Chapter 15: A Vistitor in the Woods
In what seemed like literally no time at all, my blurred and fuzzy senses crawled back online one at a time, giving me a slow connection to the outside world. One of the first things I could sense again was sound. As first it was all muffled and mixed with a high pitched whine. But as seconds passed, the whining died down and the world around me became a little more clear.
Zecora, please hurry!
There’s… so… so much of it.
I really don’t think he’s supposed to be this color!
I’m trying to save your friend, now let me mix this blend!
What the hell, am I dead or not?
What am I supposed to do with all this blood?!
You can throw it in any bowl, but keep the pressure, don’t let it flow!
please don’t die please don’t die please don’t die
Zecora!!
It’s complete! Now, can you please make your voice a bit more petite?
Wait! What’s compl-
“AUUUGGGGHHH!!!”
The rest of my senses came back online at the sound of my own involuntary screams. My right arm felt as though it was engulfed in flames. What happened next was barely of my own actions. I opened my eyes, but did not pay any attention to my surroundings. I pulled in every muscle and tried to pull my arm in particular away from whatever was hurting it. I didn’t even know I was lying down until I already rolled away and fell off of something. Without a second thought or a moment to think, I nearly flew to my feet and off the ground. I twisted around, arms already up and ready to face my new adversary.
It wasn’t until then that I became fully and consciously in control of my body. I made a quick glace at my soundings. I seemed to be in a hut or cabin of some kind. The decorations and overall atmosphere of the area were entirely foreign to me. The walls were made of entirely of wood. Each window seemed to be a cross of sticks instead of glass. Simple candles on the walls illuminated the place. Bottles of every shape and size resided on the shelves and plenty of others hung from strings off the ceiling. Most of the decorations included various wooden carvings, including a few odd masks.
I finally looked forward and found who the people, or rather the ponies, I heard talking before. Each one kept their distance from me behind a fallen table. I immediately recognized Fluttershy. She stood closest to me than the rest and seemed to be more worried than afraid of me, unlike the others. One of the other ponies was the purple one with wings and a horn. I remembered her face just fine, but her name still alluded me. The other pony was actually a zebra, I think. She certainly looked like a small zebra. I remember meeting a zebra that gave me a weird healing potion, but I wasn’t sure if this was the same.
For several long seconds, we all stood their, motionless. Ready to counter whatever the other might do first. Fluttershy was the first to break the silence. “Dave, please, just calm down, we’re not trying to hurt you.”
I didn’t respond.
She continued, “Look at yourself. Please, no more fighting, just let Zecora finish healing you.”
I looked at my arm. The pain was still there, but any concern evaporated in the uncertain rush of events. Much of the flesh was missing, and a small hole could be seen between the two bones within my forearm. The wound didn’t seem new though. The flesh was a bright pink rather than a usually deep read. Blood didn’t flow freely, but that and the color might’ve been due to a complete lack of blood. Neither the flesh nor the skin around it seemed to be torn or jagged as it should be if I just got shot or something. Not a single tissue was sticking out. As a matter of fact, after looking at it for a few seconds, I realized the wound actually looked like it had already been healing for a few weeks now.
I looked back at the ponies, “What the hell did you guys do to me?”
The purple one spoke this time. “Sorry if we scared you. You lost a lot of blood and we’re just trying to heal you is all.” She used her magic to lift the table in the air and set it up right on the floor. “I know you don’t have much of a reason to trust us, but we really are trying to help you.”
I looked at my arm once last time before relaxing. “Fine.” I said. I moved over to the table and sat down, holding my arm out and exposing the wound to the other ponies. “Sorry for… lashing out like that.”
Fluttershy opened her wings and hovered onto the table to my left. Her legs didn’t hang of the edge like mine, but she sat on her haunches in a similar position to mine. She held a wing over my back, almost as if she was hugging me and used her hooves to hold my one uninjured arm. She looked at me and said, “Don’t worry, if it hurts, you can just squeeze my leg as hard as you can.”
She smiled and I smiled back. It was a childish gesture, one I hardly needed, but it was sincere nonetheless. I know I don’t show it very often, but small things like that mean a lot to me. I grabbed a hold of her wrist, or at least her pony equivalent of a wrist, and waited for the worst.
