//------------------------------// // Everfree // Story: Fate After Failure // by Antisocialtwilight //------------------------------// Fate After Failure Chapter 7: Everfree It had only been two days since Twilight had run away from home. She had stopped by her home, before anybody else got there, to pack a few things. Twilight was smart for a filly her age; she knew that if she was leaving for good, she would need to pack something warm for the cold winters ahead of her. She did know she wouldn't be coming back here again, it would be impossible. She grabbed a coat, a scarf, and extra boots, stuffed them in her bag, and went over her checklist again, looking around the room. Savoring the view. She knew wouldn't see something like this in a long time, maybe never. She took in the sight of a child's room. Not just the scattered clothes and books on the floor, but also what she felt. She felt safe in here, that nothing could hurt her. Now, because of her anger, she would have to leave the safety and comfort and venture into the cold world which she'd only read about in books. As she turned to leave, she noticed something on the floor next to the door. Watching her. Waiting for her. Taunting her with it's eyes which seemed so full of emotion, which they now seemed devoid of. She had been avoiding the decision to pack it or not since she had arrived home. It seemed so childish, and yet...and yet she wanted to keep it with her. She wanted to have something of comfort in this scary new life of hers. After breathing out heavily, sighing out her frustration, she lifted the rugged Smarty Pants doll into her bag, zipped it up, and teleported away from her home with a heavy heart. It was Twilight's second night outside of her home. She had made it far from her Canterlot home, to a dark forest said to be forbidden because of the ravenous, malevolent beasts which lurked within. However, ever since she had read the forest's name, she knew this was the place to go, despite the danger. She would remain, as the name said, "Everfree". Twilight was proud of how 'brave' she was being. She was surprised at herself, she had only jumped once or twice when she heard the bushes rustling behind her, she only shook for a few minutes after she saw the glowing red eyes staring her down then subsequently disappearing once again into the darkness. It was very hot in the forest; it was still mid-summer, and it didn't get much better at night. Her breathing got heavier as the humidity in the forest reached sweltering heights. Twilight was sweating from the heat, from exhaustion, and from fear. Easy, Twilight... She had told herself, doing her best to keep calm. Now is no time to lose your nerve. Again, however, she jumped, startled by another sudden rustling in the bushes behind her. Before turning to face the source of the noise, her mind made a conclusion: this wasn't a monster. Any monster would be comfortable in the Everfree, but this new source of noise hadn't been trudging with pride through the bush; it had tripped. While this wouldn't normally matter anywhere else, in the Everfree forest, showing any weakness at the wrong time can mean death. Luckily for both of them, this wasn't the wrong time, in fact it was the perfect time. As Twilight turned around to face this stranger, she was shocked and relieved to find another unicorn, who must've been the same age as Twilight. The cornflower blue unicorn stepped out of the shadows, nervously at first, then feigned confidence, which Twilight saw through; Twilight knew this stranger who had been following her was just as nervous as Twilight was; this gave Twilight an edge, and thus her own confidence was showing. "Who are you? What are you doing, sneaking around like that?" Twilight said, with more anger than she intended. Maybe the hunger was getting to her... "I-I'm sorry, I was just-well see..." "Spit it out already!" "Okay! I saw you enter the forest, and I always wanted to go...I figured if you could go in here, so could I!" The other unicorn spat quickly, and flinched out of fear. "Well...okay," Twilight sighed. "But you didn't tell me your name. Who are you?" "Me? I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!" The unicorn said, with confidence in her and a flourish of small fireworks from her horn. "Keep it down, will you?!" Twilight said urgently "Don't you know what could be lurking in this forest? We need to be quiet before we become something's lunch!" Right on cue, her stomach began to growl, reminding her just how hungry she is. She'd read that many things in the Everfree were poisonous, so she hadn't eaten any of the berries out of caution. The new pony, Trixie, heard the grumbling in Twilight's stomach, and dug into her own backpack and grabbed 2 sandwich bags. Twilight eyed the bags hungrily, her mouth watering from disuse over the past two days. "I have two of them, if you want some....?" "Twilight...I'm Twilight Sparkle. Please, can I have some? I haven't eaten in days!" The young unicorn pleaded with the stranger she had been yelling at not even five minutes ago. "Of course you can have one...on one condition." Trixie said, smoothly. This time, it was her turn to have the upper hand. They both knew it. "Anything, please, I'm so hungry!" "I'll give you one of my sandwiches on the condition that you let me travel with you through this horrid jungle." While her tone was sly, her eyes pleaded for Twilight's companionship through this nightmare. Twilight grabbed the precious food in a flash, and quickly said "Deal!" and scarfed it down. After what seemed like a small amount of time, the nourishment was gone, Twilight was still hungry, but she wasn't about to complain. Trixie had already given her food, and now she wasn't alone in the darkness forest. End of Chapter. To Be Continued...