Chapter 19
Marco Polo
The group stopped at the next checkpoint which was a large hollowed out cave. “A c-cave?” The man asked with a gulp.
“Yeah, what’s up?” Dash asked as she looked at the human.
“Nothing.” Isaac got a fire going while the other mare’s set up their tents. The man got to his feet and let out a sigh. “I’m going for a walk.” He said to the group. The mares nodded as the man walked past them with his bow and quiver and made his way out into the open air. He walked a good three hundred feet away from the camp and started shooting the arrows at a nearby log.
The man heard something snap a twig behind him. Isaac turned with his weapon drawn to see the yellow mare with a frightened look on her face. “Jesus, Shy. You can’t sneak up on a guy with his weapon drawn.” He said as he lowered the bow.
“I’m sorry.” She said as she lowered her head.
“It’s fine. Did you need something?” He asked.
“I was....just wondering, what you were doing.” She asked in her timid tone.
“Practicing with my bow.” He said as he held up the weapon. “Want to try?”
“Oh....I don’t know.” She said with a gulp. “I guess I could give it a shot.” She said as she walked beside the human. Isaac handed her the bow.The mare held the bow in her left hand as she pulled the arrow back with her right. He left hand was shaking in anxiety. Isaac put his hand on hers to help steady the bow, causing the yellow mare to blush.
“Just pull the arrow back and take a moment to focus.” He said in a hushed tone. The mare nodded and let out a sigh. She released the arrow which hit the center of the target. The man looked at the mare in surprise. “You’re a natural.” He said with a smile. Fluttershy smiled at his kind words. She pulled back another arrow and let it fly. The arrow didn’t only hit the center of the target but split the other one right down the middle.
“I-I’m so sorry Isaac! I didn’t mean to do that!” She said in a sad filled tone.
“Don’t be. That was awesome!” He said as he approached the target. “How did you do that?”
“I-I don’t know. You’re not mad?”
“No, I’ve got other arrows back at my house.” He said with a nod.
“Where did you get this thing?” Fluttershy asked.
“My grandpa got it for me when I was fifteen.” He said as he retrieved the arrows.
“Oh that’s nice.” She said with a smile. The two made their way back to camp. As they made their way back Isaac noticed that Fluttershy kept adverting her eyes as Isaac looked back at her. The man pushed the thought out his mind as they entered the cave. Isaac felt a small wave of fear creep over him as he entered the dark place.
“Isaac are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.
“Y-yeah, it’s just been a long day.” He said as he walked over to his tent and set his bow down. The man joined the other mares around the fire and sat down as he opened a leather bound book. He withdrew a small pencil and started to write in the book.
“What’s that?” Twilight asked.
“Just a journal I keep.” He said in a flat tone.
“Can I see it?” She asked.
“No.” Isaac said as he put the book away. The man looked around the cave as he ate. A long silence fell over the group as they ate until AJ broke the silence.
“So Isaac, who taught you so much about camping?” The farmer asked.
“My dad, my grandpa and my uncle.” He said as he sipped his water. “They taught me how to survive even if their methods were.....extreme.” He said in a flat tone.
“What do you mean extreme?” Pinkie asked.
“When I turned thirteen my dad had the idea of dropping me in the woods for a week with three days worth of food and water along with this knife.” He said as he withdrew the old weapon. Twilight spat out her drink in surprise at the man’s words.
“WHAT? That’s insane!” She protested.
“It made me stronger so I can’t complain.” He said with a shrug.
“How did you survive?” Pinkie asked.
“I hunted, I tracked and I made my way out of the woods.” He said with a sigh. “If memory serves I came out by a small town and I managed to find a nearby Army base and they called my folks.” He said with a sigh.
“So you had a military upbringing?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah, when your dad is in the armed forces you get moved around a lot.” He said as he sat back.
“How often did you move?” Dash asked.
“Longest place I stayed was for about two years. That was when I was twelve.”
“Two years!” Twilight said in surprise.
“So how did you make friends?” Pinkie asked.
“I made a few close friends when I was a kid and closer friends when I served in the Marines.” He said with a sigh.
“How many friends?” Applejack asked.
“I guess my squad that I stuck with.” He said with a laugh. “We were more like family then teammates.” He said with a smile.
“Wait, when you first came here you said that you barely talked to anyone.” Twilight said.
