Tales of shadow

This journal is for my eyes only or those who I deem fit to read. With each passing day my sanity feels like it has been slowly ebbing away. Being left in a forest to die at the age of four and losing a love take their toll. I write this now in hopes that this journal can help me hang on to the sanity that is leaving me. The best point to start might as well be at the point in which my life changed. The period of my life growing up in the forest was mundane and unneeded to explain. The effects of the forest show later in my life and so my story really begins here. The crossroads, turning point, or miracle… whatever it may be.

I was in desperate need of something to sustain myself because my magic went off, as it normally did from time to time, and burned the last of my supplies before winter. I had left two days prior to search for food in a part of the forest that was unknown to me.

There have been several occasions where my magic had caused me to go out and search for food. This time however, most of the food was gone and winter was coming. Every year that passes my magic gets progressively more chaotic and uncontrollable. The amount of animals that I have accidentally burned could fill a ditch the size of the cave I call home. Trust me when I say I have tried to control the outbursts, but the more I attempt to control this violent magic, the more frequent the outbursts, and the more ferocious the magic is. I am greatly hoping the hunger I feel will keep the amount of outbursts down. To no avail did the hunger of two days take my mind off the magic’s dangerous behavior.

By this time I was far from my home. I had been walking for almost three days by this point and no edible food in sight. The moon rose in the sky, bringing the night. I always seemed to gain strength during the night. When looking up at the sky, I saw the full, shining circle of the moon. Depending on the amount of moonlight shining down, I gained power it seemed. I had a strange affinity for the moon and the power I gained under its glow. Most of the time, I ignored it, but tonight felt different. I have been without food for almost three days, but the moonlight seemed to give me more energy than I normally had.

With my mind in deep thought on this subject, I almost didn’t notice the smoke rising in the night sky. I was a little surprised at this for I had never been in this side of the forest. As I approached the smoke I saw trees with apples on them. I desperately bucked the trees to get the apples to fall. Picking up some that had fallen, I began to eat them like there was no tomorrow.

After about ten minutes of devouring the apples, I looked around and saw a square structure that appeared to be made out of uprooted trees, formed into the shape of a large cube. The smoke was coming out of a stone like piece of, what I assumed was, a... “home” of something. I drew closer to the home and I saw an opening I could see through. I looked inside and, to my amazement, I saw other ponies! At this point it was the first time I ever saw other ponies. I was shocked when I saw these ponies together. For, at this point in time, these ponies had been the only other creatures that resembled myself. Only one of them had horn, but that was not the peculiar thing. The thing that caught my interest was not one with the horn, but the ones without. I did not know there were other kinds of ponies.

I do not know how long I had been standing there looking through this see-through square, but was quickly awoken from my deep thought by a scream of one of the smaller female ponies. It took a moment to realize what had happened. The smaller pony who screamed was pointing at me screaming, “DADDY!”

In a panic, I turned around and galloped away as fast as my legs would move, but my horn gave off a bright flash from the sudden scream. Hoping that the flash was not my horn, I kept galloping. As I galloped I looked back to see that I was being chased by, who I assumed was, the “Daddy” character. In a sudden burst of energy caused by the fear of being captured, my legs were able to gallop faster toward the forest. When I turned again I did not see him chasing me, but in my vision I saw huge flames coming from the direction of the structure. I knew then that my fear had been realized, my chaotic magic expelled again, even though I had not wanted it to. I wandered into the forest until I found a place to sleep for the night. It looked safe and out of view of any creature that may want me for a meal. My hooves were aching now after the long time of traveling. I layed my head down on a pile of leaves, trying to rest for the time I could.

I awoke to a loud sound and what seemed to be voices.

“YOU! PURPLE UNICORN GET UP!” screamed a loud voice. I was in a weird sort of daze for a minute, but when the minute was over I could see two ponies wearing a weird, brown material around their front. As I became more aware of my surroundings, I realized my hooves were tied and a weird object was on my horn. I tried to get free, but to no avail.

