Mark Atlas: Future Explorer!

by The Real Mark Atlas

Chapter 1: Casting her spell

It was a calm summer morning in the small, serene town of Ponyville. Ponies went about the town, enjoying the peaceful mundanity of their typical everyday tasks among the tranquil atmosphere. The sound of birds, cicadas, and the laughter of foals could be heard in the background like a harmonious ballad, from city hall to Sweet Apple Acres. Being summer vacation, fillies and colts were free to frolic and prance about, as well as play all the games they pleased with their friends, to which they graciously took advantage of.

That's how most students used this time, anyway. There were exceptions. At the park, on a tree atop a small hill apart from the playing foals, a lone earth pony colt could be seen. He had a light brown coat, a neatly combed, chocolate brown colored mane, round, black glasses, and a cutie mark of a worn-out map.

Sitting alone under the tree's shade, the colt was tinkering with a bunch of little pieces of plastic, glass, wicker, and wood, carefully gluing some of the pieces together. "Okay, I think I've figured it out now," The colt said aloud to himself. "The wicker frame seems to be properly reinforced, the horizon and index mirrors are in optimum position, I measured out the arc three times, just to be safe, and now I just twiiiiiist the makeshift micrometer drum right... on... here!" The colt turned it around clockwise like a screw, moving it right into place with a pop and a click. "Got it! I'm finally finished, and it looks just the way it's supposed to! This sextant should make navigation and map scaling a breeze! Mark Atlas, you're a genius!" He nodded happily, congratulating himself for his creation.

That moment of self-celebration, however, didn't last very long, as just seconds after he was done, the device was swiped right out of his hooves by another earth pony colt, one with a black coat and a blonde, spiky mane, a pony that Mark didn't see while he was distracted. It was all one swift motion; one moment, it was in his hooves, and the next, it wasn't. The instant he was able to process what just happened, he gasped and looked upward, seeing the colt who took it.

"Hey, Scorch! That's mine!" Mark whined as he got up, trying to recover his newly crafted device.

"This is whatcha do in ya spare time, twoip? Just playin' with gahbage like a junkyahd rat?" Scorch taunted, examining the object in his hooves, not even sure what he was looking at.

"It's not garbage! I spent weeks making that!" Mark yelled out as he reached for it, only for Scorch to lift it up out of his reach, leaving Mark to flail his forehooves up into the air in an attempt to retrieve it. "Come on! Just give me back my sextant!"

Scorch snickered and smirked, tilting his ear toward Mark. "Sorry, twoip, whatcha say?"

"I said give it back!" Mark yelled, still reaching for it to no avail.

"No, no, no, what'd ya call this little doohickey a yours?"

"It's a sextant, a navigational tool that allows..." Mark explained, only to stop mid-sentence when Scorch started snickering again.

"Come again, twoip? I didn't hear ya!" Scorch said in a taunting tone.

"It's a sextant. It lets you..." Mark said, looking more agitated, something that was more true when Scorch started snickering again.

"Ah, I think I had carrots in my eahs or somethin'! Can ya tell me what it is again?" Scorch looked at Mark with condescension, holding back his laughter.

"It's a sextant! A sextant! I said it five times now! That good enough for you?!" Mark shouted at the top of his lungs, the noise attracting attention from some other colts and fillies playing closer to the tree. Scorch, meanwhile, just let go of all his restraint and burst into laughter, leaving Mark quite perplexed. Looking back at the exchange they just had, he suddenly put two and two together in his mind and blushed furiously, his face turning a vivid red. "Oh my.."

Mark's realization made Scorch laugh even harder. "Hahaha! That was just poifect! Took ya long enough!" Scorch bellowed out loudly.

Mark simply let out an annoyed groan. "Alright. You had your laugh. Now, if you are done with your display of juvenile depravity, I would appreciate it if you relinquished my device."

"And what if I don't wanna, twoip? Whatcha gonna do about it? Beat me up and take it from me?" Scorch said as he puffed up his chest, towering over Mark. Mark, meanwhile, briefly stuttered and a bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. Lacking the confidence to stand up to him, nothing he said came out as coherent.

"That's what I thought. How's about this, then?" Scorch said before throwing the sextant on the ground at full force and stomping on it with his hoof, all the while with a smug expression of satisfaction.

"Noooooo!" Mark cried out, tears starting to well up in his eyes.

Scorch kicked its remains aside. "Ya not supposed ta play with gahbage, ya peabrain! What, ya gonna cry like a little baby?" He teased, practically rubbing Mark's muzzle in it.

