//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Meeting the six // Story: Monster Travels // by fearanger //------------------------------// (The first contract mission has been collected and unfortunately moved to chapter 2. Sorry! No more entries before the actual collection day because that's pretty unfair on the other people.) *Ponyville* Twilight was having a slumber party with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy over at the library. They were currently trying to tell ghost stories and Fluttershy already told hers, even though she was hesitant she agreed to tell one and her story actually scared the pants off of Twilight and Pinkie. It was Pinkie's turn but she just couldn't find a name for it and think of how the story went. "Um... how about... 'The Curse of Sunny Town'?" "Pinkie, not trying to be rude but I already told that." Said Fluttershy with a shy looking smile on her face. "Yeah Pinkie. Try thinking of one that we haven't said yet?" "Okay! Hm... uh... gr..." Mumbled Pinkie raking her mind for a story. "OOH! OOH! How about-" Pinkie was cut off by the lights flashing off. "The... haunted library?" Said Pinkie with a surprised face. "Uh... P-p-p-pinkie? That i-i-i-isn't helping... *eep*" Said Fluttershy, who was now hiding under Spikes blanket. When she felt it moving she leaped into the air letting out a frightened scream and hid behind Twilight. "Fluttershy, don't wake me up, it's midnight! I was having a nice dream where I was living in this beautiful valley with a mountain of gemstones that reappeared with each one I ate..." Said Spike who was staring at Fluttershy with drowsy eyes. "Spike, she has every right to be scared... Even though I don't believe in ghosts, this is pretty frightening!" Just as Twilight said that, Pinkie's knee started to feel weird. "Uh... I think something scary is about to happen." But just as Pinkie said that, a giant ghost with a weird looking tongue emerged from the floor. Everyone except Pinkie was scared. "ooooooooohhhh! Nice special effects Twilight! I think my Pinkie sense is running on the fritz." "P-p-p-p-pinkie! T-t-t-that's not m-m-m-m-me...:" Stuttered a wide eyed Twilight. Pinkies eyes shrunk to the size of a pin needle when Twilight said that. "You mean that's... A genuine GHOST?!" Yelled Pinkie. "BBBBBBBRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!" Roared the giant ghost. This was enough to send everyone into a frightened frenzy and send them out. Not Fluttershy, she fainted. Forcing to Twilight levitate her out of the Library. "HEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Laughed the giant ghost with a maniacal, evil laughter. *Meanwhile just outside of Ponyville* Stomper appeared alot further away from Ponyville than he expected, he could tell because he was in the everfree forest. He continued through the forest and he was surprised that he wasn't being attacked yet. "Huh, usually a creature would attack in the everfree forest. That's just weird..." A weird, deep rumbling sound came to the left of Stomper. He knew that sound all too well! "Oh great. A Cockatrice!" He galloped for his life towards Ponyville In a huge burst of speed! He did want to fight a Cockatrice, but this wasn't what he had in mind! He was so caught up with fleeing the creature that he charged through a thorn bush! They were puncturing his skin and leaving scars along his body. After 3 minutes of running from the creature, he stopped at a Cottage that was just outside the forest. It had a Chicken Coop and it had a bridge over a small river leading to the Cottage. He trotted over to the Cottage and started to feel dizzy. "Uh... what the hell?" He looked at his coat and noticed that a small gash left by a thorn had started bleeding at a fast pace and it didn't help that fact that the small gash was accompanied by stabbing thorns and other cuts and bruises! He started trotting over to the Cottage faster now. "I hope they didn't keep it locked!" He knocked on the door a couple of times and was greeted by a Bunny in a nurses cap. He looked at Stomper and froze in place. A few seconds later, he led Stomper inside and he was greeted by three (two, if you count a fainted Fluttershy) Ponies each doing something. One was a pink Mare that was staring at a window shaking like she had a nightmare and couldn't fall asleep and another was a purple Mare that was caring for a yellow Mare who was lying on a quilt with another over her. MARECEPTION!