Chapter 1: The Forest
It was night in the Everfree forest and silver beams of moonlight shone through the treetops lighting the area and casting shadows throughout. Apple Bloom burst through the shrubbery as she ran through the forest, panting while her red bow bobbed as it tried to escape from her mouth. A chorus of growls emerged from behind her and her legs picked up speed catapulting her faster through the woods. Her lungs burned and screamed as she ran, begging her to slow down.
Taking a quick look back, she saw a set of eyes in the darkness. Fear and terror came into her mind, imploring her to find an exit. Spotting a large tree, she made a sharp right turn and barely managed to hold onto the edge of her bow. There was a small thud as something rammed into the tree and let out a very disgruntled growl.
She congratulated herself for that small achievement before diving into a thick bush ahead, scrambling through. She refused to stop for anything, even the thorns. Exiting the bush, she ran to the center of the clearing and stopped. She had never been this far out before; with each movement she felt more and more lost.
As she surveyed her surroundings, checking every inch of them, she could not find any hint of her pursuers. Then the bushes directly behind her faintly rustled and her head whipped around to spot dark shape glide across her field of vision before disappearing. Spitting out her bow, she started to challenge whatever was in there with her.
"C-Come on out now, I can handle ya'll in a fight." Apple Bloom fearfully shouted as she backed up in an attempt to spot whatever was watching her. She froze in place feeling her blood turn cold when she felt her flank make contact with something that was warm and furry. "EEEEEP!!!" She screamed in hysteria as her small legs flew behind her in an attempt to hit the frightening thing behind her.
Her hoof made a loud thump as it made contact and sent the thing to the ground. "Now get away from me ya big bully!" She turned to see what stood behind her and came face to face with two large topaz eyes. "Eeek, don't hurt me!" She pleaded covering her face with her arms while tears streamed down it, hoping what came next wouldn't be too painful.
The pain she expected never came, and she unfurled her arms to spot a green stallion in the shadows with a bag slung over his side and a long mane that was a crisp orange and bark brown atop his head. He kept looking at her calmly; for some reason it felt like he was evaluating her.
Making a decision on whatever he thought, he reached into his bag and pulled out a small bundle of grass bulging in the middle. He made a shrill whistle that snapped her out of it and stared at her for a moment more before he threw the bundle to her and sat down.
"Ya want me to eat… this?" Apple Bloom, poking the small bundle once before it unfurled and revealed a small piece of rainbow colored candy that glittered in the moonlight. She looked at it in surprise. The way it captured the moonlight it looked delicious and begged to be eaten. She fought the urge inside and pushed it away "Mah big sis always told me I shouldn't take candy from strange ponies."
At the word ‘strange’ flames burst in his eyes and he looked at her furiously, causing her to gulp in fear. Not a moment after he let out a saddened sigh before he rushed over and shoved the candy violently into her mouth while she struggled fruitlessly. What was in this, this candy must be, must be…. Apple Bloom let her body hang loose as it hit her tongue and exploded in a shower of bliss. She relaxed as the wonderful treat washed away her worries.
Apple Bloom thought she could catch a smile on his face as she was placed onto the ground. The Stallion started to circle her, eyes lost in thought as he started to think. "Was that zap apple flavored? Do ya know my family?" That had to be the only way he could have gotten the ingredients for the candy in the first place. She hung onto that hope with all her life, if he knew them she was safe.
He silently shook his head in response before picking up her red bow. She let out an indignant squeal as he pushed his head onto her small body forcing her forward. "Ya want me to follow you?" Apple Bloom froze for a moment at the thought of that, this pony could do unspeakable things with her if he got the chance. He congratulated her with a pat on the back before putting a hoof over his mouth urging for silence.
He started to trot off leaving her along in the clearing as she stayed glued to the spot. Would this really be a good idea? He was part of the Everfree and found her while she was being chased. A squeal escaped her as a nearby howl sent her ten feet in the air. “Wait for me.” She scurried off as fast as she could to trot by his side.
Maybe since he was doing all of this he wasn’t such a bad pony. Everypony kept talking about Zecora badly but they had never talked to her. As the pair got further into the woods Apple Bloom couldn't help but edge closer to him as they went further. The sound of the bugs and unseen beasts were not making it any easier. “Mister, how do you live out here?” There was no response from the stallion. He wasn’t very talkative, she trailed a hoof in the dirt. A tiny smile formed, it reminded her of home and her brother.
Small tears started to come back down her face as she faced the thought of having to face those wolves again. There was a sigh from the stallion before he lifted her up and placed her on his large back. He eventually came to a stop in front of a small orchard of trees that had orange fruit and plentiful ready for the harvest. There was a hissing from the branches and small orange lizards emerged with large fluid sacs on their backs, clearly not happy with the intruders. "C-can we go back now? Those things don't seem happy with us bein' here..." Her head disappeared into his brown and orange mane.
Shooing her off the stallion dragged forward over the mushy ground in the area, giving the lizards a death glare that scared them off as he went. "What are ya doing? They're gonna hurt us!" Apple Bloom wrapped around him even tighter, looking up with wide open eyes. He turned his head to look at her straight in the eyes.
With what she could see he looked mildly amused, she really couldn't tell though in the darkness. A wave of his hoof made the lizards back off and go deep inside the trees and went to sleep. While she was left with awe he went to the Oak tree that lay in the middle of the orchard and bucked it hard. This new pony had new many things that she had never seen back home. To Apple Bloom’s surprise, the bark swung open and darkness waited for them to enter.
“Is this where ya live?” He nodded and tapped on the old trunk of the tree before letting them both be covered by the gently darkness. It was black for a good minute before a bluebell on the walls began to glow. More Bluebells light up one by one banishing the lurking darkness from the room. A army of plants and experimental items appeared along with a plethora of plants.