“Yeah, what’s your point?” He asked
“Why din’t you talk to them when you got out of the service?” The man bit his lip at the next part.
“The dead aren’t much for conversation.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight held her head in shame. A long silence fell between the group of friends.
“I’m sorry....I didn’t.” She stopped as Isaac raised his hand.
“It’s fine it’s in the past now.” He said as he got up.
“It’s supposed to get cold tonight.” Dash said. The man waved as he walked back over to his tent. Isaac laid on top of his sleeping bag and let out a sigh as he yawned. The man felt sleep take him. An hour later he heard Fluttershy enter the tent and crawl into her sleeping bag next to him. As the man tried to fall asleep he heard a faint sneeze come from the yellow mare.
“You okay Fluttershy?” He asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She said as the man felt a shiver come from her body.
“Are you cold?” He asked in a concerned tone.
“N-no I’m fine.” Isaac could see his breath outside the sleeping bag and hear her teeth chattering.
“No, you’re not. If you get to cold then you’ll get sick.” He said with a sigh. Isaac slipped out of his sleeping bag and felt the cold air bite at his skin. “Must be forty degrees here.” He said as he rubbed his arms. “Hang on I have an idea. Get out of your sleeping bag for a second.”
“What?”
“I could zip our sleeping bags together and our combined body heat will be enough to keep us both warm for the night.” He said as they both blushed. “If you don’t want to then-”
“A-Alright.” She said with a gulp.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, it’s only for one night anyway.” She said as she got out of her bag. Isaac turned on his flashlight and saw that the yellow mare was wearing a tight green shirt that seemed to be a size too small for her. The mare was also wearing a pair of yellow short shorts. The man gulped and lowered his head as he zipped the two bags together.
Isaac held the enlarged opening. Fluttershy got inside trying desperately to hide her blush as the man faced the opposite direction from the mare. Fluttershy gulped as she felt her wings starting to extend. She faced the man’s back and moved closer to him, allowing her wings the room they needed. The mare managed to control her wings and eventually drift off to sleep.
The human woke up early in the morning to see the yellow mare sleeping next to him with her mane over her face. The man gently pushed the strands of pink hair out of her face before discretely sliding out of the bag and getting his shoes on. The man noticed that none of the other mare’s were up and decided to go for a walk.
The man walked down one of the pathways and found what looked like a stream bed. He crouched down and scooped up a handful of water. As he splashed the cold liquid in his face he felt as though he was being watched. Isaac slowly stood up and looked around his surroundings. The human felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He looked to his right to see a large black wolf with bright red eyes glaring at him with a malicious stare.
Isaac’s eyes shrank as he saw that the wolf was at least five feet long and looked like it weighed over one hundred pounds. It’s teeth were bigger than any other wolf he’d seen. The man slowly reached for his knife only to have the beast run at him with lightning speed. Isaac pulled his knife out just in time to dodge and slash it across the side of it’s body. The man managed to avoid the attack and got in a defensive position.
The two moved in a circular formation. The man stared into the wolf’s red eyes and it stared back into his. The two both charged at one another the wold baring it’s teeth and the man tightening his grip on the knife’s handle. The human managed to slash the beat a few more times making blood spill on his body. The wolf swiped the man’s hand which made him cry in pain and drop the knife, before the man could react the wolf was on top of him. The beast knocked the knife away with it’s paw and tried to bite the man’s neck.
Isaac’s hands shot out and grabbed the wolf’s jaw and snout. He could smell the beast’s vile breath breathing on him. The beast was obviously stronger than he was and was starting to over power him. The man gather his strength and gave a sharp twist. The human heard a snap come from the wolf’s neck and the beast’s body fell limp. Isaac pushed the wolf’s body off him and got to his feet. Isaac took a moment to collect himself before walking over to his knife and putting it in the sheath.
The man walked over to the brook and looked at himself in the water’s reflection. He quickly washed the blood off his face and hands. He heard a noise come from behind him. He turned around to see that the wolf was cloaked in shadow and was more menacing looking than before. The beast howled and charged at the man. The wolf jumped aiming for it’s prey’s neck. Isaac quickly withdrew his knife and ducked to the left.
