Author's Note

Another chapter finished. Took me long enough, but here we are with a continuation of the story! Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Apples, Apples, and more Apples

The Everfree was oppressive as I snuck my way in while trying to follow the Princess, every thorn and bramble a monumental task to push through. I had no inkling of what might lay within the trees this late at night, and as much as fear of being eaten weighed on me, the excitement and joy I felt of finally being able to use magic gave me the courage to move forward. I lost sight of her majesty shortly after she flew in between two large boulders, tripping over exposed tree roots and bathed myself in the humus of the forest floor.

I thought it foolish to ignore my instinctive drive to leave, but bravery and foolishness were two sides of the same coin. I’d almost call this the ‘dread’ of night, since I really don’t want to be in here without a guide or means of protecting myself, but the Princess wouldn’t bring me here if she didn’t feel it was safe. I hope.

Even though I couldn’t see her, I still clearly heard Luna’s voice of encouragement. “Though your frustrations are warranted, tread calmly. The Everfree’s quagmire is steeped in ancient magics, waiting for deft spellweavers to unlock them,” she reassured me. “With thine newly unlocked Chakram Ars Arcana, the task ought not be too arduous. Yet, be ever vigilant, for shadows lurk in these cursed depths, yearning for the unwary.”

I lowered my voice. “So watch my steps and be ready to run at any moment. Gotcha.” My breathing petered out to a whisper and I focused on my core muscles to pump magic into my hand again, calling forth the same light from before, but much smaller. It didn’t help much, but I could make out obstacles in my way now. Still though, Luna did not make her presence known other than by way of I guess telepathy, ever out of sight.

The forest’s atmosphere changed in response to its newest intruder, its weight like a frosty stress blanket that pushed against my skin, prickling it and giving a constant reminder that the place wasn’t meant for any random person. It was as alive as the night itself, and I could feel its hunger full force.

“I’m not an adventurer, Princess Luna. I’m not built for long excursions into the unknown. How can I be sure that nothing will hurt me while I’m here?” I asked, praying silently that it would all be over soon.

She let out a titter, not doing anything to ease my heartrate. “You cannot. There art creatures of immeasurable magnitude buried everywhere. Manticores, hydra, rockadiles, and more, but we shan’t enter their domain before thoust been prepared. This is thine opportunity to uphold enchantments amidst duress, and what grander trial exists than peril itself?”

I sighed. “Will you at least keep watch over me and save me if something comes barreling out of the woods to chomp my bones?”

“Indeed.”

She was right though. My light flickered the more nervous I became, which acted very therapeutic each time I managed to calm myself and in turn helped me to better my character. How I had longed to go to a therapist back on Earth to overcome my past, this worked wonders. I was ready for more.

Luna did as she said and watched my back, warning me to turn around or hide behind a nearby tree to out wait any predators stalking this night. One of the few she warned me to never turn my back on were something called ‘timberwolves.’ “There be dark magical creatures with an odor most foul. Though not inherently intelligent, their packs hold clever hive minds when gathered. Where one doth stand, two more slink hidden, waiting to give chase. Indeed, tales speak of them possessing speech, though their tongue is otherworldly.” Unbeknownst to her however, I feel like she jinxed me by calling out timberwolves in particular because right then, I heard a gargling, distorted wolf calling somewhere in the distance. Couldn’t tell how far it was, but it being close enough dampened my light completely like wind to a candle flame. Magic failed to ignite my hand light and my limbs began to go clammy and weak. Shifting my watch to the wider forest surrounding me, I backed up against a gnarly dead tree.

Soon enough, I was once again, meandering betwixt the trees, who’s branches scarred the silver colored sky. Though hours prior, I could make out Luna’s glory in the sky above, the little light filtering through the canopy was dulled, regardless of how many trees surrounded me. The whispers of the insects and animals around both thrilled and terrified me, thrumming in an unheard beat with the pulses of magic I could feel flowing through my feet. The very air was charged even greater than it was before.

