“Take care!” Mom shouted.
"Stick to the road,” Dad warned afterward.
Even if I had wanted to hide my smile I wouldn’t have been able to. This was simply too great of a moment not to be happy. Dad was finally letting me handle a hay trip on my own, and it was the perfect chance to show him that he was going to have to start worrying less for me, or at least give me some space. Mom’s support was the deciding factor, but he still had to gruff about it until the time actually came. I’ll always be his little girl, but a girl’s gotta get out on her own. It isn’t like I’m going to Manehattan afterall; I won’t be telling him about that planned trip until it gets closer. But for now, Dodge Junction will just have to do.
I gave them an excited grin as I shifted my body within the harness, trying to find that sweet spot within the braces. I felt like I should do something more than smile at them, like say something sweet or inspirational about how their girl was becoming a mare. Something more memorable. But nothing came to mind, and I was already itching to move. So with my first step towards new found freedom, and with a hay wagon in tow, I grinned at my parents one last time and headed off.
Given how the wagon lurched forward, I may have taken a too excited step towards new found freedom. But given that it was wider than I was long, and twice as long as two of me put together, pulling it as easily as I did was just another sign of how much I had grown and how much those summer jobs paid off. I was probably one of the strongest, if not the strongest, mare in our little town, courtesy of transporting other ponies stuff around whenever I could. Dad said I wouldn’t be able to do a hay trip until I could pull the weight. I bet he figured five year old me would have forgot that promise.
Walking down our front path, it was hard not to bolt into a speedy trott. As much as I wanted it to, there was one last goodbye before I left, and as usual, he was standing by his tree just up ahead.
As I came closer our eyes briefly met before he quickly looked away, trying to lean against the tree in a more casual and ‘cool’ way. Other ponies thought he was weird. I thought he was adorably shy.
“My little brother actually came to see me off?” I asked in feigned surprise.
“Mom and dad made me,” he replied with a well practiced, bored tone. “I’d be halfway to river by now if they didn’t.” Fun fact; I was one of the only ponies he wouldn’t just avoid like a parasprite. He was too eager to spend hours in the mountains whenever we had company aside from Grandpa’s visits, or whenever I asked him to stick around.
“Sure they did,” I replied. It was hard not to smile at him.
“Well, since I’m here… good luck.”
His absent gaze at something much more interesting only made me smirk. If he couldn’t even look me in the eye then how was her ever going to learn how to talk to other fillies? By Celestia does he make me worry sometimes.
“Thanks,” I said as I began walking forward again. “And good luck to you. Don’t go falling off the mountain while I’m gone.” Just for good measure I flicked his ear with my tail.
“Yeah yeah…” he grumbled while he swatted back me. Sorry, little brother. Despite how ‘cool’ you act, you’re always going to be my little rugrat. And be grateful you got an awesome sis’ that’s getting you a new satchel.
“Don’t let them get you down,” I said over my shoulder while my hooves picked up speed. “I’ll be back in a few days. See ya then!”
“Bye!” he quickly shouted.
Aww, he does care. I couldn’t help but grin at seeing him become flustered before trying to lean all cool again against the tree. He’d grow out of it someday. He just needed something to work for.
With one last wave, I turned my head back to the road and what awaited me. It was just mile before I’d be out of town, another five before I’d be out from beneath the Foal Mountains. Just a few short miles until I was all on my own. Just thinking about it made my chest swell up in excitement. This was the start of my life, and I couldn’t be more ready.
Grinning like a filly, I did a small hop and trotted down the dirt road, bouncing the wagon against each bump that I could.
This was going to be great.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was going to be hot.
Given the temperature around me, it looked like the pegasi and Celestia were not going easy this summer. It didn’t help that there were hardly any pegasi around here to begin with, but surely we could get sent a cloud or two this way now and then from the other towns. Maybe from Ponyville? Rumor has it the Element of Loyalty is one heck of a pegasus. An extra could or ten wouldn’t be too much for her.
Wiping my forehead I took a long look behind me. The mountains were still pretty close, and turning forward again, there wasn’t any sign of Rambling Rock Ridge.
