Encounters: Part I - Language of the beasts

"Time for coats again," her voice sounded muffled throughout the small, warm hut. The multiple layers of cloth covering her mouth as she was struggling with them certainly didn't aid to her clarity.

 

Whether her complaint was aimed only at herself or at you as well, you didn't know, but it elicited a chuckle from you anyway. Though she was one of the few who was known to frequently wear clothes (if you could call them that) in the past, she'd admitted to you to have always hated it. Nowadays, she avoided wearing them unless the situation absolutely required her to. Today, without a doubt, being one of those cases.

 

You let your eyes drift away from the one-sided struggle that did not look like it'd be decided anytime soon and take in the interior from the hovel for the umpteenth time. Not that it ever got boring. Every time you'd find a nook or cranny you'd never seen before that contained yet another exotic item of sorts. Some of them you recognized from seeing her use them in her brews so often. Others you'd helped to collect.

 

But the ones you were most fond of would have to be the artifacts of her native lands. The masks, the weaponry, the instruments... All of them hand-crafted —or hoof-crafted, you suppose— in materials originating in a nature you'd always imagined to be of eerie beauty. You'd spent many times here as she was working on her brews, simply enjoying the silence in this place with your eyes closed. Never once did the same fragrance linger in here for longer than a few hours. And yet, they all brought forth the same visions as you found yourself coming to peace, listening to the soft rhythmic humming as she swayed her hips and swirled her mixtures.

 

"Make that overcoats for me."

 

Now securely covered by her make-due cloak, she turned to face you.

 

"Yes, I suppose I may not complain," she said. "How one can withstand to veil himself such as you, I do not understand... Though I suppose I should not judge the traditions of a foreign land."

 

A brief smile tugged on your lips at that as you began closing the bindings of your coat. Whereas the dress-maker who'd provided you with this coat usually aimed to make clothing as refined as herself, you'd been very specific about this particular piece. It served utilitarian purposes and should reflect nothing more than that. Colored in subdued hues to hide you as well as possible, large pockets to carry whatever equipment was needed, and most of all: it was nice and warm.

 

"It's not so much a tradition as it is a social norm. Humans did use to walk around naked for the longest time, actually. Well... save for a loincloth, that is."

 

You catch her taking a brief peek at your nethers, before you turn to cast a quick glance out the window, only to see that most of the view was already obscured.

 

"I think I'd freeze to death if I didn't wear two jackets now, though. You take that coat of yours for granted, Zecora."

 

"It fails to keep me warm in winter, yet in summer only causes me to sweat," she said. "Were it not for the markings of my tribe, I would shed it without regret."

 

The visual of a shaved, completely hairless Zecora causes you to shudder in repulsion. Now that was something you hoped to never come across. This world had shown you many things you wouldn't have believed, had you not seen them with your own eyes, but that was one you could live life without.

 

Your shudders of aversion fail in their attempts at passing by the perceptive zebra without notice.

 

"Are you already feeling cold, Anon? Our adventure hasn't even begun."

 

A brief chuckle leaves you. "Adventure? You're paying me to go grocery shopping in the forest. I'd need to check my rates to see what the extras for an 'adventure' are..."

 

She grants you a grin and playfully bumps her flank against your waist before making her way to the door. A cold chill immediately rolls through the hut as she stepped out into the snowy forest.

 

"Do you have the list?" you ask, finding yourself to be shouting slightly to sound over the winds blowing into the hut.

 

"I know what I need," she said. "Now make haste, to leave a lady waiting in the cold is in bad taste."

 

Grabbing your staff that stood against the wall, you close the door shut behind you, parting with the safe interior of the shaman's hut.

 

"...You're sounding more like Rarity every time you visit that spa," you muttered to yourself.

 

Luckily, the winds drowned out your complaining and Zecora continued to trek into the forest without paying much attention to you. Were it not for the muddled brown color of her clothing providing a stark contrast with your surroundings, you're fairly certain you'd lose track of her in no time. The near hail-like snow pelts against your face and you end up pulling the drawstrings of your hood tighter, limiting your range of vision even further.

 

A blanket, consisting of almost nothing but whites, spreads in front of you, obscuring the sights you were familiar with. Looking back, you saw that the imprints you'd left in the snow earlier were already fading out, both by the winds blowing the fine particles of snow over the surface in rolling waves of white, as well as the addition of a new layer of snowfall from above.

 

Every sort of vegetation that grew on the ground was now being suffocated by an oppressive layer of the white substance, making it rather hard for you to navigate yourself. The only things remaining clearly visible despite the winter weather were the trees themselves, though those hardly served as a means of direction to you. You didn't know enough about what differentiated the kinds from each other for that. Compared to the zebra sorceress you didn't quite have that much experience with the forest. Whereas you'd frequently helped her out in the past, the treks you made on your own were rather limited in comparison.

 

Still, you know your way through these woods better than most ponies; the only exceptions to that being your current guide, Twilight, and Fluttershy. Whether the latter even knew her way better than you was something of which you weren't entirely sure, come to think of it. She'd never ventured as deep into the forest as you...