Princess Luna’s voice acted as a beacon of hope and security in that dreary place. “Remember, Aurelius, the Everfree doth not yield secrets freely. It tests and challenges its wards, so thou must grasp deeply within to retrieve them. Respect it and in turn it will respect you.”

I didn’t falter in my quest for power so long kept from me. The star of light I held in my hand flickered, wavering with my inner turmoils as I did my best. With each step, I kept my wits about me, looking for any signs of trouble hidden in the shadows.

I’m a fish out of water lying out in the jungle right now. I need to stay calm and keep the light up, just like she said. She promised to keep me safe, trust in Luna… I sat down in a nearby clearing and closed my eyes to meditate and bring further control over my power. Mind over matter, Aurelius.

When I opened my eyes again, my light returned back to full strength and shone brightly against an odd shaped pile of twigs, leaves, and brambles that hadn’t been there before. It shambled slowly closer, the debris shifting and contorting its shape, and acted similarly to a fluid instead of solid matter. The ‘wood’ morphed itself into a rough quadrupedal form with a carved wooden wolf head. Its eye sockets ignited a sickly green glow and ‘teeth’ suddenly erupted from its mouth. And then it wheezed something entirely foreign, yet understandable to me.

You should not be here, meat. Our hunting grounds are not stocked enough for more mouths. It said as its jaw moved like a puppet’s. The grinding and creaking of what it used for its vocal chords grated at my ears as it continued with growls and barking. Or is it meat foolish enough to usurp ussss…?

I was at a loss for words. My body refused to move, frozen in fear too much to be able to process what was just said to me by this…. Intelligence. Two more of its compatriots circled out from behind the tree I stood firm against, staring a hole through me with such ferocity I swore I might die. A second voice joined in a cacophony of their hive mind.

We are the hunters of this forest and we will not tolerate your silence for much longer. Leave or die.

The timberwolves’ growls reverberated against the backdrop of the encroaching forest, their threats no mere fiction. Tension rose within me as I turned to bolt in fear against Luna’s instruction, only to come face to muzzle with another spiteful woodwork. My throat closed and breathing picked up, the realization of my place in the ever free becoming violently apparent. I didn’t think I had gone to far, since Luna would’ve warned me otherwise, but I was strongly, considering that she might have just brought me out here to die.

Suddenly, as they started to close in and encircle, a hooded figure bounded in between us with a solid impact. They reach an arm into their cloak and before any of the wolves could react, the entire section of the Everfree was illuminated by a white light, smoke, and a high pitched whine. I gripped at my eyes, my vision spotty and damn near not working and felt something pull at my shirt, guiding me away in a hurry.

“We must make hast, lest our fates be sealed by death’s embrace,” said the exotic voice of my savior.

I stumbled to keep up with this unknown’s hoofbeats, ushered onward by the angry howls I could hear behind us, wondering why Luna did not come to save me instead. The smell of the underbrush and decay of the forest was soon enough replaced by unfamiliar earthy scents and smoke, a comforting musk compared to the death that covered us before. A very stark contrast.

I was exhausted from the gallop to wherever this figure led me to and collapsed to the wooden ground to catch my breath. Unseen, they poured some manner of liquid over my eyes, startling me as I stuttered and inhaled some of it.

With a raspy cough, I reached up to rub my eyes and noticed my vision had returned, but did not recognize where I was. “What… where am I?”

A cursory glance around showed that I was in a shaman’s hut, its masks and trinkets lit up nicely by the fire under a bubbling cauldron nestled at its center. The hut appeared to be made in the hollow of a tree, a curtain hung over the entryway.

“This, my dear mage, is my home,” said the hooded figure standing over me while she sealed the waterskin tied to her waistband. “What brings you to the Everfree, ape of unknown?”

Her appearance was strikingly beautiful, her coat a luscious sheen and fuzzy thing, I almost didn’t notice the zebra stripe crossing over her body. Along her waist, she wore something skin to sack cloth, but detailed with little ceramic tiles to look tribal, if that’s the right word. Her cloak covered her breasts, which threatened to spill out from underneath the single rope that held them up. The cloak itself was embroidered with more of the same tribal stitchwork, obviously seeing better days. And to complete the ensemble, she wore innumerable golden bracelets and neck bands, none of which made her uncomfortable. She was very well taken care of and visibly carried the pride of wherever she was from.

