I awoke in a forest laying on my back, and could see the sun poking through the rather large leaves above. My sagging hood slid down past my shoulders, as I felt the soft caress of the grass swipe against my cheek.

I figured that I'd try to get up and get moving around; but the soreness and sensation to puke from teleporting told my body otherwise. I could feel a pain aching from my back, as I slowly edged myself up off of the ground. The winding pain was happening so suddenly; that I began to wonder as to why this was present in the first place. I squirmed around trying to find the reason behind it, but the constant twists and turns arched these sensations further. With the unnerving pain present, and the limited knowledge I held about how to remedy myself to somewhat bearable; the only solution for the moment was just to ignore it for the time being.

Thinking to myself, 'Time for a plan; ok, let’s think John.' With a good bit of effort to ease myself onto my feet; I managed to stand. After dusting the loose dirt off of my clothes; I looked around to search the environment. 'We’re inside a random moss covered, swampy forest; I have absolutely no clue on where I'm supposed to go, and there's pain coming from everywhere on my body. Why pain? Which I have no idea why.' I took a deep exhale, and ran my palms across my face in frustration. Dredging the coming travel; I said,“This whole guardian thing is just starting so wonderfully.” Obviously, my voice was soaking with sarcasm.

Trying to grasp onto my bearings; I tried to focus my train of thought. I could see that the forest was immensely dense, and deep. The thick of the brush blocking most directions, while most were bare on some others scattering on the tree tops. I could hear the sounds of trickling rushing water in a nearby distance, but with the sounds bouncing off of the trees; the river could have been in any direction.

A strong musky sensation rung through the air causing me to grasp my nostrils in refusal to breathe. Whatever the smell was coming from, it's been there for way too long. Before I could attempt to block the foul odor, the strange smell filled my nose; causing me to gag. In an attempt to locate where the smell was coming from, I began to inspect the area to find its source. It couldn't have been far off.

Walking around the area, I searched inside a couple bushes close to where I woke up, but found nothing. The sound of the moving bushes must have spooked something close, as a farther bush shook by itself. I could see what looked like to be a pair of glowing emerald eyes peering through the leaves, trying to mask itself within the dense brush.

“Well, I guess I’m not going that way.” I said aloud; quickly turning away as fast as I could, and left towards the 'No Creepy Eyes' direction. I was trying to leave the creature behind with what little strength my legs could make. After I had accepted that I must have made a fair distance away from the unknown figure, I continued to try to listen for the running water. With all that pacing, my thirst was starting to become a problem. If I found the water, the water would always go down hill; to a big lake. Maybe, the ponies would be living close-by.

After many miles of what seemed like an eternity of searching; I managed to find the river and began trudging along side it. I figured that I would follow its river bank along to its end; and that I might manage to find someone to ask for directions. “All rivers lead to the ocean, right?” I asked myself; unsure if my answer was true, or not. As I continued to follow the rapid river, I tried to look to the sky in an attempt to make out the time. Of course; that plan was an absolute failure at the time with all the trees leaves, and branches blocking my sight. The longest trudge down the river bank lasted for a good half hour. So; I grew wary on when the rivers end would near, and when the edge of the forest would reveal itself to me.

“This is taking forever.” I groaned. ‘I should’ve at least left the forest by now...What’s going on here?’ I thought to myself. As I stood searching for signs of life, a sudden rustling of leaves could be heard coming from behind me. I quickly turned to face the source of the sounds to find that someone, or something was hiding. “Hello? Is anybody there?” I called out to any that was listening, but my question received no answer. My mind quickly turned to the lingering thoughts of those malevolent glowing green eyes from before. Thinking quickly; I reached out and grabbed a nearby branch, ripping it off the tree trunk, and held it before me to use as a blunt weapon; if needed.

I heard light laughter after snapping the branch; more of a chuckle than anything, as it echoed softly throughout the reins of the forest. The laughter was shortly followed by a voice calling out from the forest, echoing as well. “The river is endless as you can see; if you are lost, then please, follow me.” The voice called out. I looked around in an attempt to locate the source, but much like before; it was difficult as ever.

