//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 Meeting The Indiginous Population // Story: Advising Myself // by BioChemicalWolfGear //------------------------------// I stared dumbfounded at the creatures that gave my mind a weird feeling. While I looked at the horse-like creatures and began to take in their odd features, I began feeling strange. I felt almost like I was in an eerie place. Turning around I noticed that I was in the dark forest I woke up in. I went deeper and flew low so I didn’t attract too much attention. I wanted to observe this society for a little while before I started doing anything with it. I glanced to my right and angled my body so I could see the town again. Without much to go on, I began heading along the edge of the forest just trying to get a good view of the creatures. I then looked back to the left and searched for a position to observe them. I noticed a particularly stubby tree with low hanging branches. I flew over to it and separated the leaves so I could tuck myself inside. I went around to the back of the tree and opened a hole in the canopy. After I did that I went through it and slowly let all my weight down on the branches. I began to sink and when I finally stopped moving the tree was giving me natural camouflage. The branches snapped back into position as I let go of them and covered my whole body. Even though I was heavier than my human self, I was able to fit very well into the leaf fortress. I moved my optic around and made a space where I could peer out. The leaves moved to fill in the spaces and I pulled them from the branches. I was happily content with the hiding spot I picked. While it felt childish to hide in a tree, it did get the job done. I was also very content with how much to branches sagged so I could actually be a part of the canopy and still be able to see out from under it. My optics zoomed in so I could see the town in more detail. My eyes slowly scanned until they rested on an individual horse creature. This one seemed to have a yellowish coat and a green mane. I at first thought this was dye, but after seeing some of the others before I figured this was their natural color. She seemed to have an unusual symbol of grapes on her flank. What was more confusing was that she had a picnic basket in her mouth. I assumed that’s how they’d carry objects. I zoomed out slightly when she disappeared behind a log. The tree was in my way, and I lost sight of her. I looked slightly to the right and I saw something strange poking over the bushes. I zoomed in to figure out it was the top of a hat. It swiveled and a hoof appeared beside it and started to move back and forth. I was surprised by this gesture as it was reminiscent of a wave. The yellow coated horse I lost sight of earlier appeared again and disappeared behind the bush that had obscured my view. “They’re having a picnic?” I thought intrigued. I zoomed back out no longer interested in what they were doing. I panned to the left and found in the distance a gathering of other horses. Each of them has marks of their own but all had different coat colors. After a while of observing I realized that they looked pretty similar, and the only real difference between most of them was what color they were. I felt it odd that this was natural. That or dye is extremely common and easy to make. But I doubted it because there seemed to be a reason for it to exist. The fact that they were similar in shape made distinguishing them from others difficult. Their myriad of different colors solved this problem. I began to feel foolish as I was beginning to notice less and less from these creatures. They seemed to either be wandering aimlessly until they find a spot to sit down. I realized that I was looking at a park of some sort, and there was no way I could possibly learn more about them if all the ones I’m observing are eating sandwiches and sitting around with goofy smiles on their faces. I let my mind wonder as aimlessly as these horses. “I’m already bored with them. They’re not doing anything here but relaxing. I guess it’s actually pretty interesting since I don’t usually see parks this crowded. I wonder if it’s a weekend or a holiday?” I wondered looking away. I saw a horse on a park bench watching the birds. “Unless they just value nature more than anyone in my home town did. The parks were mostly vacant there except on weekends where the kids just went outside to play. Most just stay inside now though.” I thought, reminiscing about my home town. I let my musings hanging as I redirected my focus back at the horses. From what I saw, they didn’t have much dexterity to use tools, considering they’re always on all fours. But the more I thought about it the more I realized that they actually had more dexterity than I thought. That one horse waved its hoof, and another carried a basket with their mouth. Looking back at the group closer to town I noticed a horse holding something up with their hoof. When I zoomed in with my optics I noticed it was a sandwich. “Yeah, the Chimera was more entertaining than this.” I thought dully. “Do I even want to meet them?” I pondered deeply. “If they’re intelligent and find me dangerous they’d come after me, right? Or alternatively, if they find me really interesting they’ll just follow me