Tales of a Young Princessby ChaosknightRBChaptersFarewell Canterlot New Life, New FriendsA Fiery Visitor Stuck in the EverfreeFarewell Canterlot Farewell Canterlot "You don't have to leave, Tia. We can still play lots here." Night had fallen over Canterlot. The sky above was clear, revealing millions of shining stars to those below. For years, Celestia -better known as 'Princess' Celestia- had wanted only one thing; To go out and explore the world. Ever since she told her sister, Luna, the younger sibling had been begging her to reconsider. The two sisters stood on the main road just outside the city. Luna desperately pleading for her to stay. Celestia, however, had already made up her mind. She sighed. "I have to go, Luna. You know I don't want to be stuck here forever." The dark blue filly before her was shaking, a silver and gold necklace glinting from the light of the moon. "B-but why can't you go tomorrow night?" her words trembling as she tried to hold back the inevitable flow of tears. "Don't you want to play with me anymore?" Luna was only eight years old. Celestia knew she was too young to understand and was a little upset that she couldn't bring her along. Luna was sniffling lightly as the tears began to run down her face. She walked over and hugged her sister tightly. "I do Luna, I'll come back and play with you someday." "P-promise?" The white alicorn looked into the filly's eyes, as she looked up at her. Celestia nodded her head. "Promise." The two smiled at each other as Luna wiped the tears from her eyes. "Wait," Luna began, taking off the necklace that was around her neck. "take this with you." Celestia gave Luna a surprised look. "That's the necklace mom gave you before..." her expression darkened as she said the words. "I can't take that from you." Luna just shook her head. "You should have it. Mom said it keeps the pony who has it safe." she said placing necklace in Celestia's hoof. She put it on with a little help from her sister. "Well, I guess it's time for me to head out." Giving her sister a warm smile, she steeled her resolve. "Wish me luck, Lu." The little filly smiled and gave her one last hug. "I love you, Tia." "I love you too, Luna." For a few moments, the sisters held each other in silence. As the two separated Celestia could already feel the distance between them grow. Even though they were still so close together it was like an invisible barrier had suddenly divided them from one another. Turning around was the hardest thing she had ever done. She challenged her own thought as she began to walk forward. That was the hardest thing she had ever done. She gazed into the nights horizon. Before her lay an ever expanding dirt road and grassy plains for miles. These were the only things she could ever see from the castle towers. Beyond them were new ponies to meet, new places to see, and new challenges to face. Beyond them she would find what she had been searching for her whole life, an adventure. Two hours passed by. She looked back towards the city she had called home. It was long since lost to the landscape behind her. Midnight had passed and Celestia was tired. Staying up late was a "bad habit" for a princess who had to tend to her duties bright and early. "I get to stay up as long as I want!" she said sticking her tongue out in the city's direction. She chuckled at the very thought realizing that there was no one around to tell her what to do any more. Celestia picked her pace up to a skip as she gleefully began to speak to herself. "No pony to tell me not to eat cake before dinner, no pony to tell me I can't play outside, no pony to tell me when to go to bed." Her skipping stopped as she cut her celebration short. Her expression turned grim by a new realization. "No pony to tuck me into one." Celestia stood in the middle of the road as she began to second guess herself. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to leave..." Thinking back there was always someone with her. Whether it be servants, the royal guards, or her sister. Luna was the one thing that really made her think twice about all of this. She had always been there for Celestia, the one pony who she really trusted. Luna even kept her plans to leave a secret from their father. She huffed at remembering him. Her resolve strengthened once again as Celestia reminded herself of the reason she left in the first place. Kicking up dirt with her hooves behind her the filly continued to trot onward. A few feet from the side of the road lay the white alicorn filly. The heavy, blue cotton blanket wrapped around her slowly rising up and down as she breathed. Feeling a slight nudge on her side, Celestia squirmed slightly. She let out a sighing breath as she became comfortable once more. Again, something nudged her as she slowly began to wake. With a yawn, the small pony opened her eyes. The bright sun above her made it difficult to see at first. "You alright there kid?" Celestia was startled by the sudden voice as she became fully aware again. She jumped up quickly and looked to see a grey earth pony stallion standing next to her with a concerned look on his face. "Whoa easy there kiddo. No need to worry I ain't gonna hurt ya." On the road Celestia could see several large wooden carts being pulled by ponies. Among them were several younger ones,almost looking to be about her age. Excitement took over as the prospect of meeting others suddenly came to her. The pony that had woken her cleared his throat to regain her attention. "I didn't mean to bother ya miss, but you were just lyin' in the middle of nowhere." he apologized. "Had to make sure ya weren't hurt or anything." "U-um, thanks..." she said avoiding eye contact. She shuffled a hoof on the ground nervously as she tried to think of something to say. The stallion fixed that problem for her. "You look awfully familiar." he began, looking her over. "If I didn't know better I'd say ya'll were King Sols daughter. Princess Celestia I think it was." Celestia nodded. "Now what brings a young princess all the way out here by her lonesome?" It turns out he was part of a caravan of traveling merchants that went all around Equestria. As the two walked together she told her story to Silver Dollar, the earth pony introduced himself as. Silver also introduced her to his wife, Rosemary. A light pink unicorn who never seemed to stop smiling. He listened with a great deal of interest. After all, meeting with a member or royalty was a rare occasion, let alone to speak about their personal life. When she had finally finished explaining her story to the couple, they let out a small laugh. Celestia gave them a confused look. "Did I say something funny?" "No dear it's just," the pink unicorn began. "Nearly the same thing happened to me when I was your age." "Huh?" Rosemary chuckled at her confused response. "When I was a little filly, my parents tried to make me into a 'proper mare' so I could grow up to marry some noblepony's son." Celestia listened intently. "I couldn't stand him though. He was one of those rich snobs that you hear about all the time, always talking about money and himself. Finally sick of it all, I decided to run away." she looked happily at her mate and nuzzled him. "That's when I ran into this same caravan and met Silver." "Speaking of which, what do you plan to do from here on out Celestia?" Silver asked. Celestia shrugged. "I don't really know. I guess I had planned on walking until I found something." The couple looked at each other and smiled. "While yer lookin' for something interestin, do ya think you'd like to walk in our direction?" Celestia couldn't believe her luck! It was like her entire adventure had been laid out on a silver platter just for her. Doing her best to contain her joy, she gave them a huge grin and nodded. "Well alright then, welcome to the caravan princess." With that line, she could no longer hope to ever contain the happiness she felt. At the top of her lungs she shouted, "Equestria, here I come!" New Life, New Friends"What's it like to travel? Are you always walking everywhere? How do you make pancakes without magic?" The day went on as Celestia conversed with Silver Dollar and Rosemary. The young filly couldn't help herself but to talk a mile a minute. Bombarding the couple with inquiries about even the smallest details of life outside of Canterlot. They were happy to answer her questions of course. It was rather refreshing for them to have a shining new face join them. Especially one so enthusiastic about learning what most ponies took for granted. It wasn't long before she started to ask about the other members of the caravan. The sounds of playful laughter could easily be heard over the creaking of the wooden carts. Celestia could see the source of this laughter coming from the small group of fillies and colts running around. Her questions paused for a moment as she silently observed them. The filly's sudden silence alerted the couple as they realized what she where her attention had been turned to. Silver gave Celestia a light nudge. "Well go on. I can see ya want to." She looked away sheepishly. Silver gave the alicorn a concerned look. "What's the matter?" he began. "Ya sure don't seem like the shy type ta me." "Well, I um," she hesitated to answer for a moment. "You