She was left speechless as she looked over the room; the entire area was filled with plant life she had never seen before. Apple Bloom rolled off his back to fondle a tiny little apple tree in the corner. It looked like it was treated with the utmost care and attention to detail. Applejack would have been jealous of the sapling here. A grin crossed her face and she jumped for joy. “Hey, where did ya get the apple tree?” She turned to spot void the only place void of plants, a small station filled with glasses and beakers. An orange and brown tail bobbed underneath it as small items were moved around.
The tail quickly disappeared and up came the stallion she saw earlier, her breath left her body as she saw him clearly for the first time. "Ya got stripes all over your body, mister." He gave her a disappointed stare that spoke Oh really? before depositing the assorted arrangement of flowers he had in his mouth into a mortar and pestle. "Wh-Who are you?"
"I AM," He turned around arms stretched in the air, "BATMA-I mean Forest. How many times have I told you to stop doing that when I'm trying to talk!!!" Reaching under his workspace he grabbed a spherical cactus and deftly threw it across the room impaling it into the wall. She couldn't help but let out a laugh at his flustered face and his introduction. “You’re funny.”
He resorted to panting before he took a deep breath and resorted back to his stoic face. There was a small flash of pink as he mixed powder into what he was doing and began to grind away at the plants. "Why are you in this frightening place, and what foe did you want to outrace?" He asked in a much calmer voice that did its best to calm her.
The entire situation finally hit Apple Bloom and she began to cry again as relief and frustration overtook her. "I was *sniff* just running after my bow and then these big-" She stretched out her small arms to demonstrate, "-wolves came out of nowhere and I was so scared." She shivered in fright, their eyes looked like they would devour her.
He grunted, acknowledging her words, before grabbing a green vial off the shelf with his tail and dumped the powdered flowers into it before whirling it around three times in the air. Small snake like things swam around and made attempts to break themselves free. He gave it a quick sniff and nodded to himself now approaching Apple Bloom.
"Now this may hurt a bit, but please stay quiet and do not split." Apple Bloom had no idea what was going on, but if it was from him it must be for her own good. She stayed absolutely still as he poured what was now a bluish paste out of the vial and onto his hoof. Her nose upturned at the pungent stench that wafted into her snout. It smelled like something had just died.
While she debated what it smelled like he touched her wound and she gave off a tiny scream. Her wound roared in defiance and pain burned through every fiber of her being. She bit his hand and started to flail away. "It burns, STOP IT!!!" Tears came into her eyes as she pleaded, just make the pain stop. In response he pushed a hoof onto her back pinning her to the ground, rendering her completely still.
After the pain finally subsided her legs hit the ground with a thud. Her vision was a swirl of red and bright lights. He released his grip and gave a content sigh before returning to his work station and grabbed different vials off the shelf and dropped them into the medicine bag on his back.
"I am sorry that you were restrained, trust me - there was much to be gained." He consoled her; tying the bow to her mane he opened the door to the Everfree.
She backed up into the wall and curled up still trying to cope with the pain. “I-I’m not following ya out there. Ya’ll are worse than the wolves.” What he had done hurt a lot, and there was no reason.
Forest raised an eyebrow to this and muttered silently before taking out a thick vine from one of the nearby walls. Very slowly he looked between her and the vine before placing in his mouth. Apple Bloom had enough sense to realize what he was planning on using it for. It wasn’t her sister behind the lasso though, and she would be the one sought after. She took a nervous gulp before leaving the house. Now outside, her captor stopped silently asking her which way to go. "I live in Ponyville, the big town nearby."
Thanking her for the advice, he gave her a smirk before walking past the orchard with her and back into the Everfree’s depths making sure she kept close by his side. After a long walk, they finally got back to the clearing where they met earlier. The zebra pawed the ground for a moment before he stared forward intently and quickly shoved Apple Bloom behind him.
Quick to learn his body language, she stayed quiet and peaked out from under his tail. There was nothing out there in the clearing and she looked at him with a pout before kicking him in the knee. Out of the gloom of the forest came three of those horrible Timberwolves she saw earlier sniffing the air for prey. She shivered in fear remembering the stories of their deadliness and wrapped herself around his leg.
As Apple Bloom cowered behind the stallion, the leader of the pack came closer and he adopted an aggressive stance, ready to fight if need be. To the surprise of both, the wolf gave Forest a quick lick before nuzzling him, dragging its wooden skin over his coat. Apple Bloom from her position saw him wince slightly at this and couldn’t help but comment on this curious sight.
“What do ya reckon it's doing?" Apple Bloom said meekly trying not to attract the wolf’s attention. At the sound of her voice, Forest looked at her with eyes that said "you moron". The wolf at this opportunity dashed around him and locked eyes with Apple Bloom and let out a furious growl. She screamed in fright, and collapsed onto the ground trembling.
The wolf enraged now leapt at its prey. His tail whipped across the wolf’s face before wrapping around its throat and attempted to divert its course. In its struggle to escape, one of the wolf’s claws reached out and in the darkness Apple Bloom could barely make it out its course. She let out a horrified scream as the wolf’s claw apparently hit him, leaving a wound.
He hissed in pain and released the wolf and the vine from his grasp before bucking the wolf hard across its face. Apple Bloom had to turn her head to watch as the stupid wolf flew into the forest letting out a whimper as it fell. If she wasn’t so scared she would have cheered in joy, he was beating them. No more noise came from the wolf, it must have run.
A quick furry tap on her shoulder brought her attention back to Forest, who started to whisper under his breath. "On my mark we will run, ok, little one?" She nodded, retreating further into the stallion. Toned muscles and tough skin met her touch. Why had she been like her sister and been so quick to judge?
When the wolves reached leaping range he ripped a blue vial out of his bag and tossed it forward. Hitting the ground, it shattered, leaving the wolves covered in a bright blue liquid. "It's almost time for magic!" Forest winced at the last word and started spouting off small curses that left her mouth open, even her big sister Applejack would be ashamed to say those things.
Apple Bloom stared as the wolves stopped, unable to move any farther due to their claws growing into the ground. Small trees then sprouted from the wolves' backs and crab apples grew that dropped on them repeatedly. Apple Bloom let out a small giggle as she watched their attempts to dodge the falling items. “Look they can’t even move an inch.”