 

Looking back, the zebra's hut was already little more than a small brown dot in the distance. The waft of smoke from the fire that awaited you within trailing skywards was the only thing that made it notably stand out from its environment. The snow blowing by briskly certainly didn't help at that. Past experiences left you with the knowledge that from your current position Zecora only had two fixed routes she could take from here on out and you doubt her to be taking the risk of walking without direction in weather like this. You vaguely recall both routes, though it was hard to place them given your monotonous surroundings. What you did remember clearly, however, was that both of them were among the longest you and her had walked before.

 

"So," you say, now having caught up with Zecora, "what's so important that we need to step out in weather like this? I doubt Aloe and Lotus need their scented herbs that badly..."

 

She turned her head sideways, her dark teal eyes finding yours through her cloak. They stared at you purposely, before turning back to the trail she had planned out.

 

"Certain plants only grow in these conditions, I fear," she said. "The forest leaves us no choice, my dear."

 

A playful giggle sounds above the storm as she bumps into your side again, before taking the lead once more with a sashay.

 

You sigh as you continue trekking through the forest in Zecora's trail. Winter in Ponyville was one thing.

Winter in the Everfree forest, however, was quite another. When they first told you the weather in the Everfree roamed wild, you hadn't given it much thought. You'd expected it to be the same as on Earth. If anything, you'd been excited at the prospect of something familiar to home the first time Twilight and you had gone into the forest to help her pick some Poison Joke-plants. Apparently, they had some rather undesirable effects for the ponies who touched the leaves, but in the past you'd proven to be fairly resilient to most, if not all kinds of magic. Twilight had decided to take you with her on one of her excursions to test that notion even further.

 

You can't say you were surprised when the scholar's expectations had proven to be true once again. Ever since then, you'd found a new way of making some extra cash —or bits, as they called it here— on top of your work in town or on Applejack's orchard.

 

Fluttershy needed help collecting plants that only grow here she used to make medicine for her animals. That, and you think she just wants somebody to go with her when she enters the forest. She is not quite the bravest of ponies, to make an understatement.

 

Zecora had quickly heard word from Twilight about your abilities and began to ask for your help quite frequently as well. For someone lacking the capabilities a unicorn possessed, certain plants were simply inaccessible. With your help, however...

Every passing trip, you found yourself enjoying your time with the fellow foreigner just a bit more than the previous one and the visits soon became more of a weekly thing, whether there were plants to be collected or not. Hours were spent as she cooked foreign meals for you and listened to your stories of what life used to be like for you before you ended up here. She knew how to place herself in your position, offering you kind words of support and wisdom. And for that, you would never be able to repay her.

For the past few months, it'd been quite normal for you to visit her at least every other day. In that little hut in the forest, far away from the hustle and bustle of Equestrian society, you'd found a new friend. Perhaps, even more.

 

Twilight enlisted your help whenever she needed to gather things that grew or lived more towards the center of the Everfree. She could protect herself with her magic quite well, as had been made clear in the past. But still, four eyes see more than two and the Everfree has proven itself to be full of surprises time and time again. It would not be the first time, and most likely not the last, that the staff clutched securely in your hand right now had been used to scare away —or in rare occasions, kill— a creature that attacked the two of you.

 

No, you were quite wrong in assuming even the slightest resemblance between Earth and the Everfree forest. Under normal weather conditions —whatever that meant in here— everything seemed to be alive. Plants crawled along, wrapping around you and binding you in place if you stood still for too long. Whispers rolled through the trees, giving off the vibe that you were always being watched. Perhaps that was not such a bad mindset to have when walking through these woods.

 

And then, there were the inhabitants of the forest itself, of course. It was an oddity to be attacked by the same manner of creature twice. There were simply that many different species that had found a home in these woods. Almost every single time when you asked Twilight what had assaulted you, her answer had sounded the same.

 

"I've never seen anything like it before."

 

Researching it would be pointless. No one had ever attempted to write a book on what lived in the Everfree. Most ponies were simply too terrified by it. It would be a pointless endeavor as well. You're certain that species went extinct here on a near-daily basis, only to be replaced by another moments after. In the Everfree, there was no such thing as being a predator or a prey. You were always both. There were things you could kill, and there were things that could kill you. So far, you'd always been lucky enough not to cross any of the latter.

 

You were quite pleased in noting that you'd come across the former more than once, however. Ponies always had found themselves to be inadequate at fulfilling your dietary needs. Sure, beans and nuts and the such kept you nourished. Satiated on the other hand... In that aspect, you'd always drawn the shortest straw since coming here. Until Twilight had asked you to come with her into the Everfree for the fifth time a few months back...

 

 

—     |       —     |       —     |       —     |       —     |       —     |       —     |       —     |       —

 

 

"...you know you're lucky I only had to work half a day on the orchard, right?"

 

Her horn briefly flared, slinging away plants that had grown over the path that she'd made for herself quite some time ago.

 

"I know, I know," she said. "And I'm sorry that I didn't let you know anything sooner. I thought I still had enough Cluniks for the experiment. Spike must've been eating some of them..."

 

"Cluniks?" you found yourself asking.

 

The unicorn looked at you, quietly shaking her head as she sighed.

 

"Those 'shiny blue mushroom-thingies', as you call them," she said.

