Chapter 12
Some time had passed and Wave Crasher was currently resting on a rock and humming a tune to himself and appearing to be very relaxed and happy. when the others came up and gathered around him, not that he noticed at the time. They waited for him to wake up for a bit before Sunspot decided to take matters into her own hooves.
“Wake up!” Sunspot shouted. Wave Crasher screamed as he woke up with a start, he then saw the others near him and quickly relaxed again.
“Oh hey guys, what’s up?” he inquired, interested.
“She’s awake, and she’s ready to believe that you might real.” Johnny informed them.
“Awesomely radical dude!” Wave Crasher exclaimed, excited.
“Heh, keep talking like that and she’s gonna pass out again.” Sunspot commented.
“Hey!” Crasher said, insulted.
Johnny then came over with a somewhat nervous Alyssa in tow and they all turned their attention towards the two humans with smiles on their faces, though Alyssa still seemed a bit nervous around them.
“Alyssa, this is Wave Crasher, Ironhorn, Sunspot and Orchard Star. Guys, this is Alyssa Tao.” Johnny said.
“Sup.” Sunspot nodded.
“Hello!” Orchard waved.
“Greetings.” Ironhorn nodded.
“Hey! I’m Wave Crasher!” The Sea Pony beamed. “So… you feeling better now?”
“Whoa! They all… they all really talked.” Alyssa gasped, stunned beyond belief.
“Told you.” Johnny smiled.
“How did they…” Alyssa began.
“Learn how to talk? I don’t know… Mama, Dada, Honey? You pick it up.” Sunspot shrugged.
Wave Crasher then got a bit closer to her with a flirtatious grin. “And I’ll pick you up at seven, Miss… what’s her name again? Amanda?”
“Her name is Alyssa.” Sunspot stated, annoyed.
“Hey, you say potato, I say patato!” Crasher joked. Everyone groaned at this, which upset Crasher. “Aw! I thought that joke had potential!”
“Please, you’d have to be a moron to laugh at that joke.” Sunspot remarked. Then, much to their surprise Alyssa started laughing.
“Ha! That’s hilarious! I didn’t get at first, but now I do! It’s two different ways of saying the same word! Isn’t that hilarious?” Alyssa remarked, laughing.
“Uh, Alyssa? I think your ruining it.” Johnny informed her.
“Sorry…” she apologized.
Crasher, like all the others, were stunned by her laughter. “She really liked it…” The Sea Pony muttered, shocked.
“She must have hit her head or something.” Sunspot declared.
“A laugh’s a laugh!” Wave Crasher snapped.
“If you say so.” The Pegasus girl shrugged.
“You all must be part of a very advanced species here…” Alyssa remarked.
“Or… it’s because this place is magical.” Sunspot said, making it sound obvious.
“There is no such thing as magic! It’s just no logical, ok!” Alyssa snapped, annoyed.
“Wow, you were right, she is in denial.” Crasher told Johnny.
“Hey!” Alyssa protested.
“Tell me something Alyssa, do you like poetry?” Ironhorn asked Alyssa.
“Huh?” she responded.
“I said; do you like poetry.” Ironhorn repeated. “Please do not make me repeat myself.”
“Uh… yeah, I like poetry.” Alyssa confirmed. “I’ve read all kinds and have heard every one of them.”
“Oh? Have you heard this one? ‘Instinct is a lie, told by a fearful body, hoping to be wrong.’”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” The human girl asked, curious as to what the Bison was talking about.
“It means that when you base your expectations only on what you see, you blind yourself to the possibilities of a new reality,” he said, sagely.
“He’s got a point.” Wave Crasher told her, smiling.
Alyssa frowned, insulted. “Yeah, like you’d know anything, Bison boy.”
Orchard gasped at this while Ironhorn maintained his composure, Johnny then leaned in toward Alyssa.
“Hey, can we talk in private for a second?” Johnny asked Alyssa.
“Very well.” Alyssa said, shrugging, as they walked further away from the others in order to talk without them hearing.
“Listen, I don’t mean to be impolite, but could you please act a little nicer to my friends.” Johnny requested. “They’re like family to me.”
“They’re talking animals.” Alyssa pointed out.
“So?” Johnny asked, insulted.
