The Necro Walk

by WorldWalker128

(New) Chapter 2

As stated in my blog, the part leading up to where he 'crossed over' will remain the same. If you've already read up to that part, feel free to skip it. I'll make it fairly obvious for you. I have decided that his Trixie will not be attending this little adventure, but we'll see who turns up on 'the other side'.

Chapter 2

I woke up the next morning rested, and feeling ready for anything. I wrote a short note and placed it on top of the old journal that I had recorded my adventures in, saying that I'd like it if Trixie could add her own views to it while I was gone so as to add more 'color' to the literature, and then stuffed a new and empty journal into my bag as well so I could keep track of what I found. I weighed the note down with the same pen I'd used to write the note and then slung my backpack over my shoulders and took hold of my staff from where it leaned against the wall next to the door.

Not wanting to waste what magic use was left in my staff I chose to walk to Everfree forest (which took a few days at the pace I chose), stopping briefly in Ponyville to see how it had changed since I had last been there. The name of 'Ponyville' was no longer accurate. It was no longer a village, but a large town, just bordering being a small city. Few of the buildings that had been rebuilt after the Canterlot defense still remained, though a number of them had been preserved for historical purposes, such as the Sugarcube Corner (which was run now by Pinkie Pie's children and grandchildren) and Twilight's rebuilt library, and both of which still saw use from the public. A number of Ponies and Humans waved or pointed when they saw me. I waved back to be nice, but I didn't really know anyone that lived there now.

I could have headed into the forest directly, but I felt the need to go to Fluttershy's place first, if only to pay a sort of last respects in case the Zebra legend was wrong or I never found this 'Necro Walk'.

To my anger, Fluttershy's house had seemed to have been almost ignored by all except the wildlife, which lived housed many, many birds. It was leaning hard to one side and its colors were faded. The area behind her house where she had once kept chickens was overgrown and the chicken coop itself had collapsed and vines had overgrown it until it was unrecognizable. Had I not known what it was to begin with, I'd have never guessed what it had once been. I clenched a fist and walked closer to the house.

The tree that had stood outside of the front of her house that we'd once all rested under was still there, but it was gigantic now, as if Fluttershy being buried beneath it encouraged it to grow taller and stronger out of a desire to preserve and protect her remains amongst its roots.

“Hey Shy.” I said to the tree, placing a hand on the smooth trunk. “I guess you really are a tree now, eh?” I chuckled, but my expression was sad. “I'm sorry that I didn't visit more often. I guess living as long as my kind does often makes us forget that not everyone has all the time in the world, ourselves included. It feels like only last week that I was young, strong, bold, and green at magic. Now when I look at myself in the mirror I barely see that young man anywhere in the face before me. I miss you.” I patted my hand against the tree and then headed for the forest's edge. Before entering I stole one last glance at the collapsing house and then entered the dim treeline.

I came to the now-overgrown path that once had been the way to Zecora's house not too long after entering, thinking that just as I had stopped at Fluttershy's house, I'd also stop at Zecora's.

It still being daytime, birds chirped and warbled, squirrels chattered in on the branches above my head, and occasionally I heard the sound of something large and bulky pushing its way through the forest brush, but I saw none of what made these sounds as I was not looking for them. Instead all of my attention was focused on the what little of the path that remained before me. In places trees were starting to come up, and I stopped to pull them up and toss them to the side. In others the rotting trunks of trees that had fallen had to be moved or climbed over, and in one irritating incident, I came to a patch of thorn bushes that had grown all across the way and I had to burn them down (or tear them up, but I chose to burn them because even after all these years I'm still a bit lazy and like to burn things), but eventually I reached my destination, and then immediately wished that I had not.

Zecora's house in a way was in even worse shape than Fluttershy's, but then Zecora's place had been carved out from an actual tree, whereas Fluttershy had just had grass on every relatively flat surface. After Zecora had abandoned her house to the whims of the wild, the tree had eventually died and began to rot. With no one to apply preserving chemicals to it or to kill the insects, it turned into a rotted-out husk that no longer resembled a dwelling place at all other than the various belongings she'd had that were not made out of material that would decompose. Most of these were broken or filled with rot from the tree when they were not sealed.