(sorry, I had to do that...) He went over to the purple Mare and started talking... although he sounded drunk. "Can you help me?" The Mare looked up and was horrified by what was in front of her! She saw a big, mysterious Earth Pony who looked like he had moss growing on him. But she saw another thing that was growing OUT of him, a pair of twisting root like horns protruding out of his forehead. The other thing that horrified her was the injuries he was covered in. "Um... are you okay sir? What's with those horns?" Stomper looked at he with a "is that so important?" face. "If you could understand genes then you would notice that they were GENETIC!!! But I have no idea how because my parents didn't have any hor- anyway, I am bleeding to death and that's all you care about?!" He was really intimidating her and she was wide eyed and shocked by his sudden outburst. "Ookay then. Stay here, I'm going to get some medical supplies." The bunny tapped the Mare on the leg and gestured her to follow him. He lead her to a room next to the stairs leading upwards and helped her find the medical supplies. She came back to a Stomper who was staring at the unconscious Mare with huge and quarter closed eyes. "This girl... she is giving me this emotion I have never felt ever since I was with my family when I didn't know my mother's secret. Is this... happiness?" Thought Stomper as a single tear went down and somehow traveled down to the fast bleeding cut, which healed almost instantly as the tear was absorbed into the wound. He looked at the purple Mare with a somewhat sad yet happy face. Twilight was astonished at what happened but what she worried about right now was nursing Stomper back to health. She tapped her hoof on the ground as if saying to lay down. He acknowledged this, lied down next to the yellow Mare and she started treating him. *1 minute later* After she was done with the thorns, holes, cuts and bleeding wounds, Stomper had bandages all over him! The Mare then started introductions. "Well... It's good to meet you. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I own the Library in Ponyville. That is Pinkie Pie over there. She works at Sugarcube Corner. This is Fluttershy and she takes care of animals over here. I can show you the other 3 tomorrow if you want! What's your name?" Throughout that entire intro, Twilight was staring at Stomper's horns and wasn't actually paying attention to Stomper. "*sigh* My name is Stomper... and no, I'm not a Unicorn...." Said a depressed Stomper. This was too much for Twilight and she had to know. "Um... I just noticed that throughout your visit, I barely saw a positive expression in your tone or on your fa-" "I had a positive emotion here! It was happiness..." "Oh... when was it again?" "When I saw Fluttershy, she reminded me of my family.... Her beautiful looks reminded me of my Mother and Sister..." "Oh my gosh! Did something happen to your family? I'm so sorry!" "Don't be. Your feeling sorry about the person mostly responsible. It was 6 years ago.... You see, my Mother was a Marewolf and curiosity got the best of me. I followed her on a full moon into the forest outside our house and she was charging at me. My foolish self ran back to the house and she mauled my Father to death, bit a hole out of my Sister and she probably killed my Brother who had the only chance of survival other than me... I caused the death of my family and I let that monster out into Equestria looking for me..." By that time, twilight had tears dropping from her cheeks and down onto Fluttershy who she was standing over. The wet substance was enough to wake up the sleeping Mare. "Uh... W-w-wha?" Mumbled Fluttershy as she opened her eyes. When she saw an injured Stallion with roots coming from his forehead was right in front of her face looking at the floor with a sad face, she flew into the air in surprise, but soon collapsed from exhaustion. "Fluttershy! You have to calm down and don't worry. This is Stomper, he arrived just a while ago covered in injuries from the everfree forest." Fluttershy looked over at the Stallion and he looked at her as well. They were laying next to each other staring into space until Stomper spoke up. "M-m-m-my name is Stomper." Stuttered Stomper. "M-m-my n-name i-i-is Flutter..." Her name was barely understandable as she was really quiet. He already knew her name but he felt like he just had to hear it again. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't hear you." "M-my name i-is Fluttershy. ... *squee*" After a long pause after saying her name, she let out a shy smile and a cute squee noise. Stomper actually smiled without sadness visible anywhere for once and Twilight actually smiled at how sweet this moment was. Even Pinkie had to look around and see what was happening and she had a huge grin on her face from the cuteness in front of her,(damn! Stompers emotions are contagious!) but then something hit Stomper. "Hey Twilight, if you own the Library of Ponyville, aren't you supposed to you know, be at the Library?" Twilight started sweating from nervousness at that point. "Um... well, we can't go there for now because..." Pinkie butted in the conversation. "OOH! Because of the gh-" Twilight stuck her hoof in Pinkie's mouth to quiet her. Stomper walked over snickering. "Hehehe... I'm sorry but were you going to say ghost?" "Uh... she was just describing a dream she had. No Ghost haunting Ponyville and definitely no Ghost haunting a Library! No siree!" Twilight was now sweating buckets and it was even going down her leg and flowing into Pinkie's mouth. "Okay... Don't have to go all weird about it." Stomper then looked over to Pinkie Pie. "Are you Pinkie Pie?" Pinkie yanked Twilight's hoof out of her