Malinter: Trees, Wolves and Cutie Marks.
Malinter
Trees, Wolves and Cutie Marks
Imagine a small colt who is a little bigger than most of his classmates, with a nice brown coat that looks like the mahogany equivalent of fur, with a messy green mane and tail. Blue eyes, white hooves, a slight nibble on the left ear from a fight with another pony. Nice teeth if I’d smiled enough to show them. That was me, back then.
My name is Malinter. Some ponies called me “Mally” to sound more “friendly”.
My mother died giving birth to me. I learned that her death had occurred within minutes of her entering the hospital and that the doctors had barely enough time to save me, let alone ask her who my father was.
In any case, I was not all that interested in whether my father was still alive as I was sent to the orphanage in Ponyville, they took care of me and put me though the school there with a few of the other orphans my own age, give or take a year. I was a rather quiet colt who enjoyed studying nature. I never joined in with the immature jokes my classmates played or showed any interest in which pony had a crush on another pony.
.
At the time, I wasn’t quite as normal as the other ponies, I had the usual quirks for sure but what made me stick out back then was my unhealthy obsession with the Everfree Forest.
Ever since I’d learned of its existence I had wanted to go in there and explore. It almost called to me. I’d greedily read each and every single book I could get my hooves on but my age (and height) restricted me from getting the books that could give me real answers. All I got where books of ghost stories and superstition that just fuelled my curiosity even more.
None of these texts ever said why we were forbidden to enter the forest other than something along the lines of ‘Celestia Says So’ and any grown up I asked was about as useless as the books.
And so it came to pass that I woke up one night, I’d barely been asleep more than an hour after reading a book called “Super Naturals” that detailed the medicinal uses for plants, a few of which I’d learned were only to be found in the Everfree. The plants had been hoofdrawn by previous explorers and I worked hard to memorize their names, what they looked like and which of them had effects or were edible so that I could search for them myself one day and try to make some of the recipes in the book.
The town was buzzing with activity, ponies were wondering about with kids wanting to see what was happening only to be forced back inside by their parents, I could see the orphanage matron stood outside the door like a guard dog. It would take Nightmare Moon herself to get that mare to move. I listened intently to the ponies passing by and soon enough I'd overheard enough snips of conversation to piece together what was going on. Two colts had taken it upon themselves to wander off into the Everfree Forest and they had not returned. Some were saying that they had probably been eaten by now. Others wanted to search while others wanted to call for the Royal Guard, resulting in nobody really doing anything but talk and, here and there, argue. The town was always like this in a crisis especially during winter wrap-up.
Tonight was my chance. The adults would be too busy making sure no other foals went missing. I had to be quick. grabbing the small stash basic supplies I always kept for such an opportunity as this. I had food, water and a light source. With the basic essentials packed into my saddlebag I proceeded to the loose boards at the back of the orphanage, not long after I was first sent here I found that the boards could be moved and put back into position and that they were just large enough for me to fit though. I'd always have been caught afterwards wandering about ponyville but they never figured out how I was getting out. Even with everypony distacted, I would have to pass around ponyville and sneak though Sweet Apple Acres to reach the Everfree. It was not the shortest way to the Everfree but the fields would be empty at this hour save one or two of the Apples being up.
Quietly I came down the stairs making sure none of the other ponies saw me, I could probably have convinced one or two of the them to come with me but decided against it. They'd have heard the same stories I'd heard about the Everfree. How it was never the same twice, how it constantly shifted and changed from one day to the next. During the night, the moon was said to make the forest cloak itself in a layer of mist as if to hide itself from the moonlight, Such conditions would make it easy for a group to get split up and I didn't want to add more to missing list. It also occurred to me that the lost ponies might be hungry when I found them, I barely had enough food for myself, let alone three ponies. I'd need to eat light. Slowly and gently, I lifted the plank, turning it on the nail like a hinge to reveal the whole below. A cool night air breezed in and I dropped my saddlebag of supplies though first before climbing down afterwards. It was a tight fit. I must have grown a lot in the space of a year. Once I was through I moved the plank back into position.
