To Walk Among Us

by Mossbender

An Unknown Destiny (Part Two)

As the morning sun slowly rose above the horizon, Rose was still sleeping in her usual curled up position. The door to her bedroom slowly creaked open, which was shortly followed by small thumps on the wooden floor. Peaches grabbed Rose's blankets and pulled himself up onto her bed, only to discover that she was still sleeping. A grin appeared on Peaches' face as a plan hatched inside his head. He would execute it on the count of three. One... two...

"Three!" Peaches shouted and he began to bounce up and down on Rose's bed. Her mattress was springy, so Peaches didn't have any problem bouncing up and down as he waited for Rose to get out of bed. "Mom! Mom! Wake up! Wake up! School!" Rose suddenly yawned and opened her eyes, much to Peaches' delight. Rose smiled at her son as she watched him continue to bounce, only to immediately gasp as she slipped off of the side of the bed and thumped onto the floor.

"Mommy! Are you okay?" Peaches asked. He crawled over to the side of the bed and slowly peered over the edge to see if she was okay.

"Boo!" Rose exclaimed as she popped up from the ground, causing Peaches to reel back and fall on his behind. Peaches sat in stunned silence for a second before a huge smile broke across his face and he clapped his hands. "Mommy is just fine Peaches, are you ready for the open house today?" Peaches nodded his head rapidly as Rose brushed some dirt away that she had accumulated on her coat.

"Yeah! I'm going to school today! Let's go let's go!" Peaches shouted excitedly before he hopped off of the bed and crawled as fast as he could out of the room. Rose just shook her head and chuckled as she followed him out of her room.

"Well, school actually begins tomorrow Peaches," Rose said. "We are just going there today to meet your teacher and all the other fillies and colts that will be there! First things first though, we have to eat some breakfast. I am starving!" They both went into the kitchen and Peaches sat down at the table as Rose began to make a quick breakfast for the two of them.

After their bellies were full, Peaches crawled over to the front door and stared at it, eager to go and see the world that was just at his doorstep. He was both excited and nervous, for he had never really seen much beyond the door, only catching quick glimpses when Rarity came to visit or when Rose went to pick up groceries. The closest he had been to being outside was the greenhouse they had in the back, but even that couldn't be compared to what he had imagined when Rose read him stories about ponies going off on epic adventures.

"Hang on Peaches! I just need to put on my hat and we'll be ready to go," Rose said as she walked down the hall. She took off her sun hat from the nearby coat rack and placed it firmly on her head. "Alright little guy! Are you ready?" She looked down at Peaches and he nodded his head. He was more than ready to leave the confines of the house. Rose reached for the doorknob when she suddenly stopped just inches away from it. Her thoughts had drifted to what Rarity had said last night, about Peaches not being accepted for the way he was.

"Mommy?" Peaches asked confusedly and looked up at Rose. She quickly shook her head and looked down at Peaches with a warm smile on her face. She had removed such thoughts from her mind and without hesitating, she grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. They heard a faint click as the door's mechanisms unlocked and Rose gently pushed on it, causing the door to creak open. Sunlight immediately poured into the entrance of the hall and Peaches shielded his eyes to protect them from harm.

A gentle breeze combed its way through Peaches' hair and he inhaled deeply, letting the fresh air fill his lungs. Rose gave him a little nudge and he began to slowly leave the house. First one hand, then a foot, then the other hand, until at last Peaches had made it all the way outside of the house. The door closed behind him with a thud before Rose appeared alongside him. A little ant scurried about on the dirt ground and Peaches watched as it crawled across his hand before it continued on its way.

"Remember Peaches, stay close to me, but I promise that everything will be okay," Rose said. Peaches gulped as he nodded his head. He trusted his mother, he knew that she would never lie to him. They didn't waste anymore time just standing around and the two slowly but surely began to make their way towards the school. It wasn't long until other ponies noticed the pair and they stopped to stare at them as they walked past. Rose noticed that some of the onlookers pointed at them, whispering things that she was just simply too far away to hear. However, a few of them didn't realize just how loud they were talking and Rose caught pieces of their conversations.

"Is that the crazy mare Rose Wind?" one of them asked. "What in Equestria is that thing next to her?"

"Great, another one of her crazy adoptions..." another one sighed. "Is it just me? Or does that thing next to her look very much like that picture I saw in the market? Where is that picture anyway?"

Rose shook her head in disgust, but she simply ignored what the onlookers had to say as she and Peaches continued on their way to the school. None of them knew Peaches. Why were they acting so strange? So... so ridiculous? Rose felt as if she was missing something, but she just couldn't place it. Roughly ten minutes later, they had at last come into view of the school. It was a small and cozy building with a tall flagpole in the front. Rose wouldn't have chosen the colour red for the building, but that was just her. As Peaches and Rose approached the building, many parents, along with their own fillies and colts, had already arrived and were busy getting caught up with each other's lives.

"Mommy! School!" Peaches exclaimed excitedly and began to pull ahead of Rose, only to be stopped by her hoof.

