Looks like dad wants to head to South America, wopty do. Ever since mom died, he has taken me on his not so exiting artifact hunting trips. Well turns out, things happen this time. I stumble across some old ruins, solve some puzzles, and then ponies.
A young teen named Joel, is forced to travel with his rich jerk of a dad around the world, looking for artifacts, since his mom passed away. They end up in strange places, and meet strange people on their trips. However this trip is different. Joel stumbles upon some old ruins in the middle of the jungle. Escaping traps, solving puzzles, you know, dungeon stuff. Soon discovering a strange scroll, he ends up in Equestria. Will he be able to get used to the sunshine, rainbow, pony world. And will he be able to help the main six stop an ancient evil, older than Celestia and Luna themselves. Find out in "A Whole New World."
A warning for you guys. The first few chapters are kinda rushed and aren't to great. I promise it improves later on. Please don't judge the story by the first few chapters. The first decent one is chapter 5.
"Attention passengers. We have just arrived at the coast of South America. We should arrive at our destination in about 30 minutes."
"Finally, about time we reach the coast. My back is killing me." Hello, the names Joel. I am a 14 year old teen from Canada. Most of you are problably thinking, "Why the heck are you in South America, and not at school?" Well it's kinda a long story, so I'll give you the short version. I was born into a rich family back in 1999. We lived in a beautiful house just outside the city. Most of you are thinking how lucky I was to live rich. Well let me tell you, you're the one that is lucky. Life was so boring, nothing happened around the house, the rules would work well in prison, and I never got much time to spend with my family.
When I did get the time, it was usually with my mom. She always seemed to love me more than dad, since he was so focused on work. Did I mention what he does? No, ok. He is basically an archeologist, looking for treasures from the past. He seriously reminds me of Indiana Jones. His occupation was almost the same as my dads. My dad would even say some quotes from the movies. He even carrys a whip. I swear his whole being is copyrighted.
Anyways, life seemed to get better as I spent more and more time with mom. But, the universe is jerk as you all know, and mom soon died from unknown causes. I was only 11 when that happened. That day was the worst day of my life. I don't think I ever will be able to cry as hard as I did on that day ever. What seemed to be my only hope of living a normal life, vanished.
After that day, life went down hill. Since mom was out of the picture, dad was forced to take me on his trips. We were both not happy about it, and dad would yell at me sometimes about moms death. Luckily that does not happen as much anymore.
I am pretty sure I have been on every continent so far. Well, exept Antarctica. Is it considered a continent? We are now on a trip to the jungles of South America. There have been some rumours about ruins in the jungles. Maybe even some treasure, and with dad always wanting to get richer and richer, we are heading for there right now.
"Ah quit your complaining. Your back ain't going to break, yet a least." Dad said. I think that was a threat.
"Ya whatever." I responded, not feeling threatened at all. I've been going on these trip for quite awhile now, and he has done a lot of horrible things to me. He has whipped me, punched me, and even cut me. He has done a whole lot more, but it is just that I think that he is starting to run out of ideas on how to punish me. So, I feel safe.
"Attention passengers. We are expecting turbulance to take place soon. Wait, the caption says we should hit turbulance in about 3, 2, 1."
Right on cue, the plane started to vibrate rapidly. This wasn't making my stomach feel right. After about a minute of intense shaking, it finnaly stopped. Sadley, the pain in my stomach didn't. "I think I'm ... going lose my ... lunch now, hgh."
"Well than make sure you don't make a mess. You can throw up in this bag." He than handed me the small plastic bag which I know would not help.
"Thanks a lot." I said full of sarcasm.
After about 20 minutes of flying, we finally made it to our destination. The landing could of been sooner, but that was the least of my problems. The combination of the turbulence and the bad airplane food has made its tole on my stomach. A least the flight was over.
Once we made it through the airport, we took a jeep and headed for the village we had to go to. I have to say, Rio de Janeiro looks amazing at night. The city lights make me feel nice inside oddly. After about 3 hours of driving, getting stuck, and more driving, we finally made it to the village. Ok, not trying to be racist, but this is the sketchiest place I have ever seen. This is like New York City back alley sketchy.
"Ym dad, you sure this is the right place?"
Looking at a map, dad answered, "This is the place, now look for a man that has our names on a sign."
After about a minute of walking, I saw something that made me want out of this place.
"Dad, there's a man hugging a bunch of chickens. And I think I just saw some guys showing me some pills. Can we go?" I asked. I really did want out of here.
"No, we must find the ruins, and you are going to help me if you like it or not. And don't worry, what happens here is problably normal."
I than slapped him on the face, "Dad! Thats racist!" I yelled.
"Son, racism is only in the mind of the hearer." he responded, surprisingly calm.
"You should at least give these people some respect. They have to live in poor conditions every day. I respect them for that." I said, trying to protect these people.
"Yah whatever, just keep looking." dad said. If there is any wonder why I don't like him, than you guys need some help.
We soon found the man. He was wearing shorts and a Hawaii shirt. A goat stood beside him looking at us, which isn't creepy at all.
"Mr. Berg, Joel, welcome! It is great to see you. We hope your trip to our little village was most comfortable." he said with a strong accent.
"Well besides my sore back, the bugs, and the heat, it was fine." I answered, hoping he would know what I meant. "Thats great. We are really exited to take you into the jungle."
"Hold up. What do you mean we?" I questioned. Please be a cute girl, please be a cute girl.
"Well me and Buttercup of course. She'll be taking you tomorrow." he said, patting the goat. "Wait, what! Your telling me that a goat is going to guide me through the jungle! A fucking goat!" I yelled.
"Well of course. Getting people to do it is too expansive. Plus, she is well trained in the art of guiding. She knows what plants are safe for her to eat. Isn't that right girl?" he said, hugging the animal. "Now come inside, you'll need the rest for tomorrow." he finished.
Ok, I finally had enough."Dad, you are 100% sure this is the right place, and the right guy?"
"For the last time yes. Now quit the complaining and head to bed." he said, pointing to the house.
I then headed to bed. The bed was ok, and my back started to feel better. I soon wondered what was going to happen tomorrow. Normally I wouldn't think of much since nothing new usually happens on theis trips. But, since I've got a goat as a guide, this is new for me. And I had this gut feeling that something was going to happen to me tomorrow. I ignored it a went to sleep.
"What the shit!" I yelled. A scream just woke my up. I looked around to see who did it, and right there beside me was Buttercup.
"Did you just do that?!" I yelled. I was so tired I forgot that goats don't speak. "Oh yeah, goats don't speak. Well I feel like an idiot." The next thing I noticed was that the goat had a note strapped around this neck. "What's this?" I thought to myself. It read.
Dear Son
My guide and I have left early today looking for the ruins. I decided not to wake you up since I'm getting sick and tired of shacking you. When you are ready to leave, take the path to the houses right. The goat will lead the way. We will see you soon, if you make it to use alive.
"That son of a." I was not happy now. My own dad left me behind, and he was not worried if I would not make it to him alive.
I then got out of bed, packed up my stuff. Which included a machete, water, some food, my i pad, first aid kit, some books, and finally some matches. I then ate some breckfest and made my way to the ruins.
"Well, lead the way goat." I can't believe I'm saying that. The goat then started walking into the jungle, while I followed behind.
The trip started out fine, since the cool mourning air was still around, this soon changed. The goat always seemed to be lost, and it would often stop to eat, a lot. The bugs were starting to come out now, and it started to get really hot.
"I think this goat has made us lost. Why couldn't dad spend some more money to get a real guide." I whined inside. I soon started to get exhausted, so I took out a chicken sandwich to eat. I was about to take a bite when the goat jumps on me and eats it. "Oh come on. Goats aren't even suppost to eat meat!"
The longer we walked, the more tired I became. And I soon came to the point where my vision was getting blurry. "Oh...I really need to lay down sooooooooonnnn!" I wasn't checking where I was going, and I fell down a step hill. And what felt like seconds, I hit the ground.
With most people, they would black out at this moment. But for me, it is going to take more than a long fall to knock me out. I soon got up and looked at my surroundings.
"Are those, ruins?" I was confused yet curious. So I laid out my options."The hill is to slippery to climb, plus I have lost a lot of energy. But I'm getting some strange vibes from those ruins. So lets see, I etheir climb up the hill, try to find my way to dad, all of that at the risk of passing out. Or I go into the ruins and see whats in there." The choice was pretty obvious. "Ruins it is."
Making my way to the ruins, I trip on something and fall on my face. "What did I trip on?" I then notice what seemed to be a stone slab in the ground. It seemed to have letters on it. Curiosity taking over, I pull it out. It had writing on it which read, THREE LETTERS BACK.
"The heck does that mean? And how is it in english? It looks too old to be fake. Whatever, probably means nothing. I than enter the ruins.
The first thing I notice are the abundance of statues. All of them looked like, ponies? Some had horns, some had wings, others had both, while some had none. What really confused me were the strange markings on their buts. And some of those markings do not look so ancint. I think there was one that had a balloon mark. When I was looking at the sculptors, I failed to see that there was a trap right in front of me.
"These are some weird sculpwoooaah!" I hit the trap, and spikes suddenly appeared on the floor. Luckily, I was able to put my hand between the spikes to stop my fall. I then got up and moved around the spikes.
"There're traps here! And they still work. Why would someone set up traps unless, there is something they are trying to guard. There must be treasure here." This trip just became exciting.
I made my way down the down the hall, which lead to a large room. In the middle was a scroll on a pedestal. Which was surronded by a bunch of tiles with animals on them.
"This supposed to be some kind of puzzle?" I said, setting a foot on one of the tiles. Which broke instantly. Bellow seemed to be a long drop down.
"Great, one of these puzzles. Lets see what we have here." From what I could see each tile had etheir a snake, jaguar, horse, or piranha.
"Now what is one thing these animals have or don't have in common? Hmm. I got it! All the animals eat meat exept the horse. Those must ne the safe tiles!" I concluded with excitement. "Lets hope I'm right."
I steped on the horse tile, nothing happened. "Fuck yeah, I'm right!" I then made my way to the pedestal. When I made it there, I took the scroll and opened it.
