Unfamiliar Grounds

Inferno and I pressed the sides of our heads against the wall, waiting to see if Celestia was gone. After a while, she finally stamped her hoof and took off. I sighed relief and slunk down, exhausted from running and hiding. "You need a place to rest?" Inferno said, as he watched me slip into the talons of sleep. I nodded and stood up, careful not to fully wake myself up in order to sleep well then. He led me up the stairs into the main chamber again then opened up another door leading to a small room with a candle and a bed. I flopped down in it, relishing the fact I might sleep for the first time in a few days. "Thanks." I murmured as I fell asleep.

As I feared, my dreams were not pleasant. I was standing in a dark room, lit with moonlight. I was, in this dream, human. I remember now what I looked like. A tall man cloaked in black walked towards me, holding a sphere of white. "If you drop this," He began. "You could have a better life, in a new land, full of kind beings, willing to take you in." He said. This was an offer I couldn't refuse. I stupidly accepted, taking the orb from his hand. I smashed the orb on the floor, engulfing the room in white swirls and whooshes of blue fire, lightning crackled and I was whisked into an open portal-like thing that was an eerie black with red slashes of light piercing the darkness.

I leaped awake, my heart pounding in my chest. I was unable to register any thoughts of what had happened to me then, or even begin to process what I had been through. I dropped onto the floor, breaking down in tears. Inferno burst into the room, his blue eyes full of worry. "What's wrong?" He said as I sobbed uncontrollably. "I-I don't know." I choked out. I shakily stood up, my mane soaked with the tears. "I had a... nightmare. About my past." I said. "What happened?" He said as he sat down next to me on the bed. "I was in this room, and this man, I mean a human. I was one too. He came up to me, promising me a better life, and handing me something to fix it all." I said. "I accepted it, and I came here, but I got something completely different. I was taken to a world where I am chased and suspected of being a pony destined to bring Equestria into ruins." I said, finishing my story of my despair so far. Inferno looked at me, putting a hoof on my shoulder. "It's okay. I know what it's like." He said. "How would you know?" I said rubbing my reddened eyes. "Did you hear of the missing boy?" He said to me looking straight into my eyes. "Yes, it was all over the news." I said. "That was me." He said. "It was... you?" I said, bewildered. "Celestia came after me too. She knew my past and that I was destined to help you." He said. "I hid here and you coincidentally came here too, looking for safety." He said, his eyes brimming with tears now.

"If we go back to where I woke up, we might discover more about our pasts." I said, after we had recovered from our sudden flashbacks. Inferno looked at me and nodded slightly. "I think we should." He said. "I might want to go where I woke too." He said. "Alright. We will." I promised, although now more nervous because I had an even better chance of being caught. "Don't worry, I got this." He said confidently. I looked at him suspiciously. "Starflight? I hope you don't mind being painted on." He said. I gulped.

After he led me into a small room filled with paints and brushes, as well as numerous other tools I had no name for, he painted me various shades of green and browns so I could camouflage. I never knew how talented he was at painting. I wonder how he adapted his talent to this world. I sat there and let it dry. I didn't want to make suspicious smears everywhere. After a while, I rubbed the paint gently. Luckily, it was finally dry. "You must go now, I will tag behind so I can come out when you give the Ok." He said. I trotted out of the room, my heart fluttering in my chest. I walked down the stairs, prepared for trouble already. I picked the correct path and went outside into the main cave. Inferno trotted closely behind, his cream-colored hooves making a clip-clop noise that reverberated through the cavern. I looked out into the sea of forest that was barely illuminated. The sunset was a beautiful mixture of yellows, oranges, and a bit of purple sky. A few stars twinkled in the darkest part of the twilight sky. I sighed, it was the most beautiful thing I had seen in a long long time.

I took off into the night sky, the cool breeze ruffling my mane and calming my frazzled nerves. After flying through the darkening sky, eventually I reached the very place I had been left at. The grass where I was laying was still stained with blood splotches from my various wounds.Upon looking closer, I noticed it had also been scorched in areas around it. I circled the area, keeping low and making sure Celestia was not there. I surveyed the are once more, then I gave the signal, a wave of my hoof once forward and once back, that it was alright to come investigate. Inferno poked his head out of the bush he was in and looked around in case I wasn't attentive enough to my surroundings. He nodded and came out into the open. I stood on the edge of the cliff, the cool breezes ruffling my mane and feathery wings. "So, this is it. We are a step closer to finding our pasts." Inferno said, as he looked around, glancing at the surrounding areas. I walked over to the spot where I had woken up. Upon closer inspection, I noticed an object pushed forcefully into the ground, which explained why I was wounded on the side I was lying on. It was sharp and jagged. Inferno trotted over to me as he noticed my shocked expression as I pulled it out of the dirt.

Celestia looked out into the setting sun, preparing herself for the night's important flight. "I'll stop her, I can help Equestria and save us from the monster threatening to destroy us."She murmured as she planned. eventually the sun disappeared over the horizon, leaving the sky a pretty shade of purple, spotted with bright stars. She looked out, her eyes focusing on a specific direction. She then took off, speeding towards it, her wings carving the air as she sliced her way through the darkening sky, nearing in the very cliff Starflight and Inferno were investigating.

I looked out over the cliff. My eyes widened as I saw a dark shape swiftly heading towards us, sharply turning upwards. Celestia rose into the air, now clearly visible to both of us. She landed on the ground in front of me, shaking it with the force of the landing. "Fancy seeing you here, I was out for a flight as well, Starflight!" She said with an eerie chuckle. I looked at her. Right in the eyes. "It's a lovely night, anypony might fancy a nice evening flight I suppose." I said as I backed up, ready to fly away. "I knew you would be here. I heard every second of your plan. You might not know, but I have supreme powers enabling me to do so." Celestia said. "Oh, and I saw your little boyfriend painting you with his little filly hoofpaints sets. How amusing!" She chuckled. I turned a light shade of red. "He's not m--" I started but was cut off as Celestia stopped me.