Foal

by thelittlestpony


Act 1: Prologue

“Where are we going daddy?“
“We are meeting mommy, and I told you not to call me that, foal

The light from the Sun was dipping over the horizon, dead leaves and the crooked bark from the thickening flora slowed the pair as they ventured deeper into the forest. The calls from night animals waking from their slumber for their evening foraging could be heard far away, they had not walked far into the forest just yet.

Mommy?“

Father and son walked silently. The father, earth pony in front leading a unicorn foal no older than two. Hessian saddle bags straddled their bodies. The growing gloom of the impending night aided by the ever green canopy of leaves towering over them obscured even the slightest hint of the colour of their coats.

“Stop“ the earth pony hissed. Ears twitched and pointed to a noise filtering through the woods, a pattering of hooves, or paws sounded from the distance. Gentle clicking from twigs from snapping on the forest floor, getting closer.

Mommy?“ the foal enquired again, the earth pony remained silent for a moment. Lips twitched as if thinking of a response. With a grimace and the slightest hesitation he moved, stuttered and then stopped again.

“Yes, son. We must be quick or she might not find us!“

Raising a hoof in the direction of the sounds he moved again, starting slowly but with a gradually quickening pace. The foal struggled to keep up, his tiny body cantering to match the pace of the earth pony's gentle trot. Passing branches of twisted and gnarled trees they approached a clearing. Silence surrounded them, no sign of the source of the sounds could be seen. The earth pony slowed and stopped at the centre of the clearing. Ten metres around in every direction them there was nothing but sparse patches of browned grass, a border of trees towered around holding back a darkness that was only now seen due to the lowering sun in the distance. It would soon be the dead of night and the father realised that there would be no respite as he witnessed a thickening cloud cover blotting out the twilight of the moon.

“Wait“

The foal, tired from the brisk pace the earth pony had set dropped to his haunches, then lowered body to the ground, stifling a shiver he huddled near the pony standing vigilant over him. Unmoving the pair waited as one had commanded and the other obeyed. A cool earthen breeze blew smells of rotting vegetation over them while the earth pony’s ears twitched in every direction attempting to pick up on the now lost sounds.

“Just...... just wait.“
“Uhkay, daddy“

All too soon the sounds resumed, seemingly closer and louder. The earth pony looked down to the foal and lay down beside him gently raising a hoof and placing it across his front two legs. The last flickering from Celestia's Sun revealed a sombre face gazing to his son, his foal, the reason for this journey. Tired features twitched again, he knew that this evening would bring him back to his love, but there was something that he needed to release from his chest, a weight that had burdened him for more than two years. The reason for this final journey.

“Three years ago....“ almost talking to himself, but loud enough for the foal to hear he continued;
“...my life was.... perfect. I shared a love with a special pony.... your mommy. Everything was as it should have been..we
were soon to be proud parents to a foal we could both cherish and share our love with... It's almost funny how things
turned out...almost

The sounds, increasingly louder echoed through the forest. The earth pony now no longer twitched his ears in their direction. He knew what was coming, this is what he planned. The last journey he wished to take in the search for his lost love.
The foal stirred looking up at the earth pony and meeting his eyes, he didn't hear the voice of his father often, he remained silent oblivious to the situation that was enveloping him. He wanted to hear his father speak more, but his young mind was not the inquisitive type, and questions he knew his father did not like. Looking away to the tree-line the father continued in a monotone voice, resigned to the outcome of this journey, there was no going back now;

“I remember so much about her but time and years are taking those memories away now. She was gentle, kind,
honest. She would never allow her friends and her family to go without... Not bashful and proud like most pegasii I have
met in my lifetime... She had a pure white coat, white wings, white mane and the most pale blue eyes I have ever
seen. Her winged cloud cutie mark was not her defining characteristic.... those pale blue eyes...“

The father stopped for a moment, knowing he should continue, but haunted by the memory of something so beautiful taken from him so abruptly and without warning. It wasn't fair. It was not how it was in the fairy tales. A solitary tear escaped his eye and dropped to the ground of the clearing, a last tear of so many already shed. He looked over to the foal again and raised a hoof to the eyes of his offspring.
“This... thing“ tapping three times on the tip of the horn of the little unicorn with iron shoes, causing the foal to flinch his head away.
“..is the reason she is not here.“
“daddy?“
“don’t....... don’t speak.....“ he hissed back through clenched teeth. “...just don't speak“