mouth and put on a grin that went all the way to the ends of her head. "How do you know my name?! The only Ponies that know me live here in Ponyville unless your related to me! *gasp* THAT'S IT! You must be related to me! But I don't see the resemblance. You barely look like me and I have never seen a relative, cousin or uncle have horns like that! Are you supposed to be a tree or something? That reminds me of a talk I had with my friend Rainbow Dash! We were going to Appleloosa by train and Dashie thought Fluttershy was..." Pinkie went on and on about her and Rainbow Dash's talk on the train, then she went on about oatmeal and then a talk about these human things (Sorry fourth wall! I have gone to the Pinkie side.) and how she had a nightmare about her and this mare called Rainbow Dash where... never mind. After what felt like hours, Pinkie stopped. "Pinkie, where do you get all of this information about fake creatures?" Twilight regretted saying that. "From beyond this Universe of course!" "Pinkie, if you don't stop breaking the fourth wall, you are going to get it!" Stomper's outburst surprised Twilight and amazed Pinkie. "You know about it too?! Wait, that technically means you just broke it too." Fluttershy was listening the whole time and was just confused but Twilight has has enough of this. "No Pinkie, he isn't related to you, I told him your name." "Aww... It would have been nice to have a relative over!" Stomper looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Right. Anyway, I was just wondering if you have a place to stay?" Fluttershy heard this and walked over. "Don't you want to stay here? You don't have to, it's just a suggestion..." Stomper felt honored by this. "Is she purposefully trying to be nice to me or is she always like this?" Stomper nodded to her suggestion. "Uh... sure. You don't mind right?" "Oh no! I don't mind at all. If you don't mind sleeping on the couch that is." "That's okay! I slept in a variety of places." And with that, Twilight and Pinkie left for Sugarcube Corner. Twilight is staying there after the Ghost incident. Stomper get's in his place on the couch and Fluttershy go's up the stairs. "Good night and sweet dreams." Said Fluttershy before walking through the door leading into the Bedroom. Stomper kept himself awake for 5 minutes thinking about Fluttershy. "Why can't I stop thinking about her? Whispered Stomper to himself. "Am I... falling for her? No one has ever been able to do that before. She is one special Mare..." Continued Stomper as he finally fell asleep. the next morning... The sun was rising and towering over Ponyville, shining it's beautiful rays over the town and slipping through the windows of Fluttershy's cottage. The sun's rays covered Stomper and his face, causing him to wake up. "Good morning." Said a sweet and familiar voice close by. Stomper's eyes widened as he remembered what happened last night. He looks around sitting up and see's Fluttershy in the kitchen making coffee and tea. "You don't mind if you have coffee do you?" "Oh, I don't mind." Replied Stomper. He then notices that he has a blanket covering him. "Did you do this?" He said surprised. "Yes, I awoke to hear you crying a bit in the middle of the night and I felt so terrible! So I got you a blanket... kissed you on the forehead... and sang you a lullaby..." Admitted Fluttershy. Stomper was astonished! Him? A big strong pony needing a kiss and a lullaby to be soothed to sleep like a crying baby? "It's official, she is a nice pony whenever she likes it or not." "Well thanks for that... I was just remembering back to my past..." Stomper started to get a little choked up. "Oh, please don't cry again! I can't stand it when somepony cries." Said Fluttershy climbing up onto the couch and putting a reassuring hoof on his shoulder. Stomper let out a big sigh. "Right... sorry I worried you..." Said Stomper looking at her. As the duo were having their tea and coffee, knocking could be heard from the door. Fluttershy put her tea down and went over to the door and found Twilight and Pinkie Pie outside. They seemed eager about something... "Hello girls! What brings you here?" Welcomed Fluttershy. "Since Stomper might be staying here, I wanted to show him to Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash and introduce them to him." Answered Twilight. "Okay then, Stomper, can you come here?" Called Fluttershy as Stomper did just that. "Twilight and Pinkie Pie want to introduce you to some friends here in Ponyville. Do you want to meet them?" "Are you sure? I mean, these are ponies that have never met me. They'll find me weird!" Said Stomper. He was worried that a pony might get too uncomfortable towards him and might end up alerting the authorities. "Don't be silly, silly billy! Some ponies might find you weird but others might find you cute or funny!" Said Pinkie feeling upbeat as always. Stomper thought about this and gave a small nod after thinking about it, still feeling unsure about what might happen. "Okay, let's go then!" Said Twilight, eager to go on, so they did. First stop; Sweet Apple Acres!