One particular unbroken and sealed bottle caught my eye and I lifted it from the soft decomposed wood, leaves, and other things plant and rubbed the bottle with a sleeve. The contents looked like a bubble-ridden yellow-orange gel. This looks awfully familiar...where have I seen this before? The bottle had a rounded bubble-shaped bottom with a slender neck and was small enough to fit in my pants' pockets. I set it back down and searched the rest of her things.

In a way I felt like a grave robber, but Zecora had often said that the dead had no need of worldly possessions, and said that she would leave her door unlocked when she left her home one last time for any who might need what she had. Really, I didn't need anything (or so I believed), but if someone ever did come along who might, in a few short years what was hardly visible might have become invisible, So I dug through the soft rot-filled bowl that had once been a Zebra's home, and piled them all together in the center where the only thing that might fall on them from above would be leaves or perhaps bird droppings (or the droppings of a careless Pegasus. Yuck! Why did I have that thought? I shook my head rapidly in hopes of shaking the thought away.

Once that was done I once more picked up the small bubbly bottle and sat on the forest floor and examined it again. Blast it! I know I've seen this stuff before! What is it?! There was a pony's skull and crossbones on the bottle, as well as note below it that read 'DO NOT DROP!' Hmm. It'll probably come back to me eventually, but in the meantime it would be a bad idea to leave this here if this so dangerous. If someone or somepony came along that could not read English (or Equestrian, perhaps), they might drink or mishandle this. I stuffed it into my bag, taking care to put it in the middle of all my clothing where it would be least likely to get cracked or break, then re-shouldered my bag and continued deeper into the forest according to a map I'd studied while waiting for Trixie to return. If I continued going straight for the next forty minutes I'd find my way to a black spire of rock sticking up from the forest floor. A footnote on the map said that it would be a little taller in total height than me. The rock was used as a landmark, or perhaps a warning ward would be a better term. According to the palace librarian, apparently the last Pony to map out Everfree forest had seen that rock and took it to be an ill omen and ceased exploration at that point. There was roughly a mile and a half of unexplored territory near the middle of the forest at its widest point, but that did not include the rest of it.

My race had offered to fly over the forest with a helicopter, but something had gone wrong with the engine and the chopper crashed into the forest below. The radio had apparently been damaged in the crash, and neither the pilot, nor the guy that had gone along to take pictures had been heard from again. This incident had been what sparked an interest in hunting the Bloody Hooves: revenge. The hunters did not always come back (at the start they almost never did), but over the years the reports of missing Ponies and people that had gone into the forest had slimmed down. Until recently, that is.

A year and a half ago fifteen campers went into a reportedly safe area of Everfree to camp for a week. Two days after they'd set up camp a single one of their number came stumbling out of Everfree forest with a mad look in his eye, rambling on about their camp being attacked and that everyone else was dead. A week later the first of the ghouls were spotted and that had been when Luna put up guards outside of the forest. They learned, and now there's a new danger to contend with. I wonder if these ones will also leave me alone as their equine counterparts do? I wondered as I stepped over a large root attached to a hostile-looking tree. For a moment as I pushed one of its branches out of my way that another had reached out and tried to grab my shoulder, but when I turned to look I saw that it was only the wind blowing the branches of all the trees and I chuckled at myself.

I found the rock, but nearly missed it as I'd been forced to find a way around a few dense clusters of huge trees. You'd think with how old this place is that the trees would be more spread out! The rock stood by itself with no plants near its base, and not even and rotting leaves or animal leavings came near it. That's...odd. I thought as I approached it. As I walked closer to it I got a feeling of dread that reached all the way into my bones. I wanted to run the other way as fast as I could, but I resisted. Barely. Maybe it really is a ward of some kind. If enough of these were placed around this area, I don't think that anybody would want to go any farther!

I wrote my thoughts in my journal along with what I'd seen of Ponyville and Fluttershy and Zecora's homes, and then continued deeper in, noting several things that I saw as I went along, intending to fill in more of the map when I returned to Canterlot. There wasn't much to see, really. Trees, a few molding vines hanging from said trees, a number of dusty spiderwebs, large bugs, and stuffy air. Pretty much what you'd expect to see and smell in the oldest places of a forest.

