Chapter 1: Arrival
My name is Dako, and my story begins June 23, 2012, a Saturday. It's summer break and I'm enjoying myself as I hang out with a couple of friends of mine. To be honest, it's pretty boring during the summer. Sure I have no school, but that's where I go for 8 hours a day to hang out with my friends. Actually doing your school work is optional. So during summer break I only see friends occasionally, and sometimes at inopportune times. However, today was perfect. It was warm and sunny, actually not too hot with a nice breeze, and I was out and about with my two pals as we explored the suburb where they lived.
I feel now is a great time to share with you something important. Well, two important somethings. You see, I am not what most would call “human”. At least, I don't think so. When I was a kid I typically watched a lot of Dragon Ball Z as was popular with lots of kids. Nowadays people are so worried about kids imitating what they see on TV, but when it comes to me most of those fears are justified. You see, at some point a kid has tried to do the Kamehame-ha at some time or another. Whether they expected it to actually work or not is a different story. So what does this have to do with anything at all? Well, I wasn't a normal kid. I'm not saying I was smart, or developed slower or faster than other kids. What I'm trying to say is that I always knew I was different and possessed special abilities. I was always way stronger and faster than other kids (and some adults too), I didn't get hurt as easily; and when I did I healed much quicker than the norm.
To get to the point of things, when I tried to do a Kamehame-ha, it worked, like, for real. Lucky for me I was in a densely wooded area with almost no people when I tried it out. But I'll never forget that day. Now, whether that means I'm superhuman or one of those “saiyan” guys or something, I don't know for sure. For one, I don't remember if I ever had a tail like them or not. I do know that ever since then I tried doing more, whatever more meant at the time. I tried jumping higher, running farther and faster, and eventually flying. I kept my abilities a secret for as long as possible until one day I was left without a choice but to expose myself.
One of my pals I'm hanging out with today, Charles, has known about my abilities longer than the other, Mike, who is honestly still trying to adjust after we told him. Almost ten years ago when I was only 7, I just met Charles at school the first day of second grade. We met on the playground, he was sitting alone playing with some of his toy cars when I went to join him. We played and talked for a while when a couple of other kids showed up and took his toys. We chased after them as they took off. They took a shortcut under a scaffold near one of the school buildings that was being renovated that year. As they ran past, one kid made a sharp turn around the corner and knocked one of the legs loose causing the scaffold to fall over. At that point Charles was under its shadow and in its path. I leaped under the scaffold and caught it over my head, saving Charles. That was how he found out, and we've been best friends ever since.
Fast forward to today and now me and Charles tease poor Mike's uneasiness about my powers. Most of the time it involved me flying around just over his head as we walked around. I'd wave my arms in his face while making the sound of buzzing flies while Charles laughed at Mike's attempts to swat me away. Me and Mike were good friends, he honestly just wasn't as used to me as Charles was. But today was different, as neither of us had a class with each other the previous year in school today was the start of our catch up together, so we casually hung out. No superpowers.
But to be honest, sometimes I just don't feel like I fit in. I have these powers that no one else does, and I can't use them. I just want to fly sometimes and be free, but I'm afraid someone would see me. And if anyone else ever found out, I might be taken to some military laboratory and be studied and experimented on for the rest of my life, or just killed if they see me as a threat. But for now, I'm just glad I got my friends for the summer. Even if it would technically be my last summer before I graduate and head to college.
Although sometimes, sometimes I feel so isolated. Isolated and useless. I just wish that, perhaps one day, I could do something good with my powers. That one day, I wouldn't have to worry about being feared, or persecuted for having these abilities. I wish I could live in a world where I could help others, and possibly even be considered a hero.
But today, I wouldn't be a hero. Today, I was plain old Dako, just a high school kid hanging with his friends, seemingly up to no good.
“So Mike, whatcha plannin' to do after high school?” Charles asked as we walked side by side.
“Ah, nothing much. I figured I'd join the Air Force,” Mike said, looking at the sky.
