//------------------------------// // Star-Light // Story: Tales of The Forgotten: Firefly // by Orion97 //------------------------------// I crept closer to the lone cottage until I could start to make out details, all around it were small shelters for animals and feeding stations as well. I caught a glance of sleeping chicken, birds, rabbits and a dozen other creatures all sleeping unawares of my presence. I tried to creep close to see if there were any supplies I could use from the cottage. Ordinarily I was no thief but I would only take a couple things, like maybe some medicine in case I got hurt or a map of a nearby town or something if I lucked out. My thoughts were interrupted as I saw the back door open and out step a yellow pony with a pink mane. Wait...Fluttershy? It can't be...if it is then that means...but that's impossible. Another world is a stretch I can believe, any alien world, but it just had to be Equestria? I had best keep my distance. It may seem like Equestria but thus far she would be the only real detail to support that theory. It would be best to keep hidden for now, wait a while and figure out what I can from a distance. For all I knew in this world they could all be psycho or something. "Hey there, little ones. I brought you some food in case you get hungry in the middle of the night." She spoke with one of the most soft, angelic voices I had ever heard. She kept her voice to a whisper as she deposited bits of food beside a couple of her animals that seemed to have trouble going to sleep. As tempting as it was to go and introduce myself I knew that even good people could react violently to strangers that came from out of nowhere, let alone if they were a different species. Before long Fluttershy returned inside and shut off her lights and I could hear wood creaking softly as she walked up to what would surely be a second floor and her bedroom before stopping altogether. She would probably be asleep herself before long.. It would be a bad idea to make a move this soon, but it would be a waste of time to just sit here. I inched closer to the cottage and carefully scouted out the perimeter. As close as I tell it was a fairly isolated place and she lived alone except for the animals. There was a road that led away from the cottage and hopefully towards a town. There were animals resting all around the back yard but thankfully the front yard seemed all but devoid of animals, so I'd be able to sneak in and look around without being snitched on by some bird. After half an hour of waiting I finally decided to move in. I crouched down and moved to the front door. I pulled out a bobby pin from my pack that I left in there after building a make-shift compass. Hopefully it would make a decent lock-pick as well. I slid it into the lock and tried the door only to find it was already unlocked, which was odd though I would hardly be one to complain. I threw the bobby pin back into my pocket and gently pushed open the door. The inside of the cottage seemed comfortable and comely, the kind of house you could visit and feel like you'd lived there yourself your whole life. I began to move into the center of the living room, remembering how the wood creaked as the lone mare had went to bed. I monitored each footstep and moved as silently as possible, I looked around and noticed lots of food and water as well as bandages, but no map. I would come back if I was actually starving or becoming badly dehydrated, I grabbed a bit of gauze and a few band-aids in case I got hurt. Enough to be useful but not enough for someone to notice it's gone. I didn't want to push my luck too far by going upstairs so the bandages were all I took. I guess I'd just have to follow the road if I wanted to know whether it led to a town. I left the way I came and made sure to close the door slowly. By now night had well and truly fallen, it would be smart for me to get some sleep before following that road. I wouldn't dare to sleep on the ground deep in the forest but thankfully a lot of the trees around looked easy to climb and had a fair amount of room that could be used for sleeping when the branches spread out to form part of the canopy. I picked out a tree far enough from the cottage to not be easily spotted yet close enough to discourage predators. Worst case scenario that timber wolf returns with friends and I run for shelter in the cottage. I'd rather deal with a confused pony than a pack of hungry beasts. I climbed up into what would be my resting place for the night and pulled my sleeping bag off the front of the backpack. It was showing signs of wear but it would still take care of helping to keep my warm enough through the night. I laid my back against one of the tree branches and held my staff in my lap as sleep slowly washed over me. I sat up and found myself in a strange castle of sorts. I was alone at the intersection of a dark stone hallway, in three of them I saw fierce, threatening eyes gazing at me hungrily and I could hear growling. In front of me was a slightly brighter hall and someone was walking towards me, a staff of their own in his right hand as he walked. When he came close I couldn't believe my eyes. It was Robert. He wore a long robe on his body and a gentle smile on his face. He reached out his hand and beckoned me to come closer. I did just that and he grabbed my hand and led me forward down the hall. The intersection I had started at now became engulfed in darkness. Eventually the hallway before us led to an opening and I could see a moon-lit grass field