Insurgency: Fall of an Empire

...positively pink... positively pink... pink...pink...pink...

Ugh! Shut up! I hate pink!

I... I didn't know where I was. It was dark and misty and I'm pretty sure I could not feel my legs. I tried to move but... it was a weird feeling, just trust me.  As I floated in this nothingness, I tried to think about what this dream could mean. And surely it was a dream, since reality rarely had this loopy feel to it. Except the one time Burn Out gave me those 'special' herbs to try out. Now that was a ride! But I don't think ate anything weird, so I'm pretty sure this was a dream. I'm pretty sure that I had read somewhere that dreams had meanings. Some subconscious desire unfulfilled or a deep rooted anxiety.

This time however, I couldn't see any meaning. I was lucid dreaming it seemed, since I was aware that this was a dream but I couldn't change anything that was happening.  No conga lines of hot stallions or hammocks made of red licorice were showing up. How disappointing. Taking in a breath, I tasted stars. I know how weird that sounded but I swear that's what happened. I felt the heat and taste of stars travel down my throat.  What do stars taste and feel like? Um...like stars? Look, I don't know what you want from me. I'm in a dream, floating in misty darkness and eating stars like candy and you want to know what they taste like?! Priorities, folks.

For example, my priority right now is myself, because those stars were trying to burn a hole through my stomach. I screamed, the heat forcing me to my knees. As I stared at the ground, I could see ripples beneath me. The ripples splashing about until the droplets detached from the surface and dropped back as flowers. I looked around and soon found myself in a field of flowers. They were beautiful, row after row of reds, blues and violets. Weirdly enough, I still couldn't see a sky. All I could see above me was pitch black darkness.

My heart raced as I stared up at the darkness, my heart thudding in my chest. It was like I was staring up at some greater being, a malevolent god hiding itself from me. Scared, I turned my gaze back to the surface, taking comfort in their beauty.

I leaned forward to take a whiff, but as I drew closer, white dots formed in my vision. I tried to blink them away, but they swiftly blinded me, taking with it the beautiful flowers and that foreboding darkness.

******

Soon, I started to regain feeling in my body. Starting from my rear hooves, I began to notice feeling of grass beneath me.  The cool wind brushed my sides, sweeping my mane over my eyes. I still couldn't move my front hooves so I just rolled onto my back. Warmth spread over my stomach, making me smile. At least I think I did. I still couldn't feel my face completely.

I inhaled, loving the feeling of cool air in my lungs. It was the sweet taste of moisture. I was near a water source, how strange. Yawning, I was about open my eyes but the world seemed to catch up with me. The sounds of my surroundings exploded in my ear. Wind rustling in the leaves, water rushing over rocks and sounds of wildlife. But the most prominent noise was sounds of voices shouting. It was faint enough that I couldn't tell what was being said but the tones were harsh.

Ugh, was mom yelling at Heavy Metal again? Damn it, I was too tired for this shit. My brother really needed to get his shit together. Groaning groggily,  I shut my eyes tighter, hoping that the darkness would shield me from all the noise. Unfortunately, the noise only got louder as time past. What the hell were they yelling about? They were grown ponies, not children. They shouldn't be acting like this. I should do something. Like, I don't know, wake up and get them to stop but... Ugh! That was so much work! I'd rather just lay here and-

A loud shout of distress interrupted my thought. That, that was new. Heavy wouldn't shout at anyone and mom, while she was one to shout and scream, that wasn't an angry shout. Which was what worried me. A bit concerned, I snapped my eyes open only to quickly shut them again. Damn it, the sun was bright!

I rolled onto my stomach, my hooves over my eyes. "Damn it! Fuck!" I growled, waiting for the white spots to disappear from my vision. "The princess really should warn folks when she raises the sun like that. I mean, its still night-" Just then, I realized that I wasn't in my bedroom. In fact, there were no houses around at all. Looking around, all I could see were trees and bushes. I probably should have realized this sooner, now that I think about it. The grass, the sun on my stomach, the wind. All seem to be pretty clear signs of being outdoors. My excuse: I was super tired. I know that sounds dumb but really, can you blame me? I doubt I'd have noticed being on a runaway train, let alone being outside. Give me a break.