“Yup, gotta love being out on your own,” I said aloud. The great thing about being on your own was that nopony would look at you funny when you talked aloud to yourself. “Nothing like pulling a wagon in the heat, eh Sun Petal?” The rattling of the wagon behind me was the only reply. It made me wonder how noisy it would be on the trip back when it was full of hay.
But despite the heat, it was getting hard not to get excited again. Thinking about it, like really thinking about it, I was actually going on a hay trip all on my own. And at the end of harvest! That meant that it’ll take time to get my load ordered and filled, possibly a few days even. And if I just happen to be near the end of the line it’ll take even longer, which means I might as well spend some extra time in town. The sound of my personal bag of bits rattling along with the rest of the supplies in the wagon made it hard not to imagine all the things I could buy. This last year of working my flank off was about to pay off with bottles of the best known conditioner ever known to ponykind, and Mom wasn’t going to get a single drop of it. It was her punishment for getting me addicted to it then taking the last few drops left.
Even better, the more I thought about Dodge Junction, the more I realized I’d actually get to hang out for real with Cherry Veil and Sunbeam again. They were my best friends growing up, and I was looking forward to their faces when I knocked on their door out of the blue. It’d be only for a few days, but it’d be more time than we’ve had in awhile. Maybe they can get some time off and come back home for a visit soon. It’s only been a year since their families moved, but I bet they’d like it. Maybe we could even go on a road trip or something.
Celestia, this was just great! How do ponies not like to travel? Maybe I should leave home sooner than what I’ve planned. Where would I go? The city? Another little town? Move in with my friends? Celestia, there was just so many things I could do! Or maybe I should just travel equestria. See the land, try the foods, and enjoy the beautiful country where nopony was in sight whenever I felt like being alone.
Of course, the moment I think about having real alone time was the moment I noticed the pony ahead of me. It was hard to make him or her out from a distance, but it looked like they were going the same way I was heading. And that left me in a tough spot. Do I stay back and enjoy this sweet freedom by myself? Or should I trot a bit faster and strike up a conversation?
Thinking about my choices gave me another rush of excitement. I get to decide what to do, and by Celestia was I going to relish it.
With that endless energy mom always said I had, I set off to catch the distant pony.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What in Tartarus…
I stood panting heavily while glaring at the fire the pony had set up further down the road. All day. I spent all day trying to catch up to him, and I only got close enough to see that he was a ‘him’ just as twilight came around. And on top of that, he had the time to make a fireplace beside the road. I’m no long distance sprinter, but still...
After I caught my breath and wiped away all the sweat I could, I lifted my chin and casually made my way over to the fire. Enough alone time, it was time to figure out just who he was and how he had stayed ahead of me while looking like he had been walking normally.
As I got closer, I noticed that he sat with his back facing me. He had a straight posture, nothing like the farmers back at home. Even more noticeable was his neatly styled mane, holding silvery shine from the fire’s light. If I had to guess, he was from the city, or even better, Canterlot.
I suddenly found I had enough energy left to trott the rest of the distance towards him.
As I came closer his ears flicked, probably from having heard my wagon, and he turned around to face me.
Time for introductions. “Hi, my name is-”
Red. Very red. Probably the reddest eyes I have ever seen.
“...Sun Petal…”
Those red eyes became creased from him smiling. “Good evening, Sun Petal. My name is Long Pitch.”
Blinking away the surprise, I slowly came closer, leaving me plenty of time to think about my reaction. It was actually really embarrassing the more I thought about it. Who loses their voice just from looking at another pony's eyes? Or from the fact that somepony’s entire coat is black. Red eyes and black coat. Little odd, but nothing too strange! Just be friendly! Say something!
“T-Traveling on your own, too?” I asked.
“Indeed I am,” he said. “Would you like a seat? It’s getting fairly dark out.”
“Oh, thank you.” Lucky me. Not only did I get to freeload of his fireplace, but I was going to find out more about him. With a voice like his, I was guessing that he was an actor or some kind of public speaker. It was so refined. Confident. And if he was an actor, maybe I could wiggle my into an open spot. Landing a role on my first trip out would make this most possibly the best thing ever.
