her and in a split second she got knocked to the ground while one of the Timberwolves sank his jaws on her neck, making her scream in pain.

With all of her remaining strength she pushed the wolf from her back making him return to his pack, while the other two already revived and stood with the rest.

"So this is the end? At least Chocolate is ok" Flavor said as the rest of her strength left her looking at the open ceiling at the open sky.

"I'm afraid that little Chocolate wasn't so lucky" said the dark voice from above as the rest of the wolves went quiet letting their master speak.

Suddenly Flavor started to see a form standing from the calling, he was bipedal wearing dark clothes, long dark leather gloves he wore with robes on the rest of the body and a hood that cast a shadow that was black as the night on his face, and the only feature she could recognize from him were his dark red eyes, holding something in his hands.

Suddenly she heard a sickening crack hit the ground and when she looked to where the noise came, she just broke "No, no, noooooo!!!" before her was the severed head of her son painting the ground in red, as his face expression also told her how he felt in his last moments, a face full of pain as the mouth was open like he was screaming and his lifeless eyes were full of dry tears.    

As Flavor heard the creature maniac-like laughter she was filled with rage and as a last act of defiance, like the time before, she stomped the ground with all her strength hoping to bring the building down with the creature and his minions, only to see that nothing happened.

"tch tch tch, is that all? I'm really disappointed, well if you finished it seems like it's my turn" and in a flash his voice changed to a more sinister kind and said "finish her".

Suddenly the wolves started to jump on her starting to devour her alive, reaping her limbs, eating her inwards, and she didn't even blink as the wolves enjoyed their meal, the only thing that her dying body was concentrated on was what was left of her son.

When the deed was done the wolves waited for guidance from their master, and instantly his eyes sparkled showing his sadistic nature even more "You probably ask yourselves what now, right?" what followed next was a nod of agreement from the wolves "Well, now we howl, howl to the wind, so that everypony will hear"

What came next was a like the wind itself obeyed the creature as he rose his hands to the air and in a couple of seconds everypony in the city heard a terrible screech that sounded like somepony screaming and everypony felt like the wind is taking them away like an invisible hurricane guiding them to a goal, and when they reach the screaming really start as thousands of ponies saw the most horrifying thing they ever saw, a half-eaten carcass lying on the ground and near it the head of a foal.

While in the meantime, six shadows jumped from rooftop to rooftop towards the castle, and as the guards in the city searched for the culprit in the area they were already halfway to their finish line.

----------Rafael and the gang, estimate arrival one hour, 14:00 pm---------

The trip took longer than they thought, mainly because of the terrible noise they all heard in the morning, and because they needed to be careful when moving Rafael. Rafael was already beginning to wake up and they still didn't reach the castle.

"Pinkie, how long until we get to the castle? This is boring. A snail is faster than us" Rainbow whined as Pinkie and the rest just continued on their way already tired from explaining to her that they were supposed to be careful because of Rafael. 

But Pinkie knew exactly how to stop Rainbow from asking the same question again and again "I am hilarious, and you will quote everything I say"

After she said that and left Rainbow confused, the only thing she could do that resembled a proper reaction to that was "Wut?" and for the first time in an hour all was quiet, that until everypony's stomach growled in protest from lack of nourishment.

"Well darling I think I speak for all of us when I say that we need to stop and find something to eat for a moment" Rarity said as the four other equines voiced their agreement while Rafael had a different idea.

"For fuck sake you are worse than children! Can't you ponies wait one hour until we get to the castle!? God d-”, a big growl was heard before he could finish and he let off a sigh “never mind" Rafael said as all the ponies started to laugh while Rafael just waited for them to calm down.

But what Rafael didn't take into consideration was that everypony liked something different and a fight broke because of that, it continued until only two ponies argued while the others became too tired to keep arguing, the ones that still fought for supremacy were Pinkie and Rainbow.

"I want to go to a donut shop!!!" Pinkie yelled at Rainbow as her friend responded back in the same manner.

"And I said we go for organic, it's healthier and beside I can't risk losing my shape, I need to always be at my best!!!" Rainbow said as she pressed her muzzle against Pinkie's and they both gave to each other glares full with determination.

That's until Pinkie had an idea "Hey, why not let Rafael decide what we should go for?" Pinkie said as she and Rainbow started to give reasons why he should pick their preferred food.

"Sweets give smiles to everypony and ones, even to Rainbow he-mares" Pinkie said with a smile, as Rainbow held herself as best as she could not to rip Pinkie another hole.

"Organic is good for you and it cleans the body from toxins and gives you energy, not that random bundle of ADD needed that" Rainbow said as a short pause came from lack of response.

Rafael was hungry, tired and grumpy, he wanted nothing more than to give them both the middle finger but because of his condition didn't allow it he did the second best thing "Where can I get some chicken wings?" he said as all the five and the rest of the street stopped and looked at him like he grew a second head.

"What? I saw a few griffons and minotaurs here, so meat shouldn't be too much of a problem" Rafael said as he felt like he would get lynched if he kept talking, that until he felt a hand that gently ruffled his hair.

"Kid if you want meat I know where you can find some" Rafael heard a happy voice that could have rivaled Pinkie’s say behind him, Applejack quickly turned the chair so Rafael could look at who was talking to him and what he saw made him swallow the words from his mouth, a mountain of a minotaur stood in front of him, he had flame red long mane, black eyes and gray fur.

“Of course the information will come with a price" said the walking mountain to Rafael.

"Name it" Rafael said, wanting some meat no matter what the price was, even if it's something little Rafael would fight tooth and nail for something that would remind him of his home, and for a few seconds to forget that he was living in a bad trip.

The rest of the group looked at him like he said the sky was green, even Applejack stopped being depressed for a second from the shock, right then Rafael trusted a total stranger and agreed to do him a favor without even one of his usual grunts or some sort of a smart ass retort.

"Well handsome, I want to hear about you, where you came from, what are you and a little of your origin, in all of my travels I never met a being such as yourself", the group minus Rafael were still in a state of shock from the strangers first words, while Rafael could only think about one thing and that was his precious meat.

"Come kid, we have a lot to discuss" the minotaur said as he started to move from the main street to the alleys, and from there to the commercial district.

As Rafael rolled after him he started to notice that the group was unusually quiet and when he looked back to see who was pushing the chair for him he saw a zebra that had a great bow on his back with the same carvings and two jewels at the tips that held the string of the arrow, the jewels themselves were circular with the same carvings of the minotaur, the only difference was that the zebra's were blue while the minotaur's were brown.

"Who are you, and what happened to the others?" the zebra’s only reply was a bored grunt as he gave Rafael a pink letter with a big happy smiling face with balloons surrounding it in the back.

'Dear Rafael, me and the girls found an awesome-duper-fun place that sells sweets and yucky healthy food to wait until you finish your business with your new friend. Also did you know that if you pick your nose and then put the booger in a glass of soda it tastes like…) at that instant Rafael throw the letter in disgust while for some reason the zebra stopped moving the chair.

And when he strained his neck to look straight he found the most beautiful thing he saw since he got to Equis, a big restaurant with a big sign in shape of a burger that read, "no industrial fat chicks, only quality meat".

"Hey! Over here!" Rafael heard the stranger calling him from the inside, and as Rafael entered he still didn't understand that the meeting with the stranger would change his life in a direction he never dreamed of walking.