Everfree Forest

Beautiful, dangerous, wild, those are a few words that are used to describe this place. Most learn to fear the forest at an early age, either from going into the forest themselves and witnessing its horrors or from the many ghost stories that are usually told from parent to foal while at the bedside.

To some though, the few adventurers or knowledge-seekers that resided in the lands surrounding the forest, this place is a plethora of knowledge, where a few brave souls could discover something to benefit their race or themselves, be it a plant that helped cure ailments, or an artifact from a long forgotten time that granted the user great power.

There were an even fewer number that entered and sometimes perished in the Everfree. These beings cared not for the horror stories and fear that the forest was said to seep from its very roots. They also weren’t bothered for the knowledge or the power that the forest could provide. These people, unlike either two mentioned, were also sometimes feared and hated for the sole reason that they had made this terrifying, horrible forest their place of residence.

Be it with strength or cunning or stealth they managed to carve out an existence here, be it a tedious one. They were use to a hard life for Everfree was hard, and usually, they thrived. Most chose this life for the solitude for a number of reasons, to get away from prying eyes for evil intent, to choose a simple life of meditation and study, and even some, and these were always the odd ones, did not live in this forest by choice.

One who did not choose to live in the bosom of Everfree was calmly walking through the forest with his companion, his blue eyes and sharp ears scanning the surrounding area, looking for signs of trouble, though the caution was probably unnecessary

This being was a male of, for his species, average height, weight, and appearance. He was of tannish complexion and he was of a wiry build, his body transformed to fit his lifestyle. The only thing that might have distinguished him from others of his kind, a people that, due to their success as a species, had become soft, was his ability to survive in the Everfree. A forest that, at least the human, his people could not even imagine its beauty and terror.

  This creature was partially clothed, a pair of torn and dirty shorts with pouches all along them and wrappings around his hands and feet, protection from the excessive climbing that he was usually forced to do. A patch of dirty brown hair completed the appearance of this bare-chested creature. His name was as average as his appearance, though his title was one-of-a-kind for this world.

He was Philip, or Phil, as he like to be called, the human.

Now Phil the human could not alone take credit for his continued success in the Everfree. Humanity, though ingenious and grand as it has shown becoming the apex predators of their own world, usually would not be able to survive the Everfree. Only the best and brightest that humankind had to offer could hope to survive the forest, and Phil was neither of those.

What had kept him alive and well was his companion, who calmly walked beside him, and his kin. This creature was also quite average for his race. Towering above the human at a massive eight feet on all fours the creature looked like the unholy combination between a lion, a scorpion, and a bat.

The creature had the body of a massive lion, a brick red mane to go with it, the tail of a scorpion, and the wings of a bat. Unlike the human, this creature’s name and title were odd, for every one of his kind were given names for what they excelled at.

He was Bobs-for-fish, or Bob, as he preferred to be called, the Manticore.

Now, given that no creature of any world can be the same, Phil and Bob had a few unique traits that set them apart from their respective races. Phil, for whatever reason, could understand what his Manticore friend could say and he could speak to him, along with most of the wild residents of this forest, as easily as he could speak to a human. If this was a trait that was unique to Phil or that if others of his kind had this ability was moot given the fact that he was the only human on this planet, not that he was complaining, being able to speak to animals had saved his hide more times than he could count.

Bob, unlike most of his people, was a beacon of sense in the oddness that was Everfree. Where most of his kind wouldn’t care at the sight of floating islands, Bob would question it. A bird existed that could produce fire from seemingly out of nowhere and resurrect themselves in their ashes? Bob would ask how that bird could exist in any rational world.

Bob was also very good at rock-paper-scissors after he was taught the game, but that is a rather unimportant tidbit.

The two also shared an oddity that they kept to themselves so as not to be considered mad.

“Our hero and his companion march forward into the forest, their mission pure and just!”

The two could hear a booming voice that announced whatever they did. Be this madness or that there was actually a disembodied voice that only they could hear had been discussed between the two, and, since either could find a good answer or solution to the voice, they both usually chose to ignore it.

