The Journey From West Artax

Butter Crème carefully made her way down the stairs, sweetly humming to herself as she did. After reaching the bottom of the stairs, she immediately turned her course, eagerly cantering towards the kitchen. She slowly made her way through each of the rooms before finally stepping into her dining room. She took a few more bouncy steps into the room before turning to face a door that resided just out of the kitchen's sight.

Butter Crème's face shifted from a smile to a nervous grimace as she hesitantly cantered her way up to the door. As the door creaked away from its old frame, Butter Crème couldn't help but flench away while whispering to herself "Please no spiders... please no spiders..." slowly, Butter Crème opened the door completely, banging it slightly against the wall it sat in. Butter Crème slowly casted her eyes into the doorway, checking each possible corner for any vague resemblance of a spider's web: to Butter Crème's delight, no such webs or spiders were seen in her diligent search. Butter Crème let out a soft sigh of relief before chuckling out to herself in a whisper "No... spiders".

Beyond the rustic door was a simple closet, with a variety of different cloths and household items strewn about. The closet itself was rather dim, but the light from behind Butter Crème was enough to cast a guiding beam onto a stack of pillows that rested in the corner of one of the closet's many shelves. Butter Crème gently floated a single pillow away from the pile and out of the closet, moving herself away from it whilst simultaneously investigating it, presumably looking for any spiders that found their way out of her eye's reach.

Satisfied in her search, Butter Crème gently placed the pillow down before turning back to the closet: this time now in search of any spare sheets or blankets. She moved her eyes around the closet aimlessly for a moment before spotting a dusty violet colored bedsheet buried under a pile of towels. Butter Crème carefully lifted the stack, retrieving the sheet from underneath in the process.

Butter Crème released the towels before gently floating the sheet out of the closet, and once more moving herself to the side in an attempt of avoidance. She held the sheet out in front of her, opening it slowly to check for any insects or arachnids that may have slipped in: to her dismay a small brown spider dropped precariously from its grasp, landing gently onto the cottage's cold wooden floor.

Butter Crème watched the spider in horror, feeling her spine crawl as it began to creep along the floor. She kept her eyes locked onto the spider's every move, trying not to scream as she quickly began folding the sheet. Gently, she placed the bedsheet down onto the table before lifting the spider just as gently with her magic. She spoke carefully to the spider "You must not worry my dear, though I may be bigger than you... I would not hurt something that could not defend itself... or really deserve it for that matter." She looked over the spider with an expression of pure anguish as she began walking it to the front door of her cottage, speaking more as she did "You are a precious part of life my dear, and I hope you only the best... even if you scare me to bits. While a lesser pony might hurt, or kill you... I will instead let you be back to your modest life of simplicity." Carefully she made it to and through the door, stepping out into her now darkening front yard. She walked out a few feet before stopping, placing the spider onto a small grouping of forsythia plants, which she admired for a moment.

Butter Crème tried to smile towards the spider before giving it one final goodbye "There you go my dear... now you are all cozy, I appreciate you hunting other bugs that would be pestering me... but, please stay out of my cottage, my heart cannot take it".

Butter Crème began to canter back inside, but stopped after only a few short steps. She instead turned over to an empty patch of grass, devoid of any other plant: she quietly spoke out to herself in consideration "well... if she is to stay the night, then that means we will probably have breakfast together... I... I suppose I should get a few flowers to put in mother's vase... I believe It would pull the room together." She thought for a moment before giving out a charismatic "Aha!" she carefully spun her hoof into the grass, the act of which brought about a radiant green glow from her leg, leading down into the ground. Butter Crème brought her leg back to her side, resting her hoof back onto the ground beneath her. She watched the green glow as it danced in a circle-like waltz, slowly the magic centered itself into a tornado like shape with a slight humming noise not unlike that of a beehive. Suddenly the green magic sunk into the ground, and from it rose a small group of green colored buds.

Butter Crème watched as each individual bud began growing and opening, until finally she was looking over a beautiful bouquet of hellebores: the colors of which presented themselves as a soothing set of white and violet hues. Gently, Butter Crème, picked each out of the ground. She held them out in front of her with a loving smile like that of a mother looking over their young. She let out a deep breath of accomplishment before saying "hellebores were definitely the right pick." she let out a overzealous giggle as she gently pressed the flowers against her face with a gleeful smile, before happily speaking out to them "oh my oh my, you guys look simply divine! oh, I just never get tired of those colors, talk about a real pipperoo"!

