Chapter 6

Upon reaching the cottage, Connor and Fluttershy entered and found Angel napping in a ray of sunlight. He woke when they opened the door, and, after giving them a rude look, hopped away to sleep upstairs. Connor closed the door behind him, letting it shut with the smallest whisper. He turned to see Fluttershy standing in the middle of the room looking at him with her deep cyan eyes, part of her face obscured by her mane. She still seemed doleful, but determined to get through it.

“Um… is there anything I can get for you before you go? Something to eat, or drink, or something you might need?”

Connor thought. “Hmmm… would you happen to have a canteen of water I could take with me?”

Fluttershy nodded quickly and went to her kitchen to fetch it. Connor looked around the small cottage, missing it already. Just one day here, and he had already come to love it….

The golden mare flew gently back into the room, a canteen with a rudely fashioned strap attached to it held in her mouth. After depositing it carefully in his hand, she said,

“I hope the strap fits. That’s designed to be carried in saddlebags, and since you don’t have those, I tried to make it fit your height. You’re very tall, you know. And handsome.” Fluttershy blushed. “I mean, for a two-legged creature- I mean- um, you’re very nice...” She trailed off, looking down and her mane falling once again in front of her face.

Connor put the strap around him, and knelt in front of the pony. He brushed her mane out to the side, and, delicately holding her face in his hands, gazed into her eyes. Slowly and gently, he said,

“I like you too, Fluttershy. You’re the nicest pony I know, and the most graceful and beautiful thing I’ve ever met. I-” Connor bit his lip, holding back what he almost said. Fluttershy looked imploringly at him.

“… And I’m going to miss you.”

Fluttershy blinked, then nodded. She gently licked his cheek, and Connor put his arms around her. He thought it might have been odd, but she seemed to fit very well into a hug.

From outside, they heard the clatter of hooves and the whinnying of several ponies.

The Princess’s royal guard and chariot had arrived.

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Connor glanced over the side of the princess’s chariot. Below him, he watched the Everfree Forest rushing by, the treetops aiming up at them like the pointing fingers of an accusatory child. To the left and right of them flew the royal guards, and one small detachment flew ahead, scouting for any signs of danger- or the Portal. Celestia knew approximately where it was, but to actually find it was a different matter. The Everfree Forest did that; it seemed to always be rearranging, without regard for order or sanity. Connor knew the trait well. The Lost Woods had always seemed that way to him.

A lone soldier flew up next to the chariot, addressing the Princess of the Sun.

“Princess Celestia, your highness. We have positively identified monsters moving about through the trees below us. The unicorns in our squadron have detected a significant amount of hostiles. How do you wish us to proceed?”

Celestia’s already unreadable expression tightened. “Continue forward. Find that Portal.”

The centurion nodded. “Yes, your majesty.”

He veered sharply off to rejoin his group. Connor watched him go, then tapped the Princess on the side. She turned to him.

“Excuse me, your Highness, but Applejack told me a few stories about the Elements of Harmony. Twilight ran after you to find out whether or not they would be useful. Are they not? They sound pretty powerful…”

Celestia was already shaking her head. “I’m afraid not, Connor. You see, the Elements of Harmony work so well to save Equestria because they can bring harmony back to the land itself- hence the name. However, in this case, the chaos is seeping from another world, and so the Elements have no sway over it. They would be as much help as a flyswatter in a swarm of parasprites.”

Connor didn’t understand this comparison, but felt that the present wasn’t the time to question it. He took a sip of the water Fluttershy had given him. It was cold and sweet and refreshing, and the sight of the canteen made him think about the yellow mare he had said goodbye too not half an hour earlier.

“….um, Connor? Can- Will I ever see you again?”

“I don’t know. I’ll do my best to.”

Connor shook his head, hard. He needed to get those thoughts out of his head. He had been thrown into this CRAZY world less than twenty-four hours ago, and here he was next to its ruler, fighting to save it. Things change, he thought. At least it’s more interesting than starving to death next to the Lost Woods.

“HALT!” Celestia’s booming voice cut into Connor’s thoughts. She seemed to have the ability to raise or lower her voice to any level at will. One of the perks of being omnipotent.

The alicorn stood in the chariot, looking at her troops who had begun to hover in place before them. Connor braved a look over the front and saw below them a large clearing, with the unmistakable stone arch of the Portal of Adlez in the center, surrounded by red bushes.

Wait, Connor thought. Red bushes…?

Celestia addressed her troops, saying, “We fight today for Equestria, for order, for harmony, and for the triumph of good over evil. Look below you, those of you who haven’t.”

The soldiers glanced below, and a few unicorn horns glowed. Several of the less- self controlled ponies gasped.

Celestia confirmed their looks. “Yes, what you see below you is a tidal wave of evil flooding from the rock structure in the middle. This structure is called the Portal of Adlez, and we are here to stop that wave of monsters, and ‘plug the hole’. I shall take care of that.”

It was true. The ‘bushes’ Connor had seen was in fact the ground, which was covered, flooded, and swarming with monsters. They spilled out of the Portal and spread into the forest, seemingly unceasingly.

Celestia nodded at Connor. “This is Connor. He is a two-legged ‘human’ who will help us. He has nothing in common with the beasts below us besides the land he hails from. He is to be treated as a friend and an ally.”

Connor looked out at the legion of soldiers, and they looked back stoically at him. He took that as a sign of acceptance, and listened as Celestia continued.

“The battle plan is simple. I need to find a way to close the Portal. To do this, I need to concentrate. You will protect me and kill as many of the enemy as possible while I focus all of my magic. Any questions?”

There were none. Celestia nodded grimly. “Then, for Equestria’s sake…”

“ATTACK!” The battle cry rebounded from the soldiers, and they began to dive towards the clearing below them. The pegusi hit first, spreading their wings and bucking the enemies closest to them. The unicorns landed next, carrying themselves and the earth ponies in their magic. All began to engage the enemy, driving them back and creating a space for the Princess to land.

Connor stood up shakily in the chariot. He drew his sword, relishing the sharp snick it made as it drew clear of its sheath. He glanced at Celestia, who nodded as her horn began to glow. Connor looked at the forest floor several hundred feet below him, and placed one foot on the side.

“Jump, Connor.”

Connor jumped.

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