The Adventures of Two Best Friends.by shardikkuChaptersPrologue: A Pretty ViewChapter 1: Storms and a couple.Chapter 2: Welcome to Ponyville...Prologue: A Pretty ViewThe morning sun, roused from it’s dark slumber, rose over the great forests of the Everfree. The light setting the dew-soaked leaves shining like the stars of the near-passed night sky as the early-rising life of the trees began to stir, signalled by multitudes of rustles as bodies moved against the undergrowth and the constant chattering of the many different forest-dwelling birds as they awoke to face the new day. In the Everfree limits bordering the great forest, a time-scarred tree-house clung to a tree, intricately knotted vines securing it’s position. The vine-bound wooden planks taking the place of a door slammed open, nearly ripping off their rusted hinges. A small, midnight-blue pegasus filly trotted out, wincing against the early morning sun. She trotted towards the small safety fence circling the platform the building was situated on, stomping her hooves loudly on the planks, making them groan in protest. After a short while of staring out across the great, leafy, expanse that was the Everfree forest, she turned towards the dark murk that shrouded the inside of the tree-house and called into it, “Aw, come on Myst! It doesn’t take that long to get ready!” A tired moan came in response, the pegasus sighed, then, stretching out her front legs, she entered, a slight grin on her face, Hearing the hoofsteps of the other pony, the tired pony curled up into a small ball, burrowing deeper into the pile of hay she was using as a bed. She called out at the advancing pegasus, “Be there in a sec-”, then, a pair of hooves gripped her body and hoisted her up, into the air, “Waah! Hey! Stop that Stormy!”, the helpless filly flailed her legs, trying to writhe free as she was carried out into the sunlight. The pegasus dropped the wriggling filly on the floor, laughing as she surveyed the scruffy, sleep-worn fur, tail and mane of the earthen pony. “Uh, Myst, you may look a bit untidy now...Just a tiny bit.” Myst sighed deeply, picking herself up and half-heartedly trying to sort out her mane, before giving up at a lost cause and turning to the other filly, “Better watch out Stormy, I’ll get you back for this...” At this Stormy Skies fluttered her wings in mock fear, “Oooh, I’m terrified. Let me feel the wrath, oh Myst, queen of darkness.” Myst began to creep up to the pegasus, slowly moving closer. She readied up her back legs, crouching back, before throwing herself at her friend in a full-body dive, knocking them both backwards towards the edge of the platform, “Hey, Waah! Watch out Myst! We’re gonna slip off the- “ The two fillies tumbled off the edge of the tree-house’s wooden gantries, falling down a short way, landing with a large splash in a massive, muddy, water-filled ditch. The two dripping fillies emerged from the ditch a short while later, manes drooping and tails dragging, fur dyed a slightly murky brown. A small growl rose up from the earthen pony, “Stormy, You. Will. Pay.” They reached the edge of the pool, scrabbling out onto the relatively dry and clean forest floor, “Hey, Myst?” Stormy Skies called out, crouching down. “Yes?” Myst turned to look at the pegasus, realizing her friend’s intent just too late as Storm shook off, letting the murky water shower down on her surroundings...And a very annoyed looking Myst. A flock of birds flew up from the nearby trees as their peace was interrupted by an earth-shattering squeal of annoyance and a loud splash. A sodden Stormy Skies lay in a pile in a large lake-like puddle. She spat out a small amount of water and sighed, “Seriously Myst?” “You messed up my mane twice and soaked me with disgusting ditch-water, you expected anything less?” Myst stood on the banks, wringing her tail out between her hooves, a large smile on her face as she surveyed her soaked friend. “And now you’ve learnt why you don’t do that, haven’t you Stormy?” Several hours later.The two fillies had dried off as best they could in the constant deep shade of the Everfree. Myst and Stormy Skies were pushing through a densely overgrown pathway, splitting off from the main path, delving deeper into the great green depths of the forest. The long grass tickled at Myst’s muzzle as she pushed through, creating a path. She carried on looking around, as if trying to see something special. Stormy sighed, “Myst where are you trying to get to exactly? We’ve been walking down this sorry excuse for a path for ages!” “Stop moaning Stormy, we’ll be there in a second.” “Be where?” “There.” “Where’s there?” “Here.” Announced Myst, pushing through a final layer of enclosing vegetation to step out onto a small rocky plateau. “What is it?” Stormy stepped around her friend who seemed intent on staring out from the stoney platform, “Stormy, look down there.” “Down where?.....Oh.....Woah.....” The pegasus took a glance off of the edge of the plateau, noticing a great drop and a valley floor far, far below. Her eyes followed a small stream, little more than a blue mark from their height, up the valley, and off into the distance. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Myst asked, seeming to be in somewhat of a trance. “Yeah, uh, lovely...” Stormy slowly backed away from the edge, moving back to her friend. “Something wrong Stormy?” Myst noticed the pegasus shivering slightly. “N-no, nothing w-wrong at all....” The pegasus was trembling quite a lot now, her eyes screwed shut and her wings raised defensively. A single tear marked it’s way down her face, leaving a damp trail and hitting the floor with a light splash. “Stormy, what is it?” Myst asked again, worried for her friend. Stormy Skies mumbled something inaudible, her bottom lip trembling as she did so, her body slowly lowering itself to the ground, making herself smaller, fear apparent in her glistening eyes. “I-I....” “Shush Stormy.” Myst reached down and grabbed hold of the shivering pony, pulling her into a standing-hug. The trembling pegasus leaned in, moving her muzzle closer to Myst’s ear, then, whispering, she said, “Myst....I’m s-scared of h-heights....” “Is that it?” “I’m a p-pegasus Myst! H-how c-can a pegasus be scared of heights?” At this several tears fell from her glimmering eyes, streaking down her muzzle, dripping onto Myst’s back, leaving a small damp patch in her fur. “We’re all scared of something Stormy.” The two fillies, delicately locked in embrace, remained upon the plateau for a long time. Stormy Skies slowly calmed, her eyes no longer tearful, she turned to Myst, “Thanks Myst...” “Anytime Stormy, anytime” The sun began to set, the sky turning a slight orange as the fiery ball sank down beneath the edges of the valley. A stray ray of golden light shone through the valley, illuminating a tiny ramshackle building, far below. There was a flash as a metallic object caught the ray, causing the two fillies to screw their eyes shut. Soon, the sun had set, yet the two ponies had yet to move, even as the inky darkness of the night consumed the air, bringing with it the cool night-breeze and the great gem that was the moon. “Myst, uh, what are we going to do? It’s kinda nighttime, and the treehouse is ages away, through the Everfree...At night....” Stormy Skies asked, her voice shaking slightly as she mentioned the nightmarish forest. Myst put hoof to her muzzle in thought, “Well, It’s not that cold out here, is it?” “Not really, no.” “Shall we camp out here then?” Stormy nodded in response, trotting back from the edge of the overhang, back to the grassy, slightly forested part. Myst shortly followed, realising her friend’s intention. The two fillies lay together, huddled up against the night, Stormy’s wings draped over them both. “Night Stormy.” “Night Myst.” Chapter 1: Storms and a couple.A loud crack jolted the sleeping fillies awake. A bright light split the dark sky in half, forking downwards, leaving the aroma of singed grass hanging in the air. “Waah! Myst! What the heck was that?!” Stormy squeaked in surprise, wings fluttering frantically as she sprinted to her friend’s side. Myst stood, shivering slightly, face locked in grim, tense, concentration. She whispered to herself quietly, “Calm Myst...Calm...It’s only a big ol’ light show....Calm....” She turned to Stormy, a small, nervous, smile growing on her lips, “Heh, Stormy, remember yesterday, when I said everyone’s scared of something?” “Yep.” Another flash lit up the world, sending Myst diving to the ground, covering her ears with her hooves. A fine grey, wet, clinging sheet of light rain fell, slowly drenching their coats through. Myst tilted her head, throwing her sodden hay-yellow mane out of her face, her shivers slowly began to subside and she spoke, quite calmly, “Well, now you know- Lightning scares me tailless!” The dark, rumbling, storm clouds began to dissipate, leaving only the lighter, calmer rain clouds to pour down on the two fillies. - “Right then Myst, you ready?” “As I’ll ever be...” The two fillies stood next to a winding mountain stream, meandering down to the bottom of the valley, ending in a large, calm, lake. The recent rain had swollen the stream to many times it’s original size, so it could quite easily sweep a pony along in the icy water. Myst dipped a tentative hoof into the rushing torrent, recoiling instantly with a look of shock on her face, “That water is absolutely freezing! There’s no way way we’re