//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Untouchable // by Magenta Gleam //------------------------------// Eric’s P.O.V. I’m awoken suddenly as a gold light once again pierces itself way through my eyelids. A rush of adrenaline passed through my body instantly and I open my eyes in time to see my lavender companion being thrown bodily into a nearby tree crashing into it with a loud BANG. I quickly got up and rushed to her side. “Twilight are you ok? I’m so sorry. I didn’t do that, please believe me.” I apologised vehemently. “Uhh. What the buck was that?” Twilight said groggily as she struggled to bring herself to her hooves. “I’m not sure, I think you rolled over in your sleep and came too close to me. That could have set the shield off blasting you into the tree.” I guessed with uncertainty before realising something. “Wait, did you just say buck? Like a backwards kick? It sounded like a curse word the way you said it.” Twilight gasped and held a hoof to her face, shock resting upon her face. “I didn’t say that did I? Ohh I’m so sorry Eric, you must be so upset with my lack of decorum. Please don’t be upset with me, and don’t worry I don’t blame you for my rolling into you. It’s not your fault that the shield keeps doing what it does.” A slightly suspicious look passes over her as she narrows her eyes for a moment. “Unless you are controlling it.” “No, no I’m not I promise!.” I say holding my arms in front of my face in a useless attempted to protect myself. “No it’s ok, I can hardly say that when you have been nothing but forthcoming with me.” She said, the suspicious look leaving her features. “Anyway it’s time we headed out of this forest. We’ve wasted enough time we could have spent walking already.” “Alright Twilight, just lead the way.” I say while hopping up and stretching my back, a small smile gracing my face knowing the alicorn was starting to trust me. “Uhh, this path just goes on forever. It’s just tree and after tree as far as the eye can see.” I exclaimed, frustration adding an edge to my voice. It was true, we had been walking for hours down the path through the forest Twilight has said would lead to the exit and nothing looked any different. The same bushes, same trees, if I didn’t know any better I would say we had been walking in circles, but we hadn’t because the path was dead straight. “Eric, please stop complaining. If you want to talk that’s fine but complaining will only make everything feel like it is taking that make longer.” Twilight said with a huff towards me before mumbling something incomprehensible. “I don’t remember the path taking this long either.” Hours passed before finally we found our way into a small town pinned in by a thick mass of trees. Every building in the town was built from evenly hewn rock slabs, the grey only emphasised by the dark wood accenting each abode. Dark browns and mild greys giving the entire town a subdued, even morose aspect that instantly lowered my mood. How could anybody live in such a dark and dreary place? If anything it reminds me of home. “Umm, I think we went the wrong way.” Said Twilight sheepishly from behind me. “You think? What was the biggest clue? Maybe the town, or the lack of train tracks you told me about.” I said with a hint of snark in my voice before looking back at her guiltily. “Sorry Twilight, that was uncalled for.” “No, it’s ok Eric. You were trusting me to take you the right way and I messed up.” She said apologetically. “Let’s stop blaming ourselves and find out where we are.” I walked further into town following Twilight’s lead until we came to a young unicorn mare, her silver coat and bright red mane shining in the bright morning sunlight. “Excuse me Miss, do you think you can help us? My companion and I managed to get lost along a forest path and just ended up here. Can you please tell us where we are and how we can get to Canterlot from here?” Twilight asked, with a sudden authority and bearing I had yet to see from her. That’s actually really cute. Nope! You stop that. The silver mare slowly turned around while answering, “Hello stranger, this is Hollow Shades. I’m Sanguine Soul, it sure is nice to meet you. We don’t get many new ponies out here as most of the traffic passes us by towards Canterlot or Fillydelphia.” Said the mare with a bubbly voice before she looked properly and saw me standing above her. “Woah, I’ve never seen anypony that looks before. You’re so tall!” “You’re not scared of me?” I said with confusion. “Of course not. As I always say a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet. Now what’s your names so we can be friends.” She replied with a smile and a bounce in her step and she looked all over me and my companion. “Ohh but I already know your name. Purple coat, stars for a cutie mark, horn and wings. You must be Princess Twilight Sparkle, it’s such an honour to meet you.” “Well Miss Soul, my name is Eric Hayse and it’s very nice to meet someone who doesn’t attack me on first sight.” I said with a smile on my face directed at Twilight, who glared at me as if she wished to burn a hole through my head with her eyes. “Why would I ever do that? You seem like such a nice pony. Wait, but you’re not a pony. So what should I call you.” “I’m a human, but we just say everyone. So did you say there was a way to get to Canterlot from here?” I asked, trying to get the conversation back on track. “Ohh yeah, well there is a trade caravan that passes by Ponyville every few days, you’ll be able to catch a train from there. I’m sure that travelling with Twilight Sparkle