• Published 8th Feb 2016
  • 1,803 Views, 63 Comments

DOCTOR - Deidorimu



Equestria has fallen into chaos by Discord, Celestia and Luna fight desperately to keep Equestria in peace. Simultaneously, criminals and villains take this time as an opportunity for greed and power. And in the mid-center of this chaos lies a doctor

  • ...
4
 63
 1,803

The Mystery Stallion: Part One (S1C1)

DISCORDIAN ERA

1422 Years Before Return of Luna

Dean Cornelius Do, a gray earth pony with a short well kept black mane. He had violet eyes and a constellation for a cutie mark.

His special talent of course told those around him that he was an astronomer. A pony interested in stars, planets, constellations. Yet he himself did not feel that way. He enjoyed such studies with great enthusiasm. However, convincing himself that he was an astronomer would be false. He didn't feel like an astronomer. He felt like a dreamer.

All his life he had wanted to study the stars and use this knowledge in an attempt to discover a new constellation. He wanted to discover this brand new constellation and share his discovery with all of Equestria. However, with the current technology present in Equestria, Dean would have to somehow invent a brand new telescope. One that was more powerful than the current model of telescopes. Or, he would have to find someone who can invent one for him. Currently it was impossible to discover a completely brand new constellation. It seemed that all of them had been discovered by other astronomers. Yet Dean knew better. He knew there were more stars out there, he just needed a powerful telescope, one that did not exist. So here he was, in a silent forest, off to the edge of Equestria. Traveling home as he hopes of finding someone to invent such a telescope for him. He knew how to work telescopes, yet inventing one that was more powerful than the current models was beyond him. He was an astronomer, not an inventor. He was willing to pay a very wealthy price to any inventor who can build such device. His family owned a farm that was taking business very well. So money was, currently, no concern to him. But to Dean money, the fear of being lost in this forest, or the probability of never finding an adequate inventor was the least of his concerns. What he and the rest of Equestria feared most was the Spirit of Chaos, Discord.

Although no pony knows who he is or where he came from, Discord had appeared out of the blue one day. And the first thing he did was take over Mane City, the capital of Equestria. From what Dean had heard, Discord had defeated Princess Celestia and Princess Luna in a duel. After their defeat, Discord sought out to spread his chaos magic through the rest of Equestria, making Mane City the chaos capital of the country. The princesses are doing everything they can to contain his magic, yet the princesses are fighting a losing battle. Day after day Discord's magic is covering more and more of Equestria. It is theorized that within months, Discord will have taken over all of Equestria.

Dean didn't fear the things that Discord was doing. He didn't fear what would happen to himself if he was caught within Discord's magic. He wasn't afraid of what he would do to his family either . . . okay, he was a little afraid. He knew they were in good hoofs, though. Discord had spread his magic to Dodge Junction where his family's farm was located. He had arranged a deal with them stating that they can continue their business as long as they don't participate in any rebellions against Discord. Apparently there are ponies out there who (despite the fact that Discord is significantly stronger then them) are fighting back against Discord. His family were fighters (everyone but him). They would fight to protect those that are precious to them. Equestria was their home, and that was something worth fighting for. Yet at the same time, fighting back would cause them to lose their farm. The farm was their only source of income. Although they despised Discord and wanted to fight back for Equestria. Reluctantly, they agreed to his terms and stayed out of any rebellions against him. Equestria was their home, but to Dean, family came first.

Dean knew his family was safe. He wasn't afraid of what was happening to them. What he was afraid of was how Discord's influence would affect his dreams. He was afraid of going through so much trouble to accomplish his dreams, only to fail in the end. He didn't want to be a failure. He didn't want Discord to ruin his dreams for him.

Yet at the moment, Dean didn't need Discord to ruin his dreams for him, he was doing a fine job ruining his dreams himself.

After all the planning, scheduling, packing, and list making he had done. Dean still managed to find himself lost in the middle of a forest. He had asked for directions and the ponies he had asked were kind enough to give him a map. Yet Dean, for the life of him, couldn't read the map at all. Years of study, star mapping, constellation drawing. Yet here he was, lost in a forest because he couldn't read a map.

