Chapters I Can't Help But Expect The Worst
"W-Wind Whistl-ler?"
I was terrified, galloping here and there. Sure, I may be a scaredy-pony, but I will stand up for my friends, and most importantly, find them.
I hope it's not scary.
My name is Shady. I am an earth pony with a semi-dark pink coat and a dark-ish yellow mane and tail. I am not very special, or talented, or brave, but I never would let a friend disappear.
I guess you could say I'm loyal.
I start going into the forest. I tremble in fear, for it is very scary here. Especially the part with the thick trees and other scary surroundings that give you a 'you're lost' vibe. I hate that vibe.
To be honest, Wind Whistler must have gone in there. She probably wanted to be alone, so I'll just leave.
'No! ' I tell myself. 'She needs comfort. She needs to feel loved. '
As I go through the trees, the darkness starting to surround me. Well, not literally, but it is very dark. It's really scary. I'm terrified. Part of me- no, most of me- wants to turn back. But... My friend is here. She needs help, and comfort.
All of a sudden, the air feels thick, and its kind of hard to breathe. I hear loud, unknown noises, and suddenly, several portals come out of thin air. They are deep purple, and horrificating.
Could... Could Wind Whistler be in one of these?
No, I tell myself. That's impossible.
But is it really?
So I take a deep gulp of air, and go in.
Author's Note
I know that this prologue is ridiculously short, but it's necessary to the plot that she is not super lost or hurt, and gets to the portal fast, and decides to go in with barely a doubt.
I Can't Help But Expect The Worst
I fell flat on my face.
"Oof," I grunted under my breath, eyes closed.
When I opened my eyes, I screamed. Everything looked weird. The grass, the trees, the clouds, the nearby village, and when I looked into a puddle near me, myself .
I screamed again. While my snout and body had shrunk, my eyes, ears, head, and hair had grown. My eyes took up half of my face, and my ears were two times their normal size. My snout was smaller, but my head was bigger than it had been. My mane was longer and wavier, and my tail was the same. I was like a freakish monster!
"Deep breaths, in, out..."
I must be brave if I want to find Wind Whistler. I must learn to be courageous.
And so, I trot over to the nearby town. It's full of ponies, and they all look weird, like me, currently. I think that is normal here, so I try to act normal, but in my search of Wind Whistler, I run into a pony.
"I'm so sorry!" I cry, helping her up.
She is an earth pony with a light lilac coat, with a vanilla mane and tail, and brilliant gold eyes. Her symbol is a magenta horseshoe and a vanilla horseshoe. On her head, she wears a light crimson beret. She is beautiful.
"That's alright, I must be lucky to meet you; I've always been lucky!" she says gleefully, sounding sweet and kind. She seems to just bubble with happiness.
I smile, but then I remember what- no, whom- I am looking for.
"Um, excuse me, L-luckette? H-have you seen my friend? She's a pegasus, with a light blue coat and light pink hair. She's smart, maybe talks a lot?" I ask, trying not to stutter.
Luckette nods happily, but her fast nod gets slower and her face hardens. She looks sad, as if something happened to Wind Whistler and it's really bad.
"Your friend was being teased by crowds, they said she had no feelings. I felt bad for her when I saw it happen. I'm sorry about that." she says in a sad, quiet tone.
But I'm not mad. First of all, Luckette did nothing wrong. Second, I'm too scared to be mad. I tell her this. She nods. Her smile returns to her face, even though it is noticeably smaller than before.
------✴------
I've been searching for Wind Whistler for the last two hours, with Luckette following me, but we have not succeeded. We've tried asking others, searching for tracks (bad idea), and putting up a poster or two.
The sun is beginning to set and I need a place to sleep. I can't sleep outside, a monster could capture me. I can't stay with Luckette, she has no room. So I must find somewhere else to go. Luckette waves goodbye and wishes me good luck. I have a feeling that I shall have luck.
Suddenly, a pegasus runs past me quickly.
I'm swept off my hooves, and crash onto the ground. The pony hears the crash and turns around. When she sees me, she gasps. The next thing I know, I'm in a cozy house, huddled by the fireplace, drinking hot cocoa.
Strawberry Sunrise, the pegasus, asks me if I'm better. Her candy apple red curls bounce as she walks, and her light yellow coat seems to glow by the fire. When I look at her, I can see her green eyes and symbol, a strawberry and a bunch of grapes.
Whenever I try to explain that I was safe and that she didn't hurt me, she laughs and tells me that I'm staying anyway. (I think she doesn't believe me. Maybe she is just really protective.)
I fall asleep on the couch that night.
------✴------
When I woke up, Strawberry Sunrise (or Sunberry, as she lets me call her) and I went out for a stroll. We met Luckette by the town hall.
On the way, I picked an apple from a tree. Before I could eat it, however, Sunberry smacked it out of my hoof and placed a strawberry there in its place. I ate it anyway.