The pony turned his head around seeing orbs of green light blinking in the distance, strobed through the crossing of paths with trees. He knew that time was running out but he couldn't rush, he had planned this, this was not a journey of whim.
He drew a deep breath, took a gulp of a long since passed emotion that had been ever stuck in his throat since his foals birth.
“Now I only see the pain you brought to me, your birth should have been a moment to be cherished.. Now I only see
your unnatural form bathing in her blood, while I cradled her dying form. You are the reason your mommy is not here
son, you
The little unicorn remained silent, the beginnings of tears forming around his eyes his head dropped to his legs, his eyes raising to the object of his fathers ire protruding from his skull. Whimpering the foal spoke, breaking the silence that had descended upon them.
“Mommy not want me? Where mommy? I hurt mommy?!“
“Yes..“
Tears flowed evenly from the foal, not understanding the gravity of what had been said he raised a quivering leg and touched his horn with a hoof.
“...Yes foal, you did this... That thing on your head killed your mommy... You will never be able to see her.. Never

The earth pony looked around again, the green orbs were larger now. Blinking less with each passing moment, fewer trees were now hiding the column of hungry eyes that stalked them. The pony blinked and rose from his resting place.
A brief moment of clarity washed over his soul as he looked down at the wreck of a child he had raised for such a brief time. His body lurched and muscles clenched. A hoof rose to the mane of his son. His son! His child, was he a gift or a curse? His mind reeled seeking to in moments decipher the clues that two years of anguish had so utterly failed to grasp. Was he her last gift to Equestria?! Is it too late? Is he her last gift to Equestria!

Spinning away from the bobbing green eyes he realised he did not have long. He couldn't take the risk, would not take the risk that he was wrong. It was too late to seek redemption, apologise for the cold years he had inflicted on the innocent child before him. He would not remember any words said now anyway. There was only time for one last throw of the dice. The earth pony dropped to his knees and scooped the foal on to his back in a fluid moment, tears instantly dampening his mane from behind him he put his back to the Timberwolves stalking in the distance, and barrelled as fast as he could away.

He had been running now for only minutes, but the passing of each second leached his strength. The Timberwolves had halted the quiet stalk of their prey and had lunged into a full pursuit. A brief break in the cloud cover above allowed navigation through the haphazard trees that surrounded them, but he could not run forever, he needed to conserve as much strength as he could if he was to lead them away, and that was a task in which he was not prepared to fail.
His eyes shot in every direction surveying the forest looking for a place to hide his weeping cargo but nothing stood out, no contrast to the ever present wave of wooden limbs flanked him, hindered him. Never claustrophobic in his life he suddenly felt strangled as if the trees themselves were wrapping around his neck and tightening a noose he could never escape.
Tiny hooves clutched the base of his neck, too small to envelop it completely, he could feel them digging in to his soul. Could he have been so stupid? So utterly blind to what was in front of him? Her last gift to Equestria?
As suddenly as he bolted he stopped. A diseased tree before him cracked at its base resting upon its neighbour. Long dead, but still sporting a body just big enough. A plan quickly blossomed in his mind, but he had to be fast, they were coming. He could not run much further and still lead them away so he would act.
Dropping the foal to the ground he reared and bucked like only an earth pony used to working the land can. Not enough! Again and again he strained his muscles for all he was worth, for what little he was worth. Finally cracking through the shell of the long dead tree on the fourth buck the slightest flicker of a smile grew on his face for the first and last time since that night many months ago. Green hungry eyes thundered through the forest from every angle now. Not enough time! What was I thinking. He was her last gift to Equestria! His thoughts crept and misfired. There is no other explanation! fuck!

He dropped to his knees once more and picked up the foal gently, cradling his body and placing him like a delicate Hearth's Warming eve gift inside of the hollowed out tree. If he knew any better he would have questioned the fortuitous finding of the old oak but time was of the essence.
“Stay silent, do not move, wait until it is day and leave the forest“
“Daddy?” The foals tear soaked face peeked through the hole his father had hastily constructed. “I'm scared daddy!,
where mommy! We go to meet her now?”
“No son, only I will. When its sunny go that way“ the father raised a hoof to the direction that their journey had started.
“Remember, that way
Turning around and facing the other direction the earth pony flinched hearing a fallen stick breaking too close. Slowly he started to move, as if his muscles were suddenly too heavy.

Her last gift to Equestria. He thought.

Charging through the trees again his head shot around again taking one last look at the fallen Oak, green eyes passed by it following his heavy charge. Being careful to be as loud as possible he stifled a grin knowing that he would continue, not stopping until their snouts could not possibly be able to track down the gift he was leaving behind for Equestria.

Our last gift to Equestria. He hoped.