Hello, everyone! And welcome to the next chapter of "The Day I Went to Equestria". Remember when I said that Kaleb would meet a certain character in the next chapter? Well, that chapter has come! If the name didn't give it away, Kaleb is going to meet a character in the Everfree Forest and I bet you know who it is. Sorry if I'm spoiling anything. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let's get started! Disclaimer: I DO NOT own "MLP: FIM". All rights go its respective owners.
Chapter 17: The Everfree Forest
Some time later, Kaleb and his friends were at the lake. Everyone except Kaleb was in the water. Some of them were swimming while others were playing catch with the beach ball. Pretty much, everyone was having fun. Rarity was wearing a hair cap on her head to keep her mane from getting wet and Applejack had her hat off to keep it from getting wet. Rainbow, Spike, Gilda, Pinkie, and Starlight were spraying each other with water guns. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were playing catch with the beach ball while Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack were swimming. Kaleb was sitting against the tree, watching them. He still had on his headband, necklace, jackets, and shirt. Gilda was looking for Starlight, her water gun ready.
"Come on out, Star. You can't hide forever." She said.
Little did she know, Starlight was right behind her. She also had her water gun ready. She chuckled.
"Hey, Gilda."
The griffon started to turn around, but before she knew it, she got sprayed in the back of the head.
"Ah! Hey!"
Starlight laughed at Gilda's reaction to her surprise attack.
"No fair, Starlight. That was a cheap shot." Gilda said, a bit irritated.
"Oh, there are rules now?" Starlight asked, slyly.
"Yeah, G."
Gilda turned to see Rainbow.
"I thought when it came to playing with water guns it was a free-for-all." The pegasus said.
"It is. I just... don't like cheap shots. That's all." Said Gilda.
She got sprayed from behind again and turned to a laughing Starlight with an irritated look.
"Hey!"
"Oops. Sorry. Itchy trigger hoof." Said Starlight.
The griffon smirks and gets her water gun ready.
"I'll show you an itchy trigger hoof, Star. You are so gonna get sprayed." She said.
Starlight smirked and chuckled.
"Heh heh heh. You'll have to catch me first." She said.
She holds her breath and goes under.
"Oh, so that's how it is isn't it? You better watch your back, Star. You can swim, but you can't hide." Gilda playfully warned.
She holds her breath and goes under as well. Rainbow and Pinkie were watching them.
"Starlight's pretty sneaky." Pinkie said.
Rainbow chuckled.
"You can say that again." She said.
They watched as Gilda popped up out of the water, looking around for Starlight.
"How much you wanna bet she's gonna get sprayed again?" Rainbow asked.
Pinkie was about to say something, but got sprayed in the side of the head. The duo turned around to see Spike who was laughing.
"Ha! Gotcha!" He said.
The duo look at each other and smirk. They turn back to the baby dragon, their water guns ready. Spike then gets a scared look.
"Uh oh."
He quickly swam away. Rainbow and Pinkie swam after him. Kaleb, watching the whole thing, chuckled.
"Spike better watch himself." He thought.
He looked at Gilda who was still looking for Starlight. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the unicorn slowly rise up out of the water. Smirking, he turned back to Gilda.
"Look out, Gilda!" He cried.
In an instant, the griffon turned to see Starlight with her water gun ready to spray. But before she could, Gilda sprayed her in the face. She shook her head.
"How did you know I was behind you?" She asked, a little disappointed.
Gilda chuckled.
"Well, let's just say a little birdie told me. Or should I say, a little wolf?" She said.
They both turned to Kaleb who laughed and waved.
"She got you good, Starlight!" He said.
Starlight and Gilda looked at each other again.
"To be honest, I don't know whether to call that cheating or not." She said with a smirk.
Just then, Kaleb heard a voice.
"Hey, Kaleb!"
He turned to see Spike smirking and pointing his water gun at him.
"Think fast!" He said.
