//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Magnificent Might of Midnight Sight Sorcerer Supreme // by Element of Malice //------------------------------// The first thing I remember was the ground. I felt wet from the dew, cold, and I was lying on patches of grass and pine needles, some of which were on me. My body was stiff, but it didn’t hurt… much, it was just uncomfortable. For now, I just stayed where I was. The sound of my breathing as my only companion, along with a few critters as they scurried around me. It was dark. I opened and closed my eyes a few times to see no difference. I tried to remember how I got here, but my mind was empty. Where I was? Nothing. What I was? Nothing. Who I was? Again, nothing; your guess was as good as mine. I let out a groan as I began to rise. My mouth felt gunky, I stretched my limbs, back, neck, everything. Then I just stood there, listening. It sounded like I was in a forest, I could hear the leaves rustling on the branches of the tree’s, I could hear a river fifty feet… maybe more? But what stood out the most was a warm feeling on my face. It was coming from one direction, like a campfire? It was low to the ground, and the light breeze was adjacent to the source. There were no sounds of crackling flames, and the warmth was consistent, which meant there was only one thing it could be, the sun. But it was still dark. Fluttershy turned her head toward the window. There was a bird frantically hitting the glass desperately trying to get her attention. The Pegasus opened the window, and the robin began chirping rapidly. “Mr. Feathers slow down; I can’t understand you when your chirping like that.” The robin landed on Fluttershy’s hoof and continued chirping. “There’s a pony in the Everfree? They look lost? Oh dear, it’s getting late I should help them before it gets any darker. The Everfree Forest is a lot more dangerous at night. I’ll grab my saddlebag, in case their hurt, then I’ll be right out.” In no time, Fluttershy was all packed and ready. She opened her cottage door and ran towards the forest boundary, “Lead the way Mr. feathers.” I managed to reach the riverbank safely and was drinking deeply to quench my thirst. I never thought that the sweet taste of liquid running down my throat could feel this good. I stopped drinking once I felt satisfied, panting as water dripped from around my mouth. The air felt colder, I knew that meant the sun was setting, it would soon be night. Being in a forest alone after dark was never a good sign. I had to keep silent, if I didn’t, I might attract predators. I had to stay alert and… something is coming. I can hear their footfalls on the leaves and branches. They’re getting closer. I laid down as low as I could, maybe whatever it was wouldn’t come this way. Maybe they would see me and leave when they saw I wasn’t a threat. I was scared. “Hello? Anypony out there?” A voice called out; I wasn’t alone. I was about to call out for them when a paralyzing fear overcame me. A feeling that they might be hostile, that they would want to hurt me. Maybe I should keep quiet, not say anything. It felt like my heart wanted to pound out of my chest. “Oh, they’re over there? Okay, thanks.” The footsteps became louder; they sounded like hoofs, but there was only one set. Who were they talking to? “Can you hear me?” the voice sounded soft and motherly, but I was still too afraid to say anything, “I know you're lost, but I can help, I’ve been through these… Oh, there you are.” I held still hoping they weren’t talking about me, but the footsteps were coming straight towards my attempted hiding spot. The yellow Pegasus walked towards the pony that Mr. Feathers led her to, “Um, my name’s Fluttershy, what’s yours?” the young stallion looked like he wanted to melt into the forest floor as he just stayed where he was. “Hey, are you hurt?” She placed a hoof on his shoulder. “I have…” the pony slapped her hoof off of him and scurried away. “St st stay away! D don’t touch me!” he practically crawled behind the first bush he reached, which somehow took a while. “Okay, I won’t touch you. But we need to leave before it gets too dark, can you at least tell me your name?” The young stallion only answered with panicked breathing. Fluttershy hovered in the air and flew around the bush. This time she got a better look at him. He looked no older than her age, maybe younger, and what she first mistook as shadows, turned out to be bruising. He seemed malnourished, and it looked like he hadn’t seen sunlight in a long time. His coat was a mess, his mane was unkempt. “Oh my.” Hearing her voice made him jump back, “wha… where are you? Get back.” his gaze was unfocused and sporadic. “Don’t be afraid, I’m here to help.” Fluttershy landed close to him, avoiding contact, “First, we need to get out of the Everfree forest. It’s not safe after dark.” “Ever… free…forest? Is that… where I am?” He asked, sounding confused. “Yes? Do you know how you