I had to keep myself from smiling at the mare in front of me. “I was brought to the Everfree by Princess Luna to train my magic under stressful conditions. Though why she wasn’t the one to save me, is confusing. Thank you.”

She shrugged and gave me a very kind smile before turning her attention to the cauldron before us. She pulled a roughly worn leather bag from her shoulder and started pulling out small ceramic jars of unknown materials to mix into the brew. “Strange enough on it’s own, you say the Princess brought you from your home?” She cupped a portion of the liquid and tasted it sparingly, before adding more ingredients. “Unusual for her to test her students in a forest dark and imprudent. Her wisdom is ancient and hard to conceive, of that most certain I am indeed.”

I thoroughly enjoyed the rhyme sche she had going on, as it added to her already fascinating demeanor. “My name is Zecora, a zebra from Algritha. In the Everfree, I am both a guide and sophista. Now who might you be, a friend or an enemy?”

I introduced myself and stressed that I wasn’t here to hurt anybody, just to learn from the ancient magic of the Everfree. “Ah, a scholar of the mystic arts. Uncommon, around these parts. Lessons abound within these woods, but wiser in the daylight, understood? When the sun strikes high, the clearer becomes the Everfree’s sigh.”

She tasted again her witchy brew, finding it tasteful enough for a stew. She offered me a serving, bowl brimming and burning, and without thinking I downed it right quick, my stomach not churning. It was some kind of goulash, with tubers and spices from a land unwatched. I found it filling, reinvigorating even, a fine piece of a culture I’d never met. “This is delicious, Zecora. I’m usually wary of food offerings from strangers, but I came to learn from the forest and all its inhabitants. Much appreciated.”

She nodded, appreciation taken in stride. “Here at my yurt, it is quite safe. A restful reprieve from nature’s hate. Stay for as long as you require, it would not do for you to expire.” Zecora returned her attention to cauldron, draining it into crocks and performing other household duties. Meanwhile, I searched around her little home for a comfortable spot and turned in for the night.

—-

Luna hugged on to me and jumped for joy, lifting me up like I weighed nothing. I didn’t want to look at her right now, not after she betrayed my trust. Though as much as I wanted to get away from her, where could I go in the dream realm that she wouldn’t be able to find me?

“Thoust both met and exceeded my expectations, Aurelius! To maintain a spell in reality, such a marked increase from thine beginnings!”

“That doesn’t matter when I could have been killed. Were you even watching? Did you plan for me to meet something so crafty and mean?” In truth, I was hurt by her betrayal. “They were going to kill me, Luna.”

Luna set me down, her expression dropping to one of concern. “We didst not mean to bring harm to you, Aurelius, merely to unveil your potential for thine own eyes. Mine were upon thee forthwith upon their showing. Had those knaves attempted to do thee harm, we would have shown them the power of the night.”

Her joy didn’t last long at all, as she noticed my displeased look. “You’re not getting it, Luna,” I said with frustration. “It’s not about magic or the spell, it’s about you leaving me hanging when I needed you most.”

Her eyes widened, the celestial shimmer in her mane losing its glow as she regretted her choices. “Aurelius, I-”

“No… just no,” I cut her off. “I’m… less than satisfied, and that’s putting it lightly. We’ve known each other for what, three weeks now? I don’t WANT to be mad at you, but right now I am and I don’t want to see you tonight.”

Luna didn’t respond right away, so I took my chance to continue with my rant. “You say I have strength and potential, yes?” She nodded. “Well then please go at my own pace, not your own. I didn’t want to go in there to begin with, but I held my peace because I trust you. Don’t give me a reason to cut you out of my life.”

She stepped forward, her voice adopting repentance. “...‘Twas my mistake in thrusting thee headfirst into my own learning method. If thoust would have us, we will do better. And this I vow: in thy moment of need, I shall be thy shield and beacon.”