"You can't gallop off just yet Peaches, we have to meet your teacher first, then you can go off and meet with the other fillies and colts," Rose said and gently pulled him back to her side. Some parents had already noticed Rose and Peaches and they immediately stopped what they were doing to stare at them. Peaches noticed this and looked up at one of the parents, only to watch as the stallion turned his head away from him.

"Mommy, why is everypony so quiet?" Peaches asked. He spoke softly since he didn't want the other ponies to hear what he had to say to his mom.

"They are quiet because they just can't wait to get to know you," Rose replied. She shot an angry glance at the stallion as she and Peaches made their way to the front door of the school. The door suddenly opened before them and a mare and her filly stepped out. Rose and the other pony locked eyes momentarily before the mare noticed Peaches and shielded her daughter from him. Rose just sighed and gently pulled Peaches with her as they walked past the mare and into the school.

The inside of the school was brightly lit by multiple lights that were scattered throughout the ceiling. Rose noticed that the room smelled quite musty and the floorboards creaked beneath them with each step they took. Fond memories of her school years flashed through her mind, as well as bad memories of her old teacher, Ms. Thorn. Rose shuddered at the bad memories and pushed them out of her thoughts as she and Peaches approached the teacher. The teacher was occupied with another pair of parents, but as soon as she saw Peaches and Rose, she excused herself from her current conversation and walked over to them with a smirk on her face.

"Why hello Ms. Rose Wind, what brings you to my open house?" the teacher asked. She smiled sweetly at them, but Rose was too stunned to reply. The old mare before her was her old teacher, Ms. Thorn, there was no mistaking it.

Ms. Thorn had an ash grey mane that was pulled back into a bun and a dark green coat. Her eyes were a dark red that were partially covered by the same pair of glasses from when Rose was a filly. Ms. Thorn's cutie mark consisted of a book wrapped with thorns, which showed her apparent love for teaching. Rose knew Ms. Thorn's tricks all too well however, having spent many hours with her after school when she was just a filly. Rose was actually quite surprised that Ms. Thorn was still teaching, but she could still tell that the smile on her old teacher's face was clearly fake.

"Good morning Ms. Thorn, you look as young as ever," Rose replied, which caused Ms. Thorn's smile to turn into a scowl. "I'm here to introduce my son to his teacher, he starts here tomorrow."

"Ah yes, I've heard all about that from the Directors, where is your little colt anyway? Your little Peaches?" Ms. Thorn asked. She looked down at Peaches who was busy itching his nose and looked back at Rose. "Is Peaches... this thing? You have to be pulling my leg Ms. Rose Wind, I don't teach pets. Now really, where is your colt?" Rose took a deep breath and did her best to remain calm. There was no way she was going to make a scene, not in front of Peaches and especially not in front of Ms. Thorn.

"Ms. Thorn, this is Peaches," Rose replied and pulled Peaches in front of her. "He is not a pet, he is a pony like everypony else. You'll be teaching him tomorrow. If that happens to be such an issue with you, then you can meet again with the Directors and explain to them why you refuse to teach a student!" Ms. Thorn took a small step back, surprised at how defensive of Peaches Rose had become. Rose had promised herself that she wouldn't make a scene, but her voice had become louder which caused some of the parents outside to gather at the school's windows. They wanted to see what all the commotion was about.

"Now now Ms. Rose Wind, let's not get carried away. There are children here after all," Ms. Thorn scoffed. Rose felt her cheeks become flushed with embarrassment as she took deep breaths to calm herself down. Ms. Thorn's insults were definitely not helping the situation. "Now then, before all of Ponyville decides to come and watch you blow hot air, I never said I wouldn't teach Peaches Ms. Rose Wind. I was just... surprised at his appearance." She looked over at Peaches and eyed him up and down before she knelt to his level. "I'll see you tomorrow Peaches, I hope you are ready because I'm going to push you past your limits, in the pursuit of knowledge that is." Ms. Thorn then stood up and brushed away some dirt off of her hooves as she cleared her throat. "This was a pleasant chat Ms. Rose Wind, but I'm afraid that there are other parents who need my attention. Ta ta for now."

Rose watched as Ms. Thorn turned her back on them and returned to the other parents who had listened awkwardly to their conversation from afar. Rose sighed and decided that she and Peaches needed some fresh air. They both walked back outside in silence and went around the side of the school where they sat down at a wooden picnic table.

"Well... that could have gone a lot better than what I had expected. I'm terribly sorry you had to see me that way Peaches, I promise it won't happen again," Rose said and gently nudged Peaches with her hoof. "What did you think of your teacher Peaches?" Peaches had crossed his arms and his head rested on top of them. He didn't respond at all to Rose's question. "Hey little guy, are you all right?" Rose's face was quickly filled with worry as she nudged him again. "Peaches?" Peaches slowly turned his head to face his mother and coughed.

"Mommy... do you really think I'll like it here?" Peaches asked. "Ms. Thorn... she's scary! And why did she call me a... a pet?" Rose turned to face Peaches and embraced him with a hug, which Peaches slowly did in return.