 

"Ah, those. Why didn't you just say so?"

 

As the unicorn flung away another set of lianas that had grown over the path, she briefly halted to look up into the sky. Her brow fell, before she continued marching in a brisk trot.

 

"We're really going to need to hurry up if we want to make it back before dusk," she said, urgency ringing clear through her rushed manner of speaking. "We've got an hour at the most and it's definitely another twenty minutes before we'll make it to the clearing."

 

"You could've waited until tomorrow morning. I could've asked AJ for half a day off... If she knew I'd be helping you, she probably wouldn't even mind."

 

"I am on the verge of a breakthrough, Anon! I'm not going to let some stupid plant ruin all my efforts and mock me," she spoke with feckless anger.

 

You halt just for a slight moment, letting the steaming purple pony take a small lead on you. It'd be wise to let her simmer for a while. Twilight was prone to becoming slightly irritable when her experiments did not go as expected, or rather, as desired.

 

And by slightly irritable you meant that she lost any and all sight of rationality. Perhaps it had not been the smartest idea to let her come here in her current state of mind. Maybe you should have convinced her to wait until a more suitable time... Yes, that is probably what a good friend would have done.

 

But then she wouldn't pay you as much as she did now. And so, you shimmy behind the now-slightly-less-irritated unicorn. Besides, what could go wrong with picking up some shiny blue mushroom-thingies?

 

The walk had been surprisingly boring for a trek in the Everfree. It was almost as if the forest itself knew that messing with Twilight Sparkle at this time would not be a good idea. Or you were just lucky. Who's to tell? Regardless, the two of you reached the particular clearing in about fifteen minutes or so. It was then, as the foliage had gradually faded away into nothing, that you could see the open sky. And more specifically, the quickly diminishing sunlight that barely illuminated it. The sky was an odd mixture of orange and red hues, telling you that sunlight was scarce and would be gone in a matter of minutes.

 

"Anon, can you start collecting them?" she spoke, a slight tremble barely notable in her voice. "I really don't want to spend anymore time here then we've got to at a time like this."

 

"On it," came your reply as you retrieved a paper bag out of one of your coat's pockets.

 

On the edge of the clearing stood a certain kind of tree of which you'd never bothered to learn its name. The entire perimeter was delimited by the short, stubby stems bearing barely any leaves. They vaguely resembled pollard willows, though those didn't have luminescent mushroom-esque growths on them. As far as you, or Twilight, or Zecora, or anypony else for that matter knew, this particular spot was the only place where they grew. And 'Cluniks', as Twilight seemed to call them, only grew on their bark.

 

What it was that made them so special for Twilight's experiments, or apparently as appetizing to Spike, was something you neither knew, nor cared to knew. Crouching down, you began scratching your fingernails over the bark of the tree, trying to get a grip under the roots of a particularly big mushroom. The lack of proper illumination certainly didn't make the task at hand any easier. Looking back, you saw Twilight nervously trotting around, her head held high and her gaze cast skywards.

 

"Hey Twi," you called out to her. "Can I get some light here? I can barely see what I'm doing..."

 

The unicorn's reply came non-verbal under the form of a short nod of her horn. Directly after, an orb of bright maroon hues floated over your head, providing you with ample lighting for your job. In time, the two of you would come to regret that action, albeit for different reasons.

 

"Thanks," you said before getting back to trying to pry one of the blue growths loose from its foundation. "Hey, how many of these do you need anyway?"

 

"Uhm... I need at least a dozen to finish my experiment," she said, though quickly adding to that, "Make it two dozen to be sure! Spike's probably going to want a few when we bring them back..."

 

"Two dozen it is then," you muttered to yourself, growing slightly annoyed with the very resistant growth in case. Finally managing to get a finger wiggled underneath the fungus, you tear it loose with a satisfied groan. Now that the first had been torn off, you had easier access to start plucking the roots of the others surrounding it loose.

 

The task became rather mindless now that they started coming undone that much easier, and so you simply decide to start some small talk with the first thing that comes to mind.

 

"Do you really think Spike should be eating these?" you ask Twilight, though keeping your gaze focused on your job.

 

Dried leaves crisp and became ground into dust as she kept trotting around restlessly.

 

"I don't see why not," she replied. "Spike's a dragon. They don't really react much to magic. There's nothing in here that's dangerous for him to eat..."

 

You look back over your shoulder to see her shaking her head in confusion.

 

"...I don't know why he finds them so tasty, though. They don't have anything in common with gemstones or anything."

 

"But... can't they be poisonous or something?" you followed up, turning your attention back towards the tree and its growths. "I mean, this is the Everfree we're talking about. You trust things that come from here?"

 

"The only thing that makes the plants different in here is the discordant magic," she explained. "And dragons are very defiant when it comes to that, Anon. This entire forest combined isn't likely to even give him a stomach ache."

 

You heard the soft crunching of leaves underneath her hooves once more as she trotted away from you.

 

"Now ice-cream on the other hand..."

 

A swift shrug to yourself follows at that. "Oh well, if it makes the little guy happy picking a few extra isn't much of an effort, I guess."