At least when no one else was around to see them talking to a voice that wasn’t there.

“Will you shut up, announcer guy? We’re just walking back to the pride’s cave, there’s no adventure or mission or whatever you said.” Phil muttered, checking one of the vine pouches that hung around his belt. “Hey Bob, do you think we have enough berries for your mom?”

The lion looked down at his friend, humming in contemplation. “Rawr,” he stated.

“Are you sure? I mean we could at least-”

“Rawr,”

The human sighed, patting his friend on the side. “This is our last job together big guy, we could made it last a bit longer huh?”

Bob looked down at Phil, a sad look on his muzzle. “Rawr Rawr Rawr,”

You see, due to a series of complications that the human did not know or understand, he had been transported to the wonderful world of Equs, more specifically in the Everfree forest, and even more specifically than that he had landed in the middle of Bobs pride’s cave.

After a flurry of activities from both the human and the Manticore’s, which mostly consisted of Phil climbing up a tree in terror and screaming at the top of his lungs, Phil was able to gain the pity of the prides matriarch, who, in an extraordinary act of generosity, decided to take the poor creature under her wing and help him.

So the months and years went by as the matriarch tried to help the admittedly lucky human, who, by trial and usually painful error, learned to become one of Everfree’s citizens and a member of a Manticore pride, using all of her rather influential power to see if any of the forest residents could send him home. Unfortunately for the human none with the power to cross plains of reality existed at the time.

Until very recently that is.

Though many do not know it news travels through the Everfree much like it would in Canterlot, someone would tell someone who would tell someone until the whole forest knew of this event or that event, be it little or big, the most important knowing first or experiencing the event firsthand and the smaller or weaker learning from others.

In little over a year the forest was abuzz with strange telling’s, the mare of the moon had returned, the jewels of peace had acquired new owners, and the mad king rising and falling within the same day, these were only a few tales that were brought to the matriarch, who sensed that now was the time to help the creature that she had become so fond of.

It took months of finding a guy that knew a guy that knew a certain angry white rabbit, then a month or so to have the meeting set up with a certain yellow Pegasus that could also speak to animals, and another week for that Pegasus to talk to and calm down a certain purple alicorn enough when she learned that she might be able to see a real live alien for her to agree to look at the human to see if she could help.

Though his time on Equs might not of been the easiest, or the safest, Phil was going to miss his adopted family, hence his odd reluctance to go to meet the Pegasus.

Phil tried to put on a brave face for his friend. “Hey, at least you wouldn’t have to deal with me eating your berries whenever you’re not looking,”

Despite himself, the Manticore chuckled. “Rawr rawr,” he quipped back at his friend.

Phil couldn’t help but snort. “That’s not what your mom said,”  

“Rawr?”

Phil stopped at that, a look of panic on his face. “No, don’t tell her I said that!”

Without looking at his friend Bob continued snorting quietly as Phil raced after him.

“You’re not gonna tell her are you, Bob? Bob?!” Phil was going to say more but he stopped as he saw that they were close to their prides cave. “You’d better not tell her,” he muttered, “or I’ll tell her about that time you and Shatterbone-”

Whack!

In retrospect, threatening to tell your friends mom about his sexual escapades was not the best idea, especially when that friend had a tail that was good at whacking things.

“Damnit, Bob! You know that hurts!” Phil said, holding his head in pain. “You could have taken my head off you big lug!”

All Bob did was look over his shoulder at Phil before walking into the mouth of the cave. “Rawr.”

“I’m not being a baby you dick,” he muttered, giving his aching head one last rub before going into the cave, finding comfort in the familiar sights, sounds, and smells of his home.

There were the hunters all lazing around at the front of the cave, waiting for the sun to set for their hunt. There was that rather fat and old Manticore whose name Phil never could remember babysitting the two cubs, lefty and righty, both who were playing far enough to leave the hunters alone but close enough to the mouth of the cave for the light to reach them.

The two cubs, both barely two years old, stopped their silly game of hide-and-seek when they saw the human enter the cave, and giving out happy cries, they charged him.

