HOME | DD

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

Chapter 7: Friendly Greeting

The friendly green unicorn and I stood on a quiet, dirt road leading to the dark shadows of the forest trees. The moon illuminated the starry night, casting shadows on the ground. I paced and paced, feeling a bit impatient and nervous about the journey we were about to embark on and the assistance that will accompany us. April was starting to feel uneasy watching me pace back and forth nonstop.

“Red, it’ll be okay,” she assured me. “These friends of ours are some of the best we know. With their help, it’ll make the journey easier for us to complete.”

I sighed, “I wish I can believe that, but… I don’t know much about this place and the ponies that live around us. I don’t think we should risk having them go on this mission. It’ll be dangerous”

April walked over and gently placed her hoof around my shoulders. “Don’t worry,” she said, “as long as we work together and don’t give up, we’ll be fine.”

“I sure hope so….”

Just then, we heard a whistle blow faintly in the distance. Squinting my eyes, I could begin to make out silhouettes of a herd rushing towards us. As they came closer, I figured out one of them was Jigsaw. He had stayed in Ponyville after we arrived, looking for anypony willing to help us on this quest. As it turns out, he found not one but five other ponies, and that alone surprised me.

They finally caught up with April and me. “Sorry I took so long, Jigsaw explained. “I caught some of our friends at a busy time.”

“That’s fine,” April replied. She turned her attention to me. “Red, these are some of our friends. Everyone, this is Red!”

They all suddenly stared at me, some with smiles on their faces, others with curiosity or skepticism. I chuckled nervously, “Uh, h-hi…. It’s, umm, nice to meet you all….”

A cyan, winged stallion with a spiky aqua mane and yellow stripes came up to me. “Greetings, amigo,” he said before nudging me on the head, “they call me Speedy: one of the fastest pegasi in Cloudsdale! Please to meet you, Red!”

“And I’m his sister,” the other pegasus added. She was light-blue and her mane had two colors: aqua and yellow. She also had yellow markings like her brother, but hers seemed to represent gusts of wind. Her cutie mark looked like a yellowish-orange ball with a pair of wings. “My name’s Fluttergust,” she said. “It’s great to meet another pony like you.”

“You said it, Flutters!” A cheerful mare bounced right up to me, startling me enough to take a few steps back. “My name’s Summer Shine!” she said in a quick pace. “Are you new, ‘cause I’ve never seen a pony like you before?! You seem like a fun pony! Maybe you’d like to come visit sometime!”

“Uhh….” I was so lost in the moment I couldn’t figure out how to respond.

“Summer,” Jigsaw scolded, “you know you shouldn’t get up to his muzzle like that. He’s still a bit sensitive to other ponies right now.”

Summer stepped back. “Oh yeah, sorry,” she said in respect. “Sometimes I get excited when I hear about a new friend.”

“That’s okay, Summer,” April assured her with a smile. Then, she pointed to the remaining two ponies in the group: a green, beautiful mare and a pink, tomboyish earth pony wearing a teal bandana around her neck. “That’s Rose Diamond, and the other one is Cherry Beam.”

“Hi…,” Cherry said, not making much eye contact.

Rose seemed much more polite. “Fabulous to meet you, Mr. Hoofsketch.”

I didn’t say a word nor make a sound. I just stood there in front of them, glancing at each one about every second. How could these five unique ponies be willing to help even a simple, young stallion like me? Did they decide to do it for their closest friends April and Jigsaw, or do they know what may be at stake?

Finally, I leaned closer to April and whispered, “Do you think this is a good idea to bring them along? What if they slow us down or get hurt along the way?”

It seemed the pink mare overheard me. “Hey,” she shouted, “are you doubting us, buddy? I’ll have you know it ain’t nice to underestimate us ponies!”

“Cherry, calm down!” Jigsaw came in and blocked her from me. “He just doesn’t know us or anything else at the moment.”

Cherry rolled her eyes at him.

That made Jigsaw cross. “Cherry,” he began, “you and I both know you used to be the same way when you first met us.”

“That was years ago,” Cherry protested.

“Nevertheless, it’s not nice to act this way toward other ponies. Remember what Twilight told you the other day?”

Cherry was about to talk back at him, but she held her breath and looked down thinking to herself. I guessed whatever she learned from the princess in Ponyville was flowing through her mind at that moment. Finally, she sighed and said in a quieter tone, “I remember….”