"Don't think about what she said Peaches, you are my son, and that's all there is to it," Rose whispered softly and lifted his chin so he could look into her eyes. "Don't worry about what anypony says, now how about we go and look for Rarity? She promised she would introduce you to the other fillies and colts today." Rose raised her head and scanned the area around them when her gaze luckily fell upon Rarity's father and Rarity herself.

Magnum was deep in conversation with another parent while Rarity was busy being rather awkward around the other filly that was present. "Well at least that didn't take very long! Come on Peaches, let's go and meet them."

Peaches and Rose got up from the picnic table and began to make their way over to Rarity and Magnum. They didn't have much difficulty with the crowd since they all moved away whenever Peaches and Rose drew near. It wasn't long until Rose raised her hoof and began to wave. Rarity was the first to notice them.

"Father, look! It's Ms. Rose Wind!" Rarity exclaimed and patted her father's leg, interrupting his conversation with the other pony.

"Not now Rarity, didn't your mother and I teach you that it's rude to interrupt while somepony else is talking?" Magnum asked.

"Magnum! Over here!" Rose shouted cheerfully which caused Magnum to turn his head towards her. Rose didn't feel that it was necessary to address him as Mr. Magnum since they were friends after all. Magnum's eyes widened when he saw Rose and the little creature that was next to her. The stallion next to Magnum coughed and rubbed his head.

"Ah... Ah think we can continue this conversation later Magnum, it seems ya have some more pressing business ya need to attend to," the stallion said and looked down at the other filly. "Go and play with yer friends Applejack, it won't be long until we have to go back to the farm and do our chores."

"Okay Pa, Ah will see ya shortly," Applejack replied and tipped her hat at Rarity. "It was nice seein ya again Rarity." Rarity nodded and smiled as best as she could as Applejack walked away. Before she was too far away, Applejack glanced behind her at Rose and the curious creature that was next to her. Something was interesting about that creature, she could feel it in her gut, and her gut was hardly ever wrong.

"Rose... why? Why didn't you tell me about this?" Magnum asked as he walked over to Rose and Peaches. "How long have you had this... this thing for?" He pointed a hoof at Peaches and Rose sighed.

"I... I didn't want to lose him Magnum, not like before with the others," Rose replied softly. "But now he is old enough to walk among us. I've taught him everything he needs to know Magnum, and he is not a thing, he is a pony, just like you and me and anypony else!" Magnum looked to his left and then his right before he moved closer to Rose.

"Rose, we have been good friends for as long as I can remember," Magnum said. He lowered his voice as to not draw further attention to themselves. "But this... this is seriously pushing it." Rose took a step back in surprise. Out of all the years she had known Magnum for, she had never seen him this tense before.

"Magnum... why is everypony acting so horribly around Peaches? I don't care what they say about me, but just... why?" Rose asked and looked down at her hooves. "This is his first time out here... he has never done anything to anypony!" Magnum sighed and placed a hoof on Rose's shoulder, causing her to look up at him.

"You better come with me then Rose," he whispered and looked over at Rarity. "Rarity... I... Stay with Rose's, uh, son. I'll only be a few minutes." Rarity nodded as Magnum brought Rose with him out of earshot of other ponies. "Rose... I'm not sure if you've heard yet, but something has been prowling around Ponyville at night, something nopony has ever seen before." Rose remembered that one of the Directors from yesterday had said something about a monster and she nodded her head.

"Yes, I've heard of the reports, and apparently somepony was injured, right?" Rose asked and Magnum nodded his head. "Okay then, but I still fail to see how any of this has to do with Peaches." Magnum reached inside his sweater vest and brought out a folded piece of parchment. With a flick of his hoof, he unfolded it, revealing something that had been drawn it. Rose gasped as she looked at the drawing, not wanting to believe what she was seeing.

"This is what we've been able to come up with from eyewitness reports," Magnum said. "The monster walks upright on two legs and has limbs that are very similar to that thing- I mean, Peaches. In fact, I was out just last night with a group of ponies and we almost caught it in the market, but it somehow slipped away again. How have you not seen this yet Rose?"

Rose couldn't think of anything to say. Before her was a drawing that had a lot of features similar to Peaches. The face was blank and the proportions were strange, but Rose couldn't deny it. It was no wonder everypony was acting strange, it was because of this very drawing.

"I... I don't know," Rose whispered when she suddenly tore the paper out of Magnum's hoof and discarded it. "But you know what Magnum? Peaches is still my son. He is still my little colt that I have taken care of and will continue to do so for the years to come! Monster or not!" Magnum shook his head and took a deep breath. It was time to bring Rose back to reality.

"Rose! Are you even listening to what you are saying? He is a danger to us all! What if that thing is looking for him!?" Magnum whispered angrily. "I do not want to stand by and watch as this monster tears Ponyville apart! We have families too you know!"

"I'm well aware of that Magnum, I am no foal! All of you are just too blind to see that Peaches is no threat!" Rose shot back. "Just because something out there looks like him does not mean he will do the same thing! You will not take him away from me!"

While Rose and Magnum argued with each other, Rarity and Peaches had sat down on the grass and watched a group of fillies and colts from afar.