What I did not expect was the near-silence. Other than a few buzzing bugs and leaves rustling in the breeze there was no sounds of wildlife at all. My footsteps were sounded very loud to me, almost as if I were stomping my way through the woods rather than taking simple steps. The ground was bare and dry though the air was warm and humid. In a way it kind of reminded me of my grandfather's old basement. Except my grandfather's basement I could have traversed blindfolded. If I get lost in here I'll have to fly out. If my magic will work here, that is. As Ponies had told me many, many times, the Everfree forest, when it had magic at all, warped it unless you had very, very good concentration. I was (unfortunately) easily distracted by sudden sounds or lights, so if I got into a sticky situation things might not go very well for me. As it stood currently, however, there was nothing to worry about.

I passed another black spire, felt the same familiar dread only a little stronger, made note of it as well as nearby landmarks, and then passed it as well. Five minutes after that spire was out of site the light went from dim to dark, and the forest ahead of me became pitch-black. Expecting something like this I had packed a flashlight and brought it out. When I turned it on, I wished that I had not.

“Dear Maker- !” I gasped. It seemed my theory was correct. In front of me stood what I assumed to be a sleeping Bloody Hoof. It slept standing up, snoring gently, head drooped downward, eyes closed. Behind it there were several more of various type and size, all sleeping. I swallowed and stepped as lightly as I could and aiming the flashlight at the ground so as to lessen the chance of waking them, circled around them. They might attack me, and they might not, but there was no sense in tempting fate.

I (to my relief) found a way around that group but quickly found another, as well as another three black spires which I passed with curiosity growing. What is with these things? If they're meant to ward off Ponies that enter the woods, they could have been placed further out! Most of them were well within the Bloody Hooves' territory, which began to make me wonder if the Bloody Hooves had originally been much closer to the center than this and they had been steadily moving outward, or if the spires were naturally occurring, or if they weren't so much wards as a statement of claimed territory. I suppose I could always ask one if I really want to know! I chuckled inwardly, and skirted another pair of sleeping cannibalistic Ponies.

“What are you doing here?” Came a hissing voice behind me. I turned and saw a face that did not belong to a Pony. A ghoul! I took a step back and it took a step forward. “If you came to die and walk eternal, then you're in the right place!”

“I am here looking for the Necro Walk.” I answered, a bit nervous. Seeing a Bloody Hoof was one thing. Seeing a red-eyed Human with its flesh drawn tight over its bones as if it had no fat or muscle beneath it was another thing. Its hair was wispy like so many of the cobwebs that hung from the trees and it stank like the corpse it was. It wheezed quickly several times, which I took to be laughter.

“Who am I to deny a dead man his last request? Follow me.” It led me through the woods, other changed Humans appearing and sleeping Ponies coming awake as we passed. My guide made no attempt to hide that we were passing them by, and soon enough we were surrounded by them. The ghouls frowned at me in disapproval, and the Bloody Hooves grinned and occasionally whispered something to one another.

We eventually came to a stop next to a huge black spire that had several symbols carved into it. One of which was the sun symbol that Zecora had on her flank. Another was my family's symbol.

“What???” I stepped closer to it and reached out a hand to trace the symbol with my fingers, not quite believing. The ghoul slapped my outstretched hand down. His skin felt like sand paper against mine, and his nails (or perhaps the bones of the tips of his fingers) left scratches on me.

“You really should not have come here.” He told me, and the others closed in around us. I gripped my staff with both hands and got ready to fight. He wheezed-laughed again. “Your magic will not help you here. Magic is a tool of the world of the living, and you are no longer there. You're in our world now!”

I backed away from them until the spire was at my back. The Spire was four times my height, but because of the trees being so much taller here it would still be concealed from those that flew over of this place. It was also, if I had to guess about eight times wider than I was.

The moment my backside touched the stone I felt as if my blood had frozen in my veins. This stone did not emit dread like the others did, instead it emitted nothing at all.

