//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - The Jungle Colt // Story: Wild @ Heart // by ChromeRegios //------------------------------// “Dear Lightning Crash~ Right now Mommy’s on an expedition to Madara, an unexpected island off the coast of North Equestria... 10,000 km away from Ponyville~” Daring Do written on her letter, but in reality... she's currently being cornered by a huge manticore. “This is really...” The manticore licks its lips, and growled at Daring Do. “A Wild kingdom. <3” “GYAAAAHHH!!!!” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Papa... “Uhm... I... I made this in Home Ec...” Lightning handed over a homemade cake for the colt she admired. I’m ready to fall in love!. “It’s for you!” Lightning was feeling cheerful that not only she got the courage to talk to her long time crush, but to make him as cake as well.. unfortunately~ “Sorry. I’m already full...” The young colt said, making Lightning’s effort all in vein. “Besides, I have more than my share of female attraction! See ya.” with that said the colt left laughing along with his posse of mares. Leaving Lightning slightly tearing up on the spot. “Lightning!!” A voice called from behind her. Lightning looks behind her as she sniffles up, only to see her friend Ivory coming at her. “See? Not a chance...” Ivory said, then holds up something... “Your bag... Lightning~” “Waaahh!! But whyyyyyy~!” Lightning suddenly grabs Ivory’s shoulders then started shouting at her face. “Calm down...” Ivory said, not even fazed by Lightning’s sudden rant. “So what if I’ve never actually had a conversation with him? But... but...” She started to tear up again... looking down on the pavement... “I just wanted him to love me back! And... and...” Lightning suddenly went to her dream world and started imagining Her and that colt, eating together... “I wanted to do that...” Then she imagines her being carried by that colt... “and this...” Then she imagines them very, VERY close to each other. “...and...” Then suddenly Ivory appears on her thoughts holding a great vacuum cleaner. “Okay, gotta clean this up...” “I baked a cake and everything!!” Lightning whined further... but Ivory tries to comfort her. “There, there.” Ivory pats her friend's shoulder and brushes her mane, “It’s okay... Bring your cake home... and give it to your mother Daring... Doesn’t she write novels about Inventions?” “Adventures!” Lightning corrected, but still crying. “Ohh...” Ivory simply nods, realizing her mistake... “She travels around Equestria and writes about her adventures... Now he’s somewhere called Madara Island...” She said, while wiping her tears... “And he always brings me weird souvenirs.” Lightning added. “Oh my gosh, that is so sweet! What a great parent!” Ivory suddenly held Lightning’s hooves, impressed about Lightning’s parents actions towards her friend. “Who cares about getting dumped when you have your mommy’s love?!” “Yeah...” Lightning then peps up, and looked at the sky regaining her self esteem. “You’re right! Yeah! I’ll forget all the bad stuff and throw mama a huge welcome home party!” Lightning shakes off the past feeling and decided to go home... “See ya!” She said to Ivory. “Bye!” Ivory waved back. as the two of them parted ways... “But deep down...” “I really wanted the guy I love to eat this cake...” “...I really wanna fall in love. I wonder... if that dream will ever come true?” As she nears her house, her train of thoughts soon shattered by the voice of their neighbor. “Lightning Crash!” “The neighbor lady...” Lightning said silently. “Just what is going on over at your house?” The lady asked... “Huh?” Lightning looked over her yard and saw complete and utter chaos. Her house is basically turned into a jungle , complete with overgrown grass, small vegetations like mushrooms and wild herbs... with a humungous tree sticking out in the middle of the house! Plus animals lurking out and about their property... and they are all making a huge uproar... Lightning just opened her mouth, stunned on what she was witnessing and growled a bit. “it’s causing such a ruckus!” The lady claimed, already getting crossed about it... Lightning maneuvers herself into the tall grass, trying to find her way towards their main door... until finally... “MAMA!!!” She burst inside the living room, where