THE DAYS OF HARMONY: FINAL HARVEST
CHAPTER 1: HARVEST
Harvest awoke from his slumber early in the morning near the center of the Everfree forest; he was leaving home through the forest the day before, his endeavor was to reach Ponyville to start a new life for himself. He was finished with his old one and nothing held him there anymore, not a life to forget but rather simply be done with. He walks through the forest lamenting over the events of days of the end of his past life.
Until a fortnight ago Harvest Risezen lived a prosperous life, he had a decent sized home and a financially stable business. Unfortunately for Harvest, his house caught on fire from an unknown creature from the Everfree forest. The store his father left him, the Hazardous Melodies, stood tall over the now half burned down house of the Risezen family.
Depression soon took hold of him for a few days until he came to the conclusion that he could rebuild the house any way he wanted to. Thus allowing for his mind to remove the depression and replace it with creative ingenuity. The pain of losing the house that was in his family line for many years was still in the back of his mind always taunting him telling him that he is a failure. Harvest ignored his thoughts and continued to work at attempting to get his house rebuilt and manage the family business.
A week after his house caught on fire a storm rolled across his home town of “Everforest village” lightning bolts from a freak thunder storm, which caught many houses on fire and burn to the ground. Hazardous Melodies would of survived through the night had it not been for the surrounding building raging in a fire.
Everypony suffered from the storm in some way or another, Harvest lost his only chance of rebuilding his life the way it was before his house burned down. Many ponyfolk lost at least a room and a half from their houses, save for the few families that lived on the outskirts of the town. Looking grim for everyone, Harvest decided that since the top half of Hazardous Melodies was now unusable he cleared out all his ruined merchandise from both levels. He put all savable instruments off into the far corner of the basement and cleared away the entire 1st and 2nd floors. Gathering a few townsfolk he was able to level his ruined home and build a small makeshift hospital using any remaining good wood from his home and store. Harvest ordered the few ponies that let him take charge in the crisis to get any injured ponies or homeless to either the hospital or his store for shelter.
After a few days half the town fell under Harvest’s control, basically the younger generations of the town followed him while the adults deemed themselves in charge of the other half of Everforest village. Recovery was slow but everypony was helping out as best of they could, the adults got the food while the creative youth were rebuilding the town as they saw fit. Within two days there wasn’t a frown on anyone’s face because of the good cheer between each other and the progress the town was gaining on its reconstruction.
Harvest knew that soon there would have to be an election once the town was rebuilt, and quite honestly he knew that it would be him who won.
Mayor Blazer House wasn’t holding his ground on popularity due to him always trying to put his own spin on Harvest’s ideas and plans which usually ended in failure. Causing problems in a crisis or post-crisis can have a strong negative effect on one’s popularity; especially if you’re an official. House knew that soon there would have to be an election once the town was rebuilt, and quite honestly he knew that it would be him who lost.
Harvest wanted to leave; he didn’t want any part in a political struggle, so he decided to put his good friend Supernova Fireflight in charge of all operations on the reconstruction of Everforest. As sure as he was that he was leaving the town in capable hooves, Harvest knew that should he stay the town would be better off. It didn’t matter though his mind was made and only had one more stop before he was ready to pack for leaving Everforest for his first time without the wanting to come back.
Stopping by Mayor House’s office he told him of his plan to leave and place Fireflight in his role of reconstruction organizer. Harvest also asked the mayor to step down out of office willingly when elections came so that Fireflight would step in and finish what Harvest had started. Knowing his place; and his chances of winning anyways, House eventually agreed on the condition that he at least could be an adviser for Fireflight. Harvest agreed and relayed all information to the town on what is going to happen for the next election, the town election would be removed until Mayor Supernova Fireflight’s term is over. That way he can get the town united and rebuilt in a timely fashion. Reception to the news was surprisingly positive even though it was Harvest whom did most of the leadership around the town. Harvest didn’t care though because all he could think about was leaving.
With his bag packed and mind set on leaving his home town, Harvest walked straight on into the Everfree Forest.
With a day’s gallop through the forest behind him and a full night’s rest, Harvest was ready to finish his trip in the Everfree forest by sundown if not earlier. After making sure he has all his belongings Harvest darts off deeper into the woods, considering how his mind was blank for most of the trip he didn’t notice that he was wearing out his body to the point where he could pass out at any moment. However as he was reaching his limit he noticed a break in the trees up ahead, with a final push of his strength he charged out of the forest but the hill surprised him. Crashing down a hill only hurt Harvest as much as his body would allow before passing out under the shade cast by the bountiful amount of trees surrounding him.