Butter Crème couldn't help but giggle in pure delight as she bounced her way back inside the cottage. She slowly made her way back to the dining room before carefully placing the bouquet into the tables dusty vase. She looked over it in dissatisfaction for a moment before once more casting her horn out lambently, in doing so, she carefully whisked away any dust that had stuck to the vase's ceramic skin. She looked over the table once more, letting out a gleeful smile of satisfaction.

Butter Crème couldn't help but feel a warm sense of satisfaction: in such a short amount of time her life seemingly changed for the better. She thought to herself "just how lucky am I to meet such a friendly..." she couldn't help but to giggle as she continued "and cute mare like Breeze." With an easy outbreath she stepped back from the table, quietly whispering to the flowers "I just know Breeze will love you guys"

Butter Crème turned back around, now focusing her attention back onto the pillow she had originally retrieved from the closet. Carefully, Butter Crème lifted the pillow into the air, gently spinning and squeezing it to check for spiders: After a moment Butter Crème released the pillow, accepting the near impossibility of a spider still being on or in the pillow.

Butter Crème quietly gathered the sheet and pillow, floating them carefully above her head with her magic before turning back towards the closet to close it.

Butter Crème carefully made her way over to the stairs, quickly stepping her way back up with a gracious cadence of stomps. She slowed slightly as she made her way up to the crest of the stairs, noticing what sounded like Breeze talking to herself. She tried to ignore it, reasoning it to be rude to eavesdrop on her new friend's privacy, but for some reason she couldn't help but to listen Intently to what Breeze was saying: it sounded almost like she was reading something. Butter Crème rolled her eyes, giving into her curiosity completely: Butter Crème stepped quietly down the hall, in an attempt to be able to hear Breeze better.

As she began to make out each of the words, she was put aback upon hearing the way Breeze spoke them, which brought about a deep feeling of discomfort. She couldn't help but to grow nauseous, she heard each word pronounced clearly through the thin wall beside her, as each made her stomach churn. Breeze's normally soft and friendly voice sounded deeply foreboding in the quietness of the upstairs, sounding like the dying words of a sickly old mare: the sound of which provoked a primal paranoia that made Butter Crème's skin crawl with a similar feeling to a monster breathing down one's neck. Moments passed of Butter Crème standing in place, frozen in terror before all at once she felt as if her body began to spin. she heard Breeze's voice mix into a variety of tones, sounding more like echos of a multitude of voices as she spoke out in a voice sounding even more unlike her own than before, it spoke out, seemingly to Butter Crème herself "Upon cresent moon, and lightning bolt; bubble, and apple written like that of scroll and quill."

Butter Crème listened to each word like somepony being forced to watch a horrendous scene: each of the words casting a horrid shadow into her mind. She tried desperately to block the shadows out of her mind, but they continued on relentlessly. She was harassed with putrid images of blood, pained screams, and a plethora of scared cries, they began to berate her mind like a rampaging river, making it nearly impossible to think. Each time Butter Crème shut her eyes she saw another gruesome depiction of death: she couldn't help but to begin crying as she was forced to see every horrid detail over and over with each blink. Her breathing became heavy as she took a stumbling step back before instinctually looking up; in the process of which, she saw what looked to be an amalgamation of wings and shadows, looking down upon her with an uncountable number of eyes.

Butter Crème's own eyes opened wide with horror as she frantically tried to run away from the shadow creature, alas she was steadily frozen in place, instead only being able to drop the bedding she was carrying infront of her. The creature continued standing, still staring with all its unfathomable eyes drawn down upon her. She felt as though her eyes were melting out of her skull as she was once more made to stare at it. all at once it began to speak, its words shredding their way into Butter Crème's mind with a backwards echo "I will know your name and future, fore it was delivered upon me, remember my faces as they are shown to you today, as I will remember your's for moons to come".

The shadow's edges blended into Butter Crème's surroundings: the darkness fading into nothing more than the grain of the wood that surrounded her, and the shadow's wings into the ceiling above.

Butter Crème quickly looked around, now fighting violently to breathe as her breath continued to run rampant. Though all had become calm, she could still feel her mind being broken, her eyes still effortlessly pouring painful tears. She desperately fought for air, reaching her hoof to her neck whilst gasping violently. She kept her ground for only a moment before collapsing onto the floor, still reaching for air in the process. Butter Crème fought desperately to call out for anypony to help her, but she was overwhelmed by the pain the engulfed her: her cries sounding more like garbled sobs and harsh breaths than any kind of real words. she laid her head down, covering it with her now violently shaking hooves. Her whole body shook with terror, as she felt herself drenched in a sickening feeling of fear.

