Drip drip drip drip drip.

What's with all the dripping in my room?

Drip drip drip drip drip.

There must have been rain or something last night and the water finally caved through the roof.

Drip drip drip drip drip.

Screw this, I'm gonna go have breakfast.

I started getting up. My body was a bit sluggish, the dragging of my body becoming scarily apparent through my ears. Now just to open my eyes. I cracked one eye open and slowly started to open my eyes to the world around me.  I thought I was going to see my room with all the posters of bands and a small computer in the corner.

What I did not think I'd see was a damp cave with puddles of water surrounding me and a single reflective stone in front of me with the light of some creature reflecting off it. What the hell is that thing?The unknown reflection was a creature dyed with a little yellow hue, decorated with wedge-shaped ears and tinted with brown hair that ran through from the top of his head to the sides of its face. That's strange it kinda looks like a bugbear, but those are just myths. I started to stand up slowly as to not scare away the creature and it mimicked me. Its full height was a staggering 8 feet tall, the tattered clothes covering it hung lifelessly through the cave air, a soft fluttering for the lifeless skin.

Despite all these strange things, it was the monster’s right arm that said more of its bizarre nature. The arm’s surface was a metallic gray. The arm was capable of moving but then was no life in it. It was an extension that didn’t belong to the monster. It didn’t have any nuts or bolts but it clearly wasn’t of the monster’s origin.

"Excuse me, but can you speak English?"

To my surprise the creature was still copying me, its lips quipping as my lips spoke.

"Now look here, its rude to copy people like that!"

Again the lips moved as naturally as mine. Now I can say with confidence that I can keep my anger in check but something about that monster just made me lose it. I lunged forward and set to smashing the stone with my right hand.

To my surprise, the stone shattered like I had just punched a wall of gingerbread. To continue my surprise was the fact that I realized I had punched it with my RIGHT arm. The arm that was lost under the rumble of that building, the arm I lived without for 8 years! I turned my head down towards where my right arm shouldn’t be and shock came to see not a thin pale human arm but the artificial one I had seen on the creature.

At that moment, I had made the obvious connection and my response was as followed:

"WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...."

I stopped myself from finishing that thought. It was mostly because I need to stay calm for now and figure what the hell is going on. Freaking out could come after that. I started to inspect what I had become with a clearer eye.

I had claws on the end of my hands but they weren’t claws meant to strike at the lives of prey. I wore some tattered pants around my waist and a brown worn out trench coat was my outer skin outside my skin. After inspecting all the "natural" parts of my body I began to inspect the foreign existence, the alien, “unnatural” part that didn’t naturally belong.

The arm was very similar to my other in size and shape. It truly looked like a duplicate of my other arm, the image of muscle fibers showing, and the smooth design of human imitation. If it weren't for the gray skin it showed, it would be picture perfect example of a right arm. My eyes darted from the arm to the shoulders. A small note was perfectly taped there, as if mocking the incompetent of the finder. I tore it off and noticed a picture of bishop from chess was on the shoulder but I started to read whatever sick joke this was.

Dear, Craig

I give you these two gifts, in hopes you’ll become my friend.

Signed, not your friend yet.

P.S. the second gift is behind that rock you just pulverized.

Scarlet begun to color my world with the shade of rage, a picture of anger became my thoughts.

That bastard, he stole me from my home, turned me into a bugbear and still wants to be friends with me. Wait, how did he know I smashed that rock? Gah! My head will hurt if I try to figure out the thoughts of a nut job! Recalling what he had written about that second gift, I scoured the rock and around it for what was so important. I finally came across it. It was a crossbow of defected design. There was no string to pull arrows back nor were there bolts to skewer enemies with. It was a weapon with no method or ammunition to fire. On where the string should’ve been, there laid another note, set tidy and clear, which read:

Dear, now new friend:

Do you like it? All you gotta do is say the magic words and it shoots.

Signed, your friend.

P.S. I'm not a nut job.

P.P.S. Tell the dragon I'm sorry for stealing his treasure.

Dragon, what's this nut job talking about? My question would soon be answered when a flow of hot air gripped my neck. A breath of supernatural nature grabbed my attention.