He didn’t dream and he didn’t think, he just let the past few weeks’ stresses and pains leave his life. Unfortunately for him the physical pain of the last two days didn’t leave nearly as easily, and he would soon realize that it wouldn’t for at least a week.
Upon waking from his unconsciousness state, Harvest realized that it was morning and he was famished. Analyzing his surroundings he realized that he was in what looked to be an apple forest, thinking that it isn’t often that an apple forest could be in the wild. He soon pieced together that the land he was on must belong to somepony, interrupting his thoughts his stomach gave out a weak cry. Harvest wondered how long he was out, at least twenty-four hours he presumed considering how the sun was still in the same position as it was when he was last awake.
Putting his mind to rest Harvest was able to think on the mission at hand, he needed food and he needed it as soon as he could get it. Normally he would have taken the time to find the owners of the apples to ask for permission to eat the apples that plagued his mind with the salvation from hunger. However considering that he is in dire need of nourishment he decided to take what he needed to survive.
Scanning the area for apples Harvest saw a small collection of apples laying under a tree to his right. Limping over to the delicious looking apples he saw that most of them were perfectly fine apples, with only a few more less than savory counterparts. As much as he was torn to take the good apples, he decided to take the bruised and maimed apples of the bunch. All taste that the apples could have produced was denied by his weariness and mental exhaustion, it was a chore just to eat the very thing that could save his life.
Harvest knew that he needed to eat but he doubted it would actually kill him if he didn’t eat for another day or so. Fortunately his death would be halted every step further as he gathered more strength from his stolen apples, and every step further it would lead him to more apples. Always in which he took the worst of the bunch, even with his newly found horde the stallion further grew weary from dehydration. Going off the hope that the juice from the apples would sustain him until he could find water, Harvest trudged forward in high hopes of finding the owner of the orchard that he was trespassing on.
A mile of suffering behind him, the afternoon approached rather quickly and before long nightfall had consumed the day that stood before it. Stopping to pick a place to sleep, he saw the hill which gave the perfect view to the heaven above. Quickly walking over to lay down on the hill, Harvest pulled out a few apples to munch on before he fell asleep. Awake under the stars and moon, Harvest watched as the celestial night sky seemed to dance in his eyes and mind the beauty was breathtaking. With every star he attempted to make a picture by connecting it to the others around it, he always lost track of the lines and eventually quit just to analyze the moon. The moon wasn’t full that night but nevertheless it was phenomenal, and based on the crescent form of the moon that night Harvest calculated that it was roughly two days that he was unconscious at the bottom of the hill that he fell down after leaving the Everfree forest.
What Harvest didn’t know was that the moon was looking back at him. The moon acted as a mirror for Princess Luna to watch over her subjects from afar, and she was pleased to find that somepony besides astronomers took time to watch her efforts with such enthusiasm.
Morning arose across the sky bearing down its heat upon Equestria, a fantastic summer morning; Harvest awoke to the sound of birds chirping in trees nearby. Basking under the light and heat emitting from the sun, he broke into a smile and simply enjoyed his first actual morning in what he presumed was the outskirts of Ponyville. Harvest decided to get an early start on his attempt to find the owner’s of the apple orchard he was feasting from. He knew that his supply of bad apples wouldn’t last him much longer considering how it seemed that the further he walked the healthier each apple seemed to become. With his food scarce Harvest soon began to feel the effects of his physical injuries but not nearly as much as he expected to, he almost believed that the apples had some form of healing factor to them. Not bothering to try to assume any answer for this Harvest just continued on his way.
About an hour later Harvest was walking along a hoofmade dirt path between the trees, in his mind this confirmed that this land actually did belong to somepony. He thought back to before he left Everforest Village, with his basic map of the Everfree Forest and the towns located around it. Ponyville was on the opposing side of the forest to Everforest Village, his perfect getaway. He rationed the idea that by leaving his home town through a forest that nopony ever wants to enter; his past life wouldn’t ever bother him. His complete new start at life full of unknowns and the promise to fulfill his boredom, his life wouldn’t be routine without purpose ever again. That was his goal; this was his hope, and the Red stallion off in the distance is just the door to that life.