see, I never really got to talk with other ponies my age. Father never really wanted me to play." The filly cleared her throat as she deepened her voice mockingly. "A princess should apply herself to her royal duties, not be playing foalish games with common ponyfolk." The grey pony gave a nod in understanding as his partner was desperately trying to stifle her laughter. "I-I understand it's hard at first dear," Rosemary managed to get out while laughing. "But sometimes you just have to try your best. After all you do want to meet them right?" Celestia nodded. "Well then let me give you a hoof with that." she said as her horn began to glow with a light pink aura. "Wait, wha-?" Her words were suddenly stopped as a flash of bright light appeared. Without warning the alicorn filly found herself standing in the center of the playful gathering of young ponies. They all stopped and looked at her with surprise, taken back by her sudden appearance. Staring at the mysterious newcomer the lot of them had fallen silent. Celestia tried to think of something to say. Anything would do, it was just too awkward to stand still and say nothing. Before she could make up her mind a young filly pegasus with a cinnamon coat and a messy violet mane approached her. With a serious look she stood in front of Celestia keeping their eyes locked as she slowly began to lean in. With the pegasus' green eyes staring at her Celestia pulled back her head slightly, unsure of what she could be up to. Finally the pegasus stopped leaning in. Less than an inch of space was between their faces. The two remained like this for nearly a minute before Celestia felt a light tap on her shoulder. The young filly smiled. "You're it!" Without so much as a warning, the cinnamon pegasus began running as fast as she could in the opposite direction, giggling all the while. The other young ponies followed in suit. The alicorn broke free from her stupor and shook her head. She may not have played with others very much, but she and Luna had played tag before. A devious grin appeared on her face. When it came to tag she always won. The young ponies took kindly to their new alicorn friend. It didn't take long for Celestia to get comfortable either. Their game of tag had gone on for some time, their youth providing them with seemingly endless energy. It was different playing a game with nearly a dozen others, but it wasn't exactly a difficult thing to adjust to. Before long they had switched over to a new game. This was one Celestia hadn't heard of before so she figured it would be best to ask one of her new friends about it. "Hey Snapple Jack," she addressed the cinnamon pegasus. "what's 'Duck, Duck, Goose'?" Snapple looked at her in shock. "You've never played Duck, Duck, Goose before?!" she quickly rushed over to the alicorns side. "That's probably the saddest thing I've ever heard in my life! That's like saying you've never seen a cloud. A cloud for cryin' out loud!" Celestia couldn't help but giggle at her over dramatic expression. "Yeah I know, I should get my cutie mark in rhymes any day now." she said proudly. "It's real simple you see. Everypony sits in a circle and one pony walks around it. Whenever that pony passes another they say you're either a duck or a goose." she was shot a confused stare from Celestia. "If your a duck nothing happens, but if you're a goose you gotta get up and chase them around the circle and tag em' before they reach your spot again." Celestia nodded, but her expression still had a look of confusion on it. "Don't worry you'll see soon enough." All gathered in a circle, Snapple remained outside it on the side opposite Celestia. With a single hoof raised above the white earth pony in front of her, Snapple began to walk around the circle. "Duck," she could hear her say. "Duck," the next pony had been passed over. "Duck," Celestia slowly became more excited. "Duck," Passing four ponies, Celestia looked at her pegasus friend and suddenly realized it might be her who gets picked. "Duck," Slowly moving closer, Snapple was only three ponies from her. "Duck," Just two more, the intensity building as the filly's anticipation grew. "Duck," One more. "Duck," As her hoof slowly began to pass over Celestia, she found she was trembling with excitement. The world seemed to move in slow motion as the moment of truth approached. The alicorn could almost sense it, she could feel what was about to happen next. "Goose!" The cinnamon pegasus took off giggling. As Celestia tried to get up and rushed after the giggling filly she felt her hooves slip on the grass beneath her, causing the young alicorn to fall face first into the ground. The other ponies burst out into laughter as she spit out a mouthful of dirt. Looking over Celestia saw her friend laughing uncontrollably while she rolled around on the grass. She smiled as she saw the opportunity to still win this. Trotting over, she simply placed a hoof on her back and smiled widely. "Just how I planned it." she said blowing a raspberry at the downed pegasus, only making everypony laugh harder. The young ponies would laugh and play until days end. Night had since fallen and the caravan had set up camp. Off a short ways from the road a bonfire had been set up. The crackling fire lit the area around them as embers would be carried away by the cool breeze. The young princess sat with two of her new friends. Snapple Jack, the pegasus who had been the first her age she had become acquainted with, and Equal Balance, a white earth pony colt with a short brown mane. "What's it like being a princess?" the white pony asked. The alicorn sighed. "It's awful," she began in a peeved tone. "All they do is teach you to have manners and be lady like. They don't let you leave your room without a guard and you're not allowed to play with others." A loud belch came from the cinnamon pegasus beside her, causing them to giggle slightly. "That's all the manners I'll ever need." Snapple said proudly. "Why, I bet I'd be..." she paused in though for a moment. "I bet I could be Equestria's Super-Princess!" Celestia and Equal began laughing hysterically as well as a few of the older ponies who had over heard. The laughing slowly subsided as Snapple was the next to ask a question. "So princess, I-" she paused suddenly. "You know what I just realized, you need a new name." Celestia gave her a confused look. "Hey you're right!" Equal had suddenly shouted. "Everyone knows the name Celestia as a princess, but you aren't one anymore." "A new name?" "It'll be like your secret code name." The young pegasus gasped. "You'll be like some kind of super secret spy pony." Celestia kind of liked the idea. She wasn't a foolish pony. She knew her father would send out ponies to look for her. An alias would be perfect to help conceal her identity. She nodded in agreement with the two. "I like the idea, but what should it be?" The three put a hoof to their chin as they contemplated a new name... A/N: Celestia's in need of a new name, but she and her friends can't seem to think of one. Can you lend a helping hoof? (Comment below or message me with your idea's. The winner gets to have their OC play a part in the story!) A Fiery Visitor A Fiery Visitor It was yet another bright and sunny day. More than content with her new alias the young filly trotted merrily alongside her friends Snapple Jack and Equal Balance. "Summer Heart. I love it!" she said in her mind smiling. "Hmm...I wonder what we would call Luna if she were here." Thoughts of her younger sister returned to her. Not even gone two days, she was already beginning to miss the one thing she regretfully left behind. Though this dampened her mood she would not let it get the best of her today. The young filly was determined to see the world and she had new friends to see it with. The caravan had been following the same stretch of road for some time now, but something seemed a bit unusual with the ponies. They were close to the edge of a rather dark and eerie forest that was to their right on the trail. Everypony seemed to be on edge, glancing nervously around as they headed towards their destination...wherever that was. Summer, as she now happily referred to herself, remained unaware of whatever was bothering them. "So what are we doing today? We've been walking for an awfully long time now." The cinnamon pegasus also seemed to be at ease. "We're walking all day. We are a traveling caravan you know. Besides we're also supposed to be super careful around this forest according to the grown ups so we're not supposed to run off." Summers ears drooped as her mood was somewhat dampened. It wasn't that she didn't like the idea of traveling, but being the young and impatient filly she is Summer craved excitement. "But what they don't know won't hurt them." Snapple grinned deviously as she worked together a master plan in her mind. The alicorn perked back up at the very thought. Unlike Summer and Snapple, Equal Balance was slightly less content with the idea. "Are you sure Snapps? I mean the last time we sneaked off like that we got grounded for a week. Imagine how bad it could be if we got caught when we're by the Everfree forest." Summer recognized the name Everfree, but she wasn't sure where she had heard it before. "What's so scary about