A/N: Hi again everyone! Here is my second chapter for my first mlp fannfiction! I hope you enjoy it! ^0^
The stallion awoke to bright streams of light in his eyes and could feel the rays of the warm sun covering his body. He badly wanted to keep his eyes closed but the bright sunlight continued to reach his eyes, even though his lids were shut so tightly he could feel his own lashes poking the insides of his eyes. He slowly opened his eyes to the bright day that surrounded him. In the distance he could hear the sound of birds chirping and the falling of leaves in the soft wind. He turned his head to scan the area behind him. He was surrounded by beautiful nature, one of the many beautiful sights he had not seen in quite some time and so different from the environment he had been traveling through. The stallion got up slowly, and could feel pain shooting up from every part of his body. He ignored it and arched his back, taking a long stretch, one that made him feel like his muscles were in a tug of war contest from either directions.
He plopped back down onto his stomach and buried his face in the soft grass. It was nice. The familiar smell reminded him of...life. He turned onto his back and stared at the clear blue sky above him. There was not even the tiniest of clouds in the sky. It was a peaceful place. It had been a while since he had been in such an environment. He once again turned onto his stomach and in a few more moments slowly stood up and walked towards the cliff's edge. The same edge where he had last seen the star that had led him here. The stallion suddenly remembered what had happened hours ago. He walked further to the edge, craning his neck slightly and squinting his eyes to what he knew he would see. In the far off distance he saw the same town he had seen right before he had fallen asleep. From where he was he could already see that the town must have been quite small but at the same time, he had a feeling that it was special in some way. He smiled slightly, remembering that it was the star that had led him here to this very spot.
His thoughts were interrupted by the loud rumbling sound coming from his stomach. The stallion placed a hoof on his abdomen, and painfully realized that it had been practically weeks since he had eaten anything like a proper meal. He looked to his side and saw his tightly closed saddle bag, one that had been emptied long ago of anything that could be used to provide him any kind of sustenance. The only thing he really had left was money. He knew he had enough of that at least. Even though the monetary compensation was something he could not eat, he was grateful he had brought it with him.
The town below the cliff was convenient and well located. He could simply go into the town and buy the supplies that he needed and be on his way. A light gust of wind blew past him, making his long made flow gently in its breeze. He hadn't even noticed that his hood was off his head. He glanced around. He was alone, as he had thought. He shrugged, thinking that it wouldn't hurt to give his head a bit a freedom. Another breeze blew past him, once again making his mane flow. He frowned slightly, realizing the situation he was now in. He walked towards a small nearby lake and glanced down at his reflection. He immediately was able to see the problem. How could he have overlooked such a huge detail? He sighed heavily, knowing that if he went into town looking the way he was, he would stick out like a sore hoof. Suddenly feeling self conscious, he pulled his hood back over his head. He glanced over the cliff's edge again. He was in desperate need of food and supplies, so he would simply have to go into town with his cloak. With his hood covering his head, he could feel beads of sweat rolling down his body. He quickly pulled his hood off his head, something that he made sure to never do.
It was warmer here than he was used to. He was not used to such nice weather. The stallion bet everything he had that no pony else in that town would be wearing a cloak either, no matter how thin it was. If he went into town wearing a cloak, he would also bring a lot of attention to himself. Perhaps it would not be much attention, but any attention is too much. The last thing he wanted to do was to look like some kind of suspicious character.
The stallion rubbed his temples. He could not go into the town without his cloak but he could not wear it in this warm environment. He glanced at the sun and now wondered just how long he had been asleep...how long it would be before it went down. It didn't need to go down all the way either but just enough for the air to cool and shadows to fall. It would not matter if he would his cloak when night fell. He took another look at the sun and saw that it was in the middle of the sky. Midday. He had slept for well over twelve hours, not that he didn't deserve it. He smiled slightly, knowing that night would soon fall again. In a few hours he would be able to venture into the town. He wanted to make sure that there was enough daylight left in the sky to explore and buy needed items. His stomach growled again but he ignored it, instead taking a few gulps of water from the clear stream. The water appeared to be clear and was much better than anything else he had in a few days. He drank until his stomach felt as though it were full. It would have to do until he was able to move.
He walked back over to the tree and leaned against just as he had slept. He closed his eyes, waiting for the arrival of dusk. For the past two days, it had seemed as if he were sleeping the days away and being alive at night...and it felt right to him. He closed his eyes and waited for night.
A few hours later the stallion opened his eyes to the sight of the sky around him darkening, The sun behind him was shrinking back, once again letting the night take hold of the sky. He could see the shadows around him growing longer and darker, signaling that the night was quickly progressing. He could not remember falling asleep. His sleep patterns and behavior seemed to be in some need of repair. Just as it was earlier, his entire body ached and screamed for him not to move an inch from where he was but his stomach reminded that he needed to get to that town before stored closed. He needed food...and supplies. It was essential for his survival at this point, for he knew that he would not be able to last another day without food.
