//------------------------------// // 4 Introductions // Story: Not Your Average HiE Story // by Aegis Steelshield //------------------------------// Applejack awoke with a groan, shifting so that she could see the campsite. Her little sister was still sleeping peacefully on Applejack's bedroll. As she stretched, she noticed that one of the food bags she and her sister had emptied was filled with berries. She checked the berries to see if they were poisonous before waking her sister for breakfast. "Berries? We didn't pack no berries," Applebloom groaned as she wiped the sleep from her eyes, "Did you leave me to go berry picking like last time?" Applejack debated what she should tell her sister, and decided that honesty was the best policy. "The thing that me and the girls were looking for probably left them for us." Applebloom gasped, before frowning, "It was here! And you didn't wake me up? I wanted to see it!" "Sorry 'Bloom, I was just thinking about how you need to sleep more than you need to meet a possibly dangerous animal." Applebloom's response was cut short by a nearby roar. * * * * * Oh shit. If that's what I think it is, I'm going to be pissed. At least the older one (I should really get their names) is thinking of her sisters safety. She hid her behind her own body right before the one-fanged winged lion charged into the clearing. * * * * * Applejack whispered to her sister to run while she bought time. "But... But sis..." "Just do it! I'll be damned if you get hurt!" She ran at it to draw it's attention, but it just batted her into the tower of rocks. As the top one tipped and started to fall over her, Applejack regretted not being able to save her sister. * * * * * I caught the boulder just before it turned the pony into a pancake. The lion thing looked frightened, well as frightened as a beast can anyway. The pony's little sister gasped when she first saw me, and I'd imagine that if the orange one didn't just narrowly avoid death, she would too. I mean, how often do you get rescued by a naked man covered from head to toe in bloody bandages? I let out a mighty cry before spinning, building the momentum I'd need for this trick. * * * * * 'He threw the rock,' the older Apple sister thought, 'He just threw the rock at the manitcore. And it sent it flying.' She noticed the pained look on his face before he hid it and turned to them. * * * * * "Run. I'll fight it. Buy you time." I try to keep the pain out of my voice, but I'm not sure it worked. Between launching myself thirty feet, catching the rock, and throwing it, I must of reopened all the lacerations on my back and shoulders. It must look horrible. It takes her a few seconds, but the pony nods before grabbing her sister and running (galloping?) as fast as she can. At her current speed, it'd take an hour to reach the nearest farm, where I got those apples. I breifly wonder whether or not she'll turn back afterword, maybe from some sense of duty to see if I'm okay, but I push it out of my head when my foe charges back into the clearing. "I should give you a name," I muse to myself out loud, "Something fitting. Pansy, perhaps?" It doesn't understand the words, but I think Pansy knows I'm insulting it. Pansy charges at me, and I duck under it's paw, ignoring the pain racking my body. I follow up with a strong jab to it's ribs, and feel something crack beneath the knuckles. Unfortunately, it doesn't slow it down at all. I avoid the next few swings, before grabbing it's paw. I swing it around a bit and throw it into a tree, before my side explodes into pain. I really need to heal before I try any more of this flashy shit. As I begin to pant, Pansy takes to the sky. I leap up and kick it in the face. When I land, I start to see spots. It lands a lucky strike, and I hit the ground. It grabs my arm in it's mouth, and I feel it's teeth sink into my ripped apart flesh, and I scream. Then I drive my other fist into it's head, and the damn thing goes flying off to the side. We both drag ourselves onto our feet, the scent the blood driving it, a desire to protect driving me. I decide to risk further injury to end this quickly, and charge the thing at speeds close to 300 mph. I send it flying across the forest before I pass out. * * * * * Fluttershy leaned away from the unconscious hero who had saved her friend and Applebloom, admiring her work. She had cleaned and changed most of the bandages in the little time since Applejack showed up at her cottage, exhausted and begging for help, and when they went to her campsite to find him near death again. All that was left was the face. As soon as she touched his neck, his eyes flew open and his hand snapped out, nearly crushing her hoof. "Don't touch that." He slowly released his grip on her. "The bandages are dirty, they need changed." "Then I'll do it," he said, taking the bandages, "Alone." Fluttershy nodded, and went downstairs to tell her assorted friends about him waking up. * * * * * I'm amazed that she left so easily. I finish with my new mask before sitting up. I immediately wish I hadn't. I started seeing spots again, and I knew I wasn't going anywhere for a few days. I could hear them outside of the door, whispering. Then the cream one opened it, and came in, signalling to the others to stay put. "We aren't going to hurt you. We want to help, okay? But for that, you need to stay there," she said softly, approaching slowly, "I'd like to check out your throat, if you're okay with that..." The last part I could barely hear. I was guessing she was Fluttershy. "I'm Fluttershy, by the way." She said as I opened my mouth for her, "This is my cottage outside of the Everfree. That's the forest you were in." She thought for a moment. "If I prescribe you lozenges for your throat, will you take them?" * * * * * I agree to take medicine, and the rest of them introduce themselves. The one I saved was named Applejack, her sister (who was sent back home) was Applebloom, the fast blue flying one was named Rainbow Dash, the white horned one was named Rarity, and this purple one who also had a horn kept looking at me funny was named Twilight Sparkle. And apparently they also had a friend named Pinkie Pie who was busy planing me a "Welcome to Equestria/Thank You for Saving my Friends" party. I almost gagged. Finally I spoke up, "You. Purple one. You keep glancing at me, then looking away. Why?" She panicked for a moment, before gulping. Then she started sweating, "I... I swear it was an accident. I didn't know what the spell did. It-it was suppose to teleport an item to another universe, not bring someone into ours!" She panics some more and starts begging for me to forgive her. This... This is too surreal. I must be dreaming. I must be. * * * * * "Well," said Applejack after the man accepted Twilight's apology, "You know our names, so why don't you tell us yours?" She was the only one who noticed the brief instant of confusion, followed by fear on his face before he hid it behind a smirk. "They call me Nighthawk."