Phil watched the two cubs running at him as fast as they could and sighed, looking up at Bob. “Those two still don’t have their claws yet right?” he asked the Manticore, before being hit in the chest by the two flying balls of fur.

Though they were still babies, Righty and Lefty were still rather strong, as Phil had found out many times before when they had done this, in fact if they wanted to they could have harmed the human easily, but all Phil got as the cubs swarmed him were licks and nuzzles.

“Hey, come on guys! I’m happy to see you too but get off!” Phil tried to plead, the overly affectionate cubs ignoring him as they held him down. “Crystal, CRYSTAL, GET YOUR KIDS OFF ME! HELP!” Phil finally cried after failing to free himself.

A lioness rose from the hunters group, rolling her eyes and slowly walking over to Phil and pulling her children off the relieved human, who got up and dusted himself off.

“Thanks, Crystal. You know, your kids would be a bit calmer if you played with them a bit more,”

Crystal looked down at the whimpering cubs in her claws to the human, a bored look on her face. “Rawr,” she said before putting her kids down and walking back to the hunter’s corner.

Phil blinked at her foul language. “Well, that wasn’t nice…” He then looked down at the adorable and sad sight of two whimpering baby Manticore’s looking up at him with puppy dog eyes.

Phil flinched, covering his eyes with a hand. “Come on guys, don’t do that. I don’t have anything to give you this ti-”

“Our hero is a lying a@#hole!”

“-me,” the human finished looking around sorely, hoping vainly to see who the heck was speaking and finding no one like always. The twin’s just respond by whimpering louder and rubbing themselves against him, causing Phil’s resistance to crumble.

“*sigh* fine…” Reaching around in his many pockets Phil produced a grass-like substance, something that he had taken to naming sweet grass. “Don’t tell your mom I gave this to you.”

Nodding happily the cubs all but put Phil’s hands in their mouths, greedily chewing on the grass as Phil patted them on the heads. “Alright guys, you two go back and play; I gotta to take to the big boss before I say goodbye,” The two, happy about getting their treats, just nodded, running back to where they were playing to harass the fat Manticore.

Phil watched them with a little sadness. I’m gonna miss those two, he thought, trying to ignore the sadness that was welling up inside him. A snort brought Phil back to reality, Bob gently nudging him, a concerned look on his face.

“Rawr?”

Phil shook himself like a dog. “Ya, I’m fine,” He nudged his head further into the cave, “Come on, let’s go talk to your mom,” He sighed, whipping the Manticore spit on his hands onto his shorts. “God, I really wish I had my shirt still…”

Bob stood there watching his friend walk for a moment before following, the concerned look still on his face as the two entered the largest and dimmest part of the cave, the matriarch’s lair. Phil stopped and looked around. “Hum, where is-”

Phil stopped when he felt something breathing on his back. Looking to his side he saw that Bob was next to him, looking around for his mother. Let me guess… With a quick spin the human was face-to-muzzle with perhaps the largest Manticore that he had ever seen.

At a whopping twelve feet tall the beast was grinning down at him, flashing her massive and razor sharp teeth in what, to most creatures, would have been a truly terrifying sight. To Phil it was just another of the matriarchs antics.

Rolling his eyes the human just patting the Manticore on the nose, trying and failing to keep a smile off his face as she kept grinning. “Nice try, mom, but you’ll have to do a little bit better than that. How your giant ass is so quiet is beyond me.”

“Rawr,” the matriarch warmly said, picking up the human and bringing him into a big hug, one which he happily returned.

“We got you the berries you wanted,” he murmured, giving the lioness a squeeze before she put him down.

Bob watched the whole scene with a small smile on his muzzle. “Rawr.”

Phil frowned. “Of course it matters that we got it! It doesn’t matter that we got just handful or two,” he looked up at the matriarch and pointed at the lion. “Tell’em mom!”

With something that sounded a lot like a chuckle the lioness slithered down to her son, giving him a nuzzle before smacking him in the back of the head with her tail.

“Hurt doesn’t it?” a smug Phil asked as he unclipped the pouches from his pants, the lioness taking them with her tail. “What do you need these berries anyway?”