Before Kaleb knew it, Spike sprayed him with water. He had his arms up in a shielding position so the water hit his arms. This also meant his leather jacket got a little wet.
"Woah! Hey, careful, man. Along with my pajamas, these are the only clothes I've got." He said.
Spike got surprised and sorry look.
"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know." He apologized.
Kaleb smiled a bit.
"It's okay. They'll dry."
He took off his leather jacket first. Then he took off his green hoodie and headband. He placed them beside the tree before sitting back down. Just then, he heard Rainbow speak.
"Hey, KC."
He turned to her.
"Yeah, Dash."
"I just noticed something; my friends and I are swimming and you're the only one who isn't. What's wrong?" She asked.
"It's nothing." Said Kaleb.
Rainbow then got a sly look.
"Don't tell me you asked Rarity to make those trunks and underwear for nothing." She said.
"No! It's nothing like that! It's just... this shirt." Said Kaleb.
Rainbow was a little confused now.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Well, you see... I usually like to swim with my shirt on. However, along with my pajama shirt, this is one of the only shirts I have."
Rarity was the next to speak.
"Why didn't you just ask me to make you another shirt?" She asked.
"I didn't really think about that." Kaleb replied with a sheepish grin while rubbing the back of his head.
"Kaleb?"
He turned to Spike.
"Yeah, Spike?"
"Just out of curiosity, do some people back on your world swim with their shirts off?" He asked.
Kaleb nodded.
"Yeah, most people do. Why?"
"I was just wondering because don't you think it would be a lot easier if you just took your shirt off?"
Kaleb was surprised.
"What?"
"I mean it would be easier. Right, Twilight?" Spike asked as he turned to Twilight.
"Yeah, it would be easier. But I'm sure he has his reasons for not wanting to take it off." She said.
"See, she gets it." Kaleb said as he pointed to Twilight.
Kaleb's friends looked at each other in confusion, then turned back to him.
"I don't get it. Why don't you want to take your shirt off?" Applejack asked.
"I can't tell you." Said Kaleb.
"C'mon, Kaleb. If something's wrong, you can tell us." Pinkie said.
Kaleb saw that his friends had confused and concerned looks. He didn't want to tell them, but he knew they would still be worried if he didn't. Finally, he sighed in defeat.
sigh* Okay. Okay, okay, okay. I'll tell you the truth. The truth is... the reason why I won't take my shirt off is... I'm kinda uncomfortable with my body." He said, bluntly.
"You're uncomfortable with your body?" Asked Fluttershy.
Kaleb nodded.
"Yes."
"Why?" Rainbow asked.
"Well... let's just say I don't have the greatest body in the world." Kaleb replied.
"What are you talking about, Kaleb? What could possibly be wrong with your body?" Asked Gilda.
"That's personal."
Pinkie Pie was the next to ask questions.
"Not trying to be rude, but is your body too thin?" She asked.
"No."
"Too fat?"
"No."
"Are there bumps all over it?"
Kaleb shook his head.
"No!"
"Then what's the matter?"
"Like I said, it's personal." He said.
"Wolf boy, I'm gonna have to agree with Spike. If that's one of the only shirts you have, then I think it would be easier to take your shirt off. Besides, your body can't be that different from other bodies." Said Gilda.
"You don't know the half of it." Kaleb mumbled.
"Kaleb."
He turned to Rainbow.
"If you wanna swim and if there is something wrong with your body, then you're gonna have to take off your shirt. Otherwise, you won't be able to swim and we won't see what you're talkin' about. If we at least see what's wrong, maybe we can help." She told him.
Kaleb looked away for a minute to think.
"Rainbow's right. I am gonna have to take off my shirt. I really don't want to do it, but sometimes you have to do stuff you don't wanna do. And this is one of them." He thought.
He turns back to his friends.
"Well, screw it. I will take my shirt off. But I'm warning you, it's not pretty." He said.
