Chapter 1 - A peaceful morning in the Everfree.
Things were relatively quiet in the Everfree Forest. That is, even considering its often chaotic mysterious nature in tandem with the creatures that lurk there, big and small. All that could be heard was the twittering of birds, and the occasional wind breeze softly moving the leaves on the trees, giving a calming aura to the forest. Yes, all things considered, it was quite a nice day.
Sand Clover did not think it was a nice day.
Being chased through some random spooky forest by monsters he had considered to be local myth,- made up by adults attempting to scare their foals into not wandering off into said spooky forest - was certainly not his favourite way to spend his past-time. And to top it off his coat was drenched in sweat and he was generally exhausted from running the PREVIOUS day from the evil ponies who were in leagues with the ponies who had toppled his almighty family swearing they were just worried ponies trying to offer assistance to a young frightened colt.
Nope, didn't help in the slightest. Feeling one of the beast's jaws snap at his hindlegs, however, gave him just that little mental boost (and a very, extremely cool masculine scream to top it off) he needed to stop worrying and continue running; enabling him to take notice of tree he was about to crash into, narrowly swerving to its right and sending the unsuspecting Timberwolf hot on his tail crashing into it with a THUD.
"Not that any of that mattered anymore" he thought. "Even if I am his majesty Prince Sand Clover, RIGHTFUL heir to the royal throne of Neighgypt, my legacy will still end in the woods of who knows where, in who cares what."
This sombre thought saddened Clover a little, yet it didn't seem to make him give up altogether, as he continued to gallop through the ever expansive woods. He clenched his teeth and grunted yet again as his coat scratched against but another thorn bush for what seemed like the 5th time in the span of just a few minutes.
"What the Hay! do they worship thorn bushes in this place?! that's like the 100th I've ran into!"
Despite slightly raising his mood with this thought and taking his mind off the fact everything in his body ached and pained, Sand Clover - despite being an earth pony - was no super pony. His movements soon became sluggish and tired, until by chance he reached a clearing in the seemingly enormous forest. Gasping for air with fear in rhythm with his every hoof step, he retreated to the centre of the clearing to put some distance between him and the pursuers.
Not seeming to want to give him even a second of solace though; 3 figures leaped out of the shaded underbrush, hastily approaching him. Fear panged through his heart, and his movements froze as his fight or flight response kicked in. It was then, he better look at the snarling creatures who were eyeing him with hunger.
They were everything the local's had talked about and worse. Practically looming over even adult ponies with their height, it did not help Clover was still but a young colt of 13. Each member of the pack bright green eyes, that stared into his very own; watching for any sort of slight movement in case he decided to forget his lack of stamina and make a break for it.
As the name implied their bodies where made entirely of twigs and other various debris one would usually expect to find in a forest and while back on the dunes he had encountered many a giant dune scorpion lying in wait amongst the sands, these seemed to instead permeate a darkness about them as if their very centre was evil to its core. He longed for the days to return where he and his brother ventured out without their mother's permission beyond the walls of the palace, onto the outskirts of Caircolt and watch the trade caravans trot in and out of the bustling city.
"That all seems like so long ago now..." he mused sorrowfully, tears beginning to well in his eyes.
"I'm sorry I could never be as great as you, father." He spoke out loud without even realising it, his voice cracking in between words.
Even now his childlike hope, or perhaps naivety, he prayed for a spectre to jump out of the overgrowth at the creatures that were now practically feet away from him, and vanquish the dreadful monsters. He knew it something like that had to happen like in the scroll's he read back home... it had to!
His fear wracked head whipped around the clearing, scanning for his would be saviour.
"Please!" he cried out loud. causing the 2nd closest and youngest approaching timber wolf to flinch "Somepony! Anypony! SAVE ME FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS UNDER THE SUN!"
Despite his fathers teachings that a royal of high standing such as himself should never have to plead for help or "ask" for anything of lower-born ponies, he seemed only to take more notice of the beast now inches away from his face; peering into his very soul. But he knew that someone would help him. Wildflower Wind would suddenly dive out the bush wielding his diamond encrusted scimitar and show these worms how it was done back on the dunes. The world wouldn't bail on his Royal Holiness Sand Clover now!
It totally fucking did.
As realization started to dawn on him, in all his hopelessness and grief, in what he thought was his last moments on Equus before he was devoured by this terrifying amalgamation of nature, the colts yellow tanned saddlebag started to glow much to the bemusement of the Timberwolves.
