The Long Road

Princess Celestia began to rise into the dawning sky, the assembly of ponies having gathered to just outside the grand hall. Her horn begins to glow as she raises her forelegs upwards, letting golden radiance erupt henceforth to usher in the rising sun over the distant mountain ridge. Luna was right she thought as a soft smile crept across her muzzle, her ears perked to take in the sound of happiness through the whistling and cheering below. I worry too much.

Yet with the back of her wings to the rising sun and her vision never hindered, she is the first to acknowledge that which gives her pause in her self indulgence, but haste in her pursuit.

"Where is Princess Celestia going?" Twilight whispers as she is forced to crane her neck up and over backwards, much to the same as the other ponies gathered all around.

Luna! Something has happened near Fluttershy's cottage. causing Princess Luna's physical reaction to garner the absolute attention of the bearers all standing near as worried expressions begin to form.

"Princess Luna did something happen?" Twilight speaks for her gathered friends as the sparkling crown adorned on her head, along with the shiny jewels across the other bearer's necks, are not so easily concealed from the contemplating eye of Luna.

Leaning in as to not cause panic, "We know only that our sister has found something of great concern and has requested our presence." as she lets her eyes meet each of theirs, "Come." as she begins to take her leave.

"But where are we going?" Twilight with bearers following in her wake asks in confusion.

"Fluttershy's cottage." as one couldn't help but gasp much louder than the others in fear, "Make haste!" as Luna unfurls her wings and takes to the sky, followed either by sky or ground towards outside of Ponyville.

Allowing herself only enough speed to not visually draw attention, Princess Luna begins to descend as she finally approaches the cottage in question, landing just behind her sister. "Sister?" she calls out as she begins to move closer only to take notice to the en mass of guards coming from all directions. We will discuss this later in the barracks as she comes to stop along her sister, only to be brought to a breathless stare.

"Princess!!" comes the calling of the several of the bearers not out of breath as they are almost knocked over by the rapid speed increase of yellow and pink. "Harry!!" as the yellow and pink blur latches onto the already annoyed bear's neck.

"Princess...?" Twilight cautiously calls out and approaches in the same, "We...we brought the elements with us.."

"They will not be needed, my dear Twilight." Princess Celestia replies without turning around, "You may approach but please do not venture too close." as the assembled guards forming a parameter separate to allow the bearers entry. Allowing each bearer save for Fluttershy, still attached to Harry the Bear, to come into view of what lay before the princesses, with varying reactions.

"A stallion?" Twilight tilts her head at such a thing causing such ruckus until she takes notice, "Who would do such a terrible thing!" as her feelings fluctuate between anger and concern.

"We came out all this way just for...?" Rainbow Dash begins to complain before silence over takes her as the form of a dark goldenrod stallion with a beige mane laying in the grass comes into view.

"What in tarnation's got everypony so.." Applejack leans with wide eyes before jumping back, "What could'a done.." before she snorts and aims her now anger filled eyes towards the entrance of the Everfree. "No good low down varmits!"

"Applejack!" Rarity chides, "What in equestria could warrant such unlady like eek!" as she jumps back behind applejack, who while too angry to care, snorts again towards the Everfree. "Well...I...perhaps we...." before just placing her hoof over her mouth, her brain still trying to process all the scars her keen eyes had surveyed.

"Oooo a new pony?" Pinkie bounces forward with glee, "That can only mean...!!" as both the bounce in her hooves and mane evaporate into thin air. "..n-new friend.." much to the watery irritation forming in her eyes, "party."

Fluttershy releases Harry the Bear having noticed the reactions of her friends to whatever lay before them and the princesses. Was it a monster? Perhaps something just as scary! she thought as against her better judgement she moved up to alongside her friends. "I-is it...a m-m-m..." she shakily peeks past Pinkie before the volume of her own gasp is enough to pull the others out of their stupor as they begin to call out to her as she flies towards her cottage.