around to see what I’d do… ugh, are the possibility of losing my freedom of movement could outweigh the fun of meeting a new species.” I thought irritably. I concentrated on where I felt the horses and realized the sheer liveliness of the town. Granted I’ve lived in larger places than this that had big festivals and traveling carnivals arriving yearly. But the activity that went along with these events was purely confined to those areas that they set up in. The entire town felt like it was participating in something. Everyone was outside and doing something with their neighbors or so I assumed. Many of them lingered in large groups. But there wasn’t anything I could see that gave me an indication of what the event was. The more I thought about it, the less I knew. But my thoughts were interrupted by the rattling of leaves crashing against each other in a big gust of wind. The gust seemed almost unnatural and man-made. When I refocused myself I realized something shocking. Above me were the same beings that were on the ground. But they were in the sky… flying. I was momentarily confused by this sudden revelation. I could feel the horses minds in front of me, but they were also slightly above me or even high above the cloud layer. I had no idea how they got up there, but as I began to ponder the existence of planes I split open the canopy with my mind. Looking up, I discovered a rainbow contrail flying off into the distance and then circling the town. It started doing weird things like going into dives and making tight turns. I looked around it and saw a few other creatures scattered around the sky. Some flew while others appeared to stand on clouds. When I realized I was exposed to the sky above I shrank down into the canopy and closed it behind me. I was slightly mortified by the idea of a race Pegasus horses trying to find me. Since I fly and they seem to fly faster, it’s a no brainer that I’d never get any peace and quiet if I revealed myself to them. It would be even worse if they discover me unprepared for their interaction. I need to think ahead if I want to meet with these horses and discover how they built that structure on the side of the mountain. Or even better, how to get home. Unless I’m actually dead and I’m just playing through this fantasy world until… something happens. I backed out of my leaf camouflage and slowly hovered toward the ground. I turned around and started flying back into the dark and eerie forest to escape the creatures that fly so I can come back another day. But then I stopped and thought for a moment. Looking down at the grass and dirt I realized I had nowhere else to go. When night time rolled along I’d also have to think of a place to sleep. And the Chimera thing probably wouldn’t want me snuggling up with it. Not only that, but I want answers as to where I am. And this is definitely not earth, and the intelligent horses were proof of that. I looked back toward the town. I stared at the tree line that separated me from the park that the horses were relaxing at. I began to feel slightly self-conscious as I started planning on introducing myself. The possibility of ruining their good day was astronomical. The possibility of them trying to kill me seemed reasonable. The possibility of them driving me out of their town… but there’s a problem with that. These creatures seem more social than the people I’m used to. If I was to go in there and start snarling in Advisor, then what would they think of me. If a creature that could float like me wandered into my home town, I’d probably… actually I’d give it a funny look while keeping my distance. “Wait yeah, I’m not exactly a very scary thing to look at. Hell the lion-Chimera-thing at first tried to pounce at me. If I don’t look like a predator then I shouldn’t have much to worry about right?” I thought to myself. My mind kept on replaying scenarios through my head of what could happen. Each time the situation got worse, but the more I tried to be reasonable and not think of the negative, the more I realized there wasn’t much that I should be afraid of. “But it still doesn’t help if I don’t know what they’re like… I’m going to have to interact with one. But not with so many watching or I’d make first contact too soon… maybe I can make them come to me? But how?” I pondered. I looked around the eerie underbrush and looked for anything that can help me communicate. Then a new thought came to mind. “Maybe I can see how they act when confronting something they don’t understand… wait yes! I can just use my mental power and send some pulse like I did with the four headed thing! Yeah! I can do that to see how they react.” I thought confidently. This idea seemed sensible at the time. I surveyed my surroundings and flew closer to the tree line. Flying low, I kept out of sight. When I was twenty feet from the tree line I floated up into the tree canopy to hide. I was relieved when no one came to investigate as I rustled in the tree tops. When I was fully shrouded in leaves I started to get comfortable and opened up a small leaf window for my optics to look through. I knew I might have to stay where I was until sundown if they started searching for me. Or alternatively if they run and hide, then I’d assume they either won’t be friendly if I floated into town, or