The Fifth Day: What Friends are For
You Do (Not) Belong
The Fifth Day: What Friends are For
“What do we do, Twilight?” Connor uttered, his voice barely edging above a whisper. “Wh-what do we do?”
All around them, the circle of ghastly, glowing green lights bobbed around, closing in on the human and the unicorn amidst their ever-present growling. Connor fought to suppress a growing sense of creeping terror, his fight-or-flight instincts kicking into overdrive in response to the threat. It was a deep, primal sort of fear; the instinctual leftovers from thousands of years of evolution spent evading predators in the wild. The kind that precluded every thought with “Run. Run or die.” The sensation was wholly unfamiliar to Connor, who not once in his nineteen years of growing up in modern society ever considered that he might be caught in exactly this kind of event. And yet, here he was, under immediate threat of disembowelment from some kind of gruesome monster that didn’t even exist on Earth.
“Just stay close to me...” Twilight responded, which was slightly redundant at this point, since Connor was already close enough to her that she could feel him trembling against her fur.
In spite of Connor’s obvious anxiety, the unicorn attempted to project a sense of calm and determination. After all, she had been in situations just as dire as this in the past -- if not more so. She had faced down Nightmare Moon, singlehoofedly subdued a massive ursa minor, survived an encounter with a fearsome hydra from Froggy Bottom Bog, and managed to hold her own against an entire army of changelings, to name a few.
Although, not one of those feats had been accomplished without the aid and support of her friends and fellow Elements of Harmony. All she had at her disposal now was her own magic, which, while formidable in its own right, was tempered by the fact that she had to also look out for her human friend’s safety. And if she was being perfectly honest with herself, in a situation like this, Connor would be just about as useful as a newborn colt.
This conclusion was cemented when the nature of what they now faced revealed itself. As the offending creatures slowly slinked out from the underbrush and into the open, Twilight realized exactly what it was they were dealing with.
The meager light that filtered down from the trees above illuminated what the uneducated eye might at first think was some kind of wooden figure, like a puppet or a mannequin, made up completely of tree branches and segments of rough bark. But these were no ordinary hunks of wood. They came in the shape of wolves, their limbs creaking and snapping against themselves as they stepped forwards. Clumps of mottled moss clung to them in mangy patches, and beneath their glowing eyes, rows of jagged, whittled-sharp teeth dripped with runny brown tree sap. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the horrid smell they exuded would have made rotting fruit seem palatable by comparison.
“Oh, God, what the fuck are those things!?” Connor uttered, unable to believe what he was seeing.
“Timberwolves,” Twilight said cautiously under her breath, analyzing the situation as fast as she was able and counting no less than seven of the beasts. “Don’t make any... sudden... moves...”
That wouldn’t be too difficult, since Connor was already frozen in place. He also knew that, ensorcelled carnivorous vegetation notwithstanding, the average human could not hope to outrun a single wolf, much less a pack of them.
A bit of movement in the corner of his eye was all the warning he got. One of the wooden monstrosities tensed up and bounded forward, lunging straight for Connor with its maw gaping wide. He had barely enough time to raise his arms in a futile gesture of defense as the timberwolf bore down on him. Yet, just before it made contact, a piercing sound cut the air, there was a bright flash of purple light, and the wolf was sent tumbling away at a wide angle, reduced to nothing but a heap of warped wood and splinters.
Connor’s head whipped around to see Twilight, her horn just then bleeding away the last bits of magic while she had her jaw set and her eyes furrowed aggressively. Her eyes darted away from him and to her left, and a split second later her horn lit up in another flash, sending another beam of kinetic energy streaking past Connor. He turned around just in time to see one more of the wolves tossed into the air, where it smacked heavily on a nearby tree and literally split right down the middle with a watery crack.
For Connor, this was an unexpected, yet very welcome development, and he found himself infinitely more grateful that it was Twilight that was there with him. If these things went down so easily, then he figured the unicorn’s magic missiles would make short work of the pack, and they could make their escape. At least, he dared to hope, because the alternative was unthinkable.
“Y-yeah! Yeah, how do you like that!?” Connor shouted with his fist raised triumphantly. Now having seen what their purple prey was capable of, the remaining wolves kept a comfortable distance, pacing around in a wide circle while they reevaluated their plan of attack.
“I wouldn’t celebrate too early,” Twilight warned sternly, effectively putting a damper on Connor’s raised hopes. His grin slowly fell as he saw what Twilight was referring to: the recipients of her magical assaults were far from finished.
The heaps of kindling that they had been reduced to now carried an eerie glow, and Connor watched in horror as the disparate pieces rose off the ground and came together. Cracks sealed up, branches slotted back into place, and the hollow sockets in the timberwolves’ wooden skulls flashed with life once more. In a matter of moments, their bodies had spontaneously reformed, their only change seeming to be the fact that they appeared more angry than before as they rejoined their brethren.
“I was afraid of this,” Twilight remarked, knowing that, in this situation, she couldn’t just fight her way out. Not unless she planned on starting a forest fire in the attempt, and Fluttershy would never forgive her if she did that.
The wolves had the upper hoof here, and she knew it. They were only waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Waiting for her to drop her guard. She wasn’t about to let that happen, but at the same time she struggled frantically to come up with a plan. It didn’t take long for her to think of something that, while it wouldn’t save them right away, would at least give them more time.
“Get ready, I’m going to try something,” Twilight said, her horn starting to glow.
“Whatever it is, do it fast!”
After letting sufficient energy build up in her horn, Twilight let the spell loose, and a glowing mote of purple energy was discharged in the air just over their heads. A few feet up, it flashed and dissipated, forming a curtain of translucent lavender light that flowed down and formed a bubble, surrounding the two of them and extending a good five feet in all directions. The timberwolves were momentarily startled by the display, but quickly recovered. One particularly aggressive member of the pack rushed forwards, claws outstretched, only to be repelled as soon as it came into contact with the undulating light.
“A force field?” Connor watched as more of the wolves sauntered up, some sniffing cautiously while others scraped against the barrier with their sharpened claws. “Twilight, you’re a genius!”
