//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: Friction 
// Story: Just One Day 
// by CardBearer 
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Ponyville is the sort of town that one would expect to see on a postcard: calm, idyllic and scenic, the village is known to be an ideal spot for a pony to live. While it does not offer most of the installations that a bigger town might possess, the inhabitants of the town all know each other well and treat their neighbors as they would themselves, leading to a trusting, kind climate from which only small-scale conflicts can appear. As a result, Ponyville was one of the most peaceful towns in all of Equestria.

But all that changed when Discord came. With his fearsome power over the force of Chaos, he sent the houses of the peaceful ponies flying into the sky, corrupted their landscape and even their very mind, turning them into a husk of their former self. But we all know the rest of this story, don't we? Twilight Sparkle and her friends managed to shake off the monster's corruption and, with the help of the Elements of Harmony, imprisoned Discord in stone once again. And they all lived happily ever after.

But Discord's chaotic yet short-lived rule had a dire effect on some other ponies. This is the tale of one such pony.

Lion Heart was a simple earth pony, with an orange coat, short, flat black hair and a Cutie Mark representing a stylized head of a roaring beast. Although his family was simple, he had done everything in his power to bring them happiness and pride. He was a fairly strong pony, but he was also, as his name and Cutie Mark would suggest, a fairly courageous pony. He always looked for new ways to challenge himself, to push the limits of his body until their extreme. He enjoyed the adrenaline rush that danger gave him, and had often gotten himself in trouble, but all the ponies that knew him described him as a happy, simple, yet reckless person.

When Discord attacked his hometown, Lion Heart was cutting some trees on the edge of the Everfree Forest – a dangerous place to go, but the stallion believed that whatever attacked him, he could handle. But he certainly had not expected the sky to darken, and for the thunder to strike in the horizon – and under his feet, the ground was soon as soft as marshmallow, and it glittered as if made of glass. Before he could react, it also began to rain, but it was not the clear, refreshing rain that the pegasus ponies brought them – no, it was brown and...strangely sticky. Dumbfounded, the colt stuck out his tongue and tasted it.

"Chocolate milk?" he said out loud. "And the ground..." His pupils widened and his gaze snapped back to Ponyville as a realization hit him. "Oh no...Ponyville's in danger! Well, whoever did that, his face is going to meet my hooves!"

And so, he fearlessly rushed towards the small town, or at least ran as best as he could, considering the ground seemed unwilling to cooperate. It was bouncy and slippery, and Lion Heart could not get a good grasp on it, but trying to do something impossible had never stopped him before. Furthermore, his friends, his family, were potentially in danger – and Lion Heart valued his family above all else, even his own life. As he made his way towards the town, his teeth were gritted and he was filled with the determination to help his kin.

But, as he got closer and closer to the source of all this chaos, he noticed that something strange was happening. Stranger than the marshmallow ground or the chocolate milk rain, that is. No, he began to hear... voices. At first, they were mere whispers, and in his rage to defend his family, Lion Heart had ignored them completely. But as he got closer to Discord himself, the voices got louder and louder. Yet, they spoke not in the monster's voice, but rather in a soft, somewhat feminine tone.

"Lion Heart..." they called out.

The orange stallion stopped dead in his tracks, his ears standing straight up on his head. What was that? He had heard voices in the Everfree Forest before, but he had asked and those were from will-o-the-wisps and other strange spirits that lived within its boundaries. And those were never far off from the Forest, so how could he hear them now?

"Who's there?!" the earth pony yelled. "Are you the one that did this? I better warn you, I have a mean front buck, and it's about to land in your face! When I find it!"

A freezing wind started to blow, and Lion Heart felt the glacial air entering his lungs and forcing him to close his eyes against its sheer force. The young stallion noted that this was no normal wind, as it seemed to actively try to infiltrate his body – and when the voices spoke once more, the wind hurled all the stronger.

"Lion Heart, ah...such a brave, brave pony you are... and yet, poor you, stuck in boring old Ponyville. Nothing ever happens in that little village, now, does it? Hmm, how dreadful it must be, for you to be stuck here, where your only thrills come from wandering off into the Forest..."

The earth pony growled, and gritted his teeth even harder than before. This voice was trying to get him to stop! It was trying to get him away from his family! Well, he would never do that! His family was more important than his own life to him, and he would never let anyone hurt them.

And yet...a small part of his mind knew that the voices were right. Ponyville was quite a boring town...oh, sure, there had been the Nightmare Moon incident not too long ago, but they had sent the librarian to take care of it, even though Lion Heart was really itching for a fight at the time. Oh, and they occasionally had some monsters, like the Parasprite horde, but those events were far and few in between. Overall, he admitted that the village was boring...but his entire family lived there. He couldn't betray them. 