Dean sat against a rock and face hoofed at this irony.

The trip shouldn't have even lasted this long! Dodge Junction was a mere five miles away. This trip should have last a few hours. Yet he had somehow found himself traveling for two days.

Dean sighed and glared at the map for the eightieth time. "If I continue traveling south east, then I should arrive at the creek. Then if I follow the creek then I should find myself at a . . . uh . . . what? What is that? Some sort of big blue mountain? But this is a forest! There shouldn't be any . . . Oh, wait, that's the lake . . . AGH! Why is this darn thing so hard to read!" Dean shouted in a British accent. He crumpled the map and threw it off into the forest somewhere. Dean sighed and lifted himself off the rock. "I shouldn't have lost my temper, now I've got to find the darn thing" Dean muttered. He climbed over a large bush, and searched the surrounding area for several minutes, not finding the map anywhere. After searching through the tenth bush, Dean groaned and threw his forelegs into the air. "Where the blazes did that blasted map go!"

Suddenly, the sound of a twig snapping could be heard. Dean turned around quickly, finding nothing there. He cocked his eyebrow in suspicion, then continued searching for his map. He walked for a few feet, then spotted a wrinkly white ball close to a bush. Smiling triumphantly, Dean ran to the ball and crouched down. "There you are!" he said, happily unfolding the ball into a flat map again. "Alright! No more games! Time to trek on and-" Before he could finish, Dean had stood up and bumped the top of his head into something large. Rubbing the top of his head, Dean backed up and found himself face to face with a manticore.

A very angry and hungry manticore from Dean's perspective. "O-Oh! H-Hello there! I-Is this your part of the f-forest? My m-mistake! I'll just be h-heading off now!" Dean had taken a single step back when the manticore roared in his face. Dean screamed and ran in the opposite direction. Jumping over bushes, dodging trees, Dean made haste to escape the Manticore. To no prevail. The Manticore was much faster and stronger then Dean. Within a few seconds, the Manticore was a mere few inches away from Dean's tail. Dean having noticed this made a sharp turn left at a tree. While turning, Dean grabbed and pulled a low hanging thin branch on the tree forward. Once releasing, the branch snapped back into position, whipping the manticore across the face. The manticore roared in pain as he stopped to rub his stinging eyes. Dean took this opportunity to gallop several feet, make a quick jump over thorn bushes, turn right and hide behind a tree.

Blinking the sweat out of his eyes, Dean slowly peered around the tree, looking to find his attacker's location. He only looked for a second before whipping his head back behind the tree. He tried to silent his heavy breathing and slow his violent shakes, making himself as quiet as possible as to not be detected.

Dean could hear the manticore's movements. The heavy beast stomping about, sniffing the air, searching for his prey.

Dean decided to risk another peek around the tree. 'If the manticore's close, I'll throw a rock in the opposite direction. While he's distracted, I'll make a run for it!', thought Dean. Slowly, Dean peered around the corner. He saw the manticore sniffing at the air, facing the opposite direction. Dean thought that this was a good sign, that his attacker had lost him and would be leaving.

This thought didn't last two seconds.

While in mid-thought, the manticore stopped sniffing and immediately snapped his head in Dean's direction. Dean flung his head back behind the tree, but it was too late.

From the manticore's perspective he had caught a very slight glimpse of dark brown hair hide behind a tree a few dozen feet from him. That glimpse was all the manticore needed to verify the location of his prey. Slowly, the manticore walked straight to Dean's location.

Dean could hear the manticore's heavy paw steps, coming closer and closer to him. Fear rising inside him, Dean could no longer control his breathing or his shakes. He sweat profusely as he tried to figure out a new plan. A million options popping in and out of his head, the fear no longer allowing him to put any of it into one clear plan of action. He began to panic, genuinely feeling that this would be the end of his road, that this forest would be his resting place.

'Maybe it won't be so bad', thought Dean. 'Maybe he'll bite my head off first, that way I won't feel anything. Of course after that I'll be digested and . . . turned into feces. Oh Celestia, this is not how I wanted to go!' Dean sat on his rear and folded his fore legs over his head, waiting for the inevitable. The manticore's heavy paw steps continued to walk closer and closer to Dean.