Twilight managed to flash him a grin, her horn still aglow. “Thanks, but we’re not out of the woods yet.”
Connor’s mouth fell open, dumbstruck by her choice of words. “Seriously, Twilight!?”
“That was completely unintentional!” Twilight argued in return as the timberwolves started to move on from their curiosity and continued their attack. One by one, the members of the pack started bashing their bodies against the field, accompanied by a brief flash with each impact. Every blow against the solid surface created a sharp, crystalline ringing sound, and caused Twilight to wince slightly as her horn flickered before she gave it a little more juice. “I won’t be able to hold this forever. We need to get out of the forest before I use up all my energy.”
“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Connor said, motioning for her to lead the way. But instead of running like he had expected, Twilight moved forward at a steady pace, gritting her teeth as their protection moved along with her.
“I can’t run and maintain the shield at the same time,” she explained bitterly. “This is as fast as I can go.”
Connor was itching under his skin to put as much distance between them and the timberwolves as possible, but so long as Twilight was keeping them protected, he couldn’t very well complain. Still, it was terribly slow going, with the unicorn torn between navigating her way through the forest while simultaneously under stress from sustaining her force field. And all the while, the wolves continued to hammer away at her magic, causing a tiny jolt of pain to race through her skull with each hit.
“I knew I should have been brushing up on my defensive magic,” Twilight berated herself under her breath, the passing minutes of constantly supplying energy to her spell beginning to take their toll and causing beads of sweat to run down her fur. “Shining’s wedding should have been a wake-up call, but nooooo.”
“Don’t be like that. You’re doing great,” Connor tried to offer encouragement, spurring her on.
Twilight let out an uneasy chuckle. “Heh... It’s not as easy as it looks.”
It showed. Twilight was arguably one of, if not the most powerful unicorn in Equestria, and she knew it. But she also knew that even for one such as her, maintaining and reinforcing a solid kinetic repulsion spell for nigh on five minutes straight while under constant bombardment by seven heavy attackers was a tenuous position to find oneself in. And yet, there just wasn’t time for anything else. If she let up for just one second, she couldn’t guarantee either her or Connor would have the chance to come up with Plan B.
This and other thoughts ran through her mind as she forged ahead, causing her a moment’s distraction before Connor suddenly spoke up.
“Twilight, look! I think they’re giving up!” he said hopefully, and Twilight took a look around them to see what he was referring to.
Indeed, the timberwolves had paused in their attack for a moment, mercifully lessening the strain on Twilight’s dwindling magic reserves. They growled and snarled at each other as they slowly put more and more distance between them and the pair.
But Twilight knew better. Even if she’d had the time to dash Connor’s hopes, she wouldn’t have. She had just enough to shore up her spell with an extra spike of magic before all seven of the wolves advanced as one.
For a split second, the whole of the translucent bubble flashed a bright, solid white, and there was a sound like that of water snap-freezing to ice, followed by a cry of pain. Twilight fell to her knees, her horn flickering gently while she still struggled to maintain the spell. She was gasping for breath and her eyes were half lidded, and as Connor looked on, feeling utterly powerless to help, he was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to weather another assault like that.
The wolves, able to sense their impending victory, let out a chuffing sort of noise that sounded an awful lot like laughter as they reared back to deliver the final blow.
It was that noise that did it. That was what finally tipped Connor’s scale of emotion from fear to something approaching a boiling anger. That, and the sight of Twilight, being made to suffer at the whims of these merciless, unfeeling monsters. Himself, powerless to do anything to help the mare trying to protect him, when he knew she was more than capable of saving herself, if she wanted.
Trying so hard.
Connor’s fists closed and trembled, and his jaw clenched so tightly it almost hurt. All thought of simply running was driven from his mind, burned away by a simmering feeling that was quickly growing in heat and intensity. A heat that welled up in his core and burned behind his eyes. Connor didn’t know what he was going to do, but whatever it was, he was going to do it. He was going to make these foul-smelling monstrosities pay for hurting his friend. He was--
“RAAAAAAUUUUUGHWR!”
The mighty roar that pierced the woods and shook the trees came through the air so heavily that it was felt just as much as it was heard. It was powerful enough that it instantly took the hot coal that was Connor’s anger and dunked it in a bucket of ice water. Even the wolves cringed and brought themselves low to the ground as they looked around nervously for the source of the sound.
Nobody and nothing moved or spoke, the only sounds being Twilight’s labored breathing and the roar echoing into the far distance. Then, another paralyzing ululation tore the air, this time even louder... and closer.
It didn’t take long for the timberwolves to reconsider the situation. With a few short barks, they apparently decided that Connor and Twilight weren’t worth tangling with whatever it was that had decided to intrude upon their hunt. Connor watched as they immediately turned tail and departed, each bounding off in different directions. One of them stopped momentarily, twisting its gnarled head to gaze directly at the pair with its glowing eyes. It let out a throaty, spiteful snarl, before leaping across an overturned log and out of sight.
With a sigh of immense relief, Twilight released her spell, her horn going dark as the force field surrounding them faded to nothing. She relished the chance to catch her breath as Connor helped her up to her hooves, but tired as she was, she knew they weren’t safe yet.
“Twilight, what was that?” Connor asked, though he couldn’t agree on whether or not he wanted to hear the answer.
“I... I don’t know,” Twilight said between breaths. She shook her head to rid herself of the numbness she felt right underneath her horn. “But whatever it is, it can’t be good! Run!”
As if they needed a reminder, the new arrival let loose another roar, this time accompanied by a heavy, rhythmic pounding that they could feel radiating up their legs.
“Which way!?” Connor shouted frantically.
“Just run!”
Wordlessly, the human and the unicorn both settled on the direction leading away from the new danger and floored it. Off the beaten path and into the denser part of the forest, Connor ran. His legs pumped furiously as though his life depended on it, and it might very well have. He sprinted through weeds and vaulted over downed trees as the woods behind him creaked and shuddered beneath the steps of the monster that was right on their heels. Already nearly out of breath, he chanced a look behind himself to see Twilight also flagging, but still managing to keep up. Barely.
