I never thought I'd say this but, "We're going back out there." The small pony's face brightened with excitement. She danced in place with impatience. If her sister is still out there, then I'll need to be quick. Looking outside, I noticed the sun beginning to set, painting the sky a dreamy purple. "Well, the day isn't getting any younger, but we should arm ourselves, for those wolf things."

First, I went to my bedroom to fetch a T-shirt that had a breast pocket. After slipping it on, I returned to the kitchen. "First off, we're gonna need some names. I assume you and your sister have names, right?" I asked.

She jumped back on my phone and booped away.

my name is Vinyl Scratch. my sister is called Octavia

She beamed at me and raised her hooves to present me the phone.

"Alright Vinyl, we're gonna save your sister," I said, slowly looking out the window into the forest. I stood there, staring out, feeling like a real hero. Isn't this what heroes did most of the time? Stare intently into the distance and look cool doing it?

A few seconds passed by while Vinyl was trying to jump up and see what I was looking at. Before to long, she squeaked very loudly and grabbed my attention. "Oh, right, sorry about that." She glared at me. "Okay look, we need something to defend ourselves in case those wolves come back. And do you know where your sister is, or are we going to search aimlessly?" I asked.

She began typing on the phone again.

yes. i was taking care of her in the forest. she was really hurt so i went looking for someone to help us.

"Well you're a good sister, and you succeeded. You found me," I chuckled softly. "So, I changed shirts because this one has a pocket right here to carry you in." I gestured at the small breast pocket of the collared shirt. "You can sit in here and point me in the right direction, okay?" She nodded her head and reared up on her hind legs. It looked like she was assuming a battle position, but because of her size, it was more amusing than threatening.

I held out my hand on the table, letting her jump back into my palm. As I slowly lifted my hand she leaped at my thumb and curled her fuzzy hooves around it, hugging it in a furry embrace. She gripped my thumb as hard as she could and nuzzled the tip of my finger. I guess this was as close to a hug I'd get from the small unicorn. "Don't thank me yet, we're still missing someone important," I said. I brought up my other hand to pat her head with my finger, when suddenly, my thumb felt wet. I brought it up to my face and noticed Vinyl was crying into my thumb as she hugged it. "Oh...." I muttered. She seemed so excited before, but now, her body was shuddering with sobs. "What's wrong?" I asked with no answer.

Then it hit me. Vinyl was trying her hardest to not show how scared she really is but she caved in. She was ripped away from her very own sister and I bet she really misses her sister. Like how I miss my dad. I brought her up closer to my face.

"Vinyl, look at me." I looked at her sternly while still petting her with my unoccupied hand, consoling her. Her head slowly tilted up, small tears crawling down her white cheeks. "When you left her to find help, you did a good job finding me. I know you might be scared, but I promise you, I will not stop searching out there until we find her. Everything will be okay," I whispered the last part to her, and her tiny, pointed ears perked up. the smallest of smiles grew on her face as she tightened her hug on my thumb.

I lowered my hand to the breast pocket and Vinyl jumped inside. I felt her curl up inside the cave of cloth as she pressed against me. I could imagine her listening to my heartbeat with her small ears, perhaps soothing her in this time of her's. Her head poked out of the top and looked around before looking up at me. I gave her a smile and put on my sweater, not zipping it up so Vinyl could see. Next, I required a weapon to fend off the wooden wolves with. I thought my lighter could be effective as light and as a weapon, so long as I don't start a forest fire. I placed it in my pocket, but I need a proper weapon. I thought about taping my kitchen knife to my broom to make a spear of sorts, but it would be too difficult to hide. I need something concealable or that won't attract attention when I walk outside. I suppose the kitchen knife on its own would be enough. Pulling the knife from the holder, I placed it blade first into my jeans pocket. I felt the knife poke a hole in the fabric, but it went no further. Only a little bit of the handle stuck out, but that is easily hidden by my shirt.

