Deep within the woods, a grey pegasus named Bandage, ran with a look of fear etched on his face. The feather on his wings was ruffled and bruised. His breathes raspy, as though he had been running for a while. Trees past by him as he dodged. The leaves on the ground crumpled beneath his hooves and flew as he sped away. He was not alone. Behind him was a giant figure that was after the poor colt, and it was slowly catching up to him.
When he could hear that it was behind him, Bandage tried to find a way to shake him loose. He saw a branch right ahead and quickly turned to the right, hoping the creature would run straight onto it. A thud and a sound of something heavy dropping told him it worked, and he wasted no time to look for a place to hide.
Bandage hid within the safety of a bush, covering himself with a burnt hoof to silence himself. Sweat poured down his fur, and his heart drummed loud, which he hoped was not heard. His cutie mark, a roll of bandage gauze, was dirtied by the ground. Silently, he prayed to Celestia that he would not be found, that someone would come and save him from the beast.
Bandage asked, “How did it end up like this?”, as he thought back to before this all began.
(8 minutes ago)
Bandage felt cold. His whole body feels drenched. He felt like he was floating in the darkness. Was he in water? But the pegasus found he was neither in darkness nor floating when he opened his eyes and saw that he was flowing gently across a river. He was confused as to how he had gotten here and why. Maybe he could figure it out later. Right now, he needs to get on land.
He swam to the edge and gripped on tightly till he could get up. Bandage shook his whole body, flinging the water away and making himself drier. Once he felt dry enough, he took a moment to take in the scenery, but dread was the only thing that loomed in this place.
Around him were large brown trees. This place must be a forest. The atmosphere was dark and eerie, which the moon contrasted with its soft, bright rays. But even with the moon's light, it was still hard to see all around him. Everywhere Bandage looked, it was like somepony, or something was watching him from all around.
The young pegasus felt spooked and tried to fly out of the forest. But as soon as his wing had bent down, he felt pain, which broke his concentration and made him fall on the dirt. Bandage wiped the dirt out of his face and went to look over his shoulder. He was surprised by what he had seen. Both of his wings were slightly crooked and broken. The feathers were rumpled, and some were gone. How could he have missed that? It seems that it wasn’t lethal or anything he supposed, he could only feel pain when it moved so he just hoped that it would heal in time.
Bandage lifted a hoof toward one of the wings to check if there were any more damages. But what he saw made him recoil in shock. It was not the wing; it was his hoof.
“What the…?” he whispers trails off. Tears poured down the sides of his face. Half of his hoof had 3rd degree burns. Fur had been burnt away. The skin was torn, exposing the muscle. The nerves were lightly damaged as he could still feel pain. A faint amount of blood had dried on certain parts. And it was not just one hoof, but the other one was also in a similar state.
The foal remained silent, a look of emptiness on his face. Heartbeats could be heard. And it just grew louder and louder each second. He remained stationary for a while, not knowing what to do. His mind could barely process this information fast enough without his brain shutting down.
“I’m just dreaming. Right?” Denial seems to be his best coping mechanism right now.
“This all just a stupid nightmare. I’ll just wake up in a little while. I will wake up,” Bandage fell onto the ground as he spoke. The tears had now burst down his cheeks as he sobbed. He went on like this for a minute or so till he finally stopped crying. Yet the tears still flowed.
With nothing else to do, he looked up to the sky.
And why wouldn’t it? Within the dark abyss in the sky, small dots were sparkling and shining. It looked as though they were dancing. And the moon. It blinked its bright and beautiful rays across Equestria and afar. The sight was everything to behold.
“Why do most ponies do not appreciate the night's sky?” he wondered aloud, already taking his mind away from his injuries. Stargazing was one of his favorite hobbies when he was younger. Whenever he felt down or afraid, he just looked up and took in the scenery.
He even believes that there is a star for everypony to discover. A little silly, he knows. Even his parents found it cute. Yet the thought of one day finding and hold a star in his hooves. It gave Bandage hope.
Bandage held out both his hooves and put them both together, imagining that he was holding one. He was imagining that he was holding a glowing orb in his hooves. He was thinking about how warm it felt, how his injuries hadn’t even happened. His tears had stopped. A smile adorned his face as he kept on his daydreaming.
A rustling sound in the grass disrupted him from his thoughts. Looking around, he saw something moving around within the bush. Then the source of the noise revealed itself. Bandage nearly screamed at the sight. It was larger than him, and the look on its face said that it was hungry, very hungry, and Bandage was its next meal.
Seconds passed. Minutes passed, and nothing happened. Time stood to a crawl as the two kept on staring at each other. Then without warning, it ran after the Bandage.
