"Ok, I think this is the right street," Garfield said to himself. "Or was it the last one?" He scratched his head, looking at the road signs to see if he was on the right track. "Maybe I should have stuck with Sunset instead of running off."
Garfield finally found the right street, but with it connected to a crossroad, he whined and had no idea where to go. Making his way down one direction, he caught the pattern of the address numbers on the mailboxes, thankfully going the right way as he watched closely for the right number for his new roommate's house. Despite his anxiety searching for the house, the suburban neighborhood was definitely a lot more quieter than the usual hustle and bustle of a big city. He eventually found the right house, a two story building like the rest of the homes, a basketball hoop set up by the driveway near the garage.
"Hey, new guy!" Garfield nearly jumped, a familiar voice calling out to him from down the road. That person was none other than Rainbow Dash, walking over to him with a friendly wave. "Doing some sight-seeing without Sunset?"
"I guess you can say that," Garfield said. "I'm looking for a place to stay, and I think I found where my new roommate lives."
"Wait, you mean...here?" Rainbow asked, pointing her thumb at the house they stood in front of. Garfield nodded, showing Rainbow the flyer with the address. "...Dude, this is my house. And you came to see if you qualify to be my roomie?"
"Your house?" Garfield's gaze shifted from the flyer, to Rainbow, then to her house, blinking a few times as the writing closely resembled the athletic teen's behavior. "...Well, I guess the odd description fits your personality. But who's this Zephyr Breeze guy you didn't want?"
"Ugh. He's my best friend's brother who has the hots for me." Rainbow Dash shuddered. "He can't take the hint that I don't like him, and he always tries to find a way to smooth-talk me into going on a date with him. Trust me."
"Ok, duly noted," Garfield said. "Creepy stalker who's got a thing for you. Steer clear away from him."
"Good," Rainbow said. "Well, since you're here for a spot as my new roomie, come on in, Garf."
The two approached the door, Rainbow taking out her house keys and unlocking it. Once they walked inside, Garfield got a good look at what was in her house: there were several trophies under Rainbow Dash's name in almost every kind of sport known to mankind, pictures of her winning different events, some with her parents being overly proud of her accomplishments, even though some of them had Rainbow with participation ribbons. Rainbow's dad had a muscular build, wearing a green polo shirt and blue jeans, sporting a buzzcut with the same rainbow hair his daughter had, though his skin was a darker shade of blueish-purple. Her mother, however, could have passed as her twin or older sister, though her short hair was auburn in color with a few streaks slightly dulled in the middle, wearing a yellow long-sleeved polo shirt and teal sweat pants, and she had freckles on her cheeks.
"Wow. That's a lot of trophies," Garfield commented. There were several more pictures of Rainbow, most of them with her as a baby or a young girl. "Your folks must love you a whole lot, huh?"
"Yeah, but I think they love me a bit too much," Rainbow said. "Kind of embarrassing having them around as they cheer for me over the dumbest things." Garfield snickered at the thought, imagining her parents going nuts while watching her hanging up a coat or towel. After witnessing the "trophy room", Rainbow showed Garfield the rest of the house: the kitchen, garage, bathrooms, and bedrooms, ending with the room he would be bunking in. There wasn't much in since it was just a spare room, but there was a dresser, the mattress fitted with sheets and a comforter, and a small T.V. with a D.V.D. player. "And here's where you'll be staying. It's not much, but it's at least got something to entertain you while in the privacy of your room."
"Well, I guess it's a start," Garfield said, putting his backpack down near his bed.
"So, let's start discussing your rent," Rainbow said, making the shape-shifter flinch at the mention of payment.
"Uhh...Right." Garfield giggled timidly, tapping his fingers together while giving Rainbow a nervous grin. "See, about that...I've got a money issue at the moment. Kinda just moved here, flat broke, so...I don't know how I can afford to pay a week's rent, let alone a month."
"And you expected me to just give you a room for free?" Rainbow asked.
"Well, I expected to pay rent, but you didn't mention how much it would be," Garfield stated. "I think you were more worried about this Zephyr guy."
"...Right," Rainbow muttered, bringing her hand to her face as she failed to mention how much rent would cost. "And I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you want to get away from your parents and the crummy apartment you moved into in the city, right?"
"Actually...I came here by myself," Garfield admitted, refraining from talking about his parents. "My old school...doesn't exactly plan everything properly, so..."
"Yeesh. Good thing you moved here to a better school." Rainbow hummed, tapping her finger against the empty dresser in thought. "...And you're planning on getting a part time job?"
"I think I've got one, though I'm going to have to wait about a week for Applejack to tell me if I get it," Garfield said with a small laugh.
