Prologue: No Place for a Pony
The Everfree Forest is not kind to ponies. Cioccolato doesn't understand why his mother chose to come here, but he does understand that she will never leave. Cioccolato looks much like his mother, both chocolate brown Earth ponies with short burnt orange manes. Cioccolato, however, happens to still have a throat.
Cioccolato's mother stares up, her horrified countenance frozen onto her lifeless body as a manticore carefully digs at her neck for meat, still violently enough to toss splotches of the blood that already trickles and pools from the recently created gap in the body of Cioccolato's mother.
Cioccolato cannot do much, hidden away in a thicket by the riverside, waiting for the manticore. For it to leave, full and disinterested; for it to find him, make him and his mother alike again; it does not matter. For seconds, minutes, perhaps an hour as the day slowly burns away, he waits, shallow breaths fluttering the leaves around him. Finally, the manticore stops, turns his way, and walks past him. It dips its blood soaked claws in the current, now content with its meal. He can see its stinger, hanging just above him, the tip glistening as evening's last patches of sun break past the treetops.
A thorn cuts into Cioccolato's shoulder, and he yelps. The leonine ears of the manticore flick, and with a grumble, its stinger flies towards Cioccolato. It stops, the tail a hoof's length from his throat. Cioccolato stares into the stinger, which glistens with venom. Uncertain why it hasn't been drained into his veins, he finally sees the branchlike barrier keeping the manticore from burying its venom into him. These tough, brown antlers stem from a young, light orange deer, who struggles to keep his head up against the force of the manticore.
"Go on now, or were you hoping to get stung to death?" shouts the fawn, his head shaking as the manticore presses down harder, hoping to crush rather than stab. Cioccolato warily steps backwards. "That's a poor run," mutters the fawn, "I said hurry, hurry away!"
Cioccolato glances downwards, idly scraping the ground as he admits, "I don't have any place to go." The fawn snorts, and sniffs the air, looking towards the body of Cioccolato's mother. Finally, he shakes his head.
"Just run out, thataway!" The fawn brings up a hoof, waving behind Cioccolato. Cioccolato takes a step back, uncertain, then dashes off. The manticore gives up with its stinger, and turns over, roaring at the fawn, who leaps above it as it swipes where he was. The fawn leaps off its head as it tries to figure out how there was nothing torn apart in its swipe. As a cloven hoof stamps into its eye, the manticore roars again, and dashes after him. Leaping against trees, the fawn quickly loses his attacker, and in a few minutes, catches up to Cioccolato.
"You're awfully deep in the Everfree Forest," the fawn remarks, still rushing alongside Cioccolato, and wordlessly directing him, "Has nopony told you that it's no place for your kind?"
"My auntie, she's awfully sick. My mum came looking for a… remiddy," Cioccolato struggles to pronounce the last word. "I snuck out after her. Why are we going away from my mum?"
The fawn doesn't match his gaze. "I'm sorry, kid, but… she's gone."
"Oh, right. Gone before Auntie…"
"Hey, try not to think about it. What's your name, colt?"
"Cioccolato."
"Well, then, Ciocco, I am Prince Bramble." The royal fawn gives Cioccolato a light grin as the duo continues in their dash.
"N- I'm not Ciocco, I'm Cioccolato!" protests Cioccolato.
"Hmm, I'm afraid that's a light bit too much for me to remember of a pony who won't stay long. Look, my home is just ahead, my father, King Aspen will find somepony outside the forest to take care of you." Bramble nods to the nearing trees, no longer wild, but hollowed out for inhabitation. "This is Thicket, my home." They pass through a great, darkened canopy of towering, intertwining trees, and finally slow to a trot.
A great wall of both lumber and complete trees stretches out past Ciocco's vision. An ornate gate stands in front and far above him, hinged to perfectly grown trunks. "Your Highness! Why do you bring a pony?" shouts a guard, far above in the treetops.
"He's but a colt," pleads Bramble, "He doesn't have anywhere to go. Let me discuss with my father how to handle him."
The guard is silent, and Ciocco drags a hoof about the ground, waiting, worrying. Finally, the gates creak open. Bramble nods for Ciocco to follow, and he leads deeper into the forest city. Bramble stops at a redwood, a curving ramp built up its side. He trots up, circling upwards five times before resting hooves on a platform connecting the nearest trees.