He then slipped his right arm out of the right sleeve of his shirt and then slipped his left arm out of the left one. He slowly started pulling the shirt over his head until it was completely off. Once he got it off, his friends were a little bit surprised when they saw his body. His arms and chest were at an average weight, but he did have kind of a round belly. For a minute, there was silence.
"Um, wow." Twilight said.
"Be honest, how bad is it?" Kaleb asked, a bit sad.
Rainbow and Gilda got out of the water and flew towards their friend. Once they got close, they flew around him, looking him over. Rainbow put her hoof on her chin.
"Hmm. It doesn't look too bad." She said.
"That's what you say." Said Kaleb.
"No, I mean it. It's okay."
"Personally, I thought he'd be a hunk." Gilda whispered.
"Well, now that you've already seen my body, you can go ahead and laugh and make fun of me." Kaleb said, hanging his head.
The duo look at each other, then at Kaleb again.
"We're not gonna laugh and make fun of you. What the hay gave you that idea?" Rainbow asked.
"Because think about it. Maybe you would prefer a friend with a slender or muscular build. Because that's what most people from my world expect." Kaleb said.
His friends looked at each other for a minute. Finally, out of nowhere, they all started laughing.
"What? What's so funny?"
"What's so funny?" Rarity said, "What's funny is you assuming we were like that. We're not laughing at you, we were just laughing because what you were thinking was nonsense."
Kaleb was confused.
"What? I'm confused." He said.
When everyone stopped laughing, Twilight was the next to speak.
"You see, Kaleb, we're not superficial like that. Sure we may be girls, but we know better than to judge someone because of how they look. It doesn't matter if you have a belly or not. You're still our friend. And we would never laugh at you or make fun of you." She assured him.
"Twi's right."
He turned to Rainbow.
"So you have a belly. So what. Most of us ponies have bellies and you don't see us complaining about it." She said.
"Yeah."
Kaleb turned to Spike.
"I have a belly too and I'm perfectly fine with it." He said.
"That's different." Kaleb said, "For ponies and probably most dragons, having a belly is natural. But for us humans, most of the time, it's a pain in the ass. No offense. I'm just a guy who just wants a regular body. Not too fat, not too thin, not too muscular, just... a regular body."
Rainbow and Gilda looked at each other for a minute, then turned back to the boy again.
"Personally, I think you're fine the way you are." Rainbow told him, "But if you really wanna get rid of that belly and get in shape, there's a gym in Ponyville that Gilda and I go to when we want to work out."
"Yeah. And if you would like, Dash and I can help you." Said Gilda.
"You'd do that?" Kaleb asked.
The duo nodded.
"Dead serious." Said Rainbow.
Kaleb was still a little depressed.
"C'mon, Kaleb. Be happy."
Just then, Gilda got an idea and a mischievous look on her face. She tapped Rainbow's shoulder. She turned to her.
"Yeah?"
The griffon whispered in her ear.
"Yeah, so?"
She whispered in her ear again. Rainbow then got a mischievous smile.
"Oh. I see what you mean."
She looked at Kaleb with the same smile.
"Hey, Kaleb."
Kaleb looked at her.
"Yeah?"
"I have a question." She said.
"What is it?" Asked Kaleb.
Rainbow and Gilda chuckled.
"Are you... ticklish?"
Kaleb got a nervous look.
"Um... yes. Why?"
"Oh, nothing. It just that you have a sad face. And the tickle monster doesn't like sad faces." Rainbow said.
Kaleb's eyes widened. He looked down at his belly. Knowing what Rainbow was probably going to do, he quickly covered it with his arms. His belly was his most ticklish spot.
"Ah ah! No way, José! Don't even think about it!" He said.
"Well, if you don't want me to tickle you, then be happy." Said Rainbow.
"Yeah, Kaleb. You need to smile!" Pinkie said, "C'mon, smile for us! Smile! Smile! Smile! Smile!"
Suddenly, everyone of Kaleb's friends started chanting, "Smile! Smile! Smile! Smile!" He had two choices; either he was going to get tickled or he was going to smile.
