//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: Conflict 
// Story: Just One Day 
// by CardBearer 
//------------------------------//

After running for what had felt like hours, the young Lion Heart stopped, and fell over onto his side,  exhausted after his mad dash. He could barely feel his legs anymore, his hooves hurt as if they had been cut off, and his heart beats were so fast that he wondered whether it would jump out of his chest or not. And yet, he was satisfied, and a slight smile appeared on his face as he panted; the Everfree Forest! This was the beginning of his journey – nay, his adventure! Finally, he could do what he really wanted, and put his own skills to the test! Yes, this day would be the best day ever!

The orange stallion immediately stood up, the excitement now too strong for him to lie and rest, and he looked around himself. He wasn't too deep inside the forest, so the foliage was not thick and he could still see a part of Luna's beautiful night – good, he could use the moon to find his way around. Otherwise, the Everfree Forest was the same as ever – silent (aside from a few crickets and the soft wind), dark, and creepy. Lion Heart felt his mood improve significantly as he thought of the dangers within. Manticores, dragons, cockatrices, and more! Finally, a real chance to...

"Lion Heart."

The earth pony froze, his ears immediately perking up. "It's you again!" he yelled out, surprised but mostly angry. "You're the one that got me here in the first place!" He took on an aggressive stance and growled. "Come on, show me your ugly face!" 

But only the wind answered his boisterous call, and the young stallion blinked. Had he really heard that, or was it simply the Everfree Forest messing with his head? After all, there were some hallucinogenic plants in the forest, but he had made sure to avoid them. So, then, why had he heard them again?

But his train of thought was interrupted as he heard another voice in the distance. This one was much different; it was completely panicked, and it sounded like it belonged to a young filly. 

"Help us! Please help us!" she cried out. "We're being attacked!"

Now that was more like it! Lion Heart, brave pony that he was, immediately forgot about the mysterious voices and focused on those in need. He briefly wondered what a filly was doing so far in the Everfree Forest, but his sense of adventure soon preceded everything else. He thrust his chest out, and declared proudly :

"Don't worry, little filly! I, Lion Heart, will save you!"

And with that, he galloped towards the direction of the voice, just to his right. After busting through bushes in the most heroic fashion he could muster, he quickly assessed the situation; directly in front of him were two small foals, a colt and a filly. The colt had an orange coat, the same as he, but no hair. The filly was apparently a little older than him, and had a dazzling blue coat, with a long black mane. Both of their flanks were blank, and they were absolutely terrified of something a few meters away from them, to the right. Lion Heart quickly jumped in front of the children, and saw them.

"Timberwolves!" he growled, taking a defensive position and tapping the ground with his hoof. 

There were three of them, an unusual amount for an animal that usually traveled in packs. They were just a bit taller than Lion Heart, and their entire bodies were made of the bark of the strongest trees, and their teeth were made of the sharpest wood, and they shone like the blade of a sword. The monsters growled at the stallion, showing their teeth menacingly as they slowly edged towards the ponies. In response, Lion Heart took a step forward as well.

"Don't worry!" he yelled to the foals, keeping his eyes on his enemies. "They won't harm you, because Lion Heart is here to protect you!"

And with that, he charged forward, determined to save the children from those monsters and to prove himself as a hero. The Timberwolves surged forward as well, barking at the pony in order to intimidate him. But Lion Heart was not a coward, and he knew how to fight. When he come into contact with the monsters, he head butted the first straight in the chest, sending him flying away and yelping, having his breath cut short by the force of the blow. Reacting quickly, the stallion turned around, and bucked powerfully, hitting the second wolf straight in the jaw; the brave pony smiled at the satisfying crack his attack produced.

But the third was not caught off guard, and he bit the pony in the right front leg, his teeth digging deep into Lion Heart's flesh. He recoiled at the pain, but he didn't scream. Instead, he flailed around, bucking and jumping, trying to make the Timberwolf let go of him. But the monster's jaw was too strong, and its teeth only sinked deeper and deeper, threatening to cut the leg off entirely. To make matters worse, the first monster, who had received the headbutt, recovered from the shock and was now lunging at Lion Heart as well, aiming for his neck. 

But the stallion was not about to let his story end so quickly. He took a step backwards and fell over intentionally, causing the Timberwolf's lunge to miss and instead strike his kin, sharp teeth scratching into hard bark. The monster yelped and let go of his leg, and the pony laughed. With both of his enemies distracted, he was free to buck them both with his front legs, hitting the first in the chest and sending him tumbling away, and the second on in the head, causing him to stagger backwards and yelp in pain.

The Timberwolves stood back up with difficulty, growled at Lion Heart and disappeared back into the eery Everfree Forest, leaving no trace behind but the ghosts of their howls in the air. Apparently, the monsters realized they were over their head with this, or perhaps they realized that their prey was not worth all this pain and that they could find something easier to catch – but in any case, the foals were safe.

Satisfied at his victory and at his first heroic act, the stallion checked the damage on himself. His front leg was numb and bleeding profusely, but he had sustained no other injury; all in all, he had done well considering he had fought three of the scariest monsters the Everfree Forest had to offer. Perhaps had he done too well, but the young pony chalked it up to chance before turning back to the foals. 

"Hey, are you..." the stallion began. But his words were left hanging in the air, as the foals had disappeared.