Parking my wagon on the roadside and unhitching myself, I gave my shoulders a stretch while making sure the bags of bits was hidden beneath the blanket I brought. Good luck or not, it didn’t hurt to be cautious.
After stowing away the harness, I made my way over to the fire and sat down opposite from him, and I eagerly began to warm my hooves up. I wasn’t cold by any means, but the warmth felt nice.
“May I ask where you are heading?” he asked after a moment.
“Dodge City. Yourself?”
“Apple Loosa. I have a client there who asked for a quote on some antiques of his.”
Darn, not an actor. “You’re an antique dealer?”
“More of an appraiser, but every now and then a piece catches my eye that I either sell or keep for my own.”
“Oh, cool,” I reply. Speaking of eyes, I found it hard not to stare into his. You just didn’t see ponies with that kind of red.
“May I ask why you’re going to Dodge City?”
“Hay trip,” I replied while pointing a hoof towards my wagon. “Harvest is about over and it’s prime time to stock up on some supplies.”
“All on your own?”
I giggled. “What? It’s not like I’m a filly or anything.”
“No, I suppose not,” he said. He was still smiling. It was gentle one if I had to describe it. He had this carefree attitude around him. If he didn’t have such a fancy mane style, I’d might have said he was kinda cute.
“Normally I go with my Dad,” I continued. “Head to the city with him, eat some diner food, watch the stars when we set up camp. But my folks are finally getting used to the fact their little girl is getting older. So, here I am.”
He gave a quiet laugh. “Well, you certainly seem to be enjoying yourself.”
“You know it.”
It was about an hour or so later before we finally went to bed. Long Pitch recommended that we get some sleep before our next long trek tomorrow, and offered to travel with me until we’d part at Dodge City. Having a travelling companion wasn’t something I had expected on this trip, but I suppose if I had to share it with some pony, an interesting antique dealer might as well be it. Despite how young he looked he had plenty of stories to share. They were fun to listen to, and I was looking forward to some more tomorrow.
That night I had interesting dreams, to say the least.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yeah, this was turning out to be a good trip. Not only did I get to travel with another pony, I had gotten the best sleep I’ve had in ages. I couldn’t imagine if I had been doing this trip alone. How boring would that be? Lucky for me I bumped into Long Pitch.
After taking another sip from his flask—his medication I had found out—Long Pitch spoke, “I’ve never been much for farming. Tried it, didn’t enjoy it.” He had just finished recounting the end of the tale when he and a friend had accidently damaged some property and they had to work it off. It was a pretty funny and long one, just one of the many I’ve heard so far.
Passing the time with him was making the trip easier, and The Foal Mountains were finally out of sight.
“Maybe you just don’t have a green hoof,” I replied. “Being an earth pony, I would have thought you’d have some knack for it.”
“One would think,” he said. Always smiling, always so so carefree. It was nice to be around such a fun pony for once. “I was a bit of a troublemaker growing up, and I had the rather fortunate chance to try my hand at a lot of professions. Not all of them with intention, mind you.”
“I can only imagine,” I said while laughing. “You’ve got some good friends if they’re always there to help bail you out.”
“I’m sure friends are just the same.”
“Well, I can only hope when I finally do get some.”
His smile faded as he turned to look at me. “Surely you can’t mean that.”
I shrugged. “It’s always just been me and my family. There weren’t very many fillies and colts my age while growing up, and the ones that were had moved away a year ago. I was planning on catching up with them when I got into town for old time's sake. But I just feel like I gotta eventually let them go, you know? Sure, they were fun to be around while growing up, but it’s different now.”
Long Pitch gave me an odd look, almost as if he felt sorry for me. “Growing up can be hard.”
My next hoofstep made me falter for a moment, but I soon found my pace again. Yeah, he was right. Growing up was hard. Heck, just thinking about what it took just to do this trip on my own was already riling me up. How much Dad fussed about it and how Mom should have convinced him earlier-
I took a breath, then exhaled.