"Well, anything for my friends." He thought.
He finally turned to his friends and smiled which caused his friends to cheer.
"Feel better, wolf boy?" Gilda asked.
He nods.
"Yep."
Gilda pointed her thumb-claw to the lake.
"Then get your butt in the lake." She playfully said.
He nodded again and slowly walked to the lake. He was about to dip his foot into the water but stopped.
"The water isn't cold is it?" He asked.
Rainbow laughed a bit as her and Gilda got back in the water.
"Trust me. If it was cold, we would be shivering." She said, "See? It's not cold."
Hearing that, Kaleb slowly started to dip his foot in the water again. As soon as his foot went in, he started to get in the water. To his surprise, the water wasn't cold. In fact, it was warm.
"You're right, Dash. It's not cold at all. It's warm." He said.
As soon as he was in the water, Kaleb and his friends started having fun. At one point, Kaleb played catch with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. After that, Spike let him borrow his water gun and a water gun fight began. Sometimes, Kaleb got sprayed and other times, his friends got sprayed. After that, he went under water and pulled Rainbow under. She popped up out of the water, breathing heavily. When she asked who did it, she heard laughing and saw Kaleb. At first, she was a little irritated, but realizing it was just a joke, she quickly got over it. For a few hours, Kaleb and his friends were having fun in the water.
"Hey, Twilight."
Twilight turned to Kaleb.
"Yes, Kaleb?"
"Ever since that party, practically everyone knows me now. Right?" He asked.
"Yeah. Seeing as how everypony saw you, you were basically introduced to everypony. So, yeah. Everyone knows you now." Said Twilight.
Applebloom gasps.
gasp* "Not everyone."
"What do you mean, Applebloom?" Applejack asked.
"He hasn't met Zecora yet." Applebloom said.
"Who's Zecora?" Kaleb asked.
Applebloom turns to him.
"She's a zebra who lives in the Everfree Forest. She's also like a witch-doctor because she makes potions and other stuff." She said.
Kaleb put a hand on his chin.
"Hmm. Judging from what you're telling me, she sounds like an interesting person. Or pony." He said.
"Believe us, she is." Said Scootaloo.
"Would you like to meet her?" Applebloom asked.
Kaleb smiled.
"What kind of question is that? Of course I'd like to meet her. But first, let's dry off and give me a chance to put my shirt, jackets, and headband on." He said.
"Right."
...
A few minutes later, Kaleb and his friends were in the Everfree Forest, heading to Zecora's hut with Applebloom leading the way.
"Applebloom, I don't mean to sound impatient or criticize, but are you sure you know where we're going? I mean we've been walking for a long time." Kaleb said.
"Yeah. My feet are killing me." Said Gilda.
"Mine too." Said Spike.
Applebloom glanced at the others.
"Trust me. I know the way. We're nearly there." She said.
She looked forward again. Her face brightened when she saw it; Zecora's hut.
"Aha! There it is!"
She ran towards it with the others following.
"Finally." Said Gilda.
Once they got close to the hut, Applebloom walked up to the front door and knocked. However, there was no answer.
"Hello? Zecora? It's me. Applebloom. I brought someone here who wants to meet you." She said.
She tried knocking again, but there was still no answer. Applebloom was confused.
"That's odd. Usually she answers the door when I knock."
"Maybe she's not home." Applejack said.
"Either that or she's asleep. If so, she is one heavy sleeper. And I should know." Said Kaleb.
Applebloom knocks again, but there was still no answer.
"Hello? Zecora? Are you home?"
She turned back to the others and shrugged her shoulders. Kaleb turned to Applejack.
"Hey, Applejack. You said she might not be home, right?" He asked.
She nodded.
"Yep."
"Well, only one way to find out."
He slowly walked to the door and knocked.
"Hello? Anyone in there?"
Just then, Kaleb looked at the knob. He thought that another way to find out would be to go inside and check things out. He was about to grab it when Twilight spoke.
"Kaleb, what are you doing?"