Ready to go, they looked at each other before they ran off, leaving the wolves far behind. She smiled as they ran to the edge of the forest, they were finally about to go home and leave the horrors of this night behind. Now out of the forest, the two viewed the sleeping town of Ponyville.
She had never been so happy to see home before. "Thank ya for the help. mister." She turned ready to give him a thank you hug. What lay before her now was a shivering and sweaty zebra who started to edge backwards in fright. This wasn’t at all like how he was earlier, what happened to his bravery?
“Are you ok?” She wasn’t sure if the wound was real and if he was just going to run off; so she did the only thing she could think of. She sunk her teeth into his tail which momentarily stopped his frantic state and brought his panicked eyes down to look into hers. Spitting it out she yelled. "Ponyville's this way!" She pleaded. "Don't go in there, the wolves will get ya!"
He made a couple more jerks to go back into the forest but there was a limp in his step and Apple Bloom was easily able to block his path. "Won't ya at least bring me all the way home? Pleaseeee?" She brought out her most potent weapon, the begging face. It worked against her brother, it should work on him.
He looked down at her for a moment before wrapping her in a giant hug. She gasped for air as his large hoofs began to squish her "Stop, it's too tight!". Noting her plea he responded, lowering her to the ground before looking away indignantly, a red blush across his face.
"Where do you suppose we could go then, little friend?" He pointed a hoof towards the forest. "In there is the only person on whom I can depend, even if she’s gone." His head then turned to his right to look at the air. "You don't count, you made me throw a cactus and tried to play batman with me!"
Apple Bloom couldn't help but shiver a bit as he shouted that aloud to whatever it was that only he saw. It was weird, but it must have been his imaginary friend. "Ya'll can come over to mah house of course." She gestured a hoof forward for a handshake. "I'm Apple Bloom!" She said introducing herself for the first time.
“Like I said, Forest.” There was an awkward silence as she shifted in place waiting for him to tell him more. In this case there was nothing so she just went on. She’d just have to find out later.
"Ok Forest," She impatiently began running ahead of him in an attempt to lead the way. "Now let's get back home before those wolves come back. By the way, why didn't that wolf attack ya?" He responded by sniffing himself for a moment, then shrugged before following her lead through Ponyville and to her house. “Guess ya don’t know then huh?”
As the pair walked through town, Apple Bloom felt fright build as she noticed Forest was starting to get tipsy. He succeeded in falling into a lamp post and then collapsed on the ground, failing to budge. "Are ya ok? You’re not hurt at all, right?" Apple Bloom stood over him and, worried, began to investigate every part of his body. There was no way he was letting her not help him. He ignored her before kicking the sign post and watched as shimmers moved up it. He shook his head before looking at her with eyes that showed hints of pain.
"I am just fine, the wound just needs time." He barely murmured out of his mouth before he let out a stifled moan and shivers ran through his body. Apple Bloom sat next to him, attempting to lift his body before realizing what he said. The wound… then that must have meant. "Wait, ya really got hit by that wolf?! Show me, NOW!!!"
His head shook furiously, refusing to show her, instead letting her search his body in an attempt to find it. An odd thing caught her attention; his tail was draped across his left flank covering it completely. "I've got ya." She whispered triumphant as she lifted up his tail. Her eyes dilated and she moved her head to the side almost gagging. The red bleeding gashes reminded her of the accident with the scythe and Big Mac. She remembered how he was unable to move for days.
"Never mind home, we gotta get ya to the hospital quick. I'll be back in a jiffy." She began to run off but was stuck in place as her hooves just dug a hole in the ground. "Let me go, we need to get ya to the hospital!" He just wouldn’t let her go, what was his problem? In her attempts to get him off her, she kept noticing him attempting to get into his bag, failing each time due to her tail being in his mouth.
"Is this-" She jumped past him and reached into his bag now he was just being stubborn. Huffing and puffing she pulled out the green vial she saw earlier in his house. "-what ya'll are looking for?" She angrily shouted at him.
Nodding, he spat out her tail before speaking. "Let it flow over the wound, it needs to be bound." It needed to be bound; oh she remembered how painful this stuff felt. Even now her flank still ached from the pain. She stared at the object for a moment before speaking her mind.
"Ya want me to pour this all over that wound of yours, are ya' out of your mind? The pain will make ya pass out." She was upset enough that he was taking her so lightly; now she was fighting the urge to just leave him there and go get help.
"DO IT, NOW!!!" Venom seeped out of his voice and Apple Bloom just stood there, the most frightened she had been the entire night. With the look on his face it seemed like he was going to slap her silly. In her shocked state, his tailed lurched forward and easily ripped the vial from her and before pouring its contents all over his flank.
The vial dropped out of his tail and cracked as it hit the ground as the salve sizzled for a moment. Moans of pains soon emanated from him as foam started to gather at his mouth. "I-I can't stand this any longer, I'm going." Forests eyes lit up for a moment before he tackled Apple Bloom to the ground and stood over her, mouth foaming as he snarled defensively. She let out a small eep and trembled under his large weight.
The fervor from his eyes soon faded and he let go of a shaking Apple Bloom before brushing the foam off his mouth. He made sure to grab onto the vial before standing in front of her again waiting to be commanded to go on. “I am sorry for what I have done.” It took a while but she was finally able to stop shivering and speak again, voicing her concerns.
"If ya really want to be like that fine, just never push me down again." She pouted before moving to his side and acted as a stand for him to lean on. "At least tell me though when you're like that, and thanks. For earlier, I didn't know you were treating my wounds back then. Now come on, ya don't look like you're gonna last much longer." He nodded acknowledging her words and mumbled a tiny thank you.
They went off to the farm, only stopping to let Forest drink from the nearby stream and eat some grass. Finishing his last bite he gave her a weak smile and Apple Bloom couldn't help but smile too, she felt that everything would be ok. Home was coming up and they could get a good night’s sleep. Passing through the all too familiar archway to Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom grinned from ear to ear. There were even lights on in the lower windows.
