The Sting of Life

"Oh, you're just a pony? I was just a bit worried, there are a lot of dangerous creatures out here. I'm sorry if I scared you" he said, holding out his hoof to try and help her up. Fluttershy, who was feeling a huge rush of relief, slowly accepted and grabbed his hoof as she staggered to the ground.

"Thank you" she said as she took a good look at the pony in front of her. He was red with a black mane, and was rather tall. He wore a black leather jacket and a brown hat, and below the hat were a pair of dark green eyes. She looked over his shoulder to take a look at his cutie mark, which was a blue handled sword. Interestingly enough, he had that exact sword in its sheathe over his shoulder. He looked like an overall serious and tough pony, but however also looked rather kind.

"What are you doing out here in the Everfree Forest? Especially in the rain. As a matter of fact, you should probably take this" he said as he grabbed the umbrella on his jacket, and gave it to Fluttershy.

"Thank you again. I was out here because I was taking some frogs to the swamps out here, and I must have gotten carried away with taking care of them. You see, I care for a lot of animals, and the frogs were starting to get crowded" she explained to him.

"I suppose you're from the town then?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yes I am, and I'm very lost out here" she answered.

"Well, lucky for you I know the forest like the back of my hoof. I've been here my whole life. I can easily take you back!" he said happily.

"Really?! Thank you so....... Wait did you say your whole life?" she asked him, sounding surprised. But, soon after she said that, the wind picked up and blew heavily against the two wet ponies under the heavy rain. They both shivered as the wind chilled their bodies.

"I'll explain later, first we should get out of this rain. Follow me" he said, pulling out a flashlight and walking into the dark forest. Fluttershy, without question, followed quickly and closely, not wanting to get left behind. Soon enough, they arrived at a moderately sized cottage, marked by a lantern above the wooden door. The stallion held the door open, and followed Fluttershy in. He then flipped a light switch, and Fluttershy saw the home in front of her. Below them, in front of the door was a small mat. To the right was a small potted plant, and to the left was a rack for his jacket and hat, which he still hasn't taken off. In the bottom left was a blue couch, in front of it was a table and a chair. Across the room was a door into the kitchen, and next to that some stairs, which she assumed led to a bedroom. The most obvious feature however, were a lot of bookshelves. They filled up all empty spaces on the left and right walls.

"Yeah, I know. A lot of books, but they were here when I found the place." he explained to her.

"Found?" she asked.

"Yep. I'll explain in a bit, but first we should dry off" he said, commenting on both of their soaked bodies. He took the umbrella and proceeded upstairs. He came back a few seconds later with two towels. He handed one to Fluttershy, and they both dried off for a minute. He offered her a seat on the couch, then went into the kitchen. He then emerged with two glasses of water and gave one to her, then sat down in the chair.

"So, what's your name?" he asked.

"I'm Fluttershy..." she said shyly.

"That's a nice name. I'm Stingfire" he said smiling.

"So you're probably wondering what I'm doing living out here". She nodded.

"Well, it's an odd story. Mainly because it's no story at all! About ten years ago, I found myself on the lying on the ground, just waking up. I have no idea how I got there, and I have no memory before that, but I do know that my whole body was sore. When i finally got up, I looked around and saw a saddle bag next to me. In it I found some cloths and blankets, basic tools, and some food and other essentials. I also found this sword hanging over my shoulder. I started exploring around, and after about a mile I found this little cottage, with a few pieces of furniture and every book you see in here now. I probably owe my life to these books, most of what I know today comes from them. Anyway, having no where to go, I just stayed in the forest my whole life, learning its secrets and mastering its challenges."

"Wow, so you've just lived out here your whole life? Never decided to go to the town, or at least try to find some answers?" she asked him. He shook his head.

"Never felt any need for answers, and I would just be an outcast in the town" he explained.There was a short, depressing silence.

"Well anyway, I'll take you back to town tomorrow." he said to her.

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, it's way to dangerous to go at night, let alone in the rain. Don't worry, you can stay here. You can sleep upstairs in my bed, I'll take the couch"

"Ummm, okay. Thank you" she said shyly.

"Also, feel free to use the bathroom up there to wash up."

"Okay, thank you very much. Goodnight" she said, starting to walk upstairs.

"No problem, goodnight!" he said, hearing the door close. Then he went over to the couch and pulled down a blanket, laid down, and went to sleep.