Heart Of Clay

A simple clay statue of a tiny mare sat alone upon the forest floor of The Everfree, nearly engulfed by nature as dozens of vines grew up her hooves and around each leg. She was carved with no mane once upon a time yet now a wave of damp shimmering moss cascaded down her backside, tiny flowers or mushrooms blooming down the side elegantly.

She had large hollow holes for eyes reaching deep into the darkness of the void, a small heart shaped crevasse open on the surface of her chest, a tiny shriveled seed sitting within. Her body was once created from lovely smooth molding clay, but now it had grown dull and lifeless over the years, small cracks etching up her sides or across her swan like neck.

The world was silent for this poor piece of forgotten art her head lowered in shame towards the soil of the earth, a look of sorrow forever locked upon the fine curve of her feminine muzzle.

Never giving much warning a curious little bird wafted over from across the sky, her feathers a bright vibrant orange hue that seemed to reflect the morning sun off her body beautifully. Her chirp one of an unheard melody by pony ears as she landed very cautiously on the edge of the statue’s crevasse, tilting her head to the left as the lonesome seed within seemed to call out to the tiny orange creature.

Without a moment to lose she began to peck at her morning breakfast hastily, the seed lodged deep inside stuck in place by some mysterious force. The little bird grasping the seed tightly in her mouth, eyes burning with determination of a morning meal she gave it a rough tug.

A delicate green glow suddenly thumped from inside the withered seed, the bird pulling its head back curiously before leaning in to inspect closely. Another thump blossoming from deep within the dainty shell of the seed, sounding much like that of a heartbeat of something living rather than stone.

The feathered friend releasing a startled chirp of surprise quick to flutter her wings in panic and flying off high into the lush green treetops above, the world around the statue slowly creeping back into the light as the seed began to beat in a gentle rhythm of life.

Cracked hooves shifted under the damp soil of the earth slowly at first but gaining strength, the large empty holes of her eyes emitting a calm lime green hue as a mysterious light radiated from deep within her clay frame.

Soon everything flooded back in a foggy haze of emotions and shadows, the clay mare lifting her head curiously towards the heavens with flickering green hues. The lovely melody of birds singing dancing on the winds of nature, the bright warmth of the sun blocked out by vibrant green leaves of hundreds of trees.

“...” She parted a slender carved muzzle excitedly, yet no sound of any kind was made by this odd creature.

Her dainty shattered hoof lifted to her neck softly, caressing over the smooth marble surface carefully only to discover a large chunk of her throat missing. Only a narrow opening left behind, the odd glow from within flickering on the inside elegantly.

Glowing eyes danced around the large opening she found herself in, searching for anything of importance she might've left behind long ago. Shifting to her hooves the Golem Mare stood up wobbling, her large mane of overgrowth sash swaying in place cutely before falling in front of her face completely.

Snorting aloud softly she blew a large strand of moss out of her eyes, suddenly a flash of nostalgia washing over her in a wave of pleasure and love. Her eyes darting off to the left seeing a pale yellow mist of a filly bouncing out from behind a nearby tree, she had the most vibrant large blue eyes and a smile that could light up the world.

“Golett, let's go home!” The child giggled with untold delight, rushing off deeper into the woods with a skip in her step.

Golett knew she was a friend the mere sight of the child causing her lime green color within to burn ever brighter, the seed inside her chest pulsing happily as if a healthy heartbeat. The clay mare soon bouncing with glee down a hidden path through the large forest, the pastel mist of her friend guiding her on a path to the unknown.

The crunching of dead leaves echoed from under her heavy hooves as the snapping of twigs accompanied each step in a lively tune of nature, Golett stopping near a large bush overflowing with colorful flowers of every kind.

Taking a few moments to lean forward she inhaled gently enjoying the fabulous scents of the flowers life had to offer freely, pulling back to notice a multicolored butterfly of pink and yellow perched atop her nose.

