//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The First Encounter // Story: My Friend Alice // by Betty_Starlight //------------------------------// It was after school in Bridlewood and as usual, I didn’t feel much like going home. So, I trotted out to the old house on the edge of town, where I like to go to sometimes, instead! It was abandoned and there’s no power, but it wasn’t awful. It was a single story house with a big foyer in the front and a hallway leading to two back bedrooms and a third bedroom on the left side of the building… The windows were actually intact though and the door was never locked. Honestly, I don’t think anypony knows about it? So I trotted down the path and I smelled the crisp afternoon forest air and stared up at the hot blistering sun above… The sun sucks! I think to myself before trudging further along the path… Oh, my name is Mary Trottings! Should probably also mention that? Yeah, I’m a unicorn! My coat is dark green, while my mane and tail are a reddish-blond color and I don’t have my cutie mark yet… My eyes are a slightly more orange color than my mane… The teasing about my cutie mark never bothered me, oddly enough. Other ponies are gonna be awful no matter what, so it really doesn’t matter what they pick to tease me about because there will always be something! Honestly, it’s much better to be alone… And so, that’s the way I always was! Alone and by myself! That way, there’s nopony to hurt me! This was before I met her, obviously! Now, you’re probably wondering exactly who her, is, right? Well, it’s my friend Alice and I haven’t met her yet! Hang on, we’re getting there! I trotted up to the front door and then, started circling around the back of the forest house, as it sat there in the patchy sunlight, underneath the tree cover and I knew I wanted to get to the far side of the house, away from town, because the fence on the other side kept me from entering! Uh, the back entrance is less depressing… Anyway, I trotted around the building and I heard something from the window… Probably a raccoon or squirrel? I think to myself as I continue trotting and ready to make another right turn to go around to the backdoor. I trot to the backdoor and I couldn’t help but notice that it was open partially! Could’ve sworn I shut that? I think to myself as I trot inside… “What? Who’s there?” I hear a feminine voice say from the kitchen, to my right… I adjust my gaze in that direction, “Uh, my name is Mary! Mary Trottings and I won’t hurt you! Come out!” Then, she came out from behind the wall, separating the outer foyer from the kitchen and I saw her for the first time… She had a reddish purple coat with blue eyes and a very unique mane-style. It was wavy and white with aquamarine highlights and was braided around her ears and she had a unique curved horn which I had never seen before! She wore a black vest and her cutie mark was two blue flames on either side of a single reddish purple diamond shape… She stared at me, “And you are?” My eyes widen, “Oh, my name’s Mary! Mary Trottings and I go to Bridlewood Elementary!” She smiles, “Well, nice to meet you Mary! My name is Alice Hoofler and this house is abandoned. You should leave!” “I come here all the time, Alice! Also, why are you here?” She sighs, “Well, if you must know, I needed to get away, and so I came here!” I frown, “Why here?” “What do you mean?” Her left eyebrow raises. I nod, “Well, you could go anywhere you wanted to go! Why an abandoned house on the edge of Bridlewood?” She smiles, “Who would suspect?” “Okay, you make a point!” Her view lowers, “And I could ask you the same question Mary! Why here?” “Well, it’s quiet, nopony really comes here or bothers me, and it’s better than going straight home after class!” She frowns, “Do you like being alone Mary?” I nod again, “Usually! Other ponies just tease you and hurt you! It’s best to be alone, I think… “ Her right eyebrow raises, “Is that so?” I nod a third time, “Oh, yes Alice! Other ponies are mean and cruel!” Her eyes widen, “Oh? Tell me something Mary! Do you believe that I’ll be mean and cruel?” I eye this other unicorn carefully as I didn’t think about that, “Uh, maybe?” She suddenly smiles and laughs a sort of regal laugh full of power and guffaw, “You are very interesting Mary! I like you!” I frown, “You do?” She stares at me with a big grin on her muzzle, “Yes, Mary! I do!” I widen my eyes in horror at this prospect, “W-why?” She sighs, “Well, you have a unique perspective, I’ll admit! And I adore your mane!” That comment makes me smile, “Oh? Well, I like yours too, Alice! I love the braids around your ears!” She smiles back, “Thank you! And