“It’s… a little weird you know?” Alyssa remarked.
“To you, maybe.” Johnny countered.
“True, but while I admit that they, along with some of the things here are real I refuse to believe in magic, understand?” Alyssa said.
“Yeah, I do, all I’m asking is that you try to be a little nicer, ok?” Johnny said to her.
As they talked the ‘talking animals’ nearby, watched them and waited for them to come back. Then Orchard spoke up.
“I don’t understand Alyssa, it’s like… she needs to believe the impossible can’t happen.” she said.
“From what I can tell, Alyssa uses her understanding of science to control what she cannot comprehend. Acknowledging the existence of magic would be to relinquish the last vestiges of that control.” Ironhorn reasoned.
“I see…” Orchard said, understandingly.
“Sounds kooky.” Sunspot scoffed. “Then again so is she so…”
“She’s not kooky.” Orchard stated, sternly.
“That is right, she is just lost.” Ironhorn added.
“Well, then we’ll draw her a map!” Sunspot said, exasperated.
“Before or after you clonk her on the head?” Crasher questioned, rubbing his own head.
“You’re still annoyed by that?” Sunspot questioned, tiredly. “Be glad you managed to wake up.”
Just then, Alyssa came back with Johnny and lowered her head at them.
"I'm very, very sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it..." Alyssa said, shamefully.
"It's alright." Ironhorn nodded.
"Yeah, we know you're still freaked out about all this." Orchard added.
"Not mention a bit kooky." Sunspot smirked. The others glared at her. "What?"
“Anyway… now that your awake, why don’t you tell us about yourself?” Orchard Star offered.
“Not much to tell, really.” Alyssa shrugged.
“My Ma always says that when a pony… or human… says that, it means she’s got something to hide.” Johnny told her.
“FYI, he’s not lying, he never lies.” Wave Crasher said.
“Oh… then… I’m sorry for believing you were making all this up…” Alyssa stated, apologetically.
“It’s cool.” Johnny nodded. “So what else can you tell us?”
“Ok… well I know karate, my Dad is a scientist like your parents and… my Mother passed on when I was still a baby.” Alyssa said, sadly. The others looked at her sympathetically.
“Alyssa, I’m so sorry…” Johnny told her.
“Not your fault.” Alyssa stated.
“Still… I wouldn’t know what I do if I lost my Mom…” Johnny expressed.
“Well at least you know one of your parents, I never got to meet my Dad… probably because Mom kicked him out when I was a baby as well…” Wave Crasher said, a bit sadly. “And when I say ‘kicked out’ I mean literally kicked out.”
They all looked at him with wide eyes.
“You know… that explains so much.” Sunspot realized.
“Thanks…” Crasher said, sarcastically. He then noticed Alyssa examining him closely. “Uh… what are you doing?”
“Studying.” Alysa answered as she observed his breathing apparatus. “So this apparatus keeps you alive on land?”
“Yep! Sure does!” Wave Crasher said, proudly.
“Fascinating!” Alyssa remarked.
“I don’t know about ‘fascinating’.” Sunspot muttered, under her breath.
“I do!” Crasher spoke up.
“Of course you do…” The Pegasus said, rolling her eyes looking annoyed.
Alyssa then popped up near her this time. “So… how sensitive are your wings? Are they as hollow as a birds or are they stronger?”
“Uh…” Sunspot responded, speechless.
“Huh, you’ve got her speechless! Do you know how long I’ve waited for this moment?” Crasher remarked to Alyssa.
“Yeah, we’ll I’m still waiting for you to become speechless ya know.” Sunspot told him. “And when you do… I’ll be there.”
“Dream on.” Wave Crasher smirked.
“Are those two always like this?” Alyssa asked the others.
“Pretty much.” Orchard Star confirmed.
“You get used to it.” Ironhorn added.
“Really?” Alyssa inquired, doubtfully.
“No. It gets worse, trust me.” Johnny stated.
“Say, how come you fainted when you saw us the first time?” Sunspot asked, confused.
“Well, in the human world creatures such as Pegasi, unicorns, and many others exist only in myth.” Alyssa stated.
“Not here.” Johnny said, smiling.