“Now why go and do that?” I asked. “You wanna run to the military and just leave us behind?”
“Not at all, and it's not the military,” Mike replies.
“Dude, it's still the armed forces or something like that,” Charles said.
“Well, what about you?” Mike asked Charles.
“Me? I'm gonna start a superhero force with Dako, I'ma be his sidekick,” Charles says, smiling.
“No no, I work alone kid,” I said joking, the others laughing.
We had managed to walk all through the entire subdivision and come the end, one final cul-de-sac with an open field beyond it, waiting to be developed to expand the sprawling suburb one day. The sun was beginning to set now, so we turned back with the breeze now picking up. As we turned around we saw a great wall of black, large thundering clouds rolling in over the suburb. Thunder rumbled deeply as lightning flashed within the clouds.
“Whoa, didn't see that coming,” Mike spoke up over the rising wind.
“Summer rains, you can never predict them,” I said, causing Charles to laugh.
“Apparently you can, only if you check on it,” Mike said, looking up the weather on his phone.
We started heading back quickly now as every now and then we'd be pelted by a big fat Texas-sized raindrop the size of a grape. The thunder rumbled and trees rustled loudly as the wind remained steady now. We could feel the temperature and air pressure drop as the skies grew darker and the setting sun was now hidden by a distant curtain of rain. Lightning flashed above us, brightly lighting the suburbs.
“Guys, this thing says we have a chance of golf ball-sized hail! And there is a tornado watch in effect!” Mike yelled over the wind and trees, still looking on his phone.
Streetlights were now turning on along the sidewalks as the sky grew even darker. The rain began to come down now, big fat rain drops, pelting us in the high wind. We were leaning into the gusts now, trying to make it home before we were drenched.
“We can make it damn it! We're gonna live!” Charles yelled jokingly.
“Don't worry, it's just another two blocks this way!” Mike yelled. “I can see my street!”
“Where the fuck did this thing come from!?” I yelled out.
In seconds we were caught in a torrential downpour, rain now coming down in thick sheets as we were blasted by high winds. We were sprinting now, trying to get home before the weather got any worse. As we ran I noticed the streetlights beginning to flicker. A branch snapped off of a tree and fell on the sidewalk in front of us. Finally, large hailstones began flying through the air.
“I see the house! I see the house guys! Let's get the hell outta here!” Charles yelled as he ran across the street to Mike's front door.
We ran up to the house, getting under the awning at the front door as the storm further intensified. Mike quickly unlocked his door, him and Charles running in.
“Dako, get in here, what are you waiting for?” Mike asked.
As Mike stood in the doorway, dripping wet, I saw the lights within the house flickering on and off, Charles using the flashlight on his keychain to dig around in his backpack for dry clothes.
“Hey guys I'm sorry, I'm flying home, I'm real freaky-deaky about storms and stuff, especially the thought of a tornado,” I began. “I just wanna get home, you guys stay safe!”
“Are you sure?” Mike asked, still holding the door against the wind.
“Yeah! See you guys later!” I yelled, turning and flying off.
I soared high up into the air, covering my head with my arms, shielding myself from hail. As I tried looking out to see where I was headed I found I had zero visibility. I almost immediately regretted my decision to fly in this storm. I was now completely soaked through and through now as I flew in the downpour. I was trying my hardest, but flying against the wind was starting to wear me out. I looked down to see the faint glow of streetlights below and confirmed that I wasn't moving anywhere. I took this chance to try out a new technique. I had been trying to learn the Kaio-ken technique for a while, which was pretty difficult considering the circumstances.
All around me a red glow flashed and flickered a few times, before flaring up in a bright and intense blaze. I powered forward again and began to move this time. Suddenly I was shook and spun by an intense gust of wind. I looked all around me in fear and confusion. The wind roared up louder as rain and hail began to swirl all around me. I was deafened by the roar of what sounded like an enormous waterfall. I could see what looked like a cloud forming all around me, thin and vapory. I felt myself being pulled upward and the air being sucked out of my lungs, my ears popping from the rapid drop in air pressure.
