//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: In This Town // by iLikeMuffins //------------------------------// Chapter 2 “Just what are you looking for?” Ah, I see you've arrived. At the same time as yesterday too, coincidence? I honestly didn't thought you would come back to hear more of the story. Most kids nowadays don't really appreciate my story-telling as much, but I'm quite fine with that, since I mostly tell them short simple stories. Come on in. I bet you know where the reading room is, for you've been here before. Take your pick on which seat you'll choose this time. As usual, any will do just fine. ☽ ♕ ☾ “Where are you trying to go? We're quite deep into the forest as it is!” “Psh! Don't worry so much, worry-wart!” Pinkie said playfully. Twilight for one, isn't in the mood for fun and jokes. They had been in this forest for who knows how long now? “It's already almost five, Pinkie. We've been walking for two hours! I don't think you even know where we're going,” Twilight shouted. If she was a volcano, she would've erupted by now. “If you want to turn back and go home, go ahead,” Pinkie said as she stopped in her tracks. She turned to Twilight, “I'm not forcing you to come with me if you don't want to,” she said calmly. “But I don't know my way back,” Twilight said, “I'll probably be lost in the forest before I could even reach home.” Pinkie shrugged at her, “All you've done until now is complain about how long we've been walking, where are we going and how tired you are.” Twilight scratched her head, embarrassed with what she had done, now that she was being told about what she'd done. She didn't even realized she was complaining. “Well, if you want to head back home, nobody's going to stop you. You just have to find your way back. But for me, I want to know what hides in the forest,” Pinkie said as she turned away from Twilight and continued walking deeper into the forest. Twilight had to think fast. If not, she would be left alone, and she would either have to walk back the way she came from or chase after Pinkie. Both options were bad, since she didn't know where to go, and chances are she'll get lost. Twilight quickly ran after Pinkie before she was out of sight, and she stayed close to her. If she would be lost in the forest, she would rather be lost with somebody, and not alone. “What are you trying to gain by going deeper into the forest?” Twilight asked out of curiosity. Pinkie shrugged, “I don't know, really. I just feel like there's something deep in the forest which I've have yet to discover.” The answer Pinkie had given was the same one she'd said to Twilight when she was going to leave her. Twilight shrugged it off and decided to just follow wherever Pinkie was going. “Let's just hope whatever you're finding for is worth the walk,” Twilight said. “Who knows,” was the reply Twilight got from Pinkie. Pinkie, who was taking the lead, was determined to reach the deepest part of the forest, no matter how long it took. But it's true she has to return back home, or else her uncle and auntie would be worried. Pinkie stopped walking. She spotted something from afar. “Did you see that?” She turned back to Twilight. Twilight tilted her head to one side, confused with what she meant. “See... What?” Pinkie pointed to the shining white light coming from afar, “That!” She said excitedly. “It's a light?” Twilight squinted her eyes as she took a good look at it. Pinkie ran towards it without saying anything, making Twilight chase after her at full speed. “Hey, hold up!” Twilight shouted. Pinkie ignored her friend, who was practically out of energy and was about to be left behind. She kept her eyes on the light, getting closer and closer, she was almost there... Just a little more, and... ☽ ♕ ☾ Twilight fell to the ground, out of breath. “How can that girl have so much energy after walking without breaks for so long?!” Twilight asked herself between breaths. She looked at the direction where Pinkie ran to, “Should I go after her? Or should I just stay here?” She picked herself off the ground, dusting away any sand that stuck onto her skirt. “Guess I'll just go after her... Wherever she went,” she said under her breath, only loud enough for her to hear. She walked in the direction where Pinkie ran to, the light. She spotted the light, still shimmering from afar. “If I go to where the source of the light is, I'll be able to catch up with her.” ☽ ♕ ☾ “Ouch!” Pinkie groaned as she rubbed the back of her head. She had fallen. Pinkie looked up from where she had fallen, and noticed that she was in some sort of hole? She stood up and found a tunnel. Unsure and curious in where the tunnel will lead, she walked to the tunnel. The tunnel was lit with torches. Pinkie was quite surprised that the torches could last this long. She took one torch and detached it from its handle and walked into the tunnel. She noticed there was a few writings and scribbles on the wall, but she didn't pay much attention to it. After a few minutes of walking, she found herself standing in front of a huge wooden door. She pushed the door open and she found herself in some sort of laboratory. The laboratory was filled with large tubes, each tube had some weird creature frozen inside of it. Pinkie stopped when she found an old-looking book