 

"I'm sure he's—"

 

Your brow lifts upwards at her abrupt silence. You pull loose your twelfth mushroom, before turning halfway around in your crouched-down position.

 

"You're sure he's what, Twi?"

 

The unicorn glared at the edge of the clearing, ears perked and leaning slightly forward.

 

"Shhhh," she silences you, motioning with her hoof to keep it down. She'd been running on edge before, but somehow her motions seem to carry a legitimate sense of trepidation with them right now.

 

"What is it?" you whisper.

 

"I think I heard something," she said, her gaze focused on the darkness where the foliage didn't allow light to fall through any longer.

 

You look at the edge as well before shaking your head.

 

"You're just imagining things," you said as you turned around towards your work once more. "Let me fill another bag and we can be on our way..."

 

It took a short while before a reply came, but you heard the unicorn sigh before she trotted over towards you.

 

"M-Maybe you're right." She sat herself down beside you. "The stress must be getting to me."

 

You briefly halt your attempts to pry loose the first of your second dozen of fungi to give her a quick pat on the head.

 

"We'll be out of here in no time and then you can get back to whatever it was that you were doing with these."

 

How she managed to perceive that as a question was something you simply could not wrap your head around, but before you could stop her, she stood up straight and began walking in circles as she explained to you what it was that she was trying to prove from her experiments. A grin spreads on your face and you quietly shake your head, mentally drowning out the monotonous ramblings of the scholar. Or that is what you intended to do, at least.

 

You cringed as she shrieked in fear, loud enough to make it physically hurt. A blood-curdling scream pierced through the air, a sound no living creature should be capable of producing. Not once before had you heard a more grating noise. Quickly turning your head around, you were going to give her a piece of your mind.

 

Upon noticing the large bear-like creature that had its teeth bared as it made its way towards you, you decide to file that particular thought away until a more convenient time. From the shadows of the clearing it had emerged, seemingly without making so much as a single sound.

 

From your crouched position, you attempt to quickly rise and turn around to face the creature, only to lose your balance and end up lying on the floor of the forest. The fall dazes you for just a moment, though even without proper vision you know that this situation had just taken a turn for the worse. Menacingly, the beast made its way towards you with large strides. Closing in on you, its features became more defined as your light shone down on the both of you. Its coat was of a dark brown color, tainted by large clumps of dirt, rocks, and sand clinging to its claws. Scrambling back in panic, you began to feel around on the ground for anything solid to hit the beast with. Little twigs and stones dug themselves in your hand as you brought them down with all your might in your panic. You could feel the sharp stinging pain and the trickling of blood running down your hands, but you had yet to find something suitable to protect yourself with.

 

With each movement, you could feel the knife resting against your chest in the inner pocket of your coat. If only you had the time to get it out of there.... You need to improvise. And fast at that. It was barely five feet away from you.

 

Slowly, it stepped towards you, as if to mock your ineptitude of standing up straight fast enough to use your size to your advantage. The fact that a large set of sharp fangs was clear in sight left little to the imagination of what it intended to do. A low growl left the creature's throat, causing the very ground it stepped upon to rumble.

 

More and more twigs and stones dug themselves into your skin as you clambered back. Though the pain grew larger with each movement, the alternative did not look any better.

 

From your side, bolts of arcane energy were being fired at the creature, though it barely even seemed to notice that it was under attack.

 

Adrenaline coursed through your veins as you tried to create some distance between you and the beast as fast as you could. Crawling along the ground, your right hand finally lands upon something solid. Hardly any distance kept the creature from tearing you in half. Its pale white eyes pierced straight to you. Your grip on the object tightens as the beast takes another step forward. Chances were that it was just a tree root, firmly bound to the ground. Its upper lip trembled as it growled once more through its throat, the ground you sat on began to tremble in response.

 

Chances you just decided to take.

 

With all your force, you grasp whatever lays in your hand and you swing it at the beast's head.

 

For just a fleeting moment, it seemed the object's inertia would cost you your life. You rushed a decision and now you would pay dearly for it.

 

You already had your eyes squeezed shut when you finally felt the swinging motion came to be, only to be ended by a loud crack upon impact with the creature's head. The sound caused you to snap open your eyes and take in the sight in front of you.

 

Dazed by the sudden blow, the beast lied on the ground. Quickly, you gathered your bearings and sprung to your feet. Still stumbling to regain your balance, you lifted the tree branch overhead and brought it down on the beast over and over again with all your force.

 

"ANON!"

 

The creature howled in pain as you continued bashing down on it. You repeated the motions without thought. Your instincts filtered out your surroundings to the only things that mattered. The only sound you heard were the beast's cries and the cracking of its bones as you kept delivering blow after blow upon its head and neck. You only felt panic and rage, both of which found a victim in the maimed beast.

 

"STOP!"

 

You saw nothing but something that had tried to kill you. It would not be successful. Its white eyes, lacking any form of pupils, pierced through you, only aiding to the fright it already had instilled in you. In its last moments, it gazed upon you as its cries died out into its final breath. The creature spasmed a few more times before it fell quiet, both in sounds, as in motions.