It’s alright. I’m here now. I can do what I want without worry.
Well, as long as your growing up,” Long Pitch said after I recomposed myself. “Just don’t forget to have some fun. Most ponies become too busy to remember simple things like that. Though, I don’t think you’ll have that problem. I, for one, think you’re a fun pony.”
I raised a hoof to my chest and dramatically gasped. “Me? Fun? Who would have ever thought?” We could only hold our faces for two seconds before we began snickering. Afterwards, I gave him a friendly bump with the wagon. Surprisingly, he hardly moved from it. He didn’t even have a misstep. He just kept smiling with that carefree grin of his, acting like it hadn’t even happened at all. All he did was close his eyes and try to walk as straight as he could while I guided him on the turns. It was kind of game he said he used to play while growing up. It was fun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Night time was coming closer, and Long Pitch and I had already set up camp. It was so much easier doing it with another pony than by yourself. I couldn’t imagine what I had been thinking doing this trip without Dad. How could anypony think travelling alone is a good idea? How did I think it was a good idea? Just the act of trying to imagine why I did made me feel a little light headed and uncomfortable.
“So, tell me more about your family,” Long Pitched asked.
“Not too much to tell,” I said. I poked at the fires embers with a stick while I drew my thoughts. Being away from home was starting to make me realize a few things I hadn’t noticed before. “Mom’s always busy with her garden, and Dad’s off doing work around town. They try to make time, but it just never seems like it’s enough. They hardly even pay attention to me or my brother anymore, and when they do it’s always with an overboard attitude. He’s completely fine with that, though. Azure is just what’d you expect from a colt with mountains to play in. As for me… I’ve just tried to pass the time when I can get it, you know?”
“It’s always been like that?”
I nodded. “It’s only gotten worse over the years. Convincing Dad to let me do this wasn’t easy. Sure, he finally caved in at, but it’s only after I’ve bugged him about it so much.” I frowned a little harder at the fire. “And yeah, Mom helped, but really, did it have to take her this long to do it? Why can’t they just leave me alone and let me do my thing like they do with my brother? He always gets to go off on his own. He can get away being by himself. He’s always been able to do that. I actually had to work hard for it. I deserve it!”
“I’m sure it’s because they just care about you,” Long Pitch said quietly.
Peeking my eyes at him I saw that his smile was gone. It was actually kind of sad to see him without it. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be dragging this onto you,” I mumbled while bringing my hooves to myself.
“No, it’s fine,” he said. “I get it. Home has been hard, and you just want a chance at the world. Believe me when I say that I understand that very well. I know first hoof that ‘Growing up can be hard’.”
I tightened my hooves around my body from the statement. A bit of moisture was working its way out of my eye, but I quickly wiped it. “Yeah… It is…”
I felt bad bringing Long Pitch down like this, but I just had to get off my chest. I’ve tried to overlook things, but I guess I just couldn’t take it anymore. All this pressure just kept building and building inside of me. I had to vent eventually. Better it be with a friendly pony than my family. Celestia knows they’d probably wouldn’t understand. Dad would just grumble about it. Mom would give me a sad look and do nothing. And my brother would just run off like he always does.
Why did I have to go through this...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Sure is a nice evening,” I commented.
“Yes, it is,” Long Pitch added.
It was getting close to setting up camp again. We had accidentally slept most of the day away, and the little bit of walk that we managed had been really slow. It’d add nearly another day before I got to Dodge Junction, but when I thought about it, maybe that wasn’t a bad thing.
An extra day away meant I’d get to stay away from home a bit longer.
“Should we set up camp soon?” I asked.
“I suppose we should,” Long Pitch said after a sigh. He seemed down for some reason. Did I do something wrong?
After parking the wagon and unhitching myself, I began to fish for the things to make a fire. But before I could Long Pitch placed a hoof on mine, and I froze.
“Let’s enjoy the night for a bit longer before we setup everything up.”
“Oh, okay,” I replied. Removing his hoof he made his way over to a patch of grass beside the road, and I followed wordlessly along.