I swung my head left, and right; searching the area for any movement aside from my own. I could see a shadowy figure jumping around the trees like a monkey; swiftly moving from tree to tree effortlessly. When I did manage to catch a glimpse; the figure would quickly shoot out of sight, and returned hidden once more. “You want me to follow you? I can’t even see you!” I called out to the voice; in an irritated tone.

A loud thump could be heard as something crashed, or landed into a small bush behind a large tree. I gazed to the spot; fixating my sight, and aimed my weapon towards the area. To my surprise, a person came out from behind the tree; wearing a long brown tattered cloak.

Without warning; the person strode towards me, and grabbed onto the branch. Gently pushing it down towards the dirt; this forest ranger, grabbed my empty hand. Whoever it was, began to pull me along urgently. “A man in the forest alone is the easiest of prey, but I will not let you die this day.” The voice was feminine, so I assumed it was a girl. “Time is not on our side; back to my hut, we will hide.”

Rhymes, the woman was speaking in rhymes. ‘Ahh... fuck.’ I thought to myself; then that rancid foul odor returned, and I could hear the pants of heavy breathing, and dripping water coming from nearby. “What is that?” I asked the woman; but instead of an answer, she lunged forward faster as she was pulling us away. She shot towards the opposite direction of the noise, and I assumed it was towards what I suppose was the location of her hut. I was confused for a moment; until I heard a shocking loud crash that seemed to be coming from behind us. I stole a glance back as we ran, and found that we were being chased by something that was very large and monstrous.

The size of the thing was gigantic, it walked on all fours and was made of everything that you would see lying around in the woods. Things such as leaves, twigs, moss and large chucks of wood. As I set my eyes upon the creature; they widened, and my mouth dropped. Seeing it was enough cause for me to drop my defensive branch of 'Protection'.

The thrashing of leaves started quickening with my footsteps. “What in the actual fuck is that?!” I called out loud. I picked up my speed even further, and shortly surpassed my guides pace pulling her with me. When she couldn’t seem to match my speed anymore; with the rush of the moment, I picked her up and began carrying her; swiftly throwing her onto my back. We dodged through the trees swerving; attempting to lose the sight of the creature, just as the woman pointed towards the safety of the hut.

After weaving, and sprinting at full tilt for a little over a minute; we entered the only clearing I'd seen since I first woke up in that forest and I could see what I assumed to be her house. “Quickly now; safety is near. Once inside, there is no need to fear!” The woman cried as she took a quick look back. When she turned back to face me; I saw an expression of pure fear, aiding in my adrenaline drive to push myself forward; numbing all feeling coming from my legs, and back.

Unexpectedly; the woman jumped off of me, and began rushing towards the door at full tilt. Without say; she managed to get to the door before I could, and swung it open for us. One swift and sudden motion, I immediately grabbed her waistline with both arms, and ran inside. She grabbed the door handle, and instinctively slammed the door shut behind us.

Feeling relieved for us to survive, I let go of the woman. She fell to the ground, and laid flat on her chest returning from exhaustion. I leant over resting my hands on my knees gasping for air. I sat down using the wall as my sliding point, in an attempt to ease some body pains.

I didn’t think of it at first, but with something that huge; It must stink like a swampy bog. 'How long has it been following me?' I thought to myself. I looked up to her as I panted,“What...in the living hell was that thing?” I took a few more breaths to calm myself; before I spoke again,“I’ve never seen...anything like that before. That was unbelievable!” As she tried picking herself up using the door, she knelt down and picked something up off the ground. She was beginning to stare at it.

Without looking towards me; she spoke,“The wolves must have been right on our toes; for it seems this poor fellow has gone, and lost its nose.” She held up the remains of a shattered wooden muzzle. The very sight of it left me speechless, and all I could do was simply stare gawking at the sight. She held it within her grasp, the splintered wooden nose began to glow with a faint green, and began to float. In a sudden rush; it wisped around the room, knocking a few things over briskly flying out of a barred window.