"They're in the house, c'mon!" Heavy relief oozed from her words before she ran off her heart pounding in her chest as she was about to show her family her new friend and get him to a bed. A shape emerged from the distance and she spotted her faithful dog Winona barking as she came running out to greet her.
Forest appeared in front of her in a flash and stood between the two blocking their access to one another. Apple Bloom could barely make out Winona's face before she started to scowl and she started barking at him furiously. "Winona, what's wrong?” She turned to her savior flustered and ashamed. I'm sorry she's never done this before Forest."
Her face fell as she realized her words fell on deaf ears as Forest started to growl looking very much like he did earlier, when she was pinned down. This time, though, he looked downright murderous. Breaking his growl, he lunged deftly toward the dog and watched as it ran away, whimpering into the night.
In a ragged and tired voice, Forest spoke, shoulders drooping as his body loosened. "Now that the wolf has left in fright, come let us turn in for the night." Apple Bloom guessed this could be forgiven just this once, it had been a long night and he saved her. One last time she came to his side and supported him while they headed up the dirt path leading to the house.
As the white gate opened, lights turned on in the upper levels and the sound of hoof steps came flowing out of the windows. The front door slammed open to reveal her brother Big Mac with a pan in his teeth and anger in his eyes. His mouth opened slightly allowing it to fall to the ground and his eyes softened to one of love and relief.
"BROTHER!" Apple Bloom yelled happily as she ran forward nuzzling her most favorite brother in the world. He gently returned her nuzzle, but stopped and stiffened as his eyes met with the injured zebra outside.
"Don't hurt him; he rescued me from the forest and from the wolves. He ain’t like her." Apple Bloom pleaded causing her brother to raise an inquisitive eyebrow at the new entry. She couldn't help but feel nervous at the thought that he would hit Forest because he wouldn’t believe her. “Please, he’s hurt and needs help.”
"That is correct indeed, I…" his eyes rolled into his head before he collapsed and hit the dirt ground, unconscious.
"FOREST!!!" Apple Bloom screamed in fear before she ran to his side and started to attempt to bring him inside the house. She could tell he was still breathing but didn’t know for how long. "BIG BROTHER HELP!!!" All the while she kept pulling on his legs unable to get him to move even an inch.
Her attempts were stopped by Big Mac, who effortlessly propped him onto his back and carried him inside. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. He can use my room." Apple Bloom gave him a hug and led the way upstairs. With a bit of effort, they managed to wrap his wound and get him into bed. "Night Forest," Apple Bloom said softly, before sitting by the edge of the bed. She remained there for the rest of the night, vigilant for any sign that his condition had worsened.
Author's Note
After approximately six months of writing and throwing away the first twenty chapter drafts I have finally felt like this is ready to be released. I want to thank Mechafone for being a wonderful editor and inspiring me to keep writing. I'm sorry if this and the next couple chapters are a bit slow. It really starts to take of later.
Chapter 2: Meeting The Apple Family
It was a beautiful day on Sweet Apple Acres, the birds were chirping and the sun was shining brilliantly as it streamed through the window shining down on the sleeping zebra’s face. He yawned, wondering exactly how long he had been sleeping if the sun was this strong. Getting off the bed a sharp hiss left his throat when his hoof hit the ground. Every step after that was accompanied by short pained breaths and the occasional cough.
Putting his full willpower forward he slowly inched to the window and stared out at the apple orchards far off in the distance. A lofty look entered his eyes as he took in the entire apple orchard and pushed a hoof up against the glass. So it hadn’t been a dream,, he was really out of the Everfree after all. Once again. A cold sweat started to form across his brow as his short breaths just became even sharper. The shivering in his legs made the otherwise easy position take up lots of energy.
As he started to stumble backwards images of last night replayed in his head and gave a punch to his heart, sending it racing along. It beat in his heart and echoed in his ears. Forest whimpered and tripped over a small apple and fell back onto the bed. The soft mattress and covers enveloped Forest and the small tears his face began had begun to shed. His breath slowly came still at the rooms pleasant furnishings that gave no real thought the ponies here were bad. Small curses about the Timberwolves left his mouth, cursing them for bringing him all the way out here.
It wasn’t much but the shivering in his body stopped and a small smile spread across his face when he heard a tiny gentle snore close by. Of course he would recognize that voice, that sweet adorable voice.Letting his neck muscles loosen his head hit the covers to spot a tired Apple Bloom whose tiny little head lay against the bed. With every breath stray strands of red hair were blown away from her mouth to hover in the air. Slowly he brought his hoof to her mane and brushed the stray strands back into place.
“Thank you… for everything.” It was barely more than a whisper but it was one of the most sincere things he had ever said to any-pony. Which considering how many he encountered wasn’t a whole lot. All the tension and pain from his hunched shoulders flowed away with every little errant kick of her hoof and mumble from her sleep. Foals were a wondrous thing weren’t they?
Leaning down Forest bit into the nape of her neck and gently pulled upwards, the little filly felt as light as air. He knew that wasn’t possible, but the answer was probably written across his face. Whatever the true answer was had to be connected to the soft fuzzy feeling in his chest. It was something he could get used to though. The tip of his snout nuzzled her cheek as a signal of ‘good night’ before he pulled the covers over her. Apple Bloom’s murmured in her sleep before dainty hooves wrapped around the blanket keeping it in place over her small body.
Having taken care of his…’friend’, Forest began to limp towards a chair grimacing as pain shot up his muscles and into his brain. The once proud zebra that could make his way through the Everfree with no problems collapsed onto a nearby chair and let his back drape over it. Gears behind his head slowly turned, accompanying the small moan as they constantly cracked. If he didn’t get rid of this headache it was going to kill him before the ponies in town did.
