//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 I'm in Equestria?. . . . My first pony friend. // Story: Keep living for Friendship // by alejin //------------------------------// Have you ever thought at least once in your life that you become crazy, not only crazy but totally lost your mind, but no matter what, you try to convince yourself you are not, well. . . think now that was Alex thoughts, but multiplied by 1,000, he just stood there, his jawn wide open as almost touching the ground to such degree not any strange in this world, but in his world it would mean it could be broken and detached from his face. “Swee…Sweetie bell?, it can’t be, it's not posible he thought, he could devate with himself if he really had gone nuts for hours, trying to find a good explanation, but there was no logic in this, Any way, no matter how much crazy logic he tried to find for this situation, one fact remained, she or that thing was scared, was drowning and needed help, moving by his instincts he ran as fast as he could, jump to the river and started to try to reach her, he had to admit it, this river was strong and if he wasn’t carefull, it could drag him too, but if it was really Sweetie bell, he would do anything to save her, no matter the cost. The river was strong, but failing was not an option, with struggle, he finally reached Sweetie who was too scared and busy trying to stay alive to notice the tall creature aproaching to her, Alex grabed her an inmediatly tried to drag her to the safe side of the river, even with he eyes closed by fear and desperation, when she felt an strange "hoof" around her stomach, she inmediatly thought one good pony was saving her and started to relax, but when she opened her eyes, she let out a scream that Alex could swear even someone in his world probably heard, “HEY!!! LET ME GO APE” its the first thing she said (not really the first impresión you want to give to such a cutie in the first place) now Sweetie Bell was screaming, punching and kicking this strange "Ape", Alex really didnt mind it, he had to thank the logic of children strenght this time, her punches and kicks were not more like tickling to him but after the first 20 seconds it started to get anoying (God she is weak, how the…. F she manage to stay afloat with that little strenght). Anyway, he managed to take her out of the river, he let down the little pony (who hadn't given up fighting yet) on the ground, she just retreated at least one meter away and stared at the creature with tired and focused eyes, she remained in that position for a few seconds before her body betrayed her, she was tired not only for all the struggle she had to put in the river in order to stay alive but also for the “fight” she just had with the “Ape”. You…. You will not eat me, my friends my sister and her friends too will be here any minute, you… can’t fool me, you rescued me to having me for dinner didn’t you, besides Zecora. . . . there cannot be any good and kind creatures living in this forest, just you wai……, POF, she fell in to the ground unconsious. ALEX POV I just stayed there, looking her with really serious eyes. Thinking how I got here, how it was posible to be in… Equestria, in the EverFree forest, (I believe is the everfree for what she said), how will I return home, can I return home, how…… OH SCREW THAT I WILL NOT LET THIS CHANCE GO WASTED, I inmediatily scooped the sleeping filly in my arms and give her a soft hug, it was Sweetie bell after all, (I just fullfiled the dreams of many bronies and pegasisters around my world, sorry), any way I had to let my brony side aside for again, I sensed that thirst of blood and heard noices coming from the bushes, the thing or things watching me were still there, Following my insticts, I searched in my backpack for my hidden blades and throwing knives and finally as quickly as his body let me, I also put on my bullet proof vest, I thought about my bow but I had no time, that thing could jump in front of us at any minute and right now I needed to be more agile in case I had to make a run for it, (I was with sweetie after all and of course I would carry her to safety) “I really hope its my imagination, what could it be???, if I'm really in Equestria, it could be a timber Wolf or a pack of them, in that case, knives and blades will not help very much, damn, if I have a stick I could set it on fire, that would help, what about a Manticore, if they are as strong as I think they are, I dont know if I will stand a chance, but at least with my current equipment, it's my best shot, in any case if the situation demands it, I will just grab Sweetie and jump in to the river and trust my chances, I hope I wont need to do that.” At that moment just like if I just summoned my toughts to reality, finally I could hear a Roar and the creature (that I believe it thought it didn't have the surprise element anymore) jump out from the bushes, it was indeed a Manticore, his lion body with really big arms and paws, his giant bat wings and the most dangerous thing I would have to worry… his big scorpion’s tail. We just stared each other, I knew sooner or later he would try to charge at me, I really hope all those years of training made me as agile as I needed to right now, I didnt show my hidden blades yet, I wanted my own surprise element in case he managed to grabe me, with throwing knives in my hands, I just waited. “What do you want, I really don't want troubles and I really don't want to fight you” I said. The manticore, as I didn’t expected, showed me a really surprise look, I could say he never saw that coming, maybe he thought I was some kind of mindless monkey who