Standing, I found my legs to be a bit wobbly. It took me a minute to regain the ability to stand but soon I was standing like a proper mare.  Awesome. Mom would be so proud. Speaking of, the sounds of shouts had died down and gave me a chance to take a look around.

As stated before, I was in a forest. Nothing new on that front.  The interesting part was that I couldn't recognize any of the plants. They were... strange,  to be honest. At least, I think they were. It was super dark from where I was standing. Even though it was clearly the middle of the afternoon, the forest was darker than any other I'd ever seen. The only light that illuminated the area was the sunlight breaking through the canopy. Otherwise, it was fairly dark and eerie. It most certainly wasn't the Everfree forest but the quiet stillness creeped me out.

I walked around for a bit,  trying to figure out where I was and how I got here. Just then, I saw the leaves fall from the tree tops and was astounded. They glittered in the sun light, making it look like it was raining gems. The sight transfixed me for a moment.

For just a moment, I forgot how lost and confused I was  and ran about, chasing the leaves and blowing them up in the air before they hit the ground. Dead leaves and branches cracked under my hooves as I laughed openly.

Now I Know what you must all be thinking. 'How can you play around like that? You're in an unfamiliar place with no memories of how you got there. Shouldn't you be more concerned?' In my defense, this was a lot more fun than driving myself insane with concern. I might as well have some fun.

That, however, was soon put to an end when something slammed into me from the side and shoved me into the bushes. I fought with the attacker but it was too small.  Shit, I cursed in my head as I tried to buck it off. It was surprisingly strong.

Eventually, I found myself on my stomach, a dark shape pushing down on my muzzle. From this position,  it is possible for me to buck them off my back. The problem is, I'm weak as shit. I mean, I can't run a block let alone fight off this attacker. Damn my low stamina. Breathing through my nose, I glare at the hoof pressing down on my muzzle.

Wait? A hoof?

I must have spoken out loud because the pony on top of me pressed down harder. "Shut up! You'll get us caught!" A female voice hissed from above me. I stayed quiet, curious as to what this mare was going on about.

My question was soon answered, however, as I heard the sound of galloping. They were fairly quiet despite it sounding like they're were a lot of them. They ran past us, a look of determination on each face. The mysterious mare and I waited until they were clear out of sight before I shook her off. I doubt I actually got her off myself. With her strength,  she had probably just jumped off. Bitch.

I walked out the bushes, looking around for any remaining guards before exiting completely.  I was covered in dirt and leaves littered my tangled mane. Ugh, I could just hear mom nagging me about it.

A proper mare should take pride in their appearance,  nag nag nag-

The crack of a branch broke through my thoughts. Flinching at the sound, I spun around to look back at my attacker. And then down. She was a short little thing, almost half my size. A super small earth pony mare with a glare that could peel bark off a tree. I'd swear she was a foal if not for the cutie mark on her flank. To be honest, she was kind of interesting to look at though.  She was brown everywhere.  Her coat, her mane and even her eyes. It was like she was a pony painted in several shades of brown. It was actually very pretty in a way. Then she had to ruin it by talking.

"Who the fuck are you?!" She demanded, stomping. As stated before, her glare was enough to almost make me give in. Almost.

"Huh?" Was my response. I was still pissed about the unwanted piggy back ride but her question threw me. What? No apology or explanation?

"I asked you who the fuck you are." She clarified, sneering at me. "What? Are you deaf on top of being stupid?" She mocked. I grit my teeth, pissed off even more. This little...

"Oi, how about you introduce yourself first before demanding my identity." I retorted, glaring down at her. "You tackle me, insult me and then expect me to meekly let you screw me over by treating me like I'm stupid? Fuck you." I growled, stomping my hoof. Her ears did a weird droopy thing. Her left ear fell but the right one stopped mid way before following the other. Interesting. I thought, watching her. She took a step back but quickly recovered. I guess she wasn't used to others talking back to her.

"Giving my name out would be too risky. Especially since I don't know who you are." She stated, glaring up at me with deep amber eyes that burned with annoyance. "I know everypony in this area, citizen and guard." Her eyes narrowed, suspicion burning in her gaze. "But you? You are a new face. So you can't be from around here. Hence my question. " She explained, talking like I was an idiot. I fumed.