Mark sniffled and looked at all that remained of his contraption. It appeared to be damaged completely beyond repair. All his hard work, now gone, just like that. Too much for the young colt to bear, he burst into tears and ran away back home screaming and crying, leaving Scorch to revel in his deeds, several fillies and colts all staring at him with disapproval.

"And whatta youse lookin' at?" Scorch yelled to all of them. "Didn't ya parents ever teach ya it's rude ta stare?" He then turned to a nearby tetherball pole, drawing a crude depiction of Mark's face on the ball with a permanent marker and bashing it repeatedly, constantly chuckling to himself, the other ponies eyeing him and whispering to each other about what they all just saw.

Finally, one pony in particular, a white unicorn filly with a long, purple mane and no cutie mark, came up from the crowd, stepping up towards Scorch. "Well, I think that was unnecessary, don't you?" She said, telling him off.

"And whadda you care, ya dainty little pansy?" Scorch replied aggressively, not making eye contact and still beating the ball.

"That was an uncivilized and barbaric act," the unicorn said, stomping her hoof and turning her head. "And while I wish I had the time to give you a stern talking to, I have other things I have to prepare for at the moment. I know you likely won't, but think about how you made that colt feel."

"Whateva, pansy goil! I'll letcha know when I care! Haha! Hit 'im good!" Scorch said as he laughed, beating the ball just shy of enough force to pop it.

"And just so you know, my name is Rarity. How rude," she said to him, not getting a response.

Rarity, taking a look back at the tree and seeing the broken pieces of Mark's sextant sticking out of the grass. She then proceeded to pick up the pieces with her magic and stuff them into her saddlebag. "I'm not the best with magic yet, and I don't know how this is meant to be put together, but I'll see if I can get Mother's help to fix this," she said to herself, taking care to check the ground so as to not miss any pieces. "I can't get to it right away, but after I make the costumes for the play, I think I can get it to work again." As she stuffed the last of the pieces into the saddlebag, she clipped the button on and trotted ahead to her destination.

---

Now lying on his bed, Mark sobbed and sniffled into his pillow, his tears dripping down onto it. The poor colt just couldn't understand why a pony would do such a thing. He hadn't ever done anything to Scorch. So why? Just because it was fun? It's not fair! Why is he always so mean to me?

Hearing his distress, his mother stepped into his room, placing her hoof on his back. She was an earth pony mare with a peach orange coat, a caramel brown mane, cyan eyes, and a pink book and quill cutie mark . "Oh, goodness, honey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" She said softly, rubbing her hoof on him gently to comfort him. "Did you get hurt?"

Mark noticed his mother touching him but didn't look back up, his head deep in his pillow. "N-no..." He said with the pillow muffling his voice.

"Then what's wrong, sweetie?" She asked as she continued to rub his back, but getting no response from him besides more crying, she had a good idea of what was going on. "Was that Scorch picking on you again?" She asked with a tone of protective anger.

Mark finally took his head off of the pillow and looked up at his mother. He sniffled strongly, tears in his eyes, and nodded. "Uh-huh..."

"I knew it," His mother said, now holding her hoof on his shoulder. "What did he do this time?"

Mark sat up all the way, looking down onto the bed. "Well, I... I spent so much time making this sextant all by myself, and then when I was done making it, he... he... he took it from me and broke it! Waaaaaahhhhh!" He reached out and grabbed his mother for a hug as he cried.

Mark's mother was taken aback, holding him closely and returning the hug. "That's horrible!" She now started stroking his mane affectionately. "My poor baby boy."

"I... I worked so hard on it, too. He's always mean to me for no reason!" Mark said slowly in between breaths.

"I'm definitely going to have another word with his mother about this first thing tomorrow morning. Something is going to be done, I promise you," his mother assured him, and after about another minute of comforting him, Mark had started to calm down, his breathing gradually returning to normal, and he broke the hug and looked up at her. "Now, how about we order pizza tonight? Will that cheer you up?" She said with a smile, holding him at both the shoulders now.

Mark smiled lightly and nodded. "Uh-huh."

"That's a good colt. See? Mommy's going to take care of everything, okay?" She said while wiping the last of his tears away with her hoof.

"I love you, mom."

"I love you too, sweetie," Mark's mother nuzzled him softly. "Now, why don't you go back outside and play with your friends, and we should be just about ready by the time you get back, huh?"

"But... But I... I don't have any friends," Mark said, looking down and frowning again.

"You don't? Not even one?" His mother asked with surprise and concern. "What about that filly from school? Rarity, was it? She seems nice."

Mark looked aside. "She... she is nice, but we... We don't talk much. I'm too scared to talk to anypony. I don't fit in with any of them. They won't like me."