She then came up to me and said after a pause, “...Sorry.”

Though I did feel threatened by her unwanted attitude and wanted to object her apology, I somehow felt sympathy for her, as if I could still see good inside of her. “It’s… it’s okay,” I said.

Moving that out of the way, Jigsaw took a stand in front of the two other pegasi. “Okay, Speedy and Fluttergust, you two will come with me to keep an eye out in the sky for anything unusual,” he instructed. He turned to the rest of us. “April, you and the others can look in the forest and split into groups. This way we can cover a lot more ground than in a single group.”

“Good idea, Jigsaw,” April replied.

Everyone nodded in agreement. The three pegasi the flew over the forest trees while the rest of us trotted into the dark forest. Once inside, very little light penetrated through the dense foliage as well as any eerie sounds that would howl through the night. The only thing we could hear at the moment was the hoots of an owl nearby.

The green mare saw that I still felt nervous. “Don’t worry, darling,” she said, “it’s not as scary here at night as it would in Everfree Forest.”

“...It’s not the forest that worries me,” I replied.

---------------------

The faint path was getting darker and darker. No other life was in sight. April, Rose Diamond, and I were the only ones in sight after we, Cherry Beam, and Summer Shine split up. They were on the north path while we were on the east. I could hardly see the sky anymore nor any pegasi hovering above us. I felt as if we became lost, even though April’s magic horn lit the way.

The three of us decided to take a break after searching for an hour. I was beginning to feel tired, but I couldn’t figure out why. It didn’t seem to be very late in the evening, but I couldn’t prove that. April and I had started a little fire in case if the others came looking for us. Rose was trying to rest, but found it difficult to sleep on the hard, dirt ground. April didn’t really mind it much. I, on the other hand, had a strange urge to draw pictures in the dirt. Before long, there were markings of ponies, trees, the sun, and buildings lying out in front of me. Though it wasn’t as colorful, it looked all right nonetheless.

April opened one sleepy eye and noticed the markings on the ground. She raised her head a little to get a better look at them and then looked up at me. “Red, were you doing that the whole time?”

I hesitated to respond. “Uh…, yeah, I was.”

“It’s looks nice,” she said with a smile.

I kind of smiled back. “Thanks….” I looked back down at the picture without saying another word.

April could probably see that I still had a lot on my mind as she looked into my eyes, which were fixated to the ground. She slowly stood up and walked over to my right side before sitting back down.

“April?” I said suddenly.

“Yes?” she replied.

I sighed and looked over to Rose. “Why are they doing this for us? Your friends, I mean?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you think your friends decided to help us look for these trinkets? Is it because they just want to, to protect this place, or because they think we can’t do it alone?”

I didn’t think April knew where I was going, but she replied, “Why would you think of that? Sure, we asked them if they wanted to help, and they probably did to help protect everypony, but it doesn’t mean that you, Jigsaw and I probably couldn’t handle it.”

“Well, I don’t think I could,” I said with a frown. “I’m a lost pony with no recollection of my past life. I just know my name. Not a family, nor friends….” I looked down at the markings on the ground. “How can I become a good pony that others can be friends with if I don’t know who I really am?”

We sat there for a moment in silence, letting that question sink into our minds. I didn’t mean to be so negative, but what I said seemed so true.

Then, April gently put a hoof around the back of my neck. I looked over to her as she said, “Red…, I know it can be hard to make some friends, even in times like this, but I know there’s some good in you. Your past may be lost for now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take what you learn now and start becoming the pony you choose to be. Some friendships will take some time to develop, and in the end, they may become something very special. As long as you believe in yourself and us, we’ll be there for you.”

It was in that moment that her words felt like they were warming up my lonely heart. Maybe what she said was true. Maybe if I would just let go of my fears for now and believed more in myself, I might give my new life in Equestria a chance. However, I knew it’d take a while to do so.

Finally, I sighed and nodded. “I’ll try,” I replied and then wrapped my hooves around her for a hug. “Thanks, April. I feel better now.”

“Anytime, Red,” April said with a smile, returning the hug.

For a moment, everything seemed quiet….

“April! Red! Where are you? We found something!” a voice called out.

It was coming from somewhere in the north. The others must have found what we’re looking for….