He glanced at her.
"I just want to get a better look." He said.
"You're thinking about opening the door and going inside Zecora's hut when she's not home. Wouldn't that be considered breaking and entering?" She asked.
"Maybe. But if I don't get a better look, I won't know if Zecora's okay or not. I mean what if something happened? For all we know, she could've passed out." Kaleb said.
Applebloom gasped and got a scared look.
"Passed out?! Oh no!" She said.
Applejack glared at Kaleb.
"Good going, Kaleb. That was really reassuring." She said, sarcastically.
"Hey, I'm just saying. Something could've happened."
Kaleb turned back to the door and grabbed the knob. When he turned it, he wasn't expecting it to click but it did by pure luck. He opened the door and went inside. He called Zecora's name but there was no answer. He sniffed the air. After a few seconds, his eyes widened.
"Zebra. Yep, she was definitely here." He thought.
Inside the hut, he saw a big cauldron on the ground and tribal masks hanging from the ceiling. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a cavern to the left. Curious as to where it led to, Kaleb went into the cavern. The cavern wasn't long it was short. When he went through, he found himself in what looked like a bedroom. He closed his eyes and started sniffing the air again. After a few seconds, he stopped sniffing and opened his eyes.
"Zebra."
He looks down and sees a bed. Only thing was there was no one there. Meanwhile, outside, Applebloom and the others were waiting for Kaleb. They heard footsteps and saw him come out.
"Well?"
"She's not here, but she was here a few minutes ago. Her scent is all over the place." He said.
"I knew she wasn't here." Said Applejack.
"That's funny. If she went somewhere, she would've left a note. Where could she be?" Applebloom asked.
"It's possible she could be out in the forest somewhere getting some ingredients for one of her potions." Twilight replied.
"That's possible. But why wouldn't she leave a note?" Kaleb wondered.
"She was probably in a rush." Rarity said.
"That's possible too."
"But like what Kaleb said, what if something happened? I think we should look for her just to be sure." Applebloom suggested.
Everyone except Applebloom and Kaleb got unsure looks on their faces.
"I don't know, Applebloom." Twilight said, "Knowing how big this forest is, it could take us hours to find her."
"I agree with Applebloom."
Everyone turns to Kaleb.
"I think we should look for Zecora. Because two reasons; one, I want to meet her, and two, we need to make sure she's okay. It could take us hours yes, but it would only be right to check on a friend. Because like I said, what if something happened?" Kaleb said.
"He's got somewhat of a point, Twilight." Said Spike.
Twilight looked at her friends. They nodded and she nodded back. She turned back to Kaleb and Applebloom.
"Alright. We'll look for her."
Kaleb nods.
"Alright. Let's split up." He said, "Twilight, you and the others check every location in the forest on the ground. Applebloom and I will be in the air."
Applebloom got a confused look.
"In the air?"
Kaleb nodded again.
"Yeah."
"How are you going to be in the air when you don't have wings?" Asked Twilight.
"That's easy. I have the ability to fly even if I don't have wings." Said Kaleb.
"He's right, Twilight."
Twilight turned to Rainbow.
"Gilda and I saw him do it before. It's amazing!" She said.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
The alicorn put a hoof on her chin.
"Interesting."
"Wait a minute." Pinkie said, "Before we go looking for Zecora, we need a couple of things. BRB!"
And with that, Pinkie zipped away. After a few seconds, she came back holding two walkie talkies.
"We'll need these."
She gives one to Kaleb.
"Walkie talkies?" He asked.
Pinkie nodded.
"Yeah. We'll need these to keep in contact with each other. That way we can let each other know if we found Zecora." She told him.
Applejack put a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder.
"That's using the old noodle, Pinkie Pie." She said.
Kaleb nodded.
"Okay. Now that we have everything we need, let's start searching." He said.
"Right!" Everyone said.
He turns to Applebloom and crouches down.
"Get on my back, Applebloom."