"So, what do you think your friend would do in her situation?" Luckette asks me.
I think for a moment.
"Wind W-whistler would think up a plan," I say, dearly hoping that she's okay.
"Plan, plan..." Sunberry mumbles to herself. Then she smiles. "Twilight! Twilight is powerful! Wind Whistler would ask Twilight for help!" she cries.
My new friend is smarter than she looks.
------✴------
"So... You're from this other place, too?" Twilight asked me, sounding thoughtful and a little confused.
I nod.
"Do you know where she is? Have you seen her? Did she come here? Is she okay? Do you know where she is now?" I ask, letting all my panic out.
Twilight sighs, and says, "Yes, I saw her, she came here with her friend, Sprinkle Medley, and later with her other friend, Sassaflash. She ran into the Everfree Forest a few days back, though. We had devised a plan to send her home that day.but she ran off for some reason. And... she did get hurt a little bit. If you find her, you'll see that she has a bandaged leg and will limp."
I'm glad that Twilight had been with Wind Whistler, and relieved that we had an idea where she was. The bad news? She was in a scary forest and hurt. If I was going to find her, I was going to have to be brave.
Brave.
Something I don't know if I'll ever be, and something I definitely am not right now. Will I ever be brave? I don't know. How can I become braver? This question rings in my head, like an unstoppable bell, chiming out of control. I know the answer, and it scares me. I want to be brave now, but I know that there is only one true way.
I have to venture into the Everfree Forest and find my friend.
Author's Note
I like that last sentence, I think it makes her sound brave already. (Just an opinion!)
I Can't Help But Expect The Worst
I felt brave as I told myself to find Wind Whistler in the Everfree Forest, but now, I'm terrified.
What if I get lost? What if I never find her? What if Wind Whistler never ventured into the forest at all, and Twilight was just mistaken? Then my journey would mean nothing!
But... I must find her, and I have to risk it. For her.
I take a deep breath, and shaking in fear, I step into the forest and start the next part of my journey.
------✴------
Strawberry Sunrise and Luckette are following me through the forest. Sunberry is very brave, while Luckette believes that we have good luck on our side and should stay positive. I really hope she's right.
We trudge through mud, dodge trees of all sizes and shapes, and other such. When we come to a river, Sunberry brings over a long log and we pass over the river. I feel like we can do anything when we work together. As we get deeper and deeper into the forest, I get more and more scared, but knowing that my friends are here with me strengthens me and makes me feel better.
"Shady, we've been searching for hours and we still haven't found your friend. These woods are endless, we'll have to turn around at some point! We have no food, no shelter, and no clue where we're going!" Luckette says in her semi-high, sweet voice. She's starting to look nervous.
"We have to keep searching, we have to!" I cry.
Sunberry nods, and responds with, "We have food, I packed some."
She opens her saddlebag and pulls out a box of strawberries. Luckette rolls her eyes, but she is smiling. Typical Sunberry. All she eats is strawberries. Strawberry pie, strawberry ice cream, strawberry gelatin, strawberry anything.
"We still have no place to go, and no knowledge of the parts of this forest. What will we do?" Luckette says back, sounding scared. I stomp my hoof.
"We must remain calm. There is something we can do about our problems, we can always solve them. We can make a hut. We have luck." I say bravely, winking at Luckette when I remind her of our good fortune.
Sunberry and Luckette stop talking for a while.
After a few minutes, Sunberry says, "You sound very brave, Shady,". Luckette nods. I blush, proud of my courage. I guess this is what happens after adventuring too much.
And so, we continue searching. I will not give up until Wind Whistler is found.
------✴------
We've been walking for almost a whole day, with no sign of Wind Whistler. All three of us are completely exhausted. I collapse onto a bed of moss. I can't go any farther right now. Sunberry and Luckette lay down as well.
"Are you sure that your friend is in this forest?'' Sunberry asks.
I nod.
Sunberry nods her head. She wants me to find Wind Whistler. She says that she would never want to be parted from strawberries, and that this must feel similar.
"Does Wind Whistler like strawberries?'' she asks, yawning.
I don't know the answer to her question, so I just nod my head.
Strawberry Sunrise would be overjoyed if she wasn't so tired. She laid down her head onto the dirt and fell asleep. Luckette gave a smile and patted Sunberry on the back. After a while, Luckette laid down her head as well.
And I followed.
------✴------
I woke to the sound of birds chirping. Yawning, I smiled and got up. I ate a few of Strawberry Sunrise's berries out of her bag, and then I woke up my sleeping friends. While Luckette jolted awake and quickly got up and ate, Sunberry groaned and asked me for one more minute of sleep.
I gave her a minute and then I forced her to wake up.
Strawberry Sunrise ate ten whole strawberries for breakfast, and Luckette had six. (How many did she bring?!) After that, Sunberry's cranky attitude sprang up to a cheerful spirit.