Then, it stopped.

Listening closely, Dean no longer heard the manticore's paw steps. He instead heard his breathing.

The manticore was right behind him.

As Dean braced himself, he suddenly heard a voice shout from somewhere behind him and the manticore.

"Hey you!" the voice shouted.

Dean gasped at the new voice. He peered around the tree to see who it was.

He was an old white pegasus, his graying hair turning white showed that he was quite elderly. He wore a long sleeved grey button up shirt with the sleeves rolled to his knees, a black dress vest over the shirt with a pocket watch chain hanging out the pocket and a dark blue tie. Upon his head, he wore a fedora, black with a grey string lining trim. He had a cutie mark of a shimmering, golden, twelve pointed compass with a bright blue flame in the center. Dean had noticed that he too had a British accent.

He stood staring at the manticore with complete confidence, not a hint a fear could be detected in his eyes.

Dean saw that the manticore was no longer paying him any attention and was now focused on the stranger. Dean felt a brief second of relief towards himself before a sudden wave of fear for the stranger came upon him. He looked directly into the stranger's red eyes and silently messaged him to run away.

The stranger caught the message and ignored it, paying no attention towards Dean, only the manticore.

Taking a step forward, the stranger said, "yeah you! Big manticore! What do you think you're doing? Coming into this forest and scaring the local critters!? That's no way to behave!"

'What is that old fool doing!?!' Dean internally shouted. He made several hoof signals telling the stranger not to provoke the manticore and to run away. Once again the stranger ignored him.

The manticore growled at the stranger and started walking towards him. Simultaneously, the stranger began walking towards the manticore.

"You know, a large animal like yourself hunting for his meal is understandable. That's just the way that nature works. What I don't understand is what a manticore like yourself is even doing here. Manticores don't belong here, especially during this time of year, in the summer. Too hot for your kind. so-". The stranger stopped as he was nose to nose with the manticore. He smiled and said, "why are you here big fella?"

The manticore roared into the stranger's face, splattering him with spit.

The stranger sighed, pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the spit from his face. He then calmly came close to the growling manticore. Before the manticore could react, the stranger pinched him on a spot on his neck. This caused the manticore to freeze and fall over. As soon as he did, the stranger floated above the manticore and began rubbing his belly. "There see, isn't this much better then prowling around growling at everypony?" The manticore didn't respond or show any signs, to Dean the manticore appeared to be in a trance of some sort. All anger or hunger the manticore possessed was now gone, his pupils had dilated and he seemed calm.

Perplexed, Dean slowly left his hiding spot and approached the stranger and manticore. He looked to the stranger, then to the manticore, then back to the stranger. Dean stuttered, "b-but, but, h-how!?!"

"Speak clearly sonny, I haven't an idea what you're saying" said the stranger, now gently scratching the manticore beneath the chin.

"What in Equestria did you do to it?" asked Dean.

"Him, he's not an 'it' he's a him. And what I did was simply pinch a nerve, one that sends signals to his brain telling him to relax and lose tension. Sort of like a pressure point, but without hurting him or knocking him unconscious", the stranger explained.

"S-So we're safe?" asked Dean.

"Only for a little while. As soon as I stop petting him his hunger will slowly return to him, and so will his anger".

Dean gulped, "s-so what do we do? D-Do we kill it or- OW!"

Dean had suddenly been smacked on the head by the stranger. Rubbing his head, Dean looked to the stranger to find him glaring angrily at him.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" he shouted.

"What!? What did I do!?"

"You said we should kill him!"

"I was just trying to figure out what we should do!"

"And killing isn't an option!"

"He tried to kill me!"

"Of course he tried to kill you! He's a manticore! An animal! He lives in the wild and hunts for his food! You on the other hoof are a pony! Your sentient! You know better then the manticore does! And besides, look at him! He won't hurt you now! Not while he's like this! Are you honestly going to take this creature's life while he's subdued?"