"Working with AJ, huh? Heh! Good luck working yourself to the bone," Rainbow teased, giving the green-skinned teen a light punch on the arm. At least it wasn't a dodgeball to the face again. "Well, until you start earning some green, green boy, how about you do some chores as a method of paying off your rent until you earn enough?"
"Sounds like a deal," Garfield said, holding his hand out to seal the deal with a handshake. Rainbow reached out to shake his hand, but he quickly swiped his arm back, giving her a serious look. "You're not gonna make me do all the chores your parents want you to do, right?"
"Come on, dude, I can do my own chores within ten seconds flat," Rainbow gloated with a smirk.
Garfield leered at her skeptically, keeping his jaw locked in a frown. He slowly extended his arm out, keeping his straight face, finally sealing their deal as they shook hands.
"Ok, then," he said. "Deal."
"Great. Get yourself settled in, and I'll order us some pizza." Rainbow pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Anything specific you want?"
"Anything but meat," Garfield requested. "I'm a vegetarian."
"No problem." Rainbow walked out of the room, only to yelp as she tripped over something in the hall, hitting the ground with a grunt. Garfield poked his head out into the hall, looking down to see what exactly his host fell over. Looking up at him was a green tortoise, ignorant of his big shell being a roadblock that tripped over its owner. "Should have closed my door..."
"So this is your pet tortoise you mentioned in your flyer." He knelt down to get a closer look at the reptile, gently running his hand over the smooth, spotted shell. "What's the little guy's name?"
"Tank," Rainbow grunted, slowly getting back up. "Guess my mom wanted him to run around my room while I was at school."
"Don't know how we missed him." Garfield carefully picked up Tank, the slow tortoise already taking a liking to him as he was lightly petted on the head. "Didn't think someone like you would have a tortoise for a pet. I did have a pet worm, although it got a little bit...messy. Heheh."
"Yeah, well, we kinda clicked," Rainbow said. She winced, nearly forgetting about her phone and was about to order them pizza. "Get acquainted, you two."
She headed downstairs, apologizing to the employee at the pizza place she called for not responding and began ordering. Garfield headed back in his new room, taking Tank with him, gently setting him down on the floor. He let the tortoise wander around, growing curious about his backpack while the teen took off his boots, letting out a sigh as he plopped on his new bed.
So far, this world wasn't that bad. He managed to find himself a place with a cool roommate with a cool pet, he got himself a free outfit to fit in with his new schoolmates, and already met a few girls who were interesting to be friends with. Sadly, he was already starting to miss the gang back home. He wondered if they noticed he was gone and read his letter, or if they were searching for him right now, but couldn't since he wound up in a completely different world. It's only been a day, and Garfield was already feeling homesick.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt something tap his hand, hanging over the side of the bed while staring blankly at the ceiling. Looking down, Tank was trying to get his attention, sensing his distress. Letting out a sigh, he pet the tortoise's head, assuring him he was ok. He didn't know how long he was contemplating his situation, his nose smelling the pizza delivered to Rainbow's home.
"Smells good," he said, getting up from his bed and carried Tank with him. "Time to chow down on some other world pizza."
The rest of the evening, Garfield spent the time getting to know Rainbow a bit more as they ate their pizza. She got him the veggie lover's, complying with his vegetarian diet, and it was one of the best pizza's he's had in a while. He practically scarfed down his whole pizza in one go, almost forgetting how hungry he was all day. He figured his host was competitive and athletic, but she also mentioned being in a band with the rest of her friends and played the guitar. He got a taste of what she could play after they finished eating, and his mind was blown, literally and figuratively at her talents in shredding out on an electric guitar.
They headed back upstairs, getting a better look at Rainbow's room as she invited him in to play some video games. She was definitely all about sports, some bands he knew nothing about, and a few fictional novels about an explorer called Daring Do. His attention was brought back to the games Rainbow challenged him in, getting used to the new kind of controller as they played for several hours. He may have lost more times than he won, but he vowed he was going to get better and beat her when she least expected it. After the bit of fun, Garfield headed for bed, wanting a good night's sleep in a comfortable bed after spending the last unconscious on the grass.
Early the next morning, Garfield was snoozing away, his limbs splayed out as he messed up his sheets in his sleep. Rainbow was up before him, snickering to herself as she quietly opened the door to his room and crept up to his bed, holding an airhorn behind her back. Deciding to give her roommate a hilarious wake-up prank, she held the airhorn up to Garfield's face, pushed down on the button and let out its piercingly loud horn. Garfield's eyes popped open, letting out a panicked scream as he flailed around, falling out of bed with a thud with his comforter following after him.
"Rise and shine, dude!" Rainbow said while laughing hilariously.