All he could remember from the previous day was racing out of the Everfree with Apple Bloom and then… Another whimper left him and his hooves wrapped around his back leg. It stayed close to his chest until the pain faded back into a dull throb. A TimbreWolf did this; one of the denizens of the Everfree had actually attacked him. Another round of tears left him, the Everfree had been his home and now it had betrayed him like everything else in his life.
Tears ran down his face and onto his coat while shudders ran through him. He grasped onto the chair and cuddled it close, the wood being the only comfort in this sadistic world. So this is why chairs were considered useful. His hoof ran over it. He would have to make one when he got the chance. His chest extended as air entered his body and he closed his eyes letting out a faint hum. The blood in his body slowed to a standstill while he meditated on the plants and everything else that accepted him. What pain in his leg began to fade as the remnants of the salve inside him dug deeper, entrenching themselves on top of the wounded area.
A tiny imperceptible smile crossed his face. No matter what Sebastian had said all those years ago this just proved why that salve was useful. Opening an eye halfway Forest took in the wallpaper and the picture of Apple Bloom and her family. The smirk grew to a grin at the remnants that resembled safety and comfort entered his view. Finally his body loosened and a large breath of air left his body. This was a comfort zone.
Considering the amount of blood loss and pain he had yesterday, how bad was the damage? Fear tinkled into his being as he slowly leaned off the chair, eyes cast to the photo of Apple Bloom’s family with longing in his gaze. Careful not to upset his injured flank his hooves made nary a sound as he hit the ground and took in three long breaths. Well… it was now or never. The back of his throat dried up and his mind came to a standstill as he discovered what happened. White bandages wrapped around his flank and gashes entered his sight. His jaw dropped open showing off his tongue and white teeth. He drooled fantasizing about pure nothing before he flinched from the little wolf that began banging on the side of his brain. What had he been doing again??? A silence filled the room before he remembered the plan for today.
A tiny moan of pain left Forest’s mouth with a deep undertone of sorrow of what was to come. There was a flash of white before his teeth dug into the bandages on his left leg, the muscles in his neck tightened and he growled before pulling on them. They were tight, refused to budge and clung to him like a tick on a pony. It must have taken them a while to do. Looking behind them, his red haired savior entered his view. He then shook his head from side to side causing his orange and brown mane to bounce.
It was time to just get up and leave to go back home… Forest’s gaze wandered over to the window and the Everfree he knew lie far beyond. He sniffled once before shambling away as slowly as he could. He didn’t have to leave little Apple Bloom’s room. A small toy train decided to ambush his leg creating a lovely scene where he crashed face first into the floor. Silently he cursed every living pony on this planet, especially that damn Celestia and growled again. All he could feel was pain destroying his mind, his body and every other fiber of his being. He was the injury and stopped being a pony long ago. His only job was to feel pain and to suffer.
The pain switched between raking it’s nails through his body and gently poking at it. It played a wonderful crescendo of whimpers from the stallion who was no more than its instrument. Forest bit his lip and ever so slowly pulled himself out of the room with his front hooves, dragging his entire body against the ground. Dirt clung to his coat before his teeth finally pierced the flesh of his lips from the newest batch of music and blood tickled at his lips, giving him a strong taste of iron. A maniacal look entered his eyes as he chuckled uncontrollably. Whether from the pain or imagining it gone he didn’t know. His hooves slammed against the ground providing a pillar of safety for as long as he made it live. Grunts left him, accompanying the shivers of his spine before he stood up.
Uncontrollable murmurs leaked out of his throat while his eyes scanned the area. A sink entered his view and he grinned before scrambled for it as best as he could; another checkpoint for control had been delivered to him. A precious mirror and sink gave his trembling hooves and shaky brain the inklings of hope even as the headache got worse. His hoof weakly turned the handle and let the magical substance flow. He splashed it around giggling to himself before shoving his face in.
The beating of his heart and his brain bled away into the freezing cold water. Slowly parts of his body woke up completely and his legs moved to a normal position. This had always been his favorite ritual, it woke him up and made most of his injuries seem inconsequential.
A small humming sound akin to a bird echoed into the room while he bounced in front of the mirror. Forest’s head craned left as he checked for injuries or anything else that could be wrong. What could only be described as a happy buzzing crescendo left him at the answer being no. Pulling the plug, the water in the sink started to drain and soon enough his ears picked up on nearby knocking. His mouth opened wide to let out a tired yawn and he smacked his lips before looking in the mirror. A red eyed version of him was knocking from the other side of his reflection.Turning his head disapprovingly, he spat into the sink before turning to leave.
“Oh come on is that really any way to treat little old me?” The copy of him leaped out of the mirror before appearing in front of him blocking his way out. “Are you still mad about last night? I couldn’t help it, we hadn’t had a visitor in ages.” This copy of him couldn’t help but giggle and began to dance in place, mocking the pony in front of him.
“You think that gave you the excuse to play with me like a puppet?” Forest grumbled impatiently and slapped him across the face hard. “Can we talk about this later? I am really not in the mood.” Spotting a large cup a smirk crossed his face at what it could be used for.
“You’re no fun right now, here take this,” The copy took a shiny metal sword out of his mane and offered it up to Forest on one knee with a serious look that would’ve fit the mayor. “You can use this against the ‘eeeevil’ slavers who have kidnapped you,” he said with a delighted, mocking grin. Forest’s entire body convulsed while sweat began to make itself known. He impaled the blade in the floor and approached his copy. “Now, now let’s just talk about thiiiiiiiiiiiiis!” Whatever it was couldn’t respond as Forest picked it up by its torso and threw it into the mirror. The mirrors surface let out small ripples while the shape faded growing ever smaller as time went on.
Forest kicked the sword with one good hoof and gave a small hmpf as he left the room. “Now don’t bother me for a while. Knowing you, you would end up giving them all sombreros.” Forest scolded before leaving to investigate the rest of the house. This early in the morning and he already had to deal with this...