Dean thought for a moment. He looked to the manticore, then to the stranger and sighed. "Okay so what do you propose we do?"

"Simple, he tried to kill you because he was hungry, so all we have to do is feed him! Honestly, it wasn't that difficult to come up with a solution, I'm surprised you didn't think of it! A young stallion your age nonetheless!" said the stranger.

Dean glared angrily at the stranger, "what do you mean feed it!? You honestly expect me to help you feed some wild beast?"

"I'm not expecting you to do anything! You can go off and try to find your way out of the forest alone! I don't care! I can take care of the manticore by myself anyhow! Oh! And you'll be needing this!" said the stranger, as he threw a crumpled piece of paper to Dean.

Dean caught it and unfolded the paper. "My map?"

"You dropped it while you were running away and screaming like a little filly" said the stranger.

Dean's cheeks turned red and he growled angrily at the stranger.

The stranger chuckled and said, "if you're going to Dodge Junction you'll need to head that way". He pointed in the direction behind Dean. "You clearly need to learn how to read a map, you've been traveling in the wrong direction the whole time".

'Seriously!?! I have!?!' Dean internally shouted. "Well, you seem to have the situation under control, thank you for the directions and for saving my life".

"Don't mention it. You wouldn't have needed saving if you hadn't been stupid enough to actually go into a forest without knowing how to read a bloody map!"

"It was a mistake and it won't happen again!" said Dean through gritted teeth. "Nonetheless, thank you for assisting me. I'll be off now".

"Fine, go, I'll take care of the manticore". said the stranger, who had been petting the manticore the entire time.

Dean having realized this asked, "all by yourself?"

"Well nopony else is here and you're leaving so yes, all by myself".

"But aren't you a bit-" Dean paused, looking for a nice way to phrase his wording. " . . . Fragile to be handling a creature like that on your own?"

"Are you calling me old!?"

"What!?! No, no, no! I was just-"

"I'll have you know that I am still in my prime! Ninety four may seem old for a common pony like yourself, but for me, I'm still a child! Six years more and I'll be ten for common pony age!"

"Um, I beg your pardon?"

"Peh! Never you mind! You wouldn't understand! Just go! Get out of the forest! Get out of here and try to not get yourself killed this time!"

"All right fine! I'm leaving!" said Dean. He straighten his saddlebags and turned to leave. As he did, he heard the stranger behind him say to the manticore, "all right big guy, time to get up. I'm going to take you somewhere you can eat!"

"Crazy old stallion" Dean muttered under his breath as he walked away. Dean walked for a few feet before he stopped. He turned back to the stranger and the manticore, both of which were walking away in the opposite direction. Dean thought for a moment, 'that old stallions seriously going to feed that thing? He must be mad! But he did save my life, the least I could do is make sure he stays safe. What? No! What am I thinking!?! He's not the one needing protection! I am! If he can handle a manticore he can handle whatever else this forest has to offer! I on the other hoof am leaving right now!' Dean walked a few more feet then stopped again. 'But he saved me! I have to pay him back! . . . . I really shouldn't follow him . . . ', Dean thought. He tried to get his legs moving again and found that he couldn't. He couldn't help but look back at the stranger as he walked deep into the forest with the manticore.

"Oh! blast it all!" said Dean, frustrated. He turned back to the stranger and galloped to him.

"Oi! Wait up!" Dean shouted as he approached him.

Without stopping, the stranger said, "so, you decided to join us?"

"Us?" Dean asked, out of breath.

"The manticore and I".

"Ah, right, us" said Dean, as he looked uneasily at the manticore. "Well I, uh, thought that if I joined you I could perhaps . . . repay you. Or at least give you company. That and you seem to know how to get through this forest so I figured you could lend me a hoof and help me out of here".

The stranger chuckled, "I don't need you to repay me for anything. Ponies get themselves into trouble all the time. If I happened to come across one who's gotten himself or herself into a pinch, I'll lend a helping hoof as best as I can. I don't do it for rewards or fame, I do it because it's the right thing to do and everyone should do the same. A shame that nopony else thinks that way".