far ahead. As soon as we emerged from the stone tunnel I noticed that we were flanked by numerous people. I looked closely as we continued walking and noticed that all of them were people I knew and cared about. They all watched with concerned eyes as we passed. Robert ignored them and continued leading me forward. Soon the crowd faded behind us and we reached a true castle. It looked like something straight out of a hellish nightmare, the stone itself echoed fear and despair. The towers clawed into the air like black monoliths and the walls held them together like the ribs of great stone beast. Our pace slowed until we reached the gates where Robert released my hand and walked forward on his own. When I took another step he spun around with his staff in hand and poked me in the chest with the other end. "Where I lead, you cannot follow. Now go. Run!" He shoved me back and gestured to a pack of wolves running at break-neck speed towards me from the right side. Robert ran through the gates and they promptly closed behind him, sealing himself in the dark prison. I did as he said and ran. I ran fast, very fast, but they were faster. They were gaining ground fast. When I passed under a tree branch a hand swiftly reached down and yanked me up. The wolves passed us underneath and continued on as if nothing about their chase had changed. I watched them fade into nothingness and found a wolf pendant had formed, hanging from around my neck. Robert snapped his fingers to get my attention. "You have to keep fighting, Michael. Never give in. Now go! There's no time left. RUN!" He kicked me out of the tree and instead of the grass below I looked around a found only a wooden floor. I stood up and saw my closest friends walking towards me, but rather than the friendly faces I knew they held malicious grins and murder in their eyes. "As if we ever cared about you! This has been a long time coming and you know you're going to deserve every bit of it." James said as he popped his knuckles while several others closed in, leaving me less and less breathing room. "No...no! Leave me alone! PLEASE!" I shouted in panic and a moment later a ring of fire formed around me and spread out. It disintegrated everyone around me, leaving nothing but dust and ashes. "No! Why did this happen!? Why? What did I do!? Someone help! Please!" Tears formed in my eyes and clouded my vision as my hands sifted through the ashes as if it could bring them back. I fell to my knees as tears began to stain the floor. A hand landed on my shoulder and I turned to notice Robert once more. "This is not your destiny. You have the power to change everything. I have faith in you. Remember that only from ashes a phoenix can rise." Then as quickly as he came, he vanished again. I looked around and saw my friends stand up from their own ashes, but they held no cold intent and helped me to my feet. This time they each carried a sword or similar weapon as well. I led them back to the front gates of the castle that Robert had disappeared into. All along the way we were beset by dozens of timber wolves but my friends destroyed them before they could reach me. They circled around to protect me as I lifted open the gate but none of them followed me through. They tried but something prevented them from crossing the line and the gate slammed shut once more, only now it was impossible to lift. "I'll be back soon!" I shouted to them before turning towards the castle and running. I threw open a pair of doors and took off down a stone hall not unlike the one I found myself in earlier. At every intersection there were creatures watching from the dark to my left and right that began to give chase as I passed. Soon a horde of creatures were hunting me and I could hear a voice call hauntingly from farther down the hall. "This is how it all ends! You can run but you can't outrun fate!" It laughed wickedly while the beasts closed the distance. Soon a ledge came into view, below it was a pit ten feet across filled with spikes. I launched myself across and barely caught the ledge with one hand. I hauled myself up while the creatures only managed to fall into the pit. The survivors looked down before heading back the way they came, a couple simply sat near the ledge and leered at me. A short distance ahead a room came in sight. It was lit by a row of torches on the back wall and Robert was in the center of the room, tied to a table that stood diagonally with him strapped down to prevent any movement whatsoever. I unbound him from his straps and as soon as Robert fell from it he smiled but looked at me with sad eyes. "You have a very great future ahead of you...but so many dark paths lie ahead. I weep for you. I warned you. Where I lead you cannot follow." As soon as he finished talking he vanished once more. The entire world around me began to vanish as well until I stood alone in a strange, blue ethereal plane. A moment later a tall blue pony with a horn and a pair of wings manifested from the air. It could only be Princess Luna and when she spoke it confirmed my suspicion. "I am Princess Luna. I couldn't help but notice a strange new dreamer tonight. Such...terrifying dreams, you're so full of fear and terror...why?" Her eyes were wide with concern at what she had apparently seen. "What are you doing here, young one?" "I don't know...I'm so lost. I...is this even real or is it just that much of a crazy dream. I don't know how to explain anything you saw..." "Don't worry. I know what it means, Michael. What's important is whether or not you do." Luna