"What the heck is this!? All the words are messed up. They all don't make sense. I did all of that for this?! What a rip." I was about to throw the scroll away when a image popped up in my mind. It was the stone plate from earlier. "Three letters back. Three letters back. Three letters back! Thats it. All I got to do is just move each letter three letters back. Which should revile the message." I then got out my note pad and got to work.
I was done soon after, the message that came up was this.
In a land full of magic and wonder, and strange being will arrive. This being will become good friends with the inhabitants, and will become one with the land. When dark times arise in the beautiful word, the being will help six colourful characters stop the evil and bring peace again upon the land.
"What the heck is this, written by a five year old?" I was kinda disappointed in what I have found. However, I soon realize that the scroll was starting to glow. The more I looked at it, the more woozy I became. Soon enough, my body started to fell light and warm. I then past out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Equestria
Princess Celestia was sleeping soundly in her bed. Having wonderful dreams which Luna would give her. Suddenly, she felt a strong sensation enter her body, waking her up.
"Huuuuu!"
"Sister! Did thou just feel that?" Luna said slaming the door open. "Yes dear sister, I felt that too."
"Should we send out thy royal guards?" Luna asked. "No. I think Twilight and her friends should handle this one. I will send a letter to her immediately." Celestia responded. "Very well sister." Luna said while leaving to finish night court.
Celestia then got a piece of paper and started to write.
Dear Twilight
There is something urgent you and your friends must do.
"Rainbow Dash, I have already done 100 push ups. Can I have a break?" Twilight complained. "Not until you finish your push ups. You may be strong in magic, but in order to be a strong princess, you need to be strong physically as well. Now ten more please." Raindow Dash said. "Ugh, fine."
Just as Twilight was about to finish her work out, Spike came up in full on panic mode. "Twilight! Twilight!" Twilight responded, "Spike, what is it?"
"Letter...Celestia....Urgent!" he yelled. "Um, equish please." said Rainbow Dash. Spike responded annoyed , "Just read the letter." Twilight then opened the letter, which read.
Dear Twilight
There is some thing urgant you and your friends need to do. Me and Luna just felt a strong surge of magic recently. We don't know what it is, or where it came from. But I want you and your friends to find out what happened, and report back to me. I want to make sure there is no threat to my little ponies. A good place to start looking would be the Everfree forest. Since strange magic occurs there often. I have faith that you will find out what is going on.
Princess Celestia
"Rainbow Dash, go get Applejack and Fluttershy." Twilight said. Rainbow Dash saluted, "On it." She then flew off. Twilight then told Spike, "Spike, you go get Rarity and Pinkie Pie." "You got it." he said, running as fast as his little feet could run.
"Ugh my head." The first thing I felt since my black out was the strong pain in my head. Too tired to get up, I decide to lay where I was for a little.
After about I think was 30 minutes, I get up to see my surroundings. "Why am I in a desert? I was just in a jungle." I don't know how, I don't why this happened. But I think I have just been put somewhere else.
I was in a desert, not like a Sahara desert, but more like a California desert. Cause all I could see were rocks. I then checked my back pack to see if every thing was still in there. "Whew, still have every thing. And with all the food and water I have, I should have enough for 5 days."
I then checked the battery level of my i pad. "Ok, 95%. The good, but there is no signal. Thats just great. Well better not just sit around. I better walk around to see where the heck I am. Maybe I'm close to civilization." I then packed up my stuff and started walking.
Surprisingly, it wasn't very hot out. This really confused me since the land was dry. What also confused me is how colourful the place was. It all seemed brighter, like it was made of pastel. I was even more colourful myself. This definitely proves that this is not earth. Or I am just really high.
After about an hour of walking, I find a cave. "That looks like a nice place to rest. Lets just hope it's not full of snakes." I then enter the cave. The first thing I relize is that this cave has a green glow with it. "I don't know if I should be here. I'm pretty sure caves don't glow green."
Click.
"What was that?!" I just heard a clicking sound nearby me. It sounded like an, insect? "I'm getting a bad feeling about this place. And do hear hoof steps, and buzzing."
I turned on my flashlight to see what was coming. "Ok, who's there? Show your self!" Right on cue, a dozen pony bug creatures come out of the shadows, staring at me. "Stay back, whatever you things are." I said in a not so threatening tone.
The creatures looked like a bug crossed with a horse, or ponys because of their size. With their horns reaching up to the middle of my stomach. They had blue eyes and black skin. They had small bug like wings that let them fly, and fangs from their mouth. They also had cheese holes that go through their legs. Basicaly, I have never seen these things before, and I was kinda scared. Mainly because of the fangs.
Suddenly, one of the smaller ones flys right up to my face. At this point, I was breathing hard. What was it doing? Was it studying me, or distracting me so that the others could attack. Etheir way, I didn't want to find out. So I booked it.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed, running out of the cave. I could hear them flying towards me, so I hid behind of rock.
All went silent. the only thing I could hear was the steady beating of my heart. I peeked over the rock to see if they were still there. The bug thing were at the entrence at the cave looking around for me. They soon gave up and went back in. That same small one though stopped and looked back one more time, then followed the others.
"Ok, this is definitely not earth. If this isn't earth than, where am I?" I decided to get as far away as possible from that cave.
"So, what does Princess Celestia want us to do again?" Applejack asked.
Twilight answered, "She and Princess Luna felt a strong surge of magic recently. They don't know what it is, or what caused it. So they want us to look for the source and see if it is a threat."
"So where do you suppose we should start looking darling." asked Rarity. "Well, the Princess said we should check out the Everfree forest first. Since the place is full of strange magic. So that's the place we should start looking." Twilight concluded.
Fluttershy started to shiver now. "Do we have to go in there?"
"Sorry Flutters, we have to. But don't worry. No creature is hurting anypony as long as I'm around." Rainbow Dash reassured her.
"Yeah! Plus it's not the creatures you have to worry about. It's the poison joke that's the problem. When they made me not able to talk, it was like a nightmare." Pinkie Pie added.
"Well than come on girls. The princesses are counting on us. We must not fail." Twilight said. The rest of the girls nodded and started to leave.
"Hold on. What about me?" Spike asked.
"Don't worry Spike, you can do something too. Can you take care of the castle for me?" Twilight asked. "Sure thing Twilight." Spike said enthusiastically.
"Well keep looking. There has to be something around here." Suddenly, a fowl smell came around.
"Sniff, sniff. Oh no." "What is it Applejack?" asked Rarity. "You all smell that?" Everyone nodded. "I know that smell anywhere. Thats is the smell of."
Just before see could finish her sentence, 10 timber wolves jumped out of the bushes and surrounded them.
"Timber Wolves! AAAAGGGGGHHHH!" they all screamed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Earlier, back with Joel
"Ha. Who knew a forest would be nearby a desert. This place is weirder than I thought."
Though it was nice to be out of the desert. Something about this place felt odd. Like a supernatural odd.
"AAAAGGGGGHHHH!" I suddenly heard a bunch of screams from nearby, which all sounded like girls. I ran as fast as I could to the direction the screams came from. I didn't have to run long, because I had just found what was happening. There were six colourful ponies, which I have to say were pretty cute, surrounded by what looked like wood wolves.
"Hey you! You leave those little ponies alone!" I yelled, taking out my machete. They weren't really interested in me, so they only sent one wolf at me. It jumped at me, but I was ready. I ducked and stabbed the wolf right in the chest. It howled in pain and broke into a bunch of sticks. The wrest of the them looked at their fallen comrade, then looked at me, growling.
The wood wolves slowly walked towards me, anger very aparent. "Ok. I should be able to take these guys. They seem very fragile. But I better lead them away from those ponies."
"Catch me if you can you tooth picks!" Now they seemed furious, and I think their eyes just turned red. I then ran as fast as I could into the bushes.
One of the pluses from going on those expaditions was that I could run faster and better in the bush. I ran from jaguars a couple of times. But these guys seemed to be faster than those cats. And the forest was more thick than I thought.
"I think their catching up. And these woods are way to thick to the natural. This might not end well."
All of them were trying to process what just happened. "Well we got surrounded by timber wolves, almost got eaten. Then a tall hairless monkey comes out of nowhere and spoke perfect equish. It then killed one of the wolves, made an insult and booked it. Did I miss anything?" Rainbow Dash answered.
"Twilight. What was that thing? It seemed to be wearing cloths. Ugly ones I might add." Rarity said. "I don't know. I have never read or seen anything about tall hairless monkeys or apes. It spoke equish too. I think we should follow it, it did kinda save our lives. And maybe it's the reason for the magic surge" Twilight concluded.
Everyone agreed. They soon took off and followed the trail that Joel made.
"I better find a place to fight those things. If I keep running, I will surely be to weak to fight. And I will not loss to a plant." I have been running what has felt like a hour, and I could still hear those things right behind me. It is only a matter of time before I they catch me.
Suddenly, a bright flash of light came upon my eyes. I squinted, not being used to bright light after being in those woods. I soon realize that I have just come upon a clearing. "This seems like a good place to take care of those things. But it looks like I'm cornered, and there's a cliff with a raging river in it."
I then hear a rustling sound coming from the bushes. And right on time, nine very angry wood wolves pop out of the bushes. "Well there's no going back now."
The wolves then run at me. One of them jumps at me, but it ends up like the first one I killed. But then another one pins me to the ground. And right before it could bit my face, I stop it with my machete. We both then started to wrestle, me trying to throw it off, and it trying to get rid of my weapon. I soon kick him off me, and kill it before it could get up.
Right when I got up, two more surrounded me and pounced. I ducked, and they both collided with each other. They both then fell and laid down, shocked from the hit. I picked up one and threw it into the other, destroying them both.
I didn't notice that one of them was behind me. It ran a bit ne right on the butt."EEEEEEEOOOOOOOWWWW! Why you little!" I then swing around and shake it off, then stabbed it in the head.
As soon as the pain went down, I got bitten again. This time on the arm. I screamed. I think it might of been the worst pain I have ever felt. The wolf then tried to rip the flesh off my arm. I could feel my body getting weak from the loss of blood, and my head soon felt light. I then stab it in the head several times out of anger.
Even though the wolf was gone, the pain was excruciating. I knew that I would not last much longer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back with the main six
"Look at it go! It's kicking their butts!"
"Rainbow, ye do relize that it is badly wounded?" Applejack asked. "Yeah. But that just proves that it can take hits like a champ."