Garfield grumbled, quickly getting to his feet with a dirty leer toward the prankster. "Dude, not cool!" he exclaimed, flailing his arms around. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
While the green teen complained, Rainbow Dash saw he was in nothing but a pair of green boxers with yellow rubber ducks on them. She snorted, trying her hardest to hold back her laughter, even with him giving her the death stare.
"Nice underwear," she commented, letting out a giggle as she struggled not to burst her guts out.
Garfield looked down, shrieking like a girl as he grabbed the comforter and covered himself, his green cheeks turning red in embarrassment. "Can you please get out of my room!?"
"Ok, ok!" Rainbow said. "Hurry and get dressed, though. I'm meeting up with the others down at Sugarcube Corner for breakfast, and consider this a bit of help for when you do get a job with AJ at her place. You're gonna need to wake up super early when doing farm work."
She then left, chuckling to herself after finding him in an embarrassing set of underwear. Garfield grumbled, wishing Rarity got him a set of PJs, or even some new underwear that didn't hinder his machismo if someone knew what he wore. Making sure to close his door so Rainbow didn't try to sneak some pictures, he got dressed back up in his new clothes, then followed Rainbow Dash down to Sugarcube Corner for breakfast. When they arrived, they found Sunset and the rest of the girls Garfield had met yesterday along with another girl he hadn't met.
"Hey, Garfield," Sunset greeted. "Find your way to your new roommate ok?"
"Yeah, but I didn't expect it to be Rainbow Dash at first," Garfield said.
"I could have warned you, but you left in such a hurry, so I decided to let you see who it was." Rainbow snickered, Garfield definitely getting surprised when he decided to be roommates with the girl who beaned him in the face with a dodgeball. Garfield could only chuckle sheepishly, unable to deny he has a habit of rushing into things sometimes without thinking, whether it's asking for directions or fighting against a tough villain. "Anyway, since you know most of the girls, I want to introduce you to Twilight Sparkle. She was the last new student at CHS before you."
Garfield turned to the purple teen with glasses, holding his hand out to greet her. "Name's Garfield."
"Nice to meet you, Garfield," Twilight greeted and shook his hand.
The shapeshifter blanched when he heard her voice, finding it oddly familiar. Even though it wasn't possible, Twilight almost sounded a lot like Raven; more likely the happy emotion of the broody, emotionless Azarathian he met in her mind. Maybe it was an odd coincidence to hear someone sounding close to someone else they knew, but, being curious, Garfield wanted to know.
"...Uhhh...Can I ask you something...weird?" Garfield asked.
"Garf, have you met Pinkie yet?" Rainbow asked, pointing her thumb at the grinning, pink-haired girl beside her. "We've seen weirder things that won't even offend us at this point."
"Or, maybe he's trying to ask her out on a date because he likes the nerdy types," Rarity said, giving Twilight a teasing smirk.
"N-No! That's not what I was going to ask!" Garfield exclaimed, he and Twilight blushing as the girls laughed at their embarrassment. Garfield recovered, clearing his throat, ignoring the others and readdressed his curiosity to Twilight. "What I was about to say is that you sound kinda like a friend of mine back home. If you don't mind...can you say something in a moody, monotone voice, like you don't have a care in the world about anything around them?"
The girls all stared at him with the odd request he made while he grinned uneasily. "...Well, I guess so," Twilight said, granting the new guy his request as she cleared her throat, then looked bored as she tried to act like Pinkie's sister, Maud. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. I love reading books, studying, doing science experiments, and learning more about my friends."
Garfield's jaw hit the floor, literally; it was as if Raven were actually here, even though he was sure there was no way she could transport herself to another world. "Ah think ya hit the nail on the noggin, Twilight," Applejack commented, chuckling at his shocked expression.
"Did I really sound like your old friend?" Twilight asked.
"...You could be her twin if she had siblings," Garfield uttered, finally picking his jaw off the ground.
After getting to know Twilight, he sat down with the girls, Pinkie buying everyone breakfast as she put in everyone's order for the owners. "Hey, where's Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked.
"She texted me saying she'll meet us a bit later," Rarity said. "She wanted to make sure her little animal friends at the shelter got their breakfast first."
"An animal shelter?" Garfield asked curiously.
"If you like Tank, then maybe you'll like the different pets Fluttershy loves to take care of," Rainbow said. Her phone buzzed, pulling it out from her pocket, letting out a sigh as she read the message. "And the critters down at the park. She's there right now giving them breakfast."
"She does have a way with animals," Sunset said.
Breakfast finally arrived, an assortment of different breakfast pastries each of them ordered. Garfield didn't pick anything too expensive, not wishing to mooch off of someone else's generous offer to pay for his food and promise to pay Pinkie back for his order when he has the money. While he happily ate what he got, the girls around the table looked at each other before addressing the new kid.
