"Well whatever sliced up his side it must have pretty big."
"Hmm maybe it was a bear that did it to him."
"No i know most bears in the area and they would never hurt somepony unless they had to. Also they aren't big enough to do something like this."
"Well ah don't like it, ah have a funny feeling about this one. Not only does it looks like he has had wings at one time and a horn, but ah don't think we will be able to trust him."
"Well I guess we will have to wait till he wakes up to find out."
The stallion began to regain his consciousness as he listened to the voices. He felt something being wrapped around his head.
"Where is Rarity she should have been back by now."
"Ah don't know Fluttershy hopefully she gets back soon though."
He tried to remember what had happen the previous day. He had been walking through the forest, then he came to the cave, and then THE MANTICORE!!!
He shot upright in an instant. Ignoring a high pitched squeal he began to look around franticly only to see a white thing hanging over his face. Starting to panic he tried to get up on his hooves only to be met with a sharp pain from his right side.
Suddenly he heard a voice "Woh there partner, now calm down." he felt a hoof touch his face as it moved the bandage out of his sight. He looked at what had moved it, it was a small pony with an orange coat and yellow hair that was tied at its ends with a red band. She looked at his eyes for the first time. They were a light tan color. She then said "Mah name is Applejack and this is my friend Fluttershy." she said pointing to her left. The stallion looked at her with confusion as she was pointing at nothing. Applejack caught his look and saw that Fluttershy wasn't standing by her any more but was hiding behind the corner of her cottage.
"Gosh Futtershy why are yah hiding over there?" She walked over to the shaking pony and dragged her in front of the stallion."Well introduce yerself."
She let out a squeak and quietly muttered her name. The stallion looked at her with confution as if to ask 'What did you say?'.She then mumbled her name again but even quieter. Applejack face hoofed and said "Sorry about mah friend here she can be a little shy, her name is Fluttershy after all." The stallion then got up on his front hooves and started pulling at the ground in front of him.
"Well what's yer name stranger?" Applejack asked the stallion only looked at her for a short while before going back to dragging his hoof on the ground. "Did yah hear me, I said what is yer name?" Once again nothing from the stallion he only dragged his hoof on the ground in front of him. "Yah know I'm about this close to bucking yah, if yah don't an-"
She was quickly interrupted by Fluttershy who had put a hoof in Applejacks mouth. Pulling it out quickly as Applejack looked at her "Oh I'm sorry, its just...well look." she pointed her hoof at the ground in front of the stallion. On the ground in front of him where four words with a line down the middle of them;
Bronze Night | Can't speak
Applejack looked at the words for a few seconds before looking up."So yer name is Bronze Night?" the stallion shook his head up and down rapidly. "Ok that's figured out but what does this second part mean, are u telling us that you can't talk to anypony?" She looked at him with confusion. He then shook his head slowly before lifting his chin up. He pointed at his neck for a few seconds. Both of the girls gasped at what they saw. A few inches under his chin was a pale scar that reached down 6 inches. They had figured out what had happened.
Fluttershy looked at him with sadness in her eyes. She then startled Bronze by rushing up to him and hugging him.
"Oh you poor thing, it must be terrible not to be able to speak. W-what happened?"
He then freed himself from her embrace and started dragging at the ground again."Don't know. Happened to long ago."
After the girls had read this Applejack asked him "Well bronze just exactly how old are you? Yah don't exactly look that old."
The purple stallion then started to clear the ground where he had put the last words. "Don't know. Live in dark place for long time. Wandering, no way out."
"By dark place yah mean the EverFree Forest?"
Bronze nodded at applejacks question struggling to put together understandable sentences. "I much younger when woke up in dark place. Wandering ever since."
It was apparent to Applejack and Fluttershy that he was having trouble fitting together his sentences as if he didn't have much experience writing.
"Well that explains where yah came from but how did yah get those cuts on yer side"
"Manticore attack while resting. You mind me asking, why you so small?"
At this last question Applejack laughed "Hahahahaha yah think that we are small hahaha I'm sorry buster but it's not us who are small. Yah are just very big compared to everypony else." She then thought about his question for a second. "Wait it almost seems as if you have never seen another pony before."
Yes this first time, other than seeing reflection. Always knew more like me out there."
If Applejack had been drinking anything she would have spat it out at reading this last comment.
This time Fluttershy spoke up. "Well then umm if, you don't mind me asking Mr. Bronze but if you have never seen anypony before then how do you know how to write? And how can you understand us."
Bronze thought for a moment wile trying to recall what words to write. "After I woke in forest I was confused and scared. Three days pass, no eating and running from all things try to eat me, then came upon large cave. I sleep inside for night woke up to dragon sitting next me. Guess must have touch him, he take me in, raised me. His name was Ballahmar, taught me read, write, and live on own. He give me name." Bronze stopped and smiled as he remembered the happy memory."After three year, Ballahmar told soon he fall into a sleep that he no wake up from for long time. I no understand, but he tell me how more like me in world if I find way out of forest, I be with others like me. With that he fall asleep I have wandering ever since, to find way out of forest." A tear ran down Bronzes face as he had remembered the dragon that had had helped him so much.
Tears were running down Fluttershy's face and Applejack was deeply touched after they finished reading the words Bronze had put in the ground. They moved up to Bronze and wrapped him in a big hug. They suddenly separated themselves from him as they heard a yell coming from behind them.
"Fluttershy! Applejack! What's going on!? Who is that with you?"
They turned to see a blue pegasus speeding towards them. She landed skidding to a halt. Once she had stopped she looked at the towering stallion in front of her. Rainbow Dashes eyes widening as she looked up at him. He looked allot smaller when she was in the air. But now that she saw him up close he looked like a towering mountain. Quickly snapping back to her senses she asked "Who is this guy?"
"Oh hay there Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy said happily after Rainbow had asked her for the second time. "This is Bronze Night. Bronze this is one of my best friends Rainbow Dash."
He bowed his head towards Raidnbow Dash, he started writing with his hooves. "Nice meet you Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow didn't notice what he had written. After a few awkward moments she asked "What's wrong with him? Why won't he talk? Is he hiding something?"
He then looked over to Applejack for help. She noticed how he looked at her. "Ah...Rainbow look down." she said wile pointing at the ground in front of Bronze.
Rainbow looked down and saw what was written.
"Nice to meet you too but what's wrong with you? Are you to afraid to talk or something?"She asked with confusion.
Applejack then spoke up."It's a long story but just believe us when we say he can't speak...at all. Instead he writes what he wants to say on the ground."
The sun was high in the air by now as the four ponies continued to talk. Suddenly they all heard a loud growl from Bronze. He lowered his head a little as he blushed.
"Well it looks like somepony is hungry." Applejack said with a grin on her face."Lets head into town and see if we can get yah something to eat."
Bronze seemed really excited as he heard this and tried to get up on his hind legs a bit to fast. At the quick movement his wound screamed at him as he collapsed with a painful look on his face.
"Rainbow get over here and help me get him on his hooves"
"Gosh...fine then" Rainbow Dash said reluctantly.
They both helped him up as he winced in pain from his side. He took a few steps and looked as if he was going to fall over only to regain his posture at the last moment.
"Are you alright? We don't have to go to town if you can't make it. I'm sure I can make something for us to eat here" Fluttershy said. Bronze gave her a look that said I'll be fine.
They then continued down the path that lead to ponyville.