it anyways? Everfree isn't exactly a scary name for a forest." she thought for a moment. "Now calling it The Evil Shadow Woods, that's scary sounding." Snapple nodded "See? I doubt it's even that bad at all. Everyone says there's monsters and all sorts of nasty stuff inside, but I'll bet ya ten bits it's just to keep us from running in and getting lost." The white earth pony, Equal, was rather surprised at his friends reasoning. It was surprisingly sensible for the rascally pegasus. "I suppose you're right. So what's the big plan this time?" She pulled her two friends in close as Snapple began to speak quietly. "Alright, here's what we have to do..." "How did that even work?!" The alicorn was absolutely baffled at their successful escape. "A pillow and some silly string. That's all it took to get that cart to do that?!" Snapple was laughing hysterically all the while. "Don't forget the fireworks you set off with your magic, that was genius!" The earth pony just put a hoof to his face. "Let's not do that again. If we had gotten caught it would have been way more than a week." "That's right. If we had gotten caught. Now we're in the clear for at least an hour so what do you guys wanna do?" Just as Snapple spoke those words a small butterfly landed on her nose. Its wings were faintly glowing blue as Snapple just stared at it. The moment she moved, the glowing butterfly took flight once again and began headed away from the forest. "That butterfly is glowing! That's so cool...we should catch it!" "Winner gets to keep it!" Equal declared with newly found enthusiasm. The three of them chased the small insect around. Summer was rather perplexed as to why you would chase around a bug of all things, but she enjoyed the silliness of it all nonetheless. It was at this time that the glowing butterfly came towards her. "This is my chance." she thought. "I just have to reach out an-...who turned out the lights?" A shadow suddenly cast over them all. "Huh? But there's not even any clouds up there." "S-summer..." the cinnamon pegasus whimpered. "Well, well, what have we here." A powerful booming voice said from behind them. Summer turned around to find standing behind her was a massive dragon. Scales as black as night, razor sharp teeth glistening as it smiled, and standing far taller than any mere pony could ever hope to be. "Three little foals wandering on their own. How unfortunate that you had to cross my path during feeding time." "Umm...did you want the glowing butterfly?" The dragon looked at the alicorn and burst out into a fit of laughter. "T-that was priceless! Just for that I'm going to eat you last. Consider it my gift to you." Wiping a tear from his eye the dragon reached over to Snapple Jack and grabbed the helpless pegasus by her wings. Struggle as she might to free herself his grasp was far too strong. "Now hold still you two. I don't really feel like having to get up and chase you around." The dragon opened his large maw, smoke pouring out as he prepared to eat his next meal. Just as the filly neared his mouth the dragon dropped her and roared in pain as he clutched his right eye. "Alright, which one of you threw that?!" Summer was standing proudly with a small rock levitating beside her. "Why you little...come here you!" He reached out, only to Summer throw it right at his eye again. Roaring in pain fire spewed from his mouth, scorching the grass around them to ashes. "Eating you will be a real treat you little brat!" "Only if you can catch me!" Summer stuck out her tongue and began running into the nearby forest. "I hope he follows me in here. There's no way he'll be able to find me in a forest. Then Snapple and Equal can get away. It's perfect!" Behind her she could hear the heavy thud of the dragons footsteps pursuing her. "Looks like it worked." It was then the young filly realized one small problem. "Oh no it worked!" Inside the forest many strange noises could be heard. Most of them, however, were drowned out by the sounds of a massive dragon chasing an alicorn filly. The dragons form was large and rather clumsy in the dense brush of the forest. His body smashed in to trees and crushed plants below him as he stomped his way towards his prey. Summers small body was far better suited to the environment, but she was no athlete. The poor filly was already feeling the strain on her body. Fatigue quickly setting in as the dragon continued to close the distance between them. Luckily she was able to get out of its line of sight long enough to hide in a thick bush. A few branches scratched her as she entered, but it was nothing compared to what she knew that dragon would do when he caught her. "Come out foal! I tire of this pointless chase. You know you can't hide from me forever!" His voice roared out over the forest causing many small animals to flee in fear. For what felt to her like an eternity mere minutes would pass as the colossal beast scoured the ground. Swiping his sharp claws everywhere in a fit of rage. Suddenly Summer couldn't hear him anymore. It wasn't just him, however, the entire forest was dead silent. Not so much as a chirp from a bird. "Is...is he gone?" Curious, yet incredibly cautious, she slowly poked her head out of the bush to look around. "I don't see him...I think I did it. I got away!" She stepped out of her hiding spot and sighed in relief. "When the forest is quiet it means the predator is stalking its prey." Summer froze as the familiar voice sounded from above her. She looked up to see it dropping to the ground, smiling and barring its teeth as it landed over her with a tremendous thud. "Now you annoying little pony, time to pay for throwing those rocks at your superior." The dragon leaned its face in mere inches away from hers. "Perhaps I should char broil you first." The dragon took a deep breath, an unbearable amount of heat emanated from the gaping maw. Summers eyes watered as she covered them with her hooves. "P-please...somepony, anypony. Help!" With a mighty roar, intense flames began spewing from its mouth as they washed over Summer. It was then the young filly's horn began to glow. She felt hot, but not because of the fire. Energy was suddenly rising inside her, more than she could contain. Feeling like she was about to burst all of the energy suddenly shot out around her. Reality itself seemed to tear apart as a sudden explosion of magic sent the dragon forcefully to the ground. The air around her was distorted and twisted as the magic flew freely from her body. Fearing whatever had just happened the dragon took flight and escaped the source of this power. Bolts of power flew in all direction sundering the nearby trees and tearing others from their mighty roots. She couldn't control it. There was simply too much for any normal pony to handle. The ground beneath her began to crack apart as the power shook the earth. In front of her a small light appeared in the distortion, then everything went black. The young alicorn began to stir. She could hear something walking over to her, its steps softly touching the ground. Summer opened her eyes to see who it could be only to not believe what stood beside her. A creature, no larger than she, that seemed to be made up of many different animals. Its head that of a pony with mismatched horns, the body of a serpent, a feathered wing alongside a leathery bat-like one, and a mixed variety when it came to its legs. Despite its unusual nature the creature seemed to shy away from Summer, as though it were frightened of her. "W-...who are you?" Stuck in the EverfreeSummer was at a lost for words. The being before her was unlike anything she had seen or heard about. The filly noted its timidness, however, and decided maybe it wasn't something dangerous. "It's okay, you don't have to be afraid." She began. "I'm not going to hurt you." Shaking its head the personality of the creature did a complete flip. "Afraid? Pfft, I'm not scared. You just...surprised me is all." Summer was taken aback by this change in demeanor. From first glance it seemed to be younger than she. The voice indicated it was a colt, or whatever the males of its kind were called. "So, uh, do you any idea where we are?" "What do you mean? Don't you live in here or something?" The creature looked at her confused. "Live here? Do I live here? I...I can't remember." He sat down trying to concentrate. "Who...who am I? Why can't I remember anything?" Summer wasn't sure if he was being serious or not. It all seemed too suspicious for her liking. "You can't even remember your name? Come on now, it can't be that hard to remember that of all things." He stood up with a worried expression. "I'm serious! I can't remember anything!" he said. "I-" he stopped. "Wait...I know your name. It's...Celestia." This caught the young filly off guard. She hadn't told him her name, not even her alias, yet he somehow knew who she was. This only made her suspicions grow. "H-how did you know that? Are you some kind of spy for my father?!" Now completely on edge she took a step back. "You can just tell him I don't want to go back. I'm perfectly happy on my own!" The creature tilted its head in confusion. "What are you talking about? You're crazy you know that?" Summer calmed down slightly. "You mean...you're not a spy?" "No, but if I was