It only took half a second, but when Connor turned to face forward again he just barely missed noticing the stout branch sticking out right at neck level. With a startled yelp, he ducked down, nearly tripping over himself in the process. He quickly regained his balance and looked around. Then, he saw it: an opening in the trees nearly a hundred feet away, through which a bright yellow light peeked out into the gloom. This was it, the edge of the forest!
There wasn’t any time to think about it. Connor just took off running in the direction of the light, hoping that Twilight was doing the same. As he got closer and made his way past the obstructing foliage, he could see more of what waited for him on the other side. Open skies, and the green, rolling pastures of the countryside beckoned to him like a beacon of salvation.
With a final burst of speed, he propelled himself forward and out into the open air, leaving the demarcated tree line in his wake.
Cliff, Connor’s mind told his legs before he could even consciously process what lay on the other side. Cliff. Cliff! StopstopSTOP!
Connor’s eyes went wide and a startled gasp left his lips as he instantly put on the brakes, his sneakers scrambling to halt his momentum. He managed to plant them firmly into the dirt mere inches away from the precipitous drop hiding just beyond the forest’s edge. His arms pinwheeling wildly to keep from pitching over, his heart jumped into his throat when a wayward glance down revealed nothing but open air between him and the ground far, far below.
Then, miraculously, he managed to pull himself back. On legs that would have been shaking if he wasn’t trying so hard to lock them in place, and with his heart beating at a mile a minute, Connor stood straight up at the lip of the cliff, completely still. Looking out at the open countryside, with a tiny Ponyville standing far in the distance, he allowed himself an immense sigh of relief at having just narrowly avoided certain death for the second time that day.
He realized only too late that the sound of his blood rushing past his ears was muffling the thumping of hooves against dirt that was fast coming towards him. Like a slow motion scene from an action movie, he turned his head just in time to see Twilight right behind him, barreling on at full speed out of the Everfree. She looked up, her wide eyes drifting from the rocky outcrop to Connor standing there in the second it took for her to realize what was going on.
“Twilight, stop!” Connor shouted in vain, as the mare didn’t even get a chance to slow down before plowing right into him and flinging them both over the edge.
The world turned into a dizzying tableau of green, blue, and brown as Connor went into free fall, tumbling end over end through the air. In that moment, his adrenaline spiked, making it seem like the world itself was slowing down even as the ground was surely rushing up to meet him.
Surprisingly, his life didn’t flash before his eyes, but still, he knew. He knew, in the calm depths of his mind, surrounded by a whirlwind of fear and excitement, that this was it. The end... Game over.
After everything, everything he had been through, this was the part where he died. On an alien world, so impossibly far away from everything and everyone he’d left behind... and they would never even know.
...I’m sorry...
He closed his eyes, unable to bear seeing how close he was to the end, and braced for impact. He hoped it would at least be over quickly.
Then, approximately two seconds after his feet left contact with the ground, Connor felt something wrap around his midsection and grip him tightly, followed by a distinct buzzing in the air that he could both hear and feel. Suddenly, his ears popped, and he was hit with an intense, incredibly strange feeling, like every inch of his body was being stretched out and compressed at the same time.
It only lasted for a fraction of a second, and the next thing Connor felt was his velocity abruptly shifting in the opposite direction. A moment later, he felt the thing firmly clutching him let go, before his left side impacted heavily with a solid surface, utterly knocking the wind from his lungs. He rolled along for a couple of times before finally coming to rest, battered and disoriented.
Coughing and gasping to get his breath back, Connor clutched his injured side and moaned piteously from the pain. It was probably fortunate for him that the ground he landed on was soft and grassy, or else he might have been sporting a couple of broken ribs instead of merely being saddled with the mother of all bruises.
Wait a minute. Grass? Connor thought to himself, feeling the individual blades brushing against his face as he cautiously opened his eyes.
The world had stopped spinning, and as he could see through his glasses -- which had somehow miraculously stayed on his face -- he was lying down sideways in a field of short, green grass. It took him awhile to register exactly what he was looking at, and a little while longer to realize what it meant.
“I’m... alive... I’m still alive!” Grinning ecstatically, Connor abruptly sat up, wincing only slightly as his side protested. He looked down at his hands incredulously, his elation at not being dead overcome with the baffling notion that he should have been dead. “How am I still alive?”
A female-sounding groan from off to his side snapped Connor out of his bewilderment, and he looked up to see Twilight lying on her side some distance away, breathing heavily. On his hands and knees, Connor crawled over to her, trying to ascertain his friend’s condition.
“Twilight, how in the world did we survive that?” he asked her, as he noticed her violet fur matted down with sweat, as well as being covered with a number of scrapes and scratches. She tried to respond with a bit of a chuckle, but it came out as more of a raspy cough.
“Short-range... teleportation... spell...” she said between tired breaths.
Connor’s jaw dropped. “Teleportation? You can do that!?” he stuttered, his mind reeling at this new information. “If you could just teleport us out of there, why didn’t you just do that in the first place!?”
“Not... as easy... as it... looks...” Twilight gasped, when suddenly, her body went a little more slack, and her head slumped down to the ground.
Connor instantly forgot all about his questions about her abilities, moving to her side. “Whoa, Twilight, are you okay?” he asked, filled with concern for her state of distress and placing an empathetic hand on her heaving chest.
“So tired... Can’t... Need... rest...” Twilight mumbled as she lost the fight to keep her eyes open.
From the edge of the cliff high above, a distant roar sounded out from the Everfree, disturbing a flock of birds nesting in the trees and causing them to fly off in all directions. It sounded much farther away than it had been before, but it was still a sober reminder that they weren’t quite safe yet.
“No, nononono, that’s a bad idea, Twilight. We can’t rest here. Not if whatever that thing is decides it wants takeout.” Connor looked back down at the unicorn, who didn’t even respond. It’s safe to say he was getting seriously worried about her at this point. “Come on, Twilight! We gotta move!” he repeated, giving her body a gentle shake to rouse her.
When it became obvious that Twilight had taken the opportunity to completely pass out, Connor looked around frantically, scrambling for a solution.
Oh, man. What do I do? What do I need to do? Help. Gotta find help. Need to find help now.