"Um. Shouldn't we help the poor thing out? Only if you want to though." said Fluttershy. Twilight responded, "Your right Fluttershy, we should help it" "Oh look. He's down to the last one, he's gonna win!" said Pinkie Pie, rudely interrupting Twilight.
The girls then looked back at the fight, wondering what will be the turn out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joels POV
I was down to the last one, and wouldn't you know it, it was the leader. He was bigger and seemed more suitable for fighting.
We both just stared at each other, waiting for one of us to make the first move. "Here boy. O'l Joel is going to teach you some new tricks. Now play dead!" I run towards the beast, and it runs at me. We jump at each other and start to thrash about.
We both had been pined down many times, and we both gained many scratches and wounds.
"I will not lose to a plant!" I yelled and used all the strengh I had in the final moments. What we never noticed was that we were getting dangerously close to the cliff.
We have finally just finished the wrestling and we stood up to stand our ground. We were both very tired, blood trickling down our bodies. I could hear the raging river bellow me.
The wolf finally had enough. He jumped at me one last time. I was too tired to get out of the way fast enough, he made both of us stumble back and fall down the cliff. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back with the Ponies
"NO!" yelled Twilight.
The main six run to the edge of the cliff, believing that the creature that saved them died. They all soon cried, except Applejack of course.
"Wait look. There he is. It's swimming, it's alive!" yelled Rainbow Dash. "Of course it's alive Dashie, it got bit several times by timber wolves, and lost alot of blood. I'm pretty sure a little fall would not be enough to finish it off." said Pinkie Pie. The others look at the pink pony disturbed. "What?"
"Come on, we need to follow him. And see if we can help." ordered Twilight. Everyone nodded, and ran down the river to catch Joel.
15 MINUTES LATER
"There it is. It's on the bank." yelled Rainbow Dash who flew ahead. The wrest of the ponies soon were right by the body.
"What do ye think it is?" asked Applejack. "I don't know, but is it alive?" Twilight asked also.
Fluttershy slowly walked to the body and put a ear on it. "It's still alive, but the poor thing will die soon without medical care."
"Ok girls, we need to take it to the hospital right away." ordered Twilight. "Right." said everyone else. And they all left with the body in hand, or hoof.
Pain. That was the first thing I felt when I started to wake up. Somehow it was not as bad as earlier. Maybe the owner of those ponies found me and helped me as a thank you. I moved my fingers to make sure that I could still move, then I heard voices.
"Doctor, he's becoming conscious. Bring some water." said a female voice. "Right away Nurse Redheart." said another voice, this time a males. And Nurse Redheart, really. Am I in some cult where everyone has long names saying what they do.
I soon get the strength to open my eyes. My vision was blurry, all I could see was a white figure beside me. My vision soon improved, which allowed me to see where I was. I seemed to be in a hospital, however this hospital was different. It seemed more, low tech. It still had some technology, but it was nowhere near earth standards.
The next thing I noticed was that bandages covered my left arm, stained with some blood. Those wolves must have done some damage. My butt hurt as well, but was more of a annoyance than anything.
"It's good to see your up."
I turn my head around, only to see a white pony right beside me. "Did, did you just talk!?" I yelled. "Shhhh! Off course I did, and can you keep it down?" My mind just looped. "But ponies don't talk, only people do. This all has to be a bad dream." She started to get annoyed, "Sir, if this were a bad dream, Princess Luna would of stopped it by now."
"Now I was more confused, "Who is Princess Luna, and how did you know I am a male?" She suddenly blushed red, "Just a hunch." She lied, she saw my thing.
"It's best if you just get some rest, you can ask these questions later. Oh, my names Redheart. I've been taking care of you while you were out cold" she said putting a glass of water on a table by my bed.
"Thanks, I guess. I guess I should just take it easy for now. It will let me come up with more questions to ask you." I said. "If you want questions answered about Equestria, just ask Princess Twilight."
"Who's Princess Twilight?" I asked. "Just head to sleep" she said annoyed.
LATER
"So bored."
I couldn't fall asleep. My mind was racing through what just happened. "This is definitely not earth, and I can't be high ether. The pain in my arm is real. Now I'm stuck in a whole new world, and just talked to a pony. Maybe the ones I saved talk as well." These, and many more thoughts raced through my mind.
"I hope this will be better than working for dad. They did take care of me, so I'll give them a point for that."
"Lunch time." I sat up, only to see Redheart come in with a cart with food. "We don't know what you eat, so we just made a PBJ sandwich for you." I picked up the sandwich and took a bit out of it.
"Hey, this is pretty good. Thanks." I said with a full mouth. "Second point" I thought.
"Your welcome. Oh, you'll be getting visitors in about a hour. Just thought you should know."
Guests, who would want to vist me? I nodded and continued to eat my sandwich, signalling Redheart that she could go.
I soon finished the sandwich. I have to say, that was the best PBJ sandwich I have ever had, and the first. I then decided to take a nap, no one wants to sit around for an hour doing nothing.
I lay down, close my eyes, and let sleep take over my body.
1 HOUR LATER
There was a knocking on the door, which woke me up. And in came Redheart. "Your visitors are here, uhh"
'Joel"
"Joel, right. Anyways, come in girls."
Six ponies then come into the room. "Hey, your the ones I saved in those woods." I said surprised. "Well I didn't need saving. I would of taken care of those timber wolves myself." said the blue one.
The purple one then glared at her, and looked at me. "Don't mind her. Anyways, we thank you for saving us back there. Is it ok if we get your name?"
"Sure. The names Joel Williams, but you can call me Joel."
"Well it's nice ta meet ya Joel. Ma name's Applejack." said the orange one with a southern accent. "Her name is the same as that cereals." I thought. "Nice to meet ya, and you are." I said pointing at the blue, rainbow haired one.
"The names Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria, and future Wonderbolt." she said with pride. "What are the Wonderbolts?" I asked.
"Are you serious? You are definitely not from around here. They are only the coolest ponies ever. They do tricks, shows, and are very fast." I thought for a second, than replied, "You mean ariel acrobatics teams? We have those back where I'm from."
She then flew right in my face excited, "Really!? That's so cool. You got to tell me about them. I think we should hang out sometime if we get the chance, you seem like a cool guy. You did take out a pack of timber wolves. But if you dare to hurt any of my friends. Your bones will be a timber wolves chew toy." she said with a glare.
"Threat acknowledged , What the!" Suddenly, the pink one was right in my face, talking faster than sonic could run.
"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie. Do you like parties? I love parties. I should throw you a welcome to ponyville ape thing party. Do you like cake? I love cake. My job is to make all kinds of sweets. My favorite flavour is all of them! What is your favorite flavour? Huh huh huh."
"Uh, vanilla." I said. "Jezz. This one acts like she had fifty shots of coffee, extra caffeine." I thought. "I see. You like to play it safe and keep it simple. Ok. Fluttershy, our next." She suddenly pulled in the yellow one, which was probably Fluttershy.
"Um, hi Fluttershy."
"EEPP!" She ran the the corner of the room and curled up into a pink ball. "Ok, thats just adorable." I thought.
"She ain't called Fluttershy for nothing, eh."
"Don't worry darling. She's always nervous when around new ponies. And you killing ten timber wolves doesn't help your case either. Anyways, my name's Rarity. Top fashion designer in Ponyville. I have a question for you."
"Sure Rarity. What is it?"
"Does you species wear cloths all the time?" she asked. I could tell she felt a bit uncomfortable asking that. "Um, yeah. Why you ask?"
"Darling, thats wonderful. I get to be the first pony ever to make cloths for a new species. All the time. That means that you can try on what's hot."
"Uhh. All you need to do is make me a set of cloths. I don't want to become your personal doll."
"Hehe. Sorry, got a bit carried away there. Don't worry, I'll make a closet full of cloths for you once your out. As thanks for saving me."
"Wow. Thanks Rarity." I said. "Oh it's nothing. Now, I think there's somepony that you still need to meet." Rarity said, nudging the purple one.
"Oh right sorry. My name is Twilight Sparkle. It is a great honor to meet a new species. I hope that your time here in Equestria has been enjoyable."
"You know you don't half to talk like that."
"Sorry. As a princess, I feel I should give you a formal greeting." she said. "Your a princess! Uh, sorry for not giving you a proper hello." "Shit. She's a princess. I hope I get to keep my head." I thought.
"Oh don't worry. I don't like to be treated as one much. You don't have to be formal."
"Whew. For a second there I thought I would loss my head." I said relieved. "Why would you loss your head?" Twilight asked. "Never Mind. So I think that's everyone. Now I have a truck load of questions for ya."
"Sorry Princess. But visiting hours are over. It is time to leave." said Redheart.
"Oh. Ok, coming. How about we talk later in my castle. I'll take you there when you are free to go."
"Ok, bye Twilight. Bye everyone."
"Well that went well. Too well." I thought. My suspicion levels have been raised.
They all gave a short wave and headed out the door. "Wow. What a day. Looks like I will be stuck here for awhile."
"Whew. That was close. You almost blew it Rainbow." Twilight exited the Hospital with the others.
Rainbow gave an annoyed face, "What do you mean almost blew it!? I did exactly what you told me to do." She flew up in Twilight's face. Applejack pushed Rainbow aside, and had her turn to speak.
"Say Twilight. Why did ya ask us to act that why around the feller? We acted as if he was our best friend. We just meet him, and don't know much about him." "She has a point darling. Why did you tell us to act that way? You said it sternly as well." Said Rarity, her face showing concern.
"Well, um." Twilight tried to stay calm, but she instantly had a nervous face. "Well, spit it out." Said Rainbow Dash pointing at her.
"Fine." Twilight said defeated. "I think we are not seeing who Joel truly is."
Pinkie Pie then jumped in, "Silly Twilight. Of course we know who he is. He's a hairless ape, duh." "No, not in that way Pinkie. I think there is more too him then meets the eye. And I think I know where he came from." She looked at the sky worried.
"Where do you suppose he came from darling." Now Rarity was starting to get nervous, afraid of the answer.
Twilight then faced the ground, "I Believe he came from.......Tartarus."
DUH DUH DUUUUUUH
The girls turn around to see Pinkie holding a voice recorder. "What?"