a spy and I told you I wouldn't be a very good one now would I?" He had a point. It didn't much help her nerves, but she found it a little funny nonetheless. "I-I guess." she agreed. "So if you're not a spy, what are you? How did you find me in the middle of a forest?" "Well that's just it, I don't know. I just suddenly saw you lying in front of me and that's all I remember." Sitting down it lifted its mismatched forelimbs and looked them over. "As for what I am..." his ears dropped as he looked rather concerned. "I don't know what I am." he paused and looked up at the filly hopefully. "Am I not like you?" Summer wasn't sure how to respond to the question. Obviously he wasn't a pony let alone an alicorn. On the other hand she didn't want to hurt his feelings by saying he's something different. It was quite clear the creature was looking to her for answers that she normally could never give, but given the circumstances she'd have to to her best. "Well we're...kind of alike. I mean, we both have wings and a tail, oh and we both have fur! So I guess we're pretty close." "Really? Well I guess you're right. I mean, of course not everyone looks the same right? Yeah! I'm just like you. Except I'm, uh, unique!" He smiled slightly and stood up again. "Well then...what do we do now?" Now reminded of the issue at hand she was clueless on which direction to take. "Not a bad question. I'm kind of lost right now...So I guess the first thing we should do is find a way out of this forest." The creature nodded. "Well then, lead the way Celestia!" he said cheerily. "Um, okay. Oh, can you call me Summer Heart from now on? I'm trying to keep my name a secret." The sounds of the forest were plentiful. Insects buzzed, birds chirped, and other critters could be heard all around them. A few more unnerving than others. For several hours,the two would wander the forest in hopes of finding a way out. Despite their lack of luck the two were becoming fast friends. Though rather unusual the creature was quite talkative. Always asking questions about her or about the most trivial of things. Not being able to remember his own name, Summer had just settled on calling him Medley until his memory returned. Being some sort of pony made up of different animals she felt it suited him well enough. Over all the sounds of the forest one in particular rose up, Summers stomach. Having not eaten all day her stomach let out a loud grumble. Medley looked at her with a confused expression. “Did you just growl at me?” “T-that was just my stomach. I guess I am a bit hungry.” she said slightly embarrassed. “Maybe we should try to find something to eat. There's bound to be something in a forest like this.” “Yeah,” Medley yawned. “But can we take a break first? We've been walking forever.” Leaning up against a nearby tree he felt something fall on his head. “Ow, what the heck was that?” Looking down he saw a small red fruit and picked it up. “Hey this tree's throwing things at me!” The filly looked at the apple excitedly. She then looked up to see the entire tree he had leaned against was full of bright red apples. “It's not throwing them at you silly. It's an apple tree. Wow that's lucky of us. They even look ripe!” He tilted his head in confusion. “Apple...tree? What's an apple?” Summer looked at him surprised. “You've never heard of an apple before?” Medley shook his head seeming put down slightly. “Err, don't worry about it. They're basically a fruit that grows on trees. They're really good too.” “Hmm...” Medley looked the fruit in his paw over. Taking a bite of it, he immediately spit it back out. “Bleh, that was gross! I thought you said they were good?” Slightly taken back by his reaction, she giggled. “Well I guess not everypony likes them. I guess they're just not your thing.” Summer looked up and her horn glowed slightly only to send harmless sparks off. Panting, she collapsed to the ground. “I-I guess I'm a bit tired for magic. Now how am I going to get them?” Summers stomach let out a loud growl in disapproval. “Oh quiet you, there's nothing I can do about it.” Medley saw the filly and felt bad. Just because he didn't like them he didn't think she shouldn't get any. Grabbing on to the trunk he slowly began to climb his way up the tree. His sharp claws made it easier, although the one leg that was hoofed was a bit of a setback. Making it to one of the lower branches he crawled over to grab one of the apples. As his paw touched it a small shock of energy burst out from Medley into the fruit causing him to recoil slightly. The energy that entered the apple suddenly began to jump to others causing them to all glow brilliantly. Both Summer and Medley were mesmerized by the spectacle of lights. As it all began to fade they noticed that apples had changed. Rather than the ripe red they had shown before they had become filled with a variety of colors, much like a rainbow. One of these strange new apples fell to the ground in front of Summer who simply looked at it with awe. “It looks really pretty.” her stomach let off another growl. “I hope it tastes as good as it looks.” Despite her concern for the unusual transformation, Summers hunger would be the one to win if she fought it any longer. Cautiously she took a bite out of the odd fruit. The alicorn looked at the apple in shock. “It's...” she began. “It's perfect.” Without hesitating, the young filly began to devour the apple before her. Medley noticed how much she liked them and began to pick them off one at a time hoping touching them again wouldn't make them do anything crazy. Climbing down with his tail holding a good bushel of these new apples he placed them on the ground by Summer, who immediately began eating another. “Wow, you really like these apple things huh?” “I love apples, but these ones are different.” she said with a mouthful. “I don't know how you did it, but they taste like something else entirely.” Medley picked one up and observed it. “So...they don't even taste like apples?” Summer nodded. “I guess I'll give these things a try then.” He took a bite and to his surprise loved it. “It's really sweet. What are they?” Summer wasn't really sure what they were. She had never heard of these strange apples. One zap and suddenly they turned into something new entirely. “I don't think they even have a name...maybe we should name them.” She pondered the thought for a moment. “Well, there was a zap and then they appeared right?” Medley nodded. “So why don't we call them zap apples?” Now with full bellies the two woke up from a short afternoon nap. The daylight was fading, however, as night began to slowly creep up on them. With no sign of a way out it wouldn't be long before it became too dark to see. “Is it just me, or does that tree look familiar?” Medley pointed out. Summer rolled her eyes. “They're trees. They all look the same.” she sighed. “We can't be that far from a way out. I mean how big can a forest possibly be?” Trees, trees, a few bushes, and more trees. That was all the pair could see in all directions. “Well if we keep walking in one direction, there's bound to be something right?” Hoping her thought was sound, they proceeded in the same direction they had been for some time. With another hour past night had fallen over Equestria. Summer was able to get up a simple light spell to act as a torch of sorts. Night seemed to have stirred up much in the dark forest. The pair could hear sounds of creatures in all direction. Occasionally Summer could swear she saw something in the shadows only for it to disappear as soon as she looked towards it. The whole area had her paranoid. Her friend Medley, however, was faring far better. He didn't seem phased by the environment at all, but rather aloof of the whole situation. Summer was beginning to wonder if he even remembered what being scared was. As the two walked they heard a branch break from their right. Summer stopped and starred in the direction of the sound. Medley stopped beside her confused. “Uh, Summer? Are you okay?” “T-there's something there...watching us.” The filly was visibly shaken, afraid of whatever unknown monstrosity was stalking them. “That's nice. Should we watch them back? Is this something ponies do normally?” Summer ignored his words as another branch broke, even closer than before. Letting out a slight yelp she jumped behind her friend in fear. “What are you do-” His words were interrupted when a small rabbit came hopping out of a nearby bush. It looked at them for a moment and started to hop away. Medley turned and looked at Summer skeptically. “That's what you're so scared of? Some fluffy thing that hops around?” Summers face started to blush. “N-no! I...I thought it was something else is all.” The same bush from which the rabbit came from rustled again. She shook off her nerves, slightly embarrassed, and approached the bush. “Hello again mister rabbit. Did you leave something behind?” Moving a few branches aside, she became paralyzed with fear. Rather than the cute little rabbit she expected she was met with the muzzle of a wooden dog-like creature. Its sharp teeth barred as it let out an unfriendly growl. “T-...timber wolf.” A/N: Sorry about the lack of updates recently. I've been out and about for a bit and haven't had much time to write. Expect chapters more often now that everything is starting to settle down!