The wolf bit down hard on the human’s shoulder and felt it’s blood fill it’s mouth. Isaac cried out in pain as he slammed the blade into the wolf’s skull. The beast felt it’s life leave it’s body. The man pried the beast’s jaws open and release his arm. Isaac grunted in pain and pulled out his knife. He stabbed the beast three more times just to make sure it was dead. The man looked at the beast’s coat which was jet black. The man saw the shadowy aura around the body leave and fly back into the jungle.
The man let out a sigh and looked down at the beast. He walked over to it and saw that it’s eyes shifted from a dark red to a light blue and it’s coat was pristine white. The man let out a sigh and sat down next to the wolf. He patted it on the head and closed it’s eyes. Isaac got to his feet and made his way back towards the camp. As he came into view he saw Twilight taking down her and Pinkie’s tent.
“Hey Isaac where did-” The mare stopped as she saw the man’t bleeding shoulder. “Oh my Celestia! What happened?” She yelled as the other mares ran towards him.
“Wolf attacked me.” He said as he sat down. The man removed his shirt as Twilight’s horn and hands glowed. “I’m fine.” He said in a flat tone. The mare watched as the bite marks started to heal on their own.
“What wolf got ya?” Applejack asked.
“Follow me and you can analyze it.” He said as he got up.
“Are you okay to walk?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah, I’ve been through worse.” He said as he walked back towards the brook. The white wolf’s body laid there motionless. Fluttershy walked over and inspected the body. “So what is it?”
“It....It’s a Dire wolf.” Fluttershy said as the mares gasped.
“What?”
“Dire wolves are extremely rare and are considered one of the most dangerous animals in Equestria.” Twilight clarified.
“Really?”
“Yeah, no one has seen one in over ten years.” Dash said.
“Great, so I just killed an endangered species?”
“No, they’re just not native to Equestria. My brother see’s them all the time in the Crystal Empire because of the colder temperatures.” She said with a sigh.
“Well, since this thing gave me so much trouble I think I deserve a little reward.” He said as he pulled out his knife.
“What are you doing?” Applejack asked.
“I’m gonna take the pelt and some meat while I’m at it.” He said in a flat tone.
“WHAT?” They all yelled.
“Look, human’s need meat. It’s a fact.” He said as he let out a sigh. “It’s custom where I come from.” As he walked towards the wolf he felt something tug on his arm. He looked back to see Fluttershy holding his wrist and some tears flowing down her face.
“P-Please don’t. It’s already dead.” She said as she hung her head. Isaac looked at the wolf and then back at the mare. He let out a sigh and gave her a nod.
“Fine.” He said with a sigh. The man got up and started to walk back to camp with the group following. The man packed up his things and the group continued the trek. Isaac kept his bow out in case of any more wild animals.
“Why do ya have that thing?” Applejack asked as she looked at the weapon.
“In case something tries to attack again.”
“Fluttershy could probably handle it.” Twilight said with a nod.
“No offense, but I think not. That wolf wasn’t natural.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I had to kill it twice.” The mares looked at him in surprise. “I broke it’s neck and when I was getting my knife it came back to life and I stabbed it in the skull.” The mares cringed at the thought. “I don’t know if that’s something the Dire Wolf race can do but I had to do something else I’d be that thing’s lunch.” He said with a sigh. “If it’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that hesitation leads to disaster.”
“That’s a little extreme.” Twilight said with a gulp.
“That it may be but it’s the truth. I don’t hesitate when I defend myself or friends. No matter who or what I’m fighting.” He said in a low tone. The group continued the trek in silence as they walked along the wooded path.
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The dark shadow moved through the woods until it found the black unicorn stallion sitting indian style in front of an open book. The shadow made it’s way into the stallion’s body as his red eyes opened.
Well, it looks like this human is no stranger to combat. This should be fun. He thought as he got up.
Those mares on the other hand could pose a problem if they get in my way.
A distraction is required. The stallion opened his spell book and started to glance through it. He stopped as he found the page he was looking for.
Let’s see how they deal with this. He thought as he placed his hand on the seal and a massive spell circle formed on the ground.
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Isaac stopped as he set his eyes on a massive waterfall with all the colors of the Rainbow pouring down into a pool of the same colors. The lavender and yellow mares shared the shame shocked expression.
“You guys should see your faces.” Dash said with a smirk. “C’mon theres a camping spot at the top of the water fall.” She said as she spread her wings and took flight. The ponies took the path on the right hand side and made their way up to the camping spot. The group set up their tents and started to lounge about.