I closed my eyes and sighed, unsure if she really meant it this time but I wanted to trust her. I leaned back into the ethereal matter behind me and let my own dreams come as they may.

—

The morning at Zecora’s began slowly. Last night still reeled in my mind and I hoped that Luna didn’t hate me too much for speaking my mind. When sleep finally left me, I remembered that I was due to start working for the Apple family ‘when the sun was high’, or around noon. Zecora was nowhere to be found around the immediate area, but I saw that she left a note pasted to her cauldron.

’Dear Aurelius. I know you will wish to return home soon after you awake, so give not a thought of the way. I have poured an herbicide outside early in the morn, so the path to Ponyville will be worn. Help yourself to the food in my home before you roam.

Zecora’

Well, that’s convenient. it didn’t take long at all to clear the Everfree forest, and once again I could see a Ponyville off in the distance, though farther than when I left the library. Nearby, a creek snaked through the vast field of summer blooms and prairie, with a bridge crossing over by a a sizable cottage. It reminded me of a baobab tree from Africa, given its wide structure, and the tree canopy that made up its roof. Animals of all sizes crowded around chaotically around the hut.

Who in their right mind lives so close to this damnable forest? they had to be something else in order to tolerate any potential monsters that might decide to give the outside world a visit.

As I approached the cottage, I could hear chattering and barks and all other kinds of noises coming from the animals, their noises steadily growing. I did a place with some kind of gathering point or a sanctuary/refuge for the injured of the forest. I overheard some thing, shifting the grass behind me, and noticed a rather large brown bear, sneaking up behind me, which prompted me to make a mad dash for the doorway. I crashed, straight into whoever the homeowner was and tumbled inside with her. She let out a soft spoken ‘eep’ and none of the animals seemed to appreciate my sudden intrusion. A bag of animal feed was thrown absolutely everywhere during my charge, which prompted the smaller rabbits, mice, and other critters to descend upon us like hawks.

“I-I am so sorry!” I stammered. “There was a bear- and I… Uh…”

The mare’s slender frame lay splayed beneath me while I basically straddled the four and a half foot tall, butter and pink colored pegasus. Her floral pattern green sundress was now covered in crushed dry food and dirt, dirtied by our tumble. I would later come to learn her name was Fluttershy. The shock of what happened meant it didn’t even dawn on her to try and calm her animal friends.

Realizing our predicament, we both blushed seriously, each of us stammering and trying to apologize to one another, and as we scrambled to untangle ourselves off the floor, but it only made matters worse because the shoulder straps did not want to stay on her.

With a grace that belied her timid appearance, she spring into action, seeking to clean up the mess we made, which was only right of me to assist in giving my part in all of it. At last, the chaos was brought to order and each of the different kinds of animal had their own portion in a line. Fluttershy and my hair and clothes were still rustled, but at least we were in a more decent position.

We stood at an awkward position, her cheeks a rosy that rivaled her hair, and I finally took her in fully. Though her outfit was ruined, I could see that it fit her very well, reflecting the nurturing spirit she carried.

She then broke the silence. “So, um, what brings you this far out of Ponyville? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you out here before?”

“Princess Luna met with me last night while I headed for a walk and helped me learn how to finally use magic in the Everfree forest.”

It looks could become mothers, hers would have just tried to adopt me. “Goodness me! You went into the Everfree forest after dark?! Are you injured anywhere?” She instantly was hovering around me, lifting my clothes and feeling up my body to check for injuries.

“I’m fine. I ran into a pack of timberwolves, but was saved by a zebra shaman named Zecora. Do you know her?”

“Is that her name? I don’t think I’ve ever met her in person, but she’s been into Ponyville once or twice. Nopony ever really… makes an attempt to talk to her.”

“Really now? She knowledgeable and the way speaks is exotic. I would have thought with how friendly Ponyville was with me, she wouldn’t have any issues.”

She flapped over to her kitchen to prep something. “It’s not anything on her part. Most ponies are afraid of anything new.” She stopped after setting a tea kettle on her stove. “N-not that I’m implying anypony is afraid of you! Most of the gossip I’ve heard is how you’re Twilight’s faithful assistant, so they usually think of her when referring to you.”