Farewell Canterlot Farewell Canterlot "You don't have to leave, Tia. We can still play lots here." Night had fallen over Canterlot. The sky above was clear, revealing millions of shining stars to those below. For years, Celestia -better known as 'Princess' Celestia- had wanted only one thing; To go out and explore the world. Ever since she told her sister, Luna, the younger sibling had been begging her to reconsider. The two sisters stood on the main road just outside the city. Luna desperately pleading for her to stay. Celestia, however, had already made up her mind. She sighed. "I have to go, Luna. You know I don't want to be stuck here forever." The dark blue filly before her was shaking, a silver and gold necklace glinting from the light of the moon. "B-but why can't you go tomorrow night?" her words trembling as she tried to hold back the inevitable flow of tears. "Don't you want to play with me anymore?" Luna was only eight years old. Celestia knew she was too young to understand and was a little upset that she couldn't bring her along. Luna was sniffling lightly as the tears began to run down her face. She walked over and hugged her sister tightly. "I do Luna, I'll come back and play with you someday." "P-promise?" The white alicorn looked into the filly's eyes, as she looked up at her. Celestia nodded her head. "Promise." The two smiled at each other as Luna wiped the tears from her eyes. "Wait," Luna began, taking off the necklace that was around her neck. "take this with you." Celestia gave Luna a surprised look. "That's the necklace mom gave you before..." her expression darkened as she said the words. "I can't take that from you." Luna just shook her head. "You should have it. Mom said it keeps the pony who has it safe." she said placing necklace in Celestia's hoof. She put it on with a little help from her sister. "Well, I guess it's time for me to head out." Giving her sister a warm smile, she steeled her resolve. "Wish me luck, Lu." The little filly smiled and gave her one last hug. "I love you, Tia." "I love you too, Luna." For a few moments, the sisters held each other in silence. As the two separated Celestia could already feel the distance between them grow. Even though they were still so close together it was like an invisible barrier had suddenly divided them from one another. Turning around was the hardest thing she had ever done. She challenged her own thought as she began to walk forward. That was the hardest thing she had ever done. She gazed into the nights horizon. Before her lay an ever expanding dirt road and grassy plains for miles. These were the only things she could ever see from the castle towers. Beyond them were new ponies to meet, new places to see, and new challenges to face. Beyond them she would find what she had been searching for her whole life, an adventure. Two hours passed by. She looked back towards the city she had called home. It was long since lost to the landscape behind her. Midnight had passed and Celestia was tired. Staying up late was a "bad habit" for a princess who had to tend to her duties bright and early. "I get to stay up as long as I want!" she said sticking her tongue out in the city's direction. She chuckled at the very thought realizing that there was no one around to tell her what to do any more. Celestia picked her pace up to a skip as she gleefully began to speak to herself. "No pony to tell me not to eat cake before dinner, no pony to tell me I can't play outside, no pony to tell me when to go to bed." Her skipping stopped as she cut her celebration short. Her expression turned grim by a new realization. "No pony to tuck me into one." Celestia stood in the middle of the road as she began to second guess herself. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to leave..." Thinking back there was always someone with her. Whether it be servants, the royal guards, or her sister. Luna was the one thing that really made her think twice about all of this. She had always been there for Celestia, the one pony who she really trusted. Luna even kept her plans to leave a secret from their father. She huffed at remembering him. Her resolve strengthened once again as Celestia reminded herself of the reason she left in the first place. Kicking up dirt with her hooves behind her the filly continued to trot onward. A few feet from the side of the road lay the white alicorn filly. The heavy, blue cotton blanket wrapped around her slowly rising up and down as she breathed. Feeling a slight nudge on her side, Celestia squirmed slightly. She let out a sighing breath as she became comfortable once more. Again, something nudged her as she slowly began to wake. With a yawn, the small pony opened her eyes. The bright sun above her made it difficult to see at first. "You alright there kid?" Celestia was startled by the sudden voice as she became fully aware again. She jumped up quickly and looked to see a grey earth pony stallion standing next to her with a concerned look on his face. "Whoa easy there kiddo. No need to worry I ain't gonna hurt ya." On the road Celestia could see several large wooden carts being pulled by ponies. Among them were several younger ones,almost looking to be about her age. Excitement took over as the prospect of meeting others suddenly came to her. The pony that had woken her cleared his throat to regain her attention. "I didn't mean to bother ya miss, but you were just lyin' in the middle of nowhere." he apologized. "Had to make sure ya weren't hurt or anything." "U-um, thanks..." she said avoiding eye contact. She shuffled a hoof on the ground nervously as she tried to think of something to say. The stallion fixed that problem for her. "You look awfully familiar." he began, looking her over. "If I didn't know better I'd say ya'll were King Sols daughter. Princess Celestia I think it was." Celestia nodded. "Now what brings a young princess all the way out here by her lonesome?" It turns out he was part of a caravan of traveling merchants that went all around Equestria. As the two walked together she told her story to Silver Dollar, the earth pony introduced himself as. Silver also introduced her to his wife, Rosemary. A light pink unicorn who never seemed to stop smiling. He listened with a great deal of interest. After all, meeting with a member or royalty was a rare occasion, let alone to speak about their personal life. When she had finally finished explaining her story to the couple, they let out a small laugh. Celestia gave them a confused look. "Did I say something funny?" "No dear it's just," the pink unicorn began. "Nearly the same thing happened to me when I was your age." "Huh?" Rosemary chuckled at her confused response. "When I was a little filly, my parents tried to make me into a 'proper mare' so I could grow up to marry some noblepony's son." Celestia listened intently. "I couldn't stand him though. He was one of those rich snobs that you hear about all the time, always talking about money and himself. Finally sick of it all, I decided to run away." she looked happily at her mate and nuzzled him. "That's when I ran into this same caravan and met Silver." "Speaking of which, what do you plan to do from here on out Celestia?" Silver asked. Celestia shrugged. "I don't really know. I guess I had planned on walking until I found something." The couple looked at each other and smiled. "While yer lookin' for something interestin, do ya think you'd like to walk in our direction?" Celestia couldn't believe her luck! It was like her entire adventure had been laid out on a silver platter just for her. Doing her best to contain her joy, she gave them a huge grin and nodded. "Well alright then, welcome to the caravan princess." With that line, she could no longer hope to ever contain the happiness she felt. At the top of her lungs she shouted, "Equestria, here I come!"
