Chapters Chapter 1 - Smoke and Tears
I awoke with a start, breathing heavy and body feeling ice cold. The shadows of the forest loomed over my form, the green canopy above almost blocking the sun from view. My eyes darted around for anything, something, familiar to me other than green leaves and rough, dark brown bark. A building, maybe? Another human? Anything to signify civilization. That's when I finally noticed them; the midnight black, bat-like wing. I scrambled backwards, landing on my back and eyes clamping closed. When nothing happened, I cracked them open to see two black paws resting above me. Out of sudden instinct, I reached forward and bit into one, pain wracking my body. Shocked and confused, I let go as the pain slowly dulled to a slow throb. Now with the full realization that this was indeed my foot, and I had bit it, I tried to get back up... Only for me to fall back down again. Looking behind me, a bark of alarm escaped me. My coat was a luscious midnight black, two large yet beautiful bat wings sticking out of my back. My tail had curled itself around me for comfort, my legs sprawled out from falling. Two ears stuck out of my head, swiveling from left to right in alarm. Reaching a paw up to where my lips would be, instead I found a skull face. Panic gripped me, my eyes frantically darting around as I desperately tried to climb to my feet and failed almost every time.
I tried screaming, but all that came out was a strangled gurgle as my new vocal chords strained against the words I was trying to formulate. I tried again, breathing rapid, but just with the same outcome. My panic escalated through the roof. I couldn't communicate. I couldn't walk. I was in a place on who the hell knows where. Letting out a sorrowful, dog-like wail, I crossed my paws over my snout as tears freely fell. Why was I here? Where was I? My eyes frantically looked for something, anything , human to latch onto... But found nothing. Nothing! Whimpers welled up in my throat as I cried.
Then, something in me snapped.
I was human. Maybe not physically, but at least mentally. I had to overcome this, no matter what. If not for myself, but for those that where... Somewhere. Taking in a deep breath to calm my nerves, ignoring the fact I wasn't any longer a human, I hoisted myself up and spread my legs to keep balanced. Flexing the foreign muscles in my legs, I took a step small step forward. Then another, until I could walk in a full circle with ease. Once I was confident enough, I succeeded in running with falling on my face. Next came my wings. I stretched them out and fluttered them as a test of control, excitement filling my senses. It was quickly snuffed out at the sound of wailing. Not a siren, but like full on 'oh my god I'm so sad' wailing.
Snapping my wings close to my sides, I took of like a bolt of lightning through the vegetation, the smell of smoke reaching my nose. Twigs snapped underneath my paws, brambles reaching out to try and pull me back by my fur, and the angry crackle of fire slowly descending upon me. The closer I got, the vegetation lessened and I saw more blackened ash and earth. A village appeared, fire lapping at open windows and buildings crumbling to the ground as I burst through the underbrush. The village would have looked ordinary enough if there wasn't fire and smoke blocking out the sky. I could make out the remains of a small market space, a few homes scattered here and there. A little ways away was a burning schoolhouse, walls standing strong, and the roof long having collapsed. My ears swiveled around for the sound again which, thankfully, started back up after a few seconds.
"M-Mama! Papa! Somepony please he-help!"
My eyes darted in the direction of the cry, an alleyway wedged between two building still engulfed in the inferno. I sprinted towards the alley, panic and fear gripping my heart like a snake constricting it's prey. Debris was scattered along the alley, a rather large piece of wall at the end. Whimpers of pain and fear came from the fallen wall, adding to my already rapidly increasing anxiety. What if it falls and crushes the person underneath? I sprang forward, using my wing and the side of my body to push it aside. A scream of terror came soon after from the... Filly?!
"N-No! Please! D-Don't eat me!" She scrambled backwards.
The filly had a cotton candy pink coat and a turquoise mane and tail, which was disheveled and covered in ash. Her bright green irises had shrunk to the size of a marble. I tilted my head to the side in confusion, then realized I had a skull for a face and resisted the urge to face palm. I probably looked like the grim reaper himself, didn't I? Ignoring my stupidity, I brought my muzzle down to her face and rubbed it against her cheek. It felt weird, bone against fur, but it made her rapid breathing decrease a bit.