"Nonsense," Mark's mother replied, bringing his attention back to her and looking him in the eye. "I'm sure plenty of ponies would like you if you try and talk to them. You just need to give it a chance."

"I don't know. I guess I can try," Mark said as he broke eye contact, his eyes drifting back downward. "But I'm scared."

"Don't worry about it, honey. You can try it when you're ready. There will always be plenty of friends for you to make, and all the time in the world to make them. And when you get the courage to make them, you'll see just how worthwhile it truly is," She said as she pat his mane and got up off of the bed. "Oh, and we're going to get stuffed crust, too. Your favorite."

Mark smiled again. "Thank you, mom."

"No, thank you, sweetheart."

"For what?"

"For being such a sweet colt to love and care for every single day," she said as she kissed him on the forehead, making him smile and giggle a little.

---

After spending about half an hour or so resting in his room and looking through his collection of maps, some of which he made himself, Mark left and returned outside with his saddlebag in tow. He thought about what his mother had said to him, and considered going back to the park and trying to make a new friend, but he just couldn't bring himself to try.

What if I blow it and look silly? They'll all laugh at me. Mark thought to himself. I bet Scorch is still there, too. He'll embarrass me in front of everypony again.

The young colt, lonely as he was, simply didn't have the courage within him to approach any of the other foals. This made him grumpy, and he kicked the dirt, coughing a bit when it made a dust cloud in front of him.

Why does this have to be so difficult? Why am I such an incompetent, pathetic wimp? These thoughts welled up inside of him.

"You know what? I don't need any friends! I can have fun playing on my own! I'll just do what I got my cutie mark doing!"

Mark's self-directed anger changed to excitement as he opened his saddlebag and took out some of his self-made maps. Little over a month ago, he had finally gotten his cutie mark, his special talent being exploring and map making. Since he was only eight years old, he was too young to join the Equestrian Exploration Comittee, but he longed to join when he came of age. He loved to go out and explore Ponyville and the areas just outside the town, mapping out the areas as he went along. He had assembled numerous maps within the past month, all of which were surprisingly detailed and accurate for a colt his age.

"Mark Atlas, master explorer, ready for another adventure!" He cheered to himself, adjusting his glasses and examining one of the maps.

Venturing away from his house, Mark frequently switched between looking ahead and at his map. He did this for a while as he plotted out his course. Today, he decided he was going to explore territory in the outskirts of Ponyville that he's never been to before, someplace far away from where Scorch has ever been, and add it to his map collection.

Minutes later, Mark arrived at a patch of grass and looked downward. Pulling out his trusty magnifying glass for a closer look, he brought his attention to one particular blade of grass. "Aha!" He shouted. "I knew it! Out of all the blades of grass I've recorded in Ponyville, blade #28,576, the one I dubbed "Sadiq", grows the fastest!"

Mark proceeded to take a piece of charcoal out of his saddlebag, and drew a teeeeeeny little speck on his map right where this particularly long blade of grass was. He looked around to make sure nopony was watching him, and then leaned over to the blade of grass, whispering to it. "Just a minor geographical update, Sadiq. You're putting on height," He winked and giggled, waving goodbye to his photosynthetic companion before continuing on his way.

Heading further down his course, Mark approached what was marked as a skull and crossbones on his map. Looking at the ground ahead, he saw just what it was pointing to. "Gotcha!" He shouted again, looking down at a little pebble on the ground and pointing at it with his forehoof, "Your nefarious deeds aren't going to prevail this time, you granitic fiend! You won't trip me up again, pebble #143!" Mark shivered, getting chills from recalling the first time he tripped over this pebble. He remembered twisting his hind leg and falling on the ground, holding his leg and inhaling through closed teeth, then moaning in agony, repeating this action multiple times before getting up. But then he smiled, remembering how his mother fixed him up and got him ice cream afterwards. Upon finishing that memory, he trotted around the pebble and pressed onward.

Finally, he approached the outskirts of Ponyville, just at the edge of territory he has officially charted. Getting out his charcoal again, he looked around at the area, drawing accordingly on the map, slowly adding to it. Before going further to expand the map even more, he took out his notebook from his bag, and began to write.

The Atlas Files: Entry ♤♡◇A

After bidding farewell to a particularly flourishing plant, and a close call with death from a notorious supervillain's snare, I have stumbled upon new uncharted territory. I now venture deep into the unknown, where nopony has ever gone before. Well, not without adult supervision, anyway. What awaits me on this journey? Will I live? Will I perish? Will I ever return home in time for pizza tonight? So many questions, and no answers. There's no telling what sinister surprises lay just around the bend. And yet, despite this fact, I will forge on, for what kind of explorer would I be if I backed down in the face of the unknown?

