“Ah! Fuck that hurts.” Will exclaimed. Propped up next to a tree, Will held a piece of gauze to his forehead, wincing at the burning sensation of the rubbing alcohol Nick poured on the cut Will was now tending to.
“Be thankful the first aid kit from your glove box survived,” Nick said, eyes looking towards the small plastic box, battered and dented, set to the side. “That cut could’ve gotten infected.”
“Yeah, yeah. Now let me get the rest of the glass out of your arm.”
Over the past couple of hours, after prying themselves from the wrecked Nissan Maxima, they tended to their wounds from the violent accident.
“Will?”
“Yeah?”
“Are we going to address the fact that we’re currently sitting in a jungle after being in New England just an hour ago?”
“One thing at a time man, now hold still,” Will directed. Bracing himself, Nick tried his best to relax his arm, waiting in anticipation for the tweezers to attempt to remove small shards of glass in his arm.
“Okay. Three… two… one!” In a fluid motion, the tweezers pulled a shard away, leaving a small open gash that was immediately disinfected and replaced with a bandage.
“You know?” Will mused aloud. “Even though we somehow survived that car wreck, being out in the middle of nowhere like this, it’s gonna suck trying to keep these cuts from getting infected.”
“I know what you mean,” Nick agreed.
They spent the next half hour cleaning the last of their open wounds with the remaining materials from the first aid kit. Working in relative silence allowed their ears to tune into the sounds of the jungle surrounding them. The racket of animal calls echoing through the twisted trees and into the canopy above. The air down on the ground was stagnant and humid, and the layers of leaves and branches made the world seem as if it was shrouded in eternal twilight, with occasional shafts of light dividing the shadows. All in all, it was dark, it was muggy, and Will’s eyes (which were bad enough that he needed heavy prescription glasses) would sometimes catch imaginary figures moving in between the silhouettes of the trees. Satisfied with their work, they stood up as best they can, wincing slightly as their crude bandages shifted over their still-raw wounds.
“So, aside from the first aid kit, what do we have?” Nick asked, turning towards the crumpled body of the car, still sitting on its side, leaning against a tree, windshield shattered.
“Well, the trunk seemed to hold up alright. I had a duffle bag with some snacks and water bottles in it. We have a couple of changes of clothes in our suitcases.”
“We can’t take those huge things with us, Will.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“They’re large, awkward, and I don’t think that we have the luxury of staying in our hotel in New York for the night.”
“Fair enough.”
The pair attempted to pry the trunk open, yielding little results with their hands. A few attempts later, using a thick branch as a pry-bar proved effective.
“We should probably leave the non-essentials.” Will thought aloud. “Pack light and all that. Let’s take the water and snacks, maybe a change of clothes each just in case. Staying put won’t help us.”
“Yeah, we can’t sit around and do nothing. Nobody knows where we are, so staying put wouldn’t do us much good. What do you think?”
Will put a hand to his chin, stroking his messy goatee. “Well, if we can find water, we can probably follow that as a guide, right? Eventually, we need to try and find some sort of town or civilization.”
“Towns might be hard to find in a jungle, but it’s better than having no plan.” Nick mused. “If we can find moving water, that would be best. Those water bottles can only last us so long.”
Packing just the essentials, Nick and Will left the wrecked vehicle behind, only taking a duffle bag of belongings, food, water, and whatever was in their pockets. As they left the crash site behind and out of sight, one thought was at the forefront of Will’s mind.
“Damn… I loved that car. Dad is gonna kill me.”
-~xXXXx~-
The Everfree forest. A mismatched patchwork of twisted, diseased flora, and home to even more monstrous fauna. However, moving a castle and a decently sized village from the middle of a hostile environment is much harder than dealing with the minimal amount of monsters that got a little too close. And so the castle sat, a bastion built to withstand the wild creatures of the jungles, forests, swamps, and caves.
The stonework, while simplistic, was immaculate in its craftsmanship. Not a crack or blemish to be seen, with each row of bricks, perfectly laid so there were no unparallel lines. Towering above the walls, the stained glass windows shone a rainbow of colors in the midday sun, the tallest of the towers casting long shadows that stretched over the little village below.
