//------------------------------// // Chapter II: Discoveries // Story: The Black Cat // by AliceA020 //------------------------------// All of the animals are observing me. Fluttershy had said she had an errand or two to run and she’d be back as soon as she could be. I had decided to walk around the cottage. As I stand up, all of the animals’ eyes drift to me as they watch with curiosity, wanting to know what I’m doing. I grimace at the pain of walking on my injured paw and limp along, but it isn’t that hard. I keep a fearful eye on the bear while I’m moving around. He just watches me with as much curiosity as the others, possibly a little more. Looking around, it’s a pretty simple place; a rug, cupboards, a table and couch, even some stairs that lead to the second floor (Though I probably won’t be going up there. I’m still getting used to these new joints). While some are too shy to do anything, some of the animals come closer to me and sniff. I shrink away a bit, but that just makes them tilt their head. I finally give in and let them do as they please; might as well get on friendly terms, especially with the bear. After around twenty or thirty minutes later, the door opens and a soft voice resounds throughout the cottage. “Oh, Twilight, I just don’t understand. I can usually understand animals so well, but I don’t know a thing this one is saying.” “I’ll take a look at her.” I knew immediately they were talking about me. With that look Fluttershy had given me earlier, it’s no surprise that they would be. But I didn’t know Fluttershy actually understood animals. I sigh. This world is going to take some getting used to. Turning around so I can see who the other voice belongs to, I see a purple unicorn. Pegasi and unicorns, huh? Some girls would really enjoy this place. The purple unicorn, who I assumed was named Twilight, eyes me as she gets closer. I watch her as well and I’m tempted to run somewhere and hide, but I stand my ground. I don’t know what they could do to me. “Hmm,” she says as she gets closer to me, scrunching her face up in concentration. A few moments later, her face returns to normal and she stands back up. “I don’t see anything wrong with her. She looks like any other animal to me.” “Oh, I know, but earlier today she tried talking to me and I couldn’t understand a word she was saying.” “Have you ever dealt with cats before?” “Only a few, but I know them well enough to know what they say.” “I see.” She lifts a hoof up to her face as she thinks. “I could take her back to the library with me and perform some experiments on her—” Fluttershy’s subtle face turns into horror as the word “experiments” escape her lips. “Nothing that will hurt her. I promise.” Fluttershy now looks like she’s considering the decision. After a few moments, she sighs. “Alright, Twilight. But please be careful with her!” Twilight smiles. “Of course.” With that said, her horn starts glowing and I find myself in the same aura as I’m lifted off the ground. She proceeds out the door. I have no choice but to follow. She stops and turns to Fluttershy. “I’ll have her back soon, Fluttershy.” She gave a reassuring smile. “I-I know.” Twilight gave a nod of acknowledgement. Then she continued on her merry way. ~*O*~*O*~*O*~ I’m now lying down, flicking my tail as I observe Twilight (since I have nothing better to do). The “experiments” weren’t as bad as I thought they’d be. All she did was attach some cords to me, cast some spells, and write some things down. Now, it appears that she’s getting some readings from her machine. I can’t help but give a small smile at the sight. I may not know Twilight very well, and she sure as hell doesn’t know me, but I’ve never seen someone so focused before on something… scientific. Her brows are furrowed and she’s sticking her tongue out as she reads and writes at the same time. It’s quiet, save for the beeping of her machine and pencil against paper. I’m quite relaxed, and I lay my head down on my forepaws and close my eyes, deciding to get some sleep. However, a few moments later, Twilight breaks the silence with a loud gasp. My eyes shoot open and I see that Twilight’s eyes are wide. “Spike!” she yells it what seems to be a concern in her voice. I can hear pounding and it gets louder as it draws nearer. Eventually it stops and I turn my head towards the steps to see a purple dragon with green eyes and scales running along his back. If I wasn’t taught to remain calm, I probably would’ve ended up going insane with all the mythical things suddenly becoming real. “What is it, Twilight?” Spike asks groggily. Lucky. It seems he was able to get some sleep. “Take a look at this,” she says. She moves out of the way as he moves closer to let him see. While reading, he squints his eyes, as if he’s making sure the paper is saying what he thought it did. “Whoa! That’s weird,” he says after a minute or so. “I know,” Twilight replies. “So,” Spike turns to me, “what’s wrong? Why can’t Fluttershy understand her?” “I don’t know, but one thing’s for sure,” Twilight looks like she’s shaking slightly and she even takes a small gulp before continuing, “she’s not from our world.” ~*O*~*O*~*O*~ So they figured it out. Most certainly faster than I expected. At the moment, Twilight is