“The stone! It lights!” One of the Ponies yelled. I stole a glance at at the spire behind me to see that it was indeed glowing, but my family's symbol, as well as Zecora's and two others were not. I returned my gaze to my would-be killers. They had stopped advancing and now stared. “Kill him! Kill him before the path opens!!!” The ghoul that had led me shouted before lunging at me. I caught him in the face and shoved up. He was much lighter than I expected and I picked up his entire body a few inches of the ground. I spun my body and kicked him back into two advancing Ponies, who where knocked back. The other sixty or so charged. I'm a dead man, but I'd rather be damned than let them take me without a fight!! I readied my staff and readied a spell, only to have it fizzle out. I suddenly wish I'd brought a few guns! I thought as they grinned and also lunged at me; a wave of grinning red-eyed death. I swung my staff, no better than a bludgeoning weapon now, and yelled my family name as a battle cry.

“LIGHTHAND!” A grinding sound of stone-on-on came from behind me and I felt hands grab me from behind and pull hard. I was drawn back against- not the stone. I saw the BH's faces go from triumphant to terrified, and those that could stop did and ran the other way. The others sailed through the opening in the stone after me Terror? What the heck scares them!? I turned my head around and saw...nothing. Just black emptiness.

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When I awoke again, I couldn't see anything, but realized that it was because it was night when I felt around for my staff and found it lying nearby. Once I had it in hand I lit up the area to find myself in a forest, but it was not Everfree forest. The trees here looked like normal trees, and there was not a single BH to be seen anywhere, though there were hoof marks on the ground surrounding me. If there had been anyone here before I'd arrived, though, there was no one (or nopony) here now. I stood and looked at my staff, checking for damage. None that I could see other than what had already been there. I listened to the night sounds around me and found nothing out of the ordinary. Just a few crickets, and one or two owls hooting. This place doesn't look like a form of heaven, and there's no one here to greet me like the legend stated...so where am I? Did I make it, or am I just somewhere else on Mythica? Or am I perhaps in the past?

Time travel could also explain how ancestors had 'come back from the dead' to give advice or aid to their descendants. I looked behind me and saw to my surprise that the black rock spire was now white, and the symbol of my family that I'd seen on it before was still glowing. I walked back to it and traced it with a finger, now that I had no freaky-looking ghoul to slap my hand away. Nothing happened, and the rock (more of a boulder) still felt like any other rock: cold. Magic. But to what end, I wonder?

Some branches on some shrubbery shook nearby and I turned my head, but not my body to see what it could be. It was just a rabbit. I rolled my eyes and turned back to examining the white boulder. Touching it before had activated it and it had sent me here (wherever here was), but now touching it did nothing. It was possible that it was a one-way transporter, but if that was the case, how would anyone had used it to go to (if it was a time-travel device) the future?

I felt a small pain in my leg when the little rabbit from before threw a rock at me and hit my leg just above my ankle.

“Ouch!” I whirled and frowned at the little critter, who had picked up a second stone (which is how I knew that it had been the critter to throw the first one at me) “You know, if I was a soulless jerk, I could set you on fire with a thought!” I wouldn't, of course. No matter how hostile or annoying, I wasn't going to set a little bunny on fire.

The little bunny was not impressed and threw the second rock at me. I caught it in a hand and tossed it over my shoulder. He hopped a short distance to the right, and picked up a third. You know, this annoying little creature reminds me of Angel, Fluttershy's pet rabbit. He threw that stone too and this time I deflected it with my staff (the staff itself, not by use of magic). Always it stayed in the same general area from where it had appeared, and it stared at me defiantly. Is he protecting something? Or maybe someone? I walked forward, my feet crunching on leaves and rotted twigs until I reached the bush he'd hopped out from under. The little rabbit threw itself at me, biting into my pants. At this point I'd had enough and reached down with a hand and grabbed hold of one of his furry little hind legs and pulled him off of me. He flailed and twisted about in the air, and made several squeaking noises that reminded me of a squirrel. I held him up to eye level and waited. Eventually he stopped flailing and stared back at me. I had only one thing to say to him. “Fluttershy.” He began trying to shake free with renewed effort. At one point I almost dropped him. Angel the bunny died before Fluttershy did. If this really is the land of the dead, then it makes sense for him to be here, as it does Fluttershy, but Angel and I were on fairly good terms towards the end of his lifespan. Why would he attack me? Unless this is part of the test... I pushed my way through the bush, still carrying the little rabbit and then dropped him at what I saw before me. “FLUTTERSHY!!” Her back and her side were matted with blood, one of her wings were missing, and she had- These look like knife wounds! But Ponies don't use knives, and what Human would intentionally harm a Pegasus?