With no more time to lose, I glanced at Vinyl in the pocket. "Ready?" She nodded sternly, and with that, I was off. I left the apartment and locked the door behind me. I dashed down the flight of steps trying to not look suspicious. After a brisk walk out the door and around the corner, I approached the fence of plants again. Standing right before it, I flexed the muscles in my foot. The wound stung a bit, but it felt better having a bandage around it. I just relied more on my left foot for support. I looked down at Vinyl, who was making herself more comfortable in my breast pocket.

"I'm sorry, but if I climb the fence with you in there, you might fall out. Instead, I'll place you right here, before I jump over." I crouched and pointed at the hole in the fence from earlier, "When the coast is clear, just jump through and I'll put you back in my pocket, okay?" I explained. She nodded her head and prepared to jump out of my shirt. I raised my hand to catch her before lowering her to the concrete. "Alright. I'm going over." I stood back up and secured my grip on the miscellaneous plants curving through the fence. With caution, I scaled the wall and threw my legs over the top. Giving a last glance at the small unicorn, I made sure I wasn't tangled in any plants and climbed down on the other side.

Giving quick glances around, I whipped out my lighter and set it ablaze. The flame was small, but it shone through some of the lingering fog. The wolves from earlier were gone from sight. I moved slowly to the hole and looked through. Vinyl sat there on her rump and jumped in surprise when I reached out my hand and gestured for her to climb on. She obliged and I brought her back to my breast pocket, before plopping her back in the safe haven in front of my beating heart.

"Okay, do you recognize the area a bit?" I asked without removing my eyes from the path ahead of us. Her tiny head emerged from the opening and looked around. She glanced up at me and nodded. "You said your sister is out here, right? Do you know where she is from here?" I asked in a hushed tone. She nodded again, pointing into the darkness. Deeper into the forest. "Okay, just keep pointing me in the right direction."

I kept my lighter on all the while in front of us as I follow the direction Vinyl's tiny hoof showed me. The trees were holding their breath as I passed by. No sound besides my trudging feet as I tip-toed onward. After a handful of paces, a twig snapped under my foot at the same time a breeze blew out my lighter's flame. I froze, waiting to face my fate. Everything was quiet and Vinyl lowered her head until only her eyes peeked out. Nothing was happening. I flicked on my lighter again to emptiness in front of me as I risked another step. Confident I was fine, I continued onward, faster than before to hopefully make it out of here alive. I felt my pocket to reassure myself of the knife inside.

A sudden rustle in the bushes caught my attention. I stared at the spot, using my lighter to brighten the view. It looked like a pair of wild berry bushes huddled against the base of a tree. I heard the rustle again, but it was closer. I determined it was coming from the bushes. Glancing behind me first for any oncoming predators, I slowly approached the bush. I gulped and held my breath as I reached forward ever so slowly, and pulled back the bush.

The sight was relieving yet frightening. Lying at the base of the tree, deep within the bushes, was another small horse, surrounded by a trio of sparrows. The horse resembled Vinyl in shape, with the same length and height, yet it had a different color scheme. Its coat of fur was a smokey grey, matted with spots of mud and cut marks leaking thin streams of blood. Its ruffled mane and tail were an elegant black, with a scatter-plot of twigs among it. The birds were small and seemed to have cornered the poor thing. One of them was pecking at the idle body, pricking more wounds in the innocent creature.

"HEY," I shouted at the birds, "GET AWAY FROM HER!" I shoved my hand forward and swatted at the small birds. They jumped and fluttered about, frightened by the hand attempting to hurt them. They pecked at my fingers before flying out of the hole in the bushes I created. I ducked as they nearly crashed into my face before flying into the trees to roost. When they left, I returned my attention to the creature within the bushes. Without the abundance of feathers blocking my view, I noticed it was in worse condition than I thought. It suffered from multiple minor scratch marks scattered about its body, but it also had a long gash down its right hind-leg. The wound was open, and bleeding. I gently reached forward and scooped up the limp body. Bringing it closer to my face I noticed its mouth was open wide as it huffed air in and out of its mouth. "Is this your sister?" I looked down and whispered to Vinyl. She was reaching out of the pocket, trying to climb onto my hand. She then turned to face me and nodded with tears flowing down her cheeks. "Alright. She's still breathing, so that's a good sign. Don't climb out of there," I pushed her back into my pocket, "we still need to get out of here safe and sound." I moved my hand up and gently placed who I assumed was Octavia into the security of my pocket with Vinyl. Vinyl was sobbing and cuddling the limp body of her sister.