When we continued our search for Wind Whistler, we told stories.
"Once, I had an argument with this apple-lover. She didn't respect strawberries at all! She thought that apples are the best fruit, and food overall! She should know this by now, strawberries are the best food ever! " Sunberry babbles.
I don't know ~~when~~ if she will ever stop talking.
Luckette happily listens, looking awed and happy. Her cheerful attitude rubs off on everyone, we just couldn't help but smile when we looked at her!
"...Anyway, she got really mad at me for disliking apples, but hey, they have worms in them! What if you eat a worm?! That would be so gross, but she still likes them. They are ugly, and taste bad overall. The worst thing you can find in an apple? Half of a worm. Because you ate part of it. And she still likes them! She's crazy!" Sunberry continues.
As we travel through the forest, we make a few turns. If we had a map, we would have seen that we were headed back to Ponyville. And, without knowing it, this was a good thing.
------✴------
I'm confused.
I know that we saw this area of trees yesterday. I don't think that there are any duplicates of land in this chaotic forest. Sunberry and Luckette look confused as well. Do they recognize this area of land, too? In the end, I decided to just continue trotting. It's better than nothing.
"Shady, are you sure we aren't going back home?'' Luckette asks.
Even though I'm not sure at all, I nod my head. The last thing I need is a problem.
As we get closer and closer to where Ponyville was, I feel upset, because we might be going back to the beginning. Suddenly, I crash into a light blue pony with pink eyes. Her pink hair matches her eyes. When she unfolds her wings, I get a good glance at her symbol. Five whistles, two pink, three blue.
Wind Whistler.
Author's Note
I try to write a chapter a day.
I Can't Help But Expect The Worst
"Wind Whistler!"
I embrace the pony in front of me, throwing my hooves around her as in a hug. She smiles back, saying only one thing.
"Shady, you came."
I look at her, staring straight into her eyes, giving her my most serious and stern look. Why wouldn't she think I'd come? Then I remember how everyone was teasing her, and how I was usually afraid of adventures like this.
"You're my friend, Wind Whisler. A friend would never leave another friend behind. I'd save you, and I know that you would do the same for me." I say, almost sounding motherly.
"Yeah!" Strawberry Sunrise butts in.
Luckette and I look at her sternly, then roll out eyes. Sunberry giggles, and so does Wind Whistler.
"Your friend is very funny, Shady!" Wind Whistler says, under a mound of giggling.
Wind Whistler isn't acting like her usual self. She expressing more emotion than ever, not that she never had any. She just never really will show them off like everypony else. This can be a very good thing. She stays calm when situations are dire and can easily make a plan.
"Are you okay, Wind Whistler? You don't seem... like your usual self." I ask politely, trying not to be very rude.
She nods.
"I see your concern, Shady," Wind Whistler says, smiling. "I've shown my emotions more since I came here, and I don't really know why. Letting them out is just so easy!" She then sighs, "This odd world,"
Now I'm the one nodding.
"I understand you. Ever since I came here, I've been forcing myself to be brave, so that I could find you." I smile. "And now I feel like it's something that I've acquired."
Wind Whistler and I giggle at our somewhat similar experiences. I give her another hug.
Then I hear the snapping of a stick. It's not very loud, but it startles me. Sunberry and Luckette look startled, too. Wind Whistler does not look scared. In fact, she looks happy. But in a very, very calm way, not in an excited way.
A pegasus with a light blue-grey coat and a magenta mane and tail with white streaks slowly walks toward us. When I look into her cold blue eyes, a shiver goes up my spine. This is not a friend.
As the pony approaches, she gives me a smile so evil-looking that I start to feel afraid, very, very afraid.
No! I think to myself. I am brave now. I will not let her scare me. I must be brave now, when my friends need me most!
I lunge at the pegasus and hold her down.
"Stay away from my friends!" I cry, my voice filled with bravery.
The pony is mad. She is struggling underneath me. She cracks out a small mumble that leaves me shocked.
"...Wind Whistler... Help..."
My friend- or rather, my fake friend- trots over to us and pushes me off. Now she is on top of me . She looks so calm, as if this is easy. I'm very mad. Words fly out of my mouth.
"How could you do this? You are my friend! How could you... you... betray me?!" I cry, both angry and upset, my words like lava erupting from a volcano.
Wind Whistler blinks, not looking calm-happy anymore. She looks sorry, and sad. She looks down.
"I am your friend, Shady. I... it's... It's just so easy..." she says, semi-quiet.
I break from her grasp, pushing her to the side. She gets up, limping. I see her bandaged leg. I hide my pity for her. Why is she doing this? For this evil pegasus? The Wind Whistler I know would never do this. She would never show her emotions like this, she would never betray me.
"Who are you," I say fiercely. It's not a question. It's a command.