That’s to be expected, since my first real day out on the town was walking with her. My guess is that they assumed I was normal by default for associating with a pony.

“Forgive my manners, would you like some tea or maybe some snacks? It’s still a bit early and you don’t look like you’ve eaten.” She pulled out a cardboard box labeled ‘tea cakes’ in hastily scribbled writing.

“Yes, please.” We continued to talk whilst she brewed the pot and shared homemade cakes, until she about everything from the training experience up until this morning.

“It wasn’t pleasant, I’ll tell you that. Not exactly how I thought I’d start the day,” I said, sipping lightly from my cup. It had a mild tangy-heady taste, almost like hops and lemon. “To cause you such a stir, anyway.” The bear from before currently leaned against the doorframe giving me a nonchalant look while I spooned sugar into my cup.

She offered a wave from her hand, reaching for another delectable. “It’s alright. Harry has a way of sneaking up, but he has a gentle heart.” That was her fourth cake. Is she not concerned about gaining weight?

“So I was wondering… how do you know Twilight, Ms. Fluttershy? Did you meet her during the Summer Sun Celebration?”

She nodded politely. “Oh yes. She and her cute little assistant Spike came to check up on me and my song bird friends. Has it really been a month already?”

“Yep. Time seems to fly when you’re occupied by the day to day.” I finished my cup, brushing any extra crumbs off my shirts. “Say, you wouldn’t happen to have the time would you? Want to make sure I’m not running late.”

She glanced up at a cuckoo clock above the couch. “It’s about five minutes past ten in the morning. What do you have planned? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Ah, I sorta made an agreement to work down at Sweet Apple Acres for a while. I promised to be there when the sun was high, which I’m fairly confident they meant noon,” I said, standing to stretch.

Her eyes widened slightly. “Well you shouldn’t dawdle talking with little old me much longer! It’s at least an hour's walk, if you follow the creek downstream. You should make it in time if you go now.”

I thanked her and attempted to leave, but stopped after Fluttershy offered to make me a sandwich for lunch. She insisted that I take it, otherwise she would have felt remiss as a friend. Never said no to free food and I didn’t dare start now.

—-

The journey along the creek was uneventful. The gate for Sweet Apple Acres looked inviting as before, with it marking the beginning of a new chapter in my adventure in Equestria and all it entailed. Way off in the distance, I could barely make out the peachy attitude of Applebloom and an elderly pony wilding a cane, Ms. Granny Smith. Although one might mistake her to be completely helpless at first glance, being as ancient as the farm itself, don’t let the wrinkles fool you; she could easily outmatch even the average pony when she wanted to be.

It didn’t take long for little miss fruit flower to notice me walking up the familiar dirt path towards their farm cabin and boy did she bound right up to greet me. “Howdy, Aurelius. Yer here a tad earlier than we was expectin’ ya!”

I flashed her a quick smile. “Good morning to you too, Applebloom. And might I say that winning smile is ever so nice. Where’re your siblings today?”

She blushed and rubbed the back of her head with a giggle. “They’re out harvestin’ the summer greens an’ should be back here in another hour or so.”

Granny Smith hobbled over on her cane and her wrinkles got over far before she did. “Well lookie here what the cats dragged in,” she said with a scrutinizing eye. “Yer late.” She spit over into the grass nearby.

“Huh? Didn’t Big Mac tell me to ‘be here when the sun’s high’? Did that not mean noon?”

She shifted on her feet. “ ‘Course it does, nitwit! Butcha coulda been here earlier to go out there an’ help ‘em!”

Applebloom rolled her eyes. “She’s just yankin’ yer reigns, Aurelius. She’s happy you came to help at all, given she’s been tryna’ help fix the chicken coop an’ such.” The filly switched her attention to her grandmother. “Ya’ just cranky we ran outta yer herbals, ain’tcha Granny. She gets like this when we’re outa tea.”

