Cuatro

by Dirty Bit

Capítulo Uno

There was nothing but darkness all around. Everything before this occurrence was a blur except for the feeling of vanishing into thin air. Then there was nothing but a new feeling all around as the darkness lifted.

"It's...cold...Who am I...?"

The vision was blurry, but slowly sharpened to focus as a blanket of white came into view.

"What am I...?"

The sound of a vicious gale coursed around the area. It felt heavy at first, but he lifted himself up. He then slipped and dropped down as he felt the blanket all over his body.

"It's cold...Am I...dead??"

Indeed it was cold, and it wasn't a welcoming sensation for wherever he was placed into. He picked himself up once more on all fours as everything became more vivid. When his vision came into clear form, he noticed he was inside of what appeared to be a vast forest decorated with snow and a horrible breeze to go with it. His vision blurred a little after he took to much time.

"I...I shouldn't be here...I need to go..."

He thought about lifting onto two legs, but somehow, being on all fours felt comforting for some reason. He could try to catch a glimpse of who or what he was, but he did not want to linger about in the horrid weather. The first step was taken with what he thought was his hand, and he looked down to see a long pale white leg in front of him. He took another step with his other hand to see the same one.

"What is this? I am confused..."

From there, he lifted one of his feet and moved forward with his hand. He started off slow, but he slowly picked up the pace into a decent walk on all fours. It was as if he was no stranger to walking like this.

"Where am I? What is this place?"

Wherever he was, he did not admire the cold too much. He walked further into the forest to see where he should go next. With the distance made, it was getting slightly darker through the forest and the cold grew worse. He looked down at the snow as he moved forward, not finding his voice as he trudged along.

"What is my reason for being here? What is my purpose?"

While his head was hung down, he accidentally bumped into something ahead. It was hard, but it wasn't a tree. He looked up and noticed an angered beast with wings that roared at him. He could feel his eyes widening from the sudden encounter, his body tensing up to the beast's form.

"A beast? Here?"

The large beast raised a claw and went to go swipe at him, but while he moved, everything around him slowed down. He stood confused as to why it was moving so sluggish while looking fierce.

"I don't want to get hurt..."

Taking the moment to avoid the suddenly slow pace of the beast, he took a couple of steps back cautiously. Then time seemed normal when the beast's claw swept at the air. It was confused as to how his attack was easily dodged, but went to attack again with its other claw. Once again, time slowed down. He stepped away from the second strike and a part of him beckoned to retaliate.

"I don't want to get hurt...and he'll only keep attacking me..."

He wondered if the nearest branch could prove to be a good weapon. But he hesitated when he examined the strange long legs in place of his hands.

"Hooves? Am I a horse?"

He felt he should act on instinct and see what would happen. Remembering the offensive capabilities of a horse, he planted his forelegs into the snow and awaited the beast to come near him. The beast roared indignantly before it attempted to pounce on the strange horse. When he felt the beast was near, he quickly launched his hindlegs into a bucking motion and knocked the beast away. His heart raced when he heard a loud explosion the exact moment he bucked the beast away.

Wondering if there was someone planting explosives nearby, the strange horse looked around to see nothing left or right of him. He stifled a gasp when he shifted his gaze behind to see a trail of fallen trees.

"...What happened to the beast? Did it run off?"

A part of the horse wanted to venture into the newly-presented trail in front of him, but another part of him dreaded he might run into the beast again. He then trotted away from it and went deeper into the forest.

While he traveled, his vision blurred again as he found himself staggering along his trail. Suddenly, it felt as if televised static danced in his head until a small shaded scene played in his mind.

"If you don-...-ever be over..."
"I won't do it!"
"Hmph...In the end, you still never do what I want..."
"Are you afraid of me...girl?"
"...I see..."

The horse grunted and placed a hoof on his head. He felt something on his head other than his mane, but ignored it when he felt a small migraine. He stopped to take some deep breaths.

"What was that...What did they not want to do...?"

He slowly felt his strength deteriorate and focused more on trotting out of the forest. At certain points in his travel, he felt his vision blur once more.

"I need to get out...This place is foreboding..."

