//------------------------------//
// Safety 
// Story: Trust Me 
// by CluelessBrony 
//------------------------------//

'Applebloom' led me through the strange land I had found myself in, presumably to take me back to wherever it was she lived. Down here on the ground, I saw a lot more of the strange green structures than I could ever imagine. Millions of them were on the ground, and I tried avoiding them, preferring to step on the dirt path Applebloom was following. The green things creeped me out.

We walked for a while, Applebloom looking nervous. I briefly wondered what she was so nervous about. Probably just some primitive fear of darkness or something.

Speaking of darkness, now that the sun had gone down for the night, my solar collector was useless. I could only hope that I wouldn't have to expend much electrical energy before the sun rose once more- I didn't fancy surviving everything I'd been through just to die of starvation a few hours later.

Eventually, after a long, silent walk, we finally made our way out of the sea of brown towers. I let out a sigh of relief. That place was unnatural. Applebloom said something in that gibberish language of hers and stopped, turning towards me.

She said something else and I cocked my head. I had no idea what she was trying to get across, but it seemed serious. She pointed in a direction ahead of us and I looked to see what was causing such a fun.

A red creature, larger than Applebloom, was walking down a dirt road towards a red building of some sort. It looked strong, and I was slightly worried. Why did Applebloom make us stop? Was it dangerous? I wondered if I could beat it if things went downhill. If it attacked, I could zap it a few times to take it down, but I wouldn't last the night if I wasted that much energy. Perhaps-

Applebloom interrupted me with a few words, then made a motion with her hooves. I may not have understood what she was saying, but I recognized the gesture- stay here. I sat down where I was, to show her that I got the message.

Applebloom trotted up the path towards the red creature, not a hint of fear in her step. Perhaps they knew each other? They looked like they were the same species, but the red one was so much larger. Maybe they were related? Perhaps Applebloom was a youngling?

Applebloom said something to the red one as she approached, causing the red one to turn with a smile on its face. It looked relieved, which only reinforced my relative theory. If a young family member of mine came home after dark, I'd be relieved too. The night was not a safe time to be awake, especially on my homeworld.

My homeworld. It had been ages since I'd been back, and I missed it with a fiery passion. The only thing that had kept me going the last few cycles had been the thought of returning to my parents. 

I hoped the inhabitants of this planet were advanced enough to have the parts I would need to fix my ship. Otherwise, I wasn't sure how I would be able to go on, without my friends and family. 

I shook my head. It was no time to be moping. I needed to focus on the positives if I was to get off this planet.

Applebloom was walking down the dirt path with the red one, away from me. Was she leaving me behind? My mind started to panic. She was the only creature one this world that I knew! What was I supposed to do now?

I jogged in place, frantically trying to figure out what I was supposed to do now. Where would I sleep? The moon was already up, and I heard frightening noises emanating from the dark and terrifying sea of green behind me. A long howl pierced the night, and I jumped up in terror.

I was considering bolting after Applebloom, despite her telling me to stay where I was, when I saw her look at me over her shoulder and nod her head. I don't know what she meant by it, but I took it as a sign that she wanted me to follow her and the red one. I sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me away from the darkness behind me. Once I got a safe distance away, I slowed down and started to be as sneaky and quiet as possible. I still didn't know if the red one knew I was here or not.

The three of us - Applebloom and her friend on the road and me ducking behind rocks and those brown things - made our way to a group of  red buildings of some sort. Much like the brown structures we had been passing, they weren't designed in any style I had seen before. They looked like it was made out of some sort of light, painted material, unlike the heavy stone buildings of my homeworld. Many windows adorned the sides, and there were small colourful things in the dirt in front of the buildings.

Applebloom and the red creature opened the front door to the largest one and went inside, leaving me all alone outside. I took the opportunity to stand up from behind the rock I found myself using as cover, stretching out my legs and neck. I was exhausted- the events of the day had taken their toll on me.

I stood there for a few minutes, unsure of what to do. First visits to new planets were always awkward, especially when you didn't share a common language, and this was no different. For all I knew, Applebloom had told me earlier what I should do and I didn't understand her.

Suddenly Applebloom was at a window and I didn't have to wonder any more. The window opened up and Applebloom hopped out, climbing down a pile of stacked yellow rectangles. She made a waving motion with her hoof that I took as a 'follow me' gesture before quietly making her way to another, smaller building. The door made a slight creaking noise as it was opened and she went inside.