I pushed from my mind that this might not be real and crouched down next to her and felt for a pulse. She had one, but it was weak. Recalling what Luna (and several veterinarians) had taught me about a pony's anatomy, I cleared my mind as best I could and placed a hand on her side. The little rabbit began trying to bite me again, and this time I wasn't so patient. I pinned him to the ground with a simple spell and then once more focused on Fluttershy. I did not think I could replace her wing (though if it had been nearby I could have reattached it. Unfortunately, it was not) but if nothing else I could keep her from dying.

As I began Fluttershy groaned a little as her injuries became raw again and began to heal. I was nearly done when she woke up and looked around. When she saw me she looked terrified and tried to get away, but I had already secured her body in place with the same spell I'd used on Angel.

“I'm trying to help you. Please stay still.” She made several noises and continued squirming, so I put her to sleep again. The last thing I needed was for her to inflict on her body more damage while I was in the process of repairing it. After several more minutes I was finished and I woke her up again. She performed a repeat of what she'd done the last time she'd awoken. In the meantime I sat down on the ground next to her. When she started trying to free herself again I asked why she was afraid of me. I did not mention that I already knew whom she was nor asked if she knew who I was because there was the very real possibility that she did not, and that I did not.

“You're going to hurt me!”

“Am I? Then why did I just save your life? You looked pretty bad when I got here.” I looked at her back where her wing was still missing and her coat was still soaked in what was probably her own blood. “Actually, you still look pretty bad, but any internal injuries I've taken care of.” Fluttershy flapped her wing and then stopped and looked at her back and gasped. “I'm sorry about your wing. I don't know how to regrow limbs.” Fluttershy sniffed and moved her remaining wing weakly, and started to cry. I rested a hand on her side and she flinched.

“So...” she sniffed again and looked back at me. “if you're not here to hurt me, what are you going to do now?”

“First, I'm going to release you.” I looked at Angel, who had calmed down a little. “Then I'm going to release him.”

“Oh! Angel! What are you doing here?”

“He was protecting you. When he saw me he started attacking me with rocks and when I found you he tried to bite me. I had to pin him to the ground with the same spell I used on you so I could concentrate.“ With a thought I freed Fluttershy and then freed Angel, as I said I would. Angel hopped over to Fluttershy, who hugged him.

I stood and brushed the dirt and leaves off my clothes. Fluttershy looked up and then also stood.

“You said earlier that I was going to hurt you. Was it a Human that attacked you?” She nodded.

“And a Griffon. He was riding it.” That was new. Most Griffons hated Humans with a passion back home for decimating their allies and denying them a chance at expanding their borders. There were exceptions, of course, as there are always exceptions, but the general unspoken opinion of Griffons was 'if you're a Human, steer clear of me unless you want your face broken'. “First the Human attacked me while I was on the ground. He stabbed me a few times before I new he was there, and then I managed to get into the air and escape him for a little bit, though it really hurt. Then a Griffon came out from behind a pile of rocks and he jumped onto its back and they chased me. I only got this far before it caught me and ripped one of my wings off. Once that happened all went black and I guess I crashed down here. Then you found me.” She had begun trembling when she got to the point about the Griffon chasing her.

“Would you like me to walk you home?” I asked her. “I give you my word that I'll protect you with my life.” Fluttershy nodded, but asked why I would do that. “You remind me of a very good friend I once had. She's gone now, but the resemblance between you two is uncanny.” She seemed to accept that and together we walked through the forest until we reached its end. I walked out first and looked around, as well as up, and seeing nothing I told Fluttershy that it was safe. She hesitantly exited the woods, Angel riding on her back. She too looked around, and breathed a sigh of relief when she also saw nothing. The trip back was uneventful except for the faint battle roar of a Dragon coming from somewhere to the south. I looked in that direction curiously for a few moments, but saw nothing Whatever was happening, it was happening far from here.