“Rawr.”

Phil whistled, “Really, good for Swift. I wonder if it’s gonna be a boy or a girl?”

“Rawr.”

“Oh? And how do you know?” Phil teased.

The Manticore just fluttered her eyelashes at the human and grinned, her son snorting at his moms antics as the two giggled.

“Wait a second, if Swift needed these berries you could of just told us and we could have just given them to her, we didn’t need to harass you.”

The smile was whipped off the lionesses face. Walking back over to the human she brought him back into another hug. “Rawr Rawr rawr,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Now it was Phil’s turn to look sad. “Oh…. I’m –” he had to bite back a sob, Bob looking sadly at his friend and his mother and decided to leave to give the two a little alone time, as the two quietly cries together.

After a few minutes a teary-eyed Phil looked up at the teary-eyed matriarch, who still had him in a tight hug. “I’m gonna miss you,” he almost whispered, “You’ve helped me in every way imaginable and there’s no way to repay you, I should-”

He was cut off by the lioness. “Rawr rawr,” she said sharply. “Rawr rawr rawr!” She broke the hug, poking him in the chest with a paw, a stern look in her eyes.

Phil sighed, nodding. “You’re right. Thanks, mom, you always know what to say,” A smile back on his face he hugged her. “You know, I kinda wish you were my real mom, you’re sure as heck a lot nicer and better looking than her.”

Smiling again the lioness gave him a gentle squeeze, knowing if she did any more than that then there would be no way she’d let him go. “Raaaawr!’ She said, calling her son back in. “Rawr rawr,” she instructed, the two blinking in surprise at this.

“What do you mean go out the back?” Phil asked, perplexed as to why he couldn’t say goodbye to his extended family.

With a sad look the lioness calmly explained. “Rawr rawr. Rawr rawr, rawr.”

Phil flinched at that, knowing that she was right. Though each showed it in their own ways the Manticore’s of the pride cared for the human as deeply as if he had been born among them, goodbyes might have been too painful.

“I know what you mean, mom, but it feels like I’m running away then.”

“Rawr,” she said in a tone that could not be argued against.

Phil looked down, defeated. “Yes ma’am.”

“Rawr” the lioness commanded her son, who nodded.

With a sad look in his eyes Phil let Bob place him onto his back, the big Manticore taking off into the other exit of the cave, leaving the matriarch alone with tears in her eyes…

“And so our hero leaves his home and strides toward the road of adventure!”

“Shut up, announcer guy, I’m not in the mood,” Phil growled. “Bob, let me off your back, I can walk by myself.” With a sigh Bob did as he was told and soon the two were walking to the meeting area in silence.

“Rawr?” Bob quietly said, Phil flinching before looking at the ground.

“Fine? Ya I’m-” the Manticore pretended not to notice him rubbing his eyes. “No, no I’m not. Can we talk about something else, Bob?” he finished in a harsh voice.

“Rawr,” the lion replied with a bit of hurt in his voice.

“I’m sorry, Bob that was shitty of me,” Phil apologized, getting a playful nudge from his friend.

“Rawr rawr,” Bob said, trying to lighten the mood, the bad joke causing the two to chuckle.

“Thanks, Bob, I needed that.”

“Rawr,” Bob looked up at the sun, grunting before he nudged his friend. “Rawr,” he said, leading him toward where they were to meet the Pegasus.

With every step Phil became more nervous. “So you’re sure that this horse-”

“Rawr,”

“-pony isn’t going to take me to her leaders just so they can cut me up, right?”

That caused Bob to roll his eyes, “Rawr rawr, rawr. Rawr….” he said like it was said often.

Phil stiffened at that. “Yes, I remember the plan! And I wouldn’t call myself a coward; I’d prefer the term bravery deficient,” he defended while Bob just snorted.

“Rawr?”

“Yes that’s why I didn’t meet this ‘pony’ in person the last time, or the time before that,” the human muttered. “And that’s why you’re here now to be my kinda bodyguard while I live amongst these ‘ponies’. Ain’t no one gonna jump a guy with a big bad lug like yourself protecting him.”