My arm started to glow in a purple aura, and with it, was moved by some invisible, but gentle force. I observed enough magic in what few days I spent here to realize that the color of the aura was always the same color as the eyes of the pony that made it. On top of that, when a pony does use magic, the horn of said pony would glow as well. Because of that, I could easily tell it was the purple pony’s magic and I didn’t react too much to it. She twisted my arm around, likely to just get a better view of the wound for herself.
“Are you ready?” She said to me.
I slowly shook my head at the ground, almost whispering, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
She nodded to the Zebra. I watched the zebra, Zecora I guess her name was, pick up a bottle off the nearby counter with her mouth. She walked over to me and slowly tilted her head so as to spill the bottle’s contents on my right arm.
Before it even happened, I knew it would hurt like hell. I took one last heavy gulp of air before the burning sensation engulfed my arm again. Every muscle in my body instantly tensed up in reaction to the deep pain. My eyes were shut and even my jaw was locked up. I couldn’t even breathe for several seconds. I found myself also squeezing Fluttershy’s leg as hard as I could. When the adrenaline kicked in, I managed to exhale through my nose and open my eyes again.
I was simply astounded at what I saw. My wound seemed to be growing at a rapid rate. Tissues seemed to stretch out rapidly, racing against itself. Pieces from either side of the wound seemed so eager to reach one another. Layer upon layer of cells quickly over lapped one another until skin took it all. Within a single minute, the wound, as well as the pain, was completely gone. Not even a scar remained. What was once a massive hole in my arm, was now just pale, fresh skin.
My tension eased up as the pain did. My arm was released from the magical grip. I took a moment to examine and test out the repairs. The muscle and skin didn’t seem magically reverted to a healthier state. Instead, it seemed entirely new cells took their place. The skin was entirely white, a contrast to the rest of my body and the only indication of where the wound was. A similar patch of white skin could be found on both sides of my arm. A few flexes proved to me that the new muscle was a bit sore, but functional nonetheless.
I looked around at the zebra and the ponies around me and smiled. “Thanks guys, ‘preciate it, really.”
Fluttershy seemed to stand up on the table and wrap her hooves around my head, giving me a hug. I hesitated at first, but found myself returning the gesture. She said to me, “I’m glade you're alright. I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that.”
After a few seconds, a peeled her off my shoulders and said to her, “Hey, don’t worry about that. I brought it all on myself anyway, and besides, I’ve gone through worse,” I turned to the other pony, “By the way, who was that horse?”
“The what?” She asked.
“You know, the one that did this,” I held up my arm for her to see. “The big one, all white, with wings and a horn, and the jewelry.”
“You mean Princess Celestia?”
“I don’t know; I guess.”
“Yeah, it was definitely her. She’s uhh…” The pony lost eye contact with me, looking down. Her voice grew nervous. “She’s the ruler of all of Equestria.”
“Oh…” I took a moment to think and realize just how much heavier the gravity of the situation and my actions really were, “That sucks.”
“Yeah. Believe it or not, she was my mentor not too long ago.” She sighed to herself, “I can’t say I’m all too thrilled about going against her wishes, but I can’t say I regret them either.” She looked back at me and put a hoof on my shoulders, “Look, I don’t know what she has against you, or why she did what she did, but I want you to know that you didn’t deserve any of it.”
Fluttershy started talking, “She’s right you know. We all started off on the wrong hoof, but you deserve a second chance.” She leapt off the table and started to hover in front of me. She held out her hoof. “Hi, my name is Fluttershy. What’s your name?”
After a few seconds, I couldn’t help but smile a bit to myself. I grabbed her hoof and shook it, “Hi Fluttershy, my name is Eric Davidson, but most call me Dave.”
***
The new introductions were quick, mostly because it was still the middle of the night and everybody wanted to just go to sleep. We all stayed at in this hut for the night, spread about the small home into whatever comfortable crevice we could find. Zecora was kind enough to make us all breakfast, but afterwards, Fluttershy and Twilight returned to their homes in Ponyville. I could only imagine the kind of shitstorm I managed to brew, but I hoped and trusted them to be alright.
I stayed behind in Zecora’s hut; after all, there was still some raging princess horse out there who really wants me dead. The zebra was kind enough to drop any prejudices she might’ve had about me and gave me a chance to prove myself as something other than a killing machine.