"So Peaches, what do you think of the open house so far?" Rarity asked. "Have you met Ms. Thorn? She is quite the, uh, charming teacher isn't she?" Peaches sighed and crossed his arms over his knees.

"It has been okay I guess Rarity, I just wish that other fillies and colts would talk to me," Peaches replied and turned his head to face her. "You're the only filly who talks to me and visits me. Everypony else thinks that I... I am weird." Rarity opened her mouth to reply but quickly closed it. Instead she stood up and pulled Peaches up with her.

"Let's go over to that group over there Peaches, I promised you that I would make you some friends and by Celestia I shall!" Rarity exclaimed. "Are you with me Peaches?" Peaches nodded his head and the two of them made their way over to the group. Some of the ponies in the group noticed that they were coming and quickly alerted the others, causing them to turn around and watch Rarity and Peaches as they approached.

"H- hi everypony," Peaches said. He stayed as close to Rarity as possible since she was the one he felt the most comfortable around. "M- my name is Peaches." He extended his hand, only to receive nothing but silence from the group.

"You must not have heard him," Rarity said. "Everypony, this is Peaches, he is starting here tomorrow. Isn't that exciting?"

"What! Somepony is starting here tomorrow too!?" a filly within the group exclaimed excitedly. Rarity's face fell as she recognized the voice of the filly it belonged to. Not even a second had passed when a pink blur bounced out from the middle of the group and tackled Peaches, bringing them both to the ground. Peaches was stunned only for a moment and when his vision cleared, he was face to face with the pink filly that somehow managed to get on top of him.

"H- he- hel-" Peaches stammered and the filly giggled.

"Well hello to you too Peaches! My name is Pinkie Pie, but you can just call me Pinkie!" Pinkie shouted and eyed him up and down. "Say, you don't look to be from around here, like me! We have so many things in common already! Want to be my friend? Great! We'll be the best of friends! We should make a secret hoofshake, follow my lead!" Pinkie lifted up Peaches' arm and bounced her hoof against his hand three times. She then rolled off and lifted him up before she spun them both around on the spot and somehow it ended with her on his shoulders. "Hurray! You were great Peaches!"

Peaches' face had turned a light shade of green as Pinkie hopped off of his shoulders, but fortunately he didn't vomit and his face returned to normal. He looked at Pinkie who was watching him carefully and he began to laugh, much to her delight. She began to laugh as well while the others, including Rarity, simply watched them, confused as to what just happened.

"Well, that was, uh, interesting, it's nice to see you again Pinkie," Rarity said. Pinkie slowly stopped laughing before she walked over to Rarity and hugged her.

"It's nice to see you again too Rarity! This school year is going to be the best one ever!" Pinkie exclaimed excitedly. "I must go and find more ponies to become friends with! Bye Rarity and Peaches! Bye everypony else! Even you Applejack, I see you in the back there!" Peaches looked over at the group of ponies and spotted Applejack's hat as she took it off and waved it. Pinkie then bounced away, humming a happy little tune while doing so.

"Rarity! I made a friend! I made a new friend!" Peaches shouted joyfully and hugged her before he looked over at the group. "Do any of you want to be my friend too?" One of the colts in the group shook their head, soon followed by a few more, much to Peaches' disappointment.

"Pinkie is friends with pretty much everypony she meets," one of them said. "Well, I guess everypony and weird monsters too."

"Rarity, how in Equestria can you go anywhere near that thing?" another one asked. "My daddy said that he looks exactly like that monster who hurt that pony the other night!"

"Alright, that is enough everypony. Peaches is not a monster. He is just like you, me, and everypony else," Rarity replied calmly, trying to keep the discussion as civil as possible.

"If he is just like us, then how come he doesn't look like us?" a colt yelled.

"Does he even know what a cutie mark is?" another asked.

"Why are his hooves so funny looking?"

"Why is his rear so high in the air? Did a Timberwolf teach him how to walk?"

Most of the group began to laugh except for a few of them. One of those ponies who weren't laughing was Applejack. She thought it was kind of funny at first, but she saw just how much their words were hurting Peaches. She could see it on the poor thing's face. Rarity was trying her best to comfort him and her eyes began to frantically search through the group until she found Applejack.

"Applejack! I know you and I have our differences, but please, help stop this!" Rarity pleaded. "Peaches doesn't deserve this!" Applejack knew that Peaches didn't deserve this type of treatment and she nodded. She opened her mouth to say something when suddenly the school bell rang, signalling that the open house was now over. The group's laughter quickly faded away as they dispersed, leaving Applejack alone with Rarity and Peaches.

"Applejack! Time to go home, there are chores that need to be done!" Applejack's dad yelled in the distance.

"Ah am comin right now Pa! Be right there!" Applejack shouted in reply. She turned her head to face Rarity and their eyes locked momentarily. Applejack sadly dipped her head and mouthed that she was sorry to Rarity before she walked away, much to Rarity's disappointment.