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

Chapter 7: Friendly Greeting

The friendly green unicorn and I stood on a quiet, dirt road leading to the dark shadows of the forest trees. The moon illuminated the starry night, casting shadows on the ground. I paced and paced, feeling a bit impatient and nervous about the journey we were about to embark on and the assistance that will accompany us. April was starting to feel uneasy watching me pace back and forth nonstop.

“Red, it’ll be okay,” she assured me. “These friends of ours are some of the best we know. With their help, it’ll make the journey easier for us to complete.”

I sighed, “I wish I can believe that, but… I don’t know much about this place and the ponies that live around us. I don’t think we should risk having them go on this mission. It’ll be dangerous”

April walked over and gently placed her hoof around my shoulders. “Don’t worry,” she said, “as long as we work together and don’t give up, we’ll be fine.”

“I sure hope so….”

Just then, we heard a whistle blow faintly in the distance. Squinting my eyes, I could begin to make out silhouettes of a herd rushing towards us. As they came closer, I figured out one of them was Jigsaw. He had stayed in Ponyville after we arrived, looking for anypony willing to help us on this quest. As it turns out, he found not one but five other ponies, and that alone surprised me.

They finally caught up with April and me. “Sorry I took so long, Jigsaw explained. “I caught some of our friends at a busy time.”

“That’s fine,” April replied. She turned her attention to me. “Red, these are some of our friends. Everyone, this is Red!”

They all suddenly stared at me, some with smiles on their faces, others with curiosity or skepticism. I chuckled nervously, “Uh, h-hi…. It’s, umm, nice to meet you all….”

A cyan, winged stallion with a spiky aqua mane and yellow stripes came up to me. “Greetings, amigo,” he said before nudging me on the head, “they call me Speedy: one of the fastest pegasi in Cloudsdale! Please to meet you, Red!”

“And I’m his sister,” the other pegasus added. She was light-blue and her mane had two colors: aqua and yellow. She also had yellow markings like her brother, but hers seemed to represent gusts of wind. Her cutie mark looked like a yellowish-orange ball with a pair of wings. “My name’s Fluttergust,” she said. “It’s great to meet another pony like you.”

“You said it, Flutters!” A cheerful mare bounced right up to me, startling me enough to take a few steps back. “My name’s Summer Shine!” she said in a quick pace. “Are you new, ‘cause I’ve never seen a pony like you before?! You seem like a fun pony! Maybe you’d like to come visit sometime!”

“Uhh….” I was so lost in the moment I couldn’t figure out how to respond.

“Summer,” Jigsaw scolded, “you know you shouldn’t get up to his muzzle like that. He’s still a bit sensitive to other ponies right now.”

Summer stepped back. “Oh yeah, sorry,” she said in respect. “Sometimes I get excited when I hear about a new friend.”

“That’s okay, Summer,” April assured her with a smile. Then, she pointed to the remaining two ponies in the group: a green, beautiful mare and a pink, tomboyish earth pony wearing a teal bandana around her neck. “That’s Rose Diamond, and the other one is Cherry Beam.”

“Hi…,” Cherry said, not making much eye contact.

Rose seemed much more polite. “Fabulous to meet you, Mr. Hoofsketch.”

I didn’t say a word nor make a sound. I just stood there in front of them, glancing at each one about every second. How could these five unique ponies be willing to help even a simple, young stallion like me? Did they decide to do it for their closest friends April and Jigsaw, or do they know what may be at stake?

Finally, I leaned closer to April and whispered, “Do you think this is a good idea to bring them along? What if they slow us down or get hurt along the way?”

It seemed the pink mare overheard me. “Hey,” she shouted, “are you doubting us, buddy? I’ll have you know it ain’t nice to underestimate us ponies!”

“Cherry, calm down!” Jigsaw came in and blocked her from me. “He just doesn’t know us or anything else at the moment.”

Cherry rolled her eyes at him.

That made Jigsaw cross. “Cherry,” he began, “you and I both know you used to be the same way when you first met us.”

“That was years ago,” Cherry protested.

“Nevertheless, it’s not nice to act this way toward other ponies. Remember what Twilight told you the other day?”

Cherry was about to talk back at him, but she held her breath and looked down thinking to herself. I guessed whatever she learned from the princess in Ponyville was flowing through her mind at that moment. Finally, she sighed and said in a quieter tone, “I remember….”