Atop the platform lies a palace, sided in stained glass panels. Two armored guards stand at either side of the entrance. One of them grunts when they see Ciocco, but keeps silent as Bramble leads him inside. Front and center, another tree pokes through the building, lamps hanging off the branches to illuminate the hollowed trunk, lined with gold, carrying a throne. A white deer- with watchful, olive eyes surrounded in patches of tan- fur sits upon the throne, matching the red seat with a jewel heart of ruby embedded on a gold collar.
"You bring me a pony child," notes the king.
"His mother is dead," Recalls Bramble, Ciocco lightly wincing at the reminder, "Killed by a manticore."
"Then why not send him off to Ponyville?"
"It just isn't right."
"Use more dignified speech when talking to me, boy!" shouts the king, eyes narrowing. "Your blood necessitates, not excuses, manners."
Bramble bows his head. "Understood, King Aspen," he mumbles. King Aspen stays quiet, and Bramble sweats nervously.
Finally, Aspen lowers his head. "You do not… intend to start your harem at this young an age, correct?" asks Aspen warily.
Bramble is instantly taken aback. "With him? His mother just died, that would be…"
"Bramble the First met my mother in rather a similar way," reminisces Aspen. "And what of his father?" Both royal deer look at Ciocco.
"Your mother wasn't the first deer- sorry, pony you lost, was she?" asks Bramble. Ciocco shakes his head, then whispers,
"No sir… My pa drowned when I was a foal."
Aspen sighs, then admits, "I shall deliver a message to the pony royals, but permit him here until Canterlot advises me."
Bramble bows, saying as his forelegs dip, "Thank you, father." Ciocco uncertainly follows suit, legs shaking.
"Thank you, your Majesty," whispers Ciocco, before following as Bramble paces to a side door, and out to a balcony. He can see deer trotting underneath in the lamplit streets, but a hooftap on the floor drags his attention back to Bramble.
"You're looking the wrong way," claims Bramble, nodding upwards. Above them, a clear night sky is splashed in clustered stars. "This is the only city you can still see the stars the right way. If you want, we can stay out here for the night." Bramble looks to Ciocco, who can tell he's asking for his own sake. With a soft smile, Ciocco nods in agreement. Bramble excitedly dashes inside through yet another door.
Ciocco looks back at the busy deer below, thinking, 'The manticore, it… enjoyed what it did to my mum. Is the taste of pony truly that good?' He notices a buck below, heavy muscular shoulders driving many ideas into Ciocco's mind. 'No ponies here, but why could a deer not be as rich?' His ear catches the sounds of footsteps, and he turns around to see Bramble returning, dragging two sleeping bags.
"If Birch Sap asks, I've always had these," says Bramble, dropping the bags.
Ciocco tilts his head. "Who's Birch Sap?" he questions.
"Not the owner of these sleeping bags," Bramble claims. He unfurls the bags, then notes, "She's that grumpy guard we saw out front."
"Princes have sleeping bags?" questions Ciocco. Bramble winces, but Ciocco slides into one anyways.
"So you saw straight through me?" laments Bramble. Ciocco stares, emotionless. Bramble barely meets his gaze before he giggles, soon breaking into a laugh. "It was a gift, I may not be the most picturesque prince, but I'm not some mini tyrant." Bramble sighs as Ciocco silently rolls about in the bag, and Bramble crawls into one himself.
As he looks up at the blots of nebulae, Cioccolato knows he should be feeling some manner of agony or loss, yet he can only come back to the instinctive indulgences of the manticore. He knows he should not, bringing insult and pain is one of the first things his mother taught, yet already, like a drug, it fills his mind.
Chapter 1: No Space for a Pony
Clack.
King Aspen sits upon his throne, idly tapping a hoof against the side. After the construction by Iron Will had been driven out some months ago, Thicket has found an era of peace. Aspen knows this is good, and doesn't wish harm upon his subjects, but the quiet is more chilling than chaos.
Clack.
Only one issue lies unresolved. Three days have passed since the young colt Cioccolato arrived, yet not a word has returned from Canterlot to find him a pony family. Already, Bramble has tried to teach Cioccolato the ways of the deer, but whether from omen or nerves, King Aspen cannot accept his presence.
Clack.