“Well that’s beside the point!” Granny turned to hobble back inside, muttering to herself about the disrespectful youth not being on time, causing Applebloom to laugh. “You best be on yer best behavior now, Aurelius! No hootenanying around, git ta work!”

Well well well, looks like I made a fine impression on the elderly if they’re willing to show me the time of day!

Applebloom pulled out a sheet of paper with her chores today. There were more than enough to keep her busy today, but the ones she wanted to focus on were feeding the chickens, a patch job for the pig pen, and weeding the personal garden out behind the house. All in all, the jobs worked out very nicely and the other two Apple siblings arrived just as we were finishing up the weeding right around one in the afternoon.

“Hooey! I wantta thank you again fer showin’ up today, Aurelius. The farm can take it out of a pony with even the smallest jobs, so it mighta taken ‘Bloom here longer were it not for ya,” said Applejack.

In my opinion, both the two older siblings' clothes were drier than they should be. It looked like they barely broke a sweat! “It’s not a bother at all, I’m happy to help. If I’m remembering correctly, Big Mac here.” I gestured to the named stallion. “Wanted me to help clean out the barn?”

“Eeyup. But we can get to it after we finish up harvestin. AJ an’ I were takin’ planning to break for lunch, you’d join us.” He extended an open arm to the house. “It’s the least we can do to show our thanks.”

And lunch we did. Farm fresh produce cared for by experts in their field (pun intended) puts all the industrial sized farms back home to shame. Note to self: ask for some tomato seeds and buy some pots.

Refreshed, Big Mac and Applejack headed out once again to gather the barrels and cart they filled prior to the break. Applebloom and I worked on finishing her chore list and by the time we were done, her siblings hadn’t come back. Maybe they encountered a cool butterfly or the wagon broke, I don’t know since they never told me. The youngest of the Apple family thought it a bright idea to get a head start on clearing out the barn, not heeding a word from me at all about waiting for her older brother. Something about ‘I can do it myself’ and ‘They’re just gonna baby me forever if ah don’t show ah can handle more’. Ah, the naïveté of the young, which I can personally speak on being almost twenty.

Speaking of which, I think my birthday is coming up next month, so that’s a plus I’m excited for, I thought as I vainly attempted to halt a teenage earth pony. Their magic infused strength was ridiculous and I wouldn’t be surprised if Applebloom could lift me up.

We were staring deeply into the entrance of the rotted barn, it obviously seeing better days. “Bloom, I really don’t think it’s wise to head in here. Do you even know which sections are safe to walk around on up there?”

She gave me this angry, cute look. “Remind me which of us has lived here their whole lives? Ah think ah’ve climbed around in here enough times ta know how to get around in there.”

“Well, I can’t really argue against that, but I still feel like it’s not safe here. Half those beams look like they could give way any second.”

She scoffed and made way up the ladder to our left. “Trust me, Aurelius, if it were gonna fall, it’d have done so by now. Besides, Big Mac woulda just kept me down here to catch stuff anyhow.”

“What all is stored in here that we’re supposed to remove?”

“Oh, just bits and bobbles. Old tool heads we were gonna refurbish, some boxes of Applejack’s rodeo trophies, Grannysmith’s old spittoon.”

That one caught me. “Spittoon?”

Applebloom chuckled. “Yeah. She had a nasty habit a few years ago with chewing greenwood herbs an’ Big Mac got tired of the smell. Shoot, ah wish ya coulda been there to see the shiner Granny put on his rear for ‘throwin’ away’ the thing. Don’t rightly know why he put it up here though.”

Applebloom lowered a crate using some rope that was tied off to one of the beams I was concerned about. “Maybe he felt guilty about trying to control her.” With that one done set at the front door, Applebloom started lowering more goods.

“Maybe. I’ll never understand why he’d want ta do that.”

“You do weird things when you love someone. It’s possible that ‘greenwood’ is bad for the health, like tobacco back where I’m from.”

She was working on freeing another crate, when I heard creaking and a snap from up above. “Applebloom, I think you should get down, right now.”
She seemed oblivious to the potential danger she placed herself. I knew we shouldn’t have come in here!