"If you won't introduce yourself then I won't either." I retorted coolly, rolling my eyes. This was getting old and I was no closer to figuring out where I was or why. Letting out a breath, I turned away, walking off cause I was bored.

"Huh?... H-hey, where are you going?!" She growled, cutting me off before I could escape. "I didn't dismiss you yet." She stated, staring up at me. I cocked a brow. She was surprisingly bossy for a small mare. You'd think she'd be shy or something but no. She was a grade A bitch on wheels.

"Dismiss me?" I echoed, staring down at her coolly. "I ain't your subordinate nor am I your slave. I am a pony you attacked, insulted and interrogated like a criminal before even stating your name. I'm not going to let you push me around like this, you runt." I stated, pushing her aside. Strangely, she was very easy to push aside. I started to walk past her before she called out again.

"Wait!" I turned back, gazing at the small earth pony. Her short cropped mane hiding half her face. She was pouting. No, more like grimacing. She really looked like a foal just then. "A-are you really a unicorn?" She asked, looking away.

I stared at her in shock. Was she serious? I looked away, trying to think of some other context I might have missed. Nope, couldn't think of one. She was serious. As such, I responded in the most eloquent and sagely of answers.

"Huh?"

The mare growled, stomping her hoof. "Do you respond to everyone like that? 'Huh'?" She mocked, scowling. "I swear,  you filly's are always way too distracted by stupid things." She huffed, sounding so much like mom.

"You're the one asking me stupid shit like, 'am I really a unicorn'?" I retorted, shaking my head in annoyance. "Should I prove I'm a mare too? That I'm a pony?!" Dear Celestia, I hate talking to folks like this. They acted like everyone else was a idiot. Not the kind of shit I wanted to deal with right now.

"I just-." She started but stopped all of a sudden, her ears springing up. Before I could even think of asking her what she was about to say, I felt something slam into my side, knocking me off my hooves. Gasping, I watched as the brown mare stared down at me while I fell. Rolling, I tried to catch myself but I kept on tripping on something or other. I tried to scream but the breath was knocked out of me every time I hit the ground. Every other second, I would see the clear blue sky, only for it to be followed up by blurry images of grass, dirt and pain.

The good news was that I landed somewhere soft. The bad news was that it was mud.

The mud was deep and thick, almost choking me as I struggled to regain my footing. Unfortunately,  the thick mass not only blinded me but it seemed to be trying to suck me into it. Shit, was it quick sand? I tried to relax myself so as to not sink faster but my heart was pounding with panic and couldn't help but flail about.

"Hey, what's that over there?!" A voice, female, called out. I tried to respond but my mouth was soon filled with muck. As I attempted to spit it all out, I felt hooves,  two pairs of them, grab my forelegs and drag me out. Gasping, I relaxed as I felt solid ground beneath me. Somepony patted me on the back as I coughed up whatever I had swallowed. The mud stuck to my coat like paint and it weighed me down a little. Collapsing onto my stomach, I tried to catch my breath.

"Do you think she's alright?" A different female voice asked, this one sounding young. Not a foal but definitely not a full grown mare. "She won't die, right, Doc?"

There was a moment of silence before another voice spoke out. "She's breathing, so I'm pretty sure shes going to be fine." The familiar voice answered, sounding closer. Her voice was cool but soothing. Like an ice pack on a fevered head. I relaxed as she patted me on the back. "I'm really glad you're alright." She said, addressing me now. "The wormwood mud spring usually kills those who fall in like that. You really must be more careful, young one."

Still catching my breath, I turned toward the sound of her voice. "I'll... keep that in mind next time I fall down a hill." I muttered, a bit snarkily. Not the most polite response but I couldn't not say it. Sighing, I continued. "I mean... Thank you for saving me. Really, thank you." I panted, remaining on the ground. I was way too tired push my mane out of my eyes. But someone else did. When my mane was pushed back onto my head, I wiped my eyes and looked onto the faces of my saviors.

Bright green eyes. That's what I saw first. This pony stared straight into my soul. I jumped back. The pony before me was definitely young,  probably no more than 14. She was a orange earth pony mare with a pale yellow mane. Her mane was short and curly, surrounding her happy face like flower petals.