I stood up and looked around, checking my surroundings. "Let's get out of here," I whispered to Vinyl. I turned around and set foot to the opposite direction. I could feel the pair of ponies rustling against my chest. Don't you worry guys, I'll get you out of here, I thought to myself.

With my lighter in front of me, the fence was coming into view. I was about to sigh in relief when I heard the sound of sticks and twigs hitting each other. Before to long, a wolf turned from behind a tree ahead of me, separating me from the fence that was my escape. As I suspected, the wolf was made up of random twigs and sticks. It noticed me, and began to sneak toward me. It seemed to think it had me in a tight spot, and took its time closing in on me. Lucky for me, I had fire on my side.

"BACK! STAY BACK!" I jumped forward with my lighter in front of me, threatening to ignite the creature that crossed my path. I used my other hand to cover the pocket of my shirt. I need to make sure Vinyl and Octavia get away safely. I stepped close enough where the wolf began to feel the heat radiating from my lighter. It snarled at my hand and backed away from the fire while I pressed forward. I altered my  advance so I was walking around the wolf. It was being cautious with the weapon I was carrying. The air was tense. We began circling each other, it oblivious to my goal of the fence.

Without breaking eye contact, I continued walking around the creature until the fence was behind me. "Vinyl, I want you to crawl through the hole again. I'll pass your sister after you and then meet you on the other side," I whispered to her, never taking my eyes off the wolf. It seemed to be advancing, but only as close as possible without being in range of my lighter. I scooped Vinyl And her sister out of my shirt pocket. I could feel Vinyl giving my thumb another hug as I blindly searched for the hole. Once my hand went through the opening in the fence, I carefully dropped the pair of horses on the concrete. Now that they were safe on the other side of the wall, all that was left was me and the wooden creature, locking eyes. Thinking hard on how I can escape, an idea popped into my head that might work.

Now standing up with my lighter ablaze, I slowly reached into my pocket and grabbed the hilt of the knife. Then, in a swift motion, I pulled it out of my pocket and chucked it at the opposing predator. "TAKE THIS!" I cried out. The knife escaped my hand, flying towards the creature. I stood with a confident face until I noticed, the knife flew over the wolf, doing absolutely nothing except crashing into some bushes in the distance. "Crap," I muttered. I began to step back in retreat, only to fall on my rear with just my lighter to defend me. My free hand was grasping at the ground, looking for some kind of way out. Then, feeling the texture of the ground, another idea formed in my head.

"You know, you guys never learn, do you?" My free hand reached behind me and grabbed a handful of dirt. The wolf observed my actions, and prepared itself. With a small grin tugging the corner of my mouth, I chucked the handful of dirt at the wolf, aiming for its eyes. As expected, it shut its eyes, having learned from earlier. With its eyes shut, the handful of dirt splashed against its face, and the wolf was unaffected. But that was its biggest mistake. Before it had the chance to open its eyes, my good foot had collided with its muzzle, sounding out a loud snap. The twigs and roots that made up its body collapsed to a lifeless pile of debris.

Making use of the cleared area, I stored my lighter in my pocket and took my time climbing over the fence, doing my best not to strain my injured foot. Once over, I noticed the sun setting in the distance. I looked to the side and noticed Vinyl looking up at me with bright eyes. I picked her and her sister up and held them close. "We're safe. We're safe," I panted.

I began making my way back to my apartment, concealing my passengers in my breast pocket to not cause a scene. Once in the safety of my home, I removed my shoes and went straight to the bathroom. Once inside, I placed a washcloth on the sink like before, and lowered Vinyl and her sister onto the soft surface. I prepared another washcloth to clean and tend to Octavia like I had with Vinyl. She was looking at Octavia's body, limp on the counter. I gently picked up the grey pony and began rubbing off spots of dirt and blood with the damp washcloth. Vinyl was watching me, making sure I didn't hurt Octavia.