New Life, New Friends"What's it like to travel? Are you always walking everywhere? How do you make pancakes without magic?" The day went on as Celestia conversed with Silver Dollar and Rosemary. The young filly couldn't help herself but to talk a mile a minute. Bombarding the couple with inquiries about even the smallest details of life outside of Canterlot. They were happy to answer her questions of course. It was rather refreshing for them to have a shining new face join them. Especially one so enthusiastic about learning what most ponies took for granted. It wasn't long before she started to ask about the other members of the caravan. The sounds of playful laughter could easily be heard over the creaking of the wooden carts. Celestia could see the source of this laughter coming from the small group of fillies and colts running around. Her questions paused for a moment as she silently observed them. The filly's sudden silence alerted the couple as they realized what she where her attention had been turned to. Silver gave Celestia a light nudge. "Well go on. I can see ya want to." She looked away sheepishly. Silver gave the alicorn a concerned look. "What's the matter?" he began. "Ya sure don't seem like the shy type ta me." "Well, I um," she hesitated to answer for a moment. "You see, I never really got to talk with other ponies my age. Father never really wanted me to play." The filly cleared her throat as she deepened her voice mockingly. "A princess should apply herself to her royal duties, not be playing foalish games with common ponyfolk." The grey pony gave a nod in understanding as his partner was desperately trying to stifle her laughter. "I-I understand it's hard at first dear," Rosemary managed to get out while laughing. "But sometimes you just have to try your best. After all you do want to meet them right?" Celestia nodded. "Well then let me give you a hoof with that." she said as her horn began to glow with a light pink aura. "Wait, wha-?" Her words were suddenly stopped as a flash of bright light appeared. Without warning the alicorn filly found herself standing in the center of the playful gathering of young ponies. They all stopped and looked at her with surprise, taken back by her sudden appearance. Staring at the mysterious newcomer the lot of them had fallen silent. Celestia tried to think of something to say. Anything would do, it was just too awkward to stand still and say nothing. Before she could make up her mind a young filly pegasus with a cinnamon coat and a messy violet mane approached her. With a serious look she stood in front of Celestia keeping their eyes locked as she slowly began to lean in. With the pegasus' green eyes staring at her Celestia pulled back her head slightly, unsure of what she could be up to. Finally the pegasus stopped leaning in. Less than an inch of space was between their faces. The two remained like this for nearly a minute before Celestia felt a light tap on her shoulder. The young filly smiled. "You're it!" Without so much as a warning, the cinnamon pegasus began running as fast as she could in the opposite direction, giggling all the while. The other young ponies followed in suit. The alicorn broke free from her stupor and shook her head. She may not have played with others very much, but she and Luna had played tag before. A devious grin appeared on her face. When it came to tag she always won. The young ponies took kindly to their new alicorn friend. It didn't take long for Celestia to get comfortable either. Their game of tag had gone on for some time, their youth providing them with seemingly endless energy. It was different playing a game with nearly a dozen others, but it wasn't exactly a difficult thing to adjust to. Before long they had switched over to a new game. This was one Celestia hadn't heard of before so she figured it would be best to ask one of her new friends about it. "Hey Snapple Jack," she addressed the cinnamon pegasus. "what's 'Duck, Duck, Goose'?" Snapple looked at her in shock. "You've never played Duck, Duck, Goose before?!" she quickly rushed over to the alicorns side. "That's probably the saddest thing I've ever heard in my life! That's like saying you've never seen a cloud. A cloud for cryin' out loud!" Celestia couldn't help but giggle at her over dramatic expression. "Yeah I know, I should get my cutie mark in rhymes any day now." she said proudly. "It's real simple you see. Everypony sits in a circle and one pony walks around it. Whenever that pony passes another they say you're either a duck or a goose." she was shot a confused stare from Celestia. "If your a duck nothing happens, but if you're a goose you gotta get up and chase them around the circle and tag em' before they reach your spot again." Celestia nodded, but her expression still had a look of confusion on it. "Don't worry you'll see soon enough." All gathered in a circle, Snapple remained outside it on the side opposite Celestia. With a single hoof raised above the white earth pony in front of her, Snapple began to walk around the circle. "Duck," she could hear her say. "Duck," the next pony had been passed over. "Duck," Celestia slowly became more excited. "Duck," Passing four ponies, Celestia looked at her pegasus friend and suddenly realized it might be her who gets picked. "Duck," Slowly moving closer, Snapple was only three ponies from her. "Duck," Just two more, the intensity building as the filly's anticipation grew. "Duck," One more. "Duck," As her hoof slowly began to pass over Celestia, she found she was trembling with excitement. The world seemed to move in slow motion as the moment of truth approached. The alicorn could almost sense it, she could feel what was about to happen next. "Goose!" The cinnamon pegasus took off giggling. As Celestia tried to get up and rushed after the giggling filly she felt her hooves slip on the grass beneath her, causing the young alicorn to fall face first into the ground. The other ponies burst out into laughter as she spit out a mouthful of dirt. Looking over Celestia saw her friend laughing uncontrollably while she rolled around on the grass. She smiled as she saw the opportunity to still win this. Trotting over, she simply placed a hoof on her back and smiled widely. "Just how I planned it." she said blowing a raspberry at the downed pegasus, only making everypony laugh harder. The young ponies would laugh and play until days end. Night had since fallen and the caravan had set up camp. Off a short ways from the road a bonfire had been set up. The crackling fire lit the area around them as embers would be carried away by the cool breeze. The young princess sat with two of her new friends. Snapple Jack, the pegasus who had been the first her age she had become acquainted with, and Equal Balance, a white earth pony colt with a short brown mane. "What's it like being a princess?" the white pony asked. The alicorn sighed. "It's awful," she began in a peeved tone. "All they do is teach you to have manners and be lady like. They don't let you leave your room without a guard and you're not allowed to play with others." A loud belch came from the cinnamon pegasus beside her, causing them to giggle slightly. "That's all the manners I'll ever need." Snapple said proudly. "Why, I bet I'd be..." she paused in though for a moment. "I bet I could be Equestria's Super-Princess!" Celestia and Equal began laughing hysterically as well as a few of the older ponies who had over heard. The laughing slowly subsided as Snapple was the next to ask a question. "So princess, I-" she paused suddenly. "You know what I just realized, you need a new name." Celestia gave her a confused look. "Hey you're right!" Equal had suddenly shouted. "Everyone knows the name Celestia as a princess, but you aren't one anymore." "A new name?" "It'll be like your secret code name." The young pegasus gasped. "You'll be like some kind of super secret spy pony." Celestia kind of liked the idea. She wasn't a foolish pony. She knew her father would send out ponies to look for her. An alias would be perfect to help conceal her identity. She nodded in agreement with the two. "I like the idea, but what should it be?" The three put a hoof to their chin as they contemplated a new name... A/N: Celestia's in need of a new name, but she and her friends can't seem to think of one. Can you lend a helping hoof? (Comment below or message me with your idea's. The winner gets to have their OC play a part in the story!)
A Fiery Visitor A Fiery Visitor It was yet another bright and sunny day. More than content with her new alias the young filly trotted merrily alongside her friends Snapple Jack and Equal Balance. "Summer Heart. I love it!" she said in her mind smiling. "Hmm...I wonder what we would call Luna if she were here." Thoughts of her younger sister returned to her. Not even gone two days, she was already beginning to miss the one thing she regretfully left behind. Though this dampened her mood she would not let it get the best of her today. The young filly was determined to see the world and she had new friends to see it with. The caravan had been following the same stretch of road for some time now, but something seemed a bit unusual with the ponies. They were close to the edge of a rather dark and eerie forest that was to their right on the trail. Everypony seemed to be on edge, glancing nervously around as they headed towards their destination...wherever that was. Summer, as she now happily referred to herself, remained unaware of whatever was bothering them. "So what are we doing today? We've been walking for an awfully long time now." The cinnamon pegasus also seemed to be at ease. "We're walking all day. We are a traveling caravan you know. Besides we're also supposed to be super careful around this forest according to the grown ups so we're not supposed to run off." Summers ears drooped as her mood was somewhat dampened. It wasn't that she didn't like the idea of traveling, but being the young and impatient filly she is Summer craved excitement. "But what they don't know won't hurt them." Snapple grinned deviously as she worked together a master plan in her mind. The alicorn perked back up at the very thought. Unlike Summer and Snapple, Equal Balance was slightly less content with the idea. "Are you sure Snapps? I mean the last time we sneaked off like that we got grounded for a week. Imagine how bad it could be if we got caught when we're by the Everfree forest." Summer recognized the name Everfree, but she wasn't sure where she had heard it before. "What's so scary about it anyways? Everfree isn't exactly a scary name for a forest." she