"I am Wind Whistler, Shady, I'm your friend. I'm not pretending to be your friend, Shady, I am your friend. When the Smooze attacked Ponyland, we (with our friends) helped save our home. We've helped each other several times, Shady, please. I really am me." the blue pegasus says, beginning to lightly sob near the end.
I think I'm having a pity attack.
I comfort my friend. Yes, I know that this is my friend. For all I know, this evil pegasus near me is not evil, and just looks like she is. Maybe she is Wind Whistler's friend. Except, she isn't.
"Shady," Wind Whistler whispers to me, almost silently, so that no one else can hear. "That pegasus, she is not good... Stop her, Shady, stop her. I... I can't, her spell...her...her spell, Shady..."
I don't listen to the rest. I lunge for the pony again. This time, I have a real plan.
"Luckette! Be ready to run! Sunberry!" A wicked grin spreads across my face. "Be ready to annoy her."
I look the pegasus into the eyes.
"What is your name?" I ask forcefully.
"Clearnote," she says, as if it doesn't matter.
"Where do you live?"
"A cottage,"
"Where."
"None of your business."
I look at Sunberry. She nods, looking very excited.
"Ooh, how about a joke! Here's my favorite: What's worse than finding a worm in your apple? Half a worm! Haha, because you ate half of it! That's why you never eat apples! Try strawberries, they taste much better. Say, do you want to hear about my little sister? Heehee, she tried an apple! She said it was okay, until she found a worm in it! It was a full worm, but seriously. Why are there always worms in apples? I have never found a worm in a strawberry, and trust me, I eat a lot of strawberries..."
Clearnote screams.
Everyone quiets down.
"It's over to west a little," she says, shaking a little.
I grin. I should never doubt Strawberry Sunrise.
------✴------
Inside the cottage, it looks very old. Old pots are on the ground. Sometimes I even see pieces of shattered glass. This place is a dump. How could Clearnote live here? Oh, right, evil sorceress.
Wind Whistler, Luckette, and I are looking for a cure for Wind Whistler's urge to help Clearnote. I'm pretty proud of my plan, to be honest. Wind Whistler came with us so that she couldn't hear Clearnote, and Sunberry is a great guard. If Clearnote tries to escape, she'll be drowned out in Sunberry's voice and probably give up and go back so that her voice is gone.
This cottage is small. There are only three rooms, and it is one-story. The search should not take long.
"Luckette?" I say, in a soft-ish way. "Can you wish us luck?"
Luckette gives a smile. She shakes her head.
"Luck isn't real, Shady. But we can have hope," she says strongly.
And with that, she goes off to search for the box that Clearnote described- small, green, with gold edges- in the bedroom. I search in the kitchen, and Wind Whistler goes to the other room, the dark, smelly room. The room with cauldrons and scattered books. To be honest, it's probably the best place to search. And so, I trot in.
Wind Whistler cries out.
I gasp and run to her side. Soon, Luckette joins me.
Wind Whistler had found the box.
I Can't Help But Expect The Worst
Inside the box, there were two boxes.
One must be the cure, and one must be the spell itself, I told myself.
Now, it would have been hard to figure which is which, but Clearnote had labeled them, 'Servant Potion' and 'Servant Potion Cure'.
I hate stupid coincidences, but I was okay with it for this once, just this once.
Wind Whistler dipped her hoof in and licked it off.
"Ewwwww!" she cried, startled with its terrible taste.
Luckette and I giggled.
------✴------
We watched Sunberry release Clearnote from her grip.
"Be good!" she winked, joking.
Then we all laughed, and started to trot towards Ponyville together.
"I can't wait until you meet these ponies that I met yes..." Wind Whistler started to say.
She didn't finish that sentence.
The sound of laughter rang through the air. It wasn't jumbled, joyful, sweet laughter. It wasn't mocking, sarcastic laughter. No, it was evil, clear, loud laughter, the kind that felt like it was sending soundwaves wherever it went.
We turned back to the wicked pegasus we had left behind. She was floating in the sky, her sclera turned tar black. Her magenta mane and tail were now streaked with midnight indigo (at first, I thought it was black, too). Her wicked trills rang through the air.
"This doesn't look good," Sunberry noted.
------✴------
We were running for our lives. We had no idea what this pony could or would do. Quickly we dashed to toward the town. We were at the edge of the Everfree Forest now. Where I had first been when I was thrown from the portal.
Suddenly, I hear something. Something familiar. Too familiar.
I turn back for a second to see it, above our heads: the portal.
A teal unicorn falls out from the portal in the sky high above.
Now all I hear is my scream, piecing loud and shrieking.
"Fizzy!"
Author's Note
Yeah, yeah, this epilogue is really, really short. Sorry, guys! See you next story! (I hope!) It will be about Fizzy, as you may have guessed.