Coming out of the back of the orphanage, a clear night sky greeted me. The moon had yet to rise. With my saddlebag securely fastened on I was ready to begin my adventure to get to the forest, and save those guys of course. I took to moving from house to house, avoiding the central plaza. I could hear the voice of Mayor Mare calling for calm, and a few other raised voices I could only assume were the parents of the lost colts.
Before long, the candy and flower shops had become hay bales and fences as approached the outer ring of Sweet Apple Acres. I was nowhere near the barns or anything yet but I'd need to be careful. The Apple Family, besides being very workaholic, were known for using dogs. The actually farm consists of alot more than then just a house and a few barns. The orchards alone cover an area larger than the town itself, and my route took me through the fields where the Zap Apples grew. At this time of year they were out of season, which was fortunate for me, as the trees were famed for both their fruit and the maintenance, they required almost constant supervision in the weeks leading up to the trees bearing their rainbow coloured fruits. Right now however they were just regular trees. At least as regular as magical trees ago.
Moving onwards. The moon was rising now, its glow illuminating everything but rather that betray my presence it allowed me to proceed though the orchard much quicker without risk of hitting a tree as I went and soon found myself on the other side. I look one look back at the the large barns, they looked smaller from here and Ponyville even smaller still. I turned back to see destination be fore me. The Everfree Forest… The moon now visible in its full glory and right on cue the mist started forming. It was so amazing to finally see something I’d read about with my own eyes. I trotted to the very the edge of the Everfree. I almost felt giddy. Never before had I gotten close without an adult scolding me and taking me back, the mist that permeated the forest seemed to part, as if inviting me to enter. That first hoof step I look felt so exciting, I savoured the next few steps, expecting at any moment for a grown up yell my name and call me back.
No-one called.
I walked into the forest, the mist swirled back into place like a curtain behind me.
Mal...int...ter....
"O...kay.... that is creepy."
The wind had called out my name. I actually felt nervous. Which was new for me. I felt excited but part of my brain knew that wasn't what one should feel when an dark, omnious, totally forbidden forest whispers your name. Before my brain added two and two together i focused on the two reasons I'd came here for. Those colts were lost in here, no doubt freaked out by the voices or some other phenomena the Everfree could throw at them. They needed somepony to save them and I was going to be that somepony.
The wind never whispered my name again. Perhaps it new it had goten my attention. They giddiness I felt coming into the forest had turned into a foreboding sense of danger. I'd read books of the ecology of the Everfree but I was learning that the authors of those books had done this place no justice at all. The unnerving creepiness of the trees that somehow give the impression that they were alive yet looked black, twisted and dead. It was also unnaturally quiet. I'd walked though woodlands and forests and they're always be something, a bird, an insect, something. But here? Nothing. Just the obscuring mist and the haunting wind rustling the trees. My hearing had became sharper to make up for the mist reducing my vision but the Everfree wasn't the only one with a few surprises. I had a party trick of my own.
Many earth ponies claim to have a sixth sense of sorts. What this sense attunes to varies from pony to pony, all that is known is that it is a very old and very obscure form of magic but it is not magic in the same way a unicorn would describe it. My "sense" works though the earth, natural earth to be exact. For as long as I can remember I have been able sense things both beneath the soil and above it, and even if it was out of my line of sight. Quite useful in a game of hide and seek. With practice I'd learned to could recognise when something was moving and in which direction.
In Ponyville I could sense ponies or the occasional bird or rabbit moving on the ground but here in the Everfree the whole place felt like it was moving and that was how I was suddenly aware of a presence, because unlike everything else around it. It did not move. I couldn’t tell if it was a pony but I could tell it was tacking me, keeping a fixed distance away from me, watching me.
My pace increased a little. My throat felt a little dry as I swallowed. I was not afraid but I thought that I might be better off just doing what I came here to do and get back quickly but then the presence disappeared and my heart which I had not realised was beating so fast, began to calm down. Just an animal or something I thought as I continued on.
Soon a story began to emerge. Broken branches here and there, disturbed soil and the occasional hoof print that was slightly smaller than my own. There were other hoof prints too but these were more numerous and fainter and from a bigger pony, though of a thought pony coming here on a daily basis surprised me, I knew of no such pony back in Ponyville but I didn’t have time to think about it as I noticed the smaller prints break off on a different direction so I turned off the path and headed though the bushes.