her mother Rarity was. “Oh! Welcome home Lightning!” Rarity greeted her daughter. “Why is there a jungle~” Before she can continue, a familiar voice called on to her. “I’m home! Light, Light!!!” “Mommy!” “I brought you a souvenir!” Daring was standing beside her, with a huge snake wrapped around her neck... Lightning was completely startled by the sight of it. “KYAAAAAAAHHH!!!!” Lightning pushed away her parent who greatly skids on a distance as Lightning pants furiously. “How mean!” Daring said, as her skid came to a stop. “Mommy~ will you stop bringing all this weird stuff more for me!” Lightning yelled on her parent. “You suck!!” “No, that wasn’t your souvenir...” Daring tried to get up, but then slips back down... Rarity helped her up instead... Lightning stormed out of the living room and went straight to the bathroom. “Ugh! Is that all Mommy’s love is worth??” Lightning said, as she starts to take off her clothes and... “Gotta take a shower...” Just as she was taking off her garments... she heard something clicked. Lightning looks down to see the door slowly opens as a small creature exits the bathroom panting... then suddenly slips and fell head first on the tiled room... The creature gave lightning the most saddest face it ever mustered... which caught Lightning’s heart quickly. “Soooo cute!!!” She cried in glee then quickly took the creature into her arms. “aww! What kinda animal are you? Were you taking a bath?” She asked the small animal, then heard a slight splash of water on the bath tub. “Is there... another one?” She asked herself... with a bright smile, and a renowned spirit... she enters a small room where the bathtub is and hugs the very first thing she fells. “Ohhh! You’re the souvenir mommy brought me!!” Lightning grabs it, then opens her eyes... but it wasn’t what she hoped for... “Um...” She was face to face with a colt, with a badly messed up mane covering his face and slightly dirty with a leopards pelt wrapped around his neck... sitting inside the tub... looking straight back at her... “Light...ning...” The colt said, poking Lightning slightly on the cheek... “Gah...” Lightning was paralyzed with fear, the fact that she was alone with a colt on the bath tub... then, all of a sudden... “GYYAAAAAAHHHH!!! A PERVERT!!!!” She screamed... Just then the doors of the bathroom burst open, as Daring went inside. “Lightning! This is...” But when Daring got there... she found Lightning panting while holding a mop, already clobbered the colt, knocking him out colt... “Too late, huh?” Daring said, to herself... too late indeed... (After a while) “W-WHAT IS THIS PERVERT DOING HERE?!?” Lightning yelled over the dining room... as the colt eats some noodles. “He’s not a pervert, Lightning. He has a name, you know. It’s Sky... Chaser...” Daring suddenly took out a small white board with a crude drawing and a title ‘The tale of Mommy and Shy Chaser.’ “And... I met him while I was exploring Madara Island.” Lightning dropped her mouth wide open at the ridiculous sight of that her parent was showing her. “Mommy was attacked by a Manticore and it was a life-or-death situation! But then!! Sky appeared from nowhere! Just like Tarzan!! Yes, the reason why I’ am still here today is because of Sky Chaser!” Daring claimed, which got Lightning even more riled up. “Ta-ta-ta-Tarzan?!” “You know, Lightning. The colt that goes...”Aahh-ahhhhh!!” Daring impersonates Tarzan’s yell... Then continues her story. “After an accident, he was swept away to the isle of Madara... Where he was raised by wild animals. He couldn’t speak when he met me.” Sky starts sniffing at Lightning’s box that she took home containing the cake. “I so happy... I come here with mommy Do...” Sky spoke as he suddenly opens the box and devours the cake in it. “Many yummy thing.” “Ahh, my cake!!” Lightning yelled, but it was too late to stop him... he already gobbled the cake down... “Now you can eat what ever you like!...if you live with us.” Daring proclaims. “Whaat?” Lightning looked at her mommy with such disbelief. “Great souvenir, huh? I thought him Equestrian!” Daring said with such great pride on what she had accomplished. “He needs a haircut.” Rarity suggested. “Mom’s a hair Stylist and owner of Carousel Boutique so she’ll make you look really cool!” Daring pats sky’s back, happy