When we reached her home she thanked me and asked me if I'd care to stay the rest of the night as a sort of payment for healing her and walking her home. I thanked her for her generosity, and spent the night sleeping on her porch. She had offered me her couch (which I was too big for) but I replied that I'd be fine, and then pointed out that if another crazed Human should drop by, who better for he or she to encounter first? She still brought me a pillow and a blanket, which I gratefully accepted, and then went to bed. For a time my mind was clear and I thought only of keeping watch while I was still awake, but then I began to wonder if I had perhaps, rather than entering the Realm of the Dead entered some kind of alternate dimension instead. Logic argued against this, because if it had been an alternate world, then it stood to reason that my six equine friends would also be deceased here as well.

“Different world, different rules.” Echoed Melinda Jones' old words in my mind. It was possible that the ponies here lived longer than they did in my world, which could account for why I was still fifty nine and Fluttershy looked fairly young, but I wouldn't know until tomorrow when I could ask her what her age was. In the end, I fell asleep and did not wake up again until morning.

I was prodded awake by the Angel who was poking me with a carrot. When he saw I was awake he gave me a warning look and jerked his head to one side. I looked where he motioned and saw that Fluttershy was watching me from behind the door frame. I said good morning and she whispered it back and asked if I was hungry. I said that I was and she took a few steps back and looked nervous. I gave her a questioning look and asked what why she'd backed away.

“Your kind eat meat! I- I'm made of m- meat!” I laughed and she gave me a confused look.

“Yes, I eat meat, Fluttershy, but I also eat plants. You don't need to be afraid of me having you for breakfast! I don't eat sentient beings.” Fluttershy sighed in relief and then asked if I liked apples or carrots or celery or dandelions. I replied that I'd eat the first three, but not the last. “Fruits and vegetables. I can eat those, but flowers or grass or leaves, no.” She invited me in and gave me three sticks of uncut celery and four carrots. I thanked her and ate them in silence (other than the crunching of the vegetables as I bit into them and ground them between my teeth) while she watched with interest.

“Your teeth...they're different!” She said as I bit the end off the last carrot. I stopped mid-chew and looked up from my meal. “They're square! That other Human's teeth were pointed like a Manticor's teeth!” Fangs? That's not normal. Not back home, anyway.

“Fluttershy, may I ask you a personal question?” She nodded. “How old are you?”

“I will be turning fifty next month. Why do you ask?” So they do live longer here! But how much longer?

“Because I'm not from around here, and the only ponies I've met that could speak like you do only lived to be around forty years old. That's all.”

“That's awful! Did they get an illness or were they cursed?” I shook my head as I finished the last celery stick.

“Nope. That was just their natural lifespan.”

“Where did you meet them?”

“Somewhere far from here.” I stood up from the small bench she had lent me and wiped my hands on my shirt. “Thank you for the food, Fluttershy. Is there any chance you know some other ponies named Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, or Rarity?” Fluttershy stared at me, her face covered in shock.

“Yes...but how do you know those names? And how did you know my name?”

“You would not believe me if I told you. Do you know where I can find them?”

“Rainbow Dash went to the royal army recruitment last month as did Applejack and her brother. Twilight Sparkle has set up a communication center in town next to the post office with the help of her cute baby dragon” Her eyes lit up for a moment as she thought of him. “so that if, and probably when the town gets attacked by more Humans we can alert the princesses and hopefully get some help. The other Unicorns usually also help out. Rarity went missing several days ago when she was out hunting for gemstones, and Pinkie Pie is assisting in keeping track of our town's food.”

“And you?”

“I just live out here by myself near Everfree forest with Angel Bunny. I used to take care of animals, but when the Humans came they started disappearing. Now Angel is the only one that I have left.” The little rabbit hugged one of her legs, and she nuzzled him. “I think,” She looked up from Angel. “maybe those sharp-toothed Humans are eating them all!” She shuddered.