The filly climbed on the boy's back. She was holding on to his neck. Kaleb stood up. As soon as he did, he flew up high off the ground. This shocked Applebloom as well as everyone except for Rainbow and Gilda. Originally, they would've asked how he was able to do that, but they didn't have time for that. They had a friend to find. As soon as Kaleb and Applebloom were in the air, Twilight's horn glowed and she teleported herself and her friends to a different location in the forest. Kaleb started flying.
A few hours had passed, and Zecora still wasn't found. Twilight and her friends checked practically everywhere for her. Kaleb and Applebloom weren't having any luck either. Kaleb was still sniffing around for her scent. He heard a buzzing on his walkie talkie and answers it.
"Any luck, Twilight?" He asked.
"We've searched practically everywhere and still couldn't find a trace of her." Twilight said.
"We even asked a family of manticores if they've seen her, and they haven't either." Said Fluttershy.
"Well, Applebloom and I are still searching and so far we didn't see anyone. But I'm hoping we find her eventually. Once we're through searching, we'll meet back at Zecora's hut. But with this place being her home, she has to be around here somewhere." Kaleb said.
"I hope you're right." Said Twilight.
Once they were through talking, Kaleb continued flying and sniffing.
"Will we ever find Zecora?" Applebloom asked.
"That's what I'm hoping." Said Kaleb.
For a moment, there was silence. Finally, Applebloom spoke.
"Hey, Kaleb."
"Yeah?"
"I was just wondering, when you had your shirt off, I saw that your left shoulder was stitched up. If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your shoulder?" She asked, curiously.
"What do I tell her?" Kaleb thought, "I would tell her the truth, but if I did, she might tell the others. And if she did, they probably wouldn't trust me anymore. Sure, Gilda knows but they don't. How would I explain it to them? Queen Chrysalis brought me here to turn me into weapon to take over Equestria. Yeah, I don't think that conversation would go well. So what should I do?"
Kaleb's eyes widened because he got an idea.
"I got it."
He begins to tell Applebloom what happened.
"Well, you see, when I woke up in Equestria, I woke up in this place. When I did, I checked my surroundings to try and figure out where I was at. However, while I was thinking, I suddenly started flying without warning. And to be honest, it was quite a shocker. I also wasn't used to it yet. I ended up flying through the forest dodging trees left and right. Then before I knew it, I was about to crash into a tree with a sharp pointy limb. I managed to dodge it, but not before the limb cut my shoulder." He said.
Applebloom cringed.
"Ooooh. How deep was it?" She asked.
"It wasn't too bad, but I was still bleeding."
"How did it get stitched up? Did you make it to the hospital?"
Kaleb shook his head.
"No. But I did find Rainbow's place. While I was there, Gilda found me in the bathroom. And when she saw my wound, she decided to stitch it up herself." He said.
"Wow. Was it painful?"
Kaleb chuckled.
"Believe me, it was. But despite all that, it's doing better so far. Although I hope to get the stitches removed one day. But until then, I'll be waiting."
Just then, Kaleb's eyes widened. He started sniffing the air again.
"What do you smell?" Applebloom asked, a bit surprised.
Kaleb was still sniffing the air.
"That scent. I smelt it before. It was in the hut. It's none other than the scent of..."
Kaleb sniffed the air one more time. He instantly realized what the scent was.
"Zebra!"
He looked down. And in the distance, he could see something laying on the ground. It looked pony-like.
"Hey, there's someone down there!" Kaleb said.
Applebloom looked down and saw it too.
"Who is it?" She asked.
"I don't know. But let's find out."
Kaleb and Applebloom started flying down to the ground, trying to get a closer look at the pony.
Author's Note: Sorry about ending the chapter here. It was getting pretty long and it took me some days and a month to finish it. Also, sorry for not updating sooner. I've just been watching the Austin Powers movies which I highly recommend. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter and please be sure to read and review. Constructive criticism is welcome. Until then, see ya next time, my fellow bronies and pegasisters!