Darkness floated over the filly locking her into a pit of endless abyss of heavy night. Her only chance was to hug her way out! With the skill of a panther she pounced on the nearest lump and squeezed before moving onto the next. A giggle came from beyond the darkness as she hugged something firm then moved onto the next obelisk she could sense.
She couldn’t tell what it was, but the monster that had locked her away in the abyss must have a weakness for hugs. She knew what had to be done. She struggled against the weight of the darkness, made a desperate rearing lunge for the last tall obelisk and roared as the beast laughed and the darkness was lifted.
“Golden Ring, you’re the most precious foal in history, I swear,” her mother said softly as she bit the scruff of the filly’s mane and moved her back to the center of her crib, “but it’s bed time and you have to calm down like all good fillies your age.”
Whatever the creature was saying it wouldn’t win! Golden’s spirit and resolve was too strong! With a squeal of power she reared and latched onto her mommy’s muzzle and hugged her with all her might. With luck, she’d be released from the nightly punishment and be allowed to explore the room that was her world.
“Oh, not tonight, young mare. All good unicorns need sleep to get their magic big and strong, so good night.”
With that the creature’s head glowed and then the room was nearly as dark as it was when Golden was in the abyss, and she was completely alone now.
“Hrumph,” she grunted. Crying for food brought mommy back, but she wasn’t as happy then and every time after she was more upset than the last, even if the milk was always warm and the cuddles were super nice. She could always pee, but that left her wet and uncomfortable and made daddy upset if he had to change her cloth.
Thinking of what to do seemed to work well enough to put the filly to sleep, but tonight she had a feeling. A new feeling in the pit of her chest and it was tingly. She looked to the door and really wanted it open, then it opened!
Golden squealed with happiness, then gasped as the door to her nightly prison slid down, freeing her. She was, free? With a tumbling roll and sudden stop on her tail she looked around and hiccupped as she took to her hooves and made for the opened door. There sure was a lot of stuff on her floor.
Traps! Not on her watch! Any good soldier in the royal guard won’t be foiled by such tricks. She fell to her belly and carefully crawled between the objects called ‘toys’.
“Agoo.”
With a look back and toothless smile, Golden was clear of the first obstacle. Next was beyond the threshold. A world she knew little of, but enough to know that she was going to have to brave it to complete the next phase of her mission. Looking down the hall both ways she noticed a light at the end of the tunnel. A yellow light, perhaps the sun!
“Chel,” Golden whispered as she took shaky steps down the path only to stop. It was too easy. She slowly looked up and there they were: Bats! More than she could ever count in her life! She stood still as they rested above her, perched on both sides of the walls for lengths. She couldn’t make it all the way without waking them.
With a waggle of her tiny yellow tail she took a quick hop, several more, than a few more after that to the edge of one of their nests. Terrifying creatures, bats. She began to climb the nest, hoping to make it to the top and walk the rafters above them when she slipped and used her magic to grab the first thing she could think of… “Grrumbuwl.”
She froze and lay flat on the level of the nest as one of the bats fluttered awake and down below before thudding loudly onto the floor. The beast must have taken a poor critter as its meal.
The fiends.
“Did you hear that?” daddy asked from far away.
“Ignore it and get my pasterns, I’ve had a long day, honey.”
“Mum,” Golden whispered. Hope sparking in her heart as she resumed her climb. Finally, the top of the nest. Now she could see the tunnel was full of nests and obelisks, shrines and busts. A treasure trove of knowledge and wealth that belied the horrors below her. She cautiously made to move to the next nest and leapt as the first nest cracked, sending bats everywhere!
They fluttered mindlessly earthward as Golden panicked and began a gallop and jump routine that nearly took her to the light. To her freedom.
“What in Celestia’s name?” Daddy’s voice called as the bats and their nests collapsed. The porthole opened and there stood mommy and daddy, mouths agape as their hallway lay full of books and a single filly dangled for dear life on the bust of her great grandfather.
“Honey,” mommy said, “your turn. She doesn’t get this from my side of the family.”
Golden was levitating in the air, scrambling silently for a grip on anything. In the darkness the book bats were lying, dead across the floor and their nests were broken.
“What a mess,” daddy said as he tripped over a book bat. She was back into her room and back into bed with a frustrated look aimed at her.
She wilted under his gaze and crawled under the covers.
“That’s more like it. I don’t want to come back in here, so good, night.” He leaned over and kissed her horn then turned on a single lamp to brighten the room.
He closed the door gently and she could hear the sound of the hallway being fixed. She knew the night was safe again, thanks to her efforts and the toil her parent went through to bring her back to her safety zone. She’d have to attack the squeaking chair in the other room someday… but until then.
*yawn*
Sleep would win this eve. “Gaa-gaa-nat.”