Connor stood up, casting his gaze at the surrounding area. To his back was the cliff they had teleported down from. (He was still pretty amazed by that, but it could wait.) On the opposite side, the slope of a hill obscured the direction he knew Ponyville lay in, but that wasn’t going to be possible. It was simply too far away, and he absolutely refused to consider leaving Twilight on her own as an option. The only choice was to try and get assistance from one of the townhouses he’d seen dotting the landscape.
The only problem was he couldn’t see any right now. In fact, the last habitation he’d come across before entering the forest was...
“Of course! Fluttershy!” Connor exclaimed in a eureka moment. The pegasus’ cottage was relatively close to the Everfree, if he recalled correctly, and if he just traveled with the edge of the forest on his left, he was sure to come across the path leading straight to her.
His mind made up, Connor now turned his attention to the problem of how to bring Twilight there. At first, he bent over, taking each of Twilight’s forelegs in his hands with the intent to drag her along, but he soon realized what a horrible idea that was before he even started.
It was a couple more seconds of feverish thinking until Connor couldn’t deny it any longer. As much as it made his back hurt just thinking about it, carrying the unicorn the whole distance was the only way.
“Unnnngh... My body’s going to hate me in the morning,” he moaned, but he nonetheless crouched down with his back facing the unconscious Twilight. Connor reached behind himself, taking her front hooves and dragging them up and onto his shoulders. With a grunt, he pulled forward, lifting Twilight gently off the ground and laying her belly against his back, with her head resting next to his while her legs draped across his chest. Then, when he was certain she wasn’t going to fall over, he shifted his arms around and underneath her, linking one each in the space between her flank and her knees. It wasn’t perfect, but it was as close to piggyback as he could manage with her equine form.
While Connor normally would have been embarrassed over how dangerously he was invading her personal space, with him being able to feel the fur on her face brushing up against his, at that moment, it didn’t even occur to him.
The only thing on his mind now was making sure he didn’t make things worse, with only half of her body firmly secured along his waist while the rest hung loosely around him.
Please don’t drop her please don’t drop her please don’t drop her, he thought quickly, before putting energy in his legs and hoisting her up.
Connor was instantly made aware of just how heavy the average pony was. He wasn’t prepared for the extra weight she presented, and he nearly fell backwards right away. Connor pitched far to the front to compensate, and he wobbled back and forth for a bit before he managed to find his balance and stay upright. He had to hunch over slightly to keep Twilight’s center of gravity on his back and shoulders, but other than that, he was serviceably mobile.
That’s not to say it was easy, however, and with his back already complaining, as well as the bruise on his side, he began to take slow, steady steps in the direction leading away from the Everfree. And, he hoped, towards the path that led to Fluttershy’s.
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When Connor finally came across a patch of land that he recognized -- that being the dirt road connecting the Everfree Forest to Ponyville -- it couldn’t have been soon enough. He was exhausted, dehydrated, and his muscles were crying out from the strain of carrying what he figured to be nearly a hundred pounds of unconscious pony the entire distance.
As he started down the path and, thankfully, in the direction away from that accursed forest, Connor tried to distract himself from his fatigue. And as he usually did in trying situations, he resorted to humor.
“Heh... In Soviet Russia, pony rides you!” he breathed out in a heavily accented voice. He twisted his neck slightly to look over at Twilight, who had given no indication that she’d even heard him. “Oh, come on. In my world, that would’ve been hilarious!”
In spite of his attempt to be funny, Connor couldn’t help but feel that his companion’s continued silence was not at all a good sign, and his mood further dampened. He was starting to lose hope that he’d be able to rouse her at all in her current state.
“You know... you’re heavier than I thought you’d be,” he said next, plainly aware of how that statement could be interpreted by the mare, in an obvious attempt to get her attention. But even then, Twilight’s ears didn’t so much as twitch.
By now, Connor’s worry was starting to substantially deepen, and he was afraid to consider the possibility that perhaps Twilight’s condition was more grave than he first thought. It immediately struck him with horror to think that, while he had survived their tumble off the cliff relatively unharmed, he had no idea if Twilight had been hurt worse than he was. She appeared fine on the outside, but it was a very real possibility that she could have a concussion, or maybe even internal bleeding.
And all those spells she’d been slinging earlier couldn’t have come without a cost. For all he knew, the timberwolves’ attacks could have reduced her magic reserves to dangerously low levels. And if that last teleport pushed her over her limits...
She could be dying. Oh, my God, she could be dying right now.
“Twilight... please wake up... Please say something,” he pleaded, his honest fear for her life stealing what little breath he could get into his lungs. Panic gripped him. Not the kind that came from fearing for your life, but from fearing for the life of someone you care about. And it surprised Connor to realize that he did care. He cared very much.
Connor had never been very well acquainted with death in his life. Sure, he’d been sad when a beloved family pet would pass away, but he’d never known a close friend or relative who’d yet been taken away from him. Aside from losing one great-grandmother to old age, and an uncle to a prolonged battle with lung cancer, but those occasions just didn’t seem to carry all that much weight at the time.
But now... Now that feeling was bearing down on Connor in a way he hadn’t felt before. It didn’t matter that Twilight wasn’t human, or that he’d only really known her for less than a week. In such a short time, he’d come to realize that she was one of the most amazing people he’d ever had the fortune to meet, and just the thought of losing her like this was suffocating. He wanted to help her. He needed to help her. And there was so little he could do but press onward and hope that, whenever he arrived at wherever he needed to be, he wasn’t too late. Because if that happened...
Brought on by a pain that went deeper than his rapidly tiring body, Connor couldn’t stop a small stream of tears farming at the corners of his eyes just from imagining it.
And it would be all his fault. Everything Twilight was doing had been solely on his behalf, done out of the purest of intentions for the sake of simply being a good friend. All that, and now she was suffering because of him. Because he couldn’t solve his own problems without her assistance. Connor wasn’t naive enough to believe that he was personally responsible, but he couldn’t deny that none of it would be happening if it wasn’t for him being there in the first place.