"W-what're you-"
I picked her up by her tail, earning a surprised squeal from her and she began to thrash around in panic. Sprinting out between the two buildings and dodging debris or fire, I made it back to the forest's edge and dropped the terrified filly on the soot covered ground. She scooted away from me, large eyes watering slightly. With an unamused chitter, something I didn't even know I could do, I sat down and began tearing away at some leaves that had decided to stick to my wings. She stared at me a little longer, calmer yet still confused and cautious.
"A-Are you going to eat me?" I shook my head.
"Why did you-" She swallowed, "Why did you save me?"
I paused in my cleaning, placing a claw into the sooty ground and beginning to write.
YOU WANTED HELP
SO I HELPED
ARE YOU OKAY
She narrowed her eyes at me in suspicion before sighing and nodding her head, her mane falling into her face. Tears slowly began to fall down her face, the soot and ash below clumping together.
Her lip quivered, "W-Why don't you just eat me? Get it over with?"
I huffed, brushing away my previous message to write a brand new one.
I DON'T EAT INTELLIGENT LIFE
WHERE ARE YOUR PARENTS
She read it, looking up at me with those big, puffy red eyes, "My parents and the townsfolk were taken by gryphons... Then they set the town on fire.... I escaped after that...." She began tracing circles with her hoof in the dark dirt, more tears beginning to fall.
I thought for a moment about what she had said. I knew a bit about where I was, but not what time period I was in. I knew I was in Equestria, hence the pony, but I couldn't really remember when there were major conflicts between races. Then again, I had never been a huge brony back on Earth so I just... Didn't know. Maybe this was an act of protest or rebellion? No, burning a town was too far... I shook my head. This was no time to be worrying about stuff like that. For now, I had to get this kid's parents back.
I'LL HELP YOU GET THEM BACK
I'LL NEED YOUR NAME FIRST THOUGH
Her eyes lit up at the message as she rushed forward and, ignoring my appearance, hugged me. I put a comforting paw over her as she buried her face into my chest fluff.
"S-Sugar Song. That's my n-name. Sugar Song."
Author's Note
BOOM! Chapter 1 done! I'm proud of myself! If there are ANY spelling errors or mistakes, please let me know! Putting that aside, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll try to hurry up and write the next chapter for y'all. Anyway, buh bye!
Chapter 2 - Guards of the Throne
After the whole fiasco with Sugar Song was done, and I was sort of over with my little breakdown, I took her back into the forest for cover in case the gryphons were still searching for her. She had begun to ask me question about myself, and I would answer them to the best of my ability while we searched for shelter for the fast approaching night. I had told her my name, Ethan, and she had looked slightly disappointed at the normality of it. At the moment, we had stopped by a stream so she could get a drink.
"Hey Ethan," I stopped playing with a frog and looked down at the almost 3 foot filly, "where do you come from?"
This was a question I did not want to answer this soon, simply because it would lead to more questions and emotions, so I shook my head and went back to torturing the frog.
She let out a huff, got up, and sat right beside me, "Ethan, pleeeaaasee?" She made the biggest puppy dog eyes I had ever seen.
My whole body went stiff at the look she gave me, which just made her lean in and somehow make her eyes wider. I nervously looked to the side at the frog, who now just had a smug smile as it sat in my claws, and looked back at her. My ears drooped, my wings falling to my side as I nodded and gave in.
"YAY!" She hopped up and did a little dance, sitting right back down after a few seconds.
Dipping a claw into the moist dirt near the stream, I began to draw a medium sized circle. Afterwards, I drew the continents to the best of my ability. Memory isn't exactly the best thing to go off of, but I couldn't necessarily pull out a map of space, point to Earth, and go 'there's good ol' planet Earth!' Once I was finished I wrote, in big letters over the top,
EARTH
My head tilted to the side, as if listening for something, when a fuzzy and static feeling exploded within my head.
A bunch of bipedal creatures, about 24 in total, sat in a small room. Desks were neatly spread out across the room, two creatures per desk and all sitting on a stool. They were all slightly smaller than the fully grown one at the front of the room, who was writing something on a white board with a marker. Some of the creatures had short hair, some had long, and some had abnormal colored hair. All were dressed in clothing that looked rather comfortable, while the one writing was formally dressed. It turned to the others, saying something to the room and pausing as if expecting something. A few of the small creatures raised their digits, only one being called on by the taller creature.