The loud voice shouted,

“You are under arrest for burning down the Fern’s family house”. I did not mean to burn it, but still they drag me like a wild beast. Nowhere in my mind could I comprehend, at this point, why they would do this. No understanding on how society worked for I had only ever lived in a forest. No idea on what to do in this situation. I had not spoken in years because there had been no need to.

My continued attempts in vocal exertion ended in failure as the two ponies dragged me for about an hour over sand, dirt, and rock before we reached an area with many of those home like structures. Other ponies just stared as they dragged me along the ground. I could overhear some of them saying,

“That’s the pony that burnt down the Fern farm!” said one as another said, “He must be crazy, or a monster! I hope they deal with him quickly.”

When we reached a wooden platform, the ponies dragged me up and put me in a wooden hold with a hole for my head and two other holes for my front hooves. As they left they said maniacally, “Have fun in the stockade!”

Every day, some ponies would throw rocks at me. I was not fed or given any water. Nopony showed me any compassion while I was in the stockade. For days I could hear some say that I was a monster, and that I would get what I deserved. I could not comprehend why I was being treated so horribly. What I did was an accident.

Every minute, my fear grew and every second I could feel something building up inside me. I could not tell what it was. It felt so familiar, yet so strange. All I could do in the stockade was question why they were doing this to me. why...Why...WHY!

A full moon arose on the fifth night of my incarceration as the two same ponies came to me. The loud voiced one yelled, “For the burning of the Fern’s house, you are hereby sentenced to death, by hanging!”

At that moment, all hope for compassion was gone. I knew I had to get out of here if there was any chance to live. Thanks to the moon, I did not feel the hunger and pain from the bruises that the rocks inflicted. The guards did not tie me up when they released the stockade. They must have thought that a week without food would render me unable to resist.

As soon as they took my head out, I bucked one of the guards off the stockade and rammed the other. I took the opportunity and galloped as fast as I could. The only thing I could think was, if they catch me I’m dead.

The strange feeling growing inside of me was starting to hurt, but I did not have the time to think about it. I was scared out of my mind of being caught so I ran to the only place I knew; the forest. I galloped right into the forest and when I turned to look if they were still chasing me. I couldn’t see them, but as I turned back I ran straight into a branch, knocking me out cold.

I awoke to sounds around me. It was still night, but I could barely move. The pain inside was too great; I was barely able to get on my hooves. Every second I was cringing in pain. I looked around and saw I was surrounded by a mob of ponies with torches.

One of them said, “You monster! We will finish you.”

Another voice spoke up, “Look at him, he can barely move!”

A third pony chimed in, “Look at the magic blocker its glowing!”

After hearing what the pony called the device, I had then realized what the agonizing pain was. The pain felt like it was ready to burst out of my chest and turn me to ashes. The device could not hold for much longer. My fear was the only thing I could feel besides the pain. My limbs would not move. I could not gallop away. The pain was so great, I couldn’t understand how my legs were able to hold me up. All the ponies closed in, and I noticed one of them had a rope. The one with the rope said, “Let’s finish this fast. Who cares if the magic blocker is glo-”

Before he could finish his sentence, the device shattered! A shockwave of flame went out in all directions. It was largest outburst of magic that had ever come out of me. The shockwave seemed to go for a mile before stopping. The magic outburst left me with almost no strength left, even under the moon's glow. I slowly looked around at the sight of burnt trees that surrounded me, and the flames of the forest burning further behind them. Soon after, I noticed that circling me were burnt husks of the ponies who tried to kill me. Seeing them all, made me let out a huge hurl of stomach acid. Exhausted and still scared, I staggered out of the forest into a field. Soon after my exit of the blazing forest, rain began to fall; as if the sky itself wept for the event that had recently transpired. My vision blurring and my mind absent, I just kept trotting. Not sure how long I had walked and stumbling along the way, but I finally collapsed where I could only see fields around me.