"Well Peaches, that didn't go as well as planned," Rarity said and sighed deeply. "But you know what? It's okay that you're different, that means you are one of a kind. Right Peaches?" Silence was the response Rarity received. "Peaches?" She looked down to find that Peaches was gone, even though he was there just a few moments ago. "Peaches! Oh no, this is the worst possible thing that could happen!" She spun around on the spot and scanned the field, but she couldn't find him anywhere. To make matters worse, Rose and Magnum had approached her after having argued for far too long.

"Hello Rarity, sorry we took so long, your father and I were-" Rose suddenly stopped mid-sentence when she realized that something wasn't right. "Rarity... where is Peaches?" Rarity quickly looked at the ground before she looked up at her father and Rose.

"He... he was right here next to me, and when I went to look at him he was just... gone," Rarity replied.

"Do you have any idea where he went Rarity? Tell me please, quickly!" Rose shouted. When Rarity shook her head, Rose's heart began to race. It wouldn't be long before she began to panic. Peaches hardly ever left her sight, where could he have possibly gone?

"Rose, you have to relax," Magnum said. He didn't want Rose to make a scene in front of the other ponies that were still leaving. "He couldn't have gone far."

"Peaches! Peaches!" Rose shouted, having completely ignored Magnum's advice. "Peaches! Where are you!?" One of the parents that were leaving suddenly stopped and chuckled at Rose.

"Already regretting your decision to let him go Rose Wind?" the stallion asked and shook his head. "To be honest, that little monster is probably better off in the Everfree. Even if you went after him, he's most definitely long gone by now."

Rose slowly approached the stallion and raised her hoof before she smacked him across the side of his face. She smacked him with such force that he stumbled backwards some distance and fell over.

"Nopony shall ever again call my son a monster!" Rose yelled angrily. The stallion rubbed the side of his face and quickly got up and left, having no desire to be near such a crazy mare. Rose was about to gallop off to the Everfree when Magnum held a hoof in front of her. "You can't stop me Magnum, no matter how hard you try." She pushed his hoof away just as Magnum opened his mouth and she galloped away.

"That... wasn't what I was trying to do," Magnum said and he looked down at his daughter. "Rarity, you stay here. The Everfree is too dangerous of a place for you and you'll get your hooves dirty. I'm going after Rose and Peaches."

"But Father I can help!" Rarity exclaimed. "Take me with you, pretty please?"

"No, if I find out you have followed me, you'll be grounded from sewing for a month, understand?" Magnum asked. Rarity opened her mouth to protest but quickly realized it wouldn't do her any good. She simply nodded and watched as her father galloped after Rose. When Magnum knew he was out of Rarity's sight, he turned away from the forest and made a quick detour to the post office. He had to send a letter to Celestia first. Even if they found Peaches, that monster had to be taken care of no matter what. In the distance, a Timberwolf howled.

---

The damp ground squished beneath Peaches' hands and feet as he rushed head-first through the eerie darkness of the Everfree. Tears streamed down his face as he swerved around the trees and vines in his path. He didn't care where he was going, just as long as he was far away from those who were mean to him. Low-lying branches smacked against his bare skin and his clothes, giving him small cuts and leaving angry red patches on his skin.

As the forest slowly grew darker, he was soon unable to see what was ahead of him. Peaches suddenly tripped over a hidden root and landed on the ground face first near the edge of a pool of water. He simply laid there and quietly wept. Fireflies fluttered lazily above him, their light helping to illuminate the quiet little area Peaches had found himself in. After some time had passed, Peaches slowly raised his head and wiped away his tears. Part of his face was caked with mud but he didn't care. He crawled towards the pool of water where he stared at his reflection.

"I know I'm different... I know I don't have a tail and my hooves may look funny, but why do they have to be so mean?" Peaches asked. His reflection didn't reply so he continued. "I do know what a cutie mark is... it's when you discover who you are and what you're meant to be... so what am I meant to be? Who am I?" He splashed the water with his hand and watched as it gently rippled until it was calm once again. "Mommy has always said I was special... but what does she mean? And what about all of those fillies and colts that have a daddy? Where's my daddy... I wish I had a daddy... I wish I knew why everypony was being so mean to me..."

Peaches laid his head down on his arms and closed his eyes, when suddenly, the pool of water in front of him began to glow blue. Peaches noticed this and slowly opened his eyes, only to turn around and quickly crawl away as the water became chaotic. He reached a tree and sat against it as the water slowly became calm again. What happened next was something Peaches did not expect. A glowing white orb slowly rose from the depths of the pool of water until it had at last breached the surface. It hovered there for only a moment when it suddenly began to float away.

Peaches wanted to run away, having already seen enough, but something was pulling him towards the orb, something he simply couldn't resist. He started to follow the orb without question. He had no idea that it was leading him deeper into the Everfree, to a place where no pony had laid hooves in for quite some time. Little did Peaches know that he was being followed by a creature hidden in the shadows. It howled, letting the others know that it had found something, something that had escaped from it so very long ago. The creature followed its prey, but little did it know that the hunter was being hunted itself.