Butter Crème heard what sounded like hoof-steps coming towards her: she instinctually looked up in terror to see the source of the noise. She once more saw a figure donned in shadows with pair of wings out stretched, running towards her. Immediately, Butter Crème began screaming a high pitched cry of terror: she frantically tried to crawl away from the silhouette whilst loudly giving out pleas, begging for mercy.

Butter Crème found herself backed up against a wall, pressing herself further into the wall she found her ability to think getting weaker and weaker: Her head beginning to spin more and more as she watched the silhouette slowly move towards her. She desperately balled herself up into a feeble position, barely holding onto her consciousness as she quietly weeped out in her now broken voice "Please... please just leave me alone..." her sobs drowning out any noise that tried to reach her, and her eyelids drowning out any possible light.

Moments passed of pure darkness before Butter Crème opened her eyes once more in panic: quickly trying to get ahold of where she was, but as she casted her gaze to and fro she found she was laying somewhere in a dark forest clearing. She slowly made her way to her hooves, carefully watching over her surroundings as she did. She tried to think back to the last place she was, however she could have swore she was in her cottage. She didn't know exactly where she was now, but had a strange sensation of familiarity looking at the many trees around her.

Butter Crème began walking into the inky black shadows that swallowed the forest completely. Butter Crème's steps were almost booming amongst the unnaturally quiet woodland, she continued walking through the forest. Only slowing when she began to hear what sounded to be hoof-steps quickly moving around her: she desperately darted her eyes around, trying to locate the source of the stepping before all at once the noises stopped, instead being quickly replaced with the blood-curdling screams of a mare in the distance: seeming to be in horrendous pain. Butter Crème jumped in terror, feeling her eyes beginning to water as a result.

Butter Crème hesitantly began running into the dark of the trees, stomping her way towards the unknown origin of the painful cries. Suddenly she found herself bursting into another clearing, where she looked up to see a towering shadow holding a small brown mare in the air. She froze in place, whispering to herself "it... is you again..." she looked closely at the beastly shadow as it twitched like a cloud of smoke on a windy day, she traced each of its blackend wings: the color of which was like that of a raven's. She felt her skin crawl as she looked over the shadow in horror.

The shadow casted something small to its side before dropping the mare onto the ground with a loud "thump". Suddenly it threw itself infront of Butter Crème, the speed of which was almost inconceivable. The shadow stood towering over her atleast tenfold.

Butter Crème watched as its many eyes looked her up and down sporadically, the sound of its many wings, flittering rapidly through the air. Butter Crème tightly shut her eyes, feeling a sense of death wash over her like she was standing infront of the Grim Reaper himself. Moments passed as she fearfully waited for the shadow to strike her down, alas no movement was made in the silent darkness. Slowly she opened her eyes, feeling even more dread in doing so, expecting the beast to strike her at any moment, however once more, no such act occurred. She once more began watching it, the feeling of horror freezing her in place continuously. She took in the sight of its violent twitching carefully as it seemingly began to call out to her: the sound of which being more like a choir of growls and hisses than any language she had ever heard. Ever so slowly the being began flapping each of its many wings, steadily lifting itself and the darkness off the ground and away into the sky. She watched as the monster slowly disappeared into blue sky above her.

Butter Crème stood in place for a moment before slowly stumbling her way over to the brown mare's side in a disoriented haze, she wasn't sure why she felt the need to do so, but reasoned it irrelevant as she collapsed at the mare's side: in the silence that followed she felt a hoof gently brush her hair for a moment, along with the feeling of something cold trailing down her face. Butter Crème slowly lifted her head towards the figure in confusion.

The mare had radiant green eyes that warmly looked into Butter Crème's soul, her coat being an easy soft brown. Dozens of freckles danced their way around the mares face, however half of them were covered with her almond colored mane. She donned a white and purple scarf wrapped firmly around her neck, and thrown back between a pair of dark brown wings.

The mare was laid with her back pressed firmly into the forest's cold dirt. She had propped herself up with her other hoof to reach Butter Crème's mane.

Butter Crème looked at her in confusion for a moment before noting a bit of blood on her hoof. Butter Crème coasted her eyes down to where the shadow originally had held the mare from: to her horror, she saw a gaping wound torn deeply into the mare's chest, along with a steady flow of crimson that poured from it. Butter Crème couldn't look at it long before wincing, and turning away, however she swore she could have seen straight through the pegasus entirely.

The mare began coughing for a moment before speaking with a forced happy tone "It is okay, Dear. I... I am alright"

Butter Crème quickly turned back to face her with obvious concern: the mare's voice pierced deeply into Butter Crème's mind like that of an old memory. Butter Crème knew she had heard the mare's gentle voice before, but didn't remember exactly where or when. She listened carefully to the mare's pained words, trying to remember any time where she might have heard the mare's loving voice prior to now.