“No… not here indeed…” Alyssa agreed while shaking her head. She then looked up the clear sky nearby. “Sure is clear outside of the forest.”
“Yeah, the Pegasus ponies sure outdid themselves, huh?” Orchard remarked.
“The Pegasi?” Alyssa echoed. “What do they have to do with the weather?”
“Duh! They’re the ones who control it!” Sunspot stated.
“She’s not from around here, Sunspot. Remember?” Johnny reminded.
“Oh yeah.” Sunspot remembered. “Well, anyways how do you humans control the weather on Earth?”
Alyssa shook her head. “We don’t really,” she told them.
“What do you mean?” Orchard Star questioned, confused.
“Humans don’t control the weather, it works on its own.” Alyssa told them, which made them all gasp and caused Orchard to faint. “Uh… what did I say?”
“Well… the thought of weather moving on its own freaks us out a bit…” Johnny said, shaking slightly.
“Yeah… the Everfree Forest… which is where we are in now… works kinda like that…” Orchard added. “Which is partly why rarely anypony goes in here… ever.”
“No wonder I thought I was still on Earth…” Alyssa mused. “And will we be seeing any more of those… things again? You know the Timberwolves from before?”
“I think they headed off in the south end of the forest a little while ago.” Sunspot reported.
“They’ll be back though.” Orchard noted.
“Hopefully not for a while.” Ironhorn stated.
“Yeah, so until then… we can just hang out here.” Wave Crasher said as he got into a relaxing position.
“Sounds good to me.” Sunspot agreed as she imitated him.
“Glad to see you two finally agree on something.” Ironhorn said, pleased.
“Yeah, and it only took them seven years.” Orchard Star added, giggling.
“Oh, har, har.” Sunspot laughed, sarcastically.
“Seriously? That’s what gets a laugh out of you?” Wave Crasher commented, sounding deadpan.
“So… how did you guys meet anyway?” Alyssa inquired, curiously.
“On our first day of school.” Johnny replied.
“Classic…” Alyssa muttered.
“What?” Johnny asked, confused.
“Nothing, continue.” Alyssa said, quickly.
“Anyway… we met on the first day of school and together we stopped a bully and saved a bunch of ponies in a bus from falling off a cliff.” Johnny added. “That’s when we decided to start helping ponies out however and whenever we could.”
“Wow, that… actually really impressive.” Alyssa admitted.
“You were expecting something else?” Sunspot questioned, suspiciously.
“No, no! I’m just really impressed, that’s all.” Alyssa said. “Never had the guts to do that when I was younger…”
“You didn’t?” Orchard inquired.
“No… I sat inside and did my homework like a good little nerd…” Alyssa muttered, depressed.
“Figures…” Sunspot mumbled under her breath which earned her a glare from the others.
“But soon… I’m gonna do something great! Be something great! I promised that to my father.” Alyssa stated.
“I see…” Orchard Star said, sympathetically.
“Well I wouldn’t hold my breath looking to do something amazing here, nothing ever really happens in this place.” Sunspot stated.
“She’s right, it’s been very peaceful lately.” Johnny nodded.
“Yeah, what could harm us now?” Crasher questioned, while a dark and mysterious mist continues to lurk and slither around nearby.
Around the same time, inside Princess Twilight’s castle, the alicorn was just in the middle of meeting Spike in the throne room, they seemed to be in a hurry.
“Spike, any sign of Johnny and his friends yet?” Twilight asked.
“Nothing so far, you?” Spike inquired.
“I can’t seem to locate him with my magic for some reason…” The Princess said, troubled. She sighed. “I just don’t get it… where would Johnny and his friends go and why?”
“I don’t know, but come on, let’s go and join the search.” Spike told her as he began to leave.
“Right.” The purple alicorn nodded as she began to leave also before suddenly Spike burped out a scroll that was caught by Princess Twilight.
“Ah, what now?” Spike questioned, tiredly as Twilight read it quickly.
“It’s from the Princess!” Princess Twilight gasped.
“What’s it say?” Spike inquired as Twilight scanned the scrolled again. When she finished she gasped. “What’s wrong, Twilight?”
Twilight quickly stood up with a serious face. “We need to find Johnny and his friends, now,” she said, firmly. “And contact the others, I know just where they are now…”