they’d just be afraid of me. If they’re afraid of me then it would take more effort on my part to appear friendly. I was about to begin my shriek when I realized the leaves that covered me were actually brighter than the ones behind me deeper in the forest. I contemplated that for a moment before snapping back to the current event. Although I was much closer to the horses now and I decided to hold off for a while longer to wait and see what they do. To my surprise, I heard voices coming to my left. I peered at the source with my optics and spotted two horses walking along side each other and walking along the tree line. “Did you see Rainbow Dash earlier?” asked a male voice. My mind shut down. “Yeah, that was pretty cool!” Responded an enthusiastic female voice. “English?” I thought apprehensively. I regarded the two ponies with interest. They slowly came into view of my optics and I tracked their movements. “Oh stallion, I thought I’d never see tricks like that anywhere other than a Wonderbolts show,” said the male excitedly. “Rainbow’s got some moves,” he praised. “Oh hey, this is the spot I mentioned earlier,” he said pausing to point a hoof at the location in front of me. “Right here?” responded the female voice. “Seems awfully close to the Everfree Forest...” she said nervously. “What? Just because we’re close to the forest doesn’t mean something bad will happen,” he responded confidently. “Hey, maybe something interesting will show up.” He said teasingly. “Was that my queue?” I thought good-humoredly. “Don’t joke like that!” She hissed back. They moved into view and I could tell the one farthest from the tree line was the woman I heard. She was giving the guy a warning look and he was smiling away calmly. The girl had long green hair and a grey coat, while the guy had yellow short hair and a tan coat. They slowed to a stop and the girl faced walked in front of him to face him. They both sat down in the cut grass facing each other. The guy gave her a mocking grin. “Hey, don’t tell me you believe in superstition. The Everfree is just a forest; it can’t send stuff at us every time we bad mouth it.” He replied holding his grin. The girl frowned deeply. “Yeah, but it’s been spitting out a lot of weird things lately,” she shot back in a mood-crushingly dull tone. “I mean just a few months ago Cerberus came to Ponyville and started wrecking the place. A few months earlier an Ursa Minor was dragged in by two colts!” she said warily. “I just don’t want to risk the Everfree sending something else at us.” she finished unhappily. The guy raised an eyebrow. “Dang,” he said. “You’re a buzz-kill,” he mocked, receiving a glare from the girl. “Everfree Forest? Ponyville? Colts? Ursa something? Wait he even said Stallion earlier right? Yeah ok, so I know the opposite of stallion is mare. Colt is… whatever… but pony? They didn’t look like perfect horses but I’m not ready to call them ponies just because it happens to be a town name.” I thought to myself while analyzing their conversation. “Look, everypony knows there’s something going on in the Everfree,” added the mare. “Everypony? Ok, they’re ponies… but if this conversation is just a little too convenient for me.” I thought suspiciously. “Do they actually know I’m here? If so then they’re great actors. That or very informative when talking.” I mentally sighed. “Everypony also knows that it isn’t a daily occurrence,” retorted the stallion more seriously. “Besides, most of the weird stuff that goes on here was because of locals acting up,” he said giving her an unimpressed glare. I decided that was all I needed to hear. I focused my mental abilities around me and I shrieked letting out an unseen wave of energy that affected everyone’s mind. The first two to feel it where the ponies in front of me. They both shot their eyes over to the forests treeline and stared at it like it was going to pounce at them. I looked past them and noticed the entire bustling town had stopped moving. The ambience of their talking and moving was almost unnoticeable at first; but now after its absence I remembered it well, and now it was completely gone. Everyone looked off in the direction of the forest. As I panned my optics to look at all the distracted eyes. I was surprised to see them all completely frozen in place. Some of the ponies seemed to take hesitant steps forward, unsure if they want to investigate or not. Others seemed to try to usher their friends away from the treeline, most of them responded, but some of the braver seemed to walk forward toward the treeline and scan it more thoroughly. I was worried that they’d find me if they started checking the nearest trees. I was hiding in one just on the edge of the forest so there was a good chance they might spot me. I backed up slightly, but when the leaves rustled I realized my mistake. The leaves rubbed against my clothing and made a dragging noise not unlike the wind. I froze as the sound of leaves didn’t actually time up with the wind, and that the silence made the noise very distinguishable to those around me. My heart sank. I looked down nervously at the two ponies I was observing earlier; discovering to my chagrin that they were looking directly at me. I couldn’t tell if they could see me or they just heard me but they were definitely looking