thought for a moment. "Now calling it The Evil Shadow Woods, that's scary sounding." Snapple nodded "See? I doubt it's even that bad at all. Everyone says there's monsters and all sorts of nasty stuff inside, but I'll bet ya ten bits it's just to keep us from running in and getting lost." The white earth pony, Equal, was rather surprised at his friends reasoning. It was surprisingly sensible for the rascally pegasus. "I suppose you're right. So what's the big plan this time?" She pulled her two friends in close as Snapple began to speak quietly. "Alright, here's what we have to do..." "How did that even work?!" The alicorn was absolutely baffled at their successful escape. "A pillow and some silly string. That's all it took to get that cart to do that?!" Snapple was laughing hysterically all the while. "Don't forget the fireworks you set off with your magic, that was genius!" The earth pony just put a hoof to his face. "Let's not do that again. If we had gotten caught it would have been way more than a week." "That's right. If we had gotten caught. Now we're in the clear for at least an hour so what do you guys wanna do?" Just as Snapple spoke those words a small butterfly landed on her nose. Its wings were faintly glowing blue as Snapple just stared at it. The moment she moved, the glowing butterfly took flight once again and began headed away from the forest. "That butterfly is glowing! That's so cool...we should catch it!" "Winner gets to keep it!" Equal declared with newly found enthusiasm. The three of them chased the small insect around. Summer was rather perplexed as to why you would chase around a bug of all things, but she enjoyed the silliness of it all nonetheless. It was at this time that the glowing butterfly came towards her. "This is my chance." she thought. "I just have to reach out an-...who turned out the lights?" A shadow suddenly cast over them all. "Huh? But there's not even any clouds up there." "S-summer..." the cinnamon pegasus whimpered. "Well, well, what have we here." A powerful booming voice said from behind them. Summer turned around to find standing behind her was a massive dragon. Scales as black as night, razor sharp teeth glistening as it smiled, and standing far taller than any mere pony could ever hope to be. "Three little foals wandering on their own. How unfortunate that you had to cross my path during feeding time." "Umm...did you want the glowing butterfly?" The dragon looked at the alicorn and burst out into a fit of laughter. "T-that was priceless! Just for that I'm going to eat you last. Consider it my gift to you." Wiping a tear from his eye the dragon reached over to Snapple Jack and grabbed the helpless pegasus by her wings. Struggle as she might to free herself his grasp was far too strong. "Now hold still you two. I don't really feel like having to get up and chase you around." The dragon opened his large maw, smoke pouring out as he prepared to eat his next meal. Just as the filly neared his mouth the dragon dropped her and roared in pain as he clutched his right eye. "Alright, which one of you threw that?!" Summer was standing proudly with a small rock levitating beside her. "Why you little...come here you!" He reached out, only to Summer throw it right at his eye again. Roaring in pain fire spewed from his mouth, scorching the grass around them to ashes. "Eating you will be a real treat you little brat!" "Only if you can catch me!" Summer stuck out her tongue and began running into the nearby forest. "I hope he follows me in here. There's no way he'll be able to find me in a forest. Then Snapple and Equal can get away. It's perfect!" Behind her she could hear the heavy thud of the dragons footsteps pursuing her. "Looks like it worked." It was then the young filly realized one small problem. "Oh no it worked!" Inside the forest many strange noises could be heard. Most of them, however, were drowned out by the sounds of a massive dragon chasing an alicorn filly. The dragons form was large and rather clumsy in the dense brush of the forest. His body smashed in to trees and crushed plants below him as he stomped his way towards his prey. Summers small body was far better suited to the environment, but she was no athlete. The poor filly was already feeling the strain on her body. Fatigue quickly setting in as the dragon continued to close the distance between them. Luckily she was able to get out of its line of sight long enough to hide in a thick bush. A few branches scratched her as she entered, but it was nothing compared to what she knew that dragon would do when he caught her. "Come out foal! I tire of this pointless chase. You know you can't hide from me forever!" His voice roared out over the forest causing many small animals to flee in fear. For what felt to her like an eternity mere minutes would pass as the colossal beast scoured the ground. Swiping his sharp claws everywhere in a fit of rage. Suddenly Summer couldn't hear him anymore. It wasn't just him, however, the entire forest was dead silent. Not so much as a chirp from a bird. "Is...is he gone?" Curious, yet incredibly cautious, she slowly poked her head out of the bush to look around. "I don't see him...I think I did it. I got away!" She stepped out of her hiding spot and sighed in relief. "When the forest is quiet it means the predator is stalking its prey." Summer froze as the familiar voice sounded from above her. She looked up to see it dropping to the ground, smiling and barring its teeth as it landed over her with a tremendous thud. "Now you annoying little pony, time to pay for throwing those rocks at your superior." The dragon leaned its face in mere inches away from hers. "Perhaps I should char broil you first." The dragon took a deep breath, an unbearable amount of heat emanated from the gaping maw. Summers eyes watered as she covered them with her hooves. "P-please...somepony, anypony. Help!" With a mighty roar, intense flames began spewing from its mouth as they washed over Summer. It was then the young filly's horn began to glow. She felt hot, but not because of the fire. Energy was suddenly rising inside her, more than she could contain. Feeling like she was about to burst all of the energy suddenly shot out around her. Reality itself seemed to tear apart as a sudden explosion of magic sent the dragon forcefully to the ground. The air around her was distorted and twisted as the magic flew freely from her body. Fearing whatever had just happened the dragon took flight and escaped the source of this power. Bolts of power flew in all direction sundering the nearby trees and tearing others from their mighty roots. She couldn't control it. There was simply too much for any normal pony to handle. The ground beneath her began to crack apart as the power shook the earth. In front of her a small light appeared in the distortion, then everything went black. The young alicorn began to stir. She could hear something walking over to her, its steps softly touching the ground. Summer opened her eyes to see who it could be only to not believe what stood beside her. A creature, no larger than she, that seemed to be made up of many different animals. Its head that of a pony with mismatched horns, the body of a serpent, a feathered wing alongside a leathery bat-like one, and a mixed variety when it came to its legs. Despite its unusual nature the creature seemed to shy away from Summer, as though it were frightened of her. "W-...who are you?"
Stuck in the EverfreeSummer was at a lost for words. The being before her was unlike anything she had seen or heard about. The filly noted its timidness, however, and decided maybe it wasn't something dangerous. "It's okay, you don't have to be afraid." She began. "I'm not going to hurt you." Shaking its head the personality of the creature did a complete flip. "Afraid? Pfft, I'm not scared. You just...surprised me is all." Summer was taken aback by this change in demeanor. From first glance it seemed to be younger than she. The voice indicated it was a colt, or whatever the males of its kind were called. "So, uh, do you any idea where we are?" "What do you mean? Don't you live in here or something?" The creature looked at her confused. "Live here? Do I live here? I...I can't remember." He sat down trying to concentrate. "Who...who am I? Why can't I remember anything?" Summer wasn't sure if he was being serious or not. It all seemed too suspicious for her liking. "You can't even remember your name? Come on now, it can't be that hard to remember that of all things." He stood up with a worried expression. "I'm serious! I can't remember anything!" he said. "I-" he stopped. "Wait...I know your name. It's...Celestia." This caught the young filly off guard. She hadn't told him her name, not even her alias, yet he somehow knew who she was. This only made her suspicions grow. "H-how did you know that? Are you some kind of spy for my father?!" Now completely on edge she took a step back. "You can just tell him I don't want to go back. I'm perfectly happy on my own!" The creature tilted its head in confusion. "What are you talking about? You're crazy you know that?" Summer calmed down slightly. "You mean...you're not a spy?" "No, but if I was a spy and I told you I wouldn't be a very good one now would