He sat himself down and gave another sigh, then craned his head up into the night sky. I settled beside him, and looked about our surroundings. Rambling Rock Ridge was to the west, some miles away from the road but still tall enough for its rocky silhouette creating an uneven line against the darkening sky. There was a great field between us and the rocks, but behind us and at a much shorter distance was the Eastern River, followed by the forest that connected to the Baltimare Woods.
This was a spot I’ve camped on before many times. It always felt so nice being out here in the wild world, and I found myself appreciating it even more. But thinking back on the memories made me recall that it was always with my Dad, and I found thinking about it more, that that was the only thing wrong back then.
“Growing up can be hard,” Long Pitch suddenly said, and I found myself wrapping my hooves around my legs.
“Yeah… It is…” I mumbled.
“Sun Petal?”
“Yeah?” I said, poking my head out to look at him. A quiet moment passed between us, and I idly wondered why I hadn’t been able to have him on those remembered trips instead of my Dad.
He then smiled at me, and I found myself smiling in return. “It has been pleasant spending time with you. Truly, it has. You are a good mare.”
“Thank you,” I replied. Wow, I’ve been getting a lot of praise from him lately.
“But, even a pleasant time like this eventually has to end.”
My smile faltered. “Y-You know… I’ve been thinking.” Swallowing the lump in my throat, I pushed the lingering thought past my hesitation. “It’s not like my family’s going to starve if I don’t come back with a load of hay. You know… Perhaps I could… Well, I could just keep travelling with you.” I repositioned myself to face him. “I could go with you to Apple Loosa. I understand completely If you don’t want me to stick around after we get there, but I want to go there with you.”
“What about your family?”
“I’ll come back after a few years,” I said. “This is my one chance to travel out on my own. If I went back now I… I’m afraid that maybe I’ll never get a chance like this again.” I was starting to become nervous. I couldn’t believe what I was saying, but then again, it felt like it was the right thing to do. I just needed to get away from home to realize that what I wanted was more important than other things. I gave Long Pitch a hopeful smile. “So what do you say?”
He was silent at first, and for a moment I was afraid that I had pushed him to hard. But his familiar smile appeared again, and a flicker of hope passed through me.
“Sun Petal, you are a special mare,” he said soothingly. “Growing up can be hard, and you’ve done well to face it.”
My breath became caught in my throat, and my body became tight at the statement. Yes, growing up was so very, very hard. It was terrifyingly hard. It made me just want to get it over with, to get behind me so I could stop worrying. It was just becoming too frustrating in having to deal with it that my hooves were starting to grip the grass.
“Sun Petal,” Long Pitch said again, in a commanding voice. At once my eyes locked onto his. Red. So very red. And… fangs? Where those always the-
“Sleep.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wrong...
No...
Why couldn't I?
This is wrong…
I am old enough…
How much longer is this going to last?
Why can’t you see that?
My chest hurts...
Why are you acting like…
Like…
Like a monster?
Monsters…
So very wrong…
Monsters exist...
This is wrong!
How long have I been here?
I don’t feel right…
Everything is jumbled… out of place…
Wrong!
Why do I feel so angry?
What is going on? What’s happe-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ow… I’m hurting all over.
Opening my eyes, my vision slowly returns, and the dark silhouette of a tree hazily appears. Yeah, thats definitely a tree. The same stupid tree I thought would be good for climbing.
I sat there for some time, letting my mind make its way back from the dreamy state I awoke in. Everything felt… off. But I’m sure if I just give it some time, it’ll come back to me. Yeah, that’s right. Everything's okay. Just take your time and let it come back to you.
Cautiously, I test my body’s movements. It doesn’t take very long to realize the that aside from my sore limbs, there was a very sharp pain on my side. Right… I got it from one of the branches on the way down. Painfully, I reached a hoof over to it and find that, yup, I’m bleeding. Just great. Now what?
I recalled seeing my supplies landing just a short distance away, but my body starts to hurt too much to muster the courage to pull myself towards it. Guess there’s only one thing I can do. “Help?” I said weakly. No, I gotta yell louder than that. If there’s anypony around that could help, I have to yell loud enough to get their attention.