to see that all is going well for Sky. Lightning sighed at this. “Ku?” “I’m supposed to... live... with this guy?!” Lightning asked herself, while she watches Sky trashed her room... Sky soon finds Lightning’s perfume bottle then starts sniffing it... then drinks it... “My Perfume!!!” She rushed over to take the bottle, while he was gulping it down... but then... “PFFFFFFTT!!!!” Sky spits it straight into her face then coughs furiously. “THIS IS CRAZY!!!” Lightning yelled, looking at her emptied perfume bottle... “Lightning~” Lightning turned around, just in time to see Sky inserting he’s huge head to her sweater, but not on the hole where the head should go... rather he’s shoving his head on the arms of the sweater... stretching it to the max... “This is...Crazy!!” Lightning groveled over her ruined sweater, and the bottle of perfume... Sniffing and sobbing for two of her items were ruined... The little animal then spots something on Lightning’s table... Her Portable Crystal Ball Messenger... Sky soon noticed it as well which her went closer to investigate. “Lightning, what this? It dead?” Sky starts poking it, then just like on cue it vibrates signaling a message on the ball... Sky immediately went to defensive mode... “Lightning, danger!” Sky shielded her, protecting her from what he thinks it’s a threat. “No, that’s...” “It poison!” Sky moves forward then kicks it in full force... making a sickening crack as it broke the window and flew across the sky... “H-hey!!!” Lightning could only watch as her crystal ball was broken to pieces... she knelt down grieving on her destroyed ball... “That Crystal ball... was... really expensive. Ha..ha..” Sky then went to her and holds her cheek. “Lightning, it okay now. I save Lightning danger.” Then Sky licks Lightning’s lip, which caught Lightning by surprise... “This how we promise in jungle.” He continues doing so on her cheek. Lightning trembles on this behavior of Sky... until... “EEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!” She snapped... “Ew, ew, ew! This is disgusting! I’d rather die than live with you!” She shouted. Sky made the impression of a puppy dog eyes... “That look won't work!” Then he imitates an animal infant... “Acting like a baby animal won’t work either!” She yelled... that was it, she had enough. “I can’t believe mommy! I thought since he was finally home we could relax together! But all he does is bring back all this weird stuff! I wish you’d send this guy back to wherever he came from!!” Upon saying that, lightning heard her parents gave out a gasp... “Lightning...” Daring looked over at Sky, Lightning glanced over to him, seeing him looking down on the floor... “I...happy...” Sky started. “I meet Lightning... but...”Lightning stood there, listening to what Sky was saying. “Lightning...not happy” Lightning stood there, motionless as she sighs and thinks to herself. “He’s just acting sad to get attention...” Later that day, Sky was sitting on the rooftop with his pet fox on his lap as he pet’s it gently. At that very same time, Lightning was on her room doing some homework... but she couldn’t concentrate... She growled and slumps over at her desk... “Aaah! Can’t stand it anymore!” She whines. “Lightning...” Daring came in holding a tray with two cups of milk on it... one intended for her daughter... Lightning took a glance as her parent sits beside her and hands her the cup of milk and starts a conversation with her. “Listen...Lighting. Do you know why Sky wanted to meet you so badly?” Daring asked her, but Lightning wasn’t sure what she meant by that... until Daring showed Lightning her photograph when she was in the 1st year of high school... “M-my... picture...” She muttered silently. “I dropped it in Madara Island... and Sky found it for me...” Daring said, then looks up to the ceiling, remembering her times at the Island. “He grew up among the animals, all alone. He probably didn’t know at first... but gradually he realized he was different from them.” “All alone...” Lightning said to herself, while looking at her own photograph. “And... when he saw your picture.. He saw somepony who was just like him.” Daring looked at Lightning. “So I think... that gave him courage. And made him feel like he wasn’t alone, after all... Thats why...” Daring remembers what Sky had