It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. Fluttershy was talking a walk through the white tailed woods. A storm had hit that area the previous night and she wanted to be sure none of the animal's homes were destroyed. The storm was very strange because she knew Rainbow Dash had cleared the skies, and the storm was only over this portion of woods. All of her friends had written the storm off as Rainbow Dash just being lazy and missing a few clouds, although she swore she had gotten all of them. Fluttershy was convinced the storm was not natural however because from what she could see the storm did not have any rain and the lighting seemed to have been starting at the ground and heading to the sky. Fluttershy was relieved to see the forest was not badly damaged only a few dead trees had fallen and a few small branches laid here and there. Fluttershy walked a few more feet when a rabbit ran up to her.
"Hello there little one." she said happily. "Did you and your family make it through the storm ok?" The rabbit shook his head yes and started to motion for her to follow him. "What is it?" Fluttershy asked, and followed the rabbit for a few hundred feet. They eventually came to a small portion of the forest that was completely destroyed. Fluttershy gasped at the sight, most of the trees were knocked down and the grass was uprooted.
"All my goodness!" She cried out. "wh.. what could have done this?!" She nervously scanned the sky for dragons then she noticed it. The strange creature lying in the middle of the destruction. The creature's head was rounded and its front limbs had five long digits instead of hooves, its back limbs were covered by shoes. Fluttershy was scared by the sight of the new creature, but she also felt some compassion because it looked hurt. It had not moved since she saw it so she built up the courage to take a closer look. As she got closer she could see a few small cuts on the creature's arms and a small puddle of blood under the creatures head.
"Umm hello." she said. After ten seconds had gone by without getting an answer she pushed her nose against what she thought was the creatures white mane and jumped back quickly. After still no response she started to fear the worst. Was this creature dead? She started to turn the creature over when it suddenly grabbed her left hoof. She screamed in terror and struggled to get away. After a few seconds of fighting she broke free and galloped out of the woods.
Twilight Sparkles was in her house happily reading a book. She was just finishing the chapter she was reading when somepony started franticly knocking on her door. She got up and started to open it, Fluttershy flew into the room so fast it knocked Twilight off her feet.
"What in the world?!" she said, shocked as she got up. She looked over at her table to see Fluttershy cowering under it. "Umm Fluttershy why are you hiding under my table?"
"Because Twilight there's a horrible creature in the woods! It destroyed part of the forest, grabbed my leg, and probably is hunting for me right now!" Normally Twilight would have laughed a story like this off, but she knew Fluttershy could easily identify any animal in the forest and would not be this scared of one.
"So, what did this creature look like exactly?"
"Did it have teeth so large it could bit a dragon in two, or claws the size of trees?"
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight said annoyed. Looking up at a window. "How long have you been listening in?"
"Just a few minutes." Rainbow Dash replied as she landed next to Twilight. "I saw Fluttershy fly in here like a mad pony and wanted to see what she was so worked up about, so Fluttershy tell us about your monster." Fluttershy described what the creature in the woods looked like. "Wait just a minute Fluttershy." Rainbow said not really believing the story, "You're telling me something like that burned down a portion of the forest and chased you out of the woods?"
"Well not exactly." Fluttershy replied coming out from under the table but still shaken. "It was laying down when it grabbed me, but it had blood around its head."
"Well if it was sleeping or hurt it might still be there. I'll go take a look and be back in a flash." Rainbow said, confidently and took off.
"Wait." Twilight said, before Rainbow Dash could leave. "From how Fluttershy described it this creature might be hurt and you Rainbow Dash are probably not the first pony it should meet."
"What do you mean by that?!" Dash asked as she landed.
"Remember how we first met?" Twilight asked.
"Of course I still remember, remember how funny you looked with the messed up mane and tail." Twilight glared at Rainbow Dash as she giggled.
"Anyway we should all go to the forest and investigate." Twilight said. Rainbow go find Rarity and ask her to bring some cloth we can use for bandages, and then find Applejack and ask her to bring a cart….. And if you run into Pinky Pie she can come too, then meet me and Fluttershy at the edge of town."