The last thing the great Prince Sand Clover remembered seeing was the open jaws of the timber wolf above him, just seconds before they came crashing down onto his battered nape.
But such a happening never occurred.
It was quite a nice day in Ponyville.
Outside the library ponies had already begun their daily commute, setting up stalls to selling their various goods to customers, or enjoying the fresh morning air sitting lazily in the park bench as Lyra was doing. Twilight paused. She took note of how she was again sitting in a rather odd manner - in a way what could only be considered as weird. Dismissing the thought she instead turned her telescope's attention to a different part of town: where Rainbow Dash was trying to ignore the Crusaders attempts to get her to take part in whatever hair-brained scheme they had concocted to obtain their marks they coveted.
She fell back away from the telescope and lazily collapsed onto her side. In her mind she was set for the rest of the morning. she had her mug of coffee with cream, a few sparse books hoofpicked from her library including a thesis on some form of rock creatures from the crystal empire and nopony trying to bug her. All in all things were looking pretty swell.
"Yeah, I suppose it is quite nice today." She murmured happily.
Author's Note
Here it is, my first attempt at fiction ever. Can't say I'm incredibly pleased with it but we gotta start somewhere right?
Pls give me feedback I want to not be shitty at this :(
"I'm coming as quick as I can angel! I just hurt my hoof the other day and..."
Angel bunny rolled his eyes at Fluttershy's poor attempt at an excuse and slowed down to hop in speed with Fluttershy to keep her going. They had set off not long ago after some form of anomaly had sent a powerful shockwave through the woods, and it just so happened to pass through her cottage. It had destroyed several jars of various reagents and scaring the daylight's out of the animals that lived there; including Fluttershy. Now they were trotting (and hopping) at a brisk pace to investigate.
Now, usually the mare would've just stayed at home in comfort and let someone brave like Rainbow Dash or Twilight deal with it. But in terms with angel bunny trying to make her braver and assertive, she reluctantly agreed set out to go face whatever it was; be it friend or foe. Despite not even being that deep into the Everfree, where some of the more insidious and unreasonable threats are known to lurk, Fluttershy was still nervously glancing around and rapidly swivelling her head to any small snap of a twig or rustling of a bush. Angel, noticing this sad display, sighed and hopped over to Fluttershy patting her leg in comfort. She smiled weakly at this and it seemed to do the trick, much to the rabbits pleasure.
Or so Angel-Bunny thought anyway.
Distracted by this show of affection and with her head turned to her side looking at Angel, Fluttershy then proceeded to trip on a protruding root from a nearby tree; sending her screaming and tumbling through the bushes in front of her making a humorous pony shaped hole in the leaves. Angel only had time to facepalm before he heard a weak eep and the sound of a thud following soon after. Wondering what spooky shrub or menacing rock could've startled her this time, he began to crawl through the underbrush and peer through the other side.
Now before we continue, I'd better clarify. Angel had often regarded himself as having quite a strong stomach, even for a prey animal. He could usually deal with pretty much whatever his friends were too frightened too, including the ponies who he lived with and near too. Unfortunately for him, the scene ahead was a little beyond his usual dealings.
After he had done being blinded by the sun, the first thing angel notice was the body of Fluttershy laying still on the grass. Feeling a twinge of guilt for being partially responsible for this, he tore his eyes away from the mare and looked onwards, towards the centre of the clearing. Angels blood ran cold, as in the middle was what he thought could only be described as a massacre, with a butterscotch coated colt laying in the the midst of it. Having to make a mental effort to look on; Angel squinted and saw he was badly injured with multiple bruises and cuts running all along his body, the Most notable being was his upper foreleg, which seemed to be badly bleeding from a bite wound. A tattered cloak lay on his back with a yellow saddlebag to compliment his fur.
Alas, this was not the cause of Angel's distress however. That lay in the mass of green blood splattered around and on the young colt. Limbs of what he could only assume was timberwolve's (given the woody appearance) were scattered to and fro. Of course, it was hard to tell; as they had been charred to near ashes; the magic of the creature's barely keeping them intact. Most of the once green grass had been turned to black too; and honestly it was a miracle such a fire had seemed to have gone out as soon as it had started, as a forest fire was a problem all in it's own. This sight proved to be too much for the little bunny, because he took only a few steps forward before he landed on top of Fluttershy and joined her in rest.
2 hours later...
Clover's POV
ow.