told him back at Madara Island. “Lightning. I want to see Lightning.” Daring then gave Lightning a smile and said... “Did you know... That “Lightning” was the first word he learned?” This made caused something in Lightning’s mind to click... She knew what she said to Sky was wrong... She quickly Bursted out of the room and heads out to look for Sky around town. “Mommy! Where’s Sky?! I can’t find him anywhere!” “He’s not even in the house I built for him on the roof!” “What?” Lightning got even more worried... she was almost regretting what she has said to Sky earlier... “You don’t know your way around here... Where’d you go Sky?” Just as Lightning was passing the Town Hall, she noticed a small crowd gathered at the Towns Bell Tower. “Hey look! Is there a pony up there?!” an old pony said, which caught Lightning’s attention... “What?” Lightning looks up and saw what it seems to be a leopard's skin pelt dangling on the very top of the bell tower. “T-that leopard print!” She thinks to herself, that it was Sky up there. “It can’t be a pony, is it?!” said one mare. “Maybe it’s an animal?” Said a colt... “Animal?! Hurry, Somepony call an animal control!” An old mare shouts. Lightning was panicking beyond belief when she heard them calling animal control. “Animal Control?!” She quickly grabs the old mare on her shoulders and starts ranting out. “W-wait, Lady!” “L-lady?” The old mare was stunned on Lightning’s sudden outburst on her. “Don’t do that! Sky is just like us...” Upon saying that, Lightning soon realizes her own words... was absolutely correct... “Just like us... thats right. He is!” Without thinking, Lightning flaps her wings, attempting to fly... but because of an accident days earlier, she couldn't, she has to wait a little longer for it to heal fully ... She then tries to climb up the clock tower instead “H-hey! What are you doing?” A colt yelled out to Lightning, but she didn’t listened to them... “I’m sorry...” She said to herself. “I’m sorry Sky! You’re a pony just like me! But I was so mean to you... You’re not alone anymore!” She climbs up all the way to the middle of the tower. “You’re...part of my family now! Like Mama and mommy...” Lightning soon reaches the top, expecting Sky sitting there alone... “Sky...let’s... Let’s all live together!” But unfortunately... all she found was a monkey on a leopard skin scarf... Lightning was speechless, her eyes narrowed and stared at the monkey for some time... “No way...” She muttered, until the monkey screeched and attacks her, clawing Lightning’s face violently. “SKREEEE!!!” “Help me!!!” Lightning yelled... loosening her grip as she plummets down to the ground, of what it seems to be like in slow motion... “It was a monkey?” She said to her self. The ponies below gasped in shock, seeing Lightning falling helplessly to her death. “Uh oh... Am I being punished? Because I... was so mean?” Lightning Closed her eyes awaiting her inevitable death... All of a sudden, from out of nowhere... a colt leaps into action, jumping at incredible distance reaching over to Lightning then grabs her just in time... He clings to a rope which was tied from the clock tower and to another building near it... Lightning was dazed, but looks up to see who catched her. “H-huh?” But before she can take a good look, the rope snapped... “Ohh...” Then started to swing down. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!” The colt help on to Lightning tightly until it was about time to let go and landed with a thud, still holding on to lightning never letting her go. Lightning looked up to see a young colt, about her age holding her up on his arms. “Lightning.” The colt said, looking straight back at her. “W-who’s... that?” Lightning said to herself, blushing deep red on what she was seeing before her. “Lightning danger, I save...” The colt spoke. “Hold on...” Lightning thoughts to herself... “that line sounds familiar... huh?” Lightning suddenly had a hunch... “Don’t tell me...” “We did it Honey! Makeover success!!” Daring said to Rarity who was still levitating a pair of scissors near her. “Just call me the miracle stylist!” Rarity winks at Daring as she looks on to Lightning and Sky. “Jungle promise...” The colt then licks Lightning’s lip... which suddenly made Lightning realize that... “IT’S THAT THE WILD BOY?!”