"Fluttershy wait...!" Rainbow calls out to no avail as she watches her butterscotch friend nearly take her own door off the hinges, "Well there she goes for the next several weeks..." before her ears perk up to the sound of loud crashing and ruckus.

"Fluttershy?!" the others call out, fearing something had happened inside the cottage before the yellow, pink, and red blur speeds out and over them all only to land right next to the fallen stallion.

"Fluttershy get away from..." Twilight frantically calls out to her friend before being interrupted by something rarely seen.

"Whats wrong all of you?!" Fluttershy nearly screams through tears as she nearly rips the lid to her emergency medical kit off, "He's hurt and all you can do is stare!" she quickly pulls out some ointment with her teeth to spread over the stallion's foreleg.

"Please do not judge them in haste, little Fluttershy." Princess Celestia softly speaks with a kind smile as she looks down at the bearer of kindness, "I asked them to keep their distance as we do not know anything about this unfortunate stallion."

"But...!" Fluttershy, at the wide eyed stare of her friends and guards for essentially yelling at the princess.

"Dear Fluttershy please," Princess Luna moves forth to help nestle the element of kindness into backing away, "Our sister is currently using her magic to make sure this stallion's life is not in immediate danger." making sure the bearers all take notice of the soft golden glow constantly emitted from Princess Celestia's horn, "But if our concerns are met then this stallion may have been lost for a very very long time in the Everfree." as the element of kindness gives the stallion a long hard stare.

"If he were to suddenly awaken then such closeness may cause panic, and in turn, injury to those within reach." Princess Celestia almost coos to Fluttershy who has slightly lowered her muzzle, "You know I speak the truth." and finally nods in understanding.

"I'm sorr..." Fluttershy attempts to apologize.

"Never," Princess Celestia interrupts with a smile riddled with pride, "apologize for the instinct to help those in need."

The once more timid pegasus returns to her fellow bearers while whispering apologizes nonetheless only to receive the same, much to the brief amusement of the princesses.

"If this one deeply slumbers, then perhaps we are the one best suited to the task of awakening him." Princess Luna volunteers much to the surprise of all those around.

"But my princess...!" came the same objections from bearers and guards.

"And if you run into something unexpected?" Princess Celestia moves her eye towards her sister.

"As Princess of the Night we are prepared for anything that may present itself in the dream scape." Princess Luna looks towards her sister, "But we will be careful nonetheless." as a nod and discontinued golden glow signals her light blue to take over.

"Ah wonder what the guy dreams of if he calls the Everfree home" Applejack openly asks what many others wanted to.

"That dreary place could never be a proper home." Rarity is quick to point out.

"Hey." Rainbow asks while entirely focused on the stallion, "You thinking this is that cursed creature the animals told Fluttershy about?" causing the others to go wide eyed and also focus on the stallion.

"Luna?" Princess Celestia loudly calls out into the ear of her sister much to the growing distress of the ponies around as they all notice the strain on the Lunar Princess's face, "Luna!" Celestia outright yells as Luna's eyes flare open.

"Oh I'm so glad..." Princess Celestia gives pause as she watched Princess Luna sprint towards the nearby trees and seemingly hurl the contents of her stomach, "Luna?!" as she herself gallops over to her sister. "What happened? What did you see?"

"N-nothing...!" Princess Luna continues to spit as Fluttershy rushes over with a cloth from her emergency medicine kit, "Thank you Fluttershy" the princess of the night quickly thanks while doing her best to wipe her muzzle clean.

"What do you mean nothing?" Rainbow Dash quickly asks amid the shushing of her friends.

"That, Rainbow Dash, is exactly what we mean." Princess Luna turns to address the ponies before her. "When we ventured into the mind of this befallen stallion we were eclipsed in nothingness." as her stomach begins to churn once more, "We became disoriented from the sheer vertigo associated with such an experience and were unable to concentrate on returning."

"Meaning he's not asleep?" Fluttershy quietly asks.

"It means," Princess Luna steels herself, "That there no longer exists any pony inside to wake up."

