To Walk Among Us

by Mossbender

Ponyville's Newest Resident

"Brownie... Blueberry? What do you think of that name little guy?" Rose Wind managed to ask through her clenched teeth. "Do you like it? If not I can come up with something else, so no pressure!" The small creature remained silent as they continued through the Everfree. Rose Wind's movement caused Oliver to gently swing from side to side, making him quite drowsy.

Rose Wind's jaw was quickly growing tired from carrying the small creature, but she knew that to stop moving in the Everfree would not be a wise choice, especially since night had already fallen. This small creature's safety was her number one priority right now, and the thought of him being hurt caused her to pick up the pace.

"So I'm just going to assume that's a no then," Rose said and shrugged. "But it's no big deal, I have plenty of names up here in my head just waiting to be released! I- oh, hang on little guy!" Rose Wind hopped over a fissure in the ground with ease and safely landed on the other side of it. "Bah, those holes are everywhere in this place, one wrong step and you'll be flatter than my mother's peach pancakes little guy."

Rose Wind ducked beneath many branches and carefully avoided patches of blue plants called Poison joke until they were out of the dark forest at last. She found the softest patch of grass and carefully lowered Oliver onto the spot. A warm gentle breeze caused the grass in the field they were in to sway back and forth. Rose sighed in relief, enjoying the wind's comfort as it gently blew through her tail and mane. She looked up at the moon and noticed that it was glowing unusually bright as it bathed the land in its white glow.

"Strange... the moon looks a bit... different this evening," Rose Wind said but she just shook her head and smiled. "I must be more tired than I thought, how are you holding up little guy?" She looked down to find that the small creature had fallen into a deep slumber. "Heh, I like the way you think."

Not wanting to hang around any longer then they had to, Rose carefully wrapped Oliver up in his blanket so he would be comfortable on the journey back to town. She picked him up once more and walked across the field until she came across a small dirt trail. The trail was barely noticeable due to how overgrown it was, but Rose had walked it enough times that she remembered clearly where it was. Crickets chirped loudly on both sides of the path, only becoming silent when Rose walked past them, but only for a moment before they resumed their songs.

"Just a little bit farther..." Rose whispered. Her eyelids were becoming rather heavy and her body ached with fatigue, but she pressed on. She travelled for a few more minutes when she suddenly stopped and looked at what laid before her. "Gah! I almost forgot about the hill. This is going to be rough." She dug her hooves into the ground and slowly but surely began to ascend the hill. Although the hill wasn't too big, Rose had to fight against gravity with what little energy she had left. Sweat rolled down her forehead and other parts of her body, soaking her coat which was an unpleasant feeling. With one final push, she was able to reach the top of the hill at last, giving her a fantastic view of the land below. The quiet little town of Ponyville was just at the bottom of the hill where the trail connected to the main road. She lowered herself and Oliver down to the ground for a quick and very much needed rest.

"Phew! Th- that was some workout, b- but now I absolutely dread w- waking up tomorrow," she said, breathing heavily from the climb she just endured. A few minutes later, Rose's heavy breathing had subsided and she felt she was ready to continue. The trip down the hill was much easier than going up it, but Rose had to make sure she didn't go too fast, otherwise she could trip and fall and possibly hurt Oliver in the process, something she did not want to happen.

Fortunately, Rose reached the bottom safely where she was able to get onto the main road at last. The last thing now that stood between her and Ponyville was the bridge into the town itself, which didn't really concern her at all. The dirt road eventually turned to that of cobblestone as Rose crossed the bridge. A calm river flowed beneath her,which in fact made the bridge a popular spot for fillies and colts to jump off of when the weather was especially hot.

"Well little guy, we made it at last. Welcome to Ponyville!" Rose exclaimed, although if anypony was there to hear her, they would have heard some muffled noises due to the fact that Oliver's blanket was in the way. "I would show you around, but I'm guessing I should probably save that for tomorrow." She barely stifled a yawn as she began to make her way through town towards her home. The night was still young, so from time to time Rose saw a few ponies here and there heading to what she assumed would be the local tavern, since it was the only establishment still open during this time. Rose was usually the social type, but tonight was different. She quickly turned her head away from the groups if she walked past them, not wanting to reveal Oliver just yet. A few minutes later, she walked past Ponyville's newest addition to the town which was a bakery that was still under construction. The building was rather unique, having a roof that looked like it could be eaten at any time.

"I wonder if that roof is actually made of candy... I should ask Mr. and Mrs. Cake the next time I see them," Rose said to herself, making a quick mental note in her head. She had known the couple since they had attended school together in Ponyville which felt like such a long time ago. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cake shared a passion for baking and in fact the two of them married each other roughly a couple of years ago. They had finally saved up enough bits to make what was once their dream become a reality. Rose was incredibly happy for the two of them, she even promised them that she would be there for their grand opening.