The sound of the rustling trees and wind had started picking up for some reason. As I looked along the tree line I began to see pairs of eyes emerging, glowing in the darkness before they blinked and faded. I focused on the ground whispering to myself not to be scared, telling myself I was just making sure I didn’t miss a print when I suddenly bumped into somepony and fell onto my back.
“Hey! Why don’t you watch where your going?!” I yelled rubbing my head before the thought sunk in of where I was. I looked up slowly.
Before me stood a figure in a hooded cloak clearly a pony but I couldn’t make out any detail save for her eyes which glowed from beneath the hood in an ominous yellow. I panicked.
“It’s the Olden Pony!” I cried and leapt behind a bush, though looking back now, what good that would have done for me is anyponys guess.
The cloaked figure didn’t move. She merely turned her head at me and waited as I slowly coaxed myself out of the bushes.
Isn’t she supposed to ask about a horseshoe or something? I thought, recalling the old mares tales I’d read about.
I now gave the hooded pony a better look. I was pretty sure it was a mare at least. The brown cloak she wore covered most of her body revealing only the fore hooves. Her skin was stripped in black and white. Definitely not the Olden Pony. I was about ask who she was but the words died in my mouth as I meet her glowing yellow eyes again, only this time I felt like they pierced into my soul, I was really glad I didn’t need to pee at this point. The stranger then spoke, in a mysteriously deep yet feminine voice. I could not understand what she was saying but it had this sing-song quality it. She pointed back the way I had came with a hoof.
She wanted me to leave. To go home.
“I can’t. There are two colts from Ponyville in here. I need to find them.”
She walked towards me and placed a hoof under my chin, turning my head from side to side. I used the chance to look at her forelegs in more detail, not really wanting to meet her eyes again, I noticed the many gold rings she wore and a small part of me suddenly wondered how she made so little noise wearing them.
She removed her hoof from my chin, as she did so I noticed a small glowing power on her hooves as she did so. She turned away, speaking more of the strange language I didn’t understand. I looked away as I tried to brush off the powder I thought she’d put on me.
“So can you h…” I’d started to say but she was gone. No noise. As sudden as she had had appeared, she had vanished. I sighed, More with relief than any sense of disappointment. But as I did so noticed little flecks of the powder she used lingered in the air, some lay on the ground, like breadcrumbs they lead even further into the Everfree.
“Thank You!” I called out before covering my mouth as my thanks echoed though the forest in all directions.
With the green flecks of light as a guide, I followed the path it weaved though the trees, across the shallows of water. What kind of magic was this? For a brief moment a part of me wished I was a unicorn so I could learn magic like this. I shook the thought out of my head. I might as well wish I could fly while I was at it.
As I reached the end of the glowing trail, the hoof prints I had seen before were present. Before me lay a hole in the ground, a mild glow seemed to be emanating from it, along with the faint sound of a pony sobbing. I approached the edge of the hole and looked down. Surprised to find it wasn’t a shear drop like I was expecting but an entrance to a gently sloping pathway that lead into another cavern below.
I proceeded into the cave where the source of the light was revealed itself. A large pool of water lay before me, the light of the risen moon pouring though the hole giving the pool its mysterious glow, the air was filled with a resonating hum that come from the pool itself. I walked towards the waters edge and looked at my own reflection in the pool, gazing into the eyes of my reflected self.
The two ponies, both unicorns, one of whom was crying had slipped from my mind at this point, so fascinated I was by the water. It was a few moments before the one comforting his friend realised I was there.
“M-Mally?!” the unicorn asked, surprised to see me. The sound of somepony using a nickname always urked me for some reason.
“My name is Malinter!” I replied.
“W-Why are you here? A-Are the grown ups here too?” he asked looking hopeful.
I shook my head. “Nope. Just me.”
“You came in by yourself?” he asked.
“Even if you guys weren‘t lost, I‘ve had wanted to come here anyway. I just need to rescue you two so that Matron doesn‘t spank my flank too hard when I get back..“ I replied, my body already imagining the soreness I‘d receive pulling of a stunt like this.. “To be honest, I don‘t even see why the grown ups were so scared to come in for you themselves, doesn‘t seem so dangerous to me.”