This was it, I was caught in an actual tornado. I felt lightheaded and dizzy as the air left my lungs. I blacked out. The roaring of the wind and thunder sounding distant before fading out.
The next thing I know I'm sitting up gasping for air, coughing. I looked all around me. I was lying on someone's couch. My clothes were still dripping wet. I looked at my arms and shirt and saw they were covered in grass and mud. Someone found me and dragged me into their house, literally dragged me, I saw the mud and grass trail leading from the couch I sat on all the way to their door.
Thunder boomed loudly outside. I was suddenly aware of the rain beating hard against the window beside me. I looked out, taking in the landscape through flashes of lightning. In one direction, endless rolling hills, and in the other, a dense forest, the trees swaying violently in the wind. I turned and sat back in the couch, looking around the room again, and came to a startling realization.
This house looked eerily familiar. But it couldn't have been what I thought it was. No, that would be impossible. I must've hit my head. Perhaps I was dreaming. It sounded ridiculous, but I could have sworn I was in Fluttershy's cottage. A year ago I discovered My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic after hearing about the whole “Brony” phenomenon. I really got into the show, I thought it was funny, and well written. It felt like all the other cartoons I saw as a kid, except this one was about colorful ponies. So I knew right away, that I had seen this living room before.
I got up and looked around a bit.
“Okay, don't panic, stay calm. If this is where we think it is, “she” will be here,” I said to myself, slowing heading for the stairs.
I quietly made my way up the stairs, slowing peering up into what was her bedroom. There was no one there.
I thought to myself whether I should stay and wait for her to return, or if I should try to go look for her. I ran the options through my head a thousand times, playing out the possible scenarios from each option. I decided I should try to go back out outside and look for her.
I stepped out what I thought was the front door but was actually the back door and saw the fenced in animal pen out back. Animals of all kinds were hunkered down in their enclosures, weathering the storm. Lightning continued flashing overhead, lighting up the path to the forest in front of me. That must be the Everfree forest. As I walked down the path a few yards I saw some hoofprints in the muddy trail. I hesitated no longer, I lifted up off the ground and took off into the forest.
I strained my eyes, trying to see the trail ahead of me. I flew for what felt like a mile, wondering if she had gone this way or not. After a few more yards I began hearing the sound of rushing water over the sound of rain and wind. I held out my hand and formed a bright white ball of energy, lighting up the area in front of me. I could see the path had led into a stream that was now a raging torrent. I guessed there was a bridge now under the raging waters. I was about to turn back when I heard a scream. My eyes widened, and I waved my light around to my right, searching for the source of the sound.
There she was, hanging onto a fallen tree, trying to her best to keep from being swept away by the raging waters. In her arms was a small animal. Before I could yell out to her her head went under and she disappeared. I quickly shot into the water after her.
The water was churning violently, throwing me from side to side. I tried to see what was happening by lighting up my orb of light once more. Faintly I could see before me a yellow and pink smear through the murky water. I shot towards her and wrapped my arms around her. I took off and shot high out of the water, up, through, and above the trees. I floated there as I held her in my arms, she coughed up some water before passing out. In a flash of lightning I could see that she was still holding the animal in her arms, a wet and trembling badger. I turned around and saw the dim light of her cottage in the distance, before heading off for it.
I landed at the door, quickly opening it and carrying Fluttershy inside, setting her on the very couch I woke up on. I laid her down gently and made sure she was still breathing. I lied down on the floor in front of her, exhausted and at the same time exhilarated. I had survived being sucked up by a tornado. I had woken up here in Equestria and in Fluttershy's cottage of all places. And finally, I had just saved Fluttershy's life. I still couldn't even begin to fully appreciate what had just happened.
I snapped myself out of my awe when I heard Fluttershy groan lightly. I watched her as she lie on the couch, dripping wet, shivering lightly. I brought her blanket down from upstairs and covered her with it before lying back down on the floor. I could already see that I'd have a big day ahead of me tomorrow. I might as well get my rest now while I can.