Bravely stepping forward, Mark looked every which way, adding to the map as he went. It didn't take long for him, however, to realize that there wasn't as much out here as the young explorer was expecting. There was little but trees as far as the eye could see.

The Atlas Files: Entry ♤♡◇B

Deep within this vast forest away from my cozy hometown, I have been witness to many a sight, including trees, more trees, more trees still, and... What was that last thing again? It was something that rhymes with trees, I think. Oh, right. Extra trees. Sadly, most of them don't say much. Even the ones that did had little to offer in the way of conversation. Compared to the more talkative trees at Sweet Apple Acres, well, let's just say these guys didn't really open with any zingers, that's for sure. And don't get me started on the ones that told me they've been trying to reach me about my wheelbarrow's extended warranty. No thank you. Heard it from 10 other trees this week, ladies. Well, if this is all there is, I suppose this exploration concludes here. Sadly, this one will be chalked up to a waste of

Mark was about to finish writing and head back when he heard a mysterious sound that made his ears perk up. Curious, he followed where it seemed to be coming from. Maybe today's exploration would yield something worthwhile, after all.

---

"What... What is that?" Mark asked himself as he followed the sound through the woods, the noise becoming louder and clearer with each step he took. Hearing it more closely, it seemed to be something he certainly didn't expect to hear out here. It was a voice! And not just any voice, either. It was the most beautiful voice he had ever heard, and it sounded like it was singing a song. The delightful melody soothed his soul and drew him further, all the while, taking a mental note of his next journal entry. He didn't have the time to stop and write now, lest he lose the source of the voice.

The Atlas Files: Entry ♤♡◇C

Just when I thought my journey was over, I was led deeper into the woods by an alluring voice. The voice, silky soft and beautiful like a chorus of cherubim, draws me ever further to it, as if I am hypnotized, captivated by forces I can't possibly comprehend. Was it the climate finally getting to me, wearing away at my senses and making me hear things that aren't really there? Was it a hungry monster attempting to lure me to it for a quick snack? A siren perhaps, drawing me in with her requiem of demise? I don't know, but I do know one thing. I can't stop. I just keep moving, each step feeling like I'm on auto-pilot. Whatever forces are controlling me, I am now helplessly at their mercy. Hey, this isn't bad! I am SO writing this down!

Mark thought this in his head, his mind moving a million miles a minute as he hurried forward. Getting closer still to the voice, he trotted past the trees, bushes and rocks coming into view along with, well, more trees. And that was when he could hear the voice clear as day, and fully make out what it was singing.

"Birds flying free and bees with their honey... Hoooooonnnneeeeeeyyyy!" The voice produced its angelic symphony as Mark made it to a large bush, hearing the voice emanating from the other side of it. Acting on instinct rather than reason, Mark jumped into the bush headfirst, making a little rustle as he dove in. Once he was inside, he looked through the bush from within, careful not to attract the source's attention. It was then that he could at last see what he was hearing.

In a clearing of trees, there were multiple bushes around, as well as hilltops in the distance. In the middle of all of this, there were a large number of woodland creatures, birds, squirrels, bunnies, and butterflies, all gathered around a yellow pegasus filly with a pink mane and tail. Quickly, Mark made a mental note of everything he saw.

The Atlas Files: Entry ♤♡◇D

Finally getting to the source of the mysterious, beautiful voice, I have determined it to be what looks like a young pegasus. Did she sing this song to lure me here? Is this a mere hallucination caused by my starvation and desperation for pizza right about now? Is she an evil creature after all, merely in disguise as a pony? From what I can see, she certainly LOOKS like a real pony. Let's see, yellow and pink, wings check out, no cutie mark. If it's a disguise, it's a very convincing one. Oh, shoot, she's starting to sing again! Gotta focus!

"Oooooohhh, what a magical place! And I owe it all to the pegasus race! If I knew the ground had so much up its sleeve, I'd have come here sooner, and never leave!" The pegasus sang aloud as she flew around, looking at all the animals.

Mark watched and listened in awe the whole time. With the melodious beauty in every passionate note she sang, a wide smile came across his face, and his heart was warmed and his mind became at peace. The animals were all bobbing their heads to her song, and before Mark even realized it, he was, too.

"Yes, I... love... ev-ery-thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!" The pegasus sang with a perfectly executed high note.

"My gosh..." Mark thought to himself, now in a state of total bliss. "She seems so happy."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!!

That was all that was heard when this peaceful moment was suddenly interrupted. A huge spectrum of all the colors of the rainbow lit up the sky as the sound of a sonic boom filled the area and invaded his eardrums.