“Hello? Is anypony there? Hello! Please, help!”
No response, but I keep calling out. There has to be somepony nearby. There just has to be. I can feel it.
Minutes pass, and my hope starts to lessen. “Ugh… I’m in trouble if somepony doesn’t help me soon…” I mumble aloud. It hurts to move, but I shift myself so I could breath more easily, and I ignore the pain as I inhale deeply. “Is anypony there? Hello?”
How much longer was it going to take before somepony finds me? I need somepony to help really badly. I might be able to get up and reach my supplies alone, but I don’t want to risk my injuries further. My gut’s telling somepony will come. I just know it!
Then, my ears flick, and I hold my breath as I listen. Did I imagine it? “H-Hello? Is somepony there? I heard something… hello?” Tense moments pass as I quietly wait, and then hope answers.
“Hello? Are you hurt?”
I was right! There was somepony! Turning my head to see who it was, I spoke excitedly, “Y-yes! I feel from a tree I had been climbing and hurt myself! Can you please help me?”
“You fell from a tree?” the mare asked in surprise as she stepped out from behind a tree. It’s hard to make her out in the dark, but I feel relieved at the sight of her.
“Heh heh, yeah… It was kinda stupid of me when I think about it. I was trying to find a good spot to see the stars from a high branch, but slipped and fell. I nicked my side on a sharp bit on the way down.”
“Uhm… wow. Yeah, I agree, that’s probably something you shouldn’t be doing,” the mare said, followed by a short laugh. “Do you need help getting out of here?”
I nodded. “That would be wonderful, but there’s no town for miles. Honestly, right now I just need help bandaging myself and getting a fire going. Maybe I could join your campsite?”
“Well… to be honest, I don’t really have a campsite.”
It was still hard to see her even as she slowly came closer, but it was clear she sounded worried. Why is she being so cautious? I’m the one hurt in the middle of the woods at night. Everypony knew there were things out there…
“Then, what are you doing out here?” I asked.
“Uhm… going… for a walk?”
An awkward pause filled the air before I replied, “Wow…. You must really like long walks then.” Seems like simple enough of a reason.
“Yeah, I do... A-Anyways, you said you need help bandaging?”
“Oh, yeah. I have some wraps in my saddlebag right over there. I would do it myself but I don’t think I could get it tight enough without being a big baby about it and stopping. The pain’s finally starting to dull enough that I can sit up.” Actually, it was getting a lot better quickly. Like, it’s becoming numb or something. I wonder why it was hurting so much before? I suppose I shouldn’t focus on it, not with a pony in front of me.
“Okay, just a moment,” the mare replied nervously. She’s worried about me. How sweet. If only I had a pony in my life that actually worried about me, then maybe I wouldn’t be in this situation.
After propping myself up, I was able to get a better view of the mare, and it only took a few moments before I realized one very important thing about her. “Oh my gosh! Are you an alicorn!? I didn’t even see your horn with how dark it is!”
“Uh… yes… yes I am,” she said. She’s shy, that’s cute. Thank goodness I called out like I did otherwise I would have never found her.
“That is so cool! I never thought I’d meet an alicorn,” I replied. It looked like things were finally getting better for me. The lingering and odd weight in my chest was now starting to go away.
“Well, I’m glad to be the first for you, I guess,” she replied.
Then, a purple glow emanates from her horn and the bandages lifted to weave over me. But I couldn’t focus on that, couldn’t even begin to pay it any mind. No, it was impossible to focus on anything else besides her red eyes and unnatural fangs.
Wrong!
My heart started beating faster as panic began to pass through me.
Monster! Wrong! So very wrong!
This was bad. This was really bad. This mare… She’s…
Anger! Wrong! Monster! Stop it! Kill it! It’s wrong!
I hardly even noticed the scream of terror ripping from my throat as I stared at those red eyes.
It flinched back in shock, narrowly avoiding my hoofs as I jumped up and began swinging.
