A Nightingale's Song

Prologue

When he had first entered the Everfree, it had been pleasant, glowing, and quiet. The soft rays of sunlight pierced through the thick canopy above, creating a prism of golden blonde streaks spread amongst the leaf-covered ground. It had been peaceful—not as dangerous or dismal as he had perceived it to be.

Of course, that seemingly innocent opinion had been thrashed when he had slept for the first night.

The wolves had torn at him, nipping upon his heels as he sprinted away, wishing ever so longingly for safety and freedom from the Everfree. Of course, he had undergone worse trials before in his travels, and danger was no stranger to him.

The ever-beating drums of the west, the shrill cry of the eagle making its descent unto those marked by fire and blaze.

His past had been marked by danger, in fact, though it had also had its fair share of peace and quiet. The salty tang of the great blue was something he knew well, too, as well as the great cyclones and windy torments of the cerulean expanse—though it was more keen to say it was a black indigo in those times.

Roaring, deafening, and screaming, the winds and waters threatening to send him flying overboard, into the deep depths below, a death not taken lightly. And yet, also a peaceful, serene place of joy and, sometimes, loneliness.

Now, the bears, the hydras, the even some coyotes hunted him, day and night, as he grew ever more restless, desperate, and urgent, frantically attempting to find a way out of the dreaded forest known to so many of his home country. His nights were fraught with alarm and alert, and his days consisting of wary travels through the deepest depths of the Everfree, in his quest to return to what he thought was “home.”

The wide prairie of the Mild West had been peaceful, tranquil, and yet had a rushing sensation of an everlasting journey, an eternal stampede, to a hazy end.

The Everfree was a different monster altogether, yearning to tear him apart through a measure of discord and chaos. Nothing natural lived this deep in the Everfree—his younger self, when he had first left Equestria, would have never survived. Most definitely not.

But, there was salvation in the works—he felt in his bones, in his body, that he was close to the end. He was nearly there, nearly back in Equestria. The only problem were the timberwolves that hunted him, tracking him like prey, like a trembling and quivering mouse in the clutches of an owl. He would have been indignant, had it not been for the circumstances. And yet, the timberwolves had seemed to back off for a time, seemingly tracking a different prey, a different quarry, following a new hunt.

And thus, he had found himself near the end of the Everfree, walking briskly through the forest, wounded, fatigued, and yet following his intention, his desire, his confused and muddled aim, to uncover his past, and to choose whether or not to forget it entirely.

The air was warm, as Celestia’s sun descended across the horizon, a violet sheet retreating as Luna’s domain took over. It had been a day like every other—a pleasant afternoon. Of course, a day like any other in Ponyville usually happened to bring with it some trouble of any sort—a monster from the Everfree, mayhaps, or possibly some magical anomaly brought forth by the troubles and toils of the idyllic hamlet’s resident librarian.

It was only fortunate, in many of the denizen’s minds, that this day had fortunately spared them of any such event as of yet, besides the rather humorous talent show the school children had put on earlier in the day. Yes, there were still a few hours left in the day, but so far, nothing had happened to cause worry.

“Rarity, are you sure that now’s a good time to enter the… Everfree Forest? It’s almost nighttime…” a certain voice almost seemed to whisper, the latter portion of the uttered words fraught with fear and apprehension. Such was the voice of one of Ponyville’s citizens—a gentle mare of a silken yellow coat and pink mane, the town’s resident animal caretaker.

“Oh Fluttershy, don’t be so worried, I’m sure we’ll be fine. We’ll only be there for a little while, after all.” Another voice, that of another mare—a certain accent about it, tidy and “proper.” This one was of another of Ponyville’s prominent citizens—Rarity, the dressmaker. “Now, if only my dear sister and her friends had not lost their… capes, in that horrid forest. It’s bad enough that they used my initial batch of gold silk, but they just had to lose those capes. Why were they in the Everfree Forest anyways, my dear?”

“Um… well...”

“Oh, I guess it doesn’t matter. Come, Fluttershy, let’s be on our way. The faster we find those capes, the faster we can go back home before dusk falls.”

Moments later, the two mares had found themselves upon the edge of the Everfree Forest—one apprehensive, yet determined, and the other fearful, reluctant. With a breath, the two ponies stepped hoof into the forest, the capes of golden silk their goals.