Wooden homes and shops lined the cobblestone roads, their thatched roofs hung slightly over the doors and windows, and added a splash of yellow to the monochromatically brown color palette.
Ponies moved about the many shops, trading for goods as the farmers brought in the fruits of their labor piled in self-drawn carts.
Few were entering or leaving the village, for many did not wish to tempt fate by braving the dangers of the Everfree. Roads had been attempted, but ultimately were overgrown in a few days. See, the Everfree, in its way, was more of a monster than the creatures in it.
Back within the castle walls, a lone winged unicorn breathed in the fresh air from atop her balcony. Celestia relished the rays of her afternoon sun warming her pristine white fur, and spread her immaculately white feathered wings, stretching her stiff flight muscles. Straightening back up to her full height, she breathed a sigh of relief as the slight breeze caused her light pink mane and tail to sway. As much as she loved her subjects, Celestia needed a break from her duties as a princess and one half of a fledgling diarchy. However, this break did have another purpose.
“Thou hast summoned us, dear sister?”
Emerging from the interior onto the balcony, another alicorn, although slightly shorter than Celestia herself, squinted as the sun assaulted her eyes. Her light blue mane was disheveled, for she had just gotten out of bed. Luna internally swore, cursing her sister for waking her so early. Celestia turned to her younger sister, noting the black bags under Luna’s eyes that stood out even against her navy blue coat. Luna was definitely, as some would say, ‘not a morning pony,’ hence the unfiled horn, unkempt wings, and matted coat.
“My apologies Luna, I didn't want to wake you, but unfortunately, it's a matter of importance.” Celestia offered a soft smile of both sympathy and pity. Even though an air of professionalism was in order, given the nature of this meeting, Celestia understood the need for one’s beauty sleep. That, and how uncomfortable it was to go about one’s day ungroomed. Celestia would never again imbed her horn in another door frame.
Luna yawned, still in the process of waking.
“Verily, is thou referencing the magical disturbance? We felt it’s ripples in the dreamscape”
“Yes actually. I’m surprised you were able to feel it.” Celestia said, barely noticing the annoyed huff and accompany eye roll that came from Luna. “Were you able to discern anything concerning its nature?”
Luna paused at Celestia’s words, using the moment to gather her thoughts.
“We sensed Ms. Clover’s magical signature, that is certain. However, something about it seemed… off”
Celestia tilted her head in curiosity. “Off? How so?”
“It felt similar to a spell we have witnessed before.”
Luna’s words gave Celestia pause, a moment of confusion. ‘We’ve seen this spell before?’ She thought to herself. ‘It is possible, sure, but a spell that can create ripples in the dreamscape? A spell like that takes an immense amount of power, and much more control than any normal unicorn could possess.’ As Celestia racked her brain, deep in thought, Luna already had her answer, which gave her ample time for internal jealous rambling as she looked upon her sister.
‘Their highness Celestia, with her perfect coat, perfect horn, white wonderfully preened wings. Even her pastel pink mane and tail are perfect in the way they fall in waves down her shoulders.’ In Luna’s mind, there was no question of why she was often overlooked by most ponies in favor of her sister.
‘Stupid, perfect, Celestia.’
Celestia’s eyes widened in an epiphany, ending Luna's inner groaning.
“Pray tell sister, what is your conclusion?” Luna asked.
“Luna... You don’t think that Clover cast the same spell Master Starswirl did before he disappeared?”
Nodding her head, Luna forgot her jealousy for a moment, her voice turning somber. “We hope for harmony’s sake that young Clover is safe.”
The two alicorn sisters fell into silence, incoherent ideas pushing the possible conclusions and consequences farther into the realm of absurdity. Celestia was pulled out of this state of clouded thought by another yawn from Luna, causing the elder sister to focus her attention, once again, on her younger kin.
“Luna, you look a bit more... frazzled than usual this afternoon. Are you feeling well?”
Luna internally scoffed at this. ‘Oh do we now, sister? It seems that is the natural occurrence when one wakes up a pony three hours before schedule.’ That was what she wanted to say at least, but thought better of it. Instead, Luna offered a simple, “We are fine, just slightly tired.”
-~xXXXx~-
“Hey Nick, how long have we been out here?” Will asked as the two trudged through the thick underbrush, pushing past thick foliage and rigid vines. Due to a lack of a blade of any kind, it was much more difficult to traverse the rough terrain of the jungle floor.