As it turns out, Zecora was some kind of potion maker or alchemist. She spends most of her days collecting ingredients throughout this dangerous forest, or mixing her finds into various potions and then sells said potions. I for one hated the idea of freeloading and insisted that I helped in whatever way I could.
So, we spent most of the day roaming the forest. Being so unfamiliar with the area, I just followed Zecora to wherever we went. The first place we went was this small waterfall. This waterfall wasn’t like any you’d expect. Instead of a river falling off a cliff, this one seemed to be just a large stream of ground or spring water. The creek it feed into seemed to have been her for quite some time. To reach the river, we had to walk atop a long, but smooth decent. The other side of the river, however, was a very steep climb. Bedrock showed of its layers, making it all look like a small mountain buried in dirt rather than a real hill. Few trees managed to grow between the rocks, but it was from those rocks that the small spring waterfall emerged.
At first, I was guessing we’d be collecting something from the creek, like fishes, or toads, or some kind of moss; I really had no idea. I was expecting anything, but it didn’t stop me from being surprised at the real reason we were here.
Zecora threw a bar of soap at my head. “You don’t have to smell like a flower,” She said, “But for Lura’s sake, take a shower!”
Inspecting myself, I was quickly reminded that I really needed one. My jacket and pants were still stained with dried forms of various, umm, things and stained almost beyond recognition. I wasn’t even going to try and do an armpit test. I figured laundry was in order as well as a shower. I took of my shin guards, the only piece of armor that I hadn’t lost or discarded myself, and jumped in the creek, with the rest of my uniform and soap in hand.
Cold was an understatement. The creek was only twenty or so feet wide, not unlike one I had swum into many times as a teenager. I quickly swam across to the other side. Large rock slabs conveniently stuck out just below the water’s surface, giving me easy footing and a way to stand under the small waterfall.
Instantly, much of the dirt and grime fell of my uniform in the rushing water. I had to manually brush and scrub some of the more stubborn stains, but it all came off eventually. The soap I had was surprisingly effective. I washed my hair, under my shirt, that kind of usually stuff. It wasn’t a deep clean, but good enough.
I was done within minutes and dived back across the freezing water both to rinse of the soap and to simply get out of the water. I turned around to find Zecora still bathing in the water herself.
***
The day was mostly uneventful. We spent the day collecting various things, everything from roots and flowers to oddly colored pebbles and spider webs. As it turns out, the ponies around here were really missing out on not having hands. At multiple times, Zecora warned me about various poisons, only to realize I was grabbing with my hands, not my mouth, and had no real danger to being poisoned.
One of the things we collected today was phoenix feathers. Zecora told me they were the most important part in most healing potions, and in helping me, exhausted her entire supply. I felt kind of bad for that and felt personally responsible to get some of those feathers, even if I had to climb a tree roughly thirty feet tall, probably more.
Now, on any other given day of my life so far, I’d think you were crazy to tell me to collect phoenix feathers. Today, however, I’d already seen enough magical and formerly impossible things, that I didn’t object the slightest. I’d never seen a phoenix in my life, but I no longer had a reason to believe they didn’t exist.
Branch by branch, I slowly climbed the tree. I didn’t look down and only focused on the place to grip. I’d climbed plenty of trees in my life, so this wasn’t any real problem. As I finally reach the top, I notice what looked like a giant nest. My first thought was an eagle, but I reserved my conclusions till I reached it. My secondary suspicions proved correct when I saw three baby chicks in the nest. The feathers on each chick were gradients of red and orange, almost like a flickering fire frozen in time. I knew instantly what they were; phoenixes.
At first I was perplexed. Surely Zecora wanted some full grown feathers, not these fuzzy newborn ones, right? But, my problem was solved almost as soon as I realized.
KRAAAAAAAHH!!
I turned my head to the left just in time to see a massive, flame colored bird rush at me, talons extended and poised for a fight. I lifted my left arm just in time to block the assault. The fully grown phoenix slammed into my arm, but still pushed me back and off balance. Without even thinking, I reached out with my right arm just in time to catch a branch and save myself from a deadly fall.