"TINY ONE, WHERE IS MY TREASURE!?"

Please don't be a dragon, please don't be a dragon, please don't be a dragon. The snort of the fire breathing wonder shot that thought down. My god, I must be a bad luck magnet. I turned around to see a green dragon, and my god he was tall. The roof barely accommodated his height, his head just barely scrapping the tip of the cave. His claws shone with the greed of claiming countless treasures and lives. His tough scales’ appearance of dried blood gave a lingering message to any fool stupid enough to consider opposing him. It were the eyes that captured me the most.

You know that feeling you get when you stare at a bug and you consider crushing it? That’s just the thing. You’ve already bypassed the attempt to connect with it emotionally. You’ve already considered its existence to be so small you don’t even care of wasting emotions on such an insignificant existence. You’re considered crushing him to be little more than entertainment. You don’t spare him remorse, grief or feelings. Why should you? It is not the same as your fellow people, why should you offer the same feelings to a bug than to your fellow people? You let him know the motivation of boredom and show him the value of where he stands. His life is in your hands, whether whim you choose becomes his fate. And he was staring at me with that superiority, that disdainful look of one looking at a pest. Come on Craig think of something clever to say!

"Um, well you see um.... someone took it." I stammered to the dragon nervously, slowly taking steps back. Smooth, Craig, smooth.

"AND HOW WOULD YOU KNOW IT WAS STOLEN LITTLE ONE? MAYBE BECAUSE YOU’RE THE ONE WHO STOLE IT!"

"Oh, you raise a good point but as my rebuttal, I would like to say four words."

"AND WHAT MIGHT THOSE BE?"

I cleared my throat, now or never. "Ahem...HOLY SHIT A DISTRACTION!" I cried out, pointing to the side of the cave, and ran between his legs toward what I hoped was an exit.

“A DISTRACTION WHERE? WAIT A MINUTE...." It took the dragon a moment to figure out what had just transpired. His lame mind finally realized the trick I pulled on him.

"GET BACK HERE, WHELP, SO I CAN SKEWER YOU ON A ROCK LIKE A SHISKIBOB!"

I had long enough of a head start that I saw the light at the end of the tunnel before I turned to see him. As I approached the light I failed to realize how thick the darkness in the caves truly was. As I stepped outside of the cave, I was blinded not only by the light itself but how bright everything else seemed to be. After having my eyes coated in darkness for so long, I failed to realize the slope right outside of the entrance and there I went, falling and tumbling. And having my body flung in the air with a vengeful arm. That wasn’t flying, that was falling with style.  I reached the bottom after about five minutes of falling, rolling and bouncing down the mountain.

It took me a minute to get my head straight, and then I hid in case the dragon decided to pursue his vendetta against me. While hiding, I inspected the crossbow in a brighter environment. It was adorned with a brown color, kinda looked like it was made out of a gem with the way it shone in the light. On it were different glyphs, I figured out a few of them like fire, water, air and earth but a few of the others slipped past my understanding of the magic language. Say the magic words is what the note read....

"FIRE!" I yelled at the top my lungs.

The crossbow laid motionless. A slight whine escaped the crossbow as if to mock me in my futile attempts Hmmm... Maybe I used the wrong language.  Magic words were commonly pulled from Latin. Ok let's see Latin for fire is ignite… ignute… ignum...

"IGNUM!" I shouted, expecting nothing to happen again but to my surprise a bolt of fire fully strung up materialized on my crossbow, preparing to skewer whatever was in front of the crossbow.

That’s wicked cool.

I fired the fiery bolt at a nearby rock as a practice shot. The arrow cut through the air effortlessly and started to make contact with the rock. I fired the bolt, fully expecting it to bounce right off the rock or shatter on impact like a normal arrow would. It pierced through the rock, as easily as a hot knife would make contact with butter. There was now a hole in the rock where the bolt had struck. The rock’s melting surface told of exactly how much of a fiery temper the bolts would carry.

Damn, this thing is cool but that doesn't matter right now. I have to find civilization. Wait. If he could turn me into a bugbear maybe he could have sent me to.... nah that's ridiculous. Ending up in Equestria, I'd be the luckiest fool in the land.

