It’s been a long time.
In a dark Cave I sit, back against the wall. It isn’t much, but it’s all I have. In my hand, I hold the sharp piece of flint that I had used countless times before to scratch the wall. Sets and sets of five line the wall. I would count them, but what’s the point? Why even bother to keep track anymore. From the sets I can see that I have been stranded here for a long time.
I stand up and walk towards the mouth of the Cave. As I breach the dim light, my eyes adjust and allow me to see the dense Forest that I had looked upon so many times before. I look up into the sky to see the resident star dipping below the horizon. In the dim lighting, the Forest seems even more oppressive.
I dare not venture out too far at this hour, lest I become a meal for a creature more dangerous than me. All the creatures are stronger than me.
I DON’T KNOW WHERE I AM.
This place, it feels so different. I feel so cold even though the temperature goes well past the nineties, even at dusk. The air itself is heavy. Heavy with an energy I myself am unfamiliar with. I don’t believe I am on my planet. Perhaps I am not even in my universe anymore. I don’t know. I was never a man of science... This world may not even believe in science. Perhaps a different metaphysical force rules here, such as magic or sorcery.
“What a ridiculous thought.”
‘It may be ridiculous. But it is the easiest way you can explain what you have seen, you know that.’
I need to keep myself in check. I cannot start talking to myself again. I just need to focus on living.
I walk over to the pile of wood I had collected and take a couple of pieces. I bring them over to the fire pit I had dug out the day I had arrived here. As I light the fire, I think back to that day.
I can remember so little from before I came here. I can’t even remember my name. I know where I came from, though. From a blue planet named Earth.
My first tangible memory was feeling the cold dampness of dew on blades of grass. I awoke slowly in a stupor. I had no idea where I was. Surely the waking up in the middle of a forest wasn’t normal for me. I craned my head to the sky and was blinded by the mid morning sunlight. I rushed to my feet and took stock of my surroundings. A Forest. Just a Forest. I began to walk. As I entered the shade cast by the trees, I felt... different. I pushed down the feeling that caused thoughts to rush through my head and began to walk through the brush. I happened upon a Cave. I let my survival instincts kick in and turned it to my home. I had planned it to be temporary, but know I’m not so sure.
I’m not completely sure what I am. I had referred to myself as a man. A man what, though?
I didn’t know it at the time, but I’m sure that I am alone here. Not alone in the literal sense but in the figurative sense. I do know that there are other creatures here that are unlike the one I have encountered in the forest. A while back, I managed to break from the Forest into a clearing on a bluff. Imagine my joy when I saw a village nearby. That joy however turned to uncertainty when I saw that its occupants were strange creatures. How can I describe them? Colorful four legged animals, I suppose. They seemed intelligent enough. They had established a community that gave me a small feeling of... nostalgia? Perhaps that doesn’t make sense. My mind is failing me right now.
Never mind that. I never tried to make contact with the creatures. I don’t quite feel right calling them that...
The fire sparks to life, the flame slowly consuming its fuel. I reach into a sack that I had filled with grasses and mushrooms. They taste awful raw and had made me sick on more than one occasion. Cooked, however, they taste... eh.
I eat in the silence I had grown accustom to. The only sounds I hear are in my thoughts. Or are they coming from the Forest? Is It trying to steal my thoughts?
I let my mind occupy itself with paranoid notions as I chew. There is definitely something off about this Forest. I feel different from my first day here. Perhaps I have grown so I can be accommodated by my new home.
I start to feel sick again. Not from the food. It’s something that happens when I think about something for too long. I stand up and walk down a path from the clearing. It always helps to shake this feeling. It doesn’t seem to be working this time. I can’t stop thinking right now. I may be on to something. I always get sick when I seem to be getting somewhere figuring all of this out. The Forest doesn’t want me to figure it out.
I can feel a faint buzzing in my head. I raise both of my hands against my temples. It’s getting louder. I fall to my knees. I can hear other sounds. It sounds like speech. The same language I speak. As I try to discern it the buzzing grows louder again, completely taking over my senses. I finally collapse and let comforting darkness overtake me.
It doesn’t want me to hear. I will resist it, just not now. I’m too tired. The buzzing fades as the darkness overtakes me completely.
I need to know
My eyes shoot open. Everything is clear once again. I can still hear voices, one male the other female. What are they talking about? I can barely... A mission? They need to go somewhere in the Forest. Need to find... something? I can’t hear them well enough. I think they are getting closer. I can hear the rustling of brush.
I nimbly stride through the trees and bushes. I didn’t make any noise. I had become a master of moving silently and quickly through the Forest. But, even masters can make mistakes. A root that had grown out of the ground reaches out and grabs my ankle. I trip out of cover right into the clearing, landing on all fours. The voices stopped. It sounded like they had been interrupted. I slowly raise my head, gritting my teeth in pain.
The voices were coming from the creatures. There are two of them, both staring right at me. I recognize the animal they resemble. They look like horses... One looks slightly... angry? The other just looks surprised. They have huge eyes, one’s green the other’s purple. Confused, purple eyes to violet coat and a... Horn? And angry, green eyes to green and brown armor and wings.