“Hey is this water safe to swim in?” Isaac asked.
“Yeah it’s fine.” Dash said with a smile. The man nodded and went into his tent and changed into a swim suit.
“How deep is the water at the base of the falls?” He asked as he walked to the edge.
“Don’t know.” Twilight said with a shrug.
“Only one way to find out then.”
“DON’T EVEN-” The lavender unicorn was cut off as the man jumped off the edge.
“Geronimo!” He said as he dove off the edge. The man felt his body hit the water. He opened his eyes to see that the floor was easily twenty feet below him. He swam to the surface to see the five mares looking over the edge with concerned looks on their faces. “It’s fine. It’s at least twenty feet deep.” He said with a grin.
“Well, in that case.” Dash said with a smirk. “Heads up!” Dash said as she jumped off the edge. The cyan mare made herself into a cannon ball and landed next to the human.
“Really Dash?” He said in a flat tone. The human looked at the mare with a blank expression on his face. “You do realize you just jumped in the water with your clothes on right?” The mare stopped laughing for a moment and glared back at the man.
“Crap.” She said as she flew out of the water and back up to the camp. Five minutes later the rest of the group got changed and were relaxing by the water’s edge. Isaac sat in the rainbow water so that it covered his chest and lower half of his body. Twilight was wearing a black one piece with book in hand.
Applejack had an orange poke a dot bikini top and a pair of short cut denim shorts. Rainbow was wearing a dark blue string bikini and was sunbathing on her Wonderbolt Towel. Pinkie was donning a dark red swimsuit with a dress like frill on the bottom and was bouncing an inflatable beach ball to Applejack. Fluttershy was wearing a forest green bikini top that went over her neck and back down the other side, the two pieces of fabric were connected by a metal ring in the center of her chest.
The yellow mare was quietly splashing her feet in the water. Isaac laid his head back and let the sun hit against his body.
I guess......It’s not so bad here.
Glad to see you finally came around. Isaac thought to the other voice in his head.
I just hated being the one who bitched all the time. We’re stuck here so we might as well accept it.
We have to deal with the cards we’re dealt.
Spade said that all the time. The man’s eye snapped open and walked over to his blanket and pulled out his phone. He scrolled to the calendar and let out a sigh.
“What’s up sugar cube?” The farmer asked as she looked at him.
“Nothing. Just checking the date.” He said as he put the phone on his blanket. The man let out a yawn and laid down on his towel. After a good five minutes of shut eye until his face was hit with a rubber ball. “Hey!” He said as he sat up.
“Oh don’t be such a party poop’r! C’mon in.” Pinkie said with a smile. Isaac rolled his eyes and jumped in the water with the other five girls.
“You guys ever play Marco Polo?”
“What?” Twilight asked.
“It’s kind of like tag, only the person that is it has their eyes shut. Whenever they say Marco the other players say Polo and who ever Marco get’s is the new Marco and a new round starts.” He said with a smile.
“Sounds like fun!” Pinkie said with a smile. The group nodded and started the game. Twilight went first and managed to tag Pinkie. The hyperactive pink mare managed to tag Applejack without breaking a sweat. The cyan mare was next to find the others. Dash managed to catch the human by barreling into him at full speed.
“Was that really necessary Dash?” He said as he sat up.
“Nope.” She said with a smile. Isaac closed his eyes and heard the splashing from the mares. He stared to walk around aimlessly and called out at random. He tried to zero in on the voices. As he stepped closer the other ponies decided to stay just out of reach of the man. The cyan mare stuck out her leg and made the man trip. Isaac fell forward and tried to grab onto something as he fell.
His hand came into contact with something soft and large. As he fell forward he felt his face hit a pound of fur. Isaac opened his eyes to see that his had was on the yellow Pegasus’s right breast. The yellow mare’s wings instantly sprang up like they were spring loaded.
“Oh....my.” Fluttershy said as her and Isaac’s face turned bright red. The man quickly removed his hand and stood up. He looked back to see Applejack and Twilight blushing brightly while Dash and Pinkie were on their backs laughing.
“Let’s.....um.....get dinner ready.” Twilight suggested trying to make the conversation less awkward.