at bushel of leaves. I noticed they weren’t making direct eye contact with my optics so I hoped they were just scanning the leaves to find whatever made the noise. They remained stock still for a few moments while just staring at me. I began to feel nervous and wondered if I made a mistake. “Did you hear that?” whispered the mare to the stallion nervously. “Yeah,” whispered the stallion keeping his composure. “S-should we back up?” she asked still whispering. The stallion thought for a moment before saying. “M-maybe it’s a pony?” he whispered back to the mare. “H-hello?” he started hesitantly. “Shh!” the mare hissed. “Don’t talk to it!” she whispered sternly. “We don’t know if it’s friendly!” she said quietly. The stallion gave her a short glare. “Yeah, well we won’t know if it’s not a pony either.” he whispered back unsure of himself. “Wait is he seriously going to do what I think he’s going to do?” I thought precariously. “Hello? I-I think I heard you in there.” he said loudly, causing some other ponies to look in his direction. “A-are you stuck or something?” he asked. I looked up and noticed some of the closer ponies looking at him curiously. I winced as I noticed those closest to the two in front of me started to trot over. Five of them in all. But it was big enough of a crowd to make him feel obligated to continue. Before he noticed them he looked to the mare on his left for guidance. When all he got nothing but a nervous look back, he flared his nostrils and huffed before looking back up at my general direction. At this point he noticed the sound of movement behind him and looked over his shoulder to see ponies approaching. He seemed to puff up slightly as confidence grew, presumably because of a herd instinct. They started looking in his general direction, which was toward me. “Uh is anypony there?” he asked out loud. I couldn’t answer his questions through words so I remained still and quiet. “Are you stuck?” he asked again, in a normal tone. “I know you’re in there, we heard you,” he said matter-o-factually. He paused for a moment before speaking up again. “Did you do that… thing earlier? Can you do it again?” he said apprehensively. “…I could use this to make first contact.” I thought to myself. “But is it worth it right now? I just got here and I barely know customs. It’s too dangerous to talk to them now… right?” I thought considerably terrified. “O-ok, d-do you want me to come get you out of there?” he continued, without the conviction in his voice. I figured I couldn’t stop them from investigating even if I continued to shut off all communication. They’d eventually feel safe enough to check the tree. Or at least I figured that. I was never very good in stressful situations like this, and seemingly always got myself in situations like this where I had little to no control. Of course the situation with the Chimera when I first met it was stressful, but there was only one of them, and there was four feet of thorn bushes between us; plus a lot of breathing room to flee. These ponies were no more than ten feet away but the only thing keeping me from running is a chance at communication; with the possibility of being hunted down if they see me. “Ok,” he said to his mare friend. “I’m going to check the tree.” He said confidently. She nodded her head in confirmation but she had a concerned frown on her face. “Be careful,” she suggested uneasily. Now I was very nervous and slightly afraid. Not only were the stakes high for this situation, but it was very sudden. I’d rather deal with someone less confident. As I waited for him to approach the treeline as I kept trying to figure out how to escape if need be. In my musings of escaping I happened to look up, noticing movement by the small town. It took only a moment for me to realize that some of the ponies were trotting away to safety in the buildings. Some ponies were just watching them with unsure looks on their faces. My optics landed on what I thought was a very confused mare looking around with a hint of panic on her face. She was sitting on the outskirts of town watching the group of ponies in front of me. Our little conversation was causing a lot of unnecessary attention. I needed to think fast to end it without causing too much damage. If I continued then the whole town will go into an uproar and turn what was once a happy day into a paranoid disaster. I looked down at the ponies in front of me and realized that my responses were leaving an impression on them. They stared at my location with curious expressions that no longer seemed apprehensive. The stallion spoke up again. “So…” he started. “Ok I’m going in,” he said with conviction and started trotting forward. At this moment I realized I had to leave immediately. “If I left now they might see me! But how do I leave without attracting too much attention?” I thought for a moment as he got closer. “Wait… why not attract as much attention as possible?” I thought to myself with a cleaver plan in mind. I recollected the locations of the tree trunks in my vicinity and grabbed them with my telekinetic powers. I pulled slightly to make the trees around me start to shake and bend toward me. They started to cover me up and my last image of the ponies in front of me was shock and awe. With little effort I was able to