The mare coughed once more, this time drawing forth a trail of blood from her mouth. She cringed from the pain, her breath becoming raspy as she once more began to talk "Butter Crème, I... love you... I promise I am gonna be okay... you..." she suddenly stopped, seeming to gasp in response to the pain, she then took a deep breath and continued on "You need to get back to Mr. Eremie... before it gets too dark... please baby... please... you need to go".

The mare rose herself up further, now sitting up completely: she carefully moved her hooves around Butter Crème's neck, pulling her into a hug, before leaning herself back down to her hoof slowly. With blood pouring from her mouth, she gently caressed the side of Butter Crème's face with her hoof before speaking directly to her eyes with a proud smile "Oh sweetie, You really do have your father's beautiful eyes..." The mare's breathing became more aggressive as she began coughing harder, suddenly all at once she fell to the ground in a coughing fit whilst simultaneously letting out small gurgling noises with each gasp for air between.

Butter Crème watched the mare's panicked expression in horror as she began to choke, the mare's eyes darted back and forth for a moment before suddenly stopping to look at Butter Crème. Upon seeing Butter Crème's look of horror, the mare seemed to have a quiet realization: the mare quickly closed her now graying eyes and tried to smile, but even with this forced expression of peace, Butter Crème could still see the agony that befell her with each struggled cough or garbled breath. For moments Butter Crème watched helplessly as the mare faded into the grasp of death. She felt an impossible feeling of sadness, the pain of which seemed to tear her heart into pieces. She wanted nothing more than to help the mare, but knew there was very little, if anything she could do.

The mare let out one final raspy breath as her body all at once became stiff: the blood still flowing effortlessly from her mouth and chest and pooling onto the dirt below her.

Butter Crème stared down upon the mare's corpse in terror. She found her mind torn in two places: she was curious on who exactly the mare was and how she knew her or her father: a stallion even Butter Crème didn't know, but she was also extremely concerned on what she was meant to do with the mare's body. Butter Crème suddenly remembered the mare wrapping something around her neck: she immediately touched to her neck, feeling something made of a soft cloth. Her eyes grew wide as she felt chills run up her spine, she slowly drew the cloth forward, upon doing so she looked over it in horror. She looked back over the mare once more: Suddenly everything made sense in Butter Crème's mind. She looked down one final time to the cloth: she found herself wrapped in the very scarf her mother had given her many moons ago. As she sat in the silent forest she felt old memories begin to wash over her like a torrent of waves. She slowly released the scarf before stumbling her hoof over the mares face. Butter Crème couldn't help but whisper in a broken voice "M-mother"? However after doing so she once more froze, she found her own voice altered: her voice sounded like that of a filly's.

Butter Crème gently touched her hoof to her throat, before speaking out once more "H-hello?" Her voice came out foreign to the one in her mind. she was puzzled, not too sure what to make of anything that was happening, she questioned "why am I here? Is... is this my mother? Is... any of this even real? Why am I seeing all of this..."?

As she tried to motion her way through her confusion; she all at once felt her emotions build up inside her again, although she wasn't sure why in the slightest. She felt her body begin to wrench with a feeling like that of a violently twisting tornado. The scene around her melted into a mess of greens and blues, and her mother disappeared entirely into a mass of red: all at once all the colors mixed together, now placing her seemingly thousands of feet into the air. She felt her stomach drop as she looked down only to see miles of nothing but sand: she looked out into the distance only to see what held the appearance of a small town, the size of which being only the size of a mustard seed. Something about it called to her eagerly, enthralling her completely, almost as though she needed to be there at that very moment, but she wasn't sure why. As she continued to stare at the town, she suddenly felt something grab her body with a large amount of force, before tossing her flying through the air. She flew for what seemed like an eternity before stopping suddenly, she looked down once more, only to see what seemed to be her cottage. She looked down for only a moment, before she began rapidly falling down towards it. She tried desperately to scream, but found it impossible: she had no control over her body or even her eyes, in fact she couldn't even feel or hear anything. She found herself stuck with her eyes glued onto the ground, unable to move. She watched as she drew only tens of feet away from her cottage's dark roof before suddenly, everything went black again.

In the darkness, Butter Crème felt as if she was laying on the surface of a large body of water. All Butter Crème could see was what seemed to be a multitude of distant stars dotting across an impossibly dark sky inside an endless void of shadows. Butter Crème felt her mind begin spinning as she once more found herself losing consciousness amongst the warming darkness that happily encapsulated her.