Will’s question made Nick pause for a moment. ‘How long have we been walking for?’ Neither of them was wearing a watch, so how could they tell the time without being able to see the sun?
“Honestly, I have no idea” Nick turned his attention back to the jungle, continuing to blaze the trail ahead.
The two traveled further still, their silence was made up for by the continuing sounds of the jungle. Their brows matted with sweat, they kept their eyes on their heading, focusing on heading in a single direction. It was some time until a thought arose.
“Hold on a sec.” Will stopped dead in his tracks.
“What? Think of something?
Searching his pockets for a moment, Will let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, having found what he was looking for.
“God damn we’re dumb. Nick, what is the one thing that anybody our age has with them at all times?
“I’m guessing you don’t mean crippling student loan debt.”
With a confident grin, Will pulled a small plastic case from his pocket, brandishing it with a confident smirk on his lips and behind his glasses.
“I meant a phone.”
Opening his phone case, Will’s smirk slipped from his face as his body went stiff. Nick came around, eyebrow raised at Will’s reaction.
“Come on, stop playing ga- Oh…” Nick never finished that sentence as he saw the multitude of cracks spider webbing across the screen. Will half-heartedly pressed the home button, yielding no results. Defeated, Will’s shoulders sagged.
“Whelp, there goes that idea.”
“Will, it was a great plan,” Nick encouraged, hoping to distract his friend from the negative train of thought he was on. “But we can’t stop now. Come on.” Pushing the next fern aside, Nick held open the metaphorical door for Will. Begrudgingly, Will complied, continuing past Nick in the opposite direction from whence they came.
“What about your phone?” Will asked over his shoulder.
“I forgot to charge it before we left. It died before we left Massachusetts.”
Will threw his hands up, features sagging in tired frustration.
“How convenient.”
Some time passed, and as the two walked, the constant white noise of the jungle became noticeably softer. They found walking had become much easier as the undergrowth thinned out over time. However, visibility became an issue, as veils of leaves became abundant, and quite effective when it came to breaking the line of sight.
Now, Will wasn’t very well-read when it came to geography and botany, but he knew enough that willow trees, that are common in New Hampshire, shouldn’t be growing in such a hot and humid climate
‘This jungle makes no sense. Why is it so hot? Wait, is that a frog-snake? Oh Jesus, dad is gonna kill me. Pa is gonna kill me. When I get home, I’ll be in so much trouble. Where is home? Where is here? This isn’t Connecticut. Am I dead? What if I’m in some sort of fucked-up purgatory?’ Needless to say, Will’s brain was set to overdrive and was on the verge of overheating.
Will silenced his internal ramblings when Nick held up a hand, motioning him to stop. Both waited silently for a moment, frozen in place.
“You hear that?” Nick asked, ears focusing on the sounds of the forest, focusing on a distant… hissing sound. Given its faintness, it was hard to discern if the sound was either what they were looking for, or a really large snake.
“Nick,” Will whispered. “-Hear what?” Nick didn’t respond, stepping gingerly over the rough terrain, moving as silently as possible. Will followed, picking up a sizable stick, holding it at the ready. As they got closer,
Pushing aside the veils of leaves, the two pushed towards the hissing, the sound growing louder with each step. Light shone through the final curtain of leaves, letting golden spots dot the forest floor. With one final push through the foliage, Nick and Will’s eyes were bombarded with sunlight.
Blinking to help their eyes to adjust, they were met with the sight of a small river, it’s water moving at a moderate pace, and a small waterfall bubbling and hissing continuously. The river cut through the forest in a jagged line, parting the canopy above, giving a perfect view of the slowly yellowing sky, heralding the oncoming sunset.
“Whelp, there we go. Fresh water.” Will said, leaning down to fill his bottle with some (assumedly) clean, flowing, high-quality H20.
Nick took a moment to look downriver, seeing the small rocks parting the water and the curtains of green leaves making the river bank seem like a living canyon. “Hm... Not even a sign of the jungle from here.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Will interjected. “I may not know much about trees, but I’m pretty sure trees from two separate parts of the world shouldn't be able to grow right next to each other.”