I don’t think moving towards them would be a good idea. These clearly aren’t just horses. I stand up and say something along the lines of “Sorry, I think I’ll be going.” I start to back away. I think I startled them into action. The armored one tells the purple one something. I can’t quite tell what it was. The armored one flares its wings. I can see light reflect off of something. I pale when I see the blades attached to its wings. The violet one starts to back away; I start to follow its move but not before the armored one says something.
It just called me sad, warped demon and said that it would save me from my suffering.
I don’t wait for it to ‘help’ me. I turn and run back into the comparative safety of the forest. Pain lances through my ankle with every step. Rather face pain than a rude horse creature who just tried to save me from living. I eventually reach a large tree and sit against it. I rub my injured ankle and I watch the woods I just came from. I don’t think either followed me. I lean back and rest my head against the tree, closing my eyes.
“They think you’re a monster.”
“Listen, Miss Sparkle. All I know is that I was supposed to come to the Everfree Forest and do some investigating.”
A gray coated pegasus wearing green armor broke from the woods and onto a path. A violet coated unicorn followed behind him. She looked quite frustrated with her companion. “But you’re still not telling me why you think you need to investigate.” She caught up to him and looked pleadingly into his eyes. “Please Cloud Cover? You must know something...”
Cloud Cover rolled his eyes and pushed past her. “Alright, Twilight. We had been getting reports from another station near the Everfree Forest that there had been some weird goings on. That’s all I know. I aim to find out more.”
“Okay, I’m willing to buy that. But why are you specifically here?” Twilight asked him.
Cloud Cover shrugged, “What can I say? I owed somepony a favor.”
Twilight sighed heavily. She seemed even more frustrated. She asked another question, “What do you expect to find?”
Cloud Cover put his hoof up to his chin in thought. “Hard to say, but given its proximity to Ponyville, it’s probably the next threat to the entirety to the whole of Equestria.” He joked. “Relax Twilight. I’m a Ranger, I do stuff like this all the time. It’s second natur-“
Cloud Cover was interrupted by a creature pouncing out of the forest. It stood shock still before looking up at them with its teeth bared. It looked somewhat like a monkey but with fur only growing out the top of its head. It was also covered with cloth that looked rather old. Its hands that had turned to resemble claws dug into the ground. This might have been what Cloud Cover had been sent out to investigate. His eyes burned with determination as he got into his work mindset. The creature continued to stare the ponies down, the only sound being the creatures rasping breathing. The creature then stood up slightly on its hind legs. It growled and stepped back into a defensive pose.
Cloud Cover realized the danger that his companion was in from this creature. He opened his wings and prepared his wing blades. “Twilight, go back to Ponyville.” He said sternly.
Twilight nodded and trusted the warrior’s insight and began to back away from the confrontation.
Cloud Cover kept watching waiting for the creature to make a move. “You poor creature, what has this forest done to you?” he spoke softly. His words seemed to cause the creature distress as it turned and loped back into the forest. The Ranger kept his stance for a minute, scanning for the creature’s return. It never came back. He relaxed at look back at Twilight, “I think there’s something bigger going on in here.”
Twilight nodded wordlessly.
“They think you’re a monster.”
I opened my eyes to find a dark shape reclined on a branch above me. It was inherently dark but had a similar shape to myself. “What are you?” I asked it.
It continued to sit in the tree not even bothering to look at me. It laughed, “What am I? What about you?” It stood up on the branch and suddenly disappeared.
I got up and looked around for any sign of the shadow. I swore to myself for letting it get away from me. It seemed like it knew something about me.
“Right behind you, young one.” I turned quickly to face a creature that was quite literally a shadow. It smiled at my surprise. It walked away from me and stopped. “You and I aren’t that different you know.”
I had a hard time believing that. “How so?”
The shadow turned back to me, “We’re both seen as monsters to the inhabitants of this world. It’s rather unfair, don’t you think? They’re just animals you know. And they have the gall to treat us like the animals!”
I didn’t quite know what the Shadow was trying to say. “So what?”
It turned away from me and walked over to a tree, inspecting it closely. “To the point,” he remarked. “I like that. What I’m trying to say is that they are creatures of no consequence.” The shadow grinned evilly. He turned back to me, “I’m here to make a proposition. They’re weak, we’re strong. We can take over and rule this place. Sounds good to you?”
I shook my head, “I have no interest in ruling this place. I just want to go home.”
The Shadow shrugged, “I can work with that. You help me and I can get you home.” The Shadow extended its hand, “Deal?”
I looked down at my hand and reached hesitantly and took its hand. It felt cold. “Deal” I said. I looked at my new business partner, “Do you have a name?”
“Call me, ‘Shadow of a Doubt’” It looked straight into my eyes, “What about you, my new friend?”
I shook my head, “No, if I did I can’t remember it.”
Shadow of a Doubt looked at the claw that was firmly grasped in its hand in a handshake. It looked into its new partner’s eyes. They glowed with a certain kind of wild magic. He grinned creepily, “I think I’ll call you... ‘Feral’.”