"Indeed, but I still feel the need to thank you in some sort of way".

The stranger sighed, "alright, how about this. You can join me while I help this manticore and I'll help you to Dodge Junction-".

"But then you'll be helping me again, I'll be further in your debt".

"On the contrary. You see, I am an adventurer, I travel all over not just Equestria, but the entire world! It may sound exciting, but after awhile, seeing all the cities and meeting new ponies, it just isn't as fun when you do it alone. After awhile, the excitement dies down and gets stale. So, if you're with me, you can bring some of that excitement back to my adventure!"

"You want me to travel the world with you?" asked Dean.

"No, just until we get to Dodge Junction, that way the trip won't be so boring if either of us are alone".

"Oh, well I wouldn't want to distract you from where you're going-".

"I told you, I'm an adventurer! I don't have a destination! I go where the wind takes me! Not literally of course, I'd be stuck at the poles right now if that were true. But nevertheless! You can travel with me until we get to Dodge Junction, then the trip is over. You can consider this paying me back. Is that alright with you?".

"Well, yes I guess so. Thanks".

"What are you thanking me for, your repaying me, I should be the one thanking" said the stranger, smiling to Dean.

Dean smiled back and looked to the manticore. "How did you get him to follow you without him attacking?"

"I just told him we were going somewhere to eat and he followed".

"Really? That's all it took?"

The stranger nodded.

"Wow", Dean muttered.

The walked in silence for a few moments before Dean asked, "so, do you always bring someone on your adventures?"

"No, you'd be the first actually. My adventure's becoming stale due to my loneliness is actually a rather new predicament that I have not encountered before. I have always felt lonely every now and again, but not like this".

"So, you need a companion?" asked Dean.

"I don't need one" said the stranger, annoyed.

"Sounds like you could use one".

The stranger looked to Dean for a moment, then sighed. "I guess it would be nice to have a companion". The stranger looked to Dean and smiled, "but only until we get to Dodge Junction".

"Agreed, being your companion full time I get the feeling I'd be killed, especially if what you did earlier is how your life is daily".

The stranger shrugged, "every other day perhaps".

"So, how long have you been adventuring for anyway?" asked Dean.

"Oh for awhile now, thirty years? Forty perhaps? I'm not sure really, Once you get to my age you stop counting. I might start counting when I get young again".

"Pardon?"

"Never mind, don't worry about it".

"Right . . . hey I just realized, I never got your name-".

"And your not going to either". said the stranger, suddenly.

"What? Why not?"

"Because names are powerful, they can form great bonds with ponies. A bond which I do not wish to make with someone who I am only traveling with temporarily".

" . . . I think you overthink these things a tad bit too much. Well if you're not going to tell me your name I'll just tell you mine. I am Dean Cornelius Do, nice to meet you!" said Dean as he extended his hoof to the stranger.

The stranger hesitated for a moment, then shook his hoof, "Pleasure".

"So, Mystery Stallion, what exactly are you doing here in the forest?"

"Just coming to relax in its scenery, nothing more to it. I was sitting against a tree reading my book when I heard you scream".

"So it's just coincidence that you found me?" asked Dean.

"Well what else could it be? Fate? Destiny?"

Dean chuckled, "I'd sooner believe the tooth fairy told you where I was then something as silly as destiny".

At that remark, the Mystery Stallion looked at Dean for a moment then asked, "what about you? Why are you here?"

"Well, I was in Mane City, studying at a college for astronomy. That is until that demon came along".

"You mean Discord? You were there when it happened?"

Dean nodded, "I wasn't there to see it first hoof. That and I got lucky. The day Discord defeated the princesses and took over Mane City was the day I just so happened to have been asked by my teacher to retrieve a spare part for one of his telescopes. One of which is only sold outside of Mane City".

"Ah, so while you were out of Mane City retrieving the part, Discord took over Mane City and everyone inside".

"Yes, as soon as I saw his chaos take over the city I ran away as far as I could. I camped in the plains for a few days before I met a traveling merchant. Spent the rest of my bits buying supplies and I was lucky enough to find some nice pony who offered me his map. Been traveling for a couple weeks now trying to get to Dodge Junction, back to my home".