couldn't talk, with a little hope, I tried to negociate with him. “Is there any chance you can search another source of food this time?” I asked His answer was simple, he regained his attack position again and charged at me full speed, (I really hate when diplomacy fails) I managed to Dodge it by moving aside (Thankyou training), he tried again but I did the same thing, after a few more attemps, it finally realized he would never take me down that way, so he stood up in it's 2 “legs” and started to aproach me with his sharp clawns and started to try to strike me, just one hit and I would be grated cheese for sure, I was just dodging but I needed to attack, I needed an opening so I kept dodging, dodging, dodg…. There it was!, just when he raised his right arm to swing again I threw the two knives to his ribs, I could swear it screamed like a little girl and backed off, the ribs started bleeding, I inmediatily graved to more knives from my ninja bag, made the more serious and determinated face I ever made in my whole life, and said “There are more from those two came from, if you really don't want to continue this useless fight, leave that filly and me alone, I refuse this to be her time to die, go away and keep living, stay here and fight me and…. DIE!!” of course I was bluffing, but after our first encounter, the way I managed to Dodge his atacks really increased my confidance. It seemed that he really was thinking about backing off, I assumed this creatures were not very used to attack prays willing to fight back and put a descent challenge, I was starting to relax a little when the most unconvenient think that could happen…. HAPPENED, in the middle of the fight, Sweetie bell woke up and I assumed was watching us fighting for at least for a little few minutes, she was terrified, It was too obvious what was in her mind at that moment, two creatures fighting over their next meal, HER, she screamed when she noticed me staring at her, when the manticore heard and saw her too, it smiled and started running to the most obviously easier pray, I had to act fast, how dumb I was, in my desperation to reach at Sweetie first, I lost all focus in the fight, of course the manticore saw this and took advantage, he swang his scorpion’s tail at me, I managed to Dodge it in time but it made me fall to the ground, the manticore just stayed there in front of me, I was there trying to regain and stand up again but he pushed my stomach with his feet to make sure I wouldn't go anywhere, I was done for, he had that wicked smile in his face, the smile of victory and was already tasting the suculent exotic meat he will soon have, he pointed his venom tail at me and….. striked my chest, it hurt, it really did, but that was odd I didnt felt any piercing cut in my chest, less any venom circulating in my body, that's when I saw his face to instantly change from a victorious creature to a really one in pain and surprise as he backed off some inches trying to figure what happened, the point of his scorpion’s tail was shatered, I could see some venon and blood Licking from it, then I realized, my bullet proof vest, it …. Protected me, even though the hit did leave it a little shatered, (and it hurt like a bitch. . .really), but I didn't have time to waste or have pain, I had to act right away and do what I had to, I really didn’ want to do this in front of sweetie bell (who was still watching everything with fear in her eyes, but I could swear I noticed a little relief in her face when she saw I was still alive, well I guess I'm the less hated….. yay?) but it was something I had to do to keep her alive, taking advantage of the manticore in pain and distracted, I drew my two hidden blades, I moved as fast as I could and striked his throat the deepest my two blades let me, he never saw it comming, he just stared at me, with disbelieving eyes, I retreated my blades and only saw (a little sad, it was a creature that only was hunting for food after all, I thought) how he bleed to die. I stayed there for a minute watching the dead creature in front of me, some of his blood manage to spit in my face but I washed it almost inmediatly at the river, then proceed to sit down on the ground thinking what I just did, Sweetie bell also just stayed there, her mouth opened, I didn't care if she would just take this chance to run from the “still alive predator” in front of her, she was safe and alive, that was all that mattered to me at that moment. But …. She didn't run, in fact she aproached to me, stopping some inches away, I thought she was gonna scream again, but she didn’t. The next thing she did made my heart melt in that very moment, she tackled me and hugged me, I could feel the tears wetting my T-shirt. “Thank you so much, you saved me, I never hear of anypony who would face a manticore instead of runing away, but you did, you could just leave me here to my fate but you didn’t. THANK YOU , THANK YOU , THANK YOU.” “It was nothing little cutie”, I said smiling. When she heard me, she became silent and surprised, as incredible it seems, I was very sure one could hear some crickets in the distance, but very soon the silence was reaplace for a loudy scream. “OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH, YOU REALLY CAN TALK!!!! I KNEW I HEARD YOU TALKING WHEN I WOKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR FIGHT!!! , THAT'S SO COOL, WELL I KNEW YOU HAD TO BE SMART AT SOME DEGREE SINCE YOU WEAR CLOTHES OR FIGHT LIKE THAT, NO DUMB ANIMAL COULD DO THAT OR BE DRESSED, THAT OF COURSE WOULD BE POSIBLE IF U ARE THE PET OF SOMEPO…..umgmgmgmg” I had to put my hand in her mouth to stop her, if she were