“It is.”” The sobbing pony spoke for the first time. “There’s something out there, it was following us.”
“I know. I saw her.” I replied.
“Her?” they replied in unison, looks of confusion appearing on their faces.
“The pony in the cloaked hood?” I asked, realising they didn‘t know what I was talking about, which as confirmed when they spoke again.
“These weren’t ponies! They growled and snarled with glowing green eyes!” said the tall one impersonating some kind of bear-dog thing.
I remembered the glowing eyes I had seen in the bushes, but they didn’t make the noises these two spoke off. In fact, they would have killed me and picked my body clean within minutes if they had. They must have mistaken if for a cat or something more scared of them then they were of it.
“Did they actually chase you?” I asked.
“W-Well… No… but….” the short one replied. I facehoofed.
“You panicked. You panicked so much you ran further into the forest and then couldn’t get out?” I could practically imagine the whole thing in my head.
“Maybe...” they replied in unison.
I sighed again. “Well… at least you had the sense to hide in here.” I said, trying to give them some credit and help them feel abit less embarrassed .
I took off the saddlebags I’d been wearing and presented them both with the small bit of food I’d had brought which they greedily accepted without a thank you or at least one not audible of the sound of the them eating. Their glowing horns pulling the food from the bag to their mouths. I didn’t mind. It was harder for them to talk with their mouths full so I went to look at the pool again.
At first I poked the water with a hoof. It rippled to my touch.
Then I sniffed the water. It didn‘t smell any different from a regular pond.
I gently lapped the water with my tongue. Maybe I could refill a bottle?
It seemed to be nothing but a normal pool of water, but what was making that noise? I turned my head in thought as I glazed into my reflection. Which suddenly waved a hoof at me.
“Gaaah!!!” I fell on my back and started pushing way from the pool with my hooves.
“Mal!! What’s wrong?!” one of the ponies asked.
“T-The water. My reflection waved at me.” I replied, my heart was beating like crazy.
“So wave back.” replied the short one.
“W-What?!” The stupidity of the remark stopped my panicked thoughts like a train wreck.
“Wave ba--- no, forget it,” I said getting back up, I marched back to the pool edge, my reflection looking back at me again, sighed and proceeded to wave at the image which behaved and acted like a reflection should,
“You guys done?” I asked, my fascination for the pool done with even tough I kept glancing at it. Expecting it to do something weird again.
They nodded in confirmation, wiping the crumbs from their mouths.
I packed up what was left and put the saddlebags on my back again, they felt a lot lighter now.
“Right. Then lets get out of here.” I said as we proceeded back up the slope, with the two unicorns behind me.
“Erm… Mal? Do you know the way back to town?” asked one of them.
To be honest? No, I didn’t. But I wasn’t going to tell them that. I hoped the mysterious powder trail still remained outside, with that I could at least get back on the path and work my way from there.
As we emerged from the hole I noticed small traces of powder remained in the air but the path itself was gone. It didn’t matter. I’d found the two numbskulls. Even if we they ended up walking in circles, with the food they had just eaten they weren’t going to starve and they could just as easily wait until either daylight arrived or the guards found them.
I didn’t like the second option. I wanted to prove that I could do what the grown ups couldn’t and not be lectured like a foal. I was going to get them back to ponyville before nights end.
“This way.” I pointed with a hoof as I began to lead the way, I remembered most of path well enough, certain types of grass here. a few distinct trees there, the shallows of water I passed. Also the trace amounts of dust in the air that seemed to linger in the spots where I felt lost.
So far so good. He heard the two unicorns behind him talking amongst themselves. Or maybe to him. It might have been rude for me to block them out but I needed to focus on getting back. The glowing eyes I’d seen on the way in were coming back to me, only now my own imagination was giving them fangs and claws. Focus, Mally. He took a deep breath. Wait. Did I just call myself, Mally? I rubbed my forehead, I’ve been with these idiots 5 minutes and already I’m turning into one of them…
“You ok, Mally?” the tall one asked. I groaned, stopped and turned.
“I told you, my name is Malinter. Not Mally.” I replied, poking him with each syllable.
“What about Mal? Or Linty?” asked the other.
I rubbed a hoof down my face. Maybe waiting for the guards would have been better idea .