"Just a few more houses... annnd we're here! Home sweet home," Rose said, trying her best to sound excited, but she was simply too tired. She lifted up her welcome mat and pulled out a silver key from underneath, wiping the grime off of it in the process. She inserted the key into the keyhole and slowly turned it until she heard a faint click. Rose pulled opened the door without any hesitation and quickly went inside, pulling the door shut behind her as she did so. The first thing she did was hang up her sun hat, followed by wiping her rather dirty hooves on the mat as best as she could. Rose then carried Oliver over to her living room and carefully placed him on her sofa, allowing her tired jaw to rest at last. "Well now, that was quite the journey! Let's get some light in here though, I can hardly see anything."

With a quick flick of a switch on the wall, a soft light filled the living room revealing what was in it. The room was a bit small, but it was cozy enough for Rose, especially since she lived on her own, well, she used to live on her own now. A brown coffee table was the centrepiece for the room and a bookshelf with an assortment of books was against the wall exactly opposite from where she had entered the living room.. Rose looked down at the small creature and she realized that this was her first time getting a good look at him. It was a rather peculiar thing, only having hair on the top of its head and a very tiny... muzzle? Rose shook her head and chuckled. It was clear that this creature wasn't a pony, far from it.

"Let's see what other surprises you have to show me little guy," Rose quietly whispered, not wanting to wake him up. She carefully unwrapped the blanket and saw that Oliver was clothed, causing her to raise her eyes. "Interesting, it looks like wherever you're from was somewhat civilized, I wonder why our races haven't contacted each other yet..." The creature's shirt was a dark red with what looked to be a rather large creature on it, with the smaller one being on its shoulders. There was some writing underneath it, but Rose was unable to read what it said. From there she looked at the creature's forelegs, noticing how bizarre the end part of it was. It looked like it split into five smaller legs at the end of it. It was the same with the creature's hind legs, except the tiny legs were stubbier, even though the hind legs were longer for some reason.

"How in Celestia's name do you even walk!?" Rose accidentally shouted out in confusion, causing Oliver to suddenly wake up. "Oops! I didn't mean to yell, I'm so, so sorry little-" She wasn't allowed to finish since Oliver had begun to cry as loud as he could, his little fists clenched in anger. "Oh dear, you're going to wake up everypony in Ponyville!" She quickly scanned the room, looking for anything she could give Oliver in order to get him to quiet down but was unsuccessful. An idea suddenly popped into her head and she rushed over to the kitchen. "Maybe he... well, I'm pretty sure he is a male, maybe he just needs something to eat?" She looked around the kitchen when here eyes fell upon a peach that she had picked earlier that day from her garden. She quickly went over and picked it up with her teeth without a second thought before making her way back to the living room. Oliver was still crying until Rose dropped the peach into his lap, causing him to suddenly stop.

"There you go, to be honest I'm surprised that actually worked!" Rose exclaimed as she watched Oliver slowly sit up. The peach was bigger than his hands, but that didn't stop him from picking it up off of his lap and biting into it with his baby teeth. "Wow! Those are quite the chompers you have there fella, don't go using them on me now!" She laughed at her small joke as Oliver continued to devour the peach, making quite the mess. The sticky peach juice ran down his fingers and somehow his whole face, but Rose didn't mind. She was happy that he was happy. As she continued to watch him, a name bloomed into her mind, causing her to smile.

"I think I've come up with the perfect name for you little guy, what do you think about Peaches?" she asked. Oliver took a quick break from his peach and looked up at Rose. He held out the peach towards her with both of his hands and smiled.

"Babee!" Oliver exclaimed with glee and he returned to eating the peach, which caused Rose to smile.

"It's settled. Peaches it is then!" Rose exclaimed with glee when she heard a sudden knocking on her door. "Who in Equestria would be calling on me at this hour?" She quickly picked up Oliver, now known as Peaches, and placed him behind the sofa. "Don't worry Peaches, I'll be right back." She left the living room and looked through her door's peephole, only to gasp and quickly open it, revealing a tall male Unicorn and a little Unicorn filly that stood behind his legs.

"Good evening Ms. Rose Wind, how are you this evening?" the male Unicorn asked. He had a white coat that was just a bit darker than the filly's behind him and a brown mane and moustache. He also had on a dark blue sweater vest.

"Oh, I, uh, I'm good, quite good! Yeah!" Rose stammered, trying to form words in her tired state. She blew away a tiny piece of her mane that had fallen in front of her eyes and smiled as best as she could. "I'm so glad you were able to stop by this evening Mr. Magnum, I've been really looking forward to this." Magnum raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side.

"Are you sure you're alright Ms. Rose Wind? You look exhausted," Magnum replied. "My sweet Rarity can come over for a sleepover some other time, it's quite alright. My wife and I will just have to schedule our date for another day." Rose quickly shook her head and placed a hoof on his shoulder.

"I assure you Mr. Magnum, Rarity will be perfectly fine with me, I promise," Rose said, her voice filled with confidence. She removed her hoof and waited patiently for Magnum's response. He looked back and forth between Rarity and Rose and sighed.