 

This was where mankind was brought back to its very core. The hunter that had survived against the odds. There were creatures that kill and there were those who got killed. Today, you were part of the former. And maybe one day this world would get the best of you. But it wouldn't be this day. As long as you—

 

"ANON! STOP! IT'S DEAD! STOP IT!"

 

Twilight's yelling broke through your isolation. Were it not for her, you doubt you'd have ever stopped. But judging by the large amount of dark liquid pooling underneath the beast, as well as the odd angle at which its head was connected to its neck, you could say with certainty that it would no longer prove to be a treat to either one of you.

 

Panting, you use the branch to balance yourself and keep standing up straight. Now that the danger had been taken care of, the extent of your exhaustion made itself apparent. Though the entire ordeal had likely only taken up five minutes at the most, you felt like you were on the verge of passing out. You were utterly wracked, both physically as mentally. You found your vision to be fading in and out for a moment as you heard a faint lingering sound that passed too soon before you could even attempt to describe it.

 

It was that, combined with this utter exhaustion that encompassed you, that caused you to wonder whether the sight in front of you was real or just a figment of your adrenaline-filled brain.

 

Crouching down in front of it, Twilight gently placed a trembling hoof on the creature's head.

 

"T-This can't be real..." she muttered in a shaky voice, "I'd never thought I'd get to see one."

 

Your chest heaves with every breath you take. Though your mind had already been pushed to a limit it'd never seen before, you found yourself walking closer towards Twilight and crouching down beside her.

 

"What... what are... you talking about?" you pant out.

 

With an odd interest, she seemed to stare at the beast, taking in all its features as she lets her eyes run up and down over the creature's corpse. Your question didn't seem to register as she softly touched the animal, only to seem almost surprised when she could actually touch it.

 

"Twi, I ask—"

 

"I think," she suddenly said, "I think I know..." Her head cocks sideways as she takes in the creature once more. "...I think I know what this is," she said with a nod.

 

"Enlighten me, oh ye of purple coat," you said, now having partially found your breath again. "What the hell just tried to kill me?"

 

She gently pets the creature's head, refusing to look up at you.

 

"It wasn't going to kill you," she quietly spoke. "It couldn't even see you."

 

With a sigh, she turned to face you.

 

"It didn't want you. It wanted that," she said as she pointed towards your head. "Badgermoles feed on the magic out of the roots of plants and trees. It must've never seen so much magic concentrated in such a small place."

 

Looking up, you saw that the maroon orb of light had stayed floating above your head the entire time.

 

"You didn't have to kill it, Anon," she spoke as she stood up straight again. "I could've led it away from us. I was trying to distract it with my magic, but it must've only had eyes for..."

 

Her gaze lingers on the sphere above your head as she sighs.

 

"...I guess it doesn't matter now."

 

"Well, turn it off then!" you said, as you tried to run away from the orb that followed your every move. "I don't want anymore of those things to come around."

 

"It doesn't make sense." She turned towards the beast's corpse again. "They're... I didn't even know they were real. I thought they were just a myth... Stuff from fairy tales..."

 

You halt your frantic jumping around as you note the sadness in Twilight's voice. Now that an explanation of sorts had been provided, both your panic and anger had fled swiftly. Instead, there was a certain mood of uneasiness residing within you now, placed there by the hooves of Twilight Sparkle. You weren't attacked by a vicious beast. You killed something innocent looking for a quick snack. Settling next to her, you put a hand on her back in comforting.

 

"It attacked us, Twilight," you said. "I was just trying to protect—"

 

"I know. You couldn't have known." Turning to face you, she gave a wavering smile, though it quickly fell away as she could not uphold the hollow motion. "I mean, I didn't even know they existed. How were you supposed to?"

 

For a moment, she simply stood staring at the beast, paying it her last respects. Peace and quiet had returned to the forest. Whether the same could be said about Twilight Sparkle's mental state was yet to be found out. She turned around and began walking away from the corpse.

 

"...shouldn't have come here," she said almost inaudibly, though the repressed anger in her voice was not nearly as repressed as Twilight intended it to be.

 

You deem it a wise decision to tread lightly around Twilight for the time being. Though unintentional, you know this was a matter she'd prefer to have never brought up again. Ponies did not look at the circle of life in the same manner as you. And you do not feel like debating which one is the correct one.

 

Twilight halted her pacing to look up from the clearing. A motion that you did as well when you noticed how long she'd been standing there like that.

 

"Oh no..." she muttered.

 

"Fucking A—"

 

And for once, an explanation was not needed. The giant white orb looming overhead said more than enough.

 

"We can't go back in the dark," Twilight said as she turned to face you. "I can't navigate us blindly."

 

"Can't you make a bigger one of these?" you asked as you pointed towards your personal lantern floating overhead.

 

"And makes us a very visible, slow-moving target for anything that lives in here?" she castigated. "No, Anon, I'd rather not."

 

"Well, staying the night here isn't any better," you retorted. "So unless you've got something better, I'd—"

 

"Stop it!" she yelled. Her brow lowered in annoyance, as she shook her head. "This is going to get us nowhere, okay? Let's just take a minute to calm down and see what we're dealing with."