said calmly. "I...I don't know, I've had mostly crazy dreams and nightmares since my friend disappeared." "Oh, I see..." Luna looked away and fiddled with one of her hooves against the ground, if I didn't know any better she was hiding something. "Can you help me?" "I will try. I can help guide you. I know you're lost and afraid, know that the ponies here are kind and helpful. I know Fluttershy would be eager to help you. There is no need to steal, though I know why you did. "Oh...you know about that. I promise I'll return the bandages and try to introduce myself in the morning." "Good. And Michael, I can tell what you're feeling as well. You're lost in far more ways than just one, even if you won't admit it. You'll find me in your dreams again tomorrow. I'm sorry but I must go quickly" She turned and prepared to leave until I spoke up. "Luna, one more thing please, before you go." I closed my mouth before going on, afraid of the answer I might receive. "Is there any way for me to get home?" She looked at me with sorrowful eyes before walking away and fading to nothing. Moments later everything slowly glowed brighter until all I could see was a bright light and I felt myself waking up. I snapped awake and realized it was already late morning, the sun's rays cast down over me like a spotlight, demanding me to wake up. I rolled up my sleeping bag and tied it back to the front of my backpack. I slung it on my back and picked up my staff before jumping down the tree. I took a deep breath and made my way to the front door of the cottage I had crept inside last night. I knocked on the door three time and waited for a response. A few long moments later the door creaked open and in the doorway stood a nervous mare. "Hello. My name is Michael, it's nice to meet you." "Oh...ah...my name is...Fluttershy." She said softly. "I don't know how I got here and I'm really lost, can you help me?" I pleaded "Oh my...you poor thing. Come inside and sit down and I'll bring you some soup, then we can talk." I did as she asked and sat down on a corner of the couch while Fluttershy quickly returned with a steaming bowl of soup and set it in my lap. "Also...I have a quick confession to make. I was lost and terrified last night and I didn't know how you'd react to a stranger coming out of nowhere so I stole some bandages while you were sleeping. I didn't take anything else, I swear." Rather than get upset with me she simply looked at me like a disappointed mother. I reached into my backpack and held them out to her. "Keep them. They're meant for those in need and I have plenty more but next time, please just ask. Alright?" "Thank you. You're really kind." I said as I tucked away the bandages. "You're welcome, eat up and tell me what's going on." "I'm not really sure. There was this orb or wisp thing in the woods and I went through it only to end up here. I was in the woods for a few hours until I found your cottage. I got attacked by some kind of timber wolf things but I fended them off without getting beaten up too badly. Though one got at my neck." I gestured to the back of my neck which was still bloody and relatively fresh. "Oh my! We need to clean that right away or it could get infected. Follow me." Fluttershy quickly grabbed my hand and led me to her bathroom sink. She dipped a piece of cloth in the water and began to clean the wound. After that she applied a chemical that she warned would sting but would prevent infection. I tried to hide how much it actually stung like hell. It almost hurt as badly as the bite itself did but I tried my best to not look like a wuss. "There. That didn't even take long and now it'll be fine. You shouldn't be in the Everfree at night, it's dangerous, there's a lot more scary animals in there. Did anything else happen?" She asked while inspecting me for more injuries. "Well I went to sleep in one of the trees outside and I was having a terrible nightmare and then Luna appeared out of nowhere and started talking to me, it wasn't for long but she said she knew I was lost and promised to help guide me." "Wow. Well you're the first human here in a long time, we should get you introduced to the others. Twilight might be able to help you get your bearings too. When you're done with your soup we'll head into town to find her." "Wait...are you saying there have been other humans here?" "Well maybe one or two, but that was almost twelve years ago." "Oh...never mind then." I remained quiet until my soup was finished. It was interesting that I wasn't the first human here but Robert only vanished a year ago. Unless he never made contact with ponies he mustn't be here. Once I finished my soup Fluttershy took it away and put it in the kitchen sink and took me outside with her. "Now, we experience new things really often but some ponies could still be a little nervous if they see you so just do your best to be friendly and trustworthy. We're going to find Twilight first and ask her to invite the others so they can all meet you." "Thank you, why are you doing this anyway? You barely know me." "It's just what everyone should do, and maybe one day I'll be really lost and need help like you and someone will help me out." she stated optimistically. As we walked the road towards town we talked a little and tried to find what we had in common or what she had fun doing. Fluttershy and Luna seemed to be my first friends in this strange new world and were eager to help me out and show kindness. I could only cross my fingers and hope the rest of the world would react similarly...