//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Strange Encounter // Story: Halo Zone // by Rookie109 //------------------------------// As the morning sunlight shines through the trees, Lee had woken up with muscle cramps from yesterdays hard work, Lee stretched out like a cat to loosen himself up while everyone else started waking up. While the group was taking a moment to stretch themselves out, they suddenly heard some noise, it was close to them, it was the sound of a women screaming, and from the sound of it made it clear that she was in trouble. The women's scream had woken the whole camp up ready and alert for what was coming, Sergeant Maddox gave the group an order. "Everyone stay together, prepare yourselves and remember what you've learned!"Sergeant Maddox commanded everyone as if they were about to be attacked by some other strange creature. Lee wanted to find where the scream was coming from, but doing that would be disobeying direct orders from the Sergeant, but he had to save who was in trouble, and he wouldn't be the only one ignoring orders. As Lee ran off towards the source of the scream, he was being followed by Erik, Glenn, and Dale while Mike and Kent were stuck with the group. When Erik, Glenn, and Dale followed Lee, he then suddenly stop, instead of hearing the sound of the women screaming, he heard the roar of a beast. Lee and his friends had to pick up the pace and save the women in trouble, as they got closer and closer to where the sounds were coming from, they then heard footsteps quickly heading their way popping out of the bushes in a blur of yellow and green running pass Lee and Dale but crashing into Glenn causing the creature to tumble backwards. The creature sounded like a women when she moaned in pain from colliding face first with Glenn Lee, Dale, and Erik looked at the creature with wide eyes, she looked like them but shorter race, had green hair with a yellow coat, and a tattoo on her flank looking like a carrot. The female creature had gotten back up terrified and confused by the strangers she bumped into, as the group exchanged confused looks at eachother, the the source of the second sound had pounced from out of the bushed in front of the group. The group would not believe the next thing they were seeing, the beast had the body of a lion, the wings of a bat, and a scorpions tail. This beastly creature was a manticore. As the manticore charged towards the group along with the newcomer, Lee stood his ground against the manticore readying to ignite his horn emitting a blinding light that managed to frighten the creature and scaring it away back to where it came from. After that, the group opened their eyes to see that the hostile creature was gone. It was a relief to the group that their new tactics had worked in protecting themselves, they then needed to see if the women was ok. She was breathing heavily in and out from her near death experience as she was surrounded by strangers, Glenn did not hesitate to be the first to make contact with the strange creatures of this world eye to eye. "Are you alright ?" Glenn said to the now calmed down mare. "I-I'm ok, thanks for saying me from that manticore, I'm sorry I ran into you like that, i was afraid it would get me if I hadn't stopped running" "It's fine, your safe with us is what matters." Said Glenn helping the mare back up. "By the way, what are you four ponies doing out here anyway?" The mare questioned the stallions. As the group heard the mare refer to them as ponies in the question, they were strucked with confusion with the words she just said. "I'm sorry, but did you just say po...?" Dale said being cut off when Lee punched his right wing, it was obvious if they revealed to the mare that they were not of this world, she would be terrified of them instead, Lee would ask the mare. "Sorry we didn't get that, what did you say?" Lee asked "I said what are you ponies doing out here, are you four the only ones here?" The mare questioned again. Lee, Glenn and Dale were nervous to answer the mares specific question, but then Erik chose to answer the question. "We were actually for help, and we're not the only ugh ponies out here. We seperated from our group when we heard you were in trouble." Erik stated. "Seperated, how many ponies are out here?" The mare questioned. "Lots of us, we are trying to find our way out of this jungle so we can.." Erik quickly had to replace the word ship with something else to not make the mare curious of them. "So we can find a town or settlement nearby." Said Erik. "I think I can help you and your friends, I was on my way to a town called Appaloosa, I was going to deliver some carrots for their crops but unfortunately, I lost the cart to the manticore. Maybe the ponies of Appaloosa can help you." "Th-that's very helpful, thanks mame." Erik said. ''No need to call me that, my name is Golden Harvest.'' Lee, Dale, Erik and Glenn could not believe what they were hearing, the multicolored pony they were talking to, the name she had, and the name of the place she talked about. ''So ugh, can you tell us what jungle are we in, or do you have a map?'' Erik questioned Golden Harvest. When Golden Harvest heard Erik's question, she then felt nervous and remembered something she had dropped while being chased by the manticore not far from her demolished cart. Golden Harvest felt certain that they were in bad place to be in. ''I believe we're in a jungle that is dangerously close to the Badlands, this is a place that isn't safe for anypony. We have to get far away form here, who knows what else is going to pounce out of nowhere!'' Golden Harvest said feeling worried. ''The group, we have to get back to the Sergeant!'' Lee said hesitantly. I'll take it from here, i'm going to fly low so you can follow me. I don't think we got too far from them.'' Replied Dale. As Dale would continue to lead the way back, Erik wanted to bring the newcomer along. ''You better come with us, they need a map and help finding away out of this jungle.'' Erik said to Golden Harvest. ''I'll go, you