Of course, they did not see the green eyes that peered upon them from the darkness of the forest.

Pain, and exhaustion—his body ached and stung, and as he ventured forth, determined to find a way out of this damnable forest, he wondered, with internal fury…

Why, oh why, had he chosen to enter Equestria through the gods-forsaken forest in the first place?!

Ah, yes. He had desired a measure of personal strength, something to make sure that he would not lose sight of his goals again.

Of course, hindsight was twenty out of twenty, and in every sense, the numerous cuts, scrapes, and pains throughout his body exemplified his earlier idiocy.

Dirt and grime coated his mane and coat and, if one looked closely, one could see tinges of blood, here and there. One of his wings was bent in an awkward direction, and his saddlebags drooped from his sides, the leather bindings ripping across the seams as the threads lost their strength.

And yet, he continued forwards—for what way was there but ahead? Behind him lay the past—metaphorically. And more pain, possibly death, physically. Within him, he knew that he was nearing the end of the forest—and, oh, how he would welcome the sun, to shine down upon his face.

He did not even know if it was daytime or nighttime outside of the forest—it was always dark in the Everfree, a dark that he had come to know very well, over the past few days.

Thus, he was determined to finally leave the forest that had been his torment since he had decided to come back to Equestria. With every step that seemed to dig needles into his hooves, he moved forwards, and with every blink of the eye, he willed himself to stay awake, if only for a little longer. He had learned, the hard way, that rest never came easily in the Everfree—not during the night, and not during the day.

But suddenly, he stopped, his ears pricked forwards as he struggled to listen—a voice, a scream, a high pitched scream. Somewhere, in the forest, somepony was in distress. And more—barks, woofs, growls—timberwolves, just one set of monsters that he had become accustomed to—or rather, his tail had become accustomed to. Running away was often the best solution in the Everfree.

Nevertheless, his mind called for him to reach the sounds of distress, and as his muscles screamed in agony, he galloped towards the screams, resolute in his desire to help those that needed it.

Faster and faster he ran, his joints threatening to pop out of their sockets, and the screams became louder, shriller. With a thunderous jump, he smashed through some leaves and bushes, and with a slam, his body impacted upon another, wooden twigs and sticks flying everywhere. Rolling back to his hooves, he looked up, gazing upon the… rather large timberwolf, and a wooden paw that seemed to be flying towards—

Crash!

Like a sack of potatoes, he fell, stars swirling in his vision. With a groan, his vision darkened, his weary eyes watching the wooden paw that had slammed him into the ground.

‘Celestia dammit.’

It had begun with a request.

A request, by her sister, to retrieve her forsaken cape in the Everfree Forest.

Of course, she had questioned as to why Sweetie Belle was even in the forest—Rarity had assumed that the Cutie Mark Crusaders had been under Fluttershy’s care the day before. But, she had received no straight answer, and, after meeting Fluttershy at her home, the two mares had entered the Everfree Forest.

And now?

Yes, they had the cape in their possession.

But that was of no matter—for now, in front of Rarity and Fluttershy, was a pack of timberwolves, spitting wood and leaves from their mouths, and led by none other than an Alpha Timberwolf.

Where had it come from? She did not know. Why was an Alpha and its pack this close to the edge of the forest? Another question that was a much better fit for the likes of her dear friend Twilight Sparkle.

What was she to do about it?

Well, that answer was at least simple. She screamed, and was quickly joined in doing so by her companion. The two of them made to flee, but were stopped when more of the timberwolves emerged from the bushes, blocking their exit.

And so, a simple request from her sister had culminated in an event that would, most likely, result in her death. A pity, to be sure, that the greatest dressmaker and fashionista that Equestria had ever known, would meet her end in a dark, gloomy forest.

Yet, fate had chosen to spare her this day—or so she had thought, when a figure, covered in such material that was just begging for a trip to the spa to clean up, emerged from a bush, slamming into the Alpha Timberwolf. But, once again, her hopes were dashed when the figure, revealed to be a pony, was rendered unconscious by a simple swipe of the timber paw.

Rarity had prepared her lungs for yet another scream, when she stopped, gazing upon her friend Fluttershy.  The yellow pegasus stomped forwards, a visage of fury upon her face.