“That was a wolf? But that creature...it was made of wood!” I was confused, by everything. Nothing seemed to make sense at the moment, and my mind was rushing a million miles a minute. Senior...did tell me about that.

She raised her hand and placed it on her hood, removing it from atop her head, and letting it rest on her shoulders. She definitely was not human, but had profoundly equine qualities. “Timber-wolves. They have been given their name because of their rancid bark. They live in a matching forest to be shrouded by its dark.” She looked at me rather odd, as I huffed thinking more of them living in the woods. “You look at me strangely, but now I see you're not from these lands. How am I strange when you're ice within the desert sands? You can handle yourself, of that I can tell but you look like someone I once knew quite well..” She eyed me for a moment, and shook her head after her inspection.

“How did that creature find us? I don't smell that bad; I just took a shower this morning.” The stress my body had went through to carry the woman all that way built a little tension in my upper back muscles, so I briskly slid my hand against my shoulder but as I did, I quickly jolted my hand away from it because of sudden pain. It was greatly coming from my shoulder blades, causing me to wince at the rush.

She walked up to me, and led me over to the table. After she sat me down, she requested that I removed my shirt. I was hesitant at first, but she told me that she was only looking to help. She introduced herself to me, as she aided me. Her name was Zecora, and surprisingly she's also a doctor, by chance. Such luck.

Tired and broken, I removed my dress shirt and sat there. As she started to gently rub one of her hands against my back, which stung to the touch, she spoke calmly,“These marks on your back, you must not have felt. With the blood that leaks from the marks, is what they had smelt. I could sense you were hurt as I watched you walking, if your pain had a voice it would definitely be talking."

“What marks?” I asked, and she pointed towards a mirror on the wall. I stood from the chair and left my black, blood stained dress shirt on the table, and strode my way over to it. Once I stepped in front of the mirror turning to see the markings she spoke of, I saw two oddly-shaped strange bulges were prodding from my shoulder blades, leaving two distinctive markings that seemed to be etched into my skin. I raised my arm to see what it would do, and one of the bulges seemed to start pulsating. “Holy...shit.” She took a test to see if I had lost feeling in the area of my shoulders. I tried to feel the markings, but upon me touching them, I could feel sharp pain swim across my back, causing my investigation to end sooner than I expected. It hurt, but only when I begin physical contact.

“Now...Now...Don't prod at such things. For all you know, they could just be some wings!” She began to laugh, and it left me confused. I had just woken up in the woods after being in a portal, in an entirely different world I didn't know; chased through the woods by something called, a timberwolf, with a equine woman stranger, and now I was inside that same strangers house. One of which would also rhyme with every conversation, laughing at my pain from the two new 'growths' coming out of my back. As anyone could clearly see, something wasn’t right.

“What are you laughing at? And what makes you think it’s wings?” I was feeling a little defeated through the last five hours being in this world.

She quickly managed to pull herself together, and then looked at me with a smile,“I got it now! I can't believe it took me that long to figure it out. The person you remind me of was John, the Guardian; without a doubt." She calmed her expressions, and looked me in the eyes,"The man you remind me of had many mysteries to unravel. The wings growing on your back was what he used to travel. The armor on your body will be giving you strengths, continue to strive better for longer, greater lengths.”

I looked back at the mirror and looked to the markings, eyeing them as I spoke,“If they are wings, things would be easier I guess. It would be a major help if I got into another situation like that.” It also makes it easier to handle knowing I'm not the only one that went through this ridiculous pain.

“He is the Guardian of this realm I call home, he protects the land so that many may roam.” She stated in a joyful tone, still not answering my question. Reflective thoughts could be seen from her expression, and she asked me,"I told you what I know, but I need some answers about you. The armor you have is our guardian's, why do you have it and what did you do?"

“I was asked from my father to replace him here.”

Zecora looked at me hesitantly,"You're telling me that John is your father, and you're not from here? Like Equestria..."