“Hey, wait up!” yelled the tall one as I continued on in a hurry before I developed an urge to hit one of them. They soon caught up and took to walking at either side of me.
“So~~~” asked the tall one, trying to spark up a conversation.
“What?” I asked taking the bait.
“You don’t have your cutie mark yet.” he said pointing to my flank that was obscured by my saddlebags.”
“Neither you either of you.” I replied I actually glanced at their flanks to see if that was actually correct. “What’s your point?” I added.
“Well… seeing as your our new BFF we thought you might want to join our little club.” replied the other.
I just rolled my eyes in response.
“And what is the purpose of this club exactly?” I asked.
“To get cutie marks! Of course!” the tall one said excitedly.
“Even though we all get one eventually anyway?” I pointed out.
“Well… yeah… that’s true…” said the small one sounding a little deflated.
“Look guys. Why don’t you ask some other pony. Macintosh doesn’t have his mark yet. Why don’t you ask him.” I suggested.
“We can’t ask Macintosh to join us!” gasped the tall one, he was almost sure he sensed reverence in his voice.
“Why not?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“Because he’s… big and, strong!” said the small one.
“And cool, all the mares have a crush on him.” added the tall one with a slight sigh.
“For Celestia’s sake, you two. Do you two even have any faith in yourselves at all?” I asked.
They actually had to stop and think to answer the question. Bloody hopeless.
“I’m sure you’ll get your marks… eventually.” I said before they had a chance to speak.
“And get a mare friend??” asked the small one just adding that in to the conversation.
“Er… Yeah. Sure… Just… don’t invite me to the wedding or anything… Seriously.”
I stopped. Suddenly I realised I didn’t know where we were. None of these trees looked familiar and the dust was nowhere to be found. Great. Now I was lost.
“This isn’t the way I came. Lets go back little.”
I’d only just past between them when a black silhouette just shot by us. I’d only heard it, felt its passing like a breeze but the took of fear on the two unicorns told him what they saw wasn’t friendly.
I spun round, looking at the surrounding tree line for any signs of movement.
“They’ve found us!” said the tall one, shivering in fear, the smaller one was shaking even more.
I tried not to feel the same fear, but it was hard not to. Whatever that was it was fast. And big, I tried to calm myself. I was good calm, I could think, I could feel… I could feel though the earth…
And I felt… two… six… t-ten…. Sweet Merciful Celestia…
Malinter’s eyes snapped open and he gulped, in the darkness a dozen pairs eyes appeared. Forget calm. Now was the time to panic.
“You two…” I spoke with my voice barely a whisper.
“We’re going to run but we have to stick together… got it?”
They nodded very quickly, still shivering in fear as the wolves emerged from the forest,
They looked like wolves yet instead of flesh and blood their bodies were made of bark and timber, their eyes glowed with magic. They were big, not that it meant anything when you’re a foal. The thought that he was about to die a blank flank entered my mind and suddenly the fear vanished.
Buck. That. I was not going to die a blank flank.
“Ok… on the count of three…. One…”
They ran.
“BFFs, my flank!” I cursed, as the wolves howled and attacked, me, I leapt back as the first crashed landed in the spot where I had just been and managed to wheel around in time to sprint from the next two.
I sprinted after the two traitors and soon caught up to them, the tall ones skinny legs and the short ones weight made them poor sprinters though the short one could move when he needed to.
“Can‘t you move any slower! Run!!” I yelled, trying to push the skinny one to get more speed.
“I can’t!” he wailed, as the wolves quickly caught up with us.
No time.
I skidded to a halt with my legs in a bucking position. Several of the wolves zipped past me but one ran to meet my hooves as I kicked out, it gave a yelp of pain before its combined speed and my kick caused it to explode in a shower of timber and twigs. Several of the splinters dug into my body. They stung a little but nothing I couldn’t handle. The other wolves that had gone on ahead suddenly stopped and turned. A sense of anger blazed in their eyes as they sensed the death of one of their own and seized the chance to surround one of the ponies.
The two unicorns stopped running.
“Mal!” they called out.
“Just Go! Run!” I yelled back, the wolves moving to obscure my view of the pair. the sound of their galloping hooves fading away.