Smiling joyously she did her best to make the sound of a delicate coo, the butterfly fluttering off into the distance above calmly and collected. Golett waving goodbye with her hoof, deep inside wishing she had wings, flying free above the world with no worries at all.

Skipping forward the stone mare came across a cozy quiet spring, the crystalline blue waters rushing over the rocks elegantly as she lifted a hoof cautiously. Golett dipping a parched broken hoof into the cool welcoming waters, smiling with utmost delight she lowered down, her mane of moss getting quite wet in the process.

Her muzzle pressing into the freely flowing nourishment of the forest, a small dry tongue lapping up the water with absolute care. Drinking deep from this bounty given to her, she felt a sense of fullness she hadn't appreciated in such a long time.

“Golett…” The child sang through the trees sweetly, the mare lifting her head up with perked ears of excitement.

Water trickling down her chin cutely she quickly darted off ever deeper into her wooden surroundings, soon pushing through a large mess of vines and thorns the once open path becoming fiercely claustrophobic.

With one large push of determination she came tumbling out of the woods, collapsing into a large opening hidden away from prying eyes. A small withered shack rotting to the ground coming into view, as a petite shed stood a few feet away off to the right.

Golett felt a sense of terror creeping up on her from deep inside her being, a large dark shadow of darkness washing over her backside wildly. Jumping back in fear she watched the front door of the shack swing open, a towering black mass of mist pouring out onto the dying earth below sickeningly.

“...!” She strained her throat unable to scream out for help as the mist soon darted over at a blinding speed, lifting up higher and higher hissing wickedly to the tiny creature of clay.

“I SAID DO IT!” A mare’s voice screamed in absolute anger full of hollow love and heartless desire.

Golett winced in pain as her inner light shifted to a dark crimson hue, she could feel her body tense with fear and agony. She was standing in front of a child's bed in the dead of night, a young colt sleeping soundly with dreams of innocent adventures and loving embraces.

“DO IT!” The voice snarled.

Golett felt her shivering hooves lift ever higher above her head, the red light inside her body scorching her from within. She wanted to scream, she wished to cry the whole world spinning out of control.

“TAKE EVERYTHING FROM THEM!” The voice hooked into her soul.

Golett smashed heavy hooves down upon the child in an unbreakable rage of hatred, her eyes locked upon a sight of horror as the child shattered into sickly pieces of blood and bone.

“KILL ANYPONY, WHO DARES TO STOP YOU!” The voice giggled maliciously.

Golett smashed and crunched the tiny body into a puddle of blood staining snow white sheets, the vision of death fading away around her into dust as the clay mare felt her light shift back to green.

Gazing down with saddened eyes of pain, she noticed a small beaten squirrel underneath her freshly tinted hooves of crimson. Gasping in sorrow the mare scooped up the limp creature in her hooves, hugging it close to her heart as fresh spring water trickled down each of her cheeks.

What had she done?

Was she an instrument of death and destruction?

Why would the light bring back such a horrible creature?

Silent sobs poured from the clay mare freely as her ears shifted back in pain of a broken heart, the sound of giggling echoing from deep within the eerie wooden shed in the corner.

Golett wanted to run away, to see how far her worn clay hooves could carry her from this living nightmare. Placing the dead creature down upon a fresh bundle of dry leaves the mare lifted hooves up limply, wiping away the tears staining her cheeks before weakly trudging towards the sound of laughter.

Poking her snout into the tiny space of darkness, she spotted a large metallic figure of a pony hanging from rusted hooks connected to the ceiling. A rancid stench of decay wafting from the metal frame, a bundle of old charcoal nestled underneath the object, as if able to be heated up by flames.

Golett winced in place as her world shifted in a blur of numbing colors, the tiny yellow colored earth pony skipping out from behind the object smiling innocently. Her tail swishing side to side as she gazed up to the clay pony, her eyes sparkling with the dance of youth.