Hit the deck! Mark shouted in his head, not knowing what was going on, but immediately ducking inside the bush for cover. Frantically searching for his journal, he quickly began writing down everything he had been thinking until this point, then proceeding to a new entry.

The Atlas Files: Entry ♤♡◇E

Shortly after obtaining visual with the subject, I was captivated by her enchanting melody, and yet, as fate would have it, this moment came to an end by, of all things, a colorful explosion in the sky! I can hardly believe it, and I just witnessed it myself! So many more questions have arisen! Where did this explosion come from? Was she responsible for it? Was this loud explosion a hunting tactic used to defean anypony in the vicinity so that no one can hear me scream when she removes her disguise and devours me whole?! And above all, do we have any garlic powder left at home???!!! Any at all???!!! Because, you know, that would be great on pizza tonight. Don't judge me! You have your priorities, and I have mine!

After readjusting his glasses, Mark looked back out of the bush to see the singing yellow pegasus was gone. "Lost her!" He whispered to himself. He looked around very frantically in an effort to locate her again, to the left, to the right, off to the side, far back, everywhere, and as it would turn out, he saw her, now further away.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked as well as he could, and he could tell she seemed to be preoccupied with something, though it was too hard to see what was going on from this distance. Making haste, Mark opened his saddlebag and took out his binoculars, setting his sights in the direction of the filly once more.

"The Atlas Files: Entry ♤♡◇F", Mark began to whisper his journal entry to himself. "I have re-obtained visual on the subject. I calculate her to be approximately 40 miles away. It will take a lot of time to cover that kind of ground on hoof, so I'd best start my journey now, so I can... wait a minute," Mark took a moment to examine his binoculars, blushing and smiling sheepishly when he realized he was looking through the wrong end. "Oops," He turned them around, and looked through them again. "Uh, make that 40 feet," Mark said, while remembering to omit that part from the official records.

Focus brought back to his winged specimen, Mark saw that she was lying in the grass, and all the other animals had gathered back around her, seeming to find comfort from her presence. Zooming in his binoculars for a closer look, he caught a look at her flank, where he saw that she now had a cutie mark.

"What?!" Mark asked quietly, perplexed by this turn of events. "Okay, a major development has just occurred. When I first discovered the subject, I recall that she did not, in fact, have a cutie mark. Upon re-obtaining visual, I can now verify that she does, indeed, have one cutie mark. Three pink butterflies can now be plainly seen on her flank that definitely weren't there before. She must have gotten it just now! Either that, or I'm even more starving than I thought!"

Mark let his thoughts run through his mind as he just watched her. The pink and yellow filly just seemed so relaxed and happy around all these animals. She was playfully nuzzling one of the bunnies and several of the other animals were hugging and nuzzling her as well. It was a heartwarming sight indeed, so much so that Mark forgot about his journal entry for a while to just take in the wholesome sight, his smile returning to him.

Mark became lost in that moment for some time until thoughts finally re-entered his mind. "Her mane looks smooth like silk, and just as delicate. Her coat is like a velvet pillow. Her teal colored eyes sparkle like gemstones. And the way she shows such gentle affection to those animals... She looks so nice. So innocent. So... adorable." Then, an even crazier thought entered his mind after that, his smile becoming a nervous frown. "Should I... talk to her?"

Suddenly, memories of the conversation he had with his mother earlier today started coming back to him.

"I'm sure plenty of ponies would like you if you try and talk to them. You just need to give it a chance."

Mark thought to himself once more. What if she doesn't like me? What if she hates me, or thinks I'm weird, and doesn't want to be my friend? And for all I know, she's still really a monster that can gobble me up at any moment. But... I'd really like to meet her. Maybe I can just say hi?

Well, Mark was still deeply afraid, but this seemed like a nice pony to him. It would make him so happy to finally have a friend. He decided then that even if he was scared, he had to give it a try. "Alright. I'm going to try and initiate contact. Wish me luck, me."

He gulped nervously, and took his first step out of the bush and gently place it on the grass below. Then next hoof, and the third, and the fourth, nice and steady. Already relieved that he hasn't already blown it, he prepares to talk, struggling to open his mouth from how scared he was, but just barely able to get something out. "H-h-hello?" He said meekly, immediately catching her attention.

Unfortunately for Mark, it wasn't the kind of attention he had in mind. The pegasus let out an astonished shriek, the sound of Mark's voice catching her by surprise, and she flew away as fast as she could. The animals that surrounded her followed suit and scattered.