got here?” He spoke in quick bursts with long pauses. “No… No… I… I… I can’t… I don’t…” It sounded like he hadn’t spoken to anyone properly in a long time, and was terrified to do so, “I… There’s nothing… Nothing, no, no memory… Nothing.” “It’s okay, don’t worry about it. You don’t remember anything, not even your name?” “Nothing.” His breathing began to slow down. “Look, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to help,” Fluttershy was amazed at how scared this mystery stallion was, “Look at me, do I look dangerous?” “No… Dark… everything’s dark.” “Everything’s…?” Then it hit her, he was blind, “Oh dear, this just got more complicated,” She said mostly to herself. “You’re going to have to trust me okay?” she said slowly and softly, “I can lead you out of the forest and somewhere safer. Then we can find out where you came from, I have good friends who can help with that. But first, I need you to grab my tail.” She turned her body away from him and said, “Hold out your hoof, and don’t let go.” The young stallion slowly extended his hoof. As Fluttershy draped her tail over it, she felt him tense up like she was rubbing salt into a wound. “That’s it.” The stallion relaxed slightly once he felt safer, “Now, just follow my led.” With that, they began their walk out of the dangerous forest. After only a few minutes of weaving through trees, Fluttershy felt the tug from the blind stallion stopping. “Is something wrong?” The stallion was turning his head in multiple directions, acting like he was about to have a panic attack. “Lights.” “Lights?” Fluttershy looked around trying to find what he was referring to, but she saw nothing. “Lights… Bad… Bad lights… Bad lights run… Run!” “I don’t see any… wait I thought you were…” A rotten smell hit her nose, one she recognized. “Bad lights… Bad lights…” he repeatedly mumbled over and over, like a broken record. “Um, so when you say bad lights, you don’t mean…” a low growl came from their right. “Timber Wolfs.” “Run, bad lights…Bad lights, run.” Two more wooden predators came into view. By now, it was so dark, all that could be seen of them were their silhouettes and glowing green eyes. “Okay, I see the bad lights now, and yes we need to run.” “Yes… run… bad lights.” The timber wolfs started to move forward. “But I’m not going to leave without you,” she put herself under the stallion then lifted him onto her back, he was lighter then she had anticipated “Hang on!” Then she ran with him clinging to her like a wet and frightened kitten, Timber Wolves hot on their trail. They had to double back the way they came to escape the closure the wolfs had them in. It sounded like there were at least six or more following them through the woods, barking, howling, and snarling at their prey. “STOP!” screamed the young stallion making Fluttershy screech to a halt. At that moment a Timber Wolf landed a few feet in front of the two ponies, right where they would have been if they had continued. “GO!” Fluttershy made a hard right, glad that he was able to see the ‘bad lights’ better than she could. “Oh no, I lost track of where we are. Gah!” A wolf snapped to the right of her. “Let's just hope we can lose them.” She could feel the stallion shaking as he sobbed and felt his warm tears on her neck. “We’re going to make it out of this, okay?” she was starting to feel fatigued. As lightweight as he was, the young stallion still weighed her down with the combined weight of the saddlebags Fluttershy was still wearing. It was only a matter of time before she became too exhausted to keep running, “As long as I’m here, I promise that I won’t let any of the bad lights hurt you.” The stallion started sniffling, “Left.” “What, they left?” Fluttershy sniffed the air but could still smell Timber Wolf breath. “Left.” “You left something behind?” “Left!” this time he held out a hoof. “You want me to go left?” “Go… Left… Go!” “Okay,” A Timber Wolf’s paw swiped at them grazing the feathers on Fluttershy’s wing “Gah! Left. Going left!”. She began to recognize the trees in this part of the forest. “We’re almost out of the wood’s, it’s just up ahead. I have a friend who lives there, she should be able to help if she’s still up.” “Alright yawl, let git inside an’ have us a proper supper. Don Know bout the rest of ya, but ahm all tuckered out.” Applejack said as she finished locking the barn up for the night. “Eyup.” Big Mac said, agreeing with his sister. “Wait fer me, ahm not gonna miss out on this meal, It’s a Granny Smith special!” Apple Bloom announced with the same amount of excitement as she had all day. “Applejack!! Help!!” yelled a faint voice in the distance making the Apple siblings look in that direction. “That sounded like Fluttershy,” Apple bloom stated. “Sure did. Yawl head inside I’ll go see what up. Leave some food fer me ya hear?” Big Mac licked his lips, “Eyup.” Applejack sighed, “Fluttershy, this better be more important than missing out on a Granny Smith special.”