The palace doors open, and King Aspen plants his hoof on the floor. He looks up, a bloodsoaked pony collapsing in. Under the deep red stains, he can barely recognize Cioccolato, and barely stops himself from rushing towards the colt. Forcing himself to a regal trot, Aspen questions, "What has happened to you, young Cioccolato?" Ciocco looks up, squinting to keep the blood, leaking from his scalp, out of his eyes.
"An attack- hydra! Captain Blackthorn is still-" Ciocco doesn't finish his explanation before collapsing to his side. Aspen barely catches him, the still wet blood staining the King's legs.
"Hydra?" wonders King Aspen, steadying Ciocco, "Where is it? What happened to Blackthorn?" He wipes away a streak of blood from Ciocco's lips, and Ciocco continues, strained,
"North, he was taking me on his northern patrol, but he lost his spear in the river. We followed it into a cave, but we didn't know it was some creature's home."
"Is it coming this way?" asks Aspen, and Ciocco shakes his head. Aspen looks up at the guards at either side of the door. "Guards, what are you waiting for? Fetch the doctor at once!" The guards straighten their stance, and one dashes off to the town below. Aspen feels the heavy, tense breaths of Ciocco lighten, and carefully removes his support. Unseen by King Aspen, a tuft of deer fur falls from Ciocco's tongue.
The Truth: Two Hours Prior
Cioccolato followed the Captain of the Thicket Royal Guard, Blackthorn, along the northern reach of the Everfree Forest. He could hear the nearby river, which ran downstream of the spot his mother died. Prince Bramble had encouraged him to accompany Blackthorn on his morning patrol of the forest, though Bramble did not come himself. Ciocco repeatedly got lost in the forest far too easily, not yet able to discern the routes in the forest, but Blackthorn put up with his jagged pace while they neared the forest's edge.
Blackthorn was a dark brown buck, with a tan patch from his underbelly to his muzzle, just below his muted amber eyes. He traversed the forest in a red helmet and cuirass, a spear attached to the latter. As the two approached a large, mossy rock, Blackthorn stopped, sniffing the air. "Who is hiding here?" he demanded, "You may have tried to disguise yourself from the senses, but not well enough." A small laugh echoed as a pale yellow doe trot out from behind the rock, cutting between Blackthorn and Ciocco. Blackthorn narrowed his eyes, asking, "Azalea, what are you doing out here?"
Azalea laughed again, louder and hyena-like. Once a fellow guardsdeer, she had been kicked out for behavioral issues, mainly picking fights with Blackthorn in a one-sided rivalry. "Aren't you tired of parading the little pony about?" She asked, trotting closer, "I can take him off your hooves." She was just a meter from Blackthorn, who glared back at her with a mask of disinterest.
"I may not like him," muttered Blackthorn, "Bramble does, and that is all that matters." He didn't flinch as Azalea spat upon him.
"Why are you so worked up over what that royal fawn cares about?" asked Azalea. Suddenly, no longer with slow, careful movements, but with a lightning maneuver, she tore Blackthorn's spear from his side, drawing a thin cut against his muzzle as it whipped about in her hoof. Before Blackthorn could do much more than flinch, Azalea drove the handle of the spear into his shoulder. "Predictable as ever, BT!" she taunted.
Blackthorn instantly took the chance Azalea foolishly gave to lunge, antlers first, at her. "Cioccolato, get your sorry flank out of here!" shouted Blackthorn, as Azalea barely blocked his antlers with the spear. Ciocco dashed towards the sound of the river, but Azalea forced Blackthorn's head against the mossy rock, disorienting him, leaving Azalea to pursue Ciocco rather than continue against her "rival."
More familiar with the winding forest, it was no difficult task for Azalea to catch up to Ciocco. She knew Blackthorn could be just a moment behind, but the riverside would help her make quick work of Cioccolato. No, the river would not be necessary, Ciocco stood breathing, completely at her mercy for a surprise attack. She threw Blackthorn's spear, a perfect aim to the back of the head. Indeed, it would kill the pony vermin in an instant, and then her final fight against Captain Blackthorn could begin in earnest.
Ciocco crouched down to drink from the river, and the spear landed in the water, splashing against his face as it embedded within the streambed. Azalea yowled, lunging forth in irritation. She closed the distance to Ciocco in seconds. She slammed her hooves against Ciocco's head, hatred blazed on her eyes as she forced him under water.
