East of the Everfree there lay a land of endless rolling hills that only a few ponies called home.
Presently in a small cottage, a little ways away from the from the forest, a white unicorn by the name of Flower screamed at the top of her lungs as her husband, Sterling Stonesong clasped her hoof tightly.
The mare's bloated midsection swelled and rippled as the filly she had been carrying was pushed from her body and the squealing bundle was carried by her father so Flower could see her. A tiny white unicorn with the amber eyes of her father snuggled close to her mother, whimpering slightly as it shivered at the new outside world.
Sterling looked deeply into Flower's eyes, love overflowing his heart, "So what do you want to name her?" ,he asked as he nuzzled his young daughter as he waited for a response.
"I believe that this is Sally, Sally morningfly." Flower finally responded as the newborn gently touched her chin with a tiny hoof.
Sterling nodded his approval and they laid down in the bed, filly in the middle, and drifted into a happy sleep.
Four moons passed and soon little Sally was bouncing around in the meadow. chasing butterflies and sneezing as she came in contact with certain flowers.
her mother watched from a distance while Sterling plowed the small garden that they harvested each season.
Flower glanced up and called out Sally's name, bringing the small unicorn stumbling back on her newborn legs. She ran headlong into her mothers arms,"yes mama?"
the filly looked up at her mother with her huge orange eyes.
Flower frowned solemnly as she explained her reasons for calling Sally, "Do you see those woods?" the filly nodded as Flower pointed to the Everfree,"You must never go there, dangerous creatures live under its shade" Then, seeing her daughter frown at the subject, Flower placed a hoof on her shoulder and guided her inside as she saw the setting sun. Flower tucked Sally into bed and kissed her gently,"Goodnight, me little one."
"wait." Sally spoke up as Flower turned to leave,"Could you sing a song for me?"
Flower saw worry in the filly's eyes and thought that maybe she had been a little small for the talk of the Everfree. She smiled and sat beside the bed, slowly brushing the small unicorn's hair with her hoof. She thought for a minute and then took a breath as she began her lullaby.
Come now my sweet one
do not be afraid
here in me arms you are warm and you're safe
Listen my small one
no troubles you keep
now here in bed
I put you to
Sleep
The melody ended and Flower continued to stroke her filly's mane. She kissed the sleeping pony on the forehead and quietly trotted out of the room.
Flower padded over to Sterling, who was throwing more wood onto the fire. "What are we going to do with her Sterling. If she stays here her whole life, she will never have any friends. She'll never live a full life."
Sterling sighed,"I don't think we need to be worrying about that yet. After all, she is only four moons old. We can cross that bridge when the time comes." he turned back to the warm fire and smiled to himself,"For now, lets just enjoy life, and the pleasure Sally brings to it."
The next day Sally awoke to a golden light shining through the windows, she rolled over and peered at the sun rising from the trees of the Everfree. She giggled as its warm rays warmed her fur and leaped out of bed to go and find her parents. She opened the door to her parents room and bounded inside.
Then she stopped, her parent's bed was empty.
At first the little filly thought that her mother and father were just playing hide and seek. But got more and more discouraged as she worriedly searched the house. She checked everywhere, peeking under chairs and tables. She found nothing. Not even the hearth, which she was sure was used by her father the night before, showed even the slightest sign of being used. The filly got more and more worried as she checked and rechecked all the rooms.
The game was no longer even remotely related to fun, Sally cried out her mothers name, hoping to be heard.
She cried for what seemed like a long time before noticing a kind of light flickering outside the front door. She got up and wiped the tears from her eyes, slowly edging towards the door, the light behind it glowing brighter.
There was a kind of soft chanting behind it and Sally took a breath as she reached for the doorknob with her hoof, hesitant to find what it was. She finally drew up enough courage and threw the door open. But oddly, nothing was there. Then she noticed that the meadow beyond the front door was not her meadow. the grass was dead and black. The sky, normally a bright blue, shone red and cast a brownish light upon everything under it.