"So, Garfield, are you enjoying Canterlot City so far?" Rarity asked.
"It's not bad," Garfield said after swallowing his mouthful of breakfast. "Much more peaceful here than where I lived."
"Well...you're going to find out it's not so peaceful around here," Twilight responded, giggling nervously. "Sunset said she showed you around the school, and it was let out early yesterday...Did she tell you why?"
"Not exactly what the reason was," Garfield said. "Something dangerous could have happened that could hurt everyone...What exactly was it?"
"We didn't want to scare you off since you just got here yesterday," Sunset said. "Canterlot High, and the rest of the area, has had a few...'supernatural' things happen."
"And by 'supernatural', she means magic," Applejack summarized. "Crazy magic portals to another world, strange creatures that don't normally exist here, stuff like that."
"...Oh, that's all?" Garfield asked, shocking the girls at his nonchalant response. "I've seen some weird magic before. Some kinda cool, others...not so cool."
"...Well, glad to see he's not freaking out knowing about this," Twilight said. "But, speaking of portals, I hope nothing dangerous went through my experimental one I was working on the other night."
"That's the reason why school was let out early yesterday," Sunset explained. "You see, there have been some strange magical mishaps that began appearing elsewhere around the area, the farthest from Camp Everfree. And the night before you arrived, Twilight's portal went haywire, and something flew out from it and crashed through the window of the science lab she was in."
Garfield winced, sweat beading down his head, remembering flying through a portal and crashing through glass, waking up the next morning in this world. "...R-Really?"
"Thankfully, the portal was small, so nothing too big or dangerous could have gotten through," Twilight said. "It was big enough for a small animal or a bird similar in size to maybe an eagle or falcon. But, with the world I tried to connect it to, who knows if that creature could be a serious threat."
That explained how he got here. Garfield didn't feel like eating anymore, keeping his cool as best as he could. He didn't want to tell them HE was the one who went through that same mysterious portal as a peregrine falcon, or let Twilight know that the world she tried to connect her portal to ended up in his world and not this magical world they mentioned. Breakfast was suddenly interrupted as the T.V. screen in the lobby, which was playing a few commercials for some products, shifted to an emergency broadcast with an alert jingle, getting everyone's attention.
"We interrupt your scheduled programs to bring you a special news bulletin," the news anchor said. "There have been reports of what appear to be wild lions running amok out in the forested area near the park in Canterlot City."
"Wild lions?" Rainbow questioned.
"Maybe the circus is in town!" Pinkie guessed.
"Then they wouldn't be considered wild, Pinkie," Applejack stated, the screen changing to a newswoman on the scene making the report, people running away in fear as they heard roars in the distance.
"As you can see behind me, people are in a panic, and you can hear the roars from the beasts out in the woods," she announced. "Authorities have been alerted along with animal control, but where they came from is a mystery as the nearest zoo is several miles from this location, and with no mention of any escaped creatures in the past twenty-four hours. Everyone is advised to stay indoors until this-" Suddenly, the newswoman flinched when they heard a girl scream out in the forest, the cameraman forgetting keep his focus on the reporter as he zoomed in to get a good look at who was trapped in there with those beasts. The girls all recognized that scream, where they saw a yellow-skinned girl with long pink hair running between the trees as a trio of lion silhouettes chased after her, wearing a blueish-green dress that had three different pink butterflies on the right side, a lace of ribbon around her waist with a pink butterfly clasped on it, and pink sandals with white socks with pink laces wrapped around them into little bows at the top of each sock. "Oh no! Someone's still out there!"
"Fluttershy!" the girls exclaimed.
"We gotta help her!" Rainbow said, shocking the shapeshifting Titan.
"Whoa, whoa, what!?" he shrieked. "You're going to stop a small pride of lions!? Are you nuts!? Let animal control deal with them!"
"Not when one of our friends are out there!" Applejack said.
"Just stay put, Garfield," Sunset advised. "If these lions appeared mysteriously, I'm hoping they aren't the kind of lion I'm thinking of."
Garfield stammered, unable to stop the girls as they all ran out and headed for the park, Pinkie leaving money on the table to pay for their bill. He let out a groan, slumping back in his seat as he watched the T.V. He didn't want to stand idly by and watch someone get mauled by wild lions that appeared out of thin air in an environment where the dangerous feline species aren't normally found. Garfield followed after them, making up his mind, knowing they're going to need a superhero like him to take on those lions.
Fluttershy panted, weaving her way through the trees as she escaped from the beasts pursuing her. It was such a peaceful morning feeding her little friends, but when they suddenly got startled by something behind her, she just had to get attacked by something that came through a mysterious portal, quickly disappearing as fast as it had appeared. And those creatures weren't any normal lions from their roars as they hunted her; they were manticores. Part lion and part scorpion, its stinger-like tail was just as deadly as its paws and sharp fangs. Even with her ability to fully understand and communicate with any animal, her magic wasn't able to get her through with the manticores.
