Survival is Key: Ch.9

>You yawn, flinging aside your bedding as you feel the warmth of the sun's rays on your face.

>THIS time, however, you made sure to open your eyes once you turned AWAY from the sunlight, to avoid any early morning blinding.

>Hah, take that you stupid sun.

>"Oh Anon, I didn't know you were up already!"

>You turn around to face Spike, who, oddly enough, was wearing an apron, with the classic "Kiss the Cook" lettering embroidered on it.

"Yeah... I guess I'm finally getting used to waking up early."

>"I guess so. Come on, we've got a surprise for you!"

"Surprise? What are you... you..."

>You trail off, getting a whiff of whatever it was that Spike was cooking, and damn, did it smell GOOD.

>You descend the stairs, and find Spike and Twilight already at the table, munching away at their breakfast, your plate already at the table. Your eyes widen when you realize just what it is they're eating.

"Are those... pancakes and... eggs?"

>Twilight gives you a nod, and smiles.

>"Straight from Fluttershy's chicken coop. She gives away any spare eggs she doesn't need or hasn't sold in the market on Sundays, and we just happened to have a few for breakfast."

>That settled it. The moment you saw her, you'd have to thank Fluttershy for the eggs. You sit down, and savor the taste of the eggs, glad to finally be able to get some protein in your diet.

>The eggs were delicious, but the pancakes, Jesus Christ, THE PANCAKES...

>They were INCREDIBLE.

"Spike, did you make all of this?"

>He grins, his chest puffing out pridefully.

>"Yup! I take care of all the cooking here; Twilight loves my Dandelion Sandwiches and Celery soup!"

"Heh, so I noticed."

 

 

>As the three of you finish your breakfast, you look to Twilight.

"So..."

>She looks at you, puzzled, before realizing just what it was you were about to ask.

>"Don't worry, I'll take you to visit Zecora. I'm sure your friend's missed you just as much as you missed him."

"... Thanks, Twi. You're a good friend, you know that?"

>"Heh, yeah... a good... friend."

>You glance back; the way she said that... she sounded... disappointed?

"Is something wrong, Twilight?"

>"N-No! Nothing's wrong, Anon. I'm fine."

>You look at her. Her smile seems kind of... forced, to be honest.

>"I'm FINE." she says again.

"... if you say so, Twi. I'll be waiting outside while you grab your saddlebag, alright?"

>As Twilight goes upstairs, and you exit the library, Spike is left in the kitchen to clean uo the dishes.

>"Those two, I swear..." he says, shaking his head as he collects the dishes from the table.

>Before long, Twilight joins you outside the Library's entrance with her saddlebags.

>"You ready, Anonymous?"

>You nod, and the two of you walk down the path to Fluttershy's house, and past it into the Everfree Forest.

>As the two of you walk along, you're overcome with a wave of nostalgia. It had seemed so long ago when you had been sent here, courtesy of Discord, when in reality, it had been less than two weeks. In those two weeks, you met Baloo, Twilight and her friends, found out you could use MAGIC, (rather effectively, if you didn't say so yourself.) and you felt that things were only going to get crazier.

>You recognized some areas, like the clearing where you found Sweetie and her friends, and a patch of those blue plants, which Twilight called Poison Joke.

 

>While you did indeed recognize some areas, this place felt... different somehow.

>Not only had your arm had been constantly tingling ever since you entered, but you could feel that same sensation from when you used that Kamehameha Wave, only... lighter.

>Much lighter, in fact.

>You had been living in this place for a week before Twilight had taken you in, but you still didn't know much about this place... You WANTED to know about this place. You didn't really know why, but you just DID.

>As the two fo you walked along, you felt as though you were being watched.

>You narrow your eyes, scanning the surrounding area as the two of you walk along; Twilight seemed to have noticed the same thing.

>Then you saw them. That same pair of yellow eyes from the forest. You frown... Whatever it was, you didn't like it.

>"Oh, Zecora! Good to see you again!"

>You blink. THAT was Zecora? You squint your eyes, making out a cloaked figure, which stepped in front of the two of you, revealing its or rather HER face.

>"It is good to see you as well, my friend. Tell me, who is this by your rear end?"

>Twilight smiled. "This is Anonymous, Zecora. He had been living in the forest for about a week before that Ursa Major attack. Now he's living with me and Spike in the Ponyville Library."

>"I see..." she says, her eyes affixed on you. "So this is the creature that had been living in the tree. I must admit, seeing such a strange creature roaming within Everfree... Let's just say I wished to sate my curiosity."

>You blink. Then you laugh. So, despite her exotic appearance, and constant rhyming, she was just as curious about you as any other pony.

 

>"Is something wrong? Is something out of place? Do I have something on my face?"

>You shake your head, a smile on your face.

"No... It's nothing, Zecora. I'm just glad I finally got to meet you. Now, uh... I was told you had been taking care of Baloo for me?"

>She nods, motioning for the both of you to follow her.

>"Your 'friend' as you call him is quite the case... While he allowed me to doctor him, he seems to be the sort of bear that needed his space. I could only approach him with his blessings, and even then, it was only to change his dressings..."

"I'm sure he was just being careful, is all. The guy's normally very friendly, but he doesn't know his own strength. He probably didn't want to risk hurting you.