"Hi!" She cried cheerfully, grinning like a child with a new toy. "My name is Petal Dancer! I'm the one who spotted you and I called Ms Breeze to help you out. I would have done it by myself but I'm not as strong as her and she said that I'd only mess things up if I-"

A light blue hoof reached over and covered Petal Dancer mouth. The mare spoke a mile a minute so I could barely understand her. Curious, I turned to the mare beside me who sighed and shook her head at the younger pony. The older mare, possibly in her mid to late 40's, was light blue with a long white mane. Her eyes drooped in a strange way, making her look like she was always half awake. Her eyes were pale blue, which kind was kind of creepy. They made her look like she was either blind or dead. The pony I assumed was Ms Breeze turned to me with a motherly smile.

"I'm sorry. Little petal is a bit... enthusiastic whenever we meet someone new. Though, that doesn't happen often." The mare  explained,  patting the filly on the head.  Petal Dancer rolled her eyes, pouting. "I'm Arctic Breeze. What is your name, young one?" She asked with sweet smile.

I stared at them, raising an eyebrow at them. These two seemed nice. Petal was annoyingly talkative but that wasn't entirely bad and Arctic seemed to hold her own. They didn't look like bad ponies. Then again, neither had the last mare I'd met, though she attacked me first and these two had saved me. After some deliberation,  I decided to trust them, but warily.  They haven't done anything to me yet. If and when they do, I'll deal with it then.

"Sonata. Moonlight Sonata." I replied, lifting my head off the ground. They both nodded, though they shared a confused look at my name. Perhaps they had never heard a name like that. Fair enough. "Quick question, do you know where am I? I don't know how I got here and that bothers me a lot but I'm a bit more concerned with-" I was interrupted by Arctic hold up a hoof for me to stop. Her ear twitched as she seemed to be listening out for something.  She scowled.

"Petal!" She called out, turning to the young mare wandering about. She had several plants in her mouth. "Finish collecting the herbs and pack up. We're leaving. Now." The orange mare saluted,  dropping the plant's in her saddlebags. Arctic turned back to me, holding out a hoof. I took it, cocking a brow.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, letting her help me up. The mud stuck to my coat like paint and it felt disgusting on my coat whenever I moved. Moreover, the sludge was greenish grey rather than brown. I didn't know if that worried me or relieved me more.

Petal dancer raced over to us, her saddlebags filled with what I assumed was herbs. "We're all set, Doc." She reported, grinning happily. "The Jumping Beans are the only thing were missing but we can find them later." She stated, shrugging. Jumping beans? What the hay were jumping beans? I was about the ask but Arctic Breeze chose that moment to pull me onto my hooves. For an older mare, she was much stronger than she looked.

Or maybe I was just really light.  That was a possibility too.

"Please don't concern yourself, Ms Sonata." Arctic stated, reaching up to pat my head but pulling away before making contact. It must have been a mess. I could feel the stickiness hit my scalp as my mane was piled up on my head.  Even I didn't want to touch it. "It's just that it isn't safe to be in the woods like this."

Not safe? I thought back to the group of ponies that were running around and that strange brown mare I'd met just moments before. The one that pushed me off a cliff. Scowling, I stood up straight and started walking.  Petal Dancer pranced over to my left while Arctic Breeze walked beside me on my right. I guess that they wanted to be there to catch me if I toppled over. That was nice.

We walked in silence, which was boring as hell to be honest. Really, I wanted to talk about something but I couldn't think of anything. These two were strangers. Nice but considering the last pony I met, - the one who pushed of a fucking cliff! - I couldn't say much to these mares.

As such, I tried to piece together my memories of before I woke up in the forest. Yet every time I tried to, I felt a nagging pain in my head. As if something was punishing me for daring to try and remember. The only thing my mind could grasp on to were those two stupid words. Positively Pink.

Shuddering, I shook my head to clear it. I really hated that color. It was a stupid color and one my status as a mare should never have to be associated with. I was so caught up in my thoughts, I barely noticed what was happening around me.

"You're so mean, Ms Sonata!" Petal sniffed, wiping something off her face. Blinking, I turned to see Petal Dance crying. Oh, shit what had happened?! I turned to Arctic but she just shook her head. "You hate me, don't you?!"

"Wait, what?!"