I left the tree I was hiding in, to go look for some people or a town nearby. As I walked through the forest I heard a growl coming from the bush ahead of me, informing me of a predator’s presence.

I was about to ignore it and pass by, however, the owner of that growl seemed to have different ideas. The rustling of the bush came with the appearance of the predator. The frame of the kingly beast, the wings of the creatures of the sky and the tail of the venomous hunter was what my eyes registered in the light of day.

We stared into each other’s eyes, we realized what would happen, that one of us would have their blood coat the ground with vibrant red. The blazing sun reflected his fangs to the brilliant shine of my artificial arm. Our bloodlust filled the air with our intents to tear at each other.

It pounced on me, the instincts and actions of a predator flashing faster than my eyes could follow. My crossbow firmly flung by the force of its swung claws, leaving me with no weapons to fight back. The merciless fangs preparing to tear at my face, my right arm flashed without thought. Instincts running faster than my mind, I let its teeth rip into something tougher than my flesh. The maw of the majestic beast yelped in surprise at what it just sunk into. Its face contorted with pain.

Damn this thing’s durable. Ok so I need to find a way out of this, let’s see…

My crossbow had been flung to the far side of the clearing, so that was out of the question. The beast was planning to strike yet again, its surprise fading and its urge to kill growing. The beast’s roar howled through the clearing. Letting its intention clear, it stomped on a rock not much smaller than my head, pulverizing it into dust. The only proof left of the beast’s wrath was my sight.

Oh god, if he can do that to a rock…

I let my paws touch my face.

What the hell would he do to my head?

Once more, the peerless beast of the clearing sprinted at a speed faster than my eyes and pounced to rip my face off. The mark of experience, allowing it to realize to firmly avoiding the imitation arm, became the bane of my life. A wrestling contest of strength between the hunter and hunted started. It was a struggle for both of us. For the beast, it was a struggle to take advantage of a weak moment in me. For me, it was a struggle to think of a weak moment in him.

My mind going at light speed, I change tactics.

If I had a sword or a dagger I could probably stab it in the eye, but where would I get a...

My thought was interrupted by a blade shooting forward from the top of my fake arm.

Well, ain't that convenient?

I pushed the beast off of me with the force of a giant. The sight of him flying through the air allowed me to get into a fighting stance. After his paws touched the ground, the beast’s natural intelligence allowed him to take a natural four-leg stance, a stance ready to lunge at any sign of change. Its stance betrayed no intent to take advantage of any signs of weakness in me.

"Here kitty kitty, here boy," I taunted the beast to make the first move. I waited for my first and last chance to plunge the merciless edge into his flesh.

The beast charged at me. The mark of experience quickly became a two-way street, allowing me to predict and side step away from its charge and proceed to drive the ruthless edge down its head with merciless precision.

Bright red flew as free as the beast’s head rolling along the ground. The predator’s body grew limp without the strength of life. Finally, transiting from beast to corpse, the body of the hunter finally buckled to the weight of gravity and fell. I looked at the sight before me. Red became my world in that instant, the ground dyed with the hue of life. The sight of the eyes of the limp head clouded with the glass of ignorance. It never even knew its life had ended.

After taking a look at the scene we had caused, I inspected my right arm to see if it had been damaged. My arm looked unscathed without a tear or dent in sight. It was not even a scratch worthy of notice. As if it knew it had served its duty, the blade had retracted back into my arm.

I'm not sure if I should still be mad at that guy for kidnapping me or give him a hug for giving me this arm.

I continued through the forest until I reached its end. What I saw was something I thought was not possible. It was Ponyville, the place that I have wanted to go to ever since I started watching MLP. Wait I'm in Equestria, a land filled with magic. Maybe they have something that can give me back my arm. Ok, time for a To Do list.

1. Meet some ponies.

2. Befriend those ponies.

3. Find a way to get my original arm back.

4. ???

5. Profit.

As I approached the small village, my footstep trudging through the ground with a dull thud, I thought to myself. Alright, this is going to be interesting. Next Chapter: Meeting the Locals? (3) Revised. Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 54 Minutes