I?" He had a point. It didn't much help her nerves, but she found it a little funny nonetheless. "I-I guess." she agreed. "So if you're not a spy, what are you? How did you find me in the middle of a forest?" "Well that's just it, I don't know. I just suddenly saw you lying in front of me and that's all I remember." Sitting down it lifted its mismatched forelimbs and looked them over. "As for what I am..." his ears dropped as he looked rather concerned. "I don't know what I am." he paused and looked up at the filly hopefully. "Am I not like you?" Summer wasn't sure how to respond to the question. Obviously he wasn't a pony let alone an alicorn. On the other hand she didn't want to hurt his feelings by saying he's something different. It was quite clear the creature was looking to her for answers that she normally could never give, but given the circumstances she'd have to to her best. "Well we're...kind of alike. I mean, we both have wings and a tail, oh and we both have fur! So I guess we're pretty close." "Really? Well I guess you're right. I mean, of course not everyone looks the same right? Yeah! I'm just like you. Except I'm, uh, unique!" He smiled slightly and stood up again. "Well then...what do we do now?" Now reminded of the issue at hand she was clueless on which direction to take. "Not a bad question. I'm kind of lost right now...So I guess the first thing we should do is find a way out of this forest." The creature nodded. "Well then, lead the way Celestia!" he said cheerily. "Um, okay. Oh, can you call me Summer Heart from now on? I'm trying to keep my name a secret." The sounds of the forest were plentiful. Insects buzzed, birds chirped, and other critters could be heard all around them. A few more unnerving than others. For several hours,the two would wander the forest in hopes of finding a way out. Despite their lack of luck the two were becoming fast friends. Though rather unusual the creature was quite talkative. Always asking questions about her or about the most trivial of things. Not being able to remember his own name, Summer had just settled on calling him Medley until his memory returned. Being some sort of pony made up of different animals she felt it suited him well enough. Over all the sounds of the forest one in particular rose up, Summers stomach. Having not eaten all day her stomach let out a loud grumble. Medley looked at her with a confused expression. “Did you just growl at me?” “T-that was just my stomach. I guess I am a bit hungry.” she said slightly embarrassed. “Maybe we should try to find something to eat. There's bound to be something in a forest like this.” “Yeah,” Medley yawned. “But can we take a break first? We've been walking forever.” Leaning up against a nearby tree he felt something fall on his head. “Ow, what the heck was that?” Looking down he saw a small red fruit and picked it up. “Hey this tree's throwing things at me!” The filly looked at the apple excitedly. She then looked up to see the entire tree he had leaned against was full of bright red apples. “It's not throwing them at you silly. It's an apple tree. Wow that's lucky of us. They even look ripe!” He tilted his head in confusion. “Apple...tree? What's an apple?” Summer looked at him surprised. “You've never heard of an apple before?” Medley shook his head seeming put down slightly. “Err, don't worry about it. They're basically a fruit that grows on trees. They're really good too.” “Hmm...” Medley looked the fruit in his paw over. Taking a bite of it, he immediately spit it back out. “Bleh, that was gross! I thought you said they were good?” Slightly taken back by his reaction, she giggled. “Well I guess not everypony likes them. I guess they're just not your thing.” Summer looked up and her horn glowed slightly only to send harmless sparks off. Panting, she collapsed to the ground. “I-I guess I'm a bit tired for magic. Now how am I going to get them?” Summers stomach let out a loud growl in disapproval. “Oh quiet you, there's nothing I can do about it.” Medley saw the filly and felt bad. Just because he didn't like them he didn't think she shouldn't get any. Grabbing on to the trunk he slowly began to climb his way up the tree. His sharp claws made it easier, although the one leg that was hoofed was a bit of a setback. Making it to one of the lower branches he crawled over to grab one of the apples. As his paw touched it a small shock of energy burst out from Medley into the fruit causing him to recoil slightly. The energy that entered the apple suddenly began to jump to others causing them to all glow brilliantly. Both Summer and Medley were mesmerized by the spectacle of lights. As it all began to fade they noticed that apples had changed. Rather than the ripe red they had shown before they had become filled with a variety of colors, much like a rainbow. One of these strange new apples fell to the ground in front of Summer who simply looked at it with awe. “It looks really pretty.” her stomach let off another growl. “I hope it tastes as good as it looks.” Despite her concern for the unusual transformation, Summers hunger would be the one to win if she fought it any longer. Cautiously she took a bite out of the odd fruit. The alicorn looked at the apple in shock. “It's...” she began. “It's perfect.” Without hesitating, the young filly began to devour the apple before her. Medley noticed how much she liked them and began to pick them off one at a time hoping touching them again wouldn't make them do anything crazy. Climbing down with his tail holding a good bushel of these new apples he placed them on the ground by Summer, who immediately began eating another. “Wow, you really like these apple things huh?” “I love apples, but these ones are different.” she said with a mouthful. “I don't know how you did it, but they taste like something else entirely.” Medley picked one up and observed it. “So...they don't even taste like apples?” Summer nodded. “I guess I'll give these things a try then.” He took a bite and to his surprise loved it. “It's really sweet. What are they?” Summer wasn't really sure what they were. She had never heard of these strange apples. One zap and suddenly they turned into something new entirely. “I don't think they even have a name...maybe we should name them.” She pondered the thought for a moment. “Well, there was a zap and then they appeared right?” Medley nodded. “So why don't we call them zap apples?” Now with full bellies the two woke up from a short afternoon nap. The daylight was fading, however, as night began to slowly creep up on them. With no sign of a way out it wouldn't be long before it became too dark to see. “Is it just me, or does that tree look familiar?” Medley pointed out. Summer rolled her eyes. “They're trees. They all look the same.” she sighed. “We can't be that far from a way out. I mean how big can a forest possibly be?” Trees, trees, a few bushes, and more trees. That was all the pair could see in all directions. “Well if we keep walking in one direction, there's bound to be something right?” Hoping her thought was sound, they proceeded in the same direction they had been for some time. With another hour past night had fallen over Equestria. Summer was able to get up a simple light spell to act as a torch of sorts. Night seemed to have stirred up much in the dark forest. The pair could hear sounds of creatures in all direction. Occasionally Summer could swear she saw something in the shadows only for it to disappear as soon as she looked towards it. The whole area had her paranoid. Her friend Medley, however, was faring far better. He didn't seem phased by the environment at all, but rather aloof of the whole situation. Summer was beginning to wonder if he even remembered what being scared was. As the two walked they heard a branch break from their right. Summer stopped and starred in the direction of the sound. Medley stopped beside her confused. “Uh, Summer? Are you okay?” “T-there's something there...watching us.” The filly was visibly shaken, afraid of whatever unknown monstrosity was stalking them. “That's nice. Should we watch them back? Is this something ponies do normally?” Summer ignored his words as another branch broke, even closer than before. Letting out a slight yelp she jumped behind her friend in fear. “What are you do-” His words were interrupted when a small rabbit came hopping out of a nearby bush. It looked at them for a moment and started to hop away. Medley turned and looked at Summer skeptically. “That's what you're so scared of? Some fluffy thing that hops around?” Summers face started to blush. “N-no! I...I thought it was something else is all.” The same bush from which the rabbit came from rustled again. She shook off her nerves, slightly embarrassed, and approached the bush. “Hello again mister rabbit. Did you leave something behind?” Moving a few branches aside, she became paralyzed with fear. Rather than the cute little rabbit she expected she was met with the muzzle of a wooden dog-like creature. Its sharp teeth barred as it let out an unfriendly growl. “T-...timber wolf.” A/N: Sorry about the lack of updates recently. I've been out and about for a bit and haven't had much time to write. Expect chapters more often now that everything is starting to settle down!