---

As Peaches followed the orb, he began to wonder where it was leading him. The light of the orb caused the creatures of the dark to keep their distance from them. Anything that dared to get too close instantly regretted it when the light scorched them. Before long they had come across an old wooden bridge that was in a sad state of disrepair.

The ropes that held it together were old and frayed and looked like they could snap at any second. Anypony would have thought twice about crossing it, but Peaches did so without question. He trusted the orb, it gave off a feeling of warmth and comfort that could only be compared to that of a mother's touch. When they crossed the bridge, an old stone castle laid before Peaches. The orb floated through the entrance and Peaches was suddenly in control of himself again.

"Hey... hey wait! Glowing thing! Don't leave!" Peaches shouted. He scrambled up the stone steps and went inside, only to find that the orb had disappeared. The sun shone brightly on the ruins, revealing ancient tapestries and vines that had grown between the cracks of the weathered stone. Multiple entrances branched off to different sections of the castle, but what caught Peaches' eye were the two banners that hung on the opposite side of the room. The left one depicted the moon, while the right one depicted the sun.

"Yes... this was once a beautiful place you know," a voice said out of nowhere, causing Peaches to jump in surprise. The voice reverberated around the room, giving it an omnipotent feel. "It was a place of wisdom and magic, but now it is a husk, merely a shadow of what it once was." Peaches looked around the room, but he couldn't find the source of the voice.

"Who are you?" Peaches asked. "You aren't going to hurt me... are you?" There was a moment of silence before the voice spoke again.

"No child, I couldn't harm you even if I had wanted to. As for who I am... you shall learn that soon enough."

Multiple glowing white dots suddenly appeared around the room and began to float towards the center. Upon reaching the center, the dots began to fuse together, which was then followed by a flash of bright light. Peaches shielded his eyes and felt a strange warmth wash over him as the light faded away. When he removed his hand, he couldn't believe what he saw. A tall female Unicorn made of pure white light towered over Peaches, making him feel small.

"Wow... You're... you're pretty..." Peaches mumbled as he stared at the Unicorn in awe.

"Focus child, for I do not have much time," the Unicorn said softly. "This place... I can't protect you here like I did outside for my power isn't as strong as it used to be, but this is the only place where I am able to reveal my true form. Listen carefully to what I-" Her ears suddenly twitched and she quickly scanned the room. "We are not alone young one."

A howl suddenly originated from outside the castle which gave Peaches goosebumps on his arms. Timberwolves suddenly began to pour through the front entrance and encircled Peaches and the Unicorn. They bared their teeth and growled at Peaches and the Unicorn, eager to tear them to shreds. If one of them decided to get close to Peaches, the Unicorn moved in front of it, causing the wolf to return to the circle.

The Unicorn knew that she couldn't protect Peaches for long however, the wolves would soon figure out that she was just a distraction. Another howl came from the entrance and the circle parted to let their leader pass. At last, its prey was within its grasp, nothing could stop it now.

"Mommy... Mommy!" Peaches screamed as the wolf inched closer, its claws scraping against the stone floor. Peaches backed away as his heart began to pound in fear. He looked over at the Unicorn, only to find that she was looking up. Peaches looked up as well and his eyes widened at what he saw. In the window above the entrance stood a strange figure holding a wooden staff. Its face was concealed by a mask, but what caught Peaches attention the most was that it had limbs... just like his. It stood upright on two legs and yelled something that Peaches couldn't understand. To him it was just gibberish.

"Now this is an interesting turn of events..." the Unicorn whispered.

The creature suddenly jumped down from the window and landed on the nearest Timberwolf, shattering the wolf beneath its feet. The Timberwolves were startled at first, but they quickly turned on the newcomer and attacked it. The leader of the pack turned around when he was just inches away from Peaches and joined the battle as well. Peaches watched as the creature moved gracefully, avoiding claws and teeth while bashing them with its staff.

Twigs and dirt went flying as each Timberwolf fell before it, but the problem with Timberwolves was that they were able to put themselves back together. The creature knew this though and swept the floor with its leg periodically, scattering the pieces whenever they came close together. It wasn't long until it was just the leader and the creature left standing.

The leader growled at the creature, annoyed that it was somehow able to take down its pack with ease. The creature extended its hand and made a gesture that taunted the Timberwolf. Having had enough, the Timberwolf charged at the creature and the creature charged at the Timberwolf. Peaches closed his eyes, not wanting to see the outcome.

As the two opponents came closer to each other, the masked creature reached inside its clothing and brought out a tiny satchel, along with a strange looking device. She wrapped the satchel around the tip of her staff and nodded, content with its handiwork. The creature suddenly dropped to the ground and slid underneath the Timberwolf. It impaled the wolf with its staff as it passed under it and stood up immediately afterwards.

The Timberwolf had tripped and fallen onto the remains of his pack and growled at the creature as the creature took aim with its device. Peaches heard the creature yell something which was followed by a very loud bang and an explosion as the satchel burst into flame. Peaches opened his eyes to find that the creature was breathing heavily as it stared at the remains of the Timberwolves that burned before it. The strange device it held was giving off smoke at its tip when the creature suddenly dropped it, letting it clang against the stone floor. The creature suddenly turned around and stared at Peaches before it slowly began to walk towards him. Peaches began to back away, but the Unicorn put a hoof on his shoulder. He couldn't feel the Unicorn's hoof, but the gesture was enough to calm him down.