riding that down.” “It’s the only way down though, Myst. The storm turned the path into a mudslide.” “It’s still too cold...What if we catch colds or something, huh? What abou-! Myst tripped, falling headfirst into the stream, she emerged seconds later, spitting up a small amount of water. She hung onto a rock embedded in the side, looking straight into Stormy’s eyes, “You....Tripped me! Didn't you?!” the Pegasus in question blinked, her innocent, violet eyes shining in as cute a manner as she could muster, “Who? Me? But I’d never dream of doing such a dastardly thing Mysty.” She stepped closer to the water, grinning at the soaking pony, spreading her wings wide and fluttering them a few times, “Oh, it seems I won’t be needing to get wet in a murk stream actually, I forgot- I have wings.” Myst’s eyes lit up as she spied her chance. She let go of her anchor, being swept a short way, building up speed, then, just as she passed her friend, she grabbed for the nearest limb she could find, pulling Stormy with her, back leg first. The pegasus let out a squeal as her rump touched the freezing water. “Payback, ‘Tis sweet.” Muttered Myst as the two ponies were briskly swept away. - A small, pretty, dark pink mare trotted slowly along the edge of a large, smooth, lake. A large, muscular, red, stallion trotted alongside her, his one step to her few. They walked in a loving silence, no words needing to be said, just enjoying each other’s company. Eventually, the mare broke the silence, “Mac, dear, it’s getting late, and I have to be up early tomorrow for work.” She looked over at her companion, following his gaze to the horizon, where the dimming sun slowly slipped behind the edges of the valley, filling the sky with vivid swirls of pinks and reds, reflecting off of the lingering clouds. The stallion turned to the dainty mare, looking straight into her deep, green eyes, holding her gaze for several long moments, a light red blush appeared on both of their cheeks as they leaned towards each other, “Eeyup....” A small wail rang out, off in the distance, setting both of the ponies’ ears on end, “What was that? Sounded like....” “Fillies. Ah’d recognise a sound like that anywhere...” “Crusaders?” “Maybe...” The stallion trailed off as he started walking towards the far side of the lake, and the source of the noise, his partner following a short way behind. Chapter 2: Welcome to Ponyville...A mess of wings, tails, manes, and crying fillies all sodden through, lay tangled in a heap, writhing in a muddy ditch, as the night slowly crept into the sky, poisoning the vibrant sunset with the darkness of the new moon. Stormy Skies wailed, her left wing bent underneath her in an abnormal position, a mass of scratches covered her face and sides, her tail and main coated in a slimy, murky, film of mud and ditch water, showing a dull, deep, blue coat, blending her in with the night’s colours. Her eyes squeezed shut, her mouth wide open, screaming, while coughing up filthy water and choking on her fast-flowing tears. Myst lay beside her, completely still, her face showing a serene calmness, even while covered with red, angry, cuts. Her back legs seemed bent at an awkward position, the bones seeming warped in one of them, the other, at a sharp, unnatural angle to her side. “Over here! I can hear them!” Two ponies’ galloping hooves approached the two injured fillies. The rustle of parting greens drew the crying pegasus’ attention, silencing her for a second as she forgot herself, then a twinge ran through her wing, setting her wailing again with renewed vigour, now in fear of the approaching stranger-ponies, as well as pain. “Mac, here, they’re over here...And they sound pretty upset...We should hurry.” A light mare’s voice called out, as the rustling moved closer. Two ponies looked down at the fillies, their eyes turning from merely concerned to deeper shades of worry as they surveyed their injuries. “Cheerilee, miss, may ah suggest we get these fillies to the hospital? They look pretty beaten up, an ah don’t like the way that one ain’t makin’ a sound with legs lookin’ like that.” Mac finished, gesturing to Myst with his hoof. “Definitely! Let’s get them into safe hooves for now...” The mare stared at the two fillies intently, a look of strong curiosity on her face, “Y’ don’t recognise ‘em then?” Mac questioned as he reached forwards and his companion tried as lightly as possible to load the still figure of Myst onto his back. “Never seen them. They don’t attend the school, that’s for sure. I wonder who their parents are...” She looked at the tiring figure of Stormy, her wails becoming much weaker, her throat hoarse from her crying. “Can you get up dear?” Stormy just stared back in reply. Eventually