I shook my head, confused yet slightly intrigued. That was a memory from Earth, which made me feel comforted, but also gave me the shocking realization I had almost completely forgot what it looked like. I knew what the planet looked like and what my species was, but other than that I had no recollection of what we had made. For a while, I had even forgotten what we had looked like...
'We need to get to... Whoever rules this land,' With the goal set in mind, I abruptly got up and looked at the sky for the time.
The sky was darkened slightly in the East, from what I could tell through the roof of leaves, and the West was drenched in a series of pinks, oranges, and yellows. I felt a tap on my foreleg and looked down at Sugar Song, her eyes slightly droopy and a small yawn escaping her. Cooing down at her, I laid down and motioned for her to get on my back with my head. She obliged, flopping onto my back and setting her hind-legs behind the shoulder of my wings for support. I gave her a short bark, urging her to stay awake as I made my way over to a particularly large oak tree. We couldn't find any caves, which would have been preferable, plus I wouldn't have to worry about one of us falling off a branch. But after spending the rest of the day searching and looking for food for Sugar Song every few hours, I hadn't found a single cave. So, a tree would have to do.
Seeming to get an idea of what my goal was, she tightened she legs around my frame and I began my ascent. My claws sunk into the brown bark of the oak, my wings outstretched a bit to help me keep balance. I pushed up, took out one of my forelegs, and stabbed it into the bark above. Pulling up proved a bit difficult, but I managed. Every so often, the bark would start to give way and I'd have to hurry up to keep from falling. It got a whole lot easier when I reached the branches. I could climb up by going from branch to branch, using my jaws to help every so often. Eventually, I found a large enough branch to lay myself down on and have Sugar Song comfortably laying on my back. The moon was just beginning to peak over the trees, a comfortable twilight settling over the forest. Crickets chirped, bats flew about, and frogs began singing in the distance. I dug my claws far into the branch I rested on, a loud, dog-like yawn escaping me. Plopping my head down onto my paws, I began my descent into the world of dreams and fantasy.
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It had been almost 3 weeks since I had found Sugar Song, and I had done my best to take care of her. Her mane and tail were daily groomed by my almost bird/bat-like instinct, and 3 meals a day were provided to the best of my ability. We had decided to make that oak tree our home that fateful night, and it had proven to be quite comfortable. Sugar and I had grown attached to each other in that amount of time, though we still tried to search for Sugar's parents. I could tell she was getting more worried as the days went on, so every time we went on one of our little hunts I tried as hard as I could to find them. But despite everything, the forest was a nice place to be. It was calm and quiet, aside from the occasional 'timber wolf,' as Sugar put it. We had grown pretty comfortable.
So when I woke up to the snapping of fire instead of the familiar sounds of the night, you can imagine my panic. The weight of Sugar Song on my back was the only thing keeping me from fully freaking out and getting up to investigate. The shadows fought with the moving light below, which illuminated the space below me. Voices and the clacking of armor accompanied the furious crackle of the flame.
"Anything yet?" A male Pegasus soldier below me stopped at the base of the tree.
His coat was snow white, a ocean blue mane and tail sticking out of the golden armor that adorned his body. Two wings stood open by his sides, flapping occasionally out of boredom.
"No, nothing yet. Celestia said the pulse came from around here at least a week ago, but I don't see anything that could signify what it was or who made it." Another pony, this one of the same gender, walked up to the other, a confused look barely made out through the shadow.
He had a dark blue coat, an orange mane and tail almost blending in with the gold armor that he proudly wore. A horn stuck out of his head, a bright blue aura surrounding it and a torch.
"Well," Said the Pegasus, "nothing's here. It was probably just one of Equestria's normal magic waves or whatever." He waved a dismissive hoof at the unicorn, "Anyway, we've got a war to fight. There's no time for investigating stuff like this when our villages are being burned and ponies being kidnapped."
The unicorn lowered his head, "Yeah, I guess your- Hey, what's that?" He stepped closer to the tree, studying the bark of our large oak tree.
My chest tightened. He probably saw the claws mark I made from my trips up into the tree.