The Mystery Stallion nodded, indicating that he was listening.

"I survived what happened, but as for everypony else. Well, I'm just not sure, I haven't heard any news since I left. I just hope my teacher and fellow classmates made it out alive".

There was a moment of silence between the two before the Mystery Stallion spoke. "I'm sorry Dean, no pony escaped the city that day".

Dean looked to the Mystery Stallion, stunned. "I beg your pardon?"

"Anypony who was in the city that day stayed in the city. As soon as his chaos magic spread, no pony could leave it. Like you said, you were lucky enough to have not been in the city when it happen. However, anyone who was in the city, well-" he didn't finish, he didn't have to.

Dean knew exactly what he meant. His teacher, his friends, everyone that he knew in Mane City. All of them were gone. Whether dead or alive, nopony knew-

"But their not dead" said the Mystery Stallion.

"What!?!" 'Okay, so one pony does know', thought Dean. "But, how do you-"

"Discord is the spirit of chaos. He finds joy in creating havoc, destruction, and making everyone go crazy in panic and despair. But, the thing about chaos is that you need ponies to have it! Without them, it wouldn't be chaos, it would just be bad weather on an empty planet. To have chaos you need disorder, and to have disorder you need ponies. In other words, to have Discord you need ponies. Discord is a powerful, mad, chaos spreading lunatic. But he's not a murderer. Everypony that's trapped in that city may not be completely safe, but they won't be dying, I can assure you of that".

"B-But how do you know this?" asked Dean.

"I just do, trust me. And as soon as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna defeat Discord and turn him into stone, all of the ponies trapped in that city will be freed".

"But the Princesses were defeated, what makes you think they can beat him?" asked Dean.

There was a slight pause, small, but noticeable. Then the Mystery Stallion said, "you just need to have faith, especially when the ones you need faith in may just be your only hope".

Dean thought of this for a moment then replied, " . . . Okay, I see . . . wait, why would they turn Discord into stone? Why wouldn't they banish him to the sun or moon or something?"

"Why do you say he'd turn into stone?" asked the Mystery Stallion.

"Because you said so".

"No I didn't".

"Um, yes you did"

"No I did not".

"Yes! You did! You specifically said that the princesses are going to defeat Discord by-"

"We're here!" the Mystery Stallion shouted suddenly.

Dean stopped for a moment, annoyed at the interruption, then continued walking.

The three were now at a small river in the forest. The only sound that could be heard was the fast flowing water of the river.

"What are we doing here? I thought he was hungry" said Dean.

"And what do you think rivers provide?" asked the Mystery Stallion.

The manticore immediately jumped into the river and plunged his head into the water. A few seconds later his head emerged from the river and in his mouth he held a large orange fish. He ate the creature whole and plunged for another.

The Mystery Stallion gave Dean a smirk. Dean crossed his forelegs and looked away. "Alright, sorry I questioned you. I now see you knew exactly what you were doing. But could you at least tell me your plans ahead of time that way I can stay in the loop".

"If you try to keep up and pay attention then maybe it wouldn't be so hard" said the Mystery Stallion.

Dean face hoofed and turned to watch the manticore eat.

Ten minutes later the manticore had finished. Once finished with his meal, the manticore had sprawled onto the ground to take a nap.

Meanwhile, the Mystery Stallion was rummaging through the manticore's fur and hair, as if searching for something. Curious, Dean asked, "what are you doing? The manticore's finished eating, can we leave now?"

"Not yet, there's something I'm looking for".

"Like what?" Dean asked, getting annoyed.

"Aren't you at least the slightest bit curious as to why you were even attacked by a manticore today?"

"Um, I already know why I was attacked by a manticore, it was hungry".

"No Dean, it's not as simple as "he was hungry". Honestly, you don't know why of all creatures that attacked you in a forest today, it just so happened that that creature would be an eight hundred pound manticore?"

"Well lots of manticore live in forests-"

"Yes that be true, but! Why did it just so happened to be a manticore today of all days?"