(Present)
Not hearing the signs that it was near, Bandage had regretted not paying attention only when it was too late. Tears streamed down his face again as the beast roared fiercely. Its roar was one that could make even the Royal Guards cower. Unicorns are even afraid to fight this beast, as they had difficulty hurting it with their magic. Only the most courageous of ponies, can best it in battle.
A beast that could poison its foe with its tail, leaving them to die in agony within seconds. Its strength, more significant than that of any pony. And the worse of it all, it could fly. A being that most sentient creatures hoped wouldn’t come across. The ferocious and deadly-
ROAR
-Manticore, one of many deadly hybrids in existence.
The foal didn’t know why this was happening to him; he was just a simple colt destined to be a doctor. He didn’t do anything bad, and he never lied, he never stole, he didn’t do anything wrong. Yet here he was about to die by the paws of a manticore.
The manticore sniffed and picked up its prey’s scent and slowly circled the bush that it hid inside. Bandage could hear its breathing coming closer, and all his hope was gone.
Bandage waited for his painful demise as he thought about his family—a loving family, which he loved back. The ones who helped him find his cutie mark: a loving father and a mother.
“Mom?” Bandage felt sad thinking about his mother, yet he didn’t know why. His breathing became heavy, and his heart beats with fury as a memory flashed in his mind.
The memory showed both him and his mom were inside a cave, and he noticed that tears were streaming down his cheeks while she was on the floor crying and moaning in pain.
And Bandage was shocked and scared by what he saw. A fire had enveloped his mother’s body. She was screaming while she tried to reach out to him. She was grunting with every step. Her once light-brown body now charred to black. Her blue hair was gone, burnt away as the fire consumed her. The sight made him want to pass out.
Walls of flame engulfed the whole cave. Behind the fire, he could make out some giant figure. He paid no heed to it for now.
His mother, despite the pain, slowly crawled over to him. When she got close, she pushed Bandage off a small hole behind him. The memory showed that it was a big drop to a waterfall. As he fell, the world slowed down enough for Bandage to look at his mother for the last time.
“I… love…” She did not get to finish her last words as her head fell to the floor, and her movements ceased until she finally died. The fire had burnt through half of what she once was. Then everything stopped.
…
Anger screamed out of Bandage, louder than the manticore roared and loud enough for even the heavens to hear.
The manticore jumped back, not knowing what its prey was planning. It stood in caution. The beast did not stop for long and moved towards the bush. The lion swiped the bush away and used its poisonous tail to sting the foal in front of him. It moved the tail out of the way to see that the colt was gone.
It was picking up Bandage’s scent for the final time, where it led the beast to a river where no other signs of the foal can be seen. Roaring, the furious manticore walked back inside the woods, hoping to find another meal to feast.
Bandage jumped out of the other side of the river, once he saw the manticore was gone. Feeling tired, he laid on the ground once again, but this time he had survived a horrible encounter.
After a while, he sat up and began contemplating his situation: He was lost and alone in the Everfree Forest with no idea how to get out. His only salvation rests on his father, whom he hoped had called for help.
Bandage thought about waiting for his wings to rest. After that, he could fly out of here. Yet something was bugging him. The figure, behind the flames. Closing his eyes, he tried to peer into the memory, trying not to look at his mother again. What he saw made him shake with fury.
The figure was as tall as four houses with red scales covering its body and giant wings. It spikes coming out its back and its tail. A creepy smile could be seen, with spike-like teeth adorning it.
The culprit was – a dragon, a fully-grown dragon.
The dragon, for whatever reason, tormented him and his mother. For what? For fun? Revenge on the ponykind? Or towards his family? The questions were only answered with more questions as Bandage kept thinking about it. Though he believed he knew what the right answer was.
“You did it for your sick fun. Tormenting a family just for your fun, you bastard,” he spat the words out like it was venom in his mouth. He knew he was right when he saw the smile the dragon wore, a smile of pleasure, as he watched his demented actions unfold.
“I’ll make you pay. I’LL MAKE YOU FUCKING PAY.” Anger coursed through him even more than before. Fear wasn’t taking hold of him anymore; it was anger. Now, he wanted to avenge his mother’s death and, most importantly, killing that son of a bitch.
But he couldn’t do it right now; Bandage is just a weak foal compared to a being with many years of experience and strong feats. He would need to learn how to fight. To break every single bone in his body till he could withstand the formidable strength of his foe.
Luckily for Bandage, there was a perfect place to start with: the Everfree Forest. Its inhabitants would always force him to become stealthy and keep his guard up, and the limited food supplies will train him to be resourceful. But five or even ten years of training here is not enough to fight the dragon head-on, he needs to find a way to get stronger, fast.