“No! Bad Timberwolf! Bad! Heel!”

Rarity thought to grab Fluttershy and pull her back, but stopped when she saw the Alpha’s head tilt in confusion.

“How dare you?! How dare you?! You do not! I repeat, do not hurt innocent ponies like that! You should be ashamed of yourself, you big bully!” screamed the normally demure mare. The Alpha stepped back, fright creeping upon its face, but Fluttershy did not relent, continuing her tirade.

“Say you’re sorry, mister! Say! You’re! Sorry!” Fluttershy’s screams were accentuated by her Stare, her eyes narrowing into slits of fury that almost screamed for the timberwolves to heed her command.

To Rarity’s amazement, the Alpha kneeled down, seemingly nuzzling the poor stallion’s body, before turning around and running away. The rest of its pack followed, a series of yips and barks signaling their exit. Rarity gaped as the timberwolves fled, shifting her gaze to a panting Fluttershy. After a moment’s pause, Rarity regained her ability to speak, cantering forwards to pat Fluttershy on the back.

“Fluttershy, that was… that was amazing! I knew you were good with animals, especially with your Stare, but I was sure we were done for! Whatever prompted you to—“

Fluttershy, however, walked towards the body of the fallen stallion, stooping down as if trying to pick him up. “Yes, thank you Rarity, but this pony doesn’t look too good. We should get him to my cottage.”

Rarity, remembering the injured stallion, nodded in turn, and her horn lit alight with the glow of magic. With a groan of exertion the unicorn lifted the pony up. Fluttershy hovered in front, supporting the stallion’s body with her hooves, and the two mares made their way out of the forest.

“Fluttershy, why do you think this stallion was in the forest, all injured like this in the first place? The Everfree is not the safest place to be, and he looks like he was living in it!” Rarity asked, a frown on her face. “Do you think he has a home here, like Zecora?”

“N-no… maybe he was just traveling. He does have saddlebags, after all.” Fluttershy responded sedately.

Rarity simply sighed, and the two mares continued in silence. Upon reaching the familiar cottage, Fluttershy flew inside, and Rarity could hear the sounds of pots, kettles, pans, and other objects being moved. As she entered, Rarity saw that Fluttershy had cleared a table, and was waiting for her. With the stallion’s body in tow, Rarity walked up and gently set the unconscious pony onto the table.

“There we go. Do you need anything else, Fluttershy?” Rarity questioned, panting slightly from the magical exertion.

Fluttershy flittered about her home, grabbing a variety of bandages, gauze, and other medical utilities, before responding to her friend. “No, I don’t think so. But you should go get Twilight—we’ll need somepony to help move this pony to Ponyville Hospital, and you seem to be too tired to take him all that way… no offense, Rarity…” With that, Fluttershy began her work on the stallion in question, examining the unmoving body. Rarity nodded, before leaving the cottage, her sights set on the Ponyville Library.

Papers fluttered across the room, and the sounds of scribbling quills filled the quiet air of the library as Twilight Sparkle, the resident librarian of Ponyville, wrote down her latest report to Princes Celestia—or, rather, the respective reports of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, on their most recent hijinks at the school talent show. Twilight was simply writing down their own words.

In most circumstances, it would have been Spike doing the writing, and the sending, but Twilight had already sent him off to retrieve some of the pastries she had ordered from Sugarcube Corner. She would just have to wait until he came back to send it—

Knock knock knock. A sudden series of knocks on the door broke her concentration, and Twilight groaned, leaving the report and walking down the stairs to the door. “Coming, one moment!”

Twilight opened the door with her magic, revealing her friends Rarity and Rainbow Dash outside. “Hey, girls. Do you need something?”

Rarity glared at Rainbow Dash, before turning back to Twilight. “Yes, I’m sorry to be a bother, dear, but Fluttershy and I need your help at her cottage. Rainbow Dash here just wanted to follow, I assume.”

The tomboyish voice of the rainbow-maned pegasus followed, a smirk adorning her face. “Yeah, I was bored, saw Rarity running over here, and wanted to see what she was up to. Seems urgent, though.”

Immediately, the visage of worry crept up Twilight’s face. “Oh? Is Fluttershy okay? Did something happen?”