She then came up to me and said after a pause, “...Sorry.”

Though I did feel threatened by her unwanted attitude and wanted to object her apology, I somehow felt sympathy for her, as if I could still see good inside of her. “It’s… it’s okay,” I said.

Moving that out of the way, Jigsaw took a stand in front of the two other pegasi. “Okay, Speedy and Fluttergust, you two will come with me to keep an eye out in the sky for anything unusual,” he instructed. He turned to the rest of us. “April, you and the others can look in the forest and split into groups. This way we can cover a lot more ground than in a single group.”

“Good idea, Jigsaw,” April replied.

Everyone nodded in agreement. The three pegasi the flew over the forest trees while the rest of us trotted into the dark forest. Once inside, very little light penetrated through the dense foliage as well as any eerie sounds that would howl through the night. The only thing we could hear at the moment was the hoots of an owl nearby.

The green mare saw that I still felt nervous. “Don’t worry, darling,” she said, “it’s not as scary here at night as it would in Everfree Forest.”

“...It’s not the forest that worries me,” I replied.

---------------------

The faint path was getting darker and darker. No other life was in sight. April, Rose Diamond, and I were the only ones in sight after we, Cherry Beam, and Summer Shine split up. They were on the north path while we were on the east. I could hardly see the sky anymore nor any pegasi hovering above us. I felt as if we became lost, even though April’s magic horn lit the way.

The three of us decided to take a break after searching for an hour. I was beginning to feel tired, but I couldn’t figure out why. It didn’t seem to be very late in the evening, but I couldn’t prove that. April and I had started a little fire in case if the others came looking for us. Rose was trying to rest, but found it difficult to sleep on the hard, dirt ground. April didn’t really mind it much. I, on the other hand, had a strange urge to draw pictures in the dirt. Before long, there were markings of ponies, trees, the sun, and buildings lying out in front of me. Though it wasn’t as colorful, it looked all right nonetheless.

April opened one sleepy eye and noticed the markings on the ground. She raised her head a little to get a better look at them and then looked up at me. “Red, were you doing that the whole time?”

I hesitated to respond. “Uh…, yeah, I was.”

“It’s looks nice,” she said with a smile.

I kind of smiled back. “Thanks….” I looked back down at the picture without saying another word.

April could probably see that I still had a lot on my mind as she looked into my eyes, which were fixated to the ground. She slowly stood up and walked over to my right side before sitting back down.

“April?” I said suddenly.

“Yes?” she replied.

I sighed and looked over to Rose. “Why are they doing this for us? Your friends, I mean?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you think your friends decided to help us look for these trinkets? Is it because they just want to, to protect this place, or because they think we can’t do it alone?”

I didn’t think April knew where I was going, but she replied, “Why would you think of that? Sure, we asked them if they wanted to help, and they probably did to help protect everypony, but it doesn’t mean that you, Jigsaw and I probably couldn’t handle it.”

“Well, I don’t think I could,” I said with a frown. “I’m a lost pony with no recollection of my past life. I just know my name. Not a family, nor friends….” I looked down at the markings on the ground. “How can I become a good pony that others can be friends with if I don’t know who I really am?”

We sat there for a moment in silence, letting that question sink into our minds. I didn’t mean to be so negative, but what I said seemed so true.

Then, April gently put a hoof around the back of my neck. I looked over to her as she said, “Red…, I know it can be hard to make some friends, even in times like this, but I know there’s some good in you. Your past may be lost for now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take what you learn now and start becoming the pony you choose to be. Some friendships will take some time to develop, and in the end, they may become something very special. As long as you believe in yourself and us, we’ll be there for you.”

It was in that moment that her words felt like they were warming up my lonely heart. Maybe what she said was true. Maybe if I would just let go of my fears for now and believed more in myself, I might give my new life in Equestria a chance. However, I knew it’d take a while to do so.

Finally, I sighed and nodded. “I’ll try,” I replied and then wrapped my hooves around her for a hug. “Thanks, April. I feel better now.”

“Anytime, Red,” April said with a smile, returning the hug.

For a moment, everything seemed quiet….

“April! Red! Where are you? We found something!” a voice called out.

It was coming from somewhere in the north. The others must have found what we’re looking for….