 

 

 

That minute had turned into something that was probably more like half an hour. The two of you sat in the middle of the clearing, both enjoying the warmth of the campfire you'd lit. Neither of you spoke for the longest while as your gazes were transfixed on the crackling tinder.

 

"So," Twilight was the one to speak up first.

 

"So."

 

"We can't walk back in the dark," she said, her gaze not moving away from the fire.

 

"Nope."

 

"And we can't stay the night here either."

 

A sigh accompanied your nod. "Stuck in the Everfree... A dream come true."

 

Twilight bashfully pawed at the ground with her hoof. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't ha—"

 

"Keep it," you interrupted. "Playing the blame-game isn't going to change a thing, okay? It happened. Let's just try to fix it, and we'll see who to be mad at later."

 

With a sigh, you throw another log on the fire. A dulled thud sounds as the log breaks several other, weakened pieces of charred wood. Embers spark up at that, flying into the night sky. Your gaze follows the red fragments of luminescent matter lifting skywards. A sharp sting of pain in the back of your head causes you to wince. A faint image of maroon flashes before your eyes as the faint ringing resounds again.

 

And then, you came to realize the meaning of the word 'epiphany'.

 

"Magic!" you shouted, visibly startling Twilight.

 

Her hoof quickly pressed against her chest as she tried to calm her breathing.

 

"W-w-what of it?" she panted.

 

"You can teleport out of here, can't you?"

 

Her head tilted slightly sideways as she considered the option.

 

"I-I guess so..." she spoke with hesitation. "I mean, I need something very clear to teleport to, so I'd have to go to the edge of the forest, maybe even back into town. That's kind of far for two—"

 

Shaking her head, she dejectedly continued, "Never mind... I can't take you with me."

 

Your brow lifts in realization. "Oh yeah. Guess that won't work then."

 

You attempt to chuckle to relieve the stress of the moment, though even to you it sounds hollow and fake.

 

"I don't really do all that well with magic, huh?"

 

Where you had hoped to see Twilight at least give a smile out of courtesy, her head lowers as she gazes into the fire.

 

The cracking of the new log as the flames lick along its surface is the only sound that's notable for the longest time. You kept staring at the fire, hoping for another burst of inspiration.

None came though.

 

"Look..." you began. "You can go back without me, if you want to. I'll just start heading back on my own tomorrow morning."

 

A faint smile pulls on your lips. "Wouldn't be the first time I've pulled an allnighter anyways."

 

"No!" she immediately retorted. "I'm not going to leave you here alone all night!"

 

"Well, what else do you want to do? The only one who knows how to walk through this thing blind is Zecora, and I don't really see her around anywhere, do you?"

 

A set of violet eyes found yours quickly in realization. Inwardly, you paid your gratitude to the campfire once more. Whereas Twilight did her name justice with a sincere sparkle radiating in her eyes, you simply smiled as a plan had seemingly formed itself.

 

"I could teleport to town..."

 

"...go get Zecora..."

 

"...and get you out of here before the nocturnal animals start hunting."

 

It was jarring how the both of you cocked your head sideways at the exact same time. You briefly purse your lips in consideration, while Twilight simply kept her eyes closed for a short while.

 

"Seems like a pretty solid plan to me," you said.

 

She nodded in agreement. "Do you think you can handle being out here alone for a little while?" she asked with concern laced in her voice. "I'll go as fast as I can, but it's definitely going to take me... an hour or so before we could make it here."

 

Patting against the blood-stained log, you nod in reassurance. "I'll manage."

 

Twilight's muzzle scrunched up, hesitation still clearly readable in her behavior. Or was that disgust? Not that it mattered much. What caused the delay wasn't as important as the delay itself.

 

"Just go already," you spurred her on. "The sooner this is over with, the better, right?"

 

Straightening herself, she nods in determination. "Right, no time to waste."

Her horn became coated in her trademark maroon hue and with closed eyes, she spoke trough gritted teeth, "I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise."

With a bang, she vanished out of sight, leaving you alone with only a scorch mark where she stood mere seconds ago.

 

 

A sigh accompanies your motions as you begin to poke into the fire with a stick, inciting more embers to spark up. That keeps you occupied for a grand total of two minutes. You were sure you could keep safe for an hour in the Everfree on your own. But entertaining yourself for an hour in the Everfree on your own... That's something you wouldn't place so much hope in.

Your midsection contracts and the sound of animals dying reverberates through the clearing.

 

Great... Now you were hungry too. You knew it was a bad idea to come here at this time of day. Truth be told, you really should have seen this coming.

You had asked yourself what could go wrong with picking up some shiny blue mushroom-thingies. Well, apparently you could get attacked by some huge bear-like thing that didn't even want to attack you, only to end up in the middle of the Everfree on your own at night...

 

Your stomach once more vocalizes its complaints at its lack of content.

 

...whilst being hungry...

 

Standing up straight, you take the knife out of your inner pocket as you walk back towards the edge of the clearing. You had come here to collect mushrooms. Might as well finish the job now that you're stuck here for the time being...

 

With that in mind, you take another paper bag out of your coat and start scraping the fungi off the trees until its filled to the brim. A small distance away, you saw the first bag you'd filled with its contents laying spread around it. You probably knocked it over when that 'badgermole', as Twilight had called it, had sneaked up on you. Brushing the dirt off them, you quickly put them back in before making your way back to the campfire, both bags securely rolled shut in your pockets.