“Fluttershy is fine, dear, but we’ll need your help getting somepony to the hospital. I’ll explain on the way.” Rarity turned around, gesturing for Twilight to follow her as the jogged away. Twilight followed, with Rainbow Dash following from above.

“What happened, Rarity? Who needs to go to the hospital?” Twilight asked, running besides her friend.

“Well, my dear, Fluttershy and I were in the Everfree together, trying to find Sweetie Belle’s little cape. She said she left it in the forest the day she and her friends were with Fluttershy.” Rarity turned her head towards Twilight, a questioning look on her face. “Why were they in the Everfree anyways?”

Twilight, in turn, chuckled sheepishly. “Eh… heh heh… don’t worry about that. But, continue, who needs medical attention? Were they in the forest too?”

“Yes, well, I’ll get to that. You see, Fluttershy and I had found my sister’s cape, but we were happened upon by a pack of timberwolves, led by one large one. I thought we were done for, but then out of nowhere, this stallion jumps from the bushes, all covered in leaves and dirt and cuts, and slams into their leader.” Rarity said, panting slightly as they ran towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Wow… that sounds… heroic?” Twilight responded.

“Yes, well, it would have been, if the pony hadn’t been knocked unconscious immediately after. No, the real heroic part came from Fluttershy—she used her stare and everything, and drove the timberwolves away, like she did with that dreadful dragon. So, we took the stallion to her cottage, and she’s patching him up there.” The three mares slowed down, their pegasus friend landing on the ground behind them, as they reached Fluttershy’s cottage. “We just need somepony to take him to the hospital—I’m much too tired to do that, especially after all this running.”

Twilight nodded, opening the door to the cottage. “Fluttershy, we’re here. Do you still need any help?”

In the center of the house sat Fluttershy, looking tired, besides a table. Upon the table was the aforementioned pony, unconscious and bandaged. “Oh, hey girls. I did what I could here. Twilight, can you take this pony to the hospital? They can probably do more than I can. If… if you want to, of course…” Fluttershy whispered shyly, raising herself to her hooves.

Once again, the princess’s protégé nodded, approaching the table. She examined the body, looking closely at the stallion. He had a grey coat, with the remnants of dirt and grime all over it. His mane was a greenish-blue color, as was his tail, and as she looked over the body, Twilight noticed his cutie mark—a pair of musical notes, eighth notes, if she remembered correctly, beamed together. A musical pony, perhaps?

“I’ll get the guy’s bags,” Rainbow Dash said, flying over to a pair of saddlebags near the table. “These are his, right?”

“Yes, they are, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy responded. “I was going to take them over myself, but I guess you can take them.”

Twilight Sparkle turned towards Fluttershy, looking over the yellow pegasus. “You’re okay, right Fluttershy? Not hurt anywhere?”

“Y-yes, I am. Thank you, Twilight, but—“

“Oh cool, look at the stuff this guy has!” The words, accompanied by the scratchy voice of the other pegasus in their midst, encouraged Twilight to turn around, only to see Rainbow Dash holding up a crimson-plumed helmet, the saddlebags open at her hooves. “A helmet? Why does this guy have a helmet?”

Twilight Sparkle prepared herself to scold the pegasus, anger creeping up her face, before her friend pulled another object out of the already-open bags.

“Oh, wow! Where did this guy get a set of wingblades?” True to her words, she carried a set of crimson wingblades, a weapon specific to pegasi. Rainbow Dash looked closely at them with interest, before Twilight’s raised voice interrupted her.

“Rainbow Dash! Put those back where they belong, they’re not yours!” The pegasus turned towards Twilight Sparkle, a sheepish look on her face, before returning the helmet and wingblades to the bag.

“Jeez, sorry Twilight. The bags are ripped open, and I saw those things, got curious. My bad, egghead.”

Twilight raised a hoof to her face, a sigh of frustration exiting her mouth, before turning back to the table. “Alright, we should be on our way. Thanks, Fluttershy, for doing what you can. I’m sure the Ponyville Hospital can take over from here.” Her horn lit up with magic, a violet aura encompassing the body of the stallion, before she raised him up, carrying him towards the door. “Let’s get on our way, girls.”