I was on my own now. This is it, I thought. Time to die like a stallion! He was going to take one more wolf down with him and be a badass.
Blank Flank. Blank Flank.
Damn it!
“Come on, your hungry aren‘t ya…?” I hissed as the wolves positioned themselves to attack me from my blind spots, I heard a growl rise from behind me and turned, my saddlebag took my place in the wolves maw, it shook me like a rag doll, tearing it from my back and throwing me to the ground hard. I was defenceless and could already envision the teeth closing around my neck, choking out my life. The sound of my spine creaking… like a tree???
With a dull thump, three wolves where crushed under a large tree, I’d barely had time to see them die before another tree crushed a few more in of them. The other wolves looked around in confusion, they were suddenly down in numbers unable to attack what was killing them.
“Mal! This way!”
I made out the two unicorns waving from the bushes like idiots.
Malinter leapt over the felled tree to join them and together we ran.
“How the heck did you guys do that?” he asked.
“Magic.” they replied smugly.
I just shook his head and smiled. Smug gits. But we weren’t out of the woods yet. More Wolves had come and bolstered in number they continued the pursuit,
As we ran, I began to feel pain in my flank and legs again. The shards of wood were beginning to hurt. I pushed the pain out. I could rest when I was dead… or when the wolves ate us. I was trying to think. Could we trap the wolves again? Doubtful. Before I’d been the bait in the ambush but the wolves were on to us. They’d probably ignore me completely now and go for the bigger threat of the unicorns.
The path ahead changed. This I recognised. He changed direction and they followed, At this speed. They’d be out the forest in minutes. They’d be safe!
“We’re nearly out!” I called.
No sooner had the words left my throat, a dozen trees suddenly collapsed on the path before us. We skidded to halt. The trees had been chewed at the trunks, the wolves responsible for the logging jumping on top of the felled trees and growled at us, its saliva dripping and smouldering the wood.
“Smart…” I muttered, they’d sprung the same bloody trap on us in no time at all and now all three of our plots were on the menu now.
“This is bad,” said the tall one.
“Eeyup…” replied the small one, mimicking the drawling voice of Macintosh.
“Really? At this time?” I looked at him, he merely shrugged as the pursuing wolves approached us, slowly, the loses they‘d sustaining making them more cautious.
The splinters in my body were seriously starting to hurt now, the acid I saw from the wolves jaw suddenly made me wonder if the splinters were poisonous. My legs buckled slightly.
“Mal! Are you going to faint?” asked the tall one.
“N-No, of course not.” I replied trying to get back up but the nausea was starting to kick in.
“Oh that’s good.” the tall one replied. Idiot.
My eyes shut as I winced in pain, big mistake, the wolves pounced with killing intent. I tried to move but I couldn’t stop the pain that was growing and spreading, spreading though the earth….
“M-Mal?” he heard the short one call me.
Spreading… and making me… stronger! The splinters began to grow and coil though out my body, I could feel them strengthen my legs, feel them coil up under my skin, around my neck and spine but it was when they met at my forehead did I feel the greatest pain, I gasped in agony as from my temple grew a horn of coiled wood. It glowed with a sickly green light, I couldn’t open my eyes but I could feel it, hear it pulsing with power. Its magic illuminating my veins like roots.
I was in so much pain I could barely stay conscious. The wolves seemed confused. The magic was effecting them in someway. What the buck was happening? My eyes were closed yet I could see everything. The colours of the forest creating a picture in my mind. His senses were overflowing. Was this what magic felt like? The pain suddenly spiked and my horn discharged a blast of energy which made the wolf it hit explode and made me stagger backwards. The skin on my forehead was burning, I smell of singed fur mixed charred wood filling my nostrils. The wolves backed off lightly but the growl from a bigger one seemed to prevent them from running.
Maybe if I could hit that one they’d run, problem is I had no idea how to do what I just did, and I really didn’t think I had another shot left in me even if I could, This hurt so much. I opened my eyes and met the Alpha’s gaze. I think it was genuinely afraid of what had awoken with me.