“And then yesterday you got attacked too. You shouldn't stay out here by yourself anymore, Fluttershy. You should pack up the things you can't afford to leave behind and go into town where it's safer.” Fluttershy became upset and shook her head.

“I can't leave! I've lived here almost all my life!”

“And if you stay there's a very good chance that you could die here too. Materiel objects can be replaced. Lives cannot, nor can the emptiness left from their passing be filled.” My throat tightened at the end of the last sentence and it changed my voice a little. Fluttershy looked around her home, and sighed, looking sad. Finally, she sighed and said

“Will you help me gather and carry some things? My back still hurts from-” She hesitated, trying to bury the unpleasant memories of the previous day. “from yesterday.” I nodded.

While I gathered several things with the help of Angel Bunny, Fluttershy partook of her own breakfast. When she finished she cleaned out most of her pantry and stuffed the food in two more bags which I also volunteered to carry with my hands along with her saddlebags strapped (albeit awkwardly) to my lower back beneath by travel pack. When all was ready I felt fifty pounds heavier and longed for my younger years when this would feel like almost nothing. As I was I could still carry it with no problem at a walk, but if trouble found us running would be out of the question.

When Fluttershy was sure she'd packed everything she wanted or needed that would be practical (she had not wanted to leave behind a cuckoo clock mounted on a wall near a window, but there was no space left in the bags, much to her lament) I exited the door crouching and walking sideways to fit both myself and the bags through the door and waited on the ground just off the porch for Fluttershy to lock the door behind her, which she did. When she had run a hoof down one wall of her house she whispered a promise to herself to come back just as soon as it was safe and then led the way from her home to Ponyville. It was not until we'd arrived at the town limits that I realized that Id overlooked a very crucial detail: Humans (apparently) were considered enemies (with good reason) here. Even though the ones that the ponies encountered here seemed to be different from me, with the exception of my teeth I still looked like them. Fluttershy was leading me to the village and she was of brighter coloration than the clothes I had chosen to wear for my trip through the woods, but I was tall, and she was not. Both of use were noticed at roughly the same time, and they wasted no time attacking me in an attempt to 'save' one of their number. I dropped the bags and reached for my staff, but then remembered that I'd tied it in place between my body, my backpack, and Fluttershy's saddlebags and started trying to run instead to buy me time enough to loose the two bags. I did not get far, and something struck my head and I blacked out.

When I woke up again I found myself lying in a familiar setting: Nurse Heartblood's infirmary. Unlike my first trip there however, I was being guarded this time by two ponies of an unfriendly outer disposition. When they saw I was awake they glared at me and bared their teeth. I raised a hand (and my head a little) to my head and rubbed at a spot that itched. When I pulled my hand away again I found small bits of dried blood stuck on my fingers and then a headache made me groan a little. I lowered my head back down onto the pillow, but looked at the two ponies guarding me with my eyes.

“Try anything funny and we'll buck you in the face!” One of the two stallions threatened.

“Thanks for the warning.”

For close to three hours I laid on the bed waiting for somepony to decide my fate (or for my bladder to explode. Whichever came first) and come tell me what it was going to be. Eventually the door to the rest of the infirmary opened and several hoofsteps echoed in the room before another familiar face, though slightly different body, frostily greeted me. It was Twilight Sparkle.

Her Cutie Mark was different from what I knew, however. Rather than what looked like a hot pink star with a few smaller stars around it (which I was told later after meeting her that it was a symbol for magic) was instead what seemed to be a checklist. Organizational skills? I could see that being an alternative to Twilight's magic-mark. Her mane and tail were also different, but they were one solid color of dark blue rather than having a stripe which made me wonder if my Twilight had dyed her hair. Lastly, the curious look that all too often my Twilight had sported when learning about Humans was nowhere to be seen. Instead, distrust and near-hostility met my eyes.

“Count yourself lucky to be alive, Human.” She said with disgust. “If not for Fluttershy's insistence that we not hurt you, we'd be disposing of your dead body right now. Now who are you and why have you come here?”

“I am here because I was trying to make sure that Fluttershy made it to town safely. My name is Jacob Pharaoh Lighthand the ninth.” Her eyes widened for an instant, but she said nothing about it.