The first second, Ciocco had ample time to hold his breath. The next, he was submerged. The third, Azalea removed a hoof, and Ciocco tore himself above water. The fourth, Azalea brought enough strength down on one hoof to submerge him again. The fifth, Azalea pried open Ciocco's muzzle. The sixth, Azalea came flying into the water.
Blackthorn had made it to the riverside, easily surprising the occupied Azalea. His attack forced her into the river current, but she dragged Ciocco alongside her. Blackthorn tried to reach for Ciocco, but the rapids quickly swept him away, and all he could do was run alongside the river, hoping for a rock or fallen trunk to halt his downstream drift.
There was no such obstacle, and a waterfall was coming up already. Worse, it fed into a cave with only a thin, slippery ledge above the water on his side. Blackthorn watched Ciocco and Azalea fall, the latter breaking her fall and skull on an outcropping at the base of the waterfall, but the former landed on a shape he hadn't seen, extending out from the cave.
Covered in scales, what appeared to be a giant snake awoke, irritated. It rose, Ciocco sliding safely onto the far bank. As the rest of the creature left the cave Blackthorn recognized the true nature of the creature that had been disserviced. Seeing the many heads, he knew it to be a hydra.
Blackthorn noticed his spear dislodge from the riverbed, and he waited, hoping the hydra would not yet attack. The speed of the river suddenly felt a tenth of what it had been, and the hydra looked upon Cioccolato. It roared, and one head dove towards Ciocco. Just as one of its sharp teeth cut into Ciocco, its attention was taken as Blackthorn finally threw his spear. The hydra roared again as the spear poked an eye before falling against the ground. The hydra reached above the waterfall, trying to clamber up towards Blackthorn. Thankfully it was slow, but that didn't stop Blackthorn from worrying as he tried to lead it away.
Ciocco was alone, save for the unconscious, dying Azalea, who slipped off the rock, and washed up near him, under the cave entrance. Ciocco stepped towards Azalea, examining the bleeding tear in her head, then the smaller gash in the side of her abdomen. 'Well, I'm about to die anyhow,' reasoned Ciocco, 'At least, I feel that way. I'll just try a bit.'
Ciocco took the spear from beside him, and pried out a chunk of cervine flesh from Azalea's abdomen, dropping blood across the ground. He could now see within the gap, and was intrigued by the muscles, ribs, and the liver, the last of which appetizingly reminded him of a beet in its color, save for the pasty stretches that lined it.
Finally, Ciocco decided to break a rib to get to the liver. He hacked away at the bone, which finally gave way after a couple tries. He hadn't noticed the beating, but somehow realized Azalea's heart had finally stopped as he finally pulled out a chunk of liver. He licked the morsel, finding it sweet, but not overbearingly. The intensity came from a taste not like any grass, vegetable or fruit he knew, but closer to the earth itself, yet he liked it. He tried to bite into it, but the effort it took was becoming frustrating, and he dropped the morsel, now drenched in Azalea's salty blood.
He nearly panicked as hoofsteps approached. Blackthorn had returned, just outside the cave. "Cioccolato! We need to get you back to Thicket! If you can get over here, I might be able to pull you up!" shouted Blackthorn. Warily, Ciocco stepped from the cave, and Blackthorn gasped. "You can move, looking like that?" wondered Blackthorn. Ciocco didn't respond, only approaching to be pulled up. Blackthorn did so, pointing in one direction. "I'm sorry, I can't go back yet. Just keep on that way." Ciocco nodded, and shambled southward, Blackthorn glancing, worried, towards the area he had just come from.
Cioccolato has spent two hours in the Thicket medical center, and a deer has just arrived. Blackthorn shows new scratches, but Ciocco only has one worry. When no deer was around Ciocco and Blackthorn, the former finally asks, "Have you told anyone about what happened?"
"Not yet," admits Blackthorn.
"Don't" suggests Ciocco, "Let's change it around, we don't need to leave Azalea's memory sour."
"I don't believe there's much to sour that she didn't already, but I can play along. What do you have in mind, kid?"
"Well, for starters…" Ciocco begins to weave a narrative that ignores Azalea's attack, but neither Blackthorn nor any deer who will hear realize that it hides an even darker truth.
Author's Note
Sorry that the description of his meal kinda sucks, I haven't actually eaten deer.