"You do? I knew it!" She sobbed, falling to the ground. Tears ran down her face. "You must! You splattered wormwood mud on me. Now my mane and coat are all dirty!"

I looked her over. Other than a little stain on her coat, she was the same as she was before. In fact, she was still covered head to toe in dirt from whatever the two of them had been doing before. I looked over at Arctic incredulously. Seriously? I mouthed, gesturing to the sobbing teen. Arctic shrugged and moved on, apparently used to this. I, however, wasn't. What the shit was I supposed to do? Leave her?

"U-um... I'm sorry?" I said, unsure as to why she was reacting like this. You'd think I had smacked her or something. "I don't hate you, okay?"

Petal Dancer stared at me for a moment and then beamed, apparently forgetting that she had been offended seconds before. "Well, as long as you didn't mean to say you hated me." She sighed, looking relived. I hadn't even said I did. I said nothing! "I'd hate it if you hated me. I want you to like me." She said, blushing a bit as she hopped past me. It was then that I noticed her cutiemark. A party popper exploding multicolored confetti. Ah, that explained a bit. Party ponies were always weird.

Now that the disaster of my apparent and literal mudslinging was over, I felt that talking would be the best distraction. "So, where is this? I know I'm in a forest but none of these trees look familiar." This question got me perplexed expressions. What? What had I said?

"This place if called Fair Valley." Arctic answered, looking around. I did too.

"But it's a forest." I pointed out. "Not really that much of a valley, is it?" Petal snickered at this, stopping only when Arctic gave her a scolding look.

"Yes, but it used to be. But then, according to old mares tales, a fire broke out, razing it to the ashes. The ponies living here at the time had apparently decided to help the land recover, so they planted trees from various lands here. " She said, digging at the ground. "Perhaps the trees cross pollinated and made these... results." She explained, looking unconvinced. I was equally so.

"But you forgot to mention the reason for the fire, Ms Breeze." Petal added, grinning brightly.

"Reason?" I echoed, cocking an unseen brow.

"Petal, don't-" Petal continued without stopping to listen to what Arctic was about to say.

"It was because a monster set fire to the world." She explained cheerfully. "The monster ruled over the land for hundreds of years but our Divine Princess defeated him. He set the world on fire as revenge but the Princess-"

"Petal Dancer!" Arctic shouted, stunning the both of us. I stared at the older mare, worried about the cold look in her eyes. Letting out a breath, she stared at the ground and continued to walk. "Don't bore Moonlight with such silly tales. That monster never existed. It was just a very hot season. Droughts and all that. Don't confuse newcomers with such tales of fancy." She stated, not looking back.

The two of us, Petal dancer and I, stood there for a while, stunned. I didn't think I could get scared of any old mare except for my mom but her... She wasn't called Arctic Breeze for nothing.

"I'm sorry." Petal mumbled. I turned to see the poor teen looking dejected, like she'd disappointed somepony close. I wasn't t sure if she was apologizing to me or Arctic but I felt the need to ask.

"Why?"

Petal looked around nervously. "I'm not supposed to talk about the... monster." She explained, hanging her head. "We're not even allowed to mention his name, let alone that story. I could get us all in real trouble if I... Never mind!" She shook her head rapidly and ran off to catch up with Arctic.

So there I was, alone once more. Should I continue to follow them? I really had to wonder if that was for the best. I really was curious about this monster but I doubted they'd tell me. For whatever reason, they didn't want to talk about it. Was it like the tale of Nightmare Moon? A mares tale that filled one with guilt? And if so, who was the guilty one?

Either way, I couldn't stick around here. The forest was no place for a nice pony like me. There were mini mares pushing ponies off cliffs (I knew it was just a hill but it felt like a cliff as I was falling), mysterious groups of ponies running about and the most important factor, it was an unknown. I didn't recognize anything about this forest but if it was anything like what I heard the Everfree was like, being alone was a terrible idea.

Running after them, I soon caught up with Arctic and Petal. I had apparently missed some kind of discussion, since Arctic stopped mid-sentence to look back at me. Petal looked sad, her eyes a bit red from hastily wiped tears while Arctic looked way sadly, like she was just as hurt as Petal. I wanted to ask but I realized that my questions had caused enough problems for today.