"Oh I don't know! How should I know!?"

The Mystery Stallion was silent for a moment as he rummaged through the manticore's hair. Suddenly he stopped and asked, "do you remember what I said earlier? When I had first approached the manticore?"

"Sort of, I was a bit too scared at the moment to really-"

"I was asking the manticore what he was doing here. For you to understand why I'm going to go a bit off topic. Tell me Dean, where are we?"

"A . . . forest?"

"And what time of the year is it?"

"June 5th".

"The season!"

"Summer!"

"So we're in a forest in the summer"

"Okay what is your point to this!?!" asked a frustrated Dean.

"Because Dean! We're in a forest in the summer! What should we be hearing!"

"Hearing?"

"Yes hearing! What should we be hearing!?"

"I don't know! Leaves! The river! Birds-"

"BIRDS! EXACTLY! And what don't we hear right now?"

"I- well-" Dean froze, the gears in his head suddenly turning. He turned away from the stallion and cupped his hoofs to his left ear. He listened closely, and yet the only sound he heard was the water. Nothing more, nothing less. "But . . . I heard birds . . . earlier today-"

"Ah yes, but that was before you encountered the manticore, wasn't it?"

"Well, yes but-"

"Like I told you earlier, you've been traveling the wrong way to Dodge Junction. Instead of the way you were supposed to go you instead went deeper into the forest. And as you got deeper, things became more . . . silent? Didn't it?"

Dean had begun to feel uneasy at this point. "I-I never noticed, the birds, I just didn't think of them. What does this mean?"

"It means this" said the Mystery Stallion, holding the manticore's ear and pointing to it.

Dean looked closely to his ear and saw a red and black tag, pierced into the manticore's ear.

The tag read:

Manticore #54
Group: B
Section: 4
Dismissal: 11:30

"What is that?" asked Dean.

"It's a tag from who ever caught him".

"Caught him?"

The Mystery Stallion nodded. He released the manticore's ear and stepped away. Turning to Dean he said, "the reason you're not hearing any birds Dean, is because someone's stealing them".

"Someone's stealing the birds?"

The Stallion nodded.

"But if that's true then what about the manticore? What does he have to do with this?"

"Oh come on Dean! Think! It's summer! Manticore's are large creatures with lots of hair! It's dreadfully hot for a creature like this big fella to be in a forest like this in the summer! He and the rest of his kind would migrate to somewhere cooler. You being attacked by a manticore today, that shouldn't have happened! The reason why is because a manticore shouldn't have even been here in the first place!"

"Well he was here" said Dean, pointing to the manticore.

The Stallion sighed, "You're missing the point! Yes the manticores here but he's not supposed to be! So why is he here? What do you think?"

"I don't know! Maybe he didn't want to leave to somewhere cooler! Maybe he just likes it here! Or what if he didn't-" Dean stopped.

The Stallion came close to Dean and smiled. "I see you just put the pieces together".

Dean looked to the manticore, then to the Stallion. "H-He didn't have a choice, did he?"

The Stallion nodded in anticipation.

"So if he didn't have a choice, then he must have . . . been forced to come here!" Dean finished.

"Exactly! Now your getting it! And do you know who forced him here?" asked the Stallion.

Dean thought for a second, then looked to the tag on the manticore's ear. "The same ponies who gave the manticore that tag!"

"Exactly!"

"So with what I'm getting at, you think the ponies who stole the birds and who forced the manticore into this forest are the same?"

"Brilliant! See! I knew you were smart!"

"That's all fine and dandy sir, but that still leaves me with one question".

"And what's that?" asked the Mystery Stallion.

"How exactly are YOU involved in any of this?" asked Dean.

The Mystery Stallion's smile vanished for a moment before he gave a slight chuckle. He sighed, "I may not have been completely honest with you. You see, I already knew about the birds. I first heard about them from a café three miles from this forest. I had stopped there for a morning coffee when the manager and I had gotten into a conversation about this forest. He told me about how the birds had suddenly started disappearing. When I asked them when this had happened they told me three nights ago. They told me that one day the birds were there and the next they vanished. No signs of migration, no signs of moving, nothing! I didn't quite understand at first, animals don't just disappear in the middle of the night. Unless, somepony moved the creatures themselves! With this in mind I came to this forest as soon as possible. A couple hours of investigating later I found traces of wagons and cages having been dragged along the ground by some trees. The marks were fresh, I knew that someone had been there, and quite possibly this "someone" is still here in this very forest".