 

You throw another piece of wood on the fire as you attempt to ignore the hollow, nagging feeling in your guts. The fire grows larger and with closed eyes, you let the warmth it spreads take care of your worries for a while.

 

If there is one thing you would have to be thankful for this evening, it would be this campfire as it set in motion  what would soon overthrow the direction of your life. As you bask in its glow, you let the events of this night sink in properly.

The fire cracked and groaned as the log you'd thrown on it begins to break underneath its own weight. In the distance, you heard owls begin to hoot as they awoke. As a breeze rolled by, the bushes on the edge of the clearing began to rustle.

 

'The only thing that makes the plants different in here is the discordant magic'

 

Soon, the nocturnal animals would begin to hunt for each other. Granted, few would come to a clearing to do so, as most preferred to remain hidden in the depths of dark. But still, there was little you could do to stop them. You would just have to stand your ground should push come to shove. You had your knife and your branch, though those two would be inadequate at protecting you when it came to a fair share of the beasts living in here. Especially in a vulnerable position like this one. Inwardly, you hoped the fire and the smell of the dead beast lying next to you would scare most of them away.

 

You briefly took a sniff of the air that unmistakably carried the fragrance of something dead in it. There was another aroma coming from the animal, too. One you were familiar with, yet couldn't seem to place... You take one more deep inhale of the scent before giving up on attempting to discern the particular odor.

The two of those combined gave off quite the notable essence which, come to think of it, might provide you with issues.

It probably wasn't entirely unreasonable to assume a good portion of the animals in here were carnivorous. To them, the smell would probably be alluring... And they were the most dangerous of all, given their natural position as hunters.

 

'Never mind... I can't take you with me'

'I don't really do all that well with magic, huh?'

 

Maybe it would be a good idea to go elsewhere and avoid running into any manner of creature like that...

But then Twilight wouldn't be able to find you. That in itself wasn't such a big problem. If you kept moving, you could probably evade a lot of the animals. You're actually quite confident that you could've found your way back to Ponyville in the dark without running into too much trouble. But if you started walking now, Twilight would only find an empty spot. And if you knew Twilight even a little, she'd probably spend the rest of the night looking for you in here.

You'd only be putting the two of you in danger if you decided to stray from the plan you'd agreed on.

 

Realizing you were just going to have to wait here until she came to get you, your stomach once more rumbled in defiance.

 

It is at that moment, as your hunger reaches its apex, that you realize just what surrounded you.

 

In your pockets sat two bags filled to the brim with mushrooms.

In front of you,a campfire roared wildly.

Right next to you lied the corpse of a beast you'd just killed.

And right beside your hand, a large knife lay on the floor, awaiting its next task...

 

As your stomach spurs you on once again, your lips tug upwards, a bright smile appearing on your face as you realize you've got the perfect set-up for a kind of meal you hadn't eaten in months going on right in front of you. If Twilight said it was safe for Spike, then...

 

"Oh, this is going to get messy..."

 

 

 

And messy it was. Tasty, too.

 

Granted, the meat was a little chewy and stringy and the mushrooms were... well, blue. But heavens be damned if it wasn't the best tasting thing you'd had in months. You probably wouldn't be starting a butchery any time soon, and your knife had suffered some damage, but with some effort, you'd managed to get a large segment of the beast's ribcage torn out.

After that, it was a simple case of finding some twigs and building a quick make-due spitroast.

 

And suddenly, you didn't really mind waiting for the rescue team. They could take their time, you'd found your occupation.

 

That statement obviously announced the return of Twilight Sparkle, accompanied by Zecora.

 

Upon discovering your handcrafted spitroast, the two of them were...perturbed, for the most part. Twilight seemed to be conflicted on what to make of it, though she notably calmed down when you explained when the creature's death hadn't been for nothing now. They both knew that your diet had included meat back on Earth. Neither of them knew how much you'd missed eating it, though. You even surprised yourself with that. Every bite you'd taken had spread an undeniable sense of warmth and satisfaction within you. It's well-known that food you make yourself is always better than anyone else's. And eating outside also automatically makes everything twice as tasty. But this... It was almost indescribable how well-fed you felt. How you'd gone all these months without proper nourishment suddenly no longer made any sense to you.

 

But taking into consideration that Equestria housed very little —if any besides your own— carnivorous species of sapient nature, meat was simply not available. For months on end, you'd gone without so much as a nibble of it. Fluttershy gave you a little bit of fish every once in a while, but that just couldn't uphold compared to this. Hell, nothing you'd ever eaten on Earth even came close to his.

 

And you didn't intend on going back to that system either. Meat might not be available in Equestria, but hunting for your own in the Everfree...

There was no one about to voice a concern against that. If anything, ponies would be glad that you killed the things that lived in here. The stigma this place carried was fierce, and perhaps ponies would hold to the idea that one day, the forest would die out at the wrath of your hunger.

 

You couldn't help but smile at that notion. Who did they think you were? Pinkie Pie?