They managed to catch up to her, clearly faster with four legs than two, making her scream in fright as they cornered her against a tree. "Oh no," Fluttershy whimpered. "P-Please, don't eat me. I-I can get you something much more tasty than...m-me." The manticores growled, caring more about their next meal than bargaining with the animal lover. "S-Somebody help me!"
The manticore in the middle let out a roar and lunged forward, only to ram into the tree Fluttershy was cowering against, zipping off mysteriously by a rainbow blur, saving her from the hungry felines. "Made it just in time," Rainbow said, setting Fluttershy down after regrouping with the others.
"Thanks, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said.
"You're not hurt, are you, darling?" Rarity asked, Fluttershy shaking her head, physically unharmed. The trio of manticores ran toward them, following Rainbow's trail toward them, the mythical creatures shocking the others as Sunset's hunch was right. "W-What in the world are those!?"
"Manitcores!" Sunset said. "If you don't get mauled by their claws or teeth, their stingers might be even worse with how dangerous their poison is!"
The mythical lion-scorpion beasts lunged at the girls, the lights from Twilight and Rarity's respective gems glowing on their person, the former holding them back in her telekinetic hold while the latter trapped them in a cage of diamonds. "Where did they even come from!?" Twilight asked, both her and Rarity struggling to keep the ornery manticores held back.
"I don't know," Fluttershy said. "I was feeding the squirrels and birds in the park, then I heard something appear behind me, and the next thing I knew, I ran for my life when they roared and chased me."
"Couldn't you have calmed them down?" Applejack asked. "You can talk to animals!"
"I know, but they wouldn't listen to me," Fluttershy whimpered. "And I couldn't understand them either."
"Maybe we can try to ask Princess Twilight to bring pony Fluttershy here and see if she can help calm these beasties down!" Pinkie suggested. Rarity and Twilight's hold faltered, the manticores managed to smash through the magic holding them back. "Or maybe we don't have enough time!" Pinkie dug into her pockets and pulled out some candy, using her own magic to make them glow. "Eat candy!"
Garfield hid in the bushes as he managed to catch up, peeking through the foliage just in time to watch Pinkie throw pieces of candy at the manticores, to his shock when he saw the mythological creatures in the flesh, even though he's seen plenty of strange ones in the past. Before he could comment how candy was going to sway the carnivorous beasts, they suddenly exploded at their paws, startling the manticores as the fireworks lit up in front of them. His jaw dropped in awe, heavily surprised as he got a hint of what "magic" they were talking about. He continued watching, despite sneaking after them to help, seeing what else the girls could do: Rainbow Dash moved as fast as Kid Flash, even sharing the same cocky personality as she taunted the manticores after dodging their swipes and stinger tails, Applejack's super strength able to pick up a heavy-looking log with ease, using it to bat away the ones that tried to get close to her, Rarity's diamond shields protecting herself or the other girls, Twilight's telekinesis that could rival Raven's, and Pinkie's odd exploding candy power. He wondered if he really did leave home if there were others with superhero powers in this world, though he didn't see Sunset or Fluttershy's if they had any.
While two of them tried to fend off Rainbow's speedy taunting and Pinkie's exploding candies, the third one smacked Applejack and her huge "stick" away, charging toward Twilight, Sunset, Rarity, and Fluttershy. "Look out!"
The four girls scattered, Sunset diving out of the way while Twilight and Rarity used their magic to protect themselves. Fluttershy was unfortunately the manticore's target, running off as she was chased yet again. Before they could try to help her, the other two manticores smacked Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow back into the others, letting out collective groans as they wound up in a pile. Luckily, right as the duo were about to lunge at the helpless girls, Rarity cast a barrier around them, giving them enough time to recover and defend themselves. Garfield could see the others could handle them, but with Fluttershy completely defenseless, he ran off after her and the last manticore before she got hurt.
Fluttershy panicked, trying to dodge through the trees again, but the manticore had much better reflexes, weaving closer to its new prey. Fluttershy tripped on a root, falling to the ground with a grunt. She tried to crawl away, but the beast caught up and pounced her, trapping her as she turned to face it, terrified of the wild animal from Equestria. She screamed as it lunged its jaws at her, only for its ears to perk up when it heard something coming toward them. Jumping out of the bushes, to both Fluttershy's and the manticore's surprise, a green lion leapt out, roaring aggressively as it tackled the hybrid creature off the poor girl, both felines tumbling across the ground as they both fought for dominance.