Motioning back the way they came, Nick pulled aside some branches looking back into the forest. “Did you notice that the dead ones look kinda weird?”
Sure enough, as Will poked his head through the foliage, the least healthy of the trees did seem to look a bit strange. They had a somewhat emotive quality about them. Will shivered for a moment. Looking closer, Will made out what looked like rows of jagged teeth carved from the tree’s bark. Two holes rested above the mouth, completing the face-like visage. Looking around, Will found more trees of similar design, their trunks warped into gruesome, sneering faces.”Wow, you would think this is something someone set up for Halloween. Where is my ominous violin?” Will joked.
“You’re taking this a lot better than I thought you would,” Nick deadpanned.
Will put a hand on Nick’s shoulder, seemingly not noticing Nick flinching at the contact. “Trust me, I’ll have my freakout later once we’re out of this.”
“Will, I think we need to consider the possibility that we won’t be getting out of this forest anytime soon,” Nick said, followed by a deep sigh. The two of them had been walking for most of the day, and there were still no signs of any kind of civilization. Will let out a yawn, letting it slip due to his exhausted brain. However, letting the moment of quiet pass while listening to the river allowed the two friends to reflect on the day's events. However, Will was thinking back to the car, and their trip to New York.
“So wait,” Will said, stroking his scraggly goatee. “The sun was setting before the crash, and now it’s setting again?”
Will could already feel a migraine on its way.
Nick just shrugged. “ I dunno. One minute we were riding the interstate in a Maxima, and now we’re sitting in the middle of the Amazon. Nothing makes sense here.”
“Fuck man, this is some stupid time travel bullshit I bet. Next thing you know, some weird alien is gonna pop out of nowhere, and then the Doctor is going to show up like; ‘Oh hello! I’m the Doctor. No questions just run!’” Will rambled, hand finding a hold in his wildly curly brown hair.
“What is it with you and Doctor Who today?” Nick asked.
“...Honestly? I have no idea.”
With that, Nick and Will began following the flow of water. However, with night threatening to fall upon the land, thoughts of shelter were at the forefront of their minds.
Thankfully, the riverbanks were much easier to traverse, the only obstacles being the occasional rock outcropping. Travel became a lot quicker as a result, and as Nick and Will continued. The sky was gradually getting darker, with streaks of blues and purples appearing above them. Visibility was becoming an issue again, the shadows cast by the trees creating a dark realm of twilight beneath the canopy.
“Come on man,” Will complained. “We need to find a place to rest. We’ve been walking all day.”
“Just a bit farther, we still have some daylight.” Nick blazed ahead, leading the duo along the river. Nick’s eyes were constantly scanning their surroundings, but he was straining his eyes trying to see anything in the growing darkness.
After a short period of walking in silence, they reached a wider part of the river, where the solid riverbanks turned to thick clay and mud. A swamp like smell lingered in the air as a cold breeze caused the two to shiver. Will’s feet were getting wet as his running shoes sloshed through the muck.
“Alright, we should pull off into the woods soon. Rest up for a bit,” Nick suggested
Will, agitated from dealing with wet feet and an empty stomach, liked this idea. “Finally. Hey, you want a snack? We have a couple of granola bars in here.” Will pulled his duffle bag off of his shoulder, searching through it as they walked.
Nick kept his eyes forward still trying to be aware of his surroundings. However, while Nick’s eyes were giving him some difficulty, Will’s ears were well-tuned to the surrounding forest. However, the ambient white noise of nature was replaced by silence. No buzzing insects. No croaking frogs. Only the sound of their feet in the mud.
“Um… Nick?” Will said, just above a whisper. “Something isn’t right.”
“Will, come on, we’re gonna find a place to rest. Trust me, we’re fine.” Nick continued forward while Will reluctantly followed. They got about ten more feet downstream when Nick’s foot hit something solid.
~Crack~
Nick paused.
Looking down in the dim light, Nick saw his foot had broken something.
Something round…
Eggshells glistened in the dim light of the sunset.
In a sudden flash of motion, the river splashed up as a loud, throaty hiss broke the silence. A gargantuan shadow sprinted onto the riverbank, stopping to let out a second hiss. Scales caught the light, revealing the reptilian snout, filled with dagger-like fangs. A crocodile of massive proportions.