He sucked in a deep breath and slowly, got to his feet. The sky around him was now a very dark orange. He knew he had just enough daylight left to look around the town and also find the items that he needed. The stallion walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down just as he had done earlier. He could still see the town in his line of sight but the problem now was how he would get there. He could not waste time looking for a way around, which meant that like always he would have to take the more risky route. He looked down below again in search of a place at the bottom of the cliff that would provide him shelter from eyes but was still near enough to the town to possibly walk there by foot. He looked down and saw what looked like to be large patch of shrubbery in the rocky cliff. The stallion sucked in another deep breath, slightly weary that he was going to shed his cloak of protection, even if it only be for a few moments. The stallion slowly pulled off his cloak, fully and tucked it into his saddle bag. He walked to the edge of the cliff and took a very deep breath before he flapped his powerful wings and descended down below. He moved like a flash of light. In a second he was in the shub, where he quickly pulled his cloak over his head again. Feeling relieved, he walked onwards to the town that was ahead of him. He galloped just every so slightly in order to make the trip somewhat quicker and before he knew it had was in the town that he had been looking down up for the last two days.
There were many stores and shops in the town, which was good because he would be able to get what he needed quickly and leave. On the other hand, there were still many ponies about walking the streets, fillies even, walking along happily with their parents and friends. This made him very weary. Didn't these fillies and others need to get up early for school or...something? He shook his head. He had to calm down. He was fine. No one was looking for him and no one knew who he was...what he was. The stallion tugged at the hood over his head, even though it was fully covering him, a habit of his, and continued to walk down the streets listening to the busy bustle of the town life. He knew he was there for a specific reason but he could not help but be intrigued by the things that he heard. Fillies were joyfully laughing and playing, carriages were clopping against the stone sidewalks, people were busily talking. Everything just seemed so...full of life. He couldn't help but enjoy it, even a little.
As he continued to walk, he did his best to keep to the shadows, making sure to do his most to avoid any contact with any other poneys. He knew that in such a busy place, no one was paying attention to him, but he could not help but feel as if there were a million eyes set on him. The stallion glanced to to his sides for a moments and was dismayed to see that there were indeed a few inquiring eyes looking straight at him. He cursed under his breath. He thought he was being so careful yet something was making him stand out! He lowered his head further and stared at the ground as he walked. You would think that that he would have been able to see a middle aged mare bump right into his chest. The sudden contact from another pony made him want to jump but he held it in. The mere had been forced back from the collision and was now on the ground, slowly getting up. His sighed and walked over to the mare and helped her to her feet up. He cleared his throat and spoke.
"Are you alright, madame?", he asked the her in a low voice.
The mere did not say anything for a moment, but instead just stared at him with wondering eyes. This made the stallion uneasy on instinct. He wanted to leave but felt that doing even that would be suspicious.
"N-no...I-I mean I'm fine thank you. I'm sorry. I should have been looking where I was going.", she said and tilted her head slightly.
"And even that's weird...since well….", she trailed off.
The stallion lowered his head further.
The mare shook her head quickly.
"I-I'm so sorry...I didn't mean anything by it...it's just that you're so...so….very, very, very tall. That's why I thought I should not have missed you."
The stallion seemed calm hidden underneath his cloak but his was really feeling antsy now. His height? That was what was making his stick out so much? There was nothing he could do about 's not like he would cut off his legs and become pulled his cloak over his head again.
The mere continued to stare at him, like she couldn't look away and then began to leave. He knew he had made her uncomfortable with his eerie silence. As she left, it dawned on him that he could possibly ask for directions to find a store or...something. He caught a breath in his throat, not sure if he should be initiating conversation but he knew he needed directions.
"Wait!", he said, with a voice more full of authority than he wanted.
The mere turned around, shrinking back slightly and clearly looking intimidated.
The stallion cursed himself. This was not his intention at all. He sighed and walked up to the mere, but left a good amount of distance between them.
"I...I am sorry. I just wished to ask you for...directions.", the stallion said, in a low tone.
"Where to?", the mare asked, seeming to feel better already. The stallion cleared his throat.
"I….am not quite sure really. You see...I am in need of...food and…."
Stallion trailed off thinking a modern and less telling thing to say.
"camping supplies…", he finished.
"U-um….well there a cafe not too far from here….and its across from the market...m-maybe you could get what you need from there?", the mare said, sincerely hoping to help.
"Th-there are a lot of places here in Ponyville to shop and such. You'll probably be able to get things for camping", she finished.
"So the name of this place is...Ponyville", the stallion said, not meaning to say it out loud.
The mere simple felt as if she were in some kind of trance. His face and features were hidden underneath his dark cloak but those eyes...she didn't want to look away.
The stallion lowered his head and turned to leave in the direction that she had pointed.
"Thank you, madame", he said before finally leaving.
Even when he was long gone, the mere continued to stare after him. She wished she had been able to see his eyes. She closed her eyes, thinking that he had been a very strange stallion indeed. He had a beautiful voice. She was suddenly snapped back into reality when when she heard the sound of the great clock, striking on another hour. She continued to hurry home so that she could make dinner for her children and husband.
A/N: Sorry for the slow pace the story seems to be going on. I am really working on it though! In the next chapter, I plan to introduce the stallion to the main characters! Please rate and comment! :)