Forest made his way carefully down the stairs before his hoof fell and the zebra slid down them forcing his head to be a drum as each step slammed into it. Hitting the ground he moaned and moved slightly before spitting one of the longest curses he had. Now free of his rage, he noticed a brown hat in the next room that lay by itself on a table. His eyes sparkled and heart lept at the thought of it being Apple Bloom’s sister. Struggling to his feet for the umpteenth time today he moved into what he could only guess was the kitchen, from the stove and ingredients scattered about.
Forest’s entire body froze and his eyes widened entranced as they locked onto the pony nearby. The hat’s owner was slumped over with her muddy hooves and head on the table. His eyes and head slowly wandered over her her beautiful orange fur, yellow ponytail and sleeping freckled face.
Deep inside he had to admit she was very pretty, in an athletic sort of way, which led a faint blush to spread across his face. Slowly he poked at her a soft coat stopping as he felt warmth. His breath became short and frightened, she was definitely real then. In front of him the mare jolted awake and turned to face him, locking onto him with her light green eyes. This was all real then, she didn’t have red eyes.
Hoof by hoof he backed away begin the telltale signs of hyperventilation and felt an invisible presence push him letting him fall against the ground. Her dirty hooves left to the table and slammed into his pushing them to the ground. There was an initial struggle of fur and hooves before he sighed and stopped moving entirely. “WHAT ARE YA’ DOING HERE YA’ NO GOOD THIEF, YA EVIL ENCHANTER?!” He winced at the clatter of noise the red faced furious mare was making.
“If you must know a foal was left to roam,” His voice shaking voice as he tried to calm down the infuriated mare. “I brought her here, and awoke inside this home.” Her face slowly changed into that where her eyes stayed wide open along with her mouth. Maybe she’s an invader trying to steal stuff from this house. His hooves clenched the ground and began to pull away. He was going to be absolutely screwed then. Reaching for the back of his mouth Forest’s pink tongue began to latch onto his emergency item.
Both of the ponies let out a small eep and their hearts jumped out of their chest at a stomp which grabbed both of their attentions to two figures in the doorway. The smaller one was using some sort of walker while the other was huge and towered over them like a pillar. Forest squinted his eyes, he could barely remember, but that might have been the one from last night.
“Applejack that is no way ta’ treat a guest.” The older mare scolded Applejack on her behavior. Taking another look at Applejack he smiled slightly. So the pony lying on top of him wasn’t an intruder after all then, she was her sister.
“But Grannie he was...” Applejack fumed at Granny Smith with her teeth open to spot in the day. Was it really that bad for her to let him go, is this what they do to ponies? Take care of them and then mess with them, were they going to tie him up in a cage? Forest began to squirm in place ignoring the rocks that dug into his coat..
“No buts about it child, get off him NOW!!!!” Her bellowing voice gave way to him squirming even more, they shouldn’t be messed with ever..
“Fine, Granny.” Applejack rolled her eyes and released his hooves, giving Forest the space he wanted so much. His chest expanded with every deep breath he took. Mid-way he coughed violently bending over with his hoof against his chest.
Fighting against his body’s constant screams he stood and bowed his head towards Granny Smith politely. “Thank you for releasing her hold,” He said catching his breath once again and took a quick glance at his captor while he backed up, making sure he was out of reach. “Who are you and what tale last night did unfold?”
“Ah’m Granny Smith, the big one is my grandson Big McIntosh and you’ve already met Applejack.” She motioned her head toward the pony that was pinning him down earlier. She attempted to continue on but was interrupted by yelling from upstairs.
“HE’S GONE!!!” His ears lay against his head at the worried and nervous scream that greeted them. Apple Bloom’s shouts in the morning sure did hurt. A yellow blur ran down the stairs at full speed and stopped in front of Big Mac. “I woke up he wasn’t there, he must of ran off quick we gotta-.” Applejack let a loud an excited and joyous ‘yeehaw’ and ran over to Apple Bloom.
Forest zipped his mouth shut forcing the moan to rattle around in his brain as the headache got even worse. The expression on his face softened once he saw them embrace each other in a hug, and nuzzle each other fondly. They definitely had to be family, which would explain why she was so stressed. It reminded him of when his mom used to look for him when he was lost.
“Oh little sis, ya have no idea how worried about ya I was.” The confused and angry expression was replaced by a honest grin as she held a struggling Apple Bloom close to her chest in a hug. Forest felt the jovial mood hit and trotted over to the two and to give Apple Bloom a quick tap on the shoulder. On her own she turned to spot him and in what could only be described as adorable as her face lit up.
“FOREST!” She leapt out of her sister's arms and tackled him. “You’re alright.” She happily embraced him in as large of a hug as her small filly body will allow her. Forest happily accepted this returning the hug while an eye wandered warily looking upstairs in case the interruption came by again.
“What in tarnation is goin’ on here?” Applejack raised an eyebrow at Apple Bloom hugging a zebra she’d never seen before and that was uninvited in their house.
“Don’t be mean to him.” Apple Bloom looked up from his chest and gave Applejack the puppy dog treatment. “He saved me from the scary wolves in the forest.” Forest nodded in agreement to this and was soon greeted by Applejack who started to apologizing furiously as a red blush slowly came across her face, embellishing it.
“Why do you do that there is no need to plead?” Forest waved a hoof and rhymed while he tried to understand Applejacks reaction. She was only protecting her family; he was more surprised she just didn’t kill him. “A threat was there and you rose to close that need.” He finished and rubbed her soft mane comfortingly grinning all the while.
“Thanks, now stop that would ya’?” Applejack grasped onto his hoof shoving it away before firing questions off rapidly. “So what in tarnation did happen last night? I have a right to know.” She stared at Forest, refusing to back down. Pure joy came into him for the first time in a long while. He had a feeling he was going to like here. Moving so he was comfortable against a wall he told the Apple Family of how he found Apple Bloom and rescued her from the forest and bringing her here. Halfway through the little ball of fluff sat on his lap.
“Well now.” Granny slowly murmured to herself curiously before nodding a couple times “That was quite an adventure ya’ had there young’un, ya’ remind me of myself when I was your age. MacIntosh could ya’ get us some apples for our friend here?”
