Chapter 2:Welcome to the jungle
I snapped back to reality. The cold wind blew harshly against my skin. At that moment I realized how lonely I really was. It was terrifying.
The sheer thought of being alone for Who knows how long made me tremble in my hooves. I needed to see somepony, anypony. Or just her, Mira. I began to walk down west street, towards the town square. It kept getting colder, as if the absence of ponies made the world freeze. Like as there was no love in the world, thus it filled with ice and snow.
I finally began to grow tired, and plopped myself on a bench in the town square. It was hard and uncomfortable, but that was the least of my worries. I had so many things on my mind. The thoughts spun around in my head like angry bees. That was when my day got interesting. “Hey, what the?” My bones began to tremble, my head spun and ached, I felt as if my body was being melted. “AAGGGHH!!” I screamed. “WHATS HAPPENING??!!” I writhed in pain and agony. And then I couldn’t feel…. Or hear. But I saw. I watched as I was pulled through some kind of vortex like soda through a straw. Every fiber of my being was transforming. My fur pulled into my skin, my limbs outstretched, my wing grew, my forelegs grew digits, my tail disappeared, my muzzle flattened out, my ears shortened to the sides of my head, and my cutie mark (a sword with a wing on each side) suddenly appeared on my right shoulder. All of this and more at what seemed like 1000 miles per hour.
My new, …hands felt the ground. It was cold, damp, and grassy. The sky was covered in leaves. A forest?Ah, but it wasn't like any normal forest, I knew this was not a normal place, Like the air was thick with mysticism. Am I in… the Everfree? I glanced down at my newly reformed body. “ What Happened to me?” I questioned out loud. My torso was stranger than my forelegs. It was liked somepony skinned me and flattened me out.
“Ah, there you are, my pony friend, come along with me, and a bed and food you will see.” Rhymed a voice out of the blue.
“Who are you? Where am I? What happened to me!?” I stammered at the mysterious figure, and examined her closely.
She looked like I do now, human, but her skin was brown, with white stripes all over her body, her hair was done up in a large, black and white Mohawk. On her wrists, ankles, and ears, she wore golden rings. She wore a brown, leather cloak, bound by twine. Many a potion and satchel hung around her shoulder, stretching down to her waste, where she wore baggy, rough leather pants. she also adorned herself with bead necklaces, and such. She was leaning on a tall, wooden staff, that looked like it had been pulled straight out of a tree. Looking over her, she seemed like quite the imtimidating mare, but again, she was no pony.
“So what do you say? …I’m not going to stand here all day.” The words rolled off her tongue rhythmically, and she raised an eyebrow.
I got up off the wet forest floor, the only thing protecting me from the elements was my white hoodie, how it stayed on through all that had just happened, I had no idea. As we walked through the forest, I constantly wobbled and staggered , trying to walk with these new legs like the person in front of me did so easily.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but… ugh … I’ve never used … ow! These things before” I stammered. The new legs ached relentlessly, probably from being stretched and morphed like clay. “And not to mention the raging headache… ow!”
She looked back at me. “Do not worry, my friend, they’ll be your best allies in the end”, “All you need for your aching head, is a nice sleep in a warm bed.” The woman smiled.
Sure.. I thought. I didn’t trust this strange woman. Not enough, at least.
The damp forest seemed more like a jungle, due to the strange plants, soggy ground, and huge trees in nearly every direction. With every step a Squash was heard, as we trekked under the canopy. After neary twenty minutes, we finally arrived at our destination. A tree. Ah, but this tree was different from all the others. Window panes flanked the large wooden door at the base, allowing light to pour out onto the doorstep. Along the sides of the house strange masks, chimes, and trinkets. It felt strangely homely in the middle of a gigantic, dark, forest such as the Everfree. She walked up to the door, and rummaged around in her pockets before producing a large, intricate key. The key slid klunkily in the lock, and with a ominous creak, she opened the door. The inside of her house was more or less stranger than the outside, with even more strange objects about the place, a cauldron in the main foyer, a kitchen with racks of spices and ingredients, potions and poisons all of them, some strange color. The sound of footsteps could be heard from the stairs.