As realization gives way to slight hysteria, Princess Celestia's gaze hardens as she looks into the Everfree. Where before concern existed for a wayward subject, actual fear emerged at the prospect now laid before her. "Who found him?" her voice so stone cold that even the birds nearby refrained from chirping.

"The Bear brought him from inside the Everfree my princess." one guard quickly answers, even if with some cracking.

"Fluttershy," Princess Celestia's voice relenting the hardness for a brief moment, "We need to know what happened."

"I...um...okay." Fluttershy wipes beads of water forming in her eyes before moving over to Harry the Bear, followed by the princesses and bearers.

"Harry." Fluttershy spoke to the bear, "Harry we need your help." the bear finally looking up to the caretaker, "We need to know how you found him." as she points behind her toward the stallion laying in the grass.

As the bear began to growl, moan, and make other noises the ponies relied on Fluttershy to recant for them. "You went to the river...and he fall off a cliff?!" as gasps rung out behind her, "Oh he came up on his own? And also talked to you?" quick to look behind her at the ever hungry eyes of the princesses for more information.

"What happened next Harry?" tilting her head as she listened "Then he stood at the water and started to splash at it? He was angry?" as her own eyes shifted to and fro as the information was digested, "and then he just fall down so you carried him here?"

Princess Celestia says nothing as she turns about and walks to just before the stallion. At first she stares down upon the breathing but in all regards lifeless pony before her, and then up to the dark entrance to the Everfree. No pony emits even a word as they are also overtaken by the dense haze that seems to envelope the clearing in which they now reside.

"Luna." Princess Celestia calls for her sister, and her alone, to venture forth to her side.

"Yes sister?" Princess Luna asks as she fidgets at having to stand before the body of the pony that still breaths.

"We cannot allow any to risk their safety within the confides of the Everfree until we know what attacked this poor stallion." Princess Celestia states with a solemn tone, "Are you in agreement?"

Princess Luna turns about, "The Everfree, until further notice, is now forbidden entry." as the bearers and guards dare not interrupt, "We have reason to believe that this pony was murdered by something that cannot be so easily detected." as gasps and murmurs begin to ring out. "We shall be sending a small escort to offer temporary relocation for the one known as Zecora within the hour."

"What are we going to do with the stallion?" Twilight musters the courage to ask what many wondered. "We can't just bury him while he's still breathing!" causing the unseen eyes of her mentor to squeeze shut in discomfort.

"Twilight we..." Princess Celestia begins to turn to address the innocence of her favorite pupil when the cry of pain and tearing of grass and soil erupts from before her forelegs, "Luna!" causing her to jump back in surprise as Luna leaps away the same.

The stallion seems to stretch, like after a long nap of discomfort, giving slight jerks of his head and forelegs.

"Impossible..." Princess Luna can barely mutter as she watches in amazement and horror.

"Ah thought you all said he was gone?!" Applejack yells out in disturbed confusion.

As the stallion's stretching seems to turn into spasms and groans of pain.

"Oh my...oh my....oh..." Fluttershy, having already been stressed so much in one day, passes out from the strain from an instinctual need to help and sheer fright of what needed help colliding without relent on top of a already passed out Rarity.

"Am I the only pony here who thinks this stallion coming back from the dead is pretty badflank?" Rainbow Dash asks much to the utterly disapproving stares of her still conscious friends and guards, save for the subtle tip of the hat from Applejack.

"Dang nabbin loony good for nothin vermin!" The stallion yells out in rage and discomfort as he springs to his hooves like nothing abnormal had happened, causing at least a few guards to jump back in fright.

"Dude totally sounds like you too." Rainbow whispers to Applejack who quirks a brow. "Guess that means you're related huh." as Applejack's brow then furrows at her cyan best friend.

Princess Celestia, however, was quickly brought out of her bewilderment as the stallion spits crimson onto the grass below. He wasn't internally injured before as she straightens her posture and emits a gentle cough.

"Guessing ah ain't alone now am I." the stallion speaks with his backside still turned to the gathering behind him, lifting his head as he begins to slowly turn about.

