//------------------------------//
// Shelter 
// Story: A Survivors Guide to Equestria 
// by Onomonopia 
//------------------------------//

For the third time in two days, Ryan found himself heading into the place that had nearly claimed his life. Even though he did his best not to show it, he was afraid of the forest and what lurked within it. This time he stuck to a well-worn path, even if he didn't know where it led. The moon was once again full and bright, giving him some light in the darkness. He gripped his charged stun baton tightly; fairly certain that he would need to use it again soon. 

He had no idea where the path was taking him, for he rarely looked ahead. Instead, he was looking all around, making sure that there was no ambush set up for him. If he knew the creatures of the forest, it wouldn't be long before others tried to add him to their diet. 

And he was correct. About twenty minutes into his exploration of the forest he heard a large growl, followed by the sounds of something moving through the trees. Spinning towards the source of the noise, his heart sank when he saw the beast that advanced from the bushes. It had the head of a lion, the tail of a scorpion and the wings of a bat. It was even taller than he was, something Ryan found discomforting. But most importantly, when it saw him it licked its lips and started to advance. Ryan didn't know what this creature was, but he knew his chances of beating it were slim. But maybe he didn't have to beat it; maybe he just had to convince it that he wasn't worth its trouble. He held the stun baton out and pointed it at the creature's head, flicking on the power switch.

BBBZZZZTTTT!!!

Ryan smiled when he saw the creature jump back in shock at the weapon, which now crackled with electricity. Ryan saw the creature's eyes look from him to the weapon, and then back again. His plan worked and the beast turned around, heading back into the forest. Ryan watched it go until he could no longer see it, before shutting off his weapon. He didn't know how long the crystal's charge would last, so he didn't plan on wasting it. While he was looking at the baton, an old saying flashed through his mind.

'Simple solution to a complicated problem.'

Ryan chuckled at that, remembering how Chris used to say that all the time when he continued to screw up. As Ryan turned back towards the way he had been heading, his mind flashed back to Chris and the first time he had met the crazy guy.

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Ryan's flashback began at a university, where some of the brightest minds in the country went to school, in order to prepare themselves for the day they graced the world with their intellects. Not that Ryan was one of these brains; he was just the night watchman, the guy who roamed the school after hours. One particular night, he had just about finished his rounds in the science section when a loud crash came from one of the laboratories. Drawing his taser, Ryan slowly advanced towards the room from which the crash had come. He flattened his back against the wall, and then spun into the room, aiming the taser at anything that moved.

The scene that met his eyes was so ridiculous that he didn't know whether to laugh or sigh. A man in a white lab coat, with skewed glasses and messed hair, had somehow gotten himself tangled up in the cables on the ceiling. Ryan watched as the man struggled to free himself, but to no avail.

"Lab hours are over. Right now you're trespassing," he called out to the man. The guy looked up (or down) at Ryan and smiled.

"Thank goodness, I thought I was going to be up here all night. Would you kindly help me down?" he asked.

"First, tell me who you are and what you're doing here after hours."

"Oh, alright. My name is Chris Emmer and I am a student at this establishment. I WAS trying to get some more work done on my project when one of the power cables on the ceiling went and short-circuited. I climbed up to fix it and then, I'm dangling upside down talking to a watchman." Chris took in a breath. "So, about that help...?"

Ryan shook his head and walked over to where the scientist was hanging. How could these guys be so smart and at the same time so damned stupid? After a few tugs, Chris' foot slipped and he fell to the floor with a thud. Ryan watched with some amusement as the man sprung right back up and dusted himself off with a huge smile on his face.

"Thanks. Although I'm fine with sleeping on the ceiling, I really do need to finish these calculations." Ryan shook his head.

"Sorry, but you'll have to go. The lab closed two hours ago. How you managed to sneak in here is beyond me."

"Oh, come on! I'll only be another thirty minutes. It's not that long," Chris begged.

"No."

"My work could benefit humanity for years to come!"

"No."

"Please?" Chris begged, getting on his knees.

"I said no."

"Oh pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleas-"

"Fine!" God, just shut up." Chris sprung back to his feet with another huge grin on his face.

"Thanks. You're a good guy," Chris said, giving Ryan a thumbs up. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Thirty minutes ONLY. If I come back in thirty and you're still here, I'll kick you out personally." Chris let out a laugh.

"If I can't finish these equations in thirty minutes, I'll kick myself out." Ryan rolled his eyes again and left the crazy scientist to his work. 

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Ryan was snapped out of his flashback by something looming on the horizon. He couldn't see it in the dense forest, so he ran forward until he finally ran out of the forest and arrived at the edge of a huge chasm. Looking across the mist-filled chasm, Ryan believed for a moment that his eyes were playing tricks on him. Looming over him was a monster of a castle, even larger than the ones he had seen on those TV series when he was younger. Looking up at the castle, he noted that the only way to it happened to be a very old rope bridge with a few planks missing. 