The only thing left for him to do now was to keep moving; to keep pushing himself harder. This was the only thing that mattered now, in spite of his body’s incessant demands for a break and the fact that every step made it even harder to take the next.
Twilight had been pushed to her limits in order to save him; the least he could do was the same for her sake. Even though it felt impossible, Connor’s pace quickened slightly, spurred on by a surge of energy he didn’t even know he had left. His lungs burned and his legs and arms cramped, but he ignored them. He kept his focus on the road ahead, blocking out everything except his goal: getting to Fluttershy’s cottage.
I’m not gonna let you down, Twilight... he thought to himself, feeling an unusual, yet somehow familiar twinge in his core, and brushing it off as just another sign of fatigue.
...even if it kills me.
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Connor didn’t know how many minutes he’d spent managing a light jog despite his heavy burden. A combination of numbing pain and sheer determination served to blank out his attention for everything short of making sure he was still on the road.
The next thing he knew, the sky was beginning to tinge orange as the sun inched closer to the ground, and Connor was trudging painfully up the small hill outside Fluttershy’s door. His clothes were drenched in sweat, and every movement felt like his legs were on fire, but he was so close now. It was almost over. Just a couple... more... steps...
Connor’s vision, blurring at the edges, was set on the wooden door of the cottage. He couldn’t have noticed the small clump of dirt in front of his right sneaker, but he instantly became aware of it when it caught the edge of his foot mid-step. With his balance already thrown off by Twilight and his endurance hanging by a thread, he was unable to stop himself from simply crashing into the ground. At that moment, the last of his flagging strength finally gave out, and he could do no more than just lie there panting for breath, mere feet from his goal.
Fortunately for Connor, the residents of the trees lining the path had been watching him from their nests with keen interest, and when they saw him collapse, the small, benevolent creatures didn’t waste any time. A half-dozen of the birds in those trees took off with urgency, gliding over to the tiny, critter-shaped entrances in Fluttershy’s roof and zooming inside as fast as their wings could carry them.
Thirty seconds later, a voice could be heard behind the door.
“Yes, yes, I’m going. What on Equis could have gotten you all so worked up?”
There was the sound of a latch turning, and the door to Fluttershy’s home swung open, allowing the small flock of birds to escape, along with their frantic chirping. They were followed shortly by Fluttershy herself.
“Now, then, let’s-- Oh, my goodness!” The yellow pegasus took in a frightful gasp upon noticing Connor and Twilight splayed out in front of her, and she instantly rushed over to them while stammering out questions. “What’s going on!? What happened!? Are you hurt!? Is Twilight okay!?”
Barely lucid, Connor coughed a few times in an effort to pause the fretting mare’s shrill, excited talking. “No... time...” he choked out. “Help... her...”
Utterly spent now, the teenager’s body went slack as he let himself collapse, his task complete. Above him, Fluttershy gave a few worried, wide-eyed whimpers of indecision before deciding to obey Connor’s directions, and she started pulling Twilight off of his body.
Connor closed his eyes and let his head rest on the cold ground, taking short, steady breaths. It simply hurt too much to do anything else, as his body throbbed painfully with every heartbeat. Through the pins and needles that ran up and down his aching form, he was only dimly aware of the weight being removed from on top of him. Shortly after, he felt something grab onto him and drag him along as well, lifting him up and over the steps of the cottage, and placing him down gently on the hardwood floor.
It was impossible to tell how long Connor stayed that way, but he didn’t really care. He’d done all he could, and what happened next was out of his hands. Surely, Fluttershy would be able to give Twilight whatever help she needed. For now, he was content to just lay in a half-awake state of extreme exhaustion and start the process of recovering from his ordeal.
After a number of minutes passed, Connor’s stupor was interrupted suddenly, when he felt something poking at his lips.
“Here, drink this,” came Fluttershy’s soft voice, sounding like it was coming from miles away.
Connor responded automatically, admitting the object, which turned out to be a straw, into his mouth and starting to slowly sip at the contents. Whatever it was, it was hot and incredibly strong tasting, and he initially coughed on it as the liquid ran over his parched tongue. But, eventually, he was able to get it down, savoring the relief it brought his hoarse throat.
As soon as he’d drunk the vessel dry, the straw was removed from his lips, and he could feel the thumps of Fluttershy’s hooves signaling her departure. When she’d gone, Connor could feel the warmth from the drink settle in his stomach, before it spread out from his center to the rest of his body. Like a wave, the tide of warmth crowded out the numb tingling in his limbs, coaxing them back to life. Surprisingly, Connor felt a second wind coming on, jumpstarting his awareness and bringing him fully awake.
His eyes cracked open and he looked around, his neck still feeling too stiff to move, just as Fluttershy rounded the corner of the hallway and came towards him. She had a glass held in her teeth, filled with a steaming, honey-gold liquid accompanied by a dangling straw. As she came to a stop beside Connor, she lowered the glass next to his head, once again directing the straw to his mouth. This time, Connor was able to get out a question.
“What... what is this stuff?” he groaned, before gratefully taking another pull on the straw.
“Shh... Just drink up,” Fluttershy said softly. “It’s a special tea blend. It’ll give you your strength back.”
By the time Connor managed to down the rest of the second glass, the tea was already doing its job, reinvigorating him and making him lucid. His arms and legs still felt like silly putty, but he could at least think clearly.
“Better?” Fluttershy asked, moving the empty cup away.
“Better... Thanks,” said Connor, when an urgent, sudden thought raced through his brain like an arc of lightning. “Where’s Twilight!? Is she okay!? Please tell me she’s okay!”
At this, Fluttershy didn’t hesitate before giving him a broad, warm smile. “Twilight’s going to be perfectly fine. I brought her upstairs and put her in bed to rest. That’s all she needs: time to rest.”
“Oh, thank God.” Connor, immeasurably relieved, laid his head back on the floor. Twilight was okay. That thought alone brought him a sense of pure, unrivaled joy that made his entire ordeal seem worth it, and he reveled in the feeling.
“I’m more worried about you...” Fluttershy started again, her smile falling into a frown of concern. “You look like you’re about to fall apart. Are you in pain? Does anything hurt?”