pacing back and forth as she ponders what to do next. I hope she’s thinking or at least eventually thinks about a spell that will allow me to speak and for her and other ponies to understand me. Maybe even a spell that will allow her to figure out where I’m from and she can send me back home. Eventually, Twilight stops and turns to Spike. “Spike, I want you to go get Fluttershy and being her over her immediately.” The purple dragon nods and exits the library, leaving me alone with the purple unicorn. She looks at me and sighs. “If only you could talk…” Then her eyes spark, as if she was suddenly hit with an idea. “That’s it!” Using her magic, she takes some of the books of the shelf and reads the title. Once she finds the right one (at least I think it’s the right one), her face lights up with glee and she lets all the other books drop to the floor. She then trots out of the pile with an accomplished smile on her face as she carries only one book. She then flips through the book, squinting her eyes to catch the right details she needs. A few minutes pass before she finally puts the book down and takes a deep breath. She then approaches me and leans down to my level. “Okay, this should do the trick.” Her face scrunches up in concentration. Sweat forms on her brow and her tongue sticks out, but her horn is glowing. Then she presses her horn against my head. There’s some pressure, but not so much that it hurts. I get a tingling sensation that courses through my veins as she does so, but it disperses as she pulls away. “There. Now try saying something.” “Um…hello?” I say it a bit quieter than I intended to, but it’s still audible. The corners of her lips turn upward as a big grin spreads across her face. Her eyes are filled with joy and she starts bouncing around in a small circle chanting, “It worked! It worked!” I’m amazed myself. Also, overjoyed. I can ask to go home now! Before I can say anything though, she stops and turns to me. “So, can you tell me a bit about yourself?” “What do you want to know?” I ask in a monotone voice. “Everything!” she exclaims. I sigh. Then I open my mouth to speak, but before I can get any words out, she holds out a hoof to stop me. “Hang on just one moment,” she says. Using her magic, she floats over a pencil and a notepad. “Okay, go!” She grins. “Well, for beginners, I’m from the planet called Earth. More specifically, a country dubbed United States of America.” I pause to let her write it all down. She looks at me after a few seconds, signaling me to continue. “Oh! I should tell you that I’m not really a cat. I’m a—” “Twilight!” The front door slams open to reveal a purple dragon who is breathing heavily and a yellow pegasus who is trying to catch her breath, but she is doing so quieter. “We got here as fast as we could!” “Twilight!” Fluttershy says. “I heard you discovered something—something important.” Twilight nods and uses her horn to lift up the piece of paper and drift it over. The yellow pegasus’s eyes scan over it and in a few seconds, she looks back up. “Twilight, what does it mean?” Twilight quickly rolls up the parchment like a scroll. “It means that she isn’t from our world.” “Isn’t from our world? Is that why I couldn’t talk to her?” “It’s definitely part of the reason, but I don’t think that’s all of it.” “I see.” “But she can talk now. I performed a spell on her that allows her to speak. Everypony can understand her now.” Twilight turns and nods at me, telling me to say something. I turn my head from her to Fluttershy a few times and finally sigh. “Hello,” I say calmly. “Oh my, she really can speak now!” Twilight nods at the statement. “For now, I think we should keep her a secret.” Fluttershy turns to Twilight. “A secret? Why?” “We don’t know what we’ll happen if things get out about her. I think we could tell the rest of our friends, and we’ll definitely report it to the Princess, but nopony else knows.” “Can I at least go outside?” I insert myself into the conversation. Both Fluttershy and Twilight turn to me, but Twilight is the one to speak. “I think you can go outside, but no talking.” I nod. “Understandable.” “So, Twilight,” Fluttershy starts. “What now?” The purple unicorn sighs. “I don’t know, Fluttershy.” I use this as a chance to ask my question. “What about sending me home?” Twilight looks at me, a saddened expression on her face. “I don’t think I can. I’m sorry, but I don’t know enough where you come from. I don’t think there’s a book on it and even the Princesses might not even know.” My heart sinks at her words. I sigh and lower my gaze to the ground with my head resting on the hardwood floor. “Okay…” “Don’t worry,” Fluttershy says. I turn to her and see she has a soft smile on her face. “We’ll get you home. We promise.” Twilight speaks up. “That’s right. We’ll always come through for a friend.” Friends? They’d be friends with an oddball they know nothing about? They sure are kind. “By the way,” Twilight adds, “I don’t think we ever learned your name.” I smile. “Victoria Hill. You can call me Tory.” “That’s a strange name,” Fluttershy points out. I laugh. “Your names are strange to me.” We all share a small laugh, but it dies down after a few seconds. I’ll definitely be able to get home with the help of my friends.