The phoenix itself lost its flight pattern in the impact, but did not fall to its death as I would’ve had. It quickly readjusted itself in midair, racing back upwards for another assault. This time I was ready to counter. Instead of blocking with my forearm, I reached out will my palm and grabbed the bird by the head. As expected, it thrashed around, swinging every muscle and round to try and free itself from my grip.
I already regained my balance on the branch I was standing on. I turned and pinned the bird against the trunk of the tree. It continued to thrash, but with my free hand, I randomly plucked and pulled feathers from its wings. It was surprisingly hard, but I managed to collect a good handful before releasing the bird.
I didn’t bother to say and fight some more. With the feathers in hand, I climbed back down the tree. The phoenix continued to attack and peck at me, but I just hit it. It came back but after a few attacks and a few more slaps, my decent proved my lack of intent to harm the baby chicks and the phoenix gave up the fight.
I finally returned to ground and gave my feathers to Zecora, but after inspecting for a few seconds, she slapped her hoof in her face. Her disappointment was obvious.
“Sorry they’re kinda messed up,” I said, trying to explain myself. “That bird didn’t just give up its feathers.”
With a hoof still in her face, she shook her head and said, “For potions, it matters not if the feathers are riled, but you were meant to take shedded feathers, you stupid child.”
So, make up for my actions, and possibly as punishment as well, Zecora made me climb all the way back up the tree and give the bird a tiny sack of worms. I wasn’t sure what it was meant to do, its not like a stupid bird was going to recognize a piece offering, but I still owed the zebra for fixing me up so I didn’t complain.
As soon as I got close to the nest, the phoenix attacked me again. Despite the scratching, screeching, and endless pecking, I pushed forward just enough to toss the bag up and into the nest. I took no delay retreating from the bird and back down the tree.
***
I had plenty of new scratches, but that wasn’t the end of my day. We spend several more hours hiking though the woods in a seemingly endless pattern, collecting whatever colored floral thing she asked for. We worked until after sundown. The lack of light didn’t stop us. It seemed in this world, the moon was much brighter than on earth, so there was just enough light to see, provide your eyes had enough time to adjust.
With the sun down and her saddle bags full, Zecora returned to her home. The work all day was light, so I wasn’t tired at all. I stayed in the woods. Throughout the day, I memorized several landmarks and had a pretty good idea of the general area. I wanted to march back to a specific spot. There was a tree, and oak one I think, that was entirely huge compared the trees around it.
I climbed it without much effort, and when I was at the top, I found just what I was expecting. I had a breathtaking few of the woodlands around. The pale moonlight seemed to add to the beauty of the place. I closed my eyes for just a moment, taking in the fresh, oxygen rich air. As I exhaled and opened my eyes again, I instantly noticed something in my peripherals. My head turned to the sight without much through, and I nearly jumped out of the tree in reaction.
To my utter surprise, there was this pony, up in the tree next to next to me, without any indication of how or when it got up here. I froze. For a moment, I though it was only an illusion. The pony’s coat was dark navy blue all over. The mane blew slowly without the aid of any wind. It had wings on its sides and a horn as well. Atop her head and her hoofs seemed to be grayish-blue jewelry.
I would’ve not thought it real had it not said to me, “Well, how do you like my night sky?”
I looked up and down at the pony one last time before responding, “Who the hell are you?”
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zecora was kind of a bitch well she was a fucking bitch I'm not gonna try and defend myself because I know it's true
4468734 wha?
Whats wrong with Zecora?
About time this came back!
This is one of my favorite stories!
4468883 it's how she spoke to the main character. She acted like he should have known what she meant. I don't care because it was still funny.
Sweet! I was beginning to think this would go on hiatus.
Finally!!! I hope you can keep it up soon
Ah, nice to see this story. How long do you plan on actually making it? I can see this becoming a mega-story, but I feel as if that's not the length you have planned.
4470366 You surprise me with your guesses.
Your right, I don't plan on making this a "mega-story", nor do I plan on reaching 100k words, but I haven't completely abandoned the idea of making multiple stories.
4468883 Sorry I'm not telling you how to write your story but it was just my opinion because it's like what thecrazeddiplomat said she expected him to know exactly what she meant
>Who the hell are you?
Leon S. Kennedy
"only to realize I was grabbing with my hands, not my mouth, and had no real danger to being poisoned."
Some things can diffuse through human skin.