“GET AWAY! GET AWAY!” I screamed at it. This was bad, so very bad. Everything inside of me was screaming ‘unnatural’ just from looking at it. It was monster and I found the unfortunate position of having to deal with it. But I wasn’t about to go down without a fight.
It stepped backwards and raised a hoof in feigned defense. “What's wrong with you!?”
“SHUT UP YOU MONSTER!” No, I wasn’t going to fall for it. It wasn’t going to trick me. They were deceitful things. They were wrong! I have do deal with it quickly! “I’LL KILL YOU!” I screamed as I lunged towards it.
My first hoof connected, then my second, and every other one that followed. It was trying to defend itself while I attacked with everything I had. Bruises quickly appeared on my arms, but I couldn’t stop! Not yet! Not when I had it pinned down! I needed to keep attacking, keep throwing everything into it. It was my only chance. I didn’t care if my arms would break from it, I have to attack. I can’t give her the chance to finish me off!”
“LET HER GO!” I heard while simultaneously feeling a weight crash into my injured side. The air left my lungs, and I’m pretty sure some blood came out of my mouth. But I couldn’t stop. Not yet.
Crashing down, I whipped my head towards the thing that had knocked me over. It was small, it was looking at me with wide eyes, and even if they weren’t red, they were still unnatural. I needed to attack this too. My arms were already screaming in pain from everything that had happened. I was still hurt from the fall. But I couldn’t let that stop me. Gritting my teeth, I bashed my hoof into the little things head and dove after it. I had no problem getting on top of it and pushing a hoof into its throat. I watched with a furious expression as it’s eyes became wide. Tears were streaming down its cheeks and it was looking at me with utter fear while it tried to breath. I pressed my hoof against its neck more firmly. I could feel it gag and twitch beneath me.
Some distant part of me was shocked at was happening. Some tiny, unimportant speck was telling me this was wrong. But it couldn’t be. This was right. I had to do this.
“L-LUNAR PEARL!” the monster cried a short distance away. But it was too late. I would get this thing, and then I would get it. It’s all I had to do. It’s all I needed to do.
“DAMN YOU VAMPONIES TO TARTARUS!” I screamed at the little thing. It feebly tried to push my hoof away from its throat. It was small, defenseless. It shouldn’t be-
It should be dead!
It was like a fire came over my mind, and I glared hatefully at it. With everything I could muster, I brought my hoof back, and swung down with all I could, only to find it stopping inches away from the little thing.
I blinked in confusion at the purple glow that surrounding my hoof, then felt my blood chill when it spoke. “Get. Off. Her,”
I looked towards the mare, she tilted her head, and my world became a blur. A sudden crack resonated through my body, I felt my insides snap, and I screamed, but no sound came out. Another blur, and another sudden and unbearably painful crack as my body became limp. At least, I think it did. I wasn’t able to move below my neck, and I had wished to Celestia and Luna combined that I couldn’t feel it either.
What was happening? Where was I?
My world blurred again before coming to a sharp halt, and though another part of me hadn’t become broken, the piercing pain of something digging into my neck was more than enough. It hurt, though, not as bad as the rest of my body. But the pain continued to grow, and soon, I wishing to be snapped again instead of having whatever was happening to me happen.
I think I tried to say something, but no sound came out. My throat felt odd. Lumpy, even. So instead, I sat there, feeling my insides become drawn upward to my neck, becoming aware of a part of me reversing its flow in a way that it never should. My heart skipped a beat, then another, and soon it became irregular as as gaps appeared within the space it tried to pump.
A cold fire was settling on me, and some part of me felt relieve at some of my pain beginning to lessen.
What was happening? I wasn't in shock, wasn’t I? What had I been doing?
Everything was becomiing darker, and with it, the haze that had been over my mind. I don’t know what it was, or how it had kept me away, but it was gone, and all the terror came flooding back into me.
Oh Celestia, I was hurt. I was beyond hurt! Oh Celestia! Celestia! What’s happening!? Why? Am I going to...
A raindrop fell on my face. I don’t know how I noticed it with everything else that was happening, but I had.
Mom… Dad… Little Brother....
What was happening to me? Why was everything hurting so much? Why?
Why….