"Stay calm child, this stranger shall not harm you," the Unicorn said gently and stood to the side as the creature crouched in front of Peaches. Peaches could feel its eyes studying him and it slowly reached out and brushed its hand against his face. Peaches flinched at the contact, but he didn't dare move. The creature brought its hand back and held it to its chest as it slowly lifted its mask. Peaches eyes widened as he saw the creature's face for what he believed was the first time.

"Ol... Oliver? It... it can't be! Oliver!" Clara exclaimed. The small boy in front of her didn't respond. She could see that he was scared and confused, but there was no doubt about it. This boy in front of her... it was her son. Oliver suddenly made some strange sounds that Clara couldn't understand. It was as if he had been taught an alien language and not English. She didn't care though and embraced him with a long overdue hug. Tears of joy began to roll down her face as she realized she was no longer alone in this strange and painful land.

Peaches didn't resist the creature's hug, although that wasn't what he had asked it to do. He had asked the creature what its name was and why it looked so much like him. He looked over at the Unicorn and it simply smiled at them. Suddenly, they heard a noise at the entrance and Clara spun around and withdrew a knife while pushing Peaches behind her. Peaches peeked out from behind her and saw that it was Rose at the entrance.

"Peaches... Peaches are you in here?" Rose asked. She was breathing heavily and paused as a gross scent filled her nostrils. "Ugh... it smells awful in here. What's burning?"

"Mommy!" Peaches exclaimed joyfully and rushed out from behind Clara and over to Rose. Clara tried to grab him but just missed and watched as her son embraced the pony that had appeared. Clara looked behind her at the glowing white Unicorn, but it remained silent. It wanted to observe what was going to happen next.

"Peaches, I'm so glad you're safe!" Rose exclaimed and nuzzled his head. "Don't you ever disappear like that again okay? I was scared to death! The Everfree is no place for a-" She stopped as her eyes fell upon the pile of burning Timberwolves and then the creature who had risen to its full height. "Peaches, get behind me. Now." Peaches did as he was told as Clara began to close the distance between her and Rose.

"You! Pony thing! Stay away from my son!" Clara yelled and sheathed her knife. "Nothing will ever take him away from me again! Nothing!" Clara went to shove Rose out of the way. She had no desire to harm or kill the pony, but those were options she would resort to if she didn't get her way. Rose braced herself as Clara brought her arms back and shoved her away, but she only managed to move Rose back a step. Rose didn't take too kindly to this and brought her hoof down on Clara's right foot. She heard a crack and watched as Clara cried out in pain, only to feel pain herself when Clara brought her arm back and punched her across the jaw. Rose then pounced on Clara and the two tumbled to the ground, each trying to overpower the other.

"You won't harm my colt you monster!" Rose yelled. She was suddenly thrown off and slid to a stop next to the white Unicorn. Clara rolled over and unsheathed her knife as she stood up.

"I have seen enough, stop this pointless battle at once," the Unicorn said. Clara didn't listen to her though, how could she? All she heard was gibberish as she slowly approached the fallen pony. Peaches had begun to cry as he watched the battle, but it wasn't until Rose had fallen that he decided to do something. He rushed over to Rose and threw himself on top of her just as Clara began to bring down her knife. Clara was stopped by an invisible force however and she and Rose were lifted and thrown back onto the floor in front of Peaches and the Unicorn.

"Wh- what?" Clara exclaimed as she watched her knife disentegrate before her very eyes. She couldn't move at all. It was as if control of her body had been given to a puppet master. "What is the meaning of this?"

"You will accomplish nothing by fighting here foreigner," the Unicorn said and Clara's eyes widened. "If you can't set aside your hostility, how can you possibly hope to achieve anything in this land?"

"I... I can understand you..." Clara whispered and looked over at Rose. "You! Pony! Say something!" Rose coughed as she turned her head and frowned at Clara.

"You are a strange and rude creature, did you know that?" Rose asked and coughed again.

"How... how is this possible?" Clara asked. "You all sounded like... like horses, but it's like you're speaking English now!"

"English? Lady, you're speaking Equestrian, you know, the most common language in the world," Rose said and the Unicorn nodded.

"The Earth Pony is correct. I have made it so you could understand us for the time being, it will wear off eventually" the Unicorn said. "Now please, listen to what I have to say. We are all in great danger."

"Danger? What do you possibly mean?" Rose asked.

"I have... I have seen a vision. An old enemy seeks to obtain something that was taken from them, something that could lead to their eventual domination of everything and anything," the Unicorn replied and Clara gasped.

"No... it can't be... not the Zek!" Clara yelled and the Unicorn nodded.

"Yes, the Zek, but the vision wasn't entirely clear," the Unicorn replied and an unconscious Peaches levitated in front of Rose and Clara. "This child... he was there in my vision as well."