"You can't be serious" said Dean.

"Oh I'm quite serious, and that's not all. Whoever these ponies are they've manage to foulnap at least a couple thousand birds. At least forty seven percent of the population that resides within this forest-"

"Well somepony's got to stop these ponies!"

"And that Dean, is precisely why you and I have met!"

"What do you mean?"

"Because I'm the pony who was trying to find these "bird thieves" and put a stop to them. However, while I was searching for the bird thieves I stumbled upon this big fella here" said the Stallion, patting the manticore. "I saw the tag on his ear and was going to find out what was on it. But before I could the manticore had found you".

"So that's what you've been up to, you've been trying to get to the manticore!"

"Well, yes and no. Yes I needed to get to the manticore to find the bird thieves, but this poor dear has been through so much. He was hungry so I lead him somewhere he could eat. I couldn't just let him starve after all. And now that he has eaten we could find out where the bird thieves are".

"But the tag doesn't have a location written on it, how will we find the thieves?"

The Mystery Stallion smiled and pointed to the manticore, "he will take us to them".

"He will?"

"This big guy was forced into this forest because the bird thieves aren't just stealing birds, their stealing all kinds of animals! And this poor dear managed to escape. But! He knows where they're keeping the animals! And he can lead us right to them!"

"But why would he want to go back after he justed escaped?" asked Dean.

"Because the number on his tag read manticore #54 which means that he's not the only one! Which means more manticores have been foulnapped! Manticore's who could quite possibly be his friends or even his family! So with this in mind, the big guy will take us back to the place he was being held captive at. Because he knows that we're going to save his kind!"

"We're? As in you and I?"

"Well you did say you wanted to tag along".

"But I didn't think I would get involved in something like this! This is a bit too serious for me, I don't think I want to be part of this-"

"So are you going to leave then? I thought you wanted to repay me?"

"I thought you said you don't ask for ponies to repay you?"

"Well I didn't ask you to, did I? But you decided to tag along to repay me anyway, that was your choice. So, what'll it be Dean? You going to leave, or do you want to help me save the wildlife?"

Dean thought for a moment. He wasn't a fighter like his family was. He's too afraid for anything like this. He wouldn't even have traveled on hoof through this forest just to get home if all the carriage ponies hadn't been trapped in Mane City thanks to Discord. But as much as he hated the situation he was in he had to admit to himself that he couldn't just leave now. Especially now that he knows that this old stallion is going to try to fight off thieves by himself. Yes he wasn't a fighter, but he decided to help the old stallion as best as he could! Dean sighed, "guess I don't have a choice, I'm in too deep anyway".

"Great, then let's get moving, come on up big guy! It's time to go now" said The Stallion, waking the manticore from his sleep.

"But wait, the numbers on his tag".

"What about it?"

"Well one said "Dismissal". It sounds like they're intentionally releasing the manticores on that date. But that date sounds off".

"Yes because that's not a date it's a time".

"A time? For when they're released?" asked Dean.

"No that's not it, it wouldn't make sense. Why would they foulnap manticores and released them into this forest. Unless . . . when they say "dismissal", they don't mean "release". What if their wording it differently?"

"What are they saying then?" asked Dean.

As the manticore had awoken from his nap and was now wide awake, the Mystery Stallion petted the manticore and turned to Dean. A look of worry present on his face. "I don't think their being dismissed into the forest Dean, I think their being dismissed from their lives!"

Author's Note:

This is the first chapter to my first story. Please feel free to inform me on any mistakes I have made in the story so that I can try to prevent it from happening again in the future.
Also, if you are wondering what the Doctor looks like, just look at my avatar. Sorry for the lack of clothes and a cutie mark, I don't know how to put that on him.