she moved slightly, summoning up the strength to stand. She coughed a few times, then, her voice shaky, she spoke, “Where are we?” Then her eyes closed, and, exhausted, she fell. Just before she hit the floor, a dark pink hoof caught her, Cheerilee picking her and pulling her in close. “Come on then Mac, let’s get these fillies back while there’s still some ponies awake to help us.” “Eeyup.” The two ponies, burdened with the two fillies, began their short journey to the nearby Ponyville hospital. They walked in silence, focused on keeping the fillies as still as possible on the way, as they tried not to trip on the uneven, night-soaked path. - A while later the safety-promising lights of the hospital came into view, right on the edge of the village. There were very few ponies around, it was too late for anyone to be out. The only life seemed to be the bored-looking door-ponies. One of them looked up at the approaching couple, subtly nudging the other awake with a jab in the ribs. They lit their torches, bathing the surrounding area in a soft yellow glow, cutting through the darkness, “Hey! Hold-up there!” One of them called out to the couple, “What are you doing out at this time of night, huh?” “We’ve got two fillies here. Both injured...One maybe worse..” Answered a tired-sounding Cheerilee, the combination of the late time and the weight of the filly taking it’s toll on her strength. The guards looked at each other, then back at the couple, curious yet concerned looks appearing on their faces, “What happened?” “We have no idea...We just found them like this..” “Take ‘em in quickly, the nurse’ll be at reception, she’ll take care of this.” The guards stood back by the doors, opening them to allow the two tiring ponies and their charges into the hospital. The entry hall stank of strong disinfectant, making the ponies’ eyes water slightly as they trotted as quickly as they could without upsetting their passengers towards a small wooden desk at the far end. A white mare stood waiting behind the desk, her light pink mane done up in a tight bun, her small nurse’s hat tilted back slightly. She opened her mouth, as if to ask what was wrong, then, as they drew nearer, and the foals’ injuries became visible, she slammed her hoof onto a green button on her desk, and shouted, “Dr. Stable! Come here quickly! We’ve got a few fillies broken!” A sandy-brown stallion trotted out from a side-door, a white, pristine, jacket buttoned loosely onto his chest, and a stethoscope hanging from his neck. His lime-green eyes looked stressed and tired, yet he perked up slightly once he saw there were ponies aside from the nurse. Mac grunted lightly, attracting the doctor’s attention, “Mr, I don’t mean t’ sound rude or nothin’, but this filly ain’t movin’, she ha’nt made so much as a whisper since we found ‘em.” The doctor frowned, walking over to the filly slung across Mac’s back, raising a hoof to her still neck. He spoke, his voice heavy as he applied his experience, “She’s alive, just. She needs some pretty urgent treatment though. I’m thinking a severe impact to her head, leaving her to unconsciousness...We don’t know just how hard that hit was though, she may wake up with a bit of a headache and some dizziness, or she could fall into some form of coma. There’s no way to tell...” Cheerilee nudged the doctor out of his ponderings, “What about this one? She spoke a little, asking where she was, then she blacked-out. That wing doesn’t look very healthy either, is it broken?” Stable trotted around the dark pink mare, taking in the burden-filly’s injuries, “Looking much more stable than the other one...Hmm...Yes, and she spoke, you say? Well, we can be sure she didn’t get too badly injured then. I think there may be multiple fractures though- that wing is beyond broken, it’ll be out of use for weeks.” He walked to a nearby blue door, opening it and motioning for the ponies to go through, “Get those two in here quickly. That’s right, nice and gently onto the beds there. Alright, it’s up to us now, uh, I’m sorry, I don’t remember taking your names, “I’m Cheerilee and he’s Big Macintosh.” “And you’re their parents, right?” The two ponies looked at each other, caught off-balance by this question, their faces reddening slightly, “N-no, no, we just found these foals injured and crying. There was nopony else around, so we brought them in.” “Alright...Okay, well we’ll deal with that once these two are taken care of. We’ll sign them under your names until we can ask them for their parents’ names, okay?” “Okay..” Cheerilee turned to leave, taking one last glance at the two blanked fillies, “We’ll be back to check on them soon.” The doctor nodded, and the couple left. Leaving the him and the nurse alone, gazing after the retreating ponies, “It’s going to be a long night...”