"All right! A creature hunt!" Dash said excited. "I'm on it." After Dash flew out of the room Twilight turned to Fluttershy.
"I need you to lead us to where you found the creature. Do you remember where it was?"
"Yes," Fluttershy answered nervously, "but I do not want to go back there."
"It will be ok." Twilight assured her. "All your friends will be with you and the creature might need our help."
"But shouldn't we wait for Spike to get back?" Fluttershy asked, trying to stall for time.
"Spikes out running errands. He will not be back until late tomorrow, but we cannot wait until then I mean that creature might be dying!" Fluttershy tried to think of another excuse, but her conscience got the better of her.
"All right." She sighed and reluctantly walked out the door.
It took around five minutes for them to get to the edge of town where the other ponies were already waiting for them.
"Why do you need us all here?" Applejack asked. "Rainbow was going on about some type of creature in the woods."
"All explain along the way girls." Twilight answered, "but let's get started. Rarity did you bring cloth and bandages?" Rarity opened a giant bag that was sitting in front of her that contained about every color of cloth you could imagine.
"I just hope I can get any stains off these once were finish. I could not forgive myself if any of my cloths got ruined, and could some pony carry this?" Rarity asked. "It is dreadfully heavy."
"Let's just get going." Twilight said, "we need to hurry." Rarity put the bag of cloth in the cart much to Applejack disliking and followed Twilight.
The six ponies had been hiking for about half an hour in the woods.
"Looks like where getting close." Twilight said noticing the minor damage to the forest.
"It's just up ahead." Fluttershy answered, as she started to move to the back of the group.
"Look what that mean old storm did to these branches." Pinky said prancing. "or did the monster do this?"
"Probably a lazy Pegasus." Applejack commented. Rainbow Dash glared at her.
"Look I already told you, but all say it again! I cleared every bit of sky yesterday!"
"Ok girls stop fighting." Twilight said. "It looks like there's a clearing up ahead."
"That's it!" Fluttershy said nervously, and stopped moving forward. The five ponies entered the clearing and all gasped because the creature was still lying in the middle of the clearing.
"What in the name of Celestia is that?!" Rarity asked thinking about joining Fluttershy in the back.
"Don't worry." Rainbow Dash said to Rarity. "It's obviously dead."
"Dead!" Pinky screamed. "As in dead, dead!?"
"What other kind is there?" Rainbow asked.
"Well there's stone dead, really dead." Before she could continue Rainbow put her hoof over her mouth. Twilight went ahead of the group and approached the creature slowly.
"Hello." She said, a little nervous. "Are you ok?" The creature just grunted a little, then looked up. The creature and Twilight both gasped, and jump back a few feet when theirs eyes met.
"Please don't hurt me!" The creature cried out. "I don't know where I am or!…"
"It's ok." Twilight said softly. "We're not going to hurt you in fact we're here to help. My name is Twilight Sparkles and these are my friends."
"Really." He replied relieved as he looked at the ponies like they were the strangest thing he had ever seen. "You're not going to hurt me?"
"Of course not." Twilight assured him. "Do you have a name?"
"Yes it's, I can't, all I can't remember it." He said, worried as he put his hand on the wound on his head.
"Here." Twilight said. "Let my friend Rarity put some cloth on that wound. It will help stop the bleeding and prevent it from getting infected." Rarity used her horn to pull out some cloth and some antiseptic.
"Wow how can you do that?!" The creature asked as he got up looking at Rarity surprised.
"Um Magic." Rarity answered a little nervous a she approached him. The strange creature noticed Rarity's nervousness.
"It's ok." he said, trying to make her feel better. "I won't hurt you either. I think I'm as scared of you as you are of me." That made Rarity feel a little better has she handed him a blue cloth with some antiseptic on it.
"Here put this on your wound, and I apologize for sounding nervous but no pony has ever seen anything like you and you look rather strange to us."