Suddenly the area was flooded with a green smoke which seemed to have a life of its own, it wrapped around the wolves, taking the forms of vipers, hissing at them. The wolves attacked but merely passed through the apparitions but the same was not true in kind. The vipers kissed. Where there fangs found purchase, there wooden bodies instantly began to rot. The wolves ran in fear after seeing the alpha reduce to a steaming puddle of filth by these creatures. Leaving only myself and the numbskulls in the clearing.
I looked around. The wolves were gone but I was still changing…, the pain no longer made me feel so great. The green smoke slowly wrapped around me, for a moment I imagined myself meeting the same fate as the alpha but as it touched my skin, he felt the energy, the pain inside me being drawn out.
The roots regressed. The horn on my forehead shrinking back into my skull. The release from the pain felt so great, I felt like I was floating. For a while I’m pretty sure it was carrying my weight. But as the last of the poisonous energy was drained from me, smoke at took last form of our savior, it raised my chin and turned my head from side to side.
I heard the voice in the language I could not understand once again as I was gently placed on the ground with the same gentleness a mother would show her foal.
I opened my eyes. Only the forest greeted me.
I was breathing heavily, My body didn’t want to move.
“W-What happened?” I asked.
“I don’t know, I thought it was you. That wolf just exploded when you shot it. And that green smoke was pretty awesome!” the short one replied
“
You think you could teach us that?” the tall one asked.
“Some another time….” I replied, not quite sure what to say at that moment. I staggered towards the blockade and collapsed against the fallen trees, sliding down onto my plot.
“Think you guys can manage without me for awhile?” I asked.
“You going to faint now?” asked the tall one.
“Yes. Yes I am…” and with that I blacked out.
When I came around, the forest had morphed itself into the Ponyville Infirmary. Light from a new day beamed though the windows. Two days had apparently passed since my little trip to the Everfree Forest. I was covered in bandages, many I places I was sure I’d taken no injuries. When the doctor arrived, he soon explained to me how he had operated to remove all of the visible wood shards from my body and but some, ones which for no reason they could understand, were too close to my heart and lungs to remove and apparently grew closer when anyone attempted to remove them. Even with magic.
He then continued to explain how the Royal Guard the town had requested had finally arrived and found the three of us at the tree blockade and brought us back without incident, I was expecting someone, anyone to ask how three foals had survived a timber wolf pack but no one did. The royal guard had apparently taken a great interest in me, looking over the doctor’s shoulder I could make out two of them guarding the entrance. I wondered why they were guarding me but the next day they were gone.
With the Guardponies gone, I was allowed to be seen my visitors. I was surprised the Matron hadn’t arrived to give me a sore plot to go with the bandages but I wasn’t sureprised when the numbskulls came to visit me. Mostly to thank me but also pester me into teaching them the trick with the toxic cloud snakes but they eventually believed me when I told them that that wasn’t my doing. They also realised the obvious fact that I didn’t have a horn now. I was just a regular earth pony again.
I never really spoke with them much after that. They went back to being the dorks of the school, I’d never even asked what there names were although I’d over heard a few other colts and fillies address them as snips and snails. Pretty fitting nicknames but I hope they don’t go naming their kids after them, if they have any…
.
Oh, I never did join that club of theirs…
Speaking of which, I had finally earned my cutie mark although being conscious when I acquired it somewhat put a dampener on the whole experience. I looked at my cutie mark, luckily not covered in wraps. A horseshoe, tangled in thorned roots… what did that mean? I leaned back on to my pillow. It seemed wrong to have gained my mark and yet still have no clue was to what my talent actually was.
I looked outside the window to the forest. What had happened to me in there? Had I cast Magic? If that’s what it even was… Did unicorns ever feel pain like that when they used Magic?. Probably not. Being born with a horn was one thing but having one punch its way out of your skull instantly was something else entirely.
Clearly the answer lay within the Everfree Forest. I needed to go back in there. She knew the answers, she sensed something in me when we first met. But if I going to face the Everfree Forest again, I needed to be stronger, much stronger. No more kids games.
I glanced at the books I’d had them bring me.
~Super Naturals~
~The Natural History of Equestria~
~Royal Canterlot Guard Program~
I climbed back onto the bed and began to read. These injuries would take some time to heal and I had a lot of work ahead of me.
Author's Note
First thing i've written in a long, long time so appologies if my abuse of full stops and paragraphs makes you cry.