Mark noticed that she was leaving and called out to her. "Wait, don't go away!" He ran over to where she was, hoping he could get her to come back. "I... I just wanted to..." He said in a saddened, defeated tone, as he realized it was too late. She was out of sight. Both she and the animals were gone, leaving the colt all alone. This realization made him hang his head down in disappointment.

"But... B-But I... I..." Mark stammered, being at a loss for words. Feeling heartbroken and rejected, his eyes started watering, and he sat down on the grass. Lifting his glasses to his forehead and holding his hooves to his face, he began to cry.

She doesn't like me. I barely said a word to her, and she was already desperate to get away from me the first chance she got. If she was a monster that wanted to eat me, at least then I would have been valued for something! But not even that. She just left. I wasn't even worth her time or attention at all. I knew it. Nopony will ever like me. I'll never have any friends. I'll always be alone. Always...

At this point, the startled pegasus had retreated to hide in another bush. Scared half to death, she was hyperventilating, her heart pounding right out of her chest. Taking a second to calm herself, she was just about ready to make a break for it and escape. That was what she was about to do, anyway, but once she settled down, she heard something.

"Is that... crying?" The pegasus asked aloud. She peeked through the bush and saw the pony from before, sitting by himself out in the open and crying. She gave a concerned frown, and flew up from out of the bush, over towards him.

MUSIC: https://youtu.be/9Bcy9cZ9Ygs

Now just overhead, the pegasus placed one of her hooves on his mane, petting him like he was a bunny in an attempt to comfort him. "There, there. Please, don't cry. It's okay," she said sweetly.

Mark, still having his hooves over his face, and his glasses lifted up, couldn't see a thing, but he still recognized her voice. "No... No, it's not okay!" Mark said in between sobs.

"Why not?" She asked in confusion.

"Because... Because you hate me," Mark said, rubbing his tear filled eyes.

"Me? Hate you?" Fluttershy questioned in surprise, but continued to pet him. "I would never hate you."

"But you... you flew away. A-and a-all I wanted was to... to say hi," Mark said before sniffling.

"Oh dear. I'm so sorry," The pegasus told him as she rubbed her hoof gently in circles over his mane. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just flew away because I was scared, that's all."

Mark put his glasses back on. "You... You mean you don't hate me?"

The pegasus flew downward and sat beside him. "Of course not."

Mark's tears died down, and he sniffled lightly now. "Why were you scared?"

"You... You scared me," She admitted, looking down nervously.

"Me? Scare you? How?" Mark asked her.

"I... I thought you could have been a monster," The young filly answered. "And I thought if I got close, you would take off your disguise and eat me."

"I... I thought you could have been a monster, too." Mark said while rubbing the last of the tears out of his eyes.

"I guess we were both worried for nothing," she said, smiling at him and hiding part of her face behind her mane. "I... I'm Fluttershy."

Mark blushed and smiled back. "Hi, Fluttershy. I'm Mark. Mark Atlas. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too," Fluttershy said, with a shy but warm and genuine smile.

"So, um, do you... you know... want to be... friends?" Mark asked her, nervously tapping his hooves together.

"Of course, Mark. I'd love a friend," Fluttershy accepted with a nod.

Mark's sadness was all gone, replaced with the joy of meeting his very first friend. He and Fluttershy giggled, simply happy to be in each other's company.

[END OF MUSIC]

---

Soon enough, all the tensions had settled down and the various woodland animals had all come back to where they were. Mark and Fluttershy spent the next hour playing with all of them.

They played hide-and-seek, Mark being it, but not minding in the slightest. He didn't find many animals, but he found Fluttershy easily. Her long, pink mane and tail made her stick out like a sore hoof. Still, Mark decided to pretend not to see her and kept looking, giving her the satisfaction of thinking she chose a clever hiding place.

Mark tried to climb a tree to play with the squirrels. In the end, he was unsuccessful, and he ended up falling right on his haunches. Normally, he would have been embarrassed, thinking he looked ridiculous, but Fluttershy was just concerned that he was hurt, which put to rest quickly when he got up and had a good laugh at himself.

Mark heard a bird whistling, and whistled back. While Mark was not a good singer by any means, he could still whistle incredibly well. The birds seemed to think so, anyway, as many joined in with him. Before he knew it, Mark and Fluttershy had an entire orchestra to themselves.

Some time later, Mark was laughing hysterically while lying on his back as he was tackled by a large dogpile of bunnies, their fluffy fur tickling him all over. "Haha! Fluttershy! You win! I surrender! Call off your attack bunnies!" He shouted playfully in between laughs.

"Okay. He says he surrenders. You can stop now," Fluttershy told the bunnies, them all bouncing off of him one by one, allowing him to sit up.