"Ah, yes," the voices sighed after a period of silence. "Your precious little family. Yes...yes, I can see why they're so important to you." Lion Heart tensed further at that, but the voices simply chuckled. "Touchy subject, I see. No matter. Do you really think that they would get hurt in your absence? You are quite young, quite courageous and quite strong, and yet here you are, wasting your life away in this empty town because you feel a duty to your family. Do you really think they'll notice if you're gone for just one day? What's the worst that could happen? One day, just one day, where you can do anything your heart truly desires, little Lion..."

With that, the voices giggled loudly, and the wind blew so hard that Lion Heart was starting to lose his footing. Even though his entire body felt so cold, his mind was set ablaze by the enchanting voices. After all, perhaps they were right. His family...they didn't need him there all the time, right? Just one day couldn't hurt...but he couldn't do that now! They were still in danger...probably! He couldn't leave them alone now.

"Can't...listen..." he muttered, as the voices erupted in laughter. "Have to...go..."

And at this moment, there was a bright flash of multicolored light in the horizon – and the rain stopped, the ground became solid again and, as suddenly as they had come, the voices did not speak any longer.

Just like that, it was all over. And Lion Heart was alone with his thoughts.


*****


After the incident with Discord was over and their rightful heroes were celebrated, life resumed normally in Ponyville. The town had sustained some damage, and the orange stallion gladly contributed to its reconstruction, putting all of his efforts into helping his fellow townsfolk, as well as replanting the trees for his family's business. Soon enough, everyone seemed to forget that the monster had ever appeared there, and they all lived happily once again.

All, except for Lion Heart.

Ever since that fateful encounter with the voices, the young pony had repeated their words in his head over and over again, until it had become a mantra. Just one day, where you can do anything your heart truly desires. Those words had been haunting him, for he knew that they spoke the truth. It was an uncomfortable truth, but it was the truth nonetheless – Lion Heart ached for adventure, for danger, for adrenaline. He wanted to risk his life, he wanted to go adventuring, to go see the world. But he was stuck in this Celestia-forsaken village, cutting down trees all day and occasionally paying a visit to the Everfree Forest when he couldn't take it anymore. Was this the life has was to live?

He felt shackled. Shackled to his duty to his family, shackled to Ponyville. 

But surely his family was more important, right? They needed him, as he needed them. And he...he owed them for what they had done. He couldn't just leave. That would be betraying not only them, but himself as well.

Lion Heart held onto this defense, as a pony holds onto a plank of flimsy wood when about lost at sea, but as time went, that plank became less relevant. After all, it was only for one day, right? What were the odds that they could get actually hurt in just one day? And surely, if they truly loved him, they would understand his need, as a  young, courageous stallion, to explore the world and seek the adventure his heart ached to have? Was it not the role of parents to encourage their children to pursue such things?

Eventually, Lion Heart became so obsessed, so attached of the idea of just one day for himself that he became sick. He could not sleep anymore, and often his throat was too dry to eat. It became so bad that he was sent to see Nurse Redheart but, to his great dismay, even she was unable to help him in this situation. The orange stallion was unable to think correctly during the day, which affected not only his work, but the relationship with his friends as well. He became irritable, angry, and unable to muster up proper motivation.

And one day, the plank which Lion Heart was holding onto crumbled away, and he succumbed.

It was a starry night, the kind that Ponyville often saw, what with its nearly perfect weather. The stallion was unable to sleep, as it had been for ...what, two weeks or so? And as usual when he wasn't able to sleep, he repeated the mantra inside his head, until the words had no meaning anymore. Just one day. Just one day. Just one day.

One day to do what your heart truly desires.

Lion Heart stood up from his bed, his mind yelling at him to stop, but his body obeying of its own accord. Just one day. It wouldn't be so bad. They would be safe. More importantly, he had to follow his heart, or he would die. He knew this. Yes...yes, it would be fine. Adventure awaits. The young stallion took a deep breath as he stepped outside his house and walked calmly into the fresh night. After having taken a couple of steps, he stopped, and turned his head back.

"Mom, dad, I'm sorry," he whispered between his teeth.

And with that, he ran. He galloped like he had never done so before, galloped as if his life depended on it, for he believed that this was the case. He would be gone for one day – no more, no less, as it was all he needed. One day of adventure, one day of wonder, one day of acts of courage and bravery. Just one, and then he would be back to his regular, boring life. 

And so Lion Heart ran towards the Everfree Forest, where his journey for adventure would finally begin. It was there that he hoped to find a solution for the ill that plagued him so.