Bandage believed training and learning how to survive first was his top priority, so he would have to figure this out in the future.
“I swear to you, mom. By my hooves, he shall die.” With that promise, he began his journey.
Author's Note
Hello. This is the first story that I have written, and I would kindly ask for some criticisms as well as corrections, wrong grammar, and especially suggestions.
-Restless_Band
Day 22 (Morning)
The sun rose onto the sky, giving light to all that were under its rays. In the Everfree, the light even reached inside a dark cavern. The stalactites from above pointed at the floor with its sharp tips. The walls were jagged and crude. Even with the sunlight, it was difficult to see inside the cave. But the pony who housed within cared not for these as he slept soundly on the floor. But he was not the only one that resides here.
Bandage felt that there was something on his face. One was warmth from the light, and the other was movement. Opening one eye, he saw, in his perspective, a giant spider staring back at him with its many, many eyes. He blinks. The spider blinks back at him.
A loud shriek rang for miles.
In fear, he hits his face, repeatedly determined to get rid of the pest. Ultimately, he did nothing but hurt himself as the spider had already left the top of his nose. When he stopped hitting himself, he now noticed the spider was already gone. He silently screamed in annoyance as his sleep had been disturbed by a small matter.
Not wanting to ruin his day so early on, the foal distracted himself by checking his hooves' condition. Taking off the vines that wrapped around his right leg, the signs of healing were showing, but some of the damage is permanent. The skin has grown back, but the pigmentation will never be the same, and the grey fur would not grow back anymore. The pain had still been there, indicating that the nerves were slightly damaged. Finished on one hoof, he went on to check the other, which looked to be about the same.
After checking his hooves, he walked over to the brown knapsack he found somewhere within the forest. Inside the bag was his food supplies. He took some of the fruits looking quite disgusted at it as Bandage recalled the ‘flavor’ they contained. As much as he complained, he was grateful he had food to eat. On the left of the bag was a bowl made of stone, filled to the brim with water. He chugged it all down to rid the disgusting taste swimming in his mouth. Packing the bowl inside the bag, he closed it tight and carried it on top of his back, using his wings to keep it from falling.
Standing by the entrance, the pegasus looked through the brown vines covering the opening. He brushed a few of them aside and looked around for any wildlife. The previous days had painfully taught him that it was not easy to avoid the dangers that lurked here. But thorough observation, using covers, mentally mapping, and keeping a close eye to his surroundings, Bandage slowly learned how to get around the woods. And each day he thinks that he is improving each time.
There were a few close calls he had encountered, which he avoided either by using distractions or an old technique, hiding inside the river and waiting for the foe to pass. The latter was a last resort only as he could have wound up lost.
Not seeing any signs of wildlife, Bandage got out and began his exploration.
[Everfree Forest] – (4 hours later)
A tired Bandage was passing in between trees with a bag and bowl on his back. It took much longer than he wanted it too, but there was nothing he could do. Gathering food was difficult as it only grew in certain parts of the forest. Other creatures also ate the fruits, so he needed to save up and collect as much as he could.
When he wasn’t exploring, he would be practicing his flying. The foal could barely keep up with other pegasi his age. He could barely even get ten feet off the ground without resting every five minutes. Since then, he could fly as high as the branches up above him, his speed had improved, and at his best, it takes seven minutes till he needs to stop. Overall, he was making good progress.
While Bandage was walking, he thought about whether he should practice his speed or stamina for tomorrow, but being so distracted, he didn’t notice the branch right in front of him.
Smack.
“Damnit,” he yelled, feeling the pain all over his face. Leaves piled on top of his fallen body, which then flew away when he stood up. He was feeling pissed off as he got up and was even more pissed when he saw the contents of the bowl had spilled on the ground.
“Are you kidding me?”
“The one time you were distracted, a branch hits you in the face, and you had to refill the bowl. Again,” Bandage grumbles to himself on his way back home. Rubbing his temples did not help calm him down.
Some time ago, he developed a habit of talking to himself, which he did reply to now and then—most of the time. For him, it was a great way to cope with the feeling of loneliness. But he never felt lonely. His mom is there, watching over him, he believes it. Though he wonders if she is proud of what he has, or what he would become.
“You’re talking to yourself again,” the pegasus, ironically, scolds himself for talking to himself, making him smile and chuckle a little. But before he could come up with a retort, he saw the cave.
…
Once inside, the colt laid down and thought about spending the rest of his day inside to avoid more stress. Out of nowhere, he heard a growl, taking him out of his sleepy state. Bandages' eyes opened wide. It sounded like a timberwolf’s.
