//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Bathed in Blood and Darkness // by GoodKnight //------------------------------// "The earliest I can remember is, well, the day I first found it. I guess I was really upset about something because I can remember crying on that day. I ran into the nearby forest to be alone. I can't remember it's name, but I remember nopony going into ever because it was dangerous or something. Anyways, I felt really, really sad, but also very angry. I think the reason why may have been like a break-up with a special somepony, or something 'cause that's something that makes you sad and angry at the same time. Right? Or maybe somepony close to me had died. I know that would definitely make me sad, but I'm not too sure on how it could make me angry. I'm not too sure who I'd know that would have died but the more I think about it, the more I think that's what had happened. But then again, why would I be so frustrated? Did they owe a few bits or something? No, it couldn't have been that. I don't think I'm that petty... or maybe I am- er, was... Or maybe... Maybe I blamed somepony else for their death. That makes much more sense to me. Don't get me wrong now. I just don't think it was the other option. I mean, I don't think I was a petty pony back then, but I can't really remember much before that point either. Anything before crying in the woods is just a blank, just like my-- Ooh! Maybe that's why I was so upset. I know that some ponies turn out to be late bloomers, so maybe I was too! And because I was one meant that others would've made fun of me for not finding my special talent yet, which explains why I was sad and angry. I could've been sad that I didn't find my place in the world, angry at the bullies and at myself seeing how I never found my path. I could've been angry at myself too, for the pony's death I mean. Maybe I felt like I hadn't done enough to prevent it; that somehow, it was my fault for whoever died. I may have also just killed them in a raging fit or something and ran away knowing that I done it... on accident, or on purpose-- What am I saying?! I don't like killing ponies... or at least back then I didn't... I think... But, it would make sense then on why it chose me-- Oh! Sorry. I'm just... flustered, is all. I'll get to the point. On that day, I was really sad and really angry. I just wanted to be alone, you know? I didn't really pay attention, not that I could see where I was going. My eyes were really blurry with tears, I guess. I remember walking for a while, until I found a clearing. I was looking at the ground and I felt tired from walking so much. I collapsed right at the edge there, I think, and sobbed for a while. But then I heard something. It sounded raspy and low, like, I couldn't really hear it. It sounded soothing, so I just listened to it for a while. When my tears dried, I looked up and saw it. I remembered it being really ugly looking. It kinda scared me because it looked all fleshy, and stuff. It was also really, really big. It towered over me. I was scared stiff, but it didn't move or do nothing. I just stared at it for a while and I could feel something at the back of my head getting warmer. I guess I had gotten up to get a better look at it because the next thing I realized I was about two inches from it. I don't know what made me do what I did. Maybe I was curious to see if it was fleshy or if it were even real. Maybe my brain acted on autopilot, but I remembered the next part very clearly. I reached up and touched it. For the record, it did feel fleshy, but not the slimy kind. It was more... "alive" than anything. I ran my hoof up the surface, feeling the soft, firm, bumpiness that it had. I then felt it become smooth as it ran over the edge of it. I kept rubbing my hoof back over the middle part because it felt... nice, like... like 'soft warm blanket on a snowy morning' nice. I felt like I was being wrapped in a big, fuzzy, blanket. I didn't know it at the time, but my hoof moved upward at that point. The higher it went, the better the feeling got. The fleshy softness became harder--Not like that! I mean, i-it was soft, but then felt like a bone-- GAH! You get what I'm trying to say, right? Anyways, I reached the top. I had to stand on my hind legs, bracing myself against it to steady my balance. The top was really skinny compared to the rest of it. I felt so amazing. It was as if I were lying in the softest bed in the world. Then, a thought-- no, a voice-- wait, um... Let's just say that something told me to wrap my hoof around it. When I did, the feeling disappeared along with all my other feeling in my body. My eyes were drawn downwards to a portion above my other hoof. I didn't let go. I should've let go. I should've never touched it... but I did. I can never forget what happened next because it won't let me. The next thing that happened was that the flesh had parted revealing a large glowing orange eye opening up. ...I blacked out after that."