"I'm sorry about all that drama, Moonlight. It's just..." She didn't continue, her eyes darting toward one of the trees. Grimacing, she continued walking, her steps a bit more brisk than before. "We have to get moving." She ordered.

Petal stared after Arctic before turning back to me. "We should get going, Ms Sonata." She said, her voice not as cheerful as before. Still, she smiled, trying to reassure me I think. "It'll be easier to talk once you're all cleaned up." I nodded, following behind them. The atmosphere was a lot more tense than before. Arctic walked ahead of us and Petal lurked behind the older mare, hanging her head. The awkward silence was deafening, especially since the forest was not one for comforting noises. I couldn't identify half the sounds I heard. The only consistent sound was the sound of our hooves and the crackles from me. The mud was now dry and flaking off, leaving behind a dusty residue. It was gross. I really hoped it wouldn't take too long to get to town.

*****

A hour later, we arrived at the outskirts of the forest. I was exhausted, panting as if I'd ran here. After about five or so minutes of walking, I was sweating and gasping for air. This forced Petal and Arctic to slow down for me. Clearly, they were concerned but didn't stop them from teasing me about it. All the way to town.

"I can't wait to tell my friends about this. A mare who walks for five minutes collapses with exhaustion" Petal laughed, on the floor banging a hoof on the floor. "I mean, seriously? What kind of life have you lived where you don't walk even that much?

"Now now, Petal, that is no way to talk to your elders." She gently scolded, snickering behind her hoof. "Some ponies are just not as... athletic as you or I." Her voice caught at the last part, referencing the fact that she had to carry me up a small incline when my legs could no longer carry me.

So there I stood between them, scowling fiercely. So I wasn't that athletic. So what!? Not everyone could be as strong as Arctic. I pointed this out to them, to which Arctic replied with "While that may be true, I would hope somepony half my age would be able to walk up a hill without collapsing into a heap." Other ponies could be pricks. I thanked my lucky stars that the mud made my blush of embarrassment invisible to them. Perhaps my mud bath did have some perks.

The two walked ahead, laughing at my expense. Apparently, this aspect of my being was so hilarious, they could talk about it for quite some time. Despite the slight indignation over being laughed at, I couldn't help but smile. At the very least, they had cheered up. Arctic was smiling sweetly as Petal was bounced over toward the welcome sign.

"Welcome to Ponyville." I read under my breath at the same time as Petal exclaimed the same words. She looked ecstatic to be back. Arctic looked serene, like she could care less. I was confused. Cause I was pretty sure Ponyville didn't have a welcome sign. Nor did it look like this. The houses were designed differently, I think and...

"Ms Sonata?! Are you coming or what?!" Petal Dancer called out, some distance from me. Wow, she could hop really far. Or perhaps I had just stopped walking when I saw the town. The latter made more sense.

"Did you get tired again, Moonlight?" Arctic teased, smiling. "Do you want me to carry you over?" She offered, gesturing to a small rock in front of me. "I see that rock in front of you and I don't want you to overexert yourself, deary!" I scowled and stuck my tongue out at her. I know, very mature but damn it! I wasn't that weak! I did, however, walk around the rock, since I could trip on it. Definitely not because she said I should.

The two mares shared a jovial look and walked ahead into town. I jumped as they walked out of sight. Shit, they can't leave me out here alone!

"Hey!? Wait up!" I called out, awkwardly running after them. Just as my front hooves hit the pavement, a chill ran through me. As if someone was watching me. Skidding to a stop, I looked around but I couldn't find the source. The forest looked so foreboding, even after leaving its depths. Like it had been wanting to capture me and I had only just managed to escape from its grasp. The darkness loomed, and while I couldn't see anyone, I knew I was being watched, so I stared back, my heart racing.

Which of us would give in first? Me or it?

Apparently me, since Arctic's calls for me distracted me enough to look away. Reassuring her, I turned back to the forest but the moment was over. While the darkness remained, the eyes that had been watching me had left. Still an unknown.

Stomping with frustration, I pushed my mane back again, even though the mud had solidified it to my head. "Tsk, I hate unknowns." I grumbled, turning and walked toward the town. Just as I passed the Welcome to Ponyville sign, I could swear I heard the wind whisper back.

I hate you too.