She stepped, but didn’t know where she was. If she could even step. All sights surrounding her was void of anything. Nothing prevailed in this depiction of chaos and unruliness, just darkness. She was scared of the dark. She ran. Hoping that soon she’d might find something that could make sense of this quintessence of emptiness. The longer she stared into the void, the further she would be from an idea. She just wanted to get out.
“Mommy!” She yelled, hoping that her parent could hear. Nothing replied, she was alone here. A filly trapped in nothing, scared and alone. She had to get out, so she kept running, calling for her mommy so she might hear her. So she might save her from the dark.
Her calls echoed through the emptiness, bouncing off of eternal nothingness. Returning to her a sound, muffled and sharp. Alone. Despite this, she kept running, and running. She couldn’t hear her footsteps, but she could hear every ragged breath she’d draw. Her breath started to fail her.
Was she now back to where she started? She looked around, black. Everything black. Her body was gone, nothing survived the hunger of the void. It swallowed the filly before she realised, it ate her without a fight. The smell worsened. What was once a void was replaced by a rancid smell. She tried to run away, but her hoof slipped. Slippery, damp, wet. She was still standing, her hoof stuck in this muck.
She tried to pull free, but it was stuck. She heard a sound, unlike her own. A breathing, deep, echoing, ominous. Surrounds her. Every direction, musk, slippery, sticky. She was scared. A growl. A beast? Was she near a beast? A terrible scary monster? She wanted to cry.
Her wails bounced around in this closed infinity. She was scared. She knew something was there but she didn’t know what. It was dark, she couldn’t see. Blinded by the void. Her tears split down her face, streaking it with a cold feeling. Colder than the void. Freezing. Her breath hitched.
Her hoof was freed, she stepped. Slipped again. Cold, hard, wet. Ice. She fell and tumbled to her back, hooves in the air, on the ground. She slipped, out of control. Faster, and faster. She sped forward. She dragged backwards. She didn’t know. She was alone, scared. She wanted her mommy.
“Mom!” She yelled above the sounds of her slipping, the sounds of her dragging, the ice dragged on her skin. She froze, stationary. Stopped. Cold was all around her. It hurt. She wanted her mommy.
She was alone.
*—_—^—_—^—_—^—_—*
She cried out as she awoke. Her pillow, wet with her tears. She was lifted out of her bed and hugged.
“It’s alright baby,” her mother cooed. Settling the child’s worries. The foal’s heart was pounding, yet out done by her mother’s rhythmic pounding. It calmed her, to be held by her mommy. She cried in her chest.
Her room was bright. Brighter than the outside, nighttime. Her least favourite time. That was when it was dark, when monsters were out there. They were warded off by the light, by the mystical light gem in her room, brightening it so she could always see. Her mother sighed, the sound reverberating in the little one’s body. Soothing her woes as she slowly ceased her tears.
“I’m scared mommy,” the little foal confessed into her mother’s chest, “I was so alone!”
“It’s okay. Your Mommy’s here now,” the mother hushed her child and tightened her hug, and covered her in her wings, to ward off her child’s fears, “It was just a bad dream.”
This scene was locked in time for a while, as the foal drank in her mother’s calming presence. She was always so strong, her mother. In every situation when the foal would be frantic, her mother was calm. Forgetting her lunch for school. Leaving her homework at home. Losing her favourite pencil. Not being able to reach the food on the table. All of these situations when the foal would be crying out, her mother would swoop in and save her day.
Eventually, the mother relented her hug, noting the time, “Now little one, it’s time for you to go back to bed.”
“I’m scared.”
Her mommy looked into her precious one’s eyes, and she looked back at her. “How about I sing you a lullaby?” The foal smiled happily and nodded, forgetting her troubles. Her mother’s lullabies always worked the best, they soothed the biggest woe, calmed the largest beasts, and made sleepy the most active foal. The mother exhaled and brought the foal close again. She hummed the first few lines, and prepared the lullaby.
The foal yawned as it began. Feeling sleepy once more.
Go to sleep now little one, your mommy’s right beside you,
Your day was fun but it is done, and now the night is due.
Her mother put her back in bed, and tucked her in nice and tight. She continued humming to build the second verse. The little filly could barely keep her eyes open.
Go to sleep now don’t be shy, the morn could not be sooner,
The moon is high in the sky, your dreams guarded by Luna.
“I love you mommy,” the foal breathed as her eyes softly closed.
“I love you to, my little humming bird,” she kissed her foal on her head to wish her good dreams. She continued humming the last of the song to be sure that her foal was sleeping, and slowly crept out of her room. She slowly shut the door to her filly’s room, and wished her once more a good night’s rest.
The foal was alone now.
*—_—^—_—^—_—^—_—*
The void returned. What she was free from once, now gripped and clawed at her mind. The darkness surrounds her, and she feels lost. She was alone once more in this nightmare of darkness. She couldn’t see a thing. Her erratic breath was the only thing she could hear. She was alone and scared once more.
She didn’t like it.
She began to run, calling for her mommy to help her, but her voice was silent. She could hear her hooves hitting nothing, and she could hear her breath ripping through her ears, but her voice was silent. She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t see, she was alone. All around her, void, black, darkness. She was scared of the dark.
Her hoof caught on nothing. She tripped. Her back hit the ground, her hooves were under her. She kicked and screamed. Nothing came out. She couldn’t move. She was trapped in this nightmare and couldn’t wake. She wanted her mommy. She cried.