sitting atop a desk. It was the only book there. She blew the dust off the book and saw the word ‘Diary’ written on it. Using her free hand, she opened the book and read what was in there. Inside the book was filled with many records of whatever if found in the forest. Such as a five legged rabbit. The book said that the rabbit was scientifically mutated. Pinkie smiled, she had discovered something new, something interesting. She placed the book inside of her bag and continued searching through the place. She looked at whatever was contained inside the tubes, and noticed that they looked like monsters? Or, that's what Pinkie thought they were. Whatever was in the tubes, Pinkie didn't want to know. She continued searching the area, carefully examining whatever she found. She found some sort of machine sitting in the darkest corner of the place. She walked towards it and found a ripped off note stuck onto the machine. It reads ‘Do n... P...’ Pinkie didn't thought it was important, so she left it as it is. The machine had many buttons of different colors. Red, blue, green, yellow, you name it. Pinkie pressed on all of them, but none of them worked, which disappointed her. But she noticed that there was one button which was enclosed in a box which she have yet to press. She opened the box and pressed on the button. The ground began to shake, and she could hear rumbling and cracking noises. “What's happening?!” She exclaimed as she ducked underneath the machine. “An earthquake?!” All of the tubes trapping whatever creature is in it opened and melted the ice off the creature, freeing them. The creatures gained conscious after a few seconds and escaped the place. The wall opposite of Pinkie begun to move, revealing a hidden room. Pinkie was horrified by what she saw, the creatures and all. She wasn't sure if it's a good idea to go out now. “What happens if there's still one creature lingering?” She kept asking herself. She was terrified, yes. But she was, at the same time, curious. She carefully and quietly sneaked to the hidden room. Nobody... Actually, nothing had spotted her, and she would like to keep it that way. “Whatever they are, good or bad, I hope I don't cross path with them...” She told herself. Inside the hidden room were many computers, all of them hung on the wall. Sitting on the desk was a tape recorder and a tape. The tape recorder was spoilt, and doesn't look like it could be used. Written on the tape was ‘Recording #7’. Pinkie kept the tape in her bag. She looked in the drawers for anything else, but all she found was another book. The cover was red in color and had a golden six pointed star symbol on the front. The book looked extremely old. Pinkie didn't even check what the contents were and kept it in her bag, wanting to speed up things and get out of the place. With that, she had explored everything that was in wherever she was. She hurried back to where she came in from, but noticed that the tunnel looked different from the previous time she walked pass it. At the end of the tunnel, she left the torch behind and found another wooden door. She slowly pushed the door open and walked in it. She found herself back in the forest, at the same exact spot where she had been before she fell into the hole. She looked at the ground, there wasn't any hole to be found. “Was that all a dream?” She questioned herself. She took off her bag and found the two books and the tape sitting in it, “It couldn't be a dream... So... What exactly happened?” “Pinkie!” She heard a voice, it belonged to Twilight. Twilight was out of breath, and she slowly walked towards Pinkie, “You have... No idea how much... I went through...” She said between breaths as she fell to the ground beside Pinkie, “To find you.” Pinkie laughed at the sight of her exhausted friend, “You have no idea what I've just went through!” She said excitedly, forgetting everything she was terrified of from before. All the fear flew into the clouds, as if it had never existed in the first place. “But... I'll tell you tomorrow. We better head back now.” “Are you kidding me?!” Twilight looked furious. “We just got here, so extremely deep in the forest, and what do we find? Nothing!” Pinkie smiled at her, “Not exactly,” was all she said. Twilight let out a sigh, “We have to walk back, do we?” She asked. “Yup,” Pinkie nodded. “Urrghhhhhhh...” ☽ ♕ ☾ “Well, it took us longer than expected, but we're here, back home,” Pinkie said, standing proudly with her hands on her waist. She turned to look at her exhausted friend, “You really should work on your stamina.” Twilight glared at Pinkie, “Who's at fault here?” Pinkie giggled, “Guess it was me.” “It's nearly seven, I'll be heading home now,” Twilight said. “I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow.” Pinkie nodded her head and waved at her friend. “Be safe.” Twilight laughed as she walked away, “I think it's you who has to be safe. Well, see ya anyway.” Pinkie shrugged it off and walked back home. She walked back up to her room and fell onto her bed, “Hello Gummy,” she said as she stared at her guppy from her bed. “I have a slight feeling that staying here may not be as boring as I thought it would.” The only response from the fish were bubbles... Nothing more. “I came across all these weird creatures, they were