The Pony Lost In The Dark

by Feather_Quill

Everfree

Fluttershy hopped around her home merrily closing all the blinds, for darkness had fallen on her humble little tree home and it was time for sleep. Fluttershy opened the door and sweetly called out to her critter
"It's bedtime!" She smiled happily, and watching as every animal flurried into their dens and hiding holes.
A distressed tweet made her ear flicker and she ran out into her garden, a small blue bird with a red breast landed on her hoof.
"What is it little one?" Fluttershy asked with a frown as she looked deep into the eyes of the bird.
Several tweets and Fluttershy's mouth dropped open.
"Your poor little chick went missing? We must find him right away! Were did her head?"
Another couple of tweets caused Fluttershy to coward slightly and turn away shyly
"I don't really want to go into the... Everfree forest... Really, I think he'll be home soon..." She turned her heads away, then looked back at the tearful bird and the nerve-raking wood, that so many times had caused her to stay up late into the night.
"Okay... I'll go..." She smiled and walked over confidentially to the wood. The bird followed were she went.
"No little bird, you have other children to look after, if I don't return, tell the others, please. I will go..." She looked into the wood and deep into what she saw and gulped at the blackness and the overgrowing roots. "Alone..."
And in a dash the Yellow and Pink pony vanished into the woods.
She trembled and flinched at every sound and sight, calling out "Red!" over and over.
Finally she reached a spot in the woods were trees refused to grow, only grew around, a place were exotic plants would thrive and stay and sat on the hill was a little pony, unlike any she had ever seen before.
A pony with fur and a mane as dark as Nightmare moons's, with a large spot on her flank with spots inside. She was, for the most part, striped, and her eye had been cut short at the bottom, as though she had frowned so much that it had permanently left her face the way that it was. On her head was a horn, the same colour as her flesh, but on her head she also had two horns, like that seen on a dear stag, but as black as the night. Her pupils were small, as though the early stages of the night sky were too bright for her.
Fluttershy watched the pony, hoping that she would eventually leave and go away so that she could continue with her enduring and fearful trek into the of the terrifying and unknown Everfree forest.
This hope, however, was shattered when the pony stood to her feet, giggling at a tiny bird she held in the centre of her hoof.
Fluttershy was overcome with fear as a rage ran through her, she flapped her wings and darted like she never had done before to the strange pony, from behind her she ambushed the pony by screaming "ARE YOU CRAZY!? WHAT DID HE EVER DO TO YOU? HE'S JUST A LOST BIRDY LOOKING FOR HIS MOTHER, YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!"
The astonished pony dived back, almost falling into a tree, and with the panic of the moment, her horn began to glow, as she shut her eyes.
"No!" Fluttershy yelled out, and the pony opened one eye, curious by her suddenly softer voice. "I don't mean to hurt you, I'm sorry, it's just i thought you were hurting Red..." Fluttershy turned to the innocent, and unharmed Red.
"Red?" The strange female replied, turning to the little bird and raising one eyebrow "You told me your name was 'Captain Von-Awesome..."
Fluttershy coughed back a giggled, and picked up the birdy, then turned to her with shock in realisation "You can talk to animals too?"
The scared pony placed her hooves together, leaning back into a tree and facing away,"uh... yeah... Can't everyone?" her hair fell flatter and flatter by the minute, it seemed impossible but the awkward and scary situations seemed to make her hair flatten.
"No, only me. It is my Cutie Mark." Fluttershy placed her flank in the air "What's yours?" Flutters placed her hooves on the ground and seized hovering "..If you don't mind me asking."
The pony looked up at her and asked in a sweetly innocent way "what's a 'cutie mark'?"
Fluttershy hesitated "The mark that everypony gets when they reach a certain age and realise their talents."
The pony turned around and looked at her flank, but she was right, she has a cluster of dots inside a splodge mark, but that wasn't her cutie mark, it was just part of her fur."
Fluttershy approached her as though she was an injured mouse that she encountered oh-so-often, with soft hooves, and plenty of eye contact.