“This is Mettle, you place clay inside her then cook!” The child gave a loud squee, gazing upward to Golett with awe.

“Mommy, used this to create you!” The filly poofed into smoke before the clay pony, a cold chill caressing over her from behind.

“Stay away from her, she's no toy!” The wicked voice echoed dripping with malice, a shadowy hoof resting upon Golett’s shoulder firmly.

“She's got work to do, to punish those who've stolen our land.” The voice spoke in an icy tone before fading away.

Golett began to remember the horrible reason she was given life in this world, created of heated clay and hatred from a desperate pony losing everything. She was the one who planted the seed of life in her chest, she was her wicked mistress of the abyss.

Walking slowly towards the collapsing shack to her side, Golett could hear the sounds of fighting emitting from deep inside the darkness. The clay creature taken back to that horrible night long ago, the fireplace blazing with hellfire and the room coated in a fiery orange hue.

Her yellow friend weeping in the corner of this claustrophobic prison, tiny hooves covering her eyes in disappointment of her mother, hiding away a stream of turquoise tears.

“Golett, wasn't created for these sick deeds!” The filly burst into sobs as her mother towered over her menacingly.

“They kicked us off our land, I just took something precious from them in return!” The large mass of inky shadows snapped angrily.

“You've murdered their children!” The child screamed in rage, turning her attention towards the clay pony sadly.

“I didn't, she did!” The mass hissed towards Golett with disgust.

“I won't let you use a poor creature, for such horrible crimes!” The child ran over towards the clay mare, her hoof digging sharply into Golett's chest.

Trying to rip her heart from it's crevasse.

In a tortured blind rage everything turned red around the poor creature, Golett lifting her hooves upward clasping shut on the child's neck roughly. Her screams muffled by gasps for oxygen, tiny hooves wiggling helplessly in the air before her.

“You...are...not...a...monster.” Those last words fell from her lips in a whisper, her little body turning limp within Golett's grasp.

Tears cascading down her cheeks in torment, of the orders given by her mistress.

Kill anypony, who dares to stop her.

“Nooo, what have you done!?” The mother howled in pain, collapsing over her dead child in agony.

Golett gazed down through flickering red eyes, numb with sorrow she exited the shack in silence. The only friend she ever knew, destroyed by her own hooves. The pale moonlight basking the world in a pastel blue light of the cosmos, her clay frame caressed by the gentle kiss of the wind.

She was broken.

She was numb.

She was a…

“Monster!” Golett turned around next to the open door of the shed, her mistress dashing out of the abyss with a stone hammer in hoof.

“Smash!” Golett felt the chunk of her throat fly off into the distance painfully.

“Clunk!” Another strike and her chest cracked into dozens of tiny lines.

“Bam!” Golett winced her hooves splintering from the force of the attack, pieces of her body chipping away back to the earth which created her.

It was at that moment she was being stopped, that Golett had an opening to strike down her creator. Obeying her command to the letter, the clay pony caught the hoof of her mistress in her grasp.

With barely any effort Golett shattered her creator's hoof into a thousand pieces, listening to her pleas for mercy go unanswered, the clay pony lifted the mare high off the ground.

The rest becoming a haze of flames and smoke.

Golett felt her eyes shifting back to a lime green hue, the pale moonlight dancing high above in the night sky. She was free from the shackles that bound her to such a horrible pony, yet she felt shame for the actions she was forced to take.

Glancing towards the darkness of the forest path she considered perhaps entering another long slumber, in hopes that when she awoke, her memories would be gone for eternity.

But that was a drifting dream, she couldn't run away from her past forever. Instead she needed to accept her faults and work on making amends for everything she did wrong. It was her friend who once spoke cherished words, those which echoed clearly out of the past.

“You are not a monster.”

Lifting her head up high with growing hope of a new day, Golett began to walk off into the distance of the horizon. In search of good deeds to complete for worthy ponies, in time she'd find her place among them.

No longer a prisoner of hate.