A Serpent Situation
Prelude: A Bleak Beginning
It was late evening in the Everfree Forest; the time after the sun had set, but there was still sunlight scattered across the tops of the wild trees. As the diurnal creatures were retreating to their dens and places of rest for the night, the nocturnal creatures were roused from their daily slumber to go out into the dark and feed. However, there was one animal that was neither preparing to sleep nor awaking for nightly activity. It was very lost and, now aware of the coming night, began to grow ever more worried at the predicament it found itself in. This animal, a light yellow pony with a dark yellow mane, was known by most others as Lemon Drop. She lived in a quaint little town by the name of Ponyville, which was just then beginning to grow and prosper. There, she and her twin sister made their living by selling lemons and lemon related products. Their business was growing so well, in fact, that it was beginning to get business proposals from neighboring towns and villages. Unfortunately for Lemon Drop, it was one such proposal that was the cause of her being lost in the Everfree.
She had been overseeing a branch of her business that had been established in the closest town, when she received word from her sister to return to Ponyville Immediately. Apparently some very bad occurrences had been taking place in and around her hometown, and she was needed to help ensure the businesses’ safety. The word was that some kind of horrible creature had begun to terrorize the town, and there were already multiple ponies missing.
After hearing this terrible news, Lemon Drop decided to take the quickest way back to Ponyville; the trail through the Everfree Forest. Her plan seemed like a good one at first, but as more time passed, the more her plan had gone awry. By now she was totally lost, tired, and even a bit scared. She had lost track of the trail hours ago, and was about to give up the hope of finding it when she found a possible escape from her predicament. In the thick of the trees and bushes she had found a small and windy trail about three to four feet wide, just big enough for her to walk along.
About an hour and a half had passed, and now it was growing dusk. Lemon Drop knew that it would be a near impossible task to follow at night time, and soon she found herself bolting down the path as fast as she could. As she ran, the thoughts of the horrible creature raced through her mind. In these thoughts she found one disturbing truth; the fact that such a creature could only live in the Everfree Forest. The very same Everfree Forest she found herself dashing wildly through. The sounds of wild animals could be heard echoing through the trees, seemingly increased in volume by the pony’s fright.
It was growing ever darker now, and Lemon Drop’s fears were becoming a reality. She could barely make out the path now. Her hopes of escaping this nightmare began to grow dimmer now, and so did what little light was left. But just as she was about to give up all hope, she saw a slight twinkle of light through the trees.
Could it be?
Could it possibly be?
Yes, it had to be!
It was her sweet home of Ponyville that Lemon Drop saw through the thick forest now. Hope and strength were rekindled by this discovery, as she lost track of where she was putting her hooves for just an instant. That was all the time it took for her to miss the obstacle in her way and trip over it, resulting in a very hard fall to the ground. As she looked back to see what had tripped her, all she saw was a long and slender object lying across the pathway that looked to be about three feet thick. Being so dark, she couldn’t make out any details; assuming there were any details at all. But her attention was drawn away from the mysterious thing as she heard rustling in a nearby bush. Lemon darted her eyes back and forth around her to see what, if anything, was causing the noise. However, when her eyes finally fell back to where the object was supposed to be, it was gone. Whatever it was that Lemon Drop had tripped over was no longer in the path.
Scared senseless now, Lemon Drop tried to pick herself up off the ground as fast as possible and make a mad dash for the lights past the trees. As she ran, however, she became aware of a very loud noise following her. The terror of being chased by the creature she had heard of was too much for her. By the sounds of rustling bushes and snapping twigs behind her growing louder now, it was obviously catching up. Lemon could now see that she was almost to the edge of the forest. All she had to do was make it to the edge of the tree line, and she would be safe…
Too late.
Lemon didn’t even get a chance to yell before she felt an unnaturally powerful set of jaws clamp down on her neck as a long, smooth form could be felt wrapping itself tightly around her body. She began to hyperventilate as both the jaws and coils steadily grew tighter and tighter. No matter how much she tried to struggle, there was no escape. Soon breathing was hindered from her lungs being crushed. The jaw clamped harder at her neck, preventing any air from making it to her lungs. All she could do now was lay there, caught in the coils of this creature, and slowly have the life crushed out of her body.
And to think, she had almost made it…
The darkness of not only the night, but of death as well, consumed Lemon Drop as she breathed out her dying breath.
In an overhanging tree, a very young serpent watched as its mother slowly crushed her victim’s body until it was limp and lifeless. It found itself very uncomfortable watching its mother heartlessly kill this helpless creature. But, in a way, it was his fault the animal was dead now. He had refused to claim the life of another animal earlier, and his mother was now showing him how to survive in the world. Every step of survival, even the slaughter of innocent beings for food. This thought tossed and turned in his mind as another thought harshly made battle with it. How could he be feeling remorse for these animals? It went against all of his natural instincts, and yet he continued to feel sorrow for the victims. It just wasn’t natural!
He winced as his mother began to swallow her freshly killed meal. The sound of its bones cracking as its body was compressed to fit the large serpent was sickening to her offspring. He thought back to when he had sworn to himself never kill such creatures, but inside he knew that one day he would eventually have to if he was to survive.
It was, after all, the natural way of things.