Be still, my child.
That wasn’t her mommy, somepony else was here with her. She tried to squirm but she couldn’t move.
It’s okay little one.
“Who are you?” She tried to ask, but her cries were silent.
Who I am is not important. Why I am here, however, is very much so.
The foal cowered from this voice, as it encased her every being. She wanted it gone, she was scared and alone, she wanted her mommy. Why was this voice here, the foal just wanted her mommy.
I am here to help you little one.
The voice seemed sincere, so the foal confessed to it. “I’m scared,” she mutely cried.
Why are you scared?
“It’s dark! I’m scared of the dark!”
Why are you scared of the dark?
The voice was calm, it didn’t mock, it wasn’t teasing, it just sounded curious. The foal had to think for a bit. It was absurd. The dark was scary, she knew this, but why? Why was she so scared of the dark? A muffled growl echoed through the void. Of course. “There are monsters out there!”
Can you see them?
Could she see them? No, it’s too dark too. It was way to dark to see so of course she couldn’t see them.
Then how can you know they are there?
It was silent while the foal thought. No sounds echoed through the void, the darkness was empty save for her and the voice. The little one stood up. It was true, she couldn’t see them. Were they even there? She listened out for them, but not a sound prevailed. “I don’t know,” the foal eventually said.
Then why are you afraid?
“I… Don’t know…” the foal confessed. It seemed silly now. What was there to be afraid of? There was nothing, she was alone. Completely alone. There was nothing there that could hurt her, there was nothing there that could eat her, there was nothing there that could steal her favourite pencil, nothing. She was simply alone, but she didn’t like being alone.
Are you truly alone though?
The foal sat down to think. The was so absurd. Such questions, making her think. Was she alone? She was. Yet at the same time, she didn’t feel like it. To be truly alone. The foal huffed, not being able to come to a conclusion.
What you must realise is that there is a very big difference between being alone, and being by yourself. Nopony might be around you, but are you really alone?
The voice spoke the truth. She was alone, but she wasn’t really alone. She was simply by herself. She looked around, but she couldn’t see. The darkness hasn’t changed, yet it looked more inviting. The change was stark and confusing. Everywhere she looked was dark, but that was it, it was just dark. She was by herself in this darkness, but she wasn’t afraid.
Welcome the darkness, let it help you be at ease. The dark is nothing to be afraid of. For when you can’t see, you can hear, smell, taste and feel that much more.
The foal was lying down in the darkness. She mulled over the musings of this voice. When she noticed it. She heard the sounds of birds flying about, doing their business, singing their songs, she could hear the wind as it danced around her. She could smell the flowers around her, their scent accompanying the wind in it’s dance, she could smell the grass she was lying on, it’s aroma, tantalisingly strong. She could feel the grass around her, she could feel it spiking into her fur, it didn’t hurt, but it was there. She could feel the wind, playing off of her nose and belly, swirling up and around her hooves. She could feel a flower petal land on her nose, the dainty touch, she licked it up. The taste prevailed in her mouth, flooding her tongue with the taste of strawberries. The world around her was dark, yet it felt so bright.
She was by herself in this serene image.
She felt the ground move next to her as a large presence made itself known.
Beautiful isn’t it?
The voice said to her side. She could only agree, it was almost all too much. “Thank you…” the foal said, her voice gently playing in her ears. She was greatful that this presence was here, saving her from her terrors, changing them into something better. She felt herself being hugged by this ethereal presence.
I didn’t do anything. This was all you, the only thing I did was make you realise…
She felt a small kiss in her head by this being.
… the dark, is nothing to be afraid of.
When the voice went quiet she felt the hug change, smaller, furrier, paw-ier. A high pitched bark filled her dream-verse. The little foal giggled and laughed as she was repeatedly licked on her face by an enthusiastic tongue. She hugged her little puppy and rolled around with it, playing with it in the darkness.
It was dark, she was alone… but she wasn’t afraid.
*—_—^—_—^—_—^—_—*
The Princess of The Night sighed happily, another nightmare conquered. It was all in a night’s work. The lunar Princess held little time for courtly proceedings, much to the objection of her sister. She claims that she needs a ‘Night court’ to become accustomed to the ponies of this era.
She smiled and shook her head slowly on the memory. She had her own way of connecting with the ponies today, and little by little, they were coming to accept her and her night, and eventually they will come to love her. This is what she as Nightmare Moon didn’t understand, you can’t force something like this to happen over night, you have to appreciate their apprehension and work with it. When you do this, the ponies will love you, and you would never need to be alone ever again.
She was afraid of being alone.
Author's Note
Just a little one shot that wouldn't leave me alone.
I thought, eh, I'm pretty much stuck on Skies so I might as well prove that I haven't died yet.
Now, I could say one of three things, I could say that this is the epitome of writing excellence, and be seen as a hoity-toity bloody narcissist. Or I could say something along the lines of 'This story is probably very terrible and I could have done better,' and be seen as a depressed little feather. Or I could just say nothing aside from it can always be better.
You choose which one, I hope you enjoyed!
Oh, one more thing, I wanted to keep the word count small so you'd get a feeling of emptiness and voidness or something, and not because I couldn't extent it any further or anything.
Edit: 4/06/14 - Push button formatting help. As in I literally pushed one button to help with the formatting.