frozen. I'm not sure if they're dangerous or not, but I kinda... Released them,” Pinkie let out a short nervous laughter, and it slowly faded. “Yup. I have a feeling we all are about to die.” Pinkie shook her head, “No, Pinkie! No negative thoughts!” She said to herself. She took her bag off and took the two books and tape out. She opened the one with the six pointed star. Inside were magic incantations of all sorts, like the simple levitation spell. There are even some magic circles... “Gonna avoid that, magic circles, from what I know, are bad in every way,” Pinkie said to herself as she flipped across all the pages containing magic circles. Most of the magic incantations are hard to pronounce, and screwing up isn't an option, because if you do, you might say the wrong incantation instead... Which could be extremely dangerous. Pinkie moved on to the diary. She opened it up and started on the first page. ‘December 26, I just moved here, and I got to say that the forest has been somewhat bugging me in a way. Well, how should I put this? At night, the bushes seems to rustle even more than during the day, and from time to time, I would hear some cracking and other weird noises coming from the forest. Howling too, can't forget the howling.’ That was the first entry to have been ever written. “When's it written?” Pinkie questioned herself, though she will never get an answer, for she doesn't know. The first few entries were short, but once she reached entry number fourteen, that's when it got longer. ‘January 19, I found something in the forest. Mushrooms! At first glance, they look like normal mushrooms, but at night, they glow. I took some back to my home to examine what's in it to cause it to glow. Was it some sort of radiation that somehow mutated it in a way? I don't really know until I find out what's in it... I also don't think it's best if anyone ate it... They smell like rotten cheese.’ “Glowing mushrooms huh,” Pinkie smiled at the sight of the word ‘glow’. She planned it out in her head, she's heading back to the forest tomorrow to get some of those mushrooms. There are loads of mushrooms in the forest, so it could be any one of them. “All I have to do is go out at night, then I'll be able to save the trouble of picking all of them,” she told herself. She rethought the idea of heading out at night, “Uncle and Auntie Cake wouldn't be too happy about this...” She said, thinking of all the possible outcomes if her relatives found out she sneaked out at night. Or in the worst case scenario, she would be eaten by whatever creature is now lingering in the forest. “Day it is!” Pinkie exclaimed to herself, throwing the thought of heading out at night. Well, she hopes the creature doesn't like the sunlight and are nocturnal instead, so she wouldn't have to meet them in any way. ☽ ♕ ☾ She woke up at seven, as usual. She kept both the books into her bag, wanting to show it to her friends and rushed downstairs. Today's breakfast was toast, and Pinkie gobbled them up without stopping to drink the hot chocolate. “Bye, I'm heading to school now!” She waved to her relatives and rushed out of the house. She was the first to arrive in her class, and she waited for the others to slowly come in as time passes. When she saw Twilight, she rushed towards her and dragged her to the hallway. “What's up with that?” Twilight questioned. “Remember yesterday?” Pinkie asked, excitement could be seen in her eyes. Twilight nodded her head, “Of course I do.” “Well, I found something. Actually, three things,” Pinkie said as she dug into her bag and pulled up the book with the six pointed star on it. She placed the book on Twilight's hands before closing her bag. Twilight stared at the book and back at Pinkie, “It's a book.” “Not any book,” Pinkie said, flipping the book open for Twilight to see. Twilight's eyes widened as she read what was in there, “It's a grimoire...” She looked back at Pinkie with a very serious expression, “We shouldn't be messing around with this. This isn't something we kids shouldn't mess around with, it's dangerous,” she closed the book in her hand and handed it back to Pinkie. “Well... Even if I don't mess around with it, I may have let some creatures into the forest?” Pinkie let out a short nervous laughter. “You used the grimoire, didn't you?” Twilight let out a sigh. “No, I didn't, I promise you that I didn't,” Pinkie said before Twilight would misunderstand anymore things. “Yesterday, when we've separated from each other, I fell into some weird hole, which led to some old looking laboratory. The laboratory was filled with these large tubes where the creatures were frozen inside of it...” “Then how could it escaped?” Twilight asked. “I'm may or may not have accidentally pushed a button that had a note written on it, and now that I think about it, the note may've said ‘Do Not Press’.” Pinkie smiled at Twilight. Twilight slapped her hand on her face and pulled her hand slowly til' it fell off her face, “You've got to be kidding me.” She grabbed onto Pinkie's hand and dragged her back into the classroom, where everybody else was waiting for them. “Why'd you rush off like that?” Rarity asked, having a worried expression on her face. She examined Pinkie from head to toe, “You could've fallen and injure yourself.” She turned to