bend the trees enough that they elicited the sound of splintering wood. Without second thought, I lifted five trees into the air with an unseen force. I started to fly backward while taking the trees with me, keeping me concealed in a leafy fortress. I picked up my pace but realized my strain was talking a tiresome toll on me. After backing up a sufficient distance I tipped the trunks forward to make the leafy tops face them and blocked their view of me rather than just cover my body. I dropped them and dove behind the concealing trees that now formed a wall of forest canopy that separated me from the group. To my dismay, the trees didn’t form a perfect wall and they started sagging, which made a large hedge made of tree leaves. I dove down quickly, so I was no more than a meter off the ground while I backed up. I couldn’t hear any voices or surprised screams of any sort on the other side of my improvised wall; so I assumed I left them speechless and in shock. With a sigh of relief, I spun my bean-shaped body to face the darker parts of the forest and abruptly made my escape. I moved as quickly as I could while keeping close to the tree canopy thinking I’ll lose them quickly if I was higher up and away from the hindering flora below. I reconsidered my flawed logic when I realized the branches were beginning to start lower to the ground and the only clear line of sight is anything above the ground. I rolled my optical eye at my clumsiness and lowered myself to the ground. The forest was rife with thick hedges and wide bushes that obscured my path. But the device on my back made it easy to avoid them. As I flew, the forest began to grow darker and mist started appearing at the low ground. The sensation of many minds behind me slowly began to fade as I delved deeper into the forest. But the massing sensation of wildlife before me made me hesitate. I could feel many creatures I’ve yet to meet in the dense forest, but I paused only to consider the possibility of meeting something more dangerous than the Chimera. Last time I zoned out while thinking and almost got myself killed. I only noticed the lion-Chimera when it missed me. If I wanted to venture into the wilderness again, I’d need to be cautious and not slip up. With that in mind, I continued floating along the tops of the bushes. I kept at a steady pace while I was constantly scanning back and forth for anything that looked suspicious. I often just darted my optics back and forth because of the limited peripheral vision that they gave me. The wind began to blow again overhead and drowned out the sound of the indigenous wildlife. The sound of buzzing insects and loud bug noises rang out from the forest around me. I was surprised to hear a cricket chirping in the dark forest. As my cautious glances became a well-oiled system, my mind began to wander. “Ok I think I’m safe, for the most part. Although I have no idea how long that’s going to last.” I mused cynically. “I’ve made contact with the species that I assume made that building on the mountainside. Not sure though. Have to find out more. Ok ok, now I need to think of food and wa-wait… do Advisors need that?” I thought. I stopped moving forward and hovered in place while I contemplated my needs. “I don’t feel hungry, or thirsty… But I feel a little less than one-hundred percent. Like I was drained and not fueled back up all the way. Maybe my dream has an answer?” I thought analytically. “Ok I remember something about protein… wait no protein solution! And I had to hook up to life support for the stuff. But there isn’t any Combine Stations are there? No. Wait, I remember I was able to eat brains or something to replenish my solution. Ugh, I don’t want–” My mind halted faster than my body did earlier. I very clearly remember gorging myself on the brain of a deer very early on in my quest to figure out where I was. Or where I should or shouldn’t go. But that action felt so natural that I didn’t think more on it. I began to ponder why I felt no regret for driving my tongue into the deer’s skull. I reasoned that it was probably because it was already dead; but I at least should’ve thought more on it before I dropped the matter. Granted there was a lion-thing that had most of my attention at the time, but shouldn’t I have been a little shaky after that? Not even a tinge of disgust for further desecrating its already damaged remains? What about me changed other than my body? My questions remained unanswered. I still didn’t have sufficient information to come to any conclusion. There was just too much that I needed to get straightened out before I can get proper answers. Even as I shook the thoughts of my change out of my head, I felt lost. Who was I now? What kind of changes did this Advisor body do to me? Better yet, why haven’t I thought of this earlier? But the more pressing reality before me ultimately won in the long run. In an instant I was reminded of what was behind me. A village of talking ponies that I left paranoid and possibly terrified. I instinctively looked behind me in case the ponies managed to catch up to me, but nothing came into view so I continued deeper into the forest. “Ok, enough questions for now. I need to find something to eat… or pick it’s brain out… ugh I’m not going to get used to thinking like that.”