This was my first thought, and for good reason. A bright light threatened my eye's with blinding ray's if I dared to open them. The same could be said for my apparent headache - which racked my head with a throbbing pain whenever I moved it. It ESPECIALLY didn't help that every fibre of my being ached from sprinting and evading ponies and horrifying timberwolves.
Oh, horseapples.
Memories of my last conscious thought raced back into my brain. That being, the scene of that giant lumbering monster with its jaws open, ready to take a bite out of me. For a moment I considered the thought of being dead, but quickly dismissed it when I realised that if this really is the afterlife; its quite shabby... due to the pain attacking me from all angles. This being the case, if I wasn't dead, how was alive? All that happened was the beast came crashing down onto me and a magical surge flowing throughout my body. Wait, magical surge? that doesn't even make sense! unless...
"BY THE SANDS, WHERE'S MY SCEPT- ah... hay...!"
is all I managed to exclaim as I lunged forwards, eyes opening wide allowing aforementioned light to offend my eye's. At the same time; my body which had still not recuperated thought it would a great time to start spasming from prior overuse. The aforementioned headache did not take kindly to this jolt and thought it wouldn't miss out on the action and unleash pain I can't begin to describe. still recovering from the shock of all this, I thought it'd be best to lay back down to gather my senses. Wait, just where in Tartarus am I?
"Language, please. and do lower your voice; there are other patient's here too ya know." a female voice called out in the corner of the room.
I froze as I realised the voice coming from the corner of my room.
Had I seriously been being watched this entire time? nevertheless been captured by these Revolutionary sympathising dogs?!
I had little time to internally bicker over this though, as I gingerly opened my eyes to take in my surroundings - in a proper manner this time.
The light assaulted my eyes yet again, less so this time, but I was all the more too curious to take a look at my surroundings. I was in some form of hospital, with clean, colourful ceiling and walls. There were various diagrams of young colt's and filly's plastered on said walls, depicting everything from the digestive system to the anatomy of a pony.
I cared little for this though, as my eyes skimmed over to a mare sat on a stool close to the end of his bed. Her coat was a deep pink, and her cutie mark was one of a syringe. I had only ever seen them when I was to have an injection; which I was never too happy about. Sand Scorpion had always been there to help me through it, though. Because like he he always said, ‘that’s what big brothers do.’ She was reading some form of tabloid, but I could hardly make out her facial features at the moment; let alone small writing on a magazine. everything was so... blurry. I soon realised she was watching him expectantly, her brow raised.
My shock fading, I shook my head to regain my senses.
I sneered reply, "Who are you to order a prince what to do, peasant? surely you know who I am, why else would you have captured me and brought me to this... rather shabby military encampment?"
All she could do was look at me with a mix of confusion, and though her eyes betrayed her; empathy.
"Uh, this is... a hospital. You aren't being kept here. You can leave whenever you so like; although there is a mare waiting to speak with you. And... you seem a little lost for a prince; don't cha think?" She glared at him.
Ah, a hospital! of cour- WAS SHE DOUBTING MY TITLE AS PRINCE OF THE DUNES!? How dare she! She would be executed for such treason! That is, if they were on the dunes... and his family was with him. Which... they weren't...
Although I tried to suppress them, Tears began to well in the corners of my eyes, which softened the mares stare a little. she put the magazine aside and stood up, slowly trotting up to my left.
"Ah, I'm sorry, little buddy. I'm just a little tired from today. I didn't mean to offend. You've had quite a beating for such a young colt. you must be pretty toug-"
"STAY BACK!!!"
She was cut off mid-sentence, and paused in her approach, when I suddenly sprung up and screamed my warning at her. My eyes darted around for my saddlebag, and with hope, my last possession. It was to no avail though, and the mare and stated,
"Fine, you don't have to talk to me if you don't want to. But that mare that saved you certainly does have a right to it, and you'd be wise to take her help. Now, I'll leave to go get her, okay?"
Not eliciting a reaction, and still with my back pressed up against his bed frame in fear from the sudden advance;
the mare rolled her eyes and left the room in search of the supposed saviour; or, I suppose, captor.
"try to show a little more sympathy, they said..." she muttered under her breath as she opened the door and left.
ignoring her remark, I attempted to move out of my bed, but it was all for nought. A pair of hooves clopping against the white floor tiles could be heard, with quietened murmurs filling the silence of the halls.
I had little chance of escape now; all he could do was face this threat head on, like a true royal.
And that's exactly what I would do.
Author's Note
Aaaand finished! Hopefully it wasn't too descriptive, buuut I'm sure it'll be fine.