talking normally I’d had let her continue, but she was screaming, and the last thing we needed in that moment was to atract the atention from more predators. “ok… I’ll remove my hand and let you continue but please don't scream ok?” she nodded, I removed my hand and she continued. “As I was saying, maybe you are the pet of somepony, you look like some kind of ape to me but you can talk, what kind of creature are you?, if I have to bet I'll say you are a minotaur but you muzzle is reallyyyy small and you have no horns, but if you have an owner that wouldn’t explain what were you doing here all alone, besides I can see you have luggage with you, are you traveling?” I decided to be honest with her “No little filly, I'm a human, I bet you never saw one before, (she noded) and yes I'm a travelling from a far away land, I stopped at the river and then saw you almost drowing… how you ended in the river in the first place??.” “oh. I almost forgot thankyou for saving me from drowing too, (she gave me another hug, not that I minded it), ok I was with my friend applebloom and scootaloo doing some crussading as olimpic swimmers trying to swim againts the flood in a wild river at the edge of the Everfree Forest, (……wow they are as crazy and fearless as in the show), and well, I went first and of course it was more than I could manage and ended being draged until you saved me, once again THANK YOU!!!!!” Ok, no problem, I'm glad you are ok, but let me tell you this, if you want to keep youself alive and safe, try to not take things too far, crusading is good, but always have a limit ok?, she nodded, ok, now let's get you home or at least search for your friends, I'm sure they are dead worried for you. She nodded again, I grabed my stuff and started the long walk to ponyville, she was leading the way of course. I didnt have any desire to show myself to the ponies in ponyville, at least not for now, I was just gonna take her to ponyville and then reach the abandoned castle (now I was sure it was the Sister's Old Castle, where the elements of harmony were stored, I cursed myself a little for the lack of knowledge I have about MLP, all because for being so stubborn, for I never passed from the first season of the show, I wanted to wait for at least 2 more seasons to to be completed and watch it all in one whole day, so I didn't know as much as I wished, stupid me I thought). besides I needed to return to the place I arrived to maybe find some kind of clue of how I ended here, being in a magic world, my fantasy logic told me that maybe some kind of portal opened and got me here, so my best chance was to start looking there, plus I needed a place to stay, I was almost sure Ponyville would never give shelter to an strange creature that came from the everfree forest and killed another living being. . . not to mention it was armed to the teeth (I was a lot worse case than Zecora) So the abandoned castle for now was my best bet. Sweetie really got used to me really fast (child inocense I believed), we talked about our names, friends and family (of course I already knew a little), likes and dislikes, the crusadings she with her friends made every single day, where we were from, she of course never heard of a place called Guatemala, I just told her it was very far away and it was natural she never heard about my country. It was getting dark when we reached the entrance of the forest, luckily we didnt found any other creature on the way, I assumed Sweetie bell lead me through the safest road, I had some other theories but I kept them for myself, anyway when we were out, I could not believed it, I was watching it, the very same place any brony would kill to see, Ponyville, it wasn’t so far away, but what really found my attention was the fact that not very far, a group of ponies were running to our direction, I believed it was a searching group, after all she was with me for hours. I had to act quick, “look sweetie bell, I bet they are looking for you, c’mon let see who got there first” “OKAYYYYY she said and she started running to their direction”, mem by my side, grabed my stuff and started running again to the Everfree and to the castle to settle down and make some thinking. END OF POV Sweetie bell!!!!! Rarity screamed as she was running to where her sister was, she could not believe it, she was fine and alive, she thanked Celestia for that, she gave her little sister a crushing hug. “Applebloom and Scotaloo told me what happened, what were you thinking?, but never mind, I'm glad you are ok. By the way you are grounded for at least 1 week little filly” Sweetie only gave an big “ahhhhhhhh cmon!” It didn’t take longer as the rest of the mane 6 as the other two crussaders arrived and be glad that Sweetie was ok, Applebloom and Scootaloo inmediatly rush and hugged Sweetie, apoligazing for what happened. “Sweetie bell thank Celestia you are alright, but what happened to you, we lost track of you hours ago, how you managed to survive in the Everfree forest with all those creatures and monster???” Scotaloo asked” “yeh sweetie how, because if yah managed to keep yar self safe on your own, ah wont be surprise if yah get a cutie mark for and adventurer or survival pony, like Daring doo!” Apple Bloom said “oh oh oh, you can thank my new friend Alex for that, he is just right here, Sweetie said with so much proud in her words while she presented her new human friend, all the ponies were confused, who was she talking about, “oh cmon, I know he is a little weird looking but he is not invicible, right Al………..” She turned around and saw nopony, he didn't even race with her, all she could manage to say was Alex?????