The attention soon went back to Twilight. Everyone stared at Twilight. "Whoa whoa whoa. Is she for real." Rainbow said jokingly. Applejack gave a quick glare at her and moved her attention to Twilight.
"Say what." She said bluntly.
Fluttershy now got in the conversation. "Um. How do you know if he is from Tartarus. I hope he isn't." She shakes behind her hair, afraid of the thought of another evil monster trying to take over Equestria.
"Well. When he was in the hospital. I looked up on animals of equestria in my library. None of the animals in the books I read fit his description. Secondly. He was able to take out a whole pack of timber wolves. A normal pony would have trouble taking out one. They didn't even form into their giant form. They must of thought it was not worth it. Finally. As he was fighting the timber wolves, I felt some kind of magic connected to him. I wasn't able to identify what kind of magic it was. But I was able to tell that the magic seemed to be dormant."
"You mean like sleeping, right?" Applejack asked.
"Well kinda."
Rainbow Dash landed by Applejack and gave Twilight a blank look. " Do you really think that he is an escaped creature from Tartarus, waiting for the right time to strike, and saved us to make himself look good. Twilight, I think you might be over reacting a bit."
"I am not over reacting!" Twilight yelled.
Everyone was taken aback by her sudden outburst. Twilight calmed down and lowered her head. "Sorry everypony. Ever since Tireks rampage, I have been more cautious around strange things. Celestial never knew he escaped, and Joel could have escaped as well when Cerberus left his post. Sorry if I am acting as a jerk, but as a princess of Equestria, it's my job to protect everypony from threats. Joel could very well be a threat. I hope you understand."
Fluttershy walked up to Twilight and gave her a hug. "It's ok Twilight. I understand. But I think you should not think of him as a monster just because he's different."
"She's right Twilight. I'm pretty sure thinking of him as a monster is not really a princess of FRIENDSHIP thing. Though I think we should keep an eye on him. If he shows any sign of being evil. Then he'll be having a date with my hooves." Rainbow put a smug look on her face, hitting her two front hooves together.
Twilight mood brightened. "Your right. I shouldn't jugde him. But we still need to be careful. What should we do with him?"
Everyone put a hoof on their chin and thought for a moment. Pinkie suddenly got an idea.
"Why don't we take him to Princess Celestia as our prisoner." She said with a smile.
Rarity stepped in. "Don't you think that's a little harsh darling?" She thought maybe they could just ask the princess's to come here.
"Pinkie, thats not a bad idea. But lets change it a bit. I know! How about I go to Chanterlote, get some guards, bring them here. And have them put a sleeping spell on him."
"Uh, Twilight. Don't ye have guards at yer castle?" Applejack asked. "Oh. Um....no. No guards makes the place seem more welcome. Plus I can handle myself. Besides, we need those guards guarding Chanterlote."
"Oh, that makes sense. Thanks." Applejack smiled.
Rainbow moved Applejack aside to have her turn. "Why don't you just put him to sleep now, and we take him to Chanterlote. Or just send a letter to Princess Celestia and ask for some guards." Rainbow had some good points, but Twilight had an answer.
"Well first off. Only guards have rights to take prisoners, and plus I need to go to Chanterlote for a meeting. So it's the perfect time to bring this up."
Rainbow thought for a moment. She nodded. "Your right Twilight. Maybe your plan isn't that bad. When do you have to go?" She asked.
"Tomorrow actually. So, who's going to take care of Joel while I'm gone?" Twilight asked. Locking him in her castle would obviously make him angry and try to escape. And someone needs to keep an eye on him.
Rarity was the first to answer. "Sorry darling. I have to complete an order heading to the Crystal Empire. I need as much time as possible to complete the dresses."
"Well I could do it. But I have a ton a baking to do tomorrow. Sorry." Said Pinkie.
Fluttershy was next. "Well, um. Tomorrow is cleaning day. I'd love to take care of him, but I have a lot of dirt and mud to clean." She said disappointed.
"Sorry Twilight. I'm busy as well. I've gotta help Big Mac plow the fields. I also think he said something about a worm infestation."
Everyone turned to Rainbow Dash. "Please tell me you have nothing to do tomorrow." Said Twilight.
Rainbow had planned on practicing some new moves. She knew if she took Joel in. She would have to keep an eye on him. Which means no tricks. "Well um, I." Rainbow really wanted to fly tomorrow, but she couldn't just ditch her friends needs like that. She's the element of loyalty for crying out loud.
"Yeah, I'm free tomorrow. I'll take care of him."
Twilight ran to her and gave her a hug. "Thanks Rainbow." "Yeah yeah your welcome. Now what do you want me to do with him when he's out?" She asked pushing Twilight off her. "Just keep him in your house. And make sure he knows nothing about this conversation. Ok."
"You got it." Rainbow saluted. She then flew off to her house to get ready. On the way she though about what just she agreed to do. "Man. I hope I made the right chose."
"I swear I'm gonna go crazy in a couple of minutes!" I yelled. The sound of the heart beat reader (I think that's what it's called) has been going on for hours now. And since there was nothing to do, it was much worse. All I could do was daydream. I would always dream about killing zombies, being a T-rex (because who cares about the Spino) , and having a beautiful girl friend.
"Wait, if I'm stuck here. I pretty sure getting a girl friend would be near impossibe. Just great." The last thing I wanted was to be alone for the wrest of my life. I've heard rumors about people going crazy after being alone awhile. Those can't be true, right?
"Breakfast!" Nurse Redheart came into my room with a cart of food.
"Thanks a bunch, I'm starving. So, what's there to eat?" My stomach was eating itself.
"Well for you we have bread with butter, an omelet, and apple juice." My mouth was drooling now. It's been so long since I had a decent breakfest. All I had on those trips was a slice of bread. She brought the cart to my bed and made the tray float to the table. Wait, float!
"Wait! How are you doing that?"
"Doing what?" She asked confused.
"The floaty thing with that tray." I pointed at the tray which was still in the air.
"You mean magic?" Now I was more confused then ever.
"You can use magic! That's not supposed to exist. How are you doing that?"
"Well Joel. I'm a unicorn, so I can use it." Well then. This place has has officially become a childrens book, or cartoon. She placed the tray of food on the table. "Well, enjoy." She said, taking the cart to the other rooms.
"Thanks." I said, grabbing the tray and putting it on my lap.
LATER
"Burp! Oh boy. Now that's a breakfest." If I were to give it a rating, it would get a 9.5 out of ten. The omelet was almost perfect. Then, the door opened, and in came Redheart with a clipboard.
"Hey Redheart. What's up."
"We have good news Joel. You are free to go. Just sign this paper please."
"Wait. Don't I have to pay?" I asked.
"Don't worry, you don't need to. Rainbow Dash has already paid for you. She is actually waiting for you in the waiting room." She handed me the piece of paper with a pencil.
"Wow. Rainbow is pretty awesome. I gotta thank her for this." I thought.
After I finished signing the paper, she helped me out of the hospital bed. When I started to move, my bones started to crack and snap as they moved around. That's what happens when you stay in bed for like, four days. Redheart then lead me to the waiting room. Inside was Rainbow Dash holding my bag and reading a book. "Wow. She seemed like the type who would never read." I said to myself.
"What? It's a good book." Dash said. "Anyways, good to see you are better Joel. How you fell?"
"Well besides my stiff back, I'm feel great."
"Thats good. You'll be staying at my place for now. I've got your stuff too. Though I really don't know what most of these things are." She said looking in my bag.
"Hey. No snooping."
"Sorry. So you ready to go?" She passed me my bag. I nodded my head and walked to the door.
"Oh. Thanks for taking care of me Redheart."
"No problem Joel. It's what I do. Have a safe trip." She waved, and I waved back.
I then followed Rainbow to the door. Once out, the sun's bright rays shined right in my eyes. I squinted, and held my hand above my eyes. I hate when that happens. We both walked on a dirt road until we reached a simple looking town. "This place looks a medieval town." I thought. The houses were pretty simple. They were made out of wood, stone, and had hay for roofs. How exactly they keep dry in the rain was my question.
"So what is this place?" I looked around at the different ponies and buildings.
"This is Ponyville. This is where me and the others live." She responded.
"Really, Ponyville!? That's the silliest mane for a town I have ever heard." I laughed at how stupid the name was.
Rainbow gave me an unamused look. "You got any better ones?" Really. How was I supposed to come up with a good name for a town that has something to do with ponies.
"Um, Fillydelpthea. That's all I got."
"Sorry Joel. Equestria's already got a city named that. Better luck next time." She smirked.
We continued walking until a strange building caught my eye. "Whoa. What's that place." I pointed at what seemed like crystal tree castle.
"That right there is Twi's castle. She live's there and attends to her duties." I couldn't take my eyes off it. It was beautiful and ugly at the same time. "I wonder how much those crystals are worth. And what duties does Twilight do anyway?" I thought.
We then continued walkink towards our destination. As we walked, I noticed the ponies around us were giving me strange looks. Some looked in horrer and ran away. While others just looked with fascination.
"Hey Rainbow. What's with all the ponies right now? They are acting weirdly right now"
She then patted me on my back. "Don't worry. They always act this way around new creatures. They'll warm up to you soon enough. And look, were here."
"Um. Where's the house?" All I could see was an empty space between two buildings.
"Look up." She pointed towards the sky. I looked up, only to have my mind explode, twice. Right above us was a beautiful house made out of clouds. Rainbows fell down it like a waterfall. It was big too. Bigger then most buildings in town. Well, not as big as that...crystal toy castle.
"You live in a cloud mansion. It, it's."
"Beautiful, I know. I built it myself. It's made of special clouds that anypony can walk on. Not just pegasi. You can leave your complements for later." She bragged. I was speechless. I could walk on these clouds. I like this place already.
"Wait. Pegasi can walk on clouds."
"Up. But these can hold anypony. Now wait down here while I get the ladder." She zipped into the house, and soon came out with cloud ladder. "Just climb up this. And don't worry. You can walk on it as well. Now come on."
I was a bit nervous a first. I slowly touched the ladder, only to find my hand stop right on it. "Wow, she wasn't kidding."
"Can you hurry up already!" She yelled.
"Sorry."