Sally slowly turned to see the dark forest in the distance, the shadows under it's branches seeming to want to leave their tree filled prison and race among the dead fields. Then the little filly cried out as a dark shape rose up out of the tops of the trees, it swirled and danced like a great swarm of birds wreathed in darkness.
Sally turned back to the front door to have is slammed in her face. She bucked at it with her back hooves to try and break it down but the door was sealed. Sally screamed as the shadow flew towards her and she got a glimpse of fangs and many, many insect-like eyes. Just before the horde of monsters got to her she sat bolt upright in her bed and her parents raced in.
The sights and sounds of her house returned to her and her mother and father whispered soothing things to her as she cried softly into their manes.
Sally had grown another fifteen moons and now spent most of her time happily helping her steadily aging parents with certain things around the farm. Flower's mane was now streaked with silver and her father's normally grey mane was bleached white. The day was a gloomy day to be working in, the sky was covered in clouds so the sun could only barely be seen by a slightly lighter parch of sky. The air was chilly and turned harsh and icy when the wind blew across the plains, and a light mist had begun raining from the sky. Flower was sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch of the house while Sally worked with her father Sterling by planting the seeds as he plowed the fields.
Suddenly they both jerked up as they heard a yell and they turned to see Flower running towards them. Her mane streaming along behind her.
"The Everfree! We need to go! The Everfree is rising!"
Her panicked words were drowned out as a shadow covered the cloudy sky above the dark woods. Sally let out a whimper of panic, remembering the nightmare of her childhood. It had terrified her then, and didn't need any help doing so now. Then the shadow swirled and turned towards them, it darted forward like a giant wave as it got closer.
Sally watched per parents gallop from here to there so quickly and organized that it looked like they had done this many times before. Flower was levitated tons of food from storage while Sterling was grabbing a few tools from against the walls and strapping them to saddle bags. Sally grew more and more terrified with every passing moment.
Finally, they seemed ready and her father threw open the door. He just stood there for a minute, his face slackened expression changed to one of complete determination.
"you to go, I'll be right behind you"
"Sterling no!" ,Flower turned to him as she tried to change his mind. Sally barely heard his words at all and Sterling Shook his head, kissing Flower on the cheek, "I'll be right behind you", he repeated.
Flower grasped him in a tight embrace and kissed him back before putting a hoof on Sally's shoulder and speaking calmly to her, "Are you ready?" Sally nodded vigorously in response and they both leaped out onto the meadow.
Behind her, Sally's father charged the mass as it neared, calling to it and waving a farming scythe and leading them away from Sally and her mother. "PAPA!" Sally called out his name repeatedly before her mother dragged her away from her father, who had disappeared into the house, the swarm of insect-ponies following him in.
Suddenly her mother wasn't following her, or with her at all. Then she saw a pale form struggling in the tall grasses and ran over to find her mother, a jagged piece of wood jutting out from her side, the tip reappearing out of the other. Her cutiemark, a blooming rose, was cut in half by a harsh gash in her side. She twisted her head and watched her through sorrowful eyes. All noise seemed to fade from Sally's ears until she could almost hear Flower's unsteady breathing.
"come close my small one." Sally layer down beside her dying mother and Flower calmly stroked her mane and sung the lullaby from her childhood.
Come now my sweet one
No, don't you cry
Listen close to my words
And this last lullaby
Come now beloved
It is time we part
But we'll always be with you
Just look to your heart
Her Mother pointed to the Everfree, "there are cough* other ponies beyond the forest. You must find them, and live among friends."
Sally stubbornly protested and wouldn't leave her mothers side, "I won't leave you, I'll die with you if those... things come back."
Flower lifted a hoof to brush the pony's chin, "I'm so sorry Sally."
Sally didn't under stand. Then a light blue aura surrounded her and she saw tears running down her mothers face as she mouthed the words, i love you, And Sally disappeared in a flash of light.
Sally reappeared in a forest, terrified of the past events she ran through the dark woods. A root caught her hoof and sent her tumbling down a into a small clearing. She raised her head to the moon and let out a wail of pain and sadness. Then collapsed into the soft grass and cried herself to sleep.