“Rawr.”

“Well, you never can be too careful,” Phil took a look around his surroundings, seeing a tree with scratch marks all over it, they and the ‘pony’s’ meeting place, as it were. “Huh, it looks like we’re early.”

The lion grunted his agreement, plopping down, resting his head on his paws as Phil leaned on a tree. “You know,” he said. “We got pretty lucky with this Fluttershy character. I mean your mom found someone who knows the heads of their government, can speak to animals, who you say speaks my language, and is willing to help me?” the human snorted. “If they can get me home I should try playing the lottery, because lady luck must think I’m a pretty swell guy.”

“Our hero is full of himself!”

Phil looked around. “If I ever find out you’re not a figment of our imaginations, Announcer guy, I’m gonna kick your ass!”

“Come at me bro!”

Bob quietly sat here, ignoring the banter between the human and… whatever the announcer guy was, running a single claw through his glorious mane, untangling any knots that he found. Reaching the back of his mane he found something sticky. Frowning, Bob tried to use his long tongue to get at whatever the mess was, the sticky substance just out of reach.

With a suffering sigh the Manticore called, “Rawr rawr, rawr.”

Phil stopped yelling at the announcer to look at his friend. “What about something in your mane?” he asked, walking over to Bob, the Manticore pointing to the specific part of his mane. The human squinted up at it. “So… you just want me to cut it out?”

“Rawr rawr.”

“Okay, you’re going to have to get on your back then.”

“Rawr?!”

Phil rolled his eyes, spreading out his arms and cocking his head. “How am I gonna get it then big guy?”

Muttering the Manticore rolled into his back, Phil producing a small flint knife from his person. “Rawr,” Bob said as Phil started to hack away at the mane.

“I’m not gonna cut that much off, I’ll just- wait, is that honey?”

“R-Rawr?”

“Yeah it is you liar!” Phil grumbled, “You know if I would of found honey I would of shared it with you.”

“HEY YOU!”

…

Fluttershy hurried through the forest, fiddling with her yellow sweatshirt. Unlike most of the other ponies in Ponyville, the timid Pegasus wasn’t at all scared of the Everfree forest. Okay, maybe she was just a teeny bit scared of the forest, but she was better then most since many of her animal friends lived there. In fact the reason why she was in the forest in the first place was because one of her friends needed help returning his friend home.

That fact that this friend was a Manticore didn’t bother the Pegasus at all, but the fact that his friend might be an alien worried her just a little bit. Okay maybe a lot, but she couldn’t help but think about how scared the alien was, all by himself with only animals to keep him company. And no she did not see any irony on thinking that at all.

So, after convincing her friend Twilight to help this alien whose name, as Bobs-for-fish told her, was Philip, and not sending a small army of guards to capture the creature for what she called ‘Science!, all that she needed to do was collect him and Bob and take them to the library, where Twilight would help them get to the princesses.

The problem though, was that she was running late.

Oh dear oh dear oh dear! Fluttershy thought as she hurried to where they were supposed to meet. I hope they wouldn’t be upset with me. Oh, if only Angel bunny wouldn’t of-

Her thought died when she walked to the clearing where she was to meet them and she saw something horrible. On the ground and on his back was a Manticore with a creature looming over it, in its hand a knife.

As Fluttershy looked on she was filled with an emotion that she rarely felt, an emotion she only had when somepony hurt one of her animal friends.

Rage.

…

“HEY YOU!”

What the heck was that? Phil thought, turning around and seeing a very angry pair of teal eyes before a yellow fist connected against his jaw, sending him through the air and onto the ground, out like a light.

“THERE’S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM!” Fluttershy roared, stomping toward the unconscious human until she was lifted into the air by a confused Bob.

“Rawr?” The Manticore asked as Fluttershy’s anger drained away to confusion.

“Bob? He wasn’t?-” Her hands flew to her mouth in panic. “Oh, my.”

“Our hero got knocked the f&@k out!” The announcer shouted out as Bob facepalmed.

“Rawr,” he muttered, a possible foretelling of what was to come.