Prologue: A Pretty ViewThe morning sun, roused from it’s dark slumber, rose over the great forests of the Everfree. The light setting the dew-soaked leaves shining like the stars of the near-passed night sky as the early-rising life of the trees began to stir, signalled by multitudes of rustles as bodies moved against the undergrowth and the constant chattering of the many different forest-dwelling birds as they awoke to face the new day. In the Everfree limits bordering the great forest, a time-scarred tree-house clung to a tree, intricately knotted vines securing it’s position. The vine-bound wooden planks taking the place of a door slammed open, nearly ripping off their rusted hinges. A small, midnight-blue pegasus filly trotted out, wincing against the early morning sun. She trotted towards the small safety fence circling the platform the building was situated on, stomping her hooves loudly on the planks, making them groan in protest. After a short while of staring out across the great, leafy, expanse that was the Everfree forest, she turned towards the dark murk that shrouded the inside of the tree-house and called into it, “Aw, come on Myst! It doesn’t take that long to get ready!” A tired moan came in response, the pegasus sighed, then, stretching out her front legs, she entered, a slight grin on her face, Hearing the hoofsteps of the other pony, the tired pony curled up into a small ball, burrowing deeper into the pile of hay she was using as a bed. She called out at the advancing pegasus, “Be there in a sec-”, then, a pair of hooves gripped her body and hoisted her up, into the air, “Waah! Hey! Stop that Stormy!”, the helpless filly flailed her legs, trying to writhe free as she was carried out into the sunlight. The pegasus dropped the wriggling filly on the floor, laughing as she surveyed the scruffy, sleep-worn fur, tail and mane of the earthen pony. “Uh, Myst, you may look a bit untidy now...Just a tiny bit.” Myst sighed deeply, picking herself up and half-heartedly trying to sort out her mane, before giving up at a lost cause and turning to the other filly, “Better watch out Stormy, I’ll get you back for this...” At this Stormy Skies fluttered her wings in mock fear, “Oooh, I’m terrified. Let me feel the wrath, oh Myst, queen of darkness.” Myst began to creep up to the pegasus, slowly moving closer. She readied up her back legs, crouching back, before throwing herself at her friend in a full-body dive, knocking them both backwards towards the edge of the platform, “Hey, Waah! Watch out Myst! We’re gonna slip off the- “ The two fillies tumbled off the edge of the tree-house’s wooden gantries, falling down a short way, landing with a large splash in a massive, muddy, water-filled ditch. The two dripping fillies emerged from the ditch a short while later, manes drooping and tails dragging, fur dyed a slightly murky brown. A small growl rose up from the earthen pony, “Stormy, You. Will. Pay.” They reached the edge of the pool, scrabbling out onto the relatively dry and clean forest floor, “Hey, Myst?” Stormy Skies called out, crouching down. “Yes?” Myst turned to look at the pegasus, realizing her friend’s intent just too late as Storm shook off, letting the murky water shower down on her surroundings...And a very annoyed looking Myst. A flock of birds flew up from the nearby trees as their peace was interrupted by an earth-shattering squeal of annoyance and a loud splash. A sodden Stormy Skies lay in a pile in a large lake-like puddle. She spat out a small amount of water and sighed, “Seriously Myst?” “You messed up my mane twice and soaked me with disgusting ditch-water, you expected anything less?” Myst stood on the banks, wringing her tail out between her hooves, a large smile on her face as she surveyed her soaked friend. “And now you’ve learnt why you don’t do that, haven’t you Stormy?” Several hours later.The two fillies had dried off as best they could in the constant deep shade of the Everfree. Myst and Stormy Skies were pushing through a densely overgrown pathway, splitting off from the main path, delving deeper into the great green depths of the forest. The long grass tickled at Myst’s muzzle as she pushed through, creating a path. She carried on looking around, as if trying to see something special. Stormy sighed, “Myst where are you trying to get to exactly? We’ve been walking down this sorry excuse for a path for ages!” “Stop moaning Stormy, we’ll be there in a second.” “Be where?” “There.” “Where’s there?” “Here.” Announced Myst, pushing through a final layer of enclosing vegetation to step out onto a small rocky plateau. “What is it?” Stormy stepped around her friend who seemed intent on staring out from the stoney platform, “Stormy, look down there.” “Down where?.....Oh.....Woah.....” The pegasus took a glance off of the edge of the plateau, noticing a great drop and a valley floor far, far below. Her eyes followed a small stream, little more than a blue mark from their height, up the valley, and off into the distance. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Myst asked, seeming to be in somewhat of a trance. “Yeah, uh, lovely...” Stormy slowly backed away from the edge, moving back to her friend. “Something wrong Stormy?” Myst noticed the pegasus shivering slightly. “N-no, nothing w-wrong at all....” The pegasus was trembling quite a lot now, her eyes screwed shut and her wings raised defensively. A single tear marked it’s way down her face, leaving a damp trail and hitting the floor with a light splash. “Stormy, what is it?” Myst asked again, worried for her friend. Stormy Skies mumbled something inaudible, her bottom lip trembling as she did so, her body slowly lowering itself to the ground, making herself smaller, fear apparent in her glistening eyes. “I-I....” “Shush Stormy.” Myst reached down and grabbed hold of the shivering pony, pulling her into a standing-hug. The trembling pegasus leaned in, moving her muzzle closer to Myst’s ear, then, whispering, she said, “Myst....I’m s-scared of h-heights....” “Is that it?” “I’m a p-pegasus Myst! H-how c-can a pegasus be scared of heights?” At this several tears fell from her glimmering eyes, streaking down her muzzle, dripping onto Myst’s back, leaving a small damp patch in her fur. “We’re all scared of something Stormy.” The two fillies, delicately locked in embrace, remained upon the plateau for a long time. Stormy Skies slowly calmed, her eyes no longer tearful, she turned to Myst, “Thanks Myst...” “Anytime Stormy, anytime” The sun began to set, the sky turning a slight orange as the fiery ball sank down beneath the edges of the valley. A stray ray of golden light shone through the valley, illuminating a tiny ramshackle building, far below. There was a flash as a metallic object caught the ray, causing the two fillies to screw their eyes shut. Soon, the sun had set, yet the two ponies had yet to move, even as the inky darkness of the night consumed the air, bringing with it the cool night-breeze and the great gem that was the moon. “Myst, uh, what are we going to do? It’s kinda nighttime, and the treehouse is ages away, through the Everfree...At night....” Stormy Skies asked, her voice shaking slightly as she mentioned the nightmarish forest. Myst put hoof to her muzzle in thought, “Well, It’s not that cold out here, is it?” “Not really, no.” “Shall we camp out here then?” Stormy nodded in response, trotting back from the edge of the overhang, back to the grassy, slightly forested part. Myst shortly followed, realising her friend’s intention. The two fillies lay together, huddled up against the night, Stormy’s wings draped over them both. “Night Stormy.” “Night Myst.”
Chapter 1: Storms and a couple.A loud crack jolted the sleeping fillies awake. A bright light split the dark sky in half, forking downwards, leaving the aroma of singed grass hanging in the air. “Waah! Myst! What the heck was that?!” Stormy squeaked in surprise, wings fluttering frantically as she sprinted to her friend’s side. Myst stood, shivering slightly, face locked in grim, tense, concentration. She whispered to herself quietly, “Calm Myst...Calm...It’s only a big ol’ light show....Calm....” She turned to Stormy, a small, nervous, smile growing on her lips, “Heh, Stormy, remember yesterday, when I said everyone’s scared of something?” “Yep.” Another flash lit up the world, sending Myst diving to the ground, covering her ears with her hooves. A fine grey, wet, clinging sheet of light rain fell, slowly drenching their coats through. Myst tilted her head, throwing her sodden hay-yellow mane out of her face, her shivers slowly began to subside and she spoke, quite calmly, “Well, now you know- Lightning scares me tailless!” The dark, rumbling, storm clouds began to dissipate, leaving only the lighter, calmer rain clouds to pour down on the two fillies. - “Right then Myst, you ready?” “As I’ll ever be...” The two fillies stood next to a winding mountain stream, meandering down to the bottom of the valley, ending in a large, calm, lake. The recent rain had swollen the stream to many times it’s original size, so it could quite easily sweep a pony along in the icy water. Myst dipped a tentative hoof into the rushing torrent, recoiling instantly with a look of shock on her face, “That water is absolutely freezing! There’s no way way we’re riding that down.” “It’s the only way down though, Myst. The storm turned