I hurried my way up the ladder, and followed Rainbow into the house. I was greeted by a large room with cloths racks and stairs leading upstairs. I took off my hat and shoes and followed Rainbow upstairs. "So, you hungry Joel. I got some drinks and snacks in the freeze box." Rainbow asked.
My stomach growled at the thought of food. "Yeah. I could go for some food. What do you have?"
"Well, lets have a look. Follow me." Rainbow then took off up the stairs. I ran after her, being careful not to break anything. I then found her in the kitchen sleeping on the counter.
She noticed me and got up and yawned. "Yawn. What took you so long?" My mouth hung open. Was she being serious?
"What do you mean long? I took just ten flat seconds." I responded, crossing my arms. Rainbow then started to laugh uncontrollably, and soon flew on the ground. I was not amused.
"Hey. I was only kidding. It's just your reaction was just priceless. Now come over here and see what we to eat." She calmed down.
"Yeah, whatever." I said embarrassed. This was the first time someone pranked me. She can't be that fast.
Rainbow then opened the freeze box (fridge) and moved over so I could see what she had. "Okay. We got soda, ol jay, purple stuff. Oh, what's this? Apple cider. Can I have this?"
"Sure, just don't even think about drinking it all. Got it?" Rainbow said tapping my head.
"Ok ok, jeez. You like this stuff?"
"Like it, I love it." She drooled a bit before stopping her, action.
"She's like Dad with beer. But at least she isn't obsessed over the stuff, right?" I thought.
I put the jug a cider on the table and went to get a snack. I grabbed a good looking salad and some chips.
"So Joel, wanna chat?" Rainbow asked.
"Sure. Where do I sit?"
She then flew towards what seemed like the living room, and landed on the couch. "Right here is a good spot." She patted the open spot. I grabbed the food, and put it down on the table in front of us and took a seat. I then settled on the couch.
"Wow. This couch is amazing. I haven't sat on something this comfortable in my life. What's it made out of?" I literally sanked into it.
"It's made of clouds. Nothing can beat the relaxing feeling you get on a cloud. So Joel, tell me more about yourself."
I leaned back and thought of things I could say. "Well I'm fourteen, and was born in Vancouver Canada."
"Well I have no idea what a Canada is. But this Vancouver place sounds familiar. Continue."
"Well I like sports, food, the internet, and video games. I'm an expert player actually." I said with pride.
Rainbow seemed to have even more questions now. Those eyes say everything. "Ok, first thing. What's an internet?"
"Well. It's a gobal network connecting all computers. You can play games, chat, and look up billions of billions of information for, everything. It's like all the information in the world at your fingure tips."
"Really? I wonder how Twilight would react? She'd probably have one of her moments. Which are hilarious. So what's a computer, and video games?"
I had to stop this now. The more I explain, the more questions she asks. "Well it's kinda hard to explain. If there was a way to show you, I would gladly do so."
"Oh, ok." Rainbow blushed. Normally it was Twilight who would ask the questions. "Well what can you tell me of your past?"
My mood suddenly plummeted. All those terrible memories of being used as a slave, no friends, and my moms death. My head fell. "I would rather not talk about that right now."
Rainbow got the memo. "Oh, thats fine. You want to head to your room?"
I tried my best to hide my tears. "Sure. Just let me have my salad."
"Ok. Just don't take too long. I'll go get your room ready." She then flew down the hallway. I started to eat the salad, and tried to get my mind off of those memories.
"Hey, this is pretty good. This tastes better then the ones from those expansive diners." I stuffed my face with the stuff, savouring the flavour. "It doesn't even have dressing on it." This was the best salad I have ever had. While I was gorging myself, I felt a little nudge on my leg. I Looked down to see what caused it, only to see a tortise looking right at me.
"Why hello there...tortise. My name is Joel. It's nioce to meet you." I started to pet it, giving it a smile. It smiled back. It then looked at the salad with hungry eyes. "You want a leaf?" It nodded. "Dang. You are smarter then the average turtle, er tortise. I picked the greenest leaf from the bowl and put it in my hand. "Here you go, enjoy." The tortsie smiled and grabbed the leaf. And started to chew happily.
"So. Looks like Tank likes you."
"Whoa. Oh, hi Rainbow." I was surprised by her sudden appearance. I then chuckled nervously. "Um. Your ok with me feeding your tortise, right?"
"Oh don't worry about it, it's ok." She grabbed Tank and started to pet him. "The thing is, if a pony gives him something to eat. He will only eat it if he likes them. So it seems that he likes you. Isn't that right Tanky wanky?" She started to rub her muzzle on his nose affectionately. They went at this for about a minute before I intervened.
"Ahem."
Rainbow the looked at me and realized what she was doing. She blushed and put Tank back on the ground. She then tried to change the conversation.
"So uh. Your room is ready. You wanna go?"
"Sure. Lead the way."
I then followed Rainbow down the hall. The walls were full of posters everywhere. They all showed a groug of pegasi posing or flying. "I'm guessing theses are the wonderbolts you mentioned earlier."
"Yup. And I'm gonna be one of them. Soon I'll be on those posters all well. Say, you said something about your place has a group similar to them. Mind you telling me who they are."
"Their called the Snow Birds. They are a group of expert stunt flyers that do shows for the public. They do flips, spins, dives, and a whole book of stunts. I even got to meet them. One of the best days of my life." I smiled.
"Wait. How are they able to fly. You don't seem to have wings."
"You see Rainbow. Man can not fly like you or birds. So, we build machines to control. For the air, we build planes. Think of them as giant metal birds that don't need to flap to fly."
Rainbows eyes widened at the thought. "Well how fast can they go?"
I turned to face her. "Well that depends on what plane you are talking about. Some planes are big and slow, but can carry a lot of weight and fly long distances. While others are small and fast. They are used for ariel combat and stunts. The fastest ones so far can break the sound barrier." Rainbow grew a smile on her face. Something as fast as her, or maybe even faster. She wanted to see on in action.
"Joel. If you get the chance to fly one here. Race me, and we'll see who is top flier." She grinned.
I chuckled at her challenge. "We'll see." We walked for a little bit until we came across an open door.
"Here's your room Joel. You can leave your stuff here." I looked at the room. It was pretty nice. Who knew a room that was mostly all white would feel, welcoming. The was kinda small though, but beggers can't be choosers. There was a nice window looking over Ponyville. I could see all the ponies doing their chores.
Then there was a knock on the door. "I'll go get it Joel. How about you go and wash up."
"Ok." I responded. "Wait. Where is it?"
"Down the hall to the left." Rainbow pointed.
"Thanks." I followed Rainbows directions and soon ended up at the bathroom."
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Third Person
Rainbow flew to the door, which whoever was there was still nocking on. "I'm coming. You can stop nocking."
Ahe opened the door, and outside was Applejack. "Oh hey AJ, what's up."
"Well I just wanted to make sure everything is doing ok. How's Joel" She asked.
"Listen Applejack, can we talk for a sec?" Rainbow face showed concern.
"Sure Dash, what is it?"
"It's Joel."
"Has he started to cause trouble?" Applejack gridded her teeth.
Rainbow shook her head. "No no. It's the total opposite. He has been nice ever since I picked him up. Tank even likes him, and Joel isn't a pony. Plus, he told me about so many things I have never heard about. Things that don't exist in Equestria."
Applejack curiosity grew. "Can you name a few?"
"Lets see. Hmm." Rainbow put a hoof on her chin. "Oh. He talked about the internet, planes, and a stunt flying group called the Snow Birds. You ever heard about something about those things."
"I have no idea what the hay those things are. I'm pretty sure Twilight doesn't know either." Applejack responded. She was truly confused. However she was pretty sure snow birds were a type of bird. She often saw them flying north in summer. But stunt fliers, no way birds can be that.
Meanwhile, Joel had just finished washing up. He smelt great. Like a warm summer evening in a field of flowers. He then heard talking. "I wonder who Rainbow is talking too." He wondered. Joel slowly opened the door and sneaked down the hall. Being in a house made out of clouds, his foot steps were completely silent. Once he was at the end of the hallway, he could here them clearly. He poked his head over the corner to see who Rainbow was talking to.
It was Applejack. Joel thought of going to meet her, but he stopped himself. "Lets see were this conversation goes." He whispered.
"Well what matters is Rainbow is that he doesn't know about the plan." Applejack said.
"What plan?" Joel thought.
"I know. It's just, you sure it is the right thing to do? What if he really isn't a creature from Tarterus Applejack. What if we were wrong all along."
"Tarterus. Isn't that hell from greek mythology." Joel thought. He was also worried. Did they really believe he was a monster. One of the only other beings besides his mom were nice to him, were they faking it?
"Well Rainbow. All the facts seem to be pointing to him being so. Twilight will be here tomorrow with some guards. She'll put the feller to sleep, and the guards can capture him. Then we take him to Chanterlote jail. There we can get answers from him safely. As Twilight said, it's for Equestrias safety. Ye understand that, right Rainbow?"
Rainbow knew what they had planned was a little harsh, but she understood that it was for Equestrias safety. "I understand AJ." She smiled.
Applejack smiled back and gave her friend a hug. "Whoa whoa whoa! No need to get all sappy, ok."
They both shared a laugh. While with Joel, it was a total different story. He was on the verge of breaking down. "Guards, sleep, capture, jail!" He whispered with anger. He was going to be used as a test subject, just like an alien in his world would end up as. He stormed to his room. If it wasn't for the cloud floor, Applejack and Rainbow Dash would of heard him.
"That's it, I'm done. There's no point for me to live here any more. For once in my life, I thought I actually made some friends. But, since the universe hates me. It made them my worst enemys. Well not anymore. If I can't live happily with friends, then I have to live a miserable life alone, again!" Joel roared in his whispering tone. He went to his room and closed the door.
Back with Applejack and Rainbow Dash. They had just finished saying their goodbyes. Applejack had to get back to work. And Rainbow wanted to see how Joel was doing. She flew to the closed door of Joels room. "Hey Joel. Can I come in?"
No answer. "Joel. You ok?"
Silence. "Joel."
She opened the door, only to see an empty room. All of Joel stuff was gone. Rainbows heart was now beating twice as fast. She entered the room, and soon noticed a parchment and a smashed picture of her beside it.