 

Tearing the last remnants of meat from the beast's bones, you gather your things, douse the fire, and head back towards Ponyville with the two equines.

But not before quickly running back towards the campfire to pick up one last thing.

The bloodied branch of wood with which you'd slain the animal...

 

—     |       —     |       —     |       —     |       —     |       —     |       —     |       —     |       —

 

...Looking down on the meticulously carved staff in your hand, your grip around it tightens. You have some history with this piece of wood, even if it has seen some alterations. It'd been carved to be quite a bit thinner and lighter, though you'd shaped one end into the rough shape of a ball, should you ever need to use blunt force to knock one of your preys off its bearings. On the other end, which you currently held skywards, a prismatic sparkle reflected the dim winter sun in every direction. Finding a steel spear tip had been proven to be near impossible in Ponyville. But why settle for steel when you can have diamond instead? Rarity had no qualms with giving you one of her gemstones. She'd even gone out of her way to shape and sharpen it for you. With some of her strongest fabric, which she'd even infused with magic to make it near-indestructable, the pointed allotrope was attached to your most used weapon.

 

Hunting, like many things, is a craft of exercise. Practice makes perfect as they say. Though, in the field of hunting, that often means your life is on the line when it comes to 'practice'. The first time you'd killed a beast had been an accident in which you'd gotten lucky more than anything else. But if there is one thing in which modesty did not apply to you, it would simply be your nature. Humanity.

 

Throughout the entirety of time, humans have always shown one predominant feature; a field in which they absolutely obliterate any of the competition.

 

Adaptability.

 

No matter what its surroundings were, mankind managed to survive. And you would uphold to that namesake. Your life had already changed so much over the years... You could change it again one more time.

 

In preparation lied your strength. Many of the creatures you killed were bigger than you. Stronger than you. Faster than you. But they were not smarter than you. For they had grown accustomed to their ways of living and hunting. They could not adapt. And in that stagnation, they had found their end. None of your preys knew what overcame them as they fell into your traps. Their deaths were swift and painless. And they were purposeful, too. You'd learned much in the field of hunting. And you'd learned much about the preservation of your harvest.

 

You did not kill because you enjoyed it, though it would be a lie to deny how prideful you were when you saw yet another fell victim to your traps. It reminded you of what you were. Human. The apex predator. Top of the foodchain. It reminded you of home in an odd way. It reminded— No, it showed you that this world was not your own. You took pride in that notion, for whatever reason it may be.

 

But you are not a cruel man. You don't inflict suffering upon others for your own entertainment. In death, your victims found new purpose. Their carcasses were stripped of as much meat as your skills and equipment allowed you. After being thoroughly cleaned it'd be brined for preservation. The remaining organs, skin, and bones, you left in the forest for others to feed upon. And one day, you would feed upon them in return.

 

 

"You have been oddly quiet so far, Anon," Zecora said. "Do tell, are you feeling well?"

 

"Sure. Just thinking," you quietly reply.

 

The zebra halted her pacing, instead turning around to lean her head against your waist in affection. It'd be pointless denying that a certain attraction had formed between the two of you. Though, honesty compels you to admit that Zecora had been the one who'd admitted her feelings towards you first. As you wistfully gaze into her eyes, the cold of the forest truly crept up on you. You wish you could return them. In this world, there had been no one like her, that much was true. And you did not spend so much time with her just because she was a great cook either. But fully committing yourself was something you were not ready for, and doubt you'd ever be ready for.

 

Crouching down, you let the zebra's head come to rest upon your shoulder, laying your own against it.

 

"Are you content," she whispered, "with the path you have traveled, my friend?"

 

You let your hand run through the zebra's mane as you lean close to her. She'd never show any sign of anger or disappointment towards you, but you can't help but feel your heart sink at how she decided to address you. Experience has taught you she often knows more than she lets on.

 

"I'm sorry."

 

And you truly were. You hated the restrictions you'd built for yourself. But it wouldn't be right to try and ignore them. They would rear their ugly heads sooner or later. If you wanted to make this work —and you want that more than anything in this world— you'd have to get over them first. Walls surrounded you. Walls you'd built yourself.

 

And now it was up to you to break them down.

 

"I want to be there for you. I want—"

 

Your eyes closed and a smile etches its way onto your features. The zebra's warm lips pressed against your cheek were enough to silence you.

 

"If time is what you need, then I shall not plead," her warm breath clashed against your ear. "For you, my dear, I shall wait."

 

The cold wind sharply struck your face as she broke the embrace. The contrast couldn't have been more stark had you wanted it to be.

 

"In you, I hold faith," she spoke as she resumed walking.

 

A morose sigh left you as you followed the beautiful mare in her trail once more. You didn't deserve someone like her. She shouldn't have to wait. With your gaze aimed at the ground, you can only focus on one thing. Perhaps, it was time to give it a try, regardless of your inhibitions. Such an odd world this had proven to be...

Having one thing to rely on wouldn't be such a bad thing. Someone to fall back on...

 

Watching the cloaked mare in front of you swing her hips side to side, you let that smile reside on your face once more. The snow might as well be hitting your face at a hundred miles an hour...

 

That one spot on your cheek was enough to warm your whole body.