your piggy tails are adorable!” I giggle slightly, “Stop it!” She continues to smile at me, “So, I take it you go to school locally?” I nod yet again, “Oh, yes ma’am! At Bridlewood Elementary!” “And how are your grades?” I frown when I suddenly realize that outside of my mother, nopony has ever asked me that, “Oh, well they’re wonderful! I never had any problems in school! Uh, that was never the problem!” She frowns and raises her muzzle, “Oh? And just what is the problem then, my dear?” “Well, I don’t like the other students so much. They’re all mean and I never know what to say to them.” Her right eyebrow raises, “And yet, you had no problems talking with me?” I look at her carefully, “Well, uh, you’re different and this is different!” Her brow normalizes, “Because I’m not a foal and we aren’t in an elementary school?” My eyes widen when I see my way out, “Yeah! That must be it!” and I nod. “Right! I mean, you’re kinda old to be a student!” She giggles again, “Indeed!” before her face normalizes. “So, what do you usually do here Mary?” “Well, I got some coloring books and I also have a few novels I like to read! But uh, since you’re here, I guess we could do something else?” Her eyes widen, “Well, how about this then! It’s a nice brisk autumn day out and the sun is shining! Why don’t we take a walk together in the forest?” I look at her carefully and consider this in my mind… Take a walk alone in the forest with a pony I don’t know! What could go wrong? And then, I smile at her, “Sure Alice! Uh, which way do you wanna go?” <*****> We both trot further into the woods with Alice at my right… Deeper in the woods like this though, the sun isn’t so bad and it’s cool underneath the shade of the trees. She stares at me from the right, “So, you don’t want to go straight home after class?” I turn my head, “Oh, no Alice! There’s not a lot to do there, and my mom is at work until about eight at night anyway! I’m on my own!” She turns her head back forward, “Is that so?” “Alice, you never did tell me why you were in that house?” Her neck turns to me as we both trot along the forested path, “Didn’t I though?” I frown, “Um, not exactly no. You never told me what you were trying to get away from?” Her blue eyes widen, “Oh, EVERYTHING! UGH!” My eyes widen as well, “What?” She stares back me, “I live in a castle and I’m uh, more or less all by myself… It gets very lonely there, and while I have uh, a roommate, I rarely see her because she’s always out…” “Oh, neat! A castle! Uh, where is it?” “It’s on the coastline north of Maretime Bay! Perhaps I’ll show you one day?” I smile, “I’d like that Alice!” And as we both trotted into a clearing, I suddenly became aware of a gray earth stallion standing by the left side of the road. He had a pair of scars going across his right eye and a wicked grin on his face as he widened both his yellow eyes and shouted, “I am Malar, the necromancer and welcome to your doom!” he lowers his gaze while continuing to smile and his wavy brown mane flew in the breeze, “You two have the honor of being my first victims!” before throwing his right forehoof to point at us. “ATTACK!” And from the right side of the road, I see three rotting corpse ponies galloping at us! The brown rotted flesh barely hung from their bones and I saw their teeth and empty eye sockets on the skulls above their frames as they all opened their mouths and screamed to attack as the air grew foul and putrid! By this point, I’m almost frozen in fear, although I do see Alice at my right roll her eyes and I heard her say in an almost disappointed tone, “Seriously? Is that the best you got?” before she turned her head towards the approaching zombie ponies from roughly 20 feet away and I saw her horn glow a violet-blue color before a bolt of bluish energy flies towards the skeletal ponies and blasts them all to pieces! The air grew even more foul as zombie parts and rotted organs soon filled the sky… Malar stared at her in shock, although he had no time to react before Alice turned to stare at him and made her curved violet horn glow and cause him to launch into the air far away from us as he screamed in terror from his new situation! “AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!” We both see him fly into the distance… Alice turns her head right towards me again, “Are you alright?” I blink and turn to face her, “Y-yeah! Thanks Alice! I uh, was in big trouble there and wasn’t sure what I was gonna do?” Alice smiles, “Well, fear not Mary! I will not let anything bad befall my new friend!” I glare at her when everything that’s been going on suddenly starts to solidify within my mind… “F-friend?” (To be continued…)