The timberwolf was a wolf made up entirely of wooden sticks with glowing yellow eyes. Their teeth are sharp enough to bite through flesh and strong enough to break bones. They behave like any ordinary wolf, except for the fact that they could come back together when torn apart. Even alone, they can still pose a dangerous threat.
Instincts kicking in, the foal stood up and listened for any other noise. Hearing nothing else, Bandage walked to the entrance one step at a time till he stood by the curtain. Each second he gets closer; his heart beats faster and faster. His eyes clench in fear, but he builds enough courage to open them and open the curtain.
Outside he could only see the Everfree forest. The short green grass covered in an orange-tinted light was flowing in the breeze. The brown trees surrounded the area. But no sign of any timberwolf at all.
Sighing in relief, Bandage turned around and walked right onto the howling face of a timberwolf who pounced at him.
Both he and the lone wolf tumbled out of the cave, tearing down the vines that covered the entrance. They bounced off the ground twice till they both landed across from one another. Bandage had gotten up first and immediately flapped his wings and flew away from the beast who almost bit his tail mid-flight.
Bandage flew a good distance away from the wolf, who was now in pursuit of him despite not being able to reach its prey. Bandage flew above the trees and fought against the wind. When he got far enough, he went to land on one of the branches. As he flew, his wing got caught on one of the vines entangled on his body, and Bandage rocketed towards the ground. Dirt exploded everywhere as he crashed hard on his left side.
Taking advantage of the accident, the wolf sped up and jumped on the colt.
Luckily, Bandage had retaliated by holding the wolf by its neck. The injury had made it painful for him, but he still held on undeterred. The timberwolf did not need oxygen, so all he did was slow down the inevitable. His vision was getting blurry, and tears were forming around his eyes. This was not like the other time. He got lucky and did not have to fight back. Every encounter he had with other predators, he either ran or sneaked past them. With that inexperience, it just might cost him his life.
The wooden beasts’ patience was wearing thin. The feeling of hunger had fueled the wolf, giving it enough strength to push forward till its mouth almost reached the small pegasus. Covered in the wolf’s shadow, Bandage thought that he was scared before, but as he looked up to the predator, he drowned in fear. Scared, he tried to move his head as far back as he could, yet the wolf still drew ever so nearer.
‘Was this it? Is this where I die?’ The questions he asks in his head hurt him. Was he going to give up that easily?
…
“Damn you. Damn you to Tartarus,” he told himself.
“Are you just going to give up like that? After 20 days of living in this forsaken forest?” After he spoke, Bandage moved his head and body forward. The wolf was surprised. How could something so small fight back against it?
“Even after you gave her your promise!?” Every ounce of strength he had. He poured it all into one big push.
With a yell, Bandage threw the wolf away from him. It hit its back against a tree and whimpered. Then it fell on top of a bush lying unconscious. Bandage needed to think of something quick, it won’t be out for long, and he can’t outrun it. He looked around and found a wooden stick next to the creature and wasted no time rushing to it. The lone wolf was stirring up and saw a blurry figure running in its direction. It blinked and saw the blue pegasus colt from earlier and snarled.
Bandage looked to his left and saw the wolf right next to his face. His eyes widened and, with fury, stabbed the wolf's left eye. The wolf howled in pain and shook its head violently, trying to get rid of the stick to no avail. The foal seized the opportunity and jumped on its back, where he lodged the stick deeper and deeper in its head, yelling in rage as he did it. Unable to take the pain any longer, the one-eyed beast jumped back and got the pegasus off it.
It looked at Bandage with a murderous look, snarling, and ran away with the stick still stuck in its eye.
“That’s right. Run—fucking run. Don’t you ever come back!” Bandage yelled back. Not wanting to deal with anything else, he ran back to the cave.
(3 hours later)
By the time he got back, it had already, and the sun was almost setting. He looked at the tarnished vines and walked inside. Going to his bag of supplies, he ate and drank almost everything he had. Afterward, he went to the spot where he slept and laid down once more.
He laid down there in defeat. His eyes held no emotion. He stayed like that till It had been night. When he lifted his head, he saw the light of the moon enveloping him. So, he just rested his head against the rocky floor.
He sat up and looked down at his legs. He was shaking a little, trying not to cry, trying to hold the fear inside. Small drops landed on his hind hooves. Soon he could no longer keep it together and cried. Death had almost grabbed him.
Author's Note
Sorry, it had taken this long to make. I had a good case of writer's block with a side of laziness for the past few months. But now I'm back in the game (hopefully).