Even though the manticore was caught off guard, it tried to scratch its opponent away, but the mysterious green lion seemed much more smarter when it came to fighting than itself. It lashed its scorpion stinger, making the lion leap back, avoiding getting stung and pricked with its venomous limb. Both predators stared each other down, slowly circling in their "battlefield", Fluttershy watching from a distance behind a tree as she got away, though her intrigue on her mysterious animal savior kept her from running back to her friends.
The manticore made the first move, roaring as it tried to pounce its foe, but the green lion tackled it, sending them crashing into a tree, followed by a hard smack in the face by a green paw. The manticore tried to retaliate with its tail again, only to miss and yelp in pain as the lion chomped down on its poisonous limb, pulling hard, threatening to tear it off. The lion let go, then pounced on the manticore's back, biting into its neck, not deep enough to draw blood, but hurting enough to make it yowl in pain. And with a surprising amount of strength, Fluttershy's savior tossed the hybrid beast into another tree. The impact knocked the wind out of the manticore, passing out a moment later after trying to get back up.
Fluttershy expected the lion to kill and eat the manticore as its prized hunt, but it instead turned to look at her. Along with the odd green coloring, lighter green for its fur while the mane was darker, the blank white eyes it had was a bit unnerving, but it didn't show any kind of aggression the manticores had. It sat patiently as it stared at her, letting her know he wasn't going to harm her. She stepped out of her hiding spot nervously, staying cautious as she carefully approached the lion.
"T-Thank you," she said, waiting for a response from the lion. It nodded its head silently, able to understand her clearly. Slowly, she held her hand out, letting her pet it, hoping the reward it wanted wasn't a piece of her arm. This docile green lion intrigued her, wondering where it came from and if it was sick with its green body and pupil-less eyes. "What kind of lion are you?"
Just as she was about to hear a response from her savior with her magic power, the manticore's scorpion stinger struck the green lion in the back, letting out a roar of pain as the poison began flowing into its wound. Fluttershy gasped, watching the manticore quickly limp off, getting its slow revenge as its opponent fell and winced in agony while finding the rest of its small pride for some help. She did hear her friends point out the other manticore along with some magic as they tried to catch it, but her focus was on the unfortunate beast who rescued her writhing in pain.
"Oh no! I don't know if there's a way to cure manticore venom if it's hopefully like scorpion venom," she uttered helplessly. "T-Try not to move, otherwise the poison will-" Suddenly, the lion began shifting forms, quickly turning into a honey badger, shocking Fluttershy as she stared at the green creature. "-turn you into a badger!?" The mysterious transforming creature clearly not of this world stood up, the poison from the manticore slowly fading away to nothing but a sharp pain, then skittered off into the woods. "W-Wait! Hold on! What are you!?"
Fluttershy lost sight of the green-furred morpher in the bushes as she chased after it, blending in too well with the bushes scattered around. She began wondering if that creature had come from Equestria as well, and why it saved her.
"Fluttershy!" Sunset called out. Turning around, Fluttershy saw the rest of her friends running over to her, Twilight and Rarity using their combined powers to contain the unconscious manticores. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine," she said, looking back at where she last saw her savior.
"What happened to this last manticore that was chasing you?" Twilight asked. "This one got pretty roughed up by something. Almost like...another wild animal got to it."
Fluttershy didn't answer, still pondering what she saw, Pinkie peeking over her shoulder to see what she was trying to see. "You don't think there's a really REAL lion that got loose and is on the prowl for human flesh, is there?"
"...Well...if I told you, I don't think you would believe me," Fluttershy said as she looked back at the other girls.
"Come on, sugarcube. We've got a friend in our group who's actually a unicorn, we're friends with a princess from another world, fought sirens, people possessed by crazy magic from said world, and just now, manticores," Applejack said, emphasizing the trio of unconscious beasts from Equestria behind them. "What could be stranger at this point?"
Fluttershy nodded slightly, glancing back at the bushes for a moment, finally forgetting about the green-tinted shapeshifter to tell them about it. "...I was actually rescued from that manticore...by a green lion," Fluttershy said. The others blinked, never hearing anything like what Fluttershy described. "I told you it was unbelievable..."
"Mind if I took a look?" Sunset asked, getting permission as Fluttershy nodded her head. She held the yellow teen's hand, her gem glowing as her eyes flashed white, looking back at what Fluttershy had seen. After a moment, she gasped when she returned to reality, her shocked gaze startling their other friends. "I-It was a green lion! And...it transformed into a badger after it got stung!?"
"Wait, Fluttershy was being serious!?" Rainbow asked.
"And this mysterious green lion turned into a badger?" Rarity questioned.