Mark still laughed, now out of excitement rather than being tickled. "Alright, alright, I'll admit it, that was fun!"

"They had fun, too," Fluttershy laughed along with him.

"Have you always been able to talk to animals like this?" Mark asked after having gotten most of the laughter out of his system. "I've never heard of a pony with this kind of ability, you know."

"I don't know," Fluttershy said, wondering herself. "I could have, but I just found out that I could today."

A light bulb lit up above Mark's head. "Ooooohhh! So that's why you just got your cutie mark before!"

Fluttershy's expression instantly became one of shock and disbelief. "Wait... I... What?" She looked over onto her flank, and realized that Mark was right. She was so busy playing with Mark and the animals, she hadn't even noticed.

She gasped and a smile slowly formed on her face until she was beaming. "I... I did it... I got my cutie mark."

All of a sudden, she grabbed Mark's forehooves and spun around in circles from pure joy. "I DID IT! MY CUTIE MARK! MY CUTIE MARK! MY CUTIE MARK!" She shouted to the heavens, startling the animals nearby, but rather than flee, they backed up to give her some space, and some just watching confused.

Mark, meanwhile, was getting dizzy from being spun around so much. "That's... great... Flu... tter... shy... but... can... you... stop... now?" He said in one syllable per spin, the centrifugal force sending the glasses flying right off of his face.

Fluttershy's heart skipped a beat and she stopped spinning, now realizing she got carried away and blushing. "Oops. Sorry. I was just so excited that I got my cutie mark, and, well..."

Mark spun around a little more on his own before falling on his flanks and recovering from his dizziness, when he noticed that he still couldn't see when he was supposed to. Moving his forehooves up to his face to check, he found that his glasses weren't there. "Agh! My glasses! I can't see!" He scrambled around hoping to find them.

"Oh! Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry!" Fluttershy repeated as she flew around helping him look. Being able to get a bird's eye (candy) view, it wasn't hard for her to find them, lying in the grass, several feet away from him. She picked the glasses right up and placed them right over his muzzle, then taking a seat in the grass sitting right across from him.

"Ah... It's okay, Fluttershy. That was worth it to see you so happy," Mark said, rubbing the back of his head with his forehoof and laughing it off.

"Thank you so much, Mark. This has been the most fun I've ever had," Fluttershy said, playing with her mane a bit.

"Me too," Mark agreed. "I... never had a friend before." The two ponies barely made eye contact with each other, more looking at the ground out of shyness, but smiling all the while.

"And I've made so many friends today," Fluttershy said as she gazed upon the many woodland creatures, several waving hello to her. She then looked back at her flank. "And my cutie mark, too. I don't know how today could get any better."

"Me neither," Mark agreed once more. "And to think, I was almost too scared to talk to you. I don't talk with a lot of ponies. I'm always afraid of..."

"What ponies will think of you?" Fluttershy finished.

"Yeah," Mark confirmed and nodded.

"And these bullies always pick on me, and, well, I know it shouldn't get to me, but, well..." Fluttershy said, being cut off by Mark this time.

"Some part of you deep down thinks that the mean things they say about you are true?"

"Yes, exactly!" Fluttershy said and nodded now. "And, you know, I figure since..."

"Ponies aren't going to like me anyway, so why humiliate myself? Yes! Finally, somepony who understands!" Both Mark and Fluttershy said at the exact same time. The two foals both laughed and smiled, then exchanging awkward stares.

Mark rubbed one of his forelegs with the other, blushing heavily. "I... I like you."

"I like you, too." Fluttershy hid her own blush behind her mane and squeed.

"I'm so glad I came here today, and that we're friends," Mark said, feeling an unfamiliar joyful sensation that he couldn't describe.

"And I'm glad I... Wait a minute!" Fluttershy interrupted herself, flapping her wings and getting herself into the air. "I just realized! I have to go! Everypony is probably wondering where I am!"

Mark's ears drooped down. "Aw, already? But... we can play again sometime, right?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Uh huh. I'm at a summer flight camp at Cloudsdale. I'm busy a lot of the day, but, um, if you'd like to meet here, say, tomorrow at about noon? I have a break then."

Mark got up and bounced in place excitedly. "Yes! I'd love to!"

Fluttershy flew gently over to Mark and gave him a hug, still hovering in the air. "Thank you so much for spending time with me. It was wonderful, Mark. See you tomorrow," she said before ascending upward into the air and waving goodbye.

"Goodbye, Fluttershy! See you tomorrow!" Mark shouted as he waved back at her.