The simple non-rhyming questions was actually unsettling, due to the fact she has only spoke in rhymes so far. “What... Does nothing rhyme with ‘John’? I know for sure ones exist for the word 'here'.” She simply flipped me off and handed me a bandage wrap, I looked to it for a moment, and then began unraveling it with my magic to attempt to practice,“Thanks, this’ll help.” I used the power of the gauntlets magic to wrap the bandage around my upper torso. I felt like I just made my own workout top that feels uncomfortable. She stared continuously at the gauntlet, and remained quiet. She seemed to look worried at the sight. Once I caught glimpse of this, I looked to her with a raised eyebrow. “What?” I asked.

“This armor that you wear was given only to the protectors of these lands. Please promise me you will guard the innocent with your strong sturdy hands.” Her charm took on an irritated tone of voice. She began to move closer to the door locking it closed and removing her cloak to hang it up,"Just know I like you, but let me tell you something, you little fawn. Many things could rhyme with everything, even a word like,'John'. Not everything has to be poetic. I like stupid jokes too." Cloak hanging up, she brushed her hand towards me, as if shuffling me away.

I sighed, and waved her off,“Don’t worry, I didn’t kill your beloved protector. I’m actually his son. My name’s also John, but so is his and I can see some confusion. I'll just refer to him as ‘Senior’ from now on. The princess named Luna, my 'apparent' brother Shadow Kin, and Senior asked me to be his replacement. They've been saying that his age is affecting his job. So I’m here, and he’s back on earth, living with my mom and little brother.”

“Luna, and Shadow have asked this of you? Well, do tell me. What are you going to do?” She didn’t seem so afraid anymore with the information I gave her, and came a little closer.

I thought to myself, and said what I possibly could to my host,“Well I don’t know exactly. I know I’m supposed to go and see the princess named Celestia, so I guess that’s a good of a start as any.”

She smiled at my lack of direction and objective, so she signalled me to follow her over to the couch. I followed closely behind, and after I sat down, she left into another room. Once she returned, she handed me a bottle full of some kind of liquid,“Now you have the place to sleep for the night. Now all you have to do is venture up to Ponyville, and the travel will be it's own fight. I have faith in you, and you’ll have a little of flight in time. Now take some of this bottle; the taste is truly sublime.” I took a sip of the bottle she gave to me, and it was a familiar taste I’d already known for a while.

The cover of night soon began to fall over the landscape, and the forest was too dark to travel at night. Zecora let me rest at her place for the night on her living room couch, and we sat on her couch telling stories as each other finished the rest of the bottle. From what I assumed, it was the equestrian equivalent to alcohol.

“There was this one time, I was in this alley back in my world and this guy comes out and he’s like, “Give me all your money!” and I was like,“Come and get it.” I started flexing the biceps, unaware of my squatting drunken eyes. "The situation was random as most robberies are and the guy pulls out a knife." Zecora rested her head against my shoulder, relaxing as I continued my drunken tale. “So he starts coming at me with the knife and I snatch it out of his hand just as he goes to cut me. So I take the knife and throw it on top of a building. I turn to the guy and say,'What you gonna do now?' Of course the guy gets confused and scared by the whole thing and runs away. I was kinda hoping for him to try something given I was half-cut drunk at the time, but we live and learn.”

Finishing off my drunken story, my eyes started to begin feeling heavy and my mind was starting to cloud due to the brew. From the warmth of Zecora as she rested against my shoulder, it added to the relaxation of the moment. I slowly turned my head towards the zebra beside me, and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.

“Thanks...for saving me today. I’d be dead if it weren’t for you.” I looked into her blue eyes as she looked back into mine, I felt like I needed to do something. I edged forward, and gave her a quick kiss on her soft lips but pulled away slightly after, seeing as to how she’d react. Just after I tried, she shot back, and pulled me into a deep kiss. She was wrapping her hand around the back of my head, keeping me there. That night would be a fun night.

(Version 1.3(2022))
Minor fixes and environment development.
Another chapter and the work is coming. I shall set the stage and prop for the actors. I need no money for the effort, but I love the idea to keep someone entertained.
Keep it cool as always, xXCondemnedSoulXx.