Improbable

by Erynaster

Arrival

A dull ringing fills your ears as you lay on the ground next to Twilight. The contents of the picnic basket are strewn everywhere, and the scent of singed wood lingers in the air. Ashes are falling from the sky, falling like black snowflakes and contaminating the previously still pool of water.

You groan, propping yourself up on one elbow as you get to your bearings. There's thick smoke everywhere, making it hard to see much other than a few feet in front of you. As the ringing in your head fades, you look over to Twilight, who sits up a little dazedly, rubbing her head with a hoof.

"Are you okay, Twilight?" You ask, helping the mare to her hooves.

"I-I'm fine." She says. "Are you?"

"Yeah..." You exhale in relief. The explosion had sent the two of you flying, along with the rest of your picnic items. Twilight helps you to your feet, dusting you off as you stare off into the distance. It's hard to make out anything due to all the smoke, with nothing but hazy shapes and blurry silhouettes dotting the grey landscape in front of you.

"What happened?" Twilight asks, staring at the destruction all around.

"I don't know. There was this big explosion, and..." You wrack your brain. "It came from that isle over there, I think."

You point in the direction of the pool of water, which was obscured by smoke. You get to your feet, making your way over to the shoreline while rolling up your sleeves.

"Stay here, I'll go check."

Twilight nods as you begin to take off your shoes, taking one step into the previously crystal-clear water. As you wade further in, you realize that the water isn't too deep, in fact, it only reaches up to your waist. You continue to wade through the water, feeling all the mud and other plant growth squelch between your toes as you slowly but surely make your way towards a little isle sitting at the center of the pool.

The smoke stings at your eyes as you venture deeper into the haze. The scent of burning wood grows stronger, which concerns you. The last thing you needed was a forest fire. Fluttershy wouldn't be too pleased if it meant having to evacuate all the poor animals should this be the start of a natural disaster. Placing all hope that the pegasi would notice the telltale signs of smoke coming from the woods, you exert more effort in pushing through, getting yourself tangled in all the plant growth in the process.

Cursing under your breath, you pull handfuls of eelgrass and pondweed off you as you make your way further in, each stride growing increasingly strenuous as your feet sink into the substrate beneath the water's surface. Water lilies part to the side as you pass through, and a nearby splash nearly scares you out of your wits as the eerie silence presses on your ears completely. Realizing that it was probably just a frog or a fish, you continue pressing forward, taking one careful step after the other.

The isle comes into view. It looms forebodingly in front of you, almost like a behemoth of a fish, if you looked hard enough. Shuddering slightly, you make your way to the shoreline and heave yourself onto dry land, your pants feeling heavier than usual due to being wet. As you dry yourself off, you can't help but notice how bare the island is. A few streaks of soot and the charred remains of what was once grass stretch out in front of you, and you can barely make out the silhouette of something laying on the ground just a few feet in front of you.

You walk over to it, feeling cautious. The hairs on the back of your neck stand up on all ends, and you shiver slightly as a low howl of wind blows through, sending you up in goosebumps.

As you draw closer, the silhouette starts to take on a certain form. It looks vaguely humanoid, but you can't really tell due to all the smoke clouding your vision. A small gust of wind blows through, and you cough slightly as the smoke stings your lungs. Waving your hands around to clear the smoke, you take a few steps forward, wanting to get a clearer view of whatever it was in front of you.

As your gaze rests upon it, you can feel your heart stop.

There was no way. No way this was real.

---

Twilight stands by the edge of the shoreline, anxiously staring out into the distance for any sign of her human companion. It's been well over thirty minutes now, and if he wasn't coming back anytime soon, she would be forced to call for help.

"Anon?! Are you there?!"

No response.

She sighs. She begins to pace back and forth worriedly, unsure of what to do next.

Maybe she should call the girls! Yes, that would be a good idea. Maybe they could help her look for Anon, and bring him back safely.

But just as she prepares to take off, the sound of sloshing water catches her attention. She turns around, squinting as she peers at a figure slowly making its way towards her.

"Anon?! Is that you?! " She calls out.

"Yeah! It's me!" The figure calls out in return. "I need some help over here!"

Twilight sighs in relief, trotting a little closer to the water's edge as she prepares to dive in. But just before she does, she does a double-take at the sight of what he was cradling in his arms.

Clutched firmly in his arms, head lolling lifelessly to the side, was the unconscious form of a human girl.

Author's Note:

New chapters coming next week... Stay tuned! :>

- Eryn

Comments

[NaviNautical]

Man, it’s a really nice change of pace seeing a longer fic from you, and I am all for it! Although, I do have to point out, especially reading their conversation after the movie at the fast food place: how is Anon this dumb? I don’t know, man, where in all the world could a princess fall in love with an alien?

Anyway, I’m loving the story so far, and I can’t wait for the next update so we can see how this mystery girl impacts Anon’s life.