"Actually, it turned into a honey badger," Fluttershy corrected. "Since they're quite tolerant to different toxins from poisonous animals, it must have turned into that species to numb the poison from the manticore's stinger."
The girls looked at Sunset, hoping she might have an answer to what this creature really was, but from the look on her face, she was just as confused as they were. "I've...never heard of any kind of creature that can morph into anything besides changelings...but, even the badger it transformed into was also green..." Sunset lifted a hand to her head, unable to find an answer on her own. "I need to tell Princess Twilight about this, and have her and her friends ready to take these manticores back to their natural habitat in Equestria..."
"Hopefully the portal that brought these manticores has disappeared," Twilight said. "Don't want to have anymore dangerous creatures that came from there to show up here again."
"Let's get these manticores to the portal back in front of the school before they wake up and try to fight back," Applejack suggested, rubbing her arms tiredly. "Pretty tough for bein' part lion..."
Taking the manticores, the girls made their way to the school to take them back home, Sunset making sure to warn Princess Twilight through her enchanted book before sending them through. Fluttershy looked back once more, hoping to get a glimpse of the green, white-eyed creature watching them, but seeing no sign of him, even though its body was camouflaged with their surroundings, she hurried after the girls.
Scampering deeper into the woods, the green honey badger stopped behind a tree after getting far enough away from Fluttershy. Sitting against the tree, Garfield turned back to normal, wincing as he rubbed his back from the manticore's stinger.
"Man, that is going to be sore for a week," he grumbled, feeling sore, but he was grateful for his knowledge on many different animals he could transform into. "Thank you, almighty honey badger; cute, dangerous, and mightier than a great white shark. I bet one of them could kill a great white if they grew gills." Garfield stood up after resting, the manticore's venom feeling more like a mere wasp's sting with how numb the wound felt, but he had taken worse injuries in any animal form. He slowly made his way out of the woods and back to Sugarcube Corner, wondering if the girls noticed he had left when they went out to face the manticores. "At least I know they can protect themselves...sort of. Better make sure to play dumb if they show me what they can do, along with those manticores, otherwise they'll start to get suspicious."
After finding his way back to civilization, Garfield made his way toward Sugarcube Corner. Their table for breakfast had been cleared since they've been gone, and when he asked one of the owners if they came back, they said they didn't return. With no way of knowing where they were, he decided to take a walk around town to get more of his bearings, this time taking a look at some places that could interest him in the future. He wished he had a phone or something to communicate with them so he didn't get himself lost, though he was probably going to have to save up some money for one, assuming Applejack will be willing to hire him despite his lack of driving skills.
While passing by Canterlot High, deciding to wait at Rainbow's house if he didn't find them, he was lucky to find them in the front yard of the campus, gathered in front of the stone pedestal. Whatever they were doing, he hoped they took care of the manticores.
"Hey, girls!" Garfield called out. "Did you deal with those escaped lions?"
They nearly forgot about him while dealing with the manticores, just now finishing sending them back through the hidden portal in the pedestal when they saw him approach them. "Well...as I thought, they weren't exactly lions," Sunset said. "They were...manticores."
"Manticores? Like, the weird lion animals with scorpion tails and bat wings in mythology?" Garfield asked, feigning ignorance. The girls expected him to freak out after just learning about there being magic in town, even when they silently promised to show him they weren't making it up with their own powers after breakfast. Surprisingly, he did seem interested despite his strange reaction to Twilight's portal she was working on. "How'd you beat them?"
"Well, like I said, we have some magic we got after a little school field trip at Camp Everfree a while back," Sunset said, the girls all showing their accessories that held their magic gems, gleaming a little as the sunlight reflected off them. "We may only have one kind of power that's unique to us, but they can be pretty helpful in a pinch."
"As long as we don't use them too much, otherwise they'll get too out of control," Twilight said, the majority of the group turning to Rainbow Dash with a leer. Rainbow giggled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck, learning her lesson and keeping control of her power. "Mine is levitation, Applejack's is strength, Rainbow's is speed, Rarity's is ethereal diamonds, Pinkie's is exploding candies, Sunset's is mind reading, and Fluttershy's is communicating with animals."
Garfield did see a majority of their magic when they fought the manticores, but when he learned of Sunset's and Fluttershy's abilities, he was lucky they didn't read his thoughts or talked to the animal lover when he rescued her. "...Uhhh...Can you really read minds, Sunset?" he asked nervously. "Like...did you read mine at all yesterday?"
"It's not exactly instantaneous," Sunset explained. "Only when I make contact with you and choose to look into your mind. But that's if our magic is under control, Rainbow Dash."
"I'm keeping my zipping around to only real emergencies! I swear!" Rainbow exclaimed.