'Of course, it wouldn't be easy to get to. Why would it?' Ryan took a moment gathering his courage before he placed one foot on the bridge. It creaked and groaned, but much to his surprise, the bridge held. He took another deep breath and placed his other foot ahead of his first. When for the second time the bridge didn't collapse, he felt a little safer. He gripped the rope railings tightly and slowly began his walk across the bridge. His pulse rocketed every time a gust of wind made the bridge sway, and at one point a plank broke under his foot. If he hadn't been holding on to the rope, he probably would have fallen.

After five minutes of slow crossing, Ryan finally made it to the other side. The moment his feet touched solid ground, he fell to his knees and kissed the ground, hoping he wouldn't have to do that again. He realized what he was doing and quickly stood up, looking around to make sure no one had seen that. He shook his head and walked up to the large wooden doors. He placed both hands on them and slowly pushed the doors open.

'This place is a dump.' That was the first thing to enter his mind when he first got a good view of the interior. The castle was a wreck, with half the ceiling missing, cobwebs everywhere and plants growing inside. Ryan looked around at all the decay, indicating that no ponies or any other creature had lived here for a long time. He noted a staircase at the end of the hallway and started to make his way over to it. He was just about to head up the stairs when his foot caught on a root and he was forced to grab onto the wall to keep from falling.

TOCK.

Ryan looked at the wall where he had placed his hand in confusion. It was a solid brick wall; it shouldn't make a hollow sound. Unless, it wasn't a solid wall at all. Ryan swiftly began to examine the wall and found a small crack in it. He got as good a grip as he could and pulled. With a low rumbling, the wall slowly swung open, revealing a passageway. Ryan took a step back and looked at the passage in interest.

'The only reason someone makes a hidden passage is so that others don't find what's inside. Let's see where this goes.'

Since there was no light in the hallway, Ryan used his stun baton's electrical power to act as a flashlight of sorts. The corridor was long and barren, the only decorations being cobwebs of spiders that had managed to sneak in. He crept along as silently as he could. Even if nothing lived here, it didn't hurt to be cautious. Another door greeted him at the end of the hallway, although it was in much better condition than the rest of the castle--probably because it was out of the way of the elements. He pushed it open and examined the room inside. The room was no larger than a bed room and contained a desk, chair and a candle on one side of the room. Much to his surprise, a small window was high up on the wall. Other than that, there was nothing special about the room. It was perfect. 

Ryan sat down at his new living quarters and started to empty his backpack onto the desk. The desk seemed old, yet it was still sturdy and held up nicely. He placed the inkfinity next to the candle, which hadn't been used in quite a while it seemed. He took one of the apples and quickly ate it. He hadn't realized how hungry and tired he had been until he had sat down. Ryan also downed half of his water, making a mental note to find a stream or another source of water tomorrow. 

Finally, he emptied the book and the pen onto the table. He didn't know why this Twilight would have a book without words, but whatever. He could use it as a journal. He opened to its first page and found it said title, with a line next to it. After a moment of thinking, he smiled and wrote a title for his book.

A Survivor's Guide to Equestria.

At least he thought that Twilight had called this place Equestria. Didn't matter now. He flipped to the next page and stared at the blank paper. If he was going to survive in this new land, he would probably need some maps. So with his pen in hand, Ryan began to draw out as much of the land that he remembered. He first drew the path from the castle to Zecora's in great detail, and then on the other page drew a more aerial view of the forest. His arts skills crap, but that meant little to him. He then connected the forest to Ponyville. Then he turned a page and wrote 'world map' at the top. He figured the more he'd explore, the more of this would be filled in.

Next, since he was bound to meet a variety of colorful characters, Ryan figured he'd start writing down some information on them. After taking a moment to alphabetize the pages, he flipped to the back and started with the only per-...zebra he had met. On the left hand page, he drew a detailed sketch of her and on the right hand side, he started with the information.

Name: Zecora.

Species: Zebra.

Sex: Female.

Age:?

Bio.

Zecora is a zebra that can speak the human language. She seems to be a master of multiple forms of martial arts (God knows how) and is proficient in medications. She lives in a hut in the Everfree Forest, where she seems to be a witch doctor of sorts. Speaks only in rhymes, seems incapable of normal speak. Also skilled in stealth, although not sure how skilled. 

Personal opinion.

Zecora scares me. I'm not sure what to make of her. She always seems so carefree and happy, but something about her felt "off." He had no idea what; she didn’t seem that bad. But when she fought those wolves I could feel her...power. 

Threat ranking: 1.

After he finished writing about Zecora, Ryan closed the book and went over to a corner to lie down. Only after he was comfortable did his nerves finally get the better of him. He looked down at his hands to find they were both trembling uncontrollably. His mind began to race with all the different things that had happened to him--the timberwolf attack, meeting the rhyming zebra, being hunted by a town full of ponies; then came the burning. An the pain and the laughter, which he wasn't sure was his own or-. Using his mental strength, Ryan clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in anger.

'You know what you must do.'

'End it all.'

'You shouldn't be alive.'

'You should have died with them!'