the path into a mudslide.” “It’s still too cold...What if we catch colds or something, huh? What abou-! Myst tripped, falling headfirst into the stream, she emerged seconds later, spitting up a small amount of water. She hung onto a rock embedded in the side, looking straight into Stormy’s eyes, “You....Tripped me! Didn't you?!” the Pegasus in question blinked, her innocent, violet eyes shining in as cute a manner as she could muster, “Who? Me? But I’d never dream of doing such a dastardly thing Mysty.” She stepped closer to the water, grinning at the soaking pony, spreading her wings wide and fluttering them a few times, “Oh, it seems I won’t be needing to get wet in a murk stream actually, I forgot- I have wings.” Myst’s eyes lit up as she spied her chance. She let go of her anchor, being swept a short way, building up speed, then, just as she passed her friend, she grabbed for the nearest limb she could find, pulling Stormy with her, back leg first. The pegasus let out a squeal as her rump touched the freezing water. “Payback, ‘Tis sweet.” Muttered Myst as the two ponies were briskly swept away. - A small, pretty, dark pink mare trotted slowly along the edge of a large, smooth, lake. A large, muscular, red, stallion trotted alongside her, his one step to her few. They walked in a loving silence, no words needing to be said, just enjoying each other’s company. Eventually, the mare broke the silence, “Mac, dear, it’s getting late, and I have to be up early tomorrow for work.” She looked over at her companion, following his gaze to the horizon, where the dimming sun slowly slipped behind the edges of the valley, filling the sky with vivid swirls of pinks and reds, reflecting off of the lingering clouds. The stallion turned to the dainty mare, looking straight into her deep, green eyes, holding her gaze for several long moments, a light red blush appeared on both of their cheeks as they leaned towards each other, “Eeyup....” A small wail rang out, off in the distance, setting both of the ponies’ ears on end, “What was that? Sounded like....” “Fillies. Ah’d recognise a sound like that anywhere...” “Crusaders?” “Maybe...” The stallion trailed off as he started walking towards the far side of the lake, and the source of the noise, his partner following a short way behind.
Chapter 2: Welcome to Ponyville...A mess of wings, tails, manes, and crying fillies all sodden through, lay tangled in a heap, writhing in a muddy ditch, as the night slowly crept into the sky, poisoning the vibrant sunset with the darkness of the new moon. Stormy Skies wailed, her left wing bent underneath her in an abnormal position, a mass of scratches covered her face and sides, her tail and main coated in a slimy, murky, film of mud and ditch water, showing a dull, deep, blue coat, blending her in with the night’s colours. Her eyes squeezed shut, her mouth wide open, screaming, while coughing up filthy water and choking on her fast-flowing tears. Myst lay beside her, completely still, her face showing a serene calmness, even while covered with red, angry, cuts. Her back legs seemed bent at an awkward position, the bones seeming warped in one of them, the other, at a sharp, unnatural angle to her side. “Over here! I can hear them!” Two ponies’ galloping hooves approached the two injured fillies. The rustle of parting greens drew the crying pegasus’ attention, silencing her for a second as she forgot herself, then a twinge ran through her wing, setting her wailing again with renewed vigour, now in fear of the approaching stranger-ponies, as well as pain. “Mac, here, they’re over here...And they sound pretty upset...We should hurry.” A light mare’s voice called out, as the rustling moved closer. Two ponies looked down at the fillies, their eyes turning from merely concerned to deeper shades of worry as they surveyed their injuries. “Cheerilee, miss, may ah suggest we get these fillies to the hospital? They look pretty beaten up, an ah don’t like the way that one ain’t makin’ a sound with legs lookin’ like that.” Mac finished, gesturing to Myst with his hoof. “Definitely! Let’s get them into safe hooves for now...” The mare stared at the two fillies intently, a look of strong curiosity on her face, “Y’ don’t recognise ‘em then?” Mac questioned as he reached forwards and his companion tried as lightly as possible to load the still figure of Myst onto his back. “Never seen them. They don’t attend the school, that’s for sure. I wonder who their parents are...” She looked at the tiring figure of Stormy, her wails becoming much weaker, her throat hoarse from her crying. “Can you get up dear?” Stormy just stared back in reply. Eventually she moved slightly, summoning up the strength to stand. She coughed a