"Oh no." Was all she could say. She picked up the note, it read.
Dear Pony Bastards
I have decided to leave forever from you fackers. Since a MONSTER like me doesn't deserve a home. If you are reading this, I am long gone. I am going to live the only way I know how. Depressed and alone. It's what I am good at anyway. Hope to never see your freaking faces again.
P.S. Fuck You!
From Joel
Rainbow had to read it twice to believe what was on it. She then looked at the open window, these very words coming out her mouth.
"Whew, finally. The meetings over. I don't know how you two are able to handle those daily." Twilight sighed. She, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna had just finished a long boring meeting with a bunch of nobles.
"I swear sister. They want more and more each meeting." Luna complained. She was never a fan of the nobles, except for Fancy Pants of course. She especially hated Blueblood though, the most greedy stalion she thinks she has ever meet.
Celestia patted her sister on the back. "I know it's hard Luna. But it's something we just have to deal with. Maybe in the future they will start to show some generosity." She tried to comfort her little sister.
Luna lowered her head. "I doubt that."
Though the nobles problems were annoying, that was not on Twilights mind. She wanted permission to borrow some guards, and tell Celestia and Luna what she and her friends had found. But, before Twilight could bring up the subject, Celestia spoke.
"So Twilight. Did you find anything in the Everfree forest that might be linked to the magic surge?"
Twilight was surprised that Celestia brought it up before she did. "Well, I think we did."
Luna was curious, "Well, what did thou find?"
"Well." She was trying to come up with a description of Joel. "Have you ever heard of a creature that walks upright, has hair only on it's head, has no hoofs, wear cloths all the time, has claw like things on it's long arms, talk equish, and wear strange things on its feet?"
Celestia and Luna thought for a bit. They had never heard of such a creature. They didn't think one could live in Equestria, maybe even the planet. Celestia was the first to respond. "I have never heard of a creature like that before. I'm interested though."
Luna was next. "Does thou suppose this creature was the reason for the magic surge? If it is, is it dangerous?"
Twilight sat down on the floor and looked up. "Well, I believe so. He took down an entire pack of Timber wolves by himself. They even didn't transform." The princesses were surprised yet impressed by the feat. They had never heard much stories of ponies winning against a Timber Wolf, let alone a pack."
"So is it a threat?" Celestia asked.
Twilight was nervous about answering that one. She didn't want to seem like a jerk. "Well I have a theory."
Luna was even more curious. "Well tell us, were waiting."
"Well." Twilight gulped. "I think he is an escaped monster from Tartarus."
Celestias and Lunas eyes widened, and their mouths hanged open. "Are you sure Twilight?" Asked Celestia.
"Well. All the facts seem to point him to be." Twilight responded. Celestia and Luna just stood there in thought, the something popped up in Celestias mind.
"Twilight. Did you recieve the letter I sent to you last week?" She asked.
Twilight put a hoof on her chin. "No. Why? Is it important?" She asked franticly.
"Yes it is Twilight. It said that now I have a daily patrol of guards that check on the monsters in Tartarus, so that we would be prepared for another attack. It also said you could ask said guards about the status of the monsters. You did give it to Twilight, right Spike." She glared at Spike, who was on Twilights back.
"Um...well. I was on a boat when you sent it. It kinda fell in the lake, sorry." He rubbed the back of his head, chuckling nervously.
Celestia sighed. "Well since your here Twilight, lets check on the report. Guard!" Out of nowhere, a unicorn in gold armour came and bowed.
"Yes princess."
"Please bring me todays report from Tartarus." She said kindly.
"As you wish princess." As quickly as he came, he left. After about a minute, he came back with a scroll. "Here you go your majesty." He lowered his head lifting the scroll.
"Thank you Swift Hoofs. You may leave now." Celestia said kindly. The guard bowed once more and quickly left.
Celestia used her magic to open the scroll and see it's contents. "Lets see." Her eyes scrolled down the surprisingly long paper. It took her about two minutes to get to the bottem. "Well Twilight. According to this, all the monsters are in their cells, which means." She looked at Twilight waiting for an answer.
Twilight blushed at her mistake. "Joel is not from Tartarus. Which means he's not a monster." There was an awkward silence in the hall, both Celstia and Luna looking at Twilight with half eyes. Twilight smiled nervously. She wanted to get back to Ponyville now.
"Well...um. Joel dosen't know about this misunderstanding, so we can just forget about this. And I head back to Ponyville. Sounds good? Bye." Twilight walked away embarrassed, not wanting to continue the conversation.
"Twilight." Celestia had put on her most serious voice today. All Twilight could do was stop and answer.
"Yes?" Twilights head fell.
"I know you are trying to be cautious, but you know it's not right to judge somepony just because they are different. Remember when you sent me that friendship letter back when you first meet Zecora the zebra. I believe you remember what's on it, don't you?" She asked.
Twilights head was even more lower then before. "Yes, I remember. I'm sorry." Twilight said disappointed at herself. How could she forget a friendship leason, as the princess of friendship? "I guess you must punish me for my wrong doing Celestia. Go ahead." She said defeated.
"Punish you! Hahahahaha." Celestia started to laugh, which was not common. All Twilight did was look at her confused, her mind trying to compute why Celestia was laughing.
"Celestia, what's so funny?" She asked.
Celestia soon calmed down and got back into posture. "Twilight, why would I ever punish you. Everypony makes mistakes, even me and Luna. Do you also remember the time when you had your breakdown. I was planning to give you some sort of punishment, but your friends convinced me to not do so. They told me that everypony makes mistakes, and thats true. When you make mistakes, what you can do is learn from them, and try to be better." Celestias words of wisdom brought up Twilights mood. Twilight smiled and gave her former mentor a hug.
"You right Celestia, thank you."
"It's all right. You are right about one thing though." Celestia let go of Twilight. "It's a good thing Joel doesn't know about your mistake, otherwise, I believe things would get complicated." She chuckled.
There was a knock on the door, it was Luna who answered.
"Thou may enter." She answered. In came another guard. He bowed and spoke.
"Princess, there's an element of harmony that wants to speak with you immediately. Shall we let her in?"
"Bring her in." Luna nodded. The guard obeyed and headed to the entrence. There was silenece for a minute, until the faint sound of yelling caught the princesses attention.
"TwiliiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!" There was a loud crash, and Twilight fell down. She looked around, only to see Rainbow Dash under a broken pot. "Hehe. Sorry for the entrence." Rainbow blushed.
"Rainbow, what's the meaning of this?" Twilight looked at her friend angerly. Rainbow quickly got out of the pile and grabbed Twilight.
"Bad things have happened! I messed up! He's gone! I don't know where he is! I failed! It's all my fault!" Rainbow was speaking at speeds Pinkie Pie would be impressed at. She then fell down face first, and started to hit the floor with her hoof.
"Rainbow, calm down! What happened?" Twilight tried to comfort her friend, strocking her back.
"Just read the note." She passed a note to Twilight, and continued her banging. Twilight had to put Rainbow to sleep in order to read the note without noise. Twilight read the note. Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped. She read it a second time to make sure she was reading it right. She was. Twilight soon became very dizzy, and fainted. Landing on Rainbow Dash.
Celestia and Luna were shocked. Celestia now picked up the letter. However, when she finished it, she stayed calm. "Luna. Send a letter to the elements and Cadence. I'll get a search party ready."
Luna didn't even have to ask why, her sisters face said it all. She nodded, and ran to her room. Celestia on the other hoof, went the other direction. After putting Twilight and Rainbow to bed.
She knew she had to act fast. Who knows where Joel went off to.
><><><><><><><><>< Meanwhile
Joel had found his way towards the Frozen North. Ahead of him where tall, snowy mountains. "Hmm. That looks like a good place to hide. I don't see ponies climbing mountains, and it's probably too windy for pegasi to fly." In his mind, he never wanted to see a pony again. They hurt him, mentally. Joel knew now there was only one way to live, alone. Just like how he has been most of his life.
He continued running towards the mountains, and as he came closer, it started to get colder. "Good thing I have some thick cloths packed up." He thought.
Later, he noticed something shiny to the east. Curious, and needing of a break. Joel sat on a rock and took out his binoculars.
"What the." Joel was speechless. It was a city made of crystal, hence the glow. He got a good look at the city. Weird crystal like ponies wondered the streets. A giant tower at the center of the city stood high into the sky. What caught Joels eyes was the weird heart shaped gem under the tower. It glowed brightly in the sun rays.
"This place just gets weirder and weirder." He said taking a bite out of an energy bar. He soon continued walking to the mountains. Not noticing he was being watched.
><><><><><><><><>< Meanwhile
"Cadence. Cadence!" Called Shining Armour, nocking on his wife's room.
"What is it?" Cadence asked. She was in the middle of having her daily break from duties. She would always read a book on the balcony at this time.
Shining opened the door. "Something very serious." His voice full of worry.
Cadence ears perked. She closed her book and made her way to her husband. "Oh dear. What is it!" Her face showing concern. Shining passed her a letter. Cadence looked at it in surprise. "It's from auntie Luna." She could tell because of the moon on the seal. She opened the letter and read it aloud.
Dear Cadence and Shining Armour
I hope this came at the right time. We have important news. A strange being calling himself Joel, is on the run. He ran away after finding out Twilight mistaked him for a creature from Tartarus. He is probably hurt, and would most likely get angry if he is approched by a pony. We don't know if he is dangerous, however it's best to be cautious around him at this time. Twilight claims he took down a pack of Timber Wolves by himself. I have already sent this letter to the elements of harmony. Them, and a search party will search the south. I ask of you to search the north. On the back of this letter is a rough description of what he looks like. We hope we will be able to find him before anypony gets hurt. Good luck.
Princess Luna
Cadence was surprised, yet exited. She wanted to meet this Joel, and learn more about him. Shining Armour on the other hoof was more serious with the matter. If this Joel really did take out a pack of Timber Wolves, he could be dangerous when angry. He needed to find this creature quickly.
Cadence then fliped the letter to see the description. "Lets see. Tall and bipedal. Very little hair, only on it's head. Wears cloths. Claw like things at the end of its long arms. Highly intelligent and strong. Can talk equish. Oh my. What an interesting creature." She had never heard of a creature like this. She was thinking of all the things she could learn.