"What now?" The Pegasus rolled his eyes, eyeing the tree bark with a smirk until he saw the same thing, "Oh yeah, that's weird..."
They both looked up into the tree and into the shadows above, where I was. The unicorn narrowed his eyes, bringing the torch up towards the branches but far enough nothing would catch on fire. The light caught my large form, their eyes widening at the sight of me.
"What in Celestia's name is that ?!" The Pegasus' wings flared out further than they were before, nearly smacking his companion.
The unicorn stared at me wide-eyed, mouth agape. He shook his head, a stern and stubborn look on his face, "Creature! By the command of Princess Celestia, our noble ruler, I order you to come down here. It is by law, Equestrian Law Number 53, that you are not allowed to use magic of a medium or high magnitude unless given permission by Celestia herself or are in a magic school of some kind. So, come down," He stamped his hoof, the Pegasus giving him a look of horror.
I nudged Sugar Song, who gave a mumble of response and cracked open an eye, "What, Ethan. I'm tired," she quietly whined.
I jerked my head in the direction of the guards, her tired eyes barely processing that she was seeing other ponies. She jumped up, a beaming smile on her face. She waved down at the guards, much to their horror.
"Hello! I'm Sugar Song! This here is Ethan, my friend! We need your help!" She called down to them then, turning to me with a much quieter voice, "Ethan can we please go down? They might be able to help!" She smiled.
I blinked at her, looked down at the guards with a sort of reluctance. My gaze softened at the realization she called me her friend, my heart swelling with happiness. With a bit of hesitation, I nodded. She squealed, flattening herself to my back and hugging it. Getting up was the easy part, but finding a way without falling was another. It didn't matter how many times I climbed up this thing, after a night of rest my brain just decided to forget the route down. After racking my mind for the memory, I jumped from our branch and landed on one closer to the ground; about where the torch was hovering. They gaped at me, an even more nervous look passing over their faces at seeing the pink filly gripping onto my back. With a loud thud, I jumped down in front of them and allowed Sugar Song to rush down to meet them.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you! As I said before, my name is Sugar Song and this Ethan," She motioned to me with a hoof, her huge smile wavering, "He saved me from my burning village and decided to try and help me find my parents. But now that you're here, there's no doubt in my mind that we'll find them for sure!" She beamed, her happy mood returning.
The two ponies looked at each other, then at me, then at the filly. They put on the biggest, fakest smiles I had ever seen and said, "Can we talk?"
Author's Note
Chapter 2 done! And in only one day too! But could you just imagine that? Looking up into a tree and seeing a beast like Ethan staring down at you, only illuminated by the light of a torch. See, this is why I love writing. And, as before, if you see any writing or spelling mistakes please let me know!
Sugar Song and the two guards had stepped to the side for a chat and, by how it seemed to be going so far, I already wanted to tear their heads off. Within a few minutes of them talking to Sugar Song, she was already crying and her sniffles made me angry.
My attention snapped back to Sugar Song when she stamped her hoof and cried, "No he isn't! I don't believe you!"
I was there in a flash, standing over her and growling at the two wide-eyed guards. The Pegasus slid into a defensive position and the unicorn began charging up his horn while I stood there, angry eyes darting between the two. Though, they probably couldn't tell because-
"Look at his eyes! What's he doing?!" The unicorn's ears flattened.
That's when I noticed the yellow glow emanating from my eye sockets, a few sticks and small stones hovering beside me and posed to strike. In my confusion, the glow faded and everything dropped to the ground. The unicorn shifted on his hooves, something that was just enough to get the magic going and focus on the two again.
"Ethan, i-it's okay! Really! They just... Want to take a trip to Canterlot Castle is all!" She smiled up at me in the sweetest way, and I would have believed her if the guilt hadn't been apparent in her eyes.
I hissed at the two guards, a monstrous roar rumbling up my throat and out through my skeletal maw. They took a step back, my head lowering down closer to Sugar Song and my tail standing straight up, curling at the top. My fur was bristled and stood on end, the glow around my eyes brighter as I glared at the guards.
"Ethan! Please! Y-You're scaring me!" Sugar's voice broke me out of my furious state, and everything about me suddenly relaxed.