“Unnngh... More like what doesn’t hurt,” he responded, reminding him of what he had to look forward to once the day’s exertions really caught up to him.
Fluttershy nodded. “Let’s get you off the floor and over to the chair. Do you think you can stand?”
Weakly, Connor moved his arm around and placed his palm on the floor before trying to prop himself up. He couldn’t even manage to raise himself an inch off the ground before his muscles gave out. “Not without help, I can’t.”
“Of course. Not a problem.” Fluttershy knelt down beside him, next to his arm, which he was able to bring up and over her neck. He held on as tightly as he could manage as she stood back up to full height, bringing him up along with her.
With cautious slowness, she carried Connor across the room, his legs dragging out behind him like wet noodles, until they got to the armchair in the corner. Then she turned him around, using her forelegs to hold him by the chest. She unfolded her wings, and with a grunt of exertion, began pumping them to get airborne, just enough to raise him up and guide him smoothly into the chair.
The required motion brought on a little aching, but as soon as Connor’s body settled into the plush surface of the chair, he could almost feel the soreness start melting away. “Oh, that feels great... Much better than the floor, thanks.”
Fluttershy beamed with satisfaction, before she sat herself down in front of him. “So... if you’re up to it, that is... could you tell me what happened?” she asked, tilting her head inquisitively.
If anyone deserved an explanation, Connor figured it was her, so of course he didn’t have an issue explaining the events in the Everfree. Especially since it didn’t require moving.
He started with Twilight’s perception spell, and the uneventful walk to Zecora’s. After that, the potion, and how the zebra’s best efforts to solve his horn problem were ultimately for naught. The pegasus’ hooves went to her muzzle when Connor described the encounter with the timberwolves, as merely imagining the event nearly sent her shivering with anxiety. But she still listened intently as the human talked about Twilight and her force field, the unseen beast that chased away the wolves (and chased the two of them right off a cliff) and the unicorn’s last ditch emergency teleport that had saved them both from a swift and painful demise. The rest, as he said it, was plainly obvious.
When he was finished with his tale, Fluttershy closed her eyes in thought, absorbing the impactful nature of what must have been a truly trying adventure. “That’s... incredible,” she remarked, meekly hiding behind her pink mane. “I don’t know if I’d have been able to do it.”
“Do what?” Connor asked.
“Well... all of it,” the pegasus admitted, rubbing her hooves together. “Especially, you know... bringing Twilight all the way here like you did.” Fluttershy looked away. “I’m certainly not strong enough to do something like that.”
“Hey, don’t say that. You shouldn’t sell yourself short,” Connor reassured her, the sight of the mare’s despondent face bringing about a pang of sympathy. “I think that... No, I know you would do the same thing if you needed to. Twilight’s lucky to have a friend like you. I know I am.”
Fluttershy’s cheeks tinged slightly red with a blush, and her lips curled up in a demure smile at the praise. Overcome with gratitude for the generous compliment, as well as Connor’s (in her mind) heroic efforts on behalf of her friend, she did something he didn’t expect. She suddenly came forward, forelegs outstretched, and grasped the human in a full, heartfelt hug.
“Thank you,” she whispered, burying her muzzle in his shirt. “You’re a good friend.”
Initially stunned by the mare’s uncharacteristic forwardness, Connor hesitantly returned the hug, drawing his arms around her neck, above the wings. She was so warm and soft, like hugging a giant stuffed animal that could hug back. It was incredibly comforting, and Connor swore he could feel something else besides her warmth. It was a subtle feeling, like she was giving off an aura of pure emotion. It felt like... everything was going to be okay. Connor found himself wishing they could stay just like that for a long while.
Unfortunately, like all good things, it had to end eventually. After a few seconds, Fluttershy started to feel a bit awkward, her timidness once again rearing its head. She released Connor from the embrace and moved back, still blushing profusely.
“I-I... should probably let you get some sleep,” she said quickly, using her mane as a cover. “It’s getting late, and Celestia knows you deserve to rest after what you’ve been through.”
At the mention of sleep, Connor couldn’t help but yawn widely, and he was reminded of just how tired he was, despite the double dose of energy tea Fluttershy had given him.
“Yeah... I think you’re right.” Connor closed his tired eyes and leaned back in the chair, digging in to make himself comfortable. Subconsciously giving his body the OK, it was already starting to shut itself down. “I’m just gonna... just... crash, right... now...”
Fluttershy snickered lightly. “Sweet dreams. Oh, and I’ll be sure to stop by the library and let Spike know everything’s fine, and that you two are staying here for the night.”
But her words didn’t even reach Connor. He was already well on his way to being out like a light.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fluttershy’s upstairs guest room was dark, the drawn curtains preventing the glow of the nighttime moon from entering. But while it may have been dark, the room was not still, or quiet. In the modest bed set against the wall, Twilight Sparkle was having anything but a peaceful night’s rest.
“Mmmnnn... nn-nuuh...” she mumbled in her sleep while curling up defensively. “N-no... Stay back... Stay away...”
Her dreams were not pleasant ones, filled with vague images and tangible emotions of fear and danger. Shadowy figures with haunting green eyes surrounded her on all sides, menacing her. Determined to escape, she sent a burst of bright, violet light in a random direction, parting the shadows and giving her a path to take. She wasted no time, pumping her legs and breaking into a full gallop.
Back in the waking world, the real Twilight’s legs began twitching out of reflex from underneath the sheets. Spurred on by instinct, they kicked out, tangling up in the bedspread and tugging her closer to the far side of the bed. Suddenly, her whole body spasmed, causing her to roll over into what was, unfortunately, open air.
The lack of a surface served to snap Twilight awake in an instant, and she gave out a short yelp just before landing on the hard floor in a heap of pony and blankets. Dazed and confused, the unicorn struggled against her confinement, pulling at the mess of sheets with her hooves and not having much success. Then, she remembered she was a unicorn.
“Oh, right...” she muttered, her heart still pounding from the nightmare. With her horn glowing from under the blanket, the fabric was wrapped up in an aura of lavender as it automatically unfurled itself around her.
Just as she managed to uncover her head, the room was suddenly illuminated when the door to the room opened, allowing in a shaft of yellow light along with the silhouette of a pegasus in the doorway.