"That's it!" Pinky screamed. Which made everyone jump as she started to hop around them. "That's what we can call him Stranger, at least until he remembers his name."
"Sorry about her." Twilight said, in an embarrassed voice.
"It's fine." Stranger replied, as he removed his glasses and pulled his white hair away from his wound and placed the banged on it. "I have hyperactive people in my village. I remember that much and I guess Stranger is as good of a name as any. I mean I cannot remember what mine is or if I had one."
"Well I'm sure you memory will return in time." Twilight assured him as she used her horn to tie the cloth in the back.
"Seriously how are the two of you doing that?"
"Like Rarity said magic." Twilight replied a little surprised he did not know about it. "Don't they have magic where you're from?"
"No," Stranger answered. "This is incredible can all of you do that?"
"No, just unicorns." Twilight answered back.
"Well we don't have unicorns in my world either. I remember that as well."
"Well at least you remember something's." Twilight said in a happier voice. "All and forgive me I should introduce my friends me and Rarity are unicorns, and we can cannel magic through our horns. Pinkie Pie and Apple Jack are earth ponies."
"Hello." "Howdy." They both said.
"The Pegasus in the back of the group is Fluttershy." She just smiled and then put her head down.
"And lastly that's Rainbow Dash."
"The one and only!" She said with confidence in her voice. "I'm the fastest Pegasus around." Rainbow Dash then took off and flew around them quickly.
"Wow!" Stranger said a little surprised. "You were not lying, you are fast! So, how many different species of ponies are there?"
"Just those three." Twilight answered.
"Hey." Applejack cut in. "I know ya all are getting to know each other, but it's going to be dark soon and we should be out of these woods before that happens."
"She's right." Twilight agreed. "Stranger why don't you come with us? Maybe you will remember more after you get a good night sleep."
"Well ok, but where will I stay?"
"You can stay in the library with me." Twilight replied. "My assistant Spike is out of town and I have a spare bed."
"You don't have to do that." He replied a little shocked at the act of kindness. "I mean we just met, and I would hate to become a bourdon to you."
"You won't at all, and besides I really want to learn more about your world, and I have plenty of books about mine!"
"Well ok then." He said. "Lead the way."
"Why don't you rest your feet, and ride on the cart we brought." Applejack asked. "I can pull ya."
"No, thanks walking might help my memory start to come back. By the way." He said turning to Fluttershy. "Have we met before? Because I know this is odd but I have the feeling I have seen you before."
"Well um um." Fluttershy mumbled, nervously trying to form words.
"She was the one who found you first, and she thought you were a monster, and then ran out of the woods." Rainbow Dash said starting to laugh. "She even hid under a table." Fluttershy's face grew red with embarrassment.
"Well I'm sorry if I frighten you. To be honest I was scared too when I first met all of you."
"It's ok." Fluttershy said softly feeling a little more comfortable. "It's just I saw that part of the forest was destroyed and I thought you had caused it."
"Hey!" He shouted excitedly. Which made Fluttershy jump a little. "I just remembered why I came here! I am a scientist and I built a machine that can travel to other worlds, so I could explore them and hopefully share technology."
"That's so neat!" Twilight replied. "Do you remember anything else?"
"Not yet, Fluttershy bringing up the destroyed portion of forest caused some of my memory to come back. The destruction must have been caused by the portal."
"Why does it destroy forests!?" Pinky asked. "That just seems so mean and you seem so nice."
"Well, it's not supposed to that. The machine must have malfunctioned and that's why I was knocked out. I'm so sorry for the portion of the forest that was destroyed. I hope no one was hurt."
"The damage was only done to that small portion of forest." Twilight replied. "As much as would love to continue our talk we should hurry if we want to get back to Ponyville before dark."
"Well I'll see you all tomorrow then goodnight." Rainbow Dash said as she flew off.
"Well let's get going too." Pinky said and skipped along in front of everyone.