'Shut the hell up!' he roared, the thoughts echoing across his mind and getting rid of the voice. He slumped against the wall and closed his eyes, knowing full well what the voices had meant by end it all. 'No, I'm not going to die yet. I can't. Not yet...not yet. I have to know, have to make certain.'

'Yes. But if I'm wrong.'

'Maybe.'

"Just focus on living for now," he told himself as he shivered, but not from the cold. "Just bury it...bury it and make it look like nothing’s wrong. Have to keep going. That's all I can do." He then collapsed to the ground, exhaustion finally getting the better of him. Yet despite falling asleep almost immediately, he found no solace in his dreams. Only more pain.

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Ryan's day started off the same way it had yesterday. Terrible. He woke up stiff, sore and hungry. A single apple and the rest of his water was all he had for breakfast--a perfect way to start the day. After placing his guide and his stun baton into his backpack, he crossed the rickety bridge he hated and started his trek to Zecora's. Ryan had found a small stream on his way to Zecora, so at least he had fresh water. He hoped that it would be an uneventful trip to her hut. He was wrong.

Ryan heard very familiar growls and turned to find more of the timberwolves that had attacked him the previous day. Their eyes gleamed with malice and they began to circle him. Ryan counted five of them and then slowly drew the baton from the backpack, since it didn't completely fit inside the bag, and flipped on the power. While the sudden crackling and electrical show startled the wolves, they didn't run like the previous threat. He narrowed his eyes and prepared for the fight.

'Screw it. I'm dead anyway.'

Ryan surprised the timberwolves by being the first to attack this time. He rushed straight at the smallest one and smashed his electrified baton into its face. The timberwolf let out a yelp and ran off into the forest. He barely had time to spin around when another timberwolf tackled him to the ground. The wolf went for his throat, but Ryan managed to get the stun baton into its mouth, keeping the wolf from biting down. The electricity barely seemed to bother the wolf and  Ryan had to keep his legs moving to keep them from being clawed.

"I can't believe they attacked you again. They really don't like you, do they my friend?" Ryan looked out of the corner of his eye to find Zecora standing off to the side, watching him struggle. The timberwolves hadn't noticed her yet, all of them watching him fight. His twisted the wolf's head to the side and pushed it off of him with his legs, allowing Ryan to get back to his feet. He swatted the wolf with the baton and sent it sprawling.

"A little help?" he grunted as another wolf slammed into him. He remained standing and swung the rod at the wolf, driving it back.

"You seem to have it under control, but I would recommend that you roll." Ryan registered what she meant too late and the wolf he had attacked slammed into his back, knocking him to the floor. His gripped slipped and the baton rolled out of his hands, forcing him to grab the timberwolf's jaws to try and keep it from mauling him.

"Zecora, help me dammit!" he growled, moving his head out of the way of the wolf's fangs. Zecora let out a sigh.

"I was being nice and gave you some advice. You chose not to listen to me and now you’re fairing quite poorly."

"ZECORA!"

Zecora chuckled and slowly walked over to the wolf that had pinned Ryan. She exhaled and thrust one hoof into the timberwolf. The force of the impact blasted the wolf backwards and smashed it into a tree. She sprinted like lightning to the next wolf and smashed her hind leg into the wolf's jaw. The wolf's eyes rolled back into its head and it collapsed to the forest floor. She turned to face the last wolf, which had recovered from the baton smash. It looked at Zecora, then to its fallen comrades, putting two and two together. It roared and charged straight at her. She flashed a smile at it and Ryan felt chills go up his spine. 

There it was, that feeling from Zecora that terrified him. Her dangerous aura. Zecora closed her eyes and took an odd stance. The wolf leapt into the air and straight down towards her. Right before it reached her, her eyes snapped open and she delivered a powerful fore-hoof straight into the wolf's chest. Ryan watched as the shockwave blasted the wolf into saw dust, not even leaving any twigs. She slowly exhaled and turned towards Ryan with a smile. He eyed her from under his hood carefully for a minute, waiting to return to normal.  

"Thanks," he muttered at last. Zecora turned and started to head back to her hut, but Ryan stopped her with a question.

"Could you teach me how to do those...moves?" he asked awkwardly, his head held low. Zecora turned around, a bit surprised. She had never expected Ryan to ask her for anything, let alone training from her. She had to hear his reasoning.

"My training is tough as could be. Why do you wish to learn from me?"

"Because...because if I’m going to survive here, I need to learn how to fight. The second encounter with the timberwolves showed me just how weak I actually am. So...I need your help," he asked through gritted teeth. Zecora raised her eyebrows at his request, not sure what to say. It had taken a lot of humility from the human to ask for help, and she knew he didn't trust her. Then she thought about it some more and realized the real reason he had asked. He was scared. While she knew he'd never admit it, she could feel it from his aura. He had been helpless in the fight with the wolves and it scared him.

"Your reason and heart seem true. I shall pass my skills onto you." She wasn't surprised in the least when Ryan raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for the catch. She gave him another smile.

"Of course, my teachings don't come free. There are some things you must do for me." Ryan sighed and prepared himself mentally.

"Alright, what do you need?"