“Eeyup.” He said astutely before running off to retrieve the apples. Forest spotted some tears in Applejacks eyes and the scared hunch in her shoulders. Leaning over to her he rubbed them off affectionately. She seemed a bit taken aback by this, but he didn’t care and just kept going refusing to let her cry anymore.
“Hey stop that.” Applejack blushed before she moved his hoof away. “Look MacIntosh is back with the apples.” She redirected his attention and looked away from Forest to concentrate on the portrait hanging above their heads. Big Mac headed to where they sat and dropped a big basket of apples in front of them. “Here are our apples picked fresh from tha’ farm.” Applejack boasted proudly with her back straight now that she was in her element.
Forest squinted at the things from every direction before picking one up and turning it in his hoof, poking at it a bit. Shaking his head he threw it behind him before diving into the barrel not seeing what he was expected. “Is there something wrong?” Applejack winced as some of their precious fruit hit the wall as he dug deeper.
With a failed search and a frown on his face his head popped out of the barrel to stare at them disgusted. “What is wrong with all of these, do they have some disease.” He shot a venomous look at all of them at what they’d done. The Apple Family gasped in horror at this insult and Applejack visible shook with rage.
Am apple popped out of nowhere to hit him right in the face leaving a faint bruise. Forest spasmed for a second before hitting the ground and watch as it bounced off the wall and landed in Applejacks hoof. “Even if ya’ saved my sister you do not insult the farm, these apple are perfectly dandy.” She took a large bite out of the one she had in her hoof.
Forest indignantly rubbed his mane while an eye stared at Applejack’s shenanigans and her blatant disregard for the tree these came from. “On these apples there are no rainbows, without that they do not glow. What did you do?” He sniffed the apple again not receiving a similar scent to the one he was used too, flames burst in the back of his eyes and adrenaline flooded through his brain.
Granny Smith looked at the both of them with half lidded eyes and whacked Applejack on the head. “Are ya talking about zap apples in tha’ Everfree?” A large amount of intelligence shone behind those dreary eyes, far more than he expected. He nodded once and hid behind Apple Bloom shivering again. They knew, the bad part was coming. “Have ya’ always lived in tha’ Everfree Forest?”
“Yes I have lived in the forest zone, as long as I have known.” Applejack and Big Mac both took a step away from him with horrified expressions on their faces. There’s no reason they should be scared, the area isn’t even that bad in the first place. You just have to know the safe zones in it.
“That is no place for any-pony, which must have been how you got those stripes of yours.”
Applejack paused before continuing and shoved an apple into Forests mouth stopping him before he can interject refuting her guess. “And Ya’ll aren’t gonna’ start up again with that unbearable rhyme talk ya’ got going on.”
The moment the apple touched his tongue he began to drool and the hunger he never knew he even had begun to act up. His teeth bit into it taking out a large chunk that felt like it just melted on his tongue. Forest began to shove apples into his mouth eating them in two or three bites. “Can he work here at the farm?” Apple Bloom looked at Granny while holding onto Forest.
“Ah don’t see why not, we could always use an extra farmhand around here.” There was no reason he couldn’t stay with them. Looking at the almost empty basket she chuckled, he had a big appetite alright. “He’s already one of us in my opinion, slow down there young’un we still got dinner to take care of.” She said interrupting his feast.
“Ya’ work in the morning Forest.” Applejack pat his shoulder welcomingly. “Welcome to the Apple Family. Just don’t try any of yer magic-y stuff.” Forest looked up at her, smiling even as wave after wave of tear flooded down his face. All of these ponies had been so kind to him and just kept lighting the joy and fuzzy feelings in his heart. “Ya’ should go upstairs to rest, Apple Bloom will show ya’ to your temporary room while ya’ recover.”
“Come on, come on, lets get going already.” Apple Bloom pulled weakly on his head and rushed to the top of the stairs bouncing around in circles. She was always so full of energy wasn’t she? Unlike him, for a while. He followed behind, taking his time while his eyes kept locked on to Apple Bloom.
On their way to the room Apple Bloom started to spout of words like a machine gun, never leaving even a second between each one.. “Ya’ll are gonna love it here, ever ponies so nice. Even better ya’ don’t have a cutie mark like me!” They stopped so she could open the door to a nice guest room with his belongings already in it.
“This is th’ guest room, we always have injured ponies or relatives stay here.” She boasted with her back straight and a grin. “Ya like it? Big sis prepared it last time in case we had some pony over.”
“That sister of yours seem kind, even if at times she does not act refined.” He gave a large yawn before motioning to the bed. His shoulders drooped and he moved towards it. A lazy eye looked at Apple Bloom hoping she would understand what he was trying to get at.
“Oh, ah’m, sorry I’ll leave ya alone to get some rest.” She left the room with her shoulders hunched and a dark look on her face. Stopping for just a moment she spoke from the hallway. “Suppertimes at sundown, make sure ya join us, ya’ll need some food to get better.” She slammed the door behind her and Forest just stood there listening as taking tiny bits of pleasure at the tiny hoof steps of sweet Apple Bloom.
With more energy than a pony about to go to bed should have he flew into his bag and started placing small brown balls and spread assortments of plants among the table. Biting part of his lip he made brief figures in the air and started separating the plants into piles before a presence made itself known.
“Yes!!! You’re making the happy juice again can I help!?” At the sounds of his copy his left eye twitched and a sigh left his mouth. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted his copy from earlier sit beside him chewing bubble gum. Forest’s tail pointed at the copy once before making a downward motion three times. “I’m on it, away I goooo!” It zipped out of the room letting the door silently shut behind it.
Shaking his head to a silent melody, Forest began whittling the time and some of the smaller plants away as he waited for his copy's response. He felt it was a lucky break that he never needed fire for this . “I’m back and I got the numbers.” The copy appeared out of nowhere next to him giggling and chuckling. “Applejack’s got a bigger flank than I thought.” Forest stopped what he was doing and slapped him once in the face then bucked him in the chest hard, sending his mirror image to the floor. The image’s head popped out of a nearby basket with a little grin. “Ouch no need to be so protective.” The copy made a stoic face and spoke like a robot. “B32, 66 pounds, yellow cubed and pink tangerine.”