"My son?" Rose and Clara asked in unison and they looked at each other in disbelief.

"How can he be your son? Oliver looks nothing like you pony!" Clara shouted.

"Oh? And that makes him your son all of a sudden? As far as I'm concerned, I'm the one that found Peaches in the Everfree and raised him!" Rose shot back and Clara gasped.

"You... you stole my son!? You are the one who caused me such grief!? How dare you, you son of a-"

"Enough!" the Unicorn yelled and Clara and Rose felt their mouths be sealed shut by the strange Unicorn's power. "Yes, your son has a part to play in all of this it seems, although what exactly the outcome will be is unclear to me."

"So... is he going to be some type of hero or something?" Clara asked and the Unicorn sighed.

"His destiny is unknown to me... but what I do know is that we can stop the Zek," the Unicorn replied. "This child is indeed a curious case, I feel the very magic of the land itself pulsing through his veins, but... I do not know why. His necklace has some sort of strange magic within it, and it is the reason why the Zek are coming."

"The particle transporter..." Clara whispered.

"If we want to stop the Zek, this child will have to travel across the land to find others like me," the Unicorn continued. "I am the Guardian of Magic, but my power alone is not sufficient to stop the Zek. There are six of us in total... but this child is not yet old enough to take on this burden."

"Then what should we do in the meantime?" Rose asked. "When do we tell him that he'll be the one responsible for the fate of this world? This all sounds insane..."

"He'll have to discover it for himself," the Guardian replied. "He'll make many enemies and allies... everything will come to him in due time."

"What about his true origins?" Clara asked. "As much as this pony over here likes to say it, he is a human like me, not a pony. I have to teach him our way of life. He is a son of man!"

"That... is for the both of you to decide," the Guardian said and she began to flicker in and out of existence. "Only by working in harmony... can you achieve greatness... Child, I bestow upon thee this gift... use it wisely..." The Guardian of Magic walked around Peaches and stood still as she began to concentrate. She lowered her head until her horn was pressed against his chest and she began to glow softly. Peaches' hand glowed white as the Guardian's gift kick-started something that had laid dormant within him since his arrival. A mark appeared on his right hand, although it looked incomplete, as if it was a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces.

"Until we meet again... son of man..." The Guardian turned around and nodded at Clara and Rose as she suddenly disappeared, freeing them from their magical bonds. They dropped to the floor and immediately rushed over to Peaches who had gently floated to the ground. Clara cradled his head in her lap and gently brushed his face with her hand.

"I... I just want to say that I'm... sorry," Rose said as she held Peaches' hand and looked at Clara. "I'm sorry for causing you so much pain... I didn't know Peaches had family still..."

"His name is Oliver," Clara replied and she sighed. "I'm sorry too... I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that. I just didn't want to lose my son again."

"Well... what should we do now? You can't exactly live in Ponyville, everypony believes you want to eat them and there is nowhere for you to stay. They want to lock you away," Rose said and Clara shrugged.

"I'll find a way... Just as long as I can teach him how to live like the way he was meant to, he can live among the rest of you for the time being miss...?"

"Oh! My name is Rose Wind, but you can just call me Rose," Rose replied. "What's your name?"

"The name is Clara Bousfield, but please, call me Clara." Rose nodded her head when suddenly a rock fell on top of Clara's head, knocking her out cold immediately. She slumped over as Rose looked over at the entrance to discover that Magnum was standing there. The glow surrounding his horn slowly faded away as he galloped over to Rose.

"Rose! Are you alright? That monster didn't hurt you did it?" Magnum asked and Rose shook her head as she stood up.

"No! Well... a little, but why did you do that!? She wasn't a threat to anypony!" Rose shouted angrily.

"You're right Rose, and she won't be a threat to anypony for a very long time," Magnum replied and his horn glowed as he shot sparks high into the sky.

"Magnum, what did you do!?" Rose asked.

"Something that should have been done the day this monster began to terrorize our town."

Not much time passed when Rose suddenly noticed a shadow of a carriage pass overhead. She heard it come to a stop just outside of the castle and she held her breath as she heard the sound of hooves slowly approaching them. Her eyes widened and she knelt as best as she could for the pony that had appeared. It was none other than Princess Celestia herself.

Author's Note:

To my dear readers, I apologize for the delay and long overdue release of part two. Thank you for your patience and continued support, it's an absolute blast writing chapters for all of you to enjoy. The reason for the delay? Well, Majora's Mask came out and I simply couldn't put it down until I finished it, plus real world obligations and such. In other news, a new cover is currently in development for the story and I am also searching for an editor and/or proofreader. Feel free to PM me if you're interested and stay tuned for more chapters! Woohoo!

Comments

[mylaptop]

When can we expect the next chapter?

[Mossbender]

6062329 That's tough to say. I've been busy focusing on some of my other stories as they have been neglected greatly and need to be finished. However, I hope to come back to this one soon. I don't have an exact date, but I promise that it hasn't been forgotten.

[Amethyst Blade]

[Teron Gorefiend]

Please make more!