My fur flattened itself to it's normal fluff, my eyes only faintly glowed, my ears folded against my head, and my tail curled between my legs. I looked down at her, whimpering at her terrified look and the tears that fell down her cheeks. A yellow, ectoplasm tongue lapped away the salty tears and made her giggle a bit at the feeling. I nudged her with my muzzle, my way of saying sorry. She smiled up at me.
"It's o-okay Ethan," Her smile wavered, "We just need to go with them for a bit, then you can go back to helping me, okay?" The guilt in her eyes....
A huff escaped me, blowing the mane away from her face, and I nodded. Glaring back up at the guards, I proudly straightened my posture and stepped away from the pink filly. They warily eyed me before making their way to Sugar Song, whispering a few questions and only getting a small 'yes' or 'no' in turn. They nodded at her before making their way in front of me, looking back over their shoulders at us.
"Follow us, please."
Sugar smiled up at me and trotted after them, me shortly falling suit. Sugar waved for me to move faster and catch up with them, since I was a little ways behind, and obeyed.
Sugar looked up at me, "Don't worry, we'll be okay, alright?"
I nodded and she smiled brighter. However, I couldn't help but notice she didn't promise .
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I could tell we were getting closer to Canterlot by how many ponies passed by and how the road slowly turned to cobble. We had left the forest at least thirty minutes ago, and Sugar had taken to riding on my back when her hooves began to hurt. My paws hurt, but I could really complain because all that would come out is a chitter and a clicking sound. Believe me, I had tried, but Sugar just laughed at the noise and called me "a silly wolf."
"We're almost there," The Pegasus looked back at us before focusing on the road once again.
'We better be, you pile of magical horse manure,' I glumly thought, getting tired of ponies pointing or staring wide eyed at me with gaping mouths.
Then, we came upon a cobble trail that went up, -- Up! After all that walking! -- in, and out of the cliff before us, the entrance to the city far above. It was so high up, I had to crane my neck so far back I thought it would snap. We walked into the tunnel, then out, then in, then out, and so on for another thirty minutes. When we got to the top, my ears were practically stappled to my head and I was panting so much yellow drool splattered onto the cobble below.
Sugar reached down and patted my neck, "It's okay Ethan! You did great!"
I narrowed my eyes at her, 'Yeah, easy for you to say. You were on my back the whole time.'
The guards took me straight through the city, the bustling noise almost stopping as everyone turned to look at me.
"What is it?"
"Is it dangerous?"
"No, of course not! It's with the royal guard!"
"It's so ugly!"
Another static feeling in my head.
I felt cold, wet, and sticky. Something had been spilled on me, and a room full of about 100, small, bipedal creatures all pointed to laugh. Tears welled at the corners of my eyes.
The whispers around me floated through the air at an alarming rate, and they didn't even stop when we got to the castle entrance. By that time, we had an entire crowd of curious ponies following us.
"Is the filly okay?"
"Where are they taking it?"
Static. Oh god, make it stop. It hurts.
Pain. Ground. Ribs are broken. Small bipedal creatures kicking me. Head. Nose is bleeding. Tears wipe away crusted blood. My vision is blurry. Why does it hurt so much?
Even after the gate guards let us pass, the whispers and murmurs still followed. My breathing had become labored and it was hard to walk with these... Visions. It hurt me. It stung. My eyes glowed a slight yellow, and Sugar rubbed my neck to try and reassure me that the ponies were just curious, totally oblivious to the mental war that I was fighting. But, I had to be calm. Not just for her, but for myself too. I looked up at her, the yellow fading to be replaced with the hollow abyss of eye sockets. They were just curious ponies. Ponies were curious, and they didn't care how hurtful the question was, they would still ask. Because they were curious, they would do anything to get the knowledge they craved. Something within my chest churned around and around, a feeling that was all too familiar. It was like anger, but also like the darkest souls of the past had come to invade me soul. It was strong, and burning. I scoured my mind for the word.
Hate. I felt hate, and it was the strongest thing I had felt thus far.
Author's Note
Sorry for not updating sooner! School has been... Difficult. It's almost Summer and they're hitting us with everything they've got. Hope you all enjoyed though!
If you see any spelling or grammar errors, please notify me.