you should be able to ride along.” As we continued our conversation a small crowd had begun to form nearby watching Twilight and I converse with Sanguine. “MONSTER! Get away from my daughter!” A shrill voice called out from nearby. Looking over I saw a crowd of maybe 30 ponies come out from behind a building. In front was a grey pegasus with a blue mane staring daggers at me. “Mom! Calm down, he isn’t a monster.” Sanguine said calmly to her mother. “His name is Eric and he is my new friend.” “Sorry Eric.” She apologised while looking back at me. “My mother isn’t the most welcoming pony.” “It’s ok Sanguine, I can understand difficult families.” I said while smiling comfortingly towards her before I addressed the crowd. “Look, I understand that I look a little different from you ponies but I mean you no harm. My companion and I are only trying to find our way to Canterlot.” “Did you hear that everypony? He said he’s going to Canterlot and he already has a princess with him. We have to stop him before he can become a threat to our nation!” Yelled the pegasus mare. The crowd started to advance towards Twilight and I while Sanguine moved towards her mother. “Mom, can you please stop this? He doesn’t mean any harm.” She pleaded. “Stupid filly, blinded by false words.” Hissed the mare before slapping her daughter across the face with a hoof. “That’s fucking it! I don’t mind if you insult me, but you strike your own fucking daughter? I don’t give a shit what kind of pers-pony you are, but that’s just not right.” I scream and run over to the unicorn, standing between her and her mother. “If you want to lay another hand… hoof on her you will have to go through me you bitch.” “You dare stand between me and my daughter monster? I’ll show you why these townsfolk follow me. You’ll rue the day you walked into my town!” She screamed back at me before lifting into the air and dive bombing me. Knowing what was coming I stood my ground and the moment the irate pegasus was in inch from my head a bright light enveloped my body. She was blasted back into the crowd who just stood there, mouths agape at the spectacle. I looked back over the townsfolk. “I promise you all that I mean no harm, as you saw I was only defending myself from an unprovoked attack.” I watched as the ponies took in my words and looked to each other before nodding. A random stallion spoke up from the crowd. “You will be safe, the mayor doesn’t speak for all of us here.” I watched as the crowd dispersed while carrying away the unconscious mayor, leaving only Twilight, Sanguine and I. “T-Thank you Eric, nopony has ever stood up for me like that before.” Sanguine said, her hoof pressed against her cheek where her mother had struck the poor filly. “It’s fine Sanguine, are you ok?” I asked. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.” She answered with a small smile. Twilight’s P.O.V. I stood there dumbstruck during the entire encounter. From meeting Sanguine to taking on an entire crowd to protect her even from her own mother Eric had stood up without even a hint of fear. Was his panic attack earlier real? Someone who breaks down just like that couldn’t possibly be so strong against such odds. “Umm Eric, what just happened?” I asked. “Well Twilight, I just let a mare knock herself out.” He said with a shit-eating grin on his face before his expression dropped. “Ohh crap ohh crap, I just hurt somepony!” I could see him starting to panic as his chest was rising and falling faster. Sanguine started to moved forward trying to comfort him. “Wait Sanguine! Don’t touch him!” I yelled. “What? Why?” “That shield he used before it’s not under his control. If you get too close the same thing will happen to you.” “Than how can we help? I don’t like just sitting here watching him like this.” I walk up to Eric and look up to his eyes. “Eric, can you look at me please? I need you to look at me, ok?” I watched as he slowly turned his head to look down at me. His eyes were open wide, the shining blue orbs mesmerized me slightly as I looked into them. Only the sound of Sanguine moving beside me shook me back to reality. “Eric, I need you to focus on your breathing. Remember last time? Just breath slow and deep and focus on my eyes. Slow, deep breaths. Keep looking into my eyes. You’ll be ok, I promise.” After a few long minutes Eric looked to be calming down and looked at me. “Thank you Twilight, I don’t know what I would do without you.” My face suddenly burst into a massive blush at the compliment but the moment was interrupted by the unicorn next to us. “Woah! What was that?” Sanguine asked incredulously. “Well Eric suffers from massive panic attacks. This is only the second one I’ve seen him go through it, but that worked last time. Did it look weird or something?” “N-No it wasn’t weird but well. How do I say this? It was intense, yeah that’s the right word. It was like super duper intense” She said with a smile starting to grow on her face again. “Now that that’s over how about you come to my place? The next trade caravan isn’t until tomorrow and I bet you don’t have somewhere to stay.” “Thank you for the offer Sanguine, but don’t you live with your mother? I doubt we would be welcome in her home.” Eric asked cautiously. “No, no, no, Faust no. I moved out into my own place the moment I could afford to. Come along I’ll make dinner and you can tell me more about my new friends.” The mare explained before bouncing off further into town, not giving us a chance to answer. Eric and I looked at each other and shrugged before following the overly friendly mare.