“Nick? What the fuck did you do?”
The oversized lizard jolted closer, trying to drive the trespassers away. Nick and Will swallowed deep.
“I think I just made a mother very, very angry. Run!”
Nick took off with Will right on his heels. They heard the beast behind them, but it was fast. The croc easily kept pace with the two of them. Nick thinking quickly looked for a route of escape. Ahead, in the dim light of the sunset, he saw a large tree, it’s thick branches low enough for an easy climb. “Will, make for the trees!”
Will saw the tree Nick was making a run for and followed as best as he could. Nick was easily the better sprinter, gracefully navigating the underbrush. Will was able to keep up, but his long, lanky legs could not find proper footing. He stumbled once, twice, three times while trying to keep up with his more athletic friend. The crocodile was gaining on Will, but his goal was in sight.
He could make it.
Jumping into the air, Nick grabbed hold of one of the lower branches, using his momentum to swing himself up onto the branch. He looked back to Will, sprinting at the tree with the croc about 20 feet behind.
“Come on, faster!” Nick yelled, holding out his open hand. “You got this. Run!”
Will reached for Nick’s outstretched hand, grabbing it, and with Nick’s assistance, Will was able to wrap his arms around the branch. Will tried to get his legs up there, but he lost all momentum. Will’s feet slid against the slick bark of the trunk, unable to get a good footing.
Nick began to worry. The crocodile sat below the branch, jaws open, still hissing angrily. “Will, get your ass up here-”
*Snap*
Letting out a terrible scream, Will let go of the branch, landing on his back with a thud, with a crocodile biting his leg. Flailing, Will tried desperately to turn himself around as the beast began dragging its prey to the river.
“Will!” Nick called out, hopping down from the tree, giving chase. Panicking, Will flipped himself onto his back, trying everything he could to hit the snout holding onto his leg. Sliding through the cold mud, Will drove his heel into the croc’s snout, which seemed to only drive the teeth deeper into his leg.
“Fu- uh-uck,” Will cried out.
Will felt his feet enter the water when he drove the second ax-kick into the croc’s snout. This was it. Will was being dragged into the river.
Suddenly, Will felt two arms wrap under him, holding him back.
“Don’t just sit there. Kick it again!” Nick commanded, using every bit of strength to keep Will from being dragged deeper.
Emboldened by his friend’s encouragement, Will gritted his teeth, raised his free leg one last time, and brought it down on the oversized reptile.
The crocodile opened its jaws, letting out an angry hiss. Nick pulled back, dragging Will out of the water. With a soulless glint in its eye, the crocodile slid back into the river, disappearing into the blood-soaked river. Will grunted in pain as Nick propped his friend up against a tree. Nick cringed at the state of Will’s leg.
Luckily, the croc didn’t get the best hold of Will’s leg, mainly sinking its teeth into Will’s pants, but it did catch a fair bit of Will’s left calf. Blood freely oozed from the wound as Will groaned in pain. The flesh was torn, shredded really.
“I got kinda lucky didn’t I?” Will wheezed.
“Lucky? Will, you just got bit by a croc the size of a car, and you call that lucky?” Nick scolded. Nick was already in the process of removing his shirt.
“Well, I still have my leg, right?” Will chuckled weakly.
“That’s hoping it doesn’t get infected!”
Shaking his head, Nick raised his friend's leg out of the dirt. Pulling out a water bottle, he cleaned the wound as best as he could, before covering the exposed muscle by wrapping his shirt around Will’s leg.
Will didn’t even flinch. His breathing became shallow, and his eyes glistened. ‘Huh, strange,’ Will thought to himself. ‘I can’t feel my body.’ Will didn’t even notice as Nick lifted him, draping one of Will’s arms around his shoulders. Nick took the brunt of the weight, practically dragging Will beside him. Nick was saying something, but it seemed so far away to Will. Everything looked sideways. Eyelids were so heavy.
“Will, I need you to stay with me. We’re gonna get help.” Nick trudged forward, following the river again, Will’s arm draped around his shoulder. He didn’t know if he would find any aforementioned help, but he’d be damned if he didn’t try. The night was beginning to fall, and Will closed his eyes.