"Well... if you insist you are quite alright, then I guess there really isn't a problem after all," Magnum said, much to Rose's relief. "However, if I ever hear that anything has happened to my daughter, I'm holding you accountable Ms. Rose Wind." Rose simply nodded as Magnum turned around and lowered himself to his daughter's height. Rose couldn't believe it. She had almost forgotten that she had volunteered to watch Rarity this evening. Although she was a bit occupied with Peaches, that was no excuse to forget her plans.

"You behave yourself now Rarity, it was nice for Ms. Rose Wind to be able to watch you on such short notice," Magnum said. "If you need anything, just remember that Ms. Rose Wind will be happy to help."

"Of course father, I promise you that I'll be on my best behaviour," Rarity replied and hugged him. "I hope you and mother have a wonderful time, I'll see you tomorrow morning right?"

"Of course you will my dear, I'll be here to pick you up first thing in the morning. But now I must get going, your mother is waiting," Magnum said as he hugged his daughter in return and lightly kissed the top of her head. He then turned around to face Rose once more. "Take care of her now Ms. Rose Wind, I shall see you in the morning." Rarity walked around Magnum and stood next to Rose and together they watched him walk away until at last he disappeared into the night.

"We should probably head inside now Rarity, otherwise we'll both catch a cold just standing here," Rose said. Rarity silently nodded in agreement and together they went inside, closing the door behind them as they did so. "You'll be staying in the guest room dear, first door on the right near the end of the hall. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you Ms. Rose Wind, I think I'm content for now," Rarity replied. "Although these saddlebags are quite a burden, do you mind carrying them to my room for me?" Rarity's eyes seemed to sparkle in the light as she looked at Rose. It was obvious that Rose couldn't possibly say no to such a sweet little thing.

"I don't mind at all Rarity, here, let me take that weight off your back," Rose replied cheerfully. She easily lifted the saddlebags off of Rarity's back and placed them on her own. "Okie dokie then, make yourself at home Rarity. Why don't you go and check out your room? There is, uh, something I need to take care of first before I join you."

"Okay Ms. Rose Wind, but please hurry, there are some items in the saddlebags that I will need shortly," Rarity said, which caused Rose to raise an eyebrow.

"Oh? Are you working on something? What is it?" Rose asked, her curiosity taking over her mind once more.

"It's nothing really, just some fabric and such for the costumes I'm making for the school play that's coming up soon, as well as some... gems," Rarity replied. "Like I said, it's nothing really, I just hope I can finish these soon since this is extremely, extremely important to me."

"That sounds rather interesting Rarity, I wish you the best of luck," Rose said and she smiled, causing Rarity to slightly blush in return. "Now if you'll excuse me, I"ll be with you momentarily." Rose entered the living room and peered over the sofa, only to find that Peaches was missing. A trail of peach juice led away from the sofa and out the other entrance to the living room. "Oh no... this is not good..." She followed the juice and saw that it turned to the left down the hall. Upon further inspection, she noticed that the trail ended in front of the first door on the right, the room that Rarity was currently in.

"Oh sweet Celestia... Rarity? Could you come here please? I have something to show you!" Rose exclaimed, speaking as fast as she possibly could.

"Hang on Ms. Rose Wind, I'm just looking for the light... ah! Here it is," Rarity replied, her voice partially being muffled by the door to the bedroom.

"No, wait!" Rose shouted, but it was too late. A high-pitched scream from Rarity followed shortly after.

"What in all of Equestria is that thing!?" Rarity shouted. Her little heart pounded in fear as she watched the sticky mess before her continue to eat a rather dirty peach. Rose closed her eyes and sighed. Rarity had seen Peaches before she was ready. There was going to be a lot of quick explaining she had to do.

"Oh Peaches... you are quite the explorer, aren't you?" Rose whispered and she slowly made her way over to the guest bedroom, her hooves thumping loudly against the wooden floor as she did so.

---

"Oliver! OLIVER!" Clara yelled at the top of her lungs. She had barely managed to fend off the wooden creatures, obtaining many injuries in the process. A large gash on her right leg caused her to limp, and when she returned to the tree she had left Oliver in, she discovered that he was no longer there. "OLIVER!"

Clara had quickly turned the small area upside down, ripping up plants and throwing small logs as she frantically searched for her son. The search proved fruitless however and she eventually collapsed from exhaustion. Tears flowed gently down her face as she cried softly. First her husband, and now her own son due to her stupid choice to leave him behind. She was filthy and the loss of blood made her feel faint. Clara knew that if she didn't find help soon, she would surely die.

"There... there was no sign of any struggle... so perhaps... perhaps he was simply taken away," Clara whispered to herself, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Isaac would be ashamed of me if he saw me like this." She slowly got back on her feet and wiped the remaining tears off of her face. "I'm going to find you Oliver, mommy will find you." Clara found a suitable walking stick on the ground and used it as her support as she returned into the woods, disappearing into its depths. The creatures of the Everfree should be wary, for they were about to meet a fearsome creature unlike any other they had seen before.

Comments

[Therisinghero]

this is very good so far I look forward to more!

[Mossbender]

5537374 Why thank you very much! I look forward to writing more whenever I can

[HB_DS2013]

Rose Wind, you're gonna have to answer to Clara for stealing her child.