“Twilight? Are you alright? I heard a noise...”
“Ungh... Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, recognizing the voice instantly as she blinked away, adjusting to the light. “Where am I?”
Twilight looked around the room after rubbing her face with her hoof, able to make out the familiar colors and shapes of Fluttershy’s cottage in the dim light. “Wait. What am I doing in your house? What happened? Where’s Connor?”
Fluttershy held up a hoof to silence the unicorn while shaking her head. “It’s okay. Connor told me about what happened in the Everfree... What’s the last thing you remember?”
“The last thing I...” Twilight paused, bringing a hoof to her chin as she thought back on that day. “Well, there was Zecora, then the timberwolves... then the thing that scared the timberwolves off. Seventy-five percent sure it was a manticore, but I could be wrong,” she said, nodding to herself.
“And then?”
“Then we were running, and we came out of the forest at a dead end drop... I couldn’t stop in time... and then I teleported us to the ground,” Twilight finished of her recollection. “And then... nothing.”
Fluttershy nodded slowly. “That’s right. Connor said you passed out after that.”
Twilight stood up on her hooves, twisting her neck around to get rid of a feeling of stiffness. Come to think of it, her whole body felt like she’d just run a marathon; something she knew from experience. “Then how did I get here?” she asked, tilting her head.
“Connor brought you,” Fluttershy explained simply.
“He... brought me? How?”
“How else? He carried you.”
Twilight eyed her yellow friend quizzically. “Carried me?”
“That’s right. Carried you all the way here, without stopping once.” Fluttershy lowered her voice, taking on a more serious expression. “He was really worried about you. He could barely even stand when he got here, but all he cared about was making sure you were okay.”
Twilight sat back down on her haunches, somewhat stunned by this news. “He did all that... for me?” She went silent, looking down and off to the side before speaking up again. “How is he?”
“He’s downstairs, resting, don’t you worry.” Fluttershy gave her friend a reassuring smile. “And you should be resting, too. After all the magic you used, you need time to build your strength back.”
“Yeah... I suppose you’re right.” Twilight turned and placed her forehooves back on the bed, when a glance towards the window brought something to her attention. “Wait, how late is it? Oh, no! I completely forgot about Spike! He’s probably worried sick!”
“Calm down, Twilight. I took care of it. Spike already knows,” the pegasus said, bringing Twilight’s last worries at ease.
Relieved to hear that, Twilight sighed and finished climbing into the bed, then used her magic to replace the blankets on top. “Thanks, Fluttershy. I’m glad I could count on you.”
“You’re welcome, Twilight.” Fluttershy moved back out the door, her hoof on the handle. “Good night. I’ll see you in the morning.”
With that, she gently closed the door, once again bathing the room in near darkness, and leaving Twilight alone with her own thoughts.
While she shifted her head around on the pillow, trying to get back to sleep, she found her thoughts turning back to what Fluttershy said about Connor’s actions on her behalf. Sure, she’d been in danger before, but it was never anything she and her friends couldn’t handle. Nothing ever life-threatening, anyway.
To think... Connor had risked his health and personal well-being just to make sure she got the help she needed. To be honest, it was something she never expected from the human. At least, not from the human she’d had the “pleasure” of meeting that day in Canterlot.
It was definitely something to think about, stirring up a strange mixture of feelings and emotions the more she puzzled over the circumstances, even as she tried to focus on going back to sleep.
And after a quiet couple of minutes, she did eventually fall asleep. And when she did, it was with a small, but very real smile creasing her muzzle.
As opposed to her tumultuous awakening from moments before... the rest of the night was one of the most restful she’d experienced in her life.
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Pretty decent chapter. I liked it. (But of course now I just want Moar
)
I like this chapter particularly, it has clear emotional transitions.
well done, cant wait for the next chapter
i3.ytimg.com/vi/vAUvlI1ptKE/mqdefault.jpg
Hmm, do I see a possible romance tag joining this story soon?
CURSE YOU CLIF.. oh wait not so much of a cliffhanger this time. Well now that I know they made it out and have become closer, I can patiently wait for the next chapter.
................ pffffthahahahahaahahahaha! Oh man!
If this guy isn't a white knight, I don't what is! 
Sorry, sorry, I know you were probably trying to capture the intensity and depth of his emotions, but that just came off as unintentionally hilarious!
Well, they made it, that's good. On the downside, we still don't know if he could have used that horn of his if whatever-it-was hadn't scared off the timberwolves. Drat.
Doubt it was a manticore though. They're just not big enough to scare off an entire pack of timberwolves without so much as showing it's face.
2885891
That's what's called "subversion." Everyone knows how these stories end up: unassuming nobody human teenager awakens dormant powers under duress and ends up saving the day (and winning the girl/pony/whatever).
What I did here was give everyone expecting that "twist" a big ol' case of hero fantasy blue balls.
Romance Tag inbound... I just know it...
2885920
HAHAHA oh my gosh!
Touche to that sir!
MOAR!
Dafuq?
Fluttershy would never forgive Twilight for using fire to defend Connor´s and herself´s life from a pack of monsters? Nature before friends? Come on!
2885920
And yet, you allowed Connor to save Twi´s life in a modest yet still heroic way.
This part raises a question: Was Connor´s feat (carrying a pony all the way to Fluttershy´s cottage) all because the adrenalyne rush, or was Connor´s newborn magic involved?
Great, great stuff. You gave a really good reason why Twi couldn't just magic away the wolves or just teleport herself and Connor out of harm's way; excellent job of keeping the tension up.
It's really sweet how quickly how the bond between Connor and the ponies have grown in such a short time. Can't wait for what comes next!
North Tonawanda, huh? I'm from Rochester, and I enlisted at the Air Reserve base in Niagara Falls... Can I go to Equestria too?
Holy shit the feels!!!
Luv it
The moral values are kinda weird here... Is it just me?