“Show me your teeth.” I bared my teeth and she leaned in closer and examined them. After telling me to open my mouth entirely and I did so she nodded and leaned back again. I closed my mouth and she explained that she was checking to make sure that Fluttershy had not imagined seeing my teeth in a different shape.

“It is not often that a Pegasus loses their wings in any situation, and from what I have been told it often traumatizes those that it happens to. Fluttershy also claimed that you used magic to heal her injuries, yet you made no attempt to defend yourself from us when we attacked you. Why?”

“You are not my enemies. You attacked me out of a misunderstanding. Fighting back would have gained me nothing but your scorn.” I thought it best at the moment to not reveal to them that without a horn or my staff I could not use magic at all. It was likely they'd think I'd killed Unicorns to get their horns if I did. I just hoped they'd not gone through my things and found my Twilight and Rarity's horns.

“Hmm.” She looked me in the eyes and stared for a moment, and then left the room briefly. When she came back again she had my backpack with her and she used her magic to dump out the contents on the floor. I winced, thinking of the bottle with the unknown contents and hoped that whatever it was inside was not sensitive to jolts. She used levitation to separate the various things I'd packed (most of it clothing and some dried foods) and then asked me what each was and their purpose, eventually coming to the bottle and horn box, which I'd tied shut with twine. I told her that I did not know what was in the bottle but warned that it should be handled with care, and for the horn box I claimed it was a gift.

“What's inside?” She asked, not as frosty but still far from friendly.

“Ivory. It was rather expensive for the giver to acquire, and I'd appreciate it if you'd not mess with it.” Twilight looked back and forth from the box and me, then shrugged and to my relief returned it to the backpack. When I'd named everything and their purpose and she'd returned all my belongings to my pack she brought in one last object: my staff. The muscles around my eyes tightened a bit as I ran various stories through my mind as to why I carried something such as it with me, but it proved to be unnecessary because she floated it over to me without asking what it was.

“Fluttershy said you had been using it to help you make your way through the forest. It looks a bit too fancy for something so mundane, but I've seen fancier. Here.” I sat up and took it in my left hand, enjoying the faint warmth that I'd grown so used to over the years once again fill me. “Fluttershy also said you admitted to eating meat, but that you also said you could eat plants and then ate the celery and carrots that she gave you.” I nodded. “She also said that you knew our names, as well as several others. How?”

“You'd never believe me if I told you.” I warned, laying my staff across my lap.

“Try me.” I did.

Many hours later Twilight left along with one of the stallions that had been guarding me and nurse Heartblood came and offered me some water. I declined, but asked her instead if I could use their toilet.

Watching me like a mother cat looking after her newborn kittens, the stallion followed close behind me while I followed nurse Heartblood to their restroom. They waited outside the door while I tended to my physical needs, and then followed them back to the patient's resting room and once more waited for whatever was to come next.

Comments

[Dunbarrio]

excellent i shall watch this intently

[Meta Knight]

great

[shira]

Way, way, WAY better. Hot damn I am riveted now. I was feeling bad for telling you how I didn't like how you did the last one since it seemed to make you rewrite it. Totally worth it.

Tracking this one HARD. I can't even bitch about this chapter, just brilliant.

[WorldWalker128]

2789670
Well, I recall that at some point I was going to have that plant he touched give him a very bad rash that would spread all over his body and give him a fever and he'd be rushed to a hospital, but i don't remember what was going to happen after that (short-term).
The original intent was to have him lead the enslaved Mythica in a rebellion against Gaea, and then they'd help him get home again. The Necro Walk legend was to be a misunderstanding of perceived reality on the Zebra race's part and Gaea was to be an actual universe with Jackylin, as with the current version, being Jacob's alternate self. The reason he de-aged was because of Jackylin's existence, though I don't recall as to whether I had an actual explanation for it or not.
Frankly, now that I've gone back and re-read this I'm glad I derailed it and went with the current storyline.

Now I just need to stop getting distracted by new and awesome video games and get back to work on it!

[Titanium Blade]

Is this story still going? 'Cause I need more! This is amazing.