ponies are lucky to still be out here in one piece.'' Said Golden Harvest as they followed the pegasus back to the camp. When Dale led his friends and Golden Harvest back to their group, they started eyeing at the green haired pony that was Golden Harvest who was also hiding behind Lee, Dale, Erik, and Glenn as Sergeant Maddox came towards the four of them with the newcomer. Golden Harvest was curious and nervous as to why everypony was looking at her oddly, as for Sergeant Maddox, he was about to rant at Lee and his friends for disobeying his direct orders. ''What were you four doing out there, and what is that thing behind you!?'' Sergeant Maddox demanded Erik was nervous to how the Sergeant was reacting to their short absence. "W-well we found out where the noises were coming from and..." Erik was too nervous to to finish his sentence because of how displeased the Sergeant was with him and his friends actions, then Golden Harvest interrupted. "I'm a she and my name is Golden Harvest, these ponies saved my life!" Golden Harvest retorted. "And you ponies need to get out of this jungle." When Golden Harvest spoke out of turn, she made the group felt more nervous and confused. "Did she just call us ponies?" Said the marine. "Saved from what, what els is out here?" Said the crew member. "I knew something this jungle was dangerous, it's full of things ready to eat us!" Said the second marine that was worried even more. "Everyone calm down!" Shouted Sergeant Maddox. "As you were saying."Sergeant Maddox said letting the pony finish what she was saying. "This jungle is dangerously close to the Badlands, I have a map, but I'll need help finding it." Sergeant Maddox was thinking about all the words he heard coming the girls mouth made him rethink his objective little by little, they were in a whole new world not aware of what kind of monsters and creatures inhabited it, what's important now was to trust this newcomer who could help guide him and his group out of the jungle. "Well then, where is this map?" Questioned Sergeant Maddox. "It should be on my cart, it isn't far from here though." Said Golden Harvest. Sergeant Maddox looked at Lee and the rest of his friends giving them an affirmed nod, he then motioned to the whole group giving his next order. "Alright everyone, now is the time we find a way out of this jungle, and let's get moving!" Ordered Sergeant Maddox. Sergeant Maddox now put his faith to let Golden Harvest lead the way, for it was certain that this pony guiding them knows about the regions of the planet and what lies ahead for their journey. As Holden Harvest found her demolished cart, she looked around the back to finding her saddle bag hanging with the map safely inside of it, and when she found the map, it was certain for the group that their difficult journey would now be an easy one. (10 Minutes Later) Thanks to the guidance of Golden Harvest, the group wouldn't have to deal with the long distance into the dangerous jungle. As they were making their way out of the jungle far from the Badlands, the group were entering in what Golden Harvest refereed to as the Hayseed Swamps. The Hayseed Swamps had frogs croaking and had similar features to the swamps on their home planet. As the group wandered in the swamp, Mike and two other marines looked at a large lake with bubbles popping out of it as if something was under the water, it was a lumpy shape with sharp eyes looking back at them. Mike and the two marines looked nervously at the water beast, they were soon cut off when the Sergeant noticed their fears. "Hey you three, stay focused, and quit fooling around while your at it!" Said Sergeant Maddox trying to keep his men focused. When the three heard the Sergeant's tone, they immediately ignored what they were looking at and kept on walking, the odd shape with the reptilian eyes sank back down into the lake of the Hayseed Swamp. (Twenty Minutes Later) The group were now making their way out of the swamp, as for Erik along the safe path out, his attention had been strangely drawn to something. As the group took a short resting break, Lee, Dale, and Mike followed Erik trying to search back in the end of the Hayseed Swamps. Where Erik guided himself, it got foggy and darker where he was going. Erik then heard a rumbling in the group causing him to fall into a hole underground. Lee and his friends once again had to find Erik. "Erik, where are you?" Lee shouted out finding his friend. Lee and his friends were on the right path, then Dale found where Erik had vanished to. "Hey look!" Dale said motioning to a hole in the ground with Erik's hoof prints leading into it af if he had taken detour underground. Erik had gotten up on his hoofs clearing his vision to see what strange place he had ended up in from the fall, as his vision cleared up, he then saw somethings that was drawing his attention. It was a black rotten tree, which appeared to have been busted open, and all around the decayed tree was greenish tar. Erik just stood still looking at the strange tree, it wasn't long for his friends to find him as they also looked at the tree as well. Erik wondered what made those markings all over the tree, and what kind of living thing would burst out of decaying tree that would give off such an alien feeling to him and his friends. After they were done looking at the strange tree, they went back up to the surface, and as for Lee, he took one last glance at it and left. Now that that the group managed to make it through the dangerous jungle and the Hayseed Swamps, the Sergeant was then coordinating with Erik and Golden Harvest to pinpoint where they were heading to next. Golden Harvest pointed a hoof on her map on the place she talked about, Appaloosa. It was a good relief for the group to for the group to know that they were now out of the worse part of the planet and were now entering the brighter side of their journey, but it wasn't over yet, their way to Appaloosa would be through a humid place with no trees and only sand and rocks. Their next destination would be through the desert.