Fluttershy lent out a hoof "Don't you even have a name?" The pony used her hoof to stood up, and shook her head, again with slight confusion and one eyebrow lifted.
"A name? Why would I have a name, Miss. Nightworker says that names are for hard working ponies who contribute to society like her and the 'peacekeeping police'... I'm just number 924601"
"A number?" Fluttershy wondered but she dared not to think of what went on outside of Ponyville and Canterlot. "Where do you live?"
The pony glared at her once more "I was exiled, all exiled ponies come to the Everfree forest if they don't want people to kill them..."
Fluttershy hesitated but it did not take long, and when she finally said it, she said it with a smile "would you like to live with me, on the outskirts of Ponyville?"
Before long the trio (Fluttershy, Number 924601 and Red/ Captain Von-Awesome) arrived back at Fluttershy's tree home.
As she stood through the door all the animals turned and glanced at the new pony, and shrouded around her, looking up at her in awe. Red had long returned to his, probably sleeping, mother and only Fluttershy was a familiar face now.
Fluttershy spoke "Um... Perhaps we should think of a new name to call you, I don't think 'Number 924601' ring to it"
The pony thought "I've always wanted a real name, but everypony told me I just cannot, as real names were for winners, which I am not."
Fluttershy sighed deeply and whimpered in the process "well I think you should have a new name..." She glanced out the window and smiled "How about everfree? It will remind you that your new life is here as well as showing your old life that you are free now, starting by the freedom of names." Fluttershy turned and looked at the pony that was looking back at her, then coward away from her idea "but you don't have to if you don't want." Fluttershy barely managed to squeek.
"No" Number 924601 said with a grin "I like it. I like it a lot. Okay. Thanks." The pony formally known as number 924601 finished.
The following morning Fluttershy awoke to a sweet sound, she tread downstairs smiling, the musical sound got louder, until she saw a dark pony stood on the couch, booming out in a glorious sound
"Never before have I seen the light,
But I like it,
Never before have I escaped my tomb,
But I want it,
Yet one day when the chains are dead,
and this cold, hard burden upon my head,
does vanish,
I shall be gone,
I will not be banished,
How can we be treated this way,
but animals they are all free,
I love their song,
Just wait and you will see,
I will be free,
I shall be freed!"
"good morning" Fluttershy finally said as she lazily drooped into the kitchen and opened the cupboard, fulling out an apple pancake. "did you have a pleasant night?"
Everfree shyly got down off the couch and slouched onto the ground with a side grin, her face turned red in the cheek area as she blushed and gave off a warmth.
"Sorry..." Everfree smiled, still side ways, and narrowed her eyebrows, it's stupid.
Fluttershy built up her confidence and replied "You're a good singer." She looked over at the pony "Um... If you don't mind but... Why do you always wear those boots?"
Everfree looked down at her boots and hit her front two together "I... Don't know, I've worn them my whole life, not these exact ones, but I've worn boots like these all my life." The boots were black, and were made up of fabric wrapped all around the pony's hooves tightly, sawn into place, and had a few buckles here and there. "They are my working boots."
Fluttershy nodded.
"I'm going into town today, would you like to come?" She added, nibbling onto the end of her pancake in the corner of the room, tucked up timidly in her little green chair that had always been her favourite.
"Me?" The pony asked in surprise "everypony would laugh at me and kick me out!"
Fluttershy frowned "well if we hid that you don't have a cutie mark and hid your horns... You would be all right... If you want?:
The two ponies made there way into town, Everfree with a cloak that Fluttershy used for apple picking, a red one with apples sawn onto the end. The hood neatly tucked over the pony's horns, yet not her horn, and over the entire body of the pony.
"How are you?" Fluttershy asked, a little muffled as she had a basket in her mouth.
"amazing. Who knew a city could have this much colour" The pony hopped around from stall to stall merrily giggling.
The 5 other mane ponies had arrived to meet Fluttershy in town.
"Hey Fluttershy, you mentioned you had a new friend?" Twilight asked, violently flapping her wings in attempt to flap out some red ribbon from her wings

Comments

[DualKitsune]

Sown not sawn.
Interesting.