Once she was clean, I put her down on the cloth again and Vinyl grasped her hoof. I reached in the cabinet for a clean Q-tip and alcohol. I also grabbed some gauze and a pair of scissors, figuring I'll tend to her leg wound first. I dabbed the swab in alcohol and pressed it against Octavia's wounds, cleaning them. I then focused more on the gash in her leg. After wiping the wound, I unrolled some gauze and laid the stripe flat. Using the scissors, I cut the strip thinner to fit a pony wound and wrapped the pony's injury with the thin gauze, tying it off at the end.

Vinyl looked at the body of her sister, then to me with a smile.

"Oh, you're welcome," I said while bringing down my finger to scratch behind her ear. She moved into my finger nuzzling it adorably, melting into the scratching. I chuckled to myself only to be cut off by my stomach rumbling. "Oh, right, We were about to eat."

I put away the miscellaneous toiletries and picked up the two sisters in my palm. Octavia was breathing steadily, a good sign, while Vinyl clung to the edge of my hand and looked out into the distance like an explorer. I grabbed my hat from the counter and placed Octavia into it, like a makeshift sleeping bag. With her nestled inside, I walked back into the kitchen, ponies in tow.

I set Vinyl and my hat on the counter and pulled out a can of tomato soup and a pot. "If I make soup, I can feed it to your sister easier, maybe getting some food into her system will help," I said. She may be out cold, but that doesn't mean she doesn't need nourishment. I opened the can and heated it in the pot. Vinyl found it entertaining chasing her tail down to hold it and attempt to make it less ruffled from our adventure, only to fail as it slips out of her hooves, and begin chasing her tail again. I chuckled at the cute act, waiting for the soup. As it reached a satisfying temperature, I transferred the warm tomato soup into a bowl and retrieved a spoon.

I took a spoonful of soup and brought it down to Vinyl. She looked at it before submerging her muzzle in the pool and drinking it whole. It surprised me how fast she ate it considering her size compared to the spoon. The liquid had left the utensil and Vinyl sat back licking her lips. I got another spoonful, slightly less as to not spill any, and brought it to the breathing pony in my hat. Vinyl ran to her and sat her up in her lap so Octavia was sitting upright. I focused hard on my dexterity as I slowly poured the soup into the mouth of the small pony. Octavia swallowed the fluid and breathed out. I'm glad that she seems to be recovering well.

I take a spoonful of the soup for myself, drenching my taste buds. I can tell it won't be enough to satisfy me, so I turned to my fridge and brought out some bread and cheese. It was simple, but I made a cheese sandwich to accompany the soup. I left so small chunks of bread to Vinyl as she stuffed the bites in her mouth, puffing her cheeks out to what I saw as unbelievable levels. I gave a hearty laugh as she gave me a big smile with her cheeks filled with bread. I ladled some soup to her as she swallowed the mouthful and washed it down.

Vinyl let out an adorable high-pitched burp and fell on her back with her belly bulging. She had had so much to eat, it's as if she hadn't had food all her life. All the of us were taking turns sipping on the red liquid and chewing on bread and cheese; a basic meal but satisfying. Octavia was breathing normally, but she still wasn't awake. Perhaps she needs some more rest.

Speaking of rest, a high-pitched yawn came from Vinyl, making me smile at how cute she is. "How about some rest? We had an intense day, didn't we?" I reached my finger to scratch behind her ear again as she sighed with a lazy nod. She joined her sister inside my hat and began to drift in their "sleeping bag".

I picked up the hat and moved into the bedroom, placing it on my nightstand. I left them there momentarily while I used the bathroom to prepare for sleep. After brushing my teeth and other chores, I crawled into bed with the lamp on. It was getting late, and Vinyl had already fallen asleep with her sister inside my hat.

A warm smile crawled onto my face, reminiscing everything that happened today. Things may have gotten dangerous, but I survived, and saved two lives as well. Best part of all, was that, besides them being a different species, I actually made new friends.

I'm glad.