Garfield mentally sighed in relief, his old life kept a secret unless he wanted to reveal everything to Sunset, which he didn't want. "Hey, we didn't introduce you to Fluttershy yet!" Pinkie interjected, getting behind the green-skinned teen and pushed him toward Fluttershy, making them awkwardly bump into each other. "Garfield, Fluttershy! Fluttershy, Garfield!"
The two blushed, Garfield nudging Pinkie back as he stepped away from Fluttershy. "Heh. Uhh, 'sup?" he greeted awkwardly, Fluttershy mumbling her own hello. "...So, you can talk to animals?"
"Mhmm," Fluttershy uttered. "I...like all sorts of animals, and...well, since I felt like I knew what they wanted...it seemed to fit me."
"Speaking of animals, there was something else that appeared with those manticores," Rarity mentioned. "Fluttershy was saved by a green lion, or some kind of creature that could turn into different animals."
"A...shapeshifter?" Garfield asked, trying to keep a confused look as a bead of sweat began rolling down his head nervously.
"I think it's a changeling, but Twilight's looking into it as we speak," Sunset said. Her statement confused Garfield as she looked at the science nerd, who wasn't doing any research right now. "Oh, not this Twilight. Sorry. There's another Twilight, but she's a princess, and she's from the same world those manticores came from. That's where the magic around here's been coming from."
"Another...Twilight?" Garfield asked, his thoughts comparing Twilight to the princess version of her, wearing some kind of flowing pink dress with a tiara on her head. Sunset explained to him more about the other world, Equestria, and how everyone on the other side were ponies, ranging from normal ponies to unicorns, pegasi, and alicorns, which was a mix between all three races and are considered the major rulers of the kingdom. He was surprised to hear Sunset was actually a pony from that world, a unicorn no less, along with some of the worst disasters he's ever heard at this school: Sunset as the former school bully who used magic from something called the Element of Magic to turn into a demon, a trio of sirens that almost took over the school with their hypnotic voices, Twilight's magic stealing device she crafted to study it during the Friendship Games not too long ago, the girls' gems giving a counselor magical powers she couldn't control to try to keep Camp Everfree from being taken by someone wanting to buy their family's property, even an envious teen who used a magic mirror after trying to be in a movie she was desperate to be in, being too young to even be the character she wanted to play, only to turn into a monster while also kidnapping the girls in said mirror. And Garfield thought he and his friends had wild and dangerous villains. "...Ok...That is...quite a lot to take in."
"You're not too freaked out, are you?" Twilight asked.
"I've...heard of worse," Garfield chuckled. "One crazy day like that isn't gonna make me run for the hills."
"Maybe next time, we'll bring ya along to see what other shenanigans we get into," Applejack said with a laugh, giving the teen a friendly slap on the back. Garfield winced as she smacked the sore spot where he was stung by the manticore, letting out a strangled yelp, tearing up as he tried not to buckle from the pain. "Oops. Did Ah accidentally use mah magic? Sorry, sugarcube."
"...N-No...problem," Garfield whimpered, giving Applejack a forced, toothy grin with a shaky thumbs up. "I'm c-cool..."
"Well, I'm in the mood for a smoothie after taking down those manticores," Rainbow said. "Who's with me?"
"Meeee!" Pinkie squealed.
Rainbow and Pinkie raced off to get their victory smoothies, the other girls followed at a slower pace, Garfield joining them after the pain in his back subsided. "Are you ok?" Fluttershy asked Garfield.
"Yeah. I'll live," he said.
"You don't have to worry about anything happening with us around to save the day," Fluttershy said. "I hope Princess Twilight lets us know what that creature was who saved me from one of the manticores. Maybe we could be good friends."
Garfield looked away from Fluttershy, hiding his grin, the animal lover unaware she was walking alongside said creature. "Maybe it likes to protect pretty girls from danger," Pinkie said, startling Garfield as she suddenly appeared beside them. "If it saved Fluttershy, it's got to be pretty nice!"
"H-How did-!?" Garfield stammered, looking ahead of the group, then back at Pinkie, who mysteriously vanished, then somehow was back to racing Rainbow Dash when he looked back. He looked at Fluttershy, finding it impossible for someone to react so calmly to someone who's able to break the laws of physics, or even logic. "...Uhhhh-"
"That's Pinkie Pie for you," Fluttershy said. "I know she's a bit strange, but you'll get used to her, Garfield."
"If you say so," he said, hoping he'll get used to Pinkie Pie if she doesn't make his brain hurt with her antics. "So, since you like animals...what's your favorite animal of all?"
"Oh, my. I don't even know where to start." While Fluttershy gushed about all of her favorite animals to Garfield, he had a feeling they were going to get along great, even if a part of him would eventually feel homesick as he wondered how his team was faring without him around.