few times, then, her voice shaky, she spoke, “Where are we?” Then her eyes closed, and, exhausted, she fell. Just before she hit the floor, a dark pink hoof caught her, Cheerilee picking her and pulling her in close. “Come on then Mac, let’s get these fillies back while there’s still some ponies awake to help us.” “Eeyup.” The two ponies, burdened with the two fillies, began their short journey to the nearby Ponyville hospital. They walked in silence, focused on keeping the fillies as still as possible on the way, as they tried not to trip on the uneven, night-soaked path. - A while later the safety-promising lights of the hospital came into view, right on the edge of the village. There were very few ponies around, it was too late for anyone to be out. The only life seemed to be the bored-looking door-ponies. One of them looked up at the approaching couple, subtly nudging the other awake with a jab in the ribs. They lit their torches, bathing the surrounding area in a soft yellow glow, cutting through the darkness, “Hey! Hold-up there!” One of them called out to the couple, “What are you doing out at this time of night, huh?” “We’ve got two fillies here. Both injured...One maybe worse..” Answered a tired-sounding Cheerilee, the combination of the late time and the weight of the filly taking it’s toll on her strength. The guards looked at each other, then back at the couple, curious yet concerned looks appearing on their faces, “What happened?” “We have no idea...We just found them like this..” “Take ‘em in quickly, the nurse’ll be at reception, she’ll take care of this.” The guards stood back by the doors, opening them to allow the two tiring ponies and their charges into the hospital. The entry hall stank of strong disinfectant, making the ponies’ eyes water slightly as they trotted as quickly as they could without upsetting their passengers towards a small wooden desk at the far end. A white mare stood waiting behind the desk, her light pink mane done up in a tight bun, her small nurse’s hat tilted back slightly. She opened her mouth, as if to ask what was wrong, then, as they drew nearer, and the foals’ injuries became visible, she slammed her hoof onto a green button on her desk, and shouted, “Dr. Stable! Come here quickly! We’ve got a few fillies broken!” A sandy-brown stallion trotted out from a side-door, a white, pristine, jacket buttoned loosely onto his chest, and a stethoscope hanging from his neck. His lime-green eyes looked stressed and tired, yet he perked up slightly once he saw there were ponies aside from the nurse. Mac grunted lightly, attracting the doctor’s attention, “Mr, I don’t mean t’ sound rude or nothin’, but this filly ain’t movin’, she ha’nt made so much as a whisper since we found ‘em.” The doctor frowned, walking over to the filly slung across Mac’s back, raising a hoof to her still neck. He spoke, his voice heavy as he applied his experience, “She’s alive, just. She needs some pretty urgent treatment though. I’m thinking a severe impact to her head, leaving her to unconsciousness...We don’t know just how hard that hit was though, she may wake up with a bit of a headache and some dizziness, or she could fall into some form of coma. There’s no way to tell...” Cheerilee nudged the doctor out of his ponderings, “What about this one? She spoke a little, asking where she was, then she blacked-out. That wing doesn’t look very healthy either, is it broken?” Stable trotted around the dark pink mare, taking in the burden-filly’s injuries, “Looking much more stable than the other one...Hmm...Yes, and she spoke, you say? Well, we can be sure she didn’t get too badly injured then. I think there may be multiple fractures though- that wing is beyond broken, it’ll be out of use for weeks.” He walked to a nearby blue door, opening it and motioning for the ponies to go through, “Get those two in here quickly. That’s right, nice and gently onto the beds there. Alright, it’s up to us now, uh, I’m sorry, I don’t remember taking your names, “I’m Cheerilee and he’s Big Macintosh.” “And you’re their parents, right?” The two ponies looked at each other, caught off-balance by this question, their faces reddening slightly, “N-no, no, we just found these foals injured and crying. There was nopony else around, so we brought them in.” “Alright...Okay, well we’ll deal with that once these two are taken care of. We’ll sign them under your names until we can ask them for their parents’ names, okay?” “Okay..” Cheerilee turned to leave, taking one last glance at the two blanked fillies, “We’ll be back to check on them soon.” The doctor nodded, and the couple left. Leaving the him and the nurse alone, gazing after the retreating ponies, “It’s going to be a long night...”