"Ok. I'll get a search party ready. I'll be back later today." He ran towards the barracks.
Candence was unamused. She grabbed Shining with her magic, and put him face to face with her. "What do you mean I'll. I'm coming too you know." She said with determination.
"You can't go. It's too dangerous." Shining warned.
Cadence gave a light chuckle at his statement. "Oh don't worry. I can handle myself. Besides, you might end up in a situation where some talking, or negotiating may be needed. And no offence, I'm the best mare for the job. Plus, the letter said he was hurt. Most likley emotionally. So he might need some love and compasion."
Shining considered her testimony. She was right. She could be a graet help. "Ok, you can come. Just be careful."
"Don't worry. I'll be fine." She gave him a hug and kiss. She then walked to her room to get prepared. Leaving a blushing prince behind.
I was now at the foot of the mountain, which was one of many. I took out my binoculars to see what was up there. "Some shelter would be nice." I said to myself. Sadly there was nothing. "I should climb up the mountain, and get a better prespective of the mountain range." I took off my large backpack, and searched it's contents. "Aha. There it is." I pulled out my climbing rope. It was basically a special hook attached to a long piece of rope.
I then took out a pair of spike clip ons. Which give extra grip on my feet. I took out some warm cloths and closed the bag. I then grabbed my climbing picks from the side of my backpack, and attached them to my saftey harness. I put my bag back on and looked up at the mountain. Unsure thoughts popping up in my head. "Well here goes nothing." I grabbed my courage and started the long climb up.
It started out pretty easy. It wasn't too steep, there wasn't much ice, and there was a lot of areas to get a foothold. However, I knew it was going to get hard soon. I was right. As I continued up, it was getting more and more harder to get a foothold. I also started to shiver from the cold.
GRRRRRRRR
"What was that?" There was a low grumbling sound, could it be a wild animal? "There better not be a yeti around here. Though that would be pretty cool." During my time in Nepal, the locals would tell stories of a tall, hairy creature that lived in the mountains. I think they called it Himamanav, which means mountain man. They would tell stories about sightings, encounters, and maybe some supernatural stories. The one I remeber the most was the story in which a yeti tried to kidnap a child during a snow storm. Some believed it wanted to eat the child, others thought it was going to sacrifice the kid to the gods. While others thought it was lonely, and wanted a child of its own. I was eleven when I heard it, and it freaked me out. I didn't care what was its reason, the yeti scared me. My fear went away though when Dad told me it was just a story to scare kids. That was one of the only moments where Dad actually helped me feel better. Or he just wanted me to stop being affraid so I could get to work.
I shrugged the thought off and continued to climb.
GRRRRRRRR
There it was again, but this time it was accompanied by a pain in my stomach. That's when it hit me. "Stupid me. It's not a yeti making that noise, it's my stomach. I'm hungry." I chuckled at my stupidity. Looking around, I noticed a large outstretched rock formation to the right of me. "Why not. I need a brake anyway."
<><><><><><><><><> A Little Ways Away
"Ok soldiers, listen up. There has been some strange activity happening on these mountains lately. And as I told you before, there is a creature on the run. So this is a good place to start search. We don't know if he is dangerous, but what we do know is that he isn't a fan of ponies. So be prepared for anything. Understood?" Shining yelled. Him, Cadence, and a group of guards were at the foot of a different mountain.
"Yes sir!" They all called in unison, saluting.
Shining was about to give the order to move, but Cadence gave him a quick look. Then Shining remembered something. "Another thing. Cadence has ordered to only use weapons if absolutely necessary. We don't want to provoke him. We are here to make friends, not enemies. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir." They said again, saluting.
Shining grew a small smile on his face. "Then lets move out." The guards saluted, and started to walk up the mountain, with Cadence and Shining Armour following behind.
As they continued, Shining started to realise just how tall the mountain really was. He hated to admit it, but he was kinda nervous. But it was not the height that was unsettling, it was what was beyond them. He had heard stories of ponies disappearing on these mountains without a trace.
"So, you have any idea what's up there?" He asked, continuing looking up, thoughts racing through his mind.
"Well besides alot of snow and ice, no. The Frozen North is the least explored area in Equestria. I think there is still no official map of the place. Why you ask?" Cadence suddenly grew a sly smirk. "Are you scared?" She said in a baby tone.
This caught Shining off guard. "Me, scared. Never. I'm the captain of the royal guard. I can't be scared." He had a embarrassing smile on.
This only made Cadence continue. "Is little Shiny Whinny scared? Don't worry your pretty face. I'll protect you." She teased. She then picked up her pace and went up front.
Shining Armour was not amused. "Hey! Get back here!" He quickly followed behind.
<><><><><><><><><><> Back With Joel
Joel was happily munching on some granola bars he packed. "I had a feeling I would need a bunch of these. Not for this reason though."
Once he finished, he grabbed the wrappers and put them in his pocket. He then put his gear back on, and was getting ready to climb. Before he started though, he just stared at the landscape. He saw hills and valleys dotting the landscape. Paths, rivers, and railroads leading to who knows where. Some houses here and there. And that crystal city he saw earlier. Combined with the almost setting sun, it was a beautiful sight. This did not make Joel happy though. It actually made him kinda regret his choice.
"Am I really going to leave this just to be away from some ponies?" He said to himself. As he continued to stare, he slowly began to go into deep thought. Tons of questions he did not know answers to flooded his mind. This all ended however when Joel thought of what would happen if he turned himself in. Sadly, only terrible thoughts came into his mind. This prompted him to keep climbing. He would rather live alone then get tested on.
So he grabbed his rope and continued his climb up.
After about an hour of climbing later, Joel finally made it to the top of the mountain. "Hehe. That wasn't so bad." He looked at how high he was, only to realise that the mountain was pretty small. Still, a fall would really hurt.
The view up there was spectacular though. He was able to see even more further then before. He could see another set of mountains far away, with a forest nearby. "The only thing needed now to make this a postcard worthy shot is a sunset. Oh, wait. There is one." Joel laughed. The scene was so beautiful, he decided to take a photo with his i pad.
After getting a couple shots, Joel turned around to see what was ahead. What he saw made his mouth drop.
"Nope nope. So much nope. There's no way I'm staying here." Definitely the total opposite from the other side. Green hills and rivers were replaced with ice, snow, and rock. To make things worse, large dark clouds started to take form, which meant a snow storm was on the way. And looking at those clouds, it looked like it was going to be a big one.
"Wow. That looks like a long drop." Joel looked down the sloop. Jagged rocks covered the bottom.
As Joel stared at the landscape, he failed to notice a creature right behind him. It had white fur, long front legs, red eyes that showed hunger, a tuff of hair on it's forehead looked like fire, and very long teeth. It was hungry, and was in the mood to expand his diet. I slowly walked towards Joel, not making a sound on the thick snow.
"Yeah I'd think I'd be better off in a forest then a snowy mountain range. I better get going." He noticed that the dark clouds were now even more bigger. A chilly breeze could be felt now, hitting Joels face with tiny ice crystals. Just as he was about to turn around, he froze. Something was behind him, like right behind. He could fell a warm breath hit his neck, which gave him the chills.
He slowly turned around, only to see a large hand try to grab him.
"What the!"
He dodged the attack, but he was now on the egde of the drop off. He almost fell, but got his footing back. Then he was able to see what attacked him. He was amazed, yet to be honest, terrified.
"What is that? This worlds version of the yeti!" All he could do is stare at the beast. He dared not to move a muscle. "Maybe this guy sees movement. Like a T-rex. If I stay still, maybe I will be invisible to it." Joel thought. Luckily, yet sadly, this was no T-rex. The thing saw him perfectly fine.
With Joel unarmed, the creature saw its chance and lunged at Joel. This caught Joel completely by surprise, and he had no time to react. The creature hit him, and held on to him. Punching a bitting at his body. Joel tried to fight back, but ended up slipping backwards.
AAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH
Him and the creature fell down the mountain screaming. All Joel could see was the ground coming towards him. He knew this would be the end.
<><><><><><><><><><><><> A Short Ways Away
"Did you hear that?" Cadence just heard screaming coming from a nearby cliff. It sounded like somepony was falling.
Shining nodded. "Yeah, I heard that too. It came from over there." He pointed to their right. A snow storm was now starting, and it became more harder to see. "Come on. We need to find who was screaming before this storm gets worst. Lets move!" He commanded. The guards soluted, and ran to their right. Cadence and Shining followed behind.
After about thirty minutes, they came across some hope. "Look." Said Shining. "Theirs blood." Right in front of them was some blood stained snow. And what seemed to be a crater. Shining walked up to the blood and touched it. "It's still warm. Whoever it belongs to is not far away." He desperately looked around, trying to find any signs of life.
A unicorn guard came up to Shining with some news. "Caption. There's a trail of blood leading to that mountain. Their seems to be a cave in it."
Shining put on a proud smile. "Good work soilder. Now, follow that trail." He ordered. The guards quickly followed the trail. This time, Shining felt some hope.
However, Cadence was worried. "Oh dear. I hope whoever fell is okay." She looked down, sadness filling her heart. She never really liked looking at blood. It was always a sign that somepony was hurt, and she hated it when somepony was hurt. Shining gave her a quick hug and a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry. Well'l find him, or her. I promise."
Cadence could only hope that they will. But now that they found some signs of life, she had a glimmer of hope.
<><><><><><><><><><><> Back With Joel
Pain. That was the only thing Joel felt. Heck, it was the only thing he knew. He was slowly limping towards a cave ahead of him. Each step felt more worse then the last. His face and cloths were covered with blood. His right leg had twisted out of place, and his left arm had a big gash in it. He tried to cover the wound with his right arm, too stop the bleeding. All it did though was slow it down. Every second he lost more blood, and ever second felt like he was going to collapse. At this point, he couldn't even cry because of the pain.
After about what seemed like forever. He finally made it to the entrence of the cave. He had barely any energy left in him.
Their was the sound of crunching snow behind him. "What now." He said in pain. Joel slowly turned around, and saw a bunch of dark figures come towards him. He recognized their shape. "Damit." Joel tired to run into the cave, but ended up falling on his broken leg.
AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH
Their was a low rumbling sound coming from the mountain. But Joel never heard it, and continued screaming. The ponies now could see him. They all had looks of surprise, and just looked at it. Cadence however ran towards Joel. She was more concerned then surprised.
"It needs medical, quickly!" She yelled. She tried to hold back the tears as she saw his broken body. She tried her best to comfort Joel, to little prevail. Suddenly, their was a low rumbling sound. Everyone froze and didn't make a sound, not even Joel. The rumbling became louder and louder. They all looked up, all their faces looked in horror. Shining was the first to speak.
I looked up, and saw a gigantic wall of snow heading our way. "Oh come on." I thought. I desperately tried to get up and run, but the pink pony kept holding me down.
"Don't move, your hurt." I wonder how she figured that one out?
The rumbling became louder and louder, as the wall of snow came towards us. "Well, this is the end." I said to myself. I laughed a bit to myself, "Never thought I would go out like this." This laughter soon turned to horror as the avalanche was right above us. I closed my eyes, waiting for death's sweet imbrace. It never came. The rumbling sound was still there, but now there was a new sound added to the mix. It sounded like.... a laser beam. I slowly opened my eyes, and looked up. There was this strange pink and blue force field blocking the snow. I turned to my side, and saw the reasons for this shield.
The pink pony and the white pony were shooting a laser into the sky, creating a barrier between us and the avalanche. "Wow. They are tough." I thought to myself. Sadly, both ponies atarted to show signs a fatigue, especially the pink one.
"Honey. I can't hold it much longer." The pink one said, sweat forming on her head.
"Just keep going dear. Just a little longer." Are these two dating or something? Anyways, I looked at the pink ponies beam, which started to become more dim and weak.
I had to think of something quick, she probably only has a few more seconds. I looked at the cave, which was only a few steps away. I then switched my head to the pony, and then to the barrier, which had some cracks forming. I laid down my options, and made my choice. "Fuck it."
Quickly as I could, I stood up, grabbed the pink pony, and jumped into the cave. I looked back for a split second, and saw one of the barriers break.
"Cadence!" I heard someone yell as the snow blocked the entrence. Must be her name.
Once it was pitch black, I collapsed. I was completely out of energy. My vision soon went dim, and I passed out.
<><><><><><><><><> LATER 3rd person
It was about an hour since the avalanche accord. Shining Armour and the guards were nowhere to be found, and Cadence and Joel were now trapped in a cave.
Cadence right now was tending to Joel's broken body. She couldn't have thanked him enough for saving her, now she was trying to repay the favour. Sadly, holding that shield up had almost completely drained her of her magic. She had to wait awhile for it to recharge, and because they were in the cold, it would take even longer. All she could do was stoping the blood from pouring out.
As she tended to his body, she couldn't help but study his figure. She had never seen anything like him before. But she knew he matched the description from the letter. One thing worried her though, the letter also said he disliked ponies. She didn't know why, but it was a good thing he was not out for blood.
The body suddenly came back to life. Joel breathed heavily as he slowly opened his eyes. He was in so much pain, he tried to ignore it, but that worked as well as trying to stop a flame war. His vision soon came back to him, all he could see was darkness.
"Am I dead?" He said to himself.
Another voice soon answered, "No your not luckily." Joel recognized the voice. It was the one from that pink alicorn from earlier. But he wanted to make sure he was right.
"Show yourself."
A blue light appeared near him, and it came towards him. The mystery pony was soon visible, and Joel could make it out. She was an alicorn, with pink fur all over. Her wings had purple tips, and her hair was all sorts of colors. She seemed a little taller then Twilight, but it was hard to tell.
"My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. But you can call me Cadence. You must be Joel?" She greeted with a slight bow.
"Who the hell would name their child Mi Amore Cadenza?" Joel thought. He then answered. "How do you know my name?" He asked.
Cadence chuckled a bit. "It's kinda a long story. Thanks for saving me back there."
Joel only grumbeled at her, "Yeah whatever. What do you want?" He said in a semi harsh tone.
Cadence relised she needed to take this more slowly. "Well for you of course. We heard about you running away, so me and my husband went looking for you."
"You aren't worried he's dead?"
"No. I know he would make it. Anyways, why did you run away." She said in a soft calming voice. She reached out a tried to strock Joel's back, but was interupted by his screaming.
"To escape from you ponies of course! All you are are just a bunch of back stabbing losers." He yelled loudly, which startled Cadence. But she kept her cool, she knew there was a problem, and she wanted to fix it.
"And what makes you say that?" She asked calmly.
"Well, this other princess named Twilight Sparkle." His face showed anger at the name. "She thought I was a monster from hell, for your terms, Tartarus. And you know what!? She acted like there was nothing wrong with me. She intentionally tried to hide her and her jerk friends plans. Plans to put me in prison, and probably do experiments on me. Cause that's what happens to all strange beings in a new world."
Cadence knew Twilight would never do experiments on somepony, well, not the gory kind. Let alone put them in prison. According to the letter, he had done nothing wrong. She then started to stare into Joel's eyes, and Joel started to stare back. Cadence saw anger in his eyes. But there was more, sadness, loneliness, confushion, she could see it all. She didn't see a monster, she saw a tortured soul. She then proceeded with another question.
"Joel. Is there something wrong?" Such a simple question hit Joel like a bullet. He fell to the ground and started to cry.
"Yes! My whole life is wrong!" He cried. He curled up into a ball, and cried into his knees.
"Why do you say that?" Asked Cadence. "Is there something that happened to you?"
Joel looked at her with wet eyes. "You want to know, fine! I had a boring childhood, my mom died when I was eleven, my dad has used me as his personal slave, and now that pony named Twilight wants me in jail! There, you happy!?"
Cadence was happy to hear the reasons for his sadness, but one thing she never got was Twilight wanting him in Jail. The Twilight she knew would never do that to somepony, unless they did something really bad. She went on with more questions. "Why does Twilight want you in Jail?" As far as she is concerned, Joel hasn't done anything against the law, but she wanted to make sure.
Joel looked to the ceiling and responded, "I don't know, something about me being a monster from Tartarus."
"Twilight would never jugde a pony like that. I'm her sister in law." Defended Cadence.
"Well then you might want to get to know her better, because you don't seem to know what she is like. Some sister in law you are." Joel grumbled.
Cadence was starting to get angry, and for a split second, she looked at Joel with daggers. Just as quickly it came, it vanished as Cadence calmed down. She then responded. "I still stand by my claims. I promise if you were ever to meet her again, she would not throw you in jail. You don't even look like a monster anyway."
"That supposed to be a complement?" Asked Joel.
"I guess you could say that." Cadence blushed. "So, will you come back to Equestria Joel?" She put her hoof forward, waiting for a shake.
Joel thought for a moment and answered. "You promise I won't end up in Jail." He asked in a serious tone.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly. Stick a cupcake up my eye." Cadence said this while acting out the things she said with hoof gestures.
"Um, what was that?" Joel asked.
"It's a Pinkie promise. When you make a Pinkie promise, you can't break it." She explained.
"Forever!"
"What was that?" Joel thought he heard somepony say something.
"What was what?" Cadence didn't hear the voice.
Joel responded with a small smile. "Never mind."
Joel just laid there and thought. She seemed legit, and this Pinkie promise sounded official. "Well, got nothing else to do." Joel thought. "Ok, I'll come back." He smiled and grabbed on to Cadence's hoof, and sat up. As he did, he clenched his teeth as he felt the pain intensify in his leg, and whole bady in general. "Ow ow ow ow ow!" He yelled.
Cadence stopped Joel from sitting up and layed him done. "Oh dear, are you alright?"
Joel couldn't help but just stare at her in confusion. "I have a broken leg andI'm bleeding everywhere. Do I look fine to you?"
Cadence lowered her head ashamed. "Sorry."
Joel couldn't help but feel like a jerk. So he calmed down. "Listen, do you think you can fix my leg with some magic or something." He pointed at his disfigured leg. Cadence took a good look at it, he got pretty messed up. She sighed and shook her head. "Sorry, I don't know the autonomy of your kind."
"Well could you teleport us out of here? You can do that right?"
Cadence sighed again. Jez, sighing is like the new no. "I do know how to teleport, but I'm basically drained of my magic. It will take me awhile to recharge."
Joel turned his face away. His head then dropped to the floor in defeat. "Well how long will it take?" "Please not be a day, please not be a day." Joel quietly told himself.
"In these conditions, about a day."
"Dammit!" Joel loudly whispered to himself.
There was a moment of silence for awhile, Cadence just sat there looking at Joel. "Wow. I feel sorry for him. His whole life just seems to go down hill. No pony should ever go through a mothers death, or a fathers abuse." As her thoughts kept on running, she noticed something about Joel. He was shivering. All his warm cloths were now rags, and he had no protection from the cold.
"Joel, your freezing. You need help." She walked up to him.
"I guess your right. There should be a sleeping bag attached to my backpack. Can you get it?" He took his bag off and pushed it to Cadence.
She nodded at looked for the sleeping bag. She found it and gave it to Joel. "There, this should help."
"Thanks." Joel went in the bag a covered hi whole body. Sleep soon took over him.
Cadence was happy to help. She then put the bag beside her resting spot. As she looked at it, she had a strong erge to see what was inside. Just as she was about to open his bag, she hesitated. This was not her bag, and snooping was very rude. She looked away and tried to think about something else. But the erge grew only stronger. She was so curious what might be in the bag. "Maybe just a peek."
She opened the bag and looked at its contents. She saw so many strange objects she had never seen before. She took out what seemed to be a flat box. It didn't feel like a box though, it felt like metal. As she examined it, she noticed a sign on the back. It was a apple with a bite on it. "What do apples have to do with this?" She wondered. She put it back in a continued to snoop.
She suddenly froze as the sleeping bag moved a bit. Her heart was pounding, was he up? She didn't want to find out. She closed the bag and set it aside.
"Yawn. I guess i should get some sleep as well." Cadence laid down on the floor. She tried to sleep, but couldn't stop shivering. She looked at Joel and thought of an idea. She slowly moved towards him and laid down on his stomach. This way they could share precise warmth. The warmth of his body and the slow rising and setting of his stomach seemed to hypnotize her to sleep. She needed all the rest she could get. Because tomorrow, they were getting out of there.