It was strange to wake up in a snow-coated forest with a beast while looking like a horse. He mustered more strength as he pushed onward through the cold-ridden trail. It was excruciating to deal with a harsh cold area that sapped away at his strength while moving about bearing a minor ache in his head, but his troubles have been lifted slightly when he spotted light up ahead through the woods. He groaned again out of pain, oblivious to question why he did so instead of neighed. The strange horse then continued until he finally reached the light past the trees.

He peered outside to see that he was now caught in a fierce snowstorm, with everything around him being a fogged up grey aside of the large amounts of snow being carried by strong winds. It wasn't as welcoming as the forest, but at least he was out of there. Despite his current state of health, perhaps he could trot along the whitened landscape to ponder his existence. He took his first step into the deep snow, flinching at the feel, and pressed on through the land.

After a moment of travel, the strange horse regretted his decision as he almost felt himself being robbed of his life. Was he really dead? He toiled in his steps with the rising levels of snow, and felt that he should give up this pointless journey and let the snow bury him forever.

Until he saw it.

His eyes slowly widened when he caught the faint glimpse of a house near an orchard of trees.

"Shelter...I need shelter..."

With the new sight in his eyes, he felt some of his strength return to him as he marched through the harsh weather and towards the house. He felt some snow being brushed into his muzzle by the wind, but he shook it off as he carried on. The strange horse drew closer and closer until he finally reached the fence. He shakingly climbed over it when he felt his adrenaline fade away. From there, his vision began growing more blurred as he approached the front door.

"Almost...there..."
_____

Inside of the Sweet Apple Acres homestead, Applejack and Applebloom were enjoying their own mugs of hot cocoa while sitting in front of the fireplace. Winona was curled up beside Applejack as she slept soundly.

Applebloom took another sip of her mug and smiled "Thanks fer makin' th' hot cocoa, sis! It's really great!"

Applejack chuckled "T'ain't no problem at all! Nothin' like a good mug o' cocoa while the snowstorm's hittin' Ponyville hard! We're in fer a heep o' shovelin' come tomorro'!" She took a sip of her mug.

Applebloom frowned "Do ya think maybe we might need a little extra help 'round Sweet Apple Acres with all this snow?"

Applejack sighed "More hooves 'round th' farm would be a gift sent by Celestia herself iffin' we get plenty o' snow...No doubt our friends might be busy themselves, too!"

Applebloom looked down at her mug "Well, even though there ain't no shootin' stars...Ah wish we had some more help 'round the house! Maybe a new friend!" She said as she sipped her mug.

Applejack chuckled "Me too, Applebloom...Me too..." She went to go sip at her mug until she heard a faint rapping sound "Huh?" Applejack turned to the front door and stared for a moment before she heard the same sound again "Who in the hay would be here in the middle o' th' storm? Is it Pinkie Pie?"

Applebloom set her mug down and trotted up to the door "Ah'll get it, sis!" She innocently made her way to the front door and reared onto her hind legs as she turned the knob and opened the door with her forelegs. She slipped and fell when the door blew open and made way for the harsh outdoor winds "Ow! Consarn it..." She muttered as she picked herself up and shook her head, but her expression changed when she noticed a set of four long pale white legs sit in front of her. Applebloom looked up, and she gasped at the sight as her eyes widened.

Standing in front of Applebloom was the strangest pony she had ever seen. It was a tall, slender and pale white stallion with black bat-like wings curled up at his sides. His face looked down at her with what appeared to be soulless green cat-like eyes while his long wild black mane breezed in the wind. His horn on his forehead was both long and impeccably sharp and tail was just as strange, resembling a long and durable whip with a wild bush at the end of it. His cutie mark was a scary looking thin black '4'.

Applebloom was instantly frightened by his appearance, especially with how he was breathing, and backed away while she stared up at the stallion with her widened eyes.

The stallion kept his gaze on the yellow filly until he finally uttered his first words since his arrival into this world "...Help...me..." He said as he felt the world around him black out. The stallion fell unconsciously at Applebloom's feet, and the filly ran off. The last thing he heard before he blacked out completely was the sound of the filly calling out for her sister.