//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: A Lovebug and a Love Bug 
// by XHunter 
//------------------------------//


Michael


It may be strange to say, but I find the chaos of the forest kinda cool. Maybe cool wasn't the right word…fascinating; yeah, fascinating is more accurate. Seeing so many animals run past the dirt road and hearing distant calls were out of the ordinary for this forest. The novelty of it all captured the childlike wonderment I still had for the world. 

Like most people, 27 years of normality had bored me. However, instead of thrill-seeking or going to a new country, something as simple as seeing a family of deer was enough to satiate me. Not because I'm boring or uninterested in the thrilling, but more so because I appreciate the little things in the world.

The forest's edge had been relatively quiet when I entered, but the deeper I went In the more animals would dash across the path. 20 minutes in and I was forced to slow my truck down to a crawling speed of 10 miles. Just as I did, the lightning ceased. Great, I thought. My original plan of just following the flashes had been cut. 

Thankfully I knew the general direction and could just follow my gut. Said gut was telling me to look at anything and everything in case it was weird…though maybe that was just my brain looking for more stimulation.

Staving off boredom, I mentally noted every little thing I drove by, Tree…bush…poison ivy maybe? Right turn.

Bush…vines…tree…deer…

DEER!

I hit the brake as hard as I could. A wave of adrenaline went through my body, and my heart pumped as though I had narrowly dodged a car on the highway. My truck jolted to a stop. With the crisis averted, I let out a tense breath and rested my head on the steering wheel. 

"Whew, maybe I should keep looking straight ahead," I muttered with a nervous chuckle. I shifted my truck into park and leaned back to look up. I immediately leaned forward to make out the strange creature in front of me.

It took me a while to process what I was looking at. Clearly, they weren't deer. There were two animals I had never seen before; a black one and a pink one. Black was being carried by Pink. It was hard to discern all of Black's features because Pink's neck was blocking its body. I could see the top of Black's slumped-over head, which had greenish hair and a horn jutting from the forehead.

Pink was quadrupedal and horse-like. It had a horn like Black. The hair it possessed was long, vibrant, and messy with clinging plant life. It was facing away from my truck with its eyes closed to avoid staring into the headlights. I could see Pink's mouth moving and I realized it was making noise. It was…singing? Rolling down my already cracked windows, I was able to confirm it was indeed singing. What language it was singing in I couldn't understand.

"What the hell did I get myself into…" I muttered. I had been kidding with my theories about what was going on, but there were two unidentified creatures in front of me. Aliens or science experiments I didn't know. I would've continued to stare if it wasn't for a desperate yell from Pink, who was pointing at my truck. Realizing I was probably blinding it with my lights, I dimmed them.

Pink and I stared at each other awkwardly. I didn't know what to do; what are you supposed to do in a situation like this!? Say hi? 

Pink made another sound, was it waiting for me? An intelligent person would think of a plan, sadly I wasn't. I could sit in my truck and try futilely to come up with a plan, but I'd end up never leaving. So I did what I always do when I'm unsure: I took a deep breath and opened the door.








Cadence


"Please, can you turn off the lights," I said a second time. I couldn't see what was in front of me but it had what sounded like an engine. An engine meant it was some kind of machine, and I was gambling on that machine being a vehicle. 

"Please, If there's someone in there we need help!" I yelled. My hope that we had encountered help was waning. It seemed whatever was behind those lights held no life. Just as I was about to move on, the lights dimmed. 

I could now see the machine. Its design was foreign but was unmistakably a vehicle. Through the window, I could see a creature inside. I tried my best to make out its appearance, however, the lack of light in the interior made it difficult. I could make out its outline, however, and whatever it was wasn't a pony. 

"Hello? Can you help us, please," I said. I knew it could hear me…unless the lights dimming was coincidental. I waited for a response and I was rewarded with the door to the vehicle opening. Nervous, I took several steps back.

The creature shut the door and walked into the light of the vehicle, revealing its form. It held a vague resemblance to a minotaur; except it was far less bulky and its head was entirely different. Like a minotaur, it was tall; a little taller than Celestia I guessed as I only reached up to its chest. 

From head to hoof, it was covered in clothing, the only exposed parts of its body being its head and hands. An open black jacket with many seams and a red collared shirt underneath covered its upper half, while its lower was covered by long black pants.

It was clear the creature was doing the same to me and analyzing my appearance. Despite the minutes passing, neither of us had spoken a word to the other. "Can you help us," I said. It seized up and made eye contact with me before immediately breaking it.

It took a deep breath and cleared its throat. Raising its hand partially into the air, it spoke, "Ah-uuuh…cum en pees?" I didn't understand a word that came from his baritone voice.

"I'm sorry, I can't understand you. Do you know Ponish?" I asked him. Hopefully, he did. A language barrier was going to make this ten times harder. He spoke once more and it was still in that same "staccatoed" language as before. 

If I was going to get his help, I would have to get past the language barrier. We sat in silence while I thought. A soft groan from Chrysalis on my back gave me an idea. I turned to my side and showed him her wounds. "Help us," I said.

He remained silent and took a step forward. I didn't know what he was doing and started getting more nervous. He stared at Chrysalis' wounds before stepping back. He said something and then gestured toward the vehicle.

I watched as he went to the back of the vehicle. He looked over toward me and said something. I assumed he wanted me to follow and so I walked over. The back of the vehicle looked like it was made to hold cargo and I realized what was going on. He was going to take us somewhere. He fiddled with something on the vehicle and its back popped open, granting me access to more easily board.

He looked at me with concern and spoke. He must have been trying to reassure me that he could be trusted. I was taught to be careful with strangers but I didn't really have a choice. Wherever I was was without magic, and those areas tended to be far from Equestria. I didn't know where the nearest civilization was. And with Chrysalis injured, it would be difficult to survive in wild lands.

"Even if you can't understand, thank you," I told him. My wings spread out and it accidentally startled the creature. He backed away with his hand up in front of him. "I-I'm sorry! They're just wings, see?" I flapped my wings to show him. He seemed to calm down in understanding but remained weary. 

With a few flaps, I hovered on to the vehicle, all while the creature watched in awe. I considered slipping Chrysalis off my back, but I would have to pick her up again once we reached our destination…wherever that was. With my hooves firmly on the vehicle, I laid down with Chrysalis still on my back.







Michael


Holy shit it can fly! that was my first thought when I saw her hop onto my truck. My second was, that's not an it. Turns out having a language wasn't the only thing she shared with us humans, and I had unfortunately caught a glimpse of that other shared feature when she flew up.

Once Pink was on the truck and had laid down, I closed the truck bed. "I'll help you two the best I can," I said before heading to the driver's seat. I couldn't understand her language but I knew a plea for help. Her friend was in rough shape and they needed me. Even if I was nervous and slightly afraid, someone needed help and I couldn't sit there and do nothing, not this time at least.

I walked to the front of the car and let everything that happened sink in, it only grounded me slightly. I felt…off. My emotions were jumbled and I was running on half thoughts; like I was telling myself what to do rather than just doing it.

I entered my truck and adjusted my rearview mirror to keep an eye on my new passengers. With the press of a button, I opened the back window and said, "It's going to be a bumpy ride." I could see she was surprised at the window opening and muttered something I couldn't understand.

I reversed off of the path to turn around and stopped once we were facing the right way. "Still good back there?" I asked. 

She sang, "Dilque," which I presumed was a yes. I shifted into drive and off we went.

As I drove back home, my mind was racing with thoughts. Luckily, the forest seemed to have calmed down and I used that quiet to ruminate on plans. I had a lot ahead of me, and I knew my life was forever changed. For good or bad? Only time could tell…