“Zecora! Yer’ back!” A young girl, cried in excitement. Her hair was bright red, and atop her head, a huge red bow. She wore a pair of loose fitting jeans, a white and pink button-down plaid shirt, and a smile. She spoke in an extreme country accent, which was quite earsplitting the first time I heard it. Her smile faded, and was replaced with a look of Who the hell is this guy?
“Who’s this?” She finally asked.
The woman that escorted me turned to the girl with a look of surprise “Go up to your room Applebloom!” she shouted. The girl (Who’s name was probably Applebloom) took a glance at me, blushed furiously, then ran up the stairs. The woman (Presumably Zecora, from Applebloom’s greeting) led me to a table in the foyer.
“Can you Please tell me where I am, and what in Equestria is going on!?” I commanded, my voice stern, anger rising in it.
She turned around, and spoke with a wise voice, as she rhymed the prophecy that would forever haunt my life here.
“I have summoned you for a daunting task. You are the hero for which we ask. This land is falling into despair. So you must rescue it from evil’s snare!”
“What!!” I exclaimed, barely any of that made sense to me. Does she think I’m a hero or something?
Suddenly a voice, the voice of Applebloom spoke from the stairs.
“My friend Zecora, summoned the Hero. He’s supposed to save the people of Equestris in it’s time of darkness. The Hero is you.” She tried to avert her eyes as she chucked a pair of jeans at me.
“And put these on! Nobody wants to see your junk!” She scolded me, her blush quickly returning. I slid them on, quickly figuring out how to button and zip them.
“Oh Applebloom, you've grown up so soon…”
"I'm sorry, you must be very mistaken. I'm no hero."
"But you've got the mark! You just have to be!" Applebloom said.
I rolled up my sleeve to reveal my cutiemark. The winged sword. I was never sure when I attained this strange cutiemark, or what it even meant. I shook the thought off.
"So what? It still doesn't mean i'm some great hero!" I said. I still couldn't handle the idea of the prophecy.
"But it's the mark of the Hero!" Applebloom replied.
"Yes, her words are true. A hero's destiny is emblazoned upon you." Zecora spoke.
I finally took a seat and put my head in my hands. Oh, Indigo, what have you gotten yourself into? So much had happened in the last few minutes, I found it hard to gain a hold of reality. So many thoughts, so little time. Frustrated, I stood up, stormed upstairs, found the nearest room, shut and locked the door, and sat down on the bed. At the back of the room, a small window opened out to a view of the forest, but all I could really see were leaves. Around the picture were dozens of pictures tacked up to the wall, pictures of what I assumed to be relatives. They usually included an old woman, a younger woman that was older than Applebloom wearing a cowboy hat, jeans, cowboy boots, and a button down, and a large, muscular gold haired man who wore overalls and was usually seen holding something heavy.
This girl sure loves her family. I thought to myself. A few of the pictures fell off.
Knock! Knock! Someone knocked on the door before I could pick the pictures up
"Iv'e got yer' soup." Applebloom said plainly from the hallway. I walked over and opened the door for her. She was standing in the doorway, holding a wooden bowl full of steaming hot soup, her eyebrows furrowed.
"Now what was that fer' mister?" she scolded me, and walked in, placing the soup on a bedside table.
"Oh, and stay outta mah' room please."
"Sorry..." I replied, looking at the floorboards in embarrassment. Applebloom looked over at the pictures on the ground, and went over to pick them up
"You really shouldn't be lookin' in other people's things. It's rude." She scolded me again.
A few seconds passed as I watched her place the pictures back up on the wall.
"You're a long way from home." I said.
"Yeah..." She added. Applebloom walked over and sat on the bed.
"So are you."