Like when Connor is actually surprised that he cares about another person's life (you don't need to be someone's supergreatfriend to wish to save that someone's life, really), or when Twilight is surprised that Connor risked getting very, very tired to possibly save her life (doesn't matter that he only believed it was on the line when it actually wasn't)? It seems like Connor actually did what anyone should've done, pretty much what would've been expected, and it's being treated as something extraordinary. What, did they both expect that Connor would leave her to die just because he wasn't her very best friend yet? 
Or am I just loopy because it's past my bedtime?
2886485
Well, think of it this way. Say you go off to college and make some new friends, you hang out for a while, get to know them, and you think "Hey, these guys could be my best friends for the next four years." Then a week later, one of them dies unexpectedly. Yeah, you'd be sad, but it wouldn't hurt as much as losing, say, someone you've known since childhood. That's what's surprising him: not that he does care, but just how much he cares.
As for Twilight's feelings, it was just unexpected. She knows he's not the kind of person to simply leave her to (maybe) die, but of course there would have been certain points along the way where there were reasonable alternatives. He could've taken a break at some point, he could have just waited to see if she eventually woke up on her own. The fact that he didn't stop at all (to his own detriment) was just an interesting turn of events from someone she didn't expect that level of compassion.
Or maybe you are just up past your bedtime, and we are both over-analyzing it.
2886589 I guess it just needed to be put into other words like you did there. Now it all seems reasonable. I'm probably simply used to the protagonists of HiE being overly praised for the smallest acts of human decency that they do (and in some cases holy wrath and rage towards anyone who dares wrong such a protagonist, there's one fic in particular that loves doing that but I'm not pointing fingers).
This is my favorite chapter now!
2886092
Magic in a human? Nah, that's just a hernia from lugging Twilight like a sack of potatoes several miles without a stop.
He'll regret it in the morning. Oh yes. Painfully so.
...which just means Rarity will have to treat Connor to a day at the Spa. Let those sexy Earth ponies, Lotus and Aloe, at his sore back and limp-noodle legs.
2886257 Amherst here. Weird, no?
ΔΓ
2885802
Well, there was mention of a cliff in the chapter. Does that count?
>>>He was exhausted, dehydrated, and his muscles were crying out from the strain of carrying what he figured to be nearly a hundred pounds of unconscious pony the entire distance.>>>
Wow... out of shape much, Connor? I carried six 80-lb sacks of concrete on my back down my street one-by-one just this spring. Sure I was tired afterward, but far from breathless and sore. And they don't even have limbs for handholds!
Strong me is strong. I am the most powerful nerd on Earth!
A manly tear was shed for this chapter.
I'm glad you didn't make him into some OP crazy guy who suddenly knows how to fight. Although, I suspect he might want to learn some defensive measures after this experience.
Many feels were had during this chapter. Especially during the part where he carries her all the way to Fluttershy's.
I can't decide which chapter I like more: the chapter when his horn completes itself, or this one. They're just so great! X3
TwilightXConnor
Just had a thought, crazy I know ...
But did the ponies consider poison joke being the thing that gave Connor a horn?
Of course there was a bit of allusion to what happened with the talk of enchantments and curses ...
2888915 it's Poison JOKE. Poison Oak is a real plant that causes horrible long lasting itching. Poison Joke is a fictional blue flower that plays magical pranks on anything that touches it.
2888915
Wouldn't Zecora have identified it and cured it if it was the result of poison joke?
2889198 stupid puns confuse even my fingers!!!!
Fixed now...
2887134
[insert sexual innuendo here]
...It would be so easy for this fic to veer off into Twilight/Connor shipping. However, you seem to have avoided the standard clichés and pitfalls of HiE stories thus far, so I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.
Also-- that subversion? Brilliant. You had me going there for a bit.
2890459
*clutches head*
Gahhhh!!! No, you've awoken my...
*suddenly transforms, suit turning red with a swastika made of grammatical signs adorning it where the lambda symbol was*
GRAMMAR NAZI!!!! Now prepare for your... examination...
*a German accent now permeates my voice*
You are ze stupid English butcherer, no?
*points at you with a machine gun, a flamethrower in the other hand*
Awsome!
MOAR!!!!!
2886092
A fire that raze the entire forest, could injure or kill hundreds, if not thousands of creatures and leave the rest homeless and put the town in danger?
2890677
The author is a firm no-shipper. Besides, leaving the xenophilia aspect, Connor is younger and less mature than Twilight.
2783281
Then says "Thank you" as he dies. I couldn't help but laugh. 
This reminds me of when I was playing Borderlands 2 earlier. A psycho named Face McShooty gives you a quest and pays you to shoot him in the face.
2894349
I'm not strictly against shipping, I just can't stand it when a majority of HiEs go the "love at first sight" route, or they otherwise just make it waaaaay too easy. It's wish-fulfillment (Well, technically, ALL self-inserts are wish-fulfillment to an extent.) and when it's tossed in without warning or buildup just so the author can live out his Ideal Scenario™, the story turns to crap. (If it wasn't crap to begin with.)
I believe my words in the foreword were "No ham-fisted romance shoe-horned in for the hell of it." and I stand by that statement.
2894349
Ah, yes, now that you mention it I think I remember that. I guess I'm just a bit jaded with HiE fics in general; this is the only one I can remember whole-heartedly enjoying. Looking forward to more!
2895010
Do you agree at least with my second statement regarding Connor?
oh man, a month in between each chapter? i dont think i can wait that long
2895028
I think that's fair to say. But then again, a hallmark of good stories is well-handled character development.
2911621 Fair enough!
I've also just realized that he's actually talked to five people at this point, not four. So I suppose my post was factually inaccurate anyway.
2920350 You could..... but then you would be wasting your time because I've read the damn thing multiple times and still following the thing!
Maybe I should have rephrased that as: I'm still waiting for a protagonist to tell Pinkie Pie to shut the fuck up and go away, I don't want a stupid party AAAAND actually get her to do exactly that! 
Because Nav sure as hell didn't succeed in that regard!
2930731 That to.
2886257
Hamburg, NY !!! Small world
Yup, getting a Romance vibe here.
This was the part where I was half expecting that he would suddenly (and conveniently) learn how to use his horn, and unleash a magical asskicking on the timberwolves.
I was actually rather pleased to have that expectation slapped down.