“I sometimes cannot believe how much you like to fool around at times. Be thankful I can actually understand all of your gibberish.” He placed a strand of hair in his mouth and slowly chewed while re-running the calculations. It looked like he’d need to make a two-part one then, at least with the numbers he was given he should have more than enough.
The rest of his time working until the sun was on the horizon. The smell of fresh soup rose up from the floorboards, and he could see the family outside. “Home…” A single word that held so much wonder and longing his body could barely contain it’s joy. Turning back to his work he took a small green bud from the table, then placed it in the back of his mouth before a tiny vial full of a purple liquid was placed into his mane. Moving downstairs he left with a dark look on his face, it was time to get to work...
The dinner table was set with all of the ponies gathered round the steaming piles of soup laid out in front of them. They all started to talk as they began to eat with Apple Bloom going straight for Forest. “What have ya tried yet to get your cutie mark, huh? Ya must have done lots of things out in th’ woods, riiight?” Apple Bloom rested her hooves on the table and looked at him, expecting stories and tales.
“You really want to know? Well I…” He started to go into great deal about all of the wonders the forest had to offer and its dangers. As he went further and further his body loosened and he made large gestures to demonstrate his actions and feelings. He had a never ending story on the plant life and fauna that lived there.
“Hey ya’ll’s voice stopped going in that rhyme speak of yours.” Apple Bloom smirked from across the table giving off a small burp as she finished off the rest of her soup. Forest looked at Apple Bloom and gave a happy chuckle before continuing his meal. If he was really stopping that then it was all working out.
Finishing his soup Forest started to position the bud inside his mouth preparing to pop it at just the right time. “Well I don’t know about ya’ll but I’m might tired, Ah’m going to head off to bed, come on let’s clean up these dishes.” Applejack picked up a sponge in hoof and began piling up the dishes on her backside.
“PeekaBOO,” came a hot breath in Forest’s ear. Forest gave out a very unmanly squeal and jumped three feet into the air. Unbidden his teeth bit down crushing it into a fine golden power that blew into the air unnoticeable by all. Hitting the ground he stomped a hoof against the ground. The sound of his copy’s voice, heard by only him, rattled into nothingness as he got a hold of himself. This pony always liked to mess with him at the worst possible times.
“Somethin’ spook ya’ hun?” Applejack looked behind him before shaking her head. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, nothings gonna’ hurt you here. And if there is ya can always talk to us.” She pat him on the back only adding a weight to the guilt from what was about to happen.
“I’m sorry Apple Bloom.” He whispered under his breath and put out his hooves next to Applejack..
“What was that hun I didn’t heaaar ya’.” With her sentence completed she collapsed on the ground asleep along with the rest of her family members. Forest meticulously went over each one completely and applied bits of medicine to the bruises they received.
“HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO THAT WHEN I’M IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING?!” Forest screamed at his copy, letting his voice tear through the air and punch the thing. It looked at him for a moment before drawing the number 84 in the air. “Bad Sebastian, you do not get to stay like that any longer, now help me bring them to bed.”
Sebastian merely stuck out his tongue playfully before running out and slamming the door behind him. Forest let out a small groan just frustrated before surveying the sleeping ponies and the kitchen. He shook his head, this was not going to be fun at all.
Night had fallen and door to the house swung letting Forest come out with his medicine bag slung back. For ten minutes stood there sweating and panting heavily against the front door. Eventually he spotted a dark shape lying nearby and began to kick it furiously grunting each time. “Do you know how long it took to bring Big Mac upstairs?”
“Probably not as long as the knee kicking you’re giving me. Stop it though; I’m not going to be able to go adventuring anymore if you do this.” The shape whined and moaned before it stretched into the moonlight illuminating its figure. Standing there was a navy blue colt with long auburn colored hair with pink highlights and a cockroach cutie mark on his flank.
“Sometimes I wonder why you even look like you do. Your crimson red eyes don’t even go with the rest of your color scheme.” Forest paused for a moment before throwing a batch of dirt at him. Sebastian’s body phased out to allow the dirt to pass through him entirely.
“You’re imagination and the power of magic oooooo.” He said the last part dramatically as he waved his hoofs through the air. Forest could feel his brain begging to punch him but what could he do? Forest slowly walked past him while Sebastian stuck out his tongue and crossed his hooves over each other indignant. “Fine I’m done, lets go.”
He stretched bathing in the moonlight as the energy he always felt on nights such as these overtook him. It was the small things like this that made him feel alive. Looking back on the house Forest mentally went over each ingredient and their strength. It should have been the correct formula for the combo; they should all stay asleep till morning.
Forest stretched out his left flank, gently cooing at the feeling of warm skin and no pain. It all finally worked. Jumping up and down he began to skip out of the farm with one hoof after another. The numbing effects of the juice were definitely helping in all this.
As he skipped, the fresh spring air filled his lungs and he slowly stopped as the bridge to the town stood in front of him. Twinges of fear crossed his face and he continuously wandered back and forth on the stream side taking brief looks at town.
“BUSH!!!” Sebastian shouted excitedly pointing to a nearby bush that was only slightly bigger than Forest. “Can we play hide and seek now?” Sebastian asked his face gleefull and his hair starting to stand up on end. Forest gave a shrug and shooed him away. Sebastian gave a squeal before running off to hide.
“Thank Celestia.” He moved to the bush evaluating the bush and it’s inner structures. “This is just purrrrfect. I’m glad to see you, little one.” He purred and nuzzled the branch before taking a bite out of it and bowed. “Thank you for your help.” More and more of the bush disappeared to fit the vision he was imagining.
Author's Note
Thanks again to Mechafone for editing this story, he's been a huge help making sure it all makes proper sense.