Lion Heart blinked several times, and frowned. He hadn't imagined them, had he? No, he couldn't have – there was a depression in the grass, right where they were standing before. Had they ran away? But there were no traces of that, either...

"You saved us," said a filly's voice coming from behind him.

Startled, the stallion turned around immediately, and the two foals were standing there. But they seemed...different, somehow. Not physically so, but the way they stared straight into the eyes of Lion Heart, as if they could see his very thoughts, made the pony uneasy. Not scared – Lion Heart was never scared.

"You saved us," the filly repeated, in a calm, composed manner, her voice barely above a whisper yet audible in the silence of the Everfree Forest. "What a shame that you could not save everyone," the colt added, in the same tone as the other child.

The stallion narrowed his eyes, now thoroughly confused at the situation. "What?" he muttered.

Both of the foals smiled, and even that act seemed unnatural in Lion Heart's eyes. It was as if someone had grafted that smile on their faces. "When Nightmare Moon attacked, where were you? Not with your family. Not with your friends," the filly whispered. "When Discord attacked, were you off on one of your adventures? What of your family? They weren't harmed, but that was pure luck. What if it had happened otherwise?" the colt continued.

Lion Heart felt a chill down his spine, and shivered as he continued to stare at the foals. They were right, and he had thought about the matter before. What, indeed, would he have done if his family had been harmed because he hadn't been there for them?

"I can't be there for them every time," the stallion answered, repeating the excuse he had found for himself. "They took care of their own just fine! I don't need to dwell on that!"

"Just because it worked out fine those times, does not mean it always will,"the blue filly said. "Your parents are old by now, and they need you. What about your little adventure right now? Do you think they'll be safe? Do you really, honestly think nothing can happen to them in just one day?" the orange colt mocked.

Lion Heart knew they were right. His heart told him that they were right, but he could never accept it. No, his parents would be safe. It was just twenty four hours! He deserved a break! He deserved to do what HE wanted, just this once!

"You're wrong!" he yelled, taking a step backwards. "Shut up!"

Both of the foals laughed, and their laughs echoed against the trees, and they grew louder and louder until Lion Heart could hear nothing else. He was forced to bow his head and close his eyes before the two foals, harassed by their mocking laughter as it invaded his mind fully. And then, a violent wind started to rise – and the laughs were gone, replaced by the air whipping itself against his face.

The stallion stood back up, breathing heavily, and opened his eyes. The two foals were gone, and there were no traces of them, nor of his fight with the Timberwolves, except for his bloody leg. Now there was only the wind, and it had become so violent that even the trees of the Everfree Forest seemed to bend against it. The young stallion was not only confused, but also quite troubled because of the words that the foals had spoken. Was he truly risking the lives of his family? No, no, it would be fine. It had to be. No need to be scared.

Suddenly, the light faded from the Everfree Forest, even though the moon had still been shining just a second before that. The stallion jumped up to his feet, ignoring the wind, and looked up; the astral object was still in the sky, but there were no stars anymore, and even though he could see the moon, it seemed as if its light had been snuffed out, and it was now merely there. 

"Is this the work of the Everfree Forest?" the stallion commented out loud.

This was dangerous, and not in a good way, either; without light, he couldn't find his way around the place, nor see the monsters coming for him. But then...he was already so far gone, he couldn't stop now. If he did, he would've taken all those risks for nothing. So he pressed on, taking a few steps forward, at a calm pace, making sure to use his hooves to scan the path in front of him so he did not hit a tree. The wind continued to hurl, but he ignored it – it was just air. But he did not go far before being interrupted.

"Lion Heart,"  the voices called out once more, and the stallion stopped.

"What do you want from me already?!" he shouted angrily to nothing in particular.

"You believe your family is safe, but what if your courage had hurt them? Like it has in the past, hasn't it, Lion Heart?"

The stallion froze in shock, and did not answer. Memories of that day crept up on him, menacing to come out and... but he repressed them just in time, and shook his head. He was quite furious now; he did not know what that voice was, but nobody talked about that day with him and got away with it!

"Shut up!" he yelled, his voice now barely audible over the force of the wind.

"Is that your only retort?", the voices chuckled. "Is that the only thing you have to answer? You would rather do what your heart wishes than what is best for your family. You didn't even check on them before leaving, did you? Not even a little warning, not even a goodbye. And all that for what? So that you can get what YOU want? You're not brave. You're selfish, and most of all, you are a coward."

Lion Heart opened his mouth to yell, but he was stopped. It was this strange feeling again...were the voices right? Was he...was he really that much of a coward for leaving his family behind? No...no, impossible. He was Lion Heart! An earth pony that could take one any challenge imposed to him! He was courageous and brave! Reckless, perhaps, but no one doubted his courage! He was not a coward!

"Ah," they sighed. "So you still will not admit your own failings? Very well. Perhaps a demonstration is in order. Why don't you look up?"

The wind stopped, and the voices with it. Lion Heart was still unable to see, but the stars slowly came back up in the sky, and the moon began to shine once again, but the pony was shaken and did not realize it.

But he was aware that something was nearby. He could hear the breath of it upon his neck. And he realized that he was within its shadow, that extended for what seemed like miles. And that he felt its presence, right in front of him. And that suddenly the Everfree Forest was not silent anymore, but that he could hear it growling, and that the ground shook with every single groan that the thing let out.

Whatever it was, it was really, really big.