Left to the Clutches of Death
Author's Note
I wrote this story because of a blog post of LightofTriumph's. In said post he presented the idea for this story, and challenged people to write it. I took a liking to the idea, so, here you go. Hope you enjoy!
Left to the Clutches of Death
My name is Tank. Somehow, I was lucky enough to become the pet of Rainbow Dash, the fastest pegasus in all of Equestria. I couldn't ask for a more loving pony to have as my family. But life wasn't always this way. Many years ago, when I was very young, I didn't have a family. I didn't have anything.
I poke my head outside the protective shell of my egg. The first thing that catches my eye is my mother. She is sitting at the edge of the nest, one eye on me, and one eye watching for trouble. Cautiously, I push my entire body out into the world.
As soon as my foot touches the bracken within the nest my mother whips her head around to face me. She stares, and stares, and stares. Nervously, I stretch my head forward and attempt to touch her. She hits me, hard. Confused, I pull my head back and begin to cry. Through my tears, I watch as my mother turns and begins to walk away. I want to call out, to ask what I did wrong, but I'm too afraid. I don't want to be hit again. And besides, she's probably only going to find food. Instead, I bring my head into my shell, and drift off to sleep.
The bright light of the sun startles me awake. I slide my head out of my shell again and look around. My mother is nowhere to be seen. Somehow, I know that she isn't coming back. Not now, not tomorrow, not ever. Why? What did I do? Tears spill out of my eyes yet again, and I sink down close to the ground.
I feel my stomach give a loud rumble. Some instinct tells me that this means I need to find food. Raising my head, and looking through the veil of tears, I take in my surroundings. There are tall, dark trees everywhere, and the slight breeze billowing through them makes it sound eerie, even haunted. The tears slow to a stop, and my eyes grow wide in fear. Somewhere deep in these woods, a wolf howls, low and menacing. An owl hoots, echoing amongst the leafy trees. And something else, something even more mysterious, makes a sound that’s a cross between a roar and a scream.
Instinctively I pull my head back inside my shell and wait for the noises to die down. I don't know how long it takes, but eventually I work up the courage to peek out again. This time, I'm determined not to let anything scare me. Slowly, and on shaky legs I pull myself into a standing position. With a quick glance around the nest, I step out, and onto the forest floor. Nothing comes rushing to eat me, so I take another step. And another, and another, until finally, I am walking at a steady pace.
Luckily, the route I have chosen is fairly clear of undergrowth, so I make fairly good progress. I can sense that I have been walking for quite a long while by the time I see the sun begin to slip beneath the horizon, and the moon take its place against the starlit night sky. I feel my eyelids beginning to droop down, signaling that I should find someplace to sleep. However, I force them open once again, and continue plodding onward.
I must go on. My mother may have abandoned me, but that does not mean that I should not still believe in myself. Even though, she’ll never see me again, I have to prove to myself that I’m better. I have to prove that I’m just as strong, just as brave, and just as determined as any other living creature. I am NOT weak. I will NOT stop. Not until I’ve found food, water, and someplace to make a home, a life, for myself. I will go on. I must.
While I was lost in thought, I have somehow managed to reach the edge of this forest. Hesitantly, I step outside the shelter of the trees, that I’ve become accustomed to, and into an open field. Squinting, I can barely make out a dark, boxy shape far off in the distance. Unsure of what it is, but also unsure of what to do or where to go, I decide to head toward this shape. At the very least, there might be some food inside it.
With a resigned sigh, I force my exhausted legs to continue my long trek into the unknown. Soon I come across a puddle of water. Thankfully, I halt beside it, and lean down to gratefully drink my fill. I take gulp after gulp until I no longer feel a burning sensation in the back of my throat. Reinvigorated, I start walking at a faster pace with a determined scowl on my face.
Why? Why couldn’t you have kept me mother? I wish I knew what I had done wrong. I only wanted to greet you. I thought that was what you were supposed to do. If only you had given me a chance. If you could see me now, then I think you’d be regretting your decision to abandon me.
But it’s too late to go back. Neither of us can change the past, and you know, I don’t think I’d want to. Now that I’ve adjusted, I prefer things this way. If you were so keen to abandon your child, then it’s pretty obvious that you wouldn’t care about me no matter whether we’re together or not. I’ll find someone better. Someone who’d actually care.
The light from the rising sun jolts me out of my reverie. Somehow, I’d been walking all night and hadn’t even noticed. I raise my head wearily and see, to my surprise, that I am not far from the boxy shape that I saw hours ago. Close up it appears to be a house of some sort. My curiosity overwhelms my fear, and I walk even faster, eager to find out what this place is.
As I approach, the door opens and a yellow pegasus pony with a light pink mane comes out. She sees me struggling up the road and dashes towards me. As soon as she stops next to me, I stop walking and look at her curiously. “Oh, you poor thing!” she exclaims, “You look exhausted! Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you.”
With that, she scoops me up gently and flies into the building which I assume is her house. Gently, she sets me down on something soft. As I drift off into a deep sleep, I realize that this is someone who will care about me and keep me safe.
That’s how I found my family. Ever since then Fluttershy has been just like a mother to me. She replaced the one I’d lost. Without her I’d never have had the chance to experience love. And now, thanks to her, I can experience a different kind of love. A love that’s got more of a fire behind it. The love of Rainbow Dash.