"Greetings. My name is Princess..."

They found me! the stallion internally screams as he etches back into a very aggressive stance, and in turn, causing most of the ponies gathered before him to do the same by instinct save for the two princesses, Twilight and Pinkie.

"Calm yourselves." Princess Luna commands with a shallow tone.

"...Celestia." She slightly relaxes her posture as a carefully slow step forward is met with an equally slow step back. Though not the first time she has brought forth the same reaction, something churning in her stomach causes her doubt if of the same origin. Fear of her disappointment. Fear of her strength from those of less than noble causes. Fear of many things that one such as her, even if born out of ignorance, can bring.

She takes another step, if ever so slow and gentle, as another step back robs anything possibly gained. Yet even in fear of reprisal or shame those backing away often looked away. However the stallion before her, if of one constant, had never taken his eyes off her own. Dilated and focused, they bore into her and told her the words that he would not. He fears us. But why?

"May I have your name, young stallion?" Princess Celestia asks in a motherly tone.

The stallion merely narrows his eyes.

"When you were found, you had been attacked." Princess Celestia, satisfied with hostility through words only, continues to speak in her soothing motherly tone in the hopes of calming the situation further. "Do you remember what happened?"

The stallion etches back a bit more, flicking his ear back towards the Everfree entrance. "Ya can't fool me no longer."

"Fool you?" Princess Celestia tilts her head at the strange, if rude, choice of words.

"Ah ain't small no more." as his ear now flicks towards the sound of splashing water and shrieks, "Done learned ah'm better off on my lonesome." taking another slow step backwards, "So let me go and ya ain't gotta worry none."

"We just wish to help you." Princess Celestia soothes out, "What kind of ponies would we be if we just walked away?"

"Better than the rest of your kind." was all the stallion etches out.

As the princesses traded one eye glances the other ponies were still trying to process what they had heard. However the silence could no longer resist the urge for information finally got the better of one lavender unicorn.

"Why do you hate us?" Twilight asks not in anger or sorrow, but in seemingly vocal numbness.

"Ah don't hate y'all." Frustration slowly getting the better of the stallion, "Ah'm just trying to get away from ya!"

"But why?!" Twilight, out of frustration of each answer raising more questions, yells in mounting confusion.

Cause ah don't wanna die as he straight up turns and bolts for the open entrance of the Everfree.

"Princess he's...!" As some ponies begin to panic at the display the princesses seem to disregard the turn of events and merely watch with expressions void of emotions, even if in truth it is anything but. Some of the ponies begin to give chase just as the stallion seems to slam into an unseen barrier, knocking him back.

"While we wish for him to come of his own violation," Princess Luna addresses the mostly disturbed bearers along with the unnerve guards, "Neither can we allow him to go back to where..." before her speech is interrupted by the sound of another impact on the barrier.

Princess Celestia can only stare wide eyed as she watches the stallion, time and time again, slam into the barrier causing damage only to himself.

"Stop..." her words are almost a whisper under the crackling backlash of each collision.

"I said stop...!" her voice seems to find itself but not yet able to overcome the ever growing thunder before her.

"Stop this at once!" her royal canterlot voice overcoming the thunder but not the willpower causing it. Her horn ripples with golden glow, encasing the now darker stallion as he was just about to collide once more with the dripping barrier.

"Ah..can't.." the stallion barely growls out as he continues to struggle in futility under the encasing grasp, "Ah...won't..." the volume increasing only to be met with the ever increasing strength of that which binds him.

"I know not what has instilled this madness into you but I will let you harm yourself no..." Princess Celestia proclaims in anger just as the emanating sound of a grinding pop shatters both the anger and her magical grasp. In their demise small beads of water begin to form in the corner of her eyes.

His breathing ragged with pain and his movements hindered by the dragging of his left front leg, the stallion makes yet one more charge into the barrier. The gentle touch of a dark blue horn signals the end of his struggle. As he begins his fall to the ground, the impending impact is denied by the light blue eclipsed around his body.

Back so soon I see.