>"That might be... He certainly unique among his kind in Everfree... Not many Ursa Minor would consider befriending a creature so small... Then again, among his kind, he doesn't seem all that tall."

"Huh?"

>This time, Twilight spoke up.

>"Yeah... I've seen an Ursa Minor before, and your friend Baloo seemed to be about... three quarters, maybe two thirds the size of the one I saw."

"I see... So Baloo was a runt, then?"

>"Precisely. Most Ursa Major don't really care one way or the other if their cub is a runt or not, but for those that do... Well, I suppose we should be thankful that your friend's still alive."

>You nod, thankful for that very fact. Baloo was alive, and Zecora had been taking care of him for you.

 

>"We're here." said Zecora, her expression neutral. "... and it would seem Anonymous' friend is very near."

>As if on cue, you hear the sound of branches snapping and trees shaking as Baloo ambles into the clearing in front of the three of you. At this point, you can't help yourself; you run toward him, and wrap your arms around his neck, or at least, as much of his neck that you can.

>Baloo returns the hug as well, but your eyes widen when you hear the telltale "SHRIIIIIP" of the back of your coat being shredded by Baloo's claws.

 

>Back in Ponyville, Rarity felt a shiver crawl up her spine. She couldn't explain why, but she could feel the presence of hundreds of bits' worth of material crying out in anguish, only to be silenced.

 

>You cringed. Now there was no way around it; you HAD to see Rarity eventually. You dreaded her reaction upon seeing your absolutely multilated clothes. But still, you couldn't go around wearing rags, a week in them was enough for you, anyway.

>You and Twilight say your goodbyes to Zecora and Baloo, promising to visit your friend as often as possible.

>Baloo is reluctant to see you go; you can't blame him, but at least he understands you well enough to stay in the forest, instead of following you and Twilight back into Ponyville.

>While YOU wouldn't have minded, Twilight, along with the rest of Ponyville, would.

>You and Twilight decide that visiting Rarity was the top priority at the moment, despite your reluctance.

>Oddly enough, when you arrive at Carousel Boutique, Rarity takes the news much better than you had imagined, though there was that noticeable twitch going on with her left eye...

 

>Thankfully, you leave the boutique intact, with several new outfits in tow.

>At least you had some variety now. You were just glad you convinced Rarity not to bedazzle all your new clothes

>Your next stop is Fluttershy's home, where she gives you a fishing pole, and shows you a nice, quiet fishing spot on the outskirts of Ponyville, near the edge of the Everfree Forest.

>As the two of you wander the streets of Ponyville, you look at Twilight, who had been rather quiet ever since the both of you left the forest.

"Hey Twi, you alright?"

>"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine... Just a little hungry, I guess."

"Why don't we go and get something to eat at the café?"

>"... Okay."

>Eventually, you two arrive at the open air café, and place your orders. A caesar salad for you, and a daisy sandwich for Twilight.

>While you had ended up eating the salad record time, you look across the table to find that Twilight hardly touched her meal.

"Okay, now I KNOW something's wrong."

>"What?"

"You were like that this morning too, Twilight."

>"Like what, Anon?"

"You've been too quiet, you're keeping to yourself, and you look miserable. Don't tell me you're fine, because you're clearly not. Now... what's wrong?"

>Twilight sighs, pushing away her sandwich.

>"You're right... It's just that something's been eating at me all day, and I can't get my mind off of it."

"Care to tell me what it is?"

>"NO! I mean... no..."

>You quirk an eyebrow. THAT was unexpected.

"Twilight... Come on, you can tell me, can't you?"

>"No... I can't..."

"Why?"

>"Because I'm afraid of what you'll think of me if I told you..."

 

"Twi... I'm your friend. Nothing will change that."

>Twilight flinches at the word "friend".

>"I know... I know... But what if I WANT to change that?"

"Huh?"

>Okay, this is starting to get a little weird right now...

>Twilight looks at you, and you swear she's about to cry.

>"Anon, I dunno how to say this..."

>Oh no.

>"But I..."

>Oh shit.

>"I think I..."

>OH SHIT.

>"I think I... love you."

>...

"What?"

>At that, Twilight buries her face in her hooves, her cheeks as red as Big Mac's coat.

>"Ohh... I just KNEW I'd mess things up if I said that... Now you'll hate me, things are gonna be really weird at the library and... and..."

>Oh man, she's crying. SALVAGE THE SITUATION, JACKASS!

"Twi... Twi... Twilight... Calm down."

>She takes a deep breath, and tries to avoid looking at you. Despite that, you can clearly see tears streaking down her face. She's taking this really hard...

"Twilight, look at me."

>She does, but that doesn't stop her from squirming uncomfortably.

"Don't EVER think for a second I'd ever hate you, okay?"

>She sniffles a little, and nods.

"Good... Now, I can't say that I expected you to say that, because no one ever expects something like that."

>"Are you angry?"

"HELL no. Twilight, you're the most wonderful mare I know, but that's the thing... You're a mare, and... I'm no stallion."

>"I don't care. I LOVE you, Anonymous. I don't care if you're a stallion, a human or what... I love YOU..."

>You fall silent, absolutely stunned.

>Finally, you sit up, and hold her hoof in your hands, smiling. SCREW common sense.

"I love you too, Twilight."