Mark's eyes then widened when he realized what just happened. I... I just got a hug from another pony... and it wasn't my mom! It feels... weird, but a good weird.

It was getting late, and Mark knew that if he took much longer getting home, then his parents would likely be worried about him as well, so he thought it best to head back home now. Sure, he was distracted and didn't map out as much of the area as he initially planned, but he would get a chance to do that later. Wasting no time, he thought up his final journal entry for the day while he backtracked through the woods.

The Atlas Files: Entry ♤♡◇G

I seldom consider an adventure complete unless I come back home with a treasure to remember it by. Today, however, I set a course for home not with gold, nor gems, or even a shiny bottle cap. No, I got a treasure better than all of those put together. For today, I finally met my first friend. A pegasus filly by the name of Fluttershy. The sense of belonging and happiness I have felt today is unprecedented. Every second we played together, I never once had to fear judgement or ridicule. I could be myself, and I never had a single worry or trouble weigh me down. I look forward to experiencing this again tomorrow. Every day that I can, in fact. Is this what having a friend is like? Why didn't anypony tell me? Oh wait. My mom did. Oops. Thanks, mom.

---

That evening, Mark was sitting at the dinner table with his mother and father, the latter being an earth pony with a light blue coat, ink blue mane, hazel green eyes, and having a cutie Mark with two quills in an X formation as well as having a slight mustache on his face.

Mark happily scarfed down a slice of pizza without a care in the world. "Mmmm! Yummy!"

"Well you seem to be in a pretty good mood, champ! What's the occasion?" Mark's father said with curious enthusiasm.

"I'm wondering that, too," His mother chimed in. "After what happened earlier today, I'm happy to see things turn around for you. Did something happen?"

Mark gulped down the last bite of the slice he was eating, washing it down with a good sip of lemonade. "You'll never believe it! It's amazing! Mom, Dad, I made my first friend today! I really did it!"

"Say what now?!" Mark's father felt his body instinctively jump up.

Mark's mother smirked, looking at her husband. "Well, Pen, if it's not an inanimate object this time, you owe me a day at the spa!" She singsongs.

Mark tilted his head, looking puzzled. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" He took another slice of pizza from the box.

Pen laughed. "Ah, we're just kiddin' ya, bud! We didn't make any bets!" He turns over to smirk back at his wife. "But I bet you wish we did now, huh, Saga?"

"You have no idea," Saga said while shaking her head.

"And no. It's not an inanimate object this time. She's a pony. Quite animate," Mark said with a little sass as he took a bite out of his next slice.

"SHE?!" Pen shouted in astonishment. He started to grin and got up from his seat, moving over to Mark and ruffling his mane. "Aren't you a little too young to have a girlfriend, sport? Hahahaha!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Mark replied with a blushy smile, putting down the pizza while his father turned his mane askew.

"Sure. For now," Pen said and chuckled, turning to his wife. "How many times did I say that about you, dear?

"Seven hundred twenty two and a half," Pen and Saga both said at the same time, laughing and then dreamily smiling and sighing at each other.

"I'm just happy to finally have a pony friend. Not that there's anything wrong with Sadiq, of course," Mark said, waving his hooves dismissively.

Saga giggled, bringing her attention back to Mark. "The blade of grass? Oh, yes. I imagine that making friends with a pony is quite... different. Let me guess, Rarity?"

Mark shook his head. "Uh-uh. Her name is Fluttershy. We had so much fun, and she never laughed at me, made fun of me, or thought I was weird."

"Fluttershy? I've never heard of a filly in town by that name," Saga pondered, her hoof to her chin. "Still, I'm very glad that you've taken this first step. See? I told you ponies would like you."

"Thank you, Mom. You were right all along. I just needed to give it a chance," Mark said, before having a go at even more pizza.

"Well, let me or your mother know if you'd like to invite her over sometime. We've just got to meet her," Pen said, before leaning over and whispering to Saga, "I want to know what my future daughter in law looks like." To which the two laughed.

Mark, meanwhile, was too busy eating to have noticed, and gulped down another slice before letting out a loud burp. He then blushed and smiled meekly. "Oops. 'Scuse me."

The Atlas Files: Entry ♤♡◇H

We DID have garlic powder. Plenty, in fact.

Author's Note:

Well, this is my first chapter, folks. More to come. This story has a total of 12 other chapters planned. I have the general idea of the plots for them. I just need to get to writing them. I really like the way Mark's character came out, and I think I nailed his active imagination. He is loosely inspired by me and the way I was as a child. Let me know what you think, and feel free to suggest storyline ideas or plot points. I might be able to squeeze them into later chapters, and I'll rewrite if there's a particular plot hole that needs fixing.