Twilight, “Same goes to you.” Twilight leaned close to Pinkie's ears, “This better be kept between us. It's dangerous for them to know,” she whispered before turning to Rarity, forcing a smile upon her face. “Oh, hello, you must be... One of Pinkie's friend,” she said, extending her hand out, “My name is Twilight Sparkle.” Rarity took Twilight's hand, and the both of them shook on it, “And my name is Rarity,” she said. “Would you like to join us for break later? We would love to get to know you better,” Rarity asked, pointing to four other girls. “Sure,” Twilight replied. She gave Pinkie one last glare before heading to her seat. “So, what have ya been talking about out there?” Applejack asked. Pinkie shrugged, “Oh you know, just telling her to be more confident in herself and make some friends.” She wasn't the best at lying... “I see. Well, she's gonna have one heck of a time, I gotta say,” Applejack laughed. “With Rainbow 'round, she wouldn't hear the end of her... So called ‘adventures’.” Pinkie laughed and took her seat next to Twilight. She looked over at Twilight, but all Twilight did was put a finger in front of her mouth, telling her to keep shut about what they had went through yesterday. Pinkie just nodded her head, and that's when the bell rang. The teacher walked into the classroom, books in her hands. “Good morning class, lovely morning we're having today, am I right?” She asked as she walked towards her seat in front of the blackboard. She placed the books down on her desk and opened up a book, “Let's take our attendance now.” “Fluttershy?” “Here.” “Derpy Hooves?” “Right here.” And this continued on until every one last student of the class was present. “I hope you all did your homework for yesterday,” the teacher said. A few students begun whispering among themselves, but it slowly faded away after a while. “Uh... Twilight,” the teacher called out. Twilight stood from her seat, “Yes?” “Can you please help me collect all the books from the students for yesterday's homework?” The teacher asked. Twilight nodded her head and held her homework in her hand as she walked pass everyone's seats as they handed her the homework. After collecting all of the books, she placed the stack of books on the teacher's desk before heading back to her seat. “Thank you,” the teacher said before facing the whiteboard. “Now then, for today's lesson, we'll be learning about fractions!” Most students groaned, and some even fell off their seats. The teacher ignored the everybody's sufferings and begun her teaching until break arrives. “And that's it for now,” the teacher said, standing proudly in front of the blackboard. Everybody rushed to the cafeteria and sat in their own specific group of friends. This time, Pinkie sat with her friends, along with Twilight, who was invited by Rarity. They talked about their hobbies and what they've done in their previous school, the normal stuff. Twilight would look at Pinkie from time to time and glare at her if she had to. Pinkie just nodded her head at Twilight whenever she does that. ☽ ♕ ☾ “That's the end of today's class,” the teacher announced. “Remember to do your homework for today, kids. If not, you would have to stay back late!” Everybody begun to pack their belongings, and Pinkie rushed out of the class after she was done packing, waving to her friends goodbye. She took her time and walked back home. “Welcome back, you're early today,” said Auntie Cake as she saw Pinkie walking into the house, which was also a bakery. “Yup,” Pinkie said as she walked up the stairs, “But I'll be heading out after I leave some things.” “Okay,” Auntie Cake said. Pinkie went into her room and placed her bag onto the floor. She took the two books out of her bag and placed it in another bag, which was mostly used for traveling. She carried the bag, and off she went, back to the forest. “I knew you'd be here,” Twilight said, her hands crossed, and her feet was tapping the ground. Pinkie was shocked and surprised by Twilight, “Whoa! Twilight? What are you doing here?” “The question I should be asking is... Why are you here?” Twilight asked. “Didn't you already experienced enough adventure yesterday?” “No,” Pinkie answered. Twilight raised an eyebrow and stared at her straight in the eyes. “Well, yes. But! There are some few interesting things in the forest I want to check out for myself,” Pinkie said, quickly digging her bag for the diary. She flipped the diary open and found the page of where the glowing mushroom is. Twilight walked closer to take a closer look, “Glowing mushrooms? Sounds like something out of a fantasy novel.” “Maybe it is, maybe it's not. We couldn't be so sure until we find it out ourselves,” Pinkie said, putting the book back into her bag. “We?” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Who said I was going along?” Pinkie extended both her hands, “You're here, which means you either want to come along, or you're trying to stop me.” “Trying to stop you,” Twilight quickly said. Pinkie silently stared at Twilight and backed away a few steps. She pointed to the sky and quickly faced the same direction she was pointing, “Look! A one eyed bat!” She exclaimed. Twilight crossed her arms and looked at Pinkie, “Yeah, not going to work.” “I'm serious, a one eyed bat!” Pinkie exclaimed, still making the same pose she was making from before. “As I said, not going to...” Twilight's voice trailed off as a one eyed bat casually flew pass her. Twilight's jaws hung wide open, and her eyes were stuck onto the bat. “Okay, maybe they do exist after all, but it could be a defect,” Twilight said, turning back to Pinkie, but she was gone. Twilight grumbled to herself, “That sneaky little...” She looked at the forest and quickly chased after Pinkie, “You're not leaving without me!” “Oh, so you decided to join me in my adventure after all?” Pinkie looked back without stopping. “No, why would I?!” Twilight shouted. “Then why're you trying so hard to chase after me?” Pinkie questioned. “Hold that thought.” Twilight didn't say anything for this round. “You actually do want to join me on my little adventure, but you don't want to admit it!” Pinkie laughed. Twilight rolled her eyes, she didn't think it was even worth trying to reason with the girl. “Sure, think whatever you like,” she said. The both of them slowed down, not wanting to exhaust and drain their energy too fast. “Well, where are we heading?” Twilight asked, giving in to whatever Pinkie's trying to do or find. “Deep into the forest,” Pinkie replied. “How deep exactly?” Twilight asked. Pinkie shrugged, “I don't know... Probably as deep as yesterday?” Twilight let out a sigh, “Okay then.” Pinkie led the way, as she did the previous time the both of them went into the forest. They stopped from time to time to take a break, but never more than five minutes. “Look, a mushroom!” Pinkie pointed to a fungus growing out from a log. “Do you think this is the glowing mushroom?” “The book said it smelled like rotten cheese, and this thing doesn't smell anything like rotten cheese,” Twilight said. Pinkie was utterly disappointed, but that didn't kept her from continuing her search for the glowing mushroom. “Well, onwards!” She exclaimed, leading the way. Twilight followed Pinkie from behind as she reads a book she brought along for entertainment. Because journeying through the forest may get boring after a while. Twilight was even more surprised by Pinkie not being bored after an hour in the forest. “Another mushroom!” Pinkie exclaimed as she rushed towards the mushroom, sniffing the air around it. “Nope, not this one,” she said before joining up with Twilight once more. This went on for an hour. “Aren't you getting bored?” Twilight asked. “Not at all,” Pinkie answered. “Why are you so determined to find all these weird things anyway?” Twilight asked, curious to know. “I don't know myself,” Pinkie answered. “Maybe I was bored with my ordinary life and wanted some excitement.” “From the looks of it, even without all these, you look quite happy with your life the way it is,” Twilight said. Pinkie shrugged and tilted her head from right to left, “Mhmm... I seem that way, but really, I'm bored as heck.” Tapping noises can be heard around them. Pinkie and Twilight both stood frozen in their spots. “What's that?” Pinkie asked quietly. “How would I know?” That was all Twilight could say. The tapping noises sounded like the noises coming from a horseshoe, and whatever it was, it was extremely close to them. Pinkie flinched as she felt a shot of hot air hit her neck. “Maybe if we stay still, it'll go away,” Pinkie whispered. Twilight glared at Pinkie, “It never works.” “It's worth a try though!” The tapping noises came to a sudden stop, and then a howl. “It's not even a full moon!” Pinkie whispered. “Much less, night!” “Does your book have anything to say about this?” Twilight asked. Pinkie quickly dug into her bag and opened the book. She flipped through the pages, scanning through the words as fast as her eyes could go. “Timberwolves,” she said under her breath. “Timberwolves?” Twilight asked, slowly walking towards her friend. “They're like wolves, but are instead made out of wood,” Pinkie read. “No matter how hard I've tried to tear it apart, it'll somehow bring itself together back again. I have yet to find any weaknesses that this creature may have.” “Your book isn't helping!” Twilight whispered, but she wanted to shout at her. The tapping noises were now gone. Pinkie let out a sigh of relief, “They're gone...” “Think again,” Twilight said, pointing at the creature that was ahead of them. It was a small pack of Timberwolves. ☽ ♕ ☾ I know, I know, I shouldn't end it here, now that we've proceeded deeper into the story. But I have a life too, you know? Can't stay locked up here telling stories all day now, could I? I apologize, but, you won't be able to come over for a few days... Four days, at most. But I promise you that after those four days, you'll be able to hear from me again. No, I won't be dead. I'm not going anywhere. Some old friends are paying me a visit, and I couldn't spend all my time telling you stories while they're having whatever fun they're having without me. Don't worry, you could even give me a call if you're worried. I'm just kidding with you, kid. Run along now, don't waste anymore of your precious time with a person like me. Yes, I remember my promise. Yes, I won't forget it. Geez, you're making sure I keep that promise, and don't you worry your precious little head about it, when I make a promise, I keep it. Farewell for now. Yes, we'll see again after four days.