“Almost… got it… There we go!” She said, the main support beam finally snapping loudly. “Wha-!”

Applebloom started to fall straight through the boards she stoop upon, the crate falling right above her. “APPLEBLOOM!” Time crawled to a slow and I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, and everything in my body went cold. I could feel my CAM going into overdrive, the magic swelling the muscles in my legs and belly to uncomfortable lengths. Without thinking, I took a single step forward, clearing the gap between us and jumping into the air to catch her. Time resumed its normal flow and I tackled her out of the way of the box, narrowly missing being crushed myself. The build creaked at the new lack of support in its center, but seemed to hold on.

I was presently laying on top of her, severely out of breath from the sudden exertion. “We should… really get out of here. Now.”

I wasn’t paying attention to what she said, distracted by the pounding heart in my chest. When my hearing cleared, Applebloom got my attention. “…you saved me.”

More cracking and splintering came from above and without thinking, I propped myself up in an army crawl to shield the filly from any debris. It worked out in her favor, since nothing managed to land on her. But something heavy crushed my legs below the knee and more weight landed on my back, which threatened to give out.

“JESUS HOLY FUCK MY LEGS! AAAAGH!” They were definitely shattered and I couldn’t feel anything but pain below my thighs. “Somebody help!!!”

Applebloom laid there frozen in fear, not daring to move an inch in case more of the barn decided to fall. What I would have given for time to speed up, instead of slowing down. It stretched on for far too long before I finally heard Applejack calling out for anyone inside.

“We’re in here! Get this shit off of me, please!” Tears and mucus flowed freely down onto the girl beneath me, but I still did not budge. My arms quivered and my knees, though they were crushed, refused to give out below me. I could see blood pooling slowly under her as well, praying to whoever was listening that she wasn’t hurt. The sound of scraping wood and metal could be heard a ways away, but I couldn’t pinpoint where.

Eventually, Applejack and Big Mac pried the support beam off my back and freed us, but it did little to ease the pain in my legs. With my burden finally over, I collapsed onto Applebloom, unaware and uncaring of anything other than sleep.

—-

“You know what the weirdest part of the non-life we call immortality? Nothing really matters because eternity necessarily implies that we’ll see everything over and over again, forever. Oh sure, there’s infinite potential when it comes to all those innumerable realities dearest daddy hand crafted, but he made the mistake of splitting his unknowable mind in half when making us. It’s not conceivable for us to imagine a new color or an emotion by ourselves. We lack that… that spark, as it were you know? But you know what would change all of that? Just one little word on his part.” I couldn’t respond, even if I wanted to. I was stuck replaying the same scene like a recording black box. The thousands of years of Nocturnal’s life that we shared before his fall to darkness. The sights and horrors he inflicted upon the mortals we were supposed to take care of like we were instructed.

“Funny thing is, I’m really looking forward to it. He is such a perfectly moldable piece of clay, waiting for me, the master potter. You foolishly sent him away without any knowledge of his potential or lineage and expected him to mature fast enough to stop ME of all people. If he was ready he’d have struck me down the second I stuck my little finger down here, but your stupid self valued propping up the BARRIER! I really can’t thank you enough for making this so easy for me.” More electricity fired into my body and I felt increasing amounts of pain. “Well, easy enough.”

When he finally relented and released my mind once again, I gasped. “Y-you’re really making this unnecessary, Nocturnal. I won’t talk and I know you won’t rip the memories from my mind. You’re still in there and I know you care. Please stop.” He crushed his hoof firmly against my skull, pinning me against the ground.

“I thought I told you never to call me that again,” he growled. “ When I finally meet him for the first time I’ll offer him the same deal I gave so long ago. And if he’s so much as says yes, I’ll have a new partner in crime. But if he says no?”

He paused to savor his sense of victory. “Well, it’ll be a cold in Gehenna before one who has nothing rejects infinite power.” And then he continued to torture me with the same memories and pain as before.

“See you soon, ‘new god’ AHAHAHAHAHAH!”