“Good idea.” The human said as he gulped. As the other mares packed up their things Isaac helped Fluttershy to her feet. The two collected their things in silence and made their way back up to camp. As the group ate their meals, Isaac noticed that Fluttershy kept glancing at him and turning away. The man ignored the gestures and continued eating his food.
“So Isaac, who came up with the whole Marco Polo game?” Twilight asked.
“It’s named after a famous explorer from my world, his name was Marco Polo. He was known for his expedition to Asia.”
“Asia?” Twilight asked.
“I’ll tell you about it when we get back to Ponyville.” He said with a smile. “The man was genius. He traveled a far and wide and made friends along the way.”
“Kinda like you?” Pinkie asked.
“No, he meant to go places. I landed here by accident.” He said in a flat tone.
“But didn’t that Doctor guy say that you were a fixed point or something like that?” Dash asked.
“Yeah, but I have no idea what my purpose is yet.” He said with a shrug. The man sat back against the tree that was behind him and watched as the ponies conversed with one another. He noticed that once in a while Dash was giving him an angry look. Isaac ignored it for the time being and zoned out the chatter until he heard a loud banging noise next to him. “GAH!” He yelled as he jumped to his feet.
Isaac looked to his left to see what looked like fire crackers next to him. He cast a glare at the group of mares who were trying to hold back their laughter. His gaze focused on the cyan mare who was rolling on her back in a fit of laughter. The man let out a groan and got to his feet.
“Hey where ya going?” Dash yelled through the laughter.
“Just getting some smoke free air.” He said as he walked away from the campsite and into the woods. After he walked a good way in the man let out a sigh and looked up at the starry sky to see the moon. The man then heard a rustling noise behind him and quickly turned around to see Fluttershy trying to hide behind a tree. “Need something Shy?”
“I just wanted to apologize for Rainbow Dash. You know how she gets.” She said in a timid tone.
“Yeah, I know.” He said as the two started to walk back towards the camp when a thought made it’s way into the man’s head. “Hey, sorry about earlier.” The man said in a flat tone.
“For what?”
“When we were playing and I kinda grabbed your......ya know.” He said as his face turned red. Fluttershy remembered the incident and lost her balance. Isaac rushed to catch the mare only to trip over a large tree root. The man felt himself hit the dirt and a patch of moss. The man opened his eyes to see that Fluttershy’s lips were less than an inch away and she was panting heavily. As Isaac tried to hide his blush he felt the mare’s lips connect with his own.
The Pegasus’s lips were soft and she tasted like fresh vanilla. A soft moan escaped the mare’s mouth as she felt the man’s tongue enter her own mouth and started to explore. The yellow mare soon let her body rest on top of the man’s and felt her wings unfurl. As the two broke the embrace Isaac noticed that the mare was panting heavily. The mare got up and had tears forming in her eyes.
“I-I’m sorry!” She said as she turned away. As the mare tried to leave the man grabbed her wrist and turned her around. “It’s just that..” She said with a sniffle. “Rainbow Dash and Applejack said you were really good. So I got curious. I know you probably don’t think I’m attractive so I didn’t really-”
“Back up a sec there Shy. Who said you’re not attractive?”
“Well, colt’s always teased me when I was younger so I just assumed that.” She said as she held her head in shame.
“That’s crazy! They were just being a bunch of bullies, trying to get you riled up.”
“Really?”
“Trust me I’ve seen girls that look WAY worse than you.” He said with a smile. “So you wanted to see if what Dash and Applejack said was true?” The mare nodded and bit her lip in embarrassment. “Look Shy, it’s not that I don’t find you attractive it’s just that.” He started as Fluttershy looked up at him.
Damn that cute look. He thought.
“Look sex is fun, but it should be with someone special and someone you really care about. Dash got me while I was drunk and Applejack practically hog tied me. Then there was Spit.....never mind. Point is it should be with someone you care about.” He said with a sigh.
“I know and....I care about you.” She said as her blush brightened. The man thought for a moment and sifted through his mind.
“Look Shy, the truth is....I don’t deserve to have somepony like you, Dash or AJ.” He said in a flat tone. “I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life and I’ll never be able to redeem myself for what I’ve done.” The man started to walk back towards the camp ahead of the yellow mare. “I’m truly sorry, but it’a fact.” He said as he entered the campsite without a word to any of the other ponies. The man quickly went over to his tent and crawled inside his own individual sleeping bag and drifted off to sleep.